#and I can't study for shit because it's been two years since i even tried

[weird-is-life]

hey lovie! what about a remus x reader where he sees her asleep in the back of the library one evening on his prefect rounds and he wakes her up. he is more concerned on how long she’s been studying/asleep since it’s so late…on their walk she just walks with him during his rounds because they are just chatty

they both fancy each other but neither of them think the other thinks the same. he walks her back to gryf tower snd he finally says what he’s wanted to say for years

(i hope that makes sense and if ya hate the idea, no problemo lol)

xoxo

Hii lovely🥰 ty for the request. I tried my best, hope this is okay. Warnings: fluff, use of y/n, like one swear word, (0.9k)

Remus has seen you many times before. Either in the common room, halls, dining room, and the most in the library.

Remus always sees you in the library. Sitting quietly more at the back of the room. Either reading some book or doing the assignments for the classes.

So it's no surprise to see you here even now. But it definitely catches him off guard seeing you here so so late. Remus was on the last one of his prefect rounds before heading to bed himself, and he wasn't expecting to see you in the library.

Remus, from a shorter distance, notices that you are asleep. Softly exhaling one breath after another. Something stirs in Remus's heart at the sight of you, but he ignores it.

Remus approaches you, and tries to wake you up as nicely as he can. He doesn't want to scare you. He gently shakes you by your shoulder, and whispers your name a few times.

You rouse from sleep, blinking,  completely baffled by Remus's handsome face.

Remus thinks you are even more cute when you are half asleep. It's not doing any favors to his feelings for you. But he wills those thoughts away, and says, "sorry, y/n. You fell asleep in the library, and it's getting pretty late."

The sleep haze quickly dissappears when you realise where you are. You are up on your feet in a matter of seconds, packing your things away.

"Shit. I'm sorry. I was reading, and-and I must have fallen asleep," you explain in a mild panic. You would be in a lot of trouble if it was anybody else other than Remus that had found you here. Students aren't allowed out of their dorms this late at night.

"It's alright," Remus reassures you with a warm smile," I've done that so many times. I can't even count how many times James or Sirius had to walk down here to retrieve me."

"Really?" you giggle quietly, still very much sleepy and a little stressed.

"Yeah, really," Remus chuckles, too. "Now c'mon, let's get you to your dorm. I'll walk you there. Well, that is if you don't mind."

You shake your head. Indicating that you don't mind at all. Your cheeks go pretty pink as Remus and you start to walk towards the dorms.

You've always thought that Remus was so handsome, and so so smart. You'd never done anything about your crush, of course. Too scared to say anything. But that doesn't mean you haven't been admiring him. You have just-........from afar.

"Why were you in the library so late?" Remus asks to fill in the awkward quiet between you. And also he's a bit worried about you staying there until so late.

"Just studying, I couldn't figure out one assignment," you sigh. You still haven't figured it out, even if you stayed in the library for so many hours.

"The one for the potions?"

"Yeah," you admit in defeat," I've read everything I possibly could, but still i didn't find the answer."

Remus gives you a hesitant smile. You two are just a few steps from the dorms. You were walking too long in the awkward silence, and now the flowing conversation is about to end.

"I can give you the answer. I'll give it to you right away if you give me a second to look for it in my room," Remus instantly offers.

He's spent good few hours trying to find the answer too, so he understands how frustrating it can get. So he's very willing to give you the answer just so you don't go to bed with that on your mind. And also because he likes you, like a lot, and he would give you literally anything if you'd asked for it. He's down that bad for you.

"Really? I would really appreciate it, Remus," you say, happy about his help. You can't even think of how you could possibly thank him for it.

"Just give me a second," he turns towards his dorm, but he suddenly freezes halfway to the door.

Remus abruptly gets a better idea or well it depends on how well it goes. He just can't help his feelings for you any longer, and he needs to know what you feel, too. Even if he may get rejected, and end up with a broken heart.

Remus slowly turns around to face you again, a shy smile on his face.

"Or-r," he starts," we could go to Hogsmeade during the weekend, and I could explain it to you there. With something nice to eat and drink." Remus blurts it out in one breath.

Your eyes go very wide. Is Remus Lupin asking you out on a date or are you still very much asleep in the library, dreaming of this moment?

"L-like a date?" you sheepishly ask, blushing, and looking everywhere but him after your question.

"Yes. Exactly like a date." Remus states, looking nervous and hopeful at the same time.

You look up at him with a smile, you can't really believe that this is happening, " I think, I'd love that."

"Really?" Remus questions happily.

"Yes, really," you nod your head, sending a reassuring smile his way.

"Great. I can't wait," he tells you with a visible excitement.

"Me too," you admit bashfully.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. We can sort out the time then. Goodnight, y/n," Remus says, giving you one more soft smile of his.

"Yes, tomorrow then. Goodnight to you too, Remus," you wave him goodbye, and quickly dissappear into your dorm before you can collapse on the spot from the way your legs have turned to jello.

You think you can hear pretty loud cheers of the Marauders as you head to change into your pyjamas. A shy giggle escapes your mouth when you think about Remus telling his best mates about your date, and them being so happy about it.

[midsummer-semantics]

if the world was ending

Okay, I told myself I wasn't going to write anything for @steddieangstyaugust but apparently I lied (I'm sorry)

Here's for day 1: Second Chance

CW: Slight agoraphobia

[not posted to AO3 but you can find other things there.]

When the earthquake hits, he’d like to say he thinks about his parents first. That he wonders where they are and if they're safe or if they’d hear about it from wherever they are in the world. If they’d call to check on him, even though they never did before.

He'd like to say he thinks about Robin, who's two states away studying for a graduate degree in International relations and communication, and likely doesn't feel the ground moving beneath her feet like he does.

Hell, he'd like to say he thinks about the kids, but most of them are scattered themselves, starting college programs (Will, Mike, Dustin) or sports training camps (Lucas) or exploring the West Coast (Max and El).

No, Steve is alone in his big, empty house when it hits, and the only thing on his mind is that they were wrong. Indiana doesn't get earthquakes, so something else has to be afoot. Six years since they defeated Vecna, since everyone tried to move on with their lives while Steve stayed because that's what he does, he stays.

A touchstone Dustin had called him once. Something to do with foundation and a connecting center. Steve still thinks it might have just been him and the rest of the group trying to make him feel better about still being stuck in the same house, in the same town, doing nothing and going nowhere.

He's alone and he thinks 'This is it. What I've been waiting for.'

He has a 6-year-old emergency pack stored that should have more dust on it if it wasn't for the way he chronically checks it. His trusty bat and a duplicate he made just in case, plus the ax he used the last time, are all near enough to the door. He's not sure what the protocol is for earthquakes, having grown up in the Midwest, but he's pretty sure he's not supposed to be indoors, right?

It doesn't last very long, but it doesn't matter. A few seconds of the ground shaking and rolling beneath his feet are enough to jumpstart him into action.

He's gathering supplies, cursing himself for taking too long, when the phone in the kitchen rings.

He should ignore it, knows that whatever or whoever it is can wait until he's secured the area and alerted the cavalry that something is happening. It'll take days for people to get here and Steve thinks he might he able to hold off whatever's coming out of whatever rift has sprung up until then, but he doesn't have time to think about it too hard.

The phone rings off the hook as Steve takes too damn long to double-check that nothing is in the house before he even attempts to go outside, and Steve knows he can't just leave it. Not in case it's someone who's still in town who knows he's here: Mrs. Wheeler, Claudia, Jim or Joyce.

He nearly rips the cord out of the wall when he answers.

"Stevie?!" comes the frantic voice of the person he least expects to be on the other side.

"Eddie?"

"Steve, oh my god." He can hear Eddie panting. "Are you okay?"

It's the first time Steve's heard Eddie's voice in five years. Since Eddie made good on his promise to run like hell out of here, something he'd repeated to anyone who would listen until he finally did. Five years since Steve had realized he was halfway in love with him after saving the world and never got to say anything because he was a coward and Eddie was leaving anyway so what was the point?

He'd gotten one phone call when Eddie arrived in Denver and it's been radio silence since then. Truthfully, he couldn't blame the guy, but Steve had had... thoughts... feelings... probably brought on by end-of-the-world shit but nonetheless. And then Eddie just—

Vanished.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" he asks.

"We're good," Eddie replies, and only then does he hear the rough grumble of Eddie's uncle in the background, asking why Eddie's on the phone at nearly 3 in the morning.

"Earthquake, old man," Eddie shouts, still too close to the receiver for Steve's already damaged hearing.

Oh.

So, Eddie's in town. Cool. Steve had no idea. Doesn't know when Eddie got in or if he ever intended to tell Steve he was here at all. That's fine.

"Sorry, Stevie. Woke Wayne up. Shit— did I wake you up too?"

Steve swallows harshly, shaking his head even though Eddie can't see it. "No, I was already awake."

"Me too," Eddie replies. "Jet lag. Just got in a few hours ago. What a welcome home, huh?"

"Sure," Steve says, wondering what the point of this call is. "Look, I'm glad to hear from you, but I really need to—"

"Wait!" Steve shuts his mouth, his teeth clacking harshly. "It's fine. Everything is fine."

"Dude, there was an earthquake just now—"

"And it wasn't You-Know-What related," Eddie states, a bit of his franticness back in his voice. "They're leveling part of the plant for safety issues. Wanted to do it at night so no one would freak out." Steve cringes. Hawkins wasn't exactly magnanimous about the rebuilding efforts last time, but he doesn't go to city council meetings to hear about what the efforts might have been since then. "That's part of why I'm home. Wayne's got an extended leave until they sort out what else to do."

Steve sighs, dropping the emergency pack on the floor and leaning the ax he'd managed to grab against the wall. "Oh. Great. Wish they'd have told everyone else just in case."

"I know, sweetheart. But everything is okay."

Sweetheart.

Steve's actual heart skips a beat hearing that again.

"I'll be back, sweetheart. I promise."

"So... you're here then? In Hawkins?"

There's a beat of silence, some shuffling on the other end. "Well, yeah. I told you I'd come back."

"For your uncle."

"He's part of it."

Steve hesitates, hating himself for even considering getting his hopes up.

"And the other part?"

"My guy is here."

When the earthquake hit, he’d like to say he thought about his parents first.

No, he'd thought it was the end of the world. And above that, all he could think about was Eddie.

[mikeeel]

always 'nd forever seungcheol x mixed!reader (MY REPPP) bestfriends to lovers!au (YAAAAAAAAAA) warnings: not much, jst dirty things & suggestive not explicit smut but yanno they get naked, weed, Idk

based off of girl with the tattoo.lewd by miguel

IMAGINE:

you and seungcheol had been bestfriends for as long as you could speak. you two were glued to the hip since youth and no matter how many times you tried to break apart, you always managed to come back to each other. you've never known anyone different. it's always been you and him. it was visible you were close. so visible, your classmates would ask either of you where the other was when they weren't present, because if anyone would know where one was, the other would know. and it's correct. you always knew. you shared everything, you've seen everything. nothing was, embarrassing between you two, i mean, you've bathed with each other for god's sake! that's what close friends do. and since he always defended you when people would comment on your skin colour and then your parents' LACK of colour, you always found him a safe place, a comfort zone. and since he was always alone, you gave him company within a big house.

