#calling all penguin pals

[montereybayaquarium]

🐧Feathered news bulletin: Penguin chick update🐧

 We have some exciting updates to share about our juvenile African penguin that hatched late last November. We recently found out the sex of Gerry the chick. Results are back — she’s female! 

She was named after Gerry Low-Sabado, an educator, community preservationist, and friend of the Aquarium. 

We were honored to host Gerry Low-Sabado’s family for their visit with our penguin chick. We’re so excited to watch Gerry the penguin grow up, and we bray hooray on this World Penguin Day!

Curious what it takes to raise African penguins at the Aquarium? Waddle on over to raising penguin chicks at the Aquarium!

Want to learn more about Gerry Low-Sabado? Find out more here.

[messenger-of-babel]

Coloured Red

Summary: He likes you in his colour, just not that like that. (Jason Todd x reader)

Word Count: 2.1K

Notes: blood and injury. Hope everyone's having a good week so far! Not my favouriteeeeee Jason piece I have written but please enjoy anyways. xx

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It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

Never like this.

He had been working out of the manor for a few days, something he was already reluctant to do. However, you had sent him off to "work" with a bright smile and a kiss on the cheek, wishing him well for whatever convention Librarians had. Instead of your boyfriend being the gruff librarian sorting returns every night, he was in fact the red masked vigilante cooped up in the cave, pacing back and forth in front of the Bat computer while Tim tried to trace their latest suspect.

Dick had called him back for some extra firepower in the latest case, and if he hadn't owed him one Jason would be back with you in a heartbeat. "Get anything?" he grunts to Tim, who's fingers are typing strings of code into the keyboard.

"Not yet," he hums, the younger man's face twitching with annoyance as the firewall warning flashes across the screen again.

"Give it time, Jay. we don't want to let them know we're onto them." comes Dick, who’s leaning against a railing and still fully suited up from his earlier patrol. "I've checked all through The Cauldron and Southside, no trace of them there. Penguin must have closed up shop around Cobblepot Steel when he started working with his new friend. Going through great lengths to gatekeep his new buddy from us." he hums.

"Well I want to get this meet and greet over with," Jason grumbles, crossing his arms while he scuffs his boots impatiently.

"Bee in your bonnet, Red?" Dick calls and Jason scoffs.

"You put it there. You wanted me to help take 'em down while the Bat is out of town with Superscout, but you don't even know where they are. I've spent a full night just waiting for boy genius here to get a lock."

Dick puts his hands up in mock surrender. "We'll be done soon, promise. Then you can go home to your sweetheart. Hey, you can even say you came back early just to see them. I'm helping you get brownie points." he grins, nimbly dodging the hand Jason had swung out to slap the back of his head. "Where are they anyways? Their place?"

"Safehouse." Jason grunts back. "Staying at mine while I'm helping you lot. Old Gotham, near the GCPD. Besides, I told them to mark down I'd be back tonight on the calendar anyways."

Dick whistles. "Didn't think you had a place that close to the cops."

Jason just shrugs. "They're not after me, and if they were it would be somewhere they wouldn't look. Plus it's a nice distance from you all." he grumbles.

Dick pushes off the wall coming to lean over a monitor near Tim. "Well if our mystery person is teaming up with Penguin, and he isn't interested in the drug business, what is he here for?" he hums, eyes focused on the map of Gotham that Tim has pulled up. He taps the screen after a second, zooming in. "Here. Dixon Docks. We haven't checked here yet. Penguin used to smuggle through here, but it also became a bit of a meet up spot. He might have gone back to old ground."

"Yeah, but Penguin shifted his focus into drug running. Bruce put him under pretty heavy surveillance, managed to shut down a lot of his operations for a while. You really think he'd be that stupid to start trying to smuggle firearms again?" Tim piped up.

"Maybe. But Maybe its not firearms. This spot used to be a mob meeting spot. He never visited the operation personally unless-"

"Unless he wanted to order a hit." Jason cut off his older counterpart, voice becoming modulated as he fixed his mask to his face. "Seems there's a chance his new play pal is a hitman."

"For who though?" Tim asks.

"Maybe the hit isn't one Penguin is ordering. maybe the Penguin's selling info." Dick calls, testing his in earpiece before giving Jason a nod. "Me and Hood are going in to take a look. Track our location and keep the cameras on."

Tim nods while Jason and Dick head for the bikes, mounting each of their respective vehicles.

"Finally something to do." Jason groans, stretching his arms above his head before catching the cocky grin from Dick speeding past him. "Show-off." he murmurs, his own engine roaring to life as he follows suit.

They had cleared the dock pretty easily, Dick's hunch being correct. Between the two of them the middlemen and thugs were strewn across the floor of the warehouse, and Tim had already called the GCPD to come pick them up for the arrest. "No sign of our flightless friend." Jason grumbled, stepping over an unconscious thug.

"Nor our new mystery visitor." Dick concludes, tucking his escrima under his arm as he goes through the stack of papers at the makeshift desk tucked behind some shipping containers. Jason has known the eldest robin enough to know when he was worried, and the tight way he now held his body was a clear sign. "You find something?" he asks, boots thudding as the come to stand beside him.

"You think Oz was beginning to catch on?" Dick asks quietly, turning the page to show Jason the blurry CCTV photo of Bruce, a crude cowl and ears drawn over the image in sharpie.

"Shit," Jason breathed, taking some of the papers from Dick and beginning to flick through it. "This is all of us." He confirms, worry beginning to gnaw at his bones. There were photos of Tim leaving the city library and entering the Wayne Tower. Photos of Dick back in Bludhaven in a police uniform, photos of him at galas. Photos of Damian at school and meeting with Alfred. The more he flipped through them the more his heart dropped. There was a photo for nearly every 'apprentice' of Batman, surrounded by question marks.

"Whoever is joining the dots isn't fully convinced of it themselves." he murmurs, blood freezing as he sees a photo of himself there. A photo with you on his arm next to him. Dick comes to peer over at it, cursing under his breath.

"Hood, don't panic-" he tries to soothe, but Jason is already pushing past him to tear at more of the documents on the desk. He rifles through the papers, the sound of approaching sirens and Nightwing's urging to leave the scene deafened by the ringing in his ears. In his tightly clenched hands there was a leger, with a list of addresses. In the middle, was his address. The address he had given you, highlighted in yellow.

"We need to go." Dick urges, hurrying him to mount his bike. Jason jaw clenches, and he shoves the piece of paper into his brothers’ hands.

"Yeah. We do." he grits out, but he hopes Dick can't hear the sheer fear held behind his teeth. His bike speeds off, roaring through the side street they came on as he reroutes for Old Gotham. Dick looks down, eyes wandering over the red written date next to the highlighted address, tonight date. "Jesus," he breathes out, quickly following behind his brother before he does something reckless.

Jason doesn't think that he'd ever driven that fast since he'd been on the run from Bruce, throwing the bike into park so violently outside his apartment that the tires burnt as they squealed. Dick wasn't too far behind him, calling out for him to wait in between talking to Tim on the other end of his earpiece. His heart is thudding in his ears, hands feeling cold as he scales the stairs to the fourth floor, knocking on the door rapidly. He didn't care he was in his full suit. He could make some bullshit excuse if you were fine, claiming some noise disturbance or the wrong door.

But if he wasn't?

Then someone was going to fear the fact he was already suited up.

"I told you to wait, Hood-" Dick snaps at him, slightly out of breath from having to run behind him. Jason doesn't listen, shoulder slamming into the door when you don't come to answer.

"Don't you have the key?" Nightwing hisses to him.

"Left it in my civvies." he grunts, stumbling slightly as the door gives way. "I wasn't really expecting to…" he trails off, bile rising in his throat and blood draining from his face. Dick pushes in next to him, still scolding. "You can't just go in like this-" he cuts himself off, catching sight of what Jason was burning into his brain. "Oh no, Jay..." he whispers, but Jason is already moving to your side.

His hands come to your head, softly cradling it in his large palms. Two fingers come to press against your neck, his breathing evening out as he finds a weak pulse. "They're still kicking." He grunts out, other hand coming to cradle the back of your head. He closes his eyes trying to scrub the image of you lying there in the living room, sprawled on the carpet surrounded by the shards of the broken window and white rug drinking your blood.

Your eyes flicker weakly and you make a faint cry when he presses down on the wound by your ribs, a sound that tears him up inside. "Shhh," he tries to say softly, but the modulator makes it robotic, stripping the emotion from it. "I gotta put pressure on it. Did you see who did it?" he asks. He can faintly hear Dick calling for Robin on the end of the commlink, calling for paramedics to come to his address.

He hates how warm his hands feel, gloves heating up as if they were stealing the life force from out of you. Blood is flecked across your lips from the spray, faintly mumbling the words, "didn’t see them."

He nods along. "That’s okay, that’s okay." he murmurs, but he wasn't sure who he was telling that to.

"Red Hood…" you groan out, hand coming the grip his wrist as he pushes firmer on the bullet wound. Your fingers are bloody, smearing the crimson across his suit. "You gotta…you gotta find my boyfriend," you cough weakly. "They were here for him. He’s just…he's just a librarian…" your eyes tear up, throat swelling with the weight of your words. "He was just coming back tonight…oh god…you have to find him… what if they-" you sob, causing your face to scrunch up at the pain that ripples through your body. "I wanna…I wanna see him."

Jason's heart is tearing into pieces as Dick kneels to your other side, hands coming to your non-wounded side as he preps the area, Tim faintly heard giving instructions on how to stabilise you until the paramedics arrive. Jason shakes his head, fighting back tears. Despite the side glance he gets from Nightwing, he pulls one hand up to his face, feeling for the latch under his jaw to release his mask.

When he pulls it away his eyes are red, tears already built in the corners. His lips have a tremble that hasn't been felt since he was in the single digits on the streets, and his hairline is beaded with sweat from worry. He offers you a weak smile, unable to stop the shooting pain that wracks his mind watching the hazy confusion on your face.

"Jay?" you whisper, the word more mouth than sound. He nods reluctantly.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Oh god, it wasn’t supposed to go like this.

He dreamt of the day that he could tell you his identity, of his real profession. He imagined all the best scenarios of you accepting him, of letting him spin you around the kitchen when he picked you up by the waist like he did so often. Of telling you while you both read together on the couch, your legs pulled across his lap. He never imagined the bad scenarios. He pushed those to the back of his mind. But as you reached up with bloodstained fingers, dragging the sticky red across his cheek in that oh so familiar motion, he knew right then that this was the worst situation imaginable.

