#this. might literally fuck me over in so many ways but hopefully my mentors will be accommodating . . . . .

[miodiodavinci]

well 😔 after literally 3+ years of masking and double masking with N95s and KN95s and social distancing and not going anywhere where i can't be assured i won't be in close proximity to someone with COVID ya boy got COVID , , , ,

[miss-choco-chips]

North star

Core disaster week Day 1: Bart’s Birthday// First kiss

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cassie smiled, sitting down in the picnic blanket. There was so much fucking food- it was awesome.

But not as awesome as being together, all of them. It’d been a while since they managed to meet like this. Kon, particularly, had been hard to pin down and convince to come; but exceptions had to be made on certain days, and Bart’s birthday was the height of special occasions.

Tim, too. She risked a glance at him, stony and silent, and smiled sadly. It truly had been too long.

Sitting each on one end of the blanket, like a flesh and blood compass rose, she smiled again at the unintended philosophy of it all. Bart to the east, bringing the sun into their lives, his energy and warmth a hope for the new day; Kon to the south, lost in memories of the past but a steady, firm ground beneath them; She herself to the west, holding the weight of it all on her shoulders like the sky held the heaviness of sunset; And Tim, sweet, depedable Tim, was undoubtedly their north.

“Cassie? Wonder-honey-baby-dearest girl?”

Snapping out of her reverie, Cassie waved Bart’s concerned face off.

“Don’t worry, just lost in thought. C’mon dude, it’s your day, we can’t start eating until you do!”

A little unsure, Bart sits back on his spot, glancing to his right at Tim. He hesitated a bit, something extremely unusual for a speedster presented with a widely varied menu (Kon and her had flown all over the world picking and choosing his favorites from every possible country- there was a lot).

“He doesn’t mind”, interrupts Kon softly, before anything else can be said.

Taking his word as the gospel it is, Bart’s face broke into the biggest smile and cleaned up his first plate of ‘a little bit of everything’ in less than a blink, already reaching out for more. Without even pausing his chewing, he started babbling out at Tim, who for once didn’t reprimand him on his table manners, nor tried to use a napkin to clean his chocolate-stained cheek. Cassie tried very hard to hide the pang that surprise-attacked her heart.

Desperate for a distraction, she turned to her right, to Conner. He was looking at the other two fondly, a small smile breaking through his face of steel like it was butter.

She remembered back when they were younger, just children, before all the tragedies and the losses; he had smiled easier, then. Wider, unprompted, freely. Giving that handsome smirk like it was candy on halloween.

“It was a good idea to come here”, he acknowledged, once again making her snap out of her head.

“One day, you’ll just accept that all my ideas are good.”

“Do I need to remind you about the deal with the beet demon?”

“That wasn’t that bad.”

“Cassie. We had to eat borsch for every meal. For a month. I don’t think Bart ever forgave you about that.”

They both waited for a second to see if the speedster was about to interject, but he seemed to have missed their conversation, regaling Tim with a tale of his latest training session with Wally.

“Anyway”, Kon coughed, drawing her back to their moment, “it really was. I… I know I wasn’t the easiest person to convince, so..”

“‘The easiest person’? I had to track you down across an entire hemisphere, lasso you like a wild animal and drag you here kicking and screaming. Literally. My bruises have bruises.”

“Anyway, thanks. I… needed to see you all again. I never thought we’d be able to just… sit here and enjoy ourselves, without… you know, all the…”

“Angst?”

“... yeah. How did you even manage to secure us this spot?”

Cassie smiled, leaning back against her arms, enjoying the sun on her face.

“You can thank Tim’s brother for that. I made him promise to make sure no one interrupted us today.”

The other meta snorted.

“It’d be a cold day in hell before I thank Nightwing for anything.”

She winced a bit, but refused to let the implications ruin her good mood. “Come on, you know he’s not my favorite person in the world, but he’s really doing his best to be here for” -a quick glance, Bart still talking his heart out to Tim- “the new Robin. If you can bury the battle axe...he’s not so bad, nowadays.”

Unsure, he shrugged.

“I don’t really care if he discovers the cure to cancer and spends the rest of his life in seclusion as a monk. If I see him on fire and I have a big water bottle, I might help him put it out- after taking a few drinks, first. But that’s as far as I’d be willing to go for him.”

Considering the numerous times Kon had tried to outright attack the older vigilante, Cassie was going to take it.

“How's Jon?” she asked, subject change as unsubtle as a kick to the chest, taking a delicious french pastry between thumb and forefinger and examining it.

He copied her, selecting something brown and salty-looking from the assorted items

“Nothing new. He’s still a better mentor than Supes, though his choice in friends leaves much to be desired. Still, like I told you, I’m… better? I think?”

A pause, as he washed down whatever he ate with a raspberry slushie. Bart’s incessant chatter, once annoying, was now a beautiful background noise. He was just so damn happy, Cassie felt more accomplished even than the time Diana first told her ‘good job’ after a spar. All he’d asked her for his birthday, soft and broken among his tears, had been this; just the four of them, together.

And she’d done her best to make it happen, securing this place and guilting Kon into accepting. She’d done it, and the memory of Bart’s genuine laugh as he told Tim about his last caught villain would -hopefully- be enough to deter the nightmares sure to come with sunfall.

“Anyway, he’s good. What about Donna?”

Cassie let her head fall back between her shoulder blades with a groan, closing her eyes against the glaring midday sun.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I love her to pieces, but honestly? I can see why my mom has so many grey hairs. Diana is lucky she’s perpetually young and perfect and thus doesn’t need to deal with stress lines. If this is what I was like when she trained me, I have a lot to apologize for. Starting, but not limited to, our days in Young Justice. We did so many stupid things back then.”

“So, the Titans are a riot?”

“They are a bad influence, and I hate how they taught Donna to disobey when I tell her to go to safety and let me do the fighting, but honestly, it’s so much like looking at our past, I can’t help but want to wrap them up in a blanket and wish them luck.”

“I wish you luck. This is why I refuse to take a younger hero under my wing. Too much responsibility.”

“You are a weak bitch. Even Bart is mentoring someone. We have to nourish the younger generation, Kon. Think of the children.”

“You are nineteen, stop talking like you just turned seventy.”

“Well, Cissie is retired. It’s not such a stretch.”

“I’ll tell her you said she’s old.”

“Don’t you dare.”

After those first few hiccups, the rest of the afternoon went smoothly. Uncharacteristically restrained of them, no food fight ensued, but even so it was a pretty fun day. They caught up with each other, teased about past exes and questionable fashion choices, and every silent, solemn moment was endured with joined hands and hearts, a united front against the grief.

Bart’s wet eyes shone, filled with gratitude, when he blew the candles. Cassie caught the exact moment on camera, having learnt the value of getting those precious seconds immortalized forever somewhere other than her own mind.

He kept his wish to himself, but it wasn’t really a mystery. Just by the way he glanced at Tim, they could harnett a pretty solid guess.

Heartache was a familiar, almost comforting feeling to her now, but the wave of raw emotion that almost washed her away at Kon’s crystalized eyes and Bart’s trembling hands gave her pause. Cassie looked away from them for just a second, giving herself this moment of weakness, and in the fleeting light of sunset, she could have sworn she saw a familiar face, looking over them from the shadow of a tree, smiling fondly.

But it was missing with her next blink, so she just shook her head to dispel any traces of wistfulness and turned back to her boys.

It was in silence that they picked up their stuff. Super speed would have made it a chore of just a millisecond, but none felt the urge to run away, so they took their time, hands brushing and then clutching while they cleaned up this sacred place they had borrowed for the day.

Cassie really needed to thank Damian for coming through for her on this. As much as she had despised the other vigilante in the past, a leftover feeling from Tim’s own feud with his older brother, she had learned to forgive and forget. It was, she’d come to accept, the only way she could move on.

Basket finally full with the blanket, empty plates and chocolate stained napkins (Kon’s hand had trembled as he cleaned Bart’s cheek in their leader’s stead), they stood together, arms around each other with the birthday boy in the middle. One by one, they said their goodbyes. It hurted a little less than the last time they could manage to do this, perhaps helped by the fact Kon hadn’t stormed off midway this time.

Cassie smiled. It was sad, it was raw, it was heavy. But it wasn’t broken. She-they- weren’t broken. A puzzle with a missing piece was incomplete, not shattered.

The hand not around Bart’s shoulders stretched, as Cassie’s finger traced the poem they had Bruce engrave in Tim’s tombstone.

“He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.”

The kids that had chosen that poem as immortalization of their grief had been drowning in it, she knew. Had needed a way to let the world know “we are not okay, we’ll never be okay again”. It was, maybe, what saved them back then.

But she wished she could crouch down in front of those lost, overwhelmed kids and tell them ‘you never stop missing him, but you learn to be happy again; and he brings you all together, just like the first time’.

So Cassandra Sandsmark, former Wonder Girl (now something more), lets her head fall back, looks at the setting sun and smiles. Because she can. Because she’s alive, and she’s gonna fucking smile for him, if its the last thing that she does.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The shadows of the coming night hide him, embrace him, want to keep him; he puts a stop to that, let’s himself be kept from wandering eyes but avoids the eternal retaking. He’s seen that side of the road and is under no hurry to visit it again.

Instead, he watches the young heroes, bathed in light and laughter, sitting around a dead bird’s grave.

He yearns. He wants, more than anything, to go to them. To join them in the warmth, in happiness. To go back to the only home that never felt anything else than welcoming.

But he has work to do; there’s a new Robin in the streets, and he needs to ensure that what happened to him doesn’t happen to this frail, rough around the edges and full of life bird.

He waits until they pick up and leave, before donning his suit and walking in the opposite direction. Hopefully, a time will soon come when he can smile with them again.

But, for now, the Red Hood has a clown to hunt and a criminal underbelly to conquer.

[makeste]

I’ve just realised it’s been over a year since you last listed your top 10 characters! Has anything changed since then?

a lot has changed! actually, every single ranking has changed from last time except for one (which you can probably guess, lol).

1. Bakugou (previous rank: 1)

yes, believe it or not, Bakugou is still my favorite. I’ll understand if you all need a moment to recuperate from the shock of this.

2. Deku (previous rank: 4)

hi, so. I really love Deku a lot. I think he is a great character and there’s a lot of subtlety and complexity to him that he doesn’t always get credit for. he is loving and kind, but he’s not a pushover. he has moments of deer-in-headlights anxiety when he’s in the spotlight or talking to celebrities (or girls), but then he’ll go and launch into a five-hour speech if someone mentions a topic he’s interested in. he’s very much aware of the huge burden that’s been placed on his shoulders, and is struggling to figure out how to become his own person (which is fucking hard, you guys; how many sixteen-year-olds do you know who have a solid, firm idea of who they are as a person and what it is about themselves that makes them unique individuals?) while still living up to All Might’s legacy. he’s smart and determined and capable of extraordinary things, but second-guesses himself and has a tendency to overthink everything he does. he is interesting!! and he doesn’t always get credit for being interesting! but he is! anyways Deku ilu.

3. Aizawa (previous rank: 2)

still the best. still so tired. the manga is tripling down lately on highlighting how awesome he is. childhood angst and guilt and trauma?? yes. kicking lots of ass?? hell yes. being outrageously sexy with his floating wavy hair and glowy red eyes and spending almost this entire arc in Eraser Mode while Horikoshi hopes to god no one remembers how he made it a Whole Thing after USJ that Aizawa supposedly couldn’t hold his quirk for long periods like that anymore?? oh, you bet. who is even gonna complain about it. you?? I sure am not. and last but not least, being the greatest dad in the world who’s willing to stab god in the face in order to stay alive to protect his children and continue to watch them grow?? fam. you goddamn know that is a YES WITH CAPITAL LETTERS. how can one character honestly be so great. how can he even contain it. he’s so powerful.

4. Todoroki (previous rank: 5/6)

Ochako slid all the way off my top ten list and I feel so bad about it. but she hasn’t had the spotlight for a long time, and meanwhile Shouto has had what feels like ARC AFTER ARC of being awesome and doing awesome things like becoming Bakugou’s Undisputed Best Friend, having the longest and purest canon romantic relationship in the series (I am of course talking about him/soba), and playing a key role in one of the most beautifully executed family arcs I have ever seen, with his conflicted feelings about his father that are so layered that THEIR LAYERS HAVE LAYERS. and meanwhile his quirk kicks as much ass as ever. remember that one time Shouto almost burned Tetsutetsu alive. remember that other time he fucking annihilated Ending (“GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER”)?! and meanwhile he remains the goodest and purest child in the entire series, making sure Mt. Lady’s heart is okay, and offering his two friends internships without a second’s hesitation because THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS DO. it’s just what they do you guys.

5. Hawks (previous rank: n/a! welcome to the top ten kiddo.)

OH NO I LOVE A MURDERER WHAT A STUNNING INDICTMENT OF ME. send me off to jail. anyway so I have always liked Hawks, but the latest arc has sent him skyrocketing up through the ranks of my heart. not because of the murder thing, but... okay well but actually, it is because of the murder thing though. NOT BECAUSE I’M HAPPY HE KILLED A GUY WE ALL LOVED, jesus, but because of how well Horikoshi portrayed his struggle over it. he didn’t want to do it!! but he ended up having to in the end, and he paid one hell of a heavy price for it. and listen, but if you give me a character who is smart, who is compassionate, and who is one of the most mentally and physically capable characters we’ve seen in the series and yet simultaneously does not have even the slightest ounce of regard or self-preservation for his own mental health? a character who is tired, who is willing to make sacrifices up to and including the ultimate sacrifice for what he believes is the greater good? a character who is achingly alone and isolated in so much of what he has to go through, who doesn’t dare drop his guard ever, who’s not able or willing to share his burdens with anyone else? if you give me a character like that, and then ask me not to love him, it’s like. I am very sorry but I truly have no say in it at this point. he’s adopted. I’m sorry it’s the law.

6. Tomura (previous rank: n/a)

OH NO I LOVE TWO MURDERERS WHAT EVEN IS WRONG WITH ME. hahaha. so in between the time of now and when I last did a character ranking, Tomura had a flashback! and it was very traumatic! he was little and sweet and his dad was a dick and there was a lot of blood and gore and a dog died!! and then AFO was all “HELLO IT’S ME COME TO SWOOP IN AND ADOPT YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO KILL STUFF AND ALSO HERE ARE YOUR DEAD FAMILY’S SEVERED BODY PARTS TO ADORN YOURSELF WITH SO YOU NEVER STOP FEELING MISERABLE.” and everyone sitting there reading was all, “well I’ll just come out and say it, I can sort of understand why he became a murderer now,” and we all agreed that yes, it did indeed make a great deal of sense, when you put it that way. anyway, so obviously you can’t not feel empathy toward the kid after all that, even if he is going around killing A WHOLE LOT MORE people now, and has basically gone batshit insane actually. I remain steadfast in my conviction that Tomura is not the actual final villain -- AFO is. and call me crazy, but in spite of everything, I still think this kid has a shot at redemption. it won’t be pretty, and it’ll be a long, long path, and he might not ever fully make it all the way, but he’s someone who’s been manipulated and used as a puppet his entire life, and I want him to have the chance to finally break free from that. hopefully he’ll get it.

7. Mirko (previous rank: n/a)

so previously this section just said “MIRKO!!!!!”, which I honestly think sums it up pretty well. I honestly can’t think of any other character who has come along and just slapped me straight across the face with their sheer awesomeness as much as her, though. every time she’s onscreen/on the page my face is just a huge grin the entire time. she is fearless. like, she’s the type of person who actually does laugh in the face of danger -- like that’s not just an expression, she will LITERALLY LAUGH. she is Peter Pan with a dagger to his throat, smiling and saying “to die would be an awfully big adventure.” she is someone who’s found her purpose in life and is thriving. Mirko has no time for your existential angst; she’s too busy kicking ass every minute of every hour of every day. I love her so, so much. thank you so much Horikoshi for being obsessed with her and making her the biggest badass in the whole series.

8. All Might (previous rank: 3)

I still adore him! he just has had next to nothing to do for what seems like forever, so the other characters who are still getting steady development are kind of just sneaking past him one by one. but he is still the absolute best. he cares so much. so, so, so, so much. he’s not always the most natural when it comes to being a teacher or a mentor, and he stumbles and makes mistakes, but he loves his kids. he cares about them so fiercely. and that’s far and away the most important thing, and it’s not even close. and he’s also just so endlessly self-sacrificing and constantly putting everyone else before himself, and it’s insane. he’s someone who is just constantly thinking, “how can I do more, how can I help more, what else can I do to try and make the world better” even as he stumbles along with half a lung, and struggles with his feelings of inadequacy and helplessness and feeling like it’s just still not enough. I want to give All Might the biggest hug in the world and tell him that it’s all right, that he did good, that the kids are going to be all right. when Aizawa told him “you being alive is enough” I almost had a breakdown tbh. anyway if I keep going I’m gonna talk myself into moving him back up the list and then I’ll have to rearrange this whole thing lol so suffice it to say, fuck yeah All Might.

9. Momo (previous rank: 7)

when is Momo gonna do more stuff, Horikoshi?? huh??! he does realize that whenever she does stuff it’s always amazing?? so why is she not just constantly doing amazing, awesome stuff all the time?? I don’t know, and frankly I’ve had just about enough of this. let Momo do stuff 2020. but I won’t talk about this anymore for now because I haven’t ready any chapter 278 spoilers and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

(ETA: I HAVE READ CHAPTER 278 NOW AND ALL I CAN SAY IS YESSSSS!!! MOMO!!!! also I swear to god I genuinely had not seen any spoilers when I was writing this post lol, it was a total coincidence. I’m glad the “let Momo do stuff 2020″ campaign was so immediately successful though.)

10. Kaminari (previous rank: 8)

last but not least, my five-and-a-half-year-old traitor son, Kaminari Denki. he is just such a shining beam of light and life and goodness and chaos. there is this amazingly buoyant energy whenever he’s on the page that just fills me with love for him. I constantly just want to ruffle his hair, just, all the damn time. he is everybody’s friend, he loves them all so much, and he fearlessly calls Bakugou “Kacchan” heedless of the repercussions (OF WHICH THERE WERE NONE!!), and he sincerely tells Jirou that he’s in awe of her musical talents, and he wrecked his fingers learning to play guitar for her but he was happy to do it, and he was afraid to fight in the big ALL THE VILLAINS VS ALL THE HEROES battle because DUH!?! but he still did it anyway because he had to protect his friends. and his quirk and its side effects are constantly used for comic relief and not taken seriously at all (even though it’s actually insanely powerful holy shit), but he doesn’t care because he’s happy to make his friends happy. he’ll willingly be the butt of the joke if it means he gets to see them laugh. he just has such a big heart, and in all seriousness, if you think he’s the traitor I just don’t even know what to say to you.

so that’s it! Tokoyami, Ochako, Shinsou, Iida, and Sero would probably be the next five, with Endeavor, Toga, Mina, Jirou, and Mirio rounding out the top twenty. maybe not in that exact order but it’s close enough. really there are only like three characters in the series I actually truly dislike, so I’m honestly glad “top ten” is the general standard otherwise I’d be here all night running through them all lol.

[bluedemon1995]

Families Can Be Made

So I was thinking that I’ve read stories about Pidge and Keith adopting a baby Galran and I was thinking that I could also see them adopting a teen. Cuz they are so badass, so here we go! This will probably be a few one shots when I have time. I’m just starting to feel better so hopefully I can go back to my actual stories. But I will be doing one shots as inspiration strikes! Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!!!

Pidge is working in her lab, per her usual Wednesday routine when suddenly the door is slammed opened and Keith stalks in. “I can’t do this! The cadets are idiots! It’s like I’m teaching a bunch of”

Pidge started laughing, “What a bunch of you!?”

Keith arched a brow, “No, I was going to say a bunch of Lance’s but maybe it’s really a bunch of you!”

I smirked, “You’d be so lucky.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Okay, maybe it’s not just one of anything but this group is trying my nerves. Maybe I’m not cut out for this, why did I think I could be a teacher? I have no patience! I”

Pidge finally stops typing to spin her chair around, curling her index finger, she motions for Keith to come closer. “Okay Mr, no, Commander Kogane, you do this every year. I can’t do this…this is so hard…my students are idiots…blah, blah, blah. And every year, you adjust, you wing it, you get annoyed, yell and you connect. YOU, my love, are an amazing teacher!!! Really teaching doesn’t even cover it because, you are MORE than that! You become their friend and mentor. But honestly, stop the fucking whining!” With that last statement she punches him in his solar plexus.

Keith huffs out a cough, then laughs, wrapping his arms tightly around his wife, “Shut up. You have no idea, you have interns who like to please you. Shit they live to make you smile! I have students who like to”

Giggling, Pidge interjects, “Challenge you. That’s what you were going to say right? And if, I know my husband, and I do! He is going to have his students whipped into shape in no time!” Leaning up she nipped his lip, then pulled his head down for a better kiss, a deeper kiss, a kiss that after all these years still makes her giddy.

Keith quickly settled in, pulling her closer and maneuvering her to the edge of the table, just as he was getting her maneuvered so she would lay down on the table, he heard an alarm. Sighing, he arched a brow.

She grinned, “The game is afoot!” Pushing him, she hops down off the table and runs to her data pad. “Someone made it past Drew’s initial security system. That means we have a hacker! Oh boy! This is gonna be awesome! I wonder who it is…first year? Had to be…the other ones have never shown any interest.”

As she starts mumbling and pulling up multiple screens, he queries,“Security system? What security system? Drew-our ten year old son-Drew? What the???”

“Now honey, Drew and I are essentially creating a system of security for our offices and a few other strategic places. No, no, don’t give me that look! He needs practice and he needs to challenge himself. And let’s be honest, while the school they attend is good…it’s not Holt good. So I came up with this little game…and well we just got triggered.” With a very gremlin and almost evil look on her face she rubbed her hands together.

