#and she's like 'i guess i have a weird alien son now'

[yall-batman-fanfic]

Teen Titans! | Teen Titans x Batmom

Synopsis: Meeting the Teen Titans, or the Titans, isn’t like meeting the Justice League, it’s more grounded; and each time she meets each team of the Titans with each different Robin, Vivian felt like she was a mom meeting her sons’ friends.

Note: Damian’s storyline follows the events of Justice League vs. Teen Titans.

Donna Troy, Roy Harper,  Karen Beecher, and Wally West. Those were the names of the group of heroes that Dick mentioned he’s teamed up with and have been working with for a couple of missions now. She’s met them all, especially Wally who was Dick’s best friend—he’s even stayed at Wayne Manor a couple of times and ran into her doing some summoning ritual in the basement. 

He thought she was summoning Satan or something and promised he wouldn't tell anyone. Dick cleared everything out and said, “Viv’s just summoning a demon for the JLA for questioning.”

“A totally normal thing to do in the basement,” Wally told Dick. 

Then there was the time he ran into Vivian about to electrocute herself with water so she can enter Hell and find something for the Justice League again. Batman was there looking after her with Zatanna. 

“Nothing is normal in this house, isn’t it?” Wally told Dick.

“Define normal, Wally,” Dick retorted. 

To say that Vivian’s well acquainted with the Titans was an understatement. She’s met them so many times that they stopped with the stiff formalities of “Professor Pryor or Ms. Pryor” and started calling her by her name or, as Wally started doing, “Aunt V”. It was cute so she let him. 

So when Dick mentioned a new member of the Titans, she thought it would be like any other day meeting the Titans. Vivian wanted to meet everyone of his friends, especially now that Dick was growing up and was taking his Robin duties all the way to Titans Tower in San Francisco, which had him away from home for long periods of time. But she made sure he was back for school too. She won’t have him missing school. 

But when she went to San Francisco for work—she was asked to consult about an artifact found by some researchers of their local universities—she decided to inform Dick and invite the Titans for a private lunch at the hotel she was staying at. Knowing they might stand out in a public place with the new member being an alien and all, Vivian ordered a private area in the hotel restaurant to meet them all. 

Vivian was waiting inside, reading through the journals of the researchers she was consulting for on her laptop, when one of the attendants informed her of guests’ arrival. She smiled upon seeing Dick and his friends. She immediately got up to greet him with a hug but then Wally beat him to it.

“Hi Aunt V!” Wally hugged her tight.

Chuckling, Vivian patted his head, “Hi Wally, how are things?”

“Alright, nothing I can’t handle. Is that pizza?” Wally zoomed to the table. Luckily they were alone at this point. 

“Yeah, I got everyone’s favorite, but we can order more for your new friend,” Vivian turned to the only face she’s never seen and met before. “Thanks, Mrs. P!” Karen said as she went to the table. 

After she was greeted by everyone else, Vivian finally got to see Dick and held out her arms to her for a hug but then her boy just greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and said with a deeper voice than she would hear him talk with, “Hi Viv, good to see you.”

Puberty? She doubted it would kick in just overnight, she spoke with Dick last night to tell him about the lunch.

“Hi, kiddo,” Vivian brushed it off. But weird. “So, I guess this is the new friend you made?”

“Teammate,” Dick corrected her.

“Right, teammate.”

“Vivian, this is Koriand'r—or Starfire—Princess of the Planet Tamaran. Kori, this is Professor Vivian Pryor, she’s a Professor in Gotham University, and my…”

Seeing his hesitation, Vivian filled it in, “Dick’s our ward. Bruce took him in when he was a kid and later I was added to the paperwork. It’s nice to meet you Koriand’r.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Professor. Dick mentioned you liked flowers. He helped me pick this out in the store for you.” She held out the small potted plant. “I hope you like it.”

Accepting the gift, Vivian smiled and thanked Koriand’r. “I’ll add this to the garden when I get home. This is really thoughtful of you, Koriand’r.”

“Kori is fine, Professor.”

“Then you can call me Vivian—no need to be all formal now, this is just a social gathering. It’s been a while since I saw this kiddo,” Vivian hugged Dick.

“Viv, come on,” Dick embarrassingly whispered.

“Uhuh,” she raised a brow at him. She sees it now. That little fucker was trying to act cool before this beautiful young woman. Seeing the glint in her eyes, Dick knew he made a mistake and prayed she not do what was going on in her head now. “Why don’t we join the others before Wally eats up everything. Is there anything you’d like to add to the food, Kori?”

“No, this all looks lovely!” Kori told her and joined everyone in eating. 

As Vivian sat down with Dick to her side, she noticed how he was close with Koriand’r and how accommodating he was in teaching some things that she wasn’t familiar with. It looks like she knows more about pizza and other junk food, she is living with a bunch of teenagers after all.

They talked mostly about their time at the Tower and the missions they were taking. Vivian was glad to see everyone was settled in and the fact Dick was learning to lead the Titans in these missions, it just shows that he was growing under Batman’s guidance and was making it on his own. When it came to more social talks, Vivian saw how Dick would talk as if he was trying to impress Koriand’r with his an octave lower voice, his works as Robin in Gotham. It was very un-Dick of him. 

“So, how are things at work? When are you going back to Gotham?” Dick asked Vivian.

“I only just saw you today and you’re already asking me when I’m leaving?” Vivian jokes.

“Come on, I’ve lived with you for years now. You and Bruce don’t really like being far from each other for a long time.”

“Hey, there are times when we do, especially when he’s off world,” she took a sip of her scotch.

“When circumstances allow it,” Dick corrected himself.

“Well, considering your summer break is over soon, I was thinking we could head back together.”

Dick choked on his food. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Viv, I can travel on my own.”

“I know you can, but you know, less fuel consumption, less plane emissions. We gotta do our part, you know,” Vivian shrugged. “You do plan on heading home before school starts, right?”

Everyone, but for Kori, snickered as Dick was getting the hot seat. 

“I was hoping to fly back to school when it starts,” Dick sheepishly said. When she gave him a look, he quickly added, “You do it, and so does Bruce.”

“Kiddo, we’re paid to do it. Our work has us go to places and land hours before our next meeting at the next state. It’s the job.”

“This is a job too.” She held out her hand. “It’s unethical!”

“Exactly. While I know this is important shit, like I said years ago when you got in trouble for skipping classes and not doing your homework, you need a steady income to pay the bills. And to pay a freaking building’s maintenance, utilities, and shit.”

“How come I’m the only one you’re telling this about?” Dick muttered.

“Wally, when are going home?”

“A day before classes start,” Wally answered.

“Roy?”

“Same.” Roy shrugged.

“Karen?”

“I might head back a couple of days early for it.”

Vivian turned to Dick, showing her point. 

“But Kori’s—”

“I’ll be fine,” Kori told Dick. “Karen offered to let me stay with her so it’s closer to the tower.”

Dick turned to Karen who shrugged and happily ate her food. Sighing, he turned to Vivian and muttered, “Fine. I’ll leave with you to Gotham.”

“I’m touched with your enthusiasm to come home,” Vivian sarcastically said and proceeded with her meal. 

“When’s the flight?”

“I’ll meet you halfway for the date. Give more time to spend with the Titans. I’ll extend my stay at the hotel–I’ll just pay for the extra nights.”

Dick smiled. “Thanks, Viv.”

“No problem, wouldn’t want to ruin whatever you have planned with Kori, right?”

“Viv!”

“Tell me, Koriand’r what has Dick shown you since you came here?”

Roy laughed and whispered to Wally, “Checkmate.”

~ * ~

Right as their lunch ended, Vivian walked the Titans down the hotel where she treated them to some ice cream from a stand and said her goodbye to them. Just before Dick could leave with his friends, he stuck around with Vivian.

“So, Koriand’r,” Vivian mused. “She’s interesting. Not just because she’s an alien, Dick, but as a person.”

Dick turned to her with a defeated look, “I took it too far, didn’t I?”

“A piece of advice, don’t try to be like Bruce. Bruce has his way of charming women that’s more natural.”

“Really? Is that how he got you?” He grinned.

“No. It was the man behind those masks. He didn’t try too hard, he was a perfect gentleman. He’s a person with darkness inside him, Dick. That’s the thing with Bruce.”

“Yet you still…”

“You have to look closer and see beyond that darkness. Behind those masks, the trauma, there is a man with a good heart, who will always offer his help even when he needs it more. It’s the goodness of his heart that got me. The other things are just a bonus,” she winked.

“What about me? What do I have?” Dick sighed.

“You, Boy Wonder, have so much to offer… you’re a good kid, Dick. And you’re charming without even trying. As corny as it sounds, just be yourself. You’ll be surprised that smart-mouth Dick Grayson can also get some action.”

“Viv.”

“You do use protection, right? I just—I don’t want to hear that call from you about screwing it up because you —”

“Viv, I get it,” he blushed in embarrassment. “So, you sure you’re going to stay longer here and wait for me before heading back to Gotham?”

“I am.”

“What about Bruce?”

“He’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Wow, he’s taking a break.”

“That he is. Let GCPD do their job. See you in a couple of days?”

“Sure thing, Vivian. And thanks for the lunch, everyone enjoyed it.”

“My pleasure, kiddo.”

~ * ~

Meeting the Titans with Damian was far different from the time she met the team where Dick was leading it. It wasn’t a lunch date with them. It involved her expertise, and during that time, she and Damian were far from being close.

Raven, daughter of Azarath, the Daughter of Trigon. When she first heard of Raven, Vivian had no idea who the girl was, nor did the Titans, so it was surprising when Dick mentioned the girl’s had magic and hails from another dimension called Azarath and got a consultation on what her powers were and how they can help her. Vivian has read about Azarath and she knows about Trigon’s existence too. Raven was the daughter of a literal demon, and a powerful one too. 

“I’d like to meet her some day,” Vivian said to Dick.

“Sure but when are you free?” Dick gestured to her open journal and saw the booked dates. “I guess not soon enough?”

“Right, I’ll try to rearrange some things…”

“Viv, it’s okay. I just want to get a good picture on where she’s at in terms of power and how Starfire can help her. It was Star who asked me to check in with our magical consultant.”

“I can’t really give a reading until I meet her, Dick. Hopefully I can find the time soon too.”

But time wasn’t on their side because the time she was about to head to San Francisco and see Raven, the Justice League asked her help off-world. She was working with John Constantine on the mission and was gone for quite some time. 

Then an opportunity arises when Bruce has Damian go to Titans Tower to learn a bit more about teamwork. 

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too far?” Vivian asked Bruce as she watched Damian throw his things to Dick’’s car and get in the vehicle without even saying goodbye. He was obviously upset–pissed–with his father sending him away to “hero camp” and won’t even speak to any of them. Vivian tried to wave at him goodbye but he only glared at her.

“He needs to learn how to operate in a team, and I think the Titans can give him that. He gets to work with heroes his age,” said Bruce.

“He’s just a kid, Bruce.”

“He’s not. He’s raised to be an assassin. He never got the childhood that either of us had.”

Vivian sighed. “He’s your son, it’s your call.”

“Viv, that’s not…”

Vivian walked towards the car and knocked on Robin’s window. He looked at her for a moment and when he wouldn't pull it down, she used magic to open the damn thing and keep it open so he wouldn't close it on her hand. 

“Your father won’t do this unless he knows it’s good for you,” Vivian told him.

“He just wants me out of his way,” Damian replied.

“Well, I think this is a great opportunity for you to meet more kids your age and hang out with them. You’ll learn more from them.”

“We both know that’s not the case. One of the few things we actually agree on, Professor.”

Vivian sighed. “Listen, I’ll call you to see how you are once you get there.”

“I don’t need to be coddled.”

“I’ll still call anyway, you know why? Because I care.”

“You’re not my mother, Professor, let’s make that clear.”

“You’re right, I’m not. But I’m here, Damian, and even if I’m not, I still care. For each one of you. So, if you need anything, just call me, okay?”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Yeah, love you too, kid,” she let go of the window and got out before he shut it over her hand. 

“He gave you a heartfelt goodbye?” Dick teased her.

“He was actually sweet about it, and gave his love and kisses. Look after him there?” Vivian hugged him goodbye.

“I do not understand where you find patience with this kid.”

“He’s a kid, Dick. We all have our thing. Yours, while understandable with what happened, was anger management.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll call you once we’re settled in and give updates on Damian. I’ll also have him back before school starts.”

“Paperwork isn’t even done yet, keep him for as long as you want,” she laughed.

“Can’t say we won’t chuck him to the bay by the time we bring him back. See you around, Vivian.”

“Bye, kiddo, say hello to the team for me!”

“I will!” Dick said goodbye to Bruce and Alfred, then hopped in the car then drove away. 

Rejoining Bruce, Vivian sighed and said, “It’s like sending your kid to summer camp.”

“Is it a good feeling or not?”

“Damian and I might not be as close as the others but I’ll miss the little brat.”

~ * ~

Vivian shot out of bed, gasping, as she felt the dark power enter the world. 

“What is it?” Bruce got up and held her shaking body. She was sweating coldly. “What do you need?”

“I… uh… something’s wrong—someone opened the gates of hell and something got out, something powerful,” Vivian shook her head to try and figure out what and how to find it. “I need to see for myself.” She got out of bed and was heading to the bathroom.

“Vivian, no!” Bruce grabbed her wrist. “I will not let you go there—we can contact Constantine!”

“Constantine is most probably drunk in some pub after losing a game of poker to some demons (he was, specifically in Las Vegas), we can’t afford to wait for him and sober up.”

“Damnit, Vivian!” Bruce could only watch as she entered the water-filled tub and sat down, still wearing her pajamas. He knelt down beside her and held her hand as she prepared herself. “Don’t even think about going down there.”

“Water is a shortcut-gate to travel across realms. Don’t worry, I’m not going to drown myself, I just need to do a ritual.”

“Which is?”

“Going underwater and see how long I can hold my breath.”

“Don’t–”

Vivian dove in, releasing all her air inside, and then cast the ritual’s spell. One moment, she was seeing a distorted image of Bruce above water. After blinking, she found herself standing in a throne room with a pyre at the very middle, the walls made of bones and obsidian. She knew this place, she’s been here several times. Damnit, why did she not bring her coat when she went underwater? Hell is freezing!

“Vivian Pryor,” a demon appeared from the shadows. She was beautiful, seductive, with a warrior’s body, then she turned to fully face Vivian showing the other side of her face. Rotting flesh and bone. A state of decay, which was what Hell was. “It has been a while.”

“Mazikeen, I wish to speak with your Lord,” Vivian said.

“Vivian Pryor,” a sultry voice echoed in the halls. Climbing the steps, a handsome man with golden blonde hair wearing white tux, and beautiful feathered wings appeared before them. He was smirking as he greeted her. “While I find your character amusing, I do not appreciate it when you World Walkers think you can simply walk into anyone’s domain without observing proper decorum.”

“Don’t talk to me about decorum when one of your own has entered the Mortal World,” Vivian glared at him. 

“Strong accusations.”

“I felt its power, and I know they took someone’s body. So do not lecture me about processes on knocking on your door when your freaking parasites go about as they please to get to ours, okay, Luci?”

“Watch your tone, Pryor,” Mazikeen warned her.

Vivian ignored her. “Who is it? What are the movements? I could smell sulfur in the air and it woke me from a really good night’s sleep.”

Lucifer sighed and sat on the edge of the pyre, lazily looking at her, “None of mine… entirely. As you should know, Hell isn’t exactly singular. It has many dimensions, just as your world has its own, so I cannot command all of them, my jurisdiction of Hell has its limits. But I can give you a hint, because we are good friends.”

She noted the sarcasm in his voice.

“The 8th Ring has made movements. I have no hold on it, but all I can say it is a home of a being that is far stronger than the All Mighty,” Lucifer shrugged. Mazikeen smirked, knowing who it was.

“You’re not telling me who, aren’t you?” Vivian asked the demon and the Devil.

“Now, where is the fun in that?” Lucifer got up from his seat and towered over her. From the pocket of his suit he handed her an old piece of parchment. “You have your clues, now do the work, Vivian Pryor.”

“My Lord,” Vivian bowed slightly and walked away. 

“And Vivian… my dear son has been asking for you… he misses you, oh, so dearly.”

Mammon.

Without looking back, Vivian reversed the ritual and was back in the land of the living, leaving Hell. 

“Sir, we have a heartbeat!” she heard Alfred’s voice. “She’s waking up!”

The first person she saw, as soon as she opened her eyes, was the old Butler looking at her with relief. “Welcome back, Ma’am.”

