#oki out of tags i am

[digiweed]

Work is dead heres my doodles

[tooies]

i think probably the reason i like the idea of like a girl secretly being a dragon but still trying to just have a life in society and be normal is because it's kinda a transfem narrative of the whole like everyone thinks you're a terrifying monster but you just want to be a girl. and the other reason is due to i'm otherkin

[catocappuccino]

Her favourite colour is yello w

[thedeadthree]

✧ — 𝐓𝐀𝐆 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄.

-`. 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 @carrionsflower and @loriane-elmuerto tytyy sm lori and airika!!!!! 🥀💌🐦‍⬛

✧ — 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓.

coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris | vincent van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

✧ — 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐓.

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 — bel canto.

𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐎 — nostalghia.

𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐊 — mannequin pussy.

𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀 — chappell roan.

𝐃𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐋 — florence + the machine.

— 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠:

@sunsofdawn, @pavus, @happilyobsessing, @girliefailure, @alvsanne

@auricfog, @jamessunderlandgf, @weisshaupts, @grapecaseschoices, @risingsh0t

@shellibisshe, @florbelles, @full---ofstarlight, @fenharel, @unholymilf

@aelyosos, @anoramactir, @roofgeese, @cloudofbutterflies92, @griffin-wood

@southernreaches, @chainsawsangel, @leviiackrman, @tethrras, @rosykims

@tommyarashikage, @carlosoliveiraa, @courtana, @lilywatt, @kroganloveinterest

@shadowsofrose, @celticwoman, @shadowsofrose, @dialdrunk, @kissingwookiees

@neonshrike, @confidentandgood, @lavampira, @adelaidedrubman, @imogenkol

@kanos, @deadrlngers, @elluvians and you!!!!!! 🥀💌<3

[jasvi-art]

"you twist and turn, beg for relief - adrift in seas with the dying stars..."

i've got a lot of feelings about stringless oki :')

[midnightwind]

sometimes I peek into the |oki for old time's sake and I just gotta say, that character is now unrecognizable to me, that isn't my little war criminal meow meow who may or may not have been mind controlled in the big fight movie, look how they massacred my boy

[gothsuguru]

no i’m not normal no i don’t claim to be (^ from my camera roll btw . mental illness or whatever idgaf i will always love bad bitches i will never apologize for that)

[krysmcscience]

At long last: either an alternate explanation for or continuation of my prior comic regarding how Bill was ABSOLUTELY naked in Ford's karaoke night drawing. (Because errors in art do not exist. Artists do not make mistakes. So if you see any in this comic, No You Do Not.)

I am so normal about these old dorks.

I'm not really clear on exactly when Bill started throwing his desperation book at Ford just like a needy ex do, but I find it extremely funny to imagine it happening literally the day of or after the makeshift funeral. Bill just gets this weird sense of 'Ford is taking steps to move on' and CANNOT FUCKING ABIDE.

I hope you enjoy all the goofy things I added to each page of Bill's sad spieling. (Everything SHOULD be readable so long as you view the full size, but I have added basically this whole little fanfic in the image descriptions, LMAO, which lays out all the little written notes and such.) Also don't ask how Bill managed to sneak that vampire pen in there. I have no idea, and honestly? I don't wanna know.

Oh, and a little bonus comic:

Of course Bill would take it as flirting. Because between the two of them, Bill is the bigger masochist By Far. :)

Also I have continued applying The Good Place logic to any of Bill's attempts to swear. Case in point, one last bonus image, this time with a motivational line from my slapdash Theraprism OC, EV-01:

Yes, its name is just 'love' backwards. No, I will not be taking any feedback on this. Yes, EV-01 was only ever assigned to Bill's case due to the Theraprism being desperate to make some progress in rehabilitating him. No, it did not work anywhere close to staff's expectations - Bill didn't even appreciate EV-01's matching fondness for bowties! (He claimed the fondness to be "cultural appropriation" and insisted he'd been traumatized by it.)

Anyway, if you like my stuff, reblogs are very much appreciated, and if you really really like it, perhaps consider my commissions or yeeting a teeny tiny tip my way? I am trying to recoup over 500 dollars in vet bills, ahaha... 🙃

In other news, I loved all the fun tags people added to the prior naked-karaoke comic (such as 'the hat and bow-tie stay ON during sex' and the classic '[insert keysmash here]', as well as the many amused/bewildered remarks about how I either made the bricks a piece of clothing or just straight up peeled Bill's skin off). However, I think my favorite thing by far was the several people losing their shit over the fact that I gave Bill toes. Like, excuse me? The magical talking triangle can have fingers but not toes??? Since when was that a rule????? 🤣 (Also the one person who reblogged with the cropped panel where Bill's fishnets pants are falling off to ask why Bill peed himself. Dude, I want to examine your brain...?)

Okie-dokie, I'm sick of looking at all of this stuff now and I'm off to go to work, after which I will either scribble some more goofy "Billford" comics or perhaps draw my lame human!Bill in Situations, idk yet. Maybe I'll even finally draw more than just a single other person's human!Bill...? Who knows, but I sure hope I can mix it up a little and not turn whatever I draw into a month-long fukken project. >:\

[ayahimes]

❝ please stop trying to break such minor laws , Ayaka . I'm not going to arrest you for jaywalking . ❞ [[ omg hiiii ]]

❛           oh ... ❜ her hands fall back down in front of her , eyes glossed over as she looks up at wriothesley almost disappointedly . ❛ so you're not going to handcuff me and throw me in a cell ? ❜ she asks him , head canting to the side . ayaka isn't sure why she's mildly disappointed that the warden won't bind her wrists with the handcuffs hanging off his hip but she certainly feels embarrassed at expecting it to happen . ❛ would you arrest me if i dye the water purple then ? for all you know i may have some dye from the naku weed somewhere on me . ❜

[ramblingoak]

Am I the only one thinking about how much Copia regrets moving on stage whenever he feels his old man body hurts in protest the next day?

Definitely not, Anon! In fact you inspired me:

A Mouthful

Papa Emeritus IV x Reader

Warnings: a bit of body worship and some suggestive teasing from Copia because he can't help himself hehe, otherwise this is just a soft moment with him, 600 words, sfw (thank you to @gothdaddyissues for the dividers!)

“Right there, amore!  That’s perfetto.”

You bit your lip to hide your laugh at the overly exaggerated groan Copia let out while you kneaded the muscles in his back.  He was always a mess after performing, aches and pains quickly settling in after the adrenaline wore off.  While he often teased the audience about needing a “violent shower” nowadays he mostly just needed a long soak in a hot bath.

And you, of course.

“You’re good at this, I should keep you around.  Give you a job.”

“Oh?  And what would my title be?”

Copia turned his head to the side, his white eye catching yours.  There was still face paint caught in his wrinkles, you’d have to make sure to get that cleaned up before he fell asleep.  You raised an eyebrow when you saw the growing smirk playing at his mouth.

“Eh, non lo so.  Maybe something about the sibling in charge of rubbing down Papa?”  He grinned when you snorted, now turning his body to the side and capturing your hands.  “You don’t like it?”

“I don’t know, Papa.  It’s quite the mouthful.”  The gleeful look on his face at your words had you shaking your head, trying to contain your own smile at his antics.  “Don’t you dar–”

“Well, if it’s a mouthful you want I know just the thing.”

You both erupted in giggles, Copia tugging at your hands to pull you tightly against his body.  He groaned when he turned onto his back, an arm around your waist keeping you close to his side.

“Copia, let me finish.  You’ll be too sore to move in the morning if you don’t let me finish.”

“Just un memento, amore.  A few quiet moments before you work your magic again, bene?”

“Okie dokie, Papa.”  

You smiled when he pressed a kiss to your forehead and shimmied a bit so you were more comfortable.  This was your ritual with him after his ritual on stage.  A hot bath followed by an intense massage of his back and legs.  Sometimes it led to other things but it was also nice when it just led to you both cuddling against each other.  Copia sighed then and you looked up at him, blushing at the soft smile on his face.

“I’m not sure I’ll be uh…up for anything else tonight.  Mi dispiace.”

“Copia, you never need to apologize for that.  Okay?”  He nodded and you leaned up to give him a soft kiss.  “Let’s get you rolled over again so I can finish up.”

