#•| contact || meggie |•

[licht-hex]

“ITS GOTTA BE PERFECT”

So I actually got around to watching it and

He’s just like me fr fr (light joke)

[polymusepotion]

meggie:

panic swirls in her chest. constricts. tightens around her lungs until she’s not sure she can properly breathe. people are laughing. calling out for them to kiss. she’s faintly aware of the brush of his mouth at the corner of hers and she can’t help but tense slightly, eyes flashing to his as he pulls away. he didn’t kiss her. and for some reason, that’s as jarring as the rest of this is. a quick study of his features tells her why.

                                                    he doesn’t know her either.

it should bring some semblance of comfort. it should release the tension coiled within her chest. but it doesn’t. if anything, it just makes her more nauseous. whoever he is, wherever they are — she brought him here. she had to. her hand slips into his as he pulls them away from the alter. away from the people. but silence doesn’t bring any additional comfort.

his voice is soft. his gaze gentle. she shakes her head in response to his question, shaky hand lifting to gently pry the veil from where it’s tucked into her hair. her dress feels too tight. the room feels too small. her hands shake. —- mo taught her control. her father was insinstent on one thing and one thing only when it came to her abilities: if she used them, she could only ever be alone. the cost was too great. and she had been, or at least she thinks she had been. and looking at him now, there are certain features that are distinctly not human. a slight point to his ears. the striking violet of his eyes. she doesn’t understand. she needs mo. she needs her dad.

❝ i think i did, ❞  her voice comes out small. tight. gaze cutting to his in with a mixture of panic and apology. and before she can tell herself to leave it at that, before she can remind herself that magic is a ridiculous concept to most people — she’s talking.

❝ my father had this ability — i do too — it’s called silvertongue. we…we read people out of books. or into them. mo never used his, i didn’t even know about it until i was 12 and all these men came to find him because he’d read them out of their book and he was the only one who could read them back. and i — i have the same gift. but i… ❞  this is the part that’s hard to voice. the part she hasn’t told anyone about, least of all her parents. if they knew, they’d be terrified.  ❝ i’ve been practicing. alone. since i moved out a couple years ago, and i’m…it’s getting stronger. it used to just be little things here and there. like…like a stray cat would go missing and a gnome would take its place. or a teacup would disappear and i’d find a chalice in my kitchen. nothing big. nothing like this. i think…i think i brought us here. ❞  her from her own world. his from his. and they’ve found themselves somewhere in the middle. somewhere wrong.

meggie swallows, looking up at him. he’s…striking. to say the least. a quick assessment of him and she guesses he was probably the main character. the dark haired love interested. edge. danger. sharp tongue, sharp features. if you read enough books, you start to see the same faces on the pages. but his is memorable. she would have remembered him. but…but it is possible. at any given time she finds herself surrounded by stacks of unread novels. worlds just waiting to be explored, pages waiting to be turned. she’d always practiced alone. but she of all people knows that the worlds within the pages of books are far from being fiction. and she’s always felt that when she’s surrounded by books, she’s far from alone. the thought sinks in her stomach like a pit and her knees go weak enough for her to lower herself onto the small couch in the room.  ❝ i brought us here. ❞

rhys lowers himself onto the couch beside her, though he’s careful to leave about a foot of room. the last thing he wants to do is crowd her when she’s already panicking. this might be the strangest thing he’s ever encountered and, right now, that feels like a lot. still, he’s not a high lord for nothing. he’s not considered the most powerful fae throughout all of prythian because he buckles under pressure. he commanded a damn army, for cauldron’s sake.

his mind thinks back to his home and what he’d been doing moments before hands were grabbing at him, pulling him in and helping him to change. “i... i don’t think this is entirely your fault,” he says gently. there’s a moment when he wants to reach for her, to take her hand in his and offer some comfort. but he’s conscious enough of the situation to know he’s likely the last person in... whatever kingdom? court? this is she would find comfort in. instead, he tries to keep his voice as calm and smooth as possible. if he’s calm, hopefully her system will settle as well.

“my court is struggling. this may... i don’t know how much sense this will make to you. if i’m being honest, i’m still not entirely sure i follow the type of magic you’re talking about for your own powers, but we’ll get to that. but let me tell you about my world. maybe it’ll ring something familiar in your mind, maybe it won’t. it’s not just my court that’s struggling, but all the courts. we defeated king hybern. barely. it nearly cost me my life. but with him out of the way, those in the human realm, the five queens included, are searching for certain... relics. pieces that, when put together, could give the bearer untold power.

“i’ve fought for centuries to protect my people. i wasn’t about to let them down because i couldn’t get my hands on a fucking harp.” he sighs and shakes his head. “anyway. i went in search of clues on exactly what these relics are and where i might find them. i stepped through a portal. so while you might have had a hand in creating some of this. maybe you were reading about an arranged marriage? or... or something? however this works for you. that doesn’t necessarily mean you brought me here. it very easily could have been a combination of things we both did.

“that being said, my magic... i’m struggling to access it. i can feel it. it’s not gone. but the men who helped me dressed...” he’s hesitant to continue. will this scare her? it probably will. “well, they’re only still standing” alive “because i was too distracted over not being able to access my powers. oh, and for the record.” the corner of his mouth quirks up in an almost smile. “the priest mispronounced my name. rhysand.” this time, it sounded like reece-and. “my friends usually call me rhys.” his eyes soften as he meets hers. “i didn’t hate hearing you call me rhy, though.” his smile breaks out fully now.

“would you like to make a deal with me?” in her version of her human realm, rhys doesn’t know what she might have heard about the fae. there’s no keep this deal or die where he’s from. and though many of the humans in his world believe the fae can’t lie, he’s perfectly capable of it. it’s the only reason he’s still alive. he’s not lying or manipulating her now, though. “how about we fake it through the rest of the day. we can look at each other like the sun rises and sets in each other’s eyes. and when the crowds are gone, i’ll do everything in my power to help you get home. you’re the only one i know here. and i’m using know quite sparingly. we’ll be allies. maybe the portal brought me to this realm for a reason, but me finding the harp isn’t your responsibility. i’ll do what needs to be done. we’ll get you home, meggie. i promise.”

@ofthclight

meggie:

panic swirls in her chest. constricts. tightens around her lungs until she’s not sure she can properly breathe. people are laughing. calling out for them to kiss. she’s faintly aware of the brush of his mouth at the corner of hers and she can’t help but tense slightly, eyes flashing to his as he pulls away. he didn’t kiss her. and for some reason, that’s as jarring as the rest of this is. a quick study of his features tells her why.

                                                    he doesn’t know her either.

it should bring some semblance of comfort. it should release the tension coiled within her chest. but it doesn’t. if anything, it just makes her more nauseous. whoever he is, wherever they are — she brought him here. she had to. her hand slips into his as he pulls them away from the alter. away from the people. but silence doesn’t bring any additional comfort.

his voice is soft. his gaze gentle. she shakes her head in response to his question, shaky hand lifting to gently pry the veil from where it’s tucked into her hair. her dress feels too tight. the room feels too small. her hands shake. —- mo taught her control. her father was insinstent on one thing and one thing only when it came to her abilities: if she used them, she could only ever be alone. the cost was too great. and she had been, or at least she thinks she had been. and looking at him now, there are certain features that are distinctly not human. a slight point to his ears. the striking violet of his eyes. she doesn’t understand. she needs mo. she needs her dad.

❝ i think i did, ❞  her voice comes out small. tight. gaze cutting to his in with a mixture of panic and apology. and before she can tell herself to leave it at that, before she can remind herself that magic is a ridiculous concept to most people — she’s talking.

❝ my father had this ability — i do too — it’s called silvertongue. we…we read people out of books. or into them. mo never used his, i didn’t even know about it until i was 12 and all these men came to find him because he’d read them out of their book and he was the only one who could read them back. and i — i have the same gift. but i… ❞  this is the part that’s hard to voice. the part she hasn’t told anyone about, least of all her parents. if they knew, they’d be terrified.  ❝ i’ve been practicing. alone. since i moved out a couple years ago, and i’m…it’s getting stronger. it used to just be little things here and there. like…like a stray cat would go missing and a gnome would take its place. or a teacup would disappear and i’d find a chalice in my kitchen. nothing big. nothing like this. i think…i think i brought us here. ❞  her from her own world. his from his. and they’ve found themselves somewhere in the middle. somewhere wrong.

meggie swallows, looking up at him. he’s…striking. to say the least. a quick assessment of him and she guesses he was probably the main character. the dark haired love interested. edge. danger. sharp tongue, sharp features. if you read enough books, you start to see the same faces on the pages. but his is memorable. she would have remembered him. but…but it is possible. at any given time she finds herself surrounded by stacks of unread novels. worlds just waiting to be explored, pages waiting to be turned. she’d always practiced alone. but she of all people knows that the worlds within the pages of books are far from being fiction. and she’s always felt that when she’s surrounded by books, she’s far from alone. the thought sinks in her stomach like a pit and her knees go weak enough for her to lower herself onto the small couch in the room.  ❝ i brought us here. ❞

rhys lowers himself onto the couch beside her, though he’s careful to leave about a foot of room. the last thing he wants to do is crowd her when she’s already panicking. this might be the strangest thing he’s ever encountered and, right now, that feels like a lot. still, he’s not a high lord for nothing. he’s not considered the most powerful fae throughout all of prythian because he buckles under pressure. he commanded a damn army, for cauldron’s sake.

his mind thinks back to his home and what he’d been doing moments before hands were grabbing at him, pulling him in and helping him to change. “i... i don’t think this is entirely your fault,” he says gently. there’s a moment when he wants to reach for her, to take her hand in his and offer some comfort. but he’s conscious enough of the situation to know he’s likely the last person in... whatever kingdom? court? this is she would find comfort in. instead, he tries to keep his voice as calm and smooth as possible. if he’s calm, hopefully her system will settle as well.

