#Ball Buster Wheel

[strwbrryh00n]

The First Kiss — (엔히아픈)

syp ꕀ the enhypen members are your boyfriends and you guys decided to kiss eachother for the first time

characters ꕀ jungwon, heesung, jaeyun, sunghoon, sunoo, jay, and niki

context ꕀ first kiss, gn!reader, (black writer, some things may sound a likkle weird), jake gets physical (no smut), dancer!niki, fluff, jay has an obsession with stealing your food, ice skater!sunghoon, affectionate!sunoo, (if i’m missing some, let me know✨)

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

JUNGWON. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

“I love you so much!” jungwon giggled, corners of his mouth nearly touching his ears.

you and jungwon were walking out the doors of a fancy restaurant that shined with lights and embraced a chill vibe. jungwon thought it would be cute to take you out on a date and enjoy your sweet presence. your hand was interlocked with his as both of you shared heat in the cold.

“I love you too wonnie!” you cooed, putting your head on his shoulder.

jungwon footsteps became slower and you followed along with him—your heart slightly speeding up in your chest as you felt a different vibe from this moment. he bites the inner muscle of his lip, his dimples poke out and his eyes meet the ground.

“would right now… be a perfect time?”

his boba eyes stared into your face and your hands begin to sweat, a slight noise erupts from your throat as you swallowed nothing but air. your head nodded a ‘yes’ uncontrollably and the gap between the lips of two lovers was sealed. it was cute, sweet, and you tasted a faint red velvety flavor from his tongue.

“we should have done this more sooner” he grinned, giving you a quick peck before moving his feet towards the vehicle that takes you guys home.

HEESUNG. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

heesung was standing behind you at the ‘wheel of fortune’ game at dave & busters and his smile beams when you land on ‘M 1000’.

you jumped up and down like a big kid, gathering all of your tickets putting them in a bag that heesung brought for you to carry.

“what game do you wanna play now?”

“i don’t know… which one?” you questioned, your pointer finger on your lip as you turn every which way to find a game of your interest.

“it’s your birthday love, whichever you want.”

in the process of him saying that you found a game of your choice. you began to speed walk towards ‘hungry hungry hippo’ and heesung followed you with no big deal. he places the bag of tickets down next to him as he sits on the hippo with you, placing his card against the scanner.

you both began to laugh and giggle when you guys fight against each other to catch as many balls as you can in the hippos territory. the game had ended and the results—heesung won and you didn’t but that didn’t matter because you had also won something else.

“babe come here” he gestures you with his hand out.

you grabbed his hand and he sped walk to a location you wasn’t familiar with. it was a dark room and you could smell the faint scent of a strawberry shortcake, which was indeed your favorite.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” everyone shouts, lights turning on and your heart jumps out of your chest followed by a scream that had eveyone in the arcade look at you funny.

you felt a pair of hands on your cheeks, guding your face towards another direction away from the people. your lips being attached to none other than heesung and you suddenly forgot that people were in the room.

“WE reserved this room for EATING.” jay announced, cutting you two out of your, what you’d like to call, “daydream”

you and heesung giggled, as he gives you a quick peck on your forehead.

“happy birthday love”

JAEYUN. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

it was series sunday and you were cuddled up on the couch with jaeyun watching a series ‘outer banks’ while stuffing your throats with delicious snacks.

in the meantime you started to get sleepy and you kept falling in and out. jaeyun noticed and he puts your head on his shoulder, watching the show for you and himself.

“do you want me to tell you what happened after you wake up?” he offered, putting his head on yours.

you shook your head ‘no’ readjusting your body to a better postion to take a nap. your head now on his thighs and your body curved like a fetus, his fingers massaging your head in soft circular motions. your body buzzing with peacefulness.

his touch so warm, makes your body fuzzy you had the urge to kiss him. you guys have been dating for 3 months what could go wrong?

“kiss me” you ordered. jaeyun looked down with his glasses slightly falling down his nose bridge.

“where is this energy coming from?” he says with a slight smile on his face.

“nowhere. i just feel like right now is a good time to try something new”

you sat back up, staring at jaeyun’s tinted red lips and went in for a kiss. his mouth soft, you followed along his movements head tilting opposite of eachother and hands around his neck, his weight pushed your back towards the couch pillows. slight breaths escaped your lips, fogging up his glasses he took them off and kissed you deeper with his body on top of you.

you pulled away, searching for air as you felt your lung capacity fill up with overwhelming joy.

“i’m sorry, i’m sorry!” jaeyun apologized, removing his body from above you.

you laid still, shocked as for what just happened and why you did it. you don’t regret what you did and you want more but you believe that kissed proved enough for you.

“you kissed me so good i just… got a bit too ahead of myself”

SUNGHOON. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

“i’m a horrible ice skater” you said as sunghoon was tying up your skates.

“you’re with me you’re going to be okay, i promise. just remember the basics in what i told you. bend your knees, duck walk, and lean forward a little”

you gave sunghoon a stare that stated your fear for the ice. you hated ice skating but you thought going ice skating with your boyfriend wasn’t a bad idea and with that he stands up, holding out his hand.

you grab onto his hand, walking on the carpet floor before sunghoon stepped his foot out the glass door onto the solid ice. his stance was stable and he slightly tugged you onto the ice, it was a gesture of ‘i got you’

feet touching the solid ice you let out a muffled scream when you felt yourself jerk back from how slippery the floor was. sunghoon holding you tight against him, making sure he didn’t break your safety trust.

“remember the things i taught you” his voice calming your anxiety. you unlatched yourself from his tight safety grip and bent your knees, leaned forward, and took small steps one by one.

“there you go. look at you getting it!”

you slightly smile at his words. his presence making a huge difference for you, leading you to finally give trust in yourself to go on your own.

“i got it from here!”

“you sure?”

you nodded, keeping your hands out infront of you duck paddling your way around the rink. you saw sunghoon following behind you, making sure whatever happened he was going to be there to support you.

sunghoon grabbed your hands and skated backwards, dragging you along with him. his stroll on the floor matched the beat of the music playing on the loud speaker and you tried to catch up with his pace but it was too difficult.

sunghoon brushed his slightly red nose against yours, distracting you from the movement and redirecting your attention to the moment. you held his hand with grace and love, feeling warm inside.

pressing a kiss to his lips his skates still strolling acorss the ice, he had no intentions of letting you go even while you guys were sharing love within the lips.

pulling away, you both bumped foreheads and suddenly your fear from the ice disappeared and turned into a smile as you a skate across the ice with sunghoon.

SUNOO. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

sunoo is such an affectionate person, he is always willing to do anything regarding love and you were so down for it.

you and sunoo were at a flower garden, dressed up with soft clothing for the occasion. so many flowers were out on the grass and you didn’t know which one to look at.

“wanna play a game?” sunoo questioned, his attention still on the flowers.

“what game is it?”

“rare flowers. whoever finds the rarest flower has to make dinner tonight. dea—“

you were already on the move, finding a flower you and sunoo hasn’t seen before. you heard his faint laugh from afar and you chuckled. still searching for this random flower. you found a flower that was white on the outside and a slight pink on the inside, you’ve never seen this flower before and with that you picked it up running back up to sunoo noticing he never left his spot.

“i found a flower!” you showed in your hands. “where’s yours?”

“i don’t know, i think my rare flower is standing right infront of me”

you let out a loud ‘aww’ before tumbling him to the ground with a big hug. your bodies rolled around in the flowers, the scent of nature enhancing the mood.

you plant a kiss on his lips, which shocked you both because he wasn’t ready for that and you didn’t expect your lips to move before your brain. you felt awkward inside so you decided to take yourself off of him but he instantly pulled you back down on him sealing your lips together, with the flowers and sunlight on display.

JAY. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

jay was a complete fat ass. he was and will be the first one to take any food away from you, he’ll let you get the first few bites obviously but after that its over.

it’s gotten to a point where you would have to hide your food from him but this time you didn’t need to hide food because you both were on a picnic in central park.

fresh fruits were in the basket, along with a few other snacks that you knew he was going to attack first. you guys decided to paint each-other something that represented your relationship.

setting out the materials, you were in the process of eating strawberries. you put your hand in the basket and realized there was one more left, jay side eyeing you in the process.

“bro. i know you not staring me down over a damn strawberry jay.” you laughed, placing the strawberry on your teeth.

“AHHH!” he yells, turning your face towards him before biting the top of the strawberry, leaving you the other half of the strawberry on your teeth.

you couldn’t stop laughing at your boyfriend and his silly behavior. the strawberry juices dripping from your lips as you used your hand to catch it before it fell on your canvas.

jay chewing the strawberry aggressively, while side eyeing you. he couldn’t hold himself together he bursted out laughing and you two were now a giggling mess.

“i love you,” jay says, leaning forward towards your face planting a kiss on your sweet strawberry lips.

you kissed him back, the strawberry tasted lingering in your tongue and your strawberry lip gloss getting on jays mouth.

“why do you taste like double the strawberries?” he questions, licking his lips.

“i had on strawberry lip gloss dummy”

“mmm. taste good!” he smiles, going back to kissing you.

