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frozen-waters · 9 months ago

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modern Marston family hcs please 🤲

I think of them every single day (this also turned into a lot of johnigail headcannons)

Modern Marston Family hcs

• Abigail is one of those moms who paints their baby bump as a pumpkin for Halloween

• John went through an emo phase when he was a high schooler. he also got a lot of stick’n’poke tattoos during that phase so he has randomly placed tattoos of wolfs and knifes and other things he thought was cool at the time. his hair was also longer then so he braided it a lot

• Abigail was in foster care when she was a kid but eventually got adopted by an older couple when she was like, eleven

• Abigail was a weird mix of a Lana Del Ray girl and a Katy Perry girl in high school

• John and Abigail met bc Arthur and John were walking Cooper and he got off the leash and he ran away so Arthur and John split up to look for him but Abigail ended up finding him and running into John first and they hit it off

• John will always continue to get stick’n’pokes so that means him and Abigail have each other a lot in the early stages of their relationship

• John only had like two girlfriends before Abigail and they didn’t last that long so when him and Abigail made out for the first time his little brain exploded

• Abigail worked at a gas station and would take smoke breaks but it was really her and John hanging out behind the gas station while he smoked (she’d smoke every once in a while but mostly it would just be him)

• Abigail got a second job as a waitress and John would go to the restaurant at least once a week and would order something expensive and just say to put it on Dutch’s tab and she’d stand there and giggle (Dutch was livid when he found out)

• John took Abigail to see a few horror movies in theaters bc he though she’d get scared and cling to him but she ended up liking them a lot more than he did

• Abigail took some of John’s shirts from his emo phase so now she has a few of those stupid wolf shirts and a few emo band shirts that she’s only ever listened to in John’s car

• John and Abigail “ran away” their first summer of being together -> they went on a little roadtrip and came back after a few weeks bc they were running out of money

• John tried teaching Abigail how to drive stick shift (Hosea had to take over for him bc John kept getting frustrated and John didn’t want Arthur around Abigail)

• John and Abigail would also smoke weed together once in a while

• John couldn’t hold a job when he was younger bc he either didn’t want to show up or would just forget so he’d often pawn things to get money but it went from small things like watches to bigger things like lawnmowers. the one time he got caught it was bc he was buying Abigail a designer bag for her birthday. so he got held in the police department and Miss Grimshaw gave him A Talk about how if he wanted to be good to Abigail, he had to actually had to get a job and keep it

• John did end up getting a job at a smoke shop and after his first few paychecks he took Abigail to a nice restaurant

• ok so Abigail was trying to go to community college but at the time she was getting ready to go she got pregnant with Jack

• Abigail and John did almost end up breaking up after they found out bc they got into a fight but after they cried together and talked to Miss Grimshaw they didn’t

• John was renting an apartment at the time Abigail got pregnant so she moved in with him a few months into her pregnancy. they both knew that eventually they’d have to get a bigger apartment once Jack started getting bigger

• they didn’t pay for daycare so they’d drop Jack off with Tilly or Arthur for a few hours while they worked

• Abigail did get hit with some depression for the first few years when Jack was born bc she was like 18/19, her and John were both working multiple jobs, Jack was a fussy baby and there were so many changes with her body and mind all at once. Ik she was crying when Jack cried bc she didn’t know what to do (in modern and canon)

• John did notice this ofc and tried to get advice from whoever he could. him and Abigail did get into a few fights during like the first year of Jacks life but he would try to take her out on a date night if he had the money and time

• Jack was like, a relatively happy kid. when he was younger, at least. like he had a few friends in pre-k and kindergarten through like fifth grade, but it was only three or four friends. they grew apart a little bit and one of them moved away and then after sixth grade they kind of stopped hanging out altogether. Abigail cried about it.

• I know deep down in my heart that John is a girl dad. I might be delusional abt it but it makes me giggle

• the first time John referred to Abigail as his wife she almost cried

• I think there’s a six year age-gap between Jack and his sister. I think they’d be closer in canon than they are in modern. they also were closer when they were younger

• also by the time Abigail was pregnant with their second kid they could barely afford the apartment so they bought a trailer. they weren’t really happy about it but it was better than being homeless

• but while Jack and his sister were young Abigail took as many pictures as she could and printed them all out and put them in a photo album

• by the time the Marston daughter was born John straightened out a bit more

• like John drinks and smokes in the house but he makes sure that the kids are fed and put to bed before he does

• John was a little bit drunk during one of Jacks birthday parties but he held it together mostly and played with Jack if his head didn’t hurt too bad

• John can’t chaperone field trips though bc he gets pissed off at the teachers

• Jacks first Halloween costume was a dog. Abigail was a cat and John just wore one of his old wolf shirts that barely fit him from his emo phase. they did the same thing for the Marston daughters first Halloween but she was also a cat

• I just know that when the Marston daughter lost her first tooth she was five and it was bc her and Jack were having a pillow fight that she started and he hit her in the face a little too hard and her tooth fell out (it was already loose but it scared both of them)

• John used to secretly really love reading to both the kids so they’d fall asleep and missed it more as they grew up

• and they do end up getting a small house for the four of them when Jack is twelve (like in the game) and that's also when John and Abigail officially get married

• John eventually did get a job at an auto shop but would do like. Uber Eats if he needed to

• Abigail was able to get online classes and gets a job in marketing or something but did make money by crocheting/knitting baby clothes and selling them on Etsy

• the Marston daughter had a biting problem

• she also did soccer in grade school but when she got to middle school and high school she did dog walking and babysitting

• Jack was like 🧍‍♂️shy in his teen years. he wanted to do clubs and stuff but he was just wicked anxious. he did do theater club but he was a stage hand. he was also in a book club for a little bit but the other kids in it were annoying.

• I also know his ass got bullied in middle school. he did get into like. one fight in high school that he somehow managed to win.

• he didn’t have a lot of friends. when some kids would try to talk to him he’d think they were gonna end up bullying him and just wouldn’t respond much to them

• he always ate his lunch in the hallway

• the Marston daughter also doesn’t have a lot of friends but she’s got like, two that’ve stuck with her since first grade. she gained one more when she went into middle school and an additional one in high school. Jack was a little jealous but he did begin hanging out with one of her friends older brother occasionally

• Abigail packed both her kids lunches but stopped for Jack when he was in high school bc he just started taking a bag of chips and like. a juice box with him to school. Abigail would still like to make him lunch but he has protested about it multiple times

• Jack always wanted a treehouse when he was a little kid

• it was Abigail's idea to get Rufus for Jack

• Jack still reads westerns

• the Marston daughter also got bullied in school but was mean back to the bullies

• Abigail doesn't have her own pajamas, she just takes Johns

• Jack got a job mowing his neighbors lawns

• John still gets a little lightheaded when Abigail wears a swimsuit

• when Abigail and John first got together he made a CD for her with a mix of their favorite songs and songs that reminded him of her and she somehow still has it but John cringes a little whenever she plays it

• John and Abigail didn't have a honeymoon immediately after they got married but went on one a few years later out to like, Italy or smthn

• the Marston daughter has a habit of over explaining things and Jack has a habit of explaining almost nothing ever

• Jack always has headphones on or earbuds in

• Jack took a creative writing class and it did help a little bit but he was very anxious for most of the class

• the Marston daughter still has her old Barbie dolls. she doesn't play with them but she just looks at them sometimes

• sometimes Jack and John will somehow fall asleep in the same room or watching tv together

• John did teach Jack to hunt

• Uncle doesn't move in with them in modern time but he does invite himself over for dinner a few times each week

• the Marston daughter inherited Johns emo clothes

• Abigail still kisses Jack on the cheek (she doesn't get why it's embarrassing) and rags him for being taller than her

uhm. sorry for writing an entire essay for this. but in conclusion : i am the thinker

#rdr2 #rdr2 headcanons #john marston #abigail roberts #jack marston #the marston daughter #johnigail

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southparkhcsocs · 1 year ago

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Hi, I was wondering if you could do main 4 + butters with an s/o who has IED if you don't know, it's an impulsive-control disorder characterized by sudden episodes of unwarranted anger.