He lets his tears wash the red from your fingers, trying to blink them out of his eyes so he could focus on saving you.

"Hold on, sweetheart." he murmured weakly, desperately praying for the wailing of the siren to reach his ears.

He had always said how much he loved red, loved you in the colour. Loved you in his colour.

Now he was thinking he never wanted to see you bathed in this much red ever again.

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Scary Mountains

HP Lovecraft: Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this the tale of the mountains of madness Lovecraft: it's about a scientific expedition to antarctica that finds a terrifying ancient evil Clive Barker: is it penguins Lovecraft: Lovecraft: m-maybe

Lovecraft: look it's not just penguins Lovecraft: these penguins are really scary Lovecraft: for one thing, they're really big Barker: so emperor penguins Lovecraft: no i Lovecraft: you know what shut up

Lovecraft: the important thing isn't the penguins Lovecraft: the important thing is the mountains Barker: ah yes those mountains of madness Lovecraft: yes Barker: the ones alluded to in your title Lovecraft: yes Barker: those mountains Lovecraft: yes

Lovecraft: ok so these mountains Lovecraft: they're not like ordinary mountains Lovecraft: they're strange and sinister Lovecraft: like the strange and disturbing paintings of Nicholas Roerich King: Koontz: Poe: Barker:

Barker: "strange and disturbing paintings of nicholas roerich" huh Poe: clive don't start Barker: no no edgar tell me you don't want to hear this explanation Barker: because i want to hear it Barker: i think we all do King: i'd kinda like to hear it Barker: yeah i thought so

Nicholas Roerich: so i'm just gonna paint a nice pink mountain here Roerich: maybe put a happy little tree right there Roerich: gotta give him a friend Roerich: like I always say, 'everyone needs a friend' Lovecraft: horrifying!

Roerich: now we'll paint some happy little clouds Roerich: Remember how free clouds are Roerich: they just lay around in the sky all day long Lovecraft: ghastly!

Lovecraft: horrifying! look at those soft pastel hues! Barker: Lovecraft: the almost hypnotic sense of peace and tranquility! Barker: Lovecraft: a certain "asian" quality to those mountains Barker: there it is

[romanitas]

friends, pals, countrymen, etc - here we are nearly ten years later with the final installment of my percabeth spy au. still kind of shocked after all this time i managed to finish it, but thanks for coming along for the ride! <3

here it is on ao3 ! this one's for you, spy au anons. -

Annabeth goes to the stupid aquarium. 

It takes her over a week to decide to use the tickets, if only as a favor to Sally. It takes her another few days of backtracking through old notes, determined to make sure she goes on one of the days Percy isn’t volunteering. She logics herself into it by determining it’ll be a conclusion - she’ll create the real ending for herself where she started it all first. One more visit, because she honestly doesn’t know if she’ll be able to hit up this particular aquarium ever again. She can say goodbye and create her own bookend. 

She wears her owl earrings, matched with a pair of leggings, with pockets, and a long tunic with an old jean jacket split open at one elbow. She doesn’t get to dress down much, with most of her wardrobe often carefully calculated for the task at hand. Today her only task is to look at some fucking fish and maybe get a strawberry milkshake from the overpriced cafeteria. She doesn’t even brush her hair. She thinks about inviting someone to come along, given she has two tickets, but she’s struck with the notion that she wouldn’t even know who to task. 

Reyna? Ridiculous. She’d get called out immediately for it being a bad idea. She almost texts Frank, but decides she needs to do this by herself. Maybe there’s a family she can pass off the other ticket to and that can be her good deed of the day. Sally would approve. 

She arrives at the lunch rush, slipping into the jellyfish quarter while most of the families are scurrying off to eat. She likes to say she thinks long and hard about her life, but mostly she allows herself to be distracted by the way they light up against the dark tanks. They float aimlessly and Annabeth wonders what the sensation is like as she watches them swim idly around, to be so weightless and mindless. 

She walks through the shark tunnel, dodging around running children. She spends a moment studying the arch of the tunnel itself, smiling to herself before she realizes. Maybe there’s a world out there where she did go the architecture route instead of espionage recruitment out of college. She doesn’t want to think about that, not when there are fish to observe. There are so many fish. Too many fish. If she’s honest with herself, they start to blur together after a while, and only the brightly colored ones stand out. 

Part of her hates to admit it, but she starts to feel calmer. Steadier. Like when she walks out of this place, she’ll be Annabeth Chase again and ready to stop moping like a goddamn idiot. 

She probably shouldn’t have saved the penguins for last. 

There are babies now, and Annabeth finds herself smiling at them in the tank. They don’t look too young, but she can’t tell how far from infancy they are at this point. She’s no expert. She just has wikipedia. She tries to remember what she’s read or learned about them, and even though she’d rather not think of the source, she’s not sure she’ll ever forget the facts. 

She’s watching one of the babies slowly and carefully slide into the water when she hears him. 

“Annabeth?”

Her entire body freezes, and she wants to disappear, maybe into one of the artificial icebergs. She looks sideways in the glass and finds the warped reflection of Percy Jackson staring at her from the left. Unfortunately for her desire to submerge, the glass is only transparent for eyes and not bodies. She takes a deep breath without moving her chest and slowly, carefully turns around, looking into his face for the first time in weeks. 

He looks tired. 

Percy stares at her, befuddled, but he’s made the first move by calling out to her. She hadn’t seen him. He could have just walked away and left her ignorant to his existence, but he hadn’t. And maybe it’s just his ADHD, but she selfishly thinks maybe he made the choice to get her attention - which means she has no choice of her own but to acknowledge him in return. 

She swallows. And then she gestures stupidly at the baby penguin behind her. “Did you know baby penguins have to be at least four months old before they can swim? It’s their feathers. They aren’t waterproof at birth.” 

He continues staring at her, and she has to fight the urge to literally run away. “I do know. I’m pretty sure I told you that.”

Shit, he did, didn’t he? She had pre-gamed enough penguin facts to steer their first conversation, but anything and everything she learned since came from his wealth of aquatic knowledge. “Oh. Yes. I just - there are babies now.” 

“Born just over four months ago,” he says, and his tone is the faintest bit teasing.

“Hatched by the males,” she adds on, without thinking. Like his attention to her architectural rants, she seems to have absorbed far too much about penguins, because she could keep going, and it’s only force of will that she doesn’t. 

His mouth quirks, almost a smile. She doesn’t know what to do with that. She wasn’t sure she’d get to see him smile again, stuck with the image of only his anger as a final parting gift. 

“Did you put a tracker on me?”

Annabeth doesn’t know what to do with that either, and she sputters. It’s ungraceful. Unprofessional. And she feels ashamed, despite the way his tone still sounds like a joke. “No - Percy, no, that’s - ”

He grimaces. “Sorry. It was a joke. I’m trying to not be awkward. It’s not working.”

She would very much like the earth to swallow her up. 

“I wouldn’t,” she insists, finally. Like she needs him to know that. 

He pauses. “Jason?”

Annabeth wrinkles her nose. She hates this turn of conversation, but she wants to let him steer it this time. “There were never any trackers.” 

“What are you doing here?” he asks, pivoting away on his own. 

“I’m visiting the penguins,” she says, with only sincerity. He studies her, like he’s trying to gauge how truthful it is. She fidgets, then adds on, “You weren’t supposed to be here.” 

He actually looks shyly taken aback. “I changed my days at the station. I thought it might be…” Safer, is the word he wants to use, she knows it, but instead he lets it hang in the air. “So I had to switch my day here too.”

Annabeth thinks she really should have accounted for that, because Percy can be obtuse but he’s not stupid. It was probably one of the first things he would have done, and she feels stupid for not considering it in her own plans. 

“Your mom gave me the tickets,” is what she says next in lieu of anything else. That’s part of why she’s here, duty to a simple kindness from Sally Jackson. 

Percy’s expression becomes puzzled. “You saw my mom?” 

Oh. That surprises her too. She assumed Sally would have passed it along. She nods. She does not say anything about her own conversation with his mother, because that means he really is here by pure happenstance, and she doesn’t know what to make of that. Everything about her interactions with Percy Jackson from the start has been pure calculation, and right now she feels like she is flying on the seat of her pants. There’s no end game, no goal, just spontaneity. 

Maybe she should lean into that instead. 

“She bought me a coffee.” 

“That… sounds like her.” He pauses. “I didn’t tell her anything. About - you know, your job stuff. All she knows is we broke up.”

He says it like it’s such a normal occurrence. They broke up, like a real couple does. They broke up, they’re no longer together, and not because she shot a man in front of him and lied about her entire existence. “She was probably too nice to me,” she admits. 

Percy looks up and studies her again, and she swallows nervously, both under his expression and the way he doesn’t refute her comment about his mom. “What did she tell you?”

There is a part of her that feels like she shouldn’t go there, but the other, louder, part of her doesn’t want to lie to him ever again. “She - she said you were miserable.”

His shoulders deflate. “Well. She’s not wrong.”

Annabeth stares at him. 

“Look,” he starts, running a hand through his hair. It makes the dark strands stick up in multiple directions, and she needs to clamp down on the urge to fix it for him like she used to. “I was really mad. Part of me still is. But… it was real to me, you know? I can’t just erase what I feel. I’m still working through it.” 

Her expression falls, her shoulders heavy too. “For what it’s worth,” she starts, not sure it’s worth much of anything, “I’ve been miserable too.” 

Percy’s face scrunches up. “Even though it was fake?”

She bites her lip. “I might have met you under false pretenses. But I wasn’t lying to you, when I told you it wasn’t fake to me anymore. I spent so much time with you that I found myself wishing more than anything else it was real. I promise. If you believe one thing I say, believe me now when I promise that I’m never going to lie to you again.” 

He looks up at her, green eyes scrutinizing her like she’s under a microscope. Instead of trying to hide or put up a front, Annabeth simply lets the unhappiness hang on her like a shroud. Her bag is falling off her shoulder, the dark circles almost feel physical beneath her eyes, and her hair is a borderline rat's nest. She was always very carefully put together in front of him, even when she was trying to appear casual. Nothing about her right now is pre-planned for Percy. In some ways, she’s glad for it. 

He just watches her, and his frown deepens. She bites her lip and resists the urge to look away at the penguins. 

“Okay,” he says, after a too long silence, and she stares at him like he spoke in Greek. “I believe you.”

Her jaw drops, but she smoothly closes it. Her voice is quiet, anxious, startled and hopeful all at once, and she can’t seem to compartmentalize any of it. “You do?”