NIKI. ݁₊ ⊹.ᐟ

you and niki were in the dance room sweating your asses away. you guys were rehearsing a choreography that your manger taught you guys 3 days ago for a show and you only had today to get the counts together and you were stressing.

there was one move you couldn’t hit on the beat and it was frustrating you. niki was doing his absolute best on explaining it with the counts.

“five, six, seven, eight. two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. got it?”

you nodded your head, barely having the breath to speak. he pressed play on the song you guys were dancing to and when the part came up you immediately hit it right on the counts.

“was it that hard love?” he said, stopping the music and looking at your body collapse on the floor.

“yes!” you responded, nodding in the process. your body weak and you needed a break. you’ve been dancing for 2 hours straight and you ran out of energy.

niki came towards you with one of his hands under your back and the other hand under your legs. he picked you bridal style and walked with you towards the small couch in the corner of the dance room.

sitting down with you on his lap, he turns the AC on and goes on his phone to set an hour break because he know you needed it.

you controlled your breathing in the process of laying on his lap and he had cold towels to wipe the sweat off your body and keep you awake. you stared at him, while he was in the process of taking care of you.

“why are you just staring at me like that”

you placed your hand in your chest. “i can’t stare at my handsome boyfriend while he’s taking care of me?”

niki chuckled. “of course you can. but are you really staring at me or my lips? if you want a kiss just say that.”

he gives you a cocky glare that screamed ‘got ya.’ this was about to be your first kiss with him and you didn’t expect for it to be in a dance room and especially you didn’t think he’d be so bold about it.

you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself up and planting a kiss on his lips. niki’s hands were on your lower back as he was supporting you from falling off of him. slight humming sounds escaped the lips of both lovers and a muffled scream came from you when you heard the door opening.

“alright, let me see what you guys got.” the mangaer announces.

you were standing up while niki was sitting on the couch, manspreading. he pulled his phone out and showed the manager that you guys had 8 minutes left of a break and with that the manager left you two alone.

your heart beating out of your chest, as you turn around to see niki standing in-front of you wanting to be attached to you’re luscious lips once again.

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

! not proof read ! ~ likes, comments, & reblogs are appreciated :>

[nozoditz]

what your favourite precure season says about you, in no particular order

(or in the order I thought was funny. Please don't take offence to any of the jokes, this is all for fun. I'm making fun of myself too here.)

Max Heart: Whenever the debate starts up about low-combat seasons, no-combat seasons, what counts as low combat, whether you blame broadcast standards and practices, whether certain seasons should even be counted in the franchise, it's always you.

Heartcatch: You used to be new blood. You wore the new-blood badge proudly. Now you're old guard, and you're taking this about as well as you take the cashier at the liquor board store not carding you anymore.

Fresh: Every other redemption arc in the franchise is under a microscope with you people. Whether it was emotional enough. Whether they were sad enough. Whether they were too evil to deserve it or not evil enough to warrant it. Whether they're gay enough with the MC. We get it, you already have the gold standard in front of you!

Mahoutsukai/Mahou Girls/Witchy: You know how people used to turn up their noses at Precure and call it "the magical girl show for yuri fans"? You took that as a recommendation.

Otona/Full Bloom: You people deserve a war medal for how much shipping discourse you have to deal with every day out there. And a drink. [smash cut to the second Otona collab cafe being the first official Precure event with a liquor licence] Well, you got one of those things.

Doki Doki: You either go all in on the "stealth yuri harem show" thing or you have very strong opinions on which specific girl Mana should be with and how much better that girl deserved in general from the writers.

Tropical-Rouge: Memelord. You have watched Monopoly Mermaid Monday every week for years. You have put low-poly images of Kururun in every possible situation. You have substituted Asuka into every meme about characters from other shows being some kid's lesbian awakening. The animation errors are in your blood.

Star Twinkle: You have Opinions about all the times that the plot, setting, characters, merch, and screentime levels pivoted to try and drum up toy sales. I feel for you poor souls. On a meta level, this is the Go-Busters of Precure.

Hirogaru/Soaring Sky: You have a conspiracy board of how Sora/Mashiro is canon and how the staff are clearly suffering and straining to show it without the censors getting on their case. Possibly a literal conspiracy board on the actual wall of your home.

Go! Princess: I have never seen the reverse of "they're not gay, it's just admiration" as strongly as I have with you. You guys have just-friends goggles for Haruka/Kanata welded onto your face so she can end up with whichever other girl(s) you prefer instead. Live your best life.

Futari wa: You are a nostalgia fiend, the world's strongest Nagihono shipper, suffered in that 2010s wave of people complaining about Nagisa being a pessimistic whiner when her developing through that was half the point of the show, and still probably call Hikari useless and/or a third wheel. The first three points are valid, but get over the last one.

Smile: You will not watch anything that is 13 episodes or shorter. To you, people calling for the end of filler are calling for the end of character development, breathing room, and likeable characters and stories. Also you just love how silly it got.

5GoGo: This is basically the same as Smile but you had to walk uphill both ways in the snow for almost six years.

HappinessCharge: You could give an impassioned speech about how so many people had ideas about what this season should be that they never slowed down to appreciate what it is. But you're too chill for that and you just meme about Mars, wedding chicken, and eye lasers.

Healin' Good: You will never forgive COVID or the Olympics.

Splash Star: You originated the "Girly Dragon Ball" meme. There is no way a Splash Star fan isn't out there trying to evangelize their show to people who dismiss the season, series, and genre. It worked for Princess Tutu, you're convinced it's going to work for you.

Hugtto: You have opinions about the ending. You have opinions about which ships are canon and which ships should have been canon. You have opinions on the timeline. For my own safety, I will not get into a conversation with you about any of them.

Wonderful: I know the character work is great. I know the magical girl genre has evolved and Precure doesn't need to set itself apart from the competition when it's at the top of the heap. I know it's teaching kids important lessons. I just feel like you're a little stressed out and maybe you need a vacation.

Yes: You have spent far too long suffering children accusing you of being problematic and probably heterosexual, when I know you just love the stupid antics these girls get up to when every one of them thinks they're the only sensible person in the room and they are dead wrong.

Suite: You would also like the opportunity to punch your depression until it goes away, and I do not blame you.

Kirakira: Either you came here for Akiyuka or you watched all of Yumeiro Patissiere and probably mainline the Food Network.

Delicious-Party: Do you exist? I have never met someone who said their favourite season was Delicious-Party. Are you all congregating in the Tokusatsu Quarry? I can't generalize about people I'm not sure are even there to make jokes about.

[iihauntedmuffinii]

A Breath of Fresh Air (The Boys Fanfic)

SUMMARY

Daphne Bennett is a psychiatrist for kids in the foster system. She relies on her powers to help her clients unlock their traumas and emotions in a safe space. Unlike most superheroes, her powers come with a price. She is losing control of her body's health and mental state and sadly, her usual tricks aren't working. When the fluctuations in her powers are too painful she decides it's time to try and find a cure. A cure that she thinks resides center focus on The Seven. Through odd circumstances she is placed near the famous superhero team and their loose cannon of a leader, Homelander.

I have a Spotify playlist associated with the story, so if your interested, and don't care about chapter title spoilers I recommend checking it out.

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:

CHAPTER FOUR: Second Wind

His emotions tumble into me wave after wave and I’m drowning in a memory, lost to the physical realm once again. His mindscape was darkness and nothing else. I was floating amidst the dark waves barely able to keep myself above water.

“Black Noir!” I scream out into the nothingness. The abyss that looked down at me gave me no sign of hearing my pleas. The waves tossed and turned me around, spinning me underneath the depths until I was dizzy. I surface back up, struggling to breathe through the sloshing depths. “Please! Black Noir! Speak to me, Noir!” I scream out into the nothingness once more.

The nothingness doesn’t speak back. It feels like an eternity before a flicker, a sparkle, streaks across the black abyss above me. Memories wash over the sky as if I was watching an old movie in a theater. Sitting in a comfy seat with a bag of popcorn at my side, nice thought, but instead I was drowning in darkness. 

The memories unfold with precise clarity.

“Erving! Erving! Gosh, where are you Erving…” A clear melodic voice yells out across Buster’s Playhouse, the children playing all around her didn’t help the search. Her son is not anywhere to be seen from her perspective. The playhouse setting is exactly what'd you'd expect from a children's playhouse to be. Full of colorful games and mascots that were dancing their own tunes. Cheap pizza and ice-cream cake served at every table. It was a dream location for a child's birthday party. Though for Erving this dream will soon turn into a nightmare.

Erving can hear his mom calling for him. Struggling to find him. When his mom brought Erving to Clint's birthday party--without a direct invitation from said birthday boy, she never thought that would matter. Erving's mom didn't know how cruel children could be. Erving knew the invitation was only given to him because his cousin Benji was invited, and that only made it more awkward for him. He didn’t know anyone but his cousin and the mascots at Buster’s Playhouse. His mom and aunt just wanted shy Erving to break out of his shell.

Erving wanted to introduce himself to the birthday boy, Clint. He was so cool. He had a skateboard and his mom never let him get a skateboard. She always complained about how they were deathtraps on wheels, but Erving just thought his mom's prerogative was to worry about everything . Erving still imagines how cool it would be to be friends with someone who can ride a skateboard. Benji thought he was cool too. Benji talked about Clint all the time and now seeing him in person Erving can see why.

