#plus i got a science is real shirt and signed book!

[become-a-robot]

Felt like sharing my Gloria Felt costume I wore at the Leesburg show + the fact I had to put it in a carry on bag, so every time I reached in for something, I had a pair of stowaway eyes looking at me

[sagesparrow394]

Nerdiness

Fandoms: Sanders Sides, Hazbin Hotel

Characters: Logan, Patton, Virgil, Janus, Roman, Remus, Emile, Remy, Valentino

Relationship(s): Moxiety

Summary: Hazbin Hotel AU. Go here if you want a preface of who’s who and see the character designs

When there’s a surprise guest at the hotel, Patton gets all hands on deck to make sure the guest gets a proper welcome. However, things get put on pause after he heads to Logan’s room and finds something out about their spidery friend.

Trigger Warning: themes of sexual assault and abuse

—————

It had been a very normal, very quiet day at the hotel. Emile was running around the lobby, dusting and cleaning the cobwebs that had been woven by spiders overnight. Janus was drinking cheap wine behind the bar, though insisting, “It’s soup. It’s too early for alcohol.” Roman was wandering around absentmindedly, checking on things and occasionally picking on Virgil, who was in charge at the time as Patton was out, pinning up posters anywhere he could to advertise the hotel.

And, though it seemed to everyone else that these posters would be a lost cause, given how most demons had initially reacted to the idea of the hotel, they apparently weren’t.

For, at around midday, the front door opened. And in stepped a demon.

He was a bat demon, wings folded behind his back, and two black bat ears poking out of his hair. He wore a black jacket, white shirt, and black skinny jeans. He was texting on his phone as he stepped in, one of Patton’s posters in his other hand.

“Hey, babes, this is the ‘Happy Hotel’, right? I wasn’t too sure, since the sign says ‘Hazbin’. Might wanna update the flyers.”

Virgil looked up from where he had been sitting on the couch, eyes widening. He went to get to his feet and welcome the demon, but before he could, Roman was already welcoming them in

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, welcome to the Hazbin Hotel! I’m Roman, I run this fine establishment.”

The bat demon raised his eyebrow. “I thought that Lucifer’s son did?” He paused. “Wait, Roman? The Radio Demon?”

“I work with Patton! He owns it, but I’m helping him run it. And so is that boyfriend of his, I guess...”

Virgil rolled his eyes, going over to the bat demon. “Sorry about him. Just come on over to the reception and we can check you into a room, Mr...?”

“Just call me Remy, babes.”

Virgil led Remy over to the counter, where Janus pulled out the guest book, blowing the dust off of it. He opened it to the first page, where there was only a single line filled in: ‘Logan “Angel Dust”.’

“Angel Dust’s still living here, huh? Thought you’d have kicked him out after the whole turf war thing,” Remy said.

Virgil sighed. “Trust me, I wanted to. But Patton insisted he deserved another chance.”

“Yep, I did! And I think it was a good idea. I mean, he hasn’t joined any turf wars since then, has he?” Patton was standing in the doorway.

“He’s still an addict and offering his usual ‘services’. Remember he invited us to his strip show a week or so back? Still a sex worker,” Virgil shrugged.

“Come on, now, this is a sex worker positive environment!” Patton said, wandering over. “And the whole point of this hotel is to help people who are sinning, not kick them out for sinning. I’m sure, with our help, he’ll make progress and be clean from drugs in no time!”

Janus scoffed. “His stage name is literally the drug he’s addicted to. I doubt it’ll be that easy. Plus, just because you’re sex worker positive doesn’t mean those guys up in Heaven are.”

“Well... we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Anyway... who is this?!” Patton turned to Remy, grinning from ear to ear.

“Remy. Nice to meet ya, gurl.”

“You too! Oh, you’re going to love it here! Now, I’ll show you to your room-“

“Actually, think I wanna get a tour first, see what facilities and stuff you got here. Plus, I’d quite like to meet Angel, I’m a bit of a fan of his.”

“Oh, sure! In that case, I’ll go get him. Verge, Ro, while I’m gone, why don’t you show Remy around?”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Um, I think it’s better I go with you, Pat-“

“Sounds wonderful!” Roman grinned. “Come on, we must get going, there’s so much to see!”

And with that, Virgil found himself being pulled away by Roman, Remy following behind. Patton smiled as he watched them go, before turning and heading to the elevators. He headed up to the floor Logan’s room was on, before heading down the corridor to the room.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door, but didn’t wait for a response, immediately opening it.

“Logan, you’ll never believe this, but we have another guest! It’s so exciting! And they want to meet you, so let’s head down... stairs...” Patton trailed off, blinking in disbelief.

Logan was sat on his bed, Fat Nuggets curled up to his side. However, the thing that caused Patton to be surprised was what Logan was wearing and what he was doing.

He was wearing glasses, which wasn’t new. When he first moved into the hotel, he’d explained he mostly wore contacts, but would trade them for his glasses in the privacy of the hotel as they were more comfortable. Along with the glasses, though, he was wearing a baggy sweater and jeans - a far cry from his usual tight suit that showed off his body.

And he was reading. A very thick book, and by the looks of the cover, a scientific one. In fact, there was a cardboard box on the floor beside his bed that was filled with books and... academic papers?

Logan looked between Patton, and the book in his hands. “Uhh... It isn’t what it looks like. Books... get me hard? This is all for sexual purposes?”

“Logan...” Patton spoke slowly, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Are you... a secret nerd?”

Logan sighed. “... I’m not gonna be able to get out of this am I? Fine. Yes. I admit it. I am a nerd. I like astronomy and science and math and all that shit. But you can’t tell anyone, okay? This stays between us, no one can know.”

Patton’s smile fell. “Why not?” He came over and sat on Logan’s bed. “You shouldn’t hide your passions and the things you enjoy. You should express yourself and embrace them!”

Logan scoffed, folding his arms. “In case you’re forgetting, I have a reputation to maintain. I’m seductive, alluring and sexy as all hell. ‘Nerd’ doesn’t exactly go along with that. People won’t exactly want to accept my services if they think I’m just gonna ramble about quantam mechanics for the whole time. And not just because they’d think I’m boring and lame. It’s what Val told me: I’m already hotter than others. People feel like shit if they think you’re both hotter and smarter than them. If it gets out I’m smarter than the average demon, people won’t pay to be around me because I make them feel bad about themselves. So, it’s much more profitable to just play dumb all the time, as then they think they have at least one thing up on me.”

“So... to get work... you need people to see you as lesser than them?”

Logan shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much. That’s how demons are.”

Patton frowned. “That isn’t fair at all! You shouldn’t have to be forced to hide part of yourself. And even if you weren’t smart, that fact shouldn’t make you lesser than others.”

“Eh, I do what I have to. And I still get to enjoy my nerd shit in private. It’s not too bad.”

“It is, Logan. It really is. You shouldn’t have to live a lie like that.”

“Well, I do, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it, okay?” Logan snapped. “If I were open with this shit and Val found out, he’d-!” He paused. He took a deep breath. “Just go, Patton. And don’t tell anyone about any of this.”

“But-“

“I said go.”

Patton sighed. He reached over and gave Logan a comforting pat on the shoulder, the other flinching. Then, he turned and headed to the door. He gave Logan a comforting smile, before gently closing the door behind him.

Logan sighed, gently hugging Fat Nuggets. His eyes drifted to the mirror. As he watched, someone appeared behind him in his reflection.

In the reflection, Valentino slipped one hand up Logan’s sweater and the other into his pants. Logan tensed, trying to remind himself this wasn’t real. Just a hallucination.

“Angel... what did I say about these kind of things?” Valentino smirked, looking down at the reflection of the box of books and papers.

Logan didn’t respond, just hugging Fat Nuggets closer in an effort to comfort himself.

In the reflection, Valentino slid his hand further up Logan’s sweater until it came out the other end and gripped around Logan’s neck. “I don’t like you thinking you’re better than me... Your intelligence doesn’t mean shit, especially in our industry. Give. It. Up.”

Logan shook his head, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his reflection was normal again. Valentino was absent from it.

Logan sighed again, leaning back on his pillow as Fat Nuggets licked his cheek. After a moment, he pulled out his phone.

Logan: Meet me at the drug vending machine outside the store. I need some fun to distract me.

Remus: You got it, Lo!

Remus: But won’t those hotel guys be mad at you? They weren’t exactly happy last time we went out and tore shit up together.

Logan: I really don’t care right now. I just need some fun. See you in ten?

Remus: Fuck yeah!!!

Logan pocketed his phone, before getting to his feet. He put the book he’d been reading back in the box, which he then took to his closet. Once it was hidden away, he took off his clothes and replaced them with his usual blue and white striped suit. Then he went over to his dresser, taking off his glasses and putting them away, and then placing in his contacts.

Once he was all changed, he picked up Fat Nuggets. “Let’s see if Janus will look after you again while I’m out.” And with that, he left the room, heading to the elevators and down to the lobby.

In the lobby, Roman and Virgil had just finished giving Remy the tour and returned. Patton happily welcomed them back.

“So, what do you think?”

Remy nodded. “Pretty nice place you got. Being ‘redeemed’ seems like a pretty good bargain to live here. Feels like I should be paying hundreds.”

Patton smiled. “I’m glad you like it! Now, um, about meeting Logan, that’ll probably have to wait. He’s, uh, dealing with some stuff right now.”

“Are you sure about that?” Roman asked. “He’s right over there!”

Patton turned around and, as Roman had said, Logan was there, stepping from the elevator.

“Oh, Logan! Why don’t you come and meet our new guest! Apparently they’re a fan of yours!”

“Sorry, but it’ll have to wait. I’ve got somewhere to be.” Logan headed over to the front desk. He leant against it, giving Janus a wink. “Think you can look after Nugs for me again?”

Janus groaned. “I’m not looking after that fucking pig agai-“

“You will? That’s great! Here you go, make sure he’s treated well. Daddy’ll see you later, Nugs.” Logan handed the pig over to Janus, before turning away and heading to the door.

“Where are you going?” Virgil asked, folding his arms.

“If you must know, I’m meeting up with Remus.”

“Remus?! The guy who dragged you into the turf war that ruined our reputation the last time you hung out?! No way in hell are you meeting up with him!”

Logan huffed, turning back to the others. “Two things. One: he didn’t drag me into it. I joined willingly to pay him back for helping me out. And two: that wasn’t the last time we hung out. Remember that time last week I invited you guys to my show and literally all of you no showed? Remus came round after, and he and I hung out for a bit. It was perfectly calm, no destruction.”

Patton raised an eyebrow. “He came here? How come none of us saw him come in?”

“He climbed through my window. Now, I’m not letting you guys stop me from seeing my best friend. You don’t have the right to. So, I’m heading off.” And with that, Logan turned and left the building, the door slamming behind him.

“He’s in a good mood...” Janus muttered, setting Fat Nuggets down on the counter and opening a bag of chips for him to munch on.

“That might be my fault...” Patton chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “I walked into his room before he said I could come in, and found something out that he’d wanted to keep secret.”

“He has secrets?” Virgil asked.

Patton nodded, before whispering. “He’s a super smart nerd.”

Janus scoffed. “Logan? Smart? No way.”

“He is!” Patton nodded. “He was reading a sciency book, and owns a bunch of academic papers to read for fun. And we only have those in hell to act as torture devices! He just hides it because he thinks it’ll ruin his business if people think he’s a nerd. Y’know, since nerds aren’t ‘sexy’. I tried to tell him he should embrace who he is, but he wouldn’t have it.”

Virgil shrugged. “Well, what do you expect? I think we all know he’s stubborn as hell. C’mon, lets go show Remy to his room. We’ll deal with Logan when he gets back.”

Patton nodded. “Okay... Well, Remy, it’s this way! Come on!”

-

“-and of course there’s a phone here for room service! You can decorate however you want, as well! So... what do you think?”

Remy nodded, sitting on the bed. “It’s perfect, babes. Thanks a ton.”

“No problem!” Patton smiled. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.”

“Will do,” Remy said as he pulled out his phone as it buzzed. He chuckled. “Looks like Angel Dust - or, I guess Logan, since you all seem to call him that - is having some fun.”

He held up his phone for Patton and Virgil to see, the former sighing and the latter groaning.

On the screen, Katie Killjoy and Tom Trench were discussing a series of destruction and explosions that was going on across the pentagram. And the footage from the scene clearly showed the ones behind it were Logan and Remus.

“Well... at least it’s not technically another turf war?” Patton shrugged as Virgil held his face in his hands.

“We’re ruined....”

“No, we’re not. It’s gonna be okay. Remember, Verge, we have Remy here too, and I’m sure more guests will follow. And it’s not totally Logan’s fault. I’m probably the one who made him upset to the point he decided this was the only way to get his feelings out. In the future, I’ll wait until he says ‘come in’.”

“That may be true, but it doesn’t change the fact he needs a healthier coping mechanism that doesn’t involve blowing up the whole city.” Virgil sighed. “And all this because he doesn’t like the fact people know he’s a nerd...”

-

“So, why’d you want to come wreak some havoc?!” Remus called as threw a molotov at the building across from the one he and Logan were currently standing on the roof of.

“Patton walked in on me reading,” Logan explained, throwing a bomb at a store a couple of buildings down. “He knows I’m a secret smarty pants. He promised me he wouldn’t tell anyone, but I really doubt he’ll keep that promise. Knowing him he’ll accidentally let it slip. He’s probably already told his boyfriend. I just wanna make it clear, in case it does get out, that me being a nerd doesn’t make me any less of a force to be reckoned with. Oh, also, you mind taking some pictures of me for Insta? Also gotta make it clear being a nerd doesn’t change the fact I still look flawless.”

Remus laughed, pulling out his phone. “No problem. Don’t worry, Lo, if I hear anyone talk shit about you, I’ll make sure everything they own gets blown to smithereens!”

“Thanks, babe.”

“No problem. Anything for my best friend. Now, lets go! We got more places to destroy!”

And with that, the two of them ran off, jumping from building to building, and tossing bombs everywhere they went and Remus occasionally snapping photos. And Logan made sure to ignore his phone ringing in his pocket.

[kelyon]

Nephila 2: Unexpected

The long-awaited (and totally unplanned) next chapter of Nephila, aka The One Where Rumple is a Giant Spider

In this chapter, Belle talks to Ruby and figures out what she needs to do

Read on AO3

In a perfect world, Belle French would have never known that you can buy pregnancy tests at the dollar store.

Wandering through the aisles of the Dahllah Hahbah, Belle imagined what that perfect world would be like. In a perfect world, she wouldn’t be alone for this trip--unless she had a plan to surprise the co-parent of her child, but even then she would probably have brought Ruby along with her. In a perfect world, she and her significant other would have gotten the most precise pregnancy test available. It probably would have been expensive, the sort of thing you need a prescription to get. In a perfect world, this would have been an expected baby, a wanted baby. In a perfect world, Belle would have already been trying to conceive, with the help of a committed partner. She would have been charting her cycle and taking her basal temperature and regularly injecting her uterus with human sperm.

In a perfect world, she wouldn’t have to specify human.

  Without really thinking about what she was doing, Belle piled junk into the green plastic shopping cart. Halloween candy was half off, and the tiny packs of beef jerky were only a dollar. She had been especially hungry for meat lately. In the clearance section, orange and black spider decorations stared at her. Their googly eyes were equal parts friendly and ominous.

She backed away from the Halloween stuff, back into the comparative comfort of a Christmas display. She grabbed a box of candy canes and made her way to the check out lane. 