He slowly turned over and you grabbed the cream you used on him, rubbing it between your hands until it was warm.  You took a few seconds to admire his back, your eyes tracing the freckles and the sporadic bits of hair that Copia refused to believe existed.  The blanket had drifted down to the swell of his ass and you couldn’t stop yourself from staring, thinking of how good he looked in those tight pants he wore on stage. 

“Amore?”

“Oh, sorry, Papa!  I got distracted.”  

You avoided looking up from his back as you began to rub the muscles again, the bastard would just be smirking at you anyway.  As your hands drifted down his spine you let them dip lower, right below the edge of the blanket so you could press them into the flesh it was hiding.  Copia let out a very different sounding groan then and lifted his hips to encourage you to press harder.  When you obliged he dropped back down, slowly beginning to grind his hips into the bed.  

Maybe you’d get a mouthful of your Papa later after all.

If you'd like to be added/removed from the tag list (or if I accidentally left your name off) of this fic or any of my others please leave a comment or send me a dm! Thank you 💙

My Masterlist ~ My Archive of our Own ~ My Ko-Fi Tip Jar

[lunarfleur]

SO INSANE ABT UR 42 MILES STUFF ,,,,,,,,,, EVERYTIME I SEE U POSTED I RUN N I GIGGLE N I KICK MY FEET N I ROLL AROUND ON THE FLOOR HOLDING MY COMPUTER 2 MY CHEST LIUGFIUWGBGWFBQEG UVE OT ME GOING APE SHIT OVER HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEE n e way do u mind working on a gn reader x 42 miles aquarium date one shot ? n then afterwards they just hang out at some restaurant n reader asks miles 2 sit next 2 them at the booth n he does reluctantly [its like ,, their 3rd date hes NERVOUS] n then its just very sweet n silly all around :3 OKI THANK UUUUUUUUU

Young Love, How Beautiful ~ Earth 42! Miles Morales

Summary: If anyone asked you, you would tell the you had been dating Miles for a little over 3 months. If they asked him, he’d say that you’ve been together for 3 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days. He was just about the best thing you could ask for. He always had your best interest at heart.

Tagging: @juneberrie @sluggmuffin @hiyaitssans @ivys-graveyard @kombuuuu

A/N:This isn’t exactly what you asked for…oops…I couldn’t find a way to properly add in the restaurant so…sorry. This is an autistic reader if you squint hard enough. I couldn’t help myself.

This is x gender neutral reader!

“Miles, look!”

You bounced excitedly at the sight of the Zebra shark that swam around in the tank. You squealed, grabbing onto his arm to point at it.

If anyone asked you, you would tell the you had been dating Miles for a little over 3 months. If they asked him, he’d say that you’ve been together for 3 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days. He was just about the best thing you could ask for. He always had your best interest at heart.

“I know, baby, I see it,” Miles chuckled awkwardly. He let you yank him around, the Aquarium flier in his hand. It was crinkled from how hard he was gripping it.

In his other arm was a very large, very soft, stuffed shark. You two had passed the gift shop on the way in and he watched the way it immediately caught your eye.

“You want that?” He had asked.

“No, no it’s okay.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It is.”

But Miles still shuffled awkwardly next to you. In the midst of your bouncing and squealing, you hadn’t been able to notice the multiple attempts he had made to hold your hand.

“Which one’s your favorite?” He asked, nodding at the glass.

You stared at sharks swimming around. There were ones on the floor, ones higher up. There were browns ones, gray ones. There were smaller ones, there were bigger ones. Truthfully, you couldn’t answer.

Sucking in a breath, Miles carefully put his arm around your shoulder. His fingers sat loosely against the hoodie you were wearing. His hoodie.

“What’s that one?” He asked, pointing.

“That’s a zebra shark,” you told him, leaning into his touch.

“And that one?”

“That’s a bamboo shark.”

He nodded along, humming into your ear. Cautiously, he pressed a kiss to your temple. You could feel the pounding of his heart from where you stood against him. Reaching your hand up to the one that rested above your shoulder, you linked fingers with him. Miles inhaled sharply.

“You okay?” You asked, looking up at him. Your noses were almost touching.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “I’m chillin.”

“Are you really?”

“‘Course I am. I’m having fun, mama.”

You looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re sweating,” you noted.

“It hot in here.” You laughed, squeezing his hand and leading him forward. He followed.

The lighting changed once you walked into the next room. The lights were blue and purple. It was dark. Jellyfish floated in large tanks around the room.

You stopped suddenly, backing away from his hold. You grabbed his hand.

“What’s up?”

“Thank you for bringing me here,” you said, kissing him on the lips gentle. Miles looked at you, fighting off nervous giggles.

“Yeah, sure,” he shrugged, squeezing your hand and leading you forward. You laughed, pecking him on the cheek.

“Young love,” an old lady fawned from a few feet away. “How beautiful.”

[tunamayojazz]

Love your art, any Toge/Yuuta fanfic recommendations? Thanks so much!!

hi!! thank you so much...🥺🩷🩷 and i am SO glad you asked this. i have so many!! here are the ones i read/reread more recently along with some of the tags. tried to make every rec here different from each other hehe have fun reading!!! can't help it (if you look like an angel) by glimmiks (12.4k)

tags: college au, friends to lovers, mutual pining, IKEA

THIS WAS SO FUN TO READ PLEASEEEE i absolutely love college aus so much. and you just know the 2nd years would be the most fun and chaotic as college students. their dynamic is just chefs KISS, and it's written so well here. the mutual pining in here is truly a 10-course meal and i always go back for another round.

i'm alright if you're alright by anonymous (14.2k)

tags: spoilers up to ch146, fluff, hurt/comfort, injury recovery, fix-it, love confessions, pining

post-shibuya fic excellence. i always have such a great time reading this like inuokkos really do eat so well in this fandom. yuta pining is always so great to read like he is Longingly thinking about toge at all times im cry

Magnificently Cursed by diggingupthegrave (91.2k)

tags: dark academia, magic au, magic school au, slow burn, angst, mutual pining

i will always always recommend diggingupthegrave fics. they are easily my favorite inuokko writer pls you have to read all their inuokko fics...i saved this particular one of theirs to read for much later bc i knew it was going to change my life (7 chapters ok) and boy did it do exactly that. the way they implemented canon elements into a magic setting was so so brillaint and i savored every bit of it.

Beat the Turtle Drum by CasuallyScreaming (7.4k) tags: major character death, post-shibuya incident arc, angst, minimal comfort, no shibuya spoilers read this before sleeping the other night and honestly how i managed to still fall asleep after was my body trying to protect me from full out bawling and having a mental breakdown...i don't think i've read a lot of MCD inuokko but god this one shook me to my core. almost like the feeling of loss and grief were bleeding through my phone screen. so well written and while it's definitely mostly painful, the ending....well you'll find out :')

a special occasion by Cheshire (2.5k) tags: idiots in love, established relationship, first dates this was so so cute...!!!!!!! panda: but aren't you two already dating? yuta: well yes! no. sorta, kinda. super cozy and fluffy read!!

is this how every day begins? by mitgi (5.4k) tags: roommates, living together, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, angst i will always love me a roommate au. this fic was such a lovely read and i'm actually going to reread this right after i finish writing this! there's so much to explore in inuokko's relationship and also when it's in different settings. every time i think about how the actual source material are literal crumbs, i'm just even more amazed by how writers are able to draw out the most of what info we have and write their mannerisms so well. it all feels right and so WARM UOGHHHHH

haunted by sieling_fan (3.3k)

tags: pining, hurt/comfort, canon typical angst, character study

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

you showed up just in time by diggingupthegrave (14.6k)

tags: time travel, friends to lovers, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, slight age gap

another diggingupthegrave fic that had me crying screaming shaking throwing up because god. this was so so good. the build up had me at the edge of my seat bc like oh my god what happened? what's happening?? why is this like that? @#$%^&*()_!!!!!!!!!!!!! and when it's all pieced together? oh it ended me. read this again and again for DAYS you would think i was researching it for a thesis or something. take your time reading this btw like im so serious.

okie that's all for me from now, i have so many more to rec honestly....sending out 100000000000 hearts to inuokko writers you are my roman empire....

