#time moves weird around annie after awhile

[methinmycoffee]

*Spoilers for The Simpsons and Family Guy*

Simpsons: Who shot Mr. Burns?

Family Guy: And Then There Were Fewer

South Park needs to do a murder mystery episode. Many shows do them, but I’m just going to use The Simpsons and Family Guy for examples.

The Simpsons has the ever-famous “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” Duology, ending season 6 and beginning season 7 with two episodes centered around the mystery. While not technically a “Murder Mystery” it’s still an iconic whodunnit that sees the entire town turn against each other as the try and figure out the culprit. The ending is kind of a cop-out, when the shooter is revealed to be Maggie Simpson and she is not charged with a crime. (Originally the shooter was going to be Barney, and he was actually going to go to jail for a season or so). It’s still full of a lot of genuinely good clues, such as every clock reading 3:00 to hint at how the sun dial is supposed to be read.

Family Guy has “And Then There Were Fewer” which was the premiere for season 9. This 50 minute episode of the show contains no cutaway gags, and is a true to form murder mystery. We see the actual deaths of a few characters, including a character that was introduced in the episode (Stephanie), James Woods (who was later brought back, which is lame), Muriel Goldman, Derek Wilcox, Pricilla, and finally the killer, Diane Simmons, is shot after a showdown with Lois Griffin. This is my favorite episode of the show, honestly. Even though they brought back James Woods, every other character named remains dead throughout the show, and there are even a couple mentions of their deaths throughout, especially for Muriel and Diane. Diane Simmons was an especially prominent character throughout the first eight seasons, appearing as the co-anchor to Tom Tucker (yes that’s his name) every time the news was played, which is frequently. They give her character motivations for wanting to kill James Woods and frame Tom Tucker for it, which she reveals to Lois in a very dramatic scene towards the end of the episode. Honestly even if you don’t like Family Guy this is a pretty solid episode, aside from a few really lame jokes.

South Park, ever starved for ideas, could totally do something like this. It’s not like it doesn’t fit the tone of the show, and it’s not like we don’t have any side character to spare. It could also work fairly well as a weird dream episode or something, and then they could do it with the main class of 4th graders. I would hope they leaned more towards the Family Guy episode, and it seems like that would fit the show more. The one problem is that the cast of South Park is mostly children, but there are definitely side adults that we could lose, and they’ve never been above killing some kids.

Maybe we could drop some characters we haven’t seen in awhile, like Ned, and then move up to character we see often but wouldn’t really be missed. Someone irl (@unoficial-trader-joes) suggested the mayor and I think that could work. We could also drop some less-popular 4th grade characters, like Annie Knitts, Red McArthur, and if we’re feeling really wild maybe Scott Malkinson or DogPoo Petuski. It would be a fun time, I think.

(Also the Killer should be Kenny, and he’s killed in a final showdown like in the Family Guy episode, but then he just comes back because he’s Kenny)

[poppy-metal]

Demure

Wc: 4k

Pairing: eren jaeger x reader

Cw: car sex, fingering, emphasis on reader being innocent and a virgin. reader is armins little sister. corruption kink

you're 6 years old when you first meet eren jaeger. apparently he'd run off some people that were bullying you big brother, armin. you admire him and mikasa immediately.

you're 8 and he's 11 when you get a scrape on your knee from playing tag. eren runs into your mothers bathroom to fish out the first aid-kit, you know he just doesn't want you to tattle, you never would anyway, but he pulls out a pink band-aid with little ariels all over it and places it gently over the cut. he stays there for a few beats, soothing the skin around the hurt area with his thumbs. his big bright green eyes look up at you, "better?" and that's the first time your heart skips for a boy.

you're 11 and he's 14 when armin starts becoming protective. "he's had like. 5 girlfriends in middle school, who knows what he's gonna be like in high-school"

it intrigue you, for some reason.

you're 13 and he's 16 when he taps furiously on your window at night, wild eyed and wearing a t-shirt and sweats. he falls ungracefully on his ass when you let him in, though he grins at you from the floor. "thanks, squirt"

you wince at the nickname, knowing it solidifies you as someone only platonic to him. armins little sister and nothing more. "what's this all about?"

he gets up and swipes imaginary dust off his sweats, looking around your room. its absurdly girly. he picks up one of your plushies and tosses it up, then catches it, peering over at you and grinning. "i hope you never change," he sighs and flops down onto your pink sheets. "girls my age are fucking psychos"

you creep closer to him, snatching your plush back. "im sure there's something you're leaving out there. im not completely dumb, you know"

he waves his hand, "yeah but you're....i don't know? innocent or whatever. you don't care about shit like boys and drama"

i do care about boys, you think, watching the way his shirt rides up to expose a hint of tan skin. you look away, squeezing your plush to your chest. "im gonna grow up eventually, ren"

he sighs and sits up, looking at you from under his ridiculously cute floppy brown hair. "Just promise me you won't go boy crazy"

you roll your eyes and sit down next to him, he leans in and licks a broad stripe against your cheek with his tongue, grinning "we have cooties"

you swat at him and wipe your cheek, groaning and calling him gross. "i know that. you and armin never let me forget how gross boys are", you side eye him. "what did you even do? really?"

he looks to the side, only now having it in him to look the least bit sheepish, "my girlfriend may have caught me with my hand down historias skirt..."

"EREN JAEGER!!!"

yeah, boys really are gross. but not eren, no he's beautiful and magical and makes you feel all the fluttery things. but he's also a player, a bad boy, dangerous and completely off limits. maybe your crush should have ended there, but of course it didn't.

You're 15 when you go on your first date with a boy. until now you haven’t allowed yourself to even think about men outside of the enigma that is eren jaeger, but that’s a lost cause, a stupid crush you need to let go of. and despite what eren thinks, you’re not that innocent. not in your head anyway. you’re a girl and you have fantasies. 

the guy is nice, armin likes him enough. big and tall and humble, reiner brought you flowers for your first date. the age difference is a little weird, he’s in erens grade, a senior, but you think its harmless. you’re turning 16 soon. the date goes well, you smile and giggle alot, and reiner seems smitten by the end of it. he even goes as far as to kiss your hand when he drops you back off at home, at 8pm sharp, just like he promised. he was kind and sweet, and you liked him, but you wonder what it means that there were no flutters in your belly, not like when you’re around him…

you’re still thinking about that when you open the door, and walk inside. the house is quiet, and you wonder where armin is, and eren. thinking they both must be in armins room, you go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, stopping on your path there when you see eren on the couch. he’s lounging back, hand idly wrapped around a gaming controller as he watches you.

you glance around him. “where’s mimmin?”

he doesn’t take his eyes off you. “annie called”, he leans forward a little, propping his chin in his palm as he observes you quietly for a moment.

you squirm in place, his eyes are too hot. “oh” and you make to start moving again but his voice stops you. 

“so. braun, huh?” his tone is hard to discern, the words coming out cool and detached, but his eyes are that intense green. 

“yeah” you say, shifting on your feet. “he was nice. kissed my hand and everything”

“sounds like a dream” and that is definitely said sarcastically. you bristle but eren is already turning away from you, facing the TV. “didn’t think he was your type though” 

because erens been your type since forever, you guess he’s right. reiner couldn’t be more different in both personality and looks, but maybe that’s a good thing. “maybe he can be” you say softly, looking at your feet. you dont see erens eyebrows jump, or his lips twist disdainfully. 

“If you wanna settle for missionary the rest of your life, then sure, go ahead” he sounds a little miffed and that confuses you. makes you look up. you don’t even know reiner that well, but you feel the need to defend him from erens usual snarky jabs. 

“not every guy that doesn’t live on Xbox and fuck half the school is a bland guy” you huff. you feel a little guilty for calling him out but he started it. eren hated preps, that was obvious, but its not like he was a model person either, if his long track record of promiscuity was anything to go by. reiner wasnt boring he just…..wasn’t eren. but that wasn’t a flaw. It shouldn’t be. 

“you been keeping tabs on me, princess?” eren asks wryly, smirking now. you just glare at him, quirking a brow and daring him to prove you wrong, to say he’s better. 

he doesn’t. he just looks at you, sets his controller down and does that tick he’d developed since he was young of jiggling his knee, tapping his finger on it. “don’t go on more dates with him” 

you squint your eyes, “and why not?”

“because i said so” 

“you’re not my boss” 

“because..” he scratches the stubble on his jaw, gaze looking far off as he stares at his bouncing leg. “guys shouldn't touch you” 

your mouth pops open. you get that, right now, you’re too young for stuff like sex, but being touched? everyone your age had boyfriends, why should you be any different?

It feels a bit like deja vu when you tell him, “m’not staying innocent forever. dating and s-sex are apart of life. you do it, why shouldn’t i?” 

you didn’t really get his whole overprotective bit, armin, who was your brother, wasn’t even this bad. he’d seen happy almost, when you told him about your date with reiner, even, so you really don’t see where eren is coming from. 

erens lip curls in a smirk and he points a finger at you. “that’s why” he says. “you can’t even say the word sex without stuttering. what’ll you do when you see a cock for the first time?” 

your skin heats, hating that he’s right. “I’ll grow out of it” you promise him. 

he huffs a laugh. “sure thing, dork” but then his face gets serious. “you don’t need to change though. sex is lame, i promise.” 

“you seem to have alot of it, so there must be something good about it” 

“for me, yeah” he grins. “but im selfish. most men are, and you deserve better than some highschool tumble with a guy who looks like he can’t find the clit to save his life” his eyes weigh you down. “just keep bein’ you. If i come back from college and hear that you’re the towns tramp stamp, m’ not gonna be happy” 

and that’s that. 

you’re 16 when eren leaves for college. you get to 18 without ever being touched. 

you’re 18 and you wish you hadn’t begged armin to let you come to this stupid bomfire party. it’s just the first time he’s been home in the 2 years since he’d left for college, and you know that means eren is back too, though you have yet to see him. he’s supposed to be at the party though.

you wonder if he’ll react to having seen you after not for awhile, if he’ll look at you different now that you’re grown. you’re wearing a simple pleated white skirt and a pink top, the picture of innocence you’ve always been, never changing. 

being around so many people makes you uncomfortable, you want to cling to armins side, but you don’t want to be annoying so you tell him its okay to leave you. your eyes scan the mass of people on the crowded beach as you nervously hold your solo cup to your chest. 

your eyes stop their nervous skittering when they land on someone familiar. 

college eren is completely different and yet wholly the same since you’d last seen him. he’s wearing a red bomber jacket, over a black t-shirt and skinny jeans, scuffed converse kicking in the sand as he shifts from one foot to the other. you peep tan skin, a hint of a tattoo peeking on his neck and….and black hair. he’d dyed his hair, and, is that jewelry on his ear? rings on his hand?

he’s smiling easily with a pretty blonde and...and reiner. talking to them like old friends as he tilts his head back and laughs, taking a swig from his cup. he’s still chuckling and shaking his head when his eyes flick distractedly over, rove over you and then stop. even from all the way where you are the green of his eyes pins you in place. the warm glow of the bonfire dances across his features, and you see the bastard has a lip ring as well. he takes his time cataloging you and you do him, before his lips tilt, he hands off his drink and he makes his way over to you. 

your whole body is tense with nerves as he gets closer and closer.

when he’s standing in front of you, the smell of his cologne wafts over you. his smile is small and genuine. “hey, pip” 

pip as in short for pipsqueak. you have to fight the urge to grin at him, your cheeks warming pleasantly, even though you groan out loud. “m’ not little anymore” 

“I can see that” eren eyes rake over you, linger on your bare legs before dragging slowly back up. his eyes feel like a caress and when they meet yours again, you’re already tingly. you’ve never been touched sexually, and just one look from eren has you wet between the legs like nothing. “still dress like you wanna be an extra in a Bratz commercial” 

the tension disputes as you swat his arm. “shut up!! Its a fashion choice, not like you’d know. dressed like a wannabe rockstar” 

“aw, c’mon. you’d be my groupie right?” 

you roll your eyes. “you wish, jaeger”

“mm” he hums softly. “s’cute though. always has been” 

before you can even register the compliment, he’s leaning forward to peek into your cup, swiping it easily from you. “underage drinking, are we? left you for a couple years and you go rebel barbie on me” 

you squawk as he chugs all of your drink back in one gulp, crushing the cup in his fist and tossing it behind him. “ren! I wasn’t even drinking it. It was..” you wave your hand around. “for the aesthetic”

“uh huh” he drones, but then he jerks his chin. “i’ll get you another one to stand around and look pretty with then. C’mon”

cute, pretty. the compliments are gonna make your heart fly out of your chest if he doesn’t let up. you follow him as he leads you to a keg, one that’s a little ways away from the bustle of the party, close to the parking lot where you came in. 

you shyly say ‘thank you’ when he fills you a cup and hands it to you, proceeding to lean back against a car as he goes back to observing you.

to distract yourself you mumble, “you can’t just lean on a strangers car for the sake of being cool” 

the grin is back. “you think im cool?” when you glare at him he rolls his eyes and slaps the hood of the car. “she’s mine, pip. you can untwist your panties” 

you blink at him, “since when did you get a new car? and when did you dye your hair?” 

he looks at you curiously, drumming his fingers. “do you not, like. follow me on instagram?”

you look away, kicking your feet in the sand. hesitantly you admit, “didn’t wanna miss you, so i didn’t look” 

he doesn’t say anything to that. the silence stretches between you, making you nervous. should you not have said that? you guessed it was weird, after all, but it was true. If you’d looked at how erens life was progressing without you there to see it, you’d have cried and been a total lovesick girl about it. 

he finally breaks the silence. “do you have a boyfriend?” 

you look back at him. “uh...no? do you?”

the smirk you wanted ghosts over his lips again, and your eyes are drawn to his lip ring when he tugs it between his teeth. “nah, you know me. unattainable” 

“yeah, i know” you say under your breath, thinking of how eren jaeger had been an unattainable fantasy for you for years. 

