#anyway i wasn't planning to do this but i did it anyway!!!

[pomefioredove]

Hi! i’d like to order a sugar cookie, 11, with powdered sugar, marshmallows, and whipped cream please! (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)

o7 this was really fun to write!

order #11, sugar with whipped cream, powdered sugar, marshmallows

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ it don't take a word

summary: relationship sabotage and ariel!reader tropes: royalty au, roommate au, coffee shop au (mentioned) characters: floyd additional info: romantic, gender neutral reader, little mermaid au!!! actual relationship sabotage

Azul had warned him about this.

"Don't get too invested," he had said, "It's only business."

But, then, when had Floyd ever really listened to his boss? He had been told to keep watch, "Don't let them out of your sight", were the exact words. He cozied up in your room at the castle, called himself a cook, and then got comfortable. It wasn't his fault that there was just... something about you.

Really, if Azul wanted professionalism, he would've had Jade do his dirty work.

You were a lot like him, Floyd had thought. Never happy where you were, always looking for the next interesting thing. That's why you had gone to Azul in the first place, wasn't it? You wanted to be human.

And there was some... boy, or something. Some prince.

Floyd didn't really care about him.

It was his job to prevent you and the guy from getting too close, anyway. What did it matter if Floyd jumped in his place? Azul didn't even have to know! Azul didn't have to know anything.

"Don't get too invested. It's just business,"

But it's not. Not now. Floyd hates when you leave your room to go see that guy. Going to work is one thing, Floyd can sit around a coffee shop on Azul's dime all day, but he can't stalk your dates. That would be... well, sloppy. He didn't really care about the morality of it, but the last thing he needed was for you to get suspicious.

Tonight, you're going to kiss him. The boy, not Floyd. He'd overheard your fishy friends bubbling about it.

Obviously, that's not going to happen.

If he were Jade, or even Azul, he might have the patience to plan something smart. He'd stage an accident and make himself a hero, or he'd blackmail your little boyfriend into backing off.

But he's Floyd, not Jade or Azul.

And so he tails your romantic evening (dinner and a boat ride? Lame, he could do so much better for you) waits to get in the water, and then flips your boat.

You look funny when you're all surprised. Floundering around in that silly outfit as if you didn't know how to swim. No kiss for you!

He practically has to bite your little boyfriend (and by that I mean he does bite him) to get ahold of you and pull you out of the water first.

"Hey, it's you!" he shouts, dragging you to shore. "What're you doing in the water, flapping your arms around like a fish without fins, huh?"

You sputter, covered in seaweed and saltwater, pointing at him.

"You know this guy?" your boything asks. Floyd ignores him.

"I was out for a swim,"

You squint, as if to say ...Now? In your clothes?

Floyd looks down at himself. He's wearing a full suit. Oh, right. "Didn't really feel like changing,"

You seem to accept that, and keep picking the kelp out of your hair, but your prince looks suspicious. Floyd sticks his tongue out at him.

"Awh, you're all wet. Guess you're gonna have to call off your little date," he says, taking you by the arms and lifting you to your feet. "Let's get you dried up. Wouldn't wanna catch something, huh?"

He grabs your wrist and drags you away before you can say no.

Floyd slams the door as soon as you're inside with him, losing the tension in his shoulders. "Don't get too invested," Azul had said.

Azul doesn't know anything.

"Poor fishy. Your prince didn't even spare you a second glance!" he says, dumping a heap of towels on your head. "He woulda let you drown if I weren't there. You're real lucky."

You give him a pout. He pretends he doesn't see it. "Here, I'll make 'ya something warm,"

Floyd goes down to the kitchen, and you follow, towel wrapped around your shivering shoulders.

He starts heaping butter and oil into a pan, and then looks over his shoulder at you. You stand there, silent as ever. What he wouldn't give to hear you speak. Just once.

"...Ya know," he says, kicking the oven to get it started. "...I could probably call in a few favors for the voice thing."

You raise an eyebrow. He smirks. "What, you don't believe me? Just... keep that in mind. If the whole prince thing doesn't work out,"

[evecolourshock]

"Ram built and submitted one already, but if someone asks then you're welcome to provide yours." Alan assured Ed. "I have my own as well, but I'm currently working on the principle that if I'm not asked for it, then it's not needed."

"I'm hoping Mackey will be smart enough to take the severance packet he'll be offered and honour its stipulations, for his kids' sakes if not his own. Leaving quietly, rather than in disgrace, and maybe one day he'll end up a wiser man. But that decision is in his hands, not ours."

"Interim Chair, maybe. I don't plan on keeping it - never did - but having experience in that role and being the current public face anyway should help smooth public opinion while we figure out what we're actually going to do with the company." Alan glanced up at where he guessed Ed was watching from. "I'm also thinking of asking Walter - Doctor Gibbs - if he wants to come out of retirement to help Encom recover, maybe run the place for a while but at minimum take over as CTO. He might not be a young man any more, but he's canny and sharp still, with a phenomenal knowledge base when it comes to the older systems and I know he's been doing his best to keep familiarity with the newer ones. He doesn't care all that much about names or looks or anything else, only in whether people can do their jobs well - Lora's a good example of Gibbs' philosophy, wasn't common to have a lady as head of a technical department back in the eighties but he knew she could do the work better than any of the other candidates and gave her the position anyway."

"Any of the managerial positions are open for you, should you want them. Permanent, temporary... up to you." Alan continued. "You don't have to take a role on alone, if you'd prefer someone else help you. And I'm open to suggestions if there's someone you think would be suited to a position. Right now, you and I are the sum of board-level managers, and both Finance and Law are in complete disarray so I'd expect a few rats being shaken out at all levels there."

Ed relaxed into Eve's embrace, his anxiety from the short trip finally easing.

"That's good--All of it. I'm glad Clu's handling things well."

After a minute, he reluctantly let go of Eve, and picked up the bags to carry to the area that had been converted into a lounge.

Once everything was organized and put away, he returned to the laserbay. The sooner they get started, the better... and he should really check in with Clu.

[venomdol]

Title: "The First Time Rin Said 'I Love You'"

Character: Rin Itoshi x Reader

Word Count: ~1,250

You didn't intend to fall asleep on Rin's couch.

The plan was straightforward, view a couple of episodes of the anime he was strangely fixated on these days, ensure he properly ate dinner instead of canned coffee and whatever scraps were available in his fridge, then head home before it was too late.

You were even congratulating yourself in your mind for having pulled him away from his training videos for the evening.

But here you were now: lights low, the TV's glow casting soft blues and purples over the room, your form curled up in one of Rin's giant hoodies, fast asleep against his shoulder.

And Rin?

His eyes were fixed on the TV, but he wasn't focused on it. His brain was elsewhere entirely, on you.

You looked peaceful like this. Warm. Soft. Familiar.

He never liked feelings. Never trusted them. They made things complicated.

You rolled slightly in your sleep, molding even closer into him. Your hand lay directly over his ribs, your breath softly brushing his neck.

He looked down at you.

All the noise in him stopped.

And before he could think twice about saying it, he whispered it.

"I love you."

But once said, he couldn't take them back.

