#gee spector

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Dear Juliet, things are boring here. Davis won't stop making out with his vampire girlfriend and Mom and Dad are acting suspicious. Gee is coming over later to talk to them, and we're not supposed to listen to their conversation. So I'll let you know what they said tonight. Miss you xx."

Destiny sent her email and crashed on the couch dramatically. Davis and Bronwen ignored her as usual, so she had the couch and TV all to herself. Her girlfriend, Juliet Fontana, lived in Arkhelios, so they didn't see each other very often. Her parents, Oriana and Benvolio, were approaching the end of their demon deal and could die at any time, so Juliet didn't stray too far away from them. She needed to spend every moment with her parents while she had them, which Destiny understood completely. Her parents would never die, but it was something other kids had to face and she felt bad for them. When Juliet's parents died, Destiny had pleaded with her parents to let her girlfriend stay with them, which had ended with a hopeful, "We'll see." Juliet still had the Durant family to take care of her, but Destiny didn't care. She and Juliet belonged together.

"How's that? Good? Is it getting any better?"

Lukas massaged Izanami's shoulders, desperately hoping that something they tried would help relieve some of the pain their husband was constantly in. The nausea seemed to have passed for a few days, but Death still suffered. All the colour had drained from his hair, something that only happened when Izanami lost control of himself. Lukas hadn't seen his hair turn white since the beginning of their relationship, when they'd broken up and Izanami had fallen into a deep depression. To see it return to a bone white colour now was unsettling.

"I think so, a little," Izanami replied. "I need to sit down again, probably. Tell me what our meeting with Gee is about. I didn't get tagged in the email you sent him."

"That would be because I never tagged you in it," Lukas replied. They watched as Izanami settled into the most comfortable seat in their office, still looking miserable. "We're not having a meeting, I am. You are going to rest and not worry about a thing. You're retired from all of this drama. Let your son deal with it."

"I'm still responsible for the realms of Death," Izanami protested. "Gee can't handle this. A sealed realm with a dream demon trapped inside? An entire reaper team that's gone missing? Gee is an idiot. He's unprepared. He doesn't know how to deal with Xexys."

"Neither did we," Lukas pointed out, pulling over the coffee table so that Izanami could elevate his legs. "Hence why we sealed it up in the first place. Now let me know if you need a refill on that tea. It'll help settle your stomach."

"I don't have a stomach," Izanami sighed. "I don't drink fluids. It makes no difference to my system how many teas you make me drink. Please, just catch me up on what you plan to discuss with my son."

Lukas paused for a moment, long enough to give Izanami hope that his pleas had worked.

"I'm going to get you a blanket," Lukas decided, illiciting a desperate groan from their husband.

"Dearest, please, please stop trying to help me," Izanami pleaded. "I'll be fine, I promise. What has happened with Jubilant Accosts and the reapers there? That woman, Zuleika, has she started work on our problem?"

"Eh, sort of? She freaked out about Xexys apparently, but once she found out that I would be the one traveling in his realm, she accepted the assignment. Not that she really had a choice in the matter, but it's nice when the reapers agree to do their jobs. Like a demon stands a chance against a god."

Lukas froze as the words passed their lips. When they thought about it, demons did a lot of damage against both them and reapers. Demons were the number one thing Gee accused them of blaming. Was there actual danger to them? No one knew what to expect from a dream demon that had been sealed away for centuries and perhaps Zuleika's concern wasn't unfounded.

"Well, I'll be careful," they decided. "It's alive and like any demon, a corrupted servant of Life, so I have dominion over it. So don't worry, even though I know you will anyway."

Izanami rolled his eyes, pushing Lukas' blanket aside.

"I know you'll be safe, Dearest. It will be nice to have your attention focused elsewhere for a change. The children will take care of me while you're gone, and unlike you, they don't believe that I'll collapse into a pile of bones if I'm not consuming hot beverages."

"Ha. Ha. You'll thank me soon enough. I'm sort of an expert on maintaining life, and Death can't be that much different."

"It's entirely different, that's my point," Izanami insisted. "I'm not alive, so your well intentioned care won't help me."

Lukas nodded slowly as a new idea dawned on them.

"Right! You should be in your realm then! I'll call Reese and have him and Anakin set up a room for you. You can hang out with your bestie while I'm gone. That's a great idea."

Images of listening to Lukas' brother ramble on and on without an escape flashed before Izanami's eyes. Even with Anakin there, there was no way Izanami would survive extended exposure to Reese.

"I'll be fine here!" Izanami interjected, quickly standing to grab the phone from Lukas' hand. "And don't call Anakin my 'bestie'. I don't know why you adopt the slang of the children. We're friends. It's dignified. The children need me in this realm too much to leave them. Davis has a love interest now and he may need the guidance of his father. And-and Destiny might run off to Arkhelios again instead of focusing on her studies here. The children need me to remain here."

Lukas raised a skeptical eyebrow, but relented when they saw how passionate their husband was on the subject.

"Okay, fine. Suit yourself. I don't have time to argue with you about this. Some of us aren't retired, you know."

"Mom! Dad! Gee's here! Oh, and Venisha too. Hey, Venisha, this is my girlfriend, Bronwen."

Izanami perked up upon hearing Davis' announcement. It wasn't often that Gee brought along his daughter with him on work visits, so either this meeting was actually important enough to require Venisha's presence or Gee and Lukas had conspired beforehand to distract Izanami away from their discussion.

"Venisha! My favourite granddaughter! What are you doing here?"

Izanami quickly engulfed the young woman in a hug, ignoring his son entirely. Venisha just laughed as her father fumed beside her.

"I came to see you, Grandpa," she replied. "Dad was saying how you weren't feeling well and I thought I'd come cheer you up. How are you feeling? I didn't know your hair could be white. I guess that's where Davis gets it, huh?"

Izanami nodded and embraced his granddaughter once more, utterly thrilled to see her despite knowing Lukas was behind this visit.

"It's both black and white at the same time," he explained. "I always wondered if your hair would be the same, since you're the only grandchild to inherit my eyes. You've always been the only grandchild to look anything like me and that makes you special."

Venisha smiled warmly at this comment, while her father huffed irritably by the door. Venisha was the youngest child of the Grim Reaper and the only one Death remembered by name. Her other father was Vrai Toyonaga, Lukas' reluctant employee, so both Life and Death openly doted on her. Gee had at least five other children, all of whom favored him genetically. It had been a long-running joke for centuries that Gee hadn't inherited a single piece of DNA from his father, until Venisha was born and proved that wrong. It was such a prevalent idea that Lukas had initially suspected that Izanami had fathered Venisha behind their back with Vrai until Gee had confessed to his secret romance.

"Your other grandkids say hi too," Gee stated irritably. "Where's Lukas? At least they'll be glad to see me."

"In their office, like you've schemed," Izanami replied. "You never bring Venisha with you; I've fallen for enough of Lukas' tricks over the years to know one when I see one."

"She's about to start college, I haven't been hiding her away from you. If you just made an effort to see me, you could see her anytime," Gee muttered to himself as he walked to Lukas' office. "This is exactly why Leah wants us to go to family counseling."

"Gee! Our scheme worked; your father is completely uninterested in our meeting. I told Venisha to make sure that he's drinking fluids and resting. I left a pitcher of water out in case she forgot."

"Hey, Lukas. I think she'll do just fine, Dad's acting like he hasn't seen her in a decade. Sometimes I forget what he's like. He's been so different since you two got back together and then, out of nowhere, he's the same old Dad that he's always been."

"Hmm, yes, easily manipulated," Lukas agreed, walking towards their desk.

