#side note after reading it through in full this support list in general is crazy “special guest alice cooper” was certainly a curveball

[wavernot4love]

HELLO MCR WORLD tbp tour is Real and Terrifying oh the jersey show support (death cab AND thursday) goes so crazy but i know it's gonna be so hard to get tix ..... what Do i do

oh this is a great day in mcr history regardless

[aenxiome]

Chapter 1: Our Hero the Zero

"You have to tell them," Oh not this again, "I'm sure they will understand" swallowing a sigh, I look up from my food to my best friends and brace for impact, "It's not like you're actually dead."

"If I went up to them and said that I have ghost powers, what do you think they will do? You've met my parents; they shoot first and ask questions later." Sam didn't look impressed, "Once they realize that it's you, they won't. They love you, Danny; your parents wouldn't hurt you." I look over to Tucker, looking for support, but he was too engrossed with his new PDA, 'Simone,' to catch my look.

"Just forget it," I tell them as we leave the cafeteria, "If it's that important to you guys, I'll think about it." Under my breath, I couldn't help muttering to myself, 'maybe in a thousand years.'

From there, we split ways, with each of us having a different elective. Being our resident techno-geek, Tucker has computer programing for this block, while Sam takes a botany course. As I go down the hall, I can't help but wonder why they don't understand the issue.

My parents, the town crazies, are ghost hunters.

What do they think they will do when they find out? Hug me and tell me that everything is going to be all right? If anything, that would bring about the end of my life.

Or is it my afterlife?

Anyway, they're more likely to put me in a cage and study me than anything else. Who knows what type of experiments they would come up with. If anything, it's best to stay quiet and stay out of their way.

My thoughts leave me as I get thrown shoulder-first into the side of a locker. "Well, look what we have here, little Fentina walking all alone. Where did your friends go? Did they finally realize that you're a loser and leave you?"

"Wow, Dash, so original how long did it take you to come up with that one?" He didn't answer, not even acknowledging my question, and continued to insult me. "I'm in a bad mood Fenton. You wanna know why? One of you nerds didn't make my notes. So, I got a 'D'" He jabs the failing assignment into my face, "and I'm going to take it out on you" He pushes me back into the lockers. He gives me a couple of sucker punches to the stomach when the warning bell rings. He looks to the clock and then back at me. "I'll get you later, Fenton," He yells at me while he sprints down the hallway to his next class.

I pull myself away from the lockers and head to my next class. I make it down to the next hall when the final bell rings. I continue on my way to the science hall while dodging the teachers handing out detention slips for running late. When I got to class, the teacher Ms. Tally was waiting for me at the door. "Your late again, Daniel," looking to her watch then back at me, "three minutes late, to be precise."

The thing about Ms. Tally is that you can never figure out if she is angry or not. She has a neutral deposition that makes determining her emotions impossible. There is no way to tell what she is going to do. For the moment, my fate is in her hands. She stares at me for a second, "Get to your seat Mr. Fenton" she says as she walks away, dismissing me. That was close. I was sure that I was going to get detention.

"Mr. Fenton," or second thought maybe I will, "Come back after school we need to talk."

Great, just great there goes my plans with Sam and Tucker.

"Pass up your star charts, and let us continue where we left off yesterday." Ms. Tally called out to everyone. Ms. Tally teaches my favorite subject, Astronomy. This is one of the few classes I have with none of the A-List crowd and the only class where I'm the only one from my year.

It is perfect.

It's a fresh start.

While in other classes, I'm a 'C' average student, in this one, I get to be myself and show what I know. I hope that by the end of the year, it will still be like that. This is my only chance to show that I'm not an idiot. Okay, well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. I do pretty well in math and other sciences in general, but those classes usually come with help from my friends and others.

No one can say that I'm cheating or getting my results unfairly. In this class, everything that I know is all me.

Once the class has finished passing up the star charts, Ms. Tally talks about sunspots. It's fascinating, really. But all too soon, the hour ends, and the stress of school comes back full force when trying to stay out of Dash or the football team's sight and finish up the day. Finally, I make it to class right before the warning bell and the hour of torture begins.

After Astronomy, anything after feels like it is going on forever. Soon enough, I start to daydream, and the real world falls into the background as I think about exploring the stars. Every once in a while, I would come back down to earth and pay attention to something, but for the most part, my head was up in the clouds.

Eventually, the last bell of the day rings, signaling the end of the day. I gather my things and meet up with Sam and Tucker by my locker. "Danny, you ready?" Well, no time like the present, "Yeah, about that," I say apprehensive when Tucker talks over me in an accusing monotone voice, "you have detention again, don't you?" I couldn't help the hand going to my neck as I said meekly, "Sorry." Sam rolls her eyes, "Can't you just stay out of trouble for once?"

"Well, it's not like I'm trying to get in trouble," I tell her haughty "Yeah, Yeah, we know," They say together. "So, see you tomorrow then?" I ask "tomorrow," she said, agreeing. "Bye, Danny," they call as they walk out of the building.

I dredge down the halls back to the Astronomy classroom, wanting to get this conversation over with. But, once I got there, I knocked on the door, and Ms. Tally walks out with a stack of papers. "Follow me, Mr. Fenton," she orders as we go back to the same halls I had just gone through and then to the front of the building. We stopped once we got to the Office. Only about half of the staff was still there. The rest of them have already gone home for the day.

She has me sit in one of the chairs for a couple of minutes when she goes to the back of the office. When she comes back later, she beckons me forward. She has me trail behind her until we reach Mr. Lancer's office, My homeroom English teacher and Vice-principal.

She knocks twice before I hear the dreaded words, "Come in."

Mr. Lancers' office is a small but clean space and outdated. The carpet has seen better years as it has become discolored and has a bit of a smell. The back of the room is filled with filing cabinets looking ready to combust. In the center of the room is his desk with stacks of paper and an old box computer.

If His office is this bad, I have to wonder what that says about the rest of the school. "Have a seat, Daniel; we have much to discuss." I nod and sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk while Ms. Tally sits in the other. "Um, Mr. Lancer, what is it exactly that we are here to talk about?" He gives Ms. Tally a look, "You didn't tell him?" She shifts a little while Mr. Lancer lets out a loud sigh, "We are here to talk to you about your grades and attendance." This won't be good, "you have been tarty to class fifteen times in the past two weeks, and your grades in some classes completely contradict the rest. So what is going on, Daniel?"

I stare at my hands, trying to find something to say for myself, but all I could come up with was excuses. Finally, Ms. Tally startles me out of my thoughts when she suddenly asks, "What happened today? Being three minutes late to my class is abnormal for you." Mr. Lancer gives her a questioning glance, "Only by three minutes?"

"Yes, Daniel has never been more than a minute late to my class others have but never him; he is almost always punctual." Mr. Lancer silently passes her my class attendant's log. I didn't even have to read it to know what it says, fifteen minutes late here, thirty there, leaving class and never coming back, and other infractions filled that page. "Besides being late, Mr. Fenton also has a habit of falling asleep in class," he informs her.

They both look at me and ask again, "what's going on?" I didn't know what else to do, so I told them the only thing that I can the truth. I told them about the bullying, pushing me into lockers, taking my homework, the punching and jabs in the hallway, and the constant distracting conversations and lollygagging when the teachers' backs are turned.

Ms. Tally didn't say anything while Mr. Lancer looked sympathetic. Finally, after a moment of silence, Ms. Tally broke the quiet, "While that explains why you are always late to class, and we will be doing something about that don't you worry, it doesn't give any reason for the rest of the attendance issues, grades, or the sleeping in class. Is there anything else you want to let us in on?"

"It's complicated," I started before I found myself pausing. I can't tell them about the ghost fighting; that would never end well. So, I ended up telling an altered version of the truth. Sighing, I managed to say to them, "I'm just not getting enough sleep." Mr. Lancer cut me off before I was able to say anything else, "Why is that? What is keeping you up?" Giving him an annoyed look for him cutting me off and his impatiens. "Look, this is hard to talk about. No interruptions, please?"

I ask them, irritated once I get assurance from them both, I start up again.

"There is never a quiet moment at home my parents are either inventing all through the night or going in and out trying to catch ghosts." I sigh, then look at them wearily, Oh, Jazz is going to hate me for this, "being the son of a ghost hunter isn't fun; all of these ghosts that keep coming through keep bothering me. They are either trying to get to and from the Ghost portal or trying to get to Jazz and me to get back at our parents. We never get a break. Not even at school. That's why I keep disappearing all of the time. Jazz doesn't have it as bad since she is older, but as the youngest, it puts a target on me." I make eye contact with Mr. Lancer, trying to figure out if he believes me or not. By the end of my story, his face had paled, looking close to white, while Ms. Tally looks between us with disbelief etched into her face. She looks like she is trying to figure out where the end of the joke is. Once it became apparent that I am telling the truth, her jaw became slack, and she looked at me, her eyes blown wide.

I think I may have broken her.

"Oh, Huckleberry Finn," I hear him mutter, "That definitely explains some things." But then, he looks at me with a tired look in his eye, "and your grades?"

"That's actually pretty easy to understand," I say with a nervous chuckle, "In all honesty, I'm just really not good at liberal art subjects. Give me Science or Math anytime, but I would rather run a mile around the school than do English or history. But, don't me wrong, I do try; I just never really get them." Ms.Tally, who had finally gotten back her composure, looked at me with a single eyebrow raised. " I don't really get it myself, but ill try to explain, um," I run my fingers through my hair as I tink up an analogy, "It's like im doing a puzzle, but some pieces are missing. No matter how hard I try, the pieces that I have left just don't fit into place." I blush a little at my own confession," Does that make any sense?"

"It does actually," he says, "It's like that for many of us. Though it is usually math that causes the most trouble." He sends me a small smile as he turns around towards the filing cabinet. "Just keep trying, and in time the pieces will come together." then pulls out a couple of forms from a drawer, " if you are having so many issues with those classes, why didn't you ask to transfer out?"

"Those are the only classes I have with my friends, and if my schedule changed, there is no guarantee I'll get lunch break with them," I tell truthfully, starting to get worried about the papers he brought out. "Now that you know, can't you just make it so that I sit away from them, the A-list? I would do better, I promise, please don't take me out of class with my friends," I beg him.

Mr. Lancer looked to be thinking it over when Ms. Tally interrupted, "Is that why you don't have trouble in my class, is there no one of that," she pauses, trying to find the right word, "clique; during your period?"

I nod, agreeing with her statement, "The class is filled with people from the older years too, and nobody in there has to agree with my classmates A-list." Ms. Tally looked satisfied with my answer and let it go while Mr. Lancer looked ready to deliver his verdict.

"We will give it a try," he started holding his hand up in a stopping motion when I started thanking him, "I said we would give it a try, but if things continue as they are or get any worse, you will have to transfer to another class. Do you understand?"

I was nodding, readily agreeing.

"If that's all we have to talk about, may I go?" The teachers agreed when suddenly Mr. Lancer stopped me, "One more thing. Your sleeping problem, what do you plan to do about that?"

"Invest in some really good earplugs," I say, shrugging. Mr. Lancer starts humming a bit in thought while putting the forms back into his desk, "If that doesn't work, then we will be forced to pull you out of an elective and give you a study hall. We can't have you falling asleep throughout the day."

"I'll try harder, sir."

"Have a good day, Danny."

As soon as the words 'Good Day' were out of his mouth, I reached for the door and left. I spotted a clock on my way out of the school, and to my surprise, our talk didn't take any more than forty-five minutes. Once I was out, I walked for a good ten minutes or so, hoping to make it to the Nasty Burger before Sam and Tucker decided to leave.

Once I got to the old dinner, I looked around for my friends, but I couldn't find them in our usual booth. So I looked around some more, hoping to see them sitting somewhere else, but the only familiar faces in there weren't friendly ones. I was just about to leave when I felt a chill going through my body and saw the mist spilling out of my mouth into my face.

I rushed into the bathroom and checked to make sure it was empty before entering a stall and whispered to myself, "guess it's time to die," and let my transformation take over.

My body became inverted, with my black hair becoming a startling white and my eyes going from a light blue to a toxic glowing green. My clothes left my body, and in their place was the hazmat suit from the portal accident.

I rushed out of the nasty Burger and looked around for any sign of danger when I heard off in the distance, "BEWARE, FOR I AM THE MASTER OF ALL THINGS CUBEICAL AND SQUARE!" Oh, for everything good in the world, why of all ghosts did it have to be him. I flew to the back of the restaurant and found him messing with a delivery driver.

I was sneaking up on him when the driver yelped and pointed in my direction, giving away my position. "Really," I say to the driver, "you just had to give me away" I threw my hands up in exasperation. It's going to be so much harder to catch him now. "Come on, Boxxy, do we have to do this again? I sent you back to the zone this morning." That's the thing about Boxxy, the Box Ghost. Despite not being much more than a nuisance, he is one of the most nerve-racking ghosts to catch. If I didn't know any better, I would think he has his own personal portal with how often he slips between dimensions.

Boxxy glowered at me while rushing up into my face, " I AM NOT BOXXY, I AM THE BOX GHOST" I cross my arms trying to make a point, "Isn't that what I just said, Boxxy?"

"BOX GHOST"

"Boxxy"

"BOX GHOST"

"Well, I say your Boxxy."

"BOX GHOST, B-O-X GHOST!"

I wave him off. "Well, come on, Boxxy, I don't have all day" He started chucking boxes at the driver and me while floating away while grumbling about name-calling. It took me half an hour to catch the nuisance, " Any last words, Boxxy" I ask him while pulling out the Fenton Thermos.

"I AM NOT BOXX-" he said while being pulled into the device.

Once he is secured, I retrace my steps, collect the boxes, and return them to the Nasty Burger. When I got there, the driver tried to explain what had happened earlier when I called out to one of the servers.

" Excuse me, but I believe these belong to you." I land in front of the server and gently put the boxes onto the ground. "Oh my gosh, I know you! Your inviso-bill!" I cringed a bit at the name, "The name is Phantom, Danny Phantom," being annoyed that after all these months that people were still messing up my name.

Their aww quickly changed to apologetic, "I'm sorry, Mr.Phantom, sir." I started laughing a little; it was not a giggle, no matter what anyone else claims. It was a laugh, a manly laugh. I couldn't help its escape. No one has ever called me sir before, "It's okay, just happy to help," I reassured. After they had all of their boxes, I flew away.

I started a patrol around the city looking for any malevolent ghost that had managed to get out while occasionally helping little old ladies across the street and saving the occasional cat out of a tree. It's nice to be able to help out even when ghosts aren't attacking. Also, it gives me more time to relax in my ghost form, which I don't get to do very often. Before I knew it, the sun was starting to set, and it was time to make my way home.

[iceeckos12]

tma fic recs

I’ve seen a couple of fic rec posts floating around. since ive been reading so many excellent fic recently, i thought that id make one as well! please note this list is going to be 99% jonmartin. also buckle up, because this is going to get long.

Completed

the umbrella by Wildehack (tyleet)

"And to think—all of Jonah Magnus’ carefully laid plans, the centuries of scheming, the murders, the sacrifices, all of that work could have been completely undone if Martin Blackwood had gone back for an umbrella" - holdthosebees

Notes: This is probably my go-to fic if i want an apocalypse never happened scenario. The jonmartin is wonderful, as is the h/c.

Diary and Prenon-nous la main by luftballoons99

Diary summary:

Not for the first time since they ran away together, a camera reel of all the things they don't know about one another whirs behind Martin's eyes, and he can't help but look at all the sprawling magnetic tape and wonder if they’re going to wind up a romance or a tragedy.

or: Office parties, garage bands, and the joy of being known.

Prenon-nous la main summary:

They still haven't talked about it, any of it, not even to pass the time on the long train ride to Scotland. Instead, Martin fell asleep in the seat next to him, pressed into his side from shoulder to knee, and Jon thought about love confessions and verb tense and how the two fit together when you think you're dying.

or: Good cows, mediocre poetry, and other crucial topics of discussion.

Notes: Do you love impeccable safehouse jonmartin characterization? do you love characters grappling with the mortifying ordeal of being known? do you love softness so tender that it makes you want to weep? please read these fic. im begging you.

i’ll tell you about all the times i’ve smiled because of you by cryptidkidprem

Summary:

Martin thinks about their shoes, sitting beside each other on the floor by the bed. Thinks of the way Jon wears Martin’s cardigans more often than he wears his own, the way Martin’s started keeping elastics around his wrist because Jon always forgets his own when they go out.

He thinks about all the gentle touches and fussing over each other they’ve done, and how much is still to come over the next… however long Jon will have him.

They have a long way to go, an entire life to build out of the wreckage Jonah Magnus and Peter Lukas left them, but laying together in a comfortable, sleepy quiet, Martin thinks they’ve got a good start going.

Or, Jon quits the Institute, saves the world, and it turns out to be exactly what he needs in order to heal and start moving forward towards building a life with Martin.

Notes: how many times have i reread this fic? more than i can count. jon quits the institute and it’s just full of soft jonmartins. they get married! god i love them.

go softly by doomcountry

Summary:

And there is nothing else besides this.

Notes: every time i remember this fic i reread it. please heed the tags because martin is blinding jon, but he’s like. blinding jon in the most heartbreaking way possible. idk how the author made this so tender but i know i was certainly crying so!

The Reverb in These Holy Halls by  Wolftraps (AlwaysBoth)

Summary:

Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.

Notes: Do you like time travel fixits? i sure like time travel fixits. reverb is an excellent one. heavy on the h/c, I wanted to hug jon so so badly. 

Yesterday is Here by  CirrusGrey

Summary:

"Who the hell are you?" Jon could feel his hands shaking. The man laughed, taking a step forward and raising a hand to point at him. "I'm you, from the future!" he said, then swayed, eyes going unfocused, and collapsed to the floor in a dead faint. -------- Post-season-four Jon and Martin time travel back to the season one Archives.

Notes: Yet another time travel fixit! also excellent. the teasing was HYSTERICAL. also Im just going to say this now - CirrusGrey in general writes incredible tma fic. You can’t really go wrong.

unassigned supplementals by  bibliocratic 

Notes: I won’t put in a summary just because it’s a long series of oneshots, but bibliocratic’s writing is amazing. Again, you can’t really go wrong with one of their fic!

let the soft animal of your body by autoclaves

Summary:

Standing in the warm kitchen, slats of sepia light filtering through onto the counter in front of him, Martin doesn’t know what to do with his hands. He half expects them to go through the countertop entirely, glossy and solid as it is. He isn’t used to any of it, yet. The safehouse. Jon. Beams of sun pouring into his hands. After being deprived of everything of significance for so long, the longing that crashes over him is almost painful in its tangibility. He wants to laugh, to sob, to scream and hear it echoed back against the neat, square walls of the safehouse.

In the end, he doesn’t do any of these things. He makes eggs instead. He can do that, can’t he? Use his hands for something simple and plain and good.

(Or: In the safehouse after it all, Martin starts cooking.)

Notes: this fic really speaks to me a) because i project on martin like crazy and b) because food is also my love language. this fic is incredibly soft and it’s all about cooking!

“Have you tried turning it on and off again?” by shinyopals

Summary:

I hope you find your new role as Head of the Institute as rewarding as captaining the Tundra, wrote Elias Bouchard, to Peter Lukas. There are so many people working there: all with their own interesting lives, and all desiring your attention and support. I'm sure you will relish the challenge it will bring and enjoy every moment spent with the fine men and women of the Institute. In time I'm confident they'll become like a family to you.

The Magnus Institute has a new boss. The Magnus Institute also has a new tech support technician. These two facts are unrelated, except they both happen at the same time.

Meanwhile Jon's woken up from being dead for six months and for once he's trying his best. He just wishes Martin would stop avoiding him and answer his messages...

Notes: if you’re looking for a good laugh, this fic is SO SO SO FUNNY. i was dying. basically the magnus institute being an absolute bureaucratic nightmare.

hello my old heart  by  firebirdsuite

Summary:

Peter’s wrong, of course. When it’s all over, Martin does still want to tell Jon everything. It’s just—well, there’s a few things they need to work through first before they can get there.

Martin and Jon find each other again in Scotland.

Notes: it’s all about the yearning. and trust me, the yearning in this fic? im just. i sure do love jonmartin, and this is such soft, loving jonmartin it just makes you want to cry

two ships passing by pyrites

Summary:

Gerard Keay is 10 years old the very first time he tries to run away from home, right around the time that Jonathan Sims has just come into possession of his first Leitner.

Or: One dropped stone can change the way the whole ocean moves.

Notes: again, JONGERRY. MY GOODNESS. this fic is beautiful, the writing is absolutely breathtaking and it owns my heart. im so in love with it. the author said you’re going to have emotions about jon and gerry and jongerry and i said OKAY

Terminal Sight by viv_is_spooky

Summary:

Spider silk weaves through the visions of two Seers. Monstrosity is dawning on them both.

Notes: I’d never read a gerryoliver fic before this, but the execution is EXCELLENT and now im sold on the ship forever. This fic has wonderful prose and great characterization and i love it a whole lot.

Incomplete

assistant archivist au by  PitViperOfDoom

Notes: I won’t put a summary since I’m reccing an entire series, but. it is absolutely no secret that i adore jongerry. pit’s assistant archivist au slapped me over the head with some gorgeous jongerry oneshots and then gave me the gift of the main fic (which is still in progress) about head archivist martin. i love this au so so much

dustsceawung by  callmearcturus

Summary:

Martin had always been favored by the summer courts, and moving up north to the little village of Lacuna is a difficult adjustment. It's rainy and lonely and everyone seems to have a strange, distant relationship with the local faerie court.

However: there is a strange man in a cloak who walks past Martin's remote little cottage every few days.

However: there is a moth that keeps getting stuck in Martin's house during the rain.

These events are not as disconnected as they first appear.

Notes: you ever just read a fic that you didn’t know that you needed until after you read it? yeah. featuring the fae and moth jon and excellent characterization.

Illicio by ThatOneGirlBehindYou

As the new Archivist debates between life and death, the Eye ponders on what to offer him in order to avoid an encore of the unfortunate situation with his predecessor.

-----

Gerard Keay opens his eyes at what feels like fuck-ass in the morning, inside a room with far too little space and far too much dust.