Those happy thoughts of being friends with such a cool kid were bashed into bits the moment he was pinned on the floor of the ball pit by the birthday boy himself.

“Stop! Stop! Please, I can’t breathe!”

“Aww, little baby is going to cry in the baby ball pit!”

His heartbeat grows wild and his breathing slows, time stands still, for little Erving. He feels his body move before his brain can comprehend what’s happening. As if possessed by instinct he grabs the boy's grubby hands and clenches them so tightly he can feel the bones crack beneath the skin. The birthday boy screams so high pitched and full of pain it causes his voice to crack. Erving throws him across the pit and the birthday boy falls head first into a sharp corner of the ledge. His head slams, a resounding crack echoes across the room making Erving go still.

Clint’s body was stuck firmly to the ledge, laying half in the ball pit and half out. His skull fragments and flesh deeply morphed around it. The skin connected to the nape of his neck and head was visibly peeled open, layers of folded skin revealing a gaping bloody hole within. The blood was pooling over, spitting sporadically and splashing wildly covering walls, the colorful ball pit slowly turning a dark shade of red. A blink and the entire room turns the same shade of disgusting red .

Erving’s eyes grow wide and he finally feels like he’s regained his breath. His irises’ blow out  and his nostrils flare, but he makes not a single sound. His instincts take hold of him and he scrambles out of the ball pit and up the twisting red slide. He slips over and over as he climbs up the winding slides, leaving blood smears in his path.

He doesn’t know how but he’s made it to the far back of the tunnels where the window attached to the tube system was. It showcased all of the cast from Buster’s Playhouse. He couldn’t focus on any of those details at this frozen moment in time. He tightly put himself into the fetal position, trying to become as small as possible.

“I’m okay, I’m okay, everything is okay…” Big fat teardrops stream down his face without Erving’s consent. His tiny hands grip his knobby knees so tightly his knuckles grow pale. The blood spackled across his body sang to him. Reminding him of what he’s done. What Erving didn’t know was that it was about to get a whole lot worse.

“It’s okay, Erving. You didn’t mean to hurt Clint. You were just trying to protect yourself.” The recognizable and boisterous voice from the iconic titular character Buster spoke. The voice sounded like it came from right beside him, but as he looked around no one was there. But that wasn’t completely true.

There was a highly detailed mural framed by the window connected to the slide tunnel, and the mural was a cute depiction of Buster with all of his pals. Erving blinked past his tears and stared hard at the mural, not looking away for even a second. Not even when he heard the screams of people down below. Someone found Clint.

“It’s okay Erving, we know you didn’t want to hurt Clint.” Buster’s voice was more clear this time. Looking now straight at the mural he could see that Buster’s mouth was moving. “We all know you wouldn’t do harm to anyone on purpose.” The cartoon character, Buster and all of his animal friends nodded along with that statement. Erving eyes turn into saucers and his mouth drops open not able to hold in his gasp.

“R-Really?” Erving's tears stop as he gently touches the window. Blood smears across it blurring the mural's visage.

“Erving, you're a nice and funny kid. You wouldn’t hurt anyone, would you?” Buster asks him with cheer and happiness radiating from the mural.

“No! No, I didn’t mean to…” His head is shaking back and forth, his tight knuckle grip does not relent.

“There, there Erving. We're here for you no matter what. That's what friends are for, right?”

“We a-are f-friends?”

“Of course!” This time all of the voices of Buster’s Playhouse joined in. The mural was still, and what Erving imagined to be moving wasn’t anymore.

“Erving! Erving, where are you?” His mother’s voice pierced through his skull with striking clarity. Looking through the window he had the perfect vantage point to see the chaos unraveling below him. Because of him.

Parents were running out with their children and others were screaming at employees. A police officer was already on the scene, and it looked like he wasn’t the only one now patrolling. His mother was in the center of it all. She had tears streaming down her face and she was clutching Erving’s bright red baseball cap, it was her only life line. 

He knew what would happen when she figures it out. She would hate him. She would send him away and never talk to him again. That’s exactly what would happen. He was sure of it, and sadly, he was right.

He was found frozen in the slides by one cop, and the blood all over him gave them enough to know what happened. A kid who developed powers and killed another kid by accident. A horrible tragedy that was becoming more frequent these days. Sadly, Erving being black didn’t help his case when the authorities decided he was a public danger if untrained. So, he was to be separated from his family and shipped off to be trained by his sensei.

And he started his career as Black Noir off of the tragedy that was Clint’s murder. The black water washes over me but I can still breathe. My eyes open slowly and all I see is Black Noir.

Are you okay?

“I’ll be fine.” The coughing fits begin and the rattling of my lungs makes breathing feel like I’m being electrocuted from the inside. The blood spills out of my mouth before I can reach for my handkerchief. I lift half my body upright, ignoring the dizzy spell as I reach for my purse. I focus all my energy on finding my medication. I weakly grab the now almost empty bottle laying in an interior purse pocket and pop a pill into my mouth swallowing it dry. “Now, would you like me to call you by your given name or by your superhero title?” I refocus on Black Noir, needing to concentrate on anything but myself. 

He doesn’t answer at first, instead he reaches slowly into my purse, and hands me my handkerchief. I take it numbly, not knowing how to quite fathom or respond to the kind gesture. I hold it dumbly in my hand, not moving to clean my face. He grabs it from me, making me flinch in surprise. He wipes my face with light sweet touches, I could barely fathom how strongly his aura oozed patience. Finishing his cleanup he hands me back the handkerchief placing it delicately in my lap. It was soaked in blood.

You can call me Erving.

“R-right, Erving, I’m sorry about this.” I groan out pathetically, an ache that has been slowly healing is back in full force. I needed to stop getting myself into these situations.

Why are you sorry? You were only trying to help.

“No Erving, I shouldn’t have invaded your mindscape, at least not without permission first! I could have hurt you or myself in the process. I don’t know how…” I couldn’t finish my word vomit before Erving interrupted that train of thought.

No! You didn’t do it on purpose. And I wanted you to see it. What happened right now only makes me more determined to go to therapy. I want to be better.

“R-really? I-I mean that’s great! I just didn’t know how’d you feel…” I move one step forward on wobbly legs like a freshly birthed foal. Black Noir, like a gentleman, grabs my arm and helps to steady me. Someone so isolated is now touching me and showing me attention in a public setting. That feels poignant. A show of trust that was rarely given out by Black Noir.

It was something to treat with utmost care. It's important to nurture rather than stifle these connections and I think  Vought covets to destroy these type of healthy relationships. Not on my watch, not anymore. Black Noir–No Erving, was going to have a friend, a connection no matter what. That’s a promise I will make to myself. He holds my arm with such care, as if he was caressing a baby bird’s broken wing. His gentleness contrasted heavily with his dark figure and intimidating costume. But his bright sparkling aura gave his sweetness away.

I-I hope I didn’t scare you.

“You’d never scare me, Erving.” I whisper back, as quick as a cheetah on the hunt, not wanting him to fret for a second. We were in the elevator within a blur of people and time. Nothing quite felt real, and my powers felt off somehow. It felt muted almost. My extra dosage of medication plus overextending myself has made my powers fire back some odd side effects.

Good, that’s good. I scare most people.

“I know, Erving. You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.” I squeeze his supporting arm trying to bring as much warmth as I could into a single touch. His aura flares to life, content with the invasion of my powers.

The elevator finally dings on the 99th floor and we slowly head to my office taking one step at a time.  Passing the masterful portraits was intimidating every time, but the marble busts’ gave me goosebumps.

What you saw in my head was exactly how I remembered it, if not clearer.

“Before you ask, I don’t know how I did that, not exactly at least. I’ve only done it a few times and they have all been accidents.” 

I haven’t remembered that time for so long. I think you somehow unlocked that within me. You are the key to remembering myself.

“I want you to be comfortable and safe when we talk about these things. But that means we can’t do the mindscape nonsense again until I can fully control my powers. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” I whisper the last bit more to myself. I shouldn’t have said it at all.

I believe in you.

I stop dead in my tracks, not before fully turning the knob to open the door of my office.

“Really?” The hope dripping from my voice and my eyes didn’t leave his figure for even a second.

I believe in you and nobody, not even you, can change my mind.

“Seems like you have more faith in me than, well, me.” I shrug, self depreciation seeping from my voice. Opening the door to my office in full cheer after Black Noir’s assurance I see Ashley waiting, sitting ramrod straight on the luscious couch. My good mood was dashed at the sight.

“What were you thinking promising those funds for—” Ashley pauses mid rant, her mouth gaping wide like a fish out of water. “Black Noir! Ah, I mean Daphne, why didn’t you tell me you were accompanied by the esteemed Black Noir?” Ashley asks, her tone dripping with venom. Trying to peddle back her planned scream session, I’m sure. Who knew toting around a member of The Seven would come in handy. Strike that from the record brain–do not use the client’s status to get Ashley off your back. That would be selfish of me, but tempting.

“He was just being a gentleman and escorting me back to my office. He also agreed to schedule a session with me,” I elbow Black Noir in the gut not caring if Ashley was staring. “Didn’t you, Black Noir?” I give him one more pointy shove. He nodded aggressively in Ashely’s direction. Her mouth opens and closes over and over for at least a minute.