“Alfred,” Vivian coughed, her body showing steam from the cold temperature that was adapting to this tad bit warmer climate. “Where’s Bruce?”

“I’m here!” Bruce came to her side and carried Vivian from the tub and settled her on the toilet. “Vivian, what is it?”

“He gave me a hint,” Vivian opened her palm and showed it to him. 

“Is that?” Alfred gasped.

“Straight from Hell,” Vivian opened the parchment and saw the drawing of a gigantic demon with four eyes, and a body that can crush worlds and gods in one swoop. Lucifer wasn’t joking, this being could be more powerful than the All Mighty. “He’s not from our Hell. He’s from an 8th Planet of Hell, so I doubt our old tricks can work with him.”

Bruce’s phone sounded, it was from the League. “It’s an emergency. Superman’s been compromised.”

“I’ll go with you. You don���t know what you’re facing, Bruce. You need an extra shield with you.”

Arriving at the scene, Batman and Vivian saw Superman rampaging on the street, defeating Atomic Skull that was already down and near to death. Just as the Kryptonian was to attack Wonder Woman, Bruce got out with a kryptonite to weaken the Man of Steel.

“It is coming, and you cannot stop it,” Superman spoke in a voice that was not his. From the Batmobile, Vivian jumped out as she saw the Kryptonian’s face change to the face of the demon that was on the parchment Lucifer gave her. She cast a spell to protect Bruce from that creature.

“Batman, it’s got him!” Vivian told them, “Step back from him—Wonder Woman, get in the circle!”

“Superman, something’s controlling you. Something from Hell,” said Batman, trying to get the man out of this demon’s hold.

“You have your part to play, both of you.The girl will be taken,” said the demon in Superman’s body.

“Girl?” Batman wondered.

Superman shot into the sky, flying to wherever he is to go, just as Diana was to follow, Batman stopped her.

“We cannot let him–” Diana began.

“I’ve alerted Trevor, in any luck, military satellites would track him for now.”

“And what would we do? We just wait for him to pull the moon from the sky?”

Bruce stop in mid-step and glanced at Vivian’s direction, who too considered the possibility. “He hasn’t said anything about doing something like that, has he?”

“No, but…”

“We’re both targets. We can all be targets. Go back to that island of yours and lock yourself in the deepest and darkest tomb you can find,” Batman got in the Batmobile with Vivian. “I’ll call you.”

“You can’t expect me to wait and do nothing.”

“Worth a shot.” As the doors of the Batmobile closed, Bruce drove away, heading back to base. “Vivian, I wouldn’t ask.”

“But you are, and we both know I would still do it.”

“I need you to do your research on this thing and find out what he meant by a girl. As of now, you’re our supernatural expert in this.”

“And you? What will you do?”

“I’ll try to track Superman’s location… I’ll drop you off in the manor.”

“No, you’re bringing me with you.”

“Viv.”

“Bruce, we don’t know what that is, and right now we are using some doodle that Lucifer made on a piece of parchment to figure out what that is; and that thing is after yours and the JLA’s asses, the best we can do is stick together so I can use whatever spell I can find to drag that thing’s ass back to the 8th dimension of Hell.”

“You stubborn, woman,” Bruce muttered.

“Yeah, well, you know what you were marrying into. Should have spoken up when Alfred asked if there’s any objections.”

Bruce smiled and took her hand. 

~ * ~

“I found him! His name is Trigon, and Lucifer wasn’t kidding about his power,” Vivian showed Bruce and Cyborg the books. She has been going through the books she conjured in the JLA Sanctum, right beside Cyborg and Batman who were trying to track superman. “He’s a Conqueror of worlds, he takes what he wants and destroys what he wants. He needs a powerful host that can help him get to the human world.”

“The girl he mentioned,” said Bruce. “He knows someone who can be the host.”

Vivian’s teeth gritted at the thought of another person being hunted to be a host. Vivian could imagine what this girl was going through. “I can contact Midnite, ask him if there’s anything suspicious going around.”

“Hold on, we’re picking up energy signals,” said Cyborn. “The reading is off the charts.”

“Demons,” Vivian identified the energy signatures. “And a lot of them.”

“Where is that?” Batman asked.

“San Francisco?” Cyborg identified the location on the map.

“Bruce. Damian,” Vivian reminded him.

“Alert the Titans, we need to get to them,” said Bruce.

Arriving at Titans Tower via Boomtube, the League and Vivian were met by the group of teenagers. She first saw Damian, and then her gaze turned to the girl. She knew that girl, Dick showed her that face.

“Raven?” Vivian said in a whisper, and slowly realization came. She was the girl who this Trigon was after.

“Professor, what are you…” Damian began.

“We heard about the attack, was she at the center?” Batman questioned the Titans.

“Her father is an interdimensional demon, he was after her,” said Starfire.

“She’s coming with us.”

“Batman,” Vivian tried to calm him down.

“No, we can handle this,” Damian stepped up.

“If she’s part of this, we need to know.”

“We can protect her.”

“I’m sorry, Robin, but you had two magic attacks and Superman is still missing,” Diana added.

Raven gasped as she clutched her head. Vivian was about to approach her but Robin blocked her way with his sword.

“Damian, I know what she’s going through,” Vivian tried to reason with him. “I let me help her.”

“By taking her in and locking her in some cage? I know about you, Professor and that demon inside of you,” Damian glared at her.

“That’s not what I’m –”

“No! He knows they’re here!” Raven spoke. “He wants them here! If they stay, everything will be lost!”

“Who?” Barry asked.

“This is our job, Father, you have to leave!” Damian pressed on.

“FATHER?!” Jaime and Garfield exclaimed, completely in shock to know. 

“She’s coming with us,” Batman said.

“She stays here,” Damian declared and prepared his sword. Coming to his side were Jaime and Beast Boy ready to attack. The Justice League too prepared for a battle.

“What? No!” Vivian stepped between them, hiding Damian and Raven behind her. 

“Vivian,” Bruce spoke.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t—I know that this is important, but you can’t possibly be thinking about battling this when the enemy is out here!” Vivian scolded her husband. “We can talk about this.”

“There’s no time, Vivian!”

“Damian,” Vivian glanced at him. “I can help her. I can bring Raven to a dimension and help her hide until we solve this. There doesn’t have to be a fight. We all want what’s best for her.”

“They want to lock her in a cage!” Damian argued.

“That’s not true! Listen to me, put down your goddamn weapons and fists, and we can do this civilly. This is way out of your depth and you know it.”

“Too late, they’re here,” Raven said.

From the shadows, the demons arrived and wrapped itselves around the Justice League, Vivian conjured a spell and had the Titans inside to protect them.

“Bruce!” Vivian called out to him as she saw him struggle to inject himself with a toxin that would save him. 

“FATHER!” Damian was about to go to him but Vivian held his arm to stop him from leaving the circle.

“STAY BACK, BOTH OF YOU!” Batman told them as he injected himself with the toxin, the demon retreated instantly as the man fell to the ground. 

“What the hell?” Jaime exclaimed.

“It’s a nerve toxin, from Bane,” Vivian explained as she held her stance. As the Justice League fully transformed, Vivian prepared herself for battle.

“The Kryptonian has found the Shrine,” said Wonder Woman in the demon’s voice and command. 

“The what?” Jaime asked.

“An ancient shrine built by Satanists, it has magical properties,” Raven explained.

“Maybe I should suggest that to my little problem instead of it trying to claw its way into my body and use it as a freaking gate,” Vivian muttered.

“What?” Damian asked, confused.

“Nothing.”

“You are the shrine’s final piece,” said the Flash.

“She’s stays here,” Damian pulled out his sword. He pushed Vivian away and attacked as Flash came at them. He made a cut at the speedster’s leg to immobilize him but the demon healed him instantly. The Titans was being defeated by the Justice League with the League’s power and expertise in battle, and the fact they were controlled by demons.

Vivian was thrown across the wall by the powerful Amazon. Diana was fast. Too fast for Vivian to cast a spell. She felt the air punched out of her lungs in its impact. She heard Damian call for her as she tried to get back up, but just as she was struggling to get on her feet, the Amazon came and stopped on her back and used the Lasso to strangle her.

“Don’t!” Raven begged the demons.

Holding out her hand, Vivian tried to cast a spell to open a portal for Raven to go to the dimension she said and wait for Constantine. The House of Mysteries was John’s but she can open its doors whenever she needed to. 

“Professor!” Damian tried to get to her but the Flash got to him and was using his speed to go push his hand through Damian’s chest without damaging the body.

“Damian!” Vivian tried to get out of the Lasso, but Wonder Woman only pulled on it.

“As the daughter of your Lord Trigon, I order you to release them… and I shall go with you,” said Raven.

A beat passed and the demons did as she said. They released them and they joined Raven as she opened a portal to where the shrine was, but before Cyborg could leave, Jaime shot an electrocuting device from his Beetle armor and had Cyborg down, leaving him with them as Wonder Woman and Flash disappeared with Raven.

Inside the Tower, Vivian was given proper medical treatment by Starfire to treat her dislocated shoulder, possible concussion, and her neck and throat. Wonder Woman’s lasso did some damage and left a nasty bruise around her neck. The entire time she was being treated, she was at Batman’s side, keeping watch on him.

“How are you?” Damian asked.

Vivian smiled, “Fine,” she tried to speak but her voice was hoarse and it made her cough out blood.

“You mustn’t speak, Vivian,” said Starfire. “You need rest to let it hear.”

Vivian nodded and smiled at the woman.

“You can rest in my room,” Damian offered.

Vivian shook her head and gestured to Batman who laid on the couch with an oxygen mask.

“He’ll be fine, the crucial hours have passed, he’ll survive. Father knows the risks and he’s calculated it to ensure he comes back after it.”

Vivian rolled her eyes and gestured that she was staying there with Batman.

“He’ll survive, but you…” Damian looked at her, removing his mask. “You risked your life without any experience in fighting nor do you have the same level of power as the Justice League and knowing full well that you would die if you were caught in the crossfire!”

“Damian,” Starfire tried to get him to stop.

“Why?!”

Trying her hardest, Vivian spoke with her hoarse voice, “Because I care, Damian. I care about you.”

“That’s foolish –”

“Enough,” Starfire stopped him. Damian looked at her one last time then left. “You can take the chair and wait for Batman to recover, Professor. I’ll get you a blanket so you can rest.”

Vivian smiled at Starfire and bowed her head in thanks. 

Cyborg woke twenty-four hours later, at that time Batman was still unconscious and Vivian was forced to take Damian’s room to rest. Her mind couldn’t take the pain of getting beaten up by an Amazon anymore. She woke just as the Titans were to leave with Cyborg and head to Hell.

“Don’t even think about going with us,” Damian told her with a threatening tone.

Vivian held out her hands and cupped his face.

“What are you–” He fell silent when he saw a gold glow around him that dimmed as soon as the spell ended.

“Protection spell,” Vivian told him. “For all of you.” It was then he realized Vivian cast the spell for the entire team. Then, to his surprise, Vivian leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Come back, okay?”

“I will.”

And before he left, Vivian handed him the parchment that Lucifer gave her, now with her own writing at the sides. A way to trap the demon.

“You were working in the room, weren’t you?” Damian said.

Vivian smirked and shrugged. “Go get ‘em, Boy Wonder.”

~ * ~

The battle ended with Raven trapping Trigon back in the stone that Raven trapped him in before. As soon as Batman was recovered, he and Vivian met with Damian and the others to see the aftermath. To her relief, Damian was okay and so was the rest. After dealing with the aftermath of the battle, Vivian returned to Titans Tower and finally got to know Raven a bit more, and understand her power. She offered to give her lessons on binding spells and ways to keep her father from haunting her, and the girl agreed.

“I can also bring Constantine, he’s a twat but he’s got more experience in magic,” Vivian told her as they walked out of Titans Tower where her ride was waiting. Batman was there talking with Damian by the Batmobile.

“It was nice talking with you, Professor,” said Raven.

“And with you. And thank you for looking after Damian, and for giving him a chance.”

“He has his way of showing he cares. Goodbye, Professor.”

“Goodbye, Raven,” Vivian waved goodbye. Approaching Batman and Robin, Vivian gestured to the man that she was all good to go. “So, I guess I’ll see you once summer break is over?”

“I guess,” said Damian. “Professor… I… thank you for standing up for us… for me.”

“Anytime, Damian,” Vivian messed with his hair. 

“But I stand by what I said about you facing an enemy you have no chance of beating.”

“Damian,” Bruce warned him.

“No, Father… Batman can find another Robin if ever I die, but the Professor… losing her, I know that is a loss you will never recover from.”

Vivian frowned. “Damian, you’re not just Robin. You’re also a son. Your Father would be devastated if something ever happens to you. I would be devastated.”

“Even after all I did?”

“Even after all that, kid.” Vivian smiled. “Promise us you’ll come home?”

“I will,” he smiled. “And Professor… I… it's an honor to have you as my stepmother.”

His statement stunned Bruce and Vivian that the two adults were speechless for a while, until Vivian brought Damian to a hug.

“Okay, you can let go now,” said Damian. “I said, let go.”

“Okay, okay,” Vivian released him. “See at home, kid!”

Getting in the Batmobile, Vivian and Batman drove away, leaving Titans Tower behind him and Robin looking forward to seeing his family back in Gotham.

[vicariousrufusenjoyer]

7.What is your favorite scene you’ve written so far?

8.What is the last scene you’ve written?

9.What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

10.What is the last line of dialogue you’ve written?

17.Share the previous 5 sentences. 

hiii i rebloged this ask game forgetting that i am on a writing restmode apparently. and haven't in a few days. but i will answer now for my weird felicity-adotps-sephiroth-and-reeve-pines-andcloud-is-there fic courtesy du vin:

7. fave scene so far: i think it might be reeve singing nickelback to himself and then spilling coffee on his hand and his pants and everywhere. i love a good coffee spill scene:

Reeve coughed on saliva this time, and sent waves of coffee onto the carpet and table and his briefcase. With no dignity or coffee left, Reeve tried to guzzle from the empty cup and coughed some more.

8. last scene.. sephiroth and felicity exploring their room at the haunted hotel.

As she'd expected, Felicity hated the room, but she tried to make the best of it and pretend she liked it for Sephiroth's sake. He was very quiet, and she could only hope that this encounter with Reeve was not enough to scare him away from the trip he'd so badly wanted to take. "It's all right, sweetheart," she said, jumping when the robot tonberry trailing after them as they explored their rooms announced for the second time that it was adjusting the humidity.

9. fave dialogue so far.. basically any time sephiroth has threatened cait sith, reeve's cat plushie avatar. sephiroth is like 'robots are kind of cute and relatable. not this one though. something about it is Evil. i will destroy it.' meanwhile cait sith is just trying to be a good wingman. wait no that's why sephiroth hates him

10. last line of dialogue oughgh robot humidifier my beloved:

"Adjusting humidity level~"

17. previous 5 sentences i will even throw in the partial one that i still haven't finished. from 6 days ago

"Wait," Sephiroth said. "Before we go." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Felicity in a gentle hug. She held him, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. "I love you, Mother," Sephiroth murmured. Felicity couldn't help but smile despite everything. "I love you too." "Adjusting humidity level~" --- Cloud braced himself for more teasing about

[fratttymatty]

All British American Boy

(All characters are 18+)

Matthew Hastings leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the airplane window, watching as the endless patchwork of green and brown fields below gave way to the sprawling suburban grid. He adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his messy brown hair, feeling a knot of nerves tighten in his stomach. He had read every guidebook, watched countless YouTube videos, and even practiced a Midwestern accent as a joke, but nothing could prepare him for actually being here—America.

More specifically, the East Coast of California, a small town near the beach where he’d spend his gap year as an exchange student before university. For an 18-year-old British boy with a penchant for sci-fi novels, indie music, and political debates, it felt like stepping into a completely different world.

At the airport, Matthew’s host family greeted him with big smiles and even bigger hugs. The Bennetts were the epitome of California Americana: Todd, the jovial dad in a baseball cap; Lisa, the bubbly mom with a perpetual tray of cookies; and Chase, their athletic, all-smiles son who was also 18. Chase was a senior at the local high school and the starting quarterback of the football team.

“Matthew,” Lisa said brightly as they piled into the family’s SUV. “What a great name! So classic. So All-American!”

Matthew blinked. “Uh, thanks?”

Chase chuckled from the backseat, where he sat next to Matthew. “Yeah, bro, it’s perfect. You’re gonna fit right in.”

Matthew wasn’t so sure about that, but he forced a polite smile.

