#planning on doing Miguel Miles and the Spot soon

[potato-lord-but-not]

some spiderverse stickers because im crazy like that 🥰

[parkerflix]

—corazón despeinado

miles morales x gn! reader

genre: fluff?? angst???

wc: 1.7k

part two here

synopsis: your friendship with miles seemed to hit a sore spot. the reason? his hair.

warnings: atsv spoilers! like big spoilers! canon divergence (miguel would hate me sorry bae)

a/n: this is earth 42! miles! just put it under here since i put the warning okay read at your own discretion from here on!

“Ow! Que te pasa? That shit hurt, mami.” Miles sat forward, rubbing his scalp.

You sighed and rolled your eyes. Miles Morales was such a baby when it came to doing his hair. You loved doing his hair, and him letting you have full control of it, but hated how much he flinched.

“No jodas. I barely even pulled it. If you would sit still, maybe we could finish this faster.”

Miles grumbled under his breath and he sat back in the chair, wincing when you started up again.

You had been doing Miles’ hair for years, Rio being your mom’s best friend. You guys spent summers and most weekends together, always having some sort of party. Your mom owned the neighborhood beauty salon & had been showing the ropes to you.

Miles always came to you when he wanted his hair done, or if he just wanted to see you.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight? Got a steamy date?”

Miles rolled his eyes.

“A date?”

“Yeah, a steamy date with some beautiful woman or man! Or romantic, a nice stroll on the street, the sky full of stars, going to a nice dinner.”

“Ya tu sabes, I’m not the type who does those types of dates.”

“Oh, so it is a date?”

“Mira, I don’t think there’s anyone I would date.”

You reached down in your apron to grab a hair tie to finish one of his braids.

“And why is that?”

You were so focused on his braids, that you didn’t notice his eyes staring at your face through the mirror.

Miles knew that he wasn’t into anyone the way he was into you. He wasn’t sure if you knew that he liked you. Miles thought it was fairly obvious, he gave you little gifts that he knew you would like, and spent most of his time with you. His mom had pretty much adopted you into his family, showing you how to make his favorites like mofongo & empanadas. For someone so bright, you seemed to not catch the hints he threw at you.

His silence caught you off guard & you stared at him through the mirror, a little surprised to see he was already staring at you.

“Miles?”

He seemed to snap out of whatever train of thought and sent you a half-hearted grin.

“Enough about me. What about you? Any plans?”

You shook your head, laughing slightly.

“Nah. Te recuerdas de ese guy que salí con like ages ago?”

Miles hummed as a signal for you to go on.

“Well, he asked me out again and as much as I loved the first date, I just wanted to spend the night by myself. Nothing sounds better than a cheesy movie & takeout.”

Before he could say anything else, you finished his last braid and tied it off.

“Ya terminé. What do you think?”

Miles got up from the chair and glanced at himself in the mirror, admiring your work.

“It looks good.”

You clapped your hands and gave him a hug.

“I’m so glad you like them! I know they’re a little different than usual but I thought they suit you.”

He nodded and gave you a small smile.

You were about to say something, when his phone went off.

“Girlfriend texting you?”

He rolled his eyes and pulled his phone from his jacket, seeing his uncle ask him where he was.

“Ya te dije, I don’t have anyone like that. I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow?”

You nodded and started to clean your station, hoping if you finished early you could leave.

Miles placed a chaste kiss on your cheek & made his way towards the door.

“I’ll take you out for breakfast tomorrow!”

He walked out of the door, leaving you smiling and shaking your head at how cute he could be sometimes.

You had left the salon late in the afternoon, taking a few of your mother’s clients while she handled a few other clients. You weren’t licensed just yet, but you knew you had the skills and experience to get your license as soon as you finished high school.

Your mom had some more clients after you had left & told you she wouldn’t be home tonight as she was planning on having a girls night with a few of her friends.

You had finally got home & changed into a shirt and shorts, ready to just relax and watch some movies. Rummaging through the fridge, you realized that you actually did have to order takeout, since there was nothing already made.

Checking the time, you figured you could swing by the local pizzeria, and stop by the supermarket for some ice cream. Grabbing your bag, you slipped on some easy shoes and made sure to lock the door.

At the pizzeria, you had ordered your food, and were just waiting. Sitting at one of the booths, you were slightly confused when you heard Miles’ voice come from the counter.

You turned to take a peek, and saw Miles there with a completely different outfit, and most noticeably, his braids were gone.

You were annoyed, his braids took you some time & he had already taken them out. If he really hated them, why didn’t he just tell you?

Going up to him, you tapped his shoulder.

He turned around and saw you, giving you a confused look.

“No me das esa cara, si no te gustaron, you know I would’ve changed them!”

Miles gave you an even more confused look, and started to really piss you off.

“Okay, why are you giving me that look? Seriously if you didn’t like the braids, I would’ve fixed them.”

“Braids? Do you have me mistaken for someone else?”

“Your name is Miles Morales, right?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Then no, I’m not mistaken. God why weren’t you just upfront about it with me? I would’ve done whatever you wanted, you know that.”

“Uh—“

“What? Are you too cool for them?”

“No I just—“

“I bet you do have a hot date huh! That’s what it is.”

“Hot date? Definitely not. I am so confused.” Miles said, awkwardly scratching the nape of his neck.

The guy at the counter called your name, and you pointed to Miles.

“Stay here. We aren’t done talking about this.”

You rushed up to the counter, and grabbed your pie, thanking him and ran back to Miles, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him with you.

Once outside, you dragged him to your apartment building, stopping at the stairs, placing your pizza box there.

“What’s going on with you?”

Miles just stared at you, not sure how to tell you that he wasn’t who you thought he was.

“I’m sorry.”

You sighed and frowned. Miles rarely apologized, even when he had done something. He had always sweet-talked you into not being mad at him, knowing that you had a soft spot for him.

“An apology? That’s a first. Miles, I just wanna know what’s been going on with you. You make plans with people and don’t tell me who, which like yeah I guess I’m not entitled to that information but—” you were cut off when he hugged you, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and stayed like that for a second. You knew Miles. He wasn’t a PDA sort of person and he wasn’t big on hugs either. He wasn’t telling you something, and it seemed to weigh heavy on him.

Before you knew it, he had unraveled himself from you and you both were standing away from each other.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure this will all make sense eventually but I really gotta go.”

He gave you a look that you couldn’t decipher and left you, pizza still on the steps, getting cold.

You didn’t hear from Miles until the next morning, knocking at your window.

You groaned and threw a pillow in that direction, knowing it probably missed.

The knocking kept going, so you got up and went to open the window not even sparing Miles a glance.

You trudged your way back into bed, making space for the both of you. He laid down next to you, having a debate if he should pull you close to him.

“Amor, what’s wrong?”

“Be quiet. I'm still trying to sleep.”

Miles let out a huff and poked your side.

“Miles, leave me alone.”

“Que hice?”

“What do you mean ‘que hice?’ We talked about this. If you didn’t listen to me at all then why are—”

You turned to face him, quickly realizing the small space in between the two of you.

You stared at his face, the sunlight giving him a soft glow. His eyes even were a different shade of brown, turning more like pools of milk chocolate. But what stood out to you the most, was his hair, in braids, neatly as if they were never out of them.

How was that possible? You saw him the night before and he didn’t have them. What was happening?

Miles called your name and you blinked, face feeling flushed at your gawking.

“You have your braids.”

He gave you a confused look.

“Yeah?”

“But last night you didn’t.”

“Last night? I don’t remember seeing you last night.”

“You’re joking right? I saw you and we talked and you left in a hurry.”

You sat up and sighed, confused and frustrated as to why he wouldn’t remember this.

“Are you sure it was me?”

You stared at him. Why did he have to say it in such a condescending tone?

“Yes, Miles. It was you.”

“It couldn’t have been me.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“Maybe a bit delusional. Guess you missed me that much.”

You were beyond frustrated now, and got out of bed.

Without a word, you pulled him out of bed and walked him over to your window.

“What— seriously que te hice?”

Crossing your arms, you looked away from him.

“The fact that you don’t even remember our conversation yesterday, and the fact that you’re acting like it never happened and you weren’t being weird— I can’t.”

“You can't do what?” Miles' voice cracked slightly, and he cleared his throat.

“I can't do this right now. You should go.”

“But-“

“Miles.” you whispered his name, feeling so many different emotions. He knew that you had made up your mind and pressed a kiss onto your forehead.

With that, he climbed out of your room and went down the fire escape.

You sat in your room, confused by everything and feeling something new, something like a heartache in your chest.

[miguelswifey04]

oooo okay omg imagine lyla knows miguel likes you. he won’t admit it but he does. and she purposely downloads this ‘love meter software. and whenever miguel talks to you at hq, the meter goes like “warning: you have reached maximum love limit, love overflowing” and red lights start flashing and everybody starts panicking 😭😭😭

OMG this reminds of “operation: true love” on webtoon 🤭🤭!!

lyla is known to be silly and eccentric at times always knowing how to rile miguel up or use things she knows about him against him just for the fun of it. we know that lyla likes to take pictures of miguel with filters + recording him at his most embarrassing moments.

lyla is smart, obviously an AI, who you would think wouldn’t have a personality or feeling emotions but she does. she has a mind of her own. miguel had confided in her that he had a crush on you. “oh my god! no way miguel~ who knew you were capable of such feelings!” she said snickering while she had secretly recorded their conversation maybe to one day show you proof that miguel had also liked you back. lyla is the confidant of the both of you. she knows you like him but miguel doesn’t know that you like him back. so she had devised this plan in hopes miguel and you got the memo.

she had installed a software called “love meter” secretly behind miguel’s back. one day she wanted to do a test run on the software as you were present, chatting up with miguel in the control room. miles, gwen,pavitr, hobie, and margo were messing around in the background while letting you and miguel talk.

“warning: you have reached maximum love limit, love overflowing” it appeared on all the screens of the control room, which indicated miguel’s heart beat was rising by just being near you. the little love meter was at 100. the alarm then resounded throughout the HQ, as red flashing lights flickered throughout the entire multi-sectioned building.

everyone’s heads quickly turned towards miguel and you. miguel was about to speak but was soon got off by the gang’s comments and laughter. you couldn’t help but stare at miguel feeling your cheeks heat up feeling a tad bit shy. you were genuinely shocked by the turn of evidentes.

“i knew he had a crush on y/n!” gwen laughed while pointing a finger at miguel. hobie would definitely chime in as well, “who knew the big boss man is whipped for you,” directing his voice at you. miles and margo, laughed, literally everyone did while pav went up to miguel and you saying he had sensed the romantic tension from a mile away.

“LYLA! what did you do!?” miguel said embarrassed while he was BEET RED. he was really flustered. he was caught red handed and he wasn’t sure if you were about to reject him on the spot or not.

“sorry pal! i didn’t know it would do that…” lyla nervously giggled while she glanced at you then at miguel. you couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation because of the way the other spider people came bustling in the control room thinking it was a problem. of course, it wasn’t it was just very hilarious to you that you found out that miguel has a crush on you TOO.

“guys-um, it isn’t an emergency—just go back to whatever you were doing.” he said as he stumbled over his words and told everyone to leave. he wasn’t necessarily mad but he was more so embarrassed. everyone was dismissed even your favorite teenagers had all

left but they respected your privacy. miguel would shake his head as he ran his hands through his hair directly his attention to you but not being able to hold eye contact. quickly, lyla vanished into thin air but she could still hear everything.

“i’m sorry about what lyla did.” he came close to you as he placed an apologetic hand on your shoulder with a gentle touch. you could tell he was blushing. you could tell he was into you in the way his eyes would casually go to you lips then to your eyes. he did it a couple times.

“it’s fine miguel,” you inches closer to him closing the distance between the two of you, “i wanted to tell you that i also like you too!” you giggled while you made it your effort to maintain eye contact with him. you were a very shy person but you weren’t one to stumble on your words. miguel was dumbfounded but at the same time very relief that you liked him back too.

“you like me too??” he gently stroked your cheek, “you like someone like me?” you heart aches a bit whenever he would put himself down like that as if he felt he was incapable of being loved. you gently placed a hand on top of the hand he was caressing your cheek with as you leaned into his touch.

“miguel, of course. you’re capable of being cared for, thought of, and loved.” you embraced him as you wrapped your arms around his waist. he was stunned a bit not knowing what to do since he hasn’t hugged someone in such a long time. but slowly and carefully he wrapped his arms around your upper shoulders as he placed his chin on top of your head. with one hand he carded your hair lovingly, “i promise to be the best man i can be for you, if you allow me to.”

“yes of course.” everyone in the HQ was so happy for you and they were also happy that miguel’s behavior improved drastically for the better, all thanks to you.

[1800classiccherries]

Heyy wanted to ask if you could write a story where miles nd the reader had a huge fight nd he later finds out that she is his Canon event

How the story ends is up to you 🤷🏾‍♀️

Inevitable ༄ ‧₊˚

⚘ 1610!Miles Morales x black!fem!reader

⚘ angst! arguing, sad ending, death

⚘ wc: 1.3k

⚘ Thank you for the request! I rarely ever write angst so this took me a long while TT, but I don't hate how it turned out, hope you enjoy!

Canon events were considered inevitable. Something that has to happen to shape who you are. It’s hard to avoid, even when you try to push everyone away, but it has to happen.

You and Miles met at the spider society and hit it off right away, inseparable. There was nothing you didn’t tell each other and nothing you didn’t do without the other, no secrets. You two had promised each other that not long after you’d started dating, no secrets.

“I gotta get back to my earth, dinner plans,” You announce to the group, standing from your seat.

Everyone waves and Miles grabs your hand, “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you nod giving him a hug, and he places a kiss to your temple.

Walking down the hall to go home, you hear faint voices. Normally you wouldn’t eavesdrop but you had this gnawing feeling it had to do with you.

You creep behind a wall and listen. You hear Jess’s voice, “You have to tell them, Miguel. You know you do. If not the both of them, at least tell Y/n.”

“What difference would it make? You know if they knew they would try to fix it. There’s already a huge spike in anomalies we can’t afford to make more.” He rests his hands on his hips looking at the floor as he thinks.

What did anomalies have to do with you? What needed fixing? You knew it’d be best to go now but you had to know who they were talking about. Unfortunately, while you were thinking and not paying attention the pair had turned the corner spotting you.

“Did you hear what we were discussing?” Miguel asks, hoping you’d say no. Hoping he didn’t have to tell you something out of your control.

“Yeah… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” You say looking down a bit.

“It’s fine, sweetie. But there’s something you should know.” Jessica says before looking at Miguel.

“We’re not sure when, but you…” he sighs unsure how to phrase it, “Miles is going to have his canon event, soon.”

“His dad?”

