#rip to the vice principal

[aleprouswitch]

Thirty years ago today, my favorite album and one of the most important albums in rock was unleashed onto the world. During one particular Hole show, Courtney Love answered a male heckler with "You want to fuck me? I'm not a woman, I'm a fucking force of nature!". In these twelve songs, listeners all over the world got to hear for themselves what a force of nature Courtney truly is.

The first time I heard Courtney Love screaming in "Violet", I felt like my soul had been ripped in half. I was an angry kid from a broken, abusive home, and her ability to wail into the aether resonated with me in a way that nothing else did. The older I got, the more her lyrics made sense to me, and I came to identity with this album not just for its angry moments, but its fragile moments as well.

Courtney spent much of her childhood being passed around between family members, group homes, juvenile centers, etc. because nobody wanted her or knew what to do with her. At the age of fifteen, the vice principal of my high school waited until I walked ahead, turned to my mom, and asked, "What's wrong with her?". Well, Vice Principal, a lot was wrong with me, and I wasn't interested in hiding it.

Courtney Love never hid all of her flaws back then, and she still doesn't. In a 2010 interview, she quipped "Maybe I'm just 'deeply wounded'...maybe that's why screaming feels so fucking good". Likewise, listening to Courtney scream gave me the courage to scream too, and now I'm doing it in front of other people semi-regularly.

To this day, the Vice Principals of the music industry are still mouthing "What's wrong with her?" about Courtney, and they don't even try to hide it. The truth is that she is the embodiment of a phoenix, rising from the ashes time and time again. She survived when most predicted she wouldn't. She lives through this, and she'll keep living, and ultimately, so will I.

Something is wrong with us, and thank god for that.

#hole #hole band #courtney love #live through this #90s #opinions

[touloserlautrec]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! It's Valentine's Day, or a similarly romantic occasion, how do your characters celebrate? (I'd love to hear about the unattached characters just as much as the ones in relationships.)

Happy belated STS! I'm still slowly catching up, but I'm getting this one in just under the wire for Valentine's Day!

While I'm sure there are some characters in Sunset who go all in for Valentine's Day (I'm looking at you, Emmett-- he's probably covered in glitter and planning the perfect dinner for Penn even as we speak), once we hit volume 2, most people are too busy keeping themselves alive to be bothered with conversation hearts.

But! In the SolCorp Academy, Valentine's Day is part of the curriculum! Academy kids aren't allowed to leave the building until they graduate because if you're in the Academy, it's very likely that you or your knack are too volatile to be out in the world without adequate training. So they have a class called "Cultural Integrations," which is, as you might imagine, an awkward festival of sheltered kids learning about things like pep rallies, birthdays, grandparents, and, you guessed it-- holidays.

Rafe (the head of Terre and principal of the Academy) and Logan (the vice principal) spend Valentine's day helping the kids make valentines, pass out candy, have a school dance, and buy each other carnations. And also trying to enforce strict rules against student dating. RIP them. (Rafe goes home to his wife, who takes pity on his long day, and they spend the evening eating his favorite takeout and canoodling, I am sure. Logan, on the other hand, is likely to go find a friend to unwind with--this may or may not involve further canoodling).

#sts #sunset a story #valentine's day

[latenightgasstationwalk]

One time when I was in like 3rd grade the principal pulled me into a room and screamed in my face like a drill Sargent because I couldn’t hold still while we were in line to go on stage and preform a Christmas choir bullshit thing that I wanted no part in because I knew my parents weren’t able to come so it just felt like a huge waste of time to me. He got big big BIG mad, because as soon as he was done screaming at me, all I said was: “you’re dumb”

I was forced to preform in the dumb Christmas thing, but I did not sing, I only moved my mouth like I was singing.

Same principal who encouraged my parents to put me on aderall and scolded me in front of my entire class multiple times for not being able to eat. Because that totally doesn’t make you feel like a freak, if you don’t already, on account of being the only kid in your class that HAS to be on mini-meth pills to help you focus.

My 3rd grade teacher also made fun of me in front of my entire class for being on aderall, after she (along with my principal) grilled my mother about putting me on said aderall. I went home and told my mom about it and she immediately got in the car and took me to the school and went BIG MODE on this woman. I was outside the classroom but I could hear her going ape Shit on her. My mom was gettin thug in that elementary school. Love that woman. (Incase you’re curious She called on me to answer a question and I wasn’t sure where we were in the book and she said “wow did you take your pill this morning? I know you need it. You need all the help you can get” even my bad little Ass was like wooooow okay you can’t say that to me lmao)

My 8th grade music teacher made us all take a guitar class, this was some time before I had taken an interest in playing music, we all had to preform in front of the class. We could chose between smoke on the water, Elenor Rigby or some other song I don’t remember. I very foolishly chose Elenor Rigby over smoke on the water and totally ate shit in front of the class. She gave me a D (like verbally, in front of the whole class of course, everyone else got their grade in private. But not the freak. He exists to entertain us) and then Stated aloud “that’s okay Jay, you’re just not cut out for music”

Shows what she knows. I Fucking rip at the guitar now. What now miss Thomas, Whatchu guna say now, yeah that’s right you got nothin. *poorly plays cliffs of dover*

One time when I was in high school my best friend overdosed on purpose in an attempt to take his own life, and the SECRETARY, not a teacher, for no reason walked up to me after school and said “you’re a bad friend. I’d never let my friend do something like that” and I was literally like “😦” like. What the Fuck do you even say to that he didn’t even take them at school. I wasn’t FUCKING THERE WHEN HE DID IT YOU DORK.

One time, also in high school, I found a super useful truancy loophole. If you got sent home, they couldn’t send you a truancy ticket. But coincidentally, if you were seen on your phone they’d confiscate it. But if you refused to give them your phone they’d send you to the office. Where you would once again be asked to turn over your phone. If you said no again they’d send you home. So of course I’d just be texting all first period until someone told me to stop and then I’d just leave. Free truancy.

One time, also in high school, I got in trouble for peeing on the building during gym class, but I got away with it by insisting “it was an emergency”

One time in middle school some kid dumped an entire Dr. Pepper on the audio mixing board in the auditorium. It literally wasn’t me. They (principal, vice principal, and the janitor for some reason) walked right up to me during lunch and said that I did it. I had no idea what they were even talking about. I hadn’t even been in the auditorium at this point as it was like the 2nd week of school. They all pulled me into the office and tried to force me to confess to breaking “a $5000 piece of equipment” and I just kept stone walling them and saying it wasn’t me because I knew they had no proof because I DIDNT FUCKING DO IT. They eventually let me go, because they couldn’t prove that I did it, because I didn’t do it.

This other time in middle school, I dumped a whole Dr Pepper on this dumb audio mixing board thing

This other other time, also in middle school, we were given a project where we were supposed to do online research on a celebrity or historical figure and write an essay on their life and accomplishments. I couldn’t decide on who to pick, so I asked my aunt to help me out, she was a huge Elvis fan so she recommended him. I was like “sure okay” and wrote this big ass thing about Elvis’s life and everything and read it infront of the whole class. Every one was snickering at me the entire time but I had no idea why. Until I got done reading the essay and the teacher revealed to me that not only were we assigned people to do the report on, but the project was black history month themed, I don’t think I need to even explain the irony in doing an entire report on Elvis for a black history month themed project. (She was cool and gave me a D instead of an instant fail, which would have been totally understandable)

Also worth mentioning that by 4th grade I could barely see in front of my own face because of my dog shit vision and my parents refused to by me glasses because I kept breaking them. I didn’t get another pair of glasses until my first job when I turned 18. So for alot of these stories I’m also like legally blind.

This other time, when I was in the juvenile detention center, I was sitting in my teachers chair doing an impression of him to make the other kids laugh, because he wasn’t in the room. Except he was in the room. And these teachers can hit you. He like clotheslined me out of the chair and dragged me around by my neck screaming “YOU THINK THATS FUCKING FUNNY??” I didn’t say anything because, between the lack of airflow to my lungs and the crazed laughter, I couldn’t talk at all.

Same year at the same place, they we’re giving kids from one of the high schools in the area a tour of the facility, for some reason. And I once again got grabbed by my neck and dragged into a room and screamed at because I walked by 2 girls from the high school and said “hey ladies :)” what a terrible terrible child I was.

I was ASKED to stop showing up to school my sophomore year. Which I gladly agreed too.

My school experience was so whack.

