#and all my other school levelies

[okartichoke]

Thinking of home

(in honor of uni starting back up)

[marinehero-a]

     Also reminder that I generally tend to follow the rule of the bit !  As in, if it’s for the bit my characterization’s will vary wildly because we have fun here

[whilomm]

EAS SYSTEM TEST FAQ:

"huh what"

theres a test of the emergency alert system (EAS) for the united states on wednesday oct 4th 2023, 2:20 pm est (with a second test planned on the 11th if this ones canceled). its the system they use for amber alerts, weather alerts (like tornados/floods/hurricanes), stuff like that. will be sent to TVs, radios, phones, even if alerts are muted as far as i know

"what why"

bc they gotta test emergency systems sometimes. this happens on occasion.

"what is the government planning this is suspicious"

no its not its just. a standard test. they happen. we just havent had this specific type of phone one for a few years, they dont gotta test it as often as like. physical tornado sirens.

"okay but like are they trying to instill terror this reminds me of the terrorism threat leve-"

if they were doing that they wouldnt have been warning people of the upcoming test several months in advance

"why havent i seen it anywhere except for tumblr"

bc u havent like. paid attention to news stuff.

"okay well how do i verify this how do i know this isnt a hoax????"

....search for the news articles pictured above and read them.

"okay but WHY this is ANNOYING why is it in the MIDDLE OF SCHOOL/WORK"

bc systems gotta be tested on occasion to make sure they aint broken when you actually need them, and probs the time with the least risk of waking ppl up and making ppl even more angry

"i completely understand the purpose and i dont think its a government conspiracy but i still dislike it bc loud sounds/secret phone/epilepsy/whatever other reasons ive seen ppl site"

yeah 100% fair, thats why i and others are trying to warn so that ppl arent caught off guard (even if my warning was missing info like the time bc im dumb), i set a couple of notifs to pop up beforehand so i dont forget and get surprised, do what u gotta do to keep urself chill. shut off your phone, wrap it in blankets, be in another room from all ur tech while the test is happening, wear earplugs, etc. hope you're good!

"that thing about phones still going off when turned back on..."

oh yeah idk if thats true or nah. but eh, better safe than sorry, assume ur phone may or may not still be loud when u turn it back on, and plan for it if needed. idk where ppl are getting this tho and havent seen it verified myself. just be careful if this applies to you. maybe shove it into a blanket before turning it back on.

"is it gonna activate my covid vaccine mind control nanotech"

idk man probably not

"YAAAAAY EXTREMELY LOUD SOUND WEDNESDAY!!!!"

omgg yayyy!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[skitskatdacat63]

Happy Birthday to Seb, and Seb only.

+ some explanations

I realized as I was making this, some of the little stuff probably only makes sense to me, and maybe people who have been following me for a while atp. So I wanted to explain some of the little details I included cause I really love them!!

First of all, I wanted to incude my original sketch for this(from like 5 hours ago lmfao), bcs I find it sooooo cute. Look at him!! Little guy!

I. Fernando's Gift

This is of course a reference to the Fernando teddy bear, but more specifically to the vettonso comic with the bear I drew a while ago. As you can see from my sketch, this is the first gift I came up, which I'm pretty happy about!! It's always so cute to me no matter its form. Though...I don't think teddy bears existed yet in the early 1700s, but Fernando found a way, okay? I like to think Fernando is all gruff in the beginning, but gives Seb this or something similar and remarks "to keep you company when I'm back in Spain," and then he has to pretend he has food poisoning rather than living with having said something so sappy.

II. Mark's Gift

I don't think this is really a reference to any specific post of mine. Dog!Mark is just an important Mark characterization in general, but especially in boy king au where he is really reduced to the status of dog by virtue of his upbringing and vocation. He definitely plays this off as wanting Seb to get another hunting dog(something he advocates for often. Seb knows it's entirely self motivated but loves to humor him bcs its cute to see how much he loves dogs. Well Seb loves dogs too, one dog in particular-)

III. Jenson's Gift

AAAAHHHH I'm so proud of this one bcs of how many leves there are to it!! I couldn't for the life of me think of what Jense would gift him but then I remembered I characterize him as horse obsessed(read: ye olde carfucker.) So this is basically the ye olde version of him getting Seb ultra detailed minatures of his cars. HOWEVER this is also a callback to one of my favorite posts I've ever made, back when I translated Seb's car names into Latin. So it was fun to actually get to canonize that in a way. ALSO! BTW! Those horses are specifically Lipizzans, which are a very iconic horse breed in the Habsburg Empire and Vienna specifically. A horse breed sought after by the Habsburgs for both war but also riding schools, and they still remain as the breed of horse trained in Vienna's Spanish Riding School today. The emperor Seb is based on comissioned the school's main riding hall, and his portrait still hangs above where the riders enter. So I thought that was a fun little easter egg to include!

Also the characterization in this is so funny. I guess I'd consider them a polycule, like they're a unit and all have interesting relationships between each other. But one of the main focuses is the kinda love triangle between sebmarknando. Like Mark and Fernando constantly fighting for Seb'cs undivided affection and attention. But as per usual, Jenson, who is on the sidelines, swoops in effortlessly with the most perfect gift ever. I feel like he understands and gets along with Seb the best out of the three, but just doesn't want to deal with such a complicated thing so he's satisfied being a bit distant(he secretly takes a lot of joy one-upping the other two. It's impossible to not crave your ruler's attention, no?)

[sammygender]

just know that if there was any justice in the world. metamorphosis (4x04) would be here. it didnt quite 100% make the cut but im sick over it. its on equal level to most of these but one had to go. swan song should be here also. But Whatever.

other people pls do this its so fun and tell me your reasoning in the tags/comments <333

[the-atlas-sister]

𝕄𝕪 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖 (Part 1)

Neteyam x Na’vi!Avatar!Fem!Reader

Warnings!: Fluff

The hardest part of being best friends with the eldest Sully son was falling in love with him. 

Well, the falling in love bit was easy but the dealing with it was the hard part. 

“Quit falling behind, hì'i tsawke!” Neteyam teased, grinning at you from his ilu. 

“I am not falling behind!” you sneered back, smiling to yourself at the way Neteyam threw his head back with a smile of his own. 

The two of you had been inseparable since you were young. You were a product of Norm and the other remaining scientists trying to replicate the avatar product without the actual DNA of humans. To their surprise, it had worked, popping out a small avatar baby. Jake had offered to take you in, as he had with Kiri but Norm insisted that he could raise you, and he did. He taught you both the life of the Na’vi and the humans. You had always been thankful for his raising of you. 

Ever since you had been created, Jake had become a mentor to you. He often allowed you and Spider to be around his own children, enjoying how you would all play and bond. 

You had especially bonded with Neteyam early on, him being the eldest. You vividly remember him declaring that the two of you would remain together forever and that he would always protect you. This declaration had been made when you were children after he scared off an awfully ferocious school of fish in the river, but it was one you had never forgotten. 

Due to the closeness of the two of you, Neteyam insisted that you join the large family in your travels to the Metkayina clans. Jake thankfully obliged and you were allowed to remain with the boy. 

“Neteyam!” you called after him, watching as the boy dove under the water. You rolled your eyes at his antics. He was quick to reappear next you, a playful smile on his lips. 

“Yes, hì'i tsawke?” he said, swimming in a slow circle around you. 

“Let’s stop at a rock or a shore or something,” you suggested. “We could relax.” 

“Alright.” Neteyam looked around quickly before his eyes landed on a small and flat formation of rocks. His nodded towards it and you smiled. He led you to the rock, your ilu following close behind his own. 

The taller boy was quick to help you off the creature as soon as his feet hit the solid floor. 

“What should we do to relax?” you asked placing yourself on the smooth rock. 

“You can sing to me,” Neteyam suggested with a coy smile. “Like when we were young,” he added. 

