#and sally's lament came out but!!! no one's talking about it! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pjohoo-reclists · 1 year ago

Text

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood Fic Recs

A list of fics starring Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood's platonic friendship. Requested by @evadne01 Enjoy!!

Decided Family by greensgables

G | 600 words | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood & Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Book 1: The Lightning Thief, Fluff, Friendship

Despite what most people might think, Grover is very aware of the fact that he doesn't have family at Camp Half Blood. Or he didn't, until Percy came around.

The start of a legend by Phantomxlegend

G | 800 words | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Hurt/Comfort, 12 year old Percy, Percy Angst

When you just find out you’re a demigod and immediately get thrown on a world ending, life or death style quest. It can be a little stressful. Or: Just some small Grover comforting Percy because y’all forgot about Grover.

Words of Affirmation by punkfistfights

G | 900 words | Complete

Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase

Fluff, Past/Implied Child Abuse, mentioned Gabe Ugliano

“Actions don’t always speak louder than words.” How the three people closest to Percy made sure he knew they loved him.

King-Size Candy Bars by liketolaugh

G | 1.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Abused Percy Jackson, Developing Friendships, Pre-canon

It takes a week or two for Percy and Grover to actually become friends, even after they're roomed together. Because Percy, twelve years old, pragmatic, and hostile, is about as easy to make friends with as Thalia was. Hopefully, Grover will pull it off in the end.

five ___ + one by samosasandlife

Not Rated | 1.6k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Fluff, Pre-the Lightning Thief, Monsters

Five times percy nearly got attacked by a monster and grover had to save him without him noticing, and one time he couldn’t.

first flight by wiindblumewisps

T | 1.9k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Fluff, Wings, Comfort no Hurt

“I can’t believe I’m helping you with this,” He says. “You didn’t have to.” “I have to.” He waves the hose at him again. A small group of water stays suspended in the air. “I have to be there for when you eat total shit. So I can say I told you so.” Grover attempts to bat away the water when it’s flicked at him. He sticks his tongue out at Percy, who responds in kind. “Your lack of belief wounds me,” Percy laments, holding a hand to his chest, in a tone that suggests he doesn’t mean it. “Really though, I’ve done way more out there things before, and they worked out fine, yeah?” “How could I ever forget your pool noodle fight with a cyclops?” Or: I wanted percy to have water wings so i gave him some.

in dusting cobwebs by GraeWrites

T | 2.6k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase & Grover Underwood

Grover Underwood is a good friend, Percy and Annabeth are traumatized, Empathy Link

Annabeth shakes her head, adamant. “It was. Arachne’s web got twisted around my ankle and… and it pulled me in, and Percy grabbed me, but—” Tartarus. There’s a sudden sense of vertigo, and he reaches instinctively for Annabeth’s hand. He grips it, and the contact with her is enough to keep him from feeling like he’s falling into Tartarus again. “Annabeth,” Grover is saying, but he sounds far away. “Annabeth, that doesn’t mean it’s your fault. I mean, gods, after what you two went through…” Percy jolts, realization hitting him sharper than Jason’s lightning. His eyes snap to focus on Grover, his stomach twisting with sudden nausea. “The empathy link.” -- Or, Grover reunites with Percy and Annabeth following the battle against Gaia. They talk about some things. They don't talk about others.

blue by carolinaa

T | 3.3k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson & Clarisse La Rue

Empathy Link, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues

Left to his own devices, Percy starts to spiral. Someone notices.

an illusion you hide behind by maverickk

T | 4.2k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Good friend Grover Underwood, Dark Percy Jackson, Road Trips

Percy and Grover's road trip is going great. They're meeting with nature spirits, working on restoring the Wild, and completely ignoring the emotional tension slowly building between them. Yep. This is definitely a sustainable system.

to preserve the heart by aknosde

T | 13k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase & Grover Underwood, Sally Jackson & Grover Underwood

Grief/Mourning, Emotionally Intelligent Percy Jackson, Healing

Percy's disappearance—his death—is a knife in Grover's gut, radiating pain in a steady, silent flow. He can feel the blood building behind the blade, like a dam ready to burst. This is the problem: Grover can't heal until it's pulled out, and there's nothing he wants to do less. Or: loving your friends, grieving, and what you can and can't move on from in eight months—and the rest of your life.

52 notes · View notes

thenightling · 1 year ago

Text

So Jack Skellington is problematic Now...

Ugh... In my re-embracing of my childhood favorite (Nightmare before Christmas) which turns thirty years old this year, I have had the displeasure of encountering "New" interpretations of the characters. I kind of hate that the Tumblr generation has discovered Nightmare before Christmas.

I'm stumbling across hot take after hot take about what an awful person Jack is and people "Cleverly" pointing out that Jack didn't listen to Sally, that he talked over her, that he does a lot of harm... Yeah, that's kind of the point. He's a f--k up. And he is oblivious. But he's not evil. And he's not abusive.

I even came across one tonight that said he's mentally unstable. No, his emotions are conveyed in a musical with song numbers by a very expressive and eccentric man who likes to play with his own vocal range and emotional expression in song. That's not "emotional instability." That's passion. All of Jack's emotions and reactions are warranted in the story.

One of the earliest hot takes I came across called the movie a "Dumpster Fire." And the person essentially said that Jack needs to be punished and that the mayor should strip him of his Pumpkin King Title. I think they don't realize a king out ranks a mayor, usually, and Jack isn't some beauty pageant winner. He is the king of Halloween. I think this new backlash against the character stems from interpretations that the movie is about cultural appropriation. People thinking Sally is too passive because they're used to "Strong women" actually fighting and kicking ass. But Sally is a strong character. She just doesn't do physical combat. I think we need to veer away from this shallow interpretation of "strong" requiring brute force. Sally is defiant. She questions things. She poisons her creator to escape him on a regular basis. And she even almost got away with freeing Santa Claus (almost at the cost of her own leg). That and a cultural stance of being anti-monarchy. It's kind of depressing seeing this sort of hate toward Jack. I know it's a children's film but it says a lot when people can't forgive the protagonist of a children's film for being oblivious (toward Sally and about taking over Christmas). There are actually people who think Jack will eventually get bored and lose interest in Sally because she's just "another high" for him and think he's a narcissist. If Jack was a true narcissist he would not have rushed to their rescue the way he did. Also The soundtrack album and novelization both tell you that Jack and Sally had "Four or five" children together. Jack never gets bored with her. The thing that Jack was missing the whole time was love- an emotional connection to another on a personal level. That's why he became obsessed with Christmas. He sensed the pure love attached to the holiday. He just didn't realize how close that potential connection- that love actually was. To think Sally is just another high for him is to miss the entire point of Jack's Lament, what the emptiness and longing was inside of Jack, and also ruins the intended sweetness of the ending. Despite what a lot of sequels do today with romances, these two were meant to be a Happily Ever After- without question. The idea was that Jack's obsession with Christmas came from a high, yes, but that high came from sensing the love innate in the holiday itself. That's the longing and emptiness he felt in the song Jack's Lament, the lack of deep interpersonal connection- love. He had fans but he didn't really have someone actually care about him as a person and get to know him or try to.

Jack would probably have other adventures and screw ups. But I don't think he'd get bored with Sally, she is a connection he has with no one else. And that's very important to someone who has experienced profound loneliness.

In regard to Jack's behavior in the movie... "Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity." Jack isn't stupid. But he IS very naive. And he makes horrible mistakes. Once he realizes he has made these mistakes he sets out to make things right. A more adult version of this issue came up when I first got into Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Someone sent me an anonymous ask on Tumblr that read "Do you acknowledge all the terrible things Morpheus has done or do you ignore them because he's your fave?" He's my favorite partly BECAUSE he's a screw up. I like characters that make terrible mistakes and then attempt to set things right. I like redemption stories. I like character growth.

Has our culture reached some very unsympathetic and rather cruel point that protagonists can't make bad mistakes, can't have faults and failings? They need to be perfect and always do the right thing at all times lest forever be condemned as problematic?! For God's sake, I'm reading rants on why the King of Halloween wanting to do Christmas and not listening to the girl who has a crush on him should result in a beheading. Kids... Calm down. Not everything needs righteous rage.

#Nightmare before Christmas #Tim Burton

20 notes · View notes

pico-digital-studios · 7 months ago

Text

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Home or Hero?

In One More Hero Chapter 1, after OMT!Tails, CR!Sonic and Nine got their transport vehicle sorted out, they began their flight over New Yoke City.

Nine: So, do you have a Sonic back where you came from?

OMT!Tails: Well, I did.

Nine: What happened?

OMT!Tails: Some supernatural monster tried to ravage my home, and Sonic sacrificed his life to destroy it. I know everyone else has been able to move on, but it's been near-impossible for me to maintain the promise I gave him. *sigh* Guess I just suck at moving on, I suppose…

Nine: I'm sure he'd be proud of how far you're coming, Tails. I mean, you can gradually learn the steps needed to take up his mantle and keep those in your land safe. And you've got my support as well, through whatever you endure from here on out.

OMT!Tails: Thanks, Nine. That really means a lot coming from you.

Nine: Anytime!

CR!Sonic: Alright. Next stop-! Hey.

CR!Sonic had noticed a hedgehog figure standing on the ground in one area of New Yoke.

CR!Sonic: Is that-? Oh, boy! Tails, slow down, quick!

OMT!Tails: Huh? What’s up?

CR!Sonic: STOP THE SHIP!

OMT!Tails: Okay, okay! Hang on!

Tails did so, landing it as the three hopped out.

Nine: What’s up, Sonic?

CR!Sonic: If it isn’t bleedy eyes himself! Haven’t seen you since Corrupt and stuff.

The figure, Exegod, turned back to CR!Sonic in response.

Exegod: Oh, Sonic. Never thought we’d cross paths again.

Nine stepped in front of Tails to protect him, mainly due to the latter having not yet gotten over seeing an evil Sonic.

Exegod: Still shaken from whatever ordeal took hold of your dimension, huh?

OMT!Tails: Yeah...

Exegod: Hey, it's alright, kid. My killing days are long behind me.

CR!Sonic: So, what brought you into this Shatterspace?

Exegod: I felt there was a lot of unusual activity going on and tried to cross through here, but I guess we crossed paths sooner than I had anticipated.

CR!Sonic: So you experienced those weird portals too, huh?

OMT!Tails: I... think I know what really caused the issue.

Nine: Huh?

OMT!Tails: Back in my dimension, me and the local hero there uncovered an interdimensional energiser in an old and abandoned Death Egg.

Flashbacks are shown to the sequence.

OMT!Tails: I felt an urge to figure it out, though during the fight, the energiser fired up proper, and Detective Ghost was caught in the beam. We both managed to escape, though I've now got the responsibility of the world on my shoulders, since I need to be the one to shut it down.

Back in the present...

CR!Sonic: Oh, NOW you tell me how I got in your dimension proper?

OMT!Tails: I could've explained it to you before you went and ran off ahead of me before.

CR!Sonic: I ain't one for long talks, though, kid. You know who I am, right?

Exegod: He does have a point, though. Don't you remember? With great power always comes great-.

CR!Sonic angrily pushed Exegod back.

CR!Sonic: Don't you dare finish that sentence... Just don't do it. I'm sick of it.

Nine: Sonic, cool it! What do you even plan to do?

CR!Sonic: Well, go back there, and when it runs again, I'll just jump in and get back to my life-.

Exegod: Doing what? Wasting away on chilli dogs whilst lamenting about breaking your Sally's heart?

CR!Sonic: ...How the hell did you know that?

OMT!Tails: Look! We can't let the guy behind it run it! I'm supposed to destroy it so that it never runs again, or everyone's gonna die-!

CR!Sonic: (mockingly) -or everyone's gonna die! (normal) That's what they always say. BUT! There's always a little bit of time before the end of the world, and that's when I do my best work!

OMT!Tails: Before we head back... Aren't you gonna be needing this?

OMT!Tails pulled out the little device Kaede had passed to him before.

CR!Sonic: Ah, you have a goober! Give it.

He tried to take it, though OMT!Tails just flipped his back to Sonic with some cute pouting.

OMT!Tails: Not so fast! Kaede called it an override key.

CR!Sonic: There's always a bypass key, a virus key, a who-cares key I can never remember. Since I don't have my Tails available for this, I just call these things goobers for consistency. Hand it over!

OMT!Tails: I need it to destroy the energiser!

CR!Sonic: I need it to go home!

Tails quickly put it in his mouth, glaring at Sonic.

