#all these kids do is spend time on trains

[luulapants]

Adding into the discussion of the incarcerated young people fighting fires in California:

I can think of no place worse than prison for emotionally stunting or regressing a person or for dismantling their ability to make good decisions.

You take an adult or child who maybe has exhibited some antisocial behaviors, right? So you remove them from whatever community and support network they have, put enormous financial and logistical barriers between them and any communication with that community. Incarcerate them hours from home in a place not accessible by train or plane with narrow visiting hours that conflict with people's work schedules, and maybe you're fighting to prevent in person visits at all, maybe you got a kickback from a company selling expensive video call visits so people can't even hug their kids when they drive 6 hours on a Wednesday to see them. Get a kickback from a phone service provider that's going to charge extortionate prices for every minute a person spends talking to their loved ones, and if the state passes a law saying you can't do that anymore, pivot and go after the mail. Subvert USPS. Get a kickback from a company that'll give prisoners shitty scans of letters or refuse to deliver it because it was flagged for drug contamination by a machine with a 70% false positive rate, force them instead to send texts at extortionate rates through their proprietary app.

Put them in an environment with a bunch of other people with social issues and force them to compete for resources. Give them no mental healthcare. If they are victimized by other prisoners, punish the victims with solitary confinement. Transfer people around so they can't form meaningful long-term friendships. Tell them that once they get out, it will be illegal for them to talk to any of the people they meet here.

Hire guards who have no qualifications other than a willingness to be a modern day slave overseer or the ignorance to not realize that's what it is, give them complete control over every aspect of other people's lives and tell them those people want to kill them and that any object can be covered in drugs so dangerous that touching them can kill. Allow the guards to traffic drugs into the prison with impunity. Have the guards discourage racial mixing because racial conflict in the prison means the prisoners won't join up against the staff.

You do all of this and you ask if a 20-year-old, who's been in the system since 14, is emotionally mature or psychologically healthy enough to choose to risk their life in exchange for slightly better living arrangements.

You take someone who has probably made some bad decisions, right? And you put them in a place where every detail of every day is decided for them: what they eat, when they eat, when they sleep, where they sleep, what clothes they wear, who they talk to, where they work. Or maybe you give them big decisions that have no right answer. Maybe at the start of the day, you open the cells and they have 10 minutes to decide if they want to be stuck in their cell all day - no shower, no recreation, no library - or go outside and be stuck in genpop all day - no napping, no alone time, no escape if someone is hassling you. You let them decide if they're going to eat breakfast at 3am (because there's too many meal shifts) or sleep in and spend their precious commissary funds on toaster strudel (they have no toaster) or sleep in and not eat even though you're barely giving them 1000 calories a day. You let them start to make decisions about how to spend their day, then you put them on lockdown, take all those decisions away.

You do all this and then you ask if anyone who's spent time in this environment has the decision-making skills to choose to risk their life in exchange for slightly better living arrangements.

All of the incarcerated firefighters in California are 18 or older, and all of them volunteered, but there is no world in which they were adequately prepared to make that decision.

[haveihitanerve]

batfamily shenanigans: The kids make up fun silly rumors to freak out the justice league about the batcave. Like this one rumor where the bats in the cave are trained to attack intruders.

Bruce hated when his kids came to the Watchtower. Make no mistake, he loved his children, and any opportunity they allowed him to spend with them was like winning the lottery. But every time they joined him with the League, they somehow always managed to create a new rumor that fueled beliefs about him/Batman, that he wasn't entirely comfortable with.

It started, as most things in Gotham did, with Dick.

"What do you mean I can't take the bats to school for show and tell?" He whined as they entered the Watchtower for about Dick's third time. Bruce sighed, so far unaware of his son's ulterior motive.

"Chum, we've covered this, the bats in the Batcave aren't pets. You can't just take them-"

"I know that they're used as security and you've trained them to kill people, but that's only at your command!" Dick interrupted, pulling out all the stops of crossing his arms and pouting, voice echoing down the hall. League activity froze.

Bruce himself was frozen, unsure he had just heard his ward right, so shocked that Dick used the opportunity to plow ahead.

"I promise not to use the kill word! I swear!" He begged, and oh no, now the tears were coming.

Bruce glanced around frantically, but all of the League members nearby were staring at him weirdly, shifting away.

"He has murder bats?" Green Lantern hissed.

Bruce sent his son a look, dragging him back to the Zeta Tubes. His son smirked, only for a fraction of a second, before the waterworks returned. "You're never coming here again." Bruce muttered. Dick just laughed.

~

Apparently, the "tradition" was passed on. Bruce had hoped and prayed it wouldn't, that Jason, the sweetheart that he was, wouldn't adopt his gremlin older brothers activities, but Jason adored Dick. It was only a matter of time.

"Here ya go Batman!" Robin chirped cheerily, entering the meeting room with a cup. "You forgot to hydrate. Don't want ya passing out from lack of nutrition!"

Bruce glanced up from his work, frowning at his son. The thought was... kind, of course, but there was no need for him to announce it so loudly. Right when he entered the room. With eight other Leaguers present. And Batman was sitting on the other side. But oh well, he was being cute.

That was until Jason reached him. Bruce had noted the reaction as his son had walked past the other League members, the subtle glances they threw at the cup to peek at what was inside, then the paling of their faces as they stepped away.

His eyes narrowed, but Jason smiled, and some of his suspicion melted. Some. Not all. Jason was an angel from above, but he had fallen nevertheless.

So it came at no great shock when Jason handed him his cup, and it was filled to the brim with dark, ruby red punch. "Bin." Bruce growled, low in his throat. Low enough that only the few super hearing metas could hear.

"What Batman?" Jason chirped back, only one octave louder. "Is today's serving not to your liking? This one was very compliant. You like it to be willing, don't you?"

Bruce gritted his teeth. Jason's smile grew. "Night sent you didn't he." He grumbled, less an accusation, more resignation. Jason shrugged.

"He might've slipped me the idea that you need some company." But I came up with the rest was apparent enough. Good to know both his children were now demons. Bruce sighed and grabbed the cup.

~

Timothy, sweet, sweet, Timothy Drake would never do anything to hurt Bruce. Never. And yet here they were.

"You checked up on the guy from last night, by the way?" Tim asked casually, standing next to him by the Watchtower windows.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, glancing at his newest Robin. "Guy from last night?"

Tim nodded, pulling out his phone. That was when Bruce discovered his third was the worst of the worst. Because he had "proof".

"The dude you shot in the dick yesterday?" Tim asked, as though confused why Bruce wasn't getting it. "Come on, it's your favorite tactic to get information." The screen itself was blank, but Bruce knew that if he was pushed, Tim could pull up very real photos, and maybe even a video of Batman shooting someone in the penis. On multiple occasions.

Bruce gritted his teeth. "Is he okay?" He muttered, as League members around them shifted away, some of the men holding a protective hand around their genitals. Tim's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, he's doing fine now. Probably missing some things, but well." He shrugged. "What can you do?"

Bruce nodded his agreement, glancing at the Leaguers nearby. "Indeed."

~

Stephanie was the worst of them all. Because she was open about it. Because she came up with four in one day. Because he never invited her to the Watchtower for that specific reason, but she always came along anyway.

"Why didn't you tell me you steal people's eyes and keep them as trophies?" She gasped, smacking his arm in faux outrage.

Bruce almost broke down right there. Barry ran into the wall, Hal nearly fainted, and Oliver let out a real life gasp. Steph grinned.

"And you stabbed someone through the side with a table????" She exclaimed even more dramatically. "How is that even possible?"

Bruce shrugged. "Well its all about the balance of weight y'know?"

Steph ducked her head to cover her grin. "Wait so that means the rumors about you absorbing villains strength is true?" She false whispered.

Bruce nodded seriously. "Don't tell anyone."

Steph shook her head, tsking quietly. "How do you even do it?"

"It requires a ritual." Bruce revealed quietly, glancing around. "I can teach you, but it requires you to bind your soul-" He straightened as new Leaguers came around the corner, eyes already wide. "I'll tell you later." He mumbled.

Steph almost ruptured a lung in her effort not to laugh, burying herself under his arm and against his side. "Okay Batman." The laugh was audible to him in her words. "Later."

~

"Shaytan, I demand you return Father to me." Bruce blinked at the strange way in which his son was speaking to him.

"What?" He stuttered out, only years of rigorous Batman training keeping him from revealing any more confusion. Damian sighed impatiently, tapping his foot.

"I know that you are in control of the body right now." He muttered. "Shaytan, really. If you wanted to be Batman you could have just said something, but it is Father's turn to have control of the body."

Bruce blinked at his son. This was... creative. Truth be told, he quite honestly wasn't sure if this was Damian's own idea, or if maybe the others had convinced him that it was true. That Bruce was possessed by a demon who periodically took control of his body and mind.

"I assure you Robin, it is me." Bruce answered, trying his best to deepen his voice, make it slightly raspy, shoulders curving slightly to cramp his back. Damian's eyes glinted.