You let out a small laugh. Like most of your memories with Neteyam, you vividly remembered the first time you had sang to him. You were both much younger, and it was after he had fallen trying to chase some sort of creature. His knee had been scraped up and little you had no idea what to do. So, you decided to sing to him like your father did when you were hurt or afraid. Ever since then you had gained a nickname and the heart of the Chiefs eldest son.

The song had become the connector between you two. After any fight or argument, you would simply sing the song and everything will get better.

“You are my sunshine,” you sang quietly, just as you did that day. “My only sunshine.” Neteyam slowly laid back, allowing his head to lean on your legs. “You make me happy when skies are gray.” He smiled up at you softly. “You never know, dear how much I-“

You stop your singing, voice catching in your throat.

“-how much I like you,” you finished. “So please don’t take my sunshine away.”

“Beautiful as always,” Neteyam complimented. You rolled your eyes with a blush, pushing aside the compliment. 

You looked back at the boy, feeling his eyes on you. Your face on my flushed more as he stared at you silently. “Y/n, I-“

He was cut off by the sound a loud horn.

“That’s the sound of the war horn,” you stated, sitting up quickly.

Neteyam nodded, rushing to his feet. “I need to go help my father,” he said, looking down at you. “Please stay here and stay safe.”

“But-“

“Please, hì'i tsawke,” he begged, kneeling down to your level.

“Alright,” you agreed, letting out a sad sigh. “You stay safe as well, Nete.”

“I will.” He quickly bent down and kissed your forehead before rushing away into battle.

hì'i tsawke: little sun

Part Two: https://www.tumblr.com/mooskey/723530108058599424/%F0%9D%95%84%F0%9D%95%AA-%F0%9D%95%8A%F0%9D%95%A6%F0%9D%95%9F%F0%9D%95%A4%F0%9D%95%99%F0%9D%95%9A%F0%9D%95%9F%F0%9D%95%96-part-2?source=share

[elliegoose]

got tagged by @annunakitty in a thing! yippee tag game!

now the tag game was to introduce yourself with:

one tv show

one movie

one album

one video game

however, i'm doing two for each category! why? because i'm cute and special and get to change the rules, of course! and also because i'm really enthusiastic about sharing my favorite things with people.

tv shows: adventure time & scavengers reign

not being able to pick between these two shows is the reason i'm doing two for each category. adventure time is my all-time favorite show hands down, but scavengers reign took second place (overtaking russian doll, which previously held that rank) when it absolutely blew me away earlier this year. i've watched it twice now and definitely plan on giving it a third watch sometime soon.

movies: i saw the tv glow (2024) & suspiria (2018)

as someone who repressed my gender really hard throughout most of college after flirting with transitioning in high school, this movie really spoke to me. i've seen it twice now and found a lot of value in the rewatch. i definitely want to watch it again at least one more time. this is an incredibly profound movie that has changed me as a person.

on the other hand, suspiria (2018) is an enduring favorite of mine for a very silly reason. it is a straight up good movie, but the actual reason it's my second pick for this post is that for like a year after first watching it, i kept seeing the mangled bodies of characters from it as sleep paralysis hallucinations. it was terrifying at the time but i find it incredibly funny to look back on, and think very fondly of this film in general. i got to rewatch parts of it for free irl! thanks, sleep paralysis demons!

albums: feather river canyon blues by pigeon pit & kudzu, devour everything! by levees

for two years now, feather river canyon blues has very unambiguously been my favorite album of all time. it's lomes oleander's bold, dense, imagery-filled lyricism at its best, backed by the full band that her voice deserves playing alt-country sounds that strike the perfect balance between gentle and energetic. it's simultaneously desperate and hopeful, joyous and melancholy, and at every moment filled to the brim with emotion and beauty. this album feels like watching every sunset at once surrounded by your best friends and loved ones. transgender folk music will save us. if you have to pick one song from this album to listen to, make it milk crates:

kudzu, devour everything! is the reason i started playing banjo. levees is a friend of a friend, and i was introduced to their music because said friend was praising this album in our friend group's discord server. i find levees' idiosyncratic manner of clawhammer playing--often very fast and full of non-traditional rhythms--to be absolutely magical. their songwriting is also excellent, full of vivid stories and characters sung about in prose that weaves effortlessly between the elegantly straightforward and beautifully dense. i also recommend listening to their album vultures, as well as quarantipilation volumes 1 & 2. it's actually not one of the songs that contains banjo, but if you have to pick one to listen to from this album, i recommend her/hymn/their, which won't embed for some reason but hey here's the link

(also, honorable mention to drink the sea by the glitch mob, which is the first album i ever really fell in love with, and which inspired little 13-year-old elise to grab a copy of ableton and learn how to make music myself. until feather river canyon blues came along, i would have probably picked drink the sea for this post.)

video games: signalis & mice tea

first off, i cried at the end of signalis! while streaming! it was really, really good!!! it has a delightfully dreadful atmosphere, great story, very interesting worldbuilding, phenomenal art style, and excellent character design. plus, it was great for practicing my german. i strongly recommend signalis to anyone who likes survival horror.

second off, yes, i am choosing mice tea, a transformation fetish visual novel, as my second pick here. judge me all you like. i stand by my choice. its story is fun! the characters are excellent! its humor and conceptual ridiculousness disarm you and make way for genuinely emotionally impactful storylines! it has a lot of interesting commentary on gender! it almost single-handedly turned me into furry! also, it's hot! go play mice tea!

now, finally, it is time to tag! don't feel pressured to pick multiple things or provide explanations like i did! i just enjoy doing more than is assigned lmao. tagging @rotten-spaceymage, @birras0, @citrusuprising, @roboticvenusian, @femboty2k, and anyone who sees this and wants to do it themselves!

[sergeantsporks]

Witch Switch: All of Part 2

Part 1

Part 3

Transcript under the cut

Cover: The Robin Roast Clock, but looks like Flapjack instead

[Opens on ticking clock made to look like the Robin Roast logo]

[Caleb sits at a table with a polite, uncomfortable smile while Principal Hal yells broken off phrases about Phillip]

Hal: Reckless behavior-- Destructive-- nearly got the school BANNED from the museum--Endangered himself and others--

[Caleb becomes even more anxious; he's still smiling, but his face is shadowed, the smile nervous and fake, and the world around him tunnels, Principal Hal's voice indistinct]

Manny: Hey

[Manny's voice snaps Caleb out of his spiral]

M: [smiling cheerfully and redirecting] We all know what Phillip did--I think it would be a better use of our time here to figure out solutions. Wouldn't you both agree?

H: [Calmed down, but a bit taken aback] Oh. Ah. Yes. I suppose

M: [out of sight] Great! Caleb?

Caleb: [relieved to almost crying] Yes, please

[Caleb lets out a relieved sigh, then looks up at Manny, who gives him a knowing "I've got your back" wink. Caleb looks down again smiling while Hal and Manny start discussing solutions]

[Shot of the outside of the cafe; through the window, you can see the three men discussing. Cut to Flapjack, who is watching everything from a perch in the inside of the awning]

Caleb: [wiping down tables] Hey, Um. thanks for helping me out back there.

Manny: [putting chairs up on top of the table] [cheerfully] My pleasure! Principals can be... a handful. Camila used to struggle with them, so I understand the pain.

C: [offscreen] Well, you have my thanks. Both of you. How is Camila?

M: [holding himself hesitantly] [sad] Ah. Well. The diagnoses has been hard on her. Hard on both of us, of course.

[Cut to Caleb, who is halfway through wiping a table, but has paused, listening intently]

M: It's a hard thing to accept. But I think we're both starting to come to terms with it.

C: [looking away to the ground] I'm sorry

[Cut back to Manny, who is leaning on a table]

M: [back to cheerful] Eh, hey, I just hope I make it until Phillip's an adult so I don't worry about you two anymore. Don't stress out over me.