And btw i love ur headcanons so keep up the fantastic work

Hi! Thank you for the ask! Sorry if this isn't what you were expecting but I hope you like it!

I'm doing as the gangs first time experiencing IED

Stan Marsh

Bro is just chilling

So were you

And he asked you to play a game for like the 3rd time and you just went off.

He let you scream, shout, yell, all of it until you paused to catch a breathe.

He remembered you tell him you have IED and he did look it up once, but this was the first time it happened in his presence.

Doesn't quite know if he should talk about it after or not.

Kyle Broflovski

Note to himself.

Don't call you baby girl.

It trigged something.

You kicked off!

And when I say kicked

watch out Ike

Kick the baby to the fuckin MAX

Kyle of course read everything he could of about IED when you told him about it.

But seeing it happen in front of him was a lot

Once you had calmed down he hugged you. A lot.

Kenny McCormick

Offended

Unfortunately you call him a lot of names

he takes it like a champ though.

mf dies like every day he can handle a couple of names.

doesn't quite realise what's happening at first.

And then it's like the dots connect he's like ooooooohhhhhhh

he helps you with breathing exercises, some times it works, some times it doesn't

Eric Cartman

Sorry

you're not getting support

It's Cartman, c'mon now

He wouldn't shut up about Kyle

Just going on and on and on

You snapped and hun, you bet he snapped back.

Won't talk to you unless he wants something.

He cried when he was on his own after

He never bothered looking it up until he realised that actually maybe he could use it to his own gain.

Leopold "Butters" Stotch

Sorrynotsorry

Butters just thinks it your time of the month

like every time

Said to Stan's gang that you're on all the time.

Just goes out and buys you things you need while on your period

Chocolate, hot water bottle, pads, all things he thinks you need

googles "gf on period again???"

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call-me-chips · 22 days ago

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Long vent warning 🙃

So if you came here for my typical carefree content, don't feel forced to read this at all :)

Ik I won't care if you do or don't, but I just need to get this to someone

I see a lot of people talking about having no friends and having bad friends, and both are really bad and I'm not trying to put down anyone's experiences, but I feel like there's a different kind of hurt when your friends just don't like you. Like, they're good people, but they just don't like you.

Like, I have this one friend where, he's the closest thing I have to a best friend (aka, we see each other once a week and seem to enjoy each other's company), but I really don't think he likes me

He always has an excuse for not hanging out. Always. My sibling and I wanted to go to a comic con and invited him and his girlfriend. He mentioned a few weeks before that he might not be able to go because he might have to babysit a child or something. Closer to the con, he said that he, infact, wouldn't have to watch the child, which we were happy about, but then immediately he said that he "wasn't allowed" to go to this con. The reason he gave was "My dad thinks comic cons are cults." Even though he's been to several cons, one of which was in the US (I'm Canadian).

And just yesterday a group I was going to had a Halloween night, and he promised he would go. We all made plans to be there, but the night of, I texted him and asked him if he was coming, to which he responded with "I'm not allowed", even though he's at the age where that shouldn't matter at all

I asked him why, and he never got back.

Everything I want to do, everything we try to plan, he's got a reason to not go.

He says he likes me and likes hanging out with me, but I don't believe it. Every excuse he uses is bullshit.

And it really sucks because I truly thought he'd be a friend that sticks around. Every friend I've ever had has left the moment I got too close.

And it's not like I can easily make friends, as I've never gone to school and I'm not in college

My parents keep scolding me about how I have no friends and that "God designed people to need other people" and that I "can't live life alone", but I don't know how the fuck they just expect me to summon new ones.

I've exhausted all groups I'm in of potential friends. And it's not like I don't try to make friends. I've been rejected dozens of times

But I know I'm just about ready to stop reaching out to the friend I was talking about earlier. I'll just stop asking if he wants to do anything and see if he initiates anything. When he doesn't, at least I'll know for sure that he doesn't really like me xD

Sorry if you've made it this far btw. Ik no one really wants to listen to a stranger talk about how terrible their life is

Slightly different topic, but I really feel like I can't ever open up to anyone (which is why I rant to strangers on the internet). Literally everyone I've opened up to has either left me or betrayed me with it

I shared my struggles with a licensed therapist, and she made me feel like my feelings were nothing. She told me it was a phase and refused to hear any more

I shared one of my phobias in a trusted friend group chat, and one of the dudes sent me a gif of it, have me the worst panic attack I've ever had, and then he called me sensitive when I complained about what he did (I was crying non stop for 30 mins, couldn't calm down completely for the next couple days, and got triggered my a simple household item that has NEVER triggered me before. I mean like, I saw this simple thing, froze in place, started hyperventilating, and nearly had another panic attack)

And there are a few other examples, but the worst one is when I opened up to my best friend at the time. I opened up, shared my story, cried in front of her. She left me the following week. She suddenly started talking to her other friend more and I could barely get a moment alone with her anymore. We barely talk now

I'm just tired of people. Tired of trying. Idek what I'm supposed to do at this point. I only rant to strangers cuz it's a lot less painful if someone online unfollows you than if a friend leaves you

Anyway I think that's enough for right now, I got pretty carried away 😅

If you read all this, here's a cookie :3 🍪

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fandomwe1rd0 · 8 months ago

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Morty is a really tragic character

I'm rewatching the series for like the 10th time, and I'm feeling really bad for Morty, the poor boy went through so much, here's what he goes through in season 1 alone.

Episode 1 ~ Pilot

Suffers from extreme panic from Rick saying he will blow up the world, and is tired due to it also being late at night

Is manhandled by Rick for this entire episode, and Rick is very harsh toward him

Is dragged out of school by Rick

Breaks both of his legs

Stuffs Mega-seeds up his rectum and it is apparently painful due to them being pointy

Is immobilized for hours due to them dissolving in his rectum

Episode 2 ~ Lawnmower Dog

Was about to get punished for something Rick did

Rick snaps at him all because Morty suggested Rick helps him with his homework

Is terrified due to having to avoid getting shot so he doesn't die in real life

Is slapped by Rick while screaming

Is traumatized due to seeing his sister in a...suggestive way

Is terrified due to Scary Terry

Rick embarrasses him in front of girls (Those girls weren't real but still)

His kidneys shut down

His dog leaves

Rick insults him "What do you know Morty? What do you know?"

