#What happens if you don't pay Discover card

[green-light-debt-relief]

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happens if you don't pay your Discover card? A: Non-payment can lead to delinquency, account suspension, or legal action.

Q: Does Discover sue for non-payment? A: Yes, Discover may initiate a lawsuit for debt collection after a default.

Q: What should I do if I can't pay and a credit card company sues me? A: Seek legal advice, consider settlement negotiations, or explore debt forgiveness options.

Q: How long does it take before a credit card company sues for non-payment? A: Lawsuits can be filed typically after 180 days of non-payment, but this period can vary.

In summary, Greenlight Debt Relief advises consumers to stay informed and proactive when dealing with Discover card debt. Understanding the consequences of default, the legalities involved in debt collection lawsuits, and exploring potential debt relief strategies are essential steps towards maintaining financial stability.

#DiscoverCardDebt #CreditCardLawsuit #DebtSettlement #LegalAdvice #FinancialGuidance

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Popular with the Ladies

SUMMARY: You discover that the demon brothers went to The Fall to have some kind of brothers night through photos posted on Devilgram. Both in Asmodeus's account and other demons’s accounts. Especially succubuses. What will they do when you seem uncomfortable or even upset about this?

CHARACTERS: Demon Brothers (Lucifer; Mammon; Leviathan; Satan; Asmodeus; Beelzebub & Belphegor)

TAGS: Fluff; Fem!Reader (just for the context of the idea); Comfort

WARNING: Possible Spoilers for the Devilgram story from the "Popular with the Ladies" card

WORD COUNT: An average of 720 words per character.

COMMENTS: So, I got the "Popular with the Ladies" card in Nightmare and read the Devilgram story, and I was expecting more. So I was slightly disappointed, and that's why I decided to write what I would have liked to have read.

CONTEXT: This takes place in the Nightbringer timeline. Because I don't believe they would leave MC at home alone while they have fun.

You were in your bedroom in Cocytus Hall, scrolling through Devilgram when you started seeing those pictures. Photos of the brothers surrounded by succubus, some of the accounts of these same succubus with one of them at their side. In the case of Mammon and Asmo, the photos with them were almost as if they were friends with the succubus. In Beel's case, he looked unbothered by the photo. In Levi's case, he looked a little uncomfortable, but there were still some photos of succubus with him. In Satan's case, he didn't seem to pay any attention to the photos being taken of him. In Belphie's case, there were photos of him sleeping on the shoulders of two or three different succubus. But there were practically no photos of Lucifer other than those that his brothers took with him.

Solomon told you that if you talk to them and you wanted a way to find out if they flirted back or not, he had a crystal ball that could show you what really happened. But to do so, they would have to touch the ball as a kind of consent to show the images.

The next day, at RAD, you run into each of them, as usual. But this time you're not so happy to see them.

“Good morning, (Y/N).” Lucifer greets you as always. You greet him back, slightly less excited to see him than usual. “Is there something wrong?”

You stay silent for a moment, until you tell him that you saw the photos on Devilgram that showed he was in The Fall last night.

“Oh, that. Yes, Asmodeus has wanted to do this again for a long time. But I honestly don't know to what extent he genuinely wanted to have fun with his brothers or just wanted to prove that he was the most popular of us all. I'm sorry we didn't invite you but, you see, it was a brothers' night, like Asmodeus said. Don't worry, we will certainly invite you to any other occasion.”

However, this ended up not changing your mood much.

“Hmm... Not being invited isn't the problem then?” he thinks for a moment. “What did you see in those photos?”

You say that, specifically with him you didn't see anything much, but with the others you saw a lot of photos of them with succubus. And you say that if that was happening to them, it certainly would have happened to Lucifer too.

He laughs and smirk. “So you're jealous. I can't deny that you look very cute like this. So I'm going to appreciate it a little more.”

“But you don’t need to worry about me. And to reassure you, no one approached me. Nobody ever does. In addition to knowing that I have an intimidating presence, I believe everyone knows that such an effort will not be worth it. After all, according to Asmo's own words: ‘You can't flirt with someone when you know their heart will always belong to someone else, can you?’ Even though at the time he said that, he and Beel were referring to Lord Diavolo to tease me. But believe me when I say that, apart from jokes, this statement undoubtedly refers to you.”

He holds your hand.

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about, my love. I am only yours like you are only mine, and no succubus has the slightest chance of changing that.” he kisses the back of your hand. And then gets closer to your face, maybe even your ear. “And I can prove it to you tonight if you want.”

You accept this proposal, but once back in Cocytus Hall, you tease him, saying he can prove it to you through the crystal ball. Solomon was out somewhere.

Lucifer looks at you with a dangerous smirk. “Very well then. If that reassures you more than my word.” He was looking at you with those sharp half-closed eyes.

Through the crystal ball you see what Lucifer described before. He was on a couch with Asmo and Beel when they started talking about no one approaching him.

“True. I don't remember ever having person after persons come up to flirt with me like the rest of you.” Lucifer says.

“Huh, I wonder why...” Asmo comments.

“Because Lucifer's only interested in Lord Diavolo.” Beel answers.

“Don't make it sound weird.” Lucifer replied.

“Ooh, yes! I know what you mean!” Asmo continues “You can't flirt with someone when you know their heart will always belong to someone else, can you?”

“Nope, you sure can't.”

“Now hold on a second!” Lucifer returns and then says smugly. “You're only mentioning Diavolo because you don't want to talk about the person you're truly thinking about.” The other two widen their eyes as if he had caught them. “What you said was true, Asmo. But that statement does not apply to Diavolo. And you both know it.” Beel and Asmo don't say anything. “What's wrong?” Lucifer says with a smirk. “Was it because I mentioned her?”

Asmo quickly changes the conversation and you can tell that both he and Beel seem to feel slightly guilty. The crystal ball becomes opaque again.

“You should know by now that I wouldn't lie to you.” Lucifer tells you, looking you in the eyes, and with that smug face that indicated trouble for you. “Especially on this matter. I thought I already taught you that. But perhaps I was too... soft...”

“Hey (Y/N)!” Mammon greets you as always. You greet him back, slightly less excited to see him than usual. “Yo, what's up? Where is the excitement of seeing the Great Mammon once again?”

You look at him, grumpily.

“It wasn't me, I promise.”

You ask what he ‘didn't do’.

“I don't know, but I don't like the way you're looking at me.”

You take your D.D.D. out of your pocket and show him some of the photos of him with succubus as if the two of them were really close or something. Mammon PANICS!

“Wa-wa-wA-WA-WAIT!!! THAT IS NOTHING I SWEAR! THEY JUST ASKED ME TO TAKE A PHOTO WITH THEM! I DON'T KNOW THEM! THAT’S JUST A PHOTO I SWEAR! I DIDN'T THINK THIS-!!!”

You turn your back on him.

“NO! No! Please believe me. This is just somethin’ I've always done. And it started to happen more after I started my modelin’ part-times. It's just fan photos and stuff.” You comment that it didn't seem that casual. “Okay, maybe I was a little happier after drinking a little, but that's it, I swear!”

You took just one step forward, in the opposite direction to Mammon who was behind you, when you feel two arms hugging your legs. Fortunately, not in a way that would make you lose your balance.

“NO! No! Please! I love you! Only you! These are just pictures, I swear. I will never do that again.” If you look down, you'll see his face looking up at you like the saddest puppy in the world.

You then remember Solomon's crystal ball and tell Mammon about it. He agrees to show you what happened without thinking twice.

Back at Cocytus Hall, Solomon was still out somewhere and you and Mammon are alone in your bedroom.

Through the crystal ball you see Mammon sitting on one of The Fall's couches with two succubus, one on each side of him. And he seems to be having fun. You look at him upset and he doesn't take his worriedly look away from the crystal ball. He can't look you in the eye, but it's like he's waiting for something.

He takes the photos you saw with them. Until one of them started hugging him and kissing his cheek. Mammon pushes her away from him with his arm and you can see him upset. “OI! What do ya think you're doin’?!”

The two get even closer to him. “Aww, come on~ I'm sure even the Great Mammon likes some variety~” says one of the succubus

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“You're not going to say that you just like to have fun with that dull human, are you~?” says the other succubus “We could do much-”

Mammon gets up abruptly and turns to them still sitting on the couch. “Ya mention my human one more time like that and ya’ll regret it! Get off my couch!”

They try to soften him up a little more, but that only irritates him even more. He threatened them once again to leave and they sulked away. And the crystal ball becomes opaque again.

“Ya see?!” Mammon says to you. “I told ya nothin’ happened! They even irritated me and I sent them away. Nobody talks about ya like that! You are my human. My one and only (Y/N). And I am your first. Your favorite demon. I would never-”

You interrupt him with a kiss, and he reciprocates with all the love and passion he has for you, hugging you as if you were the most precious thing in the world.

“I love you. No matter who I'm at a party with, I belong to no one. But you. Ya ear me?... So... can we continue? I really missed you last night.”

“Good morning (Y/N).” Levi greets you with a smile, but you greet him back slightly less excited than usual. “Oh, what’s wrong? Did I do something? I did something didn't I?” he said worriedly. “I'm so stupid I don't even know what I did.”

Stopping him from continuing his self-deprecating spiral, you tell him that you saw the photos of him with succubus at The Fall last night on Devilgram. And he panics! More than it already did.

“WHAT?! Tha-that wasn’t me! They wanted to take photos and I couldn't say no. I didn't want to be rude so I accepted. I was so stressed! Mammon and Asmo tricked me! I didn’t know what to do. I was so uncomfortable. I just wanted to go back home, to my games, to my manga. I so wish you were there so I could cling onto you. NO! WAIT! Forget the last part!”

You knew there was a really good chance he was telling the truth. Any other hypothesis would make no sense. But even so, you wanted to test Solomon's crystal ball and you tell Levi about it.

He stutters, but ends up agreeing with as much confidence as he could find in himself, although it wasn't much.

Back at Cocytus Hall, Solomon was still out somewhere and you and Levi are alone in your bedroom.

Through the crystal ball, you see Levi sitting on a couch in The Fall with two succubuses, one on each side. Mammon and Satan were nearby surrounded by succubus too. You can clearly see that Levi is uncomfortable and blushing a lot. But everything indicates that his blush is due to embarrassment. You see the succubus trying to get closer to him and he shrinking and withdrawing. You can hear them calling him cute as he awkwardly thanks them.

You also see the moment when they ask him to take photos. He tries to reject it but he can't, because the succubus make him feel bad for rejecting the photo.

You see the inside of the crystal ball fill with fog to jump to a scene later that night as they are about to leave. Two other succubus are very close to Levi as if they wanted to hold him in his arms but he hadn't allowed it yet. He politely and shyly tells them that it's late and that he has to go home with his brothers. And that's when they say:

“You're not in a rush to get back to that human, are you?” At that moment, Levi's posture stiffens. The succubus smile and continue. “Come on, cutie, wouldn't you prefer a more vigorous woman to make you happier? That dull human must be so weak. She can't even do half of what we-”

“Okay, that's enough!” Levi says, his embarrassment completely disappeared and he seemed to control how upset he really was. “I tried to be nice, but you crossed the line by talking about (Y/N) like that. Firstly, I was just being polite to you, I don't want to have anything to do with you nor do I want to see you around me again. And secondly, you would never come even closer to how incredible and wonderful (Y/N) is! You have no idea who you are insulting right now, nor what I am capable of doing if you continue. So leave me alone!”

The succubus took a few steps back and calmly returned to The Fall, sulking. And then the crystal ball becomes opaque again. Levi has been silent the whole time, and when you look at him it looks like he wants to hide in a hole.

“I can't believe I spoke like that.” he muttered to himself “Out loud. In public! OMG, that was so embarrassing. I am so embarrassing. I should never have gone, I should have left there straight away. Why did I believe in that good-for-nothing of a brother...”

You hug him, which startle him. “W-w-wha?! Y-you're n-not mad?” You tell him no because he told you the truth and you were very happy to see him defending you like that. He hugs you back almost crying (or maybe actually crying). You feel his desperate embrace.

“You have no idea how horrible that was. I was so uncomfortable. I just wanted to hide in my room and never come out. I missed you so much! *sob* I just wanted to be with you! *sob* Like this! I love you so much! Don't let them fool me like that again, please...*sob*”

If you start kissing him on the face, this will only make him even more emotional and make the hug tighter. If you keep going, he won't let go of you for a VERY long time. He needs your comfort.

“Good morning (Y/N).” Satan greets you as always. You greet him back, slightly less excited to see him than usual. “Is there something wrong?” You're still not sure whether to tell him or not about the photos you saw at Devilgram and he notices your hesitation. “If there is something bothering you, you can tell me. Whenever you feel comfortable to, of course.”

With that, you decide to tell him. He is first surprised because he didn't know these photos existed. And then he becomes furious that photos were taken and published without his consent.

“So they took the pictures anyway, even after I said no. What kind of photos are these?”

You show him some. They are all photos taken when he wasn't looking. Surrounded by succubuses who seemed attracted to the way he ignored them or demonstrated mere good manners with a lack of interest in them. However, in some of them he was smiling while talking to one or another succubus. He noticed that in these, his expression became slightly sad or worried.

“I think I remember that one.” He says “She had started talking about a book that had recently come out and that I happened to like. This photo must have been taken before I realized that she didn't know what she was talking about and had only started talking about the book to please me. But now that I think about it, she must have done it all just to get this photo.”

You see him getting angry again. That smile behind the aura of growing rage. You put your hand on his shoulder, trying to make him look at you in an attempt to calm him down a little. He looks at you as if he had just noticed your presence at that moment after being immersed in his angry memories of that photo. And his expression changes. He calms down and, although he is still upset about the photos, he is more concerned with reassuring you.

“Listen, I only went to The Fall last night because Asmo insisted on a brothers' night. After all the problems I've had with them, I decided to myself that I would always accept these types of invitations. But that was the only reason I went. I would have much rather stayed home reading any of my books, or with you. I can assure you that pretty much all of those succubuses were just annoying me.”

Knowing Satan and the seeing pictures, everything indicated that he was telling the truth. But even so, you wanted to test Solomon's crystal ball and you tell Satan about it.

“Would you like to see what happened then? With pleasure. If that will give you peace of mind I'll show you whatever you want to see.” he says with a confident smile.

Back at Cocytus Hall, Solomon was still out somewhere and you and Satan are alone in your bedroom.

Through the crystal ball, you see Satan sitting on a couch in The Fall with two succubuses, one on each side. Mammon and Levi were nearby surrounded by succubus too. You see him backing away a little whenever a succubus tried to approach him, until he realized that if it continued like this it would be preferable to simply get up and leave. So he just gives up.

“I didn't want to leave because, like I told you, I was there for my brothers.” Satan tells you “And I didn't want to spend all that time standing either.”

You see the moment he told you about, when one of those succubuses mentioned the name of the book because she had heard about it in Devilgram or something. That's when he finally looks at her for the first time and she smiles because she got what she wanted, his attention. He starts talking about the book and his opinion on it, but it's when he starts asking the succubus questions that her mask starts to slip. She said she didn't remember the names of the characters and the answers were vague and the kind that would serve for any question. He starts to get suspicious and decides to ask her a trick question, which she falls for.

“You haven't read the book. You don't even know what you're talking about.”

“OH, come on~!” the succubus says “You should relax here, not talk about books. Now that you've finally looked at me, don't you think it's better to look at than words on a page~?”

“Not really.” Satan answers boldly and sincerely.

“What?! Oh, come on~ there must be someone here who piques your interest more than books.” another succubus says “Maybe me?”

“If you really want to know if there is someone capable of making me stop reading to look at her, yes, she exists, but she is not here and she is not a succubus either.” he reveals, starting to get irritated.

“You're not talking about that human, are you? She is just-”

“Be very careful with the words you let out of your mouth because if you don't, you're one sentence away from irritating me enough to bring this place down with all of you in it!” He finally snapped, and the succubus calmly withdraws as if afraid of a time bomb exploding. And a crystal ball becomes opaque.

“Now that I hear it, I'm not very proud of what I said.” Satan says, slightly embarrassed. “But I don't regret it. Nobody insults you in front of me.”

You hug him. You say that maybe he exaggerated with his words, but you were happy to see him defending you like that. He hugs you back and kisses your forehead. You feel his embrace grow more affectionate.

He sighs in relief, "It's so much better to be with you like this."

“Good Morning hon~!” Asmo greets you cutely as always. You greet him back, slightly less excited to see him than usual. “Aw~, what's wrong? It seems like you're upset about something.” You look at him with a disappointed look. “What? Don't tell me you're like this because of me? What did I do?”

You take your D.D.D. out of your pocket, open his own Devilgram profile and show him all the photos of him with succubuses, having fun together as if you were extremely close. He plays it cool, but behind the cute voice, he was worried.

“Aw, don't worry hon. They’re just pictures for my fans. With... my fans. It's nothing special. It's just something I always do. You know, as an influencer I have to create this kind of content. You understand right?” He looks at you with innocent little eyes and a sweet smile.

That doesn't convince you, and the fact that he's the Avatar of Lust doesn't help either. Your look is an indecisive mix between angry and sad.

“Nothing happened, I promise. I know I don't give off the air of the most faithful person in the world, but that doesn't mean I will love anyone other than you. Ever since I fell in love with you, the most I give to others are hugs. And that's all you can see in the photos too.” You still weren't convinced. “I would never lie to you. *sigh* If there was a way to prove my loyalty to you.”

This reminds you of Solomon's crystal ball and you suggest to Asmo that you use it as this way of proving that nothing serious happened last night. He accepted without hesitation, and comments that he can't wait to see (again) how pretty he looked that night.

Back at Cocytus Hall, Solomon was still out somewhere and you and Asmo are alone in your bedroom.

Through the crystal ball, you see Asmo sitting on a couch in The Fall surrounded by succubuses. And he was hugging some of them, mainly to take pictures. His face often came close to theirs, but never touched them. He seemed to be having fun flirting with the succubuses or incubuses that approached him.