“No… you.”

You feel your heart drop and your breath quicken, “what?”

“You’re his canon event, Y/n.”

“Are you saying that- that I’m…”

“Yes.” Jess knew what you were going to ask, and she hated that she was the one to confirm it.

You walk away, there was nothing more to say. As far as you knew it was set in stone. You didn’t want to break a promise but you don’t think you could bring yourself to tell Miles. This one could be broken.

The day after, everything felt like a daze. Each time Miles touched your hand or kissed your cheek you knew that it could be the last time. The thought of that made you sick, and every time it crosses your mind your eyes glossed over.

Deep down you knew there was nothing you could do but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t try. Though, the only way you knew how, was to distance yourself. If you were never with him, maybe I’d hurt less. Maybe it wouldn’t happen at all.��

Miles wanted to know what was going on. Why every time he said your name or cradled your face that day you’d blink back tears and look the other way. Why you were keeping a secret. Why you were breaking a promise. Why you were now completely avoiding him altogether.

“Hey, Y/n, where you going?” Miles asked softly. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, one wrong move and you’d walk away again.

“Anomaly,” you say curtly continuing towards the portal. You knew Miles and you knew he was blaming himself for this. You wanted to hold him close and tell him that you were sorry and it’s not his fault and it never could be. But you didn’t.

“Let me come with you,” he suggests with pleading eyes. 

You look away, “It’s fine. I can handle it.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not doing anything, Miles,” you say firmly.

“Y/n, I can see you’re avoiding me. You’ve *been* avoiding me. And I don’t know why!” he throws his arms out, “did I do something?”

“No, you didn’t…” you almost whisper, eyes glued to the floor as they begin to water, “You didn’t do anything.” you finally repeat louder.

You were torn because if you were going to tell him now was the time. However, if you weren’t, well then, you’ll probably just end up hurting him further.

“Then, why are you avoiding me?” He asks again.

“I’m not avoiding you! I’ve just been... busy. I’ve been busy.” Lies, and he knew that.

“Y/n…” he sighs defeated. He steps forward, and you take a step back in response. 

“I need to take of this anomaly.” you wiped away an escaping tear and walk through the portal.

Fighting while emotional is never a good idea. Your mind was in a different place and now here you are fighting a stronger anomaly than you anticipated. And you were losing, bad. At first, you had it under control but then your mind started to wander to Miles and at that moment you should’ve called for backup, but you were too stubborn for that. You could barely think before getting tossed and hit again, taking more hits than you could handle.

Feeling the wind get knocked out of you as you hit a pile of rubble on the ground. “Can I get some backup, please?” you gasp into your watch. You had too much adrenaline to feel any pain but in the back of your mind, you knew that probably did a lot of damage.

Catching your breath again you sling a web to the nearest object to help you stand. Before you can fully gain your balance back, you see a portal open with a few spider people and Miles appears.

An alert appears on your watch. You already knew what it was going to say, but you look down nonetheless.

Canon event incoming.

You swing into the nearest alley. Maybe if you left and didn’t participate in the fight the canon event wouldn’t happen. Every bone in your body slowly began to ache, and you sat down leaning your head back onto the red brick walk. Yanking your mask off you catch your breath. It even hurt to breathe

You glance at your watch expecting to see the canon even was disrupted, but there was nothing. Huh? You didn’t understand, you weren’t fighting anymore.

You didn’t have time to figure out what was going on before you hear the villain go down and Miles start to look for you. You wanted to call out and say you were in the alley but you suddenly couldn’t find the strength. Your body ached and your eyelids felt heavy.

Miles swung into the alley finally finding you and pulls you close to him. “Y/n! Y/n, are you okay?!”

“Y-yeah.” You choked out. The adrenaline must’ve been wearing off, your body hurts more and more. Searing pain shot through your body. You could hardly breathe and were too scared to look down, at your stomach. Where you could feel warm liquid spread through your suit.

“I thought I stopped it…” pointless. All you did in hopes of a better outcome was pointless.

“Stopped what?” Your vision blurred but you could still feel Miles’s tears drop onto your face, mixing with yours. When did you start crying?

“The canon event… I thought I…” You really didn’t know what else you expected. No matter how much false hope you filled yourself with, that Miles wouldn’t have to witness this or that you wouldn’t even have to die at all. You knew there was nothing you could do. 

“Y/n, please,” he cries, “don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry for everything, Miles. I really am. For avoiding and lying to you, for even keeping this a secret in the first place.” you could feel yourself using the last of your strength the get these words out. Your breathing was shallow and labored and you felt tired, really tired. “I love you… and keep fighting for good, okay?”

All he could do was nod, sobs making it out before words could. He watched your eyes close and chest rise but never go back down. 

Thanks for reading!

[neonbrutalism]

no okay but listen LISTEN it could have been SO EASY to incorporate Miguel's comic canon into the movie without butchering his entire character and what I'm sure will be a lackluster arc (assuming they redemp him in BTSV but I s2g if they leave him as a """villain"""....)

In his universe, Dana is dead, Xina left, and he had a massive falling out with Gabri, so, like he said, he tried to find a universe where he was happy to slip into. In this one, Dana is alive and they never had that mutual affair, he's in a great relationship with Xina (they could have even had Gabriela together, if they wanna keep the dad vibe), and he and Gabri have no bad blood between. But then canon collapses, the universe is destroyed, and now Miguel is stuck with this overwhelming guilt and self-fulfilling prophecy that he's not meant to have anything good in his life. Back in his universe, Xina and Gabri continually try to reach out, but he ignores them -- partly because seeing them will remind him of their alts he destroyed, partly because he doesn't know how to apologize for all of his wrongdoings prior. He's afraid of anomalies breaking canon because in his mind, he IS an anomaly due to his differences in spiderman origin.

In comes Miles just as he would have from the "Miguel Calling" deleted scene. Miguel wants to keep him at arms length, but the kid is infectious with his personality. He doesn't want him involved with anything because again, anomalies mixing in other universes too long doesn't work out, especially if it's a change in story. He hides the fact that Miles' dad is meant to die in just two days and instructs everyone else to follow suit with varying degrees of agreement and slip ups. It's his idea of protecting Miles, especially with his own daddy issues and how much the kid reminds him of his own younger brother when they were still on good terms. No matter how hard he tries to initially ice Miles out, he can't help but get attached when there's just so many similarities between the two of them.

But of course, Miles finds out eventually after all that good fluff and bonding, and he's so hurt and betrayed that everyone would keep him in the dark about something like that -- but even more so Miguel, who he felt like was one of the only people who really GOT him in certain ways. Miguel explains the canon theory and anomalies and his experiences, keeps insisting its for Miles' own good (similar to Miles' parents smothering him in the beginning), that he never meant to hurt him, but it falls on deaf ears. He accuses Miguel of not being a "real" spiderman like everyone else, mostly to the point of letting an innocent man die for the sake of canon, and that maybe they're not the same after all, fulfilling Miguel's self destructive prophecy all over again.

Since they wasted so much time having their fun little team building montage, it's much more down to the wire for there to be time for Miles to save his dad (as was Miguel's plan to distract him). Miguel wants to be angry, for a moment it looks like he's going to do something with those claws and fangs everyone's been joking about thus far, but as soon as he sees Miles' flinch back from him, he backs down. But he's cold and reserved, and decides that if Miles wants to destroy the universe, then it can be done by his own hand. And maybe after that trauma of wiping out billions of lives for one selfish desire, they'll be more alike than either of them had originally thought.

He sends Miles back in the Go Home machine, because that's what happens with anomalies (though none of them realize it would send him to Earth-42). Spiders object for different reasons, like, is he for real going to send a kid back to his universe to watch his dad die and/or be responsible for its collapse? The answer is obviously fuck no, he's going to send teams of Spiders to ensure the canon event still occurs in stealth, there's no way he'd put that kind of blame on Miles. Not to mention, there's still the Spot threat going on in the background they need to put a stop to. Gwen and co. refuse to be a part of this mission, they won't go behind Miles' back anymore and resolve to help him instead.

And initially, Miguel doesn't go on either mission. He can't face Miles after all of this, he wants to wallow in his pity and misery like always in the isolation of his office, only keeping tabs on his monitors. Maybe he's the first one to realize that Miles' isn't on Earth 1610 and if he doesn't stabilize soon, he might glitch out, thus forcing him to take action and save the kid. Or maybe he just has a cool moment during the Spot final battle of ripping open a portal to save Miles and/or Jeff in the nick of time from a fatal attack, after some self ass kicking and a few returned calls to Gabri and Xina. Either way hell yeah apologies and teamwork and character growth for everyone

Anyways thanks for coming to my TEDtalk

Holy shit.

arrrggghhhh this is so good!! I love this rewrite! Yes more Miguel festering and wallowing but forcing himself to do the right thing and complaining about it the whole time!

You should write it as a whole fic >:3

[insertcoolusernamehereee]

Spider-verse, but Nightwing

OK I once saw a comment somewhere which went along the lines of...

"I wish Dc would give us a animation-like Spiderverse of Nightwing"

and at first i kind of ignored it- cuz idk, i don't really care about Nightwing- I mean, i love him! He's great, but not one of my favorite batfamily members.

BUT THEN I REALIZED THE OTHER CHARACTERS WOULD BE THERE TOO

so, here's what i think a Spiderverse movie would be like,

(If the plot was similar)

Nightwing- Obv he's Miles Morales, the main character!

Gwen- OK, the love interest. So we have three main competitors for fan favorite ships! Dick/Wally, Dick/Barbara, and Dick/Kori! Now one of them is already cancelled by default, because Dc is a coward, so we only have Barbara and Kori left! and well, Barbara fits Gwen's personality much more than Kori, and that paired with the fact that DC favors DickBabs in general, WE HAVE A WINNER!

SpiderVerse- okay, this is where it starts to lean a bit away from the movies and a bit from the comics; Spiderverse is now the Court of Owls! My headcannon is that for some reason all vigilantes (minus Batman and one other person, u will find out) join the court of owls thinking it has the right idea, and then BOOM its not actually that good (it kills people it can't control). BUT its not that wrong either. When it figures out what its doing wrong, it starts helping the vigilantes against the real evil, which is...

Spot- The league of assassins :)) YES I KNOW, IT ISN'T REALLY A MAIN VILLAIN of Nightwing's, but STILL, it's too good of a opportunity to give up seeing Ra's and Talia in the movie.

Miles Parents- Bruce and Selina, obviously. I think Jefferson's personality as a parent is PERFECT for Bruce-emotionally-constipated-dad! Selina is Bruce's wife, obv, BUT there is one change here...Y'know that scene where Rio gives Miles that 'your un-grounded" talk? I think it would be Wally giving Nightwing a super cool heartwarming speech (it won't be the same though) and then turned out Selina was listening to it all and at the end is just like "sigh, ok, you're ungrounded, come back soon, i'll deal with Bruce."

NOW FOR THE REST OF THE BATFAMILY MEMBER'S

Tim Drake- DRUM ROLL PLEASE, Hobie Brown! Hobie's smart, and while his personality might be a bit too much....It's still perfect for the role Tim would be playing. Hobie doesn’t trust the Court, and at the end he’s the one who had everything prepared for when they realise that the Court Of Owls is wrong!

Stephanie Brown- AND SHE'S GOING TO BE OUR FAV CINNAMON ROLL, Pavitr Prabhakar. And as much as it pains me as a Pakistani to remove his Indian heritage, it must be done. He's goofy, he ships the two main characters, and is just adorable, he's perfect for Stephanie, and will definitely give her justice.

Cassandra Cain- Sadly, Cass is going to have a less prominent role in the second movie, but hopefully she shows up more in the third; Margo Kess! the scene where she lets Miles go is perfect, because she can detect body language and would understand that Nightwing is right, and Miguel is planning on hurting him.

Damian Wayne- FINALLY MY FAV CHARACTER, but this one is more of a original character instead of a already made character in the movie; Damian is going to be the person Dick has to save. Because i love their dynamic. So, Damian is probably being manipulated by LoA, and idk maybe Ra's is trying to use him as a body vessel without Damian knowing, and the court of owls needs him dead because "HES A WILD CARD" but Dick just NEEDS to save him "BECAUSE THAT'S MY BROTHER, DAMN YOU, IM NOT LETTING ANOTHER ONE DIE" and cue everyone fighting LoA and then a wholesome Dick and Dami scene; Feel free to elaborate on it.

Jason Todd- I had to think a lot for this, but i have a PERFECT answer; Uncle Aaron. ITS SAD AND WILL BREAK HEARTS BUT ITS PERFECT, HELP- The relationship with Jefferson? check. Dies? check. What more do we need?

a happy and alive Jason

Hey! Maybe he comes back when hey go to save Damian! Actually, yes, that is 100% the plot. They find Jason revived at the league and save him :3

Duke Thomas- I CANT FIND A CHARACTER FOR DUKE BUT HE HAS TO BE HERE DAMN IT- please either come up with a original character for Duke or find a already made character PLEASE.

RANDOM OTHER CHARACTERS

Peter B. Parker- Must i explain why? No, no i do not. its perfect.

Mayday- Jon Kent :))) Because why not///

MJ- (Peters wife and Maydays mother) Obv Lois Lane.

Miguel- Random court of owls leader (any idea's?).

SpiderWoman- Can't think of anyone...let me know what you guys think in the comments!

Peni Parker- Kori!! She's perfect

Pig Spiderman- Beast Boy lmao

Black and White Spiderman- Meme version of Raven.

Roy Harper- Just another original character who i need in the movie.

King-Pin- Mr. Freeze! his goals match up pretty well with Kingpins anyway.

The rest of the villains Miles faces will be random Rogues from Batman's gallery.

The rest of the Spiderman's in Spiderverse will be random Justice-League members (OMG I LOVE THIS)

And, well, the first movie takes place when it's only Dick and Jason adopted (Before Jason's death, and then a bit after, when Dick is dealing with the grief)

Feel free to add more stuff in reblogs/Comments! Really want to see what you guys come up with :3

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

SPIDER-VERSE On The Brain

Massive SPIDER-VERSE *spoilers* are ahead... Do not read on if you haven't seen the movie...

It's been four days since I checked out SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE in theaters... And I'm still processing such a rich layer cake of a movie with all this stuff going on, just the sheer ambition of it... And... This story isn't even over, that's the mind-blowing part...

This movie did have pretty strong arcs for Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and even Peter B. Parker to some extent, in addition to introducing a major conflict and a soon-to-be-primary antagonist in Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099... While a larger threat, The Spot, still looms, and there's even a closer to home threat for Miles himself as the picture wraps up...

There's so much more to go, assuming that BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE is also going to be a pretty long movie. That this movie was, in the planning stages, getting to be so big that they had to break it up into two parts? Who knows what we're in for...