Gee sighed with frustration that he knew Lukas would ignore. Things had been better with his father and step-parent since they reunited, but there were still days that tried Gee's patience. The two of them were sometimes both so self absorbed, it was a wonder if they even knew if someone else was in the room with them.

"Okay, so where do we start?" Lukas asked, jolting Gee from his thoughts. "I have a lot of data so far, but no real answers. I'm going to have to go to Jubilant Accosts again to try to measure what's wrong."

"The missing reaper team is my main priority," Gee responded, picking up an open file on Lukas' desk. "Is this all of them? Zuleika's annual performance review indicated that she'd be the best researcher for the job. I don't have many other reapers like her."

"Yeah, all the names are there. They were all selected from the Jubilant Accosts population when it was sealed. No external transfers into the team."

"And no warning bells, no signal to us that they were in danger? What could do that? I'm older than you are and I've never seen something that could do that."

Lukas waved dismissively at the idea of a foolproof system.

"You're not older by much, and I've seen plenty," they scoffed. "Demons for one, if they act fast. Have you forgotten the Demon Wars? Oh, that's right, you were busy chasing Alpheus around Strangetown during that time, instead of helping your father. Well, demons can do it if they're skilled. There's a small militia of hunters who track and try to kill reapers, but again, that was the Demon Wars, so you wouldn't know. I think the example we made of them was enough to deter any new hunters from picking up the practice though. The Ocean can do it with a thought if you piss him off. Plus, you know, whoever killed my sister, who we still haven't found to this day."

Gee bit his lip to keep from snapping back at someone who was both family and an important coworker. Whatever was going on with his father was clearly making Lukas bitchier than usual, and that was an expected reaction for a spouse. It didn't mean that Gee had to spend the afternoon listening to it though.

"Yes, speaking of your sister, that Darktide boy was running around the living world trying to get people to research those deaths. Do we need to consider that these cases might be connected? Does this ghost have a reason to believe we need to reopen those cases?"

A shadow passed over Lukas' face at the thought of Adam Darktide knowing anything about Riley's death. If he knew who killed Riley and hadn't brought it to a reaper to disclose... Lukas briefly entertained some very dark thoughts.

"How about we talk about how a ghost is getting out of the afterlife?" they demanded. "A reaper caught him the first time, but no one has been able to track him down since. Not even Reese can find him, and he's been a reaper since his thirties. What are you doing about that? This is unprecedented."

Gee sighed, leaning on the desk for support.

"I don't know how he's doing it," he confessed. "Most of the time, it's not even through any realm we can track. He's gone through the Void twice now, crossed through the realm of Death and then somehow through the reaper corridors without being seen. I know your parents used to sneak out of the afterlife, but we fixed those gaps. He doesn't even have a physical body to possess in the living realm. I don't know how he's doing it. Maybe your devious mind can track him down because I've run out of ideas."

"Really?" Lukas laughed. "It's fairly obvious what he's doing. He's a descendant of King Reyes of Crystal Cove after all. I think it passed down to his son, Sebastian Reese even. His daughter, Princess Luna...not ringing any bells?"

When Gee stared blankly back at them, Lukas just laughed.

"Nevermind, I'll go hunting with Reese next time. I just want to talk with this guy, I don't know why he's so determined to break out of the afterlife. I mean, yeah, it's boring, but there's no chance of him ever returning to life. You reaped him yourself."

Gee quietly debated on whether he should ask his next question, or just leave it as something odd he was struggling with. When Lukas didn't stop to clarify what Adam Darktide had in common with a long dead king, he decided to risk bringing up something that could be unrelated. If anything, it would change the subject.

"I've been thinking about that group of his lately. I wonder if it's at all related to our problem in Jubilant Accosts, and that's why this one man is so desperate to return to the living. Does a group trying to kill the Grim Reaper have anything in common with a group of missing, presumed dead reapers in a sealed realm? Is their cult related to what happened to your sister? I don't know if I'm connecting dots to unrelated things, but what if it is all related? Is it a group of long-lived beings or another sect that stumbled upon old writings after the last group died off? Were they based in Jubilant Accosts for all these years or is that a misdirection?" He released a frustrated sigh, overwhelmed by the wealth of information that was leading him to overthink everything in his life. "I don't what to think. What sounds the least crazy?"

"I was in a coma for over three hundred years," Lukas answered. "Riley died just before that; my second incarnation wasn't long lived. A witch is lucky to live five hundred years at the most. Vampires are undead and have no relations with Death. Werewolves don't usually do magic or live past an average lifespan. A reaper has access to both the realms of the living and the dead. When Riley died, we suspected a rogue reaper."

"But never proved it," Gee pointed out. "Could a reaper have entered the sealed realm and taken out the reaper team there? They would probably trust a fellow reaper, and that reaper could have hidden the evidence of the demise of the team from the system."

"Did you feel the presence of a reaper when you reaped the Strangetown coven? One nearby, watching maybe?"

Gee shook his head.

"Just Ewan Goldman, who had been battling with them. They were powerful witches and warlocks, but nothing like the power of a reaper. They still were powerful magic users though, I'll give them that. No wonder that Darktide is so hard to track down. He was powerful beyond his age. Had he lived, who knows what would have happened in Strangetown?"

"It sounds like we dodged a bullet. So we're thinking maybe a reaper gone rogue helps a coven of power-hungry magic users? Or maybe just a reaper or maybe just witches? Maybe a coven that has passed through the centuries? We never solved this problem the first time it happened, so maybe we're missing something completely different."

"What's their motive then?" Gee wondered. "Why kill a reaper team in a sealed location and hide what you've done? And even worse, what has been happening to the souls that haven't been reaped?"

"That's what I intend to find out when I go," Lukas replied. "From what I saw, people are dying, some even being sacrificed, so they have to be going somewhere."

"Sacrificed? To who?"

Lukas could hear the disbelief in Gee's voice. He really wasn't like his father if Gee couldn't imagine the cruel things the living did to each other, seemingly just for fun.

"To the Watcher, who else? These Jubilant Accosts people have been sacrificing a member of their nation since overthrowing their queen and the monarchy centuries ago. It's the most bizarre thing. I thought that there were reapers around, so I've never made a point to watch a sacrifice myself. Maybe we would have been in a better place in this investigation if I had watched one."

"The Ocean allows this?" Gee asked before realizing that yes, of course the menacing deity would love sacrifices in his name. "Does he collect the souls then?"

Lukas had to think about their response for a moment. If it was personal to the Ocean, he would collect the souls himself and bask in the attention. However, since regaining a physical form, the Ocean seemed to take less risks or not travel very far. It seemed that just like Lukas, he was more paranoid and took more caution in his second incarnation.

"No, that doesn't sound like him these days," Lukas decided. "The souls have to still be trapped there. There's a crack in the barrier between realms though, large enough that a stray soul may have escaped through it. Have you had any unexplained souls show up lately?"

Lukas tried to remain unreadable. After seeing the state Jubilant Accosts was in on their initial inspection, they noticed a deep crack in the seal, deep enough to allow things to flow both ways through it. Lukas had known the instant they'd seen it, that those star-crossed teenagers were responsible for it. You should never let a teenager attempt magic that requires maturity and wisdom to perform, and yet Lukas hadn't stopped them. Gee's sappiness must be wearing off on them. Their job was hard enough watching the entire living realm with very little support. While they had helped Theo control himself and pass along messages through the Void, Lukas couldn't be expected to follow that boy around all day just to make sure that he wasn't destroying existence as they knew it. There would be consequences for damaging the protected seal, but Lukas didn't have the luxury of time. They would deal with the teenagers once they had a better understanding of the extent of the damage.

"No, not new unexpected souls," Gee confirmed. "Though something came across my desk earlier regarding Jubilant Accosts that I've been saving for this meeting. Have you ever heard of a burning soul?"