[Caleb locks the door to the Robin's Roast Cafe behind he and Manny]

Caleb: Hey-- thanks again for tonight--

Manny: Seriously, Caleb, don't mention it. I'm sure-- watch the step-- I'm sure Phillip is getting antsy being by himself for so long.

C: Oh, I didn't leave him alone. My girlfriend's looking after him.

[Cut to just Manny, who's finger-gunning at Caleb]

M: [amused] HA, alright, Casanova. This the same girl from a couple years ago? The one Phillip was getting all tetchy about?

[Cut to Caleb, who's looking away, blushing slightly, one hand on his face]

C: Yeah... Evelyn. He's past that now (I think). But actually... there was something I wanted to ask you about

M: [disembodied] Yeah?

[Caleb has now fully tilted his head to look at the floor, away from Manny. His whole face is red]

C: Um... it's just... you know, it's been a couple of years, and things have been going REALLY well...

[Cut to Flapjack, who watches from the eaves with narrowed eyes]

C: [from below] She's really been there for me, and... I don't want our relationship to just stay where it is.

C: Which is why... I think I'm ready to take us to the next level

[Flapjack's jaw drops, and his eyes widen]

[Manny is looking up at the ceiling, one finger up in confusion]

Manny: The next leve-- oh.

M: [excited now] OH! Oh, congratulations!

Caleb: [offscreen] She hasn't said yes yet

M: Still! That's great, Caleb! Does Phillip know? And-- not that I'm not happy you told me, but what is it you need me for?

[Cut to Caleb, looking sheepish and not looking at Manny]

C: Oh. Well. It's just. I mean, you're the closest thing I've got to a...

[Cut to Manny, who is gently smiling in understanding]

C: [offscreen] ...Ah, never mind. Phillip is actually what I wanted to ask you about. Do you think he's ready for that kind of change? I'm worried that trying to bring someone else so completely into our lives will upset him, and maybe I should wait until he's older?

M: [considering] Well... I think you should definitely talk with him about it before you and Evelyn take any steps in that direction. Phillip has been... resistant to change in the past, and this is a pretty big change to make.

[Cut to Caleb, who seems anxious]

M: [offscreen] Ultimately, though... the choice is yours, Caleb. It's a choice that affects Phillip, and of course you should weigh his feelings heavily in the matter. But it is your decision. So, Caleb...

[Cut to Evelyn, who has her arms crossed and looks supremely unimpressed and a bit angry. Manny's words float around her]

M: ...What do you want?

[Caleb and Evelyn's heads are floating next to each other in a more cartoony style. Caleb is wincing, while Evelyn glares]

C: Am I in trouble?

E: Very.

[Caleb and Evelyn are having a conversation. Evelyn has her arms crossed and is angry while Caleb is apologetic and worried]

Caleb: Did Phillip...

Evelyn: Phillip was fine. (Well, he locked me out of the apartment, but that's whatever). I'm mad at you. If you're going to lie to your brother about where you're going to be, the least you could do is let me know so that I can lie too and not nearly tell him on accident

C: [wincing, sheepish] Ah, geeze. I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. Did he figure it out? (Also, he did WHAT?!"

E: Don't even worry about it. But Caleb...

[Cut to Evelyn, arms still crossed, but more confused/worried than angry]

E: Why are you lying to him in the first place? This is a big thing-- don't you think he should know what's at stake if he continues like this?

[Caleb takes Evelyn's hands, sad, while she looks concerned]

C: Look, I know it looks... bad... that I'm lying to him. And it is! I don't like doing it! But I'm worried he'll over-correct and make himself miserable if he knows. If it gets worse, if despite our best efforts he does something like this again, I'll tell him. Just... trust me?

[Evelyn looks away with a small, sad smile while Caleb smiles back]

E: Okay. I trust you.

[Evelyn, on a motorcycle, waves goodbye to Caleb. She speeds through Gravesfield, eventually ending at the old house, where she gets off. The motorcycle disappears, and she holds out a hand for Flapjack]

[Cut to her hand clicking the key portal]

Evelyn: Some hypocrite I am, huh, Flap?

[Her ears poof into witch ears]

E: I mean, who do I think I am, telling Caleb not to lie to his brother when I’m hiding everything I am from him?

[Flapjack chirps]

E: I know, I know, you’re right.

[Cut to Caleb, who stands outside of the door to the room he and Phillip share]

C: Evelyn’s right.

E: [disembodied] I should tell him soon.

C: We’re not supposed to lie to each other.

E: [disembodied] But I wouldn’t even know how to start!

C: I just… don’t want to worry him.

[Cut to dual panel, Caleb placing one palm and his forehead against the door while Evelyn puts her palm and forehead against her side of the portal door]

C&E, simultaneously: I’ll tell him when I’m ready.

[End Part 2]

[maccreadysbaby]

A Hundred Ways to Become a Wayne

batfamily + oc insert

tw: none

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

*deep inhale* ah, yes, the smell of approaching chaos

part thirteen

❝ AQUAINTANCES ❞

SATURDAY — AUGUST 8 — 4:30AM

ASTEN SLEPT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF BENTLEY’S KING BED THAT NIGHT.

He envied the way Asten could fall right back asleep after everything he’d been through. He was all curled up under Bentley’s gray comforter, his black and blue hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the dark sheets. 

Asten had been eerily quiet since the car ride. Bentley didn’t blame him, not at all. Bruce didn’t try to make him talk: he only asked him a few things, like if he needed anything to eat, or his preferred sleeping arrangement. Everything offered was quickly declined and he made it clear he just wanted to go to bed.

Neither he nor Bentley changed their clothes, they just crawled up into his bed and laid there, with one lamp on, in silence.

And that’s exactly what Bentley was still doing. Asten had fallen asleep long ago — the sun was probably going to come up in an hour or two. Maybe Bentley would’ve been able to rest if his sleep schedule wasn’t so screwed up.

He’d been sitting up against the headboard, mindlessly playing games on his phone, listening to Asten’s even breathing. There wasn’t much left for him to do but sit there and swim in his own thoughts, which had been a strange mix of what would happen if the Secret Keeper found them, wondering if he upset Dick by leaving the hospital bed, what would’ve happened if Tim hadn’t been able to get to Asten fast enough, and a slew of other mildly unpleasant things regarding their current situation.

His first ever sleepover had been brought about by a horror-movie-level supervillain chasing a kid he’d known for five days around downtown Gotham. Given what his life had held so far, he should’ve expected something like that.

Bruce had poked his head in once, and Bentley just sort of waved at him. They exchanged a few texts afterwards, but it had been a while since then, and Bentley hoped he went back down with Dick. Dick deserved having his dad down there with him.

When the clock struck 4:33am, and the after-patrol bedroom doors had been closed for a while, Asten stirred, humming incoherently.

Bentley glanced over at him, watching him shift around until he pulled the comforter up and over his head.

He mumbled almost incoherently in Portuguese, running all his words together. “Não… não. Por favor, não leve minha mãe embora. Por favor, não a leve embora.”

“Asten?” Bentley questioned, shifting slightly to face him.

“Não. Por favor. Não a tire de mim. Eu não quero ficar sozinho…”

Bentley reached over and tapped at the wiggling blankets. “Asten.”

A few seconds later, Asten’s head popped out, hair a mess, and he blinked. “Huh?”

“You were talking,” Bentley replied quietly. Asten cringed, so Bentley added: “Not in English.”

“What time is it?”

He glanced over at his glowing clock. “Four-thirty-four.”

“Ugh,” Asten grumbled, tugging the comforter back over his head. “You haven’t been able to sleep?”

“No,” Bentley replied. “I slept for a while after school.”

Asten’s voice was muffled under the blanket. “Guess I was really lucky your sleep schedules botched, huh?”