“my court is struggling. this may... i don’t know how much sense this will make to you. if i’m being honest, i’m still not entirely sure i follow the type of magic you’re talking about for your own powers, but we’ll get to that. but let me tell you about my world. maybe it’ll ring something familiar in your mind, maybe it won’t. it’s not just my court that’s struggling, but all the courts. we defeated king hybern. barely. it nearly cost me my life. but with him out of the way, those in the human realm, the five queens included, are searching for certain... relics. pieces that, when put together, could give the bearer untold power.

“i’ve fought for centuries to protect my people. i wasn’t about to let them down because i couldn’t get my hands on a fucking harp.” he sighs and shakes his head. “anyway. i went in search of clues on exactly what these relics are and where i might find them. i stepped through a portal. so while you might have had a hand in creating some of this. maybe you were reading about an arranged marriage? or... or something? however this works for you. that doesn’t necessarily mean you brought me here. it very easily could have been a combination of things we both did.

“that being said, my magic... i’m struggling to access it. i can feel it. it’s not gone. but the men who helped me dressed...” he’s hesitant to continue. will this scare her? it probably will. “well, they’re only still standing” alive “because i was too distracted over not being able to access my powers. oh, and for the record.” the corner of his mouth quirks up in an almost smile. “the priest mispronounced my name. rhysand.” this time, it sounded like reece-and. “my friends usually call me rhys.” his eyes soften as he meets hers. “i didn’t hate hearing you call me rhy, though.” his smile breaks out fully now.

“would you like to make a deal with me?” in her version of her human realm, rhys doesn’t know what she might have heard about the fae. there’s no keep this deal or die where he’s from. and though many of the humans in his world believe the fae can’t lie, he’s perfectly capable of it. it’s the only reason he’s still alive. he’s not lying or manipulating her now, though. “how about we fake it through the rest of the day. we can look at each other like the sun rises and sets in each other’s eyes. and when the crowds are gone, i’ll do everything in my power to help you get home. you’re the only one i know here. and i’m using know quite sparingly. we’ll be allies. maybe the portal brought me to this realm for a reason, but me finding the harp isn’t your responsibility. i’ll do what needs to be done. we’ll get you home, meggie. i promise.”

@ofthclight

[duckapus]

SMG4: Hm. Bit muggy out today.

SMG3: ...I swear if I open the front door and all our mugs are outside I'm going back to trying to kill you every other week.

SMG4: ... *slowly sips from his bowl*

---------

CPU: ...What the hell is wrong with you?

Cursor: Would you like that alphabetically or chronologically?

----------

Tulip: I don't have Daddy Issues, my father has Daughter Issues.

----------

Abyssal: You okay?

Buffer: *just saw Cursor without her jacket, found out her sweater is sleeveless as a result, and is now Going Through It* I think I have latency issues...

CPU: *under his breath* You've got some kind of issues, that's for sure.

----------

*after Swag falls off a roof*

Meggy: Think he has brain damage?

Chris: I think that every day.

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

Whimpu: Don't worry, My Queen, if the other Saiko comes after you again, she'll have to go through me first!

Saiko, deadpan: I'll treasure those extra three seconds.

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

Cursor: I do have feelings besides contempt. I just refrain from expressing them at the drop of a hat

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

Bob: I don't need gasoline to start a fire. All I need are these two swords and a lack of supevision.

-----------

SMG3: 4 and I don't have pet names, that's stupid.

Mario: *raises an eyebrow* How do you deal with a stain?

3, confused: Scrub?

SMG4, from the other room: Yeah hun?

3: ...

Mario: Don't ever lie to me again.

----------

CPU: You have illegal contacts?

Vitality: You don't?

[superluigiglitchy]

Im pretty sure Meggy has heterochromia

[mage-ical-character-person]

Let’s talk about this. Because there is so much.

“A problem has been detected and Mr Puzzles has been shut down to prevent damage to himself PUZZLEVISION.EXE Check to make sure any new show or movie is properly installed. If this is a new installation :It’s not: ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any updates you might need :I don’t need any: If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable MiPU (as in Mister PUzzles? could also say NPU) memory options such as Unused ???? (would make sense to say shows but the first letter looks more like a D. Dreams, maybe?) or Movies. If you need to use safe mode :I don’t: to remove or disable components, restart yourself, press :nuhuh: to select Advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode. :NO: TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The last line is just gibberish to me but it might mean something to someone.

But this man. This stubborn TV man. Is backtalking his own “Fatal Error” screen. No self preservation. It says you need to stop to prevent damage to yourself, Puzzles!

But also. I have Questions.

Who wrote this? Who are the software and hardware manufacturers in question? I always sort of assumed Puzzles cobbled his TV man body together himself. But it wouldn’t make sense for an error screen to say he needs to contact the manufacturer if HE is the manufacturer. Also Puzzlevision systems are getting updates that Puzzles is actively refusing. Claiming “I don’t need any”. Who’s making these updates to Mr Puzzles that he doesn’t want?

What is Safe Mode? Why is Puzzles so incredibly opposed to it? Insisting he doesn’t need it and replacing a word in the error message with nuh uh and then the capslock “NO”

He’s so?? I am wondering. To what degree is Puzzles in control? Like yeah, he resists doing any of the things the error message wants him to do, but someone is trying to make him do those things using the systems of his own body. So…

I mean, especially considering. Um… The Puppet Imagery. That just came out of nowhere.

Are the manufacturers of his body the ones that manufactured the demon keyboard as well? Did he fall for the same adware? MORE PARALLELS TO SMG4??? Is this some kind of eldritch Multi-Level Marketing? Someone recruited Puzzles and then Puzzles tried to recruit SMG4 but couldn’t (yet? Might still be trying to do that) and instead recruited Wren and Marty who tried to recruit Meggy and Mario?

Also, I mean, after the fatal error is when we get

So.

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[Spoilers below cut]

I'm absolutely terrified, it's not even funny. I can't even click it. But I have to... for the LOREEEEEEEEE... okay, let's-a go....

(The following is my live reaction:)

ay the TADC plug, of course

"Born to shit, Forced to wipe" - not smg3

wise words Three

also, the Ferris Wheel and rollercoaster thing is still there in the background (Ferris Wheel wedding, my beloved...)

I knew someone was going to bring up Meggy and her disappearance

LEGGY! MEGGY, WE'LL RESCUE YOU I PROMISE!!!

THANK YOU THREE for asking the right questions here

oh... not what I expected. at least the crew knows this is obviously Mr Puzzles

NAME DROP

OK, a LOT to digest here:

These are all the possible minigames that we might see in WOTFI. Well, at least all the attractions we could see...

a Mr Puzzles Chonk plush (in the bottom right)

a Tunnel of Love attraction... hmmmm.......

Huh, I didn't know this was by the coast of the Mushroom Kingdom. Or it could be an island/peninsula.

The what now, Leggy?

YEP I knew that once they found out, they would want to leave

...and of course, Mario wants to stay

Yeah, Luigi said it himself

but also, look at the Mr Puzzles cardboard cutout in the back, he's wearing Meggy's cowboy hat from Western Spaghetti

Alright, but before we go in, we gotta have a buddy system, guys

All these critiques are going to make Mr Puzzles lose himself even more than he already is

I think I saw someone posted about submitting a water gun game so congrats for getting in!

Leggy Plush!!

also spider-man plush... symbiote... venom... GOOP!4????

...Once Upon A Perfect SMG4?

[*points at Four and Mario*] The sillies

ok, but like, why is Three smiling like that while everyone else looks so disappointed?

They did the buddy system!

Bob: "Those dumbasses will see ANYTHING and get excited."

I feel seen and I don't like it.

I don't like this either. I already know this is a trap but like noooooo

Three just standing there like a dad watching over his kid

Someone else also submitted a mini-game involving a ducky fishing game

GOD DAYUM.... why did you have to pose like that, Three? You're not beating the allegations, huh.

Aw, Three really wanted to enjoy a carnival if Mr Puzzles wasn't involved (writers, write that down + carnival dates)

OK NOPE WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW

🫵 🏳️‍🌈⁉️

oh c'mon now, it's just plainly obvious. Not that it should be surprising, everyone's part of the skittle squad (tm)

STRONG WOMEN we love to see it

...that can't be a real thing... can it?

same Luigi same

YES PLEASE CAN WE?

sorry dude, they really locked in

also what the hell is that building in the back?

