#AMASSED IN THIS BEAUTIFUL POST

[blujayonthewing]

[shifting my weight nervously side to side, looking at all the sapphic followers I accidentally got immediately after starting my self-indulgence side blog because of nyssa and that lesbian sex meme doodle, holding self indulgent art of a scrawny gnome man behind my back] hey so, do you guys promise not to get mad,,

[m1d-45]

Midas, i'm FREE!

Work has been EXHAUSTING since the last time we chatted on tumblr, but i think your request box is open, and i'm feeling a request of cuddling otters of fontaine with platonc/sisterly bond with Siegewinne!

OTTERS! I fucking LOVE those little guys they look so fluffy!

And Siegewinne is so adorable and has Wrio for a -cough Father/boss cough- so Yeah.

-🥘Stew

a wondrous earth

note: i definitely did not realize that you didn't mention sagau at midnight so. just pretend okay shhh

word count: 2k

-> warnings: nothing explicit but does take place post-fontaine AQ and kinda assumes you know the lore.. containes a few wink/nudge references at most.

-> gn reader (you/yours)

taglist: @samarill || @sarienic || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay || @cupandtea24 || @genshin-impacts-me || @chaoticfivesworld || @raaawwwr || @ryuryuryuyurboat || @undrxtxd || @rainswept || @wanderersqt || @rozz-eokkk

< masterlist >

teyvat was beautiful. even through a screen, you could lose yourself wandering for hours, taking in the flowing rivers, delicate flowers, the way the clouds swept over the sky like they themselves were savoring the view. wildlife scattered the paths, butterflies in the air and birds chirping from every tree. sometimes you turned off the music and dialogue just to sit and bask in it.

it was no different now that you actually were in teyvat. if anything, the heightened detail only deepened your love for the sights. you could watch every feather shift, not limited by graphics and models, feeling the spray of saltwater across your skin. perhaps it was simply because fontaine was where you’d first awoken, but it would always hold a soft spot in your heart.

the city itself was stunning, with pristine white buildings that shined with even the slightest sun, the meka moving with fluid gears that barely whirred as they passed. coins littered the bottom of every fountain, the smell shifting from perfume to fried food to fresh fruit, tempting from their stall. you could have spent the entire day roaming its streets and only barely brush the surface of everything to see inside. flora, fauna, people and meka and melusines and you, the streets just populated enough to be welcoming without crossing into overwhelming.

it could be argued that its beauty was due to being the centerpiece of the nation. perhaps outside of its mother of pearl walls were ruined homes and muddied streets that would surely dim your favor, and perhaps that was why neuvillette was so gun-shy about recommending it to you. though he was very professional about it, you’d played enough of the archon quest to know that his insistence on tending to you personally was more out of worry than any sort of actual need. your years of amassed mora had found its way cleanly into your pocket upon arrival, and that combined with your knowledge of fontaine would certainly be enough on its own to find you a nice, cozy life, even without the whole “god of all” thing.

that seemed a bit too intimidating anyway. no, you were more interested in watching romaritime flowers bloom in the rain, and whatever other duties came of your title could wait. celestia had yet to come knocking and most of the higher officials seemed allergic to even thinking of suggesting something else to do, so your time was your own.

(while it was a bit funny, their want to help seemed to push the line of fervency. it was worrying, and another reason to spend some time out wandering on your own. they’d been through enough, and the last thing you wanted was to be another weight on furina’s shoulders.)

thankfully, fontaine was vast, and held no shortage of sight to see. with a bit of persuasion—read: barely hinting at it once while navia happened to be in the room—you were equipped with a travel bag and set off on your own, heading north. unfortunately, there was no way to cross to the other islands without taking the aquabus, and you did want to see the institute and the opera house for yourself.

fortunately, fontaine’s waters were fresh.. or, at least fresh enough that one could swim in it without a mask… or oxygen tank…

you’d figure it out. there was not a single chance that you wouldn’t at least try. even if you didn’t have whatever blessing that allowed the traveller and others to dive freely, the elements seemed to like you well enough, and who would pass up on the chance to see fontaine’s waters for themself anyway?

not you, certainly. you crouched in the shallows and cupped the waves in your hands, bringing it to your mouth and taking a cautious breath.

it felt, expectedly, perfectly fine. normal, even. you let the water fall, but didn’t exhale anything else but air. there was no pressure in your lungs, no burning need to cough, just an odd warmth that spread from your throat downwards. you didn’t know why—you’d somewhat assumed that vision wielders had some sort of internal “gills” that pushed out excess water—but shrugged it off, double-checking that your bag was safely stashed within a bush before wading deeper. the water was a bit cool, but not cold, welcoming you in like a freshly-made bed after a long day.

unsurprisingly, fontaine’s great lake was just as beautiful as the city. in the shallows alone, romaritime flowers gleamed, reflecting the light they absorbed from the sun over and over within their thin petals. fish in rainbows of colors flocked among the depths, rays of light reaching down and inviting you to follow.

the fish were mostly apathetic to your presence. they neither fled nor turned, just allowing you by as if you were one of them. the few meka were a bit more curious, coming up and bumping your hand to ask why you had descended with them. with a bit of coaxing, you let one of the smaller ones allow you to hold onto its fins, pulling you deeper still. crabs scuttled along the floor, stingrays following the dappled rays of light. even this far down, you could still see easily, watching algae sway and jellyfish bloom without error.

at some point, your meka stalled, lingering in space and turning around. its searchlight flicked over you and the sand, inching back the way you came. was this the edge of its patrol route? you waved it goodbye and it waited a moment more before finally moving away, slowly at first before returning to speed. there were probably others you could take back anyway… provided you remembered where you were anyway.

…that was a problem for later. you turned and swam, following the valley. it was getting a bit shallower, and the sun was beginning to dim, but your curiosity was not yet satisfied. you pushed, and continued. a deeper valley of the ocean came into view, a deep bowl marked by large columns of bare rock on the far side. there were more jellyfish around here, and a few stingrays with shining blue skin. you swam to some, curious, but as soon as you got close it turned and met you more than halfway, circling twice like a cat who’s owner had finally come home. you pet over its wings, the transparent blue layer making your fingers buzz. the ray pushed into your hand, and when it left for another cheerful circle, your palm was blue. despite the fact that you hadn’t felt tired or in any way abnormal since diving, the sight of the film over your hands settled confidence over your mind. whatever came, you’d be able to handle it.

why? you had no idea. was there really a way for you to to absorb xenochromatic abilities? was this even that anyway? who cared, really, if you weren’t hurt?

you pet the stingray again with your afflicted hand—not wanting to stain both, in case it was somehow something harmful—and look around the valley, soaking in the view. the sunlight had turned slightly amber, but it never hindered the sea’s beauty. pink and blue jellyfish, octopi shooting pearls of water back and forth. how, you had no idea, but you weren’t going to ask. not that they’d be able to answer, anyway.

tired out, the stingray settled by your side, tail loosely flicking to keep in place as the water shifted. despite the fact that it had definitely touched your skin elsewhere, only your hand remained blue. that cemented in your mind that this was one of the xenochromatic creatures, though to do so without the odd lasso was interesting.. then again, if you could make flames sway and wind pause, then who’s to say you couldn’t throw a few water blades?

the water hummed, something coarse brushing your other arm. you turned, but there was no other animal wondering about your presence. instead, after a brief moment, you recognized the figure swimming beside you as sigewinne, just not as you remembered her. she was really only recognizable through her antennae and bright red eyes, the bright nurse’s uniform of her standard model replaced by some sort of wetsuit and a thick belt around her waist. her heart-shaped purse was also replaced with a basket tucked into her elbow, but the lid over it was latched closed, preventing you from seeing inside. once she saw that she had your attention, she pointed up, and you followed her to the surface, albeit slowly. you didn’t really want to leave, and if she was anything like the others then she’d ask you to come into the fortress.

you surfaced beside her, taking a moment to adjust to the air, coughing twice while she pushed some hair from her eyes. it made sense she’d have an easier time adjusting, but you still felt a bit foolish. what happened to the whole “god of all” business?

“first water?” oh, that one was new. the others in the city tended to use titles related to justice. “may i ask what you’re doing out here so late?”

“i was just exploring, that’s all. what are you doing?”

she blinks, then pulls up her basket, undoing the latch and holding out. within, you can see some various plants, each wrapped and bundled tightly. “i was just collecting some herbs. most of the workers have retired and i’m not usually needed around this hour. are you cold at all?”

she looks genuinely worried, which makes you smile despite yourself. “no, i’m alright, thank you.”

if you were talking with anyone else, you’re certain they would have pushed. everyone in the city seemed hell-bent on making sure you never so much as caught sight of something imperfect.. but sigewinne just relaxes, nodding. “okay. if you’re looking for somewhere nice, may i suggest going east? there’s always otters there, even at this hour.”

otters. you’d almost forgotten about the star of the seas, so distracted by meka and your new powers. “that sounds lovely. would you mind showing me where?”

“of course!” she smiles and you swear you’ve never seen anyone happier, following her beneath the waves. fortunately, your abberant power faded when you surfaced, leaving you able to swim beside her without fear of acidentally triggering it. maybe you can ask about it later…

regardless, the trip is short. she takes you up into the shallows, onto a flatter plateau only about ten feet deep. true to her word, otters dot the surface, likely drawn by the plentiful clams in the sand. the few swimming about eagerly swim up to you, a sharp contrast to the other sealife. they nudge clams into your hand and curl eagerly into your hands, their fur soft and dense. they can hold their breath for longer than you’d think they’d be able to, letting you settle in the sand and pet them for as long as you wish. the water is brighter too, the edges of their fur catching the light.

with time, the sun will fall and your friends will tire, but it is still evening. you watch as sigewinne plays catch with an otter and its shell, smiling at the sight. it’s nice to be like this, tucked beneath the waves with someone who treats you almost comedically casually. maybe its due to her nature, maybe its because she’s a doctor, but that doesn’t really matter. you’re definitely going to savor time spent with someone so sweet.

[merakiui]

It’s the centaur Cater anon!!! What’s upppp hope you’re doing well-

Omg… Centaur Riddle’s who’s constantly miffed about you being his rider… with that posture? He thinks not. How dare you think that you’re worthy of riding him?

Maybe he’s a prize centaur… beautiful and strong, but so very headstrong to the point where no one dares to ride him, leaving him to rot alone in the stables. A white elephant, to borrow the praise. Maybe you’re going to match his stubbornness by washing out his stables, constantly trying your best to bond with Riddle. Being ever so nice to him…. Or perhaps you’re one of those trainers who won’t suffer his verbal abuse and you bark right back…

Oh… Riddle slowly gaining feels for you… something something, Riddle’s heat cycle has you face first in his stables, his horse cock slipping into you… the softest non con ever with Riddle whining and grunting and muttering about how you’re so soft, how this feels like heaven, how he never wants to leave you… or maybe the most angry hate sex with Riddle’s hoof pressed into your palm, him laughing about how fucked out you look but once glance at his face shows how truly pussy drunk he is… so many thoughts mera you have no idea-

Centaur Cater who relies on you to take his photos, but he starts to realise that his photos do better whenever you’re in the background, so maybe he makes you do some… rather suggestive poses with him. Just to feed the fan, y’know? You try not to think about how dangerously near you are to Cater’s genitalia… or how they would feel inside you…

Little do you know that Cater’s purposefully edging you closer and closer to him all this while…

AAAAA CENTAUR CATER ANON!!!!! This is so delicious omg,,,, the soft non-con with Riddle, who is too deep into his heat cycle to think rationally, and so he’s apologizing through his moans as he fucks into you like you’re nothing more than an onahole. 🫣 or the hate sex,,,, Riddle flipping you onto your back from off him to teach you a lesson, and somehow this lesson involves spearing you open on his horse cock while he holds you down with one hoof…….. your mind is so amazing omg. One taste of pussy and he mellows out completely. >_< suddenly much more willing to work with you and he’s actually quite sweet and considerate once you overcome your initial differences. :)

Riddle seeing you limping the next time and you complain about being sore, and he feels so bad for doing that when he knew you weren’t adequately prepared to take him. He’ll carry you around on his back so you won’t strain yourself. OTL but also he feels a surge of pride knowing he’s big (by human standards) hehe.

👁️ 👁️ the suggestive picture to outright sex tape pipeline with centaur Cater…… all of the potential for a role-play (centaur handler teaching anatomy to the viewers, but oops!!! the centaur became a touch too invested and wants to do a live demonstration instead of simple show-and-tell). >:D being railed in front of the camera, tummy bulging with centaur cock. Cater rewatches the video over and over and is hesitant to post it only because he wants this view all to himself. >_< you really are too cute; it makes him feel so selfish. It’s no surprise you’ve amassed so many fans~ maybe he should just settle for suggestive pictures instead. These videos are for his eyes only. <3

How do we feel about centaur Rollo…….. :) living in the countryside and tending to your dearest centaur,, riding him into the closest village to do your shopping. Something something it’s much too cold on your travel back, so you and Rollo take shelter in an old stable. But you’re shivering so much and he’s doing all he can to keep you warm: draping the shawl over you, keeping you close to his side, ensuring you’re bundled in the hay. One thing leads to another and maybe cockwarming him in that stable…… fucking to stay warm!!!