Bentley glanced over at the Asten-shaped lump in the blankets.

“You would’ve been okay,” He tried.

“You and I both know I would’ve been dead,” Asten replied, pulling the blankets off of his head. (Which made his hair even messier.) “It might be scary to think about, Whittaker, but you answering that phone probably saved my life. For real.”

Bentley said nothing. Most of him wanted to disregard that, to say that surely Asten would’ve been fine, but there was a small part of him that knew he was probably right.

“And I realize I’m staying at your house within like, a week of meeting you, and that’s kinda weird.” He continued, bringing the blanket back over his head. “So, sorry.”

“It’s not that weird,” He stated simply, fiddling with the edge of the blanket. “I mean, you’re my friend, aren’t you?”

Asten let out a huff of a laugh. “I’d like to think so. I knocked out a bully for you and you kept me from getting murdered, I’d say that surpasses the acquaintance category.”

Bentley shrugged. “I guess I’m just not the best at telling who likes me and who doesn’t.”

A moment of silence passed, and Bentley’s mind lingered on Damian.

“I guess you never really know. People can be fake right up until they’re not,”

Considering that Damian could’ve been fake-liking him the whole time didn’t make Bentley feel any better.

“So, ginger, I’m sleeping next to you and hardly know anything about you,” Asten stated, sitting up slightly against the headboard and pulling the blanket off his head again. “You’re not from Crime Alley or Bristol, you don’t sound like either of those. Where are you from?”

Bentley took in a breath, and let it out. “Drew.”

“That’s the city next to Bludhaven, isn’t it?” He questioned.

“I think so,” Bentley stated, trying to remember all the aerial maps he’d seen on the Batcomputer.

“I’m from São Paulo, a city in Brazil,” Asten explained, pulling his knees up sort of like Bentley usually did.

Bentley shifted against the headboard. “Why did you move here?”

Asten quieted.

“My, uh… parents died a couple years ago. In a car crash,” He said, speaking softer than he had been. “I don’t have any family in Brazil, grandparents or anything. My only relative was my dad’s brother, who lives here. So that’s who I went to.”

Bentley cringed, watching the way Asten’s eyes lingered on his own hands. He really did suck at talking to people, didn’t he?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad,” He muttered, bringing his knees up, too.

“Hey, no sweat, kid.” Asten reached over and bumped him on the shoulder, quickly ridding his face of any undue emotion. “I’m fine. How’d you end up in Bruce Wayne’s house, anyway?”

Bentley quickly weeded through all the things he couldn’t tell Asten, which was basically everything. What was he supposed to say?

“My dad… got arrested… last December,” Is what he settled on. “And my mom died when I was a baby. My dad knew Bruce.”

“Oh,” Was what Asten replied. And then he snorted. “We are some little pity-fest, aren’t we?”

The word pity didn’t make Bentley feel any better, either. But he forced a little smile on nonetheless.

“Why are you in my classes when you’re older than me?” Bentley questioned, desperately trying to change the subject.

“I was homeschooled in Brazil, so credits and stuff were different when I moved here,” Asten explained, shifting so his position was mirroring Bentley’s. “You were homeschooled, weren’t you?”

Did anything his father did count as homeschooling? Bentley wasn’t dumb by any means, and he knew the basics of math and stuff. 

“Uh, yeah,” He replied. Technically he was, right?

Had he been lying to Asten this whole time? He couldn’t exactly tell him his dad was using him to destroy Batman, and he didn’t really think it was a societal norm to tell the first person you meet that you were abused and neglected for your whole life.

This whole double-life thing was hard. Of course, this wasn’t as hard as when he was trying to do his father’s work, but it was still hard.

“You seem like a homeschool kid,” Asten said with a smirk.

Bentley quirked his brow. “How?”

“Y’know, you just… have that way about you that lets me know you haven’t interacted with many people. It’s not a bad thing,” He insisted. “You’re similar to Nico, and he was homeschooled for a while, too.”

Bentley nodded slightly. (At least Asten thought he was homeschooled and not purposefully kept from outside contact by his abuser.)

“We can’t tell him about any of this Secret Keeper stuff, by the way. Nico. He’ll die on the spot,” Asten said, running a hand through his messy hair. 

“Okay,” Is all Bentley replied. With the reactions he’d seen from Nico so far (nearly crying over riding the bus, having an asthma attack over riding the bus, crying in the janitors closet when he wasn’t even the one afraid…) he really wouldn’t doubt it.

A few moments of silence passed. “Hey, Bentley?”

He looked up at Asten, brown eyes meeting green. “Yeah?”

“Have you really not seen her since your dream?” 

Bentley shook his head, pulling the blanket further onto his lap. “No, I haven’t. Not even when we went to pick you up.”

“I don’t think she’s alone,”

Bentley pinched his brows together, glancing over at Asten, who was staring off, deep in thought.

“What do you mean?”

Asten looked up at him, then down. “She was branded. Behind her left ear. I saw it in my dream — A symbol that looked like a weird A.”

Bentley sat up straighter. “Whats branded?”

“It’s, like… where you form metal in a certain symbol, then heat it up and burn the symbol onto someone’s skin. Like a mark that they belong to someone else,” He explained. “Luckily it’s not a common thing.”

Bentley squirmed a little in his spot, thinking about being branded by red-hot metal. “You… think she has a boss?”

Asten shrugged. “It’s just a thought. People don’t usually just brand themselves. Unless they’re trying to trick you and she knows I saw it, in that case, I don’t know.”

Another tense silence passed, but the way the gears were turning in each of their heads was nearly audible.

“You said in the car, you wanted your face to be the last thing she ever saw,” Bentley started, glancing up at him. “Would you actually go after her?”

Asten’s eyes lingered on his for a few moments, and something like a storm glimmered in the back of his green eyes. Similar to at school, but not so prominent. “If she’s going to make our lives miserable, then the least I can do is make her’s a hellscape in return. Why?”

Bentley glanced at his bedroom door, thinking of the family beyond.

“Because I…” Want to be good enough for them.

“… Want to help you.”

Asten searched his face for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll have to beat the police,” He suggested.

Bentley shrugged. “And Batman.”

Asten smirked lightly. “You think we can do it?”

I’ve been trained into a deceptive weapon and living with the greatest detectives in the world, he wanted to reply.

“I think we need a plan,” Was what he said instead.

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld 💚

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @cademygod

[bradycore]

okay here’s the thing about bloody mary. it’s one of the most essential episodes of one of the best seasons of the show. it’s literally the kickoff for the beloved psychic sam arc, and the way it’s done is BRILLIANT. the rambling is under the cut, but first i’ll say that of course the born-again identity is a fantastic episode. it has sam 1) making a friend and 2) suffering immensely, plus the plot-driven sam elements too, so i’m here for it, i am! but it’s NOT bloody mary.

so you’ve got all the nostalgic classics of this era of the show (which i'm having to cut down on for length oops): familiar lore but a good mystery; the lighting & desaturation, the clothes & hair, the shots that are eerily similar to ones seasons down the line (the ahbl and levee parallels alone, oh my god!!!); salmondean lying out of their asses and failing miserably; the bantering; “it might not be our thing” “when is it ever not our thing”; more lying and snooping; the side character of the week experiencing some genuinely scary shit, like, actual horror-movie horror; lines that are funny when you watch them but horribly ironic in hindsight (“600 years of bad luck”); committing b&e and property damage...you get the gist. and sam comes from all this. you can take s7 era away from sam and still have him, but you can't take away this. the roots of the show are the roots of him.