Luigi (or rather the SMG4 fandom): "See? I can handle this! I'm not afraid anymore! Do you hear me? I'm not afraid-" [*horror jumpscare*] [*scream*]

NOT EVEN MELONY'S GOD POWERS COULD HELP US, WE'RE FUCKED

NOOOOOO NOT KAREN AND SAIKO

THREE WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW

NOOOOOOOO THREEEEE I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO BE THE LAST ONE TO MAKE IT OUT

[*sobbing*] he sent one last text to warn them :( he really does care

AND HE SENT IT TO FOUR [*head in hands*]

the contact names they have for each other.... (I'm not well)

WE GOTTA GO [*runs*] GET OUT GET OUT

Leggy... why did your face change like that?

WHAT WAS THAT CRYPTIC CAPTION?!

Mario, please don't sacrifice yourself... oh, thank god! They really are having me panicking for the smallest things

wait... OMG THEY SAW MY SUBMISSION! THEY SAW IT!

the mini-game challenge that I submitted:

Pop & Whirl: Everyone gets a bag of popcorn. The winner must keep all of their popped kernels in their bag, without dropping a single one... while being chased around the carnival by a collapsed Ferris Wheel (Professor Layton style)!

I DON'T CARE IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN IN WOTFI, I'LL TAKE IT. But if it does happen, I'll draw lawyer Meggy with a redesigned Ace Attorney-esque outfit (somehow)

please don't tell me the green pipe is also a trap...

...the exit door from TADC?

oh god, why does this remind me of the dark web?

and the eyes on the mushrooms... [*IGBP flashbacks*]

heh heh, funny mirrors... AH SHIT PUZZLES, DON'T JUMPSCARE ME LIKE THAT

actually, now that I think of it, Mr Puzzles hasn't revealed himself this whole time...

THE DIDNEY ENGINE ROOM?!

...holy shit

so was I right about us getting to see Mr Puzzles' "truest form" and the whole "Eye of Ra" thing?

are those his arms? and the circle things, it could be part of his cyborg texture but they also look like eyes.

the fog part is really interesting because they could've gone with any "spooky" color but they chose this. It's the creative vision, the one Didney had in this room.

This really reminds me of the goo from IGBP and Wren's wire simulation in Western Spaghetti, but also from this angle, a bit of Zero's "no legs" body design.

"His obsession becoming his identity" - Puzzles connected himself to the single star Didney had. You got it right, past Ink.

HUH?! YOU CAN'T END IT THERE

AND THEY GRAY-ED OUT OUTRO, NO MUSIC! IT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN, GUYS

also congrats to Nikej1708241 for making it to the credits 🎉

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

That was a pretty solid episode ngl. Probably not as "plot twist-y"

(i know that's not a word) as the previous episode but my spaghetti gods, it delivered! Not Marty again, we may have to rethink this one.

Ok, I've made a list of all the attractions and mini-games there are in the carnival grounds in Puzzle Park:

Ferris Wheel

"Tender Tunnel" (Tunnel of Love attraction)

Merry-Go-Round carousel

Basketball arcade game

Hammer game

Bumper Cars

"House of Crazy" funhouse (also that fits Mr Puzzles somehow)

A spooky cart ride

Water gun game

Rocket ride

Arcade (just flat-out an arcade)

Clown Ball Game

(There's apparently a cafe???)

Ducky Pond fishing game

Pizza shop (....marty?)

It's probably not all of them, we would just have to wait and see, but if you submitted a mini-game that involves any of these, congrats, you likely got in!!!

I still very much enjoyed this episode and some of what I theorized could possibly come true. And some didn't, which is totally okay with me. I'll cherish the Ferris Wheel chase scene regardless :)

We still have to wait for a trailer or a special video in regards to WOTFI, which I will have to analyze and see what's to be expected. From the looks of it in this episode, it seems like it's up to SMG4 and Mario to rescue their friends one by one by completing the mini-games. The more people they rescue, the more help they can get to complete the games. And that includes saving Meggy at the end.

Now, personally, I don't want Mr Puzzles to die. Not yet. There is still a lot of potential that could go for him. A similar redemption arc just as Three went through. Puzzlevision 2. Goop!4. Marty. Anything could happen. Then again, he could die.

Now you might think he might not die because he has a plushie, but there's literally merch of Axol and Desti and they're dead. Puzzles isn't safe from this possibility.

Put in your final bets, my dear fellows, because nothing will ever be the same again...

[firerose18991]

Just Bimby Things

Prt 1 | Prt 2 | Prt3<you're here

Minors DNI

Pairing : Toxic(pathetic) Megumi x Bimbo!reader

Info: HVAC repairman megumi(itadori and nobara), interior decorator reader, used their surnames and first name interchangeably,  18+ characters. Written with black readers in mind

Wrd cnt: 1.5k

The trip had been a success in more than one way and you all returned to your jobs well rested. However, the open ended nature of your last encounter left Fushiguro wondering. Should he have taken you out first, Should he ask you out now. He had gotten your number, he just wasn't sure what to do with it.

He thought about this as he drove to his next appointment. Updating an old house that'd just been inherited by the former owner's children. It was farther out from the city than normal so he expected this to be a project he'd be working on for the next few days.

When he arrived he pulled his tool bag out from his truck and went in to greet the family. From what he could tell they were a middle aged successful couple. They were relentlessly happy when greeting him and showing him around the house while he did his assessment. After a short while there was a knock at the door.

"Oh you don't mind right, we made an appointment with our decorator. She's going to work around you to fix the place up as fast as possible for us." The wife headed toward the door to greet the decorator and bring her in.

"There's our star." The husband's voice boomed as he extended a welcoming arm to you.

As you stepped in you made eye contact with Megumi sending him a playful wink before taking the husband's hand.

"So what have we done so far?" You jumped excitedly. Your work outfit(if you could call it that) struggled to contain your movements.

Megumi made note of the husband still hanging onto your hand and staring down at you.

"We're going to have to gut the central wall and the basement to set up the systems. We should be able to get them back up in two weeks." Megumi's voice came out rasped. He was distracted by your closeness to the family. "I'll bring a team next time. What start day works best for you."

He pulled out his tablet to allow the couple to choose their time. Only the wife stepped up while you and the husband chatted quietly in the corner.

You were flipping your braids at everything he said, laughing at seemingly nothing. A feeling bubbled up in him when you took the husband's arm and went off to a different room.

"Well I'd like to start as soon as possible so this is a good time." The wife snapped him out of the daze.

She'd picked a date two days from now. "I'll get you the keys so you can let yourself in. We're still in the city while everything is getting settled.

“Honey!". She called her husband back to the room to fetch the keys.

"I can come back when the wall has been put up and start painting the house." You gushed while handing the key the husband had brought out to the wife who handed it to Megumi.

A week later Megumi still couldn't get the thought of you hanging off that guy's arm out of his head as he patched up the house. He was almost tempted to charge them more money and botched the job but it would reflect badly on his company so he held back. You stopped by the house just as he and his team were finishing up for the day.

"Hi Meggy." You hopped through the door in your usual tight get up.

You threw your arms around his neck.

"You haven't texted me." You pecked him on the lips.

He stood there frozen for a moment before stepping back slightly

"I'm working, maybe we can talk later." He attempted to grab his belongings but you beat him to it.

"I just wanna talk really fast." You held his work bag behind you. It almost tipped you over with how heavy it was.

“I can't make time right now" he reached for the bag but you stepped back again.

"Why noott~" You whined

"Cause you’re an ignorant fucking slut, now shut up and let me work” his words really struck you. While you froze he was able to grab his bag and leave you there.

The job was done after 2 more days and Megumi hadn't seen you at all in that time. He did reach out to let you know his work was done and he sent a half baked apology about his attitude after work. But he was left on read. Upon returning to his agency he was told that another event would be happening this weekend to celebrate the workers accomplishments. Though the reminder would be sent out again as hardly anyone was at the building when he arrived.

He went about the week leading up to it normally though he did put a considerable amount of energy into dodging Yuji as he knew he’d be reamed for what happened between the two of you. He was hoping the event would allow him the chance to pull you aside and straighten things out, and hopefully avoid his punishment.

As he got home from work on the day of the party he made sure to pick an outfit that wouldn’t draw too much attention to him. A plain suit and tie to a black and white event should allow him to fade into the background with the other workers. He got himself put together and arrived at the party. He was purposefully late as getting there early would also be cause for undue attention. He looked around for familiar faces and instantly spotted your body con baby pink dress surrounded by a chatty group.

“So much for black and white event.” He laughed to himself as he stepped further into the room to find a spot to wait out your conversation. He’d take all night if he needed to.

Just when he’d located a suitable corner he felt his shoulders buckle under the weight of someone's hand.

“Well if it isn’t Megumi.” Yuji talked through his forced grin and proceeded to drag him to the exact opposite area of where he wanted to go to sit with Nobara.

Yuji placed Megumi square between the two of them and there was a sinister pause. He could feel the anger flowing off the two getting ready to strangle him at any moment.

“Haven’t seen you this week.” Nobara hissed.