[whoistartaglia]

genshin men as types of influencers

part two

alhaitham has an account dedicated to his books. his feed is filled with aesthetic photos of his bookshelves, and videos include updates on his reading list, monthly favorites, and book reviews. might also post his favorite quotes and explanations as to why they are his favorite.

kaveh makes DIY tutorials on home projects. he’s surprising thorough in explaining the projects and showing his audience how to do them. such projects include home gardens, bookshelves (he definitely made alhaitham’s), birdhouses, and fixing repairs around the home.

itto has a workout account. he is a gym bro and definitely records all his sets, personal records, favorite workout routines. definitely a couple more than a couple pictures of him flexing his muscles, and he definitely forced members of the arataki gang to film him.

ayato posts get-ready-with-me’s. his channel is filled with morning and night routines, and he has one for every season and occasion. some are a little too specific—did he really need a “get ready with me for bed after a long day working and then going out to dinner with friends?” maybe, but his viewers eat it up anyways.

zhongli is a lifestyle influencer. he’s not necessarily a vlogger, but definitely makes videos highlighting his daily routine, favorite products he uses throughout the day, and sometimes restaurant and store reviews. his videos definitely have either soft piano or clam lofi beats playing in the background.

childe is a vlogger, but like an extremely hot-mess of a vlogger. his videos are mostly unedited and include him just living his life. you will see his highs and lows in his videos, and even a glimpse into what he does for work—it’s cute, if you can ignore that he’s literally filming himself beating someone up!

wanderer has an account dedicated to his travels. he refuses to show in face in his videos, but he will document his journey around teyvat. it’s more of a pet project than anything else, and some of his videos are genuinely interesting; him filming what the sky looks from each nation, for example.

kaeya is a beauty influencer. posts range from doing his eyeliner to picking out his outfits to shopping and reviewing new products. his makeup tutorials are very well informed and he has amassed a base of loyal fans who wait for his approval on certain products and brands.

diluc has a cat (yes he does) and has an account dedicated to said cat. his feed is filled with pictures of the feline, sprinkled in with some videos diluc filmed of the cat being particularly cute and/or getting into trouble. diluc never intended to become a pet influencer—he just of just started posting his cat on his main and it took off from there.

[fanficimagery]

The Lost Girl

You just wanted to travel and forget all about the drama you left behind. You didn't expect to fall in with four boys who would become another family. Maybe more.

[Part One of Three]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm- I'm alive? Surprise! I'm still in a bit of a pickle with where I want part two to go, but I figured if I post this now then I can't back out and delete it. I need your help, but I'll ask at the bottom so I won't spoil this.

Words: 7.9K

Santa Carla is the total opposite of Mystic Falls and you couldn't have loved it here more if you tried. You grew up with pageants and balls and trying to stay at the top of the popularity totem pole, but you secretly loathed every second of it. Not to mention your sister was a beacon for the supernatural, attracting vampires like no one's business, which eventually led to you getting caught in the crossfire and being turned at the ripe age of twenty.

Stefan Salvatore did his best to teach you how to feed and control your blood lust, but his techniques just weren't cutting it for you. So Damon took over, leading Bonnie, Matt, Elena, Jeremy, and Tyler deeming you untrustworthy. You don't know why they disliked your friendship with Damon so much, but their wariness of you only grew when you eventually befriended the Original Vampires that once sought to kill you, your family, and friends.

The last straw was when everyone started fighting over a cure for vampirism. They all thought there was enough of the cure to go around for all those who wanted it, but nope. There was only a single dose, and both Elena and Rebekah wanted it. So when you saw the lines being drawn, you packed a couple of bags and left to see the world.

The only person who knew of your travel plans were, surprisingly, Elijah and Klaus. Elijah was sad to see you go, especially since you were one of the only ones who he could trust, but Klaus was all for you seeing the world and experiencing life as you should have. You were more than content compelling your way through the trip, but the Mikaelson's were having none of that and gave you a card to use since they amassed a ridiculous amount of money over the years.

After deleting all social media, with the exception of a traveling Instagram account that was newly made, you bought a new phone and only gave your new number to Elijah and Klaus. You traveled abroad first, touring the most beautiful cities, museums, and seeing every landmark you could. You kept the Mikaelson brothers in the loop about everything that they sometimes surprised you by showing up for a week before flying back home.

For a year you saw all you could and then headed back to the States. You wanted nothing to do with Mystic Falls, Virginia, so you settled in California. Santa Carla was the most nitty gritty town you'd ever seen, and it was the last place anyone in your family would expect for you to stay in.

It was perfect.

With a new hotel having been built in Santa Carla, you compelled yourself one of the suites indefinitely. You didn't want to purchase a house in case you needed to up and leave, and having a housekeeper stop by weekly was perfect.

You stood out amongst the locals of Santa Carla, it seeming like everyone walking around either had some crazy hairstyle, hair color, or numerous piercings. And then there was you, skin untouched and the only piercings you had being those in your ears.

So after a week of settling in and compelling those who needed compelling, you finally decided to hit the infamous boardwalk.

The boardwalk, for some reason, feels like you've stepped into the past. Could be because of the music playing or the way everyone dressed, but you know you didn't actually slip into the past given the cell phones in people's hands or air pods in people's ears. The bells, whistles, and flashing lights make you giddy, taking you back to a time when you were excited as a child to be attending the annual fair Mystic Falls put on, but the attendees were the total opposites of those you'd find in Mystic Falls.

The employees in charge of the various game booths attempt to entice you to play, but you rather spend your cash at the crafts section of the boardwalk. There was no use in paying for a rigged game that made sure you lost ninety percent of the time when you could buy handmade crafts and help support someone's living.

After buying some handmade jewelry and a couple of shirts, you decide to eat. There's a Chinese place that smells marvelous as you stroll by, so you turn back around and enter the establishment. And then almost as soon as you're seated, a waitress comes by to take your drink order. You quickly skim the menu as she gets your drink, then order a bowl of Hot and Sour soup, a plate of Chicken LoMein, two egg rolls, and a pan of fried dumplings. The waitress seems impressed, and you merely laugh it off before sipping your Coke.

As you wait for your food, you grab a napkin and start ripping it apart piece by piece as you stare out the window you'd chosen to sit by. People pass by, uncaring for what's going on in the small restaurant, but then there are two boys that you just so happen to clash gazes with. Both fit with the eighties aesthetic- one with wildly tamed blonde hair that only a true rocker could pull off and the other with a dirty blonde, curly mullet. Both hairstyles are wildly out of place, even if they're trying to make a comeback now, but fortunately for the boys they can pull it off.

"Hey, chika, you want some company?" The blonde with the teased hair shouts so you can hear him through the window.

Holding back a wince at his loud volume, you shake your head. "Maybe next time!"

"Aw. Come on, babe. You're breaking my heart!" He pouts, even as his friend smirks behind his fist.

You shrug, grinning, but are saved from having to interact any further when the waitress appears with your food. As the food is set in front of you and you thank her, you glance at the boys one last time while giving them a wink before digging in.

You casually devour your food bit by bit, asking for a refill on your Coke only once. Then when you've had your fill, you ask for your leftovers to be boxed up. And as you walk outside, you hand said leftovers to a couple of teens digging through a trash can.

Walking around, you soak in the night time atmosphere. The sweat from the humans and the oil used to deep fry all sorts of food is rather distracting from the ocean scented air wafting in, but none of it is as distracting as the copper smell you pick up on one particular gust of wind. There doesn't seem to be any panic-induced mayhem on the boardwalk, so you figure someone must have cut themselves and is getting bandaged up.

A diner further down the boardwalk advertises milkshakes on its main window, and suddenly a strawberry milkshake sounds superb. So after making a quick trip inside to secure yourself a milkshake, you're back on the boardwalk once again.

No one has bothered you the entire time, but the moment you perch yourself on the railing to sip and people watch, one confident individual saunters towards you. It hardly takes you two seconds to realize this individual is in his teens obviously thinking you're a teen as well. But given you were twenty when you were turned and have spent a few years undead, you're so not interested in whatever this boy has to offer.

Before the individual can open his mouth, you hold a hand up to stall him and shake your head. "Stop right there. Not interested."

The boy's expression drops into shock before quickly morphing back into his too confident persona. "Aw, come on, girl. You look like you're in need of some fun."

"I am, but you need to be at least this tall-" you say while holding your free hand at least a foot above his head, "-for me to ride that ride."

There's a snort to your right, but you ignore it, even ignoring the presence that jumps onto the railing next to you before sliding their arm around your shoulder. "Sorry, kid. Maybe the next girl you hit on won't have a height requirement."

There's even more laughter and the boy rethinks his approach before scoffing and leaving. You grin, wrapping your lips around the straw of your milkshake and turning your head to your new companions. "Blondies one and two," you muse. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just thought we'd play knight in shining armor," blondie one says. "I'm Paul. My friend is Marko."

"YN.."

Paul practically vibrates with energy. "So do I meet your height requirements?"

You laugh, uncaring when he steals your milkshake to sip from. "You may meet the height requirement, but I don't go for blondes. Sorry."

"Aw, chika, you wound me!" He feigns his hurt, holding a hand to his heart as you take your milkshake back. Marko can only laugh, shoving at his friend's shoulder when he leans a little too far his way. Once he corrects himself, he doesn't remove himself from your side. "So what's a pretty girl like you doing here all alone? Waiting for friends? Family?"

"Ugh, no." Your nose wrinkles. "Too much family drama for my tastes so I've been traveling the world for a little over a year now. Santa Carla seems like the least likely of places my family would think to look for me, so I'm staying as long as I can."

Marko seems interested as he leans around Paul to ask, "What's been your favorite place so far?"

"Tromsø, Norway," you reply.

"Why?"

"Because ever since I was a little girl, I've been obsessed with the aurora borealis. It's the best place to view it."

"Cool."

"Where are you staying?" Paul asks. "Maybe we can have a party one of these nights."

"Doubtful. I'm staying in a hotel suite and I have a feeling partying with you would lead to my place being trashed. No thanks."

Marko smirks. "Smart girl."

You grin and sip your milkshake as Marko comes around to lean against the railing on your other side. They ask some more about the places you've been, and you don't know what comes over you that you feel comfortable enough with these two to regale them with your tales of travel. In return, Marko and Paul tell you about themselves and their two other brothers. They tell you that they're all not originally from Santa Carla, but ended up finding each other throughout the years and made their own family unit in town.

Then just as you hop down to throw away your empty cup, the crowd seems to part as two individuals approach. Another blondie with a mullet and a brunette whose hair is almost as wild as Paul's. You can't tear your eyes from the brunette who is all too comfortable going shirtless with nothing but a weathered leather jacket hanging off his frame and some snug fitting jeans.

"Oh, I see how it is." Paul muses in your ear. "You like 'em dark haired."

You throw your elbow back, tearing your gaze away from the brunette in front of you to smirk over your shoulder at Paul when he grunts. Marko snickers at his brother's misfortune. "YN, this is David and Dwayne."

Both the new blondie and brunette nod at you, and you flash them back a faint smile. You're quick to toss your trash, then head back to your new friends. "Well, it was nice meeting you boys, but I should get going."

"Aw, come on, girlie. Hang for a bit more," Paul pleads, but you shake your head.

"Maybe next time."

"Will there actually be a next time or are you gently letting us down?" Marko wonders.

Your eyes roll. "We've only just met and you're already clingy?" You tut at him. Marko gapes and you wink at him. "Yes, there will be a next time. At least there will be if we cross paths again."

"We'll take that," Paul says. He slings an arm around Marko and smiles. "See you around, girlie."

The next afternoon, you decide to have some fun in the sun. You spend the early afternoon in your room, ordering room service and having a nice steak and fry lunch. While eating, you post a few pictures you snapped of the boardwalk nightlife, ferris wheel, and carousel all lit up. Then afterwards, you dress in a bikini before pulling on a pair of jeans shorts and a tank top. Only after slipping your feet into a pair of flip-flops do you pack a backpack with a beach towel, your phone, sunglasses, and some cash before taking your leave.

You're surprised to find that the beach isn't packed, so you pick a spot on the beach to lay out your towel and backpack. You spend a bit of time searching for sand dollars and shells, then go swimming in the ocean. Afterwards, you lay out on your towel with your sunglasses shielding your eyes. You doze on and off, and then just as the sun is setting you start to get up.

Shaking off your beach towel, you get rid of all the sand before folding it and shoving it into your backpack with your clothes. Then heading over to the beach showers, you rinse off all the sand and ocean water, and let yourself dry in the lingering sun rays before slipping your shorts back on.

In the middle of choosing what to eat, you hear catcalls and wolf whistles. You try to ignore it, hoping they're directed to someone else, but nope. They're directed at you. However, when you turn to glare and give the boys a piece of your mind, you find Paul and Marko beaming at you with their other brothers Dwayne and David just watching on.

Your glare vanishes and you roll your eyes as you slowly untense. "Do you guys have nothing better to do than check out girls on the boardwalk?"

"Nope." Paul hops off his bike and practically skips towards you. "What are you doing?"

"Heading to dinner. I spent most of the day on the beach so I'm starving."

"Ohhhh. What are we having?"

"I'm having pizza and wings. If you want to tag along, you buy your own."

"Done." He turns around and shouts, "Come on, boys. We're getting pizza!"

You shake your head and greet Marko when he approaches, smiling at the other two who have yet to speak up. Paul takes the lead and you walk side by side with Marko. The pizza place isn't far and you all head inside. You place your order first- a medium Hawaiian and a side order of boneless honey bbq wings. You accept your number tag after paying and then wait for your new friends to order as well. Then once they've got their own number tag, Paul leads the way to a large booth meant for a large group at the back.

