#something something about those 5 characters all in a parking lot at night or something

[thelassoway]

Ted Lasso S01E01 Pilot || Ted Lasso S03E03 4-5-1 & S03E07 The Strings That Bind Us

[elizabethwritesmen]

The Devil Wears Lace

chapter 5 : July 4, 2023

pairing: simon “ghost” riley x reader

summary: it’s 4th of july and your favorite soldier shows up at the firework show. you spend a little time with him and get a little drunk, resulting in some bad decision. everything is ok though, as long as he’s there with you.

warnings: 18+ for eventual smut, pining, no use of y/n, reader is almost forced into a pool, angry simon, possessive simon, fireworks, someone flirts with reader, i think that’s all but let me know if i missed anything!

series masterlist

July 4, 2023

A year had passed since my kidnapping.

It was surreal, really. I liked to brush off the experience like it had been nothing but it took a week in the hospital to detox me from all the drugs those guys had pumped in me and two months for my leg to completely heal. It wasn’t the kind of thing you just… forget about. The trauma was gone, though, mostly, but what was left creeped in once I realized it was the anniversary of it.

And then the worst thought crept in. What if they came back? One failed attempt so they try again?

I shrugged off those thoughts, returning to my outfit search. I’d tried on a million options, and upon seeing them on me, decided they were awful and should burn. Because of this what can only be described as character flaw, most of my clothes were strewn across my bed and floor haphazardly after being ripped violently and angrily from my body. I sighed, accepting defeat, and found my safe choice. A cream colored American flag sweater, just thin enough to wear on the beach, and a pair of light wash daisy dukes with rips and exposed pockets. I yanked on my birk style sandals and called it a day.

I rushed out the door with my hair pulled messily into a white claw clip and my makeup done in a rush, mascara just barely smeared and a thin layer of lip balm. I jumped into my car, speeding to the beach where the firework show was to be held.

Normally, I would’ve had to work, but Sabrina’s husband’s family just happened to be the owners of the bar and he decided to close for the night so everybody could enjoy the holiday. This was mostly due to pestering from Sab and I, but that was fine, considering we got what we wanted in the end.

Once I got there, I parked right beside her husband, Dylan’s truck. Once they saw me, they climbed out and we all walked to find a spot together.

“There are a lot of people here already,” I commented as we found a free space at the end of the pier, right in front of the water.

“Probably trying to get good spots like the one we just got,” Sabrina wiggled her eyebrows.

“You know who might be coming?” Dylan asked me with a smirk that made me nervous. I stood, waiting for him to tell me, and he bit, “Connor.”

Connor worked with me when I first started at the bar, but he’d quit after a few months to take a job offer in another city. He was nice, adorable and likable. He was never immune to my charms but he was much more respectful than any of the other men I used them on. We’d hung out and, well, made out a few times before he moved away. I never really cared about him or anything, so his leaving was fine with me, but I did miss having a man around that wasn’t creepy or strange or icky in the slightest. Of course, now I had Ghost, but was he really around? Not much. So what harm could flirting with Connor for the evening do?

“You invited him?” I asked, brows furrowed, “I knew you guys were friends but I didn’t realize you kept in touch.”

“Yeah, he has plans with his family today and came here for them, but he said he’ll probably be done early and head here.”

“Interesting,” Sabrina grinned, “Sounds like a good chance for you to get laid.”

I threw my water bottle at her, “Not everything is about sex, Sab!”

“Well it sure hasn’t been for you lately.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’ve been stuck on Ghost for a year, flirting around with him and waiting for him like an army wife or something. And in that time, have you had sex or even done anything with anyone at all?” I cast my eyes downward, the truth in her words hitting me like ice water. “Exactly. I’m just saying, you need to get out of this rut or you’re gonna be hung up on a man you’ll never have for the rest of your life.”

Sabrina was always one for tough love. She never lied, and she only ever said exactly what she thought a person needed to hear.

“You know, I never really slept around even before I met Ghost,” My contradiction was weak against her words.

“I know. But I also know that’s the only thing that might get him off your mind and turn you back into a man’s worst nightmare.”

“Fine. You’re right. Hopefully Connor will stop by.”

“Atta girl!” She grinned, high fiving me with both hands as we settled into the chairs Dylan had carried out for us.

“Not to, uh, ruin this moment for you ladies or anything, but who is Ghost?” Dylan asked, seeming thoroughly confused.

“The guy I told you about, that always wears the mask. The one who saved her last year.”

“Oh!” recognition flashed on his face, “Somehow I’ve missed him every time he’s been here.”

“Well then you’ve also missed the googly eyes she makes at him.”

“I’m sitting right here!” I huffed, crossing my arms.

We hung out there for a couple hours, chatting and drinking a little more than we really needed to. I was nice and buzzed by the time night fell, and I looked around, surveying all the people there.

What I wasn’t expecting to see was Ghost and his three buddies a little ways away from us. They hadn’t noticed me yet, and I didn’t know whether that was a blessing or a curse. Did I have it in me to ignore him and just have a good night with my friends?

Of course I didn’t.

“Sabrina!” I hissed, smacking her on the arm until she paid attention to me. When she finally looked up from whatever she was doing on her phone, I gestured aggressively with my head to the guys in question.

“Fuck, who’d have thought? You gonna go say hi?”

“I don’t know, they haven’t seen me yet. It would be weird for me to just-“

“They see you now,” she raised a brow and gave them a slight finger wave, and I turned to see that they were, in fact, looking at me. Even him.

“Do you think they even want me to walk over there?” I asked.

“Of course they do, stupid, those boys are wrapped around your finger. Go!”

“No,” I sighed, “If he wants to talk to me badly enough he’ll come over here.”

“You and your dumbass hoe rules,” she rolled her eyes at me.

“They’re not dumb and I’m not a hoe!”

“Wait,” Dylan furrowed his brows, “That’s the man? The myth? The legend?” I nodded, giggling. “He’s fucking huge!”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Hell no, I’m guy crushing. Now I don’t resent Sabrina for telling me he’s hot.”

“You told your husband you think Ghost is hot?” I snorted at her, and she shrugged.

“He told me he thinks Angelina Jolie is hot. It was only fair.”

“So you guys just… share your gay crushes with each other? Any more you want to tell me about?”

“Well we’ve both agreed we’d have a threesome but only with you-“ Sabrina didn’t finish her statement, but I heard enough and reached my hand up to shut her up.

“I want to forget you told me that.”

“Fuck,” she gasped, “He’s coming over.”

“Really?” my tone was pathetic, too excited for my own good.

“You were right, I was wrong. Your hoe rules are not dumb!”

Before I could respond, he cleared his throat from behind me. I turned slowly, feeling his presence before I even saw him.

“Hey,” I grinned, and almost looked like he did too, under the mask.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said, his voice the same rough melody as always.

“Well… I live here, and basically the entire town showed up, so..”

“That’s true.”

“What’s more weird is you being here. Considering this is a day to celebrate the US ditching England and you’re English.”

He shrugged, “I like American Independence Day. It’s interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

“Right now, the interesting part is you.”

I fought off the butterflies. Really and truly, I did, with everything I had in me.

“If you just came over here to flatter me, you can go ahead and go back to your friends,” I smirked, eyes narrow.

“Actually I came over to see if you’d wanna come say hi to them.”

“Awwww, so they sent you over here? And I thought you came over because you like me.”

Sabrina and Dylan had amused expressions on their faces, but neither said a word as they watched the exchange.

“They were just gonna wave you over but I told them I wanted to come ask you. Does that answer satisfy you?”

“I’m never satisfied,” I clicked my tongue, but I stood from my seat anyway, lightly grabbing his arm and letting him lead me away. “Be right back!” I called as I left, and my two friends waved goodbye to me, laughing.

“There she is!” Soap cheered as I approached, and a grin broke out over my face. “We started to think you didn’t wanna talk to us!”

“Was just waiting for Lieutenant Dan over here to notice me is all,” I hummed jokingly, getting on my tiptoes to pat Ghost on the head.

“Lieutenant… Dan?” he furrowed his brows, staring down at me, confused as ever.

“You’ve never seen Forrest Gump?” I practically shouted, mouth hanging open stupidly, and he shook his head. “That’s it, you guys are coming over to my place one of these days and we’re gonna watch it.”

“Fine with us,” Gaz shrugged, taking a sip of the drink in his hand.

Ghost still looked apprehensive and confused, so I told him in the sweetest voice I could manage, “Lieutenant Dan is super cool. I had a little crush on him the first time I watched the movie.” At that, his features relaxed, but they tensed again when the boys around us whistled.

“I think she’s got a little crush on you, Ghost,” Price laughed, and Ghost glared but I just giggled.

“I never said I didn’t,” I shrugged with a wink and the whistles got worse. “But I never said I did, either.”

We caught up, they told me as much as they could about what they had been up to but it wasn’t a lot at all. I noticed the more I saw them, the comfier they got speaking to me.

Then, I noticed Connor walking up the pier out of the corner of my eye, his own eyes already on me. A bright smile lit up his face and he picked up his pace to get to my side.

“Connor!” I squeaked as he pulled me into a huge hug, spinning me around in a circle and then waiting an extra second to let me go.

“Hey, sweet cheeks,” he winked, “You look good.”

“I look the same,” I scoffed.

“I know,” his voice was coy and I rolled my eyes, stepping back to put a tiny bit of distance between us, hyper aware of Ghost’s eyes burning into me.

“I can’t believe you made it,” I spoke, more tense than I normally would’ve been but I don’t think anyone picked up on it. I felt so awkward. I’d started the day with the intention of flirting with him, and doing anything I could to make him want me, and now I was a puddle for another man I didn’t even expect to see.

“Of course I made it,” he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “You’re here. I’d never miss a chance to see you while I’m in town.”

“I seem to have that affect on men,” I snorted, sparing a glance to Ghost and instantly regretting it. His eyes were hot, and they just about set me on fire, making my whole body feel tense and preyed upon.

“You always have,” Connor looked me up and down then, clearly liking what he saw, “Where are the lovebirds?”

“Over there,” I pointed to the end of the pier and he nodded.

“You gonna come join us anytime soon?” he asked.

“If you stay on your best behavior, I’ll consider it,” I smirked and he laughed all the way down to Dylan and Sabrina.

“You two seemed familiar,” Soap hummed, tone playful but eyes wary.

“He used to work with me but he moved away. This is the first time I’ve seen him in a couple years or so.”

“Guess time didn’t make him like you any less.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Why don’t you guys come down to the end, with us? The view is better, and I don’t wanna leave you but I can’t ditch them.”

“Fine by me,” Price shrugged, and the others agreed. Ghost didn’t want to, but they talked him into it, saying it was either hang out with me or stand there alone.

“Finally decided we were worth your time?” Sabrina jabbed as we approached, and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re always worth my time, baby girl,” I leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, “I was just having a chat.”

“Get a room, you two,” Dylan joked at our girly display of affection.

“Can’t, you married her before I had the chance,” I pouted, and they both laughed. I was straight as they come, but I still liked to joke about being gay for her. She was my best friend. What girl doesn’t do that?

“If anyone is getting a room with this one, it’s gonna be me,” Connor leaned around me to kiss me on the cheek and I all but cringed, shying away from him.

“‘This one’ isn’t getting a room at all, so don’t go getting your hopes up,” I was stern, but tried to be nice and protect the peace. I’d expected him to flirt with me. It’s not his fault I have a very angry looking Ghost watching over me and making me feel dizzy with need, my tummy a little sick from all the butterflies in there flying against my rib cage.

“See your mouth hasn’t changed much,” he just laughed, turning back to the side of the pier and leaning on the railing.

I approached Ghost, opting to root myself by him instead of by Connor. I wanted him to know that he was the one I’d rather have. It was silly, really, I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. I wouldn’t risk doing anything that would make him not want to see me again. I needed him to want to see me again.

This action didn’t go unnoticed by everyone else, their eyebrows raised but they stayed silent. Ghost just grabbed my arm and pulled me half an inch closer, satisfied with my choice, and I half smiled.

“Hey hot stuff,” Sabrina began speaking to me, “After the fireworks we’re going back to mine and hanging out by the pool. You down?”

“Are we all invited?” I gestured to the four men beside me and she nodded.

“Of course! I wouldn’t leave anyone out,” her tone of voice was the same as all the times she joked about Ghost and I.

“Then yeah, that sounds good. You guys wanna come?”

“I’d rather hang out there than some crowded bar,” Gaz shrugged, and the others nodded. Once again, all except Ghost.

“Come on, Ghosty, you’re not gonna let me go all alone are you?” I spoke, only loud enough for him to hear.

“You’ll have Connor with you.” He spat the name out like it disgusted him.

“I don’t want him with me. I want you. Besides, all your boys are coming. Please?” That one word did him in, his eyes meeting mine in a heated gaze.

“I’ll come.”

I smiled victoriously as we all settled in to watch the fireworks that were about to start. He placed his hand on the small of my back and lead me to the edge so I’d have a better view, which was shockingly sweet for the gruff man.

An hour or so later, we were all doing our thing by Dylan and Sabrina’s pool. I was laying in a lawn chair, drink in hand, on the border between tipsy and drunk, a giggling mess. At some point, everyone became comfortable with each other. Or at least, everyone but Ghost. He sat right beside me in the other lawn chair, watching over me carefully.

“You’re weird,” I hummed out, reaching out to tap him.

“You’re drunk,” he countered.

“That’s why you’re watching me so close? Cause I’m drunk?”

He cast his eyes downward, “Guess so.”

I let out a laugh, the embarrassing kind that I would inevitably regret the next day, attempting to stand up but wobbling on my legs. I just about fell but he steadied me.

“I’m gonna go get another, you want anything, silly little Ghost?” the sentence came out a slurred string of words, but he understood.

“No thank you, love,” he sounded kind, like he thought it was nice I asked, “Are you sure you need another?”