Notes: This is also the moment where I reveal that im a sucker for jongerrymartin. please read this fic. gerry is brought back from the dead in s4 and everyone is far better off for it.

where there’s a will, we make a way by bubonickitten

Summary:

"So, what does happen if an Eye learns to See within itself?

What happens is this: the Archive Beholds the Watcher – and the Watcher blinks first."

________________________

Jon goes back to before the world ended and tries to forge a different path.

Notes: this time travel fixit is shaping up to be an absolutely incredible read. i love the way this author writes jon so so much, and the characterization is spot on. this whole fic just satisfies some little part of me. god. also!! bubonickitten’s writing in general? beautiful. please check out their other works.

The Timeline of Theseus by Applea

Jon tries to force the Spiral to send him back, but the Sprial's corridors never twist things quite the way you want them to. Back in 1996, Elias has no idea why or how the Eye made such a powerful Avatar out of an 8 year old, especially when said 8 year old doesn't actually know he has any powers at all. Clearly such a child cannot be left outside the Institute's care. 

Notes: This fic is legitimately brilliant. The author manages to capture the big ADHD mood and the precociousness of baby Jon while managing to write a wonderful storyline. Time travel! Elderly lesbians! A Jonah who is wildly in over his head but was walloped over the head with paternal instinct! Baby Gerry! What more could you possibly ask for?

rooms full of people who do not love each other yet by seaer

Summary:

“Wanted to ask about a book.” The boy has his hand on the counter, and he leans into it, nonchalant. The library is air-conditioned, but by no means frigid, and Jon can’t help but feel sweaty just looking at the layers he’s wearing; what looks like old leather over an olive-green Magnus pullover over his school shirt. “Do you have A Journal of the Plague Year?”

Jon says, tetchily, “We’re about to close.”

“I know. Do you have A Journal of the Plague Year?”

Notes: I am so in love with this author’s writing style and the way they write the characters!! The jon and gerry friendship is PERFECT and the character interactions are all darling.

if you read these fics please send the authors some love, they definitely deserve it!! 

[nite-shay]

His Hero Part 3 -Kirishima Eijirou x Reader

AN: I am so so so so so sorry for how long this took! :/ I wish I had a valid excuse for this but I don’t… I hope ya’ll enjoy it! 

Links: Part 1,  Part 2 , Part 3 

Also side note I know I’m messed up a few little things but I will edit tomorrow as I go through it. Its late D: But I promised myself I would post this today. 

******

Two days…

Two long, boring desk duty days.

Kirishima sighed loudly as he signed and initialed what had to be the same form for the tenth time in the same case file! 

Ah, bureaucracy of the hero world at its finest. 

Now UA prepared him for a lot of things. 

How to use his quirk fully, fighting villains, saving people, etc. 

But one thing they didn’t prepare him for was the amount of paperwork that came with his hero career. 

Hmm… maybe that’s why they gave so much homework…

Sign. Initial. Sign. Checkmark. Checkmark. Sign. Date. Wait, was he suppose to sign here or there? Crap, is that the right date? Did he just date everything wrong?! No wait, false alarm, the date is correct.

His chair gave a loud creak as he stretched his back, glancing up at the clock. He’d been at this for hours now, and he still hadn’t even made a dent in the wall of folders on his desk. 

His mind started to wander as he stared up at the clock hands that he swore he saw moved backward a few times. 

I wonder how (Y/N) doing…

It was crazy how badly he wanted to call up to the hospital and check on you, but… he was nervous. The last thing he wanted was for you to think he’s some creepy ex stalker who you literally barely knew you.  

He just… was worried about you. He wasn’t looking for another hookup! No, no, no! He just wanted to see how you were. He did care about you, not in a creepy way just in a general way!

Luckily he wasn’t completely in the dark about your condition, thanks to his green-haired bro. The morning after the robbery, Kirishima woke up to a thoughtful text on your condition. He even got an update on your son, who loved his news toys and played hard with them till he passed out in his mother’s arms.

God, he wished he could have seen it. 

He sighed loudly before tossing the file in the ‘completed’ section while reaching for the next one. He blinked as he lifted up the hefty folder. 

It was the toy store robbery. 

Damn, this was going to be a long one—numerous villains, along with multiple injured civilians and a fair bit of collateral damage. This was going to take the rest of the day. Thankfully, though, Fatgum should be just getting back from lunch, and the store just had a damn good security system installed last week.

“Well, would ya look at that? I guess paper really does beat rock.” A slightly slimmer Fatgum chuckled as he walked in their shared office, arms full of takeaway bags. 

“Ha Ha,” Kirishima laughed sarcastically, glancing over to the older hero. “Got enough food, Toyo?”

“I used quite a bit of energy yesterday on that emergency call. Gotta bulk back up.” He dumped the food on to the small table across the room. “Plus, we’re going to be here a while when those reports.”

“Yeaaaaah. Just got to the toy store one. Did the detective ever send the surveillance footage over?”

“Yeap, got it this morning. Check your email. I think you’re on it too.“ 

"Sweet. I’ll load it up.”

“And I got the snacks,” He grinned as he held up one of the bags. 

After some quick furniture rearrangement, two sat side by side in their chairs, video buffed, snacks to side, pen and paper at the ready for notes. This was still work after all.  They chose to use the blondes’ monitor since it was bigger. He had seniority, so he typically got the good stuff, which the redhead was cool with. 

The first 20 minutes of the video was pretty boring so then ended up fast-forwarding until a familiar pair entered the frame.  

It was you and your son. The two of you were slowly making your way down the sidewalk towards the store. Kirishima, who’d previously been slouched and looking rather bored, was not hyper-focused on the screen in front of them. Which didn’t go unnoticed by his mentor, who just snickered quietly to himself. 

“Look! There they are!” The younger hero couldn’t help but smile as he watched the two you. You had a sly smile on while your son, who was looking rather frustrated, said something to you. He watched as your lips moved, but nothing came from the speakers. What were the two of you talking about?

 Damn, he wished there was audio. 

“They look pretty happy, don’t they?” Fat gum comment just as you pointed to the shop, the kids’ faces lit up like a Christmas tree. The kid wasted no time as he grabbed your hand and dragged you inside the store.

“Yeah, they really do.” Kirishima grinned as he pressed a key, switching the view to inside. The redhead beamed as the two of you bounced from isle to isle, your son getting physically more and more excited. 

Something churned in him. 

Something that’s been happening here a lot recently. He noticed it a few weeks ago. 

How his gaze would linger on families he’d pass down the street or on Bakugou as he interacted with his daughter.  He really didn’t know what it was at first and just tried to ignore it. 

But when he ran into you and your son two days ago, those emotions were brought to the forefront.  And these last two days of drowning himself in work wasn’t just to get you off his mind. It was to drown out his feelings.

He… wanted this… 

A wife…. A kid… A family…

Not that he doesn’t have a family! He’s still got both of his parents plus his sister he talks to on a pretty regular basis. He’s also really close with his friends to the point where he thought of them as family. Hell, his literal best friend lives right next door to him. You’d think he has it all? 

A loving and supportive family. Amazing friends. An awesome career that is literally his dream. 

Sounds fantastic, right? 

But sometimes, after the long hard days. His apartment just felt empty. 

He was greeted with a quiet (Bakugou’s yelling is more like background noise to him now) home.  

No one to greet him when he gets home after a long day.

No one to just cuddle and share thoughts with. Even the stupid or random ones.

No one to share meals with while they go over plans or talk about their days. 

No one to have petty arguments with like who ate all the cereal and didn’t put it on the list, who left the cap off the toothpaste, not replacing the toilet paper.

No one but himself.

He had a few roommates for a while, but they all moved out to live with their s/o. He’d tried dating and even had a girlfriend move in with him once, but that ended badly. Hero life was hard. Being the significant other of a hero, well, that could be even harder some days. They broke up not long after, and he’d been single ever since. 

He mentally sighed. Guess it was the bachelor’s life him…

He continued to watch the two of you browse another aisle as you made your way to the back of the store. From the angle of the camera, he could barely see you now.  His hand itched to switch the view to the rear camera, but he restrained himself.  This was his job; he needs to watch for the villains, not ogle you. No matter how beautiful you were. How soft and sweet your voice was. Or how quickly that demeanor changed when it came to the safety of your son. He knows first hand you don’t come between a momma bear and her cub. He wouldn’t lie, seeing you go into protective mode, just… damn.

Thankfully, before that thought could go any further, two figures walked through the front door and into the frame. It was the villains. They could only watch as the villains made their way over to the front desk and the shopkeeper. 

The villains split up, the smaller one stayed near the desk while the larger one stalked around closer to the racks. He could see the villains and the shopkeeper talking but couldn’t make out what was being said. Lip reading wasn’t his thing. But it was apparent the villains were trying to intimidate the scared-looking man. 

A flash in the corner of the screen brought his attachment back to you as you and your son moved closer to the front and ultimately closer into danger. 

“No..go back…” Kirishima whispered under his breath as he watched the next bit unfold.  The brute yelled something, gave his partner before giving the rack on end a hard shove. Toys and plushies tumbled from their metal shelves as the racking toppled over into the one beside it. 

He already knew what was coming.

That rack fell into the next, which fell into the next one. Line by line, row by row. All the shelves dominoed into each. 

His eye darted from the villain back to where you were, his body on full alert. Your head jerks to the side, no doubt from the sound of the loud crashing. With reflexes that surprised even him, he watched as you grabbed your son just as the shelf beside you gave in to the weight of the rows before it. 

“Is there any other view on them?” He couldn���t stop himself from asking. Yeah they were suppose to keep their eyes on the villain's for the report but... 

“Yeah, there’s one in the back.” Fat was already reaching for the keyboard as he glared at the screen, his food seemingly forgotten. The screen flashed for switching over to the back of the shop.

It was total chaos. Toys, plushies, and other items were scattered everywhere from the falling rows. And there in the middle of the disaster area was you and your son. Nearly all of you laid beneath the rack currently pinning you to the floor, save for your one arm and your head. Your son wasn’t in any better of a position; he could only see the top of his head. Suddenly the video stopped. Fatgum had paused the video before playing back the part of you, grabbing your son, right before the rack fell. 

“Good reflexes.” The older man sighed in relief. “Little guy would have been crushed if he’d stayed .” Kirishima could only nod as they continued to watch. The video was back to where it was before, with the two of you being pinned under the rack. Even though he couldn’t seem much of you, he knew the two of you were scared. How could you not be? Damn, he should have gotten there faster! 

If he’d been faster, maybe… you wouldn’t have gotten hurt as bad, or your son wouldn’t have been as scared. Though, to be honest, it was just chance they’d been in the area. Guess you could say it was a right place at the right time kind deal. The two heroes just finished their shift and were heading back to the agency. They’d gotten into a debate on food and made a wrong turn, which put them on that street. A loud crash caught the attention of a civilian across who called to them from across the street.

If they hadn’t been there, how long would it have taken for the call to come in? How long would you have been pinned there? How long would your son have to watch you suffer, alone, scared?

A shadow in the corner of the screen shook him from his thoughts. It was the bigger villain making his way towards the back of the store. 

“Hide…” Kirishima mumbled as they watched the villain make his way over to you.  You shifted, hiding your son further into the small hollow, but leaving you exposed and unprotected. 

“The detective said in the email that a part of this was pretty hard to watch, I’m guessing that’s about to come up…” Fatgum muttered sadly, putting his snacks down on the table. They watched as the villain stopped in front of you. The man was clearly saying something to you, but you only kept your head down, shielding your young son. The villain tensed for a moment. Was it something you did? Or maybe you said? Whatever it was clearly angered him as he gave you a wicked grin before putting his foot on the rack above you. Before, the redhead wished there was sound, but now, he was grateful for the silence.

 "That bastard!“ He saw red as he watched you scream from the man applying more force to the shelf. 

"Easy Red, they’re both ok, that guy won’t be able t-.” The older man tried to calm down his partner, well, until the villain kicked you in the face. That made the older hero jump to his feet. “That fiend! Just you wait till we get there! You’ll regret that!” As enraged as Kirishima was, he couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at how quick his mentor’s demeanor changed.  

After picking his char up off the floor, Fat sat back down, and the two returned to watching the video. It wasn’t long, for they saw the villain’s lip moves, still looking over for walking off-screen. You weren’t moving, and your face was now covered in blood. 

Nothing moved on the screen for the longest time. Fat was just about to reach over and speed up the video when something caught his eye.

It was your son. 

Kirishima’s heart broke as he watched the small boy pull himself out from under the wreckage. He was shaking, and his clothes were torn, but thankfully, he wasn’t hurt. Well, not physically anyway. How the kid managed to walk away from that unscathed was a miracle. (Y/S/N) looked in the villain’s direction before turning back to you. It was hard to see the kids face at this angle, but the heroes didn’t need to. They knew he was crying as he gently shook you, trying to wake you up.

Sadly you weren’t waking up, not then anyway. 

If he’d been in that kid’s shoes at his age, he would have given up right then and there.

But not this kid. 

No, instead, he grabbed your arm and started pulling you. Trying to drag you up from under the rack.

This elementary school kid, who was just the victim of a villain attack, was trying with all his might to save his mom. He jerked and strained as he tried to pull you from under the massive weight, but you weren’t budging. He gave one final strong pull before slipping on remnants of a displaying, causing him to fall back on his butt. Kirishima had to physically stop himself from moving.  

The kid was back on his feet in a flash, this time though he was trying to lift the rack. He knew he couldn’t lift the shelf; even with a quirk, it would be impossible for him given his size. But there he was still pushing with everything he had. 

“Poor little guy. He must have been terrified but look at him. He’s really giving it his all." 

"He’s an awesome kid. If it’d been me, I’d be too scared to move.” Kirishima’s voice was full of pride but held a trace of sadness. The redhead was proud of the squirt. Most kids, hell, most adults would have been paralyzed with fear. 

But not him. 

Despite the fear.

Despite the pain. 

Despite the hopelessness.

He still kept trying.

He’d make a hell of a hero one day…

A flash of red in the corner of the screen jolted him from his thoughts. 

It was himself. They’d finally arrived to help. While the video played out in front of them, the rest of his senses played his memory. He could hear the kids cry for help. He could feel the weight of the shelf as he moved behind the kid to rescue you. The warmth yet limpness of your body as he pulled you from the wreckage. The wailing of your son calling out for you. The relief when he felt your pulse still beating beneath the fragile skin of your neck. The overwhelming emotions as tried to comfort the small, terrified child in his arms. 

Fatgum paused the video once everyone was out of frame. You on a stretcher and him with your son still in his arms.

“You did really good out there today, Red.” Fatgum grinned at him before reaching over to the file on the desk, flipping through the report.

“Thanks.” Kirishima sighed. “I just wish I could have done more. Maybe if I’d been faster, (Y/N) and (S/N) wouldn’t have had to suffer as much. Some hero I am…" 

"Don’t say that! You did everything you could and believe me when I say this, at that moment, you truly became that kids hero.”

“Hmm…"  Fatgum gave the folder in his hand a puzzled look before hit rewind on the footage.

"What’s up?” Kirishima glanced up at the larger hero. 

“It’s nothing really. Just wondering something. The paramedics said the kid was ok right?”

“Yeah, they checked over him at the scene. His clothes were torn up some, but surprisingly, the little guy didn’t have a scratch on him.” A light bulb went off. “Wait, How did he do that? He was under that rack too!”

“That’s what I was wondering. Maybe he used his quirk? If he did, given the shape he momma was in, it might have saved his life.”

“Hmm… well, he did say that his quirk was kind of like mine. But I didn’t see him use it.” He thought back. Fat paused the video to right as the rack was falling on to the two of you. It was still hard to watch, but they went through it frame by frame. “I can’t see anything resembling a quirk…”

“Hmm… I can’t tell anything. If he has a defensive quirk, it doesn’t really stand out. Plus, with all the objects falling around them, it makes it harder to tell. 

"Maybe his clothes are hiding it?”

“Hey, can you go to the part where he crawls out? I think there was a pretty good shot of him there.” Fatgum nod hit a few keys to comply. “There! Right there!” They let the video play out from there. 

Until they saw it. For a split second, the kid is looking right at the camera, showing his whole face. And something… just looked off. Was something wrong with the camera? Maybe it was a trick of the light or the lens?

“Can we zoom in on his face?” Kirishima leaned forward, looking closely at the screen as Fat zoomed in on the boy’s face. The screen was blurry for a minute, but slowly the video started to render, making the image clearer.

What? Was his skin…. hardening?

No, it was just hardening.. it was sharpening too… Just like his…

Kirishima felt his heart take a free fall into his stomach. 

 The kid didn’t have a quirk similar to his. 

No, his quirk was exactly like his!

The room started to spin as he felt like every molecule of breathable air suddenly took an exit stage right, right out of the room. 

“Hey… Kirishima… when did you meet (L/N) again?” Kirishima could barely hear Fat’s question over the ringing in his ears.

Links: Part 1,  Part 2 , Part 3

Thanks for the read! If you want see the other stuff I’ve done, click the link bellow! 

MasterList

Tags: @hot-pocket01 

[spn-headcanons-daily]

Hello people of the crazy spn fandom, how are we doing? (not well)

Wanna read some headcanons?

Since the finale, which brought me a new flavour of disappointment, I started to create a list of made up facts/headcanons (don't know how to call it better) of what should in my opinion happen to characters instead. Points about Dean and Cas from this list are slowly turning into my first actual fanfic, but points about Sam and Eileen are more difficult to write into a short story, so for now they are just staying as facts in a list. And I decided to post them here.

Will anyone ever read it? - Probably not.

Will that logical fact stop me? - Definitely not.

I'm going to post these ideas in order, one in each post. They can't count as actual fanfics, but they are long

Side note: I do not accept 15×20 as canon. Nope. It doesn't exist. I chose to completely ignore it, and by now I successfully erased it from my memory. Except for the part that in a few years Sam has a son named Dean (actually not really, but I'm going to call him that for simpler understanding, if you read it you will later find out why). And also Miracle the dog stays, he is a good boy and deserves the best.

I also should mention that in my imaginary world they saved Cas. And I have an idea how, and I think it's a good idea, but that's for another time, 'cause for that part I'm actually writing a fic (and it's becoming longer and longer, I don't know how to stop, it's out of control, please send help)

So they all know now that Cas is alive and he is okay.

Also you should keep in mind that English is my second language which I didn't study properly like a normal person but instead learned purely by watching tv shows, so feel free to kick my ass for any mistakes, there's probably a lot here.

If you read this shit below and liked it at least a little bit, please live something in the notes to make me feel less lonely and useless. Thanks :з

So, too much words, huh? Here is the first headcanon idea:

SAM WRITES A BOOK

After their big victory brothers still hunt monsters, of course, but now, when they are finally not constantly forced to save the whole world, their days are far less busy. They even have free time. And Sam makes a decision to do something useful with it.

Sam pulls together all his previous research, goes through hundreds of books from the library, adds other sources, and he writes and publishes a book. A really long book. It takes him almost a year from the first idea to the completion of it. This book is sort of a database, a full encyclopedia of all supernatural things that the Winchesters and the other hunters they know encountered over the years, with an accurate description of how those things look, what they do, what they want, where you can find them. And, of course, how to stop them, kill them, or protect yourself from them. The content is quite impressive, Sam put all his time and soul into it, checking and double-checking all information, comparing sources and trying to grasp the essence of each part of the lore and put it on the pages as short and simple as possible.

The book is called "The hunter's manual". Eileen insisted on that title - both Sam and Dean (who didn't help that much but nevertheless felt invested) right until the publishing kept offering something different. Sam wanted a long and self-explanatory name for his beloved creation, Dean wished for something more "pretentious and catchy".

It was supposed to be just a wiki-style website at first, but halfway through work Sam got excited about creating an actual book, so through some acquaintances they found a publisher, who knew about monsters and other stuff after his encounter with some vampires and another hunter, and agreed to publish a book in exchange for a right to sell its copies.

Eileen fully supported the idea of the book, but after a few weeks she gets quite annoyed by the fact that sometimes she literally can't pull Sam away from the book writing process. Dean jokes that his brother got married to book before he married Eileen, which somehow leads to a long serious conversation about marriage and love and life in general. But actually Eileen understands the importance of Sam's book for him way more than Dean, who thinks about it only from the practical point of view.

Sometimes Eileen is also worried for Sam, because he spends too much personal resources on his project, and she is the one who reminds him when he forgets to eat in time or not sleeping enough, and makes him remember to take care of himself. Eventually she becomes quite invested in the process, and she helps Sam with a lot of research and gaining information from other hunters across the country. She gets an honourable mention in the book's authors' information page, under a fake name, of course, but it still counts for them.

In a few years Sam's book becomes a handbook for almost every hunter in the US, and it even gets translated into a few other languages, because turns out it considerably eases your life to have one source for all basic material for the hunts, instead of going through the whole libraries of controversial information.

A few people got their book signed by Sam and Dean: the Winchesters at this point became sort of legendary figures in hunters' world. Dean complains that this is not the way he planned to become famous. Sam objects that his brother has no right to sign the book and therefore shouldn't be complaining when he lets him be part of his fame.

The hunters now often give a link to a digital version of the book to all ordinary people who had to face something supernatural and now know that it's all real - because if they are already aware of the nightmares of this world, this book's instructions will help them to be safer in the future. This digital version is also heavily redacted, to contain only information for protection: no summoning rituals, for example, as well as no any other things and information that could potentially hurt anybody. This version was created after some dumb teenagers, who encountered a ghost before, got their hands on an unedited book and decided that summoning a demon could be a good idea for a party entertainment. It definitely wasn't.

Ironically, some time later this book accidentally becomes fairly popular among the general public, as a book in the fantasy genre, and now passionate fans of the "supernatural" books in the long internet discussions are accusing mysterious author of "The hunter's manual" of ripping off their favourite series. Sam finds it amusing and sometimes when he is bored anonymously goes into some forums to argue with fans.