Paul and Marko slide into opposite sides of the booth, and it only takes you a second to scoot in next to Marko before placing your bag at your feet. Paul gasps and you chuckle. "What? Marko seems less likely to continuously elbow me as I try to eat."

"That's cold, girl."

You wink at Paul and are surprised when Dwayne scoots in on your other side. David settles in next to Paul and his ice blue eyes practically pierce you. "So what's a girl like you doing out here all alone?"

"You mean Paul didn't tell you?"

"I'm asking you."

The coolness of his voice makes you arch an eyebrow at him, but Paul's snickering keeps you at ease. So in the end, you shrug. "My siblings and I weren't seeing eye to eye for a while. I had some money put away to take a trip out of the States, but my new found family wasn't having any of that and gave me access to their money. I've traveled for a year before coming back, staying in a place furthest from my hometown."

"Parents?"

"Dead." Paul's smile falters and you kick him under the table. "None of that. It's been a while. It's fine."

"How did it happen?" Marko asks.

You face him briefly before saying, "My sister had a fight with her boyfriend and asked our parents to pick her up from a party. They did, but on the way back home my dad somehow lost control of the car and drove off a bridge. A bystander found them, but by the time he dove under water, my dad made the bystander get my sister out first. My parents ended up drowning."

"Do you have plans on returning?"

"Eventually." Just then a waitress stops by to deliver your drinks. You grin as Paul immediately starts flirting, sipping your Coke as the waitress blushes and stutters before leaving. "These poor Santa Carla girls have no idea how to handle you, do they?"

"Not a clue."

As Marko and Paul laugh, you shake your head rather fondly. You don't know what it is about this group that makes you feel at ease with them, but you're glad to have some people to talk to while you're in town. Another group enters the establishment, a little unruly as they find themselves a table. One of them catches your gaze and you grimace when you notice him leering at you.

Feeling a little exposed, you reach for your bag under the table and pull free your tank top. You quickly pull it on and then free your phone while waiting for your food, not paying much attention to Dwayne who's shifting in his seat next to you. You do, however, notice when something is dropped on your shoulders and realize Dwayne has given up his jacket.

You freeze and quickly glance up at Dwayne, taking a moment to stare at all the bronze skin now on display, but his glare is directed at the table of troublemakers who are snickering among each other. "Uhh.."

"Just wear it."

"Okay."

Those are the first three words Dwayne has spoken to you and you absolutely do not shiver at the sound of his voice. Paul, Marko, and even David sense something else and you flip them off after slipping your arms through the sleeves of Dwayne's jacket. Then just as you go to sip on your drink, your phone starts ringing with a video call.

Big Bad Wolf, complete with a wolf emoji, is stamped across the top of your phone above a picture of a smirking Klaus. "Uhh, do you guys mind if I accept this?"

"Go ahead, girlie."

You accept the call, keeping it so that only you're on screen. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to talk to me, love?" You roll your eyes, grinning, and Klaus chuckles. "What are you doing?"

"Uhh, I'm out to dinner with some new friends," you say.

"You've already made friends?"

"Mhm. Look." You turn so Marko is in frame. "This is Marko." Marko grins and nods. Then you flip the camera and catch Paul. "This is Paul and David is next to him, but David is glaring at me. I'm pretty sure he'd kill me if I put him on camera."

Klaus chuckles. "Fair enough."

"And then this.." You glance at Dwayne, but he merely arches an eyebrow at you. You grin and turn the camera on him. "This is Dwayne."

A split second later and then, "No."

"W-What?" You splutter. Paul and Marko choke on a laugh, and finally both David and Dwayne smirk. "What do you mean no?"

"Elijah!"

Your eyes widen. "Why are you calling 'lijah? Don't call 'lijah!"

Elijah appears next to Klaus and you groan. "Go on, sweetheart. Put your friend on."

"Marko? Or Paul?"

"Don't play dumb."

You grumble and put Dwayne on camera. "Absolutely not," Elijah says.

"You guys are embarrassing," you grumble. "He's literally only said three words to me."

"Mhm. And whose jacket are you wearing?" Klaus asks.

You pout. "I hate you." Just then you catch sight of two waitresses coming with your pizza. "Oh, look. Food's here! I'll talk to you gentlemen later."

"YN-"

"I'm fine, Klaus. I'm okay and I'm happy. I promise."

"Well okay then. Call me back when you get to your room."

"Will do, big bad wolf. Talk to you later."

You end the call just as a pizza is being placed in front of Paul and Marko, then yours is placed in front of you, and then another is placed in front of David and Dwayne. You're handed your boneless wings, and you happily wiggle in your seat. You're starving!

After you take your first bite of the sweet Hawaiian pizza, David asks, "So was that your boyfriend?"

"Ew. No." Your nose wrinkles and you quickly swallow your bite of food. "Klaus and Elijah are like my older brothers. They're the two who are funding my whole trip."

"They sound fancy with those posh accents of theirs," Paul muses.

"They are fancy," you admit. "They host balls and everything. I seriously hated wearing those dresses with a poofy skirt. They're so uncomfortable to sit in."

"No way!" Paul laughs.

"Mhm. Look."

As you eat some more of your food one-handed, you open the photos app on your phone and seek out the album from all the parties you attended. You hand your phone over to Paul, and Marko actually leans across the table to get a glimpse of the life you left behind.

As the two of them swipe picture after picture, laughing, you eat in peace. You even crack a grin when Dwayne picks off your tray of boneless wings, chuckling when he tells you it's payment for wearing his jacket. You end up having to tell the boys who is who every time they ask and deny any romantic relationship accusations when a picture of you dancing with Damon pops up. You admit he was a good friend up until his feelings for your sister clouded his judgment and you'd had enough of their drama.

Dinner proceeds uninterrupted, but it's when you get up to leave that the table of troublemakers from earlier causes an issue. With Dwayne's jacket returned to him, you follow the group as David leads the way out. You've just passed the table of leering individuals when a loud smack! resonates in the room and a brief stinging pain blossoms on your butt. You freeze, your new friends freeze, and then you're whirling around to glare at the culprit. You slowly look at the smug individual as his friends cackle like morons.

Anger flaring, your hand whips out and grasps the guy by the back of the neck. You slam his head down onto the table, causing him to grunt and his friends to fall quiet. You lean down so your mouth is next to his ear and grit out, "Touch me again and I'll rip your fucking throat out." You put pressure on his neck, causing the table to groan under the weight of the pressure. "With my teeth," you hiss. Pushing off the too quiet guy and facing your new friends once more, you shrug. "What?"

David, Dwayne, Marko, and Paul just stare at you before chuckling.

"You're scary, girl. I like it."

With a roll of your eyes, you step forward and push past Paul. "Come on. Show me what Santa Carla has to offer."

Over the course of a week, you hang out with who the locals have dubbed the Lost Boys. Paul and Marko treat you like a long lost best friend, Dwayne has taken to hovering over your shoulder, and David is pretty indifferent to your presence although he will stand up for you if need be. Your senses tell you there's something off about the boys, but you don't realize what it is until you scent the coppery fragrance of blood coming off of them one night they're late to meet you.

If they're vampires, they must be vampires who don't know who the Mikaelsons are because none of them recognized the family in your pictures. But you don't call them out, nor do you hint about yourself, at least not until you're walking on the beach one night and your senses are assaulted with the scent of a lot of blood and screams off in the distance.

Glancing around, you notice the boardwalk is empty and shutting down. The beach where you're at is empty as well, and as you speed towards the sound of terror, your suspicions are proven correct about the Lost Boys.

They're unlike any vampires you've seen, more brutal in their feeding than even the Big Bad Hybrid himself. Their vampire visages showcase a true monster, but for some reason it doesn't bother you as it probably should. They're sinking their fangs into necks, shoulders, torsos, and even skulls, laughing all the while their victims scream in horror.

In their feeding frenzy, they don't notice you standing just on the outskirts of the firelight. Limbs are ripped from bodies before being tossed into the fire, blood spraying carelessly across the sand. But the moment the frenzy dies down, you can't help but make an entrance.

Slowly clapping, you smirk as all four vampires freeze and turn towards you as you walk into the light. David snarls, his monstrous face still on display as Paul and Marko quickly change their features. Their expressions are a bit crestfallen as you continue to find amusement in this situation, so you walk towards Dwayne who has gone stoic. "I get the bloodlust, but do you guys have to be such messy eaters? Gross." You wrinkle your nose as you kick an arm into the raging fire.

"W-What?" Paul splutters.

Looking back at Dwayne, you reach over and run a finger through the blood staining his chest. Then popping that same finger into your mouth, you wrap your tongue around your finger and savor the fresh blood now coating your tongue. You feel the veins beneath your eyes slither to the surface and your fangs elongate in your mouth. Then meeting Dwayne's gaze, you flash him a fangy grin. "I prefer to compel, eat, and release, but you do you I guess."

"Holy shit. You- you're a vampire?!"

Meeting Marko's stunned expression, you wink.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," David says.

"Sure." You meet his now ice-blue gaze. "But only after you clean up after yourselves. This," you say while gesturing to their dismembered victims, "is sloppy."

You watch as David oversees the cleanup of their little section of the beach, burning the bodies and kicking sand over the spilled blood. Afterwards, they all take a dip in the ocean to cleanse themselves of their meal.

On the way to their bikes which are parked just a bit down the beach, Paul asks, "So how old are you?"

"Which age are you referring to? The age I was when I was turned or how many years I've been a vampire?"

"Both."

"I was turned at twenty," you say, "and I've been a vampire for less than five years."

"No shit? How were you introduced to this world?"

"That.. is a very long story. Why don't we get someplace where I can actually tell it?"

As their bikes get nearer, you hiss at Paul when he pushes you in Dwayne's direction. Almost as if it was expected of you to ride with Dwayne, he settles on the seat of his bike before offering you a hand so you can situate yourself behind him.

Hanging on loosely, you enjoy the ride and take amusement in the sudden turns and jumps they take to try and startle you. But instead of being shaken, you merely laugh and pinch Dwayne's side when you're jostled too much.

The drive to the cliffs that you know to be Hudson's Bluff, overlooking the disgruntled sea, is rather short. You have a moment to glance down a rickety, wooden staircase before the group is driving down them one by one. You're jostled even more as the bike is driven over various rocks and through a gaping hole in the fence that's meant to keep trespassers out. They drive into a cave where the bikes are then parked, and you climb off to follow Paul down a very humid path.

Swiping cobwebs, vines, and roots out of the way, you're then led into a cavernous room. There are shafts of moonlight lighting up the space, and then Paul and Marko fire up barrels all around the space. The place is trashed, but you quickly realize it's not a normal cave. There's a sofa, chairs, and a broken water fountain. There's what appears to be a long counter- or was it a desk?- and a tattered portrait hanging behind it.

"What is this place?" You ask as you glance around in wonder. They obviously made it their own- seashells and broken CDs hanging from every place available, as well as hundreds of melted candles over every surface. You even spot a mattress, pillows, and blankets hidden behind some type of gauzy material.

"This was the hottest resort back in the day," David drawls. "Too bad they built it on a fault line though. When the big one hit San Francisco in 1906, this place took a header down into the ground when it split open. It's been our home ever since."

"Nice." You plop down on a couch, sighing as you stare at each boy. "So what do you wanna know?"

"Everything." David takes a seat on a wheelchair, staring right at you. "Start from the beginning."

"Fair enough. I was born and raised in Mystic Falls, Virginia to parents who ran their own business. I didn't want for anything and ended up being a letdown when I wasn't into pageants as my mother hoped I would be."

"Did your parents even die by drowning?" Marko asks.

"Yes. That was true," you tell him. "After their death, my aunt Jenna took in me, Elena, and Jeremy. Both my siblings grieved differently, but when the new school year started, my sister did a complete turnaround when Stefan Salvatore entered the picture."

"Why do I get the feeling this Salvatore dude is a major player in your story?" Paul asks.

"Because he is. Unbeknownst to any of us, Stefan Salvatore was vampire number one. He was drawn to Mystic Falls all because of my sister Elena."

"Why your sister?" Dwayne asks, startling you. He rarely spoke up, but when he did, you couldn't help but be drawn to him.

"Do you guys know what a doppelganger is?" At their nods, you explain. "Elena was the latest human doppelganger. The previous doppelganger, Katherine, toyed with two brothers back in 1864. The Salvatore brothers, to be exact."

"Shit." Paul giggles. "Talk about a vampire novella."

"Anyway, Katherine toyed with Damon's feelings and made him fall in love with her. When she tried the same with Stefan, he resisted so she compelled him to love her. And then when it came to light that there were many vampires in town, every vampire was rounded up, vervained, and anyone who associated with them were killed. As it just so happens, the Salvatore brothers' father found out his sons were romantically linked with Katherine, so he shot them. Unfortunately for him, Katherine had been feeding the boys her blood, so when they were killed, they didn't stay dead for long.

"Fast forward to the present time and both Salvatores are now salivating for the newest doppelganger. Only this time, Stefan has fallen in love with Elena without any compulsion, and so has Damon. Katherine's apparently been keeping tabs on the brothers and she's not happy that Elena has the love of the brothers."

David makes a motion with his hand to hurry you along. "How did you turn?"

"Katherine has made it her mission to make Elena's life a living hell, so what better way than to kill one of her best friends and older sister?"

Paul gapes. "You're joking."

"Nope. The crazy bitch fed me her blood before snapping my neck, then smothered Caroline who happened to have Damon's blood in her system. When we woke up in transition and fed on human blood to complete the transition, half of our friends turned on us. We had to rely on Damon and Stefan to teach us to control our bloodlust, but things were never the same. And to top it all off, learning to become a vampire was the least of our worries."