“Well, okay. I will see you bright and early tomorrow Mrs. Bennett.” She grinds out, just barely able to hold herself together. Her aura flashes red in anger and the embers and sparks flared to life like a wild fire. The taste of burnt toast took over my senses making me wince in disgust. She scampers out of my office as if staying any longer would give her a rash.

“That went better with you around. Thanks!” I place my hand gently on his.  I also wait for any indicator of him not wanting physical contact. He grips my hand tightly back, a sense of yearning for familiarity throbs within him. His strong emotional response flares his usually quiet soul back to life. The stars within his aura twinkles and dances so brightly it makes my head spin.

Anything to help. He gives my hand an awkward pat, not used to giving out affection, before closing the office door behind him. He tries to discreetly check the perimeters without me noticing. Always on high alert, it seems. 

“I knew you’d be a helper. We need to schedule an appointment for you. I didn’t just say that just to get Ashley to drop her mouth on the floor.” I ran over to my planner at my abrasive desk. I grab my inkwell and pen looking back at Noir, who hasn’t moved a muscle since closing the door. “Erving, you can choose whatever time you need. You get first dibs by the way! No one else has set one up yet…” I stammer off, a bright red flush taking over my face for the oversharing. 

Would Friday morning at 8am work? I have to go on a recon mission tomorrow, so I want to push it back to the end of the week.

“If you need to, we can always schedule it on the weekend. My schedule centers around you guys, not the other way around.” I want everyone to know that I’m serious about helping. It seems it’ll be difficult to convince anyone around here of that, other than Erving.

No, I would like Friday morning. 

“Alright, I’ve penned you in and now your first official session is scheduled.” I couldn’t help but cheerfully sing those words. It almost felt like a miracle.

It's late. I should take you home.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Erving! I don’t even live that far from Vought.” I huff a stray curl out of my face as I hurriedly grab my bag and papers from my desk, readying myself to leave. As I scramble around the office, tidying up before leaving, I look up to Erving holding out his arm. Waiting for me patiently, still and silent like a statue. I sight before relenting and grabbing his arm, squeezing it tight, I gently steer him outside my office and towards the elevator.

Entering the lobby with Black Noir on my arms feels rather odd. The few warry employees and random stragglers there also seemed to think it was odd, giving us a wide berth. I can feel all their eyes on us as we slowly walk out of the building, it has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. 

I call for a Taxi ignoring people walking past us with their phones out, not caring to ask for permission to get a photo. People walking by stopped abruptly gawking at the dark shadow standing behind me. I quickly–comically shove Black Noir into the Taxi before we cause an accident from the public spectacle. 

“Where to?” I give him my address and he floors it ignoring the both of us, like a true professional. 

You are uncomfortable.

“I’m not adapting very well to the new job requirements, I guess. You know, all the attention and publicity really isn’t my thing.” I begin to aggressively scratch at my arm as I try to get the goosebumps to go away. 

Understandable. It’s something I always wanted, I think. I can feel it almost. Like I wanted to be seen.

“Do you remember that feeling coming from somewhere specific?” I ask quickly, jumping at the opportunity to discuss his improving mental status. Maybe jarring his root memory helped him unlock parts of his brain he couldn’t previously see before. That's at least one theory. The taxi driver coughs loudly interrupting what seems like a crazy conversation to an intimidating, silent shadow. My face turns bright tomato red.

“Um, you’ve arrived.” The cabbie coughs out gruffly. 

“Thank you!” I give him a large tip and push Erving out of the cab as if he couldn’t get out by himself. On the sidewalk outside the entrance of my building Erving gives me his arm again. We intwine arms like the Wizard of Oz crew-minus the other two and walk up to my floor. Luckily for me it was empty of any prying eyes. The neighbors were either at home asleep or out partying, or maybe doing something illegal. The safest neighborhood it is not, my wrecked furniture and stolen Bose can attest to that. 

Entering my apartment felt like entering the heavens. I’m finally home. I’m sleeping in my bed and taking a shower. I only dropped by quickly to grab some stuff and clean my ruined apartment, but I haven’t been able to sleep at home since I’ve been kidnapped. Two and half weeks ago. It feels longer.

I sigh dreamily, not able to hold it in. I’m just happy to be home.

I turn the switch and my string lights light up the room with a warm glow. The lights intertwine with the plants inside the mason jars, which were repaired and now strung up across my ceiling. The ragged and torn curtains are now replaced with new brightly colored orange drapes. My ruined rugs were now replaced with expensive knitted material of  military green shade. Where the stolen TV was now a fancy new projector screen paired with an already installed projector resides. To put the cherry on top of this Trading Spaces miracle is a large L shaped tangerine colored couch. The couch was flush against the wall of the open floor plan, sitting directly across the projector screen.

I gasp out feeling my heart speed to an unstable pace. From the entrance way I could see a little folded card and a vase of white roses on my kitchen counter. I drop Erving’s arm running to the card not able to focus on anything but the note.

Dear Daph,

Your Father and I have been worried about you and visited your apartment last night. You weren't there, your father and I decided it would be best to check in and we used your extra key. Your Father suggested it! To my astonishment your apartment was a mess. Almost all of your belongings were gone! Did you know about this?!  We knew this area was difficult but we didn’t know it was outright dangerous. 

We did not think further on it and we installed locks and extra security measures for your protection. I thought it would be nice to replace your old belongings as well, we know you have a lot on your plate right now. So, one less thing for you to worry about. But we would prefer if you moved somewhere safer, or just come back home, that's an idea! 

No, wait, sorry! You're an adult; I forget sometimes. Before I write on and on and on I wanted you to know you can always call us. We are always here when you need us and even when you don’t.

Love,

Your Parents

There behind the vase was a bottle of blue pills. Thank goodness, I have been needing a replacement. All of the worries I had resting in the back of my head now were lifted, all thanks to my meddling, caring parents. 

Your place is very inviting. Once we got past the scary stairwell and your eerily silent neighbors. But your apartment is different…more ‘warm.’ I jump in the air forgetting Erving was there, he is standing still as stone not moving an inch from the entrance. 

“Thank you for walking me home, Erving.” I walk across the apartment and stand in front of his silent figure.

I’m glad I did. If I’d known your neighborhood was full of so much crime I would have brought along some security measures. Your alarm system won’t cut it for serious threats.

“Well that’s reassuring. I’m just grateful I have any security at this point. I’m sorry, now I have to kick you out for my own health. I’m desperate for a shower and sleep.” I ramble on, faltering to a stop as Erving shakes his head.

Have a good night Dr. Bennett. 

“You can call me Daphne if you want. Whichever you prefer.” I yap at his back on his way out, he stops, still and silent to the outside world.

Okay, I’ll see you Friday Daphne.

“Goodnight Erving.” I whisper back before he fully makes his exit, he was here and now he’s gone. If someone was listening on the other side of the wall they would think I was talking to myself.

I jumped at my opportunity in what felt like a long time to unwind. I run to the bathroom stripping myself from my clothes and jump into the shower. I needed to scrub the stress sweat away and sense of dread that Vought Corp emits, like a foul stench. 

After turning into a prune from my well earned hot shower I put on my comfy pajama set that was much too large for my small frame. Just how I liked it. The pajama set is a pale pink shade and is fluffy all over. I lazily get out of the steamy bathroom and make a bag of extra butter popcorn. I finally have a chance to look at all of my social media, and it is as I expected. Flooded with messages and followers by the thousands. All from that brief interview, no doubt. I turn my phone back off. Maybe I shouldn’t have looked.

As the microwave does its magic I start to play with my brand new projector. All the streaming services were automatically set up with my accounts, thank god. I put on an old favorite my Dad and I watch every summer together. Red Thunder , a film the Payback crew performed in 1983. Classic cheesy American propaganda at its cheesy gooiest.

I run to my room to grab my large fuzzy pink blanket, wrapping it around myself to keep the night chill away. Grabbing a large glass bowl and throw in my buttery popcorn to munch on for the movie. A breeze chills my back, probably from my open sliding door that connects to the tiny terrace. I need to close it before the temperature drops to freezing.

“Am I interrupting anything?”  I scream automatically dropping my bowl of popcorn, it cracks and shatters on impact and popcorn flies everywhere. I’ll be finding popcorn for months with the way it splattered in every direction. Now I have to deal with bugs! Speaking of nuisances.

“You can’t just barge into my home without asking for permission first. Not even a text? I thought you of all the Superheroes would have some sense of decorum!” I admonished without restraint, my no-nonsense tone clear, not surprised at all really that he would do this. He definitely has an issue with boundaries, honestly I think he loves pushing people to their limits.

“You never gave me your personal number.” He chuckles through his sardonic words, a smirk twist at his lips. He takes confident strides to a whole new level as he glides through my apartment. Each step was accompanied with a poignant and loud crunch, the popcorn now worse off. “Can’t fix everything with a nice shiny coating.” He whistles out as he gives my apartment a derisive once over. 

His eyes were sharp as he took in the surroundings, readying himself for an attack, like a predator on edge. I don’t take my eyes off him, and he finally decides to acknowledge my presence. He gives me this scowl, this dark judgmental look that would strike me to my core if I wasn't such a self assured person. It was a stare that quaked no arguments and it told me he didn't approve.   