"Oh, of course." He returned sarcastically, and yep, Damian was in on the joke. "Come Shaytan, you know Father does not need sleep, and you dozed off moments ago. Additionally, you keep leering at the humans. It is not feeding time yet. Pull yourself together."

Bruce had to admit, it was funny seeing all his co-workers losing their minds over these what-the-fuck-does-that-mean rumors. And Damian was a damn good actor. It provided him some enjoyment in these dull hours.

Bruce shook himself, straightening, and blinked down at his son a few times. "Ah. Robin. Shaytan took over a moment ago. Thank you." Damian nodded back, crisp and sure.

"Of course Father. We do not want a repeat of last fall do we?" Bruce noted Hal, mouthing "last fall?" in horror to Barry, who shrugged helplessly. He smiled faintly, tousling his sons hair.

"No Robin, we do not."

[darlingdaisyfarm]

What do u think dad!Ford would be like? 🥹

☆彡 Ford Pines as a dad :)

★ his past haunts him. Ford is hyper-aware of his own mistakes and he’s terrified of repeating them. if he gets snappy or distant, he always circles back to apologise to his kid. “i didn’t mean to upset you. im still learning how to be better at this.”

★ academic expectations aren’t a thing for him. Ford understands the pressure of being “the smart one” better than anyone, so he refuses to let his kid feel the same weight. they could be an artist, a gardener, or a professional bubble blower, he’ll support them 100%

★ awkward, deeply earnest. he’s the dad who gives his kid a PowerPoint presentation on how much he loves them or offers comfort by saying things like: “i believe your emotional pain is valid and deserves acknowledgment.” but he’ll also stay up all night building a model of the andromeda galaxy for their science fair because he wants them to feel supported

★ he loves teaching them. not in a pushy way, but because it brings him joy to share what he knows

★ he's willing to explain the same thing 20 times if they don’t understand it or sit through the same annoying kids’ movie on repeat because it makes them happy

★ paranoid protector. if you think Stan is overprotective, Ford is worse. he teaches his kid how to build a Faraday cage just in case someone tries to control their brainwaves

★ PROUD NERD DAD. he’s that parent. the one who builds overly complicated science projects for the school fair or accidentally intimidates the teacher by asking if the curriculum includes quantum mechanics

★ Ford has seen things. he’s fought interdimensional monsters and battled with Bill Cipher, so yeah, he’s terrified of his kid getting hurt.

“you can’t go to that sleepover. what if it’s a trap set by extradimensional entities?!”

“dad, it’s just Timmy’s house.”

“just Timmy’s house, you say? that’s exactly what Bill would want me to think!”

★ he gives his kid tracking devices disguised as bracelets and builds a mini forcefield generator for their room. It’s a lot, but it all boils down to one thing: he’s terrified of losing them, like he almost lost Stan

★ notes on the fridge with text “out of milk. also, don’t touch the glowing rock in the lab, it might be sentient.”

★ Ford doesn’t always know how to express affection, but he’s so proud of his kid. hes the guy clapping too loud at the school play, or awkwardly trying to high-six after a good report card

★ i have a feeling he'll insist on preparing the kid for every possible situation, from wilderness survival to escaping an alternate dimension. he turns a simple camping trip into an intense survivalist training session.

“so you see this? this is how you create a makeshift compass using only a magnet and some swamp water. now, repeat it back to me.”

“Dad, can we just roast marshmallows?”

★ Ford knows he’s made some very questionable choices in life. and he’s determined to steer his kid away from making the same mistakes. but he also knows that life isn’t meant to be lived in fear. so he tries to let his kid explore and make their own mistakes, even if it kills him to watch

★ he does these impressions of weird creatures he’s studied to make the kid laugh or making up ridiculous bedtime stories about interdimensional adventures

★ being genuinely interested in whatever the kid loves. they mention liking stars? he’s pulling out telescopes and teaching them how to navigate by constellations. they doodle in a notebook? he’s buying them every art supply and researching the history of visual storytelling

★ if the kid needs help with a project, he’ll spend hours (or days) going overboard. you’ll find him at 2 AM in his study, hunched over a model volcano, muttering about optimizing the lava flow

★ casually mentions his interdimensional adventures at dinner and the kid eats it up because, let’s face it, having a dad who’s basically Indiana Jones with extra trauma is awesome

★ he’s terrified of being a bad father, of not being enough, and that fear can make him distant at times. he overthinks every decision, convinced he’s going to mess it all up. what if he's too much like his father? what if he pushes his kid too hard? but the thing is, he cares, so much. and his kid knows it, even if Ford’s love is sometimes wrapped up in layers of self-doubt and fear

★ if anyone messes with his kid oh, they’re done. Ford may be a nerd, but he’s also a six-fingered genius who’s survived the multiverse. he’ll calmly dismantle anyone who threatens his family

★ Ford's bedtime stories start off like normal fairy tales, but somehow they end as “and so, the starfish rebuilt its missing limb, but it always remembered the one it lost. and it knew that even though it was whole again, some things leave scars you never see.” you’re sobbing. the kid’s sobbing. Ford’s eyes are suspiciously glassy as he kisses them on the forehead and mutters something about needing to adjust the humidity in the room.

★ bonus point if he’s reading his kid a bedtime story, he gets way too into it, doing all the voices and even sketching out illustrations

★ Ford may not be that emotional as his brother, except when it comes to his kid. their first stick-figure drawing? framed in his study. their macaroni art project? encased in glass because he’s convinced it’s a modern masterpiece

★ i think Ford is usually the patient parent. but one day, after hours of hearing “why can’t I do this? why am I not good enough?” from his kid, he loses it.

“you think you’re not good enough? do you know what I see when I look at you? i see someone braver than I ever was, smarter than I’ll ever be and kinder than this world deserves. you are my child, my greatest achievement and if I hear you doubt yourself again, so help me, I’ll—” and then he has to stop because both of them are crying and hugging

★ he insists on teaching the kid “important life skills,” but half the time it’s just him geeking out while the kid watches in awe/confusion “okay now, if you ever find yourself trapped in an alternate dimension, here’s how you build a rudimentary portal using only a toaster and three rubber bands.”

“. . . can you teach me how to ride a bike instead?”

“right. yes. of course. bikes.”

★ and he never stops learning. about his kid, about himself, about what it means to be a father. it’s not always easy, but Ford is nothing if not resilient

★ Ford’s idea of a trip is hiking through the woods with a map and an emergency beacon, dragging his kid along while pointing out flora and fauna. “see this plant? highly toxic. don’t touch it.”

★ his passion for research often pulls him away, but he doesn’t want to miss a thing. over time, he learns to put boundaries in place, to walk away from the lab when it’s time for dinner or to prioritize their soccer game over his latest discovery

[siri-ike]

@murderandjam I gotchu

"ALL THE ASSASSIN TRAINING IN THE WORLD COULDN'T KEEP THIS BOY SAFE!!!" Jazz thought, calmly drinking her morning tea. "HOW DID HE MANAGE TO GET HIMSELF KILLED?!?!" The kitchen TV was playing the news. “This is the first time anyone has managed to capture a clean image of the ‘ghost boy of Amity Park.’”

Years of assassin training had taught her not to show signs of disstress. If she had stayed, she could probably still hide the twitch in her eye. Could she really only keep him alive for a measly 7 years? That's only 6 years, 11 months, and 24 days longer than the Fentons would have managed.

Maybe the leagues methods were right. She should have trained him from the start... made him strong... made him... hide who he was... spend his whole life pretending. No, she didn't want him to have to live like her. He had been young enough to forget. She'd be lying if she said all the secrecy didn't wear on her. But lying was what she was good at.

Over the next couple of months, she watches him from afar. Ready to jump in, were he knocked out or overpowered. No need to mention how often she disposes of a troublesome ghost for gaining the upper hand. It seems cruel to keep so many in a single thermos. But they don't matter. Keeping her little brother safe is the only thing that matters.

But then, he disappears. Replaced by his older self. One timeline led to another and, well.

It's a lot harder to keep the idiot alive when he knows she's there. With all the extra effort she had to put into staying in character within a completely new set of circumstances, she noticed far too late that he had started acting differently. He was distant, tired, and his response time suffered. But when Maddie started talking about military school, that's when she knew she had to do something.

"Dad?" She addressed the large man across the kitchen table. A man who looked nothing like her father or any of her former carers. "Tell me about your side of the family." Sweetly, remember, no hint of ulterior motives.

After endless ramblings, including the Fenton-Nightingales, his mother's double mastectomy before he was born, and his fathers constant disappearances. Despite endless evidence, he still never realized he was the product of an affair. Although, he had also given her pediatrician the same information, so he might just not be well-versed with the birds and bees in general.

The moment he got to Uncle Harvey, Jasmine stopped him."Tell me about Harvey." Subtle, let him think it was his idea.

She knew who the man was, with his impressive arrest record and, most importantly, apartment in Gotham. Which just so happened to have a Lazarus pit. Lazarus water had a positive effect on ghosts. And there was no way she was telling anyone how she found that out.