"What's more important than knowing you've died and have to kill people to survive?"

"How about that one of the Original vampires- who is over a thousand years old, by the way- needs the blood of a human doppelganger to break the curse on him, so he decides it's his turn to make your family's life hell as well?"

"Oh shit. What curse?" Paul asks.

You slowly smirk. "Niklaus Mikaelson is not just one of the original vampires, but he's the one and only original hybrid. He's half vampire, half wolf, and one of the most lethal individuals that still walks this earth."

The boys fall silent, but then Marko speaks up.

"Hold on. The dude funding your trip around the world is the same person who made your life a living hell?"

"Yep," you muse. "We were at each other's throats for the longest time, then his sister killed my sister which turned her into a vampire as well, and there was just a shit load more drama with doppelgangers, witches, werewolves, and hybrids." You shrug. "Elijah was never truly terrible, so I spoke more with him first, but then Klaus really took the brother role to heart. The Mikaelsons have kind of adopted me, and my siblings and friends didn't take too kindly to that. So, to avoid all the drama, I left. And now here I am."

For the rest of the late night and early morning, you answer all questions you can. Paul and Marko are interested to see the differences between you and them, but David and Dwayne are more interested in learning about the Original vampires and their unique differences. Their biggest hangup, however, is that the sun has no effect on you like it does them. Sure you both will catch on fire, but it doesn't pull you to sleep the day away like it does them. You're a bit jealous that they can fly, but you're so much faster than any of them.

The moment David mentions the impending sunrise is your cue to go, so you bid farewell to your friends before winking at Paul and disappearing before they can even blink.

For the next couple of days, you keep yourself busy by running some errands for Klaus. You meet with vampires and piss off a couple of werewolf packs, but all in all the work gets done. You hadn't been able to keep in touch with the Lost Boys, so Paul and Marko whoop in cheer when they spot you.

"Well if it isn't Miss Mystic Falls," Paul muses. "Where the hell have you been, chika?"

"Sorry. Sorry!" You lean against the railing in between the group, grimacing. "I had a few things to do and since you're all allergic to modern technology, I couldn't text or call."

"Anything we need to know about?" David wonders.

Normally you'd say no, but Santa Carla is his territory and you don't want any bad blood with him. "Not really. I had a few things to pick up for Klaus and a few messages to deliver to some werewolf packs up North."

David frowns. "There are packs nearby?"

"The closest one is fifty miles out, but they're all pretty scared of Klaus and what he can do so they stay in line. If there's anything to worry about, it's any lone wolves who decide to take shelter in the woods around Hudson's Bluff and don't give a flying fuck about the Original Hybrid."

"Pft. We can take on a rogue werewolf if need be," Paul says.

"You say that now, but you won't be saying much when you get bitten by one. Remember, werewolf bites are lethal to us vampires." Paul's smugness dims. "Now who's good to eat around here? I didn't have time to grab some blood bags from the hospital."

"Stay away from the Surf Nazis," Dwayne says.

"Surf Nazis? What the hell kind of name is that?" Your nose wrinkles in distaste.

"A name that they've had since the eighties," Marko says. "It just stuck because they're still a bunch of racist and bigoted pricks."

"Fair enough. So, if I can't eat them, who can I eat?"

All four boys readily scan the crowd, excited at the prospect of picking your dinner.

"Do you have a preference? Male or female?" David asks.

"No junkies and I'm good with either male or female."

After mere seconds, David already has his pick. "On your three. Group of guys keep glancing this way. I'm pretty sure they're not checking Marko out."

You subtly glance at them and figure any one of them is good enough. "Alright. Since you guys are intimidating as fuck, you're gonna say goodbye and go do your own thing. Whoever approaches me first is dinner."

"Boo. You're no fun." Paul's the first hop off his bike, giving you a side hug. "We'll be watching from the roof."

"Of course you will." You roll your eyes, laughing.

Marko winks at you as he follows after Paul, David nods at you, but it's Dwayne who makes you arch an eyebrow at him as he glares at the group of guys before leaving. You chuckle at the oddness of it all before shaking it off and then pulling out your phone to kill some time.

It doesn't take long at all for someone to approach you and you easily fall into the role of the lone human girl way too easily. You chat for a bit and find out he's in fact in college, on break for a week and just looking for some fun. You tell him you're taking a gap year, just passing through Santa Carla and was hoping for some fun as well. His lecherous grin lets him know you have him on the hook.

"Wanna take a ride on the ferris wheel?" He asks.

"I'll do you one better. I say we visit an alley away from prying eyes without giving any ride operators an eye full."

"Oh, fuck yes."

Smirking in triumph, you hop off the railing and grab up the guy's hand. You briefly meet his friends' gaze before winking at them, leading their friend off to what they think is going to be a very good time. For you it will be, but for him? Not so much.

Once at an alley that doesn't have much traffic passing by either end, you lure the guy inside. In the middle of the alley, you turn so your back is against the wall and let him grab you by the hips. But as you cradle his face before he kisses you, you meet his gaze and say, "Don't scream. Don't fight. This will be painless."

The guy goes quiet, and you let your face change before his very eyes. He tenses, but he stays stock still without uttering a peep. Then reaching around to grasp the hair at the back of his head, you angle his head so you can sink your fangs into his neck. You drink and drink, satiating your thirst while listening for the first skip of his heart. When you've had enough, you clean his neck wound of any blood and then prick your tongue with a fang to smear your own blood on the bite wound. It heals after a minute, and you pull back to meet his gaze once more.

"When you get back to your friends, you're gonna be smug but also a little bit let down. Admit I'm the greatest kisser you've ever had, but before we could get to any of the good stuff, we were interrupted by a homeless couple."

"We were interrupted by a homeless couple," he parrots back.

"Good boy. Now to make things more believable..." You slowly smirk before pulling him close, capturing his lips with your own.

The guy is shaken out of his compulsion and his arms wrap low around your waist to pull you even closer to him. You kiss him roughly to make sure his lips appear swollen and even muss his hair up. But the moment you reach under his shirt and rake your nails across his back, causing him to groan, you hear someone drop down beside you.

One second, you're enjoying a kiss and the next your victim is shoved away from you. Dwayne practically puts himself between you and your meal as he snarls, "Get. Lost."

The other individuals drop down into the alley, and you meet three amused expressions. Paul and Marko are snickering quietly whereas David is smirking at his dark-haired brother.

"You alright there, Dwayne?"

Dwayne turns, expression unimpressed at David's question. Instead of answering him, he turns his stare on you. "What?" You feign innocence. "I had to sell it. His friends needed to believe I brought him in here for anything other than feeding."

"Whatever. Next time, just kill the guy."

As Dwayne stalks off, you smile at his back. The moment he disappears, you ask, "Was that- was that jealousy?"

"Yep." Paul skips to you, draping an arm around your shoulders. "Dwayne's always been possessive, but it's been a long time since he took real interest in someone."

"This is going to be fun," Marko muses.

You roll your eyes and sigh but can't help but agree.

Over the course of another few days, it's now very obvious that Dwayne's hovering wasn't just because you were a female. He most definitely knows you can take care of yourself, yet he's still there, but now he's openly snarling when someone looks at you a little too long. To placate him, you only ride with him and pull him into the V of your thighs when you're sitting on the railing. He starts tensing up the moment you all people watch for your next meal and other guys stare back, but the tension drops from his shoulders when you hop onto the railing, pull him into the V of your thighs, and hug him from behind.

Nothing intimate happens between you and Dwayne, but it becomes an unspoken rule among the small coven that you're off limits.

Everything seems to be going well until you meet the boys on the boardwalk one night and David looks livid.

Your smile instantly vanishes. "What's wrong?"

"The woods smell like fuckin' dog," he seethes.

Immediately your gaze snaps towards the sky and your heart sinks. "It's a full moon."

"We know. We're gonna try and kill this wolf for stepping into our territory and pissin' all over the place."

"What?" Your voice is lethally quiet as you meet David's gaze. "You have to be joking. One bite- hell, even one nip!- is a death sentence."

"We'll be fine. We just thought we'd let you know."

As they turn to mount their bikes, you swear. "Goddammit. Wait for me. You're not doing this alone."

You climb onto the back of Dwayne's bike, wrapping your arms around his waist as you glare at the others for their idiotic choices. They're quite solemn as they drive to the woods, and you keep your eyes peeled for the werewolf in question. As they come to a stop, you climb off and glance around the eerily quiet woods.

"So do you have any tips on tracking a werewolf?" Paul muses.

You gulp. "It's a full moon and this wolf most likely claimed these woods as theirs. It'll be hunting us."

The boys chuckle and start walking, combing the woods for any sight of the wolf. It isn't long until a twig snaps- a twig that neither you nor the boys have stepped on. You all freeze.

"Showtime?" Marko wonders.

You sigh. "Be prepared to run. Werewolves can match a vampire's speed on the nights of a full moon."

"We'll be alright."

Almost as soon as the words leave Marko's mouth, the werewolf rushes in. It takes down Paul by his knees, standing on his back and snarling. Before he can snap his jaws, you rush over and kick the werewolf to send it flying.

"What the fuck was that?!" Paul incredulously asks as he hurriedly climbs back to his feet.

"A werewolf," you deadpan. "Keep your guard up. It'll come back."

For a few minutes, it seems like the werewolf is toying with all of you. It keeps knocking down the boys, snarling before disappearing. You've kicked it off your friends three times by now, but the second you hear a howl in the distance, you and the boys freeze.

"There's a second one?" You ask. David shrugs and you bite your tongue to keep from giving him a verbal lashing. "It was stupid to do this on the night of a full moon. We need to leave right now, and I'll do my best to sniff out the werewolves tomorrow so we can handle them when they're in their human forms."

"How much harder can two werewolves be?"

"Pretty fuckin' hard, David. I know you're a badass and all, but we need to do this another night."

Before David can answer, Dwayne shouts. You whirl around, eyes widening at seeing a werewolf pinning him to the ground with its sharp teeth inches from his face. Without thinking, you fly at the wolf, tackling it off of him. You and the wolf scramble for the upper hand and you hiss when there's a pain in your shoulder.

Eventually, you manage to pin the wolf to the ground by its neck and shove your hand into its chest cavity to yank out its heart. With the wolf dead, you toss the heart aside. "Now will you listen to me? This was such a stupid fucking idea." The boys remain quiet, staring at her.

Actually, they're staring at your shoulder.

"What?"

Dwayne steps forward, carefully reaching for your arm and pulling you a step towards him. You frown, but then hiss when he moves the neckline of your shirt off your shoulder. "You're bit."

Your heart falls into your stomach and you quickly glance at the shoulder that you now realize is burning. Your eyes fill with tears. "O-Oh."

"Oh? Oh?!" Dwayne nearly shouts. "Werewolf bites are lethal, remember? How could you be so goddamn stupid?!"

Your bottom lip trembles. "I'm well aware of that, Dwayne. I was the one who told you to hunt the werewolf another night, remember?" You sigh and pull your hand free from his grasp. You take a moment to collect your thoughts before admitting, "There's a cure. Only a select few know and the cure is hard to get your hands on unless you're on friendly terms with those who have access to it. It's not my secret to divulge, so I was compelled to not say anything unless it was an emergency."

"What is it?" Dwayne asks. "We'll get it."

"You can't. But I can," you admit. "Let's just get to the cave. I have a phone call to make."

So, for part two, do we want the Mystic Falls gang to follow Klaus to Santa Carla or do we want the Santa Carla gang to visit Mystic Falls?

[goldenocie]

Yo I forgot about this draft but essentially: fablesmp fairy tale AU but I try to connect everyone somehow. All of the player characters are here so it’s sort of a long post

Fable- evil king. The snow queen. Witch. Motive unclear but he’s trying to amass more magic for…something??

Icarus- Snow White. They lived a comfortable life in the palace until they showed power of their own and the king ordered them to be killed. Now lives with a bunch of birds in the woods

Rae- Cinderella. Despite being the late queens son, he is treated more like a palace maid. As kids, he and Icarus had a bad relationship but it got better as they grew up. He finds comfort by going down to the sea and speaking to the nice mermaid who shares stories of their life and by also sneaking chats with his fathers huntsman

Momboo- Sleeping beauty. The oldest of two sisters who were born of pure magic and somehow nothing else. She was able to escape the king when she was younger and he attempted to capture her, though he still managed to place a curse on her. Her life force is directly connected to a tree he planted and once it grows to full size she is destined to prick her finger on one of the branches and fall into a death like slumber. She lives in hiding now, the fairies that saved her are still around her occasionally

Ocie- Rapunzel. The younger of the magic sisters, she was not as lucky as her older sister and was locked in a tower by the king at a young age. It overlooks the sea and that’s all she’s ever known. She truly believes the king cares for her like family and that she is locked in there for her own protection.

Wolf- the Huntsman and the wolf. The former huntsman of the king, the king sent him to kill Icarus but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He lied to Fable, however this was found out and he punished him by turning him into a wolf.

Oscar- somehow all of the three little pigs in one. He made all three houses and got chased out of all of them :(, a wolf chased him to a tower which he climbed up and found a lady inside!