“One more won’t hurt me,” I shrugged, turning away to stumble over to the cooler and pull out yet another bottle. I found my way back beside him and plopped back down.

I couldn’t manage to get the cap off, and it was making me increasingly angry. Finally, Ghost grabbed it from me with a chuckle and took it off for me.

“So sexy when you do stuff for me,” I hummed, taking it from him and taking a long sip.

“That needs to be your last one,” he ordered and I giggled again.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“If you’d make the right choice on your own, I wouldn’t have to.”

I rolled my eyes, throwing the bottle back again. When I put it back down, Connor was in my line of sight, chuckling about something with Sabrina.

“Hey sweet cheeks, I got a real question for you,” he smirked at me, and I groaned.

“Oh God help me, what is it?”

“Will you jump in the pool with me like old times?” he implored, voice hopeful and I snorted.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Come on, you love bad ideas. You always have. Every time we’ve been here, we’ve jumped in the pool, don’t let this be the first time we don’t!” I still looked hesitant, and I was hesitant. I didn’t want to do it. Especially not with Simon right there, watching my every move, looking for any reason not to want anything to do with me. “Unless you’re scared?” Connor kept going. “You weren’t scared of anything when I knew you. Guess you’ve changed.”

His voice was a challenge and I knew it was a trap, but I fell right into it, indignantly arguing, “I am not scared.”

“Prove it, then. Strip.”

We got locked in a stare down before I huffed, standing from my seat, still wobbly but my determination giving me a boost. Simon helped steady me once again, still looking at me, assessing the situation.

“Fine,” I shrugged as I yanked my sweater over my head then unbuttoned my shorts and pulled them down, leaving a trail of clothes on my way to the pool. Once I got there, all I had on was my lace bra and underwear, cute and purple. I didn’t even think before going for it, jumping haphazardly into the deep end, the rush of water hitting me like a train. I felt it shift around me and knew he’d jumped in right after me as I fought to get to the surface.

I finally broke through, and took a deep breath in, laughing the loudest I had all night. Sabrina and Dylan cheered for us, mumbling on about how familiar it was to see us in their pool. I risked a glance at Ghost. He was expressionless. Well, from what I could tell.

I made my way to the side of the pool, crossing my arms there and laying my head on them.

“You’re staring,” I hummed.

“You look fucked out. You need to go fix your makeup.”

I blushed, and I knew he saw it because his eyes perked up.

“Help me out, then,” I pleaded, reaching one hand out towards him and he stared at it for a moment before making his way towards me and grabbing it. He used it to tug me up while simultaneously wrapping his other arm around my middle and pulling me out.

“You’re not gonna swim with me?” Connor pouted from the pool, and I shrugged.

“I proved my point. Swim alone.”

Ghost’s glare shut him up after that, and we headed inside to the bathroom. He left the door open behind us but we still had a sense of privacy that had never been there before.

“Here,” he sighed, opening the bag of makeup wipes that Sab had on the counter and retrieving one then using it to wipe my face. “You feel good about what you just did?”

“Well I don’t feel bad about it, if that’s what you’re asking.” He grunted. “Everyone enjoyed it but you, Ghost.”

“Yeah because everyone out there wanted to see you half naked.”

“What, you didn’t? You don’t like what you see or something?”

“I didn’t say that,” his voice was deadly, as if he was chastising me. “That wasn’t smart. You’re drunk.”

“And you’re jealous.”

“I’m telling you that you made a dangerous decision and you’re accusing me of being jealous?”

“It wasn’t dangerous, first of all. I’ve done worse than that while I was drinking. And second of all, yeah. You’re jealous. You can admit it.” He stayed quiet, finishing up my face and going to walk out but I grabbed his wrist, tugging him back. “I’ve been rejecting him in the nicest way possible all night long.”

“Why?”

“Because I was scared if I didn’t, you’d decide I wasn’t worth coming back for again.”

“You can do what you want, it’s none of my business.”

“I know.”

“You can flirt back. You can damn near fuck him right in front of me and I’ll still seek you out the next time I’m here. You don’t have to worry one bit about that.”

“Is that a promise?” I asked, and he nodded, hand cupping my cheek. “I don’t wanna flirt with him. It’s pathetic is what it is. He came here tonight for me, thinking he was gonna get in these little lace panties, and the second I saw you he was an afterthought.”

His gaze was hotter than it ever had been, pupils a little wider when I risked those words. His voice was husky, going straight through me, “How rude of you.”

“You like me pathetic, huh? You like that I’m a little desperate?”

“You’re not desperate,” he chuckled.

“I am for you.”

He groaned, his masked face falling into the crook of my neck as his hands ghosted over my hips.

“Come on, let’s get back out there,” he pulled himself away and walked out, and I made no attempt to stop him that time, still trying to catch my breath.

A moment later I managed to compose myself, and I followed outside, laying back in my lawn chair. I was still a bit wet so I didn’t bother putting my clothes back on yet, but I was shivering slightly from the cold.

“Took you long enough,” Ghost mumbled from beside me and I rolled my eyes at him, leaning even further back, my eyes shutting. All the alcohol was getting to me, making me a little sleepy.

“You’re going to sleep?” The voice was Connor’s, and it was close. Before I could even respond, I was being picked up and held tightly in arms that didn’t feel like Ghost’s. My eyes shot open to see Connor carrying me towards the water.

“What’re you doing?” I asked loudly, squirming to get away. He just chuckled, clutching me tighter.

“Waking you up,” his voice was breathless as he laughed and I started struggling harder against him.

“Let me go! Please, let me go, fuck, God-!” I was full on wrestling him now to get away, not wanting to go back in the water. Thinking how wrong it was for him to throw me in there. He always used to do stuff like that when he’d lived close, and I hadn’t minded then, but I was drunk and it was late and-

My thoughts cut off there as he was yanked back from the edge by his shoulder.

“She said she wanted to be let go.” Ghost was standing there, looking as angry as ever.

“Chill, dude, this is our thing. We’ve always done stuff like this together, she’s fine,” Connor huffed incredulously.

“Does she look fine to you?”

They looked down at me, my lip trembling, fully uncomfortable in Connor’s arms.

“Connor, please put me down,” I tried one last time, “I don’t wanna be thrown in the water. I’m cold and drunk and-“

“Give her to me.” Ghost’s tone was not a playing one, sending shivers even down my spine and I could not imagine how Connor wasn’t cracking under that pressure. “Now.”

Connor sighed, nodding, setting me down next to Ghost who pulled me close into his chest, hand stroking my wet hair and wiping my cheeks where I hadn’t realized tears were falling.

“I’m sorry,” Connor looked at me and it sounded like he really meant it. “I just - we used to do shit like this all the time. I didn’t think you would care.”

“It’s ok,” I sniffled, snuggling closer into the broad expanse of man I was leaning against, soaking up the warmth for all it was worth.

“I’m gonna take her home, I think she’s had enough for one night.” I nodded as Ghost spoke, his arms even tighter than they’d been to begin with. “Get your clothes, come on,” he whispered into my hair and I did as asked, grabbing my shirt and shorts and slipping my shoes on. I gave Connor a quick goodbye hug and waved goodbye to the rest of my friends and his, who opted to stay for a while longer. They said they’d come pick Ghost up from wherever he needed, and he nodded as we left for the night.

He opened the passenger side door of my car for me and helped me in, frowning as I shivered against the biting night air. “Put your clothes on, sweetheart,” he suggested and I shook my head.

“Don’t feel - hiccup - like it,” my voice was practically a whine and he nodded, walking over to the driver’s side. On his way, be noticed a blanket in the back seat, and when he was situated in the car, he grabbed it and placed it over me. I cuddled into it, appreciating the gesture.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, as serious as I’d ever seen him.

“‘m fine,” my voice was weak, and I didn’t really understand why I was so upset. I’d been thrown into the water before. I never enjoyed it, but it never made me cry.

“Yeah? Doesn’t seem like it.”

“I don’t know why I’m so bothered,” I shrugged, “Guess with everything that’s happened to me I just felt scared. I don’t like… I don’t like feeling like I can’t get away from someone. Not if I don’t trust them.”

“You said you’ve known him for a long time, you don’t trust him?”

“Not like -“ I paused, wondering if I should say the next part, “Not like I trust you.”

He chuckled darkly, hand falling down to my stretched out knee and rubbing.

“You don’t know me at all,” he pointed out.

“I know you a little better than you think,” I huffed, “You’ve saved me three times now. You wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

He clicked his tongue, turning the car on and pulling away, following my directions to my house. He was gentle with me the entire time until my tears stopped and I was half asleep in the seat, head slumped and eyes hazy.

He pulled in the driveway, slipping out of the car and picking me up, leaving the blanket and my clothes behind.

Once we got to the door, he took one arm off of me just long enough to unlock it with my key and walked me inside, barely caring to get a look at the place at all as he walked to the hallway in search of my bedroom.

“It’s the one at the end,” I offered and he nodded, finding it and letting himself in, laying me down on my bed.

“I’m sure you wanna get out of your wet…. clothes,” he vaguely gestured to me, “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Don’t leave me here,” I gasped out, reaching desperately for his hand, “Don’t leave me here alone. I’m not ready for you to go yet.”

His eyes widened and he leaned back into me, crowding me and promising, “I’m not goin’ anywhere, just leavin’ the room to give you privacy to clean up.”

“Oh,” I hummed, relief settling in.

“You could say please, though,” his voice had that husk in it again, and I grinned.

“I don’t think I have to, you’re gonna stay either way.”

He tutted, “Doesn’t mean I don’t wanna hear it.”

I thought for a moment. “Fine,” I smirked, then, in the most seductive voice I could manage, I leaned up and drawled, “Please.”

His pupils blew wide and he nodded, his hand exploring my face, cupping my cheek, squeezing my chin and making my lips pucker, and then it drifted into more dangerous territory, resting around my throat. My breath hitched and he chuckled, giving one small squeeze before his touch disappeared. He walked out of the room, laughing all the way.

I rolled my eyes, going to my dresser to get clothes. I was still too sleepy to shower or anything but I at least wanted to wear something that covered me and didn’t smell like chlorine. I pulled on a T shirt and a fresh pair of panties, not bothering with more. Ghost had already seen me in just my undies, why did it matter? Then I went to the bathroom and thoroughly cleaned my face and brushed my damp and stringy hair.

Once I was done, I left my room and searched for him, finding him in the living room, lounged back on the couch like he belonged there. Wordlessly, I sat beside him, and he hummed, pulling me into his side and tucking me there comfortably.

He was so warm, I couldn’t help but sigh, sinking into him. My mind drifted to places it shouldn’t be, imagining sinking into his arms all the time. Imagining having his warmth forever. I pushed that away. Those were not feelings I needed to unpack.

Finally, I glanced up at the TV to see he’d found Forrest Gump and it was ready to play.

“Really?” I asked, the ghost of a smile on my lips.

“Wanted to see what this Lieutenant Dan was all about,” he shrugged, clicking the button and starting it.

I couldn’t pay much attention, I was much too content to just relax into his hold. I checked my phone, seeing a few missed texts from Sabrina asking if I was okay, apologizing for Connor, and of course, some innuendos about Ghost and me.

“You two have an interesting friendship.” I looked up at him as he said it and laughed.

“How so?”

“Doesn’t seem like you like each other very much.”

“That’s just how we are,” I shrugged, “She’s my best friend, we just like being mean to each other.” He grunted in response, prompting me to turn back to the movie. It didn’t take long for me to drift off, snuggled deep into him and feeling more safe and taken care of than I ever had.

I woke up to the feeling of being carried and opened my eyes slowly just as Ghost laid me in bed.

“The team is here to pick me up. I’ve got to go.”

I pouted, not ready to let him go just yet.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave.”

“You shouldn’t drink so much, sweetheart, it makes you sappy,” he chuckled, but the look he gave me was pitiful and it only made me want him to stay more.

“I’m not being sappy, I’m being honest. I don’t do that a lot, be grateful for it.”

He sighed, sitting down beside me and stroking my hair. “I’ll be back. I don’t know when but I promise I will.”

I nodded, trying hard not to drift back to sleep, wanting those last few moments with him.

My eyes widened as he lifted his mask to his nose, exposing the stubble on his chin and cheeks. He leaned down, taking my cheeks in his hands and kissing my forehead.

Oh, I was fucked.

His lips felt so good, I was addicted and he hadn’t even kissed me properly. I felt myself getting a little closer to the edge of the cliff I was bound to fall off of.

He pulled away slightly, still close enough for me to feel his warmth, and I sighed, eyes on his lips.

“You gonna give me a real kiss, soldier?”

“Not when you’re all tired and drunk like this,” he shook his head, brushing his thumb across my lips then pulling away.

“Ghost,” I called as he made his way to the door, “Goodbye.”

“Bye, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”

[setokaibapetty]

5 + 1 Fic Friday Roundup: On Campus

One of the things that April is an awareness month for is community college. So, have some fanfic with student//teacher characters or a school setting.

Mahogany (AO3) - "Shepard and squaddies are students at the elite Galactic Training Academy. (Think Starfleet meets Hogwarts. In space.) Reapers have been dead for hundreds of years, but there are still plenty of baddies out in the galaxy. Shepard-in-training rises to the occasion, with the aid of her squad and a certain snarky flight student. Currently Rated M for language and mature situations."

The Night Will Come but Not to Stay (AO3) - "Jazz is excited about going to Gotham University for college. It's halfway across the country from Amity Park and anyone who knows about her weird family or ghost nonsense. Finally, she can pretend to be a normal woman who just wants to go into psychiatry. She meets a cute guy named Jason, and they seem to be getting along great."

Form 23-C: Application for a New Roommate (AO3) - "After battling ninjas, aliens, madmen, mafiosos, other heroes and death itself, Jason was about to face his most unknown foe yet: a normal life. It's fine. He'd always dreamed of going to college and for once reality sort of lived up to expectations. He loves the classes, he can handle the workload and his cases too. His roommate is a total douche, but whatever. Jason's fine, he's got this. Then he meets his roommate's brother. Jason totally doesn't have this."