Percy purses his lips, like he can’t believe what he’s saying either. “I’ve never seen you like this,” he says, gesturing, and Annabeth’s face goes red at her dishevelment. “It feels like I’m looking at the real Annabeth, you know?”

She barks out a laugh, then covers her mouth. “Sorry, that wasn’t - I’m just not really fit for polite company. Fish notwithstanding.” 

“Yeah,” he says, and he grins a little. “I think that’s why I believe you.” 

Annabeth swallows anxiously and blinks back a sudden onslaught of tears. “I’m sorry, Percy. I know it was my job, but you’re so… good. At some point, it started to feel like I wasn’t pretending. I realized I really, really liked being around you. Being your friend, being with you. You didn’t deserve me lying to you, regardless of how it started.”

The last time she apologized, they were arguing. Now he just looks at her. “Thank you,” he says. It’s not quite forgiveness, it’s not an ‘it’s okay’ or the standard follow up etiquette of apologies, but it’s better, she thinks, because it feels genuine. Like he is accepting the truth of it, that she is sorry, and the fact that he believes it settles in her in an odd way. 

“Are you still… you know. Uh, working?” 

She nearly laughs at his word choice. “I’m on break. And I’m not - I was pulled from the Jupiter Industries stuff. So I’m not… working.” 

“So you’re literally just here at the aquarium for fun?” 

She hesitates, though she doesn’t know why. “Yes. And, well, you know - Sally gave me the tickets. I felt like I should use them, after our conversation.” She pauses. “I think she’s worried about you.”

Percy runs a hand through his hair again. She knows he hates stressing his mother. She knows so many things about him that she can’t seem to put down. “She always worries too much. Can I ask what else she said to you?”

It’s phrased in a way that she could turn him down, but Annabeth has promised herself as well as him that she’s in the running to be honest. 

“She asked me if I wanted to fix things with you. I told her I didn’t know if I could.” It’s not all she asked. Annabeth just doesn’t know how to bring the other part up, or if she even should.

Percy frowns. “Do you… actually want to fix things?” 

Annabeth draws in a quiet breath. “I miss you,” she admits, and his face twists with surprise and what could be relief, but maybe she’s projecting. “But I wasn’t lying when I told her I didn’t know if I could. I hurt you. It’s not up to me to forgive myself for it, no matter how much I miss you.”

His frown deepens, but he doesn’t look unhappy - more like thoughtful. “I can’t believe she didn’t tell me,” he mumbles. 

“I don’t think she wanted to interfere too much,” she offers quietly. “There’s one more thing.”

Percy looks up at her. 

Annabeth swallows again, but this time she’s pushing down her pride. “She asked me if I loved you.”

He looks at her carefully. “What did you tell her?”

She keeps his gaze. “I said I did.” She curls in on herself a little. “I do.”

Something in Percy Jackson deflates, but not in a way that suggests loss. It’s like he’s stopped carrying a heavy box. His shoulders sink, even if his face looks as confused as it does lighter. “It’s like everything in me wants to believe it. And I think I do,” he starts. 

Annabeth’s stomach flutters. 

“It’s crazy. Like, it’s so crazy to me that you still love me, because everything about it is so… wrong? No, not wrong - but we started wrong. We started wrong, but everything I felt was still so real. The bad and the good. I was really scared at that restaurant, for the obvious reasons - but I think I was scared about what it meant for us too.” Percy puffs out a breath of air, and his eyebrows crinkle. “I don’t have a good sense of self-preservation.”

Annabeth can barely breathe. She holds herself back from reaching for his arm. “Do you think… we could start over, and do it right?”

Percy studies her again, wary but curious. “What, like a do-over?”

“I guess. A re-meet.”

“A real meet-cute?”

She cracks a small smile. “I mean, I did run into you randomly in the aquarium.”

“Happenstance fishes.”

“We’re by the penguins,” she corrects, automatically. “Happenstance birds.”

Percy cracks his own smile, dimple pinching his cheek. “Did you know the babies don’t swim until they’re four months old?”

Annabeth’s smile widens. “You know, someone might have told me that already,” she starts. “But I could use a refresher.” 

“I’m still on shift,” he says, a little awkwardly. “But I’ll be done in about two hours.”

It takes a few moments for what he offers to sink in. It doesn’t seem fair or right to her at all that Percy Jackson is here before her, yet again in front of the stupid penguins, willingly telling her when he’s finished - offering to spend more time with her. But it’s better this time. There’s no frustration on her part, no trying to drag it out of him - he’s offering because he’s also offering her a chance, and Annabeth knows she is going to take it, regardless of how much she deserves it. She’s going to work to deserve it. Neither of them were forced to be here. She isn’t coercing him into a date. She’s letting him lead it. 

And he’s still choosing to see her. 

“I still have to visit some octopi,” she says, nerves alight, “But I could meet you back here in two hours…?” 

Percy’s silence is scary, but Annabeth gives him the time. It’s a final shot for him to back out if he wants to, and she won’t even blame him if he changes his mind even now. But he’s Percy. And somehow, she isn’t surprised by his answer. 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

Annabeth is going to cry all over again. She holds out her hand instead, and even though he gives her a confused look, Percy takes it. She shakes it, relishing the feeling of his palm against hers, the warmth spreading through her fingers as he squeezes it. She thought she’d never get to experience his touch again. 

“Hi,” she starts, feeling silly, but allowing herself to run with it. No more thinking or calculating, she’s just going with this strange flow. “I’m Annabeth Chase.”

He laughs, his own smile edging on silly too. “Percy Jackson. Hey.”

“Do you work here?” she asks, trying not to smile and failing completely. 

He shakes his head. “I just volunteer. I’m a firefighter.”

“You got some kind of affinity for water?”

He breaks into a grin that’s almost a laugh. “I’ve always liked the ocean.” He pauses then, hesitation slipping into his face. “What about you?” 

She studies his face, the kindness and the anger and everything in between flashing through her head. She’s already memorized it, but she can still bask in it anew. She doesn’t really know where she’s going from here, least of all with Percy, but she once again opts for honesty, even if nothing comes of it. “I’m thinking I might get into architecture.”

Percy looks surprised. “Sounds like a big change.”

Annabeth pulls her hand away, straightens her shoulders. “Sometimes a person comes along and gives you a whole new perspective on things.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We’ll see. I’m working on it. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.” 

“I think,” he says, hesitating, “You should do what makes you happy.” 

She laughs. “Again,” she says, quieter this time, “I’m working on it.” 

“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re kind of hyper-competent.”

“Only kind of?” 

Percy snorts. “I just mean, you’ll probably figure it out.” 

She looks at him in wonder, that he could still stand there and offer a kindness to her after everything. It doesn’t surprise her, if she really thinks about it. She fell in love with him for a reason, after all. For a lot of reasons.

“I want you to know me,” she says suddenly, which goes against every single part of her existence as a spy, but Percy has already broken through all of those rules. She wants to be known, by him specifically, which is wildly scary and completely against all manner of protocol, but she is no longer lying to him. She promised. She promised and she wants to open up everything about herself that she’s kept quiet for him to witness. 

Percy’s mouth opens and closes like a nearby fish. “I know you like owls. That wasn’t fake.”

She blinks, and he gestures at her earrings. She touches one instinctively. “They’re my favorite. So is strawberry, and I do really love Gaudí, and I’m starting to really like penguins too.” 

“The penguins are pretty cool,” he says with a very small smile. 

A quiet settles over them after that, but Annabeth finds it’s not uncomfortable. There is going to be some awkwardness, but the thing about it right now is it doesn’t feel scary. All the scariest parts are behind her, and right now she is only looking at the new possibility of Percy Jackson in her life, in whatever capacity he allows. She’ll take any of it. He gets to set the pace this time, and she’s more than willing to allow it. 

“Thank you,” she says, finally. “For giving me another chance.” 

His grin is haphazard, lopsided, and maybe a little self-deprecating. “When I saw you standing there, there was a part of me that wanted to keep walking - but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. Maybe it makes me a little stupid. I really want to know you too. I want to keep knowing you.”  

“I’ve been stupid too,” she says with a shrug. “So we’re off to a great start.” 

“A start,” he says, huffing a laugh. “Not many people get to do that twice.” 

“No,” she agrees. “I thought I was coming here for an ending.”

Percy blinks at her. “I don’t really know what’ll happen, Annabeth.”

“That’s okay,” she says, breathing in deeply and relishing the way the air fills her lungs. She doesn’t know either. But that’s better than finality. “We can work on that too.”

His eyes flicker with a softness she knows she still doesn’t deserve, but she relishes in that too. “So… I guess I’ll see you again in about two hours?” He pauses. “We can get smoothies.”

“I like the Strawberry Whirl.” 

He pauses again. “I knew that had to be true.”

Annabeth laughs, and Percy beams, and she thinks somehow, some way, they’re going to be… okay. It might take time. She doesn’t know what it’s going to look like, fully expects a lot of difficult bridges, but it feels like a real chance she hadn’t expected. They could be friends. They could end up more. They could go absolutely nowhere and fall apart much more naturally, more smoothly, without blood and bullets - but she’s going to try very hard to avoid that. She’s going to be herself, and maybe that’ll be good enough for him to stick around. It’s the only way she’s going to enable the mere chance of it. 

As far as she’s concerned, anything involving Percy from now on is always going to be real. 

[puttersmile]

Crittertember Day 9: In Your AU

Excuse me as I shamelessly self indulge. Double induldge because I'm claiming this as a Crittertember Entry lmao. Day 9! "In Your AU"

This is a pretty loose AU. Pretty much everything I draw could be considered AU because what even is canon for the Smiling Critters? But I like to call this my "Critter Island" AU. (Or CritterCrossing) Simply because I headcanon that they live in a place called Critter Cove Isle. I basically treat it like a playground of ideas inspired by MLP, Animal Crossing and other stuff I like.

The OC is originally from This Post.

I wrote a short story about Kickin and my OC meeting for the first time. If you want then read below!

Self indulgent shipping stuff: First Meeting

It was a blistering summer day, and Sandy Paw Beach  was packed with critters enjoying the sun, surf, and sand. Kickin Chicken was in his element, surrounded by his usual entourage of fans. His athletic prowess, smooth confidence, and laid-back attitude had made him a local celebrity. Today, he was out there impressing everyone with his latest trick—a complicated, gravity-defying flip off the side of the pier into the ocean. 

“Yo, Kickin, that was sick!” one of the critters cheered, clapping him on the back as he stepped out of the water, flipping his wet feathers in an effortlessly cool way. 

“Ye-hah, you nailed it, dude!” another chimed in, eyes wide with admiration.