#school stories

[archietransdrews]

Clothing As Fate On Riverdale? SAY MORE

this #theory hinges on a reading of riverdale as comic, or at least riverdale as a show that still operates fundamentally on comic book principles.

in comics, appearance is everything. i mean this in the sense that characters are given distinct looks so that the viewer can easily tell them apart when scanning strips; i mean it also in the sense that since comics are largely a visual medium, we learn who characters are not only by analyzing what they say but also and principally by analyzing how they look. comic characters’ outfits rarely change, because their appearance is how we recognize them, and yet those outfits are significant despite being stable precisely because of what they indicate about different characters’ personalities. think of pierce from zits or pigpen from peanuts or nermal from garfield or — you get the picture; in a comic, appearance IS character and vice versa.

because we need characters to look distinct in order to tell us what they’re like, there are plenty of pieces of clothing in comics whose only function is to communicate something about a character’s personality; this is true in riverdale as well. jughead’s hat is a perfect example of this, given that the show is aware of its purpose — have you ever seen me without this hat on? that’s weird! but the place it’s not weird for a character to literally never be seen without the same hat on is in a comic strip; jughead just doesn’t know that he’s from a comic (yet).

in comics perhaps more than any other medium, clothes and physical traits are chosen to efficiently communicate characters’ existing personality traits, and so it follows that the reverse is true as well, in the sense that donning a certain piece of clothing can also serve to influence or alter a character’s personality or behavior after the fact. this starts to get at the idea of clothing as fate — the idea that wearing something particular has the power to influence or predetermine future events. we see this frequently time in riverdale when characters dress up like fictional characters only to begin experiencing the same plots that those characters did, e.g. betty dressing up as laurie strode and then immediately living the events of the movie halloween or archie wearing a superhero costume for one night and then becoming a vigilante or like. every musical episode. riverdale fundamentally cannot or will not distinguish between a character and someone who is dressed up like them, so dressing up as someone else triggers a narrative shift.

we need characters to look distinct when reading comics in order to be able to tell them apart, so it follows that when characters in the comic that is riverdale come to resemble each other too closely they begin to merge, which is to say they begin experiencing similar plotlines and ultimately similar fates. i have been mostly paying attention on this rewatch to the jasonification of jason’s doubles, particularly archie, cheryl, and chic, but there is also a lot to explore with regard to characters dressing like their parents while in the process of becoming them. (jughead putting on the serpent jacket is the first moment we know he is going to join the serpents; veronica ripping off her pearl necklace communicates more urgently than any words might how strongly she doesn’t want to end up like her parents.) we might even argue that using the same actors in the midnight club sealed the riverdale teens' fates as they became physically and therefore narratively indistinguishable from their parents, doomed to repeat their mistakes.

in summary, pretending to do something on riverdale is the same as doing it for real because everything on the show operates on an equal level of (un)reality; sartorial choices in particular take on additional consequence owing to riverdale's archie comics heritage. thus, in riverdale, dressing up as someone is not fundamentally distinct from becoming them, or at least taking on their narrative role. in this sense, then, clothing is a primary vector through which fate exerts itself on the characters, forcing them to experience plotlines that correspond to what they're wearing even if it was only supposed to be a costume.

#asks #anon #jacketposting #object theory #syllabus

[under-the-cherrytree]

I have risen from hell because I have an idea, characters? Teru, Akane (boy) and Sakura. so like- this person-- apparation, is like- chaotic. just- chaotic and would start arguments and uh- how will they handle them while they're literally just looking for a fight?

Teru, Akane, and Sakura with a s/o who is chaotic and looking for a fight❣︎

Warnings: fighting, blood, murder (Akane and Sakura)

A/n: h e l l o

I hope you find your trip from hell relaxing-

Anyways!! I hope you enjoy and have a great day or night!

- He genuinely doesn’t know what to do in this situation

- Like you will be walking and talking with him one second

- Then the next second you are trying to rip a students face off-

- Mood swings, am I right?

- He will try and get you out of fights, not wanting the principal to get evolved or anything like that

- But while he is calm, he can get provoked

- If anyone dares say anything that is bad about you in the middle of a fight, he will fight that person himself

- He will pull you away from a fight and try to calm you down

- But the moment someone calls you a bitch, he’s throwing hands

- And he’s a very skilled fighter, he battles supernaturals so other humans are easy for him

- He will proceed to break this person physically

- Then he will break his reputation then break him mentally

- All because he called you a bad name

- He doesn’t like when people talk smack about his s/o

- If the principal get mad then he will come in with a whole presentation on how you didn’t do it

- He will get videos from the fight, showing proof that you did nothing

- He will try and find dirt on the guy too

- And he knows exactly where to look

- This person's reputation would go so down all because of your boyfriend

- He loves you so much

- He woke up and choice violence man

- He is your partner in crime

- You want to fight someone, he is right next to you

- He will literally beat anyone up with his bat if you ask him too

- Just say the word, he's like a dog

- If you try and fight someone he will be cheering you on

- He would understand if you want to fight this person alone and he will let you

- But he will give the person you are watching a deadly glare when you are not looking

- This dude might stumble up because he's afraid of what Akane would do to him if he lays a finger on you

- As he should be

- If you end up getting hurt in this fight… lets just say it doesn't end well

- He will defend you in front of everyone, hurting this person back and calling this whole fight off

- He will attend to your injuries, no matter how small

- He will make sure you are okay then he will find whoever hurt you

- He will beat them and he will show no mercy

- Like this person might just go missing-

- Don’t be shocked if he kills them

- Anyone who hurts his s/o doesn’t deserve to live<3

- If you ever go to the principal for violence, he would be so mad

- He will use his perks as the vice principal to help you

- He will find so much dirt on the person you were fighting and show the principal, you will be a saint in the principals eyes

- He had probably gotten you out of so many situations that you lost count

- He will always support his s/o no matter what!

- She is calmly concerned

- You are very energetic compared to her so a lot of people wondered how you two got together

- If you were trying to fight someone for whatever reason, she would tell you that it isn't worth it and to let it go

- The moments you did listen to her she was very grateful

- The moments you didn’t however…

- She wasn’t angry but she would prefer you spend time with her rather than fighting some guy

- She also won't let anyone hurt you

- While she isn’t a fighter, she isn’t afraid so beat someone to defend you

- She might even convince Tsukasa to do something to keep him away from you

- And you know how Tsukasa is…

- However, she will keep you protected as much as she can

- She will also help with your injuries after, giving each one a kiss as she wraps it with a cloth

- She will ask you to stop fighting, not wanting you to get hurt or get in trouble

- She will try and plead with you

- She is really worried about your safety

- If you do get in trouble, she won't be able to do much to get you out of it but she will be with you the whole time

- She will sit in detention with you and read, hoping her company has a positive effect for you

- After detention she will give you a bit of a ‘I told you so’ knowing that you would get in trouble

- She will probably also have video evidence to get the other guy expelled

- So he won't be seeing you for a bit if Tsukasa didn’t already intervene for fun

Tagging~ @bladethrowsshade @sleepless-simp @kisses-inthe-summer-rain @stuckindreamland06

#tbhk #toilet bound hanako kun #tbhk x reader #jshk #tbhk anime #hanako x reader #toilet bound x reader #hanako kun #jshk x reader #jibaku shounen hanako kun #jibaku shoujo hanako kun #tbhk comfort #tbhk minamoto #tbhk manga #toilet bound hanako kun x reader #teru x reader #teru minamoto #akane aoi x reader #akane x reader #akane aoi #sakura nanamine #sakura x reader

[omegasmileyface]

The Forest, the Trees, the Fire I: CATALYST

Chapter 7

chapter 6 was also posted earlier, so go check that one out if you missed it! Authors: @attackradish, @ectolemonades, me. Artist: @/crunchysart

For the full characters list, word count, content warning, and a directory to all the currently available chapters and related content, see the Table of Contents!

full summary: The world outside of Amity Park has learned about the existence of ghosts, and the time for first impressions has arrived. The delicate public consciousness could be disrupted by the slightest ripple. Danny Fenton is being ripped apart from all sides, and when he finally breaks, the ripples will be very big indeed.

warnings: references to racism and classism

words: 2467

AO3 link

first chapter

previous chapter

next chapter

===

January 16, 2007

Jazz was trying very hard to focus on her dinner and not the growing anxiety around her new syllabi when her phone chimed. She had tried to set a boundary that she would never check her phone during meals and take that important rest period away from herself, but it was the first time it had gone off since Christmas. She couldn't resist!

Tucker Foley: (17:20) dannys missing. havent heard frm him since th 5th

Well. That certainly ruined the mood.

You: (17:20) Crap. R we sure that he's not just busy? 11 days is a lot but he's weird like that from time 2 time

Tucker Foley: (17:22) c thats the thing. hes been MIA a lot recently. several days at a time. but im more worried this time bcuz the portals gone

Oh. Oh, shit, that was new.

You: (17:22) The portal is GONE? How do u kno? What happened?

Tucker Foley: (17:23) whole ectomap is diff. not sure. phone call? i can get us some better communication

Jazz was shaking in her dining hall seat. Danny was gone, with no reliable way of getting between realms? Mom and Dad were alone, in the middle of an anti-ghost government incursion, and with their life's work inactive for whatever reason?

Maybe everything added together in the ways she feared, maybe it didn't. Either way, something terrible was either happening or about to happen. She could already feel the guilt weighing on her for not thinking to go back home before now.

You: (17:25) Maybe. I'm coming over tho.

Jazz managed to clean up her dinner and start heading back to her dorm before Tucker called.

"You're coming, for real?"

"Yeah. Clearly stuff's going on in Amity, and I need to be there for it."

"Yeah, but, like, don't you have classes that you can't miss?"

Jazz double-checked that her roommate wasn't in before continuing. "Tucker, my baby brother is missing, while my parents are working with the group that's getting his existence criminalized across the whole country. Why would that not be worth pushing my degree back a bit?"

"Just feels like a waste of loan money, is all."

Jazz shrugged. "I'll just loot Vlad's house and sell all his Packers merch."

"I imagine the feds already beat you to that. Good luck, though."

At least five outfits and two pairs of pajamas, check. Toiletries, check. "What'd they do with all his money, anyway? Maybe it's still out there and you could wire me some of it."

"Why do you think I can do that? I'm not a comic book character, Jazz, I'm a teen with a piracy hobby."

Jazz hesitated for a moment before packing Bearbert Einstein. "Worth a shot. So, what's been up with you?"

"What's been up with me? Oh, you're chatting. We're chatting. You really must not have any friends of your own."

"Tucker!"

"Sorry, just an observation. I'm sorry. Well. I made a little system people in town can use to plan pro-ghost protests and stuff, but otherwise I've been trying to stay out of it, even though it's been a little lonely."

Jazz hummed. She'd better pack a towel. For all she knew, the extras back home had been sewn into some kind of ectophobic parachute.