[alastor-x-reader-stories]

Bad Day part 1 of ?

Tags: Alastor x Reader, Lucifer Morningstar x Reader, reader is having a bad day and so am I, i wrote this for me but you can read it, can be read platonically, I drew the little bunny with the umbrella

Someone shouted your name and you ducked further underneath the covers. They shouted it again, and again, and again-

You sighed, reaching for your headphones on your nightstand. Instead your claws brushed someone’s arm.

“My my, trying to hold my hand are we?”

You withdrew your hand and told Alastor to get lost. The Radio Demon tilted his head, his grin unmoving even as his eyes narrowed. Red eyes watched you intently, trailing up and down your form and- okay now the yelling was bothering him.

Alastor opened your door for you, grin twitching at the corner.

“HEEEeeeyy- You….are not who I was expecting.” Lucifer mumbled, pointing up at Alastor.

Alastor’s grin widened, baring his gums. “Did you need something, your majesty?”

“Uh. Yeah. Move it.” Lucifer said, waving Alastor away. Alastor’s ears pinned back, grin contorting into something of a snarl.

You shoved Alastor out into the hallway with Lucifer and closed the door on them both. Radio Demon and King of Hell stood with equally confused expressions.

“What did you do?” Lucifer hissed through a false grin.

“Clearly, your persistent screeching of their name got on their nerves.” Alastor said with an equally false grin.

You yelled at them to shut up.

“…Okay, move it Bambi.” Lucifer said, shoving Alastor aside. He knocked on your door again, calling your name “Is everything all right?”

You told him to go away.

Alastor scoffed, merging into the shadows when he heard your voice again. This time, you said if he just appeared in your room again that you were going to shove his shadow down his throat. You then repeated the go away thing.

His ears twitched, glancing at the king. Lucifer looked back at him and a strange understanding went between them.

The conclusion reached: you were having a super not-good day.

Alastor and Lucifer loathed each other. Everything about the other just hit the right nerve to send any interaction they had to hostility. Yet they were willing to put that aside, for a bit.

For you.

Alastor knocked on the door “Do you need anything, dear?”

You told him to leave you alone.

“Okie-doke.” Lucifer chirped, smiling awkwardly at the door “Gimme a call if you do!”

You said okay.

The two demons meandered away from your bedroom door and ended up in the parlor. Alastor was pacing back and forth, Lucifer sitting upside down on the couch kicking his feet. You were not having a good day. That was apparent. But you did not want company either. Which made comforting you difficult.

“Hey, what’s for dinner tonight?” Lucifer asked absent mindedly, eyes tracing the intricate designs of the ceiling.

“Your question is idiotic in nature and so are you.” Alastor said without missing a beat.

Lucifer rolled his eyes “Yeah, yeah. Whatever it is, we should change it.” He recommended your favorite.

Alastor’s pacing stopped a moment, ear flicking. “…Hm. Fascinating. The temperature had not changed.”

“Eh?”

“You had a good idea and Hell hasn’t frozen over.”

“Oh, fuck you.” Lucifer muttered, flipping him off. He rolled off the couch and onto his feet, kicking up his hat to settle it onto his head. “Right, just a quick snap-“

Alastor slapped his hand down, eye twitching “Listen you tacky circus freak, meals with actual time and effort behind them taste better and mean more than anything you can just magic up.”

Lucifer shrugged in on himself, grinning a bit sheepishly. “Oh. Yeah. Good point.”

[dreamwatch]

Fave Five Fics

Thank you to @tinytalkingtina for the tag!

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love 💞

This is so bloody hard, I cannot lie. I'll definitely disagree with myself the moment I press 'post.'

In no particular order:

Seven Deadly Sins - Okay, look, straight out of the gate I'm going to cheat, and I'm really sorry for it, but hear me out... These are seven very short stories, 1313 words or less, and none of them are connected but thematically they just fit each other I think. This was for the Corroded Coffin Fest Halloween event and I took the theme and ran dark and I am so proud of these. Most of them are pretty niche, but I really think of the collection as one and I would never be able to split them. We have everything from soul selling to drunk driving via ghostly apparitions and long meat (not a joke). They've given me a drive to lean more into my horror/dark side, so 2025, look out!

California I'm Coming Home - a 'quick drabble' that grew legs real fast! Eddie makes it big and buys Wayne a nice house in California. I have a tendancy to write fics that span many years even when I'm trying to work to tight word counts, I drop into a moment and out again and on to the next period. This is one of the ones where I think that was most successful. And I just adore Wayne and Eddie together, I love writing for them.

Only the Horses Can Bring Us Back Home - I do wonder sometimes if the tag 'Horse Girl Eddie' did me more harm than good with this. 😂 Post S4, short recovery fic about Eddie going to a therapist and her suggesting equine therapy to him. I don't ride, I know nothing about horses other than they're big and they're cute so I have no idea where this came from. It's one of the first things I wrote and it holds a special place in my heart.

Echoes and Silence, Patience and Grace - Written for Corroded Coffin Fest. Sometimes its the vibe of the fic that carries me, and thats probably why I love this so much. This was one sitting, done and dusted in about an hour, and it all sprung from that first line that came from nowehere. I love a hint of melancholy in a fic. It's minor rockstar Eddie in his forties making his yearly visit back to Hawkins. A lot of reminising because I'm of an age where I do that, so that means my characters do it too.

Disenchanted Lullaby - Again, written for Corroded Coffin Fest. Another one that is all about the vibes; musician Eddie coming home after a short tour. I was reading some articles about how touring musicians often get depressed when they come home, how slipping back into a normal life and routine is so hard. If I could I would probably re-write this a little, but as it stands I'm really proud of it.

Honourable mention:

Know When To Hold 'em - Corroded Coffin fans sing Wayne's favourite song every time he's in the house. And one time he isn't. Angsty and self indulgent because why not?

Oki doki, no pressure tags - but also, I'm invested in your answers! 😂

@hbyrde36 @thisapplepielife @cchapsticck @the-unforgivenn @occasionaloverboy @jo-harrington @vthx @soaringornithopter @devondespresso @scriptorbemi

[outismm]

Hi- I just wanted to thank you for your Huck posts, it's like the only positive thing in his tag and it made me happy 😭 He's so good and deserves more appreciation! Have you seen season 2 yet? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

EEEEEEE HELLLOOOOO!!!!! This ask made me so incredibly happy. There will never be a time when I am not ready to Scream from the rooftops about Huck. Okie this is all just going to be rambling. Bouncing off the walls, giggling, kicking my feet, etc. Spoilers for acts 1 + 2, I'll probably rb this with more thoughts after act 3.

Being bisexual is so embarrassing bc while other people are doing in-depth analysis of the beauty that is this show, and I'm over here spinning a goober around that has,,, MAYBE 10 mins of screen-time, or less.

I DON'T EVEN CARE THOUGH MY HUSBAND IS BACK!!! WE'RE SO BACK!!!!!!!

Truly the instant I clocked his glasses I started squealing and pacing my room MNASDMAN there is no hope for me.

As expected, babygirl is not doing well! The moldy food was a good touch. The terrors are terroring.

Also not Huck related - but loved the Moses vibes Victor was bringing out this scene? Lots of Moses imagery w/ him, just a great move on the writers + animators part, considering his backstory.

It's really important to me that he's terrible at this MANSDMAN

Not only bc it's really Woughe (tm), but just,,, I do love that Huck is a coward? He's a coward in a very human way. 99% of what he does is purely out of desperation.

Just a great character trait tbh!

Also the fact that he's so hesitant gives me the vibes that he's probably never/rarely done this? Like :

This is not the stance of a man who mugs people on the regular MANDSMAN he looks so profoundly out of his depth. The second Victor starts walking towards him instead of trying to run, he starts freakin' the fuck out.

Either he's not used to doing this, or he's used to doing this to ppl who don't/won't/can't fight back. Ack.

^^ He also makes a little sob here when he's holding up the knife. Very important to me.

UHHNGHNOUGHH!!!!