Lukas stared at their stepson curiously.

"No, I don't think I have. Why? What is it?"

"Well, have you ever heard yourself described as having a burning soul?" Gee pressed.

"No, should I?"

"I'm not sure. You are the only person who has ever reincarnated, right? As Life, you can't die and will always create a new physical incarnation if you're given enough time and energy. I've never heard of a single other case of reincarnation over the centuries. Have you?"

"No. Not even one. Every soul who dies goes to an afterlife where they spend eternity. Aside from my parents, I've never heard of souls escaping the afterlife. Even our suspicious Mr. Darktide is incapable of generating a new body or even using his old one. Why are we even talking about this?"

"Because, if Zuleika is right, she may have uncovered a secret within Jubilant Accosts. One soul is recorded in the old logs kept by the lost reaper team, who wasn't reaped despite appearing on the list. It's on the list of the dead, crossed out, with the words "burning soul" written beside it. The person died, but the soul was never taken, which is weird on its own. Zuleika found a reference to those words in one of Dad's old books, and it apparently refers to the act of sending a soul back to be reborn in the living world."

Lukas recoiled at the thought of a regular soul being barred from the afterlife and purposely sent back to repeat a lifetime.

"What the hell is going on here? Izanami is falling apart, I'm trapped in my second incarnation, we have a ghost trying desperately to interfere with the living, and now a mortal who has a reincarnated 'burning' soul. What about you? Are you suffering somehow too? If this all goes sideways, you may be holding the reigns of both Life and Death until I can reincarnate again. Plus raising the kids. Oh god, I need to prepare them for the worst. The world is falling apart and they need to be protected."

"I don't think we need to assume the worst," Gee replied, trying his best to sound reassuring. "Things are a bit weird now, true, but we're strong together. If course, I'd take in Davis and Destiny without a second thought, but I don't think that it's going to come to that. We'll figure this out."

"A mortal reincarnating," Lukas muttered, trying to make this information make sense. "Who is this mortal? A demon of some kind? A powerful witch?"

Gee shook his head.

"Nothing like that. It's the final king that ruled over Jubilant Accosts. Otherwise unimportant in the bigger picture. Zuleika is looking into his cause of death to see if that's relevant."

"I'll make investigating this so called reincarnation my first priority when I travel there," Lukas promised. "I'll still try to get a feel for what's happening there, but this reincarnation businesses needs to be addressed first. Do we know if the burning soul has been born yet? How will I recognize him if he has been born?"

Gee shrugged.

"Well, I kinda assumed that you would know. I'd imagine that you're probably the only other person in this existence who could recognize reincarnation if you saw it."

"I'll try, but no promises. Reincarnation is hard enough when I have to do it; I have no idea what it looks like in other people."

"So you're going to report back in a few days? What do you need me to do here?"

"Take care of your father," Lukas instructed. "That's your first priority. Make sure that he's in a stable condition and isn't getting worse. I can't focus on my job if he's not okay. Then call off Reese from looking for that Darktide boy."

"What? Why? You were going to hunt him down yourself a minute ago."

Lukas nodded.

"Yes, but I'm too busy now to speak with him. I think we'll be better off just observing him and his movements. If he thinks that we've let him go, he might reveal what he's so desperate to reach. I don't know where he fits in this puzzle, but he's persistent enough to make me believe that he fits somewhere. So let's let him lead us to his place in this."

"True. Okay, I'll authorize some reapers to be discrete and report back to us," Gee agreed. "Just...just be careful, Lukas. I don't know what we're dealing with here, but Dad couldn't handle losing you again. None of us could."

Lukas could hear the truth of Gee's emotions in his voice. There was no question that Gee cared about them and his father, but...Lukas was a Lane and also married to Death. Emotions weren't something they did well.

"Yeah, yeah. Help me write down the important coordinates so I don't get lost," they ordered, avoiding Gee's eyes and the emotion they were probably full of.

"I care about you too," Gee replied, earning a groan from their stepparent as they turned their back to him. "Be safe."

"So you want to study history at school? I probably have enough books stored away that would make the entire history department weep with envy. Let me know if you need them or if you need me to 'talk' to the admittance department. I can very persuasive."

Venisha laughed at the thought of her grandfather frightening potential schools by unveiling the presence of Death in their office.

"Grandpa, I'll get into whatever school I want without you scaring innocent people to death," she laughed. "One of my fathers is a prince of Strangetown, remember? Money and privilege work a lot better in academia than giving people heart attacks."

Izanami shrugged.

"Whatever you want to do. Either way, the offer is on the table."

"Hey, since Dad's in a meeting, why don't you get along with him? If that's not a rude question to ask, I mean. Dad just says that you're complicated."

Izanami appeared to be baffled by the question.

"I get along great with your father," he replied. "I gave him my job, and his employee review sheets for the past few years have all been marked 'adequate'. I've even told him once during a difficult time that I no longer regretted his existence. I don't know what more that man needs from me. I've been perfectly clear that I feel affection for him."

"Ah," Venisha said. "So you're complicated."

"Izanami! I don't see a hot beverage in your hands! Venisha, you were supposed to be watching him for me!"

Izanami turned to find a worried Lukas staring at him, probably planning their next health related scheme.

"Dearest," he said, wrapping his arms around his partner before Lukas could start making demands. "How was your meeting?"

"I'm worried about the way things have been going," Lukas mumbled against Izanami's shoulder. They liked the physical reassurance more than they wanted Izanami to rest. "Some disturbing things are happening in Jubilant Accosts and I have to wonder how much of their problems have contaminated our realm just as much as ours has contaminated theirs. Something is very wrong, and I have to find out what."

"I know you will," Izanami replied, pulling away as he did. He hoped that his voice sounded as confident as he felt about his spouse. "You'll have this solved in a week. You'll be back here aggressively pushing your medical advice in no time."

Lukas smiled at the thought.

"I love you, you idiot. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

[age-of-moonknight]

“Vengeance Never Dies,” Moon Knight: City of the Dead (Vol. 1/2023), #5.

Writer: David Pepose; Penciler: Marcelo Ferreira; Inker: Jay Leisten; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork attending concerts in 1968 — The Bee Gees (photo from Tiger Beat), and the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Shrine Auditorium on February 10, 1968 (photo by Kim Gottlieb).

“The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Burdon and the Animals played to near-capacity houses for two shows at the Anaheim Convention Centre last Friday night. […] Following the concert, Jimi, Noel and Mitch went to a party at Peter Tork’s house. Also there—David Crosby, Jim Frawley, Micky Dolenz and with Samantha Juste, and Graham Nash. For most of the evening Peter’s guests sampled health foods—the new kick at Peter’s—and listened to tracks from the forthcoming Monkee album. One song, ‘Tapioca Tundra,’ has distorted voices, while another has a strong Indian influence, featuring the sound of the tabla, and Peter on lead vocal.” - Ann Moses, NME, February 24, 1968 “Health food was just starting to catch on in the sixties and Peter was kind of a fore-runner of that whole scene. I’m afraid that sort of image was a little thin for two other guys I could mention, but I understood—I really did. And I think he knew it. I didn’t inwardly agree with a lot of his company but it didn’t keep me from dropping in on him from time to time. Great salads—and always a cold beer to wash down the tofuburgers and brown rice.” - Davy Jones, They Made A Monkee Out Of Me (1988) “Influential Personalities [of L.A.]—Peter Tork: When Stan Freberg shows up on the set of the Monkee movie, this is the Monkee he is there to see… to talk about a ‘symphony’ Tork has written, among other things. Tork, folksinger-turned-teen millionaire, also appears regularly (and without pay) at the Monday night ‘hoot sessions’ at the Troubadour—to sing and play and laugh at Monkeedom. By definition, the Monkees are in another world, but they are honest people, after all, and do fit into the scene quite well.” - Rolling Stone, June 22, 1968 The “influential personalities” named were David Crosby, Cass Elliot, Terry Melcher, David Anderle, Lou Adler, Peter, Frank Zappa, Brian Wilson, Jim Morrison, Barry McGuire, and Phil Spector, in that order. “Steve [Stills] hung out with Peter Tork a lot because they were friends from before. Stephen was very frustrated that he didn’t get to be a Monkee. It’s true. Peter was a real sweet guy. He was the Monkee that hung out with us. The party went back and forth between Peter’s house and Steve’s in Malibu. The clique was Buddy Miles, Peter Tork, Crosby, Steve and right after Monterey, they hooked up with Hendrix. We all lived at Peter Tork’s at one time or another.” - Miles Thomas, For What It’s Worth: The Story of the Buffalo Springfield (2004)

