I feel like moving and/or trying to get stuff out of the way is literally designed to make you think you’re losing your mind. Because you know you had this thing. You saw this thing. You remember this thing. Maybe you remember packing, maybe you remember setting it aside, maybe you’re like, ‘I literally saw this thing a week ago.’ But when you go to look for it, poof. Gone. You check all the boxes left. Nothing. You dig through shelves, look under furniture, where is it, there is a limited number of places it can be, I literally remember seeing this very recently, but fuck all if you know where it is, you’re only allowed to find it months later when you’re not looking and have assumed it’s lost.

New Year’s Kiss — pjm

⇢ Pairing ; jimin, reader (y/n)

⇢ Genre ; fluff, y/n and jimin (who aren’t the world’s bestest of friends) have to plan a new year’s party together

⇢ Words ; 1229

A/N ; this is a part of a 7 part blurb series, all under the storyline of a new year’s kiss for every member. the rest will be posted in the following hours (every hour) to celebrate the new year around the world! some will be longer, some shorter depending on what I have for each blurb. 

you can find the rest at this link :)

Here are the facts, you and Jimin had chosen the short ends of the stick this year. 

Your friends thought it would be great if you two could prepare the New Year’s Eve party this year. Park Jimin was not exactly your bestest friend in this world or any other world that might be out there and for some godforsaken reason, you were both in the same group of mutual friends.

You were indeed in for a bumpy ride.

The first incident was choosing the decorations. 

“Come on, it’s classic, the gold, black, and white theme,” Jimin explained as he pulled you through the party aisle at the store.

The section in front of you displayed banners and streamers of the colors he wanted.

“But what about a different theme? Like something that everyone in town isn’t going to be using?” You turned to the other side and grabbed a blue banner, waving it in his face. “Like blue.”

Jimin’s lips turned to a smirk, crossing his arms as if he had already won the disagreement. “Leah decorated with blue at last year’s party,” he noted in a sing-song tone.

You tossed the banner back onto the shelf and huffed, “fine, but you know what I mean. Do something different.”

Thankfully the party was weeks away. The arguing over the decorations took days and it took so much back and forth you thought your brain was going to explode.

The second incident was where this was going to happen. 

“We can do it at Seojun’s club?” You merely suggested the first place to pop up in your head. You took a sip of the hot chocolate and glanced at Jimin across the table to get his opinion.

“Nah,” he waved it off, hand on his own cup of coffee.

“We go there all the time, and Seojun’s gonna be at the party too,” you argued. “We could just ask him to rent it for the night or something.”

You thought it was simple enough.

“But-,” Jimin began.

You had caught on. “Are you arguing with me for the sake of it?”

Jimin tossed you a smirk paired with a quick wink. “Just making you had good reasons for your choices.”

He picked the argument just because he wanted to and got joy out of pushing your buttons.

You almost tossed your cup of hot chocolate on him. “I always know my choices are good,” you commented, just so he wouldn’t have the last word.

With everything picked out and sorted and the club booked for the night, it was officially happening.

Then came to simply decorate the day of.

“I can’t believe I let you choose this. I can’t believe I let you win,” you stood to one side, on a ladder, pinning the banner into place.

Perhaps you were being a bit stubborn as the pin had a hard time going into the wall and stumbled on the ladder to which Jimin quickly placed his hands on your waist to steady you. You internally thanked him.

“Are you trying to fight the wall or something?” He teased, a laugh erupting from him. He stood two steps below you, keeping his hands on you as if being extra cautious.

“The wall is fighting me,” you slammed your enclosed fist into the pin one final time. “Finally.”

After the wall banners, streamers, and ribbons were in place, it was time to blow up the balloons.

“You what?!” 

“I went to the store and they said there wasn’t any more helium left, but I grabbed some of these balloons they had blown up,” Jimin said sheepishly.

With the balloons he had managed to grab, you were both sitting on the floor of the club for the next two hours blowing balloons by yourselves.

“I must have been cursed by the gods or something,” you commented between balloons, pulling another one from the bag.

“I think our friends cursed us,” he noted. 

You paused on the balloon midway. “What’s your favorite color?”

“What?” Jimin looked at you in a funny way as if you had just asked the strangest question which you pretty much did. 

“I mean, we have a few hours to kill blowing up these balloons,” you gave him a playful glare reminding him who was to blame. “I realized we’ve been in the same friend group all these years and I don’t know anything about you.”

“If you hadn’t been avoiding me like the plague since the beginning of time.”

“If you hadn’t been such an unapproachable person,” you retorted and you remembered how you two disagreed on nearly everything.

“Maybe it was just a weird change when our group of friends merged.”

That was true. Once upon a time ago, you were in your group and he was in his and somehow this large group of friends came to be.

“That’s true,” you agreed.

“We finally agree on something,” he said, corners of his lips upturned. “It’s blue,” he added, more quietly. 

It was the first time that you felt like there was true friendship between the two of you.

You were surprised you both were in one piece and it was a miracle that the party actually came together and wasn’t an absolute disaster.

And you both agreed on another fact: perhaps your friends had done this out of the enjoyment to torture both of you.

The party went well, you both had somehow put your teamwork to the test and passed with flying colors.

Most guests continued to dance and you sat at the bar. Jimin approached with two flutes of champagne.

“Aren’t we supposed to wait until the new year to drink these?”

“I thought it would be nice to celebrate our victory of pulling this party together before everyone else got to celebrate,” he replied, offering you a flute.

“Agreed,” you took the flute from him and clinked it with his.

It seemed you were beginning to agree a lot more.

With nearly five minutes to the new year, you both watched the party go on. “I guess,” you feigned a sigh, “the gold, black, and white were a classic go-to.”

He took the compliment with a wide smile. “Why thank you,” he bowed dramatically, which had you release a laugh at his ridiculous gesture.

Somehow, someway, you chatted your way through the five minutes, actually enjoying his presence, and the screen at the front began to countdown the last minute of the year.

The room began to cheer with the countdown and you both joined.

3, 2, 1...

The room erupted into cheers and multiple bottles of champagne popped.

For whatever reason, your group of friends had gathered near the bar, confetti cannons and popped them around you two, and began to chant words you were not expecting.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

And you both had known this was their set up from the beginning.

You both angled towards each other as if to ask if this was going to happen.

It was going to happen.

You gently wrapped your arms around his neck, his hands on your waist, and placed a peck on his lips, and pulled away with a nervous laugh.

Instead, Jimin had pulled you back in for a longer sweet kiss. Although it was not what you had expected, you weren’t mad when your heart soared and you nearly melted.

Things We Lost in the Fire [01]

Prompt found on Pinterest: During a bank robbery you’re surprised when the criminals seem to recognize you and retreat in fear. Only after do you learn that your high school sweetheart now runs a global crime syndicate and has you placed on a “no harm” list. You decide to pay him a visit after all these years. 

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader (F)

Warnings: Language.  

Word count: 4279

AN: This is as AU as AU’s get, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. But that prompt, oh that prompt was magnificent! This story basically wrote itself, during two very boring afternoons at work. I think it’s unlike anything I’ve done before, story-wise, so I hope you’ll like it. Please let me know what you think! Also, as this will only have about four parts and it’s not your usual reader insert  I’m thinking of doing a taglist, so leave a comment if you want to be included. Once you’re on the taglist I would appreciate a reblog or comment for any chapters that follow. ♥

Masterlist

“Well, fuck you too!” you sneer, flipping off whatever asshole cuts you off so bad you have to slam your brakes, the seat belt restraining you as you jolt forward. Jesus, can no one drive these days, or what? 

You want to give yourself a moment to recover from the near-hit but then some other asshole behind you honks a couple of times, urging you to get a move on. You flip him off for good measure too, cursing quietly because it’s not even seven in the morning and you’re already done for today. 

You’re still pretty pissed off when you pull into your designated parking spot at work, close to the entrance of Carver State Bank. You’ve worked here as a bank teller ever since you moved from Atlanta back to Savannah four years ago and well, it’s not your dream job but at least it pays the bills. You started out as a temp, not really interested in working at a bank, but you needed the money. Bad. And then when they offered you a permanent position after your three months were up, you figured, why not, and stayed. 

At Carver State you’re the only one of the tellers who works full time, the rest of them all middle-aged women who, at most, work three days a week. There’s five of them in total, and all of them are very kind. You have a soft spot for Bea though, the oldest of the bunch, because once she found out you were out here all by yourself, she decided you need some TLC. She checks up on you whenever you’re sick, brings leftover dinner to work for you to take home whenever she gets the chance, and she keeps hoping you’ll find a nice guy to settle down with. You even spent Christmas with Bea and her family last year. And honestly? You love it.  

Bea is also working today, but won’t be here yet because the bank doesn’t open until nine, and you only got in early to decorate Bert’s office, who turned fifty-nine this weekend and starts at eight every damn day. 

Rummaging through your purse you manage to find your keys just before you make it to the front door and once you open it, you hurry to the keypad to punch in your alarm code without really looking at the display. The lights that are supposed to come on automatically don't, and so you wonder if the alarm was already disabled by someone else but you can't check now unless you ask Bert to log on to the security system and that's not really an option at this moment. 

The sun’s already been up for about an hour, so there’s enough light from outside to help you find your way to the back anyway, and so you figure there’s no harm done. But then you hear a sound coming from Bert’s office you wish you would have paid more attention to whether or not the alarm was activated. Your heart’s in your throat in an instant and for a moment you wonder what to do, because maybe someone’s robbing the bank, but then you hear a quiet, “Gosh darn it,” coming from the office and you can’t help but let out sigh of relief.

“Hi, Bea,” you almost whisper so as not to scare her, but she still does, clutching her pearls when you open the door. Just the sight of her instantly lifts your mood. 

“Oh, sweetie, don’t you ever do that again!” She slaps you with the ‘Happy Birthday’ banner she was trying to pin to the wall and then laughs when you fake being hurt.

“Oh, Bea, I’m sorry,” you say, pouting a little for full effect, “but why are you here anyway? Didn’t we agree I’d handle the decorations?”

“Oh honey,” she says, handing you the banner and thumbtack she was holding, “I’m sure we did, but I really couldn’t remember, so I figured I might as well come in to either do it myself or to help you.” She grabs a bag of balloons from the desk and pulls one out, stretching it and bringing it up to her mouth, but not before she says, “You do the banner, hon, I’m better at blowing anyway.” 

The rest of your workday is pretty uneventful, except maybe for the second serving of cake Bert offers you after you’ve given him your best rendition of  ‘Happy Birthday To You’ with the fake British accent you mastered at University. Don’t ask. 

Bea’s in the middle of telling you how she excited she is her grandson Zachary starts Kindergarten next week and you are trying your very best to make it look like you’re paying attention when really you’re trying to figure out whether or not it would be weird to go get a cocktail after work. By yourself. On a Monday. Because goddammit, after the morning you’ve had, with that near-collision, you’d sure as hell deserve it.

You have just dutifully hummed to let Bea know you’re still listening, or pretending to anyway, when the automatic doors open and a young couple walks in. As most young couples do, they head straight to Bea and so you stand up, relieved to get a break from her monologue, because even though Bea is as sweet as they come, the woman sure loves to talk. You let Bea know you’re going to get a coffee just before she greets the clients and make your way out of the secured area to the small kitchen down the hall. 

You’re waiting for the machine to come to life, impatiently tapping your fingers on the counter top because it takes this thing at least a full minute to warm up, when you think you hear a noise coming from the front. It has you rooted in your place, your ears straining to hear anything else, but it stays quiet and so you wonder if you’ve imagined it. The machine’s finally up to temperature and you’re about to press the button for a cup of coffee when you hear Bea shouting something that sounds like, “Over my dead body!” 

You’re not sure if it’s instinct or those endless safety drills Bert puts all of you through every three months, but your body has reacted long before your mind does when you find yourself running to his office. You enter without knocking, slightly out of breath when you whisper, “You need to push the button, Bert,” before you run back out again.

You know you’re supposed to go hide somewhere, wait it out until the police comes after the call from the panic button goes through. Maybe even try to make it outside using the back exit, but you can’t leave Bea out there all by herself. What if something happens to her? What if something has already happened to her? You find yourself getting angrier the closer you get to the door, because goddammit, how dare they try to come here? How dare they fuck up your quiet Monday afternoon with their attempted robbery. 