The Asmo beside you couldn't even deny that he was flirting. He doesn't say anything either, and you feel him uncomfortable beside you.

You see the inside of the crystal ball fill with fog to jump to a scene later that night as they are about to leave. A lot of succubus are very close to Asmo, each of his arms around waist os one of them. And it's when he lets go that they grab him back.

“OH, come on Asmo, what happened to you?” one succubus asks.

“Hum? What do you mean?”

“The only thing you've done this whole time is flirt with us and give us hugs. Don't you want to do anything else? You know~ Just like old times~?”

“Sorry~, I'm not that Asmo anymore. I've changed. No offense, dear, but I don't need it anymore.” He explains with a cute smile trying not to offend them.

“It's that human's fault.” another succubus comments to the rest of them, allowing Asmo to hear it as well. “She must have put a chastity spell on him or something. You know we can help you with that baby. Set you free.”

“She didn't... You know what, maybe you're right. Maybe she really did put a spell on me. And I feel great about it. I've never been happier. And now that I think about her I feel so happy that I only wish you the same. Ah, I should text her. Or call her. Aw~ now I just want to see my little Sheep-chan~” He turns his back on them and walks towards the exit as if he had completely forgotten about their existence while he was thinking about you. And a crystal ball becomes opaque.

“You see? I told you the most I did was hug. Okay, I admit I still find it fun to flirt with others, but that's just it, you know, like I find it fun to tease my brothers.”

Seeing the satisfied look on your face, he puts his arms around your waist, pulling you closer and kisses your cheek lovingly.

“I promise if it hadn't been a brothers’ night I would have called you.” he kisses you again “But don't worry, no one else will feel these lips but you.” He will continue to kiss your face until you let him kiss your lips.

“Good Morning (Y/N).” Beel greets you as always. You greet him back, slightly less excited to see him than usual. “Hum? Is there something wrong?” You're still thinking about whether to tell him about the photos you saw or let it go. “You don't look well. Did you eat something that made you sick?”

He really seems concerned about you, so you decide to tell him the truth. You tell him that you knew he and his brothers went to The Fall last night throw some pictures that were posted on Devilgram. Most of them were with Asmo, but you found one or two of Beel sitting with succubuses.

“They took pictures I didn't even notice.” He says.

You ask what they were doing sitting with him?

“I don't know. Some just sat down next to me out of nowhere. But Asmo told me later that they were trying to flirt with me, I think.”

“And you didn't realize that?” You ask

“Nope. I was just thinking about my mixed nuts. You should try it. I don't know where they get them but The Fall's are really good.” He smiles, like he always does when he thinks of a food he likes.

You laugh at his obliviousness. There is no reason for you to doubt Beel. You think that there is no need to use Solomon's crystal ball, but you would still like to test it and tell Beel about it. He responds that he doesn't mind and is happy to help you.

Back at Cocytus Hall, Solomon was still out somewhere and you and Beel are alone in your bedroom.

Through the crystal ball, you see Beel sitting on a couch in The Fall alone. He had a neutral expression, looking around as if he just wanted to distract himself. You ask if Belphie wasn't with them.

“He was, but I think at this point he was with Levi. He was feeling uncomfortable there so Belphie went to keep him company.” You ask why he hadn't gone with them. “I was waiting for my mixed nuts. I didn't want them to get the wrong table.”

You see a group of three succubuses approaching Beel. One of them asks with a smile if they could sit there and drink with him. To which he replies: “There are plenty of open tables over there.” You burst out laughing as you watched the sulking succubuses retreat. The Beel beside you smiles seeing you laugh.

You see Asmo arrive with Beel's mixed nuts and asking what happened to those succubuses. Beel tells him.

“What?! I can't believe it!” Asmo says “Don't tell me that you didn't realize that they were trying to flirt with you?!”

Beel doesn't respond, just looks at Asmo unbothered and slightly confused.

“Oh my... So you really didn't realize? Those poor girls... If they'd only come over to me instead of Mr. antisocial here, I would've made sure that they had the night os their dreams.”

“I think they were interested in Beel because he doesn't chase after every girl he sees.” Lucifer says as he approaches them.

“Lucifer! That's so meeean... It almost sounds like you're suggesting that I am the one who does that.”

“Even if I had realized *munch* *munch* it wouldn't make a difference *munch* *munch*  No matter who comes up to me *munch* *munch*  I won't flirt back. *munch* *munch* Even if I knew how.”

“You don't know the fun you're missing.” Asmo says.

Beel shrugs and continues eating as the image fades and the crystal ball turns opaque.

“Sorry we didn't invite you.” Beel says to you. “But Asmo wanted it to be a brothers' night like the ones we had before. You're not upset that you didn't come with us, are you?”

You say you're not upset and hug Beel. He gives you a loving bear hug and kisses your cheek.

“I promise we'll invite you next time.” He says with his cute smile.

“*yawn* ´morning (Y/N)~.” Belphie greets you as always. You greet him back, slightly less excited to see him than usual. “Hum? What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well?”

You say it wasn't that, well maybe a little, but the truth is that you were like that from the pictures you had seen of him at The Fall last night. He asks what photos and you show him some of the ones you found in Devilgram. All of them with him sleeping on the shoulders of some succubus.

“I don't remember these photos.” He tells you calmly, as if he is completely sure of his innocence. “They were clearly taken while I was sleeping and I couldn't say no. Asmo really wanted to have a brothers' night so I went with them, but it was very late and I was really sleepy. I must have accidentally fallen asleep on their shoulders and they took advantage of that to take the photos. You're not upset, are you?”

Maybe you were, just a little. But you knew that what he was saying was most likely the truth, any other explanation didn't make sense in Belphie's case. However, you wanted to test Solomon's crystal ball, so you tell Belphie about it anyway. He says, with a smile, that he doesn't mind helping you test it.

Back at Cocytus Hall, Solomon was still out somewhere and you and Belphie are alone in your bedroom.

Through the crystal ball, you see Belphie sitting on a couch in The Fall, with Beel and Asmo. Beel was busy eating while Asmo was talking to some succubuses. One of them was sitting between him and Belphie. He began to slowly close his eyes and eventually fell asleep, letting his head fall on the succubus' shoulder. She was overjoyed by that and when the others noticed, they looked at them, and they all commented on how cute Belphie was. Even Asmo praised his little brother's cuteness.

You feel a little jealous because he actually looked really cute. The Belphie next to you hugs you around the waist and lays his head lazily on your shoulder. “Your shoulder is better.” he whispers.

“I wonder if he would wake up with a kiss? Hi hi.” You hear the succubus in the crystal ball say. She leans in to kiss Belphie on the lips when he immediately opens his eyes and straightens up, escaping the kiss.

“Sorry.” Belphie says “I fell asleep by accident.”

“No problem, cutie. You can lie on my shoulder whenever you want. And if you want to lie in another way, you can too~”

“No, thanks. I'm good. I'd better sit somewhere else so this doesn't happen again.” He stands up, but the succubus holds his hand.

“There's no need. You can stay here with me, I don't mind~”

“But I do.” He lets go of her hand and goes to sit next to Beel, where he ends up falling asleep again on his shoulder. And the crystal ball becomes opaque again.

Belphie was now almost asleep on your shoulder, hugging you like you were his teddy bear.

“Since we're already in your bed, why don't we take a nap together~? *yawn* So sleepy...”

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[thetarotwitch111]

Beetlejuice's advice - Pick a beetlejuice (Pick a card)

Happy Friday the 13th! 👻

✨help me keep doing the free pacs: tip jar

✨ personal readings - [requests open]

Good luck with Beetlejuice sweet advice...

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

Beetlejuice

Well, well, well! You’ve gone and picked this pile, huh? You must be ready to get wild! And I mean wild, baby! Here’s the deal: You’ve been holding back, trying to play it cool, but I can smell it on ya! you’re bursting to break free and let your instincts take over. Right now, life’s been a bit too tame, hasn’t it? Like a boring old dinner party with those dull folks in the afterlife. You know what I’m talking about!

It’s time to unleash that primal side of yours. Stop thinking, start acting! You’ve got this fire in you that’s been waiting to come out, so let it roar! Whether it’s chasing after a passion, saying what you really think, or just shaking things up, now’s your moment to own it. Don’t worry about making a mess. Look at me, I’m the king of messes, and it works out just fine! You wanna go after something? Do it! You’ve got the instincts of a predator, so go ahead and pounce.

Life’s too short to play by the rules, and you know what? Rules are for suckers! Break ‘em, make some noise, and watch how everything around you changes when you’re the one calling the shots. After all, it’s showtime, baby!

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

2. Beetlejuice

Oooh, look at you, picking this one. I can smell the love vibes from here! Someone’s looking for connection, huh? Whether it’s romance, friendship, or just some human contact, you’re in the mood for something deeper. And guess what? It’s coming your way faster than you can say Beetlejuice 3 times!

Right now, you’ve been feeling like something’s missing. You want more than the usual small talk and surface-level stuff. Well, here’s a little secret...when you let your guard down, the real magic happens! Show people that squishy center of yours, even if it makes you feel a little awkward. Hey, if I can try to marry a living one, then you can take a risk on love, right? Open yourself up, let people see the real you, and boom! You’ll attract the kind of connection that’ll make you feel alive again.

Whether it’s a deep friendship, a romantic spark, or just more fun, you’re gonna feel that spark light up soon. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find someone who loves a little chaos, just like me. So how about it? Any plans for a wedding soon? I’ve been trying to get hitched for a long time, but you…you’re a catch. Just saying.

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

3. Beetlejuice

Ahh, you’re one of the deep thinkers, aren’t ya? I can tell. You’re not just here for the easy level stuff, no sir! You want the real deal! the big answers to those cosmic questions! And let me tell ya, you’re on the right track. You know what they say: I’m the ghost with the most, babe, and I see some serious mystery heading your way!

You’ve probably been feeling a little tug, haven’t you? Something’s been calling you to dive deeper, whether it’s a gut feeling, a dream, or just that weird sense that there’s more going on than meets the eye. Well, spoiler alert: You’re right! You’re getting ready to tap into something big, and it’s gonna blow your mind. The universe is trying to show you the secret behind the curtain, and you’ve got front-row seats to the show!

So what’s next? Start paying attention. The signs are there! those strange little synchronicities, those moments that make you go, WTF. Yeah, that’s the universe talking to ya. Don’t ignore it! Follow the breadcrumbs, trust your gut, and dive headfirst into the unknown. You’re about to discover something big that’s gonna shake up how you see the world. And let me tell ya, it’s gonna be a ride you’ll never forget. Just remember: You’re dealing with a professional here!

[kiwi-channn]

just a drawing

(part 3)

Older Simon Riley × fem reader (artist)

∆ artist reader sees ghost while he is patrolling her city and she wanna draw ghost but he refuses ∆

Part 1 - part 2 - part4

............🌻🌻🌻...........

It was a beautiful calm night in that restaurant... Simon was wearing a nice black classic shirt... He feels so stupid, thinking he dressed too nicely ... He really wanna leave now .. it is just that she has a way with words ... Since he met her or she got stuck with him... She always makes him go wherever she wants... He thinks that she is really convincing...but He still doesn't know why he is complying with her?!...

and since that day at the beach, he has been thinking about her a lot.. it is intriguing... he needs to stop it before he gets too stuck..

He looks at his watch and sighs ...

...: hey..

He looks beside him and sees her finally coming to sit across from him on this elegant table...

"how you're doing?"... y/n Says with a soft smile... And you are wearing a pretty cute dress, as classic as him... The dress shows your soft feminine frame...

Simon just looks at her from her head to her toes before she sits down... And luckily y/n didn't notice he just checked her out...

He clears his throat and puts on a stoic face...

"Iam good... And you?.."

"I am okay... You won't believe what happened when I was waiting for my upper!... Listen listen..." And she just starts talking about whatever... She likes how he listens to her...

At first when she talked to him, she thought he didn't listen nor focus on her at all... So she stops talking suddenly in the middle of her little story ... And she discovered that he really has been listening.. he is just too calm because he asked her about a detail... Since then... She felt so comfortable with him... But she really still wanna convince him to let her draw him... she won't give up at all...

So they had dinner.. a nice meal...

At the end of their good "time" ... Y/n takes out her purse to get out her credit card to pay for her meal...

Simon just just looks at her in a certain way ... And she looks back at him and chuckles...

Y/n: "what?... Did I do something?..."

"No... Just... I didn't expect you to pay for yourself..."

"Ohh ...  No no... We are friends so we split the bill... That's the rule"

"Hmm... Yeah... Well... That's convenient for me..."

Then they get out and walk out a bit ... It was a chilly night ....

"So I went on and turned off the computer... You know.. because.. like she could have asked me before using it... She is just dump...having a sister is tiring.."

"I never expected you had a sister..."

"Yeah... Why?..."

"Just thought you are an only child..."

"No I'm not...."

Then they both just walk in silence....

"What do you call a fish with no eyes?"

She feels a bit weird...she didn't expect that out-of-nowhere question ... Is he telling a joke?!...

"Um... Don't know... What do you call them?.."

He glances at her with a smug look on his face... And that's a first for her...

"FSH...f. s. h."

She couldn't believe that he just said the lamest joke ever... She just stares at him for a moment and laughs ... Not because it's funny.. but because it was unexpected...

"Nooo..." says as she puts her hand over her face.

"Yes..." says with a smug expression on his face.. as he side eyes her

She takes a deep breath to not giggle more... "Okay... let me think of one too.."

"Go on.."

she thinks a bit... Then gets one ... her eyes are sparkling a bit ...

"Oh oh... I got one .. so... What did one ocean say to the other ocean?..."

He shrugs..."what?.."

"Nothing.. it just waved..." Then she laughs at her own joke....

And he chuckles a little bit and raises an eyebrow as he looks at her..."really?... That was lame.."

She opens her mouth, surprised at his comment... "What?... And your joke was funny?..."

"Yeah.. it was funny... You laughed.."

"Barely ... And because I was surprised... My joke is better..."

"No .. mine better... Love"

She gives him a side eye annoyed look and shakes her head slightly... Chuckling at his confidence... And she lets it go for now...

She stays silent again for a bit and sighs in relief...

"But... Jokes aside ... Today was really nice .. thanks for accepting my request... I didn't expect you to accept... so thanks..."

He doesn't understand it himself...

"No problem..."

She smiles kindly... Looking ahead as she realizes that they almost reached her apartment...

"So... We are almost here.... I live in that building...." and she points at her balcony...

Then they stop in front of the building's entrance...

"So... Still no portrait?..."

"No..." He says firmly.. looking down at y/n..

She groans a bit loudly...

"Come on... Why not?..."

He doesn't answer that ... He just smiles a little calm smile... Which made her heart skips a beat .. she always feels that his smile is so pretty... Even if it was not that happy....it Makes her ... Like.. greedy?... She isn't sure... But... It feels so good... Slowly getting closer to him... she reallyWanna see more...

"Hey... You okay?..." He says gently... As he noticed how spacy she got....

She snaps out of it... Getting a bit nervous...

"Uhh... Yes.. yes... So okay.... And you sir?..."

He raises his an eyebrow at her... Looking down into her eyes.... Making her more nervous... Like he is looking into her soul ....

(Is that from his military experience or something??...)

"I am doing fine ..." says calmly as he just follows her flow...

She smiles softly as she feels a bit shy....

"Okay.. can I like.. text you? You know.... Maybe meet up again..."

He just looks a bit too calm suddenly... That she thought he will refuse...

"You can... It's okay..." he can`t believe he agreed.. he wanted this to be the last time..

She feels happy and her face lights up...

"Okay... Then be ready... Bye... the portrait offer is still on.."

He nods his head slightly and watches her walk inside the complex ... Making sure she is safe... then He leaves...

........

In the opposite building... Someone with Binoculars standing in a barely open window..... Watching y/n with that huge man... And he almost broke the Binoculars..

....: "so you were out?!... You shouldn't see anyone... Y/n... You can't do that ... I will show you...and I think your time came..."

Then he punches the wall with so much hate.... Feeling blood rushing into his veins....

[xvxnux]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝓻 𝓮 𝓫 𝓲 𝓻 𝓽 𝓱 ,

⠀ ⠀ “sometimes we are killed and we don't realize it

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ so tell me, you're dead rn?”

( 💬 ) i want to talk about your most recent rebirth. if it doesn't resonate try to choose another option!

the lovers

for some people who chose the lovers card i see that they have gone through a rebirth and others have not yet. but the context of the rebirth of both parts will be the same, have you ever had the feeling that the events are the same and only the characters change? then. rebirth for this pile comes through a passion. basically i see that after a disappointment in love you fell, maybe you missed opportunities because of someone and after that disappointment you tried to get back up. the beginning may have been difficult, today you may feel like you must work hard and there may be regrets in your heart too. after the rebirthing process did you acquire new skills to deal with pain and with your life, your studies, career, dreams? you will be successful. each person has a reason to be reborn and all are valid and understood. and for you who chose this pile and are in love with someone at the moment make sure you take off yours pink glasses and see all the things for what they are, be realistic and spare yourself from people who make it clear that they are not on the same wavelength as you.

the tower

your rebirth happened when you lost an important person in your life, i see that person is on another plane. i feel masculine energy, father, grandfather, brother... (for some people i see that it may have been a change, they – or you moved for far – may have moved to another city or country and for others i see that a family member has died) i feel that it may have been 2 people in some cases. there is something striking about this situation that is still present in you, in the farewell... yes, from a farewell you were never the same and know that you were reborn at that very moment! you may have felt helpless, as if you were numb or as if the ground was cracking under your feet. don't worries, you'll be feel better.

death

for this pile see that rebirth has connection with spiritual awakening. it's like the cards tell me a story. so if you identify with this stack and resonate, pay attention to what i'm going to say next and see which stage you are at right now. "suddenly you realized that you are in a bad way, in such a way that you can no longer control it or understand very much why you feel that way in some moments. it relieves your pain and then you feel a little motivated and hopeful to move on. this motivation will make you more open to things of spirituality, and then you wake up and discover your mediumship (some of you can predict the future) – for some people finally get to know more about a spirit guide –" i see that this awakening tends to improve your life in general. new ideas emerging, new dreams, great partnerships, great friends. do you want to travel, change your room or organize something? you will. positive for the financial, very positive! your rebirth and spiritual awakening are in perfect alignment, your paths are clear.

random: financial problems? connect with your spirit guide, he has something to say to you.