anyway, throughout it all, sam has nightmares. horrible nightmares that we experience with him, but we think they’re normal, and dean thinks they’re normal, and then sam says he has a secret. and we realize that it’s been building up to something. the pinnacle: sam, eyes bleeding, black veins crawling up his face, trying desperately to kill his own reflection as it tells him he’s inhuman. how many times did we see this happen metaphorically over the next five seasons? how huge is this theme for his character? and right here, right now, late at night in an old antique store in midwestern ohio, this is when it starts, when it’s raw, when he’s face to face not with a random character parallel but with himself and the literal mirrors all around him are the inescapable threat and we the audience have our stomachs drop as we realize for the first time that he’s not the Normal One. he’s the Other. there is something Wrong. you had those nightmares for days before she died.

and his reflection told him it was his fault jess died. and he tells the motw victim’s daughter that it’s okay, you couldn’t have stopped your loved one’s death, you should forgive yourself; but when he gets in the car with dean, he keeps his secret. to be normal, to be safe.

and then that last fucking shot, oh my god, those five incredible seconds of cinema: jess standing on a street corner as they drive away with the classic rock music in the background. continuing to raise the question of his psychicness, and ephemeral as ever in her white nightgown, wind in her hair, staring right at him and then she’s gone. and 15 seasons later he will still be thinking about her, and this moment is the last time he ever truly sees her.

this episode is so fundamental. it captures the essence of old-school-spn sam while having narrative and cinematic elements that set the stage for his character throughout the entire rest of the show. born-again identity is sam with a crisis in a hospital; bloody mary is sam with a crowbar and a secret. born-again identity is one of those episodes that’s about him; bloody mary is one of those episodes that’s the heart of him. and bloody mary deserved to win.

[nebulablakemurphy]

Through Love And By Love (Pt. 4)

Draco Malfoy x Fem!OC

Summary: Twenty-Two years ago, Draco Malfoy used the imperius curse to slow Voldemort’s rise to power. No good deed goes unpunished. Warning: this series contains mature subject matter surrounding use of the imperius curse, reader discretion advised.

1 | 2 | 3

Rosanna wakes alone, it’s not yet morning. The clock on the bedside table reading 3:15 AM. She forces her body from the warmth of their bed, following the sound of tinkling piano keys down to the parlor.

She finds Draco there, sat at the piano, in dim candlelight.

He feels her presence before he sees her. Shoulders tensing a bit before he turns to the intruder. “Did I wake you?”

“No,” Rosanna hesitates before admitting, “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“That makes two of us.” Draco pats the piano bench beside him.

Rosanna closes the distance between them, making herself comfortable on the oak bench that matches the glossy, black, finish of the grand piano.

Draco places a hand on her belly, his palm swiftly greeted by a kick. “That makes three of us,” he amends his previous statement. “Rambunctious little thing. Gets that from you.” Draco traces what he can only assume to be the babe's foot, across Rosanna's skin.

“They’re having a party in there.”

Draco smiles, pressing kisses to her bump. "I know, first hand, how lonely it can be growing up a Malfoy. Forced to conform to my parent's ideals. I never had many friends, just people who hung around for my name.

I think their reputation may proceed them, at school. Others might shy away, or worse, they’ll attract the wrong sort.” In truth, that’s why he’s asked for more children; more than he wants to hold them in his arms, more than he wants to see her in their tiny faces, he doesn’t want their child to be alone.

Rosanna feels the tears welling in her eyes. "People might treat them differently, we can't protect them from that. All we can do is teach them to be kind and true to themself, that they’re always loved."

"I've been thinking- it's about time they had a proper name. If there's one you have in mind, we should use it. But if not... I quite like Leo. It means-"

"Lion." She finishes for him.

"Brave and true. Any child of yours will be just that." Draco explains, fondly.

"Leo," Rosanna tests it out. The name feels right, their baby feels like a, "Leo." She says again, with finality. "So you do want to stick to constellations?"

"We don't have to." Whatever she wants.

Rosanna nods, turning her attention back to the abandoned keys.

“Do you play?” Draco wonders.

“I can play chopsticks.”

“I could teach you.”

“Sometime when I’m not half asleep.” She has nothing better to do. “Maybe you could play for me.”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve learned this one just for you.” Draco wastes no time, repositioning his hands, “feel free to sing along.”

Rosanna wonders what it’ll be, a love ballad, surely. Something deep and meaningful, destined to make her cry…but no. Not at all.

Draco plays the melody with a cheeky smirk, looking to Rosanna expectantly as he plunks out the first note of the chorus.

“So, bye, bye, Miss American Pie,” Rosanna can’t help but return his playful smile. “Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye, singin', this’ll be the day that I die.” She knocks his shoulder with her own. “Enough.”

“Very well,” Draco lets his hands fall back into his lap. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What do you want to be?”

“What do I want to be?” Rosanna’s brows furrow.

“Do you want to be a housewife? Would you rather work for the ministry? Or perhaps become a potions master? A writer? Journalist? Professor?” He pauses, “I’ve told you what I want, but those are my dreams, not yours.” Draco searches her eyes with his own. “What do you want to be?”

“Well,” Rosanna stammers, “I want to be a good mother and a good wife. I want to be close to my friends and…” She pauses, feeling a bit guilty for saying it, when she knows how hard he’s trying to make her happy. “I want to finish school and see the world. Maybe I could try out for the Holyhead Harpies, I miss quidditch.” Rosanna breathes, “more than anything, I want to be free.”

“You will be free, Ro.”

Something catches her eye, down near the place where his hands are resting. He follows her gaze…the mark.

"I'm the one who has to live with it, not you." Draco explains, clearing his throat. He never considered that it mark might bother her to look at.

"No, I wasn't-" Rosanna breaks off, seeing the exasperated look on Draco's face. "Ok, well I was looking, but it's not what you think." She explains.

"What then?" He sighs.

"It looks different, lighter." The girl explains.

"Trick of the light." He doesn't need to see it, to know it can't fade.

"Will you just look?" Rosanna insists.

"I’d rather look at you.”

“Very smooth, Malfoy," Rosanna purses her lips. "But, you're not getting off the hook that easily."

He rolls his blue eyes at her. “That’s Draco to you.”

"Or what?" Rosanna challenges. "Your father will hear about this?" She laughs, lightly, at her own joke.

"Piss off," he snorts, moving his forearm toward the light. Blinking at it in disbelief; because she's right, it's not half as dark as it was a week ago, or even a day ago.

Rosanna traces it with her finger, "am I right? Or am I right?"

"Dunno." He swallows, unsure if he's imagined it.

"Maybe you should show your Dad. I wonder if his is doing the same thing." Rosanna suggests.

"Do you often think of my father while we're alone together? Do you fancy him?" Draco cocks his head to the side, it's his turn to have a laugh.

"Eww." She crosses both arms over her chest.

"It's a fair ask." The boy shrugs. "This is the second time you've mentioned him in the past five minutes."

“I hate you."

“You love me,” Draco corrects her.

“I do, don’t I?”

The image of a young Draco dancing across her mind. Much too young for her to have known him.

By the time she realizes what's happened, or has a chance to stop, she's pushed from his mind.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Rosanna apologizes, immediately.

The trick with Legillimacy, at least in her experience, is that she can’t control if and when she sees things. Especially once she gets close to someone. Others would give an arm or leg to be born with a gift like that.

"I'm not angry, you surprised me is all." Draco stops her, feeling physically ill when Rosanna flinches away. "Don't," he chokes out, against the lump in his throat. "It’s alright." Draco insists, reverently.

"No, Draco-" Rosanna remembers the horror stories he’d told about having his mind searched, invaded by his Aunt Bellatrix when she’d taught him the art of occlumency.

"Rosanna, I want you to see me."

Her hand trembles, reaching out to touch his face, allowing the images to flood her mind once more.

Draco is five, sitting with Lucius and Narcissa. He wants to play with children his age, the only ones he's allowed are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, they'll have to do.

Draco receives his Hogwarts letter. Lucius once again drills into him the importance of Slytherin house and how all other houses are less than.

