#i love kate helping the magic kids to fight fight

[katewibberlystan]

recommending you books i enjoy based on your favorite tbob character (ft a sentence for what each one is about/why it's awesome, and the intended audience)

kate: - the last magician by lisa maxwell; a well constructed time travel heist set in 1902 NYC, with immaculate worldbuilding and fascinating magic. YA. - the once and future witches by alix e. harrow; three sisters, who are also witches, organize for women's suffrage and fight against an ancient evil. Adult. - truthwitch by susan dennard; a pair of witches and best friends become caught up in political intrigue, reincarnated monsters, and a fantastically crafted world of complex characters and cool magic. YA. - time stoppers by carrie jones; an orphaned pre-teen discovers a secret town full of magic, one that she and her friends must save from attacking monsters. Middle Grade. - the diviners by libba bray; a group of teenagers with paranormal abilities find themselves fighting off evil spirits in the 1920s.

michael: - matilda by roald dahl; a classic children's fantasy that celebrates learning and families of choice. Middle Grade. - the strange case of the alchemist's daughter by theodora goss; the children of gothic literature's classic mad scientists come together to solve mysteries and stop human experimentation. Adult. - every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire; a quick, poetic read about what happens to the kids from a portal fantasy quest after they come home. YA. - the girl from everywhere by heidi helig; a pirate ship that can travel between time and fictional worlds, so long as they have a map, sets out on a quest to reunite their captain with his lost love. YA. - miss peregrine's home for peculiar children by ransom riggs; after his grandfather's death, a teenage boy is thrown into a world of monsters, time travel, and people with superhuman abilities. YA.

emma: - the scapegracers by h. a. clarke; a group of teen witches become friends and form a coven to defeat a group of modern day witch hunters trying to steal their magic. YA. - the lost girls by sonia hartl; a group of vampires plan to kill the man who made them this way, before he can harm any other women. YA. - the society for soulless girls by laura steven; a college student's attempts to investigate mysterious deaths becomes connected to her angry roommate's attempts to create a potion that can alter a personality. YA. - coraline by neil gaiman; a kid finds a door to a different world in her new home, a world that seems pleasant at first but soon grows quite terrifying. Middle Grade. - bad witch burning by jessica lewis; a teenage girl trying to escape poverty raises the dead for money, only to find her zombies cannot be controlled. YA.

gabriel: - holes by louis sachar; boys at a juvenile detention camp are forced to search for a lost treasure and explore the complicated history behind it. Middle Grade. - nettle and bone by t. kingfisher; a woman sets out to kill the evil prince holding her sister prisoner, with the help of a motely crew including an exiled warrior, a fairy godmother, a witch, a possessed chicken, and a skeleton dog. Adult. - lone women by victor lavelle; after her parents die, a woman with a monster trapped in her suitcase tries to survive and build a home for herself in the Montana wilderness. Adult. - chomp by carl hiaasen; in the Florida everglades, a young boy and his animal trainer father are commissioned to help film a survivalist tv show. Middle Grade. - revelator by daryl gregory; set in the 1930s/40s Tennessee, a moonshiner raised by a cult has to return and face the monstrous being her family worships. Adult.

wilamena: - the black witch by laurie forest; a complex fantasy world in which rebellion foments among many beings at a magical college. YA. - island of the aunts by eva ibbotson; a fun children's fantasy where two outcasts are kidnapped by eccentric old women to help protect an island full of magical creatures. Middle Grade. - children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi; a young woman persecuted for her powers fights to take back her home from a magic-hating tyrant. YA. - deep blue by jennifer donnelly; the underwater world of mermaids is plunged into chaos when political machinations and an ancient prophecy collide. YA. - the thirteen treasures by michelle harrison; a girl who can see fairies is sent to live with her grandma, where she uncovers secrets about her abilities. Middle Grade.

rafe: - the witch haven by sasha peyton smith; a student at a school for witches in 1911 NYC is searching for answers about her brother's murder. YA. - the bones of ruin by sarah raughley; an acrobat who cannot die joins a magical tournament held by the most powerful people in Victorian London in exchange for answers about her forgotten past. YA. - the court of miracles by kester grant; a thief forms alliances and completes impossible tasks in Paris's elaborate criminal underworld, all so she can keep her little sister safe. YA. - the gilded wolves by roshani chokshi; a tight-knit group of criminals is tasked with recovering a magical artifact capable of changing the world. YA. - the cure for dreaming by cat winters; a teen suffragette gains the ability to see people's essence after an encounter with a hypnotist. YA.

bonus, all of the above: reaper man by terry pratchett. literally everyone should read discworld, it's amazing and reaper man is my favorite. good omens by pratchett is also a gem.

[sea-owl]

Do you think the Bridgerton storylines and relationships would have been different if The Bridgertons weren't a titled family, or rich but the spouses were?

Weirdly had this thought after watching the latest Magic Mike movie 😅 that somehow led to me wondering about Bridgerton and the divide between the wealthy and poor.

Current thoughts: ok so let's go Modern Au, because icbf with the regency rules and proprietry.

Bridgertons are like Modern Au Weasley family/ Cheaper by the dozen vibes.

Simon: Still the son of a Duke, canon backstory with Anthony being his best mate. They met at a fancy boarding school but Ant was a scholarship kid. In attempt to escape his Aunt's matchmaking schemes, he propses a fake relationship with the waitress he'd just witnessed sucker punch a rowdy customer. Unaware of just how inevitable their meeting truly was.

Kate: known cold stone Heiress to her late Father's company. An active workaholic who is always triggered into fight mode by that 'Bridgerton bastard' who works for her good Friend Simon (cbf thinking of proper roles rn😂😅)

Sophie: After her dad died, she's surprised to learn he named her his official heir despite her illegitimacy and only left a stipend for her step family in his will. Forced to go into hiding after multiple murder attempts, she has a fateful encounter with a struggling art student and becomes his unwilling muse.

Penelope: The Featheringtons are high class old money folk, but Pen is desperate to escape the suffocating lifestyle she's been born into. She wants to branch out make a name for herself with her own hard done work to thank not some dead ancestors lucky gamble in investment and business. Thank the gods for the charming bartender who's become the listening ear she's desperately needed all her life.

Phillip: Mostly similar cannon backstory. Except the children are his brothers and they do indeed need a nanny. Eloise didn't even know what she applied for. All she knew was she'd get a free room(no dorm expenses) free food (no meal expenses) and no transport fees (uni was only a 40 minute walk!). What a deal, and it'll keep Anthony off her case about finances!! How hard of a babysitting job could it be?

As far as I got, but would love to hear if you or anyone else has any other thoughts to share or add 😁😁

Magic Mike, lmao. I should probably watch that series if it's giving people ideas. But yeah I do think it would definitley change some dynamics espcially since three, four if we count the tv series, of the spouses came from not okay money situations.

Saphne: So for this I can still see it going as a mutually beneficial fake relationship for both. Hear me out, sex historian Daphne. It's a newer field and newly graduated Daphne is working to help get it off the ground with social media, but she doesn't have much time due to her long hours as a waitress. In comes Simon, her brother's best friend, who allows her the chance to help boost her following. Everyone would be curious about Simon Basset's new boo, and Simon will get his aunt off his back about finding love. Anthony orinally doesn't want his sister in the limelight like that but he does eventually consent when Daphne starts pulling in numbers and can leave her waitress jobs where a bunch of creaps like to come. Oops they fell in love.

Kathony: I can see this going one of two ways, the first being something similar that anon wrote, or mistress Anthony. Anthony works with Simon in his law firm, with hopes to open up his own practice one day, but that's a far off dream with seven siblings, five who are helping with the bills, and a mother to help support. Kate's frustrated with her job as the heiress to her father's company. She's needs a release. That lawyer Simon keeps sending looks handsome enough and one hate sex night later Anthony is now Kate's mistress. There's no way this is gonna backfire on either of them right?

Benophie: Hear me out, makeup artist Benedict. His true talent lies in painting, but that doesn't pay the bills. He's good with a brush, and once in a while, he gets to have fun with special effects makeup. Sophie is being paraded around as the new Pennwood heiress, despite her suspicious birth. Her stepmother is doing everything in her power to have the media downplay Sophie and her ability to be the heiress to Pennwood by getting every makeup artist to purposely make Sophie look horrible. Having enough Sophie calls her friends for a makeup artist her stepmother hasn't sunk her claws in. Enter Benedict. Benedict works his magic and makes Sophie look fabulous for her next interview. Sophie has found her new makeup artist, and Benedict has found his new muse.

Polin: Penelope is from old money, and she hates it. She feels trapped and suffocating from all the rules she has to follow. She wants to leave and make something of her own. Her friend Colin, who she met in a writer's group, jokes she can write a tell all book. That earns him a sock in the arm from Penelope, who refuses to become a stereotype. Colin wants to see the world one day. Travel to far off places, explore the culture, and most importantly, try the food. Penelope thinks he has what it takes to be a travel writer. He's shared what he wrote when in his journal during the rare family outing to the beach, and it almost felt like you were there. Well Penelope has more money than she knows what to do with and knows about running a blog. She might not what to do with herself but she can help somebody else. Who knows maybe she'll get some inspiration. Hey Colin, how would you feel about a trip to the Mediterranean?

Philoise: Throw them in the plot of the Nanny, and there's the modern philoise au. But on a serious note, Eloise doesn't even know what she applied for, all she knew is that the benefits were perfect. Needing a nanny for the weekend, Phillip hires Eloise on a test run. Her methods are unconventional, but Oliver and Amanda haven't scared her off. Phillip would almost dare to say they like her, and Phillip might like her too.

And that's all I got for now too. Lovelies join in if you want!

[clay-cuttlefish]

Forging ahead with 52. #19 to #38. It's so much.

#19

The Evil Skeets plot is great. According to the omnibus it was a very late change away from a generic broken-time story, and I can kinda see that with how some of the earlier evil Skeets behavior doesn't seem super purposeful, but it all works for me.

#20

Mostly spaceguy plot that I don't care much about. The fight's cool at least.

I have no idea what fan speculation was like at the time but the idea of Supernova Jason Todd conspiracy theories is extremely funny so I support the intentional red herrings here.

#21

I keep changing my mind on which storylines I like more as I go. How could I not love Natasha?

#22

Dr. Magnus is back! I wish him being bipolar was handled more sensitively, the whole "oh the medicine keeps me from going ~crazy~" thing is :/, but I'm willing to read it charitably as his own perspective because I like him. He's a psychotic DC character who's heroic and not spooky or magical, just a guy who really doesn't want to have another depersonalization episode and has some internalized sanism about it, it could be so much worse.

#23

I like that Vic's more jaded to the horrors he can't stop than Renee is. He's had a lot of time to get used to the idea he can't save everyone - back in his own book he would've thrown himself in harm's way just like she wants to, but he's gotten better at not starting fights he can't win.

Hate to give Geoff Johns credit for anything but "What the hell are you doing?" "Seeing if it's contagious." is really good.

#24

"We were both guilty of ignoring Ted" Pretty sure Booster nearly died because he dropped everything to help but okay.

Osiris is just a kid...

Introducing a First Nations hero just to kill him off and give his stuff to a white dude sucks.

#25

Alan's out of the spaceguy zone and doing his own thing.

Almost halfway and the threads are still only starting to link up.

#26

I cannot get enough of Vic and Renee being friends with the Black Marvels. It's very sweet!

Tot my friend Tot :)

This is just a nice moment for them.

#27

I'm very into how Evil Skeets is drawn. He manages to be expressive despite having no moving features, it's a good trick.

Ohhh no it's now. I thought I had another issue, but no, this is the turning point.

#28

THE QUESTIONS!!! Love how they're heckling Kate together.

Kate is so cool.

Oh right, the spaceguys are still here.

#29

The way the mad science island handles mental illness generally sucks, but it's almost hitting at something interesting with Will being forced off his medication for the sake of "creativity".

#30

Get out of here Bruce.

I am going to cry!

#31

I don't even dislike the spaceguys really, but cmon, more of Ralph or Nat would've been better.

Ralph's still a detective even at his lowest! Strong foreshadowing.

#32

Uh oh, Ralph.

#33

Ohhh Charlie.

Him hallucinating Myra? Only able to admit he loved her at the very end?? It takes me out!

Almost all of his dialogue is straight from the O'Neil run. Rucka describes rereading the entire run just to write this issue because he had to get this right, and it shows.

There's a reason I consider O'Neil and Rucka the essential Question writers, and all the other takes to be interesting sidenotes.

#34

The kids aren't doing so well.

aaaaaaaa

#35

Hands you a picture of Nat. Hands you a picture of Nat. Hands you a picture of Nat.

Lex is the best villain in 52 and it isn't even close to a competition.

#36

AAAAAAA

Fuck dude! Nothing coherent to say here! Look at them!

#37

Wild emotional roller coaster for me as I go from Renee agony to cheering about Booster. My first read of this was a Time.

It's such a fun mystery. I can confirm it works if you know nothing about comics and are just along for the ride, and it comes together so well on the reread.

Mayor Ollie!

#38

AAAAAAA

"I'm afraid of who I'll become without you..." How am I meant to be normal about this!

I had to read this in two pieces because it made me need to get up and pace. It has done this every time I have read it. I am physically incapable of being normal about this.

Head in my hands. Comics are good and worth reading actually.

[fatheroffdensen]

mundane dethklok headcanons for the soul (no aotd spoilers!)

(as previously stated in some rb tags) i think pickles never even tried to get his license and he just drives illegally. he probably learned to drive + fix shitboxes on his own because when you're a runaway 14 yr old in the midwest there isn't a lot to do besides having shotgunning contests with the local mechanics

nathan cannot parallel park and he took his driving test 10 times before he just stared down the instructor silently until they let him pass

i also think that nathan goes thru phases of literally not eating/drinking anything that isn't doritos, chocolate milk, and beer and after a few weeks someone has to remind him that vegetables exist so he doesn't die. like yea he enjoys fancy food and wine and all that rich people shit, but obviously cool ranch doritos and chocolate milk is the best thing a death metal vocalist can eat

murderface can't cook per se but he can improve a box of kraft mac n cheese into the best, sluttiest, most ridiculously delicious meal you've ever had. hot dogs, 5 different types of cheese, so much butter, the whole 9 yards of mac n cheese magic

i think toki would enjoy weed! him and murderface become regulars at the dispensary and are smoke buddies together. sure dethklok does ALL drugs but toki with medical weed for all the ptsd to help him relax? it makes sense to me :)

also post doomstar if AOTD didn't happen i would love toki to have an emotional support animal for his ptsd. probably a cat.

skwisgaar hates dogs because they remind him of the various times he was chased by actual wolves in rural sweden as a kid, but sometimes small and affectionate dogs like corgis can manage to melt his 'icy' heart just a bit (his heart isnt actually icy but we all know that)

after extended stress, pickles gets very agitated and explosive, so sometimes murderface will pick a fight with some random dude to give pickles a chance to vent out his anger by beating someone tf up. also because murderface thinks its hilarious because pickles can kick the shit out of like 6'3'' bodybuilders with the sheer force of his little-guy-rage

charles is a fan of kate bush, madonna, cyndi lauper, cher, just a huge amount of artists that he would probably be made fun of for liking. but very very rarely he'll find himself at (maybe a gay) bar where no one recognizes him, and he becomes the life of the party when girly 80s pop comes on. maybe he can even bust down some kinda old school but actually very skilled 80s ass dance moves..

[drewsb12]

Hi there! It is Sarah here! I was wondering if I could have a Harry Potter, Marvel, Stranger Things and The Umbrella Academy ships please?

Physical Appearance: I have long brown hair with blonde highlights, ocean blue eyes with bluish-purple glasses, I have a curvy but lean body with strong calves thanks to the years of dancing (cheerleading and ballet), horse-riding, running and jumping, I am 5'1 feet tall, I have pale-tan skin with freckles on my face and also I got random moles and freckles on my arms and legs as well and people say I got a smile that can brighten up any room.

Personality: I am an open-minded, kind-hearted, optimistic and friendly girl with a love of learning things like zodiac signs, MBTI types, crystals and Disney etc. I can be very impatient, stubborn, naive and I am also in the spectrum so I can be blunt and quirky only because I see the world in a different way from other people but I see the good in people no matter what and I am loyal and dependable to my friends and family and when someone hurts my friends and my family I can be fiercely protective all over them.

My type for a perfect person: I just want to be my best friend and partner in crime, I want a gentleman or gentlelady who will be proudly hold my hand and being glad that I am their girlfriend, I want someone to bring me flowers and compliments everyday and being the mother/father of my future kids someday and treat me like a queen all the time.

Sexuality and Pronouns: Bisexual (Both male and female preference) and She/Her

MBTI Type: INFJ-T

Big Three: Sagittarius sun, Cancer moon and Aquarius rising

Moral Alignment: Lawful Good

Enneagram Type: Type 2 (The Helper)

Temperament Personality Type: Sanguine-Choleric (The Influencer)

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Likes: Singing, dancing, acting, writing, reading books, typing, watching Disney movies, Zodiac signs, MBTI types and crystals.