Episode 3 ~ Anatomy Park

Gets hastily told by Rick to hold his breath until a certain process is over or his lungs will collapse

Is nearly choked by Poncho for no real reason

Is nearly attacked by monsters (multiple times throughout the episode)

Sees mutiple people die (Throughout episode)

Alice taken away from him for Rick's own selfish reasons, Rick doesn't apologize and brushes it off saying he did Morty a favor

Episode 4 ~ M-Night Sha-aliens!

He isn't exactly in this episode, but in an aftercredits scene, Rick holds a knife to Morty's neck while angerily asking him "ARE YOU A SIMULATION!?"

Episode 5 ~ Meeseeks and Destroy

Got traumatized from having to kill people who looked exactly like his family

Rick is very harsh towards him for the majority of the episode

Got assaulted by Mr. Jellybean, narrowly escaped him

Panicked when he saw Mr. Jellybean again

Episode 6 ~ Rick Potion #9

Multiple people fell in love with him and charged at him

Rick is very harsh towards him throughout this episode

A bunch of praying mantis/ vole/ human hybrids talked about how they would like to have sex with him then eat him afterwards

Got traumatized from being forced to bury himself

Episode 7 ~ Raising Gazapazorp

Tried his best to raise a very aggressive, violent son named Morty Jr. then Morty Jr. made a book talking about what a terrible father he was

Episode 8 ~ Rixty Minutes

Actually, not a lot of bad stuff happens to him in this episode, but we see the impact of him burying himself

Episode 9 ~ Something Ricked this Way Comes

Jerry snapped at him 2 times in this episode for no real reason

Jerry embarrassed him in front of a lot of Plutonions

Episode 10 ~ Close Rick Counters with Rick Kind

Got dragged away from his family just because our Rick's Morty (Ik he's technically Rick Prime's Morty but eh)

Got angry at Rick when he found out he was just a human cloaking device

Saw himself in agony

Cried when Rick said "You are a perfect impenetrable suit of human amor Morty because you're as dumb as I am smart. So that's why when I say shut up, it's really good advice."

Got locked in with a bunch of other Mortys

Rick insulted him after Morty saved his life "Ok Morty, don't break an arm jerking yourself off."

Episode 11 ~ Ricksy Business

Tried to convince Rick not to have a party since he'd prefer to keep going on adventures with Rick, but Rick just brushed him off

Worked tirelessly to attempt to keep the house in good shape

Rick dumped people who were annoying him onto Morty

Saw Squancy uh...pleasuring himself in the closet

Saw Abrodolf Lincoler die

Rick got a bunch of people to boo him.

This all happened in season one. This poor dude got constantly insulted and had horrible things happen to him. It's easy to forget that he's only 14 due to all of the stuff that happened to him. A lot of this stuff could be difficult for an adult to handle, I can't image how much mental damage it must do to someone who is only 14. Poor Morty is traumatized, the poor kid deserves all the hugs and kindness in the world and a good family, man.

#rick sanchez #morty smith #rick and morty #rick c137 #rick #and #morty

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enmi-land · 5 days ago

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Hi sisi!! How are you, I'm in my didi feels rn and I honestly miss her so so much🤧I think I've been following her and keeping up with her blog since mid 2023,and it hit me hard when she revealed that she'll be going on a hiatus the first time, but her leaving rn made me so emotional, and I've never cried over somethings like this but I did. she's one of those people that just bring a smile to my face by just replying to my asks, but for me the most noticeable thing about her is her personality, she's so playful yet respectful and would always reply with so much kindness.

But I can't blame her, and I praise her for all the love she's given people, and ik how hard it must've been for her to keep up with her blog and her studies as well, I'm so proud of her, and what me, you, and everyone have seen her grow into

I said this once I'll say it again, you're a really good person, a person who you can actually call a friend, you may not realise how much you're contributing to this, but the fact that your keeping the blog alive for all the mila and dia lovers to see is amazing

I love you sisi, please take care of yourself mwahh💞💞

i think i first found dia's blog around that time too. at first i was an anon for her (i still am moon, actually) and i'd told her about my og idea for minyoung before she went on her first hiatus. i still remember it was just a month or two (i think december 2023?) yeah, but after she returned, the whole changing the plot and hence the creation of milakosmos happened. then our baby accidentally deleted her blog. damn i was so scared at that time because enmi-land was gone without a warning. but thankfully due to a lot of people's help with finding the reblogged works they're now safely in her mlist. after that fiasco was the first time i talked to her both on anon and off anon and me being me, ended up accidentally revealing myself to her. but it might have been the best accident because it was just a tumble down the rabbit hole for us both as we discussed each other's story ideas. thinking back really brings tears to my eyes. she's supported me through my indecisive days, my unmotivated days and had always given me nothing but help and encouragements. the whole reason minhypen exists today like it does is because of her tbh. she really is an amazing friend, one i really regret not getting the contact details from. but seriously, i really really really hope her med entrance exams go well and she becomes the skilled doctor i believe she's capable of being. it honestly is more of a chance happening that i got close to dia and she ended up entrusting me with her blog, but the credit to that goes to the universe. the only thing i'm doing is not deleting my account, which is like, out of the question anyways. but thanks you for the praise still <3 and i hope you're doing fine as well XOXO

#⠀⠀ 𓈒ㅤ ૮ ֗ ⠀⠀ you got mail ⠀⠀⠀ ꯭✉️⟡#꒰ ۪ ⋆ 🌅۟ ⠀⠀ mina ⠀

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dapg-otmebytheballs · 9 months ago

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tell me what the video Basically, I’m Gay means to you?

It was way past midnight for me when the video dropped. The first thing I felt when I saw the title was, inexplicably, fear.

Or well, I can guess at where the fear came from. I've known what it's like being outed, I've felt that same kind of fear every time a family member brought up anything queer, that feeling of "oh god they know, do they know? what's going to happen now?" and I've never quite gotten over it. I knew it was a long time coming, but over the years it has become such an unspoken thing, the elephant in the living room, that my knee jerk reaction was to brace myself. I remember immediately getting up and getting into the washroom, locking the door, knowing that whatever it is gonna be I'm probably gonna want some privacy with it XD

And I did, I laughed and cried and remembered the best and the worst parts of being queer, but what I loved was, it didn't just feel like a confessional or an address or vlog. It was a proper essay, it was divided up so well and coherently, taking the biographical elements and basing thematic segments based on the issues that crop up at each stage in the journey. It is incredibly personal as such things often are... but it remains to me first and foremost beautifully academic.

Maybe that makes it boring or less impactful for some people. Personally, I was never one to watch personal accounts of oppression and call them "poignant". I've read and seen plenty, I offer all the strength to people who share them, I see the merits of it, but none of those accounts stick with me. What has stuck with me, over the years, what has genuinely moved me, is political and academic accounts of oppression. I feel more seen in them, I feel like they go to the crux of the issue, I feel empowered by them.