I feel a lot of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE's narrative brilliance is within its yet to be resolved conflict...

Canon...

Back in 2018, INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE came onto the scene with its dynamic new way of rendering CGI imagery in an animated feature, while throwing in eye-candy flourishes and other dynamic art styles to really make that movie pop amongst other mainstream animated movies *and* the entire comic book movie sphere. In a neat sense, this groundbreaking new way to make an animated feature strengthened the inclusive and quite simple overall message of the story: ANYONE can be Spider-Man.

Now, if INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE said "anyone can be Spider-Man", ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE asks what that "anyone" must go through to be Spider-Man.

Can Spider-Man truly be anyone?

What is "canon"?

Miguel is adamant that every Spider, from man to woman to animal to insect, must experience some major tragedy in order to truly be a Spider-Something. A loss of a family member, close friend, or any kind of loved one... That's that about that, that's the nature of the "Spider-Verse", it is set in stone, no other way! Seems to contradict "Anyone can be Spider-Man", right? Apparently Miles can't have a relatively normal non-costumed life, someone he loves HAS to be axed... And that's the case with... How many Spiders? Over 280?

... which quite frankly sounds very controlling and lacking in imagination. And kinda dumb on paper. Miles knows that, even... It all relates back to what his mother and father want for him vs. his ambitions and desires.

"Nah, imma do my own thing"...

Such a liberating line, during such a literally and figuratively heavy moment in the film...

Between Miles' arc and Gwen's story, this autistic queer right here felt something quite resonant from all of this... I needed to see and hear these classic story tropes pulled off in such a great new way at a crucial time in my life...

Now, this works even beyond one's personal journey and how a film relates to someone: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE seems cleverly critical of contemporary superhero movie culture and most nerd-dom, from its most toxic swamps to its most boring offices. Adherence to "canon", shackling oneself to hard-set rules that mustn't be deviated from. It's especially potent coming from a movie series where the main Spider-Man is a black/Puerto Rican teenager, and his pals include a trans Spider-Woman, an older adult Peter Parker who has a child, and many more.

The insistence that Spider-Man has to be this one thing, i.e. Miguel running a Spider-Society that makes sure all Spider-People have that very "Uncle Ben" tragedy happen to them, with NO ANOMALIES... Miles' whole existence as Spider-Man, of course, is revealed to be said anomaly... In that a spider from another universe, Earth-42, got to his, Earth-1610, and bit him... Messing everything up... He's even blamed for Earth-1610 Peter Parker's death, to add insult to injury!

Or DID he mess things up?

Maybe "canon" is a bunch of bullshit.

The very kind of thing that shackles whole characters and franchises down, instead of letting those who come to the sandbox play with the toys THEIR way. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE came to CG animation and didn't do the Pixar style, didn't do what most other mainstream animated movies were doing, didn't follow the accepted "standard" or "canon"... A friend of mine, in his review of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, noted something very interesting: This also ties into how a lot of very online animation fans insist that every new movie now must be like SPIDER-VERSE. And like PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH. And like any other animated movie that they consider "top tier" or "based" or "cinema". Including a relatively-panned Mario movie. Screw off if you're Pixar making "mid" movies like TURNING RED and ELEMENTAL, or Disney Animation making equally "mid" movies like ENCANTO or RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON... "Canon" in feature animation, apparently, is now movies that must be like SPIDER-VERSE or PUSS IN BOOTS or whatever. Animated movie "requirements". You have to have scary dark villains, you have to have the most amazing unseen animation style ever, you have to do it all THIS WAY...

This whole "canon" nonsense also ties into superhero movies in general, as well. Even comics, like a lot of runs of Spider-Man are apparently doing... especially in a time of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC movie-verse being clamped down by such hard continuity... That has only morphed into a bigger cluster-cuss, post-SPIDER-VERSE.

I remember when watching the LOKI Disney+ series, thinking... This series is trying to explain in FIVE 40-MINUTE EPISODES something INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE effortlessly explained in less than 5 MINUTES... Then you bring in the Doctor Strange follow-ups, all this stuff about "incursions". Incursions this, Sacred Timelines that... Why is this so goddamn convoluted and wracked head-to-toe with all these RULES? Other multiverse stories don't do this, and Marvel's characters span DECADES... And a big criticism of the recent MCU output is that the continuity, the canon... Doesn't allow for the characters to have their own unique stories, told by filmmakers with individual unique visions working within reasonable guidelines. I feel these two movies, along with EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, show what a multiverse story can still be in this day and age.

And by using Miguel's rule, ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE goes right for the jugular bearing its spider-fangs.

Anyone can be Spider-Man, Spider-Man can have ANY life.

May I also add? The Spot... He's not in the movie much, but his arc... Tying this back to the worst of toxic nerd culture. The Spot is shook by being called some villain of the week and everything else that happened to him (like getting conked by the very bagel from the first movie), and instead of using his weird abilities for something good, he's going to go great lengths to prove that he is not some villain of the week. To become a larger scale threat... And for what? To fill a literal hole in himself? What validity and happiness will this bring him? I see something similar in some aspects of nerd culture, where they take being wronged (I'll humorously compare this to being shoved into lockers, circa 1988) at some point in their life, and turning it into their literal villain origin story... Growing up to be the jocks that bullied them, growing up to be the ones making life harder for other people in the community... The very people complaining about how "w0ke" this movie is for having "forced diversity", the very people who also lob that stolen word at harmless things like the LITTLE MERMAID remake and virtually anything "W0ke Disney" puts out these days, the very people who had literal shit-fits over MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, every new STAR WARS movie, GHOSTBUSTERS 2016, SHE-RA AND THE PRINCESSES OF POWER, new MUPPET BABIES, any new STAR TREK media, the list goes on and on... That's The Spot. Funny how some superhero movies, even animated superhero movies, have these villains who feel like they've been wronged and feel like they're entitled to something...

Just more texture to this ludicrously-textured layer cake movie... Yeah, CAKE itself is a big part of the movie, too. Look at that-

All this, amidst a backdrop of hundreds of Spider-People, a surrealistic smorgasbord of visual styles and animation techniques (Spider-Punk alone, YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA!), a multiverse-spanning story, and at the end... All of it tying back to who Miles Morales wants to be. How he wants to tell HIS story... When he defies Miguel on the train, it's a monumental moment...

And the story isn't even over yet... This movie is something special.

[ideaforfanficsorsomethingidgaf]

Draft for the first chapter of fanfic that I could finish or not finish like my other fanfics.

Tell me if it's good. Since I can't draw a Spidersona because I'm shit at drawing, why not make a fanfic?

Miguel O’Hara, Spiderman 2099, stood in front of his holographic screens, watching over the videos of how each of the spidermans’ handle their mission with catching anomalies. Everything was running smoothly, especially since the incident with Miles and the Spot. It’s been 2 years since the incident occurred and Miles was somewhat alright with him, Miguel apologized to him and Miles forgave him after some time.

Now, he can crack a joke here and there with ease, even with Miguel in the room. He wasn't friendly close with Miles but he knows that he has his back like Miles does the same to him and that was enough. He kept thinking about the incident as he read another report of one of the recent successful missions in capturing another anomaly when something popped up. It was another notification of an anomaly spotted on another earth, the usual, but this was something a bit different. The notification showcased an unknown earth number, which was rare because Miguel rarely knows any earth that he hadn't heard, seen, or visited before, so this was new. 

“Lyla.” Miguel called out as he zoomed in the notification and pressed on the earth’s number; 121205. Lyla appeared, floating above his shoulder, with her usual fashionable white coat and heart shaped glasses. “Yeah, waddup?” She asked him as she looked at the information he was reading. “Send me more files about Earth 121205.” He said as he leaned back. Then a few holographics screens popped in front of him, as he started reading through them, he was a bit suspicious. 

“What year is this earth’s timeline currently in?” He asked her, as he kept reading the newspaper clippings displayed on the holographic yellow screens. “2023, the same year you met Miles in his earth’s timeline and a few others..” She looked at her nails when she told him that. “Then, why can I only see newspaper clippings of the year 2016? I can’t search for anything after the date July 30th 2016.” Miguel furrowed his eyebrows as he tried searching for more information about this earth. Because the more information he has about the earth then he’ll know which group of spidermans’ to assign the mission for the anomaly capture. Lyla decided to search more about it as she tried to pull up every possible file that has information for Earth 121205. “Huh, that’s strange.” She commented as she read one of the files. “What? What is it?” He asked her curiously. 

“Something strange happened… Almost 8 billion of the world’s population vanished on the night of the 30th of July 2016. Except for one…. You know those random signals we’d randomly get a few years back, before you even created the spider society?” Lyla looked at Miguel with widened eyes. “Yes, and I told you to… find a way to shut them down so it won't bother me again because I initially thought that they were just spam messages.” Miguel slowly told her as he started to realize something.

His eyes got wide and looked at Lyla. “Oh, buddy. They were SOS signaled messages now I realized about it.” Lyla whispered to him in shock. “Shit.” Miguel said to himself as he started to text a message to Jessica Drew. “Miguel, what are you doing?” asked Lyla as she floated above him. “Sending a message to Jess, it's still an anomaly capture but the anomaly can be dealt with easily because it's Kingpin and we know his usual weaknesses, but it will be more of a sightseeing mission as soon as the anomaly has been dealt with.” Miguel explained to Lyla as he sent the message to Jess. “Alright, well, goodluck, Miguel.” Lyla waved before disappearing away. 

"Are you sure about this mission being just the two of us?" Jess raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure. Now, like we planned, you haul in the anomaly back here so they can be shipped back to their earth while I'll go check something that I should've done years ago." He told her as they both got ready for the mission. He looked down at his gizmo and typed down the coordinates for Earth 121205. A portal opened up in front of them, they both took a deep breath before walking into uncharted territory, the uncharted territory of Earth 121205. They stepped into the portal, and now they were in a forest with a brick road along. 

Jess looked down on her gizmo and did a quick scan of the area. “The anomaly is a few miles from here, this should be a quick mission. Let’s swing from there, yeah?” Jess asked him as she turned her gizmo off. Miguel nodded and the both of them started to swing along the trees. They both stopped as they gasped, they stood on the strong branch of one of the trees. “I thought you said this earth was almost desolate.” Jess commented to Miguel. “Almost.” Miguel repeated before they continued to swing into the place.

The surroundings were buildings, fully intact. Nature has taken over but as decoration, wrapping around the manmade structures. The pathway was made of red bricks or wooden planks. As they searched for the anomaly around, they came across, what they assumed, was one of the farming fields; 4 acres of farming grounds with crops and plants growing. They continued to walk along and Jess immediately pulled Miguel aside, behind a building. “What? What’d you see?” Miguel asked her. “A mountain lioness walking around freely,” Jess whispered to him, she then looked behind and they started to walk along the alleyway instead to avoid the mountain lioness. As Miguel and Jess continued their exploration, they felt an eerie stillness in the air, as if nature itself held its breath in anticipation. The surroundings were a blend of post-apocalyptic ruins and overgrown flora, creating a surreal and haunting ambiance. But there, amidst the vegetation-covered buildings, they finally spotted the anomaly they sought – Kingpin.

Kingpin stood tall and imposing, his mutant features immediately apparent. His skin was a mix of scales and fur, and his eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity. As they readied themselves for the ambush, they noticed the faint shimmer of energy that surrounded him, a testament to his immense power.

Suddenly, with inhuman speed, Kingpin detected their presence and charged at them like a wild, animalistic monster. His growls reverberated through the air, sending shivers down their spines. Without a moment to spare, Miguel and Jess instinctively separated, each trying to gain an advantage over their formidable opponent.

As Kingpin closed in, his furious shouts unleashed powerful sound waves that hit both Jess and Miguel with staggering force, slamming them against the moss-covered brick wall with bone-jarring impact. The wall cracked slightly under immense pressure, but despite the pain, both heroes mustered their resilience and quickly regained their footing, determination etched on their faces.

Miguel's talons glinted in the faint light as he lunged at Kingpin, aiming to find a vulnerable spot in the creature's defenses. Kingpin's scales provided some protection, but Miguel's precision and agility allowed him to land a few slashing blows, causing thin lines of crimson to trickle down the mutant's side.

Meanwhile, Jess's mind raced as she analyzed the situation. She knew that brute force alone wouldn't be enough to bring down Kingpin. Her training and instincts kicked in as she utilized her acrobatics and martial arts skills to dodge his attacks. With each dodge, she fired bursts of her webbing, trying to entangle Kingpin and restrict his movements. Some strands wrapped around his limbs, but the mutant's strength was extraordinary, and he managed to break free with a roar.

Drawing on her intellect and quick thinking, Jess realized she needed to distract Kingpin to create an opening for her and Miguel to exploit. With a burst of creativity, she used her webbing to create a decoy of herself, projecting it a few yards away from her real position. Kingpin, falling for the ruse, pounced on the illusion, and Jess seized the opportunity.

She darted in, unleashing a barrage of well-placed punches and kicks, targeting Kingpin's vital spots. Her fists felt the impact of hitting tough scales, but she didn't falter, using her agility to dance around him, always staying one step ahead. Each blow weakened Kingpin, and the realization that he wasn't invincible began to take its toll on his once-confident demeanor.

As Kingpin continued to be perplexed and harassed, Miguel pressed on with his attack. He did this by using his speed and agility. He progressively wore down Kingpin's defenses with the help of his razor-sharp claws, which left traces of wounds along his body.

While the two heroes fought the enormous oddity, the surroundings transformed into a battlefield with objects like vines and trash being flung aside. Kingpin's ferocious roars and Jess's resolute grunts were mixed in with the sound of warfare as it reverberated through the empty streets.

Their combined efforts began to bear fruit as Kingpin's movements slowed, his anger giving way to frustration. He struggled to cope with their coordinated assault, and gradually, the tides turned in favor of the heroes. They exploited every opening, working together like a well-oiled machine, each knowing the other's strengths and weaknesses.

As Jess and Miguel focused on webbing Kingpin, they quickly realized the extent of the anomaly's power. His struggles against the cocoon of webs intensified, and with a fierce burst of energy, he tore through the sticky bindings, breaking free with a force that sent shockwaves through the air.

In a split second, Kingpin lunged at Jess, catching her off guard with his sudden burst of strength. With a mighty shove, he sent her hurtling backward, her body colliding with the brick wall. The impact was brutal, and a sharp pain shot through her head as her vision momentarily blurred. Dazed and disoriented, she fought to stay conscious, determined not to let the pain weaken her resolve, but as her breathing slowed down and the adrenaline that rushed through her body started to lower down, she couldn’t keep conscious anymore and fainted.