“Almost like you were avoiding us.” Yuji growled

Megumi sighed. “I'm sorry I insulted (Y/N). I’m here to apologize.” He really had no time to play their game.

“Why are you telling us that and not her?” Nobara raised her voice.

“I would be if you hadn’t dragged me over here!” Megumi shouted back earning a lot of attention from the partygoers including you.

Your eyes met for a brief moment before you very visibly turned away to pout. He could almost see a little steam cloud coming off your head. He’d be more amused if they weren’t directed at him.

After being released from the terror twins he made his way over to you, cutting into a conversation you had started to purposefully ignore him.

“(Y/N).” Megumi said a bit over you.

This prompted the person you were practically speaking gibberish to, to take the hint and leave

“(Y/N)!” he said a bit more urgently now that the person you’d been talking to had left and you were simply staring at a punch bowl. “I’m sorry for what I said to you. I was jealous.”

This urged you to peek back at him ever so slightly.

“I wasn’t happy because you were giving the client's husband so much attention.”

“I gave you more.” You turned back to the punch in a huff.”

“I know. I was being greedy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of plane tickets,

“I was hoping, if you’d forgive me, we could go on a trip. So I can make it up to you.”

He held out the tickets with the destination set to paris. He figured you could get all the shopping you wanted done there.

"What do you say?”

“I’ll say, you must think I have pretty low standards for such a half baked apology.” You turned back to the punch bowl to keep yourself from being tempted by megumi’s gesture.

“(Y/N) if you give me a second chance, I promise I’ll do right by you and if I don’t please have my friends beat me up without hesitation.”

You smirked a bit at this but still didn’t let up. “One trip won’t make it up to me. How many days has it been…I think 9 days equals at least 2 trips abroad and 10 local vacations.” You turned around to peck him on the lips.

“Let’s see how much you want me.”

He laughed at the nonsensical math you'd come up with. He slipped his hand around your waist.

“Is that all?”

[blackseafoam]

Marked Part III

A Bad Batch x Red Dead Redemption crossover AU (with illustrations)

PART 1 - PART 2

Word count: 2002

CW: Stuff you'd normally find in a western story. Swearing, smoking, gun touting, bullet wounds, horse jokes.

“Why do you keep looking over there? The job is as good as done, Arthur.” Javier gestured with his whiskey glass, elbows planted on the bar top.

“Yeah, have a drink. We earned it.” Lenny nodded with his beer.

“Slow down, Summers, remember the last time you came here to ‘wind down’” Javier jabbed, snickering.

“Shut up, Esquella.” Lenny muttered into his glass as he raised it.

Arthur barely noticed the two bickering. His mind elsewhere. There was a nagging feeling those three soldiers weren’t done fighting yet. The energy between those men was almost as if they could talk without speaking. Their expressions clearly showed they were not ready to give up yet. Like an animal in a snare, biting and scratching to its last breath, chewing off its leg to get away if it has to.

He sipped his whiskey but kept one eye dutifully on the front of the Sheriff's office, just in case, even as the sun went down and the warm light of lanterns and candles became the only way to see.

BOOM. Every glass on every table shuddered at once. Lenny choked on his drink.

Dutch’s boys knew the sound of dynamite all too well. Arthur got to his feet and ran outside, closely followed by his inebriated posse.

The side of the sheriff's station was blown wide open, a gaping hole in the wall revealed the inside of the holding cell, and prisoners nowhere to be seen. Arthur cursed, making eye contact with the deputy inside, on the other side of the bars, standing frozen in shock.

“Damn, these guys might be even crazier than us.” Lenny huffed. Javier sighed with frusdration.

“Goddamn. I can’t believe it.” Arthur couldn’t help but sound a little impressed.

Arthur’s attention went to the muddy ground, to the scrambling footprints, four, no, five sets of boots led toward the main road, then disappeared.

“They got on a wagon, come on.” Arthur growled, then turned to get his horse. This bounty was now officially giving them a run for their money.

“Do you think they heard that?” Wrecker laughed as soon as his brothers climbed aboard the wagon. With a flick of the reins they were off as quickly as Murray could pull the full load. Tech, being the designated driver, climbed to the front and took the reins. They headed south out of the town,the opposite direction of their old camp. It almost felt good to get into some action again, almost.

“Where’s Meggy?” Hunter huffed as he took a seat.

“In here!” His seat spoke. Echo huffed a laugh as Hunter stood in shock and opened the crate. The three siblings in the cargo area shared a reunion hug.

“How touching.” Crosshair caught up to the wagon on Havoc, rifle trained to the sky in one hand, reins in the other. The jet black steed’s nostrils flaring with excitement. “Celebrate later, we’re being followed.” He cast a glance over his shoulder.

Three horsemen coming up from behind caught the light of the train station on the edge of town. Barely visible at this distance, but closing fast.

“Did you bring our guns?” Echo began moving the supply crates to barricade the rear of the open wagon.

“In here!” Meggy handed him a saddlebag from the floor.

Echo moved one crate toward the front of the wagon. Hunter motioned Meggy to take cover behind it. “Do not move from this spot until we say so.” He said sternly. Meggy looked at him with eyes wide open, nodding and sitting frozen still. The intensity in his expression taking her aback.

Wrecker loaded his sawn-off shotgun, Echo spun his pistol, and Hunter turned the safety off of his revolver. Tech urged the horse to continue as fast as he dared into the night. He wasn’t familiar with this road but from his vague recollection of maps it was relatively straight.

The first shot rang out, splintering through the back of the driver’s seat. Missing Tech’s hip by inches. Being on the wagon meant their aim would be marginally better than their pursuers at full gallop. Hopefully.

Sure enough, it was their three escorts from earlier that came into view in the moonlight. One of them took another shot, but it went wide. Hunter and Echo returned fire, forcing the bounty hunters to spread out evasively. Meggy watched in horror over the crate, covering her ears and not daring to move a muscle as she crouched in the corner. Her limbs shook with adrenaline.

“We are not going to outrun them, we need a plan!” Tech called over his shoulder.

“No way we’re surrendering!” Wrecker bit out as he rolled into the back to take cover.

“I have an idea.” Tech gritted his teeth and veered the wagon onto the train tracks.

“TE-ECH, what are you do-oing!?” Echo yelled, the seriousness in his tone cut by his jostling voice. The wagon wheels bumped violently as they rolled over the railroad ties.

“Blackwater!” Is all he said in response.

Echo didn’t have time to ask more questions, as more shots rang out. A shot went straight through Hunter’s side, and into the crate protecting Meggy.

Hunter staggered, Echo noticed. “Hunter’s hit!” He announced. Hunter was still firing after he stumbled to his knees, Wrecker stowed his shotgun went to his brother’s aid. His close-range weapon wasn’t much help in the firefight anyway.

“We still need more distance!” Crosshair spat, his expression steeling as he thought. He knew that as soon as their enemies caught up with the wagon, it was all over. And they were getting uncomfortably close by the second.

The massive railroad bridge that was Bard’s Crossing stretched high over the yawning mouth of the Dakota River before it spanned out into Flat Iron Lake. Tech was leading them straight for it, an absolute madman, but probably one of the only people who could pull it off. Crosshair couldn’t help but smirk at his brother, the lunacy of the situation.

In that moment, Crosshair realized what he needed to do. He slowed Havoc to a canter. The stallion grunted, wanting to stay with his herd.

“Crosshair, what are you doing?!” Wrecker called out, crouched over Hunter, trying to staunch the hole in his side.

“Buying time.” Crosshair said, releasing the reins to cock his rifle. Using his seat to further slow his horse.

“This isn’t part of the plan!” Tech started to slow Murray.

“Too bad, it is now. GO! I’ll meet you in Blackwater.”

Tech nodded reluctantly, and urged Marauder back up to speed.

“This is not good, we shouldn’t split up!” Echo lowered his pistol, watching Crosshair and Havoc disappear into the darkness. “Running off to be the hero never works Crosshair!” He futilely called after his brother.

After the bridge, Tech steered the wagon back onto the road uncomfortably close to an oncoming train, thankfully still going slow as it left the nearby station. He cast an apologetic wave at the conductor who was visibly angry. They pulled the wagon over as soon as possible, Tech held up the driver’s lantern to check on Hunter. “How bad?” He was almost afraid to ask.

“A little worse than a graze, but I don’t think it hit anything important.” Wrecker reported.

“I’d… beg to differ, Wrecker. Feels pretty important.” Hunter huffed a small laugh which became a groan.

Echo rummaged through the kitchen crate for a whiskey bottle. Handing it to Hunter, who took a long swig before returning it. His face scrunching in anticipation before Echo splashed the stinging liquid onto the wound.

Tech finished by cleaning and staunching the wound with fabric from their triage kit, leftover from the war. They hadn’t had much use of it since then. After the train went by they were left in hanging silence. The tension began to abate, though worry about Crosshair still hung in the air. Wrecker looked out toward the bridge as if he could see his brother through the darkness if he tried hard enough.

Echo turned toward Meggy, still cowering in the corner of the wagon. Still doing exactly as Hunter instructed, staying put. Her face was lined with horror and her eyes were wet, as she hugged her still shaking legs.