The first day at school was a blur of introductions and unfamiliar faces. Everyone seemed fascinated by his accent, asking him to say random words like “bottle” and “aluminium,” which felt strangely alien to Matthew, now that he was in a place where everyone had the same cadence and lingo. It wasn’t long before his name became a subject of constant discussion.

As Matthew walked into the school, he could feel eyes on him. Cheerleaders, jocks, and teachers alike seemed to zero in on him, exchanging knowing glances.

One of the cheerleaders, a blonde girl with a smile that could light up a room, grinned as she approached. “Matthew, huh? Your name sounds so... All-American,” she said, giggling. “You’re not secretly a football player, are you?”

Matthew blinked, caught off guard. “Uh, no, not really.”

“Pfft, I bet you could be,” she teased, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she walked off, still chuckling. “We need more guys like you on the team. You’d fit right in.”

As Matthew made his way through the crowded hallways, another guy—a tall jock in a varsity jacket—clapped him on the back as he passed. “Matthew, huh? Dude, that’s a name you can take to the bank. Like, you’re straight outta one of those All-American movies, right?”

Matthew managed a smile, but inside, he was still trying to make sense of it all. What did they mean? What was this weird association everyone seemed to have with his name?

“Yeah, man,” another guy, a friend of the first, added as they walked past, “you’re gonna be a star here. Football, maybe? You look like you belong on the field.”

Later that day, in history class, his new teacher, Mr. Henderson, remarked on his name with an enthusiastic grin. “Matthew. Now that’s a name I can get behind! Really sounds like the kind of guy who’d be representing the All-American spirit. You’re the pride of your country, huh?”

Matthew, unsure how to respond, simply nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Cool, cool,” Mr. Henderson said, adjusting his glasses. “You’re going to get along great here.”

During lunch, as Matthew stood in line, he overheard a conversation between a group of cheerleaders. They were talking about the new kid—him—and they couldn’t stop commenting on his name.

“That Matthew kid?” one of the cheerleaders said, flipping her hair. “Totally All-American. I swear, he looks like he just stepped out of a high school movie.”

“Right?” another cheerleader responded. “I bet he’s gonna be the next big thing here. He’s got the look. That strong jawline? Those cheekbones? Definitely jock material.”

Matthew froze mid-bite, his fork hovering in the air. Strong jawline? Cheekbones? He frowned and ran his tongue along his teeth. He’d never thought of himself as having any of those features. His jawline had always seemed weak and round, and his cheekbones were practically nonexistent. Had they mistaken him for someone else? He glanced around, wondering if they were talking about someone else. But no, they were definitely referring to him.

Later that afternoon, as he was leaving class, the principal—Mr. Gallagher, a tall man in his 50s with a firm handshake—stopped him in the hallway.

“Matthew,” Mr. Gallagher said with a smile, his voice warm but commanding. “I hear you’re fitting in well. It’s not every day we get a guy with such an All-American name. People around here are already talking about you. And I’ve gotta say, I think you’ll do great things at this school.”

Matthew blinked, feeling like the entire world was projecting some image onto him that he hadn’t asked for.

“Thanks, I guess?” he said hesitantly, unsure of how to respond.

“You’re welcome,” Mr. Gallagher said, still smiling broadly. “It’s good to have someone like you in our school. Now, go enjoy the rest of your day. You’re definitely going to fit right in.”

That evening, after dinner, as Matthew was settling in, Chase walked into his room with a mischievous grin and a bottle of cologne in hand.

“Alright, Matthew Hastings,” Chase said, leaning against the doorframe. “Time to complete your transformation.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow. “What are you on about?”

Chase stepped closer, unscrewing the cap of the cologne. “This is the secret ingredient. One spray of this, and you’re gonna be the perfect All-American boy.”

Matthew snorted. “Very funny.”

But before he could protest, Chase spritzed the cologne in his direction. The scent hit Matthew’s nose—strong, woodsy, and oddly intoxicating. He staggered back, his vision blurring.

“What the hell?” he mumbled, clutching his head as a strange warmth spread through his body. His glasses slipped from his face, and he blinked in confusion.

Matthew felt the change like a wave crashing over him. His clothes grew tighter, the fabric hugging new, broader muscles. His hands expanded, becoming larger and more defined. His spine straightened as his body seemed to bulk up, every inch of him transforming into a physical reflection of a guy who could play football, lift weights, and dominate any sports field.

But it was his hair that caught him off guard the most. The gelled, slightly messy brown hair he had always known as his was now slowly shifting. He could feel it growing, thickening, becoming wilder. His once-neat style unraveled, and it was replaced by a messy, dirty blonde wave that fell effortlessly into place, as if his hair had always been meant to look this way. His strands now had a natural tousled look, framing his face with an untamed, confident aura that screamed “California jock.”

He stumbled to the mirror, his heart racing. His reflection showed a tall, athletic figure with a strong jawline, perfect blonde hair that seemed to defy gravity, and bright blue eyes that gleamed with confidence. The nerdy, awkward British boy who had boarded the plane was nowhere to be found. In his place stood a tall, chiseled young man with a cocky smile and a powerful presence.

“Dude,” Chase said, clapping him on the back. “Looking good!”

Matthew turned to him, startled by the deep, American drawl that came out of his mouth. “What... what did you do to me?”

Chase shrugged. “Just helped you find your true self, bro.”

The following days passed in a blur of transformations—both external and internal. Matthew, now calling himself Matt Bennett, slid seamlessly into his new life. He joined the football team alongside Chase, becoming one of the star players almost immediately. His accent, his interests, even his political views began to shift. His love of indie music and intellectual debates slowly faded, replaced with a growing obsession for rap and R&B, the beats pounding through his headphones whenever he wasn’t on the field. He loved the swagger and confidence that came with it, the rhythms that felt so natural now, like they were a part of him all along.

His love of sci-fi novels seemed trivial now, a memory from another life. His sense of identity, too, morphed. The boy who had once questioned his sexual orientation—who had once enjoyed the company of both men and women—found himself suddenly, unmistakably attracted to women. In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been with a guy. His attraction to men was now something distant and irrelevant, like a forgotten dream.

His new family felt like his real family. He called Todd and Lisa “Mom” and “Dad” without hesitation. And then there was Cassie, the bubbly cheerleader who became his girlfriend. With her blonde curls, wide smile, and endless use of words like “like” and “totes,” she was everything he never knew he wanted.

Chase noticed the change, of course. One day, while tossing a football back and forth, Chase shot him a sly grin. “You like the new you, right? You’re basically the ideal All-American man now. You’ve got the looks, the skills, the right political views, and, of course, the perfect girlfriend.”

Matt laughed, a confident, almost smug laugh. “Yeah, bro. I mean, it’s like I’ve always been this way, y’know? Girls, football... that’s all that matters. Oh, and, uh, conservative values, right?”

Chase slapped him on the back. “Hell yeah. If we all just stuck to our guns, everything would be perfect.” He paused, his grin widening. “Just like us.”

At school, Matt became a local legend. His name, now officially “Matt Bennett,” was on everyone’s lips. Teachers and classmates alike would remark on how “All-American” he looked. At the football games, Matt was cheered on as a hero. His life, once a tangled web of uncertainty and self-doubt, had been rewritten.

Now, he was Matt Bennett, the perfect All-American jock, and he couldn't imagine being anyone else.

One afternoon, as he walked hand-in-hand with Cassie through the school’s hallway, Chase slapped him on the back. “Told you, man. Brunettes are great, but blondes? That’s where it’s at.”

Matt laughed, his perfect white teeth gleaming. “You were right, bro.”

And as he leaned in to kiss Cassie, he didn’t think about the boy he had been before. Why would he? He was Matt Hastings now, the perfect All-American boy.

At school, Matt became a local legend. His name, now officially “Matt Bennett,” was on everyone’s lips. Teachers and classmates alike would remark on how “All-American” he looked. His new, muscular frame made him a standout, but it was his natural charisma and sharp athleticism that earned him respect.

“You know,” one of his classmates commented during lunch, “Matt Bennett... that name just screams All-American jock. It’s like something out of a movie.”

Another added, “Dude’s gotta be the most ‘jocky’ guy in school. I can already picture him playing pro football someday.”

The attention was flattering. He found himself slipping into the role effortlessly, becoming the guy everyone admired, the one who fit the mold perfectly.

But there was something else. It was in the way he now saw the world—through a lens of conservative ideals. Matt often found himself in debates with classmates, his new opinions solidifying as the days went on. He believed firmly in traditional gender roles, the importance of family values, and a strong distaste for liberal ideologies. The political conversations he had once enjoyed with his friends back in England seemed ridiculous now.

One day, during a lunch break, he and Chase found themselves talking about their political views.

“You know what’s messed up?” Matt said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “The way the country’s going. I mean, I don’t know how anyone could vote for those liberals. Everything’s just getting too soft.”

Chase nodded. “Exactly, man. It’s like people don’t want to stand up for what’s right anymore. We need to take America back. Make it great again.”

Matt chuckled. “I’m with you. It’s all about family, football, and freedom.”

Everything about Matt Bennett felt right now. His identity was clear, his life full of purpose, and every moment felt like an affirmation of his new self. He was exactly who he was supposed to be—perfectly All-American, living the life he had never even known he wanted.

And when he kissed Cassie, his blonde, bubbly cheerleader girlfriend, the world felt even more complete. He didn’t think about the boy he had been, the questions he had once asked himself. Why would he? He was Matt Bennett now—an All-American jock, straight as an arrow, and proud of it.

[leggerefiore]

so I have an angst request that I’m wondering if you could do. I love the fankids but I’m wondering if for some reason the fankids end up in another world. Where they don’t exist. Their respective parents exist but due to some nonsense (Cyrus and his refusal to stop, Grimsley cheating, Nanu pushing reader away) their parents never got together and now they are stuck in such an unfamiliar place without the comfort of their parents. They stay with reader and the pokemen realize that in another world they are happy and have a loving family. So lots of angst from all sides until one day the real parents come to rescue their children and take them away. Leaving the people in this weird world confused and in despair. Hope that makes sense! Idk why I am in such a mood lol

cw: angst, some (not) parental arguing in cyrus's part, cheating in grimsley's, fankids amuck

characters: Grimsley, Cyrus, Nanu

i wrote this for no one to read lmao. changed the request a bit sorryyyy

interesting

♠️Grimsley❤️

♤ Nero held tightly onto Morrigan as they looked around at their surroundings. It was still Alola, same as ever. A place he originally had been upset about moving to, yet now it was a comfort to see. The Ultra Wormhole had been a surprise, both had not been expected such a thing to just pull them in. Nanu had warned them – Telling them stories of fallers without memories ending up in unknown places. They had not had their memories scrambled, at least. Well, he had not. Morrigan had fallen unconscious. It seemed that it likely had just looped them back around. He bravely supported his twin on his shoulder and headed towards the nearest pokemon centre.

♡ Yet, as he headed to the one near the Tapu Village, he passed a familiar man. A man who was just about to walk past them when he felt his annoyance spike. How could he ignore his son and daughter like that!? It was frustrating enough that his father never seemed to learn from his mistakes. His glare seemed to make the gambler come to a stop. “… May I help you?” he asked, “Are you playing the hero to a helpless damsel with the hopes of winning big in the end?” Nero felt like gagging. That was his sister.

◇ “… You're not funny, dad,” Nero grumbled, “Help me with Morrigan. She's been unconscious for a minute, and I'm seriously worried.” He went to move his sister to the older man, but Grimsley took a step back. Icy blue eyes observed him for too closely before switching to Morrigan. He cocked up a brow and brought a hand to his chin. “… Dad,” Nero urged, “Seriously. Help. This is your daughter. Don't you care about her?” This once more caught the gambler off guard. There was much pondering.

♧ “Can you tell your parent I don't appreciate being informed of such a monumental thing in this way?” was Grimsley's reply, “Do they want child support or something? I'm completely broke these days. They played their hot hand too late.” Nero felt frustrated. Was he mocking them? This truly was not the time. He felt Morrigan begin to stir. Her head lifted as she looked around and grasped her head. Then, her gaze landed on Grimsley.

♤ “Dad!” she smiled and moved to hug the gambler, “Nero and I got pulled into one of the Ultra Wormholes!” Grimsley awkwardly dodged her affection. She tilted her head, unsure if this was her dad messing with her. “… Well, I guess it was mostly my fault,” she admitted, “The thrill of whether we would end up in some strange alien world was too much to resist.” His expression was strange at her words. She shrunk back. He almost looked like he was regarding her as one might an insect.

♡ “… I don't know what lies you have been fed,” he let out a breath, “But, I have little interest in being a dad. I doubt you're my only children out there. Just because I had some on and off again relationship with your parent doesn't mean I'm interested in you.” He shook his head. Morrigan took a step back, confused. It was the first time in her like in which her father had ever spoken so harshly to him. Nero stepped forward and stomped a foot at him, already sick of his shit. Whatever game he was playing at, he was taking too far. Being cruel to Morrigan for seemingly no reason and insulting their other parent was too much. Grimsley actually looked a bit intimidated. “… They should have told you this. I made that clear before we broke up.”

◇ Both stood shocked. Broken… up? Neither could recall their parents being unhappy with another despite the circumstance that had happened to them. In fact, if anything, their other parent had been happy Grimsley had more time to lavish on them. Both looked at one another in horror at the thought. This had to be another world. Or Grimsley was really messing with him, but both could tell his expression was too real. “… What?” he questioned, cooking a brow at the twins, “Did they not tell you? Apparently, when I started dating them, I wasn't supposed to keep sleeping around.” Nero had to be physically held back. Though, it did confirm that this was not their world.

♧ Before the situation could intensify any further, a familiar voice called out their names. Both stood astonished when their father seemingly appeared with you in strange not-quite spacesuits. The other Grimsley took a few steps back when his counterpart removed his helmet. “… Oh, man, you two actually nearly gave me a heart attack,” he seemingly ignored his lookalike to approach the two kids, “You certainly did Nanu. The old man was calling all the shots on your missing investigation. Didn't think he was that attached to you both.” He brought a hand to rest on each of their shoulders. Morrigan soon shoved Nero out of the way to cling to Grimsley. Nero watched as the other one observed how you approached them, too, smiling softly. He should have felt at ease.

♤ “… What a situation,” the other Grimsley remarked, placing a hand on his hip. It was clear that he could comprehend this scene. Yes, he understood Ultra Wormholes thanks to Nanu's badgering about avoiding them, but here stood a testament to something far greater than his understanding. Something inside of him twisted at the sight of the happy family. It was something that he never desire, but he could observe the genuine smile on his counterpart's face. “… Did something happen to your head?” he questioned his alternate self.

♡ That Grimsley managed to escape his daughter's hold. Turning to his counterpart, he tilted his head. “… Nope,” his simple reply was with a shrug, “I fell in love. I simply couldn't resist them, and now I've built myself up something. It's better than any high from a thrill.” He pointed the twins to follow you as he headed away. “When you really want something as yours… It drives you into a special kind of madness.” He bid his counterpart farewell and walked over wrap an arm around his partner's waist.

That Grimsley pondered if he could have ended up like his counterpart.

🌌Cyrus🛰

☄️ Cyllene would admit she was perhaps a little too playful. Even if she was a child, there were certain things she knew better than to do yet still did. Engaging with Palkia was chief among them. The legendary had opened a portal, and she, curious crawled in. Which led to her seemingly being atop Mt Coronet. She was lost as to what had happened, but simply assumed that Palkia had created a portal to the top of the mountain. She opted against thinking too much on it, as nothing was immediately odd or uncommon. That was until she found herself riding the train back towards Veilstone. Most people glanced at her strangely. It made her a bit nervous, but she otherwise made her home trip as normal.

☄️ The glances in Veilstone were far more intense as she was spotted by some Galactic grunts. She tilted her head at their reaction. They gazed at her like some unexpected oddity. She ignored them and simply made her way to apartment her family resided in. It was only as she approached the door that she realised she did not have her key. Nervously, she brought her tiny fist to knock against the door. It was quiet for far too long until the speaker beside the door beeped on. “… Are you lost?” It was unmistakably the voice of her father, “There is a police box just a few buildings down. They can help out find your parents.” Cyllene stood stunned. Her eyes went wide, and her heart raced in her chest. Her father was not one for such jokes. Tears burned her eyes.

☄️ “… F-Father…?” her voice was small. The PA system was quiet for but a moment. Then a reply. A simple questioning, “Pardon?” Cyllene moved closer to the speaker, knowing it doubled as a camera. “… Dad…” she begged, “Please…. please don't tease me…” She felt like crying. More silence followed before the door clicked open to reveal the man who was no doubt her father. He was wearing more casual clothing and his hair was unstyled, but it was him. She clung to his legs and felt herself begin to cry. Why was he being mean to her?