The conversation played out exactly as she'd planned. Jack went on and on, and Maddie suggested sending Danny there instead. Despite the flawless execution, she knew her real parents would have found some error, some way Jasmine had failed.

Sam and Tucker didn't take much convincing. They'd noticed his rapid decline already. And found out about Dani. After a violation like that, they barely needed a push. It didn't hurt that they were still a bit agitated from the ecto acne.

Danny was a harder sell. She put all her big sistering and physiological tricks to work, and still had to pull out the "military school" card.

She did still make him bring a ghost thermos and a picture of the guy. Getting kidnapped most likely wouldn't improve his overall condition.

As much as she wants to be there to keep him safe, that's not what he needs right now, and she knows it. He needs to relax. And unfortunately, that's not in her skill set.

The following hours were awkward. What was she supposed to do with just Sam and Tucker?

Thank the pit for the ghost alert conveniently popping off every 15 minutes or so, keeping the kids distracted. That gave her plenty of time to deal with her 4am visitor.

Jasmine Al Ghul

silly almost crack prompt of a roll reversal story twist on the typical demon brothers.

Jasmine is an Al Ghul. I personally am imaging her as damains sister/half sister. As a girl she was never going to be heir but she trained and studied diligently. She was incredibly adapt at physicalizing her targets and strategy. Once she figured out how a target thinks, it was easy to take them apart, even easier to get them to take themselves out.

so it really isn't that surprising to realize she's expendable to the league. so she leaves, not dramatically, not with a death. on a mission to the States she cuts out all her trackers, leaves behind her swords, and heads to a random rural town.

there she's found a boy who calls himself danny and takes her home. she's adopted and throws herself into her new life. she focuses hard on psychology both because it's familiar, and because it teaches her how to act normal.

if she focuses her attention on sweet (innocent) danny, then she is repaying his kindness of taking her in. if she needs to hunt to eat, well it's nothing compared to league training, she will get enough food for both of them. if she can fix danny's problems then no one will pay attention to hers.

Jasmine Fenton. Straight A's student (because she can never be anything less than perfect). someone who's friendly but doesn't make friends (because they can't get too close). Obsessed with her future career and college (as highschoolers often are). A doting older sister (she needs to protect danny, her hands are already bloody his doesn't need to be). A teenage daughter exasperated with her parents (that one isn't exactly a lie.)

Jasmine Fenton. a normal girl. that's what she is. that's all she is. she's made sure of it. the girl with the al ghul name disappeared 7 years ago. she never existed in the first place according to the league.

Jazz plans to keep it that way.

[lucy90712]

talking about the future and building a family after the wedding with pedri would be so nice! LOVEEEE YOUR WRITING BTW DONT STOP

I thought life couldn't get better than marrying my soulmate but as it turns out it can that day was magical but being in paradise getting to relax and spend time with my new husband is even better. We arrived late yesterday afternoon but we still got to watch the sunset on the private beach behind the beach house Pedri rented for us for two weeks. I did most of the planning for the wedding along with both of our mum's while Pedri planned our honeymoon that was our agreement to minimise the stress on the both of us. As I wasn't involved with planning I had no idea even where we were going but Pedri made a great choice in going to the Maldives which is a place we have both wanted to go but never found the time. He even asked if he could go back to training for the new season a couple days late so we could have a full two weeks away so we have two weeks of full relaxation before we have to go back to our crazy schedules. 

I got woken up for our first full day in paradise in the best way; Pedri was kissing me on my jaw and my neck until I opened my eyes and he kissed my lips. I wish I could wake up like this every morning and for the next two weeks I can so I'm definitely going to enjoy this while I can. After making out for a few minutes Pedri slid his arms around my waist and pulled me on top of him so my head could rest on his chest. Relaxing mornings are one of the only criteria I gave Pedri when he was planning our honeymoon and he's definitely delivered, back at home we are always up so early in the morning that there is no time to relax or cuddle together which is the one thing I'd change about our lives and now I get that part too our life is perfect. 

We laid in bed for over an hour and we would've stayed there longer if our stomachs didn't start rumbling but alas we have to eat. Pedri ordered groceries to the place yesterday when we arrived so we have some food here if we don't want to go out to eat so I picked out some things to make us a nice breakfast. Pedri helped me in his own way which is standing behind me with his arms around me and leaving kisses on my neck which was a good motivator to get breakfast done so we can go back to clinging to each other and enjoying our two weeks alone together. 

After breakfast we both got ready to go out and sit in the sun on the beach as that's the only plan we have for our time here. My suitcase is pretty much only filled with swimwear so I let Pedri pick what he wanted me to wear even though I knew he'd pick one particular bikini as he's always loved the colour and fit of it on me. When he saw me in it I thought we weren't going to make it out of the bedroom but he surprised me he kissed me with such intense passion then just led me outside to the sun beds on the beach. There are multiple sun beds but Pedri insisted we sit on the same one he sat down first then pulled me into his lap so we could relax together. 

"I can't believe we're married now" I said 

"I know now I can call you my wife you know I love saying that I can introduce you to people as my beautiful wife and I can tell the boys all about the amazing things my wife does" he said 

"Aren't you the sweetest but I think I've got it better I get to tell my coworkers that the amazing footballer winning the team all those trophies is my husband" I said

"What do we do now that we're married before everything was after we get married but now that we're married what do we do now?" I asked 

"I've been thinking about that too but I thought about it enough to know that I think we can just enjoy being married for a little while we don't have to rush into changing things or pushing forward we have the rest of our lives to do that" he said 

"Thank you I needed to hear that I've been worrying that we'd be expected to have kids or be thinking about it and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that just yet" I admitted 

"And that's ok we don't have to do that just yet but why don't we talk about it just for fun we had fun talking about our wedding before it happened and that turned out perfect" he said 

"Well I think I'd like two kids and I know we can't chose but a girl and a boy sounds perfect" I said 

"You know at that does sound perfect" he said

Pedri was right it was fun to talk about our possible future kids. We thought about what we could name them and what they might look like we even talked about how we would raise them so that they would grow up to be rounded individuals. I enjoyed thinking about it all it made me feel like it might not be as scary or as hard as I think it will be to have kids as I'll have Pedri there with me to help with everything. I might not be ready right now but I know that when I am I'll have the best husband by my side to share the experience with. 

We spent the rest of the day on the beach enjoying the sun and swimming in the sea which was so warm and crystal blue it was lovely. I thought that was lovely but then we went out to dinner at a restaurant that Pedri made a reservation at and that was lovely the place was so nice and the food was delicious. That want the best part either the best part was how sexy Pedri looked his hair was slightly gelled to make it look like it does when he's just got out the shower and that's when I think he looks his best. Then there's the white shirt he had on which he left half unbuttoned showing off his chest which he knows I would enjoy staring at and he wasn't wrong. Dinner was amazing but all I really wanted was to go back to the house and have Pedri all to myself.

"What do you say we practice making a baby?" Pedri asked as soon as we stepped in the door reading my mind 