“Hey, hey Meggy. We’re okay.” Echo went to her side. She glanced at him, then looked back toward Hunter and Tech. “Here, uh, come sit up here.” He took her elbow. The poor girl looked shell-shocked as if she were the one who’d been through a war. She took his offer to get up off the floor and sit on a crate with him, still shivering.

Crosshair halted Havoc, still on the bridge. He could already hear the hoofbeats of his pursuers pounding on the wooden struts. He deftly uncaulked his rifle and stowed it in the saddle as he slid off. Walking several paces toward the enemy, he raised his hands toward the stars above.

The gang got on their way again. “The closer we are to Blackwater, the safer we’ll be.” Tech assured, steering Murray to ford a shallow creek, letting the loyal beast take a long drink of water before continuing on.

“Why’s that?” Hunter croaked, taking another swig of whisky while trying to get comfortable against a sideways barrel close to Meggy’s seat.

“A few weeks ago the Van der Linde gang were here, and… left quite the mess.” Tech snapped the reins and Murray continued at a walk. “The gang robbed the Blackwater ferry. $150,000, according to the paper.” He added.

Wrecker whistled in amazement. “That’s a lot of cash…”

“It was a bloody affair, the Pinkertons got involved.”

“We should probably stay far enough away from the town if there are feds about, not to mention in case Meg–, I mean our wanted posters have made it out here.” Echo pointed out, casting a glance at Meggy beside him, still as a statue with Echo’s jacket draped over her shoulders. Hunter looking at her with concern, despite being the only one bleeding.

“Meggy, are you okay?” Hunter put the bottle to the side and reached out to her, wincing as the motion tugged painfully.

“She’s not hurt...” Echo pondered. “I think she’s scared, but she hasn’t said anything.”

“I’m okay.” Meggy nodded, and a tear ran down her face. She wiped it quickly, hoping no one saw.

Her brothers continued to console her as the wagon continued into the dark.

Arthur, Javier and Lenny rode up on the lone dark-clad outlaw with guns drawn.

“You’re coming with us.” Lenny spat, leveling his pistol.

“I would like to come to an arrangement.” Crosshair called out. “I have… a proposition.”

Lenny and Javier looked at Arthur, who raised his chin in interest. “Let’s talk somewhere we aren’t about to get crushed by a train.” He responded after a beat of consideration. Crosshair spun around and saw the light of an engine appearing on the other end of the bridge, when he turned back around Dutch’s boys were trotting back to solid ground. Crosshair mounted up and followed.

“You sure this is a good idea, Morgan?” Javier chided.

“Let’s hear him out. It’s our only option now.” Arthur cast a glance over his shoulder in the direction of Blackwater.

Between two prairie hills just outside Blackwater, the Bad Batch gang had settled in for the night, huddled against the wagon with a small campfire. Coyotes yapped nearby, and the crickets added to the chorus with their own nighttime song. Meggy laid on her bedroll between Hunter and Wrecker. Tech took the first watch after he untacked Marauder and brushed him. All five of them were silent with worry since the wagon wheels stopped. Every little sound had Tech looking up from what he was doing, hoping it was Crosshair catching up with them. Wrecker took the next watch, then Echo. Meggy and Hunter were allowed to sleep off the ordeal. The night slid by with no sign of their absent brother.

Taglist: @dragonrider9905 @omegafett99 @griffedeloup @happydragon @fionas-frenzy @dizzy-9906

Author's note:

"It didn't hit nothin' important!!" That scene from the Ballad of Buster Scruggs kept playing in my head while I wrote this. I might add some more illustrations to this later, cuz I still have some ideas, but for now I just wanted to get this OUT THERE. I've completed a rough outline of the whole story at this point, and I'm so excited for the stuff at the climax. I have no idea how many chapters this will be but I'm trying to keep each one around 1.5 - 3k words.

I am so grateful for the positive feedback on the first two chapters thank y’all so much! I am certainly not the most experienced writer, and have been kind of hard on myself with this chapter, but had to keep remembering that this is all just for fun and doesn’t have to be perfect.

[shygirl4991]

Just a Dream

A fic inspired by a gmod animation @therabbitdemon did in the discord server we are in! Summary: It was finally the moment he has been waiting for, as he watches the sunset his dream finally comes true. He finally gets to confess his feelings for his ex rival after all this time.  Tags: Love confessions, first kiss, two idiots in love, character death, angst with happy ending, fluff

SMG4 sighs walking back from a shopping trip, thanks to Mario experimenting making different kinds of spaghetti they ran out of food at the castle. He smiles seeing his home, as he enters his home something feels off. The castle was too silent, he looked around and saw no one was home. He was getting worried, hoping that Mario hadn't gone next door and set something on fire so he dashed out to see SMG3. 

He runs into the cafe and lets out a sigh of relief seeing nothing was broken yet, looking around he was glad to see the snails have not damaged the cafe. He hears a ding from an elevator letting him know Three was approaching, he walks out from the back room and screams seeing four. “WHAT THE HELL!? SMG4, why are you here? The cafe is still closed!”  SMG4 lets out a sheepish smile as he waves “Uh the sunset looks nice..thought you needed air?” Four wanted to facepalm at how terrible that was. 

Three looked him up and down before relaxing, he rolled his eyes as he walked out the cafe “Whatever, I was going to take a walk anyways.” Four smiles as he follows three, the pair stop in front of the castle and look at the sunset together. It was relaxing, whatever troubles he was having felt as they were being washed away. Three takes a deep breath as he turns to the other man “Um..four?” turning he notices Three's face “Yeah?” 

Three blushes the moment their eyes made contact, he had to do it. Three had been planning to confess to the other man for days, so watching the sunset was the perfect time. He looks down nervously “I um…” Four looks at him concerned “Are you okay?” in panic Three yells “YEAH!” realizing he yelled at his ex rival he looks down “I’m..sorry.” 

What was wrong with him, he just had to say those magic words and face the music. Four smiles softly at Three, he lifts up his hand “It’s okay!” Three nods turning to Four “I just…” slowly he grabs Four’s hand causing the man's eyes to widen in surprise “I wanna tell you something..” Four looked at their hands intertwined, he felt his heart race “Wha-what is it?” his eyes slowly move looking into Three’s crimson red eyes.  “SMG4 I-” without thinking they both slowly lean forward, Four knew exactly what Three wanted to say. And Three picked up on it as their lips connected. 

Suddenly Four hears static, he pulls away to see Three has been frozen. He takes a step back. Confused, he runs to look for help. He runs out the showgrounds only to appear back at the grounds, he gasps seeing Three with another person. They kissed Three and the both of them giggled “I'm so glad you picked me over that idiot four, cause darling we were made for each other.” Four growled and was ready to approach them when he heard static again, then the showgrounds went dark. 

“Four wake up! We can't lose you too!”  He heard Meggy's voice from a distance. 

That's when his memory returned to him, they were trapped in the TV world. Mario escaped and helped them get out of their brainwash. The crew were on their way to leave the castle, when the strange flesh tentacles approached them just like at peach's castle. They did their best to dodge and fight out the appendages only for Four to trip and hit his head. Disorientated he was unable to defend himself, that's when three jumped in front of him.  

Four wakes up staring at the blue sky, slowly sitting up he sees the crew crying. Was that whole thing a dream?

Getting up the crew didn't hear him approach until he saw the reason for everyone's tears. There on the floor was SMG3 devoid of any life “I…what? This has to be a joke…” hearing four the crew run giving him a group hug. SMG3 was gone, after all they went through after learning his feelings through a dream, he lost any chance to tell the man his feelings. Mario looks down shaking “Mario failed to save you all…im sorry.” 

Meggy shakes her head “This isn't your fault, it's that TV bastard fault!”

They hear laughter causing them to turn around “We can have this now can we?” the man of the hour arrives. They watch as Mr Puzzles smirks at them flashing a TV remote “We cant get those five star ratings with a favorite character dead, that just won't do!” 

Seeing the remote, Four charges at the adware determine to get the remote to save Three. Mr Puzzles chuckles as he hits pause on them “You all really are idiots, hahaha don't worry i will fix this and then we will go back to making the perfect endless entertainment,”

Mr Puzzles hits rewind bringing the guardian to life, he quickly starts to tend to the wounds. Seeing this Four felt a strange energy flow through him, his eyes glow yellow as he starts breaking free. The moment he was able to move again he charged at Mr Puzzle, hearing movement he turned “HOW ARE YOU-” Four using the strange energy punches the screen smashing the TV. Mr puzzle falls to the ground as Four frees the others “WE NEED TO RUN NOW!” 

Mario picks up the now living SMG3 and runs with the crew, as they run Four remembers one of Three’s old hideouts and leads everyone there.  Now safe everyone decided to rest and plan in the morning. Four sits next to the unconscious SMG3, gently he runs his fingers through Three’s hair “I hope you wake up soon three, we have a lot to talk about.” He lets out a shaky laugh “I need to tell you..I'm sorry im such an idiot and that i love you.”  