Holy Romantic Overtures, Batman! (AO3) - "After the heist of a lifetime, henchman!Jason decides to go legit and enrolls in college. The last person he expected to see there was Robin, and he certainly didn’t expect to fall for him either. But somehow it all works out. Maybe it’s all the labels?"

campus cryptid vs. future valedictorian (AO3) - "Mara Glass did not care about "weird hot guy," the supposed "campus cryptid." She had heard of him her first couple years and had him pointed out to her by a classmate once, but what was there to notice? Okay, he was probably thirty, a nontraditional student, so what? There were a number of those around. Apparently he was hot--well congrats to people who were into people, they could keep him. And if you asked Mara, from her extremely objective perspective, those Disney-green eyes were doing a lot of heavy lifting. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about a thirty-something guy who didn't talk about himself to twenty-year-old classmates. He probably had, like, a real life. There were rumors he was married, although Brittany noted that the only reason people thought that was because one time someone heard him finish a phone call with, "You light the candles, I'll bring dinner. I love you." None of that was remotely interesting to Mara. He sounded like a normal person, and she wished people would shut up about him. Then in third year, she had a history class with weird hot guy."

Bonus: Scholastic Nightmare (AO3) - "Nara Sayuri, a religious studies major from a traditional household, would be hard pressed to come up with a worse nightmare. It was her first time presenting a paper at a conference and apparently her paper was so wrong that one of her ancestors - a deified ancestor, the Shikabane-hime herself - came down from the heavens specifically to point out how off base Sayuri was."

[xshybutdeadlyx]

Questions for the demiromantic and demisexuals out there

Ok, so I've recently found this term thanks to an aroace character from a show I watched. I knew of the sexuality but I didn't really know the specifics because I always thought I was bi but now looking into it I didn't know how aroace was like a literal umbrella and there was so much more to it then meets the eye. Which I'm 30 I feel like I should know more than what I do. But with doing research into it trying to understand it better, I learned about all the terms, and I learned about demiromantic and demisexual and it really resonated with me. But I wanted to ask for advice, I guess? Like I like romance I love reading it seeing art and what have you but when it comes to romance for myself I'm not a big fan? And maybe it's because I literally have to unlearn so much romance equals a, b, and c when that's not really true. I literally been in only one relationship in my life and it consisted of hand holding small kisses (no tongue, honestly I have an ick with spit and the only reason I "wanted" to do deeper kisses with the boyfriend I had at the time was because I felt like it was a requirement) but I honestly didn't feel attraction towards him until after getting to know him and being friends with him for months well into almost a year. And he's the only one I ever felt that way for I hardly ever had crushes or when I did I almost kinda forced myself into having them if that makes sense? It was "natural," and every kid was supposed to have crushes. Nothing ever came from the "crushes" though.

Now, like I said, I'm well into my 30s, and the relationship I just mentioned was the only relationship romantic wise I've ever had. I have had strong feelings for two of the friends I have but one friend is straight as they come and the other is married lol the one that is married though we have a strong bond that I wouldn't trade anything for. She tickles my hand, and she lets me cuddle her all the time, and we just spend nights just playing games together, just like when we were in high school. I love her so damn much, and I'll cherish what we have even when we are both dead and gone. She is my forever person.

Sorry, I went into a mini rant about my platonic love, but she's the best, and when I start talking about her, I have to gush lol, but anyways back to my sexuality crisis

So anyways, when there is even a chance of someone having an interest in me, I honestly kind of freak out. Or like if someone tries to set me up with someone, red neon flashing warning signs pop up for me. I don't know that person, and honestly, I get put off by big romantic gestures. Like, I appreciate it, but I don't think it's necessary? Can we just go get McDonald's, sit in the parking lot, and just shoot the shit? Play some games? We can watch movies or shows too.

I've also been on the dating websites and such as well, and I'm just always immediately put off. "Hello beautiful," ugh. "Insert pickup line here." please God why. "Unsolicited romantic or sexual advances right after a day of talking." Haha, no. There was literally one guy I thought was cool and we kinda flirted but it was really just talking everyday about the games we were playing I feel like if given time a connection could of been built but he ended up finding someone else immediately. Which honestly was fine I was kinda bummed but like if he wanted romance immediately, I wasn't gonna be giving that to him. I wanted to still be friends, but apparently, we had "too much history," so he ended up blocking me. lol oh well.

I've also literally only have had two "crushes" in like in a 5 year time span (only because this is what I can remember lol) one of em was so goofy and seemed so fun but then it seems like they turned out to be very self absorbed instantly done the other had baby mama drama wasn't into that. Honestly, those things seem to be things that could be worked through? Maybe? But once I just see something off-putting, it's all I see, which seems more like a personal thing because of past traumas.

As of now I'm honestly content with no romantic relationship but I feel like I do want one but I don't want one with just anyone and it just doesn't seem like many people out there are willing to wait or willing to be friends first and want to hop into relationships immediately when I very much don't. It takes me a while to be comfortable with people, and I want to get to know them as a person.

For a long time I felt like I just wasn't doing things right or that I had to actually change something that I was doing. I thought I was wrong or that I should just force myself into the uncomfortable situation of being someone's girlfriend immediately but then if it turns out I just don't have those romantic feelings then there the whole process of hurting them which is just anxiety inducting.

Also, with all that I'm saying, it does go into the demisexual portion, too. I've still never been with someone sexually because even in the one relationship I have had, I haven't met someone I've trusted to give myself to. The thought of one night stands or anything of the like just makes me wanna crawl into myself. I don't mind anything sexual but I want to be with someone sexually that I trust and care about with my whole being, not some dude Craig or some chick Wendy from Tinder. I'm content with that, but a lot of the times, I'm almost made to feel bad because I haven't done anything sexual. But boy, can I read all the smut on Ao3. Like it all in theory, but dunno about in practice lol I just don't have much of a drive in general, but I don't know if that's just because I've never been with anyone before? I keep getting told, "As soon as you're with someone, your sex drive changes," and like, does that shit really happen? Lol

All in all, I really feel connected to the terms demiromantic and demisexual. Even when I just said I'm bi, it just never felt right, but for once, I feel like I finally found something that I felt connected to and finally found me. But I guess I also wanna feel like I'm right in assuming so? I dunno I feel like it'd be disrespectful in using a label that isn't really you? Which doesn't sound right because everyone has the right to find themselves, and sometimes people go through a list until they finally find themselves, which is what's happening to me right now. But my feelings also just get jumbled up and I have a hard time distinguishing what's been conditioned in me, like how you date, you get into a relationship, ya do couple things, then you get married ect. When all I wanna do is get to know you, really know you, then actually date but even then I feel like a lot of my stuff is more on the platonic end? Like, I like cuddling and kissing, and I do like romance but on a more tame level? I kick my feet when reading "he bought her all these extravagant gifts then he swept her off her feet and dipped her into a kiss" so cute but like if I was actually in that situation like bro put me down for real and I'm so awkward when given gifts lol

I dunno I'd just would really like to discuss this with others who have found themselves because I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this. I've talked to my friends and they of course support me and love me but I feel like they don't really get it? And my family just chalks it up to " Ya just don't have a lot of experience it'll all change when ya get out there and mingle with people"

Thanks in advance for reading all this if ya made it this far I know it's a lot of word vomit as I like to call it but I don't have very organized thoughts and I just kinda write what I'm thinking in the moment lol

[stars-tonight]

Hello!!! Hope you're having a great day/night/afternoon!! I'd like to ask for a haikyuu match up please 🙏🙏

1 - I'd like a long one if you have enough time, but I'll be ok with a short one too!!

2 - A romantic match up please!!

3 - I'm a girl and go by she/her. I'd like to be paired with a guy

4 - I think my type is someone funny, loyal and kinda "good old fashioned loverboy", if you know what I mean 😋 Some1 who's kind of a loser when it comes to his gf and always takes her to dates

5 - Idk if you need MBTI, but I'm an ENTP. I'm extroverted and I like to joke around a lot. I'm very sarcastic and have an acid humor (I'm also very smart and good at academics, may I add). I like to consider myself funny, and I laugh a lot. I'm almost always smiling and laughing.

6 - I play volleyball (5'4 setter) and I'm literally OBSESSED with it. I breath volleyball, I love volleyball and I talk about it all the time. I also love cooking, even though I'm not very good. I usually cook for my younger brother, since we're very close. I play videogames too, my favorites are minecraft and FIFA.

7 - My giving love language is quality time, and I like to recieve acts of service or physical touch.

8 - My ideal date is doing something funny, like going to an amusement park, a circus or watching a comedy movie, where we're both just smiling and laughing with eachother.

I think that's all. Also, sorry if I got any words wrong, I'm brazilian and therefore english is not mt first language. Thank you for your time!!! 💕💕💕

headcanons

🥛 atsumu is one of the biggest dorks in the whole series and will 100% be a lovestruck fool with his partner

🥛 he'd always be taking you out on dates and spoiling you with gifts

🥛 shows you off any chance he gets, especially to irk osamu

🥛 i hate to say it but no way is atsumu academically intelligent

🥛 so you'll probably end up tutoring him in all his classes

🥛 he'll definitely whine about it though

🥛 "i wanna spend time with you"

🥛 "we're together right now 'tsumu"

🥛 "i meant on an actual date, not doin' something stupid like studyin'!"

🥛 he'd be so happy that you love volleyball just as much as he does

🥛 he'd definitely come to all your games and expect you to come to all of his (he'll throw a tantrum if you don't)

🥛 will probably start competitions about who can get the most assists in a game

🥛 you two are known as the "volleyball couple" because you're both obsessed with it

🥛 unfortunately for those like kita or suna who hoped that atsumu getting a partner meant that he'd chill out on volleyball, he actually doubles down on his obsession and competitiveness

🥛 goes so much harder in games to show off for you because he knows you know more about the sport so you can spot cool plays better

🥛 atsumu would totally want to cook with you even though he should NOT be allowed in the kitchen

🥛 you'll need osamu on standby even though it means he's third wheel-ing

🥛 atsumu doesn't seem like a big video game person because he's usually too busy with volleyball but he'd definitely play like a competitive shootout game (i don't know video games i'm sorry)

🥛 would rage quit

🥛 atsumu is one of the most pda characters in the whole show so he'll be showering you in hugs and kisses at every moment

🥛 after each game (yours or his) he'll run to you, pick you up and spin you around in front of everyone

🥛 he definitely suits lighthearted dates too (although he likes a fancy restaurant date every now and then)

🥛 would go absolutely crazy at an amusement park or arcade

🥛 has an unabashed, loud guffaw for a laugh (just look at the picture on the banner) and will bust that out at a circus or comedy show

runner up for you was hinata shōyō!

A/N: there you go, hope you liked it! i'm also a 5'4 setter lol

[newobsessioneveryweek]

gasp! I wanna know more of your Connor and Sherman self-indulgent headcanons :3

Only if you want to share though, no pressure!

I do wanna share!! Thank you for indulging me Anon☺️

I'm gonna start with random individual Sherman and Connor hcs because I have those too >:]

Previous asks

The Hermes cabin has formed a band!

I don't like when the fandom fits characters into boxes and doesn't treat them as real people with normal human complexities like liking something that falls under a different god's jurisdiction. Why can't any other camper that isn't a main character be good at music or gardening or just be freaking smarter than Annabeth if their parent isn't the god of whatever it is? Anyway, rant over.

The Hermes kids have a band going!

And every now and then they sneak into the city to play gigs or busk on a street corner or in the park. They encourage everyone in the Hermes cabin, regardless of whether or not they're claimed, to learn an instrument so that they can rotate or swap out a drummer or guitarist or something when someone else is injured.

That's partly how they make money

(another other way is taking bets and match fixing)

Connor, as I expressed in the previous post, is a guitarist and pianist mostly and dabbles in a few other instruments like the drums and ukulele :] (and the lyre because Hermes invented it and it seems fitting)

Travis plays bass and guitar

Julia and Cecil are both drummers and Alice plays keyboard

Chris also plays the keyboard but he's not there often enough to play with them

They'll all sing depending on the song they're performing but Cecil gets stage fright

Connor has a really nice singing voice :] Sherman really likes it :]]

They mostly play rock music! 🎶

Chiron decided to hold a talent show once and they performed under the stage name Retrograde

Hehe, get it? Like Mercury?

And no one really expects them to be as good as they are but before this they've had a lot of practice performing in Central Park

And if they wanted money they had to get good

They won due to just the pure shock of the other campers that these silly geese are actually damn good musicians 🎵

And it also broke the seal for other campers to embrace passions that don't fall under their parents' domains ☺️

That being said,

Sherman is surprisingly good at chess

You could argue that it's a strategy game and that war is all about strategy

But that area is more of Athena's thing. Ares' domain is the brutality and mayhem part of war, and has nothing to do with any order or structure

So this was just an interesting thing that he wanted to learn and he's darn good at it!

He has beaten a couple of Athena kids at it

He convinced his cabin that it was a plan to make him better at Capture the Flag but it's just because he likes the game :]

Let my boy have a hobby that isn't wounding people in real life

He and Connor play together sometimes but Connor's a fast learner so it keeps Sherman on his toes.

This has been added to their list of friendly (aggressive) competitions

When Connor was about thirteen Chiron got him an Adderall prescription because he simply could not focus during lessons.