Attempted yes, because if it is up to you they will not succeed. 

By the time you push the handle you are fuming and ready to give these fuckers a piece of your mind, but then you see three men standing on the other side of the secured area, all armed to their teeth with assault rifles and guns, and it keeps you rooted in your spot, your voice lost somewhere in your throat. A quick glance around the room tells you the young couple is nowhere to be seen and for a moment you’re thankful but then you can’t help but wonder if they had any part in this. Your eyes land on Bea then, who stands behind her desk, a defiant look in her eyes even though three men have their guns trained on her. All of them are quiet and for a moment you’re proud because it looks like Bea’s got the upper hand.

It’s then you spot the fourth, and what you hope is the last man out of the corner of your eye. He’s trying to pick the lock of the door that leads to the secured area you’re standing in right now, a groan escaping him when he spots you. He sounds annoyed as if you’re just a distraction he now has to deal with. He stands up quickly, drawing his gun and one by one the men turn to you as a sort of response to the sound guy four made. 

They are all wearing balaclavas as a disguise and so you can actually see their eyes go wide when they see you. For a moment you’re sure it’s because they weren’t expecting anyone else to be here, even though everyone knows there are always at least two tellers present in a bank at any given time, because security, but then it’s almost like they recognize you. 

One of them actually mutters a quiet, “Oh shit, it’s her.” 

As if on cue they lower their weapons and retreat, quickly leaving the scene of the crime without taking as much as a penny, leaving you and Bea stunned at what just happened.

“And you are sure that is what they said, ‘Oh shit, it’s her?’ and then they left?” the Detective asks you for what feels like the hundredth time. 

You nod, “Yes, I am sure.” 

You let out a frustrated groan because you’ve been questioned for over an hour now and honestly, it makes you feel like you’re the criminal. “I’m not sure I can give you any new information at this point. I’ve told you everything already,” adding what you hope is an exhausted sigh for good measure. “Can I go home, please?” you try and to your surprise the Detective tells you you can. 

He informs you that they’d like to do a follow-up interview tomorrow and lets you know that they’ll contact you when they have any leads or news regarding the case. “We would appreciate it if you stay in the area for at least a day or two, Miss,” he says while pocketing the tiny notebook he used during the interview, “or at least let me know if you are thinking about leaving Savannah.”

You nod, because it seems like a fair request, before the Detective dismisses you with a wave of his hand and a quiet, “Thank you.”

When you step out of Bert’s office you find him leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, “You ok?”

“Yeah,” you nod, because it sort of true. Sure, you’re still a little high on adrenaline, but other than that you feel fine. Maybe because the whole ordeal last only about twenty seconds or so. For you, anyway. “How’s Bea?”

“A little shaken up,” Bert admits, while walking you to the exit. “Her husband picked her up once they were done questioning her and she agreed to take the rest of the week off.” He turns to you, his voice unusually soft when he says, “I think you should too, kid.”

“What and sit at home, driving myself crazy thinking about this?” You shake your head, “No thanks, Bert, I’d rather just come in tomorrow.”

He sighs, knowing you’re too stubborn to take his advice, “At least start a little later then, ok? Eleven is fine.”

“Fine,” you huff, crossing your arms in front of your chest, not liking this special treatment. 

“Fine,” Bert mimics and gives you a wink. “See ya tomorrow.”

You glance at your alarm clock again, letting out a frustrated sigh when you see it’s already three-thirty in the morning and you’re still wide awake, the events of earlier today replaying in your mind every chance they get. You know you’ll probably won’t sleep any more anyway and so you grab your phone, pull up Google and type ‘2019 bank robberies’, surprised when you get over six million hits within less than a second. You know banks get robbed left, right, and center, but you never expected to see ‘Georgia’ pop up in so many results, stunned when you read the headlines:

Armed robbery in Macon, GA, leaves tellers tied up, but otherwise unharmed, in empty safe. Robbers walk away with half a million U.S. Dollars.

Macon, GA, robbery linked to Atlanta, GA robbery. 

“These guys are professionals,” local Sheriff admits among ongoing investigation. 

Pembroke, GA, next target of band of robbers. Two people injured after public tries to interfere.

Georgia robbers most likely part of a much larger crime syndicate operating nationwide. FBI now involved. 

“Jesus,” you mutter quietly, after finishing reading the last article, your eyes wide in shock. It’s not so much that, if it really is the same group that’s responsible for all these robberies, they have committed an awful lot of crimes already, it’s more that they never seem to hurt anyone. The only time people got hurt was when someone tried to run them off the road after the crime occurred. From the stories they seem almost polite, which is weird. 

Not for the first time you wonder why and how they seemed to recognize you and more importantly, why they left after that. Does it have something to do with their unwillingness to harm people? Biting your lip you go over everything again, from the moment the young couple came in until the robbers fled the scene, but still there is nothing that stands out. 

The sound of your phone ringing wakes you and you’re surprised to see it’s already eleven-thirty. Oh shit, you were supposed to be at work at eleven and so you’re sure it’s Bert calling when you answer with an, “I’m sorry, I overslept. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” 

“Uh,” the voice on the other end of the line is much deeper that Bert’s and you groan when you realize your mistake. “This is Detective Johansson, we spoke yesterday?”

“Yes, God, I’m sorry,” you sit up and cover yourself with your blanket even though he can’t see you, “how can I help you?”

“I just wanted to let you know we’ve gotten a hold of some of the security camera footage of the area, and I wonder if you could come in today to see if there’s anything or anyone you might recognize.”

“Uhm, yeah, sure.” You clear your throat, “When, uhm, when would you like me to be there?”

“One would be good,” detective Johansson says. “Just ask for me at the front desk.”

“Will do,” you say, but then you hear the call has already been disconnected and you look at your phone in disbelief. How rude. You shake your head and thumb through your contact list, pulling up Bert’s number to let him know you won’t be able to make it to work after all today, not surprised when he tells you he already asked Cathy to fill in for you for today and tomorrow. Just in case.

“Nothing?” Detective Johansson sounds a little shocked. He’s shown you footage of several security cameras, and one even captured the robbers in their getaway car, without their masks on, but the image is too grainy to see any facial features you might recognize. He must know this too but he makes it seem like it’s your fault. You decide right then and there that you really don’t like him. You’re sure he’s good at his job, but he’s got the social skills of a shark.  

He returns to the stills from the security camera footage inside the bank, once more lining them up as if you haven’t already studied every single detail. You have been here for almost two hours and Detective Johansson has been relentless in his questioning, making you go over everything again and again as if you haven’t already told him everything you know when he took your statement yesterday. 

“I’ve already seen these,” you offer quietly, “I doubt there’s anything else I can give you.” You let your eyes dart over the photos again and while you’re aware the Detective says something about looking harder, you hardly register it because all of a sudden your eye catches something on the left side of the bulletproof vests the guys are wearing and you hold your breath, because no, it can’t be.

You try to play it cool and hope you don’t give anything away when you let your eyes dart over the four photos again. On every single vest there is a patch with the letters JS on top over the number 82. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Fuck. At first you thought it was just the brand of the vests but now that you’ve actually seen what’s written there you know that it’s not. And you also know why they might have recognized you. 

Fuck.

Your mind is going a million miles an hour, trying to figure out what to do. The decision is made for your when Detective Johansson, rather unfriendly, tells you they’ll be in touch if they find any new leads, effectively dismissing you. 

You clear your throat and look up at the detective, “I’m sorry, I really wish I could help.”

He just nods and grabs the pictures, leaving the room without so much as waiting for you to follow him. 

“Asshole,” you mutter quietly, hoping none of the security cameras picked up on that.

You try to act cool as you leave the station but your heart’s racing and you tell yourself to slowly, slowly walk to your car so as to not draw any suspicion. Once you’re in your car you take your phone out of your purse, but then you realize you’re still in front of the police station and this might not be the best place to Facebook-stalk the person you think might have something to do with all of this, and so you start your car and head to Tybee Island, the twenty-minute drive doing nothing to calm your nerves.

Finishing the coffee you’ve ordered you think back to the past twenty-four hours, because that’s how long it’s been since your life got turned upside down. To the minute. You’ve checked.

Not for the first time it feels like you’ve ended up in a movie, but the fact that you had to stop for gas on your way over here was a perfect reminder that this is still very much real life. No matter how bizarre it seems. 

The waitress brings you the bill even though you didn’t ask for it and you’re about to tell her there’s a thing or two about customer service she still has to learn, but then you figure you might as well get back to it, because there are some questions you desperately need answers to. 

You try to recall the pictures the Detective showed you and even though you are certain that, even with the knowledge you have now, there’s no one on there you recognize or know from when you were younger, the JS 82 is a dead give-away. It has to be him. But why? 

You’ve tried everything but there’s nothing about him on Facebook or Google, even though you aren’t really surprised, because why would there be? You’re sure most criminals would rather avoid social media. Just to be certain you try Josh as well, but also, nothing. That’s not surprising, considering how bad of a state he was in when you last saw him. You wonder if he even is still alive.

You turn your phone over in your hand while you look out over the beach and wonder if you should just swing by his house. Well, his parents’ house. You doubt he still lives there, even though that would make one hell of a headline: ‘Armed robber found living in basement at parents house.’ You can’t help but laugh when you picture the scene of him being arrested, taken from his room in nothing but his boxers. 

You shake your head and make up your mind, knowing it will probably lead to nothing anyway, but you just have to know. Maybe he has nothing to do with this and it’s all one big coincidence, but you won’t know until you go there, won’t you?  

You’re not sure if actually going to see his mother is a good idea, because what if the police have put a tail on you? You grin then, because you are definitely not important enough to be tailed. Jesus, you’re just a bank teller. Get a life.

Plus, if it really is him, you reason, well, they haven’t been able to catch him until now, so what would your visit change? It seems like the police still don’t have a clue who’s behind all this. You’re assuring yourself it’ll be fine. 

Leaving the money needed to pay for your coffee and a little tip on the table, you get up before you grab your purse and head back to your car. 

The drive over to his parents’ house doesn’t take long, also because you still know how to get there without your navigation, and are you really surprised it still looks the same as it did sixteen years ago? No, of course not. 

You hesitate for a moment before you get out of the car, because if anything this is all just fucked up, but you know if you really start to think things through now you’ll never make it to the door. It takes you a few minutes to pull yourself together but then you’re finally on your way. 

Taking a deep breath you ring the bell and it isn’t long before you hear footsteps coming towards the door. You hear the handle being turned and for a moment you wonder if he’ll be on the other side, but then you you see his mother standing in front of you and suddenly there’s this lump in your throat that you try your best to swallow away. 

“Oh honey,” she says, her voice as sweet as you remember, her Romanian accent still there somewhere in the background, even after all these years. “He knew you’d stop by. Come on, get inside,” her voice drops then, “don’t want anyone to see you.” 

She wraps her arm around your shoulder and closes the door with her left foot, the way she always did and which often got her scolded at by her husband, claiming her shoes left a mark on the door he had to repaint every year. 

You let her lead you to the living room where she points to the couch, “Sit.” You obey, of course you do, and watch as she heads towards the kitchen to get you a drink no doubt, but then she seems to think better of it and walks to the bar cart instead, pouring two glasses of Scotch. She hands you one before she sits down next to you, “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” you say, but you notice the way your voice catches in your throat, making it sound like your asking a question. You want nothing more than to have her explain everything to you, but you don’t know how to start and so you just sit there, the sip of Scotch you took burning its way down your throat.

“I really can’t tell you much,” she offers after a while, because like always she knows exactly what you think, “but he wanted me to give you this.” She takes a folded envelope out of her bra, an apologetic smile, “Sorry, honey, had to keep it safe.” She laughs then, “At least it’s warmed up.” 

You can’t help but smile too and carefully take the envelope from her, putting it in the side pocket of your bag. That’s for later.

“He also wanted to give you this,” she continues while she takes something out of her purse. It’s a single key, no ring, no marker. She gives it to you, “Pawleys Island. I’m sure you remember the address?”

