#(oh odd this post got blocked)

[the-nysh]

if you had to pick a general aesthetic for Garou if he had kept going down the route of evolution his spiral form had begun (or i suppose in the same vain, for his true strength whenever he reaches some kind of self actualisation), what would you wanna go for?

The whole white-black/yin-yang balanced duality theme was honestly quite inspired (though criminally short-lived) from a design standpoint--right down to his clothes, and reflected his strengths in martial arts as well. Of course, anything also referencing his wolf theme is also fun, so a big yes to him keeping his sharper teef too~

But really, what matters most (to me) is that he's still genuinely Himself--embracing his own strengths, his own agency, his own choices--representing the authentic Him. (Not masking, armoring, or repressing his real self while trying too hard to perform and/or become someone he's not, and definitely not when it ceases being him entirely so you probably already understand which 'form' I did not approve of conceptually, once it stopped being Him; complete faceless destruction of the self.) So any growth that can naturally and faithfully encompass that, I'm game for. :'3

But this I feel is where his post-arc comes into play, towards the more honest route he chooses next. Where he figures out how best to come into his own, almost starting over again more (self)constructively this time from a reverted state. So whether he chooses to still closely take after Bang (like a son/successor)--from his xeroxed clothes to his (short?) hairstyle, or expresses more individuality cause lol manga Garou's 'wolf ear' hair appears be to a permanent identifying feature :P even down to distinguishing/perfecting his own fighting style the next time we see him, remains to be seen. But I DO like that his post-arc self kept the facial scar~ So I'm glad Murata kept that visual change!

[sugarcult]

.

[hkthatgffan]

Hey, Kiki-Kit. Your customers are waiting!

Well, this is a painful post to make given the respect and admiration I had for her, but a long overdue one because I'm not alone in this mess and I refuse to let another fan fall for it when I could've said something!

Back in February, I bought a commission from Kiki-Kit. You may know that artist as she was one of the best in the Gravity Falls fandom back in the day and the illustrator of Don't Dimension It in Lost Legends.

She'd been running emergency commissions at the start of the year and I got one from her for $40 USD.

I have the invoice and everything saved and also messages with Kiki of us talking about the comm and me paying her. I owe nothing on my end money wise! I paid in full.

She said later she'd have them finished by around the end of March but come late April, still no response. So, I messaged her about it. Nothing odd I thought. I get things can happen and if Kiki is busy, at most she'd reply telling me it'll be a while longer and all's good.

But I got nothing. I messaged her, emailed her on the commissions email she had and tweeted at her. NOTHING! Turns out there were other people, including some friends of mine who had not heard back either. Then in June, Kiki made an update post explaining the situation.

Naturally I felt bad and wished her the best. She said iirc, she'd have the remaining comms done by the end of the Summer but here we are at the end of October and still nothing. I messaged her too again and no response.

You know, it's one thing if there's a reason for no response for a few days but then another when it's been months and still nothing. Oh and btw, I very much remember Kiki on Twitter liking tweets (back when Twitter let you see liked tweets) while I was there messaging her for an update. Real sus if you ask me.

But okay, I shouldn't rush it. Everyone has reasons to take time and maybe Kiki is just very busy and can't get back. She went through a very rough and difficult experience and I can understand and respect that. I'm more than happy to wait. But how long is too long without an update? Maybe a bit longer I guess. Art takes time.

Well, IDK about you all, but I don't remember any other Gravity Falls fan artist taking oh, idk...FIVE YEARS TO FINISH A COMMISION AND STILL NOT RESPOND!!

FoxieSkullzArtz on Twitter made me aware she has been waiting since 2019 for Kiki to respond to a commission they paid her for.

2019!!

I'm not an artist, so forgive me if I'm wrong. But I don't think it should take any artist 5 years to make a commission and even if, at least communicate with the person who paid you about it so they're not left guessing.

Oh, and it gets worse. I got another person who let me know they've been waiting since 2020 for a comm and Kiki handled it far worse!

Oh yeah, she blocked them for asking about it!

And okay, even if we give Kiki-Kit the benefit of the doubt and assume she has reasons to not communicate with people and maybe even assume people messaging her are being mean about it, then why not refund them? Nice or bad, you were paid by them to do something but also have the power to deny it and refund their money. And yet, Kiki did not even do that. And even if we be super kind and assume everyone is lying, I'm still here.

I paid Kiki-Kit $40USD for a comm I thought I would get in late March and it's now late October and still nothing. And even if you don't wanna believe me cause you can't believe an artist like Kiki-Kit would do this and assume I'm after clout (which would be odd, given why would I take pleasure in calling out an artist I respected)...well, there's gonna be someone else who says this too. And people have been saying this for years and she still is getting away with it!

It's disappointing honestly. Kiki-Kit is a name so many in this fandom know and love. And I love her art too. She's a fan artist who got to be on Lost Legends. We all celebrated that in 2018 and still remember it. And I know how hard it may be to hear this, but it has to be said.

I do not like having to do this, but I have a platform that can get this message across further than others could and having been someone who lost money to her too, I know first hand what all these people have been through.

And before you say "Kiki was going through a rough time in her life. Why are you blaming her? Be patient and she'll get your stupid art done," read over everything again. I'm not saying Kiki-Kit needs to be making art 24/7 and fulfilling these comms. I'm not saying she isn't allowed to be offline and not finish things on time for reasons out of her control. What I'm saying is that she hasn't communicated properly with anyone here who paid her and has continued to accept more and more commissions from people despite not finishing ones she has backlogs of.

When an artist opens commissions, why do you think they have slots or only accept a few? Because they know they can get that many done in a certain time or know anymore will take longer. And even if it took longer, at least they give updates. I bought a commission for the interview with Alex Hirsch and got it both on time and with proper communication from the artist.

And even if you disagree with all this, be honest with yourself...is making someone wait since 2019 or 2020 for a comm and not responding to them really something still worth defending?

I'm not here to cancel anyone. I don't want Kiki-Kit's reputation to be that of an scammer who stole money from people. But she's painted herself that way to far too many people who have been warning about this for ages but no one either saw or listened to them.

I tried to be nice and messaged Kiki-Kit over and over for an update and she never responded. I had friends who she took money from who similarly have not heard anything back! If you know Kiki directly, tell her to reach out to these people and all the ones she has taken money from and not gotten back to and either refund them or commit to finishing their commissions. Please don't be rude or hostile either though, given despite it all, she is still a person like your or me who deserves a chance to make things right.

I wanna believe Kiki-Kit has just made some negligent mistakes and isn't the best with time management or communication. I mean, I'm not the best either. But I'm not asking people for money for something and then not getting back to them with it. I'm sorry to everyone who is learning about this who saw Kiki in a positive light and I'm sorry also to everyone like me who lost money to her.

I hope if nothing else, Kiki will respond and make whole everyone she has taken money from. If she really cares about this fandom that put her on a pedestal high enough that Alex Hirsch himself picked her to work on his book, she can respond to us and fulfill what we paid her to do.

I'm not asking for my commission to be done tomorrow...I just want an update. That's all. We all do! No more stalling, @kiki-kit. Please respond to us now!

Sincerely,

Every person who has paid you for a commission and has yet to hear back from you and every Gravity Falls fan who your work inspired and are now having to learn this about you!

[itsthecline]

the greatest chapter four

it girl!reader x drew starkey smau

summary what are the odds?

previous chapter

DREW STARKEY SENT YOU A MESSAGE

block delete accept

sorry about everyone ‘spawning’ in your comments

ahhhhhhahaha no it’s fine! ahaha

but it is because we’re all fans of you. if that helps!

ahh that’s so insane! thank you so much<3 me and

my friends LOVE outer banks:)

that means a lot. we love knowing people love

it as much as we do!

i swear me and kaylor talked about it all

the time if we could😭

maddie was the same way with love island😂

she got a bunch of us to watch it with her

good thing she did

hahaha! i luvvv her

how’s it being home now? you were there awhile

i missed my bed!

but i’m really surprised at how much support i have rn

yeah it definitely seemed like you felt alone in there

despite having leah, ree, and jana? yeah. i did lol

well you’re home now… what are you planning to do?

i have to be in nyc in two days to film😖

so that first, and then focus on my content

the reunion?

yeah we’re filming on the 14th soooo excited

jana has reciepts we been saving JUST for this

hmmmm the 14th in nyc

who are you ladies coming for?

haha yes i’ll be there for the whole week

jana got me and i got leah

so i’m coming for ethan’s funk ass

jana is going to call out andrea

pretty sure liv said she’s got my back on that too

yeah… that ethan guy sucks

i’ll be watching to see how you go about that one

oh! well let it be known i’m usually much more

graceful than i’m going to seem during the reunion

i’m sure you’ll handle yourself just fine

clocking ethan will actually possess my body…

u should be worried just a little bit

haha if somebody has to it should be you

maddie always loved when you got into it with him

he did my girl SO wrong how could i not😭

so did you watch it all back?

nay and i did whenever we got back!

we stayed at my house for the weekend and

binged it all, writing down the important

shit to bring up at the reunion

how was that process?

i can’t even watch myself act, so i can’t

imagine watching me go through what you did.

uhhhh ahaha yeah… it was rough

that’s why it took the whole weekend tbh

i bet it was difficult reliving everything

that on top of seeing my best friend’s from

a different pov definitely sucked ass

at least you’re home now! you can move on

that’s the plan. the show didn’t work for me, but it

turns out friendship island is much much better

yeah you seem to have found a good group

the best haha!

now it’s on to bigger n better

that’s the only way to go about it i think

read Sunday

yourusername posted a photo!

liked by korde1ll , madelyncline , drewstarkey and others

yourusername back in nyc with my best friend<3

tagged yourbestfriend

view all comments

username ahhhhh im so excited for the reunion!

↳ username PLEASEEEEE I NEED IT NOW

username so glad y/b/f was in charge of ur ig when you were in the villa she kept us feddddd

username my favorite og villa girlie

yourbestfriend and ur never leaving me again

↳ yourusername maybe if u came to boston more u wouldn’t hate it as much

username hate knowing that u n leah live on opposite sides of the country

drewstarkey hmmm

username city girl winninggg

username i can’t remember a time i wasn’t thinking about you 24/7 if i’m being honest

madelyncline 😍 prettiest girl ever

↳ yourusername actually crazy coming from u

username okay when did obx get here?

username i just knowwwwww u and jana are coming to the reunion with AMMO

↳ yourusername baby, we’re coming in correct i promiseee

username ok so r u like going to post a yt video now that ur home? been missing ur vlogs like crazy

↳ yourusername LMAO u clocked me🙂‍↕️ yes videos are coming soon i swear

username just a girl wishing to meet y/n

leahkateb c u tmrw bb

↳ yourusername crying from excitement tbh

oliviaa_walker okay so we’re getting dinner tn

↳ yourusername yes pls n thx

hmmmm the 14th in nyc

↳ this is actually so sus after ur lil comment

hello again

haha! that was my way of saying i’m

also going to be in new york i get there

tomorrow actually!

oh! ahahaha what are the odds lol

seems like i would have some free time too

haha i will too since i’m making a whole

weekend out of it with my best friend

let me know what you’re up to?

yeah for sure ha!

ISLAND GIRLS🥥🌴

kaylor baby🍰

okay but what r u guys wearing?

liv🖤

real question is:

is y/n bringing a date

y/n🪩

idt it’s that kind of event babe

oh nvm gtg

naynay🤍

LMAO pls tell me y’all kept talking w eo

kaylor🍰

ohhhhhh so you guys have been talking

leah boo🐴

and she left him on read!

naynay🤍

y/n no u didn’t

ree💓

be so fr bitch

liv🖤

WHAT

y/n🪩

😶😶😶😶 hehe no…

leah boo🐴

lyin ass

kaylor🍰

wait what! noooo why would u do that??

y/n🪩

anyways i’m wear a black floor length

dress and evening gloves gtg!

an my giggly girl just geeked drew dms her

taglist @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @willowpains @percysley @rrosiitas @nellyboosworld @ethanthequeefqueen

[quitealotofsodapop]

because this ask brought the Jttw Stone Egged Au (+the Post au) to the front of my brain;

I suggest an... interesting encounter the Pilgrims can have on their Journey while in the Country of Jisai. Macaque was in the middle of baby-carrying duty (a task he accepted wholeheartedly) when he encountered a stranger with odd words to say;

Stranger: "Nüwa blesses you." Macaque, surprised: "Oh! Thanks..." Stranger: "Do they have a name yet?" Macaque, focuses on the baby in his arms: "Yeah, we've been considering Xiaotian. Our Little Heaven." Stranger: "Beautiful." Macaque, cheeky smile: "I credit my mate though. I probably would have called them"Macaque's Kid" or something. I'm terrible for names." Stranger, chuckling: "He certainly has far to go to fit his title! It will take him a long time to be recognised with the renown such a name begets." Macaque, amused: "Oh, let me guess, you're some kind of fortune-teller?" Stranger: "In a way. I can sense when certain actions affect the future." Macaque, interested: "Huh. I have a similar ability, though it's not very reliable. I need the wind to pass by my ears and block out everything else to get something tangible." Stranger: "I know. Your title is Six Eared Macaque for a reason." Macaque, suspicious: "So you know who I am..." Stranger: "I do not wish any harm. I only wish to see the little one who's altered so much of the future. Even I was taken aback by what was changed..." Macaque, cautious: "You can look at them. But if he makes a single chirp, you're history." Stranger, carefully peers past the sling: "I understand. He's too precious. Your lives are enriched tenfold by his presence. Which is why I was surprised to see him born so early this time." Macaque: "This time? Do you mean-" Wukong:, some distance away "Moon! Master found a place for us to stay for the night! Time to regroup!" Stranger: "That's my cue to leave. I don't need the sight of the chaos to tell me that Mama isn't keen on well-wishers at the moment. Take care of that child, Liu'er Mihou. And take care of Sun Wukong. They're the only reason you breath at this moment." Macaque: "Wait! What do you mean-!" Stranger: (*transforms into a green bird and flies away*) Wukong, catches up: "Who was that Mihou?" Macaque, holds out baby for Wukong: "I dunno. Some demon with fortune-telling abilities wanting to see the cub. Says he has far to go in the future." Wukong, taking the baby into his arms: "Hopefully not a future as as eventful as our pasts. How's my little apricot doing?" Xiaotian: (*lazily yawns, having slept through the whole encounter. Reaches out chubby little hands to his parent.*) Macaque, smiling fondly: "Nah. Nothing big. Xiaotian is going to have a childhood we never got. A normal one." Wukong, sly smile as he cuddles the baby: "Oh, is it Xiaotian now?" Macaque: (*blushes as he realises*) Wukong: "Did you finally come around to my naming suggestion? Or did the fortune-teller say you would?" Macaque, still sheepish: "Whatever, sunshine."

A certain green bird would appear from time to time after this encounter. Mostly watching from afar to make sure that the little family stayed safe and out of harm's way. Macaque and Wukong were always suspicious of the creature, but it soon left without much explanation.

Xiangliu is happy that Xiaotian managed to find another way to be born before his time. Hopefully he'll have more time to prepare for what is to come...

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: HBO show

King: guys, did you hear that there's a new harry potter series on HBO? Barker: steve i could not care less because i am not a child Barker: i'm an adult and when i want to watch a show about child wizards going to school Barker: i watch a show about child wizards going to school that's for adults King: King: King: ok uh well anyway

King: guys i'm really conflicted about this new harry potter series King: i heard that JK Rowling was using the money to buy a giant meat grinder to turn trans people into sausage Barker: i don't think she's doing that, steve King: oh, no? so you're saying it's actually 100% okay to support this new harry potter series? Barker: i didn't say- King: Phew! let me tell you, THAT is a relief!

King: this was a real dilemma! one the one hand, JK Rowling uses her money to fund transphobia King: but on the other, i still have this super cool Gryffindor scarf King: i mean, it's got the right colors and everything King: it would be such a waste not to wear it…

Barker: steve, i think you should really think about what kind of message that sends King: oh right right yeah King: you're right of course King: well, i off to maine Barker: steve Barker: the scarf is still around your neck

King: huh? what? oh King: isn't that odd King: [fingering scarf] yet… after all… why not King: why shouldn't I keep it?!

Barker: i think you should leave the scarf behind King: bah! what business is it of yours what i do with my own things?! Barker: there's no need to get angry King: YOU WANT IT FOR YOURSELF!! Barker: STEPHEN H. KING Barker: DO NOT TAKE ME FOR SOME CONJURER OF CHEAP TRICKS

JK Rowling: hello children Rowling: it'ssss me jk rowling Rowling: writer of the beloved manifesssto Harry Potter and the final ssolution

Barker: oh you're back? don't you have some tweeting to do? Rowling: no, twitter's not really fun anymore Rowling: there jusst aren't a lot of trans people to yell at there anymore Barker: aw that's a real shame Rowling: i mean Rowling: i tried yelling at sspooniess and fat people Rowling: but it'ss jusst not the sssame

Rowling: i'm proud to sssay that i'm going to be intimately involved in the new harry potter ssseriesss Rowling: HBO thinksss I've got a lot to contribute Rowling: now that fassscisssm is cool again, assssociation with the Rowling name is a pluss!

Rowling: ha ha ha! you thought it was all over for ol' JK Rowling! Rowling: little did you know that all i had to do was wait for the complete collapse of the liberal democratic consensus and the return of violent populism and then my particularly british brand of stochastic terrorism would be back in vogue!

Rowling: joke'ssss on you! ha ha ha! Poe: yeah i guess it is Poe: Poe: boy it feels bad Rowling: ha ha ha!!! lick it up, bitch!! LICK! IT! UP!

Rowling: i hope you're posting this on bluesky! i really want to see what the no-avi accounts with names like "politically homeless twitter refugee" and "Sebastian gorka daddy complex" have to say! Rowling: and don't even think of blocking them without engaging! Poe: why not? Rowling: cuz Rowling: Rowling: cuz it's not fair, okay?!?!?

Rowling: you can bet that i'll be keeping a close eye on things over at HBO Rowling: especially on these child actorss Rowling: in case they do a gender nonconformity Rowling: we're building campsss right now to deal with the problem Poe: King: Lovecraft: Koontz: Barker: Barker: jesus christ this is getting dark

[anamelessfool]

A Naming

Rated Teen, Papa Emeritus II’s Son and Family

Tags: Halloween Hijinks, Eldest Kid Anxiety, Suburban Dad Secondo, Disabled Secondo, Post-Retirement Life, Magic Rituals, My AU

CW: Underage Drinking

Dedicated to @kissingghouls thanks for cheering me on you’re my little Hell Pumpkin🎃 I’m on AO3 with all my other fics but Tumblr gets mad at me when I post links

Part One (of 5)

Oct 31, 2017

The Leider residence was the only one on the cheery suburban block that was bare of decoration. The house year round was neat, sensible; a single floor ranch with the occasional hearse out front. Neighbors thought the lack of decoration, especially during Halloween, was a choice made out of propriety. One would hope the family responsible for interring your loved ones would have a sober outlook on the macabre. Their entire modus seemed to be one of complete disregard for any happenings outside their own home. Unavailable, discreet, out of the way. A little fortress meant only for its occupants.