After a while of taking it though he barely ate and had a shitty sleep schedule and he just didn't act the same

Like he was just a blob with no personality

Travis complained to Chiron and told him that Connor was reacting well to the meds

but once he went off the withdrawals were really bad

He'd have a constant headache for like 3 days and barely get any sleep

At night it would take him until 4 or 5 in the morning to finally fall asleep but he'd have to get up three hours later and the sleep would be of bad quality anyway

He got so tired and miserable one day that he locked himself in the armory and cried

Travis found him later when everyone was looking for him for Capture the Flag and took him to the infirmary to sleep it off while everyone else fought each other

He still had a headache but he was exhausted so at least he got some peace and quiet for a bit

Lee mitigated a few of the symptoms while he was asleep so he could sleep better :]

After a week or two he started to feel better and wasn't so down all the time

Sherman gets nightmares all the time about his step-dad

In case you missed that post, Sherman killed his step father to protect his mom

And here's the thing

Killing a human is kind of traumatising to a child of 9 years

He wakes up sometimes with the Lady Macbeth Instinct to wash blood off his hands and has scrubbed them multiple times until they bled and needed to be bandaged

He used to hide the injuries by bandaging them himself or sneaking into the infirmary on the off hour to steal nectar but during training with the Apollo and Hermes kids someone noticed him holding his weapon funny and asked Lee to check his hands because they were bandaged.

Lee didn't remember bandaging him but when he got up to check it Sherman freaked out and yelled at them to stop being ridiculous and said he was fine

Connor said Sherman was lying (this is before their enemies to friends arc) and Sherman tried to fight him before Lee pulled him away and to the infirmary

Sherman is a bit of an asshole, even as an 10 year old, but he would never fight with Lee so he let him check his hands.

Lee doesn't pry but he tells him that he should never keep secrets when he's hurt

So Sherman never lied about an injury to Lee

And when he died it affected him very strongly

Lee was also Connor's music teacher so his death was really hard on him too

Lee is just the best

Best camp brother/cousin/friend

Now the couple headcanons! Let's goooo!

Sherman likes watching Connor solve Rubik's cubes and gives him harder and harder challenges and finds more complex ones to give him to see how quickly he can figure them out

They have DnD nights with a few other campers from other cabins. Sherman always plays a fighter or a barbarian and Connor always plays a rogue or a bard depending on what Travis is playing

Sherman is super socially awkward with newer campers. He cannot keep a conversation going without stumbling over his words and eye contact? Don't even think about it actually

He only seems intimidating when he's not talking

Connor tells him that his looking unapproachable to people is his defense mechanism to keep them away so they don't find out he's actually a huge dork :]

Sherman denied it (it's the truth though)

Sherman has a reputation for being tough and aggressive not because he's constantly fighting with people, but when he does actually fight with someone outside of training he does max damage before he's pulled off

It's the Spartan Rage thing I was talking about in the previous one

Connor has learned a couple of Sherman's weaknesses in the years they've been friends/partners so he's always the quickest to de-escalate things

Connor can tell when he's about to flip out so he just pulls Sherman away and tells him to calm down

Ever since the peanut butter incident Sherman is super hesitant to give Connor anything edible and always asks if he's sure there aren't nuts in his food before he eats

Connor claims he hates it when Sherman gets so overprotective but he actually finds it kinda sweet

Well, that's all I have for now! I would love to hear some of yours if you have any ☺️ thank you for the question Anon, I'm glad you want to hear about my thoughts and opinions on these dorks 〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜

[the-blossica-fan]

Actors AU:

Balloon Party, who's real name is Gertrude, was chosen for the role by sheer coincidence; she said that, one day, she had gotten a headache, and had to speak slowly to try and relax herself. Needless to say, Z heard it, and thought she would be an amazing shoe-in for the role.

In real life, she is an actual doctor, too; not world famous, but definitely well-known, especially for how soft spoken she is.

If you would have told her she'd find love on the set, she'd call it a pipe dream.

And then she met Lorelei by giving her a health check, and may or may not have been smitten immediately.

(I also imagine she has a PhD and many positive reviews. Lorelei, meanwhile, has $5 and a dream 😭)

Imagine she works in the same hospital as Tooth Fairy and is an acquaintance of Madam Z. After a long day of work and sleepless nights, a headache wore her down and she constantly held her head while talking slowly.

Z had an idea at that moment and got her an interview with the directors, she was cast as Balloon Party not long after. She has to admit she quite enjoys the character she plays as, a crazy and creepy doctor.

People often get surprised when she acts so nicely unlike her unsettling character, and are even more surprised to know she has a PhD.

Gertrude also made a couple health checks around the set, she's one of the few who can and it's better to make sure all actors are healthy and in good shape for their next acts. She frequently receives visits from Cristallio, Lucy or Rabies, so she always tries to keep a professional face around those who don't come as often, that's when Lorelei steps in.

For your information, it's not Balloon Party who fell first, but she did find some attraction to that blond head that wouldn't stop saying nonsense.

Lorelei felt a bit nervous as she complained of an upcoming cold and headache, and alongside Gertrude's soft, calming and understanding voice, she fell. And bad.

Must I add she was quite entranced, staring into Gertrude's eyes as she spoke whatever she was talking about? Yeah.

Even when she wasn't sick, she went to Gertrude to try and start a conversation under the pretense of "taking care of any future sickness", and soon enough, she didn't even need an excuse!

Gertrude did end up falling for the silly girl that was so obviously down bad that not even romantic obliviousness could cover it. Ted faced, oftentimes hinting at going out on dates but then chickened up and ran away without a warning, or bringing her emotional support emo along.

Either way, it ended up happening soon enough, it's not like Gertrude wanted to play hard to get or she didn't like Lorelei's personality and acts of service.

I can imagine Lorelei asking her out on dates and it ends up being then eating 2 hot dogs for 1$ and a soda in the middle of a park because she didn't have enough money for a restaurant. And if she took her to a restaurant, her emotional support emo had to give away some money for it to happen.

ONION: So, Miss Lorelei, is it true you're dating Miss Gertrude?

Lorelei: Surprisingly enough, we both are in a romantic relationship. Mama and papa like her a lot, however, I can't help but wonder why she would date someone like me. I can only invite her to eat a homemade sandwich.

Balloon Party: I'm not in love with her for money, I think she's quite cute and romantic. I don't mind eating something cheap if it means being by her side, and she has some funny reactions when I compliment her too.

Semmelweis: Yes, I am the emotional support emo. Yes, I am tired. And yes, I have enough money to pay for their dates as long as they let me sleep.

ONION: ...I just asked if you knew about the rumors

[fandomwe1rd0]

Morty is a really tragic character

I'm rewatching the series for like the 10th time, and I'm feeling really bad for Morty, the poor boy went through so much, here's what he goes through in season 1 alone.

Episode 1 ~ Pilot

Suffers from extreme panic from Rick saying he will blow up the world, and is tired due to it also being late at night

Is manhandled by Rick for this entire episode, and Rick is very harsh toward him

Is dragged out of school by Rick

Breaks both of his legs

Stuffs Mega-seeds up his rectum and it is apparently painful due to them being pointy

Is immobilized for hours due to them dissolving in his rectum

Episode 2 ~ Lawnmower Dog

Was about to get punished for something Rick did

Rick snaps at him all because Morty suggested Rick helps him with his homework

Is terrified due to having to avoid getting shot so he doesn't die in real life

Is slapped by Rick while screaming

Is traumatized due to seeing his sister in a...suggestive way

Is terrified due to Scary Terry

Rick embarrasses him in front of girls (Those girls weren't real but still)

His kidneys shut down

His dog leaves

Rick insults him "What do you know Morty? What do you know?"

Episode 3 ~ Anatomy Park

Gets hastily told by Rick to hold his breath until a certain process is over or his lungs will collapse

Is nearly choked by Poncho for no real reason

Is nearly attacked by monsters (multiple times throughout the episode)

Sees mutiple people die (Throughout episode)

Alice taken away from him for Rick's own selfish reasons, Rick doesn't apologize and brushes it off saying he did Morty a favor

Episode 4 ~ M-Night Sha-aliens!

He isn't exactly in this episode, but in an aftercredits scene, Rick holds a knife to Morty's neck while angerily asking him "ARE YOU A SIMULATION!?"

Episode 5 ~ Meeseeks and Destroy

Got traumatized from having to kill people who looked exactly like his family

Rick is very harsh towards him for the majority of the episode

Got assaulted by Mr. Jellybean, narrowly escaped him

Panicked when he saw Mr. Jellybean again

Episode 6 ~ Rick Potion #9

Multiple people fell in love with him and charged at him

Rick is very harsh towards him throughout this episode

A bunch of praying mantis/ vole/ human hybrids talked about how they would like to have sex with him then eat him afterwards

Got traumatized from being forced to bury himself

Episode 7 ~ Raising Gazapazorp

Tried his best to raise a very aggressive, violent son named Morty Jr. then Morty Jr. made a book talking about what a terrible father he was

Episode 8 ~ Rixty Minutes

Actually, not a lot of bad stuff happens to him in this episode, but we see the impact of him burying himself

Episode 9 ~ Something Ricked this Way Comes

Jerry snapped at him 2 times in this episode for no real reason

Jerry embarrassed him in front of a lot of Plutonions

Episode 10 ~ Close Rick Counters with Rick Kind

Got dragged away from his family just because our Rick's Morty (Ik he's technically Rick Prime's Morty but eh)

Got angry at Rick when he found out he was just a human cloaking device

Saw himself in agony

Cried when Rick said "You are a perfect impenetrable suit of human amor Morty because you're as dumb as I am smart. So that's why when I say shut up, it's really good advice."

Got locked in with a bunch of other Mortys

Rick insulted him after Morty saved his life "Ok Morty, don't break an arm jerking yourself off."

Episode 11 ~ Ricksy Business

Tried to convince Rick not to have a party since he'd prefer to keep going on adventures with Rick, but Rick just brushed him off

Worked tirelessly to attempt to keep the house in good shape

Rick dumped people who were annoying him onto Morty

Saw Squancy uh...pleasuring himself in the closet

Saw Abrodolf Lincoler die

Rick got a bunch of people to boo him.

This all happened in season one. This poor dude got constantly insulted and had horrible things happen to him. It's easy to forget that he's only 14 due to all of the stuff that happened to him. A lot of this stuff could be difficult for an adult to handle, I can't image how much mental damage it must do to someone who is only 14. Poor Morty is traumatized, the poor kid deserves all the hugs and kindness in the world and a good family, man.

[deleahtarte]

Hii!! I love your works especially Young God and Lemon Muffins and Apricity (a normal amount...) and I wanted to ask if you had any writing tips? You inspire me a lot and I wanted to know if you were willing to share some! It's totally alright if you don't want to 😊 but if you do thank you it means a lot!! Thank you, bye have a good day / night!! :]

I would LOVE to share my writing tips!! And thank you for the sweet compliment!

For a little backstory, I’ve been writing for 4 years, and have been committed to one other fandom that is not South Park. Now, as a warning, beware these are just all the things that I, Deleah, personally find to help me write. I truly believe it is different for everyone, and some things here might not work for you, and that’s alright! We all learn eventually what makes us tick, and I’m here to share mine!

1. Commitment!! I think one of the biggest factor in writing overall, the one that will help you the most is commitment. You have to write. Commitment is how you get better at everything. You have to write when you’re not in the mood to, you have to keep writing on those days where you feel like nothing is coming along, and you have to keep writing even when you don’t know exactly what you’re writing about. Sometimes when I write I think “this is it, this is max I can write it” but then I go re-read my previous works and realize wow, I actually improved!

2. READ BOOKS!! Personally, I cannot write unless I read a book. Observe how different authors write. See what you like about their writing style and what you don’t. For instance, I think this one writer could improve on the depth of their explanations but I think they have the most wonderful metaphors. Learn from them. When I find an author with amazing writing, I read all their books—regardless of whether I take interest in the actual story or not. I hope by doing so I learn and absorb their writing, like how people try to learn a specific artists art style.

3. Listen to music! To get myself into writing certain scenes or characters, I listen to songs that help invoke whatever I’m trying to write. For instance, when I write Kenny I listens to Young God by Halsey. But when I write Butters thoughts about Kenny I listen to Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine. Basically, let the music put you in the mood of whatever it is you’re trying to convey. If you’re writing a sexy scene put on sexy music, etc, etc.

4. Have an outline! I know some people like to write stories just as they come, but I found that I when I did that in my first fandom, I miss out on so many things. I’m never satisfied with the story because I feel like things don’t connect. No foreshadowing, why did this happen here instead of there, what about pacing? Overall, every time I did it, the story turns out a mess. I believe that if you have the story outlined from beginning to end, everything will tie together like a well formed bow, ready for the taking. Because of this, I have every chapter planned out. All I would now need to do is write it.

5. This is the most important tip of all, you have to love writing. There’s no other way around it. It’s hard to get committed to something you don’t love. It’s hard to put time and effort into something you don’t care for. So unfortunately, you will have to love writing, or at least like it enough to be committed. I use to draw, thought I was decent at it, but I didn’t love it enough to fully pour my heart into it. I draw sometimes now, but I know if I put in the hours and work I could’ve become someone decent with art. But I didn’t, because as stated, I didn’t love it enough. I liked drawing, but I love writing. That’s where my heart is.