He breaks down crying not hearing someone moving next to him, he jumps when hands gently wipe his tears “You are an idiot, what dumbass confesses to a man near death?” Fours eyes go wide turning and seeing Three give him a weak smile, without a second thought Four makes his dream come true as he pulls Three in for a kiss. Mario, who was walking over to check on them, sees the kiss and smiles “About time,” he turns to let the others know the pair was okay. They don't know what the battle with the Adware will bring, but one thing was for sure, Four wont let Three go again.

gmod art by rabbitdemon

[crackheadcola]

Random ass headcanons (This is just how I see 3 and 4!!)

SMG3 headcanons💜 Still see him as a tall mf- (5'9) I personally see him Non-binary (He/him/They/Them/It) just gay- He has bad eye sight, so he does have glasses but he mostly uses eye contacts lol. Has a whole lot of scars from igbp cause dude turned into a whole as monster thing- (and some burn marks from bombs and that shit- ) I see him having short hair, but I honestly see him with long hair-

SMG4 headcanons💙 just 5'7- idk I see him short- (short king lol) he has scars all over his right side of his body from igbp, and that right is blind. Trans boi (He/Him/She/Her, mf can't decide) Bisexual and acesexual gurl- I see 4 with long hair lol he slays it tbh. bros an workaholic, 3 or meggy get him to actually get rest.

[moonmeg]

My co-workers had a random meggy-appreciation minute or two and kept saying how I am one of the best employees and that I'm so good at everything I'm an all-rounder in the restaurant basically, my co-workers have 100% trust in me etc. etc.

I was flattered and very much flustered because I have a self-image and self-esteem that is ruled by my overthinking mind and I just love to talk myself down and beat myself up over the smallest of things and I constantly think I'm horrible and not good enough and so on and so forth (I'm working on it). But throughout that time they said one praise after the other I just sat there chuckling and looking away and avoiding eye contact all "nah haha thanks but you guys are exaggerating"

WHAT DO YOU DO IN THAT TYPE OF SITUATION

(Cries in needs-affirmation-but-barely-can-take-more-than-one-compliment-at-a-time)

[gachawolfiebloom]

Two Hearts In The City of Love

Chapter 5: HotelTrapped

Tags: Love, Love Confession, Romance

Four was mad, but he was scared too. Why did Three have to be so difficult all the time? The two had their differences and settled them out. This minor squabble between them was not as bad as all those years ago. Three trying to take over his channel and trying to...kill him.

Four opened his eyes to find that he was reliving that same intense scene from that night.

"THREE! HELP!"

He looked down, expecting Three to be just as panicked induced as the first time...but he wasn't. If anything, he looked happy to watch this. It was happening again. His fingers slipping off, one by one. "THREE! PLEASE DO SOMETHING!" He didn't move. "ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET ME DIE LIKE THIS!?" The moments they shared. The times they had saved each other in the past. Was it all a lie?

The only finger remaining was his index finger. "Three..." There was nothing left for him to do. He didn't shut his eyes this time, but widely opened them with terror as he fell. A loud "BANG!" was heard and his body smashed onto the platform. His hand covered his chest as his vision was blurry. The only thing he could make out was hearing Three laughing at him and slowly bringing his hand up to his face to see a wide range of blood covering him.

"You...why...?" He tried to extend his hand out to Three for help, but the purple man just brushed it away. "I'm not helping you. I hate you!" The moment Four heard those words, his body went cold. "W-What did you j-just say?" It was just like the nightmare before they left. Three didn't answer as he walked away. Four was alone as his mind swarmed with thoughts that he couldn't even tell were true or not.

"Quit wasting your time with him!"

"He's just getting close to you so he can kill you!"

"The only thing you are to him is his enemy!"

"He hates you and he always will!"

"Stop living in a fantasy and WAKE UP!"

Four shot up in a cold sweat. His heart was beating like crazy and his breathing seemed to be increasing every second. The morning sun was peeking through the window and Four looked over to see Three on the other side of the bed. He quickly got out of bed and started getting ready. "I can't deal with him now." With the speed he was going at, it only took him a few minutes to get ready. The last thing he did was put on his cap before looking at Three again. His eyes started to open as Four unlocked the door and ran out before Three could spot him.

Three rubbed his eyes and stretched, but it didn't take long to notice that Four was gone. He didn't care though as he was still mad with his ex rival. Four stepped out of the elevator to find his friends in the lobby, waving goodbye to Luigi as he went off to his job. Meggy turned around and perked up when she saw him. "Four! How did it go with Three?" When she said that, Mario adverted eye contact and whistled.

"Please don't mention him. I don't want anything to do with that guy right now." Tari looked concerned as she asked "Oh no! What happened?" Bob leaned over to her and said "I BET THOSE TWO WERE MAKING OUT SOMEWHERE!" Four rolled his eyes and said "No Bob! Three was just being a jerk like always!"

"I WAS NOT!" They all noticed Three coming out of the elevator with a really agitated look. He stuck a finger in Four's face and yelled back "THIS IDIOT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO CLIMB RIGHT WHEN THE FERRIS WHEEL BROKE!" Meggy piped up with a hint of confusion "Wait. The Ferris wheel broke? How did that happen?"

"Oh look at the time! Mario's gotta skedaddle!" The fat Italian rushed off as the two went right back to blaming each other like last night. "No idea, but whatever caused it must have been HIS FAULT!"

"MY FAULT!? HOW THE HECK IS THAT MY FAULT!"

"WELL WE WERE THE ONLY ONES ON THERE AND IT SURE WASN'T ME THAT BROKE IT!"

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I DID IT!"

"OH YEAH SURE! THE RIDE JUST HAPPENED TO BREAK DOWN AND THE CULPRIT JUST MAGICALLY DISAPPEARED!"

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M LYING!?"

"MAYBE I AM!"

(like the toy story reference I put in there 😏)

That was the last straw. Four lunged towards Three and the two started rolling on the floor, smacking each other back and forth. "Stop it guys!" Boopkins called out.

"ARE YOU KIDDING! THIS IS FUNNY AS HELL!" Bob was sitting in a chair with 3D glasses on and eating popcorn.

Meggy separated both of them and said "Okay, that's enough! Fighting isn't going to solve anything!" Four sighed and Three crossed his arms angrily. "Let's just have a nice breakfast together with no shouting or fighting." Meggy and the rest of their friends went to join Mario, who was sitting at a table in the breakfast buffet. This time, Four sat on the furthest side of the table that was away from Three.

Mario noticed that Four was facing away from his plate. "Is Smg4 going to eat that?" He shook his head as Mario happily took the contents of his best friend's plate and dumped it onto his. He was about to take a bite when he noticed how sad Four looked and how angry Three was. It made a terrible guilt rise up in him. "This is all Mario's fault..." Meggy was happily tucking into some eggs when she noticed Mario's remorse.

~After breakfast~

As the crew was walking through the lobby, Meggy pulled Mario aside and asked him "Are you okay Mario?" He shook his head and nervously played with his fingers. "Meggy...Mario has to tell you something." She raised an eyebrow and said "What did you do Mario?" He peeked over Meggy's shoulder to make sure the boys weren't listening and blurted out "Mario was the one who broke the Ferris wheel!"

"What!?"

Mario took in a breath and said "Last night, Mario snuck away from the group and wanted to join the gays. He accidentally broke the ride and ran off. Now Smg4 and Smg3 blame each other for it!" Meggy sighed and gave Mario a side hug. "It's okay Mario. It was just an accident. But you better go apologize and tell them that it was you who did it before they refuse to speak to each other for the rest of the trip."

Mario flinched and freaked out. "No! Please don't make Mario do that! Smg4 and Smg3 will hate Mario forever if he tells them!"

"I understand Red, but this is only going to get worse if someone doesn't stand in soon." Mario started sweating nervously until he got a brilliant idea. He placed a finger on her mouth and said "Hold that thought Meggy! Mario thought of a better idea!" Meggy looked upon him in annoyance. "Mario..what are you WHOA!" Mario dragged her behind a pillar and pointed to Three and Four. "We need to get the gay boys into their room for Mario's genius plan!"

"And what do you want me to do?" Meggy asked with curiosity. "You get Smg3 to go up to the room while Mario tackles Smg4!" Meggy was unsure about this, but tried to look at this in a helpful kind of way. "Okay...but this better help them."

"Oh..Mario knows it surely will" He said with a smug grin.

Three was still refusing to make eye contact with Four when Meggy approached him. "Hey Smg3!" He scoffed and faced away from her. Meggy thought to herself "Okay, now what would be a good excuse to get Three up to his room without raising suspicion?" She knew it had to be something simple and out of the ordinary. "I know!" She lightly tapped his shoulders and said "Sorry to bug you Three, but could you do something for me?" He raised an eyebrow and asked "Like what?"

"I left something in your room last night. Could you go up there and grab it for me please?" Three wasn't buying it as he looked confused. "Left what? And why the heck would you leave it in my room!?" Meggy scrambled her thoughts in a panic, trying to convince him that he had to go up there. "Oh my Splatshot! I didn't want Mario to get it since he was right next door to me so I left it there for safekeeping."

"And why can't you just grab it yourself?"

"Because I promised Mario I would spend the day with him!" She waved to Mario, who was talking with Smg4 and he quickly rushed over to her for some reason.