[honeeslust]

You don't know me but you will | part 1

🖤 vampire Satoru x vampire Suguru x human you

🖤 I haven't been to the dark side in a while so this is long overdue!

🖤 non-con, veuyer, mind control, maybe more, idk yet

I really don’t want this to be long-winded. But let me paint a picture for you. I'm thinking about the 90s of it all. A hot summer night, a gentle refreshing breeze breeze on your skin. You find yourself at the video store absentmindedly browsing the horror selection of video store. you’d glance over your shoulder, feeling the eyes that were surely on you. Chilled, you sidestep the people passing, whirling around to no avail. No one you could see but you were sure though, someone was watching.

Flustered, you make a hasty selection, opting for your favorite, Scream. You hoped you could focus your attention on the 90s heartthrobs. One being tall with such soft and pretty eyes and an eager personality to match. His stoic equally mesmerizing counterpart with those dreamy eyes as black as the darkest night. darker content was your happy place. You loved to lose yourself in a bizarre story, always opting for strange and unusual.

You pulled out your wallet to pay, handing the cashier your member card first and then the exact change. you took the movie and headed to your car. Just as you got the key in hand, (cause 90s) a sudden calling of your name made you turn on your heel. The first thing to strike you was how easily a pair of the iciest blue eyes overtook you. He was literally perfection, standing there in front of you rather than being plastered on some cheesy magazine flaunting his good looks.

He held something out to you, and your eyes averted to the item in his hand. you’re y/n? Right? You forgot your card in there. You smiled shyly, extending your own to take it from him. it’s actually pronounced …. (Y/n) but yea that’s me. You say nervously. Uhh, so thank you, you said, trying to accept the card into your hand. But then, he steps a little closer, invading just enough of your personal space that you were rendered motionless. My pleasure he says, eyes piercing your soul now as his fingertips touched yours.

Suddenly, everything stands so still that even the very breath in your lungs feels like something to be scrutinized. And there was a picture. No it was real, a memory? a feeling? It was impossible to place but not one you wanted to let go of. —His lips wrapped around your neck, a fearful set of fangs sinking into your flesh. The image floated away as quick as it had come to you and suddenly you couldn’t look past the way his incisors jutted out a little further than all the others.

But then. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. You spun dazed and confised, sharply glancing in every direction around you, dazed and confused. When a couple entering the store leered at your awkward presence. you shuddered, nervously mumbling to yourself and fumbling for your keys. It didn’t help that even after a slow and calming breath you opened your clenched fist to discover your movie card in hand.

You made the entire drive home, knuckles bared over the steering wheel as you rode in an uncomfortable silence. What had just happened? You knew you felt his hands on your body, his lips on yours, his… teeth on your neck. It was so real that you squeezed your legs shut, remembering in excruciating detail the pleasurable feelings that radiated through your body. And what was worse was that you knew you saw his face. But no part of the memory seemed to rectify his beauty.

You parked your car. Contemplating how you would even be able to sleep tonight after what you had experienced. When you got inside you dropped everything at the door and locked up tight. You needed to do something, anything but remain still with your thoughts. You were hastily stripping out of your clothes to hurl yourself into a scalding shower, hoping to eradicate whatever black magic clearly had gotten a hold of you.

The water cascades over you like lava as you stare down at your feet. You nake the mistake of shutting your eyes for a moment too long. And there he was again. So mystifying and angelic but there was an unsettling darkness about him as he loomed over you, his hand seizing your body, reducing you topieces . Your eyes shot open and you lurched forward, your palms bracing against the walls as you curled your leg over your calf, thighs squeezing together against that twinge of eager clenching between your legs. What was happening to you??

All the while…

They were twin flames, Suguru and Satoru. Born of the same darkness and their latest affliction was you. Having watched you as you walked the aisles of the video store. The likes of them were drawn to you the moment they had spotted you. Their game would begin once they agreed you would make perfect prey.

First, they would need to taunt you, embedding themselves in your deepest darkest fantasies, toying with you subconscious to make you more apt to overlooking the daunting reality. You didn’t know that his appearance was intentional. Merely a light to a match that wouldn’t be extinguished until the imagery you were plagued with had been satisfied. And the glimpses of what could be never seized would torture you now. Suguru wields his power over you relentlessly, watching as you exited your shower. your wet and steaming body was irresistible illuminated in a heavy chromatic light of Satorus making that made you even look even more appetizing. His power connects the three of you now. And in that moment you became theirs.

Then….

Your mind still swimming with the steamy portrayal they presented your psyche. You were in front of your mirror, massaging the vanilla scented oils over your skin. The sweet aroma soothing your rattled nerves but arousing you as you thought of the mysterious entities hands on your body. Your eyes fell shut as you caressed yourself. And again there it was, the feeling of a certain set of eyes on you. You didn’t know from where but, you didn’t exactly shy away from what you started to assume it was maybe more than just a feeling.

It was a curious phenomenon, what the unknown parties could make you feel and see. It became a need that your body wanted to satisfy, a feeling that needed to be chased. You lie on your bed, legs spread as you teased and caressed some more. They watched you from the shadows. unbeknownst to you,they were encroaching upon you. You could feel them before you could see them, so submerged in whatever was overtaking you. A stir rustled the cover between your legs and a husking voice prattled to you in the darkness. Your eyes shot wide open as you hurried to shut your legs.

Who are you, you said trying to make yourself decent in front of the raven haired adonis who was kneeling on the foot of your bed. He took pleasure in seeing you recoil so shamefully. The modestly you tried to protect was pointless, he’d already seen the way you pleased yourself before. The thought of how much better he could do had him shaking his head in appreciation as he answered you. relax little fox. He said coaxing your shaking legs apart revealing an intimidating set incisors, much like what you sawon the other. You've already met Satoru. He gestures over his shoulder, revealing another. He was long and lean with, muscled torso almost glowing in the warm light of you bedroom. His arms flexed and the veins lining those perfect arms bulged and twitched as he crawled into your bed beside the other. Your eyes trailed his body until meeting his gaze hidden behind the scream mask he wire. Their presence awakens something within you. Something unexplainable. As for me… well, you don't know me, but you will.

Part two

From the blood room 🩸

@blkkizzat @crescentmoontsuki @callm3senpaii @thecookiebratz @biscuitsngravie @littlemochabunni @i-literally-cant-with-this @nanamin-nah-nanamine @ryomens-vixen

[thecelestialperiwinkle]

ᰋ  ׅ࣪   ꒰  tarot x zodiac signs ♡︎ a tarot reader predicting what each zodiac should expect before june ends  ꒱  

sun, moon and ascendant or significant signs on your birthchart is worked for this reading.

aries - seven of pentacles.

you can anticipate working on a project primarily for your own benefit, whether it's at work or in your relationships with others. you should take advantage of this opportunity to advance or work on your skills. also, pay attention to every little thing that happens to you this month because it might tell you what you're manifesting for. if you're applying for a job, they might be about to call you back. i do see this person getting a new job or starting a business on their own this month. your hard work might get you something in return.

taurus - ten of swords.

this month, you might feel really worn out. you might also discover that a someone's you've really trusted for a very long time is stabbing you in the back or talking trash about you. there is also a bad chance that someone will look down on you this month, but whatever the reason, you might end up feeling extremely worn out before the month is over. you were second-guessing yourself a great and bad deals during the current month. self-hatred is a possibility.

gemini - three of wands.

you might come to some brand-new realizations, such as continuing an old self-improvement project, making new progress toward your own self-improvement, or getting over toxic relationships and habits. this month is about moving on from the past and taking a new pathway. while, if you are manifesting someone or something. i do see that it has already manifested with this card, and your manifestation is successful - you are about to see the result.

cancer - seven of swords.

just a word of caution: don't be decisive. additionally, an air sign might attempt to influence you for their own personal advantage because, from what i can tell, you might have a positive public image, and they don't really like that at all. you have cunning adversaries all around you. this month, a lot of people have been spying on you, even on social media. (if you have a sizable and big following platforms, of course.)

leo - the chariot.

you may desire to travel or atleast have a vacation before this month ends. however, you want to focus on your goals whether it's career or study's. you will gain some attention. confidence and self-discipline is likely to workout higher. a possible rival is about to pop up.

virgo - justice.

all of our deeds have consequences whether they're good or bad - karma always kicks in. you are about to get something of what you've done but this more likely in a positive one. it's for the better. the (darkest) truth will finally come up to show themselves up. it will have an affect on you somehow and for the people around you. a new life lessons is a heading for you. be responsible for giving an opinion.

libra - five of wands.

an exciting challenge is heading up for you - this is about working on a team. if so, it's time fore you to show your real skills. it's your time to shine. you are about to get an opportunity to grow from this challenge. if you are an athlete you maybe about to get on a friendly competition - probably a martial arts. if you aren't, avoid playing gambling because you might get lost of control.

scorpio - seven of cups.

the heaven and universe will give you a lot of positive options. whether which one you are going to choose for, in the end it still gonna makes you happy. as well, pay attention to your dreams that seems vivid they're giving hints for you. messy life is about to happen most likely schedules. you will be busy and tired for this month to the point you wanted to escape the reality and just sleep and relax all day.

sagittarius - the sun.

you maybe dreaming a lot of your childhood lately this is because you maybe missed something or someone from your childhood that makes you happy. it can be grandparents, an old house or childhood friendships. you were dreaming an unknown person from your dreams this can be a soulmate. luck will surround you this month - just stay positive. someone's baby or a baby from a womb (family member or yourself) is happy to see and meet you sooner. you will get recognize because of your talents don't think that they're worthless and kitsch.

capricorn - three of pentacles.

you will meet someone whom you think is well-known person. you will be inspired to them to learn more about your skills and knowledge. it's about following your dreams. you will confess or someone's else might confess their feelings for you. if you are asking about job, you will get hired and will be under training or a promotion. your hardwork is gonna be recognize and rewarded.

aquarius - queen of wands.

you spent most of your days with nature currently and for the rest of the month. your mother or a mother figure will play important part for you this month. they can be a new friend and friendly person but somehow get jealous over someone and something this is because of their dominant ego but they're willing to stay on side always.

pisces - death.

a new beginning is about to start, you maybe sees a lot of angel numbers which is define and telling you a new start is about to come. you will cut-offs old habits that will bring a life changing ways for you. a blessings in disguise may happen. a bitter trials is exactly lying beneath of a probable gift.

[j0kers-light]

His Lighthouse Oneshot Masterlist

A updated master list of oneshots within the His Lighthouse series.

Canon w/ series💡| Smut 🔞🔥 | Trigger Warning ⚠ | Pink series 💖

A Frosty Outlook💡

-A special anon ask for Frost POV! Join Frost on a rare day off!

A Little Favor

-Y/n and Joker have their first argument after J asks you to do him a little favor.

A White Future (Smut)🔞🔥

-Joker discovers he has a weird fetish that Y/n is more than happy to indulge in.

Baby Sat💡

-Y/n babysits her neighbor's kid with Joker's assistance. Shenanigans ensue in the process. Will this expose J to the idea of kids in the future?

Bad at Love (Smut) 🔞🔥

-Wild and confident, Y/n finds herself in a peculiar FWB situationship with Joker but what happens when he's the one that longs for something more and she doesn't quite feel the same?

Bat Connections (Smut)🔞🔥⚠

-Dark!Joker finds out that Y/n had a romantic history with Batman. Read at your own risk. (originally a head canon and cont. as oneshot)

Broken Dolls (Smut) 🔞🔥⚠️

-Dark request for canon!Joker kidnapping Y/n Wayne and the torture that soon follows. Not for the weakest reader. Includes angst with no happy ending. Read at your own risk.

Broken Promises

-A what if oneshot depicting Joker's reaction when Y/n gets into a car accident. Is it a mere accident, and how will Joker cope with that reality?

Coordinates to Home

-A short oneshot about Joker's tattoos and the message behind them.

Don't Let Go (Smut)🔞🔥💡

-Joker comes home in a rare mood and proves to Y/n just how much he needs her to stay with him.

Fight For Me ⚠

-A comfort fic depicting Bulimia!Reader being loved and cared for by Joker.

Fit for a King

-Fashion designer!Reader falls in love with The Joker!

Giving Into Temptation (Smut) 🔞🔥

-A what if scenario! Y/n is Batman's lover until Joker comes along and seducing you into being his. Will you give into temptation?

Goodbye

-What happens when you can't love J anymore? Can you run away and say goodbye, or will he always have a hold on you?

Happy uhh Halloween? (Smut)🔞🔥

-Halloween fic 2023! Halloween is a big deal within the Y/n household and you show Joker just how you celebrate the holiday after hours.

I Fantasize About You

-Y/n finds herself with a secret admirer/stalker. What will Joker do once he finds out?

I Spy (Smut)🔞🔥⚠

-Someone watches Y/n’s home security feed and pays the ultimate price but not before Joker has a little fun.

Iris (Smut) 🔞🔥⚠

-Y/n has scars that she's not proud of, but Joker is always there to take her pain and any negative thoughts away.. in his own special way of course.

J Stands for Jealous

-Joker goes M.I.A for three months leaving Y/n desperate and alone, starved for attention. You decide to move on and date again. What happens when Joker is suddenly back in your life?

Joker’s Bunny (Smut) 🔞🔥💖

-To be continued in 2024.. 👀

Judge the Cover

-Popstar!Reader with a mix of stalker!Joker. The best of both worlds come together. How will it end?

Just One Check

-Y/n finds herself in a predicament trying to deposit a check.

No Disrespect

-Joker lets Y/n join him at a meeting at the hideout. There’s no telling what will happen.

Not Jealous (Smut)🔞🔥

-Joker becomes jealous when Y/n is trying to play a video game. He has the perfect way to get your attention back on him.

Paint the Town Red 💡

-Reader is crazy just like Joker and helps him plan the perfect heist! Unfortunately problems arise and Y/n has to save the day. (Note: some elements are considered canon to the main series, HL)

Playing Cards

-A what if scenario! A new spin on how you and Joker meet for the first time.

Plot Holes💡

-Writers block hits Y/n at the worst possible time. Luckily Joker knows the perfect way to help.

Probing Questions💡

-On a dark stormy night, Joker’s past is discussed in the comfort of a blanket fort.

Reassurance💡

-Everyone needs a little reassurance every now and then. A fluff piece about J's bad days and how Y/n is always there to make them better.

Role Reversal and Until Next Time

-A genderbent fic with Male!reader & Fem!Joker. A two part story on how they fatefully met and begin their curious relationship!

Rules and Date Night💡

-There are rules within your apartment and Joker tends to forget about them. Thankfully, Joker treats you to an apology date filled with fluff and implied smut.

Say Something

-Grab some tissues! A short dive into Joker’s guilt ridden mind when Y/n’s slips into a coma.

Slippery When Wet (Smut)🔞🔥💡

-Y/n introduces Joker to more music around the house in a interesting hands-on way.

Sugar Ain’t Sweet (Smut) 🔞🔥💖

-The return of Mature!Joker & Sugar!baby!Reader! You and J clash as you struggle to decide if you want to continue this high risk life with Joker.

Sweet Girl and Summatime Fine (Smut) 🔞🔥💖

-Joker helps Innocent!reader lose her virginity and educates her about kinks along the way. A follow-up sequel where you are unaware of the power you hold over Joker wearing a summer dress.

Tis the Season 💡

-Christmas 2023 fic! Happy holidays! Y/n finds out that Joker has never celebrated Christmas and does everything she can to give him a white Christmas in Gotham City.

Tuning In 💡

-Fluff piece. Y/n preps for a live stream with Joker's help.

Two Weeks💡

-What happens if Joker is gone for an extended amount of time, leaving Y/n alone in her apartment?

[dollsonmain]

Saw Harley and Ivy Barbies and thought "They're not too bad, but Ivy's outfit is terrible" and that's my full thoughts on it while my doll friends sit down and have a deep discussion about how and why they're terrible.

Green Barbies are getting easier to find with Elphaba, Vina, and Ivy. I want more other colors. The fairies had pink, purple, and blue. I wouldn't mind more purple and blue and a light green and ye... yellow might be pushing it unless she's Spongebob yellow and the pink fairy basically looked normal, and orange is just the 80's Barbies again, but you get me.

They have fairytopia and mermaids, why not fantasy skin tones?

-

Talked to a friend and he mentioned that he isn't sure if he's masking so hard that his mask is himself, now, or if he was faking being ND as a child and I was like love, that's a thing so many of my ND friends have gone through.

I'm going through the same thing right now with this job.

All these years have been like "I can't do this much physical activity because it will hurt me more than the activity is worth" and here I am walking 3+ miles every day, standing on my feet for hours, bending, lifting heavy stuff, and I'm fine. I've just been lazy and refusing to do hard work this whole time.

I say, while having obvious, glaring moments of brain fog (I'll break down Monday's chaos under a cut) and confusion while on the register, forgetting what I'm doing while I'm doing it, being so tired and sore that hobbling home takes more-than-twice as long as walking to work, falling asleep while eating, having to push myself very hard to get chores done when I'm home especially the ones that require going up and down the stairs, and being in so much pain at home that I'm barely mobile...

So Monday, a guy comes in and buys gas at the register. There's a slight price break if you pay inside, for some reason, and I'd rather it was card at the pump only but that's neither here nor there. Sometimes the card readers on the pumps hiccup and people come inside instead of fighting with them, too.

He tells me his pump number, I take the payment, he goes back out.

He comes in a little later and says there's no money on his pump. I knew the payment took and was like "Ok, I'll put $30 on the pump you're on as cash and you're good to go."