Meanwhile, Miguel attempted to regain his balance after the unexpected release of Kingpin's power. But before he could steady himself, Kingpin's massive hand slammed into his back, crushing him against the mossy brick wall. The air was knocked out of his lungs, leaving him gasping for breath as pain flared along his spine. The world seemed to spin around him, and he struggled to stay upright.

With both heroes momentarily incapacitated, Kingpin roared triumphantly, savoring the upper hand he had gained. He advanced menacingly, his eyes locked on his vulnerable adversaries. The anomaly was relentless, and he saw this as an opportunity to assert his dominance over these would-be challengers. Miguel started to breathe heavily, taking in deep breaths as he assessed the situation, trying to find a way to subdue the anomaly while still keeping himself conscious. His sight starts to darken and his breathing starts to slow down, pain rushing through his body as the adrenaline soon wears off.

But he remained conscious long enough, with slow blinks to unconsciousness, as he watches and hears another web being shot out, Kingpin getting scratched with another set of talons and being subdued finally in a cocoon of webs. Miguel can barely see as he sees another person standing in front of him, he slowly looks up, seeing a glimpse of a tattered hood with the shadows hiding the eyes of the savior before he finally passes out from exhaustion and pain. His last thought was that he hoped that Jess was okay, because he knows that she’s only laying down just a few steps away from him, also badly hurt like him.

Throbbing pain was all he could feel all over his body and head. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around to see that there was a heart monitor on his left side and an IV bag dripping with the needle connected into his vein on the back of his hand. He looked past the heart monitor to see another monitor but beside that was Jess resting and with bandages wrapped around her head. Whoever helped them had enough strength to carry both of them and place them here in this makeshift infirmary. The door slowly opened and immediately Miguel was on guard but it revealed the same hood he saw before passing out. He can see that when they looked at him, there were hints of recognition in their brown eyes. 

“How are you feeling?” The person asked as they walked in, rolling a cart with a bowl of mushroom soup, a plate of 4 slices of soft white bread and a glass of water. “Headache. Pain.” Miguel grumbled in his gruff voice. "That's normal. Here. Eat some soup and drink some water." They whispered to him as they rolled the cart near him, near for him to reach easily. Miguel reached out for the glass of water and drank it, loving the way it relieved his parched and dry throat. "How long was I out?" He asked them. "Only a few hours at best. 3-4 hours to be specific." They shrugged as Miguel placed the glass back to the cart and reached out to bowl of mushroom soup and the spoon. He started to eat the soup, while occasionally taking a bite of the soft bread. "Hm. Good soup." Miguel complimented them. They stayed silent, sitting on a nearby chair while waiting for him to finish the soup and bread. 

"So… You know who I am yet I don't know who you are." Miguel looked at them as they gazed at their hands. "I know that you and Jess are spidermen in different earths and that the multiverse was also real but I didn't think that I would see the proof of it in front of my eyes. I also know that you’re Miguel O’Hara from the year 2099… I’m also a spiderman, I guess. I was bitten by a radioactive spider that was from the leftover radioactive waste and coincidentally, most of my abilities are the same as yours with the paralyzing venomous fangs, talons, claws, enhanced senses. I also have the spider sense and the organic web shooters but you don't have that, do you? You’re 50% spider and you don't have the common spider abilities that most civilians are familiar with.” They told him. “What’s your name?” Miguel asked them. They chuckled softly. “It’s been 7 years since someone asked me that question, someone that’s human, that is…” They said with a smile but started to frown. “Honestly, I’ve forgotten my name. A name is useless if there is no one to call you by it. You can give me a name if you’d like.” They asked him as they looked up at him. 

Miguel stared at them a bit longer, analyzing them. The person’s skin was brown, marred with scars and scratches. Their hands show calluses that he assumed were from farming. Their hair was a long dark brown but healthy. Their clothes were decent, torn and worn but still good enough to showcase a look. “Ethan.” Miguel finally said. They nodded at him. “The name is Ethan then. Nice to meet you, Spiderman.” They tell him, holding out their hand for a handshake and Miguel shakes it. “Hello, Ethan. It is nice to meet you. Thank you for your help with the anomaly back there and for healing Jess and me.” Miguel said before he realized something, “What happened to the Kingpin anomaly?” He asked them. “Oh, that guy? Well, he’s locked in an asylum cell right now, resting and still subdued. You can get him once the two of you are well rested.” Ethan said as they stood up and rolled the cart out. They opened the door and before they left, they turned to look at Miguel and asked, “May I join the Spider Society?” Miguel looked them in the eyes. “Please?” They added, there was a bit of desperation in their tone. Miguel looked down and closed his eyes before sighing deeply. “We’ll see.” He said to Ethan.

[breanime]

Dynamite (Part Three)

*cover by @moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown​*

Part Three: Ain’t No Way

“So…” Mike’s fingers drummed against the wheel. “…explain to me how you know this woman again?”

Johnny sighed. He was standing next to the driver’s side of the van, securing his guns and knives on his body underneath his clothes. “She was my first love. I thought… maybe…we’d get married some day.”

“Hm… Right… Okay, so now explain to me how this is a good idea?” Mike said back.

“Look, Mikey,” Charlies’ voice sounded through the radio, and Mike lifted it so Johnny could hear it better, “Galindo is looking for a bodyguard for his wife, and this is an excellent way to get eyes on him.”

“I agree,” Mike said, frowning, “But I still don’t see why that has to be John…” He glanced over at Johnny. “No offense.”

“Some taken, Mikey,” Johnny quipped back, “actually—a lot taken. Actually, fuck you, Mikey.”

“I just…” Mike lowered his voice, leaning his head out of the window. “… I don’t know if this is a good idea, Johnny… This isn’t just some random asset, you knew this girl… Had feelings for her.”

“Yeah,” Johnny grunted back, “I’m aware.”

“We needed a fluent Spanish speaker with a military background,” Briggs said over the radio, already anticipating Mike’s hesitation, “Plus, his connection to the asset can be used to his advantage, Agent Warren.” He didn’t add how he thought this could be good for Johnny.

“But what if she makes him?” Mike asked back.

“She won’t,” Johnny replied easily. He was sure of that.

“This is a smooth op,” Briggs added, “Mike is outside the McMansion, Charlie and I are a few miles away, Paige is working surveillance…if we lose Johnny on the watch, we’ll swoop in.”

“You do have your watch, don’t you, Johnny?” Charlie asked. The watch, of course, was a small microphone; if things got hot or Johnny needed help, all he had to do was click a button on the watch, and the team would come to his recuse. And if/when everything went smoothly, they’d have some audio of Miguel Galindo that could be useful once they made the arrest.

Johnny held it up, flashing it to Mike. “Yup.”

“Watch confirmed,” Mike said into the radio, “also, Johnny is glowing right now,” he grinned.

Briggs laughed, and Charlie chuckled on the other side of the radio as Johnny flicked Mike off. “I’m always glowing,” he said back, “Look at me, Mikey; I’m a stallion.”

“Alright, well, time to saddle up, Ponyboy,” Paige said into the radio, “Galindo is pulling up now. It’s showtime.”

Thirty minutes later, Johnny was being escorted into the Galindo home by a serious looking guy with braids. The guy had patted him down, taking (most of) his weapons before leading him through the house. Johnny followed the guy into the living room, marveling silently at the house—Briggs hadn’t been wrong when he called it a McMansion. Johnny was led to the living room, where Mr. and Mrs. Galindo were waiting for him, and wow…

…You were even more beautiful than he’d remembered.

You were dressed in all white, the cloth hugging your curves perfectly, accentuating that shape that he so adored, dripping in expensive jewelry—including the fucking rock that was your wedding ring.

You watched Miguel greet Johnny with a handshake, and you pinched your palm, reminding yourself to act like this was just any other day, and Johnny was just any other applicant. He looked so good, his face more mature and filled out, his body clearly in pristine shape… God, your heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute as so many familiar feelings flooded back to you.

“And this is my wife,” Miguel said, holding his hand out to you.

You stepped up and clasped hands with Johnny. His eyes were devouring you, and you wondered what he was thinking. As soon as your hand touched his, you felt a fire ignite inside of you. You were in front of him again, you were with him again; Johnny Tuturro, your first love…

Except this wasn’t really him. It was his face and body, but you reminded yourself that he was going by a different name. He was Johnny Serrano right now, and you needed to figure out why. You assumed he was working for one of Miguel’s many enemies, but the question was: which one? And even though he was surely there as a threat toy our husband, damn if you weren’t happy to see him.

Johnny stepped back from you, his heart doing flips in his chest. He wanted to grab you and hold you to him, wanted to ask you what in the whole hell you were doing with a fucking cartel leader, but he stayed put. He had a job to do. When he’d first learned the love of his life was married to a violent criminal, he’d been shocked, but the shock had quickly turned to a burning determination. He had to stay focused on the job. The Bureau had sent him with an objective: collect intel on Miguel Galindo’s illegal activities and shut him down. Johnny, however, had his own agenda: YOU.

“So, Mr. Serrano,” Miguel said, “have a seat.”

Johnny sat down across from you and your husband, making an effort to keep his eyes on Miguel and not you. Miguel’s friend with the braids was standing behind him, observing silently. Miguel asked Johnny questions about his military background, laughing at Johnny’s cocky answer of “it’s classified”. They discussed hours and expectations and Johnny’s credentials (most of which were true), before Miguel turned to you.

“What do you think, mi amor?”

Johnny almost cringed at the name—and he noticed you winced at well. “He’s impressive,” you said, your voice measured, “at least on paper.”

“I guarantee you that my resumé doesn’t do me justice, Mrs. Galindo,” he said back.

Miguel laughed. “I like the confidence,” he said, sitting back with his arm around your shoulders, “But let’s see those skills you learned from the Navy… Nestor.”

Nestor—the guy with the braids—walked over and took out a gun, pointing it down at Johnny. Johnny looked over at Miguel with an eyebrow raised.

Miguel’s dark eyes were watching him closely, and so were you. “Disarm him.”

You held your breath, unsure of what Miguel’s plan was, heart pounding.

Johnny stood up, and in a flash, he had the gun in his hands, had ejected the clip, popped the bullet in the chamber, and had it pressed against Nestor’s forehead, right between the eyes. Nestor’s eyes were wide, and Miguel smirked, clearly impressed.

You, however, were turned on.

Miguel stood up, taking your hand and helping you to your feet. “I’ve never seen Nestor disarmed before,” he said, grinning, “Very impressive, Mr. Serrano… Come, follow me.”

Miguel lead your small group down to the basement, where he essentially had a gun range set up. He turned to Johnny, nodding with his head to Nestor. Nestor produced another gun and handed it over to Johnny. “Hit the targets,” Miguel ordered.

Johnny glanced over at you; you looked so good, but so wrong next to Miguel. He took a breath, turning to the targets. He lifted the gun, feeling the weight of it—it had a full clip, he could tell. He closed his right eye and aimed.

You watched, mesmerized, as Johnny hit every target, tagging all the hot spots: middle of the head, heart, lungs, throat, in just a matter of seconds. You’d always known Johnny was an athlete, but you’d never seen him like this before. He used up all of the rounds, tucking the gun in his waistband before he reached down, pulled a knife that he’d had strapped to his ankle, and tossed it clear across the room, hitting a dummy right between he eyes, making you gasp.

Miguel quirked an eyebrow at you before turning his gaze to Nestor. “How’d you miss that?” He asked, referring to the knife.

Nestor opened his mouth, and you could see the embarrassment in his eyes.

Johnny stepped up, handing Nestor his empty gun back. “Don’t sweat it, homie,” he said causally, “Hiding weapons on your person is just one of the many skills I acquired during my time as a SEAL.”

Miguel chuckled, his hand on your waist as he moved forward, leading you all back upstairs. He praised Johnny as you walked, and you felt a strange burst of pride as your husband gushed about your ex-boyfriend coupled with a sense of disgust. Miguel was never supposed to be around Johnny. Johnny was the sun, and Miguel was the moon. Seeing them together, your source of light and the darkness that was your husband, was unsettling—even more so because you still didn’t know Johnny’s intentions. “So,” Miguel turned to you before looking back at Johnny, “we should be in touch to—”

“—You start tomorrow,” you declared, trying to keep your expression somewhere between bored and decided.

Miguel’s jaw twitched. “My love… He’s good, but we still have two other applicants…”

“It’s my bodyguard, right?” You said back, standing on the little bit of dignity you had as Miguel’s wife. “My decision. I don’t want to waste any more time with interviews and resumés.” You looked over at Johnny. “This guy can have the job. Does that work for you, Mr…?”

Johnny bit back a grin. “Serrano,” he finished for you, “That works fine for me, Mrs. Galindo.”

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

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!

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[uraniumwriting]

How about "Risky" for the R Prompts?

Abigail swore she was going to throw up as she sat by the fence, pressing against the bush that served as her only cover from being found. Miguel and his crew were late. The curfew bells were already ringing around her, and the nurses would probably start looking for her soon. Searching for her. Saying sweet things about her, cooing about how she was so weak and innocent and all the things that she wasn’t.

They didn’t know. Abigail had to keep telling herself that. The nurses probably didn’t know why she was really in the hospital. Not for her schizophrenia. She had it under control back at the Meadows. It was just an excuse to keep her in one spot, to keep her from following her sister. They didn’t know that.

That didn’t make her any less nervous about getting caught.

A rustling outside of the fence brought her back to attention, ducking a little more into the bush in case it wasn’t the people she was waiting for, though Abigail had overheard the nurses say that no one in the nearby city would dare come within a quarter mile radius of the place. Why would someone come right up to the fence if they weren’t there to cause trouble?

“You’re Abigail, right?” She didn’t recognize the voice that spoke first, but saw a figure walk up to the fence, kneeling down and curling their fingers through it.

“Maybe.” Abigail was surprised at the strength of her own voice, despite knowing that the nurses had convinced the doctors to lower her medications. Which made her stronger. And hopefully meant she could go a day without them before completely succumbing to the withdrawal and The Nurse. “Who are you?”

“We don’t have time to talk about that. I’m with your friend. Miguel. He’s waiting in the car.” The figure pulled something out of their coat, and while Abigail couldn’t quite see their eyes in the darkness, she could feel their eyes digging into hers. “You just have to trust me, okay? I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Okay.” It wasn’t a smart idea. Abigail had planned this believing Miguel was going to meet her at the fence, not at some car however far away. It could be a trap. But time was ticking, and all she could do was hope that Miguel would be there. After all, why would someone try to stop her by breaking her out of the hospital?

Faint voices echoed from somewhere further in the hospital grounds as the figure went to work on the fence, cutting through it as quietly as they could as Abigail waited, pressed against the bushes. The curfew bells were still ringing. Did they usually ring this long? She closed her eyes, counting slowly in her head to try and steady her breathing. Waiting. That was all she could do. The chain link fence slowly snapped, too slowly for her liking.