And in a way, it was. Its unassuming nature was by design. The patriarch of the house, known to his neighbors as Michael Leider, was a severe man in appearance and temper. His entire family was full of noise and cheer and life but he himself preferred to stay out of the way. The only completely peculiar thing about him was each morning just after sunrise he’d step out onto his back concrete patio and scowl at the sky. A journal would come out, he’d scrawl a few lines, and then return to his kitchen to make that morning’s coffee.

What his neighbors didn’t know was that the man had journaled daily about the weather for fifteen thousand one hundred and seventy-eight days so far, give or take a few due to illness or inconvenience. It wasn’t that neighbors didn’t know, it was more what they have not seen. Or were allowed to see. Mr. Leider’s life was carefully constructed, like the life of any true magician. He had been once the hub of arcane power as Papa Emeritus II, known as Secondo; master magician and the spiritual leader of the Satanic Church of the Void. The Void itself was closer to a true hell than any suburbanite could ever comprehend, but it had been a large part of most of his previous life. For over forty years Secondo had balanced this world and beyond this world. Spirits called to him, demons obeyed his commands. Now all that was left was the old practicum of documenting the weather, but this ordinariness was his choice.

Because a seasoned magician knows of the dangers of attracting attention.

“Yesterday…” Eden Leider’s eyes got wide. The half-nibbled pizza was abandoned on her plate as the eight year old regaled a tale slowly and with great reverence. “Yesterday…there was a kid…at my school…at recess…”

She was surrounded by her family, as always, in the kitchen strewn with handmade Halloween art projects. She had hurried home with her younger brother Sam from the bus and immediately wanted to try on her costume, only to be met with the torture of having to eat before she went out tonight. Pizza AND the green beans. If she was going to be doused in sugar later that night then at least some half-attempt at healthy food was a requirement. Her father Secondo had insisted on it.

“Oh I saw this!” hissed her younger brother Sam. “I saw this!”

“No you didn't you were in gym,” snapped Eden.

“No I saw, I saw the ambulance!”

“He fell…and his arm? His arm was like this!” Eden held out her arm crooked, a primal little grin stretching across her face. “There was his bone sticking out.”

“Bone sticking out?” Their mother Sandra lowered her pizza slice, her eyes wide in amused interest. There was nothing more she enjoyed than encouraging her younger children’s odd sense of wonder. It was like watching kittens attempt to navigate themselves out of a paper bag.

“His bone! Was sticking! Out!” shouted Sam.

The eldest brother Paul let out a too aggressive sigh, subtly glancing down at his phone on his lap. There was another message. He disguised his gasp as a cough.

Dana: u coming

Paul L: trying

Paul nervously cycled through his apps, arriving at Dana’s photo again. A perfect face, a winning smile adorned a photo of her in a theatrical costume. Below, her favorite quote that Paul recently decided was evidence of her profound understanding of reality: Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world! Let your soul take you where you long to be!

I will, Paul always thought.

His father didn’t even have to make a noise for Paul to know he was watching him. Paul looked up and met the Eye embedded in his father Secondo’s skull, white and shark-like. It was usually concealed behind a colored lens but still burned through all the same. Paul was not normally afraid of it, but in this circumstance he swore it could read his mind. It was something that existed beyond his father, an interloper perched on the man’s broad shoulder. The human eye beside it had its normal expression of cool assessment. While his father’s left eye expressed an understanding of the beyond, the rest of the body was that of an intelligent stoic. Someone not interested in seeing their son look at their phone at the dinner table. Paul smiled thinly back.

“We can't even have a jack-o'-lantern?” Eden’s whines came into focus once more. “Not even one?”

“I'm not encouraging anything or anyone to enter this house,” Secondo reminded her stiffly, releasing Paul from his gaze. “Our home is our domain and I keep it well tended.”

Secondo, known in the past as Papa Emeritus II and leader of the Satanic Church of the Void, had always been a serious man. Serious, but never humorless. His wife Sandra has gifted him a bright orange shirt that said “This is My Halloween Costume” and he wore it now as he cut his pizza slice with the grace of some sort of aristocrat. His younger children had dumped tribute drawings around him: scrawled images of him as a skeleton man surrounded by assortments of demons and pools of blood. Eden idolized him, and his youngest idolized his sister and so the two of them had become his most loyal cultists whether he liked it or not.

Paul took the chance to answer Dana back.

Paul L: my dad is

Dana: yeah

ill ask

Dana:🙂

“If you’ll excuse me,” Secondo muttered with a regal bow of his head. He unhooked his forearm crutch from the back of his chair and maneuvered himself to his feet, politely grabbing empty dishes to deliver them delicately to the sink as he left the kitchen.

Paul turned quickly to his mother. “There’s a party tonight and…”

Sandra smiled wryly. “I’m always happy when you want to be social. But your dad will have to drive you.”

Right. Secondo had retired to his study for an hour before taking the younger kids out. In Paul’s experience of suburban fathers, there was a seasonal quality to all of their domestic obsessions. Some dads fretted over lawns, or snowfall, or their collection of vehicles in various states of disrepair. Secondo’s special interest at this time of year was obscure arcane protections. Paul had never once experienced any sort of supernatural event in their home, but as he grew up he suddenly became responsible for helping his father with his weird chores. Burying recycled jars filled with nails and rat bones. Standing on ladders to hand specifically colored yarns around the outside perimeter of the house while Secondo commented on ideal placement. Collecting perfectly good specimens of mullein or rue from the side of the road with the shovel Secondo always kept in the backseat of the truck. In his mind’s eye Paul wondered what strangers thought of the impromptu highway gardening, or the digging, or all the rock arrangement. Maybe they assumed the teen was enduring some old time tough love father-son punishment.

Honestly that would be far less embarrassing.

Paul found Secondo in his office. The room was dimly lit, with scarves draped across the computer and all of his work things. There were more books and journals than wall space, and so some were stacked neatly in piles besides the shelves that went right to the ceiling. Said ceiling was stained with areas of candle soot, the walls doubly so. Secondo stood in the far corner of the room, the doors to an old TV hutch open to reveal the magical seat of his home: his altar place.

“Dad, can I go out tonight?”

Paul saw the familiar diagrams and charts taped on the inside walls, along with some twig and twine poppets right out of a horror film. Deeper into the hutch lay even more oddities: deer jawbones, rocks of Significance. Some desiccated bundles of herbs. A mason jar of old buttons.

Secondo was whispering something into a waterclear crystal skull. He lowered it and stared into Paul, the white Infernal Eye settling in to regard the teen like an old crow. “Hm?”

“Yeah uh…a party. It’s everyone from theater club. Tonight.”

“Parents will be there?”

Shit. Paul wrung his hands. “Uh…I think so?”

Secondo let out a puff of air through his nose, a wordless sign of him mulling over facts. He didn’t speak much, but his elegant movements and subtle expressions spoke more than any words could. He gently replaced the skull on his altar and closed the doors, tying a red ribbon across the knobs. Paul waited with bated breath.

“All your homework done?”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain?”

“I—” The two little ones bounded into the office. Sam launched himself at his brother’s knees and squeezed.

“Put our facepaint on, Paul!” said his sister.

“Yes, please,” Sam added. Paul looked up to meet his father’s eyes once again.

Secondo was smiling.

“What did Daddy’s face look like? I want it to look like that,” Eden insisted. In the bathroom Paul applied the white makeup to the entirety of her face while she frowned and got into character.

“I dunno, some kinda…skull or something.” Paul was deeply indifferent to their father’s past life. He didn't remember the pageantry, or the tours he was dragged on as a young child. He barely understood nor cared that his father was someone who wandered the space between two worlds, who channeled dark powers through his body, who captivated thousands with twisted tales of death and demons.

All Paul really remembered was seeing his father decline. He saw his father have days of extreme pain he chose to conceal, watched his mother help her husband as good as any nurse or wife could. As the Void wracked his body Secondo couldn't do much anymore. Couldn't play with Paul or carry him or do anything more than preserve himself for when he was on stage. So Paul was indifferent to Papa Emeritus II. In some way his earliest thoughts were of happiness now that his father could be around.

And they could finally all be somewhat normal.

Paul darked the hollows of her eyes with black face paint and added long lines across her mouth to simulate snagged teeth. He recalled the exaggerated lines across the jaw. Satisfied, he turned his sister around to show her in the mirror. She nearly jumped out of her skin the moment she saw the face that was no longer hers. But then she laughed wickedly.

“Oh I want to be a skull now!” crowed Sam, tugging at Paul’s clothes. “Make me a skull face!”

“No you're not allowed,” Eden said. “Pumpkin Skull? I'm the skull. Paul tell him I'm the skull!”

“Wouldn't make sense on you, Sammy,” Paul explained. “I'll give you a jack-o'-lantern face.”

“Yeah okay but make it scary,” Sam muttered.

Eden had worked for days on her costume. It was of course an homage to the towering glory of her father’s previous life, in miniature form. She had fashioned a cereal box into a decent miter. Secondo had coaxed her out of applying true upsidedown crucifixes to her outfit, and so wrathful skull heads scowled down the pillowcase chasuble and bats adorned the miter. “I'm a…Hell Priest.”

“She made it herself.” Sandra shrugged. “Turn around, honey, you're the cutest little hell priest I've ever seen since your father.”

Sam extended his little arms and wiggled his fingers, grinning. “And I'm a…Hell. Pumpkin.”

“My adorable little freaks,” said Sandra of her children, nudging Secondo next to her on the couch. Secondo had his usual severe frown as he watched the little ones scurry around the carpet and howl. Sandra addressed Paul. “And you're wearing that? To a Halloween party?”

Paul looked down at his jeans and band tee, old ratty hoodie and sneakers. “Halloween’s for kids, mom.”

“At least the shirt’s clean,” said Secondo.

“You two are really boring, you know that?” Sandra ribbed over the rim of her coffee mug. “But have fun? Extra fun for me.” Out of all of them she loved Halloween the most. It was a love of the macabre that drove her to join a Satanic Church, after all. Sandra held the work phone for the memorial home in her hand as her family got ready to leave for the night. She had selflessly volunteered to be on call so her brothers and husband could bring all their kids around the neighborhood. Then again, watching the goriest horror films at home without the prying eyes of her children was a decent consolation prize.

Sandra caught her youngest in her arms and brought his little body into a hug. “You know, you can die… but no one really stays dead on Halloween.” She immediately pretended to bite him all over, and Sam screamed and laughed.

“You're deeply unprofessional, dear,” muttered Secondo, yet a small rare smile hovered across his face. He gave his wife a peck on the cheek and pulled himself to his feet. “Let’s go. Paul, help me get your siblings in the car.” The younger ones let out shrill shrieks and jumped towards the door, grabbing their candy pails while already whining.

Sandra gave a soft chuckle, then reached out to gently touch her eldest son's hand. “Paul, have fun alright? You need it.”

Paul smiled faintly and returned her affection with a hug. “I’ll be fine. Thanks. I hope you…don't have to work tonight.”

“Same,” replied his mother. “But you got to take everything as it comes, right? Be always ready.”

“Paul,” said Secondo.

“Hm?” Paul had been staring out the window as they drove across town. Behind them in the backseat the younger kids were chatting wildly about all the candy they were going to eat later. By this time in his life Paul was used to drowning it out. Ever since Sam could talk, Paul finally got a break and Eden got a perfect little peon to hang on to her every word.

Secondo had both hands on the wheel as he drove sensibly. He never looked up from his task but he never had to do more than slight gestures or certain tones of his voice for Paul to know what came next. “Name it,” he said.

Secondo was talking about the feelings rolling around in Paul’s insides. From a young age this was a common ritual he shared with all of his children. Paul realized more and more that Secondo now didn’t demand a vocal response to this request anymore the way he did of the younger ones. After years of this, Paul had an automatic cool response to any sort of restlessness in his mind.

Paul let out a soft breath, imagining himself holding the feeling in his hands, like always. It felt prickly, hot. Torn right from his chest and squirming like an impatient puppy. So he looked down and named it. Apprehension. Worry.

The little feeling stopped jostling him. But there was something else tugging at him, gripping its sharp little teeth into his pant leg and pulling. Dana’s picture on his phone came to mind. He swallowed.

Crush.

The truck stopped, Secondo put it in park. High school kids idled out on the front porch of a large house cheerfully decorated with pumpkins and the warm glow of string lights. The little demons of feeling that tugged at him skittered away to wait in the shadows. Paul gave a weak goodbye utterance to his family and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Secondo spoke. “And Paul.”

“Yeah?”

The intensity of the whitened eye in his father’s skull never ceased, even when freed for an instant as he blinked. “You are a person of integrity.”

Paul gave a half-hearted nod, slamming the door. He watched the red lights of the truck veer slowly away and occasionally stop to avoid throngs of trick-or-treaters. Now before the house, before this strange new world, his nerves began to circle.

Like it? Reblog it! Thanks so much, see you in Part 2…..

Next chapter link in comments!

[jojikawa]

Kiss Currency 💋

Somehow, you’ve lost your powers leaving Sukuna as your only means of protection. He uses this as an opportunity to get affection from you.

tw// fluff, adult language, MC is Lilith! (a powerful demoness), lewd/suggestive themes. (Inspired by a post I saw on Twitter), a little bit of blood, biting, lewd themes (sexual intercourse + outercourse)

Masterlist

Ryomen Sukuna was rather anxious while lying on the floor of your living room. The couch and coffee table were pushed aside to make room for the sigil that was etched into your floor that was previously hidden by a cute rug. Your husband was in the middle of the sigil while you sat beside him with a grimoire floating next to you. This was the first time you’ve conducted a demonic ritual on him and he couldn’t say he was excited about that.

He came to you, wanting you in more ways than just kissing and cuddling. He wanted to feel you. But you were uncomfortable with Yuuji being present, so you always denied him. But his pining for you proved to be stronger than any will you had. So, you offered to perform a ritual that would temporarily block Yuuji out. It would be like putting him to sleep and Sukuna was all for it.

Although, this was odd. He could hear the cries and screams of sinners from another dimension invading his ears when his mind was quiet. It was uncomfortable. And it takes a lot to make someone like Sukuna uncomfortable so casually. If he thought about it hard enough, he could feel Lucifer prying into his mind, forcibly putting Yuuji to sleep.

“How long is this shit supposed to take?” You heard him grumble, making you smile a bit. “Oh, you’re so impatient.” You teased, raising your index finger to rub his cheek. The simple gesture actually caused him to blush and break eye contact with you. 

“I have to make sure I do this right. This is Lucifer’s thing. Not mine. If the ritual is interrupted, you’d be put to sleep too.” Your eyes scanned the pages that were filled with the scratch marks of creatures before you and recited things in a language that Sukuna couldn’t understand. With every word that left your mouth, he felt the presence of the boy would vanish without a trace.

“And, we’re done.”

Sukuna heard the soft growl of the demonic book as it closed itself and fell to the floor. He sat up and you stood as well.

“Can you put everything back for me, please?” You asked politely before hearing a standard “Yeah, whatever.” from him. 

You went to the kitchen, as you had plans to bake that brownie mix you had got last week from the grocery store. As you did your hand motion to summon Gnaar, you noticed that the little demon didn’t appear. You frowned before doing it again.

Still, no imp assistant.

You sighed and left the kitchen to look for him manually but, of course, you were intercepted by Sukuna. His masculine arms linked themselves around your waist, trapping you in his grip so that you couldn’t move. He didn’t say a word and only lowered his head into the crook of your neck. You felt his lips place soft kisses on your flesh. The contact made you giggle. “Aw, Ryo.” You cooed, not being able to resist holding him close to you.

“Ow.” Suddenly, you jumped. Between his kisses, he tried using his teeth to mark your skin so that it would be impossible to wear anything with skin showing. He wanted everyone to know you were taken. Even if he weren’t around. 

This was somewhat common. He did this to you in his true form as well…but it never hurt this badly. Your actions caused him to pull away. ‘Ow?’ He thought. Sukuna also realized that your aura was different. For a moment, it felt as though he had lost his mind. Whether you knew it or not, your physical form had cursed energy. It was the kind of energy that could suffocate him if he weren’t careful…now, it seems as though it’s hidden itself inside of your body.

No…it was gone.

It couldn’t be. How can a Goddess just disappear? This had to be an imposter pretending to be you. Of course, that made him angry. Only fools would toy with his emotions this way and feel as though they can get away with it.

“R-Ryo?” You raised an eyebrow when you felt his body stiffen. It took him a moment to reply, but when he did, he wasn’t himself.

“Don’t tell me I’ve been played with this entire time.”

You blinked. “Oh…” You pursed your lips. ‘I suppose it’s time I tell him.’

You sighed softly. “I’m not a copy of myself if that’s what you think. My powers have been somewhat…unstable since I’ve been resurrected. I guess they’re just gone completely…for now.” As you explained, his eyes grew wider and wider. “What? Why is that?” He replied.

“Those sorcerers who exercised me…I think they had help from Adam. Mortal powers typically do not affect me.” You told him. Your face held a subtle frown. He couldn’t tell why but it made him…feel bad. You’ve always been so high and mighty, never needing anyone else, not even him. And suddenly, one day, it was gone. Temporarily, mind you, but still gone, nonetheless. 

But, seemingly out of nowhere, he felt a sense of pride. He remembered all the things you’d say to him. You loved referring to him as little because his power was nothing compared to yours but now…you were the little one. Well, littler than you already were.

“Looks like you have no choice but to depend on me.” His neutral face turned into a twisted grin. You knitted your eyebrows together. “Don’t get any ideas. This is serious. Adam could come at any time and you’re not nearly strong enough.”

“You worry too much about that scumbag…” Although he was concerned for you, there was no getting rid of his amused tone as he fully began to understand just how helpless you were in this situation. To be honest, he wasn’t worried about Adam, but he’d never tell you that.

“...but, it looks like you don’t have a choice. Meaning that from now on, you’ll be taking orders from me.”

At first, you expected Sukuna to refer to something vile…but his wants were rather simple. It was probably the most innocent thing ever that could come from him. He insisted he do everything for you that needed to be done—in exchange for kisses. It didn’t matter where you kissed him. His face, his neck, his mouth. Just kiss him, please. (minus the please part. He never says please.)