Which doesn't make sense. In hindsight, that made no sense what-so-ever. I don't know why I thought that was a solution to the problem. It made sense at the time but as soon as he walked out the door I was like "Wait... What did I just do??"

Some back and forth and we discover that he told me the wrong pump and the lady at the pump number he gave me had put in her card like normal and pumped gas not noticing the money already on there, but that was HIS money.

I couldn't figure out how to refund the man's payment to her pump and take payment from her so we could reset everything, and that didn't fix the $30 cash charge that wasn't in the register because I didn't take cash from him, I just told the register that I did.

So I had to grab Alt-Manager, tell her what happened, and after SHE tried to refund the wrong-pump card payment so we could charge both customers correctly and couldn't she asked the woman if she had any cash. The woman had a $50, so the manager broke her $50, gave the man what he was owed for the woman's gas (the woman was like "that's for me!" but no, it was for the man) and the remainder to the woman.

We charged the man again for HIS gas, which he had already taken from the pump so we had to charge him for random groceries, and they both walked out.

Then I was like "Wait, I think this means the woman didn't pay for any gas."

Which Alt-Manager was like "Oh no..... I think you're right...."

She had to go call Manager who somehow understood what had happened and broke it down for both of us, while both of us were like "what...." but.

The man will have 2 charges on his CC: Her gas and his gas. The gas station gets both. The woman paid the man in cash for her gas. Manager "refunded" the $30 in cash I'd told the register it had to zero that out.

In the end it was all square, but it was so confusing at the time.

It would have been better to refund the man the cost of the woman's gas in groceries in cash and then recharge him for his correct pump and then charge the woman in groceries for how much she was owed, but I didn't know that was an option. To refund as groceries when the issue was gas. Though doing that may have messed up the drawer count, too, because that cash was never put in the drawer in the first place, so doing it the way she did was the best way to keep the drawer count right.

Anyway, Manager is very good at understanding and managing the money side of things and being firm with vendors, customers, and employees, but bad at time management and has unrealistic expectations regarding how long it takes to complete tasks, especially when also expected to run back to the register every few moments, whereas Alt-Manager is good at the money side but a little easy to influence/push around, and very good at time management making sure that everyone is in and out at the correct time and will jump out to take the register about 5 minutes before it's time to go so employees can count their drawer and do their dishes, etc.

[tarotmundomonde]

Year 2023 General Reading

pick a number 1-5 OR pick a colour: 1-pink 2-green 3-red 4-blue 5-yellow Hope you enjoy!

(ps. this reading is for practice, fun and entertainment as always)

1.Welcome to pile number 1. Let's see, what's coming through for you this year. First is rest. It's essential for you to pay attention to rest and sleep this year. Also, vacations. Maybe you need a vacation or maybe there will be a vacation you are looking forward to this year, as travel showed up in your reading as well for this year. And this year it looks like you'll be pretty busy, so be mindful of stuck energy. When you are overly stressed and overwhelmed, you could end up feeling stuck. So instead of letting things pile up, try to delegate and be active, take action, do one thing at a time. Because this year there could be lots of distractions as well. No matter, how busy you are, sleep is still important and breaks. Trying to cheat on that will only backfire on you later on, because over intake of caffeine and energy drinks won't be enough to keep you running. So you want to stay focused and to do your work right and to maintain balance as well. Keeping a lower profile could be in your favour at times, too. Pay attention, as there are a lot of things you don't know. Do your research. It looks like this year there is a lot to discover for you. Also, it looks like you will receive a lot of support and good advice from others this year. Transformation will also be a big theme for you this year and to learn to trust yourself more. This year it's important for you to trust more your intuition as well. And you could even experience some lucid dreaming this year. Also, it seems like, if there are any obstacles or troubles, you will overcome them, even triumph over them. Money also came through for you. Especially, if you are looking for a job, you might land a job with good salary this year, maybe a position of authority. For some of you, you could have pregnancy or motherhood in the cards for you this year. So if that's something you are hoping for, it looks positive. Otherwise, in general there will be some family matters and a wish granted for you. There is also an emphasis on going with the flow and if you are still single, it does look like you might enter a love relationship this year. This could be someone new entering your life and there is a strong focus on attraction and on the femininity and feminine energy. A lot of intimacy and closeness. The cards are talking about sparks of love and light and how you are surrounded by magic this year, like everything feels so good and beautiful in life, like euphoric love. In general it looks like good things are coming to you. You'll go out and have fun and you could meet new people this year, you seem to have also a secret admirer or admirers. And November could be a significant month for you this year. Also, it looks like you might connect more with gemstones this year. Especially, when dealing with stuck energy, using gemstones could maybe help with purifying your energy and for healing. To release fears and bring in more peace and joy, to balance yourself. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

2.Welcome to pile number 2. Let's see, what's coming through for you this year. Change and lots of surprises are heading your way this year. You will be climbing towards success as well and it could happen unexpectedly or more rapidly than what you thought. Also, it will be a year of releasing the old and making space for the new. Also, energetically speaking, this is a good year for you to practice more healing, especially your heart chakra. It seems like you have some fears to overcome and the need to see through the illusions of the ego. You'll also need to work on having stronger and healthier boundaries, because it will help you in finding your way to the truth and that will help you release your fears and negative thoughts and to take your power back. There is really a big focus on unclear thinking and muddled thinking and feeling very frustrated. There is a sense that you might have too much been influenced by other people's opinions and so now you need to learn to love yourself and accept yourself the way you are, appearance and personality. So tapping into your higher self will be a big theme for you this year. Overall, it's just really all about heart chakra healing, so work on that and the cards are suggesting that maybe sound baths could help you or listening to healing frequencies music could be your thing this year. Also, grounding yourself will be important this year and finding some anchoring. Many lessons to be learned for you this year. Also, the cards are talking about a pilgrimage, like a part of working on your heart chakra is to take some space and spend time alone to ground yourself. Also, maybe spend more time outdoors as well. Really the cards are talking about grounding yourself and anchoring and finding peace and feeling calm and just being in the moment, living in the now. For some of you, maybe some change of scenery or a trip of some sort to a new place. And ancestors and origins came through strongly for you as well. And one more thing is your eye vision, it seems this year your eye vision could improve somehow. Nourishment came through as well for you. Then January came through for you. The cards are also talking about the need to pay more attention to your finances this year, because it does look like you could have quite an active social life this year, like parties and celebrations. Also, romance came through strongly for you. Much love and deep affection and romance, going on dates. You also got some people coming through, possibly an older man and younger woman. You have also some victory in some endeavor coming your way this year and it seems this is a year to tap more into your sense of good luck and to create good luck. Honestly, you have much potential to use this year's energies for healing and bringing in more good luck into your life, more good things. Very powerful year, if you chose this pile, a year of personal power and of recalling your dreams. This is a year to be active and to do your part. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

3.Welcome to pile number 3. Let's see, what's coming through for you this year. One big theme will be for you to tap more into your strength and beauty within you. You have the strength and power to cleanse and purify yourself from negative thought patterns and conditionings and programming and manipulation. It's interesting, the cards are showing that you could have some shamanism ancestry. The cards are talking about grandfather energy and mother lines supporting you. So if you feel energetically stuck, harness more positive energies. You are powerful and change is coming. So this year it's a lot about breaking free from the negative and transformation. The healing and transformation you are going through can feel like a long mental journey, but you are growing wiser and the cards are saying that there is assistance, you will be taken care of in difficult times. And for some, maybe you will travel this year. There is also a strong focus on your lower chakras levelling up and healing. Also, forgiveness and soul growth. Even if things shake up, reground yourself. There could be someone you find a bit unreliable, maybe insincere. But there is a lot of good, too, here. Love, spiritual love and joy and good fortune, prosperity and abundance. The cards are also talking about a fair man and a younger man or it could be one person or many. You have a bit of everything this year. You have transformation, but you have status quo as well and then you also have some kind of milestone this year. So a whole lot going on. This is going to be a hard work year in many ways for you. You'll have a better ability to focus on what you are working on, whether that is education, work, hobby or health. As a month September came through for you. You have renewal as well and surprises and opportunities coming your way this year. New doors opening, so it's time for you to open new doors and start fresh. You have also some kind of news on the way and the cards want you to know that you are on the right path, at least regarding some aspect of your life and that you will receive some compliments from admirers this year. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

4.Welcome to pile number 4. Let's see, what's coming through for you this year. First of all, you got a strong message about being protected from harms and that you are receiving all the necessary spiritual guidance this year. You seem to also have friends or a friend with more influence, who'll take your side. Because it looks like you'll be dealing with some temporary situations and with someone stubborn, maybe pushy and bossy. Also, there is a focus on a woman. And there is heartache as well over something you no longer have. You could be possibly experiencing the dark knight of the soul this year. The ego shatters and transformation takes place and deep wisdom follows. You might revisit some past hurts this year and fears and it seems there will be some father line healing. It's going to be about soul retrieval. There will be growth through adversity, so embrace change. So stay strong and you are growing stronger. There is hope and you will be shown the way. So a big theme will be to work on finding peace within and to open up your heart. Self-love, unconditional love, peace and compassion, close bonds with family and friends and community are big themes for you this year. The cards are talking about a family wish coming true as well. There will be great happiness, as you work on accepting peace and receiving love. Even new love might enter your life this year. If you are already in a relationship, then it's just about bonding. But it seems that there will be new connections coming in anyway. Looking at the cards, there is definitely much success and growth in self-confidence happening for you this year. A lot of happiness, blessings and possibly wishes coming true for you this year. A lot of big changes rolling in and expansion. New faces and a lot of communication and observations made this year. So bravely communicate. You might have so much going on that you'll need to put extra effort to keep your life in balance and in order and to keep your body in balance. When it comes to money and business, you might need to be a bit more shrewd this year, to play it safe. Maybe in general you'll feel more like taking a safer approach to things this year, like you might prefer to play it safe. It also seems that you'll have new opportunities coming in that are waiting for you. You got also a strong message about music and your voice. So whether it's just listening to music and opinions or maybe you are into singing and perhaps there will some new opportunities regarding singing and making music. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

5.Welcome to pile number 5. Let's see, what's coming through for you this year. There could be a lot of ups and downs for you this year. A lot of uncertainty and heightened emotions. A year to face your fears and dark thoughts, as understanding the difference between perception and reality, and to let go of them, to overcome them, to transform and to find peace. The cards are also warning you about possible secrets. What comes to healing, there could be a focus on your throat, solar and sacral chakras, clearing family patterns and to generally focus on healing your health. This is also a year you could learn a lot and feel like you were taught many things. There could be a focus on a teacher, unless you are in such a position yourself. What comes to finances, pay more attention, maybe try budgetting. Though money will come to you, you still want to be mindful of your spending this year. Also, for some of you, you might go on a trip this year. As for months, you got february, august and october, so maybe something significant will take place during those months. It seems there will be something new coming in, some commitment, maybe a project or a job opportunity. The cards are talking about the internet and intelligence and communication in general. And about expression, so how you express things. And maybe if you are into the arts of some sorts, it could be about that as well, whether you paint or vlog or are into acting, etc. A year of great passion. And that if you wish to achieve something, you'll have to increase your efforts. You'll have to be more committed to your goals, to increase your efforts, because there is definitely the possibility of great achievements for you this year. The cards also talk about working on being more compassionate this year, to grow more love in your life. Maybe doing some grounding meditation or spending more time outdoors could be good for you this year or maybe it's something you'll end up doing more this year. There is also a focus on emotional security and loving family, spending more time with your family this year. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

[santoschristos]

Today August 13, we enter the manifestation period of the Ansuz Runa, whose influence will accompany us until August 29

Ansuz. Sound

The Runa Ansuz is associated with sound, and is also known by the apt name Runa of sound especially in the language meant for intelligent communication and awareness. it means honesty, messages, meetings and success in exam or test.

If during divination the Ansuz rune plays a forefront role, it means that the consultant is a rational person, or a person who loves dialogue and exchange of views or even a subject looking for something.

The consultant will always meet new people who will help him evolve.

Divination

If in the Divinatoria phase, the Ansuz rune appears straight, it reminds us that the answers lie within ourselves and in nature. It is enough to pay attention to what is happening and to pause to interpret the signs of all the elements that are part of your reality.

This rune recommends enlightening your confusion by seeking information and expanding your knowledge.

Many times you get stuck only because you don’t know that there are other possibilities, other roads to go. This rune encourages you to discover every seemingly hidden path.

He must be prepared for any deception and be aware that cultivating one's talents takes a long time.

On the other hand, it is a harbinger of bad advice, lies, deceptions, and therefore advises caution in relationships with others, in addition, it warns us that a mistake is being made, and that it is a victim of an arrogant attitude that prevents us from listening and will not help us find the answers we need close up.

Runa Ansuz's basic advice is not to belittle the advice of others, despise them or be intolerant of the opinions of others, it is not a smart way to act.

They are looking for help, so you should be more humble and don't think you already know the truth. Ansuz then tells us to learn from our own experience and avoid repeatedly falling into the same mistakes.

Regarding love, the Runa Ansuz tells us that we need to consider the mistakes made in the past and avoid repeating them. This way you will try to overcome the problems in a different way, always with the aim of increasing love for your partner.

Whereas for Work, Ansuz tells us that new opportunities (trips or interviews, advancements) will present themselves. However, we need to be responsible and complete the commitments already made. For this Ansuz recommends organizing time well and setting your priorities.

And in the end, but not by importance there is Health, as far as Health is concerned La Runa Anzus

they tell us that we need to save energy, maybe because we are experiencing a moment of transition or there are problems that require maximum effort to solve.

The best thing is to get enough rest to allow the body to recover its energy.

Correspondence

Syllabus: a Divinity: Associated with god Odin. Tree: Frassino Weed: Weed of St. John Crystal : Emerald Colour : Sky Blue Zodiac sign: Cancer, period from June 21 to July 5. Animal : Firefly Tarot cards: The Archana Major - Il Bagatto Astrology: Sun in Gemini / Moon in twelfth house I Ching: 59th Exagram, Huan - The Dissolution (or Scattering) Animal : Firefly Tarot cards: The Archana Major - Il Bagatto Astrology: Sun in Gemini / Moon in twelfth house I Ching: 59th Exagram, Huan - The Dissolution (or Scattering)

Fountain Runemal the Book of Runes Runica Paths of light The Power of the Runes the magic of the runes Credit: L'Antro celtico

[arcaneglitch]

I Nearly Got Art Scammed

Hey guys. I wanted to share this story with you as a precautionary tale for artists that take commissions. It's one of those things you think will never happen to you until it does

So here's how I was almost a victim of an art scam and what you can to prevent scams from getting the better of you

This one started on ArtStation, which makes sense as a target since it's primarily a portfolio site for artists rather than a typical social media. It began with a standard question about commissions.

Nothing out of the ordinary, right? I replied that I was and asked if she would like a link to my commission form. In hindsight, her response should have alerted me that something was off because she didn't ask for the form. Instead she offered to pay $300 for a drawing for her son's birthday (just over a month out).

Still, if you're an artist desperate for commissions, you might overlook any oddities. We corresponded a bit more, sorting out details about the piece. That's when she sent this:

That's the first warning sign. These days, it's practically unheard of not to have an account set up with an online transfer service (think PayPal, Zelle, etc). Still, you might write it off as someone being a bit old-fashioned.

This is where the first tip comes in: be specific about how you accept payment and don't immediately compromise

At that point, we switched to email. She agreed to a pose for the commission on November 9th, then was silent. Two days later (November 11th), I emailed asking her to confirm additional details.

She didn't get back to me until November 14th.

This is another indicator of a scam (listed as one of the warning signs in articles). If someone was confirming details for a time-sensitive commission, it's highly unlikely they'd go radio silent for days, especially when they were responding consistently before.

A day later, she emailed to tell me that there was a problem with the check.

I replied and she gave me the details.

What she's attempting to do is execute an overpayment scam. They typically involve generous offers paid through atypical methods such as credit cards or cheques. Then the scammer will admit to some mistake with the payment (as above) or admit to overpaying you from the start while giving you a fake excuse. The excuse she came up with was fairly detailed, but I don't think there's any reason someone wouldn't be able to cancel a cheque that hasn't been cashed.

Later, she sent me this:

Also typical of an overpayment scam. You're asked to refund the extra money through an online transfer (she suggests Zelle later). If you follow through, you'll discover that the scammer either used a fake/stolen credit card or that their cheque bounced.

DO NOT SEND THEM MONEY. If you send them money, you will not get it back. Same goes for whatever you might have sold to them.

The part that tipped me off was her telling me I could send the money back through Zelle. Not that the stuff leading up to that wasn't fishy, but that's what drove it home.

She revealed that she has access to an online transfer service, yet she didn't offer to pay for the commission that way, despite it being much more convenient. I suppose one could argue that she wanted to send money from a specific account that wasn't set up with Zelle. But if that was the case, she could pay from the Zelle account and then cover with a transfer from the other one at a later date.

I asked her if reimbursing her was the only way, suggesting that using Zelle would be easier. She completely ignored the suggestion.

Again, in what situation would you not be able to cancel a cheque that has not been cashed?

By this point, I was pretty much positive that it was a scam. I shared screenshots of the emails with another artist friend of mine, and she agreed that it sounded like a scam.

In my last email to the scammer, I told her that it sounded like a lot of hoops to jump through and that I typically collect payment through online transfers. I said that unless we could work out an alternative form of payment, it sounded like she needed to find someone else.

Anyway, I figured I'd share the story here. Hopefully, it'll help my fellow artists and warn people about the dangers of scams.

Thank you for reading! You can find more information on overpayment scams here and here is a link to spotting the signs of an art scam.

[buffster]

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been (ATS 2.02)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

I know I said I've seen Angel the once, but I swear I've seen this particular episode ten times. But it's a good episode! I always enjoy a look into Angel's past.

This is the episode in which we find the Hyperion Hotel, home for our protagonists over the next few seasons. A hotel is a pretty brilliant choice for them. There's plenty of rooms and hospitality for the needy. But first we gotta vanquish a baddy.