The middle-aged cashier in a green polo shirt wore the dead-eyed glaze of someone who isn’t getting paid enough to express emotions on the clock. She didn’t talk to Belle as she scanned her purchases over the blinking red light. If she noticed the pregnancy test amidst all the junk food and paper products, she didn’t mention it. 

And that was fine by Belle. She didn’t want people to mention it. She didn’t want it to be real. That was part of why she had gone to the next town over to make this surreptitious purchase. She didn’t want to run the risk of anyone recognizing her. Even if no one saw the test, even if they were supportive and encouraging, Belle didn’t want to think about what was happening at all. If not thinking about something could keep it from being real, then Belle would have no troubles in the world. 

There was a used book store in this town, with a wider variety of subjects than the university store’s collection of last semester’s textbooks. Belle parked her car on the street and walked in. Maybe the smell of books would help her calm down.

It was the best kind of used book store, with towering shelves and hidden nooks and endless rooms leading into each other. There was even a cat wandering around, pestering patrons to pet her. Belle breathed deeply, content even in the sections that had no appeal to her. She brushed past cookbooks and theology, lingered briefly over a shelf of “Personal Relationship/Self-Help,” and eventually found herself in the most daunting section of all. 

There were several copies of The Book. The book she didn’t want to admit she was looking for. After all The Book was the sort of thing the average woman only needed for nine months out of her life. Belle would probably donate her copy once all this was over with. However it would be over. However it could be over. There was so much that she didn’t know. It would be good, at least, to have a baseline of information, to know what was normal for a human woman carrying a human child. 

She held The Book in one arm, making a conscious effort not to cradle it. As at the Dahllah Hahbah, she tried to camouflage The Book by surrounding it with decoys. She picked up a romance paperback, a history of lobster fishing, and a handbook for learning American Sign Language. After a moment of hesitation, Belle also pulled out a hardcover copy of Arachnology Through the Ages. When the stack of books was heavier than she could hold, Belle decided she was safe to check out. 

Unlike the Dahllah Hahbah, this bookstore was staffed solely by the woman who owned the place--a retiree with her long hair in a loose bun and reading glasses on a chain around her neck. Midmorning on a Wednesday, she was obviously thrilled to chat up each and every customer who walked through the door.

“Looks like you got a good haul!” the woman said brightly.

Belle made herself smile and put the books on the counter. “It’s mostly gifts for people.”

“Early Christmas, that’s a smart move!” The owner began to ring up the books. “Oh, Texas Destiny is such a good read! Wait til you get to the part with the wild horses. Do you like horses?”

Her smile was still fixed in place. “A… little.” Belle didn’t give a shit about horses, but this was not the time to talk about it. Maybe if the shopkeeper was distracted by Texas Destiny, she wouldn’t notice--

“Oh!” The woman’s voice rose to a pitch that could only mean the worst thing in the world for Belle: She had seen The Book. 

Belle could only be grateful that there was no one else in the store when the woman held up the copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. 

The shopkeeper looked Belle up and down, her smile even wider than before. “So can I say congratulations?” 

Belle bit her lip and looked down. “Maybe? I--I don’t really know yet.”

“Oh sweetie!” the woman said. “If you’re buying this book, then you know. And even if it’s not this time, it’ll be soon, I can tell. You look very fertile.”

Mortified, cheeks blazing red, Belle couldn’t say anything.

The woman just kept talking. “This is the gold standard for moms-to-be. And they say it’s easy to read, doesn’t make anything too science-y.”

At that, Belle found her voice. “I’m actually working on my PhD at the University of Maine. I’ve already completed my masters in Zoology. Science-y stuff doesn’t bother me.”

The shopkeeper took that in stride. “And your... husband? Boyfriend? Partner? What do they do?”

Lives in a cave and spins gold webs, Belle thought but couldn’t say. Instead she pulled out her wallet. “It’s kind of complicated. Where do I swipe my card?”

“Oh, we’re cash only, sweetie.”

“Sure,” Belle barely kept the annoyance out of her voice as she put away her debit card and pulled out the twenty she saved for emergencies. “Of course you are.” 

****

When she got back to her crappy apartment, Belle thoroughly read and re-read the instructions on the pregnancy test. She wanted to believe that this was a complicated, mysterious process. Maybe she had been wrong the whole time. Maybe she had misread the signs and miscalculated the dates since her last period. Maybe she would go to the bathroom and find her underwear stained with blood, wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t that be so much better than the alternative?

Overthinking was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the longer Belle dithered and avoided the inevitable, the more worked-up she found herself getting. She would have less anxiety as soon as she had some idea of what was happening. 

On the other hand, every second she didn’t know if she was pregnant was another second when she could pretend she definitely wasn’t pregnant. It could be true. She could be just imagining things. But she wouldn’t know until she peed on the goddamned stick.

Before she began, she set the kettle on for a cup of tea. By the time the water boiled, it was done. Belle held her mug of Earl Grey close to her chest and looked down at the little blue plus sign. 

It had happened.

She was pregnant.

From a motherfucking spider! 

****

“I’m coming over and I’m bringing margarita mix!” 

Ruby’s voice was loud, even considering the amplification of being on speakerphone. She had to shout to be heard over the noise of the road and the static of her phone and the pounding of Belle’s blood in her ears. 

Belle had managed to keep her composure for five entire minutes before the reality of her situation had come crashing down over her head and left her a sobbing mess. In her distress, she’d called her best friend, and Ruby had answered with her usual love language: girl time and booze.

“But I can’t drink!” Belle wailed. “I’m fucking pregnant and tequila will fucking kill my baby!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll drink your tequila, and you can just have the lime juice. Vitamin C is good for zygotes, right?”

“I don’t know.” Trying to pull herself together, Belle wiped her eyes with the heel of her hands. There were all kinds of vitamins she needed to be taking now--or at least, there would be if she was having a human baby. What would a spider baby need? What kind of thing had taken up residence in her body? “I don’t know anything!” 

“Okay, okay,” Ruby tried to soothe her. “Don’t panic. Everything will be worse if you panic. I am so close to your apartment, Belle. Just hang on until I get there. How about you look at the table of contents for your new book?”

Normally, there was nothing that calmed Belle down more than reading the table of contents to a book. There was something so comforting about knowing the progression of a text, to have all the steps and developments laid out in a simple outline, to get little teases as to the meat of the book. It was like reading the menu before sitting down to a feast, anticipating all the good things to come. 

But if Belle looked at the table of contents to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, she would be peeking into the progression of the next nine months of her life, and that was not a timetable she could think about right now.  

“I’ll be okay,” she told Ruby through wobbling lips. “Are you bringing food, too?”

“What, you think I’m an amature? I’m gonna hang up now so you don’t hear me freak out about parallel parking, but I’ll be up soon, hun. Okay?”

“Okay.” Belle nodded, even though Ruby couldn’t see it. She hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

 Ruby’s breezy confidence was exactly what Belle needed right now. It made her feel normal, even in the middle of the most un-normal thing she’d ever heard of. Ruby had been an RA while they were undergrads, a faithful post-breakup bar companion, and the recipient of teary late-night calls from friends going back to her high school days.  She knew everything about how to deal with someone who was scared and alone and crying her eyes out. Belle wasn’t the first person to call Ruby up in tears, and she wouldn’t be the last. 

It helped to think that her problems were not unique. Every day, women all around the world discovered that they had an unplanned pregnancy. For every one of them, it was the end of one world and the beginning of another. And Belle was just the same. The unorthodox manner of conception didn’t change the fact that Belle was merely one of thousands or millions of women who had been put in this exact same situation since the dawn of time. And, like so many of her countless sisters, Belle found solace in reaching out to other women, to find help and comfort and solidarity.  

Laden with grocery bags, Ruby burst through the unlocked door like an inverse Santa Claus. Instead of a fat old man bearing gifts for the nice, Ruby was a skinny young woman offering solace to someone who had been decidedly naughty. Belle was more happy to see her friend than she had been on any Christmas morning of her life. 

“Hey,” she tried, with a watery smile.

“Baby!” Ruby dropped the bags on the ground and pulled Belle in for a hug. “Or--no. That was a bad choice of words, wasn’t it? How do you feel? Am I allowed to say the B-word?”

Belle laughed and cried at the same time. “It’s fine,” she shook her head. “Don’t worry about saying the word ‘baby.’ That’s what it is, kinda.”

Ruby let Belle go and started unpacking her bags. “I know,” she said. “But ‘baby’ is an emotionally charged word. We can say ‘embryo,’ if that makes things easier on you. We’re almost doctors, Belle. We can be scientific about this.”

Scientifically, the word we should use is ‘larva,’ Belle thought but didn’t say. Ruby was her best friend and the most supportive person in the world right now. But even she would balk if she knew what Belle had really been up to on her trip to Australia. 

Together, they cleared the clutter and books off the coffee table. Then Ruby made Belle sit on the couch and watch while she spread out her feast.

“Okay, so the tequila is just for me, but I did bring Sprite--it’s caffeine free and it’ll work with the margarita mix. Additionally, chips and gauc, cheese puffs, cheesecake bites, chocolate chip cookies--”

“Did you sort your shopping list alphabetically?”   

“And--” Ruby went on, “a whole goddamned rotisserie chicken. I figured we could just rip into it with our hands like old-timey kings, like we’re going to throw the bones on the floor for the dogs.”

Belle let out an incredulous giggle. “That’s ridiculous! And perfect. Thank you so much, Ruby.”

“Oh! I also got this fancy salt for our margaritas. It’s made with black ants! Can you believe that?”

“Ants?” Belle whispered as her hand drifted over her stomach. Suddenly nauseous, she leapt off the couch and ran to the bathroom.

When she finished throwing up, Belle stayed on the ground next to the toilet. Ruby had lingered in the doorway but didn’t come in until Belle was done. She offered her a glass of water and Belle took it gratefully. Ruby sat on the edge of the bathtub, her face full of concern.

“Has the morning sickness been bad?”

“I don’t know if this is bad, I’ve never had it before!” Belle took a sip of water and closed her eyes. “Isn’t it supposed to be bad? Isn’t pregnancy supposed to be divine punishment for promiscuity?”

“If it’s punishment for anything, it’s for poor planning. I thought you were on the pill?”

Belle shook her head. “I kept it up for a few months after Will and Ana got back together for the fifth time, but when it looked like they were sticking I didn’t bother to refill my prescription. I don’t have sex with men often enough to justify taking a pill every day.”

“Except for when you do.”

“Yeah,” Belle took another drink. “Except for when I do.”

Ruby took a breath and rubbed her hands over her knees. “Listen, you know I’m here for you no matter what, right?”

Belle was still shaky, but she rested in that certainty. “Right.”

“And I’m not going to pressure you or make you do anything. You don’t even have to make any decisions today, okay?”

“Okay.”

“But I gotta ask: Belle, what do you want to do? Have you thought about your options? Do you want to keep it? Do you want to… not keep it?”  

Leaning her head back against the cool tile of her bathroom wall, Belle opened her eyes slowly. It had been such an ordeal to even confirm that she was pregnant, the thought of what came next had been too much to consider until now.

She took a deep breath, eight counts in, eight counts out. 

“I think ‘abortion’ is an even more emotionally charged word than ‘baby.’”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Ruby said. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. I can drive you to Planned Parenthood, I’ll be with you every step of the way. If that’s what you want.”

“I know,” Belle said softly. Ruby’s support was unconditional. She would paint a nursery or hold Belle through a difficult procedure, both with equal willingness and sincerity. 

But Belle had an instinctive terror at the thought of going to a doctor’s office in her condition. What would a real urine test reveal about the nature of her child? What kind of image would show up on an ultrasound? Even if she wanted to get rid of this thing, would a regular abortion procedure work? Or would they have to go into her uterus with insecticide? 

“I don’t want to go to a doctor,” she said softly.

Ruby’s eyes widened. “But you have to go to an OB! Or even just talk to Victor. I mean, if you’re going to stay pregnant, you have to stay healthy and safe.”

“I know,” Belle closed her eyes again. What could she say? How could she explain any of this? “But… I… I don’t know what will happen.”

“What, like with insurance or something?”

Belle’s eyes shot open. That worked. “Yeah,” she lied. “I don’t want to deal with crazy medical bills.”

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. “Does Australia have universal health care?”

Now it was Belle’s turn to nod, slowly, saying words only slightly after the thoughts came into her head. “We… do. I should go back home… because of the healthcare.” 

“Yeah, no, you definitely should. Besides, your parents are there!”

At the mention of her parents, Belle’s tenuous hope crumpled. “Oh God!” she let out a wrenching cry. “My parents are gonna kill me!”

“Nooo,” Ruby crooned. She slid off the bathtub edge and joined Belle on the floor, pulling her into her arms and slowly rocking her back and forth. “I know it’s scary, but parents can be okay with things. My mom didn’t want to tell Granny about me until I was almost born, but it all turned out fine!” She gave Belle a chaste kiss on the temple. “Even if your mom and dad freak out at first, they’ll come around soon. Babies are cute. They’re easy to like.”

 Belle shook her head and let the tears fall silently. “Not this baby.”

“Don’t say that.” Ruby held Belle by the shoulders, twisting their bodies so they could look into each other’s eyes. “If you’re gonna keep this baby, Belle, you’ve got to own it. It will be a lovable baby because it will be your baby. You’ve got to fight for it! If you’re this thing’s mom, you have to be its biggest fan. Does that make sense?”

Still teary, Belle nodded. “It’s my baby, right or wrong.”

“Unless you want to go to Planned Parenthood. That is entirely up to you. But once you make that choice--” Ruby balled her hand into a fist and shook it in a display of fierce determination “--then it’s yours.”

“Mine,” Belle whispered. Her hand drifted down to her stomach. It was still flat and lifeless. There was nothing about her body that spoke of the life that grew inside her. Nothing that could tell her what manner of creature her child would become. But Ruby was right, it was hers. And not just hers. “I should tell the father too.”

“Yeah, you never mentioned what happened! Who was this guy? What was he like? How was the sex?”

“The sex was amazing,” Belle admitted with the candor of the overly distraught. “But it was just sort of a one-night stand. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“Do you want to see him again? Do you think he’ll want to be involved?”

“He’ll have to be involved,” Belle said with a dawning sense of relief.

Of course the creature in the cave would be a part of their offspring’s life. If she was going to give birth to a spider, then it would have to be raised by a spider! And that thing… that thing was intelligent. It could care for its young. Maybe it could even take care of Belle.

She just had to see him again. 

Belle felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As she stood up, she nearly floated off the bathroom floor. She offered her hand down to Ruby and helped her get up. 

“Tomorrow morning, I have to call Dean Mills to see if someone can teach my classes for the rest of the semester.”

Ruby cocked her head at Belle. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m going back to Queensland.” 

[charmed-henry]

13. Write a crack!ship au for one of your characters. 

(Read more is just for length, this is just extremely fluffy so no warnings just be aware that there’s a dumb amount of fluff)

Magnets: A Phinry Story

When Henry was just about to begin his first schooling lessons and meet other children, his mother sat him down and took out a set of magnets. She had wanted to be a science teacher, in another life, before the realities of being a woman in the Order had fully descended on her and her career options narrowed for her. But Henry’s mother had still gone and purchased some of the demo items, because she liked looking at them and thought they could be useful now and then in character education.

“Now, Henry,” his mother started. “People are a little bit like magnets.”

Henry peered at the magnets closely, determined to understand his first lesson of school, even if it wouldn’t show up on his report card.

