#literally love is kind of crazy with a spooky little boy like him i want to kill myself NOW

[wiremotherenergy]

the person who made this video belongs in jail actually i hope you die a slow and painful death. literally why would you do this to me

[male-hedonism-and-acting-cool]

so i saw you have headcanons on ur page, so i prompt you for more, unload all ur cattonquick headcanons can be nsft go wild mate

sorry it took me so long but here are almost 2k words of my cattonquick headcanons

Felix

dyslexia/adhd combo. has no idea until like late 20s/early 30s. gets medicated, and it changes his entire life (he even gets some kind of rich boy job)

but during oxford he's just struggling and insufferable. Oliver has to do some of his assignments for him (not often. usually when Felix forgets about them entirely and doesn't find someone to pay for doing them)

had chlamydia. do I really need to explain this one? boy fucks around a lot

wants to get his nipples pierced

likes horror stories and spooky urban legends and stuff but also gets scared shitless by them

he was around 10 when his dog died. was literally heartbroken, didn't eat for like a weak. swore to never have a pet again

once during boarding school procrastinated all of his works for the last moment drank five redbulls was awake for 43 hours to finish everything and went to two finals. slept for two days straight woke up with no memory of doing any of this and didn't have a caffeinated drink again for a couple of years (he still barely passed if you care)

has super boring stories about drunk nights out (because he's rich and popular, so there's always something looking after him). but he thinks they are crazy

turns into crazy people pleaser if you as much as hint that you don't like him

​Oliver

autistic

thinks he's great at masking (he does know it's masking because he's also not diagnosed but he's highly aware that he performs different versions of himself for people and believes it's him being an evil genius or something)

is actually shit at masking. he can put his shit together and act a certain way for some time (like he did with other Cattons). but most of the time he's a little freak type of guy, and everyone notices

he also won’t talk to anyone unless he absolutely needs to (he almost failed a class because he needed to do a group project but didn’t like the group he was assigned to, so he tried to email “sorry to miss our group meeting but here’s my part of the work” his way out of talking to any them)

since they spend almost all the time together, Felix knows him in his closest to not masking state

I think his dad does have drinking problems, but he's more like a functional alcoholic so no one cares

likes reading long books. like 600+ pages long. they provide him with a sense of stability

I know he doesn't look like it, but he did have friends at school. mostly children of his parent's friends or people from his classes. he doesn't keep in touch with any of them, and it's his decision (he misses them sometimes, but it's more like he misses the idea of having friends than actual people)

started using contact lenses because Felix would always mention how he likes the color of his eyes

really picky about food and would rather starve than eat something he doesn't like. skips meals at oxford all the time if eggs at the dining hall are cooked in the wrong way or something like this

tries to quit smoking at some point later in life but decides it's not worth it with all the passive smoking from living with Felix

talks in his sleep. not much and not often, but still

becomes a writer and write really fucked up stories with dark academia vibes (partially because he turned into a fucking gremlin when he discovered academic validation and never let it go + partially as a love letter to Felix, his uni sweetheart who, let's be honest, kinda peaked at uni)

gets close with his second sister when she grows older (she and the youngest one have a similar age difference to Oliver and the oldest sisters, and their parents treated them similarly. so they bond over being ignored and forced into taking care of their younger siblings) parents treated them similarly. so they bond over being ignored and forced into taking care of their younger siblings)

cattonquick

Felix is one year older than most people in his class. because he took a gap year after school to "experience life" (get drunk in nine different European countries) and "get to know himself" (receive a couple of mediocre hand-jobs from other rich boys and make some conclusions about his sexuality). he would've been one year Oliver's senior but when Oliver was five he had severe pneumonia and was too weak to start school (like a fucking victorian child). so he started a year later and they are the same age

they do awful couple Halloween costumes (there are also people dressing as them for Halloween as couple costumes, that’s how annoying they are)

they are "facebook official" if you care (it was a big deal for possessive mentally unstable people back then, trust me, my favorite movie is the social network)

Felix has insane separation anxiety (like those dogs on tiktok that grew up during covid with their owners always around)

he would sit in Oliver's laps at parties, play with Oliver's clothes or hair while he's doing his work, ask Oliver to join him in the shower because I need to wash my hair so it's gonna be a long shower and I'll miss you and then you'll go to the shower and I'll miss you even more

but once in a while he gets angry because he feels "too needy" so he ignores Oliver for the whole day or asks him to leave if they are together

then (you guessed it) he starts missing Oliver

at first, Oliver was freaking out every time this happened, but over time he figured out to just give Felix some time and come back later. it still hurts him though that Felix believes he can just send him away whenever he's tired of him

after days like this Felix does everything to show that he loves Oliver and wants him around. he cuddles him more, takes him to a bar or to one of their special places, buys him something (he keeps track of everything Oliver mentions he likes by texting Farleigh. Farleigh fucking hates it)

but still the best way to show Oliver that he won't suddenly get bored of him once and for all one day is to stop doing shit like this. and Felix fails to do it. so they pretend it never happened until it happens again

Oliver always pulls Felix for a kiss by the collar or by his hair. he never st­ands on his toes

they did acid toge­ther once. Felix was sure Oliver would love it but Oliver had an awful trip full of maze imagery and never tried psyched­elics again

for their first va­cation together, they go to France (mostly because Felix does­n't really care for traveling, and he kno­ws that Paris is the city of love or wha­tever). there're huge protests the second day they arrived. so they only go to Louvre and spend the whole two weeks in their hotel room

after Oliver and Felix date for a while and it's clear that Oliver isn't going anywhere Oliver and Farleigh start to develop some love/hate friendship. they mostly hang out toget­her, talk shit about everyone (including each other), and di­scuss poetry

Felix is insanely jealous. Farleigh is offended Felix thou­ght he would be into Oliver. Oliver finds it hilarious (he doesn't think it's hot because he already knows how possessive Felix is, which is hot, but this makes Felix nervous so Oliv­er isn't into it)

Oliver bites. not only during sex but in general. they can sit holding hands and talk and he will just bite Felix's ha­nd and continue talk­ing like nothing hap­pened. because Felix is a little spoon, he will often wake up from Oliver biting into the back of his neck and have a mark for the entire day. Felix gets used to it surprisingly eas­ily (and by gets used to it I mean he finds it unearthly hot, to­uches marks that Oli­ver leaves on him all the time and serio­usly thinks about ge­tting a tattoo of Ol­iver’s bite marks)

and yes he does call Oliver a vampire

Oliver has a couple of slightly worn t-shirts three sizes bigger for Felix to borrow (when they st­art living together a couple slowly turns into a whole drawe­r)

they never really lived in saltburn to­gether. but they went here for summer

when they start li­ving together (right after oxford they move into a two-story apartment) Oliver insists they both sho­uld have an office as some personal spac­e, mostly because he needs to get his wo­rk done. Oliver’s of­fice is very old-fas­hioned, with dark wo­oden furniture and tall bookshelves. he also gets a reproduc­tion of the Saltburn maze game. Felix do­esn’t know what to put in his office bec­ause he doesn’t need a fucking office. his only idea is to commission a portrait of Oliver, so for a couple of years (until he gets medicated and finds a rich boy job) his office has blank wall­s, a portrait of his boyfriend with a de­sk and a single chair across from it and nothing else. he en­ds up spending most of the time Oliver works on the couch at Oliver’s office any­way

Oliver has a lock of Felix's hair in a locket. very 18th century gothic poet style (Felix knows ab­out it btw. it was an anniversary gift)

Felix introduces Oliver as boyfriend, then fiancé, and then husband. Oliver al­ways introduces Felix as his life partner

they get married after six years toget­her

Felix is the one to propose (he waited for Oliver to do it, but Farleigh once told Oliver that he would look like a des­perate social climber if he proposes and Oliver internalized it immediately)

Oliver writes Felix love letters even after they’ve been together for years. full of admiration for small daily things Felix does, about how godly is even the way Felix brush his teeth; about small nice things that hap­pened to him because there’s no one in the world he would ra­ther share it with (much like Nabokov’s Letters to Vera)

Oliver doesn't bel­ieve in soulmates, and Felix claims to be personally victimiz­ed by it. but Oliver just loves to see it as a result of hard work they put into it. he doesn't think they were simply destined to be togeth­er, he believes it's years and years of them choosing to be together, choosing each other when there were so many easier options

as for nsfw

I don't think they have sex with penet­ration often

like Felix has oral fixation, and Oliver just prefers doing things with his han­ds or mouth

Felix is really vo­yeuristic and huge part of their sex life is just Felix putt­ing up a show for Ol­iver and Oliver watc­hing

Felix likes to do cookwarming (oral fi­xation + it grounds him and his adhd bra­in)

Oliver is really a service dom whatever Felix wants Oliver will find a way to do it

but his personal favorite is rimming Felix until he's all wet and finish him by sucking him off and fingerings him at the same time

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A couple of replies today.

Anonymous asked:

Hell yeah, I’d get a daki from you. Also, Edmund as a body pillow? I’d eat that right up! (You can take that literally or figuratively.) Also a Lilia daki would be sexy af. Hmmm, depending on my cash situation later, I’d love to get an Idia dakimakura. The thought of his over flustered face makes me positively FERAL.

Ahh thank you so much, Anon! <3 Of course, feel free to message me about an Idia dakimakura or anything else whenever you want. He is the most perfect fit when it comes to characters to be put on daki, to be honest…

I am also very happy to see you feel that way about the possibility of Edmund as a body pillow hehe I would also love to eat it up both literally and figuratively. This boy is very eatable.

eh-nonnie-mouse asked:

I am sending this ask in super late but your guys piece with mountain Jade killed me. Like seeing the canon art was so cute and handsome and then the groovy had me on my knees clutching my heart and then your interpretation just KO'd me , just like he probably KO'd the poor soul who found him. I could see that one sketch (I think it was you two) where Jade and Rook pass each other in the woods with unidentified long black bags that suspiciously look like people.

But I was revived with the latest cute fucking Octo Trio in Isle of Lamentation and ASFGKJ I am so FERAL for that group of characters. (Not me up here crying in the club at Orthos HUMAN?! cute excited face omg 😭)

Is this Idia's dream and that's why he looks so shocked or is he super concerned because EELS are going to corrupt his baby bro!

Oh and how soft Azul looks at Idia, like they are group of highly disfunctional people who are a little (a lot) crazy for each other in all sorts of ways 🫠 but they are so pretty!!!! and WHY can't Floyd keep his clothes on ahahaha. He's just waltzing around half naked like a gladiator of old and everyone else is dressed appropriately. Orthos excitement over shoes is so cute! Is he looking at Floyd showing off his cool kicks (cause that eel is a certified sneaker head(?) Shoe fanatic?)

And as a last thing. Kalim is like an Asian parent in the way they show their affection through 'You vaguely like something? Here's a lifetime supply because I don't know how else to show my feelings'. Like I know it's just how Kalim is, very open with his affections for Jamil and he probably thinks money and gifts are the best ways to display that. Especially if Kalim can't get as touchy feely and handy as he would like but it just reminded me of that behavior.

No worries, thank you for sending asks!! I am always replying after like 4 months, so “late” doesn’t exist here; time is a flat circle lol

I am very happy you liked that Jade drawing, and YES it was me who drew that doodle of Jade and Rook lol We really love a forest as a creepy setting in general, so I just keep defaulting to something spooky whenever I draw anything related to it. And Jade’s new card was the perfect opportunity!

Jade really is a cryptid from the mountains… And apparently a very charming one 😭

Igni+Octa is such a good combination, I can’t get enough of them! I’m happy you also like them together!! <3 Ortho would always get along with Floyd lol The Tweels are bad influence on him.

It isn’t necessarily Idia’s dream, it’s kind of like an AU? We just wanted to put them in a setting that has vibes similar to Ancient Greece. But you are right: Idia is terrified because while he was talking to Azul, Ortho got completely enamoured by a pair of cool sandals… what else these creeps (fellow shoe fanatics!) are going to give him??

It’s so funny that you noted that Floyd just can’t keep his clothes on, we were wondering the same thing. I drew this sketch a while ago and coloured it the day we posted it, and the entire time I was unsure if I should dress him a little… I guess nah… he really is a gladiator at heart lol

You also completely nailed it about Kalim! I do think that he would love to shower Jamil with gifts, and to him it’s just like little ways to show appreciation and affection… when you are used to your family buying a whole-ass amusement park for one day just because you wanted to hang out there once, getting your beloved Jamil a lifetime supply of chocolate doesn’t feel too crazy at all!

Thank you as always for your kind review of everything that we post <3 I’ll reply to your other ask too!

eh-nonnie-mouse asked:

PEAKED NIPPLE ALERT!

ok sorry sorry but is Deuce going to get stuck again? Because that would be hilarious. Jack can't help himself when his Athletic rival is under him. Do you think they do this frequently? Working out does increase the blood flow and those running outfits are pretttttty tight.

YES!!

Also yes, this is very likely lol It’s a bit difficult to say if it’s them getting too riled up because of them training together, or it’s because Jack would develop a Pavlovian reaction at some point… He sees Deuce in those shorts – things happen :”( <3

Anonymous asked:

If Deuce tugs on Jack's tail, will Jack-

1. Yelp

2. Growl

3. Moan

:3

Anonymous asked:

Hi, I'm the "Deuce pulling on Jack's tail" anon. I forgot to add-

He does it at a random point during the day. Like, just walking behind him and just grabbed it and pulled.

(forgive me for forgetting to add this, I feel bad for sending in two asks for one question....)

I think it depends on what is on Jack’s mind at that time. It’s not entirely impossible for him to produce a sound that is too close to moaning… that would be embarrassing…

But in all honesty, I think he would yelp. Which would also be embarrassing because this is too much of a puppy-like reaction. He isn’t a kid anymore..!

If it’s someone else or Jack doesn’t see it’s Deuce who’s touching his tail, I think he’s going to growl though. The boy’s ready to attack lol

[flowerfan2]

I can't believe it's Halloween... I haven't written anything new for spooky season, much to my dismay. But I offer up for your reading pleasure this lovely Halloween fic from a few years ago.

Love Is Kind of Crazy (With a Spooky Little Boy Like You) M, 28 k. Jack/Bitty.

Jack is contemplating what to do after retiring from the NHL, so he and Bitty take some time off to enjoy autumn in New England. They hadn’t counted on the scary stuff that would happen, both of the Halloween variety and of a more personal nature.

Chapter 1

Bitty spreads newspaper on the kitchen island, and carefully lays out their carving tools and his second best knife. Jack is going to be home any minute from a Halloween event with the Falconers, and he had promised to bring home two of the best pumpkins for their own carving session.

It’s been a difficult time for Jack lately. Ever since deciding to retire from the Falcs, he’s been at loose ends. He had never fully recovered from a knee injury in his fourth season that kept him off the ice for six weeks, and after limping (literally) through the rest of the year, he had come to the conclusion that he would never recover fully enough to play professional ice hockey again the way he wanted – needed – to be able to play. 

Bitty remembers with a wry grin a conversation over drinks with Bob and Alicia, outside on a warm summer night in the backyard of their Montreal home. Jack had been so worried about the whole discussion, his hands clenching nervously in his lap.

“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Jack,” Bob said, glancing quickly at Alicia, who nodded in agreement. “I know you have interests other than hockey, much as you might try to hide it from the world. Now you can spend more time on something else.”

Jack looked helplessly at Bitty, who laid his hands over Jack’s and gave them a squeeze. “That’s what I keep telling him,” Bitty said encouragingly.

“I just don’t know where to start. I’ve been getting calls and offers ever since the news broke. It’s…”

“Overwhelming,” Alicia said. “I remember those days. Isn’t Melinda helping you?”

Melinda was Jack’s agent-slash-assistant; when Jack came out, he had enlisted her help, wisely realizing that it might be of use to have someone not on the Falcs’ payroll helping him navigate the shark-infested waters of the media. She’s been called in on various occasions ever since.

“Yeah, but she wants to know what I want to do so she can narrow it down. And I don’t know what to tell her.”

“You don’t have to decide right away, son,” Bob said, leaning over to refill Alicia’s glass, which had been drained rather quickly.

“I know, I told her I’d let her know by the end of the week. But-”

“A week? That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” Bob replied, a smirk growing on his face.

After further discussion, Jack and Bitty had decided that he would take six months, more or less, before committing to any other long-term obligations. So Jack had continued to help with Falconers publicity events, sat in on board meetings of various national organizations, been a guest coach for hockey leagues large and small… and still didn’t know what he wanted to do. Lately Bitty had been sending away for brochures for masters’ programs in history and photography and teaching and leaving them lying around their apartment, and while Jack accepted them good-naturedly, he hadn’t expressed any interest in finding out more information.

Bitty doesn’t want to rush him, but he thinks that Jack’s indecision itself is starting to upset him. He really hopes something strikes Jack soon, before he worries himself into a complete inability to make up his mind.

“Honey, I’m home,” Jack calls out, a smile in his voice as he shoves open the front door with his hip. He’s carrying two gigantic pumpkins with ease. His knee doesn’t bother him much most days, at least if he doesn’t push himself too hard. Jack sets the pumpkins down on the kitchen island before accepting a hello kiss from Bitty.

“Lord, those are big boys,” Bitty says, and flushes when Jack winks at him. “Shush, you. You know I meant the pumpkins.”

“Fine.” Jack presses Bitty up against the counter and kisses him again.

Bitty winds his arms around Jack’s neck, happily obliging. Jack seems much cheerier right now than he has of late, and the words pop out of his mouth before he can stop them. “What’s got into you, sweetheart? Weren’t you just carving pumpkins for hours with elementary school kids?”

Jack laughs and steps back. “Yes. But all the way home I kept thinking of you, getting ready to draw your pumpkin face for the year, that little frown crumpling your eyebrows…”

Bitty regards Jack curiously. “You were thinking of me while playing with the kids?”

“After I was done playing with the kids. And yes, I was.” Jack leans in for another kiss, prim this time, and then motions to the counter. “So, which one do you want?”

Bitty considers his options. “This one.” Bitty points to the slightly narrower pumpkin. “I want to do a scary face this time, and this one seems scarier.”

Jack doesn’t question his decision, although Bitty has no idea why that pumpkin seems scarier to him. “Okay.”

They get to work, cutting around the stem on the top of each pumpkin and scooping out the insides. Bitty gathers up the seeds for toasting; he’s going to use them in a pumpkin seed granola recipe he found online last week. 

“How was today’s event?” Bitty asks, as he searches for a better pencil with which to sketch his design.

“Same as last year. Except they had a different story for me to read.”

“Oh?”

“Yup.”

“What story?”

Jack pauses with a paring knife in his hand, and looks at Bitty. “Any chance you know what the origin of ‘Jack O’Lantern’ is?”

“Um, who’s the history nerd here?”

Jack makes as if to flick a pumpkin seed in Bitty’s direction, but continues. “There’s an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. He invited the devil to have a drink with him, but didn’t want to pay. Things went downhill from there-”

“I can imagine.”

“And so when Stingy Jack eventually died, the devil wouldn’t let him into hell. Instead he sent Jack off into the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish took to calling him ‘Jack of the Lantern’ or ‘Jack O’Lantern.’”