He took a breath. Observed you intently. But you didn't move. Didn't twitch. Didn't open your eyes and ask questions.

More to himself than to you.

You were asleep.

And perhaps… that was fine.

Perhaps that was precisely what he required—to speak it without requiring anything in return. To confess it in the silence, the shadows, the places where words didn't seem to ring so loudly.

Because Rin Itoshi did not confess lightly.

But he felt intensely.

And he had been feeling this way for some time now.

You woke up to the scent of weak coffee and the quiet whir of the AC.

It was still dark outside, but the TV had long since gone off. Your head was heavy, and it took you a few seconds to remember where you were, Rin's couch, Rin's hoodie, Rin's heat still pressed against you.

He hadn't shifted.

Your eyes barely opened to peer up at him. He lay sleeping now, hardly, head resting against yours, hair negligently falling in his eyes, lips parted in the gentlest look you've ever seen him make.

You blinked.

And then you recalled it.

"I love you."

You weren't certain if you had dreamed about it. It had been so gentle. So hesitant. But you recalled how it made your chest constrict, the way it made your heart pound even in sleep.

You glanced at him.

He hadn't ever said it. Not even remotely. He didn't do grand gestures or sappy speeches. Rin's love language was silence.

But that?

That had been real.

And for one second you just sat there, breath frozen, heat spreading through your chest like fireworks too big for your ribs to contain.

You leaned forward, placing the lightest kiss on his cheek.

His skin was warm, soft under your lips.

"Love you too," you whispered, fingers gliding over his hand.

He didn't move.

But you remained there anyway.

The next morning, Rin woke up earlier than you.

You were still wrapped in his hoodie, still curled up in his side like you fit there.

He didn't move. Just gazed at you for a while. Considered what he said.

He recalled it vividly now, how the words had escaped him like a secret that had been pent up to be unleashed.

He didn't know you overheard him.

He thought it would take him weeks to muster the courage to say it once more. Perhaps months. Perhaps never. He was never proficient at this.

But when you stirred, stretching a bit and blinking up at him, there was something else in your eyes. Something warm and knowing.

You didn't say anything at first.

Just smiled at him, bright, sleepy, loving. And then, as naturally as if you were asking him what to have for breakfast,

"So… you love me, huh?"

His heart dropped.

"Wh—what?"

"Got it from the your mouth last night," you teased, bumping your nose up against his. "I was asleep. Sorta. But I overheard it."

Rin turned crimson in 0.2 seconds.

He glanced away, ears burning. ".Tch. Thought you were out cold."

"I was." You grinned. "But I'm glad I wasn't completely."

He glared, but you could sense it was just embarrassment. There was no spite to it. Just Rin being Rin.

You leaned into him once more, your arms around his waist. "I love you too, you know."

Rin didn't respond.

Not in words.

But the way his arms circled around you spoke volumes.

He held you close, buried his face in your shoulder, and smiled when you couldn't see it.

[theweirdhybrid]

@where-does-the-heart-lie KICKS OPEN THE DOOR

OKAY I WENT BACK THROUGH AND FOUND ALL THE FORESHADOWING MOMENTS/HINTS I POSSIBLY COULD (i think. i could be reading too much into some of these + might've missed some) OF STELLY AND SALLY'S (AND APPARENTLY MANNY'S!!!!!!) TRUE INTENTIONS IN WITTB HERE WE GO (this was originally an ask but it was too long so I made it into a tumblr post lmao)

(and to anyone seeing this w/o context all art in this post belongs to Whery- the person I mentioned above- and it's from their One Piece fancomic Water is Thicker Than Blood and you should all go read it RIGHT NOW)

First up here we go WAYYY back in chapter 26 (almost two years ago!!! woah!!!!!!) we get the first mention of the letter!!! Stelly tells Sabo to wait until someone comes out, which I know was just him saying that so Sabo wouldn't leave, but imagine if Sabo had Actually waited. Can you imagine how long it could've taken for Sabo to realize Stelly lied?? Definitely would've added to his anger. And Stelly also mentions he wants Sabo to read the letter when he gets home, which means it was meant as an apology for how awful the day would've turned out for him if it had gone according to Stelly's plan, though it still turned out awful for Sabo, just not in the way Stelly intended

And in chapter 27... this moment. When I first saw it I thought Stelly was asking cus he was Afraid, but personally I think this was him hoping Luffy would help Sabo wreck things OR he DIDN'T want him to be there bc he was worried he would help calm Sabo and Stop The Carnage (which he did in fact do at the end. kinda. lmao)

And then again in chapter 28 Stelly says THIS. He might've said this with innocent intentions BUT knowing he was purposefully trying to make Sabo's day Awful it's possible he was just trying to add on to that (especially considering his reaction when Sabo DOESN'T maul him) Idk, this one's up in the air but STILL. EVERYTHING HE SAYS IS SUS NOW. anyways moving on

Next is chapter 39, Manny Does His Thing and psychoanalyzes Ace, thus pissing him off a few moments later. Could this have been innocent on his part, especially considering his embarrassment when Ace shuts him down? Could be, could be... BUT THAT SMIRK.... THAT DAMN SMIRK......... I am CONVINCED this was intentional on some part because if it wasn't, well. Manny needs to learn what boundaries are lmao (i could also just be salty over BJG being a little TRAITOR and dragging his name through the mud but shhhh)

And then here!!! Right here in chapter 42!!!!! The panel that made everyone start to wonder what could've possibly been in the letter that would've made Sabo so mad!!!!!!!! This is one of the more obvious ones but I spent like five hours on this so compiled this for a reason HAHA

Chapter 43! Manny has drawn his Iconic Capricorn!! He acts cagey and hesitant, but I'm onto him [insert suspicious squinting emoji here] I half feel like I'm gaslighting myself here but then I remember That God Damn Smirk Manny makes a few chapters later, and I KNOW he was in on it from the beginning. Why was he riling up Ace??? To make it harder to keep Sabo in check, but JOKES ON MANNY bc Ace has a REMARKABLE level of self control and a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE FOR HIS BROTHERS!!!!!!!! Manny underestimated Ace I fear (or I'm just reading too far into it LOL)

And then, of course, chapter 55, we get This Scene, the evidence that Manny is most DEFINITELY IN ON IT!!!!!!! Sally knows what's coming up, and is giving Manny a heads up. Why? Yet to be seen. Maybe Manny had a hand in how it all went down, but she whispered to him FOR A REASON. And it was about the later scene, where They corner Sabo at dinner!!!!! Ace has a right to be sus, they're tryna make Sabo's day worse!!!!!!!! And they did!!! The fuckers

Next chapter, chapter 56, we see Sally nervous about approaching Sabo with the letter. For good reason! She doesn't give it to him, actually she does something aguably worse but!!! Now we know why she was SO nervous lmao

Lotta hints in a row here. Chapter 57, Sally hides the letter (or at least the name on it) to ask A Super Invasive Question Of Someone She Literally Just Met!!! Girl. I honestly can't tell if Sally was against upsetting Sabo from the start (especially considering this entire chapter) and trying to avoid upsetting him or was just Nervous in general, but either way. She could've said ANYTHING instead of going right for the goddamn THROAT like GEEZ

And chapter 58... That smirk.... that DAMNED smirk.......... he was in on it. There's no way he wasn't. That is an EVIL little smirk he was ABSOLUTELY trying to make things worse, or at least he was looking forward to the chaos. I can just imagine him in the background eating popcorn like "fight fight FIGHT FIGHT FI- oh man he's walking away :( damn"

I really don't think Sally wanted to upset Sabo considering this panel in chapter 59, at least not actually coming face to face with him. Her "this is too far" comment tells me that Stelly hired Jalmack ON PURPOSE (and also that she had NO IDEA. backed up by her initial reaction to learning who the priest was) Like, good grief ANYONE would recognize that as too far, except for Stelly apparently. Rereading I am SHOCKED I didn't put together what was going on considering this one, but it's such a blink and you'll miss it moment because oF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SAME CHAPTER

That face she makes!!! We all knew she did it on purpose but that face she makes really drives the whole thing home like WOW...... Grim determination with a hint of remorse.. harsh.