[ofstarsandvibranium]

To Have & To Hold: Part 1

Fandom: Marvel - Moon Knight (Mafia AU)

Pairing: Marc Spector x F!Reader, Steven Grant x F!Reader, Jake Lockley x F!Reader

Summary: To ensure you're always safe even after his passing, your father, a mob boss, makes you marry his right hand, Marc Spector. You don't necessarily hate Marc, but you don't get along either. Therefore, this marriage of convenience may be a bit difficult for you.

A/N: another series because idk. felt like it.

"-I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." You turn to your now husband and give him a smile. He pulls you in, pressing his lips to yours. There's hollers and whistles all around you. On the outside, you appear to be a couple so in love. On the inside, your heart is dropping to your stomach.

_____________________

6 Months Earlier

"I-I thought you said you were getting better," you look at your father in disbelief. He had just delivered some heart breaking news: he was dying.

For the past few years, he's been receiving treatment and he seemed to be getting better. Turns out, within the last year, he stopped treatment because he was getting tired.

"I was, but sunshine, I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm tired and I'm getting old. I just want to enjoy the last bit of life I have left."

Anger started building up within you. You clenched your jaw and tightened your fists, "But if you end your treatments, you don't get to enjoy life much after! Dad, please just-"

He holds up a hand and you stop talking, "I've already made up my mind, Sunny. And if you're concerned with your financial state-"

"You seriously think I'm concerned with that?" you can't help but be hurt by your father's insinuation.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I know you've never cared for this life," he gestures around to his office, "But, you should know something."

"What?" you're mentally preparing yourself for even more heartbreaking news.

"You and Marc are to be married."

Your eyes widen and your jaw drops, "Are you kidding me?!"

"He will be taking over as my successor once I'm gone and, to make sure you're well taken care of, you'll be marrying him." Your father states everything as factual, giving no room for refusal or compromise.

"But what if I'm already dating someone?"

"You're not. I know you're not. I still have my eyes on you despite you being an adult."

You scoff, "Un-fucking-believable."

There's a knock at your father's office door and he says, "Come in."

The man of the hour, Marc, enters the room. He sees your fuming expression and can't help but smirk, "I see he's told you."

"Clearly. And you're okay with this?!"

Marc shrugs, "Could be worse. Plus, we don't hate each other so this marriage won't be completely unbearable."

You scoff, "Speak for yourself!" you whip around to your father, "Dad-"

"I'm just looking out for you, sunshine."

"And if I don't go through with this?"

Your father's eyes darken, "You can say good-bye to that charity organization you've been working so hard towards."

"You wouldn't."

"Don't forget who still has the power here, sweetheart."

You look to Marc whom still has a neutral expression. You felt conflicted. You'd thought that in this day and age, you'd be able to make your own choices, be able to find someone who you love and they love you back. But the world you've grown up in isn't normal. Your dad is a well known mob boss and he has power. Marc isn't terrible, but you don't know him well. But the charity organization you've been working so hard towards helped children in the community. If your dad takes that away, they won't have anything.

"Fine," you say through gritted teeth, "I'll go through with this."

Your dad's expression changes to glee, "Wonderful! You have six months to get to know each other better before the wedding."

You look at him in surprise, "You already have the wedding date planned?"

"Yes, but the venue, dress, and all of that stuff will be left to you two, of course."

You roll your eyes, "Gee thanks."

"Congratulations you two. Let's have a drink!" you sit and watch as Marc goes to your father's liquor cabinet and pours the three of you a drink. With raised glasses, your father exclaims, "To the L/N Legacy!" the three of you clink glasses and you down the entire glass. You're going to need a lot more where that came from.

[billygoat26]

Well um, I've decided to re-make my simp list. Also, just gonna get this out of the way now- *ahem* Not. All. Of. Them. Are. Because. Of. SeGgSuAl. Reasons. Personality matters. Actually I think like- all of them are because of personality type stuff... huh- is that even simping at this point...?

Anywayssssssssssssss- LIST TIMEEEEEE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER JUST WRITING THEM AS I THINK OF THEMMMMMMMM

Loki (Marvel- duh)

Lucifer (Hazbin Hotel)

Yelena (From the Black Widow movie)

Deadpool (Gee I wonder where he's from...)

Jim Moriarty (Sherlock... the BBC one.... from 2010)

Scarlet Witch (Marvel again)

Magneto (X-Men: First Class... and the movies after too lmao)

Layla/Scarlet Scarab (Moon Knight)

Jake Lockley (Also from Moon Knight)

Marc Spector (Stiiiiiill from Moon Knight)

Steven Grant (Need I say it? from Moon Knight)

Captain Marvel (I guess... oh yeah, also from Marvel movies and shi-)

Star Lord (Eh, why the hell not. He's a funny asshole- oh yeah, Marvel movies)

Charles Xavier (alright hear me out on this one and lemme be specific as to which movie.... X-Men: First Class. Listen, think about it...)

Irene Adler (Sherlock but from 2010... Y'all know why if you've seen the show...)

That's all I can think of right now- I'm sure there's more but eh... judge awayyyyyyyy, my friends!

"Every fairytale needs a good old-fashioned villain"

[geekcavepodcast]

Moon Knight the Next Marvel Character to Die

Marvel Comics has announced the “Death of Moon Knight” (also called “The Last Days of Moon Knight”) story arc from Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio. Gee, thanks for the spoilers, Marvel. In November various titles will feature “Knight’s End” variant covers paying homage to classic Moon Knight stories.

Moon Knight #28 will be the start of the three-part saga.  According the Marvel Comics, “the story will present the climactic battle between Moon Knight and Black Spectre, and while it may mark the tragic end of Marc Spector’s latest era, his vengeance will surely outlive him!”

Moon Knight #28, featuring a cover by Stephen Segovia, goes on sale on October 18, 2023.