Keith closes his eyes and sighs. Of course. The lab door again slams into the wall. “MOM!!!! We got someone!!! Did you see, did you see?!!”

Keith opens his eyes to see his son, looking WAY too happy, along with Matt, Hunk and …there we go, Finn and Abbey pulling up the rear. Sighing, he knew they were in for the long haul. He stood up trying to adjust his pants and went to pick up his youngest at 6. “Abbey, hey precious girl! What are you guys doing here?” She at least wouldn’t lie to him! He had to act quick before the others covered for her.

“Daddy!! Uncle Matt and us were going to surprise mommy!! And then our trap was pulled! Yay! It’s party time!”

Keith looked to Uncle Matt, “And I’m to believe, you just showed up here?”

Matt grinned, that damn Holt grin, seriously it should be illegal. And now he has three mini Holts, he’s doomed!

Matt states calmly, “Well, Drew might have mentioned that some things were in play so we might of just come to see. Then who do I run into? Hunk! What the odds?”

Keith looked to Hunk who was trying not to make eye contact. “Um, I have cookies.”

Keith shook his head, this group was incorrigible. Shaking his head, he grabbed a cookie and settled in. “So you just happened by with cookies? Sure, by all means, let the show begin!”

Drew smiled, “Dad! I’m so glad you are here! I didn’t want you to miss it but mom said that you would find out somehow…she said it’s like you have a sixth sense!!!”

Keith nodded, “Oh, yeah, I do. And experience, let’s not forget that!”

As Matt, Hunk and Drew gathered around Pidge and her computers, Abbey and Finn rushed to fill Keith in on their day with Uncle Matt. Nodding and eating, Keith got up to get drinks for the kids when he heard an “AHA!”

Looking over, he handed the chocolate milk to their youngest two and looked over Pidge’s shoulder. “Hey, that boy-he’s in my class. Quiet, sits in the back, missing homework.”

Pidge grins, “This kid is a genius. We gotta catch him in the next stage!”

When Keith looks confused, Drew replies, “DAD, we made it so if you make it through the first system, you don’t KNOW, that we caught YOU!!! But we DID! So when they go to the next step, we KNOW!! Then BAM! Trap set!”

“Okay kiddo, you know you don’t have to yell, right? I’m right here. Literally next to you. So, you all cannot come and catch this kid. You know that right?”

Pidge smiles, “No worries, said kid, he’s coming to us. It’s all part of my plan, my pretty!”

Abbey jumps, “That’s like Wizard of Oz!” She then proceeds to sing, at top volume, “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. Keith opens his mouth, only to have Finn yell, “STOP! Your voice is hurting my ears!”

Crying ensures, until Hunk scoops up Abbey and walks her over to the fish tank and Matt grabs Finn, explaining how big brothers have to be careful because little sisters are very sensitive. Pidge growls but ignores the conversation for the greater good.

A loud ear piercing whistle breaks out, Keith looks around the room. “Plan and places-now.”

Pidge smiles, “Okay, Finn and Abbey, got to my room and you can watch a movie-Finn it’s your turn to pick, Abbey-one more milk then that’s it-now.” Hurt feelings forgotten, both run to watch their favorite cartoon. Matt and Hunk set up near the datapads and video screens doing some modifying. To what Keith has no clue.

Which left Drew, Pidge and Keith. Keith looks to Pidge, “Well apparently this is your guys show. Or should I say party? What’s next?”

Pidge looks to Drew, “Little man, fill dad in.”

Drew grins, mischievously, “Well, Dad, let’s go catch our hacker.”

Two hours later…

Keith, Pidge and Drew have a very aloof teenaged boy trapped in a hall. He looks up, and for a moment, fear flashes in his eyes. Then a mask settles. “So, I guess I got caught. Whatever, kick me out already. It’s not like I want to be here. Fuck it!”

Drew’s eyes are big, “MOM! He said the F-word!! I wanna say the F-word, it’s no fair!”

Pidge grins, “I told you, once you hit the teen years, you can. Until then…quiznack it up!”

Keith closes his eyes, just for a second, before he lands a hard glare on the boy in front of him. “What do you think you were doing? Do you not have enough homework? Not enough drills? This is”

“Amazing!” Pidge interjects, “You did great, got farther than even I thought! So, what tripped you up? I saw you trying to backtrack at some point but then it looks like you gave up.”

The kid looked shocked.

Keith takes a step forward, trying to gain control of this mess, “Okay, let’s”

Pidge notices how the kid locked down his expression, essentially looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. Which she KNEW was an act. She’s a mom now, and let’s just say she’s gained a very good insight to kids. This boy, while technically a teenager, was still a kid. A smart kid. Who was different. While many different species lived on Earth now, not everyone was kind to Galra’s even after all this time. And in the second Pidge processed all this, she made a decision. He was going to be her protégé.

Interrupting Keith is never a good idea but being his wife did come with some benefits. So she pushed forward, “Pidge, what’s your name?”

The kid looked..surprised. Surprise is good. She offers her hand, giving him time to process and catch up.

“Um, well, my name, is, um, Mason. I mean, Private Micheal Mason. Ma’am.”

“Well hell, I thought we were being nice. I’m not a ma’am, nope you can call me Pidge or Mrs. Kogane, got it?”

“Yes, sorry.”

“And I’m Drew Kogane. You almost beat me but I still won!”

Pidge could see that the kid was shocked the program was from Drew, his pride was probably hurting now. Before he said something stupid, because she was sure he would, she decided to say something.

“Yes, Drew and I set a little experiment. Why don’t you come with me and let’s see where you went right and where you might have tripped up? You free now?”

Mason hesitantly replied, “Yes, it’s family weekend so everyone has free time.”

Drew interrupted, “Is your family coming?”

Pidge could see the answer in the set of his shoulders and wondered how he would respond. He had a wall around him but, well, so did Keith. Hell, she was good at getting around walls, through walls, over walls- virtual or physical.

Mason looked down at Drew. “No, no one is coming for me.”

Drew nodded, “Okay, then you can come with us. We can revise.”

Mason’s eyes bounced from Drew to Keith to Pidge’s. “Huh?”

Before Keith could get out a word, Pidge starts, “Yup, come with us. You did an amazing job hacking. But, it’s still sloppy. You gotta watch your time when you do stuff like this. Leave no trace has gotta be the goal.” As she is talking she is maneuvering Drew and Mason towards her lab.

Keith sighs, “Pidge! We cannot reward”

Pidge turns, bumping into Keith, “Babe. It’s not like he hacked into the Garrison. He hacked into mine and Drew’s program.” Lowering her voice, “You know it can’t be easy for him.” Pressing her hand into his chest, right over his heart, while pulling him close, “You know, I know. Let me help him, please.”

Keith sighs, “Damn it. How am I not immune to your shit by now?”

Pidge grins and leans up to kiss him. Leaning into him, slowly snaking her hand into his hair.

Meanwhile, Mason turns and sees his INSTRUCTOR kissing. That really nice woman. He turns around quickly, face red, only to see the little kid groan.

“Yeah, you kinda just have to ignore that. They kiss a lot!!! It’s not normal but what are you going to do. They just act like that, so we gotta cept it. So, now , tell me how you were able to disrupt my algorithm.”

[mor-beck-more-problems]

Desperate Gal Pals of White Crest || Morgan & Cece

TIMING: Current

PARTIES: @thebickedwitchoftherest & @mor-beck-more-problems

SUMMARY: Morgan and Cece hit a roadblock with their research on an exorcism, so they take a field trip.

CONTAINS: drug manipulation tw (magic poisoning), gun (not fired), 

“I know I literally can’t get tired, but if I see one more book handwave harm exorcisms away with ‘wooo dark magic’ and ‘oooh dangerous! Sacrifice!’ I am going keel over with exhaustion. You’ll have to call Regan for my autopsy and explain to my girlfriend that boredom and no helpful answers is the new hip cause of death.” Morgan flopped down the side of the couch, her head dangling over the edge. “Tell me you’ve got something to banish Puritain Carrie,” she groaned. “I need a win. Literally...any kind of win. A can of seltzer of a win.”

Cece was lying on her back on the ground, book in hand and avoiding reading it by listening to Morgan’s melodramatic self-eulogy. She at least knew how to spice up a story and make it more interesting. She made dying of boredom sound marginally interesting. The irony was not lost on Cece. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on me for the record. How am I supposed to talk at your funeral and make your death sound badass that way?” Cece eventually gave in, shutting the book and tossing it away from her in her own dramatic show of exacerbation. “Nothing. These books have lots about magic and yet a surprisingly lacking amount of ghosts. My coven really should have expanded their horizons a bit.” Cece stated, mostly to herself. She rolled over onto her stomach, finding Morgan’s eyes again and pushing herself up, “We need some new source material. There’s got to be somewhere around town with some decent exorcism knowledge, right?”

“You’ll have to make something up much cooler,” Morgan sighed. “Just don’t promise any of my fae friends to tell the truth about me and you’ll be good.” She looked over at the pile of books around them, new purchases on the diamond card Deirdre had gotten for her, and pulls from the Scribrary. She felt guilty about those the most, sneaking in and using Rio’s resources for something he was bound to hate. “We have to be looking in the wrong place. The wrong key-words, or the wrong sections in the library. You would think ‘most brutal harm exorcism’ would be a short dig, but…” She puffed air through her lips. “Apparently the powers that be think discretion is super ‘in.’ Tell me what you found. Let’s go over it again.”

“No worries there. I don’t like making promises to humans.” Cece laughed, thinking of any ideas she could to spice up Morgan’s imagined death and make it a bit more grandeur. She wondered how she could fit fireworks into the story. Maybe one of the daredevil car jumps through a flaming circle. No, this was all way too distracting when she was supposed to be focusing. She shook the thought away and reached for the notepad that she had used to take any notes that she found vaguely helpful. Emphasis on vague. “Nothing too useful. I found some old history on this former Scribe that studied exorcisms. John something. Sounded like a real bore. I got an autobiography by this Amanda Wallace chick who wrote about her haunted house and how she got rid of it. Not exactly sure how factual that one actually is. Basically, I have nothing but crap. You sure we can’t just call the ghostbusters in for this one?”

Morgan’s brow furrowed at the name Wallace. “Is that name from a comic book movie? It sounds familiar…” She turned herself right side up and crawled to Cece to read over her shoulder. She moved so fast, her focus was groggy, but the illustration on the page she was looking at definitely seemed familiar. “No, wait, that’s...fuck, that was in something I read. Not here but…” Morgan fumbled for her laptop and started digging through her browsing history. She looked sheepishly over at Cece, glad that she couldn’t blush. “...Don’t judge me, okay?” She mumbled. Buried under searches for pirated theory articles, halloween themed lingerie, and Buzzfeed quizzes for Which Character from Grey’s Anatomy Are You, was several rows of local blogs, niche social media groups, old news reports, and PDF access links. Morgan scrolled past them all to get to an access link to an article from the library. There was the same picture, Amanda Wallace and a few others. The caption read, Cromwell was mentored in his early years by the local Ghost Watchers Society. Pictured, left to right… The article was about a man named Ernie Cromwell. He was arrested, several times, for vandalism, arson, and public disturbance. He claimed he needed to in order to make the ghosts go away. He also escalated to a much more deadly life of crime after this, around  the period Roy ought to have been town. That’s why she’d been looking in the first place. “Hey, Cece?” She asked. “You wouldn’t happen to know if any of these people are alive, do you?”

“I hope you know that prefacing with that only makes me want to judge you that much more.” Cece perked up immediately, if she wasn’t interested in studying Morgan’s open tabs before, she was definitely interested now. Fortunately, it was so much better than what Cece had predicted. “Oh my god. This might be more embarrassing than if you just had like straight up porn in your search history. Which for the record, I’m in full support of.” Cece added in, finger gunning and winking in Morgan’s direction. “Please tell me you’re an Izzie too.” Cece tried focusing again once Morgan asked her a question about recognizing anyone. She scanned the page but shrugged after a long moment, “I wish I could be more useful. But most of my magic knowledge was before I got to town. I’ve been about as low key as I can manage since I’ve been to town.”

Morgan rolled her eyes. “I appreciate the sex positivity, and so does my girlfriend. And, you know, hopefully she appreciates the spider web themed set I ended up buying. And I’ve taken way too many and no matter what I do, I’m solid 50% Izzie or Meredith. My dark and twisty ways defy simple categories.” She wiggled her brow, mouth curling into a grin, and turned back to the picture. “I swear I’ve seen these faces somewhere. And the names. You don’t remember any from the paper or…” Morgan took out her phone, scrolling furiously. “Oh. Mother of Earth! Oh, this is so weird!” She showed Cece an event page on the UMWC social media page. Two people stood next to a handmade poster advertising GhostWatch Parties. Ostensibly, it was a horror film club. But the names of the two faculty shown were Amanda Wallace and Leigh Cromwell. There was no accounting for coincidence, but it seemed pretty likely that there was a connection to Ernie. “They’re meeting tonight. We have to go, right? Scope things out, set up a time to talk better and see what they can offer, or ask if they have any exorcist finding tips! We’re going, right?”

“Anything for you, as usual.” Cece might not be Deirdre’s biggest fan, but she still wished for a killer sex life for the two. “You know? I can see it, honestly. I support it. Among the characters you could get, I think those are two of the better ones.” Morgan seemed sure that the faces would be familiar, so Cece did her best to study them again, but just ended up shrugging. “You think I read the paper?” She asked the woman curiously. Not a moment later and Morgan was poking the screen and then changing pages to find a social media page. From the college. Cece gasped overdramatically, “Right under your nose this whole time? Also, do you think this horror movie club accepts members that don’t go to the college? Actually never mind that’s not important right now.” Cece jumped up and found her bag, moving towards the coat closet to slip her jacket on. “Well obviously we have to go. What other choice do we have? Plus I need to find out if this club is even worth my time. Which is obviously like a side objective. Priority is the ghost thing for sure. Let’s go!”

The GhostWatchers of White Crest met at Professor Wallace’s ivy covered town house near campus. The gathering was small; only three cars littered the street beyond the driveway. Morgan parked them at the end of the street, positioned to make a quick and easy getaway. The bue-white light of a television illuminated one of the back rooms, bright enough to illuminate parts of the yard as Morgan approached. She knocked on the door gently, but found it already open. Inside was exactly what you would expect from a liberal arts professor. Stacks of papers, catalogues for bamboo kitchenware, and books bursting with post-it’s in every room. Morgan wrinkled her nose at the normalcy of it all. At least she kept a few decorative skull paperweights in the great room and kept the foyer clean.

“How do you think we should play this?” She asked in a whisper, lingering in the front hall, one eye on the back den where the movie, The Innocents, was still going on. “Is it rude if we snoop around first? Should we split up?” Somewhere, she thought, there had to be a private library.

“Wow this place is boring.” Cece yawned as the two slid in through the open door and studied the office that they found themselves in. “You’d think that someone obsessed with exorcisms might have a bit more personality.” She pushed aside a self help book lying on the desk and took a glance at her desk calendar, “She has scheduled times for lunch.” As if that was the most boring thing on the planet.

Either this woman was the worst occultist she had ever seen, or all of her more interesting things were hidden away somewhere. “It’s totally rude, but technically speaking she’s the one that left the door open. She should be more careful about her belongings. So let’s snoop.” Cece wasted no time moving to dig through her other belongings. Given how nonchalant the rest of the room was, Cece wasn’t convinced they were going to find anything too bizarre or helpful just sitting out in the open.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? They hired me because the fun department was empty,” Morgan teased. She watched her feet carefully as she tiptoed onto the plush carpet with her muddy leather oxfords. She hadn’t planned on playing hide and seek in some dusty mini-mansion when she’d left the house, so she was left cringing at every squeak the leather made on the floor and hoping against hope that everyone in the den was too engrossed in the movie to notice.

As luck would have it, the library was one room off from the den. Morgan pointed at it, giving Cece a look of, I don’t know if I got this. One foot, then the other. Could Cece get in there first.

In the den, someone yawned and got up, murmuring about refills. Morgan dropped to the floor, panic in her eyes. Was this the worst idea ever?

The library had to have something useful. If it was just filled with normal literature and more self help books, Cece was going to lose her mind. At least Morgan seemed pretty into the whole espionage thing, tiptoeing around the place and slipping through the door into the library as silently as a mouse. That swiftness and suave attitude seemed to dissipate when movement could be heard from farther in, someone getting up to get a refill. Morgan dropped immediately and Cece remained in the doorway, unsure what the best thing to do in this scenario was. Would the person asking even come this way? Cece crept back a few steps, peaking around to get just a moment’s glance of someone walking towards them. They would definitely see Morgan if something wasn’t done. Would these people be more interested in calling the cops or offing anyone in their way? Cece couldn’t be sure enough, so she figured her only option was to be a distraction of some sort. Back in the office, Cece found a paper weight on the desk and pushed it aside, sliding it off the desk with a loud crack against the floor. That ought to do some distracting.

Morgan heard the paperweight fall before she realized what Cece was doing. Her head whipped around, question marks sprouting all over her face. But whoever was heading her way turned the other direction to see the commotion, and Morgan was able to take her chance. Hopefully Cece wouldn’t be so far behind.

The library was the same as the rest of the house, expected to the point of comical. There were shelves of matching leatherbound British novels, another set of American ones, a whole row of paperbacks and theory that were almost certainly just for posturing, and… who lived like this? Who actually worked here? This was a magazine-style library. Which meant-- “Fuck.” Morgan covered her mouth and flinched. Too loud. Right.

She started peeking behind books, looking for hidden volumes, then the large desk centered at the back of the room. No one really had secret compartment doors, at least not here, the house was too small but-- Morgan kicked back the rug that covered the floor. Cut into the pale hardwood was a heavy door, older and darker, with a black handle that looked to be iron. She peeked her head out, searching for Cece to get her over here, quickly, before anyone realized how reckless they were being in a stranger’s house.

The door was well-oiled and rose silently at Morgan’s tug, and inside-- “Yes!” Beams of light from the other room flashed on. The shadows in the library vanished. It was time to hurry.

Cece ducked behind the desk to avoid whoever was coming towards her. She had successfully distracted the man from discovering Morgan but hadn’t quite thought through the fact that the man would now be coming towards the source of the noise that Cece had caused. Cece began rifling through her purse quickly, pulling a bin of powder free and cupping some into the palm of her hand. Once the footsteps finally became close enough, Cece popped up from behind the counter. “Hi there.”

The man jumped before settling on a confused expression, “Who are you?” He asked, more curious than angry. Probably unsure if Cece was supposed to be there in the first place. “Uh-” Cece began, trying for a long moment to think of an excuse for too long before finally giving up, “I can’t think of a good excuse” She shrugged before pulling her hand up and opening her palm, blowing and sending the powder directly into his face. He stumbled backwards and Cece jumped forward, grabbing onto his shirt and helping direct his fall into the chair by the desk. She patted him softly. Better to get some rest right there.

She slipped across the floor until she found Morgan and then crawled over to her, “For the record I didn’t sign up for this” Cece whispered at her, eyeing the new door that she had discovered. Before hearing more voices. “Welp, after you!”

Morgan’s muscles were already clenched with confusion and unspoken questions. “Sign up for what?” She hissed. “You said we should snoop! Nothing bad has happened, right? And look at all the spooky books down there!” She shined the flashlight on her phone down the ladder, showing tables full of messy, half open books, arcane circles etched on leather, and iron chimes dangling from the ceiling. “Oh, yes, this is the jackpot.”

“Is it now?” A voice called behind them.

Morgan barely suppressed a squeal as Amanda Wallace filled in the doorway. Her straw-white hair seemed to puff up out of sheer rage. “I don’t remember receiving your RSVP, Professor Beck,” she said stiffly. “May I ask what you are doing in my library, opening my trap door?” A smaller, slightly younger head popped up over Amanda’s shoulder and murmured that she’d see the students out. Leigh Cromwell, probably. Guess they weren’t too late for the party after all.

“Hey, Amanda--!” Morgan drew out the words longer, as if a few more syllables in Amanda would help smooth things over, or give her a better idea about what to do next.

“Don’t ‘hey’ me,” Amanda snapped, bristling with a bitter frown. Downstairs, now.” She pointed into the dimly lit trapdoor room, and her look did not suggest that she was entertaining counterarguments at the moment.

“Ummm” Cece considered what may or may not be considered to be bad in Morgan’s mind. And depending on that, whether or not she wanted to share that with Morgan. Putting a man to sleep was hardly that bad, right? She didn’t hurt the man. He would wake up and at worst his memory would be a bit foggy and maybe have some nausea. Nothing that would last more than a week. “Define bad.”

Morgan was right, this was a jackpot. The space was different from the rest of the house. It didn’t look like the end result of an HGTV makeover, for starters. It wasn’t basic or expected. This room was hidden away and it was used. This woman that the two were spying on definitely used this room.

Speaking of the woman they were spying on. Apparently they had been discovered. Cece awkwardly watched  the exchange. Apparently the two were super close work colleagues. “If there was no RSVP, does that mean she wasn’t supposed to bring a plus one?” Cece grinned slightly, completely ignored by the woman and instead following behind Morgan as the two were led away from the space they had just found.

Morgan backed down into the room, feeling, all of a sudden, that she should have told more people where she was going. Of course, she’d told Deirdre they had a lead, but if she were to drop a pin right now, would Deirdre know what to do with it? Remmy might, but the part where she had to explain what she was doing here might not lead to the best of conversations. But, fortunately, there weren’t any high tech keypads standing in their way of getting out. Just one seriously perturbed old woman.

Morgan made her way over to where the stacks of books were the largest and the shelves were packed to bursting. She looked for sigils, icons, anything recognizable. No one ever labeled ‘find harm here,’ but there were unavoidable markers if you knew how to look for them.