That’s it for just general tips overall!! If anyone has any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!! 😄😄

[shinelikethunder]

SPN Brain Rot Tasting Menu

this is not a viewing guide. (the only SPN viewing guide i'll sign off on is "bomb your way through the first 3 to 5 seasons in order, then decide whether you want to watch the direct-to-VHS sequel eras.") this is a "someone near you caught SPN brain rot and you're trying to decide whether to join them in hell" tasting menu, based on what piqued my personal interest when i was still on the fence about continuing with the show.

criteria: basically, "ideal episodes to catch by wandering through the room with no context while a roommate is watching SPN." so, skewed towards self-contained, less-spoilery, solid episodes that don't make me want to fistfight them in the denny's parking lot, but did made something in my subconscious sit up like it had been slapped.

okay, shine, what the fuck is this show's deal: 2x16 Roadkill. god's perfect little self-contained one-off ep. nothing spectacular, just a solidly-executed ghost story set on a lonely mountain highway. fairly representative of how SPN monster-of-the-week episodes roll, requires zero prior investment in the characters to be good, and i'm fond of it because this is basically the point where i buckled in and committed to watching the rest of the show. but also, quietly, almost covertly, a thesis statement for some of the core underpinnings of the whole thing.

shut up and give me the sickos-haha-yes.jpg: 1x06 Skin. what if you thought you were in an X-File but ended up getting erotically tortured by a shapeshifter in the guise of your codependent brother? what if you fuckers were so repressed that this was the only way the show could bring itself to air the dirty laundry of your sibling dynamics. what if the monster was all the parts of yourself you could never quite bury deep enough. what then, huh.

tell me more about the childhood trauma AND/OR c'mon gimme more sick shit: 1x18 Something Wicked. still obsessed with how fractally disturbing this episode is. there's a monster that preys on children at night in their beds and the only way to stop it is to catch it in the act. if SPN were a show with anything to say about morality it could eat itself alive chewing on the question of using children as predator bait, but it's not. it's a show about The Horrors + the shit that couldn't be buried deep enough + family as the first and most inescapable hell + the ways it intertwines damage with salvation. also there's lots of Winchester family flashback content in this one if you want to get invested in these assholes and their daddy issues.

under the cut: duos and trios of episodes on specific themes, including some spoilery ones

fine, get me invested in these assholes and their daddy issues (low-spoiler Lite Edition) AND/OR gimme those Americana aesthetics: 1x11 Scarecrow + 1x12 Faith + 1x16 Shadow. 1x11: SPN does "small town that sacrifices people to the harvest gods" and the brothers have their first big fight (guess who precipitates it). 1x12: SPN does "faith healer with some shit going on" and we get our first go-round with both Sam's belief in a higher power and Dean cheating Totally Certain Death No For Serious You Guys. 1x16: SPN starts in on the relentless pilfering of world mythology and the construction of its own demon lore, and we finally get to meet dad in person, which will exacerbate the mental illness of zero overly-enmeshed twenty-somethings.

(early SPN demon lore fucks incredibly hard, btw, and goes some creepy-ass Twin Peaks places towards the end of the season, which the show later doubles down on just when demonic possession is at risk of devolving into a plot device. this doesn't prevent it from devolving into a plot device, but it does retroactively justify some wild gothic-horror readings of s1.)

the I DON'T CARE ABOUT SPOILERS AND I'M FINE GOING IN WITHOUT CONTEXT menu

get me invested in these assholes and their daddy issues (spoiler-tastic speedrun): 2x08 Crossroad Blues (+ 2x11 Playthings) + 2x14 Born Under a Bad Sign. 2x08: a banger of an episode based on some classic "earthly success by selling your soul at a crossroads" folklore; gains twelve extra layers of crazymaking if you end up finishing the season. 2x11 (optional): a "haunted gothic mansion" monster of the week with some fun stuff between Extremely Normal Siblings. 2x14: more quality sickos-yes content a la 1x06 Skin, with a "woke up covered in someone else's blood with no memory of the past week" setup that goes even further off the rails from there.

i want to study Dean Winchester like a bug: 2x18 Hollywood Babylon + 2x19 Folsom Prison Blues + 3x10 Dream a Little Dream of Me. no comment. no fucking comment. don't look at me. we're not going to talk about it.

ok but tell me about the angel content: 2x13 Houses of the Holy + 4x01 Lazarus Rising. you HAVE to get down in the crunchy details of how SPN has been treating the entire concept of god and angels to get the full effect of 4x01, which is one of the show's banger episodes of all time. 2x13 is great, self-contained, and surprisingly low on spoilers, but 4x01 of course contains massive ones for season 3, my stealth favorite of all SPN seasons.

people keep talking about SPN's goofy and/or meta episodes, what's that about?: 3x11 Mystery Spot + 4x18 The Monster at the End of This Book. both casually spoilery. 3x11 is the beloved "yesterday was Tuesday, but today is Tuesday too" time loop episode where Sam watches Dean die approximately 8908234 times (and then shit gets dark). the arc-plotty parts of 4x18 require head-spinning amounts of context, but this is the one where the show exists in-universe as a series of trashy pulp novels by a guy named Chuck, and it flies impressively close to the sun of some kind of meta-storytelling singularity.

i am a masochist who loves fun side characters whom the show will end up mistreating horribly: 3x12 Jus in Bello. contains all three of my problematic(ally treated) faves: Bela Talbot, a shameless con artist and dealer in supernatural artifacts who's just enough of a Dean parallel to drive him batshit cuckoo-bananas insane with hatred for her; Victor Henriksen, the cocky ambitious FBI agent assigned to investigate the Winchesters' multi-state crime spree; and Ruby, a demon who shows up claiming to be a defector from hell and tries to befriend Sam. this is SUCH a well-constructed base-under-siege ep with SO many moving parts, forcing Henriksen and the Winchesters and eventually Ruby into a great reluctant team-up. it's also my big exception to "no recommending episodes that blow my socks off AND make me want to hunt the writers for sport." mostly because its Big Bullshit is an unnecessary sucker-punch inserted after the main plot wraps up, so i can just cross it out with my mental red pen and go "it's fine, they're lying, all my faves are alive and well and in witness protection." if you've made it this far, you need a warning shot anyway about what this show is going to do to you.

notable omissions that also rot my brain like a compost heap: the last 3 eps of s1 for being best viewed with a whole season's worth of intricate rituals as context; fully half of s4 for being incomprehensible without a ten-minute spoiler reel; 2x17, 3x06, and all the Gordon eps, among others, for being simultaneously incredible and enraging. (notable omissions that are important and have their moments but put me off watching the show for over a decade: the pilot and its 2-for-1 special on women in refrigerators.) do NOT @ me for leaving out other Core Brainrot Episodes. i laid out my criteria already.

[britcision]

So, the YuYu Hakusho live adaptation

Well.

We got a real good anime adaptation, which is rare enough

And they did a good job with the costumes, aesthetics, and they did hit a lot of the fight scenes as close to the original as they could

They just… very obviously understood absolutely none of the actual messaging or what made those scenes impactful

Spoilers below for the original anime/manga and the live action

I understand they only had 5 episodes to get through the first season but I just finished episode 3 and I literally do not understand how they plan to get from here to the Dark Tournament

Genkai was introduced, trained Yusuke for 20 fucking days, trained Kuwabara as well and blatantly favoured him for 19 of those days including telling Botan to tell Koenma Yusuke’s a write off

(Do not fucking ask about Koenma he’s a cool teenager with a pacifier the entire time it is literally not even commented on)

Then oh Yusuke does his finger handstand for one entire night, pops off a spirit gun that Toguro notices

(Elder Toguro promptly shits himself in glee)

Genkai can magically tell they’ve noticed, nearly cries, and hands over the fucking spirit orb. Immediately. It just pops straight in, no big deal, no question, Yusuke wanders off for ramen and Toguro kills her

Not one Genkai fight scene. A lil moment of her fucking around and throwing walnuts at Yusuke, but not even breaking a sweat

Tarukane and Yukina were introduced right off the bat and Hiei’s stolen spirit treasure is a piddly little knife he used to make a teeny weeny cut and give himself a jagan eye so he can look for her, no evil machinations or transformation for this bitch

Yusuke and Hiei don’t even fight before Kurama calls them both bitches and they’ve already picked up Kuwabara to get on the boat for The Fucking Tournament Island which is apparently just Sakyo’s house

Oh yeah, because Sakyo told Tarukane episode ONE that he’s digging a hole to the demon world, sold him Yukina (so who should Hiei really be stabbing?), and has now invited Tarukane back to his place to be protected by Sakyo’s demons, the Toguros

The Black Black Club are fucking all there. In person. Just chilling. At Sakyo’s house on the tournament island and the Demon Triad are there but none of the tournament folks are but they’re on Sakyo’s boat? Minus Genkai? Who died about 30 minutes tops after her first appearance?

Oh, and we saw the demon triad and Toguro popping a giant beastie and Hiei running around with his knife and then immediately after the cut Yusuke just fucked off to Genkai’s to be instantly accepted as her pupil for a 20+ day training montage so who knows what the fuck Hiei and Tarukane were up to in the meantime, Tarukane fully left the mainland and apparently Hiei spent 3 weeks sitting on his thumb about it

I just. The saddest part is that I really, truly think the people making the adaptation thought they were being faithful to the original

The characters look so good, the costumes are incredible, the special effects are fucking fantastic

But every single moment of build up, of dramatic tension, of getting to know the characters and seeing them care about something is gone

Yusuke’s dramatic revelation that it’s time to get serious with his training isn’t Toguro levelling a parking block; it’s watching Kuwabara hit a rock with a wooden sword until his spirit sword happens

His whole motivation to get stronger is “well I can’t let Kuwabara beat me”, which even Genkai calls piss weak one day and then the next it’s fine, he’s ready to finish his training

(One thing I do like is the characters themselves occasionally dropping a “well what the fuck did that mean” about particularly egregious logic leaps, like Elder Toguro shapeshifting to impersonate Hiei and kidnap Keiko

Like

Do they not understand Hiei was a fan favourite just for being an evil little shithead in his first appearances who didn’t care about anybody except maybe Kurama?

Instead we have pre-reformed Hiei who only wants to save his sister uwu won’t even take a stab at properly fighting Yusuke before they’ve teamed up

Just let Hiei be a little shit

Just let him have a stupid grandiose plan that even je can later admit made no fucking sense

Let Yusuke shoot him in the ass and show some ingenuity under pressure)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m finishing out the season just to see where the fuck they’re going, but I thought I had a general idea for the first two episodes and now I just. I don’t know.

I think they’re gonna pansy out of giving me Jin

They’re not gonna do my goddamn flying demon uni-leprechaun

However if they do punch Sakyo and toss him into a pit at the end of this season I will not be mad, he’s gonna be Right There in punching range apparently because they’re not going to a tournament, they’re going to HIS FUCKING HOUSE

Oh and no Shizuru

No badass moments for Keiko (well I guess she did slap the face off Elder Toguro once that was great)

No Atsuko past the first episode

Botan is basically a semi-sadistic cheerleader

Genkai is dead

Because it’s not like anyone liked this show for actually having interesting and semi-independent female characters

Honestly I even had a couple moments of “maybe I’d like this better if they did a worse job”, because it’s so clearly made by people who really cared about the show, and worked to fit as much as they could into five episodes (fuck you Netflix)

But what they cared about was fight scenes

Not any of what actually made YYH interesting and compelling; no character growth, no relationships between rivals, between enemies to allies, between teacher and student

Not 30 seconds on the relationship between Toguro and Genkai, for all they lifted lines directly from the anime

He walks in and pops her, no big deal

Not even on screen

Puu does not exist

For a character who starts the show by fuckin dying, Yusuke really has not been pushed to his limits since

And to be fair, the things the show does well, it’s fucking nailing

Toguro’s muscle transformation? PERFECT. Understated, clear potential to become fucking ridiculous around 80%, classy as hell

Kurama’s rose whip? Incredible, 10/10, so fucking glad we’ve seen so much of it, super well done

Spirit gun and spirit sword? Fabulous, gorgeous, I am in love, only thing that would make it better would be shooting that asshole teacher in the head (not that Yusuke has been to school since the day he died except to sit on the roof)

It’s just… the edgelord version of the story. As truncated as possible, just event event event, without any patience or respect for character relationships or growth or that, y’know, you need to give your audience a reason to care

The good news is, at this point it’s pretty much no reason for them to do the fourth season just in general which would make Yoshihiro Tagashi very happy

Just in general, it’s… fine. It’s a little short action show with great special effects and some fantastic costuming and aesthetic

There’s something that sorta almost resembles a story

And as far as live adaptations go? We definitely for sure know it could be worse, especially with Netflix *stares in Death Note*

I just won’t be all that disappointed if they don’t get the second season they really really really needed

[sideshow-tornado]

5, 6, 7, 8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 45 ❤️

5. How many people have you kissed? I can not account for my entire kissing history by numbers, despite the stereotype that all men are obsessed with those type of numbers, although usually for something else than kissing. If anything I wish my numbers were much much lower in both departments. But if I had to guess the range would probably more than 50. I hate that I feel squeamish and a tad embarrassed to say that, but you have to remember I was a theatre kid and we such kissing sluts. I have not kissed anyone currently in a very long time. So that part of my life feels like it was someone else (which in a way it was).

6. Describe your dream home. While I absolutely like the clean lines and minimalistic style of a lot of modern design, it would not be my choice of a dream home. I probably lean more to something with a bit more character, architecturally interesting, otherwise not so specific in the style of the design. It really depends on location and if I'm living alone or if I was living with someone else. This time of year I definitely yearn to live in nice Victorian home in some cozy New England college town.

7. Who are you jealous of? Anyone who is not absolutely scared to death about the outcome of this US Presidential Election.

8. What’s your favorite show to binge? The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The West Wing, King of the Hill, Scandal

20. What is something you’re obsessed with? I am trying so hard to just be obsessed with bettering myself at the moment. It's a work in progress.

21. Describe your best friend. I don't have anyone currently that I would consider my best friend.

22. Tag someone you think is hot. @darling-stevie @lutescent @weretigerrei @punchdrunkbisexual @whatttttttafuckeduplife @xsleepyphiliax and all my mutuals, Cop out? Yeah, but it's true.

23. Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists? Pearl Jam, Spoon, Wilco, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band

45. What is the worst date you've ever been on? Setting aside any and all awkward "dates" I had with my soon to be ex-wife after she had declared she wanted a divorce. I am going to say it was a date when I was like 23, young and dumb enough to be fooled by the chance to go out with someone just because they were conventionally attractive, but who clearly didn't offer much else to you as a date. We went to see the Johnny & June Cash biopic film "Walk the Line" and had dinner after. She hated the movie. It was her choice to see it even though she wasn't familiar with the people or the music the movie was about. Dinner was just so flat. She complained about little things. I guess she expected me to instantly head over heels because she was pretty. She actually leaned for a good night kiss and turned my head for cheek peck. I'm sure I offended her. She never called me again. I definitely never called her again.