They fixed his hairline and took away his stutter and de-aged him - which are all tragic for me specifically, BUT that's forgiven bc YIPPEEEEEEEE he no longer looks like he's on the verge of death MNADMANSDMN.

I'll forgive Hextech Jesus for hitting him with the Twink Beam. for now.

Victor DID however take away his beautiful brown eyes, and that cannot be absolved.

LOVE how the marks on his face line-up w/ where Victor touched him. Magnificent. Amazing. Kissing the artists with tongue.

Also can't believe I never noticed this before, but the chip in his tooth? Wagh <3

I do appreciate them getting a bit of not-quite-closure? Honestly just nice to see Vi and Huck interacting again after the whole Silco fiasco.

Also - have we ever seen Huck stand upright??? I think?? this might genuinely be the first time we see him at full height???

He's really not as short as he seems!! He's just always curled into himself like a pangolin. Love that deeply.

Also appreciate him getting a gun pointed at him again, always a good time. I love seeing him scared and stressed out <3 MNASDMNAD

He still reacts the same, too! Shoulders all tense, a lil leaned back, lips pursed. Idk I just like how the animators keep the Vibes of characters. All those little traits.

Hm.

I don't approve of him being in a cult but I DO approve of him being in a dress. So once again it balances out.

To whatever artist(s) on the team decided that outfit for him, I'm transferring my savings to your bank account.

No comment.

Actually yes comment - seeing him not back down from a threat is such a contrast to how he usually acts. Woughe. Cult Commune Induced Character Development (mixture of yays and boos)

It's interesting to see how while Victor is able to cure ailments, it also pulls away aspects of the individual's personality. Like that's Huck but that isn't Huck, y'know? We see it way more obviously w/ Salo in ep 4, which is real cool

AND AGAIN, NOTHIN' GOOD LASTS FOR LONG.

Can't wait to see the consequences of this on his physical and mental health <3 need to see him going through it tbh. He will find peace eventually.

Not yet though. get up you gangly fuck there's still more terrors to experience AKJDSAKDJ

I feel like he still has quite a lot of Character Arc To Character Arc so I doubt he's just gonna be like. A Corpse And/Or Corpse-Adjacent. Next act. t'would be very disappointing AMSDNAMDN.

OUGHEEEEE. OKAY. once again anyone who read through all this gets a cookie and a little flower as a hat. runs away.

[queenjunothegreat]

Chapter One: JASON Has a Bad Day

Okie dokie everyone! I've decided to stop being lazy and finally post The Heroes of Juno to Tumblr! I'm not gonna be spamming the tag, though, promise! I'll post one chapter on Sunday and one chapter on Wednesday until you guys are all caught up! I hope you enjoy!

According to Leo, their destination was a museum on the Grand Canyon, not that that really meant anything to Jason. Coach was herding them towards a squat, red stucco building when he shouted, “Do not — I repeat do not get separated from your partners, do you hear me?” Leo turned to Jason, likely to inform him that they were working together, but Piper grabbed his arm before he got the chance. “You're my partner, Leo,” she said firmly. “Uh, sorry, but as the only one claiming to be a non-amnesiac, I'm here to tell you that I'm supposed to be with Jason.” “We're always partners on field trips, though.”  “Yeah, which is part of the reason Coach Hedge banned us from working together,” Leo pointed out. Then, in a remarkably good impression added, “McLean, Valdez, if you so much as look at one another on this trip, you'll be getting a one-way ticket to the bottom, fast lane!” “Which means you'll be working with me,” another voice drawled. Jason stiffened, which was the correct response, based on the disgust that crossed Leo and Piper's faces. Another boy, not quite as big as Jason, but definitely taller and broader than Leo and Piper both, had slung his arm around Piper's shoulders. “Lucky you.”

Master List

Jason knew he was going to have a lousy day when he woke up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. He was pretty sure that normally he wouldn’t mind holding hands with her, as she was very pretty, but he had no idea who she was or why he was holding hands with her. 

Apparently, the girl also didn’t know why he was holding her hand because she snatched it away and punched him in the arm with a surprising amount of force. Jason yelped in pain, but she just glared at him in obvious distrust, clutching her hand to her chest like she thought he would try to take it again. She was leaning so far away from Jason that he thought she was going to fall out of their shared seat, and when he went to balance her, she twisted her face into something that reminded Jason of a very agitated she-wolf

“Don't touch me,” the girl snapped. “Who the hell are you?”

“Uh, I’m Jason,” he stammered, putting his hands up in surrender. “And I don't—”

“What's wrong with you two?” a new voice asked. A boy was sitting on the seat in front of them by himself. He had his arms folded on the back of his seat and he rested his chin on them as he watched Jason and the girl like they were a tennis match. He raised an eyebrow when Jason gave him a blank look.

The girl, on the other hand, was visibly relieved. “Leo!” she all but hissed as she quickly vacated her spot at Jason's side and took up the one by her friend.

The other boy — Leo — turned and looked at her with his brow furrowed. “Seriously, Piper, what's up with you tw—”

“Who are you?” Piper interrupted glaring at Jason even more ferociously now that she was in a more defensible position. 

“What do you mean ‘who are you?’” Leo asked. “That's Jason. You know, big guy, blonde. Our best friend, your recent boyfriend? That Jason?”

“You're my best friend, and I would never date someone like him,” Piper corrected, giving Jason a somehow dirtier look than before.

Leo just looked confused for a moment before he laughed. “Alright, Pipes, whatever you say.” He gave Jason an easy smile. “Come on, Jason. Tell your amnesiac girlfriend who you are.”

“I'm sorry, but I don't know who either of you are,” Jason admitted. “I—I'm not even really sure who I am.”

Leo stared at him, gobsmacked. Then he turned to Piper with an almost betrayed look. “Okay, I get why Jason would be messing with me over the whole shaving cream on the Jell-o thing, but you, too? I didn't even do anything to you. You date the guy for two weeks and you're already picking him over me?”

Piper looked pained at his words, which Jason thought was odd because shaving cream and Jell-o sounded like something he wanted no part of. “No, you did the shaving cream and Jell-o thing to me. Because this guy,” she scowled at Jason just in case her message wasn't clear and Jason resisted the urge to scowl back, “wasn't even here when we got on the bus this morning.”

Leo wrinkled his nose at her and they made direct eye contact for several seconds in silence. They must have communicated something that Jason couldn't hear, though, because Leo laughed. “This is your idea of a prank? You telling me you don’t remember your boyfriend? Not your best work, Pipes.”

“Leo, I swear, I have never met that guy before in my life.”

Leo turned his amusement back on Jason. “You're serious, too? Committing to the bit?”

“I've never met either of you before in my life,” Jason said genuinely. 

Leo looked startled and a bit hurt for a moment – which Jason felt really bad about – but he quickly slapped on a smile and he shrugged. “Yeah, alright. I'm willing to play in this space with you guys. So, first things first: we go to this place called Wilderness School, AKA where all the problem kids get dumped. I ran away six times, Piper stole a BMW—”

“No, I didn't!”

“Right, right, he let you borrow it.” Leo rolled his eyes and gave Jason a look he somehow knew he was supposed to laugh at, but didn't and Leo winced. “And you—” he cut himself off and looked at Jason curiously. “I actually don't know what you did. I don't think you’ve ever told us.”

“That's because neither of us have ever spoken to him before,” Piper insisted. “Leo, do you really think I'd somehow just completely forget a person but remember everything else? There's no way that's how amnesia works.”

“Actually, it can be. Kind of,” Leo shrugged. “Though I'm not sure how you would have gotten it. Both of you, actually. Pretty sure head injuries are usually involved.”

“Look, I don't think I'm supposed to be here at all,” Jason confessed. “I think Piper,” she looked annoyed that he dared to use her name, “is right. I don't think I was on this bus this morning.”

Leo seemed to consider that for a moment before he leaned around Piper to look at the seat beside them. “Hey! Mary! Lisa! You see the blonde dude behind me? I can't for the life of me remember his name. Help a guy out?”

The girls snickered at him, but the one with red hair replied, “Pretty sure that's Jason. He's the bodyguard you and Piper hired to follow you around and clean up your messes.”