“Do you see how when you put the two plus sign sides together, they repel? And same with the two minus sign sides?” She demonstrated, trying to push the magnets together and meeting resistance. Henry reached for the magnets, determined to see for himself. He frowned. “Exactly,” Henry’s mother smiled.

She turned one of the magnets around this time, so the positive met the negative. They snapped together. “But, you see, when they’re different, they stick together.”

Henry looked up at his mother, amazed by the little miracle.

“So remember, Henry: Don’t turn your back on someone just because they are different from you.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was one boy in Henry’s class who clearly did not belong there. He was a first-year student, wore a sweatshirt for the business school all the time, and yet here he was in Abstract Impressionism: Understanding Pollock. He sat at the front of the class and raised his hand to ask questions that most students would never ask except maybe in their very first intro class. Basic stuff. This was an upper-level course, and if you didn’t know the things you were supposed to by now, you kept your mouth shut.

Unless you were Phineas Flynn, apparently. 

Nobody else really seemed bothered by it, though. Henry complained about Phineas to the other members of the study group-- his million questions, his know-it-all attitude despite that, what a business student could possibly be doing in a class about Jackson Pollock-- and was met with blank stares.

“Honestly, I didn’t think about it that hard, mate,” Callum shrugged, not looking up from the diagram he was labeling meticulously. 

“Yeah, he’s probably just knocking out a requirement. Every module has one like that,” Riva added, looking thoroughly done with this conversation. “Cal, can I see what you have for number four?”

So Henry stewed silently. He knew when to drop something, at least in a conversation. But Phineas just wouldn’t go away. Figuratively or literally, considering he was walking over now.

“Hey, mind if I sit here?” he said, already plopping his books down next to Henry, who was just about to protest when Riva gave him a lazy wave of acknowledgement. Well. Henry didn’t want to be the asshole here, after all.

Henry got significantly less work done that afternoon than he normally would. At first, because Phineas wouldn’t stop asking questions and cracking jokes, and then because Henry found himself actually laughing at those jokes and answering those questions, and, really, because how could he focus? It was like a magnetic force, pulling him away from the work he was supposed to be doing.

And toward Phineas.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Phineas had gotten significantly bolder since graduating from Swynlake Secondary about going after what he wanted. Life was too short, and he didn’t want to be known as that guy who pined after the same person for months. So he made himself a promise, a sort of new-school-year resolution. The minute he met someone he had a little bit of interest in, he would ask them out. If they said no, well, Phineas thought that getting used to rejection was a good life skill.

It turned out that was easier said than done, though. In his first two weeks of Pride U, he had already invited multiple people to get coffee with him, one of whom turned him down, one of whom accepted and then spent the entire time trying to recruit him to a multi-level marketing scheme, and two of whom Phineas had a great time getting coffee with, but realized he had no real romantic interest in. Casting a wide net, it turned out, was very safe. If you only considered people who didn’t really interest you, then you never got hurt.

Basically, it was like this: if you were playing Mario and you only wanted to fight the Koopas, you would never win the game.

And if those little coffee dates were Koopas, Henry Charming was Bowser.

Phineas didn’t know what it was about him. He just kept finding himself near Henry, in the library or in line at the dining hall or walking around campus. Like some force was pulling them together. He rehearsed it a few times, the way he would ask Henry out to coffee. In the mirror, and even once in front of Mei, who was a love witch after all. She had told him what he already knew, though: if he didn’t ask Henry out, he would never know. If he did and he got rejected, then he would know it was over. And if he did and Henry said yes, well, there was a whole world of possibilities. 

The Bowser comparison was apt, Phineas thought, as he walked into class that day. The whole room felt like a freaking lava planet.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They didn’t get coffee. But they did end up at a party together, as Pride U students often do. Henry’s acapella club threw a new member recruitment event (once they abandoned the creepy-cult-ritual thing as a recruiting strategy) and Phineas, maybe in another act as part of the universe’s magnetic pull, wanted to join.

He finished one red solo cup of liquid courage and felt braver. And maybe a little queasy, because beer never really agreed with him. But it was a college party, and this was what you did at college parties.

Henry was outside, standing by himself and shivering in his polo shirt in the unusually-chilly September night. Phineas didn’t know it, but Henry was psyching himself up for the same thing Phineas was. Talking to one another.

But because Phineas was doing this new thing this year and he had to prove to himself that he could do this because he put these arbitrary markers of success on himself, he was the one who burst through the back door, quickly enough to trip over the step and go flying right at Henry. Like some force was propelling him forward.

“Blimey!” Henry exclaimed, stumbling backward as they both caught their balance. “Too much to drink already?”

“Actually, literally the perfect amount,” Phineas blurted out, before he could even stop himself. It was now or never. “Would you like to get coffee with me?”

“What?”

“Coffee. Or dinner, or lunch, or I dunno, I think some people like to go on dates in the art building if you’re into that, I suppose--”

A smile twitched at the corners of Henry’s mouth. “So this is a date.”

“...Yeah,” Phineas said hesitantly. Oh god. Code Red. Abandon ship. This was it. This was exactly what he had feared. The word vomit started and he couldn’t stop it. “I just thought, you know, we really hit it off, but obviously, if you didn’t get the same vibe, that’s totally fine, like, you know what? Actually, I’ll just go.”

Phineas started to walk away, but before he could, Henry grabbed his hand. “Wait!” he said. And it felt like more than a magnet meeting its match; it was more like an electric conductor. Phineas froze and turned around.

“I’d like that.”

And then there was a pause, and they looked at each other for a long time, and then, like some kind of magnetic force took over both of them, they were somehow pulled toward one another in a kiss.

[bandaidsforaids]

Two Ghosts

Note to the reader: This is a travel essay I had passed already. Originally, this was a test blog, but it fit the theme of my blog so much that I decided to keep it. This is not part of the five essays to be graded for this blog. It’s like a free taste of my writing - devour it, enjoy it. 

It had been one week since.

I was in a 13C jeepney, somewhere in between a classmate and someone else. That someone else could have been anyone - a boy wearing a face mask or a girl clutching her Jansport backpack or a child and his mother or his father or hers. Whoever it was, I wouldn’t have known. All I knew was, in that moment, I was staring at the distance as the scenery shifted passed me rapidly. The gasoline station with a couple taxi drivers smoking. The carinderia that housed an annoyed woman swatting flies with her hand. The group of boys coming from their own school, enjoying the walk to wherever. My eyes observed these things, but, if you had snapped your fingers in front of my face, I doubt I would have blinked.

Because my mind was elsewhere.

My mind was sat in an audio visual room, somewhere in between an uninterested college kid and a chatty high school student. Then you over there. You with your ribbed t-shirt and denim skirt. You, getting awarded for having joined a Mathematics quiz bowl. You, smiling for the camera, as I hollered your name from where I was, phone out to film you. You, walking back to me with a playful smile, waving your hand at my camera, telling me to stop.

And we did. We did stop.

“We’re here,” my classmate Anika poked me. As I exited that jeepney with ten of my classmates following suit, and the cloud of black smoke pumping from it vanished, I saw the logo of your school and thought: I’m back. I’m here. In this now-haunted place.

In big, bold letters: University of San Carlos.

Now, mind you, I was there for research. My group wanted to find non-online sources to back our study. It’s just a twist of fate that your school happened to have the biggest library in Cebu (or at least that’s what you told me). Four levels high and digitally advanced - computers flocked the place for identity scanning and resource finding. Nothing like in my school. Your library was so big, they allowed food inside. Your library had dining areas and couches and chat rooms and books of all age and race - first floor: References; second floor: Fiction; third floor: Sciences; fourth floor: Humanities. And that was just one side. The other side was for the Filipiniana section where all the theses and research papers laid to rest, to be brought back to life by the likes of me. Your library was a labyrinth. Did you know that?

Of course you do. Because you were the one who brought me here in the first place.

“After we go to my block, I’ll show you that - our library,” you said as you pointed towards an anomaly of a structure. USC seemed to have no architectural coherence. Every building felt out of place. I didn’t like the look of it at first glance, but you looked so proud pointing it out to me that all prejudgment fell to the hands of pure, undeniable affection.

“Is that it?” Edric asked, pointing to a brown building that sat beside a large patch of grass. It was an understandable mistake. Nothing here made sense. “No,” I told him. “That’s the humanities department. They have book sales there every now and then.” They all stared at it, amazed. I was shocked too - who knew borrowing your words would come so easy to me?

Everyone wowed at the sight of the glassy library as the jeep stopped and ushered us out. I was at the forefront when we approached it. Men ready to embark on a journey - making jokes, pointing at things, laughing. I was laughing too. Nervous laughter. Because when we entered the library it almost felt like a hurricane had befallen.

God, if only it was that easy.

God, if only I had not been thrown into a sea of green uniforms, into a sea of people who chattered and murmured like you. If only I had not been so delusional to assume you would be there, sitting with your friends, with your green polo and skirt, facing me when I arrived, like you had been waiting for me to appear.

Anika had to break me from my trance. “Let’s do this quick. I have to go in a while.”

Oh yes, she was meeting up with her friend Mayol to attend the novena mass in Sto. Nino.

Actually, she was meeting up with your classmate Mayol. Your friend Mayol. I recalled the time you got mad at me for not remembering the names of your friends. Lucky for you, however, I did my homework - I remember Mayol. You’ve done it. Assigned me an insignia. The ability to know names I could never place to faces. Names I can only place to the memory of you.

I thought of all this in the ten minutes it took to scan through three computers for possible resources. In the end, we only came out with two. A thesis and a book - both on the fourth floor. I guided Anika to the stairs, discussing our game plan to find books, when someone broke us off.

“Mayol!” Anika shouted, running towards the girl in question. I was too scared to look back, thinking maybe you were there beside her. Thinking maybe Mayol had told you and you decided you would come along. To talk to me. In the flesh.

But I looked back and it was just her. In a hug with Anika. Her face dug into her shoulders until her eyes met mine. And she knew. She knew who I was.

But did she know what had become of us?

In the jeep, I had given Anika the permission to discuss the sensitive topic. It was their first line of conversation as the three of us made our way up to the fourth floor. I made sure to keep a distance from them, but still I remained attentive to what they were saying. I wanted to know what Mayol would say. I wanted to know if they will be your words coming out of her mouth.

Yet, all I heard was Anika’s confused voice saying, “You didn’t know?”

Then Mayol, glancing carefully at me, whispered, “She never mentioned it.”

It came off her tongue so easily. I journeyed up the stairs faster, passing each level, barely reading the signs. I reached the fourth level, a dead end. As I entered the room to the humanities section, a distinctive jingle from chimes rang in my ear. For a second, I stopped thinking and just let it ring.

You know me, I’m not the type to lose my focus when I need it. But this time it took every single piece of me not to detract from my research. I was reading out every letter, every number on those book shelves precisely, trying not to hear the words from Mayol’s mouth replay.

You. Never. Mentioned. It.

How could you, after two years of being together, not ever have mentioned it? To your “friend”? I sat down, flipping through the book I needed while Anika and Mayol fled to find the thesis paper. They had to go in a while. Good, I thought, I’ll be all alone as usual.

I did my best to focus on the book at hand, but my eyes were getting glassy. I turned on the fan to escape the heat, but the whole room seemed to burn around me. Then, in a hurry, Anika slammed the thesis on my table. I looked up at her and she said anxiously: “We have to leave. I hope you’re okay.”

“Can we hug?” I asked you. It was 4:00. Our day in the sun was coming to a close. We had just finished taking photographs next to the cornelia flowers besde the humanities building. We had finished scouring your arena (which you claim is “huge”). We had finished buying Real Leaf and Coca Cola from your canteen, finished sitting on the first floor of the building nearest the gate. Your car was here. My Angkas was on its way. I don’t even recall when we last hugged.

“We’re in school, Aidan,” you said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

I looked sadly at the floor. I wore my favorite shirt to meet you.

“Plus, I have to leave.” You read my gloomy appearance. “Are you okay with that?”

“I’ll be fine,” I told Anika. I smiled to cement it. I don’t think she trusted my word, but she left anyways. And, yes, I sat there, only then realizing I was indeed alone in the fourth floor, and I began to pace the room. I felt like a ghost. I was walking through the halls of the library, passing the chipped shelves and dusty books, passing the diorama of the history of the Philippines and the Supreme Court, passing the dirt-filled windows that separated me from the gorgeous landscape of Cebu City, and I could not contain myself. I was breathing heavily, trying to match my breath with my heartbeat. I could not keep myself at one place. My feet were moving on their own. My ears ringing. My mind chasing my feet. You didn’t care. By the end of it all, you just stopped caring. Two years and every evening you told me you loved me, but, somewhere along the way, that must have faded. I don’t know when it did. I doubt I’ll ever know. I doubt that if I had not come here to this cursed school I would have ever known you had stopped caring. Because you didn’t bother. And I wish you had told me you didn’t sooner so I didn’t have to bother either.

I looked at the floor beneath me. I thought of the height I was on, like I was on an airplane with the ground so far beneath me. I thought that if I grabbed a hammer and smashed the tiles to pieces, dug a hole that reached the bottom of this school, if I unwired every plug here, uprooted every plant, bulldozed every building, scraped this entire place off - would it stop being so haunted? Would the ghosts of you and I vanish? If I broke every glass window in this very building, ripped the spines off the pages of each book here - would it take away the moments we spent? Would it make you vanish, finally…

Or would it make you stay?

The jingle of the door rang. I crouched behind one of the shelves. For a second there I swore I saw your figure. I swore I saw your signature walk, your casual hair flip, your minute stature. For a second there I swore I saw the girl who I spent two years of my life madly in love with. For a second there I swore I was going to leap from where I was and embrace you and for a second there I swore you would have embraced me too.

But, no. In between the shelves, the figure came to focus and it wasn’t you. Up to this day, I still don’t know who it was. I just remember standing up from where I was, walking quickly towards the door, and letting the jingle of its chimes ring in my ear one last time.

I sat on the second floor, the portion of the library where we were allowed to dine and I watched Nightcrawler. My friends would try to open conversation with me in between their book-finding, but it would be short and pointless. They came and went, each hugging me before they left, until, eventually three of us were left in a dim-lit, closed library.

There were no more jeeps to accommodate Edric, Chantal, and I for our ride going back to the gate. So we walked. The three of us walked the stone-paved roads you and I walked when we were here. We passed by all the landmarks - the humanities building, the canteens (your school had a lot), the arena. Snapshots of the both of us would appear from time to time. Your voice. Your hands. Your laugh. A supercut of the two of us here. When I passed by the same bunch of cornelia flowers we had taken pictures with last time, I dared to pick one out, plant it on the ground, and drag my shoes on it. To destroy the flower from petal to pistil to stem. To let its pollen drown on the floor, break out into the air.

But beautiful things like those didn’t deserve to be disrespected.

As the three of us stood outside the gate waiting for our cars, I told Chantal all about what had happened on the fourth floor. She sympathized with me and her sympathy reminded me of something she used to say before: “In ten years, you’ll forget this. None of this will matter.”

But maybe I won’t. Maybe I won’t not because I can’t, but because I don’t want to. Because what we had was first love. What we had was magic and pain and overflowing emotion.

What we had was beautiful.

And I wasn’t going to disrespect that by forgetting it.

So, here, I write this to immortalize you. To immortalize us. To immortalize my journey back to the place that once contained our love. I write this to immortalize us, so we can no longer be ghosts roaming around the same empty, haunted halls of University of San Carlos.

We would just be humans. Two separate humans. You. And I.

And, for a second there, I decided I could live with that.

I hopped inside my car when it arrived, brought my head to the window, and watched as your school got smaller and smaller, until, finally, finally, I couldn’t see it anymore.