“I see you can relate to that.” The insinuation was not lost on me, I would have to be an idiot to not see the insult. I’m not taking the bait, no matter how much he wants me to. He lazily lounges on my couch taking up all of the space by stretching himself across it. His aura was bursting and sparkling with confidence but the red tumultuous sand continues to turn and weave around him. It was so cutting and complex and it felt painful. His eyes don't leave me for a second as I slowly approach him, as if he was a starving mad dog. 

“I’m sorry for not giving you my personal number, here.” I quickly write my number on a sticky note and push it into his hands. He looks stricken, and then like a balloon that has been released, deflates into my couch. That looks of defeat is bashed after a moment and he is suddenly on high alert again. All in a few seconds. His back is ramrod straight and his confident lounging is no more. His glare is as powerful as it was just a moment ago, and instead of provoking him I do something he doesn’t expect.

I turn away from the predator, give him my back and I try to dismiss that he's dangerous. I focus on my breathing while I stroll to my microwave to grab a bag of extra butter popcorn. Slow and steady steps across the kitchen tile.

“If you want you can join me! I just turned on Red Thunder . Do you like that movie?” I put the bag of popcorn in the microwave and let the miracle of modern tech work its thing. I finally look back at Homelander who I left stricken and stuck to the couch.

“ Red Thunder ? Aren’t you a little young to have seen that?” His grumbling revitalizes something that wasn’t there before. The usual angry red aura that clung to him faded to a paler shade for a flicker of moment and stills. The rumbling storm that was his soul quiets to just a murmur. 

“All because I’m not as old as you doesn’t mean I don’t have good taste. I know a classic when I see it. Also, this is a childhood favorite of mine!” The microwave dings at my passionate declaration and I hurriedly grab the fresh popcorn. I choose to completely avoid the mess that was currently on the floor. This time I’m using a plastic bowl too.

Homelander hasn’t moved from the couch, and he didn’t look like he was getting ready to leave. So I’m taking that as some form of reassurance that he wants to be here. In some way or form. Or maybe he’s trying to figure me out by provoking me on my home turf?

“Mine too.” 

The silence between us was not comfortable, but the movie helped. Then at my favorite moment I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out into a full on accent.

“At last, the famous American hero, Soldier Boy. You don't seem like much of a hero to me.” I quote in time with the movie, in a very bad Russian accent, mimicking the Soviet commander’s mannerisms. 

“You wouldn't know a hero if they walked in here and blasted you in the face.” I quote back to myself, giving Homelander a real show. All the weirdness now out in the open. He shouldn’t be here in my apartment in the first place, so no point in getting embarrassed. His body is trembling? I'd bet he's shaking in frustration from my bad performance. I fully commit to the bit now embracing the possibility that just maybe Homelander was laughing at my antics.

“My name is Colonel Yuri Valisivich Kasimov, commander of Soviet forces in this sector. Where will the American weapons be delivered to the Afghan rebels?” My Russian accent has evolved into a derivative and thicker parody of itself. 

That did it. Homelander spiels out in a low timbre of soft chortles. My serious expression and stiff stance falters. I can’t help but stare, eyes bug-eyed wide, in awe. His bright red dust devil of an aura clouded above his head lifts completely, for just one second. The aura shines, shimmers like an emerald, and the green color is so rich I feel lost inside a forest. The smell of fresh pine hints at something I can’t remember. Neither can he, I think. His bright smile transforms into a strained and forced grimace, trying to hide his authentic response.

“You weren’t kidding when you said it's your favorite movie.” He grumbles, crossing his arms and settling further into the corner of my couch placing his feet on top of my new coffee table. I offer him my bowl of popcorn, choosing to ignore his dark scowl. His furrowed brow and tight frown doesn’t waver as he grabs a handful of my delicious buttery popcorn.

“I told you!” I throw one into my mouth without missing. Homelander’s eyes widens a fraction and stares admittedly a second longer than what would be considered appropriate. Before he can say something rude I tune back into the film. “One man against the entire Soviet army. Who do you think you are? God?” My Russian guard caricature was full blown nasal silliness.

“No. God would have mercy. I won't.” Homelander replies through tight closed lips. Unable to stop himself it seems. His usual warm cinnamon flavor of control is now replaced by a bright citrus sweetness that feels happy. On instinct my powers control my body and I’m invading his personal space on the couch. I don’t notice I’m extremely close until his shadow feels like it can swallow me whole. His intense attention now focuses in on me. “Don’t look at me like that.” He grunts not giving me an inch as he stared down at me with derision.

“Looking at you like what?” I sit back quickly, feeling intrusive the more contemptuous his glare grows. His body is stiff ramrod straight again, like he’s back on the press junket and not sitting on my couch watching Red Thunder . 

“There’s no one that understands my struggle. They only think I’m something to be controlled…like you.” He’s now muttering something under his breath but I can’t quite grasp it. His pupils are blown wide and I can feel he’s not here anymore, but deep inside his own head.

“I don’t think that about you.”  I mimic his stance, going ramrod straight, puffing out my chest and tucking my chin in. Staring directly into his vacant eyes as I repeat, “I don’t think that about you. Whoever makes you think that way, yourself or someone else, they're wrong.” I ignore my better judgment on not touching a client without explicit consent and grab both his shoulders. I grip him tight with my bony fingers, forcing him to meet me head on. “I’m on your side.”

A sigh that was trapped deep inside his chasm of a soul releases and his stormy aura flares and shimmers, like it was taking its first breath after holding it for too long. His expression doesn’t give as much away. Still as a marble statue, like he was carved into my couch, but then he blinks.

“Shut up, I’m watching the movie.” He grumbles, and takes my blanket too, just to rub salt in the wound. He’s eating my bowl of popcorn now wrapped tightly in my large fluffy pink blanket. I sneakily put my feet under the little bit of the blanket he isn't hogging and we watch the movie in companionable silence. I snuggle further into the new couch enjoying the pleasant sound of action movie explosions and cheesy one liners lulling me to sleep. 

I woke up with a start, hyperventilating and my heart pounding loudly in my ear, a rhythm that haunts me. The memories of running through a rainforest, the rain beating down on her skin, or was it his skin? The feelings of fear when a large black panther struck Black Noir by surprise and the rush of adrenalin and joy after a victory streamed through my blood like a warm embrace.

His fresh memories of his past were so visceral and survivalist centered. I have nothing to compare it to in my own life, and it all felt so raw . I don’t think entering his mindscape was the best idea, considering all of the side effects that come with it. The roller coaster ride of emotions and memories tumbling like a few loose bolts inside my aching head is the worst part.

Finally taking a real deep breath I take in my surroundings. My blanket sits comfortably on top of my lap and there is no Homelander in sight. No proof of last night other than my memories. The pounding headache throbs at the front of my forehead, reminding me to take my medication before I start the day. I jump from my couch, leaving my projector on as it drones about the local news. 

I stop mid step to see the popcorn and shattered bowl still lay amuck all over my floor. Well, that’s proof of last night.

I jump over the mess pointedly ignoring the obvious hazard on my floor. I grab a bowl, milk, and cheerios as I pop a blue pill dry down my throat. I top it down by throwing a cup of black coffee into my cereal. Olivia calls me down right diabolical for doing this. I just think it cuts the middle man. I bring my bowl to the couch turning up the volume as the news anchors drones on.

“Breaking News has just been released this morning. A whistleblower inside Vought Corporations has documented proof that Superheroes are not born, but made. Vought has made a drug known as Compound-V, which they inject into infants –” The ringing in my ear is so loud I feel like I lost my hearing. The NNC anchor drones on more, and journalists around the panel join in the conversation on occasion.

“Vought needs to come out with a statement!” A reporter is screaming their head off, and others from all sides of the screen are critiquing Vought to some capacity. My body trembles and my cheerios grow soggy. I continue to stare blankly at my Tiffany blue bowl. 

“H-How is this possible?” All my limbs feel numb and cold like I’ve been stuck under cold running water for hours. 

“Guardians have to give permission to have their children undergo this pharmaceutical trial. There are also gag orders involved from what’s implied in the whistleblower’s statement.” The terrifying piece of information felt like I swallowed dark ice shards and the information was stabbing me from the inside. This coldness feels like a bubbling brew of poison inside my stomach, just waiting to burst and froth out of my mouth.  It was too much to bear. I turn the projector off. The apartment is eerily silent.

The buzzing of my phone was loud and shocking in the empty silence. My phone’s sudden vibrating and ringing jingle alert went off for a minute straight without showing any signs of stopping. Finally, I force myself up off the couch and grab my phone from my bag.

Ashley Barrett

Of course. “Yes?”

“You’ve heard about the leak.”

“Yes, I did–”

“Good, I’m required to give you the day off for a ‘mental health’ recovery day,” I can hear her muffled guffaw before continuing. “to recover from this recent information. But, since you are our resident mental health expert I want you to check in on The Seven. Make sure to at least get me a verbal confirmation they’ll be at their scheduled media circuit tomorrow. Remind them they must keep their lines of communication open for Mr. Stan Edgar, if he chooses to address them. Did you get all that?” A mixture of strain and condescension mingling in her vocal cords like the beat of an annoying drum. I swallow the bile rising from my throat and rub the tears out of my bloodshot eyes.