[squidsandthings]

top 5 manga/anime series :D

Sailor moon

My First love, my magical girl awakening, the reason i like women /hj (Haruka and Michiru the characters ever). I will always love sailor moon deeply. It genuinely saved my life and it will always be something which brings me lots of comfort. In the name of the moon, I'll love this series forever.

2. Bungo Stray Dogs

Okay wow was anyone surprised? I know this is a big shocker. To be honest going into bsd I never expected to latch onto it the way I did. I started bsd halfway through Moriarty the Patriot looking for something to watch in-between since I didn't want to finish Moriarty yet. Off-hand I happened to remember one of my irls (you know who you are) bringing up bsd so I watched all of s1 and s2 in one night. Bsd is one of those stories that's insane to explain but once it gets it's grips on your brain it's never coming out. The characters are just endless wells of potential and I never get tired of reading new analysis about the show and manga. I've made so many friends thanks to bsd. I can't not be grateful to it for being what really brought my blog any attention but also for all the connections ive made in this fandom and all the amazing fanworks Ive seen and creators i've engaged with. Bsd is absurd, its tragic, its funny, it's making me sob after work with BUBBLES???, but it's also one of the best things to happen to me, even if I'm going to push asagiri down some stairs.

3. One Piece

*looks at tab* hey! I made it to episode 250 of one piece thats like...22% finished. Yipeee....

Ok I know one piece is long, and @bubblingacid and I will gladly give you a 10 page essay about its writing and design flaws. but..GOD. For all the sexism, the pacing, for everything one piece can be. The things it's able to do keep me hooked. One piece has given me I think osme of the widest range in emotions ive experienced watching an anime. Water 7 so far is some of the best anime I've watched, in general. Arlong park, made me cry at 3am. And even if I want to chop skypeia into bits with a meat cleaver I will say it was worth it for the g8 filler arc. I was intimidated by the scaled of one piece when I started it. Finishing one piece felt like this unachiveable goal shinign off in the distance, a legend, something I could never do. But I'm here. Not done, not even halfway done, but I've made it this far. One piece fills me with hope. A stupid reckless hope, a freedom to chase a silly, impossible dream, with all my heart no matter where it takes me. And I know one day I'll finish one piece, just like I know one day Luffy will be king of the pirates, and I just have to see it.

4. Moriarty the Patriot

One of the first anime I got into! I love this show dearly. I'm not as obsessed with it as somehting like bsd. But it has alot of fond memories for me, watching it before marching band practices and such. Sherlock is my favorite ever <3 And I do say catch me if you can sherlock holmes to myself on a regular basis.

5. Pokémon Indigo & Orange Leagues

MY CHILDHOOD!! I have so many memories watching this show as a little kid with my mom. She would tell all bout watching it with her brothers and sisters as a kid and it was a real bonding experience for me with her. I did watch the dub as a kid so I did think onigiri were jelly donuts for a good amount of my life (ive learned now I promise). One of the first songs I taught myself on horn was the original pokemon opening. It's a show I'll always have nostalgia for and one which inspired me to collect way too many pokemon cards. I love it alot and always will.

ty for the ask!

[langernameohnebedeutung]

See, I love the femme fatale brain and I love the noir episode but I feel like there are some reasons why it got a little lost in translation:

(one, honestly, Rose Mciver just knocking it out of the park and committing to the bit with her noir detective role and giving her the stage to do it and the role that goes with that trope. It's just a lot more clear what they were going for here)

A lot of reviews actually had something to say along the lines of: : "Blaine is izombie's femme fatale anyway, so I didn't notice any difference' and that's kind of true: Brains really stand out when they are very different from the usual behaviour of the character (like Major on teenage girl brain or Ravi on influencer brain or Blaine on truth brain. Liv has a lot of brains like that (sometimes at the expense of letting her own personality stage centre stage) and noir detective really does that part. On the other hand, Blaine being sneaky and slutty and scheme-y...is not much of a departure from his usual character. So I feel like they should have gone a little more all out with that one, been a bit more on the nose with the tropes and stuff like camera, lighting etc or found a storyline distinct from his usual motives

One of the biggest aspects of the femme fatale character is ambiguity. Which Blaine had for the longest time when he did his crimes (hence why reviewers felt like that was already his trope). Stuff like sleeping with strangers and then blackmailing them. Joining Peyton's investigation against Mr Boss as a hapless innocent witness and ex-drug dealer (and also seducing her) - until she finds out that he was actually just trying to get rid of his biggest rival and everything he has done to her friends. Inviting the mayor of Seattle to an orgy, then shooting him for money - those are all classic femme fatale tropes. By the end of season 5 however, the entire world knows all about Blaine's real nature. There is no ambiguity anymore between him and other (non main) characters. They know he's evil when they have to deal with im and he barely tries to hide or hold anything back anymore. (Which is why I actually think that to lean fully into the femme fatale trope, they should have made Mac-Liv-Moore the noir episode - the one where the city is on lock-down to find a serial killer and Blaine kills Baracus and the whole thing takes place all during one night. I feel like this would have been a great opportunity for a noir episode, especially with the show-down in Chase' office and if they had involved Liv and Clive a bit more in the search for the actual killer)

[leebrontide]

Secondhand Origin Stories, Chapter 6

Here's this week's chapter! Reblogs welcome!

For those of you just joining us, I'm posting a chapter a week of my free near future scifi/low neon cyberpunk YA/NA novel, Secondhand Origin Stories, which has been described as

"-a character driven, compelling story full of family, queerness, corruption, brain altering nanites, secretly teen parenting AIs, and taking aspects of the superhero genre to their very human and rarely-explored natural conclusions."

For content warnings and more, check here:

You can follow along by following #SHOSweekly

Chapter 6

By the time Opal checked her phone, she was about four blocks from the plaza, and she had six missed calls and five missed texts. But she hadn't heard any alerts!

Aldis: Where you at? I can't see you on the platform.

Aldis: The bus came and went already, where are you?!

Aldis: Opal?

Aldis: Come on, baby cousin. Say something. Lemme know you’re OK.

Mom: Missed Call (5)

Auntie: Girl, call your mom she’s texting half of Chicago.

Mom: Aldis says he can't find you and you're not answering. Is something wrong? What happened? Where are you?

Opal sat on the nearest stoop, exhausted. Ugh. The tower must have jammed her signal. She sent a group text: I'm OK! Sorry, I didn't realize the APB building was signal jamming! I'm totally fine.

Mom: Don't DO that. Are you trying to kill me?

Aldis: On my way to the Plaza. STAY PUT.

Dangit. She wheeled her luggage around and headed back towards the Plaza as fast as she could amidst the now-bustling foot traffic.

By the time she got back to the plaza, the roads and sidewalks were crowded, but people were mostly avoiding the plaza. They almost seemed not to want to look at it. And the security was way more overt. They were different guards from earlier, which she was thankful for. This time, she headed right towards the huge front entrance, on the opposite side from the rubble and the van of new armed and uniformed men. 

She waited in a spot she hoped would be conspicuous enough for Aldis to see her. She sure felt conspicuous. Everyone around her was wearing the kind of seamless printed suit you got when you had the money for scanned measurements. The foot traffic was also almost all white, even though this was Chicago for Pete’s sake. Lots of people glanced at her as they passed, sizing her up-- some curious, others warily. See how good you look after riding a bus all night then getting beat on by a superhero and having your dreams crushed and then revived. Opal wanted a nap so bad.

Aldis's truck arrived pretty quickly, and he hastily parked it in a no-parking zone, flicking on his hazards. He pointed at her menacingly, but he had smile dimples that always gave him away. "You are trouble. 100% trouble. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack." Opal was out here trying to be a superhero, and everyone was worried about her sitting at a bus stop.

Well, she had almost gotten shot, though. Christ.

She gestured to the single-tower palace of medicine, marketing, and bureaucracy behind her. "Well, good location for it."

"You better not give me so much trouble working for me. Don't think I won't fire you because you’re my cousin."

"You won't, though,” she sing-songed.

"Don't push your luck," he admonished, giving her a tight hug. She returned it. It felt good to have someone she knew was really, truly on her side, here. He looked over her shoulder as he withdrew, looking at the tower. "You get your appointment done, then? Or just booked."

"Neither." Checking in with the APB when you traveled wasn't technically mandatory for an altered, but they were warned repeatedly that if they didn't, the clinic side of things “may not be prepared" for them if they needed medical attention. "You and Capricorn and all your guys live here, so they should be fine with Detroit altereds. I'll do it the next time I come over here."

"Well where've you been, then?"

Suddenly, she felt like everything that had happened would just burst out of her chest. She didn't even know how to sort her feelings about everything today. She leaned in, dropping her voice low. "I've been upstairs. Upstairs upstairs." He looked at her, questioningly. "The Sentinels. I met the Sentinels. And their kids." She felt a tired smile tug at her lips. "Capricorn made me pancakes and sausages." 

Aldis was shocked, but also appropriately impressed. "You work fast. How the hell did you manage that?"

"Can I tell you on the way?" Seriously, she wanted a nap.

"Hop in."

A key and a bright blue polo t-shirt with a SuperMovers logo were sitting on the passenger side door. The more down-to-earth side of her new Chicago life.

She told Aldis the story, even the humiliating defeat part. She hesitated over how to describe the family she'd met, and just decided to go light on the details. She tried not to snap to judgments about people. 

"Well, I think even your mom will forgive you for being MIA for Capricorn to cook you breakfast. Oh, but don't say it like that. Makes it sound dirty."

"I thought he was gay?"

"Hell if I know. Superheroes is your thing. You wanna know who’s who in pro wrestling, I got you. Superheroes, not so much."

They passed into an industrial area full of warehouses and trucks. Opal's mind was too full for her to pay much attention. She managed some small talk about how Aldis's crew was doing. Mostly guys from back home who she at least sort of knew, who came out with Aldis to help him start his company where there were a lot fewer altereds to compete with.

Eventually, he pulled up to a brick and cinderblock building pretty much like the rest of the brick and cinderblock buildings, but with SuperMovers trucks and vans around. A couple of guys built like male versions of Opal were just coming up to the building. She waved, smiling, and the ones that knew her grinned and waved back.

She'd thought they were going to an apartment, but she could fill out her new employee paperwork first and not complain. She followed him up some stairs and a walkway leading over the ground floor garage spaces. The office at the top was the first thing today that turned out to be exactly what Opal expected. Mismatched, beat-up sofas, a couple bulky desks, an old file cabinet, a humming fridge, and a much-abused dartboard, all interspersed with flattened cardboard boxes and occasional pop cans. 

"OK, so here's the office. You show up here at least half an hour before we've got to move out. If you need time off for superhero junk, just let me know." He closed the door, grinning broadly, like he had some marvelous secret.

She followed him down the hallway lined with doors on both sides. "So, one of the many services we offer is short-term storage for our moving clients." He unlocked a door, gesturing for Opal to look inside. The room contained a manor house’s worth of high-end furniture, stacked to fit and covered in tarps and plastic. Boxes with words like "Holiday dishes" lined the walls. "Sometimes people need to get out of their old place before they can get into the new one. So we hold onto their stuff in the meantime."

He shut the door, walking backwards down the hallway. If he didn’t get to his point soon, his head might split open from all that grinning. "But sometimes, we take on special clients. Our VIPs. They're so special they don't even have to pay."

"Why're you all working without pay?"

"The guys get paid, just the company doesn't. You and your dad aren't the only do-gooders around here. From day one, we've made some time to move people getting out of abusive situations. We move them out, and whatever asshole is doing the abusing doesn't want to mess with us. They get out safe without the cost of moving. We've got agreements with local shelters and everything."

Opal felt pride in her cousin welling up. "I didn't know that. That's really decent, Aldis."

He puffed up proudly. "Your dad inspired it. I wanted to do what he can't, right now."

Opal's eyes pricked with tears. He hugged her again. "Right now, that includes helping you out. Come on. Lemme show you."

She wiped her eyes and followed him to the far end of the hall, where he unlocked another door and flung it open with a flourish. "Ta-da! Welcome to the VIP suite. I warned you it wasn't the Ritz, but you really can't get a better commute."

Inside, a corner storage room with big windows was set up like a studio apartment. There were four beds pushed against the walls, a couple dressers, two couches slightly younger-looking than the ones in the office, a card table and chairs, one bathroom, and a little kitchenette. Opal walked in.

The floor was cracked cement, and the walls were whitewashed cinderblock that did look a little like prison, but there were posters left up on the walls, a stained floral rug on the floor, a few homey touches. There seemed to be dishes in the cabinets. There were boxes everywhere, some folded, some not. It was definitely a place meant for transitions. Aldis continued, "All the stuff in here was left by someone we've moved, or donated by one of the guys. We can't charge rent, but nobody bothers us if someone crashes here for a little while, while they get on their feet, keep their kids with them. It's got a security system on the building, it's on a bus line, and right now, it's all yours."

This time, Opal hugged Aldis. This space felt right. Temporary, but right. A gift from family who’d already made his dreams come true and was already helping people-- helping people in her dad’s name. “I love it. Thank you.”

* * *

Yael lay on xyr bed, head hanging off the foot of it, staring at the wall upside-down. Xyr room was a jigsaw of memories and interests. One sunny yellow wall, one denim blue, one an unapologetic green, and the last was a dark gray that matched xyr exoskeleton. Xe’d painted that one xyrself, on impulse. Xe was pretty sure xe’d done it for some kind of complicated psychological reasons, but xe tried not to think about it too hard. Papa never stopped Yael from doing whatever xe wanted with xyr room, but xe knew he hated that wall.

Xe’d covered most of the gray wall with family photos-- a huge collage starting at the center and spiraling out. But the corner by xyr bed was covered in xyr own drawings. Mostly semi-recent designs for a superhero uniform for xyr. Most of them featured oven mitts, because drawing hands was hard, and feet that went off the edge of the page, because feet were stupid and never looked right. Xe usually didn’t bother with a face.