Kickin smirked, shaking off the water and casually throwing on his sunglasses. 

“Eh, no biggie,” he said, trying to downplay it. “When I was born my mom thought I was a penguin, y’know?”

His group of fans chuckled, hanging onto his every word. As they headed back toward the pier to grab some ice cream, one of the critters in the group glanced over at the lifeguard tower and scoffed.

“Ugh, there she is again,” an otter critter named Mia muttered, nudging her friend. “The weird lifeguard.”

Kickin raised an eyebrow, his attention pulled to where Mia was looking. At the lifeguard tower sat Jersey Shoals, a cow critter, her gaze steady as she surveyed the beach. She was calm and quiet, the wind playing with her short, ocean-swept hair as she sat atop the tower, her lifeguard vest loose around her shoulders.

“What’s weird about her?” Kickin asked, though his tone was still casual. He wasn’t the type to get caught up in gossip, but something about the way Mia said it piqued his curiosity.

“She’s, like, always so quiet and stares off into space,” Mia replied. “Barely talks to anyone, and when she does, it’s like... I dunno, she just acts kinda... different. People say she’s, like, in her own world or something.”

“Yeah,” another critter chimed in. “I heard she’s…excuse the language, a bit slow?  Probably not all there, y’know?”

Kickin shrugged, not particularly interested in the details. “Whatever,” he said, brushing it off as he strutted toward the ice cream stand. “She’s just doing her job.”

But as they passed the tower, Kickin couldn’t help but glance up at Jersey again. There was something different about her, but not in the way his beach pals had been suggesting. She seemed...focused. Like she was tuned into something deeper than the noise around her. She wasn’t gawking at the athletes and body builders on the beach, wasn't trying to impress anyone. She just... was.

Suddenly, as if on cue, a loud shriek broke through the chatter of the beachgoers. Kickin turned his head in time to see a kid flailing in the water, caught by a rough current. The lifeguard tower’s alarm sounded, but Jersey was already in motion.

Without a second’s hesitation, she leapt from the tower, her movements swift and precise. She sprinted toward the water, cutting through the crowd with ease, while the beachgoers began to panic. Kickin watched, caught off guard by the sudden change in pace.

Jersey hit the water with purpose, diving beneath the waves in a practiced motion. The kid had gone under for a moment, but she found him quickly, pulling him to the surface with a strength that surprised everyone watching. With measured, powerful strokes, she swam back to shore, cradling the terrified kid in her arms.

By the time she reached the beach, the crowd had gathered, buzzing with concern and admiration. Jersey laid the kid gently on the sand, checking him over as he coughed up water. 

“You’re okay, kiddo. Just breathe,” she said softly, her voice calm and steady.

The kid’s parents rushed over, thanking Jersey profusely, but she barely acknowledged the attention. Once the child was safe, she simply nodded and made her way back toward the tower, shaking off the water without a word, completely focused on her duties.

Kickin’s groupies watched the whole thing in stunned silence. Mia shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the ground as one of the others nudged her in the side. As if to say “Ahem. You were saying?”

“Well... okay, that was pretty cool, I guess,” she muttered, clearly embarrassed by her earlier comment.

Kickin, however, was still staring at Jersey as she walked back to her post. His sunglasses were pushed up, and for the first time that day, he was speechless. That girl who they had called “weird” had just saved a life without a second thought. No showing off, no need for applause. Just action.

Something stirred in him. She was different, all right—but in a way that made him curious. She wasn’t like the others around him, constantly seeking attention or validation. Jersey Shoals had her own rhythm, and that was something Kickin couldn’t help but admire, even if he didn’t understand it yet.

As Jersey reached the base of the tower, she glanced back, her gaze meeting Kickin’s for just a brief second. She didn’t smile, didn’t wave—just a quiet, steady look that lingered for a moment before she turned away and climbed back up to her station.

Kickin blinked, realizing he had been staring. He quickly composed himself, his usual cocky grin returning. “Alright, y’all go ahead,” he said, waving off his friends. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”

As they headed off toward the ice cream stand, Kickin lingered by the edge of the beach, his eyes drifting back toward the lifeguard tower. Maybe she wasn’t weird. Maybe she was just different. And honestly that was something he found intriguing. 

With one last glance at Jersey, he turned and jogged to catch up with his pals, but his mind kept wandering back to the girl on the tower, wondering about what made her tick.

[jjungkookislife]

Shadow [Ch. 6]

pairing: villain!jungkook x side kick!reader

genre: villain au, fluff, crack, 18+

summary: You think about your life after crime and say goodbye to your penguin pals for now.

wc: 1.5k

warnings: mention of mental health (allusions to depression), mention of death, cum shot mention, shared shower, stolen car, stolen jet, car gets set on fire, taking control of someone else's body, melatonin used to put someone to sleep

date: June 2, 2024

A smile appears when you hear Jungkook’s soft snores, thankful he's sleeping peacefully. You often worry being a villain might put a strain on him and his mental health and he’s not quick to admit he’s struggling. You know most of his plans fail, but some have been successful and those few keep you motivated to do better and be better. You love Jungkook and you love the life the two of you have built together and while he’s been dreaming of taking over the world, you’ve been saving and working towards your future and your life after crime.

You dream of a remote island, surrounded by nothing but the ocean as far as the eye can see— a safe place to build a home, and a family, and eventually have little villains running around with Jungkook’s bright doe eyes. The thought has your smile growing bright, your hand resting on Jungkook’s back, softly rubbing circles into his skin.

You love him so much. You can’t imagine what your life without him would be like and you know this life can be dangerous. You want him to achieve all his dreams before asking him to settle down. A jet here, a robbery there, a plot to take over the world, steal some jewels, it all fades to nothing because you’d go to the end of the world just to see him smile, and just thinking of losing him makes your heart sink.

Everything had to be perfect tomorrow.

You couldn’t afford anything but perfection.

A soft knock startles you, making you turn your head toward the door as you grip the sheets to your bare chest. P pops his head in, squawking a few times to alert you of someone at the door. You nod, sending him off as you climb out of bed and pull Jungkook’s shirt over your head before grabbing a pair of leggings as you quietly tiptoe out of the room until Jungkook’s snoring is too far to hear.

“Hello?” A voice comes over the speaker as you lean into Penguin Pal, who’s pointing at the screen. “I’m here for some penguins?”

“Come in!” you call, hitting the button to open the door and the man drives in. He’s got a frazzled look in his eyes but does so. After all, he wasn’t one to question anybody; that made him perfect for the job.

You call your penguin minions, helping the man line them up and place a name tag on them. They all know they’ll return to Antarctica, where you will meet them shortly after you’ve procured the jet.

“My babies,” you pout, kissing each of them before they get in their little cages. They squawk their goodbyes and P clings to you.

“My sweet boy,” you coo as you drop to your knees to be at eye level. His flippers move at his side, your eyes pooling with tears that you blink back when you sniffle. “I’ll see you in just a few days. I promise. Nothing will keep me from you, P.”

Your words seem to comfort Penguin Pal. He nods, waiting for one last hug while the delivery man stares blankly. This is definitely not the weirdest pickup he’s done, but this is why he makes the big bucks.

Once everyone is settled, and your card is approved, the delivery man is gone with your minions and you’re left with a pout on your lips. You’d love to mope around the rest of the day but your body is sore from last night and you desperately needed a shower after the final round when Jungkook finished on your chest. Hot in the moment, but sticky right after.

When you’re in the shower, rinsing your hair, you hear the shower curtain get pushed to the side. Jungkook’s careful as he steps into the shower to join you, his sleepy voice murmuring how he missed you.

“Sorry, baby. I had to see the penguins off,” you inform him as his arms wrap around you and his head rests on your shoulder, not caring that the shower head is pelting him.

“I didn’t get to say bye,” he pouts. You smile, “You’ll see them soon enough.”

“You’re right,” Jungkook sighs. “Maybe they’ll like me by then.”

“We can hope,” you tease as you turn to kiss him, your hands resting on his shoulders.

After your shower, you have a quick breakfast before changing into your sidekick outfit. Jungkook’s busy getting dressed, going over the plans one last time.

Nerves threaten to eat him alive, but he’s done things like this for as long as he can remember. He hopes this will be successful. He’d like it to be his last heist.

“Do we have everything?” You ask as you zip up your backpack. You’ve taken the liberty of stealing a car to buy you some time while you steal the jet. You couldn’t exactly drive your car to a heist.

“I think so,” Jungkook looks into the trunk, checking each bag with the lists you’ve handed him. He grabs an extra bag of snacks just in case and then opens the door to the passenger side for you.

Jungkook gets into the driver’s side as you set up the GPS. He looks it over, mumbling to himself before he nods and starts the car.

The drive is long. Jungkook sings along to his Villain playlist, smiling when you join in here and there. He holds his hand in yours as he drives down the highway.

Hours fly by and you lose yourself in your thoughts. Stealing a jet is no big deal, but having to steal the gem makes you sweat. You have a vague idea of its location, but getting there on foot would be tedious.

You’re consumed by your thoughts when you arrive at a private airport. You had Omen scope it out beforehand, and now you were abandoning the stolen car after changing into your flight attendant uniform.

Jungkook was disguised as a pilot. It took all your willpower not to jump him right then and there with how ridiculously hot he looked! You would make sure he didn’t ruin the outfit before you got a chance to fuck him in it.

Jungkook is oblivious to your naughty thoughts as he grabs the bags you’ll need before using a gloved hand to wipe your prints and his from everything you’ve touched. You begin walking away from the car, with Jungkook checking you’re at a safe distance before he takes a new lighter out of the plastic wrap to toss into the car’s driver’s seat.

With a quick jog, Jungkook is at your side as the car takes moments to explode, creating a loud bang! And a huge cloud of smoke.

The two of you stick around long enough to make sure the front seats are destroyed as sirens fill the air and the two of you run in the opposite direction.

The night sky cooperates for once, cloudy and dark to hide the both of you in shadows. The airport isn’t too far from the blown-up car, but far enough to make it as unsuspicious as possible. You hope the explosion will keep people occupied long enough to steal the jet Omen had scoped out for you.

A chill passes through you as you press your back against a wall, slowly sticking your head out to peek into the hangar. The jet sits in its spot, but it seems a pilot is sitting in the cockpit.

“Fuck,” you curse. “There’s someone inside. There’s no telling if there’s a crew as well.”

Jungkook curses, looking over his shoulder before dropping the bags at his side. “We’ll just have to play it off until you can take his shadow. We can drop him somewhere and take the jet.”

You nod in agreement, fixing your uniform before plastering a flirtatious smile. You confidently stalk toward the plane, swaying your hips as you go.