Leo snapped his fingers and shot them a wink. “That's it! It was on the tip of my tongue. Thanks, ladies!” The girls giggled again and Leo turned back to Jason with a look that clearly said See? I told you.

“They didn't say anything about us being friends with him,” Piper pointed out. “And they definitely didn't say anything about me dating him.”

“It hasn't been that long and you two are trying to keep things quiet,” Leo explained. “And everyone calls Jason our bodyguard after he kicked Tyler's ass for us the first week he got here.”

“Why would you need me to kick someone's ass for you?”

“Well,” Leo said, drawing out the word with a mischievous grin. “It may or may not have involved replacing his laundry detergent with bleach and RIT dye, and because Tyler has more biceps than brain cells, Pipes and I kinda needed someone to swoop in and save our skins. Which is where you come in, Superman.” He turned and gave Piper a frown. “Surely you remember that.”

“I remember pranking Tyler,” Piper admitted. “But I also remember us having to hide on the roof until curfew and missing dinner to avoid becoming a news head line.”

Leo frowned at her and opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by a short man in pristine white athletic wear yelling at them from the front of the bus. “McLean! What are you doing? You were strictly told not to sit with Valdez!”

“Sorry, Coach. What was that? We couldn't hear you all the way back here!” Leo shouted back, completely ignoring the conversation they'd been having moments before. “Maybe your megaphone will help?”

“Coach” whoever that was, seemed pleased with the idea and picked up his bullhorn, but instead of his voice, the only thing that came out was a tinny recording bellowing “THE COW GOES MOO,” which caused the bus to erupt in uproarious laughter. Coach turned purple. “Valdez!”

Leo and Piper ducked their heads together and snickered, elbowing each other in the sides while Jason blinked at Leo in baffled wonder. “You did that?” he asked. “How?”

Leo smirked at him and wiggled his eyebrows, twirling a tiny screwdriver between his fingers. “You may not remember, but I can assure you that I am a very special boy.”

“You're a menace is what you are,” Piper teased, Jason seemingly forgotten. 

“Oh, I'm the menace?” Leo snorted. “Care to remind the class who stole the megaphone?”

“That's it!” Coach shouted. He had abandoned the use of his favorite toy, but it still belted out the lyrics to “Old McDonald” because he had his fist in such a death grip that he wasn't able to let go of the button. “You three back there are going to be the official clean-up crew after lunch, capisce?”

Piper grumbled her discontent, and Leo rolled his eyes, but neither of them seemed all that upset. Something told Jason that the two of them were well-acquainted with lunch clean-up as a punishment. The mildly anxious churning in his stomach told Jason that he was not. He slouched down in his seat, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible while Leo and Piper did whatever they could to seek it out. Leo turned back around and he actually looked concerned when he looked at Jason. “You're really doubling down on the not knowing us bit, huh?” He glanced at Piper. “The both of you.”

“I'm beyond serious,” Piper swore. “You know I wouldn't lie to you about this.”

Leo didn't say anything in response, he just frowned at Jason like he was trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube with seven colors. Jason turned and looked out the window, unwilling to meet his gaze.

*-*-*

The rest of the trip was blessedly short and quiet. Coach had yelled at them about how Piper and Leo still weren't allowed to sit together, which had led to the two of them bickering over who was to give up their spot. Leo eventually gave in to Piper’s insistence that she was not sitting with Jason, and he climbed over the back of the seat and flopped down at Jason's side. Coach yelled even more about that, and Leo accidentally kicked Jason in the jaw, but he politely kept that to himself. At first, Leo thought it would be fun to fill Jason in on all the stuff he'd forgotten, and started up his “Crash Course for the Amnesiac”. Jason wasn't sure how truthful it was, seeing as he'd claimed to be a gift from the gods and that Jason thought he was so cool that he did all of Leo’s chores and surrendered all of his desserts, but it was somewhat entertaining. Leo quickly grew bored, though, and started fiddling with a ball of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks he'd pulled from his pocket. Based on the way his fingers twitched and his eyes darted around the bus, Jason was pretty sure Leo got bored often. Piper, on the other hand, was more than content with watching Jason with narrowed eyes over the back of the seat the whole time. It made her look like she was nothing but a nose and a pair of angry eyebrows, but Jason knew better than to point that out. 

According to Leo, their destination was a museum on the Grand Canyon, not that that really meant anything to Jason. Coach was herding them towards a squat, red stucco building when he shouted, “Do not — I repeat do not get separated from your partners, do you hear me?”

Leo turned to Jason, likely to inform him that they were working together, but Piper grabbed his arm before he got the chance. “You're my partner, Leo,” she said firmly.

“Uh, sorry, but as the only one claiming to be a non-amnesiac, I'm here to tell you that I'm supposed to be with Jason.”

“We're always partners on field trips, though.” 

“Yeah, which is part of the reason Coach Hedge banned us from working together,” Leo pointed out. Then, in a remarkably good impression added, “McLean, Valdez, if you so much as look at one another on this trip, you'll be getting a one-way ticket to the bottom, fast lane!”

“Which means you'll be working with me,” another voice drawled. Jason stiffened, which was the correct response, based on the disgust that crossed Leo and Piper's faces. Another boy, not quite as big as Jason, but definitely taller and broader than Leo and Piper both, had slung his arm around Piper's shoulders. “Lucky you.”

“Don't touch me, Dylan,” Piper snapped, and Jason felt a bit guilty over holding her hand earlier because she sounded very familiar with that particular phrase. 

“Aw, don't be like that,” Dylan crooned. “Most girls would do anything to work with me.”

“What a coincidence. I'd do anything to avoid it.”

Dylan tilted his head back and laughed, running his fingers through his hair like he thought he was on some kind of commercial for hair care products designed to make you look like your hottest delinquent self. He looped his arms through Piper's and started dragging her along, ignoring the way she yanked to try getting away from him. Jason clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

“I hate that guy,” Leo said quietly. Jason turned to see Leo glaring after Dylan and Piper, and he looked so angry it made Piper's scowls from earlier seem almost cordial.

Jason reached out and brushed his knuckles along the back of Leo’s wrist. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah, I just hate that I—” Leo cut himself off with a sharp head shake and he gave Jason a wide smirk. “He's just so annoying, you know?” He rolled his eyes and put on a dumb little voice to say, “Wow, I am so cool and handsome and awesome. You guys are so lucky that you get to know me. I wish I could hang out with myself, but I can't figure out how, so you all will have to make do. Aren't I so generous? I'll take your thanks in the form of praises sung to my pure handsome awesomeness.”

Jason blinked down at Leo, but he couldn't really hide the way his voice trembled slightly on a suppressed laugh. “Leo, you are so weird.”

“Yeah, you tell me that a lot,” Leo grinned at him. “Now, come on. Let's get inside before Coach decides to make good on his Fast Pass promise.” He offered Jason his arm and batted his eyelashes like some kind of cartoon princess. “Shall we?”

Surprising both himself and Leo, Jason took the offered arm and let Leo drag him inside like Dylan had with Piper moments before. He figured that if his life was messed up enough that someone like Leo was his best friend that he might as well own it. 

*-*-*

Jason thought that the museum was probably really cool and interesting, and he was pretty sure that he might like to revisit it one day, but a lot of different things made it very hard to pay attention that particular afternoon. Coach Hedge had apparently decided that using his megaphone was worth occasionally sounding like a Sith Lord or helpfully informing everyone around him about the sounds various barnyard animals made because he was constantly shouting instructions in it, every now and then one of the other kids would shove Jason or Leo from behind and snicker, and he was still suffering from amnesia. Jason suggested that maybe Leo should take him and Piper to an adult to get medical attention, but Leo had snorted and informed him that Coach Hedge was the only adult around and that his idea of “medical attention” would likely be hitting them both over the head with his baseball bat in order to knock their brains back in place. Jason told Leo he watched too many movies. 

Leo was probably the most distracting thing, though. Ignoring the fact that he kept fishing a seemingly never-ending supply of nuts and bolts and string and wires out of his pocket to twist together, he was constantly bristling up at Jason's side and shooting murderous looks at some of the other girls in class. Jason understood why he was upset — after the third comment, he'd figured out that they were actively being mean to Piper, and even with her attitude towards him, he still clenched his fists with every sickly sweet barb thrown at her — but he couldn't understand why Leo wouldn't say anything. He'd just stand there and seethe in obvious resentment, but as soon as he noticed Jason looking at him, he plastered on a wide smile and made yet another dumb joke and pretended like he had no idea what Jason was talking about when he mentioned the girls. 