[artemis-crimson]

@onewhoturns tagged me!

1.) Real name: Clara 2.) Nicknames: Arty? 3.) Zodiac Sign: Capricorn! 4.) Gender: Female? 5.) Nursery: Dunno what this mean, it’s a solid word though I guess? 6/10 6.) Primary School: Oh! It’s about what happened when we went to school! Fucking miserable but hey figured out I was bi as all hell  7.) Secondary School: Gee I sure hope so 8.) Hair Color: Dark brown 9.) Long or Short: Short but I’m growing it out again 10.) Loud or Quiet: Loud but it’s funny to walk around for hours and nobody notices you’re there or if you where there and now you’ve been missing for ages 11.) Sweats or Jeans: Fuck pants dude, skirts. I wear skirts 12.) Phone or Camera: Phone! My camera is old and fills up fast 13.) Health Freak: I’m here for a good time not a long time 14.) Drink or Smoke: Unfortunately 15.) Do You Have A Crush On Someone: Yeah! I have a girlfriend, I love her! 16.) Political orientation: Left? Society is to serve humanity, governments exists to protect their people, everyone deserves a fair chance, ect? 17.) Piercings: I’ve just got my ears pierced but microdermal piercings are kinda really pretty too 18.) Tattoos: Also pretty but piercings are better cause they fucking sparkle, look at that there’s fucking metal in your skin and you can have cute things or fucking gems attached  HAVE YOU EVER [BEEN IN]: 19.) Airplane: Fuck yeah! And a helicopter! I love flying! 20.) Car *Accident*: A truck bumped me once? 21.) Fist Fight: Several! Many? More sanctioned ones than just brawling and I think that’s rather mature of me FIRSTS: 22.) First piercing: Ears 23.) First Best Friend: A girl named Olivia! I’ve known her since kindergarten and we’re still friends 24.) First Instrument played: I played the xylaphone and glockenspiel at school and I was the worst at it 25.) First award: I won a medal for the best grades in the worst class in high school, I’m only counting the things I actually worked for and not participation or consolation prizes cause y’know, they don’t count 26.) First Crush: In retrospect probably one of my friends from when I was little and clueless but first one from post oh shit I’m queer realization is said girlfriend 27.) First Language: English. 28.) First Big Vacation: I went to Hawaii with my whole family on my mums side (and my dad) for my oma and opa’s anniversary  LASTS: 29.) Last Person you talked to: My little sister! 30.) Last Person You Texted: Ana! who is the girlfriend I keep mentioning 31.) Last Person You Watched: I was watching Prey stuff to reference something earlier? Last human would also be my sister who I watched get a blanket for the plus nineteen degrees celsius heat the absolute madwoman 32.) Last Food You Ate: Pizza! meaty meat pizza 32.) Last Movie You Watched: Infinity war unfortunately, I wanted to see the moon throwing scene so I skipped through everything for that. 34.) Last Song You listened to: Bad Believer by St Vincent 35.) Last Thing You Bought: Poutine and bubble tea 36.) Last Person You Hugged: This is depressing, I don’t know. Does my PC count? I needed to adjust it again and that’s the last thing of any importance I’ve touched in a while now soooo FAVES: 37.) Food: Chocolate! Fish! Meat! Bread! Sugar! Curry! Ice cream! 38.) Drinks: TEA! Hot Chocolate! Milk! Horchata! Bubble tea! Soda! Port! 39.) Clothing: Comfortable skirts and t shirts with hoodies/sweaters and fuzzy leggings and scarves but it’s too warm for that 40.) Book: Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci 41.) Color: Purple! especially lavender 42.) Flower: Also lavender  43.) Music: Miracle of Sound! he’s got lots of different genres, Hozier and Seeming are great too and a bunch of video game soundtracks are great too 44.) Movie: Pacific Rim I think 46.) Subjects: Science! I want to know how everything and everyone works and then I want to help all of it

IN THE PAST YEAR I… 47.) [ ] Kissed in the rain 48.) [ ] Celebrated Halloween. 49.) [ ] Had Your Heart Broken 50.) [x] Went Over the Minutes on Your Cell Phone  51.) [x] Someone Questioned Your Sexual Orientation. It’s a constant state of denial babe 52.) [x] Used a Weapon Technically 53.) [x] Breathed fire I inhaled a candle flame that count? 54.) [ ] Had an Abortion 55.) [x] Done something you’ve Regretted   56.) [ ] Broke a Promise 57.) [x] Kept a Secret 58.) [x] Pretended To Be Happy 59.) [ ] Met Someone Who Changed Your Life 60.) [ ] Pretended To Be Sick 61.) [ ] Left The Country 62.) [ ] Tried something you normally wouldn’t like, and liked it. 63.) [x] Cried Over The Silliest Thing 64.) [x] Ran a Mile 65.) [ ] Went To the Beach 66.) [ ] Stayed Single CURRENTLY: 67.) Eating: Avoiding sleep 68.) Drinking: Oolong tea 69.) Getting Ready To: Sleep 70.) Listening To: I did forget to change this whoops, I’m listening to this https://youtu.be/4MN8gw6S4kM 71.) Plans For Tomorrow/Today: Berry farm trip! 72.) Waiting For: Sleep YOUR FUTURE: 73.) Want Kids: Not especially? I don’t think I’d be good at it 74.) Want To Get Married: Yeah! I’m sappy and it’s useful incase someone is hospitalized or for taxes or wills or visas which is less sappy and more practical but is there anything more romantic than making sure your partner has safety nets and an easier life? Huh? 75.) Careers in minds: I want to help people, I just don't know how yet? WHICH IS BETTER ON A GIRL/GUY: (again blatant nb/gq/ag exclusion) ON A PERSON/PARTNER: 76.) Lips or Eyes: ...Eyes? 77.) Shorter or Taller: All the same to me? 78.) Romantic or Spontaneous: This is vague and weird really, like what if you think romance is spontaneity? however since it’s capitalized I’m assuming you mean like the Romance period and I think that’s pretty good 79.) Nice Stomach or Nice Arms: Also weird! who wants their partner to get sick? I don’t want them to get sick? Arms are for holding, stomachs are for eating these things are not related  80.) Sensitive or Loud: None of these questions make any fucking sense 81.) Hook-up Or Relationship: Relationship? 82.) Troublemaker or Hesitant: These things are not mutually exclusive either HAVE YOU EVER: 83.) Lost Glasses/Contacts: My glasses once got smacked off my face with a boom and into a reservoir 84.) Ran Away From Home: Nope 85.) Held A Weapon, For Self Defense: I do not believe it has been self defence technically no 86.) Killed Somebody: I’m onto you you dirty cops 87.) Broken Someone’s Heart: Sure hope not! 88.) Been Arrested: Can’t catch meeeeee DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 90.) Yourself: I am here, I am trying, I am failing, I will try again or I will die, there’s no belief involved 91.) Miracles: Sort of? Not really? I don’t think the universe is going to make anything happen for a reason kind or cruel 92.) Love at First Sight: No, love needs you to know someone 93.) Heaven: Nope! 94.) Santa Claus: Nope? Never have, wrong cultures for Santa  95.) Easter Bunny: Nope, wrong cultures again 96.) Magic: I’m not sure, insufficient evidence ANSWER TRUTHFULLY: 97.) Is There One Person You Wanna Be With, Right Now: Yes! Cause I’m taken! Am dating! Have girlfriend, I’m girlfriend! It’s great! 98.) Are You Seriously Happy With Where You Are, In Life: Nope! Can’t remember ever being truly seriously happy but that’s alright though cause nothing lasts forever and either I’ll get around to it eventually or I just won’t? No point in worrying 99.) Are You Happy With The Person You’re With: Also yes! Incredibly! I try to not get started cause I’m told I can be insufferable about it but so very very happy 100.) Post as 100 Truths and Tag five People: this is more 99 truths ain’t it, so here’s the last one, I am constantly terrified my plants will die but act tough in front of them cause someone has to not wilt under pressure 

@alienhazy, @nightcoreapologist, @kajafrompluto, @criticalrolo, @elvenorc

[waveridden]

FIC: apple cider, i don’t mind

Dak turns around, and Max jumps onto his back in a well-practiced motion. “Who’s ready for an open house?” (Dak/Tech parent/teacher AU, 2.9k)

AUcember || title lyric || read on ao3

#

Dak cups his hands around his mouth. “Max!” he shouts up the stairs. “Come on, buddy, we gotta get going!”

“I can’t find my backpack!” Max yells back.

“You left it in the kitchen! And you don’t need the backpack, this is just an open house!”

“I can’t go to school without a backpack, you made me promise!”

“This isn’t a normal school day, and we’re running late!”

Max gasps from upstairs, surprisingly loud with his little seven-year-old lungs. That’s one of the crazy things about kids: they’re fucking loud. They talk loud. They scream loud. Even their dramatic gasps are loud enough to hear downstairs. “Mister Z doesn’t like it when people are late!”

“Then we’d better get going,” Dak says, or starts to say when Max comes barrelling down the stairs and more or less leaps into Dak’s chest, full-force.

Dak catches him, because what kind of an uncle would he be if he dropped him, and drops him on the stairs. Max lands with a quiet oof and a giggle and looks up at Dak. “I think you’re gonna like Mister Z.”

Max loves Mister Z. He has made absolutely no secret of it. Dak doesn’t know anything about the guy, other than he teaches second grade and he is Max’s all-time favorite person right now. Also, he’s apparently into all the weird science projects that kids love, with the slime and the volcanoes and maybe a class pet or something, Dak can’t really keep track. But he does want to meet the guy for himself.

“I think I am too.” Dak ruffles Max’s hair and then looks down. Max is wearing a bow tie with his Spiderman T-shirt. “Whoa there, kiddo, what’s with the fancy outfit?”

Max’s cheeks flush pink. “It’s a special day,” he says defensively.

Dak knows exactly why Max is dressed up, probably. Max told Pox that he has a crush on Mister Z, and because Pox is the coolest goddamn babysitter in the world, she immediately told Dak about it. Pox is fucking great, because sometimes she lets Dak just pay her with food, and because Max loves her, and because she tells Dak the important secrets that his nephew is keeping.

“Okay,” Dak says placatingly. “Stand up, c’mere, let me fix it.”

Max’s eyes narrow, but he stands up, and Dak bends down to adjust the bow tie. “Normally we put these with the shirts with the collars, you know that?”

“You call those monkey suit shirts.”

“Yeah, and I have a job where I never have to wear them, but it’s nice to have ‘em if you ever wanna wear a tie around your neck.”

“Where else would you wear it?”

“Around your head, like a bandana.”

Max giggles. “That’s silly!”

“Of course it is!” Dak turns around, and Max jumps onto his back in a well-practiced motion. “Who’s ready for an open house?”

“Me!” Max shouts.

“Who’s ready to meet Mister Z?”

“You!”

“And who’s ready to get McDonald’s afterwards?”

“Both of us!”

“Hell yeah, both of us!” Dak lifts one hand behind his head, and Max smacks it in the tiniest, greatest seven-year-old high five known to man. “Let’s get going!”

#

The facts are these:

First, Dak didn’t ever really intend to have kids. He and Shirley talked about it back in the day, and after they broke up he never really saw much of a point in being a dad. He likes kids, sure, but he also likes driving trucks and being on the open road and all that shit. He likes that he can leave home for a few weeks and not worry about coming back. He likes listening to audiobooks and being by himself.

Second, he didn’t know his sister that well before she died. Carrie was a good twelve years younger than him, and they were never all that close. He knew that she had kids, had even met them once or twice. And he knew that her husband was a real shitbag, but he had never stopped to think about… well, about custody or any of that. He figured that she had her own life, and she would work all that out, and it would be fine.

Third, there was a car accident that took Carrie, and her baby, and Max’s leg from the knee down. And fourth, completely without Dak’s knowledge, he was listed as Max’s legal guardian if anything happened to Carrie. And that was how Dak ended up with a four-year-old and no fucking clue what to do with him.

It’s the kind of thing where there’s no learning curve, and he figured that out real fucking quick. Kids don’t care that you’ve never had a kid before, they care about getting a grilled cheese and cool pajamas. It’d totally rearranged Dak’s life, and as much as he loves Max now, it was fucking hard. It was really fucking hard.

It was worth it, though. Dak knows it was worth it every time he high-fives Max, and every time he stays up late helping Max through his English homework, and every single morning he wakes up and this kid is still here. It’s worth it.

#

Mister Z is a little younger than Dak expected. He’s sitting on his desk in the front of the room, talking to a woman who has three tiny kids running around her, but he still catches Dak’s eye and nods when Dak walks in. Dak nods back, as though he has any idea what’s happening, and lets Max start dragging him around the room.

He’s been to a couple open houses at this point, and he’s still not really sure what the point is. Especially considering that he has to deal with how weird people get every time he introduces himself as Max’s uncle - no, not his dad, yes, his guardian, and why the fuck are you asking what happened to his parents, that’s fucking insane. People have no sense of privacy.

“This is my desk,” Max announces, tugging on Dak’s hand as they reach a desk in the corner of the room. “This is where I sit and take notes and read books under the desk sometimes, but the books are always about science so it’s okay.”

“Where do you get science books?” Dak says, which he knows is probably not the right parental response, but fucking whatever, uncle privileges. “Should I be buying you science books?”

“We have a library,” Max says, in the most /duh tone of voice that Dak has ever heard from him. He is, despite literally all logic, very proud. “The new librarian Mister The Tech Wizard helps me find good science books, and sometimes he gets me the third and fourth grade ones even though I’m only in second grade, because he says I’m good at reading them.”

“Whoa, slow your roll there.” Dak rests a hand on Max’s desk, running one finger across Max’s nametag taped to the top. “You got a new librarian and his name is-”

“Mister The Tech Wizard,” Max repeats dutifully. “He says we don’t have to call him Mister or anything, and that The Tech Wizard is an old nickname that just kind of stuck, and a lot of the kids just call him Tech Wizard, but I wanna be respectful, because he’s helping me. So I call him Mister The Tech Wizard.”

“Max is very into respect,” a new voice says. Dak is completely unsurprised to look over and see Mister Z, who has a very cool side-cut and very un-teacher-like knee-high studded boots.

Dak looks down at Max. “Who’s teaching you about respect? Because it’s definitely not me.”

“You’re respectful,” Max protests. “And Mister Z talks a lot about respect, so it’s important!”

“But he takes it more seriously than most of the kids,” Mister Z says dryly, and offers his hand. “Hey, I’m Mister Z. I teach your kid how to read and stuff.”

Dak takes it and shakes it, with the best and firmest Dak Rambo handshake that he can manage. “I’m his Uncle Dak.”

“Yeah, he talks about you a lot. You drive trucks?”

“Only when there’s someone to watch him.” Which there normally is, because Pox is great like that. Dak doesn’t know what she does when she’s not babysitting, but she always seems to be around when he needs her. “And you teach a whole bunch of seven-year-olds. How’s that going for you?”

For just a second, Mister Z’s face drops out of professional-cool-teacher mode to a very human, super relatable wince. “I love them, and I love what I do,” he says sincerely, “but, you know.”

Dak does know. “I do know,” he says. “Well, Max thinks you’re great, he only says good things about you, although apparently he reads science books under his desk during class.”

“Dak,” Max whines, looking mortified.

Dak ruffles Max’s hair cheerfully. “Sorry, kiddo, but you gotta pay attention in school! Otherwise you end up like your uncle Dak, driving trucks on the open road, forgetting how to add three plus two.”

“You know what three plus two is!”