You nod, because yes, yes you do. You know this will lead you to the last beach house on Atlantic Avenue, where you spent many summer days with him. Happy memories start flooding your mind, but you push them back. For now at least. Maybe tonight you’ll let them in. 

His mother puts her free hand on your arm, interrupting your thoughts, and gives it a little squeeze, “I really wish I could tell you more, but he made me promise not to. Plausible deniability, I guess.”

You’re not sure if she’s talking about her or you. 

She smiles then, “He’s changed, I mean, that much is obvious, but,” she clears her throat, “the boy we both know and love is still in there somewhere. It’s not all bad. Just,” she squeezes again, “just hear him out, ok?” 

You nod, because you don’t trust yourself to speak, tears already threatening to spill from your eyes. Being here, talking to his mother, it takes you back and it reminds you of all the good times you had and you can’t help but wonder what happened. Well, you sort of know what did, but you wonder what got him there and if the dots you are slowly starting to connect are the right ones. 

You know what you’re doing is wrong and that you should probably just call Detective Johansson and tell him everything you’ve found out so far, but you just can’t. You want to hear the other side of this story first. 

You want to know why your high school sweetheart started robbing banks.

Take A Giant Step - Chapter 7

Warnings: Alcohol, Anxiety, Language, Panic Attack, PTSD episode, Some Sexual Content

Pairings: Frankie Morales x f!OC

Word Count: 1.8K

A/N: Here is Chapter 7! I have tried my best to handle the subject matter the best as I could with the research I’ve done. As for panic attacks, I am just pulling from my vast experience with those. If you would like to be tagged (or un-tagged) in upcoming chapters, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Shout out, as always, to the AMAZINGLY LOVELY @yespolkadotkitty​ for beta-ing this! Please enjoy. <3

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Banner by @yespolkadotkitty​

The smell of stuffed shells baking permeated throughout my small townhouse. I was making last minute preparations for dinner that evening. Frankie was coming over to my place for the first time. Although we had been together officially for three weeks, I still desperately wanted to impress him. That’s how I ended up spending almost the entire day making his favorite dish from scratch. For anyone else, I would have just gotten the premade pasta shells and salad mix. But for Frankie, he was worth every second of frustration I experienced with that damned pasta maker. Only for him, would I have gladly made cannoli and not have complained when a splash of hot oil hit my wrist. Or at least not too much. 

Frankie didn’t know exactly what I was preparing for dinner, but he kept on insisting that I didn’t need to go to a lot of trouble. That he would have been perfectly happy to share an order of McNuggets as long as we were able to spend time together. I was happy to make a fuss over him, though. 

My kitchen windows were open, letting in the warm August breeze and band music from my local park. My county held their annual Founder’s Day celebration that day. Every year our board of supervisors would hold a huge event to commemorate the 1635 founding of Hallifax. It was an entire production with local businesses, community groups, and most residents. There were bands who played throughout the day, a parade that traveled from the courthouse all the way to the park, and a huge finale in the evening involving a fireworks show. While I found myself rolling my eyes at Founder’s Day, I did enjoy the fact that I lived close enough to the park to see the fireworks from my backyard. I had specifically chosen that evening for Frankie to come over because I wanted to share that experience with him. 

Right at 7:00 PM a knock sounded on my front door. I took the shells out of the oven and placed them onto the counter before I went over to let Frankie in. When I opened the door, he was standing there with a boyish grin on his face. He held his hands behind his back and stepped forward.

“Hey.”

“Hi Frankie.” We stood in a bashful silence for a few seconds. It wasn’t an awkward pause, but one based in slight disbelief. How in the world did I manage to enter into a relationship with this beautiful and warm man? I eventually came back to Earth and moved out of the way to invite him in. When he stepped into the house he took his hands from behind his back to reveal a bountiful bouquet of daisies. 

“I, uh, got these for you. I know they’re your favorite and I, uh, thought you’d like them. I picked the prettiest bunch since you’re the prettiest girl.” My cheeks turned pink as I giggled softly. I brought Frankie in to me and kissed his full lips. When I pulled away his eyes were still closed.

“Thank you so much. They are gorgeous. I’ll put them in some water right now. Make yourself at home.” I went into the kitchen and pulled a vase out from one of the island cabinets. Frankie followed me.

“Something smells really good.”

“I hope you’ve come with an appetite, Mr. Morales. I have made stuffed shells in marinara sauce from scratch and a fresh garden salad with veggies obtained from the farmer’s market. For dessert, a special surprise.” I gave him a flirty wink. He gave a small groan in return and pulled me in for another kiss.

“Mmm. I have a huge appetite. Can we start with dessert?” Frankie began to give my neck little kisses as his hands moved to squeeze my ass. My breath hitched and my hands came up to feel his broad shoulders. If the food had not been ready at that moment, he would have been sitting on my sofa with me straddling his lap. It took every ounce of self control I had to break away.

“You’ve got to eat your vegetables like a good boy before you can get your dessert.” He pouted and gave me puppy dog eyes. “I don’t make the rules, baby. I just enforce them.”

“I’ll be good.”

“Fantastic. Then after dessert, you can be as naughty as you want.” He grinned at me and I gave the dimple on his right cheek a peck. “But we need to start eating soon before the food gets cold.”

We both served ourselves, sat down, and began to eat. I asked how Frankie’s day had been. He spent most of the morning building platforms for our scenic stock. Afterwards, he met his friend Milton for coffee and then held his weekly Facetime chat with Santiago. 

“How’s Santiago doing?”

“He’s good. Just started another consultation job with a new company. He might be coming out here again in the next few months. He said this company has a location just outside of town.”

“That would be great! We could have him over for dinner and you two can hang out.”

“I’d like that.” Frankie paused briefly. “Do you know what the best part of my day was?”

“I really hope it’s not related to any of Jeff’s shenanigans…”

“No, but those are fun. It’s getting to spend an evening with my Maggie May over a delicious dinner she made.” I couldn’t help but sheepishly look down and blush. Frankie started calling me Maggie May just days after we began to date. I’d always been Mags, Mango, Maggot, and the very rare Margaret. But it felt right that I was his Maggie May. When I looked up, he greeted me with a sincere smile.

“Thank you, but it’s not like I’m Gordon Ramsay. I just used my mom’s recipe and chopped up some vegetables. That’s all.”

“I don’t know who that is, but I know you made a better meal than they ever have.”

“You’re really laying the good boy act on thick, aren’t you?” His eyes widened and he feigned shock.

“No. I’m being honest and if that just happens to make me a good boy, then it’s a win-win.”

I chuckled as I rose from my chair and gathered our empty plates to take them to the sink. As I began rinsing them off, I felt two strong arms wrap around my middle. Frankie was gently swaying me from side to side as he rested his head on top of mine. 

“Mmmmm, that feels nice,” I responded. “Maybe I can put a pin in doing the dishes at the moment.” I put down the plate I was scrubbing and removed my green rubber gloves. I turned around and moved in closely to his chest.

“Baby -”

BOOM! BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!

All of the sudden, I found myself and Frankie on the floor. His eyes quickly surveyed my kitchen. His breathing quickened.

“What the fuck was that,” he barked.

“I guess they started the fireworks for the celebration at the park already.”

“You knew there were going to be fireworks and you didn’t fucking tell me? Jesus Christ, Maggie!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be an issue-”

“Well it is. Fuck!”

I felt my heart drop into my stomach. My boyfriend was completely pissed off at me for not giving him advanced notice about a fireworks display. I wanted to cry right there, but I couldn’t. Frankie looked like he was about to trigger into a full blown panic attack and it was my fault. 

“Frankie,” I whispered. He looked at me with rage, panic, and helplessness in his eyes.

BOOM! BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!

“Frankie,” I repeated.”It’s okay. You’re safe. We’re gonna move to another room, away from the fireworks. Is that okay? I’m gonna stay with you the entire time.” 

He nodded his head like an obedient child. I helped him up and we slowly made our way to my bedroom. It was the area farthest from the fireworks. When we got to the room, I sat him gently down on the bed and shut the door. 

“Lay back, honey. Just like that. I’m going to move across the room and turn the fan on. It’s gonna get a little cooler and a soft whirring noise is going to come on.” I walked over to my tower fan and pressed the on button. The fan’s blue power light blinked on and began to blow out cooler air. I moved back closer to Frankie.

“What can I do to help?” His dark chocolate eyes looked up at me. The anger and fear were leaving them only to be replaced with exhaustion. I wanted nothing more than to hold him and let him know that I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was sorry and I should have let him know ahead of time about the display. I tried to blink back tears. Crying at that moment was not going to help him at all. 

“Maggie, hold me?”

“Of course.” I crawled onto my bed and wrapped my arms around him. He nestled in close, resting his head on my chest. I kissed the top of his head.

“I’m sorry that I ruined tonight.”

“You didn’t. It was my fault. I wanted to surprise you with the fireworks and I didn’t even stop to think - “

“No. You were just trying to make tonight special and I fucked it up majorly. I haven’t been near an active combat zone in years and this shit still messes with my head. You’ve got to think I’m a nutcase. A grown man who cowers at fucking fireworks and yells at his girlfriend. I don’t blame you if you want to leave. Find someone normal who doesn’t flip out like this. I’ve tried therapy - it doesn’t do shit. I’m just fucked up.”

I could not believe what I was hearing. Did Frankie really believe that someone would throw him aside over a mental illness? Was there somebody in his past that was cruel enough to actually do that? I gently tilted his chin up and looked into his eyes.

“Francisco, I am not going anywhere. I am wild about and care so much for you. I need you to understand that I am here with you for the long haul. I may not completely understand all of what’s going on, but I am one-hundred percent in your corner and will support you in any way that I can. I promise you.”

“Thank you. Maggie?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you. Can you forgive me?”

“Already forgiven and forgotten.” I gave him a reassuring smile. “The fireworks will continue for another forty minutes. Would playing music or the tv help you?” 

“That would be nice.”

“How about Cheers?” I grabbed my remote, logged onto Hulu, and pressed play. Frankie adjusted his position to that of the little spoon so he could see the television. I didn’t mind being his big spoon that night. I wanted to protect him from all harm - real or perceived - and completely envelop him in my love. Fifteen minutes into the episode, Frankie looked back at me.

“Maggie May?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Can we have dessert tomorrow?”

“Absolutely.”

---------------------

TAGS:

@larakasser​

@absurdthirst​

@yespolkadotkitty​

@fioccodineveautunnale​

@wickedfrsgrl​

@agirllovespasta​

@ah-callie​

Hey, I have a question that I hope is not considered rude.

If you are in a safe environment and you are open about your sexuality (or lack thereof), but you don’t like the colour scheme of the flags associated with your sexuality; are there other ways to express yourself?  

I am Demiromatic and Greysexual, and proud to go under the umbrella term AroAce, but I’m not fond of the colours green or purple. Purple was my sister’s colour so I never went for it, and Green is my least favourite colour (I don’t dislike it, I just don’t like it - neutral about it). I am very much Blues, Blacks, Pinks and Whites - with the occasional Red worn for shock value.

Sometimes though; it would be cool to express that I am on the AroAce spectrum. But I don’t want to sacrafice my personal style to wear colours I don’t want to wear.

I saw someone earlier suggesting a black or white ring on the middle finger, I already wear a diamond and sapphire ring from an ancestor, on my right hand, but I could look for a simple black and white ring for my left hand. But for a Drama Queen like me, it just doesn’t feel like I’d be showing enough support.

I’m sorry for the long submission/question. And I am sorry if anything I said came across as rude or insensitive. I don’t mean it that way.

Thank-you for your time and support.

- @imaginationpheonix​

No, questions are not rude. In fact, they’re the entire reason I created this blog! Because I enjoy answering them.

It sucks that so much of your identity has flags of colors you don’t like! It can result in feeling very disconnected from pride and positivity and can even be pretty isolating. I do not like the nonbinary flag and so often don’t really get into aesthetics or merch that uses the colors, so I completely understand where you’re coming from.

You’re going to have to dig a little harder to find ways to show your pride without having everything based around aro or ace colors, but it is doable!

Genderal Pride!

I know we like to get specific and and show our personal pride, but the rainbow flag is for you, too! Find awesome rainbow merch that you enjoy and proudly display those! If it strikes up a conversation with someone and you feel safe sharing more info, then you can. 