“Look, do you want me to do something about them or not?” Jason asked flatly. One of the girls had said something incredibly stupid about a rain dance and he felt his temple throb with frustration. “Because I will make them stop. But only if you and Piper won't get mad at me.”

Leo stared at him in shock for a moment and Jason thought he might play dumb again, but instead he just gave Jason a rueful smile. “Do I want you to? Sure, I love to watch you stomp around and bash heads, especially if it's someone who deserves it. But you probably shouldn't. Piper would get mad at both of us if we tried to turn her into some sort of damsel. Besides, you—” he poked Jason in the chest, “definitely can't do anything. You're already on thin ice; if you start a fight while we're on a trip, you'll definitely wind up in ‘self-focused learning and meditation’ again, and you hated it last time.”

“What's self-focused learning and meditation?”

“Well, this place isn't actually a prison, so they can't call it solitary confinement, but that's basically what it is,” Leo explained. “You're taken out of the dorm and you have to sleep in a room by yourself and you do one-on-one classes with the disciplinary teacher and you go to meals at a different time from everyone. It's  just you and your teacher slash prison guard for however many days they give you.”

“And I…” Jason gulped to quash down his queasiness. “I had to do that?”

“Once,” Leo shrugged. “You were stuck in it for three days and when you came out you didn't really want to talk about it. You made me and Piper promise to never let you get in enough trouble to do it again, though, which said plenty to me.”

Jason felt sick at the idea that he was ever getting in enough trouble to deserve that kind of punishment. He shuddered. “What about you and Piper? Have either of you had it?”

Leo shook his head. “Nah. Pipes and I make sure that they can't prove it was us. Everyone knows that we did it, but even Wilderness School follows the justice system. ‘If it doesn't fit, you must acquit’ and all that.”

Jason blinked. “What?”

Leo looked disappointed in him. “Dude.”

There was a sudden commotion and the two of them turned around to see Piper with her teeth almost bared at another girl, who was clutching her hand to her cheek in shock. “Coach, Piper just hit me!”

“No, I didn't!” Piper snapped back. She was subtly shaking out the fingers of her right hand, and having been on the receiving end of one of Piper's punches earlier, Jason almost felt bad for the other girl. Or, he would have if she weren't awful. 

“Yes, you did!”

“No, I didn't!” Piper turned to one of the other girls. “Amy, tell Coach that she's lying!”

Amy suddenly looked like she'd been hit by an invisible truck. She stared at Piper like she'd never seen her before and then turned to Coach Hedge and stammered out, “Uh, yeah. I— I dunno why Macy is saying Piper hit her, Coach. She definitely didn't.”

Jason gaped at her. Anyone with eyes could see that Piper had obviously hit the other girl, but everyone was muttering to themselves about how they were pretty sure Piper was telling the truth. Then again, it's not like Jason saw Piper hit Macy, and if everyone seemed to be in agreement, then maybe—

Leo snorted at his side and gave Jason a wide grin. “That's the other reason we've never landed in solitary. Piper is scary convincing when she wants to be.”

Coach actually seemed to be the one person Piper hadn't managed to convince, but it didn't really matter because he didn't really care. “No fighting! Now, come on, cupcakes,” he called. “You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork.”

Jason let Leo lead him outside, and when he did, the air rushed out of his lungs. He wasn't sure what he was expecting the Grand Canyon to look like, but this was beyond anything he could imagine. Jason had known that they would be pretty high up based on the drive, but he hadn't appreciated just how deep it would be. The cliffs were made of layers upon layers of rock, each one of them a distinct color from the one next to it like a rainbow of browns and oranges and grays. Bushes and trees were dotted around, but they were so far off that they just looked like little smudges of green to Jason. They were so high up that even birds were flying in lazy circles beneath their feet, and down at the bottom the winding river cut through the rock like a sacrificial knife through the gut of a teddy bear. 

Jason winced at the sharp pain that burst behind his eyes and rubbed his brow. He had no idea where the comparison had come from. What kind of person thought to compare one of the wonders of the natural world to teddy bear slaughter? But it felt important. It felt like an omen. Like something big was coming and he had to prepare.

A hand tugged at his shirt sleeve and he turned to see Leo staring at him with his eyebrows puckered in concern. “Hey, man, are you alright? You don't look too good.”

“I'm fine,” Jason dismissed, shaking his head. “I've just got a headache. You're the one who said I had some kind of brain injury, remember?” Leo didn't look convinced, so Jason offered him a weak smile. “Come on. Let's get a better look over the edge.”

Leo followed him, but the closer they got to the edge, the antsier Leo got. When a cold wind blew across the skywalk hard enough that it would have knocked him down if Jason hadn't been there to steady him he scowled up at the sky. “Dude, there is no way this is safe. Look at this storm. It's literally right above us and nowhere else. There's gotta be some freaky weather shit going on.”

Jason looked up and saw what Leo was talking about. There was an inky black storm cloud above them — a perfect anvil-shaped cumulonimbus, and Jason didn't stop to wonder why he knew that of all things — but everywhere else was the same crystal clear skies they had driven through on the way here. Coach shouted something about making their time out there quick, and Jason's headache got worse. He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his jeans and frowned when his fingers brushed up against something cold.

He pulled it out and examined it. It was a coin. It appeared to be solid gold, about the size of an extra thick half dollar, but it was lumpy like the person who made it wasn't exactly skilled at making coins. A battle ax was stamped on one side, and some guy surrounded by laurels was on the other. Carved around the edge were the letters IVLIVS.

“Dude, what is that?” Jason turned to see Leo eyeing the coin appreciatively. “Is that real gold? Can we sell it?” A thought occurred to him, and he gave Jason a betrayed look. “Wait, don't tell me you were rich this whole time, too. It's bad enough that Piper is richer than the Pope, but I thought you were middle class at best.”

Jason’s frown deepened. His grip on the coin tightened like it was a safety blanket. It felt important. like he was going to need it soon. He stuffed it back in his pocket. 

“I dunno. Pretty sure it's just a coin, though.”

Leo raised an eyebrow at him, but he shrugged, happy to let it go to move onto bigger and better things. By this point, Jason was pretty sure Leo was always moving in every sense of the word. “Come on. Dare you to spit over the edge.”

*-*-*

Jason wanted to say that he and Leo put effort into their worksheet, but that would be a lie. In his defense, he didn’t know what most of the words meant. How was he supposed to “name three sedimentary strata” or “describe two examples of erosion” when he was asking Leo to define every other word? Besides that, he was still more than a little distracted by the freaky storm and his own mixed-up feelings and making sure to avoid Piper’s gaze every time she saw him talking to Leo.

Leo wasn’t exactly helpful, either. He was too busy messing with his pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks from earlier. He didn’t even have his worksheet because he’d apparently folded it up into a flock of birds when he was bored in class the day before.

“Were they able to fly?” Jason asked, tilting his head to the side.

Leo snorted. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“Probably.”

“Then yes. The origami cranes I made in pre-cal were absolutely capable of self-sustained flight,” Leo said with a fond eye roll. “Now, watch this.”

As Jason watched, Leo furtively glanced both ways before gently tossing his pipe cleaner contraption over the side of the fence. Jason could tell it was a little helicopter now that it wasn’t hidden by Leo’s hands. He expected it to immediately spiral down and crash, but instead the little propellers actually spun and got halfway across the canyon before giving out. Jason gawked at where it fell before turning back to Leo. He was definitely sure that if Leo told him he’d somehow managed to fold life into his origami, Jason would believe him. “How did you do that? That was amazing.”

Leo’s grin from before came back, wide enough to make his nose wrinkle. “You should have seen the prototype. It would have worked loads better if Mrs. James hadn’t confiscated my rubber bands.”

Jason couldn’t help but notice that Leo didn’t actually answer his question of how it was done, but he figured he probably wouldn’t understand even if Leo had whipped out a blackboard and gone over every step. “Are you sure we’re friends?”