"I like the sound of that very much" I said kissing him 

~~~~~~~~~~

7 months later 

Pedri’s alarm sounded around the bedroom but I didn’t need it to wake me up as I was already sat on the bathroom floor hunched over the toilet like I have been pretty much every morning for the last few weeks. At the start I’d wake up Pedri and have him sit with me or get me water but now it’s become such a normal routine for me that I don’t bother interrupting his sleep. He turned his alarm off and must’ve seen that I wasn’t in bed beside him as the next thing I knew he was stood in the bathroom doorway rubbing his eyes to wake himself up. Then he quickly got on the floor next to me and rubbed my back while getting my hair out my face until I was able to sit up and face him.

“How long have you been up?” Pedri asked 

“Since 5 so not as bad as yesterday” I said 

“Now you’re going to call me crazy but just hear me out I think you should take a pregnancy test I know we aren’t necessarily trying but we haven’t been exactly careful and you’ve been so sick and haven’t got any better so maybe you’re pregnant” he said

“You’re right I’ve known I should probably take a test for a few day now I’ve just been scared I think I’m ready but what if I’m not” I said 

“Lets worry about that later how about I go get you a test and then once we know the result we can think about other things” he said 

“Ok” I replied 

He quickly got changed and went out to the nearest store to buy me a test which didn’t take long as he was back within 15 minutes with a few different tests a he didn’t know which one was best. I decided that I’d just take them all that way we’d have a definitive answer. I took the tests then left them on the bathroom counter and went to find Pedri so we could wait together for the result. Since we got married I’ve thought more about kids and what our lives would be like if we had a baby and over time the thought has become a lot less daunting and scary but now that it could be happening all these feelings are coming straight back. I mean what if I’m not a good mum and what if things are a lot harder than they are made out to be and I have to deal with it all by myself while Pedri is away it’s all so overwhelming. 

The three minute wait for the result went by so quickly that I didn’t have time to prepare myself to actually look at it. I couldn’t bring myself to do it so I made Pedri go and get the tests but he refused to look at them without me he handed me one while he had the others and told me to turn it over when I was ready. I took a deep breath to calm myself down before flipping the test to see two pretty obvious lines staring right back at me. In that moment all the feelings of fear went away and all I felt was pure joy. I didn’t think I’d feel so excited but knowing that I was actually pregnant really made my heart feel full. As it turns out I think I was ready without even knowing as I don’t think I’d be this happy if I wasn’t ready to be a mum.

“We’re having a baby” I said not able to believe it 

“How are you feeling about it?” Pedri asked 

“I’m actually really happy I can’t wait to go through this whole journey and have a baby” I said 

“I’m really happy too I can’t wait to raise this baby with you but first I’m going to take care of you until the baby gets here” he said 

“Can that start with finding something to help the sickness it’s really wiping me out” I joked 

“I will read everything I can possibly find to help you” Pedri said 

“Thank you you’re going to make a great dad you know” I said 

“And you’re going to be the best mum” he smiled 

We shared a loving kiss before I ran off to the bathroom again while Pedri teased me about kissing him grossing me out so much I had to throw up. Right now pregnancy isn’t fun but as long as I have Pedri by my side I’ll get through it and I know we’ll come out the other side as a happy little family. 

[malsmind]

better than him

bsf!matt sturniolo x reader

summary: your ex boyfriend comes up in a conversation with matt, you never would’ve expected your night to go like this.

warnings: smut, unprotected sex, car sex, public sex, riding, pet names (baby, sweetheart), matt being a little proud of himself at the end

authors note: hello pretty people! this is a pretty rushed one and idrk about it. lmk what u think!!

english is not my first language!

you and matt were on a little late night drive. you’d occasionally go on night drives when you were bored, had a rough day, just wanted to spend some time together, deep talk and just listen and vibe to some good music. tonight, you guys were just bored out of your minds.

matt was driving you guys around, you were in the passenger seat, skipping trough your spotify to find a good song. while scrolling, you got a notification from snapchat, your eyes darting up on the screen.

“2 years ago today” it read.

you clicked on it, your eyes narrowing slightly as you analyzed the memory flashback that snapchat gives everyone. to your surprise, it was pictures of you and your ex boyfriend that you were almost 100% sure you deleted. you weren’t sad, or anything. you were over him pretty much immediately after he broke up with you. your guys’s relationship wasn’t the best, the short answer is that he’s basically just a very immature and insecure pussy.

matt noticed how quiet you suddenly were and how your eyes were fixated on your phone, but not scrolling trough your spotify.

“you good?” he pulled you out of your trance, quickly glancing over at you before his eyes were back on the road.

you turned your head towards him. “hm? oh, yeah i’m fine, sorry.” you answered causally, closing snapchat and going back to what you were doing before.

matt didn’t fully believe you, but decided to not push it any further. you’d finally settled on a song and the both of you sat in a comfortable silence between each other, just listening to the music coming trough the speakers of matt’s car. you couldn’t help but think about the pictures you saw on your phone just moments ago, mentally laughing at yourself for dating the guy. matt knew all about your ex, how things were back then, how he treated you, how and why it ended. you sighed, unlocking your phone again to open up your snapchat memories. you scrolled trough the few pictures you apparently never deleted for a few minutes, not even realizing matt was pulling into some empty parking lot. you went trough the pictures, pressing delete on all of them, you didn’t need any reminders of the time you wasted on someone.

the car stopped and you were now parked. matt glanced over at you, recognizing a familiar face. he frowned, leaning over a little to get a better look at what exactly you were doing. “wait, is that your ex?”

you turned your head to look at matt, looking down at your phone again at his question, then back at him again. “yeah, snapchat just randomly gave me a notification. i honestly thought i deleted every picture” you huffed out a small chuckle, shrugging.

matt nodded, his eyes trained on your finger pressing the delete button on the pictures. he leaned back in his seat. you put your phone down shortly after, matching his movements and leaning back in your seat as well. the car was quiet for a moment before matt broke the silence again.

“you don’t miss him, do you?”

you turned your head to look at him with a frown, “you seriously asking me that?” you snort.

he shook his head, smiling. “nah, i’m just messin’ with you.”

you guys had talked about him a few times before, using him as a joke in various situations or whenever he maybe comes up. matt knew almost every detail of you and your ex’s relationship, which is why he never understood why you even dated him in the first place.

“y’know, i really don’t get how you could actually be with that kid, let alone for two years.” he chuckled.

you shook your head, the reminder of how stupid you were for being with someone like that making you cringe. “i don’t either, don’t even start.”

you guys were pretty open with each other about anything. more intimate things like your sex life came up too, just not a lot. deep in thought, you let out a small laugh, thinking about how you’ve spent two years with a guy, fucked numerous of times, but you never even came.

matt looked over at you when the small noise left your lips, a small, knowing grin forming on his face.

“what?”

you couldn’t help but laugh more when he asked you why you were laughing in the first place.

“nothing, nothing. just thinking about how that man hasn’t even managed to make me cum. he’s out there believing he did, poor girls.”

matt’s expression changed to a surprised one. you guys hadn’t really talked about you and your ex that way before, maybe one or two remarks about him being bad in bed.

“you’re kidding.” he sat up, turning his whole body towards you.

“he hasn’t made you cum a single time? in two years? nah, come on, you gotta be fuckin’ with me.”

you laughed at his disbelief, shaking your head.

“no i’m serious! he didn’t give a fuck about what i wanted or liked. he just never really made me feel good.”

matt sat there, still visibly shocked to the new information. he thought to himself, his mind quickly going places it shouldn’t be going. he couldn’t help but think about the way you probably never got to feel good during sex due to your ex not caring about what you liked.

“so no man’s ever made you cum?”

you shook your head no.

he was hesitant to speak his mind, scared he might weird you out or ruin your guys’s friendship. he didn’t even know why exactly he was thinking about how it would feel to be the one to make you feel good. eventually, he decided to just speak up.

“would you wanna have a man make you cum?” he asked, studying your face and your reaction.

a slight frown formed on your face, unsure of how to answer or what exactly he was even trying to say. you simply shrug. “i guess, yeah.”

“do you want me to make you cum?”

you didn’t know what to say. you were speechless. you couldn’t help the heat rise to your cheeks, causing you to look away from him. did you want that? he’s your best friend, surely this would make things… weird, right? matt grew a little anxious at your reaction, not sure what to do. he mentally face palmed himself for even thinking like that. why would you ever even-

“okay.”

matt was pulled out of his thoughts, looking back at you to meet your eyes again.

“what, really? you don’t.. have to i understand if-“

“no i want to.” you cut him off, leaning slightly closer to him.

he nodded, his eyes darting down to your lips, inching closer. it didn’t take long for him to fully lean over the middle console of the car and put his lips to yours. the kiss was gentle, his lips moving against yours at a steady pace. you pulled away first, matt matched your movement, looking at you.

“you wanna get in the backseat instead…?” you asked and he nodded in response.