Rereading, the panel here in chapter 65 where Stelly and Sally are leaning on each other lowkey reads as them being like "Omg look at him go he's finally going apeshit!! Our hard work has payed off honey :D" but I also know this was likely them leaning on each other for support considering. everything. yeah. But Stelly at least was at LEAST a little relieved Sabo was finally losing it. Sally likely needed the hug. But yeah no this was DEF another hint (also Stelly when did you get here.... we didn't see him sit down I'm just now realizing, but to be fair we were more focused on Sabo than Stelly so it makes sense we didn't see him lol)

Breaking the mold a bit w the format of this post by adding two panels at once here but I feel it's needed to drive the point across. This right here, in chapter 66, was ABSOLUTELY Stelly realizing he went too far. And it was ONLY because he got sent into a flashback too. THIS was Stelly realizing what exactly he was doing to Sabo, because his plan ended up backfiring and hurt him instead of just Sabo. I would LOVE to see what exactly Stelly's reaction was when Sabo ran out. The mix of emotions he was probably feeling here is DELICIOUS to imagine. When I initially saw this I thought he was getting angry on Sabo's behalf, and maybe he was a little but it was mostly him realizing how Badly he fucked up, and also the emotions that come with getting trigged like that. An entire bag worth of emotions and I am so HDAWJDKAJDAHK that I went back after the latest chapter to find moments like this because WOW

This panel here in chapter 67 is a bit of a smaller moment, and I realize this was mostly a reaction to an Angry Man Storming Up To Them, but their combined flinch and Stelly's expression was NOT just because of what just happened. Sally was ABSOLUTELY feeling guiltly and so was Stelly, who didn't appear all that shocked Sabo flipped a table. It feels more like he was startled he went for the table they were sitting at, or like he was startled out of the flashback. But this was def part of it. Or maybe I'm just adding this bc this was the ONE thing Sabo wrecked and I'm proud of him for it LMAO

And then, in one of the recent ones, chapter 82, Sabo is expecting Stelly to snitch on him like Stelly always has and he DOESN'T. And now we know why!! Because THIS was what Stelly wanted!!!! Sabo's finally about to wreck something and Stelly's here for it!!!!!! Even though he's very much still afraid of Sabo as seen in the next panel

Stelly was absolutely returning these because he felt guilty. I thought he'd just felt bad in general, but no, it was guilt. He orchestrated this entire night to make it as Horrible As Possible for Sabo and the ONLY reason he feels bad about it is because IT HURT STELLY TOO. I mean yeah I think his regret is genuine, but he hasn't even APOLOGIZED YET. If he really wants to have Sabo at his REAL WEDDING, because he WANTS TO MAKE AMENDS, he NEEDS to apologize and follow through. THIS ^ IS NOT AN ACTUAL APOLOGY. Fuckin. Little bastard man I love how complicated he is so MUCCHHHHHH but also Stelly. My Man. APOLOGIZE. Urgh I love how you can still see his canon characteristics shine through with this reveal but I also HATE ITTT because WOW. HE'S AN ASSHOLE.

And here's a bonus of Stelly trying to run before Sabo can read the letter and failing LMAO

Anyways yeah that's all I got I'm going to bed now it is. way too late and I am NOT tagging this whatsoever and I apologize for any spelling errors the screen is blurring around the edges hwadhkadja

This is my small love letter to WITTB Whery bc I adore how you wrote everything, from the characters to the pacing to how you draw the faces and convey emotions and just dhwajwjkdak yeah. yeah. I'm not even hyperfixated on One Piece anymore (still keeping up w it tho) but this series STILL holds a special place in my heart and I love it to bits!!! Thank you so much for making this and I personally cannot WAIT to see Sabo's full reaction to Stelly's manipulative little scheme HAHAHAAA okay i'm crashing now goodnight

[rekino2114]

A/n:this is incredibly self indulgent but I don't care I had a bad day and my teacher sucks so this is my way to rant and get my revenge (and also I'm just really enjoying writing for the horsemen girls so there's that too)

I was just thinking that 3 of the 4 horsemen of apocalypse, the strongest devils in existence who could destroy and murder basically everything and everyone like it's nothing.........are just normal students. Especially after they met you and abandoned whatever plans they had in mind to stay with you, they just go to class, study and do normal student stuff

So imagine you jokingly saying that you wish your teacher would die and your devil girlfriend taking that 100% seriously

Yoru would definitely be the most excited about it, she's actually been waiting for you to ask her to kill someone for a long time..... murder is kind of her love language.

"Sometimes I just wish my teacher would just drop dead in the middle of class y'know? She's so angry all the time for no reason"

"Which way?"

"Hm?"

"Which way do you wish she would die?"

"I dunno, i wasn't serious anyway"

"Damn you're really making it hard for the hypothetical murderer"

"........I know saying that is definitely not going to change your mind but....can you please not kill her?"

"Why did you assume I was going to?"

"Cause you asked me which way I would like to see her die.......and also I know you"

"It was just a hypothetical"

"Whatever"

The next day your teacher is mysteriously missing and yoru just casually happens to have a new weapon that she shows off to you while smiling

Fami would be confused at first, after all you were the one who showed her how great life was and how valuable human lives were, but she didn't argue at all since well....you were the one to say it

Fami's moral compass is basically "Whatever y/n says is right" you are like the one person (except her sisters......most of the time) that treats her with love and basic respect so she would literally do anything you ask her to do just so you don't leave her (like you'd ever do that) including killing people.....it's not like she wasn't planning mass genocide before she met you anyway

"H-huh r-really?"

"Hehe, that would be nice wouldn't it?"

"....o-ok, I g-guess I c-could try"

"...what?"

"B-but then i-i'll be late for our date tonight, c-can you wait o-one more day please"

"......wait for what?"

".....for her......s-salvation"

"...........were you thinking of killing our teacher?"

".........i-is that not what you wanted?"

"No, it was just a joke"

".....oh........t-then no, i-i would have never t-thought about that......hehe.......eh"

"..................."

"W-wahhhhhhhh!!!! I-i *sniffles* I'm so sorry y/n......p-please don't break up with m-me!"