Phrases and Puns!

Aro and ace lend themselves to soooo many puns and clever sayings. It can be hard to find merch with these sayings that isn’t in green or purple, but it is possible, and it’s worth digging a bit to find this. The pro of this option is that it’s not so subtle, if you’re trying to be bolder, which brings us to:

Symbology!

Look into symbols beyond the pride flags! You can turn white and black rings into white and black earrings or white and black bracelets. Similar idea but morphed into something more doable for you. Cake and dragons are ace symbols. The ace in a pack of cards has long been associated with aces and the ace of spades in particular has become an aroace symbol. So, the spade symbol has become a symbol for aros, as have bows and arrows. It hasn’t really caught on, but I have seen multiple of us claiming the phoenix as a symbol of aromanticism as a play off of dragons being associated with aces.

Look for pieces with these symbols even if they’re not necessarily specifically geared towards aro/ace pride. The con of this option is that these may end up being too subtle for your desires.

Create for Yourself!

Find opportunities to create your own pride merch done in your own preference! It can be costly, but there’s sites out there that let you create a customized shirt to order. If you can’t draw (don’t steal art!), just do text and phrases that you like! You can get fabric pens and draw/notate on your own clothes. When my sister was young, she was gifted some cheap little button badge maker that was pretty easy to make. I saw a cheapo one with just a few seconds of searching for $30. You can also turn these into magnets instead if you prefer. Do you know how to knit or crochet or embroider? Make a scarf or hat or whatever for yourself with whatever symbols or phrase you like! Do you know how to sew? Look into making patches to iron on your clothes. Can you find some beads of any of the symbology we talked about? Make your own earrings or necklace.

Get a little flexible

This is a less great suggestion, but compromise and work on accepting merch that uses purple/green, just in small or underplayed ways. Sometimes it may be impossible to avoid the colors altogether and you may like a piece so much that you find you can stand purple or green in exchange for how awesome the overall design is. 

Basically - don’t be afraid to get a little creative. Here’s some stuff I found digging around etsy that shows aspec pride without so much purple or green. (Followers, anybody want to suggest their own merch or something they’ve bought that the follower might like?)

Ace of Spades pin AceStitchual pin Ace’d It pin Sp-ace pin Asexua-whale pin Gemstone bracelet Got Cake shirt Dragon necklace Dragon scarf Gray-ace shirt Space Ace pin Asexual banner Punk pins Asexual and Tired shirt

Subtle Aromantic hand warmers Let Your Arrows Fly shirt Bow and Arrow necklace Bow and Arrow locket Bow and Arrow bracelet Spade necklace Spade earrings Phoenix earrings Aromantic Shark shirt (use of “yas” so may be best only if you’re black)

Pride Mermaid stickers Inclusion pin Ace of Spades wall art Ace of Spades shirt Ace of Spades necklace

Finally, I want to address something really important in your post. Most of your post seems like you truly want to wear this merch for your own self and your own pride and your own excitement and sense of community. And that’s great! However, this caught my attention: “it just doesn’t feel like I’d be showing enough support”.

While, yeah, pride is A Statement meant to say “I’m here and you can’t silence me” and can help signal to others like you that you’re here and you’re safe and they’re not alone, it is also for ourselves. And simply wearing a punny shirt or walking around in a flag, while an incredibly brave act, isn’t the only way to show pride - or support.

If what you’re really looking for is to make a difference and connect with others, I’d really like to encourage you to more direct action as well. Have you looked into lgbt+/queer/etc. clubs and organizations in your local area? Do they have meetings you can go to and meet others or learn about resources? Do they have volunteer opportunities? What sort of relevant protests are happening in your area that you can attend? How about your local library? Does it have books like Let’s Talk About Love or We Awaken (or any other books with rep - time to do some research on some aspec books and then hit up your library!)? If not, I’m sure it has a way for you to request books you’d like to see in there. If you’re in school, does it have a GSA? Can you attend or even look into starting one? Community is an incredible resource and you don’t have to love purple or green to build important connections or show your support.

Hope this helps and have fun searching for merch!

x

The Science Project (Part 8)

Here’s Part 7 Part 6 Part 5 Part 4 Part 3 Part 2 Part 1

Pairing: Peter Parker x Black Stark!Reader

Word Count: 1792

Warnings: None

Tags List: @jadepc @unadulteratedgalaxyprogramming

A/N: This one is a bit long but so worth it. It’s has cute clingy boyfriend Peter. Hope you guys enjoy! Requests are Open! If you want to be added to a certain tags list just ask!

Note: F/P/T= Favorite Pizza Topping

Thursday. Eight days until the project is due, and two day after you and Peter kind of showed your feelings for each other. Since that day you guys have been texting back and forth, talking on the phone, holding each others hands, having quick make out sessions in abandoned classrooms in between class periods. You have been teased by Ned and MJ countless times but you two didn’t care one bit.

Pertaining to your project, within the past two days you have completely finished the actual experiment and are now prepared to examine and compare the results. All that needs to be completed now is the poster board, the slideshow presentation, and the report, which luckily you guys have plenty of time to do.

You and Peter walk hand in hand up to your place, engulfed in complete silence, but absolutely giddy with contentment. You guys walk to the elevator and press the button that brings you to the open living room/kitchen area. You let go of Peter’s hand to get a snack like usual before you guys move up to your room, where the materials you guys need are.

“Dad, I’m home. And Peter’s here too!” you notify your dad over the intercom. You grab the other half of your footlong sub that you had for dinner last night and close the fridge grabbing your bag and heading to the stairs. “Hurry and get something to eat, so we can go get started.” you instruct Peter leaning against the railing and playing with the stray curl hanging out of the puff that you had wrapped in a colorful head wrap. A small smile appears on Peter’s face as he nods and head to the kitchen to quickly pick something to eat.

“Hey kiddo, hope you had a good day at school. You too Pete.” you dad responds to your previous exclamation of your presence. His words, though empty sounding, you know we’re genuine but also meant that was concentrating.

You suddenly feel Peter’s hand on your lower back, bringing you back from spacing out. “Ready?” He asks, his face containing slight concern.

“Uh, yeah.” you smile at him, and the begin up the stairs, legs moving fast, the tempo you are used to, not realizing that Peter was more behind you than you thought. Once you are upstairs, you walk three doors down and approach your room, the door was closed.

“Ok, before you enter, I decorated this when I was 14 and even though that was only two years ago, I’m a much different person.” you shield the door.

“Come on, I bet it’s fine.” Peter reaches through your arms to the door knob, and even though you wanted to freeze his hand to it, you refrain and step aside, letting him open the door. The first thing you see upon walking in was your bed, which you believed was the most normal part of your room, which was just a purple comforter on grey sheets and many pillows of different colors and origins. Above your bed, though, you had fairy lights that spanned that entire back wall, and a string of Polaroid pictures clothes pinned to a string underneath the lights. The pictures were of you with the different Avengers, some with old friends from previous schools that you didn’t end on bad terms with, and of course many of you and Tony. Underneath that was a banner for MIT, Tony’s alma mater, and Howard University, your real father’s alma mater. On the left side of the room were shelves full of many different type books, and stuffed animals Tony has bought you from the different countries he has visited. The number of stuffed animals a bit overwhelming. On the wall behind the bookcase, there was a black girl magic poster. Next to the door was a desk, slightly cluttered with miscellaneous objects, but not too dirty. The last wall contained the entrance to your closet and your bathroom, but wasn’t decorated any certain way, your closet, though, appearing to be more than slightly disorganized, a habit you have picked up from Tony, but the disorganization also displaying your style: colorful, bright, fun.

You wait for Peter to say something, anything, as he slowly walks into the room, you following behind at a similar pace. His head turns, gradually examining your room.

“I know it’s-” you were looking down as you began talking so you stopped once you saw Peter’s feet turn toward you.

“I like it. It’s pretty cool actually.” you look up and are greeted by his awkward smile. He turns back around and sits on your bed, bouncing a bit as he grabs his notebook from his bag. You go and sit at your desk and open your laptop, letting it startup as you roll over by the bed, closer to Peter.

“Ok so we need to type everything we have. I’ll go first. We’ll create a different doc for each part, so one for objective, one for procedure- you know what, scratch that. We’ll put it all on one doc, spaced out, and when we print we just cut each one off. Peter are you listening?” Peter was just staring, eyes looking slightly droopy, but not like he was sleepy, more in admiration.

“Why of course, honey.” His words causes a smile to tug at the sides of your mouth. “I just like to watch you think, plan, take charge. Its kinda hot.” you widen your eyes at the sudden contact of his lips on your neck, nipping lightly at it. You turn your head to look at him, but as you do he moves his mouth from your neck to your minimally parted lips, giving you a quick peck.

“You’ve gotten bold, Parker.” you smirk, placing your focus back on your laptop.

“I guess I have.” He retorts, snickering, but then leaving a lingering kiss in your hair, taking a short whiff.

“Alright, you look over what you have and I will start typing. Once I’m done, you can type, then we can print and paste the sections on the poster board.” you say, beginning to type.

Peter retracts from your hair, sitting back and saluting. “Aye, Aye Captain!” You smile at his goofiness and continue working.

“Do you want some music? What I choose you might make fun of but it helps me concentrate.” you ramble, going to Spotify.

“Why do you always assume I’m gonna make fun of you? You’re too adorable to make fun of.” He pushes you slightly with his foot as you turn on the music. Baby Love by The Supremes comes over the speakers on your laptop. Peter’s face is confused but you can tell he likes the music.

“I have a playlist of 50’s and 60’s songs that I love. You’re lucky I didn’t choose the 40’s music.” you scold, protectively, used to your music choice being ridicules.

“Calm down, I like it.” He reassures you, then starts to look over his notebook.

You have both finally finished typing out your pieces, printed them out, and have begun cutting them out and pasting them to the poster board, which you have already decorated. Throughout the entire time you guys were working, neither of you took into account time, so you both had no idea that it was nearing 9:30.

“Y/N, your dad said that dinner is downstairs.” F.R.I.D.A.Y comes over the intercom, startling you both. Once you gain back your composure you look at the clock, eyes widening.

“Peter, you should have already been gone. My dad thinks you’re gone. If he finds you, especially in my room, we won’t live to see the day our project is due.” Your voice is in a panicked whisper, but as you were about to get up to pace Peter grabs your hand, calming you.

“Its fine. Go get something to eat then come back up. We’ll figure something out. Also you were making the lights flicker, so thank you for calming down.” he grins at you and kisses your hand, a smile then taking over your face as you leave the room, making sure to close the door behind you.

You get down stairs and are greeted by your dad sitting on the couch watching Top Gear while eating a piece of pizza.

“Hey kiddo, there’s F/P/T back there.” Tony says turning down the tv and turning around to look at you. “You gonna come watch TV with me or-”

“No!” you answer a bit too quickly. “I, uh, still have to work a bit on the poster board.” you say as you plie up 4 pieces of pizza on two plates stacked on top of each other.

“Why don’t you just wait until you see Peter again to finish?” Tony looks at you suspiciously.

“It’s almost done, so might as well finish.” And before your dad could say anything else you scurry back up stairs and into your room.

“So how’d it go?” Peter asks, attention on your tv.

“I’m an absolutely horrible liar, but I am surprised that I wasn’t completely obvious. Pizza?” you hand him a plate and place two pieces on it.

“Sure. You want to watch something? Parks and Rec?” He asks, looking through your Continue to Watch bar on Netflix.

“Sure.” you say, crawling onto your bed and instinctively laying your head on Peter’s chest. You could feel his hesitation as he goes to start the show, lightly giggling and taking a bite of pizza. The night went on and before you knew it, you were both asleep.

“Peter, wake up” you start to shake him awake, which was slightly difficult because as you guys were sleeping his arm found its way around your shoulders, holding you close against him.

He groans and starts to shift. “What time is it?” his voice was low and groggy, which made him even more adorable, but you had to get past that and continue to wake him up.

“It’s 5:20, and you have to go before my dad wakes up.” you remove his arm from around you and push him, speeding up his standing process. He got on his feet and grab his backpack, slowly making his way to the door. You shift yourself to the end of your bed and lightly tap him with your foot, making him turn around. “I’ll see you at school.” you smile sweetly at him. He steps closer and bends down, giving you a lingering peck on the lips.