'girl! where are you?' yunjin waves in your face, pulling a face as she snaps you back into reality. 'sorry, uh,' you scramble to find the notes you were reading over. but your phone vibrates.. cheollie :) is ringing you swipe your phone quicker than yunjin could blink and you answer it with a honey-dew like voice. 'hello?' you say while twirling your hair like a 14 year old girl. you smile cheekily while yunjin pulls the most disgusted face known to man. 'uhm, yeah i'm studying with yunjinnie.. uhh, we're like done now basically hahaha.' you cutely giggled as you falsely claim that you've finished everything (you haven't even started) and start packing away. 'a party?' you stop in your tracks and yunjin's eyes widen. you look at yunjin and she shrugs, egging you on to reply. 'sure, i'll go. yunjin will come with me,' you say as you mouth sorry to a pissed off yunjin. 'okay. love you, bye' you hang up and slap your head repetitively. you can never say no to seungcheol and it's starting to piss you off. 'are you serious, y/n? our project is due in two days.' yunjin scolds you and proceeds to pack up too. 'yunjin, please! this could be my chance.' you beg her with pleading eyes. 'smch, whatever,' she rolls her eyes and grabs you to get ready for the party.

you knock on the door of the house literally vibrating from the loud dj music and screaming. seungkwan opens the door with a desperate look on his face. seungcheol is attempting to chug from a keg but is failing miserably. as you watch him you hear yunjin whisper, "why don't you show him you can do everything he can?" as you remember all the times he says you were too 'afraid' to have fun. you walk over there and snag it from seungcheol's hands. as you chug it and chug it, everyone is egging you on. as you remove your lips and look up from the keg, seeing stars mixed with people's faces the whole room is silent. everyone is looking at each other while seungcheol looks at you in shock. he gives you the widest, shit-eating grin ever and exclaims. 'fuck yeah!!' cheers and roars of encouragement are heard as everybody slaps your shoulders and back. dokyeom shakes your hand. 'well done, y/n. i knew you could do it. i'm about to cry,' he starts to weep dramatically and you roll your eyes. 'y'all can't take no shit.' you kiss your teeth as you whip your head away from him. dokyeom laughs out loud and slaps cheol on his back. 'i forget your girl's british and jamaican. combination of two worlds,' he attempts to do a british accent but pathetically fails. but what you focus on is that dk called you seungcheol's 'girl'? and, he didn't react but laugh and slap him on the back of his head. you can't lie, it got you flustered but that's normal right? right..

'come on, dk. lay off it. your british accent is almost as bad as your engineering final grades,' vernon chuckles as the three of you bust up laughing as dokyeom walks off with an attitude. you don't forget what you came here for though, so you tap cheol on the shoulder. 'hey, can we talk?' you whisper in his ear, he nods and pulls you closer to whisper back. his hot breath fanning across your neck and ear as he whispers. 'yeah of course darling, what about?' you freeze. you personally combusted into a million flames and literally FELT like you were on fire. you felt like you were about to pass out and fawn like women did in those really old movies. you pull him closer until he turns his head and silence.. everything seems silent. it was only for 20 seconds or so but it felt like eternity in his eyes. you snapped out of it though when you dragged to a typical spin the bottle. cheol shouts in agreement as he puts out his hand. 'wanna do it?' as his eyes trace your features. your perked lips and brown eyes with falsies flashing at him. you look beautiful, he's mesmerised. you put your hands in his. 'only if it's with you.' you say as you squeeze his hand. he flashes a golden boy smile as he holds your hand to walk to the living room.

'okay, y/n. you spin,' dokyeom says while taking a swig of some bacardi. you shake your head and spin. it spins and lands on vernon. everyone laughs and chants 'kiss' as you shrug. you don't give a fuck, you downed so many shots and had that big bowl of alcohol, you don't remember what's what and you don't care either.

'sexy, give me a kiss,' you slur as a joke and climb to vernon and grab his face. you kiss him long, slow and hard. everyone in the room is shocked, except one.

seungcheol.

he's bursting at the seams inside actually, trying not to rip you off vernon and show you exactly who deserves you. his clenched teeth and fists, he's mad. and dk noticed. he clears his throat before you start to get deeper in the kiss with vernon. you two break apart and you let out the most obvious giggle ever. vernon shakes his head as you turn your body around to sit on him, and vernon snakes his hands around you to wrap himself around you and whispers in your ear. you giggle and whisper back at his ear as your head tilts backwards onto his shoulders. this is when seungcheol breaks and stands up and proceeds to storm out the living room. you're too focused on vernon's shoe crevices to even notice he's gone until you noticed the long silence with everyone looking at you.

'what?' you question as you turn to ask seungcheol what's going on, you saw he wasn't there anymore. yunjin slaps vernon's hand from your waist.

'girl? did you forget what you here for?' yunjin hushers as she pushes you off. your eyes widen as you run off to find seungcheol.

he's upstairs in his room, window open and looking out into the street. faint barking and alarms can be heard with the midnight sky. the house feels quieter, but he doesn't care that much. 'vernon? you gotta be shitting me,' he says to himself.

you walk up the stairs, towards the back of the house where seungcheol's room is, cursing yourself for not thinking. that's exactly what you NEVER do. you see the door is slightly ajar so you creep in. you scowl as you see a cigarette. as you take the cigarette from his hand, he looks up at you with jealousy in his eyes but a twang of hurt too. 'stop smoking, i told you it's not attractive,' you say as you twist and turn it on the ashtray. 'says the one who smokes blunts,' he grunted as you laughed. 'only when i go to jamaica,' you stand next to him and fiddle with your jeans. 'do you like me, y/n?' he asks and you tense. a long exhale is heard as you scratch your head. 'yeah,' you say straight up. cheol nods. silence occurs and you get more uncomfortable by the second. 'it's okay if you don't like me back. i get it,' you stammered. he shakes his head. 'i've been waiting for you for you to like me back since i turned 15. trust me, there's a lot of things that i'm not, but the one thing i am is in love with you,' he said, but his lip twitched. usually it means he's nervous so you move your hand to his. 'i'm sorry for kissing vernon,' you whisper, squeezing his hand. you've both held hands many times but this time, it just feels different, it feels real. 'it's okay n/n. you can kiss me instead,' he turns his head to face you. you feel sober, he made you realise, he's your reality, your future. he always had been. your eyes get glossy as you admire his features. you lean in to kiss him, his lips flushed against yours. over time, you get closer, touchier. you feel him, here, now. you break apart. the only light in the room is moonlight as he leads you to his bed. 'i want to show you how vulnerable i am for you, y/n,' cheol begins slowly rising his shirt, showing his heartbeat tattoo on his heart. his body sculpted by god, perfecting itself in the shining light. you truly are in him completely. 'i'm vulnerable for you, seungcheol. i always have been,' you unbuckle your corset top as you let it fall, revealing your blue, lacy bra. he inhales as he tries to contain himself, he unties his sweatpants and lets them fall too, kicking them to a random place in his room. you undo your jean buttons, removing your trousers. you're both left in your underwear, you nod and begin taking them off, revealing your nude bodies. you feel cold as the open window brushes wind through your body, making you shiver. cheol laughs as he walks towards you. he opens his arms, leaving you to make the choice to embrace him or not. you're hesitant, but you step closer and hold him. you stay like that for a bit, holding each other.

he lets you go and slowly lowers you onto the bed, prepared to show you how much he truly loves you.

[grisen06]

finally finished season 4 and apart from the obvious Ew im gonna make a list of All Major Things I Thought Was Wrong Because People Keep On Only Mentioning Two (that being five and the ending)

1. 'The Jeennifer incident' No because it was so important to them as a family to have this incident that showed how never properly learning to be a team and growing up in an abusive situation made them dysfunctional but now that's all overglossed with "actually our dad just wiped our minds

2. Their dad's (im not gonna try to remember how his name is spelled) last moments??? Why did it feel like the story (not the characters) tried to forgive him? "Oh hey you waited 2 more minutes to assasinate your child father of the year award you do actually care" like that whole seen felt so icky

3. The amount of shit that could've been solved with telling Ben (and the rest) "Hey btw never touch Jennifer just so yk" BEFORE everything

4. "We have to erase all marigold" Doesn't elaborate on the rest of the children that got borned outside of them

5. They come to this timeline 2019 and iirc s4e1 says 6 years has passed so that's 2025 but the ending acts as if it's 2024 and in the scene where Claire sees Ben on the news they mention him going to jail in 2019 which that + 4 years is 2023???

6. Season 1-3 all act as if there's one main timeline that keeps on being altered, not that there are multiple timelines existing at once

7. If Five started the commision how cane *No one*, not even the higher ups, reacognised him / mentioned it to him? Can't they contact which ever Five started them to stop s2 Five from ending them?

8. This could be explained by the small village being created by their father but their population is smaller than where i live yet the way the city is built w so many shops and stuff it seems like they are way bigger than where i live as if the creators didnt think at all but j slapped a number on the population sign (which as someone who has studied props and set design irritates me deeply)

9. their powers going weird. at first i liked what they did with five because his new powers seemed like a new/stronger version of his old but for the rest it just felt like they all just became powerfull for the sake of being good in a fight. esp since we saw what their powers upped to the max could be in s2 but instead of allison being able to i heard a rumor guys brains out she j has...telekenisis? kind off?

10. j what r the logistics of anything the keepers does/were capable of doing

thats all for now might add more later im just arghhh annoyed (+ obvi the horrible ending and everything abt five esp lila)

[rdbrainz]

Hi there! If you're still accepting Bleach requests, may I see your headcannons based on the Bleach Jet art of the Espadas and Quincies in delinquent school uniforms (specifically Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Bazz-B)? That official art just gave me major brain worms, and I really like your art and headcannons >.< Also, do you happen to have a Ko-fi/patreon to send donations to?

ACTUALLY funny enough I've been thinking about this art a lot myself lmao so I do have some headcanons! as for my ko-fi or patreon.. like I said before transferring money out of them is impossible where I am right now but I made a boosty acc (I'll link it in my bio)

First I wanna add that I just can't see Stark as a high schooler x). He has the vibe of a teacher who somehow ended up with the worst classes in school despite his formidable reputation. Though maybe he was a delinquent himself in the past so he knows how to deal with these little shits. He also has a soft spot for them so as strict as this man can be he cuts them a lot of slack. Like for example I'm sure Nnoitra would smoke in this AU so I think the first day Stark started working with them they met on the rooftop on the lunch break while Gilga was smoking and instead of scolding him Stark just asked for a cig. Nnoitra almost shit himself. I'm also sure he would ask his class to look after his daughter Lilynette so she won't get into any trouble with that attitude of hers. She's probably in middle school or a couple of years younger than them so yeah... the lil sis of the group...