Yk why? Because if Dan had just talked about how he was bullied and his fears and insecurities, too many people could have easily looked away. Too many people can see those accountants say "well I'm not like that". When I read academic and politically charged accounts of oppression what stood out was the clarity. There's no obfuscation, there's no mystification, there's no 'oppressed' with vague faceless figures of bullies ('oppressors'), there's named methods of oppression, of validating those oppressive systems in the smallest ways that people are quick to ignore. Even now within queer circles we see so many people reinforcing oppressive systems, being casually misogynistic and racist and transmisogynistic and a number of things that they look away from because "I'm queer I can't be oppressing myself".

I understand personal accounts and I think they're great, but I do not like when these things are pinned on faceless bullies and a nebulous idea of "society". Who is "society"? No one knows. This is why it mattered so much to me that Basically I'm Gay wasn't just a story about overcoming struggles but also a systemic exploration of power systems and various facets of existing as a queer person in a queerphobic world. You can't look away from that. And the reason it sticks with me is precisely because of that, because the topic is given the political seriousness which it calls for.

Ik, we've watched Dan grow up before our eyes, ik this is deeply personal for so many people. But I much prefer when it's political honestly. I much prefer when it's academic. And I am much more moved emotionally by it because I find it a lot more empowering. I don't wanna talk about how oppressed we are without talking about how we are oppressed, by whom are we oppressed, how are these systems being kept in place. That's what BIG means to me, something that didn't shy away from making it political when it could have been left personal.

#asks #basically I'm gay #i rambled for a bit so I added the bold and italics to make it easier to read XD #dan howell #daniel howell

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mintaikk · 10 months ago

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Ik this was probably already realized, but you ever think about how Snow probably got rid of the student mentors because he realized that they would get attached to their tributes, or try to cheat like he did? And that having District Mentors would separate them from the Capitol so people wouldn't care about them, but also having District mentors would separate them from their District bcuz they get rich houses and can be blamed for a kid not surviving?

Pup cheered whenever Lamina managed to do something good. He cried when she died and slammed his chair down.

Sejanus is a wonderful soul who still cared for Two and Marcus, and was absolutely heartbroken when Marcus was chosen for the games. He tried to become friends with him and even covered his body in bread when he died. And when Lamina killed Marcus, he slammed his chair down and called everyone there, "monsters."

Festus seemed harsh (telling Coral that they're not gonna be friends in a really snarky tone) but apparently, he choked up when talking about the tributes death in the arena bombing. He thought it was heartless that Clemensia didn't feed Reaper. He was sad when Coral died, despite them still being very high up, and snow even hugged him to comfort him.

It's hard to say what Domitia felt, but I have to say that she cared for Tanner a bit. She said that he was good-natured and taken advantage of. She even says that she'd always cherish her experience with the games and Tanner. She was also shown to have a lot of empathy, so I feel like she was emotional during Tanner's death, but knew how to seem professional and like a "good sport."

I haven't read the book (yet), but ik that the movie cut out a lot of Clemensia's character. She was sickened by the idea of betting on tributes and said it was gruesome. She cried the entire night over Arachne's death, and ik she was a Capitol citzen so she was seen as more human, but it still shows that Clemensia had a lot of empathy.

And then we have Lysistrata. I love Lysistrata. She became close to Jessup and said that no one in their right mind would watch the Hunger Games because of how gruesome they were. She told the reporters about Jessuo after the bombing so he'd get more publicity. She says that she was neither a loser or a victor, and she really didn't like the assignment. I think she's the most vocal about hating the games, and I love her for that. She cried when Jessup died, and felt guilty for giving him water. Look, ik the entire point is that the games are bad, but imagine if Jessup didn't get rabies and he won. I believe Lysistrata would try to stop the games from ever happening again. That would be amazing.

And then Coriolanus Snow, who yeah, je cared for Lucy Gray, but it was mostly about the prize. But I believe he did love her on a twisted way and realized that in the future, if anyone felt the same way about their tribute as he did, that could start another uprising.

#tbosas #the hunger games #pliny harrington #sejanus plinth #festus creed #domitia whimsiwick #clemensia dovecote #lysistrata vickers #coriolanus snow #the ballad if songbirds and snakes

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my-castles-crumbling · 12 days ago

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Hey! Opinion anon here

So... a lot has happened... idek how I feel about it.

(this may be a bit too long so prepare urself)

Basically, I got sent to a boarding school in april. It wasn't anything bad or "camp like", it was a general boarding school with no hidden intentions or anything.

But the people there were such cunts (not in a good way) that I literally cried MULTIPLE TIMES for people the literal embodiment of a trash bag istg.

Anyway, there was a 2 month break and another 4 months of hostel after that u til I returned in the end of October and it's legit been the worst experiance of my life.

In my 1st month, I had a group with 3 other girls. And we also talked to the other newcomers - which also enrolled in the school this year.

But there were only 14 newcomers, and the rest 28 were the people who has joined the previous or the years before. And at first they seemed sweet and then turned out to be lying backstabbing cunts. Only a few of them are nice tbh.

Basically, the whole population was divided into groups. There were 2 groups before, and 2 groups of newcomers. My group (6 people) and the other one. (My group had us 4 and 2 more people that were a duo)

ANYWAY, in april we 4 were really close, but after we came back from holiday, I realised that one of my friends was distancing herself from the group and instead hanging out more with the duo. And my other two friends ignored her so much that she eventually left the group all together.

So the group of 4 became a trio, and you know what happens to them eventually. Unfortunately, I was the one they decided to exclude. And they had these little inside jokes and didn't tell me ANYTHING. one of them turned so rude to me that she didn't even talk to me or look in my direction.

Eventually, something Huge™ happened with one of them (the rude one) and I'm not even exaggerating when I say that - even though I was a part of their supposed little trio - I WAS THE LAST ONE TO FIND OUT. This was obviously so hurtful that I finally started considering the possibility that they don't want to be my friend anymore.

I usually need to confront people about these, so I tried to talk to her about why she was doing this and ignoring me, and she legit said that she didn't want to be my friend anymore. Which was fine tbh, I just wanted closure, but when I asked her why, she got super irritated and legit said to one of my other friends to tell me to "stop being so irritating".

In the end, she told me that she would talk "normally" to me (whatever that means) but I still want to know the reason.

And ik that people have their reasons for leaving and they don't have to explain it, but the fact that she just did it so out of the blue, and the fact that we still have a very close mutual friend just leaves me confused??

Just...idek what I'm asking. Advice? Consolation? Whatever you've got in the store ig.

P.S. I left my trio (read: was exiled from) and - since I was still close with the other girl who left before i did - I joined hers. But they still exclude me out, though not as much. Ig it's expected given that I joined a little late, but it's still a major upgrade from my previous one (vomit)

as always thanks aa always cas <33

P.P.S I finally finished reading clandestine and legit felt so sad that I wasn't there when it was officially completed I was rotting in my terrible situation. I am so happy though it's amazing.

Hi! <3

I think you absolutely have a right to feel confused and hurt by how you've been treated. If I was in your position, I'd want an explanation too! You're right, though, you can't force an explanation out of someone, no matter how much you want one. It sucks because it makes you feel like you don't have closure, and I've definitely been there before, I know how jarring it is and how much it makes you question yourself.

My advices it to focus on what you can control. You can't make this person give you an explanation. You CAN focus on the friends you have now, and not waste your time worrying about some jerk who clearly doesn't care about you. I know it's easier said than done but try not to give her the satisfaction, you know?