OMT!Tails (muffled): No! I'll swallow it if I have to. Don't try this on me!

CR!Sonic: What was that?

He walked slightly ahead, knowing he would provoke a response.

OMT!Tails: I said-!

And he quickly swiped the device right out of Tails's mouth.

OMT!Tails: Hey!

CR!Sonic: The energiser created a portal that brought me into your dimension before, so I have to g-. ... Did you break this?

OMT!Tails (sweating): Oh, no... It must've broke in the middle of that crazy chase away from the SIGU.

CR!Sonic: *sigh* This is why I never had kids. This is why I never did that!

Nine: We got my workshop, haven't we? Can't we make another one?

CR!Sonic: No, Nine. We can't do anything! Thanks to the whole thing back at Tails's world, I have to re-steal what his girl stole from that Death Egg and make another one of these.

OMT!Tails: Okay, look, Sonic! If I don't turn off the energiser after you leave, everyone on my South Island, Knuckles, Amy, my little sister, my aunts, my uncle, my big sister-in-law, and millions of others are going to die! And you're just gonna trail right back into a crummy apartment without making meaningful changes and leave ME to figure it out all on my own?! Are you seriously good with that, Sonic?

CR!Sonic: ...yeah? *sigh* I'm gonna take a small walk. Call me when you're ready to cruise off again.

He walked off.

Exegod: Urgh, come ON, Maurice! This isn't the blue blur I once knew!

CR!Sonic: Yeah, and he ain't comin' back!

Exegod followed him as OMT!Tails sighed in frustration.

OMT!Tails: How come I'm now stuck with the angsty, older, broke Sonic?!

He punched a nearby girder to vent out his anger, only to look in surprise when the punch actually knocked it out of shape a bit.

OMT!Tails (surprised): Oh. That's new.

Nine: *sigh* Yeah. That Sonic's not been in the best state, even when I first met him last week. I'm sure there's still good in him deep down. It's just that it's currently buried deep under a lot of trauma.

OMT!Tails: Yeah, I get that. When we're on the move again, I'll try to see if we can awaken that in him again.

Nine: Heh, good call.

Nine got to sorting out the engine for multiversal travel while OMT!Tails waited for CR!Sonic to let off his steam.

#sonic exe #sonic the hedgehog #spider verse #sth #sonic #sonic fandom #sth au #sonic au #spider man #sonic prime

4 notes · View notes

speccyfilmnerd · 1 year ago

Text

The Somehow STILL Underrated Beauty of Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’

19.12.23

‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a stop motion animated holiday musical, directed by the incredible Henry Selick, produced by Tim Burton, with music and lyrics by composer Danny Elfman, released in the Halloween season of 1993. Over the years the film has developed a terrifyingly devoted fan base (me included) that grows every year; its sights, sounds, and the feelings they evoke in viewers young and old, is simply encapsulating and downright impressive.

So, now in the run up to Christmas, thirty years after the film originally came out, I would like to talk to you about it.

To refresh your memory, the film follows a depressed and bored skeleton, aptly named Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king. Jack ventures out of the town of Halloween into a whimsical land of Christmas. Enchanted by the sheer joy he feels over this, Jack steals Christmas and loses sight of what Christmas is actually about and the friends he already had. The movie ends with Jack returning Christmas to its rightful owner and himself returning to Halloween town.

NBC was (and still is) one of the most revolutionary stop motion pictures ever made. It utilizes advanced techniques that took more than 100 artists, technicians and animators more than three years to perfect on the screen. Director Henry Selick has become an Animation Icon so to speak. With classics like ‘Coraline’ and ‘James and the Giant Peach’ under his belt, and a clear talent and good eye for stop motion, it's clear Selick was the best choice to lead the operation, with Tim Burton close behind.

Burton chose Selick personally to bring his creation to life. A creation he dreamed up while working for Disney as an animator years before, a character that in his own words is ‘sort of like the Grinch in reverse.’ Selick did his very best to portray the vision Burton had displayed in his concept art accurately, so much so that even some fans of the film mistake it as being directed by Burton himself.

Interestingly, during pre-production, the first things to be made for the film were its songs. Burton brought in his most reliable source for all things musical, composer and lyricist Danny Elfman. at First Elfman was hesitant about working on the film, he said in an interview with GQ earlier this year 'Christmas was the most depressing time of the year for me. It was a very lonely time for me as a kid.’ Elfman himself is Jewish and doesn't celebrate Christmas, however his decision about working on the film was changed when Burton described it's main character, a Skeleton, a repeating motif in Elfman's work.

Before a script was put together Elfman had already written the lyrics that built up a lot of Jack's character, and he also became the singing voice of the part. The rest of the score features beautiful orchestral suites that swell and envelope the listener in all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings

I asked my friend October, who is more musically inclined than me, to describe the score further…

“Within each song, beautiful and somber melodies are packed into each second of runtime, the orchestra is used effectively to move the story along in such an ornamented way.

Songs like ‘Jack’s Lament’ have gorgeous trailing motifs played by strings and woodwind, maybe opposing Elfman’s other works that have a focus on more powerful brassy numbers. Emotionally-charged lyrics written by Elfman (stated in the interview priorly talked about - Elfman resonated with Jack) are able to be understood and enjoyed by all ages, and the voices chosen for each character - Catherine O’Hara as Sally, Ken Page as Oogie - work excellently to set the tone for each scene and keep engagement at a high.

I’m unable to speak about specifics in terms of instrumentation for songs suck as Sally’s Song and the like, and I don’t own the score quite yet, and my ability to correctly identify instruments correctly lacks.”

The Nightmare Before Christmas, and in particular it's main character Jack, tackles a theme of belonging. When I first saw the film as a child I felt an intense connection to it. It's my mothers favorite and in turn has become mine, seeing this thin, pale, confused character attempt to find somewhere he feels he belongs was awfully personal. I know the way Jack feels in the first act of the story far too well, and it is both a delightful and ever so slightly envious emotion I get when I see him break out of it.

Back to my childhood again, the villainous Oogie Boogie would always spark a mix of fear and excitement whenever I would hear that first ominous laugh ring out from the screen. He really is a perfectly designed character in my opinion. the contrast between his large, soft, rounded silhouette and jack's thin, almost snappable frame shows how different they are, despite being similar.

for anyone who's interested in filmmaking, animation, music and sound design, colour theory and shot composition or character design, this film is an amazing piece to look at (or write your school paper on) and I think it definitely has, and will continue to stand against time in an industry and an art form that moves ever so fast.

And I wish you all, whether you celebrate or not, a very happy and safe, dry and warm winter.

Interviews referenced/sources used:

Documentary about the production of the film, featuring interviews from many crew members, including Henry Selick, Tim Burton and Danny Elfman:

youtube

Danny Elfman speaking to GQ: (7:20-11:05)

youtube

#the nightmare before christmas #tim burton #movie analysis #film talk #film theory

6 notes · View notes

asprinterandamarathon · 6 months ago

Text

BOTR - Day 16 - June 30, 2014

Marathon Day!

My alarm went off at 3:30am. I got out of bed a few minutes later and went downstairs to start the ritual of force feeding myself so that I’d have the calories necessary to run for 4+ hours. Jane appeared a few minutes after. We both did our food prep and started eating to the extent we could considering our lack of appetites at that hour.

Around 4:00am, Sally came downstairs ready to drive us to the shuttle bus pickup point. We had to drive about a mile. As we got closer to the pickup more and more runners appeared. We walked with them across a bridge towards the University of Montana campus and the buses.

It’s amazing how wide awake people can be on a bus at 4:30am headed to the start of a race. All we heard was chatter all around us. People were introducing themselves to their seat mates, talking about this race and others they had done, lamenting injuries, bragging about personal bests, and more. Energy buzzed throughout the bus.

Pic before the start!

It took almost 30 minutes to get to the start. When we arrived at just before 5:00am there were fewer than 100 people milling around. If needed, we had our pick of the port-o-johns. At 5:00 on the nose, fireworks lit up the sky to indicate that we had one hour to go. This happened every 15 minutes until the start. By 5:15 there were hundreds more runners in the staging area.

While we waited we talked to a few people. We met one retired gentleman from Freehold, NJ who hadn’t run a marathon in over a decade. Another gent was wearing a Boston Marathon cap so I asked him when he ran it. 2004 was his answer.

Shortly after the 15 minute warning, Jane and I lined up at the start. It was hard to see the pacers line up ahead of us. I had been working towards a specific goal time but I knew it wasn’t possible with the pain I was suffering.

At 6:00am a larger barrage of fireworks filled the sky to signal the start of the race. I kissed Jane and wished her a good race! I needed to move away quickly as I choked up over the thought of her doing her first marathon and knowing she was going to do well and enjoy it. I looked forward to seeing her at the finish.

Diane, Sally, Adriene, Jeanne, and Galen all cheered us on at various places along the course. It was great to see them and it certainly energized us when we needed it most. We really appreciated them hoping from place to place and waiting for us over the hours that we were running.

Pure joy!

Grrrr.

Still lovin’ it!

Sprint to the finish!

Later I was thrilled to see her cross the finish with great form and a huge smile on her face! We celebrated with the family all afternoon and wrapped up the evening with a kick ass game of Phase 10.

Done!

Family cheering section!

Onesie for baby Thoma! Matches Jane’s race sweatshirt.

Every race needs a lap chicken and a sheep on a leash!

I’d like to say I slept well after but my running aches and pains amplified as the night went on. Regardless, it was a great day.

0 notes

bugb34r · 3 years ago

Text

A Wide, Extensive List of c!Wilbur Headcannons(TM) (+ some quick Friend hcs-)

Alot of them are not connected, and alot of them are- I'll try to organize it as accessible + readable as possible !!

☁️Pagan!Revivedbur. (I actually created a whole pagan!dsmp thing one time off of this headcannon, might talk more about it some time-). I'd like to think he'd be into candle magic and shit, but overall have a very open path/practice.

⛤Revivedbur openly respects Ghostbur, and clings to the things he left behind.

⛤Revivedbur doesnt bother washing his sweater/getting the blood stain out because its a mix of his own red blood, and Ghostburs blue blood, and he doesnt want that small proof/trace of Ghostbur existing to disappear.

Aka Ghostbur had to live with the pain Revivedbur had and caused, even if he didnt truly accept/understand/know where the pain came from. Revivedbur realized he couldnt even live with all of that, so he just- respects the dude who tried to fix everything he had broke (Or: Im a sucker for Revivedbur and Ghostbur getting along/respecting eachother/etc. and I disregard canon-)

⛤Revivedbur is afraid of water/rain/getting wet, because he remembers it hurting Ghostbur, aka him

⛤Revivedbur uses neos prove me wrong you cant- /lh

⛤Revivedbur says no to gender, and he doesnt like it when ppl use he/him and masc terms for him but for the longest time couldnt figure out why

⛤He ends up talking to Ranboo, and later Fundy, abt it and theyre like "oh lol thats chill" and hes like "omg ok pog"

⛤Revivedbur has the majority of bad memories Ghostbur had forgotten/ignored/blocked out

⛤Revivedbur doesnt talk about Limbo, or his talk with Ghostbur, or that he remembers things from Ghostburs time "alive", but he vague mentions it alot when hes lamenting or upset or smth

☁️Ghostburs limbo isnt the train station, its the train. (Mumza comes onto the train now and then to check on him <33 she did the same with Revivedbur via train aswell)

⛤Following this, when Revivedbur got on the train when he was being yaknow, revived, he sat with Ghostbur the whole time, and the two apologized to eachother for their own reasons, and they just. talked. about everything the other had missed.

⛤Ghostbur finds peace on the train in Limbo. While he isnt happy, hes okay, and thats all that matters

⛤Ghostbur asked Revivedbur to take care of Friend for him

⛤Disregarding Canon, Revivedbur takes care of Friend, and has refused to let anyone so much as touch Friend since hes been alive

⛤Ghostbur didnt get/understand the fake sally at his revival because he knew it wasnt Sally, not because of Ghostburs memory

☁️Friend can visit Ghostbur in Limbo, because she has infinite lives

⛤Friend uses any/all prns including neos because I say so.