“Last I checked, yeah.”

“How?” Jason asked earnestly. “Like, how did we meet? Why did we start hanging out? What was our first conversation like?”

Leo frowned. “Hey, man, I’ve got ADHD. You know I’m not great with remembering details like that. I just remember that you came to school around the time they decided Piper and I couldn’t share a dorm, so you and I wound up together. You didn’t really talk to anyone at first, and then, like I told you, you saved us from Tyler that one time and the three of us have been inseparable since. I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this.”

“Because I don’t remember any of it,” Jason insisted. “I don’t remember you or Piper or Wilderness School. I don’t remember anything but it feels like I’m not supposed to be here. I don’t know why you and everyone but Piper remembers me but I feel like…”

“Like we’re all wrong and you’re the only one who’s right?” Leo suggested. “What, like we all have fake memories? Piper’s the only one remembering stuff properly?”

Jason winced. It sounded crazy when Leo put it to words, but a little voice in his head screamed Yes! That’s exactly what I think! “Yeah, pretty much.”

Leo pursed his lips. “Look. Jason. I don’t think I like this game you and Piper are playing anymore. Like, I never thought it was all that funny to begin with, but at this point keeping at it is kind of just a dick move. Can you just drop it? You got me, okay? Haha, Leo caved first or whatever. But this sucks, alright?”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said softly. He felt a bit like a horse had kicked him in the chest, but that didn’t change the facts. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t remember you.”

Leo looked like he wanted to be angry, but any fire in his eyes was doused by the little well of hurt that it was sitting on. He turned his head sharply. “Give me the worksheet. I’m going to go describe shale or whatever.”

Jason dutifully handed over the paper and watched Leo turn on his heel and wander over towards one of the podiums with fun facts that they’d mocked together not too long ago. Jason couldn’t help but feel a bit like a dog who had been left on the side of the street. No matter what Leo said or thought, Jason didn’t know these people, and so far Leo had been the only person willing to give him the time of day. 

He looked around feeling a bit lost when a gruff voice shouted, “Hey, blondie!”

Jason’s head whipped around. Coach Hedge was staring him down, but he still looked around him before pointing at himself. “Yes! You! Come here!”

Jason did as he was ordered and trotted over to Coach Hedge’s side. “Uh, yes, Coach? Sir?”

Coach Hedge visibly recoiled at the title. “Don’t call me that. It’s unnatural.”

“Uh, sorry. Coach.”

He snorted, then gave Jason a critical look over and gestured at the sky. “Is this you?”

“Is what me?”

*-*-*

“Don’t toy with me, kid,” Coach Hedge snapped glaring up at him from under the white brim of his baseball cap. “You and I both know this storm isn’t natural. Now, tell me who you are, where you came from, and why you’re trying to screw up my job.”

Jason’s heart leapt. “So, you don’t know who I am? I’m not one of your students?”

“Never seen you before today.”

Jason wasn’t sure if he was going to cry, collapse, or kiss the short gym teacher. Well, he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to kiss Coach Hedge, but the other two options were still on the table. “Look, I don’t know who I am or how I got here. I woke up on the bus with no memory and Leo just started telling me that we’re best friends. I just know I’m definitely not supposed to be here.”

“You can say that again!” Coach Hedge barked. Then his voice got dangerously low and quiet and Jason felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. “Listen here, kid. You may know your way around manipulating the Mist with the way you have everyone fooled, but you couldn’t get one past me. I’ve been smelling a monster for a while now, but I can tell it’s not you. You smell like a half-blood and a powerful one at that. Now. Tell me who you are and how you got here.”

Jason felt a bit closer to crying than before, but he grit his teeth. “I told you, I don’t know. I don’t remember anything before waking up on the bus earlier. You’ve gotta believe me. I need help.”

Coach Hedge studied him, and then, for some reason, he took in a deep breath through his nose like he was trying to sniff something out. Whatever he smelled was obviously unpleasant because he grimaced. “Great. You’re telling the truth.”

“Of course I am! I’ve been telling the truth all day, you’re just the first person to believe me. And what do you mean about Mist and monsters and half-bloods? Are you part of some secret organization? Are those codewords or something?”

Coach narrowed his eyes at him. “I can’t tell you who you are, I can just tell you what you are, and right now what you are is a major problem. I already had my hands full protecting two before, I wasn’t exactly planning on someone coming in and making it three. Wait, are you the ‘special package’?”

“I don’t think so? What package?”

Coach glowered up at the storm which was getting worse by the minute. Some of the other students had started to notice, and were muttering to one another and gesturing at the dark clouds. Jason quickly looked around for Leo, who was standing a safe distance from the edge and shifting from foot to foot like he was going to take off running at a moment’s notice, and Piper, who was glaring at Dylan like this was somehow his fault.

“I got a message from Camp this morning,” Coach said. “There’s an extraction team on the way. Said there was some special package that they needed to get as soon as possible, but they wouldn’t tell me what it was. I figured it was the two I was watching. They’re obviously powerful and older than most and I know for a fact that there’s something after them. Thought maybe Camp had just decided they needed these two ASAP, but then you show up and throw a wrench in every plan. So, tell me. Are you the package or not?”

Jason’s headache was getting even worse. Everything Coach Hedge was saying sounded crazy, but at the same time it made sense. Well, it almost made sense. It felt like an encrypted message and Jason just needed to remember the cipher key. “I told you. I don’t know.”

Coach wasn’t pleased with his answer, but he seemed to understand it was the only one Jason could give him. “Fine. I’ll just keep an eye on you until reinforcements arrive. Then we’ll take you to Camp, and the director can figure out what to do with you.” 

Jason did not like that phrasing. “What director? What do you mean ‘do with me’?”

“Just sit tight. Like I said, they should be here soon. We just have to hope nothing happens before–”

Lightning crashed directly overhead and thunder rolled loud enough to shake the earth and Jason froze. Kids started screaming and stumbling around, clinging to each other. Jason whipped his head around to see Piper and Leo scramble towards each other, but Dylan grabbed Piper’s arm and yanked her back, and the wind blew Leo so hard he fell over. 

Coach swore under his breath. “I just had to say something, didn’t I? Couldn’t keep my big mouth shut.” He pulled out his bullhorn, and Jason was relieved that it worked as intended this one time. “Alright, everyone! Back in the museum! Off the skywalk! Now! Move it or lose it! Lawrence, get your tail in gear or you’ll be doing suicides until you die!”

“I thought you said this thing was stable!” Jason yelped as the bridge shuddered and swayed beneath his feet. 

“Under normal circumstances, it is.” Coach said seriously. “These circumstances are anything but normal. Come on!”

*-*-*

The freaky storm from before had churned itself up into a hurricane. Funnel clouds formed and dipped, reaching towards the bridge, but never quite making it all the way down. Jason could almost hear a taunting voice snickering I’m not touching you! I’m not touching you!

Hats and notebooks and backpacks whipped back and forth through the air, their owners having abandoned them to the winds in their panic to get inside. Jason slipped and skidded across the slick glass to where Leo had been knocked over and hoisted him to his feet by the back of his jacket.

“Thanks!” Leo yelled. “But can you maybe go for a less ‘momma cat and kitten’ approach next time?”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jason said distractedly. “Come on, we need to get inside!”

Coach Hedge was blue in the face blowing on his whistle, waving kids into the museum where Piper and Dylan were struggling to keep the doors open. Well, Piper was struggling. Her snowboarding jacket was flapping all around her and her expression was screwed up in effort to keep her door from slamming shut, but she still seemed confident as she urged the other students inside. Dylan just stood there, holding his door with one hand, not a hair out of place while he watched the chaos with something like amusement on his face. 

Soon, Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge were the only ones left outside. Jason pushed forward, keeping his grip on the back of Leo’s jacket to make sure he wouldn’t blow away, but every step felt like he was towing a pick-up truck behind him. Jason wasn’t sure how, but he knew with every fiber of his being that the winds were fighting him specifically.

Then, as soon as the last kid was inside, Dylan grinned malevolently and slammed the door shut with a blast of wind that managed to knock Piper’s grip loose, too. Piper uselessly yanked at the door handles, before rounding on Dylan with fury in her eyes. “Help me,” she snarled.