Although, you agreed to this, a lot of the things you engaged in didn’t require anything supernatural. Yes, Gnaar was your assistant but you could easily just bake by yourself. Not only that but you were a much better cook than him. There seemed to be no immediate threats that pursued you either. It had only been a few minutes but he was half expecting someone in Heaven to notice and try to eradicate you.

So, he would make up scenarios where you had no choice but to kiss him. He would take advantage of your size difference by holding things over your head so that you could reach them or he’d do something cheesy like hold you and refuse to let you go. No powers = no strength to resist him. And so, you would do it. Every time.

You’d puff out your adorable cheeks before stepping on your toes and placing your lips on the crook of his neck. When you’d kiss him on the mouth, he would grab your wrist and force you to stay for longer.

Sukuna wanted nothing more than to savor your lips. But unfortunately for you, your mouth was beginning to get dry and cracked from all the kissing. You needed to apply chapstick several times. Unbeknownst to you, Sukuna enjoyed this. He loved the taste of it, that faint fruity flavor coating your lips. 

Although he was satisfied with kissing, he wanted more from you. Your husband didn’t follow the rules of his own game after some time. He just demanded things of you.

“Kiss me.” He would growl into your ear. You were trapped between him and the wall. You’re unable to break away from him.

“Kiss me until I’m sick of it.” Even as a mortal, your feminine energy was intoxicating. He couldn't decide what he liked more.

His face was peppered with kisses so much that you could see every mark you left behind. You gently grabbed either side of his face before kissing him one last time. You felt yourself being lifted from your thighs. “Ryo—?” You struggled to hold on as he lazily carried you through your house to the bed. He missed you so much and he didn’t even know. Memories from the past flooded his mind every time your lips touched his face. He loved you.

You.

You.

You. ♡

Butterflies filled your belly when you felt the fabric of your clothing being torn. You wanted to scold him for such brash behavior but you were unable to. Sukuna shoved his head between your thighs, kissing and biting your soft flesh and making you hitch your breath. At the sound of your panties being ripped, you gasped. In an instant, you felt his breath hitting your exposed cunt. “Slow down!” You yelped, feeling his wet, hot muscle glide over your lower lips. Your hands tangled in his hair and you sank into your mattress. You began to remember all of your lewd times with him together.

As always, he was so patient and gentle. You remembered that he was always a good lover to you as well, putting your needs before his own. Making your needs his needs. Despite the popular opinion of someone like Sukuna, he was actually what restored your faith in men. At no point in your relationship with him did you feel ugly…you never felt used…you never felt like you weren’t good enough for him. Even when his tongue was inches deep inside of you, swirling around and causing so much pleasure that you couldn’t help feel pleased with him and wet his face with your juices.

He loved to go down on you for many reasons. The most obvious being that he thought you tasted good. It wasn’t enough to get him addicted, no, he was most addicted to the feeling of your lips on his.

“Ryo~!” You mewled, sending blood rushing to his cock. Your beautiful voice caused him to growl and become rougher by the second. Your essence dripped all over the bed and he knew by then you were ready. Sukuna was practically salivating at your gorgeous holes. It had been so long that he had forgotten how much he loved indulging in your godly flesh.

In an instant, he pulled out his cock. The tip was already shining from his leaking pre-cum. His hands roughly grabbed your waist. You gasped at the contact before you were pulled towards his pelvis.

“Slow.”

Normally, your soft, sweet voice becoming firm was a good indicator that he should probably listen to you or he’d risk being crushed into dust.

But, instead, he flashed you a demonic grin. His teeth were showing and it didn’t seem like he wanted to bend to your will.

“Slow, you say?” He repeated before chuckling darkly. “You’re not as big as you think you are anymore. No—now, you’re smaller than me.” His hands crept up your waist. The tips of his fingers ran up the sides of abdomen that it almost tickled. He held you as if you were the most precious thing in the world but the expression on his face looked like he wanted to devour you.

“You listen to me now and frankly, I think I want to go at my pace.” Sukuna thrusted lightly, the base of his cock rubbed between your folds. Your stomach burned with delight. It was like he knew his strength…

You rubbed your thighs together with anticipation, wrapping yourself around Sukuna and creating friction that made him want to cum. He grunted at your contact but he didn’t fold. He wanted to have his way with you.

“You know, while I’m at it, I might as well fuck those fat ass thighs.” He licked his dry lips as if he was looking at something delicious.

Sukuna effortlessly moved your legs so that they stayed closed around his dick. Both of your legs were thrown on his shoulder where he began thrusting into it.

The man could barely contain himself. He hadn’t felt you in so long. So much precum was leaking on your pelvis and belly. You were surprised that he hadn’t emptied his balls yet from how much of a mess he was making.

A heavy blush was set on your face. All you could do was lay there and allow him to use you…not that you didn’t want it. It has never crossed your mind how Sukuna would act towards you if you were born mortal, perhaps as a concubine, but you sorta liked that he wasn’t afraid of taking control.

You yelped as he picked up his pace. His pants began to fall as he was overtaken by lust. He wasn’t even inside of you and you needed to squeeze your eyes shut at the force he was hitting you.

“Fuck!”

His large hands gripped your thighs and his fingers sunk themselves to into your flesh. “Ryo…we have all night…” You tried to free yourself from his grasp but he was so strong.

“Hell yea—ugh! We do.” Sukuna groaned deeply before releasing himself all over you. His cum stained your stomach and your inner thighs. You were nearly horrified with how much he was able to produce. You sat up but was quickly shoved back down by him. “ ‘m not done.” he hissed, resting his heavy cock on your pelvis. Your belly filled with excitement as you felt his tip rub between your lips once more.

Without warning, Sukuna pushed his length into you, slowly. His grin intensified when he saw you squirm and buck your hips at the contact. You squeezed your eyes shut, unable to move from his grip at all.  “Ryo—”

“Shut up.” His hand wrapped itself around either side of your cheeks, pushing them together and making your lips pucker up. His licked his own at the sight of your plush ones. They were chapped from the constant kissing he made you do, but they were still so good.

“M-Make me…”  You could barely get it out with how firmly he held you. “Hm.” A hum escaped his mouth let you go. He spread your legs apart, briefly pulling out to climb on top of you. His lips let yours again, shoving his hot muscle into your mouth. He fucked into you nice and slow, reveling in every moan that you made. Occasionally, you’d break the kiss only for him to reattach himself to your neck. He didn’t care how much you fussed about bite marks or hickeys being impossible to hide…he marked you up however you wanted.

You held onto him in desperation, digging your nails into his back and clawing at him any chance you got. The pleasure was so overwhelming that he left you begging for him to cum. “Ryo, make me cum, p-please!” Your voice was breathless, and it made him want to give you what you wanted but that was no fun. The best part was overstimulating you until you cried for him to fill your womb with his seed.

“Nah, not—yet.” He grunted, his balls were audibly slapping your pussy. Your panties were so stretched from the activity and drenched in his cum, they were surely ruined now. Sukuna ignored your pleas and went harder. You could see his skin start to glisten with sweat. He was really holding back for the sake of your body. It must have been hard, feeling your tight walls close around him and he couldn’t even breed you as hard as he wanted to.

But you could tell that he was reaching his climax as well. He was always known for his stamina amongst his concubines in the Heien Era, but once you appeared, he was suddenly known to finish quicker than he’d imagined. Your energy was so feminine and alluring. It was like breathing fresh air in a world of pollution. When he met you, he never slept with a prostitute again. He only ever wanted you.

“Damn, is it getting hot or is it just me?” He muttered to himself but you heard him. In an instant, he sat up from you, ripping off Yuuji’s hoodie, tearing it in two. He threw it over to the side and you could see just how intensely he was feeling you. He continued to fuck into you becoming inticed by your moving breasts through your thin shirt. He saw your nipples poking through. What a sexy woman you were, wearing no bra near him. So, he tore your shirt too so that he could watch your breasts bounce along with his strokes.

“God, you’re beautiful—” His speech began to slur. His vision clouded with lust and he lowered your himself onto you. He spread your legs further apart, so fast and easily that your lace panties ripped as well. A montrous growl left his mouth as you felt breath hitch against your neck. Your nails broke his skin, causing blood to be drawn when you felt his teeth sink into the other side of your shoulder. “R-Ryomen!” You moaned as loud as you ever have before, releasing all over his cock and at the same time, he fucked his cum into your womb, breeding well just like he used to. Your moaning gave him the last bit of energy he needed. He kept growling and thrusting into you. Your legs went numb with pleasure and eventually you couldn’t keep your legs elevated anymore. Sukuna lost his strength, having a deep sigh and slumping onto you.

The two of you sat in silence for a bit. There was nothing but the sound of the both of you panting. Sukuna was heaving the most.

“I have to get cleaned up.” Your voice was small, throat strained from the loud moaning of his name. But, your husband didn’t budge. You felt his cum and your juices threatening to drip out your cunt around his cock but he held no sense of urgency. “Ryo!” You tried to nudge him but he didn’t allow you to move him. He just grunted in response anytime you called him.

He was still hard and throbbing inside of you.

“Please, I can’t do anymore…” You whined, “Hurry and move before the sheets get ruined.”

Your experience with him took your mind off your missing powers but when things were said and done, you couldn’t help but wonder what happened to them and when they would be coming back…

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #27

The Battle of Big Wand

Part 2 of reacting to this episode (spoiler-free)!

Cosmo talking about the Big Wand going down: Better check with I.T. Hazel: Just I.T.? No fancy fairy name?

why is this so funny to me

Y'know... I've have a post in my drafts for ages that mocks Anti-Cosmo's castle entrance for not being wheelchair-friendly (because the road is covered in spikes). If he took over and then put spikes on this new road, I'm gonna lose it.

OH, I NAILED my "After thinking about it, this is my final answer" prediction. Dev is in the house! oh, good gravy.

This is the second time he's tried to be a king, and I think it's funny he hasn't tried to be a company president or anything. Not fantasy enough for him.

It's stupid funny to me that Dev just turned 10 and he's got impressive muscles when he flexes. what is this child doing- bench pressing solid gold??

We've been robbed of Dev wishing himself into one of the puzzle games he likes and getting buried under, like... Tetris blocks and having to claw his way out.

That might make a good 'fic; I feel like "wishing to be inside an app" is very correct for him.

??? whaaat does he have? He's got portable wishes of some kind? Is it a shooting star? oh, goodness. Let me think, let me think...

!! Crocker has these in the finale of Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 1. He throws them at the ground near fairy guards to poof them into animals. They're grenades. lmao, Dev got into the Fairy Armory.

Canonically, the Fairy Armory is the only place in Fairy World that still has power during outages, so... epic magic fight with weapons?? Ooooh, I hope so!

Irep is back, I knew it!! Part of me suspected he wouldn't be here because he's not really known for being a team player, but I'm glad he is :) Let's go Anti-Fairies!!

I'm delighted Anti-Cosmo isn't taking lead. Also, for some reason it's hilarious to me that Irep is focused on Hazel and not interested in addressing Cosmo or Wanda. He used to greet them as Auntie and Uncle, and now he's like "I don't need their approval or love."

Uh-oh... Has he sorted out his needy issues? If he's too old for naps and we can't bribe him with hugs, how will we defeat him??

I wanted to see if he uses their honoraries in "Fairly Odd Fairy Tales" (since he does it when he's being polite and I knew he was offering food). He doesn't, but I like how Wanda straight-up fed her nephew an apple that puts him to sleep until his true love kisses him, then looks dead at the viewer and says "And then we all lived happily ever after." Is the implication that no one will ever love him, so he's unconscious forever?? omg. Wanda's very black and white view of things is so incredibly funny to me, especially since she grew up in a mob family.

I'm excited to see Dev and the Anti-Fairies. Who would win: the species that invented papercuts, or a little boy who longs for lemonade?

Are you telling me Cosmo and Anti-Cosmo are BOTH intimidated by Irep now? Either this is about to be super funny, or they've switched.

Did Anti-Cosmo finally step up his parenting? Not out of the question; in Season 10, Foop was in time-out for putting spiders in his spaghetti.

(How ironic, considering Foop liked eating spiders).

I rewound and Cosmo jumps when the magic hits, before he sees Irep, so he's not necessarily afraid of him. Also, keeping my fingers crossed for anti-family interactions. I'm really looking forward to a face-off between Irep and Peri; their banter is my favorite and we didn't get much in "Best of Luck."

I'm so glad that despite changing his name, Irep presents himself with the same flair he always did. He is the same person...

omg, his little cufflinks. He's adorable.

For some reason, I've called him "posh British boy" in two previous posts, but... idk why, because he's literally never been posh and I know that. I'm glad he looks like his aesthetic is "bad boy with the tiniest detail of fancy."

I hope he's still friends with Sammy Sweetsparkle :) Maybe they're in a gang. I know there's 0 chance of Sammy being in this episode, but can you just imagine if Foop took out his wallet and there's a picture of Sammy in it.

Actually... if he's got a little metal circle there, I think that implies his jacket is closer to denim than leather. Lemme check......

OH, interesting... Yeah, he and Sammy don't match.

I don't say it enough, but it's really freakin' funny to me that Foop spends a distressing amount of "Certifiable Super Sitter" following Sammy or spying on Sammy and/or reacting to everything Sammy says. He's just Like That... Like, I enjoy the implication that of all the places Foop could go when his parents canonically left him unsupervised for the week, he likely chose to hit up the Turner place in spite of his hatred for Poof because Sammy is there. Silly.

Anyway...

Dev: Yeah, yeah, yeah... and Irep. Joint conquerors of Fairy World.

OMFG, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Was I RIGHT that Anti-Cosmo isn't even at the takeover!? Local introvert hates leaving his house and never wanted Fairy World anyway; more at 11. I'll be there!!

Plot twist, Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda don't actually show up in this episode because they're busy flirting while Irep's away.

I clocked the design aesthetic of the taken-over Fairy World as "This is Irep and Dev as partners; Anti-Cosmo wouldn't do this" so hard. crying. how did I do that. it's not getting better than this.

"Let's get DEV-ious!!"

dlkfgm, once again losing it at Dev using his first name rather than the "Dimm" part of his surname when he makes puns. He's a Dimmadome, but... he's kind of his own twig on the tree.

It is unreasonably funny to me that Irep's wand is so heavy considering he had massive muscles as a child after his Abracatraz imprisonment ("Spellementary School" & "Timmy's Secret Wish").

Also, I am FASCINATED by the decision to give Irep one little zipper tab that hangs off his jacket. Impeccable.

I love this team already. These are two people who are both known for:

- Coming from upper class families - Having parent-related abandonment issues - Not showing a lot of restraint - Only showing restraint when they've REALLY gone too far

Hmm... Oh boy, let me think. We know Dev's [previous] line was that he didn't like his dad shocking people's brains for money, with Dev having strained feelings even when he was trying to convince himself the shocks could be good ("You can help kids!") And he did feel bad about fighting with Hazel, though he's definitely Going Through the Wringer right now.

And Irep's line in the OG series is that he was totally down for:

- Tormenting his parents - Annihilating Crocker for not inviting him to his house party (whom he hilariously calls Denzel when he's mad at him) - Pointing his school's playground slide into the void - Sending Cosmo and Wanda on a dinner date to a black hole - Poof dying (despite the fact their lives were tied together)

- but he wouldn't allow anyone to harm Chloe, who finally introduced him to hugs.

He made it very clear he wasn't willing to face Vicky to save his own life, even on the verge of death, but he'd do it for her or for chicken cordon bleu. And she's not here, and we're all out of chicken cordon bleu. Uh-oh…

- Would Irep rate Hazel hugs 10/10? Inquiring minds need to know. - Is Dev bribing Irep with hugs? Or is Irep just here for the chaos and assurances that Dev's having more fun with him than Peri? - Is Irep bribing Dev with hugs? Are they pumping each other up with positive affirmations?? Go king; continue the healing cycle!

If Irep's parents show up, I hope he's on good terms with his mom, who used to pack chicken nuggets and anti-venom in his lunch box :)

Dev's faith in his ability to not fall off his O-pairs makes me nervous every time he's ever been onscreen.

His dad might let him down, but the O-pairs never have.

[ cnt'd - #Long post ]

All I've been thinking about for ages is an AU where Dev and Mikey Munroe (Bunsen Is a Beast) switch drones for a day, so Mikey's parents freak out that they can't monitor their son 24/7 and meanwhile, Dev just... can't get his dad's attention despite the two-way microphone and camera screen. Also, Mikey spends most of his time making noises into the O-pairs' fans. It's always been my headcanon that Mikey's parents installed the Buxaplenty's and Leadly's security systems (hence the buttons releasing different dogs & the lethal lightning bolts) since I think "ooh, rich people want us" helps justify why his parents are gone for months or years at a time when we know their job is designing home security, so basically... all the cool rich people use them. I actually have a WIP of Mikey and Remy playing near the Buxaplenty train tracks when they were little, but I never found a plot point strong enough to carry it to the end. Anyway, I've been waiting to see what the Dimmadomes have in terms of security, but it's... nothing yet. Plot twist, Dale has trust issues even with the people installing security?? ... I think he'd be friends with Mikey's parents. Maybe. Actually, I might need a 'fic about Dale having a meltdown when he goes home for the first time in 7 years and doesn't trust that Vicky won't sneak in to get him. He needs the world's best security team. It's two terrible parents afraid of literally everything. Yes, they ditched their kid for this. Don't worry about it. y'know... It's really messed up that Mikey's parents are terrified of everything, but they leave their 12-year-old home alone with the pets for months or years at a time, "but it's fine because they're spying on him 24/7 and sometimes give him gifts (like medicated wipes)." His dad is implied to have a fear of germs and I've always wondered if that plays into them not being anywhere near Mikey... Plot twist- We pull a "My Gym Partner's a Monkey" (where the reason we don't see Adam Lyon's parents is because they're severely allergic to animal hair and Adam has to thoroughly wash when he's home and they can't go to school events), but it's Mikey's parents fleeing Muckledunk because they're either allergic or afraid of Beasts. They left their son... Okay, I just checked my notes and I have a line here that says "Mikey's obsession with soft things like animals, beards, and blankets is probably because his parents never touch him." help??

Anyway, I think an AU where Dale hovers over Dev 24/7 and is still a terrible dad would be funny. Instead of neglect, it's obsession... Especially at this age since Dev's as old as Dale was when his trauma started.

... Is Dale putting distance between himself and Dev on purpose because Dev looks exactly like him and is now the age when Dale's life came crashing down? idk if Dale had access to mirrors back then, but that's gotta be weird.

crying at Irep waiting for his cue to pull Dev's flashbacks down from the top of the screen. They rehearsed this. Painfully in-character (In "Secret Wish," Foop claims he waited 10 minutes outside so he could burst in at a dramatic moment).

