#this doesn't have to be young sal

[hellomystraightlacedfriend]

The Osborns' 'Weird' Relationship: An Analysis

◇ Spectacular Spider-Man #146 - Gerry Conway/Sal Buscema ◇

Okay, so I know it was awhile ago that I said I might write an analysis of some of the emotional dysfunctional aspects of 616 Norman and Harry Osborn’s relationship, but I really struggled with the format and how I was going to present this.

One thing that I ended up having to do was throw out any speculation on the writers' intent. With comics, you have so many different writers - especially with a long ongoing, popular series like Spider-Man - that I decided to focus a lot more on the patterns I was picking up when I was reading.

But before I go any further:

CW: discussions of child abuse, mental illness, and suicidal ideation

Disclaimer: In this analysis, I am trying to provide an explanation for why Norman might behave the way he does. However, this explanation of Norman’s abuse is not meant to be a justification of his behaviour.

Also, before we start, you are absolutely allowed to disagree with this analysis! Every reader sees/interprets things a little differently, but I've seen other people pick up on the Osborns' relationship being well, strange, so I decided to examine that a little closer.

There were certain things I kept noticing in Norman and Harry's relationship that I found abnormal (you know, apart from Norman's extensive verbal abuse). Things like: Harry's really intense and misplaced loyalty to his father (that interfers with his other relationships.) The way in which Harry feels responsible for his father. The way Harry doesn’t have a strong identity outside of his father, and how his father doesn't allow (or think Harry needs) any emotional privacy. Also, just some of the ways Norman talks to his son don’t make it feel like a normal parent-child relationship.

In particular in this analysis, I did want to talk about emotional incest and enmeshment, which I am going to define now.

The psychological definition of emotional (or covert) incest is when a parent relies on their child for emotional support that they should be getting from another adult. They treat their child like a friend or partner, instead of well, a child.

And

An enmeshed family is one where there is a lack of boundaries, and often, the child isn't allowed to have an individual identity.

I think we see a lot of the after affects of this kind of emotional abuse in Harry as an adult, and while we don't see a whole lot of Harry and Norman's relationship dynamic when Harry is growing up, I do want to start from there, using what flash backs and other information we have.

Actually to give some background on why this kind of abuse occurred, I will go back a bit further than that and talk briefly about Norman’s childhood and his relationship with Harry’s mother.

Norman definitely didn't have a great childhood. His father was a bitter and abusive alcoholic who blamed all of his problems on other people, including his son. And while Norman's mother wasn't abusive towards him, she did fail to protect him. This betrayal from an early age from both his parents would have been a huge contributer to Norman's extensive trust issues (and his drive to be in control so he's not hurt again.)

Norman didn't get the emotional support and attention he needed while growing up, so that's really what he was seeking as a young adult, and he found it in Emily Lyman aka Harry's mother.

Now while I don’t think that Norman and Emily's relationship was perfect like he presents it to be, I do think from his point-of-view this was a great time in his life. He was finally out from under his father's thumb. This beautiful woman believed in him. They had their whole lives ahead of them. The possibilities were endless, and then - she died.

Or faked her death and left him because he was so controlling.

Either way, she was gone, and he still a young man was left to go on as a single father.

Interestingly, Norman both blames Harry for Emily's death and compares him to her. Much later in his life, when talking to Harry's grave, Norman says that he tried to be fair to Harry 'even though you were so much like your mother in so many ways.' In this scene, Norman is angry at Harry for dying and thus 'abandoning' him to be alone. And I think that's what Norman felt when Emily died too, this deep sense of abandonment.

◇ Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1 - Roger Stern/Ron Frenz | Peter Parker: Spider-Man #44 - Paul Jenkins/Humberto Ramos ◇

(Later, it's revealed that Harry is not dead. Or maybe he is. I am NOT getting into the whole post-OMD-Harry-is-a-clone mess. For the sake of this analysis, they are the same person. They would have the same memories anyway.)

Now I am going to be piecing some things together and doing a bit of speculating. One thing that always stuck with me is that Harry keeps saying that his and Norman's relationship used to be different, that they used to be 'pals,' and then something changed. While I know a lot of people dismiss this, become Harry is delusional about his father at other points, I do think when Norman became the Green Goblin, there was a shift in their relationship dynamic, and Norman stopped opening up as much to his son.

I still absolutely think Norman was a neglectful and preoccupied father, but I also think that Norman was an emotionally needy person, and once Emily died, Norman (who was most likely extremely depressed and lacking a support system) tried to have Harry meet some of those needs. I say tried to, because Harry was just a little kid, a baby, and he wouldn’t be capable of doing that.

I think a lot about a panel from Spectacular Spider-Man #178 where Harry is talking to his own son Normie Osborn. Normie is a very young child/toddler. While Harry is talking to Normie, and Normie is watching TV, Harry starts hallucinating that his father is in the room. (Both Harry and his father have had psychotic episodes.)

Norman tells Harry that Normie should be listening to Harry, and when Harry says that Normie is just 'a little guy' and 'doesn't really understand all this,' the Norman Sr. hallucination becomes angry and says that Harry was just the same. That Harry was lost in his own head when he was young, and couldn’t hear when Norman talked to him.

◇ Spectacular Spider-Man #178 - J.M. DeMatteis/Sal Buscema ◇

It's interesting the way Norman and Harry differ here. Harry wants his son Normie to be able to enjoy these early years and have this chance to be carefree. Whereas Norman doesn't seem to really understand the concept of childhood and childhood innocence.

I also find it interesting (because I'm obsessed with word choice) that both Norman and Harry use 'pals' to describe their relationship.

◇ Amazing Spider-Man #39 & #40 - Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. ◇

And just in general, Norman and Harry's relationship doesn't seem to fall into the typical parent-child relationship - where the parent takes care of the child and meets the child's emotional needs. Instead, it's more complicated and codependent.

Norman and Harry both view Norman as Harry’s provider and protector. Norman is abusive towards Harry, but he does show deep concern about Harry's safety and worries about what would happen if he (Norman) suddenly died - because he's afraid Harry wouldn't be able to fend for himself.

On the other hand, Norman really doesn't give Harry any tools to become independent or encourage a separate identity, and I think part of that is because subconsciously - as much as he keeps saying he wants Harry to be strong - Norman actually wants Harry to be dependent on him.

Like on one level Norman does want Harry to be strong and be able to think for himself, so that he can take over the company and continue the Osborn legacy (and he is angry at Harry and verbally punishes him for not living up to this). But on a more personal - and like I said before subconscious - level, I do think that Norman wants Harry to have to rely on him. Because Norman doesn't want Harry to be able to leave him. Because he doesn't want to be alone.

And that's the thing, I do think that Norman is also dependent on Harry.

Harry is the nurturer to his father's protector and provider. He cares for and worries about his father a lot, and as much as Norman does not like to be seen as weak, there are quite a few moments where we do see Norman be vulnerable around his son.

Why this happened is probably largely circumstantial. Norman is a very paranoid man, who constantly fears betrayal from those around him. Even with the other adults in Norman's life who he is 'close' to - like J Jonah Jameson and George Stacy, he is not open. He does not trust them. He thinks that people are conspiring against him. However, he doesn't see his young son as a threat, as someone who could turn against him and hurt him. And he pulls Harry into this emotional isolation with him by telling his son not to trust anyone but his family (anyone but Norman.)

◇Amazing Spider-Man #62 - Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. || Amazing Spider-Man #47 - Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. || Amazing Spider-Man #67 - Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. || Spectacular Spider-Man #200 - J.M. DeMatteis/Sal Buscema◇

That puts Harry in a very difficult position, because he has deal with these adult concerns at such a young age, and he also can't fully open up to anyone else. This strain, along with Norman's exacting standards and scathing criticism, puts a lot of pressure of Harry.

However, Harry is used to being his father's confidant, and he becomes extremely anxious if his father shuts him out - or worse if he doesn't know where his father is. In a way, as much as Harry says that his father is strong and great, I think (at some level) Harry must also see his father as (emotionally) fragile.

This is especially noticeable in Amazing Spider-Man #121, where Harry is supposed to be resting because he has just overdosed, but he can't because he's so worried about how his father will react to possible financial ruin. He goes to him, tells his father that he doesn't need to worry about him, that he can take care of himself, that he's just worried about his father. He then proceeds to collapse in Norman's arms because he is not well.

◇ Amazing Spider-Man #40 - Stan Lee/John Romita || Amazing Spider-Man #61 - Stan Lee/John Romita Sr., Don Heck || Amazing Spider-Man #63 - Stan Lee/Don Heck, John Romita || Amazing Spider-Man #121 - Gerry Conway/Gil Kane ◇

This collapse leads Norman to want to rid Peter Parker/Spider-Man from his life (by killing Peter), because he falsely blames Peter for Harry's drug overdose and also the collapse of Osborn Indistries.

Now Peter’s involvement in the Osborns' personal lives is interesting. Peter is the first person that Harry really opens up to outside of his father - when Harry breaks down and complains that his father had been very distant in the last few years. When Peter responds with the emotional support Harry had never gotten from Norman, Harry draws Peter further into his life by asking him to be his roommate. Harry’s demeanour toward Peter also becomes similar to his attitude towards his father, submissive and eager to please. (He even calls Peter 'sir' at one point when he's trying to get his attention - an address he uses towards his father.)

Peter, however, is so caught up in being Spider-Man that, like Norman, Peter often neglects his relationship with Harry. This leads Harry to be rather passive-aggressive. At one point, Harry offers to make Peter breakfast, but when he hears Peter locking his stuff up, he becomes insulted that Peter would think he would steal from him and storms off to see Norman instead.

This becomes an ongoing element, Harry being torn between Norman and Peter, and seeking love/support from both of them, but seemingly unable to get it.

Now I want to make it quite clear that Norman and Peter are not equally responsible here. Peter is Harry’s age and has troubles of his own. Norman should be acting as Harry’s father, but he really isn't, not emotionally anyway. He is meeting his son's material needs (to an excess), but he is emotionally neglecting his son while also emotionally burdening him with his own troubles. Plus Norman is constantly verbally berating Harry for failing to live up to his impossible expectations - leaving Harry feeling worthless and extremely depressed.

Harry takes drugs to cope with these negative feelings - first abusing prescription medication and then moving on to street drugs. There is even already a note of passive suicidal ideation here, as when Peter asks him how many pills he's taking, Harry's response is 'What’s the difference? Who counts?' (Amazing Spider-Man #97 - Stan Lee/Gil Kane.)

Now I refuse to believe that Harry doesn't understand that there's a possibility of overdose here: he's a chemistry (and business) major with a father who sells drugs for a living. He knows that it is a possibility. So, while he's not actively seeking to end his life, he also doesn't really seem to care if he lives or dies - as long as he can escape from his pain.

Harry does eventually overdose - and it's an overdose that leads Norman to go after Peter & also Peter’s girlfriend (and Harry's friend) Gwen. Norman blames all of Harry’s friends for his condition, but especially Peter. And Norman blames himself for failing to protect his son from them. He threatens to kill Gwen if Peter doesn't end his own life, and when Peter doesn't comply, Norman goes ahead with his threat - throwing Gwen Stacy off the George Washington Bridge. (Amazing Spider-Man #121 - Gerry Conway/Gil Kane.)

Peter (as Spider-Man) goes after Norman in revenge, and Norman ends up dying (albeit by his own glider and not Peter’s hand.) Harry eventually figures out that Peter is Spider-Man, and this leads him to think that his and Peter’s friendship wasn't real, that it was entirely a ruse on Peter’s part. That Peter was just getting close to Harry to close in on his father.

Harry ends up forgetting about Peter Parker’s secret identity after his first attack on Peter though, and so for years the threat of Harry's revenge remains dormant. However, even from 'beyond the grave' (Norman, um, kind of faked his death, but Harry didn’t know that) Norman still had a hold on Harry’s psyche.

One early warning sign of the return of Green Goblin might have been that Harry names his child both after his father and himself (Norman Harold Osborn), keeping their names (and identies) close together. Harry also tells young Normie how special a man his grandfather Norman Osborn was. Then Harry begins to hear his father's voice telling him to revenge his death, to kill Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

Harry goes back and forth on how he sees his father. At times, he is able to see his father as who he really was/is, a dangerous criminal who ruined his own life. However, at other points, he calls Norman 'wonderful' and 'the greatest man this world has ever known.' He claims that his father's spirit is in him fuelling all his efforts, and blames Peter for both Norman's and Gwen's deaths.

Of course, it would be hard for anyone to admit that their father killed one of their closest friends, however, I think with Harry it goes even beyond that. Because Harry doesn't have a solid identity outside of his father, he is unable to fully see himself and his father as two separate people. So, in his head, Harry can't admit that his father killed Gwen, because then he would also have to think that he killed Gwen - something I don't think that Harry can wrap his head around doing. It's easier then to blame someone else - Peter/Spider-Man.

When Harry does finally admit that Norman killed Gwen, he still absolutely thinks (pretty understandibly) that it was Peter who ended Norman's life. Because of this, Harry decides that both he and Peter would be better off dead - and that their deaths would protect their loved ones from further harm.

It is only an outpouring of unconditional love from Peter (something Harry had never really felt before) that sways Harry from ending Peter’s life. He carries Peter out of the building where he had set up a timed bomb, but then seemingly dies himself (from side effects of the serum he'd taken to make himself stronger.)

🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻

Break!

🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻🌷🪻

Okay, this is here because this is getting long, but I don’t want to make it a two-parter, but also sometimes people need to take a break and breathe, you know?

I will also be concentrating more on post One More Day Harry in this section, though referring back to earlier comics as well. I will also be talking more about sex and romantic relationships, and how Harry's focus on his father (and Norman seeing himself as the most important person in Harry’s life) complicates things.

The Dan Slott and Joe Kelly runs leading up to and during Dark Reign were the first Spider-Man comics I read, and these were the issues where I first got to see the Osborns' relationship on page. What really struck me then about the relationship was how Norman talks to Harry more like a separated spouse than his grown child: 'I need you,' 'the world could be ours,' 'come home,' 'your place is here, by my side.'

During this period, Harry is pulling away from his father and trying to be independent, and Norman does not like this at all. He mocks Harry’s business ventures, then bombs Harry’s place of business - almost killing Harry’s then girlfriend Lily Hollister in the process. When Harry goes to confront him, Norman says that girlfriends are replaceable and tries to win Harry back. This, however, does not work, and shortly following this, Harry goes no contact.

Norman will not accept this boundary, however, or any boundary really. He admitted earlier to recording and listening to all of Harry’s therapy sessions, and when Harry won't answer his calls or letters, Norman has people spy on his son and report to him on everything Harry is doing. He then gets himself invited to a wedding that Harry is attending.

This is when he tells Harry that he needs him, something that does visibly affect Harry. Peter steps in between Harry and Norman, and tells Norman 'and that's what therapy's for.'

This scene is interesting because Norman does not like admitting that he needs other people, but also because Peter doesn't consider this (entirely) as a ploy on Norman’s part. He does think that Norman is being honest about 'needing' Harry. He just thinks that the way Norman seeks support from his son is unhealthy.

There is also an 'us'-ness in the Norman-Harry relationship, that is more typical of couples. This along with how Harry is thrust into this nurturing role with Norman, makes him (at times) seem more like his father’s spouse than his son.

And when Harry and Norman do end up cutting ties, Harry even says: 'I was never your son.'

◇ Amazing Spider-Man #573 - Dan Slott /John Romita Jr. || Amazing Spider-Man #595 - Joe Kelly/Phil Jimenez || Amazing Spider-Man #598 || Writer: Joe Kelly/Artists: Paulo Siqueira & Marco Checchetto || Amazing Spider-Man #599 - Joe Kelly/Stephen Segovia, Marco Checchetto, Paulo Siqueira ◇

This relationship with his father - before the eventual break up - does also lead to problems in Harry’s romantic relationships.

Because Norman basically sees himself as the centre of the universe and because he is very possessive of the people around him, Harry grew up internalising this idea that he belongs to his father and that he should prioritise Norman above everything else.

And because of this, Harry does tend to elevate and choose his father over his other relationships. Like how when he was seeing Mary Jane Watson, that relationship ended because Harry wouldn’t unlock the door for her - choosing to be alone with his dead father's costume over being with her. His marriage with Liz also deteriorates as Harry obsesses over avenging his father's death and continuing the Osborn legacy.

Of note, in these moments Harry isn't exactly thinking clearly - there are definitely signs of psychic breaks, with Harry having delusions and hallucinations. Still, a huge part of Harry's psyche is consumed by his father - to the detriment of other aspects of his life.

Even after Harry sees Norman as a bad person (acknowledging that his father was Gwen's killer and knowing for sure that Norman has committed countless other heinous crime), Norman still has a hold over his son. Harry still holds out hope for winning his father's love and approval - and completely dismisses his then girlfriend Lily Hollister's encouragement and support. Instead focusing entirely on his father's criticisms.

◇Amazing Spider-Man #595 - Joe Kelly/Phil Jimenez || Amazing Spider-Man Family #4 - J.M. DeMatteis/Val Semeiks || Amazing Spider-Man #390 - J.M. DeMatteis/Mark Bagley◇

◇Amazing Spider-Man #126 - Gerry Conway/Ross Andru || Spectacular Spider-Man #189 - J.M. DeMatteis/Sal Buscema || Amazing Spider-Man #569 - Dan Slott /John Romita Jr.◇

Another thing involving Lily Hollister - a rather controversial decision - was to have her be in sexual relationships with both Harry and Norman Osborn (with the timing being so close together that the paternity of her child was called into question.)

I actually don't think it's so surprising that Norman would go after someone his son was seeing. He is very self-centred and delusion enough to think that he could somehow get away with it.

Also, back in Amazing Spider-Man #96, there was this whole thing about Harry bringing along Norman to watch the girl he was then seeing - Mary Jane Watson - dance. It kind of comes across like Harry is trying to impress his father with how hot his 'girlfriend' is, and Norman is quite publicly enchanted by her.

There is something similar in the Raimi adaption where Harry Osborn wants Mary Jane Watson to dress in black (like Harry’s mother/Norman’s wife used to do) because he wants Norman to be impressed by her/find her attractive. Which people have pointed out is kind of weird/creepy.

Also kind of weird is just how much empathy Harry has towards Lily Hollister after she ditches him for his dad. Like yes, I think it's a coercive relationship, and Norman is much more to blame, but I still think most people would be a little more angry in this situation. And what Harry does say to Lily at the start of her and Norman's relationship is very interesting to me:

'He's an amazing man, Lily...I know, and he takes very special care of his "nice things"...until he doesn't.

I hope you see him for what he is before that happens...

Because when Norman Osborn is through with you, no one gets to have you.'

One) because it's really quite strange to call the father you suspect is sleeping with your ex-girlfriend 'an amazing man'

Two) because the way Harry is saying this makes it seems like it applies to both her and him. The 'I know' in particular stands out, because what he seems to be saying is 'I know exactly what you are feeling/going through right now.'

Which given that she is in 'romantic' relationship with his father certainly raises questions.

◇Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3 - Joe Kelly/Dale Eaglesham || Amazing Spider-Man #96 - Stan Lee/Gil Kane◇

In any case, I could probably write more, but this post is already more than long enough. I just find the dynamic between Norman & Harry Osborn fascinating because I don’t think it's one we see as often in fiction, and I love reading about dysfunctional families/relationships.

I also find post-OMD Harry really interesting, because I think it's even rarer to see a person, who was in a relationship like this, have to move on, fully cut ties, and figure out how to build a life for themselves without this person (who they had such codendency with.)

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

Hi sorry if this seems annoying!😭 can you do Ben and Jeff and masky with a newbie scared child reader like when they first saw them they where shaking in there boots? And just very scared of everyone😭 I hope you have an amazing day remember your worth it and im proud of youu!<3

Don't worry, you aren't annoying! Also, thank you for your kind words <33

Thank you so much for requesting!!

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BEN

The first time BEN saw you was to bring you your uniform, as per his job as the supplier and technology manager

You were with sally, she was helping you get set up

When sally sees ben, she rushes over to him and asks if he wants to do a tea party with her and her new friend

He shakes his head "another time, sal"

Sally pouts while he walks over to put your uniform on your bed

"These are your uniform clothes. You wear them when you're working, especially if you're out on a mission. You're young, so you shouldn't have much work outside of the manor. Just keep them clean and ironed and you'll be good"

You stand there, looking up at him, shaking and furrowing your brows worriedly

He raises a brow and puts a hand on his hip "can you even manage a yes sir or a thank you? What a dope" he mutters before turning and leaving your room

After that he doesn't talk to you too often unless you talk to him

Which happens around 3 days later

"Mr. Ben can you help me...?"

"With what" he asks, not even pausing his game

"I don't know how to wash my clothes...im sorry" you whisper in a meek voice

He lets out a biiiiig sigh and stands up "alright, come on. Ask Tim for help with your clothes from now on. He's taller so he can actually reach the detergent. And he's also better at taking care of kids" he says as he walks downstairs to the laundry room

You follow behind him "im sorry.... mr. ben?"

"Hm?"

"Whos tim?"

Another biiiiig sigh

Jeff

Pretty much all of the kids were scared first time they saw jeff 💀

So no one was shocked when you reacted that way

After getting fairly acquainted with some other children, brian and liu, you mostly hung around them

One night however, there was a small party at the manor

Jeff, being the chronic hollywood undead listener of the house, of course is there

The party is being kept to the second level of the manor, in one of the living room areas, and is more so just a loud hangout than a party

The creeps partaking are listening to loud rock music, drinking beer and playing cards

You had gotten lost trying to find your room and eventually wandered into the area the get together was happening in

"Dude what's that little kid doing here" one of the creeps asks

This makes jeff turn the music down and look over at you

He is still in his work uniform, his hair is a mess and he looks obviously annoyed that he's getting interrupted

"You're that new kid, aren't ya? What are you doing up isn't it bed time for you worms?" He asks, standing and putting his beer on the table

Seeing how much taller he is than you only adds to the already intense fear "im sorry..." you whimper

"Yeah, yeah, run off to your room, kid" he says, waving his hand in a dismissing tone

"I-i don't know where it is" you whisper

He groans and bends down to your height "ok kid, do you have a caretaker around here somewhere?"

You shake your head and back away from him nervously. His breath reeks of nicotine and alcohol, and it makes your nose burn

"Alright, come on" he says, standing and grabbing your hand, leading you all the way down to Slender's office

There, slender is able to help you get back to your room safely while jeff goes back to drinking and playing cards upstairs

Masky

He is someone that a lot of kids turn to when they're unsure

He's one of the designated caretakers of the manor, basically meaning he helps the little kids with whatever they need

He doesn't mind this, because he likes to keep busy

So you coming to him was something he was pretty used to

However what he wasn't exactly used to was how timid you were

There are a lot of anxious kids in the manor, but to get a new kid in the manor is rare so it's been a while since he's had to deal with a kid this anxious

You knock on his door, to which he answers

"Um are you Tim?" You ask, fidgeting with your fingers

"Yeah, what's wrong, kiddo?" He asks, trying to make himself seem less threatning

Your face lights up a little bit at seeing you got the room number right "ok, uh i was told that you could help me reach the food? Im sorry, i just need the goldfish and I'll be out of your way"

He raises a brow "goldfish? Kid, it's only nine a.m. Don't you want some breakfast instead?"

"No that's ok i just need the goldfish..." you whisper

He steps out of his room and beckons you to follow "come on, I'll make you some actual food. How do you feel about pancakes? Or do you want something else?"

You scramble to follow after him, as he takes really big steps "no, pancakes is ok"

You sit at the table while he cooks your pancakes, and when he is done he sets the plate down in front of you and goes to pour you some juice

"Thank you" you whisper, beginning to eat

"Don't be afraid to come get me if you need anything else" he says, heading back up to his room

[dandelion-blues]

Bittersweet Blood

Summary:

What if Sally Jackson was actually Loki Odinson, and as a result Percy is born half Greek god and half Asgardian god?

…

"A half-blood of the eldest gods." Then, Poseidon loses all the color on his face as realization hits.

Loki sees this and says, "The prophecy doesn't say half-god it says half-blood of the eldest gods, and we are two elder gods from two different pantheons. Our child would be considered-"

"A half-blood." Poseidon finishes grimly, remembering the fates warning him, teasing him, of the fate of their unborn child.

…

This story will mainly follow the MCU's movies and Percy's quests will still happen, but they will largely be in the background. Thus, this will follow Percy and Loki as they interact in the MCU. Also, how Percy being a half-blood from two pantheons will affect him and those around him, and how different his life is growing up is as a result.

Next Chapter

Chapter 1: The Fates' Warning

Percy has known magic all his life, or well most of his life. The way the air vibrates with its whispers, and the plants live and breathe in the world's magic. Magic was all around him, and he was not exempt from the world's magic. However, he truly only gained sight when his mom showed him the realm's magic. Her own magic - green as emerald and humming with hidden power. Percy's mind was blown. He always had this itch, this sense, that he was missing something, as before he would perceive the strange and mystical and magical as a blur, a shadow to his senses, and would forget them in time, but this was what he was missing in all his first 6 years of life.

Before he was too young to understand the way he breathed and lived in magic everyday, and could potentially harm himself or others in attempting to control something he wasn't ready for, so Sally gave Percy a charm to prevent him from truly perceiving magic. If this was Asgard Percy would never have needed such a thing, but this was Midgard, or Earth. Earth, or rather humans, were not ready for a toddler to wield experimental magic. However, now Percy knew how to keep secrets, and he needed to learn his heritage, his right, to magic. It was time for Percy to learn of his Nordic heritage, for Sally is no ordinary magician, they are a deity, a god - they are Loki Sal Odinson and Sally Slyvie Odinsdottir, the child of Odin and Frigga, the sibling to Thor, and Perseus Freyr Lokison's mom.

______________

One day Loki was being mischievous as usual and felt the need to be in a feminine form and dress in a very sexy red swimsuit just to see how many heads she turned. She still kept her tall height and slim body, albeit now more feminine in form. Her face remained angular with high regal cheekbones, and small pouty lips. She, however, turned her dark black hair almond, and her emerald eyes turned turquoise that shifted to the green or blue of waters nearby in order to remain separate from her regular form.

Now she just needs a new name. Hmm, she feels like a princess, so she’ll call herself Sally. She laughed to herself, but then as she headed towards the ocean she met the most stunning man. From his tanned mediterranean skin, to hair as dark as night but still somehow glowing warmly in the sun, and eyes like the very ocean's themselves raw, powerful, and beautiful. His form is sturdy but relaxed, with muscles defined in golden armor. A well trimmed beard on a strong jaw and nose, with full lips, and high cheekbones. This man was a god, Sally was sure of it, as sure as her own mouth was hanging open.