you guys quickly climbed into the backseat, your legs quickly straddling matt’s lap and his hands landed on your hips. you leaned down, connecting your lips once again, this time more intensely. your lips moved in sync, matt’s tongue grazing against your lower lip and you happily let him slide it past, deepening the kiss. his hands slid up and down your sides, lips detaching from your own as they traveled down your jaw, leaving a trail of small, hot kisses down to your neck. you could feel yourself get wet from the tingling feeling of his lips and tongue against your neck, subconsciously grinding your hips on his lap. he smirked against your neck, feeling your already needy body crumble under his touch and kisses. he can’t help but wonder how long it’s been since you actually felt good.

matt’s hands traveled underneath your top, feeling your soft skin underneath his fingertips. he took his hands out, gently pulling the fabric of your top up. you helped him, putting your arms up and pulling it over your head. his hands immediately cupped your tits, kneading them gently. he leaned back, removing his lips from your neck to look up at you.

“you’re so beautiful.” he breathed out.

matt’s hands slowly made their way down to the button of your jeans, his eyes studying your face.

“are you sure you wanna do this?”

your eyes went from his fingers hovering over your jeans up to meet his eyes. you nodded. “i am.”

matt didn’t waste any time after that, unbuttoning your jeans and tugging them down, your hips leaning up to help him pull your jeans off. his hand came down to your clothed heat, gently pressing a thumb over your clit, rubbing circles trough your panties. your bit your lip, watching him work his fingers on you. you quickly grew impatient, leaning down to kiss matt’s lips again, your hands sliding down his chest, down to the waistband of his sweatpants. he took the hint and helped you tug his pants down along with his boxers. you bit your lower lip at the sight of his size, taking it into your hand and sitting up. matt helped you guide yourself down onto his cock, your breath hitched when his tip slid into your wet cunt, not used to the size. once you fully sat down, a small moan left your lips and you squeezed your eyes shut, getting used to the feeling of matt buried deep inside of you. his breath grew heavier, studying your expression.

“just.. just tell me if you wanna stop at any point.”

“mhm, let me just.. get used to it for a sec..” you breathed out, carefully moving your hips.

matt’s hands guided you slowly bounced up and down on his cock, his head leaning back at the feeling. you were so tight, squeezing him so perfectly.

“fuck, you feel so good sweetheart.” he groaned, bucking his hips up to meet yours.

your moans grew louder when his thrusts met your bounces, his tip brushing against your cervix. your hands gripped his shoulders, your hips stuttering slightly with a lack of experience for this position. regardless, you were doing amazing. matt noticed the way your legs grew tired already.

“you okay with me trying something baby?” he asked and you nodded, moans leaving your lips.

matt put his hands around your waist, pushing you up a little. he put his feet to the ground properly before picking up the pace and bucking his hips up, fucking into you harder. you couldn’t help the loud moans and yelps of surprise at the newly added pleasure, your head falling down into the crook of his neck.

“fuck, fuck, harder, please.” is all you could whimper out and he wasted no time, fucking into you harder and faster.

pants left his lips, trying so hard to make you feel good, make you feel better than anyone ever has..

“so fuckin’ tight. so fuck.. so perfect.” matt praised between breaths and grunts. he could tell you were getting close, your walls tightening around his length. you tried to tell him you were close, you really did, even though he already knew, but you couldn’t get any words out. your orgasm was intense, like nothing you’ve ever felt before. your body tensed up and your face consorted in pleasure. “theeere you go, fuck you’re so beautiful sweetheart.” you moaning out matt’s name was enough to tip him over the edge, quickly lifting you off of him.

you watched him pump himself, pretty little moans leaving his lips as he came on your thigh.

you both tried to catch your breath, eyes meeting and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

“what?” matt asked with a smile on his face.

“you just made me cum.”

matt laughed, helping you clean up and put your clothes back on.

…

you guys were sat in the drivers seat and passenger seat again, still trying to process what happened. you weren’t uncomfortable at all, it was amazing. you loved every second of it, and so did matt.

“can i have your ex’s number?”

“what? why?” you asked confused. you guys have fooled around with your ex as a joke before, sending him snaps when he was still trying to get back with you after you’ve clearly moved on and he realized he made a mistake.

“just wanna send him a little somthin’.”

you shrugged, giving matt your ex boyfriend’s number.

what do we think about this one????? idk it’s kind along but also rushed. basically based off of a real story aswell LOL 😀

@sturniololuv08 @middlepartmatt @forgottxen @emely9274 @impossiblecollectorcat @staargazr

[toasecretsanta]

From @just_snakess for Aquos

“So, what’s been going on at camp?” I asked my children, spearing a sausage on my fork. We were sat at the Apollo table in Camp Half-Blood’s mess hall, enjoying the food after a hard day’s work training. Well, the demigods had been hard at working training. I had been hard at work giving the occasional thumbs up from the sidelines. But I liked to visit Camp Half-Blood often, even when there was nothing in particular that needed some godly input. It was the least I could do, after spending, well, millennia, almost completely ignoring my children. I felt a now-familiar surge of guilt, but pushed it firmly down. Now was not the time. Instead, I continued my questioning.

“News? Gossip? Pranks? Tell me everything.” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively, then regretted it.

Will cracked a small smile at my antics, so I figured it was all worth it. “It’s been surprisingly quiet, actually,” he said.

“It absolutely hasn’t,” Kayla objected. “You know Tanya from Hephaestus? Turns out her epic rivalry with the Aphrodite cabin was all for show, and she’s been dating Chloe for months. The Aphrodite kids can’t decide whether to exile Chloe for not telling them, or hail them both as the greatest forbidden romance of all time.” “And then there’s Chiron’s new initiative,” put in Austin.

As one, the table groaned.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Gracie said miserably, staring down at her plate like she was staring down the barrel of a gun. Oh, wait, demigods don’t use guns. Perhaps the Hephaestus cabin should get on that.

“It’s awful,” Jerry bemoaned. Kayla clapped him on the shoulder in commiseration.

I looked at Will. As head counsellor, he would surely have some sensible and reassuring comment to make to raise his siblings’ spirits. “No, Dad, it really is that bad,” he said, as if he’d read my mind. “It’s to do with Chiron’s new…”

“...mental health initiative,” the whole cabin finished together, with various levels of despair, disgust, and hopelessness in their voices.

I frowned. This seemed like an important parenting moment. “Now, children,” I began. “I know talking about mental health isn’t always comfortable, but as the god of health, you can trust me when I say it’s very important! Whatever Chiron’s got in store for you, I’m sure it’s entirely justified and very helpful.” Oddly, this did not seem to have the cheering effect I’d hoped for. Gracie picked gloomily at her food. The others exchanged commiserating glances with each other.

“In principle, I’d agree with you,” Will said, evidently their designated spokesperson. “But…not this. Anything but this.”

“It can’t be that bad,” I said optimistically, though privately I was beginning to have my doubts. I’d seen my children more enthusiastic about literal wars.

Will grimaced, but didn’t reply. The table fell into a gloomy silence. It seemed I had made a social faux pas, which was unfortunately a surprisingly common occurrence for me. I cast around desperately for another source of conversation, and spied Meg walking with a tray over to the Demeter table.

“Meg! Over here!” I shouted, waving my arms frantically. One thing I’d learned about Meg is that to get her attention, you had to remove the option of plausible deniability that she hadn’t noticed you. She also enjoyed it when I embarrassed myself in public, which made it more likely she would then do what I wanted.

Meg rolled her eyes, but I saw the corner of her mouth upturn in a tiny smile as she corrected course over to our table. This made me feel embarrassingly gooey inside. 

“Sup,” she said as she approached. Meg is very eloquent. It is just one of her many charms. I shuffled along to make room for her on the bench as my kids gave her a muted welcome.

She frowned. “How come you’re all so sad?” “The initiative,” Kayla said gloomily.

Meg mimed throwing up. The table nodded in mournful solidarity.

“So what actually is this initiative?” I asked, which I recognised was not the wisest move socially, but my curiosity was winning out.

As one, the table shuddered.

“We just have to tell him,” Austin said to the rest of the table. “He’ll never rest until he finds out otherwise.” He turned to me with the determination of a hardened warrior once more facing down his worst nightmare. “Chiron is making us each come up with a mental health mantra,” he said.

Gracie clapped her hands over her ears. Will looked vaguely queasy. Meg vibrated with vengeful anger.

“That doesn’t seem so bad!” I said.

“It’s so cheesy,” Kayla said.

“And also useless,” added Yan. Kayla nodded in agreement.

“Mantras are not useless,” I said sternly. “In fact, I had one myself, and it kept me going through all sorts of things!” Gracie wrinkled her nose. “Really?”

“Don’t be rude,” Will scolded, but it didn’t really sound like his heart was in it.

“Wait, tell us what it is, and then we can copy it!” said Jerry.

The table all turned to look at me expectantly. I realised I had backed myself into a corner.

“Ah,” I said, panicking. “Well, the thing is - I really can’t - I’m afraid I’m needed very urgently at Olympus for something very important - I’m sure you understand - bye!” 

And with that, I poofed out of the mess hall and into my bedroom in the sun palace, where I collapsed on my bed and screamed into the pillow. “Something very important? Really, Apollo?” I said to myself. “That was all you could think of?”

*

Some hours later, I rather sheepishly [teleported] back to Camp Half-Blood and lurked hesitantly in the shadows of the woods, unsure of how to [re-introduce] myself after my rather rapid escape earlier. Before I could think of anything good, however, Meg spotted me.

She marched up to me and punched me in the arm, hard.