☄️ This Cyrus stood stunned, however, at this little girl who stood outside his home. He was no fool. The resemblance was plain as day. This child was a relative of his, if not directly related to him. Some horrible sense of empathy burned in his hardened heart as she wept. Instinct got the better of him as he knelt down and rested a hand on her back. Her reactions… They reminded him of someone. He swallowed. Judging by her age… It was not illogical to assume a possibility that she was… He sighed. “There, there…” his voice was soft, “… Are you claiming that you are my daughter?”

☄️ Cyllene nodded. She could not fathom her own father not recognising her. Had he attempted to mess with the Lake Guardians once again? Her panic led to her gripping his arms tightly. “Father…” she mumbled. His eyes went wide. Another question came from him. A question about her whole parentage. Cyllene blinked at this one. “… My other parent is…” A familiar name left her. Cyrus was frozen by her words. His theory… It was correct. How could this be? The question was about to leave him before he finally motioned her in the apartment.

☄️ Cyllene was further shocked at the state of it. There was no trace of family home she had come to know. Nothing of the small projects she had worked on with her father or the bed for Weavile in the living room. It was dark and seemingly mostly unused. Slowly, it finally set in about what had occurred. She felt sick. All she wanted was her Rotom toy or her bed or for her father to sit her in his lap and explain a star map to her. Instead, she was stuck with an alternate reality version of her father. One who clearly did not recognise her. More tears escaped her eyes. This Cyrus seemed to attempt to comfort her again.

☄️ Forcing down her torment, she was faced with a situation. Yet, before she could be given a chance to explain, her father had out his phone and was making a phone call. His tone was reserved, but Cyllene recognised the voice on the other end of the call. A demand was made for them to meet him at once. Seemingly, they relented after a bit of back and forth. Cyrus informed her she would be back with her other parent soon enough. Yet, they needed to have a chat before he handed her back off. Cyllene felt bewildered. There was no time to object when he grasped her hand tugged her along to a certain building in Veilstone. There stood another, waiting with their arms crossed and clear frustration on their face. Though, this was changed when they saw Cyrus approach with Cyllene.

☄️ “Why did you fail to tell me of our child!?” Cyrus's voice was a rare kind of loud and aggressive. Cyllene was startled away from him due to it. Her other parent stood shocked, too. Their eyes went to Cyllene and back to Cyrus. A simple response of not knowing failed to appease the man. The two soon fell into an argument, making Cyllene curl into herself. Panic burned inside her and made her arms feel numb. All she could do was tap to two stones she found on the ground together. It only seemed to grow worse and worse until finally a voice cut through the fighting.

☄️ “Cyllene.” Her head whipped up as tears fell from her eyes. There, approaching from stairs leading up to the Galactic building was another Cyrus. His gaze was firmly on her. Her legs had never moved so quickly. This version of the Galactic Boss caught her and held her tightly to himself. Another person ran up the stair to them. You. Her eyes burned as you brought a hand gently to comb through her hair. The alternate pair of you both came to an abrupt silence.

☄️ “… What is this?” the Cyrus of this world asked. The Cyrus she knew shook his head. “… Pointless to discuss such things. The idea of parallel worlds existing is something that you are no doubt aware of,” was his reply, “It seems we are two versions of the same person who engaged with different choices. Intriguing.” He clutched Cyllene tighter to himself. The other Cyrus nodded. The other you stood shocked at how close you were to your Cyrus. “… I apologise. We will be correcting this error,” with those words, Cyllene was lifted into the air and carried away by her father to a nearby portal.

Somehow, she felt as if those two had been changed by the experience.

🐈‍⬛️Nanu❤️‍🩹

🌑 Ohi'a would admit what he did was dumb. And, without a doubt, would piss off his dad. The geezer probably would be ready to kill him and then himself if he learnt that he got pulled in an Ultra Wormhole. It really had not been his fault. A toddler almost pulled in, and he dumbly rushed over to push them out of the way. He, instead, was sucked in. Yet… Despite all the horror stories of fallers and Miss Anabel's own existence, he did not fell discombobulated nor without his memories. Looking around, in fact, he still just seemed to be in Alola. The same as ever. He shrugged it off and headed back towards the Po Town police station. He needed to discuss whatever happened with his dad even if it was going to be a pain in the ass. He could already feel the hardened glare of the Kahuna piercing his soul.

🌑 He found himself approaching the station, seeing a familiar man and girl outside the door. Both turned to glance at him strangely. Ohi'a cocked up a brow at them. Acerola approached him with a bright smile and asked if he was lost. He was bewildered. Lost? He lived here. His gaze drifted to his dad, who was trying to pretend that he was not there. “… Huh?” he finally spoke, “… It's me. Ohi'a. I live here.” Acerola's head tilted while Nanu's attention finally shifted onto him.

🌑 “… In Alola?” Nanu finally cut in, carefully treading over, “Where, boy? You aren't trying to join Team Skull, are you?” His hands were in his pockets. Those crimson eyes stared into his own matching ones as if attempting to intimidate him. Ohi'a's nose scrunched up. What? He was acting extremely suspicious towards him. Why? Acerola was even treating him like an anomaly, too. It stung more than he would like to admit. Was this some kind of punishment? It was not like his father at all. Nanu could be a bit of a hard ass, but nothing cruel. Something was wrong here.

🌑 “… No. I mean…” Ohi'a trailed off, pondering what to say. The idea of parallel realities was no unknown to him. That one trainer on their island challenge had told him about their travels in the Ultra Wormhole. An alternate reality, far into the future of a destroyed Hau'Oli city. He stiffened up. Bringing his hand to the back of his neck, he sighed. “… Look, I don't think you'll believe me, but I fell through an Ultra Wormhole,” he explained. Nanu tensed up visibly at his words. “Through some struck of luck, I still have my memories,” he met his gaze, “… No idea what's going on in this world, but in mine, you're my old man.”

🌑 Nanu registered his words in an instant. The suspicion towards him somehow seemed to both fall and increase. Shaking his head, a sigh left him. Acerola gasped at Ohi'a's words and looked between Nanu and him. The Kahuna motioned for him to follow him into the police station. He waved Acerola off, too. Both of them sat in the station for a moment in silence. Ohi'a took in that it seemed much more… different from his memories. A single couch for sleeping. Nothing really to survive on. Some take-out and instant ramen about. “… So, can I ask who your other parent is?” he finally broke the silence. Something told Ohi'a that he already had an idea. His reply of a certain name only got a nod. “Figured…” He sighed, “… Am I a happy family man in your world or something?”

🌑 “… Nope,” Ohi'a replied, watching a Meowth approach him and give his hand a sniff. He brought a hand to pet the pokemon. Its soft fur, a familiar comfort. Nanu observed the interaction. “You're exactly the same, but you're married,” he shrugged, “… I guess you get busy with us, though. Tapu Bulu seems quite happy you had a kid.” Nanu scoffed at that. “I need to get back, you know” he continued, “My parents… They'll end up worried. You seem to think I'm more trouble than I'm worth until something happens to me.”

🌑 Nanu glanced at him. “… Are they happy?” he asked seriously. Ohi'a thought on his family for a moment. It was difficult to tell with how tormented Nanu could be, but he knew his father simply enjoyed the peacefulness of being in a loving relationship. You adored Nanu, often being far too affectionate for either of their tastes, but the small smile on his father's lips. You were happy as can be. Despite everything, he felt his family life was healthy. His parents were in a loving relationship, and they both cared for him.

🌑 “… Pretty much,” he nodded, “… What happened here?” He glanced at the alternate version of his father. Nanu shook his head. Ohi'a felt curious. His father always seemed quite attached to his other parent, typically being quite open to whatever they wanted simply to appease them or make them happy. Granted, it was still in his usual lazy fashion, but it was much like a cat putting up with its owner annoying it out of love. “Are you not together?” Another head shake. Ohi'a felt his heart drop. It was already strange enough being in a world where he did not exist, but his parents not being together felt strangely more difficult.

🌑 Before the conversation could grow any deeper, the door to the station opened, revealing three people in strange suits. Ohi'a recognised them as the attire of the Ultra Recon Squad. Stepping in, one removed their helmet to meet the eyes of the other two. Another Nanu. It felt like something out of a bad movie. “… There you are,” he walked to Ohi'a, “… You're more trouble than you're worth, boy.” The boy rolled his eyes in return. The other person revealed themselves to be you as you rushed over to hug him. He groaned at the tightness. The third actually seemed to be one of the Ultra Recon members.

🌑 The other Nanu relaxed as the recon member explained that they had a way to safely return to their original world. Yet, he felt himself staring at the family for far too long. Everything he had rejected because he felt so unworthy stood right in front of him. His counterpart met his eye. “Thanks for watching over him,” he nodded, “I apologise if he caused any problems.” The Kahuna shook his head. As the four departed from the station, he sat alone for a moment in deep thought.

Maybe he should contact them. It probably was not too late.

[superman86to99]

Superman #93 (September 1994)

ZERO HOUR CROSSOVER! Due to the time-related shenanigans going on around the DC Universe, Superman meets his Kryptonian parents again -- and this time, his mom doesn't want to puke when she sees him! In fact, she even gives him a motherly kiss. Aww.

We start with Supergirl fighting some 68th century aliens who found themselves transported to present-day Earth and apparently figured they might as well invade it. Superman drops by and deals with the aliens via his usual approach to problem-solving: he just chucks their ship back into space.

As the heroes land back in Metropolis, Lois Lane hands Superman her cellular telephone because he has a call from Ma Kent, who sounds pretty panicked. The call abruptly cuts off, and there's a dramatic moment where Superman wonders if he can really leave the whole "the universe is in danger" thing aside for a while...

...before deciding that, yes, his mom is more important, obviously.

So, Superman flies to Smallville to check on his parents, only to find two surprise characters in their home: freaking' Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught. Wait, no, it's his other parents, Jor-El and Lara, just standing in the Kent's kitchen. Jor-El explains that, after sending little baby Kal-El's rocket to Earth all those years ago, they realized Krypton wasn't exploding after all, whoops. A scientist called Jen-Em had figured out how to stall the explosion, and then, after years of work, they managed to cure Krypton of its explosive tendencies for good.

Superman quickly figures out that this must be the result of the weirdness caused by Zero Hour (after all, he's been to Krypton and saw that there's nothing but a big ball of green gas there), but he agrees to put on a Cyclops-esque visor that will show him Jor-El's story in more detail.

Through the futuristic Viewmaster, Superman learns that in this timeline, Krypton's near-death experience caused the Kryptonians to re-evaluate their priorities and abandon their cold, emotionless ways (hence this Lara not being repulsed by her son). In fact, Lara became the first modern Kryptonian to get pregnant and have a child the old fashioned way -- meaning that, yes, Superman has a brother, Zan-El. Zan not only grew up to become "prefect over the entire planet" (so, world president) but, more importantly, he also brought back the shorter togas and fashionable headbands of Krypton's ancient, Mike Mignola-designed past.

Meanwhile, Jor-El had spent all those decades working on a cure to the genetic defect that kills Kryptonians if they try to leave the planet. He finally came up with a serum that temporarily allowed him and Lara to visit Earth, but it's already wearing off. So, Superman has to decide quickly: will he go live in alternate, non-exploded Krypton with his biological family? Or will he stay with his adoptive one that actually raised him and made him who he is?

Superman agonizes over the choice for a moment, but then he's like "hey, wait a minute, I can just go visit!" He informs the Els of his decision and they're overjoyed -- until a poorly-timed thunderbolt full of chronal energy strikes their spaceship and erases them from reality.

"The last son of Krypton is orphaned once again." Damn, Jurgens.

Metron of the New Gods comes to remind the grieving Superman that all the other superheroes are waiting for him at Zero Hour #3 (now on sale!), but Superman says they can wait a little longer because he has something important to do: hug his Earth parents and tell them he loves them.

CONTINUED IN ZERO HOUR!

Plotline-Watch:

This is a classic issue, obviously, but my problem with it is that one of the "next issue" blurbs in another Super-Title had teased it as "Guess who's coming to dinner?" -- and yet there's no scene of the Kents and the Els enjoying any type of meal. I haven't read the recent Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special by Jurgens (I will once we're done covering the event), but this scene better be in it.

At the start of the issue, as she fights the aliens, Supergirl sees the Superman hologram that he and Metron created with Green Lantern's help in Zero Hour #4. We'll go over every DC comic that got spammed with green holo-Superman in another post.

It greatly pleases me that Superman specifically mentions the time, exactly 75 issues ago, when Hawkman took him to see Krypton's remains (at which point Superman hallucinated a timeline where the Kryptonians survived by becoming even bigger assholes). Sure, it later turned out that this was an evil Hawkman impostor who inexplicably helped save Superman's life, but Superman probably doesn't know about that whole mess, plus I think Zero Hour is about to delete it from continuity anyway.

The reason for that genetic link to Krypton that Jor-El mentions was the Eradicator, as revealed in Action Annual #2, but Jurgens also refrains from opening that particular can of worms in this comic (especially since the Eradicator is currently running around with a superhero team and even appears in Zero Hour).

Metropolis Mailbag:

Imagine our delight (and our embarrassment) when we opened the newsletter archive page for Man of Steel #37 last week and saw there was a comment there from Mr. Jon Bogdanove himself, which had been sitting there unanswered for over a month! Agh! Here it is in full:

"Don—Outstanding job identifying all the Batmen ( You even got Walt!!). The only one you didn’t get reflects my failure. What you guessed was Marshall Rogers was meant to be Bernie Wrightson. However I deeply regret NOT including Marshall. I really should have. I also left out Norm, mainly because I didn’t think I could do him justice. I tried a few sketches and was able to identify a number of tropes we took a similar approach to—but I just wasn’t satisfied that I could really nail Norm—at least in the time I had left. Teaching myself all these different styles really pushed the drop-dead deadline to the limit. I really put poor Dennis and Whitty under the gun on this one. I did learn a hell of a lot drawing this issue though. Nothing like studying the masters to help you learn!! BTW: Weezie and I love that everyone hated Jeb so very much. One gets to draw many villains in one’s career, but rarely does one get to create so dislikeable a douchebag! I consider Jeb a genuine achievement. I know 90’s Jimmy annoys some people, but to me Jimmy was always meant to be comic relief. I liked playing Jimmy as this doofus kid with a middle-aged dad’s sense of cool. He still cracks me up. I would love to do a Retro look at Zero Hour—perhaps a vignette from that same night— in which 90s Jimmy meets himself from various other timelines—Golden Age office boy Jimmy, Silver-Age drag queen Jimmy, Kirby-era Jimmy, etc. I’d dedicate it to Max!"

And my shamefully late response (gonna go ahead and blame the time disturbances for it):

"I am mortified that we hadn't seen this comment until now! (Didn't realize the newsletter wouldn't alert us, argh) Sir, if you don't draw that Jimmy idea, I swear I will commission it from you one day. I would add Turtle Boy Jimmy, My Adventures with Superman Jimmy, and of course bald, Superman-hating Jerry Ordway Jimmy. Just no Jebs, please."

(I now check the newsletter archive pages for comments 75 times a day, unless I forget.)

Shout Outs-Watch:

Time-displaced shout outs to our SUPporters, Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Dave Shevlin, and Dave Blosser! Join them (and get extra non-continuity articles; the latest one was about Superman fighting a guy called BONECHILL in the 1989 cartoon) via Patreon or our newsletter’s “pay what you want” mode!

And now: more from Don Sparrow, who sent me his section weeks ago but it also got lost in time (actually, I decided to cover Zero Hour #4 first). Keep reading:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We open with the cover, and while it’s a bit broad, it’s certainly accurate for the story within.  I kinda dig that “DC Universe” trade dress, though it didn’t seem to last very long.  Inside the issue, we’re met with a lovely full-page splash of Supergirl amidst a LOT going on—thunderclouds, lightning, a firing spacecraft and a Star Wars style holographic projection of Superman.

I wasn’t sure which review to tackle first, Zero Hour #4, or this one, but since they seem to take place more or less at the same time (with the holographic message coming early into issue 4, but the New York meeting coming in Zero Hour #3), I flipped a coin and went with this one as happening first.  As the story progresses, Supergirl gets an assist from the Man of Steel in dealing with the timelost aliens, brusquely tossing them into space.  This issue exemplifies a trend I’ve noticed with Jurgens’ layouts since the Death and Return storyline—he uses a lot fewer panels per page than he once did, often with a near full page splash and then two or three panels laid overtop.  Visually, it’s very arresting, and Jurgens knocks the background splashes out of the park—on pages 4 and 5, despite being nearly identical scenarios (Superman and Supergirl flying in a stormy sky), they’re both so well handled, you don’t even mind the repetition.  But from a storytelling standpoint, it really does feel like a little less to read each issue, so the Superman issues seem a little thinner in terms of what actually happens.  Anyone else notice this? [Max: For me at the time, the shorter plots were balanced out by the fact that I spent more time looking at the big, awesome pictures, as opposed to the smaller, lamers ones in the backissues I was buying, with all that wasted white space between panels. I'm paying for the full page to be used, dammit!!!] 