Dislikes: Mean people, vegetables, yelling, someone who hurts the ones I love the most and bullies.

Random Facts: I've been in the school musical productions for 5 years and my childhood nickname was Sarah-Bear.

Hi there! Thank you for being my matchup cobaye lol I hope you will like it! Here are you matchups:

Your Stranger Things match is...

Lucas Sinclair! You and Lucas are friends above all. He loves how protective you are over the people you care about and he is just as protective towards you. During each of his basketball games he will wave at you and tell everyone that you are his girlfriend. He is always holding your hand whenever you two are together. He also your stubborness and likes to gently tease you sometimes, just to see you react. Mostly though, he loves making you smile. He acts as the perfect gentleman and treats you like the queen you are.

Your Harry Potter match is...

Luna Lovegood! Luna loves the unique way you see the world because she views the world differently too. It's line the two of you are living in a bubble together. She likes making you dance with her, wether there is music or not. She brings you all kinds of beautiful and magical flowers, and she tells you of their particularities and the legends linked to them. She enjoys talking to you about the stars, zodiac signs and crystals. The two of you never fight. Each day is just spent enjoying each other's presence. You are the perfect Slytherin x Ravenclaw soulmates!

Your Marvel match is...

Kate Bishop! You are both very athletic people and she loves going on runs with you or dancing. She really likes you watching you act out a scene and sometimes tries to improvise to join you. You two are partners in every way. She lets you help her during missions, but always makes sure that you are always safe because you are the most precious person in the world to her. She loves to cuddle and have movie marathons with you. Every year your birthday is THE event and she goes all out with flowers, movies and candles.

Your The Umbrella Academy match is...

Ben Hargreeves! You are the best thing to have happened to Ben. Ben adores making you smile, it warms his heart like nothing else. You two love going to the movies and exchanging books. You are like a two-people book club together. He enjoys going on walks with you in the wild, taking in the sun and the nature around you two. Once he found out about your childhood nickname, it was over for you. He has been calling you Sarah-Bear ever since. Though he has several other cute petnames for you. When he looks at you, he sees the mother of his future children. You are a family and nothing could separate you.

I hope I did it well and that you like your results! 💛

[mariamga2024mi4017]

lecturers - 16/072024

Discussion on the group changes and the presentation for stage one.

Questions....

Reflecting on the context where we consume and make films/art...

2. What film styles/genre are you drawn to? why?

As a kid, I remember watching a lot of animated movies with my cousins and watching major action-packed Hollywood films with my parents. I also remember watching some old Sinhala black-and-white films, Sinhala dubbed Japanese/Korean and Indian teledramas with my grandmother.

During my teenage years, I got into anime movies/series and K-dramas thanks to some of my school friends.

Overall, I feel like I've watched various types of films since childhood, and going down memory lane has helped me figure out my ideal and genre of film.

My favorite film style -

Neo Noir - Even before I knew such a film style existed, I found myself interested in movies like Seven, Zodiac, Shutter Island, and Blade Runner.

I'm such a big fan of the dark aesthetics of these films and the well-thought-out plot twists. More than the morally grey protagonist, I would say that I'm always invested in figuring out who the mastermind antagonist is, and I find myself trying to figure out their purpose and next big move. (What I mean by this is that I'm invested in their thought process of cooking up this messed up plan and what pushed them to this point of breakdown)

My favorite film genre - Action, Crime, Thriller

Thriller - As a neo-noir fan, I'm pretty much a thriller fan. Horror can be a bit too extreme with the jump scares and the supernatural stuff, but I think thriller has a well-balanced horror to its genre. In a way, I feel like thriller movies give an important message of judging and understanding the people you are with. Don't judge a book by its cover.

2. Crime - I may have not read a lot of Sherlock Holmes books, but I've definitely watched many detective/ crime and mystery movies. would even say that my favorite movie character role would be the 'detective'. Detectives are bold and just and they will do anything to solve all these mysterious cases before them and I'm here to enjoy the show!

3. Action - My love for action would be thanks to the old Marvel movies <3 (The new ones are bad...) It may sound silly, but I remember watching the 'Avengers' movie when I was 12 and I felt this heroic inspiration in me. And the action-packed fight scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. So, any good action-packed movie with some comedy sprinkled in it is what I'm gamed to watch.

4. Romance - I don't usually find myself watching a lot of romance films since most of them can be cheesy, too corny, and give me secondhand embarrassment, but movies like 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Eat Pray Love', 'Kate and Leopold', and 'Under the Tuscan Sun' are classics that make me believe that love might just be a magical experience. (Or it may just be 'magical' only in the movies TOT)

3. what sort of films/art has influenced your current practices?

As I've mentioned in my answer to the previous question, I would say that neo-noir films have influenced my way of thinking imaginatively and also for story writing.

In terms of art, I would say that my art style has been influenced by anime. At the same time, however, looking at the classic artists I would say that Van Gogh's artwork in terms of color palette usage is to my liking.

4. what sort of work you like to explore and draw inspiration going forward?

I would say that I would like to explore more Sri Lankan stories as a future animator or filmmaker.

I believe that our country has been blessed with some amazing historical stories. Unfortunately, most of them haven't been taught in an eye-catching manner.

I remember during O/Ls, I had to suffer through, reading chunks of paragraphs with unnecessary information only to find a few important sentences for the exam. But looking back, it's not that those stories weren't interesting. They were just not taught properly.

So, in the future, I would like to revisit all these history-related stories I had to memorize and animate them in a way that they will be interesting for students and even foreigners to watch.

Discussion on Martin Wickremasinghe and Lester James Peiris!

existentialism/ absurd theater

MADOL DOOVA (island filled with mangroves) - published in 1947, author Martin Wickremasinghe

List down important contributions by Martin Wickremasinghe to Sri Lankan literature :-

List down important contributions by Lester James Pieris to Sri Lankan cinema :-

Reading Madol Doova :-

ambalama - A place where travelers can rest

watching the film!

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 16

Hello, lovelies! Hope y'all are doing well :)

Don't forget you can read three chapters ahead on this story, twenty chapters ahead on "A Dream of Summer Rain", and two chapters ahead on "Magical Girl Exorcist Squad", by becoming a paid subscriber on my Substack or my Patreon!

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Thank you so much for your continued support of my work! Every little bit helps me to keep going :)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled nerdy romcom shenanigans!

***

Kate

Zeke and I ate dinner together again the next night, and the next night, and the next, and the next. Our second dinner we just went and got pizza, then took in a movie. Our third saw us eating at my place, while my parents playfully interrogated the young man as to his intentions towards me. Our fourth was at his place, and Faith was in attendance- mostly because she was the one who cooked for us. It was a delicious meal of grilled chicken sandwiches with a homemade cobb salad on the side. I didn’t realize she was the one doing that for us until I arrived and the food had already been prepared, and I was wracked with guilt at the realization. The poor girl was bending over backwards to help me, and being nothing but nice to me… I tried to invite her to stay, but she slipped off somewhere before I could even finish the offer. 

We all had the week off from our respective fights, and none of us felt like going out, so we wound up spending Friday night all watching the fights together at my place. Jolly Roger, Tooth Fairy, Sparky-Sparky-Boom, and Ultimate Frisbee all took home victories. 

At the end of the night, as Zeke and Faith were getting ready to leave, Faith was scrolling on her phone and then paused with what looked to be a panicked expression all over her face. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked. Zeke was standing in the doorway, me at the base of the stairs, and Faith between us. 

“Um,” Faith said. “You’re trending on social media.”

“How’s that possible? I don’t have any social media accounts.”

“Well, um, someone tagged Zeke and I’s shared account with a photo that got posted,” she said. “And you’re in it.”

“What?” Zeke and I said simultaneously. 

She showed us, revealing a picture of Zeke and I leaving the Indian restaurant together that past Monday. Revealing me in all my trans glory to the entire internet without my consent. “Who the hell-”

“Olivia,” Zeke growled. 

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Faith said. 

“Who tagged us in the photo?” Zeke said. 

“Let’s see here,” Faith said. “Who the heck is Eileen Portman?”

“Team Sparky-Sparky-Boom!” I said, grinding my teeth together. “They were at the restaurant on Monday night!”

“Goddammit,” Zeke said. 

“Okay, let’s not freak out,” Faith said. 

“Not freak out? Are you kidding me? This is the perfect time to freak out! That-that bitch! She’s my next opponent, she must have done this on purpose to rattle me! I’ll show her. I’ll crush her, I’ll-”

“Kate,” Zeke said. 

“What?!”

“You’re doing it again.”

“What do you mean?”

“It,” Faith said. “You’re doing it. Your hands are bunched together.”

I looked down, to see my hands had indeed balled into fists. “Oh.”

Zeke walked over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “It’s okay. I know you’re upset. I know this feels awful. But you’re better than this. You don’t have to play the game on their terms.”

I looked up at this man, at my man, and the anger evaporated, replaced by a cool serenity and simple clarity. “You’re right. I still have a week to figure out my response. That’s plenty of time.”

“Exactly,” Zeke said. “You can get out in front of this.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Faith said. “Own your narrative. There’s got to be some way for you to respond to this without slipping back into your old persona.”

I breathed in deep through my nose. “I think I have one idea.”

***

I popped my first Estradiol pill when I woke up on Monday morning, letting the blue-green tablet melt under my tongue. It had a curious texture to it as it slowly dissolved, and I wanted to say it tasted like sugar, but it didn’t really taste like anything. I wanted to say I could feel it changing me right away, but that was ridiculous. What it did make me feel right away, though, was relief. And… Joy. A clean, pure joy that sang through my entire being, every fiber grateful as I took my first step towards changing my body to what I wanted it to be.

I was on my way, physically and mentally. 

Now for the hard part. 

I did my makeup, put on a blue and white sundress and a pair of strappy sandals, put in my four hours at the store, and then climbed in my car and headed to Gaines Auto Body and Bodybuilding. 

I’d emailed Gaines’ social media publicists, Nadine, on Saturday morning, and we’d set up a meeting for the following Monday. I parked in the back of the shop and made my way in through the front, conscious of the dozens of ridiculously buff guys staring at me as I walked through the gym. Some were staring at me with recognition and contempt, others with bemusement, others with confusion, and one or two with naked lust. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it all, so I just kept my head down and powered through. 

I reached the back of the gym and knocked on a closed door, and when it opened, a young black woman with long, luscious braids and bold makeup stood on the other side. She was tall and slender, and wore big, horn-rimmed glasses over her brown eyes. She wore an orange shawl over a light blue tank top and darker blue jeans, while red converse all-stars adorned her feet. A diamond engagement ring rested on her finger, shining proudly even in the cheap, artificial radiance of the overhead light. “Hi!” she exclaimed, effortless enthusiasm pouring out of her. 

“Uh… Hi!” I said, doing my best to match her immense energy. 

“You’re Katherine, right?” she said, opening the door wider and gesturing me into the office. 

“Uh, Kate, but yeah, that’s me,” I said. Her office was carpeted, with teal-painted walls and sleek metal desk in the corner. A bi pride flag hung over the wall, along with a framed copy of a college diploma from CSU Long Beach that read ‘Nadine Palmer.’

“So, I got your email, and first off, I wanna say, I am so, so sorry that happened to you,” Nadine said, gesturing to the bean bag chair that sat in front of her desk as she traipsed over to the regular chair on the other side. Seriously, what was with this place and weird seating arrangements?

I sat down in the bean bag chair, surprised by how soft and comfy it was. “Thank you. I… I gotta be honest, I have no idea what to do now. I’ve never really been a social media person, but I know I want a new image going forward.”

“Tired of the whole ‘macho bravado’ thing, I take it?” She said, offering me a sympathetic look. 

“Yeah, it, uh… Well, it served its purpose,” I said. “And now it doesn’t, anymore.”

“I completely understand. My fiance, Greg, went through the opposite version of it.”

“How do you mean?”

She looked at me for a second. 

“Oh, he’s-”

“Yes, exactly,” she said. “Used to have no idea how to stand up for himself, the poor man. But people can change.”

“Absolutely,” I nodded. 

“So, I think we should start by building an Insta profile for you, something that makes you seem friendly and approachable, and take it from there. Sounds good?”

“Sounds great!”

“More broadly, though, do you have any idea what kind of gimmick you’d like to go for?” Nadine asked. 

“I… I don’t know yet,” I said. “Do you think… For now, we could just focus on the bare bones stuff, get me ready for my first big public appearance as myself?”

“Totally fine,” Nadine said. “Mind if I ask you a personal, transition related question?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Have you started HRT yet?”

“Just took the first pill this morning,” I said. 

“Good, good. Here’s my pitch then: transition timeline. One photo of you every week, dolled up and looking gorgeous like you are now,” Nadine said.

I smiled. 

“Then we compile the timeline while the hormones work their magic slowly.”

“I like this plan!” I said. 

“Thought you would. Once you’re further along, we can decide on a more specific gimmick for you going forward. For now, though, who’s ready for a photo shoot?”

I mustered up my best smile. “I am.”

“That’s the spirit!” she said. 

***

The shoot flew by faster than expected, and so did the rest of the week as I finished repairs on Polyphemus in preparation for my fight. The bot was finished, ready inside my truck, and I sat in the driver’s seat in the parking lot, that damn parking lot where so much had happened to me, clutching the steering wheel with my seatbelt still fastened and the door still locked. 

“You okay?” Zeke said from the passenger’s side. He’d ridden in with me, while Faith and my parents were meeting us there. Zeke was originally going to do the same, but… He’d offered to keep me company on the ride over, and my heart freaking sang when he did. He’d been at my side through so much of this… Part of me wondered if I really deserved him. Part of me wondered if Faith deserved him more. 

But he wanted to be with me. He’d said as much. Granted, we’d both agreed to keep our relationship on the down-low at work, at least for the time being, but still… That he was there with me, to help prop me up, was amazing. “I’ve… Been better. Nervous, mostly. But I’ll be fine. Got all my repairs done before the match, got my outfit already-”

“You look gorgeous, by the way,” he said, gesturing to my black skirt and pink hoodie combination.

“Oh, stop,” I said, smiling bashfully and playfully waving my hand at him.

“Hey, just being honest,” he said. “My girlfriend looks gorgeous, I’m gonna tell her as much.”

My jaw dropped, but my lips slowly curved upwards into a smile as his words sank in. We both sat there a moment, a change in the atmosphere between us making itself readily apparent. “D-did… Did you just use the g-word?”

“Heh. I think so,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. 

“I mean I just… We’ve been seeing each other pretty much nonstop for a few weeks now, we’ve made out a bunch of times, your dad even gave me the whole speech-”

“Yeah,” I said, warmth and giddiness exploding in me like a Fourth of July fireworks display. Girlfriend, I thought as euphoria and attraction swirled together. 

“If you’re not comfortable putting labels on it yet-”

I unbuckled my seatbelt, reached over, grabbed his face and kissed him. Our lips pressed together, his stubble scratching and tickling my carefully made-up face. I opened my mouth up further, pushing my tongue towards him, and after a nanosecond’s hesitation, he let it in. We Frenched for a few minutes, only the utmost willpower pulling me away from the magnetic connection that held the two of us together. I didn’t want to stop, but I knew if I didn’t, I’d be inviting him to tear off all my clothes. And putting aside the part where I wasn’t sure either of us were ready for that, it was a work night. 

“Okay,” I said, my voice breathy and girly, half-purr and half-whisper, my nose pressed against his. “I’m your girlfriend. You’re my boyfriend.” The euphoria and the giddiness tripled, quadrupled, quintupled. Everything felt clear and simple and right, as if I’d unlocked some higher sense of understanding myself and him and the both of us together. Of how we were more together than we were apart. 

“Okay,” he smiled. 

I kissed him one more time for luck, and said, “Let’s light this candle.”

Zeke helped me wheel Polyphemus into the arena. The first two fights of the evening had already gone down, and I handed my intro monologue card to the appropriate person. They read off my speech and introduced me, with Derek and Marty making note of a few adjustments I’d made. 

“Well, it seems this is a season of change, Derek,” Marty said into the microphone. “First Faith Watanabe, and now Kate Calloway as well.”

“Exciting times we live in, Marty,” Derek said. “Wonder what other surprises Team Polyphemus has in store for us tonight. 

“AND IN THE RED CORNER,” came the next monologue, roared to life by our glorious master of ceremonies, “This bot, is DA BOMB! It’s got an EXPLOSIVE PERSONALITY, and it’ll spin your head RIGHT ROUND RIGHT ROUND! It’s SPARKY-SPARKY-BOOM!”

Mr. and Mrs. Portman stood across from me, both clapping along to their own applause. Their bot was… An interesting design. 

A bomb. It looked like a big black bomb, mostly spherical, but with a rotating horizontal spinner consisting of a massive saw blade wrapped around it. The nub at the top of it looked like a wick but was, in reality, a spout that shot fire. 