The strange thing was the man seemed to mimic her stunned expression. Well Sally doubted that this man knew Sally was a goddess, since she sealed her magic after becoming Sally to hide her aura from even Heimdal so her father Odin wouldn't notice her, but this man still stood there starstruck.

Sally snickered, and then full blown laughed and her brown curls fell into her now swirling blue eyes. It was like those midgardians shows that she sometimes snuck out to see where it was love at first sight, and here she was trying to be the stunning one but she ended up being stunned as well.

The man’s face became pinched, wondering why Sally was laughing. Sally had to stop herself by laughing, it was unbecoming of a princess of Asgard. “S-sorry,” Sally said after her laughing petered off, “It’s just well in your golden armor and everything, and with how handsome you look, I thought ‘this man must be a god.’” Sally's face then got really red, did she just say that outloud?!

The man had a stunned expression on his face, then smiled, “I’m glad I’m not the only one who had similar thoughts as I thought ‘oh, this person must be a goddess.’ You happen to be right in your thoughts though. Tell me since you can see my armor, you must be a mortal able to see through the Mist, do you know of the Greek gods?”

Sally blushes at his compliment. Then she thought about what he was saying. He thinks Sally is a clear-sighted mortal. Maybe she can play around with him a bit, without having to worry about diplomacy.

‘The Greek pantheon,’ Sally thought surprised. Hmm while this man only appears to be in his mid twenties now, he has an aura of power around him. More so than many of the other Greek gods she had met. The only one that fell close when she attended a meeting between all the gods years ago was the arrogant fool, the king of Olympus, Zeus. Now that she thinks of it, his appearance bares a striking resemblance to Zeus with their strong features and striking eyes. Well, this man’s eyes are the everchanging greens and blues, swirling with power, like the sea. The sea! Is this man Poseidon?! The king of the seas and brother to Zeus!

Maybe she should mess with him a bit, play the foolish mortal, her need for mischief coming out to play.

“I’m quite familiar with the Greek gods, after all the monsters I see roaming this land. Now are you perhaps the king of Olympus, Zeus?” Sally asks, hiding her grin.

The man she is absolutely certain is Poseidon, sputters insulted.

Sally can’t help it but she laughs at his indignant expression, “I-I’m k-kidding, you must be the god of the seas, Poseidon.”

“You know if I didn’t find you so intriguing, I might have smited you for that. For that I must ask what your name is, so I can know that name of one so bold and beautiful.” Poseidon says teasingly with a smile.

Sally blushes again and smiles at Poseidon, “Well if you must know my name is Sally.” She grins sensually then and says, “Well if you find me so intriguing, why don’t you take me out to dinner.”

Poseidon goes to grab her hand, bowing down to kiss her hand, “With pleasure my lady.”

‘H-how can he just turn the tables like that?’ Sally thinks blushing profusely, trying to hide her face away, thinking she must look like a strawberry by now.

Poseidon laughs at her attempt to hide her blush, and holds out his hand. She laughs alongside him and grabs his hand walking alongside the beach with him.

They end up talking about their interests and likes and get to know each other along the way to their destination. Sally doesn’t reveal that she is actually a goddess, since she’s just here to have some fun, but she does tell Poseidon about her family and her adventures, and just makes them seem human. The world seems to fall away as they look into each other’s eyes and hear the enchanting tones of one another's voices. Slowly starting to fall for one another, but they take their time. They do have all the time in the world after all.

Sally ends up staying in a cabin on that very Montauk Beach, and Poseidon and her end up going on more dates and learning more and more about one another.

Sally eventually reveals that she is gender fluid when she feels more masculine again after a few dates. He doesn't change his body to match, because as Sal now, he is still playing the mortal, but wants Poseidon to know. Poseidon just smiles and accepts him, and lavishes him as a prince (even though Poseidon doesn't know yet who he really is, that he really is a prince).

Loki won't admit it, but he cried when Poseidon just accepted him. He never had the chance to really express himself before, and here was someone just casually accepting him for who he wasm

Sally though mostly stays in feminine in mind, as she won't have the chance to be a female once she returns home besides the occasional dressing up in her room, and perhaps feels the need to overcompensate subconsciously. Sally knows her time on Midgard won’t last forever, and she’ll have to return soon.

However, the summer turns to fall, and eventually winter, and Sally still stays in the cabin she bought on the Montauk beach where she first met Poseidon. She fell into a routine of pretending to be the mortal Sally Jackson (she decided on that last name when she lied and said her father's name was Jack and decided to have her last name be a homage to her Norse heritage), and spending time with Poseidon. They eventually fall into bed together, exploring their bodies together, and finding pleasure in one another.

Sally felt that her time was almost up on Midgard and she would have to return to Asgard, as she couldn’t hide from Heimdal and her father forever. She delayed it as much as possible, but now something in the air felt ominous like the Norns were warning her of something to come.

She enjoyed her time here on this planet for as long as she could, but she really didn’t want to leave. Sally fell in love with Midgard, she felt accepted and loved in a way she never felt before. Not even with her mother Frigga. As much as she tried and Sally loved and adored her mother, Frigga never truly understood her.

______________

It was when the year finally turned anew in January and it officially became the Midgardian year 1999, Sally started to feel sick. She was throwing up, and feeling light headed. What was happening to her? Gods don't get sick.

The revelation, however, came upon her shortly when she was telling one of the friends she made on Midgard how she was feeling. She still couldn't believe she made a friend! After all, Loki never had friends on Asgard, people were either too frightened by their status as prince, or thought that they were too weird and strange with their magic and interests in books instead of swords.

Sally became friends though with this person by leaning into her mischief, something no one back home ever appreciated aside from her mother Frigga. Thus, Sally pranked this fifthly scum of a human being, who wouldn’t stop hitting on her with nasty comments, to question his reality. She did this by getting all of his employees (Sally couldn’t believe he even had a job let alone employees) to agree and tell him that the sky was green, and the grass was blue, and so on and so forth. It only took a little bit of persuasion, and money, to do. Sally after all is a princess and is well forthcoming in both. One of his employees though was very enthusiastic, for she was tired of this geezer’s underhanded and sexist and racist comments, but needed the money. This happened to be Malia, a beautiful, tall Hawaiian woman with almond colored skin and dark curly hair who worked three jobs to provide for her three kids, and used to do wrestling in her free time at a gym when her husband was still alive, but had to quit to provide for her family.

Thus, Sally setup all the employees who worked at this man's laundry mat with more money than they’ve ever seen in a month for each day they worked to gaslit the fool into losing his sanity. In just a month, with employees all the more eager to come in and get back at their boss and earn some money, the walrus of a man, who stank worse than trash, cracked and ran outside yelling at people that the world was ending, and everyone was crazy. It was fantastic! All the employees cheered, and ended up making more money than they did in a whole year or years in just a month, and went on to find better jobs and do things and buy things they never were able to before after the laundry mat "unexpectedly" closed down.

Sally doesn't even remember the man's name but it seemed fitting. G-something Ugly, or something similar. Oh, it was Gabe Ugliano, but all his employees called him Smelly Gabe behind his back! Sally really hated that man after hearing and seeing more of how he treated everyone around him, and was glad that he was gone.

Malia was glad Smelly Gabe was gone too, and actually personally thanked Sally, tears in her eyes, and invited Sally into her home. She was going to lose her family’s home, and because of Sally she wasn’t, and her and her kids just wanted to show their appreciation. From then on, Sally and Malia became close friends, and could always find company in one another to talk about their struggles, or anything they needed. (Well, Sally could never bring herself to tell Malia who she truly was, for that would endanger Malia and Sally couldn’t do that to her friend.)

At least Smelly Gabe was good for something though, he got Malia and Sally to become friends after losing his sanity!

In any case, Sally lamented to her best friend Malia when they were finishing up with their food at a café about feeling sick lately and described feeling light headed, having cravings, and feeling more emotional than normal.

Malia had this look in her eyes, that she knew what was what, "Tell me, have you and your lover boy had sex in the last month or so."

Sally looked confused, "Yeah why?"

Malia shook her head, her black curly hair falling in her face, unbelieving at her friend's obliviousness, "Well, you might want to check and see if you're pregnant, sweetie." She swept her long hair back out of her face, and her brown eyes looked into Sally’s blues.

Sally looked at her friend shocked, "Pregnant?!" Sure Sally had a physical female form full time these days, but she never considered that idea that she could actually get pregnant. Heck, even her myths that she heard about her getting pregnant with Sleipnnir was actually because of accidental magic and not… what she heard in the myth. Was she really pregnant? Sally looked down at her flat stomach, thinking of Poseidon and her together all of those times.

Malia sighs, "Oh honey, it's okay. I'm a mother of three, and while kids are a lot of work, they also bring the greatest joy that I could ever have. I'll support you no matter what though, dear." Then she gains a serious expression, "And that lover boy of yours better shape up, or he can expect a beating from yours truly." Malia flexes her muscles to prove the point.

Sally's worried expression gained a small smile at her friend's antics, "I just never thought it was possible." Then she goes to hug her friend, "Thank you for everything Malia."

"Of course, hun." Malia smiles hugging Sally back, "And while I'm 99% sure you're pregnant, why don't you get a pregnancy test back at the pharmacy to make sure."

Sally's smiles and nods, "I'll see you later to tell you the news," and she heads out of the café waving goodbye to her friend not planning on going to the pharmacy, as she had other ways to test if she was pregnant.

The cold brisk air of January hits her. However, like any other time she was exposed to the cold, it doesn’t bother her, it almost seems to energize her. She never dwells on these thoughts though, how different it made her, yet again, from everyone else, as she always distracted herself from these thoughts, not wanting to accept how different she was yet again.

Sally wondered if her child would have her same disposition, if she truly is pregnant, and whether she wanted that solidarity with another being or if she wanted them to be ‘normal’.

Sally shakes her head, it doesn’t matter, she might not even be pregnant, and either way any child deserves to grow up how they wish to be and not be ostracized for being different like she was, no matter if they are like her or not.

She was still lost in similar thoughts though, and what ifs through the whole walk home, worried that by being the child's mother it would doom them to be different and ‘other’.

Even still, she always wanted to be a mother. To care and love for her own child, to be a mom.

Thus, Sally reaches her cabin, not even remembering how she got there, as she was too lost in her thoughts. Was she really pregnant? She breathed out, well only one way to find out. She reached for her magic, knowing intimately how to cast the spell she needed when she helped out in a healing center before.

Her green magic exploded out of her fingertips. The magic that she kept sealed away to hide herself bursting out of her in energizing waves. She knew she would have to hurry before the worlds of Midgard and Asgard aligned and let Heimdal see her. She casted the runes into the air, once again memorized by feeling how alive magic felt and let the runes sink into her. She waited a moment, feeling the magic buzz underneath her skin. If nothing happened then she wasn't pregnant. However, the magic alighted, and she saw green light up all around her. She really was pregnant! She jumped for joy, and proceeded to breathe in her magic one more time before she had to seal it again. The buzz was gone, but her joy radiated in the air.

Oh this is so exciting! She is going to be a mother. Is she going to have a boy or girl? You know what, Sally doesn't care just as long as they are happy and healthy. She wondered if the baby would have Poseidon's ever changing sea green eyes, or her natural emerald eyes. If the baby would take after her in magic, or perhaps the baby would be a fighter like their uncle Thor. Then, Sally's smile fell. Her baby could never go to Asgard and meet Thor, or her mother Frigga because her father Odin would never approve. Would Odin even let Sally have this baby, when not only will she be the mother and not the father, but the baby will be half Greek?!

Sally clutched her stomach protectively worrying about all the unknowns. For now though, she looked longingly at her bed. Deciding that she needed a rest first, before she dealt with reality again. She fell into her bed's comforting embraces and fell into oblivion.

______________

Loki, or rather Sal (the masculine name he came up with for Sally), woke up. Still when Loki was male in mind, he preferred Loki, but well that's a dead give away to his identity, and he couldn't have that.

In any case, Loki groaned remembering all the revelations that happened to him earlier. He really was pregnant. He looked at the clock ticking down on his nightstand, 8:00 pm. Loki breathed out, he must've been exhausted if he 'napped' for 6 hours. Loki steeled his nerves, he needed to tell Poseidon, so he prayed to Poseidon. Loki couldn't delay this anymore and lie to him especially now that they were having a baby together.

Poseidon arrived shortly after in a burst of blinding light. Loki closed his eyes more from the sheer light being emitted, than the actual danger of seeing Poseidon's divine form.

Poseidon looked to Loki frantically, hearing the distress in his tone when he prayed to him. "Sal, what's wrong?" He looked at him searching for any injuries, somehow always knowing that when Loki presented as male, even when his form didn't physically change.

This comforted Loki, in Poseidon's worrying, he in turn felt less nervous, and stated "I'm pregnant."

"W-what?" Poseidon asks, stunned. Then, gained a stupidly huge grin on his face. "That fantastic news!" However, he then thought of the prophecy about a half-blood of the eldest gods. He shut his eyes, feeling the remnants of the fates when he still held the domain of prophecy telling him of his unborn's child's doom. He already felt like mourning a child who wasn't even born. He was brought out of his spiraling condition, though, when Loli brought his hand to Poseidon's arm and looked into his eyes worryingly.