Despite the differences and constant bickering Nnoitra and Grimmjow are basically attached at the hip. I can see them being childhood frenemies actually. Ulquiorra and Szayel are also somewhere in their orbit of course but these two are the worst duo to stumble upon. Very notorious

Ulquiorra is obviously the class president given the armband. He tries his best to mediate the conflicts between his classmates or make them behave better but it's all in vain. Mostly. Some days he's just not in the mood to be responsible and reasonable when dealing with all the bullshit. When trying to bring delinquents to reason you have to be either very respected among them or more fierce than them and Ulquiorra certainly lacks the authority because of his character and swaglessness. He's very scary when mad however. Everybody knows this by now but they just keep trying their fate. Like I'm telling you once he unbuttons his gakuran it's so fucking over

Unlike Grimmjow Nnoitra is actually bothered with his grades enough to try and work for them and/or study (not all the time of course what do you think he's a loser or something?) It includes scaring people into doing his homework, snatching papers out of Ulquiorra's hands right before the class starts (he's used to it so he carries around two sets of hw) or if he REALLY needs to pass an exam he goes to Szayel, the class smartass. The latter is literally equivalent to dying and going through hell to him because he has to abandon all his pride. If you have a shit ton of money you always can try and ask Szayel to help you. Sure. A little bit of humiliation and you actually know the subject. However when it comes to Nnoitra the freak won't let him breathe because: 1) he doesn't need his money, Nnoitra has plenty and it's already stolen anyway so what's the fun? 2) asking a fellow delinquent you have a beef with for help has different means of payment 3) he just really wants to fuck with this guy's head since he thinks Nnoitra is a curious fella. Gilga is well aware of all of this and he's well aware that Szayel will make him polish his boots with his tongue before even considering helping him with acquiring the forbidden chemistry knowledge. So he has to really work for it whether it's a fistfight or running errands for Szayelaporro. It's a good thing Grantz stays true to his word

Grimmjow has a well-accessorized uniform thanks to Nnoitra but his casual clothing is hilariously uncool. I'm convinced this guy has zero taste both in clothing and prints/patterns because he couldn't care less about what other people think is considered fashionable when all he needs personally is functionality and comfort. He knows how to rock a good hairstyle though but if he wants to wear flip-flops outside then so be it

Nnoitra spends all the money he gets on new accessories and CDs (and maybe sometimes porno magazines) for which he constantly gets picked on. If it's someone not from his immediate friend circle then it's not even worth thinking about - left, right, goodnight. As if he's gonna let anyone get too fucking cheeky with him. He's infamous for being called slurs and then bashing the person's head in for this every week because he wears heels and had to endure children being mean to him because of his eye in kindergarten and primary school so it's no big deal really. But if it's Grimmjow then it's a fucking word battle to death he just can't let it slide. Jaegerjaquez really thinks Nnoitra is gonna get strangled by one of his necklaces one of those days but whatever. It's up to him. His music taste however... Now that's something they quarrel about all the time. "I mean I'm not saying anything! Sure you can buy new TOOL CDs all you want.. cough cough... fucking loser.. cough"

Bazz-B was hell-bent on making friends with Grimmjow because he genuinely thinks this guy is awesome. Look at his laid-back attitude and vicious ways! His blue hair, his style! Ohhh, to be like him!!! Jaegerjaquez on the other hand was not very impressed with how annoying Bazz could get with his neverending attempts of talking to him. Too energetic and loud for his liking. He already has Nnoitra and his big fat mouth he constantly runs all he wants so another talkative guy next to him would be too much for his everyday life. He would literally tell him to fuck off and threaten him with a beating of his life but unfortunately it got Bazz even more fired up. Damn weirdo. And a major pain in the ass. They did find a common ground in the end though and it's... A motorcycle that Bazz owns. Bazzard suggested they could take a ride together as a last resort and it was all it took to buy Grimm. Imagine the most excited person you've ever met and they still won't be as excited as Grimmjow was at that moment. Instant fucking boner! "Dibs on driving though" "Deal!" Grimmjow was surprised to reveal that Bazz-B is actually fun to be around and not as annoying as he initially thought he was. Nnoitra made a joke about them having a date the next day though

I think here Bazz-B suffers the same fate as Sakuragi Hanamichi in the beginning of Slam Dunk which is constantly trying to get girls on a date but being brutally rejected each time lmao 😭It's not like he is a bad-looking guy no it's actually the opposite but his personality and hot-headedness are too much to bear for girls he's going after

Askin is a great negotiator and he knows his way around with words but other than that he sucks. He's not a bad guy, just chronically fucking uncool and has to hide behind other people's backs because of mediocre fighting abilities. He also gets in all kinds of stupid situations because he just can't keep his thoughts to himself sometimes which is a bad asset to his cheesiness

Äs Nödt is also not very good at fighting but he's more useful than Askin lol. A smartass and a menace who is talented at collecting data and black-mail on people by eavesdropping and other means. He's the one who proposes the most out-of-pocket ways of taking revenge on other gangs or teaching someone a lesson so you better be careful with him

I hope I'll make more art of this later cuz I'm a bit burnt out rn

[hologramcowboy]

https://www.tumblr.com/hologramcowboy/745395618485272576/am-i-being-extra-sensitive-or-was-this-a-rape?source=share

I hope I can vent here for a second. I genuinely do not understand why anyone gave him a pass on that one. Had that been someone like Joe Jonas, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Mike Tyson, Pedro Pascal even, they would not have been given a pass and it would have been all over main news media sites. He wouldn't be making that joke if he knew any of the children that were sexually abused by priests for decades or what happened with the Boy Scouts. There are just some things you don't make a joke about. His Brendan Fraser The Whale joke he made was bad enough, as were some other jokes he made over the years, but in this day and age, there is no more excuse. I don't personally know anyone affected by the abuse people of those two institutions enacted, that I'm aware of I should say, and I would never ever make that joke. As gross as Misha can be, even he didn't make that joke. Even if he wanted to play along, he shouldn't, not after he was so vocal about the mass graves found in Canada and the atrocities committed by the churches up there against Native children for decades.

Any AA that defends that joke Jensen made is a heartless asshole that needs to get their heads checked as soon as possible.

Now, that all being said, I think he's saying worse and worse things lately for two reasons. The first is I think this is really him and he just doesn't give a fuck anymore. Like he'll still try to tell people what he thinks they want to hear but more and more lately, he gives a very no fucks given vibe. Whether that's due to what happened with The Winchesters or Rust or whatever, that's the vibe he gives off. The second is I think he says assholish shit like this at certain points because he's trying to give off a Soldier Boy vibe, sort of selling that character since a lot of people speculate he'll be returning for The Boys' last season. Sort of like he used to dress as Dean with the flannel and jeans, and then like Beau when Big Sky was airing. I could be wrong but that's the vibe I got when he went "oh, that's too far?"

I'm curious as to what your thoughts are. Not about the joke, we all know it was disgusting and highly inappropriate, but about why he presents himself like this sometimes. And why he always seems to get a free pass the more he ups the ante on being an asshole.

Jensen's self image is warped by his sychopant fans and his deluded wife. He has no personality of his own and instead tries to inject in himself the attributes of the characters he gets cast as because he mistakes characters for branding. Branding is who You are not who your character is. Branding is that unique essence you bring to your character.

Sorry to say but this is what happens when a man who lacks culture and studies gets hyper praised to the point where he loses his sensitivity towards others. Jensen has a one sided view in life, anyone who disagrees with him is automatically a bully. He is just like his sychopantic fans. He can't perceive the world in all of its layers and that's endlessly sad for someone who claims to be an artist.

He claims he wants to bring light to the world or whatever will earn him approval but then acts like a jock who is bullying his friends.

At the end of the day, Jensen is a subpar actor who lacks culture in an industry where people are now multihyhyphenated and multicultured. It would do him good to be more grounded and realize that his influence can help people when it is used with the intention to help, rather than when it is squandered on incredibly inappropriate jokes and behaviors (getting superdrunk at cons is a superbad example).

Being praised in a one sided way has clearly gone to his head. That terrible joke is not the first time he demonstrated a lack of empathy and self awareness. I really wish he had good role models around him but he's married to the queen of bullying so why are we even surprised when he acts like a mindless, self centered jock?

Jensen needs to grow up. A lot. Thank you for allowing me to vent, I have tears in my eyes as I am writing this, I am just so sad he's turning out to be such a disappointment on so many levels. You see, you are definitely not alone in your need to vent and thank you so much for expressing things in an honest, open way. AAs forget what honesty and having values means because they forego their own values and replace them with the perceived ones from Jensen. It pains me to say this because I saw so much in him but...Jensen is no rolemodel.

[babyyweebbitch]

Can i request Vi (Arcane) x overworked female reader?

I go to two schools (one is a music school)

Both schools give a huge amount of homework, the piano teacher is very demanding, I have a piano exam soon (which I don't know if I'll take because I can't remember so many given musical notes) and I also have my high school. I think I'll drop out of one of the schools for my own sanity.

I’m a crying, stressed out and simply tired mess and i feel like i’m losing control. The worst feeling ever🥲

Hug me please 😫

omg baby i’m so sorry! :( that’s a shit ton of stress and honestly i feel u with the stress! im currently very stressed out too and i hope things get better for u :) HERES A HUG

content warning : female reader , crying , stress

you were a collage student, currently in your second year of collage plus you also had a good paying job you worked at after school. the schedule was you go to school and mid day you left to go to work. that’s how it’s been since you got this job three years ago. recently there was an exam happening and you had to study during your breaks at work.

you recently got a new boss who has been an absolute asshole to you and a few other people and they’ve been working you like a dog. they changed your hours so you had to go home later leaving you barely any time to study and sleep. now your schedule was all fucked up… Vi noticed and has tried to help you but you always say you got it and that you didn’t need any help. she didn’t buy it honestly

it was getting closer and closer to exams and everything was getting to be too much. during one of your days off from work you studied all morning and part of the afternoon at your desk in yours and Vi’s shared room. she was sitting on the bed with her headphones in scrolling through social media. your phone vibrated and you glanced at it… it was your boss

‘i need you to come in for work today, in about 20 minutes please’ the text read. you don’t know why but reading that made you tear up, you started crying… no, sobbing. you placed your head on your desk and sobbed. vi moved her phone a bit to check on you and saw you sobbing at your desk. she immediately jumped up

“baby?! baby, what’s wrong?!” she asked, going over to you. she rubbed your back and you reached over to hug her, very tightly and just cried into her shoulder. she rubbed you back and she picked you up, carrying you to the bed “cupcake…”

“t…this is too much! vi…. i ca…i cant!” you said through cries. you gripped onto her shirt, she sushed you and held onto you

“i know…. i know — it’s alot…” she said in a soft voice, holding you until you were calmed down. after you calmed down you sat up and looked around “why don’t you take a b—“

“i gotta go to work! fuck!” you said, trying to stand up to get ready but she grabbed your arm. you looked at her and she tilted her head to the side. without saying a word you knew what she was trying to say “Vi i can’t”

“please…. you have too, it’s not good on your body”

“they will fire me…”

“fuck ‘em…. baby, if you take on anymore stress it will cause damage to your body. you’re already getting headaches and i can tell your hands are sore”

“how did you know about the headaches…”

“i saw the three bottles of Tylenol in the garbage when i went to take it out this morning”

you sighed and sat back down on the bed. you looked down

“and taking that much is gonna fuck up your body too”

“what do i tell them…”

“quit… find a new job — i’ll start charging more for my fights until you’re done for the summer”

“but the apartment…”

“we both have enough money to pay for it, plus the fights — i get alot for them. baby we will be fine for a few months” she said “i’ll even text ‘em for you!” she said, going to get your phone and unlocking it. she started typing away at your phone and you realised you’re trusting Vi to text your soon to be ex-boss

“please don’t be mean…”

she paused for a second…. then you heard her erasing the message

“Vi!”