Draco is presented with a wand by Narcissa, 'the best wand.' But seeing as it never had a chance to choose him, it takes a while to give it's allegiance.

Under his father's request, a young Draco attempts to befriend Harry Potter, who is quick to reject his outstretched hand.

Second year their rivalry continues when they become seekers for opposing houses. Calling Hermione a 'filthy little mudblood,' when she accuses Malfoy of buying his way onto the quidditch team.

Then third year, the cheeky girl with the accent. Grading his nerves during their project, worming her way into his dreams, even worse, into his heart.

His fear of rejection, fear of disappointing his parents, fear of caring for her more than he should. Jealously over her friendship with Harry and Ron, being angry for hours if one of them lean in too close or if their eyes linger too long.

The dress he’d chosen for her, fourth year. How nervous he was to ask her to the Yule Ball to begin with. Overhearing Dean Thomas and Fred Weasley debating if Rosanna was truly interested in a prat like Malfoy.

Taking a spot on the inquisitorial squad fifth year, to protect Dumbledore's Army, even though it was run by Potter. The nights spent with Rosanna, learning to produce a patronus. Thoughts of her bring the silver lion to life, bounding off the walls of his dorm room. He's not entirely surprised to learn that his patronus is the same as hers.

That Christmas being the worst of his life, the way her tears threatened his resolve. How many times he nearly crumbled and wrote her during their separation. The way the days seemed to drag on, leaving a Rosanna sized hole in his heart.

Pretending he was fine, happy even, that she never meant a thing to him. Lying to his family, biting his tongue when his father made remarks about her. Oftentimes laughing through the pain in his chest.

When Lucius is taken to Azkaban, part of Draco is relieved. The other, larger, part is devastated. Despite it all, Draco loves his father. Wanting to reach out to Ro before committing himself to Voldemort, ultimately deciding it was too dangerous.

Being ashamed when she confronts him on the train and wishing he could scrub the mark off his skin. Hating how nervous and sad Rosanna's eyes are as she leaves, almost calling her back.

Mending the vanishing cabinet, feeling hopeless all the while. Returning home for Christmas and overhearing his mother and aunt discussing the prophecy.

'It's a baby, Cissy.' Bellatrix purrs to Narcissa. ‘Born from the dirt, through he, blossoms. It’s the filthy blood from the girl’s mudblood mother.’

'He’s just a boy.' Narcissa argues.

‘Draco should be honored to serve the dark lord, as should you.’

Telling Rosanna of their fate, knowing there's nothing he can do. The anger that consumes him, when his mother confirms the pregnancy. Being unable to control his sobs, when he feels the child stir in her belly. Rosanna finally waking up as he hopes beyond all hope that she's not disgusted by him.

Instead, she asks if he's ok, if he missed her. Taking nothing for granted and living each day with her to the fullest.

Knowing that during their duel with the trio, she was going to cause a distraction, still being gutted when he hears her scream. How much he truly enjoyed waiting on her hand and foot for seven entire days.

Loving her more with each passing second. Reading up on his baby books when he can't fall asleep. Dreaming about their child, unbeknownst to Rosanna, hoping for a brown eyed, Gryffindor, with her smile.

Rosanna finally breaks their connection. Draco can be an ass when he wants to be, therefore very few people have the pleasure of truly knowing him. “Thank you.”

Lucius clears his throat, from the entryway, startling them apart. “Draco, I need a word with you.”

Draco’s father has a nasty habit of sucking all the air out of a room.

“Give us a minute.” Draco pecks a kiss to Rosanna’s cheek.

“I’ll be upstairs.” She moves to stand, squeezing Draco’s shoulder, in parting.

Lucius waits until she is out of earshot to make his move. "Let me see your mark." He extends his arm, for comparison.

Draco obeys, peering down at them. "What's it mean?”

"The Potter boy is getting stronger, destroying horcruxes surely. We should have been the ones to turn him over to the dark lord." Lucius seethes.

"He doesn't know Potter was here, unless Bellatrix told him." Draco replies.

"Don't be daft Draco, of course she's told him." Lucius knows Bellatrix's allegiance was never to them. "He's not pleased, however the child is of utmost importance."

"Why do you care?" Draco asks his father. "Why do his bidding?"

"Son, you've heard the stories-"

"I've heard stories of a great man; I have yet to see a great man. I have seen a creature, who may have been a man once. One who is vile and cruel, whose only desire is to harm. I don't understand." Draco leans forward.

"Keep your voice down." Lucius scolds him like a child.

"All my life, you were on about blood purity, how we were somehow better; more powerful than blood traitors and half bloods. You must know it's a lie. Rosanna is better than you, she's better than me, she's better than the lot of us put together. She's not going to stand with him. She is good." Draco annunciates each word.

"Have you considered what will happen if you fail the dark lord?" Lucius asks, reaching the end of his patience. "If you love Rosanna, you'll convince her to swallow her pride-"

"Pride has no part in this." Draco swallows, harshly. "I will not force her hand. I will not take the light inside of her and snuff it out."

"Do you think her lot will ever truly accept you?" Lucius tuts. "That they will simply, excuse your past actions? You will always be a suspect, they will never trust you."

Draco squares his shoulders, “she’s worth it."

"She will die for this Draco, you will die for this." Lucius steeples his hands in front of his mouth, in frustration. "I realize I've been harsh, but never because I don't love you, rather because... I do." Lucius chokes up a bit. "I beg you both; reconsider."

Part 5

[hashipond]

Because you're my best student（damian×jon fanfic）

The staff room at West Levee Academy is a noisy place. It is a place where there is always constant conversation between students and teachers.

Jon was carrying a printout with his homeroom teacher.

"It's great to have you here to help me get things done"

The teacher muttered to him as he was tidying up. Helping others is a natural thing for both Superboy and Jon personally.

"Of course, you can always call on me. sir"

Jon smiled and the door to the staff room opened. Jon looked over and rolled his eyes. His friend and partner, Damian, had visited the staff room. He glanced at Jon, who raised his eyebrows and turned to the teacher he was looking for.

It was a rare occasion, but Damian was still nothing if not affable. Jon sighed inwardly and turned his attention back to his teacher, who was beaming next to him.

"Damian Wayne, you are a man of great talent!"

Praise echoed throughout the staff room. The word had spread quickly since Damian had transferred to the school. As he listened to everyone talk about him as a brilliant loner, Jon wondered if he would get along with the people at the school a little better.

He certainly had his faults, being sarcastic and blunt, but if you got to know him properly, you would find that he was a surprisingly caring person.

"You are a rare honor student with impeccable grades in all subjects. I wish you continued success in your academic endeavors."

"Did you call me here to reaffirm a fact that is already well known, sir?"

The most jovial and most knowledgeable teacher in the school shook his head.

"No, I called you here to show you where it goes."

Damian raises his eyebrows, unsure of the intent of the teacher's smile.

"I mean, are you interested in becoming a teacher? I mean, are you interested in becoming a teacher? From your evaluations of my classes so far, I've heard that geology is the subject you've been focusing on the most"

Jon felt Damian's eyes widen slightly.

At that moment, Jon remembered. Before transferring to another school, he had surreptitiously impersonated a teacher at Jon's school. He had been a substitute, but his teaching had been flawless. And most of all, that geology was a subject that Damian had been so passionate about as a child that he was pursuing a Ph.

The temperature in the staff room seemed to have dropped three degrees. The bustle was the same as before Damian entered, but Jon was more focused on Damian's next words than anything else.

"It's an honor, sir."

His voice sounded proud and taut.

"But actually, I already have a student"

The teacher's questioning phase and Jon's breath caught for a moment at the same time.

"I'm afraid I've got my hands full teaching that student."

"You're already tutoring him?"

'Well, the situation is similar to that. I'm personally going to see to it that the student becomes a full-fledged professional."