“so no current boyfriend or…?” 

“no boyfriends...ever” its embarrassing to admit, but less humiliating than admitting that the reason that was is because you’re in love with your brothers best friend, the very man standing before you now. 

“that’s kinda tragic, pip” eren hops up on the hood of his car and fishes a cigarette out of his pocket. he waves a hand at you, “you’re rockin’ a bod like that and no one’s bagged you? thought you’d be beating down options with a bat by now” 

you watch the smoke that plumes in the air, the way it coils and wisps, and really look at eren. he’s tragically beautiful. his no black hair is boyishly messy, tangled around his head in a dark halo. his face is sharp and tan, his eyes striking and making you feel like you’re sinking into the sand beneath your feet.

you’ve wanted him for so long, it makes you ache. years and years of pushing away men and declining confessions for this man in front of you. you’d never expected anything from him, but you couldn’t move past the fantasy in your head. couldn’t imagine giving any of your firsts to anyone but eren. 

“you told me to stay innocent” its out before you can stop the words, they just fumble out, spilling from your lips and into the air like the smoke.

eren stills, pauses from where he’d been about to take another drag. his expression is unreadable. he flicks the ashes from the cig on the sand, stumps it out under his foot as he hops down. the wind ruffles his dark hair as he just looks and looks and looks at you. 

“yeah?” and oh, jesus, if the rough gravel in his voice doesn’t make your cunt warm immediately. “and you listened?” 

you squeeze your thighs together, an action that draws erens gaze between your legs. to late to back down now, you think, and wet your lips. “y-yeah. I did” 

“you didn’t let any boys touch you while i was gone?” eren continues and he draws closer, creeping towards you.

you shake your head, silent as he comes in front of you. he reaches up to delicately push a strand of hair behind you ear with one of his ring fingers. he keeps it tucked behind your ear as he towers over you, staring you down. “you’re still my innocent little girl, huh?” 

you wonder if this is how it feels to be seduced, seduced by eren jaeger no less. his eyes are warm, and they make you feel warm from where the rest on your eyes, and then, your lips. they part under his gaze, on instinct. “I am, ren. always have been” 

his eyes darken, and the finger behind your ear becomes his whole hand sliding to cup the back of your head, slowly fisitng your hair in it. “shit” he tilts your head up. “you can’t say things like that, baby”

baby, baby, baby. your head swims. you’re on autopilot now, speaking without thinking and you think that’s good because if you were thinking clearly you wouldn't have the courage. “i’ve always been your good girl. no one elses” 

you have one second to hear his exhale before his lips are crashing against yours, and oh. oh, he’s good. you feel the metal of his lip ring against your bottom lip as he slides his tongue in your mouth, eating you up.

“god, you’re sweet” he nips your lip. “knew you would be”

you pant into his mouth, your hands curling on his chest, “y-you’ve thought about me?”

“‘course i did, im not blind” he pulls away. “I just really like my dick and didn’t want it chopped off. armin is scary” 

you know he can be when he wants to be, knows if he saw eren ravishing his little sister against his car right now, body parts would be strewn about. and that’s just from armins verbal warfare.

you look at eren demurely from under your lashes, “i don’t want anything to happen to your…” you trail off at the end.

erens eyebrows climb up his forehead, he presses close to you, tugs you to him. “my…” he prods, eyes glinting with mischief. 

you look away, pouting. “know i can’t say it” you mumble, hating that even now, saying vulgar words is embarrassing for you.

erens chest shakes with a laugh. “you just sucked my tongue down your throat, pip, and you can’t talk about my cock? you’re precious, c’mere.” he starts walking backwards, towards his car. “we gotta be sneaky about it but-” he dips down to kiss you again, once, twice. “i really wanna touch you” 

you gulp, and nod, let him pull you to his car and open the backseat for you, climbing in after you. he shuts and locks it behind him and then he’s facing you, eren jaeger giving you his full attention. looking at you like he wants you, like he’s seeing you, like he wants to do alot of bad things to you.

you place a shaking hand on his shoulder. “im- i dont know what to do..”

you want to impress him, but pretending you’re good at something you’re not won’t do that. eren doesn’t like liars anyway. 

he scoots close to you, pulling you halfway onto his lap until you’re sitting comfortably against him. you bite your lip when you feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against your ass under your skirt. one of his hands settles on your bare thigh, scooting it up just barely.

“you ever watch porn, sweetheart?” erens breath puffs against your ear and you squirm on top of him. 

you push down your own embarrassment, resigning yourself to be a big girl and be honest. “s-sometimes” 

“yeah?” god, why does just that word turn you on so much? “tell me what kind of stuff you watch when you touch your little pussy” 

his vulgar words go straight to your cunt, at the same time his hand slides up your thighs and slips under your skirt. you close your eyes when you feel the tip of his finger trace over the band of your panties. “they’re always a couple..” you gasp when his hand dips inside, palm cupping over your pussy. “a-and the guy has dark hair..”

“Imagining anyone in particular?” eren teases, but you hear his breath catch at the same time yours does when he sinks one long finger inside. the folds around your slit part seamlessly around the intrusion, sucking his finger in like your pussy wants it there. “so wet, baby. keep talking for me?”

ever the good girl, you push through the tingles and the heat spreading down your legs, the slick sound of his finger fucking in and out of you filling the silent car as you struggle to find words. “s-shes always inexperienced. Its her first time and...and hes gentle” you moan a little when erens thumb comes to swirl around your clit, hips lips finding your neck. he’s teasing another finger at your tight entrance when you swallow another groan and try to keep talking like he’d asked. “he’s gentle but he takes. t-takes what he wants”

“mm” eren hums, tongue sliding against your skin. you gasp when the tip of his ring finger edges in beside the other one, stretching your tight passage around his digits in thorough little twists of his fingers. “that’s real good, baby. you like the sound of that, huh?” 

eren hooks his chin over your shoulder, bunches your skirt around your waist so he can see where your little pussy is clenching and squeezing around him, clit engorged and throbbing for attention. when you don’t answer, he continues, using the slick dripping down your slit, gathering it and then pushing back into you. “I bet” he says, low, husky. “In those videos, he eats her out real nice, yeah? makes sure her little virgin cunt is wet enough to take his cock”

“y-yeah” you pant, holding his wrist but not pulling it away, pushing him more towards you. you’re starting to grind down against the pleasure, walls rhythmically fluttering around his fingers, fucking yourself on them without even knowing it. he curls them, and your head thumps back against his shoulder as you cry out. 

“i’ll give that to you” eren promises, pumping his fingers faster, his other hand coming up to cup one of your tits over your blouse, giving it a squeeze. “gonna take you home after you cream around my fingers and lay you out on your bed” he kisses your cheek, holding you firm against him when you start to twitch and writhe. “lick this little flower open. wanna feel your thighs squeeze my face when i drink the cum from your pussy, get you all loose and wet and then i wanna feel you drip down my dick when i slide it inside”

“oh god, ren!” you jerk in his hold as you feel your orgasm crest over you, gushing down his palm, as you ride his hand, milking it as tingles shoot across your whole body. A milky, creamy film rests around his knuckles when he slides his fingers out of your weeping cunt, still pulsating and twitching from the come down. 

he rubs the excess slick around your folds and clit, rubbing it in. you whimper and he chuckles and kisses your cheek. 

you sag against him, fucked out. eren brushes some hair from your forehead and kisses it. “wannabe punk pounds sweet virgin pussy into her bed” 

you look at him, confused and dazed “huh?”

eren grins at you. “s’ gonna be the name of our porno” 

[popatochisssp]

if/when you get the energy/time to- im really curious; what kinda fuzzy friends do the newer skeles have? does pitch have a seeing eye-dog version of princess? or does ell and/or nemo have a fuzzy buddy to help with their anxiety or anything similar or in-between? spare fuzzy friend hcs for the poor, ma'am????

Well, you asked for it!

Ash (Undergloom Sans): A cat named Annie (Ragdoll), adopted as an emotional support buddy! She picked him, really, just ambling right on up to him, and it was love at first flop-over-his feet. Having a little sweetheart like her to take care of has really helped to pull Ash out of the doldrums and he loves her a lot. She’s a big-time cuddlebug, just like he is, and they definitely spend a ton of time napping together, everywhere and anywhere.

Annie’s Quirks: Extra chunky (master of the ‘I haven’t been fed yet 🥺’ con), stockpiles socks and undies beneath the bed, shameless catnip junkie

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He feels like he’s not as active as he should be, lots of time spent indoors doing academic things, when there’s a whole beautiful world out there that he should be getting out to see at least sometimes... He has the idea that maybe an animal companion would be the right motivation to get up and out at least a couple times a day, and Cannoli (Pembroke Welsh Corgi) is the solution to the problem! They click pretty much immediately and are just very well-suited to each other, especially as exercise partners.

Cannoli’s Quirks: Loves (short) walks, rests his head on any feet that stay still long enough, must sleep in the same bed as the people and will hop/bark/cry if he can’t get up there himself

Brick (Horrorfell Sans):He doesn’t know too much of the story himself, he’s sure he was told in more detail but probably forgot. All he remembers is, a friend of a friend had a dog who had an accident...or maybe it got sick? Either way, it went deaf, and the dog was too big and unwieldy for them to try to retrain themselves. But they had a friend who was HoH, and that friend was active in the community with lots of other signing and HoH folks and could ask around about someone who might be up for the challenge of having and training a real big dog that couldn’t hear a word you said to it. That’s how Brick heard about it, anyway, and he’s not deaf but he’s big, and he figures he probably knows at least enough sign by now to train a dog. And that’s how Tiny (English Mastiff) comes to stay at his place. They clumsily work on understanding each other, it’s definitely a Process, but there’s plenty of fondness there to make any difficulty worth the trouble.

Tiny’s Quirks: Bit of a digging problem, gets very excited about balloons, likes to sit near people and lean his entire weight into them

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): This one may look familiar, but it’s fate-- Doomfanger (Persian) belongs with him and could find her way to him in any universe. ...But King was a little later getting to the Surface, and wasn’t there to pick her up when she was freshly on the streets. She spent awhile longer being an alleycat, a few years of living the rough life, and one day when she’s not quite fast enough to scurry out of the way of an oncoming car, it probably would’ve been the end for her... if not for the kind Samaritan skeleton who was just passing by that scooped her up off the pavement and brought her to a vet. King tried very hard not to get attached to her, especially when it was still looking like she wouldn’t make it, but he kept moving the goalpost of when he’d let himself care about her. ‘IF IT LIVES UNTIL MORNING,’ ‘IF IT MAKES IT TO THE VET,’ ‘IF SHE SURVIVES HER SURGERY,’ ‘IF--’ and then she looks at him, with her goofy drugged up face, freshly missing the foot of her back paw so that they even match now, and... And just like that, Doomfanger has a home and a devoted cat-dad owner and anything else she could possibly need.

Doomfanger’s Quirks: Likes to be raked, makes an incredible fuss when shut out of any room for any reason, very spooked by loud noises and immediately runs and hides under daddy’s bed

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He wanted a pet, especially when things were still a little strained with his brother and the nature of his...condition...made it difficult to make friends. He was lonely and a little pal would be very welcome in his home, but he’d also really hate to curse a furry friend with the ever-present threat of being dripped on and getting nasty bone-goop stuck in their fur... Ella (Sphynx) is the workaround to this unusual problem and makes herself right at home with Merc, happy to love on him whether he’s solid or sticky.

Ella’s Quirks: Has an extensive collection of sweaters that she adores (will sit by her dresser and meow until she is clothed), great sense for emotions and tends to appear whenever she’s needed, transfixed by mirrors

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He didn’t choose Ripley (Maine Coon), Ripley... well, he’s not even sure Ripley chose him. He definitely chose Ella, because that pretty little sweater-wearing vixen in the window is what drove him to bust into Ell and Merc’s house and start sauntering around like he owned the place. Ripley (named before they realized he was a boy-cat) was definitely feral, with a notched ear and a missing eye, but he just keeps coming around, breaking and entering, cuddling with Ella and sharing her food, and when he one day hops into Ell’s lap and curls his big fluffy body up there... Ell makes the (possibly bad) decision to just shut the doors and windows on this mean, fat bastard and make him commit to the self-domestication he’d started. Ripley’s fickle, anti-social, and nine times out of ten mean as hell, but despite it all, Ell’s attached to the fucker. Doesn’t stop him from talking mad shit about his demon-cat to anyone who’ll listen, but y’know, there’s a weird sort of love there, between them both.