Skittles was still missing. It’d been days. She could be dead by now, for all Yael knew. What kind of superhero couldn’t even defend a hamster?

At least Issac seemed to be on the road to some kind of recovery. He was awake enough to want his data back. That had to be a good sign. 

What kind of superhero gave illegal altering tech back to someone who wasn’t supposed to have it?

The same kind who had let xyr brother fall off a building and had to somehow make it up to him. 

 And the kind who beat up a perfectly nice superhero-hopeful just because xe was told to. Ugh.

Yael pushed xyrself up and went to the hamster hutch. Xe put a hand in, but xe must have been too tense. They shot away from xyr hand, not wanting to be picked up. Xe reminded xyrself that hamsters, while adorable, were not smart, and couldn’t hold grudges just because you’d failed to save one of them. And xe still might find Skittles.

Yael needed to talk to someone who would understand. Xe pulled xyr hand out of the largest tank in Hamster Town and yelled down the hall. “Papa!” 

No answer.

“Paaaaaaaapaaaa!” 

He was in the living-room, sitting with his elbows braced on his knees, staring down at the floor tiles. Xe stopped short. “Papa?”

He sat up, and drastically fumbled an attempt at a smile. “Yes, Dove?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Come. Come sit down.” 

Yael stepped over the back of the couch, and sat next to him at its bend. He looked like he would rather be anywhere in the world but here. “We need to talk about what happened this morning.”

“You didn’t look mad when we were talking to Melissa.”

“I’m not mad. But the officers involved contacted me. They told me-- what you did.”

“Opal isn’t mad--”

“The silver, Yael,” he interrupted, more harshly. “And shape changing. In public. In the street, where anyone could have seen you.”

“I was protecting Jamie!” Yael interrupted.

His jaw tightened. “You don’t need--” he faltered for a second-- “that. For a simple fight. We’ve trained you better than that. And that girl was a foot and a half smaller than you. Do you realize what she must have thought?”

Yael didn’t look strikingly like Ezekiel or Miriam. Xe’d seen enough pictures to know that. 

But the exoskeleton…before Yael, that power had been Ezekiel's, alone. 

But even with it active, Yael’s face was visible. Nobody paying any attention could mistake xyr for xyr birth-father.

Was that what papa meant? It almost had to be.

Which made this the closest he’d ever come to discussing Yael’s origin in front of xyr. The realization made xyr cautious-- if xe stepped carefully, xe might be able to lure him into an honest discussion about xyr birthparents, and how Yael ended up living with him. “What would she have thought?”

He started to answer before snapping his mouth shut. “We can’t know. But it wouldn’t have been anything good.”

This was stupid. Yael needed him right now. For a real, honest conversation, about heroism, and identity, and how to navigate xyr failures. And he couldn’t even own up to events from 17 years ago. “Say it,” xe challenged.

He hesitated again. “Say what?”

Oh for the love of all that was holy. “Say what you’re so afraid she was thinking.”

He stood. Actually took half a step away from Yael. “Just don’t do it again.”

Was he…afraid of xyr? He couldn’t be. He raised xyr.

Could he be so afraid of Ezekiel that he couldn’t even say his name? But Ezekiel was dead! There was no reason to be afraid of a dead man!

A test. “Say ‘Ezekiel’”.

Papa recoiled. “What? Don’t bring my brother into it. He has nothing to do with this.”

Yael narrowed xyr eyes, baffled, trying hard not to jump to the obvious conclusion. “You can’t possibly think I don’t know. Everyone knows. It’s not hard to figure out. Opal probably did.”

Yael had never seen anyone look so trapped. He didn’t even answer. Just stared.

Was it that bad? Yael knew that having come from supervillains might cause problems for xyr someday. Nodiah had confirmed that. But xe’d never thought it could be so bad that Papa, who knew xyr, would consider it unspeakably awful. Xe’d always just figured that it hurt him to talk about. That it was sad, to him. But this didn’t look like that. 

While Jamie’s parents were arming her, Yael's father couldn’t even name the people who’d made xyr. While Jamie’s parents claimed Jamie’s genes, he was so horrified by Yael's DNA, he couldn’t even speak.

If that was what he thought of xyr DNA, what did he think of Yael xyrself?

Yael needed to get away from him. “Coward,” xe growled. 

Xe vaulted over the back of the couch, and got behind a door xe could slam as quickly as possible. 

* * *

Issac didn’t know where to go. He couldn’t go home. Mom would be there. He couldn’t go to the lab; Dad was there. The courtyard could contain anyone at any time. Possibly including random girls, it would seem. His secret hideaway had been relocated 24 stories lower at full speed.

He wanted to be alone. To freak out without anyone noticing. To not have to worry about whether he was making any noise or not.

The pool! Dad was the only one who used it daily. And since he knew where Dad was, that area should be safe. Echo-y, but if nobody was there to hear, it wouldn’t matter. He didn’t think he could accidentally make noise anyone would hear in the training room all the way from the pool, especially since it was on the same level as the lab, and Dad’s noxious noise would drown out anything. 

He slipped down the hall as fast as he could manage and ducked into the pool’s room. It was warm, humid, and felt good on his skin. He sank down gratefully onto a deck chair, which settled down his knees a little. But that minute bit of relaxation just seemed to loosen his hold on himself. 

He pressed a hand over his mouth, focusing on the cuts and bruises to try and give his thoughts a wide berth. It’d be safe to make noise here, but he still didn’t want to. His chest seized for a moment, forcing air from his lungs. A sob. He squeezed his eyes shut.

He tried to tell himself he was overreacting. Sure, dad had probably been avoiding him and apparently didn’t know how to talk to Issac anymore. But he’d given Issac the contacts, right? He was still trying to help Issac out.

Jenna had left when she couldn’t fit in anymore. Cut off contact with everyone. Could Issac still fit in, here?

Sure. Sure he could. Issac wasn’t significantly brain damaged. He wasn’t breaking furniture or ripping up floor tiles or anything. He was just deaf. He just had to show them he was still functional. And now he had contacts to help him do that!

He opened the case, squinting at the liquid inside. He’d never worn contacts before. Jamie had worn correctives for a while. Issac couldn’t even stand to watch her put them on. It was so gross. 

Well, it was less than anyone else in his family had been through to improve themselves. He stuck a finger in the liquid, cooler and a little more viscous than water, and dug around, trying to detect the sliver of tech inside. It worked, and he fished it out carefully. He squinted at it. Ugh. 

OK, how had Jamie done this? He remembered her looking up at the ceiling, so he did that. He was getting fond of looking at ceilings. They were so uneventful. Then…holding his eyelids open. OK. OK, he could do that. 

Mostly. As soon as he touched his eyelid, he felt it rebelling, trying to close. His body didn’t seem to want to obey any of his commands lately. He pushed ahead.

Then, just…put it on, very gently. 

He lifted his finger up, and reached--

Nononononononono.

Issac lowered his finger. Tingling, crawling feelings chased each other up and down his spine and arms. This was so gross. 

No. He had to make this work. He couldn’t use the tablet forever. He had to show what he could do.

He tried again.

He tried a third time, and actually ended up standing up and wrenching his knee, as if that would get him away from his own stupid fingertip. Or maybe just because that horrible crawling sensation had gotten into his legs, and demanded movement. All his instincts were telling him no. After all, he was already deaf-- what if he poked his own eye out? How would that look to everybody? Don’t leave Issac alone, he can’t be trusted with his own sensory organs. 

He made another noise, one of pure frustration. 

There was a movement at the corner of his vision, and he turned, startled. It was Drew, eyebrows raised questioningly, clearly worried. He was dressed in workout clothes, a little damp with sweat. He’d been working out. Issac’s noise couldn’t have been that loud, could it?

Issac realized too late that there were tears on his face, and too much speed to his lungs. 

Drew looked him up and down. He noticed the contact container, and pointed at it, looking more questioningly. Issac nodded. Yes. Yes, he was upset because of these stupid unnatural chunks of plastic he was being expected to jam onto his eyeballs.

Drew waved him over to the patio chair again, picking up the case, then sitting down himself. He left Issac room to join him on the long leg rests. Issac did, his shoulders drawn up in twin knots. 

Drew started by putting his hand on Issac’s shoulder. It helped more than it should have. He took the contact Issac had and put it back in the container, pulling out the other one from the case. He motioned Issac to hold his own eyelids, which, while gross, was better than someone else touching his eyes. 

Drew was a persevering sort of person. He tried all of four times to get the damn contact in. 

After the fourth, Issac ducked his head. The corners of his mouth were pulling, out of his control, and his chest was going tight, as if it was gearing up for another noise he couldn’t hear or help making.

Drew shifted. He put the contact back in the case. His hand shimmered a slight green of disappointment. Issac closed his eyes. 

Then he felt Drew take his hand and turn it over. Issac knew what the object Drew put in his hand was, even before he opened his eyes. A phone. In particular, Drew’s phone. But it had the tablet’s same translation software running. 

DREW: Let’s try this.

Isaac’s shoulders dropped. This was humiliating, but at least nothing was going to be put directly onto his cornea. He nodded a tiny bit.

DREW: Martin said you wanted to see me. Was it just to help with the contacts?

Of course Martin would call for help. And he had a ton of sensors in the pool area. Shit, Issac needed to talk to Martin. Get the rest of his sensors back up. At least he could fix one of them. That would make him feel better. Less guilty, at least. 

Issac just nodded. It seemed like the safest course. 

Issac wasn’t expecting the hug, and it was kind of clammy, since Drew had been working out, but he tentatively returned it anyway. It was nice to close his eyes for a minute and still have someone feel real and present with him. He let his head rest on Drew’s shoulder a bit longer than he should have.

Then that awful, sniveling urge came back, harder than before. Issac retreated into his own personal space again, before he embarrassed himself further. Drew left his hand on Issac’s shoulder.

DREW: Don’t freak yourself out too bad, OK kiddo? Lots of deaf people get by in this world just fine. And you come from a long line of smart, adaptive people. It’s nothing you can’t handle.

It helped more than it should have. Finally, a clear vote of confidence. Issac had no idea how true it was that deaf people got by just fine. He’d never properly met a deaf person before. They were absent from the spheres he occupied. But Drew’s support, and his faith in Issac’s ability to adapt, seemed sincere. Something of his relief must have shown on his face. Drew smiled back. 

DREW: Now gimme my phone back. You’ve got like a stack of tablets at your place. 

Issac handed it back. Some of the brain fog he’d been putting down to concussion had cleared away. Which probably meant it was more anxiety than anything. Maybe Issac really could handle this.

* * *

Jamie sat back, looking at the small piles of Jenna’s things she’d finished dusting and cleaning. She’d sorted them into what she thought should go to whom. For Mom, a watercolor painting of the lake that needed a new frame, but was, by itself, intact. For Drew, an enameled cast-iron pot that showed no sign at all that it’d fallen off a building. For Yael, a handful of unbroken wooden Christmas ornaments xe’d smiled at, shaped like Arctic animals playing musical instruments. For Issac, a collection of Issac Asimov stories that was beat up long before the attack. For Solomon, a gardening trowel, and for Jamie, an MIT hoodie. There were just a few things left in the pile. Mostly photos that were probably not worth saving, since they could just reprint them.

 She picked up the last really worthwhile object. The deck of Star Trek playing cards seemed a little shabby compared with the rest of the mementos, but Dad had loved family poker nights once upon a time, so maybe he would like it? She’d salvaged a few poker chips to go along with it. Not nearly enough for a game, but maybe enough for a memory. 

Jamie missed family poker nights. They always started with arguments about whose deck to use, since they all had themed ones. When they were really little, Jamie had usually been on her dad’s “team.” She’d argued for Vikings, even though she herself didn’t care about Minnesota sports. Issac had always gotten stuck between Mom’s Star Wars and Jenna’s Star Trek. Jamie smiled at the memory, tempted to keep the deck for herself.

She pulled back the edge of her sleeve a little, looking at the gauntlet. She kicked her feet a little, then stilled them. She shouldn’t act childish in the face of a gift like this. She knew she wasn’t supposed to wear it indoors. It wasn’t like she was in danger, here. But it was like she could just strap her parents’ faith in her onto her wrist, and that was nice. Bizarre, but nice. 

So Dad didn’t want her to drink coffee, but high-end weaponry was OK? Weirdo.

She almost wondered if she was taking advantage of something here. Mom kept staring into space for hours on end. Dad’s eyes looked wrong. Should she ignore that, just because she liked the outcome? She was still mad he’d disappeared for three days when he should’ve been there for Issac. And at how rude he was to Opal. And how he hardly ever looked Jamie in the eye.

Jamie had a big, garish, carnival-sized stuffed narwhal sitting next to her huge white bean bag chair. She’d had that narwhal for ten years, and for all the times she’d gone through her things to get rid of stuff she’d outgrown, she’d still kept it. Mom hated the thing. They’d tried to clean it, but it was stained even before Jamie’d gotten it. She and her dad had “rescued” it from a tree after someone had thrown it out of a high-rise window. Dad had flown her up to the high branches and let her climb onto one so she could reach it. Just because, at six, she’d been upset to see it laying there abandoned with a storm on the way. He’d even stitched up a tear in one of the seams for her. It was probably the cheapest piece of junk in the building. 

She flicked its horn. So flying her three stories up right before a thunderstorm was OK. But not coffee. He really didn’t make any sense. It was like there was two of him. One was the doofy, indulgent Dad of her memories who let her play bad hands for him, who would let her take a risk if she wanted to. Then there was the stiff, distant jerk who always looked over Jamie’s head. Who cussed at Yael today. 

She wasn’t sure which one of them had given her the gauntlet. She hadn’t seen doofy Dad in a while, though. 

Jamie’d always thought that she was the one who’d changed. That she’d gotten older, come to understand her position more, and that that was what had changed her relationship with her dad. But what if that wasn’t the case? 