#asks #ask #ask cas #opinion anon

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peachviz · 4 months ago

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I finished Picard so you know what that means. It’s a Picard wrap up post:

(this one may contain hot takes bc ik the series is split on mixed reviews)

Season 1 - beautiful. Made me ugly cry. Sucks that i saw Data die twice (but if i had a nickel for every time that happened…)

- Picard still dealing with PTSD of being Borg i love that continuity

- Seven is a badass but seven did not have to have character development at the risk of killing Icheb. Out of all the deaths in Season 1, that one was so pointless. But given the previous actor of Icheb’s conduct i think that may have been a benefactor idk im not a conspiracy theorist

- Data has daughters??? We love to see it

- Narek was useless we could have done without the male manipulation

- Riker being a happy dad (idk wtf was going on in season 3. We didn’t have to forget him making pizza. He and Deanna always have a kiss and makeup storyline can’t we just have the Riker that makes pizza and smiles)

- I cried the most with this season, out the gate just full on ugly cried. Data getting a beautiful ending, Picard overcoming death, Seven returning, good elements

So then why was Season 2 lowkey a clusterfuck. Random and confusing at times

- seven is still a badass, but oh no Star Trek is starting to suffering from Star Wars syndrome. It’s the one where they overcorrect their wrongs by making women bad asses, but then that’s all they are, badasses with suffering

- Q dying was dumb sorry im with de lancie on this one they could have involved Q without the weird dying storyline just kiss and make up, Picard “you matter” “all gods have favorites, and you’re one of mine” too much yapping not enough hugging like come on (i did love that line)

- Seven and Raffi are the couple of the season

- Elnor dying almost made me turn it off

- I found Rios boring sorry

- Wesley is in his River Song era, really didn’t understand it but ok I’ll bite

- Laris and alter ego not Laris was also boring really don’t understand it and did not see chemistry with Picard and clearly pointless bc she never shows up again at the end of s3 (once again too many cooks in the kitchen with too many characters. Star Trek is still suffering from that thing they do where they introduce a character and then phase them out or quit talking about them abruptly)

- Jurarti showing the Borg queen the power of friendship and love…….just for the Borg queen to retcon all that in season 3 but I had to sit through that was unbearable

Idk overall I didn’t really like Season 2. I thought it was the weakest season with the weakest storylines and characters. And as much as it pains me to say this, Beltran was right (just threw up in my mouth a little) in rejecting a Chakotay involvement. It’s just unnecessary fascism and he was right Prodigy is the superior storyline for Chakotay

Lastly, Season 3

- I just want to start out by saying I liked it I genuinely thought it was gonna be a lot worse than it was bc of the way people were so split on it

- I’m not mad about Soji not being in this season. While I feel like it is necessary for her and Data to connect and finally have that interaction, it would have been overshadowed by everything else going on in this season. Same with Elnor. There wasn’t really a place for them.

- Sidney and Jack are kinda cute af a Picard/LaForge pairing would be something to see

- They lowkey sidelined Seven, but once again she was getting overshadowed

- Not really thrilled with what happened with Ro Laren. I’m not even gonna get into it bc I’ll just get pissed off.

- Jack did read as a self insert at times BUT I found him compelling. I don’t really find him a Mary sue, people said the same thing about Wesley way back when too. Idk Beverly is just blessed with arrogant perfect children

- His storyline was the finale after all the show was about Picard and Picard passing on the baton and what he learned. The theme was constant, it made sense with the whole Locutus storyline. Maybe that’s controversial but idc I liked it. Picard would have been a good father.

- There wasn’t enough focus on anyone else, but I think that’s was at the request of Patrick Stewart. There were terms he agreed on to return it’s in his book. He withheld on having the entire TNG cast return because he wanted something fresh and something focused on Picard. And honestly? There wasn’t room, everything was overshadowed by this storyline.

- After this, we don’t have to touch the Borg. We are so fed on Borg shit we don’t ever have to come back to the Borg. I’m so over the Borg

- Wish the changelings had kept their old form. It was cooler. I miss Odo. Rip René

- We are still underutilizing Worf but I forgot he can’t have too many scenes when Riker’s around.

- I know it hurts to see something change from what you used to know and love. I just don’t want to deal with the same discourse as I do in the Star Wars fandom. It’s exhausting and I miss civil discourse. There are some critiques to be had for new Trek but I’m always wanting new content. Maybe it’s time to explore a new ship and crew. No callbacks to old characters idk. There’s an edge to starfleet that has changed over time that I find interesting, that I found interesting in DS9.

Overall, it brings interesting concepts. It’s not all perfect, but it’s starting a conversation. Some of the gore was unnecessary and there were a few deaths that didn’t have to happen as a literary device. Im really hoping once the Picard movie is off the ground, we can have a lighthearted mission or something bc bro yall clowned insurrection saying it was “just another TNG episode” like we don’t need that rn

As much as I love the Janeway content and mentions, and appreciate that voyager fans are finally being fed there is so much untapped content in DS9. I just don’t understand why we can’t incorporate it. I’m begging you on my hands and knees, writers, please please please everyone wants it give the people what they want please please I need to see Kira I need to see Bashir I need to see Garak like come onnnnnn

Most of this is pretty scrambled bc it’s a lot to process bc each season is its own storyline.

Current Captain ranking:

1. Sisko

2. Janeway

3. Picard

4. Pike

5. Seven of Nine

6. Kirk

7. Freeman

8. Riker

9. Shaw

Current Series Rankings

1. DS9

2. TOS

3. SNW

4. TNG

5. PICARD

6. LOWER DECKS

7. VOYAGER

Some changes in the rankings for both. Picard brought the TNG ranking up from last place. Voyager sank lower for me because the longer I sat with it, the more I realized I didn’t connect with it like I did the others.

(THESE RATINGS WILL CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY ONCE I FINISH PRODIGY)

now to finish prodigy, start discovery and then take a break before enterprise

#st picard #star trek picard #Picard #star trek #jean luc picard #it took me a year but I’m finally here

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baekhvuns · 4 months ago

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HIIII BAEKSSSSS I missed you 😔 how are you? Wsp? How's everything?

Man, I've been pretty peaceful I'd say..kinda idk. Maybe the calm before the storm but that's besides the point. I miss your work so so so much 🥹🥹🥹 like rlly, not wanting to pressurise you just GIRL RLLY MADE 2022 SUCH A GOOD EXPERIENCE.

Anyways I've been watching a ton of stuff ofc, found a new pakistani drama 😈😈 well it's kind of the same plot as u wld guess, but I like this one it's like if not a lot then a bit diff frm the same ass dynamic. It's like a first daughter x youngest son the fun part is it was supposed to be, first daughter x first son but he was a jerk and a red flag. So yes...it'd be fun, it's a silly dynamic imo ik for sure there are going to be a ton banters.

ALSO dude these asmr Rps be getting Outta hand 😭 Nah cz i cried. I CRIED. THE ANGST OHHHHH. Some asmr artists are just so fucking good like alanakamakwk i felt like I was in a movie.

Lemme tell u a bit abt it, so the concept was basically, an old bsf comes back into the listener's life not in a bad way or anything just cz the bsf lived farrrrr away.