Ripley’s Quirks: Hates other cats and people, with Ell and Ella as the only exceptions (Ell sometimes, Ella always), does truly heinous things to birds and rodents and even bugs if the opportunity presents itself, an escape artist who is not to be trusted around doors or windows

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): Ms. Sandy Peaches (Golden Retriever) is a service dog, trained to assist people with visual impairments in a variety of tasks. Pitch, who’d long been mulling over the idea of getting one such dog, eventually follows through, and as soon as he hears her name, he’s decided-- Sandy Peaches is the one for him! He’s been blind awhile by the time he gets her and generally knows his way around things, but she’s very helpful in his day-to-day and some of the things that were moderately inconvenient to get through before are only mildly inconvenient now, and her value as a helper and a companion is much appreciated.

Sandy’s Quirks: Gets excited when it’s time to put her vest on and go work, thinks the appropriate amount of brushing time is probably about three hours, loves to go swimming

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He found Dizzy (American Shorthair) after an accidental click led him to a local shelter’s Instagram, where they had a video of her playing and a few hashtags that explained her condition. He learned a lot about cerebellar hypoplasia, aka ‘wobbly cat syndrome,’ and when he eventually made it back to her video and watched it again... it was too late, he was already half in love with her. He contacts the shelter and after a couple weeks making arrangements, purchasing necessities, and wobbly-cat-proofing the house, he braves the outdoors to go get her and bring her home. She’s probably 100% his baby within the first hour and he loves being able to take care of her and help a kitty that not everybody would have the time or dedication to take in. The love is very much mutual and Dizzy’s tail does the ‘omg it’s you, I love you!’ tail-quiver whenever she sees him and trots on over.

Dizzy’s Quirks: Sixth sense for when there’s clean laundry to be laid on, likes to hold extended warbling and yowling conversations with people, chews on anything that crinkles (keep plastic wrappers out of reach!)

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): As soon as he knew he wanted a dog, he knew he wanted to pick up one of the less adoptable ones. Skipper (Beagle mutt) was certainly that, with only two legs--one in front and one in back. Sunny had a play session with the little guy and admired his energy and how enthusiastically he played, like his missing legs didn’t even phase him. Whatever happened in Skipper’s past, he’s not letting it be his problem now, and needless to say, he’s adopted and taken home in pretty short order. No holds barred fetch and spontaneous frolicking in open fields are a great bonding activity for these two, probably a match made in heaven.

Skipper’s Quirks: Tennis ball fiend (literally can never have enough), chews on unattended shoes, loves to sing (read: howl) along to music

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): He wanted a guard dog, some big intimidating-looking thing that would look really, really cool guard the house. He finds Ace (Doberman/Great Dane), unfortunately with his ears already cropped (Aster wouldn’t have chosen the procedure himself), but otherwise a very handsome fellow and still definitely in need of love and a home, both of which Aster was willing and able to provide. He’s attentive with all the care and training his new pup needs, and when Ace grows up just as huge as predicted, looking like a cross between a panther and a hellhound, he’s become an extremely well-mannered and obedient dog, full to the tips of his pointy ears with love for Aster.

Ace’s Quirks: King of naps, the worst nightmare of any strangers at the door (but very affectionate and loving once they’re in!), will tell you if you’ve stopped petting him too soon, boofing and trying to put your hand back to make you resume

[lcvedriven]

#time moves weird around annie after awhile#she's in that tree house so much that ... look there's a lot of stuff i wanna write about how teen and older annie will start to be able to#not consciously manipulate time but it doesn't act proper around her#you're with annie for four hours? you literally watched three movies together? an hour passed.

these tags from her old blog though. 

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 33

Side By Side

Summary: In which Ephemer and Anora reenact the finale of Kingdom Hearts 1. Word Count: 1,713 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

Even though Ms. April Tremaine had devoted over 20 years of her life in music theory, she had never, ever, gained an appreciation for theater.

Okay, that could have been a bit of an exaggeration. She might have had a general, well-rounded appreciation for showtunes. But other than that? She despised every aspect of acting. She was incredibly lucky that the students at Daybreak Academy knew how to act. As in, theatrically, and not in mild mannered conduct. Sitting through each of their skits was another battle though.

It didn't quite help that Annie had fallen asleep on her five minutes ago. Her arm was starting to go numb.

“Last call for auditions!” April called out. Annie stirred slightly but didn't wake up. “If you want it, move your butt on stage and start acting already!”

“Wait for me!” a voice shouted. April tried to turn around to see the silver haired headmasters' pet racing up the aisle.

“Well, hurry up then!” she said to him, gesturing at the stage. Ephemer gave a quick bow on his way past her before getting up on stage. He looked around the room, as if expecting to see someone, before turning his attention to the musical director. April gave him a bemused raise of her eyebrow.

“Alright Ephemer,” she said in a tone meant to humor him. “Hit me with your best 'Alas poor Yorick' and make it count- I've got a date this afternoon.”

A gleam in Ephemer's eye illustrated that he knew just who asked April out on that date. So, without any further instruction, the boy took a small breath out and started to recite a small portion of Hamlet. April had to admit that his cadence was incredibly certain- each word coming out purposefully and emotionally. He spoke clearly too- an impressive feat when he wasn't using a microphone to amplify his voice.

“Not bad.” April nodded. “Would you mind coming back for callbacks on Wednesday?”

The boy gave a wide grin as he gave a firm nod. “You bet!” he more than happily agreed.

“Whelp, I guess that's it then.” April announced, not that anyone else was really in the auditorium now. “See you on Wednesday.” And with that, Ms. April gently shook her daughter awake, collected their things, and soundly left the auditorium.

Ephemer remained up on stage for a few moments, scanning the rows of empty seats for a certain someone. He frowned when he didn't immediately see her. The boy got down from the stage and started to look through the rows himself. It took awhile, but he found Anora sitting in one of the back rows; her face unreadable as she looked down at the floor. If Ephemer had to guess, he would have assumed that she was resting.

The boy jogged over to the row and stood at the end.

“Hey Anora.” he smiled, but it didn't earn any reaction from her. A shot of worry coursed through Ephemer in her silence. So, without saying a word, he made his way over and took a seat next to her. He looked at Anora expectantly, but she still didn't seem to acknowledge him, so he also looked down at the ground.

After a few still moments, Anora finally told him, “You're late.”

“I know, I know.” he immediately apologized. “Did you audition?”

But Anora shook her head. Seeing it made Ephemer's heart leap into his throat.

“You waited for me?”

Shyly, Anora looked down at the floor and gave a small nod.

“Too many people...”

“And it's because it's something new, right?”

Anora gave another nod of agreement. Ephemer looked her over- lightly biting his lower lip as he thought something over.

Without warning, he took Anora by the hand and started to drag her onto the stage. He didn't let go until they were up on the stage itself. Anora gave Ephemer a wary glance before she looked out to the seating area. That was when she almost froze in place as she stared out to the rows and rows of empty seats. Never before had Anora felt so small. The lights above the seats were out, and the stage itself had only one buzzing light above them still on. Suddenly, the world outside felt far too big to handle. Anora was snapped out of her trance with Ephemer placing a soft hand on her shoulder.

“Pretty scary, isn't it?”

Anora looked to Ephemer, her eyes giving away her sudden fear well enough. Ephemer looked her over for a moment before removing his hand. Curious, Anora watched as he took a place at the center of the stage. He closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his thoughts, before he opened them up again.

In a clear, concise voice, he started to monologue; “I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like… is any of this for real, or not? I can feel- no, hear, my heart beat in my chest. When I open my eyes, I see nothing but a dark abyss. As I fall in this abyss, I slowly start to see water bubbles, floating all around me, until I realize that I'm submerged underwater. I continue to fall; falling close, closer, and close still to a white, almost blinding, light. This light… it's warm, as if it contains all of the world's hearts within. But there is also something wrong with this light. A darkness, maybe. As I reach out toward the light, I suddenly wake up, standing on the same beach I've known my entire life.”

Ephemer's shoulder's relaxed when he finished. He turned his attention back to Anora with a light grin. “Sound familiar?”

Anora gave a shy nod. It was the opening of a popular video game- she wasn't that big of a fan, but could recognize a few lines from it if someone happened to mention them. As she tried to remember the name of the game, Ephemer offered out his hand to her.

“Even if we're apart,” he said to her- reciting the game once more, but saying it far too casually for Anora to realize it right away, “We're not alone anymore. Right?”

The girl bit her lip in thought. She moved a bit closer to him. “I can't help?” she asked, her voice sounding a bit too hopeful. Ephemer smiled- either from acting the role or from genuine happiness that she was going along with him.

“You'd kinda be in my way.” he replied with a roll of his shoulder.

This time, Anora smiled as well, taking another step toward Ephemer. “Okay.” she mused. “You win.” And with that, she clapped her hand into his. The two then proceeded to reenact other scenes from the game that they could easily remember. It all culminated to the two holding hands, slowly walking away from each other as if something else were separating them.

“I'll come back to you!” Ephemer declared to Anora, his voice sounding hopeful but his face showing nothing but pure amusement. “I promise!”

Anora tried hard to hide her smile as she said back, “I know you will!” and with that, the two let go of their hands. The two playfully stared at each other in a mock longing, still slowly backing away from each other, before starting to dissolve into a flurry of giggles.

“There's a song that plays during this part.” Ephemer told her. “I don't know if you know it or not, but it goes like this,” (the boy cleared his throat a bit before carefully starting to sing) “You're giving me, too many things, lately.”

“You're all I need.” Anora sang along. “You smiled at me, and said...”

“Don't get me wrong I love you,” the both of them then sang in unison, “But does that mean I have to meet your father? When we are older you'll understand, what I meant, when I said no. I don't think life is quite that simple!”

The two grinned at each other, going on with the song, not quite caring if they actually harmonized with each other or not. For the moment, as long as they knew, it was just them and they were having the time of their lives.

“Hold me; what ever lies beyond this mo-orning, is a little later on.”

“Regardless of warnings...”

“The future doesn't scare me at a-a-all!”

“Nothing's like before!” they both belted out together. They then looked at each other and shared another round of happy laughter.

“And just what do you two think you're doing?”

The two kids jumped in surprise before turning their attention to the new voice. It had been Ms. Tremaine- she must have forgotten something and was coming back for it.

“Ephemer, I already told you that callbacks were on Wednesday.” Ms. Tremaine smirked. She then looked at Anora and gave small nod. “It might do you well to be there too, Anora.”

The grin on Ephemer's face could not be stopped. “Are you serious?” he questioned with a giddy voice.

“As a heart attack.” the older teacher affirmed. “Now, get off my stage and go get some lunch.”

Ephemer happily gave the musical director a two finger salute as he declared, “Yes ma'am!” He then took Anora's hand and quickly dragged the two of them offstage. April shook her head and gave a small laugh at the duo. She knew good chemistry when she saw it, and those kids were truly something else.

“Callbacks!” Ephemer happily declared. “Who do you think you'll be cast as?”

To be honest, Anora hadn't even thought that far yet. The growling in her stomach was mostly preoccupying her thoughts- along with the nagging feeling that Ephemer was trying really hard not to hug her.

“Well,” Ephemer then mused, “Whatever we get cast as, I hope we get to do it side by side!”

Anora gave him a quizzical expression as she tried to study his. He was just too excited at the callbacks to even truly notice her. Eventually, despite herself, Anora shook her head- a small grin forming on her lips. She didn't know why Ephemer kept insisting that they do things together; a part of her was just glad to be included in anything. Besides, Ephemer made for some very excellent company.

[bethhxrmon]

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again Pt. 2

“Wishing I could hear your voice again, knowing that I never would” - “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from The Phantom of the Opera

Pairing: Peter Parker x Female OC

Word Count: 3k

Summary: We’re really in the plot of Endgame now!

Warnings: Spoilers, angst, some stuff that may make you cry if you care about any of the main characters????

A/N: Okay, so my summer’s been way busier than expected and I’ve been suffering from an extreme loss of motivation. So if y’all have any encouraging words that would rock??? But updates may also be spotty anyways because of my schedule. Also, flashbacks are in italics!

The day was sunny enough. That had to be a good sign. In a little bit of time, everyone would be back. Harper could finally see their best friend, and maybe they could go back to how things used to be before.

Being the youngest out of those in the car, Harper got stuck in the back. Though, Scott was there too. Somehow, Harper didn’t really notice that anyone was doing anything. Looking out the car window, it was easy to get lost in their thoughts. Thoughts about when things were easier. Before something like Thanos was even in the picture.