Surprisingly, Dylan reached out a hand for the door, but shook his head and dropped it just as fast. He smirked at Piper. “Sorry, but it’s time for the next act in our show. And I don’t need you interrupting it with your little tricks.” He flicked his wrist and Piper went soaring through the air to land in a heap against a nearby wall.

“Piper!” Leo cried. He tried to charge forward, but Jason held him back. “Lemme go!”

“Stay behind me, kids!” Coach Hedge barked. He had his baseball bat in his hands, but as Jason watched it started to look less like a baseball bat and more like a crude club with leaves and vines growing off it. “I knew there was a monster skulking around. I should have known it was you!”

“What are you talking about?” Leo demanded. A worksheet hit him in the face, but he smacked it away. “What monsters?”

As if to answer his question, a gust of wind snatched Coach’s hat right off his head. There, below his curly hair were two little horns. He hefted his club. “Come at me!”

“Why bother?” Dylan cackled cruelly. “It’s not like you’re a threat. I mean, they retired you, didn’t they? That’s why you’re at this school in the first place. And it’s not like you’re doing all that well here, either. I was on your track team for two months, right under your nose, and you never noticed. Do you really think you can keep three half-bloods safe? Admit it, you old goat; you’ve lost your touch.”

Coach bleated angrily at him. “I’ll show you who’s lost their touch, cupcake! You’re going down!”

Dylan’s smile was maniacal. “Not before that one does.” He pointed at Leo and a dark funnel cloud erupted from his fingertip, snatching Leo out of Jason’s hold and sending him toppling over the side of the bridge.

“Leo!” Jason shouted, eyes wide with horror.

As Jason watched, Leo scrambled at the rocky cliff face, and finally managed to get a foothold on a thin outcropping of stone. His eyes were screwed shut and his voice pitched a bit when he shouted, “Hey! Can someone please come get me? This really fucking sucks!”

Jason looked around desperately for some sort of rope, but Coach was faster. He shoved his club at Jason’s chest and said, “You take care of that windbag! I’ll get Valdez.”

“How? Can you fly?”

“Not fly, kid.”

Then Coach did something Jason would never forget: He dropped his pants.

That would have been traumatizing enough on its own, but Jason now had to grapple with the fact that his PE coach had goat legs. “You’re a faun!”

Coach gave him a disgusted look. “I’m a satyr. Now, get in there!” Then without another word, he hopped over the fence and started picking his way down with the confidence and efficiency of a mountain goat. Which, he kind of was. Jason’s formerly-forgotten headache throbbed a bit, and he decided to think about anything but the half-goat man. He turned back to Dylan and gripped the club.

Dylan snorted at him. “Cute. But yeah, I’ll take you out first. I’m flexible.”

He lifted his hand, but before he could blink Jason threw the club at him with all his might. Had Jason even thought about what he was doing for half a second, he likely would have dismissed the idea because there was no way he would have managed to hit Dylan through all the wind. Fortunately, Jason was running on pure instinct because the club curved through the air like Jason was guiding it with his mind and hit Dylan directly in the gut, knocking him flat on his butt.

Dylan got back to his feet before Jason could celebrate his victory. He spat blood – gold blood – onto the ground. His eyes flashed like lightning and the winds picked up around him, shaking the skywalk so hard that hairline fractures spread over the glass like spider webs. He rose into the sky and then his body dissolved into smoke. Jason could still see where he was, his face was still the same – oddly handsome, contorted in rage – but he was see-through and almost angelic in a strange, evil kind of way. 

“You’re a ventus!” Jason gasped, though he couldn’t say how he knew that. “A storm spirit!”

“You have no idea what you’ve done,” Dylan snarled. “I was considering letting you live before this. The other two would have made a fine prize, but my mistress told me to wait. Said another was coming. I’m sure she will be pleased to know that I killed you here.”

Jason clenched his fists. He was unarmed, but when he glanced over to where Coach’s club had rolled off to, he saw that Piper was on her feet, club held aloft like she was getting ready to hit a homerun. She had the element of surprise; maybe if Jason kept Dylan busy, she could sneak up on him and make good on the murder in her eyes. 

Dylan was too quick for him. Before he could open his mouth, two inky black tornados carrying their own storm spirits touched down in front of Piper and Dylan lifted his hand and blasted two bolts of lightning directly into Jason’s chest.

Surprisingly, Jason wasn’t dead. He’d lost one of his shoes, so his sock was soaking wet, and his mouth tasted like he’d gotten his chewing gum confused with a jar of fifty year old pennies, but he was alive. He blinked the stars out of his eyes and saw Piper furiously swinging at the storm spirits around her, but every swing passed through them. That didn’t stop the storm spirits from being scared of her, though, evident by the way neither of them would get close to her. Beyond that, Jason saw Coach Hedge bouncing up the cliff with a Leo-shaped koala clinging to his back. 

Dylan swaggered towards him, back in his normal teenager body, with a smirk on his face, and Jason’s chest filled with rage. With a grunt of effort, he pushed himself to his feet and glared at Dylan. “Cute,” he spat, venom dripping from his tone.

Dylan pulled up short and he looked terrified for a moment. “How are you alive? That was enough electricity to short out New York City! Just who are you?”

Jason ignored him. Once again acting on impulse, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the old gold coin. He tossed it in the air, but when he grabbed it, it wasn’t a coin any more. It was a sword, gold all the way through, perfectly balanced, with a handle that felt like it was designed to fill Jason’s palm. Jason felt something click into place in the back of his mind and he gave Dylan a wicked grin. “My turn.”

“Kill him!” Dylan screeched, backing away with wild eyes. “Kill him!”

The other two storm spirits didn’t exactly look thrilled at the order, but apparently Dylan was the windbag in charge, so they abandoned their assault on Piper and started slowly approaching Jason. 

Jason didn’t wait for them. With a battle cry from the depths of his chest, he charged. It wasn’t a long fight. Jason sliced through them both, shattering them into gold dust, and turned his attention back on Dylan.

At that moment, Coach hefted himself over the edge of the bridge and dropped Leo, then whirled around with his fists up like he was ready to start boxing. When he realized that Dylan was the only one left, he scowled at Jason. “Really? You couldn’t have left some for me? I was looking for a challenge!”

“Leo almost died!” Piper snapped. “You do not need to be asking for challenges!” She and Leo had immediately run together as soon as he was back on the bridge and they were clinging to each other. Jason was relieved to see that Leo looked no worse for wear, though he was smearing blood from his hands all over Piper’s jacket, but Jason doubted if either of them cared all that much. 

Dylan didn’t pay attention to them, he was too busy glaring at Jason. “You have no idea what kinds of enemies you’ve made today, demigod. My mistress will awaken, and she will bring with her foes you couldn’t dream of. She will destroy all demigods. You cannot win this war.”

Jason tightened his grip on his sword. “Yeah? Well, I’ll be sure to tell your mistress hi for you, because you’re not going to get the chance to do it.”

The sky opened up above them, clear blue in the sea of black, and Dylan smirked at Jason triumphantly. “My mistress calls me back, and I’m taking you with me.”

Dylan dove towards Jason, who braced himself for the attack that never came. In a burst of heroic goat-itude, Coach Hedge headbutted Dylan so hard it knocked him completely off-course and sent him rolling away. Unfortunately, it also caused a blast of wind that knocked Jason and Coach on their butts and separated Piper and Leo. 

Jason tried to attack, but Dylan was faster. He grabbed the closest person to him, Piper and took off into the skies. “Fine! I’ll settle for this one!”

“Help!” Piper screamed. “Somebody help!”

Jason froze, considering if he could throw his sword with enough accuracy to hit Dylan without getting Piper, but in that split second Coach Hedge had already made and executed his plan. He ran at the ledge, then with all the strength he had in his little goat legs, he launched himself at Dylan and Piper. He barreled into them mid-air, and they scuffled for a moment. 

Then Piper fell.

“Piper!” Leo screamed, flinging himself at the side, half hanging over and reaching out towards her, grasping at nothing but air. “Piper!”

Without a thought, Jason jumped after her.

Next Chapter