“what?! you’re trusting me to do this for you!” she said in a joking tone. you laughed before snatching the phone from her and typing away. she placed her head on your shoulder to see what you were typing as you did. once you were done you placed your phone down and vi smiled. she stood up and started to get you clean clothes and went to the bathroom. you got up to follow her and see what she was doing — especially with your clothes

“whatcha doing?”

“starting a bath — for you! you deserve it” she said, starting to run a bath for you. she did everything the way you liked it and was surprised she got everything right, she’s only ever watched you do it so she decided to try. she helped you undress and get into the bath. she started helping you get clean and she hummed as she did.

the entire time you didn’t talk but the silence between you two was very calming to the both of you.

this isn’t the best but i hope u like it :)

[skinny2tb]

€d vent and life update:

Sooo... I'm really upset rn because I managed to fast for 5 days without anyone noticing and it felt GREAT. I mean it's kinda sad that my parents just simply don't care anymore. They used to encourage me while I was in recovery and actually getting better but oh well that's how it is sometimes I guess. I once weighed 43kg that's why I originally went into recovery and as I began to gain some weight back they just assumed my €d was magically cured. But that just wasn't the case and here I am once again. Without anybody noticing or actually caring. Sadly my eating disørder is even worse this time and I'm feeling no will to live anymore.

Anyways, I'm thinking of another liquid fast right now because as I said I'm really upset that I just broke mine 20mins ago with some leftover noodles (230 + 55kcal for the cheese) and I'm freaking out atm because I'm afraid I'll gain weight after eating those. But I can't work out because my parents and their friends are downstairs and I don't want them to hear me doing some exercises. Although I know they probably wouldn't even care.

Lately I've been pretty busy studying (literally lol) because of my finals this and next week. I've already completed three out of four and I just have to pass the math test and honestly I'm shitting myself even thinking about it. But as for the others I'm pretty confident.

My hot guess:

• english: 1-2

• french: 1

• german: 2-3

• maths: 4?

Only thing I know is that this years final math exam will include exponential functions which I hate.

I also wanted to say hello to everybody new following me, just wanna let you know I do appreciate it<33

Btw I managed to book my first ever nail appointment for next week and I'm kind of excited?? Let me know if you guys have any cool design recommendations. So far I really fw acrylic, stiletto shape, classy french nails with some gems and tiny rhinestones..

(not my pic btw)

Prom is also coming soon so ofc I'm hella nervous because I haven't fully opt which of my two dresses I'll wear but eitherway it's gonna be navy blue with sparkly details and an open back. And when I tried the dresses on infront of my mom I could clearly see the disbelief in her face of how thin I have gotten again. She didn't say anything tho. I just looove the feeling of clothes that have gotten too big on you and would slide down your body if you didn't use a belt or hairtie.

Yeah, also there's this cute guy in my class. Same age and we went to the same elementary school but back then we had nothing to do with each other. You're probably asking what that has to do with me. Well, at the beginning of the school year when I was the new girl in my class he asked me to go to prom with him and I agreed but now I'm scared, because I do know and everybody always tells me that he has a huge crush on me. But I just can't handle that much affection yk?? The dance course will also start in a few weeks and we both can't look each other in the eyes... Everytime I think about him I'm like what do you even like about meee, I mean why me when there's a bunch of other beautiful girls, right? But well, what can I say at least I pull? Seems like I got that shy rizz*~*

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally happy but at the same time I feel like I don't deserve this kind of love. He's so good looking too with his hazel eyes, big lips and dark brown hair, plus he's way taller than me. So literally my dream guy? I even got to see his abs and stuff when our class went on a trip to a water park. Since then I'm head over heels.. I catch him often secretly staring at me but as soon as I gaze in his direction he pretends to be busy doing other things, like sir I SAW THAT

Ugh, I'm sorry that was pretty much about my personal shit but also pretty much needed.

(Lastly I wanna say that you guys DESERVE recovery and if you feel like you or anybody you know might suffer from an eating disørder don't hesitate to see professional help. You're loved♡)

I'll probably post again in a minute cuz I'm bored rn and want to avoid a b¡nge.

[c2-eh]

Charlos + falling in love again

I tried so hard to make it short. I failed. I am sorry, but enjoy <3 (i am not fan of what i created here :'))

Charles looks amazing. Fitted suit hugging his well built body perfectly and Carlos feels his mouth go dry. The only thing bothering him is his hair that have too much gel in it.

Carlos likes it soft and unstyled, falling lightly on his forehead and into his eyes, reminding him of so many times he gently pushed the strands away. Ran his fingers through the soft brown locks, his fingers wandering down and scratching at Charles' scalp.

Charles loved it, if his satisfied hums and sighs were anything to go by.

The ball room is stuffed with people - celebrities, photographers, personel carrying trays of food and champagne - that's how official the gala is.

Carlos is nursing another champagne flute in his hand filled almost to the brim - mistake, it should be two-thirds full. It's his 3rd one of the night. He's watching people around mingling and exchanging fake smiles, as he sips his drink.

You rarely find yourself smiling genuinely at events like these. Hunting sponsors and talking loads of shit about every single aspect of your life that is not even important (but the wanna be sure, just in case). Saying your hi's and shaking hands with people you don't know, but pretend you do. Carlos feels like the fake wide smile will stay etched into his face after this.

It's tiring.

But now, Carlos can't complain he's here. At least not genuinely, because deep down he knows coming here meant seeing him.

Because seeing Charles again is like finally getting a breath of fresh air (but suffocating at the same time).

It's been a full year, since he last saw him and really spoke to him. Yes, he briefly ran into Charles many times in the paddock, at conferences and other F1 related stuff after 2026 - a year they split up - but they never said much.

He looks different - elegant, collected and so so handsome. There are more lines around his eyes, but it does not take away on his beauty. However, he also looks tense. Carlos can see the rigid line of his shoulders, not relaxing for a second.

"Hi, Carlos," his voice is like a melody to his ears. The one that in the past could make all the tension and nerves leave his body. Something special that still ignites fire deep inside, even though he does not want to admit it.

"Hi," it comes out as breathy as he feels.

"How have you been?" Charles asks, as casually as possible, looking down at the floor, "I haven't seen you in a long time. What, 1 year?"

It's awkward. Carlos fidgets on the spot and his fingers itch to touch him. After so much time to think and revise, he has a need to bring him to his chest and come clean with how he feels. How he felt in the past - lost and desperate and resentful (but deep down hopeful at the same time).

"Can we go talk somewhere else?" Carlos doesn't wait for an answer.

That's how they find themselves on the big terrace, right next to the gala room.

"So," Carlos is the first to speak up, although it's not something world-shaking.

"So," Charles retaliates. Carlos smiles involuntarily, cornes of his mouth twitching.

"You look beautiful," it slips out of Carlos' mouth before he registers what he's saying. He does not regret it - he would have said it anyway (once he'd have gathered the courage).

"You too," Charles is looking at him with a curious glint in his eyes - green orbs looking intently at him, studying the every little movement of his.

It's nice and refreshing outside, perfect weather for suit jacket only. Carlos turns around, leaving Charles to make the decision for both of them - decide if he wants to join him or leave. Nevermind Carlos is the one who wanted to talk.

"Carlos," he whispers, his voice much closer than before.

He turns around and without thinking, circles his arm around Charles' waist. When he realizes, what he's done, he makes a move to drop his hand, but Charles stops him.

"No," he breaths out, his forehead falling onto Carlos' shoulder, "please don't."

The plea in his voice is so obvious that Carlos shivers. He, once again, regrets every decision he's made in the past.

"I still love you, you know? Never stopped. It's been, what, 1 and a half year? I tried to move on. Tried going on dates, fall in love, but..." Charles stops himself and swallows, his head still situated on Carlos' shoulder, "no one compares. And I'm sorry that it got screwed up between us."

Single stray tear falls down Carlos' cheek and his heart burns. Burns with regret and guilt, but with love also.

"I've never stopped loving you," Charles' voice is small. Muffled against his jacket, "have you?" he asks and lifts his head to look back at Carlos.

Carlos' eyes has always been too expressive, telling so much even without him opening his mouth.

Right now, he tries to muster the apology, but Charles sees what he wants to see anyway, "ah. I see. It's okay."

Not that kind of apology.

"No, wait Charles," he brings him closer before Charles has a chance to leave, "I won't lie to you - you would know it anyway - but yes. I fell out of love, I think? Or maybe it was my head telling me to stop loving you and move on, because I was hurt. By your words coupled with million other stuff. I convinced myself what I'm doing is the best and I am sorry for hurting you."

Charles smiles sadly and makes another move to leave Carlos' embrace. Carlos doesn't let him.

"But-" he says and his fingers start tracing circles on Charles' lower back, "seeing you here today, I felt the same passion as before. As if someone put burning coals in my chest. I want to try. I want to love you like before again, or even more, now that we don't have anything in a way to destroy us."

Charles looks at him without any emotion in his eyes and Carlos panics for a second, before Charles' lips are on his own.

Soft and loving, just as Carlos remembers Charles kisses from 2 years ago. He pours every emotion he can't say with words into the kiss.

I am sorry I will never leave you again.

It's all my fault.

Charles is the one who breaks the kiss, leaning his forehead against Carlos'. After a while, Carlos speaks again, "did you mean what you said? When we had that fight?"

"That I believe you have a potential to be a world champion?" Carlos nods, "yes. I would never lie to you."