“I know it’s different than two plus two.”

“Between you and me-” Mister Z glances conspicuously at Max before leaning in and lowering his voice. “I know he reads the books, but your kid is way fucking smarter than the rest of the class. As long as he keeps turning stuff in on time, I don’t care what he does in class.”

Dak opens his mouth to say that Max isn’t exactly his kid, but before he can ask, Max tugs on his sleeve. “Are you telling secrets about me?” he asks, looking genuinely worried.

“No secrets, buddy, just Mister Z giving me the grown-up 411.” Dak grins and claps Mister Z on the shoulder. He twitches a little bit, but doesn’t shrug Dak off, which is a good sign. Maybe. “I’m glad you’re Max’s teacher, Z, you seem like a cool dude. Can you give us directions to the library? I wanna meet this Mister The Tech Wizard and thank him for giving Max the hook-up.”

“I know where the library is,” Max says indignantly. “And I gotta finish showing you around, and you didn’t really talk to Mister Z.”

“I don’t have a lot to say,” Mister Z admits. “I’ve got a sheet of paper with a little bit about my teaching philosophy, which the district made me write up, but mostly this is for you to show Dak around, Max. Can you do that?”

Max nods determinedly and tugs at his little elastic-neck bowtie. Mister Z looks down, sees the bowtie, and grins. “Hey, nice bowtie.”

“Thank you,” Max says, very politely, and then beams. Dak has to hand it to the kid: he doesn’t even start blushing until Mister Z has moved on to talking to the next parent.

Dak bumps his hand against Max’s shoulder. “You need a minute, or are you ready for the grand tour?”

“I don’t need a minute,” Max says, even though his cheeks are bright, bright pink. It is the cutest fucking thing Dak has ever seen. “I gotta show you all my friends’ desks, and the fishtank.”

“But I can already see the fishtank from here.”

“Daaaaaaaaaaak,” Max says exaggeratedly, so drawn out that Dak is completely sure that Max thinks it’s funny.

“Just a little bit of uncle humor for you,” he says cheerfully. “Come on, show me around the classroom.”

#

The library ends up being their last stop, not for lack of trying, but because every single teacher they see seems to know and love Max. They find his first grade teacher, who never liked Dak but who is still nice to Max, so she’s on thin fucking ice. They find the teacher who does the computer class, and the art teacher, and Max’s gym teacher, who apparently didn’t expect Max’s guardian to be a tough guy. Unluckily for them, Dak is the toughest guy.

“This is the library,” Max announces loudly as he pushes the door open. “There’s computers in here, and a bunch of books.”

Dak whistles as he takes a look around. There are no other parents or kids in sight, only shelves and shelves of books. “Wow. You ever seen this many books in one place at once?”

“Bookstore,” Max points out, which is probably true, but it does kind of ruin Dak’s whole embarrassing uncle humor vibe. “They have the picture books for the littler kids, and the chapter books for the bigger kids, and-”

“And science books for the science kids,” a voice says warmly.

It takes Dak a second to find the source of the voice: behind the counter, off to the side. The man in question, who absolutely has to be Mister The Tech Wizard, is… well, honestly, he’s a little hot, in a very specific way. He’s chubby, a little bit scruffy, and he’s wearing an orange fanny pack and little earrings shaped like stars. And he’s smiling at Max, a nice non-condescending smile, which automatically puts him at the top of Dak’s list of favorite people.

“Hi Mister The Tech Wizard!” Max waves at him. “This is my Uncle Dak, he’s here for the open house and he said something about saying thank you for hooking up.”

“You said those words in the wrong order, bud,” Dak says cheerfully, as Tech Wizard blushes so hard he practically turns purple. “I said I wanted to say thank you for giving Max the hook-up with science books, and Max apparently remembered the two weirdest words out of that sentence.”

Max frowns. “What’s wrong with hooking up?”

“Nothing,” Dak says, “and anyone who ever tells you otherwise is wrong. But that’s one of those things where if you say it a certain way, it means something different to grown-ups.”

“Oh.” Max thinks about this for a few seconds. “Like that time the neighbor knocked over a bucket, and I said he kicked the bucket, but that means something else?”

“Exactly.”

Max nods and looks back at Tech Wizard. “What did I say by accident?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Tech Wizard says, still looking a little mortified. His eyes flick up and down Dak’s body, which is… well, that’s what Dak calls a pleasant surprise. But then he clears his throat and seems to come back to himself, and he looks down at Max. “Okay, let’s try it one more time, what did you want to say?”

“Uncle Dak wanted to thank you for giving me science books.”

“Oh!” Tech Wizard turns back to Dak, any remaining embarrassment melting off of him. “Dude, your nephew is smart, did you know that?”

“Did I know that?” Dak scoffs loudly. “Of course I did! Except for the part where he reads about science.”

“I read all about the table of elements,” Max says proudly.

“He’s reading the kind of books that kids a couple years older than him are supposed to be reading, but blow off,” Tech Wizard explains. “And he understands it all pretty well. Zenith and I talk about it, and we’re pretty impressed.”

“You talk about me?” Max repeats, eyes round. “Really?”

“We talk about a lot of the kids.”

“And my sister’s kid is worth talking about,” Dak says proudly, wrapping a hand around Max’s shoulder and tugging him close. “I don’t have much to say, but I did want to stop by and say thank you for helping him out.”

“It’s my job,” Tech Wizard says, but he smiles, looking pleased. “And you’re welcome. You’ve got a great kid here, you know that? Or a great sister’s kid.”

“Oh, I know.” Dak squeezes Max’s shoulder and looks down. “Do you need any science books right now, do you wanna show me around?”

Max blinks a couple times and opens his mouth, with the face that means he’s embarrassed to say something.

Dak cottons on immediately. “Or do you wanna go to McDonald’s?”

“I wanna go to McDonald’s,” Max says, cheeks coloring ever so slightly, but he looks resolute.

“That’s what I thought.” Dak glances back at the counter. “Looks like we gotta blast, but it was nice meeting you, Mister The Tech Wizard.”

Mister The Tech Wizard waves him off, looking embarrassed. “Just Tech is fine.”

“Just Tech,” Dak repeats. “Got it. And I’m just Dak.”

“Not even I call him Uncle Dak,” Max adds. “Not always, anyways.”

Tech nods. “Dak,” he says, and for a single heart-crunching second Dak is certain that he never wants to hear anyone else say his name again. Not if they’re not gonna say it like that. “It was good to meet you too, Dak.”

“Yeah,” Dak says, and there are already a couple of really, really good excuses to come back and visit the library swirling around in the back of his head. For Max and science books, obviously. And for the way Tech is looking at him, the shy little smile on his face. “Seriously, thank you for keeping an eye out for him.”

“Of course,” Tech says, and waves at Max. “Have a good night.”

“Good night, Mister The Tech Wizard,” Max chirps, and starts dragging Dak towards the door. Dak barely has time to wave before Max is pretty much towing him back down the hall, chattering about books or some shit. And in a minute Dak will feel bad about not really listening, but right now he glances over his shoulder and sees Tech watching them walk away, with a tiny, pleased smile. And, well, he needs a minute to be excited about that.

[milleniumhan]

Never coming home. // Peter Parker Fanfiction. // Part I.

Summary: Enemies to friends to lovers, that is all I have to say.

Pairing: Reader x Peter Parker.

Warnings: It gets more emotional than I expected. I might have cried a little bit while I wrote this. 

A smol-lil note: Hi guys! I haven’t written in sooo long! I’m so happy to finally be feeling inspired again! I thought I would post this before I start working full-time and have less time to write for you :( <3 This is the first part of many, please let me know if you would like to be part of the tag-list! I really hope you like it and please let me know if you do. ABIG thank you to all the people who reblog and give feedback, it helps a ton! More than you know! Alright, I’ll let you be now. <3 -K

Part one: Your ghosts. 

[7:30 am: Sunny borough of Queens, NY.]

You looked out the window to inspect the weather. There were some clouds, but the sky was a particular shade of blue that was noticeable enough to make it feel like Summer was finally invading. Looking up at it almost made you feel...infinite. You took a deep breath which filled every corner of your soul with the fresh, bittersweet scent that the lemon trees surrounding your building emanated, making you smile. It was yet another small reminder that everything was okay.

You had gotten up early for school, for once, making you able to have a real, hearty breakfast. The first one in a long time. You even managed to walk to school, instead of taking the bus, grabbing a cup of coffee at your favorite café on the way.

This, however, was not the case for Mr. Peter Parker.

[8:00 am: In another-not so distant-building in Queens, NY.]

Peter rolled around in his bed, running a sloppy hand through his hair. He stretched his limbs out as far as he could as he gently rubbed the slumber out of his eyes. A yawn or two were in place as well. He sat on the edge of the bed, trying hard to make the sensation of lethargy go away from his body. His bones ached and his muscles burned. Being a part-time vigilante had proven to take a toll on him, even if he had the ability to recover quickly. When he finally started to make sense of what was going on he turned to the alarm clock: Late, again.

“wHAT-OH, COME ON!” He raced out of bed and quickly put on his pants, not taking any mind of the red and blue suit that still covered his body. He rushed to the bathroom and put his hair in place, or at least attempted to. As he brushed his teeth, he examined himself on the mirror out of the corner of his eye and notices a small scratch across his right cheek. A battle wound to remember last night by. “I don’t have time for this, it’ll go away soon anyway” he thought to himself as he spit on the sink and continued to dash through the small apartment.

Peter ran through his usual route without any sign of stopping, he was determined to get to school no matter what.  trying to get to the spot where he usually met with Ned as fast as he could and praying to the god he was still there. Peter felt relieve come out of his body in the form of a desperate exhale when he turned the corner and found his best friend, the guy in the chair, standing there, waiting patiently. Ned turned around at the heavy sound of steps.

“Dude!” he half-shouted

“I know, I know late, I’m sorry Ned.” Peter started, already thinking about a million excuses for his tardiness.

“Dudeee!” Ned said again, this time louder and with wide eyes.

Peter stared back at him, confused as ever.

“Cover yourself up before someone sees you!” the alarm in Ned’s voice growing more and more by the second.

Peter looked down at himself, trying to figure out what he meant. The suit was showing underneath his hoodie. He had forgotten to put on a shirt. “Fuck” he whispered as he zipped the outerwear all the way up, hoping that would work.

“Ned” Peter started as he made his way next to his companion “What the hell would I do without you?”

“You would die, probably” Ned responded, only half-joking.

-

[8:30 am: Midtown School of Science and Technology. Oh boy, high school.]

You waited patiently for MJ on the steps just outside the school. You sighed, unsettled, as you looked around and didn’t see her. She was never late. “I guess there’s always a first time for everything” you reasoned. You waited a little bit longer before looking around once more, this time your eyes stumbled upon Peter’s, both of you turning away as fast as possible. You rolled your eyes at yourself. “Peter-freaking-Parker” you huffed. Just as you exhaled those words, MJ appeared behind you, letting her presence be known by the chuckle she immediately let out.

“What’s the deal with you and Parker?” she said in a nonchalant, almost sneering manner. Her sudden appearance making you jump.

“Hey, MJ. Nice of you to show up.”

MJ rolled her eyes before signaling the entrance. You both started walking into school and to your lockers.

“Don’t try to change the subject. There’s always this unspoken tension between you and Peter and it’s driving me nuts. You are so competitive with each other too, and I know that also annoys everyone in the team, even Flash, and he’s an asshole.” You paused for a second, trying to find a dumb excuse, a way to get out of this by revealing as little information as possible.

“I just don’t like him” you finally blurted out with a small shrug and continued walking over the shiny hallway tiles. MJ gave you a skeptical look to which you replied with another shrug.

“Really? That’s the best you got?” you raised your eyebrows in compliance with your own lie. “Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll find out eventually”  MJ finished with a wink and an evil smirk before turning around and leaving you standing there, dumbfounded and afraid of what she was up to.  

-

The bell rang: Finally, lunch break. You sighed with relief as you left for the cafeteria, you only had two more classes left and nothing had happened yet. You had been on edge the whole day, especially whenever MJ and Peter would interact, which was pretty much all the time since you all had the same classes. You kept trying to control your raging thoughts, hoping MJ didn’t really mean anything by what she had said earlier.

After waiting in line for your food, you made your way to the same table you always sat at next to MJ. Usually, at this time of day, MJ and you would have lunch in silence as you both read whichever book you were on that week, but not this time. The first thing you noticed was how MJ didn’t have a book by her side. The second, more alarming thing, was that she was seated next to Peter.

“What’s going on?” you said in a stronger tone than you had hoped, glancing towards Peter and then back at MJ.

“Well, as official captain of the decathlon team, I thought we needed to have a bit of a meeting.”

“What, right now?”

“Mm-hm” MJ simply replied, derisive as ever. “We won’t be able to do it after class since they are closing the library early today, so we might as well do it now.”

You stared at her intently, trying to figure out what she was doing. “Well, what about the rest of the team?” you said as you carefully placed down your tray on the table.

“Oh, they are the reason I am here.” Even though MJ sounded serious, the stupid grin on her face told you otherwise. “The team came to me, telling me that they are having a lot of trouble studying with you guys.”

“I-I don’t understand” Peter finally spoke for the first time since you had arrived “What’s that supposed to mean?” You glanced over at MJ, the same question in mind.

“Well, they are a bit concerned with how you treat each other and how it’s been affecting the team, and frankly, I can’t blame them. You are always coming at each other, interrupting lessons just to say something snarky about one another and constantly competing to see who knows the most, which is not what teams are about.” You could tell MJ was really being serious now.

A scoff left both Peter’s mouth and yours as you both crossed your arms and pouted like children being scolded.

“So, what are you saying?” You said, still with your arms crossed.

“Well, the team and I came thought of a way you could make it up to us.” The smirk creeping back to MJ’s face. “You will both get together, study the material and come up with the questions for the next team meeting. The team depends on the questions to perform well on the actual competition, so, no pressure.”

“WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?!” Peter couldn’t contain his shock, but before any of you could keep on protesting, MJ got up and left for class as the bell started to ring. You both sat there until it stopped ringing, looking at each other in what seemed to be a mixture of awe and hate.

-

After school you started to head home, still mad at MJ and not being able to grasp the concept of spending time with Peter, more than you already did anyway. You felt a bit foolish, you knew you shouldn’t hate Peter, what happened between you was a long time ago and you didn’t like to hold grudges, but he was clearly mad at you as well and you just couldn’t help it. After a while of swimming in your own thoughts, you decided to turn around and head for Peter’s apartment, maybe you could finally resolve this...plus, you really needed to start studying for decathlon. You walked through the streets of Queens, your feet knowing the way to his place by heart, you used to go there so often before after all. Right before you entered his building, you decided to take a detour to the store next to it and buy him some gummies, take it as a gift of reconciliation if you will. When you finally got to his door, you took a deep breath as you got the courage to knock on the door. Before your knuckles could so much as brush the piece of wood in front of you, you were met with a breathless Peter Parker. You exchanged glances before you looked down and noticed his hoodie was unzipped, revealing the red and blue vigilante suit underneath it. Your eyes opened wide with awe, a gasp leaving your mouth before your mind could even process what you were looking at.