“Well, that’s not a very nice story to read to kids.”

Jack harrumphed. “I know, right? But I guess the idea is that people started to carve scary faces into turnips and potatoes and eventually pumpkins, and put them in the window to frighten Stingy Jack and other evil spirits away.”

“So the kids all made scary pumpkins to scare Stingy Jack away?”

“Exactly.”

“Still sounds like a bad story to read to kids.” And not a very nice story to make Jack read, either. He’s no evil spirit, whether he quit the Falconers or not. Bitty can’t imagine that the Falcs publicist meant anything by the choice, but he still doesn’t appreciate it. And he has the feeling Jack doesn’t either.

Bitty looks at the pumpkin in front of him and starts to rub off the pencil lines. “I changed my mind. I’m making a happy face this year.”

Jack doesn’t say anything, and when Bitty looks up at him, his eyes are wet. “What?” Bitty asks. “I can change my mind.”

“I love you, Bits,” Jack says, his voice low.

Bitty puts down his knife, wipes his hands on his apron, and takes Jack in his arms. “Love you too, sweetheart. Always."

Read the rest of the chapters on A03 here.

[bookinit02]

(Be warned, incredibly lengthy script reply ahead, copy-pasted directly from my notes app. It’s a lot of separate paragraphs so it will probably take up some space, apologies in advance)

SCRIPT SCRIPT SCRIPT SCRIPT OMG YES

Karen!!!! Yes Karen!!! AND HOLLYYYY OMG. I love this bit so much. Karen’s gonna find her kids!!! She’s gonna find out what’s going on!!! I love good mom Karen!!

OHHHH OH MY GOD THE CFROP CIRCLE WILL MADE THE CROP CIRCLE AKJDHKSJDHSJFBSND. IT CROSSED OVER FROM THE UPSIDE DOWN AND HE MADE IT AND THEY CAN ALL SEE IT HOLY SHIT

She’s good </3 oh Max </3

“Come here often?” Mike you DORK.

AWWW THE SWING :((( MIKE TRYING TO TELL WILL HE LIKES BOYS TOO :((( God that’s so sad and sweet and heartwarming. But YES WILL SAID IT!!!! YOU GO WILL!!!! And god. That HUG. I bet that’s gonna SLAP in Mike’s POV in the fic <3

OHHHHH NANCY TALKING ABOUT MIKE TO ROBIN :(((( OH MY HEART.

“I’m a lesbian. We know these things.” LMFAO ROBIN

Oh my god Will and Mike straight-up CUDDLING in the upside-down while Will sleeps. And it’s just like, normal. NO SHIT they’re gonna be different after this, goddamn.

“BABY”????? ARE YUOU???? FUCJING???????? MICHAEL. MICHAEL WHEELER

NOOO GOD VECNA. FUCK. HOLY SHIT THIS VISION GODDAMN

BABY????????????? GOD VECNA THAT’S FUCKING FOUL

HOLY SHIT??:?? THE FUCING???? MINDFLAYER?????? WHAT. WHAT? VECNA WEARING ZOMBIE WILL’S FACE AND SAYING ‘HOW ABOUT A KISS INSTEAD’ BEFORE FUCKING POSSESSING MIKE I’M. I.

Ha. Haha. H. Okay. I can uh. I can see why Suni said she hated you. Because what the fuck. What the fuck? I mean that was AMAZING but what the fuck. I can’t wait to scream at you even more when the fic chapters come out because WHAT. The FUCK.

Goodnight

(Sidenote added as I am re-reading my own commentary before sending this ask: I kind of can’t wait to see Will go fucking BALLISTIC at Vecna for pulling this shit with Mike. Like. Those newborn powers are gonna go CRAZY. Vecna you’re in for it buddy)

yayyy!! so excited to answer comments🥳

i’m so glad you liked karen’s scenes! i’ve had her s5 arc planned FOREVER (as in it was literally one of the first things i ever thought up for this fic, and the main reason i wanted to include a script to show other storylines!), so i’m super excited to finally dig into it!

the crop circle😎 that’s My spooky little eldritch creature! so proud of him🫶🏻

elmax🥺 my Babies.

dork!! & yes i am SOO excited to write this scene in fic format.

nancy & robin! and i’m glad u liked robin’s line bc i rlly couldn’t figure out if i wanted to leave that in or not. but yk what. i stand by it!

the CUDDLINGGGGG GOD I LOVE THEM😭 and the “baby” line was another that i was super undecided about leaving in, to the point where i had to consult suni and get a second opinion😭 but she was like yeah you Freak leave it in. so i did.

as for everything else: 😇

thank you so much for reading!!! i appreciate your comments so much💗

[jadedvibes]

Nightmare Barns

Summary: You take up your neighbor’s offer to do laundry at his place and end up with a great friend to go to a haunted pumpkin patch with. Tons of adrenaline, a crappy run in with an ex, and pumpkins lead to confessed feelings and fluffy times. [modern au]

Pairing: neighbor!steve x reader

Warnings: FLUFF, literally fluff city, swearing, mentions of pumpkins, Steve baking, semi spoilers for the Invisible Man movie, mild panic attack upon seeing a shitty ex, mentions of controlling ex, protective Steve, Steve pretends to be your boyfriend, and mentions of gory horror attractions at a spooky halloween themed farm.

Word Count: 5.1k

A/N: Inspired by my curiosity for what it’d be like to take up Steve on his offer to do laundry at his place from catws. Happy reading and Happy Halloween! 🎃👻🖤

After a long week at work, you finally trudged up the steps to your apartment. You recently moved to take a job working for a nonprofit in Washington D.C. and you loved everything about your new home. The history, the convenience of walking wherever you needed to go, and always having something to do nearby — it was truly a wonderful place to be.

The only big inconvenience you often battled was doing your laundry. The property manager told you when you signed your lease that there were no washer and dryer hookups in the apartment but fortunately there was a laundry room in the building’s basement. You had never lived in an apartment with that set up, but you figured you could deal with it considering the perfect location. But boy were you wrong.

There was a constant battle to get a machine. Whenever you would get one, the timing of it all was stressful and sometimes you’d find your clothes dumped off to the side because you weren’t there at the exact right second to move it. It was frustrating. After waiting to get a machine for some time, and finding none available you decided to give up and take your laundry back home. You were so tired of the frequent laundry debacles but you knew it was a small price to pay for how much you loved everything else. Nevertheless, you walked up the staircase to your apartment and placed your tall laundry bin down in front of the door with a huff.

Just as you got the key in the door you heard a warm and deep voice in the stairwell telling someone they’d see them another time. Before you could turn the key you saw a tall man in your periphery reach the top of the stairs. You had yet to meet any of your neighbors so you decided to greet him. As you abandoned your key you turned around only to be met with one of the most attractive blue-eyed men you had ever seen. By the looks of it he was at least 6’2, broad and handsome as hell.

You took a quick breath to prevent yourself from sounding flustered, “Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met before, I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” you said cordially to the beautiful man.

He smiled at you politely and briefly looked at you and your laundry bin. “Hi, I’m Steve Rogers,” he said kindly as he extended his hand to yours. You reached out and grabbed his large hand and felt his unsurprisingly firm grip, “I take it you’re my new neighbor?”

“Yes, I moved to the district recently for work, loving the area so far.”

“That’s great, I picked the apartment for the location myself. The only big drawback is the laundry situation,” he said as he tilted his head towards your basket.

“Yes! Oh my goodness, it’s so annoying. Do you have any tips or suggestions for places to go to nearby?”

“You’re welcome to use my machine if you want to, I couldn’t deal with the craziness after a week so I had to buy myself a washer-dryer. Do you want to do a couple loads right now? My friend just canceled our plans at the last minute, so I was thinking of doing a little baking and maybe watching a movie at home anyways.”

Wow, could this kind man be the answer to your biggest problem? He seemed nice enough and it wasn't a bad idea to make friends with your neighbors — especially when they look like that.

“Are you sure you don’t mind? Because honestly that sounds great,” you said bashfully.

“Not at all, and I’d love for you to stay for a movie too if you’re free, unless that would upset your boyfriend of course, uh, he can come too if you’d like,” he mumbled as a blush ran up his cheeks.

Smooth. Very smooth. “No, that works, and no boyfriend to upset so let’s do it, neighbor. Just give me a minute to grab some other clothes to wash. Do you need anything for baking?”

Steve looked satisfied at your response and smiled, “I don’t think so, but sure head over whenever you’re ready.”

┈┈┈┈┈・・

You stepped into your apartment and closed the door behind you, taking a moment to process the meeting with your gorgeous neighbor. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. Not to mention, he was totally flirting with you.

You grabbed your extra clothes and made some Earl Grey tea with a touch of honey to take over in your thermal carafe. Before you walked over you took a second to freshen up and ensure you looked more composed than you felt. Once you were content you locked up and headed out with your hamper in one hand and tea carafe in the other.

“Hey, Y/N come on in. Did you make us something to drink?” he asked sweetly.

You handed him the container with a grin, “Yeah I'm a big tea drinker. Hope you like Earl Grey.” You took in his apartment, breathing in the delicious scent of pumpkin spice in the air, and noticed that he was very tidy and organized. He had a record player in the corner on a brown credenza and tons of books in his book shelves along the wall.

“I love it, this will pair nicely with the pumpkin muffins I've got in the oven. The laundry closet is right around the corner by the way, help yourself to whatever you need.”

“Thanks Steve, be right back.”

You put in your load of laundry and walked back to his kitchen to see him scooping what looked like chocolate chip cookie dough onto a baking sheet.

“Boy you sure are a baker, can I help with anything?” you asked as you ambled over to his kitchen counter.

Steve turned to face you, giving you a smirk, “I’m almost done, and to be honest I’m stress baking. This should all be ready in less than 15 minutes,” he said kindly.

“You wanna talk about it?” you inquired, taking a seat on one of his bar stools.

“It’s kind of silly,” he breathed out. “My friends canceled our boys night at the last minute because they wanted to go on a double date instead. They have been giving me hell over not having a girlfriend, especially with the holiday’s coming up and all of the events and weddings we have to attend.”

You nodded, “I get it, the older I get the more it seems like I need to have a boyfriend just to do simple activities with my friends — like it’s my fault I haven’t met the right guy yet,” you said. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with that though, the plus-one search is a particularly rough one.”

He looked at you with a soft smile, “Exactly — I’m actually really glad I ran into you. It’s nice to have some company after my friends ditched me,” he grinned as he popped the tray with cookie dough in the oven.

“I’m glad I met you too, Steve. I really hate lugging my laundry around the building,” you teased.

He chuckled as he pulled out the muffins, “Wanna pick out the movie for us?”

“Yeah, let’s do the opposite of romantic. Wanna watch The Invisible Man? I haven’t seen it yet.”

“I haven’t either, that sounds good. Let me grab us some mugs for the tea and we can take the muffins to the living room.”

┈┈┈┈┈・・

Steve baked like a damn pro. He made the most amazing pumpkin cream cheese muffins and the thickest gooiest chocolate chip cookies you had ever tasted. You thought you might be in love with him based on his baking skills alone.

When you got up to move your laundry to the dryer you missed the way Steve checked you out then immediately blushed at his action. He couldn’t help but find you absolutely adorable. When he saw you looking frustrated with your laundry he saw an opportunity to help; but the hopeless romantic in him wanted to do whatever he could to spend some time with the pretty girl next door.

Throughout the movie the two of you spoke about your work and interests. It turns out Steve was an artist and the upcoming wedding he was attending was for an old friend and curator that he worked with.

“We met Clint in college, and he will be the first out of our friend group to get married. I don’t think my best friend Bucky will be too far behind though, he’s already got a ring for his girlfriend Nat,” he said with a small grin.

“It’s crazy how many people are getting married, but good for them. Love is a beautiful thing, and I hope I'm lucky enough to find that someday,” you said softly.

Earlier in the evening you said you hadn’t met the right guy yet, and the more Steve got to know you, the more he hoped that you were wrong. You had already met him, and he could be just the guy you needed. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Rogers. You’ve only known her for a couple of hours. Steve’s thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the dryer’s buzzer going off. Crap, is she going to leave?

Fortunately for Steve, you asked him if it was okay if you got the clothes after the movie — he couldn’t say yes quickly enough.

“I know love isn’t always sunshine and rainbows though, I mean look at this guy,” you said, gesturing to the film's antagonist. “He’s a violent and controlling stalker. His idea of love is so convoluted and ridiculous.”

“You’re not wrong, but good guys exist too. Not all men will fake a suicide and use an invisibility suit he created to terrorize your life,” Steve said with a smirk.

You laughed at that, “Good point, hard to argue with you there. The season just makes me a little bitter I suppose. I’m a whole and happy person — I'm not looking for someone to complete me, but I do want company sometimes. Like I want to go to a pumpkin patch and go on a hayride with my friends but they would rather go with their boyfriends so that they can take cute couple photos. Is it me or does the season feel romantic?” you asked rhetorically.

Steve didn’t care, he had an answer. “It’s the cold, there’s a reason Cuffing season exists and it’s purely weather based. People are colder, and the nights are darker. Also, the aesthetics of Fall are quite beautiful. I suppose that makes people want to share it with someone they love,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I hate how much your answer makes sense,” you shook your head.

You looked over when he wasn’t looking — he was so gorgeous it didn’t make sense. What I wouldn’t give to be cuffed to you this season. His eyes met yours and you felt warmer under his gaze.

“Do you want to go to a pumpkin patch with me tomorrow?” Steve blurted out. He started to rub his neck, “As friends of course, we don’t have to be a couple to have fun,” he added shyly.

You were a little disappointed he mentioned only as friends, but you knew you had just met him and that was wise. “That sounds like a blast, do you think we can go to Nightmare Barns? They have all the cutesy stuff plus haunted corn mazes and barns,” you asked hopefully.

“You took a simple idea, and you made it better. Let’s do that,” he beamed with excitement.

“Awesome, I can’t wait!”

┈┈┈┈┈・・

The following day you were more than ready to spend the evening with Steve again. You took your time getting ready and opted to wear a dark denim jacket with a white shirt, black high-waisted jeans, and combat boots — very cute and practical.

You were delighted that you met Steve because you felt a pleasant connection with him last night — he was so kind, respectful, and such a gentleman. You knew you lucked out in the neighbor department. However, you were also aware that your romantic heart liked to jump to conclusions. Just because he’s nice and good-looking doesn’t mean he’s into you. He asked to go as friends. After a little internal dialogue you decided you wouldn’t be rash; if friends were all he wanted to be, then that was what you’d be.

Before you could overthink anything further you heard a knock at your door. You opened it to find Steve wearing a navy blue flannel and dark jeans smiling softly. “Hey, Y/N, ready to head out?

Don’t tell him how good he looks, friends don’t do that. “Yeah, I’m ready,” you couldn’t help but smile. It was so easy to be friends with guys you didn’t find attractive, but Steve was literally your dream guy. Calm down, Y/N. You don’t want to scare the nice man.

“Great, is it okay if I drive us there?”

“That’d be perfect,” you breathed out, grabbing your keys and belongings from the counter.

“Wonderful, you look beautiful by the way,” he beamed as you headed out.

Oh great, he’s going to make this difficult for me. Friends compliment each other, it’s perfectly normal.

“Thanks Steve, that flannel is really working for you.” What the hell does that even mean, Y/N? Steve just grinned sweetly without saying another word.

He turned on the radio once you got in the car and the voice of Marvin Gaye melodiously played through. As he drove you thought about how comfortable you felt with him. You had known him for barely 24 hours, and still you felt a pleasant peacefulness when you were in his company.

You hadn’t been to a pumpkin patch since you were a kid. The last time you went was on a field trip in elementary school. You remembered having a blast with your friends, and you wondered why you hadn’t made the time to go back in so many years. You were grateful you had someone to go with now at least.

Steve interrupted your reminiscing, “So do you know about the attractions at the farm?”

“Yeah, I looked them up online. Looks like we’ll have a lot of options. Apparently they have different attractions based on your level of comfort with gore and horror. Do you spook easily?” you asked teasingly.

He laughed at that, “I wouldn’t have agreed to go if I did. Now you wouldn't happen to be a scaredy cat would you?” he goaded with a smile on his face.

You let out a laugh “I can hold my own, man. Don’t you worry about me,” you said confidently even though you felt a little apprehensive. It seemed like some of the attractions really were not for the faint of heart and apparently someone had a heart attack last year in one of the mazes inside a barn.

“Well if you do get scared, you have nothing to worry about — I’ll keep you safe,” he said frankly. “And if I get scared I hope you’ll do the same,” he joked.

Steve had a way of making you feel secure even when he was being silly. “You can use me as your human shield, I’ll protect you,” you said playfully.

“Aw, my fierce heroine,” he looked over and smiled at you.

“Anything for my sweet damsel in distress,” you assured. Are we flirting? This feels like flirting.

He let out a laugh, “We’re here, wow how cool is this?”

You looked out your window and were pleased to see a cute pumpkin patch that had a touch of spookiness to it. Nightmare Barns was a classic pumpkin patch on a farm that was overrun by creepy actors throughout the property. The actors were dressed as zombies, killer clowns, creepy scarecrows, and other miscellaneous horror characters. There was a divide that kept those wanting to only experience the pumpkin patch away from the scarier side. The pumpkin patch was warm and inviting despite the craziness around it, and there were stacks of hay around multiple bonfires for patrons to sit and relax by. The other side had run down trucks and tractors with overgrown plants covering them along with ominous trees and decorations near the barns. There was a giant corn maze behind everything that you could take a haunted hayride through too. The sun was about to set, and you were looking forward to seeing the place when it was finally dark because even in the light it was weirdly sinister.

As you walked towards the property you heard the sound of a chainsaw coming from inside a barn with a line outside of it. You looked up at Steve who looked calm and happy as he looked down at you. “I bought the tickets at home, and I might’ve gotten us the package that lets us go to as many attractions as we want,” he said sheepishly.

“You didn’t have to do that!” you nudged his arm. “But thank you, that was nice of you,” you said genuinely.

“My pleasure, did you want to take a few pictures at the pumpkin patch before we get into the attractions?”

“Brilliant, let’s do that.”

Steve snapped a couple pictures of you sitting on a hay stack with countless pumpkins surrounding you. You got him to take a couple of himself too which he shyly did. Before you could go, an older lady wearing a jack o 'lantern sweater stopped you and asked if she could take some pictures of the both of you. You couldn’t think of a reason to say no, so you handed her your phone. You didn’t know what to do so you stood closer to Steve and looked up with a bright smile on your face, he looked down into your eyes and matched your smile. After a beat, you couldn’t take the intensity of his gaze so you looked back at the woman who was gleefully smiling at the two of you, already done with taking the picture.

“What a gorgeous couple, here you go darling,” she commented, her smile reaching her eyes as she handed your phone back. You didn’t have the heart to correct her and neither did Steve.

“Thank you so much, ma’am. That was awfully kind of you,” Steve said so sweetly the woman couldn’t help but blush.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. You and your little lady have a spooktacular evening,” she beamed.

You took a moment to look at the photo and your heart raced when you saw how captivating it was. The woman caught the sun setting directly in between you two and your matching smiles were adorable as hell.