Centross- Robin Hood. Is definitely in love with one of the kings huntsmen. Centross witnessed him get turned into a wolf and tried to kill the king over it. However, the king framed him for Wolfs disappearance and guards chased him out of the city. He got chased out into the woods where he came across a weird guy with a lot of birds who definitely looks a little familiar. They fought for a bit until he got chased again to a tower that looks like it might hold something valuable

Jerry- Guard archetype. This criminal he’s chasing has been blamed for the disappearance of his best friend and while Jerry doesn’t believe that wolf is dead, he does believe that centross is to blame.

Athena- Little Red. A Prince from a now destroyed land being raised by their mother in the woods. She warned them not to stray from the path but damnit there were shiny things out there… They were chased by a large wolf before running into a strange person with many birds. He’s staying with them for the time being until the coast is clear…

Jamie- Goldilocks/beast. Jamie woke up one day as a small bear cub with no memory. Unbeknownst to them, they used to be a prince but was cursed by the king to become a bear. They broke into the house of some humans but was quickly shooed out after trying their food, chairs, and beds. They found a small cottage shortly after with a nice lady inside

Easton- jack and the beanstalk. Following the death of their parents, Easton had to sell their favorite cow (rip Martin) at market. They were offered three magic beans in return and…for some reason…agreed. Easton planted them but for a while nothing happened. A week past and suddenly- big beanstalk sprouted. Easton found a city in the clouds and attempted some theft, much to the dismay of the giants. Along with numerous other injuries, they lost their sight escaping but was taken in by a kind woman who brought them to her home.

Ven- Kai (The snow queen) Broken shards of the kings shattered magic mirror embedded into Vens heart and eyes. He now serves the king faithfully. The shards have turned him cruel and he can no longer see the beauty in anything besides the kings magic. Only those who have been at the castle for a while know about the kind natured person he used to be. Icarus was able to slightly melt the shards in his heart but was unable to completely do so before their father found out.

Caspian- Prince Charming 1. The brother in a set of two siblings sent by Queen Soraza as a peace envoy. He is adopted by the queen though still has rightful claim to the throne. While at the castle he has been seeing some odd things…perhaps more will be uncovered at the solstice ball that he’s attending. He is here for diplomatic reasons and to keep the allusion of peace. He’d much rather be doing anything else as this trip has already been taxing on him. He also was thrown from the ship while coming into port and considers it nothing less of a miracle that he didn’t drown…now if only he knew how.

Arisanna- Prince Charming 2. The only biological child of queen Soraza, nonetheless she does not wish for the throne. Ari does not trust anything here and the tree in the courtyard has particularly caught her eye… the flowers are gorgeous and it’s so vibrant. It’s almost…magical. She is here to investigate the claims that the king is putting curses on people.

Aax- the little mermaid. Interested by the humans, aax has been sneaking up to talk to a boy named Rae who’s he’s pretty interested in. However things take a turn when he watches a man get thrown overboard off a large ship during a storm. The man he saved was dressed very fancy and Aax left him on the beach despite wanting to stay and talk. Aax was told later by rae that this was actually the visiting prince! He wants desperately to follow Rae, to actually meet the man he saved, to not be stuck in the sea. When going to meet Rae on the beach later he finds a different man who offers him a deal in return for legs.

Ulysses- Triton/ the sisters(the little mermaid). Aax’s adopted parent, Ulysses is not very fond of Aaxs decision yet he is still trying to look out for them. After finding out about the deal, Ulysses looks more into it and finds a way for Aax to get out of it in time without losing his life. He’s not super ethical about it but he’ll be damned if he loses another family member to these humans.

Addie- Miss muffet. She owns a spider themed cafe! It’s called “the web” as she’ll always have information for you…just bring something to share as well! Addie lives on the outskirts of the kingdom as she does not wish to be anywhere near the king.

Haley- the mad hatter. A frequent customer at The Web, nobodies actually seen her out of it… most of her rambling means nothing you’re sure…hopefully. The king cursed her with madness long ago but that curse seems to actually have given her a large amount of knowledge of things she shouldn’t know.

Isla- fairy god mother. Nobody knows how she achieved this power nor how she escaped the king. The common people believe her to be dead. She has created a flaw in the kings otherwise unbreakable curses, causing true loves kiss to be the remedy to all of them. Perhaps she has experience of her own to speak from?

I didn’t wanna add too many gods cause honestly that would just make this so much harder but I did try to include all the players! This is already a very long post. Go ahead and try to add the existing gods in if you’d like! I just ask if you’re adding onto my stuff not to move anyone out of a slot

[rylem33]

High Riser

Claire never imagined she’d end up living in a swanky high-rise apartment, perched in the heart of the city’s most exclusive neighborhood. The sleek, modern space was nothing like the warm, cozy homes she preferred. Gray walls, chrome accents, and floor-to-ceiling windows made it feel more like a magazine spread than a place to live. But it was her boyfriend Matt’s dream apartment, and Claire had agreed to move in, even if it wasn’t really her style.

Matt adored the city’s glitz and glamor, thriving in his high-paying tech job. Claire, on the other hand, prided herself on her humility. She worked at a nonprofit, feeding underserved families, a job she cherished despite the modest salary. She liked to think of herself as the opposite of the vain influencers she mocked.  The irony didn’t escape her that they would feel probably feel more at home in this apartment than she did.

At first, it was easy to overlook the unease she felt. The apartment was just a place, after all. But that didn’t explain the way her reflection sometimes seemed… different. She noticed it in the polished surfaces of the kitchen, the glossy marble counters in the bathroom. Then Matt surprised her with a gift to “make the place feel more her”. It was a sleek, full-length mirror with a modern frame that fit perfectly with the decor.

“You’ve been working so hard,” he said with a wink. “You deserve something nice.”

Claire smiled, thanking him, but she barely used the mirror. Vanity wasn’t her thing. That was the kind of indulgence she scoffed at, wasn’t it?

Then the whispers started.

They were quiet at first, a faint hum in the back of her mind whenever she stood before the mirror. The voice grew bolder over time, urging her to tweak her hair, try on a different dress, or stand just so. And Claire listened, not realizing how easily she was falling into its rhythm. Her reflection began to change even more, her skin glowing, her features sharpening into something undeniably stunning. People started to notice. First Matt, then their friends, eventually even strangers on the street. For the first time, she felt the magnetic pull of being admired.

The changes didn’t stop with her appearance. Thoughts she’d once dismissed as shallow crept into her mind, louder and harder to ignore. The job she used to love felt burdensome, the struggling families a drain on her energy. The rooftop parties Matt took her to now felt exhilarating. She loved the way eyes lingered on her, the way conversations stopped when she walked into a room.

The woman in the mirror watched it all with a knowing smirk.

It wasn’t long before Claire barely recognized herself. She quit her nonprofit job without a second thought. Her days became filled with shopping trips and photoshoots in the apartment’s perfect lighting. She downloaded Instagram, creating an account that quickly amassed followers, each post filled with images of her flawless face and designer outfits.

Claire told herself she could stop whenever she wanted. That she wasn’t like those people. Those vapid, shallow influencers. But she knew she was lying to herself. She was changing and she didn’t like it.

Tonight, Claire was determined to break free. She stood before the mirror, trembling with anger and fear. Her reflection stared back, serene and mocking, every bit as beautiful as Claire had become.

“You’re wasting your strength,” it purred, tilting its head. “Look at your life. You’re better now. You love who you’ve become.”

“I never wanted this!” Claire shouted, tears streaking her perfect cheeks. “I’m not like you!”

The reflection’s laughter filled the room, sharp and cutting. “Oh, Claire. Sweet, naive Claire. You already are me. Look at what you’ve done. You quit your job. You love the attention. You thrive on it.”

Claire’s hands balled into fists. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. But the whispers in her mind were louder now, echoing every cruel thought she’d buried. You liked it. You wanted it.

With a scream, she lunged at the mirror, slamming her fist into the glass. Cracks splintered across the surface, glowing faintly as her reflection’s smirk widened.

“You can’t destroy me,” it said, stepping closer to the surface. “Because I’m you.”

The cracks rippled like water as the reflection stepped through, fully formed and impossibly radiant. It towered over Claire, perfect and cold, a cruel parody of everything she’d despised.

“Stop fighting,” the reflection whispered, cupping Claire’s face. Its hands were cold, yet they burned. “When this is over, you won’t even remember who you were. And that’s a blessing.”

Claire tried to pull away, but her body felt heavy, her thoughts sluggish. The reflection leaned closer, and Claire felt herself slipping away. Her anger, her resistance, her very self dissolving into the void.

The last thing she saw was her reflection’s flawless smile.

The woman who rose from the floor looked flawless, every movement smooth and deliberate. She turned to the mirror, now whole and unblemished, and adjusted her hair with a satisfied smirk.

Grabbing her phone, she snapped a selfie against the glittering skyline, captioning it with ease.

“Chasing perfection ✨ #blessed #citylife”

In the depths of the mirror, a faint outline of Claire’s old self remained, hands pressed against the glass, her mouth open in a silent scream.

But the new Claire didn’t notice.

And she didn’t care.

[iwanthermidnightz]

“But this mostly perfect life can feel a lot like being a tiger in an wildlife enclosure. It’s pretty in there, but you can’t get out. It’s peculiar to me that after all these years, I still get so anxious when I see a group of people staring, amassed outside my house, pointing, camera phones up... they could never imagine how much that feels like being hunted. And no matter how big my house is, or how many albums I sell, I’m still going to be the rabbit. Because the hunters will always outnumber me. The spectators will stand by, shaking their heads, going “That poor girl.”

But the point is.. they’re still watching. Everyone loves to watch a good hunt.

I worry for my generation and the ones after that because they will never truly experience a moment without attempting to capture it and own it. I am of the generation where you see a beautiful flower growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk, and you pick it. You take it with you to show everyone you know. Whereas I think our ancestors might come upon a beautiful flower and stop and think ‘Wow. That is really beautiful.“

Nevermind that picking a flower kills it, the same way taking a picture of a moment can ruin it altogether. They needed to possess things. They need photographic proof that they were there. They need to then post that photo online so their friends can see it. So that they can spend all day checking the comments underneath. That level of possession worries me.”

—Taylor in her Lover Diary entries written August 14, 2013

[relenafanel]

As promised, the threadfic from my Twitter/X account. I just copy/pasted all of it, so the flow might feel a little weird due to the word limit and ~dramatic pauses~ you know the drill.

Modern AU - wangxian, classical musician lwj x idol wwx

Secret fanboy!lwj finds out the family connection to idol wwx.

thread ⤵️

______________

Lan Zhan doesn’t use social media often. He has a professional account that he posts his appearance schedules to, where he follows other musicians of his calibre. His cohort will tag him in posts, some of them professional and some of them personal, but he rarely answers.

His professional bio has a link, so he amasses followers anyway. Such is the price of being a famous classical musician.

“It’s because you’re young and hot,” NHS reminds him during an event they’re both obligated to attend when he expresses his disinterest at his 15k followers.

Lan Zhan doesn’t know what being either of those things has to do with his field.

No one is looking at his face when he’s playing music!

👀 <- nhs’s expression in response to that.

It’s late and he’s stuck in an airport. Despite having a set bedtime, he’s not the type to sleep while in public, and the annoyance and disregulation of the flight delay have made it so he’s having trouble focusing on reading. In a rare instance, he ends up scrolling his socials.

Wei Wuxian is trending #1.

Lan Zhan doesn’t know who that is so he ignores it.

“Dizi” is trending #5. Lan Zhan’s eyebrows go up in vague surprise. He’s aware of how little the world cares about traditional music, even if he thinks they’re all wrong. So of course he clicks on it.

The video that opens is of a man playing something slow and upbeat on a dizi. His expression shows that he’s entranced with the music he’s playing and that he’s enjoying himself.

And oh

Oh

He’s beautiful.

It should NOT matter to Lan Zhan. He’s only ever cared about the music. But it matters. It feels like the dizi is being jabbed into his solar plexus with every second the man plays with his lovely face and long, graceful fingers

He finishes the video, surprised to see it’s almost 4 minutes long. The man holds his final note with impressive breath control. Then he laughs, gasping for breath. “It’s been ages since I’ve tried that” he says.

It hits LZ that this isn’t a normal video

Or, it’s far too professional of a set up for most amateur instrument players. Compared to his own v expensive marketing the lighting and sound is 🙌🏻 quality.

Lan Zhan glances down to read the discription to find the man’s name.

Wei Wuxian.

He isn’t clueless about the internet. He realizes that wwx must be someone. Someone big enough to trend #1 and make the word dizi trend at all. He should dismiss it as a lovely moment and move on.

He doesn’t dismiss it.

Instead, he watches it again.

He goes back to trending topics and clicks into the WWX tag.

He watches more videos. He reads comments.

He learns.

By the time his flight boards he's learned:

WWX is an idol turned actor

He's never played the dizi publicly before

His fans aren't shocked to learn he CAN because he typically pulls out random skills from no where

LWJ is SUPER attracted to him.

Before he gets on the plane he likes the video and it feels like a big deal. He stares at it for a moment and thinks about sharing it.

He thinks, and thinks, and ends up feeling like it's too big of a step that would tell all his followers exactly how he feels.

(worse, it would also tell his brother, who sometimes teases him for being young and so disconnected from modern music.)

That should be the end of it. He airport-exhaustion flirts with being attracted to an actor, he rationalizes himself out of it in the cold light of day.

It's not the end of it.