"I-it's fine fami"

Death will just nod and look at you like you asked her to take out the trash or something

To be honest she already thought about killing her the moment she saw the teacher was being too mean and harsh to you (and because she told her she couldn't eat in class) but never went through with it cause she thought you'd be angry with her if she did that

But now you actively said that you wished she'd die so there's nothing stopping her. She casually continues your conversation while sending falling devil to take care of the teacher

"Maybe we'd even get some days off from that, I doubt that's just magically gonna happen though"

"...................."

"....death, why are you looking at me like that?"

"...did you...not just say you wanted her to die?"

"Well yeah but it was just a joke"

"....................."

".....death what did you do?"

"Sorry, it seems I still don't fully understand human humor"

".....oh my God did you actually just kill her?"

"I could go and see what parts of her remain......I did ask falling to be brutal because she insulted you thought....so it's probably not much"

"...........*sighs* it's.....it's alright, she was awful anyway"

[bossuary]

There's no universe where I accept that Lucanis knows anything about seduction. Sorry.

He recognizes flirting. That's it.

No innuendos, no natural smiles, no mirroring of gestures. He simply doesn't have the range, darling. And how could he? When would he have spent un-structured, non-training time with his peer group in a social setting? What peers? What friends?

To develop comfort and ease with this sort of thing it can't be a single interaction, it has to be repeated, sustained. It has to be iterated upon. There's just...no fucking way Caterina (or anyone in her employ) let Lucanis wander around making friends outside the Crows, or pursuing any of the dumb shit that people naturally pursue to fulfill themselves and be a part of society.

The fledglings probably steal time away to rebel, to goof off and get in trouble. But not Lucanis. Not the First Talon's demon of a grandson. All the knowledge he has, his skills of observation, his contacts...that's work shit. He never went to school with someone who became an accountant or a bricklayer. Never traded silly stories about pets or vacations. His socialization was limited to whatever served the role Caterina assigned to him.

The only reason Lucanis developed 'cooking' as a hobby is because he has to eat anyway, and so does everyone else. You can't get beaten for learning how to feed yourself. His only other hobby is knives. Because he doesn't understand hobbies. He didn't 'train to be an assassin,' he was forced to be THE ASSASSIN. Like, the platonic ideal of an assassin. The wiki entry.

He makes it clear that his life did not allow for personal pursuits. He says it in a lot of ways, sometimes literally but often just in how he reacts to Rook and the others. There wasn't purpose in becoming interested in things just for the fun of it, for self-actualization. Without that, he lost out on the development of interpersonal skills most of us would take for granted.

A non-comprehensive list of things most people learned to do while Lucanis was sweating and starving and not crying out at the impact of Caterina's cane:

how to work with a diverse group of people

how to resolve conflict

how to process failure

how to identify needs and boundaries...and express them

how to engage in social conversation

how to daydream

how to play

how to love

Stuff you would pick up without even realizing it, from your friends and schoolmates, your co-workers...your parents. I don't want to make it seem like I think Lucanis' life was wall-to-wall shit. He is wealthy in a way that is beyond the reach of every companion (save Dorian) we've ever had, across all four DA games. He has a support system. His kindness, humor, and ability to make a place for himself at the Lighthouse post-Ossuary mark him as a man of unimaginable resiliency. So, he must have carved out some goodness in his life.

My point is that the good moments were the exception, and in my view, they wouldn't have given him a foundation on which to build any kind of meaningful experience in terms of desire, seduction, romance, and sex.

He reads a lot! That's helpful. And I credit Lucanis' training for likely giving him a sharp insight on body language and facial expressions. But knowing HOW to read doesn't mean you've understood WHAT you read. Romance novels aren't primers for physical relationships any more than sci-fi books are manuals for technology you just haven't encountered yet.

He's 36 and he's never been on vacation, gone ice-skating, raised a pet companion, or had a relationship. He doesn't know how to send flowers, dress provocatively, or plan a romantic weekend in the countryside. He KNOWS that he doesn't know how. The Lighthouse is full of people who have done these things, and more. Rook included.

HERE, in the pantry, Lucanis moves forward without a single piece of lived experience to guide him. The man who plans his every move six weeks advance, and has a knife for every occasion is absolutely flying blind. What he knows is that he wants Rook (a thing as deep as it is new) and Rook has been so clear about wanting him that even if this goes Wrong, Rook will make it okay, somehow. And I just can't reckon that any version of him as secretly suave and confident is preferable or more alluring than this one: the weird little guy who, deSpite all of the above factors, still fucking Goes For It.

That guy can get it.

[softmangoes]

joseph, jack, and jealousy

18+ only | push and pull | for @outsideexistentlines

joseph

"you've been spending a lot of time with them," joseph says. it's a statement more than a question. an accusation more than an observation. he's seen you talking to them while wrapped in the shadows behind the set, your hand covering the smile he thought was his. don't you remember, sunshine? you were the one who told him that only he could ever see you like that.

it's because he's been so busy, isn't it? because the show's gotten so popular? he can't help that it's topped the charts or that he keeps getting calls for more gigs. after all, he was doing this to support the both of you. one day, you would leave the studio with all of its lights and crowds to find a place that was warm and quiet. a new life together - that was the plan, right?

the studio is bustling with activity: techs rolling in fake trees, extras chatting by the craft table, the grips adjusting the spotlights. for a moment, joseph considers taking advantage of the chaos by grabbing your hand so you could walk through the double doors towards anywhere else. if stardom and stability meant being away from you, then that was a price he wasn't willing to keep paying.

but even after everything the two of you have been through, abandonment is a wound that his bones know well.

a production assistant yells that there's only five minutes left until the break is over. it's them, your friend. when their eyes find you, they smile.

jack

"i need a smoke," joseph says as he turns towards the door. he feels the brush of your fingertips against his wrist. it's gentle, like a whisper across his skin. but he keeps walking, because a whisper isn't loud enough to drown the voices in his head. the voices that tell him he should leave before he is left.

"i'm just worried about you," jack says, draping his arms around your shoulders. you feel his soft blue locks brush against your neck, the warm puff of his breath settle along your collarbone. your fingers pause over the keyboard, surprised by his sudden embrace.

"worried?" you ask, wrapping one of your hands around his wrist. if there was a hesitance to the way that he held you, it melts instantly with his sigh. there's something about your touch that makes him relax, as if he had just been met with an answer he was anxiously waiting to hear.

"you've been coming home late, sunshine," he says, voice barely a murmur. "and you haven't been sleeping well."

somehow, you're not surprised that he's brought this up. ever since you met, jack has been particularly attuned to how you are feeling at any given time. it's a nice trait to have in a friend, especially one as caring as him.

"i just have something on my mind," you tell him.

"someone, you mean." the sharpness in his voice is enough to cut through the fog. you grip his wrist tighter, suppressing the tears welling in your eyes.

meeting your ex had been a mistake. even after all this time, he was the same selfish idiot who only wanted to make amends because he couldn't bear the idea of someone hating him as much as you did. you're not sure what you wanted out of the conversation, anyway. despite how long it had been since the breakup, a part of you missed the companionship you had once shared, though you would never admit it.

when you open your mouth to reply, your breath hitches at the sensation of jack's tongue sliding along the length of your neck.