[femmeconduit]

Forecast for 2021

Note: This is a tarot and energy reading to forecast 2021 and should be considered a general reading, where it may not resonate for every individual. I’m a clairvoyant who woke up this morning with a weight like, “BING! Time to read!” and it knocked me on my ass so here I am, hoping the message will get to the person(s) it’s intended for. I don’t usually share collective messages on here because I’ve spent most of 2020 on my solo shadow work, but this message felt important so here goes.

Placing a cut for length (it’s nearly 2k overall):

Overall Vibe for 2021: Seven of Pentacles, Four of Wands

This brings me some relief as a reader because every New Year there’s usually a swell of jumping in with both feet and it can be a bit reckless. We don’t have that here. What we have for 2021 is cautious optimism, a sense of pause, to wait and see whether all the effort and emotional purging, all the hard work we put into 2020 is going to pay off this year.

The outcome of whether all the 2020 work is truly going to pay off is not clear to me right now. The energies are anxious on January 1st (at the time of this forecast), but one thread I’m picking up on is a sense of hope that all of the work we’ve done on ourselves in 2020 wasn’t for nothing--especially when it comes to connecting with others we love. Family, friends, and romantic partners who weathered through the worst of 2020 and bared their true selves together do show a strengthening of bonds in 2021. That will make the cautious optimism of waiting for the payoff easier to weather.

Overall, there isn't a blind expectation that everything is going to fall into place and that’s refreshing. I think it’s fair to say many of us had that in January of 2020, but much has changed and in 2021 many have moved away from that outlook. The hope for prosperity hasn’t fully diminished, but it’s more reserved and held closer to the chest than before. The strongest vibe is definitely, “We’ll wait and see” without fully committing to a view. It feels similarly to how sports fans feel at the beginning of a season when no games have been played.

Love in 2021: Four of Swords

Whoa! This is definitely not the hot & spicy vibes I’ve seen in other forecasts and I’m here quirking my eyebrow like, “ho hoo hooooo REALLY NOW?!?!” I resisted the urge to pull clarifiers since this is a collective reading. In a private reading, I would have jumped in this one. Anyways...

This is a sign that romantic standards have gone way up. Standards of lasting connection, what people are willing to put up with when forming partnerships, have raised the bar. And it feels like an ironclad “you’re in or you’re out” energy like someone would sooner slam the door than forgive and give second and third chances. I hear, “SHAPE UP!” 

When the pandemic is over and there are more opportunities to date in-person, many will be going in with their guard up and their list of must-haves. Don’t get me wrong; connections can be made in the heat of finally having human contact again, but the choice of whether to be exclusive and commit will have a higher threshold to meet. New partnerships will form only after both parties are sure the other can weather the kind of storms we saw in 2020 and I don’t feel those standards slipping just because someone may feel lonely. 

On a related note, I sense a lot of pre-occupation over physical safety being one of the forces behind the heightened standards. What if that hot stranger never wore the mask over their nose in 2020? It sounds a little silly but some of those thoughts will be floating around up there on the first date. The pandemic caused a lot of isolation where one may be stuck with a partner in limited space for a really long time. For 2021, people will want to make sure that the person that they're attaching to is someone who is going to truly be there in all of the ways that are needed and safe (hence the high standards).

I do feel a strong emotional yearning for love and connection (especially for singles), but it doesn’t feel stronger than the need to protect oneself. Even when the bars are open, some will be less willing to take the risks they may have taken in 2018/2019. I’m not picking up this risk in a physical sense like STIs, but more in the head & heart. Emotional risks will be considered more heavily when dating, especially for those who may have experienced a brutal wake-up call in their previous relationships in 2020. The partnered people who are still in unwanted relationships in 2021 will use that heightened standard energy to break things off, especially if the dating pool looks safer later in the year and they see the high standards paying off for their single friends.

Economy/Career in 2021: Page of Swords

This energy feels FRESH and forward-moving and I’m loving it. I see a lot of new business start-ups, especially home-based businesses that operate exclusively online. It feels like a rebirth of the cottage industry (any fellow historians who’ve studied labor history may be getting really excited about how this may impact other areas).

I see a yearning to branch out and make one’s mark, but it's not coming from a place of emotional fulfillment or sense of higher purpose. It’s coming from a place of, “This is what I need to protect my family and this is what I need to get what I want.” Feels heavy and I see earth and fire sign placements. Side hustles will grow to meet this energy, especially for those who may have endured a lot of economic challenges in 2020. The fear of potential loss in 2021 is going to fuel some of this, as many workers no longer feel protected and supported by their employers. Showing true colors in 2020 will have 2021 consequences. A lot of self-centering, self-protection energy means branching out to new jobs, new business, and new ways of earning (such as passive income).

Related to these changes, there will be new attempts to meet the growing demands of working from home. Will they all be successful? With the Page energy, I don’t think so. Some of this will be like throwing spaghetti and seeing what sticks and I feel embarrassed with this energy. Maybe someone comes out with an app that looks really tacky and fumbles hard. However, with the forward moving energy coming largely from the bottom in a decentralized way, I think there will be some successes. The ones who have been overburdened by that unfulfilling corporate job may just snap and run with that big idea they’ve been ruminating on all year in 2020. And with the Page, they’ll learn as they go along because they don't want to wait anymore.

What to Watch Out For in 2021: 10 of Wands

Be careful not to take on too much at once. All the forward movement energy, especially early in the year, will increase the risk of overburdening people who don’t keep their wants and needs in balance. There hasn’t been enough rest, reflection, or recovery on the collective level so the chances of frying oneself are high. I see a blonde woman with dry hair having an outburst in a public place (looks like a Target) and pulling her hair out with crazy eyes. She’s snapped, not because she’s deranged, but because she hit her breaking point and didn’t maintain the tools to decompress that shit. Yikes.

With 2020’s emotional and psychological challenges, many will want to fire off with all engines in 2021, but I wouldn’t recommend that with this Ten of Wands. It feels like “I did too much, I thought I could handle it,” exhaustion when one bites off more than they could chew. It’s important to stress that there’s no way one can undo all of 2020’s damage in a couple months in 2021 based on what I’m feeling with this card. Ten of Wands can be emotionally unstable to the point of causing problems with one’s physical health. Energy-sensitive people especially vulnerable here if they miscalculate how much they can handle early in the year. Maintaining balance within the self (eating healthy, self-care, etc.) is everything while one works on moving forward. You don’t have to stay still and do nothing, but you can take and should remember to eat, you know?

What We Have to Look Forward to in 2021: Queen of Pentacles (Reversed)

No surprises here: a reframing of our collective beliefs about money. The value of money, how we use money, how we approach money is going to change in 2021. It’s coming through as a positive because it’s a lesson learned. I’m seeing a lot of headlines about funding and law enforcement flashing. Queen of Pentacles in Reverse can come through as a negative card, but in this forecast it’s an overall lack of trust that drives the forces of positive change. Collectively, there is an understanding that the support structures we need--especially economically--don't exist, at least not in the way we need them to. And it's going to force us to reframe and make adjustments to our economic structure, even if it’s something small like opening up a high-interest savings account.

On a small scale, this energy will change how we save money and build it. Given the economic forecast, I see this impacting small businesses and small investors looking to increase their revenue streams. The sense of distrust where money is concerned will compel us to innovate and make smarter decisions than we made in 2020. Saving money keeps getting repeated. 

On a large scale, this energy may impact beliefs and access related to cryptocurrency and affect how tax dollars are allocated, with more oversight being demanded. Given the civil unrest, the government’s response, and how COVID relief was handled, I’m not surprised to feel collective anger where the “people’s money” is involved. It’s still there in 2021 and is aimed at the piggy bank.

What We are to Remember from 2020: King of Wands (Reversed)

Beautiful energy for a reversal. This card calls us to remember what we were able to accomplish when we worked together in 2020. The year was full of challenges and obstacles, and while we haven't overcome all of them, there were significant developments and innovation in the areas of medicine, telework, distance education, food service, etc.--all to meet the demands the pandemic created. Many of these changes occurred as a result of collaborative efforts to find solutions and significantly, much of that collaboration occurred remotely. It will continue to be a sorely needed requirement, as I see many more opportunities to work together to find solutions to problems in 2021. 

The good news in this appears to be that the 2020 trial-and-error in the realm of collaboration will pay off in 2021. I’m seeing a tense but efficient board room meeting where people are quick to throw out stupid ideas and my chest is getting lighter seeing it. If an option didn’t work well in 2020, it looks like we won’t even consider it as an option in 2021. Sounds like a timesaver to me!

That’s all I have for now. Hope you all stay safe and cautiously optimistic in the new year.

[lets-talk-appella]

If you have time can you do the “You’re not mature enough to be a parent.” - “Try me.” prompt.

This is like… more than a year later. But! I feel that we all need some fluff right now, so here you go, with a small modification.

Bounding

Summary: Domestic Bechloe fluff

Word Count: 2.5k

Rating: G for gross amounts of fluff

Ao3 and FFN (posted as a chapter in a series of prompts)

Chloe stares atthe pile of soggy, smelly laundry in the washer in disbelief. She blinks once.Yep. It’s definitely been sitting there. For several hours, judging by thecrumpled state of their clothes.

That’s when theannoyance sets in.

“Beca!” she shouts.

“What?” Becacalls from deeper in the house.

“Did you forgetto move the laundry again?!”

The ringingsilence she gets in return is all the answer she needs

After having beenmarried and living together for two years, it’s safe to say the honeymoon phaseis wearing off.

With a growl,Chloe reaches into the washer and tries to extract the clothes, which cling toeach other and the inside of the machine with stubborn tenacity. A whiff oftheir damp odor wafts into her nose and she cringes; changing her battletactics, she shoves the clothes back into the washer and slams the door closedso hard it makes the machine rattle. Muttering angrily, she wrenches open thelaundry cabinet and, in her haste to find the detergent, knocks over severalbottles of various stain removers and carpet cleaners, some of which crash tothe floor.

She groans outloud and stoops, collecting each item and shoving it back in the cabinet,knowing the lack of organization will annoy her later but not bothering to carenow. She untwists the cap of the detergent and, not paying close enoughattention to her task, pours far too much into the measuring cap and spends thenext few seconds pouring it back into the bottle. Of course, some trickles downthe side of the bottle and leaves a sticky blue mess.

Clicking hertongue in annoyance, Chloe tugs open the machine’s soap drawer, pours thedetergent into the slot, then slams the drawer closed. Her movements sharp andquick, she screws the cap back onto the detergent untidily, causing even moreof the soap to run down the sides of the bottle and onto her hand. With a huff,she wipes the bottle and her hand clean with some tissue and slams thedetergent onto its proper shelf so it knows what it’s done. Kicking the laundrycabinet door closed, she pounds her hand on the washer’s “start” button, whosecheery wash cycle jingle only worsens her temper.

Chloe blows astrand of hair from her eyes.

Is it really thathard to remember to switch clothes over to the dryer in a reasonable amount oftime? Or, is it so hard to do the dishes? Or, heaven forbid, put them away? Achore that Beca had neglected all week. Beca’s been neglecting lots ofhousehold tasks, now that Chloe thinks of it. Vacuuming, bathroom cleaning,studio organizing, meal prep. In fact, Chloe can’t recall a single thing Becaactually has helped with recently.

Chloe clenchesher jaw. They’re supposed to be a team.They’re supposed to work together to maintain house and home. They’re supposedto slow dance while cooking. They’re supposed to throw socks at each other whenfolding laundry. They’re supposed to trade kisses while passing one another inthe hall, one armed with a broom and the other pushing a vacuum.

But no. It’s beenChloe pulling both of their weights around the house, doing all the chores,while Beca sits behind her laptop mixing and doing who-knows-what, a veritableBeca Show while Chloe slaves away.

And she’s hadenough.

Gritting herteeth, Chloe barks out, “Beca! Where are you?”

A briefhesitation, then a small sounding, “Studio,” comes from Beca’s generaldirection.

Chloe snortsderisively. Of course. She stomps toward the study, moving quickly throughtheir kitchen and dining room and into the hall. The door to the studio roomBeca has claimed as her workspace is open a crack already, but Chloe stillflings it open. She holds onto the handle so it doesn’t ricochet off the wall(the last thing she needs right now is a drywall hole to patch) but it stillhas the desired effect; Beca stares at her from her desk, eyes wide andstartled.

“Chl—”

“Beca, what thehell?”

“I—”

“I had to restartthe washer because the clothes you leftin there started to mold.”

Which isn’tstrictly true. They just smelled kind of bad. But still, Beca’s grimacedelivers no small amount of satisfaction.

“I know, Iforgot, and—”

“You’reforgetting a lot!” Chloe cries, throwing her hands into the air. “Dishes,floors, bathrooms, cooking—”

“Chloe—”

“We need to eat, Beca! Do you want us both toabsolutely starve because you forgot to meal prep? I mean Jesus,Beca, I could pass out at work fromhunger if I don’t have lunch!”

Beca’s lipstwitch. Chloe feels some of her anger deflate, but rallies quickly.

“And what aboutthe—the floors? If we don’t vacuum—allergens! Molds! Dust! Everywhere!” Chloelists, regaining momentum. “Dirty carpets lead to heart disease, Beca, I readthat in the—”

“I’m sorry!” Becamanages, hands raised in a peace offering. “Really. I’m sorry. Work has beencrazy lately, and—”

“I work, too!”Chloe declares imperiously, though she knows her regular 9-to-5 hours as amusic teacher are less demanding than Beca’s often-erratic schedule meetingwith rising singers seeking production. “And yet I do everything!” She moves,storming farther into the room to join Beca behind the desk to peer at herlaptop. “What could you possibly beworking on that’s more important than—”

Chloe cutsherself off with a choking noise, unable to believe her eyes. She stares at thelaptop screen for a long moment, then looks back at Beca, who grins sheepishlywhile seeming to shrink into her office chair.

“So, um, I’vebeen thinking—”

“DOGS?” Chloeshouts, pointing an accusing finger at the laptop. “I’ve been breaking my BACKaround OUR house doing YOUR chores because you’re too busy looking at picturesof DOGS?”

“Um.” Beca says.“It’s the Humane site? I’ve just been thinking, you know, it might be nice tohave a dog?”

Chloe sputterswordlessly, despite the tiny part of her that agrees with Beca whole-heartedly.It would be really nice to have a dog. But she’s on a warpath, damn it, and shecan’t stop now. So, she draws herself up to her full height.

Beca’s eyes widenstill further. “They’re so fluffy, Chlo, look.”

“You’re notmature enough to be a dog parent!!” Chloe spits.

Beca’s eyebrowsdraw together and she lifts her chin, defiant. “Oh yeah? Try me!”

The words comeout loud and challenging, and for a second, they glare at each other. A smallmuscle twitches in Beca’s cheek, and Chloe has a fleeting thought towardkissing it.

Just like that,most of her anger drains away. She’s never managed to stay angry at Beca forlong.

“Fine,” she huffs,pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. I’ll ‘try you,’” she says, and noteswith satisfaction the sudden uncertainty in Beca’s eyes. “Time to go mattressshopping.”

Beca’s expressionturns to one of mingled horror and devastation. They’ve been talking aboutpurchasing a new mattress since their wedding, having used Chloe’s same oncesince college—which had been purchased secondhand from her cousin before herfreshman year. Which was several years ago. It’s safe to say the mattress hadbeen solidly worn out for a long time, with actual dips in the spots theyusually sleep. It’s just that mattress shopping—spending at least a few hoursin some stuffy mattress store, trying out the hundreds of options and findingsomething they both agree on—is such a chore that they’ve put it off.

Chloe standstriumphant, positive that Beca will drop the dog thing and agree to help morearound the house; basically, anything to delay the mattress shoppingexperience.

However.

To Chloe’ssurprise, Beca’s consternation changes quickly to resolve. She stands from herchair to meet Chloe’s eyes and closes her laptop.

“Fine!” Becasays, wearing that smug, closed lipped smile. “Let me get my keys.”

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

It takes themalmost twenty minutes to actually get in the car, because Beca is too stubbornto admit she lost her keys and wastes fifteen minutes stalling. Chloe finallydigs out her own keys and drives them to the nearest mattress store in silence.

When they arriveat the mattress store, Chloe is relieved to see the parking lot is fairly quietwith few customers. Beca isn’t a huge fan of crowds, and the guilt over makingher mattress shop on a weekend is already starting to set in a little. If therehad been a ton of people there, Chloe would have felt worse about it.

Maybe Beca sensesher guilt; her hand smoothes over Chloe’s lower back as they enter the store.The small gesture tells Chloe she has nothing to feel bad for, and that Beca’sright there with her.

“Good afternoon!”an older, smiling sales associate greets them almost immediately. Chloe’s eyesflick to a nametag: Jerry. His easy-going demeanor and welcoming expressionbring a smile to Chloe’s face.

“Hi!” she greets.“We’re looking for a king-sized, please. Can you help us with that?” As shealways does with new people, she looks for any telltale flicker behind his eyesat the realization that she and Beca are a couple. Thankfully, nothing in hisopen expression changes, and a moment later, Beca’s hand slips comfortably intohers.

“Definitely,”Jerry nods. “Right this way, please.”

He leads them toa side room, where dozens of the king-sized mattresses are aligned perfectly,gathered by brand and further organized by mattress quality and specifications.Maybe seeing their overwhelmed expressions, Jerry begins talking them throughthe advantages and disadvantages of certain brands, as well as the importanceof lumbar support, firmness-to-softness ratio, and customizable comfortsettings. Beca’s eyes glaze over about thirty seconds into his speech, thoughChloe catches her occasionally blinking in effort to pay attention.

It really, trulyisn’t anything against Jerry. It’s simply that mattress shopping is horrible.

It’s a bit of arelief when Jerry finishes the information overload. “I can see that you havemuch to consider,” he says kindly. “I’ll check on some other customers and comeback in a few minutes?”

“That’d be great,thank you,” Beca says, pulling herself out of whatever loop of music Chloe ispositive was running through her mind.

Chloe smiles atJerry as he returns to the main floor, and then turns to Beca. “Fun, right?”

“Super fun,” Becasays. “Very adult. Very mature of us to be here. Purchasing mattresses.”

“Mmm.”

“King-sized,even,” Beca continues. “Upgrade.”

“I thought wecould at least get a nice one.” Chloe walks toward a mattress, sitting on theedge and bouncing a little. “Ooh, Bec, this one is springy!”

“Oh yeah?” Becaasks, wiggling her eyebrows and slowly pacing to Chloe. “That’ll be fun…”

Chloe feels theheat rise in her neck as Beca draws closer.

“…for bouncingon!” Beca finishes her sentence, jumping completely onto the mattress andstanding on it. Before Chloe can stop her, she jumps on it once, making thewhole thing bounce under them both. “See?” Beca asks proudly, looking down ather.

“Get down!” Chloehisses, even while fighting a smile. “Jerry might be back soon!”

Instead, Becaextends her left hand. “Care to join me, m’Lady?”

It’s really thesight of Beca’s wedding band that does it. Chloe gives Beca her own left hand,and Beca helps her to her feet so they’re both standing on the bed.

“Beautiful,” Becasmiles, and it’s the easiest thing in the world for Chloe to lean forward andkiss her quickly.  

“You’re just asbeautiful,” she says.

“Mmm, very true,”Beca agrees with a crooked grin. “We’re both stunning. Now, wanna race to theother side of the room?”

“Oh, it is soon,” Chloe says, and before Beca can so much as blink, she’s jumping from theirmattress to the next, bounding along, aiming for the far wall.

“Cheater!” Becacalls out, and then all Chloe can hear is Beca’s laughter from behind her andthe regular squeaking of bed springs as Beca jumps on the mattresses.

They race, Chloein the lead, bouncing from mattress to mattress, focused on their end goal. Theelation of it fills Chloe, rises in her chest with every jump she takes, andshe feels like a child. Beca draws closer, until she keeps pace with Chloe, andthen they’re not so much racing as they are just keeping near each other. Themattresses are large enough that they can bounce a few times on each beforeleaping to the next, and by the time Chloe gets close to the finish line, herlegs burn with effort.

She arrives onthe final mattress barely an instant before Beca does, and the second Becalands, she wraps her arms around Chloe’s waist and falls, taking her down tothe soft display bed with her.

They’re bothlaughing and out of breath, and Chloe clings to Beca, who pulls her close, eyesdropping to Chloe’s lips, and—

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

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

The car ride homeis as silent as the ride to the store had been.

Chloe keeps hereyes resolutely on the road, both hands firmly on the wheel. Beside her, Becastares out the passenger window.

Traffic hasgotten heavier, people going out to dinner or to shows to enjoy the weekend.They get stuck at a red light. It’s the same one that Chloe swears she always gets stuck at; it definitely hasit out for her.

Beca clears herthroat softly. “So… he was kinda grumpy, wasn’t he?”

The dam breaksand laughter bubbles up from Chloe’s chest. Beca starts laughing too, real,rich laughter that only makes Chloe laugh harder. They laugh, and keeplaughing, each one setting off the other, and it doesn’t subside until Chloe’sstomach hurts and her cheeks ache.

“Oh my god,” shemanages weakly, wiping tears from her eyes as the traffic light turns green andthey inch forward with the crowd of cars. “I thought he was going to kill us.”

“Nah, Jerrywouldn’t do that,” Beca says, waving a hand. “He was trying not to laugh thewhole time he was banning us from the store.”

“He still bannedus though!”

“Only because hetotally had to,” Beca argues. “We still ordered a mattress, so at least wedon’t have to do that again for a while.”

“It was more funthan I thought it would be,” Chloe concedes, taking her eyes off the road onlyfor a moment to smile at her wife.

“It was,” Becaagrees. “Though, maybe you were right about me not being mature. I’m sorry,Chlo. I’ll help more around the house and with everything.”

“I’d appreciatethat,” Chloe sighs happily. “And then, you know, we can talk about being dogparents.”

Beca perks upimmediately. “Yeah?”

“Totes,” Chloereplies easily. “And, maybe, eventually… parent-parents?” she glances over,biting her lip.

Beca is lookingat her like she put the stars in the sky. “That would be nice,” she says.

“Then it’s adeal,” Chloe agrees. “Just… no letting the dog on the new bed, okay?”

Beca doesn’tanswer.

“Bec, I mean it!”

“No promises,Chlo.”