“Just don’t scream.” Abigail didn’t even realize the figure had finished until she heard their voice again, but couldn’t open her eyes before she was roughly dragged and forced through the hole in the fence. The broken edges scraped against her skin, and she could feel the blood beginning to drip out of some of the scratches. A hand was placed over her mouth to muffle her pained yelping. “Boys, cover me!”

“Yes, ma’am,” called a few voices back to the figure, though Abigail wasn’t sure where they were coming from. All she knew was that she was being plunged into the forest, and behind her gunshots rang out towards the hospital. To the nurses, probably.

They didn’t know.

“Mmmmph,” Abigail tried to say something, but the hand on her mouth just pushed against her harder, preventing her from speaking. The hospital was miserable, that was true. But the nurses weren’t trying to hurt her, wanted the best for her. They just happened to be wrong. Like The Nurse. She didn’t want them to get hurt, but as much as she tried to pull the hand off of her mouth, it stayed there. Firm as a rock.

“You just have to trust me on this, kid. I’m getting you to the car and then you’re going to rest and then we’ll explain.” The figure was more yelling at her than speaking at that point, nearly smacking her against a tree as Abigail was dragged through the forest. Tears were rolling down her face, though she wasn’t sure why she was crying. Fear. Anger. Uncertainty. Relief. There were too many emotions swirling through her mind at the moment, too many for her to fully process, especially as the forest kept constantly changing around her.

The coolness of the car pressed against her face before she even processed that it was in front of her.

Abigail’s heartbeat rang through her whole body as the figure finally let her go, leaving her to lean her whole weight against the while doors opened behind her. She didn’t dare turn around. It felt like the wrong choice. Not until the figure’s voice forced itself through the sound of her heart.

“You can go in now. You’re safe.” A soft pressure on her shoulder seemed to almost unlock her body from its position, turning her around and letting her reach out to drag herself into the car. Immediately, someone wrapped something around her and then pulled her into a tight hug, but her mind was doing too much to let her know who it was. She just let her head rest against their chest, staring out to the front seat of the car where a pair of familiar eyes met hers.

Miguel. At least the figure was right about something.

He didn’t say anything as a woman sat down in the driver’s seat, closing the door with a solid ‘thud’ before turning the car on. Just kept looking back at Abigail, wearing an expression of fear that likely mirrored her own at the moment. But he didn’t need to say anything for Abigail to understand that he was questioning himself, questioning the woman who had begun to drive the car to somewhere that Abigail was likely never told of. Abigail was questioning everything too, but it mostly boiled down to one main question, one things she would’ve blurted out if it had been only her and Miguel in the car:

Was it worth it to trust this woman?

[thehikingviking]

Chaparrastique (San Miguel Volcano) from Conacastal

We had been in El Salvador for more than two weeks, and so far the trip had gone better than any of us could have hoped for. I surprised Asaka with a trio on the morning of her birthday. She stood outside the window while they sang her loves songs which she couldn’t understand. We celebrated by having a big pool party with Erick and his family. We bought a piñata and ate a special cake that my mom used to eat in her childhood. 

There was so much that I still wanted to do, so on our last Friday we went to Cascadas Tamanique. It was a steep hike down the canyon from town, but we were eventually rewarded with a beautiful set of waterfalls.

We swam in the pools and jumped off some cliffs. Leif made several motions to jump off the same cliff as well, but we told him that he would have to wait until he was older.

The next day was my last full day in El Salvador, and I wanted to go out with a bang. Chaparrastique, also known as Volcán de San Miguel, is the southernmost ultra prominent peak in the country, and until very recently, had been too active to climb, with large eruptions as recent as 2015. When I initially planned my trip, I didn’t even think climbing this volcano a possibility, but I learned through Nahuat Tours that the minister of geology had determined the mountain safe enough to climb. Zach was flying out that day, which meant I would be on my own. This would require the longest drive, as we had to go all the way from El Zonte to the “Wild East”. Apparently the people on this side of the country look and sound different, and perhaps the most glaring distinction is how they eat pupusas. I was mostly concerned with the heat. Erick joked that when people from San Miguel go to hell, they complain that it’s too chilly. I could find no trip reports online, aside from a YouTube video which didn’t delve into the details surrounding mileage and elevation gain. Nahuat Tours didn’t have much information either, again leaving such details to the local guides. To prepare, I brought a lot of water and expected the worst. What I experienced in the end was a moderate hike with agreeable temperatures.

Erick and the gang were outside of Villa Letty at 4am. I snuck out of the room trying my best not to wake the baby, grabbed my lunch from the fridge and threw my stuff in the back of the car. Chico and Young Erick were crammed in the back seat, while Gerardo had other tours to lead that day. The drive was long, but not terrible as El Salvador is a small country. We reached the town of Conacastal where we met our local guide Fernando. From there we hopped in the back of a 2WD pickup truck, then drove south along RN16S until reaching La Placita. We turned off the paved road here and continued up dirt and cobblestone roads further up the northwestern side of the volcano.

Riding in the back of a pickup truck was so fun, but just another day for the average Salvadoran. We drove to 3,800 feet where the road simply became too steep. Our driver gave it a couple shots, but there was no point in pushing it since we already saved about a thousand feet by driving up to this point.

We continued hiking up the road through a cedar forest. The road ended soon after but we picked up a trail. We passed a big family group who had started from Conacastal earlier in the morning. While this peak is somewhat reclusive to the “intrepid traveler”, it seems reasonably popular with the locals. We left Erick to hang back with them, while Fernando, Chico and Young Erick continued with me at a faster pace.

Fernando asked if I wanted to go up the rocky way or the sandy way. To me the answer was easy, so I requested rocky. An overgrown but well defined use trail ensued, but the dirt was solid and travel was generally easy.

Soon we emerged from the thick jungle, and the western expanse captured my attention. Volcán de Usulután, Cerro Taburete, Cerro El Tigre, Volcán de Tecapa and Volcán de Chinameca flooded the expanse before me.

More inland ran the Sierra Madre.

There was a nice breeze keeping us cool. We would need it because the next thousand feet would comprise of the worst volcanic scree to climb up that I have experienced to date.

It was the classic two steps up, one step down. I had a trekking pole with me that made the section bearable, but I eventually lent this to one of my young guides as he was having more difficulty than I was.

There wasn’t really a trail, but more of a path of erosion. One thing was clear, and that was to continue upwards.

Things started to get easier as we neared the top. A big block of solid rock caught my eye, so I decided to find a scramble route up.

I picked a class 4 route straight up the rock to add some juice to an otherwise non technical hiking trip. This can of course be completely avoided, and I think my guides looked at me quizzically for taking such an unnecessarily dangerous route in the first place.

Shortly after we reached the crater rim.

We dropped down to the flat sandy section beneath us and walked to the edge.

Inside, the fumaroles were seeping out of the yellow rock. There was no visible lava, but the volcano was clearly very active. Our local guide Fernando claimed that he scrambled halfway down the crater, and it was probably for the best that he didn’t go any further.

After the very cool detour, it was time to continue to the peak. We headed east and scrambled back up the crater rim.

The rim was easy to follow and there was a use trail most of the way.

After a few more minutes of hiking we made it to the top.

To the northeast was the city of San Miguel.

To the southeast were Laguna de Olomega, Volcán de Conchagua and La Union.

To the south was the summit crater.

To the west was the flat area from where we examined the depths of the crater. In the distance was Volcán de Usulután.

To the northwest was Volcán de Chinameca.

A point on the opposite side of the crater looked like it could potentially be higher, so I requested that we traverse the entire crater rim, even though Fernando confirmed that we were standing on the highest point. For these types of things you can’t be too sure.

To circumvent the rim, we had to drop into a small notch. Climbing out of this was a loose mess, but we eventually made it back atop the high rim. The travel was very easy and breathtaking, with everchanging views in all directions.

Once we reached the summit contender, it was clear that the opposite point was higher, however I am glad we chose to go this way.

-Volcán de Conchagua

-Laguna de Jocotal & Punta Mango

-Endless Beaches

As we continued circling, we got more views into the depths of Chaparrastique.

We got back to our original starting point of the rim traverse where we ran into the kids from the family we saw earlier. The parents were still below making their way up the loose scree. Among them was older Erick, chatting away about different business opportunities. I would not be patient enough to wait for him to reach the top. He turned around without me asking, but he would end up taking a long time to descend. We took the sandy (sandier) route down this time, which I was really looking forward to. This was some of the best scree skiing I have ever done, however this bliss was interrupted since I had to wait for Erick many times. I finally decided to enjoy the sandy portion of the descent uninterrupted, and wait for Erick down below. It was a very nice descent while it lasted, and afterwards we found a spot in some shade back in the forest. Fernando claimed that he made it from crater rim to dirt road in under 20 minutes. We ended up waiting for over an hour, and needless to say I was pretty annoyed. Once he finally showed up, I grumpily walked the remaining distance down to the road, and later to the car.

As we approached the car, I started to sense big animals moving in the nearby brush. Several heads of cattle were grazing the mountain slopes.

Our driver was waiting for us right where he left us. The hike was 6.3 miles round trip with 3,400 ft of total gain (including the crater rim traverse). Please keep in mind that this does not include the section we were able to drive. We dropped off Fernando in Conacastal, then began our long drive back to El Zonte. Traffic was pretty bad towards the end of the drive, but I was able to make it back in time for dinner. This will for sure be a trip that I will never forget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ENCjN5o7M&t=5s

[miguelswifey04]

I hope this isn’t a weird request but could I request a Miguel x scientist! Or assistant reader and the plot is basically where the Spidey squad (hobie,pavitr,miles,Gwen) has to go on this week long mission assigned by Miguel but since miles got grounded he can’t go and it’s this big joke with the spidey squad and so reader overheard and have this goofy plan where she’ll try to bribe miles’s parents and ask them to give him a week off under the basis that she’s his mentor at school and miles has to go on a “science competition” to which the plan worked and miles could go. Long story short the mission was a success, and after the squad comes back miles spots miguel and reader talking and suddenly goes up to reader and hugs reader and goes “thank you mom!” To Miguel’s shock and reader’s embarrassment😭 and the squad basically teases both reader and miguel and it ends lightheartedly haha

STOP THIS IS SO CUTE & CREATIVE!! THIS IS LOWK SHORT BUT HERE <33

“what do you mean you are grounded?” miguel questioned miles as he furrowed his eyebrows. miguel had assigned the squad on a mission to capture an anomaly but he has been hit by miles`predicament. miguel was concerned but at the same time curious as to why his parents had grounded miles. miles awkwardly flashes him a smile as he was rubbing the nape of his neck thinking about how he will go about this. gwen, pavitr, hobie, and margo all glanced at miguel then back at miles waiting to hear miles out. “well, you see the thing is, um, my parents are mad at me because i keep disappearing without letting them know of my whereabouts.” he confessed awkwardly as he swayed his body back and forth a bit on his heels hoping miguel wouldn`t chew him out for it. miguel sighed understanding how his parents must feel that their own son isn’t around but nonetheless miles is a spider-man and he has an obligation to fulfill.

“miles, i understand that but you do know you have an obligation to fulfill. figure something out-“ miguel was soon caught off as you made your grand entrance into the control room. miguel’s eyes lingered on your figure at the way your white doctor`s coat accentuated your curves as you adjust your black glasses that have been slipping off your crooked nose. your black curls lulled in every step of the way. “hi miles! i heard you from a mile away. sorry bout you being grounded. though, i think i can help you get out of that little predicament of yours!” miguel kept quiet observing your every move. the rest of the gang took notice of that, hobie being vocal as it is called him out on it.

“you can’t just be checking anyone out like that especially our most promising scientist.”

“right, you know its disrespectful to stare.” gwen vocalized as pavitr and margo laughed. it was evident to all five of them that miguel probably has a thing for you. they knew you were very pretty and smart at that too. you were pretty much the beauty and the brains. you kept everyone on their toes and very witty at that. “cut it out. all of you!” miguel’s voice boomed with authority it kind of startled the gang which made everyone shut up instinctively. hobie ignored miguel and continued to talk to pavitr, gwen, and margo. you couldn’t help but burst off laughing, finding everyone’s antics endearing. as you strolled onto the platform where miles and miguel were you were busy fixing your lab coat as you smiled at miguel placing a hand on miles` shoulder, “i got this.” miles beamed as he always had trustednyour judgement and that brain of yours to muster up whatever solutions needed to be solved. miguel’s face showed so much relief knowing the mission was not going to waste. “i trust you.” miguel curtly smiled as he went off to work on whatever needed his attention in the HQ.

miles and you headed off to his dimension promptly as miles set his gizmo watch to Earth 1610. soon, miles and you made it to his home. “i am going to tell your parents` i am part of your science program and that you’re a science prodigy! you know going on a school trip for a week…no biggie.” you were confident in your abilities and in your skills of bribery. you looked the part wearing your black glasses and a doctors` coat. obviously miles` parents would for sure fall for it.

the plan worked flawlessly. with some convincing words and a little bribery, you managed to convince miles' parents to let him go on the mission. and after a week of successful crime-fighting, the spidey squad returned home, feeling accomplished and victorious.

as the squad dispersed, you and miguel were left alone, chatting and debriefing the mission. miles suddenly appeared, a wide grin on his face as he approached you and wrapped his arms around you in a tight, affectionate hug.

“thank you, mom!" miles exclaimed, much to the shock of miguel and your embarrassment.

miguel's eyes widened in surprise, his expression reflecting a mixture of shock and amusement. the rest of the squad glanced over, immediately catching on to the situation, and they burst into laughter.

“wow, y/n! didn't know you were his secret mom this entire time!” margo teased with a playful wink.

miles blushed and pulled away, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “okay, okay, let's not make a big deal out of it," he mumbled. miguel felt his cheeks flush a bit at margo’s comment referring to you.

you couldn't help but laugh along with the squad, feeling a mix of affection and embarrassment. as the teasing slowly faded away, you found yourself surrounded by your loved ones, grateful for the laughter and camaraderie that filled the room. miguel’s hand gently brushed against yours as you both looked down and up at each other with a smile. “you’re very smart you know, and i love that about you.” you intertwined your fingers with his and gave him that pretty smile of yours that for sure made him swoon.

and so, the lighthearted evening continued, filled with jokes, shared stories, and love.

[mwcowan]

Mark & Georgia’s 2018 Philippines Trip

Here we go again, another trip, another blog. For those of you familiar with our recent Road Trip blog this will be of a different sort because it’s going to be a different sort of trip, a mix of business and pleasure. We’ll be based at Georgia’s mom’s house in Manila, making a series of short trips here and there over the next month. Hopefully it will result in some interesting thoughts and photos.