"you aren't alone, sunshine." jack's voice is a low murmur, filled with a hunger that strays from his usual cheeriness. he tightens his grasp on you, caging you in his embrace as his teeth rake across your skin. "should i remind you?"

you find yourself nodding, desire curling within your core tight as a vise. when you part your lips again, he slips two fingers into your mouth, and for a moment you have no idea where you end and he begins.

[allofmytoxicity]

Lauren

a/n: less depressing this time! I promise I'm not completely insane. I also know I've messed around with the timeline slightly, but hey, I don't care, people mess around with timelines a whole lot. I'm proud I've done this.

bradley bradshaw x childhood best friend!fem!reader

Summary: For years, Bradley Bradshaw had been your best friend; a safe space. So when Seresin makes you have a slip of the tongue, how do you repair your friendship?

Word Count: 2.4k

TW: SET BEFORE TOP GUN: MAVERICK!!!!! Jake being a dick, lots of crying, drinking (if that can even be counted as a tw?), some fluffy moments mixed in with loads of sad.

My god had you fucked up.

You hadn't even realised it until you'd let the words slip, but you'd said it. You had admitted that you loved Bradley Bradshaw; best friend and the whole reason you were still living in San Diego.

Originally, when you both left high school, you thought about just going straight to college somewhere else across the US with Bradley, maybe even venturing across the pond somewhere. You two had always planned on going to college together and with Carole dying not long before, you were jet set on making the plan happen.

That was though, until Bradley got accepted in the University of Virginia, allowing him to still be enlisted as well as get through college.

You, throughout all of that, had gotten an acceptance letter to UC San Diego - right where you and Bradley had both wanted to end up anyway in the end. You desperately didn't want to give the opportunity up to go do your dream course at a university that you wanted to go to and Bradley didn't dispute that.

So, the plan was set; keep the friendship long distance, meet up during holidays and then meet up there once you'd both finished your uni courses. It was perfect.

The plan was working perfectly until Bradley's papers got pulled.

You still remember it clear as day in your head. Just getting off your shift from the newly opened bar called 'The Hard Deck' that all the locals at the navy base went to, you'd gotten a call from Bradley.

Thinking it was just a normal catch up call from whatever he was doing on the east coast. you accepted the call, thinking nothing of it. You were proved wrong seconds into the call though, with Bradley eerily quiet down the phone.

When you asked him about his day, that was when a switch flipped in him. He wasn't just mad, but he also wasn't just sad as he ranted down the phone at you about how Maverick pulled his papers from applying to Top Gun.

Top Gun.

The institution every naval pilot wanted to get into, a handful of candidates picked every year to complete the training.

Maverick had pulled Bradley's papers from being able to get into Top Gun and you couldn't him. Maverick had always been lovely to you when you saw him come into the bar and was Bradley's surrogate father.

You couldn't see why on earth he had done what he had. He had no reason nor business to pull Bradley's papers, so why had he done it?

That you never really did find out, but it was definitely a deal he didn't deserve.

Ignoring that, over the next two years, you put your own career on hold and helped Bradley rebuild his. From talking to other pilots to using those same pilots to help get Bradley promotions and finally a way into Top Gun.

That was when the feelings started.

When Bradley arrived in San Diego he was different. Yes, you knew he had changed over the last few years because of navy work, but you didn't realise just how much.

He'd gotten fitter, faster and managed to grow some facial hair. It was almost as if he was a different man - which, when compared to the boy you knew in high school, he was very different.

You didn't realise how much you loved him until Penny confronted you about it during your shift when you'd blushed at yet another stupid pun he had made.

And that was when you'd realised; you were in fucking love with him.

You'd pushed it down for years, hiding laughs in coughs and moving your hair to hide any warmth that spread across your face when he made that goofy smile at you. The hardest part of that thought, was seeing him on dates with other girls. Whether it be at the bar or at home (you two had decided to move in together to make it easier on the both of you for paying bills), you couldn't miss it when Bradley brought a date home. Yet you still moved on with your life.

So after all those years, you'd realised Bradley Bradshaw was the best thing you never knew you had and you'd possibly fucked it all up in one move.

And it was all because of fucking Jake Seresin.

Tonight, all the naval pilots at Top Gun had decided to come to the hard deck, for yet another darts tournament that both you and Penny had bets on Seresin to win.

Everything was going to plan; the pilots got there, got their drinks and started the tournament as you and Penny served the other customers. It was fine, but that was until the man himself, Jake Seresin came up to the bar just as you were staring at Bradley making his shot at the darts board.

It took you a moment to notice Jake to even begin with, taking his beer bottle back from where it was placed on the bar, grabbing another one.

"Tell me this y/n, why do you keep staring at Bradshaw?" Jake asks, placing his forearms on the bar as you passed him the now uncapped beer.

Flicking your head to stare straight at him, your eyes widened. How could you have been so stupid? Of course, yes, you'd passed glances at Bradley throughout the number of evenings the pilots stopped by the bar, but you didn't realised how bad it was. You'd been staring for Christ's sake!

"Because I'm watching him throw darts." You retort back at the pilot standing in front of you as you tried to busy yourself doing other things around the bar.

"That doesn't exactly seem right though, does it sweetheart?" Jake says, moving with you around the bar as you kept yourself busy.

Glaring at him, it took everything in you not to slap Jake silly at him calling out your actions, but you refused to say anything, trying to keep your dignity. You had a masters degree for fucks sake! You shouldn't be here trying to not slap a pilot while you worked on cleaning down a bar.

"Well it's the truth, Seresin." You grumble, glare still holding strong.

"You're in love with him aren't you?" Jake says, smirking, clearly catching onto your lies.

"No I'm not." You state, closing your eyes for a moment, trying to shove every opposing thought to that to the back of your mind.

"Yes you are, and I know it." Jake says, smirk more prominent now as he managed to rile you up more with each word.

"No, I'm not Seresin, now get over it and go back to your friends." You say, slapping the cloth down onto the bar, getting sick of his bullshit.

"Oh come on y/n! Just admit you love him!" Jake says and that was the last straw for you. You were sick and tired of Jake Seresin bullshitting you, so you blew up just to get him to leave you alone.

"Fine! I love him! I love Bradley Bradshaw! Is that good enough for you Seresin!" You yell, silencing the whole bar and scaring Jake in to complete and utter silence; even scaring his as so then he shrinks back into himself slightly.

You look around at the silenced bar, no one daring to move or utter a single syllable to get The Hard Deck's buzz back again.

"What?" You hear from your left and when you look around, you see Bradley standing there, beer in one hand, dart in the other.

Looking up at the decorated ceiling for a moment, you squeeze your eyes shut, internally hating yourself for what you'd just let slip.

When you open your eyes again, you see Penny at your side, giving Jake a withering look before ringing the bell, clearly seeing the what he had done as disrespecting a lady.

Cheers erupt from around the bar as people realise the Jake was buying them all a round and it was the perfect distraction that allowed you to escape the now overwhelming bar.

So, here you were, slipping into the women's bathroom, thinking over just how badly you had fucked up by yelling that across the bar.