"do you wanna see the new tattoo i got?"

LIKE OKAY and then we did trace them too and a while later the convo goes deep "i got this tattoo bcz u told me seven years ago, what you don't rmr?" And then he sort of reminisces over the old times

"and that day..I went home, and texted you how much I liked you. And wanted to hang out with you a bunch.."

"that didn't happen I never texted you."

BRO OMG OMG ONWKWJWKW IM TELLING YOU THE FREAKIN TENSION BW ME AND MY HEADPHONES.

And then the best part was the listeners bf calls who also used to be friends with the bsf, and goes "i love you."

In hopes of hearing it frm us too. "Dear...?" Silence.

NO CUZ IMAGINE STANDING IN FRONT OF SOMEONE U ACTUALLY LOVE AND U GOTTA SAY ILY TO YOUR BF WHAT??? OMG.

And then when he comes out to go run errands he talks to the bsf AKA THE ASMR ARTIST I TELL U HIS VOICE *melts*

"we'll see you right?"

"... farewell"

That's the visual representation of me I'm not even kidding. And....he just leaves. LIKE THAT?? WHAT ABOUT US AHHHH *dies*

Nah but yes, I've been obsessed now. At least it makes me feel something 😮‍💨

Ok also no way my old Bollywood obsession is dying anytime soon *listens to bol na halke halke*

Anyways bye bye baeks MAKE SURE TO TELL ME ABT YOURSELF HOW U DOING AND STUFF OK?? OK MWAH ILY 🤭

YOU SENT THIS LAST WEEK AND I JUST KIND OF LOGGED INFBWNDBSK SO SORRY

i hope you’re doing well!! i’m currently sick bc of a heatwave i caught at a wedding 🥰🥰

i’m glad you’re feeling peaceful! AND DHSKDHKW DONT MENTION IT FNDMSKC ITS BEEN 2 YEARS 😭😭😭 maybe my writing bug just dimmed LMFAOOOO haven’t been on here or read anything, ive been in my drafts just giggling and reading but never like posting or writing fbdndb but ive kind of, maybe wanting to write something for fall time which i’m not sure ill post but it’s got me smiling a bit!

WHAT IS THE SHOW TELL ME 🔫

omg i can never get behind asmr, i have this thing called misophonia, i just despise the way the arm sounds make my ears feel fmandksb i just feel triggered BUT U CRIED BC OF IT WHY 😭😭

u gotta send me the link of it bc the voice actor u say… 👁

does our bollywood obsession rly die 😭😭 the new tauba tauba got me going a bit crazy,,, heard the jannat bgm but sad version and iM OBSESSED WITH IT, it lowkey inspired me to think and write <3 got me giggling and imaging stuff <3 in my pillow fbwndbsj

#✉️ : ask #[ nothingjustme444 ]

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hirudou · 2 years ago

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a little compilation of thoughts i have on the tweels:

before they went to school for the first time, jade was a terror. he ate everything, cried a lot, bit pretty much anyone, and clung to his brother all the time. being given a reward by someone outside his family, for doing something "good" is what really started the change in character. realizing, even if he didn't mean well, but acted like he did-- he'd get what he wanted.

they shared everything for the longest time. including rooms. until jade became vice, and his obsession with nature / mushrooms grew a bit too much for floyd. it's actually said they have separate rooms in floyd's bday vignette. where floyd asks to use jades room to put some of his things in. in which jade tells him no. despite having the separate rooms, they do sleep in one another's rooms often. being as accustom as they are to sharing the space.

jade was clingier as a child. but floyd is definitely the clingier of the two when they're older. jade's very accustom to this, and can carry on mostly unbothered even when floyd drops his full weight on his brother without warning. in many cases, it's instinctual for jade to know when it's going to happen( long before it does ). and prepares for it accordingly.

neither of them take well to any genuine ill talk of the other. jade especially doesn't enjoy hearing it. and worst of all is comparing the two of them-- as if one is particularly better than the other. they both have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. and while jade does seem very prideful at times, he doesn't think of himself as less than or greater than floyd. sure, they pick on one another from time to time-- but they're teasing. it's all in good fun, and they don't ever mean what they say. but when sb else does it? not funny haha.

they both dote on one another, and fuss over different things. for jade in particular it's floyd's clothing. he can be seen adjusting his shirt, his coat, his hair ect ect-- which never stays the way he wants it. which is fine, it's kind of funny actually because even though he knows it wont stay put, he keeps doing it anyway. there are a lot of other things jade does-- but this in particular is a frequent occurrence.

we know both of them eat a lot, jade a LOT LOT--- but jade does actually get extra food at lunch for floyd. just to make sure his brother is eating enough. and if he ends up eating the extra food he grabs? thats alright, he's happy to eat more.

they know when either or is in a bad mood. usually without needing to ask. floyd makes it much more obvious than jade. but despite that, floyd can always tell rather quickly when his brother just need space. or something to do to let off some steam.

ik i've mentioned this too--- but "shovel talk" from either twin is very blunt and to the point. they don't care about the details. just so long as you don't hurt them. either twin can make your life a living hell honestly.

#two faced sycophant; slippery as an eel. ( headcanon )#i BET you im forgetting stuff #i can always add more #it's 3 am i wanted this to be done so #dumps this on the dash

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trinity-mia · 10 months ago

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a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

1.1 the enemy of my father is... also my enemy (allegedly)

warnings : cussing, monster attack (hey, there's a lot of those), allie doing something that will probably anger the gods (shocking, ik)

word count : 4.8k

1.1 Garden Gnomes are FREAKY and Anyone Who Says Otherwise is a LIAR

In some ways, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there.

Mostly because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong.

For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck. When you're a half-blood, you understand that it's just some divine force that is really trying to fuck up your day and at the very least if it doesn't make you happier, it'll give you peace of mind because you're given a reason.

So there we were, Luke, Grover, and I, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

I was pretty much in shock, myself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in my ears. But Luke kept pulling us along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."

"Do you think anyone was hurt?" I worried. "What if someone got hurt?"

"Allie, Sweetheart, I get why you're upset," Luke said tensely, continuing to tug me through the trees. "But we need to focus on getting away from there. We have to keep ourselves safe first."

I bit my lip but nodded. He flashed me that smile that I really hated, the tender one that made my ears heat up even more than the infuriating, but somehow still charming, playboy one did.

"It was really brave, coming back to help us," he told me, releasing my wrist to wrap his arm around my shoulders. "You're doing all you can, I know, but focus on your safety before the others. You come first."

I gave him a weak smile in reply. "Yeah, well, you come first, too. Imagine what'd happen if the Stolls were left in charge of Cabin 11," I tried to joke. "There'd be nothing left."

He snorted and nodded, giving me a squeeze. The thunderstorm finally began to let up, and I sighed in relief, adjusting my backpack.

"Good call, getting us to keep our bags with us," I said tiredly to him. "We'd've been in trouble otherwise."

"Yeah, well. Been there, done that," he grimaced. My eyes flickered to the scar on his face.

"When you went on your quest?"

He stiffened slightly and I immediately regretted asking.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. You don't have to—" I began but he cut me off with a mild head shake.