Fire-breather against fire-breather it was. 

We were led into our respective boxes while our bots were wheeled onto the floor of the arena. “Hey there!” Mrs. Portman called out to me from her box, a smile I couldn’t decide on the veracity of gleaming across her face. Her husband, for his part, had adopted a smug smirk. 

“Hi,” I said awkwardly. 

“Good luck tonight!” 

“Thanks, you too,” I said, my voice dipping low.

“Oops, be careful about that voice,” Mrs. Portman said. “There’s cameras and microphones everywhere, you know.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that when you posted me on Insta without my consent,” I snapped. 

“Oh please, I did you a favor- you had no exposure on any socials, it was time you made your big high society debut,” Mrs. Portman said. 

White hot anger flashed inside me like a lightning bolt. “Lady, where the hell do you get off-”

“ROBOTS! ACTIVATE!” screamed the mechanical announcer. 

Mrs. Portman punched her button and then gave me a mocking wave. 

“We’re finishing this conversation later,” I said. 

“I sure hope we are!” she smiled. 

I grunted. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. I punched the button, and the bot battle began. 

The thing with horizontal spinners was that they had a built-in defense system, provided they didn’t take any major hits before they achieved full speed. Which meant there was a limited amount of time before my attacks would stop being as effective. Normally, a simple weapon like my katana would be able to jam the spinning blades before they could get to full power. 

But I hadn’t brought my katana that night. For tonight, I’d gone with a throwback and attached the ax Polyphemus. It would slow me down, but coming at this opponent from above made more sense to me than an attempted shot to the proverbial heart. 

Sparky-Sparky-Boom was faster than it looked- it came charging at me right out the gate, Mr. Portman stoic and stern as he piloted the bot. I didn’t move, didn’t even attempt to pivot. I just waited, waited, waited-

I slammed the trigger on my ax as SSB closed the gap, and my ax pile-drived into my opponent’s spinning hacksaw. Their weapon shattered, sliced down the middle and torn off its axis. 

“OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! KATE CALLOWAY HAS MADE A BRUTAL OPENING STATEMENT WITH A CRUSHING BLOW, DISABLING SPARKY-SPARKY-BOOM’S PRIMARY WEAPON WITH A SWING OF THE AX!” Marty screamed. 

“Nice shot, ‘girly,’” Mrs. Portman said, adding air quotes to the final word. Jerk. “Can you handle the heat, though?”

With that, her husband barrelled forward and rammed me the second I’d withdrawn my ax, pouring on the heat from its fire-spout as it used its greater weight to simply push me towards the screws. 

Dammit!

I slammed the trigger on my ax again, hoping to power it up quickly, all while trying to get myself out of SSB’s terrible momentum, but it none of my controls moved fast enough, and the next thing I knew I was shoved directly into the rotating screws as the blades took chunks out of Poly’s backside. Dammit! 

Ten seconds elapsed, and SSB was forced to back off. 

Mrs. Portman said something, with that smug grin plastered to her face as she worked the controls on her flamethrower, but I didn’t hear it. I didn’t care what it was. I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or if she was just playing the heel like I always had. And I didn’t care about that, either. I just knew I wanted to win. 

I flanked left around the bomb-shaped bot, taking advantage of its weight and slow turn time, bathing it in flames from both my flamethrowers while my ax got itself ready. SSB kept trying to turn, and I let myself slow down just an instant. 

SSB shot straight for me, and I pivoted Poly and brought the ax down on them again, slamming it directly into their flamethrower and setting loose a small explosion as a spark lit against the leaking fuel. I pried my ax free and went on the retreat, while SSB, wobbling on its axis, crawled towards me, hoping to ram me again. 

I tried the same trick again, but my ax wasn’t working- dammit, the fire must have disabled the controls! SSB rammed me, pushing me towards the rising kill saws in the center of the box, and all I could do was pour on the fire as the larger bot shoved me around like a ragdoll. 

I spewed fire, fire, fire, until finally, SSB started to smoke in all the wrong places and its engine gave off a sickly, wheezing, sputtering sound. It slowed down, slower, slower, slower. Half an inch from the kill saw behind it, Poly managed to stop SSB in its tracks, bringing the bomb-shaped bot to a halt entirely. 

Once the kill saws went down, I drove out of the way, and the countdown started as SSB found itself entirely stationary. 

“-3, 2, 1- that’s the fight!” the ref decreed as the alarm sounded and the crowd went wild. 

I was half-tempted to do my usual fist-pump, to scream and jeer, to make a big stupid macho display of myself… But I didn’t want that. So instead, I gave a simple curtsey and then ambled over to the interview. 

“So, Kate Calloway, two wins in a row, and this the first one as the new you,” Derek Benes said into the microphone. “Did everything go according to plan tonight?”

“Oh, there was no plan,” I admitted, scratching the back of my head and laughing awkwardly. “I’d never faced the Portmans before, I was mostly just winging it. Except for the ax, that was planned, but even then I had to improvise.”

“Anything to say to your upcoming opponents now that you have a winning record? The regular season is winding down, and you’re still gonna need another win to make it into the tournament.”

I looked for words within, looked for a version of my usual bullshit that wouldn’t give me dysphoria. Maybe… Maybe I should just try to do the opposite of what I would normally do. What was the worst that could happen?

“Just that I’m really looking forward to fighting each and every one of you,” I said with the sincerest smile I could muster. “May the best bot win!”

Derek bid me farewell, and I pulled the sledge carrying my bot into the pits. Half of the wires were fried, and the ax was gonna need sharpening, and I’d gone through a month’s worth of flamethrower fuel in the span of three minutes, but… But dammit, I’d won, and I hadn’t made an ass of myself for a change. I was proud of myself. 

It was a new feeling. 

“Hey there,” Mrs. Portman said as she walked up to me. 

Crap. This was gonna be difficult. 

“Hi,” I managed. 

“Good fight,” she said.  “It was.”

“Don’t think you’ll win a second time, though,” she said, that passive-aggressive smile never leaving her face. “I underestimated you tonight. It won’t happen again.”

“Well, hopefully you trying to dox someone on social media won’t happen again either,” I said, planting my feet and putting my hands on my hips.

“I’d hardly call what I did doxxing-”

“Maybe not, but I wouldn’t call it a good thing to do, either.”

“Oh please, I did you a favor.”

I scowled. “A favor? You call that a favor?”

“Yeah,” she said, folding her arms behind her back. “Forced your hand and made you think about how you present yourself, carry yourself. Given that you’ve clearly never spared a moment’s thought to that before this past week, I’d say I did you a favor.”

I gritted my teeth. Unbelievable; this jerk was trying to turn this around on me. I bunched my fists together, feeling the screams coming from deep within my belly. 

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder from behind. “I think what she’s trying to say is that she would have appreciated you asking her before you did something like that,” Zeke said, putting his arm around me and standing by my side. 

A fluttering joy sang through me as I stood with him, as he protected me, as he helped me protect the person I wanted to be. 

“Hm. Well, agree to disagree,” Mrs. Portman said as her husband came over and stood beside her. 

The four of us all glared at each other, until finally, I started laughing. The Portmans stared at me in confusion and irritation for a moment, and then Zeke started laughing too. The Portmans left while Zeke and I kept standing there laughing like idiots.

Faith approached us from the back entrance and said, “Uh, what are you two laughing about?”

“Oh, just how ridiculous this all is,” I said. 

“And how ridiculous those two are,” Zeke said. 

“And how ridiculous I am,” I said. 

“Hey now, come on, what did you say about being mean to yourself?”

I exhaled heavily. “That I’d do it less?”

“Yes, exactly. You won tonight, and you had a successful debut. We should celebrate.”

“Sounds great!” I said. I turned to Faith and said, “You wanna come with?”

She hesitated, but finally said, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Are you sure?” Zeke asked. 

“I’m sure,” she said, heading for the exit. “I’m gonna go home and get some sleep. You two have fun though!”

She smiled, and she waved, but as she left, I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in her eyes. 

[saiyan98]

Estelle and The Mark of Arachnid: The Trident of Poseidon (Chapter 8)

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Chapter 8: Sam has the power of God AND Anime?

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fanbase series. Percy Jackson and the Olympians; Heroes of Olympus; Trials of Apollo; Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard are owned by Rick Riordan. Spiderman or any concept of him are owned by Marvel Comics and Sony Entertainment. Please support the official releases.

“Come on, Percy! Let me join!” I yelled at Percy as he kept denying my request to join the event.

“Why not? It looks really fun!”

“Estelle, they’re gonna be using actual weapons and battle tactics in this game. This event is to train the kids for real-life situations against monsters or battles.”

“Oh come on, I learned a lot from yesterday AND learned some skills from Annabeth my whole life.”

“Estelle,” Annabeth intervenes, “I understand your frustration but this is something that only half-bloods like us can do.” 

“Oh, so because I’m not special like you guys, I can’t join?!” 

“That’s not what we meant,” Percy replied. “It’s just too dangerous for you. We have medical and healing materials that work only on Demigods. It won’t work on mortals like you. So because of that, you’ll risk heavy injuries in the process.”

I guess that makes sense, but I hate the idea of being pushed to the side because I’m some weak teenage girl. So what if I don’t have special powers or have demigod blood in me. Batman and Black Widow didn’t have powers yet they manage to fight alien invasions, super humans and powerful magical sorcerers. Though it’s true that they have training, money and resources. But there’s also other characters like Daredevil; Kate Bishop; The Punisher; Green Arrow; Nightwing; et cetera. I mean… they also had money and experience but…

Huh… No wonder Spider-Man is more relatable. He’s broke like all of us. 

“I’m sorry, Estelle,” Annabeth said. “I promise to make it up to you. Okay?” 

I shrugged but responded, “Fine, whatever.” 

“Go meet up with the Demeter kids and help out with watching Luke and Silena, Okay? I’ll meet up with you in a bit.” 

I sighed and nodded as I walked off. 

Today is the day Capture the Flag begins. And like Percy said, I am forbidden to attend. 

I hate it but there is nothing I can do about it. I don’t have the equipment used for CTF and Percy will not allow me to get any. I love my brother but he can be too much sometimes. 

Yes, a demigod’s life is too much sometimes. But I saw regular folks like Sam and Dean Winchester fight against the impossible. I saw regular people stand up against alien invasions. I saw an ex-thief stand up against a multiversal conqueror and win. Were they fictional? Sure. But wasn’t Mythology as well? Couple of days ago, I didn’t believe it to be real. At this point, who knows what tomorrow would bring? 

Ugh, I’m just so frustrated is all. 

“Come on, Jessie!” Said a voice, I saw two girls heading out of the barracks, carrying gear for the games. 

“Hang on, Penny. I need to find my sword.”

I hid behind a tree as the two went inside again to find her sword. They left their gear by the entrance and I noticed it has the same color as Sam’s gear, meaning they are in the same team as her. 

Now I know what you all are thinking, stealing is wrong. Do the right thing and you will be rewarded. Well the last time I did the right thing, property got damaged; Percy and Sam got hurt and her dad died. 

Sometimes you have to break the rule to do good things. Like Star Wars, if Luke stayed at the homestead, he’d never have saved the galaxy. If Anakin stayed in that Naboo Starfighter, he’d never save all of Naboo. If Rey stayed on Jakku, The Emperor would never have truly been defeated. Heck even life too! If Percy didn’t run off to the Sea of Monster, Camp would never heal. If Percy didn’t run off to find Annabeth, Artemis would still be captured. I’m probably going to get in trouble for this, but I won’t miss an opportunity like this. Still, I’ll be sure to leave a note as a way to apologize for my mischief. 

After I grab a set of the gear, I put it on and strapped on the helmet so I don’t get recognized. I headed toward the area where the event is taking place and found the group Sam is grouped up with. 

From what I recall, The game will include most of the campers of the camp, excluding Demeter; Aphrodite; Iris and Hypnos kids. The Demeter kids were tasked to watch over Percy and Annabeth’s kids until Annabeth comes back. Hypnos kids tend to be asleep this early in the mornings and Aphrodite and Iris kids were tasked to do chores for the day. If they're missing out on the game, they actually have something planned out for them later on in Summer. Knowing Aphrodite, they’ll probably do a fashion show or a silly love-match game. Iris kids will most likely practice magic involving communication since Percy told me that demigods struggle to communicate due to magic and monsters. As I reached and sneaked into the group, I noticed the Hephaestus and Apollo kids on the sidelines, ready to give medical support and replacement for broken equipment. 

I know that there’s no children of the Big three (As far as I know) joining. So the rest of the camp is attending this game. As Chiron announces the game and explains the rule, I was looking for Sam. 

“Welcome Campers, to the annual Capture The Flag event!” Chiron announced. “Now for all of you new campers this summer, let me explain the rules.” 

Chiron explains how the game is to give us experience on tactics and combat so that when the kids are off to do quests, they will be prepared to face many challenges. Apparently they will also be using real weapons as well. Who’s idea was it to give kids deadly weapons during a camp activity? Why not give them foam swords or nerf blasters or just good old fashioned Paintball warfare?! 

I need to ask Percy if anyone ever dies in these games. 

Anyways, I found Sam who was also wearing armor and whispered to her. 

“Psst, Sam!” I whispered.

“Stella?!” She responded. “What are you doing here?! You know Percy and Annabeth will get mad if you get involved with this?!” 

“I’m not missing out on camp because I’m just a mortal girl. I’m gonna show everyone I can be strong too.” 

“But Stella, you heard what Percy said. This is a dangerous life.” 

“And yet you’re okay with that?!” I asked. “I’m not letting you go through this alone, Sammy. Just like the Winchester brothers, we’re in this together, no matter what.”

Sam usually likes to stay close with me since she tends to get bullied back in the day. But ever since the Vulture attacked us, she wanted me to stay safe and get stronger on her own. I kind of understand though, she lost her dad and right now, I’m all she has left.

After Chiron explained the rules, the campers split up and headed toward their flags. Our team, the red team, are strategizing on how to retrieve the other team’s flag. Several of the leaders talked about how to win and then decided on a plan. 

The majority of the group will go on the offensive while a handful will stay behind and guard the flag. A classic tactic. 

And guess where Sam and I are stationed?

Yep.

Guard duty.

“I risked getting into trouble just to guard a flag?!” I yelled.

Sam and I are stationed close to the flag while the rest are stationed a bit further but close enough to the flag. 

“I mean, it’s better this way,” Sam replied.

“No it’s not! We should be out there, fighting other warriors and getting riled up! Not just simple guard duty!” 

“Think about it, logically, Stella. We’re still new to this world, we’re not really ready to face what’s beyond this camp.” 

“Well Percy did!” I said. I sighed and sat near a log. 

“Stella, what’s really going on?” 

Sam looked at me with concerned looks and sat next to me.

“Nothing, just… I hate that my whole life, my family kept this from me. Percy; Annabeth; The Zhang’s; The Valdez’s and even the fact that they KNEW Piper McClean! I told them how much she’s our most favorite actress and how badly I want to meet her!” 

“They did it to protect you. Like dad did.” 

“Yeah, but I don’t like that my whole family lied to me. They knew how much I enjoy mythology. I could’ve helped them out in the past! I could’ve given important info or something. But instead, I was left behind to attend high school while they go off saving the world!”

I ranted for a while as Sam listened. 

“Stella, they just want to protect you because they love you. You know how Percy can be. Remember when we were kids, you heard him say ‘ow’ and you quickly grabbed a bandaid so that he could get better?”

I blushed at the memory.

“You have a big heart, Stella. Percy knew that; he figured you’d go far and wide for him and his friends.”

I shrugged. “That’s what family does, we’re there for each other through thick and thin. And that includes you, Sammy.”

I brought a fist out for a fist bump and Sam returned the gesture. Sure, we’re not out having an epic battle like Odyssey. But being here with my best friend is better than any epic moment.

Rustling noise came behind us and it was one of the campers we were paired with.

“We have a problem,” He said, panting. “Several of our members just spotted a small group heading this way. Looks like a small regiment managed to sneak off and are heading this way!” 

A few more of our team members joined up and formed a barrier around the flag.

“You did say you wanted some action,” Sam responded.

“That I did, Sam. That I did.”

I had my shield and spear up and ready. The enemy's horn sounded nearby and we heard a loud cry of multiple warriors in the distance. Before I knew it, the enemies were charging at us. Several of our team members were already in combat against the enemy. Sam yelled out to me to watch out as one of them charged at me. She jumped and blocked their attack. Looks like all that training yesterday really paid off. Just as I was getting back up, I felt a strong tingle, like a sixth sense was reacting and next thing I knew, I rolled to the side just in time before an enemy fell right where I was. 

I got back up quickly and headed toward Sam’s location. She was being overpowered by two warriors. I charged forward and slammed my shield at one of them, making them fly off at the distance. I was surprised at the distance he flew; since when did I gain such strength?

“Stella!” Sam yelled as she cut the warrior at the leg and slams her shield at their face. “Are you okay?!” 

“I’m fine! Protect the flag!” 

Sam nodded. 