Loki breathed out, unsure why Poseidon's mood took such a drastic turn. He knew Poseidon was like the ever changing sea, from the gentle tides, to the roaring storms, and that Loki fell in love with all of him, but this was something different. However, he loved this man, and he needed to tell Poseidon who he really was.

'Yes,' Loki finally admitted to himself, 'I love Poseidon with all my heart, even though I knew it couldn't last. At least I could have him now, always in my memories, and now a piece of him forever in our child.'

Loki decided to just rip the bandaid off, thinking that the midgardian's metaphor was fitting, "My name is not not really Sal Jackson. I am Prince Loki Odinson of Asgard." He decided to transform externally to make his point clear, careful not to mess with his internal womb, his form changing back to his original wavy black hair and emerald eyes. He looked into Poseidon's eyes searchingly, waiting for rejection. His green magic briefly casted into the air before quickly receding into his skin.

To say Poseidon was shocked would be an understatement, and exclaimed, "I thought you were just an Asgardian, I didn't know you were a god."

"Now I know this looks…" Wait Loki thinks, "You knew I was an Asgardian?!"

Poseidon shakes off his shock, and rolls his eyes fondly, "My star, I knew from practically the beginning. You practically announced it when you kept calling Earth 'Midgard.' Not to mention how little you knew of basic human culture."

Loki sputters and blushes, "I thought you didn't notice."

"I'm not that oblivious!" Poseidon says offended.

Loki raises his eyebrows challengingly, saying 'sure.'

"Are you really okay with this, though?" Loki says, gesturing to himself. "Don't you hate me now?!" Loki shouts, fighting back tears and looking away.

Poseidon sighs, his heart breaking at his love fighting back tears, "I know that we were just treating this as a fun fling, but I fell in love with you. I fell in love with your smile, your mischievousness, and your tenacity. Everything about you I adore, and even though this complicates the matter with the whole inter patheon mixing, I could never hate you, my star."

Loki looks up into Poseidon's eyes, only seeing love swirling in their green depths. Loki goes to hug Poseidon, wanting to be comforted in his large arms. Poseidon accepts. "I love you too," Loki whispers to Poseidon.

They stay in each other's embrace for what feels like hours, but eventually they separate and look at one another.

Loki's face then turns perplexed, "By the way what got you all worried earlier? You almost seemed like you were mourning when I told you I was pregnant."

Poseidon looks like he's been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, if the jar happened to be Asgard's royal vaults, and the cookie was one of its most valuable treasures. He clears his throat, "Well, since I thought you were mortal before," and he continued almost inaudibly, "and there's this prophecy…"

Loki crosses his arms, "I can't hear you. Can you repeat that?"

"There might be this tiny, little bit," then Poseidon quickly rushes out, "maybe- world-ending-prophecy-about-a-half-blood-child-of-the-eldest-gods."

"What?!" Loki yells, practiced in Poseidon speech. "Tell me this prophecy now." Loki demands, his green eyes steely with controlled anger.

"It's fine love, you aren't mortal, so it shouldn't…" Poseidon trails off and gulps when he sees Loki fuming, "Umm well, it goes:

A half-blood of the eldest gods,

Shall reach Sixteen against all odds,

And see the world in endless sleep,

A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap,

A single choice shall end his days,

Olympus to preserve or raze."

Loki looks terrified, his form trembling, as he processes the prophecy.

"W-what's wrong Sa-Loki?" Poseidon asks worriedly.

Loki looks into Poseidon's eyes terrified and demands, "Repeat the first line again."

Poseidon does so instantly, and processes the request. "A half-blood of the eldest gods." Then, Poseidon loses all the color on his face as realization hits.

Loki sees this and says, "The prophecy doesn't say half-god it says half-blood of the eldest gods, and we are two elder gods from two different pantheons. Our child would be considered-"

"A half-blood." Poseidon finishes grimly, remembering the fates warning him, teasing him, of the fate of their unborn child.

Notes:

While Loki is actually a fairly young god, he is still considered an elder god in his patheon.

And for anyone confused on the Sally and Loki/Sal naming, It will for the most part be Sally when female in mind, and Loki when male in mind, with Sal only coming to play in dialogue around and with people who don't know Loki's true identity going forward.

Also, I changed the expected birth year for Percy to 1999 for reasons, reasons which will work for the rough timeline I have for this fic.

Magnus Chase's gods don't exist in this universe (as I don't want to make more split personalities than necessary, and it won't work for this au). However, Magnus himself may make a cameo as a child of an Asgardian and Midgardian rather than Freyr.

Also, when this is posted on ao3, keep in mind that some changes have already been made.

Next Chapter

[kinkleydiaz]

weekly rec ✌️

did you guys read anything good this week?

they start shooting next week and that's the only thing I've been thinking about lol the moment I see a picture of lou on set, I'll become the most annoying person alive.

rival spies bucktommy au by @dadbodbuck

maybe this time (i'll win) by @evanbi-ckley

Evan has been quiet today. Most evenings, he’s bouncing around the kitchen, talking to everyone or sharing some sort of fact or just generally keeping everyone entertained. He’s so young and beautiful and bright and vibrant. But tonight he’s quiet, and Tommy can’t stand it.

Evan came in tonight looking haggard, as if he hadn’t slept since he left the night before. There’s also a bruise on his wrist peeking out from the cuff of his left sleeve.

Or

Tommy notices something is off with one of his kitchen staff. He asks questions and gets more than he bargained - or dared to hope - for.

let me count the ways by @ashesandhalefire

“You have no idea,” Tommy murmurs against his shoulder.

“Hm?”

Tommy doesn’t answer at first, busy worrying his mouth at the hollow of Buck’s throat, and Buck prepares to accept that it’s just one of those little things accidentally said out loud that he’ll never get any context for, but then Tommy says, “How many buttons of mine you press. You have no idea.”

Already hot, Buck feels warmth flood his body that goes beyond the prickle of perspiration on the skin. This warmth sinks deep into the bone and takes root. It fuzzes his hearing with a faint buzz of static. To ground himself, he slides his hands up Tommy’s arms and over his shoulders, skating over the flexing muscles before tipping his head back to give Tommy more room to dot open-mouthed kisses along his neck. Tommy suckles at the bulge of his Adam’s apple, making Buck dig in with his nails.

“‘Cause I’m— a hot, young thing— getting you through a midlife crisis?”

Tommy smirks into the underside of his jaw. “Careful. It’s not too late to trade you in for a Ferrari.”

or: Buck and Tommy in the aftermath of a good evening are chattier than they probably reasonably should be

Better for You (or…When Sal Met Evan) by @herrmannhalsteadproduction

Sal and Tommy mess around in secret—hooking up for years—and Sal keeps telling himself that it's nothing. It doesn't mean anything. They're just blowing off steam.

When Sal gets transferred, they keep it up. Old habits. Between the transfer, finding his footing at a new station, and Vanessa getting after him about marriage and all that shit...he finds himself looking forward to getting a break from the noise.

It's easy. This thing with Tommy.

Pretty much the only time these days when Sal feels like he can breathe.

[necrotic-nephilim]

about me

hi, i'm luciferos. i'm 22, disabled, Deaf, queer, and a general menace. my pronouns are they/them. this is an 18+ batcest blog. i'm pro-fandom and pro-kink. I avidly support SALS, YKINMKATO, and DLDR. most of what i write is of the darkfic, dead dove variety. i'm a fan of the comics, mainly pre-Flashpoint era of the Batfam. some of my favorite comics are: Red Robin (2009), Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood, Birds of Prey (2010), Young Justice (1998), Huntress (1989), Sword of Azrael (2022), Grayson (2014), Robin War, and the Question (1987). i can be a comics purist, but i just tend to leave alone fandom content i dislike and i think everyone should have fun with their blorbos, whether they've read the comics or not.

my DMs are open for anyone who wants to chat, make friends, or just yell about your favorite character/ships. asks are also open if you wanna send a headcanon, question, or just, you know. yell. please feel free to come talk to me, i thrive on being asked my opinion on things! my (mostly unused) main blog is @devilbonesofmetal, so that's where follows and likes come from. i don't do DNIs, your internet experience is your job to curate, so feel free to block me if you're uncomfortable with what i post.

some of my favorite ships are: Tim/Jason, Tim/Dick, Tim/Damian, Dick/Bruce, Jason/Bruce, Ra's/Tim, Slade/Tim, Slade/Dick, Tim/Bruce, Jean-Paul/Tim, Cass/Tim, and Robin Pile.

and some of my favorite characters are: Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Cass Cain, Helena Bertinelli, Luke Fox, Jean-Paul Valley, Bette Kane, Kara Zor-L, Zinda Blake, and Slade Wilson.

i write fanfiction, but i write anonymously on ao3 (for reasons explained here) so if you'd like to see all my stuff, here's a link to my tumblr masterlist and here's a link to my ao3 series, both of which contain all the fics i've written. aside from the typical ship and character tags, my vague tagging system on this blog is:

necrotic festerings - any ship/fandom metas i've written

necrotic answerings - answering any asks

necrotic writings - my fics

necrotic works in progress - rambling about fics i'm working on

divine and necrotic - tag for my partner @divine-dominion and i being gay on main

and, just for fun, some of the more interesting metas i've written:

why DC x DP crossovers are so popular

why the Batfamily fandom doesn't interact with canon & related thoughts

JayTim in the New-52 Deep Dive

"why aren't ships involving the women in the Batfam considered Batcest?"

advice for getting into pre-Flashpoint comics

[salllzy]

Sal's snippets #5 part 1

Sooo, I have messing around with something and came up with this. I had a lot of fun with this.

-------- Lucifer knew that one day his indiscretions would come to light, he knew that Charlie wouldn't be happy with him when she found out. But he had underestimated just how much she would be hurt. "How could you? You cheated on mum!" The tears in his eyes hurt far more than her rage and as much as he wanted to try and explain the situation, he could get his mouth to form the words that he wanted to say. "Oh, please. It is an open secret that Lilith was cheating on the King for the last eight centuries of their marriage more often than not taking five or six demons into her bed at one go and you are having a go at him for finding comfort?" Gold eyes moved to the demoness that was sitting on the settee drinking a cup of tea, her red eyes so similar to Alastor's had thrown him for a loop when he had first seen them. It was hard knowing that he had a second daughter and one that he had never known about until fifteen minutes ago. "This is a family matter!" Charlie whirled around and snarled at other demoness, but despite Charlie being older than her, she merely raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You are meant to rule Hell if anything happens to him? Truly, you are an unruly child that seems to think that Liliths shits rainbows and can do no wrong. But let me tell you something, the demons of Hell would rather stand behind Lucifer than Lilith. Why? He doesn't pretend to be something that he isn't, you may think that your mother is a kind and gracious woman who has hoards of loyal followers who worship the ground that she walks on. Newsflash, no one does. The only reason that anyone wants to get close to her is because she will open her legs for anyone." With grace and elegance, she stood up from the settee and looked Charlie in the eyes, Charlie had a good few inches on her and yet it looked as if Charlie was on the losing side. Charlie clenched her hands into fists and for a moment Lucifer feared that Charlie would attack the other demoness, Alastor appeared and stepped in between the pair and despite having his back facing towards the other demoness, there was no doubt in anyon's mind just who he was protecting. "Perhaps we should all take a few minutes to cool off hmm? Wouldn't want to rebuild the wall after all." Despite the words, it was clear that it wasn't a suggestion, with a look of hurt and betrayal Charlie fled from the lobby. Lucifer wanted to go after her, to try and explain himself but he knew that she wouldn't listen to anything that he would say, Charlie had made up her mind. She was much like Lilith in that regard. But no matter how much she hurt him, he would still love her. She was his daughter. He would always love her. But she had hurt him, badly. He didn't know why everyone always assumed the worst of him and never gave him a chance to explain himself. This was Eden all over again. "Sarah." Alastor's voice was soft in a way that Lucifer had never heard before, he hadn't even known that Alastor could use such a tone. "Dad, I know that you don't want me to be here but we have a problem." Lucifer wondered what sort of problem it could be before the TV blared to life and was now broadcasting the fact that he had an affair with the radio demon. A murderous look appeared on Alastor's face, his eyes turned into dials and his body began to creak and groan as he fought the urge to shift. "Vox." The vicious snarl that Alastor let loose had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge, Lucifer had never heard Alastor sound like that before. Oh, sure he had heard him annoyed and irritated but never like this. "That was what I came to warn you about, thankfully they don't know about me and I have my people running interference as much as possible. But it is going to take some time." Despite how young she was, Lucifer couldn't help but admire her, she had seen a problem and tried to fix it before it became an even bigger problem and when that didn't work she began working on damage control.

[renae-the-turtle]

Idea for a tmnt separated au that's - surprisingly - not a rise au. It's a 2012 au

Mikey grows up in dimension X. He's either raised by the utroms and thus has a breathing implement, or he grows up feral and since he was so young, he adapted to be able to breathe the air. Idk what exactly I'd go with but something like that.

Leo is definitely still living on earth with Splinter because his obsession with Space Heroes is adorable and I want him to be able to keep that. Also just. Something something multiversal constant that Leo idolizes/looks up to Splinter in some way in every universe (doesn't apply to all AUs obviously, but it's a very Leo trait, y'know?)

Now I'm not sure if I wanna send any of the turtles to live in space (maybe with Professor Honeycutt or the triceratons or salamandrians) or have one of them live with humans (O'Neil or Jones or a shockingly-not-dead Tang Shen) because there is options, you know? And who knows, maybe Splinter keeps two of the turtles.