Tag-list babes, PLEASE READ: If you are part of my permanent tag-list, first of all, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart <3, and second of all, please, PLEASE let me know if you only want to be exclusively tagged on ST content/fics. I will be posting from various fandoms, so I really need to know. If you don’t message me/comment/let me know, I will just assume you are okay with me tagging you in other non-ST related things. Thank you very much. <3

@ambeazyyy @ditchthesticks @javapeach @justrunawayoftheshit @missnena2194 @steveharringtonofficial @tobarblog @theroyalbrownbarbie @lilo-1398 @ayatimascd

[xraex]

Great Minds Think Alike: 003

“Why are we here...?” Jisung asked as the tall, blonde-haired boy who introduced himself as Jungwoo sat Donghyuck down on the couch to tend to his arm.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t tell you,” Taeil started as he gave the boys some water. “We’re not allowed to until the deal is completely finished.”

“What do you mean you can’t tell us?” Donghyuck exclaimed after Jungwoo left his side. “And what deal—”

At that exact moment, the front door opened and closed on its own.

“Turn off your invisibility, will you? You’re scaring them.” Jungwoo sighed as the boys on the couch huddled close to each other in fear.

“Aw, being invisible is fun, though,” Yangyang complained with a cute pout after doing what the older said.

Hendery chuckled and pinched his boyfriend’s cheeks. “You’re just like a baby.”

“Babes, did you forget we’re still on the job?” Xiaojun turned off his invisibility as well and shook his head at his two lovers.

He turned towards Donghyuck with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about your arm, by the way. I didn’t mean to actually hit you.”

The four’s jaws dropped to the floor.

Donghyuck’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, this feels like a weird fever dream.”

“It’s not a dream, unfortunately,” Hendery said with a sad smile. “Also, we should probably tell you who we are before we explain some of this to you.”

The trio introduced themselves and shook the boys’ hands politely.

“How— invisible— you—” Jaemin couldn’t even make complete sentences, his eyes still wide with disbelief.

Yangyang giggled softly as he took out a device that looked suspiciously like an iPhone and held it up for the boys to see. “State-of-the-art technology.”

“All of us have one,” Xiaojun explained. “It’s basically a cell phone that can also break the boundaries of science like turning invisible and teleporting.”

“That’s cool and all,” Jeno started. “But could you at least tell us what’s going on?”

The trio glanced at each other before looking at Taeil for permission.

Taeil sighed and looked at the others with an apologetic look.

“Are you sure we can’t tell them?” Jungwoo asked the older Korean quietly.

“Yes!” Taeil whisper-shouted with gritted teeth. “He’s gonna kill us if we do.”

“Jeez, what’s got you all crabby today?” Hendery asked with an eye-roll. “Doyoung’s not here to tame you?”

“Hey, just because he’s my boyfriend doesn’t mean I miss him 24/7!” Taeil slapped the younger’s arm with flushed cheeks while the four on the couch just watched in confusion. “I’m just saying the truth. Plus, the guy’s watching over us right now.”

“To be fair, you did say it kinda harshly, though,” Yangyang added.

The oldest pinched the bridge of his nose with irritation, and he was about to retaliate when a notification popped up on their phones.

“Looks like we don’t have that much time,” Jungwoo noted as he and Xiaojun helped the boys off the couch. “We need to get you guys to sleep before the simulation deletes itself.”

“Simulation?” Donghyuck yelped as the others led them to the bedroom. “What do you mean—”

“Here, wear this,” Jungwoo interrupted with slight urgency as he put the necklace with the key attached to it around the younger’s neck. “This should prove to you that this is all real once you guys wake up.”

As him and his friends were directed to lay on the provided beds, Donghyuck muttered, “This shit just gets weirder and weirder.”

“You’re not allowed to tell anyone about this, not even your boyfriends,” Taeil stated as he looked into each of the boy's eyes. “Just know that your lives are on the line along with ours.”

Jisung blinked before laying down. “B-But what about our parents?”

“They know what’s going on, but they’re not allowed to tell anyone either,” Xiaojun explained quickly. “They know everything about this through the contract they signed.”

“Everything will continue normally just like nothing had ever happened when you wake up,” Jungwoo explained before turning out the lights.

The boys didn’t get to ask anything because the older had already left the room along with everyone else.

Jaemin held Jeno’s hand from across their beds. “We should probably get to sleep before we all die.”

The other three agreed, and because they were all completely worn out, they did what the boy said with ease.

—

Jisung found himself in an empty office room, but he knew that it was a dream this time because of the familiar dazed and airy feeling his body had.

He looked around the room to see a giant screen across from a row of desks facing towards it.

Going with the flow of things, Jisung sat down in one of the chairs just as the smartboard turned on.

It was a video clip taken from earlier that day judging by the date in the corner.

The screen showed a cozy looking library with a cute, black-haired boy sitting at one of the desks, reading a book.

Wait, cute? Jisung shook his head. Is this some kind of dream boy my brain made up because of how single I am?

A tall, dark haired boy walked into the library and said something to the other one in a language Jisung recognized as Chinese.

How am I supposed to know what they’re say— Jisung looked down to where a remote control suddenly appeared on the desk.

Without thinking, he pressed a random button, and Korean subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen. How convenient….

“What does he want now, Xuxi?” the boy asked and pouted as he closed his book with a sigh.

Oh god, even his voice is cute, Jisung thought before mentally slapping himself for swooning.

He doesn’t get attracted to people this easily, but for some reason, this mystery boy who probably didn’t even exist was making him feel some type of way.

“He just wants to see you.” Xuxi, who Jisung guessed was the tall guy who just entered earlier, helped the other out his chair. “Apparently, you’re needed for an important job tomorrow.”

At this point, Jisung was more than confused.

He was starting to think that maybe this wasn’t a normal dream like he had originally thought, or he may have gotten into something confidential that he wasn’t supposed to when he fell asleep.

Again, considering the past events, anything was possible.

Xuxi tugged on the black-haired boy’s shirt sleeve. “Come on, let’s go.”

“You can go ahead of me,” said the boy after he glanced in Jisung’s direction for a second.

He seemed to be surprised that there was a camera or something there because his eyes widened for a second before turning to the taller male like nothing happened. “I just need to put this away first.”

Xuxi nodded and left the library as the other put away the book he was reading.

The black-haired boy then stared straight into the camera as if he was looking straight at Jisung.

Jisung should’ve felt scared at that moment, but for some reason, he wasn’t.

“I guess my theory worked,” the boy on the screen muttered under his breath as he walked over to the library’s light switch.

He gave a small but cute smile at whatever was filming him.

“I know you’re watching me…” the boy stated clearly, this time in Korean for Jisung to understand before turning off the lights. “Whoever you are.”

Next Chapter

Chapter Index

[uglymanchronicles]

UMC:R Chapter 3: Reinstall

Exposition time!  This one gets a bit gory in places, so be forewarned if that sort of thing gets to you.

“Monsters exist.”

It was, by all means, a useless statement.  It sounded stupid.  It sounded like something a little kid telling a ghost story would say, or something one of those wannabe Banksy types would spraypaint on the side of a police station or something.  But, nonetheless, an electric shiver, so potent that it made his breath catch in his throat, ran through his body.  

Because it was him saying it to himself.  He knew his own tells, his own voice… he was being sincere. While it was possible this was all a trick, that password…

“I don’t mean that in a metaphorical sense.  You’ll probably eventually notice some big scars on your back. Those are from a wendigo.  Or is it pronounced when-dee-go? I don’t know, not the point.  Superhumanly strong cannibalistic former humans.  Tough, but they still die if you cut their heads off. Try not to freak out when you see the skull in the bedroom.”

“WHAT.”

“So yeah, there’s all kinds of really bad things out there.  I’ve kept notes.  But there’s also so many good things!”  Old Evan’s eyes lit up and he scooted forward on the chair.  “New things we couldn’t have imagined!  Things outside of physics!  New sciences!  Actual, real magic!  I saw a guy actually jump over a building! Superpowers exist! And here’s the best part: I’ve—shit, we’ve—got one!”

Evan felt his face slacken into an expression of incredulous confusion as the recorded Evan stood up and walked towards the camera. His form loomed over it and ate up most of the frame, but he held the fingertip of his right hand up in front of the lens.

“Watch this.”

From offscreen, a small knife appeared and Evan watched himself drag the blade across his own fingertip. There was an irritated-sounding hiss of discomfort—Jesus, he was cutting deep! His past self shook out his hand, then held up the wounded digit to the camera.

Evan covered his mouth in shock as he realized how bad the cut was. The other him’s bone was visible through the pooling blood. It would require stitches, at least! But…

He looked down at his own, present-time finger. Aside from familiar little cuts, calluses, and blemishes that had been there for years, there was no sign that anything was amiss. Even if this happened months ago, there would still be a scar from it, surely! But there was nothing new.

“Look, here it goes.”

His attention was drawn back to the screen by his own voice. The gashed finger was still front and center, but something was different.

The blood was barely flowing any more. The bone wasn’t visible. As Evan watched, the wound began to visibly narrow, the skin creeping along the edge of the cut like a time-lapse video of lichen growing on a rock. When the opposite edges of the cut grew closer, raw pink skin grew across the gap. Evan swore he could see fibers of skin reach across and connect to the other side. In less than a minute, all that was left of a pretty serious self-inflicted wound was some slightly discolored skin and a scab that looked like it was days old.

“I don’t know why I’m like this, but I don’t think it’s something new,” Old Evan said, sitting back in the chair and idly picking at the skin. “Remember all the times we got hurt and it didn’t seem as bad as it should have been? Getting gored and stomped on by that bull? Getting lost in the woods and finding our way out with that broken leg? The cancer surgery? All the shit Mary did to us? We heal! We heal fast! And from a lot of stuff, too…”

Vid-Evan paused, sounding slightly troubled. “Look, I’m not sure how strong this is yet, but… okay, if you haven’t yet, you’re going to notice there’s a gigantic, awful-looking scar right here on the left side of your…our…dammit, these tenses are fucking me up. Here.” He ran his fingers along his left side, a few inches below his pectoral… right where the mangled hoodie had been repaired.  “I can’t go into all the details, but someone I was hanging out with got…enchanted, mind controlled, something like that.  It didn’t work on me for some reason, but I’d probably have been better off if it did, because he came after me.  And he was a HUGE guy, plus he had superhuman strength, so... I didn’t stand much of a chance.  After he beat me down, he took this huge ax he carried around and…” The recording pantomimed an overhand swing.  “If I hadn’t rolled he’d have split me in half.  As it was, the cut stopped just a couple inches from my spine. Organs pulped, bones shattered… I was out in seconds.  I woke up about an hour later and, well, it still hurt and my shirt was ruined, and I got a MASSIVE scar from it, but…” he spread his hands in front of him.  “I was alive.  Breathing, blood pumping, the whole nine yards.  And that’s not all.  I’ve been shot a few times, stabbed, clawed, punched by things a lot stronger than people… it heals in less than a day.  I don’t know why some of them leave scars and some don’t, but… well, let’s just say we’re not gonna win any beauty pageants.  Sorry.”

 The image on the screen raised his hand to his cheek, and Evan suddenly felt a deep sadness coming from his doppelganger.  He could see something sparkling in his own blue eyes, and realized it was the backlight reflecting off his tears.  The recording took a deep, shaky breath, and continued.

 “Look, I have to get to the point.  There’s a lot of bad shit out there, but there’s a lot of good, too, and I want to be a part of it.  With all the things we know, the things we know how to do… with the right tools, we could really make a difference.  Save people from things they can’t protect themselves from.  But don’t just hunt things down if they’re not hurting anyone. Everything’s got a right to exist as long as they don’t impede on that right of others, right? And go out and make the world better, don’t just fight, y’know?  We’ve always had big ideas.  We’ve got money, we know how to fight.  And we were bored, just tooling around staying out of trouble.  Let’s put all our skills and talents to good use, yeah?  Um…”  

 Film-Evan’s gaze drifted away from the camera.  He pursed his lips and shifted his jaw, twisting his expression as he seemed to struggle with what to say next.   After a few seconds of silence, he reached behind himself and pulled something out of the back pocket of his pants.  He stared down at it for a few moments, then held it up.

“Just being able to heal fast won’t be enough to make a difference, though.  I’ve built some weapons and gathered supplies—there’s an inventory on this computer—but this is the key to us really making this whole thing work.”  

It was a small, worn-looking book, bound in faded leather with a cover decorated with several small inset beads.  It wasn’t much bigger than the average paperback novel and a little over an inch thick, and some of the pages were clearly made of different materials than others.  It had a distinctly cobbled-together look, but the man on the screen ran his fingers over the cover with something resembling reverence.  

“This thing’s had a lot of names, but in more recent times it’s referred to as the Book of Fate.  Kinda cliché, I know, but it’s the real deal.  This thing is both the instruction manual and a key reagent for a magical ritual that’s been in development for centuries.  No, make that millennia.  And, like, tons of cultures.  Most of this thing isn’t in English.  Some of it is later translations, but… anyway, a whole lot of people have been working on this thing for a very long time, but it’s never actually been cast.  Performed. Whatever.

“But what this thing is intended to do, as far as I’ve been able to decipher, is to give the, uh, ‘target’ probably isn’t the right word, but you get what I mean, right?  The target of the ritual.  It’s supposed to give them the ability to develop their own… powerset?  God, it feels weird to use that term to refer to a real thing, but that’s the gist of it.  It’s a bit vague on how, but… well, I always wanted to be the first one to try to do something, didn’t I?  We? Fuck.

“Anyway, I don’t have time to explain everything here, but I’ve got tons of notes and personal research stashed away on this computer, and there’s backups in the filing cabinet in the bedroom if something happens. I’ve gathered most of the ingredients for the ritual, and I’ve got all the steps written down.  Do it.  Go through with it.  And after that, well, don’t worry.  Trouble will find you.

“So why am I telling you this instead of you just remembering it? Well, I can’t go into any details beyond I learned something literally dangerous.  Just me having the knowledge in my head has the potential to make something very bad happen.  So I have to get rid of it.”

The recorded Evan stood up and pulled the cloth off the chair.  The chair was huge, made of dark wood, and clearly very heavy. The angle of the lens cut off the bottom of the legs, but Evan thought he could see angle brackets anchoring the bulky thing to the floor. There were straps, made of leather even more aged and ragged than the book’s cover, on the arms and legs of the chair. Attached to the top was a strange colander-shaped device studded with wires, lights, and glass tubes filled with several colors of liquid. Topping it off was what seemed to be the innards of a power drill, tipped with a strangely gleaming bit and angled to point straight down towards the top of the wearer’s head.

Evan suddenly felt a wave of nausea as the twice forces of confusion and understanding smashed into each other in his brain. He suddenly knew what he was about to witness. He realized why his head was so empty. He knew the path he’d set himself on and was, in a sort of giddy, manic way, excited about what he’d told himself. He knew everything he needed to know. But he couldn’t stop watching. He didn’t even realize he’d been squeezing Mr. Nex like a stress ball until his knuckles cracked from the force. He could hear himself on the recording: “blah blah combination of drugs and corrosive chemicals blah blah specially coated enchanted drill bit blah blah many calculations blah lots of expert help blah blah prevent regenerating brain tissue from retaining recent memories blah blah reset pattern of consciousness upon completion of healing process blah”, but Evan was focusing on very gently setting Mr. Nex out of his arm’s reach. If what he thought was coming was indeed coming, he was worried that he might accidentally pulp the stuffed giraffe between his fingers.

After setting his old friend well out of reach on the passenger’s seat, Evan sat back down in the kitchen just as his recorded self finished strapping himself to the awful machine. There was a small remote control clenched in the shaking fingers of his left hand, and his head had been fixed in place by several thick straps.  He locked eyes with the camera again.  