Several more troops arrived and our teams are still holding them off. But we were heavily outnumbered. Maybe sending most of our most valuable troops towards the enemy wasn’t such a good idea after all. We kept holding them off, but they were quite resilient. The weird thing is that you think I’d be hesitating or getting weak knees, except I wasn’t. I kept getting this strong adrenaline pumping in my blood, feeling that tingle whenever an enemy attacks and such immense strength when fighting back. I took down three more already and I’m still feeling great. What the heck is going on?

Anyways, Sam is actually doing really well. The training from yesterday really paid off, but she is still Sam so she’s been hesitating most of her attacks and flinches at every enemy's attack. 

“Stay close to me, Sam!” I yelled. 

The battle was fast and fierce, but we’re standing strong. Several of our members are down but a majority of the enemies are as well. Only one remained and he was doing well against both me and Sam. As we continued to push him back, Sam told me to go for his legs. So I ducked down, dropped my spear and shield and took out my knife. I sliced his legs as Sam grabbed his arms and judo flipped him to the ground. 

I cheered. 

“And that’s how we roll! Up top, Sammy!” 

I had my hand out for a high five and Sam replied happily. I looked around and noticed that several of our team members are down and wounded but only two remain, excluding me and Sam. 

“You guys okay?” One of them replied. 

“I’m good, Tristan. You?” The other replied with a feminine voice. 

“I’m good Becky. Thanks. What about you two?” Tristan asked us. I nodded and Sam replied.

“A bit beat but still standing.”

“Good,” Tristan sat down to take a breather. “That was too close.”

Becky nodded and smiled, “You two did great out there for your first time.”

“How did you know it’s our first?” I asked. 

“Your gear is still shiny and new,” Becky replied. 

I snickered and replied, “Oh? So we’re shinies then?” 

As someone who watched the Clone Wars series, being called that will hit harder than Dio dropping a road roller on you. 

Tristan scoffed at my comment, “For now, but in time, you might make it to Arc Trooper with those skills.”

We all laughed at that. I think I’m gonna have a great time here at Camp. 

“Whatever you say, Captain Rex,” I replied jokingly. 

Suddenly, footsteps were in the distance and the four of us stood instantly. All of a sudden, a shield fly by us and Sam and I dodged quickly by rolling out of the way. 

One warrior jumped out of hiding and charged straight at me and Sam. Another jumped behind Tristan and Becky and attacked. The shield-less warrior relentlessly attacked me and Sam. We tried to counter attack but he was too fast and reacted quickly to our combos. He tripped Sam and then launched his spear toward my shield, forcing me to drop it. I still had the dagger I got from the barracks so I took that out and charged at him. Just as I was charging, that strong sense tingled again and I quickly duck and rolled before the warrior was able to slice his sword.

I sliced near his legs and grunted in pain. He was just about to punch me with his open arm but I quickly grabbed him and judo flipped him myself. I really gotta thank Annabeth for those lessons. 

The warrior got up quickly but his helmet fell off, revealing his face.

“Mitch?!” I said. The warrior was Mitch, that jerk from yesterday. 

He scoffed, “Estelle Blofis? I thought your big brother didn’t want his baby sister involved with the big boys.” 

“Says the guy who’s getting his ass kick!” I replied. 

Sam rushes in with her shield, hoping to knock Mitch out, but he was too fast and quickly disarmed her.

“Too slow!” He yelled.

He kicked Sam at the stomach and knocked her down. 

“Sam!” I yelled before she fell down on the ground. 

I look back and see Tristan and Becky still struggling with the other soldier, who turns out to be Daniel since he too dropped his helmet. 

Looks like I’m on my own for now. 

“Crapbasket,” I said. 

“Just give up,” Mitch said. “This just isn’t for you. You’re not cut out for this life. Go back to high school.”

Every word Mitch says just makes my blood boil.

Mitch continued attacking me, but I was quickly reactive to all of his attacks. That sense that continues to tingle keeps me from getting hurt. I’m starting to wonder why this is happening; it never happened during the time The Vulture and The Minotaur attacked us or even when Percy and Annabeth were training us. 

What the hell is happening to me?

“Hold still, you brat!” Mitch yelled. 

“I don’t even know how I’m doing this!” I yelled. “I’m just dodging by instinct!” 

Mitch swoops down and tries to trip me, but I jumped and somehow, I flew a couple feet back. 

Panting, Mitch replied. “Gotta admit, kid. You got moves.”

Suddenly, I heard Tristan groan and saw both him and Becky on the ground. Daniel was still standing but barely; he’s a bit bruised up and tired out, but he’s still standing. 

“It’s over, Estelle,” Daniel said. “Just give up. I promise that Mitch won’t go too far. I promise.” 

I scoffed, “Fat chance, Daniel! I can take on both of you! I haven’t even gotten a scratch!”

“You heard him, Danny,” Mitch replied. “Time to teach the twerp about the real world.”

“Wow, a big tough guy is gonna teach a defenseless little girl like me about how cruel reality is,” I said sarcastically. 

He rushed towards me, but I dodged quickly. Daniel was about to join in on the attack but Mitch ordered him to stay out of it. 

“But Mitch-”

“I don’t care if she’s Percy Jackson's sister! She needs to understand what it means to survive this world!” 

“And what’s that? Push-ups, sit-ups and plenty of juice? The ol’ Vegeta training?”

Again, Sam showed me anime and… let’s be honest, who HASN’T seen Dragon Ball? That’s definitely a must watch and that’s coming from me!

Mitch continues attacking, forcing me to back up since I only have my dagger. My spear and shield are around but too far to reach. All I can do is keep dodging, which is easy to do thanks to this sixth sense that keeps tingling. 

I really need to get that check after this. 

Suddenly, I tripped and fell from a small branch that came from a tree nearby. 

“Crapbasket!” I yelled. 

Before I could get up, Mitch already pointed his sword near my neck. 

“It’s over. You lost, Estelle Blofis.” 

I hated to admit it, but he was right. He was just more skilled and experienced than I am. 

“Fine… I-”

WHOOSH

A strong gust of wind flew past us and was heading toward Sam’s location. It was spiraling around as she was slowly getting up. 

“Sam?” I said. 

The gust of wind kept getting more wild until a loud boom noise hit and burst the air outward. The crazy part was not just that, it was the fact that the wind went from a cooling breeze to a hot burst of heat. 

We all covered our eyes due to the wind and when it stopped, we all faced toward Sam and something astonishing was happening. 

On top of Sam was a sigil of an Owl. 

As a huge fan of Mythology, I know what that means. 

“Well then, congrats on being claimed, Samantha Stacy, Daughter of Athena,” Mitch said.

But I was still wondering about what’s happening to her. She got knocked down hard and fell to the ground, but she got back up like it was nothing. Her eyes were closed and her helmet fell off. 

“Sam? Are you okay?” I asked. 

Mitch walked toward her and waved his hand around her face. She did not react and Mitch shrugged it off as if she’s just sleepwalking. 

“Probably out of pure instinct.”

Daniel replied, “I don’t know, Mitch. I’m feeling a strong presence on her.”

Mitch scoffed, “It’s nothing. Just a little tap and she’ll-”

WHAM

Mitch was sent flying away from Sam. 

Daniel and I were shocked at the sudden action because Sam literally did nothing. It was just only a strong gust of wind that hit him. She then opened her eyes and…

To this day… I can’t forget those eyes. 

Her dull gray eyes were brightened into sharp silver ones. Then a small light surrounded her, like an immense yet calming heat. 

I can tell it was hot because I can feel it even from this distance. 

“What the…” Daniel was speechless at the sudden change.

As for me…

“Sam… What on earth happened to you?”

[fatalitysficbakery]

The Brain, Not The Heart. Spencer Reid x Black Fem!Reader

Genre; Angst/Fluff.

Warnings; Kidnap, Torture, Injury, Blood, Brief Mentions Of Sexual Assault, Maeve Supremacy (she and reid deserved better.)

Synopsis; Since Maeve’s death Reid has been closed off from love but when he met you? He saw a future he never thought was in the plans for him. When you’re kidnapped, the brain of the team is suddenly the most frazzled one there.

↳ ❤︎ Heaven’s Baked Goods (Masterlist) ❤︎

↳ ❝The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye. The story of love is hello and goodbye, until we meet again.❞⁣ -Jimi Hendrix

When I die there are people that I will mention. Few I will call family, some are my biggest supporters. I won’t throw the word family or friend around so carelessly as I did at the beginning of my lifetime. When I die, I won’t die as I’ve lived. I won’t die with regrets.

Love was a thing I thought was something out of a fairytail, it only happened to the royal and famous and I was neither. While, I had the brains I was still scraping from the bottom of a barrel white men had already wiped clean. It took years of hard work for my efforts to pay off- I was working two shifts as a grocery store and hostess at a “mexican” restaurant if you could call the “authentic mexican” food they sold Mexican. Meanwhile, I was studying to become a Detective. I worked in Homicide for 8 years before my eventual transfer to Quantico.

Now, Quantico. You’d think it was a modeling agency if you walked in and saw the faces of Morgan, Prentiss, and the rest. That’s not where my eyes fell, however. Spencer Reid was nothing if not interesting. The closest on the team to my age, apparently I had knocked him out of the “youngest member” of the BAU title. I don’t remember how it started, maybe it was when he sat down in front of me on that jet and started doing magic while telling me random facts about my favorite animals- Frogs. I would’ve questioned how he knew if I weren’t wearing my frog earrings and necklace. Our “young pretty” faces and both being nerds is why they dubbed us the pretty girl/boy crew when we finally got together. Finally, Morgan had said…The kids got someone to tell his overwhelming amount of “fun” facts to.

“Well, are you gonna keep reminiscing or fight”?

“Who are you”? I looked at the blurry vision of a ginger haired woman while my eyes struggled to focus.

“Spencer loves you…You can’t give up, Y/n”.

That’s when I tuned back into the nightmare at hand.

“Wake up, Princess. We’re not done yet”.

↳

His leg shook, he held your locket tightly in his hand racking his brain trying to figure out why you’d been taken and by who.

“Reid”?

“No”. Reid replies shortly, still focused on the task at hand. Kate sighed, she knew he meant well and that his frustration and coldness wasn’t due to her. Kate remembered Reid telling her about Maeve during one of their cases, and she knew this opened up old wounds and brought back difficult emotions, like fear. Kate was no stranger to the danger of the job, coming back after her niece was kidnapped was a situation her, Meg, and her husband had talked about thoroughly- weighing the risks, the pros and cons, especially when the new baby was added to the mix. Ultimately, they decided it was time for her return…What a helluva return that was.

“Reid… Hotch wants you to go home”.

Spencer eyes snapped quickly to Kate’s, he knew it’d be coming but he wasn’t ready, not yet. not when you were still out there probably being tortured, and he knew…It was all his fault.

“N-no, I’m not leaving”.

“Yes. You are”. Aaron walked in behind Kate with Morgan in tow, the genius was near tears, his adam’s apple bobbing when he swallows, looking at the board plastered with his girlfriends face all over it, “Morgan will take you home, We’ll keep you in the loop, Spencer but you can’t help Y/n in this condition. We need you, Reid”.

“Y/n needs you…” Kate finishes softly.

Reid sleep deprived raccoon eyes looked at everyone for a moment, trying to think of more ways to fight but he knew his team was right. He couldn’t help her like this, “Find her”.

~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~ + ~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~

I don’t know how long it’s been, I just know I was going to Quantico when I was snatched, I think they knocked me out because my head was pounding like I’d been knocked over the back of the head. When I came to I saw a woman sitting next to me. She wasn’t one of my captors, no. She was beautiful. I could only talk to her when I fell back unconscious, when I was awake she’d sit there quietly giving me a sweet reassuring smile, and squeezing my hand while my body was relentlessly tortured in a number of ways.

The way the tears fell from my cheek was as if they’d known what was happening, and wanted to crawl away. Figures. My tears escape before I do. Another blow to my stomach, and I double over.

“Oh look at that she’s back out like a light, ladies and gents. It’s about to be fun”.

The last thing I heard before I was in that field again by the creek, sitting on the ground wearing my dream dress, that ginger woman back by my side, “Who are you”?

“My names Maeve”.

Spencer’s late girlfriend. The one who’d been kidnapped and murdered before I was even in the BAU. She noticed the recognition on my face and nodded, “You’re beautiful, Y/n. Smart… Spencer always liked a woman who could keep up with him”.

“He does, doesn’t he”? My voice cracked to which Maeve scooted closer to me and let me sob into her arms.

“You’ll see him again”.

I could feel dreamland slip away again, and the pain returned. All I could think of was Spencer, hoping I’d get another chance to tell him I love him. To steal his jello, and then share it with him while he acted like he was annoyed but kept smiling.

“You and your boy toy should’ve minded your fucking business”. A gruff familiar voice rang out, I saw the burning hot iron written with “whore” on the very end, this time…I forced myself unconscious. I couldn’t deal with being branded by the very men I thought I’d put away.

It was about the time you found out who your captors were that the team did, that…Reid did.

Reid was known to do stupid things with emotions involved, he knew where they took you and hadn’t told the team yet who was currently struggling to find it themselves.

When no one could get ahold of Reid, Rossi and JJ were sent to his house where they found the door unlocked, and in disarray. It’s where they noticed Reid’s own crime board, and the newest circled word? Cabin.

“He beat us to it. Call Hotchner and let him know the kids gone off on his own”.

↳

“You’re gonna fight this. Spencer loves you”.

“What if I can’t, Maeve? W-what if I’m not strong enough for this? They’re killing me…” My voice trembled, in all my years of catching criminals, dragging my way up from the bottom of the list of those expected to succeed- I’d never been so afraid. Maeve only giggled, putting a flower into my fro.

“You’ve already been saved, sweetheart. He came for you. You just need to make him proud, and come back..for him”.

“Come back”?

Pressing a kiss to my cheek, Maeve’s once pale skin now looks almost see-through, she speaks sweetly into my ear before finally disappearing, “Come back..”

~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~ + ~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~

I fought against the blankets, eventually winning and throwing them to the side. Frustrated. The memories and nightmares were fresh in my mind, and although Spencer’s been there every step of the way, he’s still been distant. This has taken a toll on both of us.

Lying on my back, I stared at the ceiling, daring my tears to fall. I thought about my captors; Eddie and his crew. Weren’t too happy when Spence and I shut down their kiddie assault club… I just want to know why they didn’t take him too? We were both equally as invested in this case, more so than anyone on the team. Why wasn’t he taken too?

Why was it only me that relived the torture and sexual abuse when I closed my eyes for only a second. Not only that but the scars were still healing on my body. I was still healing, my fingers curled into the bottom of my tank top- lifting it just enough to expose the word “whore” burnt into the flesh of my underbreast; made no better by the fact my skin was known to keloid. I’d live with the scars on my mind and body as long as I lived.

Sneaking out of bed, I glance at my boyfriend; I leave.

Spencer’s loft was his sacred place, the shelves were lined with books and the room had a worn but comfortable recliner in the corner. Papers were scattered about, and it looked a mess, but I knew it was on purpose. Why I went to his loft?

↳

“Woah, is this your office”?

Reid chuckles nervously rubbing the back of his neck, “Ah, kinda? It’s moreso…My safespace”.

Your eyes scanned the books, shimmering with glee. You’d always wanted a book loft like this, with an excited exhale, you twirl around back to Reid; he notices the excitement in your eyes.

“You know. I wasn’t for sharing before, but Y/n”?

“Hmm”? You smile brightly, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Whenever you need to feel safe or you just need to get away…My loft is always open for you”.

↳

“I knew I’d find you here”

I could hear the tiredness in his voice, raspy and groggy. I never liked crying in front of others, but I could feel the tears pricking, “Yeah…Remember you told me I could”.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing… What’re you looking for”?

I kept my eyes on the bookshelf, watching him sit in the recliner out of my peripheral. My heart tightened, I’m a profiler, yet I didn’t know what would happen next. I kept having those nightmares- Spencer leaves me because of my newfound trauma. I’m broken now. Who wants a broken doll?

“Come sit with me. Please”? Spencer held out his hand for me, it’d be a moment before I made a move but I was now in the lap of the Dr, and it all came crashing down the second I hit his lap; I loved burying my face in his neck, so why not sob into it as well?

Broken and pained sobbing. 15 minutes, Reid jokingly told me after I stopped crying. I’d been sobbing into his neck for 15 minutes- when I wiped my eyes, he was smiling at me while holding Charlottes Web in his hand, one of my childhood favorites.

“We haven’t read together in awhile, have we? Can I read to you”?

I nodded weakly, not even bothering to smile back- it’d be faked if I did, Spencer knew. His cologne, his voice, his body heat, and god his voice. I felt so safe and serene in the moment. I knew there wasn’t a danger in sight within his arms, I was thinking I might finally drift asleep; without nightmares, hopefully.

“I love you, from now on I’ll never let anyone hurt you”.