(Image via Marvel Comics - Stephen Segovia’s Cover of Moon Knight #28)

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Billie Joe Armstrong, Michael Bay, The Beatles’s 1967 single “Penny Lane,” Jim Brown, Narciso Casanovas, Arcangelo Corelli, musician Andrew Crowley, Buddy DeFranco, Vicente Fernández, Fred Frith, Rowdy Gaines, Taylor Hawkins, Hal Holbrook, Paris Hilton, Arthur Hunnicutt, Michael Jordan, José José, Isaac Kappy, Alicia Key’s 2004 single “If I Ain’t Got You,” Larry the Cable Guy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey McGill (The Dells), Loreena McKennitt, Lola Montez, Chanté Moore, Huey P. Newton, Jerry O’Connell, Banjo Paterson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Puccini’s 1904 opera MADAME BUTTERFLY, Denise Richards, Rene Russo, Ed Sheeran, Sivakarthikeyan, The Temptations 1969 CLOUD NINE album, Buck Trent, Margaret Truman, Henri Vieuxtemps, and the consummate vocalist and songwriter Gene Pitney. He brought depth to simple pop songs, crafting choice cuts for Rick Nelson, Roy Orbison, Bobby Vee, and (famously) “He’s a Rebel” for The Crystals. Like Bryan Ferry, Gene had a powerful and unique vocal technique that seizes ownership of any song or style. I also compare Gene to Harry Nilsson because they were branded as songwriters but had hit records from songs they didn’t write. Gene’s popular arc in the USA ran from 1961-68, but he continued to draw international audiences, particularly for his Italian language records (I’m a big fan of “Lei Mei Espatta”). His career intersected with Marc Almond, Burt Bacharach, George Jones, The Rolling Stones, Phil Spector, and other eclectic notables, and he kept touring literally till the day he died in 2006.

Please enjoy my cover of Gene’s “Every Breath I Take” (written by Goffin/King). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PZcTHaYjfA Another GP “deep cut” I recommend is “Somewhere in the Country,” a densely orchestrated goth-folk-pop track akin to early Bee Gees. Meanwhile, HB to GP—thank you for your amazing music!

#genepitney #bryanferry #thecrystals #marcalmond #ricknelson #royorbison #rebel #harrynilsson #burtbacharach #georgejones #rollingstones #philspector #bobbyvee #goffinking #johnnyjblair

[spectorsshow]

Queen Vespa from my webcomic Spectors show what that's crazy oh em gee

[enmusasblog]

Yusuf/Cat Stevens släpper nytt studioalbum Den 16 juni släpper Yusuf/Cat Stevens sitt sjuttonde studioalbum King of a Land via BMG/Dark Horse Records. Första albumsingeln ”Take The World Apart” släpps idag.

Nyheten anländer mitt i en våg av aktivitet inför 2023 som uppföljning till tillkännagivandet av Glastonbury Festival-debuten som kommer att äga rum den 25 juni. Där kommer han att spela på den eftertraktade Sunday legends-sloten på Pyramid Stage - en prestigefylld uppvisning som tidigare ockuperats av Diana Ross, Kylie Minogue, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson och många fler. Föreställningen kommer bara en månad före Yusufs 75-årsdag, och följer noga den förväntade releasen av King of a Land.  King of a Land är ett verk med mer än ett decennium i skapandet, fyllt av överraskningar. Yusufs nya musik, ord och melodier målar upp en bild av en värld som omfamnar de förlorade markerna av banal och obefläckad ungdom. Hans poetiska berättande bjuder på en resa till ett alternativt universum till det vi för närvarande bebor - där lyckliga slut är möjliga.  “Looking at the jagged journey of my music, beginning as I did in the 60’s, I would say this new record is a mosaic. A very clearly defined description of where I've been and who I am.” – Yusuf/Cat Stevens  Avslutningslåten "Take The World Apart" är en behaglig ingång till albumets kraftfullt barnsliga tema. Singeln släpps idag tillsammans med en tillhörande animerad charmigt lyrisk video skapad av barnillustratören Peter Reynolds som matchar den glädje och optimism som Yusufs musik naturligt framkallar.  "Sometimes you have to take something apart, to find the peace you’re looking for.” – Yusuf / Cat Stevens  King of a Land är fortsättningen på ett samarbete mellan Yusuf och Peter Reynolds som började med New York Times bästsäljande "Peace Train"-bilderbok 2021. Förutom King of a Land-omslagskonst har Peter skapat illustrationer för var och en av låtarna som porträtterar albumets teman och som finns med i skivans medföljande broschyr.  "Someone pinch me. Illustrating the Peace Train picture book was an honour, but when Yusuf asked me to create the album art and animation for King of a Land... well, I feel like I'm dreaming. The music and lyrics are truly what the world needs now more than ever." – Peter H. Reynolds  King of a Land är inte är bundet till en genre. Det är ett djupt meningsfullt och gripande självporträtt av en av populärmusikens mest uthålliga och älskade låtskrivare. Från den härligt oväntade hårdrocksintensiteten i ”Pagan Run” till den Tchaikovsky-inspirerade orkestreringen på ”How Good It Feels”, den delikata akustiska balladen i ”He Is True” till den drivande Phil Spector-goes-gospel-stämningen i ”Highness”. Det resande Wilburys-stilade rullande Americana-spelet från ”All Nights, All Days” och den utsmyckade, stämningsfulla ”Son Of Mary”.  Tidiga inspelningssessioner för King of a Land sträcker sig tillbaka till 2011 i Berlins Hansa Studios (platsen för klassiska album som David Bowies Low, Heroes och U2:s Achtung Baby). Därifrån flyttade inspelningsplatser genom åren från ICP Studios i Bryssel till La Fabrique i Provence, södra Frankrike. Ytterligare overdubs och en orkester på 60 personer spelades in i Air and Angels studior i London, med några nyckelverk som ursprungligen spelades in i Yusufs egen garagebaserade hemmastudio i Dubai som han kallar "Dubville".  “Most of the songs started with me playing and recording everything at home in the garage - it’s as close as you can get to being inside my head”, säger Yusuf.  Yusufs långvariga producent sedan 1970-talet, Mona Bone Jakon, och senare medproducent, ex-Yardbird, Paul Samwell-Smith översåg processen. När Yusuf och Paul valde musiker till albumet, sammanställde de ett toppteam inklusive basisten Bruce Lynch som först arbetade med honom på Buddha and the Chocolate Box (1974), keyboardspelaren Peter Vettese (Jethro Tull, Bee Gees, Simple Minds) och trummisen Russ Kunkel (Joni Mitchell, Carol King, James Taylor, CSN&Y), samt hans välbekanta tvåmannaband av Kwame Yeboah och Eric Appapoulay.  Den sista mixen av King of a Land ägde rum i Henley-on-Thames i George Harrisons privata studio i hans tidigare hem, Friar Park.  “We were very privileged to be in Friar Park,” säger Yusuf, “and to be one of the first outsiders to enter that control room and mix an album. George Harrison has been an immense influence on me spiritually, from the very beginning. He pioneered certain thoughts and ideas, which stretched way east, and that was very important. If you listen to some of these songs on this album, you’ll hear a kind of spirit of George.”  Albumet släpps också genom Dark Horse Records, Harrisons eget bolag som drivs av hans son Dhani.  Den bestående framgången för Yusufs musikaliska arv bygger på en myriad av faktorer, men nyckeln bland dem är den kusliga förmågan han har att omsätta sin livfulla fantasi till musikalisk form. Denna hunger och vilja att skriva, spela in och underhålla är har inte avtagit i King of a Lands.  Nästan 60 år har gått sedan en sjuttonårig "Cat" undrade ut på popscenen med hits som "Matthew and Son" och "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun", och skrev tidlösa klassiker som "The First Cut Is The Deepest" och ”Here Comes My Baby”. De tidiga låtarna var bara början på ett långt musikaliskt äventyr som fortsätter ända fram till idag.  King of a Land finns att förbeställa på grön vinyl i gatefold-format med ett 36-sidigt häfte med illustrationer av Peter Reynolds. CD-skivan innehåller också ett häfte illustrerad av Peter Reynolds - förbeställ här. En exklusiv utgåva av albumet, pressat på vit vinyl, finns tillgänglig från den officiella Yusuf/Cat Stevens onlinebutik ihop med albumvaror - besök den officiella butiken här.  King of a Land‘ Album Tracklisting   1. Train on a Hill   2. King of a Land  3. Pagan Run   4. He is True   5. All Nights, All Days  6. Another Night in the Rain   7. Things  8. Son of Mary   9. Highness  10. The Boy Who Knew How to Climb Walls   11. How Good it Feels   12. Take the World Apart  

För intervjuer kontakta: Anette Ståhl / Enmusa Music, tel: 0707-180 120 anette@enmusamusic.com 

För mer information: Ulrika Hammar / BMG, tel 0705–295 312 ulrika.hammar@bmg.com

[izzysarchivedblogs]

Gee, where had she heard that one before? Greer's not peeved at all, she's heard it a hundred times and she makes the same jokes herself. ❝ I figured it was time I upgraded to spandex from bikini. ❞ There had been a ninety percent chance she was talking about the fur and stripes. She was the suit; it's nicer when she gets to play dress up.