The way Irep twists his legs gives me Anti-Cosmo vibes.

Rare "Winn without cap" spotted in the wild.

Dev has the room oriented the wrong direction and in doing so, he forgot to include the door. Emotionally, he's stuck in this room. lmao.

Maybe it's a class that's not Guzman's since we know from "Multiverse of Jenkins" that these kids do attend other classes. But... Dev, what's goin' on, buddy?

INCREDIBLY funny to me that Bev sits directly in front of Dev? I gotta go back and fact-check that sometime. Has he been harboring his crush on her because she's right there? That's great!

??? If she DOESN'T sit there then I have to assume Dev is just so Bev-centric that he WANTS her to be there, and that's very funny. Go chase your sporty crush, rich boy. I support you.

Okay, I went back, and it seems his canon seat is between Bev and Kev (with Kev behind Hazel), but Kev vaporizes when we need to center Hazel and Dev onscreen at the same time (such as Dev faking sick and Hazel glaring at him). Oh my glob, he's another witch... Dev, embrace your ancestral witch-hunting for me, plz and ty. It would be funny... /checks my witch notes as a joke and screeches to a halt. Oh my goodness, I could finally get a Soil Tribe child in my roster... I have their magic down as "causes host to fade unnoticed into the background," and it would be very funny to do something magical with the child model. ??? On my first watch of "28 Puddings Later," I don't think I saw that scene of Dev falling over and losing his shades when the pudding throne collapses. Must've missed it while taking notes. That's cute.

I like how Dev's memories are 2D like the photos we've seen throughout the series. Also, Hazel's so dang cute.

I'm glad Dale's pants look the same in both the New Wish and old 2D style despite no FOP character ever wearing anything with that many dots.

I like that Dev's hair is much shinier than his dad's, implying Dale still has the dullness that comes with being soft instead of slick.

- I'm assuming this means either Dev's hair is gelled or he gets that from the maternal side of his family? - idk man, this is very in line with my "Dev's mom is a Leadly" headcanon... At this point, I can't NOT torment him with two very rich and extremely messed-up sides of his family... They both have extreme branding and weird fixations and funky buildings and run big businesses that have brought in incredible amounts of money and they like tech and call people the wrong names... do you see what I see...

I'm DELIGHTED Dale's hair curls up in the back. I've been so sad that he lost his tuft when he grew up. This is clever.

!!! oh yeah, Dale has his dad's stripe! Technically he and Dev both have the stripe, but I love the subtle differences in their hair. While collecting screenshots for an earlier post, I noticed the hair above their ears is combed in different directions, like this:

- with Dale showing the stripe much more clearly than Dev does. I like the implication that Dev's stripe is gold. That's really cute.

I checked, and the gold streak does seem to be in the place he has the Dimmadome family stripes in his 2D form (Eyebrow level). Neat!!

Aw, Irep's a big boy! And his hair grew out blue!! Parents' genes came out kickin'. I did wonder. I think it's funny his mustache and goatee are still black.

Despite losing the black hair, he's not yet immune from "Irep, are you sure one of your parents wasn't actually pixie?" allegations. This is stupid funny to me... In my Cloudlands AU, the Anti-Fairies are always dunking on him for having black hair like Anti-Cosmo's ex-wife, but no one can say anything because unlike Anti-Cosmo's first heir (Talon), Foop was born with the iris virus (colored eyes), so he's "been accepted by the nature spirits" and is heir apparent.

... Seeing this many colored eyes is giving me incredible amounts of anxiety, but it would not be appropriate to clarify why out of context. I like the guy with hair over his eyes and a big hat.

Is Irep leading the charge these days? Do the Anti-Fairies take orders from him?

Did Anti-Cosmo step down!? Because considering how much he hates conflict, I wouldn't be slightly surprised, omg...

I think it's funny that if Dev uncovers any official documents or watches memory clips that flashback to Irep's past crimes, he'd probably be like "Why is there no paper trail for this Irep guy? who tf is Foop?"

WAS that his experience of browsing the anti-web? I have to assume it was- I can't imagine Anti-Fairy World would cross his path without Foop's name coming up.

?? Considering that in my previous post, I said I couldn't think of any reason for Anti-Cosmo to desire taking over Fairy World unless he managed to score the earth and/or godkids out of it...

I'm so glad Dev just dropped "They have to take over Fairy World so they can rule Earth." slkdfj?? okay...

Irep: Now we can rule BOTH! Anti-Cosmo: That just sounds like scoring godkids with extra work.

THEM!! I am once again so intrigued by the lore that A.J. went into parascience and is following in Crocker's footsteps?? You've no idea how much I need to know what the A.J.-Crocker relationship is.

crying at Irep making a peace sign when he gets in front of the camera with Dev. Doesn't he do that in his profile pic on Dark Laser's phone? He's literally the same person he's always been. I missed him so much.

PLEASE do not tell me Dev's full name is Development "Devin" Dimmadome. The quote marks Dale puts around "Devin" are making me lose it.

Dale's partner: Honey, can you stop thinking about business for 5 minutes so we can pick a name for our son? Dale, who comes from a family that usually just slaps their name on things: I got this.

?? I'd LOVE to know what's going on with Dev's mom. Did she die in childbirth and had no say in naming her son, and Dale took over from there? Is she alive, but divorced from and/or passive around him?

Like... I have to assume she had the most exquisite prenatal care through a rich family like this, especially if we assume she also came from a wealthy family cough- Leadlys.

Holy flipping plot twist, does Dev not have a mom at all? He looks exactly like his extraordinarily wealthy dad. Was he just cloned so Dale could pass the business on someday? Did Dale just kinda buy him and wait for the surrogate to hand him over, and he never formed any attachment to him as a baby because he had the O-Pairs / au pairs raise him? lmao!!!

Traumatized beyond belief for 7 years by a girl his age so he trusts absolutely no one and never learned what a healthy relationship was like even with a partner, let alone his son. smh.

Actually, it's very funny to think of him and Vicky splitting up. Like, it was extremely toxic and not romantic in the slightest, but she straight-up identified him when she saw his face in "Operation: Birthday Takeback" even though logically, that would have been 70 years since she was last close to him. She probably knew him pretty well, especially since his hair has changed.

Timmy can't have frozen the timestream any earlier than Channel Chasers in Season 4 when he learns he'll lose Cosmo, Wanda, and his memories when he grows up, which is the reason he cites for freezing time in "Timmy's Secret Wish," and that was 50+ years. It's been 20 more on top of that for Dale to grow up and his son to turn 10. We know Vicky and Doug Dimmadome very, very occasionally crossed paths in later seasons (Vicky tries to sell him the Stryker Z in Season 3's "Engine Blocked").

If anyone cares, this (Season 3) is presumably where Dale grew up unless Doug took him to Dimmadelphia.

Like?? Something about the fact that Vicky and Dale are the same age is funny as heck to me. New Wish canon heavily implies Vicky's been taking advantage of Dale since they were 9, and they might've been friends once upon a time (despite the fact that in both New Wish and the OG series, she can never remember who the Dimmadomes are, lol).

There's no way Doug did a good job of looking for him, or Vicky would've turned him in for reward money. I wonder if Dale had a history of sneaking off to play with Vicky and just never came home one day.

Do you think that after her bossing him around for 7 years, Dale was really messed up and didn't know how to make choices for himself?

Oh, that's awful!! Who would write a 'fic about him running away to look for Vicky and beg her to take him back because he doesn't know how to be a person anymore and needs schedules and instruction? Who would do that?? I'm fascinated by their dark, twisted, and incredibly under-explained vibe. Haha, I'm in danger...

oh no, and Dev even told us his father relies on algorithms over his own thoughts, and we KNOW Dale was upset his publicity team said he should talk to people face to face instead of sending the O-Pairs or hiding behind holograms... A snarky Dev told us he thinks "talking to people isn't [Dale's] thing..." I'm connecting the dots...

hey wtf. does Dale have issues with scraping by in the dirt and dark with limited food and water and nothing to his name for 7 years and that's why he freaks out when he loses money? He can't handle the thought of not having a house??

Holy flip, I wish he'd communicate his trauma to his son, but I'm yelling that we keep seeing hints that he's withholding things from Dev. Like ?? Dale explains his thoughts all the time (in monologue fashion), but he's clearly keeping some things under wraps since Dev didn't have any concept for who Vicky was or why she knew his dad.

I genuinely think Dale doesn't want Dev to know the details. Dev didn't even seem to have a good grasp of why he isn't allowed lemonade, or at least that was my read considering how grumpy he was about it.

omg, this is horrible. who would write a 'fic about Dale taking his son camping and then slipping off to have a total meltdown where Dev won't see. who would do that.

Like, I think at this point they're so rich, you'd have to assume they're not at risk of losing everything if Dale took time off work, but we KNOW he's stuck on that schedule Vicky raised him with (working on Saturdays, which we see him do multiple times), and we KNOW he's always trying to claw his way up despite having the money to buy literally anything he could ever want.

And we KNOW Dale's big thing is that he loses his entire flippin' mind when the money slows down ("You still making sales?" / "Yes, but they're dropping, Dev!") and he's willing to stalk and hurt people to keep it coming in.

Y'know, this is continuing my theory that Doug Dimmadome is probably dead. I legit think Dale lost his support system (possibly around Dev's birthday considering how clingy he is about boots and says they came into his life on that day, plus the golden boots with the "In honor" plaque he has in his house). Daddy's not bailing him out of this one...

Lovely that Dale's first words to Dev after finding out he's taken over Fairy World are "My son." Oh, NOW he wants to talk...

I also find out my son is working with the fey and immediately drop his full legal name.

Why is Dale both the worst person alive and the only dad ever? I need to flatten him with a cruise liner (carnally).

Happy boy... (Dev, don't trust him.)

omfg, Irep's not buying this for a second.

?? I feel like it makes things WORSE that Dale seems at least a little aware of how upset Dev is about the boots? "I'm so proud of my son; it almost makes me want to throw away my boots." - There's no way he doesn't know he's been screwing with Dev's head for the last 5 months. omg.

- Hey, does Dale treat Dev this way because Doug made Dale feel like he was playing second fiddle to his giant hats?? I can't help but notice this whole city has a hat theme, yet Dale doesn't seem to care for hats at all... which is interesting, because we know Dimmadelphia existed way before Doug got here. Doug in my theory: /died 10 years ago Dale: If I touch Dad's hats or add boot statues around the city, he'll totally kill me. - ?? I guess the alt theory is that Dale put all the hat stuff up as memorials to his dad, which doesn't sound far-fetched since again... he keeps THIS in his house:

... Huh. I guess it could be a trophy for Dale instead of a memorial. That's another relevant time to use "In honor." What does it say about me that "omg his dad is dead and he bronzed his boots as a keepsake" was my first thought when I saw this in "Operation: Birthday Takeback" and not "Dale is successful of his own merit"? Obsessed with the implication that Dev's brand image is his sunglasses... Three Dimmadomes go down in history: The Hat, The Boots, and The Shades.

I still think Dale should have a gun. Not to be helpful; just to keep things spicy...

Please go to the Fairy Armory: the one place in Fairy World that canonically keeps power during blackouts. I am begging. I feel like his Southern daddy would want this for him. Doug had a flamethrower.

Is Dev still holding those magic grenades, and what would happen if someone tackled him in a hug?

SDLJKFSDKLFJSDF I'm on the floor. Did I call it? No way... But is Anti-Cosmo only going to show up now that Dev's giving godkids to Anti-Fairies??

Irep: Yo, I'm going to take over Fairy World; anyone want anything? Anti-Cosmo: The same thing I always want: a new child. Irep: wtf

Oh, all that time I spent speculating instead of actually watching the episode the night I started was so worth it. I was really nervous people would grump at me for how I see Anti-Cosmo, but now I feel like I was set up for a slam dunk.

Also, I like how Dev's taken over Jorgen's office. I didn't notice at first, but that's clever.

Dale is so proud despite the fact Dev taped his mouth shut and tossed him aside. That's so funny...

omg, this pit looks dark.

Will Dev torment his dad with lemonade? Is Dale going into the dark torture pit that swings open from the top like a trapdoor, which parallels his underground trauma to a T, or is that going too far?? Is Dev going to dump on his dad about Vicky? Will Dale freak out when he realizes he accidentally hired his abuser of 7 years to babysit his son? Will Dale be joining Club Redheads Who Didn't Get Mindwiped? (I hope not, because Vicky's in it). Will Dev bully his father while he has all this power and then wipe his mind?? So many questions. Find out next time...

[lexosaurus]

I worked as a substitute teacher for a few years and one day I helped sub in an 8th grade science class. They were doing math like speed=distance/time. But they had a...really odd method for it. That I commented on because I'd never heard of it before.

And the teacher was straight up like "Oh yeah, this makes it really easy for them to do it for the tests. But its going to really fuck them up next year when they are in high school because they won't understand how to reverse the division. But that's not my problem."

And that comment has lived in my head so much. Like, she just did NOT care that the method was bad in the long run. She just needed them to pass the state test that year.

Also, it's literally a very basic formula, what do you MEAN?

Ohhhhh yeah. That's not exactly the issue in my district, as funding for us isn't directly tied to our state exam scores (thank god). Mine is dealing with both grade inflation and no grades below high school. So kids don't want to learn things if they're not graded on the material. Which is fair, honestly, as I also would not have wanted to learn things I didn't like if I wasn't given a grade or any consequences for not knowing it either. Mine's also dealing with a lot of the "memorization bad" thing that's going around, hence why the kids are entering high school not knowing any of their times tables. They just used a calculator their entire lives. They have NO concept of what numbers mean.

Like, at the start of the year, I asked one of my classes what 2 + 0 was and I got about thirty seconds of 15 kids shouting every number except 2. Which was sort of wild to witness.

At the start of the year, we did a week of review and then we had all the freshmen take a quiz of 7th and 8th grade level easy math problems as a sort of wake up call for them. No quiz corrections either, which they've never not been allowed to retake a test before...

The class average was a C-. Unsurprisingly.

Content Teacher warned me right before she posted the grades, and I spent a LOT of time that afternoon talking the kids down from a metaphorical ledge.

Lots of angry parent phone calls, too, but the math department held firm. The students HAVE to know how to solve this stuff. They NEED to know their basic times tables, they NEED to know how basic fractions work, they NEED to know how to rearrange one-step equations.

After that, we had our Very Frank Class Discussion about how they felt about their education. They felt very frustrated and unprepared, which we validated as we're also frustrated that they're so unprepared. But we were honest about other things. We told them that they couldn't get by just sitting there on their phone and copying the answers off the key anymore. We aren't going to reward an A for minimal effort. Yes, you have to take notes, and yes, you have to follow along with classroom example of problems or you won't pass the class. The students are responsible for their education, we all offer extra help, all our emails are open, all they need to do is ask and we'll never turn them away. But they do need to start taking advantage of all the learning opportunities/supports they have now.

Honestly, I'm so glad we had that convo with them. Felt like they got to vent a lot of their frustrations, and they realized that we were here to push them, but we're NOT their enemy. All our students have a study hall block, and if they come to one of our rooms for even 10 minutes out of the entire hour, we will help them however they need.

A lot of my Freshmen have been really really good about coming for extra help, or emailing and asking if they can stop by for a few minutes to do a few homework problems 1-1 with me.

(And yes, for those worried, while we didn't let them retake that first quiz, two weeks later we did give them another assessment after on the same material, but with slightly harder problems and worth more points. Class average was a B!)

I tried to keep this short, but I guess I had a lot to say aksjnfksjdnkajn

[f1fanatic29]

dinner dreams - daniel ricciardo

daniel ricciardo x f1 driver!reader [3k]

summary: after receiving a delayed invitation to sebastians retirement dinner, strange feelings arise after a run in with the infamous honey badger.

warnings:none, just bad writing lmao

a/n: first time posting on here, please me kind but also would appreciate some feedback. anyways thank you and enjoy

italics---> thoughts or exaggerated words

It wasn't often you got lost. The cool November breeze that wizzed by didn't seem to help with your lack of directions either. You couldn't remember why you decided to leave the warm hotel, thinking foolishly that you would just find your way to the restaurant eventually right? Wrong. On top of that you decided to wear the most uncomfortable thing you could, a green mini cocktail dress and the skinniest heals you've brought. 

Why you'd ever except Mick's delayed  invitation to Seb's retirement dinner , you had no clue why. After just winning your second drivers championship in a row you wouldn't expect to see you getting all dressed up again even after just spending the entire week on a bender with everyone and anyone you even semi liked. The original plans before you received the delayed  invitation was to take a nice long hot bath maybe go and order some sushi on Door dash. But a final dinner with your idol and good friend was something  you knew you just couldn't miss. 

Ah fuck this, 

 as the breeze began to pick up again. About a block away from the hotel you had been staying at for the past couple days a fancy black SUV pulls up next to you with the windows rolled down.

"You don't happen to be Y/N are you?" the driver asked. Your eyebrows furrowed as you debated answering as that question doesn't often lead to good places,"depends on who's asking?"you responded, narrowing your eyes at the mysterious driver he chuckled lightly at your expression. 

"Well I was sent to come pick you up at hotel intercontiential miss, to bring you to the dinner if I've been told correctly?" he responded, you smiled awkwardly and let out a small Oh as you opened the side door and sat down in the back.

"Um I guess you would be correct, but if you don't mind me asking sir, which one of the guys hired you tonight?" you asked curiously as the car began to move down the road.

"Sorry Miss, I was told not to disclose that information to you tonight, he said that you would probably figure it out on your own anyways"

The rest of the drive went by fairly quickly for you, as you  arrived at a hotel after only a couple minutes. The SUV drove up the road a little further as you noticed from the inside of the tinted windows a unique hotel at the top of the hill. It was mostly wooden and stone built it was odd looking compared to the rest of Monaco's modern style but has a welcoming feeling towards it, it definitely was picked by Sebastian. Going underground you assumed you were going into a parking garage as the car came to a stop in front of the underground entry.

"So this is where I leave you" the driver said unlocking the doors as you then climbed out,"I guess it is, thanks again for coming to save me..."you paused wait for him to give you his name, "Clint, and it was my pleasure Y/n, I hope you enjoy your evening"he said as you smiled and gave a quick you too as you closed the doors. 

As the SUV pulled away back up to the street, you turned and made your way inside. The inside was luminated by warm lights and dark accent walls, you made your way to the elevator at the end of the hall. As you got in a small pit of anxiety made its way into your stomach as the elevator moved upwards. You wasn't quite sure why you were suddenly so nervous, you were around these guys more than your own family for christ sake. 