“Y-yes, of course, I’ll call them all right away.” 

“Good, give me a report by the end of the day.” She hangs up before any more words can be exchanged. Breathe, just breathe. I shakily dial the first number I put in my phone, Homelander and call him. I get the dial tone three times before I give up and leave a voicemail simply inquiring about his well being. I thought maybe that bonding moment last night would foster something friendly, but maybe not.

Next I call Erving–labeled as Black Noir in my phone’s contacts. He doesn’t pick up. Damn, was he going out on a retcon mission the night before? He didn’t specify when he was going just when he would be back. Ugh, I knew this would be fruitless but I call Stormfront. 

“Hello, this is Stormfront’s assistant Tammy. How can I help you?” A dull monotone voice I assume to be female actually answered.

“This isn’t Stormfront’s personal number?”

“No, this is Stormfront’s main line if you want to schedule an appointment with her, if it fits in her already very busy schedule.” She says through a bland nasally accent I couldn’t decipher. 

“Ah, well tell her Dr. Bennett called to check in on her. I want her to know if she needs anything or a time to talk–”

“Got it. I will tell her the therapist called to ask about scheduling a counseling appointment.” 

“Don’t you know her schedule? We can workout a–”

“Thank you Dr. Bennett but I have to run all the call-ins by Stormfront. I will contact you again if Stormfront agrees to an appointment.” The audacity of this stonewall of a woman.

“Stormfront told me she wants to schedule—”

“I will tell her about you calling, okay. She will choose to move forward how she likes from there. Have a good day!”

“But–” The dial tone replies back to my weak plea. How pathetic. Stormfront seems to be thinking she can get herself out of therapy by steamrolling me with her team of interns. Well, I’ll find a way. 

I call Queen Maeve next and it goes straight to voicemail. Not surprising. I call A-Train and I’m hung up on in the middle of a ring. I call again and the pattern repeats. These people are more opposed to therapy than cats are to a running bath. Somethings gotta give. I call Starlight, my last hope.

“This is Annie.” 

“Hi, Annie it’s Daphne or Dr. Bennett if you’d prefer.” I clear my throat pushing through any of my ingrained apprehension for forcing therapy. “I’m checking in on everyone. After the recent news, a lot of people who have powers may need a person to talk about such a life changing revelation.”

“You have powers too, Daphne. The news came out only a few hours ago and you're calling us to see how we feel? How can you possibly ask us when you probably don’t even know how you feel!” 

“Y-your right I called at a bad time. I’m so sorry. Please, call me if you need–”

“No, I’m sorry Daphne. I didn’t mean to snap and you're right it's just a bad time right now.” She’s quiet but firm in her interruption. 

“No, no, it’s my fault for not thinking about how hard this could be for all of you. I should have at least worded it more tactfully.” 

“No! Daphne, you have powers too and I shouldn’t have snapped at you. You're just doing your job. I'm sorry for my outburst. I think I would like to schedule an appointment, actually.” She softly whispers that last part, sounding like she could hang up any moment if I didn’t word this exactly right.

“When would you be able to come in?”

“Next week will be great. Monday morning at 9am would fit my current schedule. If anything changes I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, please take time for yourself when you can.” I hung up the phone hoping she took my words to heart. Her reminding me of being just as much a part of the people that may need to talk to someone about this–I instead ignore that agonizing thought and keep moving. I move without full control looking over my large portfolio of contacts. I landed on one name I haven’t seen in a long time. My body presses it without my mind letting me second guess.

“Hello?” A shy sweet voice, sounding raspy as if it hasn’t been used often comes from the line.

“Hi, Marie. I know I haven’t called in a while, but with the recent news out I wanted to check in on you.”

“You call me on all my birthdays and send me cards for every Holiday. You do more for me than most adults around here ever do.” Her muttering voice fills with disdain when talking about the Red River Institute, which is valid. I don’t only think that because I was laid off based on budget cuts. There are many factors in why I don’t like the Red River Institute. 

“Well, I think we need to sit and talk in person for once. How about it, kid?”

“As long as you promise me you won’t call me kid.”

“Okay, fine. They grow up so fast. I’ll pick you up and we can take the subway together.”

“Daph, I can meet you at the restaurant without you chaperoning me.”

“Right, right.”

“So, where do you want to go?���

“A Jitter Bean coffee and breakfast sandwich sounds amazing right now.”

“I can go for a coffee.” Marie’s noncommittal affect is still her usual tone of choice.

“Are you free now? We can get brunch before the lunch rush takes all the good seats. The Jitter Bean not too far from the institute would be better for you, right?”

“We can go to any Jitter Bean you’d like. I don’t mind. The Institute doesn’t care how long I’m out. The curriculum around here isn’t strict–they care more about our nightly curfews anyway.”

“Right, I forgot about their strict evening curfew. Let's meet up in thirty then.”

“Alright, see you there.” I hang up the phone and hurry to get ready. I choose to ignore the messages and calls coming from my phone–unless it was work related. Family and Olivia were something I was going to deal with later. 

I throw on a basic white blouse and sheer eggshell colored cardigan to layer on top. My form fitting blue jeans and mauve flats were all I had the remaining energy to pair my top with. Anything else would be too much for me today. I put my hair up in a pink scrunchie to get my messy curls out of my face and I quickly grab my bag before vaulting out the door.

I’m back out in the thrumming city. The crowds of blurring emotions filtering through me felt exhilarating. And horrible. The strong jumble of emotions that were impossible to decipher left a muddy sour film on top of my tongue. The blood rush giving me a quick high also left me winded and light headed. This all struck my body within a few seconds. I stumble leaning outside my apartment building, trying to catch my breath. Cold sweat ran down my brow and I could feel my bouncy curls fizz out from the humidity. Taking a deep breath I call for a cab and the ride there is peaceful. 

My phone buzzed and my family's name flashes on my screen over and over again. I ignore them. I need space before I can even think about talking with mom and dad. The texts from Olivia were only growing by the hour. A decent pace for Olivia. I just don’t know how to talk to Olivia about my powers at all. I barely told her about them yesterday, and now I’m supposed to feel comfortable talking to her about this ? I need space from all of them to think.

“We’re here m’am.” The cab driver piped up cheerfully, not sounding annoyed at all, for once.

“So sorry.” I whisper out desperate to just be away from the small space. I scramble out of the cab and see an old Jitter Box I haven’t been to in years. Not since my first job in the foster system–involving kids who have powers and criminal-records. The idea of a kid with powers at some point discovering my secret was a worry I had every day. The job was also grinding in every sense of the word.

The amount of children that end up in even worse situations was very high, and the statistics haven't changed. It would be amazing if they were given a chance to integrate into society, rather than be imprisoned. It still makes my blood boil thinking of the psych department being one of the first to be eliminated for budget cuts. My internship was out the window and I had to start somewhere brand new. It was also difficult leaving a lot of my patients. 

Marie was always one of my favorites, and has so much potential to do great things. Her lack of faith in my field also always gave me a kick in the butt to try and help her. She is an abstinent one though, that’s for sure.

The more decrepit version of the Jitter Box from my memories seats an older Marie sipping on a cup of black coffee. She sat at a booth at the front with a nice window view. Seeing her in person after all these years feels like I'm traveling back in the past. Seeing her mature growing self in contrast to my memories of the brave preteen has me choking back tears. I quickly wipe them away with my sheer sleeve and push myself to go inside. No one was inside but the cashier, the cook flipping burgers in the back and Marie at a booth. When she sees me enter she waves at me awkwardly as if unsure on how to socially participate at all. Has she grown shier since I last saw her? Her maroon silk like aura that wrapped around her like an ever twisting ribbon was bouncy as ever. Her aura was unique in the way it moved and swayed, but stayed consistent like Marie herself. She is not so withdrawn as to hide her aura, yet.

I throw my arms around her, giving her as much of a bear hug as I can pull off. She holds her breath and her maroon ribbon aura tightens taut around her as if to shield her from my touch. I pull back quickly not wanting to push it.

“How’ve you been Marie?” I ask as I slide into the opposite seat. Her shy smile turns wide and sharp.

“How bout you tell me about your powers first and then we talk about me, hm?” Marie sips her black coffee, looking very pleased by flipping the tables on me.

“Ah right. Guess I couldn't get past that question. Ah, well, I’ve been keeping my powers secret since I was a child. Ever since my powers manifested when I hit puberty they were difficult to understand. My lack of understanding and control eventually led to an accident. That incident cost my family a lot and they had to cover for me in order for us to keep away from the authorities. Luckily, after the incident my family was able to help me control my powers and how to hide them from the public. Nothing more dramatic than that. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before.” I drop my eyes to the floor, twisting my hands together repeatedly. Anything but looking Marie directly in the eyes. 

“I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes.” A sigh of relief leaves my lips before I can hold it back. Marie chuckles at my obviousness. “I can’t believe you got away with it for so long. You're a terrible liar.”

“I know. I'm impressed with myself if I'm being honest.” I shrug. "So, how has the news affected you?” I ask without restraint, not wanting to divulge any more about my own past.