Jungkook can barely contain himself from drooling.

“Hello,” you call as you step into the jet. The seats are empty, and no response comes from your greeting. You quickly melt into your shadows, using the seats to get from one side of the plane to the other.

“Just the pilot,” you whisper into your earpiece.

Jungkook grabs the bags and heads to the jet as you open the cockpit, surprising the pilot doing his preflight checks.

“What are you doing here!” The pilot exclaims. “We’re not leaving for an hour at least.”

You smirk. “Change of plans.”

The pilot’s brow furrows in confusion as you melt into a shadow, taking over his and gaining control of his body.

This was almost too easy.

“Jungkook!” you sing as you rise in your new body.

“That’s my girl,” Jungkook praises you as you walk past him and off the jet. You look for a quiet spot to take the pilot to before scarfing down a handful of melatonin gummies.

“That should keep you occupied while I take the jet for a ride,” you cackle as drowsiness overcomes your new body and once you’re on the brink of sleep, you slip out of the pilot’s body and back to your own.

Stretching, you stifle a yawn as you hurry back to the jet.

Jungkook has already finished performing preflight checks and is waiting for you to take your seat once you shut the doors.

A few minutes later, you are in the clouds, heading to your destination.

This truly couldn’t have gone any smoother.

<< previous

© jjungkookislife - I do not allow reposts or translations of my work on any platforms, this includes Youtube. 

[gildedmuse]

With credit towards @jhaernyl who shared some fantastic doctor/surgeon humor with me that ended up leading to.....

The ZoLaw AU No One Asked For...

Where Law is a surgeon on some small Northern Island.

Recently Transfered Nurse Sabo: Excuse me, sir, there is a man here? Roronoa Zoro. He's apparently suffered a small injury.

Law: *sighs* Let me guess, that loudmouthed robot made him come in.

Nurse Sabo: No, he-

Law: Robo-ya's wife then. At least one of them is sensible.

Sabo: He came alone, sir, said he was training and suddenly felt something was off balance. I couldn't -

Law: *Going completely still*

Law: *Turning and grabbing the poor new trainee by the shoulders* QUICK! Answer me this: did he finish his training?

Sabo: Err, no, he said he was worried and he came right in so-

Law: BEPO GRAB THE CRASH CART! WE HAVE A CODE GREEN!!!

Law rooming down the whole hospital.

Law: WE CANT LET HIM GET AWAY HE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED *Pointing dramatically as Shachi and Penguin nod to one another, both grab jing gurneys and blocking off the ER exit*

Zoro: *Raising an eyebrow, though also still suspiciously holding onto his arm* Honestly, Torao it was no big deal, I feel fine now.

Law: *sighs* Zoro-ya... *looking down at the floor.*

*....And there is just a trail of blood on the floor leading to Zoro who is holding into his arm which he has (roughly) bandaged on.*

Zoro: What?

Law: .... Zoro-ya, give me your arm. Now.

Zoro: Torao, I told you, its fine, I just needed some ba-

Law: Give. Me. Your. Arm.

Zoro: Tch *hands over his stupid traitor arm*

Trainee Nurse Rebecca: *passes out cold*

Law: Zoro-ya, what has Law said about cutting off your own limbs!?

Zoro: But you always fix it and it was easier than-

Law: That's not the point Zoro-ya! You can't just cut off limbs whenever it's easy!

Sabo: So are they always like this?

Older HCA Ikkaku, who is used to these idiots: *holds out popcorn bucket to share*

No words. Her show is on.

Sabo: But none of the TVs are-Ooooh HCA Ikkaku: I said shhh!

Ikkaku: Roronoa just mentioned Doctor Trafalgar just being sour over Zoro's ankle stitches. That ALWAYS leads to drama.

2nd HCA aka Perona: *appearing from nowhere to grab a handful of popcorn* Doctor Trafalgar hates those scars. Everyone in the hospital - depth, probably the whole town - knows as much. Law doesn't exactly make it a secret.

Like catching someone up on a your favorite long running television show.

Only its live and one of the people is holding a detached bloody arm.

Ikkaku: *ignoring the wide eyes stare from young nurse* Ooh, Looks like Roronoa is going to let him attach it.

Perona: *giggling* Doctor Trafalgar is gonna give him such a hard time! Horohoro, I'll bet he wouldn't even call for the anesthesiologist!

Law: AND DON'T BOTHER GETTING CESEAR! WE'RE DOING THIS NOW!

Ikkaku: Yo, new guy, stop just standing around and get your pal there off the floor.

Perona: And hurry up, we doesn't want to miss when Roronoa finally smiles. Doctor Trafalgar goes bright red! It's SOOO cute! 💕

She's right, too, as anyone whose worked there long enough will attest. It's the best part of the whole show.

The trainee and new transfer are not sure about all this, but the employees who have worked there awhile seem to be.... enjoying it?

Law: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, IDIOT!? WHAT IF I WASN'T HERE TODAY!? AND DON'T JUST ACT LIKE IT WAS A MINOR PAIN!!!

Zoro: Hey! Last time, when Robin made me come (damn noisy witch) and I showed the lady what was wrong, she passed out and you got all-

Law: Because you can't just show our poor check in team a gaping chest wound, Zoro-ya!

Law: *eyebrow twitching* Still! You're supposed to mention when you've CUT OFF YOUR OWN ARM!

It doesn't seem fair for Torao is getting so upset with him, especially since this time Zoro came in without even being made to. Oh, and he knew it wouldn't be a problem! Torao is the best surgeon in the world, Zoro knew he'd be able to fix him.

Sure enough.....

Zoro: Oye, Torao! Look at that! It's good as new! *Bright, sharp smile* See, ai knew there was a reason we kept you around!

Law: *immediately frozen*

HCA Ikkaku: *nudges nurse* Wait for it...

Law: *frozen*

HCA Perona: *holding onto the trainee Nurse too tightly, eyes wide* Here it comes....

Law: *whole face turns bright pink, pulling his surgery mask up as if hiding* Whatever you idiot! Now, stop getting yourself hurt! I'm not sewing on any other limbs for another month at least, I swear!

Zoro: You are the best, Torao *smile getting even brighter*

Perona: 💕 Ahh, aren't they so cute? 💕

Rebecca: Are they?

Sabo: Or are they just scary?

Zoro: *still with that sharp smile as he twists his arm, practicing all his sword moves. Absolutely glowing with pride* Not even a scar, doc. You really are the best.

Law: Of course I didn't leave a scar! I'm not some useless sack of flesh like that Hogsback asshole. I would never leave you with an unwanted mark.

Zoro: *still studying his arm, smile becoming softer, warmer* You know... I wouldn't mind a little mark. So long as it was from you.

And Law's mask gets pulled up so high he's practically got his eyes covered.

(It's both.)

(They're both adorable and scary.)

[berrypass-de-murdler]

93. Death in the Magick Shoppe

So many notifications that are just people accidentally reblogging my reblog of someone else's post and it's just </3 T-T

i know it's an accident but it hurtsssssssss

DON'T READ THE EPISODES UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK!!

Of course. A little Irratino-branded shop. It’s about the size of… a bedroom, and Azure, Dusty, Champagne, and Uncle Midnight are all crammed inside. There’s a bunch of cult stuff everywhere for sale… was this a trick?? And the clerk’s dead, because, of course he is.

LOGICO: Fuck you, Irratino.

Time for some Logi Lookin’.

LOGICO: Don’t say that. Anyway, why are YOU all here? Did he send you here too?? AZURE: I’m not here for the reason you think I am. I am getting things for my sister. LOGICO: You have a sist- AZURE: YES.

Dusty peers out from a room in the back people didn’t know was there.

DUSTY: I’M NOT DOIN’ ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS!

Logico dives in. The room is… a photo booth with pretty much nothing in it. Dusty is just pacing around.

LOGICO: Okay… what about you? CHAMPAGNE: I dunno man.  LOGICO: You’re holding a crystal ball. CHAMPAGNE: Yeh, but, I just like the look of it. LOGICO: Right. Aaand… Uncle Midnight.

The boy is in a cheap tuxedo and fedora, and has a cane. 

U.MIDNIGHT: Uncle Midnight? Who’s this, ‘Uncle Midnight’? LOGICO: Oh god no. U.MIDNIGHT: You’re looking at… THE MASKED DANCER! 

He does a bad tap routine. 

AZURE: You’re not wearing a mask. LOGICO: And I’m sure that name is copyrighted. U.MIDNIGHT: People tell me that I gotta be more ‘serious’. And man, look how serious I am! [falls] Ahaaah. 

Logi calls.

LOGICO: Why did you send me here.

He hasn’t even answered yet.

IRRATINO: I’m sorry. I was on the opposite side of the mansion when I heard the phone. But more importantly, you’re about to understand everything.

The only thing Logico understands is whodunit.

AZURE: My daughter always tells me… LOGICO: You have a daughter too? AZURE: SHUT UP! She told me that magick is the key I’ve been missing. And if I give up my silly superstition, I’ll be able to sell my screenplay. But the first time I try to? I’m called a MURDERER! LOGICO: You have a screenplay? AZURE: UGH!!! [storms off]

Champagne is gone too, and so is the crystal ball. Guess he REALLY liked the look of it… meanwhile Uncle Midnight is on the porch, lit by a single lamp against the night sky.

U.MIDNIGHT: I’m gonna make my own career, just you wait. Yeaaah. Gettin’ down with my tap-dancing, out in the big leagues? Everyone’s gonna love me. LOGICO: Why are you telling me this?

Benjamin grunts and shuts up, leaning on his cane. There’s a lot of silence.

LOGICO: YOU’RE WRONG, IRRATINO! I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!!! U.MIDNIGHT: Jesus Christ, lil’ man! [stumbles away]

Logico brings out his phone and stares at it.

LOGICO: But I will.

The end! 

playing in roblox avatar creatore with a pal and this

logico is l i t e r a l l y a penguin

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!

[aslightaddity]

Dappy!verse lore The Penguin

Born the daughter of Gertrude Kableput after an affair with Salvatore Moroni. He was an only child as his birth was incredibly traumatic for his mother, he was born prematurely and with cerebral palsy.

His mother was fiercely protective of him. He barely left his home, when he did it was to the doctors, the store, the library, or the park but always with his mother. He was homeschooled by his mother and his neighbors as a child due to his difficulties speaking and the lack of accessibility in the Gotham public schools.