Steve looked down at you and the photo, you felt heat rise to your cheeks. “Pumpkins really bring out the inner romantic in us all, huh?” he jokingly asked to break the tension. The sun was nearly gone, and the thousands of string lights strung throughout the property were slowly turning on.

You giggled, “You said it, Steve. Now let’s go look at some gore to balance us out.”

“Yes, do you want to start with the hayride first, work our way up to the scarier stuff?”

“Sounds like the perfect plan.”

┈┈┈┈┈・・

The hayride was not as easy going as you thought it would be. Actors were hidden throughout the dark corn maze and they jumped out at you with various weapons from knives, machetes, to even fully working chainsaws. At one point, a few of the actors actually jumped onto the wagon and swiped their weapons right at you; you couldn’t help but scream and lean into Steve at that. He reassuringly wrapped his arm tightly around you and kept it there for the duration of the ride. He didn’t say anything about it afterwards either.

The next attraction seemed to be inspired by a few classic films. Inside the decrepit barn there were multiple chainsaw wielding men following you and jumping out at you as you maneuvered through a maze of fake dangling body parts and grisly bloody kitchens with fake cannibals eating what was supposed to be human remains. You screamed and shouted your way through the convoluted maze hand in hand. The two of you laughed profusely afterwards critiquing how much scarier it was than the first attraction. You took a break for some hot cider then went back to the hayride again afterwards to have a more passive experience for a bit.

Later on, as you waited in line to go through the killer clown barn you felt your blood run cold when you locked eyes with your ex from college. You quickly looked up at Steve who sensed your panic and put his hand on your shoulder.

“Hey, hey what’s going on?” he asked as he looked into your eyes.

“I.. I just saw my ex, and he wasn’t a very good guy when we were together. I’m afraid he’s going to come over here and try to talk to me,” you stuttered out.

Steve pulled you into a bear hug to try to calm you, “What’s he look like?”

“Dark hair, cold brown eyes.”

“Okay, he’s heading towards us, but don’t worry, I’m here. Can you take a deep breath for me?”

You did as he asked and you felt yourself calm if only a little in the warmth of his embrace.

“Y/N, do you want me to ask him to leave?”

You took another deep breath, you looked up into his stormy blue eyes and felt yourself anchoring back to the present moment. “No, can you… just for a minute, can you pretend to be my boyfriend? I don’t want him thinking there’s a chance, or —”

“Say no more, sweetheart,” he slowly released you and reached down to hold your hand.

“Well if it isn’t Y/N Y/L/N, how long has it been, sugar?” a gruff familiar voice asked you. You turned to look at Brock Rumlow and Steve gently squeezed your hand, letting you know that he was there.

“Hi Brock, not long enough,” you said with as much courage as you could muster.

“Hey don’t be like that, we had a great time. Why are you acting like we didn’t?” he yelled angrily. “I don’t know who this asshole is and I don’t know why the hell you thought you could run away from me but —” before he could finish Steve interjected.

“My girl and I were having a wonderful night before you showed up, so if you could kindly piss off that’d be greatly appreciated,” Steve snarked at the shorter man.

“Oh what, you gonna do something about it, dickhead?” Brock sneered at Steve.

You looked up at Steve and saw the way he squared his shoulders and glared at Brock. You felt Steve’s grip on your hand loosen as he was about to step closer to Brock but before he could two security guards showed up asking if there was a problem. Someone in line saw the scene and alerted security so that they could intervene before a fight broke out.

“This man is bothering us and he’s trying to instigate a fight with my boyfriend, could you please get him away from us?” you asked. Someone behind you jumped in and told the other security guard what had happened so they collectively decided to remove Brock from the premises. You thanked them as they left and didn’t bother looking as they escorted your ex away.

“Y/N, do you want to go sit by a bonfire in the pumpkin patch?” Steve asked gently.

“Um, yeah that’s a good idea.” Despite nearing the front of the line at that point, the two of you headed towards the other side of the farm.

Steve wrapped his arm around you and guided you towards a haystack next to a secluded bonfire. “I’m so so sorry, Steve, I hate that you had to deal with all of that.”

“Don’t be, Y/N, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I just thought we could use a break from the scares and take it easy for a bit.”

“Steve, I don’t know what to say. But I think I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“Well, I feel like I do. I think from the looks of it you can gather that he was a piece of shit,” you paused. “He was extremely temperamental and controlling, and I… I basically ran away from him the summer after graduation. I left him a note saying I couldn’t do it anymore and moved away to another city for work. He didn’t take it well and he harassed my friends for information until he finally gave up when he realized he had no way to contact me. It’s been years, but as you can see he’s still a dick.”

“Shit, I’m sorry Y/N. I’m sorry you had to put up with that. You didn’t deserve that. Some men can be real pricks and it isn’t right.”

You breathed a sigh of relief after telling him, “Well I guess not all men,” you said as you briefly leaned into him. “It was a chapter of my life I don’t ever reopen or try to think about, but regardless, I’m really glad you were here tonight.” You hadn’t spoken about Brock in years, but it felt incredibly cathartic to do so now — you felt free.

Steve wrapped his arm around you again and pulled you into him, you felt him kiss the top of your head, and you melted into him, wrapping your arms around his waist. The two of you sat together comfortably looking at the fire and relishing the cozy warmth around you.

After a good while you peered up at Steve; he looked calm and you felt the same inside too. “Do you…” Steve met your gaze, “want to go get chased by killer clowns?” your eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I hate clowns so much, but only if you do,” he smiled softly at you.

You both headed back to the barn and the line attendant saw you coming. He saw what had happened and told you that you could skip the line since you already had to wait earlier. You were grateful and you and Steve rushed through it the best you could. Killer clowns dressed in bloodied masks with knives came at you from all different angles, this time Steve tucked you under his arm so that you could cover your eyes in his chest if you needed. The maniacal laughter and disgusting smiles were a lot to take in around every turn. One clown even sprayed you with water from his disheveled flower as you made your way through the final labyrinth. You had never screamed so much in your life, but it was actually a lot of fun. With Steve by your side you knew nothing was going to hurt you.

Once you finally made it out you took a giant breath and broke out in a fit of giggles. Steve joined you in laughter as the two of you made your way back towards the bonfires.

“It felt good to overcome something so scary,” you said once you sat down.

“That was so ridiculously scary, my hatred for clowns has only increased, but it was fun,” Steve chuckled.

“Minus the hiccup, tonight was the best, Steve. Thank you for asking me to come with you, even as friends you make a killer boyfriend,” you said softly.

Steve smiled at you joyfully, “I loved playing the role, although, I don’t know if it’s all the pumpkins or the colder weather talking, but I think I’d play the role in real life pretty well too,” he said, blushing inadvertently.

“You don’t mean that, c’mon Steve, we barely know each other,” you said even though you knew that didn’t really matter, not when you felt this good by his side.

“No you’re right, why don’t we go for coffee tomorrow morning and maybe a walk. Get to know each other better?”

“You askin’ me out on a date after knowing me for a day?

“Oh I’m not, just being neighborly,” he grinned, “It’s good to know who lives around you,” he teasingly bumped your shoulder.

“Yeah, I'd like that a lot,” you smiled.

“Perfect, and maybe next month you can be my date to a wedding?” he asked nonchalantly.

You furrowed your brow, “You think you’ll still want to hang out with me next month?”

“Y/N, I only spent a couple hours with you yesterday and I immediately wanted more time with you before you even left. Being with you, it feels right. And I know what you’re thinking — I am happy and good on my own, but you amplify my joy. You’re warm, silly and so beautiful. Tell me you don’t feel something too,” he asked timidly.

The bonfire cast a golden caramel light on his dilated pupils as he looked at you. “Oh my goodness, what have the pumpkins done to us?!” you let out a fake dramatic sigh. “Okay, Steve. Keep playing your cards right, and maybe you’ll find yourself cuffed for the event season,” you smiled as you leaned over to place a kiss to his cheek, causing him to blush at your sudden action.

He smiled brightly, his eyes never straying from yours. “If things go my way, I’ll be cuffed to you for a lot longer than that,” he whispered as he leaned over to kiss you on the forehead.

Part 2

[lady-of-lyon]

So, I made one post a while back about how awesomely feminist the show Wild Kratts was, with how its two main female characters were women of color in engineering and deserving roles of power, female villains who weren’t motivated by spite or quest for youth, etc, but today I wanted to talk about something slightly different, that I’ve wanted to cover for a while now, because I also think it’s very good - and that’s how the show portrays masculinity, in a way that’s really positive!

First, we have our two main characters, Chris and Martin Kratt. Keep in mind these two are basically self-inserts - and there are plenty of creators, especially males, who have used self-insert characters in really scummy ways - all I have to say is Powerpuff Girls reboot and you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even if they weren’t literal self-inserts, male characters, superheroes especially, oftentimes serve the male power fantasy, being just the strong, stoic, all-powerful person so many boys are told they’re supposed to be. I could get into a whole discussion about how the male power fantasy is present even when males are not (ever look through a fashion magazine and wonder why there are so few men? Sure, part of it is that the industry thrives off exploiting women’s insecurities, and men aren’t as concerned for their appearance, but another part of it is so that the guy, looking through it, can feel like he has no competition for these women - there’s a reason so many comedians have jokes about fashion magazines being their sexual awakening as kids. It’s really scummy) but that’s not what this is about. So, the bros had every opportunity to do just that - make themselves these traditional heroes who aren’t actually really good role models, like batman or what have you. It’s certainly not uncommon for celebrity cartoons to do stuff like that. But Martin and Chris chose a different approach. They’re pretty strong standouts for positive masculinity. They’re openly affectionate - both with eachother as brothers, and with their friends. They cry, sometimes over little things - most of the time when big superheroes cry, it’s ‘cause they lost the girl they loved or their mentor or something like that, only in the big, most agonizing moments do they shed a tear. But here, Chris or Martin will cry just because they’ve had a bad day, or because they’re overwhelmed and overjoyed that someone named a mantis after them! In a lot of shows or movies when a guy cries over something little, it’s usually played for laughs, or to emasculate him, but here it’s casual without being unreasonable or overdone. The brothers cry just ad much, maybe even more (haven’t gone back and counted or anything) as the girls do. Not to mention, it’s a very nice depiction of a loving, healthy sibling relationship. As the youngest sibling myself, it’s refreshing to see a pair who don’t abuse eachother with noogies or cruel and snarky remarks. When they do fight, it’s never a screaming match, and also because they had a conflict of interest or disagreed over a fact, not because, say, one of them stole the other’s shirt or is neglecting the other’s feelings. Kids, being very impressionable, get exposed to a lot of abusive sibling relationships played as normal in media, and start thinking this is how siblings are and should act. For instance, my sister (who is now my best friend and has gotten over all these bad habits over time) when she was younger watched a lot of Kim Possible, a show that is great, but has a bad family dynamic with Kim and her little siblings. The “tweebs” as she calls them are always irresponsible, destructive, and making Kim annoyed to no end. My older brother was one of the most polite, reserved, kind little kids, but she still treated him like he was a brat and a nuisance, because that’s what shows like Kim Possible taught her little brothers were. Additionally, I was always treated like a spoiled crybaby who just wanted attention and got away with everything - I was not any of those things, ever, but that’s what shows teach you little sisters are. Sure, Wild Kratts has a smidge of that, with Chris seemingly being the stereotype of the know-it-all little sibling, but instead of being constantly looked town upon for being too “perfect” like with Hailey Long in American Dragon, Martin often praises his brother for his abilities. Sure, Martin gets annoyed when Chris tries to correct him on things, like in the episode Wolf Hawks, but everyone else does too, so it feels more like a take-down of mansplaining than a sibling spat.

I talked too in the feminist post about how refreshing it is that Chris and Martin more or less willingly put themselves under the authority of Koki and Aviva, two women of color. I don’t think it’s possible to say any one character is the “leader,” they all work as a evenly balanced team, but it’s safe to say that Koki and Aviva make the more responsible decisions. The bros try to get out of their calls a few times, but the show plays it more like they’re being irresponsible, and less like they’re renegade cool dudes who don’t take nothing from nobody, especially not two girls. They are pretty much always punished via karma for their reckless choices, most especially in To Touch a Hummingbird, where their arrogant attitudes blow up in their faces rather spectacularly. We also never see the narrative most present in sitcoms, where the male leads mess up and go out of their way to cover it up and ultimately gets away with it - after all, you have to root for them, right, because sure they messed up and had no consequences, but aren’t they just so lovable? No, here Martin and Chris always have to fix their wrongdoing, and it’s always deserved when they get comeuppance. Another aspect of the show I like is that, many times, when the bros get captured or are in peril, they are saved by the women - and most refreshing of all, there’s never a moment of “wink wink nudge nudge wow I can’t believe I had to be rescued by a GIRL” or even “wow you saved me you’re pretty good honey guess I shouldn’t have underestimated you, you go girl!” No, when the girls save them, it’s just - you know, relief? Because they were saved? It’s never a scenario played as an exception, or any more dire than when the bros need to rescue eachother. The bros are genuinely happy to have them as teammates. The show even did the standard “boys vs girls” episode in the form of When Fish Fly - but instead of being actually girls vs. boys, it’s engineers vs. adventurers. There’s nothing really gendered about it - the girls happen to be engineers, and the boys happen to be adventurers. And the episode doesn’t end with the boys being “wow gosh darn I shouldn’t have doubted you girls are better at everything,” it’s a mutual agreement that both parties have hard jobs. Basically, the bros are very naturally respectful of women. That plays more into their feminist narrative too, but either way, it’s refreshing.

Then, we have Jimmy! Jimmy, the lovable gamerboy pizza man. At first glance Jimmy seems like the stereotypical cowardly, pathetic, emasculated loser. He’s frightened of most things, as of yet has no power suit, and he BAKES for crying out loud! But none of these things are framed as terribly bad traits. Sure, we laugh when he screams and runs from an animal, but though it happens over and over, the crew doesn’t get sick of it. They don’t berate him or belittle him because he’s so gosh darn cowardly. There’s a great scene in Rattlesnake Crystal where Jimmy has to deliver something to the bros alone, in the middle of a spooky desert. He is terrified the whole time, sprinting off after he delivers the goods. When Martin and Chris run into him, they don’t laugh at him for being spooked, they just greet and then bid fair well to their friend. To them, this is just Jimmy, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Jimmy isn’t coddled, but he is reassured many times that he’s a valuable member of the team. I love that little message, that you’re just as important of a person even if you can’t do as much or have greater limits. When his friends do try to get him over his fears, it’s not because they have to, that the day will somehow be ruined by Jimmy’s incompetence p, but because they’re his friends, and want him to experience fun and wonderful things that he would otherwise miss out on. But what Jimmy CAN do is just as important! Jimmy is a gamer, which in a lot of shows, is portrayed as a lazy, useless, mindless hobby. But here, because he plays video games, it makes him essential for piloting the ship and teleporting important items. There’s always the joke that video games improves your hand/eye coordination, but recent studies have shown it has much better effects. It can make you much better at keeping track of multiple moving objects and processing technical but variable information- two traits which, fittingly enough, are really really important for air traffic controllers and airplane pilots! He also demonstrates a lot more courage behind the wheel of the Tortuga, which makes sense - in an impersonal setting, he would have more sense of calm and control and courage, because it’s so similar to a video game world. It’s not all too different with how I feel more emboldened to pick fights with people on the internet, but get crazy anxious if a real person so much as looks at me. So Jimmy’s love of video games isn’t because he’s irresponsible, it has real benefits. A quick last point - Jimmy also eats a lot, but they thankfully don’t make him fat or greedy or anything like that. He never takes food from people, he actually bakes, and shares it with others! Having the baker be a boy is a lovely touch.

I might do another post about the toxic masculinity of the two villains, (or four villains, I guess, if I wanna discuss the minions) but I’ve got other work to do, and this post is long enough already, so I’ll get around to it later. I’ll sum it up with this - Wild Kratts is a show that teaches boys it’s not only ok to be kind, but essential. The brothers protect defenseless animals, advocate for things “icky” and “weird,” like bugs or snakes or worms - not because they’re boys, and boys like icky things, but because they genuinely see the beauty in all life, and are encouraging us to slow down and do the same. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world not by being the strongest or smartest or coolest, but by looking after those who are exploited and vulnerable, who are essential to the world, even if they can’t always do everything. In Wild Kratts the only weaknesses a man can have isn’t what he can’t do, but what he does do that he shouldn’t have. Sure, it’s a cute show about two funny guys who have cool powers, but it’s also a show about accountability, compassion, respect and trust. The show says “boys will be boys” in all the right ways - Martin is a lovable goof with a heart of gold, but he still has to get his act together when he messes up, and he’s still creative and smart and openly sensitive. Chris is a bit of a know-it-all show-off, but he can also mess up as much as his brother, and is still bold, brave, adventurous, and can put his money where his mouth is. Jimmy is a cowardly, napping, eating machine video-gamer, but he’s still a valued member of the team, has incredible skills and talents, and will always help his friends, even if he is really, really scared. It is so important to have role models like these, in a world dominated by unhealthy machismo. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world - both animated, and real.

All they need now is a canon queer character, and I’ll stan them forever! My money’s on Aviva!!

[maximons]

Into The Sanctum

Chapter Summary: Doctor Strange brings Y/n into the sanctum as he explains to her the situation at hand. However, the introductions to the team don’t go very smoothly.

Word Count: 3,021

A/N: Here we are with chapter 2! This one is a lot shorter than the first, and honestly the rest of the chapters will likely be around this length lol Hope you enjoy!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

“Y/n Fenton. 26 years old, acquired her abilities in 2019 after a lab accident.” Wong started explaining as he brought up multiple images and video clips of you throughout the years, using his magic. “Known abilities; Able to switch between human and ghost form at will, Invisibility, Intangibility, Flight, Able to overshadow other humans, Super Strength and Speed, Can summon ghost energy in a ‘ghost ray’, and Cryokinesis.” The sorcerer finished, leaving everyone in a moment of silence, not sure how to proceed after all that information.

“Whoa, that’s awesome.” Peter said in awe, but no-one else shared his excitement.

“We’re going to recruit a ghost...to fight other ghosts?” Loki was the first to ask.

“Fight fire with fire and all that.” Strange responded.

“How do we know we can trust her? Isn’t she one of them?”

“Yes, but she’s also human. Besides, just because she’s a ghost, doesn’t mean she’s automatically bad.” Wanda now piped up. “And you’re one to talk, Loki. Aren’t you technically a Frost Giant?”

“Yes I am, and look how well I turned out. Not exactly a good sales pitch.”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Strange interrupted. “This isn’t up for debate. The ghost realm is bleeding into our world more and more every minute, and Fenton is our best shot.” Strange slipped on his sling ring and began opening a portal. “I’m going to talk to her.” Before anyone could respond, Strange stepped through, portal closing behind him.

Everyone stood in silence for a moment, before Peter spoke up. “C’mon, I can’t be the only one who thinks this is cool.”

“The very fabric of our reality being at risk and our world being overtaken by ghosts is ‘cool’ to you, Peter?” Wong asked, causing Peter to scratch the back of his neck shyly.

“Well, when you put it like that...”