“It hasn’t affected me.” Marie sips her black coffee, she’s as unflappable as ever.

“The concept of us being made, rather than born hasn’t changed your perspective on anything ? Not your powers? Your parents? Nothing?” I continue to press waiting for any sign of a facial reaction. She was cold, still looking unbothered, and a little bored.

“My goal hasn’t changed.”

“I didn’t ask you if your goal has changed, I asked if the news changed how you felt about anything. Has it?” 

“I don’t feel any differently, like I told you. How does it feel being a part of The Seven? Can you write me a recommendation letter for university?” 

“Of course. You still aiming for Godolkin University, right?” I ask, letting her change the subject.

“I need a full ride to make this at all possible. A recommendation from someone working with The Seven could go a long way.”

“Don’t worry Marie, I'll write you a recommendation letter that will knock the socks off of that admissions office.”

“Thanks, Daph. That means a lot. Now tell me all about being in The Seven. ” She whispers the last part as if scared the empty Jitter Bean was filled with nosy people. I sigh loudly before adding a groan in there too. Marie’s laugh is barely held in by her hands, trying to cover her giggles. The waitress interrupts us, stepping up to our table in a cute blue dress uniform. 

“How can I help you girls?” A thick accent, Jersey if I had to guess, and hips swaggering with every word.

“I would like a black coffee with a bacon egg and cheese crescent, please.” I pipe up quickly wanting that sweet beautiful breakfast sandwich as quickly as possible. The waitress’s dark orange aura fluttered in annoyance at my quick tone. She writes that down with a muttered assurance, waiting and staring pointedly at Marie.

“Could you turn the volume up?” Marie asks, her sharp eyes now focused on the TV in the corner of the small cafe. The waitress sighs loudly before doing so. CNN channel has been non stop filtering through journalists across all sources wanting Vought’s head on spike for the recent revelation. I mean that’s bad press no matter how you look at it. Oddly though CNN wasn’t talking about Superheroes being made not born.

They instead had live footage center focus at a beach. A beach not too far from where we were now. The exploded whale on the beach was a new and horrifying sight I didn't think I'd see in the daily news. 

“Oh my god.” I mutter out gasping at the helicopter debris shown floating in the ocean. Three men confirmed dead from the terrorist attack.

“The attack is being led by a member of the Shining Light Liberation Army. He has destroyed whole city blocks with his telekinesis and has five identified murders attached to his profile. He is wanted on all accounts, and from our current reports The Seven has officially entered the scene.” The blonde news anchor with a deep soothing voice reported over the live footage. The Seven arrive in a dramatic style, all together like an actual team. All the infighting was not visible when all you could see was the colorful suits. The footage was all at a birds eye view.

“I believe the Deep beaching a whale but how’d it explode?”

“Was that the Deep?” I ask dumbfounded, squinting my eyes on the TV screen trying to decipher the pixelated footage.

“Did you know they were on a retcon mission?” Marie’s voice quivered with excitement she couldn’t hold back. She shakes my shoulders from across the table, trying to shake the words out of me.

“Of course not. I’m not nearly as important as you assume I am. I’m barely even a concept to them, an annoyance at most. Definitely not a part of The Seven , don’t let Homelander hear you say that.”

“Homelander’s touchy about you joining The Seven ?”

“I’m not a part of The Seven so there’s nothing to be touchy about. Now where is my coffee?” 

“Fine, if you want to change the subject I will. Tell me what it’s like to work at Vought!”

“Um, it's definitely…impressive.”

“Impressive? That’s all you got to say?” With Marie’s derisive questions the waitress drops two cups of black coffee in front of us.

“How are you expanding your resume by the way? Other than strongmaning your elders, of course.” 

“You will be happy to know I’m still volunteering at the soup kitchen. I kind of gave up on soccer, though. Didn’t want to break the news to you over the phone.” She shrugs, not seeming all that heartbroken over it. But that was Marie for you. If I didn’t have powers I would have a hard time reading her tightly held expressions. Her statements even offer many ways of interpreting, and she did all this on purpose. She holds everyone afar even the people she considers herself close to. I should check in on her more frequently.

“Well, I’m proud of you for taking your volunteer work seriously. If you tell me your schedule I could make some time to go to the soup kitchen with you, if you’d like?” I ask, hope obvious in my voice as I wrap my hands over hers from across the table. She smiles and squeezes my hands back. The warm tingle of content trinkles into my bloodstream, and I feel myself relax in what felt like a long time. Then things change.

I can’t hear anything as the world crashes around me. The Jitter Bean’s barely standing foundation is cracking and crumbling within a blink, plaster is falling from the ceiling and threatening to crush us. Marie grabs her bag and is immediately at my side looking for a safe path towards an exit. I grab her hand and focus every muscle in my body to push us out of this broken building. 

The waitress wails as she is hit with a large beam that was previously attached to the ceiling. As we run past her I can see the waitress wasn’t breathing. Someone screamed from the back–the cook, but Marie held my hand tight not willing to let me go while pushing past the hot steam spilling from the broken pipes. 

“You’re going to be okay, Daph.” Marie doesn’t give me time to respond before wrapping her arms around me and jumping through the steam and out the gaping hole that was the front entrance of the cafe. The steam was hitting Marie square in the back, but didn’t touch me. She yells out in pain as we land hard on the broken concrete. I push myself up from the cracked sidewalk and try to hold Marie as she lays on the ground groaning in pain.

“Oh god, M-Marie.” Her usual warm dark coloring has paled into an ashen shade. I turn her body to the side and she immediately howls out. The sharp guttural moans of pain coming from her lips before she takes in a deep breath. “I’m going to call for an ambulance, Marie. I will be with you the whole time. Don’t you w-worry.” Tears are falling down my face and I’m muttering her assurances as I can’t help but stare at her boiled back. Her back had layers of bubbles in her skin that oozed blood out by abundance, so much so that it was making me woozy. 

The emotional bombs that were surrounding me didn’t help my concentration either. I shakily grab my phone and I’m calling for the nearest hospital, but Marie’s hand grabs my phone before I can dial the final number.

“D-don’t.  Look again Daph, I'm healing.” She gasps out, barely able to grit out each word. She’s still strong even in such a dire situation. Looking once again at the mess of her back I can finally see what she means. The blood now was coagulating around each wound and it was healing at an impossibly fast rate. I didn’t know her blood powers gave her that much of a healing benefit; she must have been working on that for a while. She will be a great student for Godolkin University if I can get her out of this mess without further injury.

Marie’s coloring has returned and she doesn’t look like she was going to pass out anymore. She gets up more smoothly than could have been expected. I stumble to my feet grabbing her hand, making sure to not get separated until she’s safe. Finally looking at our surroundings we can see the whole west avenue street was caved in. A huge crevice that was so deep it led into what looks like the sewer system. Cars were half in the trench and other vehicles were abandoned or completely destroyed by the wreckage. The debris that fell into the entrance of Jitter Bean was not the result of the cave-in. 

People were screaming and running from an apartment building just a few streets across from us. If I squint hard enough I can see someone flying and twisting around the building. Crowds of people were scattered a good distance from the focal point of the ongoing destruction. In a blink a huge hole bursts from the apartment building with a resounding crack of thunder that made the whole street shake. Pieces of the building fall below and crash, making the crowd scream. 

“We need to get out of here.” Marie grips my hand tighter as she mutters this under her breath. I nod silently agreeing, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the building. Marie doesn’t give me much choice as she drags me in a speedy fashion farther away from the destruction. 

Sadly we didn’t get far away fast enough. Through a cloud of dirt and metal propelled itself with a human being attached. Landing not just a few feet from us. A black woman’s limbs were cracked and broken from all angles. Her neck was half decapitated from landing on a piece of shrapnel. Marie freezes at the sight now completely immobile. I stand between her and the dead woman blocking her view.

“Marie, you're not there. You’re not there anymore, Marie. Breathe. In,” I take in a deep breath, and through my powers I loosen her coiled tight aura “and out.” I repeat the loud breathing and she joins in as her shoulders finally release their tension. The screaming and thunder cracks don’t help completely soothe her panic attack, but it has helped her calm down a bit. “Are you feeling okay enough to get out–”

Black.

Everything is black.

Then I hear a voice. A voice I remember. It’s Marie. Her voice sounds far off and as if it was coming from under water.

“Daphne! Please, Daphne get up! I’m just going to get–” 

I can’t hear anything again. It all feels rather fuzzy. The pins and needles sensation across my entire body was the first thing I notice in the numb darkness. Then it was the groggy ache that throbbed a terrible beat inside my skull. That is excruciating. I blurrily open my eyes and I’m laying down in a cot with an IV attached to my arm. Turning my head I could see I was inside a temporary hospital setting, and from what it looks like, was holding a number of homeless people. Lines with food and clothes being handed out is a big give away.  

“I want to know she’s okay before I go but I have to be home before my curfew.”

“I understand miss. Hopefully your friend will be up soon, but she did receive a severe concussion. My advice is she get an MRI as soon as she can. Such injuries as hers shouldn’t be taken lightly.” The feminine and stern voice comes from the lady in the bloody scrubs.