It still confused you on why someone hired a driver to come get pick you up tonight, and why choose for you not to know who did it. Despite it being a kind gesture it bugged you, but you set herself a special mission for the evening, find out who hired the driver.

The elevator let out a ding as the doors opened revealing the main entrance to the hotel and the restaurant that you had finally managed to get to. You stepped out into the hallway first noticing the extremely large Christmas tree an other various Christmas decoration in the restaurant that you had finally found. 

Why the hell are there decorations up already its only the middle of November?

Before you could see him, you could definitely hear him. The boisterous laugh that anyone on the grid could recognize from a mile away. His gaze then lands on you just as he rounds the corner, his already shining smile getting brighter by the second, he picks up his pace and walks straight for you. Her heart beat picks up as she finds herself smiling just as wildly back at the Honey Badger, the one and only.

"About time you got here sweet heart" he said with that iconic Aussie accent, pulling you into a close to bone crushing hug, as you laughed loudly."Danny I think we both know I'm early" it was now him time to laugh as he continued to hold you like his life depended on it.

"I missed you" 

The innocent comment made your cheeks tinge red at the sudden unexpected seriousness from the usually goofy driver. Giving him a quick peck on the cheek as you pulled away from the tight embrace."Missed you too" you said with a warm smile now seeing the slightly surprised and happy look on the drivers face as he clears his throat as he tries to brush the blush off his face

"I gotta go help Max, I'm pretty sure he got lost down in the parking area or something,  I'll be back in a minute love" he says still staring at you but making his way towards the elevator. Just as you starts to turn around he grabs your hand and pulls you back locking his gaze with yours.

"You look beautiful tonight love, incase you didn't already know" he says holding your hand and his eyes rake you body and face carefully.

"Thank you Danny, I can always count on you to bring the fun to the party" you said fixing the collar on his brightly patterned shirt, giving him a cheeky wink. He smiled planting a light kiss on the corner of your mouth, before making his way towards the elevator as you then slowly continued down the hall with a sharp blush on your face. That pit of anxiousness from earlier had been filled with a strange other feeling that rose up to your throat, a weird a feeling you hadn't felt for someone in a long time. And you couldn't help but wonder if that made you excited or terrified, either way it was rather unexpected. 

"Hey Champ, over here!" Lewis called with his arms open wide as you made your way around the corner, picking up the pace you practically jumped into your teammates arm as his silly laugh ringed over in your ear.

"Have any trouble getting here, love?" Lewis snickered

"We're you the one who sent that driver? God Lewis I should've known" you said rolling your eyes with a slight sense of disappointment."No sadly, but I know who did" he said with a snicker as you got pulled into a hug by the main man of the evening.

"Y/n, I'm so glad you could make it tonight. I'm sorry for the late invited, I just guessed you'd have other festivities going on this evening that you'd rather attend." Seb said with his classic gentle smile."Oh Seb, that's non sense there's no other place I'd rather be than here tonight. Thank you for including me, it means a lot". He just gave you a reassuring squeeze on your arm as he was pulled away by Mick to greet more of the incoming drivers. The rest of the grid slowly started to pour into the lobby, as for you, you migrated to George and Alex who were now pestering you on your new two time champion status, aka your lack of arm candy.

"Oh come on Y/N/N, just spill the beans! It's your second world championship and you're telling me you still haven't got a date to the Gala, mate I'm sorry but I don't believe a word." Alex said shaking his head in disbelief. "Mate see the writing on the wall! She's definitely got a date she just to scared to share it because it's probably some unworthy chap! Look she's even blushing Alex!"You just shook her head in response to the two Williams drivers as you hoped they would drop the un-entertaining conversation on your love life. 

Just as you began to zone out again as the two continued to bicker on if you did or didn't have a date yet, a knowing arm slide its way across your shoulder as you instantly knew who had joined the group."Ah sorry to interrupt the harassment but I just wanted to say hi to MY best friend and give HER a hug" Lando says glaring his eyes at Alex and George as the Mclaren driver pulled you into a tight embrace. 

"Hi Little Landi, how are you doing tonight." you said stepping back from the brunette."Not bad, I hope these two muppets haven't been bugging you for too long. They ever get too much just remind them they drive for Williams." he says with a smirk, you burst out laughing just seeing Alex and Georges face drop at the slightest mention of their current teams standing. 

"Ah excuse me Muppet, I'd like a moment to say hi the our two time champion here, you've had your time" Carlos said pulling Lando away and then pulling you into another hug."Wow I guess it's a hugging kinda night,  isn't it Chili" you said hugging the Smooth Operator back letting out a chuckle."Well, it's not every day you see all of us together outside of a race weekend right?" the local Monegasque quipped, pulling you into a side hug. 

"I just wanted to say congrats Y/n, you were amazing this season, really" he said smiling brightly at you. "But I will say, with the new Ferrari upgrades for next season, it won't be so easy" he said with a wink as the rest of the listening drivers groan, you let out a breathy laugh."Yeah yeah Charlie, you keep saying that from my rear view mirror, eh?" 

_______________________________________________________

"So, when are you gonna tell me what is going on between you and Daniel?" Lando whispered into your ear, snapping you out of your thoughts. "Lando, what are you on about mate? Nothings going on with us ok. Maybe we had a small run in earlier that's it" you said trying to cover your blush as the moment earlier with the Aussie earlier replayed your head.

"Well the muppet has been making hearts eyes at you the entire time I've seen him over there with Alonso, so clearly it wasn't nothing to him." He said to her with a raised brow. You glanced up looking towards the Daniel and the Spaniard as you instantly caught his eye. Surprising to you, he didn't look away he just continued to gaze into your eyes with that infamous glowing smile.

Caught you looking, didn't I?

It was a bit of a struggle to get all 20 drivers into the private room on the second floor, as Seb has requested for the evening, but you all managed to figure it out. It was a busy moment to get everyone seated as no one could hear a thing amongst all the chatter going on. You being one of the first sat down choose a seat towards the end of the table, having already been in the middle of enough chaos for the evening you were hoping  for quieter place at the table. But also secretly pray you'd manage to be at least able to see the Aussie from your position. Turns out, you have to be careful what you wish for. 

"Enchante, mademoiselle. Uh is this seat taken?" The Australian said with a terrible mock French  accent. But non the less it making you laugh which was the entire point.

"You know I was just hoping that I would get a calm spot at the table tonight, but I guess not anymore." you said sarcastically with a smirk."Oh shoot sorry, I'll move, you probably don't wanna be hearing anymore of my blabbing, I'll-" you grabbed his hand cutting him off.

"Dan, I was just kidding, I'd love for you to sit with me." You said still holding his hand in your small grasp. He didn't reply he just looked at you in awe?  Sorta gasping like a fish out of water, cute. Snapping out of his trance he clears his throat and sits down next to you as Lando squeezes onto your other side as the rest of the grid begin to settle into their places.

The dinner went by surprisingly smoothly, despite the extraneous time it took for all the drivers to make a decision on what to order. Many different conversations poured out all across the table as there was never a dull moment. Shockingly none being racing related, as an unspoken rule of the night was to talk about anything other than work to each other since they did that enough. But rather talk about each others families, friends, Christmas plans or an other plans during their next couple of months off, it felt strange but oddly very nice. 

As Lando and Charles talked about dates that they could to some possible streaming over the winter break. Yuki, Pierre and Daniel talked about some funny memories from the past couple of season, you sat there quietly just observing the many different conversations across the table, just sorta taking in the moment.

It was strange. That these are the people that you are the most competitive within the world and here they all were sitting talking, having a meal together. The crashes, the battling, the rivalries, all left out on the track. It made you smile, the thought that all these amazing people were able to share this one in a life time dinner and that this would be the last time you'd ever be with the same 20 people, ever again.

"Hey, you doing ok? You kinda just zoned out there." Daniel asked with a worried gaze."Yeah I'm good, just taking a break from the small talk." you replied almost nervously, taking a look back around the table seeing only smiles all around.

"Do you wanna come get some air with me, it's gotten pretty hot in here." Daniel said sitting up extending his hand out to you. You nodded in response getting up from your seat, yet no one noticing the departure of you two as you walked away from the table quietly.

Walking out onto the balcony, it felt warmer than it did previously in the night. The couple flutes of champagne must have been acting as you jacket for the evening as you could being to feel a small blush on her cheeks arise from the alcohol, or maybe for other reasons. Noticing that you and Daniel were still holding hands, you pretended not to notice as you looked out at the Harbour as the moon reflected off the water. Strange nervousness washing over you. It was weird you had never felt the slightest bit nervous around Danny despite all the years you had known each other. A small shiver running down your body.

"Here love, take my jacket."He had it off his back and onto yours before you could ever protest, you let out a small thank you as you both lean on the railing, admiring the view.

"Hey I totally forgot to ask, did you get here ok? Hopefully had no problems?" Danny said with a smirk as he leaned closer to you. Pulling away slightly looking at the satisfied look on his face, you try your hardest not to start smiling at him as hard as you wanted to.

"You're such an asshole" you say halt heartedly as you punch his arm, he starts to double over laughing, his contagious laugh making you laugh as well. The two of you giggle for quite some time before finally calming down as you wiped the stray tears from your eyes.

"Why?" you asked still trying to suppress your giggles from earlier, a few slipping out."Why what?" he asked with the proud smile still on his face."Why did you hire the driver Danny?", facing your body towards him.

"Well I first kinda guess that Mick would forget to  send you the address. Second I knew if I came to pick you up, which was my initial plan, I would've torn that dress right off you in the lobby." 

You weren't quite sure how long you remained silent for, trying to process what he just said, or even trying to tell if you were dreaming or not. The feeling in your stomach that you had been feeling all night, just grew right into your heart and felt more like a bursting flame overcoming your entire body. Yet you were frozen, the man you had found attractive for years now that you had assumed was totally out of your league just said that to your face. You had no idea how to respond.

"Ah fuck I totally fucked this up didn't I? Ah God, nice going Riccardo you bloody-" your lips were on his in milliseconds cutting him right off. You didn't even think, your body just moving on instinct. 

Finally regaining his senses he began to kiss you back with just as much intensity. Pulling you snug against his chest by your waist, tilting your head to the side by your chin trying to deepen the kiss even further if possible. Grasping at the curls on the back of his head trying to keep your balance on your unsteady heals, he let out a small groan. You both pull away as your body finally had run out of oxygen. Resting both your heads on each others as you stare into each others eyes with wild smiles, panting as you both shake with excitement and passion.

"Well, its about time you kissed me" he said with that cheeky grin.

"Had to find some way to shut you up" His boisterous laugh filling the otherwise quiet November night. The regret of excepting the delayed  invitation from earlier, no where found in your mind.

-

-

-

I will probably be doing some other fics for other drivers on here as well soon, so stay tuned for that. thank you for reading, please lmk if you have any feedback or suggestions!

[typewritingyip]

Hi ! I don’t know what hour is it where u live but it’s pretty late for me so : apologies for this hehe

LETS BE HONEST HERE : I LOVE YOUR STORY ! Im currently only on like….chapter 4, but

BUT i love the world building, we can see you really thought about all of that deeply

And. *chief kiss*

I have a proposition my dear writer.

If you describe me how you see Hound, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Breakdown in this AU, both in human and mech form (important things, like weapons, or facial features for the human part)

Then I want to draw them. I don’t know if I will have the time to actually illustrate this but AT LEAST I wanna have a full image in mind when I read this blorbos in your (amazing) style

Also also it’s funny because I was reading your story and I saw your pfp and I’ve been like ‘eh ? I know this’

And yes. You are the kind person that always like and comment on my drawings and I wanted to say TYSM <333

Oh my gosh, Hi!

I’m so glad you love the story, it’s been entirely amazing to be able to write like I have been. You have made my entire day so much better, thank you!

As for the crew of Arcturus One, man, I don’t even know where to begin. I know I briefly described how the ingrained tech was different for each of them in a different post probably here, but actually describing them and their suits…

Hound is what I’ve pictured as the very typical run of the mill military guy, he’s in his late 20’s/early 30’s and has been piloting for around 10 years. Probably started between 20-22, younger but not the youngest to become a pilot. When I’ve spoken about him out loud, I kinda have described him as a better version of Duke from GI Joe, but a lot less blonde. He’s probably a brunette in my minds eye. He stands without the suit around 5’11, on the fitter side of things, and had perpetual eye-bag syndrome. Mans is always tired. He very much would have had that “boy next door” look about him in his younger days (when he first met his ex-wife *cough*) but yeah. That very typical American who is mostly white but generally has a bit of everything there. He has been known to have facial hair but prefers the military look, just cause he does emulate his father in that respect.

Breakdown is from Ukraine, he is the tall guy of the group like 6’ and above. Very stoic in appearance, but the guy is so kind that he is only really intimidating when you don’t know him. He’s on the older side of things, has been a pilot for around 15 years, and probably is one of the longest standing ones. His number came about when he emigrated to the US, getting things changed and re-organized so he has been a pilot longer than Jazz but not in the same programs till after Jazz was around. He’s the eastern block guy of the group, dry humor and certainly knows more English than he lets on. But he still learned a lot of it from movies and things. I’d put him on the slightly bulkier side of things, he’s put in a lot of hard labor and his mech is harder to control than the others. It’s older and heavier, but familiar.

Now the twins, I probably know the most about their appearance. Being born and raised in Florida, I wanted to give them a bit more history and culture, (make Hound feel like the odd one out, sort of) but their mom was from Cuba and their dad met her when he was visiting from New York. They are fraternal twins and Sides took after his dad while Sunny took after their mom. Meaning Sides got hella straight hair and Sunny has got curls, which he will be the first to say are the biggest pain in space. They both are around 6 foot, not taller than that and are pretty lanky. The reason they became pilots is cause they were going to get arrested for drug dealing and street racing, they weren’t dealing drugs but welcome to America. This happened around 16/17, and they’ve been pilots for about 7 or 8 years, so early to mid 20’s right now. Still pretty young.

So to just briefly explain, Hound remind me of just a better/older looking Duke from GI Joe (comics not movies), Breakdown is Ukrainian with the touches of scaring from growing up behind the iron curtain. Sunstreaker is Cuban-Italian, with more features from his mom’s side. Sideswipe is also Cuban-Italian, with more features from his dad’s side. They look incredibly alike and can be confused for identical but they certainly are fraternal.

Now for the Mech suits, the hardest part for me.

Hound is green and very military themed, kinda take War Machine from marvel but make it typical military green in a way. They still have the smoother edges and rounded corners, unlike the Cybertronian’s. The military wanted to make him look approachable to kids, so he sorta looks like a giant thing wearing a helmet to them, but his visor is whole face (like Soundwave sorta in TFP) It had the ability to light up and darken, it was newer tech that they were attempting to make the mechs seem less threatening (*cough cough* blame vortex *cough cough*) He does not have wings or additional thrusters other than the ones that help him stay upright, so he cannot fly/float. Hence the parachutes in chapter 4. His gun stores in part of his leg just cause there wasn’t many other places it would fit, it’s a hand gun with the ability to add a longer barrel to it to make a rifle. It’s not mounted or anything so it looks kinda like he’s unarmed most of the time.

Breakdown is very utilitarian, I mean it doesn’t look dissimilar from the mech suits that the Russian’s pilots in pacific rim on the bottom half, they got a bunch of regime contractors and engineers together to make a defense system and that’s what he pilots. The head was re-designed on his entering Mecha’s service to be more appealing towards marketing. Hence the orange battle mask, I really haven’t described it so much in person but his suit’s head looks much more cybertronian than the others, spots for eyes etc. I’d say his head is much more Earthspark shaped than TFP but that’s just me. His suit is mostly blue though like TFP. He had a soviet era anti-aircraft style cannon attached at the top of his arm/shoulder but that’s received some upgrades. I think I also mentioned other weapons for him but I can’t find it at the moment.

The twins suits aren’t dissimilar other than for the shape of their heads, weapon choice, and color. Their suit’s aren’t dissimilar in shape to Hot Rods here, but once again lack the door wings. They also only have the partial facial visors, mostly covering where eyes would be. They effectively have blades on the outer side of their arms, the bracers I mention in later chapters, for Sunny that is all he has preferring close combat because his mech is lighter and faster than most other pilots (other than Blur, which your design for him is peak I might add.) Sides has those but one side can pop out to be an actual sword/blade that he prefers to use. That took a lot of trial and error to make work.

—

Wow, that was a lot to write out. Also, if you want more information on them or other character's who will appear in later Arcturus missions (because I have a list, muhahaha) feel free to reach out! I love talking about these guys, I love writing them, and it’s just my current escape from the hellscape that is LSAT prep. Also for everyone, I live in eastern standard time, so New York time zone. Next part will hopefully be out tomorrow night at 4:30 ish.

[imobsessivesometimes]

Eazy-Duz-It // Logan Howlett x Reader

PT 4

a/n ok last of spam post as of 11/22/24 ('merican notation)

this chapter genuinely took me so long to write, writers block is so real

"Ok!" I clapped my hands to begin, "Since it's our first lesson, I think we should get to know what kind of music you like!" The kid in front of me was scrawny, grumpy, overall uninterested. Ororo told me the only reason why he signed up is because she asked. Guess the kid has a crush on her.

"I don't really listen to music." he remarked listlessly. He hunched in his chair like he was rivaling the guy from that Notre dame movie. It was hard to keep my eye from twitching. I have NO idea what I'm doing.

"That's ok! Yeah, that's, yeah, totally fine. I, uh, actually put together a list of a few songs that I think matches your--uh--vibe!" I grabbed the folder on the piano bench to my right, opened it and grabbed a semi-crumpled piece of paper out of it. "I had seen you in the halls a few times, Oror--I mean, Storm, Miss Ororo, Miss Storm? --anyways, she pointed you out to me and, well, just look at it." I put out the piece of paper to him and he grabs it limply. His eyes rack over the small list and looks back at me unimpressed. "Oh! Right, right, you don't listen to music, so obviously you wouldn't know most if not all of these songs. That's ok! We can listen to them on my speaker and that can be our lesson for the day. And maybe next time we can figure out if you'd like to play an instrument, which one, or if you'd like to sing." I take the piece of paper back from him. I stand up to go to the piano where a small speaker is perched on the top. I que a few of the songs and we started to listen. He slouched down further and crossed his arms. 

Dark Entries (Bauhaus)

The kid emanates a punk attitude. Ororo had mentioned he barely listened in class, didn't participate in exercises unless he wanted to, and he talks back to Charles Xavier. Maybe music that'll get him to stomp around and move will be what he needs.

As the chorus came on, I saw his foot start to tap to the beat, or at least what he thought was the beat. I could see the slight movement of his head rocking. I think I might've clocked what he'll like. I played a few more songs until our 50 minutes was up. I gave him the list again and told him to explore different artists within the same genre. He seemed excited to see me next week.