"Lola got in trouble at school for defending Phantom in front of the vice principal. Like, she had to stay after school while he checked with the GIW to make sure they didn't have to write her up or anything. Fuck that guy, honestly. So my parents have been on edge, and they don't want me drawing any attention. Lola's eight years old, and pretty fuckin' cute too! If she gets in that kinda trouble, imagine what'll happen if they think me or my parents are pro-ghost."

Jazz cringed. "That really sucks."

"Yeah. I know."

She gave the room another quick once-over to be sure she didn’t miss anything she'd need for the next month or two. "How's Sam?"

"Couldn't tell ya. Her parents were pissed when they found out she was leading all those protests, and they moved away."

"Oh. Haven't you been talking?"

"Not really. What would we talk about, anyway? She's still mad because I wouldn't join her on the front lines. She doesn't get it. If she gets arrested protesting, she gets an embarrassing picture in the newspaper and her parents pay a fine and life goes on. If the same thing happened to me, my future would be ruined, forget that I'm not eighteen yet. Nobody employs a Black kid who has a criminal record before graduating."

"I'm really sorry that's something you have to worry about."

"Whatever. It's Sam! I'm sure she'll figure it out in a couple months and immediately pivot to doing the exact opposite. She never turns down self-sacrifice when it makes her look good."

Jazz gathered up her backpack and duffel by the door. "Wow, sounds like you really haven't been getting along at all lately."

Tucker sighed on the other end of the phone. "Honestly, we never would have been friends if Danny wasn't there. He made it make sense somehow. Not that I don't like hanging out with Sam! She manages to keep up with our humor and stuff. But it's hard when there's nobody there to buffer her. …Or me. Probably shocking to hear this from Too Fine himself, but I know I can be kind of a hassle when I lose my impulse control."

"That's a really intelligent thought, Tucker. Maybe it'll help you build new friendships, if you want."

He scoffed. "You really therapy-talking me at seven PM? You must miss Danny bad."

"Could you give me a sec? I need to write something."

"She's deflecting now!" The line went quiet.

Jazz gathered up her roommate's sticky notes and pen. Sorry, Lin. I'm gonna be gone for a while, at least a week. Family emergency. Not sure when I'll be back, but if you see a ghost who looks like me and she asks for my stuff, let her take it. Thanks!

"'Kay. Anything else to say?"

"Not really. I honestly wasn't expecting a conversation. I guess, um… how have you been?"

"Eh. College. Hey, I'll be back in Amity by… midnight. Make sure it's not up in flames by the time I get there?"

"You're driving now? I knew you got your dad's bad road habits! Please don't fall asleep at the wheel, okay? I'll do my best to keep everything un-up-flamed until you get here."

Jazz clipped the seatbelts over her bags, just to be extra sure they wouldn't fly around. "Of course! I've got my soundtrack. Later, Tucker." She shut off her phone and stuck in her favorite hip-hop CD she kept hidden under the passenger seat. Time for a very reasonable amount of speeding.

===

"Huntress!"

Valerie looked down from her latest capture to see the Doctors Fenton, waving their hands like little kids to get her attention. She went down to meet them.

"Yes?"

"We've always been really impressed with your efficiency at dealing with ghosts," said Maddie.

Val thought back to all the times the Fentons had shown up to a ghost sighting already yelling, plotting their every move out loud. Sure, she had better tech nowadays, but she was pretty sure her greatest weapon against ghosts was common sense. "Thank you." Still, not bad to kiss up when it came to making connections. "That means a lot, from professional hunters such as yourselves."

"You may know that we've been working with the Garrison Irving Walker Commission recently," said Jack.

She didn't, but it didn't particularly surprise her.

"Well, we've been wanting to have you come in so we can talk business!"

"And by we," chimed in Maddie, "he means the Commission."

Mentally, Valerie prepped a fake signal to go off on her suit so she had an excuse to leave if she needed. She knew the GIW weren't after her, but she had been sort of avoiding them recently. Just in case. "Business?"

"We're all wondering how you make it look so easy!"

"And how you made that flashy suit!"

"It's not an interrogation or anything, we just want you to share some tricks of the trade if you've got time."

Valerie wasn't sold, so she used a technique she'd picked up when applying for jobs. "I'll have to make some time. Could I contact you later with a schedule?"

"Sure! The FentonWorks phone number—"

"Maybe a GIW number would work better? Since it's set up with them."

"For sure!" Maddie grabbed a business card from her utility belt. "If you just press 0 a bunch, you'll get to the receptionist eventually."

"We look forward to hearing from you!"

===

"What would they do if you said no?" Damon Gray asked. He handed Valerie another soapy plate.

She let the water finish running over the plate before she spoke. "I almost don't want to think about it. I mean, I want to think that they'll just respect my privacy as a fellow ghost fighter, but they didn't really have a lot of reason to look into Mr. Masters, did they? If they're that paranoid, won't they look into me too?"

"Well, let's think about it this way." Damon hung the dishcloth back on the faucet. Nice, sub-ten-minutes dishes! "What's the worst outcome if they do look into you?"

"Well, they find my secret identity."

"And then?"

"And then… they get mad at me for doing vigilante stuff. They arrest me for the property damage I've done in fights, and take my suit away because I'm a kid."

"Is that it? Could be worse. I'm sure the people will be on your side because of how much you've helped the cities before. Will they look into your suit at all?"

"Ooh, yeah, if they can. It's sort of bonded to me right now."

Damon frowned but didn't interrupt.

"They might find out that I'm using tech that came from ghosts. I bet they wouldn't like that."

"They all use ecto-technology stuff too, right? I'm sure they wouldn't mind too much, since you're human."

Valerie didn't respond.

"…Well," said Damon, "I'm gonna go get the mail. Let me kn—"

"What if I wasn't?"

"Sorry?"

"I mean— not that I'm not human! And I'm definitely not a ghost. But what if there were some ghostly things about me?"

"Sweetie, what aren't you telling me?"

Valerie turned away. "…Weird ghostly stuff has been happening to me for a few months and I think it's because of my suit."

"Valerie Gloria Gray!"

"It's not that bad! Like, y'know, sometimes when I'm embarrassed I'll get kinda see-through for a sec. O-or when I want my suit to do something, it does it before I tell it to."

"No, as a matter of fact, I do not know!" Damon sighed. "But I'm glad you're okay."

Valerie nodded.

"I'm going to want to talk about this later, but right now I'm getting the mail. I'll just say this before I go; the GIW is supposed to be protecting humans, right? If they're any good at their job, they won't do anything drastic because you're so human."

"Okay. Yeah."

"Love you."

"Thanks, Dad."

Still… better safe than sorry. Valerie was going to find a phone booth tomorrow and schedule the meeting for Saturday.

===

Danny hated the basement of the Keep. He hated it, even more than he hated the rest of the place. Even when it was updated with shiny black and white stone and glass like the rest of the building, it still felt old and foreboding.

When people called the building a "keep", they usually meant it more metaphorically, or they just didn't know that keeps were short-term military hideouts. Most of the structure was more like a palace, enduring and luxe. The basement, though, was the site of a permanent last stand. It had morphed out of the old throne room and kept all the miasma from before, without most of the deathtraps. It was the heart of the palace, in the way that a fear response starts in the heart and radiates outward.

And here Danny was, trying to open up old wounds.

The Fright Knight's resting place was exactly where it had been before, dutifully beside his old king, even if they were both cursed to sleep forever. It was sort of romantic, almost. Like poetry. If you squinted.

But when Danny took the sword out of the pumpkin, the Fright Knight only had to look around for a few seconds before he kneeled, seemingly having figured out the whole… situation. Not that he had expected any serious loyalty out of the knight after his previous escapades, but that was sort of sad.

It didn't seem like the knight was going to stand up unless Danny said something.

"Um… hey. Hi. You can stand."

He stood.

"You have a lot of military leadership experience, right?"

"Yes, my King."

"Alright. Have you ever dealt with passive defense? Like, not going out and fighting so much as preparing to only defend if necessary?"

"Of course. While it is not a responsibility I've had particularly often, it is something I've studied and practiced."

"Okay. I think the entirety of the Infinite Realms are going to be attacked soon."

The Fright Knight valiantly concealed a look of skepticism.

"Honestly! There are humans with a lot of technology, a lot of brainpower, and an unthinkable amount of hatred. I'm going to be doing all I can to prevent things from getting that bad on the diplomatic side, but... I don't want to ignore any possibilities."

"That's very intelligent, my King. Would you like me to suggest strategies on defense?"

"Yeah! I'd like to talk through any thoughts you have on defense and anything else, if that's okay. You have way more experience than me."

"Understood. Would it be possible to bring me something on which to write? I believe it would make the explanation easier."

"Of course. We can do whatever makes you most comfortable. I'm not planning on putting you back in there any time soon— I mean, unless you do something terrible— so you may as well get cozy."

The pair moved into the library and before too long, talk of a general ghost defense movement turned into full lectures on the possible  ways to handle the humans' anti-ghost shift. Tactic after tactic came back to one thing.

"We will only have negotiating power if you tell the humans that you are prepared to destroy them and mean it."

Danny weighed that thought in his mind for a bit. He turned the idea around, considering its taste. He didn't like it.

"And will you mean it, Phantom?"

"Mm… I think I will."