Over on Buffy, Spike's vampire nature is treated with disgust. But Angel is afforded a quiet respect, with Cordelia even bringing Angel blood (with a sprinkle of cinnamon) as she hands Wesley his tea. Angel keeps his cards close to his chest as he asks them to investigate the Hyperion.

We flash back to 1952, where we find the hotel thriving and buzzing about the mysterious resident...who happens to be Angel. Looks like he didn't always hide in alleys feeding on rats. There's lots of mysterious activity going on in the hotel, but this version of Angel has no interest in it. He's no hero.

We might have forgiven Angel for not chasing down hints of trouble, but then we see him outright ignore it even when it comes knocking. A young woman named Judy is clearly in trouble and being chased by a man. Angel gets his back up when the man gets cocky with him and beats him up a bit, but he's still not interested in truly helping.

One of the things that most draws me to Angel as a character is his apathy towards other people. He seems to genuinely struggle to like them, which you don't normally get in a main character. You get the sense people tend to let him down, and the version of him we see here is resigned to being an apathetic loner. He barely blinks when he hears a gunshot next door.

He also ignores the hotel guests as they become increasingly paranoid. Judy practically forces her life story on him: her mother was black and she's been passing her whole life. Things were going well and she was set to get married, but then the bank she worked at discovered her secret and fired her. Then her fiancée dumped her. Judy stole a bunch of money from the bank and fled. Her persistence pays off and Angel decides to help her.

Cordelia: A Thesulac. Paranoia demon. Whispers to its victims, feeds on their innate insecurities.

If things had gone differently, this event might have been a turning point for Angel. He decided to help the humans and if it had worked he might have found a real sense of purpose. Instead he was betrayed.

The first time I watched this through I understood Angel's POV. He was going to help Judy and she turned on him like that? People, man! But on the tenth watch I got to thinking...can we really blame her in this case? She was being victimized by a demon! Unless I'm mistaken, each of the characters is pushed to irrationality by a demonic force that feeds on their darkest thoughts. Judy especially seems like her true nature is optimistic--she apparently ignored the blood in Angel's room and thought if she gave the money back to the bank they'd forgive her. I think what Angel did here was pretty shitty.

Okay, the bellman was pretty shady though.

Back in the present, Angel calls everybody in to defeat the paranoia demon.

Gunn: "Orb Of Ramjarin please" makes it happen.

Wesley: Please. And do be careful. Ancient conjuring orbs are notoriously fragile.

Gunn: Now do I look like the kind of guy who doesn't know how to handle an ancient conjuring orb to you?

Little trouble with the new AI team member, it seems.

Back in 1952, the heartbreaking part of everyone at the hotel forming into a mob that's going to kill Angel is how not surprised he looks. He doesn't fight back as they throw a rope around his neck and push him off the balcony...but he wakes up looking pissed. The scene where he pulls himself up the rope was pretty cool. Revenge fantasy unlocked.

Thesulac: Well, I don't know about you, but I am stuffed! God, I love people, don't you? They feed me their worst, and I serve it right back to them. And the fear and the prejudice turn to certainty and hate -- and I take another bite! What a beautiful, beautiful dance!

Where're you going? You know you're paid up through the end of the week. Oh, you got your feelings hurt, didn't you? See now what happens when you stick your neck out for 'em? They throw a rope around it!

And you thought you'd made a friend. Newsflash: You had! That's what made her the yummiest morsel of all! You'd reached her, buddy! Restored her faith in people! Without you, she would've been just another appetizer. But you plumped her up good. Stuffed her with hope, filled her with gratitude. When she betrayed you, she betrayed everything! She's a meal that's going to last me a lifetime! You know, there's an entire hotel here just full of tortured souls who could really use your help. Whaddaya say?

Angel: Take 'em all.

What happened to Judy was really dark. Like...really dark. Poor woman has lived her whole life in that hotel, terrified to even leave the room. But this is a show about redemption. We're not shying away from the things Angel, or anyone else, has done.

At the end of her life, Judy asks for Angel's forgiveness. Poor woman.

In a show filled with second chances, it makes sense the Hyperion Hotel itself is going to get one. Angel declares that the hotel isn't a house of evil anymore. It's got to prove itself, just like our heroes.

Character Notes:

Angel: He's very offended when a shop owner thinks he was turned "north of thirty". Once again, there is a divide between Angel and the rest of AI. He tends to go off on his own while the others try and figure out what he's up to.

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: The demon accuses him of being especially paranoid, which makes him paranoid. But Angel reassures him he didn't find him especially paranoid.

[thefriendlyferretwriter]

A new side of you: summer evening

Pairing: Eugene 'Flash' Thompson x Reader

Summary: Getting closer traveling around the evening city of New York.

Warning: 12k words!, fluff, tension, awkward, Ned third wheeling, non-canon stuff (Rhino has enhanced sense of smell when he doesn't in the comics)

A/N: Sorry again for taking a long time in-between chapters but hopefully you'll like it, enjoy!

Tags: @wheelerzluv @loxerclu8 @ray-of-sunrise @m00nkn1ghts

"It's actually not that cold."

We are distancing ourselves from the yacht the lights brightening our path toward the evening streets.

The music is getting distant and my ears are focusing on the sound of our feet padding on the ports' wooden planks and the water rippling through the wood poles.

Passing a certain area, Flash stops dead in his spot.

"Wait, where are we going?" he asks feet firmly planted on the ground, standing awkwardly.

"The bus stop is right there, why?" I answer with a frown, not knowing exactly what we are apparently doing wrong.

"But my car is right there," he notifies us to his car parked in front of the stone wall beside the staircase leading to the street.

"Yeah but you don't know where we're going," I argue.

"You could always tell me the way."

"Well, we only know the way through the bus, you know a particular stop and a distinct building, I can't really tell like that by street names."

He stays silent, probably judging.

"Anyways, better not bring your car around there at this hour, you never know how quickly you can lose your tires until it happens during a 2-minute errant," I say getting closer to him and sliding my arm around his, linking our arms and tugging him towards the stone stairs instead of his car.

I feel him tense up, standing straighter and looking ahead at the bus stop like it's a target.

We don't have to wait long as the bus can be seen approaching our stop from afar. When the doors open, Ned zooms in front of us and swipes his card sitting himself ahead of us.

"A ticket please," I say as I swipe my metro card and take a few coins out of my wallet.

The driver looks at me and my small puddle of change before sending a look in Flash's direction. Exchanging my money for a card.

"You don't have to pay I can just use my money," he interrupts as I hand him his card.

"You have change in your wallet?"

"I have my credit card."

"Pocket change goes faster to get yourself a ticket. Plus, you're the birthday boy you don't have to pay," I say with a smile and a cheeky wink.

Sitting down, I take in the sight of the boat's light under the darkness of the outside. Flash really went out there this year with the spotlight.

It aggressively contrasts with the dead of night, barely lighted up by the few street lamps. I feel the seat beside mine shift and turning my gaze from the window I see him shifting around and sending me a quick awkward smile before looking elsewhere.

The bus's engine rumble as the bus starts back up. I look at the port sliding out of my vision.

we reach a corner before turning into a street and a question pops up in my mind making me turn my head around toward him.

"Have you ever taken the bus before?" I ask a bit agitated.

We make eye contact before he frowns, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just. I always saw you getting to school in cars, either yours or someone else's."

A strange look passes his eyes, "Oh! um yeah Once. I was like what, thirteen? And I wanted to go to a convention but my dad wouldn't let me to go."

he messes with his jacket's pockets, "I failed some grades and I was grounded so when he sent me to my room I stole some cash from my mom's purse and left through my window."

It sounds like a touchy subject.

"How was it?" I try to switch his attention.

"How was what?"

"The convention."

His eyes lose the fog but still manage to be elsewhere a happier place.

"Oh that was cool," he says with a smile, "saw a lot of people, discovered a lot of games that were to come and I even met a group of guys, they were cosplaying the Avengers and they were missing one of their buddies so I got to cosplay Hawkeye."

"How cool," I say remembering that the Avengers were the number one cosplay the year they assembled for the first time to save New York.

"Sounds cool, did the costume fit you?"

At that, he chuckles awkwardly but still reaches out to his phone and turns it on. Scrolling through it, he turns it towards me and I get to see the picture of five guys posing as what people call today the OG six.

"Like a glove. It's a shame, I'm not a fan of Hawkeye."

I gasp, "Hawkeye is such a cool guy!"

Analyzing the picture's small details I notice he is silent and turns my head to him to catch him looking back at me in silence.

"What?" I ask losing my smile in fear of having messed up.

"Nothing, just, I always forget that you mingle with the Avengers that's all."

I don't know what to say, should I be offended? He always made a mockery out of my 'internship' that would only be fair to let my sarcasm take over. But again, it feels like we are moving on to a clean slate since we interacted back at the wedding; my sarcasm could potentially put us back on hostile ground.

I decide to stay silent. Nowadays I don't know if his words are compliments or jabs anymore so with the fact that I am trying to spend a nice evening in his company I'd rather believe it is a compliment.

With the bus' incessant shake I take the initiative and catch his wrist in my hand stabilizing his arm and taking a closer look at the picture.

His hand grips his phone harder probably securing the device in his hand to make sure it does not fall.

"They are missing a black widow," I say smiling.

He hesitates, "Yeah? well, next time I'll keep you in mind if they're missing someone."

"It'll be an honor."

Taking my focus away from him I sense him smiling to himself and making eye contact with a laughing Ned who turns his phone to me showing me a video.

That's how the bus ride continues, in a comfortable silence rocked by the bus and chatting from time to time.

A nudge on my knee takes my attention away from the window and brings me to look at Ned who then stands up letting me figure out we are getting to our stop.

"Come on," I say catching Flash's arm in my hand and dragging him out of the bus.

The wind attacks us as we jump out of the vehicle, the summer evening getting a bit chilly.

"Okay, so where are we going now?" He asks watching Ned walking ahead of us.

"It's just up that corner."

"What is it exactly?"

"Delmar's is …well it's Delmar's," I chuckle, "But it's just our first stop of the evening, to get a bit of food."

"We could've eaten back on the boat before leaving," he inform.

"Yeah but then you would have never tasted the Queen's best sandwiches."

"Sandwiches, huh? You're spoiling me, Parker," he says with a smirk.

I burst out laughing finding it impossible to keep it to myself.

"Okay, be smug but check it out first and then you'll see, you'll thank me," I say confidently.

Turning the corner I almost walk into the door that closes up right in front of me. I open it and see the culprit running to the back of the shop where the shelves create a small maze of different delicacies.

"Little Miss Parker! What are you doing here at this hour?! The streets are dangerous around this time," he says full of delight even at this late hour, "And who is this? You're bringing me new customers now? You're too good to me," he shouts hands on his heart.

"Hello Mr.Delmar," I shout laughing, "No we are just stopping by to get some food, where's Dominic?"

"At home, he has a daughter you know? Can't spend all his time in here."

"Oh so you're the one behind both counters tonight?"

"Yes, and I see you need some quality food so what can I get you ladies and gentlemen?"

Turning back to him I see that he is scrutinizing the menu above Mr.Delmar.

"Huh, I'll take a number five," I jump in leaving a bit more time for Flash to decide.

"And Leed will take a number three with tomatoes and pickles?" He asks with a smile already knowing our command by heart.

I smile and nod back without needing a response.

"Would your friend like some recommendations?" He asks Flash directly.

He looks back at Mr.Delmar before realizing the man is waiting for his order to start preparing.

He lets out an 'oh' and some humming looking at the menu and feeling bad for his hesitation. I walk to him and intertwine our arms bringing him closer to the counter and pointing out the best options.

"Number five is a safe option but you can still ask to have in a few things you want, pro tip? ask to get your bread to be grilled a little bit so it's warm and crusty," I say trying to appease him in his uneasiness.

He hums again and looks down at Mr.Delmar, " You know what? tonight I'm gonna let you choose for me. Surely you're the expert."

"Oh, you want to be adventurous tonight? Alright then give me a few minutes and your orders will be ready." he beams.

"Great! Thank you Mr.Delmar!" I say dragging him along with me by our arms.

Walking us to the back of the store I see Ned appearing and disappearing in between the shelves.

"Is that a toy stand?"

"Yeah," I draw out, "It used to be just sandwiches and a few snacks but then Mr.Delmar noticed people would come in expecting to find last-minute formulas, diapers, or even pre-made cakes!" I say pointing at a plastic container containing the cake with a happy birthday message.

I start my usual walk, like clockwork, and unconsciously detangle my arm from his walking ahead.

Chips, chocolate, candy, walking I don't notice that I've lost and left Flash behind to do his own shopping. My eyes travel from top to bottom before they freeze on an item that isn't supposed to be there.

In between the mochis and Reese's bars lying there all alone and out of place is a digital Spiderman watch probably meant for the toy stand.

It lies there, an intruder around all the treats.

I look left and right and pick up the item. It is wrapped in plastic and decorated cardboard. The two dollars and twenty-five cents are scratched and a bit sticky but it doesn't happen to have been opened.

"Hi there."

I jump, not expecting anyone to approach me let alone a stranger.

"Oh, hi."

"What do you have there?"

I don't know him, I've never seen him around and he isn't much older than me but the way his gaze keeps running up and down my figure is making my skin crawl and side-eye him.

"Um, snacks, lots and lots of snacks," I chuckle trying the calm tactic.

"Yeah, looks delicious," he laughs to himself.

He walks closer to me, too close for my comfort and reaches out for a bag of candy purposely brushing his arm on my shoulder.

I rush back and he starts smiling, "No need to be scared I'm not gonna attack you."

"I know I just prefer my personal space," I say a bit on edge, the urge to punch him in the face apparent on mine.

"My bad, 'was just trying to be friendly."

I don't answer and leave him to the awkward silence by himself as I turn back to the shelf ignoring him.

"So you come here often?"

I stay silent.

Getting my watch I get ready to turn the other way when I feel pressure on my arm.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Away from here," I say firmly as a warning, snatching my arm off his grasp.

"No need to be a bitch I'm just being friendly," he says his tone switching from nice to sinister.

He's offended?! He's the one harassing me!

His eyes travel from me to behind me as his scowl softens down to a frown.

I turn around, preparing myself to see Mr.Delmar ready to dismiss the confrontation. Instead, I see Flash approaching with a blank face.

"Can we help you?" he asks drily standing beside me as I subtly hide the watch from his view.

I feel his arm sneaking around mine, linking them together.

"My bad dude didn't know she had a boyfriend," he says putting his hands up in defense.

"Oh, so it was okay to harass her as long as you thought she didn't have a boyfriend?"

"I wasn't harassing her, was just talking,"

"How about you go talk to someone else, oh I know! How about the cops parked across the street," he says with a broad smile nudging his head towards the store windows.

Looking in the direction he glanced at I see two cops ordering from a food truck right across the street.

"Damn, whatever she's not even cute," the scum spits out before spinning around and vanishing from our aisle.

"You got everything?"

I look at him to see his gaze still fixated on the end of the aisle before looking back at me.

I quickly look back at the shelf and snatch a pack of candy, "Yeah."

He looks back at me and gently walks me back the other way.

Turning the corner Ned is walking towards us with confusion.

"You okay?"

We make eye contact and I faintly nod my head.

"Yeah, let's just pay up and leave," I say dragging Flash along and tossing my pack of sweets in the small basket before taking Ned's arm as well.

Passing the aisles and walking toward the counter I see the scum paying up for his thing when his eyes catch the three of us. Sending a dirty look, he shakes his head and scoffs before beading his goodbyes to Mr.Delmar.

When he is out of the way and the place is cleared out the last of our sandwiches is slapped down on the counter.

"A number five, three, and a mystery sandwich for the adventurous little man!"

I take the basket from Ned and put it down to be scanned up.

I take my wallet out as the steady beep of the item emits from the register.

"I got it," Flash says reaching for his back pocket.

"Oh, would you look at that a bunch of cash that is way quicker to pay with than a card," I smile handing the small stack of dollars before he can slip his card out.

He looks at me frozen and with his mouth ajar as I hand him his sandwich. He stands there a few more seconds before Ned nudges him into motion and they start walking towards the door.

I watch them pass the door and turn back around to grab my own meal. I throw a 5-dollar bill beside the rest of my cash and receive a frown from Mr.Delmar.

Turning around making sure nobody is looking back toward me, I swipe out the watch and show it to him, turning it around to show the price tag.

He smiles and winks at me in understanding, packing the last of our purchase in a bag and handing it to me he slides the money to himself.

"Good evening, Miss.Parker."

"Good evening Mr.Delmar!" I shout passing the door with my bag.

Walking to the bus stop I see Ned and Flash looking at the food truck more precisely the officers waiting around for their food to get ready.

"What are you two looking at?"

Before I can have an answer Ned stands up from his seat on the bus bench and crosses the street towards the officers.

"What?"

"We can hear the police station in their car and Leeds is curious."

Looking back at Ned, I watch him tap one of the officer's shoulder.

I shrug and tug at his wrist as he frowns at me. With his arm in the air I rip open the watch's packaging and throw it in the bin on the side.

Enveloping his wrist with the digital watch I see his frown deepen before he registers what it is. He's silent as I fasten it on and stares at it when I drop my hands to my side.

His wrist stays in the air and he pulls it closer to his eyes examining the gift.

"I liked it and it was cheap so I thought, why not?" I chuckle.

He doesn't answer and instead gazes up at me.

He doesn't get to answer me before Ned jogs back to us.

"So, what do you got?" I ask him with a smile.

"Huh, no nothing they just basically said I need to get a life."

"What happened?" I ask.

He pauses looking at both of us, "Well we were waiting for you and I was looking at the food truck. Then I saw the officers looking stressed and their car's radio started blasting off with a code telling every officer in the area to stay on their foot."

"How d'you know that?"

"Flash told me," at that, I turn my gaze to him. He looks taken aback and goes back and forth looking between Ned and me before understanding the silent question I'm asking and straightening himself up if it's possible.

"I learned the NYPD's code on the internet."