⛤Friend is sheep buddies with Rosie (Phils Sheep)

☁️Poly relationship between Wilbur, a Sheep Hybrid, and Sally- Its why Ghostburs so attached to friend, cause they remind him of his old partner

☁️Sally wasnt a fish (i do like hybrid/siren sally but for this im ignoring that-), it was just Wilburs coping mechanism for coming to terms with loosing her. He had to create a fake version of her to be able to talk about her. (The only one who knows this is Fundy, but he learned to go along with it because it keeps Wilbur happy) (the same might also be said for the Sheep Hybrid in this universe- Wilbur just refers to them as a sheep to cope) Also he would definitely jokingly call Sally Ariel

☁️Wilbur is a shapeshifter I don't make the rules- He likes being in his fox form alot, so Fundy like- inherited the Fox bit- (Though Shapeshifter Fundy is also cool-)

⛤Wilbur is a shapeshifter whos three forms are literally limited to a) humanoid Moth, b) Humanoid Fox, and c) A weird mix of both

☁️Wilbur doesn't understand Gender, so when Fundy came out as Trans he was just like "Um. Huh??? Gender??? Trans??? Fundy whats a boy-" IKMJN and Fundy just kinda stared at him before going to Sally because he realized his Dad didn't even know Fundy had had a gender-

☁️Wilbur being tied to the earth through like, godly means? and the Earth is like "hey, no, our prince isnt where he belongs anymore, he must return home to safety <3". Just, the earth loving Wilbur more than anything else, and wanting their prince to be safe- <3 (Earth Deity Wilbur pog???)

42 notes · View notes

cordonia · 4 years ago

Photo

Lovelink: Hugo Hornsby (Bored)

Rating: PG Word count: 1603 Summary: Hugo Hornsby is late, and Isadora can’t help but feel herself slipping out of his life. Maybe some love fizzles out just like this; tired and bored.

"The games you played were never fun You'd say you'd stay but then you'd run"

Bored. Isadora hunched forward over the diner counter and rested her cheek against her fist, very slowly rolling her eyes. He was late, again, and that was becoming an unfamiliar habit. She was getting bored. The last time she had seen him, she was walking around her apartment in her underwear, making him a coffee while he awaited on the couch. He stared at her hips while rambling on about planetary disease and she just nodded along. Two weeks later, he was...

"Late. So late. I know, I'm so fucking sorry." Hugo Hornsby scrambled onto the neighbouring stool and tossed his wallet down on the counter.

Isadora both cringed and laughed inside when his voice dropped to a whisper as he swore, then rose again with an emphatic sorry.

His cheeks were ruddy and the brown sugar hair upon his head was unkempt. He slept in. And regardless, she was charmed, hidden deep beneath her impatience. Hugo Hornsby was sort of ravishing.

"Good morning, Hugo."

"No smile for your best friend?"

She frowned, deeply, just in time for a waitress to set a cup of coffee in front of Hugo with a lightly toasted bagel with too much butter. They'd only gone to this diner for a few months, but everyone knew their orders quite quickly. It was just far enough from the city that they almost forgot about the real lives waiting for them back home. Almost.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you don't have time for friends, Hugo. You bailed on Taylor Thursday night too." He flinched, and Isadora braced herself for a pang of guilt, despite its truth.

"Taylor was a mistake, I already talked to him about it. If you two aren't dating anymore, why does he talk to you so much anyways?"

"Bitter-bug." If he was going to act like a child, so would she.

"What did you call me?" His brows furrowed, a crease forming behind the bangs that kept falling in his face.

"You're bitter that Taylor thinks I'm cooler than you. And why we talk is no longer your business, we're allowed to be friends. You introduced us to each other, it's not our fault we're close."

The dating ruse had been fun while it lasted, but soon it became clear that there was a lot more complexity to Hugo and Sally's relationship. They'd been so close, Sally almost gave in. But even if she had, would Hugo have chosen Isadora after everything that had happened? She wasn't sure she would have settled for being a rebound if it was Sally's decision to leave.

"I suppose that one is on me. And I am sorry I'm late, I spent my Friday night marking thirty science tests in my least favourite unit."

"You don't have a least favourite unit," she said bluntly. "How was date night with Sal?"

Hugo shrugged sheepishly, a bit guilty but mostly embarrassed by his lie. She knew he missed their original date night that week because there was no obligatory Instagram post about it. She hated that she knew the inside workings of his whole life. He was very predictable, even if he wasn't calling her as much anymore.

"I wanted to take her to the restaurant her parents brought us to when we graduated, but it was three hours away. We drove all of the way there and it was closed, then got stuck in traffic the whole way home. She's back to not talking to me, again."

"She should have killed you."

"Isadora?" He stared at her so earnestly her heart began to slow, anticipation like a heavy rock on her chest. Time was slow around Hugo, love took a lot more patience than she ever dreamed. "What am I doing?"

Breaking my heart, she silently lamented.

"You're living whatever life you chose for yourself. Very few people choose, Hugo. Don't you feel lucky?"

Maybe it was cruel, but she couldn't look at him as she said it. She wanted him to recoil, to show a glimpse of misery or regret for what could have been. She just didn't want to see it, it would make her too sad to sit next him and know he hurt just as much as her. For what? That was a good question.

Maybe the only look on his face was content and at peace with his choices. Maybe he wasn't hurting like her at all. She couldn't bear to see that either.

"I'm very happy for everything I have. I suppose I could consider myself lucky."

When she finally looked, she really couldn't read what he was feeling. All she knew was that she was soaking up every ounce of exhaustion clinging to the air like radiation. And it all came from Hugo. Who was he these days? Was everyone losing him like this or was it just her?

"I've been thinking about something lately. You don't text me anymore, I know we hang out here and there. I don't want to seem ungrateful, but I miss waiting to see your name pop up on my phone during a long shift. It used to make my day, talking to you about the little things. Once upon a time we were just friends on an app and nothing else mattered." Back when it was hopeful to fall in love with him, when he made promises.

Not promises, she supposed, declarations maybe. Ideas. Dreams that turned into bad ideas.

"I miss you too. I know it's been different for a while, I've been torn in so many directions I don't have a brain left to communicate with some days. It's a lousy excuse, but I know how different it's been. It's not just... I really do miss you, I promise."

"Just text me, if you think about me some days and have the time. You don't have to waste any thoughts on me, ever. But if you do," she shrugged.

Hugo rubbed his eyes, sighed a little. "No thought of you is ever a waste, and if I were to text you every time I thought about you, you'd swear I was obsessed with you."

A sad smirk curled Isadora's lip and she leaned a little into his side. They sat facing the kitchen, not looking at each other, shoulder to shoulder.

"Not if I answered back to every one. Then we'd both be obsessed, that would be pretty pathetic I suppose."

"Incurably pathetic." His voice was smooth with a gentle authoritative tone that came from years of teaching.

The romantics dream, a very simple foundation to it at least, is to find someone who actively chooses you. Hugo Hornsby woke up some days and chose Sally, as he had for about a decade prior to meeting Isadora. Then there were other days, when he came over for dinner with her favourite snacks in a bag and sleek button up shirt, almost always green, with a smile just for her. And she swore, however delusional she may have been, that he chose her over and over again.

And then he'd leave. Rinse... repeat.

"Taylor mentioned that they have more auditions on Monday night, I was hoping you'd have time to binge Ito's new cooking show. Netflix gave him a wicked budget; there's a whole episode about trying to teach the prince to make desserts for his fiancee."

Hugo's dimples framed a wide smile, his deep blue eyes sharp under the harsh diner lights. "That sounds perfect! How about I bring some of the wine Sally and I made last summer?"

Isadora nodded, despite the notion of drinking that wine seeming slightly sacrilegious. They'd only ever gotten drunk together one other time, and during a particularly harsh wind storm. She fell asleep on the couch and woke up at 4am, holding Hugo's hand from where he laid unconscious on the floor. No matter how tight she had squeezed, he hadn't woken up. Isadora had cried silently for what seemed like ages, wondering if it was her first and last time to ever hold his hand.

She could never hold his hand in public, never kiss his lips in private, never feel his body curl around hers in a bed they couldn't share. Hugo Hornsby was not her fiance, or boyfriend, or lover.

He was just her friend, shoulder to shoulder with her in a diner on the off-beaten path outside of town.

"If you're bringing wine, I'll provide the cheese. Actually, I'll grab some back up wine too, the temperature drops Monday and we're in for a cold night."

"Perfect!" He cheered excitedly, earning a dirty look from a rather tired looking waitress.

"You're perfect," Isadora smiled. She swore Hugo even blushed. Did he blush for Sally? Did she ever try to get such a reaction from her partner?

"Isadora?" She stared at him expectantly and wondered if she could ever get sick of hearing him say her name. Her arm was still pressed tightly against his side, to the point that she was almost falling off of the stool.

"Yes, Hugo?"

"The butterflies don't go away," he whispered. Those blue eyes were dimmer, dimples disappearing into a tightened jaw. Isadora looked away and rested her head on his shoulder, for just a second. She pretended it was to comfort him and not herself.

"Everything dies, Hugo. Especially the butterflies."

He should know that... it happened with Sally, didn't it?

"And when you walk out the door and leave me torn You're teaching me to live without it"

#lovelink #hugo hornsby #lovelink fanfiction #hugo hornsby fanfic #fanfiction

15 notes · View notes

365days365movies · 4 years ago

Text

February 3, 2021: Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

The year: 1986. A small new fictionation is founded as part of a disparate group of similar territories. Near to another civilization founded by Woody Allen (we’ll get to him later this month, whoof), a new settlement was founded by one Nora Ephron. It began with Heartburn, a rom-com starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. While it was somewhat successful, it wasn’t exactly a dynamo by any means. And that is when Nora met the future Empress of her fictonation.

Her name was Meg Ryan, and the film...was When Harry Met Sally.

Ephron only wrote this film, rather than direct it. But it didn’t matter, as this film was CRAZY successful (and I’ll be watching it later this month). Some years past, and both Ryan and Ephron rose in power. Ephron became a director, Ryan became a movie star, and the two pillars would reunite for greater things. And THAT is when the future Empress met her Emperor.

Enter Joe vs. the Volcano, where Meg Ryan...met Tom Hanks.

Now, was this movie amazing? No, not from what I’ve heard. But the two new co-stars apparently made an impression on Hollywood at this point, as their respective stars would only grow brighter. And so, when 1993 came along, the three pillars finally met, and ascended to their true roles as the rulers of a now united Holy Romance Empire. And that film...was Sleepless in Seattle.

Time to witness a nation RISE. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

We start where all romantic comedies should start: at a Chicago graveyard!

Architect Sam Baldwin’s (Tom Hanks) wife, Maggie, has sadly passed away, leaving Sam and their son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). Sam’s clearly broken, understandably, and he decides to move from Chicago in order to leave behind the bittersweet memories of his wife. And where he’s headed? You know where.

Jimmy Durante’s rendition of “As Time Goes By”

Jimmy Durante sings us in (I love this song, for the record), and we head not to Seattle, but to Baltimore, 18 months afterwards. There, reporter Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) is going to a Christmas party with her new fiancée, Walter Jackson (Bill Pullman), which is announced to great aplomb at the party. Her brother Dennis is played by Niles from Frasier (David Hyde Pierce), and I nearly spit out my sandwich.

That night, Annie’s mother gives her her old wedding dress, and have a VERY frank conversation about their sexual relationships. It is...awkward. Anyway, the dress tears, which Annie sees as a sign. In any case, she still seems happy...I think. On the way to Walter’s parents’ place, she tunes into a radio talk show, where a child is making a Christmas wish to the station.

This child is, of course, Jonah, calling on behalf of his father from Seattle. He tells the host, Dr. Marcia Fieldstone (Caroline Aaron), that his father is lonely after his wife’s death, and that he wishes he had a new wife. She convinces Jonah to put him on the phone, and while he’s reluctant to do so (understandably), he accepts. All the while, Annie’s listening, and seems to sympathize deeply with him and his sarcastic responses.

However, Sam begins to open up, and Dr. Fieldstone christens him “Sleepless in Seattle,” after the fact that he doesn’t sleep much at all these days. His story resonates with a number of people, Annie included. A few people call in to respond to him, and at the end of the call, he describes how much and why he misses his wife. And I gotta be honest, I’m with Annie here. It is...very moving.

Damn you, Tom Hanks, it’s only 20 minutes in, why are you already making me FEEEEEEL?

The next day, it’s a splash, and over 2,000 women call in in response to this. This is discounted by her co-worker and friend, Becky (Rosie O’Donnell). At the New Year’s party soon after, she and Walter make a date to meet in New York City, and register for their eventual wedding. Meanwhile, Sam tucks Jonah in to sleep, as Nat King Cole serenades us (I ALSO love Nat King Cole, real talk) and Sam stares at the fireworks off of his houseboat.