Amity Park

You and Tucker were walking down the street, heading to your favorite donut shop. You stared at your phone as you walked, not really worried about bumping into anyone or anything as you used your powers to subtlety phase through them.

“Hear anything?” Tucker asked and you shook your head.

“No, haven’t heard in hours now. She’s really mad.” 

“Well, you did manage to almost get yourself killed the other day.”

“I’ve been doing this for years now, I know what I’m doing. Besides, I’m already literally half dead.”

“Not the point.” Tucker sighs. “C’mon, you’ve been dating her for over a year, and have been best friends for even longer. You should know her by now. She’s scared.”

“I’m not faulting her for being scared, but I can’t keep going through fight after fight with her for just doing my job.”

“Is it really your job though?” Tucker shrugged, causing you to stop in your tracks. Him following a second later. “I’m just saying, there are a bunch of heroes back now after the blip. It wouldn’t kill you to take a few days off.”

“They can’t do what I do. And they don’t know what we know.”

“You don’t gotta be all cryptic” Tucker laughed and you couldn’t help but chuckle along.

“Yeah, maybe not.” You shrugged. “I don’t know though, we’re the only ones who really know how to deal with these ghosts. I love helping people, but I’m tired of this too sometimes. I’d love to be able to leave Amity Park, really start my life, but...I can’t. All the ghosts come from here, and I gotta do my best to keep it that way.”

Tucker opened his mouth to form a response, but before he could, a bright orange light appeared. The light began to form into a portal and a man with white and black hair, dressed head to toe in blue robes and a read cape, appeared.

“Y/n Fenton?” He asked, which took you and Tucker aback. You looked to your best friend before looking back at the man.

“Uh, who’s asking?”

“Oh, sorry, I’m Doctor Stephen Strange, and-”

“Wait, that’s you?” You interrupted, eyes wide.

“Yes? I assume you’ve heard of me then?”

Your eyes hardened at this. You knew the name Dr. Strange a little too well. He, along with Iron Man, had been part of the reason behind the death of your parents, having been part of that fateful fight in New York. You knew logically that this man didn’t go out of his way to kill your parents, and that he likely didn’t start that fight, but still. You didn’t appreciate the reminder. 

“Yeah. I have.”

Strange noticed the shift in your tone and tilted his head in confusion. You two stood in a stand off for a few moments before Tucker coughed beside you.

“Sorry, but uh, you’re one of the Avengers right?” He asked as he started to fanboy.

“I guess you can say I was, though they aren’t really around anymore.”

“Still, that’s so cool! Hey, did you know Iron Man before he-”

“What do you want?” You interrupted as you crossed your arms, eyes still glaring at the wizard.

Strange regained his composure as he continued. “I need you to come with me. It’s quite literally a matter of life or death.”

Your hard glare faded and in turn you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Ghosts are pouring into our world, their reach is now far outside of Amity Park.” Your eyes widened when the wizard said this. You figured you shouldn’t be surprised that Strange knew of this, but you really weren’t sure how to react. “And I know you’re a little more than familiar about ghosts...considering your biology.” Now you really didn’t know how to react. You dropped your arms as you tilted your head towards Tucker.

“So much for that day off.”

Sanctum Santorum

Wanda stepped out of the room as the back and forth between the boys started. She needed a moment to herself to think, she needed air. She made her way to the rooftop and leaned on the edge, looking over the city.

She knew that her life would always entail having to deal with potential world ending threats. It was that way when she was an Avenger, and even more so now after becoming the Scarlet Witch. It got tiring, but she wouldn’t give up the responsibility. Not after Westview. Besides, it beat the alternative that Agatha had predicted for her, destroying the world.

But damn, a break would be nice.

Ghosts? Seriously? She guessed that she really shouldn’t be surprised that they exist, over the last year she’s seen some crazy stuff, but ghosts seemed like a scary concept. And not in a ‘Halloween spooky’ kind of way, it was more of a fear of the unknown. If all ghosts had the same capabilities as the Fenton girl had, she had no idea how she would be able to combat that.

Speaking of the Fenton girl, she couldn’t help but be intrigued. From what she’s seen and heard, the girl knew what she was doing, so she failed to see why she and the rest of the team had to get involved. Still, she figured that they should do whatever they could to help stop this threat.

She also agreed with Peter in that she was ‘awesome’, but she wasn’t about to voice that.

She took a deep breath as she bowed her head, calming her nerves. Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe it could be easily fixed and they could all get back to their lives quickly. She knew that was unrealistic, but she had to have a sliver of hope every now and again or she’d go insane.

“Wanda!” She heard Peter’s voice in her head, way too loudly. She cringed as she held her head.

“Peter, we’ve talked about this. You don’t need to be so loud.”

“Sorry, Wanda. Doctor Strange told me to tell you to come back down. Y/n is here.”

“Okay, thank you Peter.” She felt the boy’s presence leave her mind as she picked her head up. She shook her head, ridding herself of the pain while preparing herself as she headed downstairs.

A Few Moments Before

The telltale orange sparks started forming in the main hall of the Sanctum. Soon after, a portal opened and Strange had stepped out, but this time was followed by two people. A woman who was looking around in a mix of confusion and awe, and a man who seemed to be bursting with excitement.

“Whoa! What was that!? That was so cool!” The man turned to the woman in excitement. “Was that magic!?”

“Yeah Tuck, but we gotta be cool here, okay?” The woman told ‘Tuck’ in a hushed whisper.

“Right, sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I had the same reaction.” Peter piped up with a smile. He walked over to the two new figures, hand stretched out. “I’m Peter Parker.”

“Tucker Foley.” Tucker’s smile reappeared as he shook the boy’s hand excitedly.

Peter turned to the woman standing next to him. “And you’re Y/n Fenton, right?” You chuckled as you grabbed Peter’s hand, shaking it as well.

“I guess I’m famous around here.” 

“We just found out about your existence an hour ago, but I suppose you can call it fame.” Loki piped up, and you turned to him. Eyes widening a second later.

“Holy shit! Aren’t you the guy who led the alien invasion in New York?”

“That was over ten years ago, darling, let’s leave the past in the past.” Loki shrugged. “Besides, I’m doing the whole ‘hero’ thing now.”

“And how’s that working out for you?”

“It varies.”

“Okay that’s enough for the introductions, now-” Strange started before Peter cut him off.

“Wait, what about Wanda?” 

“Get her down here while I catch our new guests up.” Peter nodded as he began to call to Wanda with his mind. “Now, Y/n, you’ve done a lot of good over the last few years. Keeping the ghostly threat contained to Amity Park while the rest of the world remains none the wiser is quite impressive.”

“Aw, thanks.” You smirked with a shrug.

“However, those efforts might have only delayed this.” Before you could ask what the wizard was talking about, he brought up an illusion showing ghosts starting to spill through tears that were seemingly in mid air. “The Ghost Realm is starting to tear into our own.”

“Wait, the what?” You asked, causing Strange to falter slightly.

“The Ghost Realm?” He responded with a raise of his brow.

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“Um, where all of the ghosts are coming from? The source of your powers? You’ve been dealing with it for years-”

“Oh!” You shouted, finally realizing. “Yeah, we’ve been calling that the Ghost Zone.” You started to chuckle, Tucker joining, but everyone else remained silent for a moment.

“Right...” Strange proceeded. “Well the ‘Ghost Zone’ is starting to become a problem everywhere. We need your help.”

You coughed as you regained your composure, turning serious. “How is this even possible?”

“We were hoping you knew.”

“Look, I might know a lot about the Ghost Zone, but I don’t know everything. I’ve kinda just been dealing with it as it came for the last five years.”

“Well, it looks like you’re about to get a lot more proficient.” Loki said. Before Y/n could respond though, a new presence entered the room.

Wanda walked into the main hall where she found everyone in a heated discussion. She walked in further when she finally spotted the two new faces. A nerdy looking man, and the woman who she recognized as Y/n Fenton. She took a moment to observe her. She was in casual clothing, a white t-shirt covered with a red sweat jacket with jeans and red sneakers. A brown messenger bag slung across her body, indicating that she was on her way somewhere before she was brought here.

Wanda had only really seen Y/n in her Phantom form, since that was the only relevant part of her that they needed to know at the time, but she couldn’t help but think that the human side was captivating as well.

Wait a minute, what?

No, she wasn’t supposed to be looking at other people like this. Not after Vision. She never even thought someone else could turn her head again for one, but she also felt like she was betraying Vision and all they had by even simply staring at someone else for too long.

She coughed, as she tried to get rid of those thoughts, but in doing so she garnered the attention of everyone else in the room.

“Oh, good. Y/n, this is the Scarlet Witch. Otherwise known as Wanda Maximoff.” Strange had introduced her, and she gave a small smile along with a shy wave in response.

You, however, did not have the same welcoming response. You straightened up as your face tightened, eyes widening slightly. You recognized that name. “Wanda Maximoff...as in ‘Westview’ Wanda Maximoff?” You asked the room, however your eyes never left Wanda, who’s face now dropped.

The room stood in silence for a moment before Peter spoke up. “Yeah, um, we don’t really bring that up.”

“Yeah? Well, I am.” Before anyone could register what was happening, You changed into Phantom and blasted a powerful ghost ray towards Wanda. 

The blast hit her square on, knocking her to the ground. The witch shook the attack off quickly as she stood up. The awe that she had previously while staring at you was now replaced with anger, as she shifted from her current outfit into the Scarlet Witch. Hands and eyes glowing red, as your own hands and eyes glowed green. The two women stared each other down as the men stared in varying states of shock. 

Tucker was the only one who seemed to know what was going on as he brought his hand up and grabbed the bridge of his nose. “Oh man.”

“What the hell was that for!?” Wanda asked, almost shouting in anger. Your face didn’t waver however. You gritted the next words out, as you were also seething in anger.

“My sister was there.”

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments after the revelation, not sure how to continue. Wanda remained standing, but the red faded from her eyes and hands. Her gaze fell downwards for a moment as she straightened up. After no-one spoke for several moments, you continued. “I hope your little sitcom fantasy was worth it, cause Jazz is still going to therapy because of you.” You scoffed. “You didn’t even have the decency to give her a speaking part. Just one of your little extras.” 

Wanda sighed as tears started to spring to her eyes at the reminder. She shifted back into her normal clothing. “Look, I really am sorry for the pain I caused. I truly didn’t know at the time.”

“Sure you didn’t.” You scoffed before turning to address the rest of the room. “She’s a fucking terrorist. Actually, now that I think about it, what the hell am I doing in a room with all of you!?” 

You looked around briefly before pointing at Loki harshly. “You’re a fucking psychopath who almost took over the world!” Loki shot his hands up in surrender as you turned to point at Strange next.

“You were part of the fight in New York that killed my parents!” Strange’s eyes widened slightly at the revelation, but he didn’t get to say anything as you turned to Wong. 

“I know you were there too!” You finished by landing on Peter. 

“And you-” You cut yourself off as you realized you didn’t have anything against the kid. Still, you were stubborn and too into your rant to stop there. “I actually don’t know anything about you, but I’m sure you’re no good if you’re hanging around these freaks!”

“We’re the freaks?” Loki asked incredulously, as he couldn’t help himself. “Sweetheart, you’re basically dead.”

“Better being dead than a fucking murderer.” You seethed out. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t care. My responsibility is to my home and to those I love, that’s it. I never signed up for this life, and even if I did, I definitely wouldn’t wanna work with any of you.” You began to float and move over to Tucker, who had been watching the whole exchange in silence. You grabbed his arm, taking you up with you. “Good luck, sounds like you’re gonna need it. I’m out of here.”

With that you began to fly up, Tucker in your arms. You sped up heading towards the ceiling. You were about to go intangible to phase out of the building, when suddenly, your ghost ring appeared around your waist and separated, turning you back into a human.

Your eyes widened as you and Tucker began to plummet back to the floor, but before you both hit it, red wisps surrounded you both, breaking the fall. They didn’t last long though, as a second later the disappeared, making you both hit the ground harshly. Tucker rubbed his arm as you brought your hands up to look at them, wondering what happened.

“What the hell was that!?” You asked as you looked back up to the people in the room.

“I went into your mind and triggered your transformation.” Wanda answered, and you could’ve sworn you saw a slight smirk on her face. Your face hardened once again.

“Stay the hell out of my head.”

“Alright, enough!” Strange shouted, finally putting an end to this. “Y/n, I understand your hesitation. I do. You don’t have to like us, you don’t even have to trust us, but believe me when I say we cannot do this without you. You may be angry at the world, hell all of us are, but we need you to put that aside.” 

You stood up, offering a helping hand to Tucker, but your gaze remained on Strange. You sighed, knowing you couldn’t ignore the severity of the situation. No matter how much you wanted to. You hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.

“Okay. So what do we do now?”

[randompurplepanthergorl]

Spooky Month HC(s)

I wanted to share this one:

Robert could easily throw you and beat the crap outta you, he's pretty strong, not stronger than an adult but really strong, he could probably carry Ross and Roy and definitely carry Skid and Pump

He just choses to not show it much cause he's a sunshine boy who would not hurt a single fly

Also, another one kinda related to it:

Robert is like the Fluttershy of Spooky Month, I'm not saying he's anxious or shy, I'm saying he's a really kind person and loves animals

Kinda like a mix between Fluttershy and How Fluttershy acted in the "Putting Your Hoof Down" episode leans much more towards normal one though, but he wont be afraid to tell people to get the f*** out of his way and not f***ing cut in line- But he'd be nice about it

he'll only really act like the mean-ass over assertive one from that episode if Roy asks him, he'll feel bad about it but he always makes up for it to the people he used it on

Here's where it gets related to the other HC,

Ya know the hulk-like Fluttershy in the "Power Ponies" episode,

Well, Robert would be like that, he'd refuse to fight people cause he does not want too, he's too much of a sunshine boy to do so

But say you hurt the other Hatzgang members, his sister, or his brother, or even Skid and/or Pump, basically hurt anyone he likes in general

Ya know Super-Fluttershy's reaction to when the bad guy pony lady with crazy hair (I don't remember it, wasn't it mane-iac or something?) smacked a firefly

Well that would be Rob's reaction to you hurting people he cares about,

Granted he would not turn into a beast- But he would beat you like Fluttershy did to that machine the badguy had- (And yes I remember how much she beat it-)

Also third HC cause why TF not:

Robert's a brony

What I see him liking the colorful horse girls-

-

And no I'm not a brony myself-

I'm a little bit of a Pegasister which is literally just the female term for Brony

[crow-in-a-teapot]

tower of nero spoilers

i have just finished the tower of nero. and before i go searching for other people’s thoughts and art and more of the characters i love so much, i want to write down some of my own thoughts because i know as soon as i delve into that ‘ton spoilers’ hashtag there are going to be complaints and criticisms and so much that i don’t want to hear, or essays that’ll make me upset, or things that’ll change my perception on the book (because on this website people really love to hate the trials of apollo).

i want to start with: i loved it. it didn’t feel earth-shattering or huge and momentous like some of my favourite riordanverse books (house of hades, the blood of olympus, the last olympian and maybe some of the magnus chase books take those pedestals for me) but it was satisfying. and i think it was satisfying because it in no way felt like an ending. whether because eventually rick will write that will-and-nico-go-through-tartarus-and-save-bob novella, or because we (or at least i) will continue writing and imagining and creating for this world i don’t know. he didn’t wrap up the story in a perfect little bow like ‘nineteen years later’, he simply put it on pause. gave us a glimpse of where every character was at at the end.

the only thing that makes me so angry and upset is that i did manage to get some spoilers for moments that i know would have been so good to experience for the first time if i hadn’t been spoiled for them. the moment where rachel mentions penguins in a mansion near her house, nico getting mental health advice from mr d, the fact that will and nico were going to be in the book for so much of the story, but the big thing was literally spoiled for me two days ago, it was the reason i sat down to read it as fast as possible because i was terrified of getting more spoiled and not being able to experience the moments for myself, was that piper had a girlfriend. i know that reading that for the first time would have been so cool and surprising, and the fact that when it came up for a moment in the last couple pages all i felt was disappointment because it was spoiled for me and because it was now tinged with whatever that person was saying about her having a girlfriend.

but i still had some warm fuzzy moments, the two parts where apollo thinks he’s going to die but nico comes up behind him - so good. impeccable. 

Leader Guy spat. ‘Now, I kill you.’

He raised his sword... and froze. His face turned pale. His skin began to shrivel. His beard fell out whisker by whisker like dead pine needles. Finally, his skin crumbled away, along with his clothes and flesh, until Leader Guy was nothing but a bleached-white skeleton, holding a sword in his bony hands. 

Standing behind him, his hand on the skeleton’s shoulder, was Nico di Angelo.

and

Nero raised his hand, ready to give the kill command, when behind me a mighty BOOM! shook the chamber. Half our enemies were thrown off their feet. Cracks sprouted in the windowsand the marble columns. Ceiling tiles broke, raining dust like split bags of flour. 

I turned to see the impenetrable blast doors lying twisted and broken, a strangely emaciated red bull standing in the breach. Behind it stood Nico di Angelo.

gods. poetic brilliance. i can’t believe i’m still a nico di angelo stannie in the year 2021. in five years i have not changed (ever since the tv show announcement last summer i have managed to morph into myself from 2017)

from here i’m not sure where to go next i kind of want to go through everything, except it’ll be more difficult than my tyrant’s tomb reaction because i wasn’t reading on a kindle and thus can’t just do funny little reactions to screenshots of quotes, so i’ll just skim through the book page by page and see what i can comment on (i’m not planning on doing analysis today, no thank you, just enjoying the end of my childhood and trying to squeeze as much out of it as possible)

i have an emotional attachment to mr. snake from the very first chapter, and am very upset that he’ll never get off on his baltimore stop and get to see his wife, lu had no reason to shoot and kill him like that.

that brings me to lu, i liked her, it was interesting to see how rick kind of brought in not only the overarching theme of abuse, but also people who let the abuse happen, i have more i could say on this i’m too lazy to right now, and i promised no analysis - or the fact that Lu had conspired to make the show non-lethal to spare Meg’s feelings rather than - oh, I don’t know - refusing to do Nero’s dirty work in the first place and getting Meg out of that house of horrors. 

And are you any better? taunted a small voice in my brain. How many times have you stood up to Zeus?

Okay, small voice. Fair point. Tyrants are not easy to opppose or walk away from, especially when you depend on them for everything.

the parallels to meg and lester heading to percy’s apartment, and then to camp half blood to the hidden oracle was so cool to read, every callback to the hidden oracle just there to remind us readers exactly how far apollo has come and how he’s changed; the entire chapter with sally, paul and estelle just felt sickly sweet, it just didn’t seem real how wholesome and good that family is, like i get why apollo broke down and just sobbed in that shower.

also rick really saying acab again in toa, i thought he was done after that elf cop chapter in magnus chase (the magnus chase series is a masterpiece) but apparently not, with A ‘good cop’ is still a cop... still a part of the mind game.

the grey sisters, i forgot about them completely but this threw me back into was it the sea of monsters when annabeth summoned them? i’m not sure, it could have been the lightning thief either, they really remind me of the disney hercules movie. the whole ganymede paragraph was gold, i love gods being canonically confirmed lgbt in the riordanverse. i also love the whole eye-tossing part - 

‘He will crush our eye,’ Anger cried, ‘if we don’t recite our verses!’