I lean on the door frame, watching him walk away. His head bopped a little bit, I could feel that his heart was still beating at the same bpm as the last song we listened to. It honestly made me happy to see. Maybe this faux-"music therapy" was going to work. Before I turned back into my little classroom, I heard a gruff voice call out to me.

"Hey, teach," Logan lounged down the hallway, quickly making it over to me in a few strides, "I see you got Jacob to sign up?" he smirked, clearly knowing the kind of kid he was.

"I wish, Ororo did, actually. I think the kid has a thing for her," I scoffed with a smile. Logan leaned against the wall next to the side of the frame I was against. "Not busy?"

"Nah, sometimes you gotta ditch your own class." he shrugged. This guy, I tell ya. "I forgot you got put down here. All good?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking. I didn't think you were the type to check on the noobie." I pushed his shoulder slightly. It was odd, though. The first impression I got from him is that he didn't give a damn about anything or anyone. Maybe Jean Grey, if my eyes are working properly.

"Eh, well, I thought I'd be charitable, for once." he shrugged, "I was told I need to be 'nicer'" he put in quotes, his eyes roll under his furrowed eyebrows. All in jest, I think. 

"Mm, that's sweet," I say, "Got some more time on your hands?"

He raises an eyebrow at me, "Why?"

"I just thought maybe you'd wanna listen to some music with me. I don't have any other students today, literally only one signed up. Maybe you'll be more motivated to work after." I shrug. I try not to let my nerves get the better of me. Asking Logan to basically hang out was not something I was expecting to come out of my mouth, but something in me wants to spend more time with him. Something in me makes me want to get to know him better, maybe even help him. Also, if students know that I'm buddies with the big bad Logan, they'll want to sign up for lessons with me!

Logan looked at me suspiciously. I purse my lips in a thin line with wide eyes waiting for him to answer. "I don't really listen to music, kid, hate to break it to ya."

"Literally no one here does," I push off the frame with an eyeroll. It's getting frustrating how none of these people want to even try to get into something new, "Well, I'm going to practice piano, or something. Have fun at-- well, at whatever you do," I still give him a smile before I retreat back into my room. He gives a grunt in response when I close the door. I plop down on the piano bench and sigh. 

Being in this mansion was starting to get suffocating. And being in this little room with one window felt worse than that stupid shipping container. Worse than anything that fucking "RainTec" did to me. I don't understand why no one has come to talk to me about, or even to see if I'm ok. I am, but it'd still be nice to be asked. I hope I'm not always going to be useless and invisible here. I'm hidden in the farthest corner on the highest floor of this place. It's a wonder why Logan was up here in the first place. Maybe he goes on walks or something, I don't know. He's a weird guy, nothing he does would surprise me, honestly. Well, except if he started acting like Ororo or Kitty.

I sat at the piano for a while; for how long, I don't know, I don't have a clock. My speaker pinged and a muffled voice came out of it asking me to go down to the Professors office. I think it might've been Jean who hacked into my speaker. After another second, I get up begrudgingly. Sitting in my wallows was more appealing, ignoring this would be stupid, though. Besides, it's probably something important. I quickly make my way down to the first floor where Charles' office is located. I open the door to a few people around his desk, looks like I'm the last to the party. Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Logan were the people I recognized. There was another young man, he was blue with a tail and sharp teeth.

"Y/n, I'm happy you could join us on such short notice. I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Charles Xavier greeted. He's always nice to me. Skeptically, he might be a little too nice. "I know you haven't had any training, but the x-men would be at benefit of your knowledge and abilities for this mission." he began to explain, "You wouldn't be put on the battlefield, you'd be conducting behind the scenes work from the jet." he smiled.

"Uhm, ok? What is this mission even about?" I asked.

"My apologies, I forgot you weren't here when I went over it with the other x-men. We've found a base of RainTec's that we have records of you being held there recently. We've gotten reports of mutant's captive there, the mission is to help them escape and bring the base down in the process." he finished. The Professor didn't seemed bother in the slightest by my connection to RainTec, not even by the fact that I was also held captive there recently. But, despite that, this could be a good opportunity to prove myself useful. Maybe by helping them with this, it'll show that I can help people. Logan said that the first step is wanting to help, I guess this is my second. "Are you willing to help?"

"Yeah, sure." 

[fallingforfelix]

❛❛out of touch❞

모래시계를 통해 미끄러지는 모래처럼, 단절은 우리 손끝으로 스며듭니다.

disconnection seeps through our fingertips, like sand slipping through the hourglass.

.° ༘🎍⋆🍾₊˚ෆ

synopsis: kinktober day #4 — hand fetish (cheirophilia)

pairing: felix x minho

content: 18+/explicit (mature audiences only), tad bit of angst but not too much, smut, college au, second person view, pwp (porn with plot), emotional distress, lgbtq+ content, mature relationships, skinship, profanities, potential triggers for anxiety or low self-esteem

warnings: voyeurism, masturbation, physical affection (hugging, hand holding), orgasm, erotic fantasies, pet names (jagi)

word count: 3.2k (3200) + 3 photos (text messages)

note: are half of felix’s emotions overreactions in this? absolutely!! but i haven’t been feeling the best lately so what better way to get my anger out than by writing angst in my works. so i rly liked this one, until it got to the smut. definitely not my best!! there’s a typo in one of the messages so pls ignore that. this was supposed to be a triple post…but i’ll just post the other two when i wake up in the morning.

inspired by: like me better by @cattolino

song reference: touch by katseye

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

the way minho played the guitar so flawlessly was astonishing, no doubt. and felix would’ve admitted that the tune was beautiful, had he not been distracted.

the way minho’s veins protruded like they were trying to escape his skin, made felix’s brain spin. he couldn’t help but feel almost…insecure? his gaze kept flickering between his hyung and his own hands that were clasped together on his lap. his miniature, feminine-like hands. no wonder minho hyung has girls all over him.

and mixed with the insecurity was something else. something felix couldn’t quite pinpoint, but it gnawed at his heartstrings and made him feel giddy. felix chewed on his inner cheek and twiddled his fingers, his gaze following minho’s hands, now completely blocking out the music.

a while seemed to have passed, but never long enough, because minho spoke up, resting his hands on odd ends of the guitar, his veins remaining inanimate.

“so, did you like it? i know i’m not that good. but i think i’m getting the hang of it. jisung has been teaching me and he’s amazing. you know that emo music kid? you must, he’s in your year.”

oh, so you let other boys see your hands like that? 

felix hadn’t even had time to grasp the thought before it passed, replaced by the urge to reply.

“wow, you learn quickly,” felix mentally cursed himself for the way his voice sounded so breathy, and he coughed to clear his throat. “uhm, yeah, it’s really nice actually. good tune. the kind that’ll get stuck in your head. i don’t recall ever hearing it, did you compose it?”

“jisung and i did,” and minho’s face broke into a wide grin, highlighting his feline features. “i slept over in his dorm around a week ago and we pulled an all-nighter just writing a bunch of silly songs. he’s actually a composer, did you know that? signed with a label and everything, writing songs for some big names. you’d be surprised when you recognise all the ones he’s credited for, trust me. anyways, these chords happened to be the only ones we wrote down.

“that sounds nice and all, but hey, just remember you’re a dance major. don’t let the music students fuck your brain up or anything like that, okay?” as much as he tried to, felix just couldn’t suppress the layer of jealousy that seeped through his tone, hoping minho didn’t notice it.

minho chuckled. “it seems like you’re talking from experience.”

“oh, you know, hyunjin and his boyfriend changbin. i don’t reckon hyune’s been the same since.”

“well i best keep an eye out, then,” minho expressed a little wink, and felix felt a wave of dread wash over him as he came to terms with the blush warming his face.

there was a pause, a beat of silence. for a moment no one spoke.

minho clapped his hands together, and that was all that it took for felix’s attention to be drawn to the sight of them once again.

“we’ve been here for a while and it’s getting late, shall we head back to the dorms?” he enquired.

“sure,” felix blatantly responded, before standing up.

minho stood too, fixing the guitar back into the case, and felix observed the routine of his veins, watching as minho moved specific fingers to trigger certain vessels unconsciously.

felix hadn’t even realised the older had propped the guitar back onto the rack and was staring intently at him.

“sorry,” felix snapped out of his trance.

“are you all good?” minho asked.

“yeah, yeah. i’m just…i don’t know,” felix figured ‘tired’ was too much of an overused, lame excuse to justify his spacing out.

and with that, minho made his way out of the practice room, felix following suit.

the walk back to their dorms was peaceful, neither of the boys spoke much, only when minho pointed out how the weather was getting noticeably colder did felix converse.

felix, although the extrovert, found content in the silence. it gave him an opportunity to dwell on the conflicting emotions encircling inside him, like an eagle circling its prey.

minho was the type of person that anyone could easily envy. minho’s hands were large and veiny, a stark contrast to felix’s. heck, if they were to hold hands, minho would probably feel like he was holding a child’s.

but there was something else about minho’s hands. something that made felix want to be held by them and never let go. something that ached inside him and caused him to wish for his hyung’s hands to roam over every contour of his body. something…no, i won’t dare let my thoughts roam that far.

felix had always regarded minho as sexy, so why was he only experiencing these perceptions now? fuck that damned guitar.

the sound of loud voices and laughter drew felix out of his mind, coming to face the door within which he resided. turning the handle with minho behind him, he came face to face with three college boys.

hyunjin was lazing on the couch, with his back supported by the arm rest and his legs thrown over changbin’s lap. the couple seemed to be laughing with a third, unknown boy, who had a gummy smile and chubby, rounded cheeks, quite resemblant of a squirrel. he was adorned in a sweater with a red and black horizontal stripe pattern, paired with black jeans which had slits in the knees, black platform boots that would most definitely hurt if he stood on you, and he was almost decorated in a range of silver jewellery.

the boys seemed not to notice felix and minho’s entry, or if they did then they just didn’t care.

“having a little party without me i see, hyune,” felix says as he lays eyes on the scene. he doesn’t comprehend hyunjin’s response, however, for that squirrel-faced stranger brushed past him into minho’s arms.

in that moment, felix’s tender, possessive heart fractured, shattered even, leaving a jagged edge that refused to heal. numbness enveloped him, yet his eyes betrayed him, burning with the temptation to hold back tears. his sorrow weighed down the muscles that he required to smile, preventing him from doing that very thing, stealing the grin that once defined him. the boy who everyone described as a walking sunshine, the epitome of optimism, now felt his inner light dwindle to darkness.

minho hyung doesn’t like skinship.

it wasn’t the fact that minho was hugging other guys, no, he was an adult and allowed to hug whoever he wanted to. it was the fact that everyone knew he despised physical affection.

“minho hyung,” that boy’s words were muffled as he had his head buried in minho’s chest.

“jisungie…” minho’s smile was evident even through his voice.

oh, so that’s jisung. right.

someone had stabbed him in the heart, twisted the knife, and the scar seemed as if it would take an eternity to heal. an overreaction? perhaps. but felix was like that. he cared for his friends, even if that resulted in being possessive at times. as long as he didn’t have an outburst, everything would be okay.

felix turned into the kitchenette to pour himself a glass from the tap. maybe water would help drown out the emotions bubbling in his throat, threatening to consume him in a fit of tears if he didn’t take care of them soon enough.

he sat himself on the top of the counter, legs crossed and cup in hand. his gaze wandered over to changbin and hyunjin, to the picture-perfect couple, that were all over each other, not a single thought to anything else going on in their vicinity. oh, to have a relationship like theirs. felix’s sight shifted from one side of the room to the other, subconsciously eyeing minho and jisung.

they were now facing each other, minho’s hands resting on jisung’s arms, just above the crook of his elbow. the pair were conversing about something felix would’ve liked to have eavesdropped on, but once again, his glare was drawn to minho. the boy was doing that stupid thing he does with his eyes, his beautiful, dark brown, almond-shaped eyes that gave him the illusion of a cat. he was staring deep into jisung’s eyes almost as if he could see through them, past them. funny how someone regarded as intimidating due to their “mean, cold” stare, could hold so much love in their eyes.

felix didn’t know why he did it, but he coughed a fake cough, reminding the couples that he was in the room with them.

“sorry, uhm,” although felix wasn’t really sorry. “hyune do y’know where wooya is?”

“dunno, probably with san or something,” hyunjin responded.

“right. i’m gonna go call him.”

and without another word, felix disappeared into his room, seeking the safety of a relationship-free zone.

he pulled out his phone, but didn’t call wooyoung. he didn’t know what he was going to do, but he knew he didn’t want to be in the atmosphere of the shared living space.

he just sat there on his bed, merely thinking, trying to process everything. fuck having feelings. and maybe a silent tear or two ran down his cheek. he kept trying to tell himself that it wasn’t jealousy that caused him to act this way. but if it wasn’t jealousy, then what could it be? it wasn’t insecurity, he had already been over that.

he came to the conclusion that he’d let his emotions subside and figure them out later when they weren’t as intense. he stood up and made a beeline for the door, planning to grab some of the brownies he made early and return to his room to rewatch deadpool and wolverine.

stepping outside, he quickly wiped away any remaining tears, gently though, so as to not smear any of his makeup.

a figure appeared in the hallway as felix lifted his head, almost scaring him.

“felix! i was just about to come and get you,” jisung gasped.

he had barely even known this kid existed 10 minutes ago, and his friends were already expecting him to be able to usher felix out of his room. and for some reason felix took offence to that.

“oh, it’s just my third eye,” felix retorded, not voicing anything he just thought.

“we’re all just about to head off, actually. thought we’d let you know,” jisung told.

making plans without him? okay, ouch.

“ah, no worries.”

“lixie, did you hear from wooyoung?” hyunjin asked as felix stepped into the light of the room with jisung by his side.

“no, he didn’t pick up,” and felix was ashamed he could lie so easily to one of his best friends. that’ll come in handy. for what? he didn’t know. his brain seemed to be doing most of the thinking, yet not feeding him the information.

“that’s odd. i hope he’s not having too much fun with san,” hyunjin joked.

felix would’ve found it amusing if he was in a better mood, instead he just gave a dry laugh that no one seemed to notice.

minho spoke up as felix was grabbing the brownies from the fridge and heating them up in the microwave.

“hyunjins spending the night at changbin’s, and jisungs roommates with him so their just gonna drop me off at my dorm.”

don’t even bother to invite me? don’t bother, it’s not like i want to be around jisung anyways.

“sound all good? wooyoung will be back soon, i’m sure,” minho asked.

“yeah, that’s fine,” felix responded, almost absent mindedly, seeming all too focused on the way the plate rotated in the microwave.

the ding sound that the machine made when the brownies finished brought felix back to life, and he stared in minho’s direction as soon as he felt the older’s eyes on him.

“want one?” he offered, already stuffing his face but trying to soften the atmosphere.

minho didn’t respond with words, but rather walked himself over to felix, claiming his brownie. felix noticed that the jumper he was wearing before was discarded across one of the chairs that sat on the other side of the kitchen bench. probably because the temperature inside contrasted drastically compared to the weather outside as hyunjin had turned up the heater to an inhumane temperature.

“thanks, jagi,” minho mumbled before biting down on the treat.

jagi?

oh, felix was definitely blushing. he probably just combusted, if that.

purposefully positioning his head so that his hair would cover majority of the redness, he tried to respond with a nonchalant “no problem” but his voice just had to crack.

—

felix eventually had offer the three other boys brownies, and he had to admit that jisung was pretty damn cute when he begged, but felix wouldn’t let him get to his head.

minho calling him ‘jagi’ definitely fucked him up. so much so that felix was now propped up in his bed, scrolling through their chats to find the picture of minho’s hand that he sent when he asked felix which ring he preferred better.

to be honest, felix’s own hand now ached; he didn’t realise how much he and his hyung interacted over text. but his hand ached from something else, something that felix would rather not confront, but his boxers were growing tighter with every thought he had of minho. and his fingers were itching with need and hunger to touch himself, but he needed to wait, the mere concept of minho’s hand wasn’t nearly as good as the real thing.

jisung had made a joke of some sort before they all left, earning a laugh from everyone, even felix had to chuckle along, minho had backhandedly hit felix on his bicep, nothing violent, just a typical reaction that you get from some people when they laugh. and felix wasn’t in pain, but where minho had placed his hand left a mark, a mental mark, one that was burned into felix’s memory forever.

felix finally came across the texts, relishing the tone of their conversation. he didn’t think he’d ever be able to look minho in the eye again soon enough.

minho’s veins in the picture were not nearly as prominent compared to how felix saw them when he was playing the guitar, but he reckoned it was the best he was going to get.

felix and minho had worn the rings everyday since purchase — around a month and a half ago. felix had been wearing his today, only taking it off just then so as to not damage the expensive silver. and he vividly remembered minho adorned in his half of the set, recalling how he felt the cold metal touch his skin when minho had hit him.

felix had slipped off his shirt, leaving him in boxers only. he was positioned on the bed with his elbow supporting his weight, phone in the corresponding hand, with his legs spread open but not outstretched.

his spare hand was resting just above the waistband of his boxers, moving up and down in synchronisation with his breathing. felix took another glance at the photo in his palm, and all control he previously had was thrown out of the window.

he placed his hand on his bulge and slowly began dragging his digits across his clothed length. he sucked in through his teeth, body quivering already. felix stayed like that for a moment, savouring the feeling, easily picturing his hyung’s hands taking charge of his dick.

“fuck, minho,” he gasped, palming his increasingly tight boxers.

felix bit his lip, unaware if he was suppressing the noises or the pain the thought of minho was giving him. a wet patch formed over his crotch, signifying he was dripping with precum.

noting that he had already gone too far to be uneasy, he bucked subconsciously into his hand and let a little whine slip again. felix pictured minho’s pretty face above him, staring into his eyes and stroking his cock almost nonchalantly as the blonde boy beneath him writhed in pleasure. felix could imagine the signature smirk that would dawn minho’s face at the guttural moan felix would make if he swiped his thumb across his leaking tip, pushing him closer to the edge.

but even though it seemed as if minho was there on top of him, the voice in the back of felix’s mind knew that his own hands could never compare to his hyung’s. his lip was bleeding from the pressure of his teeth, but no matter how much friction or weight he applied, his efforts weren’t satisfactory.

felix lifted his hips up, sliding off his boxers with ease, exposing his extremely sensitive cock. he breathed in shakily, body tensing at the sudden exposure to air. he wrapped his fingers around his length, sucking in his cheeks as if he had just tasted something quite sour.

he moaned again as his hand dragged along the freshly-shaven skin, rutting into his palm. he began to pant, eyes watering in desperation. felix’s bed began to creak, but his senses were so overwhelmed he barely payed any attention to being quiet.