It was whispered into my hair as I fell asleep, and although I wasn’t awake enough to say it back, I scooch a little closer; I squeeze him a little tighter. He knows what it means.

“I know you do… I know…” were the last things I heard before falling into a deep slumber.

~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~ + ~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~

I was back at the creek, it looked different now. Happier. More Vibrant. I could see bunnies running around and butterflies flying low, and I could see a woman’s silhouette in the distance- I run to it. I know who it is immediately.

“I told you so, Y/n” Maeve says before I even greet her, I would act surprised if I wasn’t talking to my boyfriends dead girlfriend. Huh, what a strange 3 words to type.

“How did you know, Mae”? I hugged her tightly, and she giggled kissing my forehead.

“Because you’re too good for one another for you to leave him just yet… You need Spencer”.

“I-I do”? I stammered.

“Yes… and Spencer. Spencer needs you, Sweetheart. Keep him grounded, and take care of each other alright”?

Maeve pressed one last kiss to my forehead, her smile was contagious- I couldn’t stop smiling, tears rolling down my cheeks watching her walk away, disappearing into the distance.

Her ginger locks, and green and white sundress flowing as she walked.

An evanescent light of white and two hearts entwined left in her wake.

↳ ❝If life can remove someone you never thought of losing, it can replace them without someone you never dreamt of having.❞⁣ -Rachel Wolchin

~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~ + ~•~~•~•~~•~•~~•~

A/N: ight, it’s pride month. expect sapphic shit.

[guynamedultimax]

ok so let me get a rundown on the mcu atm (+bonus sonic thing)

-half of the original six avengers are dead while the other half is either crippled physically (bruce) or emotionally (thor) or retired (clint)

-the guardians are back chilling in space with a new recruit and are looking for the gamora variant while asgard is now ruled by valkyrie (and either jane or carol)

-local best girl in the franchise creates a fake reality with a fake best husband and fake children enslaving and mentally torturing an entire town, witch attempts to steal her powers, witch gets her ass kicked but apparently will return(?), best girl on the run with evil book, husband is now real again and on the run as well. oh hi monica why are you angry with aunt carol?

-cool dude with wings becomes captain america, works with the other dude with metal arm to stop terrorists with actual good motives, peggy carter’s niece is now a criminal????, zemo is in prison but as if that’s ever gonna stop that bitch we love zemo. and also isaiah. god bless isaiah.

-local asgardian tumblr sexyman sees his life flash through his eyes thanks to time police variant of lightning mcqueen (stan mobius btw) and becomes a simp for female version of himself who kills a very based dude and lets the multiverse loose, which means we now have an evil time overlord who indirectly rules the TVA. also fuck miss minutes i hate her and i love her at the same time

-after loki fucks up, watcher watches 8 of his fuckups and then calls them together to deal with a far better villain than thanos in terms of character design

-carol offplanet as usual, nick offplanet with skrulls, t’challa is ????, strange is sipping good coffee and is still doing it to this day while wong does illegal fights with emil blonsky

-crazy contessa builds her own bootleg avengers starting with blonde widow (YELENA WOOOOOO) and...eugh, john walker (like i understood him as a character but at the same time fuck him you’re never gonna be better than steve rogers). LET KATE IN.

-in 2016 after letting steve go, nat took down a floating fortress, killed danny devito and did it with the help of her little sister who isn’t really her little sister, her bootleg captain america russian dad who isn’t really her dad, and her mom who isn’t really her mom and then decided to go die on vormir without thinking about yelena or her other family, oh and taskmaster was there too but it wasn’t really cool and im realizing she kept away from them for those five years as to avoid the mutual pain and because yelena was snapped

-new superheroes popping out left and right such as the coolest martial artist user in the history of ever who has ten magical space rings taken from his sickass father the actual mandarin, and katy. we love katy. san francisco has the best heroes im telling you with shaun and scott. oh and apparently some thousand year old space dudes i haven’t seen eternals yet i only know they are out there looking for their similiars. also waiting for marc, kamala and jennifer be like

-harry styles is thanos’ brother????? no wonder that dude wanted half of life dead he was the least favorite kid

- we have a new hawkeye and i haven’t seen the series yet but THERE IS LUCKY. ALL IS GOOD. THERE IS KINGPIN. ALL IS GOOD. who is echo?

-peter parker? who’s peter parker? : )

sidenote but i want a crossover between sonic, antman and shang-chi THEY ALL WORK IN SAN FRANSISCO EVEN IF SONIC LIVES IN MONTANA COME ON

[apollo41writes]

Goodnight prompt 49/∞

Fandom: Teen Wolf Ship: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski AUs/Tropes: Summer camp AU, People know of the supernatural, Interspecies Prompt: Summer camp on paper sounded like a fun occasion to meet other weres like him. It quickly turned into the same old bullshit Stiles had to deal with every fucking day at school.

Extra details: I have so much love for all the fics with Stiles as a were. I think he would make a very fine creature. But I also like the idea that Stiles has some kind of magical power.

So in this one he's a werefox. Which is somewhat like a Kitsune, but also not really. And he does have the increased healing like a werewolf, but he's thinner, doesn't gain muscle as easily, mostly because his body is thought more for speed, jumping and climbing more than anything else.

Doesn't necessarily seem to work that well for Stiles because he's somewhat skittish and clumsy. Also, werefox have the ability to cast spells and such, but instead of working at will like it's supposed to,for Stiles it's more like burst of chaotic energy that just mean he gets into trouble a lot.

So, he's still basically the weirdo outsider at school. And people around just think he's broken and never miss a chance to remind him that.

Which is the reason why the Sheriff suggest he goes to this very specific summer camp for weres, so maybe he can find other kids like him, since apparently werefoxes are also quite rare.

Surprise surprise, there is no other werefox at summer camp. Most of the weres there are actually werewolves and most of them know each other because of partnerships between packs or because their territories are very close to each oher or even just because they attended this summer camp since they were still in pre-school.

Which just means that Stiles is back to whatever bullshit he has to endure at school. But he lies at his father (which is still human) and tells him he's having so much fun and making so many friends... He doesn't want his father to be disappointed.

He'll just find a random reason why it would be a bad idea for him to go back to camp next summer or something.

It's just for 4 weeks, after all. If he can endure years or bullying at school from a bunch of stupid jocks, he can survive 4 weeks of pushing around and mocking...

Well, except one night they tie his hands and his feet and throw him into the lake and... Maybe he was wrong, maybe he will die because of this stupid summer camp.

And that's when Derek, comes in to save the day. Which is also when I kind of backtrack to talk about Derek.

Okay, so for this one particular idea Derek is younger. He's still maybe two, three years older than Stiles, but definitely not the age he's in the show in season 1.

I think that's Derek's last year at the camp. He didn't even want to go back, because the Kate thing just happened and his family was almost burnt to a crisp by the damn psycho.

Still, his mom thought it was a good idea for him to "get back to normal" and do what he always does in the summer. But Derek isn't the same person anymore, so he becomes kind of a loner and he prefers to sit somewhere quite, brood and reada damn book instead of being a stupid jock and showing off trying to get into someone's pants.

And Derek actually kind of knows who Stiles is. They do go to the same high school after all. He was never one of the bullies that tormented him, but he also never did anything to stop people from bothering him.

But he does intervene when he overhears a group of stupid bullies laughing at how Stiles sank like a stone into the lake. At first Derek just thinks that maybe Stiles doesn't know how to swim, so he just growls at the bullies and runs to the lake to help Stiles out.

When he actually drags Stiles to shore and finds out that they tied him up and left him to basically drown, he storms off and starts a fight with them.

He doesn't win, but he also technically doesn'tlose because they are interrupted by the staff of the camp. When everything gets explained, Derek is kind of admonished, but the bullies are immediately kicked out of camp.

Of course all of the parents are called, the bullies have to leave, but also Talia and the Sheriff come to the camp and I just imagine Stiles' dad pushing for this to be brought to actually justice and Stiles insisting that it would just make things worse and to let it go.

Derek is kind of on the Sheriff's side, but his mom is staring daggers at him and holding him back with her hand on his shoulder, so he shuts up and waits for things to calm down.

When he finally has a chance to talk with his mom in private, she explains that what Stiles want is more important at the moment, and that maybe he can help him out by being close, like a friend ready to listen instead of pushing him to do something that makes him uncomfortable.

Derek kind of understands, after all he himself was reluctant at first at the idea of actually having to testify about what Kate did to him and his family. His mom kind of sent him to the camp because she wanted him to have a break from all of the lawyer bullshit stuff before he has to go back and actually be in a courtroom for the trial.

So that's how Stiles and Derek starts to hang out. I just imagine a very very bitter Stiles trying to really push Derek away at first. But then Derek decides to open up about why he changed so much so quickly and all of a sudden they are talking about things they never talks about with anyone else.

I think there would be a lot of pining, especially in the last couple of days they spend at camp. Like, they are somewhat unsure if maybe they should have just tried to tell each other that they kind of want to kiss the other, but also they think it would just mess everything up and maybe they can still be friends at school now.

But nothing really happens. They still also hang out when they go back to Beacon Hills, but even then it's still just as friends.

And when school starts again, Derek has his own group of friends he hangs out with. So Stiles thinks that their friendship is done, that he will go back to being the awkward kid that can't even be a were properly while Derek is still the jock that will probably get a schoolarship because he's in the basketball team.

He's obviously wrong. Derek kind of introduces him to his friends and it works out fine. Maybe Derek's friends are the one to push them to give the whole boyfriends thing a go, but they do end up together before Christmas. They did plenty of moping around and pining after each other to take longer than that.

...Wow, this one is very long and detailed. Sorry, but also not sorry?

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Part 59- Mother

Summary: Josie wakes up and she's not in the dungeon anymore. Some hot lovin takes place. Haldir , Legolas, Aragorn and company hunt for Kate in the dark forest. Haldir takes charge. Danger arises for the group. Someone helps them. Kate baits Haldir. The Elvenking arises again. Thranduil's had enough and takes care of business. No one bullies the King of Mirkwood and gets away with it. No one hurts or threatens his wife, son or daughter and lives. Thranduil praises his son and Haldir for a job well done, but tension still lingers between the Marchwarden and the King. Garrett is soon to receive a gift of karma on his doorstep wrapped in a bow per the king's orders. Thranduil also receives a gift. A most precious one.

*Smut* *Death*

You heard a woman's voice. A very familiar one. Kate. There she stood with her glowing eyes.

She appeared frightened and was pleading with someone as Legolas made her kneel and placed his knife to her neck. How was he touching her without being shocked onto his ass? You stood in the distance with Haldir at your side. He was staring at her with a look of disgust on his face, but he didn't acknowledge you. It was like you weren't even there. Where was there? You couldn't make out your surroundings. It was all black.

You then saw Thranduil appear from the darkness with an expressionless face. The face of the Elvenking.

You awoke with a loud inhale to find yourself in bed with a sleeping naked Thranduil. You stared at his peaceful face. Trying not to wake him, you traced your fingertips like a feather down his cheek but he sensed you. A smile formed on his mouth and he let out a soft moan as his moonlike eyes fluttered open. "Josephine, my love. How I have dreamt of waking up to your angelic face for so long. Please tell me it is not only but a dream?"

You held his face, caressing his cheekbone with your thumb and smiled, then laid your lips softly onto his. "Does this feel like a dream?" you whispered into his slightly open mouth as you parted from the kiss.

"I am not sure as all of my dreams of you were just as real. Even when I had lost my memory, I was haunted by them and would awaken in such the state I am in now." He glanced down at the very apparent hard on he had that laid beneath the blanket covering his lower half.

You then gasped. "Was last night a dream? We...we were in the dungeon. But... I am here? Did I dream it all after I had tried to..." You couldn't even say the words. After Garrett tried to make you kill Thranduil.

"No my Queen...it was very much real. All of it." he grinned and adjusted his hips as his cock was aching for you.

You sat straight up in a panic. "Thranduil! Then why am I here, how? How did I get here?? I cannot be here! I have to stay away from you!"

He sat up beside you and slid his fingers behind your neck. "I carried you here after you fell asleep in my arms. You will stay away from me never again. There will be no more talk of it. My wife and unborn child will not spend one more minute in such a place." he said in a stern but loving tone. He leaned back on the pillows and took your hand. "Come to me." His tone was so alluring and you could not fight him if you wanted to. You realized he was using his magic through his touch to calm you, just like he did last night. Just like he has always done and been able to do.

You don't think you had seen anything more sexy than the way he looked right now, except yesterday with his shirtless archery escapade. Ok, who were you kidding? He looked sexy every day in every sense of the word. And...he knew it. You were certain his shirtless stunt yesterday was done intentionally to show you there was nothing better than him. As if he even needed to show you that. You knew it the moment you first laid eyes upon him. But the yandere side of him, that jealous and possessive side needed to show you as he thought he was losing you.

The soft lighting radiated on his skin like the sunset had knelt down before him and worshipped his beauty. His platinum strands of pure sheer satin laid long over one shoulder, resting on his firm chest all the way down to his slim toned waistline. He held a portion of his golden locks in his hand and twirled it about through his fingers as he seduced you with his hungry bedroom eyes. Damn him. Damn him for making you want him so badly when the last thing you should be thinking of at this time is fucking his brains out. He had you....right where he wanted you and he knew it. So did you.

You went to him like he asked, or should say commanded and straddled his waist. "Come closer." he ordered as his eyes were fixated on yours. You rested your palms on his solid chest and leaned towards his face. His eyes were still locked into yours like some magnetic pull. "Touch me." He glanced down at his stiff cock that protruded out from under your folds and laid throbbing against his belly button. You glided your hand down the rippled muscles of his stomach and gently touched the tip of his earnest erection. His cock twitched at your touch and he laid his head back as erratic pants escaped his lips. He then grabbed your wrists and pulled you to his mouth. "Try again." His mouth laid open and you saw his tongue lightly curl. You slowly took his mouth into yours as both your tongues reached for the other. You slid your clit up his long shaft and rested your entrance on his tip. He sucked in a loud gasp at the feel. "Take me."

"Yes my King." You slowly slid him into you. The gasp he had sucked in he now exhaled heavily as his eyes rolled back. He made soft shallow thrusts as you swayed your hips slowly down on him. You were coming unhinged. Once he was at full penetration, your walls exploded. "Oh god...Thranduil!!"

He was shocked you came so quickly and he loved every minute of it, knowing he could take you over the edge so easily. Your face and erotic moans turned him on something fierce and he found himself unwillingly releasing with you. He sat up and pushed you back to the foot of the bed and laid upon you, thrusting back into you hard and deep. You were so wet from his release, he could hardly take it as he slipped in and out of you from his tip to base, fast and steady. He laid his thumb on your clit and caressed it as his hips swayed in a circular motion. The aching tingle rose strong and hard through your lower stomach and you climaxed again, arching your back and bucking your hips. He went dead weight onto you as he grinded against your hips, then stopped moving. The loudest groan came out of him and his hips shook vigorously as he busted inside of you. This made you start rocking your hips up into him again. "Thranduil...don't....stop..."

He smiled at you and licked his tongue over your teeth and whispered. "The thought never crossed my mind. I could do this for hours." You knew he could too. An elf's sex drive was out of this world. He rolled you onto your stomach. Oh god you loved this position as it took him inside you to the deepest of levels which never allowed you to last more than a minute. He knew that and also knew it was true for him as well so he teased you for a bit with the tip of his cock. He rubbed it over your clit and through your folds, then slid only the head of his shaft into your entrance and pulling out, gliding back down through your wet folds to your clit. He repeated this multiple times as you panted and rocked your hips up and down. Even this was driving him close to losing it so as his tip came back to your entrance, he shoved all the way in. You gasped in so hard as he laid snug on your back and grinded into you. His breathing became heavy and fast and his cock was painfully hard. He was going to cum. You arched your hips up which made him moan insanely. He wrapped his arm under your stomach and began pushing hard and slow and your walls collapsed around him. Your mouth hung open but no sound came out as it was that intense of an orgasm and he felt every beat of it. His face dropped into your neck as he held your hips up against him. He released and couldn't move as his hot breath burst into your ear in pulses matching those of his climax.

His hand came up and pulled your hair from your face. He kissed your cheek. "I love you Josephine." He pulled out of you and brought you back to the pillows. His lips caressed yours and he slipped his tongue slowly into your mouth, kissing you deeply. You whimpered as a tear fell from your eyes.

"I love you my Thranduil. Forever."

Legolas, Haldir and company, Aragorn included, made their way to the dark forest borders, knowing that is where Kate would be hiding.

The area they were in is where she was sighted and it was contaminated with the giant arachnids which is why she chose it. They all stood and conversed for a moment to go over their plan as Haldir knew the most about the cold ones and wanted to refresh everyone's memories on the do's and don'ts.

Haldir thought it best to separate in groups to cover more ground but Aragorn did not agree and they had a little spat about it. Aragorn thought they were stronger if they remained together.

Haldir was not happy about it as he has battled vampires many times but not the spiders so much so he gave in to his long time friend and gave the order.