As they drove closer to the lake house, Harper was starting to realize why they never bothered to come. It was exactly like they thought it was going to be. Too much like all of those easier times. Only, the people who made those times easy were nowhere to be found.

“Annie? You’re up, right?” Harper asked, looking over from their sketchbook.

The girl sat up, a small smile on her face as she was playing with Peter’s hair, “Yeah, usually am.”

There was a beat of silence as Annie continued messing with Peter’s hair. He was already asleep. So was Ned. Harper had tried to get them to stay up, but that clearly didn’t work as evidenced by Ned’s soft snores.

“I don’t know if it’s because it’s four in the morning and I’m delusional, but… do you think there’s anything after we die?” they inquired, closing their book and setting it aside.

Annie stopped messing around with Peter’s hair and thought for a moment, “Well, I don’t really know. I mean, if there is something, I’m positive I’m going to the spot reserved for not so great people. But… it’s also kinda nice thinking someone like Tina actually got to start over.”

“Annie, sweetie, you’re literally a superhero. If there’s an afterlife or something, you’re going to the spot reserved for great people,” Harper insisted.

She laughed a bit, “Right, whatever you say, Harper. You’re always right.”

“Obviously. You can’t be the one always right, the world would spontaneously combust! The responsibility is therefore mine,” they claimed.

It was silly, but Harper really hoped they had been right. Maybe it wouldn’t matter, though. They couldn’t help thinking that Tony had something up his sleeve. Something that would make it so everyone could be saved. Then, they could ask Annie for real, and Annie would probably have an answer of some sort. They hoped so.

No one said very much on the ride over. Not even Scott who seemed to talk as a way to fill up any awkward space. Granted, Harper wasn’t sure if they wanted to talk about much of anything anyways. There was a solid chance it would get to the topic of the people they missed. Because Harper, Natasha, and Steve had five years to try and recover from their losses. Scott barely had a couple of days.

A couple of days after figuring out for certain who died, Harper could barely even get out of bed. Let alone travel across the country and go out on a limb to tell some Avengers that weren’t ever guaranteed to be there and explain how time travel could possibly exist and fix their problems. How Scott was managing this while keeping everything together was beyond them.

Maybe it was just because he didn’t let the grief sink in just yet. Hopefully, it wouldn’t. Then, Harper could brag to Annie about how they met her all-time favorite superhero. There was something gratifying about that picture. Probably because Annie was alive whenever they thought about it.

Before they could really finish that thought, the car was pulled into Tony Stark’s driveway. Harper hadn’t spoken to him since he formally told them that he didn’t need a suit maker or assistant anymore. Unbeknownst to him, Pepper kept Harper on call for different fashion things. It was more of a formality, but it helped Harper know that, if nothing else, Pepper didn’t see a need to cut them off.

Except, something told Harper this could be what finally did that. They knew a little bit about Tony’s daughter. Although, they also knew a little bit about this lake house too. It was a bit too much like Tahoe for their taste. Almost too many memories.

When all of them were sitting around on Tony’s porch, Harper could vaguely hear Scott explaining himself one last time. They couldn’t be bothered to pay complete attention. Honestly, Harper wasn’t sure why they were there. It wasn’t like they had any crazy powers or serious talents to be put to work in any type of time heist.

If Harper stared too hard into space, they almost expected to hear Peter say some weird science fact. Why that mattered so much, they weren’t sure. 

“So… you and Annie?” Harper asked, sitting next to the boy on the couch after unpacking everything.

He nodded, “Yeah. She’s great actually. I mean, I’ve liked her for months, so, I mean, I-I just wasn’t sure if she liked me or-”

“I get it. I’m the best friend. And I know that we kinda met before, but since it looks like this thing you guys got is gonna last for more than a week, then I gotta do the normal best friend thing,” Harper replied, cutting off Peter’s rambling.

Peter looked at them and shook his head, “What best friend thing?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just, if you even so much as consider hurting Annie in any way, shape, or form I will take your right foot and shove it so far up your ass that you choke on it,” they said, giving a light shrug.

His doe eyes went to the size of dinner plates and he scooted away, “Okay, okay, got it. I-I’d never do that,  for the record. I really like her. I mean, I can’t even hurt people that I don’t know, so… I really couldn’t hurt her. Promise.”

Harper laughed, “Oh, relax, I was only warning you. She was right, you get nervous really easily.”

“She says that?”

“Well, among other super top-secret things.”

Peter’s posture loosened up and he leaned forward, “What did she say?”

“It’s gotta be a secret! I’m gonna make some lemonade,” Harper said, getting up from the couch.

“Look, if you guys came for literally any other reason, I really like seeing you guys. There’s seven places set up at the table,” Tony started as the others got up to leave.

Somehow Harper managed to tune everything out. How they did it was unclear. Maybe there were more memories running through their head than they really anticipated. They still hadn’t gotten up. Natasha gave them a look, almost as though she was asking what Harper was doing.

There was a huge choice being offered up. If they didn’t bring up time travel, then they could see Tony and Pepper. But how couldn’t they bring it up? How were Peter and Annie not supposed to come up? They couldn’t just stay. It would bring back too many memories that they couldn’t understand how he didn’t see all of it the same way.

Except, no one ever brought up either of them. Then again, Steve and Natasha and Scott didn’t know Peter or Annie very well. Not enough to genuinely care about their deaths. Definitely not enough to realize how it probably impacted Tony.

“Um… just a sec,” Harper said, waving off Natasha.

Tony looked at them, “It’s been awhile.”

“It’s exactly like Tahoe, don’t you think?” they asked, looking around.

“What do you mean?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know… this is like when we were all in those cabins. I mean, that was, like, right before shit hit the fan and, well, you know. The snappening.”

“The snappening?”

“Yeah, and you know… I get that you’ve got this super great life with Pepper and your cute little daughter. I’m happy for you, I guess. But it really feels like you forgot all the other important people. I know Peter was important to you, I wasn’t as close, but he was a good friend. And, you know, you talk about not wanting to lose children but you’re conveniently ignoring that chunk of time when you were convinced Annie was your daughter. So, I guess it’s your choice, but some of us just aren’t as lucky as you were. And I’m not gonna make you help with this time heist or whatever, but I want you to know damn well that I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get both of them back. Because we both know they would do the same for us.”

Tony stayed silent for a few moments and sighed, “It’s a suicide mission.”

“Well maybe that’s better than doing nothing. You don’t have to agree, but suicide mission or not, I’m sticking with it,” they moved to stand up.

Tony shook his head, “It’s been five years-”

“Yeah, five years and I still can’t do anything without thinking about my best friend or my family or anything that I used to know before all of this. Some of us never had the means to move on properly. And-”

“Hey, calm down, if you just come in with-”

“Don’t cut me off when I’m clearly in the right here. Don’t cut me off when I tried to grieve properly and talk to you about everything and you would just change the subject. Look, if this doesn’t work out, I don’t lose a whole lot. So I’m doing this and so are the rest of us. I hope you realize that,” they finished, fists clenched as they stood up.

At that point, Tony didn’t say anything as Harper turned and went back to the car. He didn’t try to stop them. Probably because it was apparent that it would have all been for nothing.

Maybe Harper didn’t think they had any useful talent. But they also knew Annie would have been the first to tell them they were wrong about that.

The drive back, Harper never asked about where they were going. They were too wrapped up in thinking about what they brought to the table. Stubbornness sure, and designing for certain. And maybe Harper learned something from the different things Natasha taught them about fighting.

Although, it was starting to concern Harper a little bit once they noticed the route was a little bit different than normal. They weren’t going to the compound, that much was for certain.

When the car was pulled up to a diner, Harper looked around, “What’re we doing?”

“Getting reinforcement,” Natasha replied, “Kind of like a second opinion.”

Scott sighed, “You really think this guy will agree? I mean, he seemed pretty adamant about it.”

“I said he probably would be. But I’m sure as hell not giving up,” Harper replied, “I’ll become some sort of crazy physicist if that’s what it takes at this point.”

With that in mind, the four of them went to the diner. It was a little bit packed, but it was easy to figure out who the aforementioned “reinforcement” was supposed to be. Harper had seen Bruce every once in awhile, but it was always a tiny bit weird to see an oversized, slightly green man. Then again, maybe this was what they had asked for when they started working with one of the Avengers. It was really hard to say.

Again, Harper just couldn’t get themself to focus on what was happening right in front of them. Had they said the right thing to Tony? It was possible that they only made things worse. But if anyone was going to put things into perspective about just who they lost five years ago, Harper knew that Natasha, Steve, and Scott weren’t going to cut it. They tried nibbling at the grilled cheese they ordered, but it was hard to eat when it was clear the fate of their best friend was in the hands of the small group sitting around them.

A couple of kids asking Scott to take a picture of them with Bruce was what forced Harper back into reality. It was pretty clear that Scott hadn’t felt noticed at all. After all, he wasn’t one of the original, New York-based superheroes. Annie had gone through that too when she first moved. That was just another thing Annie would have probably killed to talk to Scott about. After she stopped freaking out over meeting her idol.

That was what would happen right after everyone came back. Maybe the environment would have a couple of kinks in there, getting half of the life from earlier back, but that was okay. There were far worse things going on with only half of everything. 

“You know, I’m a superhero too, Ant-Man?” Scott said, trying to hand back the phone to the kids.

It was a painfully awkward exchange with Bruce trying to get the kids to take a picture with Scott. Something that didn’t work seeing how the kids wanted to back away.

Scott sighed, mumbling, “No one knows who Ant-Man is.”

“Um… if I may, that’s not totally true,” Harper said softly, still keeping an eye on what else was being said.

Scott laughed, “Thanks, but I’m not totally sure you count if you work for the Avengers.”

“Psh… I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about my friend, White Swan, remember? She freaking loved you and thought you were amazing. And when, not if but when, we get everyone back, she’ll  probably take all the selfies in the world with you,” they insisted.

This was what Harper wanted to think about. Not about all the ways things could go wrong, but about all the things that could happen after everyone was back.

Harper gazed down at the paper that Bruce was drawing on. It looked like he was trying to figure out what the suits for time travelling would look like. Red and white with nothing but an exorbitant amount of padding. The whole thing was extremely tacky to say the least.

“Harper’s the fashion expert here,” Natasha said, looking at the design.

Harper nodded, “Yeah, just hand it over here, I think I’ve got some ways I can help to make it better.”

Bruce handed the sheet over to Harper and they looked at it and reached into the pocket of their olive green jacket, “Yeah… I feel like there’s just one tiny improvement to be made,” they paused as they pulled a lighter out and set the paper on fire.

“Woah what?!” Bruce exclaimed.

Harper put the burning paper in a glass of water, “Those suits are fucking hideous. I’m gonna take care of designing.”

Natasha couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Five years working with Harper taught her to expect things like this. Though, with a lot of the regular Avengers things on hold, it was also easy to forget they liked working on these projects.

“But they were functional!” Bruce replied, looking concerned.

Harper rolled their eyes, “Yeah, but on my watch something can look cool and be functional. And you don’t have the original design anymore. So tell me what makes this so functional.”

After getting the basic list of what needed to be put into the suit, Harper swore up and down they would have a better design done and ready to be tried out by tomorrow. Which meant a sleepless night for them and a whole lot of coffee. The sketch didn’t take too long, but getting the materials certainly did. And it wasn’t like they could ask Natasha for help since she was running off trying to get reinforcements.

They assumed “reinforcements” was code for a last-ditch attempt to get Clint back. It was understandable, Harper would have done the same for Annie if the roles were switched like that. Then again, Thor had yet to be seen since that day a few years ago either. 

Some upbeat music played in the background as they worked on building one of the suits. If one got done, then the rest would hopefully be a breeze. Looking at the clock, Harper noticed it was close to midnight and the first suit was halfway done. They would have to pick up the pace.

Their phone started to ring and they picked it up, not looking at the contact. Surely if someone called around midnight, it was something important.

“Hey, Harper… is that a sewing machine?” Ned asked, his voice coming through the speaker.

Harper laughed a bit, “Yep, I’ve got a super huge secret project I’m working on. If it goes right, I think you’re gonna love it.”

“But why can’t you just tell me now?”

“Because there’s a chance this project may end up not working out, and it’s only cool if it works.”

There was a pause as Ned tried to understand what they were getting at, “Well, you asked me to call you, is everything alright?” “Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that I finally talked to Tony… went as well as you would expect,” they replied, the sewing machine still whirring as they spoke.

“What did you tell him?”

They sighed, “Not a whole lot, just kind of… well, when I went to see him… he’s got this lake house.”

“Like when we were all in Tahoe?”

“Yes! Exactly like that. Except, you know, it’s New York. But it reminded me so much of everything and I kinda snapped. I mean, I feel like I either said the right thing or that I just pissed him off.”

“I’m sure you said the right thing. You know you would’ve said it sooner or later. It’s better you said it earlier while it was daylight and you weren’t drinking anything,” he pointed out.

Harper reached over to get a drink of coffee from a mug balancing haphazardly on their table, “Hey, I drunk dialled you one time. And that was after I turned twenty-one!”