‘I will not!’

‘We will all die!’ Wasp said. ‘He is crazy!’

‘I AM NOT!’

‘Fine, you win!’ Tempest howled.

also, the explanation for why dionysus chooses to look the way he does was perfect, because it was something i often wondered about and wasn’t expecting to get an explanation for, and i imagine the whole mythological dionysus to look like.. well like a more feminine apollo i guess, beautiful in a gender non-comforming way.

Other Olympians could never comprehend why Dionysus chose this form when he could look like anything he wanted. In ancient times, he’d been famous for his youthful beauty that defied gender.

... 

In retaliation, Dionysus had decided to look and act as ungodly as possible. He was like a child refusing to tuck in his shirt, comb his hair or brush his teeth, just to show his parents how little he cared.

every scene with nico at camp just BREAKS ME, i would throw in screenshots of every damn quote but unfortunately, as said above, cannot and would rather not type every one; we’ll start with, obviously apollo confirming to him that jason is dead. 

He didn’t look angry exactly. He looked as if he’d been hit in the gut not just once but so many times over the course of so many years that he was beginning to lose perspective on what it meant to be in pain. He swayed on his feet. He blinked. Then he flinched, jerking his hands away from Meg’s as if he’d just remembered his own touch was poison.

ugh then will talking about how nico’s doing, confirming that he’s suffering with ptsd, mr d giving him advice, helping him sort though what voices in his head are real and which ones aren’t, then the paragraph that just recounts every horrific thing poor nico has been through, how will has to reassure him that he’s okay and ‘with friends’ when he wakes up after shadow travel

will’s kindness to apollo, buying him clothes, and apollo finding seymour the leopard’s head in his bed, put there by mr d aaaa AAAA A A A A A THE ORDINARY, EVERYDAY CAMP HALF BLOOD THINGS..

i could go on for years and years about how much i appreciate rachel having a big role in this book, and the visit to her apartment, everything, her art, the fact that she got what she wanted, she’s going to PARIS to study ART, she isn’t forced to be someone she’s not by her dad, and gets to be a big part of a demigod mission and not stand on the sidelines for once.

i love that her landscapes are still visions, that she still paints the quests demigods go on - the burning maze, jason’s funeral pyre, caligula’s ships; and how nico ~appreciates art~

‘And, hey, di Angelo -’ she pushed him playfully away from the canvas he’d been ogling - ‘don’t brush against the art! I don’t care about the paintings, but if you get any colour on you, you’ll ruin that whole black-and-white aesthetic you’ve got going.’

i. love. rachel.

WILL GLOWS!! THE HEADCANONS FROM LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO THAT YOU’D SEE FLOATING AROUND ABOUT HIM MANIPULATING LIGHT!! CONFIRMED!! CANON!! AMAZING

I AM  OBSESSED WITH THE TROGS, I LOVE THEM, THEY ARE GREAT, not gonna lie, i was expecting something more dramatic and spooky with how worried will was and how dionysus was going.. visiting the cavern-runners isn’t ♫ good for your mental health  ♫ but the little hat frog gremlins were a good addition. i like them very much and their funky little soup shenanigans. quoting the ghost king himself: trogs good. nice hats. (IM SORRY I KEEP MENTIONING HIM BUT I JUST) also how apollo starts wishing for breadsticks a s ajoke and theY STRAIGHT UP HAVE BREADSTICKS? HUH? WHERE DID THEY GET THE BREADSTICKS FROM??

yeah, i’m also still very much upset by every mention of jason grace, it’s funny how ever since his death in the burning maze i have grown to love him more and more and that’s not fun for me, for that boy to become one of my main comfort character’s and have his death and sacrifice and nobility mentioned every few chapters. i’m pretty sure i cried when he appeared to talk in apollo’s dreams, and this time the tears weren’t from the effort of keeping my eyes open and working for hours straight reading this book (i remember staying up until 2am to finish the sequel to beautiful, broken things, it was very much worth it)

‘All right, Jason. We miss you, though.’

ALSO. THE FACT THAT THIS KID. THIS CHILD. HAD TO THINK ‘BUT IF A HERO ISN’T READY TO LOSE EVERYTHING FOR A GREATER CAUSE, IS THAT PERSON REALLY A HERO?’ A KID ISN’T SUPPOSED TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND BE READY TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR THE GREATER GOOD,, i,, ugh,, he’s supposed to be finishing school and designing temples not being the perfect hero and soldier,, spain without the s,,

as @couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name said: ‘thinking about how ghost! Jason didn’t seem to understand why Apollo was so upset about his death because he’s been raised to believe a hero’s sacrifice is noble and his life doesn’t matter in the grand scheme and also if he doesn’t understand why the person who watched him get horrifically killed is so torn up over his death he probably doesn’t even realize his other friends are grieving him..’

IM SO UPSET THE ARROW OF DODONA IS DEAD D: IT WAS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS ALL THE FUNNIEST MOMENTS WERE BECAUSE OF THAT ARROW AND IT'S DEATH WAS SO SAD WTH LIKE WE FIND OUT HOW USELESS THE ARROW FELT AND HOW THE GROVE OF DODONA ALL THOUGHT IT WOULD BE CRAP AND WOULD FAIL APOLLO AND THEN ONCE WE FEEL BAD FOR IT, IT DIES??

the entire python battle was pretty grim, there is a part of me that's like because this is the last book series i would have loved say the magnus chase and kane chronicles gang in a giant battle with everyone like the battle of manhattan but even more dramatic, but even so, i did appreciate that python battle and the whole almost-falling-into-the-depths-of-tartarus thing.

him talking to artemis was cool, but JESUS: 'I turned and strode out of my room, trying to recall how the god Apollo walked.' like that HURTS. it was such a huge culture shock for apollo to go throught this huge character arc and be so human and understand the pain of others, to be around gods again who are so.. apathetic. also, zeus. 'Interesting how he put that: I had done him proud. I had been useful in making him look good. My heart did not melt. I did not feel that this was a warm-and-fuzzy reconciliation with my father. Let's be honest: some fathers don't deserve that. Some aren't capable of it.'

OKAY OKAY SO THE END?? CHIRON TALKING TO A CAT (BAST) AND A SEVERED HEAD (MIMIR) ABOUT SHARED PROBLEMS WITHIN THE PANTHEONS!! WILL AND NICO RECEIVING A PROPHECY FROM RACHEL TO GO TO TARTARUS AND SAVE BOB!! THE HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS, INCLUDING THALIA AND REYNA BEING BEST FRIENDS (qpr.. qpr..) HUNTING THE TEUMESSIAN FOX!! PERCY, ANNABETH AND GROVER, THE ORIGINAL TRIO, GOING ON A CHAOTIC ROAD TRIP TOGETHER!! - SO MANY STAND-ALONE SET -UPS PFSJSJSJ

okay quick word on the reunions at the end: funny little elephant visitation program with livia and hannibal. love that for them. calypso and leo's relationship seems rocky and complicated, but that's to be expected, i think even if they do get properly back together again it might not last long, because it does pretty much feel like a teenage relationship where the two aren't very compatible, but we'll see. hazel and frank are so funny with their gold plated necklaces. lavinia - tap-dance icon. almost cried at the mention of jason's temple-extension plan again. percy not being sure about what he wants to do in college is accurate and i like that that's left to be up-for-interpretation (rick does THE MOST for the fanfic writers pfsjsj). i am OBSESSED with aeithales, like i hate deserts so the burning maze setting is not my favourite but GOD that HOUSE, the vibes are off-the-charts. i'd love a house made of living trees that's also a greenhouse filled with dryads. meg gets a unicorn. that is so great.

i kind of wish the book hadn't ended with 'Call on me. I will be there for you.' because every time I imagine the friends theme song and i don't think that's the vibe he was going for, BUT i do love him talking to meg, that was genuinely emotional - 'You'll come back?' she asked. 'Always,' I promised. 'The sun always comes back.' ; i really wish it had ended with that, but i guess apollo does tend to break fourth walls and talk to the readers, like a lot of the protagonists of riordanverse books.

[valeskakingdom]

Request

Hi! I wanted to make you a request for a jerome x reader bc I saw that you write so well! Anyway, could you do a one shot where jerome and female reader meet when hes been kidnapped by Theo and she's an assasin that works for him that interrupts his speech that he's doing to the maniax (and if you could do her with a few tattoos, dressed in leather and covered in blood bc she just ended a "work" For Theo it would be great but you're not obligated) and they are fascinated by each other and begin to be friends and.. Idk if you can use your mind to make them sleep together 😂 and one last thing she has a strong personality but it's not like she never smiles like she has emotions ahahha (so she's not bitchy like I've seen doing in other fics), and she's kinda dominant in bed.. Like she is a switch, if you don't want to do it bc you don't like the idea it doesn't matter

Requested by @rott3nheart

Thank you!! Okay so, I tried to do my best on it. Honestly about the switch thing I kinda felt uncomfortable but still I tried to do my best. Hope you enjoy reading:)

PS: sorry that I took so long. had a lot of stuff to deal with

PSS: I split that request in two parts again because of the enormous length. Post the next part right after that here

Jerome x female reader (part 1)

Warnings: mention of sex, murder and violence

Another day full of work. Another day where a human life had to end.

Another day where you had to do a favor for your boss Theo Galavan.

He want to become the most powerful man in Gotham - the major. He wanted to win the election. It would be a tragedy if he didn't because any of his competitors seem to be better. It would be scandalous, wouldn't it?

Your previous days were the same as now: Theo called you, he wanted you to do him favors which obviously meant to kill people that could cause trouble.

Every day you came back covered in blood with messy hair, Theo thanked you, you had a nice conversation with Tabitha - your best friend - and then you made your way to clean your weapons and slowly drift to sleep.

Your every day life didn't bore you though. Oh no, you loved it! You loved the thrill every time you chase someone, tortured him and then killed him. The whole process was giving you chills, just the thought of it was enough.

You walked after that guy through a crowd of people. You took your time, even bought a coffee and some candies for yourself while chasing the guy. You didn't want to stand out.

Then you just waited for the perfect moment where barely people were around you and BOOM! - that guy was shot by you.

You tried to call Tabitha telling her Theo's competitor was dead, she didn't pick up.

It made you suspicious - usually she always picked up. So either she was busy with killing someone or she had to help Theo with some business.

You sighed for yourself and looked down at the dead body right in front of you. That corpse had to disappear. And so you decided to do what you always did: you carried the corpse to a forest, chopped it up with your axe and buried it anywhere.

And that was what you did. You carried that dead guy, stumbled at first through his weight but then you quickly made your way. Luckily the forest was near the place where you killed him and second of all, you made sure no one was watching you. You knew many ways through where you could literally invisible.

You walked through bushes, ran through little dark alleys and finally arrived the forest. You walked through it, deep enough until you were sure that this place was perfect to bury a corpse. You let the corpse fall on the ground, staring at it for a while. The guy's skin was pale already and he stopped bleeding.

"Well, I'm sorry my dear, but it's time to chop you up." You grabbed the axe from your back pocket and started the process.

First you chopped up the arms, then the legs, the head and then the guy's body in little several parts.

Of course, you always had a shovel next to your axe. How else should you eradicate a corpse? As fast as possible you dug little holes into the ground to shove the guy's body parts into them. It didn't take you that long, maybe an hour or two.

As you finished your work with pride you slowly walked out of the forest still making sure no one was watching you - and luckily no one did.

You tried to call Tabitha again - but again she didn't pick up the phone.

"Ugh, I hope she has a good reason not to respond. If she's fucking someone then I'll fucking kill her!" you hissed putting your axe and the shove back in your pocket and quickly made your way to Theo's Tower.

***

Finally the elevator opened and you entered Theo's living room.

People in some kind of small wagons were standing with their backs in front of you being tied up. Tabitha stood aside while you heard Theo was holding a speech about people's attitudes - you didn't pay attention to his words.

Being covered in blood and dirt you stepped forward, straight walking to Theo.

"Hey, Theo. Work is done!" You nodded to him, then turned your head to Tabitha "Hey Tabby."

"You have some uhm..." In disgust, she gestured that you have 'something' in your face and your body.

"I know. Had to chop up that guy." You shrugged. Somehow you felt watched so you turned back to Theo and his 'fellows'.

Every one was looking around besides a young ginger boy. He was eyeing you with a mischievous grin. His eyes expressed the pure evil. That guy was born to be a villain, that you can tell.

You viewed him from head to toe. He was still in his Arkham clothings.

His skin was pale, almost white. His eyes were as blue as the ocean, his lips red with a permanent smile on his face. The ginger was tall, not too skinny and not too fat. He had a standard body, maybe with some abs. Craziness was written in his face. You could tell he was crazier than all the others together. For you, he was interesting. You saw him as an opportunity to have some fun at work if Theo allows, or for fun after work.

"(Y/n)..." Theo gave you a little annoyed smile which let you know that you interrupted "Haven't expect you yet. You arrived here quite early."

"A simple kill isn't hard work, T," you crossed your arms with a slight laughter positioning yourself right next to Tabitha.

"Anyways," Theo looked back to the inmates walking past them slowly "Today is the first day of a wonderful future for all of you. If you wanna."

"Who are you?" A blonde, actually pretty girl asked him with a stern undertone.

"Well, now the question is: who are you?" Theo turned to the ginger "The world sees criminal lunatics. I see brilliance...I see charisma..." He walked back to the blonde "And power." And that was what he repeated while making deep eye contact with the blonde.

"Yes, exactly my man." The ginger growled with a sigh "That is so spooky, that is me to a T." He swung his head to the other inmate's direction contemptuously "These other bozos are, I don't know but you're singing my song." The ginger grinned.

You zoned out for a moment not listening to what Theo was saying.

You started thinking about the ginger: about how he and you made plans to kill others. It'll surely be crazy. For you he seemed to be like a showman. He needed attention, he was always right, he acted like his actual rivals mwere his best buddies... You could take advantage of it plus he could entertain you a little with jokes or his ordinary behavior.

"(Y/n)?" Tabitha snipped with her fingers in front of your eyes interrupting your train of thoughts "You alright?"

"Yeah. Was just thinking about something." You shook your head quickly trying to stop thinking about that ginger.

"About what?" Tabitha frowned "is it the ginger?"

"Why do you ask?" You scoffed taking a look at your fingernails trying to act completely uninterest. You hated talking about such a topic - especially when there weren't any kind of feelings, just nice thoughts.

"Don't play fool with me-..."

"I'm not." You interrupted her "Have no reason to."

"Tabitha, would you uh...?" You heard Theo say gesturing to the old inmate that Theo has uncuffed before.

Oh damn, that old guy will die you thought because you knew Theo. When he has a plan, everyone had to agree. If not, they'll die. There was no other option, he never showed any mercy.

"Miss Kean is coming with me." The inmate was uncuffed and he made his way to the blonde girl.

"Oh, she doesn't wanna go where you're going to." Theo stated shortly before Tabitha swung her whip and strangled the man.

His head already reddened and gagging for air. His hands tried to pull her whip away from his throat to breathe again. It didn't work though.

Tabitha pulled him on the ground and continued to strangle him. The other inmates, Theo and you just watched the whole scene.

Then she kicked him in his stomach as she sat on his body. He gasped for air still being strangled by her whip and then...she stabbed him - over and over again until she slit his throat. Blood was splashing on her and on the inmates' clothings as it spread along the floor. You heard gasps from the blonde and others every time Tabitha's knife drilled the old man's skin.

One of the inmates, it was a fat smeary man with grubby hair, kept staring at them almost psychotic with a grin. The ginger stared at the corpse staring to cackle.

It made you chuckle. You liked this straining atmosphere somehow. Most of the inmates' faces expressed fear and so you knew they'd do what Theo, Tabitha or you say anyhow. They surely didn't want to end like this old man.

"Anyone else who wanna leave?" Theo gave one of his mischievous grins. The inmates said nothing, some stared at him in fear, others just simply nodded.

"Tabitha, (Y/n)! Uncuff the guys. I'm sure no one likes to be handcuffed at home."

So that's what you did.

You took the little knife that was hidden in your pocket and severed the roped that were tied up all around them. Then you opened their handcuffs.

The smeary fat mam was the first, then a tall baldy, and then the ginger.

You looked at him for a while before you uncuffed him. He was kinda hot in your eyes as you examined him from the near. You affected his craziness, it even turned you on - somewhat. He was kinda special.

Most crazy people you knew were stupid, and dirty, and disgusting. You really didn't want to interact with them - not even for money.

And then there was the ginger. He wasn't nothing of it. He seemed to be clever, have brains...he knew what he wanted and he got everything, whether with or without violence. The word crazy was written in his face - he was everything else than normal. Maybe he was crazier than all the other inmates together? You didn't know yet, but you'd like to know. He aroused your interest a lot with his abnormal behavior.

"How many people have you killed doll?" He turned his head to you that he could still see through the corner of his eyes.

"Surely a lot more than you, sweetie." You responded with a slight chuckle "Guess, I'm some longer into that business than you, freshman."

"You're a feisty one, I like that." He grinned at you as you stood right in front of him.

"And I'm a lot more." You chuckled dark ripping the last handcuffs from his wrists.

You teased a little hoping you aroused his interest as he did with you. You knew Theo wouldn't let you take that ginger. It would cross all his plans and he'd be mad at you, threaten you and such. So you needed play tricks on him.

You didn't know what led you to all this. You just wanted that little ginger for yourself.

"We both speak the same language, how exciting! Finally I'm not only ordinary kid under all those apes. By the way, I'm Jerome." Grinning wider the ginger took a step forward to come down from this wagon and rubbed his wrists "Damn, they were tight."

"(Y/n)" you gave him a short smile "And yeah, just wanted to make sure the little bad boy's not escaping." You grinned shortly before you turned around to head back to your room.

"Oooh! What's that?" You suddenly felt Jerome's grip on your axe - your holy axe.

Within 2 seconds, you pulled your axe out of the back pocket and pressed the blade in against his throat. You could see how some blood covered the blade.

You hated it when someone touched your axe. It was your axe. No one besides you was allowed to touch it, not even to use it. Not even Theo or Tabitha.

Jerome gasped in surprise - probably by your fast reaction. And then again you saw a little smile was formed in his face.

That guy really cannot stop smiling, can he? You thought.

"You shouldn't touch other people's weapons. You could get killed." You pressed the knife a little harder against his throst.

"I know, how impolite, isn't it?" He sighed in shock "People really have no manners."

"(Y/n)! I'd feel relieved if you didn't kill our guest right after their arrival." Theo claimed giving you a stern look.

"Wasn't about to do that," You put the axe back in your pocket giving Jerome a mischievous grin "Just taught the little ginger one of our most important rules." 

You turned away again and walked along the floor to your room and swung your hips exaggerating. You knew Jerome was staring at you and you knew he examined your body.

Before you could even open your door, Jerome ran after you eagerly. It was amusing to you. He seemed to be interested in you as well. You felt strange though because he was running after you like a poor dog.

[monster-bcrn]

SPOOKY’S 100 FOLLOWER SHOUTOUT!

Okay for real this is the fastest growing blog I’ve ever had hehehe. Never expected Grundy to get this popular this quickly!