“Ow!” I protested.

“Dummy,” she said. “Don’t poof away. Just say you don’t want to answer like a normal person.” 

She spoke gruffly, but I was well practised at Meg-interpretation. My heart melted.

“Oh, Meg,” I said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m very sorry for disappearing on you.” She hugged me back. “ ‘S okay,” she said. “You panicked. I get it.” This made me want to hug her even tighter, but I released her before she started to squirm.

“Why’d you panic?” she asked.

“Truthfully? I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted. “I guess I was just a little embarrassed.” “You embarrass yourself all the time, though.” I gasped. “Rude!” But she wasn’t entirely wrong. Why had this particular instance made me freak out so much? “Maybe because I felt put on the spot?” I said out loud. “I mean, my mantra wasn't that bad.” Meg raised an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t!” I protested. “I’ll tell you right now! It went ‘I am beautiful and everyone loves me’, which is pretty standard mantra stuff, for your information!” Meg burst out laughing. I crossed my arms grumpily. “What?” I demanded.

“That was actually your mantra?”

“Yes,” I said defensively. “It…didn’t work very well, in the end.” “I don’t think that’s a very good mantra,” Meg said bluntly. I opened her mouth to snap at her, but something told me this wasn’t just one of her standard insults. She continued, slowly: “I mean, all gods are attractive, so that wouldn’t really make you feel good about yourself. And mantras aren’t meant to be about other people’s opinions. Apparently.” She crossed her arms and looked away, cheeks red.

“Meg,” I said, surprised and touched. “Have you actually been listening to Chiron’s mental health initiative?” She shrugged defensively. “Thought it might be useful for helping the rest of Nero’s kids,” she muttered.

I couldn’t help it, I hugged her again. “That’s very kind, Meg,” I said earnestly once she had scrabbled away from me, cheeks still glowing bright pink.

“Whatever,” she said, but she was smiling. “Anyway, that’s a shitty mantra. You should get a better one.” “Language!” I scolded. “And I don’t even go to this camp, why should I have to think of a mantra?” “I don’t go here either,” Meg pointed out. “Not properly. You spend at least as much time here as me. So if I have to do it, so do you.” “But-” “Shut up,” she told me. “I’m your master. This is an order.” I folded. Secretly I was quite touched by the fact that she still wanted to give me stupid orders, even though I was a god now. “Fine,” I said. “We will make stupid cheesy mantras together. How do we proceed?” 

She shrugged at me disdainfully. I hadn’t known a shrug could be disdainful before I met Meg. “That’s what everyone’s trying to figure out, dummy.”

“Yes,” I said slowly. “A most troubling dilemma.” I paused, drawing on my centuries of godly knowledge, and came up largely blank. “Meg, it pains me to admit it, but this is not my area of expertise. We may require backup.” “Backup?”

I nodded, warming to the idea. “Yes, indeed. I will go forth and seek knowledge on mantras. Surely one of our friends must know something.” Meg looked dubious. “You’ve only got a day left, though. They’re meant to be due tomorrow.”

“And nobody’s done one?” I said incredulously.

“The whole camp has ADHD,” she pointed out.

I nodded, conceding the point. “Have faith,” I told her. “I’m a god! I travel quickly. When I return, I will be the master of mantras! The mantra master! Perhaps I already am? Are they a subsection of poetry? Who’s to say? But regardless, I will return to you soon, dearest Meg.”

I kissed her on the head, then vanished. My quest had begun.

*

My first port of call was the Waystation. Emmy and Jo were some of the wisest people I knew. I felt sure one of them would have advice to offer. But when I appeared in the Grand Hall, the place was largely deserted, save for two familiar faces deep in concentration at one of the anvils under the rose window.

“Lityerses! Leo!” I cried. “It’s good to see you, my friends!” Leo put down the sledgehammer he was wielding and offered me a wan smile. “Hey, Apollo,” he said.

I frowned. “Is this a bad time?” “Well-” Leo began.

“Yes,” Lityerses interrupted. “Calypso broke up with him,” he informed me.

Leo winced. “Dude, you didn’t need to say it so bluntly,” he said, but even that was half-hearted, lacking his usual brimming-over energy.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know you cared for her a lot.” He shrugged, uncomfortable. “It’s tough for her, rejoining society after so long being on her own. I get that she needs some time to figure herself out without having to worry about anyone else.” “It still sucks,” said Lityerses, with more emotional intelligence than I would’ve expected from a guy once known as the Reaper of Men.

Leo patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, buddy. Anyways, Apollo, what were you actually here for? Unless it’s because you’re deeply invested in my love life, which would be understandable, if a little creepy, because I am incredibly hot.” He flexed a bicep.

I wasn’t surprised he was changing the subject. Deflecting with humour was a Leo Valdez speciality; even I could tell that much. But I couldn’t fault the guy for not wanting to talk about his breakup 24/7. “I’m actually here on a little quest of my own devising,” I said. “Do either of you know anything about mantras?” Leo let out a genuine laugh. “Okay, that was not what I was expecting. Why are you going on a mantras quest, Apollo?” “Long story,” I said. “Well? Anything?” He shook his head, still smiling. “Sorry, man. Not my thing. Lit, you got anything?” “No,” Lit immediately denied, but there was something shifty about his eyes. 

Leo immediately rounded on him. “Dude, you’re kidding me. You have a mantra?”

“I am an esteemed warrior who has lived for many lifetimes of men,” Lityerses said stiffly. His cheeks were red.

“That’s not a denial!” Leo said gleefully.

“I, for one, would love to hear your mantra, Lityerses,” I put in.

“It’s just Lit,” he said, crossing his arms. “And it’s not really a mantra.” Leo gasped. “He admits it,” he stage-whispered.

“Shut up, Leo,” Lit said. I’d never seen someone flush brighter red in my life. “It’s just something Jo said to me a couple months after I started staying here. That it didn’t matter if people called me Midas’s son or Commodus’s lieutenant or even the Reaper of Men. That I had to decide how I wanted to see myself, and then hold tight to that. Never let it go.” I’d never heard Lit speak so many words in one go before. I was moved by the fact that he'd chosen to share such a personal thing with me.

“Aw, Lit,” Leo said, clearly touched. “I’m telling Jo you said that.” “Don’t you dare,” Lit grumbled. He turned to me. “Hope that was helpful, I guess.”

“Thank you very much,” I said. I wanted to express my gratitude further, but Lit still struck me as a man who wouldn't appreciate the attention. “Those are very wise words indeed. But as nice as this chat has been, I'm afraid I must be on my way. I’m on a tight schedule!”

*

“Brother, I don’t have time for games,” Artemis said to me, arms folded. “We’re finally a step ahead of the fox. I don’t have time to waste.”

“But this is important!” I protested.

Around us, the entire camp of hunters was a flurry of movement as they struck their tents and packed up camp. They were remarkably well-polished. One elbowed me as she walked past carrying a towering pile of weapons, which I graciously chose to believe was accidental.

Artemis looked unimpressed. “You have five minutes. And if the fox gets away again, it’s your fault.”

“What?” I cried. “It’s not my fault you’ve all been on a wild goose chase for years!” “Wild fox chase,” she corrected.

“It’s a figure of speech!” “Is this really how you’re choosing to spend your -” she glanced at her watch - “four remaining minutes?” “Fine,” I said, not at all sulkily.

She looked at me incredulously. “Is that a pout?” “Now who’s wasting time? Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was mantras.” “Mantras?” She studied me more closely. “Brother, are you having an identity crisis?” She said it derisively, but there was a hint of genuine worry in her eyes.

“No, no,” I reassured her. “It’s just so I can advise the demigods. Something about Chiron’s new mental health initiative.” I tactically left out my agreement with Meg that I would also have to come up with a mantra.

“Chiron started a mental health initiative?” came an incredulous voice from behind me. I turned to see a young woman with short black hair and a familiar leather jacket. “Guess camp really has changed since my day.” “This does not concern you, Thalia Grace,” Artemis said. “Do not let my brother drag you into this ridiculous conversation.”

“Thalia!” I said, delighted. “I don’t suppose you know anything about mantras?” She snorted. “Nope. Lady Artemis?” Artemis sighed. “Well, I suppose if I must contribute…” She closed her eyes for a moment in thought, then opened them again. “Yes, I do believe I have it.” “Really?” I said suspiciously.

“I go to the trouble of indulging in your foolish games for once, and I am met only with suspicion? You might hurt my feelings, brother.” “Sorry, sorry,” I said hastily. “So what is it?” She gave a small smile, which made me instantly suspicious. “Repeat after me: I, the god Apollo…” I didn’t like where this was going. “I, the god Apollo…” “...pale in comparison to my lovely, talented, and beautiful sister.” She beamed at me. “Do you like it?” 

Thalia gave her a high five.

“Very funny-” I began, but the two of them were already walking away.

“Sorry, brother, must dash!” Artemis called over her shoulder. “We have a fox to catch!”

*

My beloved oracle, Rachel Dare, stared at me contemplatively. “I think I’m getting there,” she informed me, daubing a few more dashes of paint on her easel as she spoke.

“Really?” I said hopefully.

“Mhm.” She put down her brush and scooted over her stool so she could look me in the eyes. “Are you ready to receive my prophetic wisdom?” The suspense was killing me. I nodded eagerly.

“Apollo…” - she looked me dead in the eyes - “...you are Kenough.”

I frowned. “Is that a riddle?” She threw up her hands. “Aren’t you the god of music? Why are you so uncultured? Look, stay here, I’ll get my laptop. I’m about to change your life.

She wasn’t wrong. The Barbie movie was excellent. However, it did not aid my quest.

*

“It turns out that knowledge of mantras is harder to come by than I thought,” I informed my mother as we sat down for our weekly afternoon tea. “Nobody is taking my quest for knowledge seriously. Well, except maybe Lit. I knew I liked him for a reason. But the rest of them are just treating mantras as a joke!”

Leto took a sip of tea, unbothered by my dramatics. “Didn’t you think of them as a joke?” she said, infuriatingly reasonably.

“Well, yes,” I admitted.

She raised an eyebrow.