“Still, it could’ve happened again,” Ned pointed out as he listened to the sewing machine start up again, “Do you want me to keep talking to you while you’re doing your project?”

They nodded despite him not being able to see them, “That’d be nice… wait, don’t you work tomorrow? I don’t want you staying up late if-”

“It’s my day off tomorrow. Don’t worry about it. Besides, it’s more important you stay up, so I’m happy to help.”

Tag list (ask if you’d like to be added!): @moonstruckholland @flushings-here @parrkerspeters @twilightparker @gaypanda @lcy-thot @parkerpuffwrites @dolphinsarecuteandstuff @buzzinglee @ijustdontknowsometimes @lionsfandomsandbearsohmy

[seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana]

The Secrets Chapter 4

“Till Death do We Part”

It’s long again sorry

I open my eyes to the sun shining through the windows. It was so hot. I wonder if I could go to the lake with Grace today? I knew I had to get up for breakfast soon. So, I got up and got dressed into my blue dress. It was a thin dress, like a nightgown, and I wore it everywhere. My dad bought it for me and I never wore anything else. I would only wear something else if my dress got ruined. Which was rare since I took very good care of it. I hear a loud knock at my door. “Sissy!!” I smile and run to the door. I open it and see my little sister, Grace, bouncing up and down. She jumps up and hugs me. “Good morning!” I laughed and hug her just as hard. “Good morning!” We let go and head back downstairs. I see my mom cooking breakfast and my dad is still sleeping in the living room. The normal morning. I was now 21 and my sister was 16. I felt like a grownup but I still had my childness in me. “How did you sleep last night, Sarah?” My mom asked me as I sat down at the table. “Normal,” I answered. I’ve never been a good sleeper. Normal for me was around 4 hours.

She smiled and nodded. “Are you going to see the wolves today?” I felt excitement bloom into my chest at that. “Of course! I have to feed them and pet them,” I told her. Grace looked at me and was excited. “Can I see them?” My smile dropped a bit. “I’m not sure. It takes them awhile to get used to new people,” I warned her. Her smile dropped. “But I’ll still take you. They can warm up to you.” Graces smile returned and she seemed to jump up and down in her seat. My mom came over to the table and sat down. “Are you going to see Christian too?” I smiled and blushed. “Yes, Momma,” I answered shyly. She laughed along with my dad.

After I was done eating, me and Grace walked to the woods behind our house. “Look!” I looked down and could see the prints of my favorite wolves. It was theirs because they were usually the only wolves around here. I looked around and saw them leading up to their regular spot. We walked for a few more minutes and saw my two favorite wolves laying down. Their grey, dark fur seemed to move from the wind. I walk slowly over to them. They noticed me before I could even close. Annie was the one to pick up her head first. She opened her yellow eyes and looked at me. She immediately got up and ran over to me. She jumped up on me and started licking my face. “Ah! Stop Annie!” She stopped and sat back down and looked at Grace, as if just noticing her. “Extend your hand, Grace,” I instructed her. She did as I said, and Annie sniffed her hand cautiously. I leaned down to Annie’s level and rubbed her ears. “You can trust her,” I whispered to her.

Annie licked her hand and sat down in front of Grace. “It means she respects you,” I told Grace. Grace seemed to smile and light up like a light at this. I soon heard more footsteps and realized Damien was now awake and looking at us. His yellow eyes, unlike Annie’s, seemed to squint at Grace, unsure about her. Annie looked at him and let out a little bark. Damien seemed still cautious but listened to that bark and sat right beside her. Grace smiled and I winked at both of them.

“Sarah!” I heard my mother voice call out to me. “Someone’s here to see you~” I sighed and turned toward Annie and Damien. I squated down to their level and put one hand on their heads. “I’ll be back, okay?” I saw Annie’s ears go down and Damien’s eyes seem to soften and get sad. I groaned. “Don’t look at me like that,” I whispered. I heard Grace laugh at me. I rolled my eyes and kissed Annie and Damien’s heads. “Bye guys!”

Grace and I soon walked up to the porch and saw a boy sitting there. A very familiar boy. “Christian?” Christian looked up at me and smiled. “Hey!” I stood there confused. He usually never came this early. Even when we were kids he would never be this early. “It’s like not even noon,” I told him. “Did you not want me here?” He seemed to deflate at my reaction. My eyes got wide and I walked over to him. I sat beside him on the chairs on the porch. “Of course not! I just wasn’t expecting you,” I said.

The thing about Christian is that he is my boyfriend. I’ve loved him ever since we were children. He was the only boy that didn’t look at me and my family as “weird” or “crazy”. He just looked at me as a normal person. And that’s what made me fall for him. I told him when I was 19. It was the best day of my life. “Sarah,” I heard him whisper to me. I looked at him and made a hum noise. “I love you,” he told me. I smiled at him and reached for his hand. “I love you, too.”

*3 years later*

“I like the dress,” my mother said to me, as I stood in front of the mirror. It was my wedding day. I was getting married to Christian and I was so happy. I didn’t want to go too extra, so I just wore a simple white dress. Like my blue one, but white. It was comfortable and I couldn’t wait to see Christian. He had proposed to me a few months ago and I said yes immediately. My father was a bit grouchy about me being married, but he gave him his blessing. My mother and my sister were so happy. I has my hair done in a little braid and a rose in my hair. The flowers I chose to hold while I walked were roses too. I’ve loved roses for as long as I can remember.

“Come on! You’re gonna be late to your own wedding,” my sister yelled at me as she basically dragged me. I struggled to stay a foot but I was running along too.

We soon got to the lake where the wedding was held at. People were all sitting but as soon as they saw me, they all stood and looked at me. I saw Christian at the end and he blushed and looked very happy. He had his usual toothy smile. I smiled and blushed as I took a step. I could hear some people say, “congrats,” and, “she looks so beautiful.” This made me blush and get very anxious. What if I messed up?

No.

I pushed those thoughts away and continued walking towards my soon-to-be husband. I reached him and whispered, “hey handsome.” He blushed and my dad cleared his throat. He was the one who was going to be making this official. He told us our vows and we both promised to each other. We both had our rings on and my world felt...brighter. We both smiled at each other and I heard everyone else clap for us. We locked arms and walked down the row of people. We had food, drinks, and many “congratulations” said to us. I felt a twinge of sadness in my heart. My grandma couldnt make it. She died from a wound, but she’s here. I know she is. I then thought of someone else I needed to see before the day was over.

I walked to the woods and walked for about 5 minutes. I made a little whistle sound between my teeth to call for Annie and Damien. That’s always been my whistle for them to, hopefully, hear. I waited a minute or two, but then I heard the ruffle of leaves and heard the sound of running paws. They both jumped in front of me and barked happily. I laughed and rubbed both of their heads. “Hey guys, I missed y’all!” I didn’t get to see them for about a week because I had wedding planning. However, I still missed them dearly. “Guess what? I finally got married!” I said as I showed them my hand with the ring on it happily. They both howled with joy and their tails began to wag very fast like. I laughed and sat down on my knees. I didn’t want to get the dress dirty. Annie laid down in a ball like form and so did Damien right beside me. I leaned back onto Annie’s back and relaxed. I used to do this when I was young. I would cuddle up with one of them and just relax. They are always so warm, fluffy, and I knew I was safe. My eyes closed and I fell asleep so the sound of them breathing and the sounds of nature.

*4 months later*

Christian and Sarah had moved into a new house. They both would go outside and watch the sunset and would just be happy. But...it all changed one night. Sarah was at the counter washing dishes. Her and Christian had just finished dinner and she was getting ready for bed. The sun was setting and she couldn’t help but get distracted sometimes. She decided to hurry up and clean so she could go outside and watch the sun set. She soon did finish and dried her hands off. “Christian! Want to go see the sunset?” She hollored out to him, but he never answered. Sarah wasn’t going to waste time and walked outside.

She stood on the hill that wasn’t too far from their house and just watched. She loved all the orange, red, and pink colors that were going on in the sky. It made her happy and feel at peace. She remembered when her sister and her would watch the sunset. It was a happy memory. She felt a bit sad because Christian wasn’t there, but she still loved these moments; with anyone or just by herself. Soon, the sky had turn dark and night had taken over the day. She smiled and walked back to the house. “Christian! I’m back!” She said as she walked back into the house. She locked the door and headed up the stairs. She got into the bedroom and saw him asleep on the bed. She smiled and laughed quietly. She walked to the dresser and started getting her pajamas on. Her pajamas were now her blue dress. She would actually try to change her clothes and wear more than her blue dress. She took of her shirt and she suddenly felt hands wrap around her waist. “Christian, I’m almost done getting dressed,” she said while laughing. He laughed as well and left soft kisses on her neck. “No not today,” she said while pushing him off of her. “I’m tired and not staying up like you made me do last time,” she said. He laughed and winked at her. “But wasn’t that so much fun?” She laughed and shook her head.

She finished getting dressed and started taking off her necklace. It was a wedding gift that her sister got her. It was a line filled with pearls. She took it off and turned around, ready to go to bed. However, Christian wasn’t there. She sighed and walked down the stairs. She yelled his name and he answered. “Kitchen!” She walked to the kitchen and saw him hunched over the counter. “What’s wrong?” She said as she walked over to him and hugged him from behind. She saw a knife in front of him when she looked over his shoulder. She thought she put everything up... He seemed to flinch a bit when she touched him. He turned around and just stared at her. “Greed is an awful thing, isn’t it?” He said this with a creepy smile. She raised an eyebrow. “Well, yeah,” she said with a little chuckle. He didn’t know they were angels just yet. She was going to tell him after the wedding, but forgot too. “It possesses our mind and makes us do horrible things,” he said to her while holding her shoulder. She looked at his hands and his hands gripped tighter on her shoulder. She grabbed his arm and tried to move his hands to no avail. “What’s going on?” She said with a bit of panic in her voice. He removed one hand and reached for the knife. “Greed makes us do regrettable things, right, sweetie?” He pulled the knife out from behind him and swung at her. She pushed him off of her and he fell to the floor. She started panting and panicking. She turned around to run, but he was a step ahead of her. He came up behind her and stabbed her. He pushed her to the ground.

She started coughing up blood and he bent down and tilted her chin up. “Greed makes us do things like this,” he said with a frown. She started struggling to breathe and it started to hurt. “Why?” She tried to lean up but failed and ended up coughing more. “Well, someone promised me a bunch of money. He promised me that I could live like a king forever. He said that I could get out of this dump. I wanted that,” he said. “He just said I had to get you out of the picture,” he said while twirling the knife around in his hand. “You see, I-” before he could continue, they both heard a knock on the door. “Sissy! It’s me. I just came to drop something off!” Sarah gasped and tried to lean up once again. Christian scolded at the door that separated Grace from her dying sister. He grabbed her roughly causing her to scream from the pain. “Tell anyone it was me, and I’ll get him to kill your family.” He dropped her and ran out the back door. “Sissy? Are you okay?”

Sarah started to crawl towards the door while holding her wound. She put pressure on it to try and stop it, but it still ached like hell. She reached the door and unlocked the door. She then fell down to the ground and her body couldn’t move anymore. Grace walked in and noticed her on the floor. Horror, shock, anger, sadness, all came on her face but then disappeared. She dropped down to her level and put pressure on her stab wound. “Sarah! Who did this to you? Tell me!” Sarah stared up into Graces eyes and saw concern and panic in the way she was shaking. Christians words echoed in her head. She couldn’t tell them. She wouldn’t. “Grace, I don’t wanna die. I wanted a family with him,” she said as she held her hand, tightly. Grace shushed her.

“You won’t, I promise.” Grace put Sarah’s arm around her neck and tried to carry her. At the slightest movement, Sarah screamed. Grace wasn’t strong enough and fell down, taking Sarah with her. “I’m sorry, Grace,” Sarah said. Grace propped Sarah up on her knees and held her cheek. “I have to go get mom and dad,” she told her. Sarah smiled and shook her head. “It’ll be too late. But, I’m happy I’m not dying alone,” she said with a small laugh. She didn’t realize it, but tears started going down her cheeks. Grace chuckled at that too. “I would never leave you alone. Why can’t you use your powers?” “I’m too weak. Plus, I don’t really get my powers, yet,” she said with coughs in between. Neither of them have their powers yet. “But hey, I may get my powers. I’m dying so,” she said. Grace grabbed her hand and started crying. “Don’t leave me alone.” Sarah laughed at that.

“There’s no place where you could go where I would not be there with you.” Grace watched in horror as her sisters eyes slowly lose their shine, her body slowly stopped moving, and felt the life slip from her hands. Grace cried while she laid her forehead on her sisters head, not knowing a figure lurks outside. “‘Till death do we part’,” said a voice. It let out a little laugh that sounded gruff. “That wedding was sweet but he did stay by his vow. Such a shame it had to be he that did the parting, and under terrible circumstances,” he said with a laugh.

“Sarah, your time is up in this world.”