Both of us stand, mouth agape and still in our place.

"What, it's not complicated, it's interesting and you can keep up with the police."

"Why would you want to keep up with the police?" Ned beat me to the question.

"We're in New York. It's better to know what's happening in the street," he says after a second of silence.

His eyes shifting between the two of us reassures me to know that Ned doesn't believe this explanation just like me.

Seems like he does not want to answer and sits on the bus bench waiting.

I sit by his side and meet eyes with Ned who too thinks his refusal to answer is strange. Focusing on something else I decide to rummage through the plastic bag and hand him a bag of candy.

He grasps it with a smile leaving the previous awkwardness to rest and tear through the bag presenting it to me so I can serve myself but I don't get to as the bus approach and instead decide to steal the bag from him to stuff it back inside the plastic bag.

I move us along to the open doors, following behind and swiping our card I see Ned already seated on the side of the bus where three seats are lined up, and where he is already seated in the front seat.

Passing him with a pat on the shoulder, I sit behind him and spot Flash sitting behind me as I watch the outside scenery of New York City's evening.

I feel a tug at the back of my head. Turning around I look behind me thinking I'd see the strand stuck in the bus seat but instead, I'm met with Flash's gaze meeting mine as I see him sitting back in his seat a bit slouched.

"A bit of your hair was sticking out," he says running his hands up and down his jeans.

"So you tugged on it?" I ask with a smile finding his thought process funny.

"No, I just wanted to-never mind," his eyes hold a secret that I can't get access to.

A tap on my shoulder brings my attention to Ned who is sitting sideways on his chair and switching his gaze from me to flash and back to me cautiously.

At the edge of my seat, far away from Flash's earshot, Ned starts talking close to my ear, "The cops are on the lookout for an inmate who they think broke out of jail."

The news shocks me and sends me sitting straighter before composing myself and bending back again listening closely to Ned's re-telling of the event.

"You remember that guy you threw into the armored van?"

The memory brings out a cackle from me, "Yeah, that was funny in my head. The money thief being arrested because he's stuck in a van full of money that he tried stea-" my explanation is cut when Ned's face doesn't morph into the amused face I expected.

Instead, I'm faced with a blank stare waiting for the end of my story and I decide to leave the explanation for a later time, "Yeah, that guy. I think his name was like Rhino or something?"

"Yeah, well apparently he wasn't found during the morning roll call. They're still searching but if he's out there I'm ready to bet that he's trying to find y-"

"How do you know all that?"

"They told me to scram but they never said I couldn't eavesdrop."

"Everything's okay?"

I snap my head around to stare at Flash who's inclined in his seat, supporting his body by leaning his forearm on my seat waiting for an explanation or a heads up.

"…Yeah!" I say with confidence sitting up, "We're just talking about," I look at Ned with distress, the color draining from my face when I realize I don't find an excuse worthy enough.

"Spiderman," Ned says without any hesitation.

A cold sweat travels my body, slithers up my spine, and stops at my brain as my head whips back toward Ned with panic.

"I was talking about the fact that since superheroes started spouting out of nowhere it would be logical that if a guy broke out of jail they would go after the one who put them there, like Spiderman or Iron Man," he says nodding back and forth between us both and emphasizing the Spiderman while looking at me.

Nodding I look back at Flash hoping he buys the story made on the spot.

With a frown, he nods and I can see that he's confused but decides to go with the flow, "Sure that makes sense."

Subtly breathing out a sigh of relief I sit back fully on my seat slouching a little bit so he doesn't see me out of breath.

My brain is on overdrive, the possibility that Rhino is out there looking to find Spiderman and causing havoc in his pathway makes me break another sweat.

"You sure you're okay?"

The question makes me raise my head, his body hunched over my seat and his face close to mine.

"huh," my eyes keep scanning his face, "sure, I'm good," I say my voice low and anxious to speak any louder in fear of attracting any attention around.

He's very close and I see a smile gracing his face. My eyes keep watching him and with each swing from eye to eye I figure he's also analyzing mine.

It is only when I feel a tug at my hand that I leave his face and look down to see that he has reached toward the plastic bag to grab a bag of treats.

Looking back up at him, his smile reaches his eyes before he leaves my line of sight and sits back in his chair tearing the packaging up he grabs a mochi full of iced sugar.

I jolt from my seat and rush in front of him, "No wait!" I say in a hushed but agitated voice.

"What?" he says concerned, looking around as if he had just broken a law.

"It's full of iced sugar you're gonna put it everywhere!" I hiss as I kneel, putting my hand under his chin to prevent any mess.

"That bad, huh?" he says cockily.

I raise my eyebrows, a silent scolding to just eat the damn treat.

He looks down at my hand grazing his chin and gazes back at me causing me to doubt my gesture, instead, I bring up the plastic bag on his lap and open it gesturing to go ahead.

With a doubtful smile, he brings the snack up and takes a bite half of the icing falling onto the bag.

He hums and chuckles with his mouth full realizing my scolding wasn't in vain.

A tap on my shoulder makes me turn around and look up at Ned who notifies me that the next stop will be our exit cue.

"So, is one of you gonna be a gentleman and tell me where you are taking me?" he says griping the bus pole to stand up beside me as we approach the bus doors.

"You'll see, from what I heard it's quite noticeable in view," I answer balancing myself without the help of a pole to not fall over.

"From what you heard? you're taking me to a place you've never been before?" he says gripping my arm as we come to a full stop.

"Well," I try to find a decent explanation for my thought process, "Well you know I heard about it a few weeks ago but I never had the time to visit the place so when you said you wanted to have fun I remembered it," I say as we step out.

"Bold, a surprise sandwich, and now a surprise location you don't know about."

I feel the air behind me where the bus drives off.

"Hey I also read the reviews, it's a good place," I say, "Plus, you love your special sandwich, don't you?" I genuinely ask.

"Touché," he says taking a bite before choking on it looking up at our destination.

The reviews weren't lying, the laser game is flashy, and just the entrance would make one believe a carnival is located inside.

"That is flashy," he wipes the corner of his mouth after coughing out the piece lodged in his throat.

"Flashy for Flash," Ned chuckles to himself.

Walking up my shoes go from a hard cement floor to a berber flooring as blue as the night sky depicting an endless pattern of space.

Hearing a loud bang I swiftly turn around back to the street and see a man dressed up in a suit standing back up. The steel shutter being the cause of the disturbance I notice that the arcade is placed right across a bank.

"Bit late to work, right?" Ned wonders aloud.

"No, depends on the day. Some banks stay open late at least once a week," Flash says as if it was a common fact.

"Okay how do you know so much?" Ned asks with frustration or is it genuine confusion by his sudden knowledge.

"My dad works in business, he deals with banks a lot," he shrugs, clearly not enjoying the subject of his father or his father's business.

A tug at my hand makes me turn back around. Looking down I pause at the realization that it is Flash's hand tugging at me and making me move from the entrance to the front counter where a guy barely older than me; maybe even my age with a summer job like me.

"Leeds, follow."

I sneak a peek at Ned who is still standing at the door ignoring us or simply not focused enough to be able to hear him.

"Hum here, take this we'll join you in a second," I say handing him a few bills and squeezing his shoulder before walking up to Ned.

When I take place beside him he senses my presence and speaks up, "Look at the logo isn't that the bank that Rihno guy tried to rob?"

Squinting, I do recognize the logo and chuckle, "Yeah," I say linking my arm in his, "But don't worry bad guys like Rhino are not smart enough to escape from jail AND follow up with a plan that failed once."

I drag him alongside me toward Flash who is standing beside the register counter close to the laser game entrance with his arms crossed.

"Done daydreaming Leeds?"

I squint my eyes and Ned completely ignores him walking ahead.

Passing him, I flick his ear.

"Ouch! What? I was just joking."

Walking ahead I roll my eyes but slow down as he calls out to me and catches up.

He takes my hand and drops something in it. Looking down I recognize the dollars I gave him prior.

"Wait, how did you pay-"

I cut myself off in realization. I don't know whether to be angry or disappointed.

"I told you, you don't have to pay that's why I gave you that!" I say frustrated.

"Wasn't enough!" he says defending himself, " Plus if you continue paying you'll end up broke."

"I'm not broke!"

"Well you're gonna be," he mumbles as I huff and walk ahead of him.

Ned keeps the door ahead open and walking through it we meet a group of people of various ages all scattered around the room.

we husher up and stand against the wall close to each other.

"I can't believe I couldn't even keep at least one bag," Flash says defeated plopping the last candy he managed to sneak in into his mouth.

"Wait they threw our stuff?!" I ask panicked.

"No no, they just put it aside until we're done."

I sigh in relief, closing my eyes and leaning back against the wall.

"But you're not broke, huh?" I hear a whisper and look to see Flash leaning down to my ear.

He is close once again and the lack of distance gives me flashbacks to our kiss. My eyes keep switching back and forth from his eyes to his lips and seconds feel like minutes.

I turn away clearing my throat and look around inspecting the room.

A bright red sign above the door tells us a session is still going on. As for the rest of the space, it is quite sober, a few benches placed around to wait for the current session to end. The walls are covered in thick wire mesh with hangers that are there probably here to hold the laser game equipment.

A group of kids are here scattered around and probably here for a birthday with one of the kid's mother tagging along to supervise, I can see a group of three girls and a couple on a date, maybe a first date even.

"Hey, I know you!" Flash says loudly bringing all the eyes in the room onto him.

His eyes are throwing daggers at one of the kids and if a look could kill…

"Oh shit," the kids seem to recognize Flash as well as the mother berates the kid for his language. Flash points an accusing finger at the smaller kid.

"Yeah, I recognize that voice! You're the guy who keeps trolling people on the D&D server!" he calls out confidently.

The kid looks appalled and most of his 'friends' look in between one another in confusion.

"Once we're in, you're next buddy!"

At that the kid slides behind the mother who sends a nasty look at Flash along with an offended scoff. I nudge his shoulder and place myself in front of him.

"Sorry! he's been a bit stressed lately. He doesn't really know how to handle it," I make up an excuse looking back at him with large eyes.

"Hey it's not my fault he started it!" he shouts motioning to the kid.

At that, I sent him a death stare of my own as the red sign atop the door starts to flash letting us know the previous session is now over.

I move him backward as a staff member enters the room.

I get a bit of a cold sweat before realizing that he entered the room to help the people undress from their laser game attires and not to throw Flash out for threatening a child.

It gets a bit crowded with people all around trying to slide in and out, and more complicated when elbows start to swing as the previous players try to undress from their equipment for the new players.

I get handed a vest from a player who hands it with a smile. Taking it with hesitation I analyze the device with a frown, "Shouldn't those be disinfected in between sessions?"

Flash turns around with his vest already on and approaches me sliding through the few players left trying to squeeze out of the room.

"Here let me help you," he said, taking the vest from me and passing it over my head. The tissue feels heavy on me and I don't get to wonder before he starts circling me with his eyes and bending to secure the many clips to keep the equipment on.

"You've done laser game before?"

"A few," he answers mindlessly securing yet another clip.

I feel his hands on my neck and freeze before I understand his intention to free my hair from under the vest. I believe he would back up but he stays firmly in front of me and I can't help but make eye contact. His eyes however end up drifting from mine to focus on my forehead.

I frown wondering what has his attention when his hand moves to the base of my hair and I remember the bandaid on top of my earlier injury.

"I did a bad job, shouldn't have placed it so high up," he says putting pressure on the side of the bandaid smoothing it once again against my forehead, "It's crazy it looks almost healed."

"Yeah, I guess-" I get cut off as the employer stands beside us asking if Flash could help a few of the customers as the poor guy is struggling to get the cluster of kids to behave long enough to get them geared up.

Getting separated I'm joined by Ned as we examine each other's gear and check if we're secure before another employee enters the room. He takes place in front of us and waits to attract the room's attention his colleague walking up beside him.

I look around and gradually see the rest of the room starting to pay attention to him. As the volume goes down it takes a few beats of silence before the man speaks up enouncing the rules and the normal flow of a laser game match.

My attention gets taken away by my curiosity as I look around.

The group of girls is barely keeping it together, tip-tapping their feets almost unable to keep their excitement in. Only one of the two people that makes up the couple is paying attention, the girl taking mental note as her supposed date seems entranced by her, devouring her with his gaze.

My eyes reach Flash who isn't paying attention either. His eyes are focused on the man but I recognize that empty glint in his eyes, the same one I see once in a while during class when I look around telling me he is lost in his head.

His stare is redirected toward me as we lock eyes and the glint in his eyes switches up as he flashes me a grin.

My ears start to register the game's instruction but my eyes stay glued on him, those eyes that usually irk me are now void of all mischief they used to hold and it's a feeling that fills me with satisfaction.

The man's booming voice brings me out of my daze and a cry of approval from the room makes me focus back on my surroundings.

A crowd mobilizes around the door to the laser game room as the sign lights up to indicate a new session when I get shoved ahead by Ned who too cannot keep his composure hopping to the door. A hand lands on my arm and I look back to see Flash back on my side.

"You okay there? You seemed out of it."

"Yeah I'm fine, what about you? it looks like you weren't listening," I answer as we are squeezed through the door to the darkness of the neon-drenched place.

"Of course I wasn't listening, I've done laser games before I know the rules but it's different for you, why weren't you listening?"

"What? I was!" I say standing still in front of the door as the rest scattered around.

"Oh yeah? What team are we on?"

At that, I stay silent.

"Blue," I say proudly pointing to the luminescent lights on my vest.

"And who else is on the team?"

…Damnit!

"Ned, the group of girls, and the two lovebirds," he says pointing and nudging the middle of my forehead as a sort of gentle scolding.

"So we're against the birthday group."

"A few of them were put in our team to balance things out," he says dragging me away from the door.

I get to learn about the rules for a second time as he walks me through them. Skipping wall to wall, aiming at adversaries and targets.

It's fun and exciting, skipping and running around, hiding and attacking. We were hit a couple of times but all in all, I'm content and having a good time with Eugene Thompson out of all people. I also get to be the witness of his vendetta against the other birthday boy a bullet landing right in the middle of his vest and a grimace adorning his face as slurs fly out of his mouth.

Before I can ask where a toddler like him learned such language I get dragged away by my hand by Flash to turn a corner as backup shows up for the opposing team.

It's hard to believe. A few months ago the perspective of spending time with Flash Thompson would have given me a migraine and I would have had to have a pep talk to have both of us in the same room.

turning around I look back and forth trying to keep my laugh at a low tone to not attract any unwanted attention from the opposite team before I bump into his back. Turning around he catches my shoulder and maneuvers me aside hiding us from the rest.

I put my hand in front of my mouth to muffle another laugh leaning against the wall as he bend sideways to check if we were followed.

"Did they follow us," I say close to another fit of giggles.

He shakes his head, his beaming smile so strong it forces his eyes to squint.

After a moment where we manage to calm down the laughing fit comes right back as we hear amidst all the voices a specific one holler in a very high-pitched tone how a certain Tyler can eat shit.

The laughter is so hard that we find ourselves leaning on one another for support.

My guts hurt and I try to talk through my laughter, telling Flash we should stay in movement.

"Oh my-" I say breathlessly laying my head on his shoulder, "I feel like I'm dying."

No response from him outside of an agitated gasp to catch his breath.

My head still planted on his shoulder I feel us lean aside so he can check again if our exit was trailed.

He smells nice. I never noticed, even back in the yacht' bedroom my mind didn't get to focus on his perfume as I was too distracted by his lips.

It's soft but I can tell that at first the scent was strong when it was applied. It's calming and unnerving even as I accidentally snuggle a bit longer than I should.

I notice that we both calmed down and I don't feel either of us shaking with laughter.

Raising my head, our eyes meet in silence.

We are close, forehead to forehead as a voice booms in the place scolding a participant who is apparently violating the rules. It does not take my attention from him and from the way he gets closer brushing his nose against mine I can tell that he is not bothered by the screaming either.

His lips brush against mine and that same feeling of electricity comes back traveling inside my body sending the butterflies in my stomach in a storm.

The feeling is so intense that I need to hold on tighter to his arms to convince myself that I'm not hallucinating.

His lips stay here atop mine just brushing and I understand that he's asking me to do it, he's silently asking me to kiss him first this time.

The first time was rushed almost like instinct an impulsive idea he couldn't help but act on but this time he's waiting almost out of breath making sure he has my consent first, like a confirmation I feel the same.

The feeling of him fades as my body feels like it's falling into the abyss. That feeling I have when I'm in costume, the one I feel when something bad is about to happen.

I back away and look around to hear my surroundings. Nothing but the usual cheering, screaming, and the pitter-patter of feet yet this feeling doesn't go away.

Creating distance drives Flash to back up as well as if I burned him. I can see him fidgeting and trying to say something but he doesn't get to as we both jolt, startled and holding on to each other with a scream.

The shadow gets clearer and I recognize Ned and exhale with a relieved cry.

"Damnit Ned, what's wrong with you?!" I shout exasperated.

"One of those kids is a damn sniper I swear I'm ready to bet he's part of the FBI!" he says frantically looking behind him over and over again.

"Damn Leeds. It's a laser game," Flash says with a concerned face.

"He's crazy!" he repeats with just as much power.

The building shakes and forces us to find our balance and I catch myself holding on to Flash's wrist and grasping Ned's shoulder to not fall.

A huge buzz resonates through the place, one that isn't the final buzz to declare the end of the game.

"Customers and staff are asked to evacuate the area calmly using the emergency exit located at each end of the building."

"What's going on," my question echoes through the many hallways of the maze as others probably ask themselves the same question. I already see people regroup, finding allies and opponents to scurry out as another hit sends the building shaking.

"Okay that's so not an earthquake," Ned says with urgency.

"Let's get out of here," Flash says slipping his wrist out of my grip and joining our hands.

We don't get to take a step before we are sent to the ground with violence, the wall comes crumbling down in pieces as a towering figure appears covered in darkness.

The brutality of the fall thankfully sent us into a corner where the figure can't see us.