“I should report you to the police, for trespassing,” Amanda snapped. “And I could do much worse. But I would like to know first, Professor Beck, what you are doing in my trapdoor of all things. Do you have no respect for others?”

“On the contrary--” Morgan said carefully, flashing Cece big ‘what do we do?’ eyes, “I have the utmost respect for you and your interests.” She backed away until she could back no further. “The interests you keep a secret, especially. I think I might have something that’s of interest to your attention. A ghost something that is, let’s say, too good for mercy.” She reached out for one of the tomes, a leatherbound journal, by the look of it. Not as old as it was pretending to be, and bursting with pasted-in clips and notes.

“Not so fast.” She took out a little pearl handled pistol, gold and shiny, like something out of Agatha Christie. She cocked the safety with a slow, deliberate click. “That’s sensitive material, Professor. Access has to be earned. Tell me the truth, do what I say, and maybe we’ll see about it.”

The two hadn’t found themselves in an ideal situation, Cece was willing to admit that much. The woman that had discovered them hardly seemed especially dangerous. She was a college professor, taller than Cece was but that was hardly an impressive feat. The only thing she looked capable of seriously harming was a student’s grade point average. Still, the woman had enough to hide that she kept it hidden beneath the library, and she really didn’t like the intrusion by her colleague.

Morgan attempted to sweet talk her way out of it. Honestly, Morgan came across as such a pleasant person that Cece probably would have laughed it off if she had found the woman trespassing in her own home. Then again, maybe that didn’t count when Morgan had already previously lived with her. When Morgan reached for a book, hopefully one that Morgan deemed important, Amanda acted with an elevated decree of hostility. Looked like a bingo to Cece. The woman pulled out a small handgun, pointing it at Morgan but still eyeing Cece every now and again. She didn’t show much interest in Cece at all, which may have been more a mistake than anything else. “Your terms and conditions don’t sound all that appealing.” Cece called to her, straightening her back to give herself the appearance of being taller. She wasn’t sure that it worked. “Don’t get me wrong. You have the upper hand here. We’re totally up to no good. But don’t you have a door number three option?”

The woman finally looked Cece over. It had probably been the first time that she had offered her anymore than a passing glance, “I don’t even know who you are. This doesn’t concern you in the slightest.” She turned away from Cece again, but irritation seemed evident. Cece slowly dug into her purse again. She knew she had something else useful in there it was just a matter of rifling around until she found out. Once she did, she popped the lid off and dipped her fingers into it. “I just wanted to give you the option of rethinking your offer. Morgan and I have places to be. Let us go now and we can all enjoy the rest of our nights in peace.”

This time the woman finally turned the gun away from Morgan and towards Cece, at the same time that Cece rose up her hand and grabbed onto the woman’s wrist. “Have you ever heard of curare?” Cece asked the woman, a hint of curiosity in her voice. Though nothing apparent was happening, the woman hadn’t yet pulled the trigger and instead looked silently at Cece. “Some hunting tribes use it to paralyze prey. Normally, it doesn’t have a lot of effect on humans if ingested orally or through the skin.” By the woman’s expression, it was clear the effects had started to take effect now, “But with a bit of alchemy, it can be altered. All of a sudden, it just takes a tiny bit rubbed against the skin to get into the blood system. As Amanda began to fall back, Cece grabbed onto the gun, letting it slip from the woman’s hands as she crashed against the ground. “You should be able to talk still, it might just be a little mumbled. So try to speak up.”

Cece set the gun against the shelf and crossed her arms, “You got any questions for her?” she asked Morgan. Cece wasn’t sure this counted as life or death exactly, but the gun hadn’t been entirely promising. At this rate, Cece knew that she’d have to do something at the end to make sure that Amanda didn’t hold an unfriendly grudge against the two of them. Cece had gone this long, but now in the span of just a few weeks she would be whipping out the memory spell twice. Yikes. “Spare no details, something tells me that Amanda’s memory of the night might end up a bit fuzzy anyways.”

Morgan was scurrying for Cece and wishing zombies had super speed when it happened. She couldn’t let Cece get hurt and didn’t Cece know she was basically bullet-proof? Not one more friend, not one more life she cared about was going down because of-- and then Amanda’s face was going slack and she was sinking to the floor, and Cece was giving a pretty impressive speech of her own. “Holy shit,” Morgan whispered, suddenly feeling a little woozy with shock. Then, as it settled, “You...are so amazing, Cece!” She ran over and gave her a hug, ecstatic with relief. “Okay, so, one of your proteges was arrested for what sounded like some serious supernatural damage, and he said he had to get the ghosts. So I’m thinking you know a lot about exorcisms, maybe harm exorcisms, specifically?”

Amanda made some unintelligible noises that sounded aggravated enough to mean ‘yes’ to Morgan.

“Great! So, where would I find those? Is it here? Or--here? Or--” At the sound more throaty, aggravated groaning, Morgan knew she was right on the money. She hauled out everything from the self she could carry and started looking. “Woah, Nelly, some of these pages are torn from other volumes.” Morgan peered over the desk at Amanda on the floor. “Have you been defacing historical archives? That’s not very polite, you know. I wonder what would happen if I reported some of these original books as damaged and gave your name? That might be a bummer for research funding and future archive access, right?” Satisfied with her fun, she started flipping through, grateful that even though Amanda was a thief, she was at least an organized one. There was a handy table of contents and index between each hodge podge volume, and by some topics there was a reference number that seemed to correspond to a file, probably in the cabinet at the other end of the room.

Amanda made another slurry attempt at speech.

Morgan’s face crinkled. “French Revolution? Did you hear French Revolution?” She gave Cece a look to make sure she hadn’t misunderstood and started checking dates throughout her haul. Sure enough, there was a hefty volume with some emphasis on the 18th century and quite a few notes in French and English as she started flipping through. “Cece, come look at this,” she said. “I think this… I think I found something! What do these ingredients look like to you?”

If Cece had any worries that Morgan might think she had taken things too far, those fears were immediately quelled when Morgan launched into a hug. Cece hugged back, keeping her finger away from any of Morgan’s skin, “I don’t think this would work on zombies, but better not take the chance.” Considering the rest of the abilities that Morgan had now that she was undead, Cece wasn’t convinced it would have paralyzed her the way it had Amanda. If it did, the fast healing probably would have fixed her pretty quickly. But better to avoid the situation regardless. “But that was nothing. Didn’t want her messing up one of our pretty faces.”

Morgan was far better at searching and researching than Cece was. The extent of Cece’s reading had gone into her plans to get away from the coven. Since then, the books she had stolen and brought with her mostly stayed hidden in the floorboards of her closet. Something for a rainy day, if it ever came. For the most part, Cece scanned the shelves as Morgan actually talked to the woman and searched for something that was useful to her.

Cece hadn’t heard French Revolution at first, but hearing Morgan question it made Cece laugh and clap for Morgan’s better hearing skills, “You know I thought I heard bitch contusion but that makes way more sense.” Morgan flipped through a volume and called Cece over to look at something, but the symbols on the page weren’t like anything Cece had worked with before. “Yikes.” Cece started, trying to look for smaller details and anything that did look familiar, “I can pick out a few things. I see some containment symbols. Probably used to keep something trapped. But nothing that I’ve worked with before.”

“Me either,” Morgan admitted, “But that--” she pointed to the word, “Is definitely French for spirit, and some of these ingredients look like they’re obeying sympathetic principles for inflicting pain. I’m gonna need a dictionary or three to figure some of this out, and you know, an expert, but you saw the containment sigil too, right!” She snapped the book shut and held it close to her chest, her eyes shining with relief. “I think this is it, Cece. I think this is--” Morgan was lost for words and only smiled, glowing with gratitude for her friend. “This is the key to everything I’ve been looking for.”

“Well I know a guy if you need a French interpreter.” Cece stated nonchalantly, “Can’t promise he won’t be grumpy about it though.” Cece couldn’t keep an easy grasp on who in town knew who, but it seemed like a safe bet that Morgan and Kaden were acquainted. “Fuck yeah! Former roomies strike again!” Cece called out triumphantly, raising her hand for a high five. Once the two were done celebrating, Cece remembered that they had company. Cece spun around to their host for the night and clapped her hands together, “Amanda. You’ve just been so welcoming tonight, truly. We had a great time. We’re going to wrap up and then I promise it’ll be like we were never even here.” Cece scooted towards her and knelt down towards the woman. “Are we done here Morgan?”

Morgan joined Cece beside her colleague, still light on her feet with victory and beaming with pride in her friend. “We do make pretty good partners in crime if I say so myself,” she said. “And, you know, aside from, hmm---” She reached back over to the desk and took a couple more books. “These. Just for good measure. And fun. Trespassing is rude, Professor Wallace, but pulling guns on your colleagues is far worse.” She nodded at Cece to work her magic. They’d gotten what they came for and then some.

“This probably won’t hurt,” Cece began, pressing her fingers against Amanda’s temple, “Or if it does you won’t remember it. Which is basically the same thing.” Amanda’s eyes were frantic at first, darting back and forth almost definitely trying to will her body to move. But soon they settled, floating shut as Cece dove into her memories to pluck them free. She figured the last half hour or so would do the trick. The woman would be left with a lot of blurry portions on the night, undoubtedly waking up in this room to wonder how she had gotten here. But those were hardly Cece’s concerns. She made sure to go back far enough to when Amanda started suspecting someone was here. Once Cece was done, she left Amanda on the floor and stood up, “She should be waking up soon. She should be able to move shortly after. If you have what we need, we should get out of here.” Cece suggested, heading towards the exit of the room before snapping and swinging back towards her, “Actually, now is probably the best time to mention that there may be another person that conveniently fell asleep in the office. We may want to stop by on our way out and wipe him too. Just to be safe.”

Morgan stopped halfway on the stairs they came down in just to gape at Cece in awe. “Remind me to never underestimate you for the rest of your days. And maybe bring you up on my list of people to call next time I need help with the forces of darkness. You’re a dangerous lady, Cece Bishop…” She gave Cece a chivalrous hand out of the cellar, grinning in the evening light. “But, then again, so am I sometimes.”

[yadds]

Tony Reappears, Part 3 - Tony has come back with more than he bargained for.

Part 1 - what would happen if Tony appeared out of nowhere to be found by Peter, who’s still haunted by Beck’s reality bending?

Part 2 - Tony is in bad shape and Peter helps, Strange snarks, and Pepper gives him the kick in the pants he needs.

_____________________________________________________________________

The next few hours were filled with catching Tony up on some of what he’d missed.  Peter convinced Strange to step out and let him be for a while as Pepper filled him in on what Morgan was like now - how she was so dang smart and had his snarkiness and his sense of humor.  But she also had Pepper’s level-headedness, thank God.  It helped ease some of the sting of her not being there, but it still hurt like hell that he’d missed half her life.

During a pause in the conversation, Tony asked, “And what about you?  How have you been, Pep?”

“I’ve been good,” she replied automatically.  

When he just looked at her, she dropped her eyes and pressed her lips together briefly.  “It was really hard, Tony,” she admitted, voice thick.  “I knew there was a chance you wouldn’t come back, but there was always that chance and you somehow always got yourself out of it.  I guess I’d gotten lulled into a false sense of security.  And with Morgan...I wasn’t prepared to handle that.  But we got through it, with the help of so many people.  I don’t think you really ever realized how many people cared about you, Tony.  Everyone has been really great - especially Peter,” she said, directing a fond smile at the door where he’d left a couple hours earlier.  

“They adore each other.  And Peter loves taking her into the lab and teaching her everything she could possibly want to know, which is great since I sometimes can’t keep up with her brain already.”

That was a bittersweet image.  He loved the idea of Peter bringing Morgan into his family and using what he learned from Tony to teach and mentor her, but not being able to do that himself was still hard to come to terms with.  Hopefully, they could all go together soon.  He was getting more and more antsy the longer he was awake.

But as much as he appreciated Peter taking care of his daughter, Pepper had once again brought the subject back around to Morgan.  “And you?  Who’s helping you, Pepper?” he asked.

She was quiet for a minute.  “I’d been seeing someone else,” she finally said.

Tony could see that she was still talking, but he couldn’t hear her over the roaring in his ears.  

He’d had a small hole behind his heart that had been growing as he heard more and more about what he’d missed while he’d been gone.  Dead.  It was now ripped open into a gaping pit, threatening to pull him under.  Everyone had moved on - SI, the Avengers, Morgan, Pepper.  Even if he was here to stay, what possible purpose would he have?  No one needed him anymore. 

Small, soft hands were gripping gently at one of his own and he was vaguely aware of Pepper calling his name, but he couldn’t snap himself out of it.  

Someone else was suddenly grabbing his chin roughly and his arm instinctively came up to push them away.  There was a loud crash that rang dimly in his ears as his eyes were caught by the brown gaze in front of him, slowly becoming aware of the heavy hand on his chest pushing him down into the bed and a blazing weight across his thighs.  

“Mr. Stark.  Tony.  You need to calm down,” someone was saying firmly, voice low and even.  “I know you don’t want to hurt me, Mr. Stark, so I need you to come on back now.”

It felt like an eternity before Tony was able to focus on anything long enough to comprehend what was going on. 

Peter. That was Peter in front of him, eyes steady and intent on him. Probably also his hand on his chest. Okay. His gaze traveled down and his heart kicked back into overdrive again when he saw the hand wrapped around Peter’s throat, his skin white and dimpled around the clamped fingers. What the fuck was going on? Was someone else - ? 

No. That was his hand, he realized numbly. He let go abruptly, feeling his cheeks flush as reality suddenly came crashing back all at once, horror and shame coursing through him. His other hand was holding tight to Peter’s. He released that too. Peter stayed perched where he was, slowly bringing that hand to his side as he moved the other one from Tony’s chest, obviously ready to spring back into action if necessary. 

Strange wasn’t so trusting. He used bands of energy to immediately restrain Tony’s arms, which appeared to have also been the oddly warm, tingly weight on his legs he’d felt earlier. 

“This is why she shouldn’t have been here. Definitely not unsupervised,” Strange bit out, throwing a cutting glance in Peter’s direction. 

She? Oh, God. Pepper. Tony’s head whipped to the side, searching for her. 

He found her on the floor several feet from his bed, one wrist cradled in a nurse’s grasp and a slow trickle of blood oozing from a shallow cut on her forehead. He saw her eyes clench tight and her breathing hitch as they tried gently moving her hand. What had he done? 

“Not helping,” Peter said, still keeping his voice steady and eyes locked on Tony. When he saw Tony’s attention refocus on him, Peter smiled. 

“Hey Mr. Stark, you’re good now. Everything’s under control and everyone is okay, just a couple bumps and bruises.”

Seeing the helpless confusion still lingering, Peter continued. “I'm not sure exactly what happened but I heard your heart suddenly start racing so I came in to check on you. You looked completely zoned out and Pepper couldn’t get you to respond. When I tried, I guess you saw me as a threat and lashed out. And, uh, it looks like you might have some kind of super strength now?” Peter tacked on at the end, over casual. 

“Excuse me, what? How about you run that by me again,” Tony said, looking incredulously at him. 

“It probably would have taken all my strength to hold you down,” Peter explained. 

“Which he wasn’t willing to do, in case he sent you back to a grave,” Strange expounded, not sounding like that would be such a terrible idea. “Hence the additional restraints.” 

“Well we don’t know if accelerated healing is part of the package, or if your body is even strong enough to handle the effects of using that strength - it puts a lot of stress on the bones and muscles,” Peter said, arms crossed and posture defensive. 

Tony turned back to Pepper. “Are you okay, Pep?” he asked quietly. 

She looked up and gave him a tired smile. “I’m fine, Tony, don’t worry about it. I’ve been shoved off worse things than a hospital bed.” Tony didn’t appreciate that particular allusion. 

At Tony’s raised eyebrows, the nurse spoke up as he finished wrapping Pepper’s hand and stood up. “Just a superficial scratch and a sprained wrist.” 

“See?” Pepper said. “They should really be looking at Peter, not at me.”

Tony’s gaze moved back fast enough to catch Peter throwing her an irritated glance and a slashing motion with his hands. Pepper mouthed ‘sorry’ back at him with a shrug, not looking particularly sorry. 

As Peter waved off the nurse coming to do just that, Tony finally noticed that a few of his fingers were bent at odd angles. From him. Fuck. This just kept getting better and better. At least this was making him much more grateful for Morgan’s absence. He probably would have willingly thrown himself back into the afterlife if he’d hurt her. 

Peter noticed Tony notice his fingers and moved quickly to straighten them with his other hand, bones popping loudly as they were shoved back into place. He tried to smile through the harsh wince. “No big,” he grit. 

Strange heaved a put-upon sigh. “I’m surrounded by idiots,” he muttered. To Peter, he said, “You know, I wish you wouldn’t do that. I can tell you from personal experience how soul-wrenching it is to be without properly functioning hands.”

Peter wrinkled his nose in Strange’s direction, stretching his arms over head. “Never been a problem before. My hands get messed up all the time with all the slinging - throwing my body weight around on a string at high speeds is hell on my hands and shoulders. One wrong turn and bam! Everything is out of place,” Peter said nonchalantly. 

Tony felt his heart sink further. He thought he’d accounted for that when designing Peter’s suits. Apparently not good enough. Story of his life. 

Peter looked around when the silence drew out past a normal pause. “Oh come on, guys, it’s really not that big a deal. They were just dislocated, not broken. And hello? Super healing? It’s a great perk.” He held up his previously injured hand and wiggled his fingers. Fully functional.

“That doesn’t mean it’s okay,” Tony cut in harshly. “It still hurts.”

Peter’s eyes shuttered and his jaw clenched, looking abnormally vulnerable. But it only lasted a second before he relaxed, shoulders rolling back. 

“Yeah, you’re right Mr. Stark, sometimes it sucks. But at least I heal, so if someone has to be hurt, I’d rather it be me,” he said with a crooked smile and a helpless shrug. 

And right there - he reminded him so much of himself, except 10,000 times better, that Tony couldn’t bring himself to say anything. 

Luckily, Strange took that chance to chime in. “You know what’s even better? Making it so that no one has to get hurt, including yourself.”

“Yeah, well, if I could control the fabric of time and space then maybe that would be a valid argument,” Peter grumbled with a roll of his eyes. 

“Or you could work on not being a self-sacrificing moron who rushes into things the second there seems to be trouble.”

“I feel like that’s directed at me,” Tony said dryly.  “But if I remember correctly, it was that exact quality of mine that, oh, I don’t know, saved the world? And I seem to remember you saying that was literally the only way for that to happen successfully.”

“The exception is not the rule.”

“Pretty big exception,” Peter pointed out. 

Strange tsked, rolling his eyes. “You’re impossible. I don’t even know why I bother.”

Pepper approached his bed and took his hand again. “Well this is truly awful timing, but I have to get going - there’s a stakeholder meeting that starts in two hours. Please try not to beat yourself up too much. Everyone is fine and we’ll get this figured out.”

“A stakeholder’s meeting? Really? You don’t think they might let you off the hook considering one of their greatest assets has returned from the dead? Even if they don’t like me, I make them a lot of money. Made. Will make again. Hopefully.”

Pepper smiled wryly. “If it was common knowledge then yeah, maybe so, but we’re keeping it out of the public for now.”

“But you’ll be back, right?” Tony asked. 

“Of course. Not tonight, but soon.”

“Right. You’ve got someone else to go home to,” Tony remarked bitterly. 

Pepper grimaced. “Okay, well yes, I do - our daughter. Apparently you didn’t hear what I was trying to tell you earlier. I had been seeing someone else, but we called it off when I got the news about you coming back.” She moved forward, touching his cheek. “I still love you, Tony. And I want our family back together if possible.”

Tony felt the knot in his chest loosen, slightly. “Okay,” he said simply. “Soon, then.”

“Soon,” Pepper agreed, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Then she was gone.  Tony was agonizingly aware of the loss of her touch, her warmth.

Peter flopped into the chair next to him and propped his feet up on the edge of the bed, grinning when Tony shot him an incredulous glance. “So, what else do you wanna know, boss man?”

They talked about what Peter was up to now - in his 3rd year at Columbia, double majoring in biochem and computer engineering, still the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man but also a full member of the Avengers. 

“And they let you keep your secret identity?” Tony asked. 

“Oh, no. Man, I forgot you didn’t already know about that. Yeah, I was outed only a few months after you were gone.”

“By SHIELD?” Tony asked, brow furrowed. 

“No, by one of the bad guys. He tricked me into thinking he was one of us then when he couldn’t get rid of me, he made sure to record a video that he broadcasted internationally right before he died, revealing who I was and saying I was the bad guy that killed him and was responsible for everything else. It was kinda, uh, crazy for a while.”

Tony felt his heart drop.  At this rate, it was going to end up a permanent resident in his stomach “Shit. I’m sorry, kid. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.”

Peter shrugged and quirked a quick smile. “Nah, it was my own fault really. I was young and stupid and trying to just be a kid instead of a superhero. I was too ready to trust someone else to take the load because I didn’t want it. And Ms. Potts actually helped a ton in containing the bad press and image recovery. She was a life saver!”

Tony flashed a quick, fond smile. “Well she’s had a lot of practice dealing with a lot worse. I feel like there’s more to this story, though. What exactly happened, Pete?”

Peter focused on a point to the left of Tony’s face, jaw tight. “I’d actually rather not talk about that right now, if that’s okay?”

Tony blinked. “Uh, sure, yeah, no problem kid.” To be completely honest, it was killing Tony to not know what happened, especially since it was obviously still very present in Peter’s mind. But it was also evident that if he pushed any harder, Peter might break. But why? What the hell happened? 

Peter’s answering smile was weak. “Thanks Mr. Stark.”

Tony glanced awkwardly around the room during the following silence. “So, uh, got a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? You know, no judgment,” he finally blurted. 