#my writing #danny phantom #invisobang 2023 #ftf catalyst #the forest the trees the fire

[energeticpoltergeist]

drew several TOMC au Fridas(and some Mannys) to try and figure out the show's artstyle more (i'll elaborate on swap!Frida's deal more under the read more along with cropped images of the drawings(which i'll do in order that i originally drew them so progression can be witnessed))

so first off in the swap-verse Frida is a police cadet prodigy as shes been training as one for who knows how long, mainly because her parents were overcompensating for how her sisters ended up(which fun fact Frida didn't dye her hair her hair just got coloured blue due to a prank played by her sisters, though she won't admit she likes how it looks)

not only is she a police cadet prodigy but she's seemingly a great student, though she still causes trouble she is just a lot more subtle about it(the vice principal still hates both her and Manny but people just thinks he's paranoid because why suspect one of the seemingly well-behaved students?)

something i should mention about the swap-verse is that im trying to keep it so its clear they're an alternate version of that character, as opposed to going the lazy route of just swapping characters around and creating the same damned thing, which i mention since this is still a Frida she still calls people dude, she's still ride or die with Manny, she's still kind of a dumbass she's just better at hiding it here, etc(though that doesn't mean there aren't changes as this one knows how to pronounce library and she reads books like for fun)

she still hates Zoe and hates being compared to her, which unfortunately happens quite frequently(one of the many reasons she likes hanging out with Manny is because he doesn't compare Frida to Zoe)

while this Frida is more rule follower then a rule breaker i do want to mention that its less of being a goody goody and more abusing loopholes, which i mention since Frida isn't allowed at the Rivera household and Manny isn't allowed at the Suarez household so they just hang out at other places to get around those rules

finally she isn't in a band so rip Atomic Sombreros because they don't exist in the swap-verse

#el tigre #my art #fanart #manny rivera #frida suarez #el tigre the other miracle city au #el tigre au #got very wordy but hey yall got some elaboration on TOMC stuff #also i am very very slowly getting a grip on the style of the show #it is a lot harder then one would assume #and thats not even mentioning how hard it is to draw White Pantera or Puma Loco #like fuck that mask in a non-sexual way for how hard it is to draw #but anyways yeah i finally elaborated a lil bit on an au

[happi-tree]

Grant/Marco/tony pepperoni?

Hiiiiiii Vik!!! Sorry this ask has taken approximately 280572837534 years to get around to dsbfahkdfbskabfs. Hope you're doing well 💚💚💚

Did I make some edits to this for The Funnies? Maybe so. Anyway so fucking sad that Marco was about to introduce Tony to Link as his and Grant's new boyfriend and then he dies!!! *Scary voice* Rip forever in our hearts Tony Pepperoni so fucking metal </3 In all seriousness though I do actually think this has a lot of fun potential, mostly comedic, I'll be real, but perhaps. Something more, even. Who knows? The idea of Marco and Grant constantly inviting Tony and his family over for dinner because they're in love with him but have no idea how to break it to the kids? Comedy gold. The idea of Link and Margarita as kinda-sorta siblings? Objectively hilarious!!! Sometimes a family is you, your two dads, your vice principal who both of your dads keep making eyes at, and your classmate Margarita Pizza, who is hating every minute of this just as much as you are 💗

#ahdvfkhasvfhkavshdvsa this is SO funny god bless #also. i literally forgot until i had nearly finished answering this that CANONICALLY tony thinks marco's hot. that's so! sdhfahksvfhkavsfs #anyway. canon ruined them via one of them being Dead And In Heaven Even Though He Was Racist </3 tragic really #thanks for the ask lovebird! #ask game #willcamposleftnut #dndads #grant/marco/tony

[king-maven-calore]

Fade:

“I’m a literature/theology/etc professor, you’re a math professor, it’s my first day and you have no idea who I am and start slating the subject I teach, who do you think you are?”

I made a tiny adjustment to the prompt but I hope you like it darling! 😘😘

This was supposed to be a temporary job. Just something to help her pay back her college loans before she could rush into the fray of revolution and overturn Norta's elites, to then (maybe) go back to the Lakelands and end the oppression of the proletariat there too. 

It's been five years though, and Diana Farley is still teaching history at Saint Victoria Academy. It's not the excellent paycheck that keeps her here, which obviously comes from the pockets of Albanus' wealthiest families. Neither is it the solid friendship she found with most of her colleagues, or the fully stocked coffee bar at the teacher's lounge. What keeps her here, despite her resentment toward the unequal access to quality education of this system, is the fact that she gets to impart knowledge and plant the seeds of radical ideas on eager, inquisitive minds. Her classes are known for prolonged debates and extensive, unconventional reading material.  

The kids (teens, to be more exact) she teaches blossom into new ideas like wildflowers in spring. It's beautiful to witness, and it makes her feel a deep responsibility to the task. So, she keeps showing them the most brutally honest and nuanced versions of historical events. At least until the day the school board decides she's gone too far and fires her. It hasn't happened yet, though she knows it someday will. She's not being paranoid, numerous pearl clutching parents have threatened her with this. Farley could not care less. 

As she makes her way to the teachers' lounge, she sees a temporary in memoriam wall dedicated to Sister Blonos. A picture with a candle underneath. RIP her least favorite colleague.  

It's not that Farley's a bitch, but the nun did call her a wretched commie lesbian on numerous occasions, and outright told her she was going to hell for corrupting children several more. There was no love lost between her and the late Theology teacher. Now, if Blonos had been a bit more like Sister Nanny, the music and theatre teacher, that would have been a whole 'nother story. There's a living example of ‘the Lord's love’ (whatever that means). 

Unsurprisingly, she's the first one to arrive. Everyone else is probably trading summer vacation anecdotes at the parking lot, jokingly moping about school starting again. Farley is actually excited to get back in the trenches of education. Her classroom is all set up already with maps, her laptop loaded with cool diagrams and presentations. She's come armed to this fight.  

She takes her place on the long mahogany table, sitting down on the high-backed leather chair, spins to face the inner grounds of Saint Victoria Academy through the big, ancient windows. 

"...Just try to keep the experiments to a minimum, Miss Barrow. I'm not asking for a lot." 

"How else are the punks going to pay attention? Besides, it was just a few lightbulbs, geesh." 

"It was half the building's electric installation." 

"A cheap price for the treasure of knowledge. Don't tell me how to do my job. You're not the boss of me." 

"I am your superior!" 

"Are you now? That makes quite the HR complain about what you were making me do last night!" 

"You were literally begging—" 

Diana coughs loudly and spins the chair around to let the newly arrived pair know she's there.  

Vice Principal Calore and Miss Barrow (or simply Mare for her) both halt to a stop, paling at the sight of her. Farley can see them mentally calculating whether their angry whispers were loud enough to reach her. In the name of friendship, Farley is willing to play dumb and let her closest co-worker delude herself into thinking that her inappropriate relationship is still a secret. As if no one has seen Calore preparing her coffee how she likes it, every day for two years now. Amongst other glaring sings. 

"Good morning, Mare," Diana fakes surprise without putting too much effort into it. "Sir," she nods at Calore. "How was your summer?" 

"Great!" they reply at the same time, making Mare glare at him. He smooths his tie, lowers his head and walks over to the coffee bar... and starts preparing two cups.  

Farley inwardly rolls her eyes. Seriously, why do they even bother? 

Mare sits down across from her. She starts telling her of the dog she found/adopted, which is a cute story sure, but when the rest of the teachers walk in the lounge, Diana stops listening. 

There are two men she doesn't recognize. One of them is a priest, and that's all the assessment he elicits. The other is a lean man with honey eyes on a handsome, gentle face comprised of soft angles that grant him that perpetually young look. 

Button down shirt, knit vest, slacks, and moccasins outfit straight out of the teacher's section of the rack. The fact that his chestnut curls are forcibly combed flat to the side annoys her for some reason.  

She imagines carding her fingers through the curls to loosen them to their natural state and her breath shallows for a cycle. Not that she cares about appearances but she is not a liar either. Truth is, that is a perfect human being where aesthetics are concerned. 

The man smiles down at Mare and rubs her shoulder, who looks up placing her hand upon his. 

"You're here! Farley, this is my brother. The decent one."  

"Shade?" she remembers quickly. 

He smiles the sort of smile that cures illnesses and lights up rooms, looking at her now. 

"The very one. I'm afraid to ask about what has she told you about the rest of the family." 

"You should be," Diana replies.  

Shade beams and makes a hand gesture toward the free chair next to hers. There are no assigned seats so she tells him that. 

The meeting starts. Calore welcomes them, makes a pun about the blackout incident Miss Barrow caused last year and they all laugh. He sobers up to remind them of Sister Blonos' passing, of the math department hiring a new teacher, then proceeds with other announcements. 

"They should have just saved the time and money from Blonos' class and used it for something worthwhile, for a change," Diana mumbles low enough that only Shade can hear her.  

He subtly slides his chair closer to hers. 

"I'm sure she can't have been that bad.” 

"I won't speak ill of the dead, but I was talking about Theology. There's a useless class if I ever heard of one." 

He blinks several times at her brutal honesty.  

"Don't you think kids have a right to wonder about that which they cannot see?" 

"You mean physics?" Farley interprets the question liberally to make her point. "That's what your sister is here for." 

"Physics phenomena are measurable." 

"And religion is the opium of the masses." 

"Ah Marx, old fella," the corner of Shade's mouth twitches as if they’re sharing a private joke. Something unfurls inside her like a cat placidly stretching under the sun. 

Farley is just a bit impressed a math teacher knows who the quote actually belongs to. 

"Before that, though," Shade proceeds, leaning in so close she can smell his cologne. Damn, it’s really nice. "He writes that religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature." 

Fair enough. Farley finds it hard to look away once her gaze has settled on him. Like trying to lift a spoon from a jar of thick honey, much like the rich color of his eyes.  

She arches an eyebrow. 