"No, actually. When Thalia, Annabeth and I were on the run, we didn't have a lot. Thank the gods I'm a natural thief, or we'd have starved long before the monsters got to us."

I didn't reply, simply nodding. He looked glad that I hadn't said anything, so I made it my job to keep my mouth shut for a while.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff.

Instead of finding a path, I came close to slamming into a tree and getting a nice-size knot on my head.

"Sorry!" Grover yelped as I turned my death glare on him.

"I think you're trying to get Luke killed. I think busting my head open on a tree would classify as 'me getting hurt while on this quest,' especially to Clarisse," I said, trying to lessen some of the tension that had settled over the three of us. Thankfully, it worked and we were able to laugh even with all of the awful shit going on.

"When we stop for the night we need to talk about something the Kindly Ones said back there," Luke told me after a few seconds. I frowned, but nodded. I had been a bit too busy fighting to pay attention to their shrieking. I was kind of impressed he'd been able to figure out what they'd been saying, their voices were so shrill.

After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, I started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realized suddenly that I was starving. I didn't know why, considering Katie, Silena, Nessa, and Clarisse had forced me to eat breakfast, so I knew I shouldn't be that hungry. The more I thought about it, the more the feeling went away.

Either way, we kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a '90s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I was thinking. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and random stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was almost impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English. I knew if I sat down and stared at it for a while I'd figure it out, but we didn't have that extra time.

To me, it looked like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.

"What the hell does that say?" I asked.

"Don't ask me," Luke shrugged. He cocked his head to the side and squinted, like that would somehow help him make out the cursive.

Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly, freaky, bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

I crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers. Even if the feeling of hunger had mostly gone away, we could still stock up for later.

"Hey..." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Luke pointed out. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar. We can stock up on food for later," I said.

"Snack bar," he wistfully agreed.

"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

We ignored him.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

We stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Luke dismissed him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

Luke ignored that.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman— at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're... um..." I started to say.

"We got separated," Luke lied smoothly. "Our bus caught on fire a few miles back. We panicked and ran, but we got lost in the forest. We smelt your food and were hoping we'd found a Burger King or something."

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

We thanked her and went inside.

"Good cover," I whispered to Luke.

He flashed me a smug grin. "I know," he muttered back. "I'm a genius. Oscar-worthy. You have a few don't you? But please, no autographs."

I scoffed and hit him on the arm. "You're such an ass... but yes, if you must know, I have four. And all of the others— by, like, over 20 years, I'm the youngest person to ever achieve EGOT status," I informed him as we entered the room.

"Wait, you're right, I should be the one asking you that. Then I could sell it on eBay and get a shitton of mon—" My glare cut him off. "Never mind."

The warehouse was filled with more statues— people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size.

Go ahead, call me an idiot for being impulsive. Sue me. But, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers. The aroma was like laughing gas or something— it made everything else go away. I did, however, notice Grover's nervous whimpers, and the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, but I didn't notice the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us.

And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front. Luke groaned at the sight. Grover shifted anxiously behind us.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Thank you for your hospitality," I said, taking the polite route, one that wasn't used very often.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "We don't have any money, ma'am."

Before I could interject and pull out my credit card, Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice children who have been through such a terrifying day."

"Thank you, ma'am," Luke said with a charming grin on his face.

She waved him off. "Quite alright, Luke," she replied, before she disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. My head shot up to look at her, but she wouldn't look back at me. Though, there was a weird... strain about it. Like she had to force herself to keep from looking at me.

Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

I only ate a few fries before packing up the rest. If Aunty M found this at all weird or concerning, she didn't say it. Luke was very passionate about his burger and I don't think he remembered to breathe until halfway through.

I sipped at the chocolate shake Aunty Em had given me.

Grover picked at the fries, like I had, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.

"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.

I listened, but didn't hear anything. Luke shook his head.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax."

She'd said Grover's name, too, I realized. Had we said our names when we walked in? I couldn't remember for sure.

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, but since I didn't eat much it didn't make me feel as weirded out as I would've been.

"So, you sell gnomes," I said, trying to sound interested instead of uncomfortable. I was starting to get a weird vibe, or at least a vibe that started a while ago, but was only intensifying. If I could get some information out of her I might feel less... on edge.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em nodded. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"You get a lot of business on this road?" I didn't mean for it to come out rude, but even to me, it sounded bratty.

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" I asked.

I swear to the gods...

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company."

The sadness in her voice was convincing, but not to the girl who'd been an actress all her life. It was real, but not 'oh my sisters are gone' sadness, more a 'feel sympathy for me you naive children' sadness.

... If you are who I think you are...

Even Luke had stopped eating. I sat forward and asked, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Allie, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually, they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

... You trick ass bitch.

"Luke? Maybe we should go," I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. I had to shake him in order to get his attention. "Our parents are probably looking for us."

He looked at me confused, while Grover started to chew on the wax paper. I could hear my own heart beating.

"You look so, so like my beloved," she whispered, reaching out to stroke my cheek. I flinched away before she could. She didn't seem offended, for some reason. "Cut some of that pretty hair, bulk up or just make yourself less petite and womanly and you'd look exactly like him..."

"We really should go!" I stood abruptly, trying to drag Luke along with me.

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "Our parents are waiting! Right!"

But Luke didn't want to get up. He even tried pulling me back to my seat, but I kept my feet planted.

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" I asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

I shifted my weight from foot to foot. I didn't want to go, but I felt like it was the only option. Luke wouldn't go with us, whatever she put in the food she gave us was obviously working. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Luke—"

"Of course we'll stay," Luke agreed. I don't think he even realized he'd spoken until the words were out of his mouth. He was snapping out of it. That was good. "It's just a photo, Allie. What's the harm? You're a model. Don't you take, like, hundreds every day?"

"Yes, Allie," the woman purred. "No harm."

I didn't like it, but I let myself get dragged to the back. Again, call me stupid all you want, I deserve it. But I thought there might be another exit back there or maybe we could find another way to escape before she turned us to stone.

Oh yeah, for those of you who haven't quite caught up with your Greek Mythology, this is Medusa. Get it? Aunty Em— Aunty 'M.'

She directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young lady in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."

"Not much light for a photo," Luke remarked. I was trying to telepathically speak to him, since now he was starting to see something about this was wrong. SOS! We need to get the hell out of dodge! Now!

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Medusa stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," she chastised, "look this way, dear." She still had no camera in her hands.

"Luke—" I said.

"You know ma'am, Allie and Grover are right," Luke suddenly said. "We really should be going. Our parents must be frantic by now, after all."

"I will just be a moment," Medusa said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."

"Oh, I really think we should go." I began to stand up.

"Why?" She said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Don't leave yet, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" I shouted. I managed to slip Annabeth's Yankees cap out of Luke's back pocket and onto his head and then I pushed them both to the sides. I heard one of Grover's hooves against the ground, so one of his shoes had to have fallen off, but I couldn't see Luke, so I'd succeeded in helping them.

Now I had the problem of getting myself out of trouble. Which was now very bad, considering she had no veil on and was right in front of me. I kept my eyes glued to my shoes.