Peter shook his head. “Nah. I did finally go out with MJ, you remember her,” Peter said with an amused sideways glance. Tony snorted in response. Yeah, he remembered her. “But it turned out we were better off just as friends. She’s still kinda pissed that no matter what she does, she’s still mostly just known as ‘Spider-Man’s girlfriend’, even though we were only dating for like 6 months after I got outed.” 

Peter leaned back in his chair, resting his ankle on his opposite thigh and playing aimlessly with his shoelaces. “I tried dating a few other people, but it just hasn’t worked out. Either they just wanted to get to know me because of the whole Spider-Man thing or I just couldn’t pay them the attention they deserved between school and patrolling.” He shrugged. “It’s okay though. I’ve got good friends and the occasional hookup when the stress gets too high.”

Tony’s eyebrows rose, somewhat impressed. “Peter Parker, an active participant in casual sex, whoda thunk?”

Peter laughed. “Well, turns out I don’t do casual real well, which surprises nobody,” Peter said wryly. “But sometimes a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. It’s all good as long as everyone’s on the same page.”

Tony held up his hands. “Hey, no need to defend yourself to me, honeybee. I mean, look at who you’re talking to here.”

“You still remember that far back, old man?” Peter jibed. 

Tony grasped his chest. “Ouch! Critical hit, kid. Don’t you know I have a sensitive heart?”

Peter rolled his eyes. 

After another soft pause in the conversation, Peter pulled out his phone, tapping it against his palm and opening his mouth to speak several times before stopping. He huffed a breath then finally just asked, “Do you - um - do you want to see more pictures? Of Morgan?”

Tony couldn’t help the way his breath caught in his throat and his eyes stung. His immediate answer was yes, of course he wanted to see pictures of her. But at this point, he didn’t know how long it would be before he’d be able to see her. If at all. Could he handle seeing her right now? 

“I...I- yeah. Yeah, I think I would. Please,” he said hoarsely. 

Peter nodded, quickly punching in the passcode and pulling up his photos. Tony felt his heart stutter when he noticed Peter had a whole album dedicated to her. He craned his neck in Peter’s direction, suddenly desperate to see. Of course Pepper had shown him pictures of her, but that was before the idea of not seeing her felt so real. 

With shaking hands, he took the phone from Peter when he thrust it in his direction, cradling it gently. The picture on the screen showed her laughing - big, wide-mouthed, teeth-baring, nose-scrunching, eye-squinting laughter. Tony’s fingers ghosted over the screen, tracing her wild dark hair, the freckles on her cheeks. It made Tony smile, even as his eyes blurred. 

He ran his hand over his face as he sniffled and cleared his throat. “Man, it sure is warm in here. What’s a guy gotta do to get a glass of water in here?” 

Peter got up to get him one, passing it over (with a snarky, “I feel like I’m becoming your personal water boy,”) without commenting on the bullshit excuse that was fooling no one. He remained standing and stretched in an exaggerated manner. “I think I’m going to just stretch my legs for a minute,” Peter said before ambling across the room. Tony appreciated that pointed ignorance of his vulnerability more than he could say in this moment. 

He glanced back down at Morgan, noticing now that she looked just as he remembered her. He looked at the time stamp. Three years ago. He scrolled slowly through the 643 pictures in the album, watching the subtle changes as she grew up. Whereas Pepper had showed him mostly school pictures and professional photos, Peter had the real shots. There were silly selfies, blurry, grainy shots in what looked like a blanket fort, stupid Snapchat filters, several sleepy, angry glaring photos where she obviously didn’t appreciate having her picture taken (with some middle finger action thrown in the mix there), ones where her face is scrunched in concentration while she stands on tip toes on her stool at a lab table with her hands buried in a project. But mostly, she was smiling. Looking so damn happy. And surrounded by love - Pepper, Peter, Happy, and Rhodey all featured heavily. He stopped at the first picture he saw of Morgan with Pepper and a man he didn’t recognize. The man had his hand on Pepper’s hip and Morgan was smiling up at him. 

Tony couldn’t help the immediate surge of rage and loss he felt as he realized who he must be. 

“His name is Tom,” Peter said quietly, looking over Tony’s shoulder. 

Tony had to set the phone face down on the bed for a minute. Just breathe. He couldn’t blame Pepper for moving on, he reminded himself. He was dead. No one would have guessed he’d be coming back. And he wouldn’t have wanted her to be alone forever. 

“I can’t.” Tony grit. 

Peter pulled gently at the phone. “I can take those pictures out.”

Tony tightened his grip. “No.”

Peter looked at him. 

“No,” Tony said again. “I can. I just don’t want to. But I need to.”

It was almost another minute before Peter sighed and pulled his hand away. “Okay.” But he stayed close by this time, seemingly on edge. 

He picked up the phone again and kept going. Although he’d braced himself, there were actually not that many photos with this Tom guy in them. 

He’d started to relax when he got to one of the last pictures, this one just of Tom and Morgan, her curled in his lap, asleep, his arms around her. 

His vision went white and his head felt full of cotton, the world muffled and distant. He felt a sharp pain and looked down to see Peter’s phone crumpled in his hand, the glass shattered. Peter’s hand came slowly into his line of vision, coaxing his hand open. He pulled the mangled phone from his fist then sat on the bed and held Tony’s hand in his lap, methodically plucking shards of glass from his palm. 

Peter seemed to sense that Tony was floating back to the surface because he looked up briefly before resuming his task. “I think we’re gonna have to get you into anger management classes, Mr. Stark,” he said dryly. 

Tony blinked. And again. And again. And - there we go. Now his brain was connecting with what he was seeing. “Shit. I’m so fucking sorry, Pete.”

Peter scoffed, tightening his grip on Tony’s hand. “Stay still,” he chastised. “Yeah, super strength isn’t all fun and games, that’s for sure. If you think I haven’t done this same thing way too many times before, you are sadly mistaken. Don’t worry about it! Although if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll make you replace it.”

“I’m not only replacing it, I’m upgrading it. Isn’t that the same phone I left for you three years ago? That thing’s gotta be a dinosaur by now.”

Peter shrugged. “Not as much as you’d think, actually. With dealing with the consequences of the reversal of the snap, it hasn’t really been top priority to come out with new phone models. And there’s still nothing that can compare to your StarkPhone.”

“I knew those assholes at SI were lost without me,” Tony muttered a bit smugly. 

They were quiet for a while as Peter continued pulling the glass from Tony’s hand.  A nurse came in and tried to insist that they do that, but Peter firmly declined, belatedly glancing at Tony to make sure that was okay.  At his nod, Peter smiled and returned to his work.  

The nurse pressed her lips together firmly before sighing and bringing back some medical tweezers.  “At least use the proper tools,” she scolded.  Peter murmured his thanks as he took them.  Tony waved cheekily as she turned and left.

Feeling Peter’s firm grip, fingers dancing over Tony’s hand as he searched for any remaining pieces, was releasing a tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Despite the sharp stings as each shard was pulled from his skin, Tony found this oddly relaxing.  He leaned back into his pillows, watching Peter methodically squint, massage, tweeze, and pull, over and over again, strangely content with the silence in a way he rarely was.

Tony hadn’t realized Peter was done until Peter finally released his hand.  With the loss of contact, that drifting, floaty feeling came crashing back to earth, shattering as effectively as the phone had in his super-powered grasp.  He had to use all his self-restraint to keep from chasing after Peter’s retreating touch, desperately wanting an anchor to ease his sudden reeling.  But that would be weird.  And pathetic.  Which he’d had enough of, thank you very much.

Suddenly that silence, so peaceful and soft, was deafening, suffocating.  “Kid!” Tony blurted. 

Peter jolted, startled by the sudden, jarring exclamation.  “Uh, yeah?”

Tony’s mind raced, trying to come up with something to say, anything.  “You gonna be my jailer for a while, I guess, while we try to figure out what’s up?  You got some good board games or something?”

Wincing, Peter looked down at his hands for a second before leveling Tony with an apologetic gaze.  “Actually, I’ve got to get back to school tomorrow.  I’ve been studying here, but I’ve got to get back for finals.”

Tony was pretty sure he was able to keep the hopelessness from being broadcasted across his face, but it didn’t stop Peter’s kicked puppy look.  “Yeah, of course, I’m sorry Pete - I honestly thought it was still summer.  Shit, I have no idea what month it is.”  He rubbed his hand across his face, suddenly tired in a way that had nothing to do with his exhausted body.

“It’s December, Mr. Stark.  But in two weeks, I’m done with my semester and will have a month off!  Hopefully you’ll be out of here by then, but if not then I’ll be back to give you the ‘good cop’ experience.”

“Ah, shit,” Tony groaned, realizing what Peter meant.  “That means I’m stuck with Strange for two weeks, aren’t I?”

Peter grimaced sympathetically.  “I’d say he’s not really that bad, but-” At Tony’s unimpressed glare, he cut himself off.  “Yeah, I’m not even gonna go there.  But at least the feeling is mutual?  I mean, if you’re both dying to get away from each other, hopefully that just means you’ll both work harder to figure everything out so you can get out of here?”

Tony snorted.  “Is your middle name Positivity?  That’s got a ring to it - Peter Posisitivty Parker: always looking on the bright side.”

Peter laughed but his smile was a little off.  “Yeah, when there aren’t a lot of good things going for you, you either get angry or find each little piece of goodness around you,” he said with a shrug.

Tony looked at Peter for a long moment, watching him stare aimlessly to his left.  He struggled to sit up a bit, raising his hand to card through Peter’s hair gently.  “You’re a good kid,” Tony said, voice quiet and sincere.

Peter raised his eyes to meet Tony’s briefly before he looked back down, cheeks dusted pink.  “Thanks, Mr. Stark,” he said softly, leaning subtly into his touch. Tony relished the soft strands of hair, the warmth of Peter’s scalp against his skin before finally pulling back, knowing he was quickly broaching ‘weird touch’ territory.

Tony cleared his throat.  “So, finals?  How about you quiz me on some stuff?  See if any of my brains made it back with me?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one being quizzed?  I don’t think asking you questions is going to be super helpful for me,” Peter said with a grin.

“Teaching is the best way to learn, you know,” Tony said, hand waving dismissively.

Peter rolled his eyes.  “Yes, because I’m definitely going to need to teach you engineering concepts.”

“Hey!  You never know, I may be a bit soft in the head now.  I’m counting on you, Professor Parker.”

“Some would say you’ve always been a bit soft in the head,” Peter quipped.

“I would say I resent that, but I’m sure you’re right.  Books.  Now.  Chop chop.”

_____________________________________________________________________

I was originally going to cut parts out of this and make it shorter, but I’m terrible at editing down, so here it is.  

Someone pointed out last post that I mentioned at some point that this might be four parts.  ha!  Definitely going to be more than that.  Not sure how much, but we shall see.  I’ve got a few future scenes written out, I just need to get there (yikes).  I also mentioned that the starker would start here aaaaand I lied again.  Seriously y’all, don’t ever believe a word I say about future updates that haven’t been written.

Tag list: @starkerprince @peachbabytarte  I feel like I’m missing somebody?  If I am, super sorry!!!!!

Part 4 - Tony is Iron Man. Plus, Tony gets to go home.

[princessamericachavez]

Let’s talk about Fjord

This has been a long time coming, especially given how most of the fandom tends to overlook the depth of Fjord’s past and current trauma or downright vilify him for it... but I’m not here to talk salt, I’m here to talk about all the sweet little tidbits about Fjord we learned tonight in Talks.

So let’s review:

a. Fjord feels more comfortable in the City of Beasts than in the Empire/Menagerie Coast: 

Now, hey, let’s take a break and consider this, yeah? Because Fjord has spent all of his life fighting and denying the “monster” side of him, to the point of self-harm. He’s crafted himself to look and act as an exemplary human (when he doesn’t even know if the non-orc part of his blood is human at all). Only in the past few months with the Mighty Nein has he started to accept himself. Letting his tusks grow —under Jester’s gentle watch— has been a huge step for him and his self-image. 

And yet. When they were traveling across this other lands, we never really saw Fjord complain. He never brought up that he felt watched, that he felt judged, that he felt out of place. That’s just how good his mask is (and part of his “no one cares” mentality that we will touch in a moment). 

He might not even fit in here entirely either —he’s destined to be forever a half-blood no matter where he goes— but the fact that he feels more comfortable here than he ever did before talks about just how deep-rooted his trauma is. As Travis put it “it’s having an interesting effect on him” and hopefully it will be one of further self-acceptance. We already saw him comment to himself that the stubby tusks had helped him intimidate Umanon. The very same thing that ostracized him as a child, is a powerful asset here.

b. Fjord is desperate to connect with his bloodline. 

Now, we’d seen hints of this longing before. On a meta-level, there was Travis complaining that Fjord didn’t get to meet the lonely half-orc on their way North, but we’ve also had several IC hints. Consider how Fjord found an orcish tusk in Lorenzo’s bag of teeth and kept it. Think about the value he puts into family. Think about him saying, of course, Jester would want to meet her dad. Think about the weight and importance he puts in the family. Think about how set he is in reuniting families —be it Jester with her mom or Nott with her son or even Beau with her estranged parents. Think about him choosing to name himself Captain Tusktooth of all things and despite his lack of them.

The way Travis put it tonight, though, wasn’t just curiosity, it was desperation. It was the need to sit down and ask “are you a monster, for real? Am I really a monster, too?” It’s just the need to be acknowledged. It’s the need to understand what it is in his blood that has made him a target all of his life. It’s getting some damn answers for once. It’s being a part of something. 

And how heartbreaking is it that his first proper encounter with his own species had to be this three drunken assholes that tried to hurt his friends and disregarded him as a weakling? And, yet, how satisfying is it that he got himself and his friends out of that problem, not by force but by outwitting them? By taking this side of him that he’s carefully crafted through his painful youth and using it to get the upper hand?

c. Fjord’s “tough love” and understanding of the world. 

Listen, as much as the two previous things were sad, I think nothing broke my heart as hearing Travis talk about Fjord’s perspective of the world. It makes sense, though. Of course, it does. He grew a nobody in an orphanage where he suffered at hands of other children and was probably never aided or defended by a single caring soul. What does it do to a child, to grow knowing no one is going to come to your rescue? That no one cares? That no one will?

And then Vandran, the one person that has apparently shown Fjord the most kindness in his life, reinforcing this idea, telling him “yes, no one cares, no one is going to care about your problems, so you just deal with them and keep pushing forward”. Of course, Fjord grabbed that ideology —that already aligned with his perspective of the world— and held on to it, turned it into a shield with which he could face an uncaring world. As “tough love” as it is, Vandran gave him a tool to turn his pain and anger into a way to keep moving. Was it the most emotionally healthy advice? Probably not, but it kept Fjord alive.

We’ve seen the side effects of this attitude come and bite Fjord in the ass, though. From not sharing his Uk’otoa dreams at first because they are his problem to deal with, to taking in the responsibility to deal with Avantika and the whole pirate deal... it’s made his allies distrust him, thinking he withholds information out of shadiness rather than a sense of sole responsibility for his issues. Like, think of being sure that the M9 would not come and rescue him from the slavers. After being rescued, he tells Beau and Caleb that he did not expect them to come. Why would he. No one ever has. No one has ever cared. He tells them he expects better of himself because that’s the only person he’s ever really been able to rely on. 

Until now. Until the Mighty Nein. After being rescued, he tells them that he hasn’t had many kindnesses directed at him in his life, and as much as it sounds like a “cool guy” line, really, really, really think how real that is, how much pain there was in Fjord’s shaky breathless laugh as he said it. I don’t care what anyone says or thinks, Travis is fucking BRILLIANT roleplayer that has been planting the seeds and hints of Fjord’s trauma and pain, playing the subtle long game, really thinking deeply about how his past affects him and it’s all slowly boiling to the surface and it’s perfect.

Going back to how the M9 have changed Fjord’s perspective, though, think about how much they care. They do care, and they show it, and they help, and show up, and go out of their way to help and protect Fjord in a way no one ever has before. 

Jester bribing someone to get Fjord a recommendation later just because he said he wanted to get into a super fancy magic academy. Beau, Caleb, Nott and Molly risking (and giving) their lives to rescue him and the others from the slavers. They spent months out in the open see and surrounded by pirates and death threats just to help him get answers about his powers and his mentor. Jester yelling “don’t worry Fjord, you’re going to be okay!” or “I’ll protect you, Fjord!” and assuring him “I’ll heal you if you start to hurt”, keeping his secrets about his past, constantly asking about how he feels and what he wants and what he needs. My dudes (forgive me as I get momentarily shippy) but when Travis says Fjord is in awe of Jester’s light and happiness, how he’s never met anyone like her, how her light is contagious... the more we learn about the shadows in Fjord’s past, the more apparent it becomes how significant her light is to him (platonically or otherwise)

And speaking of light, fourth and final matter

d. Fjord is looking for an out. 

And not just any out. Fjord is looking for a higher power to help him stop Uk’otoa or, at the very least, break his connection to the serpent. 

And here is where I throw a huge HAH to anyone who claimed Fjord to be evil, shady, power-hungry or willing to betray everyone or some shit. 

My guys, Fjord is willing to give up the very power that —for the first time in his life— has allowed him to defend himself and those he loves, just to do the right thing. Fjord is actively thinking of ways to fix his situation. Fjord is step by step turning his back on the dark promise of rewards and reaching for the light like a drowning man.

How will that look, you ask? Well, Travis did bring up a significant word tonight: Paladin. 

From a purely ttrpg point of view, all Fjord needs to multiclass to Paladin is a couple extra strength points that he could easily get the next time he can up his stats. 

From a narrative point of view, though, how wonderful would it be? This boy, this man, who grew up being shunned, hated, attacked, disregarded as a monstrosity... This kid who everyone called an evil shady monster, who people distrust on sight, who didn’t think himself important enough to be helped by anyone... 

I would KILL for paladin Fjord. Like, shutting up every single person (in and out of game) that called him evil or a monster by becoming a god's champion, a paragon of good, literal knight in shining armor, tusks and all. TUSKS AND ALL. 

Jester seeing Fjord in full armor, shining like the sun with a light of his own, blessed by a deity of his own, tall and proud... and her just being filled with pride, telling him “see, Fjord? I told you, you’re just like a knight in shining armor!”

I’m curious as to which god Fjord would choose to follow, though. 

The Wildmother might seem like a far fit given how different Caduceus’s approach to, well, everything is to Fjord, but reading up on her she’s “the goddess of wilderness and the sea. She watches over nature, good harvest, grants protection from washing away in storms, guides the passage of ships, and protects smaller folk” which seems like SUPER fitting given Fjord’s backstory. 

The Moonweaver would be an interesting nod to Molly’s faith, but also a good fit to Fjord’s tendencies towards hiding his true self behind a perfect mask since she “is a chaotic good deity of moonlight and the autumn season, as well as the patron of illusions and misdirection [...]  she is largely considered to be the deity of love and protector of the trysts of lovers. Those who work in secrecy and trickery often ask for her blessing.” (also Fjord needs all the luck in love he can get)

The Changebringer is an interesting option too, I think, since she “is the goddess of freedom, trade, travel, and adventure. She encourages her followers to venture into the unknown” and we all know how curious and impulsive Fjord can be, it’d be fun for him to have a deity that encourages his thirst for adventure now that he’s enjoying his new life and getting to know and do more than he ever dreamed.

The Stormlord is a weird mix since he’s the god of war and fighting but also worshipped by sailors of the Menagerie Coast, which Fjord could feel closer too. 

(also either the Stormlord or the Wildmother might have some kind of direct interest in Uk’otoa not rising again, so they seem likely to help)

I —for one— would love to see Fjord as a paladin of the Traveler, just because the idea is hilarious and I have no idea how it would work.

Either way, though, Fjord has a super interesting road ahead. His past and present are coming to the surface and this arc his subtly giving us a lot of what will shape his future.

Tl;dr: Fjord is a good boy who has suffered a lot and I will fight the next person that calls him evil. 

[bookworlders]

the wedding date - chapter 10

percabeth fake dating!au based on The Wedding Date movie

part 1 | FFnet | ao3

masterpost

“I’m paying him. Percy. I paid him to come here to make Luke jealous. He’s not my boyfriend.”

Annabeth said, tears welling up in her eyes. She cut Thalia off before she could hear anything else to make her feel even more guilty.

“What?” Thalia “What do you mean?”

“He’s an actor. I hired him—”

“What the fuck, Annabeth? So you’re just lying to everyone?”

“Thalia, you don’t understand—”

“Annabeth, that’s not right! You can’t play these games with people—”

“I know! But you have to understand I’m not trying to hurt you or Luke, I was just trying to protect myself, okay? I-I’m sorry. I’m not using Percy to get Luke back, I just couldn’t show up here in front of you all alone.”

“Annabeth—”

“I have to go, Thalia. I’m sorry,” Annabeth turned and ran away before Thalia could respond. She couldn’t bear to see whatever judgemental look Thalia might have on her face. Her face burned with shame. The absurdity and inappropriateness of the situation was catching up from her.

She hoped she could catch Percy in their cabin before he returned back to the rehearsal dinner.

“Annabeth, hey! Thank, gods I’ve been looking for you.” Jason called, breathless from jogging to catch up with her. “I need a huge favor.”

“Now’s not really a—” Annabeth stopped herself, remembering she was talking to the groom the night before his wedding, “Yes, what can I do?”

“We’re out of wine, and you’re the only one who knows where the spare key to Mr. D’s wine cellar in the Big House is.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s behind the leopard head in the living room, but you need to climb onto the bookshelf—you know what, it’s too complicated. I’ll just grab it for you. How many more bottles? Like one red and two white?”

Jason glanced back at the rehearsal dinner still in full swing, “I’d make that three of each.”

“You know everyone’s going to be hungover at the ceremony tomorrow, right?”