As they trekked on, Haldir halted. "Im tur- smell hen. (I can smell her) Something is amiss. This is too easy. Orth- na naur!" (Raise to fire)

Here came the treacherous 8 legged beasts out of the darkness. Kate had called upon them just as Garrett had done in Rivendell. Spiders and vampires were allies per se. Neither cared for each other's blood but the arachnids wouldn't pass up a delicious elven and human meal.

"Leith- thúl!" (Release wind) Aragorn shouted. Legolas was already up in the trees chasing a spider down it's own web.

What he saw next shocked him beyond belief. Shelob. She had came all the way from Mordor, and she was bee lining straight for Legolas.

"Legolas!! Fall back!!" Haldir shouted and then Legolas's Guardian jumped in front of him firing arrow after arrow at the massive beast.

This is what Kate wanted, for them to use up all their arrows tainted with dead man's blood. But Haldir was much smarter than her. So was someone else. Gandalf the Grey. Staff in hand, he appeared from the trees and stood in front of the great spider Queen. "You...shall...not....pass!!" he shouted and slammed his staff down, shaking and lighting up the entire forest.

The magical light sent her and the remaining spiders squealing off into the darkness. It also knocked a certain vampire out of a tree. Haldir immediately saw her and drew his last arrow that he saved just for her.

She went to run and the skilled archer fired, sending the poisoned arrow straight through her shoulder and pinning her to a tree. Everyone gathered their breaths and circled around. The dead man's blood takes immediate effect so she was not able to rip it out. Even if she had, the poison was still inside her and she wouldn't have gotten far.

"Gandalf! How can we thank you enough old friend??" Legolas shouted with a smile.

"Anything for you son of Thranduil." Gandalf had always been fond of the Prince which is why he had helped him with his plan back in Mordor after saving Legolas from the spider sting. Gandalf hoped this would make things right with the King for his involvement in Legolas's scheme.

Haldir walked up to the ailing vampire. "The vampire fell so hard I could have shot her in the dark. Oh, that is right, I did..."

Kate laughed at him. "You will all pay for this."

"No dead one...it seems you are the one who is going to pay at the discretion of the Elvenking. And I will gladly watch. Your kind is an abomination. Your King is of no threat to us. After you are handled, the King will handle your King as well."

"You're a fool, all of you! Look what he has already accomplished with your beloved human! He will have her, just you...wait!" Kate reeled and spat at Haldir's feet. This enraged Haldir and he lunged forward at her.

Legolas grabbed him. "Haldir, Baw! (No). Do not touch her. She is not weak enough yet for her power to be useless to us."

"Haldir, Legolas is right. You must wait. She is baiting you. Do not fall for it." Aragorn said.

Haldir glared at Legolas and then Aragorn. "Sui cin iest." (As you wish). He then walked off when all he really wanted to do was kill her right there. But Thranduil ordered for her to be brought back alive.

After about 30 minutes, Kate was so weak that the arrow stuck through her in the tree was the only thing keeping her standing. She was finally removed from the tree and literally drug all the way back to the Kingdom. Even in her weakened state, she found the strength to taunt Haldir all the way back. He sucked it up but it was eating at him with the things she was saying. The things she was saying about you.

Thranduil calmed you enough for you to sleep and he went about his business as he received word from Legolas that the package he requested was arriving. He sat on his throne and waited. He was patient, for this was going to bring him much pleasure.

Legolas drug Kate up onto the stone platform surrounding the King's throne and placed her on her knees with his knife to her throat. Just like in your dream. Haldir stood to the side and glared at her. She was now frightened and knew what was about to take place as she watched the Elvenking descend from his throne.

"Kate Denali, we meet again. How unfortunate it is for you."

Kate shook and began to plead with Thranduil. "What I did...to you...it was Garrett's orders I had...no choice."

"There is always a choice. Like the choice I am making now. There are consequences to your choices. Did you honestly think I would let this slide? Are you that ignorant in your centuries of putrid existence?" Thranduil circled about her like a hawk achieving her intimidation of him.

M..My Lord Thranduil...if there is information you seek of me, I do not have it. Garrett does tell me his plans. I only follow his orders."

"I am not your Lord, shall I make that clear? I seek nothing from you...I only seek for a not so subtle message to be sent. It will give me great pleasure for your King to know his place. And now...you will know your place as well.

"King Thranduil...please. I have done nothing to your wife."

"No? You assisted in Garrett's endeavors did you not? Were you not lurking on my lands where you were found tonight? Lingering in the shadows to spy on me for him? You have crossed a line that you should not have. That line is my Queen. Not to mention laying your filthy dead hands on me. I still cannot wash the stink out of my mind. Garrett has hurt the one I treasure most in this world and he has also tried to kill me. An eye for an eye seems fitting. Just ask my ex wife...Oh that is right. You cannot because she is...dead. She had the same look upon her face that you wear now. It is quite satisfying."

"Thranduil...p..please. Show mercy."

"I do not know of the word. And now you shall know that. I have heard enough of your gibberish."

And with one swift swipe of his sword, the Elvenking beheaded the vampire Kate without even looking at her.

"Haldir, Legolas, Aragorn, Feren and the rest of you. You did well tonight. See to it Garrett receives his mates....remains."

"Adar...Gandalf was there. He fended off the spiders we encountered. Not only that, but you should know...Shelob was one of them. Also...Haldir...he was more than superior and defended my life to Shelob." Legolas informed the King.

"Yes....I am aware. Shelob is no threat here. My elven guard can handle her if she has an agenda. Gandalf's actions will not be forgotten. Haldir...you did well in your Guardian duties to protect my son. with that said...I still now of your thoughts. You are angry with me for locking Josephine in the dungeons as it was her request. That is what fueled your rage tonight, yes? Or is it something more?" Thranduil's tone was far from sincere on his last statement. It was very much more. Haldir's heart was in shambles as he knew you had went back to the King. He loved you like crazy and didn't know how to go on with never having your love in return. Thranduil gave Haldir a look and walked off swaying his sword back into it's sheath.

Thranduil went back to you. You were still sound asleep. He stroked your face and kissed your cheek. "I am trying so hard my love, to make this right. Even I am at a loss sometimes as I still feel right now." He kissed your forehead and went out into the gardens and on through the forest to a small clearing by a pond. A place his mother always loved....and where she is buried along side his father. A place no one knows of except Legolas. Not even you.

Thranduil flashed back to that dreadful day of the dragon fire war. he saw himself facing down the fiery demon called Smaug.

"Father...Please forgive me. For I am not worthy of you. You taught me all that I know and I still failed you and Mother. You left me to be a King in your place that I can never fill. I have failed my wife as well. One that I love as much as you loved my Mother."

Thranduil knelt by the water and stared at his own reflection. He envisioned his father as he had last saw him...lying on the ground at his feet as Thranduil faced Smaug and took on the scars he now bears.

Thranduil suddenly heard a voice call his name. A woman. He stood up quickly thinking it was you but saw you nowhere. He walked around as his eyes darted all over his surroundings.

The voice became familiar to him. He walked over to the graves that each lied under a stake of blue feathered like flowers. His mother's favorite color was blue. "Mother?" Thranduil called out. His Mother's voice came back loud and clear.

"Thranduil, my beautiful son."

Thranduil then saw an apparition of her appear all in a white light. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head to her. "Mother...it...it is really you?"

She smiled as white light glowed from her lips. "My Thranduil Oropherion, it is I. I feel your need for guidance. I have come to offer it." In all the years since her death, he has never seen her nor heard her. Why now? he thought. She reached out her hand.

Thranduil stood up and took it. "Mother?" he questioned as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I...I do not know what to do. I feel I have lost myself. The heavy burdens are sometimes too much to bear. My heart has hardened from the loss of you and Father. I only wish to make you both proud but I fear I have failed you with such."

"My son...You have not failed us. Your Father is quite proud of you as am I. We watch over you even when you do not feel us here. You are not lost and your heart is still of the sweet child I raised. The burdens are heavy yes, but you are strong willed just like your Father. And very resilient. A vigorous spring for which you are named after. You will bounce back from your troubles. You have the love of a beautiful wife to help you now. The true love I always told you about."

Thranduil sobbed. "I..I do not deserve her, I have hurt her so much."

"And yet...she is still here. Loving you as a twin flame would do. Her eyes are of yours. Her magic is of yours. Her child is of yours. Leeanduil. I gave you something and it means more than you know. It bears the color of your eyes....my eyes and now...her eyes. It bears my light, your light and now her light. It is a power that can conquer all your troubles. It is of Moonlight and Starlight. A powerful combination. When united, no evil can withstand it. But you already knew this as you have seen it. The two must unite and remain united. The power has been yours all along. You just need to see it for yourself. I love you my son. I am always with you."

She faded away as Thranduil desperately tried clinging to her hand. He fell back upon his knees with his head down and sobbed. He felt a hand over his and one on his back. He looked up and saw....your eyes.

Masterlist

@tigereyesf @redeemer46 @mirkwoodwarrior *Boom Bitches* 😎

*Coming up* Thranduil struggles with his Mother's revelation and appearance. Will he understand the true meaning of her message? Did his wife see what he saw?"

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

Graveyard Siblings (5)

[Masterlink] (PART 1) (PART 4)

-----

Mari and Cass sometimes switch their suits as they have the same body type. Cass would sometimes go out in full Hellbat gear and give the appearance that Hellbat is out more often than she actually is.

So Orphan/Black Bat also sometimes uses guns.

This also helps with concealing secret identities. Maria was rescued by Hellbat from Joker’s Henchmen. (Vicki Vale was getting sus of the new Wayne and Hellbat.)

Unfortunately since Hellbat rarely comes out and she had already made all of her appearance for the month and it wasn’t a busy weekend, the public had come to the conclusion that Hellbat has a crush on the newest Wayne.

Basically everyone thought that Mari has a crush on herself. Which led to some teasing and escalated to Mari announcing that Jason had a crush on Red Hood on live TV.

It didn’t help that a video of Red Hood and Jason re-enacting Romeo and Juliet with Jason on his apartment balcony and Red Hood on the roof was posted on the internet a few days later. (Thank you, Trixx and Tim’s awesome video editing skills)

Sadly, it was taken down 24 hours later. (Tim and the others have multiple copies of it, on the cloud or hardware, hidden around in the manor and their respective safehouses in the US.)

Some people kidnapped Jason to hopefully gain leverage over the Red Hood and to their dismay and nightmares for years to come, Hellbat came instead.

One lucky and incredibly brave reporter asked why she was there instead of her brother.

Mari being a little shit, “Red Hood may be a tough and scary guy but when it comes to his feelings, my brother is a chicken.”

Pictures of Jason tackling Hellbat somehow never made it into any papers.

The criminal underworld hasn’t taken a hint and Jason has been kidnapped a few more times.

Other times Jason was kidnapped:

Robin: Red Hood made a fool of himself in front of Todd recently and he doesn’t dare to show his face.

Spoiler: He was taking too damn long checking his hair even though I told him that no one was going to see it under his helmet and he was so offended that he is currently sulking in the bathroom.

Red Robin: Red Hood can’t think straight when he is around Jason. I mean have you seen the dude.

Arsenal*during a rare visit to Gotham*: Red Hood owes me one now.

Dick finally ends it by going out as Red Hood and rescuing Jason. Gotham is happy that Redson (Red Hood x Jason) ship has finally sailed.

-------

Kate, Babs, Cass, Steph and Mari were out on Mari’s first girls’ night since her move to the manor.

This is set a little after she came back from Paris with Jason.

They watched rom-com movies, did hair and nails, gossip about the superhero community and bitch and vent to each other.

Marinette off-handedly mentioned the crazy shits she had done during her stint as Ladybug. It started with asking about the T-rex in the Batcave and she mentions jumping into the mouth of a live one before.

Everyone in the room was shocked and after a few more questions, it was obvious that she was very reckless and self-sacrificing. Yep, she was going to fit into this crazy family just fine.

And Holy Shit. There is so much trauma packed into this kid. She needs lots of therapy.

Babs finally decided that they all needed to get out and have some fun. All in their respective suits and they went out.

Joined by Harley, Ivy and Selina.

Plagg came along because I want Plagg to meet Selina.

It was a chaotic night and it was a miracle that Bruce didn’t find out about what the girls did.

-------

Batman and Red Hood were on patrol together when Selina jumped in front of them.

“Hello, Boys”

“What do you want, Catwoman?”

“I want to meet my new prodigy, Kitty Noire.”

Cue Marinette jumping down from her hiding spot, transformed with the Black Cat Miraculous. “Hiya.”

Red Hood carries her like a potato sack and points his gun at the other two.

“Nope, she’s my sister and I called dibs. I adopted her. She’s off limits.”

“Legally, she’s mine.” Batman coughed out.

“I did it first. Emotionally. She’s my emotional support sister. You have plenty kids already, B and Selina, get your own.”

“Hey, I am still here and can hear you.”- Maria

-------

Alya was worried for Lila. She had been acting weirdly for the past month.

She looked very out of sorts. Her clothes weren’t in order and her hair was in disarray. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes looked wild. Lila didn’t look like herself at all.

She jumped at any sound and flinched at really sudden movements.

Alya tried to find out what was wrong with Lila and received vague answers.

One time Lila said that Marinette is to blame.

Alya reaches the somewhat right conclusion that Marinette was haunting Lila and hurting her because Lila used to come to school with bruises and claims that Marinette did it.

Alya goes to Marinette’s grave to desecrate it. (Yeah, go anger the ghost that is haunting someone.)

Unfortunately, the moment she tries to do something, the sky turns dark, clouds appear and the wind begins whipping. A Lightning strike near her and there was a cloaked figure beside her with a scythe.

All Alya saw from the figure was the blood-red lips in a very sharp grin and glowing blue eyes, raising the scythe high before she ran away. The scythe swiped the air where her head once was.

Alya didn’t get far before she tripped and blacked out.

When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital with no idea how she got there.

She was told that somebody found her with a concussion in the park and took her to the hospital.

------

The next one on Mari’s hit list was Natalie.

She wasn’t as involved in the whole thing like Lila, Adrien or Gabriel but she still did it anyways.

Her punishment is a little mild compared to the others and was more of a warning to Gabriel.

Natalie woke up in the middle of the night to see a not-so-dead Ladybug sitting on her vanity chair with the moonlight from the windows illuminating her body and her neck. Her suit was torn exactly like the day of that battle with blood dripping down her arms and from her open wounds. The shadows kept her face hidden but glowing blue eyes stared at her.

Natalie was scared at first. But she regained her normal cool composure.

“I assume you are here to extract your revenge for aiding in your unfortunate demise. But before you kill me, I regret my part in my entire thing and I apologize for everything I have done against you even though I knew it was wrong.”

“At least you show remorse over what you have done. Visiting my grave when even my parents didn’t and leaving flowers. I love those purple hyacinths by the way. Did you know that they mean sorry in the language of the flowers?”

“Why are you stalling my death? Just kill me already.”

“Madam Sancouer. You just played a minor role in my downfall compared to what Adrien and Lila Rossi did to me. And you showed more guilt over your actions than they ever did and Adrien claimed to have loved me. And like I have told the Bats, Death is too swift of a punishment.”

“Who are the bats?”

“None of your concern. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Lila sees the ghosts of her past and they haunt her. Adrien is in a living nightmare and has no control over his actions and is despised by everyone. What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, since you show some guilt over your actions, let me tell you a little secret. I am not dead. Not really. I mean I did die. But there was a spell in the grimoire that revived me. It took a few days to work.”

Marinette changed to her normal form. It was a little jarring to see an older Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on her vanity chair like it was a throne. The Ladybug suit and the wounds were gone. She looked a little familiar.

“Why are you telling me this? What was the point?” Natalie faltered as she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Marinette moved closer and her face was fully illuminated by the moonlight.

“I intend to take everything by which I mean everything from Gabriel Agreste for what he did.”

“M. Agreste just wanted his wife back. You just gave him your Miraculous, you would still have everything.”

“What difference would it make? Sure I had friends and family before but they turned out to be disappointing. I might have become a famous designer like I dreamed of and can't achieve because I died. Besides, he never said about wanting his wife to come back in his tedious monologues. For all we knew back then, he wanted them for world domination. He showed that he would end the world for them. For kwamis’ sake, he nearly started World War III, just for a pair of earring and a ring. He was willing to kill me to have her back. No wait, he did that too. If he actually read the translated grimoire or asked the Guardian or at least someone with magic for help instead or maybe used his head and made some who can heal as his champion using the Butterfly, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. Face it, Mme Sancour, your boss is a power-hungry and very controlling maniac who is also thankfully an idiot.”

“But- he- he just-. You are just a child, what do you know? M. Agreste knew what he was doing.”

“A child who had a normal life up until he tried to ruin it with his idiotic schemes and hiring Lila to do it. A child who had to fight a war on her own.”

“I am sorry you had to go through that but I doubt you and your little revenge rampage is going to solve anything.”