“...And also I called them stupid and cheesy and useless,” I said. “But they are! No wonder none of the [demigods] have taken this seriously!” “Were Lityerses’ words to you stupid and cheesy and useless?” Leto asked.

“No,” I said. “No, not at all.” “Then clearly some mantras aren’t like that.”

I sighed. “But none of the others will see it that way. Even Lit said that his advice wasn’t really a mantra.” “So clearly people don’t respond well to that word,” Leto reasoned. “Much like you, they associate it with cheesy advice with no real benefit. So stop using it.” My brow creased. “Investigate mantras without investigating mantras?”

“Why not? Just try asking them for a piece of advice, something that someone’s told them, or that they’ve realised themself, that they hold close to their heart.”

“And you think they’ll respond to that?” I said hopefully.

She lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “It’s worth a try. And Apollo, before you go, I’ve got a piece of advice of my own.” She made sure I was listening before she continued. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cheesy if it helps.”

*

My mother, as always, was right.

“There is always happiness in unicorns,” Lavinia told me solemnly. “And in tap dance.”

“We can change things,” Frank said as we gazed out over the reconstruction of New Rome.

“Not even curses last forever,” said Hazel, pressing a small blue sapphire into my hands.

“Just ‘cause I’m half Cherokee doesn’t mean I’m a fount of spiritual knowledge, you know,” said Piper. “But I guess I would say that happiness is still possible.” She squeezed Shel’s hand.

Luguselwa watched Nero’s children replant a new set of seedlings. “It’s not too late,” she said.

“I thought we already had this conversation?” said Artemis. “Honestly, brother. My advice is that you don’t need my advice. You know full well what advice you need to hear. You know better than anyone else. Now stop with this pointless denial and listen to yourself.”

*

When I returned to Camp Half-Blood, it was in chaos. Demigods ran panicked between cabins or else were deep in frantic discussion with friends, some scribbling on scraps of paper, some murmuring under their breaths. 

I eventually found Will out by the strawberry fields, alone save for Nico. “It’s a war out there, Dad,” he said to me, face grim. “Chiron’s officially announced there’s an hour left until the deadline, and then we all have to recite our mantras. Everybody’s going crazy.”

“Are you both ready?” I asked.

Will grimaced. Nico gave me a death stare worthy of the son of Hades.

I raised my hands in surrender. “Only a question!”

“I'm starting to panic about it a little,” Will confessed.

Only now? I wanted to say, but I guessed that comment wouldn't be appreciated. Instead I nodded and said “I've left mine rather to the last minute as well.”

“You're doing one?” Nico said incredulously. “Why?”

I reddened, and Will cut in before I could answer. “Meg bullied him into it,” he said. “If you're ever confused about anything Apollo does, 99% of the time you can blame Meg.”

Nico nodded as if this made sense. I wanted to argue, but I was aware I didn't have much ground to stand on.

“But one thing I am confused about,” Will continued, “is that didn't you already have a mantra, Dad? Why do you need a new one?”

Believe me, dear reader, I wanted to make a bad excuse and disappear to Olympus again. Despite my trials, emotional vulnerability was still not my strong point. But instead, I said “I’m afraid I’m reliably informed that it was, in fact, a shit mantra. Not very emotionally healthy. So I’m giving it a second try.” “Any luck?” Will asked.

I took a moment to consider. “I’ve talked to a lot of different people,” I said. “Many of them told me very wise things. But I think - and I will deny saying this - that my sister was right. It’s something you have to come up with yourself, because deep down, you know what you need to hear.” They both took a moment to take that in, or perhaps they were wondering what in the Hades I was going on about.

Eventually Will said, in a very quiet voice, “But what if I don’t deserve to hear that?” Tears pricked at my eyes, and I gathered him up into a hug. “Of course you deserve to hear it, Will. You’re brave and kind and a fabulous healer, but even if you weren’t any of that, you’re still my son. And my son deserves the world.” Will hid his face in my shoulder for a moment. “Thanks, Dad,” he whispered.

I pressed a kiss into his golden curls, then looked at Nico. “Look after him for me, will you?” I said.

Nico nodded solemnly. “With my life.”

*

But I still had one final visit to make. I found Meg in the stables, brushing down the unicorn I’d gifted her as my return-to-godhood present. She’d taken to horsecare - well, unicorncare - far more easily than I’d expected given her lack of experience, but she seemed to find the same quiet satisfaction in the manual work that she did in gardening.

“You better have some real good mantra knowledge to offer,” she warned me. “I got nothing.”

I sighed and slumped down by a post. “You’re not going to like it,” I said.

She huffed. Apparently that wasn’t even worth a verbal response.

“It’s just gotta be the thing you most want to hear,” I said. “The thing you most wish someone would say to you, but then you’ve got to say it to yourself.” “That’s stupid,” Meg said. Her shoulders were tense. “I don’t want to.” “Neither do I,” I said honestly. “How about I go first, so you can laugh at me?” “You’ve got one?”

I sighed. “Yes, and it’s the cheesiest, stupidest thing in the world, and I don’t believe it when I say it. But if I say it enough times, maybe I’ll start believing it.” Meg looked heartbreakingly fragile. “You go first, then.” I hesitated. The words felt like they were getting stuck in my throat. Trite, a lie, unoriginal, stupidly similar to a stupid quote from the stupid Barbie movie. But I needed to hear them. Not only that, Meg needed to hear them. We both needed me to be vulnerable right now.

“I’m enough,” I said quietly.

Meg blinked, and then launched herself at me in a hug. “I love you,” she said hoarsely.

“I love you too, Meg,” I said, voice cracking.

She shook her head, nose rubbing against my chest. “No, that’s my mantra,” she said. “I love myself. Or whatever.” She sniffed, but I didn’t even care about the cold snot starting to collect on my jumper.

I held her close to me in that quiet stable, just the two of us and a unicorn, and there was not a thing in this world that could have made me let her go.

sorry this is slightly late!! and the formatting may have messed up, the stars are meant to be in the middle of each line. i think i caught all my mistakes but this is very on the last minute so i might have missed some sorry! but it's done!

[havendance]

Have you ever tried to make a timeline of Tim’s age? Because I just noticed that he’s apparently 15 from Knight’s End to just before his dad finds out he’s Robin which makes 0 sense lmao.

Ah, comics timelines. I have banged my head against this wall many a time. I’m not sure if it really can be made to make since without some eliding over things and compressing time, but we do have some specific dates for Tim’s timeline as Robin.

(Note: This time-line is focused on Tim specifically and biased towards his comics as a result. Contradictory indications of time passing in other comics are as such ignored.)

Tim is introduced in A Lonely Place of Dying as a 13 year old boy.

(Batman #441) Dick: I couldn’t let a twelve year old kid wander around alone… Tim: I’m not twelve— I’m thirteen.

A lonely place of dying takes place during the school year—Tim says specifically that he is on break, so sometime in the fall most likely. In Robin #116, Tim’s birthday is revealed to be July 19th, which obviously wasn’t established at the time this comic was published, but it is consistent with it. 

Tim spends the next period of time training, but not going out as robin until his parents die in “Rites of Passage”. His mother’s funeral is on Christmas Eve and he officially becomes Robin later that night (or early Christmas Morning but that’s small potatoes). He is still 13.

(Batman #456) Alfred: Brooding on what cannot be is no way for a boy to spend Christmas Eve, Master Tim! Tim: Christmas…! I’d completely forgotten what with my mother’s— with the funeral…

Tim leaps from “Identity Crisis” directly in Robin I-III with various other adventures interspersed. Robin II and III explicitly take place during the winter. Though, they may supposed to be two different winters seeing as they were published 2 irl years apart.

The next major event is Knightfall during which is also set during winter! During the Knightquest era, Tim is explicitly stated to be on Christmas Break:

(Robin (1993) #3)  Tim: I’m off from school for the Christmas Holiday.

This is where things start to get complicated. I don’t remember any other major timeline markers in the intervening stories, but it would make sense given time passing in universe that this takes place a year after Tim becomes Robin—making him 14. This WILL add wrinkles later though.

The next major events are the paired events of Contagion and Legacy—for which school IS still in session for (In The Batman Chronciles #4—a Contagion tie-in, Helena Bertinelli searches for a missing student of her), though not in Winter any more. Tim also has plotlines in school in Robin comics following both of the events. (Robin #34, #36, etc)

He is definitely on Summer break by the time Cataclysm hits though, having storylines where he travels internationally in Robin #47-52. Additional, the quake takes place in late June/Early July, in close proximity to July 4th.

(The Batman Chronicles #14) Narration: But all find something heartening in the observance of the fourth… even if it is a day early.

So as of the earthquake, Tim is still 14. Now Cataclysm leads into No Man’s Land which is when things get tricky. As I outline in my No Man’s Land Timeline, No Man’s Land begins on January 1st and ends a year later on the new year. Unfortunately, this means that Tim must turn 15 prior to No Man’s Land being declared and 16 during No Man’s Land itself. The problem with this is that Tim explicitly turns 16 AFTER No Man’s Land in Robin #116.

(Robin #116) Jack: I always thought for your 16th Birthday I’d be giving you a car.

Something has to give here. Now, as a fan of No Man’s Land, I’m inclined to give it it’s full narrative weight, but it is an awful lot of narrative weight, telling about a year and a half of comics in real time. You could resolve this by compressing the amount of time that No Man’s Land takes up. I think I’m more inclined to resolve this by compressing Tim’s earlier years instead—putting Knightfall earlier in Tim’s career, either during late spring or setting it during  the summer, so that he’s turning 14 before the quake and 15 during No Man’s Land, but that is compressing his early years and awful lot and honestly by that point, I’d probably age him down a year at a lonely place of dying so that it can hold a little more. Squishing No Man’s Land probably is the more practical solution but, uh, see my blog title. 