Freaking love this zombaby and I’m so glad y’all love him too! As promised, gonna shout out some fantabulous bloggos that helped get Grundy to where he is today. XD

@akasupergirl/ @azombieme (I FREAKING ADORE GRUNDY AND KARA AND LIV. I swear Grundy’s loyal to Kara like he was to Shayera and Jade and Liv is totally his baby sister and is gonna protect her from.....everything. :P

Even pigeons, because they’re legion.)

@thecatgoddessbast (A blast from the past! Glad to see you again after I rampaged and caused chaos as a certain deranged pincushion of a mushroom way back in the time before present. XD

Now I get to do that as a zombie. :D Win/win!)

@starcityvigilante (OLLIE. FFFFFF-okay for real I’m HYPED to plot wacky ideas with you. Grundy has a MASSIVE grudge against Green Arrow and I’m like......*push these two together* you both get along right now.)

@folcire (We literally just started talking and I’m loving your Ivy already! Can’t wait to see how Grundy grows to see her the more he talks to her because they’re both sassy plant people that way. XD)

@themartlans (FFFFFF-J’ONN. Everyone’s favorite green uncle :D I freaking adore him and I HATE how the most he ever interacted with Grundy was him being tossed into the bay. >_<

They really need to talk more, and MAN! That Injustice verse of yours is SICK. Definitely hyped for making Grundy into an insurgent and a good zombie instead of Supes’ lapdog.

( Look at this face....LOOK AT IT.)

@blackwingsbluedings (One of the best Dick Grayson’s out there and definitely loving seeing Grundy be less smash and more “......hug?” They both need hugs I swear.)

@marvelousdamsels (We haven’t talked much but I adore your muses and I just hope Grundy doesn’t come off as too weird or clingy.......wait.......that’s......literally Grundy.....

:D)

@theirfirstexperiment (GRUNDY ON A RAMPAGE YOOOOOO! Better run fast. XD)

@amazonexile/ @gothamprens/ @captainstevertrevor ( Freaking love your muses and I love seeing Diana and Bruce actually WANT to help Grundy. It’s too easy just beating on Grundy and I love seeing them actually bother to try to get to the gentler side of the Hulk’s crazy cousin. XD)

@justiceebound / @nighttfight ( *slams fist on the table* YOU ARE AWESOME! Your Shayera is awesome, your Bruce is a national treasure and I can’t wait to throw Grundy at Supes and Diana, because these guys need a big reconciliation thing after all the chaos from literal years of slugging it out.

And I LOVE it. >:D)

@ofamazonia 

@theamazondiana   (Both of you are AWESOME Wonder Women and MAN I love plotting ideas. I’m tired of seeing Diana being turned into too much of a warrior while negating her role as a peace-maker and y’all NAIL her kindness and wisdom and need to give everyone a chance. Freaking LOVE IT!)

@raininginkyxto (LOL I always love imagining Grundy in Marvel and now poor Weasel is kind of stuck with him. XD Man, if the Hulks meet Grundy then that poor bar is going to really get smashed.....)

@notatomo (GIANT. Man I loved that movie as a kid and I LOVE the subsequent giant robot and tiny kid works inspired from it (example being the CRIMINALLY under-appreciated Sentinel series by UDON.) Can’t wait to see what happens when Grundy talks more to someone bigger than him. XD)

@liminalstctic (GRUNDY HEARTS TINY GIRL. XD Yeah he’s trying his hardest to help her. ;A;)

@dolceclavier

@gobsnacc

@adrenalinesaint

@ninelivesruined

@yellowskinnedwackyman  (CREEPER! I’ll forever ADORE these two butts because they’re team Tree Lobsters.)

@collidingxworlds/ @thecursedhellblazer (I. Love. Your. Constantine. I swear I have so much fun writing Grundy trying to get drunk (and failing) and learning to cuss up a storm while still being a mad lad ready to throw down with mega-zombies to protect his tiny friend.

DC, make this friendship canon or so help me Grodd...)

@chaosmultiverse (I love your Klarion so much! He’s so much fun! XD And Teekl for the epic win!)

@raichoose (Herbert West and Solomon Grundy? THAT aIN’T GOOD! D:>)

@gctjinxd (Freaking LOVE your Jinx! LOL how she manipulates Freeze and how Grundy isn’t even REMOTELY phased by her powers. Like he is TOUGH. Even bad luck won’t stop him.)

@killcrcroc (BIG BAD KILLER CROC! I love your Waylon and I adore how he has a collection of watches and that awesome suit. XD Croc definitely deserves more love since he’s much smarter than he looks, and tough enough to even get Grundy to back down in a serious fight.)

@babydxhl (Baby Doll is criminally underappreciated and I love how she’s the opposite to Grundy. She looks child-like but is very crafty, mature and knows how to get what she wants, while Grundy is physically strong and big enough to bully his way into anything he wants, but is very simple and child-like and would rather watch the birds. XD)

@theednygma (An awesome Ed Nygma and I love how Grundy is so unsure of everything yet still goes along for the ride as a support. XD)

@sleightlyoffhand (BUNNY MAN! Okay the idea of Josiah monching on carrots in Grundy’s pocket makes me smile so much. XD)

@thanagrian (BIRD-NOSE! Honestly every time I think of Grundy and Shayera I get the feels big time. These two definitely deserved more than just two episides to give them a unique friendship.

(I love that STAR Labs mission so much in Injustice. XD)

@the-arkham-librarian ( I love Eliza so much! She’s crafty, stubborn, sweet and kind and just cares about everyone so much when few don’t. Grundy grew so attached to her I swear she’s like his little sister at this point. XD And he’s totes the best uncle along with Eddie.)

@fatherdamned ( I LOVE YOUR RIDDLER OMG! He’s so snarky but man he is SO DAMN FUN to write with! Grundy is there for his green friend, no matter what!)

@fartemis-crockpot

( I freaking LOVE Artemis and Grundy, especially in the Injustice Society stuff. Yeah Grundy’s been a butt before but he genuinely likes and cares about her and the rest of the team and I’m like....

Look at these bunch of a-holes. Yeah they’re a family and even if they’re bad.....they’ve got each other. And that’s what counts. C:)

@powerhours/ @lastofmars (Green dad? Green dad. I love your J’onn so much and I’m like *throws Grundy at green dad* Here give this disaster some love. XD)

@gothamdad (YET ANOTHER AWESOME BATMAN. :D)

@redsleuthed (TIM! I love Tim and I swear these two should talk more because Grundy doesn’t WANT to fight and I think just letting someone hear him out would help him immensely.

Plus that stuff with Freeze? Poetic cinema.)

@themusespace

@12thlevel​ (On this blog we stan socially awkward green boi with angery grandpa genius mastermind. XD)

@pluckyingenue

@seekthedarknesswithin (SHADE! I love Shade in Justice League where he constantly throws Shade at everyone so you can imagine how excited I was to see Shade on Tumblr! We haven’t done much but man.....even Grundy was excited to see an old friend from the Injustice Society/ Injustice Gang.)

@youstolemycoat (Okay, hands down, Nick Necro is so much fun to plot with. His Robin verse is so fun too and poor Grundy tries to help but a certain birdy won’t let him. XD)

@ufotm (Tiny alien baby. :3)

@thetrigonborn

@kitfreeman

@partcfyouruniverse/ @diamondcladclown ( An awesome mun and my goodness her Harley is EPIC! I love the metas about Harley too and you just GET HER. And that????? Is the sign of an excellent writer and mun.)

@bigbadkillercroc ( I love your Croc and the brotherly bond he has with Grundy! It’s so refreshing to see these two bonding instead of Grundy tearing off Waylon’s face like he did in the Solomon Grundy mini-series. :C)

@blizzardmuses (I LOVE YOUR MUSES OMG. Your Batgirl?????? I ADORE HER. I love Freeze as a member of the Birds of Prey and I love tossing Grundy at your muses because the guy needs love and an excuse to smash.....and I really love both lol.)

@starfirechan (You’re Starfire is so freaking CUTE! I love how she and Grundy get along so well since they’re kind of two misfits that aren’t very well-versed in city life. XD)

@gotham-crusader/ @maximummuses (One of the best Batman and Damian Wayne RPers out there! I have a lot of fun with our threads and even if they fizzle out there is so much heart to them that they’re some of my absolute favorites no matter what muse I put on. C:)

@teufortsquidman (PRAWN! Okay, a giant mega-zombie and an Eldritch abomination? Yeah they’re gonna be good pals lol. XD)

@tragedybcrn (Hands down one of the BEST Batman RPers I’ve talked to and plotted with. I love how Bruce helps Freeze and even Grundy try to be better than just crooks. Grundy though has had so many bad experiences that he can’t trust anyone anymore unless there is some SERIOUS help. But he’ll learn to at least try to trust Batman.....because Batman was genuinely nice to him.)

@krygothite ( I freaking LOVE your Bane! We haven’t written much but FFFFF0yeah he’s epic. XD And Grundy is kind of nervous about bringing Bane to Slaughter Swamp because Bane is tough but not kaiju-sized gators and snakes tough....

Or....maybe he is.....let’s test him. >:D)

@batvvmn

@redwinefangs (VAmpire Batman? Vampire Batman. We have an epic trifecta of vampire Bats, Freezy-wolf and zombaby Grundy and I LOVE it. These three are so much fun to plit ideas around. XD)

@bclaur

@stcrshnes

@titanicscionofthestars ( I freaking LOVE Sara! All across my blogs I love her and the way you write her! And I swear her reaction to Grundy being impaled????? MY HEART. ;A;)

@jcinthedance  (JERVIS! Okat for real I love the image of Hatter and Grundy just enjoying a tea party at the asylum and being weird dorks. XD)

@adventurepunks (I absolutelky LOVE your Zatanna! She’s so fun and I’d love to plot more with her! :D)

@shesquiinnsane

@laughter-in-white (YOU????? Are??? Like the BEST Joker. Hands down. Your Croptop J is so much fun to plot with and he’s funny and being dramatic for Bats. And Grundy is like ‘yeah he’s crazy but he’s my crazy.’)

@yourfavoritesidekick

@smartvulpix (* glomps on you for being epic*)

@thehouseofivo (Your Freeze and Julian are AWESOME! Love throwing my guys at them both lol)

@lil-miss-romano

@sweet-tea-solly

@slauhter

@occultsleuth

@wiisectrpillar

@wonderlandcarpenter

@gunborn

[golbrockstar]

Here we go again, Conjuring House Pt. 2

I love how they made a big deal about being fully alone in the house at the beginning but then Josh and Seth came 😂

But I love those two and have recently subscribed to both channels because I’m really getting into SnC’s type content again and I already like their personalities so I’m sure I’ll enjoy their content.

In the daytime the house isn’t so spooky from the outside. Kind of just looks like a cabin.

The flickering lights wasn’t compelling evidence to me at all lmao. It’s just an old house’s electrical being shit. My house does it all the time.

The Graveyard thing is super weird. Like, how did no one know it was there? Surely its like someone’s family graveyard right? Cause those flags were too new to be in an abandoned graveyard like those things did not look weathered at all.

The pentagram on the “James” one was weird though. Maybe some kids just vandalized it and since it’s stone you can’t exactly fix it. Idk.

Was super down for the Stanley Video until they wanted to bring Amanda then I was out.

And honestly, why go back? Don’t keep replaying your greatest hits boys, it’ll lose your viewers. Keep doing new and fun stuff.

But it’ll get the like goal because of course it will.

Sam being like “The Conjuring movies are terrifying” made me laugh. Sam has clearly not seen many good horror movies because I do not find those even remotely terrifying. Creepy? Has as few good jumpscares? Sure. But I never left watching one of those movies unsettled or anything lol.

Also Sam and Colby did research?? Wow. Never happens lmao.

I know Beelzebub is like a devil or whatever they said, but literally any time they say it (and pronounce it wrong, I believe) my mind just starts playing Bohemian Rhapsody.

Be-EL-zebub has a devil put aside for me...for me...for MEEE *aggressive headbanging*

Them saying each others’ names during the estes method and Maddy and Cory telling them that they did the estes method and it said their names then??? That’s crazy.

If Bathsheba is innocent, that poor woman. She was put on trial for murder, thought of as a witch, has had her grave defaced, is now forever associated with a fictionalized demonic version of herself.

Were the Warrens telling the truth when they said she haunted the house? Maybe, I can’t say for sure but I don’t think she was probably the “evil entity” that resides in the house. She probably, at one point or maybe even now, was haunting it as a ghost.

Or maybe her ghost had been trapped their long enough (for whatever reason) that it maybe morphed into a demonic thing.

The Amanda and Scott written in the sand was a coincidence. Like duh boys. You can tell two people (I’m assuming some people named Amanda and Scott) came in and wrote their names in the sand with their fingers, like come on, it feels like you’re reaching there 😂

Speaking of Amanda, she wasn’t in this long (thank god) but I think this time she might’ve given them some sound advice. And I’m glad, like Colby said, that she wasn’t all like “No. You can’t do anything only I have the power to help.” Because if she had said that it wouldn’t have surprised me.

They didn’t play any music like she suggested, but the exorcism thing was nice and whether it worked or not...🤷‍♀️ There have probably been hundreds of exorcisms and things like that done in that house but who knows maybe this released the soldiers’ spirits.

The ending was definitely the most interesting part for me. Cause, Sam and Colby never do anything separate in these videos and it was interesting to see them left to their own devices.

Colby was absolute shaking the whole time he was down there and his eyes were watering, ah I wanted to hug him. 

Sam was also shook up and shaking but he held it together a little more than Colby, but that is pretty much the usual case.

The thing in the window had to be just like a weird shadow of a lamp or something right? I’m so upset they didn’t revisit that because that was creepy.

Glad they said what they did at the end, it was sweet.

However, “It’s just the beginning” and boys you had better take a well deserved break after this because my god. All those hours of editing can not be good for them.

I love them but someone needs to let them know it’s okay to slow down sometimes. Because if you don’t slow down, eventually you’re going to crash and burn.

All in all this was an interesting video. Will probably revisit this one at a later time.

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP Meme from " Corax" in "Chapter Two: The Changing Breeds" from the World of Darkness "Changing Breeds" book (20th Anniversary edition)

Seriously? Who writes this stuff?

You’re never going to learn the real story about who you are from that hack.

You know how the littlest kid is always the one who runs to Mom with every little thing their siblings do wrong? That’s us. We’re the tattletales.

You know why we can’t settle down? Cuz they’re everywhere, so we have to be, too.

We’re built to go everywhere, see everything. No homebodies allowed.

If there are secrets going on, you can bet there’s one of us, listening in, poking around, getting a gander — so to speak.

We see something going on — we gotta spread the word.

No, I don’t mean porn — well, not just porn, anyway.

We make the Net look like a buncha clay tablets with “Cleo Was Here” scrawled on them. We’re bleeding edge, eyes-in-the-sky, grade A, number one know-it-alls.

Information’s no good if the messenger can’t deliver it.

Oh, we’re nasty enough in a scrap, and we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves, but the truth is we’re not built for going toe-to-toe.

Fight sneaky, the way we do everything else, and you’re more likely to survive to tell a tale — or pull a prank — another day.

Most of the time, there’s a method to our madness, a lesson in the lemon-meringue.

See, some folks just don’t listen the easy way.

You should know where your allegiances lie.

Find stuff. Tell people.

Laugh, because the world ain’t getting any prettier.

You’re learning already. But, here’s something you gotta know; Once I finish teaching you the basics, you’re on your own.

Now, don’t look like that.

I mean, what’s the good of gathering stories if you don’t get to tell them in front of a group every now and then?

As for specific operations, well, I can’t tell you much beyond “they exist”, because I don’t know.

If you’re heading in a way that crosses winds with one of them, they’ll find you and tell you what you need to know about hooking up with them.

High tech, big business, politics? We’re there too.

Japan? Europe? The Middle East? You name it, one of us has an eye on it.

Well, let’s just say that if you turn over enough stones, you’re eventually going to find more than dirt underneath one.

Do your job right, and there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in a heap of trouble soon or later.

Quit thinking so literally!

The possibilities are, as they say, endless.

Between Facebook, Twitter, and all that jazz, almost everyone has some sort of internet presence — and online friends — these days.

A couple of dummy accounts armed with stock photos and a fake bio, and suddenly I’m “friends” with whatever patsy I’m looking for more info on.

If I’m lucky, he’ll keep a running dialogue with his hundred closest buddies about where he’s “checking in” for the meeting I want to listen in on.

If I’m really lucky, he’ll jump on instant messaging and try to impress his new “follower” with some handy details that can be used against him.

Of course, if I’m unlucky, I might end up with pictures of his naked junk, but even those can be used for blackmail or sold off to the highest bidder — it’s gross, but hey, them’s the breaks in the info business.

Government agencies are required to make certain files accessible to the public. So, a lot of that stuff we used to have to wing it down to the archives office to get a gander at is now available on a point-and-click basis through one website or another.

If you can get a hacker on your side, there’s almost nothing you can’t find out about someone.

Debit card transaction records, ISP cookie files, internet site caches, phone and text message logs? Easy breezy, lemon-squeezy, if you know what I mean.

Don’t get me wrong. We were made to do what we do — and to do it well. Like any fine piece of equipment, form follows function, and all that jazz.

I thought that might get your attention.

What? You don’t know that one? I’ll tell you later.

The thing? Where you drink the stuff from a corpse’s eye, and you see the last thing it saw before it died?

Oh, come on now; don’t make that face. You’ll take to it quick enough.

There’s no better way to get information on what killed some poor schmuck, or why it was done.

See, that’s another thing about being one of us. That whole discretion thing? Not so much. We can’t shut up.

Hey, don’t tell me you noticed; that’s disrespectful.

Information wants to be free, and it’s hard as hell for us to hold back when we know a juicy tidbit.

You probably have noticed that there’s some differences between, say, me and you.

You’re probably more comfortable that way, cuz it’s how you were born.

Y’all are usually pretty cliquish, talkative — even by our standards — and a little fuzzy on the notion of property rights where shiny things are concerned.

We tend toward the twitchy loner type.

We’re generalists, built to survive anywhere, under any circumstances.

Sure, it’s fun to go poking after spooky stuff; all kinds of interesting things hiding out in the shadows.

Just make sure if you join up with a band of these guys, that at least one of you has the brains to keep an eye on where the exits are.

Don’t be dumb enough to think stumbling onto something interesting means you’re tough enough to deal with it yourself

Oh, and once they start talking? Pack a lunch. You’re gonna be there a while.

But their big money makers aren’t “things” at all — they’re secrets.

Passwords, bleeding-edge code, blackmail fodder, and anything else that someone doesn’t want brought to light?

Their CEO is riding the headwinds of technology at this point, and there are big things on the horizon for the “company”.

It’s creepy as hell.

You either high-tail it out of there, or prepare to be a part of the fighting, cuz things are about to get crazy.

They’re always picking fights, causing trouble, and generally being the biggest bitches they can get away with.

Trying to be bad, yep, yep, yep. Pulling it off? Sometimes.

Oh, and it’s a girls’ club only. No boys allowed.

Most of the time, they’re never heard from again.