“Hopefully that’ll mean everyone’s too hungover and tired to cause a scene.”

“Right, I’ll go bring them to you now.”

_________________________________

Annabeth coughed from the cobwebs she had swept away from the mounted leopard head named Seymour by their old camp director, Mr. D.

She had spotted Mr. D hiding his spare key away here when she had been dropping off paperwork one night during her last summer at camp. As a senior counselor, she used this new found knowledge to steal wine and they’d all go drink at the stables. It was Mr. D’s fault for having a well-stocked wine cellar at a summer camp full of minors.

Annabeth crouched, browsing the bottom shelves for the shittier wines. Everyone was already too drunk to notice if the bouquet was off.

“Annabeth, hi.”

_________________________________

“Annabeth!” Thalia called, following Annabeth back to the rehearsal dinner.  

Jason waved to his  sister, “Thals! Where you been?”

“Have you seen Annabeth? We were having a, erm,  conversation and she just ran off.”

“Oh, she’s inside. I sent her to get more wine. Actually, can you go check on her? She’s been taking a long time.”

_________________________________

Annabeth shot up, slamming her head on one of the top shelves.

“Ouch!” she spun around to face the door. “Luke,” she said breathlessly, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you alone. This seems to be my first shot of the night.”

“What do you want?”

“Annabeth, I know you only brought Percy here to make me jealous.”

Annabeth’s blood went ice cold, “What? Who told you-”

“You didn’t even have to say it, I can see it on your face, you’re still into me.”

Annabeth breathed deeply through her nose, Luke was just being arrogant. “Why would you say that?” She replied, cooly.

“Look at him! He’s not your type. You’re all over him and it’s just to get under my skin.”

“What exactly is my type, Luke? You? Just because you’re the only guy I’ve dated before Percy? Not everything’s about you. I really like him.”

“Annabeth, stop this–”

“No!” Annabeth protested. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get these to Jason.” Annabeth tried to push past Luke to the door.

He grabbed her waist and kissed her, hard.

“Mmph!” Annabeth squirmed, dropping the bottles. Luke’s hands cupped her face, holding her lips to his.

“Annabeth? Annabeth, are you down here? Jason sent me to come check on—what the fuck. How could you?”

Annabeth shoved Luke away from her just in time to see the back of Thalia storming back up the cellar.

_________________________________

As Percy headed back towards their table, he decided he wouldn’t tell Annabeth about his confrontation with Luke. That asshole didn’t deserve any more of her brain power devoted to him. Percy decided that, and only that, was the reason he wasn’t going to tell her, and not because of the stab of jealousy and protectiveness that had coursed through his veins when he argued with Luke.

When he got to their table, it was empty. At that moment, Thalia shoved past him, clearly on her way out.

“Oh, hey. Have you seen Annabeth—Whoa, are you okay? What happened?”

Thalia’s signature heavy black and purple eye makeup was smudged around her puffy eyes. “You know exactly what’s going on,” she spat, “But why don’t you ask Annabeth, she’s the one with Luke’s tongue down her throat.”

“What?”

Thalia rolled her eyes, “You’re a great actor, Percy. Bravo. Your scheme worked. Luke and Annabeth are making up inside as we speak. I hope she tips you well.” She pushed past him in disgust, stalking away.

_________________________________

“Get the fuck off of me.” Annabeth shoved him, hard. “Thalia, wait!”

Luke grabbed her wrist, “Forget her. Annabeth, it worked okay? I hate seeing you with that guy, I want to get back together.”

Annabeth yanked her arm out of his grasp, “Stop, Luke! I’m done being hung up on you. I brought Percy to this wedding as my date, and I really care about him. Get over yourself, because I am.” Annabeth pushed past him. As she stalked out of the Big House, for the first time this weekend, she wasn’t lying or acting. She meant it. It didn’t even scare her that as soon as Luke kissed her, every atom in her body screamed at her to find Percy.

Annabeth saw their empty table, realizing he must still be getting changed. Good, she thought, it was shit show of a rehearsal dinner anyway and she and Percy could just hang out in their cabin

She hurried back to Cabin 3, and flung open the door, “Percy?”

Percy zipped up his duffle bag, turning to face her.

“Why—why are you packing?”

“Because clearly my work here is done.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Congratulations, Annabeth. You got Luke back. I wish you would’ve warned me before leaping back into his arms, but whatever.”

“Percy, stop it, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m pretty sure I do, Annabeth. I’ve seen you string your friends along all weekend, but you won’t string me along.

Annabeth’s mouth gaped, “I don’t understand why you’re getting so angry when you agreed to this arrangement just as much I did!”

“Yes, I agreed to come be your date to a wedding so you wouldn’t be alone, I didn’t agree to you manipulating your friends! I don’t wanna be that kind of guy for you, Annabeth.”

Annabeth steeled herself as those words cut deep. She didn’t even process the words coming out of her mouth, “For me? This is all just for show, remember Percy?”

Percy scoffed, slinging his duffle bag over his shoulder, “I can’t believe you, Annabeth. You and Luke are perfect for each other.”

The screen door slammed as Percy left.

She didn’t go after him.

_________________________________

Percy shouldered his duffle bag, his leather dress shoes making imprints in the sand of the volleyball court. He was taking the long way around to the parking lot next to the Big House, giving the porch a wide berth to avoid the rehearsal dinner that was still in full swing.

“Perseus?”

“Chiron, sorry I didn’t see you.” The bearded man rolled towards him in his wheelchair with a pack of cards in his lap.

“It’s alright, I was just sneaking back into the house to get cards for a game of pinochle that Mr. D is insisting on.” Chiron eyed Percy’s duffle bag. “Going somewhere?”

Percy scratched the back of his neck, Annabeth’s favorite mentor was quite literally the last person he wanted to run into, “I’m going to go find a hotel or something. Things aren’t really working out between me and Annabeth.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I—

“Didn’t you two drive a rental car here? Unfortunately we’re a bit far out for cab service.” Percy hadn’t thought far enough to figure out how he was going to leave Camp Half-Blood yet. “Perseus, please. There aren’t hotels for miles. Stay here in the Big House. At least until the morning.”

“Chiron—”

“Come along, I’ll show you to the spare room.”

_________________________________

Annabeth collapsed on the bed in Cabin 3. As her head hit the pillow, which still ached from slamming it in the wine cellar, she felt something under it. She pulled out a paper envelope. Inside was two thousand dollars in cash.

Annabeth threw the envelope on the floor and wrapped a blanket around herself, not caring that her mascara stained the pillows.

_________________________________

The spare room was the camp infirmary.

Percy set his bag down on one of the six beds with crisp white linens that lined the open room as Chiron bid him goodnight.

He buried his head in his hands as he sank onto the bed. What a mess this night was. It already pained him how early he needed to get up in the morning in order to leave camp before the wedding party arose for the ceremony. Percy’s heart tightened when he thought about how hurt Annabeth must be feeling, and he dreaded her sitting through the wedding alone even though he was the one who left her.

He hadn’t signed up for this. Although, to be honest, he had no idea what he did sign up for. The most beautiful girl in the world that he had met on the opening night of his show contacted him out of the blue to attend a wedding with her. What could go wrong?

Percy couldn’t see a shower or bathroom in this room and he was too spooked to snoop around the darkened halls of the Big House, but he saw a sink in the corner of the room near the medicine cabinets and a bulletin board.

He dug his toothbrush out of his bag and trudged over to the sink. The bulletin board had dozens of polaroids of kids in orange t-shirts — campers, Percy guessed—participating in various camp activities. One particular face, shot over and over again, caught his eye.

A young Annabeth smiled back at him in many of the photos that ranged from a lanky grinning twelve-year-old with scabby knees holding a red flag in triumph — captioned ‘Cabin 6 wins capture the flag’— to a teenage Annabeth with sunburned cheeks and a messy ponytail beaming with her arms around friends — ‘Head counselors at bonfire sing-a-long.’ He smiled seeing her familiar gray eyes staring back at him, although the eyes he knew were a little sadder and more reserved these days.

Percy’s heart squeezed. He longed to know the girl in these photos. His chest ached thinking of the girl he just walked away from. Staring at the pictures, Percy realized he was recklessly in love with her.

[prorevenge]

Go ahead and undermine my credentials and hard work. I'll just make sure people know who you really are.

Backstory

I'm 25(M) and I work in the IT department for my company. Our IT department branches out into 6 smaller departments (Technical Support, Programming, Web Development, Computer System Analysis, IT Security, and Network Engineering). Each of these has their own boss and the boss of these all answer directly to the Director of the IT department. A couple weeks ago, I was called into the Director's office when I came into work. She’s an incredible person and mentor.

She told me that she had some good news and bad news. The bad news was that she was offered another job at a much larger company as the IT director at one of their branches in Chicago, so she’d be leaving in a couple of months. The good news was that the position for IT director at our company was open, and given my performance and reputation around the office, my immediate boss (the head of Computer System Analysis) had put my name in for consideration for the job! Each of the six department bosses in IT had to put one name in for consideration, so I have at least five other people who are competing for this job, plus any potential outside hires (It’s four now, but I’ll get to that). After our little chat, I weighed the pros and cons of the job if I get it and I decided to just go for it! I might have a pretty good shot at getting the job, since I'd consider myself a fairly likable person, a hard worker, and fairly good at my job. But there are others who are also very good candidates and I'd still be okay if I didn't get the job. It’s an honor to just be considered.

Now let me tell you about the target of my revenge. For the sake of this story, let's call this guy "Gabe". As the head of Technical Support, Gabe had the power to recommend anyone in his department for the position, but he picked himself. Now I already knew him and what he's like because a year ago I also worked in Tech Support for a short time. I was originally hired to be in the Computer System Analysis department, but I volunteered to help out in Tech Support since we were a bit short-staffed at the time. Gabe is an obnoxious, self-absorbed, arrogant, and uptight dick who doesn't listen to anyone who he feels is "beneath him". He's either in his late 30s or early 40s, but either way he has at least 10 years on me. He's a little on the chubby side, receding hairline, and a neck-beard. All he needs to achieve his final form is a fedora. Back when I worked for him, he gave me a lot of crap for so many little things. From not filling out repair tickets right to completing a repair slightly out of order, he always had something to complain about. But other than that, he seemed fine to me. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have done what I did or gone as far as I did. But then this happened:

I was just doing my work and minding my own business, as one does. I stood up to go refill my water bottle at the water fountain and guess who follows me? If you said Gabe, then congratulations. You get a cookie. Gabe walks up to me while I'm filling up my bottle and starts a conversation.

Gabe: Hey OP, what's goin' on? How are you?

Immediately I knew somebody was wrong. He's never this friendly. But I had no easy way out of this, so I rolled with it.

Me: Hey Gabe. I'm good. How're yo-

Gabe: So I heard that (Head of CSA's name) put your name in for the Director's job.

Me: Yeah! I'm really excited to interview! It's an honor to even be considered.

Gabe just laughs and puts on his normal expression of smug and gassy

Gabe: Listen to me. If you think they're gonna pick you, a lazy new kid who can't even write a fucking repair ticket correctly, over me, a team manager who's had 15 years with this company, then you're out of your goddamn mind.

I was shocked. I couldn’t believe those are actual words that a coworker, much less a coworker with a higher position, said to my face.

Me: What the hell? Why would you say that? I did nothing but good work for you last year and you know it.

Gabe: It was mediocre at best! When I become the IT director, I’m gonna crack the whip. Why anyone would think someone like you is a worthy candidate for one of the highest positions in the company is beyond me. So I’ll make sure my new department heads have better judgement than (Head of CSA’s name)

He walked away smugly and I just stood there, both shocked and honestly quite hurt. The only part he got right was that I was relatively new, being there for two years. But I also realized in that moment that I couldn’t let this kind of person be the Director. But, again, I’m just a kid to them, so what can I do?

Planning The Revenge

That same day, I went down to the building's cafeteria to take my lunch break with my girlfriend (she works in the Marketing Department). I told her about the promotion and what happened with Gabe. She made me feel better by talking me down and that was super nice. But what happened next was even better. A few of my friends from IT walked by to congratulate me as well and they sat down. A couple of them are from Tech Support and the rest are from the other departments. My girlfriend welcomed them to sit down with us and we made it a little party. We talked and then I told them about what happened with Gabe. The ones in Tech Support all groaned and, surprisingly, so did the rest of them. I was intrigued and I asked them to elaborate, and all of them have their own Gabe horror story.

Turns out that his usual condescending remarks aren't the worst of it. They had stories about him ripping into an intern for not getting his coffee order right, one story about him making transphobic remarks about an HR rep (really sweet guy. Makes incredible babka.), one of them has a couple of recordings of sexist and rape-y comments towards the female department heads in IT, and he's even come to work intoxicated on multiple occasions. Although that last part wasn't really news to me, since he reeked of alcohol frequently.

Now at this point, you’re probably asking the same question my girlfriend asked: “Why don’t you tell somebody?” Well I’ll tell ya. Our communication policy is kinda shit in IT. Rather than report a dispute or an issue immediately to HR or the Director, we have to give it to our immediate superior, which in this case would be Gabe for a lot of them. You really think Gabe’s gonna rat himself out to the Director? As much as I love my boss and think she’s going a wonderful job, that’s the one policy that she has that I don’t agree with.

At this point, we had all kinda bonded over our mutual hatred for Gabe. We had all agreed that Gabe would be an absolutely terrible boss and we needed to stop him. We were the Avengers and this was our Endgame (which is funny since Endgame would come out the next day). Just then, my genius girlfriend said something that I couldn't believe I didn't figure out sooner. She said "Y'know, this time next week, you're going to be face to face with the CEO, an HR rep, and your Director for the interview. That's your opening. You can air out all of his dirty laundry right there." The rest of our faces lit up, realizing this too and we were ecstatic. This was our chance and we weren't going to waste it. Gabe is a terrible human being and would be an even worse Director. He had to go. But I'd need proof first. So that's what I got.

Revenge Time

Along with rewriting my resumé and brushing up on my interview skills, I spent the next week being something of an investigative journalist. I asked my previously mentioned coworker to email me those recordings he had of Gabe’s rape-y comments (which by the way were absolutely sickening to listen to. I think the worst one was “I’d love to raw her over the trash can like the dirty whore she is.”), as well as spending time interviewing members of the Tech Support team as well as some of the other department heads. Almost everyone had some form of bad experience with him, ranging from unprofessional to downright abusive behavior. The head of WebDev even said that she was always uncomfortable whenever they were alone in a room together. By the time I was done, I had 3 voice recordings of Gabe, 4 pages of quotes from people around the office, and the stories I had originally heard at lunch that day when we began planning. I really wanted to prove his whole day-drinking thing, but I was afraid that going that far might cost me my job. But what I wanted to do was sneak into his office, open his drawers, and hopefully find empty liquor bottles or something to that effect. But what I had would just have to suffice.

Then the day came. We were in the Endgame now. I showed up to the work the day of interviews in my finest suit, my resumé, and literal pages of evidence to make my case. I walked into the office and saw my competition along with a bunch of other people who I didn’t recognize. Those were the outside hires. I was getting pretty nervous, especially when I saw the interview committee in the conference room through its glass walls. The CEO, my Director, and an HR Rep. I took a few deep breaths, checked when my turn was, and then I sat down to do my work, just waiting to make my move. A few of my coworkers came by my desk to wish me good luck, and that made me feel a lot better about it.

I waited and waited for my turn and then saw Gabe walking up to me from the conference room, so that means his interview must’ve just finished. I pulled out my phone and went to voice memos and began recording, just in case I got anything more out of him, and oh boy you bet I did.

Me: What’s up, Gabe? How was your interview?

Gabe: Great. Obviously. The job is as good as mine. You might as well not even try.

Me: I’m still gonna try my best, man. Who knows? I might even get it.

Gabe: Yeah keep dreaming.

He starts to get up in my face and I can smell his lunch on his breath. Too many onions. He then starts hissing at me.

Gabe: You’re absolute trash, kid. They’re not gonna pick a kid with two years of experience with an undergrad degree over me. I’ve been at this company for far too long and got my undergrad degree and my masters from Princeton! Don’t think for a second that you have the upper hand. You’re nothing to me!

I held my breath while he ranted and then he walked away to talk to another one of my coworkers who had their interview already. Coworkers around me just looked at me both shocked and confused once he walked away. I grabbed my phone, stopped the recording, and played it back. That was it. That was the final piece. I waited for a couple more interviews to finish, until they finally called me in. I grabbed my bag and my phone and walked into the conference room. As I walked, I could feel the eyes of some coworkers on me. They knew my plan, and I think they were counting on me to pull this off. Once inside, we all shook hands and exchanged formalities before sitting down and letting the interview begin. Not all of it is relative to the story, so let me just skip to the end.

CEO: Given the amount of internships you've done and how much time you've put into the company, you may have a good chance. However, we've just interviewed people with almost triple your experience. How do you stand out from the rest.

Me: Well, if I become the new Director, I already have some ideas for policies I'd like to put into place.

Director: Oh really? Would you care to give us an example?

Me: Don't get me wrong. I believe that you have done an amazing job as Director of this department, but there are some things that I think can be improved upon. For instance, our policy when it comes to HR.

HR Rep: Could you elaborate on that, please?

Me: Certainly. In the IT department, when we have any disputes or grievances to settle, we need to report them to our direct superior. Not the Director, but to the lower department heads. My goal is to streamline communication, so workers can report issues directly to the Director or go straight to HR.

Director: Alright, but can you tell us why the current policy is an issue?

I started smiling. This was it. This was my opening.

Me: Funny you should ask. Recently, I heard stories from a bunch of my coworkers about our head of Tech Support, Gabe. He's been very rude to his staff and to others on multiple occasions. In fact, I think "unprofessional" is a bit of an understatement from the stories I've been hearing.

Right then, I reached into my bag and pulled out the long list of stories and quotes I had gathered from the past week and handed them to the CEO.

Me: I care about my coworkers, so I did some digging. I really feel like this is something that you need to see.

I watched as the search committee read the quotes and stories. I watch their expressions turn to shock and disgust, which I totally get. I felt the same way when I heard all of this.

HR Rep: This is a... conflict of interest. From what I know, Gabe is also your competition for this position. How do we know that these stories aren't fabricated so that you could get an advantage? Because offenses like these could result in immediate termination. I hope you have a way to prove these very serious accusations.

Me: I had a feeling you'd say that. You are free to interview any of the people I quoted, but I can just save you some time and show you this.

I pulled out my phone and opened up the email that my coworker had sent me and all four of us listened to this neck-beard's disgusting and upsetting quotes. But I wasn't done there. I also pulled up the most recent one. The conversation between me and him. My Director just looked down at her desk and then they looked at each other. I was the one to break the silence.

Me: I'm sorry you had to hear all of this.

CEO: Could you please email those recordings to me? I would like to address this immediately.

Me: Of course. You are free to keep those papers too.

I forwarded the email to him along with my recording.

Director: Thank you for this information, OP. We'll let you know our decision when the time comes.

Me: Of course. Thank you for your time.

I shook everyone's hand again and that's when the HR Rep spoke up.

HR Rep: Can you please ask Gabe to come back? I would like to address this immediately as well.

I'm ecstatic at this point

Me: I would be happy to.

I leave the room and notice my friends in Tech Support just staring at me. My girlfriend was also sitting at my desk, since we planned on going out for lunch after my interview. I didn't want to give anything away, so I kept a straight face and walked past them and towards Gabe's office. I walked in and sighed.

Me: The interview committee wants to see you again.

Gabe just looked up from his computer and just gave me a cocky smirk, as if to say "I told you so." He got up and pushed past me towards the door. I followed behind him towards the conference room and we parted ways when he went in and I walked towards my desk. I wanted to see exactly what happened. I watched what unfolded through the glass walls. I saw Gabe's face turn white and his expression turn from smug to terrified. He turned his head to me and I had this shit-eating grin on my face. I just waved and then left my office with my girlfriend to have a nice lunch.

The Aftermath

I was feeling pretty good about the whole day. I got my revenge, did fairly well in a job interview, and had amazing chicken parm for lunch that day. I felt so good, that I decided to take the rest of the day off. I went to the zoo, saw a really cute koala bear. The next day, I came to work dressed down since interviews were over, and then patiently waited for the committee to make their decision. When I walked into the lobby of the building, my two friends from Tech Support ran over and trapped me in a bear hug.

Me: Well this is new. What's this for?

Friend 1: You did it!

Me: I GOT THE JOB?!

Friend 1: No! We wouldn't know even if you did. We're talking about Gabe!

Me: I stopped him from getting the job?

Friend 2: Oh you did a lot more than that. But you'll just have to see for yourself.

Both of them drag me to the elevator to go up to the IT floor. When we get there, they dragged me through the main office and over towards Gabe's. When we got in, all I found was an empty room with a desk in the middle of it. My jaw dropped. Apparently I collected so much evidence for Gabe's misbehavior, not only did I eliminate him from gunning for the Director's job, but he was also fired from the company and potentially blacklisted since everything I submitted for evidence against him was put on his permanent file. I'm not sure if he was blacklisted or not since I'm not entirely sure how that works, but he's definitely gone for good. I asked them about the details of what happened after I left. They told me that Gabe was so mad (probably at me), that his face was bright red. After he left the conference room, he spent the rest of the day packing up and drinking in his office, so I guess my day-drinker theory held up. He left in shame, and we won't see him again.

I was so excited. Gabe was gone and it felt like the office was a brighter place. People were so excited that a few people outside the Tech Support department brought in a bunch of desserts, from cheesecake to brownies. They were delicious, but I think what them taste better was that I did something to cause this rush of joy. I think the best part of this whole thing is that only a couple of people know that I had something to do with this. The rest of them? Totally clueless. I'm not the protector that IT wants, but I'm the protector that IT needs. Now enough humble-bragging. It's starting to make me feel like a douche.