And, mentally haunted by the ghost of his wife, he’s seemingly literally haunted by the ghost of his wife, Maggie (Carey Lowell). The next morning, he goes to help a client, Barbara (Dana Ivey), and his co-worker Jay Matthews (Rob Reiner) with a house, and finds out that everybody knows who he is at this point. Additionally, Jonah also give the radio station their address, and MANY women are now soliciting Sam, including...his third-grade teacher. Ew. EW.

Sam and Jonah next have a talk about whether or not a prospective new wife would have sex with Sam, and I wonder if sexual conversations with your parents are supposed to be this common, or if I’m just crazy. Because me and my Dad? Nuh-uh. And no worries if your relationship with your folks is like this, but mine DEFINITELY IS NOT, lemme tell you.

Annie and Walter prepare for bed, and Ray Charles sings them to sleep, followed by Carly Simon talking about the wee small hours of the morning. During those hours, Annie gets up, also unable to sleep, and turns on the Dr. Marcia Fieldstone show. During the highlight reel for the show, Disappointed in Denver notes that:

Everytime I come close to orgasm, he goes and makes himself a sandwich.

...Wow. Um. Asshole? And then Marcia tells her to make a sandwich for him beforehand, WHICH IS NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM. Anyway, Sam is also featured in that highlight reel, and Annie cries again as he talks about his wife, and it’s a disproportionately long excerpt compared to the others, what the hell? Marooned in Miami is DISAPPOINTED now.

Annie goes to meet her brother Niles (he’s basically Niles from Frasier, seriously) the next day, and explains that she’s fantasizing about Sam, a man she’s never even MET. She’s also feeling doubt about her upcoming marriage, which is...interesting. I’ll get to that later. In Seattle, meanwhile, Sam asks Jay what it’s like as a single man in Seattle, and they have a conversation about how cute Sam’s butt is. Nice.

Upon the realization that his 9-year old son is hanging out with more girls than he is (yeah, there’s a kid named Jessica hanging out with him when Sam gets home, it’s awkward), Sam’s back in the saddle again (as the song indicates; that said, goddamn is the music choice on the nose sometimes, seriously). He calls a woman named Victoria (Barbara Garrick), and asks her out on a date.

Annie’s watching the movie An Affair to Remember (lateeeeeer) at Becky’s, as she’s lamenting her fixation on Sam, while also struggling to fully understand how she feels about Walter. Becky RIGHTFULLY accuses her of believing in Hollywood, movie love, which is demonstrated by Annie’s meaningless platitudes about her supposed love for Walter. This is while she’s writing a letter to Sam, then aborts it when she realizes what she’s doing. She sits on the couch with Becky, they mouth the words together in the movie, and they cry while I laugh, because that was funny.

Things aren’t as jovial for Sam and Jonah, as Jonah’s had a nightmare, and the two reminisce over missing their mother. Sam notes that Maggie could peel an apple in one long...curly...strip. You mean...like Annie was doing earlier? I see what you did there, movie. I see what you did there. As if to compound their invisible connection, both of them sit on a dock, staring into two separate oceans at night.

Sam proceeds to write a story for the paper on “Sleepless in Seattle,” and through some...mildly creepy personal invasion, she finds his address in Seattle, and a hell of a lot more personal information. Like I said, it’s a little creepy. Sam, meanwhile, is going on a date with Victoria, when Jonah opens a letter...from Annie.

Annie. What’re you doin’?

Jonah appears to IMMEDIATELY ship the two, but Sam quotes the coast-to-coast distance as being a bit too much, and goes on the date with Victoria. While on the date, Jonah tries to hook Sam up with Annie by getting him to agree to take them to New York City on Valentine’s Day. Damn, Jonah, you lookin’ to escape a whale, because you are BUILDING A GODDAMN SHIP

Victoria, a woman with an amazingly obnoxious laugh, does not rub off well on Jonah, or me, or my girlfriend. I’m really hoping that somehow, in SOME WAY, Victoria and Walter get together. He’s boring, she’s obnoxious, who knows? They might like each other. My ship...is being built.

Jonah, meanwhile, is TAKING THE FUCKING WHEEL of this ship. He calls the radio station once again, and Annie is alerted to this by Becky. She wakes up, punching Walter in the process (dude gets HURT), and goes downstairs to listen. Jonah’s telling the station that Victoria SUUUUUCKS, and straight up calls her “a ho.” He hangs up abruptly, and screams to stop his father from kissing Victoria. Annie, meanwhile, listens to this in the closet for some reason.

The next day, Jonah’s friend, Jessica, tells Jonah to send a letter to Annie on his father’s behalf. Meanwhile, Annie flies to Seattle in the guise of doing a story, when she’s actually going to try and meet Sam. Victoria, meanwhile, is leaving from the airport, where Sam and Jonah are seeing her off. Victoria basically implies that she’d like to ditch the kid and go fuck someplace sometime, which might FINALLY rub Sam the wrong way.

Sam talks to Jonah about the fact that he’s dating Victoria, not marrying her, and that she might not be the one for him. He also says that there’s no such thing as soul-

-mates.

Yeah, they actually did just do that. Sam loses Annie at the airport, after immediately chasing after her. They’re perfect for each other, as Annie goes RIGHT to Sam’s houseboat address. She hangs around the neighborhood, and sees them having fun on the beach together as Harry Connick Jr. plays in the background. That night, she confides in Becky about her guilt in lying to Walter.

And if I can just say this...yeah, THAT isn’t great. I get that there’s some cinematic paegentry to the whole thing, but, like...tell your FIANCEE about your FEELINGS. It’s hard, yeah, duh, but YOU GOTTA DO IT. You most certainly owe it to Walter. At least she appears to know it, though.

Annie at the hotel

The next day, Annie goes once again to weirdly spy on Jonah, and sees him hug a woman very happily, and of course believes that that’s Victoria. However, this is his friend, Suzy (Rita Wilson), who’s visiting with her husband, Greg (Victor Garber). In any case, this leads to Sam and Annie seeing each other for the first time. He says hello. She says hello. Then she almost gets hit by a taxi, and she IMMEDIATELY flies back home WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUH

We find this out later, but the taxi and the fact that all she could say was “Hello” is actually all a reference to the film seen earlier, An Affair to Remember (again, later this month). This is also part of the repeating motif that this film has: signs. Y’know, the kind of “IT’S A SIGN” thing. However, the real twist here is that the signs are the ones that they can’t see. Like the apple and the hello thing. Not yet, anyway.

Also, dear lord, An Affair to Remember is just making EVERY woman in the film cry, even when they’re TALKING about it. And every time, the men just look at each other like “WOMEN, with their EMOTIONS and their VAGOOOOOOS.” Jesus, ‘90s movies. Even JESSICA (Gaby Hoffman), Jonah’s friend, the LITTLE GIRL, is crying at this movie. JESUS, I’m really interested in seeing this movie now.

Jessica and Jonah start conspiring on how to get to New York to meet Annie, and do so by FAKING AIRLINE TICKETS OK THEN. Meanwhile, Annie’s given up on the whole “Sleepless in Seattle” thing, and goes to meet Walter for their Valentine’s date in NYC. Walter rightfully comments that Annie’s seemed distant, and here’s the thing: Walter deserves better than this. Yeah, he’s BORING AS SHIT, but the dude’s committed to her, and she’s amazingly flaky in comparison. I dunno, maybe it’s because it’s Bill Pullman, but I feel bad for him.

Anyway, in New York, the two begin to rekindle their relationship, and Walter gets a ring for her at FUCKING TIFFANY’S HOLY SHIT. Meanwhile, Sam’s THIRSTY AS FUUUUUUUCK, and is leaving to spend the weekend with Victoria, which Jonah is NOT a fan of. This ship is gonna SAIL if JONAH HAS TO FLY TO NEW YORK CITY HIMSELF

So, Jonah flies to New York City himself, in order to...meet his new mother. This movie has some VERY interesting issues, Jesus. Jonah does, indeed go to the top of the Empire State Building to look for Annie, and he asks all the girls on the Observation Deck if they’re Annie. Which, of course, none of them are. Why?

Annie’s at dinner, that’s why, and at the FUCKING RAINBOW ROOM DEAR LORD HOW MUCH MONEY DOES WALTER MAKE? Sam also makes his way to New York, probably to DESTROY HIS CHILD

And at dinner, Annie actually redeems herself by telling Walter the ENTIRE TRUTH about her feelings, and about “Sleepless in Seattle.” And Walter is a CLASSY-ASS GUY ABOUT THE ENTIRE THING, and the two break off their engagement amicably. Annie says that she doesn’t deserve Walter, and BY GOD SHE’S RIGHT. Walter’s a sweet dude. And as soon as they break up...a sign.

Sam finds Jonah on the Observation Deck, and the two tearfully reunite. And as they two unite, and everybody else leaves the Observation Deck as it closes for the night, Annie rushes on her way there. An Affair to Remember is invoked one last time, as Annie convinces the guard to let her up there. But, OF GODDAMN COURSE...she goes up in one elevator, and Sam and Jonah head down in another.

But wait. Isn’t that Jonah’s backpack on the ground of the Observation Deck?

youtube

Yup. THERE’S the happy ending we’re lookin’ for. They finally formally introduce each other, and Sam says that they’d better leave...ALL of them, together. Love at first sight. PLAY US OUT JIMMY DURANTE!!!! And yeah, I know that Celine Dion sings the end credits song, but NOPE! TAKE ME AWAY, JIMMY! MAKE ME HAPPY!

And that was Sleepless in Seattle! And again, I liked it! I’ll get more into it during the Review!

#sleepless in seattle #nora ephron #tom hanks #meg ryan #rosie o'donnell #bill pullman #ross malinger #romance february #romance movie #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #user365

11 notes · View notes

misrihalek · 3 years ago

Text

This is for one person in particular. Well, maybe two people.

...I wasn’t good for you, was I?

You found me at a pretty low point of my life, I’ve said that before. I was trying to do what the world told me, trying to be a good little boy, get that job, earn my place in the world and...I failed. I was lying on a bed in a house in the suburbs, flatmates fighting in the ungodly hours of the morning, desperately trying to escape from the world. That was how you found me and for some reason you saw something worth a damn.

And then I proceeded to bleed you dry. I didn’t know how to get myself out of my hole and so I just started dragging you down with me, using you as just another means of escape and demanding so much of you...far too much. How many times did you lament that your love wasn’t enough to help me stand on my own two feet? How many times did you think that you were inferior because of it? Did I make you hate yourself because of my failures?

That’s not to say that it was all bad: we wouldn’t have lasted as long as we did if we didn’t click on some level, after all. The talks we had, the things we shared between us...it would be disrespectful to say that they meant nothing: maybe their value to us makes this whole thing worse in retrospect, who knows. What I do know is that, even if only ashes remain now, you were the best friend I ever had: you were kind, funny and passionate and your presence in this world stood in defiance of the forces that sought to bring you low. You fought for your right to exist, so maybe it makes sense that you waited for so long for me to do the same. I’m sorry I let you down.

That’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it: why didn’t I leave that hole that I found myself in? I can blame outside forces (and I often did), but the fact of the matter is that I just didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to be the person that the world demanded of me and no-one seemed to be able to tell me, so somewhere along the way I just grew comfortable in that wretched hole, at home in my misery. I started pantomiming my own life, living as if death would never come and not really living in the process, and it was this awful piece of theatre that you ended up being an unwilling part of: despairing about the future that I couldn’t see and slowly wearing yourself away. I imagine the tipping point came after those three weeks together ended and you saw how little things had changed.

Those three weeks...before long it will have been two years since that trip to see you and it’s...weird to think about. I know that time has lost a bit of its meaning since then, but even then it’s hard to believe that it was really that long ago. I still remember the elevator up to your apartment, walking to the tramlines and going to that one tea shop - and you bet your ass I remember that hike uphill to the castle. The emotions have faded over time, but I have no qualms in saying that those were quite literally the best days of my life: I know that the word “literally” has kinda lost its meaning in this day and age, but I can confidently say that no experience before or since has compared. So why didn’t it change anything? Why did I go right back into my hole when I got back?

I don’t think either of us knew at the time, but come a few months later it didn’t matter all that much anyway. You found someone else and left and, now that I look back, I really can’t blame you for trying to find a less bleak fate than what was in store for you. I remember you saying to me how scared you were of a future where you had to support the both of us: why wouldn’t you be? I had demonstrated no ability to be a functioning human being and I would have inevitably become a burden...well, more of a burden. What kind of future is that, for either of us? And so you left to find a brighter one.