Not tonight however, getting in on nightly prowls was not the way she thought her life would go. It's all Marc Spector's fault, charm behind the mask and being an old time friend.

❝ Trust me, I'm not on Avengers business and the pension is almost not worth it. ❞ It's better than nothing for a single mother.

❝ I could hook you if you're desperate. ❞

@oceansfirst ♡’d for a starter

{✗} "I'm not really a CAT person--but I'm digging the suit! Very creative," Cindy grinned, though her mask hid her amusement. She landed elegantly on the roof of the water tower, holding on with her palm. "Anything I can help you with here? Or are you just STAKING out?"

There's a pause and her eyes widen. "Don't tell me the AVENGERS are up to something and didn't bother to reach out! Ugh, I feel like you guys need a RECRUITMENT fair or something. At least an email list."

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Urgh, my head. Where the hell am I?"

Theo looked around anxiously at his surroundings, but didn't recognize a single landmark. He was in a desert, he could tell that much. Probably not Arkhelios though. Anyone could see the Bellamy house from far away and it was nowhere to be found. The last thing Theo could remember had been saying goodnight to Adam and climbing into bed for the night. There weren't any memories of leaving school or arriving at any desert. This had to be a dream of some kind.

"It is a dream of sorts," a loud, somewhat familiar voice called out. "I could send you through the actual waves of time, but not as far and not as fast. Even magic has its limitations and I'd rather not fight through the currents of the Ocean unless I have to. Very few warlocks are permitted to physically cross the boundaries of time."

"You-you're that Maricourt that visited me before," Theo said, holding his throbbing head. "Evren's friend. Rio something."

"Master Reogus," the warlock corrected. "I'm one of the last Guardians of Time, and yes, a dear friend of Master Thorne. I wanted you to see something, little demon. To understand the future, one must understand the past."

"Wait, my voice is different and and hands are bigger!" Theo gasped, running his hands over himself to find that his body had changed quite a bit. While he couldn't see his reflection, he could feel the heavy weight of demon horns on his head and could feel the difference in his overall size. "I'm an adult? Is this a trick? This has to be a trick!"

Reogus smiled.

"The waves of time are fluid," he replied cryptically. "Sometimes the only method of navigating them is to change your vessel. As I've just stated, you are unable to flow with the waves to the past, only to my recreations. It it still incredibly taxing, and your natural form will adapt to the currents. The change is not permanent."

Theo audibly sighed with relief. Trying to explain to his teenage boyfriend why he had an adult body would have been a nightmare. His father would have had yet another breakdown too.

"Where are we? Why do you think I need to see something in the past? Can I call Evren?"

"We're in Strangetown," Reogus answered, ignoring all other questions. "Before its destruction. Around the year 125 or so, when times were peaceful. This family should be of interest to you."

Theo squinted against the harsh sun to try to get a better look, but he didn't know what to look for. Just because he had an adult body didn't mean that his brain had changed too.

"There's some kids hanging out in their yard. Big deal," he stated. For all the effort the warlock was supposedly going through, his presentation was awfully boring.

"That is Ripp Grunt," Reogus said sternly. "The survivor. The leader of Strangetown through the darkness. Do you not still study history in our academy?"

"Strangetown history is an elective and Adam didn't want to take it," Theo replied. "We live in Pleasantview after all."

If Theo didn't know better, he could have sworn that the ancient warlock groaned beside him.

"The Pleasantview council fought wars against insurgents who were aided by the supernatural. Those blessed with the gifts of Life fought against the darkness. The old monarch of Pleasantview fell and the demons cemented their hold on the country."

"Yeah, Life still messes around with the living," Theo said. "There's a poster in our living area with their various disguises and a number to call. They seem pretty nice though. They killed my grandma to save me and my dad."

"No, this is the old way," Reogus corrected the teen. "Lukas doesn't manifest as Life until 137."

Theo raised a skeptical eyebrow at the warlock.

"That doesn't make any sense. There's always been a deity of life to match the deity of death. It's basic magical theory. Light and dark, death and life helps bind spells and makes magic possible."

"Well, I'm glad they still teach you something in school. You may still want to think about taking more electives, child. There once was a being of Life created together with Death. Life grew greedy over the years and fell away from his purpose. As punishment, the Ocean swallowed him and his followers in its deepest, coldest depths, creating the Void as you know it and all of its demons. For a time, Death reigned alone and it was a dark time indeed."

"Young Ripp lost everything. His family, his friends, his home. For reasons that none of us mortals know, Strangetown was nearly destroyed by the newly forged demons and Pleasantview. Their entire way of life was completely destroyed in the aftermath. Limited technology, and no electricity grids to support them. The people turned to magic and their own communities to survive. If Death had destroyed their lives, the people began to call to Him in rituals to ease their suffering."

"And Ripp Grunt was there, holding the country together. The Spectors, the Smiths, they all rallied around his leadership and the old ways were born."

"The old ways?" Theo repeated, still in shock at the images before him. "Are they magic? Are they in my textbook?"

Theo watched the man before him bow before a flame, whispering a strange language rhythmically to himself. Ripp took a dagger from his side and released a small amount of blood onto some runes, something that looked very familiar to Theo.

"Oh! I know that one!" he exclaimed excitedly. "That's a spell for protection! That was on my exam last semester. This is when people practiced blood magic? This is awesome! People who actually use the same kind of magic that I do!"

"But Death was unbalanced during this time," Reogus said coldly. If Theo had to guess, this guy must have been a teacher at his school when he was alive. He talked like a teacher. "The Great Demons rose along with their blood demon brethren. The council in Pleasantview increased their attacks. It was a time of great suffering. The current Grim Reaper was born during this time. He watched the death toll rise as his father collected the many lost souls with clinical precision."

"Why are you showing me all of this?" Theo demanded. This all sounded like it was getting to the point this strange warlock wanted to make, but Theo wasn't liking the somber change in his voice or the broken look in the young Grim Reaper's eyes. "What's the point? I'll take Strangetown history 101 if that's what you want."

"You are coming of age, child," the warlock said kindly, as if he could sense Theo's discomfort. "To know the past is to know the future. To know your past is to know your future."

"No offense, but this isn't my past. This was millennia ago, I'm fourteen."

"It is the origin of your people," Reogus continued. "It is the origin of your kind. As you said, these are the people who are doing the type of magic that is in your textbooks. As you grow older, you will come into your true power. You need to see what that looks like."

"Um, I'm good now," Theo protested. "If I could just wake up from whatever dream this is, I promise that I'll take the history course. There's a lot of fire and death and creepy things here that probably look better in a history textbook."

"No, you must look closer."

Theo's stomach felt like it was being torn from his body as the warlock manipulated their reality, sending wave after wave of energy through him. A shimmering blue light enveloped him, shielding him as his entire person succumbed to the rhythm of the waves of time.