“ngh, minho hyung—” felix whimpered like a little slut.

his eyes were closed, forcing the movie in his head to appear clearer, almost realistic. he satisfied his delusions, letting his thumb come intact with the tip of his dick. felix had to grip the side of his bed for support, his movements never halting. his head lolled from the pillow on which it was propped upon, to the wooden headboard, exposing his defined adam’s apple.

minho’s face swam into his vision again, this time jerking felix off at an inhumane pace, whilst prying the boy’s legs open wider. felix mocked the minho in his mind, surprised how fast he could stroke himself and forcing his legs further apart. he internally praised his minho, because felix was now completely zoned out in a state of bliss. obviously with hands like his, minho would be an expert at handjobs. but it brought felix’s brain back to earth for a second, how many people get to experience the very thing i’m dreaming of, lee minho’s holy hands presenting me with pleasure and the best handjob known to mankind. and felix felt a twinge of jealousy, but that only fuelled his desire for more.

“shi-it, minho ah,” felix could feel the brick wall that had slowly constructed itself inside of him begin to crumble and he became a moaning mess.

“minho, minho…please i-i’ve been so good mm, let me c-cum, please…” and felix was tipped over the edge completely, painting his abs in strips of white, not caring about the mess he was making.

he was panting, tongue hanging out, and mouth dry. quite resemblant of a dog. he looked at the picture of minho’s hands laying limply on the bed, as felix had discarded his phone when he went to steady himself. he groaned again at the sight and began to feel that wall being built again.

he pushed himself up on the bed, turning around to grind into the pillow in an attempt to find a more comfortable position for round two.

“do that again.”

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

©fallingforfelix, 2024 tag if inspired

[lovelyhan]

— again and again (a teaser) ⟢

pairing: mingyu x reader

summary: your mother calls one day, asking if you’re bringing mingyu along for chuseok this year. in your panic, you end up giving her an affirmative—never mind the fact that you and mingyu have stopped seeing each other over half a year ago.

word count: 1.7k words

tags: exes, fake dating, pining, idol!gyu, vet!reader, mild angst, fluff, smut (in later scenes; the teaser is completely sfw)

warnings: some medical jargon, mentions of shots (for pets)

notes: omg this is so long for a teaser, but it's fine LMAO i'll be away this weekend, so i thought i'd treat you guys to a little something i'm currently working on ^__^ i hope you like it!

When you hear the telltale ring as the call connects to its intended recipient, you wonder why you even considered this idea in the first place. Not to mention, you’re getting a nasty case of phone call anxiety—one that you haven’t felt in god knows how long. Maybe it’s because of the identity of the person you’re calling that your nerves are all over the place. 

In fact, you’re not sure if he’s even going to answer. There are a million and a half reasons why famous superstar Kim Mingyu won’t be able to pick up your call. He could be shooting for a music video or some fashion magazine. He could be in the middle of an interview. Or he could be out spending time with his members like tends to these days if his recent Instagram posts are anything to go by. 

But you try anyway because your mother sounded so hopeful in the phone call you just hung up on five minutes ago (The rice wine he got for us last Christmas was splendid! He’ll bring some again for Chuseok, won’t he?), that you just didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth.

So, because you can’t take back the pretty white lies you uttered (Uh, of course he will. Gyu told me he missed everyone back at home, too. Especially Namja), you’re attempting to rope Mingyu into the charade even if the odds are against you.

The first call doesn’t go through. Neither does the second. 

By your third try, you’re about to accept the fact that you’re going to have to make some due corrections to what you told your mother until you hear a groggy, “Hello?” on the other line. 

You nearly fall off your seat at the throaty sound of Mingyu’s voice, but you’d rather not get weird looks from your receptionist, so you breathe in as deeply (and quietly) as you can before mustering a smile that he won’t even be able to see.

“Hey, Mingyu, it’s me,” you begin, a bit proud of how your voice didn’t even falter. “It’s been a while. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

He doesn’t respond for a while, and the prolonged silence makes you bite the inside of your cheek. Did the call fall through? Did he not hear what you said? But just when you’re about to repeat the words—

“Kind of,” Mingyu grumbles, and you try not to think about how sexy his morning voice sounds despite it being two in the afternoon. “We finished taping a variety show today and I figured I’d get some sleep. It’s midnight right now.”

Well that’s news to you.

“Oh. You’re not in Korea?”

“Nah. We’re in New York for some brand collaborations,” he says, and you hear some rustling in the background, followed by a yawn. “Though I doubt you’ve been keeping tabs on us.” 

Okay, he doesn’t have to call you out like that.

Sure, you still catch posts from Mingyu, as well as the other twelve members of SEVENTEEN from time to time, but…after breaking up with him (on good terms, promise!), you thought it’s best if you didn’t see too much of them anymore. The block and mute buttons are your best friends, and while you didn’t use them on the members directly, gossip outlets were your regular targets.

So to speak, it’s been a peaceful six months since your break up with Mingyu. 

Until now.

“Do you need something?” he asks, and you realize you didn’t respond to what he said last. “Whatever it is, I might not be able to help you out right away. We’re holed up here until next month.”

Well…that’s all the confirmation you needed.

“I see,” you sigh, trying not to sound too disappointed. “It’s— It’s okay.”

“So you do need something,” Mingyu points out, voice much clearer now than it was two minutes ago. Like he was more awake. “What is it?”

“Nothing you should worry about, Gyu,” you reassure before making a face, not realizing how easily the old nickname just slipped out. “I’m sorry for waking you up. You should go back to—”

The sound of him whining at the other end sends another rush of vertigo through your entire being. “Come on, I’m awake anyways right? You know how hard it is for me to fall asleep again.”

“If I’d known we weren’t in the same continent, I wouldn’t have called altogether,” you say before quaintly adding, “Shit. This counts as an international call, doesn’t it?”

There’s someone else in the room with him, you think—a quiet drawl of Mingyu-hyung, what time is it? You immediately recognize it as Seungkwan. 

“Five minutes from midnight,” Mingyu says, and Seungkwan asks another question that you aren’t able to catch. “Who am I talking to? Bookkeu and Bobpul’s worst enemy.”

“Hey!” You scowl at him. “They never even whined when you and Seungkwan brought them to me for their shots!”

“Noona? Why are you calling this guy?” Seungkwan says a bit more loudly for you to hear. “Didn’t you dump him already? Good choice, by the way.” 

This time it’s Mingyu’s turn to utter out a semi-offended, “Hey! Mind your own business, Seungkwan-ah.”

A few minutes of bickering with his dongsaeng later, you figure that Mingyu must’ve gone outside of their hotel room for some privacy. You can vaguely hear the sound of the wind blowing on his end before he heaves a deep sigh.

“Sorry about that.” He coughs awkwardly. “Anyway, if you’re not going to tell me about what you needed help with, how are you? Is the clinic doing well? Did your receptionist finally ditch her shitty boyfriend? Does that one guy with a husky still hit on you?”

You’re a little overwhelmed by the sudden influx of questions. Last you checked, you haven’t spoken to Mingyu since you greeted him on his birthday over a quick text message. But then again, your ex does have a talent for completely ignoring the time that exists in between interactions. Mingyu’s always been amicable for conversation, idol or not, boyfriend or not. 

The mere thought that he hasn’t changed at all makes your heart ache in more ways than one.

You manage a quiet laugh. “I’m fine. The clinic’s fine. Chae has a new boyfriend now. He even helps us sort out new products on the shelves sometimes.”

At the mention of her name, your receptionist whips her head in your direction, one brow raised. You shake your head with a smile, gesturing that this is nothing she should even be remotely concerned about. 

It’s just Mingyu after all.

“Okay, how about the guy who—”

“I turned him down when he asked me out for lunch last week.”

He whistles. “Ouch. And he’s been trying to get with you all this time.”

“I don’t usually date my clients, you know.”

“Yeah? I must be special then.”

Then comes the silence—so thick, you can cut through it with a knife. 

“Uh, so I have a patient coming in an hour for a castration procedure,” you tell him a bit awkwardly. “Gotta prepare everything before the owner arrives.”

Mingyu sighs, and you can almost imagine him pouting. “You’re really not gonna tell me? I can still help you with whatever you need even when I’m out here. Unless it requires me to, you know, physically be there.”

You chuckle. “That’s the thing, Gyu. You can’t help me because I need you to actually be here.”

“Oh. Why? What for?”

You inhale sharp breath through your nose, closing your eyes as your face warms with embarrassment. Chae is definitely looking at you funnily from her station now, but you tell yourself not to give it too much thought.

“Mom asked if I was bringing you with me for Chuseok,” you admit. “I haven’t been home since Christmas, so… They kind of have no idea that we aren’t together anymore.”

Mingyu falls silent for a while yet again, and you realize that your anxiousness spikes whenever he isn’t talking like there’s no tomorrow. You wonder if he’s figured out what you’re trying to insinuate and is silently berating you for the lapse in judgment. But when Mingyu bursts out laughing on the other end, you suddenly don't mind being on the receiving end of his silence after all.

“No way,” he gasps between chuckles. “You were going to ask me to pretend to be your boyfriend over the holidays, weren’t you?! One of the fans wrote a story about the exact same thing once, except it’s between me and Wonwoo-hyung. It was in English though, but Vernon translated it pretty well.”

…Kim Mingyu admitting to reading fanfiction about himself and Wonwoo aside, you groan. “What am I supposed to do? My family loves you. I’d rather not dampen the Chuseok spirit by saying their favorite son has unfortunately made his unannounced exit half a year ago.”

“So you’re willing to pretend we’re still together just to keep them happy?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not like you’re an ex I should be ashamed of, Gyu.”

“Because I’m an idol that millions are vying for?” 

You roll your eyes. “No. It’s because out of all my exes, you’re the only one that Namja actually likes. That’s pretty much the highest honor you can receive in your entire life.”

Your heart does a little flip when Mingyu barks out another light-hearted laugh. You tell yourself that you’re only reacting that way because…it has been a while since you talked to him. That, and Mingyu was always so smiley whenever you brought up your ten year-old retriever.

“Point taken,” he says. “I’d totally be down to help you out, but…yeah.”

“I knew you would be,” you reply, a sad smile ghosting your features. “That’s why I called.”

Silence settles over the line once again, but it’s, by no means, awkward. It’s more…sentimental. Like two old friends reminiscing about the good memories you shared. 

Huh. You’re friends with Mingyu…

“Anyway, thanks for catching up with me, Mingyu,” you tell him before you end up saying something you’re not supposed to. “I’ll get going now. Good night.”

“Hey—”

You end the call before he can have the chance to make you falter.

end notes: like the teaser so far? leave a reply if you haven't filled out my taglist form yet and would like to be tagged once the full story is up!

edit: the full fic is up here!

[saltedpeppermintmocha]

MONSTERS DON'T DO BACKGROUND CHECKS - 1/?

-UFSans x Reader

Summary: Moving across the country and starting your life anew on the basis of a rumour may not be the smartest thing you've ever done...but, well, you're here.

If only you could stop running into that asshole skeleton, life would be pretty good.

Tags: underfell au, bara Sans, afab reader, enemies to lovers, fluff, eventual romance, eventual smut, slow burn, swearing, alcohol, smoking, past abuse, plot

Notes: I figured I might as well play around with sharing this one on tumblr too! Don't know if it'll get any interest here (I've never posted a fic on tumblr) but thats okay either way. This is currently on Ao3 with 10 chapters and 75k words, so its a long one folks.

Chapter 1: Monster Don't Do Background Checks

The building looms above you, and you wonder (not for the first time) if you are making a mistake. 

Okay. You take in a deep breath and count to ten. One shot at this. I got this.

Fake it till you make it, right?

Pushing open the surprisingly heavy glass door, you walk in. It takes you a few moments to adjust to the sudden LED-lighted lobby. The first thing that catches your eye -and how could it not - is the giant fountain in the middle of the room. It’s huge, with water spraying out in all directions. A robotic statue stands tall in the middle, water spraying from each of its four arms. An attention-grabber, for sure.

Despite its opulence, the lobby itself is quiet. A few monsters litter about, and it takes you a concentrated effort not to stare. Shit. They are huge . Instead, you focus your eyes on the reception desk in the far left corner and start towards it, ignoring the feeling of multiple pairs of eyes watching your every moment. 

There is nobody behind the desk, which feels a bit odd. You check your phone, confirming the time. It’s correct. Maybe you’re a little early, but that's a good thing…right? Shit. Maybe it’s not for monsters. Who knows. Standing on your tiptoes, you lean slightly against the counter in an attempt to see around it. Nothing. Huh. 

For a moment you can’t help but flounder, feeling awkward as more monsters in the lobby turn to face you. Then your eyes catch on something shiny further down the counter. A reception bell. Oh. Do you need to ring it? 

You slam your hand down on it, only after the chime starts considering that maybe you should have paused a second before just going forward. In some places, ringing the bell could be considered rude, right? Definitely not the impression you’re trying to give. But just waiting here seems dumb too. You’d risk losing your nerve.

And well, that’s just not an option. This is your option. This is your fresh start. 

“Welcome to MTT Resort! Ebott’s biggest apartment-building-turned hotel!” 

Fuck! You startle harshly at the voice, turning on your heel to find the speaker. It comes in the form of a short…almost star-shaped monster suddenly appearing beside you. Where the hell did you come from?! The monster is red and blue colour-blocked, and has a diamond shaped head. You don’t really know what to think of it, though…you’re pretty sure that each point on its body is sharp enough to cause real damage. It puts you on edge, despite its smiling face. 

“Oh. A human guest…” Its head spins completely around. Woah. Weird. “Nice! MTT resort prides itself on catering to all kinds of guests!” 

“Oh, uh, thanks.” You smile awkwardly. “I’m not a guest though. I’m here for the…interview?”

The monster’s head spins around again. “Oh! Well, isn’t that unexpected!” A pause. “But MTT resort prides itself on its ability to handle the unexpected!”

Uh… Unsure as to how to respond to that, you just smile. 

The star-shaped monster points its arm(?) at a door not far from the reception desk. “Go through that door! The supervisor will see you in her office.”

“Thanks!” Your smile becomes a bit more sincere. The monster cartwheels away, starting up a conversation with a new monster walking into the lobby. It’s the same spiel it started with you. You only pay the amusing scene a moment of attention, before turning away and heading towards the door. 

The door opens directly to an office. A high-pitched voice rings out immediately. “What do you want?”

Oh. That’s…that’s a hand. An actual hand. Giant and blue, with very sharp red nails. The monster currently sits behind a large desk, the giant fingers folded into a fist. 

“H-hi!” You stammer. Shit. Pull yourself together. You plaster on a smile and introduce yourself. “I’m here for the job interview.” 

The giant hand moves into a ‘three’ position. “Oh. You’re a human.” How is it even speaking? There’s no mouth??

Once its words register over your internal dialogue, a feeling of dread starts to bubble in your stomach. “Is that…a problem?”

The hand moves to a ‘one’ position. For a long moment, there is no response. You feel your nerves and stress grow, clawing up your throat. Your chest feels weird, a tugging motion you can’t fully place. 

Then, an answer. “No. Just unexpected. We don’t get many humans here.” A pause. “You can call me Chandace.” 

Oh. Alright then. You expected that. “It’s nice to meet you, Chandace.” 

A snort (how?!) “Well, you’re already more polite than the shit employeesI have already. Sit down. Let's get this going.”

With that, the interview starts immediately. It’s short, with mostly questions you had expected and prepared to be asked. A few are…oddly specific, but nothing you can’t handle. You can tell that Chandace is near the end of the questions -and are feeling confident- when she hits you with the big one.

“Do you have any experience working with monsters?”

“No.” You admit. “I just moved here, but I’m very open-minded and ready to learn!”

“Well, you’re definitely crazy enough to even try.” Chandace hums, moving again into a ‘three’ position.“We require all staff to live on-site. Is that a problem?”

“Live…on site?”

“Yes, at the resort.” She says, words slow. “Part of your pay will go directly towards your room, of course. But employees get a discount.” 

That seems…highly problematic. Definitely something that wouldn’t fly outside of Ebott. Red flags pop up in your mind from all directions. But…well…that does actually solve your other big problem of living out of your car. 

“That works for me.” You say. “I do have a car. Do you have parking?”

“Yes.“ Chandace says. “Most monsters don't have cars, so I can sell you a spot. Full-price.” Fucking hell. How much of your pay is going to go towards just living at the resort?! It's frustrating in principle, but not like you have many other options. 

Wait. Most monsters don't have cars? But…

“What about those cars in the parking lot?” You can’t help but ask. The parking lot outside the resort was practically full. 

“Mettatons, mostly.” She says. “Status symbols.” 

Huh? You think back on the cars you walked by. Sure, they were pretty nice…but not exactly something you’d consider a ‘status symbol’. Still, you nod. “Okay.” 

A long silence, then. “I’ll get started on the paperwork.” 

You straighten up, eyes widening. “Does that mean…I got the job?!”

“Don’t be stupid.” Chandace stands up. “Arrive on time, do your job, don’t pull any human shit, and we’ll have no problem.” She starts towards the door. “I’ll be back with the forms.”

The door closes behind you as Chandace walks out. Alone in the office, it takes you a moment for your mind to truly click. 

…I got the job.

…

I did it…holy shit. I actually did it! A triumphant grin forms on your face, and you lean back into the chair. Relief quickly overwhelms any sense of victory you feel. You have a job, and -surprisingly- a place to sleep.

So, that’s how you became the first human employee at a monster-owned business.

Fucking cool. 

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

The elevator makes a freaky sound as you go up, enough to make you question if it might be best to take the stares from now on. At least you’re only on the third floor, so the ride isn’t too long. 

The doors open to a rather lackluster hallway. Sure, there may be nothing overtly wrong with the hallway, but it looks like any other hotel hallway you’ve ever been in. It contrasts so heavily with the glitz and glam of the outside of the building and the lobby that it gives you pause. 

Walking down the hall, you quickly find your room. Sliding the keycard into the slot, the door unlocks. You push it open with your hip, pulling your suitcase behind you. Once inside, you lock the door and turn on the lights. 

Your room itself is much like the hallway, upsettingly normal; though, you are not sure exactly what you expected. Maybe something more ‘monster-like’? Whatever that might mean. Still, the room has pretty much anything you could need: a bed (large), a television (old and boxy), a bathroom (no tub, damn), a table and chair and storage. The only thing missing is a kitchen, but Chandace had already explained earlier that the employees use a full communal kitchen.

It feels sort of like being in a dorm. Hm. Again, you can’t exactly complain. 