"By your own education?"

"Yes, of course."

Jon stares in amazement at the conversation going smoothly a few meters away.

Why is it that, although they have not exchanged a single glance since then, their gazes seem to be as sharp as knives. It was as if their gazes were able to penetrate Jon's psychic powers.

"But given your abilities, it seems to me that they are compatible. And given your earlier reaction, you're not entirely disinterested, are you?"

"Yes, therefore"

Damian shifted his gaze to Jon. It lasted less than a few seconds, but Jon felt as if he were in a golden moment.

"I'll consider it carefully and make a decision. I'm in charge of guiding and teaching others. I have to decide carefully."

A chime rang. It signaled the end of the lunch break, which to Jon seemed to be the bell that signaled the end of peace and quiet.

"I see…well, if you insist. Can I ask you one last question, Mr. Damien?"

"Anything."

"What kind of student would make you say that much?"

Damian's mouth arched. Without a pause, a tone of assurance echoed through the air.

"The cockiest, angriest, most difficult student I've ever had to keep an eye on"

Jon's vision seemed to turn red for a moment. If only this wasn't a school. I cast an angry glance at him whenever possible. Damian didn't care and nonchalantly closed the staff room door.

"Jon. Your next class is about to start."

The teacher called out to me and I hurriedly thanked her. Anger was followed by impatience. This was all Damian's fault. Jon firmly decided that he would definitely go to him after school.

＊

"Damian? If it's him, he's already gone home first."

Is today a bad day for Jon?

His last class dragged on for fifteen minutes as he explained the test. I ran up the stairs to Damian's classroom, but his target had already moved on. With a hazy feeling in his heart, Jon headed for the Super sons base.

Opening the door a little roughly, I saw Damian spinning his pencil.

"Can't you even knock properly, Jon?"

"Damian, you're such a…!"

"Good God, that's why you're such a bad student"

"I'm not your student and you're not my teacher!"

"I have a duty to look out for you, no matter what."

Damian muttered in a serious volume. Jon's anger was almost drowned out by this.

"Fine, I'm not looking out for you. If you really want to be a teacher, you don't need to worry about me!"

His hand stopped spinning the pencil. His eyes met Damian's, who was wrinkling the corners of his eyes. Jon couldn't help but move closer to him.

"Why are you acting all dressed up and saying, "I already have a student." Only you can decide that for yourself.."

"Jon."

"Your mother made you give up your dream once! You looked sad when you told me that. Your teacher's proposal was very valuable, and you wanted it more than anything, but you turned it down! And you turned it down because of me, of all people!"

"Jon!"

The two men continued to glare at each other.

Normally, he would have let his emotions get the better of him and jumped on Damian, but this time, Jon just couldn't do it. He had no justifiable reason to do so.

Jon sighs, feeling like he's been pushed around all day. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a handkerchief.

"……What?"

"Wipe your tears."

"I don't want it."

"……TT, I can't even talk to you now."

Damian reached out and touched Jon's cheek. A touch of the handkerchief followed. The handkerchief itself was fluffy to the touch, and Jon felt again a sense of antipathy toward Damian, perhaps because of the Wayne family influence.

"You've got one thing wrong."

Damian ended the silence that filled the base as they faced each other.

"You didn't listen to me. When did I ever tell you to butt out? You wouldn't have done that. I've been looking for this opportunity for a long time. Now that I've heard you say yes, I'll be very grateful and pursue my career as a teacher."

"……?"

"I was going to talk it over with you and make a decision. I didn't think you'd push me this far."

"I mean," Jon thought, "I'm the one who's preventing Damian's dream. He wondered if he was the reason Damian's dream was not being held back, or if he was the reason Damian's dream was coming true.

"D, Damian."

"In return, you have to promise me something."

"What?"

Damien's fingertips touch his cheek. His rough, rough hand now caresses Jon's cheek.

"When I first start teaching people geology, you're definitely going to be at the front of the line."

"Why, all of a sudden?"

"This time, I'm going to show you what a real teacher looks like."

With a determined smile, Damian muttered, "I'm going to show you what a real teacher is this time."

Jon would be lying if he said that his smile did not catch his attention. His smile was not a smile of meanness or a successful mission, but an innocent smile like the one he had one day when he and Jon flew in the sky together.

Perhaps that was the reason. A smile is contagious. Before Jon knew it, his cheeks had relaxed. Damian gazed at it with satisfaction, then leaned over and dropped a mark on Jon's cheek, forehead, and lips. He was apparently infatuated with Jon's smile, and he made his mark.

Jon was stunned again. He couldn't believe what Damian had just done. Jon tried to speak to him, but his mind was so jumbled that he had no idea what to say. "I knew it, you're the best kind of student," he said.

So Jon had no idea how to deal with Damian, who was smiling slyly, and he had no idea how to deal with him at all, which was impossible.

＊

At 9:30 p.m., Jon came home after his routine night patrol. Lois greeted him.

She said, "Welcome home. How was the city?"

"No different than usual. We helped people today, as usual."

"You did a good job. There's some jelly in the fridge. I'll go get it."

While he was talking with Lois, the front door was opened. Jon's father, Clark, had returned.

"John," Clark said, "what's going on with you and Damian?"

Jon shook his head at his father's casual question.

"I just got a call from Bruce. He said that Damian really wants to take the helicopter to school with him tomorrow. He said you've been curious about his helicopter ride for a while. He wants to get to know the school again with Jon. For what it's worth, I'm glad Damian likes the school."

The conversation was interrupted as the jelly was placed in front of them. The cold jelly tasted incredibly delicious.

Jon feel my slightly confused head cool down. Dessert is still good, Jon thought as he said good night to his parents.

Jon returned to his room and leaned slyly against the door. What in the world was Damian doing? Wasn't he just teasing me?

Questions kept popping up, but in the end, they only made me realize that his desire to become a teacher was true.

The concentrated expression on his face when he was teaching, the slightly more serious and lower tone of his voice than usual, and the blunt but kind smile on his face when he answered a question correctly, all came back to me at once.

"I can't sleep now," Jon exclaimed in his mind.

Sleep is something that falls away before you know it. That day, Jon dreamed that Damian was a teacher.

Jon frantically took notes and leaned into his words. Occasionally Damian's questions would hit, but each time Jon gave a perfect response. Each time he answered, Damian would smile slightly, which for some reason made Jon uncomfortable. He also didn't want to admit it, but it still suited Damian to be a teacher.

＊

When Damian was about to go to bed after his patrol, his father, Bruce, quietly said to him, "You're in a great mood today, aren't you?"

"I've had my dreams encouraged by my precious students. Oh yeah, Dad. I've decided to become a teacher once again."

"I see."

It's obvious whose influence it is.

He even suddenly says something out of the blue about wanting to fly a helicopter to his partner's house.

"You never really know what fate or fate has in store for you, do you?"

"You're right, Dad."

Bruce asked Damian, who nodded his head, who in the world was he like?

Damian did not answer, but waved his hand to signal bedtime.

Just before he fell asleep, Damian thought that he was sure he would have the same dream today.

Jon had taught him the joy of teaching, and the pleasure of watching his students grow.

"He's the best student I've ever had."

Damian's soliloquy quietly dissolved into thin air.

[bloodfreakpropaganda]

might do a part 2 with other options

[jawbonejoe]

I’ll bite!!! I’ve read in your tags about the spineless roommate who folded over everything (the most recent one). Was there a big moment or breaking point for the fallout or was it several small things that built up until it was like a river breaking the levee?

Thank you for the opportunity to be shady (and for reading my tags to know I would cherish this opportunity!)

So my most recent roommate fallout was between myself and a friend I had had since middle school. We wrote together since we were kids and so when I moved back to Bmore it made sense to move in together. While things were fine in the beginning it soon became very clear that we were vastly different people than we had been as kids.