As Mario walked over to Smg4, he tried thinking of what he would say. He wasn't like Meggy, who could come up with clever excuses at the drop of a hat. His tactics were more...strange. Four noticed Mario coming up to him and tried to act as cheerful as usual. "Hey Mario! Do you need something?" Being as stupid as he was, the fat Italian blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "There's some interesting memios upstairs!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Uhhh what Mario means is..."

He started to sweat and shake like crazy while Four knew something was going on. "Are you hiding something Mario?" In a frenzy, Mario swiped Four's phone from him and threw it on the ground, stomping on it until it was destroyed for good. "WHAT THE HELL MARIO! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?" Mario shrugged and said "Oops. Now Smg4 has to go upstairs to watch the memios!" Four looked upset with him. Suddenly Mario pointed to the ground and yelled "Smg4's shoelaces are untied!"

"Huh?" Four bent down and Mario took the opportunity to snatch something out of his pocket. "Wait a minute. I don't have shoelaces." Mario then noticed Meggy was waving at him. "Looks like Meggy wants to see Mario. Goodbye!" He quickly rushed off to see Meggy and Smg3 as Four sighed. "Good thing I left my backup phone in my room." He went to the elevator to retrieve the phone.

"Hello Smg3!" Three let his guard down and said "Fine." They had did it. Both boys were going to their room. "We did it!" Meggy cheered as Mario jumped for joy. "YIPPEE!" The first part of the plan worked, but Meggy didn't know what the second part was. "So what do we do now Mario?" He dangled something in front of her that he had just acquired. "Mario...is that...their room key!?" He nodded and grabbed her arm, steering them towards the elevator as well. "LETS-A GO!"

Four made it to the room first. He went to his suitcase and started digging for his spare phone. "Laptop...headphones..." Just then, he heard the door creak open and spun around to find the person that he wanted to run into the least. Three quickly noticed him as well and they both said in unison "Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Four was the first to question him as he asked "Let me guess...Mario put you up to this too."

"Ehhhh...Kinda..." Four just ignored him and went back to looking for his phone. Three retorted back "Look. It doesn't matter. I didn't come up here to chat with you. I'm just looking for something for-" The moment he stepped into the room, Four turned around and noticed someone behind him. "Mario?"

"No. It's for Meggy."

"NO! MARIO!"

Three instantly spun around to see the mustached man with the room key in his hands. "MARIO I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He closed the door and waved back "SO LONG GAY BOI!" He shut the door with a slam and locked it. Three ran up and pulled on the lock, but the door wouldn't budge. He pounded on the door and yelled "OPEN THE DOOR IDIOT!!!"

Mario giggled while Meggy looked disapprovingly at him. "Why would you do that Mario!?" He reassured her "Relax Meggy. They got trapped in an igloo several years ago and when Mario came to rescue them, they were making out with each other!" She blinked in confusion. "Did that really happen...?"

"Oh yeah!" Mario began twirling the key around his finger while telling her "All we have to do is give them a couple hours and they'll be boyfriends in no time!" Four started freaking out as he ran to the door and yelled "LET US OUT MARIO! I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN!"

"Sorry guys, but its for your own good!" Meggy called out from the other side. "Just tell Mario when you start smooching and then he'll let you out!" That encouraged Mario to do something he would regret in just a moment. "Oooo Mario wants to get a picture of that! Let him grab Luigi's camera!" He accidentally flicked his wrist and the key went flying out of his hand and right into a nearby mail slot. "Uh oh..."

"DID YOU JUST SAY UH OH!" Four yelled in a panic. Mario and Meggy shared a stiffened glance with each other before they ran over to the slot and looked down. Meggy turned back to the door and said "We may have a tiny problem...Mario dropped the key into a mail slot..."

"HE WHAT!?" Three yelled. "Don't worry. We'll be right back with the key!" Meggy called out as she and Mario raced back downstairs. "Great!" Three said in annoyance as he slumped down into a corner of their room. Four started pacing the room in circles. "No...no...no...I can't do this again!"

"Pipe down with your stupid whining!" Another thing settled into his mind as he asked "Did you set me up..."

"WHAT!? NO! MARIO WAS THE ONE TO DO THIS!" Three smacked himself. "Of course it was him...I'm going to throw a chair at him once we're out!"

~Meanwhile in the lobby~

Bob, Boopkins, and Tari were all relaxing in the lounge. "It doesn't seem like we have anything to do today." Boopkins nodded and asked the two of them "Maybe we could find something here to do. Any suggestions."

"LET'S GO TO THE ROOF AND TOSS YOU DOWN!"

A panicked Meggy and Mario came rushing up to them. "Guys! We need your help." Bob grabbed Boopkins and said "NOPE. I'M BUSY!" Tari looked concerned. "Oh no! With what?" Meggy gave a stern look at Mario while he sadly looked down at the floor. "Mario locked Three and Four in their hotel room, but now we've lost the key and it's somewhere in the mailroom!"

Bob immediately stopped and dropped Boopkins on the floor. "NEVER MIND. I'M NOT BUSY." Tari and Boopkins were glad to help. "Of course Meggy!" She looked around the lobby and pointed to a directory map. "That might help." Meggy gave her a thumbs up. "Good eye Tari!"

They rushed off to the sign as she scoured the map. "It looks like the mailroom is down below the lobby. The crew ran to the elevator and went down in a hurry to the lower level. While they were sitting in the elevator in silence, Tari piped up "Excuse me for asking, but why are Three and Four locked in their room in the first place?" Meggy looked in Mario's direction and said "That's a good question."

"Uhhh...well Mario..."

He was thankfully spared that question as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to find a long narrow hallway with some doors at the end. They rushed down the hallway and were about to go inside when a man stopped them. "Sorry, but only employees are allowed in here!" Bob questioned in an interrogating way "AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

"I'm one of the mail clerks sir." Tari pushed past Bob and told the guy "I'm sorry, but this is an emergency! My friend lost one of our room keys in there and we really need to get it back!" Unfortunately, the man was not that considerate as he told them "Then you can take that up with the front desk. Have a good day."

They all groaned and were forced to go back the way they came. "What do we do now?" Boopkins asked. Bob then noticed a guy pushing a mail cart down the hall and the mail clerk letting him through. "I HAVE AN IDEA!"

~Back at the room~

Four was trying to stick a paperclip through the key slot and Three looked at him, unimpressed. "What are you even trying to do?" Four looked at him in irritation and said "I'm trying to pick the lock."

"You're such an idiot. That stuff only works in movies." Four grunted and took a stance in front of him. "Well what do you suggest we do! Climb out the window!?"

"It's better than what you're doing!"

"WE'RE FOUR STORIES UP HERE! IT'S FURTHER DOWN THAN THE FERRIS WHEEL WAS!"

"Oh shut up! It's not my fault that you slipped!"

"Well maybe I should have just called someone instead of-"

Four then stopped and stared at his suitcase. "That's it!" He started digging through and told Three "Quick! Help me look for my phone!" Three was a bit lost, but he went to help anyway. "Why? Even if we call one of our friends, how are they going to help us without the room key?"

Four finally found his phone and started to dial someone's number. "I'm not calling our friends. I'm calling the front desk so they can come up here with a spare key!" The phone began to ring as someone picked up. "Front desk speaking. How can I help you?"

"Uh yes hi. Me and...my friend got locked into our room by our retarded neighbor and we need a spare key to get out."

"Okay, uh what is your room number?" Before Four could give the number, Bob ran the person at the front desk over with a huge cart and disconnected the phone. A long beeping sound ran on the other side as Four called out "Hello? Hello!?" Nothing. Three snatched the phone from him and tried dialing the number again, but nobody would pick up. "What a jerk!"

Bob was wearing some kind of white cloak over him with a mailman's hat on and had a pile of envelopes in the cart he was pushing. "This doesn't seem like a good idea Bob." Meggy said from under the pile of letters. "What if we get arrested?" Boopkins said worryingly. "I'm getting paper cuts in here..." Tari said while sticking her finger in her mouth. "Mario thinks that this is nice and cozy!"

"SHUT UP! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!" Bob rolled the cart to the entrance of the mailroom, but got stopped by the clerk again. "SUP BRO! I NEED TO GO IN THERE TO DROP OFF THESE LETTERS." The mail clerk looked suspiciously at Bob's outfit and said "Why aren't you wearing the hotel's official uniform?" Bob scratched his head and said "BECAUSE...I JUST GOT HERE?" The mail clerk extended his eyeballs closely at Bob until he said "Oh wait! You're the new guy!"

"UHHH YEAH!" The mail clerk politely opened the door and said "Sorry about that! Have a good first day!" Bob pushed past and cheered "HELL YEAH! I KNEW THIS WOULD WORK!"

"Hush Bob! Find somewhere that nobody can spot us so we can get out!" Bob found a back door that didn't seem to have anybody in there so he dumped them out and went back to his normal clothes. "Alright! Now we just need to find the room where the mail slots lead." The crew peeked out from the door to see many guys grabbing mail from the center and sorting them into drawers.