Back to the art, page 7 has a great drawing of a pensive Superman. Page 9 is a great image, but a bit of a missed opportunity—the last panel would have been more impactful had Jor-El REALLY looked identical to Kal-El (which I’ve mocked up). [Max: I also made a small change to the panel, see if you can spot it...]

I do appreciate Jurgens’ and Rubinstein’s effort to still give the Els expressive faces, without eyebrows.

As Jor-El shares the alternate history of Krypton, Superman in the VR visor is pretty reminiscent of Cyclops from X-Men.  It’s compelling to see the flowing outfits that Zan-El and his bride wear, in opposition to the robes of Jor and Lara—much more like the early more Roman look shown in the first issue of the World of Krypton series.  My guess is the group that attend Zan’s nuptials are all members of the El family--I had thought that the different Kryptonian houses would wear different colours rather than everyone in green, but aside from the odd panel from Action Annual #2, I can’t seem to find much corroboration of that assumption.  The sweet image of Lara giving her son a peck on the cheek is quietly powerful, with a great expression on Superman’s face on page 17.  Lastly, the tragic page of chronal discharge (which sounds like a rap metal band name) and electrical storms is well drawn.

SPEEDING BULLETS:

When Superman is hemming and hawing over whether to focus on the extinction level event the superheroes are facing, or head to the farm to help his parents, Supergirl posits “There’s only one choice and you know it.”  I completely thought that it was setting up for him to focus on saving all of humanity rather than popping home for a visit.

Perhaps it’s because they were trying to have the Zero Hour books serve as a jumping on point for new readers (particularly the zero issues, which are coming soon) but some of the dialogue in this issue feels clunkily expository, like when Superman reminds his fiancée Lois and quasi-family member Supergirl that the Kents “may not have been {his} genetic parents, but they’re real as they come”, or later when Superman explains to Jor-El and Lara (and the reader) about Krypton’s explosion, and the Matrix chamber rocketship.

They kinda gloss over whether there was any fallout about being wrong about Krypton exploding, though I suppose it was more about Jen-Em stabilizing the core rather than Jor being wrong. [Max: "Krypton is gonna blow up, guys" is definitely a meme among the current Kryptonian generation because the scientists did such a great job stopping it, like Y2K or the hole in the ozone layer here.]

Have we ever seen a post-Crisis Kryptonian depicted as having anything but black hair? [Max: I'm pretty sure there were some non-black haired ones in World of Krypton, but it's hard to tell with the eyebrow-less, nun habit-wearing ones. It's possible they made other hair colors go away once they got all into eugenics, though.]

It’s interesting that this alternate Krypton goes one step further than Byrne’s origin, regarding the Els.  In Byrne’s history, Jor-El was a rebel in his society because he had actual affection for his lifemate, Lara.  The notion of natural conception and birth goes even further than that, and was explored in the Man of Steel film, where (spoiler alert?) Kal himself was the first child naturally conceived in love in generations.

This issue also reveals that the familiar robes and headpieces worn by Jor-El and Lara aren’t simply traditional garb, they’re referred to as life support suits.

Though the Kents are worried about losing Clark to his Kryptonian parents, Jonathan is all man, which explains why he picks this particular moment to go to second base with his elderly wife. [Max: He instinctively wanted to get working on a replacement son, forgetting he's been shooting blanks since youth...]

While Superman cries in anguish at seeing his biological parents detonate, Metron simply refers to them as “unfortunates”.  All heart, that one.

Missed an issue? Looking for an old storyline? Check out our new chronological issue index!

[halloworhorecrux]

A concept, feel free to run with it anyone.

It's time travel with Draco Malfoy. 

He passes the arch of the Court Chambers where he has been sentenced to 3 years of Azkaban. No happy thoughts, only the regret and sadness of having to relieve his mistakes in technicolor within the drab walls of Azkaban. 

Anyways, he passes the arch, which has been destabilized because of the dark magic from Voldemort. He passes out and wakes up to his mother and father looking at him with worry.

It's July 31, 1991.

They fret and hover over him and argue over if they should continue to Diagon Alley for his school supplies. Draco is discombobulated and just smiles winningly because he can't remember how he was at that age but he is sure there was happiness surrounding this day ( there was he meet the love of his life, Harry) so he smiles and encourages them to continue with their day with the dopiest grin. Alright so maybe he has a slight concussion and cannot see straight (pun intended). So on they go apparating into the alley while Draco clings to his parents because he is slightly concussed and slightly because his parents are healthy and petting his hair. Sure this might all be a fever dream and he will wake in a cold, dreary island filled with dementors. He is a firm believer in delulu is the sululu so he will take this small amount of happiness that he can.

This time his parents refuse to allow him to go alone into any of the shops. They are worried about the slightly dazed look in their son's eyes. At the entrance to the robe shop, he berates them to let him stand on his own and not embarrass him. The two decide to wander the shop with a keen eye on their son. As before a ragged looking boy enters the shop without the notice of the two adults. Draco however has never been more excited. He didn't know it at the time but he knows he is Harry Potter. The biggest grin on his face he practically shouts " hullo, Hogwarts too?" 

Taken aback by this small pale boy, Harry thinks “oh great another weird person who knows his name”. Warily the thin boy steps up as he is instructed to by the matron. 

"Uh yea, Hogwarts too"

Nodding along, Draco speaks "I thought as much. I've been waiting for....that door to open.  You know because the nargles told me." He isn't sure why he lies but he decides he can't be blurting out things that might make him wake up. After all dreams start to shatter once you  start to think too hard. 

"uh what are nar..nargles you said?" young Potter asks.

"Oh well you know, those little pesky things that go bzzz in your brain, like uh huh yea they go bzzzz. Like bee's except they’re magical. “ He does a little motion to indicate a bee flying. 

“Yea magical bees. Wonder if that would make me allergic to them as well. I’m allergic to bees you see? Had to be flooed to St.Mungos once after I tried to eat one of mothers flowers. Of course, it was Uncle Sev’s fault entirely. He said they were edible. I just didn't get the right color. But how did I know that flowers of different colors can do different things? It was horrible, Mother made me read about flowers for weeks after that as punishment for messing up her garden." Rubbing along his lips remembering that incident he finishes his little rant " so I guess I could be allergic, she (Luna) did say they cause a type of reaction like a bee sting.." His words putter out as he realizes he just ranted at poor potter about bees. A flush rises to his cheeks. 

Harry is laughing softly at the now embarrassed boy. Not wanting to alienate his first potential friend he asked " Did you learn anything about flowers I mean. I haven’t read much about them but I do tend to our weeds and such for my aunt." Though the task sounds much better, he can feel the calluses his hands acquired from having to dig and pull without proper gloves.

"Oh, actually, yea, I learned about this weed called Venus tentactular that has vines that can kill you, but just show it a bit of sun, and it calms right down. I spent hours trying to make a lumos just so I could see it. Mother has never been more horrified, than when I tried to coax it out of the greenhouse. I think she wanted me to appreciate the pretty flowers, but what's a garden without a couple of weeds? Want to see?" 

Then promptly face palms  because he has just asked the savior if he wants to see a weed that can kill him. 

" Oh Merlin, not because I want to hurt you or anything. I’m very good at light charms or well mainly I can make fire with my mind. It's really just accidental magic but I mean I think it and boom it’s there in my hands. But not like a boom like a bomb just like a small night light but with fire. Not that I need a nightlight or anything, I’m not a baby anymore. And I couldn’t object to it as a baby anyway so that's really why I had it then. Of course. "

A boisterous laugh makes his ramble come to stop. Harry Potter is clutching his ribs as he cackles and giggles with mirth at the babbling boy next to him.

Face as red as a candy apple, Draco somehow is able to tell Potter to write to him. Though the conversation on Owling leaves Harry in more tears as Draco does an impersonation of an owl. Who sounds and all. Draco doesn't even try to understand Harry's explanation of a landline.

It's as what feels like a week goes by that Draco fears he may be in some type of coma because he has not returned to the chill of the North Sea.

Letters are passed, and it's Sep 1, 1990, when Draco begins to have worries of how exactly he is still in the past or whatever fever dream he is in. Sure, making friends with Harry Potter had been a dream for the first four years at Hogwarts, but now he is getting increasingly tense with the situation.

It's the sorting hat that tips the scales for his confirmation of where he is.

"Ah we meet again Mr. Malfoy."

"What"

In his first life, the hat had barely touched his head before sorting him.

"Playing games with level ten I see. It's good to see ambition such as yours learn new ways to thrive. Alas duty calls. Hufflepuff maybe, such daring could go to Gryffindor,but never well thought so Ravenclaw is not for you."

The horror of possibly being Hufflepuff is enough to have him cry out in disgust. Him a hufflepuff! He will find a way to burn the disgusting hat before it could say Puff"

" Ah well I suppose it’s good to have some creature comforts."

“Slytherin!” It bellowed out into the hall. 

Draco broods at the slytherin table after all he knows where everyone will go.Until the hall goes silent. He picks up his head only to find Harry Potter striding towards him with a smirk. 

Oh no! He has ruined everything. He thought this was a dream or a coma. The afterlife may have thought why he got to be happy was baffling. He’s a slytherin. Any random good fortune should be analyzed before moving forward. On the contrary maybe that is why most of his schemes against the golden trio did not work out so well. Now he  was with the speccy boy as a slytherin. "Merlin, I'm an idiot'

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Draco I was sure you were headed for Hufflepuff and I wasn't sure how I could get into that house with you. " 

"What of course you could get into Hufflepuff, I mean hardworking is a trait isn't it? And you do that, at your aunts with all the chores you talk about. Though academically you were a bit lazy. Loyalty is a pretty trait uh except does it count if you still disobey the people your loyal to cause i dont you like to do that very much, maybe your problem is authority figures ya know?"

Harry was busy looking at the professors to catch that Draco words were just a smidge suspicious. Regardless once he tunes back in the mumbles of the blonde he taps against the top of his temples. 

"Oy stop trying to sort me into another house. also you should watch your words, I think i'm rubbing off on you. What would your elocution tutor think of you using words like yaknow? "

Draco sighs deciding this is a future problem. or maybe he can run it by the savior himself. Obviously an 11 year old potter was able to take care of problems since he entered Hogwarts. 

It's seconds before their first potions class that he remembers Uncle likes to ask difficult questions that he pulls Harry aside and whispers.

Draught of death, Aconite and Stomach of a goat.

Harry, who has decided that Draco is really just a dumb blond with some kind of divine foresight, does not question him at all. 

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

Fast forward throughout the year, Draco keeps trying to help but just ends up helpless until Harry saves him.

Then because there were no clues, Draco just straight up asked, if someone was going to steal something and if you touch their hand they probably disintegrate into what would you do?

Uh well you could try to steal the thing first so that they can't get to it but if you just stopped them by holding hands then why not just hold hands? Is this a hypothetical, because you can just ask to hold my hand if you're scared.

Draco dares Harry to hold Proffesor Quirrels hand and double dog dares him to hug the professor. 

Harry was a Gryffindor for a reason in his first life. The DADA teacher turning into dust in the middle of the corridor was not what anyone expected. Harry however is unphased, sure the black cloud was a good effect but it will take more than that to scare him Draco Malfoy. Draco has decided that Harry is insane. 

The duo is seen bickering because Draco refused to tell his best friend how he was able to make the black smoke appear and why he had his father fire the DADA teacher. Harry didn't hate Quirrel that much, though the smell didn't help.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for telling people I don’t work here?

Ok so it’s Saturday morning and I (28M) don’t have a lot on my mind, besides like maybe lunch, I’m a little hungover so I go to the supermarket really to just get out of the house. Then suddenly this woman approaches way to fast and her eyes are intense And she spits on me a little as she asks, “where do you keep the pasta?” and I’m confused but I try to be polite so I say, “I dunno aisle 3?” And then she demands get it for her! I just stand there for a moment because I was just trying to get a Gatorade and I don’t want to deal with this, but then she rolls her eyes and I kind of lose it. 

So I tell her, “Hey! I don’t work here and if I did I would not sell you shit!” And then I say, ”Maybe should work here so I can hide all the things you want from you!” and, “If I did work here do you think I’d be wearing a dirty white singlet? Ya fool!” Then I noticed the pasta was there the whole fucking time so I tell her, “Silly me I’ve had the pasta all along. Fuck you” and she starts crying. 

So now it’s the afternoon and I’m not going to lie, I feel really great about making a middle age woman cry today. So I’m taking a walk on the hot sand on the beach and decide to take a rest in the shade of the lifeguard tower (and my foresight readies me for melee) so then this man runs up from the surf way to fast, with a bluebottle across his chest he shakes me as he asks “you’ve got to save my kid!” But I can’t swim, so I tell him that, and he gets all upset and goes “what kind of a kid guard are you then?” And I’m tired and just wanted to take a nap but he rolls his eyes so I kind of snap.

And I tell him “Hey! I don’t work here but if I did I would not save your kid!” And then I tell him “maybe I should work here that way I could help relieve that nasty sting for you” and I tell him “do you think a life guard would make a race car out of sand then fall asleep?” And then I get a bit sidetracked thinking about how I should probably get a job and I guess I’m mumbling because the guy asks if I was thinking about saving his son and I tell him no and he says “What about my son, he's drowning?!” Then I look over his shoulder and see that no he isn’t and I tell him "Your son's fine, he just swims weird, and you shouldn't hold that against him.” And the guy turns around to check and I take that as my moment to get out of there.

So it’s night now and I’m not thinking about much just kicking a ball down the street then I give it to much juice and it flies over the fence of my local NASA compound (just bear with me) I climb over the fence to get it when I realize the guards are all passed out and it seems there’s been a planed attack. The alarms are blaring but I’m the only one in tact. I try to phone for help but something must be blocking it. And they’re an alien transmitting itself to NASA screens specifically. And the alien says “Give us ya planet” and I’m trying to figure out way to do or find any one who can actually handle this and I tell the aliens but it just repeats “Give us ya planet” and I try to get someone to answer me and tell them we’re under attack and again the alien says “Give us ya planet” and I try to tell it that I don’t have the authority to do that but it just won’t listen. I just came to get my ball but it’s been a long day so I’ll speak for all of humanity. 

(Also I didn’t know this at the time but apparently this had worldwide news coverage)

So I tell the alien “Hey! I don’t work here and if I did I would not surrender shit!” And I tell it “maybe I should work here that way I could take a trip to mars and strangle you!” And I ask “Do you think the president of Earth has a fucking mullet?” And at this point I’m just letting out all the anger from the day and I tell it  “maybe I should work here that way I could put my planetary fist in you, I could teach your kid to drown in front of you, and I could hide all of the linguini from you!” 

Then the alien fucked right off and also I’m the president of earth now. So AITA

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Random Not Sober AU notes I found on my phone after last night that get simpler as they go:

1) FMA/HP Au where Lily is Hohenhiem’s kid and she goes to Amestris to meet her father and half brothers with her husband James. Along the way they hook up with Roy Mustang. Harry is his bio kid. Then of course the Potters die and Dumbledore sucks so much he just drops the baby off at the Elric’s house unaware Trisha died and Hoenheim fucked off. Cue Ed and Al raising their nephew. Then of course we have human transmutation, Roy coming and Al going: oh hey wasn't some of the notes Lily left saying you were Harry’s dad?

This 100% would end with Parental Roy having three gremlin kids, Harry going through human transmutation to get rid of the Horocrux in exchange for Al, and then CHAOS at Hogwarts.

2) A really weird AU where Hoenheim slept with a woman in Xing when he was first there who had a kid she kept secret so no one could worship them or do weird shit. The kid had a kid and so on until they left Xing after their clan was attacked, they got to Amestris, got married and had a son. Roy Mustang.

This also included Hoenheim having another child with an Ishvalan woman before he met Trisha. His daughter went on to have two sons: Scar and his brother.

I have no idea where I was going with this. But its amusing.

3) BNHA AU where Space Orcs tropes happen but I include the period stuff I talked about. Izuku is a trans guy who gets snatched with Jirou. I planned on Quirks being a thing still according to my notes. Izuku has PCOS. Legit ends up passing clots cause its one of those periods. Empathy Alien (Mina) is sobbing.