There’s stuff out there that would eat a little-bit like you without even needing to spit out the bones.

I mean, time works different out there, and the rules are all wonky.

They were pure, once upon a time.

They’re the trickster’s tricksters, and they take the job damn seriously, which means they’re always practicing — and pissing people off.

It looks kind of goofy, and you walk funny while you’re in it.

Most of us are thin and don’t tan well, which makes us kinda look like underfed Goths.

It’s not a sure-fire giveaway, but it can be a clue.

Hold your head high.

We’re big, we’re smart, we’re fast, we’re beautiful; what’s not to love?

I don’t even want to talk about the feet.

It's just humiliating.

We look out for you, and you look out for us. Capische?

They talk too much, but if you know what to listen for and what to ignore, you can learn a lot. Assuming you don’t kill them first.

They irritate without making enemies.

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 204

204

Extreme fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and dehydration was Coran’s official diagnosis with a small milk duct blockage in Lance’s left breast. Wanting to keep Lance in for a couple of days so he could rest and recuperate, Lance found himself tired of sleeping. Keith having to go back to Garrison for the full moon left him feeling lonely, though Rieva had brought Blue up to stay with him for company, and Shiro was taking care of Kosmo.

With their friends being their usual selves, they’d all come to visit. Pidge smacking him for ending up “in hospital again”. It hadn’t been his plan to. Sleeping all the time felt like a waste of time. Time he should be using to clean the nursery and make sure everything was organised for the birth. The vampire felt awful that Keith was stuck babysitting him when he wasn’t even awake to keep his lover company. He also felt awful that fresh human blood had perked him up more than Keith’s blood. Keith was his everything and tried his hardest for him. Now he was stuck with a fiancé that just wanted sleep, and if he wasn’t sleeping he was eating or expressing milk to ease the blockage... Keith seemed overly eager to help with that bit.

Of all the nights for insomnia to finally kick in, it was the first night of the full moon. He’d fallen asleep talking to Keith. Matt and Rieva swore to take care of Keith in his absence, but that wasn’t the same as him being there to help Keith during the daytime. He wanted to see for himself that Keith was safe. The idea Keith would be howling at their window for him, only for him not to be there hurt. If he hadn’t taken Lance’s bronco back to Garrison, Lance would have probably planned his escape, even if it meant being yelled at over it later.

Sighing to himself, Lance glared at the ticking clock on the bedside table. He really missed Keith. Blue was snuggled against his stomach, happy that her human was back to give her the attention she rightly deserved. He’d missed her. Kosmo came for a short visit before Keith had Shiro take him back to the apartment. Their best boy fur son hadn’t meant for one of his big paws to collide with Lance’s junk, but in his excitement that was exactly what had happened, whole body wiggling with excitement as he was hauled away. The time read a little after 9pm. Keith would have turned by now. He, Matt, and Rieva, would be doing whatever werewolves did when the moon was full... unlike him who was stuck waiting for the full moon to pass completely before he could finally go home to his bed.

A soft knock on the room door went ignored as Lance didn’t particularly want company, no matter how lonely he was. Cracking the door open, there came a giggle followed by a stumble and quick closing of the door, then a sigh a relief

“Pidgeon?”

Shrieking, Pidge clapped her hand over her mouth cutting off the noise. Evidently their little gremlin thought she was being sneaky about something. When a moment or two passed with no one coming to check, Pidge let out a whooshing breath of relief as Lance rolled himself back to prop himself up and stare at her in confusion

“Dude! You totally scared me! What are you doing awake?!”

Now he was slightly afraid. A sneaky Pidge was a planning Pidge

“Uh, you do realise this is my room...? Should I ask what you had planned if you found me sleeping?”

“That’s for the lord to know. Scooch over, I brought snacks”

Year of experience told Lance to do what Pidge said, even if he couldn’t scooch that much over. Coming over to the bed, Pidge was well stocked, her backpack over stuffed as she pushed it at him. Climbing up beside him, under the blankets, Pidge took her backpack back and started unpacking

“I’ve got snacks. I’ve got drinks. I’ve got my laptop... I think I’ve got everything we need”

“Everything “we need” for what?”

“A movie night. Me and you. Coran was totally like “let him rest!”. So I snuck down here to keep you company, because I’m like the best friend ever”

“You didn’t know I was going to be awake. What were you planning on doing if I was sleeping?”

“Watch you. Maybe do some coding... maybe give you a monobrow and a moustache? You know, what besties do when their bestie insists on playing Sleeping Beauty... but without the kissing ‘cause that’s just gross”

He knew Pidge and Hunk had both been to visit a few times when he’d been sleeping. He’d catch their scents and feel awful for not being awake. Keith told him repeatedly they understood, which made a grand total of two people who seemed to know what was going on. That his little Gremlin would come sneaking in, knowing he’d be lonely, brought him to tears

“Pidgeon...”

“Ah! Keith will kill me if he knows I made you cry. I’ve got a full battery so all we need now is the movie. There’s this new terrible zomedy I’ve been dying to watch, but Hunk is always sucking face with Shay, meaning you get the pleasure of my company and my outstanding choice in movies. Now, I don’t want anymore tears for the rest of the night”

God he loved her. Poised on the edge of some serious wallowing over missing Keith, Pidge had turned up in time to save him. Apologising seemed the best way to sum up his currently feelings. He was sorry they were stuck underground when he could technically go home, but was staying put for Keith’s sake

“I’m sorry”

Pidge slapped his arm lightly

“So you should be. I was seriously going to bust you out, but the nurses were between me and the wheelchair. I mean, I’m sure I’m fasting them, but I’m also pretty sure Keith would have literally killed me if I tipped the chair over mid-escape. I’ve got all the best snacks, plus I’ve got my coffee...”

“Pidge, laptops and coffee aren’t friends”

Pidge sighed heavily at him as she rolled her eyes

“I know that, dad. I’m simply saying I’ve totally planned this, so you have to do your part and keep me company”

“Fiiiine. I reserve the right to be upset about in the morning. Can I request something artistic, I mean, if you’re going to all that trouble it’ll have to be something good?”

“Dude, totally. The biggest, hairiest, cock and balls I can fit. I might even sign it just so everyone knows it was me”

Chuckling, Lance shimmied down a little to take the weight off his hips. He wouldn’t be surprised if the twins pulled an “Alien” at this point and simply busted their way out with how big felt

“Pretty sure the only one game enough to spend the night with a sleepy vampire. I won’t be offended if you leave for a better offer”

“Pray tell, how does one have a better offer? I mean, we’re officially the two group loners tonight. Keith’s off with Matt and Rieva. Hunk’s always busy with Shay. He won’t even come look at spooky buildings anymore. I’d bet 50 bucks right now that Allura is on the phone to Lotor. Shiro and Curtis are probably getting it on... face it, we don’t have any better offers”

Poor Pidge. All of them had found someone, and for someone who insisted she didn’t need anyone more than she needed her precious technology, he’d stupidly let her feel lonely

“Then it’ll be us against the world, tonight. A couple of wide eyed explorers on a doomed mission to Mars. You didn’t bring cornflakes, right?”

Pidge snorted with laughter, a total sucker for a movie reference

“No. And I don’t want to see your cobwebs or talk about pigeons”

“Some of my best material is about Pidgeons”

Accentuating the word earned him a sigh from his gremlin

“You’re awful. Your jokes are lame, old man”

“Says you. Besides, the twins can hear you now. They’ve got to get used to how snarky their aunty Pidge is”

“Excuse you. I’m the best aunty out there. Unless you’re suddenly talking to your sisters again... Shit. I shouldn’t have gone there”

Half way through Pidge had lost her joking tone. Lance feeling bad because teasing was the way Pidge showed love

“Vee messaged me when I was away with Keith. I don’t know what to say to her. You don’t need to apologise”

“I kind of do. I know you’re not on good terms with them”

“Yeah... I like... feel bad I haven’t replied, but you’re more of a sister to me than them anyway. Who needs blood when they’ve got their own little gremlin?”

“Uh, you. Isn’t that your whole vampire thing?”

Now Lance was groaning. He saw what she did there...

“You call me lame, and you still went there. You know, I’m going to have to get up and pee now”

Pidge faked a gasp of surprise, Lance bumping her with his shoulder. Having Pidge smiling again was a zillion times better than having her apologise and worry

“Are you sure? It’s been a whole 5 minutes”

“Oh no. I better go before I pee on you. I’m going to remember this when you’re pregnant and need to pee”

“Dream on, loser. You just watch. I’m going to give birth to next wave of technology”

“I know you will. If anyone can, it’s you. Right, no snacking until I come back. And don’t start the movie. I want to see it in all its pirated glory”

“How do you know it’s pirated?”

“This is you. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and there’s our Pidge”

“Where’s there’s an idiot, there’s a Lance, and where there’s Lance, there’s usually a Keith. I swear. He gotten bitten once, now he’s twice as stupid as he ever was”

Lance’s ego took Pidge’s joke wrong. Keith was crazy smart... and he was his idiot. Maybe they’d called themselves idiots too many times because now everyone is on the joke?

“Keith technically didn’t get bitten... and he’s not stupid. He’s anger loaf of emo ways”

“I don’t know. When he’s around you, he gets a dumb look in his eyes... He’s so in love with you”

“Oh, so looking at me’s dumb... You’re so romantic Pidge”

Pidge waved him off

“I’m saying everyone in love goes dumb. You two are just twice as stupid. And will you go pee already? I want my raspberry licorice, but someone said I had to wait to snack”

*

They’d ended up watching movies most of the night, Pidge fuelled by sugar, Lance unable to stop his thoughts from drifting back to Keith, and maybe tad towards annoyance as he couldn’t really claim he’d stayed up all night. Sometime before the end of the first movie he’d drifted off, then woke up during the second. Knowing Pidge was waiting for him to comment on the clear change, Lance didn’t give her the satisfaction. He loved his little gremlin, and he’d be having words with Keith in having her come round more often so she no longer felt left out.

The third movie had just started when both of them were startled by a scratching noise at the door of his room. Both snacked out, and comfortable under the covers, the pair of them looked to each other

“Rock, paper, scissors?”

It was the only scientific way to decide who was checking the door

“Hell no. This is your room”

“Meaning I’m the patient, and you should check”

“Nope. Uh uh. I’m not opening the door to death today”

“So it’s fine for me to?”

“You’re the vampire”

Lance spluttered. What was he supposed to do? Given birth on their intruder?!

“I’m pregnant!”

“Exactly. They’re more likely to take mercy on a dad to be... you wouldn’t want little old me being hurt, would you?”

Pidge fluttered her eyelashes at him, Lance groaning in defeat as the scratching noise grew louder

“Fine. God. Remind me why I love you again?”

“Because you do”

“Touché. If I get murdered, I’m coming back to haunt you”

“Please do. Having hard evidence of life after death would be nice”

Because being a vampire totally didn’t count? Ugh. Bloody humans.

Climbing out of bed, Lance shivered, wrapping his arms around himself he shuffled over to the door. Blue had abandoned him when Pidge came in, Lance feeling she had the right idea

“Don’t die!”

Lance flipped Pidge off. She could have come and investigated with him, but nooooo. She had to use his love against him

“I’m already dead. For a smart person, you have your moments. Alright, I’m opening the door now”

Cracking the handle, something big crashed into his legs, knocking him enough that Lance had to use his strength to fall. Soft black fur brushed against him as a wet nose poked the gap between his shirt and pants

“Keith?!”

As he stepped backwards, Keith stumbled into the room. Making it past him, his boyfriend collapsed onto the floor. What the fuck was Keith doing there?!

Pidge sounded just as shocked as Lance was

“Did you say Keith?”

Keith’s ear twitched upwards, growl escaping, as rolled to lay on his belly with his eyes on the bed. His chest was heaving, as the scent of blood reached Lance’s nose. This wasn’t good. Keith wasn’t coherent enough to be in a room with Pidge. Fuck... Had Keith not gone home?!

“Pidge, I want you to very carefully climb off the bed and make your way into the bathroom. I’m going to sit down and try to keep him distracted. I need you to call Coran”

“But... is that really Keith? He’s so big...”

Keith snarled at the sound of Pidge’s voice. His muscles twitching. Moving between his best friend and his fiancé, Lance placed his hand on Keith’s head, fisting the fur between Keith’s ears lightly

“He’s big and he’s not himself right now. I don’t know how he got here, but he’s not seeing you as friend. You need to move slowly and carefully... and be quite. If he thinks you’re a threat to me, he’ll attack. Let me sit down, then you can move”

Lowering himself to sit in front of Keith physically hurt. The floor unfairly close to the ground and not kind on his poor body at all. Taking Keith’s face in his hand, his fiancé seemed to recognise him

“Awooo... woo... woooooo...”

“I’m okay. I’m okay and I’m safe. Pidge, move now. It’s alright, babe. See. No bad guys here”

Pidge failed at being quiet, Keith trying to pull his head away from being forced to stare at Lance, teeth bared in anger. Fuck...

“Don’t mind the noise. See, baby. I’m right here. Right here... shhhh... it’s okay”

Bolting towards the bathroom, Keith went to rise as he snarled at Pidge. Lance holding him tighter until the bathroom lock turned

“Nope. No. Keith, don’t fight me here”

Snarling at him for stopping him, Keith went his hand, teeth clamping into his arm. Fuck. Lance felt his bones crunch. Keith knew it was him, but he was stopping him from his prey, which made him the enemy

“Keith! Stop! I’m fine! I’m fine! Let go”

If a werewolf could look confused as fuck for having an arm in its mouth, Keith managed to express it perfectly. Kind of grimacing, he let go of Lance’s arm with his nose upturned metaphorically. He didn’t smell that great to a werewolf. He probably smelt like a freshly dug up corpse to his fiancé, like a zombie arm with too much flesh connected

“See. It’s okay. Sit back down. Sit back down, boy”

Squashing all the ego he could, he maintained eye contact until Keith slowly lowered his body down. He’d learned how to break an ego, but he couldn’t hypnotise like Lotor or Sendak

“Good. That’s a good, boy. That’s my boy... here, let me scratch your head, I know you love scratches. Did you walk here?”

“Woooo”

Lance didn’t know wolf, yet he took an educated guess that that meant yes. Keith must have walked all the way from Garrison to be with him

“Oh, babe. Babe, I’m okay. I’m okay. I know it’s scary, but nothing happened. You must be so thirsty right now”

Raising his head a little, Keith’s howls were soft

“Wooooooooooo wooo woo”

“Yeah. I know. You’re confused. But you know this means you’ve finally conquered running around as a wolf. God, babe. What if something happened to you? You can’t do that to my heart”

“Woooo”

“I love you, too. Can you stand? You’ve got to be exhausted. If you can get up on the bed, I can try to cuddle with you”

There was no way Keith was fitting up there with him. His boyfriend was way too big in this form. Trying to push himself up, Lance saw how much Keith’s body shook with the effort

“Hey, no. If you can’t that’s fine. I’ll stay down here and give you pats”

Keith growled stubbornly at him. With his arm busted, he couldn’t help him up on the bed until it’d healed

“I know. You’re a big strong wolf, I’m sorry. I don’t doubt your strength”

Nearly rising, Keith slumped back down. There was no way he was moving. As he noticed what he’d done to Lance’s arm, he let out a distressed whine

“Shhh. It barely hurts. It’ll be all healed by the morning. I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you”

Whether it be wolf instincts or Keith’s regret, his fiancé nosed at the wound, starting to lap at the blood there

“You don’t need to clean it, it’ll clear up on its own. You’re safe here, babe. You’re safe”

Lance had nearly lulled Keith back to sleep with head pats when Coran came rushing into the room, startling Keith. Snarling at the intrusion, Lance grabbed him before he could go Coran. What kind of werewolf expert comes rushing into a room where there’s a freakin’ werewolf with his pregnant mate?!

“What are you doing?! You scared him!”

Coran was flustered. His radiant orange hair not perfectly in position as it normally was, opening and closing his mouth at the sight of them, the fae quickly drew himself together under Lance’s scowl

“I’m sorry, my dear boy! I fear I was in a rush to ensure you and our Pidge were quite safe”

“We’re fine. I’m fine, Pidge maybe not. She’s locked in the bathroom... I nearly had him settled”

Tugging Keith back, the werewolf wouldn’t take his eyes off Coran. Grabbing Keith by the muzzle, he forced his gaze onto him

“Stop it! He’s a friend. You know me and you know him. Don’t make me put you in a time out!”

Keith seemed shocked that he’d consider such a thing. Pulling on Lance’s hold, he tried to look back to Coran

“No. Focus on me. See, he hasn’t hurt me. Seriously, did you have to come rushing in like that? I nearly had him sleeping”

“I do apologise. Pidge’s phone call left me quite perplexed...”

“And it took you half an hour to coming rushing to our aid?”

Sheepishly Coran ducked his head as he scratched the back of it. So much if they had been in any actual danger, or attacked by a stranger

“I was reviewing the camera footage... He seems to have let himself in through the front door and used the elevator to come down here, then avoiding the staff, he made his way right to your room”

That was impressive. Lance was impressed, if not a little scared that werewolves could suddenly operate elevators

“That’s my wolf. He don’t need no fingers, do you, babe?”

“Wooo”

“Yes, I know. You’re just a big sook who missed me... yes, you are”

Keith thumped his tail under Lance’s praise. No wolf should be this damn scary looking and so damn cute at the same time

“Whooooo”

“I know. I don’t think I’m in any danger, but he’s not letting anyone close to me. He would have gone Pidge if I hadn’t held him back, but he’s really too exhausted to do that. I thought he was in Garrison”

“He seems to have walked back. Marvellous, even miraculous really. He doesn’t seem to have gotten lost”

“Keith doesn’t get lost, he gets directionally misplaced and sometimes advances in the opposite direction...”

Keith turned his head to scowl. So damn cute... and fluffy. Keith was so fluffy he was going to die. Whether from a fluff overload or choking on stray fur... He’d have to take a grooming brush to Keith’s fur when they were home, his fiancé would love it

“Coran, can you help get him up on my bed? I mean, like clear the bed? Pidge and I were watching movies, so if I can get him to settle then she should be able to escape without him snarling at her”

“I don’t believe he’d hurt her”

Lance could have rolled his eyes at Coran. If Keith hurt Pidge it never would be intentionally. Just like Keith would never intentionally bite him if he was completely in the right frame of mind

“I’d rather not take the risk and have to explain things to Colleen. Matt’s enough to deal with. He bit before when she moved. So I’m going to air on the side of caution here”

“He did? Gracious... he seems so attached...”

“It was my fault for restraining him. It’s already starting to heal, but I can’t move the things on the bed and hold him back at the same time. I think after this moon you really need to get Matt and Rieva onto helping him more with his wolf side. He’s scared being like this”

Keith let out a soft whine, his paw coming up to paw at Lance’s leg

“I know. It’s all so big and scary right now. We’re going to get you up on the bed and get some water into you”

Coran cleared the bed, Keith snapping at his fingers when the fae went to physically help him up. Undeterred, Keith yelped as the man hefted him off the floor like he weighed nothing. Soon his giant black mass was taking up all of Lance’s bed, Lance pulling the blankets over him and rustling Keith’s fur as Keith blinked at him

“Much better than the floor, isn’t it? You probably smell me and Pidge, but focus on me. You did such a good job getting here”

The scent of blood came from the dried blood on Keith’s paw. He’d healed as he walked, but it’d had to hurt at the time. Such a silly werewolf.