[ra3lynn3]

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a long while since I last posted an update. Big thanks to @savvylark for making my first (beautiful) banner 😍. Much love to my beta @pip117, too, for your quick work. I hope you all enjoy! Chapter 15 Katniss was more than a little surprised when she walked into work the next morning to find a small white envelope laying on her computer keyboard. She glanced around the near-empty office scanning for the possible sender. She picked up the small orange flower that accompanied it, twisted it between her fingers and brought it briefly to her nose. She reached for the envelope noticing her name scrawled across the front in Peeta’s familiar, smooth, writing. Turning it over in her hands, she lifted the flap to discover a simple note inside. It read: Katniss, I’m sorry for being weird yesterday. I was being stupid. Forgive me? -Peeta P.S. dinner tonight at 7? Katniss felt a smile tug at her lips as she glanced around again for any sign of Peeta. She considered the note a moment longer before setting it back on her desk and heading to the break room for some water for her blossom. She wasn’t sure what was up with Peeta, or what prompted the note. But when she considered his behavior from the day before, he had been noticeably different. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought him jealous over the sudden appearance of Dalton. But that was ridiculous to even consider since the two of them were just friends, right? Although, she definitely felt a peculiar pulling at her heart when he blew off her lunch invitation. She grew more than a little concerned when he mentioned in passing that he had a headache (that would explain why he was acting so distant and short with her). She also thought a little too long about his leaving early for the day, saying something about meeting with Finnick, Annie, and the kids for dinner. In the past she couldn't have cared less about Peeta or his feelings, but the more she got to know him and spend time with him, the more that began to change. She was lost deeply in her thoughts when Peeta’s voice filled the quiet space, causing her to startle. “I see you got my note.” He said, nodding toward the flower she held in her hand. “I’m beginning to think you like scaring me!” She chastised, heart beating wildly, as she filled a small glass with water. "Yes, I got your note.” Katniss continued, a smile playing on her lips as she set the bud inside. “You’re allowed to have bad days. You feeling better?” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before turning to lean back on the counter. “Yeah, nothing a swift kick in the pants from Annie couldn’t fix.” He replied with a smirk as he rubbed the back of his neck. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Katniss asked glancing at him suspiciously before she walked back toward her desk with Peeta following closely behind. “I’ll tell you later.” He replied, waving it off. “We still on for dinner tonight?” “Definitely.” She replied as she sat down at her desk and settled the flower beside her computer. “Great!” Peeta said with a clap of his hands. Katniss shot him a smile, glad for the change in his mood. Once Peeta had walked away, she grabbed her phone and eagerly texted a picture of the flower to Johanna. Her friend’s reply was swift: “Will you just sleep with the poor guy already?!” Katniss scoffed and rolled her eyes before replying, “It’s not like that! He was only apologizing for blowing me off yesterday.” “Jealous.” Was all Johanna replied. “I doubt it! It was nothing, just a bad day.” “And that’s why you’re still single!” “?” “Oh darling, go buy a brain! He. Likes. You. You like him. Simple. Stop over complicating things! And stop being so oblivious...it’s not cute anymore.” Katniss rolled her eyes and set the phone down intent on ignoring her friend’s jabs. Not one to leave well enough alone, Johanna’s next texts pinged in quickly, one after the other. Katniss picked up her phone and read: “He was jealous, acted like an ass and had enough maturity to admit it AND apologize?” “Good luck finding many men like that!” “And again... Stop. Over. Complicating. Everything. It’s time to put on your big girl panties and have a real relationship already!” “I love you, you enormously stubborn pain in the ass! Let me know how dinner goes tonight. Xox” Katniss chuckled while setting her phone down again, knowing that Johanna’s rant was over. She had made several valid points but there was work to be done now. Even though thoughts of having Peeta Mellark all to herself this evening made that near impossible. Katniss ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at the bottom of her blouse, wondering if she had overdressed. She also questioned if the lace undergarments she’d opted for instead of her usual cotton was taking things a bit too far, or expecting too much too soon. ”Too late to turn back now!” thought Katniss, she had already knocked on his door signaling her arrival. “Hey.” Peeta offered simply as he opened the door, eyes surveying her. Katniss began feeling unnerved as his stare grew longer, an unreadable look upon his face. “Can I come in?” She asked, peering over his shoulder curiously. “Of course! Please!” Peeta said, seeming to break from his trance as he moved aside to let her in. “Nice place.” She remarked as she took in the sight of his apartment. The inside of the home was simple. The layout was open, with one space leading seamlessly into another. The furniture and decor exuded warmth, comfort and manliness, but not so much that Katniss felt like she was in a dorm. She found her mind wandering dangerously as she assessed the home, curious to know what every room in his apartment looked like. “You look really beautiful, Katniss.” Peeta offered looking bashful. “Thank you.” She replied after a moment, coming out of her head. She tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling a heat rise to her cheeks as they stared at each other for a long moment before a chiming from the kitchen pulled Peeta’s attention. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Make yourself comfortable." He announced, motioning toward the sofa in the other room as he stepped away to the stove. Katniss wandered toward the living room gazing at the paintings on the wall, framed photographs adorned the tables that flanked the couch. She took a seat gingerly on the sofa, running her hand over its smooth brown leather and glanced briefly at the rough sketches drawn out on the pad of paper sitting on the coffee table in front of her. “What did you want to drink?” Peeta asked drawing near. “Whatever you’re having.” She replied giving him a smile. “Beer it is!” He said with a snap of his fingers as he disappeared back to the kitchen, returning moments later with two bottles in hand. “Are all of those yours?” Katniss asked, nodding toward the paintings on the wall beside them. “Yep, all mine.” He replied sitting down next to her and taking a swig of his drink. “Don’t worry though, you’re welcome to touch them.” He said with a wink. Katniss nudged him playfully in the side, taking a drink herself. They sat quietly for a moment while she eyed the art a moment longer. “I think I’m falling for you.” Peeta blurted out, catching her off guard. She swallowed quickly causing herself to choke and sputter, trying to think of a way to respond. “What?” She croaked trying to regain her composure. “I’m falling for you, Katniss.” Peeta admitted again gently. Her mind was racing; stomach in knots. They had come so far in such a short time. Was it possible he really was falling for her? “Are you sure?” She replied, instantly feeling stupid for asking such a question. “I mean...how do you know? What makes you think that?” She was floundering. Fast. Peeta smirked, “I just do,” he shrugged. Another chime from the kitchen caught his attention. Katniss stood eagerly to follow him. She watched at his side as he pulled a dish from the oven, set it down and turned a series of knobs before removing his oven mitts. “Listen, Katniss,” Peeta said turning toward her, a thoughtful look crossing his features. “I don’t think I can do this whole ‘friends’ thing with you. The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s you. You’re it for me. Even early on when I acted like a completely stupid jerk. I guess it was my way of getting your attention. Being near to you.” He offered with a shrug. “In the worst way possible.” Katniss muttered under her breath, glancing to the side. “Yes, in the worst way possible! I know!” He grabbed her hands in his looking her square in the eyes. “But I want you. I want to do this with you. I think about you all the time. I like being around you, talking with you, working with you.” His voice rose with each admission. “I’m tired of being alone, Katniss. I’m tired of being lonely...” He said quietly, trailing off. They looked at each other for a long time while Katniss searched for the right response. She was terrible with the mushy stuff. Feelings and romanticism were never really her thing. Her mind reeled with several different ideas of words to say. It seemed, however, that none were forthcoming. After awhile Peeta looked expectantly at her and Katniss’ mind froze completely. “Say something.” Peeta urged giving an awkward chuckle. “Dinner smells amazing.” Katniss offered meekly, going for the first idea that came mind. Peeta heaved a sigh and turned to grab the dishes for dinner. Katniss felt her chest tighten. If words were not her strong suit, actions definitely were. Gathering her courage, she stepped closer to Peeta’s side. He turned his head to eye her curiously just before she grabbed his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, feeling Peeta turning to face her. She felt his hands press against her back, bringing her closer to him and dug her fingers into his hair at the back of his neck, feeling his soft wavy locks on her skin. She allowed her hands to roam over his broad shoulders and down his arms. Peeta pulled back after a moment and gave her a small smile before taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips so softly that Katniss wondered if they had made contact at all. She found herself eager to feel his mouth on hers again and pressed against him. Katniss felt relief when Peeta pressed back, a grunt coming from the back of his throat as he pushed her into the countertop. “How about a tour?” Katniss asked pulling back breathlessly before diving back in to kiss Peeta. Their hands roamed each others’ bodies hungrily. While she was normally one to move painfully slow when it came to relationships, there was something about Peeta that ignited a fire in her. And right now there was only one thing she wanted to do slowly. “Sure.” Peeta replied with a quick nod before leaning down to kiss her neck. “This is the ah-kitchen. Living room.” He said with a quick glance around, motioning with his hand before tending to her neck again. With his hands on her hips, he began to guide her backward down the short hallway. Leaving dinner behind and long forgotten. “My studio.” He choked out before a moan escaped his lips. Katniss smirked as she nibbled his earlobe, pleased with the reaction she had elicited. “Bedroom.” Peeta whispered pulling back once again, searching her eyes. Both stood breathless, foreheads against one another. Katniss’ back pressed against the door. “Thanks for showing me around.” She replied biting her lip. Reaching behind her back to search for the door’s handle, she quickly found success. Peeta steadied the two of them as they spilled into the room. “Peeta?” Katniss muttered. Peeta gave her a noncommittal grunt and continued in his quest to kiss every inch of her neck, nibbling at her earlobe. “Peeta!” She said more insistently. “What?” He asked pausing from the action, a heavy-lidded expression on his face. Katniss felt her stomach knot as she admitted, “I don’t want to be friends either.” Peeta gave her a seductive smile as he dove in to kiss her lips, kicking the door shut behind them.

[analogscum]

SCUM IN THE AISLES #1 (Vacation of Terror 2: Diabolical Birthday)

Sometimes, in order to seek out the weirdest discarded slices of celluloid trash that cinema has to offer, one must leave the confines of their crappy apartment, and go to an actual movie theater. This is a column recounting my excursions into the b-movie wilds. This is Scum in the Aisles!

I walk out the front door of my building in scenic Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and within less than 45 minutes, I am in cinephile nirvana: the Alamo Drafthouse. Located on the top floor of a shiny new shopping center and dining hall that sits conveniently atop the DeKalb Ave. R stop, the Drafthouse has become a sanctuary for freaks like me since it opened two Halloweens ago. Has it spoiled moviegoing for me forever? You bet it has. Once you have a theater experience where the tickets and food are reasonably priced (for New York City, that is), the seats are comfy and offer impeccable views wherever you sit, the movie choices range from the newest tentpole blockbusters to the most obscure arthouse and genre faire imaginable, and most of all, your fellow audience members respect the sacred rites of moviegoing just as much as you do and don’t goddamn fucking talk through the entire movie or goddamn fucking stare at their goddamn fucking smart phones through the entire movie, then you can never go back to the Regal Bowtie Halliburton Googleplex with the rest of the riffraff who bring screaming three-year-olds to R-rated movies or yell “OH I DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS IN THIS” at every name during the opening credits, or conduct mid-movie Skype conference calls with the home office (I’m not joking, I’ve actually seen someone do this, props to the asshole who ruined the first half hour of The Witch for me!)

Point is, I’m at the Drafthouse whenever time and money allows. So, on this particular Monday night, I found myself in a packed little theater for this month’s installment of Video Vortex, the series that shows the films that are too bizarre to be shown anywhere else, and that includes Weird Wednesday, a series that literally has the word “Weird” in it. I was especially excited because this month’s installment was presented by Annie Choi of Bleeding Skull. To say that Bleeding Skull has been a huge inspiration and influence on ANALOG SCUM would be the understatement of the century. Simply put, without the thoughtful, scholarly, clever writing done by Annie, Joseph Ziemba, and Zach Carlson for that site, ANALOG SCUM would not exist. Perish the thought!

On the menu for the evening was a ridonkulously bonkers Mexican horror chiller with the incredible title Vacation of Terror 2: Diabolical Birthday. Don’t worry, as Annie helpfully explained, this was a Troll/Troll 2 situation, as in the sequel has nothing to do with the original Vacation of Terror. Hell, there isn’t even a vacation in this movie, although true to form, the birthday does become mighty diabolical. The only returning character from the otherwise totally unrelated first installment is Julio, a sassy antique store owner. He flirts with a customer who turns out to be Mexican teen pop sensation Mayra, played by real life Mexican teen pop sensation Tatiana. He gives her some crappy looking vase that’s supposedly worth 60,000 pesos for free, which he figures will buy a trip to la zone de bone, but instead she just invites him to her little sister’s birthday party the following evening. How do you say “friend zoned” in Spanish? Oh, you don’t, because the concept of the friend zone is patriarchal bullshit that implies that men are entitled to sex for being nice to women and that their friendship is somehow some sort of punishment and we need to smash that way of thinking forever? Ok cool, moving on!