"If comfort is what we're talking about then psychology should suffice, or even art. Again, classes we already have." 

"Art is to the soul what religion is to the spirit. That's where theology comes in. To add a different perspective to the way our students can see the world." 

"It creates division and wars. I would know: I teach them." 

"Fear and ignorance create those. Actual knowledge would do the opposite and create mutual understanding,” he whispers passionately. 

"Actual knowledge" she repeats pointedly, "not that archaic bullshit filled with prejudice, meant to maintain the status quo and keep the working class blinded with fairy tales. Theology is delusional garbage." 

Shade stares at her so intently, for so long that it feels as if time has stopped, suspended from a thin thread. Waiting to snap at the first sound or blink. Every fiber in her being is strung up, ready for something to happen. 

"Revolutions are built on faith," he delivers like a killing blow.  

The tension in her releases in the form of all consuming, violent indignation.  

She intends to tell him a long list of real things successful revolutions were based on, ask him who the fuck does he think he is to mansplain this topic to her. "Are you—?!" 

"Thank you for your words, Father Cortez!" Calore claps giving her a look to shut up and pay attention. Shoot, the priest was speaking and she didn't even notice.  

Go to hell Calore, walking HR nightmare. She mentally shouts, squinting her eyes at him, joining on the round of polite applause. 

"We're all happy to welcome you to the math department." 

Wait... if the priest is the math teacher if that means... 

Farley's hands freeze mid applause as she turns to... 

"And the second incorporation this year." Calore smiles and extends his hand in to the chair beside hers. "Shade Barrow. Our new Theology teacher."  

If there is a god, they must be laughing at her. Fuck.  

#Shade Barrow #Diana farley #Fade #Shade x Diana #Red queen series #RQ fanfic #my fics #ask

[khaleesiofalicante]

Here's some funny gossip to pass the time while you deal with your horrible roommate!! But on a totally unrelated note, I´m not that good of a red agent as David, but I can always give it a try…

Well, did I ever tell you how my high school started a rumor that I was gay? 😂

Allow me to elaborate and keep it short: Middle school, I had a group of friends of like 5 girls, but in high school all groups got mixed and I ended up in a class with just one of them. We all promised to remain close friends, but things happened (I genuinely don’t completely remember the reason but it was really stupid) and we stopped talking to each other. That girl in my class became my best friend for those years, and we made our own group (they were nice but we were never inseparable).

Anyway, my mom once found out there was a rumor that my best friend and I were both gay and dating. She asked me about it and I obviously denied everything (that was probably one of the reasons why it took me longer to figure it out, I lived in denial :))

Looking backwards, that rumor wasn’t entirely stupid, because we both acted like a couple sometimes… We held hands, were never seen without each other, called each other all sorts of nicknames (honey, sweetheart, love, queen, you get it). Our vice principal once thought he saw us kissing, but we were just sharing an ice cream reaaaaaaally close. Don't @ me lmaoo

She told me she was bi at some point. Aaaand she was also the first girl I liked and my gay awakening basically. I liked her and looking back I’m pretty sure she liked me back, but we were both too scared to do anything about it. Sad story? Yeah but anyways it is what it is :)

Well, lately I’ve been talking with my mom about high school and I just found out like half the people there kinda hated me??? Wtf?? And I also found out a lot of them were constantly talking shit about me behind my back and that there were more rumors about us that were started by that group of girls we stopped talking to for revenge maybe????

I mean it's been a while so it doesn’t affect me, but it is kinda frustrating finding out about it through my MOM. And it's also frustrating the fact that HALF MY HIGH SCHOOL KNEW I WAS GAY BEFORE I DID!!!

Theres a part two of this, but now family related! Istg my life is a joke to someone out there...

i was literally eating chips as I read this lmaoooo. I needed gossip so bad I'm not kidding.

Fun fact: My new roommate gives me gossip (or rather shit talks) about people but she doesn't know I'm actually friends with them. Like she literally shit talked my bestie (harry) and i am like I AM GOING TO TELL HARRY ABOUT THIS.

Anyway rip to your high school because i would've started a fan club for you if i went to your school 😎

ALSO it's sooooo fucking cliche to have groups in schools and girls to stop talking to each other and gosh i don't miss that drama.

I loved this story and of course it was very alex clairemont diaz of you if i say so myself hehe.

#noah boo thang

[leandra-winchester]

So, I’ve started writing a new fic, but this time Buddie is only going to be the background ship. The main ship is Ana/Taylor, actually, and I’m quite excited to write this as I haven’t written any femslash in aaaages. 

Here’s a teaser: 

~*~

“Hi Taylor,” Ana said, putting on a smile to keep the conversation casual at first. “It’s Ana.”

There was a pause. Then, “Ana Flores?” 

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Now that’s a surprise,” Taylor replied, a faintest trace of a chuckle in her voice, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

Ana hesitated for a second, pressing her eyes shut as her other hand went to rub over her temples. “Um… I was just scrolling through my contacts and saw your name. So I thought why not call and say ‘hello’ and ask how you’ve been.” 

It wasn’t something Ana usually would have done. Maybe with an old friend, but her and Taylor’s only connection had been through their respective boyfriends. They had gotten along well the two or three times they met, but Ana was usually friendly with a lot of people, easily and swiftly. 

Taylor, on the other end of the line, however, didn’t seem put off. “I’ve been great. Working hard lately. There’s a new segment for a current affairs broadcast that I’m in charge of. It’s less live reporting and more investigative journalism. So… dream come true, pretty much. How about you?” 

“Uh, oh well, same old,” Ana answered a little awkwardly, “I’m still vice principal at the same school. Working up to eventually climb the ladder.” 

“Hey, that’s great. I remember you told me the current principal was going to retire in a few years?” 

“Yeah, he’s still got two years left,” Ana replied, although talking about her job really wasn’t what was on the forefront of her mind. She had to change the topic and ease her way into what she actually called about. “So I’m doing great. I’m enjoying the single life.” It was another white lie, but justifiable in the context. “How about you? You and Buck still going strong?” 

There was an unmistakable snort on the other end of the line. “Yeah. No. We broke up about half a year ago,” Taylor said, and Ana breathed out a sigh of relief. 

"Oh, thank God.”

“What was that?” 

“Uh, I mean…” She felt sheepish and quite nervous, but there was no way around it now. “Listen,” she started as she got up from her couch and started pacing her living room, “I didn’t really call you just to catch up. I… um… I saw something earlier.”

“Oh? You mean like a news story?” 

Ana had to chuckle at that. “Um, no. Well, news to me, in any case, and maybe to you, too?”

“Okay?” Taylor said slowly, sounding intrigued. 

“Dios, I don’t know how to say this,” Ana sighed and heard another faint chuckle from Taylor. 

“Just spill the beans. It can’t be that bad.” 

Ana stood still, taking one, two deep breaths, and decided to finally rip the bandaid off. “I saw Eddie and Buck today. They… were kissing.” 

#my fanfic #buddie #taylor kelly #ana flores #what would their ship name be? #tana? #taylorana #911

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 2: THE VICE PRINCIPAL GETS A MISSILE LAUNCHER

"I don't think now is the time to discuss politics on how we feel about teachers with guns," Magnus said drolly.

"That's one hell of a sign on bonus," Thalia gave a nervous chuckle. She knew no amount of joking in the world would save Percy from the explosion of pain his memory hadn't retained, but she still felt the need to try as he read the chapter title and closed his eyes, as if his mind was already trying to block him from what he knew was soon coming before he cleared his throat and started.

I didn't know what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.

Maybe I could defend myself if I could get my shield activated. All that it would take was a touch of my wrist-watch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. I needed help, and there was only one way I could think to get it.

I closed my eyes.

"I doubt the whole 'if you can't see me I can't see you thing' works on monsters," Magnus told him.

"Just keeping all my options open," Percy rolled his eyes, even smiling a bit as for once he knew what was going on before them!

"What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"

I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," I lied, trying to sound miserable, which wasn't hard. "It burns."

Percy was still rubbing his shoulder though while Nico was left floundering how he'd blotted that out of his memory of the nights events when he'd thought they were etched in stone.

"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"

'That moment when the monster's nicer than Luke,' Hearth winced.

'I don't think nice is the word I'd use,' Magnus shook his head.

Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face.

"Annabeth would be so disappointed she wasn't the last face you'd want to see," Thalia laughed, but the others brightened in understanding. That empathy link, though there had never been any confirmation it worked while Percy was awake.

I focused on my feelings of fear and danger. Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between us. He'd sent me visions in my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble. As far as I knew, we were still linked, but I'd never tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it would work while Grover I was awake.*

Hey, Grover! I thought. Thorn's kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing maniac! Help!

"I don't think that's enough to draw his attention," Alex told him. "Maybe if you mentioned something about a poodle, or Jesse McCartney."

"You're right, I should wait until my life's on the line and I'm forced to stall," Percy mock agreed.

Thorn marched us into the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights. My shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold that I felt like a Percysicle.

"As long as it's a blue one, then it's okay," Will chuckled.

Percy didn't even disagree.

"There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."

"Is it a dragon?" Alex asked longingly. Just one rideable one, was that to much to ask?

"It doesn't take a human sacrifice does it?" Magnus asked.

"Define human," Jason frowned, none of them were mortal, but would still probably count.

"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"

"Silence, you insufferable girl!"

"Don't talk to my sister that way.'" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all.

Percy held his hand up in a long-range high five and called, "good on you! More than I did!" 

Nico felt such an unfamiliar swooping through his gut he didn't know what that feeling was for a second. He did not raise his hand back, but said, "thanks," and really meant it. He couldn't remember Percy ever complimenting him before, but it didn't hold the kind of all consuming, breath holding, heart stealing praise he always would have thought. And he wasn't even disappointed. Just, happy with it.

Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human.

"Did you still think he was human by this point?" Jason rolled his eyes.

"The French accent was making me think otherwise," Percy said deadpan.

It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a good little captive.

"A level of subterfuge I never would have thought you capable of," Thalia applauded.

Meanwhile, I projected my thoughts like crazy—anything to get Grover's attention: Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!

"So those extra weapons your mom packed were good for something," Magnus grinned, though he was still wondering if his mom would have ever driven him to a quest or perhaps grounded him for trying.

"Halt," Thorn said.

"Who goes there?" Jason mock finished the quote.

"We'd all like to know that," Percy groused while watching Thalia expectantly, even though he still got a sharp pain in his head for the reminder of why he wasn't going to be told early.

The woods had opened up. We'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, I sensed the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. I could hear the waves churning and I could smell the cold salty froth. But all I could see was mist and darkness.

The silence lasted a beat in the room as Percy paused and waited for someone to ask him why he hadn't already taken the two and jumped in, an answer on his lips when he saw they knew why. His shoulder was still twitching unpleasantly as he held the book, Nico was picking at his lip with such a troubled expression like this monster had never left his nightmares. Those thorns were sharp, fast, and deadly accurate. They would have been speared even before gravity dragged them down, Percy couldn't have saved them this way.

Dr. Thorn pushed us toward the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.

"Thanks," I murmured.

"What is he?" she whispered. "How do we fight him?"

"Glory this girls got guts," Jason once again said what Thalia had longed to express, but still to afraid it would come out in past tense. Percy and Nico already couldn't stop a nervous tick anytime her name was said. "I'm betting child of Ares," he concluded with a curious look at Nico who never had given any flat answer who his parent was.

Nico neither confirmed nor denied it, feeling he'd give himself away whichever he did, and Will gently scolded, "don't spoil it for Percy now," as a cover anyways.

"I... I'm working on it."

"I'm scared," Nico mumbled.

Nico braced himself for the laughter and Percy to try taking back his high-five or something. What he instead felt was Will's arm across the back of the couch as he shifted his weight around, not quite leaning in closer, but the casual gesture was felt across the back of his neck as the hairs stood on end even before Magnus looked tragically around. "Am I really the only one who was hysterical at finding out the world wasn't normal? The ten year old didn't even scream, how am I the fruitcake here?"

"I like fruitcake," Alex patted his shoulder, "it's bright and entertaining."

Hearth was sort of laughing at his friends expense, but it was clear to all Magnus was exaggerating his hurt look.

Will leaned close and whispered, "ask nicely later and I'll tell you about how I pissed myself seeing a three headed snake attacking a swan in my back yard."

Percy didn't really want to keep reading as Thalia enthusiastically taught the sign for fruitcake to Alex and Jason couldn't seem to stop laughing without a care in the world. Something bad was coming. Like a pressure set firmly in his mind that had a ticking pulse in it just waiting for him to remember he had no desire to as the curdled, black feeling was easy to ignore now.

Magnus finally turned and begged it of him though, clearly having some regret about having put his foot in his mouth and opening this can of worms. There was something about those grey eyes he couldn't seem to turn down as he cleared his throat and complied.

He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier of some kind.

"Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"

We turned.

Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first I thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone.

"The hypocrisy, the scandal!" Alex gasped. "What if he summons another monster who wants to eat you too, will they duel each other and you sneak away?"

"Gods I hope not, like we need even more problems," Percy sighed, but he agreed it seemed even more unfair than his already extremely unfair life deserved.

He pressed the side button and said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."

There was a garbled reply, and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed way too modern and creepy—a monster using a mobile phone.

"What do you think their service plan is like?" Jason scowled. "Does DOA have a data rate and come up with all the contracts nobody reads?"

"I just want a list of who all is on the family plan," Thalia scowled in a weirdly similar way with a nasty twitch of her hands, a gesture promising she wouldn't use her arrows to send spam texts to them.

I glanced behind me, wondering how far the drop was.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump! There is the sea. Save yourself."

"What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.

"I'll explain later," I said.

"You do have a plan, right?"

Grover! I thought desperately. Come to me!

"If Grover's plan A, I don't want to know what your plan B would have been," Thalia tried her hardest not to sound condescending even as she brutally reminded him he'd run off without a plan at all. Grover, in fact, hadn't said a word about an empathy link and had been following their scent as well as the tracks through the snow.

Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean. If we survived the fall, I could use the water to protect us. I'd done things like that before. If my dad was in a good mood, and listening, he might help. Maybe.

"I was right, I didn't want to know," Thalia sighed. If that was a workable solution he'd have done it already!

"I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading my thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"

"Only the cannibals have had nametags, otherwise we've had to guess," Will reminded with something like a pout they didn't all take the time to properly introduce themselves before the killing began.

A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me that it nicked my ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible... almost like a tail.

"Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."

"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I..." Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."

'Didn't stop her from leaving me all alone first chance she got,' but Nico was to tired to hold onto the bitter thought. It wasn't like these were the last moments he'd ever get to revisit the memory of his sister, but he'd also never done so before in such vivid detail. If he was going to have to hear her ultimate ending like he'd never bared to ask for before, he'd rather cling now to any of the good along the way.

"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."

"Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."

Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a former friend who'd tried to kill me several times.

"Don't you start Jason," Percy said before the blonde could even open his mouth. "I don't want to count how many times is several!"

"But it's important to keep track of these things," but Jason's smirk made them all pretty sure he was just messing with him. Then again, he was mouthing something and ticking his fingers, so he was probably doing it in his head and would more likely inform them when or if this was ever resolved.

"You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."

"The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent.

He'd been doing a really crappy version sporadically while reading too, but they'd thought he was just mocking Thorn. Nico's grimace still looked permanently stuck in place until Percy actively tried to stop.

"I mean... who's the General?"

Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."

I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.

"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.

Some place safe, Thalia and Annabeth had promised each other as they'd arrived and began hashing out a plan. The problem was, she glanced guiltily at Nico now and felt like they'd never lived up to that promise. They couldn't have stayed at that school forever though.

"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."

"They're not dolls!

The words had burst out of Nico as Percy had kept reading, and Nico flushed that was still so ingrained in him, but Percy didn't even take the opportunity to laugh at him back, considering the Guinea pig incident. Instead, he was almost watching him like he was impressed he had the nerve to snap at Thorn.

"How intricate is this card game of yours?" Alex asked with intrigue.

"Multilayered," Nico answered automatically. He bit his lip to stop himself going into detail and clutched the figurine in his jacket pocket tight enough his hand cramped. He really needed a new hobby.

They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"

"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned.

"Now, now yourself!" Alex protested. "Finish your threats young man!"

"And march off this cliff," Nico shrugged with an actual grin. "I wasn't as creative with the insults yet, but Westover Hall had been a good starting influence."

"You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well... there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."

Will's arm twitched behind him again and Nico rolled his eyes, obviously nothing had happened. He'd met Will that night.

"Unless that's chocolate pudding, I don't want to know," Percy groused, though he also knew he rarely got told what he wanted in any good order.

"The Great what?" I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.

"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly.

'What else do they bake besides donuts?' Hearth mock asked.

'Hopefully tea to soothe them back to sleep,' Magnus shivered.

"The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"

"Okay," Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts."

"Being nuttier than a squirrel turd doesn't make him wrong," Magnus sighed. He envied that girl her ignorance while it lasted, he was past his own and still catching up how any of that was possible, while no longer being in doubt it was.

"We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. "Into the sea."

"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."

"Lookie there Alex, now we both have something in common with this monster," Percy huffed.

"I like her," Alex chuckled, girl had spunk telling both parties this.

I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.

"Annabeth's grand entrances and timing for the win again," Jason nodded.

Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.

Percy didn't bother to ask who's plan that was, he read with pride all of his friends storming in like that even as his battle instincts were trying to kick in, his feet already tapping a crazy rhythm on the floor to join in. 

If only he'd used that energy to dance with Annabeth, Thalia smirked to herself. The two could have cut up the floor.

If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened.

"Why thank you Percy!" Thalia beamed at him while he set the book down to indulgently high-five her too for the entrance which she enthusiastically accepted.

She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that's not the scary part. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.

Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.

Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"

"Not the battle cry I was expecting," Jason admitted. She didn't seem to fond of her dad at any rate.

"I like to think it gives me brownie points," she shrugged, when really she just knew that struck even more fear into some monsters. It was a strategy she'd learned young on the streets, better to have them bolt and flee the fight from her mere presence than tax the energy of fighting them.

I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.

The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look.

Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.

The whirl of words, raw power and years of hardened battle on display left the others feeling spun around how she could so effortlessly leap back into battle after her actual death experience from before, and still left wondering how she'd fallen at all even from an army of monsters.

Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to.

Nico chuckled to himself as his brown eyes danced in amusement again and Will couldn't imagine ever wanting to drag his eyes away from the sight even though the son of Hades was looking at Percy. Clearly this was a fond memory to him, his love of pirates so perfectly captured in this moment with his swashbuckling hero apparently having saved the day considering he hadn't seen the invisible girl until it was to late.

Not so much for Percy, who was growing more agitated by the word, his hands fidgeting so much along the pages to reach for the pen and forcing himself not to. He had the book, of course he didn't seem to notice the admiring gaze among holding everyone's attention in the thick of battle, but Will finally got the idea.

Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.

Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"Damn that's kind of cool, no hero's ever fought a manticore before," Jason grinned, though that didn't explain the French accent as that was an Iranian myth. Then he went cross-eyed as a vivid mental image of studying in a massive library came to mind as quickly as it vanished and he once again huffed why his mind still retained the most useless of information rather than where that library actually was.

"One got into camp once by disguising itself as a dog," Thalia shrugged, "Chiron personally vets anything invited into camp now."

"A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off when she'd plowed into us.

"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"

"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

"How many cards are there?" Jason asked eagerly.

"Do you really have them all memorized?" Magnus asked, feeling faint. It sounded more complicated than memorizing all the Pokémon, let alone their moves.

"They keep releasing them," Nico said with a soft smile, "and yeah, the rules are pretty complicated but once you learn the-"

"Ahhem!" Percy pleaded. "Your life is on the line now too mister!"

"Right," Nico shut his mouth, but he finally exchanged an excited look with Will who all to happily grinned back. As bizarre as it was to him nobody had yet ridiculed his youthful dumbass, this might actually be fun if he could get a whole team of people to play against.

I didn't know what he was talking about,

"It just described what the manticore was Percy, how much more explanation do you need?" Alex sarcastically asked.

"Dude," Percy groaned without looking up, his impatience growing.

Alex cleared her throat loudly though and Percy did look around, but it took him a second to realize what she wanted. "Dudett," he corrected.

"I accept that," she shrugged.

but I didn't have time to worry about it. The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.

"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I remembered my own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't sure it would even stop a second volley.

Now Percy was mad. The empty space on his wrist, the thought of his little brother's brown eye sorrowfully asking where it was, this stupid French lion nearly killing all of them! He wanted to turn to Thalia and hear in as few words as possible what the hell had happened but he knew what she'd do, just point at the book with an apologetic frown so he kept reading as pressure built in his skull.

I heard a thwack and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.

"Yield!" the monster roared.

"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs.

It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here?

Percy finally knew how Magnus had felt in the beginning of all this. The answer was staring him in the face, there was no other explanation, but the words made no sense. Mortals working with monsters?!

How could mortals be working with a monster? The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.

"No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest.

Thalia grasped his shoulder and whispered a thanks she hadn't the chance to at the time. It was shaking under her grasp. He knew, some part of him that had lived through the terror his mind had forgotten still felt the pain about to come same as she did for what they'd witnessed. She squeezed, and it slowed for a few seconds as he met her eyes and gave her a grateful smile, his mind hoping against hope this meant rescue was on the way.

I raised my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.

Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

Hearth tapped Magnus and asked what that was supposed to sound like, let alone signal, but Magnus shrugged with no more clue. As adventurous as his mother was, she'd never been a hunter herself except to press upon him the balance of life and death in the wilderness.

Thalia waved to get their attention, and answered, 'you can feel it in your core as it vibrates in the air, a warning or herald to who you are. It means friends are coming.' The bright smile of pride on her face gave them a hint of who it would be to them.

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"

His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.

The camo attire of the girl with the magic silver bow seemed to glow for a moment as Thalia shook her head ruefully. The first thing Zoe ever did she'd admired about that girl, always having to make an entrance, much like the very time they'd met in that bog.

He staggered backward, wailing in agony.

"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but my eyes must've been playing tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy.

Thalia chuckled with pride. Those kids might have the godly grace of their father, but not the blessing of their aunt.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged my attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.

Percy grimaced at this revelation of just how powerful this monster was. Something dire happened this day because they hadn't felled this beast.

Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows.

"Your kin," Alex realized. She'd truly admired, almost considered the prospect if she could ever hold a vow of maiden hood in exchange for this offer.

"Eventually," Thalia smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle on her jacket, her smile waning in memory of how she'd gotten here.

Percy studied her intently like he was seeing her for the first time again. He'd never really questioned the silver camo, it looked so natural on her, even covering her black attire.

They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."

"A warm reception I see," Jason said with an uneasy smile, he could practically feel her roll her eyes in the book.

"We didn't start on the best of terms," Thalia agreed distastefully how damn right Zoe had been, and she hadn't even liked her long enough to tell her that before inheriting her position.

I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.

Clearly there had been another Lieutenant before Thalia had gotten the job, but the others still batted their eyes a few times to readjust imagining such a thing on a girl they didn't even know.

"Permission to kill, my lady?"

I couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.

"Why would she need it, kind of obvious we don't want this thing around," Percy demanded, looking from Thalia to the book with a panic he was trying so hard to hold back, bubbling tight in his gut.

"Respect," Thalia whispered. When their patron joined them she often preferred to make the final blow herself while they weakened it without orders to do their part. In this particular instance, Artemis may have even considered taking Thorn alive, having been looking for proof of Krono's rising and information about the ophiotaurus before deciding Thorn knew nothing of importance.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

Will hummed a sad note for a moment. That law sure caused a lot of distress among the people it impacted the most. They were absent so much not many people got a chance to remind them of it, but Will liked to think that was why. The distance was there out of eons of habit, not because they didn't care.

"Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous.

Diana, Jason hazarded a not very wild guess. A headache already pinged at the corner of his mind, the idea of these huntresses was still odd in theory, but not nearly as weird as Annabeth and Grover had originally been to him. They were her followers, and he admired Thalia a lot. It should be interesting to see her depicted...he hoped.

"The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Thalia and me, knowing we were weak and dazed.

"No.'" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.

Percy had hardly batted an eye at the threat to him, but his mind felt like it was holding him hostage as he froze at what she was doing. Thalia tried to reach out for him again, saying in as much concern for him as herself, "Percy-"

Nico braced his arm across Will's chest with a dreaded look of acceptance for what was about to happen and was seriously contemplating if it would do any good to knock Percy out as Hearth rapidly paled in fear. Alex swallowed once and got on her toes, prepared to turn into a whale and swallow them all if she had to.

He heard Magnus say his name too, but it was all coming from to far away to be anything other than an obstacle in his way as he concentrated harder than he ever had in his life on a book.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.

Jason was pushing himself tight into his seat silently wondering if Poseidon would resurrect them when Percy killed them for this blow as Annabeth's fatal flaw was being pushed to its limits right now. She'd thought she could save her friends better than a goddess of the hunt, and Percy was not happy about it.

"Fire!" Zoe ordered.

"No!" I screamed.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

"Annabeth!" I yelled.

Percy was on his feet, the pages whipping around his hand like a gale force wind was trying to tear the book away, but he refused to let the print slip through as he held the last paragraph in a desperate bid to understand.

I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us. There was a snapsnapsnap from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.**

"No!" The water exploded out from him, ripping the ocean apart at the seams as she vanished over the edge and he didn't care if a bullet struck him as he compelled his domain to catch her, send that monster to the depths and give her back-

"Enough!"

Percy was frozen in place, his scream suspended in his throat while the others stumbled around into each other, their skin tingling unpleasantly and shaking for what almost happened. Thalia was shuddering closest to him, vapor wisping off her skin as if he'd actually been about to obliterate them all.

"Your disturbance is causing waves among the Olympians, literally," Oceanus said with a frumpy frown behind his tangled beard. He was in a seahorse house coat and wearing Hello Kitty slippers that did not diminish his vast presence over every inch of their surroundings as he held Percy in place.

After a few beats of silence, he released Percy, who gasped but immediately fisted his hands up and glowered at the titan, raising his sword point. A stranger stood before them as he looked upon the Titan with the uncaring, brash voice of demand. "Send me back. Give me my memories, and send me home!" Riptide glowed with his rising vocals as water began collecting around him again to cause mayhem, receding it from the Titan himself.

"You are supposed to be in hiding down here mortals, not disrupting continental shifts! Poseidon suggested I should ignore your quibbles after all and put in here who was asked of me, so no more complaining!" He raised his fingers to snap.

Every one of them tensed in fear where they'd be zapped to next.

Hearth jumped forward and signed, 'I volunteer!'

"Hearth!" Magnus grabbed his arm and tried to yank him back.

'You are safe down here my friend,' he paused and frowned at Percy, 'mostly.' He explained so rapidly Magnus almost couldn't follow while Oceanus sighed impatiently, but since nobody was shouting he was still waiting poised. 'Blitz will be worried where we've been, and you should get to meet your family. I will be fine, he has a home we can stay in until you return. We will check the park every day for you.'

Shame burned through Magnus as he understood enough. They weren't even homeless. They had a place to get back to. Then he gave a traitorously guilty look to the Titan with longing, and glanced at Alex out of the corner of his eye. 'Okay,' he pulled him into a quick hug, 'but be careful! I don't want to think if those Norse gods pull any crap in the meantime because I'm gone.'

'Blitz has connections. We will be safe,' he nodded before turning to face the Titan.

He looked so distraught to see his friend vanish, only possibly back home if this guy even did his job right, and yet finally getting to meet her again nobody could tell if he was about to punch his cousin upon arrival or hug her. He looked so like her Percy couldn't help but step forward, dropping his weapon and give just the gentlest pat on the shoulder. Even shying away from it, Magnus gave him a smile of thanks.

A snap, a floom of bubbles as Oceanus left, and they all braced themselves for a whirl of her tangled blonde curls to demand what was going on.

There was just one problem.

That wasn't Annabeth.

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Believe it or not I was going to add Annabeth after the Magnus Chase books were done and have her replace Hearth for the last five, but someone made a pretty valid and compelling argument about how she should get to hear her cousins story the same way he's hearing her's. Then I decided, since I'm adding her early, might as well get the full enjoyment out of a toss up... haha. Hope you enjoy the surprise visit in the next chapter!

* The book said while Grover was awake, not I as in Percy, which is a rather obvious mistake since Grover was awake every time it was used in the last book but Percy wasn't and instead of making it Percy's fault in the book I'm telling you all here.