Day 1:  Graeagle to Sunnyvale to San Jose to SFO

Seems like I was driving all day, although it was a pleasant drive until I got close to the Bay Area into all the traffic. I’ve really gotten used to the “traffic” in Graeagle, where it’s unusual to see more than 3 cars in town. At Georgia’s suggestion I drove straight to EBR for a visit with my old colleagues and to check up on how things are going there. Quite well it seems, with a number of development projects underway, what we engineers like. But everyone seems to be really stressed with all the clinical and regulatory related tasks on their plates now. That’s what I knew would be coming with the US clinical trial, and I’m even more certain I picked the right time to retire.

Took an hour in that lovely traffic to drive from EBR to Georgia’s sister Dinah’s house (all of 12-13 miles) and another hour to drive to SJC and back for Georgia to return her rental car (she had flown there last week). An hour to pack Georgia’s stuff and back on the road to SFO. In our Road Trip blog it was noted that Georgia has trouble packing light and this trip is no exception.

The box weights 69.5 pounds (carefully titrated as the airline limit is 70), the black suitcase is about 55 pounds, the red carry-on is acceptably light. Not shown is a backpack. Yes she has problems packing light. OK, to give her a break, since we’ll be in Manila on Thanksgiving, the box contains a frozen turkey, ham, and all the fixings for a proper Thanksgiving dinner, things that you can’t get in the Philippines. Plus a LOT of other goodies for her mom, our snorkel gear, etc..  She got her standby cleared quickly, got her ‘luggage’ checked with a few stares from the baggage handlers, and was soon off to her flight to Hong Kong.

With my flight to Tokyo in the morning, I overnighted at an inexpensive motel near SFO,  one that turned out to be unexpectedly nice. At least I wasn’t itching in the morning.

In case you don’t know, in the interest of national security we don’t fly together. That’s not really it… Georgia flies Cathay Pacific since she gets family privileges from her sister Vinee, a CP flight attendant. Georgia pays a ridiculously low fare for business class. I fly United since I spent so much time with my butt in their seats for business travel I can buy the cheapest economy fare and use my miles to upgrade.

Day 2: SFO to Hong Kong (Georgia) and Tokyo (Mark)

Both of us had very bumpy flights, on mine the seat belt sign was on most of the time, and the flight attendants were told to buckle up multiple times. Didn’t stop me from eating and drinking my way across the Pacific though; I arrived in Tokyo fully stuffed. Georgia reports the same on arrival to HK.

Flying in the front of the plane is the only way to go; I fear the day when my miles run out. Georgia may have to take a job with an airline so I can get family privileges. Anyway, she’s continuing on to Manila this afternoon while I’m overnighting in Tokyo at another airport hotel and flying on to Manila tomorrow morning. The flight with a 19-hour layover is a lot cheaper than one with a short connection, saving much more than the cost of a hotel. That’s a good enough reason but I admit to being a travel wuss, I like having this break to get cleaned up and rested. No reason to hurry!

Day 3: Tokyo to Manila

Easy travel day to Manila for Mark; couldn’t sleep so got up early and went to the airport (a 2 min walk from my hotel) and had breakfast at the nice ANA lounge. Smooth flight to Manila but with the usual holding pattern on arrival. I’ve never flown into that airport without doing at least a few circles. I think the airport planners are the same people who planned the traffic control in Manila.

Speaking of Manila traffic, shortly after I arrived we needed to drive Georgia’s mom to meet with the family attorney to have some documents notarized. Off we went to Alabang, one of Manila’s districts, with Mark driving and only a vague idea of where we were going… after many calls to the attorney we finally decided we’d never find the meeting spot and just parked and told him where we were. He knew the area well and was able to find us. By the time we headed back home it was dark, which makes driving in Manila even more terrifying. People all over the place, motorcycles, trikes, and jeepneys pulling in and out and stopping wherever and whenever. Feels like you’re inside a video game. Luckily we got home before we ran out of lives; Mark quickly headed to the fridge to grab a much-needed San Mig.

Sorry for not having more pictures, but there havn’t been many photo opportunities up to this point. Things will pick up in a day or two.

Day 4: Manila to Tacloban

A couple errands this morning then back to the house to pack our bags for a 3-night trip (nice light luggage this time!) then to the airport for a quick flight to Tacloban on Leyte island. A couple days of business to conduct here and in Catbalogan on the nearby island of Samar. You probably remember Tacloban from the 2013 super-typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines). Tacloban was the center of devastation from this storm. The city was all but destroyed; nearly 6000 perished in this city alone. Flying in we could see one of the reasons the storm wreaked such havoc – the city and territory surrounding it are very level and low-lying, stretching flat many miles until the mountains are reached. Besides the winds which removed nearly every roof in the city, storm surges of up to 20 feet did the most damage, including completely leveling the airport we flew into. We didn’t know what to expect, but were pleased to see a strongly recovering city and meet a few people whose strength, determination, and pride are readily apparent. There are still a few reminders of the storm, we saw 4 or 5 abandoned, gutted, roofless buildings, but almost all traces are gone and the city has been rebuilt, at least on the roads we passed.

In a striking contrast to Manila, traffic here is very civilized. Our taxi driver actually stopped and let another car enter a roundabout before him! To regress a bit and explain Manila traffic, in the US we drive (most of us at least) by the lines on the road and by rules where for every situation the right of way is defined. Right of way in Manila is determined by which car can squeeze a millimeter in front of the other. Georgia has remarked that it’s a great waste by the government painting lines on the roads as no attention whatsoever is paid to the lines, the number of lanes being defined by the number of cars, trucks, and motorcycles that can possibly squeeze side to side within, and often beyond, the edges of the roadway. It can seem like total chaos, but carnage and catastrophic accidents are minimal as traffic speeds using these principles are generally reduced to a crawl.  Vendors in flipflops can walk in between and around cars without fear of being run over as they can move faster than the cars can.  It surprisingly works as long as you’re in no hurry to get somewhere.

A side note... if you like a glass of wine or two, finding it can be challenging as the Philippines is not at all a wine-drinking nation. Interestingly enough, grape cultivation and winemaking were brought to California by the Spanish Catholic priests and followed the path of the missions. Yet with 300 years of Philippine colonization by the Spanish, grape growing appears to have been unsuccessful here and wine can be difficult to find.

Normally we don’t worry about it and settle for a cold San Miguel. This evening Georgia was craving a glass before dinner so we asked at the hotel desk where we could find a bar or restaurant that could help us get a fix, and we were pointed to a place across the street.  Georgia was excited when the menu had a small wine list, including two Cabernets and a Merlot. She asked for one of the Cabernets; the waitress said she had to go check if they had it. She came back shortly and apologized, saying they were out of that wine. Georgia asked for the other Cabernet. Sorry we’re out of that one too. OK, what about the Merlot? Sorry ma’am, we’re out of the Merlot too. Do you have any wines? No ma’am, we’re out of all wines. Amusing to us at least as this is a recurring story – we’ve even seen nice restaurants in large hotels in Manila, with impressive wine lists, unable to produce anything but a Barefoot Bynum red. Maybe Georgia goes to work for an airline, and Mark starts a wine import business. We finally got a lead for a nice Italian restaurant, which had a good selection of Italian wines. An excellent dinner and Georgia finally got her wine! Another thing you wouldn’t expect here is great Italian food – we both feel that we’ve found some of the best outside of Italy, in restaurants started by Italian ex-pats who have been captured by Filipina wives (or vice-versa)! I can understand that. 😊

Day 5:  Tacloban to Catbalogan

This morning’s business was a meeting with the local head of the Philippines Land Bank. This is a government-chartered organization obtaining land and re-selling to farmers. The income from the farmer’s loans funds the acquisition of property. The subject transactions here are about 165 hectares (400+ acres) of family-owned property in Catbalogan, much of which has been settled on by squatters/farmers. This is the type of land the Land Bank is trying to get, to officially distribute to the squatters and make them legal taxpayers. The family has been trying for many years to deed the property over and receive payment. Many frustrating years, always being told that this document or the other is needed; when that’s produced there’s always another. And then the next time they go back, the official they were working with isn’t there any more and no one has any recollection of previous actions.

The meeting went well, it seems that the government is making an effort to centralize and simplify these things, for example going forward this can be handled through the office in Manila rather than having to travel to Tacloban. According to the official very little is left to do before this can be completed. Georgia warns that we shouldn’t count on this assurance yet.

Now we’re tourists for the afternoon – our driver picks us up from the Land Bank and we head towards Catbalogan. We’d hired a driver and car for the day to take us around on our errands and then deliver us to Catbalogan, about 110 km from Tacloban. On the way he drove us through one of the areas hardest hit by the typhoon, a low-lying seaside area of shanty homes. You may remember seeing post-typhoon pictures of a large freighter sitting on land quite a way from the water – rather than removing the whole thing they left it in place, some 300 meters from the water, built some structure around it and turned it into a memorial for the Typhoon victims. Strange to see a freighter in the neighborhood but a fitting tribute.

The disturbing part of it though is the neighborhood. The whole area was completely swept bare, but it’s been rebuilt as it was, with poorly constructed shacks of wood and tin. That’s how the people lived before, and what they know, but it’s a shame that the government didn’t help relocate them or at least build more substantial homes.

We drive over the San Juanico bridge which links Leyte and Samar islands, the longest bridge in the Philippines, built during the Marcos regime. Current president Duterte plans to build a longer one (mine’s longer than yours!) linking Luzon to Visayas but it hasn’t been built yet. Following the bridge is a winding 2-hour drive up the mountains and back down into Catbalogan.

Catbalogan is a city “in the provinces”. I’d heard that term before but wasn’t sure what Filipinos were referring to – the meaning is similar but more polite sounding than our euphemism “out in the boonies”. It’s a busy city, but very remote and without many of the amenities you find in the larger cities. We’re booked at the most expensive hotel in town: a “deluxe triple room” with private bath is $34/night. The room is cozy with a double and a single bed and not much space to move around, but the hotel is spotlessly clean, due we think to the army of OJT (on-job-training) helpers from a local high school. At least 20 of these always-smiling faces are constantly cleaning and re-cleaning, each one stopping to give us a warm greeting whenever we appear, coming or going.

To me, Catbalogan is the “city of trikes”. Manila has a lot of trikes, but this city is totally clogged with them, and they’re all in (slow) motion all the time. Both motor- and human-powered, passenger trikes and delivery, they’re everywhere. Colorful, each has been customized by its owner, with the owner’s name and often a favorite bible verse or a personal testament to the glory of God emblazoned on front or back. Some busses and delivery trucks are also on the streets, but few private cars. Why would you need one? A noisy and bumpy ride on a motor trike costs 8 pesos (about 15 cents) to take you anywhere in the city. The pedal trikes are the economy ride, only 7 pesos. We go first class!

You can play a quick video of a trike ride in Catbalogan here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3SMSh43GFNhmnvf79

Day 6:  Catbalogan

Business day #2 with visits to the Registry of Deeds (task is to get the deed to the property annotated with the names of the new settlers), then to the Department of Agrarian Reform (task unknown). Conference with Georgia’s sister in the US and back to the DAR to ask for a map of the new property division. Both the ROD and DAR have promised to have the documents ready tomorrow morning so back we’ll go.

While here in Catbalogan we’ve been “taken care of” by a family that is linked to Georgia’s by a long friendship. Third-generation daughter Bayan has been helpful getting us to the various appointments; today we met Lola (grandmother) Noling, the family matriarch, at her electronics and appliance store she’s been running for 65 years. She’s 87 and going strong, no hurry to retire. We were chatting in the store and asked if they knew a place that had good Tomalos – a Filipino take on the tamale with rice “masa” around a pork filling, coated with peanut butter, then wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. With typical Filipino hospitality, it seemed only minutes before table and chairs were pulled out and Tamalos and Lumpia appeared for us to try. Different, delicious, and RICH! Georgia and I couldn’t quite finish a whole one. And also in true Filipino fashion just as we were putting our forks down we were asked what we’d like for lunch. Oh jeez, didn’t we just finish lunch? Lola Noling definitely wanted to take us out so we agreed to dinner, we’ll meet her at the store around closing time.

Dinner was at a nice restaurant right on the harbor, with Lola Noling, daughter Collette (Bayan’s mom), two of her sons Bong and Jun, Bayan, and a few more family members. A feast of delicious food, more than enough beer, hilarious conversation with her sons trying to speak English and me trying to understand Taglish – it was one of those amazing times that leaves you with a smile, a warm heart, and a new family.

Day 7:  Catbalogan to Tacloban to Manila

Georgia thinks I’m writing too much. Maybe I’m trying to find things to write about in the absence of any real interesting travel. I’ll keep it short today.

Two more appointments this morning. First back at the DAR to pick up maps of the property. This visit was successful. Then an appointment at the Registry of Deeds to meet with the registrar whom Georgia had an appointment with yesterday but she wasn’t in the office. She was most helpful (not) explaining the number of documents that still needed to be completed and 2 new cities we would have to visit to get this done. One step forward, 2 back.

We took a shared ride van back to Tacloban, through rain most of the way. The highlight of the day was a 30 minute trike ride from the van terminal to the airport, in the rain. Remember, these things don’t have doors – Mark held an umbrella out as a door/windshield and managed to stay pretty dry. His luggage tied to the back of the trike didn’t fare quite as well.

Day 8:  Manila to Nasugbu

Finally! Today we made the 2 ½ hour drive from Manila to Nasugbu, the location of Kawayan Cove and our house-to-be. This is the third time we’ve made this drive ourselves (no driver) and it’s starting to seem familiar, at least when we get out of Manila and onto the Cavite Expressway heading south. Today I got very much the same feeling as when I drive from the Bay Area to Graeagle, with lots of traffic and the associated stress until we reach Auburn, about halfway there. After that it’s an enjoyable drive through the mountains and pine forests the rest of the way. This was very similar – through Manila, Cavite, all the way to Naic it’s a lot of traffic and those ever-annoying trikes. Past Naic you enter the mountains, tropical jungle rather than pine trees, and all the traffic, trikes, and stress disappear. Finally we get our first view of the Batangas coast, and get that peaceful feeling that we’re getting close to home.

We’re staying for three nights at Punta Fuego, a members-only golf and residential club just up the coast from Kawayan Cove. Luckily one of Georgia’s brother-in-law’s parents are members here and can make reservations for us at one of the club’s guest “casitas”.

Lovely place with a lot of different beaches and nice amenities – we looked at properties here but as this is one of the older developments along this coast all of the better lots are already taken, and we had our hearts set on an ocean view. Not to mention the prices, and the monthly dues, and all that…

Tomorrow we get to see our house for the first time!