So as it turns out, Mayra’s sister, lil’ Tania, has this creepy doll. It looks like if they made a Cabbage Patch Kid based on Bob Dylan’s stage getup from the Rolling Thunder Review tour. You know it’s no good because suddenly this old dude barges in to Julio’s store and starts smashing everything in site while ranting nonsensically about the evil doll. Then he runs out into the street, where he is promptly hit by a car and dies. We then see Julio head over to the trusty public library, where he looks up some books on demonology. Now it’s time to par-tay! Mayra and Tania’s dad, Don Roberto, is a famous movie director. In fact, he’s planning on using Tania’s spooky-ass doll for his next movie. Tania’s birthday party is being held on the backlot of his movie studio, and it’s a Halloween-themed birthday party, even though it’s not Halloween, but who cares, because who WOULDN’T want a Halloween-themed birthday party?! Orrin Hatch, I bet.

Anyway, the party provides a perfect excuse for Mayra to take the stage and sing her latest smash hit single, “Chicos, Chicos, Chicos.” That’s “Boys, Boys, Boys” for those of you who don’t hablo Español. Guys, we need to talk about this song. First of all, it is catchier than influenza, or affluenza, for that matter. I’ve included the clip from the movie below, but just know that by smashing that PLAY button, you are going to have this thing running through your head for at least the next week, if not longer.

Now, I couldn’t find a version with subtitles, but the VHS tape (yup!) that was screened for us was subtitled, and these lyrics…holy mackerel. It’s been awhile since I took high school Spanish, but I’m not sure if these translations are accurate, or if they’re like the equivalent of BabelFish or something equally lazy. Anyway, here is the first verse of the song as it was translated for us:

Boys!

Monday, a snack

All the way

Bands and running

Clouds

Speed

Step on the gas

This is war

Great attention

Traffic jam downtown

Nervousness

Danger of rebellion

Boys, boys, boys

Clumsy and aggressive

Poor boys

Neurotics, all lost

Super guys

Surprised by Sunday crisis

See, I told you! Just have Kim Gordon whisper those words over some droning guitar feedback, and ta da, you’ve got a Sonic Youth song that nobody likes!

So what better way to follow up hearing your new favorite song than to have some birthday cake? Don Roberto wheels this puppy out, and it is spectacular! First of all, it is bigger than most tables, and it sports a sugary tableau of Halloween fun: a haunted house, a cemetery, a witch, etc. But for some reason, Don Roberto decides that it’s totally acceptable to hand a seven-year-old a giant sharp knife and let her cut the cake herself. Guess what, Tania slices her finger open, and gets blood all over that fondant witch. Then things take a turn: seems as though that creepy doll is actually alive. Whoops. It steals the bloody fondant witch, eats it, and promptly turns into a murderous demon.

Luckily, Julio shows up. He’s wearing a black trench coat and his power mullet is pulled back into a ponytail, because he’s a demonologist now. After one night of breezing through a book from the library. From here, we’re treated to all sorts of madness involving some silver coins, a laughing jack-o-lantern, Don Roberto sporting a shotgun whilst wearing a Canadian tuxedo, and a incongruous poster for the movie Cocktail. Now, it’s not all great. There are some really slow scenes. There are surprisingly few deaths, and they often happen offscreen. Worst of all, the filmmakers blatantly break the “keep your monster hidden” rule; this demon is all over the place, to the extent that he stops being threatening after like three scenes. Of course, it also doesn’t help that the demon just slowly waddles around and makes noises that are supposed to be spooky, but instead sound like sleep apnea. But only a chump would deny that this movie is one of a kind bizarro fun. How fun is it? Guys, the movie ends with not one, but TWO triumphant freeze frames!

Props to Annie Choi, Bleeding Skull, and the fine folks who make the Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn the best place to watch a movie in the whole darn city. I’ll see you in the aisles, Scumbags!

[theelectricshaman]

12.30.17

A new sensation has entered my mind. My old depression expressed itself through frustration, mostly from the inability to express my emotions. This new depression feels like a disease. It lives in my stomach instead of my mind. It floats around in my torso and squeezes its way through my organs making me feel like I could throw up at anytime, making me not want to eat. It was conceived in my head and infected it before traveling down to my abdomen. Upon its travel, it took a few things from my head that have not been returned: a sense of purpose, optimism, rationality, and my will to live. Its like a snake that slithers through my body and occasionally will let out a little hiss that reminds me that I chose the wrong path and my purpose has been terminated. and that with nothing to live for, why continue to live? its pretty harsh, and really scary to have something inside of you like that. but the things is he isn’t telling me what to do or what to think directly. he doesn't use statements, he uses questions. He asks me “what do you have to live for?” “do you still have a purpose?” “wouldn’t killing yourself save you from wasting time here?” to which I formulate my own answers. Its not like he controls me, he only makes me think about myself. Spooky stuff.

~

Yesterday I hung out with Anna Fagin, and wow it was amazing. We were texting the day before and morning before making plans. We talked about going to get coffee and watching a movie and playing mario kart. We had made a pretty solid plan before I even saw her. We never used to do that, we would just say “hey wanna come over” and we would come over. I felt terribly nervous before going over because I was looking at all these plans and thinking to myself about how these are just the things that will barely keep us entertained while we sit in silence having nothing to talk about because she still resents me for breaking her heart and walking out the door. We will hang out for however long it takes to do those three things and then I will leave because it will be too uncomfy. But here’s how things went:

- I wake up from a nap at 3:04, anna told me to come over at 3:00

- I take awhile to remember which house is hers because the last time I drove up to it I was still in love with her and that felt like another lifetime ago

- I walk in, am greeted way more excitedly than expected. Anna has her hair pulled back, kind of looks like a young mom but its fine. I don’t have a whole lot to say.

- I meet Ziggy, the coolest dog ever. See Drew sitting on the couch watching tv.

- We kinda just stand there and watch tv for probably a minute and then she asks me if I brought a movie

- I tell her I don’t have any movies but can choose one off netflix

- we look each other in the eyes and laugh for the first time in wow so  long

- things lighten up

- we go upstairs planning to watch a movie

- I approach the threshold of her room, but first notice the room next to hers, the room we sat in for a long time on the day we kissed for the first time

- I walk through the threshold of her room and am overwhelmed with the amount of memories it has produced. to name a few: bear knuckle boxing day, napping with annie and anna, writing coltrane’s express, making one of the biggest uncalled for moves i’ve ever made on a girl and kissing anna on valentine’s day, laying in her bed after we had gone sledding one day and looking at her in the eyes and hearing and saying the words “i love you” to another person for the first time, recording “wordless chorus” in her room while she was babysitting for a shitty soundcloud cover, watching gone girl when we both loved each other but neither of us thought the other had feelings so we really slowly moved closer to each other, but not too close!

- we just sit and talk about what life has thrown at us for the past few years. talk about aspirations, failures, dreams, goals, the past, the present, the future, laughing

- we forget to watch a movie because were too invested in our really good conversation

- we go downstairs and make coffee instead of going to get coffee

- we watch the new season of black mirror instead of a movie

- after two episodes i drink more coffee and then drive her prius to yats 

this part was really good. so at this point in the night i’ve looked at and talked to anna a bunch today, its like 7:00 so we’ve made it farther than either of us were expecting. I thought a lot about how to used to be in love and thought that hanging out with her would be good closure for that because of what I did to her. its funny how much I learn about myself by writing on this, but its also funny to write about things in hindsight and say “when will I ever learn.” anna hasn’t changed a bit, in the best way possible. deep down I haven’t changed all that much, what has changed is that I'm probably just smarter and way less annoying. so two people who used to be in love who haven’t changed that much was a weird setting for the night. I did not fall in love with anna. at least i don’t think i did. i’m getting distracted i’ll talk about this later. anna lets me drive her prius in the dumping snow and terrible roads to yats. the car was a hybrid so its really quiet. there weren’t any cars on the road because it sucked so it was really quiet. the few cars that were out were all driving on top of a few inches of snow and going really slow so it was really quiet. the snow was falling really prettily and when something is really visually enthralling it gets really quiet.  we were listening to really smooth music but pretty quietly, not speaking much because of how nice the way things were when they were quiet. the drive was probably one of my favorite parts of the night

- we go to yats eat some delicious food (they were out of B&B)

- drive back listening to corinne bailey rae (ooh)

- return home to more coffee and black mirror

- sit on that damn couch until 1 in the morning just talking about all the things we left unspoken. didn’t go into much detail about me breaking her heart. talked about justin and my downfall with him for awhile. talked about how i was convinced everyone in carmel hates me for everything i’ve done and how sad I am that I missed a bunch of really great opportunities

- get up to leave and she gives me a really nice hug. it was the same type of hug she used to always give me. she hugs with her hands, not her whole arms, and makes an effort to put her chin up on my shoulder even though i’m way taller than her.

- somethings never change. hopefully less things than what meets the current eye

[bethhxrmon]

All I Ask of You Pt. 2

“A girl, it’s a girl! How the hell? Is that even legal?” - “Watch What Happens” from Newsies

Pairing: Peter Parker x Original Female Character

Word Count: 3,570

Warnings: Cussing, mentions of sexual assault

Summary: The one that would probably have an inspiring showtune made out of it.

A/N: Wow, I actually kept up with updating once a week. Let me know your thoughts!!!

MASTERLIST

          With winter being on the horizon, the days were shorter and it wasn’t long until Annie was in the dark with her suit on. It was just silver leggings with a hoodie and mask, but it had more meaning behind it than the homemade look gave off. There were so many fond memories and Annie could even smell the last remnants of Seattle in the fabric.

           She could almost remember the whir of Harper’s sewing machine. It had been their idea, running with the name Annie had randomly come up with. Annie loved the outcome with Harper adding white, fairly intricate wings that connected the arms to the body. Although, it had been beaten up over time, the suit still hid her identity just fine. The last thing she needed was some pissed off evil dude tailing her at school. As long as the now off-white hoodie was able to keep her warm, she was going to be fine.

           For being New York City, there wasn’t anything too crazy happening. There were a couple pot dealers, but she didn’t see the point in going after them. Unless they were about to kill someone, she didn’t see the harm that they could do. It was just a calm, chilly night, which felt wrong for being in such a huge city.

           Of course, that was until Annie heard shouting. She tiptoed to the alley and was about to steal some electricity from a street light before going at the robbers when a bright red and blue figure jumped down from the top of a building. Obviously, it was Spider-Man, and of course he would steal her thunder. A part of her wanted to insist that he was overrated, maybe he was, but Annie couldn’t bring herself to be bitter. He was better prepared and had a nicer suit.

           Instead of fighting robbers and doing neat things with her powers, Annie did small things. Though, she could see Spider-Man swinging his way through the city. Maybe she would meet him someday. Hell, she could have even passed him on the street. It was a big city, so she didn’t dismiss the possibility. There was no way to know.

           The first day of school had Annie feeling small knots in her stomach, but she wasn’t as anxious as she had thought. It was only thanks to Peter and Ned, but she was excited either way. They had even gone to Manhattan the day before to see Times Square. Mainly because Annie apparently needed to see all the touristy places, but it was really because the boys wanted to go to the Hershey’s store.

           That little bakery they had met at became their meeting place because Annie was positive she would get lost on her own, even with using a GPS to get there. After their first meeting, Peter and Ned didn’t doubt it. They were more than happy to help her get to school. The trio walked to school through the traffic, horns honking all over the place. Rush hour was just beginning and it was only seven in the morning.

           “This place is way too clogged, I mean, people aren’t even honking at anything,” Annie said, looking around at the busy streets.

           “I don’t even notice it anymore,” Ned replied with a shrug.

           Annie shook her head, her eyes still trying to take in the vehicles along with the tall buildings, “I don’t think I could get used to all this.”

           Classes were a bit awkward with some teachers introducing her. Given the choice, Annie would rather pretend she had been there the whole time. She already had friends in the school, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted more than two. All she wanted was people she could talk to, she didn’t want to become te popular new girl. Though it was pretty easy to just blend in, taking notes and listening to the music on her phone if she wasn’t talking to Ned or Peter. English was the first class she didn’t know anyone in.

          With Peter and Ned, she’d had a class with at least one of the pair. It was their self-proclaimed jobs to ensure that Annie didn’t spontaneously combust from anxiety. She didn’t have the heart to explain that she was extroverted most of the time. Meeting new people wasn’t what she minded, it was suddenly being forced to meet too many people at once. All the unfamiliar faces were a bit weird for her, but it would just take some getting used to.

          The teacher placed her next to someone named Michelle since that was where an empty desk was. English was probably one of Annie’s easiest subjects, only because her dad took some of his college literature essays back home to grade. Growing up around someone who was constantly correcting students made it easy for Annie to make different mistakes instead. Though Annie ended up being quiet during the class discussion since she didn’t have a copy of The Great Gatsby on her. Instead, she noticed that Michelle wasn’t talking at all and didn’t seem to have a reason to be on the outside of the talk like Annie did.

           “You seem new,” Michelle said bluntly.