Ghostly Chains wrapped around Natalie’s body, squeezing tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

“I was all for sparing you, you know. If you had actually listened to my side of the story, you would have spared from my ‘little revenge rampage’. This is going to be a little painful. Sorry about that.” In a tone that was definitely not sorry.

Pain coursed through Natalie’s body. Her skin crawled and itched as pitch back feathers grew out of it. Her bones turned to dust and reformed.

Where Natalie Sancour once was, there was a raven.

An omen of death and destruction for one Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette leaned down towards the raven. Natalie tried to peck her eye out but Marinette held the beak in a firm grip.

“Ah. ah ah. Luckily for you this is temporary. Mostly. Every night, you will assume this shape and each night the longer you will stay in this form. Slowly counting down the days until Gabriel’s downfall. Since you love helping him so much, you are going to help him know how long he has to live. The night you are a raven from sunset to sunrise, that sunrise starts the day Gabriel Agreste will be utterly destroyed.”

She released the beak and headed towards the window.

"Send him my regards."

With that, she was gone.

(Part 6)

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | Chapter Five

Chapter Five

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Summary: (fluff only) weekly Saturday reading only they are joined by an extra 15 lost boys, not just Spencer

Warnings (adding as they happen): fluff, hurt/comfort, depressed spencer, reader has a daughter, falling in love, strangers to lovers, library smut, oral (female receiving) lots and lots of fluff

word count: 3K

from the beginning <3

He woke up Saturday morning to the sound of a bunch of voices coming from beyond the walls of his room. Only it wasn’t his room, it was the room he slept in when he stayed with Y/N and Amoreena, he hasn’t left since he arrived on Thursday and he had no plan to either.

They still hadn’t told her about their relationship, not wanting her to come crawling into bed with her mom in the morning to find Spencer there too. She wasn’t ready to explain to Amoreena what it meant for Spencer to be in her bed, how they were in love and that she might need to learn how to knock before entering.

So he slept in the spare room, completely contently because he knew she was only on the other side of the wall, instead of 30 minutes away like she would be when he slept at his own apartment.

It had been a week since he saw them reading in the park, and now they were his family. It was incredibly fast, anyone who heard the news would say so. But that’s how his life worked, he blew through everything incredibly fast, it only made sense for him to skip every step in the book and become a stepdad overnight.

He woke up then, missing Y/N and Amoreena as he thought about the last week. Finally getting dressed and peaking outside, through the crack in the blinds, to see what was going on on the farm.

There were a bunch of men in the field with the cows dropping new cattle off in a big truck as a bunch of children ran around the yard. Y/N wasn’t kidding when she said her 7 siblings had produced 15 cousins for Amoreena to play with. Children all between the ages of toddler and 7-years-old, screaming while they ran after Rufus and the cats, it was a pure dopamine rush to witness.

He found Y/N in the living room, a book in one hand and a coffee in the other, “good morning cutie, all the ruckus on the farm wake you up?” She did her best fake southern accent as she smiled at him. Beautiful as ever in the early morning sunshine.

He nodded with a yawn, sitting beside her and snuggling into her shoulder. She placed her mug in his hands so she could wrap an arm around him and pull him in closer, letting him take a sip of coffee and become a real person again.

He noticed she was reading a book he had never seen before, reading the pages and not know the words. It was a first for him.

“What’s that one about?”

Y/N closed it to let him look at the cover. It was a hand-bound book, wrapped in green fabric that was at least 30 years old and in well-loved condition. The gold lettering reading Amoreena, along with a pressed gold rose and the author's name. He had never heard of it before.

“My grandma was an aspiring writer and the reason I love books so much, her name was Peggy and she had a dream once about a wonderful little girl named Amoreena and the magical life she created for herself. She wrote it all down and my grandpa had it typed and bound for her, she was so proud of this book,” Y/N gushed, smiling as she held it to her chest softly, thinking of all the memories Spencer didn’t know yet.

“Really?” Spencer couldn’t help but smile at her.

She nodded softly, “she loved Elton John, so much so that when my sister Ashley came out she threw her a party. Almost all those kids out there are Ashley's, by the way, she went down the adoption and foster root after I did IVF.”

She pointed out the front window at all the people gathered on her land, “Ben and Dylan dropped their kids off too while they help dad and Evan with the farm. Those are my brothers in case you didn’t know their names yet, there’s also Carver and Francis but they don’t live as close.”

Her little life was just so perfect, “did they want to come with us to read this afternoon? We need some lost boys.”

“They’d love that, are you sure you can handle 16 kids between the two of us?” she smiled, pure love spreading through her body as she held him.

“They’re not so different from psychopaths right?” He teased, watching her settle against him even more as they enjoyed their Saturday together.

“What else can you tell me about your grandma?” He snuggled into her more as he asked, wanting to know as much about her happiness as possible.

“She was always listening to music, she loved Elton's song Amoreena the most. It was the song she played for the majority of my childhood. It only made sense for me to name my little miracle Amoreena too, cause I wouldn’t have her unless nanny suggested I have a baby.”

“I would have loved to meet her.”

Y/N’s smile changed then, “she would have loved you and your big mind.”

“My mom wants to meet you and Amoreena,” he announces softly, he hasn’t really told her anything about his family yet.

“What’s she like?”

“She has schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s and she lives in a care home in DC right now, I try and see her when I can but she has her own schedule so I have to fit around when she’s having a good day,” it was hard to explain it to most people, but not to her. He didn’t feel any shame or fear in introducing them. Y/N was the most loving human, and Amoreena was just the same.

“When is she free next?” A simple question that made him feel incredibly giddy.

“Tuesday from 3-5,” he snuggled in closer to her as she wraps her arm around him.

“We’ll pick Amoreena up from school after work and take her over,” Y/N agreed, their lives intertwining like they were always meant to.

Like she was the ivy on his old cottage, she took him in and made him her own, wrapping herself all around him and never letting him go again.

He basically finishes her coffee while she holds him on the couch. The sound of the kids outside making them laugh every once in a while, dogs barking and cows mooing, the farm was alive and roaring while they enjoyed each other's company.

“Did you bring your costume for the reading today?”

He sat right up then, looking at her like she lost her mind, “of course I did, I wouldn’t have Penelope spend a week tracking down a Captain Hook costume just to forget it.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped, “you didn’t?!”

He simply nodded with a cheeky grin, “come on Tinker Bell, everyone knows she had a thing for Hook.”

“Who didn’t? He was the first and last bad boy I was interested in, I typically go more for Milo’s and Ariel’s; full of adventure and always learning something new,” Y/N teased him.

“Mhm, I always had a thing for Aladdin and Belle in search of far off lands and happy endings,” he mused, making her smile just as much as he was, “but for real it was between Hook and Wendy for my costume,” he made her laugh again, wanting to hear it for the rest of time.

“You still can, I have a blue nightgown you can borrow,” it was so easy for them to flirt, it fit into their conversation so simply it felt like they had been together forever.

He couldn’t help leaning in to kiss her, resting her back against the couch softly as she held onto him. He loved kissing her, she tasted like coffee and happiness every single time. She made the cutest sounds when they would make out like she was surprised by it or she wasn’t used to it at all.

She made him feel like he was young again like he was 21 and in love for the first time. All his trauma disappeared and that Spencer who used to stare back at him in the mirror was gone now. That guy packed his bags and left the farm to never be seen again.

Good fucking riddance is all he had to say.

He was happy, he enjoyed being happy and he was going to stay happy. It was the only goal he had going forward, and as long as he was in her embrace, surround by the laugher of her child and family, he knew it would be possible.

Amoreena came running inside then, finding the two of them making out on the couch before they could part from each other.

“Ewww!” She cried, jumping on top of the two of them and knocking the wind out of Spencer.

“Get off,” Y/N tried to speak as she was crushed by the two of them. “Mom down!”

Spencer picks Amoreena up then, taking her away from the couch and spinning her around like she’s an airplane. She cheers and cheers and doesn’t want him to put her down because it’s so fun. The next thing he knows he’s being dragged outside to twirl all the kids around like they’re Peter Pan, flying through the air on their way to Neverland.

He’s surrounded by giggles and tickles fights, he’s tackled down against the dirt as a herd of tiny children dog pilled him. Laughing until he cried, feeling more joy than humanly possible and then Y/N’s telling them all to get ready to he’d to the park.

Coming down the stairs in a pirate costume to a bunch of screaming kids was an experience and a half. Spencer couldn’t believe how happy it made them all to imagine Captain Hook had broken into the house and Amoreena, or Peter Pan as she corrected him, chased him outside with all the lost boys.

He took a moment to learn all their names, all 15 of them, however, unlike the cats, they had relatively normal people names.

Kate, Cade, Jet, Lauren, Cassie, Sara, Evan, Benny, Olivia, Jessie, Owen, Maddie, Gwen, August, and Parker, were the cutest little family of cousins. some looked like Amoreena, some looked like their own mothers, a handful of them were adopted out of the country, they were the most perfect cast of lost boys.

He's never had any cousins, no pets, no siblings. His life never felt lonely until he realized what he missed out on.

“Dad,” Amoreena whispered as she tugged on his shirt lightly, “look!”

She pointed towards the house where Y/N was standing. When she said she was going as Tinker Bell he really didn’t think she meant looking exactly like Julia Roberts at the end of Hook.

She looked magical in her beautiful white dress, curly hair with the most perfectly placed flowers and flawless wings wrapped around her shoulders. She was a vision standing on the porch, waiting for him to pick his jaw up off the floor and compliment her.

“Tink,” the words are more like air, soft and barely there.

“Is Captain Hook being nice? Or should we take him to the pond and let the Alligators deal with him?” Y/N teased, marching down the stairs and poking Spencer's chest.

“Ouch,” he teased her, holding his hand over his heart to make her feel bad.

But she didn’t, “some Pirate you are,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him before taking Amoreena’s hand and running off down the trail towards the main house, everyone following her lead.

Nanny packed enough snacks for all 16 kids, and a little extra just in case. Spencer slipped the lunch box over his shoulder and they made their way towards the adventure. Y/N pulling a wagon just in case the littlest ones didn’t want to walk anymore. It was spectacular.

Y/N stopped then, pretending to stand like an army man turning around abruptly to look at the troop. “Lost boys, are we ready?”

“Yes, Tinker Bell!” They cheered back.

“On my lead, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4,” she marched, bringing her knees up high as they all followed her down the path. “We’re following the leader, the leader, the leader,” she began to sing.

Spencer was in awe, his heart felt like it was going to explode as he watched everyone follow her. Singing along as they marched their tiny little butts down to the park.

“We’re following the leader wherever she may go!” Amoreena yelled the lyrics back, leading the pack as Peter Pan should.

“Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee day Tee dum, tee dee, it's part of the game we play Tee dum, tee dee, the words are easy to say Just a teedle ee dum, a teedle ee do tee day

Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee dum We're one for all, and all of us out for fun We march in line and follow the other one With a teedle ee do, a teedle ee do tee dum”

It was like magic, they all knew the words and they sang the whole way down the path. Every verse and then repeating it. Not a single kid strayed from the path, no one complained about sore feet or hot backs, they loved their Aunty Y/N and so did Spencer.

“We’re off on an adventure, adventure, adventure,” Y/N changed the words, making him smile as she brought happiness into the world. “We’re off on an adventure to read out in the sun! Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee day…”

Every single time he thought she had given him the best day of his life, she manages to outdo herself.

—

They barely listened to the story, it was a disaster of epic proportions but they tried. 15 kids is a lot to handle as an ex FBI agent and a librarian, they had lunch and instead ran around the field playing lost boys instead. It was still an amazing afternoon.

He was going to be covered in bruises the next morning. He had been kicked, poked, trampled, jumped on, the whole 9 yards. They were the most energetic bunch in the whole world, and then they came home to ice cream.

“Y/N,” Spencer finally pulled her aside when all the kids were preoccupied with their cold snack after a hot day.

“Yes, cutie?” It was a nickname that was sticking, much like pretty boy, and he didn’t mind it at all.

“We’re going to need more than 2 songs tonight to get her to go to bed,” he teased, stepping into that step-dad role with ease.

She couldn’t stop smiling at him, wrapping him up in her arms gently so he didn’t crush her fairy wings. “We’ll take her swimming, that’ll tire her out instead. Are you lookin’ for some alone time?”

“I love her dearly, but I can’t kiss you as much when she’s around,” he whispered before pecking her quickly and hearing the group of lost boys pretend to be sick.

“Just because he’s my dad doesn’t mean you have to be gross like your mom and dad, mom,” Amoreena’s smart mouth making them both shake their heads and laugh.

“What would you do if I did this?” Y/N teased before dipping Spencer back like a princess and kissing him, he stuck his foot out in shock as she held him there.

“Ewww!!” All the kids yelled as she returned him to his feet.

“Or this?” Y/N pulled him into another kiss, her leg popping like Princess Mia’s in the princess diaries.

Amoreena and her cousins were all screaming then, laughing at how gross their aunt and her new boyfriend were being. Used to it clearly, their grandparents were just as in love and watching from the porch as they held each other on the swing.

“I love you,” Spencer announced, loud enough for all to hear without a care in the world.

“You better,” she smiled. “I love you too, cutie,” she added before kissing him one last time.

His life felt perfectly complete.

Y/N’s brothers were incredibly kind just like her. He learned that Ashley was the oldest with 5 kids and her wife Susie, then Ben who was 46 and his wife Shannon, they had 3 kids. Dylan and Laurie had 4 and Even, her twin brother had 3.

Turns out her mom had 2 sets of twins back to back, 7 children and only 5 pregnancies. It felt crazy for him to think about having that many people in his life for his whole life, he wouldn’t have known what to do with anyone more than just his mother growing up.

Spencer helped Bob with the barbecue, they made burgers and hotdogs for all 16 of the children while they continued to run through the fields. They had enough energy to last them 5 straight days of chaos. It was amazing.

Y/N and Spencer managed to wander off while all the kids ate, sitting under a tree with their dinner so they could finally have some time alone together.

She was beautiful, sitting in the afternoon amber glow as she tried to keep her hair from blowing in her face. Tucking the strands behind her ears so she could eat her dinner in peace before spencer handed her the hair tie on his wrist. Then she got ketchup on her cheek, seemingly on purpose as she smiled at him and laughing as Spencer wiped it off with his thumb. He was so in love he felt stupid, smiling at her like he’s never seen another person before, absolutely enamoured.

“Derek and his wife wanted to come over tomorrow and have his son meet Amoreena if that’s okay?”

Her face lit up, “his son is the one named after you right? Not your godson?”

He nodded with yet another smile, his lips were going to fall off at this point. “Yeah, he’s the sweetest little guy, Hank’s never been to a farm before.”

“You tell them our gates are always own to new minds and pure hearts,” she smiled. “That’s what nanny used to say.”

He leans in and kisses her then, resting his forehead against hers as she held his cheek in her free hand, smiling ever so softly as she stared into his eyes, they didn’t need words, he knew she loved him too. A week of pure bliss had passed within the blink of an eye, and they still had forever to go.

Taglist: @shemarmooresfedora @spookyspence @spencers-dria @manuosorioh @reidsfish @mochionly (send me an ask if you want to be added to the tag list, I don't always see every reply! i love you guys thank you so much for reading)

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

How Bad is Sia’s “Music” really?

I watched it illegally (because there was no way I was paying for that bullshit) and found out. It’s not as bad as we thought... It’s worse.

TW for ableism, Sia, drugs, alcohol, just in general a terrible movie, meltdowns, blackface

Literally the first thing you hear while they’re showing the production companies is THOSE stereotypical noises. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know what I mean.

And yes, she does this for the WHOLE fucking movie

What was the need to show her in her underwear? Maddie Ziegler was 14 when this was made, so what was the need??? And why did Sia prolong the scene by having her hitting herself?

Less than a minute in and my reaction was already “what the fuck is this shit?”

So the opening number not only had stereotypical exaggerated facial expression, it has Maddie in BLACKFACE?!? And with culturally appropriated hair?!?

The exaggerated facial expressions are literally constant and I took photos during the film to show it, more later, but I’ll keep mentioning it

ITS LITERALLY THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME SHE IS ON SCREEN

Even her way of walking is fucking offensive, Jesus Christ

The vocalisations just had me cringing so hard, I cannot describe how awful it made me feel

Why do all the neighbours need to be paid off and help her when she goes for a walk? I don’t-

Yes, by about the five minute mark I was already seriously debating all my life decisions. It was that bad.

Kate Hudson really didn’t give a fuck that her grandma died

I will keep saying it but WHY are the facial expressions/vocalisations CONSTANT?!! Literally they do not stop at all. I work with a child who is actually similar to this in that he’s nonverbal and he makes similar noises/faces, but the way they’re in this movie is so over-exaggerated?!? And even the kid I work with doesn’t do it 24/7?!?

Sia, calling your characters Zu and Music doesn’t make them interesting in the slightest. They’re still painfully terrible and one dimensional

Literally ONE minute after being left alone with her autistic sister, Zu calls the mental health service asking if they could “theoretically” “pick up” her sister?!? Like she wants to get rid of her already?!?