4) FMAB AU where the Homunculi all murder Father because they hate him and just chill. Greed finds Hohenheim and finds out about the boys. Decides Hohenheim is a bad dad so he goes off to be weird cousin Greed along with the others. They still try human transmutation and get into the military where Bradley is like: why is my baby cousin- Que Ed being known as the Fuher’s cousin.

5) self insert wakes up as Envy. Basically they go fuck the plot turn into a cat and hang around the elric brothers.

6) Like a half page ramble about Girl!Bakugou and how she would be meaner then her canon self to male Izuku and just nasty to a girl Izuku because if we keep her personality then you have society coming down on her for not being soft and shit. I have no idea where this was going.

7) EdLing AU where Ling was disowned for liking men and refusing a marriage with a woman from his clan, so he runs off to Amestris to find a philosopher's stone early and then meets the Elric brothers before canon.

8) BNHA/FMAB AU where Winry is reborn as Izuku, she is now a trans girl and is running around making automail.

9) EdLing share the pair AU. Imagine prince Ling screaming about his arm and leg, and people realizing his soulmate lost theirs.

10) the above but EdRoy. My notes said ‘flip a coin for pla’ which I think means flip a coin for platonic or not.

11) the above a gin for GreedEdLing with extra ‘oh fuck you’ energy because IT HURTS US WHEN YOU DIE GREED

12) Envy/Ed also soulmate au (i read a fanfic before getting high and it stuck I guess)

13) IiDeku AU lesbians where Bakugou is engaged to Izuku but she breaks it off as soon as she can to be with Iida.

14) three selkie au starts

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

From Hell to Home to Back Again

Summary: At the talent show, Chrissy Cunningham is so hungry that she nearly collapses. When she's found by Hopper, her parents ended up losing custody of her. She ends up being placed in the care of the Hendersons, and she finally finds the family she so desperately needed. She also ends up falling in love. What other changes are made in this alternate universe?

A/N: We're entering the FOI timeline now.

@emen-98 @@1lostsoul0fishbowl @@vulpixsworld

Prologue . . . Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

It was now officially springtime, and things were going great for her. It feels like she's even closer to Eddie, and hopefully, he's getting the message that she would never hurt him like almost everyone in this town does, including his dad. Chrissy was now officially handling both cheerleading and softball again. She doesn't mind the stares whenever she changes out of her uniforms. She's gotten used to the scars on her body. . .well, somewhat. They still are a little jarring. Chrissy had just pulled on her clothes after cheerleading practice when Heather walked up to her. Oh, she thought she had been alone in the locker room.

"Chrissy?" Heather asked.

"Hey, Heather," Chrissy said.

"I know we haven't talked a lot lately. I know we've both been a little busy," Heather said. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Chrissy grinned. "Really good."

"That's - That's good," Heather said.

"You look like you want to say something," Chrissy said.

"I just - I know you've been hanging out with Eddie Munson lately," Heather said and paused. "I didn't want to say anything because of the whole Jason Carver incident, but I hope you're being careful. I know how this sounds with me being your ex and all, but I'm also your friend."

"I am, Eddie's a really great guy. He's not really ready for a relationship right now, but to be honest, I don't think I am either," Chrissy said. "I like how it is now, though. We're friends, and he makes me feel better whenever I have a bad day. I like the way he smiles and the way he hides behind his hair. He's a really good friend."

"Well, I'm glad, and I suppose I shouldn't listen to the rumors about him. Like he's a Satanist, or that he sacrifices people on an alter of fire, or that he believes in aliens," Heather said.

"Oh, no, that last part is true. He's had several rants about it. He thinks it's arrogant to believe that we're alone in the universe. Although, even though he believes in them he's said on many occasions that he would still freak the fuck out if he ever met one," Chrissy said.

"He's kind of weird," Heather said.

"I know," Chrissy grinned. "That's what I like about him."

"I guess if you're happy, then I guess I have nothing to worry about. . .but if he does hurt you, then I'm going to reign hellfire down upon him," Heather said. "Get it?"

"Heather!" Chrissy laughed.

Chrissy left Heather and went to meet Eddie at the classroom where he was holding Hellfire today. Eddie was talking with Gareth in the hallway when she came upon them. Gareth looked pretty upset, more so than usual. Chrissy didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it just sort of happened. Apparently, Gareth was upset that his character got killed, and he thought that meant he was out of Hellfire. Eddie was in the middle of reassuring him. Chrissy smiled as Gareth looked at him, hopefully.

"You're sure, right?" Gareth asked. "I can come back."

"As long as you wanna be in Hellfire, you can be in Hellfire," Eddie said.

Eddie grinned as Gareth scurried off towards the school's entrance.

"Wow, and I left my kleenex at home," Ronnie said, and Eddie shoulder checked her. "Careful, Stan would kill me if I dropped this thing."

Ronnie kept Stan's trapper keeper full of D&D stuff at her place since his mom believed that Hellfire was nothing more than satanic crap hellbent on brainwashing her son. So, he has to lie and hide the things that make him happy.

"I think it's sweet," Chrissy said.

"You think everything that Eddie does is sweet. You're so blinded, Henderson," Ronnie laughed as she batted her eyelashes at her.

"Fuck off," Chrissy laughed. "He gets really obnoxious when he's right about something."

"That's true. No one likes that," Ronnie giggled.

"Oh, God, I thought my room was messy, but Eddie's room is off the charts, and he pretty much treats his van like a trash can," Chrissy said.

"I keep telling him it doesn't have to be perfect, but at least clean it up a little. My God, man," Ronnie said.

"And there's this thing he does with his eye lids - ," Chrissy said.

"Freaks me out!" Ronnie exclaimed.

"And when he eats - "

"Okay! Eddie doesn't like this!" He yelled.

He glared at the both of them as they laughed at him.

"Can I get a ride?" Ronnie asked.

"This is the last time," Eddie said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Even if you just listed my greatest failures."

"Oh, we haven't even gotten to the worst parts, Munson," Ronnie said. "Chrissy, are you riding with us this evening?"

"Yeah, definitely," Chrissy said.

"As the owner of the vehicle, shouldn't it be me who asks her?" Eddie asked. "Chrissy, are you riding with us this evening?"

"Yes," Chrissy giggled.

"I don't know why I'm letting either of you ride with me considering you insulted me," Eddie sniffed in mock offense.

"Don't worry, Eddie, despite all your faults, I think that you're very pretty," Chrissy laughed.

"Really?" Eddie smirked and Chrissy nodded.

"I, however, do not. You're about as ugly as the cat that wanders around Forest Hills," Ronnie said.

"I keep telling you it's a opossum, Ecker! Get your eyes checked!" Eddie exclaimed. "Chrissy, are you coming tonight? We couldn't play last night, but we're definitely playing tonight."

"I never miss a show. . .except that one time, but it was Dustin's fault," Chrissy said and paused, looking at Ronnie. "Technically, aren't you calling yourself ugly when you call him ugly?"

"Ugh, we do not look that much a like," Ronnie rolled her eyes.

"When you were younger, you managed to cover for him on a test when you pretended to be him, and it worked," Chrissy narrowed her eyes at her as they climbed into the van.

"Okay, by that logic, you should think that I'm pretty too," Ronnie said rolling her eyes.

"I do!" Chrissy grinned. "I just wouldn't date you for several reasons, and mostly because someone I know thinks you're pretty too. . . Have I not mentioned that I like men and women?"

"No!" Eddie and Ronnie exclaimed.

"Oh, well, I do," Chrissy shrugged.

"Thanks for telling us," Eddie said softly.

"I trust you guys," Chrissy said.

"Wait. . .who thinks I'm pretty?" Ronnie asked.

"It's not my place to say," Chrissy replied. "Let's go. It's my turn to make dinner tonight. Do either one of you want to join us?"

"Nah, Granny would be livid if I didn't warn her days in advance," Ronnie said. "But I'm sure Eddie wouldn't mind."

"Stop accepting invitations on my behalf, Ecker," Eddie sighed. "Unfortunately, as much as I would love to, I need to get to the Hideout early if I want to win Bev's favor."

"Oh, well, my mom's been dying to meet you," Chrissy said. "Maybe you can come over some other time."

"Uh, isn't that a little soon?" Eddie asked nervously.

"You're not her boyfriend, which is ridiculous because you two are practically dat - " Ronnie started to say.

"ANYWAY, your mom does know who I am, right?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, I told her all about you. I also told my cat about you," Chrissy said.

"You told your cat about me?" Eddie asked.

"I talk to my cat about you every night," Chrissy said.

"Okay, can we move on from this conversation? I'm totally picturing something else, and it isn't a pretty picture," Ronnie said as she put her feet up on Eddie's dashboard.

"Seriously?" Eddie asked.

"What? I don't want to put my feet on Stan's thingie," Ronnie said. "It's not my fault your van is so small."

"My van isn't the problem. It's your freakish legs of yours," Eddie replied.

"Let me tell you a secret about these freakish legs of mine," Ronnie said as she kept her feet exactly where she out them. "In four months? They are going to be walking into their new apartment in New. York. City."

Eddie nearly slammed on the brakes.

"No."

"Yep."

"You got the scholarship?"

"NYU class of '88, baby. Full ride," Ronnie said.

This time, Eddie slammed on the brakes and fishtailed the vehicle off to the side of the ride. Chrissy grinned as she sat back and let the two best friends have their moment.

"You know, I'm happy for you, right?" Eddie asked.

"I know," Ronnie said.

"I'm happy for you, too!" Chrissy blurted out. "Sorry, couldn't keep it in."

Eddie and Ronnie laughed just as a tapping sound came on the window. Officer Moore was looking into Eddie's window. He rolled it down with a sigh.

"Again?" Ronnie asked. "I thought we were done with that guy."

"Always," Eddie muttered. "Officer Moore, how can I help you on this fine spring afternoon?"

"I thought that was you, Munson," Moore said. "How many times do we have to have this conversation?"

"That's a question that you'll have to ask yourself, Officer. You're the one always filling up my dance card."

"That was some erratic driving - ," Moore said.

"He was avoiding a bird, sir," Chrissy said brightly as she popped her head in between the seats. "He flew right in front of his window."

"Miss Henderson, I didn't see you," Moore frowned.

"I'm guessing Officer Powell isn't driving with you today," Chrissy said.

"He's out sick," Moore frowned.

"Well, since Eddie doesn't have any priors, I think you can let him off with a warning, especially considering all of the illegal stops you made because of the vendetta you have against his father. I certainly would hate to tell Hopper that you're out for revenge against a young man who did nothing to hurt you," Chrissy said.

"Drive safely, and have a nice day," Moore frowned as he walked off.

"I thought I was the one who wanted to be a lawyer," Ronnie said. "You'd make a good one."

"I don't about being a lawyer, but I thought about being a social worker or a guidance counselor who's also a cheerleading coach," Chrissy said.

"You'd be good at those," Eddie replied and Ronnie nodded in agreement.

After dropping Ronnie off, Eddie drove Chrissy home. He pulled in front of her place and parked it for a moment.

"Are the others coming?" Eddie asked.

"Steve is dropping me off, but then he's going on a date with Nancy. They missed their last date night because Nancy got sick. Jonathan is expecting a phone call, and Robin is recovering from the same sickness Nancy got. She's currently in bed and cursing Nancy's name," Chrissy said.

"So, just you," Eddie smiled.

"Just me," she replied, smiling back at him.

"You don't have to keep saving me, you know," Eddie said.

"I know, I want to," Chrissy said. "You're not alone in this world, Eddie. I just want to make sure you know that."

"I know," Eddie said softly, and Chrissy kissed his cheek.

"See you tonight," Chrissy said.

"Looking forward to it," Eddie said.

Chrissy practically rushed through dinner, eager as always to see Eddie play. As per usual, Dustin pouted about not being able to go. She quickly said goodbye to her mother and brother before running out to Steve’s car. They were already late.

"Hey, you look nice tonight," Steve grinned as she got into the back seat.

"I'm going to tell him after the show," Chrissy said, beaming.

"Finally!" Steve exclaimed.

"What made you change your mind? I thought you were going to wait?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know, it just clicked while I was cooking," Chrissy said. "I didn't want to wait anymore."

"I hope it goes well," Nancy said.

"Me too," Chrissy grinned.

She said goodbye to them and quickly jumped out of the car, scurring inside and ignoring the dark clouds overhead. Chrissy cursed when she realized that Corroded Coffin was already playing. She really was late. Suddenly, she realized that this wasn't a cover song. This was "Fire Shroud," their original song. It was the song that Eddie said wasn't ready yet whenever she asked. He hadn't noticed that she had even come in yet. No, he was fully focused on the only other person at the bar. It was a young woman, not much older than they are, and she was really pretty too. Her hair was wildly curly, and Chrissy could barely make out the smattering of freckles on her face as she looked at Eddie. Eddie was looking back at her, enjoying the way her boot clad ankles tapped along to the music. Nothing could break their gaze, Eddie was euphoric at the sight of the other woman, and it felt like someone had punched Chrissy in the stomach. Chrissy plopped down in the darkened corner of the bar, closet to the door she just walked into. She watched as Bev eventually pulled the plug.

Eddie and his band started to clean up when she watched Ronnie grab his arm. She was pleading with Eddie, and she watched her mouth Chrissy's name to Eddie. Chrissy felt another blow to her stomach as Eddie laughed Ronnie off and shook his head at her. Once they put their instruments away, Chrissy watched as Eddie started talking to the girl at the bar. The way he talked to her and leaned closer to her. . .yeah, he was definitely interested in her. He had played the song for her, the same song he never would have played for Chrissy. She had read this all wrong. Eddie didn't like her. He was just being nice. She wasn't sure how long she sat there staring at them, but finally, she couldn't torture herself anymore. Chrissy walked out of the bar, leaning against the brick wall to wait for Steve. Her leg was shaking. God, she was so stupid. It took her a minute to realize that she was crying. The sound of thunder startled her.

"Come on, are you serious? Not now! That would be so fucking cliche!" Chrissy yelled.

Of course, the weather didn't listen to her. The rain came down in buckets, immediately soaking her. Chrissy let out a frustrated yell as more thunder and lightning followed. She was determined not to go back in even though she knew that standing out here was going to make her sick, but she didn't want to go back in there and face Eddie. She stood in the pouring rain and waited. She waited until the rain finally stopped, and Steve's car finally pulled up. She shivered, her entire body soaking wet as she slid in the back seats of his car.

"Sorry about your seats," Chrissy muttered.

"Jeeze, you could have waited inside," Steve said.

"Didn't want to," she replied.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked.

"I'm fine," Chrissy's bottom lip trembled. "Can we just go, please?"

"It didn't go well?" Steve asked softly.

Chrissy burst into tears again. Nancy quickly climbed into the back seat and wrapped her arms around her.

"Drive, Steve," Nancy said.

Steve drove off, and Chrissy sobbed into her shoulder. With her arm still around Chrissy, they walked into her house.

"Oh, honey, what happened?!" Claudia asked.

"I just got caught in the rain is all," Chrissy said. "I'm fine."

"Oh, let's get you out of those wet clothes," Claudia cooed.

"Do you mind if I spend the night, Mrs. Henderson?" Nancy asked.

"If it's alright with your mom, honey. It's more than okay with me," Claudia said and took her daughter to her room.

Chrissy let her mother take care of her and then bundled herself up in her blankets. Claudia left with promises of hot chocolate. Nancy was in the other room, and Steve left after kissing her goodnight while also saying goodbye to the Hendersons. He jokingly offered to beat Eddie up for her, but Chrissy knew that even he knew she would never want that. She stared at the picture on her dresser for a moment before getting up off the bed, the blanket wrapped tightly around her. Now, whenever she looked at it, she thought of Eddie locking eyes with that woman. Furious, Chrissy picked up the picture and put it in her bottom drawer before plopping down on the bed. Nancy came back in and laid down beside her.

"Called my mom," Nancy said. "She said it was okay. Did you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know," Chrissy said softly before launching into telling Nancy everything that happened.

"I'm sorry, Chrissy, but I hope whoever this girl is, that she's just an obstacle. We've all seen the way he looks at you, and I really hope that girl is nothing more than a case of Eddie being starstruck at the prospect of having another fan of his music," Nancy said. "It would be crazy to be anything else."

"Fire Shroud, Nance, he played Fire Shroud for her," Chrissy said with a groan. "It's just dumb. It's just a dumb crush on a boy. . .except that Eddie Munson isn't just some boy. Gah!"