Sitting up with a headache for the second time today I look down to see Ned shaking his head to clear it and putting pressure on the side of it as I feel the side of my head being cradled.

"You okay?" I make eye contact with Flash who whispers scanning my face for any injury.

I nod urgently before standing up and running toward the nearest wall that would allow me to sneak on the faceless figure. Leaning over, I recognize the shadow to be Rhino who must have found a way to escape the authorities and get his hands back on his suit.

Feeling a tug on my arm I turn around to see Flash trying to hurry me in the opposite direction.

A scream erupts and the idiot rushes headfirst into another wall creating more chaos.

"Come on we got to get out of here," he says tugging me urgently.

A cry for help resonates and I spin around trying to locate where the scream came from.

Too many questions in my head. I don't have my suit, how do I do without my suit? I can't just go help with my face uncovered, how do I do this?

Another high-pitched cry lets me know that the person who needs help is a girl and is balling her eyes out crying out about being stuck.

I turn back to Flash and address the both of them, "You two get outside and wait for the cops, once they get there you tell them where we were I'll go get the girl and I'll bring her back right here, okay?" I say sternly making sure the two of them understand.

"No no! We get out of here and when the help gets here we'll tell them we heard someone needed help."

"She's stuck, I'm not leaving her alone here with this lunatic!" I say firmly.

He pauses, his eyes switching back and forth between me and the hole created by the metal-suited criminal, his brows scrunched up and worry swimming in his eyes.

"No, it's too dangerous. Damage's been done to the building and their alarm has gone off, firemen, ambulance and probably cops are toe to toe to get here, they're way more trained for that type of thing the only way we can help is to get out of here and be out there when they arrive to tell them about her."

"She's stuck, meaning she can't get out she might be hurt or debris might be crushing her," I say angrily trying to keep my tone down to not give out our location.

"Yeah well guess what? you might get crushed too because if that guy's big enough to crush you to begin with imagine the impact with a massive armored suit!" he says frantically looking back at the destroyed debris left behind by Rhino.

"I'm not going to fight him I'm going to get the girl and get out of here, you two go!" I say walking ahead through the debris.

I turn around to walk away when I feel his hand grabbing my wrist and turning me back around to him.

It must be the look in my eyes because the second we make eye contact he seems to be unable to protest.

I turn and start walking again as I feel his fingers holding onto me till the end as my wrist slides out of his grasp.

I hear him protest behind me telling me to come back here before he gets cut off by Ne. I don't get to know what he says to him before the voices fade and I'm left focusing ahead of myself to not come face to face with Rhino.

Stepping over a pile of broken scraps of wall I focus on my hearing to try and figure out where the girl is all while smoothly moving from hiding place to hiding place.

I come across a few items including a backpack where a piece of cloth hangs out from the opened zipper.

Grabbing it I recognize the pattern of a scarf and mentally fist-bump myself for finding a cloth to stop any potential bleeding wound.

Shoving the fabric into my back pocket, the tail of the scarf drags along the ground as I move along crouch walking.

I see a thick sweater protrude from another piece of debris. Snatching it I come to an abrupt stop when I hear another rageful howl before a flash of tarnished silver makes me fall on my ass a huge rumble forcing yet another wall to come crumbling down.

"Where is he?!" I hear Rhino's words echoing along the remaining walls he hasn't yet destroyed.

Who is he talking about? Spiderman? He can't possibly know I'm here…did he figure it out?! How did he find me?!

Clutching my fists I decide to raise myself and leave the crouch walking behind determined to find the girl as soon as possible.

With how silent the place has become I'm convinced she's around the area Rhino just left and hushed when the criminal showed up, baited by her scream of distress.

"Where are you," I ask in the void of the room that I just entered through the punctured wall.

That's when I hear it, the audible intake of breath and a panicked question.

"Is he gone?" comes the frail voice buried in a mountain of broken wall scraps.

"How did you end up down there?"

"I was playing and then I heard a huge crash and before I knew it I was under all of this."

"Are you hurt?"

"No but I'm trapped and I can't lift those," she says with a frustrated grunt trying once again to lift one of the wall remains.

Looking at the structure burying the girl I observe that her current situation is nothing short of a miracle as all the wall pieces are piled up in a way that each piece balances each other out.

"Okay, alright so what we're gonna do is you're going to stand as close as possible to me and then I'm gonna lift this one and you'll see, the rest of them will slide off."

"It's too heavy you can't lift it."

That's a great point. My frame doesn't allow me to go around displaying my real strength.

"Never underestimate the power of adrenaline," is the excuse I manage to find on the spot as I try to balance myself grabbing a strategic piece of the wall amongst them all.

Putting pressure on it the piece is lifting as plaster dust falls down the pile. As the pieces slide off I can throw mine back in a swing.

In a coughing fit, the girl grabs my hand as I extract her from the pile.

Hidden by her forearm to cough and rub her eyes I grab it to get a clearer view of her face.

"Are you okay?"

She doesn't answer but nods, coughing.

"Okay, what we're gonna do now is get out of here," I say holding her shoulders so she pays attention to me rather than the chaos around us.

"He's coming this way so you're going to go to where I was, there is a direct exit."

"Wait what about you? what are you gonna go?"

"I'm just gonna check if everybody is out, don't worry I'll be right behind you," I say as I push her back to the exit.

She walks ahead carefully and when she turns the corner of a wall that hasn't yet been destroyed I snatch the sweater previously tied up around my waist and throw it on hiding any evidence of my chest.

Another crash and I look back making sure I get the time to swap up the scarf and cover my face and hair rolling the fabric all around and tucking it safely behind my head safely hiding my identity.

A dry thug and loud stomps lead me to turn around and face a wall that I know will come crumbling down in a matter of seconds.

Before the walls' crumbles can harm me my arm protects me from the cement dust as the wind is knocked out of me and my body is sent backward smashing against another wall that hasn't yet been torn down by the brute.

"I knew I recognized that smell."

Standing back up with a grunt the prospect of Rhino locating me by sniffing around town forces bile to pile up my throat.

"Ew, that's gross," I say deepening my voice to not give myself out.

Rhino is just a criminal but even a criminal can convince and reveal to enough people that Spiderman is not actually a man.

My voice is also strained from the hit I received when I was smashed against the wall leaving me to be unrecognizable.

I lean against a pole that probably keeps this roof in place as another pained moan escapes me.

"I was gonna finish what I had started before being arrested," I silently cheer as It seems I have accidentally sent the idiot into a villainous monologue.

"Since the bank across the street is the one that was supposed to and did receive the money I thought why not finish what I started."

Breathing in and out with difficulty I can already feel my cracked rib healing with another huff.

"And then I smelled it, that obnoxious smell I remember picking up on when you threw me in that truck."

"Yeah, that was hilarious because see you wanted to steal from the truck but you ended up inside the truck and-" my chuckle is cut short with a pained grunt as my rib is still mending itself.

"We'll see who's laughing when you're six feet under!" he hollers running at me.

Jumping up I propel myself in the opposite direction through Rhino's back landing clumsily still clutching my side.

"I think you're giving yourself too much credit man. I don't think you can punch me hard enough to send me through the ground," I say avoiding jabs after jabs.

I hear sirens and realize I need to take care of Rhino before they can enter the building and see someone else other than the blue&red vigilante going toe to toe with the armored Rhino.

Blocking another hit the force of it sends me to my knees pushing against his weight of him.

Trying to focus on not getting plummeted to the ground my ear buzzes continuously drawing my attention behind me to the electric panel placed behind the counter which is still standing after all the damage caused to the place.

The perfect placement.

When I feel the smallest shift in strength from Rhino I push back with all my force sending him stumbling backward and tripping on a pile from his destructive strike.

Putting distance between us I walk back to the counter climb on it and stand face to face with him.

"See?" I say motioning to my unscathed self, "Untouchable. Of course, that's not a surprise an idiot like you who can't even stand still could not possibly get rid of me."

His only response is a cry and an angry balled fist connecting to the ground, shaking it up.

"Look at you, a little baby having a big tantrum because he's clumsy," I seal the deal with a smirk.

And I get the exact reaction I expected as the brute hurls running like a savage toward me.

When I can feel the breeze of his enraged speed caressing me I bolt up and stick myself to the ceiling leaving the brainless idiot to go headfirst into the panel.

The sound is enough but my curiosity drives me to look upside down to see the Rhino passed out and fuming.

"Dude, you're toast," knowing he can't hear I can't help but make myself chuckle.

My laughter is cut off short when I hear in the distance the sound of the entrance's metal door banging open and a choir of yells invading the place.

Instead of letting go and falling to the ground to get away with the risk of my poor disguise being questioned by the authorities I instead decide to crawl away to a quieter place before falling back down on the ground and letting go of the secondhand vigilante costume.

Fleeing the scene I come out of the alleyway where I throw my 'gear' into the dumpster and walk out to an ocean of red and blue lights. A group of firemen enters the building following the hoard of cops and a booming voice attracts my attention.

"Where were you?!"

My head whips around before my shoulders are grasped firmly and I am turned to a frantic Flash Thompson.

Speechless I'm only able to look at him with a dumbfounded look like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Huh?! Where were you?!" he says shaking me, "You said and I quote 'I get the girl and we'll join you outside', she got out and you weren't with her so where were you?!"

"Rhino was coming so I told her to run and I lured him away before hiding so he couldn't find me," I explain lying as best as I can grabbing his upper arms to steady both of us.

"Oh, and that's supposed to make it better?!"

Out of explanations, I can only shrug my shoulder with an awkward smile.

He scoffs exasperated and let go of me to pace back and forth at a loss for words too.

Not knowing how to make it better for myself I decide to stay silent and just let him pace around trying to calm down.

An officer walks up to us, "Were you inside this building?"

I nod with a frown looking at Flash and Ned for reassurance.

"We're gonna need you to come with us with your friends to the station we're gonna need your statements."

At that Flash tenses up even more walking up to the officer and pleading.

"No wait! Can't we like give a statement later? We like really need to go."

Agreeing with him it's Ned who walks up to the officer and manages to make us look less suspicious.

"We just went through a lot of stress and we're expected somewhere so we'd appreciate it if we could give our statement later on, maybe stop by your station tomorrow or something?"

"I'm gonna ask my superior, please stay here I'll be right back," she says walking back as I halt her with a request.

"Wait, in case you're allowed to let us go could you please drive us there?" I question.

Flash looks at me with an incredulous expression sliding his hands down his face probably in an attempt to wake up from what seems to be his worst nightmare.

"We would feel safer escorted by the police."

"I'll see what I can do," she says with a warm but swift smile before walking away.

With the sound of her footstep fading in the chaos-packed background, Flash approaches me with his hands out.

"Why would you do that?!"

"Because it's better this way. We get back to your party and we get escorted by the police. When you're in this kind of situation cooperating is the best option."

Before he can answer another officer walks up to us to confirm our request of being escorted back as well as asking us to give out our numbers.

"We'll contact you and settle a date and time to pass by the station, have you been examined?"

"Oh um, no there's no need I'm alright."

"No, he's right let's get you checked out," Flash says tugging me towards one of the many firetrucks.

"No no, I really don't need to get checked out. I didn't get hurt I swear I'm fine, no bruises, nothing."

"It would be safer miss."

"I swear I'm not injured, I did not fight Rhino I just hid in the toilets."

"Yeah no shit we can guess you didn't go toe to toe with the guy, would still be smart to get you checked out."

"No, I swear I'm fine no need. It'll only waste time."

"It would only take a few minutes," the officer tries to resonate.

A shrill sound attracts our attention and the sigh of Rhino passed out on a stretcher makes me noticeably tense up.

I'm not used to this I usually don't stay so close after a save. I'm used to watching from afar as the bad guy gets taken away and I'm also in costume but right now the lack of Spiderman attire is making me feel exposed as if anyone could just turn around and point at me saying I was the one who knocked him out.

"Hey, it's okay."

My eyes are drawn back to Flash who is gripping me back tightly like a reassurance probably thinking it's the sigh of Rhino that scared me.

"Let's get you checked out and then we can-"

"I am fine!" I affirm.

My outburst throws a pause and I'm frozen on the spot feeling a bit guilty.

His expression is unreadable, I don't know whether he's angry, scared, or disappointed. How am I surprised that I can't read him? I shouldn't even be able to read him.

"Okay, okay I get it, no check-up," he says his eyes softening as well as his tone.

Letting go of my arms I catch myself missing the feeling but it is not gone for long as he places his hand on my back to guide me to the police car.

"You're alive!"

My breath escapes me as I'm attacked with a violent but warm embrace.

Looking down I recognize the hair of the girl I rescued earlier.

"It's her! the girl who saved me!" she says turning around to a woman who jogs up to us.

"Are you quite sure?"

I frown wondering exactly why this reaction. The woman must notice my expression bringing the girl back to her by the hand.

"Sorry it's just," she hesitates," With the story she told I imagined you to be…bigger."

Bigger?

"My apologies I did not mean to sound rude but," she hesitates again, "Nevermind I should've known. You know how kids are, full of imagination I mean."

"No, I did not lie! She saved me! I was stuck under a pile and she lifted that one HUGE block and got me out!"

Fortunately, my face cannot get any whiter but it doesn't stop my face from falling.

"You must have the wrong person," I turn around to see Ned taking a step forward, putting his hand on my shoulder, "She's not strong, can barely lift chairs at school so I can't even imagine a piece of broken wall," he chuckles turning to Flash for validation.

"Yeah," Flash says with a frown, "Parker is not the type to lift a tone I think you might have embellished things."

He looks from the girl to the woman, "Adrenaline does that a lot."

"I'm not lying!" the girl screams as the woman holds her back asking her to calm down.

"I'm not saying you're lying. She saved you but she did not lift that HUGE block or most likely it wasn't as heavy as you think it was."

"Excuse me," we are interrupted by the police officer, "the car is over there, we'll be driving you back."

"I'm not lying," the little girl whines sadly as I am hurried away by Flash.

I feel bad not being able to back her up but the circumstances are perfect to keep my identity hidden.

I bend down to enter the car and sit comfortably in the middle of the back seat right in between Flash and Ned.

"Are you sure the address you gave me is the right one?"

Looking through the wired wall the officer messes around with their console as the last door of the vehicle is closed and we are finally surrounded by a comfortable silence.

The car moves and my eyes are drawn to the unconscious body of the Rhino.

"I didn't learn police codes to keep up with them," Flash says softly beside me.

This statement wakes me, "What?" I answer with just as much discretion so the conversation can stay private in the gorged car.

"You were weirded out earlier when I said I learned the NYPD's codes by heart and I'm not an idiot I saw that you didn't believe me."

I look down uncomfortable.

"I found-well I heard about a website," he says trying to maintain eye contact, "And at first it was cool, it was all about fans of Spiderman."

He must notice my frown because he hurries his explanation as if he was his own lawyer.

"But then there was that one guy who added me to another group chat except this time it wasn't the same, those guys weren't fans they were like stalkers. They were asking weird questions and one said he was actively trying to find him using the police radio."

My eyes double in size and a chill rushes through my body rising my blood temperature.

"It's not like I learned the codes, I just read through the messages and it was so disturbing that I think the codes just ended up stuck in my head I guess," he finishes avoiding any eye contact, fumbling with his hands.

"I told them it was weird, that they shouldn't do that because they could end up stalking and walk up on him during a mission and end up hurt or dead, not just them but also him."

I stay silent letting him finish up his story his eyes clouded up like earlier in the evening during our first bus trip.

"We argued through text and most of the people in the chat ganged up on me and I just left. Well after I reported their accounts but I don't think anything was done about that though."

I don't know what to do, how can I tell him he didn't do anything wrong when I don't even know what he possibly could've done wrong in this situation.

"You seemed ashamed of it, why?"

Raising his head he doesn't seem to know how to answer me.

"You saw someone doing something wrong that could put not only put themselves but others in danger and you tried to put an end to it," I try to reassure him as best I can.

He maintains eye contact without a word before he slowly nods and I believe I spot the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

The soft noise of the car's movement mixes in perfectly with the chatter which lulls me to sleep.

"I was told by one of my colleagues that you were in there, you were very lucky," I hear the officer ask from the front seat.

I tiredly nod the simple motion making me drowsy as I lean my back my head with a sigh.

The conversation is unintelligible as I feel myself falling in and out of consciousness.

I jolt awake when a hand lands on my neck and moves my head from the headrest to a shoulder. Groggy, I try to protest wondering why the sudden change of position when I am cut off.

"You'll hurt your neck go back to sleep now."

My argument dies on my tongue as the haze of sleep crashes back on me. I fall into the kind of sleep where you don't really snooze and can still hear everything going around you but can't get rid of the veil of slumber.

And so that is how I spend the rest of the travel in and out of consciousness, half listening here and there to the discussions going on around getting more and more comfortable on his shoulder.

As the speech gets louder I frown and grunt sleepily, my hazy brain still trying to grasp the reality around me.

"What's going on?" I barely manage to get out in my half-asleep state.

"The call on my radio sounded close to the address you gave me but I wouldn't have guessed it was the exact same location."

Looking out I see the familiar sight of the sea and the port as well as the brightly light yacht surrounded by multiple police cars.

"Uh oh."

"What is going on?" Ned chimes in.

The guests are divided into small groups like herds of sheep looking around. Some are confused, some are annoyed, or simply bored, officers are scattered trying to question or count the heads all looking frustrated and exhausted.

"My parents are gonna kill me," he says looking through the window overstepping in front of Ned sending him to sit far back into his own seat.

The pang I feel in my heart is painful and the realization that I'm at fault makes me scooch back into my seat. The shame being too much to handle I yank the car door open needing a breeze of fresh air.

The outside cold bites at my cheek as I breathe in deeply.

"Flash! Where were you?!"

I turn around noticing one of our classmates looking frantic.

"I stepped out for a little while what the hell happened here?!"

"I swear it wasn't me! some guys from another school sneaked and used the fireworks."

"What fireworks? there weren't any fireworks."

He hesitates looking at the birthday boy with squinted eyes full of worry "It was McCoy," his question almost sounds like a question.