The breaking point came when we were moving into my current spot and I did 100% of the moving work. That included house hunting, arranging applications, touring spaces, then organizing the move, packing everything, loading everything between both places (with the help of their mother, we have to wonder why people who mom does everything for them don't do anything for themselves or others...), carrying all our belongings up a three story 5 stairway walk up. The physical labor of the move took four days total and then I planned and paid for movers to bring up the big stuff. By the end of the whole endeavor I was covered in bruises, out of patience, and had spent a cool $600 to get the furniture moved in.

Then, after a few days in the new place, Roommate simply stopped engaging with me. I could tell things were off, due to the extremely turgid vibes, so I asked that we talk about it. They resoundingly refused and proceeded to ghost me. Ghosting me while living in my home.

In that time I asked repeatedly for us to talk, both in person and over text, and went so far as knocking on the door to their room and asking if we could even talk through the damn door. It was a waste. They were so committed to avoiding me that more than once I heard them hurrying to finish their laundry and run back in their room before I opened the front door. Once, in one of the last times I ever saw them, I called after them as they ran out the door 'When can we talk?!'

After SIX MONTHS of this it all ended when I left for a vacation and on day one of vacay they sent me a long message over discord about how they intended to move out and would I contact our landlord about it? (other bangers from that include 'would [I] lower the rent?' and 'sorry I sent this while you were on vacation but I was afraid you would come and knock on my door.')

In all it was a painful and stupid situation, and one that has helped crystalize my resolve to never deal with Featherweight Millennials. Dysfunction in a housing situation is natural but refusing every avenue to communicate, and then pussing out in the stupidest manner possible, is shrimply not the answer.

The bright side is they dumb ass left their air fryer and are too cowardly to come back for it so I now have a fuckin free air fryer!

[sammygender]

contenders for favourite spn episodes for my own reference so i can use this to narrow down a smaller list of my actual favourites<3

- PILOT LOVER FOREVER

- faith

- nightmare

- in my time of dying

- playthings

- houses of the holy

- all hell breaks loose part 1

- the kids are alright

- mystery spot

- lazarus rising <3 i am NOT immune to s4 angel stuff.

- metamorphosis <3333

- after school special

- in the beginning

- i know what you did last summer

- sex and violence

- the rapture is reallly good

- WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS💗💗

- free to be you and me

- the end

- dark side of the moon

- swan song

- the man who would be king?? idk maybe not

- the girl next door 💗💗💗

- repo man💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

- i think i really liked reading is fundamental of i’m thinking of the right episode?? with meg and kevin. actually this shouldn’t be on this list at all cause a lot of other eps are this quality but i’m putting it here cause i’m curious to see if i’m thinking of the right ep and will check when i rewatch

- the great escapist and/or sacrifice? love sam trials arc and don’t remember which of these are better

- I THINK IM GONNA LIKE IT HERE 💗💗

- ROAD TRIP💗💗💗💗💗

- alex annie alexis ann

- baby

- o brother where art thou/the devil in the details i forget which has more sam cage stuff

- red meat

- american nightmare

- the big empty

- beat the devil/exodus i forget which one has more sam & lucifer & jack stuff 😭

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (1-7 Sep 2024)

i'm 3 eps in and murph's hair is still throwing me when i first see it. but i love that they get to sit next to each other.

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

Prisoner's Base (Nero Wolfe #21) (Rex Stout, author; Michael Prichard, narrator)

Wild with Happy (Colman Domingo, author; full voice cast) - "deeply imaginative dark comedy about death...performed by an all-star cast including Domingo, the legendary Oprah Winfrey, Tony Award nominee Sharon Washington (New York, New York), Tony Award winner Alex Newell (Glee, Shucked), and Golden Globe Award winner Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)." - short but extremely entertaining

Trouble In Triplicate (Nero Wolfe #14) (Rex Stout)

The Second Confession (Nero Wolfe #15) (Rex Stout)

A Safe Place To Land (Gloromeien, kahey2804) - "Bucky Barnes had it all—grease under his fingernails, dog fur behind the cushions of his couch, a cozy place to call his own. The house, the truck, the dogs, the works. A ride-or-die, close-knit community. A patch of land he could wander. A mountain view to inspire him. After six tours of duty and nine months in captivity, Bucky knew how bad things could get, so he didn't dare ask for anything else. Especially not someone to hold. Until a tall, blond super-soldier crash-landed into his quiet life and threatened to make all his dreams come true." - really excellent shrunkyclunks; creative use of canon events into a well-structured AU. really, really enjoyed this

💖💖 +166K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

take guesses on exits, one has to be right (queermccoy) - 9-1-1: bucktommy, 12K - I just love a truck stop sex worker AU, bless those writers that put them into the fandoms

The Prenup (spqr) - Suits: mike/harvey, 6K - new Suits fic! incredibly written, totally non explicit but super hot - the perfect way for them to flirt

Stigma (the_deep_magic) - The Eagle of the Ninth: marcus/esca, 12K - love a good take on soulmarks, one that manages to be both 'we were made for each other' AND 'we fucking chose each other' simultaneously

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Monét's Slumber Party - s1, e3

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #3

D20: A Starstruck Odyssey - "Rolling Up The Hill" (s12, e2)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Was That the Worst Social Interaction in D20 History?" (s8, e2)

D20: A Starstruck Odyssey - "Wrecked on Rec 97" (s12, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "The Ball Continues Rolling Up" (s8, e3)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Re: Dracula - September 1: Am Writing

Re: Dracula - September 2: Suck From my Wound

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Wild Life Week: Exploring Our Alien Planet with Cara Giaimo

Welcome to Night Vale #253 - instructions for folding

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Kaos

Re: Dracula - September 3: Anything of a Young Ladies

Short Wave - Are You Overestimating The Algorithm?

How To! - How To Cook at Home Like Sohla El-Waylly

Handsome - Seth Meyers asks about passports

Switched on Pop - Sabrina Carpenter is more than Short n' Sweet

⭐ 99% Invisible - Not Built For This #5: The Little Levee That Could

Vibe Check - Do Some Witch Sh!t

Re: Dracula - September 4: He Has Deserted Me

Code Switch - Going back to school with schizoaffective disorder

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Wild Life Week: Celery Makes A Nature Documentary

It's Been a Minute - The SMACKDOWN: Video Games vs. Journalism vs. Robert Frost

Shedunnit - In The Dentist's Chair

⭐ Ologies - Coffeeology (COFFEE) with Peter Giuliano

Re: Dracula - September 5: Patient Greatly Improved

Wild Card - Kacey Musgraves is trying to get right with time

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Wild Life Week: Why Would a Researcher Pull a Lion’s Tail?

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Songs To Boost Your Confidence

Short Wave - Dogs Go Viral For 'Talking' To Humans — But Can They?

Endless Thread - Ignore All Previous Instructions

Re: Dracula - September 6: Terrible Change for the Worse

Dear Prudence - My Wife Thinks I Had an Emotional Affair With My Best Friend. Help!

Dear Prudence - Prudie Plus: My Sister-In-Law Is Dealing With Infertility and Is Now Hateful to Everyone. Help!

It's Been a Minute - Gen Z asks: what is school for? Plus, rebranding gentrification

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice And What's Making Us Happy

⭐ 99% Invisible - Not Built For This #6: Maximum Temperature

You're Dead to Me - Leif Erikson

Re: Dracula - September 7: I Have Sown my Corn

⭐ Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - John Leguizamo

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Dvořák Symphonies Nos 6-9 [London Symphony Orchestra] {2024}

Carly Rae Jepsen

personal 'Liked Music' playlist

Short n' Sweet [Sabrina Carpenter] {2024}

Rock Radio • Popular

Presenting Kacey Musgraves

Presenting Bay City Rollers

Bay City Rollers Radio

"Everlasting Love" [Love Affair] Radio