"I don't think this is just a crush, Chrissy. I think you're in love with him," Nancy said.

"No! Nope! Absolutely not," Chrissy said and sighed. "I'll get over it if I have to. I can't be mad over Eddie, not returning my feelings. I can't force him to like me. He does seem like he wants to be my friend, so I can deal with having him be a part of my life even if it's not in the way that I want."

"Chrissy. . ." Nancy started to say.

Nancy was interrupted by Claudia coming in the mugs of hot chocolate. They both smiled gratefully at her. Chrissy got up and hugged her mother.

"Thanks, mommy," Chrissy said.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. You have your girl talk, and I'll handle Dustin. He's being very nosy," Claudia said.

"What else is new?" Chrissy asked, and Claudia laughed as she left. "Alright, enough about Eddie. Tell me all about your date with Steve."

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

Chrissy rolled her eyes as she sat on the bed, sipping her hot chocolate.

"I'm a big girl, Nance. It's going to suck for a while, but I can handle it," Chrissy said. "Especially if I have my wonderful best friends to help me through it. Now, tell me about Steve."

Nancy smiled as she told her all about the date. Chrissy's smile grew as they chatted about Steve and drank their hot chocolate. Nancy's joy was infectious, and for a moment, Chrissy forgot about her problem. She fell asleep that night, curled up against Nancy, determined to face the next day as head strong as her friend. Unfortunately, the next morning, she woke up as sick as a dog. Claudia ended up having to practically push Nancy out of the door the next morning when Steve showed up. Claudia called into work and stayed with Chrissy, nursing her back to health. When Eddie called around lunchtime to check on her, Chrissy couldn't help but let hope fill her heart. Until the words came out of his mouth, she wasn't going to give up on him. When Friday rolled around, Chrissy found herself feeling better, and with a skip in her step, she strolled into school. Eddie was waiting for her by her locker. Ronnie was with him, too.

"Hey, Henderson, glad you're feeling better," Eddie said, flashing her his dimples. "School is a lot less brighter without you."

"Thanks, Eddie," Chrissy said.

"I think Ronnie missed you, too," Eddie grinned. "I think she's starting to like you more than she likes me."

"Oh, I definitely like her more than you," Ronnie said.

"Ouch," Eddie said, and Chrissy laughed.

"Sorry, I missed your show," Chrissy said.

"Oh, you weren't there?" Eddie asked, and Chrissy narrowed her eyes at him.

"I was sick," she reminded him.

"Oh, right," Eddie said, and he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking guilty for a moment. "Well, you didn't miss much except for Bev pulling the plug."

"Oh, so nothing happened?" Chrissy asked.

"Why would it?" Eddie scoffed, but he couldn't quite meet her eyes. "You know, I promised Gareth that I would help him with something. I'm glad you're back, Chrissy."

Chrissy watched him walk away and confused about why he lied to her. Suddenly, she felt Ronnie touch her arm.

"You were there. Why didn't you tell Eddie?" Ronnie asked.

"You saw them. You know why," Chrissy said.

"She's just some chick that he met in a bar. She doesn't mean anything to him as much as you do," Ronnie said.

"He played her Fire Shroud," Chrissy said. "To her. . . Why didn't Eddie tell me that?"

"Why didn't you tell him that you were there?" Ronnie asked again.

"I was going to tell him how I felt," Chrissy muttered.

"And then you saw him with her," Ronnie realized. "Look, I love my best friend, but I'm siding with you if he messes this up. He does have feelings for you, but he's being a cowardly little shit and he's running away. I feel for the girl, but he's clearly using her to do that whether he realizes it or not. I don't think he went home with her or did anything with her. It was just one moment in a bar. She drew his attention for one night, but you have it every day since he fell for you on that cold, icey day, and that icicle nearly impaled you."

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up here," Chrissy sniffled.

"Well, if he does anything stupid, just know that I'm here for you, too," Ronnie said.

"Thanks, Ronnie," Chrissy said.

Chrissy realized suddenly that the last few months had been all about Eddie. Maybe she needed to pull back a little, give him a chance to miss her. Plus, she really didn't want her entire world to revolve around him. Suddenly, she also realized that during the last few months of getting closer to Eddie, she had neglected her cheerleader and softball friends. Well, that wouldn't do. Chrissy desperately needed to come up for air. She needed to breathe.

Chapter Nine

[anghraine]

nelayn replied to this post:

Bleeh... My current experience as an immigrant has been like... "I am very much "white" and thus perceived as part of the (British) majority but that also I end up flattening all of my cultural and ethnic characteristics in day-to-day life in order to (succesfully) blend into the background of a dominant (Anglo) culture". That must get even weirder in a US context (and must have been really hard for your grandmother!)

Yeah, that's really familiar! My grandmother can be seen as a "normal" old white lady here and very much is in many ways, but also as "ethnic" in ways that are vaguely embarrassing and which she's often quietly repressed (and she is not a quiet person!). She pretty much actively assimilated into my grandfather's Irish-American family as a young woman and, at the same time, maintained her ties to the local Greek communities, and has been thrilled that one of my cousins and I actually ended up interested in her experiences and background. But it's a very unobtrusive thing despite everyone knowing her general history. Like, last year she called and admitted to the small rebellion at age 87 of sending me my yearly package of Greek pastries to align with the traditional Orthodox calendar instead of the Catholic one (she formally converted to Catholicism in 1957, I think?).

And, yes, it's usually possible here as well to be taken for Generic White Person without much difficulty, especially now. But in my experience, there is a certain weirdness among some of the, hm, more or less Anglo crowd if the "ethnic whites" make a point of doing things differently from more mainstream white US culture, and especially if they prioritize preservation of their particular subcultures above racist solidarity with whiteness more broadly.

Also in my experience, most people here who don't have ties to Greek-American communities use "Greek" in a way that is almost always completely divorced from any living Greek culture or Greek people of any nationality who have existed in well over a millennium.

When people here begin a sentence with something like "the Greeks believed" it's almost invariably about a sort of western fandomized soundbites version of ancient Greece and no other part of Greek history. Even when people are talking about more recent history like WWII, you get stuff about how much the Nazis loved "the Greeks" or "Greek art" or "Greek culture" without any acknowledgment that "Greek culture" as understood and fetishized by German Nazis does not correspond to the broader reality of Greek culture, art, people, anything. And I've almost never heard it accompanied by any reference at all to what this supposed love for Greeks meant in practice during the Nazi occupation.

So it's like, nobody was going to e.g. use slurs or violence against me when I mentioned having a Greek grandmother in high school. My classmates just went, "huh, really? You don't look like a philosopher!" All this is not The Real Racism of America or anything, nor necessarily universal at all, but I do find it really uncomfortable and alienating in the context of my specific family experiences.

I don't know how much of this you've experienced where you are! For me, the whole "Greek" as interchangeable with "westernized -> Anglicized -> Americanized ancient Greek" thing (when it's not just. fucking university fraternities) has been pretty inescapable. I guess it's more frustrating because in my particular (maternal) family, I had a distinct impression that anything about me that could specifically derive from my grandmother's culture or ethnicity was considered obtrusive or embarrassing or unattractive. My mother's family outright said many times that my grandmother's maiden name is objectively unpronounceable, etc etc.

And my grandmother repressed so much that it took a long time to realize just how connected to the local Greek-American community she is, while my bio father (her son) knew basically nothing. He had never eaten any Greek food (even baklava!) until I recommended a restaurant to him after his mother had been sending me food for years.

Were her family's objections more along the lines of "he's the wrong kind of Christian and from a different culture" variety?

More or less, I think! I recently found out that her mother, who was definitely caught up in the Greek-American community, was married after my great-grandfather died to a different immigrant from Greece (and a nearby area) born in the 1890s who also worked on the railroads, and that guy is listed as my grandmother's father in some documents—but it's definitely a different man, and she's never mentioned him or her stepsister through him. So her family definitely had a preference for the girls staying within the community, finding nice Greek Orthodox men to marry, all of that, and she went off and instead got pregnant and married my grandfather at age 20 after converting to Catholicism.

(Converting didn't keep her in-laws from looking down on her, however. Some of them still do, even, which has always seemed wild to me from a bunch of Irish-Americans only a couple generations removed from starving in County Cork, but I guess "not revisiting what we experienced on today's immigrants" has never been a priority for a lot of Irish-Americans.)

(Obviously I have no experience or exposure to the kind of WASPy attitudes and racism and "othering" you're talking about. I'm sorry you (and others in your family) have to deal with that, even at this level.)

Thank you! And like I said in my other message, I appreciate your help and patience immensely, especially as a US American who's not only far off in the diaspora but in circumstances that are messy and fraught given the specifics of my family history, the people involved, the oddities around my grandmother particularly, etc. It's made a big difference.

[localsimpissleepy]

Okay, i think i can post this now

Since a lot of people choose Yes on the Next Gen au poll (which i didn't expect lol, thank you all so much) I decided to introduce the two main characters for this au (because looking back, i still need to work on the other fankids)

So here they are:

I made these fankids on Picrew, credit goes to the creators of these Picrew

Picrew by naylissah

Faer Nova

He/Him

16

(Son of Wanderlust)

Listen, since some people think/hc that Night Swan could have produced Jack asexually, then why can't Wanderlust (also to be safe with Wanderrose just in case)

I'm thinking maybe Wanderlust even created his kid the same way The Traveler created Discoball (i'm pretty sure it's confirmed he created Discoball)

He's very similar to Wanderlust (as well as appearance wise, i'm thinking he has long hair like Wanderlust at first, but he later cut it off due to an unpleasant encounter), but he knows which kind of people he should trust (also when to bail when something goes wrong)

He can be a bit dense and not being able to understand basic emotions that well (since the whole “being created similar to Discoball” might have had a part of that/not being really an alien, also, i see him as kinda being like Caine from TADC), but just like Wanderlust, he just wants the best for everyone

Anyways, got some outfit ideas for him i found on Pinterest

(Side Note: He does have pink stripes of hair and those triangle marks on his face like Si'Ha, but the Picrew i used didn't have those features so yeah-)

.

.

.

Picrew by yashi

Daehyun

He/Him

17

(Basically the Sara and Jack of this au)

Daehyun is a kpop idol of a new boy group, but due to getting criticize on his dance moves by other idols and his company's boss, he got Just Dance in order to practice his dance moves and improve

This caught Faer's attention so he decided to help Daehyun improve his dance moves (i say that and the next second, their both idk fighting bad guys, something Daehyun did not sign up for)

(i imagine their relationship to be like Guy & Molotov Girl from Free Guy if anyone seen the movie)

Unlike Sara, who was excited about being in the game, Daehyun was just very confused and non trusting about everything, so he thought Faer was just some very weird guy that acts like everything is just fine and normal in the Danceverses

Like, Daehyun would be like: Wtf, i had the weirdest dream last night i-

Faer: Oh! That must have been Cthylla!

Daehyun: what-

Faer: Oh she's just a demon that goes into people's dreams from time to time and messes with them!

Daehyun: Jee, that makes so much sense, I feel a lot safer, thanks Faer.

Faer: 😁👍

Outfit ideas for Daehyun (I hit the 10 image limit and also i'm still working on his outfits so here you go i guess)

And that's these two alright, still working on them a bit

For now, feel free to ask questions about them (or their relationship with other characters)

I'll probably post, i guess the Just Dancers of this au later these days

Edit: I decided to change Daehyun because he looked like he was related to Evangeline (my Jack & Brezziana) so yeah

[changingplumbob]

Knightstone Household: Chapter 9, Part 1

3am, Chestnut Ridge, Winter

Pollock babbles and crawls around the bedroom he shares with his older brother who is inconveniently asleep.

Suzanna: Excuse me, where do you think you’re going

Pollock: wa up Sil as

Suzanna: Oh no, we’re not going to wake your brother, come here trouble. We’ll give you a quick feed then back to bed you go

Scooping up her youngest Suzanna takes the time to appreciate him being so small. It’s technically his birthday but no one ages up at this time of night so she will have a few more hours of him like this. When he’s a toddler she’ll get back to work but might take a day off now and then to spend with him when Adam has work. After she burps him she lays him o his back in the crib.

Suzanna: Sleep now Moondust, sleep. And may starships carry you through your dreams

With her soothing Pollock settles and falls asleep.

Turning around Suzanna can see her husband Adam has also popped in to tuck in Silas. He didn’t like the idea of having kids but he does love his sons. When he motions for the pair to head out the door she scoops him in to a hug.

Adam: Well hello to you to. What was that for

Suzanna: I just missed you between rotations, that’s all

Adam knows his paranoid wife has some weird ideas like mods and rotations. He’s found over the years it’s best not to question her or he’ll just blow his hot headed top.

Heading up to their bedroom Suzanna passes her collection of living aliens and frogs. She wants to add to the frogs but there’s not many spawn spots around. She also smiles at the cloning machine. She loves her crystal collection but is excited to see if she can gain the gemology skill and start cutting some to make a prettier display than the one that lies in the library.

When the day finally dawned Adam was reluctant to get up. His first task was to make a cake and he was sure something would go wrong and make him mad.

Adam: Starlight, how about we just lie here?

Suzanna: On Pollock’s birthday?

Adam: I can’t hear him, he must be fine

Then from the room below them came the panicked cries of a child alien.

Silas: OH MY WATCHER

Suzanna: Guess our other son needs us. Get up lazy bones

Silas: MUMMY! MUMMY!

Suzanna races in to find Silas panicking and Pollock watching him from his crib curiously. Scooping up the infant she turns to Silas.

Suzanna: What’s wrong Starshine?

Silas: Mummy! There’s a monster under my bed

Suzanna: *snuggles Pollock* a monster?

Silas: With awful long tentacles

Suzanna: Silas, Starshine, we’re aliens. Maybe the monster under the bed is as afraid of you as you are of them

Silas: *calming down* Do... do you think?

Suzanna: You might be the first alien it’s seen. Why not try introducing yourself

Silas: Okay Mummy. I guess... I could try

He sits down and begins to try communicating while Suzanna lifts Pollock up for a kiss.

Suzanna: Who’s birthday is it? Is it yours?

Pollock giggles and kicks his legs happily.

In the kitchen Adam is cooking. He was going to do the cake first but a glance at the stocks told him they were low on cereal. Cooked breakfast it is. He enjoys cooking, but between trying to manage the kids and establish himself as an art critic his skills are still only so so.

When he’s almost finished a sulky Silas comes in.

Adam: Pancakes are almost-

Silas: Daddy there’s a monster under my bed!

Adam: Have you tried punching it in the face

Silas: No...

Suzanna: He doesn’t need to do that, he can befriend it. For all we know it’s from Sixam like us

Adam: *sighs* Let’s eat

The family sit around the table and Suzanna grabs some banana slices for Pollock.

Adam: Surely if the monster scares him he should fight back

Suzanna: Adam not every problem should be solved with violence

Adam: Yet you built a simray

Silas: *sadly* I want a simray

Suzanna: You’re too young for a simray

Adam: Maybe we should wait until you’re a teen

Suzanna: Open wide Pollock, here comes the spaceship

Pollock giggles madly and waves his arms as the banana piece comes closer. After swallowing he smiles and blows a raspberry.

Adam: Okay, I’ll admit it, I might miss this having an infant thing

Silas: Can I get a second brother? Please Daddy please

Adam: *laughs* Oh no way in hell kid. One brother is your lot

Silas: But Mummy-

Suzanna: Daddy has decided, we are good as a four

Adam: Why would you need another one when you have me and Pollock

Adam pulls a funny face which makes Silas giggle while Pollock smooshes his food into his mouth. He does love banana.

Suzanna: Are you alright to make the cake

Adam: Yeah, and I’m sure Silas can help me

Silas: If the monster doesn’t eat me first

Previous (Woods) ... Next

[istherewifiinhell]

the ways in which we are So Fucking Back, cannot even BEGIN to be communicated.