A timeline of lwj's fall into fanboying: 💎he lurks for a week, going video to video/post to post 💎he considers putting wwx's pic as his phone background; doesn't 💎he makes a burner account to like posts so he won't lose them 💎he likes a lot of posts

💎he gets furious when someone says something bad about wwx and thinks about answering; doesn't 💎does 💎does 💎he has RECEIPTS 💎he considers getting a burner phone so his brother can't look over his shoulder so he can save images; doesn't 💎hopelessly thinks wwx is GORGEOUS

has the following convo with LXC: LXC: i see you liked the video of wwx playing the dizi LWJ, ice spreading through his extremities: you have not spoken of him before - is he a friend? LXC: no, he's - nevermind

Maybe the first time he managed to get one over on his nosy brother

It feels thrilling to him, this secret life.

💎He plays the same song on his guqin that wwx played on the dizi and thinks about filming and posting it; doesn't. 💎He goes to see wwx's most recent movie in theatres; hates the experience but enjoys seeing him anyway

💎sees an announcement for a fanmeet out of an auditorium he plays and considers buying a ticket; doesn't 💎regrets; doesn't change his mind 💎on the day of the fanmeet he stays away. he has access - it's a surprising test of wills for him

until he gets called in for a favor

The favor* is to pre-record a short accompaniment on the guqin. It should have been done far in advance, it wasn't. It's very wwx to do something fantastic at the last second. lwj should feel more annoyed by the haste but is instead charmed.

*he is getting paid.

He's standing in the corridor w his guqin when wwx's entourage arrives, walking quickly past.

He looks.

His heart races. His palms sweat.

wwx meets his eyes and smiles, friendly & impersonal.

lwj stands there after he leaves for what feels like a long time but prob isn't.

He thinks about it for days. should he have said something? should he have asked for his ad hoc contract to include 5 minutes of time?

It all seems so impossible. force inserting himself into a moment of wwx's life makes him feel ill.

He wishes.

(he doesn't know)

[time skip]

LXC asks him if he'd be willing to play a few songs at his boyfriend's brother's son's bday party, stresses that he's not the entertainment. He agrees. It's very likely that LXC will force him along to socialize and at least if he's playing he won't need to talk.

The Jins are ostentatious; the party is not.

"friends & family," lxc explains. "JYL's brother is famous. you don't know him."

he WOULDN'T, his brother is right. He doesn't think about the surety of the phrasing until he walks through the door and comes face to face with WWX.

LWJ stills.

WWX pauses mid-sentence and looks at him. "I saw you at the fanmeet," he blurts out, surprised.

Everyone turns to stare at him. His ears flame hot. "I recorded the guqin piece."

He doesn't say how beautiful wwx is in person

"Oh thank you! I know it was so last minute. A lifesaver. A prince!" wwx effuses.

This seems to be a good enough explanation for everyone but LXC who is still staring at him. He feels pleased. His brother can tell.

He bows briefly at the praise.

Later, wwx approaches where he's sitting. "I thought you might like to hear the song."

"I heard it," he says. Wishes he hadn't. wwx was going to play it for him and he spoke without thinking. He knows better.

"Oh, did your management share it?"

"It's online."

It isn't online.

Or, it is online, but only in a certain kind of fan recording.

"You wanted to hear it that badly?"

Yes. It's the cumulation of both their talents. He's never felt that level of impatience in his life. "Yes," he says simply.

"OH!" wwx gasps delighted. "It's so good, isn't it?"

"Mn," he agrees.

"I'm going to release it. Do a concert with me!" WWX asks, shining. "Oh! An album!"

He can't. "I follow you on social media," he tells wwx, tone grave.

"You say that like it's bad. 30 million ppl follow me on social media." He pulls out his phone. Frowns.

"It doesn't say we're mutuals," he shows LWJ.

LWJ pulls out his phone and shows it to WWX.

"A FAN ACCOUNT" WWX crows in delight. "oh my god that's amazing. That's so good. You have to make music with me now that I know you like me. Yes, right? You're going to say yes?"

"Yes."

He doesn't realize until later, when he's home and still reeling from how overwhelming wwx's presence is, that he doesn't have a new follower notification on his main account.

How long has wwx been following him?

"Oh, since you played at [x] Gala two years ago. You were breathtaking. I was a guest." wwx tells him when he finally asks. "You didn't notice?"

"No."

"Haha I asked your brother when I met him and he said you wouldn't." wwx thinks this is the most hilarious thing.

"You notice me now, right gege?" wwx asks, fluttering his eyelashes.

LWJ kisses him.

[fin] 💝💝

(also share on X if you're so inclined. it's been retweeted once at this point and that's v sad 😭😂)

[slutty-transformation-stories]

The Blogger

In a small town where the internet had become the playground of the young and the bored, Maddie, a plump, bubbly teenager, ruled the social media scene. Her blog, "Chubby Unicorns," was a breath of fresh air, a digital sanctuary for girls like her who didn't conform to the waifish beauty standards of their peers. She posted selfies, videos, and motivational quotes, all with the same message: love your body, love yourself. Her followers grew like a well-fed garden, each comment and like a droplet of water nurturing her confidence.

Emmie, the school's undisputed queen bee, watched Maddie's rise with a mix of contempt and curiosity. Her own social media was a curated gallery of perfection—thin, toned, and perpetually pouting. Emmie couldn't fathom how someone so...ordinary could amass such a devoted following. Jealousy gnawed at her, a feeling as foreign as kindness. It was a threat to her reign she could not ignore. So, one evening, in the quiet of her room, she rummaged through her mother's dusty bookshelves, her fingers tracing over spines of books long forgotten. Her eyes fell upon an ancient tome titled "The Art of Subtle Envy." A smirk played on her lips as she pulled it out and began to read, the words whispering dark secrets into her ear.

The next day at school, Maddie noticed a peculiar change. Her jeans hung looser, her t-shirt swam around her torso. She felt...lighter. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Her thoughts grew sharper, more critical of those around her. A sneer formed on her lips as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, noticing that her cheekbones had become more prominent. It was the start of a transformation that would not be easily undone.

Her followers began to comment on her sudden weight loss, showering her with praise she hadn't anticipated. The words "you look amazing" and "how did you do it?" flooded her notifications like a river in springtime. The attention was intoxicating, and Maddie felt a strange sense of satisfaction each time she posted a new photo, revealing a slimmer version of herself. Her confidence grew with every pound she shed, but it was a cold, brittle confidence, built on the shaky foundation of others' opinions.

Emmie's eyes narrowed as she watched Maddie's transformation from afar. She had hoped the curse would bring Maddie down, not make her stronger. The blog posts grew fewer and farther between, each one less about self-love and more about flaunting her new figure. The comments sections turned toxic, filled with thinly veiled spite directed at those who hadn't found the same "secret." It was all going according to plan, and yet Emmie couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

Maddie's blog, once a haven of acceptance, now read like a manual for self-loathing. She posted about the joy of fitting into smaller clothes, the thrill of strangers' compliments, and the power of looking "good." Her chubby unicorns grew thinner and fewer, replaced by a flock of ravens, eager for the crumbs of validation she tossed their way. They mimicked her newfound confidence, but it was a mirage, a reflection of the harsh light Emmie had cast upon them.

The comments on her posts grew colder, a stark contrast to the warm embraces they had once been. Maddie reveled in the power she held over her followers, manipulating their emotions with each post. She began to pit them against each other, praising the ones who had shed the most weight, leaving the others feeling like failures in their own skin. The echo of her own insecurity grew louder with each passing day, but she drowned it out with the sound of her own name chanted in adoration.

Her transformation was complete when she posted a picture of herself in a tight, red dress, a look that was pure Emmie. The caption read, "Who needs a crown when you've got confidence?" It was a declaration of war, a silent taunt that sent ripples through the school's social hierarchy. Emmie's followers took notice, their loyalties swaying like a leaf in the wind. The once-chubby girl had become the epitome of what they aspired to be—thin and cruel.

Emmie watched her screen with a sinking feeling as the likes and comments on Maddie's post skyrocketed. The cruel irony of it all was not lost on her. This was what she had wanted, wasn't it? To bring Maddie down, to reclaim her throne? But as she saw her own following wane, she realized the monster she had created. The girl who had once been her prey now had the power to make or break reputations with a simple click.

@corruptedcaps

[hockeyisforthegays]

if jjk were influencers what would they influence. i think yuuji would be some fitness person and nobara could do smth with sewing/repair/plushie making but idk

this is more of a general social media/content creator au and less specifically "influencer" but.

pondering this pondering this. upon thought idt yuuji would be posting about fitness actually, because like, yeah hes strong and all but its mostly natural strength? hes actually kind of a couch potato. i think he would be like a movie reviewer actually and unintentionally amass an army of fitness bros who keep asking about his nonexistent routine (todo is this) (also its either like joint review show with junpei or junpei is his mutual) ill also repeat naomhan here and agree that yuuji has big twitch streamer energy so there's that too. (now MAKI is a fitness grindset influencer for sure...)

nobara i think would be a beauty/fashion content creator like it seems too easy to say so but i do think if she were gonna chase clout thats the avenue she'd take. i think what would eventually make it big for her would be like. 'get ready with me,' doing her makeup while roasting the SHIT out of someone for... some reason. she accidentally pressed record while gossiping with someone off frame? someone wrote in her comments asking for advice in dealing with some huge jerk? she's reading AITA posts? either way the first time was not particularly meditated, but blew up so she kept doing it and its her niche now. her disses are just too hot

is megumi a booktoker.... no he hates attention he has a private tumblr blog where he posts his book reviews that get 3 notes (1 like and 1 reblog from yuuji and 1 reply from nobara) and hes happy that way. as far as anyone can tell. either that or something about animal care. if this is an AU then maybe he's the reluctant face of some wildlife rescue's social media page. i think thats cute. he was just a volunteer in the bg of a bunch of insta pictures and the internet made up lore about him & hes just stuck with it now

gojo is the most classic #influencer type like just posting pics of whatever insane over the top dessert or opulent scenic vacay vista and all his followers are just there cuz they wish they had his life. or they wanna fuck him. one of the two

yuuta is a small time vlogger - it's basically just a video journal, doesnt have a big following - inumaki is a twitch streamer OF COURSE, panda is writing rpf. this is canon.

ijichi has like a aesthetic studyblr/organization and productivity type channel. VERY popular HUGE following. yaga craft channel. shokohime has a baseball podcast shoko is her indulgent co-host who knows far far less about baseball but they play into that well. all of the kyoto students listen to it.

nanami has the worlds driest advice podcast that has 1 regular listener. nanami only bothers to record and post episodes when that 1 listener sends in a question. the listener is yuuji.

suguru has a cult.

[doonarose]

GOAD Writer's Guild presents: A Bathhouse Pretense

CW/TW: Explicit, sex in public, orgy scenes and descriptions of other men having sex, the exhibitionism/voyeurism that goes with that , wet and messy comeplay things, edging, cockwarming.

Summary: Written for the @goodomensafterdark Valentine's Gift Exchange (yes, it's May, I'm so sorry!! Chapter 1 was posted back then but it has been a journey to finish this one up!) For Zaay-zaay who requested top Crowley in a bathhouse with kissing and maybe cockwarming. To wit:

Aziraphale seeks Crowley out in 38 BC Rome, and finds him in a bathhouse which just so happens to be hosting an orgy. Aziraphale is there to discuss upcoming celestial business, Crowley is there for a good time, but when Hastur happens to drop by, it gives them an (admittedly flimsy) excuse to get close, and then closer still.

First time sex in the back corner bath, canon compliant, much edging, feelings and filth.

Word count: 18k, complete!

Thanks: Good lord! Everyone!! Thanks to Fuzzygoblinoid for the beautiful header art!

Thanks enormously to my three betas on the second chapter: Likeafuckingninja, Gingercat and Natyu0815. Ninja who held my hand for weeks after falling off the writing horse and trying to clamber back on, Natyu for the cheerleading, and Ginger for the very last minute swoop in with some cracker ideas! Thanks also to Fishey_me and FuzzyGoblin for their insanely quick beta on the first chapter!

Thanks also to all the people in the GOAD Writer's Guild chat who have listened to my whining about trying to write part two for literal months! And thanks again to Zaay-zaay for a fantastic prompt that took me a little outside my comfort zone and then being insanely chill about overly long porn and a very long delay!

Excerpt: In the end, he recognises Crowley by his laugh: low and gravelly, but genuine. His hair’s much darker when it’s wet. He’s close to the back edge of the second bath, the hotter one, Aziraphale guesses, judging by the slick of steam shimmering over the liquid. He’s slid down on a low submerged bench so that the water’s lapping at his shoulders.

It suddenly occurs to Aziraphale that he could have found Crowley here in flagrante delicto – plenty of others are. The thought crosses his mind like it’s been scratching to get out of a sealed box, and he only has a moment to unpack it, turn it over, and then push it back somewhere locked away.

Thankfully, Crowley’s being entertained more simply, by a man lying flat on his belly across the floor behind him, a towel covering his buttocks, as he leans close to Crowley’s ear and speaks in hushed whispers. He’s got his fingertips buried in Crowley’s dark hair, half of it amassed in a bun and the rest hanging loose to his shoulders, as he massages Crowley’s scalp. The interloper has white blonde hair drawn back in long curls tied off at the nape of his neck, he looks middle-aged, stocky, the slopes of his back and arse broad and supple.

The blonde says something else that makes Crowley tip his head back and laugh, and the man tightens his fingers in Crowley’s hair, tipping his face back further so he can lean forward and over him, bite at the angle of his jaw from above and then draw back to dangle a bunch of green grapes over his lips.

Crowley plucks one with his teeth and slides back into the water, so that it laps at his chin as he chews. He sees Aziraphale suddenly, surprise making his bright yellow eyes go wide and then his lips smile around the last of the grape juice and he arches an eyebrow.