When he could open his eyes again, Theo found himself in a graveyard in the dark of night. He wasn't normally worried by gravestones, but something felt off about this place. The energy was dark and unfriendly.

When Theo moved to take a step forward, he nearly tripped. His legs were suddenly much shorter than he was used to. A quick look at his hands confirmed the change. He was no longer an adult, but still not a teenager. Had he really been this short as a child? He didn't remember the world looking this small.

"See, young apprentice, this is the result of unbalance. This is the price of an unchecked structure for your kind."

Theo stared in the direction Reogus was pointing and saw two men huddled together in the ruins of a graveyard.

"That's the Grim Reaper again," Theo noted. "At least that's who he is in my time. Victoriana says that her grandparents adore him, that he's this nice, compassionate boss who lets them get away with whatever they want."

"Well, saddled with an embarrassing name, and neglected by any parental figures will sometimes do that to a person," Reogus acknowledged. "He has lived in Strangetown for millenia and protected it as best as he could the entire time. There are limits to the abilities of reapers, though. They cannot change the flow of history unless it is their destiny or if the change has been approved by an appropriate deity. This younger Gee is still in his first lifetime, trying to protect the man he loves from his father. Without Life to balance him, Death was overpowered. All the killing that the demons did went unchallenged. Many people may have died before their time and in large quantities. All of the first Life’s powers went with the demons when he fell. Life's powers were not meant to be used for evil. The Great and blood demons were powerful beyond measure because of this. When the powers of Life are used as a weapon, people suffer. Devastating amounts of lives were lost."

"Yeah, I get it," Theo snapped, starting to realize that this whole mystical trip was really just an excuse for another adult to scold him and make him feel badly about his powers. "Murder is bad, I know."

"Father! Sir! Stop this! We can't keep letting this happen!"

Theo watched as Gee Spector pleaded with Death on behalf of the living. For all of Gee's angry words, Death seemed to be unmoved.

"Father, this can't keep happening. Ben says that they don't have the resources to survive past six months at the food dispersal center. We need to call for help. You knew Life, can't you talk to him about the demons? Why isn't the Ocean stopping this?"

"Life won't listen to me, he never has," Death replied stiffly. "All I can do is my job. It's all for the Ocean to sort out and it is too weak at the moment. I must do my duty and my duty only. I'm sorry that you've developed an attachment to the living. It's unfortunate that they suffer, but it's not my duty to deal with it."

Theo saw Gee's hands tighten into angry fists, but the reaper said nothing. The being in front of him barely looked like he cared for his son and seemed to actively despise the living humans. Theo had never thought of the current Life deity as anything other than a pest who liked to meddle in the affairs of the living, but clearly, they had changed Death for the better over the centuries.

Theo watched what he assumed was the burning energy of fallen souls dispense out of Death’s hands into the air.

"It gets better here, though, right?" he asked his magical tour guide. "Strangetown had enough food to survive? Somehow the Life deity was replaced and things got better?"

Reogus shrugged, happy to finally have the young student's attention.

"Well, since you declined the opportunity to study Strangetown history in school, I guess we'll just have to see what happens next."

[moider-time]

Arthur: Don’t go picking a fight with me. I could make your life difficult.

Marc, sarcastically: Wow. I wonder what it’d be like to have a difficult life.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

To Have & To Hold: Part 6

Fandom: Marvel - Moon Knight (Mafia AU)

Pairing: Marc Spector x F!Reader, Steven Grant x F!Reader, Jake Lockley x F!Reader

Summary: To ensure you’re always safe even after his passing, your father, a mob boss, makes you marry his right hand, Marc Spector. You don’t necessarily hate Marc, but you don’t get along either. Therefore, this marriage of convenience may be a bit difficult for you.

Series Masterlist

Nope. No. Hate this. You hate this so much. Your head feels like it ways more than your body. You groan as you slowly open your eyes.

"Welcome to the land of the living," you hear an all too familiar voice.

When you look to your right, you see Marc sitting on your bed, back resting against your headboard.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" you rasp out.

Marc smirks down at yo, "Good morning to you too, sunshine." He holds out water and some pills.

You groan as you sit up, pop the pills into your mouth and glug down the water. You wipe your mouth and hand the glass back to him, "You didn't answer my question."

"You had too many tequila shots. Yelena let me take you home and I stayed over just in case you might choke on your own vomit. Can't have you dying on me just yet."

You snort and lower yourself down again, "Gee, such a loving fiance."

Marc hums and slides off your bed, "You gonna be okay now?"

You wave him off, "Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks," you grumble, pulling your duvet over you and snuggling into your bed. You'll just be in your blanket burrito for the day.

"Your dad said he wanted to have lunch with you today. Should I tell him you're not feeling well?"

You nod and respond, "Yes, please."

Marc chuckles, "Alright. Get some rest, Y/N." You throw up a thumbs up and Marc exits your room. You listen as he exits your house, the sound of his car driving off.

Your eyes flutter back closed as you go back to sleep.

_______________

It's late, but you really needed to get groceries. After sleeping the day away, you only had boxed macaroni and cheese to eat. You know you could've waited until tomorrow to go grocery shopping, but you'll be up for a while. Might as well get something done.

So now you're at a small 24 hour grocery mart. You grab a cart and begin going down each aisle, getting what you need.

Eggs, milk, cheese, coffee crea-Marc?

You're staring up at someone who looks exactly like Marc but isn't dressed like him.

"Marc?"

Without saying another word, the man runs the other direction and you're confused. You leave your cart and run after him, "Wait! Marc!" he turns into an aisle and you go the other way, immediately stopping him in his escape.

He gulps and gives an awkward wave, "Hello." Why does he have an accent?

"You're not Marc."

"Um, no. I'm Steven," the man says nervously.

"Are you Marc's twin or something?"

"Or something is more like it, yeah," Steven responds.

You pull out your phone and immediately dial Marc's number. A few seconds and suddenly there's a buzzing. Steven pulls out his, or, Marc's phone. You look at it to see your name staring back at you.

You end the call and look at him cautiously, "What the fuck is going on?"

Steven groans, rubbing his forehead and looking frustrated, "It's-I wouldn't say complicated, but I suppose it is. "

"Are you Marc Spector? Yes or no."

"Yes and no."

You throw your arms up in confusion, "What does that even mean?!"

Steven sighs, running a hand down his face, "Listen, I think we should have this conversation somewhere else. You can finish your shopping and we can go back to yours and I'll explain everything. I'll even stay with you so you know I won't run, yeah?"

You narrow your eyes at him, "Fine."

You quickly go around getting the last bit of things you need. You nod to the hand basket Steven was carrying, "I'll get yours too."

He shakes his head profusely, "Oh no. That's not nec-"

You pluck the basket from him and set his things onto the conveyor belt with your things, "Bag these ones separately, please."

"Sure," grumbles the cashier who looks like they'd like to be anywhere but here.

After paying, you two head to the car, putting your groceries in your trunk. The drive to your home was quiet, but you could feel the anxiety rolling off Steven.

He remains quiet until you two are inside and you're putting your groceries away, "I have DID!" he blurts out.

The statement makes you pause from putting the eggs away, "Dissociative Identity Disorder?"

He nods, he sits at the high top chair at your island counter, "Yeah, um, had it for a while."

You slowly nod, "Okay. So...is it just you and Marc or are there other..." you're not sure of the term. You know the term "personalities" is out dated.

"Alters. Other alters. There's three of us. Me, Marc, and Jake, who you probably won't see often. It's mainly Marc and I."

You finish putting your groceries away, processing the info you've just been told. You turn back to Steven and rest your elbows on the counter top, "How come I'm just meeting you now? You've worked for my father for years. Wait, does he know about this?"