It was ugly and painful and I have no doubt that it still hurts you, just like it does me. For a decent amount of time I was blinded by my own pain and I said things that I can no longer stand by in good conscience: I blamed you for how things had gone and eventually cut you out of my life so I could best deal with my wrenching sorrow. To some degree that action has proved successful: being able to live without having reminders of my failures at the forefront of my mind has let me claw back pieces of myself and move forward with my life, even if it has taken some time. I cannot however defend the reasons why I did it though, born as they were from an inability to reflect on my own deficiencies.

It turns out that there might’ve been a reason for that inability, actually. You remember me talking about my Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis? It was something that I got told about as I was growing up and it was basically conveyed to me as a low-strength form of autism, something fairly surmountable in comparison to the more traditional forms. Last year though, I found media that suggested that Asperger’s Syndrome was a less-than-credible condition from a doctor that quite literally collaborated with Nazis and further research revealed that the term was no longer in official use. I talked to my mother about this and she casually dropped into conversation that I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

ADHD! So many goddamn things clicked into place once she said that and I imagine that the same might be happening for you right now. No wonder I had so much difficulty functioning in that job, how infuriating it was to focus on things, how I would sally forth into different trains of thought mid-conversation. My mother’s general mistrust of the medical system also meant that I’d been dealing with these things all my life without any sort of medication, the usual way that other people with ADHD make themselves co-operate with the strictures of society. No wonder things went to fucking pieces the moment I stepped into the real world.

I’ve had to do some serious thinking since then, not least of all about my future. I tried to keep on the jobsearching grind for a while after that bombshell dropped, but after months of no luck I snapped and decided to take an alternate route, one that I couldn’t consider while we were together. Since then I’ve moved away from home and I’m studying to maybe one day be a social worker: to one day have the tools to help people like me, people stuck in their own holes and unable to get out without the helping hand of someone who understands what they’re going though. No doubt you’d say that you’re happy for me and I don’t doubt that statement: you’re a better person that I was and even through all this you’ve wished no ill towards me. You’re a good person like that.

These days I’m doing decently okay: I’m living with 3 flatmates who I get along with pretty well and my studies are progressing as they should. I’m trying to write a bit more as well, although about the only thing I’ve done lately of any tangibility has been...well, this. Even with the progress I’ve made, what happened between us still bobs to the surface from time to time and I have to process things all over again: it gets easier as time marches onwards, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. That probably explains why I reacted so violently to the message you sent me, among other things.

What I said there was true: I can’t face you while things are the way they are. I’m not strong enough to watch you be happy with someone else, because it’s a reminder that I can no longer elicit that same joy from you: a reminder that our time has passed because of my failures. It’s knowledge that hollows me out from the inside. I tried to be strong - tried to ignore that hollowing out and remain friends - and failed over and over, coming close enough to nothingness to feel it encroaching on my soul, so now I put up my walls to protect it.

I need to be okay. And I can’t do that with you around. It’s an awful thing to say and you don’t deserve it, but it’s the truth. Once more you suffer for my deficiencies as a human being.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t be the person that you needed: I guess the deck was kinda stacked against us from the beginning, considering what I didn’t know about myself and, y’know, the whole long-distance thing, so don’t go thinking that any of this was your fault. You remain one of the best people I have ever met and I am eternally grateful for the time we shared together: do not doubt that you are worthy of love, even in your lowest moments. You’re a damn good human being and you deserve to have good things happen to you, better things than me.

I imagine you’re expecting me to say this, but oh well: I’d prefer it if you don’t send me a response to what I have written here. Beyond just safeguarding my own wellbeing, I’ve been meaning to write this for a long time now and what you see is pretty much every single thing that I can conceivably say in regards to all that has transpired between us. I don’t really have anything else to say and after this I will hopefully not think about this so much anymore and get on with my life. I would implore you to do the same.

I wish you all the best.

...

...there’s a small piece of me that doubles back on what I’ve written here, seeing if it can instill its will within the paragraphs wherein it can wend its way to you. It’s the piece of me that still loves you, that holds out hope that I may one day see you again and that we can rediscover what was lost. It tells me to leave my heart open to the opportunity, to hope against hope that things change. This last paragraph is my concession to it in the vain hope that it’ll finally fucking shut up.

#...

2 notes · View notes

softlilacmoonlight · 3 years ago

Text

Brothers x Reader - Help? Please?

Third-person pov:

It was a perfectly normal day in the House of Lamentations. Mammon was running around and causing Lucifer problems, Beel was raiding the fridge, and Asmo was doing his daily skincare routine. It was just like any other boring Sunday. To the chagrin of the brothers, the human was out with the angels at the moment.

None of them were expecting what happened next, and it would be to the utter terror of all of the brothers to remember this indelible mark on the year.

Satan pov:

It's about time I got to this. I haven't cleaned up any of my book piles in roughly a century, so it's long overdue. Honestly, I wouldn't even bother since it doesn't bother me, but after seeing (Y/N) almost get crushed by a falling pile of books... yeah. It is time to clean a little. At the bare minimum, it's for the safety of my beloved human.

Reaching down, I grab an open book that was laying on the floor. Suddenly, the weirdest tingly feeling begins to spread over my body, and the last thing I see before the blinding white flash was the word 'cursed'.

(Y/N) pov:

BRING! BRING! Huh? Simeon and Luke thankfully stop walking so that I can answer my phone. Looking at the caller ID, I realize that it is Lucifer calling me. Quickly, I swipe to answer the phone call and swiftly place it on my ear.

"Hello? Lucifer? Is something the matter? You know I'm with the angels. You gave me your permission since you knew who I was with." I state into the phone.

Suddenly, a deep growly voice responds. "(Y/N), I know you asked to spend time with the angels, but we need your help here at the house. Please come quickly, it's an emergency."

Turning to the angels, I tell them the news as we start to head back to the House of Lamentations. "Lucifer? Are you alright? Your voice sounds like you have a cold or something."

"Just please hurry." he gruffly replies. "And don't let the angels come in."

"Alright?" I state questionly and then hang up.

After a little while more walking and talking to the two angels, specifically telling the younger of the two my apologies, we make it to the House of Lamentations. Walking up to the door, I give the two hugs and close the gate behind them. I make sure they round the corner before I turn back to the door. However, before I can open it, the door is yanked open and a hand yanks me into the house while quickly slamming the door shut.

Before I can orient myself, I feel the smooth surfaces of rings on my arm. "Mammon? There really was no need to AHHHHHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" I scream in utter shock.

Turning into the hallway, I take in each of the brothers' appearances. Processing everything before me, I feel the blood drain from my face. Quickly my mind shuts down and blackness overtakes my vision.

Mammon pov:

"(Y/N)! (Y/N)!" I exclaim, jumping forward to catch her falling body. "OOF!"

Holding her to my chest, I sweep the hair out of my eyes and turn to the others. "She passed out!"

"I did not expect that," states Lucifer with a deep sigh.

Satan just shakes his head in agreement. "Neither did I. Maybe we should have given her a better warning."

"MAYBE?! SHE JUST PASSED OUT! YEAH, WE SHOULD HAVE GIVEN HER MORE WARNIN'!" I shout.

"Mammon," Lucifer utters threateningly. "Calm down. She's waking up."

Slowly, my precious human starts to stir in my arms. Delicately, she opens her (e/c) eyes. "Ugh... Mammon I had the worst dream that- AHHHHH!" She screams once more.

"Hey! Hey! It's still me! I'm still myself! Everything's alright! Breathe!" I state fastly as I see the shock return to her eyes.

Quickly she looks at the others and then back up at me. I gently brush her (h/l) hair out of her face and caress her cheek. It takes a couple of minutes, but eventually, she calms back down.

(Y/N) pov:

"How did?" I trail off, looking up at Mammon's face.

He just shakes his head. "How did we become women?"

"Umm... yeah... that," I mumble out.

He pointedly looks up at Satan. "Well smarty pants, why don't you tell her?"

"I was cleaning up some books in my room." he sighs, hair shimmering this way and that with his movement. "I decided that after they almost fell on you that it was time to clean it up, and basically I picked up an open cursed book without realizing that it was one. Suddenly everybody's bodies started to tingle, we all saw a white flash, and when we came to we were girls."

Letting out a deep sigh, I turn to him. "Satan. How many times have I told you to be more careful?"

"I'm sorry," he mutters eyes downcast.

"It is what it is. How long does it last?" I question.

Lucifer lets out a deep, and very feminine, sigh. "Apparently this transformation lasts for a week."

"Oh... wow," I say. "Ok, um. First things first, we are getting you all women's clothes because your normal clothes look very... uncomfortable. Then we'll pull that hair out of your guy's faces. Lastly, we'll get some extra time-of-month products, just in case."

Levi curiously tilts his head, and it is admittedly very cute. "Time of month products?"

"Do none of you know what that means?!" I question incredulously.

They all shake their heads. Even Lucifer and Asmo have no clue what it is! Shaking my head, I sit up and out of Mammon's hold. Standing up, I dash to my room and come back with a tape measure.

"Now, with the clothes, I'll probably lean towards larger sizes to make this easier on all of us, so if they're baggy I'm sorry. However, you'll only need them for this week. Thank heavens it's a national Devildom holiday and you have the week off. Regardless, come here. Lucifer first, I know you can be an example for me." I spout out in a breath. Surprisingly, Lucifer shakes his head no. "Come on guys, I need someone."

Beel kindly steps forward. "I'll do it (Y/N)."

"Thank you, Beel. Now come here, and all of you watch so you're ready." I demand.

Beel comes and stands in front of me and I quickly ask him to lift up his arms. He does as I ask and I measure around his ribcage, and so forth. After five awkward and flustering minutes, I let Beel go. Poor baby is as bright as a tomato. Eventually, after many threats, blackmail, and complaining, I manage to get all of the brothers measured.

"W-What was t-that f-f-for?" stutters Levi, face brighter than the color scarlet.

Shaking my head, I turn around and continue to mark and organize all of my measurements. "Well, you all need some bras. I'm certain you know what those are, correct? I'll be back in roughly an hour to hour half. Stay out of trouble and call if anything insanely crazy happens." With that, I walk out the door to buy some clothes.

Entering Majolish, I wave at Sally, one of the employees. She's always working when Asmo drags me in here. Heading to the women's area, I start to size and style match clothes to the brothers to the best of my abilities. Working my way through the list, I get the following: underwear, bras, shirts, pants, and PJs. This should be good. I make my way over to the checkout and Sally starts to ring everything up.

"Hmm. Do you mind if I ask you a slightly personal question (Y/N)?" she hums as she checks me out.

Shaking my head, I sadly pull out my checkbook. Thankfully it's tied to Lucifer's bank account. "Sure."

"Who are all of these for, because I've checked you and Asmodeus out so many times, I know these don't fit you," she states.

Think fast! Think fast! "They're for some friends and family in the human realm. I'm going to visit them and they asked me what the clothes were like and if they were the same or not, so I told them I'd just buy them all a ton and bring them when I visit next weekend."

"Oh! That's so nice of you! I'm sure they'll love them." she exclaims, handing me the bagged-up clothes.

With that, I rush out of the store and run to the Devildom target or Tearget. Why tearget I don't know. Maybe they originally only sold torn clothes. Rushing in and out, I grab some hairbands, new hairbrushes, more conditioner, and some time-of-month products. Only heaven knows how much we will need it.

After what actually turned out to be two hours, I find myself rushing up to the gate of the house. I close said gate, rush past the tombstones, and walk through the door which someone had conveniently opened for me. Huffing and puffing, I set down the millions of bags and sink to the floor.

"Jeez (Y/N)! You were gone for two hours!" proclaims Mammon as he sets his sights on me.

Asmo bounces over to me reaching for the bags. "Ooooo~ So~ What did you get for us?"

"Oh Asmo," I exclaim while shaking my head. "Still as happy as ever. You all should be grateful that I've picked up a quick tongue from being around all of you."

"Please tell me that you didn't let it leak." blurts a frazzled Lucifer.

Hugging him, or is it her, I pat the top of his raven-haired head. "No. I managed to save it and say everything was for family and friends who were curious about your world's clothes and other necessities."

"Nice save," mumbles Beel. His voice is entirely muffled by his stuffed mouth.

After hugging Beel, I turn back to the others. "So, time for clothes. Yes, I am watching you change. Technically this isn't like your actual body so don't freak out, and I mainly just want to check the bras. Since Beel went first last time then I'll ask him to go first this time also. Are you alright with that Beel?"