If I pick Salamandrians then it'll be Donnie living with them, he'd be best friends with Y'gthba and I guess he'd be in the army too? But as like a tech guy idk. Need some way for him to get off-planet and meet his long-lost brothers, duh.

Or I could have Donnie raised by Professor Honeycutt? Not sure how that would work with the timeline. I'd need to go rewatch the episode where Fugitoid info-dumps his backstory, and depending on the timeline maybe I'd prefer it to have Raph raised by him.

If I decided I wanted a turtle to be raised by Mr O'Neil then I'd probably pick Donnie, neatly erasing the possibility of that awkward crush by having him grow up as April's brother.

If I picked the Jones' then it'd be Raph with them, because Raph & Casey brotp but make them actually brothers haha

If I pick Triceratons.... probably Raph? And then he might get to meet Y'gthba/Mona Lisa early. Or they'd get an enemies-to-lovers arc lol.

On the other hand I could do both Triceratons and Salamandrians, in which Donnie somehow ends up with the Triceratons, is raised by them for a few years, but then gets abandoned on some planet and picked up by Commander Sal.

I could also have Tang Shen survive but without Yoshi or Saki knowing, and without her knowing Yoshi is alive, and she moves to New York and finds one of the turtles and raises him. I'm following a fic in which she raises Miwa and Mikey and I love the idea. (It's called A Mother's Love on ao3 btw) But obviously she'd raise either Raph or Donnie, and Miwa still gets taken by Shredder and raised as Karai. I also don't know if I'd mutate Tang Shen or leave her human.

If I were to pick only one of the above options for Donnie and Raph, and have the other one stay with Leo and Splinter... hmmmm idk who I'd pick actually. It'd be interesting if it were Raph, because of how much Leo and Raph tend to argue, and explore how that dynamic would change with only two of them. Leo and Donnie.... mmm well I asked my sister for a second opinion and she pointed out that those two would likely be too efficient. Not enough drama lol. Leo and Raph would be way more interesting.

Anyway. Gonna think about this more but I like the idea of Mikey growing up in Dimension X and thus being even more of a genius there. Leo still gets raised by Splinter but he's got that Big Brother Sense tm that tells him something is missing and it drives him nuts. Raph and Donnie... it's up in the air (or space) where they're at lol.

[casscainmainly]

Counting only current canon love interests (so no Steph from Future State, Erik from Shadow of the Batgirl, Tim Drake from Solo); no Harper Row either, since the flirting was just a little too vague.

Explanations for each character under the cut!

Tai'Darshan/Black Wind

A metahuman freedom fighter from Tarakstan. Cass' first love interest and the first person to call her Black Bat. Died when his powers spun out of control, RIP.

Conner Kent/Superboy

Clone of Superman, superhero and member of Young Justice. Develops a friendship with Cass that briefly blossoms into romance, though they decide to remain friends in the end. Cass' first kiss.

Javier

Waiter at a diner in Gotham. They have a mutual crush and start going out, but his romantic gestures keep triggering traumatic flashbacks for Cass. They presumably break up off-screen when she moves to Blud. Cass' first official relationship.

Coldcast

Member of Justice League Elite. While Cass is undercover as Kasumi, they grow close, to the point where she reveals her identity as Batgirl and kisses him. Their relationship doesn't develop after this run though. Cass' first one-sided crush.

Zero

Civilian in Bludhaven. They meet a couple of times and dance together at a party, and she kisses him before embarking on her quest to find Shiva. Died in the Chemo attack.

Sal

Student in Cass' ESL class. He has a crush on her and gives her his number, and Cass likens him to Zero, implying she does have feelings for him. However, she never follows up 'cause the plot takes over.

More in-depth summaries at https://casscain.fandom.com/wiki/Cassandra_Cain%27s_Romantic_Relationships.

[thatbanditqueen]

Basic Training

I Don't Date Soldiers

A new fic, possibly a new WIP, about Elvis' life at Fort Hood. Let me know what you think.

Summary: Bess is a smart, young secretary working for the Commander of Army Intelligence training at Fort Hood, dreaming of a life beyond the military one she has always known. That's why she doesn't date soldiers, they only break your heart, and she is looking ahead to something better. One Friday night in March, she stumbles in to the new draftee who's turned the base upside down, and in a moment of weakness, decides to try and help him sleep. Just this once.

Warnings: None, fluffy and angst combined, but innocent. For now. There are a lot of typos.

Word Count: 4.8 K

Some notes: Probably good to know the acronyms, every Army base has a chain of command, and at the top sit the Commanding Officer (CO), the Executive Officer (XO), and a bunch of other officers, of different rank denoted by their ascending O rank, from 1 to 10. WAC - Women's Army Corps, established in WWII, their was a sizeable WAC presence at Fort Hood in 1958. Oh, and Killeen is the closest city to Fort Hood and Austin, TX is about an hour away. Also I really wanted this to take place on a Friday night, but also have had Elvis at the base for two nights, so I gave myself creative license to make March 30, 1958 a Friday. Just don't look it up and we'll be fine.

This fic was inspired by the writing prompt:

Many thanks to my beautiful sister-wives-in-arms whose advice support and love make being an Elvis girl possible and fun, @be-my-ally @vintageshanny @from-memphis-with-love @ellie-24 @powerofelvis @missmaywemeetagain and @whositmcwhatsit, from whom I have stolen her trademarked description of Elvis' awkward manner of kissing half on the cheek half on the lips like a goofy weirdo who was never taught how to kiss right so he decided to make up his own style. And thanks for reading and connecting with me here, the Elvis fandom is the best and I love our community!

Friday, March 30, 1958

9 p.m. at Sal's Cafe

Bess pushed her veal marsala from one side of her plate to the other, feeling the vibrations of her fork scrape across the bottom of the plate. The place checked off all the requisite Italian restaurant requirements: checkered table cloth, candle in an old wine bottle, violin player sawing away at a classical reinterpretation of “That’s Amore.” But the brown sauce, and the meat it was congealing around, was inedible. It was the sort of food that begged the question “why not stay in and cook at home?”

“I said, don’t you think, Bess honey? You follow that stuff, dontcha?”

Bess looked up at her friend Dori’s face, realizing she had drifted off daydreaming of a future far away from Killeen, away from her job at Fort Hood, away from the Army, away from officers, like the ones sitting across from them. Away from soldiers in general.

“What, Khrushchev? Well, I think we all knew he wasn’t going to take the threat laying down.”

Dori hit Bess' shoulder lightly, smiling at their dates, two officers from Army Intelligence.

“No, y’all will havta excuse my friend here, she still thinks she’s studying political science in Austin. You’d think a year of civilian life would make her normal again, huh?”

Dori flipped her blonde hair and drawled on.

“No, silly goose, no one here is interested in that Russian stuff, we’re talking about Mike Todd. What do you think poor Elizabeth Taylor is going to do now that her husband's dead?”

Bess tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Dori was right, she read the movie gossip magazines, but her friend’s distraught, serious expression had made her think they were discussing something with a little more gravitas. The recent atomic weapons testing, or Russian political shifts, the stuff at the top of her New York Times front page everyday. But why would any one in the Army want to talk about that?

Bess smiled at her date and tried to focus on the conversation at hand. Later in the bathroom, Dori chided her while applying a fresh coat of lipstick onto Bess’ mouth.

“I wish you would try to be polite.”

“Dori, you know I am breaking my rule here with you. I don’t date soldiers. I have two goals I'm focusing on: get into law school and shake off these twenty pounds. ”

Bess rubbed her hands over her waist.

“Rules were made to be broken, Bessie Pie, and you look great, men like a girl with a jiggle, I think you look like a brunette Jayne Mansfield.”

“Hardly. You’re Mansfield and Monroe rolled into one.”

“Don't sell yourself short. I know you were fixin' to marry that boy last year, and now all you talk about is law school this, politics that. Don’t you wanna get married? We're not getting any younger.”

“I’m twenty three. Same as you.”

“Eggg zactly. Sure, it seems young now, but you're gonna blink and be thirty and single, with nothing but your degrees to keep you company. You already have a good job now. I just know you’d set this law school thing aside if you met the right guy.”

“Of course I wanna get married, someday. But not now. You’re the one in a hurry to quit your job and settle down, not me.”

“I don’t have a job.”

“See, you’re half way there, Doreen. Me, I’m not giving up my goals for Captain Smarmy out there. How did you even meet these ones?”

Dori steadied her self on Bess’ shoulder.

“Stop moving, or this lipstick won’t be straight. I met them outside the PX, I thought they were cute. Arnie knew who you were, he was the one who suggested we all go out. He really likes you, I can tell - “

“Yeah, he was just in my pop's office lobbying for an assignment, he doesn’t like me. He is using me.  There’s a difference, I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

“So what if he was? Maybe he saw you there and couldn’t get you out of his mind. He’s good looking, smart, he’s already an O3 —”

Bess stopped her friend’s hand, and fixed her hair in the mirror, pushing up her bust and sighing at the rounder curves that had been widening at her waist since she’d graduated from college and settled into a very sedentary, very single, and currently very celibate life living back at home and working for her father. She turned to look at Dori who was waiting to blot Bess' lips with a tissue like the sweet girl she always had been. For Dori, a fresh coat of perfectly applied lipstick fixed all of life’s problems.

“Look, Captain whatever out there is only here for six months or so for training, then he's off to Heidelberg. That’s why I don’t date soldiers anymore. I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’m waiting for you to catch up.”

Bess gave her dark curls one last fluff.

“How’d you get these suckers to come out on a double date anyway? They aren’t scared of your father?”

Dori avoided eye contact as she smoothed her blonde bouffant and pursed her lips, then looked at Bess in the mirror.

“They don’t know.”

“How do they not know your father is the CO?”

Dori shrugged, then pinched Bess as they walked out of the ladies’ room.

“Don’t tell, ok? Let’s just have fun. What if you fall madly in Arnie? And he asked you to marry him and go to Germany with him?”

Bess snorted as they walked out to the men waiting for them in the restaurant lobby and Dori's eyes took on a knowing look.

“Hmm, so that’s big fat ol ‘no’ to dancing tonight, I’m guessin’?”

Bess nodded.

“Please at least tell me you aren’t going home to work on that boring research project?”

Bess smiled mischievously. “Professor Blotke agreed to help me, it’s going to be my submission sample for Georgetown. Papa took Mama to D.C. with him for his meetings, so I have the house practically to myself. It's just Kay and me, and she’s probably already asleep. I just have to grab a new typewriter back on post, I busted mine.”

Dori shook her disapproving of Bess’ plans for the night, then turned to greet their escorts with her usual vivacious pleasantries. Bess smiled at Dori's ability to interact with the men so casually and intimately, sliding her hands through both of officer's arms as they walked to the car. She considered how different she was from her girlfriend, despite the fact that they were both twenty three year old daughters of career Army officers. Every relationship she'd been in seemed to occur in spite of her inability to feel at ease or flirt with boys.

The conversation turned to recent events at Fort Hood as they walked.

“So,” Dori exhaled, squeezing herself against her date. “Has anyone seen Elvis yet?”

Bess pounded her foot a little harder into the concrete, hearing that name now provoked instant irritation.

“Ughh, no. It’s only been what, three days, and honestly I wish he’d been sent somewhere else for training. All I do is answer calls about him. It is driving me up the wall and I can’t get anything done. He’s turned the whole base upside down. Must have been a hundred cars parked outside the main gate, all scattered around the fields. It’s a security issue. I just —"

“Well, that’s not his fault Bess, and I think it's great. I wanna to meet him, don’t y’all?” Dori looked at the officers on her arms.

Arnie smiled a big dumb smile as he looked at Dori’s bouncing breasts and agreed. “I think it’s good for the Army, boy, I just - I just wish we could get the other enlisted to lay off him.”

“What do you mean?”

Bess felt the pit of her stomach tense as she thought of the thousands of green little boys running around base on edge with no external distractions for entertainment.

“Yeah, the boys’ have been giving him a hard time, shouting out when he runs during PT, or at the chow hall. There’s some concern he hasn’t been coming to eat all his meals cuz a the way they’ve been taunting him.”

Bess sighed, her irritation dissipating momentarily into sympathy as she considered how hungry and lonely Elvis Presley must be. Then she remembered that she was hungry, hungry because all the good restaurants had been filled up tonight by people trying to catch a glimpse of him. Elvis was the reason the only benefit from breaking her vow against dating a soldier, the free meal, had been a bust. She wondered if it was going to be this crazy around town for the next six months while he was here.

“I feel sorry for the poor kid, I do. But I still wish he was some other base’s problem.”

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

Back on post, Arnie asked Bess for the fourth time if she wouldn’t like him to come help her carry the typewriter to her car. Then they could meet the others at the night club.

Beth pursed her lips with a demure smile.  “I think I can handle a typewriter, Captain, I use them all day.”

Dori chimed in with a reminder that it was Friday night and they were only young once, but Bess put them off, grinning as she heard Dori exclaim that both men would just have to dance with her all night.

“Two gorgeous officers all to myself,  what eva shall I do?”

Free at last, Bess drove her car to the supply building, and snuck in the back door carrying the type writer that she had been using at home, the big sticker along the bottom reading “Property of U.S. Army” evident as she held the machine under her arm to unlock the door. Bess slipped off her heels at the door so that they didn’t click down the dark hallways, and she easily scurried in to slip the broken machine into the repair center and help herself to a new model, grabbing a few spools of typewriter ribbon and a package of paper on the way out. Balancing everything as she locked up to leave,  Bess smiled at the cool air on her sweaty arm pits and laughed to herself for pulling this stealth operation in a tight green cocktail dress and pumps.