As a child he knew he was different, past his condition, he knew he was truly a boy, he had no way to communicate this, he had no word for what it was. Until he made a friend, a pen pal really, named Helix, who was like him. She too was trans and sheltered. They bonded over their letters, they shared photos, books, songs they loved, and their crazy stories.

For his seventeenth birthday he was surprised with his own set of arm crutches that his mother and neighbors had pooled together money for and was finally had more mobility that he didn’t need to rely on someone else for.

That was the same day he saw his first dead body. He finally had his own way to visit Helix on his own so he went to visit her but when he arrived at her home the doors were unlocked and in the middle of the room was the bloodied corpse of Helix. The only thing the killer left was a ransom note.

Oswald took the note and went to the worst place he knew to try and find answers, fish mooney’s club. He demanded to know if the person could be identified but Fish refused to tell him anything without assurance that he was loyal. In trade for the information Oswald began working for Fish.

As one of Fish’s employees he was given a spare tuxedo, it wasn’t as fitted as the others had them but he was greatful as he finally looked more like a man in it. He worked as a greater for the club and kept tabs on who came and went, like a look out, lord knows the security was just there for show and the heavy lifting. He also helped Fish hide items, often bringing them home and hiding their food hem under a loose floor board.

His mother wasn’t too happy that he got a job but he assured her it was a good job and that the extra money would be nice.

Over the years he slowly got closer to finding Helix’s murderer and he got closer to Fish herself. She was nice but strict, like a mother, and doted on him, saying how he looked like a little penguin in his suit. A nickname that quickly caught on. With the money he earned he was able to pay for his mother’s dream home in another, safer, city and was even able to pay for gender affirming care and better mobility aids on his own.

Then the day came when Fish called him aside to talk to him. They had found who they believed killed Helix and due to his dedication it was up to him what happened to him. Oswald had long made up his mind, he was going to kill them himself.

When the day finally came he went along with Fish and some of the other men to the man’s apartment. He was given a gun, not a nice one but by no means cheap. It was quick and slow the moment when he shot and killed the man he didn’t even bother to learn the name of.

He finally got revenge but there was more he realized his own potential. He could be just as great as Fish.

Fish realized this too and slowly he improved and became her second in command. She drunkenly told him one night that if she to die that it would all be his.

It was an uncharacteristically sunny day in Gotham when that statement would become true. While in a meeting with Falcone the all to familiar sound of a gunshot rang out. Oswald rushed in the room to find Fish bleeding out. Despite his insistence to help and try to save her, she already resigned herself to the death and reminded him that he was going to be a great man.

Usually when he returned home with blood on his hands from work he would wash it off as soon as he could but when he returned home he found himself unable to wash off her blood.

He took up Fish’s position, cozied up to Falcone despite how much he hated the man. But Falcone didn’t care about him, instead of treating him with the same respect he gave Fish, he made Oswald look after his daughter Sophia. Sophia insisted they were friends but it was very clear that they weren’t. They talked but it was mainly Sophia talking and Oswald responding in short answers.

Becoming more and more irritated with Falcone he began scouring to find others that disliked him and Moroni. Which, naturally, was a lot of people. He promised them better, to his ability he gave them better. It wasn’t long before people started denouncing Falcone or Moroni in favor of Oswald. Far too many people to just kill, far too important too.

It wasn’t long before he was confronted by both Falcone and Moroni. Who had nothing by colorful things to say to and about him, the threatened to kill him if he didn’t put an end to his growing claim on their crime empires.

Oswald wasn’t a fool. He had learned from them and so many other men like them how business worked, after-all he was doing a fine job running his own ‘business’. He knew that all men have a weak point you have to gouge, blackmail was a man’s best friend. So he told them what he had over each of them. For Moroni, it was the knowledge of his slew of affairs and illegitimate children he never cared to be responsible for and reminded Falcone that he knew every detail Sophia did. The blackmail alongside the dwindling support forced them to accept the change.

And for years it went like that, he ran the club, now the iceberg lounge, and managed his empire, both with the threats and attempts on his life that came with them. Never once being tied back to it all. He even took in an orphan that reminded him all too much of his long lost friend Helix, the boy was named Martin and he took him in as his own. But he grew paranoid as the years went by smooth.

Paranoid that someone was out to kill all that he loved, paranoid that every new face could be a threat. It quickly became a habit to blackmail and manipulate people. Afterall it was the only way he kept control. But then he met a man that defied his control, Ed Nygma. A man who when faced with blackmail pulled a knife and aimed for an artery. A man he would become so close to and soft with as the tell him his entire story. A story no one else knew in full.

In some ways he had gained the family he had long thought he lost.

[montereybayaquarium]

🐧 📢 Calling all penguin enthusiasts!

Waddle with our penguin parade and help spread the word about #NOOW: Not On Our Watch. Our African penguin pals have faced some tough times over the past century, but by protecting their ocean homes and choosing ocean-friendly seafood, we can flip the tide for our feathered friends!

[chellesdump]

Sana Potter - MiSa (2NA)

"All Sana wanted was to watch her favorite series of movies alongside her members but when everyone tells her they are busy she gets so upset. That is until big sister Mina comes to the rescue making Sana feel so magical and happy "

word count ─ 1.2k

tags ─ little! sana, big sis! mina, autumn, harry potter, cuddles

notes ─ This is for the Magic prompt, so of course it had to be Sana Potter. So enjoy :3

Sana woke up refreshed after the relaxing night she had, which meant that all her energy was recharged, she tried to decide what she was going to spend the day doing, but no matter how much she tried to come up with any idea she just couldn't think of anything, that was until a voice call for her from somewhere within the house.

“Sana! You just got mail” said the voice which seemed to be Jihyo from the living room.

Sana ran towards where she heard Jihyo, grab whatever thing the mailman just brought for her, thanking the leader with a “Thank you Hyo, love yah!”, she ran back to her room to open the package. Inside was her new blanket hoodie, it was Harry Potter-themed, with all the characters displayed in a pattern, so this gave her an idea of how to spend the day away.

She was watching… HARRY POTTER.

Now she only needed to find someone to watch the movies with, since watching them alone isn’t the most fun thing to do, so her adventure to find a movie pal started, she went to find Momo in her room, but when she was about to open the door remembered that Momo was in Japan for a schedule.

After Momo’s room she went to look for Hyo, she was sure she would want to watch a movie with her, “Hyo! Wanna watch Harry Potter wif’ me? I gots a new blanket to watch it” excitedly asked Sana with a glimmer in her eyes, but disappointment came when Jihyo told her she couldn’t right now since she was called into a meeting but maybe later.

Then she went to find Jeongyeon, maybe she was willing to watch at least one of the movies with her, but as such had been her luck Jeong wasn’t able to do it either, “Sorry Sha but I’m taking Peanut to the vet for a checkup, but you know I’d be more than happy to spend time with you if I could” sadly told her the older girl giving a pitiful pat on the younger’s head before going out the door.

Finally, she went to Nayeon’s room to ask her to watch the movies with her, but upon arrival, she found Nay was getting changed, “Where you going?” asked Sana clutching her stuffed Hedwig plush against her chest, “Oh Sana! Didn’t hear you enter, but to answer your question I’m taking the maknaes to their doctor's appointment” answered Nayeon fake whispering the last part before chuckling, but she found that Sana’s gaze was on the floor and she was so quiet. 

“Is something the matter baby?” questioned Nayeon stuffing her purse with the necessities for the day, “Wanted to watch Harry wif’ you Mama, but you busy” sadly answered the Japanese girl burying her face on the plushes back, this broke Nay’s heart but she needed to take the girls to the doctor, so with a heavy heart told Sana that if she was still up to it when she came back from the doctor they could watch the movie together.

—

Sana was sulking in the living room, stray tears came out of her eyes and quiet sobs dominated her body, this made her even more upset as she wasn’t supposed to be mad at the girls for being busy because they told her that if they could they would do it but for someone as little as she was at the moment it was beyond upsetting.

Mina came into the living on her way to the kitchen to grab a beverage, but stopped in her tracks upon seeing the upsetting scene of Sana quietly sobbing on the sofa, she went towards the sofa and sat beside the crying girl asking her what was wrong.

“Mitang!” yelled Sana launching herself to hug the penguin girl, “I w-wanna watch Ha-harry but everyone b-busy, no one watch mo-movies with Satang” sobbed the Shiba Inu retelling how everyone had things to do and so she was alone, Mina gave her a hug before getting up and going to the kitchen before heading to her room.

Sana got even sadder and more upset seeing how Mina just went back to hiding in her room ignoring the older one, she was getting mad at hearing all the ruckus that Mina was making from her room. Every once in a while she would see Mina coming into the kitchen, grabbing something, and retreating back to her room, this same pattern lasted around 20 minutes with the only difference of sometimes going to the linen closet instead of the kitchen.

It was about the 15th time Mina came out of her room and ignored Sana, and she was fed up with it, except this time Mina came straight to Sana and extended her hand out for her to take, with some apprehension Sha took the offered hand and followed Mina to… Mina’s room, why would she finally decide to invite Sana inside when she had been ignoring her for the last 20 or so minutes, since she was upset she made her thoughts known.

Mina began laughing, which made Sana mad about how she could be cruel to Sana for voicing her feelings, the penguin quickly recovered from her laughing fit and reassured Sha about how she wasn’t ignoring her and that they were there to give her a big surprise. Opening her door Mina let Sana inside and showed her what she had been preparing the last 20 minutes, there was a blanket fort surrounding the TV, and there was a wide range of bowls with snacks that Sana loved, some were even Wizarding World-themed, it was so magical looking with the fairy light hanging from the makeshift ceiling of the fort.

Sana’s heart warmed up and once again the tears made themselves present in her eyes, Mina got worried, “Did you not like it Satang? I’m so sorry” mused the penguin, but Sana was quick to say the contrary, “Like it? I wuv it Mitang!! Fank you for this you da best sister I could have!” finished the Shiba hugging the sentimental ballerina.

Once both girls were calm enough they started watching the first movie of the series, drinking the butter beer (non-alcoholic, of course, they are Alcohol Free) Mina had made with so much love and eating all the snacks. After the first movie had ended and the second one was around the middle Sana was so relaxed that falling asleep was imminent, before letting her heavy eyelids win the fight against sleep she let Mina know how grateful she was for her doing all this just to make Sha happy.

“Of course Satang, that’s what big sisters are for. We are here to make our tiny sisters happy, I love you so much” whispered Mina leaving a tiny but filled with so much love kiss on top of Sana’s head cuddling her harder and also succumbing to sleep’s arms. That’s how the rest of the members found them with happy smiles plastered on both their faces, Nayeon and Jeongyeon picked them up into the bed, tucking them under the covers and leaving them to rest… not before taking a photo to save the warm moment between the Japanese girls.