Shaking his head, I lead all seven of the brothers to my room. I let Beel in first and slam the door behind them all. I give him a rundown of home to put on underwear and a bra and then I turn around. After roughly ten minutes of struggling in the background, Beel says he's ready. Giving his bra a quick look over, and asking if he's comfortable, I hand him his clothes and turn back around. Hence how the cycle of brothers started. Eventually, after the stuttering, taming of the rare wild lusty Asmo, and helping Levi past a panic attack, we had it all figured out.

Next is the hair. Stepping out into the hallway, I force the seven of them into my room, herding Lucifer to the bath first. After pushing him under the water faucet, I use my shampoo to wash out his now medium-back-length hair. The reason I got the conditioner is that I knew that the majority of the guys didn't have any, so I quickly work the conditioner through the ends and washed it out. Lastly, I blow-dried his hair and wrapped it into a braided bun so that it was out of his face.

Therefore the process continued. Mammon got a high ponytail, and Levi got a fishtail braid (LOL the meme of it killed him). I yanked Satan's into a low bun, Asmo got curls (diva), Beel got a french braid, and Belphie got pigtail braids.

Finally, I spend the rest of the night answering any and all questions, and qualms. It's going to be a very long week.

4 notes · View notes

leojfitz · 4 years ago

Text

2020 year in review

Rules: answer some questions about 2020 and tag some people!

Tagged by @carrieeve thank you dear <33

Top Five Films you watched in 2020: 1. Oslo August 31st 2. Blue Jay 3. Little Women 4. Short Term 12 5. Skate Kitchen

Top Five TV Shows in 2020: 1. Julie and the Phantoms (duh) 2. Normal People 3. Never have I ever 4. Superstore 5. High Fidelity (canceled already rip)

(special mentions to Love on Netflix and Upload)

Top Five Songs/Albums of 2020:

I'm going with albums because I can't choose songs there are too many (also decided to go with albums that came out in 2020 only or I would’ve never been able to decided)

1. Pinegrove - Marigold 2. Touchè Amorè - Lament 3. Jatp soundtrack 4. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 5. Slaughter Beach, Dog - At the moonbase

Top Five Books of i read in 2020:

1. Sally Rooney - Normal People 2. Mary Beth Keane - Ask again, yes 3. Philippe Besson - Lie with me 4. Eshkol Nevo - World cup wishes 5. Emily Henry - Beach read

(special mention to Melina Marchetta's Saving Francesca + the two follow-up books that I re-read this year and hold a special place in my heart)

Top Five Fanfictions of 2020: I don't read a lot of fics, I need to get better with it in 2021.

Five good/positive things that happened to you in 2020:

1. No one in my family lost their job/got sick which is I guess the most important thing to say about this year.

2. I got back in touch with some people I was friends with ten years ago and I'm so happy I started seeing them again, they made my 2020 so much better.

3. During our hard lockdown back in March (that lasted for two months) I managed to stay positive and took some good habits. I started working out more and finally picked up my guitar after so many years of not playing and I'm having so much fun with it.

4. All the people I got closer with or met recently through tumblr/twitter/discord. We're not 100% in lockdown right now but clearly not going out much either and being home but still being able to talk with so many people across the globe makes my day.

5. I wrote way more than last year. I barely finished a fic in 2019 and this year I wrote like 60k, which is a lot for me. I hope I can keep up with it this year too because despite all the frustration etc. not many things in life make me happy as writing.

tagging a few people idk if you’ve done it already (feel free to ignore either way of course): @anditwaslegendary @sgiuliet @lukefromsunsetcurve @juliesmolinas @ceftali @chaoslaura @wankadi

#tag games #mutuals

5 notes · View notes

mobius-prime · 5 years ago

Text

222. Sonic the Hedgehog #154

Songoose (Part 2 of 2)

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Ron Lim Colors: Jason Jensen

Today's issue is a bit bittersweet. While Karl Bollers hasn't always been the most popular writer, and I've definitely had my fair share of problems with certain aspects of his writing, it's hard to deny the heavy impact he had on the world of the comic. And this just so happens to be his last issue as a writer! That's right, though we've seen various writers come and go, this is the first time we're truly saying goodbye to a head writer. (You might be wondering about Michael Gallagher given his increasingly infrequent involvement with the series, but fear not, he's still got a few more future issues left in 'im.) Apparently he actually had quite a few plans for the storyline and characters post-StH#134, which was a while ago, but for one reason or another these never came to fruition, and never even had a chance to be salvaged for future issues by other writers due to his leaving the comic. So let's dedicate this issue to ol' Karl and the hard work he put into this comic, and appreciate what he brought to the table over the years. Onward!

It's the night of Mina's second concert, and the various Freedom Fighters are positioned at strategic points around and behind the stage and crowd to guard the venue from any more assassination attempts. Mina is pleased with Sonic's involvement in her protection detail, but Ash is considerably less so, and asks to speak to Mina privately before her performance. Sonic initially tries to refuse to leave her side given his duty to her, but when Ash gets in his face about it Mina steps in and tells Sonic she'll be okay to have a quick chat. Sonic reluctantly leaves the dressing room, and Ash confronts Mina about her decision to go through with tonight's concert, as he really feels it's too dangerous. She reiterates her feeling of security with Sonic around, and Ash's feelings of jealousy finally spill out as he details Sonic's perceived failings, including how he (totally unintentionally mind you) broke her heart a year ago by kissing Sally in front of her. He paradoxically refuses to "forgive" Sonic for… not dating Mina, I guess? Which you'd think he'd be pleased about considering that's the only reason he ever got to date her, but she stands firm against his tirade.

Really bad timing on this, Ash. Honestly, though, as abrasive and jealous as Ash can be, he's not wrong at all about his accusations, and in my opinion has every right to feel slighted and upset. He really does seem like a guy who's flawed yet genuinely likable - I mean, put yourself in his shoes (assuming you're not down for open relationships) and tell me you wouldn't feel the exact same way upon seeing your girlfriend routinely eyeing up another guy. Plus, he isn't flaky - notice that despite breaking up with Mina, he explicitly states his intentions to remain as her band manager. A lesser person might have left their ex high and dry out of spite, but despite their disagreement he's still completely ready and willing to help her organize everything she needs to remain a pop star. Careful, Mina, you better remember "Aly's" advice to you from a few issues ago before you let this guy slip through your fingers…

Outside the room, Sonic gets a call from Sally looking for an update, and when he lets slip that he let her stay in her dressing room alone Sally scolds him for not sticking to her like glue, ordering him back into the room to check on her. When he enters he's surprised to see her sitting alone with a sad expression, asking her what's bothering her. You'd think he'd have some clue of what was wrong considering he would have just seen Ash angrily stomping right through the very door he was guarding, but Mina just says she doesn't know how to explain, which Sonic quietly agrees with the sentiment of. She's able to collect herself for her performance, though, and begins by singing another song that definitely feels inspired by her crush on Sonic. However, Eggman's plan to kill her is still moving ahead, and he sends out Heavy and Bomb (well, Bombs, there's a lot of them) to infiltrate the concert crowd once the concert is well underway.

Sonic immediately grabs Mina and pulls her away from the edge of the stage while the rest of the Freedom Fighters rush in to battle the Bombs, something which I find funnier than it should be considering they're, well, bombs, and the best plan for dealing with bombs on legs would usually be to run the hell away from them before they blow up. Nevertheless, they seem to be holding their own by throwing or smacking the Bombs away before they explode, though Ash finds an excuse in the situation to insist once more than Sonic leave so he can protect Mina on his own, even somewhat spitefully pointing out that Mina was fine without Sonic for an entire year before now. Sonic initially refuses, but when Heavy himself arrives, crashing down onto the stage to target Mina directly, Sonic concedes and tells Ash to take her somewhere safe while he fights the robot one on one. At first Sonic teases and trash talks as normal, but when Heavy gives him more trouble than he bargained for he concocts a plan to drill into the earth and bait Heavy into following him, then drill straight into the nearby lake from below. This washes them both out into the open waters, disabling Heavy in the process. I'm not sure exactly how this plan even works, considering we've seen in previous issues that Heavy is waterproof - I mean, did Eggman take out that feature when he rebuilt him? - but either way, it does work, though Sonic falls unconscious once he gets washed out. Man, between his first battle against M in StH#132 and his easy escape from a watery grave in Anti-Mobius just a few issues ago, it really seems like later comic issues like to play fast and loose with the whole "he can't swim" character trait. Sometimes he can detangle himself from tight rope bonds and swim to safety without a problem, and other times he blacks out within scant seconds of touching water, and you never know which one you're gonna get till the plot calls for it. Of course, he's fine after waking up on shore, having been rescued by Bunnie, and the Freedom Fighters tell him that as far as they can tell they disabled or destroyed every Bomb in the area, meaning Mina is safe once more. With the threat ended, Sonic and Mina say goodbye to each other for the night, with Sonic making Mina promise they'll go out for chili dogs sometime soon. However, this wouldn't be a story if something didn't go wrong…

I like to think that this isn't even a case of the Freedom Fighters randomly missing a Bomb, rather being part of Eggman's plan - send in the big, obvious cavalry first to be fought and predictably defeated, then send in one last little Bomb to finish the job once everyone's guard is down. The explosion alerts everyone outside the backstage area, and they rush in to find Mina sobbing over Ash's body. Don't worry, though - when they rush him to the hospital Dr. Quack is able to get him in a stable condition, meaning that though he has a long slow recovery ahead he'll ultimately be fine. Sonic escorts a distraught Mina into Ash's room, where she admits her true feelings to his sleeping form.

I'm surprised that Sonic genuinely seems a little disappointed at their reconciliation, but then again, he and Mina were clearly shown to have some chemistry even before the time skip, though Sonic was obviously drawn more to Sally. It seems that with he and Sally currently being on the outs, and Mina having split from Ash, he had actually considered taking the chance with her - I mean, they did agree to a chili dog date after all - but now that's obviously not happening. Well, maybe the chili dog date is, but not Sonic and Mina becoming an item. What I'm trying to say is, this page has just sunk your Sonic/Mina ship. Fortunately, with this second failure Eggman has decided that trying to kill Mina is too hard and not worth his time, so she should be safe for now. He still finds himself lamenting the loss of his robotic body, however (something that you'd think should be child's play for him to fix considering previously roboticizing himself is literally part of his backstory), finding his current organic body too breakable. The use of that word suddenly makes him pause, having just come up with a new idea… but Karl certainly won't be the one writing about it, as with that final line of dialogue, he's officially completed his time as head writer for the Archie Sonic comics! Sayonara, Karl Bollers - though there were certainly some rough patches, on the whole I enjoyed your work on the comic, and we'll miss ya!

More Than Meets the Eye

Writer/Pencils: Ken Penders Colors: Josh Ray

…though remember, we are still dealing with Penders for a few more issues yet. Since the mission into Megaopolis a couple issues ago, Rotor, Uncle Chuck, Tommy, Tails, and Snively (plus apparently Fiona, for some reason) have all been hard at work studying and trying to understand the nanites. They try blasting them with a ton of electricity, but when that elicits no response from the nanites Tommy worriedly thinks Snively killed them with the zap, though Snively corrects him that biologically speaking, they're not really "alive," nor is anything that Eggman makes. While you may be technically correct from a scientific standpoint, Snively, I think Nicole might have a thing or two to say about your assertion that machines can't be alive…

Well! It seems Tommy was also unconvinced by Snively's words, and his tear splashing down into the nanite goo triggers some kind of reaction, prompting them to rapidly spread out and reach tendrils of themselves towards him. He's understandably a little freaked out and retreats into his shell, but the nanites don't hurt him as they make contact with the shell - in fact, the sensation is ticklish and causes him to start giggling uncontrollably, which must make for a very weird sight as Uncle Chuck reenters the room to investigate the noise. Tommy assures him that he's all right - and then from out of nowhere, his shell sprouts a pair of goddamn wings, because why the hell not?