“A better use of this outfit anyway, I’d say.” She muttered to herself, sheathing her right foot back into her white heel with a sense of pride that she’d managed to get in, get the new machine, and would probably be home before 11 p.m. Bess had propped her self up against the building to slip her left foot into the other shoe when she heard a voice behind her call out.

“Uh, hey, need any help there?”

Startled, she almost toppled over, catching herself at the last moment by dropping everything in her hands.

“OWW fuck fuck fuck a duck!

She screamed in pain as the typewriter clanged down on her bare left foot and she almost knocked heads with the tall, gangly soldier who squatted down on front of her at the same time to try and help her retrieve her supplies.

"Oh man, I sure am sorry, listen -"

“At ease, uh Private,” she glanced briefly at the rank on his uniform while straightening up, holding her foot in pain and taking in the view below her. The paper knob at the top of the new machine had broken off completely.

“Fuck, this is what I get, I suppose,” she laughed, looking up find herself across from the shy, inquisitive face of Elvis Presley.

“Oh fuck a duuuuuck.”

Bess forgot about the typewriter, the paper spilled everywhere, the throbbing pain in the left foot she was now holding up and cradling. She didn’t even notice how she was exposing her thighs until she rubbed her foot again and dropped it with a thud, realizing she was about to flash Elvis Presley. He seemed to realize it too, and smirked as he turned his face to look away as some sort of attempt to give her privacy while she smoothed her dress down. Bess did this while clumsily trying to balance between one heeled foot and one bare foot.

Elvis found it very hard to stifle his chuckles as he watched her stiffen, and held out his hand to put her at ease.

“Uh, hey there ma’am, I’m Elvis, Elvis Presley.”

Bess shifted and smiled awkwardly, wiping her dirty, sweaty hands on her silk dress and extending her right hand out to shake his. The the same right hand, that had, moments ago, been rubbing her smelly, left foot. Honestly, it seemed like the most polite option, since she decided to act as if the last five minutes hadn’t happened. As if  sneaking out of the supply building past 10 p.m. on a Friday night with her arms full of government office supplies was perfectly normal.

“Bess Schwartz, I’m, uh, I work in the Front Office here. I’m, I’m, I'm the secretary for the Army Intelligence Commander.”

She gasped when Elvis took her hand, the hand cover in her foot sweat, and squeezed it warmly, bringing it to his lips for a chaste kiss.

“Nice ta, uh, meetcha. Imma sorry, uh, for startlin’ ya Miss Schwartz, ma’am.”

Bess shivered in the darkness as she heard herself whisper for him to call her Bess almost incoherently while she watched Elvis drop down in front of her and fit her other white pump over her left foot. She tried to remember how to breath. It was hard.  Hard because she was struggling to subdue  her visceral reaction to Elvis' thumb as it slowly smoothed over the top of her foot, which made it harder still to recover from the embarrassment of getting caught stealing a typewriter. By the most famous person in the world. Bess shut her eyes in disbelief that this was actually happening, and was disappointed when she lifted her eyelids to find that it actually was happening and Elvis was still there. He met her eyes, his finger delicately stroking her ankle.

“There, now, honey, you think you can walk?”

She pulled her leg back and nodded as she scanned the parking lot, the road along and other buildings behind it.

“Mhmm. Thank you, Private. Say, what are you doing stalking around the base right now? Lights out is at 9.”

Elvis bit his lip, looking at the ground as he stood.

“Can’t sleep.”

Bess arched her eyebrow as she started to bend, but Elvis put his hand up to stop her and stooped to gather the paper. He crushed it under his arm as he grabbed the typewriter and ink ribbons, talking slowly and deliberately.

“Well, my first night some jokers went an put shaving cream in my shoes, I ‘spose it gave em a good laugh to watch me run around like a damn fool getting ready for inspection. An well, I ain’t been able to sleep since, can’t bare to, uh, to uh - ”

His voice trailed off, but Bess knew what he meant. He was afraid of looking like poor sport or tattle tale if he complained, and a coward if he just took it. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the bags under his eyes, calculating he must be going on 40 hours without much sleep. Or much food either, if her date was to be believed. Men. Boys, more like. Little boys amusing them selves by torturing this poor kid. This, tall, lanky, kid, who hovered above her and whose large hands made her typewriter ribbon look like a checker piece.

“Yeah, uh, they’re just scared they won’t be able to get any tail now that your here.” She smiled as best she could under the pressure of trying to talk with Elvis smoldering, lonely boy eyes piercing through her.

Bess looked at a passing car just so she could collect herself, then back at Elvis, thinking of the crowds of women lining the gates.

“The men should be thanking you, we haven’t seen this many pretty girls hanging around the base, since, well, since ever. Probably gonna be easy picking, especially for the soldiers who can leave post. Those poor girls hanging 'round outside the gates don’t know you aren’t allowed to go near ‘em for the next three or so weeks.”

“Mhmm, seems like, uh, uh, ya don’t havta go off post to meet pretty girls.”

Elvis bit his lip again, enjoying how Bess became flustered and embarrassed, smoothing the sides of her dress. She reminded herself that she hated him, as she felt the butterflies swarm through her belly and make themselves at home, flitting willy nilly up her spine. Bess also became keenly aware of how hungry she was from skipping dinner. She didn’t have time for his teasing and looked Elvis squarely in the eyes as she spoke.

“I recommend staying away from them, too. Especially the WACs. You’re definitely not supposed to fraternize with other soldiers.”

Elvis looked off at the trees that lined the road to the right. “How bought civilians? Is, um, ah, frater-a-nizin', uh, allowed?”

Bess turned, ignoring the question, though she was unable to ignore the warm, playful flirtation in Elvis’ voice as it washed over her and her chest heaved up and down at a quicker pace. Once again she told herself that she did, indeed, know how to breath. Her annoyance at his line melted away when she returned to his eyes and saw the exhaustion underneath his bravado, instantly regretting what she was about to do before she even did it. Somehow she couldn’t help herself, it was as if she was having an out-of-body experience, watching herself fumble through a simple sentence.

“Listen, I, um, I just had the worst date of my life, at the worst restaurant. Couldn’t eat a bite. You help me get another type writer, and I’ll, I’ll fix us something to eat. Then you can sleep on my couch for a few hours.”

Watching  his eyes light up, Bess felt the need to add. “But no funny business. I’m just helping out a new recruit, doesn’t mean anything.”

For the second time that night, Bess oversaw sneaking a broken typewriter into the repair shop and taking a new one, hobbling as she led Elvis to her car and directed him to put the stuff in her truck.

“Ya live on post?”

Bess patted the passenger seat of her blue Ford.

“Nope.”

“You know I ain’t supposed to leave?”

“Yup.”

“So — what’s the plan, stan?”

Bess turned to Elvis, removing his hand from her knee where it had somehow landed, and whispered with breathy excitement.

“I’m going to sneak you off.”

Elvis quirked his eyebrows as she kept talking.

“I, um, well, I share an office with the CO's secretary, Mabel. Who might actually be the most powerful person at this command. So, as long as I get you back in time for reveille, we’ll be fine. None of these guys will mess with me.” 

“I, uh, I don’ wan no special privileges, I wanna, uh, be treated like any other man, any other soldier. I reckon I better -”

Elvis trembled when Bess touched his shoulder and rubbed it gently, looking up into his face with her big brown eyes, now tender and reassuring. He looked to her like he might cry as he spoke of not being special.

“Look, I would do this for any new recruit. Boot camp, uh. Well. This is the hardest  part of being in the Army. I promise. I’m not offering because you’re famous. I actually kind of hate you, do you know how much trouble you cause my office? So, you should know I’m helping you in spite of who you are. Promise. I would - I would do it for any soldier in your predicament.”

Bess said this firmly to convince herself as much as to convince Elvis. Then she added a friendly wink and drove off, enjoying Elvis’ bemused smile and telling herself not to worry. Underneath her calm, confidence was the nagging thought that, unlike Elvis, Bess knew exactly what happened if some rule-minded officer were to find out that she had snuck Elvis off post. She had a good understanding of rule-minded officers. Like her father. Who, thankfully, was out of town.

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

The bacon and eggs sizzled on the stove and Bess flipped them, shyly avoiding Elvis’ gaze from where he was leaning with his back arched against the door jab, his right hip twisted up and his thumbs hanging from his belt loops as he watching her cook.

“So, uh, what’s a secretary doing taking typewriters uh, um, out late on a Friday night an a bringin' ‘em home for, huh?”

Bess shook her head into the frying pan, then met his gaze.

“I , um, I happen to have some very important work I need to do from home. For the General I work for. That’s, uh, why I have a master key.”

“Uh huh.” Elvis’ smirked, nodding his chin as he stuck his hands slowly under his armpits, and lifted one knee up to lean back further against the wall.

“Hand me your plate, dinner is ready.”

Elvis bounced off the doorway and strode slowly over to where Bess stood at the stove, his long arms dangling loosely at his side. He had become more relaxed and confident once they got to her house, after tearing up a bit in the car and telling her how much he missed his parents and home and how he didn’t have any idea what Germany would be like. He had then muttered on about how millions of guys have been through this, so he knew he’d be alright, though the tear dripping down his cheek made Bess think he believed the exact opposite. Now he was behind her, almost a different person, cocky and teasing as his strong arms snaked around her waist to steady her hands.

“Nah, see how the egg is still all jiggly wiggly, Bessie? S’not done, not nearly. Wanna get the bacon good and browned up, so’s there ain’t no more pink left.”

She flushed at the way his breath hit her neck while his words softly compelled her to make his food the way he liked it. The rumble of his voice as her nickname rolled off his tongue was an assault on her sense of decency, and she let his hands linger at her waist for another beat before lifting them off and assuring him that she understood.No jiggly wiggly, no pink. Black. That she learned, was how Elvis liked everything, and everything was what she gave him, as he ate the pound and a half of bacon om her fridge and her last six eggs.

Bess mused that sneaking a fatigued Elvis off post and filling him full of food must be what made him clingy, comfortable and forward when he put his arms around her as she led him upstairs to the guest room. Rubbing his eyes as he plopped on the bed, Elvis grabbed her wrist imploringly and begged her not to leave him all lonesome in a strange house, in a strange town, where she was the only nice 'lil gal to treat him like a real human bean. Sighing, Bess sat at the top of the bed and let Elvis lay his head in her lap, where she stroked his forehead, and, at his request, started to tell him her life story. He had passed out after five minutes, when she had barely finished detailing how her parents met at Coney Island in 1932, three years before she was born.

Elvis' eye lids fluttered closed and he mumbled, “That’s a when I was borned. Aww, Bessie boo, we musta been babies at the same time.”

Bess groaned as she couldn’t seem to pull herself away from him, and stayed there with his head in her lap for another twenty minutes, afraid if she rolled it off her lap she would wake him. She was cupping the back of his head to gently move it off her lap when he thrashed around and called out the name Satnin. This led Bess to give up and lean against the head board, reconciling herself to a night sleeping sitting up with the most famous rebellious heart throb soldier in the world calling out for his mama in her lap.

Elvis’ hands moved first at the sound of the alarm, roving over Bess tummy and breasts  before he opened his eyes to the smacks of her hand hitting him off her. Somehow she had been pulled down into his arms over the course of the night, and she jumped up, commanding him to get his boots on while she ran down stairs and made some coffee. She prayed her younger sister hadn’t heard the alarm. Still wearing the dress from the night before, Bess watched Elvis gulp down his black coffee and chomp down the bread and cheese she had thrown at him to eat in the car. Loudly. With an open mouth. Wiping the crumbs from his mouth, he put his arm around her and squeezed.

Despite sleeping in his arms, Bess felt a shock and jolted at his touch.

“Just so we’re clear,  Mister, uh, Private um Presley, uh, this was just a friendly, patriotic gesture. I wasn’t, uh um, trying to seduce you.”

Elvis arched his eyebrow, his expression one of amusement and incredulity at the idea Bess thought of her behavior seductive. The way she had hesitated spitting out the word ’seduce’ so earnestly was adorable and endearing.

“OK, honey, you’re the boss, jus do me a favor and call me Elvis, huh?”

She nodded, eyes forward in concentration as she felt him squeeze her shoulders even tighter. She left it there, and found herself relaxing and leaning back into him after a few minutes with a sigh. She couldn't help it, it was an instinctive response to the way his fingers widened and began to tap out a rhythm on the side of her arm. Everything felt good, and their two bodies melded together in the dusky morning twilight for a spell until a gate came into view and Bess jerked up to throw Elvis’ arm onto the car seat with a smack, not noticing how he, too, stiffened with trepidation.

She stopped around the block from Elvis’ barracks and met his strong, uninhibited bear hug with her body, letting him press the air out of her lungs and kiss her cheek.

“Hey, Bessie Boo, I,uh, I can’t, I don’t even, I uh, I hate to leave you, honey, I ain’t even had time to tell you what I want to say, what -”

Bess put her finger to his lips, feeling his breath as she shhhed him. His brows were furrowed and he frowned, not wanted to leave her car and return to the barracks. She rubbed her hand up his chest reassuringly.

“You only have five minutes to get into your bunk, Private Pres - Elvis.” She murmured. “Now, go be a good boy, I have an idea, for how to help you sleep in the future.”