[raywritesthings]

Bird in a Storm, 10/17

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Quentin Lance, John Diggle, Helena Bertinelli, Raisa, Joanna de la Vega, Ted Grant, Female OCs, Male OCs Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen Summary: The confrontation between the Hood and SWAT on the roof of the Winick Building goes differently, altering the course of Laurel’s career, relationships and efforts to save her city forever, the shockwaves of such an altered path making themselves felt throughout her family and friends. *Can be read on my AO3, link is in bio*

So far, so good, Laurel kept telling herself over the next week. Mr. Khan and his shop remained unharmed, those thugs hadn’t made any reprisals or found her out, and the police hadn’t come knocking on her door. She was in the clear.

But the clear wasn’t good enough. One night wasn’t good enough. If she was going to make any real difference in the Glades, she was going to have to keep on with it.

Time to get serious.

It was hard knowing what to do or how to proceed outside of just saying she would to herself, though. After all, even if she didn’t really want to imitate the Hood in all matters, she had to admit Ollie’s vaunted list gave him an itinerary. The best she could hope for would be to wander around and wait for crime to happen. Not that that was a far-fetched prospect in the Glades.

But she couldn’t just stand around at night in a ski mask, either. That would give people the opposite idea of what she was going for. So then, maybe some updates to her look were in order.

She reflected on this as she entered the thrift store. Ostensibly, she was grabbing some things for the approaching warmer weather, but she wasn’t above browsing around for ideas. Was a scarf too Western? Would it fall off too easily?

Beside the clearance racks where she’d picked out a new shirt was a small bin labeled “free”. Maybe she wasn’t absolutely destitute, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a look through.

Most of it was clothes that were completely out of season, not to mention fashion. A toy car that was missing one wheel and a few ugly patterned scarves were also in amongst the clutter.

Her thumb snagged an elastic band and she pulled out a black domino mask. Probably discarded from some Halloween costume. Laurel studied it for a moment, then slowly lifted it towards her face.

It’d be less sweaty, and easier to breathe in. Cheap as this one was. Maybe it’d be better to save up and make her own. She’d continued practicing hand-sewing during the slow hours at work, in the event that she might develop small holes or tears in her clothes that could be patched up instead of thrown away. And hand-stitching had other uses considering what she was planning.

Laurel left the mask in the bin and took her other purchases up to the register, mind still racing with ideas.

She’d need more than a mask to conceal her identity. But she didn’t want a hood. If she was doing this, she didn’t want to be seen as only some lackey of Oliver’s. This was her own mission, her own way.

A head covering in general would limit her visibility plus make her stand out pretty readily. She needed something discreet. Laurel didn’t have fancy arrows with lines attached that could pull her up the side of a building in moments. She had to be able to make a getaway, even in a crowd.

She needed to look like a woman.

It was so simple when it hit her. So long as she could be any woman — just some woman, with great hair and a body — they would never bother to see past the mask. She just had to not look like herself too much, that was the key. Dye was too permanent; a wig would disguise her hair better.

Over the next week she made the necessary purchases, each at a different shop and in cash. The important thing was not to let it be traced back to her.

As for weapons, she looked into something she could carry on her person. A baseball bat was way too conspicuous for a woman in her twenties to be walking around with. Eventually, she was drawn to a collapsible bo staff. She’d seen staffs hanging on the wall at the Wildcat Gym and knew Oliver used them for sparring practice with Mr. Diggle. It was a weapon she felt comfortable using with some practice, which she nudged a reluctant Ted into.

“I just want to try different things, you know?” She’d said with a casual shrug. “No point getting pigeon-holed.” Losing her job as a lawyer and realizing she had no real backup plan had taught her that the hard way.

She went out the first night she got all her gear together, knowing if she hesitated that she would find a way to talk herself out of it. The long hair of the wig swishing around her shoulders was a familiar weight. With her hands shoved in her jacket pockets — one hand over the staff and one hand over the mask, she walked around, watching and waiting.

Only she didn’t really find anything, other than a few catcalls. The next day, she saw there had been a reported mugging halfway across the Glades from where she’d staked out.

It was like this over the next few nights. She wasn’t where she needed to be or she’d get there just after she was needed. It occurred to her that this was probably why Oliver tended to stick to his list; it was full of ongoing problems he could investigate and then decide to attack in his own time.

She didn’t have the luxury of a base of operations or the ability to get into and out of high rises safely, though. And she wanted to be on the ground, handling the problems Jerome and Mrs. Ross had talked about. The problems she saw every day. She’d just have to get lucky.

The next night, she did.

The only gas station in the Glades was hit up for a robbery just as she was passing by. Laurel caught the flash of a gun out of the corner of her eye through the store window and quickly ran to the wall, flattening herself against it to get a better look. Two men, one pointing the gun and the other shoveling money from the register into a bag. They weren’t even bothering with ski masks, just hats pulled over their hair and jacket collars popped.

She glanced up at the security camera pointed at the front door. Its light was off. It wasn’t on, or perhaps it had never been plugged in.

Laurel got out her mask and extended the staff.

The door banged open as she stood and landed a hit low on the first man’s legs just as he ran out. He toppled over, his face smacking into the pavement. His partner in crime stumbled over him right into her fist, falling back against the wall. Laurel wrenched the gun out of his fingers and took note of the safety. Still on. The clip was empty. She shook her head.

“Who the fuck are you?” The guy on the ground spat. There was blood on his lip.

“Just someone in the neighborhood.”

With two hits of her staff, they were both knocked unconscious. She picked up the bag of cash, opened the door again, and tossed it towards the counter at the clerk, who was watching with wide eyes. Laurel didn’t wait for a response, knowing her priority was now to get as far away from the scene as possible.

Her heart pumped with adrenaline as she fled several streets away, a wide grin stretched over her lips. She had done it, and it still felt great. What did a few boring nights matter if every so often she could manage something like this?

Of course, it began to take a toll on her schedule. She woke up later, didn’t have near as much time before work to get her day started. She saw the few friends she had less.

Joanna took it the hardest. “I’m not gonna see you at work when I go back, Laurel. And sorry, but you don’t have the excuse of being too busy to have a social life anymore. So do you just not want to be friends?”

“It’s not that, Jo. Never. I’m just… trying to work out some things. Figure out where my life’s going.”

Her friend had scoffed over the line. “Well let me know if I’m still in it.” She’d hung up shortly after.

It was easier now to see things from Oliver’s point of view; how he’d tried to maintain relationships without letting slip what was really going on in his life. It made her miss him fiercely.

They hadn’t talked much since after Mr. Merlyn’s hospitalization. Ostensibly, they still weren’t supposed to be friends, after all. And Laurel hesitated to reach out to him about her new nighttime activities; something told her he wouldn’t approve.

Well, that wasn’t Ollie’s job to approve or not, so it was simply better for the both of them if she kept it to herself. He had enough on his plate seeing as the Hood was still going out at nights, taking on the elites in this city.

She was just doing her part where she could, making sure the people he was trying to help got that help sooner rather than later. It was his upbringing, she knew, that caused him to see things the way he did. The big picture instead of the small.

Laurel would aim to improve things from the bottom up while he continued to work from the top down. Maybe they’d meet somewhere in the middle someday.

She did her best to brush aside that sort of wishful thinking. It would be silly to think after everything that there was any sort of future for them. She didn’t even know what future there was for herself.

But as long as she could do something good, she would keep going.

---

Anita was starting to wonder if her Avó had been right about coming to live in Brazil. These past few months in Starling had been crazy.

It wasn’t as if she hated it at Avó’s either. She loved the cooking, loved the weather, loved the language. The only trouble would be, as always, money. Jerome wasn’t near fluent enough in Portuguese to find good work, and she couldn’t be too sure of it herself. They were just getting by in the States, and as long as that was enough for them she’d be happy to stay.

She’d gotten lucky. While other girls had been chasing after gangbangers and potheads in school, her Jerome had gotten a job to support him and his grandma. He’d always been the responsible type.

His grandma had passed three years ago, and the medical bills and funeral arrangements had put a strain on their finances, enough to convince them to sell the old house to a developer and start renting. A real estate agent had assured them the Glades was going to start gentrifying and that they’d be able to get a good price.

Only the sale hadn’t yielded as much as they’d hoped, so they’d remained stuck in the Glades instead of moving to a better, safer neighborhood. It didn’t bother her so much right now. But in a few years when they might have kids on the way? She wanted them going to good schools, not the poor excuse for school she and Jerome had attended.

They did their best to save, but there was always something coming down the pipe they weren’t expecting. At least they didn’t have a car. The repairs would be killer.

There was always crazy stuff going on in Starling City these days, too. Ever since some guy had decided to become a souped up Robin Hood last fall and take out his anger issues on a bunch of rich folks. As long as he kept it to them, Anita didn’t mind so much. For the first several weeks or so, it had created a buzz of conversation through the neighborhood. This guy was trying to change things, maybe. And in some cases he did. Here or there, people got their money back.

But the wealthy were good at consolidating what they had. Companies transferred from corrupt CEOs to corrupt board rooms, money disappeared before it could be returned to the right owners. And this guy liked to drop bodies. That part, Anita wasn’t so keen on.

Because there were people getting more violent in the Glades now, too. Drug dealers, young and angry men unsupervised by the old mob hierarchy. This Hood didn’t seem to have a backup plan for any of that.

Jerome was frustrated by it far more than she was. “I mean, did we ask this guy to come here and fight for us? Stir up trouble? Did he come talk to any of us, see what we wanted?”

“No, he didn’t,” she dutifully agreed before bringing out both their dinners. She kissed him on the cheek as she went around him. “But it’d be hard for him to ask around without giving the game away, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jerome dug into his food and there was quiet from his end of the table for a while. “You know, the guys are saying there’s some woman out there now.”

“A woman?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Well, good for her.”

He grinned. “You like that? They’re saying she’s a real, how’s it go — right, gata.”

Anita arched an eyebrow. “You gonna leave me for her?”

He kept grinning. “Never, baby, you know me better than that.”

“Then she can be as good-looking as she wants.” Anita pushed her plate aside and came over to him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. “I don’t mind.”

At work, she started hearing the rumors, too, over the next few days. “Nobody knows where she came from,” said Lanh in hushed excitement as they stood one sink apart. “But she gave a man following my roommate home a black eye the other night.”

“No kidding?”

“Yeah. It’s cool, isn’t it?”

No killing, dealing with stuff in the neighborhood. It was like someone had come in and asked around or sat in on their talks, then decided to make all their wishes and hopes come true in the form of a lady in black leather. Seemed crazy, but that was life now.

She stopped by next door to see Laurel, wanting to get her opinion. After all, wasn’t she here because of her support for vigilantism in the first place?

Only when her neighbor answered the door, it was clear she’d only just finished stitching up a nasty cut on her arm.

“Ooh, honey, what happened?”

“Just a work accident. Shears, you know?” Laurel let her in and hurriedly cleared up some bloodied napkins. “What’s up?”

Anita decided to leave her questioning behind. “Just wanted to see if you were free. We should have a night out, you know?”

“Okay, your place or mine?”

Anita waved a hand. “I was thinking a little more exciting than that. They’re saying the Verdant’s finally opening.”

Laurel raised both eyebrows. “Are they?”

“Mm-hm. Wanna check it out?”

“I don’t know…”

She leaned over the counter towards her friend. “Come on. Nights in only feel better if you go out sometimes, too. Variety’s the spice of life.”

“It’s going to be packed,” Laurel pointed out. “We’d be lucky to wait in line for three hours before getting in.”

“Couple of good looking girls like us?” Anita grinned. “Besides, you know the owner.”

Her friend shook her head. “Oliver and I aren’t that close anymore.”

“Right, which is why you call him Oliver and not ‘Queen’ or ‘my cheating bastard of an ex’,” said Anita. “Come on, billionaire boy owes you a million favors, so why not call one in? It’ll be fun. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

She watched Laurel debate it for a few minutes. “Alright. But if he says no, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He said yes, clearly, because Laurel sent her a text that afternoon saying what time they should be there. No mention of a cover fee either, which was interesting. She’d have to meet billionaire boy herself to be sure, but if Anita’s intuition was any good, she’d say Oliver Queen was still pining away for her neighbor despite his cheating past. So Anita would be happy to drink his booze and help her friend kick him to the curb if need be.

They walked to the Verdant together, skipping the line entirely by going through a back door Laurel had been told about. A man just about shorter than Jerome but beefier greeted them inside. “Laurel.”

“Mr. Diggle. This is my neighbor, Anita.”

He nodded to her. “Pleasure to meet you, miss.”

“You too. Swanky place,” she said, getting a good look around as she took steps further in. The bass was already vibrating in her bones.

“Um, if you could pass on our thanks to Oliver. I’m sure he’s very busy tonight,” Laurel was saying.

“I’m sure once he’s finished showing his family the place that he’ll be making the time. Mr. Queen’s been doing some re-evaluating lately. But I’ll let you enjoy your evening.”

“Re-evaluating?” Anita asked as they left the man to head out onto the main floor.

Laurel shook her head. “Let’s not get into that. I think our first drinks are on the house.”

The drinks were excellent, it turned out. Here and there they met a scant few familiar faces, and Anita introduced Laurel to them. She couldn’t help noticing that most of the patrons clearly weren’t from around here; too many Rolexes and real jewels on wrists. Looked like the gentrification had finally begun.

“I’m going to get us another round,” she spoke loudly into Laurel’s ear. Tonight wasn’t for thinking those kinds of things. It was for just letting loose and pretending life wasn’t so crap sometimes.

As Anita returned with the drinks, her pace slowed. There was a woman with dark hair standing behind her friend and gripping Laurel’s arm tightly. Anita ducked around a couple chattering away to get closer without drawing attention to herself.

To her surprise, Laurel seemed to recognize this stranger. “Helena?”

“Laurel, good to see you. Almost didn’t recognize you,” said the woman.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing personal, but I heard about your fall from grace. Must’ve stung when you realized Oliver wasn’t really there for you. He never is.”

“Let me go, Helena.”

“Sorry, but you’re my insurance policy. We’re going downstairs to wait for Oliver, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll come quietly.”

Anita had just about heard enough. She looked around frantically for the security — they were either at the doors or far against the walls and couldn’t see them out here in the throng of people. So she did the next thing she thought of.

“Hey!”

The woman turned towards her direction just in time for Anita’s drink to splash in her face. She staggered back, gasping in shock.

And that was when Laurel sprang into action.

Anita had been planning to take her friend’s arm and run for it, but Laurel’s arms were moving and the woman was down on the floor in seconds, her arms pinned behind her back. She kicked out with both feet, heel gouging Laurel’s leg. Laurel gave a grunt that was only barely heard over the music, sitting on the woman’s thigh hard.

“Hey!”

“What the—”

“Is it a fight?”

“Yeah! Awesome!”

There was a small crowd growing around them, and Anita felt herself pressed between people on either side. Laurel’s arm bore long scratches while she held the woman’s head in a lock Anita could swear she’d never seen outside WWE.

“Excuse me! What’s going on here?”

Anita’s eyes bugged out as suddenly Oliver Queen cut through the crowd on her right. His eyes widened for a moment before he plunged in and grabbed Laurel around the waist, pulling her off the woman. Once she was set down behind him he yanked the other woman up as well, pulling her towards the exit.

The man who let them in before took Laurel’s arm and guided her after them. “Come on, Laurel,” she thought she read off his lips.

Anita rushed after them.

Oliver Queen was shouting at the woman named Helena when they all got outside. “If you ever come after someone I care about again—”

“My father—”

“Is no longer your concern! You do not have any business in Starling, Helena, and you will stay far away from here. Or else.”

Helena’s eyes flashed with anger, but she stalked off into the night.

“Wow,” Anita breathed in the silence. Oliver Queen looked a little surprised and discomforted to find he had an audience.

“Um…”

“Figured it was better for appearance’s sake if both parties caught fighting were escorted out,” Mr. Diggle said.

“And she’s my friend, so I’m sticking with her,” Anita added in explanation.

Oliver Queen nodded before turning to Laurel, one hand touching her arm. “Are you okay?”

Laurel shrugged. “Just fine.”

“What were you thinking?” He asked next. “Helena is dangerous—”

“So I was supposed to let her take me hostage?” Laurel finished for him, eyes narrowing.

“She’s a killer, Laurel.”

Anita’s eyebrows rose at that.

“And I had it taken care of. She was hardly going to kill me if she wanted to take me somewhere.”

The two of them were in each other’s faces, close enough to share the same air. She doubted either of them noticed.

“If something had happened—”

“It didn’t. Can’t you focus on that?”

“But it could have!”

“There’s no point to wondering what could have been, Ollie! Believe me, I’ve tried!” Laurel turned around and started marching away from him, the effect ruined somewhat by a slight limp.

Oliver Queen sighed. “Laurel, wait. Let Digg look at your leg.”

“I’ve got it.”

“Then let me call you a cab. Please.”

Laurel paused, and Anita took the opening. “We’ll take a cab, yeah.”

Laurel fixed her with a frown.

“Honey, you’re bleeding.”

A few minutes later, they were bundled into a cab and leaving the Verdant. What a night out. Jerome was never going to believe this. She’d heard the odd thing here or there since Laurel had moved in and knew of her gym classes, but damn, her friend was a brawler when she wanted to be!

They were halfway home when it hit her. “Shit, that was mob girl, wasn’t it? Huntress or something? She was the one going around whacking her dad’s people.”

Laurel sighed. “Yeah.”

“Okay, then billionaire boy might have a point. Cause they were saying that girl was nuts, you know? Not somebody to get mixed up with.”

“Wasn’t trying to, believe me. But I’m not going to go along and let things happen to me anymore, Anita. That’s not who I am.”

“Probably a good attitude to have in this town. Maybe I should pick Capoeira back up,” she mused.

“Capoeira?”

“Afro-Brazilian fighting style. I took classes after school for a bit, like the Irish girls that do line dancing, you know? There was a place down by our old laundromat. Wonder if it’s still open.”

“We could take a look together. If it’s okay for others to learn,” Laurel added after a moment.

“Sure, but aren’t you busy as it is at that gym?”

Laurel shrugged. “I could make time. And anyway, we’d get to see each other.”

Anita smiled. “Alright, we’ll check it out. But after that leg of yours is better. You’re gonna need it in good condition, believe me.”

They got out in front of Laurel’s and Anita helped her into the house, insisting she help get the leg cleaned up at the least. “You got something to numb that?”

“Not really.”

“Tell me you don’t have work first thing tomorrow.”

“I can manage.”

Anita pushed her hair back. “I mean, what did that bitch want anyway? Why’d she try to take you somewhere?”

Laurel shrugged, her eyes on the floor. “She dated Ollie a few months back.”

“Oh.” Jealous ex to the extreme, then. “You need anything else?”

“No, you should get home.”

“Okay, well just text me, alright? Get plenty of sleep.”

“I will, Anita.” Laurel stiffened when Anita leaned in to hug her. It took a moment for her friend to relax in her arms. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Anita let herself out so Laurel wouldn’t have to get up right away. The younger woman still seemed a little stunned; she suspected Laurel had been the big sister and minder to so many people over the years that she’d forgotten what it was like to have someone looking out for her for a change.

She and Laurel signed up for an intermediate class after they both tested into it; her because of her prior experience and Laurel because she was already quick on her feet. Anita could tell the class was going to kick her butt and complained to Jerome about it for hours as he rubbed her feet after the first lesson.

“Guess someone was a little jealous of that woman in black after all,” he teased.

“Yeah, just you wait. My legs are gonna look fantastic. You’ll be picking your jaw off the floor.”

As the days went on and there were more growing rumors of this woman in the Glades, she felt herself newly inspired. When women looked out for each other, it made the neighborhood all the better.

Though the more she heard and the more she watched Laurel’s determined look in their classes, the more the mysterious woman seemed less like a stranger, and more like someone she knew. Crazy as that sounded.

---

Quentin had taken to keeping an ear out for crimes in the Glades. It both increased his blood pressure and soothed his nerves, because the amount of criminal activity coming out of there was unheard of. But so far, his daughter hadn’t been mixed up in any of it.

Statistically, he worried it wouldn’t last. But what could he do? He’d raised her to be fiercely independent, and his initial bad reaction when Laurel had perhaps been at her most vulnerable ensured she would never take his charity. He was lucky enough that she was still speaking to him, especially after he’d brought her mother over for a truly appalling attempt at reconnecting.

He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He couldn’t blame his estranged wife entirely for what had happened to Sara; it wasn’t as if she could have known what would happen out at sea. Bitterly, it occurred to him that by the same token, he couldn’t blame Queen then, either. Even if the man himself believed it, he hadn’t killed Quentin’s daughter.

Even more distressing, perhaps, was how much and how little Queen and Dinah had done to try and make amends with Laurel respectively. Where Queen had been nothing but repentant, Dinah had given excuses. She hadn’t even seemed to truly grasp what she had done wrong until Laurel had spelled it out to her.

She’d left a couple weeks ago, shaken and doubly discouraged when Laurel’s old friend at the Chinese embassy had confirmed the girl in the picture with the Rockets cap wasn’t their baby girl. Just another young woman who had bought a baseball cap on any ordinary day. He hadn’t given Laurel that news yet; he suspected she’d already guessed.

He picked up and then set aside the photo on his desk with his two girls. In some ways, he felt equally distant to them these days, though he knew he was kidding himself. The damage he’d done to his and Laurel’s relationship was entirely his own doing, not a random act of nature. He should stop wasting the time and make amends.

“Got a situation on 7th and Shane Street,” an officer announced to the bullpen, snapping Quentin out of his reverie. “Might need a couple detectives, cause we’ve got witnesses.”

Quentin stood. “I’ll go.” 7th and Shane was right in the heart of the Glades. He didn’t think it was all that far from that flower shop, come to think of it.

He drove over to find a bus pulled to the side of the road. It didn’t look to be damaged any. The driver and a few passengers stood around, the latter group all waiting for rides. A few men lay on the ground, welts on their faces and black eyes starting to turn into ugly bruises as they were cuffed by the officers. He ducked under the police tape and walked over to the group of witnesses.

“Alright, can anyone tell me how this whole thing started?”

“It was the hijackers,” a man near the back mumbled.

“The what?”