I initially took issue with this concept due to it being established canon that the nanites can only absorb and reshape non-living matter, whereas turtle shells are definitely living matter, being full of nerve endings and basically being formed from repurposed bone matter from the turtle's ribs and pelvis. However, the above dialogue seems to indicate that they were able to fuse with Tommy's shell anyway by connecting straight into his nervous system. I would guess that after Sonic introduced the nanites to the concept of organic and synthetic coexistence a couple issues ago, they were just waiting for the chance to "study" an organic specimen in their own weird way, and Tommy just happened to end up as their test subject. Chuck and Tommy call everyone else in, where he notes that the nanites seem to react to his thoughts without said thoughts actually controlling the nanites directly. He demonstrates this by thinking vaguely that he wants to go somewhere, prompting a pair of jetpack engines to sprout from his shell and ignite, carrying him straight out of the lab and into the sky above Knothole. The others watch with an odd mixture of bemusement and amusement as the nanites fly Tommy's body in a pattern, using contrails to write "We're just going for a test drive" in the air. Well Tommy, looks like you have a really cool and unique new ability! It'd certainly be interesting to be fused with self-replicating nanomachines that react to your thoughts and wishes by morphing themselves in ways to grant those wishes, especially when they seem to actively like their host.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 154 #writer: karl bollers #writer: ken penders #pencils: ron lim #pencils: ken penders #colors: jason jensen #colors: joshua d ray

7 notes · View notes

justlookfrightened · 6 years ago

Text

Butter My Biscuits

Prompt from @ noelfieldingisprettierthanme: Remember when Sally Field kept trying to hook her son up with Adam Rippon? Alicia Zimmermann is just as gungho about setting up her openly bisexual son Jack with famous tv chef Eric Bittle

Prompt from @cyn2k: I am so down with the Zimmerparents attempting to set up Jack with Bitty in any incarnation - chef, TV host, dancer, vlogger, skater, friendly neighborhood baker, anything. Because you know Bob would be just as bad as Alicia.

Edited to add: When I wrote this, I forgot the lovely and talented @wrathofthestag already wrote a fic where Bitty has a different kind of baking show called “Butter My Biscuits.” You should read it. We’ll wait.

Alicia huffed a breath, trying to dislodge the strand of hair that was dangling into her right eye. When that didn’t work, she rubbed at it with her forearm, trying to keep her butter-and-flour-covered hands from her face.

“Siri, stop the video,” she said, and the image on her iPad screen went silent and still.

She wiped her hands on a towel, breathed for a moment, and thought about pouring a drink from the bottle of vodka she’d pulled from the freezer to use in the pie crust.

Eric Bittle, host of “Butter My Biscuits,” had acknowledged the temptation when he mixed his dough on the screen.

“I have to tell y’all, drunk baking can be fun, but I wouldn’t recommend it for your first — or even your fiftieth — pie crust. Save the good vodka for while the pie is in the oven, or when you’re making zucchini bread or something like that.”

Alicia knew from watching every episode of “Butter My Biscuits” ever produced that Eric thought the best thing to do with zucchini bread was not to make it at all.

With her hands slightly cleaner and a renewed commitment to follow Eric’s instructions precisely, she restarted the video and concentrated on rolling the dough in smooth, even strokes. When her crust was the proper size and thickness, she watched Eric fold his crust gently around his rolling pin and lay it in the pie plate. She stopped the video and watched it again before trying it herself.

Not half bad, even if it wasn’t as pretty as Eric’s.

Now for the top crust.

“Hi, Maman.”

Crap. She’d pressed down too hard and ripped it.

“Siri, stop the video. Hello, Jack. How was your walk?”

“Good,” Jack said. “It’s less boring if I take my camera.”

“What did you get pictures of?” Alicia asked as Jack pulled the camera out of its bag, no doubt in preparation for showing her several dozen artfully framed photos of geese.

“Just some stuff by the river,” Jack said, lifting the camera and clicking the shutter before she was aware he was about to take a picture. “You look like you’re having fun. Is that the baker guy you’re always watching? The one with the accent?”

“Eric Bittle,” Alicia said. “And yes. I like his voice. He always says anyone can learn to make a homemade pie crust, so I’m putting his theory to the test.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” Jack said.

He stood and watched for a few moments when Alicia started the video again, only leaving after Eric did a little victory shimmy after he got his pie in the oven.

Alicia put hers into bake as well, then made herself a martini to drink while she cleaned up. Jack would have helped if she asked — he really was a lovely man, and she and Bob had every right to be proud. He’d been home for three weeks now, almost recovered from the knee injury that ended his season. He’d be leaving soon, as he was about ready to transition to more serious training.

Alicia was glad he’d come to spend time with her and Bob in Montreal instead of moping around his condo in Providence. Jack really needed to get out more. After he’d come out as bisexual — part of the whole mess when Kent got outed by Deadspin — he hadn’t dated anyone, male or female. At first, he just wanted to let the story die, she had thought. But Kent had brazened it out, seen with a different guy on his arm every month, it seemed like. Once that got old for the paparazzi, two more players had come out.

At this point, she was pretty sure no one would care if Jack stepped out with a nice boy.

A nice boy like Eric Bittle, cute and blond and just Jack’s type. Eric Bittle, who had giggled on camera when he said, “Now, some of y’all have asked how I learned to bake. It was my MooMaw who taught me. She always said the best way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and that sounded like a good plan to me.”

She took another sip of her martini and pulled her iPad towards her. She didn’t want to start anything if Eric was happily coupled, but she was pretty sure he wasn’t.

Nope. He had broken up with someone six months ago and was quoted several times lamenting his single status, most recently only two weeks ago. The boyfriend -- caught on camera cheating with a dancer in the Boston Ballet -- was bigger than he was, although Eric was kind of small, so that didn’t mean much.

The timer went off and she pulled her pie from the oven. It wasn’t as pretty as Eric’s -- and she hadn’t even attempted a lattice or those cute cut-outs -- but she thought it was pretty good, especially for a first effort.

She snapped a picture and opened Twitter before she could think better of it.

if the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, does that go for you, too @ButterMyBiscuits? Asking for @jzimmermann1!

And she uploaded the picture.

Alicia served the pie for dessert, to the general approval of Jack and Bob, and didn’t think any more of it.

Until the next morning, when Jack sat across the breakfast table with his phone out.

“Are you really trying to set me up with that baker guy?” he said. “Etienne called me. My Twitter is blowing up, he said.”

“Etienne?”

“He handles my Twitter account for me.”

Of course Jack didn’t tweet for himself.

“Ah. I may have suggested that Eric Bittle take an interest in you.”

“The baker on TV?” Jack said. “With the accent?”

“Yes,” Alicia said. “The cute one.”

“I’ll tell him to disregard it,” Jack said. “I love you, Maman, but I don’t need you to find me dates.”

“Really?” Alicia said. “How long has it been since you had a date?”

“I’ve been laid up.”

“And before that?”

“What are we talking about?” Bob walked in, still in workout clothes, from the gym in the basement.

“How long since Jack here went on a date,” Alicia said.

“Been a while, eh?” Bob said.

“Maman tried to set me up with TV chef,” Jack said. “On Twitter.”

He paused while he tapped at his phone.

“There. I apologized for you and asked him to disregard your message.”

“Um, Jack, how did you do that?” Bob asked.

“I sent him a message,” Jack said.

“Yes, but how?” Bob asked.

“On Twitter?”

“You two follow each other?” Alicia asked. “I had no idea you liked baking that much.”

“No? I just found his tweet and replied.”

“Oh, Jack,” Alicia said. “You’d better call Etienne and tell him what you did. Before everyone who follows you and Eric loses their mind. But first, show me his tweet.”

Jack held out his phone wordlessly.

The tweet on top said, if @jzimmermann1 can make a pie like this, I’ll be impressed. Almost as impressed as I was by his goal in Game 7 last year. But tell me the truth, @AliciaActs -- who made the pie?

Jack’s reply was underneath

My mother made the pie after watching your show. I’m sorry she bothered you. Please ignore it. But the pie was delicious.

A hundred likes and fifty replies already. At least Jack had notifications turned off. No doubt her own mentions were exploding as well.

“Why don’t I set this so you follow him?” Alicia said. “Then maybe he’ll follow you and you can communicate in private.”

She followed Eric Bittle, and noticed that he already followed Jack. Which meant Jack could have DM’d him. Now he would think Jack didn’t want to talk privately.

She opened a direct message and handed the phone back to Jack.

“When you replied to his tweet, everyone could see it,” Alicia explained. “You might want to apologize for that -- in private. In a direct message.”

“Need help?” Bob asked. “Gotta work that old Zimmermann charm.”

“No,” Jack said. “Please. No.”

******************

Alicia checked to make sure Jack’s room was ready and set the table for dinner. He was coming to spend one last weekend before training camp started, to celebrate the fact that he had been cleared to start camp with the team.

“I should be there around six p.m.,” Jack told her when he called the week before. “It would be better if we just eat at home that night.”

“You have a workout in the morning?” Alicia guessed. “I’m sure you’ll be tired. Your father can make something on the grill.”

“Fine,” Jack said. “But I’ll bring dessert.”

Alicia sliced peppers and zucchini to go on the grill when the meat came off, and put together a green salad.

“Bob?” she called. “Is the grill ready? Jack should be here soon.”

“Just about,” Bob said, stepping in from the deck. “I’ll put the steaks on after he gets here. Did you make a pie for dessert like you’ve been practicing?”

“Jack said he’d bring dessert.”

“Jack? Dessert? Are you sure he’s not just bringing a bag of fresh fruit?”

“He said dessert.”

The door opened, and Jack poked his head in.

“Maman? Papa? Do you mind if I brought an extra guest?”

Following Jack was Eric Bittle, dressed in neatly pressed slacks and a crisp shirt with a red bow tie. In his hands was a white pastry box.

“Hey, y’all,” he said. “Jack here said you liked my pie?”

#omgcheckplease #omg check please #zimbits au #prompt fill #my fic

254 notes · View notes

marvelmando · 5 years ago

Text

tempest [p.parker x o.c.] - five

notes: im trying to write the far from home part but it’s just turning out so terribly! whatever, hopefully i get back in the groove soon

contains: some swearing, some violence, heights

pairing: peter parker + fem! o.c.

word count: 3k

previous chapter next chapter tempest masterlist

"PLEASE BE SURE ALL CELLPHONES ARE TURNED OFF."

Marin watched as Ned hesitantly turned over his phone to the lady waiting outside the auditorium, and she felt a pang of sympathy for him. Peter had yet to show up from his tryst from the previous night, and both her and Ned were growing increasingly worried. Marin was equally angry that he was going to miss the competition and nervous that something had happened to him. For all of the grief she gave him, Marin knew that Peter was truly loyal to his friends, and wouldn't have missed the competition if he could've helped it.

The beginning of the competition had gone by quickly—hours of Marin sitting backstage, waiting for the science portion of the event, chewing anxiously on her thumbnail and pacing incessantly.

Eventually, Marin was brought onstage for the science questions.

"What is the relation of the speed of the fluid flowing out of an orifice to the height of the fluid above the opening?" The moderator asked.

Marin pressed her buzzer immediately. "Torricelli's theorem." She squeaked out, relaxing when the moderator confirmed the correct answer. The team gave her pats on her back, and Michelle even nodded approvingly with a tilted smile.

Marin was only able to answer a few more questions, and time had blurred together as they approached their final questions. The teams were tied—the moderator announced they had entered sudden death. Marin was so nervous, her head swimming with restless nerves that she didn't register the question that was asked.

But then Michelle pressed her buzzer, and Marin sucked in a breath. "Midtown Tech?"

Michelle looked bored. "Zero."

"That is correct!"

The team erupted with cheers. Marin was the first to wrap Michelle in a hug, with Ned following. Michelle, she could tell, seemed unfazed by the victory, but smiled at their reactions nonetheless. Flash jumped out of his seat and ran across the length of the stage, whooping and hollering with delight.

"Midtown takes the championship!"

+++

It was Liz's idea to celebrate their triumph by going up in the Washington Monument. Marin was giddy with an adrenaline rush and she figured that all things considered, she would be able to handle the heights.

"Told you we didn't need Peter!" Flash was saying, waving around the championship trophy.

"Flash, you didn't answer a single question." Ned pointed out with a funny look on his face, causing Marin to snort rather embarrassingly.

Inside the lobby of the monument, while they waited to go through security, Ned pulled out his phone and dialed Peter's number. "Peter! Are you okay?" Ned whispered.

"He picked up?" Marin whisper-yelled at him, reaching for the phone.

"Don't worry, it's safe; it's in my backpack!" Ned responded, holding the phone firmly to his face so Marin couldn't grab it. He set his backpack on the conveyor belt, and while he was distracted, Marin nabbed the phone.

"Peter! Peter, what the hell—"

"—the glowy thing is dangerous!" Peter was yelling. Marin's eyes widened dramatically as she whipped around at Ned.