“Aziraphale!” he says, voice warm and drawled as though the baths and whatever else he’s been up to here have him relaxed, perhaps even sated.

To continue reading head on over to AO3!

[fuwahua]

Day 10: Spider

/ᐢ⑅ᐢ\ ♡ ₊˚ TKTober Day 10: Spider ꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ ♡‧₊˚ ♡ Tags: Implied Arlefuri (Arlecchino/Furina) ./づ~ :¨·.·¨: ₊˚ Arle boss form mention `·..·‘ ₊˚ ♡ , post-AQ, petnames

“What were you thinking this afternoon?”

“Huh? This afternoon?”

Arlecchino’s face remained unchanging, almost bored, as her hands absentmindedly combed through Furina’s hair.

Furina swallowed from her position on those strong thighs, resisting the urge to fidget, as the silence dragged on. Between the two of them, she was always more of the talker and that went for almost everyone and every situation. It was just that she genuinely didn’t know what Arlecchino was talking about.

“Arle?”

“Earlier this afternoon, when the traveler wished to spar with me, you had a… transfixed look on your face,” Arlecchino said. Furina hummed, the recollection coming easily now: Aether had requested Neuvilette’s help for something, and she’d been too curious to not come along. It was amusing to see him amass a team consisting of Arlecchino’s coworker and familiar ginger (who’s enthusiasm for the spar died rather quickly as soon as Aether explained he was merely there to support, not fight), a rather poor, sickly looking doctor from Liyue (who… well… she would never see the Traveler in the same light again after making the poor man run to the point of coughing up a lung), and—

Herself, wielding her new vision.

Neuvilette had carried them through the fight in all honestly, just as Aether predicted. As reassuring as it was to have the Great Ludex watch her back, her heart had thundered when Arlecchino launched backward into the air and unveiled a secondary form with ease. She’d always known the harbinger was powerful, but even so, nothing had prepared her for the way dark energy cut through the grounds just by their team.

“Did I scare you?”

“N-no! No,” Furina gasped, shaking her head. Her reply was too quick, and she hastened to clarify, pulling herself upwards to face Arlecchino. “Honest, no. You’d startled me, yes, but I wasn’t—I wasn’t scared.”

Arlecchino’s head tilted. “Truly?”

“Truly,” Furina affirmed. It had been scary, being in a fight, but she’d known from the moment Arlecchinos’s amused glance met hers that she would walk away unscathed. And she had! Honestly, the main damage taken was by the poor doctor, and that was more due to running around than Arlecchino’s attacks. On her end, there had been little more to do than summon the occasional hydro friend, cheer on Neuvillette, and be transfixed at how smoothly Arlecchino moved in the air.

The expression she’d had staring down at them from the sky, completely at ease in her own power, was beautiful. And then limbs seemed to branch out from her back, and she’d looked straight out of a fairytale.

“Then why stare?”

“Well, that’s—” Furina looks away, suddenly flustered. “It’s pretty silly. Nothing interesting!”

“I’m interested.”

“No, really! It’s just a silly Fontaine children’s story!”

“A children’s story?” Arlecchino echoed, leaning in closer. Furina squeaked as arms closed around her waist, tugging her into Arlecchino’s shadow. “Why wouldn’t a Father be interested in that?”

Blasted, Furina and her lousy choice of words! She swallowed as Arlecchino’s fingers pulled loose her buttons, cold hands meeting her skin. The contrast of temperatures made her shiver, and Arlecchino’s looming overhead expression, just at ease as earlier in the day, left her heart thundering. “A-arlecchino?”

“Mon Cherie, won’t you share with me the story?”

“U-um, I—eehehehehe! Wahahahit, wahahahahahit!”

Furina jolted in Arlecchino’s lap as surprised giggles left her lips, squirming at the sudden attack of tickling fingers along her bare skin. They circled her stomach, eager to map out the sensitive spots Arlecchino no doubt had memorized twice over, and she yelped as they slipped to needle her sides. “A-Arlehehehe! Why?!”

“It’s a children’s story you refuse to share, no? Then I shall deal with you as though a child.”

“B-but! Thihihehes isn’t hohahahaaw you t-treheheat your kids!”

Arlecchino smiled, bemused. “You would much prefer this method than how I tend to pull secrets loose from my children.”

“W-Wehehehhehehell! Lehehet’s tahahahalk about thihehhes!”

That—okay, that was probably true, but still! Furina let loose fresh peals of laughter as Arlecchino moved to dig into her sides, knuckles seemingly intent on rubbing along the curve of her waist in the most maddening way. But she was no match for someone of a Harbinger’s title, and every attempt made to escape was foiled instantly by how quickly she folded to a harsher nudge against her ribs or scratch along her stomach.

“Won’t you share, droplet?”

Furina squawked. Share? What could she even say when she was busy laughing her head off, mind occupied by the sensation of Arlecchino’s hands, now warm after tucking themselves quite comfortably against Furina’s stomach. Her face heated up as Arlecchino leaned over, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid the gaze seeking her own. No doubt her cheeks were burning pink, her fair skin making any attempt at hiding her fluster useless. Though even if it weren’t, Arlecchino could probably still tell. “S-Shahahare whahaaht?!”

“Playing dumb? Very well—let me convince you to recall.”

She shook her head as they continued their ascent, giggles morphing into wild cackles as fingers prodded, pinched, tickled every centimeter of her torso before petering back downwards. She squawked in realization, thrashing against Arlecchino as sweat beaded on her forehead.

“N-nahahah! NohaHAHAH! NAHHAat THEREHEHEHE!!”

Furina shrieked as Arlecchino’s nails met her thighs, quick and deadly in how they slipped down to scratch at the sensitive inner area. She threw her head back, eyes popping open at just how that area was, desperation hitching her voice an octave higher. “PLEAHAHAHAHSE!”

“Would you like that? For me to plead you to share?”

Furina kicked her legs out as she begged through her laughter but trust a Harbinger to be anything but unrelenting. Those hands held her down with ease as they spidered along her thighs.

Spider… spider!

“SpiHEHEHEHDEHEHER! It’s spihheheheheder!”

“Hm?”

Arlecchino’s nails dragged along exposed skin as Furina curled up, cackling. “StAHAHAHAP! NAHAHAHA MOREHEHEHEHE! I’LL SHAHAHAHARE!”

“Good girl.”

Archons, her face could only get so red. Furina whined as Arlecchino’s hands shook themselves loose from her legs, fingers intently pricking her as they left; still, it was an act of mercy that Arlecchino leaned back and let her scrub at her burning face in peace. Leftover giggles left her winded, and she winced as she rolled into a sitting posture.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m okay. Actually, I’m way better off than that doctor from today.”

Arlecchino chuckled, eyes twinkling in amusement as Furina wheezed in a way not so different than Baizhu. Okay, maybe she needed to exercise more.

She squeaked as fingers met her side, intent. Arlecchino nudged her again. “The story?”

Oh, that. Furina sighed, feeling the redness that’d started to recede from her cheeks bloom once more; it had been a busy passing thought then, and it was even sillier now that she’d had it tickled out of her like an interrogation scene from a B-grade musical.

“Um, there’s a Fontaine children’s rhythm that, actually,” Furina paused, trying to recall it. “It’s about a spider. An itsy-bitsy spider, and it goes… up a well? I think?”

“It rains,” Arlecchino said. “And it washed it down the well.”

“Yes, that one! And—wait, you’re from Fontaine. I forgot! You already knew the story!”

Arlecchino raised a brow. “I did. What I do not know is why you were so distracted by a nursery rhyme.”

Furina coughed, glancing away. “It’s… because of you.”

“Me?”

“Your transformation, today!” She snapped, the exhilaration of the earlier fight welling up in her. “It was—it was unexpected! You just moved your arms and then your body changed, and these extra limbs came out of you and you looked like a spider catching us all in your web. It was so cool! You were so strong, and confident, and I was totally wowed because you were so, so beautiful!”

Arlecchino blinked at her, blank gaze broken as surprise overtook her before fading into a gentle veneer of a smile. Furina’s heart thudded when the smile was transfixed her way, mystique. “Thank you, Mon Cherie.”

“Y-you’re welcome.”

She fidgeted as Arlecchino reclined against the sofa, almost lazily, before patting her lap in clear invitation. Furina smiled as she crawled back, tension leaving her when the same hands that tormented her now combed through her hair in patient adoration, careful to smooth out the curls she’d messed up in her squirming. She closed her eyes, sighing.

“You… really are beautiful, Arle.”

“You as well, Furina.”

“Not Mon Cherie?”

Arlecchino chuckled, pinching Furina’s cheek. “You’re beautiful, Mon Cherie.”

[starlitangels]

Redacted Boi Social Media Headcanons

Vincent only really uses Instagram, but is required by the Department to have it private because his human name is legally missing-presumed-dead and his face has a risk of being recognized if someone from his human life stumbled upon his Instagram. That said, he doesn't really screen people who request to follow him

Darlin' and Sam don't use any social medias. Darlin' has a Facebook from teenage years, but they deactivated it. But not fully deleted, so they can still be tagged in all the group photos posted to the pack page. In high school, Darlin' was the person who got a lot of unsolicited DMs because they were hot but they hate attention so they blocked everyone but their pack and deactivated. Darlin' reluctantly keeps their Discord for the pack server

David hates social media. He maintains the pack's private Facebook group and Discord server (though the latter is really more Asher's job, David's just in charge) but will not touch anything else. David's favorite social media is YouTube because he can lookup tutorials for anything and not have to ask anyone for help

Milo's a borderline Instagram influencer. He's got a gazillion followers (who all think he's hot, and he is). His Instagram is directly linked to his Facebook, so every picture and caption he puts on IG gets automatically posted to FB too

Marie comments only on Milo's Facebook (she has and kinda uses IG, but doesn't comment). She's the one that will leave the heartfelt comments with "Call me" at the end. She knows that's a meme among younger people that their older relatives leave "what a beautiful couple. Call me" comments, but she does it anyway. And guess what? She does it because it works. Milo👏 is👏a👏Mama's👏Boy👏 and he will call her when she leaves those comments

Asher doesn't use social media much, but is perpetually on Discord. He mods the pack's server, and like 6 others just for fun. He does post lots of pictures of Babe and selfies of the two of them together on the pack's Facebook though

Damien used to get into arguments on Twitter with randos. Huxley thinks it's funny to pull them up from when Damien was a teenager

Huxley was never much into most social medias but I like to think he'd be like that one TikTok dude who pops up on my Tumblr dash occasionally who explains how to do calisthenics and other workout stuff in a really simple, easy, modified way for people who are just getting started. People started following him because he's hot, and then realized he's actually like the nicest dude and doesn't know he's popular

Lasko's a Tumblr boy. I'm not taking constructive criticism on this

Gavin refuses to get an Instagram because he knows he'd get too addicted to it. He knows he's ridiculously good-looking and would amass a following supernaturally fast, and that's why he won't. But he has his old Facebook from when it first started to be popular. He got rid of all his old friends list and now just has Freelancer, Huxley, Lasko, Damien, and a handful of d(a)emon friends who also have Facebooks like Crux

Avior doesn't have any social media at all

Neither does Caelum and Gavin and Freelancer have decided not to expose him to the negativity of the internet

Vega refuses

Cam keeps a few things for professional purposes, but doesn't use them much

Guy is a Tumblrina. Guy is a Tumblrina. Guy is a Tumblrina. Guy is

Aaron's favorite is LinkedIn. This is a joke.

Elliott uses Pinterest a lot for aesthetic inspiration for dreams. He doesn't use much else

Blake is on like every social media all the time. Mostly for CloseKnit. But he also stalked Bestie from afar for a long time

James had to get rid of all of his when his job started getting more secretive and he had to have limited contact with the rest of the world

Morgan doesn't have any social media just as a way to keep himself and his magic safe. The Department protections didn't require it, but he thought it was for the best

Porter totally isn't jealous that Vincent has a higher IG follower count than him and his account isn't even private. He's always trailing like 20 behind

[wishful-thinking64]

HH Rewrite Related Post #03

I've finally finished Lavanya's (renamed Charlie) key information for her character sheet! And with it comes a bit of lore for what I have in store. __________ [FULL NAME & NICKNAME] 🞂 LAVANYA MORNINGSTAR. 🞂 PREFERS TO BE CALLED ANYA. 🞂 With her first name meaning beauty and grace, Lucifer & Lilith thought it was the perfect name to give to their little princess. [D.O.B] 🞂 BORN DECEMBER 31ST, 2002. 🞂 Anya can't help but see her birthday as a bad omen due to having been born on the last day of the year when Hell's annual Extermination takes place. She'll put on a smile for her parents when in their presence but otherwise she'll be sulking in her room, silently wishing for the day to be over.

[AGE] 🞂 BIOLOGICALLY 22. [SPECIES] 🞂 HALF BAPHOMET DEMON (OTHER HALF UNKNOWN.)

[GENDER & SEX] 🞂 FEMALE.

[SEXUALITY] 🞂 BISEXUAL.

[SOCIAL STATUS] 🞂 PRINCESS OF HELL.

[ROYAL EMBLEM] 🞂 THE FORBIDDEN APPLE OF KNOWLEDGE. [IMMEDIATE FAMILY] 🞂 LILITH MORNINGSTAR = MOM. 🞂 LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR = DAD.