“The hijackers, man.” He was nudged by a woman at his left, probably a girlfriend or wife. She eyed the gun at Quentin’s belt warily. He carefully reached for a notepad and pencil to keep his hands occupied with that.

“And who are these hijackers?”

“They’ve been hitting the buses, usually on payday, sir,” the girlfriend spoke up. “Part of a newer gang.”

“Uh-huh. Was the SCPD informed of this?”

There were murmurings. Everyone too afraid to say yes. He frowned.

“How long ago did this start?”

“Little after the Bertinelli mob fell, sir.”

“It’s been horrible. They take everything you got. Money, jewelry, smartphones. We’re sitting ducks the whole route home!”

There were a bunch of voices shouting at him now, all wanting to be heard. One woman’s voice in particular stuck out amongst the group thanks to its heavy accent; an older woman in a housemaid’s uniform under her coat.

“They wanted my chotki,” she said, showing them all a black rope with many knots and beads in a few places, tied in a cross at the end. “It is wool and wood, what could they want with that? They were brutes. But she saved us.”

“She?” Quentin asked, stepping towards her. He thought he recognized this woman. Wasn’t she one of the Queens’ people?

Scarcely had he thought it before Oliver Queen himself came running up to the yellow tape. “Raisa!”

“Mr. Oliver!”

Just his luck. Quentin headed over as Queen lifted the tape to let Ms. Raisa out. “Just a minute,” he called.

Queen turned back to him. “Detective Lance, I came here to make sure Raisa got home safely. She’s been through enough for one night.”

“She’s not in trouble. I just need her to finish her statement. Now, who is ‘she’?”

Ms. Raisa shrugged. “No one really knows. They call her ‘the woman’.” She smiled warmly. “I believe tonight she was an angel.”

“Right,” he said.

“Was that everything, Detective Lance?” Queen asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, alright. Get her home.”

The two of them left, Queen leaning down to ask his housemaid a question Quentin couldn’t hear. He turned back to the group which was gradually starting to disperse. There were no useful additions other than someone saying a woman showed up a few minutes after the hijackers forced the bus to pull over.

The Hood. Now the Woman. Just great. Why had this city all of a sudden decided to go nuts?

He swung by Laurel’s place on his way back to the station and knocked. No one answered after a minute, but the light was on. He knocked again, louder.

“Just a second!” His daughter called out. She wrenched the door open in leggings and a blue tank top. “Dad! What are you doing here?”

“Can’t I visit my daughter?” His bravado covered his nerves, but relief was his primary emotion as she stepped back to let him inside.

“Were you on a call somewhere?”

“Yeah. There’s been some trouble with the bus routes. You don’t ride those often, do you?”

“Just to visit Joanna at her mom’s. Or to get downtown if I needed to.”

“Yeah, well stay off them at night, alright? There’s been gangs hitting them.”

“I know.”

That drew him up short. It occurred to him that these days, Laurel perhaps had an even more advance warning on crime in the Glades than he did. All the more reason to hate this arrangement.

He watched with narrowed eyes as she lowered herself onto her couch with a wince.

“What’s wrong with your back?”

She stiffened and winced again. “Oh, just work. I was lifting a lot of mulch bags today.”

Quentin shook his head. His poor girl had always had a willowy build. She was delicate, even if he’d made sure she knew how to defend herself in a tight spot. “You’re not meant for this kind of work, Laurel. We gotta find you something else.”

“This is doing me fine. Besides, I’m pretty sure to get law work, I’d have to leave Starling.”

“Shouldn’t have discouraged you from taking that corporate job in San Francisco,” he muttered.

“Well, I’m glad you did,” she told him. “I’m glad for the help I was able to give people at CNRI and for the help I can hopefully still give people here.”

He sighed. “Hopefully. You know, you can do anything you set your mind to, honey. I really do believe that. But what’s your plan here?”

She smiled. “I’m figuring it out, dad. I promise.”

He left soon after, since he was technically still on the clock at the precinct. Laurel told him she would head to bed shortly to rest up, and he made a note to grab some of those icy hot packs for her at the store. He thought he could play it off like an overdue Christmas present to get her to accept them. Hell, he owed her enough Christmases and birthdays from the last five years he could probably supply her through next March. If she was still breaking her back doing this work by then.

Laurel wasn’t the only one who needed a plan. Quentin had been keeping an eye on Daily in the close to two months since he’d been back on the force. There were no obvious slip ups, but he could just tell there was something off about the man. Call it his gut. Now with this bus hijacking situation having been swept under the rug for as long as it had been, he was starting to wonder just how many of his own people he could trust.

Was it genuine malice or just apathy for a neighborhood that saw enough hard times already? He wasn’t sure which was worse at the end of the day. But it was causing unrest, causing more and more people to turn to alternate means to seek justice.

By the end of the week, they saw an example of the worst of it; some guy in the subway tunnels committing extrajudicial killings and calling himself the Savior. The Hood had been forced to put him down to save the likes of that kid Harper. The Hood at least seemed to understand that vigilantes couldn’t be allowed free reign of this city, even if he continued to operate in it.

So he finally made the call.

Quentin stood out back behind his apartment building, the vigilante phone in his hand. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the precinct when he made this call. Just thinking about if someone caught him in the act — maybe Daily, maybe Hall with her earnest regard for the law — had his hands shaking.

“Detective?”

“Yeah, listen, we gotta talk. With everything going on in this city, with the force, I’m having trouble deciding who to trust. Now I don’t trust you,” he wanted to make clear. “But you’re a known quantity. I know what you want, what you’re willing to do.”

“And how does that help you?”

“It helps me because I think there’s some people on the force I can’t trust, and I don’t know what they want either.” Could be money, could be they felt threatened, could be they were always rotten. “Now I know you’ve figured out how to spy on us. I need you to tell me who’s on the take.”

“It’s not something I was concerning myself with.”

“Well start concerning yourself with it. You want people to stop popping up like this Savior or this Woman, it starts with law enforcement being a trusted and respected institution. You can’t tell me you expect things to magically stay better whenever you finally decide to hang that hood up?”

There was a long pause. “I’ll look into it, Detective. Keep the phone on you. I’ll call.”

Then the line went dead. Quentin breathed in and out once and headed back into his building. He hadn’t exactly done anything wrong. He’d simply pointed out an issue the Hood had likely been tangentially aware of and asked him to direct his attention towards it. Whatever happened after… well, maybe he was partly to blame.

Would Laurel ever call him a hypocrite if she found out about this or what?

[etherealwaifgoddess]

I Love  You,  Merry Christmas Pt.1, An Avengers Holiday Adventure

Main Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: It’s your first holiday season with Bucky and time to meet his Avengers family! Set in the AU of What He Wants, which you can read HERE if you missed it.

Warnings/ Content: Tooth rotting fluff then some lemons at the end

Word Count: 3898

Author’s Note: Hello lovelies! We’re back in the What He Wants AU again. This is a three part fic to follow What He Wants and Friday Night Tradition.  I know it's not the holiday season BUT the three chapters here are all critical to the happily ever after we're following for our boy. So please forgive me for rushing seasons and brace yourself for some sweet fluff, heart wrenching angst, and a surprise in the works.

Again, for the tag list peeps: I’m tagging all the original WHW tag list, if any of you want removed, or if anyone new wants to be added, just let me know.

XOXO - Ash

I Love You, Merry Christmas

Some days Bucky finds it hard to believe his life was ever more than this; the simple, easy life he has with you out in the woods of rural Pennsylvania. Where his only worry is if you remembered to get more coffee when you were at the store, and when you’re going to finally breakdown and pick out a new sofa. HYDRA, alien enemies, and battles for humanity seem like distant memories and he’s happy to leave them as such. But when Shuri’s face pops up on his cell phone screen on one cold December morning he can’t ignore his past. 

“Mholweni, Shuri.” He says answering the call and brings the phone up to his face so she can see him as well. 

“Mholweni, my friend.” She replies grinning. “It’s been too long.” 

“It has. What have you been up to?”

“Oh you know, working on upgrading the security software we have at the palace and generally driving my brother crazy.”

Bucky chuckles, “That sounds about right.” 

“Did you hear T’Challa is coming to New York for Christmas?”

“I didn’t. What’s got him crossing the Atlantic at this time of year? Doesn’t he know it’s freezing in New York in December?” 

“There’s some big meeting going on the week after New Years and Pepper offered for him to come out and spend the holidays at the compound. I think she’s planning to get everyone to come stay at the compound for a week or two. Has she called you yet?” 

Bucky shakes his head, “No, not yet. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it though.” 

Shuri glares at him through the phone, “James Barnes, if I am traveling thousands of miles to deal with snow and ice and rude New Yorkers you had better be there too!” 

“I’ll have to make sure we don’t already have plans.” 

“Ah, yes. I heard you had found your Isithandwa. I need to meet this woman who has stolen your heart.” 

“If we come up for Christmas you’ll get to meet her then. Let me ask her and I’ll let you know for sure as soon as I can.” 

“I can’t wait. I have a few upgrade ideas for your arm too if you don’t mind letting me poke around at it a bit. I want to try and sharpen the sensory receptors using a new type of….” Shuri rattles on for several minutes about her new tech breakthrough which Bucky only gets the general idea of. He smiles and nods as is appropriate and Shuri finally realizes she’s lost him. “When did I lose you?” She huffs at him.

Bucky gives her a quick grin, hoping to avoid pissing her off, “Right after the words tech breakthrough.” 

She lets out an exasperated laugh and shakes her head at him, “You’re impossible. But you’re going to love the upgrades I have in mind. Now, go ask your love about Christmas and text me so I know if I should bother tagging along with T’Challa or not.” 

“Okay, will do. Don’t be a stranger.”

“You too.” Shuri disconnects the call and Bucky wanders into the kitchen to find you. 

You’re adding more spices to a large pot of chili which has been simmering on the stove for the better part of the afternoon and Bucky leans against the doorframe for a moment watching you. Your hair is tied up on top of your head in a messy bun and you’re wearing your favorite ancient, soft, sweatshirt over thick leggings. Your favorite playlist is filling the kitchen with upbeat punk rock and you move your shoulders and hips along with the beat while you stir. Bucky thinks there is no more perfect sight in all the universe and a vague plan starts forming in his mind of something else Shuri can help him with while she’s visiting. 

“Hey, doll.” Bucky calls, breaking you from your reverie. 

You spin around at his voice and smile at the sight of him leaning against the doorframe. “Hey babe. What’s up?”

“What do you normally do for Christmas?” 

You’re caught by surprise at his question. “Well, nothing much really. We exchange gifts at the center and then most years I just have dinner with Martha and Chris if they’re home for the holiday. They’ll be down in Florida this year though. Why?” 

“I know we had talked about going up to the Avengers compound at some point, but it’s still really soon, so don’t feel like we have to…” Bucky’s rambling and you cut him off, sparing him from working himself up any further.

“Do you want to spend Christmas in New York with your Avengers family?” 

Bucky’s face is eager and hopeful. “If you wouldn’t mind.” 

“Of course not. They’re your family, of course we should spend the holidays with them.”

“Thank you.” Bucky lets out a relieved breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. 

You cross the small kitchen to wrap your arms around him, “They’re your family, Buck. We absolutely should go.”

Bucky places a kiss on top of your head as you nuzzle into his broad chest. “I’ll text Shuri and let her know. I’m sure Pepper will be calling about it too.”

“Is everyone going up for the holidays?”

“That’s what Shuri said. Apparently Pepper is trying to get everyone to stay a week or two around Christmas and New Years. T’Challa was already coming out for some meeting in New York so Shuri is tagging along. If everyone shows it’s gonna be a full house. You sure you’re okay with going? It’s gonna be a lot.” 

“I was going to meet them all eventually, anyway, it might as well be all at once. The center closes from Christmas Eve until January 2nd every year so we have the time.”

“Thank you, doll. It means a lot. It’s gonna be our first year without… them… and I want to be there for Pepper and Morgan. It’s not going to be the easiest time.” 

“I get it. My first Christmas alone was awful. It’ll be good for all of you to be together this year.” 

“You’re too good to me.” Bucky tilts your chin up with a cool metal finger and presses soft kisses against your lips before resting his forehead against yours. 