“A magical little girl” - autism isn’t a magical power?!? And Music is a young woman, not a little girl?!? Why are you infantilising her?!?

Okay I’m not being funny but this choreography is NOT hard. ANYONE can do it, so claiming that you needed to hire a dancer to be Music because of the numbers is literally bullshit (and even so, there are so many amazing autistic actors and dancers?!?)

20 minutes in and I wanted to give up

So she had her first meltdown because her hair didn’t get braided immediately and that’s... certainly interesting??

The fact that Leslie Odom’s character says “I’m going to crush you now”?!?

AND THEN HE FUCKING PICKS HER UP AND FULL-BODILY PINS HER DOWN ONTO THE FLOOR

“I’m crushing her with my love” - oh fuck you, just fuck you

So Sia lied, the restraint scenes were NOT removed and there was no warning. She’s a fucking POS liar

I have no idea why he’s called Ebo or why he has such a cliche African accent?!? I might have missed out on why because I was busy trying not to bang my head into the table while I watched this film but just... yikes

“He (his brother) liked to be held” - YEAH, HELD. NOT FUCKING CRUSHED

“He is dead now” - IM NOT FUCKING SURPRISED IF YOU CRUSHED HIM LIKE THAT

The constant babying and patronizing of the autistic character is so exhausting to watch. I’m so tired

“Planning on sending her to the people pound but I guess I’ll keep her a little longer” - SHE WAS JOKING BUT THAT WAS NOT EVEN REMOTELY A FUNNY JOKE. NOT EVEN IN AN AWKWARD WAY

STOP THE FACES IM-

^ YEAH, Sia, totally a fucking love letter to the autistic community here ^

So Zu finds this necklace she made as a kid that had a little dog on it, and she says to Music, “He had seizures too, just like you”... MELTDOWNS AND SEIZURES ARE NOT EVEN REMOTELY THE SAME FUCK THIS MOVIE-

It’s like Sia is trying to make the movie funny but it’s really not at all

Is Zu implying that Music is autistic because the mum was a junkie?!?

For real though, the dialogue in general is so fucking awful and cringey. Whoever wrote this should never be allowed to write again

Did she seriously leave her autistic sister alone to talk to who I’m presuming was her dealer or loan shark?!?

Also why is he - a white dude - wearing cornrows?!?

So who is the film really about? The autistic girl or the older sister saviour? I think we all know the answer to that one

WHY IS SHE WALKING AROUND WITH HER TEETH JUTTING OUT LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME

The musical numbers are literally so painful to watch. The overly bright colours, the flashing... my eyes were hurting and so was my brain

Autism representation aside for a second, the musical numbers/choreography are all fucking atrocious. Ditto for the costumes

LIKE WHAT THE FUCK WERE THE PINK OOMPA LOOMPA FRUIT THINGS?!? THEY LOOK LIKE THE PINK VERSIONS OF VIOLET BEAUREGARDE THE BLUEBERRY

I wanted to cry by this point, this movie is far more awful than I thought

“I’m not saying she doesn’t want to change, I’m saying she can’t” - FUCK YOU. Why is it okay for him to assume what she can or can’t do

Can I just say that autistic people aren’t constantly in a coked up wonderland state?!! We don’t see the world as a wonderland fantasy world 24/7?!!

“She can hear you from two rooms away” / *shows her listening through two brick walls to a conversation* — Also, we don’t have super fucking sonic hearing?? WE CANT HEAR THROUGH FUCKING BRICK WALLS?!?

“She can understand everything you’re saying to her” - she’s autistic not fucking deaf

Less than 45 minutes in, there’s another meltdown in the park

“I’m not climbing on top of a small screaming white girl in public” - yeah please fucking don’t

So Zu fucking pins her down with her weight 🤦‍♀️

“She doesn’t know who she’s hitting” - IM SORRY WHAT

EBO LITERALLY SAID “TREAT HER LIKE A BEAR” when talking her through the prone restraint, I fucking CANNOT

“Tell her she’s safe” - NOT IF YOU FUCKING RESTRAIN HER LIKE THAT SHE IS NOT

The fact that she gets up, smiling and happy after a meltdown and immediately is excited to get a snow cone... I can honestly say that after a meltdown, I am in no way happy or smiling. I am often not very verbal and I’m withdrawn/not myself for at least several hours, usually the rest of the day. Fuck this film

This film is literally just about Zu, and Music is there for a plot device to give her character development. That’s all she’s there for.

Love how Sia shoehorned Zu being suicidal in there. You know, just to try and make her more easy to sympathize with (it doesn’t work)

This film is literally just a 1 hour 47 minute Sia music video with ZERO plot

WHY WERE THEY WEARING PILLOW DIAPERS IN ONE NUMBER-

I really did not feel into the side plot with that guy who was fighting but it was still better than the actual movie so...

I am SO DONE with the NON STOP CONSTANT vocal shit. So tired.

LOJ’s only role in this film is to be the stereotypical wise black guy who assists a white woman’s story. There’s like hardly any other depth there

The Ebo/Zu romance is so fucking stupid and pointless and out of NOWHERE. I couldn’t even tell if they were into each other or not

I was already so bored of the musical numbers by this point. They added NOTHING to the plot but they pretended they did, and I was so over it. And it’s not because I’m not “creative enough” or anything to understand, I love musicals and I think it could have been cool if done right... but it wasn’t. They were a mess. It’s just bad.

Sia really tried to pretend her movie was deep but really it’s a shallow mess

So Zu is meeting rich drug clients and says to Music “try not to have one of your freak outs up there” and “if you could try to get it out now”... FUCKING YIKES. It’s not an on/off button, shut the fuck up

YEP THIS WAS THE SIA CAMEO FUCK THAT BITCH

The fact that she just calls “DRUG DEALER?!? DRUG DEALER IS THAT YOU”, fucking end this please-

I fucking hate this bitch I’m dead serious

“We’re gonna send them to Haiti cause there’s been an earthquake. All these buildings fell down, children’s bones were dislocated” - WHY WAS SHE SO CHEERFUL ABOUT IT

“Gonna buy a shit load of pain meds, gonna but them on my private plane” - FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU

“Pop stars without borders” - Sia thinks she’s so clever but I would give anything to punch her I swear-

ANOTHER MUSICAL NUMBER JUST STOP IM BEGGING YOU

There’s this awkward conversation/bit with Zu and her drug dealer/loanshark about his outfit that was clearly meant to be funny but was just flat and painful

Yep, Sia really showed Music eating chewing gum off the underside of a park bench. Of course.

Look, the kid I work with does similar stuff by putting literally anything and everything in his mouth but like... why would you put that in your movie?

And there’s no indication before this that Music puts everything and anything in her mouth, she just randomly decides to get on her knees, under the bench and eat chewing gum, like she calculates that it’s there and gets it???

She has a THIRD meltdown after an allergic reaction to a bee sting and her sister just yells at her before realizing... I’m not here for this movie, I feel like I drifted off and was not really there

So Zu got angry because she left the drugs at the park but she’s not that upset that her sister had an allergic reaction???

Zu gets absolutely drunk because a) she lost Sia’s drugs and b) she’s stressed out by her autistic sister... wow, great message, Sia!

She really fucked off and left her sister alone to go clubbing/on a bender

The less said about the musical number here the better

Sia’s movie also checks the box of having stereotypical Asian parents, specifically stereotypical Asian dad being harsh/angry and hitting his wife!

ALSO HE PUSHED AND KILLED HIS SON WTF IS HAPPENING

Less than 3 minutes after the last, there’s a musical number that I think was about this side character going to heaven... another shitty Sia-esque number

The patterns during the number made my brain hurt.

Also there are so many autistic actors who can also dance, and yet Sia chose the neurotypical one because ✨ N E P O T I S M ✨

I just want to know how it was deemed necessary to show the fact the autistic character peed/wet herself? I mean... ??? It’s just so undignified and not at all necessary to the plot. Nothing happens after that, it just moves onto the next scene and it didn’t do anything

“I have no one” - 1) YOUR FUCKING SISTER. 2) GEE I FUCKING WONDER WHY, couldn’t be that you’re a shitty human being?!?

There’s a scene where Music is walking and she does ALL the stereotypical behaviours at once... just YIKES

Zu somehow stopped another meltdown just by grabbing Music by the shoulders and sitting her down???

Aaand yep. Another shitty musical number

Zu really goes to put her sister in a fucking facility and claims it’ll be “better for her” - BULLSHIT. Better for Zu, maybe, not Music.

Ah yes - the girl who the characters have said has problems with routines being changed/change in general... you’re now going to fuck up her routine by dumping her in a facility. Perfect Plan.

The nonverbal autistic girl suddenly speaking to say “don’t go” - you can just predict it from the off, can’t you?

Love that as soon as Music starts talking, Zu is like “fuck it, I’ll keep her!”

Zu really went and crashed Ebo’s brothers wedding... in a fucking bralette... YIKES

“I almost gave Music away” - SHE IS NOT A DOG YOU DONT GIVE PEOPLE AWAY

“We should sing a song” - PLEASE DO FUCKING NOT

Also that kiss/romance montage between Zu and Ebo was the CRINGIEST fucking shit ever

This movie seems to be implying that Music has locked in syndrome or something, like she’s locked in her own head or whatever it’s called, and I just... *sigh*

Oh and now Music magically fucking sings in a room FULL of strangers... this is literally embarrassing, please let this end

I mean it, this movie was fucking painful to watch on ever level

She got a service dog puppy which... okay?

Oh look, it’s the only decent song on the soundtrack but with an absolutely shitty over-stimulatory music video with the credits!

I can only name 5 characters in this film. Maybe 7 at a push, but even then I would be guessing

AND YEP SHE THANKED AUTISM SPEAKS OVER THE CREDITS. FUCK YOU SIA 🖕🏻

Let me reiterate: this is a movie about a neurotypical former drug addict whose character development comes from the autistic character, from having an autistic sister she has to take care of. I’m so tired.

We are NOT plot devices or tools for character development. Not once does anyone in this film treat Music like a human being - she’s treated as a burden, a problem, and then like a pet that they decide to keep. Not once is the film focused on how she is feeling - it’s always about Zu or Ebo. The performance itself was so over exaggerated and it made me want to cry when I watched it because this is how the world sees us, and this movie will make it ten times worse. It’s stuff like this that made me think “I don’t want to be labelled as autistic because people will think I’m a certain way”, that made me wait so long before going to the GP to get a referral.

As I said, poor autistic representation aside, the movie is just so appallingly bad. It truly is one of the worst films I’ve watched. If you’re going to watch it, please don’t - or, if you want to because you want to see how bad it is/to raise awareness/critical posts, at least do it illegally. Do not give Sia your money.

[uhlikzsuzsanna]

Richard E. Grant Reveals Whether Classic Loki Is Gone for Good: 'How Do You Top That?' (Exclusive)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Loki Season 1, Episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery.”]

Richard E. Grant seems the ideal candidate to be conscripted into Marvel's cinematic universe: He's an Oscar nominee (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) who doesn't take himself too seriously (he's been in two Hitman's Bodyguard movies) and he's already on the Disney payroll (having joined the Star Wars franchise for The Rise of Skywalker). Yet, the actor says he and Marvel had never discussed his entrée into the MCU until Loki.

"I'd been in Logan, but that's completely separate," he told me over Zoom. "I'd joked on and off down the years with Tom Hiddleston, because of some vague similarity in the way that we look -- me, a much older version of course -- about working together as father and son in something. I assumed because I was asked to play Old Loki, I thought, 'Oh, this is the call finally,' because of the physical similarity. So, that's as much as I knew."

Grant made his Loki debut in the post-credits scene of episode 4 as "Classic" Loki, a Variant of our Hiddleston's God of Mischief who dons Loki's comics-accurate green and gold getup and ultimately goes out in a blaze of magical glory in the penultimate episode. Ahead of the Loki finale, Grant chatted with ET about answering Marvel's call, his one major complaint with his costume and whether Classic Loki is gone for good.

ET: Beyond you looking Hiddleston-y or him looking Richard E. Grant-y, what was it about this character in this story that you knew, "Yes, this is my part in the MCU"?

Richard E. Grant: Well, the key is in Old Loki, because being 64, I was older than anybody on the entire crew or cast. So, that was the clue in, I thought, "Old Loki, that's it -- I'm in the old age roles now."

What else were you told about him in that initial pitch? And was the costume part of it? Because it seems so much part of the character.

Yeah. And when the costume designer showed me my face on this costume that she designed and I saw the Jack Kirby drawings from the '60s, I thought, "Oh, great! As I have no muscles" -- as you can see -- "I'm finally going to be in a muscle suit. I'm going to have muscles like Tom has got!" And of course, I got there and I said, "Well, where's the muscle suit?" They said, "You don't have a muscle suit. This is what you're wearing." I said, "But this is like Kermit the Frog. There's no muscles. There's nothing here! How can I fight in Asgard?" [Laughs] "No, no, it's your magic that counts!" And I said, "Help me. Just give me the muscle suit," but they refused. So, I'm still sore headed that I was never given a muscle suit to fight Asgard as in all the drawings. I still don't really why they didn't do that, but maybe they wanted withered Loki. Who knows?

So, what was your reaction the first time you got all the garb on and saw yourself in the mirror?

Horrified, because I had no muscles! I was standing there like sort of a geek with these Y-fronts. I remember when I was a kid in the back of all the comics, they used to have these little drawing adverts with a skinny kid having sand kicked in his face. And they used to have these chest expanders, they said, "Send off for one of these chest expanders and you too could look like Thor!" Well, I never did, and I thought, well, finally, when I'm cast as Old Loki, this is going to be my chance. And damn, they took it away from me in that too. So I'm pissed at them for that.

How did Hiddleston react when he first saw you in it?

He said, "You have no idea what kind of response this is going to elicit when it comes out." I said, "That doesn't sound too positive or hopeful to me without the muscles, Tom." And he said, "No, no, believe me, I've been playing this part and there's a universe of people who are so obsessed and so ready to see Classic Loki. Be prepared for it." I didn't really take him seriously. I thought, "Well it's a TV series. How many people will watch this on a new channel?" Yada, yada. And how right he was looking into the crystal ball and how wrong I was, because since it came out last Wednesday, I have been absolutely flabbergasted by the response. My Twitter feed and Instagram have increased in vast numbers, and the response has been pretty astonishing. I'm amazed and grateful that it hasn't been negative so far.

I loved your post, by the way, about how your father would have reacted to this costume.

Well, he was right! I'm still at 64 earning my crust by wearing makeup and green tights. [Laughs]

I have to assume this was also your first time with an alligator as your scene partner?

It was. And in reality it was three stuffed cushions sewn together. Sort of fun to hold!

Alligator Loki is such a breakout star and I loved seeing the blue plushy you used on set. What was it like filming those scenes? Did it feel absolutely ridiculous?

No, because I was grateful. Very often you'd have dots or crosses or just a tennis ball on a stick to react to, so the fact that we actually had the soft cushioned shape of something alligator-like was a help. But it's just the nature of being an actor. You know that the CGI and the graphics and production design department, they come up with something amazing. What I didn't take on board is that, of course, he'd have these beautiful gold horns on top of his alligator sideways eyes. I love that. I've only seen the stills of it, but it looks amazing.

Your final moment in the episode is so powerful. I'll tell you, it brought tears to my eyes. On set, I imagine you're probably in front of a blue screen having to use your imagination. Tell me about capturing that emotion and how you and Kate Herron found that moment together?

The camera was on a big sort of jig crane thing that was at the highest section of the studio and I would follow a mark on that and they had, I think, three or four aircraft-sized wind machines blowing the Bajesus out of everything. And I thought, having wondered whether the helmets and the horns had to be quite so tight, I was grateful for them on that day because they did not move despite the amount of wind that was blowing at me. It was scripted to say, "He's laughing and shortly and cackling in the face of his own imminent, catastrophic death in the mouth of [Alioth]," it was very empowering to be able to just give it the full welly at doing that. So, I enjoyed that hugely.

You said you've only seen stills of Alligator Loki. Have you seen the episode yet?

No.

So, you haven't seen how the scene looks with all the CGI yet?

I've seen stills that I'm holding up the city, so I've seen that. I have never got used to watching myself on screen. I love watching other people, but when I come on, I just-- I'm astonished that I get any work. So, I've learned decades ago just to never watch. So, when you see a still, you don't have the horror of your shortcomings to mull over.

Well, I will tell you, you looked pretty bad ass in that moment.

Good. Thank you, John!

This seems like the end for Classic Loki, but if this series has taught us one thing, it's that Lokis survive. Do you think we could see him again someday? And are you down to play him again?

As you just said, everything's possible. But I think that's because his sacrifice is so huge and it's going out with such a bang, how do you top that if he had to come back? I have no idea. You know, it's not within my arena to do that. But I wouldn't say no, if asked. Put it that way.