“See you later.” He turns back around and head to the door. You watch lovingly as he slowly opens the door and checks left and right before exiting your room.

Part 9

Normal

Chapter 5

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Pairing: Peter Parker/Spider-man x Reader

Summary: A night out leads to an encounter with our favorite masked hero.

Word Count: 3053

A/N: I have an AO3 account now!!! 

You were with your mom when it happened. You sat at the table doing homework while she started dinner. You were both laughing with each other when your phone buzzed. You ignored it. You said something about your mom's cooking, she yelled an insult back. You can't remember it now. Your phone then went off again, one more time, then another. It kept going, moving closer and closer to the edge. You picked it up. The clock read 4:03.

You scrolled through the notifications, some of them from social media.

“Text from Beverly (5)”

“Google Alerts: Bomb in D.C.”

“Twitter: Attack on Washington Monument”

“Missed Call from Beverly (3), Riley (1)”

“Text from Riley (2)”

There was a lump in your throat. Your mom asked if you were okay, it went unheard. You kept rereading the words, not even bothering to open the notifications. Your mom ended up snatching the phone from your hand after her many attempts to get your attention. Her face drained of all color.

She switched on the T.V. in an instant, quickly switching through the channels until the news came on. You turned in your seat, facing the screen as a bold banner scrolled across the bottom:

“EXPLOSION IN WASHINGTON MONUMENT, VICTIMS TRAPPED IN ELEVATOR”

Your eyes frantically scanned the screen, a news anchor tried his best to show little emotion. It didn't work. The screen then began showing a video of a family enjoying the monument. A little girl looked up in awe while a woman smiled at her. They began to stand together for a picture, a voice behind the camera telling them to smile. There was a sudden jolt, the camera shook before dust and brick crumpled down the side. The camera quickly flicked up, revealing a large crack running along one side of the pyramid that sat atop a tall column of stone.

The video was cut short, switching to a live feed.

“Oh my God...” Your mom barely whispered, a hand held tightly over her mouth.

You picked up your phone, frantically typing in the pass code before pulling up your contacts. It was a short list, so getting to Liz's name was almost instant.

You clicked the call button, holding the device to your ear. You waited.

Beeep  pause Beeep pause Beeep

The phone kept ringing, each second causing your stomach to twist into knots.

“You have reached the automated-” You hung up.

Your lip was trembling, you hit the call button once more.

As the phone kept ringing, you watched the screen. Helicopters circled the Monument, people were either frantically running away or staring in awe. You weren't sure what you would do.

“You have reached-” You hung up again. A sob clawing its way from your throat. Your mom turned at the sound.

She watched as you tried again, your fist crumpling the hem of your shirt. Your knuckles were white. You kept thinking back to Liz's Snapchat story. A pool party from the night before, Flash poking fun at Peter for not joining in, her team winning, Mr. Harrington awkwardly waving into the camera, and the last you saw was of her entering the Washington Monument. There were no updates after that. Your hand shook as it held the phone up to your ear.

“You have-” You dropped the phone. The automated voice relaying its message. Your lunges struggled to take in air, your chest was on fire. A beep could be heard, your phone is recording a voicemail.

Both hands muffled your sobs. Tears streaming down your face. Liz is in there, Peter is in there. Were they okay? Are they scared? Is anyone helping them?

Your mom picked the phone up, hanging it up and wrapping her arms around you. You let out a muffled sob into her shoulder. She rubbed at your back gently, letting you hiccup and cry into her.

The camera zoomed in on the monument, slowly following up its side. You watched over your moms shoulder.

“M-Mom-” You hiccuped. “Look.”

She turned towards the T.V., her face contorting in confusion.

“Is that-”

“Spider-man.” You finished.

Red and blue crawled up the Monument, the camera shakily followed his movements as he sped up the side. Webs would be shot to give him momentum, but he kept frantically crawling up.

Your sobs subsided, your bottom lip was held tightly between your teeth in anticipation. You wiped at the tears on your cheeks, watching the news intently.

One of the helicopters hovered next to Spider-man, a megaphone blasting at the masked hero.

“Return to the ground immediately!” It shouted, Spider-man kept going.

You watched as he frantically kicked at a small window. He even begun swinging into it, it didn't budge.

Your mom was squeezing your hand, both of you watching as he climbed higher to the top. Your heart was pounding in your throat at this point.

“Return to the ground now, or we will open fire!” The voice shouted from the helicopter. You stepped forward to the screen.

“He's trying to help, you idiot!” You screamed. Your voice scratched at the shout, your mom said nothing.

Spider-man took one look back at the helicopter, the gears turning in his head. You held your breath, watching as the moments unfolded.

He pushed off the monument, spreading a pair of webbing under his arms. You watched as he flew past the blades, hooking onto the bottom of the helicopter to swing back into the window. A loud pop! followed by a crash resonated. The screeching of metal made you cringe, how the camera ever picked up that noise from so far made you wince even further. Those inside must have heard that noise painfully.

There was a pin-drop silence afterwards. The helicopter stayed by the window, people below stared up in shock. No one was talking, not even the anchors.

It felt like forever. The camera was zoomed in on the window, waiting for any signs of life. You squeezed your moms hand, she let you. You seemingly didn't even blink, not wanting to miss a moment. After a few painful minutes, the silence was cut when the camera man panned down to a newswoman.

“We just received word from authorities that all of the occupants have been safely removed from the elevator and are now on their way down the monument. No injuries have been reported so far.” She spoke eloquently into the camera, the hint of relief in her voice as she relayed the information.

You released your breath, shaking at the intake of air. Your hand was pressed against your forehead while you squeezed your eyes shut.

They are okay

You opened your eyes to find your mom handing you back your phone, a new notification was displayed at the top. You pressed it open.

Liz: hey! everyones fine!! ill call u when i get off the phone with my parents ❤

You took a seat on the couch. You were wondering how Liz seemed so calm in her message. She always seemed so level-headed, no matter the situation. You thought this kind of event would be an exception, but it seems not.

You scrolled through your contacts, stuck in the P's. The space between Pam and Phillip was nonexistent. You didn't have his number, and there was no way you could get into direct contact with him. You wanted to make sure he was okay.

Your mom left the news on while she finished dinner. You stayed on the couch, your knee bouncing as you stared into your contact list.

You had eventually returned to your spot on the table, struggling to finish your assignment. You had just gotten off the phone with Liz, the conversation mostly being you worried over her. But after finally assuring you, you believed that everyone was safe.

Well, almost everyone.

“What do you mean he wasn't there?” You asked Liz.

“He just wasn't, Peter didn't even show up to the competition. We're heading back to the hotel to grab our stuff, Ned mentioned he got sick or something so he stayed back.” She responded. A little more disappointed than anything, she really depended on him for Academic Decathlon.

You let out a worried sigh, “Okay. Call me back if anything happens. Get home safe.” You finished.

She said goodbye before hanging up. The silent line deafening in your ear.

Your stomach twisted again, your brows were furrowed in worry. You hoped he really did stay back at the hotel. What kind of trouble was he getting himself into?

It was late that night. Your homework was shoved into your backpack out of frustration, you decided to just do it at school. You still worried over Peter, especially since Liz hadn't said anything. He's fine, you thought, no message is good, it means nothing bad happened.

You were in your pajamas, leaning over your desk to close your window when you heard it.

“You're never leaving this house ever again. I don't care if you're 40, I will make sure to chain you to the couch if you try and open the door.” A woman was scolding.

You took a peek out, curiosity getting the best of you.

“C'mon May, I wasn't even actually there!” There was a whine to that familiar voice. It made you want to laugh.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? You stayed in a hotel by yourself when you were supposed to be at the competition!” May said.

You watched Peter follow the woman in the building. That must have been the aunt he lives with, she really was quite the beauty.

You almost never saw Peter in the building, him being a few floors below you. His schedule seemingly prevented him from ever bumping into you. But you did see his aunt often, sometimes running into her in the laundry room.

Once they disappeared into the building, you shut the window. You were finally able to calm your nerves, him being safe and at home.

You walked out of your room and into the kitchen. You were scavenging the fridge for any snacks before you head to bed. You knew it was a bad habit, but you couldn't help yourself.

You settled for a bowl of cereal, finding nothing else worthy of your late-night habit. You held onto the bowl with steady hands, making sure to shut off the lights as you scurried back to your room. The empty hall always giving you chills when you shut the lights. You pushed your bedroom door closed with your hip, leaving the lights on in your room.

A quick tap tap tap caused you to shriek. Your precious cargo flinging into the air, pouring milk and frosted flakes all over your carpet.

You turned with wide eyes, finding Spider-man hanging upside down on the other side of your window. His hand was covering his mouth, eyes as wide as they can possibly go. He saw everything.

You slapped a hand over your face, not even wanting to look at the mess on the floor. You headed towards the window, opening it with a little more anger than intended.

“May I help you?” Anger laced every word.

“I'm so sorry.” Was all he could say. You stepped aside, letting him crawl into your room. You closed the window behind him, keeping the cold air out. “Let me help you clean it up!” He offered.

“Oh, that's so kind of you.” You replied sarcastically. “It's not like I was going to make you clean it anyways.”

He knew he should feel guilty, some sort of regret for scaring you. But all he could think about was how adorable you were angry. You were usually more reserved, small laughs here and there. He didn't even think you were capable of anger. But the way you furrowed your brows, your sarcasm dripping from those lips. The same ones that held such a beautiful, heart-breaking smile.

Don't even get him started on your outfit. The over sized 'Jurassic Park' shirt reached your thighs, almost completely covering the pair of shorts you had on. The shirt was slanted, leaving a peek of your shoulder sticking out. He wanted to melt.

“Stay here.” You commanded.

“Yes, Ma'am.” He responded automatically. He watched your figure leave the room. Trying his hardest to keep his eyes up. He didn't try hard enough.

You returned with an arm full of towels, all ranging in colors. You handed him a red one before leaving the rest on the bed. You got on your knees by the stain, trying to soak up milk with your own purple towel. Blot, don't rub you remembered.

Peter stared at you frozen, unsure exactly how legs work. He just watched you work on the stain, flipping and folding at your towel for a clean spot.

“Well? Get down here are start blotting Spidey!” You commanded once more.

“O-Oh! Right!” He spoke before joining you on the floor.

He followed your movements, making sure to not rub the stain in. Does milk stain? He didn't want to find out.

“I'm sorry I made you spill.” He commented.

“It's okay.” You spoke lightly, looking up at him. There was a lopsided smile on your part. He thought he couldn't fall in more love.

You ended up vacuuming over the stain, probably a poor decision but you didn't want to pick up the individual frosted flakes that littered your room. Peter held onto the ceiling as you went over the whole floor, not wanting to be in the way. You thought it was cute.

You mentally apologized to your downstairs neighbor, hoping the vacuum didn't disturb them. Putting the vacuum away, you walked back into the room, avoiding the still damp patch in the middle of your room. Peter still held onto the ceiling, but this time was hanging by a web. What a dork.

Taking a seat on your bed, you watched as he slowly descended from the string. He was eye level with you now.

You gave him a warm smile, “Thank you.”

“Oh-yeah, no problem. It's the least I can do. I mean I'm the one who scared you into spill-”

“Not about that.” You interrupted. He just stared, scanning your face for any hints of what you mean.

“My friend was on that elevator.” You filled the silence.

“Oh.” He said. “Uhm, I was just in the neighborhood, ya know.” He tried answering. He scratched at the back of his head, a habit it seems.

“You're good at this 'hero' thing.” You looked down at your lap, your fingers pinching the end of your shirt. “Especially for being a kid.”

He was taken aback, his posture shifting even as he hung upside down.

“I-I'm not a kid!” His voice deepened. “I'm a man!” He puffed out his chest, putting his hands on his hips as his feet pinched the web holding him.

“Yeah, right, Spider-boy.” You teased. A chuckle leaving your lips.

He couldn't help but laugh along. Your laughter struck him right in the heart, the arrow piercing with no remorse. He was so lost in your smile and he wouldn't want it any other way.