Her gnarled hands grabbed me, giving me no choice but to stay there and not look at her face. She started rocking me back and forth, like a mother trying to console their child, but her grip was strong and her nails were digging into my arms.

"I didn't tell the whole of my story, dear Astraea," she said 'dear' with so much loathing I almost recoiled in fear. "You see, after I was cursed by Athena, I expected my lover to stand by me. To help me and my sisters, who had done nothing wrong. After all, I was in her temple on his request, and I was pregnant with his children. But he didn't help us," her voice grew dark.

"That's not my fault," I cried, voice strained and tears pricking at my eyes, but she only continued.

"Instead, he abandoned us to our fate, uncaring of our suffering. And we were attacked by heroes," she spat the word contemptuously. "Who sought to eliminate the monsters. My sisters were killed, as they did not share my power to turn people to stone and so could not defend themselves, and I was left alone with nothing but my statues until the accursed Perseus killed me. It's all your father's fault! He and Athena! But I cannot get revenge on him, so I will settle for—"

Think of the most impulsive thing you've ever seen someone do. Now take that and multiply it by like... I don't know... 50? They still wouldn't come close to the level of impulsiveness I had acted on.

She'd let go of one of my arms to caress my face. I don't know who gave me the thought process I had in order for me to do it, but I did it. And it was pretty badass if I do say so myself.

Just before she touched my face, I closed my eyes shut and kicked my leg out which just enough force to knock her to the ground. She let go of me and I ran. My first thought was to find Luke, get Grover, and book it out of there, but then Luke found me first. Medusa let out a cry of outrage at the same time I almost screamed a lung out of my body.

Still invisible, Luke had grabbed me and pulled me behind a few stone statues, pressing me up against the wall and putting his hand over my mouth to keep the scream contained. As soon as we were out of her line of sight, Luke took the cap off and let me go.

"You have to cut her head off."

"What? Why can't we just get the hell out of here?"

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. We can't let her continue to live, turning innocent people into stone for her own amusement. I'd kill her myself, but you have the better weapon. Weapons."

I bit my lip but nodded in acceptance. Luke was right. If we didn't stop Medusa, she'd just keep killing people. My heart clenched as I glanced at a body (I couldn't think of them as statues anymore. It seemed too disrespectful to her victims). It was a young girl scout with her mother. The little girl was missing one of her front teeth.

"Okay," I agreed, voice barely a whimper. "But how will I see her? None of us have shields."

Luke grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "Use this," he ordered me. "It's not as good as a polished shield, but it'll do."

"You know!" Medusa screamed out in her rage as she finally got up. "I'd hate destroying a pretty face like your's, Allie, but what better way to get revenge? I turn you to stone and destroy your statue. Kill daddy's little princess twice over. A pretty face for a pretty face! How does that sound?"

Then Grover also took a slice of the impulsive cake.

There was a wild battle cry and I glanced at another of the reflective sphere things. The sight shocked me. Grover, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat, was racing for Medusa. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by his ears and nose alone.

"I'll get her!" He yelled. I let out a moan of horror, making to run and join the fight. Knowing Grover, I was sure he'd miss Medusa and knock himself out.

Thwack!

At first I figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. Then Medusa roared with rage.

"You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

I scrambled away and hid behind another person to peek carefully at the scene while Grover ran in for another pass.

Ker-whack!

"Go, Grover," I muttered.

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting.

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled somewhere near us. "I think she's unconscious!"

"Roooaaarrr!"

"Maybe not," Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch.

I pressed the diamond of my necklace and turned it into Riptide. Thank the gods it didn't make a noise, otherwise, I'd have been pretty screwed.

Then I followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair. I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball so I could only glimpse Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. Then, in the green-tinted glass, I saw her.

Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he swung a little too low. Medusa grabbed the stick and threw him roughly away from her with unnatural strength. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful "Ummphh!"

Medusa was about to lunge at him when I yelled a panicked, "Hey!"

I advanced on her, which wasn't easy, holding a sword and a glass ball. If she charged, I'd have a hard time defending myself. But she let me approach— twenty feet, ten feet.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Allie," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't. What would Mommy think of such behavior?"

I hesitated, fascinated by the face I saw reflected in the glass— the eyes that seemed to burn straight through the green tint, making my arms go weak. But then I got an idea. Let her think she has the upper hand.

From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, "Allie, don't listen to her!"

Medusa cackled. "Too late."

She lunged at me with her talons. I slashed up with my sword, heard a sickening shlock! then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern— the sound of a monster disintegrating. Something fell to the ground next to my foot. I jumped away, just in time to keep my shoes from getting permanently destroyed.

"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck."

Luke came up next to me, his eyes fixed on the sky. He was holding Medusa's black veil. "Don't move," he instructed me.

"I know."

Very, very carefully, without looking down, he knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"I knew you could do it," he grinned at me. "I trained you after all."

I scoffed. "Oh, please. That was pure, natural talent. You trained me for a few days. You don't get the credit." I glanced at the covered head with a grimace. I felt queasy looking at it. "Why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," he explained. "Same as your Minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

"Right," I breathed. Grover trotted up to us, a large red knot forming in the middle of his forehead. "Good work, G," I told him appreciatively. "You were definitely more useful than that one over there." I jerked my thumb at Luke, who gave me a look of mocking offense.

"That hurts Angel, it really does," he pouted jokingly. "Here I was trying to give you some real-life experience, and you mock me." He shook his head sadly and I chuckled.

"That really was not fun, though," Grover announced. "Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun."

"You didn't enjoy crashing into solid stone?" I deadpanned. "Shocking. What do we do with the head?"

"Let me check the office," Luke decided. "See if I find some inspiration." I sat down tiredly, letting him go and search. He came out a few minutes later, with two more paper bags, a box, some tape, extra drachmas and, best of all, a slip of paper with an address on it in Ancient Greek. DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. The Underworld's billing address.

"Awesome," I breathed, taking it from him. "Luke, I could literally kiss you right now."

He brightened, suddenly in my personal space. "I'll take you up on that," he declared.

My eyes narrowed before I grabbed his collar and pulled him down to my level. Then I briefly skimmed my lips across his cheek. Grover choked in the background as I pulled back before Luke managed to do anything.

"Never let it be said that I don't do what I say," I whispered in his ear before stepping away and starting to wrap the head up more securely. Luke gaped at me, looking bewildered as I taped the box shut, head double-wrapped inside.

Then I scribbled on the top of it.

Now, remember earlier when I said I did the most impulsive thing anyone's ever done? Yeah, that situation's about to happen again.

But I was mad and furious at being called a thief and this experience did not make me feel much better.

Lord Zeus,

Mount Olympus,

600th Floor,

Empire State Building,

New York, NY,

With best wishes,

Astraea Jackson

P.S. I was in Philly while your bolt was getting stolen. Lucky for you, I'm a nice person and am willing to find it and return it to you.

If you could kindly hop off my ass, that'd be great. Have a nice day :)

"He's not going to like that," Grover warned. "He'll think you're impertinent."

I poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as I closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"Yeah, well, I am impertinent," I told them both, crossing my arms over my chest. Luke was still gaping at me, but now it was because of two impulsive things I'd done. "Come on," I ordered. "We need a new plan."

* * *

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