She piled everything but the hoodie into the pot, and focused on a feeling of accomplishment. At least today was going better than the other days since the attack. People were moving and talking again, and maybe Jamie had helped someone else a little bit, too.

She propped the painting against Mom’s bedroom door, and was pleased to find Issac’s room empty. She put the book on his bed. Mom was zoning out watching TV; Jamie snuck past her. The courtyard was full of construction noise, but they kept it all out of the way and invisible from the public eye. That had to be massively less efficient, but it kept the courtyard private, which was apparently a big deal right now. She put the other mementos in front of everyone's front doors, including Dad’s, and paused.

Just to be sure, she tried the handle to Dad’s apartment. It opened, just like it always had. Maybe the lock had been a glitch in the MARTIN system. Maybe Dad hadn’t realized she and Issac couldn’t get in to see him. She let herself in, but didn’t see Dad. She reminded herself she was always allowed in here, and went to the kitchen. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She opened the fridge.

Well, that was one theory gone. Dad didn’t mind the occasional wine or beer. But if he was stockpiling enough to get an altered drunk, there’d be cans or bottles around. His fridge was full up, but there was no alcohol inside. Same with the recycling-- no bottles or beer cans.

There was a neat little pile of cereal on the counter. 

Hamster bait. 

Maybe her old dad was on his way back after all.

She slipped back into the courtyard, and found a new mystery. There was a narrow door between two of the elevators in the central hub. And it was ajar.

Once she got to the doorway, she could hear Issac. “I really am sorry.” A pause. “Hey, I have a concussion, OK? Neither of us is at his best, here.”

Jamie poked her head in, and sure enough, Issac was sitting with his back to her, and a tablet plugged into an open maintenance hatch. A second tablet sat next to it, with the translation software open. Issac talking to hardware was not even a little new. Mom did the same thing. Sometimes at high volumes. “Hi. What do you want?”

Jamie hesitated. “Me?”

Jamie could only see a sliver of Issac’s face as he glanced down at the tablet, but the following small raise and shake of his head looked like an eye roll even from behind. “Yes, you. What are you doing in the maintenance hub?” His voice sounded scratchy, and kind of painful.

“I saw the door open.” This felt so much more natural. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be doing that.”

“Do you want the security systems up and working again?” He didn’t sound angry, or upset. 

Jamie sat down on the low-pile carpet behind him. “It doesn’t hurt your head?”

“I’m taking a lot of breaks,” Issac answered. “It’s not too bad. I’ll go to bed after.” It made sense he’d fix the break he’d made, even if he wasn’t feeling well. 

She drew her knees up, and rested her arms and chin on them. “That’s bad post-concussion aftercare,” she remarked.

This time he glanced back at her, but once he saw she was just commenting, not lecturing, he went back to his tablet. “I know. But it needs doing. Those idiots downstairs don’t know what they’re doing. I had to hook the tablet up physically to undo all the crap they messed up. Tch.”

She let him work quietly for a while. Even the back of his neck was bruised. But healing. If it’d been one of the team, the bruises would be gone by now. 

“Who was that girl this morning? With my drive?”

“Her name’s Opal. She was helping us pick up Jenna's stuff. I put a book in your room. There was enough left for everybody to get something.”

He turned to look at her, intrigued. “What book?” 

“Some Asimov stories.” He turned back to read her answer. He looked uncomfortable.

This time he didn’t look back up from his tablet when talking to her. “She’s not dead. You shouldn’t give away her stuff.”

Well, that was gratitude for you. “It has to go somewhere. She’s not coming back for it.”

Something about the tiny, out-of-the-way, isolated space seemed more private than other rooms. Seemed to have some kind of effect on her brother. “Do you miss her?”

Jamie’s brow furrowed. She would have shoved him over if he wasn’t still all banged up. What a stupid question. “Of course. I was just thinking about family poker nights.”

He paused. “Heh. I forgot about those.”

“Hey Issac, what do you think is going on with Dad?”

“You mean this morning? I don’t know. He looked drunk.”

“There’s no alcohol in his kitchen. And I’ve never seen Dad get drunk before. Why would be he drunk at six in the morning?”

“No idea. But as long as it’s just one time, it doesn’t matter.”

“I guess.”

He tinkered for a while. He was going slowly, she could tell that much. “Hey, Jamie?”

“Yeah?”

“Did Dad come over while I was asleep the last couple days?”

She almost lied for him. Her fingers went to the gift Dad and Mom had given her, and her mind went to the little pile of cereal. But Issac deserved honesty. “No.”

Issac’s hands stopped. He sat silently for a long minute. “I think LodeStar: Leader of the Sentinels is having trouble dealing with having a son who’s...” He gestured loosely at his ears. “That’s probably why he was drinking.”

Jamie put her head on her knees. It was as good an answer as anything else. It made more sense than what Mom had told her, at least. Except... “But wasn’t he weird before today? I mean, didn’t he used to be different?”

He scowled down at her words, fingers moving on the keyboard. “What? God, I don’t know. I have a concussion, don’t make me try to remember junk like that.”

“You’re fiddling with the world’s most advanced security system,” she pointed out.

He scowled in earnest this time. He didn’t stop typing, but his movements turned into angry single-finger jabs at the screen. “What, do you think our dad’s on drugs or something? Don’t be stupid.”

No help whatsoever. She let him fiddle for a while. He kept rubbing his eyes and shifting around, trying to be comfortable with a bruised-up body. So he thought Dad couldn’t handle Issac being deaf. “Yael and I are taking ASL lessons,” she offered.

He didn’t say anything. Just kept typing.

She tried again. “You want to come, too? Opal’s nice.”

Pause. “Are those ideas related?”

“She’s teaching us.”

“Why’s an altered even know ASL?”

“A bunch of her family are deaf. So, do you want to come, too? We could do it together.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Quit bugging me.”

Jamie sighed, settling back against the wall. She let a few minutes go by. “Hey, Issac?” He glanced down, returning a noncommittal noise. “If I warn you ahead of time, can you shower before cute girls come over?”

He looked back, checking her tone, then threw a stylus at her with a smirk. 

She was pretty sure he’d be OK.

[free-for-all-fics]

Sweet and Stupid Prompts for Namor/Tenoch! Pls tag me if you’re inspired by any of these and write something, I’d love to read it! 💜

1. You take Namor to Disney World/Disneyland and since Disney owns Marvel, they’ve opened a Black Panther section. Namor comes face to face with the character actor of him and it’s like that Spider-Man pointing meme. What happens?

2. You and Tenoch go to Disneyland/Disney World as part of a special event/meet and greet and autograph signing with fans. During your photo op, you and Tenoch take pics and selfies with the Disney face actors dressed up and portraying Namor and your character.

3. You and Tenoch are married, having met years before you were both cast in Wakanda Forever. After all the swimming lessons with floaties, Tenoch is so proud of himself for being able to hold his breath for 5 minutes that he mentions it all the time in interviews. What you mention all the time in interviews about your experience in that large pool on set is that Tenoch did “mating dances” like a fish with you underwater during rehearsals to “seduce” you. You’ve had to swim back up to the surface for air so you could laugh.

4. You and Tenoch go to a wax museum with the rest of the Black Panther cast. It’s a private party so it’s just the cast and their plus ones; the museum is closed to the public. You take selfies with the wax figures. Either you’re also an actor and have your own wax statue of your marvel character, or you’re Tenoch’s date/plus one. Tenoch has a Namor statue and pretends to be jealous, pouting when you hug and take kissy face selfies with his wax Namor statue. Why won’t you give him hugs and kisses when he’s right there? The real thing is a million times better than cold wax :(

5. You and Tenoch surprise fans at a wax museum by pranking them. You both pretend to be wax statues, standing perfectly still in your best outfits or marvel costumes while people talk about how lifelike you both look. They take selfies and pictures with you. When the fans least expect it, you and Tenoch scare the living crap out of them by suddenly moving and yelling, “LÍIK'IK TALOKAN!” or “¡HOLAAAAA!” Most of the fans jump out of their skin from your prank, but are so shocked and excited to meet you and Tenoch that some of them cry. You have a great time taking pictures, signing autographs, talking to fans, etc.

6. Mark Hamill inspired: You and Tenoch have been in a sort of social media war, doing all sorts of things to see who could get the most followers. Tenoch once suggested that you and he should go to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and pose with your wax figures after it’s closed for the night. He’ll pose with your marvel character, and you’ll pose with his Namor. The fans would go nuts and the internet would explode once you post those pictures to social media. You were unsure, citing schedule conflicts - but you promised you’d get back to him if things changed. Later, Tenoch checks his social media to see if you’re gaining on him in followers. And there you are at Madame Tussaud’s, posing with his Namor statue, posing with Hulk, posing with your marvel character, etc. He’s so mad. He goes to your trailer to confront you and you play dumb. “You stole my idea, and you didn’t even invite me!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I thought it’d be a great idea if we went to Madame Tussaud’s and posed with our wax figures!”

“Oh that’s a great idea, we should do that!”

“But you just did it!! It’s too late!” He groans in exasperation. Why is he friends with you? Why does he love you? Because you keep him on his toes with antics like this.

7. Nobody can remember a time when Juan’s taco truck was not parked in the old lot. Everyone agrees that his food is the best around. Tenoch gets tacos from the taco truck after a movie premiere or other special event. It’s late at night, so it’s the only place close by that’s open. He’s surprised to see it’s not Juan managing the truck, but you, his daughter/sister/friend, whatever. He flirts with you, even if he’s with his cast mates. When you give him his order, he gives you a good tip and maybe even his phone number.

8. Reader and Tenoch having long conversations while in the makeup chair. You’re either the makeup artist working on him or are a fellow actor getting made up at the same time he is. Either way, you have lots of time to get to know each other and maybe even take silly behind the scenes mirror selfies together. Or to make it funnier, you and Tenoch do a “Boyfriend/Girlfriend does my makeup”-esque no mirrors challenge where you record a video of trying to do each other’s makeup without being able to see what it looks like in the mirror. You then take pictures of the results.

9. Hiking trip AU: You go with Tenoch as a couple’s vacation while you’re both on break from work. You have at least a week to yourselves on this getaway and make the most of it, renting a cute cabin that only has one bed. He holds your hand to help hoist you up or keep your balance and get past difficult spots on hiking trails like steep paths or rocky terrain. You hike through mud, dirt, sand, and water, and get covered in it if one or both of you accidentally slip and fall on your butt. You’d help each other get back up and laugh about what a complete mess you are. Good thing both of you wore plain/casual clothes you don’t care much about. (You might shower together later to rinse off all the mud and dirt). You spend hours sightseeing while enjoying that neither of you have phone service and just take in the beauty of nature.

You take selfies and all kinds of photos together, ranging from cute to silly. For example, you may go horseback riding on some nature trails and take lots of cute horse photos while Tenoch looks like a handsome cowboy. But you’d also take photos of Tenoch where he ducks down in little caves and pretends to lift up the large rock-side of a canyon like a super strongman, or ones where he’s hanging precariously off a “cliff” but he’s actually standing on an unseen ledge and the “drop” height is only a few inches. Optical illusions through photo angles are so fun. For extra chaotic energy, Tenoch sends the latter photo to his mother as a prank. Other hikers may pass you by and recognize Tenoch, but neither of you mind and enjoy taking selfies with and talking to fans.

10. Start the day by trying to get a wild alligator stoned. After that go shopping cart surfing on the freeway, holding onto truck bumpers. Then there's an attempt at skiing on cast-iron frying pans, but that only works on pavement. Being from Florida is Awesome, Amazing, and Incredibly Stupid. Namor/Tenoch is very scared of you and your chaotic nature. Going to war with the surface world was a mistake. Abort mission. The surface is already doomed if Florida is part of it.

11. You got invited to a house party and arrive to the most insane rager you’ve ever seen. You ask Namor, who appears to be the host, “This place is getting trashed, aren’t you upset?” He laughs and says,

“It’s Loki’s place and he has no clue. But he does appreciate a good prank, so it’s cool.”

12. In an effort to stave off boredom, the god of mischief decided to teach the other gods on how they can pull off pranks in their own unique way. Things quickly get out of hand when Namor learns the art of pranking.

13. You are highly skilled at breaking into secure facilities, but only to play pranks on the occupants inside. You are Loki’s daughter and take after your father in many ways. Perhaps too many, some would argue. You’re also Namor’s wife. Describe a day in your life as both the daughter of the god of mischief and chaos, and the Queen of Talokan.

14. You have the power to change the age of anything you touch. You try to change the age of your sleeping partner as a prank since he knows of your power. But it doesn't seem to work, no matter how hard you try. Namor wakes up and says, "Gods don't age, dear."

15. In the underwater city of Talokan, a certain mutant lies in wait, utterly bored as he waits for eons to pass by or to be drawn to the surface by humanity, whatever happens first. To pass the time, he has no better idea than to prank call humanity.

16. The house you inherited comes with an undergound lake in a cavern. The will instructs you to throw a couple of big chunks of meat in the water daily but doesn't explain why. After months of feeling silly while wasting meat, you decide to stop. Namor is upset because he’s hungry and where did his delicious sweets go? Squid livers were his favorite! Pls bring them back. :’( Okaaaaaaaay, so the will left out the part about the daily ritualistic offerings to a literal god in their backyard in exchange for...what, exactly?

17. Frog Prince AU: You thought the curse was broken. When the frog turned into a prince, Namor/Tenoch, you thought you’d live happily ever after. But you, the first love of the Frog Prince, quickly learned that he was cursed for a reason and there’s more to it. Your happiness was short lived as you realized that your husband remained exactly the same while your hair slowly grayed. While you inevitably moved forward, he was frozen in time. You still remember the day you laid on your death bed as he held you in his arms. In that state of unbearable sadness and anguish over your death, he turned back into a frog. He’s cursed to repeat the cycle: Kiss, transformation, lover’s death. Now you’re a ghost and trying to undo your husband’s curse, with the help of someone living.