"How are we going to find the room with all those guys?" Tari asked. "Found it!" Mario pointed down a hallway where a door labeled with the words "Mail slots" was at the end of it. "Well that was easy..." They all snuck past the mail clerks and into the room. "Alright guys! Let's split up! The key has to be in here somewhere."

Meggy started looking through the different mail slots, Tari looked through stacks of letters with Mario, except he was kind of flinging the letters around the room, Boopkins tried jumping up to shelves, but he was too short, and Bob was digging through the trashcan. So far they weren't having any luck until...

"I FOUND IT! I WIN!" They all turned in shock and Meggy grabbed the key out of Bob's hands. "HEY!" Sure enough, the key said 403. "Why would the key be in a trashcan of all places?"

~Flashback~

A guy came in earlier to see what letters came in through the mail slots. He saw something come through the one to the fourth floor and upon closer inspection, he noticed it was "A key? Why would someone want to mail a key?" He looked at it and tossed it over his back into the trashcan. "Oh well, time for my lunch break."

"Whatever. Let's just get Three and Four out before any more disasters happen." Tari tapped her on the shoulder. "Uh Meggy? I think another disaster has just happened." She pointed and they were surrounded by hotel security that certainly didn't look happy they were here.

Four tired calling the front desk multiple times while Three was writing in his notebook. "Give it up dude. They're not gonna answer." Four sighed and collapsed onto the bed next to Three. With nothing left to do except sit back and wait to get rescued, Four decided to at least clear things up between them. "I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

Three said nothing and continued writing. "And I take full responsibility for us getting stuck. Both the Ferris wheel and now." He heard the book shut and Three actually said something to him that wasn't an insult. "It wasn't your fault. I just said that because I was mad." He turned the other way and faced towards Four. "Can you tell me?"

"About what?" Three softly grabbed his hands and said "About why you've been avoiding me." Four felt an uneasiness. He didn't want to tell Three, but he looked concerned like he wanted to know. "I..." Tears started to appear in his eyes as Three noticed. "Hey...what's wrong?" The waterworks broke loose as Four collapsed into his arms. "Oh Three, it was terrible! I was having this nightmare t-that you couldn't catch me in time a-and I was bleeding out...a-and you w-w-wanted me to! Please don't be mad!"

Three didn't look mad at all. He actually looked worried. "It's okay Four. I'm not mad." He wiped the tears off his cheeks as Four sniffed and said "You aren't?" He pulled Four in closer and stared at him sadly. "If I actually did that, I would hate myself forever!" Four listened closely as he couldn't believe it. Was Three actually...crying?

"I was so scared for you! If I didn't catch you in time, then it would have been my fault and I couldn't bear to lose you!" He smashed his hand on the table by the bed as he screamed "I WISH I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT STUPID IDEA!" Four placed his hand on his cheeks. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm fine and I forgive you." They rested their foreheads on top of each other. "I'm not going anywhere." Three wrapped his arms around Four and they both fell onto the floor, laughing.

"Mario told you this would work!" They both turned to see everyone standing in the doorway. Meggy had the key in her hand. "And what took you guys so long..." Three asked. "We ran into some trouble with the security downstairs, but Bob took care of it." They looked at Bob who was acting innocent while hiding a bazooka behind his back. "Well this will be quite the story to tell Luigi." Tari said.

It was around dinner time so they all went back down to the lobby. By the time they made it downstairs, Luigi was back from work and Mario ran up to give his brother a hug. Bob noticed the front desk and the woman there with bruises on her face. "I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" Mario walked up to the boys and told them "Mario has something to tell you..."

"You want to finally apologize for locking us in the room and losing the key!?" Three glared at him while Mario said "That's not all." Four and Three shared a confused glance before Mario confessed in front of all his friends "MARIO WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE THE FERRIS WHEEL!" He started bawling and pleading "MARIO'S SO SORRY! PLEASE DON'T HATE HIM!" Four went over to comfort Mario while Three stood there in shock. "It's okay Mario. I don't hate you. I'm sure it was an accident."

"I don't forgive him..." Three mumbled. "Oh come on Three. I think he really means it." Meggy told him. He looked at her with a patient expression, waiting for something. Meggy knew what it was and said "And I'm sorry too." Three rolled his eyes playfully and said to her "I'm just messing with you squid."

"Oh that's a good one Three!" They laughed and made their way to the restaurant for dinner. Mario was glad that he was forgiven, but still felt that things were still rocky between him and Three.

Four was getting ready when he noticed that Three was lying in bed, expecting something from him. He grabbed his pillow and said "I know. I'll sleep on the floor." Three shook his head and said "No. I would like it if we slept together...if you know what I mean." Four was surprised. He slowly climbed in and let Three pull him in closer. "Here. This way you won't have any nightmares." Four softly smiled and nuzzled into his chest. "I like this." The two slowly fell asleep together, cuddling each other all night.

Chapter 6: A Somewhat Romantic Boat Trip

[duckapus]

Everyone: *just chillin'*

Bob: ... Yo, you ever notice how SMG3 and SMG4's eyeballs are actually divots in their faces with their pupils floating a little ways in front of them?

Everyone: ...

Meggy: ...Yes? We had to deal with a whole "what is this affront to medical science" thing and save them from Area 51 the first time 3 tried to renew his contact prescription after the castle sunk, remember?

Bob: ...

Bob: In my defense... *holds up a glowing oil drum labeled "Nuclear Ketamine"* I'm really fucking high right now.

[cordsycords]

ok uh, hella spoilers (I guess) for good omens s02e06

So like, yes I am going Insane about that final episode, but Mostly about the few minutes between when we see the Metatron in the coffee shop to when Maggie and Nina come in to talk to Crowley. Because the Metatron comes in, and nobody recognizes him on sight, not even the Archangels who, implied by the meetings we see between, actually keep in contact with him. Aziraphale doesn't recognize him either, even though he talked to him directly only a few years ago.

The only one who recognizes him on site, is Crowley.

"Last time you were a big floating head, man."

Invoking the imagery we saw of the Metatron whenever we've seen him before. But, of course, we know Crowley wasn't there with Aziraphale.

And then, AND THEN, AZIRAPHALE LEAVES WITH THE METATRON.

And Crowley is like, noticeably grumpy about it. He's very short with Muriel and gets them out as soon as possible, he wants the two of them alone. He mentions taking Aziraphale to his favorite restaurant after they're done and getting drunk and as soon as Muriel leaves he's cleaning up the bookshop and putting the chair in just the right place to have Some Sort of Conversation (not the love confession, however, he is only convinced to do that after Meggie and Nina talk to him)

So like, he totally thought that Aziraphale was about to Fall right? Then and There? Aziraphale, who just spent the last 6 episodes doing what his side would consider the Wrong Thing because he believes in his big angelic heart that it was Right, was, in Crowley's mind, twenty seconds away from Falling. You cannot convince me otherwise. He was the only one to recognize the Metatron on sight because he was there when Crowley Fell.

And he was setting up, cleaning up the bookshop, making sure the other angel had left, so that he could be there for him? And he was being so grumpy about it because he knew this was going to be just The Worst thing, especially for Aziraphale, for whom Being An Angel is such an integral part of his identity.

Which, I mean, makes the conversation afterwards all the more devastating, because for Crowley it goes from "I'm sorry that this has been done to you but I love you and I will be here with you every step of the way, and we'll go to the Ritz and get drunk together and everything will be the same as it ever was and we'll be together" to... Not That.

[sunsetbeachsystem]

Small Break / Hiatus from Tumblr

Hey everyone! It's been a couple days since we've last posted. We apologize. Due to some recent events (being posted on r/systemscringe for just existing as a fictive) as well as denial we've decided to take a small break from Tumblr, if you know us from discord feel free to contact us there. But for now we'll head out Thanks for everyone who's followed us, if you want our discord feel free to DM us on here to ask for it Thanks! - Meggy / Jennifer

[strawberry-sticky-autism]

Glasses Buds

Niles: Axol? Where are you? Come oooon! Axol: I'm coming… (walks in, wearing a thick pair of glasses that fit awkwardly on his face) (Everyone gasps) Axol: Yeah, okay, everyone just stare at me. Meggy: Axol? You wear glasses?! Axol: No, I wear contacts, which I am out of. So I have to put these on, and now I look like Whimpu! Desti: (starts laughing so hard she falls out of her chair) Niles: Melony, did you know this? Melony: Yeah. Fred: Why do you need glasses anyway? Axol: I-I have bad eyesight! I can't help it! If I don't have some sort of eye equipment… thingy, I can't see a goddamn thing! SMG1+2: (burst in) S-Sorry we're late! Spudnick: (bursts in and goes flying down the hallway) Wheeeeee! SMG2: You see there was this really big- (notices Axol) Oh heeeeeeey, you wear glasses too! Axol: Eh? You too? SMG2: Hehehe, nooo, (gestures at his scarred eye) it's not like any eye glasses could fix the damage on this baby. But One does! SMG1: (fiddling with a pair of square-framed glasses in his hands) …I am near-sighted. I can go without help normally, but I need glasses to read or drive. SMG3: I thought you just wore those to look smart! Meggy: See Axol, you're not alone! Axol: Ehehe, thanks guys…