“He seems content”

He should be. With his head on the pillow, Keith looked ready to zonk out

“He’s exhausted. I’ll stay with him tonight. He clearly wants to be here with me. Tomorrow we’ll have to find another room for him to shift in. If we send him back to Garrison, he’ll only walk back again. Pidge has probably already let the others know he’s here. Shiro’s going to flip out”

“Just you leave that to me. Should I set up an IV line?”

“Nah, just a bowl with some water. I still can’t believe he came all this way. He’s damn lucky he wasn’t hit by a car”

“He loves you very deeply. He probably wanted the comfort of his mate”

“Yeah... he’s an idiot like that... Can you stay until he drifts off? Then if he wakes I can keep him preoccupied while you let Pidge out”

“I did tell our Pidge you needed your rest. I’m surprised to find you so awake”

“That’s what she said. It’s fine, she’s welcome to come see me whenever she wants, and it’s not like any of us expected Keith to walk here”

“He must have started walking soon after shifting. He’s covered an impressive amount of ground for his second moon”

“Tell me about it. I’m going to have to put a shock collar or something on him so he can’t leave the property when he wolfs out”

Keith let out an unhappy whine at Lance’s suggestion

“Fine. No shock collar, but at least a GPS so I don’t have to worry about you deciding to walk back to Platt each time it’s a full moon. I much prefer you in one piece, babe”

Keith thudded his tail, such a good boy...

“Yes, I know. You love me. Get some rest, I won’t be surprised if you sleep all day after your big big walk. I’ll be right here with you”

Keith huffed, wiggling his body beneath the sheets. Lance confused until he realised he was trying to make space for him to sleep next to him. If Keith wiggled anymore, he risked falling out the bed backwards

“Babe, it’s okay. I’m okay. I’m not going to fit in there with you”

His fiancé’s wiggling stopped with an unhappy huff

“I know, but this place doesn’t have a big bed like we do at home. You sleep there. It’ll all be okay and I’ll climb in with you once you’ve shifted back. I promise. Just be a good boy and rest. You did so good finding me... so good”

Keith melted into the scratched between his ears. Lance torn between wanting to enjoy how tame his werewolf was acting, and kind of hoping he’d fall asleep soon as Pidge would be stuck in the bathroom until he did, which would be awkward for everyone as he had to pee. The woes of being a pregnant vampire were only growing.

[eunoiaflow3r]

Thin Lines and Butterflies - Cesar Diaz (Part 2)

PART ONE

A/N: series, part 2.

Warnings: language, angst, fluff. No Cesar x Monse history, Female reader. Set during the first season. fem!reader.

Summary: Y/N is new to town. Well not really. Her brother sent her away last year in hopes to get her away from the gang life that he is a part of. Now she’s back, and ready to get back to how it used to be.  She reunites with Spooky’s little brother Cesar and quickly becomes friends with his crew. When it comes to Cesar though - that line that defines whether they are friends - is getting thinner and thinner.

Word Count: 3.4k

~~~~

It had been a couple of weeks or so since you first arrived in Freeridge and things were going as smooth as it could go. You met up with Monse like you promised you would, and every day since then. Not only had you become fairly close with her, but Ruby, Jamal, and even Cesar as well. You helped Ruby redecorate his new room, because God did he need the help, and Jamal and you had a pretty lengthy conversation about Rollerworld and the money that’s hidden. You believed it was real - who doesn’t love a good mystery? But everyone else didn’t wanna believe it, and you felt bad for Jamal because of how little faith everyone else had in him.

Spooky ended up talking Enzo down thankfully, but he was still incredibly pissed with your father. The only thing your brother couldn’t promise you was that he wouldn’t be paying the man a visit, and you couldn’t argue with that. As long as he doesn’t literally kill him, you were at the very least content.

Just like you did him, Ruby and the gang helped you redecorate your room, and reorganize and make sure it was, “freshman year worthy.” Once the boys left though, Monse stayed and helped you deep clean the rest of the house because Lorenzo was nothing short of a slob. During this time, Monse was telling you possible ways to convince Spooky to let Cesar out of his gang. You told her that it wasn’t that simple, but she retaliated with, “But your brother is in the gang, and you’re not. He even sent you away ‘cause he didn’t want you in it.”

“Yeah, but, my brother isn’t the leader. I mean sure, it’s my legacy too, but Cesar’s situation is way more complicated.” You pause, trying to figure out a way to convince Monse to let the whole situation go. If she keeps digging, it’ll just make shit worse for not only Cesar but Spooky as well. “I’m sure Spooky is doing what he thinks is best for Cesar.” You sigh. “Being in the gang is his way of protecting him, just like how being out of the gang, and away from it, is Lorenzo’s way of protecting me.”

“Yeah, well I think Spooky’s got it twisted. He just needs someone to convince him that he’s wrong.”

Convince? Spooky? No way. Not even a question. Once Spooky has made up his mind about something, there is no changing it. Then again though, when Monse’s made up her mind about something, there’s no changing her mind either. _

Lorenzo and Spooky took you and Cesar took you both school shopping along with stocking up on alcoholic beverages and snacks for the Santos when they would hang out.

You and Cesar wandered around the store looking for folders, binders, notebooks, calculators and basically any little thing you would need for your freshman year. He dragged you along to random isles to check things out. At first, he’d just say, “Hey, let’s go over here.” But then it turned into him pulling your sleeve or your wrist, and eventually your hand. Your heart was beating like crazy. It may not have been a big deal to him, but holding hands is kind of an intimate thing for you. ‘Those damn butterflies.’ you thought as he pulled you over to the dessert aisle where he snagged some cookies from the shelf. While he reached out to get something else, you tried to sneakily pull your hand away so that your heart could calm down, and your stomach would untwist, but he wasn’t having it. He just squeezed your hand harder, grinned mischievously, and looked back down at the potato-chip bag just to put it right back, and pull you to another isle.

Was he doing this on purpose? Could he somehow tell that you were beginning to catch feelings? Was it just that obvious? You thought that you were doing just fine with not showing or telling anyone about these new feelings. _

The truth though, is that Cesar wanted to do anything he could to be close to you. Whether it was standing next to you, leaning in to steal some of your food, and even now when he found the courage to just grab your hand. He would never tell anyone this, and especially not you, but he thought more of you than just his brother’s best friend’s little sister that he looked after.

Don’t get him wrong, numerous times Spooky or Lorenzo has asked him to look after you, or make sure you were alright and doing fine, but he knew that you could hold your own. And just that fact made him like you just a little bit more. He likes that you look out for him, without being overbearing, and try to pry into his life like Monse. He likes that you immediately clicked with his friends and that they like you just as much as he does. No, he likes you just a bit more.

But you couldn’t know that. Not ‘cause he was scared to tell you - but because of Spooky and Lorenzo. They’d beat his ass if he let something happen to you, and even though he knows he wouldn’t, they’d find a reason to hurt him anyway.

He wonders if you think about him that way too, and the more he thinks about that possibility the more he wants to pull his hand away - but he’s selfish and he loves being close to you. Speaking of close, after the store trip, and you’re both in the back of Spooky’s car - he wonders if you can tell his heart is practically beating out of his chest. He doesn’t say anything in fear your brothers would listen and take your conversation out of context, but he wishes he could talk to you and tell you how pretty you looked in that moment.

He thought it was best to just ignore his feelings, but shit who has time for that? Who wants to think about rules when it comes to what he wants? Cesar wasn’t really sure of anything else at the moment, but he was sure that he didn’t want to be just your friend anymore. _

You were out sitting in the grass with Cesar in front of his house. Spooky and your brother sat on the front porch watching you every so often - and you both felt it. Gang members (most of them were smoking)  sat in lawn chairs around the lawn as well, and loud rap music was playing in the background. Nevertheless, you and Cesar were putting your bookbags together for school. More like - you were telling him how to do it. Cesar wasn’t very organized, so you helped him color coordinate for all his classes and label as needed.

He didn’t want to seem to focus though and instead focused on you instead. He focused on the stories you had about Arizona - but unknowingly grew rigid whenever you brought up your ex-boyfriend. He wanted to ask how many boyfriends you’ve had, but he decided that he just didn’t want to know.

Your phone started vibrating. 

It was Monse.

“Hello?”

“What took you so long to answer?”

“I didn’t notice you were calling. The music is loud over here. I was also talking to Cesar, so…”

“You’re with Cesar?” She asks surprised and almost happy. “Is Spooky there?”

“I mean yeah -”

“Go tell him to let Cesar out of the gang!”

You roll your eyes and hang up the phone. You were not going to argue over this anymore. It was not your place to tell a grown man what to do.

“Who was that?”

You sigh. “Monse. She wants me to - ugh she’s calling again.” You get up from where you sat on the ground. “I’m gonna talk to her inside where it’s quieter.”

“I’ll come with.” He followed close behind you, but as you approached the house, both Lorenzo and Spooky looked at the two of you skeptically.

“We’re just going to get a snack and talk to Monse. Not make a baby.” You say pushing past them and opening the door walking into the kitchen. Cesar laughed at what you said but quieted down when he saw you answer Monse’s phone call.

“What took so long to answer? Did you ask him?” Monse almost screams through the phone - as you put her on speaker.

“Noo Monse, I told you I’m not getting involved.”

“Monse it’s no use.” Cesar chipped in.

“You told Cesar?!”

“Like he wasn’t gonna notice me approach Spooky and ask for him to jump him out.”

“Whatever.” She sighed. “Guess I have to do everything myself.” And she hung up.

You threw your phone on the counter annoyed and leaned against it, arms crossed.

You could tell Cesar was annoyed too as he was pacing around the kitchen, clearly very pissed off with Monse. “Damn!” he starts. “I’m getting a drink. A strong one. Want something?”

“Really?” You ask. What in the world made him think you’d want your lips anywhere near alcohol - especially considering things with your father.

After he thought about what he was asking you though, his face immediately fell.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Y/N, I didn’t..I wasn’t thinking, I -”

“It’s fine Cesar. It’s completely normal for an almost freshman to drink alcohol anyway, it’s cool.” You smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

He smiled too and followed you to the table where two chairs were placed next to each other. He took one, and you took the other.

“We can’t be too long in here.” you say.

“And why’s that?” He asks leaning back in his chair, smiling crookedly.

You look at him, pointedly, eyebrows raised. “You know exactly why.”

He drops his chair and leans in close to you.

“So what?” he whispered.  You had goosebumps. Were you even breathing right now?

“So..I don’t want them thinking things that aren’t true.”

“But if they were?”

He was closer now, and you could see his pretty brown eyes, and your heart was going crazy. Those butterflies have multiplied by 100, and you weren’t quite sure what would happen at this point.

“They’re not.” You managed to get out.

He leaned back in his seat again and sighed.

“But they could be.” _ _

A few days later, and you were finally home alone, you finally got comfortable with some pajama pants, and a loose t-shirt that belonged to your brother. Now you could finally just take out the trash, (the last thing you had to do for today,) and then you could watch television and relax.

You open the door, and to your surprise, you see Cesar taking out his trash out as well. You haven’t seen him in a while and almost forgot he lived next door.

No, that’s a lie. You’ve thought about him a lot these past few days. You’ve thought about how good it felt when he would laugh at one of your jokes, or when he would just try to get you to smile. You thought about what it would feel like to run your fingers through his hair and hug him close to you. Ypou thought about what almost happened in the kitchen which got you thinking of what it would feel like to kiss him as well.

It felt right and real, but you know something between the two of you could never, ever happen - considering who you’re brothers were. You just hope he forgot what he said a few nights ago, maybe he didn’t even mean it.

“Hey.” Cesar approached you with one of his shiny white grins.

“Hey.”

He looked down at your outfit, in a joking manner, and started laughing. “What are you wearing?”

You looked down too, fake appalled, and said, “Oh I’m sorry, is this not fashion show worthy? What a shame.”

“Nah, but you’re still cute though.”

You smile at him, and your heart skips a couple of beats. Thankfully, even though weird, a panicky looking Jamal running down the sidewalk towards the two of you. He had a neck brace on, and he looked like he was going to die.

“Cesar, Y/N. What the hell are you two doing? Ruby needs us.”

“Needs us for?” Cesar asked, just as confused as you were. Was he in trouble?

“What the hell are YOU doing? What’s with the brace?” You ask.

“I’ll explain on the way, but the text was very cryptic. It could mean anything.”

Next thing you know, you’re being dragged into your room by Jamal, and your clothes being strewed across the room.

“I can’t believe you’re wearing that.” Jamal scoffs. “And in broad daylight.” He sounded almost offended. “I tried to tell her.”

“Oh yeah ‘cause those white undershirts, tan shorts, and long socks are SO in right now.” You roll your eyes, secretly hoping he didn’t take that to an offense. As if answering your question, he starts laughing.

Once you were done getting ready and looked “immaculate” in Jamal’s eyes, you three were headed to Ruby’s house, your black bag on your back.

“You bringing that again?” Cesar asked.

“She’s prepared Cesar, leave her alone.” Jamal said standing up for you.

Jamal told you that his parents wanted him to play football, and be successful at it, but in reality, he hated it. He hated the very thought of football, let alone actually playing. He told you he was so afraid of disappointing them, that he couldn’t bear tell them the truth, so instead, he was faking injuries until he could finally come clean. You told him that it probably wasn’t a good idea, but when does Jamal ever listen to anyone?

Once you arrived at Ruby’s house, you saw Monse on the porch. on her phone, probably waiting for Ruby. Once she spotted you three though, she quickly said, 

“Ruby! We’re all here now!”

“Oh my God, Y/N! Thank God you’re here! I need your help!” Ruby says coming out of his front door.

“Y/N? What about the man who brought her bum self up here?” Jama commented rudely.

“Hey. I’m not a bum!” You defend. “It was my day off.’

“From what? You don’t work.” Monse asks.

“Caring.” You say simply walking up closer to the porch to sit next to Ruby. Cesar and Jamal followed closely behind so now you were all standing on the porch ready for him to explain what his problem was.

“News: I don’t have my own room anymore. But I have a boner.”

“Ew gross! I don’t wanna know that!” You hit him softly in his shoulder. Monse looks like she wants to do the same thing. She looks just as disgusted as you are.

“No no-no-no. My cousin just moved in. Not like my cousin cousin. Like, ‘wassup cuz?’ You know like fam, but not fam?”

He went on to explain more, and eventually, he was finished.

“So what you need us for?” You ask.

“Not ‘us.’ I need you. You’re hot. How do I get a hot girl like her to fall for me?”

Before you could give even some kind of helpful answer, Ruben’s mom comes out of the house with a shy, pretty brunette standing next to her.

“Guys, this is Olivia. She’s staying with us for a little while, okay?”

His mom walks back into the house, but Olivia stands awkwardly in front of the five of you.

“Is it me or did things just get weird?” She asks trying to ease the tension.”

“It’s you. I’m Monse, this is Y/N, Cesar, and Jamal. Excuse the stares from the boys; they haven’t been neutered.”

You and Olivia start laughing. Monse’s boldness sure was hilarious sometimes.

After that comment, Monse said something about Jamal’s brace to Olivia and then pulled you and Ruby off to the side to try to create a plan to save Cesar. You zoned out though when you saw Cesar pulled dup his shirt to show off his abs. And boy were they something to show off. How does a 14-year-old kid have abs? Those butterflies were flying again and but you thought they had died for a second when it hit you that he was flirting with Olivia.

No, no. That’s perfectly fine. If he dates her, this little “crush” or whatever you have will go away. It will be gone, and you won’t have to worry about the drama.

The group hung out with Olivia, but then it was time to go home, and Cesar walked with you. He took your bag and slung it around his right shoulder while his left arm was slung across your shoulders.

You two were talking about random things..things that made your heart want to explode, (even though minor) when Spooky’s car pulled up to where you two were walking and he told you to get in.

“Where you two been all, night, huh?”

“At Ruby’s.” You both answered at the same time.

“Mhmm.” He took a drink from his liquor. “As long as you two ain’t fucking we don’t got a problem.”

You sunk down in your seat.

“Yeah, no thanks.” You say quietly - but loud enough for both of them to hear.

“Who’d wanna bone Y/N?” Cesar laughed nudging you. You pushed out a laugh as well. Truth is that kind of hurt. You weren’t going to be sleeping with anyone anytime soon - given you haven’t even been kissed yet - but hearing Cesar say that made your heart ache. Did he really feel that way? He didn’t think you were attractive at all?

Spooky dropped you off and bid you goodnight, especially considering what he said to you the other day So did Cesar, but you only made a half attempt to say goodbye. Your mood had been shot, and all you wanted to do was crawl into your bed and think of what it would have been like if he had answered differently.

_

You were almost asleep when your phone started to ring.

“What?”

“We need your help.” It was Cesar and Ruby. What time was it anyway? Why are they calling you right now? “Monse won’t let the gang thing go.” Cesar said.

“Yeah you heard her, she wants me to do it.” Ruby helped.

“And?”

“Anndddd we think you should do it.” Ruby said.

“Do what?” you asked.

“Talk to Spooky.”

“Yeah, we think Oscar will go easiest on you, given his love for you and Lorenzo.”

“Yeah absolutely not. You’re on your own amigos, goodnight.” _

The next morning, you were out the door ready to walk to school when you saw Olivia and Monse approaching Cesar’s house. Olivia walked on, but Monse stayed back to argue with Cesar about Ruby going to convince Spooky to ley him out of the gang. Instead of participating in the conversation, you caught up with Olivia.

“Hey.”

“Hey! What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to get away from all that bickering back there.”

“Girl I feel you. Monse and I are hanging out after school. You’re coming too right?”

“Yeah sure -”

Before you could finish, Cesar comes up behind you and puts his arm across your shoulders.

Those butterflies were back, and you wonder if he felt them too.

“Coming where?” he asked pulling you in tighter.

“None of your damn business.” Monse says moving his arm away from you, replacing it with hers. “No fornication.”

He puts his hand up in surrender. _

You approached Cesar and Monse as they were still arguing about the whole Spooky gang thing. They tried to get your opinion but you told them you wanted no part of it.

Soon later though Olivia comes over to talk to the three of you about Ruby. She tells him that he’s bummed about his room, even though that’s far from the truth.

“So after school -”

“Wanna hang?” Cesar asks looking at you.

“Oh actually, we have plans with Monse.” Olivia answers for both of you.

“Oh, I’m happy to join.” he shrugs his shoulders happily.

“Actually, it’s kind of a girl thing.” Monse says putting one of her arms across your shoulders, and the other across Olivia’s. You smile sheepishly.

“Can I watch?”

_

You admit, your heart fluttered at the fact that Cesar asked to hang out with you. But he wasn’t really talking to you. He was talking to Olivia. And it kind of hurt, but it was okay considering your plan to ignore those stupid butterflies anyway.

The best way to do this was to just ignore Cesar completely. Well, not completely - he’d notice too quickly. Just slowly overtime, and then you can just call it drifting apart. But how was this possible when he lived right next door?

~~~~

PART THREE

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