You expected the holidays to be bittersweet for him but at least now he’ll have a support system that’s more than just you. Being around so many close friends will be good for him and you are looking forward to meeting everyone at last. 

~~~~~~~~~~

December flies by and you barely finish shopping for everyone by the time Christmas Eve rolls around. Bucky is frantically looking for his spare hair tie and you’re already leaving 20 minutes late. 

“Just grab one of mine!” You call into the bathroom at him. 

“Fine. Fuck it.” He growls snatching up a pink hair tie from the top drawer. 

He’s been on edge all morning, nervous to see everyone despite how much he misses them. 

“Hey.” You push a hand against his chest, stopping him for a moment. “Take a breath. We’ll get there when we get there. Everyone is going to be happy to see you regardless of when you arrive. You’ve been looking forward to this all month, don’t let your anxiety get the best of you.”

Bucky heaves a breath and you leave your palm in place until you feel his chest rising and falling a more normal pace. “Thanks doll.” He says with a grateful smile.

“Any time. Now, the car is packed, your hair looks fine, and we can stop at the Dunkin’ on the turnpike for coffee. Let’s go!” 

Bucky nods and grabs your hand, following you to the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re not sure who squeals the loudest when Bucky’s feet hit the pavement outside the Avengers compound. He’s barely out of the car when Morgan, Pepper, Shuri, and Sam come running out the door. Morgan has wrapped herself around his legs like a tiny attack koala while Sam and Shuri each take a shoulder to hug. Pepper waits patiently and gives him a quick hug and a sad smile once she pulls Morgan off of him. 

“Now that’s a welcome!” He laughs looking around at his closest friends. 

You hang back on the other side of the car, watching the scene unfold. There is so much love for him here and it warms your heart. After everyone pulls back and the questions begin you notice Bucky shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He’s not great with so much attention being put on him and you go around to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him against you for support. He shoots you a grateful look and puts his arm around your shoulders. “Well, guys, this is Minnie.” He tells them and then points out each person to you. You had decided a week ago that you would continue to use your SHIELD alias with the Avengers. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust them but it would make things a lot less confusing since most of them had heard of you before as that name. 

The group welcomes you warmly with assorted hellos and hugs from everyone. After Morgan grumbles dramatically about freezing her toes off, the group of women head inside leaving Bucky and Sam to unload the car. You follow the women to the living room where you’re introduced to Wanda who’s typing furiously on her phone. It’s a little nerve wracking being surrounded by so many amazing, talented, beautiful people but you tamp down your nervousness and find yourself falling into easy conversation with them. 

Bucky, Sam, Bruce, and T’Challa join your group in the living room some time later, arms full of presents to scatter around the tree amongst the already large pile of gifts. Bucky seeks you out straightaway, pulling you against him with his arm draped around your shoulders. It anchors him, having physical contact with you, easing his nerves. Shuri moves over to sit on his other side on the large sofa and starts poking around at his vibranium arm. He allows her free reign, used to her science driven mind. She is so proud of her creation and wants nothing more than to continue fine tuning things for him. “Shuri, if you can wait until later I’ll take the whole damn thing off for you to play with.” His tone is mild, teasing.

She chuckles, “Sorry. I just want to get it perfect, you know? Stop by the lab later and I’ll make the adjustments I have in mind.” 

Bucky nods and then joins in the conversation you’re having with Sam who’s taken a seat on the other side of you.

Sam gives Bucky a ridiculous grin and thumbs up, “I like her, Buck. You better not mess this up or we’ll keep her and give you the boot.” 

“I have no plans on messing this up. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I know it.” 

You blush under his praise and Bucky just beams with pride. 

It’s late that night when the group disbands for the evening. Bucky shows you to his old living quarters and you’re surprised to find it’s basically a small apartment and not just a bedroom like you expected. There aren’t many things of his around the space and you see why he wasn’t overly concerned about coming back to collect his belongings. 

You snuggle into his small single bed, your body pressing up against his. “How are you holding up?” You ask him sleepily. 

“ ‘M’kay so far.” He mumbles against your neck. 

“Good, I’m glad. Everyone seems so happy to see you.” 

“Missed them too.” Bucky is only half awake as he basks in the warmth of your skin molded against his, “They like you, ya know?”

You try not to chuckle at the sound of his soft, sleepy voice, “I like them too.” 

“ ‘M’glad.”

“Alright, sleepyhead, get some rest. We’re gonna have to get up in a few hours for presents.” 

“ ‘M’kay. Night, mouse. Love you.” 

Your whole body tenses at his sleepy admission. Sure, you knew the emotion was there but neither one of you had dared to verbalize it yet.

Bucky notices when you tense up and he replays his words in his head looking for the cause. Oh shit. He��s fully awake now, desperate to ensure he hasn’t just scared you off. “Shit! I… I know it’s too soon. God, I’m such a fuck up. Please, please don’t run. Please…”

You watch as dozens of emotions flicker across his expressive face. Your heart is pounding in your chest and you know you have to push forward to relieve his anxiety. “I’m not running. Did you mean it?” 

Bucky swallows thickly, he can’t lie to you. “Yeah, I did. I love you, Y/N.” 

“I love you too, Bucky.” 

Bucky makes a choked sound and holds you even tighter against him. 

You feel dampness on your chest where he’s buried his face and you stroke his hair gently, letting him ride out the wave of emotions he’s feeling. “You’re not a fuck up. I know it’s soon but I’ve felt it for a while too. It’s okay.” 

He shudders a breath and nods, sniffling. You slide down a little so your faces are in front of one another’s and smooth the tears away from his face. “It’s okay. I love you.” You reassure him. 

Bucky nods again before pressing his lips against yours. You can taste the salt of tears on his soft, full lips and your body responds to his instantly. “I never thought I’d have this. Didn’t think it was possible for someone like me.” He quietly confesses. 

Slowly his hands roam the curves of your body and you gasp as he runs his palm across your breast. Bucky shifts so you’re on your back and he’s hovering over you, arching his hips against yours and pouring every last ounce of desperation and love into his frantic kisses. “I need you, doll.” He moans against your mouth. 

“I’m yours.” You reply, digging your nails into his shoulders as he plunges himself into you. There’s no preamble and you groan at the stretch and fullness of Bucky burying himself into you.

 He pauses once he’s fully seated inside you, his hair falling around you like a silken curtain. It’s grown out more and you love wrapping your fingers in it. “I love you so much.” Bucky begins moving, rolling his hips and making you squirm as he hits the sensitive bundle of nerves deep inside you. You shudder with pleasure and he moans your name, shoulders shaking from the effort to slow his motions. “So perfect. It’s like you were made for me.” He slips his right hand down to the apex of your thighs to rub in rhythm with his hips, driving you over the edge quickly. 

“I love you. I love you. I love you.” You gasp, your words punctuated by the slapping of his hips against yours as he loses himself and begins pounding into you desperately. You’re close yet again and Bucky rolls your overly sensitized nub between his fingers until you climax, crying out his name. 

Your name is a growl on his lips as Bucky finds his own release, clinging to you desperately. Once he’s spent he collapses on top of you, barely catching himself so he doesn’t crush you under his full weight. You sprinkle kisses across his face, “Best. Christmas. Ever.” You say in between kisses.

Bucky chuckles softly, “Agreed. Now, we really do need to sleep. Morgan is going to have the whole compound up in about four hours.” He rolls off you, tucking your back against his chest so he can hold you.

“Mmm, I have no doubt. Merry Christmas, I love you.” You say with a satisfied smile. 

“Merry Christmas, I love you too.” He echoes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s just after six thirty in the morning when FRIDAY announces that Miss Morgan Stark has requested everyone’s presence in the living room. You groan but get up, pulling on soft flannel pajama pants and an old faded AC/DC T-shirt. Bucky emerges from the bathroom with his sweatpants riding low on his hips, his sleeveless tank clinging to his broad chest, and you can’t hide your reaction. He grins widely, knowing what he’s doing to you. “See somethin’ you like, mouse?” He teases, crossing his arms emphasizing the wide expanse of his shoulders just a little more. 

You fight back a smile and shake your head. “We don’t have time for that. Stop it.” 

Bucky laughs and catches the hairbrush you toss at him. “Stop what?” He shakes his hair out a little as he brushes it and you force your attention elsewhere.

“You know what you’re doing, jerk. No one has the right to look that damn good this early.” You jump when his arms snake around your waist, you hadn’t heard his approach. 

“The feeling’s mutual.” He moves your hair away from your neck to press an open mouthed kiss against it and you shudder. “But you’re right. Come on, I want to give you your present.” Bucky grabs your hand and leads you out to the elevator so you can head down to the living room. 

Everyone is already gathered around the large space and Pepper is handing out gifts. Morgan is surrounded by boxes which she’s tearing into at lightning speed but she’s quick to thank the gift giver once she sees what it is. 

“Morning love birds.” Sam jokes, “We were wondering if you’d be joining us or not.”

“Shut it, bird-man, or no presents for you.” Bucky grumbles affectionately, giving Sam a shove. 

Bucky and you take turns handing out gifts to everyone, pleased that each person seems to genuinely appreciate the gifts you selected for them. You’re all but bouncing in your seat when it comes time for Bucky’s gift. You had spent a lot of time researching it and even called on Sam for a little assistance. Waiting for Bucky to take the seat next to you, you hand him the envelope with shaking hands.

“What could it be?” He asks dramatically, giving the envelope a little shake. “It’s certainly not the jacket I put on my wish list.” 

You rolled your eyes at him, if he wanted a new leather jacket so much he could just go out and buy one. You had much bigger plans. 

Bucky tears open the envelope and plucks the silver key out of the envelope, dangling from the key is a leather keychain with the Harley Davidson symbol stamped on it. “What is this?” He asks slowly, wide eyed.

“Well, you had talked about how much you missed your bike and I knew it wasn’t something you would just buy yourself so…” you shrug.

“You got me a motorcycle?!” Bucky all but yells. Everyone stops their unwrapping and looks over at him but he is completely oblivious to the attention. 

“Not just a motorcycle, a Harley Davidson Street 750.” You tell him proudly. 

“That’s…. I can’t….”

“I think you fried his brain, Minnie.” Sam jokes.

Bucky stops his stuttering and throws himself on you, hugging you tightly as he practically crushes you under him.

“I’m glad you like it but I need to breathe.” You squeak. 

Bucky eases off of you, “Sorry. Thank you, doll. This is an amazing gift. How did you know?” 

“I had a little help.” You high five Sam, pleased your plan worked out so well.

“So where is it?” He looks eager, like a little boy waiting to play with a new toy. 

“It’s out in the garage. Pepper was kind enough to let me have it delivered here. You can take it out after breakfast.” 

“I can’t wait. But I’m seriously rethinking your gift now.” 

“I’m going to love it, whatever it is.” You assure him.

Bucky pulls out an envelope and you laugh, “If it’s a motorcycle we’re gonna have a problem.” You tease him. 

“Nope, definitely not a motorcycle.” He gives you a lopsided smile.

Inside the envelope is a beige certificate with gold script: D’Or Mer Luxury Spa. Day passes for six guests, Le Mieux package. You had heard of the spa, it was the best on the east coast and celebrities regularly raved about the place. The last time you’d even been near a spa was to get your hair done before prom in high school. You had a pedicure at a nail salon since but even that was at least two years ago. For six people though, you didn’t even have two friends to take, let alone five. And the salon was outside New York City, it was going to be a really long drive for a day trip. “This is incredible, Bucky. Thank you.” You push aside your spinning thoughts and let yourself be grateful that he had been so thoughtful. 

“I just figured, you take such good care of me all the time, you deserve to be taken care of by the best. And it’ll give you a chance to get to know everyone better too. You’ve said you missed having a close knit group of girlfriends and, well, I have friends to share.” 

“Wait,” you stop him, confused. “What?”

“The appointment is set up for this Friday. Pepper offered to have you all fly down and back in the helicopter. I’ll just hang out here with the guys and you can have a whole day to relax and be pampered.” 

“All of us…?”

“Yeah, I wanted to be sure you had a fun day so I’m sending all of you. You, Pepper, Shuri, Wanda, and May and Laura are coming in later today.”

“You are the most over the top, sweet, kind, thoughtful, amazing…” you would have continued but he cuts you off with a searing kiss that has Sam cat calling behind you.

“Just say thank you!” Pepper shouts across the room. 

You pull back, cheeks flushed, “Thank you, babe. I love you so much.” 

“I love you too. I know it’s not a motorcycle, but still… okay gift?”

“Awesome gift, really. I can’t wait.” 

Pride radiates off of Bucky as he pulls you onto his lap where you’re able to sit back and watch everyone else open the remaining gifts. It’s your first Christmas in over a decade that feels like a real holiday and you’re more thankful than words can express. 

Later in the day Peter and May show up, and a few hours after that Clint, Laura, and their children arrive as well. Even though the compound is massive, the number of people sprawled out between the living room and dining room and kitchen make the place seem full. People are mostly standing around chatting, but some of the guys had started up a game on the Xbox and Bucky joins in after you all but push him at Sam. You knew he wanted to join his friends and didn’t want him to miss out because of you. You had developed a fast friendship with Pepper earlier in the day and find yourself hanging out with her for most of the night. It was a perfect first holiday with the group and you hope Pepper will continue the tradition in the years to come. 

Tag List Lovelies: @my-current-fandom-is @blacklightguidesnic @amazonianbeauty@ladyemofhousestark@abswritesfandoms@rupestria @dark-night-sky-99

[sariahsue]

What Will You Do When Everyone Knows? Chapter 7

Ladybug and Cat Noir are having trouble with the newest akuma.  She’s dressed all in black, hardly speaks, and keeps slipping through their fingers.  To make things worse, she exposes Ladybug’s identity to the world.  Which should Marinette be more concerned about?  The world’s reaction, or her partner’s?  

Rated PG for action.  Chapter word count: 1,650.

Read chapter 1 here. Read chapter 6 here.

    When school finally let out for the day, Alya spent no time making sure Marinette got her one-on-one tutor session. "Hey, Adrien!" she said. "I need a favor." She threw a glance to Marinette, who froze immediately. She knew Alya's "evil scheming voice" when she heard it, which was often.

    "What is it?"

    "Marinette here-" Alya patted her on the head. Yup. She knew where this was going. "-is feeling overwhelmed with all the attention and could use a few pointers on dealing with fans. Think you could help us out?"

    "Absolutely!" he said.

    "Great! Well, I've got this big babysitting thing I have to do, so see you later, Marinette. Love you! Bye!" She caught Nino by the arm and dragged him away before he could protest. She took all of Marinette's composure with her.

    Be normal, she reminded herself. He knows you're Ladybug, so he'll know that it's Ladybug acting weird around him. Of course, this was when she finally realized she'd been staring at him for almost a full minute. She'd already messed up. Way to go, Marinette!

    "So..." He scratched the back of his neck.

    "Advice!" she said, gathering up her things as quickly as possible. "I'd love some."

    Their classmates shuffled past them. A few said goodbye to them in the rush to get out of the stuffy classroom. They only had two finals to go before the end of the year, and no one wanted to stay in the school longer than exactly necessary, except for Chloe and Sabrina, who seemed to be arguing over something. The two of them started to drift toward the door. Should she stand closer to him? Was she already standing too close?

    "Okay, I guess the first lesson is-"

    "MARIKINS!" Chloe strode toward them, arms outstretched. Sabrina was still standing next to their desk, abandoned.

    "First lesson is how to avoid Chloe," he whispered.

    He grabbed her hand, and they dashed through the door and down the corridor. Marinette had just enough time to see what Adrien had written on the scrap paper. Each one had an adorably bad picture of a ladybug and a smiley face, followed by the caption, "Now you can tell everyone you saw a ladybug. Go back to class."

    Poor Cat Noir, she thought as they continued to sprint to her locker. He can be cute sometimes, but he has no chance against Adrien.

    Chloe's voice had died out behind them when they finally stopped running, but they kept walking at a quick pace. It seemed to deter the few students who hadn't already escaped the building. Her fingers were tingling where they touched his. Unfortunately, just then he realized he'd grabbed her and suddenly let go, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

    "Okay, so second rule is don't let it go to your head- well, uh, not that I think you'd be awful like that, I'm just saying in general. You know what? Just forget that one."

    "No, I get it," she said. She'd had to deal with some of that already, that feeling of self-importance that comes with power, fame, and attention.

    She was bathing in Adrien's undivided attention after craving it for so long, but it suddenly bothered her. How was this different from what everyone else was doing? Was he being helpful because that was just who he was, or just because of who she was? Or am I just being a bad friend for questioning his motives like this?

    "Third." He put a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her down the hallway, and her heart sped up. "Never google yourself. Just don't." He listed a few others, all of which were sound advice.

    "Try to be nice to the press. Most of the time they just want to get their story and go home as fast as possible. It's not personal."

    "Cat Noir told me almost the same thing," she said. "That one's mine." She pointed to her locker, which was halfway down the hall and mercifully abandoned this time.

    "Oh, right," he said. "I mean, right? It's a good tip, right?" He laughed nervously.

    "Yeah, he has some good ideas, but don't tell him I said that." They stopped in front of the locker, and Marinette glared at the door for a few seconds. Now that the surprise had worn off, she realized she wasn't really afraid of the akuma woman's intentions. She was mostly just mad. She undid the lock and opened the door to find a few more notes from admirers, but no pictures.

    "Is everything okay?" Adrien asked.

    She continued to frown as she gathered up everything she would need to prepare for the next final, but she left the notes in her locker. She'd deal with those later.

    Adrien hovered next to her anxiously. "What's wrong, My-- arinette?"

    Her mood suddenly brightened. My Marinette? Was that what he'd been about to say? She didn't care about the reason why he was giving her attention. Having it was definitely a good thing. She was definitely going to ask him out.

    "Nothing's wrong," she finally said as she closed the door and turned to face him. "I just have to talk to Cat Noir about something. Nothing to worry about."

    "Okay," he said. His eyes were still squinted with concern, but he didn't press her for an explanation. Adrien gave her a few more pointers as they walked out of the building together.

    "And don't take criticism personally," he said as he held the door open for her. The heat of summer was tempered by a light breeze. The only good thing about finals was that they got out of school much earlier than normal. There would be fewer people out on the streets this time of day, but she was still unsurprised to see camera crews waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Good news. She'd get to use the advice Adrien had given her right away. Yay.

    He waited off to the side as Marinette quickly told the reporters that this akuma was nothing to worry about, and she appreciated all the support she was getting from so many people, and she was sorry, but she really had to get going. By the time she had finished and made her way back over to him, a sleek limo had pulled up to the curb.

    Well, it was too late to ask him out today. The nagging doubt came back and told her it was probably for the best. What if he was only interested in her because she was Ladybug, just like Cat Noir and all the rest of Paris?

    Adrien pulled open the limo door, and the cool, conditioned air started to creep around her legs. She hadn't realized she'd gotten that close to the car.

    "Did you want a ride?" he asked.

    "Oh, n-no! It's okay," she said quickly, stepping backward. Was he being nice only because she was Ladybug?

    "Are you sure? It's no trouble." He nodded toward the reporters, who were picking up their cameras. The streets were relatively empty.

    "I should walk," she said. "It's not far." She wanted to maintain as much normalcy as possible, and she needed to text Alya before she drove herself crazy. With one final reassurance that she was fine, he shut the door and disappeared.

    Marinette took off down the street and pulled out her phone.

    Marinette – 12:10 – Thanks for abandoning me.

    Alya – 12:10 – You're welcome. How did it go?

    Marinette – 12:10 – What if Adrien only likes me because I'm Ladybug?

    Alya – 12:11 – Oh, no.

    Alya – 12:11 – He likes you because he finally realized you're brave and selfless.

    Alya – 12:11 – What a nightmare.

    She crossed the street, expecting to see Chantal again or at the very least someone waving at her from a car window, but neither happened.

    Marinette – 12:12 – No, what if he only likes me because I'm famous?

    Admitting it to someone else made her feel a little better. Her doubts suddenly felt hollow.

    Alya – 12:12 – Seriously? He would have married Chloe by now if that's what he cared about. Stop it.

    The bakery lights were out when she arrived home. Her parents had said they'd be taking a break until things died down. They definitely deserved one. She said a quick hello to them before heading upstairs. She needed to text Cat Noir about the locker thing immediately.

    Tikki whispered from her purse as she raced up to her room. "I agree with Alya," she said.

    "Are you reading my texts?" Marinette said as she pushed the trapdoor open. "I never should have told you my passcode."

    Tikki flew out of the purse as the door slammed shut, but Marinette barely noticed her or the noise. Her pictures of Adrien were gone. Every single one. Tikki floated quietly beside her.

    Marinette's eyes flitted around her room, taking in each and every empty space. This akuma had gone too far, way too far. Anxiety and anger warred in her stomach as she reached for her phone.

    Marinette – 12:21 – SHE BROKE INTO MY ROOM!

    "You need to make sure nothing else is missing," Tikki said.

    Marinette jerked herself into motion, too upset to really take in much. She had been in here. The akuma had been in the same house as her parents while she was away. She wouldn't have been able to protect them. She wouldn't even have known until it was too late!

    The minutes stretched out, and still there was no reply from Cat Noir. He wasn't transformed. She had no way of contacting him. If she had only gotten his phone number!

    Tikki did her best to offer comfort, repeating things like, "It'll be all right, Marinette," and "Everything will be back to normal soon." But the kwami's normally soothing presence didn't fill the room's sudden emptiness.

Read chapter 8 here.

[mysticsparklewings]

Lore Olympus (Mermaid Marker Test)‪

So my IRL friend introduced me to this AMAZING comic the other night, called "Lore Olympus," which is sort of a retelling of the Greek Myth of Persephone being kidnapped by Hades: www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lo… I read the whole thing in about two hours.   If you like Greek Mythology or even just rom-com comics with super pretty art styles, please go check it out and support it! It updates on Saturdays and is still on-going! So since my friend was fangirling, and then I was fangirling, and we had to wait a whole week for the new chapter/installment, I sketched up a piece of fanart of Persephone and Hades just looking at each other cutely, in outfits from a couple of later chapters. I didn't color it right away because I had just ordered the entire collection of 32 Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers off eBay (For $30 after a $10 off coupon, I might add; had I purchased the individual sets off of Amazon that same night it would've been about $60!) and I was half-waiting for them to come in, half testing my patience to see if I could wait or if I would just cave and color it with colored pencils or alcohol markers before then.  Luckily, I held out and they came in that Thursday. So I got to priming and swatching as quickly as possible! Calling them Mermaid "Markers" is a bit misleading; as they're essentially water brushes pre-filled with water-soluble ink. But I kind of understand why they're called that, as the "Mermaid" part insinuates their relationship with water, and they are more like markers that straight-up watercolors, in the sense that you don't technically need water to use them. Still, I think a more accurate name might've been helpful to people that have never heard of these before and have no idea what they're actually going to be like. Fortunately, I had seen these floating around and in a video before considering purchasing them, so I knew pretty much what I was getting, how to prep them, and what to do with them already, and at that point I wasn't even sure I'd want them. But after getting a set of Viviva watercolor sheets back in December and then the Arteza Woodless Watercolor pencils for my Birthday last month, the Mermaid Markers finally piqued my interest enough to want to buy them. I actually felt very lucky to find the eBay listing that I did, as $40 for the whole lot, in new condition (all the boxes still had their little round tapes intact and undisturbed, as well as their sealing rings, which I'll talk more about in a second) was already a great deal compared to buying the individual sets, before I even knew that I had the $10 coupon. Honestly, I was so sure someone was going to buy it before I had the funds, but luckily I was able to buckle down on some commissions and took the opportunity when it presented itself.   The only issue I had straight out of the box was that, for some reason, my "Byron Bay" in the 12 set is miraculously missing its label.  