[Splinter Forever. Story: lloyd Goldfine. Art: Khary Randolph Colours: Emilio Lopez Letters: Tom Napolitano and Shawn Lee]

[ID: 03 show styled comic, the turtles crowd around splinter with looks of concern/relief. Splinter doing his best to hug them all back but saying "You so know I could have freed myself anytime I wished too..." Splinter narration: ...And, even if given forever... END] Next narration: I could not have dreamed of one better.

idw 40th anniversary book. various caps i took cause i really liked them (by they way the few stories i did NOT cap is not cause i didnt like em by any means. and for some it was cause i was TOO SAD! i liked them SO MUCH! they HURT to LOOK AT. kay thx)

book creds. Editor: Nicolas Niño. Supervising Editor: Jamie S. Rich. Design: Nathan Widick

might as well start with the 03 one cause its already up there

[ID: 1. Action shot the turtles jumping thru a window, in varied cool poses, rimlit in blue moonlight. Leo: Mikey, thin out the foot! Donnie, free Splinter! Shredder's mine! Raph: I got hun! Mikey, singing: Turtles, count it off! Splinter, narrating: Here, I speak not of mutation… but of my sons, could I ever have dreamed I would become a father. 2. Action shot of turtles and Splinter together, all yelling a "Hai-yah!" Splinter narration: Never has there been a father prouder of his children. END]

ur reminder that 03 is the one that was literally just a rat b4 mutation. sometimes life hands u 4 reptiles and some weird alien go and u go. okay these are my beautiful children now

and you know the tweets like. i gotta accept u didnt make the tmnt? u gotta accept youll DIDNT draw a rat this SICK. his swag. unparalleled.

[ID: Splinter punching the Shredder, cropped close, the line of motion accented by his rodent features, carrying from his tail and digitigrade leg, to the pointed tip of his snout. His fur nicely emphasized from show style. END]

okay in presented order now. (again. only the ones im emotionally strong enough for) it opened with eastman's, four pages to a poe poem, Deep lorey in its own way. ALSO SAD!

[Monsters. Story, Art and Letters: Jim Lawson Colours: Steve Lavigne]

[ID: A very squared jaw turtle style, bold black likes of varying thickness, lots of hashing. It's Raph turning to look over his shoulder with a "Hmp", mask tails flowing behind his head. END]

eeeeee lookit him. mwah. [me explaining] u see. mirage turtles. there so lumpy. and thats EXCELLENT

[Gang Wars. Story: Tristan Jones. Art: Paul Harmon Letters: Tom Napolitano]

[ID: Rounded head, prominent beak, almost movie puppet turtle style. Art has strong penwork , filled with hatching, but soft impressionistic colours, looking both loose yet detailed. 1. Mike is carrying a women as he climbs a ladder. She's tipped almost complete upside down over his shell. Her narration: You perspective shifts... Soft pinkish hue lights them from below. 2. Mike jumping from the roof with a cheerful "Gotta run!", smiling and offering as salute, both nunchaku in hand. Warm golden light hitting his front as he's half turned. END]

HI. I dont recognize your name (YET) Mr harmon sir. but would u like my award for most gorgeous colour rendering on any mutant turtles ever ever in the whole wide world. (sobbing) mikey.... my boy. my beloved loved boy

(there was comics also repping the image and archies runs here. neither of which ive read yet, SORRY. all the same they were both VERY CHARMING)

[What About Tomorrow. Story: Eric Burnham. Art: Sarah Myer Colour: Luis Antonio Delgado Letters: Shawn Lee]

[ID: 87 show styled comic. Raph is quipping to the villain (or perhaps the audience) "Don't tell me… Sherlock Holmes?" He has a hand on hip, side eyeing Donnie very strongly and says "Don't give me that look, Donatello. He said guess!" Don is looking at him so incredibly flatly. END]

have u literally very seen something more perfect than that. look at their fucking FACESSSSS. urghh. characterization? perfect. u can hear it. i controlled myself here. i didnt cap the entire fucking comic

[ID: Splinter smiling, eyes close, we see what he is reminiscing on. His human self, reading a book and holding the for normal baby turtles. He say "When I was Hamato Yoshi, I could never have guessed I'd become a mutant rat. Or that I would raise four turtles into heroes I am endlessly proud of. END]

LOOK AT THIS FUCKING RAT. and his turtle sons. (he doesnt call them sons in this cartoon but their his fuckinngggg sons.)

splinter forever we covered.

[Kraang Among Us. Story and Art: Ciro Nieli Letters: Shawn Lee]

[ID: A 2012 show styled comic, Nieli's style having a punky marker quality to it in comic form. 1. Drawn small, the turtles character-fully posed. Raph casual and aside, Leo earnest out front, Mikey excited and ready, Donnie last, interest in a beeping gadget. 2. Leo bowing on the ground solemn/serene. 3. Graphically bold panel, Mikey has a hand up, smiling cockily, saying "STOP! …My turn. Hit it, Ice Cream Kitty!" Ice cream kitty, (indeed a cat made of Neopolitan) Clicks on a boom box. 4. Donnie says "This can't be good…", with a look of shock at his gadget, wall of text Beeping behind him. A sort of pink viscera explosion just barely in view. END]

which im particular stunned by seeing nieli's creations rendered in 2 dimensions. they looks so fucking good! tho, from all the other aesthetic makers within the show, it totally make sense, the sort of, graphic pop grime. donnie in partic looks so cute, feel like his look is possible BETTER suited for this than the cg, sorry stringbean.

no raph stunner shot sorry he was only in like 2 panels lol.

Rises "Farewell Story" was here. In which Andy Suriano made me cry and cheer and. GUH. look on the internet. u might see some shit. Also a showing from IDW mainline in "Father's Day"... can u maybe GUESS? fantastic gut punch.

[Teen Spirit: Story: Ronda Pattison Art: Pablo Tunica Letters: Tom Napolitano]

[ID: The current mainline comics look, influence from Campbell. The turtles are round and bulky, a light touch used defining the contours of their heads. Wearing grey lose clothes and white limb wraps. Clean detailed black line, water colour like detailed render. All five turtles in a rocky forest, various states of concentration to summon colour coded magic energies. Jennika on her stomach, kicking feat, playful. Leo hunched close to his, looking intent. Raph with tongue out, first in one hand. Donnie, in eyes closed mediation. Mikey, his hands over head, a rain of fallen leaves from his dispersed magic. He says "Whoops!" END]

Pattison I recconize as a prolific idw turtle colourist. tunica i dont but is another i WILL have to be on the look out for. who doesnt like the sophie campbell era of turtle. they are SOOOO. everything. to me.

bro. which fucking continuity has them all so fucking cute magic hijinks mentored by the SHREDDER. cant wait to find out (i think there was some ghilbi visual ref moments esp. in his panels. VERY CUTE. lord help us all) looook at them. look at raph :p. LOOK AT JENNY JENNY JENNIKA.

okay. thats it. hey guys? turtles is good.

[answermetatertot]

!! CHARACTER REDESIGN & ANNOUNCEMENT POST!! character description below if you can't read the image - ⚜️ everything takes place in a pseudo-rococo era for these little sea creatures. they have technology, it's just that it looks different from ours. TATER TOT ADELLUM ⚜️����

regent princess (ruling in place of her father)

ruler of the astroconfetti empire (a large space empire)

is made of cake. a walking cake girl.

teases tobias often

he's like eye candy for her

doesn't talk all that much... she only speaks when she has to or has something to say.

has a pet clam named hubert

knows tobias has an accent, but for some reason can't get him to talk in it

yes she has a thing for southern men TOBIAS JOE ⚜️

tater's attendant

former farm boy!

southern at heart but is trying so hard to erase that part of him

has a hillbilly family but doesn't want to talk about it

kind of ashamed of his accent, so he tries to hide it.

bro can't tell if tater's flirting with him or not and is too scared to ask DELPHINE DUPONT ⚜️

tater's most trusted advisor

french adjacent, also a cakeling like tater tot

tater's best friend, but she has *no problem* telling tater the truth, even if it's harsh.

more serious about her work than literally anyone on this list

the niece of a multi-billionaire, but she didn't get her position out of nepotism. delphine climbed her way up by proving that she is actually cut out for the job, and it took *years* to do so.

jakob's cousin! but they grew up like siblings

def suspects there's something going on between tater tot and tobias, but doesn't have proof enough to say anything.

JAKOB MONICRIEFFE 🍰

head of the financial department

son of a multi-billionaire, but got his position similarly to the way that delphine did.

earthling, not a cakeling

he's the life of the party!

he's pretty charismatic, but he can get his work done.

usually the one to convince delphine to do something fun

well-spoken & educated

bro can debate like no other. he's a champion

delphine's cousin!

he has a vague interest in tater tot. he may or may not pursue her

DIANE (LORELEI) KUZNETOV 🍰

Tater tot's secretary

she's the person a lot of people have a crush on in the office

smells like expensive candles & perfumes (dior's her favorite)

seems like a chill person

pretty kind and sweet

has goblin tendencies when no one's looking

working as a secretary as she's going to school to become a scientist!

specifically, she wants to become an astronomer. which is why she's gaining some experience working under alien leadership right now.

dating leon; it's a serious but slow burn relationship.

13th child out of 14 children

similarly to tobias, she has a weird relationship with her family

the only people in her family she has a good relationship with is her little sister and the eldest brother. (maybe i'll extend this post later to introduce them. I'll probably do that when I start introducing secondary characters)

LEON FAUST 🍰

head librarian...

he likes to keep to himself

doesn't really like jakob, thinks he's annoying

doesn't like tobias either, he thinks he's an idiot. but he can stand being around him.

thinks tater tot is ditzy (and he's kind of right)

respects delphine, but doesn't want to be friends with her.

can actually speak german!

he doesn't like anyone but diane

no siblings BOOOO

dating diane, and hopes he can marry her someday

is a really good cook (which is awesome because diane's a terrible cook)

he only cooks her and himself

as you've probably guessed by now, he's very introverted

⚜️-✨👑✨-⚜️

[undiamas18]

Luke: (Knocks on the door twice) Daddy? It's six o'clock.

Noah: (Hears him and gets out of bed - Whispers) I'm going.

Luke: How many eggs?

Noah: Just one, but remember not to over-beat the mixture, just to combine the ingredients.

Luke: Understood.

Luke: Is that okay?

Noah: Perfect, you're doing great.

Luke: Cooking is similar to creating magic potions. Don't you think?

Noah: (Smiles) That's true, I've never thought of it that way.

Luke: It's like I'm a top-level wizard ready to face the wise Morgyn Ember with my powerful potions. Do you think he really exists? He must be millions of years old.

Noah: His existence is a mystery to everyone, but lower-level wizards do exist. Many years ago, before you were born, your dad met an evil sorceress. Did he ever tell you that story?

Luke: (Shocked) WOOOO! Really?! A sorceress?! He never told me.

Noah: (Smiles) When he wakes up, we'll ask him to tell the details.

Luke: (Happy) Yes, I love hearing stories.

Noah: We're done, now we just have to wait for them to cook.

Luke: How long will it take?

Noah: Not long, they'll be ready in 10 minutes.

Luke: It's fun to cook. Can I help you next time you make desserts?

Noah: (Happy) Sure, honey, as many times as you want.

Noah: Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies ready to eat.

Luke: (Excited) When Sami tries these he'll be so happy.

Noah: (Worried) Sure thing, son. Could you wake your dad up for breakfast?

Luke: Yeep.

Luke: Dad, what are wizards like? Are they all evil? Daddy said that one time, an evil wizard took all your stuff.

Kira: No-chan, that was supposed to be a secret and suddenly everyone knows about my close encounter with the unknown.

Noah: (Laughs) Wizards aren't aliens.

Kira: (Pretends to get angry) Don't change the subject. You told everyone! You were supposed to keep it a secret.

Noah: Sorry, it was just so funny how things happened. I look back on it and I can't help but smile. Plus it's cute how you get embarrassed telling it.

Kira: (Feigning anger) I also remember something very funny that happened that day.

Noah: (Trying to guess internally what she means)

Awkward silence.

Luke: (Anxious) What?! What happened?! Finish the story this time because you always stay silent and never finish telling.

Kira: The day I came to tell your dad what happened, he got so worried about me that when he wanted to come hug me, he tripped and rolled off the bridge at the entrance. Do you remember when we fell together?

Noah: Yes, I do. Of all the stumbles I've had in my life, this was definitely the best one. Falling alone isn't fun.

Luke: (Watches carefully - Thoughts) It's true, doing things alone is boring. I wish I could show my stories to Sami. I've never met another boy my age who liked books like I do. I hope she agrees to be my girlfriend.

Saturday afternoon.

Luke: (Thoughts) Perfect! Everything is well organized. The conversation topics, the cookies, the letter. I just have to wait for it to arrive.

Yeah… just that. (Hesitating)

I'd better keep the letter. Nobody writes letters these days.

Noah: (Anxious) Send her a message, Ki. Maybe she can't find our house.

Kira: I'll call her and see where they are.

Sami: I want to go home! I forgot my cell phone.

Lucrecia: Stop complaining, we're almost there.

Sami: (Annoyed) I'm bored.

Lucrecia: You'll soon be playing with your new friend.

Sami: Why do I have to play with him? He's a fool, he says weird things.

Lucrecia: (Annoyed) Sami, this is my first date in years with a more or less decent guy. All I do is work, work and work. I only ask one favor of you, behave.

Sami: (Laughs out loud) Yes, yes. It's okay.

Kira: (he approaches to greet them) Hi babies, how are you? I was just about to call you. Was it difficult to find the way?

Sami: (Laughs) Yes, mom got lost several times.

Lucrecia: (Gritting her teeth) Samantha!

Kira: What a shame, I'm sorry. I should have called earlier.

Lucrecia: Don't worry, we didn't get lost.

Kira: Welcome to our home. Today we will treat you like queens.

Previous

https://www.tumblr.com/undiamas18/772741954655207424/kira-washing-dishes-how-was-your-day-are-they?source=share

Next

https://www.tumblr.com/undiamas18/772769639567622144/lucrecia-your-house-is-more-colorful-than-i?source=share

[ecargmura]

Astro Note Episode 1 Review - Romcom With Aliens

Everyone’s going “This is like Maison Ikkoku”, but I don’t know what that is. I looked it up and it’s one of Rumiko Takahashi’s works with a similar premise. Is it fun? Please let me know. Anyways, I’m always someone who has to watch something weird every season and this seems to be that ‘weird’ anime.

Why is it weird? The story starts off with a space chase as someone in a spaceship escapes from a bigger spaceship and lands in Japan. Then the story transitions to the “alien” already settling on Earth and is landlady of Astro Lodge where the main character Takumi Miyasaka is looking to work at. Unfortunately, the landlady, Mira Gotokuji, actually put in wrong information about the place. Astro Lodge was stated to be a restaurant in the job description, but it’s actually a share house that serves breakfast, but the landlady is looking for a chef because her cooking is catastrophic and her tenants want food because they were promised so. After Takumi shows off his cooking skills, Mira apologizes for the mess up, but he decides to move into Astro Lodge because he wants to cook and because he developed an instant crush on Mira the moment he laid eyes on her. What Takumi doesn’t know is that she’s actually an alien looking for a key and her protective poodle Naosuke is also an alien. All he knows is that she might be a widow and his chances to be with her might be harder than he’d expect.

The premise is pretty simple. It’s like a romcom and slice of life mixed with sci-fi in a way. Since it’s anime original, how the story will go is to be determined. Right now, I think I’m liking what I’m seeing so far. Other than Takumi, everyone in the share house seems to have their own secrets. Mira and Naosuke are aliens and Matsubara is an underground idol. Yamashita is stated to be a novelist, but nothing shows up when searching him. There must be a catch; Takumi predicts that he might be using a pen name, and I think so too, but I think that he might be writing erotic novels. Heck, I think Mr. Wakabayashi is the most suspicious of the bunch. He may not be an alien, but it’s weird how he’s unemployed but still wears a suit, pays his rent and affords an education to let his son Ren go to school. I guess the characters’ real identities will be revealed as the show keeps going.

To be honest, the animation is pretty average. It’s not great, but it’s not bad either. The funny faces are hilarious and the food porn looks great, but other than that, it’s pretty simplistic. The soundtracks not that memorable either. The opening and ending songs were great and the insert song of Maaya Uchida and Soma Saito singing during Mira and Takumi’s outing was nice; Terurun’s song was nice too. The songs without vocals aren’t that memorable, honestly.

The voice acting cast is actually the strongest in this anime. It’s an all-star cast with Soma Saito and Maaya Uchida as the leads. They fit the characters well and I love how Soma Saito screams so loudly during the scene where Naosuke bites his head. The supporting cast consists of Shinichiro Miki as Yamashita, Tomokazu Sugita as Mr. Wakabayashi, Rie Kugimiya as Ren Wakabayashi and Junichi Suwabe as Naosuke. Such a solid cast and they’re all amazing at comedy, so I’m not too worried about their performance because they will always do a solid job. I am not familiar with Ai Furihata, who voices Matsubara, but given that she voices a Love Live character, her singing skills are good. I quite like her singing voice a lot. The way her voice lowers during funny scenes was nice to hear too!

I’m liking what I’m seeing so far. I just hope that the story stays consistent. I’ll be tuning in next week to see what will happen to Takumi. What are your thoughts on this episode?