Flash looks up and like me breathes in deep, "Damn McCoy stresses me out even when I throw him out."

The classmate walks away escorted by one of the many officers around as our personal chauffeur of the night approaches us and singles out Ned telling us they'll come back once Ned gives his point of view of the night.

"I'm so sorry," I say my voice quivering without my consent.

Turning back to me, he frowns and looks at me up and down.

"If I hadn't offered to go out this wouldn't have happened."

He approaches me as I fidget with my hands, "And If we didn't go to the laser game we wouldn't have almost been killed by Rhino," I say wiping my nose who's beginning to tingle.

His frown somehow deepens, "What are you talking about?" he says firmly.

It's my turn to frown, "Well your night is ruined now and it's my fault."

His frown softens to leave place for an eye roll.

"Parker," he says annoyed.

"It's true if I hadn't proposed you'd have still been here and could have stopped those guys from-"

"It was my decision to stay or go but I wanted to go. I could've just said no but I didn't."

It might be the first time I've ever seen Flash Thompson take the blame for anything.

"But it's your birthday I shouldn't have taken you away from your party-"

"Oh my god!" he says irritated taking me by the shoulders and hurrying me aside to a corner where fewer people can eavesdrop.

"Listen Parker none of what happened tonight was your fault okay? I decided to follow you because I wanted to and we both know for a fact that this psycho who started crashing the building didn't just appear out of nowhere just because of because of you."

I internally cringe. Oh if only you knew.

"And it's fine. Okay, it's still sucks, but I had fun and if I stayed I would've been bored out of my mind anyways so I guess you could say you came and saved me from the most boring party ever."

His hands move from my shoulder to my face as he finishes his speech.

Speechless, I'm unable to answer as the warmth of his hands is comforting against the harshness of the outside cold.

The honesty of his speech and the tenderness that shows in his eyes throws me off balance.

When my eyes make the quickest contact with his lips I quickly switch my gaze to anywhere else.

"You're parents are gonna kill-Oh no!"

My yelling directs both of our attention toward the target of my panic.

"Is that your Aunt May?!"

I spin around to somehow hide from her and try to find an out.

"Forget about your parents I'm gonna die before you!"

"She's pointing very angrily behind me which means she's pointing at you," he informs me, "Hi Miss Parker!" he says with fake enthusiasm and a high-pitched cracked voice.

My whole body tenses up and I take all my time turning back around not daring to make eye contact.

Flash is still standing between the two of us feet planted in the ground.

"Flash get out of my way."

"For sure," he says hurriedly stepping aside.

"So get this. I get a call, right? And I hear that not only was there an incident at this party but I also hear that you weren't at the said party which right then reassured me since I believed you weren't in danger," she shouts all over the place with frantic movement as if she was telling a scary story around a campfire.

"But then my logic sense came back and I told myself 'Wait if she's not at that party, where could she possibly be?'"

The lump in my throat is starting to hurt and I go back to avoiding eye contact.

She's now silent and it's clear her question is not a rhetorical one.

"It was my fault."

I turn to him with confusion that quickly turns into irritation.

"Not it wasn't," I say firmly.

"An accident happened and she was hit," he says pointing at my forehead that I try to hide with panic written on my face.

Why is he aggravating the situation?!

As expected Aunt May panics walking to me and analyzes me up and down focusing on my forehead where the bandage has managed to stay attached through my baby hairs, the second hand suit, and the attack.

Startled by the sigh she trots up to me inspecting the area closer.

"It was an accident but the person who did that refused to apologize and would not leave the party so I thought the best would be to step out so there wouldn't be any more tension and then Leeds proposed to go take a look around the city," he lies skillfully through his teeth.

"But then we were at this place and that guy Rhino showed up-" May starts to panic again but is cut off for the rest of his speech, " BUT we're okay we got out before any of us could be harmed and we were escorted back here with the police to make sure we're safe," he finishes his rant with what I could only describe as a marketing grin motioning to our surrounding as if all of this isn't as bad as it looks.

A sigh escapes May as she closes her eyes and tries to let go of the tension inside her.

I am smothered by a hug from her letting me in turn lose all the tension in my own body.

Embracing her back I breathe out not once noticing how I've been stiff since my run-in with Rhino. The tension leaving my body I close my eyes and let myself fall deeper into her arms hugging her back.

Opening my eyes my gaze traces back to Flash standing there looking at us with sympathy.

I mouth him a 'thank you'. I don't really know what the thank you is for but it feels right to say it.

A cop approaches him and I let go of the hug to investigate hoping he won't get in trouble.

"He didn't do anything," I intervene, "Actually, he wasn't even there!" I protest.

Met with blank stares from both of them I have second thoughts.

"Alright I'll make sure to write that down on my report but I will first ask Mr.Thompson what happened from his point of view," the officer says with a pointed look as if asking me to stop talking to avoid damaging his case even more.

The previous anxiety on my face falls to an awkward open-mouthed, "Oh."

"Yeah," Flash says.

"Now how about we go home and leave the nice officer to do his job?" May says loudly holding my shoulders and silently telling me to mindlessly agree to what she says.

With a similar fake smile Flash gave earlier, I giggle and nod like a puppet to get myself out while making sure he doesn't get in more trouble for my indiscretion.

"Let's go get Ned."

"Um I'll be right with you," I call after her my hand in hers.

She seems confused but nods regardless.

When I'm sure she's far away I trot back around.

"Hey, Flash!"

I catch his attention as he walks back to me reassuring the officer he'll be back in a moment.

"What is it?" he ask curiously and a bit in a hurry.

…

I don't know what to say.

"I. I-just."

I'm fully out. What should I say? I'm sorry? Thank you?

I'm still looking for my words when his finger begins mingling with my bandaid once again.

"I really did a shitty job with that," he chuckles eyes focusing back on mine.

I feel that peace again, that comfort I never thought possible around the obnoxious Flash Thompson.

"I should probably go, Officer Davis isn't gonna wait around for me forever."

"Oh yeah of course!" I agree.

I see that Aunt May is looking around for me by her car with Ned beside her looking around as I still try to find the right words.

Looking back at him I find myself analysing his face and figure out I don't need words.

"You okay?" he asks.

Taking a few steps I am standing just a few inches away. Before he can question my motive I lay a kiss on his cheek, right below his eye.

I step back, a feeling of Euphoria invading my body, "Happy birthday."

He does not answer frozen in place and rigid like a pole.

Oh no, did I mess up?

"Are you okay? Aren't you gonna go with officer Davis?" I ask worried.

"Mister Thompson?" talking of the devil.

"Yeah! Let's go!" he shouts turning around and hurrying into the car.

The euphoria dissipates and the regret sets in. What a way to end such a nice night in a fiasco.

I really messed up.

A new side of you: Waltz of emotions

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

What was Luna's cult like?

Oh, buckle up, cos this is a long one!

Let's pretend you're a random soul living in Garvenoi, about 2 years after the famous case of that mind-mage child escaping magical custody.

One day, while walking down the street, you hear a girl speaking. She's one of those streetside preachers. You'd normally ignore them, but something about her voice has you hooked. You can't make out an individual word, but it's got your head nodding along. Yes, you're convinced, though you're not sure what you're convinced about.

At the end of her speech, she gives out cards. An invitation to a session of the Temple of the Void. You vaguely remember a religion like that, down in the Deadlands. Wasn't it nice that they were opening up a chapter here? (Yes, it was.)

The card lingers in your mind. You decide to invite your friends and extended family. At first, they're suspicious (Why would they be? How strange) but when you show them the card, all their doubts disappear.

You all go together, and when you show up at the convention hall (for the Temple does not yet have a temple), you discover that it's packed to the brim. There are literal thousands of people standing placidly and making idle remarks. You recognise your devoutly Inarian neighbour.

When the woman steps up onto the stage, you are struck by sudden distrust. She seems so young, and all alone. How could she possibly be a prophet of the Void? Then that feeling is swept away by rightness. You sway to her speech, and donate your month's salary when she asks. If it gets the Temple up and running, all the better.

The month it's completed, you and your family buy a house closer to it. Every day you go to the Temple and pray. You don't remember the words, or the contents of that holy book you carry around, but you believe in it wholly. Every week you go from door to door and make sure everyone is just as faithful as you. Every month you donate a good chunk of your salary to the Temple. 

When an unsuspecting new couple moves in next door, you shove the books in their faces. When your distant cousin who just happens to be a politician comes to visit, you drag her and her friends to a sermon. When the national government takes notice and comes sniffing, you and the other loyal followers give them the runaround.

The Temple doesn't pay taxes. In fact, nobody does. You're all worker ants for the Temple. You've stopped going for golf on Sundays, or hosting barbecues in the backyard. Your days of free will are a distant memory.

And it's wonderful.

...so, yeah. The books and pamphlets are actually just written spells to hook readers in. The religion is a very badly butchered version of the Temple of the Void, which existed a very long time ago and made some terrifying sculptures that Luna liked. It really doesn't have any ideology except 'listen to the pretty mind mage'. She just keeps them in a heightened state of bliss and takes away their free will

[fxirybun]

hi fxiry, i’m curious about how you started getting into tarot? do you have any tips for learning and getting better at reading the cards? also what are some of your favorite decks that you own? (hope you don’t mind me asking so many questions hehe ☆彡)

i feel honored to be asked about this one hhh so this is going to be a lengthy one (๑•̀ᴗ-) though i wouldn't be able to cover all of it !

ෆ⸒⸒ how it all started

before tarot , i started with the chinese zodiac back when i was in my elementary days (can't remember the specific age TT) because , in my country , we celebrate the lunar new year annually. during those times there would be a couple of books or magazines that discuss about the fortune of a person's animal sign that is based on his / her birth year.

i was a curious kid back then so whilst i was at my grandparents' house i would scan through my grandfather's desk drawer and that's when i discovered this booklet that talks about the chinese zodiac. it got me hooked so i decided to use the booklet as a way to discuss my grandparents' fortune with them.

when i went home , i decided to scan through (i'm so nosy omg-) my mother's cabinet in search of magazines that contain topics about the chinese zodiac. after a while , i use the knowledge that i gathered from reading to discuss fortunes , facts , etc. with my parents , my aunts , my cousins-- or simply the entire household lmao 😆

it wasn't enough for me because i had this craving within me to discover more so for the following months i decided to look up the internet about it. this is where i started to discover astrology. i would jump into websites and i remembered this particular section wherein you get to do a compatible test with someone.

just like what every child does , i decided to enter me and my crush's birth year. besides that , i would try to find out about my friends' birthdays to know more about them and such. following months had passed , i'm starting to feel bored and the craving doesn't stop. so whilst searching on the internet that's when i find a tarot website that generates free readings.

i got hooked on it so i would engage the website and ask bizarre questions if my crush likes me or what 😭💀 like girl stop it already-- over time i became serious with my studies so i didn't pay attention to any forms of divination , not until high school.

but before that , i do remember my mother wanting to bring us with her to visit this fortune teller , she knows this old lady personally. i was young so my memories were fuzzy. all i could recall is her wearing dangled gold pieces of jewelry , a blue (?) rounded table , and a rider-waite smith deck.

she was a really good fortune teller because she predicted all the things that were going to happen to my relatives , problems within the family , etc. (i don't want to disclose the details for privacy reasons).

for this reason , i became aware of the existence of tarot but i didn't pay any attention to it because i was a child.

ෆ⸒⸒ the turning point

when i was in 6th grade (?) , i'm starting to get vivid dreams about something that would end up happening irl. the example of it is having an image of a girl and how it didn't leave my mind because i had this feeling that there's something "important" about that girl. one year has passed , and i felt tingles from my skin when i met the exact same girl in my dreams who became my classmate and my high school friend.

i would even experience the feeling of deja vu , making me question about the way this world works. again , i kept on ignoring it because i tend to be someone who has a practical approach. yet , it seems that the universe or a some type of higher being really wants me to awaken this "ability" that i have.

so boom ! i met some random guy and how i've been getting tons of synchronicities and signs from him 😀 it's like we have this telepathic connection 'cause he's experiencing it too. as always: didn't work > me cried and acted dramatic > 1 year later , me over 🙂‍↔️

i did my research and that's when i stumbled on the "twin flame" concept though i don't seem to buy the whole idea of it :/ the good news ? that was my icebreaker to buy a tarot deck as i get to learn more about sprituality and divination.

what's worse is how i've been getting this eerie feeling that someone in my family is going to pass away. i didn't want to tell to my mother because she'll think that i'm paranoid. months later , my aunt was the one who would leave us too soon.

when i decided to tell my mother about it , she didn't believe me at first but suddenly she decided to tell me about my other aunt who used to be a tarot reader. she thinks that it runs in the family for someone to have this "ability" and how we share some similarities.

ෆ⸒⸒ my abilities

that's how i realized that i may be a "psychic" though i don't want to label myself as one because i'm not confident with my abilities.

all i could say is:

i get information or words / phrases / sentences in my mind each time i do a reading for someone.

i get vivid dreams that would manifest itself.

i can feel the energy and every time i'm outside i can immediately distinguish a person's personality based on what they're showing me. a lie detector test in simple words and how my intuition never fails me , which made me hard to trust people these days.

i would witness a supernatural occurrence. an example would be inside the house which usually happens at midnight. the lights in the living room would blink uncontrollably.

i would hear a "ringing" sound or even faint voices in my ear and how the sound that surrounds me became quiet , hinting that there was an energy of something within the house.

recently , this "energy" made it clear that they were here by trying to make this loud scratching + banging sound from a door across the hallway. i checked to see but there was no one there and it's raining very hard outside so it was impossible.

few days before that: when i was about to sleep , i heard a gliding thud from the window beside me. still , no sight of the person doing it and the window isn't close to a tree , don't own any domestic animals , or anything that can produce that kind of sound.

i would also see a flying orb-like light coming from outside whilst i'm studying. that was few months ago i believe..

there's more but i don't want to turn this post into horror or scary-related TT

ෆ⸒⸒ tips for those starting with tarot [ incomplete guide ]

the following sections doesn't include the use of intuition and more ! only the basics.

as cliche as it may sound , you need to understand and apply the meanings of the cards first. you can start practicing by performing a reading to your family or friends. mistakes are made along the way and you shouldn't feel discouraged by it. try to enjoy the process of learning ^^ and take those mistakes as a lesson 'cause i've been there too lmao.

start with a one-card spread first ! try not to jump on doing three-cards , six-cards , celtic cross , or any tarot spreads that are deemed as complicated for you. i made this mistake and how it made me feel so confused and lost ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡ through this you get the idea of what the card is all about.

don't do reversals just yet ! take note that a tarot deck contains 78 cards: major arcana , minor arcana , and the court cards. which means you need to be familiar with 78 meanings and that's a lot for a beginner. so take this one as you're starting point. once you're confident about knowing the upright meanings , that's when you start incorporating the reversals ^^

ෆ⸒⸒ read the spread like a storybook

let's say that you've already mastered all of the list i mentioned above and you want to add more cards to make an in-depth reading. you decided to do a three-card spread and suddenly , you encountered a problem wherein you couldn't seem to connect the three cards' interpretation due to their different meanings and how it doesn't seem to fit the said question.

01 understanding the question that is being asked.

try to identify if the question is related to love , career , a person , etc. that way you get a better idea as to what this reading is going to be all about. the question needs to be specific ! having a broad question is hard to discern.

example : "who is my future spouse ?" ✘

alternative : "what is my future spouse's personality ?" ✓

02 cut the cards meaning into pieces

try to write down notes about the meanings or words of the three cards that corresponds to it.

labyrinthos interpretation:

king of cups = wise, diplomatic, balance between head and heart, devoted, advisor, counsellor

the world = completion, achievement, fulfilment, sense of belonging, wholeness, harmony

nine of cups rx = unhappiness, lack of fulfilment, disappointment, underachievement, arrogance, snobbery

03 connect the meanings , reading from left to right

after you list down the meanings / words , this is when you're going to apply those to a context. you should start from left to right , just like how a storybook is being read.

example :

the personality of your future spouse is someone who knows how to regulate their emotions well and is in touch with their feelings. you could always rely on them in times of stressful situations because your future spouse would do the means to reassure and comfort you , letting you know that you're being understood by them. they may also have achieved greater heights in their life such as being able to get a proper education , getting what they want , and a stable career. even so , it seems that something is missing from your future spouse. no matter how many times they've received the sweetest and most memorable moments in their life , there's a void that's coming from within. perhaps the missing piece that they're longing for could be you , the one who can make them feel complete or whole again.

ෆ⸒⸒ my fave tarot decks at the moment

01 rider-waite smith tarot : i find it funny how i used to not like the imagery of the cards due to how "old-fashioned" the drawings were. i bought a knock-off version of it for practice reasons. as i tried to bond with this deck i ended up finding myself in tune with the readings i made. the images of the cards are easy to interpret ! hopefully , i get to purchase the authentic version of it. i get to do riffle shuffling with this deck too ^_^

02 tarot of the divine : every beginner tarot reader's first love ! 😆 this was my first deck and has been with me through thick and thin lol (the appearance says otherwise). due to the bond i had with this deck , its answers became very straightforward ! what i love about this deck is the cardstock quality. very easy to shuffle because of how smooth it glides even though it leans on the thicker side ;; i also love seeing the tales of each country.

03 the light seer's tarot : what i love about this deck is the diversity of each card ! the imagery is modernized , making it easy to feel relatable with the deck and how you get to easily interpret the meaning of every card. the guidebook is thick-yet-informative lol. i also find it easy to shuffle the cards with my hands. the deck is a lil bit thicker so it may be hard to perform a riffle shuffle ʕ •̥ ˕ ก ʔ

04 ethereal visions illuminated tarot deck : the good thing about this deck is even though it is a bit bigger than the standard rider-waite smith size , its cards are thin which makes it easier for me to shuffle. i love how soft , earthy , and pastel-yet-creamy (?) the cards and the drawings were made. it reminded me of one of those greek paintings and statues for sure. it comes with two different cards and you can find its meanings from the guidebook itself.