**Yes, the rest of the chapter is missing on purpose, I cut it off for my needs and it'll be the start to the next chapter. Annabeth mysteriously vanishing and supposedly dying is cliffhanger enough over my favorite Goddess's dramatic reveal, sorry Artemis.

#pjo #Percy Jackson #reading the books #fanfiction #How Do You Say gods #percabeth #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #Alex Fierro #Magnus Chase #fierrochase #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo #Titan's Curse

[afoolandathief]

[ID: A gray banner with white text reading “Those Horrid, Horrid Things” with white line drawings of a wolf head, snake head, and skull to the left of the text. End ID.]

Get ready for some visitors. Chapter 19 of 'Those Horrid, Horrid Things' is up!

When Odin prophesizes Loki’s three monstrous children will bring an end to the Aesir, the trickster god decides the only way to keep them safe is to travel through time and space to where no one will find them.

But this new world is different, with its PTO’s and HOA’s and all other manner of strange sigils. Loki’s children have to make some big changes to remain undetected, and the Father of Monsters themself might be in a little over their head.

Because the gods are still out there searching, and they’ll stop at nothing to lock those horrid, horrid things away.

Chapter 19: The House Guests

There was a crack like lightning, like something ripping open, like something burning and sizzling.

“Ymir’s droopy, swinging tits!” Loki shouted.

Skadi came running. She had on her hockey jersey and a backpack she was trying to stuff one more sword into.

“What is going on?” she asked.

“Get the kids out through the front,” Loki said. “The Aesir are here.”

Her ice-blue eyes scanned the back door.

“For a battle?” she asked.

Loki looked briefly to the window. All they could make out were line after line of figures.

“They’re here for a show,” they said.

They grabbed their sandwich, the butter knife, and jar of peanut butter, and headed for the porch. The Aesir wanted a show. They’d give them a show.

I may have mentioned previously how excited and nervous I was to write what is essentially the Lokasenna redux. Loki gets to finally speak their mind to Odin and the Aesir, and some big truths are revealed in this chapter.

Also, I get to write my crazed, genderfluid dad/mom holding a butter knife to a cat while in their bathrobe and underwear and announcing they've captured a goddess, so that's fun.

WIP: Those Horrid, Horrid Things

Read it here

(Chapter directory and taglist below the cut):

Chapter 1: The House

Chapter 2: The School

Chapter 3: The New Pet

Chapter 4: The Vice Principal

Chapter 5: The Tupperware Party

Chapter 6: The Babysitter

Chapter 7: The Parent-Teacher Conference

Chapter 8: The Mall

Chapter 9: The Soccer Game

Chapter 10: The Night Out

Chapter 11: The Family Reunion

Chapter 12: The Endless Paperwork

Chapter 13: The School Play

Chapter 14: The Smartphone

Chapter 15: The Day Off

Chapter 16: The School Dance

Chapter 17: The Kitchen Table

Chapter 18: The Old Friend

Chapter 19: The House Guests

Taglist (ask to be +/-): @authortango, @drippingmoon, @joaniejustwokeup, @thegreatobsesso, @thelaughingstag, @writing-is-a-martial-art

#writeblr #my writing #those horrid horrid things #myth loki #skadi #myth sigyn #angrboda #fenrir #jormungandr #hel #sleipnir #odin #freyja #frigg #myth thor #heimdallr #njord #tw: language #q

[agirldying]

hey hi and by god hello im here from the blaze post and i hope youre taking care of yourself. drink some water if you havent yet <3

anyway on to the goods

important context: back in febuary i got kicked out of school. id been in a really bad depressive funk since october and i didnt do any of my school work. It was a private catholic school and while i didnt really care about the school itself i was ripped away from my friends. Im at a new school now and ive got a new group but things arent exactly sunshine and rainbows.

ive been feeling shitty lately. i have this "friend" at school, who ill call Gidl (short for girl i dont like). I have to tolerate her because shes friends with my friends and im still the New Kid.

it seems like almost every time i talk to her she says something terrible to me. once she spent 15 minutes telling me about how she "dosent get" being nonbinary even tho (probably because) she knows thats how i identify. she comments on the food i bring for lunch, which is already a very sore subject for me (i have issues with my weight). one time someone said they didnt like the movie encanto and she acted like she got called a slur

she asked me why i got kicked out and after i explained the mental health issues she said, quote: "not to be mean but i dont really get how people can just not do their work. i mean i have anxiety and depression and i still get all a's" girl can you see how thats not helpful

also shes like. very catholic. up until this point id been in catholic school my whole life. as a queer person i think it goes without saying that i might have some trauma related to that.

but up until a few days ago shed been manageable. annoying yes but i could deal.

let me set the scene for you:

lunch time, crowded cafeteria, my lunch table filled with me, my friends and Gidl. somehow we get on the topic of movies, specifically turning red vs encanto. most of us agree that turning red was better. Gidl takes personal offense to this. I tell her that other people are allowed to have opinions. she quiets down. we move on in the conversation. she does not. she attempts to move the convo back to her. we, mostly ignore her. she yells at us. we ignore her. she turns to my friend brian and says "if i were to try to jump off a bridge what would you do"

i leave.

its just. god. i know shes in a dark place and wants positive attention but girl queen. suggesting suicide in random conversations is not how you do that.

and ive realized that because of this ive subconsiously connected her to my older sister who deeply traumatized me

(the short of that trauma is she got really depressed and very often it was my problem (showing me fresh sh wounds etc) she was in and out of hospitals before geting sent to a residential out of state. shes back home now and doing better but i still harbor a bit of resentment.)

anyway. im basically rabling.

tldr the girl i dont like triggered me at school and on monday i have to go back and pretend to tolerate her :/

sorry for the long ask, take care of yourself bestie <3

Hi anon,

I'm sorry to hear about Gidl's behavior. I understand that it can be complicated to stop talking to this person when your friend group is enmeshed, but unfortunately I'm not sure what advice to give that wouldn't potentially complicate those connections as well.

If you're willing, some suggestions I came up with would include potentially be to talk to the administrative office (prinicipal, vice principal, etc) or guidance counselors / social workers if there are any, and tell them that this person has been annoying/upsetting you multiple times and you'd like to get their help in separating you two.

I can't imagine that talking to Gidl directly would end well, but I think you could preface by just explaining calmly and politely that you keep getting triggered and/or upset by what she says, and basically say that unless she stops, you can't be her friend anymore (don't put it that bluntly). From that point, if she does something again, you can take it right to the main office. I know it seems rather extreme, but this person does sound toxic and so it might be complicated to get her out of your hair on your own.

Best of luck, again I'm sorry about your situation with her and I hope things resolve soon! You're welcome to send me a follow-up if you want.

#text #asks #vent #trauma vent #trauma #ptsd #encanto #turning red #lovemail

[valealiz]

Having a teacher attachment that borders on crush territory as a now out-of-the-closet transmasc in my situation is so confusing, especially with all the beauty standards and roles and whatnot and the soft, hidden secrecy of his ideas and how he reacts to those things. It feels awkward, it feels taboo EVEN THINKING and WONDERING about this type of stuff.

Is he a dirty old man, or is does he just like adult women that are... PERFECT in a sense? Does he just like that one hot girl in my class or is he a pedophile that will go for everyone except the one who would be the easier target? Or is he just a man who is judged too much for how he acts and looks?

I tried being "cis" for him and I felt ugly, I cry ugly and look ugly for a girl. I'm not girly, and after that meeting with administration I felt torn and ultimately just became crude and annoying because he just ripped my heart in half just like that, yet who wouldn't? He had to do it for the sake of his job and everyone would condemn a relationship between a middle aged teacher and his little footstool that wants to be more than just his pride.

I came out to him (through a slideshow albeit) and I still felt ugly. He probably doesn't like transmascs, much less one younger than him. With all the stupid redditor/discord moderator/pedophile stereotypes, obviously I'll be stuck dealing with it. And even then, if I transitioned enough to look like a boy, everyone would go crazy and add to the countless transphobic rhetoric there is, "groomer," call me "delusional," etc.

That meeting tore me apart and it caused me to spiral and analyze everything when I didn't need to.

It's fine to feel so unhealthily attached as long as I don't DARE lay a finger on his record, is what you're saying, right? Now that I think about it, Mrs. M (female vice principal, wanna keep her somewhat anonymous so my blog doesn't get taken down uvu) was basically saying that...

---IF she knew the severity of my feelings and thoughts towards him.

It didn't matter though, I'm an inperfect human being, but his (and my) actions had consequences and this all ultimately helped me want to die or at least curl up into a ball and vanish back in August, one of the last straws to close the world and open the next.

[sizzlyybacon]

rip ceiling light..

y'know that thing where your shoe is untied and the tongue is loose so if you move your leg even a little bit the shoe goes flying off? well i was with my friends lucy, mae and hannah. we were being stupid and skipping around the halls when suddenly my shoe flew off. i thought it was funny so i put it back on and walked to another hallway to fling it off again. i kicked my foot and off it went. i wanted to see how far it would go so stupid enough as i am i put it back on and kicked with all my might, but this time instead of lunging forward it flung up. into the ceiling light. the place covering the light dropped down and so did a ton of dust and cement and who knows what. there were 3 teachers around and a bunch of kids. i put the big piece of plastic against the wall when suddenly i heard the click of the vice principal, ms. jennings, heels. me and my friends bolt into the gym where we luckily were not discovered.

#shoes #fly high #storytime #wtf #middle school #crazy #weird kids #wtf moment #im a dumbass #friends #lunch #lunchtime #school #goofy #silly goofy mood #stupid #bye #principal