“I’ve been wondering if this counts as me actually dying, since this portion of my consciousness won’t be sustained.  I honestly haven’t come to an answer, but…” Decisively, he thumbed the button.  The drill began to whir.  Somewhere off-camera, something large and volatile crackled to life.  “Fortune favors the bold!” The vials on the helmet started to bubble and drain.  Already shaking slightly from the electric charge, Film-Evan reached out with his tongue and pulled a block of wood on a string between his teeth.  Evan watched his own eyes bulge and start to roll wildly. The drill had hit bone.  

Since his head was strapped in place and largely obscured by the helmet and bandages, there wasn’t much to watch.  The sound was the bad part.  The former Evan was screaming as the bit ground noisily through his skull, the gag doing little to muffle the sound.  The machinery, the screaming, the wet crunching of pulverizing bone—it all blended together into a nightmarish vomit of noise, and Evan realized he was screaming, too, a low, guttural scream, one of low volume and pitch but utterly panicked intensity.

 The background noise suddenly stopped and Evan found his scream lowering to a drawn-out groan. His digital counterpart had stopped screaming and the drill had gone silent; as he watched, the machine slowly withdrew the bit, dripping with blood and pink-gray pulp, from his own ruined skull. The other him groaned softly and spit out the gag, his eyes struggling to focus on the camera. Though blood was leaking from his mouth, he managed to grin. His lips trembling, he took a breath and slurred weakly:

“It’ll be worth it. We’re going to make a real difference. We’ll be a force to be reckoned with, I just know it. I believe in myself. I believe in you.”

He’d just taken another breath, perhaps to try to continue his inspiring farewell, but suddenly the lights on the helmet lit up and there was a soft sound of liquid sloshing. A split second of a sharp hissing was audible, then old-Evan shrieked as wisps of smoke began to rise from the top of this head. The scream was so sudden, so shrill, so agonized, and so ear-piercingly loud that it only lasted for a couple seconds before a hideous gurgling-tearing noise preceded the noise lowering to a hoarse wail.

Despite what he’d seen thus far, the scream took Evan by surprise. He involuntarily jerked backwards, the chair’s legs caught, and he toppled over backwards. Luckily, the corner of the kitchen counter was waiting to break his fall, and graciously did so with a tap to the back of the head. Pain surged from the impact, but was rapidly overtaken by surging, suffocating darkness.

Just before it all went black, Evan found himself thinking:

Well, I’ve had worse.

[pipbabi]

Comic Con

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DC Comics New Line of Titles Going Strong - Now, Bring Back the Justice Society of America! It may have not been planned but many of this week's comics happen to take care of fathers and sons. That might not sound strange but if you consider classic comics there aren't many prominent father figures. Some of the most prominent super heroes don't possess dads. Superman's father is dead, ditto for Batman, Uncle Ben will be the closest thing to a dad Peter Parker had and now we truly realize what went down to him. I'm not even going to go near Silk Spectre's daddy issues. Is there a fundamental reasons why most superheroes will also be orphans?

I have already noted in a very previous article for the blog that the Men In Black will return in a third installment starring of course Will Smith in the role as 'J' as well as a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones by means of Josh Brolin obtaining the role as agent 'K'. The concept for Men in Black was originally pitched as a comic strip series to Malibu Comics fro which Columbia Pictures chose to option and the rest is history.

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The last option will seem obvious for some, and not so obvious to others, which is a thrift store. They are also generally known as second-hand stores, plus they will have a wealth of comics at around a few cents each. In fact, a lot of people have discovered hundred dollars comic books for a couple of bucks, and also have gone to sell big around the resell market. Superhero comics have become a fundamental portion of modern pop culture, as well as their popularity shows no signs and symptoms of fading in the near future. As more and more people understand these characters from other appearances in blockbuster movies, the demand for comic books featuring these heroes has risen. With these affordable reprint volumes, everyone can easily catch up on years of their best hero's adventures.

[charllieeldridge]

2 Days in Seattle: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary

Wondering what to do with 2 days in Seattle? Read on for a detailed look at how to spend the perfect weekend in the Emerald City!

First of all, let’s talk about the nickname. It’s not that Seattle is full of shiny gemstones, but rather that it’s surrounded by evergreen forests and mountains. 

Located in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is nestled between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. With views of both the Olympic and Cascade mountains, this is definitely one of the most scenic cities in the United States.

You don’t have to go very far to enjoy nature here, though. There are plenty of beautiful green spaces right in the middle of the city. With a weekend in Seattle, you’ll be able to explore some of them along with iconic attractions like the Space Needle.

As an avid music fan, I’ve always known Seattle as the birthplace of grunge. This is where bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden got their start. Jimi Hendrix was born here, too. There are many things to see and do in Seattle — no matter what your interests are.

Here’s a look at how to spend the perfect weekend in Seattle!

Day 1 in Seattle

With just a weekend in Seattle, you’ll want to take in some of the sights in the city and also get out in nature. On the first day, we’ll take care of the sightseeing aspect and dive into the local culture a bit.

Morning

A busy 2 days in Seattle kicks off at the famous Pike Place Market. This historic farmers’ market has been in business here for over 100 years and is a Seattle institution. 

While we’re on the topic of Seattle institutions, this is where the original Starbucks first opened back in 1971. It actually moved a few blocks away 5 years later to its current location. 

Seattle is known for its coffee, so if you’re more into finding a local gem that doesn’t have a line of tourists out the door, there are dozens of cafes to choose from in downtown Seattle. Around the market, a few solid choices are Storyville Coffee and Ghost Alley Espresso.

With a nice caffeine buzz, you’re ready to explore this bustling market. There’s a lot to see and do here, so be sure to check out their website in advance to plan your visit.

One thing the market is famous for is its flying fish. The fishmongers working there are known to throw the massive fish to each other across the shop.

You may recognize these flying fish from the intro to the “Real World: Seattle.” It’s quite the sight and a very Seattle thing to see.

You can try to figure out where to eat on your own, or you can just leave it up to an expert.

The fine folks at Eat Seattle have a 2-hour culinary adventure called the Pike Place Market Chef Guided Food Tour. Be sure to come hungry for this one, as you’ll stop by ten different vendors for samples!

In addition to the markets, shops, and restaurants, Pike Place has a lot of positive local initiatives. From a food bank to a pre-school, it’s a big part of the community. You can show your support by making a donation at Rachel the Piggy Bank.

Afternoon

Following a busy morning at Pike Place, you have a few options for how to spend your afternoon. With just 2 days in Seattle, you’ll have to make some important decisions!

If it’s a nice day, I recommend heading to nearby Waterfront Park. This is the perfect place to enjoy the views of the Olympic Mountains on a clear day. If you have some change in your pocket you can get a closer look with the coin-operated telescopes.

While you’re over here, you may want to take a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. Regular tickets are $15 for adults or you can splurge on a glass-bottom VIP cabin for $50. It comes with a t-shirt, a drink, and a photo as well as line-skipping privileges. 

Have a look at this highly rated, 3-hour tour which takes in many of the sights I list. Transportation and guide are included in the rate. Find out more on Viator, here.

The views from land are great and all, but they’re even better out on the water. Argosy Cruises comes highly recommended for trips around Elliot Bay and Puget Sound. 

You can choose from their 1-hour harbor cruise ($34) or 2.5-hour cruise of the Ballard Locks ($47). Both are excellent choices and afford some fantastic views of the city and its surroundings.

On the budget end, you can simply head down to the Colman Dock to catch the local ferry. It heads over to Bainbridge Island and only costs $8.50 for a return ticket. 

If it’s raining on your weekend in Seattle (which is quite possible), you might tuck into a museum for a few hours. The Seattle Art Museum boasts an impressive collection and is well worth a visit.

The SAM has upwards of 25,000 different artworks here so it’s easy to kill some time on a rainy day! Tickets are $29.99 for adults and free for kids 14 and under.

Evening

I didn’t give a specific recommendation for lunch as I’m encouraging you to go big at the market in the morning. Plus it’s not hard to find a quick bite to eat when you’re out and about in downtown Seattle.

Whether it ends up being a late lunch or early dinner, it doesn’t matter. It’s worth it to head back to Pike Place to get a table at Matt’s in the Market. 

They’re known for classic Pacific Northwest fare, such as oysters on the half shell, king salmon, and seared scallops. Here’s a pro tip — between 5 and 6pm you can enjoy an excellent Happy Hour menu if you’re OK with a barstool.

If it’s a craft cocktail that you seek to get your evening going, head over to Zig Zag Cafe. It’s a bit tucked away down a long staircase and definitely has that speakeasy vibe. Just be careful going back up if you decide to have a few drinks here!

Here’s one more solid recommendation for a night out in Seattle. Can Can Culinary Cabaret is a dinner theater below the market and is tons of fun. Click here to check out their schedule and grab your tickets online.

Seattle is definitely a unique city, and it shows in the many interesting things you can get up to on any given evening. Love dogs and craft beer? Then check out this cool Airbnb experience by Dog Gone Seattle. 

This only happens on the weekend in Seattle and it’s a fun way to support a good cause. Your ticket includes your first drink and 100% of the proceeds go to the non-profit organization. 

While Seattle may not be known for its nightlife like New Orleans or Los Angeles, you can still find plenty to do once the sun goes down. 

If you just want to bounce around and check out different bars and clubs, then Pike/Pine is a happening place to go. This area is home to places like Unicorn (a carnival-themed bar) and Rock Box (a late-night Japanese karaoke bar). 

There’s nothing quite like drunkenly belting out some nostalgic tunes to end the first of 2 days in Seattle!

Day 2 in Seattle

Let’s hope the weather is on your side and it’s a beautiful weekend in Seattle. The plan for day two is to spend a lot of time outside, but don’t worry — there will be a backup plan. Let’s start day two off with the most iconic landmark in the city.

Morning

If you’re looking for a place to grab a bite and some coffee, there are a few good spots on the way. Tilikum Place Cafe is a solid choice for a full meal, while Uptown Espresso works for a strong coffee and something light. 

You won’t need directions to our first stop of the day as you can see it from all over the city. I’m talking of course about the Space Needle. 

This funky looking tower has been the symbol of Seattle since its construction back in 1961. Originally built for the World’s Fair, it has received some pretty sweet improvements in recent years. 

Way up at 520 feet (158 meters), the observation deck provides some epic views of the Emerald City. The Space Needle now features The Loupe, which is the first rotating glass floor in the world.

Tickets range in price from $32.50-37.50 for adults. You can also pick up combo tickets that get you access to other Seattle attractions, so check their website for all the info.

Alternatively, you can consider saving your visit to the Space Needle for the evening. It stays open until midnight, so you have all day to figure it out!

Another option is to join a day tour of Seattle, which takes in many sights in the city, including the Space Needle. Transport and guide are included in this highly rated tour. Find out more on Viator, here.

Perhaps you’d rather ditch the city and get out in the mountains. There are plenty of options for doing just that in Seattle! Check out this Meditative Mountain Hike Airbnb experience with a local ecotherapist, for example.

There are also two National Parks within reach of Seattle. Either one will take up the entire day, but it’s worth it for those who really want to see the natural beauty of the area. Check out these two tours – one to Mt. Rainier and another to Olympic National Park.

Afternoon

While it’s definitely the most famous building there, the Space Needle is just a part of the larger Seattle Center complex. There’s so much to see and do that you could spend your whole 2 days in Seattle trying to take it all in.

Some of the highlights include the International Fountain, which is synchronized to music at different times of the day. Another must-see over here is the Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum.  

Featuring the work of renowned artist Dale Chihuly, it’s spread out over three different areas. There’s the garden, an indoor exhibit area, and the stunning glasshouse.

Tickets cost $32 and you can take a free audio tour or sign up for one with a guide. Head over to their website to see all the options and book in advance.

If it’s a typical rainy day in Seattle, there’s lots of fun to be had indoors over here as well. I personally recommend the Museum of Pop Culture. It’s worth heading over there just to check out the building, designed by world-famous architect Frank Gehry.

Inside, there are exhibits dedicated to some of Seattle’s biggest music legends like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. It’s far more than music, though — it also covers science fiction, comedy, video games, and more. This just might be the coolest museum I’ve ever been to!

Tickets for MoPOP cost $30, and you can save a few bucks by booking them online. Rain or shine, I think this place is a fantastic addition to any Seattle 2 day itinerary.

There’s always something cool going on at the Seattle Center, from festivals to concerts to fitness classes. Check their event calendar to see what’s happening during your stay.

If you’re traveling in a small group, one way to make your weekend in Seattle just a bit more fun is to try a scavenger hunt. It’s basically a mix of the Amazing Race and a sightseeing tour that you do from your smartphone.

This awesome challenge from Urban Adventure Quest is for a group of up to 5. It starts at the Seattle Center and takes about 3 hours to complete. Click here to check it out!

Finally, if the above options don’t appeal to you, you can visit the Olympic Sculpture Park, the Washington Park Arboretum, or Discovery Park in the north of the city to enjoy trails, beaches, sand dunes, and more. 

Evening

It’s been a pretty huge two days in Seattle, regardless of which options you chose! After covering so much ground in the Emerald City, it’s time to enjoy a nice dinner and maybe an adult beverage or two.

One fun area to check out for dinner and drinks is Belltown. It’s conveniently located between downtown and the Seattle Center and has lots of options for wining and dining. 

Seattle has some pretty fantastic Asian cuisine and Belltown is a great place to try it. There’s Umi Sake House for Japanese, Green Leaf for Vietnamese, and Bangrak Market for Thai. 

Chances are you’ll be feeling a bit worn out after such a jam-packed weekend. Who knows when you’ll make it back up to the Pacific NW, though. It’s time to power through and go out for one more night.

My recommendation goes to catching some local live music. With just two days in Seattle, you have to rock out a bit and honor the city’s musical history. Click here to see what shows are in town.

Insider’s Tips for a Weekend in Seattle

That’s a pretty solid plan for how to spend 2 days in Seattle. You’ll have an even better time if you follow these tips:

Try to visit when the weather is nice – While the weather in Seattle is known to be gloomy and rainy, the city sees plenty of sunshine in the summer months.

As you might expect, these are definitely the busiest months in terms of tourism. Consider planning your visit in May or September to enjoy pleasant weather with smaller crowds.

Be prepared for unpredictable weather – One minute you’ll be comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts, while the next you’re wishing you had brought a sweater. Then it starts to rain and you wish you had a raincoat or umbrella. Be prepared for all kinds of weather.

Have an outdoor and indoor plan – It’s best to have a backup plan if the weather turns on you, which is quite likely in Seattle. Hopefully, you can enjoy the great outdoors, but it’s not a bad idea to have a list of museums or other indoor attractions to fall back on.

Book tickets online – With only a weekend in Seattle, you don’t want to waste time. Decide which attractions you want to visit and book those tickets online in advance. You can also save money on combo tickets if you plan to visit places like the Space Needle. Find out more about the top tours on Viator here.

Getting to Seattle

If you’re flying into Seattle, you’ll arrive at the Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA). It’s about 15 miles south of the city and is a major transportation hub with direct flights all over the world.

By Metro

One great thing about Seattle is that it has a solid public transportation network. You can easily get from the airport to downtown by hopping on the Link Light Rail. 

A one-way ticket costs just $3.00 and it takes about 40 minutes to reach downtown. It runs every 10 minutes during the day on the weekend so you won’t have to wait around too long.

By Taxi

There are also flat-rate and metered taxis at the airport. The flat-rate ones are two colors and give you a set price depending on the area you’re headed to. Metered taxis are a solid color and charge per mile and/or time.

By Rideshare

Three different rideshare apps work in Seattle. You can catch Uber, Lyft, or Wingz from the airport on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. 