"Carlos, for fucks sake, just listen to me for once," Charles pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales loudly.

"For once? I always listen to you and look where we are! Everything that happens is because we are teammates. I try and try and fucking try again, but it is never enough. I am tired of listening to my father saying I am constantly getting beaten up by my teammate. Tired of seeing people on the internet laughing at me."

He stays quiet for a moment, before he speaks again "I am tired of everything. It was silly to think this could work. There are too many things in the way."

Charles looks hurt, but in this moment Carlos does not care, "I am not just your teammate," Charles' voice is small.

"Yes you are. In this," he waves his hands around, "scenario and equation, you are just my teammate. Stop trying to get into my head with all those sweet words."

"Carlos. I truly believe in you," Charles says, his hand reaching for him, but he fliches away.

"You don't even believe it, you're just saying that. In the end, you will always put yourself first," he spits out, "no, I can't continue like this. Fake sympathy and gentle words for the sake of the team and our relationship, when the truth is completely different. We are racing dirvers. You know we can't go like this anymore. I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"I've always believed in you. I've always loved you. And you were so close. So so close, if it wasn't for the engine failure, you would have had it. I am so sorry that happened, Carlos. I've never had a ch-"

He stops him with finger on his lips.

"No. It's history now," Carlos says and looks deep into Charles' eyes, "just like our future is mystery, if you allow me to be a part of it."

"Yes," Charles' voice is trembling and he squeezes his bicep. His eyes are so green and so pleading and Carlos is so gone - he realizes there has never been anyone else, not really.

They look at each other for couple minutes - smiles on their faces, eyes telling more than any words could.

The kiss feels like coming home.

[tammyjackson50-blog]

Someday love will find you|E.M

(gif is not mine!)

Not really a summery :

Inspired by the song Separate Ways by Journey.

//includes: break up, maybe there will be a good ending.

-I think that writing one shots inspired by songs is pretty cool.

Next part ->

________________

Breaking up with someone can be difficult, but breaking up with someone you still love and care about is even more difficult.

We both knew that it was going to happen, but we tried to ignore it, convincing ourselves that it was just a matter of time before things will get better.

And they almost did, but it was too late.

" So... are we sure about this? " he asked looking at his hands,

" I think... that we are sure " Like him, I was staring down at my hands...

" You think? well, I guess that we are still not sure " .

We were sitting next to each other on the sofa, our hips almost touching.

His hands were on his legs, I noticed that he wanted to touch my hands, but he was hesitant.

There was silence for a while until I felt him looking in my direction.

" You know that we can still try- " I interrupted him and looked into his almost-crying eyes.

" Eddie, we tried, you know that we did ,but we can't keep doing it.

I can't keep doing it anymore " feeling that my eyes were getting watery " Sweety, I- I've already told you that I don't mind leaving the band- "

" No, NO Eddie - you got up from the couch. I'm not going to let you give up on your dream because of me, there is no freaking way. "

" Babe, you don't undrstand? - He also got up from the couch and approached you.

" My dream is for you to be a part of my life, without you, none of my dreams would come true. "

I could feel him getting closer… I knew that as soon as I looked into his eyes, I would just burst into tears.

" I would not be where I am today if you hadn't encouraged me to get my lazy ass up go to the auditions, so please Y/n, my love... let's think about something , let's try this again ".

my love.... how am I supposed to live without this man….

" Eds... you know that I love you, right? and I will always will.

But look, we tried it, and you can see that a long-distance relationship isn't working for us!

We hardly see each other since you are constantly touring with the boys and I am working and trying to earn money for my studies.

We don't even have time to make a quick phone call!

And I know that you are busier than me, and that's why it's hard.

I'm not blaming you, but I can't… I miss you so much that it makes me sad that I can't even ask how you're doing. "

He had such a tired eyes.... " Y\n ,we have been together for four years, since we were twenty, do you think that it's easy for me?

to not be able to see your pretty face? heck, to not even hear you sweet voice.

you know... I know that it's not the right time to say it, but I..... shit "

He sat back down on the couch.

"I even bought you a ring two months ago…but I couldn't propose to you because of the new tour…I wanted it to be special…I didn't want to propose for a split second and then leave for another couple months.

I wanted to wait until the tour is over, just to have few months of just been at home with you before starting working on music again." He wants to propose to me? I- my heart is....

" But things didn't go as planned... I understand where you are coming from my lov- sigh Y\n, tell me you truly mean it,

and I won't bother you again.

Do you want to break up? "

With all of that information… my head was all over the place.

God only knows how badly I want Eddie to be my husband.

only god knows how much I love him.

But…. maybe now that he's ready to let go…. let me go… it'll be best for the two of us.

" I want us to break up "

there, I said it, here we are looking at each other, tears in our eyes.

here we stand, Worlds apart,our hearts broken in two.

" Okay , I undratand, I'll pack my stuff and.... and we will talk later..guess.. Y/n, just know that...

I still love you "

With that,he turned and walked out of the living room.

the same place where we enjoyed many good times together, such as watching television, dancing with each other,falling asleep on the couch while hugging each other…