[jillyb2004]

Hey!! have you ever shipped a crosship rarepair from 2 different fandoms? my favourites are Rectangular Businessman (12 oz mouse) X Magic Myc (inside job) X Bill Cipher (gravity falls) and Pyronica from gravity falls x Man woman from 12 oz mouse !!!

Yeah I have actually! In fact I now have 3 CrackShips that I’m absolutely proud of…

The first one I made was Tattoo from The Secret Life of Pets and Short Fuse from The Penguins of Madagascar Movie

The Second one was Cape from Cats and Peachtopia aka Cats 2018 and Loki from Total Drama’s Ridonculous Race that was so batshit crazy that it will be the most out of the 3 to unlikely ever become canon

My newest addition to my CrackShip line up is Mr.Boss from Smiling Friends and Deputy Denny from Squidbillies

If I were to rank all of my CrackShips based on how their relationship would last and their likely chances of ever becoming canon in a potential crossover, I would put it like this…

#1. Mr.Boss x Deputy Denny since they are both owned by Adult Swim and Warner Bros respectively and although they would have a poor start with Mr.Boss being a wealthy businessman who has psychological issues but is very kindhearted and Deputy Denny being a stick in the mud and a literal man child, but overall they do manage to make their relationship seem comprehensive and even got married at one point while having Lucy The Daughter of The Devil be there surrogate mother for their baby daughter Janice (who is an oc I’ll potentially make in the future) and become one big happy family

#2. Tattoo and Short Fuse since Short Fuse is a reliable member of The North Wind and what if he saved Tattoo’s life at one point or another and it just worked out over time?! Tattoo is a shy awkward pig who is very fun once you get to know him and Short Fuse is a wildcard but can also have his arrogant moments but manages to tone it down in front of Tattoo so that he wouldn’t end up scaring him away and ruining his reputation in The North Wind organization. Plus the other members of The North Wind are very inflamed (especially Classified) about the fact that Short Fuse is dating a pig that he saved one time and still kept him around for so long! Short Fuse ended up quitting his job at The North Wind later on to focus more on his love life and his future family of 3 adopted kids named Sparkle (an elephant seal), Ricky (a naked mole rat) and Corky (an axolotl) after getting marrying Tattoo shortly after leaving which is why his old pals who worked at The North Wind betrayed him and never bothered showing up to his wedding since deep down inside, Short Fuse really misses them

Now he has new friends to hang out with called

LugNutz (an elephant) BBQ (a porcupine) and Quaff (an ostrich) that him and Tattoo often go to a bar in time square New York

(Yay More Oc’s to make in the future!😊 Great…😒)

#3. Cape and Loki since Cape is 3d and Loki is 2d, their possibilities of being canon are just nonexistent since Cape is from a movie made from China and Loki is from a show made in Canada and since Cape is too lighthearted and optimistic for Loki’s aggressive and outrageous attitude, it’s pretty clear that they might never last a long term relationship

So that’s all you need to know and if there’s any more CrackShips I might come up with in the future, I’ll be sure to let u guys know!

Anyways stay safe out there and have a good rest of your day!

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Penguins on Parade

Edgar Allan Poe: i feel like there's been way too much drama here lately Poe: too many cranks just venting obsessions and paranoias! Poe: can't we just hear a nice, simple, old-fashioned horror story? HP Lovecraft: i-i've got one Poe: ...son of a bitch

Poe: ok howard let's hear it August Derleth: wooo! yeah! Derleth: go off Howard, you got this! Lovecraft: y-yeah ok Derleth: a-grade storytelling, right here! modern master!

Lovecraft: a premise occurred to me one night while in the throes of fitful sleep Derleth: yes! yes! tossing and turning! sweat that plot out Lovecraft: about an ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic Derleth: cold as ice! chilly like my willy, baby Lovecraft: p-please stop

Poe: ah, the South Pole Poe: a promising location for a doomed voyage Poe: not to spoil anything but Poe: they all drown in the magnetic whirlpool, right? Lovecraft: Poe: that resides at the bottom of the world, right? Lovecraft: Poe: perhaps they're slaughtered by hostile peoples of the inner earth?

Lovecraft: n... Lovecraft: no, there's a continent there Poe: oh, a fantasy story? fun!

Lovecraft: even the beginning of this terrible journey is fraught with peril Lovecraft: for they must encounter that most loathsome of all birds Lovecraft: THE PENGUIN Clive Barker: Barker: ah ha ha Barker: oh man Barker: let's fucking go, curtain up

Dean Koontz: i like penguins :) Koontz: stephen let me watch happy feet Koontz: it was funny Koontz: except for the seal Stephen King: we had to fast-forward past the seal King: and the orcas King: pretty much the entire second half Koontz: i like when they dance

Lovecraft: b-but these are no ordinary penguins Lovecraft: the average penguin is black AND white Lovecraft: a hideous mixture in itself Lovecraft: yet these massive creatures are ALBINO

Lovecraft: so pale as to be mistaken for snowdrifts at a distance Lovecraft: you might say they are passing for white Poe: uhh Derleth: shhh, let him cook

Lovecraft: t-the group found a perplexing frozen specimen Lovecraft: i-it was only when they discovered the ruins later that they realized it was a being of great intelligence Lovecraft: for, you see Lovecraft: the thing had no skull to measure

Lovecraft: millions of years ago, the Old Ones flourished upon the continent Lovecraft: they built a society dedicated to pure scientific achievement Lovecraft: yet, in the cruelest irony Lovecraft: they were overwhelmed by sheer brute strength Barker: lol Barker: get owned nerds

Lovecraft: i-it was a most grand civilization Lovecraft: accomplished universities. safe to slither the streets at night Lovecraft: and then a certain kind of creature Lovecraft: i shall not say whom Lovecraft: took over Lovecraft: and the property values... they plummeted

Derleth: okay look i'm getting a little sick of all of you calling Howard a bigot Derleth: i keep telling you he's simply a man of his time Lovecraft: the shoggoths were faceless slaves of the deepest black hue Lovecraft: possessing a fiendish malevolence to compensate for their lack of a brain Derleth: Derleth: oh and i suppose you're just going to take THAT out of context

Lovecraft: most chilling of all the shoggoths' attributes was their infernal piping Lovecraft: it imitated the structure of the Old Ones' music Lovecraft: but it was as if they spoke rather than harmonized it Lovecraft: and inserted coarse references to anatomy

Lovecraft: there were indeed some horrors in this house Lovecraft: and they were wet and gushy Lovecraft: no bucket or mop would suffice

Lovecraft: they escaped with their lives, yet Danford was tormented by visions of the shoggoth unto madness Lovecraft: for knowledge of the unknown has a terrible price, and death and ignorance are our only mercies Lovecraft: the end Derleth: Barker: Poe: Koontz: King: King: so, Dean, I have this DVD of Norm of the North

John W. Campbell: say, that's a pretty good yarn, but couldn't more happen with the shapeshifting Campbell: what if the shoggoth was able to fully mimic its human prey Lovecraft: fully ASSIMILATED among men? Lovecraft: there is cosmic horror, sir, and then there is simply bad taste

Thanks to guest writer my pal Morbiose for help with this thread!

[crumbledcastle28]

Bucky Barnes: Together (If The Fates Allow)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader (she/her; afab)

Excerpt: “As he swayed with you, copious amounts of sweet nothings came to his mind, and he nearly spilled them all. But something about the mix of the music with the silence of your voices felt like communication enough. It was as though you were speaking a language together, through your own brains and your own hearts, that this was all you needed.”

Warnings: Bucky gets a bit sad, is a total simp for the reader, and it ends in a makeout. What more can you ask for? Reader also has blue eyes. This is also completely off-canon and makes no sense with any actual marvel plot.

A/N: Surpriseeeee. Merry Christmas @leahkenobi.

Song

Marvel Masterlist

If you’d like to leave a like, comment, reblog, or ask, it would be much appreciated <3

His brothers sigh of disappointment through the phone cut through him sharply, working its way down to his chest.

“I’m sorry Buck, with the weather being how it is, we’re staying in tonight. I’m sorry.”

He leaned against the kitchen counter, squeezing the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. He expected this call as soon as the snowflakes outside changed from slush-like droplets to thick balls of powder, packing down the entrance to every building in New York City. Including the Avengers Tower, which had been decorated for the holidays as soon as the clock struck midnight on Thanksgiving night. Bucky leading said decorating, of course, saying he wanted the compound to look “classic.”

And did it ever.

Multi-colored Christmas lights, a glittering evergreen coated in ornaments on the verge of gaudy, with a surrounding atmosphere of stockings, nutcrackers, reindeer, and his favorite, penguins. It was a winter wonderland, crafted in his own design. One of the few things in his life he had been proud of making with his own hands.

And he wanted to show it to you. That’s all he wanted for Christmas, to see the familiar light in your eye that every person could see get impossibly brighter at something from him. That he did. But, how could he forget, he was James Buchanan Barnes, and he was not known to leave behind a trail of good-fortune.

Bucky creased his eyebrows together and took a deep breath. “It’s alright Steve, just stay safe pal.”

“We will Buck. We will. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” he responded, and ended the call the way you had taught him to. Your laughs while attempting to explain how iPhones work floated around his brain, and it cut a bright spot through his ever-present darkness.

He leaned forward slightly to catch a glimpse of you on the couch, and your light cut through his darkness even more.

You were sat comfortably, leaning against the arms of the couch with a fuzzy blanket around your middle. You had on jeans and a sweater—Christmas-themed of course, one you had “treated yourself” to, not knowing that Bucky had secretly taken care of it himself—and your hair was done how you liked it. Your makeup complimented the natural vision that was you perfectly, brightening the spots that were already brightened, and  accentuating the parts of you that sucked out his breath when he first caught you in his sight.

You looked perfect. Absolutely perfect.

A part of him was excited nobody else got to see you looking this way, but the rest of him cracked for you. He could see your excitement in the way you were sitting—on the edge of your seat, scrolling mindlessly on your phone, obviously waiting for some kind of sign from him that it was time to go.

He gritted his teeth and internally cursed every god out there, wishing they could be the ones to cause the disappointment on your face, not him.

He pushed himself off the counter and breathed deeply, running his hand through his hair as he made his way towards you. Your head turned as he walked, and your eyes sunk at his demeanor.

He’d been through so much pain in his life, and while this was not a big deal in the long run, the light blue of your eyes turning even a tone of interstellar sunk his stomach every time.