You stood up from the bed, walking up to him. The panels of his eyes widened with a whizz when you placed your hands on his cheeks. You ran your thumbs over the soft material, taking in every bit of his mask.

With a leap of faith, you leaned in.

Your lips connected with the cheek of his mask, he held still for you. Your eyes shut when you made contact. Savoring the moment, committing it to memory. Even down to his scent, rosewood, you realized.

He thought he had died and gone to heaven. Maybe he fell with the elevator? Did he catch himself when he propelled down the shaft? Who cares. What ever higher being granted him this moment, he was thanking profusely in his head.

He let you hold him in place, your lips gently pressed against his cheek. He wanted to rip his mask off, remove the layer that prevented any true contact.

But before any irrational thoughts came true, you pulled away.

Your hands still held onto him, a shy smile on your face.

“My friend is alive because of you. Thank you, Spider-boy” You meant the gratitude with all your heart. But you felt the need to joke with him, lighten any awkwardness that might arise from your bravery.

Peter stared at you with wide eyes. His heart pounding with an immeasurable speed. His chest was going to burst open and his heart was going to drop to the floor. He always thought the phrase 'looks that can kill' held a malicious meaning. But right now, in this moment, he knew that phrase was reserved for you and that beautiful smile. The way your eyelashes fluttered and how you brushed aside locks of hair. It all was deadly, and Peter didn't want to leave the crossfire.

“Mhmm. Yup. N-No problem” He tried answering, his head nodding in your hands. “Wow, um. Okay, make sure to tell your friend to get into more dangerous situations, yeah?”

You laughed at his sudden declaration. Your heart fluttered in your chest, cheeks warming at his comment.

“Sure, Spidey.” You joked.

You finally removed your hands away from him, his cheeks instantly missing the warmth they provided. His face seemed to follow them just for a moment out of instinct.

“C'mon, I'm getting a new bowl of cereal.” You spoke by the door.

He twisted in his web to face you, watched as you motioned him to follow.

Peter gently lowered himself to the floor, the web remaining on the ceiling.

“That better come off, Spider-boy.” You spoke over your shoulder, walking to the kitchen.

“It'll dissolve.” He said. Just like my heart, he thought.

The rest of his visit was spent eating cereal. He picked fruit loops, you stuck to frosted flakes. He sprinkled more sugar into his bowl and you couldn't help but laugh.

A sweet tooth for a sweetheart.

Chapter 6

Taglist: Crossed out usernames are uncooperative, message me if there is a spelling error or other mistake.

 @spider-mendes @sunflower-anna @missrowle @courtneychicken @legendarydazekitten @fly-little-butterfly @zseonlydavinci @alltheloveforharrystyles @pandalandalopalis

I finally got a couple pin banners to display my pins and buttons, since they’re my favorite things to collect from cons and buy from artists.

The Poke pins are actually official poke pins from various card sets! I don’t hardcore collect the cards but I like getting extra stuff like the pins or small figures.

Arplis - News: Gloriously Over The Door Hanging Mirror

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Fairy Tale Challenge Part One: the Enchanted 10K

A new post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/rundisney-princess-10k/

Fairy Tale Challenge Part One: the Enchanted 10K

Of all the RunDisney events offered at Walt Disney World, my absolute favorite is the Princess Half. It’s always the fastest to sell out, and if you’re not online when it goes live, you’re probably out of luck. Thankfully, though I was scheduled to work that morning, my mom offered to register for me. She got it taken care of, and thus 2018 would be my fourth year running the Princess Half. 

2018 marked the tenth anniversary of the Princess Half Marathon, and the fifth anniversary of the Glass Slipper Challenge, now renamed the Fairy Tale Challenge. I was okay with that, I was a little tired of the same medal in different colors. 

I started planning my costumes out about a month ahead of time. After changing my mind about ten times about who I was going to run as, I got my friend Donna to whip up two running skirts. I decided on picking basic colors that would work for multiple characters. I wound up with a light blue skirt with a silver band, and a pale pink with a white band. It took me until two days before the races to decide officially on Stella Lou, Duffy’s bunny friend from Tokyo, and Marie from the Aristocats. 

About a week before the race, I was cleaning out my closet and found a pair of dark blue shorts I’d forgotten I owned. I had a light bulb moment and grabbed a shirt I’d never worn to start putting together a Disneybound for the RunDisney Expo. Disneybounding is the art of dressing like a certain character without it being a costume, you essentially match colors. Donna had to loan me a bow to put it together but come Friday I had a Snow White Disneybound and headed for the Expo.  

I pulled up the map online as Jay was driving, and was surprised to see a building marked with “Character Meet & Greet”. I’d seen characters at RunDisney Expos before, but it was always seemed like I’d randomly run into them. I’d never seen a sign marking where they were, or even an announcement that there were characters. 

If I had to guess, Disney’s probably gotten complaints in the past because people missed characters and didn’t know they were there. I’m happy to see they took steps to fix this! 

Once we parked, we headed for the Arena where the characters were. Outside was Cinderella’s coach and a short line for pictures so we hopped in.  

Then we headed inside past ivory pillars and greenery decorations. To the right was a food stand and bar, past that were two different lines for characters. On the left was a display of the bright green Photopass tents to look for on the course, and straight ahead was the RunDisney Official Merchandise Store. 

Since I was Disneybounding Snow White, we jumped in her line first. The other line was for Princess Minnie, who I had only ever encountered at the Princess Half finish line. Snow White’s line moved fairly quickly, and she was not at all happy to see the poison apple purse Jay got me. 

Once we were done with Snow White, Jay jumped in Minnie’s rather long line while I went to check out the merchandise. It was the biggest RunDisney store I had ever seen, but that might just because they had more space than before. Normally the RunDisney store is crammed onto the Expo floor instead of being in a separate building. I really liked all the merchandise, but I kept telling myself I’d already spent enough money on this race. They had all of the usual items, but I finally found what I was looking for. I’d seen on a Disney Parks Blog post earlier that week about official Disney character running clothes and they did not disappoint.

They had tank tops, t-shirts, skirts, pants, and running sleeves themed to Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Stitch, the Cheshire Cat, Cinderella, Ariel, Maleficent, and Tinker Bell. I immediately went to tell Jay and we had to go back so he could see once we were done with the characters. 

Meeting Princess Minnie was awesome. One of my favorite things in the world is meeting the Fab Five in special outfits.

Bib and t-shirt pick up went like clockwork. I got a little packet with my bib that included a luggage tag, pins that would attach the bib without poking a hole in the shirt, and a button. I was a little dismayed to be in the last starting corral for the 10K and second to last for the Half, but there was nothing I could do about it. We wandered around the Expo for a little while and then headed out. I had to get to bed nice and early for that 2:15 a.m. alarm for the Enchanted 10K! Our final stop was with the medal banners.

I had decided I was going to do Marie for the 10K but swapped for Stella Lou at the last second as I was getting ready in the middle of the night. I was worried about the Stella Lou headband giving me a headache, and if I was going to carry it for most of the race I decided I’d rather do it for the shorter one. 

I arrived at Epcot right around four, which is an ungodly early hour to be anywhere. The character lines were already ridiculously long, and I wound up just waiting until the start corrals opened at 4:15 a.m. so I could try to get to the front. The more people between me and the balloon ladies the better. I found a spot and sat down, reading on my phone as I waited for the clock to tick closer and closer to race time. 

John and Rudy, the announcers, arrived just before 5:30, wearing kilts which I thought was appropriate for the Brave 10K. There was a rush of cheering as the wheelchair racers went by. It was incredibly hard to hear – we were far from the stage and the speakers seemed oddly placed. You would think it being hard to hear anything would make everyone be quieter, but no, instead I just had to listen to rather loud complaints about how quiet it was rather than actually being able to hear. Then people proceeded to sing along with the National Anthem, so the whole morning was just a little strange all around. 

The Fairy Godmother herself arrived to send the first corral off, and with a wave of her magic wand and the whole crowd chanting the magic words, the fireworks appeared and Corral A was off to a flying start.

Despite the Enchanted 10K starting at 5:30 a.m., my corral did not go until 6:20 a.m. I took off as quick as I could, wanting to put space between me and the end of the runners. They were sending the corrals off in short bursts, and I quickly caught up to the tail end of the corral in front of me. Merida herself was up on top of the overpass cheering everyone on about a quarter of a mile in, all lit up in green and yellow. I felt bad for all the people who had dressed as Merida hoping to meet her. 

Just past the first mile marker was Mushu and Mulan in her Princess dress. I actually don’t like Mulan in her princess dress, I think we should meet her in the dress from the end of the movie instead of the beginning. You know, the one she saves China in? 

At the top of the next hill were Lilo and Stitch. I wanted to stop for them because you so rarely see them together, but I met them on the Wine and Dine Half in 2016, and saw them last summer at Typhoon Lagoon. 

I rounded the turn and kept going. Somewhere past the second mile marker I found Pocahontas and Meeko, and passed them too.

Are you seeing a theme here? I run these races for characters and then talk myself out of stopping because I’m worried about time. 

Coming into the backstage area of Epcot there were what I refer to as “Americana Stilt Walkers;” they kind of look like they escaped from “it’s a small world” except they’re on stilts. I’ve always assumed they’re from a show I’ve never seen, but I have no idea what it is. 

I entered the World Showcase just after hitting the 5K marker and didn’t encounter another character until Germany. Pinocchio was out, and his line was HUGE. I’ve never seen it so long. The Genie was out in Morocco, in his traditional outfit instead of the tourist one. I hate to say it, but his popularity has exploded since Robin Williams’ death. I’m glad I met him when I did on my first Princess Half, back when his line was super short. 

Then in France I found Marie, and I was so angry at myself. If I hadn’t switched outfits at the last second, I could have gotten a photo with Marie as Marie. I decided to keep going, what was the point if we didn’t match? I regretted it a few minutes later, but it was too late to turn back. 

I headed into the Boardwalk, where I actually hate to run. The wood is usually wet and it feels so slick, but it thankfully wasn’t as bad this time. RunDisney Goofy was hanging out outside of the ESPN café. I rounded the rest of the course without seeing any other characters, but there were a ton of people out cheering. 

Coming back into Epcot, you enter behind France and it dumps you out between the U.K. and Canada pavilions. Behind France right now is a mess because of the construction on the Ratatouille ride, which is understandable, but it led to one of the most brilliant entertainment ideas I think RunDisney has ever had. 

There were two big, burly, fairly attractive men with hardhats and microphones, posing as construction workers. Usually RunDisney has lost tourists out and cheering, but instead they found something that would blend in even better, and help the construction look intentional. I’m still kicking myself for not taking photos. 

Just past Canada, things got a little awkward. There were a set of Photopass photographers, and everyone always stops and throws their arms out to get a better picture, effectively ruining the photo of everyone behind them. I prefer to just run when I see them as I like the action photos. This girl dressed as Tinker Bell stopped dead in front of me to jump for a photo, but I had to cut around her to not run into her. I’m pretty sure she was mad, but at least I didn’t completely ruin the photo. 

IF YOU ARE GOING TO STOP, MAKE SURE THERE IS NOT SOMEONE RIGHT BEHIND YOU. 

I rounded out the rest of World Showcase and found Pluto up near Duffy’s old meet and greet. I figured he would be the last character, and I started to stop, but kept going. You can literally meet Pluto anytime, he wasn’t even in a fun outfit. 

Mostly I was just disappointed Duffy wasn’t out. They had him out for the Walt Disney World 10K and I was desperately hoping to see my Bear. 

I finished strong through Future World, stopping for a quick Spaceship Earth selfie. It was about time I took some sort of photo during this race. One more trip through backstage past a drum line, and the finish line was straight ahead. 

I heard another runner yelling to her group, “Let’s do this!” right as I kicked it into high gear, sprinting for the finish line.  

I kept moving forward past the slew of photographers to the volunteers, who were once again handing out the medals instead of presenting them to the runners. This is a major pet peeve of mine. I just ran 6.2 miles, and you are supposed to put the medal around my neck instead of handing it to me. WATCH ANY MOVIE WHERE THE HERO GETS A MEDAL! 

To my surprise, it was a spinner medal! It had Merida on one side and a Celtic drawing of three bears on the back. 