the same place that i'll be alone in from now on…

~~~

" Feeling that it's gone

Can't change your mind

If we can't go on

To survive the tide

Love divides

Someday love will find you

Break those chains that bind you

One night will remind you

How we touched and went our separate ways

If he ever hurts you

True love won't desert youYou know I still love you

Though we touched and went our separate ways"

-

The song is about a couple who have to separate and go their own ways, even though they still care for each other. The song expresses feelings of love, longing and sorrow, as the couple must confront the reality of their situation. The song's lyrics reflect the changing emotions that accompany the process of moving on from a beloved relationship, from the initial confusion and sadness to the recognition of a new beginning and the hope for future love. Ultimately, the song is about finding strength to move forward with understanding and acceptance.

Hope that you like it! Because idk if I did, haha.

I just thought about the song and started writing it without any ideas.

took me almost three hours holy shit lol.

It's almost 4 in the morning 🙃

would you like me to write another part?

[eat-the-richard]

Utterly Obsessed With The Schlatt My Way Cover Because AI Is Fucking Losing

I think I've listened to this cover every day since its come out. A little bit strange since I'm not even the biggest fan of Sinatra, or Schlatt anymore for that matter. Nothing personal to the both of them, just not really my thing. But the implication of this cover is genuinely awe-inspiring in a way I still don't really have the words for.

AI disrupted a lot of industries this year. But none I feel took at as personally as the arts. Seemingly every day from all walks of the artistic palette, we say a regurgitation of infinite works from infinite possible sources. Every individual thought could become a strange, off putting yet still generally accurate piece of art. Entire animations were mushed through filter after filter to resemble styles of artists long dead and studios long dissolved. And, of course, internet micro celebrities with nary a song to their name have covered every song in existence.

Truly a tool for our perverted content age, AI has already been used, abused, run through its paces and spat back out. Quality be damned, these pieces of art could now *just* exist without talent or performance. Impressive, in a way, but terrifying in many more.

Not even to mention the numerous individuals dedicating their lives to their craft, becoming experts in their chosen field and deserving to make a well and honest living through their creations, suddenly finding themselves competing with a bastardization of their life's work annihilating them at a pace they can't match. But these AI advancements have potential to *stunt* potential. Why train your voice to simulate a musical instrument when you can upload thousands of voice samples to a tool and use that to sing any song imaginable? Why study a style of a given artist when their work can be morphed into an idea you just thought of two minutes ago?

Dangers such as these scare the shit out of me. Because art is all we have left, in a way. Nobody *should* be able to take this away from you, although god damn they have tried. Training the self to create expression in whatever way you please, even if it isn't financially viable, even if you can't do it as quickly or in the style that everyone wants, even if you kind of hate what comes out on the other side, it's still *you*.

AI can express. But there is no self. Its tools built on the works of countless others and rapidly expanding ways to sort them. Inherently plagiarist, AI works treat the heart crucial to the success of all art as disposable. Impressive AI works cannot be attributed to the idea, or the person responsible for clicking the button. Merely to the tool developed over years of work seemingly incongruent with art, for uses that should have nothing to do with art, plastered over the creation of art anyway by those who do not care.

This is all to say that jschlatt, who has had to sit there and watch his face, his voice, his very likeness flattened, used to create art he had no say in or control over, was able to take that control back. Undoubtedly, Schlatt has had some vocal lessons or *something* to get this sounding so polished, but the actual quality isn't why this is so impressive. It's impressive because *it's him*.

The reaction to this cover has been universally positive. Folks who were shocked Schlatt was able to pull this off. Those wanting more music from him in the future. But the single most apparent sentiment in the reaction was joy, glee even, in that this was *not* AI. This was his voice, flaws be damned, experience be damned, performance style be damned. This is him, and he put his *heart* into it. And you can feel that emotion pulsing through this cover, an attention to detail to respect the original work by trying to match its intricacies. Clearly exhibiting strain to hit the iconic high notes and long vibrato this legendary song is known for. No AI, no bullshit, this is *him.*

And the people love it. There is no replacement for the genuine article. AI is fucking losing.

[elliethiall]

I've been paralyzed for days, I still can't believe it. I can't concentrate at work, I can't study, I cry at sometimes and sometimes I just stare at a fixed point. It is an enormous pain that I feel inside, a deep emptiness. Not being able to say goodbye to you, not being able to go and see you at the hotel because I don't live near Buenos Aires and I wasn't going to see Niall the next day, not being able to go to the altar that they made with so much love and at the same time with so much pain in that hotel. If only I'd known...

I saw you grow, you grew with me. 13 years. I saw everything, I saw the bullying since the band, it didn't start when you started your solo career. I saw how many left you aside, blocked you, canceled you and I tried to listen to your songs for myself and for all those who left but it was not enough.

When the Latin America tour announcement came out I knew I couldn't miss it, I knew I had to be there, for you, for your music, your talent and because you were a wonderful human being. Not to complete that shit thing about 5/5 solo artists when in reality they neither listened to you nor knew you.

In all these hours I read something that stayed with me, although I don't remember the exact words but it was something like this: If Louis was still by your side, if Louis trusted you, then everything they said about you wasn't the only true. I do believe Maya. If I learned something in my adolescence, accompanied by the feminist movement, is that you always believe the victim. However, it was odd, I knew there was something else going on with you, i couldn't comprehend you were like that.

You lacked restraint. You lacked love. You lacked attention. You lacked someone calling you. You lacked someone checking on you in the same way you checked on everyone else. You lacked someone who would do for you at least five percent of what you did for others when you were lucid. You needed to forgive yourself. You needed to feel enough. You needed to not feel like a burden to others. You needed to get rid of your demons.

I'm really sorry. Sorry because as a fan I wasn't enough either. You were screaming, asking for help for so long and we couldn't respond to that call properly. I should've held your hand tightly to make you stay, the same way you did with me many times over the last thirteen years. I should've defended you like you deserved, I should've played your album more times, I should've shown you what you meant to me.

Thank you for all these years, for all the smiles and all the phrases that I know by heart. All your lyrics, the ones truly written by you, are beautiful, you were a great artist and they didn't know how to value you. I don't know how I'm going to do it from now on, everything continues the same, but I don't want to go on knowing that a fifth of my heart is no longer there.

It will always stay in my memory that on May 3, 2014, the first of the two times I saw you, I was able to make you laugh during Best Song Ever. Your wonderful laugh echoed throughout the stadium while we continued singing the song instead of doing what you asked of us. I love you, Payno. I hope your soul can leave that shitty hotel and that you have finally been able to find the peace and silence you needed. Your demons are no longer tormenting you, no one says that you are not enough, you can now rest. I will always miss you and remember you with great affection. Fly high.

PS: I don't want to ask you for anything more, it even seems disrespectful to ask more, but please, please Leeyum, hug my teenage self very tightly, the girl who left the moment you did.

Sorry If there's any mistake, I wrote this in Spanish and maybe the translation is not that accurate.

[trinity-mia]

a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

1.2 committing a felony (don't do this)

warnings : ANOTHER effing monster attack, some more cussing, mention of arson

word count : 5.8k

1.2 Blow Torching a National Monument So Badly, I Could Be Tried for Arson (Even Though It Literally Wasn't My Fault)

I could safely say we were all miserable that night. None of us liked the thought of spending the night in a place where we had just killed the only occupant, so instead, we spent the night camped out in the woods a few miles away.

The clearing we settled down in was obviously a frequent gathering point for the local kids to hang around. It was about a hundred yards from the main road and rather marshy. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers. We spent a few minutes piling the garbage together so we could dump it in a trash can tomorrow on Luke's suggestion.

It was easily the worst place that I'd ever spent the night, but with the snug sleeping bags we'd taken from Camp, it wasn't too bad. We'd decided against a fire. The Furies and Medusa were enough for one day, and a fire would most definitely bring more unwanted visitors.

I kind of regretted it, cause frankly, I was freezing, but again, I'd had enough of fighting for today. Well, for the rest of my existence really, but I didn't exactly have a choice in that matter. My father had seen to that very firmly.

I volunteered for the first watch, and Luke gave only a moment's objection before he fell fast asleep. Grover, however, simply laid down, staring up at the sky with a brooding expression.

"Regretting ever meeting me?" I asked as lightly as I could. Really though, I wouldn't blame him for it if he was. Tyche definitely had some sort of grudge against me. On the other hand, I did manage to survive all the shit I went through, so maybe she actually liked me. Something to dwell on at another time, I guess. 

Grover startled out of his thoughts, turning to stare at me and shake his head wildly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Allie!" he objected. "You're my best friend, I love you. It just... it makes me so sad. And mad. I'm mad about it too."

I frowned at him. "What makes you sad?" I pressed. "Can I help?"

The side of his lip quirked up briefly before falling again, his frown returning. "This makes me sad," he gestured at the rubbish pile and up at the sky. "I mean just look at the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

I bit my lip. I knew already that Grover was an environmentalist, but he talked about this with so much emotion, feeling guilty seemed to be my only option. For what, I wasn't exactly sure.

"I'm sorry," I finally ventured. "I guess it must be really hard for a nature spirit to see this sort of stuff. We'll dump it tomorrow."

He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "Do you know what a searcher's license is?"

I shook my head. "Not really," I admitted freely, not worrying about my lack of knowledge on the subject. "I just know that your family has a tradition of getting them, and you'll only get yours if we succeed in the quest."

I cocked my head to the side for a moment as a breeze wafted through the clearing. It was fresh and sweet and brought with it the smell of berries and clean air. Suddenly, I was nostalgic for something I didn't know.

"Tell me about it," I requested quietly. 

Grover gave me a studying look, like he was trying to decide if I was worthy of knowing about his dream or not. I must've been, because he nodded, straightening and beginning to explain. "The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told me. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore—"

"'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' Yeah, I know that story," I said, recalling Chiron teaching it at the beginning of the year.

"RIght. When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep."

"Wow," I said simply. "So you want to join them?"

Grover nodded. "My whole family has been searchers for generations," he explained. "My dad, and my Uncle Ferdinand. You saw his statue back at Aunty Em's."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Grover waved me off. "Dad and Uncle knew the risks. Every searcher does. But I'll succeed. I'll be the first one to come back alive."

My eyes widened in shock at that. "The first? What happened to them all?"

"Nobody knows," Grover shrugged gloomily. "But we have to keep trying. We have to believe that we'll be the one to find Pan and wake him up. It's the only thing that keeps us from giving in to despair when we look at what's happened to the world."

I stared at the orange haze of the sky and tried to understand how Grover could pursue a dream that seemed so hopeless. Then again, was I any better?

There was no way I'd ever be able to make Hades do what I wanted, after all. I was only a seventeen-year-old girl with a sharp tongue and a stupidly large amount of money. He was a god, and one of the most powerful gods at that. I was screwed and I knew it.

"How are we going to get into the Underworld?" I asked him. "I mean, what chance do we have against a god?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But we'll figure it out. We all have faith that you'll succeed in this, Allie."

"Why?" I demanded, angry that I could feel that my voice was shaking and trying to hide it. "Why is everyone so goddamn confident that I can do this? I've known about this stuff being real for a week!"

Grover chewed on his lip, genuinely considering my question, which I appreciated. "You've just got this aura around you," he finally told me. 

I paused in tugging agitatedly on my braids to stare at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just the way you talk and move and just... just act. It makes everyone feel that you'd lay down your life for ours without thinking about it."

"Of course I would," I replied instantly. 

Grover flashed me a sad smile. "And that's why we trust you," he insisted. "And you have real power. In multiple ways. Allie, you are quite literally a global celebrity. You could probably go to the White House and create any law you wanted and it would get passed. And as a demigod? You probably can't control it yet, but your father is the god of the seas. He holds an extensive amount of power and you are his first mortal daughter. It's reasonable to suggest you are going to be stronger than most of his other children." 

I didn't know what to say to that. Truthfully, I'd thought about it a lot the night before, but didn't want to go much further with my thoughts— they still scared me. Not wanting to do the same now, I changed the subject to something I did want to ponder.

"I think something is off about this whole thing," I admitted to him. "On the bus, the Kindly Ones, did you hear them? They were asking where it is. Not her, it. We're missing something big, I know it."

Grover bit his lip, worry flashing over his expression. "Well, we have to go to the Underworld anyway," he finally stated. "The prophecy said we'd go west and face the god who has turned. And it said you'd find the bolt and return it safely. Everything will work out, Allie, you'll see."

I said nothing, but the Oracle's warning about being betrayed and war beginning played ominously in my mind as I watched Grover fiddle silently with his reed pipes.

More than anything, I wished for my mom to be there, holding me and stroking my hair.

"How about I take first watch?" he suggested. "You could use a rest." 

Before I could protest, he lifted the pipes to his mouth and began to play. Unlike his earlier attempts, the tune, something by Mozart I think, actually sent me to sleep. 

Eventually, the nightmare started. I was standing in a dark cavern before a gaping pit. Grey mist creatures churned all around me, whispering rags of smoke that I somehow knew were the spirits of the dead.