           Annie shrugged, “And you seem like you didn’t read the book that the class is talking about.”

           “Yeah, The Great Gatsby is overrated,” Michelle replied.

           Annie shook her head, “But it’s not, and besides, I’ve read it before. I’ll tell you what to say if you help me find my next class.”

           Both would have helped each other anyways. Annie liked having the chance to truly meet new people, while Michelle saw Annie’s class was just down the hall. Despite disagreeing on virtually everything, they couldn’t stop talking to each other when they were supposed to be getting through some symbolism worksheet. Maybe it was because they were both so levelheaded and knew what they were talking about. Being able to talk to someone who didn’t agree with Annie, but wasn’t a jerk about it was refreshing to say the least.

           “So why are you here?” asked Michelle, pretending to write something down.

           Annie frowned, “Like in a spiritual way or…”

           “No,” Michelle laughed, “why did your parents move here?”

           Annie sighed, shaking her head as she scribbled some nonsense onto the paper, “That was dumb… my dad’s teaching literature at Colombia.”

           “Holy shit, really?! That’s insane!” Michelle nearly exclaimed, quickly earning a scolding look from the teacher.

           By the time the class was over, Annie had another friend. Classes went by as they normally could for a first day at a new school. Lunch ended up being one of the least dreaded events of the day thanks to now having three friends.

           She sat across from Ned and Peter, Michelle was at the other end of the table, pretending to ignore them. Though Michelle would jump in with something to say every once in awhile. It felt like Annie had been there for the whole school year. Blending in with her new friends was simple, especially when they were all so nice. Well, Annie figured that Michelle would say otherwise, but that hardly mattered. The calm vibe that was at the table quickly shifted when another male approached the table.

           “Penis Parker, I see you found the newbie,” the guy jeered, a smirk on his face.

           “Flash, quit being a dick,” Ned replied, glaring.

           Flash rolled his eyes, “Whatever, I just came to tell the new girl she could get a friend upgrade.”

           “Um… the new girl has a name,” Annie muttered, continuing to eat her food.

          ��“Well what is it?” Flash asked, leaning against the lunch table.

           Annie smirked, “Knulla Dig, people call me Knulla though. But I’d say I found some pretty neat people, so I won’t take you up on that offer.”

           “You’ll change your mind, Knulla,” Flash replied before walking away, shaking his head.

           There was a long, awkward pause as they thought about what was just said. Annie shrugged a bit, going to her food. Being able to act tended to leave Annie being pretty good with lying to people.

           Ned broke the silence, “Dude, why?”

           “I didn’t like him, so I told him fuck you in Swedish,” Annie said, shrugging again.

           “Wait a minute, you know Swedish?” Peter questioned.

           “Oh no, I only know a couple cuss words in it. I’m not that cool, my mom knows a bit,” Annie responded.

           The group continued to eat in silence. As classes resumed, Annie didn’t have anything terribly eventful happen. It was just an average first day. She had homework and if she was behind, she would have to eventually catch up. Though her main issue was definitely physics class.

           It had always been a main flaw of hers, and it was easily her most ironic one. Ever since Annie was eleven she had her powers. She was a human physics equation, and that was why the subject always left her frustrated. Of all people, she should have been a genius when it came to physics, but she just couldn’t wrap her head around the subject.

           When the school day ended, Annie left her physics class to go home. She was stuck on her own. Peter, Ned, and even Michelle had clubs to go to after school. So Annie put in her headphones and walked back to her apartment.

           Walking back to her apartment, Annie didn’t get lost, but that was only because of the GPS on her phone. A part of her was tempted to explore the city on her own. What stopped her was her lack of money. She left it all at home. Besides, she didn’t have a job so she needed to save what she had.

           “How was your day, sweetie?” her mom asked as she entered the apartment.

           Annie shrugged, “It was alright, I think I’ll be okay there. I mean, I already have some friends.”

           “That’s good. Oh, the moving van showed up, so I need you to unpack your stuff,” her mom replied.

           Annie nodded, picking up her boxes from the ground, “Alright, I’ll get some of it done.”

           Though Annie really wanted to go out and see the city again. Maybe this time Spider-Man wouldn’t steal her thunder. She had to show that she mattered even while being new. Regardless of whether or not he had a cooler suit than her, she wanted to prove that she could be just as good as him.

           Annie unpacked most of her clothes and blankets, but she couldn’t stop staring out her window. It had always been difficult, making excuses to be out of the house. She had gotten in trouble for it too, since she would rarely be where she claimed. Of course, that beat the idea of telling her parents that she was actually a superhero.

           Upon finishing, Annie laid on her finally made bed. The evening was very uneventful, having gotten done with nearly all her homework, so she asked to leave to go study. Maybe she could find a way to prove herself.

           “Hey, can I maybe go study at one of my friends’ houses tonight?” she asked when she walked into the living room.

           “With whom?” her dad asked, looking up from what appeared to be some papers.

           “With this one girl, Michelle, she wants to help me with physics,” Annie said, hopeful, making sure to add, “You are the one who wanted me to focus on science.”

           With a little bit more convincing, Annie finally got to leave. Constantly lying did leave a bad taste in the brunette’s mouth, but it was necessary. She knew that her parents would never let her glide along in a makeshift costume fighting robbers and the occasional villain. It was insanely dangerous, but she felt like she was wasting her time if she didn’t use her powers.

           Things were turning out to be quite a bit crazier than the previous night. As Annie glided from building to building, energy catching in the makeshift wings, she saw something. It appeared almost as though someone was being beaten up in an alleyway. It was her chance to show what she could really do. Well, mainly a chance to help someone get out of a tough situation.

           Quickly, she glided down, simply absorbing the energy into herself, “Let her go,” Annie demanded.

           “Or what, you’ll kill me?” a scraggly man slurred.

           Of course the guy was drunk! Still, Annie wasn’t scared, quite the opposite, actually. She channeled some electricity from the street light near her and used some of the electricity on the man. Not much, just enough to give him a slight shock. Enough to make him realize she wasn’t some loon in a dumb costume.

           It was enough for the girl to get free, though the girl seemed to fall down. The girl was injured, but Annie had to make sure this guy didn’t just get away. It was too dark for Annie to see what she looked like. He tried to run away, but Annie quickly set up a barrier of energy around him. Now the man was unable to leave, she looked over at the girl.

           “Hey, are you alright? I can call for help if you need,” Annie said.

           The lady shook her head, “I don’t need that, you should really let him go, he’s just drunk.”

           “No, he wasn’t ‘just drunk’, he hurt you. I can’t let him go like that,” Annie replied sternly.

           “But he’s a customer… if I don’t… it’s not gonna end up well for me. Just let me do my job,” she explained with an anguished tone, rubbing her ankle.

           Shit, Annie thought, it almost sounds like a trafficking ring. Getting a better look at the lady, she appeared to be a girl. It was possible that she was around Annie’s age. Leave it to her to find a potentially huge network of organized crime before she could even memorize her way home. This wasn’t the sort of thing she dealt with in Seattle, and she was left staring blankly. Thank the lord for her mask otherwise she would have looked like such an idiot.

           Annie frowned, “So you have to do this? Like, against your will?”

           “Well, I don’t mind. If I do well at this then Dar- my pimp treats me very well,” the girl responded.

           Seeing that the drunk man had passed out, Annie let down the barrier so she could get to the girl. She sat next to her, and Annie saw that the girl couldn’t possibly be much older than herself. The girl’s short, curly dark hair seemed to be stuck to her face from sweating.

           “I’m gonna get you out of this, it’s not right that you’re hurt. We need to get you to a hospital,” Annie said, noticing what seemed to be signs of injection on the other girl’s arms.

           The girl shook her head, “No, I don’t need some girl in a silly costume helping me.”

           “But you obviously do, and I’m going to regardless,” Annie replied, though she was definitely not going to admit that she had no clue what to do.

           There wasn’t anyone to talk to, or a way to figure out how to help this girl. Unless she physically hid this girl in her room, which was impossible, there was no way for Annie to take care of this on her own. Though as she thought, she could hear some footsteps and looked up to see what was going on.

           “Why the hell aren’t you working, whore? And who the fuck is this?” asked a rather large, clearly sober man.

           “I’m a customer,” Annie replied drily.

           “The fuck you are, and what the fuck are you doing with my whore?!” the man yelled.

           The man kept getting closer and closer. Annie could smell the cigarette breath off of the guy, and she could tell just how much taller he was than her. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle this guy. He was just a regular man and she had powers. She absorbed the energy that she could feel through the streets and shoved him back into the wall.

           He tried to struggle against the barrier Annie held up, a blue green hue appearing the more force she put into keeping the man against the wall. This had to have been the guy that the girl had been talking about.

           “Hey, wait… what?” Annie heard another voice as well as light footsteps.

           Annie turned to see Spider-Man. It felt insane to actually see the guy so close up. Still, this was her chance to show just what she could do. She shoved the man back again, only making him angrier. Just as Annie stole more electricity from a different street lamp, Spider-Man wrapped the guy in webbing against the wall.

           “I so had that!” Annie exclaimed, crossing her arms, the barrier of energy going away.

           “Who’re you?” Spider-Man asked before Annie could complain anymore.

           Giving a sarcastic curtsey, Annie said, “White Swan, at your service.”

           “Um… what the hell’s happening? I can’t get up because my leg’s fucked, and you just… webbed my pimp,” the girl commented, sounding rather distressed.

           Annie gave a nod, “Right, erm… we’re gonna help you out.”

           “You said something like that already,” the girl retorted.

           Spider-Man seemed to give what Annie could only guess was a confused look, “Don’t we just take her to a hospital?”

           “No! That’s where they’ll look first. You guys shouldn’t have done anything,” the girl trailed off.

           “Alright, alright, I’m thinking… do you have anywhere to go? I mean there’s gotta be a place that can help you,” Annie rambled, “What’s your name anyways?”

           “It’s Tina, and, look, I can help myself.” Tina insisted, attempting to stand up as she used the wall as a crutch.

           “You’re in pain and can’t even walk. You need help,” Spider-Man replied, concern etched in his voice.

           “How do you-” Tina was cut off.

           “Spidey senses, I know when things are happening and how people are feeling,” he explained.

           Annie sighed impatiently, “Or you could’ve just noticed that she’s limping around. We need to focus, Spidey, find somewhere for Tina to go. Like a church or a convent or a homeless shelter… a place that could take care of her.”

           Spider-Man nodded, picking up Tina, “Yep, also, I saw a church with a homeless shelter a few blocks away… sorry, I should’ve asked if I could pick you up, I-I meant to, but I don’t know you could get anywhere easily without… well without falling.”

           They ended up walking, and that was when it all truly hit Annie: she was walking with Spider-Man. She had actually spoken to Spider-Man. Harper was going to completely flip. Especially if she brought up the fact that the guy kind of sounded like a dork. It was true, though, he sounded just as confused as she did.

When they finally got to the church, Tina insisted on going in herself, using the wall as a crutch. Though Annie wasn’t about to leave until she was positive that Tina was going to be staying in the building. Then both heroes left to go back to the spot. Wanting to make sure that they could arrest the piece of garbage that Spider-Man webbed to the wall

           The only problem was that when they got back the guy was gone. It looked like something had cut through the webbing. Something told Annie that wasn’t how things were supposed to work. Of course, she didn’t know how webbing was supposed to work in the first place, but the narrowed eyes on Spider-Man’s costume concerned her a bit.

           “You know this means there are more of them, sex slaves and pimps, I mean,” Annie said.

           Spider-Man nodded, “Yeah, I know. It’ll get sorted out though, you have nothing to worry about.”

           “Exactly, because I’ll be taking care of it,” Annie insisted.

           Spider-Man paused, “You don’t need to, you’re obviously new.”

           “I’ve done this for long enough. Besides, you sound like a fetus,” Annie retorted as she crossed her arms.

           “Um… excuse you. Fine, we can work together on it,” Spider-Man replied, sighing a bit, “Mr. Stark is gonna freak if I tell him you’re doing this.”

           “Well then just don’t tell him. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve gotta get home before my parents flip,” Annie said, running off so she could remember how to get home. The last thing she wanted was for Spider-Man to know that she was so new that she couldn’t even remember how to get back home.

           When Annie got home that night, she called up Harper, her heart racing with excitement, “You’re never gonna guess what happened!”

           “You saw a roadkill pigeon?” Harper mused, sketching audible in the background.

           Annie rolled her dark brown eyes, as she worked on some trigonometry homework “No, and ew… I met Spider-Man!”

           “Wait… no shit? I feel like you’re lying to me… so you seriously met him?!” Harper asked, the sketching sound stopped.

           The dark-haired girl laughed, “Yes, I did, now let me tell you everything.”

           “Well then stop with all the lead-ins and tell me about Spider-Man already!” they exclaimed, and Annie had to take the phone away from her ear because of how loud Harper yelled.

           After laughing, Annie started to retell all the crazy events of that night.

Tag list: @flushings-here / @upsidedownparker / @gaypanda (just ask to be added to the tag list)