Renting a Car

Renting a car is also an option but isn’t really necessary for a weekend in Seattle. As I said, the city has great public transportation. There’s really no need to worry about finding and paying for parking.

By Train

If you’re traveling to or from Seattle via other American cities, you may want to consider taking a scenic train. The Amtrak Cascades, Coast Starlight, and Empire Builder lines all pass through Seattle. Click here to read about your options.

Where To Stay for a Weekend in Seattle

For such a short trip to the Emerald City, you’ll want to stay in a central area. For a weekend in Seattle, it’s best to stick to downtown or the adjacent neighborhoods. 

Staying here gives you easy access to and from the airport via light rail. It also puts you within walking distance to Pike Place Market and Waterfront Park. Public transportation makes it easy to get up to the Seattle Center as well.

Of course, downtown Seattle is also home to a wide range of hotels, restaurants, shops, and bars. This makes it a super convenient place to stay for a short trip.

Here are a few recommendations for downtown Seattle accommodation to suit all budgets:

Budget: Green Tortoise Hostel

Mid-Range: Residence Inn by Marriott 

Luxury: Fairmont Olympic Hotel

If you don’t want to be right in the middle of the city, you can look for options in nearby Pioneer Square, Belltown, or Pike/Pine. There are some awesome places on Airbnb as well, so it’s worth doing a quick search on there.

Enjoy Your Trip to Seattle

I’ve had a lot of fun writing this guide, so I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Seattle is a fantastic choice for a weekend getaway and it’s definitely one of my favorite American cities. If you’re wondering if 2 days in Seattle is enough time, the answer is yes. 

As with anywhere, you could always spend longer, see more, do more, or travel slower. But, if you just have a weekend available, it’s possible to enjoy a fun itinerary.

There aren’t many destinations that have such a wide variety of activities, restaurants, events, and bars on offer. There really is something for everyone in Seattle. Enjoy your trip.

Images in this post are sourced on Shutterstock, a website for finding beautiful royalty-free videos and images. Find out more, here. 

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[lostatsea-eric-blog]

"Isn't this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face. Aaah, the perfect day to be at sea!" -Prince Eric

Archetype — The Hero can be Caregiver too Birthday — January 22, 1988 Zodiac Sign — Aquarius MBTI — ISFJ Enneagram — 2; The Helper Temperament — Phlegmatic Hogwarts House — Gryffinpuff Moral Alignment — Lawful Neutral Primary Vice — Pride Primary Virtue — Kindness Element — Air

Overview:

Mother — Katherine Andersen nee Hightower Father — Derrick Andersen Mother’s Occupation — Lawyer Father’s Occupation — Owner of Andersen’s Marina Industries which includes ship/boat building and repairs as well as marine equipment manufacturing. Family Finances — Wealthhyyy. Aside from owning a company, they also got that ollddd moneeyy ayyeeee Birth Order — Numero two Brothers — None Sisters — Four!!! Apparently, Eric was the only boy his parents were able to produce xD but only three out of the four sisters are alivvee. Olivia is the oldest of the Andersen bunch (32), then came Eric (30), followed by Aileen (RIP mermaid ate her chomp chomp), then Vittoria (20) anddd Alessandra (19) Other Close Family — He has a niece and a nephew!! Christian (12) and Sofia (9). He adores them and is an awesome and wonderful uncle kk they adore him backkk!! They’re Olivia’s kids. Best Friend — Max!!!!!!! lmao He was very close to Aileen too :((( Other Friends — The Order becaussee his life basically revolved around it Enemies — All SEA CREATURES OUT THERREE I meann other monsters too, like monsters are monsters he won’t kill one just because they don’t live in the water buttttttt he specializes in the water dwellers. Conflicted with mermaids. A mermaid killed his sister, a mermaid saved his life it’s a rough struggle right now. xDD He’ll be on the hunt for answersss.  Pets — Max!!!!!!!!! Yes, directly stolen from the movie with absolutely no shame. His best-friend, his CHILD, his beautiful big fluff of pure love Old English Sheep Dog Maxxxxxxx.   Home Life During Childhood — Not shabby at all. Just going to put it out there he was/continues to still be dad’s favorite. Only boy, so of course it was only natural, plus he proved to be an #awesome Prince becoming the best in his specialized field so old Derrick is very prouudd. Things were a little rough for the Andersen’s during Aileen’s death, but they patched up. All in all, Eric was very loved, pampered, and aside from the death of his little sister, didn’t suffer much trauma in his childhood. Town or City Name(s) — Camogli, Italy is where he’s from and then Eric has basically bopped around the seas of Europe, living in many of Europe’s coastal regions. What Did His or Her Bedroom Look Like — Pretty normal looking. Eric really isn’t the messy type at all, so for the most part his room was pretty kept. Had the standard furnishing. He didn’t care too much for decorating any decoration in his room was marine influenced. Any Sports or Clubs — Captain of the swim team in high school. Eric is an excellent and v agile swimmer as well as a bomb ass diver. Didn’t really indulge in sport teams though when he hit Uni because there was no time in between having full time Prince dutieess. Surfing, he does surf. Jet skiing he loves thaatt. Canoeing and kayaking he enjoys too.  Look any water sport he probably does. He’s like a fucking fish. Favorite Toy or Game — Of course he deff had little ship toys when he was young and those were his favorites!!! Even had those ships in a bottle hahaha, Sailing. Schooling — Primary, Secondary and University all completeeedd with a Masters degree. Wasn’t home schooled because ole Derrick didn’t want Eric to stay surrounded by all girls for his entire life xDD Favorite Subject — Science, specifically Marine Biology. Popular or Loner — Popular. Who didn’t love my sweet, shy, handsome sonnnn. xDD He’s like an introverted extrovert, deff shy but he does like people. It’s more in nature than like in complete mannerism if that makes any sense at all..... Important Experiences or Events — The death of Aileen, the beginning of his training enjoyed more of the sea stuff side of things, becoming a squire then rising up to a knight, the success of his very first solo hunnttt killed a SIRREENN, becoming a Prince, graduating and gaining his Masters, getting to travel all around Europpeee, and the death of his crew members :((( Nationality — Italian don’t think Matt Lanter is but shhhh I made Eric it anyways xD  He does have Scottish roots to him. His family originated from Scotland and then immigrated to Italy. Culture — Italian, and The Order bc that shit is basically a lifestyle Religion and beliefs — Raised Catholic and went to mass every Sunday like a good well-behaved boy. He’s not so heavily involved with it now, but like he’ll go to a mass from time to time to like appease his parents haha.

Physical Appearance:

Face Claim —  Matt Lanter Complexion — Fair skin, but not like pale fair, he got some good ole sun back in Italy Hair Colour — Dark Brown :/ I know it’s suppose to be that beautiful dark black but I had to comprimise to get my EYEESS Eye Colour — BLUUEEEE, a BEAUTIFUL crystal ocean BLUEEE Height — 5’10 Build — Athletic. Not like beefy or stocky, but definitely fit and toned. I meaann he goes around killing sea monsters and running ships course he’s going to be fitttt.   Tattoos — Nope. Piercings — Nope. Common Hairstyle — His hair is cut short. It’s always neat. Clothing Style — Simple. T-shirts, jeans, boots. He does own a variety of like weather coats for when he’s hitting the seas. On days he’s working on the University he knows how to dress it up, so he’ll wear his like button downs, still with jeans though haha. Eric deff knows how to dress up for occasions that calls for them, what Prince doesn’t thoughhhhh Mannerisms — Scratches at the back of his neck, runs hands through his hair, can have restless leg syndrome from time to time, jaw clenching when angry  

Health:

Overall (do they get sick easily)? — Nope. Eric has awesome health, physically. Physical Ailments — None. Neurological Conditions — Probably got some PTSD going on from seeing the death of his sisterrr and then from the night of the storm :/ Allergies — None Grooming Habits — Great. Believer in looking groomed and showering twice a day haha Sleeping Habits — Not too bad. The occasional nightmare from his PTSD, but other then that Eric can pretty much sleep anywhere. Like if you can sleep on a ship in the middle of the ocean then I’m sure you’re pretty seettt.   Eating Habits — Eric is a health nuttt. Pesco-Vegetarian. Dairy free, though does cave with his protein shakes. Avid drinker of water. Likes for his food to be locally sourced. Course this is all from when he’s land base when he’s out at sea I mean it is what it is at that point haha Exercise Habits — Hits the gym a loottt. Exercises everyday even if he’s on a ship. When land base he’s normally a professor and so he hits the Uni pool every morning and does a good bout of laps. It’s how he starts his day. Emotional Stability — Pretty stable sorta kinda going through some shit at the moment no thanks to some recent events....   Body Temperature — Average I guess?? Sociability — Eric is like an introverted extrovert. He can be shy, but it’s not that kind of shy where it keeps him from talking to people or acting like he has no social cues. He likes talking to people, and all that fun stuff, but he can be reserved.   Addictions — None. Drug Use — Nope. Alcohol Use — Not really, maybe like the occasional here and there, but he isn’t much of a heavy drinker

Your Character’s Character:

Bad Habits — Stubbornness, can lose eye contact depending on what’s being spoken about, blunt with facial expressions, can get bored easily Good Habits — Kind, health nut, exercises, polite, honest, courteous Best Characteristic — Loyal, daring and kind Worst Characteristic — His pride Worst Memory — Witnessing the death of his baby sister Aileen Best Memory — His solo hunt and any memory he has with Aileen Proud of — His family, his sisters, his hunting accomplishments (though he’s questioning some of them), his solo hunt, his education Embarrassed by — Not a lot really. Eric is a pretty laid back type of dude, though miscalculating that storm could deff be one he’s embarrassed about Driving Style — Really good. He’s one of those that follows all the street laws and always stays within speed limit. Doesn’t have a car though at the moment with him, never really saw the need in getting one because he wasn’t having a sedentary life Strong Points — His intellect, thoughtfulness, kindness, determination, daringness Temperament — Laid back. Eric is a pretty lax guy although he can get passionate and peeved out about certain thingsss like family. Attitude — Determined Weakness — His stubbornness and pride too Fears — Lost of his family, he’s such a family guy /pets him Phobias — None Secrets — None so faarrr err well accept that he’s part of the Order which is a secret societtyy other than that Eric is a pretty open book Regrets — Not being able to save his sister and crew members Feels Vulnerable When — Speaking about personal problems and when he’s unable to protect those he loves Pet Peeves — Didn’t exactly have any like real pet peeve…. Conflicts — Mermaids hahaha. No but legit mermaids. One killed his sister and then one saved his life. He was so sure his entire life that all sea creatures were MONSTERS and all of them were BAD and just harmed/killed people (huge in part because of what happened to Aileen) and then a mermaid goes and saves his life like tf he didn’t ask for thaaatttt, so he’s currently on the hunt for some answers and it hoping Swynlake will provide him with themmm.  Motivation — Aileen. She’s like his driving force behind every hunt he has ever done/does. He loved her so muuccchh!!!! /crieesss Short Term Goals and Hopes — Figure out his conflict crisis please and thank you.   Long Term Goals and Hopes — Find LOOOVVEEEE, a true love because he’s such a lost romantic (though ironically isn’t a current priority), settle down, marry and have kiddddsssssss, he would love a bunch of kids and probs even run his family business Sexuality — Heterosexual, Demiromantic Day or Night Person — Day Introvert or Extrovert — Introverted extrovert Optimist or Pessimist — Optimist

Likes and Styles:

Music — More acoustic and instrumental. He’s not into like current stream music, hell if he even knew what’s currently playing on the radio. xDD He can play the flute took lessons when he was youngeerr. Books — A non-fiction fan when it comes to what he picks up to read. Definitely anything marine involved for sure!!!! Got interested in the Dan Brown series.   Magazines — Nope. Foods — Sea food. He does love his fish. Is a vegetarian so no meats aside from sea food, so like he’s a Pesco-Vegetarian. Not really into sweets basically at all. He’s a health-nut!!! Likes fresh food, and can actually cook too!!!!   Drinks — Water. Water. Water. He drinks a lot of water. Likes protein shakes too. Not much of a drinker. Dairy free for the most part. Animals — Dogs, well more importantly his dog. xDD Lover of all sea animals, that are not sea monsters haha Social Issues — Protection of mundus against dangerous monsters Favorite Saying — He grew up constantly seeing his family’s saying “A mari usque ad mare” From Sea to Sea. He’s actually fond of it more so because it involves the sea and Eric loves being on the ocean not really because of the history behind it all hahaha Color — Blues and greeennsss are his very very favorites. He does like gray too because gray is also found in his family’s coat of arms. Jewelry — In his family it’s a tradition for a silver chained necklace to be forged for the males of the family, normally the eldest in which case Eric is among his line. Eric though added a sea shell charm to his chain because it was Aileen’s favorite charm. He wears his chain all the time, never takes it off. Oh yeah then there’s his family ring buttttt he doesn’t go stunting that around. Games — Boating, jet-skiing, sailing, anything water involved, does enjoy horse riding, is ehh about jousting but whatever he does it when he has too, fencing  Websites — None really.... haven’t even decided yet if he has an insta looool TV Shows — Not a lot either omg horrible Eric!!! But there aren’t really TVs on ships sooo he’s not like an avid tv watcher. If anything he’d probs like documentaries he’s so ehhh about tv Movies —  Loooook he’d rather be out by the ocean side then sit down and watch a movie. He’s an out door person, staying in toooo long probably gets him sorta restless. Greatest Want — To settle down eventually. Find LOOVVEEE get married have some kiddos Greatest Need —Get this conflict shit situated and get back to the WATERRR. He wants his OCEAAANN

Where and How Does Your Character Live Now:

Home — Camogli, Italy is like his family home. Right now he’s in an apartment in Castle Suites would have loved more to live closer to the lake side by the WATTEERR but he doesn’t need a whole freaking house to himself. Household furnishings — Pretty basic. Favorite Possession — His necklace with Aileen’s charm on it <3 Most Cherished Possession — His necklace with Aileen’s charm on it <3 Married Before — Nope. Significant Other Before — Has had a few girlfriends before, but all have fallen through. None of them were THE ONEE. Children — Nope, but does want!!!! Like a bunncchh Relationship with Family — Closeee!!! He adores his family. Is close with his parents, adores his sisters and would do anything for them, loves his niece and nephewww. He often talks with them making sure to call them so that he can keep in touch. He’s the protective sort when it comes to his sisssterrssss. Car — Doesn’t have one at the moment, his life right now isn’t sedentary. He’s constantly moving from place to place and most of the time he’s on a ship sooo no need for a car too mcuch Career — Marine Biology Professor at Pride U; Prince in the Order Dream Career — He actually likes being a professorr, enjoys seafarer too which he does is often the helmsman. Anything water involveedd   Dream Life — Married with a big home back in his home town of Camogli or anything coastal region right by the beautiful ocean siiiddeee. There is definitely kids in his dreaamm lifffeee Love Life — Non existent at the moment Talents or Skills — He can play the flute, steer, captain and run a whole ship, fencing/ sword fighting, horse rider, swimmer, diver, fishing  Intelligence Level — Very well educated and is actually pretty nerdy in the things that he’s interested in

Your Character’s Life Before Your Story:

Past Careers — He has been a professor in different places. Helmsman and seafarer in more, takes any job ocean involving Past Lovers — Has had a few relationships in the past, but all have fell through. He hasn’t found his ONE yet :((( Biggest Mistakes — Miscalculating that fucking STORM. Biggest Achievements —Solo hunt, all his other successful hunts, becoming Prince, graduating Uni with both a bachelors and masters degree.