[EXTENDED FAMILY] 🞂 1 GRANDFATHER. 🞂 1 HALF UNCLE. 🞂 5 UNCLES & 3 AUNTS. 🞂 2 COUSINS. 🞂 Anya's never met most of her extended family thanks to two main reasons. The first being that most of them are in Heaven and the second but more important reason is that most of them have been and STILL are missing with the exception of her aunt, Adina Delacroix, and her daughters, Raquel & Amariel. In the absence of Elohim, Jesus (yes, he's the half uncle), and the 7 Heavenly Virtues, Adina was selected as Heaven's de jure leader as she is the only angel who both birthed and mothered an Archangel's children.

[FRIENDS] 🞂 ONLY 6. 🞂 As Princess of Hell and heir to the throne, her parents made sure that their daughter understood that she had to be careful choosing her friends as there’ll always be people who just want to use her money and her status. Her parents' words would lead to Anya's very seldom way of thinking when it comes to making friends as she would make her very first friend in the 3rd Grade. Over the years she’s amassed a tightly knit friend group consisting of six other demons excluding herself. Sometimes she jokes about them being the new Seven Deadly Sins.

[RELATIONSHIP STATUS] 🞂 FORMERLY DATED LAZARUS VON ELDRITCH. 🞂 CURRENTLY DATING VALORIS CARMINE. 🞂 Going from dating a fellow aristocrat in Hell’s hierarchy to dating the daughter of an Overlord isn’t too much of a leap in logic but it is still a noticeable difference. Thanks to her parents not many people publicly commented on their daughter’s romantic life (lest they wish to be publicly executed or suffer true torture for the rest of their damned afterlife) though people have always wondered what caused the end of her and Lazarus’ relationship along with the beginning of Anya’s relationship with Valoris. At the very least she seems to be happy with Valoris. [CORE PERSONALITY TRAITS] 🞂 AMIABLE. 🞂 AUTHENTIC. 🞂 AUTOCRATIC (you’ve gotta be a bit bossy if you’re going to be the future face of Hell.) 🞂 CLUMSY. 🞂 COMPASSIONATE. 🞂 CREATIVE. 🞂 DETERMINED. 🞂 INDECISIVE. 🞂 NAIVE. 🞂 OPTIMISTIC. 🞂 OVEREMOTIONAL. 🞂 SCATTERBRAINED.

[CORE ASPIRATIONS] 🞂 HAVING SINNERS ACHIEVE REDEMPTION AT THE HAPPY HOTEL. 🞂 PROVE TO EVERYONE THAT SINNER’S CAN BE REDEEMED. 🞂 DISCOVER MORE WAYS TO IMPROVE HELL. 🞂 HELPING OTHERS TO THE BEST OF HER ABILITY. 🞂 BEING A GOOD PARTNER. 🞂 NOT BEING A FAILURE.

[FEARS] 🞂 AUTOPHOBIA & KAKORRHAPHIOPHOBIA. 🞂 Autophobia is the polarizing fear of being abandoned and alone. If one day, the majority of Hell’s denizens suddenly decided to turn their backs on Anya, she wouldn’t care as long as her friends and family remained at her side. However, if her friends and family had ALL abandoned her, not only would she genuinely have a full blown mental breakdown and sob for months, she’d never be the same again. This does not bode well at all with her other biggest fear being Kakorrhaphiophobia which is the fear of failure. Anya does her best to follow the expectations set on her from her citizens, her parents, and even herself. So when she fails to meet this internal quota of hers, she’ll feel like shit but she’ll convince herself to do better in the future and focus on the Happy Hotel staff and its residents. [THOUGHTS ON HOTEL STAFF] 🞂 FAIRLY POSITIVE. 🞂 For the most part, Anya can see that everybody is trying their best to keep the hotel in business even if they don’t believe in the thought of redemption. She has faith in at least five out of her seven employees coming together to help her make the Hazbin Hotel work.

__________ I hope you guys liked reading Anya's character sheet and I'd like to know what character you'd like to see me write about next. I'll probably do this through a poll so keep your eyes peeled for that and I'll see you guys later!

[bluecollarchub]

Switcheroo (originally story I posted on CYOC in 2015. Bit dated and my first time writing but thought i would share)

Dean was rich.  Fabulously rich.  And he loved it.  At 30 years old, he had amassed a fortune larger than most men had by the time they died.  He lived in a Pent House in NYC, surrounded by anything and everything he had ever wanted.  Gorgeous men flocked to him, eager to please him in return for whatever favors he might give.  Tall, muscular, with abs found only on the most determined athlete, he was certainly a physical specimen to be admired.

Now, Dean was not always like this.  At 18, he was a Journalism major at some crappy state school (he’d worked hard to forget the name, embarrassed it wasn’t Ivy League).  Poor, with few friends.  And fat.  Did I mention fat?  Average height, oily skin, pale, doughy body.  He was the farthest thing from a stud imaginable. 

One day, Dean decided to switch majors.  He realized he had no hope of being on Broadway and Journalism not only frightened him, but he realized there was no money to made in it.  As he got older, he realized money was the most important thing for him.  He wanted money.  Lots of it.  So, switching to a Business Major, he began the process of making money.  And he came up with a brilliant idea, as so many young men do, patenting the idea and making millions from it.  With those millions, he decided to change himself.  He wanted to be happy.  And he wasn’t happy being fat and pale and oily.  So he worked out.  He got the best doctors money could buy for his skin.  He hired the best trainers.  He hired the best tailors and the best hairdressers.  Finally, he was good looking enough to appear on the cover of GQ—which he did when he was 27. 

Gone was the pasty skin, replaced with a dark golden tan.  Gone was the flabby waist, replaced with hard abs.  Gone was the oily, pimply skin, replaced with skin smooth as a baby’s bottom and clear as the ocean.  He was an Adonis…and he knew it.  He treated everyone like dirt beneath his feet and he got away with it because he was rich and beautiful.  He had everything he could possibly want.  And he liked it. 

One day, during his annual physical, he was greeted with some horrible news:

“You’re dying, Dean.”

“What?!”

“You’re dying.”

“That’s impossible, Victor.  I’m 30 years old and in the best shape of my life.”

“Tell that to the cancer.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I can and I am.  You have a severe form of cancer and it’s spreading through your body at an accelerated rate.”

“How long?”

“A year, at the most.”

“What can we do about this?”

“Nothing, Dean.  You can’t stop it.”

“Victor, price is no object.  Do whatever it takes.”

“I’m sorry, Dean, but-“

“NOW!  Find a cure, find it NOW.”

“Okay, Dean.  Okay.  If that’s what you want.”

“Of course it is, I don’t want to die.”

“There is an experimental treatment the government has been working on.  It’s designed for Bush, to keep him in office forever.”

“I don’t care how my contributions to his campaign are being spent.  How does this help me?”

“It’s brain transfer.”

“What?”

“Brain transfer.  You can transfer your brain to another person’s body.”

“This isn’t Star Trek, Victor.  Get with the picture.”

“I’m serious, Dean.  I can switch your brain with someone else’s, give you a new life, a new chance to live again.”

“And lose all my money?  I think not.  I’d rather die, first.”

“You’re going to, if you don’t take this opportunity.”

“I’ll lose everything.”

“No, you can sign everything over to your new body, give him all your money, your life, everything.”

“Who am I going to find that will be dumb enough to trade?”

“Anyone, you’ve got a dozen and one rent boys that would kill to be in your body.  You don’t have to tell them the truth.”

“That’s true.  You’re right.  You’re a genius, Victor.”

“I know.”

The next day, Dean walked around his pent house, looking at the young men that were always by his side.  Maybe David?  No.  Maybe Sal?  No, too Jewish.  He wouldn’t be Jewish.  Vince?  Yes, Vince.  Vince had perfect hair and a naturally smooth body.  He was exactly what he was looking for.  Abs not as tight as Dean might want, but that was fixable. 

“Vince, I have a proposition for you.”

“What is it, Dean?”

“How would you like to have my body?”

“What?”

“I am looking to become younger, and I was wondering if you would like to swap bodies with me?”

“Are you high, Dean?”

“No, Vince, I’m perfectly serious.”

“I could be you, really?”

“Yes, Vince.  Really.”

“Shit, yeah.  I’ll do it.  But why do you want to give up being you?”

“My life isn’t a challenge anymore.  I want to start over.”

Lucky he’s an idiot, Dean thought. 

Dean arranged everything with the lawyers.  All of his money and belongings would be given to Vince—or the body of Vince, with Dean inside—the day after the operation.

“Don’t worry, Dean.  Everything will be okay.  When you wake up, you’ll be in a disease free body.”  Victor lowered the gas mask onto Dean’ face.

******

Dean woke up.  All was dark.  Where am I, he thought.  Oh yeah.  Holy Shit!  I’m in Vince’s body.  I’m in a new body.

He felt so weak, so tired and so weak.  After years of feeling so strong, this was a frightening change.  He didn’t realize Vince was so weak.  Even the act of lifting his arms took more effort than he had expected.  Struggling to sit up was an effort, too.  It felt like something was sitting on his stomach.  He was finally able to sit up and he hopped off the table.  Feeling around for a light switch, he bumped into a garbage can, making him shout in pain.  The cool air from the air conditioner gave him a chill and he realized he was naked.  He scratched his chest, feeling hair.  Wait…there shouldn’t be hair.  Vince was smooth.  Did he shave?

The lights suddenly came on. 

“Good morning.”

Dean turned to the sound of the voice.  He saw the ugliest man he’d ever seen standing before him.  He was naked for some reason.  “Put some clothes on, you hideous fucker.”  Dean’ voice sounded strange, not like Vince’s at all.  More of a southern drawl.

The naked man looked confused.  He was short, maybe 5 feet tall if he were lucky.  He had a scruffy beard and was almost bald on top with a fringe on the sides.  He was fat, not fat, gargantuan.  He had the makings of a third chin.  His dull eyes were squinty, piggish.  His head sat on top of his shoulders, his neck consumed by fat.  Hair covered his chest, back and shoulders and his short arms hung heavily by his sides.  Manboobs larger than most supermodel’s hung to the sides of his chest, sacks of dough resting on top of a giant stomach that covered his groin completely.  Stout, flabby legs covered in dark hair touched all the way to the knee. 

“What do you think?”  The voice said again.

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you think of you?”

Dean realized that was a mirror in front of him, not a man.  Not Vince.  Some fat, ugly man.       

“What have you done to me?”

“What’s wrong, Dean.  You told Vince you wanted to be young so you could have a challenge for your life again.  Well, you’re 20 years old and I’d say you have quite the challenge before you.”

Victor stepped into the room. 

“Victor, how could you do this to me?”

“How could you think about stealing some poor kid’s life and letting him die?”

“You switched Vince out with this…this…”

“Careful, Dean.  And yes, I did.  It was all my idea.  Mine, Vince’s, and your lawyer’s.”

“You mean…”

“That’s right, Dean.  All your money is being split four ways.  Every last million.”

“Four?”

“You don’t think we’d let poor Malcolm be poor, do you?”

“Who?”

“Malcolm Franks.  Your new body.”

“He’s going to die though.”

“He will die someday, yes.  But if you mean soon, then that would only happen if he really did have cancer.”

“What?”

“I tricked you, Dean.  Malcolm, I should say.”

“Why?”

“Why?  Because you’re rich.  You’re rich and spoiled and frankly, you’re an asshole.  You thought you could buy everything you wanted.  Well, you can’t anymore.”

“What am I going to do now?”

“Well, I imagine you’re going to go to work tomorrow, and go home tonight, to Malcolm’s nice, cozy home.  It’s a bit different than what you are used to, but you should feel right at home.  All assholes feel comfortable in trailers.”

“What?”

“You live in a trailer park at the edge of town.  Alone.  Not married, not family.  And you are a janitor at the local high school.  No college for you, Dean.  Malcolm dropped out at 16.  Yeah, you have definitely got quite a challenge before you.  But, you’re young again.  And, no cancer.  That’s exactly what you wanted.”

Victor tossed Dean a bundle of clothes.

“Get dressed, I’m sick of looking at that tubby body.”  He started to leave.  “Oh, you’re still gay, by the way.  But good luck topping anyone in that body.  Or finding anyone to date you at all, looking like you do and with no money.  You’re going to have to learn to be a little nicer from now on if you don’t want to end up alone.”

He walked out.  Dean began to cry.  All his money, all his hard work, gone, replaced with Malcolm, the fat janitor.  He was going to be stuck in high school, forever, watching all the little assholes graduate and go on to bigger and better things while he was stuck in his dead end job. 

He put on the smelly wife beater and the stained briefs.  He started to cry as he saw his penis in the mirror…he couldn’t even see it looking down.  What was once 9 inches had become 2 at best.  He had a tight foreskin with a long overhang but his mighty dick was gone, forever.  He pulled on the briefs and then the torn jeans.  The ratty sneakers followed. 

He was now poor.  And fat.  And he had bad skin, the pimples on his face were proof of that.  He had come full circle.  Only, this time, there was no hope for him.  He didn’t have the money to pay the doctors and the trainers.  He didn’t have the opportunity to go to college.  He was Malcolm, and he was always going to be Malcolm.  Fat, hairy.  Baby dick. 

He walked out of the room, staring at the laughing faces of Victor, Vince, his lawyer…and his body…his old body.  He had it all.  He had everything he had ever wanted.  And his selfishness had taken it all away.  He walked out of the hospital, walking towards his new life, his new place in society.  Gone were his endless parties.  His hordes of men wanting him to fuck them.  He was a grunt now. 

And he knew, as he waddled down the street, that’s all he ever would be.