The best I can figure is it was just a factory oversight, as, like I said before, the boxes were still sealed and the sealing rings on each individual "marker," totally undisturbed, and there is no evidence there ever was one on the marker at all (no lingering bits of adhesive, etc.). It's not a huge deal as it was only one marker, the color names are all available online, and the solution is just as simple as either writing the name on the marker (which is what I've done for now) or printing out a new label. It'd be different if it had been multiple markers, making it difficult to tell which was which. It did take a little while to properly prime each marker; each one had a yellowy-green sealing ring between the screw-on brush tip and the squeezable ink cartridge that had to be removed and some gunk in the brush tip to preserve the shape during shipping, which you just gently wash off in water. And I will note here that it is important to make sure you screw the brush tip portion all the way back on! I had done quite a few and been left with a slight gap between the two sections before one went all the way down with less effort, so I had to go back and use a gripper like you would use to open jars to be able to turn the others the rest of the way down. I think this is important to mention because the one complaint I've seen over, and over, and over again in the Amazon Reviews is about them leaking, and I think in some (but not all) cases this might have been the problem! If one of them hadn't gone on with less effort, I wouldn't have known the difference! The other thing of note, the instructions/tips in each box specifically mention to store them with the brush tip up! Because I'm paranoid, I'm being extra cautious about this, but I suspect in a few cases this may have also been a problem causing leaks--as in people were storing them horizontally or with the brush tip down. I'm not a huge fan of the thin plastic boxes, but it's not a huge deal (as Copic markers use the exact same packaging). I think I would like to procure a case or stand to keep them all together in, though. I've been looking, but I want the case to naturally fit with keeping them upright and be able to sort them in whatever order I like. (Because I have to keep my art supplies organized or my entire world will fall apart). Now, when it comes to the drawing itself, I almost immediately ran into an issue with the line art. I didn't want to do just black, but the watercolor nature of the Mermaid Markers means that water-based ink will run when they touch. The only guaranteed water-proof liners I have are Copic multiliners in black or cobalt. That would've worked for Hades, but not Persephone. (The comic is very color-oriented for the character designs, so it just seemed more natural to do it this way; And besides, I use black lines all. the. time.) So I had to figure something else out. Originally, I tested both my Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils to see what water did to them (as I did plan on using a regular water brush with these to help with blending and stuff), and either one would've worked, as you had to be trying to pull the pigment out like I was to really get noticeable results, especially with the Polychromos, which are advertised as being water-resistant. I almost used them, but then I looked over and remembered: I have Dr. Ph Martin inks! In a variety of colors, that are supposed to be water-proof and lightfast (not that that means that much in this situation since most watercolors aren't lightfast anyway) when dry! So I got really crazy and broke out my dip pen and did the lines with that in red-violet, blue, and violet. Veeeeeeery carefully. Then I set it aside to dry for a couple of hours. (For the record, the red-violet lines are a couple shades darker IRL, the scan lightened them and seemingly them alone for some reason.) In hindsight, I might have done better to let it dry for a full 24+ hours. I say that because, while the ink was definitely dry enough to open and close the sketchbook with no issue, there were a few spots, particularly with the blue, that did bloat/bleed a little after I started going in with the Mermaid Markers and some water. Mind you, I wasn't like, drowning those spots with water or anything. Fortunately, I was able to sort of "push" and move the color around so that it didn't ruin anything. Beyond that, the pigment just willingly pulled out about as much as the colored pencils did when I was testing those, but that wasn't a huge issue since the characters are monochromatic and I was able to use it to my advantage. However, that definitely would've been an issue if I had lined with a color that didn't blend with the fill-in colors. So I will be more cautious of that sort of thing going forward. The Mermaid Markers themselves were actually kind of fun to work with, aside from the slight learning curve, since watercolors, in general, are mostly unfamiliar territory for me. The biggest issue I had was just trying to blend the right purple for the background, but that has more to do with my inexperience and the overall color selection. In general and just swatched out, the entire color collection of all 32 Mermaid Markers has a really interesting color family, with a number of shades that I think are fairly unique. (Or at least they seem unique to my eyes that are more familiar with color pencil palettes). The tradeoff is that there are some shades that are pretty, but might be a little "off" from the colors I'm used to working with. In this case, there is a muted lavender color called "Jellyfish" that I was using primarily to fill in the heart. However, it was a bit on the warm/pink side for my liking, including pairing with the "Deep Sea" darker purple, which was more of a neutral, maybe slightly blueish purple. It turned out okay with my attempts to "cool it down," but I still have some things to learn with watercolor, and until I really get the hang of it, I know the slightly unusual color choices with these might be a bit of a challenge to work through. The other thing is there are two "specialty" sets of the Mermaid Markers; one called "Celestial Sky" and one called "Shimmering Sky," which are metallic and glitter effects, respectively, and meant to be shaken up before use a bit like paint pens. The effects for both sets are really beautiful, I just wish there were more colors! There are only 4 of each; the Celestial Sky is more neutral/traditional metallic colors, and the Shimmering Sky colors are two pinkish and two blueish colors that look like they would pair well with the "Shipwrecked" set of 6. This isn't necessarily a bag thing--I want more colors of a product I like. I just thought I'd point it out while I was on the color thing. Still, they blended really nice and smoothly, and fortunately, they didn't argue too much with me when I made a mistake and tried to take some off/lighten it, etc.   Once I was done coloring, I obviously went back and did Persephone's little leaf crown and outlined the butterflies on either side of her head with gel pens. Surprisingly, the pens went over this noticeably easier than the Arteza Woodless Watercolor Pencils, which I found odd. I did have to do a bit of tapping, but I pretty much always expect that no matter what I'm working with. Not sure what to make of that.  (Though if I had to guess I suspect it had something to do with the fillers used in the pencils). I tried to use the glittery Mermaid Markers to give Hades a bit of pink blush and Persephone a bit of blue blush, but while Hades' worked out pretty okay, I think the blue was just too dark for Persephone as it didn't really blend out properly and, as you can see, to keep it from looking like she was bruised or I'd made a massive mistake, I ended up lifting most of it off entirely. But, at the very least, some of the glitter is still there so when you see it in the light it still sparkles a bit to tie in with the glittery gel pen I used for the crown. The only real thing I'm truly not happy about is that between the sketch and inking, Persephone's face slimmed down/got a little more angular than what I wanted. In the comic, she usually has a very round face to me. But it's not the end of the world; the art style is pretty fluid most of the time (which ends up adding to its charm and really lends itself to the characters' expressiveness) anyway, so drawing the characters "accurately" can only go so far, I think. (Compared to something where the characters are pretty much always 100% on-model, anyway). I think it did turn out very sweet though   And now if you'll excuse me, I'll be waiting with bated breath for the next chapter to go up.  The second-to-last one was a major plot doozy! ____ Artwork (c) me, MysticSparkleWings Lore Olympus & Characters belong to Rachel Smythe ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram 

[haunting-kind-of-high]

Deadly Sins as Sides AU

A few weeks ago, I had a thought about how the seven deadly sins would act as dark sides. And after ages and ages of research (I'm not kidding you I spent so much time on this it's insane), here we have it! It's not fully complete, as I couldn't think of everything perfectly, but there are ideas (: 

I might continue this, but that depends on my ideas for it

(Also note: I haven't double checked every link or just everything in general, so there might be a few mistakes or weird things but just… go with it)

Tag list: @imin-loveanon, @musicphanpie-b, @mikey-girl12

Pride

Of course, most of us know him as dark!Roman

Which is cool

It would still work

But for this AU I’m gonna assume he’s his own side just because it’s convenient

The fanon outfit people have made for him would still work

With a black shirt and I think golden sash

He is a prince, because that can easily be linked to pride

Though maybe a king would fit him better?

Cause obviously he is better than anyone else

So he’s got to be the king

Arrogant motherfucker

He also embodies vanity, so vain as fuck

Narcissist

Thinks he is better than the rest and acts like it

Clashes a lot with the other sides because he’s always fife thousand times more important than any of them combined

He only looks at what is best for him and doesn’t think past that

No one likes the guy

You don’t want to upset him though

He’s one of the worst of the dark sides

You want to be on his good side cause he is not scared to hurt you

His name could be Belial, or something similar, from the demon of arrogance and pride, Belial

He could be considered the leader of the dark sides, as Belial is mentioned as the leader of the Sons of Darkness, on one of the Dead Sea Scrolls

So there is the role of king again

Also, Dante believed all other sins were derived from pride, so that matches up with Pride being the leader too

Belial is also described as Prince of Darkness, or King of Evil, which would fit with a royal outfit pretty well

I also saw a site which named Lucifer as a demon for Pride which intrigued me a lot and offers a lot of perspective

Even more interesting would be Roman turning into Pride, which would make for a lot of opportunities to refer to the Lucifer story and use symbolism

Might get into that later, this is not the post for that

Yeah I really like the name Lucifer for him, though Belial is also fancy idk

His room probably has a bunch of mirrors

And one of those desks with a mirror where you can do your make-up and stuff, I forgot the word for it

Is it a vanity?

I also thought of this picture and felt like it belonged here. Though idk what to do with it.

Lots of violet details, as that colour seems to symbolise pride

Greed

All he wants in life is for Thomas to get rich, really

So obviously he supports this whole YouTube thing because that can get them a lot of money

He isn’t really a harmful dude

Less harmful than most of the dark sides

Chaotic neutral, probably

He just wants what he wants and it doesn’t matter what it takes to achieve it

He sides with anyone, as long as it benefits him

The demon associated with greed is Mammon

So his name could be either based on that, or it could be Midas

Random sidenote: the list I’m using for this, calls these demons the Princes of Hell, which is pretty fun

But back to the point

He can get along with most of the sides pretty well, though he stays away from Wrath and Pride if he can 

His outfit consists of a black blazer with a pattern of golden roses (referring to the myth of King Midas), a necklace with a pendant of a silver pipe (reference to a Native American legend about greed), a white shirt (the black and white being another reference to King Midas), and black trousers

Lots of gold and silver stuff in his room as well 

I picture his room would be similar to a vault or something

With lots of valuables

Probably every price Thomas has won too

Not because he values them so much emotionally, but because they are worth quite a lot

I can’t find the post any more, but I once saw this theory of there being exactly one (1) dollar in the mindscape

Greed definitely created the dollar

He’s upset it was stolen from him

So he made a lot of dollars which he hid from the others

They’re his dollars your heathens

Lust (a big thank you to @purple-plaid-patches for helping me out with this dude’s outfit!)

Depicts all and any kind of lust

Demon of Lust is called Asmodeus

There are so many stories about lust yet I can’t find a single one that has a personification of Lust, that is homophobia

I read that the snake symbolises lust

So I picture Deceit and Lust would get along pretty well

He also likes it when the other sides get in trouble because it’s fun

Especially if Pride and Wrath are the angry ones

A hint of sadist

But Patton dulls out most of his influence, being Morality and enjoying people being in pain is b a d

Patton’s influence slips sometimes tho

Like when Thomas is watching those home video things and people slip or get hurt in another way

Cause let’s be real

That’s kinda funny

Notorious invader of personal space

It’s funny to see how the others get uncomfortable when he does it

Likes making people uncomfortable in general

Not a fun dude to be around

He’s not as dangerous as Pride or Wrath though

He is just very annoying and is almost guaranteed to make you uncomfortable

He likes to watch people get hurt but it’s so much effort to do it himself

So he’s not a huge threat to your safety

Just to your personal space

His outfit is great, thanks to @purple-plaid-patches

It’s a crop top, dark blue with gold accents

This skirt but dark blue

These things but in gold

Choker but with like… sapphires

Also this anklet

I honestly don’t know what to do with his room so go crazy on that

His name could be Phillip

Cause I found this Native American legend about a woman gaining an obsession with horses (I mean… this was in the category for lust so I’m using this)

And Phillip means horse

Might be a little far-fetched, but I searched so long for symbolism and this is the closest I could get why couldn’t I find more personifications or symbols of Lust 

Envy

He often works with Pride on stuff because they both want Thomas to be as famous and successful as he can be obviously

Greed as well, probably

Looks at the achievements of others and gets jealous of everything they possess, everything they have achieved

So he works together with the other sides to try and top those others

Actually, now that I think of it, he would probably work together with most of the sides if it benefits him

He is also pretty close to Deceit

Because envy often leads people to deceive another in one way or another

Think of Iago in Othello

If Deceit and Envy would ever fuse, they would form an Iago istg

(Shit could you imagine tho? That would be so cool)

Like most of the dark sides, he doesn’t really care about the overall picture, he just really wants to do what makes him happiest

His basic outfit is a simple green shirt and jeans

But he changes his outfit all the time, depending on what he desires most at that time so no one really knows his actual outfit

His room is cold and dark, much like Envy’s home in Ovid’s Metamorphoses

It’s not very pretty

His name is Levi, from Leviathan, the demon of envy

I also like his name being similar to Aglauros somehow, because in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a girl named Aglauros is corrupted by Envy, but I don’t know a name that could fit

Gluttony

For this, I am using this quote I found from Thomas Aquinas

“Gluttony denotes, not any desire of eating and drinking, but an inordinate desire...leaving the order of reason, wherein the good of moral virtue consists.”

I assume that the ‘…’ implies a bit if left out, but for some reason I can’t find the full quote, so I’m not totally sure

But from what I read here, is that Gluttony basically encompasses everything

This site described it as excessive materialism, which is a pretty good explanation I guess

So basically he wants Thomas to get everything in existence

“Oh look at that! You should buy this thing because you might be able to use it one time and then forget about it! And even if you can't use it, you will have it.”

Greed probably likes him, even though Greed is more about having things just to have it and never use them, while Gluttony wants things to use them

But they both want things

He secretly loves Patton’s room because he holds on to pretty much everything, and Gluttony loves going through those old things

But he will never admit it

Loves his foods

He’s the voice in Thomas’ head telling him eat pizza all the time

Logan has a hard time countering him sometimes

At the same time, he also wants Thomas to try all kinds of different food because he needs to taste it all

Very confusing side

Demon of gluttony is Beelzebub

There’s a fun fact for y’all

I was going to suggest Logan for a name because of Wolverine (the Dutch name for a wolverine is pretty close to what you’d call a glutton and I liked the idea)

But then I realised that there already is a Logan

But James could work too

His room would probably have a lot of storage space

Cupboards, shelves, closets

that's all I've got, can't think of anything else

His outfit is an oversized shirt (orange, cause that stands for gluttony) with grey sweatpants

Wrath (warning for mention of dismemberment, in the final bullet point)

Most dangerous of the sides

Obviously, he’s a hot-tempered guy

Gets very upset very quickly

His influence on Thomas is mostly dulled by other sides, though

Especially Patton, who handles most of the emotions anyways

Doesn’t mean the guy doesn’t get very upset

If you thought Pride was bad, oh boy, Wrath is worse

You really don’t want to upset him either

Very vengeful

Satan is often depicted as the demon of Wrath so there’s a connection

I feel like he would be the most violent of all the sides

Probably has a bunch of weapons himself

The other sides stay away from him if they can

His outfit is an all-black ensemble with a dark red cape

I don’t know why but I feel like he would be extra enough to have a fucking cape

It’s like one of those capes with a high collar that are Extratm and slightly creepy because only villains appear to be wearing them

His name is Elliot, after one of the Batman villains called Wrath

In reference to his name, his room would look like a stereotypical villain lair

Lots of dark

Dark walls, dark furniture

It’s just a place where he can escape to

Sorta like a dungeon

I also like the idea of there being a lot of silver details idk why

It’s a pretty creepy place and no one ever goes in unless they have a very good reason to

When thinking about this, I immediately pictured him having a throne, I don’t know why

But he definitely has a throne

It’s decorated with black roses, spiralling up from the legs all the way to the top (they have lots of thorns obviously)

Also across the arm rests and stuff

I also read that the punishment for wrath (I am assuming it is in Dante's Inferno, but the site didn’t specify) is constant dismemberment, so I like the idea of him just… cutting of a hand or foot if someone irritates him?

Cause that’s pretty ironic

Sloth

Obviously, he is the laziest side

Just wants to sleep constantly

He doesn’t understand the point of trying to achieve big goals when you can just fucking sleep

Most of the dark sides don’t understand him

A true chaotic neutral

He is chaotic, both in the literal sense and the sense of the alignment chart

The demon of sloth is Belphegor

His name could be Roderick, which is incredibly fancy for a side like him but

Hear me out, I like my reasoning

Machiavelli wrote a novella called Belfagor, about (you guessed it) Belphegor

He was sent to Earth for some mission and used Roderigo as a name when posing as a human

So yeah

Roderick

His name could also be Rick tho

Maybe his name is Roderick but he hates it so everyone calls him Rick

If that were the case, he would constantly make Never Gonna Give You Up jokes

Wrath got so sick of it that he threatened to kill Sloth over it, so now he makes sure Wrath is nowhere near before making the joke

Lust secretly wants to tell Wrath about it every time Sloth makes a joke like that again, because he’d like to see Sloth getting in trouble

His outfit is a light blue pyjama with little sheep on it, you know the one (because light blue symbolises sloth)

He also has a necklace with a goat he always wears (also a symbol for sloth)

His room is a mess cause he never bothers to clean it

It’s just Thomas’ room but

A million times messier

Also the reason that Thomas keeps procrastinating things, because “why do it when you can just sleep and… not do it?”

In Dante’s Inferno, the punishment for sloth is a snake pit

So where Envy gets along with Deceit pretty well, Sloth can’t stand being around Deceit

He just makes him very uncomfortable 

 Deceit

@musicphanpie-b showed me this site

The important thing here is “Of course, the seven deadly sins cover mostly MOTIVATIONS to do things. If you were not compelled by anger, greed, arrogance, lust, envy, gluttony or laziness, there wouldn't be much to make you deceive someone.”

So basically, he works together with the other dark sides

He manipulates them into getting to do what he wants

He knows what the other sides value the most, so obviously, he abuses this knowledge

Sneaky snake 

[your-dietician]

Richard Marx has many great 'Stories to Tell' — and one big Twitter controversy he'd like to clear up

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/entertainment/richard-marx-has-many-great-stories-to-tell-and-one-big-twitter-controversy-hed-like-to-clear-up/

Richard Marx has many great 'Stories to Tell' — and one big Twitter controversy he'd like to clear up

When superstar singer-songwriter Richard Marx began work on his new autobiography, Stories to Tell, he knew it wouldn’t be a racy, sex/drugs/rock ‘n’ roll tell-all like Motley Crüe’s The Dirt or Pamela Des Barres’s I’m With the Band. “I’ve always been a very private person. I’ve never been in the tabloids. I’ve never been that kind of celebrity, if you will,” he explains to Yahoo Entertainment. In fact, Marx never expected to write his memoirs at all, but after playing VH1 Storytellers-style acoustic shows about a decade ago, he realized, “I have great stories. I’ve had some really crazy, funny s*** happen to me.”

Those tales, which cover Marx’s early days apprenticing for Lionel Richie to his work with Kenny Rogers, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, NSYNC, Olivia Newton-John, Keith Urban, Luther Vandross, and many others, comprise Stories to Tell: A Memoir, which comes out July 6 and hit No. 1 on Amazon’s bestsellers list the day it went up for preorder. “I chose [stories] that were either compelling or funny or self-deprecating or whatever,” says Marx. “There’ll be stories I’ll tell you about my life that I wouldn’t necessarily, you know, write on Twitter or whatever.”

The cover for Richard Marx’s autobiography ‘Stories to Tell: A Memoir.’ (Photo: Simon & Schuster)

Marx is big into the self-deprecation thing. The funniest line in Stories to Tell is when he says the upside to undergoing double hip-replacement surgery was that “Richard Marx” and “hip” could finally be used in the same sentence, for instance. And his Twitter page is a delight, a compelling read in its own right — his famous tweet about going to the dentist because he felt like hearing some of his own music is but one RT-worthy example of his snark. Marx owns his squareness, but ironically, his posts have, intentionally or not, made the public realize that he’s a pretty cool dude.

The perpetually unbothered Marx also gets very political on social media. And one since-deleted tweet in particular, when he wrote — “If I ever meet Rand Paul’s neighbor I’m going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume” (a reference to a 2017 incident when Paul was assaulted by his neighbor, Rene Boucher) — made headlines in May 2021, after the Kentucky senator outrageously cited Marx’s tweet as the reason he’d received a suspicious package at his home. It was a rare moment when Marx actually was in the tabloids, and he uses his Yahoo interview to clarify that situation.

Story continues

“I mean, it seems pretty obvious. I made a quip. Let’s start with this: Do I, would I, ever really endorse and support physical violence against someone? I can’t think of a circumstance,” Marx stresses. “I made a quip, which I likened to you hear about some raging assh*** who’s just constantly an assh*** getting his ass handed to him — and you might go, ‘He kind of asked for it,’ or, you know, ‘He kind of had that coming.’ Show me a person who’s never, ever thought of that in regards to anyone, and I’ll show you a liar, right? To me, what I quipped was nothing more than that. Stupid me — Rand Paul used that to his advantage. He went on Fox News and pathologically, as he always does, lied about what I tweeted, what I said. He actually claimed that I incited violence against him, that I was the reason he got a suspicious package of powder the next day in the mail. I thought, if I did that, [U.S. Postmaster General] Louis DeJoy should get a raise. If you can get a piece of mail to somebody overnight now, then I’ve been misinformed.

“I made a joke. And you know, the people who rallied to [Paul’s] defense are the same people who defended, or had nothing to say, when Trump retweeted someone saying, ‘The only good Democrat as a dead Democrat,’ or never had a problem with Donald Trump at a rally saying, ‘Knock the hell out of ‘em, I’ll pay the legal fees; go beat up protestors exercising their First Amendment rights.’ So, these people who were supporting Rand Paul and attacking me are just the typical ultimate hypocrites, and they’re full of s***. So, that’s my comment about that.”

Marx actually prefers not to use the adjective “political” when describing his non-partisan social media stance. “I am definitely opinionated, and I definitely find it next to impossible not to respond to what I consider to be blatant ignorance or bigotry or certainly racism. I guess the word ‘political’ is the easiest one to use, but I don’t know that it’s the most accurate, because I’m not on Twitter or in any other part of my life espousing policy or opinions about much other than proper treatment of everyone — and especially when it comes to elected officials,” he clarifies. 

“For instance, I’m 57. I started voting as soon as I could. So I guess my first presidential vote was in ’84, and it was for Ronald Reagan. I have voted for Republican politicians in my life. I’ve definitely voted more for Democrats, but I’m a registered Independent. I’m not a Democrat. Also, as much as I find the current GOP to be the most distorted, vile, awful group of people I’ve ever seen in my lifetime in terms of politics, I’m also no fan of anyone in the Democratic party. None. Joe Biden would not have been my… maybe 20 years ago, I would have been like, ‘Yeah, Joe Biden might be a really good president.’ And don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that he won this election. But he would not have been my choice to be the president of United States. The screwed-up thing is I can’t necessarily point to anyone I would say should be, on either side of the aisle. I think they’re all, to a degree, different forms of reprehensible and mercenary.”

Marx says, “In a span of an hour, if I were to look through my mentions, I’ll find 50 people calling me every name,” but he balks at the argument that pop stars shouldn’t express their opinions. “It’s interesting, because when I get into a thing on Twitter, especially when you have people on the far right who say things like ‘shut up and sing’ and ‘nobody cares about the opinions of celebrities,’ these are the same people who voted for Donald Trump and follow Scott Baio, you know what I mean?” he chuckles. “So, that kind of tells you right there with the kind of mental decision-making we’re dealing with. … I feel like I can’t be on the [Twitter] platform and see something that is so outrageous and awful and not respond to it.”

Watch Yahoo Entertainment’s full, extended Richard Marx interview below, in which he tells stories about Luther Vandross, Vixen, Barbra Streisand, and more:

There are plenty of people who follow Marx online who are now well aware of his frankness and hipness — but unless they read Stories to Tell, they still may not be familiar with the simply stunning breadth of his discography. Sure, he has scored 14 of his own Billboard top 20 hits, including nine that made the top 10 and three that went to No. 1, and was the first male solo artist to have four singles from a debut album make the top three on the Billboard Hot 100. But has always been an in-demand songwriter for other artists as well. However, as Marx himself notes, many people don’t even know that he co-penned Luther Vandross’s signature song “Dance With My Father” — despite the fact that he accepted the Song of the Year honor for that single, and performed it with Celine Dion, at the 2004 Grammy Awards when the ailing Vandross was unable to attend. Hits written or co-written by Marx have topped the charts in four different decades and in almost every genre (“Not polka, though,” he quips), but there’s one more thing he’d still like to accomplish.

“I’ve gotten to work with amazing people, and hope to continue to. But the one thing that has eluded me in my career… Vixen, for example, I wrote and produced their breakthrough song [“Edge of a Broken Heart”]. I wrote co-wrote and produced Josh Groban’s first single, ‘To Where You Are.’ So, I’ve worked with brand-new artists who broke out — but I didn’t discover them,” says Marx. “That’s probably something that I would like before I really call it quits: to discover a talent, bring them to light and launch them, and then just wish them well, whether I work with them or not. … I’d like to be able to have some artists say, ‘Yeah, it was Richard Marx who started my career.’ That would be nice.”

Early in his autobiography, Marx details how Lionel Richie played that role in his own life — when Richie randomly heard the then-teenage Marx’s demo tape and was so impressed that he reached out and encouraged Marx to move to Los Angeles to pursue music professionally. But one sweet Richie story, which Marx shares with Yahoo Entertainment during our interview, actually didn’t make the book.

“A year and a half or two years ago, two summers ago, I went with Barbara Streisand to London and she asked if I wanted to be part of the opening act slot for her concert in Hyde Park. Lionel Richie was one of the support acts, and I’d hoped to run into him. I think I had texted him on the way to London and we were going to try to get together, but it was chaotic. I closed my show. And by the time I got back to my hotel, there was a text from Lionel,” Marx recalls fondly, putting his hand on his heart. “He was staying somewhere else. He texted me and he said, ‘I’m sitting on my balcony of my hotel room, listening to you sing “Right Here Waiting” and hearing thousands and thousands of people singing it even louder than you are. And I can’t tell you how proud I am.’ And I remember texting him back and saying, ‘It’s because of you, man.’”

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

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— Video produced by Jen Kucsak, edited by Jimmie Rhee

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How Much Does Boot Camp For Mac Costyellowmedi

How Much Is Bootcamp For Mac

How Much Does Bootcamp For Mac Cost

Boot Camp Control Panel User Guide

After you use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows on your Intel-based Mac, you can set the default operating system to either macOS or Windows. The default operating system is the one you want to use when you turn on or restart your Mac.

Set the default operating system

Boot Camp is designed to allow Mac users to set up a partition to run Windows, providing access to PC-only apps and content. Apple's Boot Camp update for macOS 10.14.5 comes about a month after. Download this app from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 10 Team (Surface Hub), HoloLens. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Boot Camp on Mac Guide.

In Windows on your Mac, click in the right side of the taskbar, click the Boot Camp icon , then choose Boot Camp Control Panel.

If a User Account Control dialog appears, click Yes.

Select the startup disk that has the default operating system you want to use.

If you want to start up using the default operating system now, click Restart. Otherwise, click OK.

Dvd burning software free for mac os xfasrsun. Finder is the default file manager of the Mac OS that also works as a free DVD burner for Mac. Using Finder, you simply need to insert the disc into the SuperDrive and select Open Finder from the pop-up screen. Next, open the disc window and drag the files that you want to burn. Click Burn button to start burning the added files. DVD Cloner for Mac. One of the best DVD burner software, DVD Cloner for Mac makes it easy to copy DVD with quality. The software is capable of copying protection systems and accessing all the region codes. It gives freedom to copy DVDs no matter what encryptions it has, to various destinations such as ISO image file, blank DVD disc and more. 10 Practical free DVD burning software for Mac 1. Wondershare UniConverter for Mac - The Best DVD Burning Software for Mac (macOS Catalina Included) Wondershare UniConverter is a versatile and all-in-one video solution tool, which not only burning 1,000+ video formats to DVD/Blu-ray disc but also provides you a list of video-related functions. With this Mac DVD burner, you can create your playable DVD with attractive free DVD menu templates and edit videos quickly before burning. Burn is the most well-known free DVD creator for Mac that allows you to burn both CD and DVD on Mac. As a piece of completely free DVD burning software, Burn has a lot to offer. It gets ease of use and simplicity of user interface into perfect combination. It's able to burn all types of files you throw at it like data, audio, video and more. IDVD is one of the most widely applied free DVD burning software for Mac. It allows you to burn QuickTime Movies, MP3 music, and digital photos to a DVD. The free software is integrated with iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto or any other Apple product. IDVD indeed makes DVD burning fairly straightforward and saves you lots of time.