In hindsight, I don't know what would've been more satisfying. Doing what I did or getting the job fair and square and firing Gabe. But if there's one thing I learned in life, you will do things that you are proud of that you will enjoy and you will do things that you're not so proud of but will really enjoy. This doesn't apply. I am both very proud of this and I really REALLY enjoyed this. This might come back later to bite me in ass, but for right now I think I'll enjoy it. But now the Director has to pick a new head of Tech Support. Either that or she'll give that job up to the next Director. It's been almost a few days since the interviews and we're still waiting on the results. Even if I don't end up getting the job, I still gained something from this. I have a better bond with my coworkers and got rid of the asshole in my office. If enough people like this story, I'll update you on if I got the job or not.

Moral of the story: Don't shoot an unfamiliar gun. You don't know how strong the kickback's gonna be.

TL;DR: I was considered for a job promotion but was demeaned by a superior who was also up for the job. I found out bad things about him and presented them during my interview and got him fired and possibly blacklisted from getting another job.

(source) story by (/u/KyuubiBlade)

[intothestarkerverse]

The Time of Our Lives (Part Two)

Based on a prompt from @geekymarvel 

Peter is tasked with an important mission that requires him to go back in time.   Finding himself at a gala for Stark industries in the 1990's, he comes face to face with a young and incorrigible Tony Stark who considers Peter's attempts to deny his advances a challenge.  Now, dogged by a horny young CEO who won't take no for an answer, Peter's task has become much more difficult....

(STORY CONTAINS ENDGAME SPOILERS)

Read on AO3

Be careful what you wish for.  It was a cliched adage that old people were always quoting as if they were the first ones to think of such a priceless nugget of wisdom.  Never before in Peter’s life had he been granted such an acute understanding of just how wise it was.

How many times in the last several years had he wished for something just like this?  He’d pined for Tony Stark from the solitude of his own bedroom since his very early teens when his hero worship for Iron Man had been swallowed by a budding sexuality it had taken him years to completely accept and understand.

Just once he had wished and hoped and dreamed that Mr. Stark would see him as something other than a child, but he also knew how ridiculous that desire was.  He was a stupid kid who could barely talk to the man without stumbling over his words.  He made huge, dangerous blunders.  Mr. Stark was never going to feel about Peter the way Peter felt about him and he had accepted the one-sided nature of his love for the man a long, long time ago.

And now…Tony’s words were burned across his brain.  He could hear his voice echoing those not-so-innocent terms of endearment.  His skin felt hot where Tony had touched him as if imprints of his hands were scorched onto the skin.  More than anything in the world, Peter wanted to turn around and indulge in whatever filthy things he knew this younger version of his mentor probably had in mind.  He wanted to bask in the knowledge that his attraction to Tony Stark was, in fact, not one-sided at all.  In another world, another time, Tony could have been all his…and that realization was as tempting as it was terrifying.

Sometimes being a responsible super-hero really fucking sucked.

Or…didn’t suck…that was really the problem.

What might have been was literally going to haunt him for the rest of his life, and all Peter Parker could do was accept it and attempt to fulfill his mission.  If he’d known that this was the ‘great responsibility’ Ben had been talking about, he might have taken a hard pass.  A very hard pass.  

The mission.  

He needed to focus on the mission, not his own dangerously neglected libido.

The incinerator.

He needed to find the incinerator.

Probably in the basement with some kind of exhaust on the roof.  His best bet at this point was just to dive down a hatch like in A New Hope and try to make  the best of it, but finding a hatch to dive down wasn’t going to be easy.  Security wasn’t as tight as it should be on the upper floors, everything seemed to be confined to the lower levels where the guests were…at least, that’s what Mr. Stark had implied in the dream.  If Peter could swipe a security badge and get upstairs without being seen, at least half the battle would be won.  

“Excuse me, could you tell me where the security office is?”  Peter put on his most innocent and boyish smile as he looked up hopefully at the security guard stationed by the wall where he was attempting to be at one with the artwork and plants on the edge of the foyer.  He looked oddly familiar, but Peter couldn’t quite place why.  He was very thin, very young, and not very experienced in his job if his body language was any indication.  The somewhat familiar guard’s gaze shifted from the room to the boy in front of him and he frowned.  

“Why do you need to know that, kid?”

“Always asking the important questions, a trait I like in my personal security.  What’s your name again?”  An unwelcome voice sounded from behind Peter.

“Hogan, Sir.”

Woah, Happy!  His initial surprise over the guard’s identity was eclipsed as Peter felt the fine hairs at the nape of his neck stand on end at the unexpected and unwelcome sound of Tony Stark’s voice.  What good was a Spidey Sense if it didn’t tell you that someone was sneaking up on you?  Except that the only danger that Tony Stark posed was to Peter’s virginity.  Peter sighed and turned around to give the other man a scowl.  “For your information, I found a wallet outside and I wanted to turn it in to security so the owner could get it back.”

Tony raised his eyebrows at this, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants in a leisurely stance.  “Aren’t you the boy scout?  All right, sweetheart, I know everyone at this party.  Why don’t you give me the wallet and I’ll see that it gets back to its owner.  No bothering with security.  Cut out the middle man.”

Peter could actually feel the color drain from his face as his mind searched for some way out of this mess.  Frantically, he patted the pockets of his jacket and pants.  He really didn’t have to try to look mortified or embarrassed, he was already there.  “I…It was…I think…I don’t…I lost it.”

“You lost the lost wallet that you found outside…you’re not very responsible are you, Beautiful?”

Peter’s scowl only deepened.  If he only knew how damn responsible Peter was the guy’s head would explode.  Young Tony Stark was ridiculously hot to a degree that left Peter feeling lightheaded with want…but he was also kind of a jerk and that made Peter want to push him down a flight of stairs.

Peter noticed that Tony’s tuxedo jacket was unbuttoned, the flaps held back by his arms, hands still stuffed in the pockets of his pants.  The teen couldn’t help but look.  He was only human and this was the man he’d lusted after since adolescence and he did look positively godlike in a tuxedo.  It was only when his gaze had fallen to Tony’s pants that he saw something fortuitous.  And no, it wasn’t the obvious bulge of an impressively erect penis.  Although he’d have to be blind not to see that.  Peter was no idiot, it was precisely why Tony was standing in that position.  The man had absolutely no shame and Peter both hated him and loved him for it.  Oh no, the thing that had him smiling and his heart hammering out an insanely fast staccato beat in his chest was the sight of a security badge hanging nearby that impressively large bulge of fabric.

A glance back at Tony’s face revealed that he thought Peter’s reaction was all due to his impressive manhood and it was all Peter could do not to wipe the smile right off his face with the truth.  He didn’t, though, because telling the man he wanted to steal his security badge was probably going to make actually stealing it much harder than it was already going to be.  So he bit the inside of his cheek and felt the color rush back to his face in a brilliant red flush across his cheeks and the tips of his ears at the realization that Tony thought Peter had been staring (and smiling) at his junk for a good sixty seconds.

“How long are you going to pretend that you’re not as into me as I’m into you, Peter?  The evidence is as clear as the crotch of your pants.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving this thing we have going.  Cat and mouse game, it’s sexy as hell…but I’ve got to say a few words to the shareholders in a little while and I want to know if I need to go rub one out so I don’t give them an eye full or if you’re actually going to give in with enough time for us to really have a good time tonight.”

Was it possible for his blush to get even darker?  Yes.  Yes, it was.  Peter ducked his head and tried to position his hands over the front of his pants as if only becoming aware of his own predicament when Tony had the audacity to point it out.  His mind had been so focused on other things that he had been able to relegate his physical desires to some distant part of his reptile brain.  Now that Tony had called attention to it, Peter was suddenly aware of just how uncomfortably hard he was.  “You are the literal worst, Tony Stark.”  His voice came out in an awkward hiss of exasperation as he looked for somewhere, anywhere to hide away and deal with personal matters without involving the billionaire playboy.  

He spotted a bathroom a few yards away and began a less than subtle crab-walk in that direction.  Tony’s laughter followed him, as did the man himself, striding with that same cocky self confidence and exhibitionism.

“I hate you.”  Why wouldn’t Tony just leave him alone?  What was worse, perhaps, was that the security guard was now also following them after a gesture from Tony.  There were people looking, because honestly who wouldn’t look at the spectacle they were probably making of themselves?  “I hate you so much, Tony Stark.”

“I can work with that.  There’s such a thin demarcation between the really passionate emotions, Peter.  Hatred and love are nearly interchangeable…as is lust.”

“I’m not lusting after you!”  Lie.

“Keep telling yourself that, Kid, maybe you can make it true.”

Finally, the bathroom door was within arm’s reach, he burst through, attempting to whirl around and slam the door in Tony’s face, but the guard was just too fast.  Happy blocked the move with an arm, and Peter was forced to either retreat or use enough force to break Happy’s arm.  He retreated.  Tony’s gaze swept the room, noticing a man standing in front of the urinal to their left.  “You.  Out.  Now.”

Mumbling apologies, the man was still trying to tuck himself back into his pants as he stumbled hurriedly out the door and left Tony, Peter, and Happy alone.

“Why don’t you make sure we’re not interrupted, Happy?  Peter and I need a little alone time.”

Peter gulped audibly as the security guard left the two of them alone.  Tony would never hurt him.  Even this jerky Tony, but Peter honestly didn’t know how strong his self control was going to be if things between them got more physical.  He was a seventeen year old boy.  He had so many hormones raging through his system right now that it was a testament to his willpower that he had withstood temptation this long.

Peter could actually smell Tony’s cologne he was now standing so close, and he was startled to realize that Tony hadn’t changed brands in almost thirty years.  They said scent was closely tied to memory, and Peter had to agree that smelling that familiar aroma was reminding him that the man in front of him was every bit Anthony Edward Stark.  A much less heroic version,to be sure, but Tony just the same.

The distance between them became even shorter as the other man stepped forward, the fingers of his right hand hovering dangerously close to Peter’s hip.  The teen could practically feel the magnetic pull of them even through the thin layer of air that still separated them.  Peter looked up at him, noting that Tony was drawing closer and closer.  He could smell the alcohol on Tony’s breath when he spoke again, the whisper passing over the skin of his face like a caress and making him shiver.  “All kidding aside, Peter Parker, I’m not here to force you into anything.  If I’m reading the signs wrong…if you don’t want to kiss me every bit as badly as I want you to, you can go.  If I’m right though, the only question is…what’s holding you back?”

Peter could do nothing but watch him lean in closer, saw the way his lips were parted, the darkness of his eyes, the hitch in his breathing. He hesitated, a thousand things conflicting in peter’s head and tying his thoughts into knots.  Tony’s lips were only inches away.  Everything he’d wanted for himself but been denied because of time and society and his own nerves and it was all right there for the taking.  He just had to…

Peter rose a little on his toes, his own eyes locked on Tony’s mouth.  A small growl erupted from the other man’s throat and Peter hesitated, drawing back again to look at him through thick lashes before he just gave in and did something supremely selfish.

Peter could practically feel the other man’s surprise.  If he had been expecting a tender, close-lipped kiss that he could entice into something less innocent and more demanding, than he had every right to be surprised.  Peter practically devoured him, lips parted and tongue demanding entry into Tony’s mouth almost before the man had time to register the kiss.  Peter’s hands quickly found purchase at the back of his neck, digging into his scalp and using a surprising amount of force to keep his head in just the right position for those hungry kisses to continue.  Peter felt the man growl against his mouth again, grabbing Peter by the ass and lifting him enough for Peter to wrap his legs around the other man’s waist and lock them into place.  Peter thought Tony cursed at the feeling of the erection now pressed against his abs, but the word lost all articulation under the kisses that Peter was want to give up.  Tony turned them both around, hoisting Peter a little higher to rest him against the sink and  gain a little leverage.  Finally, Peter had to pull back a little, gasping for air to fill his lungs, his hands leaving Tony’s head and instead finding their way to Tony’s pants.

Tony had turned his own attentions to Peter’s throat, making the teen moan softly at the wetness of his tongue, the friction of his teeth, and the sucking of his mouth that was going to leave purple bruises all up and down the pale and previously untouched skin of his neck.  “I’m taking you home with me tonight.”  Tony pulled back to look at him, hand coming up to cup the side of Peter’s face. He was laughing as he spoke, breathless and smiling and the look on his face made Peter want to cry.  He’d never seen the man look so carefree and happy and he’d been responsible for that.  Him.  “I’m taking you back to my place as soon as I put on the show for the shareholders.  I can’t possibly do all of the things I want to do to you in this bathroom…and I certainly can’t savor you the way I want to.”  

Peter’s fingers continued to caress the fabric of his pants, but he nodded at the plans.  He really didn’t trust himself to speak.  He didn’t even know if he could at the moment.

Tony had just returned to his lips, had only just begun to pull Peter’s shirt out of the cummerbund that held it when there was a nervous knock at the door.

“Mr. Stark, they’re calling for you to say a few words, Sir.”

“Fuck!” Tony nipped at Peter’s lip in consternation as he pulled back, drawing a little surprised squeal from the teenager who sucked his now bleeding lower lip into his mouth as he glanced between the CEO and the bathroom door.  “Stall them.”

“Uh, Mr. Stark, I already did…everyone…is waiting.”

“Fuck!”  Tony backed up a few steps looking behind Peter into the mirror and attempting to straighten himself up.  It wasn’t going to be hard for anyone to know what he was doing in the bathroom.  Even buttoning the tuxedo jacket over his pants wasn’t really hiding everything from view.  The more astute party-goers were going to get an eye-full of their CEO.  He didn’t know why, but Peter felt particularly pleased with that.

“Go ahead…I can just…I can wait here.  The…the sooner you do that speech, the sooner we get to leave.”

Tony’s gaze raked over him before he nodded.  “You’re right.  I’ll make it short.  I can think of a hundred things I’d rather be doing with my night than talking to those stiffs…and you feature heavily in all hundred of them.”

Peter was still blushing as Tony pushed out the bathroom door and vanished from view.  The teenager remained where he was, still panting and sore from the kisses.  But after he could hear the distant sound of Tony speaking into a microphone filtering through the bathroom door, he lifted his hand from his side and shook the security badge free that he’d palmed during the make-out session.

God, he wanted to go home with Tony tonight and lose his virginity a hundred different ways to the man he’d loved with all his heart, but duty called.  Hopping down from the sink, he splashed a little cold water onto his face and surveyed his swollen lips in the mirror.  “Come on, Spider-Man.  The universe needs you.  We gotta do this.”

Sliding out of the bathroom door, he was pleased to see that Happy had not been left to guard him.  It appeared Tony was now safely assured of his victorious conquest.  A part of Peter was particularly happy about getting the best of him, even if Tony’s balls weren’t the only ones that were going to be blue tonight.

—

Tony was not even thinking about his speech.  He’d practiced it a few dozen times for Obie until the man was content that it sounded earnest enough.  He could practically give it on autopilot, which was exactly what he was doing now.  His mind, instead, was on the pretty little thing in the men’s room.  Not only was he a sight to behold, but his fire and sass made Tony hungry with desire.  Such a tantalizing package of innocence and beauty and hunger and fire.  He wanted to explore every aspect of that multifaceted little diamond in the rough, and he had every intention of doing that until the wee hours of the morning…right up until he unbuttoned his jacket and realized that something was wrong.

“Okay, look, you’ve heard all of this before and I’ve had a little too much to drink, so let’s just enjoy the rest of the party and you can pretend like I gave you guys the song and dance you all expect, okay?  Perfect.”  He raced off the temporary stage two steps at a time, grabbing the arm of the security guard he’d commandeered to guard his bathroom escapade and steered him away from the foyer down an access hallway.  “That little minx stole my ID.”  He hissed the words at Hogan.  What was it everyone called him?  Happy.  Yes, Happy.  They burst into the security office and Tony gestured at the wall of television screens in front of them.  “Find him.  I want to know where he is and what he’s doing with my card.  Now.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Happy set to work calling up a quick, interchanging circuit of the cameras that watched nearly ever inch of the building.  It took several seconds, but soon he was pointing at one towards the middle.  “There, Sir, the executive elevator.”

“My executive elevator.”  He spoke through clenched teeth as he leaned forward to get a better view.  The kid was nervous.  He could see him fidgeting as the elevator made a swift ascent to the executive offices on the upper floors.  If he’d wanted to see the offices, all he’d had to do was ask.  Tony would have been only too happy to bend him over his desk and fuck him into next week.  This whole spy routine, it was only succeeding in pissing Tony off.  He didn’t know who the kid was or who he worked for, but he had every intention of finding out.

“What the fuck is he…”  Tony frowned as the kid rolled up his sleeve and began to mess with something on his wrist.  A moment later and Tony was viewing the impossible.  Something appeared to pour from the watch housing, coalescing up his arms and around his body to form a hard exoskeleton.  An armor.  It was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. If he’d enjoyed the way the kid’s tuxedo hung, he had a whole new appreciation for the boy’s physique now.  As the elevator ground to a stop, the kid exited, looking around as if he expected to be stopped by a guard, but there were no guards.  Lots of cameras.  But the guards were all downstairs.

Was he tiptoeing?  It looked like he was tiptoeing down the corridor to Tony’s own office.  Tony expected him to go for the computers or the desk, perhaps the hard files, any number of things.  Instead, the kid was walking along the walls looking for something.  He appeared to find it when he pulled out a hatch that led to the incinerator in the basement.  Turning away from the hatch, he shot something from his wrist onto one of the built in book cases on the far wall, tested the tensile strength, and then jumped through the hatch, disappearing once more from view.

“Come on, Happy.”  He waved the man to follow him as he headed back towards the elevators.

“Where are we going, Sir?”

“Basement.  We’re going to catch our little intruder and find out what the hell he’s doing here and who sent him.”

[itsthejuggernautbitch]

Dissolve - Colossus/OC

Alright, y’all. Finally. I rewrote this intro so many times. Here’s the first section, with an ao3 link for readability. The section is under the cut.

(Side note: y’all have NO IDEA how hard it was for me to type you both instead of y’all.)

Negasonic was having a great fucking day, as she usually did on Friday’s, when she got the super fun call that some little mutant kid on the other side of the city decided to pitch a bitch fit and flood three city blocks. Fridays at the mansion were quiet - no one wants to do bad things on a Friday. It's Friday, for goodness sake. Go on a date, take your kids to the park, go to a bar. Do something that's not blatantly criminal.

From the sound of the call, it looked like the mutant kid had broken out of the Ice Box on transfer. And no, the kid couldn’t have flooded the streets with clean sink water, or water from the pond in the park. You know, something simple and not-disgusting. That would have been too easy. No, the kid thought it would be funny to flush out the sewers and influence every septic tank within a mile radius to simultaneously explode. Nevermind how the kid had even gotten his collar off. Apparently no one had been able to figure that one out yet.

It’s not like Negasonic was going on a date tonight or anything.

She was already nervous, but she definitely wasn’t going to meet Yukio now, not if she was going to have to wade through sewage on the heels of her eight-foot-tall Man-of-Steel mentor who just had to make it a priority to talk to the kid personally about personal responsibility. Can’t exactly have a fun date when you smell like literal shit, and some smells just don't come out after three consecutive showers.

Negasonic almost felt bad for the kid. She’d gotten the Personal Responsibility speech a handful of times (mostly because she sometimes couldn't turn off the sarcastic tone in her voice), and while she loved her mentor dearly (not that she would ever say it out loud), Colossus tended to get a little preachy after the first few sonnets of poetic justice. She almost felt bad for the kid, before she remembered that she was going to be drudging through an ocean of shit to reach him because he just had to cause a scene. On a Friday.

Student and mentor stood at the edge of the poop lake, staring out into the street full of sewage was expressions of disgust that were oddly similar - the kind of similarity that only comes from lifelong familiarity. It was absolute bedlam; fire hydrants were gushing, manholes had been displaced from the sheer force of the gushing sewage, water was leaking out from under door frames. The unmistakable sound of scores of toilets flushing at the same time droned on under the honking of car alarms. Negasonic caught the sound of gentle retching coming from her mentor, who tried to hide the coughing behind his huge fist but failed. Poor guy could barely deal with the sight of blood, much less a lake of poop water.

“Can’t we get Wade to do this? He smells worse than this on a daily basis anyway,” Negasonic asked, hiding the smell-and-taste parts of her face behind her gloved hand. She practically had to yell to be heard.

“That is true, but unfortunately not. He - uh,” Colossus coughed again, wetly, then took a deeper breath than he really meant to, “he left for Japan on mission last night. Besides - this builds character.”

There was more of a question mark than a period on the end of that sentence. Even with all his teacherly conviction, Colossus didn’t really believe it.

“It’d be really helpful if one of us could fly…”

“Indeed,” Colossus replied, beckoning his student onward. “Come, Negasonic. The quicker we find the boy, the quicker we go home.”

It was, at that oddly opportune moment, a great time for a jet to drift in past the line of buildings. It hovered past the treetops and streetlamps and came to land in the little park quite near where they were standing. Technological marvel that it was, it hardly disturbed the grass as it landed, which was a blessing because it was disconcertingly close to the sewage. Negasonic was not often excited to see the X-Jet, but in this case, she would make an exception. Hopefully, it was someone coming to bail them out, because this whole situation was just… yikes.

The door of the jet came down, and Negasonic sent up a silent vibe of thank fuck to whatever deity may have been listening.

The cleanup crew stepped out - a handful of X-men whose powers didn’t translate well in combat but had mission-worthy uses. There were ten or so of them - just a small faction responsible for cleaning up the areas around the mishaps that tended to befall the X-men. They were usually sent to take care of the aftermath of large-scale disasters. And out of that cleanup crew came one of the very few people on Negasonic’s people-who-don’t-suck list (Wade and Colossus were both on it too, not that she’d ever tell them), Suraya Josephs, known as Metanite. If Negasonic actually wrote out her list of people-who-don’t-suck, Metanite would be at least pretty close to the top.