I was super excited to see them handing out cooling towels further on. I’ve probably got four or five of them at this point, but they’re super useful and feel wonderful. I wiped my face off and headed down to get my Powerade and snack box. I moved straight through the gear check, trying to get to the characters as quickly as possible. 

I jumped in line for Princess Minnie in her purple dress. When it was my turn, the character attendant took my phone and said, “Oh my goodness, you’re Stella Lou!” 

“Thank you! You are the first person to know who I am!” Or at least the first to say anything. 

Minnie nodded happily and put her hands over her head like a ballerina. I could have cried. They instantly fixed my disappointment about not being able to get a matching photo with Marie. 

“Who’s Stella Lou?” The Photopass photographer asked. The character attendant started to explain and I said, “Just show her the phone case!” The character attendant almost squeaked when she looked at it. I looked at Minnie. 

“I miss Duffy. You need to bring him back and bring Stella Lou to visit too!” She nodded eagerly and tapped me on the nose. I guess Minnie misses the bear she made too! 

I went to jump in line for Ariel, but quickly figured out I wouldn’t make it by the time they pulled the characters. With Minnie having saved the day, I didn’t mind. 

I headed for my car and vowed to make stopping more of a priority than time the next day on the half marathon. 

Check out Part Two, and find out exactly who I stop for, and another rather interesting first for me on a race! 

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Look through 10 glorious years of iPhone history

On-lookers experience the iPhone for the very first time in January 2007.

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Apple’s iconic computer nugget is 10 years old on Monday, and my, how it’s changed.

When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone in 2007, it was a squat, chubby gadget sold largely on the merit that you could use it as a “widescreen iPod.”

In the decade since, the device has evolved into arguably the most iconic bit of consumer electronics of the 21st century. Its influence is hard to overstate.

SEE ALSO: What you should expect from the iPhone in 2017

Say what you will about social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and the ability to take high-def photos or livestream video with a device that fits in your pocketnone of it would exist in the forms we enjoy today without smartphones. And smartphones probably wouldn’t be what they are without the iPhone leading the charge.

Not that Apple’s pull has always been a great thing.

For instance: The ultra-compact form factor has rubbed off on rivals like Samsung, producing a glut of hard-to-recycle electronics that people are constantly pressured to upgrade (even by one’s subconscious). Intimate conversations at dinner are now accompanied by a buzzing temptation from below. People text during movies. And who hasn’t drifted to sleep under the bright blue glow of their smartphone screen?

Still, there’s no debate that the iPhone is capital-I Important. Reflect on its power with this quick look through the device’s 10-year history:

The reveal (January 2007)

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Steve Jobs teased his audience at the 2007 Macworld SF conference with the reveal of an “iPhone” that looked like a rotary iPod.

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Believe it or not, Apple actually had to sell people on the idea that they would want to buy a smartphone. It did so by touting the iPhone as a three-in-one device that had incorporated “iPod,” “Phone” and “internet.”

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

And here it is, in Jobs’ hands publicly for the first time. From afar, the device really doesn’t look so different than the versions of it many of us are using today. In fact, some problems from those very first moments persistthough they’d be framed differently today.

“Bottom line: Heavy BlackBerry addicts may not want to jump ship just yet,” David Pogue wrote in The New York Times after struggling with the touchscreen keyboard and autocorrect for the first time.

Apple would finally allow the installation of third-party keyboard apps in 2014 with iOS 8and some of them mitigate problems by encouraging different typing techniques or reformatting the keyboard’s layout. Even so, many would say typing on a smartphone screen remains a frustrating experience that’s inferior to mechanical keyboards.

Image: Archive.org

The very first iteration of apple.com/iphone went live after Jobs’ keynote event. This is how Apple sold the device to web-browsing consumers in 2007.

Image: Archive.org

And there’s U2, Apple’s favorite band. Seven years later, Apple would foist a U2 album onto every iPhone user following a keynote event announcing iPhone 6.

The first update (2008)

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

In 2008, Apple introduced the iPhone 3Gan upgrade that improved on the original unit’s speed with a faster network connection. It also had a somewhat streamlined design.

“Just one year after launching the iPhone, were launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast, at half the price,” Jobs said in a press release at the time.

The iPhone 3G also marked the debut of the App Store, GPS tracking and push notifications for email. Apple would upgrade the gadget’s internal components in 2009 with the iPhone 3GS, which also added pre-Siri voice controls.

Image: archive.org

Apple’s debut website for the App Store advertised eBay, Super Monkey Ball and Loopt, a now defunct social network.

Image: AP

Eager customers lined up for the new device days before its release in Tokyo’s Omotesando shopping district.

iPhone 4and some missteps (2010)

Image: AP

The iPhone got a significant redesign in 2010 with the introduction of the iPhone 4. The silvery, rotund exterior of previous models was streamlined, and replaced with a metallic frame. It looked like a more cohesive unit.

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

This was the first iPhone with a front-facing cameraslightly mind-blowing, considering how ubiquitous selfies are, seven years later. This also made the iPhone 4 the first that one could FaceTime with. It was also the first with Apple’s pixel-dense “Retina” display.

Image: AP

But it had some big problems. That Retina display became discolored for some users, and gripping the device by its sides (as one does) could substantially decrease its reception. Apple was forced to address the issue in a press conference in which Steve Jobs promised customers free cases to mitigate the problembut not before publishing a remarkably passive-aggressive “antenna performance” website, illustrating how other phones had similar issues:

Not the best look, in retrospect.

The Birth of Siri (2011)

Image: AP

In October 2011, Apple debuted the iPhone 4S, an upgraded unit that introduced the voice-controlled digital assistant Siri.

While no one could argue that the feature’s perfect (even in 2017), critics were impressed by the new functionality.

“Only a company with the chutzpah of Apple would have the courage to try something like this,” Mashable wrote at the time. “It’s just good enough to be fun to use … Some of its capabilities go deeply into science fiction territory, such as pushing and holding the Home button, and then telling it to set a timer for 15 minutes.”

SEE ALSO: No, Apple, killing your headphone jack is not ‘courage’

The iPhone 4S’s release coincided with iOS 5, which introduced the iPhone-to-iPhone “iMessage” feature, banner notifications, and other upgrades.

Image: AP

2011 was notable for another reason. Jobs, the Apple co-founder who had introduced the iPhone four years earlier, died at age 56one day after the 4S was announced.

Innovation slows with iPhone 5 (2012)

The iPhone 5, left, compared to an iPhone 4S, right.

Image: AP

Most iPhone upgrades had included some major leap forwardGPS tracking, Siri, a selfie camera, and so on. These were features that gave average consumers obvious reasons to upgrade (or: bite the bullet and buy their first iPhone), beyond promises of improved network connectivity, faster processing and so on.

The iPhone 5 lacked any such improvements. Instead, Apple focused on improving the unit’s design. The device looked a bit sleeker. It lost weight. And in the most substantial change, Apple replaced the 30-pin dock connector (right, in the picture above) which it had used in every previous iPhone. The new “Lightning” port (left) was smaller, more efficient and is still used in Apple devices to this day.

Image: AP

That said, the device did come with an upgraded camera that could snap pictures faster and shoot in a new panoramic mode.

Apple touted the new device’s thinness on the updated iPhone website. This new handset may have been light on obvious upgrades compared to previous iterations, so Apple’s move was to highlight how sleek the design had become. Indeed, the device was thinner and lighter than previous models, despite a larger screen.

Getting personal: New colors, new price points and Touch ID (2013)

Apple splintered its iPhone line in 2013 with the introduction of the new iPhone 5C, a colorful option pitched to the budget-conscious. For the first time, your iPhone shopping wasn’t limited to “this year’s model” versus “last year’s model”. Now, you could buy the 4S, the new 5C or the new 5S.

The 5C had a plastic back that came in five colors, and U.S. customers could nab a 16GB model for $99. It replaced the previous year’s iPhone 5thus making the even-older iPhone 4S the true budget pick in 2013but was mostly identical from a technical standpoint.

Hardware upgrades came with the premium iPhone 5S device, which added the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. You can set up to five fingerprints for the Home button to read, instead of inputting a password.

Apple also debuted a line of (frankly, hideous) cases to pair with the iPhone 5C. They came in a variety of colors and cutout holes that let your device’s natural look beam throughin case you wanted a green-and-yellow iPhone to pair with your bottle of Sprite, say.

Investors weren’t thrilled with the iPhone 5C and 5S, which some considered too pricey to succeed in emerging markets, and not innovative enough to conquer established ones.

Plus-size (2014)

Image: Dustin Drankoski/Mashable

The splintering that began with the iPhone 5S and 5C continued with 2014’s iPhone 6. For the first time, Apple offered a “Plus” variant with a much larger form factor than the standard model. It was a brilliant move that spurred massive salesespecially in the Chinese marketthough, once again, it complicated the shopping process.

Image: Archive.org

There were now four iPhone tiers to choose from. The low-budget iPhone 5C at a paltry 8GB of storage, the iPhone 5S, and then two sizes for the new iPhone 6. Now that Apple had a fully mature and desirable product, its move was to offer a version for every consumer.

Image: Dustin Drankoski/mashable

The iPhone 6 set a new standard for the gadget’s design that would carry all the way through to last fall’s iPhone 7. (Hold an iPhone 7 on its side and compare it to the picture above: It’s nearly identical.)

This was the thinnest iPhone yet, and of course it had the most powerful innards. That thinness combined with the larger size of the iPhone 6 Plus led to a major problem, though: “BendGate.” When pressure was applied to a certain point on the device, the iPhone 6 Plus could actually be warped out of shape.

Notice how the iPhone 6 is nearly identical to current models from the front.

Image: dustin drankoski/mashable

As was becoming the norm, many of the most significant updates with the iPhone 6 were actually software changes delivered via a new version of iOS. iOS 8 launched preloaded on the new device and brought with it cross-platform messaging (so you could continue your texting conversations on your Mac, say), the Health app, and more.

That said, the iPhone 6 was the first to contain an NFC chipthe bit of hardware that lets Apple Pay work. If you’re buying something at a participating retailer, you can just bop your phone against an NFC reader to pay for an item, without pulling your credit card out.

ROSE GOLD!!!…and 3D Touch, we suppose, for iPhone 6S (2015)

Because Apple was now obliged to release a new iPhone every year, it debuted the 6S and 6S Plus in Fall 2015. Perhaps most significantly, this was the first iPhone to come in a deliciousdaresay: iconic”rose gold” color.

Apple strengthened the device to avoid another BendGate catastrophe, but unsightly antenna lines on the rear persisted.

The major selling point for the new device? “3D Touch” functionality that makes the Phone 6S’s screen receptive to different amounts of force (a feature that remains underutilized to this day). Lightly tapping icons produced the same result as always, but you could do a sort of deep, harder touch to pop up different options. This feature carries through to the iPhone 7, though few apps leverage it for anything meaningful.

A bit of a reach, via Apple’s website:

Interlude: iPhone SE (Spring 2016)

Apple freshened the aging iPhone 5S early in 2016, replacing it with the iPhone SE, an interesting device: Its screen is smaller than the 6S’s by nearly an entire inch, it has the boxier form factor familiar to pre-iPhone 6 users, but it’s just as powerful as the iPhone 6S despite being less expensive.

It lacks some key selling pointsit doesn’t have 3D Touch, and its display and selfie cam aren’t as nicebut it’s a good budget-ish pick for people wanting a smaller device.

iPhone 7 and the death of the headphone jack (Fall 2016)

And into the modern era: With the iPhone 7, Apple exerted itself in a remarkable way by killing off the headphone jack, still an industry standard despite a growing market of Bluetooth headphones.

SEE ALSO: You can take the new iPhone into the shower, but please don’t

Why’d Apple do this? Their explanation is that removing the headphone jack makes room for better batteries and internal componentsand ensures that the device is water resistant.

Image: Damon Beres/Mashable

Apple bundled the iPhone 7 with an awful attachment that lets you hook your old headphones into the device. It’s a miserable compromise that adds a bouncy white phallus to your otherwise sleek iPhone. While the connection is sturdy, you’ll find yourself swapping the thing on and off constantly if you use different devices (to say nothing of multiple headphones), and it’s small enough to lose or for your cat to choke on.