They tugged at my clothes, trying to pull me back, but I felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm. Looking down made me dizzy. The pit yawned so wide and was so completely black, I knew it must be bottomless. Yet I had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil.

"The little heroine," an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness. "Too weak, too young. But perhaps you will do."

The voice felt ancient— cold and heavy. It wrapped around me like sheets of lead and filled me with sheer terror. I wanted to run, but my feet were frozen in fear.

"They have misled you, girl," it said. "Barter with me. I will give you what you want."

An image appeared in front of me of my mother. She looked just like she did the day she died. Her long brown hair was down, flowing around her messily, her face was bare of make-up with her loving smile that always made me feel safe and happy, no matter what. She was dressed in her pajamas. And her arms were open, like she was waiting for me to run into her embrace like when I was a little girl being picked up from school.

I tried to cry out, but my voice wouldn't work.

Cold laughter echoed from the chasm. An invisible force pulled me forward. It would drag me into the pit unless I stood firm.

"Help me rise, Astraea." The voice became hungrier. "Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!"

The spirits of the dead whispered around me, "No! Wake!" The image of my mother began to fade. The thing in the pit tightened its unseen grip around me. I realized it wasn't interested in pulling me in. It was using me to pull itself out.

"Good," it murmured. "Good."

"Wake!" the dead whispered urgently. "Wake!"

Someone was shaking me. My eyes opened, and it was daylight. I shot up, gasping for breath.

"Allie?" Luke asked, just barely avoiding our heads knocking together. "What happened, are you okay?"

I shuddered. "Just a nightmare," I managed to croak. "It was just a nightmare."

Luke looked tense. "Allie—"

"Come on," I interrupted. "We need to get to the train station, and quickly. I can get all of our tickets."

***

We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, and past amber waves of grain.

We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. I felt like we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity. I tried to read the books my friends had packed for me and played some cards with the boys, but I just couldn't get into it. Our deadline and my prophecy loomed ominously over me and I always ended up getting up to pace the length of the train instead.

Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they (I assumed) hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved. I looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.

Another time, toward the evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone. Frankly, I was relieved. I'd seen it before and I was in a bad enough mood without adding fighting the Nemean Lion to it.

The tickets I'd bought only went as far as Denver and, since I didn't want to waste any time, we decided not to wait four more days for a train to get us where we wanted. I had a bad feeling about wasting time, and I knew it'd be quicker and easier if we just got off in Denver. 

Luke and Grover had to almost physically fight me to keep me from buying us expensive seats that would actually give us beds. I was tired of sleeping uncomfortably, but Luke said if we got into a fight, being in a bigger space would help a lot more. 

At one point, Grover's shoe fell off and Luke and I had to hurry to replace it before any mortals noticed something was off.

"Angel," Luke said seriously as we sat back down again. "We need to talk about your dreams."

I tensed at that. I had no desire to talk about my nightmares of the pit despite having had a repeat of the dream only that night. It seemed as if by doing so I'd be turning them from bad dreams into the quest related visions that Luke had mentioned to me before.

"Allie," Luke pressed me when I didn't speak. "This is important. I can't help if I don't know the problem. And I know you had another dream last night. Tell me." He cupped my face to turn my gaze to him. I felt a strange feeling of warmth in my stomach and chest at the amount of concern in his bright blue eyes.

He has to have gotten those eyes from his father, I thought hazily. No way is that color natural. Way too vibrant.

"Fine," I huffed, breaking his stare and crossing my arms stubbornly.

His smug look at having broken my stubborn will vanished as I spoke, his demeanor becoming serious again.

"That doesn't sound like Hades," he said, chewing over my explanation. "He usually appears on a black throne, and I've never heard of him laughing."

"He offered to bring my mother back to life in trade though," I argued, a pang in my heart. "Who else has the power to do something that if not the god of the dead?"

"Thanatos is the god of the dead," Luke corrected me, tapping on his leg. "Hades is the god of the Underworld and everything under the earth. But Thanatos has even less to gain from this than Hades does. I guess it could be him. But why tell you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

I shook my head, wishing I knew the answer. I thought about what Grover and I had discussed, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something.

"Where is it? Where?"

Maybe Grover sensed my emotions. He snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and turned his head.

I silently reached over and readjusted his cap so it covered his horns.

"Allie," Luke began carefully. "You know that you can't barter with Hades. He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"If that was them being unaggressive, I never want to actually piss them off," I cut him off sharply. My eyes fell to my lap as I started fiddling with the locket and the new necklace that hung around my neck.

The locket was an antique, belonging first to my great-great-grandmother and then being passed down through the generations until I received it from my mom. It was in the shape of a rose, made of real gold. On the outer edges of it were engravings of a rose and in the very center was a diamond and engravings to make it look like the north star. When I opened it, I saw a picture of my mother at twenty. She was standing on the beach in front of the ocean, with me heavily bundled up against the cold sea air cradled in her arms. On the other side was the most recent picture we'd taken together, right in front of our beach house. I'd thrown myself in her arms and Danny took the picture at the perfect time.

"I know that I can't try to bring her back," my voice was ragged as I spoke, and my lip shook slightly. I scowled to keep the tears that were stinging my eyes from falling. "But I just..." I fell silent. I didn't even know what I was going to say.

I started when Luke's arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a strong embrace. I stayed there for about a minute before pulling away and adjusting myself on the bench.

"While you were still out you mumbled a little about your mother and what happened to her. What was she like?" Luke treaded anxiously. The question hung unvoiced in the air between us, and for a moment I contemplated pretending I didn't pick up his hint. Instead, I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I kept on playing with my locket.

"My mom's name was Sally Jackson," I finally told him. I didn't look away from the necklace, determinedly studying the rose engraved on the shiny surface to avoid his gaze. "She was actually the nicest person ever, I'd bet my life on it. Her parents died when she was five, in a plane crash if you can believe it. Every time I got on a plane she about had a heart attack. When she was in college, she ended up having to drop out of school to nurse her uncle until he died and then she had me when she was nineteen. She loved English literature, so I grew up on Jane Austen and Shakespeare, stuff like that."

He gave me a small smile. "Is that why you can quote the whole Romeo and Juliet balcony scene from memory and not have to grab a source?" 

I giggled. "That and I recently played Juliet in a remake that comes out in a few months."

"Ah, my mistake." 

"Anyway, she got me into acting around the time I turned two. The director of the first movie I was in saw her walking around outside our apartment and needed a young child for a few scenes and she let them use me. After that... I'm not sure. I guess they liked how natural I was at it and continued putting me in things and now... my life is what it is. Getting followed whenever I go out to dinner. Flying around the world to perform songs that I've written. Walking red carpets. Having every inch of my body scrutinized whenever I appear on a runway. It's not all bad, but it certainly isn't entirely glamorous, either." I shrugged. "And then, when I was six, she married this asshole named Gabe. He liked taking my money to fund his gambling problem. Then he'd get drunk, his equally bitchass buddies would leave, and if my mom wasn't home, we'd argue. A lot."

Luke frowned at me, obviously putting a few of my hints together in his head. It wasn't hard to see that the scars that most definitely didn't come from a monster weren't caused by accident. He obviously felt like I wouldn't go into it, and he was right, and changed the subject. 

"I met Thalia just outside of a dragon's lair in Charleston," Luke said quietly. 

I started in surprise at the non sequitur and opened my mouth to tell him he didn't have to explain, but he held a hand up. 

"She was twelve, same as me. We had both run away from bad home situations, not really abusive, just bad, and we met Annabeth a few months later. She had just turned seven. We traveled together for a few months, before meeting up with Grover. And then we headed for Half-Blood Hill. We were being pursued by a legion of monsters sent by Hades to kill Thalia, and there was no way that we could have made it. We were about to be overwhelmed, only minutes from the border. Thalia made us go on ahead. She sacrificed herself. Zeus turned her into a tree, so now her lifeforce guards Camp."

I glanced at him. "Is there some kind of rule?" I murmured. "All half-bloods must have as screwed up childhood as possible. Ancient Law number whatever."

It wasn't remotely funny, but Luke cackled in laughter, anyway. We both pretended not to see the other wiping away tears.

Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13th, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Luke craned his neck to see the Gateway Arch, which was a little anticlimactic, considering I'd been there before.

"Annabeth loves that stuff," he informed me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"What stuff?"

"Architecture. It's her favorite thing in the world. She wants to build a monument that'll last a thousand years."

"Lofty goal," I observed. "Makes me feel embarrassed about my ambition of living into my twenties."

"Ah now, Angel," Luke teased. "There's having a dream and there's being fanciful. All the trouble you get into will have you being buried at nineteen, tops."

"Make sure that there are roses and sunflowers at my funeral," I snarked back at him, ignoring Grover's obvious horror at our morbid humor.

"Oh, but of course, Angel," he answered in a posh British accent. I patted his shoulder condescendingly. 

"Let's visit the Arch!" Grover said, obviously trying to move the topic away from my funeral. I glared at him with an incredulous look on my face. He cowered from my infuriated glare as I went to whack him over the head with my bag.

"Are you serious? This is a mission to stop the apocalypse, not a fucking sightseeing tour! What the hell is the matter with you, you goddamned, furry—"

Luke placed a hand over my mouth. I tried to bite him, but he was too quick, pulling it away and putting it back too fast for me to either hurt him or continue my rant. "Calm yourself, Angel," he drawled. "I agree with Grover. We have a while before our train leaves again, we might as well do some sightseeing to distract ourselves from the whole apocalypse thing."

"But I've already been—"

"Doesn't matter, you can go again."

So that was how we ended up standing in line at an elevator in the St. Louis' Arch while Grover passed me jolly ranchers, me trying to slip them into my mouth without taking off the mask and sunglasses I'd put on to keep from being recognized.

I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. "You smell anything?" I murmured to Grover, voice slightly muffled from the mask.

He took his nose out of the candy bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here.

"Guys," I said, shifting uneasily. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Hade—"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," I said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Luke nodded. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" I asked.

He nodded again. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus— the shortest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than Annabeth's invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" I asked.

Luke and Grover exchanged grim looks.

"We don't," Luke admitted. I noticed his hand slip to his disguised sheath, clutching his sword pommel as he scanned the area.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said. "Got any Snickers left?"

I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I remembered the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. It felt very different from the last time I was here.

We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it. Usually, I liked animals, but something about that dog made me feel uncomfortable.

We started going up, inside the Arch. 

"No parents?" the lady asked us. She definitely wasn't gonna be winning any beauty contests with her beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp. I scolded myself for the insulting thoughts, but couldn't help but feel as though I needed to be wary. 

"They're below," Luke lied smoothly. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

"Sonny," I repeated. "Is that his name?"

"No," the lady told me. She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but it still felt weird and I wanted out of there.

Luckily for me, the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. I actually thanked the gods, I was so relieved.

I steered Grover and Luke toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me. Fan-fucking-tastic. The gods were seriously out to get me.

The park ranger said, "Next car, miss."

"We'll get out," Luke offered. "We'll wait with you."

But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I waved him off as I spoke, "Nah, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom."

Grover and Luke both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

I looked around uneasily and met the eyes of the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Forked tongue?

Fuck.

Before I even had time to sigh, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at me.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!" His parents pulled him back. The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

"Uh, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

Terror rose up inside my throat, nearly choking me as I scrambled to turn my necklace into a sword. There were still mortals there, so I didn't want to pull out Shaker. I'd have to go with only one sword this time.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA— RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS— IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS— EXT. 954.

I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Astraea Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

I stared at her. All I could think to say was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Astraea Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. I managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.

I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

I couldn't let them get hurt. I ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!" The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible.

Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me.

I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eyebrows. For once I was grateful for being forced to do the lava climbing wall at camp. At least I was mostly desensitized to being viciously burned now. I was hardly able to feel the mask fall off of my face. 

Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.

Great, I thought. I just blow torched a national monument. I was pretty sure that was a felony. Did Missouri have the death penalty? Oh, fuck, it did. Riptide was a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck.

That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. I tried to regain my balance, losing my sunglasses in the process, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and sank its fangs into my calf.