[thepropertylovers]

Our First Cruise Together

We recently got back from our first ever trip out of the country together and wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. That’s pretty much all we can say about it. Wait, no, that’s not right. We have a lot to say about it! Those are just the first words that come to mind. There’s more, though!

We went on a Caribbean cruise with our good friends Beau & Matt from ProbablyThis and had a blast. Celebrity Cruises was kind enough to host us on board the Equinox for a seven day cruise (be sure to check out the hashtags #sweetheartsatsea for some fun photos!) where we visited San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts – three of the most beautiful old cities and beaches we’ve ever been to. The old cobblestone streets of San Juan had us feeling nostalgic for a time and place we’d never been to before. The beaches of St. Maarten and St. Kitts were breathtakingly gorgeous. Why did we wait so long to go to the Caribbean?

First, the ship itself is so cool. It’s ginormous and has everything you can think of on board and more. It has a movie theater, a casino, a library, multiple bars and restaurants, a café, a cafeteria, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a gym and spa, and even a grass lawn on the top of the ship. The cafeteria is open until midnight, so you know we were snacking all day. One night, at 11:45p, we went up there and ate pizza and dessert just because we could. And it was glorious.

It took us a full 3 days to visit almost every part of the ship, as we discovered new floors and areas almost every day. One of our favorite areas to chill by far was The Lawn Club on the 15th deck on the stern of the ship. Oh, that’s another thing. You’ll have to get familiar with the words used to describe ship directions (stern, bow, starboard, etc). We heard them a ton on this trip and had no idea what they meant at first, but did our best to learn them by the end of it. But back to The Lawn Club! It was this huge yard, basically, of beautiful Bermuda grass where you could lay out and relax and work on your tan. There was a bar serving you ice cold drinks and blue skies/ocean views everywhere you looked. Is this what heaven will look like?

Other than the food and various fun parts of the ship, we had so much fun on the port excursions. The first day we stopped at San Juan, Puerto Rico and went on a food & walking tour of the old city. We drank Puerto Rican coffee, enjoyed some local dishes (and got to make our own mojitos!), and ate some flan, which we haven’t had in forever. The old buildings and charming cobblestone streets of San Juan stole our hearts. It was hot and humid, but the tour guide told us it was their winter. It was 80 or so degrees! As you know, Puerto Rico was hit so badly by the hurricane and it devastated much of the island. Tourism is a billion dollar industry there and helps their economy immensely, so they want everyone to know they are back in business and gladly welcoming tourists to the island. It’s a beautiful place and we plan on going back as soon as we can.

The next port day was in St. Maarten, which is the Dutch side of the island, not to be confused with St. Martin, the French side. This island was also hit badly by Hurricane Irma and we saw a lot of destruction that it caused. It was heartbreaking to see, but also inspiring to learn how the locals are coming together to rebuild and grow again. We went to Kim Sha Beach where the water was a beautiful turquoise and the sand was snow white. We luckily had gorgeous weather most of the time, though there were a few scattered showers here and there. St. Maarten marked the first time Thomas officially stepped off of U.S. soil and into a foreign country! For lunch we had shrimp tempura on a French baguette and it easily became one of our favorite meals on the trip. After we walked around a bit, we all loaded back onto the ship and headed towards the next port.

Our last port day was spent in St. Kitts, another beautiful island in the Caribbean. This was probably our favorite excursion we experienced because we had to travel by a catamaran to get there! Neither of us had ever been on one before so it was such a treat to sail the 45 mins from St. Kitts to a little cove with clear blue waters and lots of fish. We snorkeled with the guys and drank a locally made soda called Ting, a grapefruit drink. Snorkeling is no joke. Have you ever been? It actually takes a lot of lung capacity and we found ourselves short of breath a lot, but it was still a blast. We were wiped out by the end of it, so we hopped back on the catamaran and sailed back to the island. On the way back, we met some folks from Columbus, Ohio that were So. Much. Fun. They told us how they’ve been going on cruises together for more than 10 years (there were about 14 in their group, all friends since high school). They told us about all the places they’ve visited like Europe and Punta Cana, about their kids, and best of all, how they will be at the home & garden show this month (!!) which is where we will be speaking at! Once we were back on the ship, we started settling in the make the 2 and a half-day journey back home, starting with an invitation to watch the sail off on the helipad. How cool is that?!

The next two days were filled with lots of food, sun, shows in the theater, massages (thank you Nikky and Risper!!!!), more food, pool parties, trips to Café el Bacio (our favorite spot for coffees and cappuccinos) and walks around the ship at night.

Every night we went to a new restaurant and experienced different cuisine that was equally as good as the previous one. The first night we went to Tuscan Grille, an Italian restaurant with low lighting, candles, and such a sweet staff. We got the lobster alfredo and lasagna and man was it delicious. The next night we went to Silk Harvest, which served Asian cuisine, and they had the best shrimp tempura we’ve ever tasted. We also visited Murano, a French restaurant and also got the lobster there. They grilled it right in front of you and the whole place smelled like garlic and butter. Does it get any better than that? We decided to try out Sushi on 5, their newest restaurant on deck 5 and it was amazing. It was so amazing, in fact, that we went back 2 more times after that haha. Also worth noting is that we went back to Tuscan Grille again for dinner because it was that good. For lunch and breakfast, we mostly stuck to the OceanView Café, a huge cafeteria with every type of food you can imagine. Have we mentioned how we ate too much on this trip?

It’s crazy how a cruise ship operates. It’s like a little city, with SO many people operating it and working together to make it function. We got to know the staff and looked forward to seeing their familiar faces every day. Rex, the man who always made sure to turn down our room each night before we got in. Alexander, the executive head chef who was kind enough to give us a private tour of the kitchen during peak dinner action. Madalina, the sommelier who knew exactly what kind of wine we should drink with dinner each night. Miguel, one of the ship executives who kindly escorted us onto the ship and shook our hand every time we would pass him onboard. And even our favorite singer on the ship, a girl & guy duo called Devico, who had the most beautiful voice we’ve ever heard. It makes you feel like you’re not in the middle of the ocean, miles and miles away from civilization, when you have such amazing people to look forward to seeing every day.

So all together, this cruise was amazing. Just the idea of visiting different countries, meeting so many different people from all over the world, sharing the sea with strangers (at first) who become friends in 7 days, and being that far out in the ocean with nothing but blue waves all around you, it’s kind of mind boggling. It’s also wonderful when you can go with great friends. This is the third time in 6 months we’ve had the chance to hang out with Beau & Matt and we always have a blast each time we do. They’re absolutely hilarious and so smart when it comes to business. We’re lucky to know them.

If you have never been on a cruise before, we highly recommend it after traveling with Celebrity Cruises. They're actually offering a special offer with their Sail Beyond Event, where you can save up to $300 on select packages plus unlimited WiFi. Click here to find out more about it! We want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Beau & Matt from ProbablyThis, Elizabeth from Celebrity Cruises, and all of the staff and people behind the scenes who made this trip possible. We wont soon forget it and will cherish these memories forever.

Love, PJ & Thomas 

[wiener-soldiers]

love is for idiots - peter parker

summary: You have been alone all your life, and from a young age, you learned that love doesn’t exist. However, as soon as you met Peter Parker, you learned to love again.

pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

words: 2,477 (goddamn that’s a long one)

warnings: kinda agsty, kinda fluffy, couple of swears, my really bad spanish skills (I SPEAK FRENCH STILL LEARNING SPANISH) also first fic so there’s that

a/n: guys i did it. first ever fic. i don’t know if y’all will hate it or love it, but it was so much fun to write. ALSO THERES AN IN THE HEIGHTS REFERENCE.

You didn't need love.

You were an independent person who didn’t need to feel satisfied by having someone love you.

You were strong, independent, and brave.

That's what you told yourself everyday when you looked in the mirror.

Truth be told, you lied to yourself everyday. Everybody needed somebody, but you just weren't used to that. With your mom out of the picture, and your dad always gone for work, you had convinced yourself that love was for the weak.

You just never realised how emotionally weak you actually were.

"Hey sweetheart. It's me, dad. I, uh, I don't know that I'll be home in time for your birthday. Work has been crazy as hell. I'm actually flying out to D.C. tonight for a conference, then I'm going over to Paris for another convention. I'm so sorry baby, I'll talk to as soon as I can."

A loud beep follows the end of the voicemail.

This has been the third voicemail this week from your dad saying that he might not be able to come home as soon as you thought. First, it was a convention in Dubai, then a lecture at MIT, and finally this one.

Rolling out of your bed, you shiver as your feet come in contact with the cold hardwood floors. It was a chilly Tuesday morning, which was the norm in New York City during the spring. You shrug it off, knowing that it was an amazing excuse to wear comfortable clothes.

Deciding that a pair of boyfriend jeans rolled up a couple times and a white NASA tee tied in the front was decent enough, you hastily comb through your (Y/H/C) hair with your fingers and trudge into the kitchen, wear Kevin, your uncle was waiting.

"Morning Kev," you mumble midway through a yawn. Ever since your Dad started going on extended work trips, your uncle Kev, who lived an hour away, give or take, would always take care of you.

"Well, buenos días to you mi amor," Kev says sleepily.

You scoff. "You're practising Spanish for that guy again, what's his name...Michael?"

"Miguel, el cariño, his name is Miguel. And he's single."

You smile slightly. "Love isn't real, Kev."

He rolls his eyes playfully as he hands me a granola bar, "Wow. Is that you or your teenage angst talking?"

You narrow your eyes at him as you snatch the bar from his hands. Slipping on some black Vans, you call back, "That's me talking. Bye Kev! Good look with Miguel...I guess."

You speed walk down the stairs of the subway station and barely make it to your train. You glance at your surroundings and see that the only empty seat is next to a boy, probably your age. Huffing slightly, you walk over and stand in front of him, preparing to ask if the seat is taken.

His earbuds are in and his eyes are closed, so you decide to just sit down next to him. The noise must have woken him up because mystery boy jolts up, ripping his earbuds from his ears. You giggle.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." For the first time, you get a good look at him. With his brown hair, dark brown eyes, and his obvious liking for music, you deem him kinda cute.

He smiles, "It's totally fine. I shouldn't have been dosing off anyways."

He's smooth, you think to yourself, very composed.

However the brunette was freaking out. A very, very pretty girl just happened to walk into the Subway car with one seat open, which just happened to be the seat next to his. He was so distracted by your blinding beauty, he didn't realise you had asked him another question until he realised that you were staring straight into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

You laugh, "I said how did you even hear me sit down? You had earbuds in and it's pretty noisy in here, regardless."

The boy freezes, knowing if he slips up, his identity might be revealed. From that question alone, he can tell that you’re smart, and that a girl like you would easily find out his secret.

"I uh, you just, uh, you just hit my arm accidentally," he blurts out.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! First I wake you up, then I hit you? I'm so sorry," you squeak, a blush beginning to come up your neck and cheeks.

"It's all good. I'm Peter by the way. Peter Parker," Peter says, sticking his hand out to shake.

You smile in return, sticking your hand in Peter's to shake. You let your hand linger on his, oddly finding a form of comfort in his touch.

"(Y/N) at your service."

And that was the start to something beautiful.

After riding the Subway to school together, (you had learned that you went to the same school and were shocked that you've never met before) you and Peter had become inseparable. The two of you would embark on adventures, which basically consisted in going off campus for lunch and finding the best spots in town, and the best bodegas to eat in. Ned, who completed your version of the modern day, American Golden Trio, always teased you that one day you and Peter would get married, and have children; to which you would always reply with:

"I told you guys, love is for--"

"For idiots, we get it." Peter interrupts with a small smile on his face. Deep down though, he felt his heart tear a little.

Faster than he'd liked to admit, Peter had fallen in love with you. Well, not really. He is still falling in love with you. Every second of every day, Peter Parker falls more and more in love with you. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was soulmates, but Peter didn't care. He didn't wanna risk scaring you away. He already knew that you believed that love was absolute bullshit, and he knew that his friendship with you was far more valuable than saying "I love you" to the girl who didn't believe in love.

On the day’s latest adventure, you and Peter had planned to go to a little bodega in Washington Heights. Both of you were aware that it was more than an hour ride on the subway, but you both knew it was a great way to explore the city, and you had also insisted that the bodega had the best coffee and sandwiches you had ever tasted.

With only one period left to go, you raced to your English class excitedly. Bursting into the classroom, which was on the other side of the building from your last class, you let out a huff as you sit beside Peter, who shared the class with you.

"How'd you get here so fast?" he asks with an amused look on his face.

"Oh, don't look so smug. I ran. Yes, that's right, you heard me. Actual physical exercise," you retort. Peter throws his head back in laughter. You pout, fake punching him in the arm.

"Aw, boohoo. Is little (Y/N) winded by a little running?" Flash Thompson, aka the biggest douche in the school, taunts from the back of the class.

Peter's face contorts, and is about to defend the beautiful girl sitting beside him, but said girl beats him to it.

"Oh, shut up. Your nickname might be 'Flash', dickwad, but you do Barry Allen no justice. Don't think I was the only one who saw you fake an injury to get out of the mile run."

The class let's out a series of 'ohs' and 'damns', (most of them coming from Flash's friends) while you turn around with a smirk etched on your face. Peter smiles out  you, with eyes filled with adoration. One thing he learned was that you could always stand up for yourself.

The teacher walks into the class and attempts to settle down the noise. Peter steals another glance at you, nose deep in To Kill A Mockingbird and already working on the book report due soon.

After an uneventful rest of the period, the final bell rang, and you and Peter were out of the classroom faster than you could say 'bodega'. The duo were on the Subway as soon as possible as the chatted about the day’s latest events.

"So," you stated, "Homecoming is coming up."

Peter laughs, a little too loudly, and almost chokes on the Boba they had bought before they hopped on the train. You attempt to shush him as people were beginning to stare.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just, when did you care about Homecoming? I though we were gonna binge watch Lord of the Rings together that weekend. Besides, it's in like, what, three months?" He replies.

You shake your head. "Peter, I'm serious. Who is she?"

Peter nearly spits out his tea. "What?"

"The girl, Parker! The one I hear you and Ned talk about when you think I'm not listening." You retort. A part of you wants your best friend to go to Homecoming with the mystery girl, happy. But the other part of you wants Peter to go to Homecoming with you.

Peter coughs. "It's no one, I swear."

"Well," you start, "do I know her?"

Peter hesitates. "You do actually. You know her really well."

"Really?" you say in disbelief. You couldn't think of many people. The first name that popped into your head was MJ. Or maybe Liz Allan. "What's she like?"

"Well, she's smart. Like ridiculously smart. Smarter than me, even. She's funny, in her own way. Like sarcastic, satirical humour. She also really like reading. Um...she can definitely stand up for herself and hold her own. Very confident. And she's beautiful," Peter gushes.