Not only will the dongle itself create a new form of e-waste, but the iPhone 7 encourages people to bite the bullet and buy new wireless headphones, perhaps spurring the creation of even more digital detritus.

Image: Lili Sams/Mashable

But complaints about headphones won’t change the fact that this is the most cohesive iPhone yetwe might even call it beautiful. It’s now nearly symmetrical at the bottom without that headphone jack, and Apple removed the unsightly antenna lines across the back of the unit. It also comes in a shiny “jet black” color.

Image: Lili Sams/Mashable

And it it is, in fact, water resistant. You can drop the phone in a toilet or take it in the shower and it will survive.

The iPhone 7 Plus, pictured here, also has a new dual-lens camera that allows for a true optical zoom and a special portrait mode. Some believe it will help Apple break into augmented reality moving forward.

Image: lili sams/Mashable

There’s one more update to the phone’s hardware that’s worth mentioning. The home button is no longer an actual button, in the true sense of the word. Rather, it’s a piece of glass that provides feedback via Apple’s “Taptic Engine.” That simulates the sensation of pushing a button, but try nudging Home when the device is off, and you’ll feel nothing at all.

Does it fundamentally change how the iPhone is used? Of course not. Most of the unit’s hardware updates from the past couple of years haven’t. But the updates have incrementally transformed the iPhone from what was little more than a proof of concept in 2007 to a legitimate icon, now aesthetically complete with the advent of the iPhone 7… dongle and all.

Writing about Apple computer telephone device and reflecting on how pissed off this dongle makes me to this day

A video posted by Damon B (@dlberes) on Jan 8, 2017 at 2:56pm PST

BONUS: Everything we think we know about the new iPhone

Read more: http://on.mash.to/2iD3iYc

from Look through 10 glorious years of iPhone history

RunDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Part One

A new post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/rundisney-princess-10k/

RunDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Part One

Of all the RunDisney events offered at Walt Disney World, my absolute favorite is the Princess Half. It’s always the fastest to sell out, and if you’re not online when it goes live, you’re probably out of luck. Thankfully, though I was scheduled to work that morning, my mom offered to register for me. She got it taken care of, and thus 2018 would be my fourth year running the Princess Half. 

2018 marked the tenth anniversary of the Princess Half Marathon, and the fifth anniversary of the Glass Slipper Challenge, now renamed the Fairy Tale Challenge. I was okay with that, I was a little tired of the same medal in different colors. 

I started planning my costumes out about a month ahead of time. After changing my mind about ten times about who I was going to run as, I got my friend Donna to whip up two running skirts. I decided on picking basic colors that would work for multiple characters. I wound up with a light blue skirt with a silver band, and a pale pink with a white band. It took me until two days before the races to decide officially on Stella Lou, Duffy’s bunny friend from Tokyo, and Marie from the Aristocats. 

About a week before the race, I was cleaning out my closet and found a pair of dark blue shorts I’d forgotten I owned. I had a light bulb moment and grabbed a shirt I’d never worn to start putting together a Disneybound for the RunDisney Expo. Disneybounding is the art of dressing like a certain character without it being a costume, you essentially match colors. Donna had to loan me a bow to put it together but come Friday I had a Snow White Disneybound and headed for the Expo.  

I pulled up the map online as Jay was driving, and was surprised to see a building marked with “Character Meet & Greet”. I’d seen characters at RunDisney Expos before, but it was always seemed like I’d randomly run into them. I’d never seen a sign marking where they were, or even an announcement that there were characters. 

If I had to guess, Disney’s probably gotten complaints in the past because people missed characters and didn’t know they were there. I’m happy to see they took steps to fix this! 

Once we parked, we headed for the Arena where the characters were. Outside was Cinderella’s coach and a short line for pictures so we hopped in.  

Then we headed inside past ivory pillars and greenery decorations. To the right was a food stand and bar, past that were two different lines for characters. On the left was a display of the bright green Photopass tents to look for on the course, and straight ahead was the RunDisney Official Merchandise Store. 

Since I was Disneybounding Snow White, we jumped in her line first. The other line was for Princess Minnie, who I had only ever encountered at the Princess Half finish line. Snow White’s line moved fairly quickly, and she was not at all happy to see the poison apple purse Jay got me. 

Once we were done with Snow White, Jay jumped in Minnie’s rather long line while I went to check out the merchandise. It was the biggest RunDisney store I had ever seen, but that might just because they had more space than before. Normally the RunDisney store is crammed onto the Expo floor instead of being in a separate building. I really liked all the merchandise, but I kept telling myself I’d already spent enough money on this race. They had all of the usual items, but I finally found what I was looking for. I’d seen on a Disney Parks Blog post earlier that week about official Disney character running clothes and they did not disappoint.

They had tank tops, t-shirts, skirts, pants, and running sleeves themed to Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Stitch, the Cheshire Cat, Cinderella, Ariel, Maleficent, and Tinker Bell. I immediately went to tell Jay and we had to go back so he could see once we were done with the characters. 

Meeting Princess Minnie was awesome. One of my favorite things in the world is meeting the Fab Five in special outfits.

Bib and t-shirt pick up went like clockwork. I got a little packet with my bib that included a luggage tag, pins that would attach the bib without poking a hole in the shirt, and a button. I was a little dismayed to be in the last starting corral for the 10K and second to last for the Half, but there was nothing I could do about it. We wandered around the Expo for a little while and then headed out. I had to get to bed nice and early for that 2:15 a.m. alarm for the Enchanted 10K! Our final stop was with the medal banners.

I had decided I was going to do Marie for the 10K but swapped for Stella Lou at the last second as I was getting ready in the middle of the night. I was worried about the Stella Lou headband giving me a headache, and if I was going to carry it for most of the race I decided I’d rather do it for the shorter one. 

I arrived at Epcot right around four, which is an ungodly early hour to be anywhere. The character lines were already ridiculously long, and I wound up just waiting until the start corrals opened at 4:15 a.m. so I could try to get to the front. The more people between me and the balloon ladies the better. I found a spot and sat down, reading on my phone as I waited for the clock to tick closer and closer to race time. 

John and Rudy, the announcers, arrived just before 5:30, wearing kilts which I thought was appropriate for the Brave 10K. There was a rush of cheering as the wheelchair racers went by. It was incredibly hard to hear – we were far from the stage and the speakers seemed oddly placed. You would think it being hard to hear anything would make everyone be quieter, but no, instead I just had to listen to rather loud complaints about how quiet it was rather than actually being able to hear. Then people proceeded to sing along with the National Anthem, so the whole morning was just a little strange all around. 

The Fairy Godmother herself arrived to send the first corral off, and with a wave of her magic wand and the whole crowd chanting the magic words, the fireworks appeared and Corral A was off to a flying start.

Despite the Enchanted 10K starting at 5:30 a.m., my corral did not go until 6:20 a.m. I took off as quick as I could, wanting to put space between me and the end of the runners. They were sending the corrals off in short bursts, and I quickly caught up to the tail end of the corral in front of me. Merida herself was up on top of the overpass cheering everyone on about a quarter of a mile in, all lit up in green and yellow. I felt bad for all the people who had dressed as Merida hoping to meet her. 

Just past the first mile marker was Mushu and Mulan in her Princess dress. I actually don’t like Mulan in her princess dress, I think we should meet her in the dress from the end of the movie instead of the beginning. You know, the one she saves China in? 

At the top of the next hill were Lilo and Stitch. I wanted to stop for them because you so rarely see them together, but I met them on the Wine and Dine Half in 2016, and saw them last summer at Typhoon Lagoon. 

I rounded the turn and kept going. Somewhere past the second mile marker I found Pocahontas and Meeko, and passed them too.

Are you seeing a theme here? I run these races for characters and then talk myself out of stopping because I’m worried about time. 

Coming into the backstage area of Epcot there were what I refer to as “Americana Stilt Walkers;” they kind of look like they escaped from “it’s a small world” except they’re on stilts. I’ve always assumed they’re from a show I’ve never seen, but I have no idea what it is. 

I entered the World Showcase just after hitting the 5K marker and didn’t encounter another character until Germany. Pinocchio was out, and his line was HUGE. I’ve never seen it so long. The Genie was out in Morocco, in his traditional outfit instead of the tourist one. I hate to say it, but his popularity has exploded since Robin Williams’ death. I’m glad I met him when I did on my first Princess Half, back when his line was super short. 

Then in France I found Marie, and I was so angry at myself. If I hadn’t switched outfits at the last second, I could have gotten a photo with Marie as Marie. I decided to keep going, what was the point if we didn’t match? I regretted it a few minutes later, but it was too late to turn back. 

I headed into the Boardwalk, where I actually hate to run. The wood is usually wet and it feels so slick, but it thankfully wasn’t as bad this time. RunDisney Goofy was hanging out outside of the ESPN café. I rounded the rest of the course without seeing any other characters, but there were a ton of people out cheering. 

Coming back into Epcot, you enter behind France and it dumps you out between the U.K. and Canada pavilions. Behind France right now is a mess because of the construction on the Ratatouille ride, which is understandable, but it led to one of the most brilliant entertainment ideas I think RunDisney has ever had. 

There were two big, burly, fairly attractive men with hardhats and microphones, posing as construction workers. Usually RunDisney has lost tourists out and cheering, but instead they found something that would blend in even better, and help the construction look intentional. I’m still kicking myself for not taking photos. 

Just past Canada, things got a little awkward. There were a set of Photopass photographers, and everyone always stops and throws their arms out to get a better picture, effectively ruining the photo of everyone behind them. I prefer to just run when I see them as I like the action photos. This girl dressed as Tinker Bell stopped dead in front of me to jump for a photo, but I had to cut around her to not run into her. I’m pretty sure she was mad, but at least I didn’t completely ruin the photo. 

IF YOU ARE GOING TO STOP, MAKE SURE THERE IS NOT SOMEONE RIGHT BEHIND YOU. 

I rounded out the rest of World Showcase and found Pluto up near Duffy’s old meet and greet. I figured he would be the last character, and I started to stop, but kept going. You can literally meet Pluto anytime, he wasn’t even in a fun outfit. 

Mostly I was just disappointed Duffy wasn’t out. They had him out for the Walt Disney World 10K and I was desperately hoping to see my Bear. 

I finished strong through Future World, stopping for a quick Spaceship Earth selfie. It was about time I took some sort of photo during this race. One more trip through backstage past a drum line, and the finish line was straight ahead. 

I heard another runner yelling to her group, “Let’s do this!” right as I kicked it into high gear, sprinting for the finish line.  

I kept moving forward past the slew of photographers to the volunteers, who were once again handing out the medals instead of presenting them to the runners. This is a major pet peeve of mine. I just ran 6.2 miles, and you are supposed to put the medal around my neck instead of handing it to me. WATCH ANY MOVIE WHERE THE HERO GETS A MEDAL! 

To my surprise, it was a spinner medal! It had Merida on one side and a Celtic drawing of three bears on the back. 

I was super excited to see them handing out cooling towels further on. I’ve probably got four or five of them at this point, but they’re super useful and feel wonderful. I wiped my face off and headed down to get my Powerade and snack box. I moved straight through the gear check, trying to get to the characters as quickly as possible. 

I jumped in line for Princess Minnie in her purple dress. When it was my turn, the character attendant took my phone and said, “Oh my goodness, you’re Stella Lou!” 

“Thank you! You are the first person to know who I am!” Or at least the first to say anything. 

Minnie nodded happily and put her hands over her head like a ballerina. I could have cried. They instantly fixed my disappointment about not being able to get a matching photo with Marie. 

“Who’s Stella Lou?” The Photopass photographer asked. The character attendant started to explain and I said, “Just show her the phone case!” The character attendant almost squeaked when she looked at it. I looked at Minnie. 

“I miss Duffy. You need to bring him back and bring Stella Lou to visit too!” She nodded eagerly and tapped me on the nose. I guess Minnie misses the bear she made too! 

I went to jump in line for Ariel, but quickly figured out I wouldn’t make it by the time they pulled the characters. With Minnie having saved the day, I didn’t mind. 

I headed for my car and vowed to make stopping more of a priority than time the next day on the half marathon. 

Check back next week for Part Two, and find out exactly who I stop for, and another rather interesting first for me on a race!