After haphazardly putting away your personal items and checking out your view (literally just the side of the building next door), you decide to find this communal kitchen. Double checking that you have your keycard with you, you walk out of your room and down the hall. 

It doesn’t take long to find what you’re sure is it, a large open door at the end of the hall. You turn into the room…

…and immediately crash into someone. 

“Shit!” You grumble, stepping backwards and rubbing your hurt nose. Whatever you walked into was soft, but didn’t move an inch. 

“Watch your fucking step.” A male voice. You look up. Oh. It’s…a cat? Well, a cat monster. Huh. This is actually the first monster that I can somewhat recognize. The cat narrows his eyes at you. “You’re new.” He says, ears folding back onto his head. “Where are you working?”

You introduce yourself, feeling a bit on edge as his stare only grows in intensity. “I’m the new receptionist.”

At your words, his shoulders drop. “Hm. Fine then.” A pause. “Just don’t take from my tips.”

“Uh, of course not?” You respond quickly, confused. “I guess…you work here too, then?”

“Everyone on this floor works at this shithole.” The cat deadpans. You open your mouth to ask another question, but a paw on your shoulder gently pushes you aside. Before you can say anything, the cat monster walks past you. 

Well, fuck me then.

You roll your eyes, and head into the kitchen. It’s empty now, but clean at least. That’s good. There’s also a small seating area with two couches, and a large window. Walking over, you check out the view. It’s a bit better, showing the park across the street.  It’s kind of interesting to people-watch. Uh. Monster-watch?

Bzzt

Your phone vibrates in your pocket. Not a call, a text. Probably Chandace with your schedule. Shit. You can’t believe you are actually going to work at MTT resort! A monster hotel. What the fuck is your life? 

Pulling out your phone, you open the message and read it. Uh. You re-read it. And again. That…can’t be right….right?

[Chandace]: Your first shift is tomorrow. Be downstairs at 4:30 a.m.

Four thirty?! You groan at the text, immediately turning around to head back. If you have to be up that early, you have no choice but to start winding down now. 

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

‘Winding-down’ turns out to be completely impossible. You try, oh how you try, but everything in you thrums in excitement and anticipation. How the hell can you ‘wind down’ when you’re actually here? Living in MTT Resort? When everything you’ve been working towards for the last few months has actually happened…and worked?

I’m here. 

I’m actually here. 

A mantra you don’t think you’ll stop repeating for a while. Grabbing a pillow, you place it over your face to muffle the excited sound that escapes you. It had been a long, terrifying process, but it actually fucking worked! You think of your day, of how terrified and anxious you had been, of how you spent at least an hour in the MTT Resort parking lot before being able to calm yourself enough to walk in. 

A bit ridiculous, sure, but it’s not like you’re normally like this. God, if you were, you don’t think any of this would have been possible. It was pretty much your life on the line after all. You think you can give yourself a bit of a break. 

Monsters don’t do background checks; the rumor that had you uproot your entire life and move to a completely foreign environment. There hadn’t been a way to corroborate the rumor -nothing online about the subject at all- so the risk had been huge. I guess I was just desperate enough to try anything. At least it turned out to be true. You’re not entirely sure what you would have done if things hadn’t panned out. There was no backup plan.

When you first heard the rumor, you had assumed you would have to move to Ebott itself. That…was overwhelming. The thought of that monster metropolis at the foot of the mountain felt so alien to you. Apparently it had been a small farming town before the Emergence, but the humans that previously lived there left quickly after the monsters showed up. Now, ruled by the monster monarchy, it had exploded into the bustling place it is now. 

The main problem with moving to Ebott was the tension between monsters and humans in the area. It’s a bit better now…but not long ago there were many incidents in the news. Humans would go to the city and cause trouble; sometimes smaller things like vandalism or robbery, and other times actively looking to hurt someone. A dumb idea, really. It never really worked out well for the humans that tried. Not only are monsters normally much stronger than us, but they actually are legally allowed a wide-range of self-defense for themselves and their territory. 

The law had to catch up quickly after the Emergence. Many people were not happy at the monster's existence, and would travel to the town to demand them ‘return to the mountain’. The first time a human was seriously hurt, it was huge. The man had gone to Ebott and attacked what they thought was a weak monster, only to get their ass handed to them. It went to court, and the entire world watched as it was self-defense. It was the first time in a while that you actually felt a bit proud of your species. The precedent continues to stand, dissuading many would-be attackers and vandals. Unfortunately, despite the win, things remain tense between the two species, especially in Ebott. 

So, no, the idea of moving there seemed impossible. Not with your limitations. But in your research, you found another possibility. A city, two hours or so away from Ebott, where enough monsters had branched out to that they formed their own area colloquially called ‘Monstertown. Monster owned businesses were popping up quickly, including a new branch of the famous MTT Resort. From what you read, the big migration of monsters had been a joint decision between the government and the monarchy to improve Monster-Human relations. Unfortunately, it had ended up mostly just dividing the city. Like Ebott -now, anyways- there are rarely any incidents, but only a few brave humans ever enter Monstertown. 

Knowing that, the looks you got all day are neither surprising or insulting. Monsters look at you in surprise and confusion more than anything. It’s what you can expect when you move specifically to the monster side of the city. Sure, maybe you’d have an easier time blending in on the human side of town but…well…there’s a reason you applied specifically to a monster-owned business. 

It’s worked out for you though. A place like this, where monsters are separate but still receptive to humans, is perfect for you. 

Your phone vibrates on the bed, pulling you from your thoughts. You pull the pillow from your face and grab your phone. A new text is up on the screen.

[Mark]: Where r u?

Frowning, you swipe to clear your screen and turn it face down. You push away the new thoughts trying to crawl up your mind, anxieties you thought you left miles ago. No, now is not the time to reflect on the past. 

You are here. This is your future. 

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

You don’t get much sleep at all, anticipation for your first day thrumming heavily in your veins. Eventually you do pass out, but it feels like you only sleep for maybe twenty minutes before your alarm starts going off. 

Peeling yourself out of bed, you get ready and head on down to the main floor. Chandace hadn’t mentioned a uniform -luckily- so you were dressed in your best ‘business casual’ type outfit. You take advantage of the large elevator mirror to ensure you look good and put-together from all angles before the doors open to the lobby. 

It’s pretty much empty, which you could expect at this hour. The only two occupants are the hand monster and the star-monster, chatting at the reception desk. 

“Good morning!” You smile, walking over. 

Chandace turns towards you, fingers in a ‘four’ position. “You look presentable. Good.”

“Uh, thanks.” You respond. The silence grows a bit too long. “So…how can I start?”

“I will train you today.” Chandace says. “Tomorrow you will be on your own, so listen well.”

“You will do fine.” The star monster says. “MTT resort prides itself on a robust training program!”

…

…

‘Robust’ my ass.

If there is an actual training program, Chandace doesn’t follow it. All she does is show you the absolute basics of working the reception desk. The customer service part of it comes easily, but the software is almost alien to you. It takes you a bit to understand how to navigate it. Still, you feel like you’re catching on pretty well by the time the first guest arrives. 

You look up, catching eyes with a dog monster. “Good morning!” You give your customer service smile. “Are you checking in?”

The dog looks completely surprised. “You smell like…a human.”

You blink. “Well, good. I am a human.” 

The silence goes long. 

“Can I help you check in?” You repeat. Your voice seems to shake the dog monster out of it. 

“Okay.”

The rest of your interactions go similarly. No matter their size or personality, they all have the same reaction to seeing you: complete shock. It’s kinda funny, but you have a feeling it will get old fast. There’s only so many times you can be told your own species before it gets too repetitive.

Chandace leaves you on your own after the first guest, telling you to only bug her if it's urgent. It feels a bit like a compliment, that she thinks you’re good enough to be left alone. But also…it's kinda worrying to be the only one here on your first day. 

It’s just after noon when your stomach moves from a light rumble to an intense need, and the lack of caffeine -you now know you’ll have to bring your own- and food starts to negatively affect your attitude. When you finally get a chance, you head towards the supervisor's room. 

“Hi Chandace!” You peek in. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.” 

“What do you want?” She responds, fingers in a ‘one’ position. You have a feeling she isn’t actually looking up at you. 

“Just, uh, wondering when I should go on break.” You say. “It’s pretty quiet, I think now might be a good time?”

“A break?” That gets her to look up. “What are you talking about?”

…

“Uh…” You start, not really sure how you’re going to handle this. Why is she confused? “My break. You know…the time I get to myself…that I don’t have to work?”

“You don’t get a ‘break’.” 

That's…not possible. Your shift is over eight hours. Do monsters not get breaks?! For a moment you panic, wondering how you’re going to manage this. Shit, you need this job. But can you work that long without a single break?! “But..I’m legally entitled to it.”

“What?!” Chandace’s fingers go down into a fist. “Is this a human thing??”

“Yeah.” You nod.“It’s thirty minutes for anything over eight hours.” 

“Are you serious?!” She grumbles. “That’s ridiculous! I don’t know how you humans manage to get shit done like this.” A pause. “Anything else you’re ‘entitled’ to?” 

Well, yes, actually. But it doesn’t feel like a good time to bring any of that up. Not on your first day. Not when she already seems so annoyed. “Just a thirty for today.” 

“I’m not paying you to not work.”

You respond quickly. “It’s unpaid!” 

“Hm.��� She looks down. “I’m going to look into this. You better not be lying.”

“I’m not!” You insist. 

“Fine. Take it. I’ll do your job too.” Her fingers move dismissively. “Just be back on time.”

“Okay. Uh, thanks.” You leave it there, not wanting to upset her any more, and leave the office. 

After giving the reception and lobby area a quick check -no potential guests- you head out into the lobby with a destination in mind : MTT Burger Emporium. The glittery gold sign has been tantalizing you all morning. You figure that soon, the idea of staying inside the resort for your break and eating resort food will sound awful, but for now it’s all you need. 

You walk into the emporium and look around. It looks just like any other fast-food restaurant, with a bit of extra pizzazz. The walls are decorated with various scenes from Mettaton’s movies and tv shows. Not that you’ve seen more than a few minutes of any. Hm. You look away and make your way to the counter. 

Oh. 

The cat monster from before stands behind the counter. You smile. “Hi again!” Squinting at the small nametag on his apron, you finally have a name to put with the face: BP.

BP’s eyebrows raise. “Quitting already?” He asks.

“What? No.” Your smile fades. “What are you talking about?”

“I thought you were working this morning.” He says. “I saw you on my way in.” 

“I am.” You say, your voice taking on a confused tone as well. “I started at 4:30 this morning.”

That only confuses him more. “So…why are you here if you’re not quitting?”

Suddenly the pieces connect. Ah, I see.  “Oh, I’m on break.”

“On…break?” His head tilts to the side a bit. 

You explain again what a break is, going into a bit more detail this time. The confusion on the monsters face lessens as you talk. When you finish, he chuckles. “Really? Shit. Chandace is probably pissed.”

“Seemed it.” You sigh. “Do you guys really work the entire shift without a break?”

BP shrugs. “Normal to us, I guess.”

“They’re so long though…I don’t know how you do it.” You respond, glancing up towards the clock. Shit. You’re running out of time. “Anyways, what’s good here?”

The break feels too short, and you only finish half of your burger by the time you have to go back to the reception area. A bit early, but it pays off as Chandace comes out at exactly thirty minutes. She’s a bit hard to read…but you think she’s surprised that you are back on time.  

“MTT Resort will comply with your human laws.” She says. “You’ll get a thirty minute break, unpaid.”

“Sounds good to me.” You smile. 

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

2 Weeks Later

Walking out of MTT Resort, you throw your hands in the air for a full-body stretch. Your bones pop, and you let out a relieved sigh. Shit, that feels amazing. The air also feels great after that long-ass shift. You started long before the sun came up, and it’s already sunset. The end of your two weeks of ‘nonstop orientation’ hell is done. Fuck. Finally, tomorrow, you have a day off. You’re completely exhausted and want nothing more than to pass out in bed. But…you have things to do. 

Looking down at your phone, you program the MonsterMart into your GPS and let it lead the way. Walking down the street, you can’t help but feel a bit like an animal in the zoo. Humans don’t normally come to this side of town, so you get a lot of looks. It doesn’t normally bother you much, but today it's getting under your skin quite a bit. 

Instead of paying attention to the stares and allowing your annoyance to grow, you spend your walk double checking the grocery list on your phone. It’s not long, just a few items so that you’re no longer spending money at the MTT Burger Emporium. As much as you actually enjoy talking to the snarky cat monster there, the food is heavy and your wallet is really starting to hurt. The resort pays weekly, but with a good portion of your paycheck going towards your room and parking…there isn’t much left over. Definitely not enough to be paying for food each day.

So, grocery shopping it is. You had briefly considered going to the human side of town, but your car is low on gas, and really, getting the lay of the land is probably the best bet. It feels like you haven’t left the resort at all in the past month. If you really plan to live here for a while, you’ll need to know more than one building. Sure, maybe it would be better to explore Monstertown in a better mood, but you don’t really have any other options. Your last paycheck is already almost gone, you can’t afford another Burger Emporium meal and groceries. As it is, you can almost feel the exhaustion radiating out from you. You don’t want to do this at all. If you had any choice, you wouldn’t be. 

The MonsterMart turns out to be a small store, with shelves a bit more bare than you would have liked. Still, you manage to find most of what you’re looking for. The last thing you’re having trouble finding is mustard. 

It’s frustrating, you just want to go home. You don’t want to be searching down every fucking isle for condiments. Eventually you do find them, in the back of a seemingly unrelated section. Finally! There’s only one bottle of mustard left, sitting amongst an abundance of other condiments. Weird. 

With a small frown, you grab it. It’s a monster brand, you can tell by the overly simple ‘Mustard’ label that human brands don’t do. Interested, you turn it over to see the ingredients. What kind of mustard is this? You are in the middle of trying to determine what one of the ingredients is when the bottle just disappears from your hand. 

…

What?!

You look around, eyes immediately locking on a very large monster standing only a foot or so away. How you didn’t notice his approach is a terrifying mystery. You should have noticed something that big approach you. The monster himself is…well, also kinda terrifying. A skeleton stands before you, tall and broad. His heavy-set form is covered by a black, fur-lined jacket over a dark red top. 

Yeah, he’s pretty freaky. You should be scared, right? Even if this was a human, it's not a good situation. Cornered at the end of an isle, alone with a being as big, obviously strong and stealthy as this monster is. Every instinct should be screaming. Right? 

But fear never comes. No, as your eyes zero in on the bottle of mustard in those huge hands, it’s not fear that overcomes you, but annoyance. 

“Did you just…?” You ask.

Crimson eye lights turn to look at you. “did I just what?” He says, voice deep and gravelly. 

“You-you took that from me.” You say, surprise making you stammer. “I was literally just holding that!”

He snorts. “ya snooze ya lose.”

…What?

You blink slowly at the rude response, feeling that annoyance quickly escalating in your body to full-on anger. Really? Is this monster really going to try to steal your fucking mustard?! 

Maybe, just maybe, if you hadn't been at the end of a long and stressful two weeks, you’d just let it go. It’s just mustard. Maybe he doesn’t understand basic social etiquette. Maybe he doesn’t realize he’s being rude. Maybe he needs it more than you. 

As it is, none of that matters. You don’t have a bone of patience left in your body. 

“What the fuck?!” You turn to face him fully, holding out a hand. “Give it back!”

The skeleton’s eye sockets widen slightly, before narrowing. He grins, showing off sharp teeth. “or what? ya gonna take it from me?” 

You try. Fuck, do you try. Without thinking, you lunge forward at the monster, hands open and ready to claw the bottle back from him. 

The skeleton lets out a surprised sound, lifts the hand holding the mustard higher, and that’s it. You just can’t reach that. Condiment fully out of reach, you collide painfully with his body. The force is apparently not enough to move him. You practically bounce off hard bones and onto your ass on the tiled ground. 

“Ow, fuck.” You grumble, any physical pain you might have felt being vastly outweighed by the sheer embarrassment that quickly fills your body. What the hell did I just do?! You can already feel the heat growing in your face. It definitely doesn’t help that the monster just stares down at you, a look of pure amusement on his face. Shit. 

As quick as possible, you scramble back into a standing position and try to fix him with the strongest glare you still have in you. Getting knocked down like that definitely puts a hose to your fire, but you can still try to hold onto as much of your dignity as possible. The glare doesn’t seem to do anything but amuse the skeleton further, if the widening grin on his face says anything. 

“yer not gonna win, sweetcheeks.” He says, bringing his arm back down. As you watch, he starts tossing and catching the bottle in his hand. Taunting you. Asshole. 

The demeaning nickname fulfills its purpose of another dagger into your tattered pride. “Fuck you.” You spit out, the only response you can even think of. 

Those red eyes look you up and down, intense in a familiar way that immediately puts you back on guard. You’ve seen that look before. Not on a monster, but still. Suddenly, you have a strong feeling that you know the type of thing he’s going to respond with. You practically handed the opportunity to that smug face monster. As said monster opens his mouth, you brace yourself for whatever rude innuendo he’s about to say. 

Bzzt. Bzzt. 

A phone vibrates, loud enough that you can hear it. The skeleton immediately freezes, free hand going to his pocket. He brings out a phone and holds it to…well…where an ear would be on a human. 

“sup.” He says casually. A loud voice comes through the phone that you can’t understand. 

The skeleton rolls his eyes. “patrollin’”

The voice on the other end gets louder, somehow. The skeleton winces, pulling the phone slightly away from his skull. “fine.”

Those intense eyes don’t leave you as he speaks into the phone. Unfortunate, as you definitely would have taken the opportunity to try for the mustard again if he got distracted. Anything to restore your dignity even a little bit. 

“Didn’t anyone teach you not to steal?” You ask, the moment the skeleton ends his call. 

“didn’t anyone teach ya not to mess with someone stronger than ya?” He responds, but he seems a bit distracted now. “well, this has been fun.” He continues. “but I gotta go.” With that, the skeleton turns and walks away. He casually tosses your mustard in the air a bit higher, definitely taunting you. 

Unable to do anything else, you flip him off behind his back, glaring at him until he’s out of sight. 

Grumbling to yourself, you finally admit defeat. Turning to the other condiments, you try to figure out any sort of substitute for your groceries. It takes you a bit, but you manage to figure it out. The whole skeleton situation puts you in an even worse mood, but the monster cashier doesn’t seem to even notice. The entire interaction is done with as little words as possible, and soon you’re headed back to the resort. 

You keep to yourself, quickly heading towards the elevator and up to your room. You stuff what you can in the minifridge in your room and collapse angrily on your bed. 

“Fucking skeleton asshole.” You whisper into your pillow. 

I hope I never see that fucking smug face again.

[Next Chapter]