“I’m sorry baby,” he said, swallowing hard. “Everyone’s staying home tonight.”

You gave him a sad smile before your lips fell into a line, but you shrugged your shoulders nonetheless. “It’s okay. It’s probably best to keep everyone safe.”

He loved you more than anything in that moment, but he also knew you better than anyone.

He sat down at your side and placed a hand on your thigh, internally recalling the times he had done so before to calm your nerves and how much you seemed to like it, before mumbling. “It’s okay to be disappointed. I’m disappointed. I wanted you to see the tower all decorated.”

You smiled at him, ever the optimist. You brushed back his hair and said, “There’s always Christmas Day, I can see it then.”

He nodded, eyes fluttering at how you always touched him just right, before he brought your palm down to his mouth. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to show off your sweater.”

You laughed, smiling wide enough to crease your eyes, and he smiled widely too. “Good thing you prefer it off of me.”

He laughed loudly, knowing your joke was purely to make him feel better, and pushed you back into the couch. The both of you laughed together as he pulled himself on top of you. He kissed around your neck teasingly, tasting a mix of your skin and perfume, and brought his hand to the warm skin of your rib cage. You laughed joyously, cheeks reddening as he kissed around you.

He smiled at your flustered state, feeling his own heart pound. “You know me too well.”

He felt you kiss his cheek and he hummed, enjoying your softness and comfort. He leaned back to look at you smiling up at him, the wide-open window showing the blizzard outside giving your face the perfect silhouette, and he exhaled in satisfaction.

You always seemed to bring that specific exhale to him, one that he had been unable to explain to both his friends and himself. It was an exhale of calamity, serenity, peace. Like one’s muscles relaxing after getting home from a long day, or eating a warm meal after being out in the cold. You were complete and total tranquility for him, and you deserved a happy Christmas Eve if it was the last thing he did.

He brushed your hair back and kissed your forehead before untangling himself from you. He pulled you up from the couch by your hand and sat you up straight before practically sprinting his way into the kitchen, hearing your laugh as he headed towards his destination.

“Where are you going?” you asked brightly, and he smiled. Every ounce of disappointment had already left your tone, which only egged him on.

He stopped next to the stove and pulled out his stereo, the one you had gotten him exactly a year ago, and pressed play. He turned the dial slightly to the right, and the familiar baritone of Frank Sinatra drifted throughout the apartment. He then slowly made his way back to you, your body language showing him your eagerness, before he pulled you to your feet and wrapped your arms around his neck. A blush crept up your neck once more, and Bucky kissed the side of your mouth as he began to sway to the tune.

The same exhale of relief you always brought him exited from your lips that time, and you tucked your head into Bucky’s chest. Right over his heartbeat. He held you tightly, warming from the inside out, and placed his chin on your head. Completely surrounding you in him.

He had never felt so complete in his life.

As he swayed with you, copious amounts of sweet nothings came to his mind, and he nearly spilled them all. But something about the mix of the music with the silence of your voices felt like communication enough. It was as though you were speaking a language together, through your own brains and your own hearts, that this was all you needed. Just the feeling of being pressed against each other, snowed in on Christmas Eve, with nothing but brightness to look forward to. This feeling of “what could go wrong” used to fill him with gut-wrenching dread, but now, with you in his arms, he had the strength to push that all away, and just live.

You mumbled something against the fabric of his maroon sweater, but he couldn’t quite catch it.

“What was that baby?” he asked, kissing the top of your head.

“Why didn’t we think of this sooner?”

He smiled, laughing deeply, and whispered, “I don’t know.”

You pulled away from him to look into his eyes, still swaying. “Can this be a new tradition?”

He smiled down at you, framing your face in his hands, before pressing a firm kiss to your mouth. “Of course baby. Whatever you want.”

You smiled up at him, and he noticed a thin line of tears beginning to mist below your perfect eyes. Like icicles dangling from trees against a bright blue sky. Luckily for him, he knew they were from pure goodness and gratitude.

He kissed you again. And again. And again. Before whispering against your lips. “I love you.”

You pulled him in deeper by his collar, beginning to back him up against the couch, and whispered, “I love you too. Merry Christmas.”

He ran his hands down your body, continuing his life-long mission to have you completely memorized, before picking you up and carrying you the rest of the way, laying you down on the couch gently. He used the strength of his metallic arm to keep you steady as he laid you, while using the delicacy of his right to keep your face pressed against his. Your skin on his was an addiction, one he would never go through withdrawal for.

He entangled himself on top of you, kissing you harshly before pulling back to look at you. Red in the face, swollen lips, and a blissed out smile.

“Merry Christmas indeed,” he responded, before diving back in.

Out of one hundred and six Christmas Eves, that one was by far the best.

Tag list:

@leahkenobi

[shadowredfeline]

Three in One Post

For the Responses to my Filipino Friend

Yeah i have watched Madagascar, i've only watched the 1st one, parts of the 2nd one, and i also watched the 3rd one. But i also did watch the show Penguins of Madagascar since the show was kinda good. I've only watched a couple of episodes of the show since there are some episodes that i like. And yeah i bet Rita might enjoy some Ice cream too since they are really good. But now that you mentioned it, i have made homemade ice cream before when i was in school. And it was kinda hard to make, but if we were to look for some videos online how to make some, then i'm sure it'll be fun for the both of us.

2nd Response, I have got Burger King's Milkshakes ever since i was a kid, but now it's rare to me because some of the Burger King's Ice Cream machines might be broken in my state, and i'll only go for some Shakes at Burger King if i feel like it. But my mom and i have talked about getting a milkshake yesterday and asked which Fast Food makes the best milkshakes. Normally McDonald's makes the best milkshakes as well as for Jack in the Box, Lenny's and Sonic Drive in. And sometimes Dairy Queen might do shakes too. But the best restaurant does milkshakes is Whataburger. Because i get some Whataburger's shakes there sometimes if i was craving a sweet tooth besides if anyone in my family is craving for some of Whataburger's pancakes, especially my mom. She loves Whataburger's pancakes a lot in her 20s. And also, i get Mcflurries from McDonald's a lot anytime i would crave a sweet tooth if i was going to save room for dessert if i've already ate. But if the McFlurry machine is broken, then i would always go for a McDonald's shake as a substitute. But i also remember Jack in the Box has Oreo Shakes too since my mom and i already tried one. But i'm sure the Speedsters, the Ramcats and the Rabbits are going to have themselves a ice cream sugary coding whenever they just want to end up eating ice cream so much.

And for the On This Day Post

Those Weapons from Final Fantasy are really cool, and also Final Fantasy X is probably one of my favorite Final Fantasy games besides IX, XV and World of Final Fantasy. Since i have Final Fantasy X on my PlayStation 2, but i was thinking of wanting to play the HD Remaster since i got it on my PlayStation 4 since i had a PlayStation Plus Premium at the time, my brother wanted to use Premium, but he rather just stick with using the Essentials which he pays $10 a month while the Premium is only $18 a month. That's because my brother has been working so hard at the Wingstop restaurant. But we could use those Final Fantasy Weapons for Kingdom Smash since that game is uses Final Fantasy as well as for Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest and the World Ends with you, as well as for the Easter Egg that Kingdom Hearts 3 uses called Einhander. But i'm sure the other Square-Enix titles would like to be included since Kingdom Smash would be collaborated by Nintendo and Square-Enix, if we would get the permission to ask them to make it together.

[alln64games]

Space Station Silicon Valley

NA release: 21st October 1998

PAL release: November 1998

JP release: N/A

Developer: DMA Design

Publisher: Take-Two

N64 Magazine Score: 91%

Space Station Silicon Valley is a mission-based puzzle platformer where you reanimate the corpses of dead animals (don’t worry, they’re all robots). It was developed by DMA design (makers of Lemmings, GTA and Body Harvest) and is an immense amount of fun. The game did ship with a bug that meant that you couldn’t pick up one of the collectables, but I played a version that had been patched by fans that fixes the issue.

You play as Evo, a robot that loses its body as he and his hero-for-hire partner crash into a mysterious station that’s on a course for Earth. Evo ends up as just a chip, but discovers that he can take over the bodies of deceased animal robots.

In each level, you must complete multiple objectives, usually done by killing the animals, taking over their bodies and using their various abilities to complete what you need. It all sounds horrific and disturbing when trying to explain it, but the game manages to be incredibly charming throughout this, with happy music that is played through the station speakers (which you can destroy to shut them up).

Discovering how each animal moves and how to use them is one of the main things I love about Space Station Silicon Valley. They all have different kinds of movement – some are like a typical platformer, others are like cars and some can only move when jumping – and the powers have various uses that aren’t just needed to solve the puzzles of the level, but to find all the collectables. This concept was also a large part of Super Mario Odyssey, so my like for this is probably why I loved that, too.

Each level has 15 power cells hidden in it to find, some are in plain view, others are hidden extremely well. A few of them can be quite frustrating to get to, such as some high up ones requiring using a vulture’s awful flight to get there. The game’s dreadful camera also doesn’t help matters, as you can never get a good look around and the cameral often likes looking downwards.

The other kind of collectable is a hidden trophy in each level, which is found by doing a secret objective. Sometimes these are obvious, such as the second level having a racetrack, and often killing everything will yield results, while others are very tricky, such as listing to penguins make sound and recreating it on a keyboard (being tone-deaf, I looked that one up).

Still, even with these annoying ones, it was a joy to collect everything. I’m not 100% completing every N64 game, but this one was one where I wanted to do so.

At the end of each of the four regions, you’ll encounter a level where you find a piece of Evo’s original body. These are quite different to the main gameplay, featuring different events. For example the second area ends with a Jetski-like race called Walrace 64 where you have to win a race as a robotic walrus boat.

Once all these are done, the final mission is defending Earth against invading robots, but unfortunately is probably the weakest level of the game. Still, that slight downer is just the end of a wonderful experience.

While the difficulty is more of a rollercoaster than a curve, you do get used to some of the techniques the game uses, and the wild and wacky robot animals are always an absolute joy to discover – each time you see a new one, you’re eager to kill it and give it a spin.

Space Space Station Silicon valley is a wonderful platformer and one I think more people should try out.

The important thing, though, is that you’ll keep on coming back to it until you’ve found every animal, explored every single nook and cranny, and beaten every bonus game. It’s compulsive, addictive and most important of all, it’ll have you grinning like a rabid chimp while you play.

- Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #22

Remake or remaster?

A remaster would be great for this. Have it adapted into widescreen, give it a new camera and fix a few things here or there. A few bonus levels would be nice, too.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no official way to get Space Station Silicon Valley