Looking yourself over in the mirror, you start by wiping your eyes, drying them of any tears that threatened to let slip how long you'd held that secret before smoothing down your clothes.

Taking a deep breath as you do so, it hitches part way through it's escape from your mouth as you see and hear the bathroom door open.

You begin to tell the person to go away but it's only when you notice Bradley walk through the door, locking it behind him do you really see the immensity of what you'd said.

Bradley still had a stunned look on his face from moments ago, and from the look of the slightly bruised knuckle, he'd probably punched Jake as well before he'd gotten there.

"Bradley..." You whisper, tears starting to sting your eyes as you spoke.

"Why... what..." Bradley says, stumbling over his words as he tries to think of what to say.

"I didn't think it would come out like that - I, I didn't want it to!" You argue, but with no fire from the other side to fight.

"I guessed so." Bradley says, nodding his head as he scratches the back of your neck.

"I was thinking this over the other day, I used to drive you home Bradley. We were kids when we first knew each other. I put my career on hold to-" You ramble, trying to look anywhere but the man standing in front of you, only to be cut off by him part way through.

"You did what?" Bradley says, making you look at him once again from where you were leaning against the sinks.

"I didn't get my teaching degree. I nearly did, but I dropped out when you called me about your papers. I know... I dropped the ball." You whisper in the silent bathroom.

"Y/n you wanted to become a teacher, why did you do that?" Bradley asks, taking a step forward towards you.

"You were a flight risk. I knew if I didn't do anything you'd've gone and done something stupid. You needed my attention more." You admit, shrugging your shoulders during your explanation. "You drove me crazy thought Bradley and I didn't realise I loved you till I was head over heels in it."

That was when the tears managed to overpower your willpower, rolling down your cheeks as you tried to contain your sobs.

Bradley had no idea what to do; seeing his childhood best friend cry after so many years of staying strong for him. He moved though, moving to do the one thing he knew that you would appreciate in that moment.

Bradley's bear hugs over the years had always been the one thing you could rely on that would comfort you, so that was what he did. Hug you.

The weight of his strong arms wrapping around young as you cried into his chest comforted you, easing some of the worries that you'd completely fucked up the relationship.

"I don't deserve you." You tearily say after a few minutes, head still pressed against Bradley's torso.

"You do y/n/n. You so do. Do you remember the time you walked into the house crying from your period cramps and I was sat on the couch, candles lit and drinking." Bradley whispered to you, stroking your hair down.

Leaning back and nodding at the statement, Bradley continued with his story. "Well... I'd set that out for you. I was going to ask you out that night, but you came home crying and in pain so I scratched the plan and helped you."

This time, it was Bradley's turn to look everywhere but at you, his eyes flitting around the room as yours softened, remembering the day very clearly.

You'd had a shit day at The Hard Deck, getting verbal abuse from a couple of customers and you'd gotten your period the day before. So, not only were you working, you were also in pain as well from cramps you'd forgotten to take painkillers for.

"Bradley. Why...?" You ask in utter disbelief as your roommate and friend of roughly 20 years now was telling you he loved you back.

"Because I love you y/n, and I need you to understand I'm not just gonna leave you. Just say the word and I'll call or come running back to you." Bradley says, finally taking a breath and properly looking at you.

So, in a split second, you make a decision to kiss him, and clearly he'd made the same by the way your bodies moved in sync as you two locked lips.

Breaking apart a few moments later for air, you move your hands to dry your eyes and hear the door open from behind you, making both you and Bradley turn.

"Hey, y/n. If you just want to-" Penny says, walking into the bathroom, not properly looking until she faced both you and Bradley with your arms wrapped around each other. She smiles, nodding, saying nothing more before walking over, placing a box of tissues down by the sinks and then leaving you and Bradley in the bathroom.

It takes you both a moment to realise what had just happened before you dissolve into laughter, taking a few minutes before the bathroom was fully quiet once again.

"Well... Penny knows." You say, grabbing a tissue from the box Penny had placed in between the sinks.

Bradley laughed again, nodding at the bluntness of your statement and moves with you, wrapping an arm around your waist.

"Yeah. She might not kill me for punching Jake now." Bradley then says, kissing the top of your head as he holds you close.

"I should probably be telling you off for doing that, but thank you." You say, looking back up at Bradley before taking his other hand and leading him to the door of the bathroom. Dropping the used tissues in the bin by the door as you walked through it, you looked at each other, ready to face the rest of the naval pilots waiting for you both.

a/n: I'm less than a week away from uploading the masterlist for this series (when writing) so I'm getting excited!!!

Read this to find out who else I write for, and requests are open!

[ao3usermelancholyhues]

𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞

steve harrington/eddie munson for @steddiemicrofic's january prompt: hole, 404 words. ft. flirting, sexual innuendo | T rating read on ao3

“That’s just perfect.” 

Steve stares at his rapidly flattening tire, and the culprit just behind the car. He loosens his tie, irritated. 

It’s not that Steve can’t change a tire—he doesn’t have a spare. 

Robin’s house is a couple of streets over. Sighing, he begins the walk there to call his mechanic.

“No answer,” Steve announces dejectedly as he walks back into Robin’s livingroom and flops down in her armchair, huffing.

The dramatics are a little much, but Robin bites her tongue. No need to kick the man while he’s down (not a rule she always conforms to). 

“I know a guy who could help,” she says instead. “My cousin’s friend.”

Steve perks up. “Is he good?”

Robin bites her tongue again, this time fighting a grin. “Oh, he’s somethin’.” 

Thirty minutes later, there’s a mechanic named Eddie in her livingroom. Steve supposes he looks exactly as expected—grey coveralls, arm tattoos, hands stained but washed (Steve knows, he shook one, with the hand that wasn’t clutching a cup of tea). 

However, Eddie also has long hair tied in a loose bun, and the warmest smile. It lights up his eyes and Steve barely knows where to look. 

Robin’s in the kitchen doorway, both hands on her own tea mug. 

“So. Popped a tire?” asks Eddie. “How’d that happen?”

“Hole.” 

Steve flushes when he hears Robin snort. 

Eddie’s grinning from ear-to-ear. “Hole?”

“P-pothole,” Steve clarifies quickly. “I went over a… a big pothole.” 

Eddie contemplates that, tongue between his teeth and looking Steve up and down, before he says, “Yeah, it’s amazing what a hole can do to you.” 

Steve splutters into his tea. It goes up his nose a little, kind of fucking hurts. Robin barely keeps a lid on her laughter, knowing Steve won’t thank her for it. 

“Eddie, you’re gonna kill him. Quit flirting.” 

“Sorry! Right. Where’s the car?”

He keeps his comments to himself throughout the tire change, even though he really wants to wind up the cute guy in the nice suit with the nice car.

Steve pays him there and then, cash plus tip, but Eddie rejects the tip. 

“Keep that. Since I almost killed you back at the house.” 

Steve blushes. “You caught me off-guard.” 

Eddie can’t resist. “I tell it like it is! Gotta know your way around a hole or you might blow, big boy.” 

There’s no tea this time, but Steve still manages to choke. 