"Hmm," you say in shock. Logically, you think he's talking about Liz Allan, one of the most popular girls at school. But once again, your mind drifts to the thought of being with Peter. What it would be like to hold his hand, hug him, and kiss him. It sounded wonderful.

"(Y/N), did you hear me?"

Your realise that Peter is nudging your arm. "What?"

"I said this is our stop. C'mon. I'm getting hungry and you said this place had good sandwiches." Peter grabs your hand and pulls you out of the Subway car, throwing your empty Boba cups in the trash can as you walk by. He doesn't let go of your hand as you march up the stairs and exit the station, and walk the streets that alive with salsa music and great smelling food.

"So, where is it again?" Peter asks, only now becoming conscious that he was still holding your hand. His grip falters a little, not knowing if you were freaked out, but to his surprise, you squeezed his hand a little tighter, enjoying the feeling of his fingers caressing yours.

You blush a little, "It's just up the street. It's beside this salon and has a beautiful mural on the side of the building. Oh! It's right there,” You explain while pointing to a bodega at the end of the street.

The two of you step inside to the small bodega, greeted by the smell of fresh coffee.

"Well, if it isn't (Y/N). How ya doin', mi amor?" the dude at the cash whistles. You roll your eyes and are about to respond to his antics when Usnavi, the bodega owner, walks in from the back room.

"Cut that out Sonny. I'm serious. You ain't gonna pick up girls with that attitude. Besides, (Y/N) seems to have a niño with her," Usnavi says.

"Usnavi!" you cry in embarrassment.

He laughs, "Lo siento, (Y/N). Two sandwiches, I'm guessing?"

"And two coffees!" Peter calls out beside you, "I hear that you have the best coffee in all of Washington Heights?"

The man lets out a laugh. Peter finds himself laughing along. He kinda liked it in the Heights.

"Si, señor. Whatever the lady says."

As they wait for their sandwiches, you realise you haven't introduced Peter to your Latino friends. "Oh! Peter, by the way. This is Usnavi, the bodega owner, and his cousin Sonny."

Peter smiles, "I'm Peter Parker. Nice to meet you."

Sonny, who is sitting on the counter replies with a 'sup bro', and Usnavi, who is sporting his signature hat, waves in response.

"¡No me diga! (Y/N), is that you?" a voice from outside the bodega exclaimed.

"Diana! No way!" You said excitedly, running outside to greet your old friend while mumbling an 'I'll be back' to Peter.

Not long after you left, Usnavi comes to the counter with two sandwiches (which smelt incredible) and two coffees. Peter began to pull out some money from his school bag to pay when Usnavi stopped him.

"No, it's on the house kid. That girl out there, she's special. More than she'll ever let on. She thinks she can do it a alone, but we both know that no one can. I know that she told you that she doesn't believe in love, but trust me, that girl loves you. You treat her right, you here me?" Usnavi tells him. He can't help but think that (Y/N) sees Usnavi as a role model if Usnavi cares that much.

"Yes sir."

Usnavi smiles. "Good, now go enjoy your sandwiches!"

About half an hour later, the duo find themselves under the George Washington bridge, munching the last of their sandwiches and sipping their coffee. They both lean against a rock listening to seagulls and the traffic above them.

You stare at Peter. For the first time in your life, you feel like doing anything with him is better than doing it alone. You felt something in your chest, something you haven't felt since you were a kid, before your mother left and your father became addicted to work.

Something like love.

You watch as Peter looks at the scenery, a smile on his face.

"Where'd you find this place? The bodega, I mean," he asks you, while pretending to yawn and putting his arm around your shoulders. You blush a little; it was a classic move, but it still worked.

"Kev has a crush on this guy, Miguel. He's completely head over heels for the dude. He just so happens to be Sonny's older brother. So Kev started bringing me here a lot. He introduced my to Miguel and Sonny. Sonny then introduced my to Usnavi and soon, the entire neighbourhood knew who was, it seems." You explain, while leaning your head on Peter's shoulder.

"Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"What does love feel like?"

Peter furrows his brow. "Well, it's kinda like a magnet. Like you seem to be opposites, but you fill each others missing pieces, so you work in perfect harmony. And everything seems to be pushing you together. If you try to turn your backs on each other, the world puts you back together...why do you ask?"

"Peter Parker, I think I'm in love with you."

Peter sits up in shock and turn to face her, studying her face for signs to show that it was all a joke. "What? I--I thought you believed that love was for idiots."

You shake your head, "Then I must be the biggest fucking idiot in the galaxy, because I'm in love with you."

Peter searches your eyes, in search for any signs of regret. However, your were filled with determination and love.

So he kissed you.

And like magnets, the whole world seemed to push you together.

[xtruss]

Restrictions Leave US Travelers ‘High and Dry’

— Stacey Lastoe, CNN • Updated 27th June 2020

(CNN) — In downtown Buffalo, New York, crossing the border into Ontario, Canada, used to be as easy as driving one mile across the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River. But that's now a forbidden route.

In the coronavirus era, New York residents and out-of-state road trippers aren't allowed to cross the border for leisure travel.

US citizens have been shut out of their neighboring country to the north and a slew of nations around the world. The latest travel news affecting Americans: The European Union is considering blocking travelers from areas with severe Covid-19 outbreaks after it opens it borders on July 1.

Since the United States has more confirmed coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the world, with numbers increasing in some states each day, US travelers are unlikely to be allowed in any time soon.

"The US's chances are close to zero," an EU diplomat told CNN. "With their infection rates ... not even they can believe in that possibility."

As long as the US-Canada border remains closed, visiting Niagara Falls in Ontario won't be possible for US citizens. (LARS HAGBERG/AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

Although potential travel bubbles are being discussed all over the world -- Fiji is the latest in talks to join one with Australia and New Zealand -- the United States has yet to form or join a bubble.

Where does this new world order leave US citizens with a penchant for travel?

Nostalgic for the pre-Covid days when a US passport promised access to much of the world? Anxious of how they'll be perceived -- and received -- by foreign countries when restrictions are eventually loosened?

The future of travel for Americans, and whether they'll be welcome again as tourists, is not clear; in many ways, it's a moot point for as long as travel to certain regions is prohibited.

Uninvited

As many Americans eschew air travel and instead take to the road, they won't be taking the road into Canada. Indeed, travel restrictions for US passport holders at this time far outnumbers the travel possibilities.

And for many people, that's just how it should be.

A trip through Canada is unlikely to be a summer vacation option for Americans while the Covid-19 outbreak in the US continues to swell. )Courtesy Via Rail Canada)

Colleen Friesen, who lives in a small resort town in British Columbia, hopes the US-Canadian border stays closed.

"The majority of Canadians are strongly against allowing Americans into the country due to the US's rampant infection rate. Although some states seem to be managing the pandemic, when we see news of Oklahoma allowing an indoor rally, we just shake our collective heads," Friesen tells CNN Travel via email.

Stacey McKenna, who is based in Colorado, isn't ready to think about international travel of any kind right now, though she stipulates that it's partially because the places on her radar "are extremely vulnerable economically and geographically," and she wouldn't be willing to risk exposing anyone.

"I think if I reach a place where I feel international (or even air) travel would be appropriate, then I'll start asking myself if I think I'd be welcome."

For New York-based travel writer Juliet Izon, who canceled a summer vacation in Italy months ago when there was still a glimmer of hope that things might resume, seeing where the United States is compared with other countries is disheartening and depressing.

Izon believes she'll take the trip to Italy one day but says, "I wouldn't be surprised if in certain countries if they don't allow Americans in for a while or a really strict quarantine for years to come," adding that the United States' handling of Covid-19 was likely to be "another black mark against us."

The other? The state of US politics.

Friesen, who says she appreciates her country's politicians taking a backseat to the scientific and medical community, is scared of the way the virus in the United States "has become politicized."

France is moving through stages of reopening, but US citizens are not yet on the list of countries who can visit. (BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)

But one EU diplomat ,who spoke to CNN earlier in the week on condition of anonymity, calls the US-EU travel decision a very sensitive issue and insists "it is only ever about health."

"For sure, you can see not being on the list as something political, when one country is allowed in and another is not, but this is a misrepresentation of what we are doing. We are looking to open our borders, this is a positive step."

In spite of this statement and the EU diplomat's insistence that "we want people to come," the much-changed travel landscape has some people concerned.

"Rather than thinking about the near future of travel, I've been pondering how all of this will affect xenophobia more generally," says McKenna.

A Holistic Experience

Dennis Geronimus, New York University art history associate professor and chair, has historically combined business and leisure travel, often to Italy. He is not personally concerned about how he'll be received when he travels internationally again -- and he's someone who'll likely be able to travel on certain foreign soils well before other Americans.

This is in large part because of the nature of his travel. Geronimus is typically hosted by international colleagues and admits that it is "different than going on vacation somewhere not knowing anyone and then just diving into the culture and going to see the sites and seeing other foreigners at the sites as well."

At this time, American travelers can't go to Italy and cities such as Rome (above), at least not for pure leisure travel. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

There are steps Geronimus could take now to potentially be granted access forbidden to US leisure travelers, though he'd still be subject to the quarantine.

In any event, though he'd like to see the Raphael exhibition in Rome and collaborate with colleagues in Italy, he's not planning a trip to the region anytime soon.

It might be deemed essential, but Geronimus doesn't see it as essential enough. Instead, the professor would prefer to focus on the measures needed to resume on-site classes at NYU this fall.

Likewise, McKenna, whose background is in medical anthropology and public health, is thinking about other, bigger things: "I'll be honest. I haven't even gotten to the question of whether I think I would feel welcome as an American" since international travel is just not appropriate right now.

Says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "We've been working with countries all across the world, including our friends in Europe and the EU proper to determine how it is we can best safely reopen international travel. It's important for the United States to get Europeans the capacity to travel back to the United States."

Safety First

It's not about Americans, per se, says New Zealander Elen Turner, though it's hard to ignore the restrictions impacting them along with the number of confirmed Covid deaths and cases.

"I think once the borders reopen properly, New Zealanders will be as welcoming of Americans as they will be with any other travelers," Turner says.

But Friesen, who is troubled by the United States' handling of the pandemic, says, "Given the push back on the pandemic protocols we've seen in the US, we just don't believe that Americans will do the right thing."

As stories of Americans refusing to wear masks -- not even on an airplane in at least one case -- and not practicing social distancing surface, Friesen's skepticism may be justifiable.

While New Zealand may form a travel bubble with Australia, it's unlikely Americans will be allowed in any time soon. (Courtesy Shutterstock)

However, for so many people CNN Travel spoke with, the health and safety of others -- and doing what's right -- is paramount.

Chicago-based photographer and writer Joshua Mellin says: "I think to travel internationally for leisure right now demonstrates a total lack of care, you deserve whatever stares you get."

Mellin adds: "I'm personally of the mind we're all global citizens, but there's still a reality you're not entitled access to a foreign country, you're granted entry."

When it comes to granting foreigners entry, Turner would be comfortable taking cues from the New Zealand government. Right now, returning New Zealand citizens must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, and no one else is allowed in.

If, down the line, the quarantine was applied to all visitors to New Zealand, what then?

"So if that was to be extended to all arrivals then I think New Zealanders would be fine with that because generally, our government has handled the pandemic well and there's a high degree of trust in them," Turner says.

She adds, however, that she doesn't see this happening, does not envision a New Zealand opening itself up to foreigners until quarantine is no longer necessary.

The idea of a pre-holiday quarantine is the subject of scrutiny anyway.

Last month, when the concept was gaining steam, Alison Hickey, president of Kensington Tours, told CNN Travel "we would not recommend traveling to a destination that has implemented a 14-day self-quarantine requirement."

'We're Reopening'

While enforced quarantines will deter many a traveler, other regions with no quarantines in effect might entice them.

From Mexico and the Caribbean to Turkey, tourist spots around the world are opening back up and encouraging visitors to boot.

US travelers can fly to Mexico, but for many, the risks aren't worth it. Pictured: Parroquia de San Miguell Arcángel in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. (Shutterstock)

Whether hotel promotions or upgrades or relaxed policies on cancellation, the sweet chorus of "we are opening" could potentially jump start what has been a very dark period in the tourism sector.

But just because The Maldives, a luxury destination, is ready to welcome back all visitors with no restrictions (there are also no visa requirements or additional fees), how many US citizens are ready to go?

For many of the US travelers that CNN Travel spoke to for this story, being welcomed or feeling welcome in another country is beside the point.

The danger of exposure and of being exposed looms. And then there's the fear of being stuck somewhere far away.

Elizabeth Lavis, who is originally from upstate New York, found herself scrambling to get out of Vietnam in March amid the outbreak and sudden stringent travel restrictions. That ordeal and what's transpired with the coronavirus since have made Lavis reluctant to go far away from home for the foreseeable future.

California-based writer Melanie Haikan would like to go to Costa Rica at some point and is only eyeing places that are eager for visitors. (Nell Lewis)

California resident Melanie Haiken expresses a desire to help struggling economies as a tourist and is already thinking about her future travels, which include places not so close to home: "As to international travel, I would be ready to travel again in August, but would want to go places that are eager for visitors. I have my eye on Guatemala and Costa Rica, Turkey and Jordan, Scotland, Estonia, and a few other places that seem likely candidates based both on safety and how much their economies depend on tourism."

Turkey, it would seem, is a likely candidate. On June 19, Turkish Airlines relaunched two North American routes to Istanbul with two others (Miami and Los Angeles) following on June 22 and 24 respectively. By late July, three additional US hubs will be operating flights to Turkey.

Any EU travel ban could change things, but as of June 23, when CNN spoke to Connecticut-based Caryn B. Davis about her upcoming trip to the Azores in Portugal, the travel journalist said she is still planning on going, hopefully in the next six weeks.

Pompeo expressed the importance of the economy in travel between the US and the EU, saying "It's important for the United States to get Europeans the capacity to travel back to the United States. It's important, very important for the Europeans to fully reconnect with the American economy as well."

But until safety concerns can be adequately addressed, Mellin doesn't think anyone, US citizen or not, should be going anywhere.

"There's a responsibility of showing respect for other people and places as a traveler that starts at home and is inherently broken by visiting another country during a global pandemic."

But in fact, international travel may resume sooner rather than later in some currently off-limits places. "I'm confident in the coming weeks we'll figure that out as between not only the United States and the EU, but the United States and other parts of the world, too," Pompeo said.

As to what it'll be like?

"I think if anything, when we do travel, it's certainly my hope that we bring that sense of, I guess, empathy to wherever we're going ... ," Geronimus says.

— CNN's James Frater, Michael Conte and Luke McGee contributed reporting to this story.