“Hmmm, sounds fun.” A naughty expression played across his face, his jaw hung open and he waggled his eye brows.

Bess realized the insinuation and hit his arm.

“Not that.”  She cocked her head towards the road. “You better go.”

“Huh, usually girls are tryin to run after me, not run me off.” She hit him again as he teased her. “Ok, ok baaaby. I’m off like a gun.”

Elvis face twisted into a crooked grin, and Bess felt like the sun was rising in her car, the earth was suddenly brighter when Elvis’ blue eyes beamed down at her and he kissed her goodbye. It was a light, sweet kiss aimed at her mouth but somehow missing and hitting the crease of her lips.

It had been, what, a year since she had been kissed? Bess kept her eyes closed, just enjoying the soft, tingling sensation of  his mouth crushed into her face. Elvis’ hands gripped her tightly, one hand on her neck, the other at her back, and he moved as if to kiss her again. In a brief moment of clarity, Bess realized she had been fighting her attraction to Elvis all night. It had been gradual and immediate, and she felt very different being close to him then she did when she saw hm in the movies or on the TV and radio. At the back of her mind she could hear all the reasons she shouldn’t kiss him. She pushed her hand up between their lips.

“Um, hey, look. Think we could just be friends? I, uh, I have a rule. I don’t date soldiers.”

Elvis sat back, a quizzical expression softening on his face into a smile as he rubbed her shoulder.

“Sure, Bessie baby, friends. Got it.”

He clicked his tongue and grinned, shooting her a thumbs up. Bess nodded, unable to stop the flutter of her heart as she watched Elvis’ long legs carry him forward as he jogged around the corner to his bunk, pausing to look back over his shoulder at her with a goofy smile as he waved goodbye.

“Fuck a duck.” She heard herself mutter, as she put her car into gear and drove home to shower and get Elvis Presley out of her head.

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

Chapter Two: Moo Moo & Tupelo

If you enjoyed this and want to read more, comment, reblog, and let me know what you think and if you would want to be tagged. Tagging a few of you on here who read my stuff, but DM or comment if you would rather not be ;)

@doll-elvis @richardslady121 @waiting4brucewayne2adoptme @father-of-2cats @everythingelvispresley @j-v-9-2 @eliseinmemphis @moonchild-daniella @notstefaniepresley @louisejoy86 @amydarcimarie @kingdomforapony @dkayfixates @artlover8992 @18lkpeters @literally-just-elvis-fics

[sunnychuuya]

Sally face >:3

the cameras thar Addison installed have eyes on them on Larry's side mr Addison sus frrr /hj

me after looking up a tutorial and still being lost

How do I activate the runes on floor three raghhh

I DID KT

thank God for light bulbs existing I'm so much less scared rn

guys I don't like this ://

Sodas gonna be okay right ://

also where's uhhh I think her name is maple she's gone that's sus

HEYYY UHH SWITCHED TO LARRYS SIDE WHY ARE CHUG AND SODA ALL FADED

WAIT THAT MEANS THEIR NOT POSSED RIGHT ??

SO THEYLL BE FINE

RIGHT GYYS

oh 304 is just fucking gone on Larry's side

the mirror in Todd's bathroom where the red eyes demon appeared in chapter two is shattered

why dids Todd's parents toilet have the void

Why doesn't it let me access the full rooms I can't go into the bedrooms

I dislike that all kf the suspicious ppls houses r not able to be accessed (charley, packerton)

WHAT THE FUCK IS THE GOOP ITS POSSESION GOOP I KNOW IT

Nvm I gor into packertons place

Theres nothing here tho ??

What the florp

I got it to work at the last second bruh i suck at the guitar bits

Mm circles

all the mirrors are shattered actually

did Mrs Gibson die 💀

I'm pretending to understand what's happening

FUCK THE GUITAR BITS R SO HARS

I'm definitely missing stuff :/

-GUYS NO FUCKING WAY WAS I RIGHT ABOUT ADDISONCBEING SUS ??

Addison: a young boy stands at the threshold of oblivion

Unkoen green voice: MEXMERIZED BY THE ETERNAL ABYSS

-Ph what the fyck this is creepy

-UHHHHH

SO MR ADDISON IS SUS

"SO how long have you been like this"

*slowly slides away*

what the fuck

Litterally nothing could've prepared me for this

This reminds me of fullmetal alchemist bro

Goop

ADDISON IS THE POSSESSY DUDE I thought it was The red eyed demon is the red eyed demon possibly an extension?

Im

Having trouble processing this I seriously thought Mr Addison was not actually gonna be sus.

NO WHAT THE HELL

I HATE THIS GAME

DUDE I CAN BARELY DO THE FUCKING PILLAR THINGIES

FUCK SHIT BALLS ASS

I paused the game and forgot I was doing this lmao

THIS IS SI HARD

t h e r e s m o r e

Bruh I'm gonna larry

I did IT

hey guys wtf

MURDER EVERYONE IN THE APARTMENRS ??

OKAY BUT NOT SODA AND CHUG RIGJT CUZ THEY DONT HAVE THE POSSESY GOOP

"I don't think I can do this. Please don't make me do this terrence" guys what if I just delete the game

Omori core (white room with knife)

This isn't girlypop guys

"Goal: kill"

what if I'm crying

I HAVE TO KILL TODDS PAEENRS

I HAVE TO KILL MY DAD AND LISA

NO

Why do I feel so fuckijg guilty it's a video game

SAL NO CHUG AND SODA ARE INNOCENT THEY ARWNT POSSESED

The lack of music

Like complete silence except for footsteps

Makes this so much more painful

Killing soda is what opened the floodgates of tearss

"Youknow, I may not say this enough, but I'm proud of you, sal. You've come a long eay and I know it hasn't all been easy." Fuck. This hurts.

If Larry hadn't kms lsal would've had to kill him..

"I look at you now and I'm excited about the man you arebecoming. K think youve for a bright future ahead of yoj. I reallt do"

Haha funny joke I'm sobbing hea about to fucking kill you and then (prolly) get excuted. I hate this game.

Ih fuck not Todd

ASH I FUCKING WISH YOU WERE IN THOSE APARTMENTS YOU ARE THE FUCKING WORST I HATE YOJ

ENON DIED

FUCKING HELL

ThIS IS BECAUSE THE CULT RIGHT

TBATS A FAKE

SHIT

SHIT SHIT SHIT

FUCK

The music fading out

Fuck

ASH IDC UR STILL FUCKIJG WRONG

Wair no but I know her idea won't work bc like ik sal dies

Do NIT play memories and dreams rn

ASH NO SHUT THE FUCK UP- AHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOWBTHIS IS YOUR FAULT, YOU HAD THREE YEARS YOU WAITED TILL THE LAST FUCKING SECOND

hey guys what the fuck

What the genuine fuck

Like okay I knew he died from before I started the game but

This still kinda hurts ngl

Fuck

Why couldn't they just like

Be happy

STOP ISBTHAT WHY I KEEP SEEING FANARTS WITH CLOCKS THAT SAY 6 33/18 33 ON CLOCKS YALL ARW DEVIOUS

Acheivment: suffer

Re you fuckin kidding me I mean I am suffering but God damn

Wait yea that's a good point wtf happened to Larry's body

Ash jm going to allow you go try to redeem herself but it's gonna be hard

NKO U HAVE TO PLAY AS HER :(

Travis is the cult member on the inside yea?

-"Oh gizmo is still alive, thats good at least!" [He hadn't left your room since the execution. It's like he knows] guys what the fuck

maple..

Pookies j do not remember the shed code

travis is still alive at least..

YALL I JUST REALIZED THE LIL PUZZLR BOX THING FROM THE TREE HOUSE A LONG TIME AGO ?? NEVER EXPLAIJED

great fucking job ash now Larry's gone bc of you too (actuslly I don't blame her for this one bc Larry wanted it yk)

girly just casually has a c4

Went into the temple

2nite wasn't great updates since I was just talkin eith the below user lmao

@mypinterestgotbannedsoimherenow

[zivazivc]

Reading the tags of your recent Kunoichi Turtles post that Female Casey has a bit of a flirtatious personality has led me to headcanon that when Lavinia starts crushing on David (I think that’s Mona’s genderbent name in your AU?) she goes to Casey for advice and tips on how to flirt with a boy but when actually trying to use the flirting tips on David she fails miserably (like that flirting lesson scene from the movie Jumanji), but unknowingly to Vinnie the bad flirting worked and David is smitten XD

AHAHAHA! XD I would literally cry from second hand embarrassment if an episode like that existed. Maybe, maybe, I can see that happening a few "episodes" after David's first introduced into the story, after Vin finally comes to terms with her emotions. Because in this version the relationship progresses slowly over the course of like a season and a half (a lot of that due to David only visiting when his job demands it), and Vin has cold feet like for most of that time lol

David is the one who gets smitten with Vin first in my story and starts making subtle advances while Vin is completely on edge and skeptical of them and needs a while to realize that he actually likes her in a romantic sense, for real, and doesn't have some ulterior motive. After that she's just very awkward and tongue-tied about it.

You know how Raph kept telling Donnie to give up on his crush because they're all giant mutants that won't ever get a chance at love? I wanted to put attention on that part from canon since the show didn't give me that with the canon Ramona. Raph being a teenage girl can only make that mind-set worse, giving him/her more insecurity and self-hatred. Especially since Vin is the biggest of her sisters and the least "cute" and feminine of them. So I don't see her making the first move in any situation, and I think she'd only flirt after it would be made clear the other person feels the same way.

Ahh, sorry, that got a bit serious maybe. The two actually have a really sweet and healthy relationship (y'know, in my head, where it's been living rent free for years now lol), Lavinia just has to work out some things first before she's angst free.

In this AU we first meet David in the episode Newtralized, where David and Sal are trying to arrest the Newtralizer. Slash is there (he's an all-time baddie in this version), Vin gets captured thanks to David getting in the way of the fight, David feels responsible and goes to save her -> bla bla bla -> Vin has a rescued princess moment that she doesn't know how to feel about...

I've been trying to make this episode into an actual fic for the longest time. On the topic of Casey, I'm showing you a short section from the wip. It takes place toward the end when they've all reunited. I think it's also a good example on why Vin would not go to Casey for romantic advice XD

.

.

.

Casey leans in close to her face, her hooded eyes joining her friend’s thoughtful gaze on the young Salamandrian on the other side of the rooftop who is currently listening to his veteran commander going over what had happened while they were split up.

“Look at him standing there,” she says to her smoothly, almost whispering into her ear, “dark skin over toned muscle. Those abs, man.”

“Casey!” Vin cries out in shock and horror and swings around to face her friend’s smug smile.

“Like a chiseled renaissance statue,” Sofie helps with uncharacteristic coyness to her smile.

“Sofie, no!”

All four of the girls are grinning like Cheshire Cats at Lavinia’s discomfort, enjoying themselves way too much. Vin’s cheeks and nose are thoroughly covered in a deep blush and she hates that it’s there in the first place. She doesn’t even like the guy.

“David the Statuesque! That’s what I’m naming him.” Marie exclaims, sounding proud of herself for that one. “I was going to go with something more fun but since he’s your knight in shining armor—Literally!—I gotta be respectful.”

Vin can’t even hide her tortured grimace. Her shoulders sag and she sighs miserably. “I hate you guys.”

[lancermylove]

Pre-Teen MC 35: Sally Face MC (HC)

Fandom: Obey Me

Pairing: No pairing, featuring demon brothers

Warning: None

Requested by: Anon

Prompt: Could you write headcanons for a GN pre-teen MC who's like Sal for Sally Face?

A/N: Anon, sorry for taking a million years to finish this HC! I had to go back and relearn everything about Sally Face. It's been so long since I played the game.

Series: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]

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At first, he is intrigued but slightly suspicious. Why would someone hide their face behind a mask all the time?

He figures that MC was hiding their past behind the mask and didn't feel the need to pry.

After learning about MC's past, Lucifer is impressed by their determination and ability to overcome adversities.

Over time, MC gains the first brother's respect when Lucifer sees how they handle the situations around them, especially MC's willingness to go against the norm despite the judgment and condemnation thrown at them.

Instantly curious about what MC is hiding behind their mask and is almost tempted to pull it off their face as a prank, but something told Mammon he shouldn't do it.

Nevertheless, the second brother is captivated and drawn to MC's dark and mysterious appearance.

Mammon appreciates MC's sense of independence and ability to be self-sufficient but wishes they would depend on him occasionally.

At the same time, he gets easily frustrated with MC because he has a hard time bribing and manipulating them.

When Mammon learns about MC's past, he tears up and develops a newfound respect for them. He is proud of MC and proud to call them his friend.

Doesn't know whether to think of the mask as cool or funny. Who wears a mask all the time? Unless they have something to hide underneath.

A chill runs down his spine at the thought of what could possibly be under MC's mask.

Levi sometimes pokes fun at MC's mask, but it's nothing too serious.

But once he learns of MC's past, Levi would be more respectful and understanding. He himself has a tragic past, so he can somewhat relate to them.

Satan is immediately cautious of MC. At the same time, he is curious and intrigued by the mask but doesn't want to ask MC or be disrespectful.

This doesn't mean Satan will not try to discover the whats and whys of the mask.

However, his perception of MC changes when he learns about MC's personality and struggles.

Satan admires MC for being sharp, intellectual, courageous, and determined.

But what Satan admires the most is MC's ability to control their emotions despite having a dark and traumatic past. He struggles with controlling his emotions, so to meet someone so young and in control is admirable.