Negasonic was not easily intimidated. Her attitude came hand-in-hand with being an almost-adult teenager with too many responsibilities to handle. And yet, even Negasonic could admit that if Metanite were a complete stranger, she’d have to look the other way. Metanite’s defense form was a vaguely smudgy, jet-black humanoid with smoldering, empty eyes. She was difficult to look at, and consequently emanated a vibe of creeping terror.

But Metanite wasn’t a complete stranger, so Negasonic at least tried look. Tried being the operative word. Fuck, she looked creepy.

As the mutant woman stepped onto the grass, the overwhelming creeping dread set into Negasonic’s bones. Negasonic squirmed; she caught Colossus fidget out of the corner of her eye. It was the most gentle feeling of terror she’d ever experienced, like her heart might crawl out of her chest; it was a secondary effect of Metanite’s defense form, she’d been told, which made it difficult to assign the mutant woman to a team or a mentee. It was difficult for anyone to look at her before she disengaged.

Metanite caught the uncomfortable stares and looked down at her hands. “Oh, I’m sorry, you two! Let me fix that. The rest of the crew is used to it.”

The feeling of dread ebbed as Metanite shifted into a human form; her usual smiling self was left standing where the smudgy humanoid had been. She strode on over, surveying the sewage disaster with a measure of disgust.

“You know, from the air this looks like a giant brown lake appeared in the middle of the city. It’s stretching, like, four blocks now” she said, grimacing at the smell. “We got pulled off of another scene on the outskirts of Atlanta to come back and take care of this.”

Negasonic caught Colossus fidgeting again out of the corner of her eye, but she was pretty certain it wasn’t because the big man was still retching from the smell. She held her hand over her nose, trying not to breathe through her mouth. "What's going on in Atlanta?"

"We're not really sure, but there's several human limbs left lying around. We found teeth embedded in a tree. It's quite morbid. We're thinking some people with regeneration factors got in a fight."

Negasonic would've liked to see that, actually. Nevertheless, she'd really like to get the current mess out of the way. “So, do we need to go find the kid?”

Metanite shrugged. “I would suggest letting us get this cleaned up before you bother, unless you just really want to wade through this mess.”

Negasonic would rather have every single one of her fingernails peeled off with a cheese grater than have to walk in this mess. She assumed that her mentor probably felt the same way.

Colossus, finally, spoke up. He folded his arms over his chest. “The boy will not get far, not with everyone watching for him.”

“Yeah, you’ve got all of us here,” Metanite said. “If we see happen to see him, I’ll handle him.”

Negasonic, personally, would not want to have to be handled by Metanite. She felt a little bad for the kid now. “He’d have to be around here somewhere if this is still spreading.”

Colossus nodded. “He is near. We will be watching for him as well.”

“Well, you’re welcome to take the jet. We’ll be here for a while,” Metanite replied. She handed him the access card for the jet. “I’ll call you when we’ve got this under control.”

“I look forward to your call,” Colossus said, taking the card from her. He looked as though he wished he’d worded that differently as soon as he’d said it. If Metanite noticed, she didn’t show it. “I - we do. We look forward to your call. We will handle it.”

Negasonic fought back the ensuing snort. That was one of the least-subtle things she thought he'd ever said, and she'd seen him ignore his feelings for years now. Watching her mentor tiptoe around the woman he liked was excruciating, but she got a good laugh out of it. For such a business-minded man, he sure did get awkward quick.

Metanite grinned. “You always do. I’ll see you both in a little while.”

She headed off towards the group gathering at the edge of the mess. Some of her team looked human, some decidedly not. There were a couple of vibrantly-colored humanoids, a couple covered in fur, one with proboscis-like appendages attached to his head. They were all huddled together in a tight wad around a display screen, looking at something that Negasonic couldn’t see from her angle.

Metanite stopped abruptly and turned around before she reached the group. “By the way, you two, this is my last mission. I’ll be returning to the mansion as a teacher.”

She looked quite pointedly at Colossus before she turned around and ran off to join her team. Colossus followed her movements, mouth set in its usual hard line, but his eyes belied his hard face. He watched her retreating back with an almost doe-eyed stare, causing Negasonic to have to fight off another ensuing snort. Fuckin’ nerd. She - and the literally everyone else in the mansion - had been bothering him to say something for years, but he just wouldn't do it. Negasonic suspected it was because Metanite was pretty much never there, always off on some clean-up mission.

And yeah, Negasonic could understand being wary about it. It's hard to have a relationship when one person is almost never home. But Colossus is Colossus, and if anyone could deal with that like a real adult, it would be him. If he'd ever say anything.

Colossus pulled himself out of his reverie and clapped Negasonic on the shoulder, causing her knees to shake. “We will wait for them to take care of this. Come, let’s get away from the smell.”

At least, Negasonic surmised, maybe she wouldn’t have to bleach her entire body before her date tonight. Someone else could trudge through that mess.

[shipping-n-handling]

Whew

That episode. I’ve yet to fully process it mentally, but there are so many things to discuss. As always, my inbox is open to any who want to talk/cry/rant, but I just wanted to get my two cents out there, cause I’m seeing a lot of negativity amongst the fandom tonight.

First, I don’t blame some of you for being negative. While I am not a fan of proclaiming “character assassination” towards every angst/trauma-filled character arc, I can certainly see how many are upset with the way Fitz character was handled this episode. After watching it, I felt so emotionally drained - like after having a really intense argument with a significant other. This is one of those episodes that makes me really wish I could binge watch the whole series from start to finish in order to gain a clearer picture of what the writers are thinking. Having a full week and sometimes multiple weeks in between heavy episodes like this can lead to over-analyzing (and no sleep). But this was an episode that hit a little close to home with those of us who struggle with mental illness. I rationally know that what I go through and what others go through is completely different than what Leo Fitz is going through. He is in a make-believe world that has brought him severe hypoxia, emotional distress, torture, betrayal, months in a virtual dystopian reality where he lived as the villain, being suddenly separated from his love/team, more months in basically solitary confinement with brief interludes of interrogation and being left alone with the aforementioned trauma, decades in cryo-sleep which might have (for all we know) exacerbated the mental issues, having to channel all that anger and darkness from his time in the Framework to fool a real-life tyrant and psychopath, realizing that they are in a never ending time loop without a significant chance of escape, returning to the present and being hunted by the government, being near a split in the fabric of reality that opens to a literal fear-into-reality dimension, hearing that his friend and mentor was dying and that there is nothing he can do, all the while not having the time to stop and process his feelings. To be perfectly clear, this is not me justifying his actions this ep but rather me trying to grasp for myself a semblance of perspective as I digest this episode. If it were me in his shoes, I would have snapped ages ago. Again, not justifying. Fitz has some serious shit to deal with in the coming episodes not just with himself but with the people he hurt. No matter if the actions were right in the end, it wasn’t morally right and he broke a lot of people’s trust as well as jeapordized his future with Jemma. Daisy and Mack, perhaps the closest people to him after Jemma were hurt/betrayed because of him and I really hope they deal with that. We see in the promo for the new episode that Daisy uses her powers on Fitz and slams him against the wall, so hopefully they can resolve this and not drag it out unnecessarily like other shows do. That said, I hope they do it right and organically, not just a bunch of cliche apology phrases and a hug.

And Jemma. She endured many of the same traumas that Fitz has as well as a few formidable ones of her own, and this episode showed how things are coming down around her. That is why I loved the conversation she has with Deke at the end where we got to see her attempt to process a bit, albeit briefly before yet another bomb was dropped on her. I’m glad the episode ended on hope, that Fitz can be saved, that she can do something about it, and that she has hope for a potentially happy future. Now the trick is actually going about achieving that. I knew getting comfortable these past few episodes with Fitzsimmons was a rookie mistake. When this show does angst, it does it HARD. I love it, but ocassionally I do miss the bright and sunny days of Season 1. Man, we had it good then huh?

Lastly, hats off to everyone this episode. The acting was off the fucking charts. Whatever you may think about the characters or their story arcs, you have to give it up for this cast, cause they are incredibly talented. Iain, Chloe, and Elizabeth all deserve awards, all the awards. Please don’t hate the actors for doing their job if you don’t like the shows direction. If you need to, take a break for a bit or try writing down your feelings. Just writing this post has made me feel better about the episode. I’m emotionally exhausted and anxious for what happens next, but all in all I liked the episode despite the heaviness. It was rough and dark, but I do not expect Agents of SHIELD to hold anything back because they’re afraid their vewiers aren’t emotionally strong enough for it. That’s what I love about this show, that the show runners and writers don’t treat us like children and give us a compelling story that is real, gritty, and has characters that act somewhat like we would given the circumstances. It is unperfect, interesting, heartwarming, and heartbreaking like real life, and this something that keeps me watching every week. I love these characters, I love this show, and I trust the writers. To whatever end, I look forward to seeing it through.

As always, hope you all have a great weekend! Lots of love ❤️ and stay safe 😘

[maximuswolf]

Discussion for Demons via /r/satanism

Discussion for Demons

In the most recent r/Satanism survey a large percentage of the responders indicated an interest in deeper discussion, but there seems to be a difficulty in finding discussion of common interest. Hopefully this post can help facilitate some future discussion, and de-lurk a few new members we've yet to hear from ;)

What do you call it?

The Essence of Satan? Lucifer's Light? The Black Flame? This is a post devoted to touching that supreme thing... in ways that aren't explicitly spiritual. That means no prayers, meditations, invocations, or rituals that don't have strong influences from other activities. By what other means do you commune with the Absolute?

Some things that have worked for me:

Climbing. It was through climbing that I first accessed serious spirituality. Rock is harsh and unforgiving. You cling to it for life, but if you aren't prudent someone may die upon it. You go in with the attitude that you have zero margin for error, but you still set up a chain of safeguards in case one breaks. While climbing at Lake Superior I had one experience flipping backwards into the water, that showed me what exactly the point of a baptism was. Like being waterboarded, but in a good way. As I made my way back up the cliff again I was filled with a kind of momentum as if I'd hitched a ride with a kind of ever persistent, unstoppable force.

That same trip during a very intimate group discussion, I found myself pulled into a great void of purple and blue and black, that despite its appearance was so completely warm and comforting- not quite like I'd ever experienced before. It still amazes me looking back at it, having been stone cold sober (for several days at that point, which at the time was kind of a big deal) and pulled into an powerful open-eye visual comparable to a trip. As I looked along the treeline those few days, I could almost see the roots of every tree twisting into the ground like fingers of deep crimson.

Ultimately I had a conflict with the mentor who led the group, a hardcore old buzzard who was an OG Deadhead back in the day. It ended up being my first real burn at the hands of an RHP ideology, although all RHP bullshit considered I got off quite easily. I wouldn't describe myself as an exceptional climber by any means, but I was a very good belayer- and all that that entails. I hope to get back into it eventually.

Martial Arts. I've done a healthy amount of kickboxing and Aikijitsu, with a small amount of wrestling and such a pitifully small amount of Kung Fu that I might as well not mention it. I was a bad wrestler, which was fine. I didn't go into it expecting to be a good one, and the workouts were good. I do much better with MMA, which I thoroughly enjoyed (and hopefully will again, soon). I have a good natural predisposition to MMA, but I still have a whole lot to learn. I know it about as well as I know magic.

The core of the matter is that I enjoy fighting. I don't enjoy getting into fights, I'm good at de-escalating and am fortunate enough to rarely ever have to think about using force in any real way. But I like fighting. A lot. Winning and losing. Which brings me to my next point...

BDSM & Kink. My earliest kinky thought was back when I was a truly tiny thing. I first learned kink existed in my early teens, and have been trying to learn as much about it as I can ever since.

I have little hands-on experience, but I know from climbing the seriousness of literally holding the line a life is on. To me BDSM seems similar in many ways to climbing, from thrill to trust to risk and risk management. It's also one of the few activities where one can with relative ease find both real darkness and real devotion. Till there's the opportunity to work with a partner, I'm going to educate myself as extensively as I'm able.

D&D. They told you this wasn't actually Satanic, right? Well... they're absolutely right. There's nothing inherently Satanic about D&D, or any other TTRPG's, but if you've even half an imagination there's a way for you to get lost in the Forgotten Realms. Bonus points if you fuck with Chaos Magic. Create your universe, practice for Pandemonium.

Naturalism. I struggled with the title of this heading, it really should be Getting Dirty. Because to me that's the most important part, you haven't really gotten outside if you haven't gotten dirty. Just like bruises in kink, dirt and scrapes are badges of purity and experience.

Sleeping rough, exploring abandoned buildings, backpacking, spelunking, you pick. While it doesn't get you dirty, one of my favorites is watching storms. It's got the same effect, grime or no. Being in the Midwest I get to enjoy the wild lightning storms that sweep through every summer, and the rare but far worse ones that come in the dead of winter.

The Refinement Of Indulgence. Developing and refining one's preferences. With Indulgence being so valued within Satanism, I can only think that its evolution must be even more stunning.

Do you find that you prefer peaty scotch over bourbon? How full of body do you like your cigars? What precisely do you look for in a condom? Why do you choose the drugs you do? Silicone, glass, or steel for sex toys?

Pick something evil ;)

The Seeking Out Of Low Places. A phrase taken from The Devil's Quran, and perhaps my favorite entry on this list. Find low, dirty, painful, argued over places and learn them well. Listen to the stories of the homeless and the abandoned. Meditate in a dingy cell, or burn a couch under an overpass (if you're reading this, that one goes out to you Emerston. Keep up with that safety, mate). Do some graffiti, or turn all the pictures in a building cockeyed. Find the ugliness in your world, and make peace with it.

That concludes what is my personal list, although I do hope to keep expanding it. Sinning is an activity I thoroughly enjoy. Which brings me to wondering, what's your list of favorite ways to get in trouble?

Lastly, I'd like to leave you with this wonderful article as the cherry for your infernal sundae. Take care all you horrific folk.

Submitted November 13, 2020 at 09:47AM by maryjanes_AK47 via reddit https://ift.tt/3lvH7n0

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 246: Plot Whiplash

Previously on BnHA: Hawks handed Endeavor a copy of Re-Destro’s NYT bestseller and was all “ಠ_ಠ READ THIS!!” He then flew off back to the PLF and was all “hey guys just got back from handing out free copies of Destro’s book to everyone in a 1000-mile radius, which absolutely nobody asked me to do, well anyways you can thank me later” and they were all “SWEET.” Back at the Endeavor HQ, Bakugou got all fired up to BUST SOME HEADS but Endeavor’s sidekicks were all “WAIT FOR THE PLOT YOUNG MAN.” Meanwhile in his office, Endeavor discovered a secret code in the book Hawks gave him, which basically read “HEY WHAT’S UP THE LEAGUE HAS TAKEN OVER THE MLA AND HAS AN ARMY OF 100,000 PEOPLE” and Endeavor was like “!!!!” And then we cut to the League and Toga was all “IN FOUR MONTHS TOMURA IS BLOWING THIS SHIT TO KINGDOM COME” and then the chapter just ended. Sometimes it be like that.

Today on BnHA: Tomura sits down with Ujiko who monologues a bit about Quirk Singularity and then starts some sort of quirk-upgrading process which will apparently take four months to fully set in. And also he’s like “oh btw let me tell you about One for All” so THAT’S A THING NOW, GREAT. We then cut back and forth between Endeavor and Hawks, who both somehow come to the weird conclusion that THE INTERNS ARE OUR ONLY HOPE NOW using logic that is hard to explain on account of THERE ACTUALLY ISN’T ANY LOGIC BEHIND IT, SHHH. But anyway, so Endeavor figures out the rest of Hawks’s message and he knows that Hawks is trying to figure out what the League is up to, and something something that’s why the internships are so important. Like, I get that the Terrible Trio are future legends in the making, but these guys are seriously like “well okay let’s just go ahead and rest all our hopes on them” out of the blue, and Hawks has this big monologue about how “THINGS WON’T GO ACCORDING TO YOUR PLAN, VILLAINS” and okay then!! And then the last two pages are basically just DID SOMEBODY ORDER SOME HYPE with more shit going on than I can possibly sum up so I won’t even try lol. But damn.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity afterward, and added a few ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.) 

okay guys, I’m feeling kinda under the weather today, but I know this chapter’s gonna be good so lesssssss gooooooo. bring me back to life Horikoshi

(ETA: lol well there sure was a lot happening in this chapter, that’s for sure. my head hurts.)

oooooh it’s a sexy Jump cover celebrating season 4!

I really need the anime team to step up and give Ochako and Tsuyu some more screentime in the Basement Arc since the manga did not do them justice. there’s only like a 20% chance of that happening, which is depressing, but it’s 2019 and the winds are slowly changing, albeit at a geriatric pace. so I’ll allow myself to have some hope. you never know

YEAH SON LOOK AT THIS COLOR SPREAD Y’ALL THIS IS RAD

hello I love everything about this. the colors, the focus on our best girls, Deku’s bizarre-yet-awesome assorted sci-fi accessories (Deku do those headphones let you communicate with space or what), and of course, the five million TVs in the background which for some reason all appear to be from the 70s. all of this to remind us to TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE LONG-AWAITED SEASON 4 DEBUT. I will definitely tune in! the first episode is just gonna be the usual half filler/half clip show, but honestly season 3 was so good that I could sit through a whole hour of nothing but highlights and still be thoroughly entertained

anyway let’s move on because there are GAMES AFOOT, and we’re hopefully about to learn which direction this arc will be headed in!

OH SHIT OH FUCK

yep, that’s him. Shigaraki “destruction incarnate” Tomura. I see we’re getting our weekly dose of “just a reminder that WE ARE SCREWED” even earlier than usual this chapter, huh

so does anyone else get a chill up their spine every time Ujiko makes an appearance, or is that just me? like, god. he may honestly be even creepier than AFO. he’s just completely soulless, this guy. he’s got like this Mengele vibe to him (though that may be kinda dicey to compare horrific real-life atrocities to fictional ones in a shounen manga, but I’m just trying to explain why I find him so disturbing) and it really freaks me the hell out, ngl. anyways so him wearing a surgical mask and standing in front of this weird examination chair is pretty much the last thing I need right now. go away Ujiko

so Tomura is all “I want it cuz you promised, so pay up jackass”, and like. fair, though

I really like this new art style Horikoshi’s been using for him since his Awakening. kinda curious how it’s going to translate to the anime, or even to a color spread. but at the very least in black and white it looks siiiiick

smh look at this little punk trying to downplay how insanely freaking overpowered his quirk currently is

okay first of all, “President Baldy” is only alive because you left him alive. and he also had to chop off his own legs to stay that way. like, what kind of argument is this, Tomura? “this power is far from invincible, all my enemies have to do is amputate their own limbs and then they’ll have me right where they want me.” you know what, just go on and destroy the world right now kid. you’re getting greedy now and it could be your undoing

that is a nice parallel between him and Deku there, though. now I’m craving some Symbolic Artwork of them standing back to back each holding out their scarred right arms. maybe with their respective mentors in the background. here at BnHA we prefer our parallels nice and dramatic

sdskfjlaskdj

son of a bitch. I really wish he wouldn’t say that with such utter certainty. “the next conflict will be our last.” cue me flipping through the BnHA table of contents and trying to determine just how far along we actually are here, because this is veering dangerously close to Final Battle signaling, and like, ALREADY?? TOMURA ARE YOU JUST BEING THEATRICAL OR ARE YOU FOR REAL OMG. motherfucking DARK LORD’S LIPS curling into the WICKEDEST FUCKING CRESCENT I’VE EVER SEEN, fuck me

(ETA: it occurs to me on readthrough #2 that “the next conflict will be our last” could be interpreted to mean him and All Might specifically. like, the last conflict between the two of them. and that might very well be true, and would not surprise me at all. shit.)

fjsgk now Ujiko’s talking about research. and quirks!! glkjlkl

fully expecting the camera to cut to some NOUMUS any second now oh my god. also trying not to think about how crazy ominous that fucking chair looks. and how many people this maniac has probably strapped down to it and done god knows what to them. hey Horikoshi you know what, I’ve had just about enough of this dark shit, can we please cut back to my kids now I’m feeling too unsettled. goddammit

anyhow of course we are NOT cutting away, and Ujiko is continuing to talk about quirk evolution, and now segueing into a speech about that quirk singularity thing. -- which he apparently named?? wow

is he actually going to do something to Tomura? holy shit?? this whole time that they’ve been talking about this “power” I’ve just been assuming it was something external, like some other handy dandy villain resource that AFO’s just been sitting on or something. this is not where I expected things to go. didn’t he just get an upgrade??

anyway so here’s a brief summary I just wrote up of The Past Six Months of BnHA:

Deku: [gets a new quirk]

everyone: bruh. Horikoshi really out here giving Deku AFO Powers while Tomura just sits around starving to death on a couch. what the heck

Horikoshi: [powers up Tomura to the point where he can destroy anything just by it being in contact with something that Tomura happens to be touching] [has Tomura use this power to level an entire city]

everyone: -- oh. okay, you know what, never mind --

Horikoshi: [gives Tomura an army of 100,000 people] [also gives him command of 11 extremely lethal and nigh-unstoppable killing machines, just one of which was almost enough to take out the number one hero, LITERALLY THE STRONGEST GUY THE GOOD GUYS CURRENTLY HAVE IN RESERVE]

everyone: okay we’re sorry we get it you can sto --

Horikoshi: APOCALYPSE IN FOUR MONTHS!!!

everyone: WE GET IT WE’RE SORRY PLEASE

Horikoshi: [GIVES TOMURA ANOTHER POWER-UP]

everyone: [curled up in fetal position sobbing]

starting to think the mangaka might be the actual final villain here. hmm

anyway. so I guess we have four months until Tomura ascends to Actual Godhood and proceeds to rain hellfire down upon the world. what are you all gonna do with your four months. I personally have a lot of stuff to binge, but knowing me I’ll probably just waste all my time reading fanfic while youtube videos play in the background which I’m not paying any attention to. what am I doing with my life

oh were we not done hyping him up? there’s more??