[itseasytoremember]

I feel like I'm going to want to start logging these posts. If for nothing else than a log of Things I Tried that DID NOT work. We will call this day 2 because I started writing this log yesterday. Or not yesterday, but like, last today. Yestertoday. Yestoday. This is dumb. Anyways.

My plan did not go to... Plan.

Let me explain the problem first, and then I'll explain my "plan."

A few loops ago, before I knew it was a loop, I figured I would skip my morning workout in the hopes of getting to work early, because "there was a lot of traffic on First st. these last few days" I hadn't yet realized it was always the SAME traffic.

Anyways I left early and sure enough there was no traffic. I was actually at the red when I saw the guy for the first time, he seemed distracted, he kept looking at his phone and then whipping his head around, clearly he was looking for something and, by the amount of sweat on his forehead, he had been for a while. I only really noticed the guy because every other person I could see was looking at him too. The crossing guard, the kids, their parents, the people at the cafe, everyone was looking at the dude having a really bad day. He wasn't exactly being subtle is what I'm getting at.

All of a sudden he looks across the street and gets this big relieved look, seemed to find whatever it was he was looking around for, and headed toward it. It's just unfortunate that the light had changed while he looked at his phone.

No one had time to react, to even say anything. One second twe were all watching some guy act out the 5 stages of grief at 7:35 am, the next a Ford F-150 turned him into paint.

So, my plan was this; to stop that from happening.

I'll admit it's not the most thorough plan but I figure what it lacks in steps, it makes up for in adaptability.

Today, I made it there just as the man was looking up from his phone, maybe 45 seconds later than the day before, which meant I was still early enough to get out of my car, run into the road and yell "HEY STOP" but decidedly not early enough to then avoid the fucking truck myself. Oh also, the guy still got hit. He ran onto the road, I guess to try to help me, and a BMW took his legs out. The bastard. What was he going to do? Reattach my spine?

Well I'm back in bed at home so I'll take that as suspicions: confirmed re:timeloop.

I'm going to go to work now, after that I'll figure out a plan to get to the intersection earlier.

The Thing They Don't Tell You About Being Stuck in a Time Loop

The first time round the time loop was honestly fine. Same with the second and the third. Honestly I didn't even realize i was in a time loop until day 7 or 8, and that was because the statistical chances of my boss spilling his coffee on himself, while in and of itself is not low, became exceedingly strained as the days went on.

But if it weren't for that, I probably would have never realised I was looping. Mock me all you like, I enjoy routine, I thrive with it, and so, yes, it may have taken me a little longer to realize my day was looping, but I would also argue that I am much less likely to succumb to some sort of mental break due to this situation. To some, I could imagine being stuck in a loop of one day would get boring, or even horrifying, I am not one of those people. Not only that, I was lucky enough to be stuck in a loop of a day in mid May, with decent weather, in my home city, with the woman I love. If it weren't for the fact that it's a work day, It would be perfect.

That and the man who keeps getting hit by cars.

The first time it happened I didn't notice. I feel terrible saying that but the first few days I was still going through things as though it was a normal day, and normally I take about 60 minutes from wakeup to leaving the house for work, which meant that by the time I would make it to the intersection where it happened, the car had been moved to the side of the road, and all I dealt with was a bit of traffic.

It wasn't until I started testing the parameters of the loop, breaking my routine, that I figured out what even caused the accident, but more on that later. For now, I have a plan to try and save this guy. I don't know why, but I feel like that's important. That he's important.

And I mean, what do I have to lose? Some time?

[inkskinned]

it's extremely critical that you see the photo of the perp walk for luigi mangione as being propaganda. i've seen so many people wave it off and instead fawn over his looks. and trust me, i know it ended up being kind of pathetic and weird - but please don't brush it off as a "modelling opportunity" for him. it's a fucking terrifying message the police are sending.

i want to make a few comparisons here, in case you're not from the US or familiar with why the perp walk thing is something to pay attention to. just to set the groundwork for why this is a purposeful, unusual, and cruel act by the nyc police - for why this is not a common occurrence and for why that matters.

the prosecution alleges the show of force is due to the charge of "terrorism." for comparison, in june 2015, tsarnaev was found guilty for the boston marathon bombing, which killed 3 people and injured hundreds. his actions are considered to be an act of domestic terrorism. i have spent the last hour looking through google for pictures of similar to mangione's perp walk - and so far, i have found zero. i also just do not personally remember a moment like that, despite living in boston at the time.

they allege that luigi is a stone-cold killer who carried out a longterm plan, making him particularly dangerous. again for comparison: in nyc, recently cory martin was found guilty of the killing of brandy odom. the murder was planned and premeditated to steal insurance money. and yet no staged perp walk. why didn't her life matter enough for a "show of force"?

but mangione gets paraded by a veritable army of police officers as if he is a rabid animal. for a single citizen who allegedly killed one other single citizen, the "largest perp walk ever" occurs.

so what is the "strong message" that the mayor and the police were trying to send here? the mayor speaks as if mangione is already convicted of terrorism. there is a very thin number of people who feel threatened by the CEO's death. none of us felt like mangione needs to be under massive armed guard.

the message is that you shouldn't resist. they are trying to "make an example" of him - that if you behave badly and kill a single rich person, you'll be treated as if you killed hundreds of people. you will be treated worse than a man who was found guilty of terrorism. you will be considered guilty without trial. the message is that the rich are a protected class, and you cannot touch them without massive punishment. they are trying to prevent a revolution by showing dominance and force against you.

the message is that the police are a puppet of the wealthy and that the law is not equally applied across class disparity. it is "some are more equal than others." it is "one life is more precious than another."

the show of force wasn't for luigi. it was for us. it was a warning. they are trying to remind us who is really in control.

[buttercupshands]

So.

Act 5, huh?

Oh, and that.

"You can start breakdown now."

Finished the game couple of days ago and had some thoughts I needed to process a little. Like. Yes.

So anyway I actually didn't plan this and just wanted to redraw some sprites to just make sure I understand how to draw Siffrin correctly (still working on that!)

What did I learn from this? How fun it it to draw on a canvas that literally doesn't let you draw with colors without some layer cheating when necessary. Never tried it.

The beans. Sleeping beans.

Basically what happens when you want to sleep AND draw. Draw characters sleeping on your behalf.

Doesn't help, but at least it's cute.

I have no idea what was going on in my mind as I drew this. Feels like a fever dream of 'I want to sleep' at 4 am and 'Hm...' of thinking random things

Also that phone craft sign. Still too funny to imagine. I had to.

[brainmuncher]

The emergency

A good number of members within the Justice League have children. Not all of those kids are biological or adopted but they are their kids nonetheless. Some of those kids are even old enough to be adult heroes of their own, but even then they are still their kids. And the other kids tend to take up heroism at a very young age to most people's chagrin. Although as shown by the original child hero, now going by Nightwing, it’s not as easy as telling the kids to stop.

It was learned through intense hardship that smothering the child heroes was just asking for trouble. Despite how much the older heroes wanted to stay close to their kids, it was seen as overbearing and a show of mistrust. They would act out with even less backup in retaliation, which would only bring even more stress.

So to satisfy the need for protection without stepping on any toes, two new emergency meeting signals were introduced.