"'Glowy thing'?!" Marin hissed, staring daggers at Ned. "You brought it with you?!"

Marin could still hear Peter shouting when the phone was snatched out of her hands by Liz. "Peter, is that you?" She ranted at him. "You flake! You are so lucky we won. You know, I want to be mad, but I'm more worried. Like, what is going on with you?"

"Miss, all items on the belt, please." A security guard interrupted Liz, who nodded and place the phone on the conveyor belt without hanging up. Marin could only follow behind, as one-by-one, the team passed through the metal detectors and retrieved their belongings. By the time Marin had passed and reached Ned, the call was disconnected and Ned was tucking his phone into his jacket's pocket.

"What did he say?" Marin said mutedly to Ned.

"Call was already ended when I picked the phone up." He shrugged, as a tour guide corralled the Midtown team into the elevator. Flash, still holding the trophy, asked Mr. Harrington as the doors to the elevator slid shut: "Hey, Mr. Harrington, can I be the one to tell Peter he's expelled?"

Marin rolled her eyes and the elevator ascended with a jolt.

Marin wasn't paying attention as the female tour guide monotonously recited facts about the obelisk. At one point, Mr. Harrington even tried to talk to her about his ex-wife, but Marin was too busy gnawing on her lower lip to notice. She was picking at her nail when a familiar magenta glowing light caught her eye.

"Ned—" she began to say, but suddenly the light grew violently brighter until it erupted, damaging the elevator shaft's framework. The car screeched to a jerking stop.

The car rapidly filled up with smoke, briefly obscuring Marin's vision, but Ned was close enough to her for her to see him drop his bag in a panic. "Oh god," she muttered to herself. The Chitauri core detonated much like a bomb—the electromagnetic waves from the x-ray machine must've set it off. And now, they were trapped in an unstable elevator box, some five-hundred feet in the air, with a bomb. Marin just hoped it wouldn't go off again.

"Oh, my god, look at the ceiling," Flash said, voice trembling. Sure enough, a glowing ring of red had burned through the roof of the elevator.

"Just stay calm, everyone." Liz tried to soothe.

Abe whined, "Oh, we are all going to die here."

Ned looked at Marin, visibly panicked. "Can you do anything?" He whispered in her ear.

Marin reached to her side, where her water bottle would be—but it wasn't there. Then she remembered she'd left it on her nightstand, figuring that she wouldn't have needed it, as she assumed they would have provided bottles of water at the competition if she ever got thirsty. She didn't even consider the possibility that she'd need to use her powers. "Shit," she cursed weakly. "I don't have my water." Ned clutched his head.

"We're freaking screwed." Charles lamented.

"Okay guys, I know that was scary, but our safety systems are working." The tour guide attempted to calm the group down, but someone started coughing, sending the rest of them on edge. "We're very safe here."

Marin knew it was a lie—they all did. As the seconds passed, the sounds of metal creaking were beginning to be heard. Marin could've tried to siphon water from the bodies around her, but it required a lot of energy that Marin didn't have. The altitude was making her dizzy, and she knew that even if she managed to gather enough water, her energy would deplete too quickly for her to do anything with it, and she'd been rendered not only useless but an unconscious burden.

The groaning of the framework deepened as the passengers moved about. Debris pinged against the roof of the car, and the tour guide had Mr. Harrington hoist her up to the hatch in the ceiling. Marin could barely make out the sight of park rangers opening the shaft's glass panels. Cindy was the first to be lifted through the hatch, and Marin could hear cords snapping. She grabbed Ned's arm.

Sally was next, then Charles, then Abe. Marin heard the distant sounds of helicopters. "Okay, who's next?" Mr. Harrington motioned to Liz.

She moved to grab his shoulder, but Flash shoved her out of the way, still clutching the goddamn trophy like a lifeline. "Me! It's my turn!" He cried, hoisting himself on Mr. Harrington's shoulders.

"Flash, seriously? What are you doing?!" Ned scolded, as Liz scoffed indignantly and Marin frowned at the boy's cowardly actions.

He was barely outside the hatch when the elevator shook violently, throwing everyone into a panic.

Flash thrust the trophy into the outstretched hands of the park rangers. "Take my trophy!" He moved to stand on the roof, and the car shook again, dropping a couple of inches.

"This is your last chance!" Marin vaguely heard the police cry from outside.

Flash had just been lifted out of the shaft when there was one last vicious groan of metal, the roof of the elevator ripping off and sending the car into a free-fall.

Screaming was all Marin could hear as she clutched the railing with one hand and Ned's arm with the other until the car came to an abrupt stop. Looking up, Marin saw a web connected to the outside of the car. She had only a moment to breath before she heard glass shattering and they were falling once more.

The car caught on something, and a figure crashed into the elevator as it halted. The momentum of the body hitting the floor caused the car to jolt and start falling again. Marin had never been on a roller coaster, but she absently assumed this was what it felt like—the swooping of her heart and the weight dropping her stomach into her feet.

Spider-Man aimed another web at the top of the shaft, bracing his feet on what remained of the broken metal roof, stopping the car yet again.

In the brief silence that ensued, Mr. Harrington, Ned, Liz, and Marin all stared at Spider-Man in a combination of shock, terror, and relief. Spider-Man cleared his throat roughly, adopting a thick New York accent. "Hey, how you doin'? Don't worry 'bout it, I gotchu." He began pulling the car up.

"Yes!" Ned cheered, pumping his fists and making the car wobble with his obvious excitement. "Yes!"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Big guy! Quit movin' around!"

"Sorry, sir. So sorry."

Marin noticed the exertion Peter was putting out, lifting the car up one hand after the other. A quick glance over at Liz showed that she was thoroughly confused, probably as to why the hell Spider-Man had shown up in D.C., of all places.

Suspense grew thickly as Marin watched the car approach the top of the shaft. The park rangers pried the doors to the elevator open and pulled Mr. Harrington and Ned through. "Alright, this is your stop," Peter quipped, but his voice was tight with tension. "Go, go, go! Everybody out! Move it, people—move it, move it!" Marin looked up, and saw the metal bend under Peter's feet, ready to snap any second. Reacting on instinct, Marin pushed Liz through the door and into the arms awaiting her to safety—just in time for the ceiling to collapse, and the car to drop under Marin's feet.

Marin screamed, reaching her arms to grab Peter's, but missing it just barely. "No!" Peter cried out, instantly grabbing her wrist with a web.

He held himself up with his feet grabbing at a web while pulling a dangling Marin up with his hands. It was a strange sensation, the web attached to her wrist—chilled and a bit slimy, but secure and steady nonetheless.

"You're okay, you're okay," Peter repeated in a chant, sounding genuinely distressed. He grasped her hand when he pulled her up enough, not letting go until she was safe on the observation deck.

Marin stared into Spider-Man's mask, hoping to tell him something—anything—but her heart twisted when she realized that he was instead staring at Liz, his bionic eyes widened. "Is everyone okay? Are you guys okay?"

He went silent as Liz nodded, seemingly in a weird trance as she returned Spider-Man's stare. "Yeah," Marin mumbled, but it went unnoticed.

Then, the web snapped, and Spider-Man fell down into the empty shaft. The spectators gasped and peered into the darkness to watch the hero plummet. "Thank you!" Mr. Harrington called down.

Flash pushed Marin to the side to lean over the mangled frame, still holding the freaking trophy, to yell, "Are you really friends with Peter Parker?!"

+++

Initially, the team was supposed to stay in D.C. for another full day. But once everyone was brought to the ground with the help of many teams of policemen and firefighters, it was kind of a unanimous decision to head back to New York as soon as possible.

Once statements were made and their physical conditions were cleared by awaiting paramedics, Marin overheard a policewoman tell another that Spider-Man was nowhere to be found—he'd simply vanished. Before Marin could worry that he'd been injured (or worse), Peter had suddenly ran up to the group, claiming he'd gone for a walk early that morning and fell asleep in some park. No one really believed him, but everyone was still shaken up from the day, and they were more relieved to see that Peter was okay and unharmed.

Marin had gone to tackle Peter with a hug, but Liz had beat her to it. So that left Marin stopping short, feeling awkward and embarrassed, especially when she realized that Peter had barely even glanced her way, instead, fussing over Liz and her well-being. Marin had selfishly thought that she was the one who had really almost died, and Liz was perfectly okay and didn't need so much of Peter's attentions; but chastised herself immediately after, reminding herself that Peter had known Liza lot longer than he'd known Marin, and it was more likely that Peter would be more concerned for the older girl. It didn't make the sting of mild rejection any less painful, though.

But what surprised her most was Michelle coming to greet Marin with a swift hug, though she'd broken away almost immediately and acted as if she hadn't just expressed such relief. But Michelle's voice wobbled with concern, which was more than enough for Marin's eyes to well with tears.

Back on the bus, everyone sat close together, though no one really talked. Peter was with Ned, probably recounting the events that kept him away for the night, but Marin was too enervated to care. Whenever she closed her eyes, she was haunted with horrifying memories of the floor dropping out from underneath her and plagued with feelings of lingering helplessness. So she asked Michelle if she had a spare book, and Michelle handed over her now-finished copy of Invitation to a Beheading wordlessly, pulling another book from her bag.

Her eyes blurred and she didn't register the words she read at all, but it gave her something to distract her mind with. Distract her from the burning feeling in her chest whenever she let her thoughts run aimlessly.

It was dark outside when they reached the high school. The team scrambled off the bus to find their families.

Marin was the last to descend the steps, watching as her new friends embraced their parents and siblings and loved ones with open sobs and declarations of love and concern. Peter was enveloped into May's awaiting arms as she cried with relief. The sights made Marin's heart ache.

What if he wasn't there? Marin thought to herself. What if Spider-Man hadn't shown up to save the day? She wondered that if her parents were still alive, would they be just as happy to see her safe and sound? The hole in her chest where she normally felt empowered made her begin to believe otherwise.

Her wandering mind was interrupted when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. It was May, with one arm around her shoulders and the other tilted up, with her hand tenderly cradling the back of Marin's head. Marin returned the hug and began to cry.

+++

Back at the apartment, May made the teens hot chocolate and microwaved dozens of pizza rolls. They ate in silence, no one wanting to address the day's events. They were just fine with being in each other's presence.

Eventually, once all the food was gone and their mugs were drained, May retired to bed, kissing each of them on the temple, and wishing them a good night.

"Can we talk?" Peter rasped once May had disappeared down the hall. Marin nodded, following him into his room.

They sat together on the lower bunk, and a moment of silence passed as Peter summoned the words he needed to say.

"I'm sorry." Peter finally spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry—about what I said last night, and for ditching you guys, and almost getting you killed—"

Marin twisted and pulled him into a hug. Peter wasn't crying, but he was trembling in her arms, and Marin felt a pang of guilt for not considering how scared he must've been. They had both endured falling from that height together, and he even had to climb up the outside of the monument just to reach them. Not to mention, he was still probably traumatized from plummeting into the lake, not a few nights before. She clutched him tighter, shushing him gently.

"It's okay, Peter." She whispered into his hair. "You showed up, you were there, and you saved us, okay?" She pulled back to look Peter in the eyes. They were glassy like he was holding back tears. "You saved me. And I'll always be grateful for that."

He nodded, sniffing lightly. They peeled themselves apart, taking a moment to compose themselves.

After a while, Marin asked, "Why didn't you tell me, though, Pete? Why didn't you tell me before you made the decision to go fight those guys by yourself?" Her voice was surprisingly steady. "Did you not... I don't know, not trust me, or something? Because I thought we were in this together." She didn't mean to sound so needy, but yet it did.

"We are in it together, Marin." Peter urged. "I just... I know you like Mr. Stark, too, but if I told you that I needed to hack into the suit to disable the tracker, I knew you'd—"

"You hacked into your suit?!" Marin exclaimed. "You fool! What if you messed with something important and got yourself killed?!" She scolded, smacking his arm.

"Hey!" He grabbed where she hit him defensively. "I knew you'd object! 's why I didn't tell you! And then, you got upset with me—understandably so—" he pointed out at her vexed glare. "—and I didn't want to force you."

Marin sighed after watching his reaction, placated. "Fair enough, webs." The corner of her lips tilted up in a crooked smile. "What else did you do to the suit, then?"

Peter laughed, looking excited. "So, it turns out my suit comes with my very own AI lady..."

taglist

@dark-night-sky-99 @pushmeinablackhole @-thatgirloverthere- @demi-starzak

36 notes · View notes