(ETA: I got so caught up in the OFA comment I didn’t pay attention to Tomura becoming a beautiful decayed butterfly in this exquisitely creepy panel here. but damn.)

-- HOLD THE FUCK UP. does Tomura know about One for All??? because I was under the impression that AFO hadn’t told him? this would change a lot if he knew this entire time, holy shit?!

aaaaaaaaand exactly one panel later Horikoshi is all “no he didn’t know calm the fuck down” lol

okay then. so he didn’t know, and he’s only just finding out now. well tbh that’s still worthy of a smiling crying emoji face though :’) this is fineeee

shit here we go oh shit

-- WAIT, SO WE’RE JUST CUTTING AWAY FROM THEM? NOW YOU CUT AWAY? YOU GET WITHIN INCHES OF CONFIRMING THE FUCKING ALL FOR ONE FOR ALL THEORY AND THEN IT’S JUST “ANYWAYS HERE’S ENDEAVOR” YOU KNOW WHAT, HORIKOSHI, I --

just. come on dude. AFOFA 2019! let’s make it happen! dammit

sigh, so looks like it’s back to the admittedly-still-epic “Hawks passes down secret information about the villains to Endeavor” plot. I guess we’re not exactly hurting for good plots all around. I may complain but honestly we are spoiled

so Hawks is saying that he actually doesn’t know the specifics of the villains’ plans yet. well shit

apparently his feathers can only pick up sounds from short range, and the villains keep escorting him away whenever they get to talking about the good stuff. well at least that explains that potential plot hole from last week. Hawks’s feathers may have a short range, but Horikoshi’s plot hole caulking gun can fill in leaky plot holes from fucking miles away. amazing

ffffffff

don’t mind me I’m just sitting here fretting about Hawks continuing to be in mortal danger and risking his life to gather information in a race against time against the end of the world. Horikoshi out here piling up stakes like a freaking vampire hunter

but in the meantime, everyone please stop what you’re doing for a moment to look at this absolute unit of a bellhop slash security guard

apologies Lord Vader he was just trying to get to the dining hall. my bad. as you were

and holy shit I hope you enjoyed that light comedic break because two seconds later Re-Destro has dropped in to fixate Hawks with one of those Lightly Menacing Smiles he’s so infamous for. so that’s just fucking great!

HAWKS WATCH OUT FOR YOUR FINGERS

omg. imagine, a showdown between the two stealth murder MVPs of the series, Yotsubashi “Sleeper Hold” Rikiya (yes I did have to look up his real name just now) and Takami “Tag Em And Bag Em” Keigo. true, RD may no longer have legs, but he didn’t need them to choke out our little mouse buddy now did he? anyways speaking of which I just remembered that I fucking hate Re-Destro and I honestly hope Hawks does kill him. it’d be pretty easy to fit him into a bag too. he’s basically just a torso and arms now

oh sure Horikoshi go ahead and spring this on me after all of that ranting why don’t you

by the way does Re-Destro have Robot Legs now, or

looool he does

I will say this for Horikoshi, he knows my weaknesses. more robot limbs please. either badass or memeable ones, either is fine

meanwhile I skipped over this panel of Hawks and Twice being buddies in order to get to the legs, and shame on me for that. let’s go back

Twice is a genuinely good guy and I hope Hawks can tell. I wonder how fake this smile is. I feel like it’d be easy to relax around Twice regardless of how tense you are about your secret spy mission which could go south at any time. anyways this is wholesome

and now we’re cutting back to Endeavor who is taking his sweet time reacting to this whole thing. Endeavor can you fucking chill with the poker face already geez

okay wait, what

are you serious?! I fucking can’t with this lady. “now make sure to throw these children directly into the line of fire! it’s good for them and builds character!” I’m sorry, I thought this was the Hero Public Safety Commission, not the Putting Juveniles Directly Into Harm’s Way Commission?? at least change the acronym to something more appropriate then. Heinous Pathetic Soulless Cowards. just a suggestion. jesus

anyway so for a moment I got confused as to whether this was implying that she’d told Endeavor about Hawks’s undercover mission. but it seems like he’s still unaware. shouldn’t be too long before he puts the pieces together though at this rate

lol in the very next panel, even

meanwhile you’re just sitting on your ass reading a book! FUCKING DO SOMETHING ALREADY, ENDEAVOR

so he’s thinking that the “preparation” part of Hawks’s message is referring to the interns. let me back up a sec and write down the entire message as he’s read it thus far

“four months from now / rising to action / until then / will send / signals / in case / of failure / preparation / numbers”

...read like that, it really does sound like Hawks is advocating to get as many soldiers ready as possible. even if that includes actual children. including Endeavor’s own son. shit. I mean, I get that they don’t have much of a choice, but that’s still so fucked up. sure, we as omniscient readers know that Deku is their one and only hope, but they don’t know that. as far as they know these are just a bunch of teenagers with less than a year’s worth of experience that they’re propping up on the front lines. and the plan is then... what? hope they don’t die too quickly?? fuck

Hawks is out here having an argument with me in his thoughts. you wanna play it like that, Hawks? fine

I don’t know what kind of “but” you can tag on to the end of that paragraph that could possibly win me over, dude, but go for it I guess

and we’re finally cutting back to the kids in question now! with Burnin’ casually trying to crush Kacchan’s hopes and dreams

okay but I love how both Deku and Shouto are like “easy there buddy, we got you” and trying to keep Kacchan from having a fucking aneurysm sob. JUST TRY AND HOIST HIM ONTO SOME DUMB SIDEKICKS, LADY. YOU’VE MADE A POWERFUL ENEMY HERE TODAY

oh shit

oh my god. are we going to get our first actual interaction between the three of them that doesn’t consist of them grumbling annoyed introductions at each other and then running off to fight an old fortune teller omggggg

I love how Deku and Bakugou look weirdly intimidated by him lol. Bakugou where did all that “YOU’RE KIND OF A JERK” confidence go all of a sudden

YESSSSSSS

GODDAMMIT, I’M STILL SO MAD AT YOU GUYS FOR BEING ALL “LET’S JUST MAKE THE CHILDREN DO IT,” BUT DAMMIT THEY KICK ASS THOUGH SO I CAN KINDA SEE YOUR POINT

NOW HAWKS IS METAING ABOUT THEM AHHHHHHH

DAMN STRAIGHT THEY WOULD HAVE. BRING ON TOMURA AND ALL OF HIS STUPID POWER-UPS. WOW I’M WEIRDLY HYPED UP ALL OF A SUDDEN WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME

AND FUCKING LOOK AT THIS TWO-PAGE SPREAD AHHHHHHHHHHH

MOTHERFUCKER [WHIPS OUT PEN AND NOTEBOOK] TIME TO ANALYZE THIS BITCH

so Ochako and Tsuyu did indeed go back to intern with Ryuukyuu again! makes sense, she is a top ten hero after all. who’s that with them, though? almost looks like Yanagi from the hair and the mask, but the costume looks different? hmm

I CAN’T BELIEVE IIDA WENT BACK TO INTERN WITH FUCKING MANUAL AGAIN. THIS GUY IS THE BRAN CEREAL OF HEROES. though I fucking love him though so yeah it’s fine

JIROU AND SHOUJI TEAMING UP WITH GANG FUCKING ORCA AW YISS BOYS THIS IS THE GOOD SHIT LET’S GOOOO

KOUDA AND MANGA TEAMING UP WITH WASH OMG. MANGA IS THE ONLY ONE ON THAT TEAM WHO ACTUALLY FUCKING SPEAKS. IS WASH’S SIDEKICK SOME SORT OF BROOM PERSON OMG

A WHOLE FUCKING ACRE OF KIDS HAVE ALL GANGED UP ON THIS CAVEMAN-LOOKING FELLA I DON’T EVEN RECOGNIZE. WHO ARE YOU. DID YOU CROSS OVER FROM THE FANTASY AU

KIRI BACK WITH FG AND BROUGHT TETSUTETSU ALONG FOR THE RIDE HELLS YEAHHHH

KAMINARI AND SERO WITH KAMUI WOODS AND EDGESHOT I’M HYPERVENTILATING AHHH. AND SHIOZAKI TOO!! I’LL JUST PRETEND I DON’T SEE MINETA THERE IN THE CORNER. MIGHT BE TIME TO DUST OFF THE OLD “CANCELLED” STAMP AGAIN BUT WE’LL SEE HOW THINGS GO

WHO ARE MOMO AND TOKAGE AND MINA AND AOYAMA (WHICH BTW IS THE GREATEST HERO TEAMUP OF ALL TIME HOLY SHIT) TEAMING UP WITH!? TELL US. AND PONY AND MONOMA. GODDAMMIT HORIKOSHI

whew! anyway. they’re all still screwed, but by golly that was nice to have that little invigorating breather of life and hope

LOL OH SHIT THERE’S ANOTHER ONE

okay, SOMEONE TELL ME RIGHT THE FUCK NOW WHAT ALL MIGHT IS LOOKING AT OR I’M GONNA LOSE IT. holy shit. he was researching the past users of OFA, wasn’t he? WHAT DID YOU FIND OH GOD. he’s not just upset, he looks one step shy of fucking crying?? did he learn about what happened to Nana’s son and his family, maybe? shit shit shit

so Yanagi is interning with Kendou then? so who was that with Hadou and Ryuukyuu and the rest. one of Ryuukyuu’s sidekicks?

IS THAT FUYUMI (SPOILERS FUCKING YEAH IT IS) AND WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE SHE’S FUCKING PRAYING OMG. it looks like she’s kneeling at a family altar?? like saying a prayer for someone who is PRESUMED DEAD, maybe?? LIKE MAYBE A LONG LOST TWIN BROTHER OH SHIT OUT OF NOWHERE THE HYPE DON’T STOP!!

AND WHY DOES NAO HAVE HIS HAT OFF AND CLUTCHED TO HIS CHEST LIKE HE’S TELLING SOMEONE BAD NEWS. GOD WHAT THE HELL EVEN ARE ALL OF THESE PLOT THINGS HAPPENING ALL OF A SUDDEN. LIKE I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK NEXT

KUROGIRI AHHHHHHHH

WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING TO ERI’S HORN!? DOES ANYONE ELSE SEE THIS?? AIZAWA??? HELLO!?!?

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, TEAM OT3. TIME TO FUCKING SUIT UP. APPARENTLY. WELL ALL RIGHT THEN. [JACKET ZIP] [GUN COCKING SOUND EFFECT] LET’S GO PUNCH ‘EM IN THE MOUTH

y’all. this chapter was like plot whiplash. this went in so many different directions and hinted at so many different things that I’m at a complete fucking loss as to what to process first. but I guess the interns are gonna save us all, somehow. lol okay then

[blueeyedgrlwrites]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation

*All answers should be about works published in 2017.

1. List of works published this year:

All the Little Moments

Ship of Dreams (collab with @m-aleciseverything)

And You Have Always Been Mine Too

A Tiny Spark

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

A Tiny Spark because it’s the first fic where I have actually known what is going to take place in each chapter, and it’s the first fic that has made me feel somewhat confident in my abilities as a writer. 

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

Renuion from the “All The Little Moments” series.  It’s not that I hate the moment it’s based on, I think we need more Jace & Magnus centric moments. But it was told from Jace’s POV and that’s not a voice that I’m really totally comfortable with. 

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

There’s a couple.

This moment between Alec and Izzy in ch. 1 of A Tiny Spark: 

Alec looked down at his shoes as he rocked back on his heels. He didn’t see Isabelle dab at the corners of her eyes as tears threatened to fall. He didn’t see her set the folder on the coffee table and stand, crossing over to him. But he felt her arms slide around him, pulling him into a hug, and he held tightly to her in return, hoping to absorb some of her quiet strength because he wasn’t sure how much more fight he really had left in him. He clamped his eyes shut and pressed his lips together in an attempt at keeping his own tears from falling, and the paralyzing fear that this would all be for naught once more contained within him.

And this moment between Alec, Magnus, and Lydia in ch. 2 of A Tiny Spark:

“Do you think you’re stronger because of that adversity?” Lydia asked.

Alec knew without a doubt that they were, because they had fought to be—sometimes literally. He knew that there had been times he had wanted to give up. He was certain that there were times when Magnus likely had too. They had come out of it bruised, battered, and not quite the same as they had been, but they had made it out together.

Magnus nodded, tightening his fingers around Alec’s hand. “The steel that goes into the fire is always stronger when it’s taken from it. It’s not the same as it was when it went in. It becomes malleable with the heat and the flame, and can be changed and shaped into whatever it will eventually become. But it’s stronger. Alec and I are no different. We aren’t the same people that we were when our first adoption fell through ten months ago, and our marriage isn’t the same as it was then, either. I think it’s better, as strange as that may sound, because we both put forth the effort that was needed to make it work. It was never completely one-sided. And I know I love Alec more now than I ever have.”

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

There’s no way to choose a favorite. I adore them all and am so grateful for every comment, every tweet, every message. I’m just grateful for all of you who read what I put out into the world, more so than I can ever truly say. 

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

The last six months of 2017 were hell for me personally. There were so many ups and downs emotionally that much of the time I didn’t have it in me to do any writing, or things happened that made the project I was working on something that triggered a negative reaction rather than a positive one. 

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

Alec challenging Magnus to give his life direction in chapter 1 of And You Have Always Been Mine Too. It wasn’t in the original draft of the chapter, and it was more the intensity with which Alec challenged him than anything else. 

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I’m learning not to give up and walk away when the muses go silent, or when writing gets difficult. 

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I hope to plot and start my first original novel inspired by my grandfather’s passing back in June. I’m not sure I’m quite ready for the emotional roller coaster that it’s going to take me on, but I also think it might be very cathartic to channel my grief over his loss into words. 

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@otppurefuckingmagic. There isn't even a question. I don’t know that I can put into words how much she’s meant to me this year, but here goes. 

I honestly don’t know where I would be without Sam and her love, wisdom, guidance, encouragement, and ability to know exactly what I need when I need it. She’s the reason that I keep fighting when all I want to do is give up, whether that be with writing or with everything going on in this fucked up world. When something happens, good, bad, or ugly, she’s one of the very first--if not the very first--person I turn to. 

She has been a mentor, a friend, a beta, an unbiological big sister. When she says ‘be someone’s champion’ it isn’t just empty words. She has been mine in so many ways, and is a major reason that I am becoming the writer I am and am fighting to become a better version of myself every day. 

So thank you, Sam, from the bottom of my heart for being my rock. <3

11. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Occupational hazard of being a writer is that you draw from real life experiences or base characters off people you know in literally everything you write.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Trust yourself. Trust your process. Trust the good times and the bad times because writing is hard. And never, ever, ever give up. Write for you. Publish your work and be proud of it regardless of how many comments or likes you get. If you are happy with it, that is all that matters. 

13. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I’m looking forward to finishing A Tiny Spark in 2018 and am very excited for the fic I’ll be (hopefully) publishing around Christmas 2018 (even though I know we JUST HAD Christmas a week ago....)

Tag writers whose answers you’d like to read.

I don’t know who hasn’t been tagged in this, so tag! you’re it (if you want to do it, of course). 

[rainwashedhistory]

Quarantine Journal

Apparently I am incapable of maintaining a daily pace -- part of this is trying to fit ONE day in at a time and finish the day and then forgetting the next morning.  I'ma TRY to get back to it but let's go a little free-form right now.  Maybe I'll start posting weekly instead?  Today is 6/13.  Some shit's gone down.

Shawn, my old boss from WWP died.  I feel bad that I never got to tell him what he meant to me.  I wrote a pretty long memorial thing on insta/facebook.  I'ma repost it here too... with a couple, more honest updates.  Readmore at the end.

I'm planning to go up to Redding for Shawn's memorial right after Father's day.  Terrified of COVID but hey.  This only is going to happen once.  I'm gonna stay with my high school bestie, and hopefully see my friends Aleesha and Robyn, at least.  And get some chicken rolls.  The sushi place we used to go to is under new ownership buuuuuut.  And this will almost certainly be the last time in my life I'm ever going to go to waterworks park, so let's make it count, I guess?  I bought a cute romper onepiece swimsuit that hides a bit of the quarantine bod.

On the way to Redding, I am officially gonna hit up Liz's place!  I miss my girl. Need to meet Connor!

Stafford House is officially gone for good.  I have cleaned out my classroom.  There are rumblings that the school might be bought by another co. that wants to do more vocational training -- fingers crossed that happens and that I'll have a job there?  Yikes. Hello Future, indeed.  I also stole my CAE books.  Hell if I'm giving those back.  I also took my test binders and a few mini-whiteboards that Patti offered

There's been a ton of BLM protests here.  I feel guilty af that I haven't been to a single one or done much of anything -- I just don't feel safe doing so.  Both physically, at protests where cops are pretty openly inciting violence, and... situationally?  OANN is quartered here, and if my parents see me at one of them, I stg they'll kick me out of my place.  Things downtown are pretty boarded up.  And like I'd be donating but I need to fucking save my money because COVID relief unemployment is not gonna last forever.

I spent like 2 weeks not talking to mom.  Had a call with her a couple days ago, though, and it was... fine.  No major yelling about politics.  Phew.

Therapy... I went this week.  Meh.  I'm not sure it's helping all that much.  I really want to start going in person again, this teletherapy stuff is balls.

I've been applying to jobs.  It's the worst.  Especially because even though there are a handful of job postings, with COVID, who even knows what'll happen.  will schools reopen?  I should really start pouring myself into the online teaching stuff but so many sites make it so difficult.  I re-applied to ALI, god give me strength.  And I need to re-apply to Miramar.  SIGH.

I'm hanging out more and more (every saturday) with Ricky, Mat, Stazia, and Nick.  This is helping give me some balance.  And kitty time. Whenever their skittish cats come chill with me I feel blessed.

I killed my sourdough starter, somehow.  All orange tinged.  Nick gave me a new one (dried).  I built it back up and have since found a me hair, a cat hair, and a big ass bug in it.  WTF?  It still... looks good though?  Gonna give it a bit to see if it goes off, too.

Meals for this week incluced hot honey butter-glazed chicken, fettuccine pasta & mushrooms, and one-pan vegetable udon.  All three were good but not necessarily mind-blowing.  I probably should start food logging again?

Painted my nails all pride-y.  Will post a pic later.

Bought lighting for computer desk and bedroom, FINALLY

Cats seem mostly flea-free, though mimosa is still not sleeping on the bed like a psycho

FINALLY (like 8 months later) got my car engine steam cleaned, will try to get an appointment to get my engine checked before I try to drive up to fucking Redding

Got the prelim documents in for my RealID.  I need to get an appointment at the DMV but they're not scheduling them right now

School starts Monday. I am nooooot ready.

Mortgage is delinquent?  Inquiring about COVID relief stopped payment on our autopay and now things are all messed up.  SIGH I hope this doesn't go on my credit.

Haven't been walking nearly enough.  It's really hard to make myself shift into that again, and frankly I need to.  It's been three months since I've worked out at all.

Keeping up with RnM with Erica.... it's a fucking wild ride and I'm soooo glad she loves it as much as I do

Started playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey.  It's fun af, but also not like... engrossing like HZD was, which means I don't feel too cranky when I can't play.  holy SHIT the world is huge tho.  And gorgeous.  But again, maybe... too huge, and too samey-same.  I get that that's the region, but I loved how HZD changed so much depending on the area you were.  SPEAKING OF HZD, the news about H2FW came out and hooooly shit I am hyped.  We're going to Cali!

Here have some more mask GPOYs

Other stuff:

Temp still normal, in the high 97/low 98 range

RHR is hovering around 64-67

Steps have been in the 2-3000 range, yikes

Weather has been lovely, why am I not going out more???

Ok fam, that's it.  Time to shower, get dressed, and head over to R&M's for weekly mandated social time.

source

https://katalyst.livejournal.com/494991.html

Shawn, you were my first, and one of my best mentors. You promoted me to management when I was an anxious, terrified, by-the-book 18 year old who had absolutely no idea why she was even considered for the position. You had so much faith in me and my abilities and you were the most patient boss I have ever had -- you taught me every year, for years, how to start up the pumps again, until I literally could do it in my sleep, even now, over a decade later. You taught me how to fix almost anything in the park, and you never acted like there was anything I was too fragile or stupid to do -- even when others did.

You were tough, and I never wanted to get on your bad side... but you were also supremely kind -- I remember you yelling at almost everyone, at least once, except me. Even when I deserved it and I made mistakes that would cost the company money. I remember begging you to take it out of my paycheck and you just stopping and laughing and telling me it was okay, just not to do it again. I think you knew I would crumble, and all you ever wanted to do was build me up.

You knew the value, and the joy in a hard day's work... and you also knew how to take it easy, and that both are vitally important. I remember the day I slept straight through my alarm and you opened the whole park without calling me, just to give me a little break. I remember the way you taught me that management was never above any job -- if you expected your employees to do something, you'd always pitch in and show them that you weren't too good to clean a toilet, too. I'll never forget your 36 hour days, or your calling in well to work, or shiraz Saturdays. I desperately miss sitting in your office or up on the side of the river ride and eating pizza and talking. Everything I loved about Waterworks really came down to working with you and the community you helped foster there.

You taught me how to find my voice and stand on my own two feet in a job that I found utterly terrifying, after living with a family where I never had one. You were a second dad to me -- one who stuck up for me, who was always in my corner. I honestly don't think, if it weren't for you, that I would have found the confidence to pursue teaching. There is so much good in my life that you helped me reach for, and I will always be grateful.I'll be opening a big bottle of Yellowtail this Saturday in your honor. I miss you.