When Asmo first sees MC, he is freaked out by the mask and squeals. However, when MC says they are used to it, Asmo feels guilty.

He is very tempted to put makeup on MC's mask and do their hair.

Asmo often wonders what MC is thinking due to their quiet, reserved nature. But once he knows them better, the fifth brother is taken aback by MC's dark sense of humor.

He often tries to persuade MC to open up about their past, especially about their mask.

But when Asmo learns the truth, he regrets asking about their past. His feelings toward MC change into pity and compassion, but at the same time, Asmo respects MC for being composed despite everything they have been through.

Curious about the mask for a second but doesn't really pay attention to it afterward. He thinks MC doesn't want to show their face or just loves Halloween.

When Beel learns about MC's past, he sympathizes with them, especially with the loss of a family member part. Beel admires how MC is still kindhearted and strong despite their struggles.

He often tries to cheer MC up by bringing them food or asking them to join him for a food outing.

Beel becomes very protective of MC, and if anyone dares to bully MC or comment on their appearance, the sixth brother will not take it kindly.

He is the only brother who will ask MC straight out, "Why are you wearing a mask?"

When Belphie learns that MC lost their mother in a tragic accident and, as a result, had their face scared, he feels bad for bringing up painful memories. In turn, his memories of losing Lilith resurface, making him sadder.

He can relate to MC's inner turmoil and appreciates their attempt to overcome their past.

Seeing MC becoming more confident and capable despite all the struggles inspires Belphie even if he doesn't say it out loud.

———————————————

➣ Obey Me Masterlist: [1][2]

➣ Main Masterlist

➣ Buy me a Ko-fi? ➣ Commission: Open ➣ HC/Scenario Requests: Open || Quick Ask Requests: Closed || GIF Requests: Open

[zorasthoughts]

narratives in the a good girl's guide murder trilogy

i should be writing my dissertation, but instead i'm writing this. i was rereading good girl, bad blood recently and thinking about how narratives were a major theme in that book, but then i thought about it some more and i was like, oh, they're actually in all the books. they're everywhere. major spoilers for all three books under the cut.

a good girl's guide to murder: first of all, there's the fact that at the start of the first book, the first thing we read is that pip's project is supposedly going to investigate media narratives in missing persons cases, and we do get a look at different narratives, especially surrounding sal.

pip interviews max hastings and elliot ward, two people who try to discourage her investigation and promote the accepted narrative, but they do both acknowledge that it doesn't align with the sal that they knew. there's also stanely forbes, who pip calls out for being racist and vitriolic towards sal and his family in the news.

as well as the negative acounts though, there are more positive accounts from people about sal being friendly and kind. naomi ward knows that sal couldn't have been responsible for andie's death, and although she doesn't initially tell pip why, she entirely rejects the idea that he could be a killer. when nat da silva meets ravi, she tells him that she remembers sal offering to help her at lunch with schoolwork. when ravi asks pip why she's so invested in the project, she tells him her memories of sal, a big brother figure who taught her how to flip pancakes and let her and cara watch a 15 movie when they were 12, who scared off her bullies and gave her a kitkat to cheer her up. pip says that to her, sal was a hero. finally, at the end of the book, there's the moment when pip invites ravi on stage to talk about his brother, to rewrite the narrative.

on the flip side, we learn that andie didn't fit the golden-girl narrative that she was given. yes, she was pretty and popular, but she sold drugs, she was emotionally manipulative and mean to her closest friends and younger sister, and bullied classmates (nat). more on andie later.

good girl, bad blood: the beauty of the agggtm trilogy is the way the themes continue to develop with each book. narratives are everywhere in this book. pip releases a podcast about the andie/sal case because all the news and media outlets were reporting on it with certain angles, to fit their own narratives. we learn max hastings is on trial, and has been presenting himself in court with suits, handsome/messy hair, and glasses, and that his mother talked about him having leukemia as a child, to create a sympathetic narrative.

when jamie reynolds goes missing, pip does another season of the podcast to help connor and his family find him, but it proves difficult, and she gets accused of orchestrating the disappearance, since connor is one of her friends. by unfortunate coincidence, an article speculating about pip faking it all comes out around the time that max hastings is declared innocent, which doubles down on the idea that what pip is saying is not the truth.

we learn that what leads to jamie's disappearance is connected to "layla mead" and the narrative that jamie believed: that she was sick, had a controlling father, etc. and need his help.

now, the main thing that i'd been thinking about that started this whole post: charlie green, child brunswick, and pip. for charlie green, stanley forbes (child brunswick) caused his sister's death, broke up his family, is responsible for every hardship that befell him. for charlie green, stanley/child brunswick is a monster that's been haunting him since childhood.

pip, however, is able to see that stanley himself was also a child, who had been forced to do the things he did. charlie green can't see that though, and shoots stanley, causing a death that will haunt another young person for the rest of their life.

stanley was always a monster in the story of charlie's life, but in his quest for revenge, charlie became a monster in the story of pip's life.

at the funeral, pip tries to eulogise stanley, saying that he did his best to protect pip, even while his life was being threatened. she doesn't get to finish though, because a crowd of angry locals come by to protest against stanley's burial in little kilton, including people that had known and been friends with him. stanley's life (and, in this context i'm talking about the person who lived with the identity of stanley forbes, the guy who was trying to be better) is overshadowed by his death, and the revelation of his youth as child brunswick. in the aftermath, jamie comforts pip, sharing his own memories of stanley, who was scared after jamie attacked him, but tried to be kind anyway.

as good as dead: a tough time to be pippa fitz-amobi. the narratives are against her now: max is suing pip for libel after she made a post online that contradicts the jury and their ruling that max is innocent. people online, and in her town, have turned against her after the events of good girl, bad blood, specifically because of her sympathy towards the deceased stanley forbes. oh, and she has a stalker, except the police don't believe her: di hawkins chalks everything up to pip's trauma (and yes, she does have a shedload of trauma, but he dismissed her way too easily).

pip's research, which puts her on the trail of the dt killer, brings forth new revelations. she meets with harriet hunter, the younger sister of one of the dt killer's victims, who tells pip that she knew andie bell, and describes andie as being kind and sympathetic, and above all, a true friend. after their meeting, pip gets into andie's secret email account that andie used to contact harriet secretly, and we get to read her unsent email, which reveals that andie knew who the dt killer was, and how scared she was, and how much she was determined to protect becca. a far cry from the figure of the mean-girl bully that we had in the first book. (andie is a complex character, but i'm not getting into all of that here because this post is about narratives.)

after pip murders the dt killer (jason bell), she then masterminds her way out by creating alibis for herself and everyone who helps her. how? she reframes the narrative, of course. manipulates the time of death so that it seems later, so that at the supposed time of death, pip, ravi, and all their friends are out in public places, then plants a trail of fake evidence to frame max. when the news comes out about jason bell's murder, pip takes control of the narrative again by announcing that she's going to investigate it on her podcast (a podcast she started because she disagreed with other people's narratives), and nudging the police in the direction that she wants them to follow.

wow, this was long. i'd probably find even more to talk about if i left it long enough, but i'm going to wrap up here. will probably be making more, extremely long literary analysis posts about this series, because holly jackson is a genius and i will never be done talking about her.

[fabuloustrash05]

April and Mona Lisa became best friends after Mona started living on Earth. Here's my reasons/headcanon as to why:

For April, the only friends she really has are the Turtles and Casey. She states in S1 that she had other friends outside of the Turtles, but it's insinuated that after her dad got mutated and she focused more of her time on the Turtles and training, she grew distance from everyone. Casey mentions in S2 (before he met the Turtles) that she's always alone and never hangs out with anyone, meaning these "friends" she had in S1 she no longer talks to because of her circumstances. April doesn't necessarily consider Karai or Shinigami friends, so in truth, April has no female friends. And to add on top of it, her first best friend, Irma, turned out to be a lie. Irma never existed, it was just a ploy to lead the Kraang to the Turtles hideout. Then after finding out about her identity of being a Kraang hybrid, April truly didn't know who or what she was. Her life was a lie. She felt as if she was a freak among other humans, but still out of place when with mutants.

For Mona Lisa, on her planet you can join the military at a very young age. So for her, being raised under the care of Sal Commander after her parents death, she grew up in a strict environment. Her and the other young recruits had no time to play, only train and be prepared for battle. Though there were fellow female warriors around, Mona still grew up in a roughly man dominated environment. Growing up, Mona learned of the results that can come from war, so she never wanted to have a close connection with anyone. She already lost her parents due to war against the Triceratons, and losing them already hurt, so she doesn't want to feel that pain again. The only one she was close with growing up was Sal Commander. Occasionally she had some war buddies and other people to talk and train with, but she never wanted to fully warm up to them in fear that the next day they'll be gone, killed in battle, and the pain of their loss will hurt even more for her if they were close.

So these two young women both have struggled with meaningful friendships and bonds. For April, Mona gives her a sense of familiarity, being an alien herself along with being someone trusting that she can rely on, while for Mona, she feels her life is now at peace, no longer worrying about the next war she must fight in. She can relax, act her age and have fun! The two bond and now share a close connection, finally finding a meaningful friendship and even a sisterhood.

[findafight]

Hey! Do you have any headcanons or ideas RE Mr & Mrs Buckley? (Or Mr & Mrs Harrington?)

I like to imagine that Robin’s parents have some suspicions that Robin *maybe* isn’t straight. Melissa *desperately* wants to say something, let Robin know that they love and accept her no matter what (when she finally does come Melissa’s like “You could become a cop or join the army and I’d still love you!”). Richard is very firm that they should leave it be and let Robin come to them if she’s ready.

This doesn’t stop Melissa from dropping hints, trying to prod Robin into opening up to her, but all Robin hears is “Mom is already scared I’m gonna die a spinster”.

This is part of the reason they’re wary of Steve when he starts hanging around. Like, he’s a nice enough boy - if they were sure that Robin liked boys, he’d be a lovely little son in law.

Oooh yes I love her parents I know the companion novels are only like. Half canon but greatest gift we got was Hippie Christmas. (I like to headcanon that Richard and Melissa have a bunch of friends who go by the names they choose in the 60s. Robin's got at least an aunt Periwinkle, and an uncle Salmon [goes by Sal for short!])

Mr. Buckley is the son of Italian immigrants and spoke it at home growing up, Mrs. Buckley was the daughter of French immigrants and did the same, which is how Robin first got her love of language speaking three different ones at home! Richard Buckley loves to cook and little chicklit Robin helped him with a special kitchen foot stool 🥺 and also he is very dad-shaped I think. Melissa probably is the one between the two to decide she's going to read war and peace in one sitting (original Russian optional) and make derisive noises at parts she doesn't like but won't elaborate on what happened. Also she is probably the one to play an instrument (maybe saxophone or bassoon?) There is at least one Buddha in the Buckley house.

I think her parents are supportive to the best of their abilities. Maybe they were in a really welcoming scene before Robin was born (also. Depending on when Robin was born [I've said she's a December 67 baby in a fic but I'm really not picky] she could be a summer of love baby and when she realised this she was horrified and refused to acknowledge it ever again lmao.) And so they pick up some...vibes when Robin was young and would moon over pretty teachers or princesses, give each other Significant Looks when she did.

Robin's line about her mom reminding her she rambles I think is just natural strain between parent and child, and possibly even her mom trying in an awkward and seemingly harsh way to protect her because Robin does have some clearly neurodivergent traits, which people can find off putting and she might be picked on for.

Love what you're putting down with Mrs. Buckley saying they'd always love her to show they'll stay by her if she comes out. But I think the delivery would be more. "Robin, we will always love you. Always..." Here she paused to think of something that isnt about being gay but would still convince Robin even if they thought it was bad they'd be there. "Even if you...decided you wanted to be a c-🤢 a cop. Or maybe even...🤢 Joined the🤮 military..." While Mr. Buckley is looking at his wife trying to charade to her that this is NOT a convincing speech!!

When they meet Steve and he and Robin are just hanging all over each other and bickering, and the Buckleys have to take a step back because did they get it wrong? They like Steve and he seems delighted to meet them and spend time with Robin and is so obviously fond of her... Of course people can like both but they were pretty sure Robin didn't...but her and Steve fit together so nicely.....except when Melissa brings up that it'd be perfectly alright for her to introduce Steve as her boyfriend Robin makes a gagging sound and screeches that he is her best friend and just because she sometimes want to crawl into his brain does not mean she ever wants to crawl into his pants.

Neither Melissa or Richard Buckley actually know what to do with that.

[itsalola07]

I know JerSal won't have kids, but I feel like Sally would be the type of mom to be like "MY KID IS A PERFECT ANGEL, HE WOULDN'T DO ANY OF THAT SHIT-" but the second they get in the car, "I KNOW YOU DID IT YA LIL SHIT-"

LMFAO, she's more of a "yes he did. The other kid deserved it. " she does that with the kids she babysits. 🤣 she doesn't know how to pacify children at all and is not one you can trust with children alone because low and behold, your house is on fire.

Both Jer and Sal will never have children, and we'll never know how they would be as parents, but I can imagine them being the cool aunt and uncle. Even though I was opposed to the idea in the beginning because I wanted them to be completely intolerant to children. However, I changed my mind now and solely because I saw the potential of them being fun with the young ones. The best example is how Jeremiah loves his baby cousin Corey, and Sally has big sis energy and can be protective of her younger sister.