"Trust me, we've had a few slip ups, that's actually how your dad found out about us. Put us in quite a predicament, but he still kept us on. Said as long as Marc could 'still get the job done'," he says the last bit with distaste.

You snort, "Not a fan of what Marc does?"

"I'm a pacifist. Would rather fight with words than fists. Ironic innit?"

You chuckle, "A little bit," you straighten up, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Tea, if you have any?" you nod, turning your kettle on. You grab a mug and then a tea bag, placing it into the mug.

You look over your shoulder at Steven, "So do you only show up at night?"

"Sometimes. Believe it or not, but I used to be the one fronting more. Marc didn't really like the life we were living, I guess, so he took over. He is the host, after all," he looks crestfallen, "I miss having a normal life. No offense, but I'm not fond of what Marc and your dad get up to."

You sigh, "Trust me, I don't like it either. But, unfortunately, I was born into this life. I can't really escape it either. Guess we just have to make the best of things," you reach over and rest your hand on Marc's.

He gives you a nod, "Yeah. I mean, we're in this together now. Guess it won't be all bad with Marc marrying you."

A lightbulb went off in your head. Since Marc wasn't here per se, you take this opportunity to talk to about him, "Actually, I have a question regarding Marc."

"Alright."

"Does he even like me? I mean he said he cares about me, but I don't know if he's saying that just to appease me and my dad or what."

Steven knows that if he told you the truth, of how Marc truly feels about you, Marc would definitely kick his ass. So he'd go for half truths, "He cares for you, genuinely. He definitely understands how hard this must be on you, it's hard on him too for lots of other reasons I won't discuss because that's for him to tell ya. But he does like you, Y/N."

You let out a sigh, "That's-That's really great to hear. I was-I just didn't know-"

Steven puts his other hand on top of yours and pats it, "I know. I get ya. It's a right pickle you two are in, huh?"

You snort, "Understatement of the century." You pull back and straighten up, "Let me make your tea."

"Alright."

You turn around, taking the kettle and pouring the hot water into the mug, "Do you want cream and sugar?" Steven doesn't answer, "Steven?" you call his name and when you glance over your shoulder, he's staring ahead with a blank expression.

You fully turn and go over to him, "Steven?" you place a hand on his shoulder and he immediately grabs it.

Your eyes widen and he's looking up at you. He blinks and he looks confused, "Wha-Y/N?" It's Marc. He looks around and takes in his surroundings. He then shook his head, "Dammit, Steven."

"Don't blame him. We ran into each other at the store. He came home with me to explain everything."

Marc groans, running a hand down his face, "I told him I don't want him going out-"

"He was getting some groceries. Give him a break. He's trying to take care of you."

Marc is twiddling with his thumbs, his head hanging down, "I was gonna tell you...eventually."

You nod, "I know," you sigh, "You can stay here for the rest of the night, by the way."

"I shouldn't-"

"Marc, it's fine. You look tired and, honestly, I don't want to go back out. So rest. You can take my bed since I'll still be up for...who knows how long."

"Did you wake up at all during the day?"

You snort, "Here and there, to use the bathroom, or drink some water. Other than that, I've mainly slept the day away. And voila, the consequences of my actions, staying up for the rest of the night." you gesture him to follow you and he does.

You enter your bedroom, "You obviously been here before. So go ahead. Rest up," you turn to leave but he grabs you by the wrist.

"Can you stay? Just-Just until I fall back asleep?" he asks and he seems a bit ashamed for asking.

"Sure," you get into bed first and Marc follows you. You're not sure why but your rest your head on his chest. His arm wraps around you and with his other arm he reaches and turns off the lamp on your bedside.

You lay there in silence until you hear him snoring. You can't help but enjoy the feeling of laying beside him.

[dullahandyke]

god i need to rename some of these cunts. gee whiz i wonder what it means that the protagonist's mom is called perpetua spector. like theres ace attorney names and theres job descriptions

wait its been so long since ive talked abt my ocs.... ive abandoned by boys!!!!!!!

[age-of-moonknight]

“Dead Run!” West Coast Avengers (vol. 2/1985), #29.

Writer: Steve Englehart; Penciler: Al Milgrom; Inker: Mike Machlan; Colorists: Bob Sharen and Gregory Wright; Letterer: Bill Oakley

[pcrushinnerd]

Critical Passenger -- Chapter 4

Summary: Before he fully accepted his role as Moon Knight, as Jake Lockley he played hero and made a promise to someone who has come back into his life.

Pairings: Mostly Jake Lockley x femreader, but also Steven Grant x femreader and Marc Spector x femreader because well yeah.

Warnings: None I think.

A/N: None

The Past You'd never been in the front seat of a cab before. Or an Uber or a Lyft. By no means an indication you felt superior--if anything, you felt like it would be impinging on the driver's space if were to call shotgun on any such ride.

But Jake had insisted. Reportedly he could keep a better eye on you if you were right next to hm.

"Gee, do I really seem that bad off?" But your escort had said nothing in response, just helped you into his cab.

"Home address?"

You hesitated.

Jake looked over at you, catching the worried expression on your face, including how you pulled in your lower lip.

He sighed. He pointed to a laminated card stuck to his dash. "Jake Lockley. Empire Cab Company. Driver number and home office are all right there, if you want to take a picture of it."

You slowly slipped out your phone and snapped a photo of it. "Thank you." You were quick to add: "Not that I don't trust ya, just...a girl can never be too safe, ya know?"

"You're not wrong," he commented matter-of-factly. "I'll drop ya off wherever ya like, but sitting here all day in the heat would not be preferable."

"Sorry. Head over to _____."

Jake inserted his key, switched over the engine, and eventually pulled away from the curb.

You studied the interior of his car. Most everything was black, with some touches of red. It was quite a contrast to the outside--which was mostly white, with a stenciled New York skyline sitting below a full moon along each side.

Two water bottles, one open and one not, sat in the cup holders between the two of you. You had seen taxi and ride share drivers with a whole cache of complementary water bottles, hand sanitizer, snacks, tissues, and the like that they'd offer their patrons, but no such pleasantries were found in this car.

His radio was off, you just noticed. Also a contrast to a lot of other drivers, but maybe he was being nice since you obviously didn't feel well.

You noticed there was a Catholic rosary, a Star of David, and an ankh hanging from his rear view mirror. You didn't ask--not wanting to get into a religious discussion with someone you'd just met--but you were tempted to comment aloud about his maybe trying to cover all the bases.

The drive to your place was largely quiet, other than you making some some lame comments about the weather. You weren't quite sure what to make of this man, or why he was paying you any mind after you'd hopped out of his cab and into the emergency room.

You stole a glance or two over at the cabbie. He was handsome. Probably somewhere around his 30s. Just a tad...grumpy? Didn't seem like the type to want to smile much.

Within another few minutes you were pulling up in front of your meager brownstone, just blocks from where he'd picked you up a couple of hours before.

"Well, thank you again Jake. You've gone above and beyond when you didn't have to. Here," you tried to hand several bills to cover the fare seen on his meter, but he waved it away.

"Don't worry about it."

"You sure? You work hard, you deserve to be paid for it." You held out the bills a little closer to him.

Jake just closed his eyes and shook his head.

You sighed. Put the bills away. "Well now I feel like I owe you though."

A more asshole-y Jake under different circumstances would have jumped at that opportunity.

"You don't owe me anything."

You rummaged through your wallet a bit. Found a slim stack of cards and pulled one out. Handed it to Jake.

"If you change your mind."

You excited the car faster than Jake anticipated and skipped up to your door, sparing a parting smile before heading inside.

The smallest little twitch curled the corner of Jake's mouth. But his face was quick to drop into a deeper scowl when he read the name of your employer on the card