Anyway: Assuming Tim is 15 at the end of No Man’s Land (however you wrangle that), he remains 15  for enrolling at Brentwood, Officer Down (an event everyone cares deeply about I know), Our Worlds at War (where young justice goes to fight in the space war), Joker: Last Laugh, and Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive. It’s a busy seven months.

Following that, Tim is 16 for joining Young Justice/Titans: Graduation Day, War Games, and Infinite Crisis (And also Under the Red Hood). The DC universe now hits One Year Later, a universe wide one-year timeskip. This also complicates things. By necessity, Tim is 17 following the time skip. He is also 17 at the end of Post-Crisis because events in Red Robin rely on him still being a minor. We can probably argue for Infinite Crisis being in the early fall (school has definitely started prior), meaning that at the end of the times skip we have like, 9 months to fit everything in. We can also compress One Year Later which I think can take it.

Anyway, post One Year Later, Tim is 17 for  his adoption by Bruce, Damina showing up (and disappearing again), The Resurrection of Ras Al Guhl, Batman: RIP, Battle for the Cowl, and all the events of Red Robin.

And then Flashpoint happens and everything gets crazy but I’m not even trying to work out a new52 timeline at this point. This should be more than enough to answer your question though!

[holyhadesimweird]

kisuke urahara x fem!pregnant!reader

summary : kisuke comes home to his pregnant wife talking with ichigo's group

༶┈⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇┈⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇┈୨♡୧┈⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇┈⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇┈༶

after spending a long day on his feet in the shop, all kisuke wanted to do was lie down. he wanted to relax and lie down next to you, his wife of many years. recently you both had decided you wanted to try for kids, and happily for both of you, you were expecting.

he thought back to when you had announced to him that you both were expecting.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

it was a quiet night in the shop and kisuke had decided to close up early so he could spend more time with you. you hadn’t been feeling well recently and went into town earlier today for some things that would help with your sickness. when you returned, kisuke had ordered you to take some time to yourself to rest and try to get better while he worked.

making his way to your shared bedroom, kisuke hummed to himself lightly. opening the door to the bedroom, he could see your figure resting in bed and made his way over to join you.

"hey babe, i have something i want to show you." he heard you say when he got into the bed.

"of course my dear, what do you want to show me? it better not be a tissue full of snot..." kisuke's sentence trailed off when you rolled over in the bed with a pregnancy test in hand and a smile on your face.

"i think we did it kisuke. i think we're expecting a baby." you whispered.

"oh my god... WE DID IT!" he exclaimed, grabbing you and hugging you.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

laughing to himself at the memory, kisuke knew you were upstairs talking with the kids about your time as a soul reaper. when his sentence of being banished was announced, you fled with yoruichi to be with kisuke. when ichigo started training with kisuke, you thought it would be a good opportunity to tell the kids about your experiences and anything that could help them in the soul society. and now that they were back and the most you could do was sit since you were so far along, the kids wanted to keep you company so you weren't alone.

"and this one time, i managed to surprise kisuke and land a super nice punch, straight to his nose! of course i felt really bad when his nose started bleeding, but i think it was that moment that made him like me." you laughed while telling the story.

ichigo, rukia, chad, orihime and uryu all sat with you at the table while you all drank tea.

"oh! anyone wanna feel the baby kick? i feel her." you said.

"...can i?" ichigo asked timidly.

"of course you can big lug, i offered." you took ichigo's hand and placed it on your belly.

"you guys know the gender? i thought you were saving that for when they're born?" rukia asked.

"we don't know yet but my lovely wife here thinks its a girl. i think it's a boy, just to go against her." kisuke spoke up, alerting the others of his presence.

"well i think they're going to be a beautiful baby!" orihime said.

"thank you orihime, i tried real hard." kisuke laughed, making the teens groan.

"i'm the one cooking the baby here kisuke, i think i'm the one who's trying hard." you said, crossing your arms.

walking over to you and placing a kiss on your lips before making his way to the kitchen, kisuke laughed again.

"of course darling." he smiled. "now, who wants dinner?"

you living room broke out into exclamations as the teens were apparently hungry.

both you and kisuke thought that if this is what life would be like with multiple children, you'd be fine. you both loved these teens and wanted to keep them safe, and knew that once your baby was born, the teens would do anything to protect your baby.

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

"Alright, Cassie?" - Will Feeney

[rottmnt-residuum]

part 13

splinter is an interesting character. i went back and watched the show and do you know how many times this mans stopped himself from saying shitty shitty things to his kids? a lot! like visibly. and when he doesn’t this guy actually apologises?? i dont understand the fandoms beef with this guys parenting, he’s better than most parents i’ve met man istg

⇇ | ⇽ | index | ⇾

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

In another universe Christine and Erik skipped town and they live happily together raising Gustave...

[boinin]

I've been thinking about where everybody sleeps in the German wing. We know Kurona, Isagi, Hiori and Yukimiya share a dorm room.

This seems harmonious. With the exception of Yukimiya and Isagi's tiff between the Barcha and Manshine matches, this group of four get on quite well. They're all well-mannered and respectful individuals (off the pitch). Perhaps they all agreed to bunk together.

If four to a room is standard, my headcanon is that the next room is occupied by these guys:

Raichi, Igaguri and Gagamaru are a package deal at this point. They're used to each other's quirks. Neru's cheerful enough to fit in with their clique. I can see him agreeing to room with the other three.

It seems likely that the German players may sleep separately to the Blue Lock players. While there's no evidence for this, we also don't see co-mingling between the two cohorts outside of matches, besides Kaiser barging into the locker-room or using communal areas like the training/AV rooms. Dorming separately also gives everyone a chance to take out the translators during rest periods.

If the German dorms are separate from the Blue Lock ones, then that leaves these two:

Bringing us to the point of this post.

An elaborate ploy to make you imagine these two as the world's most anti-social roommates.

[loumauve]

I snapped today at work, and by snapped I mean I politely commented on a help desk ticket by summing up an mess of an (type of) issue that's come up for at least the fourth time in the 2+ months I've been managing user accounts, and asked the person responsible to fix it (himself for once) because last time I fixed his mess-up it took me two whole days to work out the details with at least four other colleagues from different departments and I really don't want to do it again. there's other shit that needs doing, I've been working 10+ hour days for most of this week already, so I need to cut down not add on more.

(good thing tho - at least we managed to fix the issue where the dataset of a newer employee got mixed up with another one of the same name and therefore wasn't able to apply for any of the access/accounts she needed. technically not entirely my area but it does impact us not being allowed to create an account for her so I figured I might as well track that issue down. took three days and at least three other people, but hey - it should all work out now. yay for that)

[adreamfromnevermore]

Love the slight AUs where Bruce as Batman has been a member of the league for ages, but he's somehow managed to keep his assortment of children under the radar.

Because it sets up the wildest misunderstandings within the league. He routinely talks about his babies, his children who are all so sweet and kind and occasionally assholes yes but only because they are young (and traumatized) hell I don't think the league would even be aware that they're adopted. So they're all thinking literal children

Barry: Bats really loves his kids.

Hal: I mean they're babies, wait till they hit the angsty teens and I'm sure we'll be hearing the opposite

Which means the day they finally meet Nightwing they don't know wtf to think. For one thing, how old would he have been when he had this kid???? Should they be worried about that???? And for the other, that is not a baby, that is not a precious little thing.

He could break someone in half. Like a twig.

He won't, but he could. And they can see that. (He's bat trained, they have seen what the bat can do they are not fools)

And they're like, okay. Okay maybe he isn't the baby (he is). He's got younger kids right? He's never said how many, they have 0 clues. They've been expecting 1 child, maybe 2 because he'd said kid in the plural exactly once when comforting an older woman while they were searching for her children in the aftermath of a rough battle.

And then a week later they run into Red Hood. In his leather, with his guns. And he drapes himself across Batmans back with all the self confidence in the world and starts whining about the "Brat" breaking into his safe house.

To steal his dog.

And yet again. He is not baby. He is bigger than Batman. He could probably break Batman in half given the bat didn't put up a fight. But Batman looks at him with probably the softest expression they've ever seen on that mans face and tells him very earnestly that the kid just wants to spend time with his older brother, next time they should try a walk. Maybe go to the zoo.

But probably not one of the babies. They're kind, and gentle, and at least one just loves reading and Bats has been trying to encourage that!!!

And then a day later he mentions his "babies" going for a walk in the park and they all instantaneously lose their minds at the confirmation.

[fingertipsmp3]

Tell me why this man asked me to write a character reference for him. What do you even put