One was for the kids to send off. Each one was gifted a small device that could be hidden in their person. The device had both a mic and a tracking chip that could be activated when they were in extreme danger. As soon as the device was active a signal would be sent to the league for an emergency distress signal with the details of who sent it. Due to an outcry from the kids, the device could not be activated by the guardian of the child. The mic and locator could only be activated from the device itself. It wasn’t nearly as protective as some of the more worried leaguers would like, but it was at least something. 

The second signal was one that the leaguer with a kid in danger could activate. This signal could be activated with a single code into the communicators that every member owned. If the member who sent out the signal didn’t specify what kid was in danger, every member would receive a generalized notification of the emergency alert for one of the kids. This wasn’t ideal, but it was learned early on that the guardian of the child was often too distressed to make the code more complicated. It was best to leave it simple and answer questions at the emergency meeting.

Which was great in all, until someone who doesn’t have a child involved with heroics in their care sends off a general emergency.

In places all over the globe, an emergency meeting signal message was sent by Hal Jordan, one of the lanterns. He didn’t include what child was in danger in the signal, meaning that it could be any of the underaged heroes. And considering he didn’t have a child in his care, that made multiple members panic.

When was the last time they checked in with the kids in their care? Who was the one he was sending the code for? What happened to the child he had noticed was in danger? Why is he the one that noticed? Where were their kids? Who was in danger?

Because of the nebulous nature of the call, it didn’t take long for multiple heroes to find the nearest transport to the watchtower and tumble in. What they didn’t expect was the absolute haggard appearance of their friend. He was standing in the meeting room looking like the world had been destroyed before his very eyes. The way he sat without even cracking a sarcastic remark made multiple members pause.

“Hal?” Wonder Woman called, her face pinched in concern. “What has happened?”

The aforementioned member looked over who had already arrived before settling on her face. It was at that moment she knew that he was only looking so collected through willpower alone. This wasn’t just any child of the league, this was personal.

“My nephew Danny has been captured,” He began, sending a wave of different emotions circling the room. “I’ve been trying to find where they took him for a week now and I can’t get any leads. I need your help.”

The unsaid questions and emotions were nearly palpable. Multiple members turned to one another or stared with a million questions. Nobody had known that Hal even had a nephew named Danny. Sure he mentioned someone named Jason at times, but he never indicated anything else. The fact that he hadn’t mentioned him or the fact that he’d been apparently searching for a week was strange.

“And why are you only telling us now? Why did you wait so long?” Superman asked, speaking up the question that was on multiple minds.

A fire of anger curled in Hal's eyes. It was fierce and protective. It was a mixture of appalment for being questioned on his decision and fury for the reasons why he had to do it in the first place. He stepped forward towards the center table, slamming his palms down and leaning into it.

“Because any person that goes against the group will be declared an enemy of the United States. I’ve already had my account and housing connected to Green Lantern seized,” He explained with a deceptively calm tone. “I also needed to make sure that they didn’t have any connections with the Justice League. They have their agents everywhere.”

Unsurprisingly, Batman appeared from the gathered heroes from seemingly nowhere. Despite the feud between the two of them, the Bat was completely zeroed in on the situation. While he had a decent amount of distrust in the lantern, mainly because of the parallax incident, he could tell that the man was genuine. And the Bat always did have a blind spot for children.

“Explain,” Was all Batman said, staring Hal down.

The lantern in question looked at him with a grim face. This was it. Now or never.

“They’re called the Ghost Investigation Ward, or GIW for short. They hunt down and either exterminate or experiment on anyone they deem ectocontaminated or a ghost,” Hal started to explain, his hand curling on the table in frustration. “My brother Jack faked his death and ran off to be with another woman. Those fucks deemed my nephew as ectocontaminated and tried to take him from his home. He ran from his family so that they couldn’t be arrested for knowingly harboring an ecto entity. Told me that he remembered my face from a photo his dad tried to hide in the attic and sought me out.”

If the fire in his eyes were any stronger, they would probably become physical and burn down the room. It was undeniable that Hal Jordan was understandably completely pissed off. This situation was terrible from down to the very root.

“I tried to hide him but they somehow found him anyway. Now my civilian name is being heavily monitored and Green Lantern is being hunted down,” He finished his explanation. “If you join me in this, be prepared to lose everything.”

This was so much worse than anyone could’ve predicted.

[stuft]

I wasn't sure if I had been here (still am not, but probably no?) but it sent me down a rabbit hole, resulting in reading my little travel journal from 1988. I found out that the little hotel I stayed at in Melbourne, the Miami, is still there! and still cheap but clean looking. The first place I stayed when I got there I nicknamed the Roach Motel and checked out after one night w/o showering because I saw too many antennae on the top of the shower stalls (in a shared bathroom, no less, as most of the places were) .

Let me remind you children about travel before the digital age. I went to a travel agent to get my plane ticket (it was $1700+ and it included up to 6 stopovers in various places to choose from along the way). I just showed up in Australia with a duffel bag, a purse, and my Nikon 4004, and then found places to stay. I had about $800 or so in travelers checques & cash and my mom's Visa which she gave me at the last minute when she realized how little money I was bringing. I was 19. My dad had just died 6 months earlier. I had been on an exchange trip to Germany a few years earlier in high school, and this was my first solo trip. I thought nothing of it, really. I just pretty much wanted to get as far away from my life as I could for a little while. I sometimes made hostel or other accommodation reservations before I left the city I was in. The first hostel I stayed at in Cairns was run by a trans lady named Suezy who was very sweet to me. But yeah, I was just showing up to cities with crappy travel books (I expressed my disdain on the title page and wrote in my opinion of some of their recommended hotels). I had forgotten most of what happened on my trip and according to the journal I wasn't having the greatest time most of the time (I was a bit depressed, understandably). But like, we had travel guides, not Instagram, to find stuff to do and see. I walked a LOT. It's crazy to me now that I did this trip. No cell phone, no plan. But there were free shuttles from the airport to hotels. Free shuttles. Is that how I got back to the airports?

the place I stayed in Brisbane, Annie's Shandon Inn is still there too!

anyway. this poll caused me to go down a memory lane rabbit hole.

Chapel Street, Melbourne, Australia

[vitrall]

I don't think Jayce and Viktor literally died. They were kind of pulled into another dimension/astral plane/whatever you call it. We see older Viktor, and while it could be another Viktor, I think it would be more meaningful if it was our Viktor, finally free from the arcane, going through the universe with Jayce, fixing timelines together. Kind of like a cosmic mission.

[teh-nos]

u know what though... i don't think this facepalming is for the witnesses in the room, but i also don't think it's an "oh no, thor's so stupid" facepalm, i think it's a "why the fuck did i do that?" one. i don't think loki especially wants to invade jotunheim, he just thought it'd be a laugh to get thor to do it, but then oh shit thor is actually going to do that so now he needs to sabotage it somehow (telling the guard) but also:

"shit, i've fucked this up, haven't i?" it seemed like such a good idea two minutes ago. couldn't help himself. wouldn't it be funny if? but now they have to go to fucking jotunheim and he could so easily have just not done that. oops! facepalm time!