You can’t change your startup volume to an external drive while you’re using Windows.

To learn how to change the default operating system using macOS, see Get started with Boot Camp.

Restart in macOS

In Windows on your Mac, do one of the following:

Restart using Startup Manager: Restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Option key. When the Startup Manager window appears, release the Option key, select your macOS startup disk, then press Return.

If you’re using a Mac notebook computer with an external keyboard, make sure you press and hold the Option key on the built-in keyboard.

Restart using Boot Camp Control Panel: Click in the right side of the taskbar, click the Boot Camp icon , then choose Restart in macOS.

This also sets the default operating system to macOS.

For more information about restarting in macOS, see the Apple Support article Restart your Mac in macOS or Windows.

See alsoGet started with Boot Camp Control Panel on MacTroubleshoot Boot Camp Control Panel problems on MacApple Support article: How to select a different startup disk

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I receive compensation if you purchase through this link, and I fully appreciate your support.

Are mom crushes a thing?

If so, I have a major mom crush on Jordan Page, supermom behind FunCheaporFree.com.

I first discovered Jordan through that crazy coupon show (which side note: my hubby and I were screened to be on, but we were not weird enough. I guess that’s a good thing, especially since they were asking if we did anything illegal to save money – yikes!).

I then watched Jordan on the Millennial Mom Youtube Channel then watched her on her own channel, and bought her two courses, Budget Boot Camp and Productivity Boot Camp. Because of her, I block schedule, have an easy-to-transport container of kids’ hair stuff, and also have Beddy’s zipable bedding.

The list of how Jordan has transformed my life as a productive mama is quite long actually. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I was able to become an affiliate for her programs. That’s your disclaimer. I’m an affiliate, but there is no pressure to buy through my link. I love the lady and truly think she can change your life like she has changed mine.

What Is Productivity Boot Camp

Jordan launched Productivity Boot Camp in 2018 after getting so many questions about her productivity goddess-like qualities. She balances six kids, a super successful business, church life, home life, and more and still looks fabulous. So what exactly is her secret?

Productivity Boot Camp is a place where Jordan breaks down all of her tips and tricks into a six-week course. There are 28 videos and three bonus interview videos. The videos average about 15 minutes long, with a few being over 40 minutes. I tackled the longer videos in chunks or while doing laundry.

This program is great for moms of all kind – working moms, stay at home moms, work at home moms. The course is marketed towards anyone, though (which I have issues with, but more on that later on).

The Amazing – Pros of PBC

1. High Energy and Motivating

Every one of Jordan’s videos is high energy and motivating. If you love Jordan’s teaching style, then you will love going on this journey with her. After watching the first video, I was excited to start getting my schedule under control.

How Much Is Bootcamp For Mac

2. Easy to Follow Format

I love how she breaks down each course by week. The first two weeks require a little more viewing time and homework, but they are truly worth it. Trying to implement the block schedule into your life is also hard at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is addicting to get more things done each day.

3. It Works

I have read a lot of productivity books, probably more than the average person. This course gave new strategies and some that I have heard before, but the difference is that I was better prepared to use Jordan’s strategies. Most productivity books are written by men who have wives that take care of all the things, so it is hard to take their advice. Jordan is just like us and shows us how to get things done.

The Meh – Cons of PBS

1. The Planner

Update – June 26th, 2020: Jordan listened and rolled out her very own Productivity Planners that can be purchased separately. They make up for the planners that come with the course. I will give a full review and walkthrough of this soon.

I love Jordan’s spreadsheet for the block scheduling, but personally, I found the productivity planner to be disappointing. I was really hoping for something I could use every day to keep me on top of all the things.

Instead, most of the pages are cute, glorified notetaking paper. I would have liked to see more planning pages to go with systems and routines that can make your days run smoother.

2. The Free Youtube Videos

Save Editor Online. This free save editor can make a troublesome game easier to win by helping you change some quantities (like amount of gold, items etc.). It's a most simple and powerful tool for a lot jrpg and visual novels. Currently supports.rvdata2,.rpgsave,.dat,.sav,.save,.rsv,.qsp,.rvdata,.rxdata,.lsd,.sol files. Game save editor for mac windows 10. Black Chocobo, FF7 Save Game Editor Current Version: 1.10.0. Black Chocobo is a Free Software (gplv3) FF7 save game editor written in Qt. Available for Windows, Linux + Mac Os. A Full Featured Save Editor, Black Chocobo contains All The features you would expect. Black Chocobo can open and write both PC and PSX save game formats as well as saves for most emulators. STEP 1: Fire up your favorite browser and hit this URL link: STEP 2: Locate the downloaded file and double click on it. STEP 3: Now click the next and finish button to set up your editor. STEP 4: Open gibbed which contains many options like general, character, vehicle, currency, backpack and once.

I was also a little annoyed when there were similar videos posted on Youtube that discussed some key points in the course. The course still offers so much more value than those free videos, but it does cheapen the experience for the paid user.

3. Not Enough Specific Info

This might be too selfish to ask, but I do wish there was just more in Productivity Boot Camp. There is already so much content – probably three hours’ worth of advice. I guess I wish there was more direct info for working moms, since she tries to keep the course general to all – even singletons in college.

She does so much work and success building while raising her family, and I just wish she spoke more on the specifics of that instead of trying to make the content fit anyone. Here’s to hoping she adds more modules!

My Results – Spoiler Alert – I Wrote Two Books with a Newborn

Update – June 26, 2020: I still use and love Jordan’s Productivity Bootcamp even two years later! I have written a few more books and faithfully maintained client work all while homeschooling two girls and surviving toddlerhood with my third. It’s not always pretty or perfect, but I do feel productive most days!

I started going though the course the first time when I was pregnant with my third baby girl. I was able to start implementing Jordan’s strategies right away. It is the funniest thing. After a week, I was so on top of my schedule that I didn’t know what to do with myself by the time the afternoon blocks came.

The system had helped me stay on top of my cleaning, get ahead of my freelance work, and finish homeschool lessons for the day before noon. The nesting phase hormones definitely helped.

Now that baby is here, I feel like I need to go through all of the courses again to get back on a productive schedule. I have been implementing Jordan’s advice half-heartedly since the baby arrived (mostly because baby’s schedules change like 20 times before year one- ha). Even without being 100% back on the system, my life is still functioning at a productive level.

I am still able to have a clean house 70% of the time, stay on top of freelance work, homeschool, and devote hours into blog writing and book writing. I even wrote two children’s books since baby girl was born. What?!

So, Is It Worth the Price Tag?

Short answer – yes! Long answer to follow:

I have taken a lot of courses online – mostly for business growth rather than personal growth like this one. However, all of the courses do not hold a candle to Productivity Boot Camp in regards to quality. The videos and set up of the course are superior. Usually courses are either a bunch of text or dolled up slideshow presentations. Optical character recognition download for mac os.

Every one of Jordan’s 31 videos (this counts the bonus videos) in this course are of her talking directly to you and are edited professionally. This might not seem like a big deal to those use to her high-quality Youtube videos, but it is a rarity in the course world.

When I evaluate if something is worth the price tag, I measure it in future value. You see, $149, and even the sale price of the course is a lot of money to spend on something digital especially when so much of the digital content we consume is free.

However, when I feel like I am drowning in chaos and can’t get anything done, I am guilty of spending money on temporary bandages. I think a house cleaner, food service/fast food, or laundry service is my solution to getting back on track.

While those things aren’t bad, they don’t fix the root of the problem – my dysfunctional system.

I felt like this course was like having a personal coach guide me through each step of areas in my life that needed a change up. The course is more valuable than having a cleaning lady or getting those meal boxes delivered. Why? Because it sticks around.

How Much Does Bootcamp For Mac Cost

I can’t even tell you how many times I have hired a cleaning lady for $150 only to have the house look like a tornado in three days. Now that is depressing! When I am dedicated to Jordan’s strategies, I don’t feel the need for a cleaning lady or meal delivery service because I am no longer living in a state of chaos and meal planning and cleaning no longer seem like unbearable weights.

What’s Your Time Worth?

My time is worth anywhere from $50-100 an hour, so if I am able to save five hours a week or have five free hours a week to take on a $100-per-hour client, then the cost is worth it. That is exactly what I was able to do.

What do you think your time is worth? Even if you think your time is only worth minimum wage (your time is so much more valuable than that!), your initial investment will pay off quickly. If you followed Jordan’s tips to the letter and saved yourself two hours per week, at $12/hour, you would have made back the course in less than nine weeks. I believe you will save even more time than that each week, and you will have extra time to pursue hobbies or your side business. Win-win!

Not only will you save time but you will start to carve the life you want to live. None of us want to run around crazily thinking about dinner prep and kids and 5 million other things all the time. This course will help you manage your time better and relieve the pressure of trying to do everything at once.

Productivity Boot Camp Promo Codes and Savings

You have a full access to the course for a year, and then after the year you can renew for a minimal price. Go through it slow or fast or watch it over and over again like I do. Our lives are constantly changing, so it is nice to be reminded of areas we need to tighten when the crazy begins to slip back into our schedules.

Use promo code EARLYBF to get Productivity Boot Camp for $105 until November 10th OR Bundle Productivity Boot Camp with Budget Boot Camp for $186.90 – that’s $93.45 per program!!!

I do recommend both the Productivity and Budget Boot Camp (transparent review coming soon), and if you buy them together you can save over $150. If you buy them before the cut off date, you don’t have to worry about speeding through both courses.

There is a payment plan of three payments for those who wish to purchase the course but do not have the full cost upfront. While convenient, this payment plan will cost you more overall.

What If I Hate the Course? Productivity Boot Camp Return Policy

You can get your money back! Isn’t that exciting! You can either transform your life or you can have your money back. Jordan is very transparent and makes the return process easy. I can’t even tell you how many pointless courses and digital items I have paid for and couldn’t return. It stinks.

Bryce petty. My advice is to read the return policy to make sure you know all of the details, try out the course with a ready heart, and within a few lessons you will know if this is the right course for you or if you need to start the refund process.

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @marvelmom for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about her, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

A woman never tells her (fanfic) age ;)

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I can't honestly say that I prefer one over the other since I've never written a fic for an OC.  I guess my style of writing is better suited to allowing readers to insert themselves into the narrative. I like the challenge of writing a character that allows the reader to flesh out in their own image but still have some substance on their own within the story.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Is smut considered a genre? LOL.  Seriously though, I love humour so you'll find most of my stories have an underlying comedic thread.  I have a really dark sense of humour and I'm sarcastic af so I love when people respond favourably to it in my writing.

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Wow, this is a really good question!  I think it would probably be the very first fic I wrote called "Marked."  I wrote it for a friend when I was deep in the Cumberbatch fandom.  She was complaining about the lack of Khan fics so I wrote one for her.  It's on Ao3 and every now and then I get a kudo and I cringe.  The writing seems so basic and stilted compared to my newer works.  If anything it shows how much I'm improving.

5) When is your preferred time to write? 

I find I do my best work late at night.  I'm a single mom with a full time job and busy teenagers so I don't usually get to sit down at my computer until after 11pm.  I love being able to leave the day behind and just focus on my writing without any interruptions.  I typically go until 2am.  It's a little crazy but writing relaxes me and helps me sleep better.  And it inspires some really great dreams ;)

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Most my inspiration comes from real life, my experiences and passions like music, film and literature.  I like to daydream and I find I'm constantly having conversations with characters or constructing scenes in my head.  I'm a little crazy I guess lol

7) What’s your favorite scene that you’ve written?

Another great question...let me think.  I have one in my head that I haven't written yet that I know will eventually be my favourite but at this very moment it's the scene in Chapter 10 of The Contest where Bucky and the reader are dancing in the antique store and they finally kiss. It was the very first scene that came to me when I started to think about this story and to finally get to write it was incredible.  But man did I stress over it...I wanted it to be perfect.  Exactly like I had pictured it in my head.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Hasn't happened yet.  I'm very stubborn and it would take a lot for me to deviate from the vision I have playing in my head. My muse won't let me rest until I've captured a scene note for note on paper.

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Bucky!  I can't seem to get him out of my head.  For me, Bucky is the most fascinating character in the MCU.  His story arc has brought him from one end of the spectrum to the other and back again in so many facets and I love exploring these layers of his personality,

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

Thor but only because I stress over his speech patterns when I'm writing his dialogue.  I want to make sure I'm doing his character justice and capturing him accurately on paper.

11) How do you come up with the titles for your stories?

For one shots, I usually wait until I'm done and then riff on a major theme in the story or what inspired my to write it in the first place. The title for "The Contest" series came from the Seinfeld episode of the same name that inspired the story.

12) What do you think is the best idea you’ve had for a story so far?

Considering that The Contest is my very first Bucky fic (and series) I would have to say this is my best story idea so far.  More to come I hope ;)

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Thankfully none yet!  I find that when story pops into my head I can't move on until I get it down on paper and out in the wild.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I get a lot of requests for part 2 of "Three Creams, No Sugar".  Everyone wants that shower scene ;)

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Yes, Infinity War. Oh wait....do you mean one of mine?

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Oh wow, there are so many incredible writers in this fandom that it's hard to pick just a few.  I'm grateful to have fallen in with amazing writers such as @evansrogerskitten, @Thewife101 and @avenger-nerd-mom on Twitter.  Their support and guidance are the reasons I gathered up the courage to start posting my fics on Tumblr.

Writers like @unicorns-and-fairy-dust-blog own my emotional ass....Dre is the master of angst.  I love the wit and humour in  @tilltheendwillIwrite 's stories - I think it's a Canadian thing born out of bitter cold winters and ketchup chips.  @lovelynemesis has such a great style of writing, very flowing and descriptive.  The depth of talented creators in this fandom is insane.  There are just too many to mention!

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Definitely "Marked"

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Complete silence.  If I have music or Netflix playing I start to daydream and boom, a whole new story.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Not while writing but as I listened to a song and imagined a Bucky one shot to the words.  I was ugly crying by the end.  I may get around to writing it one day..

20) Which part of your fics have been the hardest to write?

I would say the first few starting paragraphs of a new story or chapter.  I take way too long with the beginning sections.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I pretty much have the whole story plotted out before I get started. "The Contest" has been in my head from beginning to end for over a year now.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

I wish I had known about Tumblr to be honest.  It's a great outlet for fanfic and the source of so much inspiration and support.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I'm always in awe of the fact that people want to read my stories period so I appreciate every single note, comment and message whether it's 4 or 400 :)

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?   

I'm always in awe of the fact that people want to read my stories period so I appreciate every single note, comment and message whether it's 4 or 400 :)

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Not so much characters but personality traits.  I find that I project my style of humour and sarcasm (plus my lack of filter) onto characters all the time.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

I must be the slowest writer in this fandom.  I seriously don't know how you all put up with me.  I've had so many incredible compliments but it always amazes me to hear readers tell me that a new chapter was worth the wait.

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten? 

One that really stands out is someone telling me that I was going to lose all my followers if I didn't update my fics faster.  That one really hurt because like most writers here, I really beat myself up knowing that I can't turn around stories or chapters as quickly as I would like.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I have a few writers here that I talk to regularly and we feel comfortable enough to share our ideas.  Some of my favourite messages have been from other writers wanting to talk through an idea or ask for some help with a scene or ask for some help with a scene or some dialogue.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction? 

Aside from a few twitter mutuals I have met, no one in my "real life" knows I write fanfic. Though I think my kids may have their suspicions...I have a writing degree and my friends and family are always telling me that I should write more.  If they only knew LOL

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

I can't tell you because they are about to make an appearance in the next chapter of "The Contest" and I'm excited to write their scene.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process? 

The incredible feedback and messages I get from readers like you (I live for your chapter summaries....seriously), pictures of Sebastian Stan, reading all the amazing fanfic out there, Bucky's thighs, Marvel, eating chocolate....eating chocolate off of Bucky's thighs.... (Need to add that to my list of future fics)

32) What’s your favorite trope to write? 

Definitely slowburns.  I love the flirting, the teasing, the witty dialogue as the sexual tension builds....it's delicious.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

This is going to date me....please no judgment.  It was a 'NSYNC fic. Wish I could remember the name but it was a JC x reader.  I was obsessed with JC back in the day...ok, stop laughing.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

SMUT with my fucky Bucky and my side boo Sebby ;)

[coffeefueledauthor]

Fanfiction Ideas: Which do You Like?

Here is a list of all of my current story ideas that I plan on writing. As you know, my plot lines are generally kind of crazy. >w< But I will be sure to include more grounded, normal stories as well. 

PLEASE BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW WHICH IDEAS ARE INTERESTING TO YOU.

I will be writing the first chapter of all those that people show interest in. And if you REALLY like what you read and want to be REALLY awesome, please be sure to donate to my patreon. Because I will only be able to write all these tales if I can gather enough patrons to make this my full time job. Patrons will recieve plenty of exclusive bonuses and early access.

Title: Out of Place Fandom: Inside Out Style: Full novel Description: A young girl feels like her mind has been numbed, and she begins to blame it on the mysterious figures appearing around the house. Join Riley as she attempts to help these tiny creatures, who claim to be her own emotions, back home. But with cats, exterminators, and her own nosy cousin, the task may be harder than she thinks. Notes: This story is already posted up to chapter 44. Find it on fanfiction.net

Title: Always By My Side Fandom: Inside Out Style: Full novel Description: Delve into the mind of Riley's mother during her pregnancy. For while she is carrying the developing infant in her womb, her emotions are busy raising the childs five infant emotions. They have only 9 months to prepare the youngsters for life inside their new host with the pressure of their inevitable separation weighing heavily on their thoughts. Notes: This story has been plotted out for over a year. A sneak peek is available on Fanfiction.net

Title: Infected Fandom: Super Mario Style: Full Novel Description: Luigi could tell something was wrong. Mario never acted this way before. But he never could have predicted just how destructive this mysterious affliction would become. Luigi desperately attempts to find answers before his brothers entire mind is consumed by this horrible infection. Notes: Lots of crazy stuff happenning. This story already has 10 chapters. They will be posted to Fanfiction.net in the coming days.

Title: Wrong Place, Worse Time Fandom: MST3K Style: full novel Description: After a string of freak accidents, the Satellite of Love is forced to crash land on a far off alien planet. The bots attempt to relocate one another so they can repair thier ship and blast off again. But they happened to arrive during an all out alien war, and the invaders have taken Joel prisoner. To save their creator, they'll have to work alongside the planet's natives and win a war that they had nothing to do with. Notes: Originally The MST3K Manga, now rewritten as a novel. A mix of comedy and adventure as the bots bumble their way through a planet at war.

Title: Death Can Change in a Single Night Fandom: Grim Fandango Style: Oneshot Description: It had been a long day for both of them. They had only met earlier that day, and both had lost their jobs and found themselves setting off on some grand adventure. Glottis finds himself lost in his thoughts during their first night away from the department of death; deep in the Petrified Forest. As Manny rests, the demon wonders what might lie on that long road ahead. Notes: Just a wordless little story of Manny and Glottis after they find each other in the petrified forest and decide to travel together.

Title: Demons Don't Have Queens Fandom: Grim Fandango Style: full novel Description: A huge, unique, and powerful demon appears in the Land of the Dead claiming to be the Ancient Demon Queen. She rallies all the demons of the world, leading them in a violent uprising against their human soul 'oppressors'. Manny remains unconvinced, and Glottis loyally stays by his side. But when the demons assume control, it's up to Manny and Glottis to find a way to dethrone this ancient queen. But as they dig deeper into this demons backstory, things only get more complicated. Especially when they discover that, unlike bee's, Demons don't have Queens. Notes: A really wild adventure full of Manny's dry wit and tons of crazy plot elements. Takes place after the game, but I guess before Manny leaves.

Title: The Lost Testimony Fandom: Phoenix Wright Style: Full Novel Description: Shortly before he is to testify in a mysterious murder case, renowned Forensic Medical Examiner Dr. M. Balmer goes missing. Phoenix, the defense attorney for the case, takes it upon himself to locate the missing witness. But during his search, Phoenix is attacked and falls victim to the same fate as the disappearing doctor. Now a prisoner in what feels like the other end of the world, Phoenix must unravel the mystery behind this black market trade he's become involved in if he ever hopes to return to his normal life. Notes: Part of my suuuuuper old For the Birds AU. All characters are different species of bird, with Phoenix as (obviously) a phoenix. Weird AU, but interesting story with a crazy mystery and bittersweet ending.

Title: Not Our First Abduction Fandom: South Park Style: Full Novel Description: Alien activity isn't exactly unheard of in the lonely mountain town. In fact, Stan barely bats an eye when he and nearly a dozen other children find themselves forced aboard a rouge spaceship and taken to a far off planet. But things turn drastic when, in their grand escape attempt, one child fails to break free of the alien clutches. Finding help on the home planet of their captors seems impossible, but they'll have to try. With assistance, they'll be able to bust out their buddy and fly their stolen spaceship back home. Otherwise, they'll be forced to attempt to fly the alien ship themselves, leaving an imprisoned Kyle stranded on the floating rock forever. Notes: Though dotted with darker notes, a lot of effort is used to keep an element of humor to the story. Lots of craziness, but none beyond what we get from the actual show itself.

Title: END TRANSMISSION Fandom: Pikmin Style: Oneshot Description: While out on a mission to catalog the native plants of the nearby worlds, Hocotation Botanist Gotto ends up stranded with no fuel and only 30 days of life support. But by day 15, its clear that fuel is nowhere to be found. Accepting his fate, Gotto spends his last days doing what he loves; cataloging the beautiful foliage of the world that will be his grave. As his thirtieth day draws to a close, Gotto logs one last transmission to his 'blackbox', explaining his fate to anyone who stumbles upon the crash site and offering a final farewell to those he had loved. Notes: One of a slim few stories I have involving an OC. But I wasn't about to kill off Olimar, heh. Definitely one of my sadder stories.

Title: It's Only a Game Fandom: Psychonauts Style: Short story Description: A mans slow decent into madness as his repeated failure to win a simple board game breaks his fragile psyche and takes him from an insane asylum orderly to an inmate. Notes: I bet someone has already written this, but I wanted to take a crack at it, since he was always my favorite.

Title: Digimon: Of Chaos and Time Fandom: Digimon Style: Full novel Description: Just as before, eight humans are transported to the Digital World and paired with unique Digimon Partners. They are instructed by the sage Salvusmon to locate the digital Time God to save the Digital World from being consumed by the rapidly growing Chaos World. Though they start in high spirits on their journey, things begin to look bleak when they realize they arent the first Digidestineds to attempt this same feat. Notes: Much like its own season, this follows unique humans and Digimon of my own design. This is a story I have been working on since I was 10. A lot may have changed, but the heart of the tale never did.

Title: Asterisk Fandom: Oddworld Style: Short story/full novel Description: Abe never really saw himself as a hero. But now the role of 'savior' has been thrust upon him. Wandering through the Scrabania and Paramonia wilderness to recieve his Shrykull scars, he muses to himself about the way history will remember him after his no doubt unavoidable failure. The word Savior, he figures, will be marked with an asterisk. And the beings following him in silence are forced to agree. Notes: Depending on how crazy I'm willing to make it, this could either be much longer or much shorter. I haven't decided yet.

Title: Escape from Dimension Q! Fandom: Iz and Auggie: Escape from Dimension Q! Style: Video Game Novelization Description: Teenager Iz and robot Auggie are bandmates that find themselves with one shot at recieving a record contract from the biggest name in the business. But for reasons neither of them can explain, their instruments had refused to play their song, and they failed their audition miserably. They have little time to grieve, however. When two agents in black send them on a mission into an alternate dimension, Iz and Auggie realize that losing the contract was the least of their concerns. Notes: A direct novelization of a computer game by Headbone Interactive. Two chapters are already finished, and will be posted in the coming days.

Thats all the ideas I can remember right now. But I have way more to come! Let me know which ones sound interesting! Or let me know which fandoms I should think of more ideas for!