The pain was agonizing. My whole leg was on fire. I tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera's mouth, but the serpent tail wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off balance, and my blade flew out of my hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River.

As a last resort, I tried to pull out Shaker, but the Chimera wouldn't let me.

I managed to get to my feet, but I knew I had lost. I was weaponless. I could feel deadly poison racing up to my chest. I remembered Chiron saying that my swords would always return to me, but Riptide hadn't come back yet. 

I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"

The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I was beaten. I summoned up enough strength to glare at it contemptuously like it was some sort of insect.

Then a noise made me glance at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just... die. I tried to think, but my whole body was on fire. My head felt dizzy. 

There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered.

If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone?

"If you are truly the daughter of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Astraea Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

I was genuinely torn. I knew that hitting water from very high up was the same as hitting concrete, but still. Chiron had said that children of gods had control over their immortal parents' domains. And I was dying anyway.

The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast.

"You have no faith," Echidna told me. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

She was right: I was dying. I could feel my breath slowing down. Nobody could save me, not even the gods.

I backed up and looked down at the water. I'd never been afraid of heights, but staring down, knowing I was dead save for a miracle, made me nauseous. I remembered the warm glow of what could've been my father. My mom had taught me never to give up until you were outright dead. I couldn't disrespect her memory by not trying to do something to survive. My eyes darted frantically around the area, searching for a solution to my situation.

My eyes again went to water swirling beneath us. I remembered the swirling green trident that had appeared above my head the night of that fateful game of capture the flag, when Poseidon had claimed me as his daughter.

But this wasn't the sea. This was the Mississippi River, dead center of the USA. There was no Sea God here.

"Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera was about to send a column of fire towards my face, but I reacted quickly and with the last of my strength, pulled out Shaker and stuck it through the Chimera's mouth. I didn't wait to see if both had dusted or if I'd even fully killed the Chimera.

With a final thought of both of my parents, I turned and jumped out of the Arch.

*    *    *

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[bettercostume]

i was tagged and id rather rub my face in my multi-start fics than finish sooo

rules: share the first lines of your ten most recent fanfics and tag ten people. if you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyways.

FJFJKF EDITED TO ADD THE BAD BOY WHO TAGGED ME @thesupermegahell and yet another long ago tag @mebiselfandi vfndjknkdfj

1.i like it in ur blood, neymessi star warz au (1/4 complete or 1/2 if i really get my shit together. i have basically two similar but not fics in the same doc and i can't make it past the inciting incident):

Being assigned a padawan had been a surprise, especially since the council preferred to pretend Leo didn’t exist outside of high-casualty battle situations. He hadn’t understood, at first, that it was meant to be a punishment. He was dumb in that way. Couldn’t see basic political maneuvering if it weighed him down with a fucking teenager who they weren’t even sure was force sensitive.  

2. murders and acquisitions, ghost band, (1/8 complete because that fandom can choooooke):

Terzo had arrived in a private jet, brutally hungover, hair tangled and stinking of sweat. In the car to the abbey he’d slept spread out on the backseat, shoes kicked up on the leather. 

3. we love the love of the wolf, liulao, mortal kombat (1/2 complete):

Liu Kang had been stretching into a handstand–tailbone tucked, neck extended–that would hopefully evolve into a one-handed spring when something huge and hard collided with him. If you’d have asked him at the moment he regained consciousness, he would have said it must have been one of the steel barrels they used to burn trash and heat the training ring, tipped over and trying to escape to relative freedom in the ravine beyond the temple, the wind in its, well, non-existent barrel hair. 

4. 13 angels gathered around a hospital bed, neymessi space au (???????):

When Leo wakes up, it’s very dark. It’s not the dark of nighttime in the cockpit or the dark of a systems malfunction; it’s something more alive and therefore, worse.  Something somewhere is burning. The smell is getting stronger, but more startling is the feeling of wind on his face, carrying ash, something gentle and soft brushing over his cheek. This means his face must be bare. And this means, he realizes, smoke filling his mouth and still-open eyes, he must be– 

5. outside child, mortal kombat (only the prologue, milena daughter-father character study):

“One thing about gods,” her father told her, “Is that they’re boring. What you see is what you get. Any depth is manufactured to make you feel at ease. If they even bother.” They’d been outside the last temple to the elder gods in Outworld, watching as the Kahn’s forces moved among pillars, silent and focused as ants.  “Can you believe people still pray to them,” he said, lip curling.

6. we built this up in one day, moonknight, marc/steven (1/4 finished can't make the pivot from hardcore bareback sex to whatever else im trying to say and steven's fucking rhumba class):

“Have you ever taken a holiday?” Steven asks. They’re in bed; Steven still thinks it’s funny to say well Marc, shall we retire? Before pulling up the covers, comfortable in his ownership of their shared life. It’s unnerving to Marc, who spent a year carting his belongings back and forth before Layla caught his elbow and said babe, I cleared a drawer for you in October. He still remembers the little crease between her brows when he’d said it was just in case she changed her mind. She hadn’t laughed. It hadn’t been a joke, even if he’d tried to make it one. Steven, on the other hand, delights in easy comfort now that he can get a full eight hours and is no longer at the whim of Marc and by extension, a stranger in his own body. Marc watches him smell Marc’s aftershave and text Layla about the new smoothie place by the station. He feels guilt and something like envy and then guilt again, pinging Steven mid-chop of some cabbage. Steven is sensitive. Marc is good at hiding, though, so he piles these things away, locked tight. Well, he tries. 

7. untitled boba fett and tusken civilization 20000 word thing i love and feel so strongly about but have not woked on for 8 months. it is literally my favorite and pooooorly presented here:

Boba had done a considerable amount of work on Tatooine, hunting various lowlifes and lowlife-adjacent civilians through the hardscrabble towns that clung to viable wells: Mos Eisley, Mos Pelgos, Mos Espa. He had tracked people into the desert, but they were usually offworlders who collapsed under the twin suns on the second day or careerists who knew better than to take their chances in the dune sea. He had never hunted a Tusken. For one thing, no sane person put bounties on them. No one could reliably find them, even if they were on good terms with the tribe, and those people were few and far between. 

what i've learned: we love to start on a dialogue tag, we are poor at setting the scene, i have excellent concepts but a poor delivery ratio. whatever. i would love to see what @steeple-sinderby-wanderers is up to but also this is kind of an insane ask lol.

[marlesbian]

My Wonderflower: their story

note: (if by this point you don't know what Wonderflower is I can't even with you fr. it's Alice/Lily btw now shush) (if u don't like the ship just ignore it) Of course since it's by me, it is 100% canon compliant, otherwise where's the fun amirite???

They met on Lily's first week at Hogwarts, Alice was a year ahead of her. She caught Lily crying alone on a corner because she was getting bullied by blood supremacists, and one girl called her a freak, which made her remember her sister. She told all of that to Alice and the other girl felt a wave of sympathy, even though she was an only child and a pureblood, she knew how awful those people were. So she took Lily by the hand and led them both to her room, she started playing Fleetwood Mac, to just look at the ceiling and forget about the world. A week later, Alice called Lily, it was time for her to teach the younger girl some "defensive" magic (it was actually offensive magic, hexes and jinxes to attack anyone who tried to mess with her). Any time Alice learned a cool new defensive spell, she also taught it to Lily as well.

So they became close, always having "dates" in the library to study, and Alice always invited Lily to her dorm to watch a movie. During vacations, Alice made sure to go at least once to Lily's city so they could go to the cinema together. Since she was a year ahead, she usually provided Lily with her notes from previous years, Lily even helped her with her studies sometimes. They shared clothes and records, and they could talk about anything, they never ran out of a topic to talk about and it was always interesting. They were closest to one another, besides their respective friend groups (for Lily; Marlene Mary, and for Alice; Emmeline, Caradoc and Benjy).

What Lily didn't know, whas that she was in love with Alice. She had always been, even from that first day when she took her to listen to Fleetwood mac, she had fallen in love with her. But she didn't want to think about the implications of falling in love with a woman, she didn't want to think about what it would be like to tell her family. Alice, on the other hand, was thrilled! she knew her parents wouldn't mind her being with a woman, much less her friends, yes it would be a problem to society but who gave a fuck? So she made her move.

They started dating when Lily was 15, and they kept it a secret, only their closest friends knew about it, they dated for two whole years. It made Alice angry, the fact that she couldn't scream to the rooftops that she was in love, she wanted to show her off to the world. One of the reasons Lily declined James that time he asked, was because she was with someone else, she didn't feel the slightest bit of interest for the boy, and besides, telling people was dangerous, especially with the war and all of that supremacist and traditionalist bullshit.

When Alice graduated, they really did try to stay together, they really really did. But it didn't work. They broke up the day after Alice's birthday, Lily had told a shitty excuse at school to spend the weekend away. They had the perfect honeymoon weekend, their last night together had been perfect, they had the sweetest goodbye, but Sunday had come and it was time to face reality, and the reality was that the war had caught up to them. Alice barely had time for anything since she was training to be an auror, Lily spent every second at that school it was very dangerous for alice to send correspondence or to communicate with anyone who wasn't physically by her side. It was time to face the music: they wouldn't end this war together. They both cried their eyes out, this was not what they wanted. Lily got back to Hogwarts devastated, eyes swollen from the crying and a feeling of emptiness in her chest. She got to see the girls and she just let it all go, told them everything, about how her heart was broken and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. She spent all week feeling like shit.

But, as always, time heals everything. The months passed and it stopped hurting, they could move on now. With the going of spring, came the feelings for someone else, and Lily felt good about it. She started dating James, two months later she found out Alice was dating Frank. They had found love again, a love that they could actually show in public, and this new feeling felt good. Frank proposed to Alice on the 2nd anniversary of *the* breakup, and she was so happy she didn't even notice. (when she did notice, she cried for a whole hour).

Life had moved on, they were both now happily married to their respective husbands. Fate had conspired for them to become mothers together, even if not how they had dreamed as teenagers. They were happy, their love for one another never died, it never would, it just changed.

[deusluxuria]

some random headcanons about pucci because i aaaaaa:

(warnings: christianity, child abuse, brief NSFW subjects)

Has a limp because of his foot, and uses a cane to walk. The cane is very fancy and looks like it could be Versace or some shit, but he actually made it himself.

Dio is more of a father figure to him than anything else. This was part of why he became so attached to Dio in the first place; he had been neglected by his parents and didn't really realize it yet. Dio, in turn, sees him as his surrogate child.

Developed PTSD and a stutter around age 19. He also ran away from home at that age, after breaking his father's nose, smacking him in the face with the heavy bible he was supposed to be studying from. He lived with various depraved people after that, until Dio found him and convinced him to go back home, despite Enrico begging to live with him. Dio explained that the two of them had similar childhoods, and tried to convince Enrico to murder his father so that Enrico's mother wouldn't incur the same fate as Dio's mother. Enrico planned it, but ultimately found he didn't have the courage.

He has DIY stick-and-poke tattoos in places that other people usually don't see (i.e. upper thigh, chest, abdomen). Though, he usually dresses to cover most of his body anyway, and people would still rarely see them even if he had some on his arms or lower legs. A few of them are:

-The logo for "A Band Called Death," a punk band, on the left side of his chest.

-Tori Amos, the musician, on his inner left arm.

-"I DON'T HAVE TO PROVE MYSELF TO YOU" in loud, angry letters on his right inner thigh, upside-down.

He was originally born in New Orleans. His parents moved to Florida when he was 6. He was extremely sheltered as a child and a young teenager, so he never really spoke to anyone else other than his parents, and thus maintained most of the accent. Wes and Perla only have a slight remnant of the dialect, but otherwise, people can't really tell where they're originally from.

Does a bit of everything in the arts. Drawing, painting, sculpting, singing, piano...

Before Dio's conquest for heaven started to possess Enrico's personality, his priesthood was largely a way for him to heal in others what he himself suffered from as a result of his childhood and adolescence. He became a prison chaplain not only to get away from his father's church, but to put his work where he believed it would do the most good.

As a prison chaplain (again, before Dio's interference), he had a mindset where he believed absolutely everyone has at least some good in them, no matter what. He would listen and extend compassion to anyone, no matter what they had done or been imprisoned for. He thought of that as one of the most fundamental parts of his job. He could go home at night and lay awake haunted by the crimes of those same prisoners, but he would still go to work the next day to hold their hands and tell them they're heard.

Almost never smiles or laughs, or is even in the mood to. The first time Dio saw him laugh, he was actually a bit stunned, and would say "it was like seeing the sun break through the clouds for the first time in over a hundred years."

He's known he was queer ever since his time being sheltered as a kid, but he didn't specifically realize he was gay until he ran off at 19.

When he ran away, he went to do "everything that would horrify his father," but none of it was in any safe way whatsoever. Unprotected sex, shared needles, living with terrible people, mixing drugs and alcohol, etc. Being very repressed and uninformed because of his parents' beliefs, he didn't know the extent of the risks -- not that he would have cared at the time.

Becoming a prison chaplain instead of remaining a clerical figure at his father's church probably saved him a great deal from the wrath of the Christian community in his parents' town, considering he has always been incredibly rebellious for a "Catholic" priest.