“I’ll tell her.” Marie dismisses the woman completely and hurries to me with quick wobbly feet. “Daph, I’m so glad you’re up and okay. For a second I didn’t know how…” She left her sentence out in the air to be unfinished. “The field nurse says you should get an MRI after this. To make sure you don’t have irreparable damage, you know, the usual checkup.” She shrugs, trying to lighten everything with gallows humor. It helps.

“What time is it?”

“It just turned 5.” She checks her phone with a flicker of worry in her golden eyes.

“Marie, thank you for saving me a million times and hopefully we will be able to hangout under better circumstances,” Marie snorts at that “but go home before you get in trouble.” I lift myself up from the cot taking the IV out myself. Marie’s eyebrows twist up and her mouth turns down as if wanting to say something. I shake my head at her and she gives out a long sigh.

“Okay, just please get home safe. Take a cab as soon as you feel better.”

“I will. Now get going!” I  wave my hands at her trying to push her away. She smiles, a real smile I haven’t seen on her in this entire time we’ve talked today. A smile of relief is better than no smile at all. She gives me a quick hug before running out the doors. She hopefully made it back in time without punishment. Red River Institute was quite harsh with punishments. 

I sigh, and try to get up from my cot on my trembling feet. I grab a crutch that was left for me and can’t help but pat at the bandage wrapped around my head. I flinch back from my gentle prodding and feel pretty dumb for it. Catching my eye was the crowd of news press filming a makeshift stage in the center of the refuge. Center stage was my worst nightmare, Stan Edgar. He was a wearing a navy blue pinstripe suit that looked tailor made for him, which it was, and the fabric looks like it was ported here from Egypt. He looked healthy and pristine as if he didn't have a worry in the world. My blood goes ice cold and I kept stop myself from glaring at him. His polished perfect white smile takes over his face morphing him to look approachable, but I know what he is. A predator who's just got his kill. 

He begins his speech with as much confidence as someone born with a silver tongue.

“I know the news about Compound V is a shock to everyone. As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult day for the Vought family. Our focus now will be to learn the truth. As I said we are conducting a robust investigation into Compound V, but let me be clear; I had no knowledge whatsoever. We believe it was the work of a small, disaffected group of scientists led by former Vought employee Madelyn Stillwell. But sadly, there are more important matters at hand. Everyone at Vought sends their thoughts and prayers to those families that were affected today. Though it is important to acknowledge that this tragic event could have been far worse; today’s attack underscores just how dangerous Super terrorists have become. And, at a time like this, America needs its heroes more than ever. We live in a dangerous world. Our brave heroes were already fighting terrorists overseas, but now, America faces this war on a different front: right here at home. These enemies will stop at nothing to infiltrate our borders and attack our citizens. Our superheroes are the last line of defense. And today, the death toll would have been much higher had it not been for the brave actions of our newest hero, Stormfront, who stopped the terrorist before he could take more innocent lives. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if Stormfront hadn’t been there, but thankfully she was patrolling the border of New York when she heard the destruction taking place . Without hesitation she immediately swooped in and put herself in harm's way to stop this terrorist from harming any more people. America is truly blessed to have you, ladies and gentlemen, Stormfront.” Stan Edgar’s speech is pristine as he gives no leeway for a journalist’s intrusion. Every little loophole Edgar could possibly think to cover within thirty seconds was said. 

He did it all with such a calm demeanor it made me feel ill. Looking at his face made my palms sweat profusely and the pit of my stomach burns with a cold fury I couldn’t bear. Like coals resting still inside my belly and burning through my intestines.

“Thank you. But we all know who the real heroes of this group are, right? The people you see behind you, the people who are struggling every day. So let’s give them all a hand.” She starts the round of applause and the people in the building join in. I clap along politely too trying to mask my inner turmoil. I take in the scene around me trying to ignore the press and Stan Edgar all together. 

I notice Stormfront isn’t the only one of The Seven in the makeshift hospital and refuge for the newly homeless. Starlight is at the booth handing out water, but her shining bright aura that is usually impossible to miss is dim. She’s lost some of her light, but why? Looking to the opposite side at the exit where more people are being gurneyed in and out; Homelander stood at the edge of the scene. His whole soul screamed and raged, so much so the tornado that was his aura spins and twists so fast I can feel the winds whip at my mind. The power of his emotions and soul battered at me with such ferocity I'm lucky I'm still standing. Through pure willpower and one crutch I wobble my way towards the superhero. People gave him a wide berth, so even they could sense he was on edge. 

I drag myself across the makeshift hospital to look him directly in the eyes but he’s hyper focused on the stage. He hasn’t noticed me. I cough. 

“What are you doing here?” His eyes grows wide and his attention is immediately on me, so much power in a stare.

“I didn’t exactly book myself a room here, Homelander. I got in the crosshairs of the destruction and was brought here for immediate medical care.”

“Did you see what she just did?” His intense stare that felt like a natural force when directed towards me were now glaring back up at the stage.

“See what?” I can't help but feel discombobulated by his outright anger.  

“The way she smiled at me, all smug. She knew I had called dibs on him and she still has the audacity to do that .” His hands were gesture energetically and the next moment he’s still as a statue. His writhing aura quivers and shakes, but the tornado was still. I couldn’t decide which was scarier. “ 

“What if I told you I know how to get your numbers to skyrocket by tomorrow.” 

“I’d tell you you're full of shit.” He whispers derisively, glaring down at me with pure hatred I think incorrectly directed towards me.

“Come make pasta with me and I’ll tell you my plan.” This whole idea centers around him actually agreeing. The spur of the moment idea influenced completely around what happened today. Marie's words partly to thank for this brilliant idea. An idea so good it will help me help Homelander, while also letting Homelander think he’s getting what he wants. It’s so good it probably won’t work. But it’s worth a shot.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I got better places to be than listening to your hairbrained schemes.” He scuffs shuffling away from me, inching closer to the exit. 

“The invitation is always open. If you want to hear my proposal, and also make pasta with me, then stop by.” I say before turning my back on him and hobbling away. Not letting him have the last words this time.

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

If you want to get my most recent updates for this fic check it out on AO3!

[pluralsword]

Trans Samus Transformers Triplechanger (Polychanger if you count different suits)

Thinking about canonical Samus Aran's appearance in Transtech in fanfic writing terms. She's basically Scrounge with integrated gun & bombs etc. Is she a human/chozo/metroid hybrid, or transformer, or all 4. What if Samus reformatted? Full on crossover could be fun though/as well.

Now we want a Blaster-Samus teamup. Thank you Budiansky. And since Scrounge was a blacksmith in IDW1 what if Samus knows Anode and Wipe-Out?

Ultimately what if Samus, Blaster, Arcee, Aileron, Anode, Lug, Wipe-Out, Scarlett, Marissa Faireborn, Thundercracker, and Buster had a team-up fic?

Image depictions of Samus in her Varia suit armor alongside blue robed Geno, Samus’s morph ball form, and Samus Scrounge in her small yellow-gold robot mode with a triangular head, and transforming into her wheel mode below.

[soir-rouges-esprit]

xxxi.s: Coke, Blood & Handguns, “but I mean, it was also a time where I had my highest moments as well … surfing the pole bar out back all the way down on my old skateboard.” ... Oh Yeah! I remember that … then you tried it again and the fuckin thing snapped in half because it had dry rotted through the center haha. “Yep! … came fucking crashing down right on my sack … swore after that day i had to have made myself infertile … my damn balls hurt so bad I passed out.” HAHAHAAAA “WHAT!? PFFF THAT CAN HAPPEN HAHAHAHA” “FUCK YEAH IT CAN DUDE!!! IT HURT LIKE A BITCH” HAHAhaaa yeah it can … and boy watching Mrs.Roche and that assistant science teacher wheel you into school while you were crying getting you to the nurse's office … priceless memory. The boule lands on black thirty-one. *sigh* I bury my hands in my palms and rest my hands and head against the table side. ugggghhhh fuck me … this is the worst. “*sigh*” “Shit never changes come on!” We bet … again … this time I said fuck it … and bet four hundred on red seven … favorite color, lucky number. I raise back up. “Fuck it I'll go the same but black twenty-six … see if we can capture this stupid ball” Remember what they called you for a month after that? “Oh please tell me they had a name HA!?” “Yeahhhh … they kept calling me … Tony Hawk pro ball buster” Ha Ha Ha Haaaa there it is. “PFFF!! Brutal … kids are little shit-eating monsters.” Me and J replied in Unison. “Agreed!.” Yeah … sad to see it go for me as well honestly … as much as I hated it. “What about you M?” “Oh … I had probably my worst years back then … kind of all a … blur … good riddance in my opinion.” The ball rolled round and round and round … until. Red Seven! … … … WHAHAHA!!!! WOAH FUCK YEAH!!!! “WHAT!?!?!??! HOLY SHIT HOW MUCH IS THAT” “WAIT WAS THAT STRAIGHT UP SEVEN!?!?! DID YOU LAND A STRAIGHT-UP SEVEN??” We all jumped around and the rest of the roulette table celebrating with me. … I had just won my betting offer of four hundred … plus an additional thirty-five of whatever I just bet … meaning I had just fucking Scored!! … a big fourteen-thousand dollar payout … nearly tripling the money I started my day with … it was safe to say … I felt that gambling kick that dear ol dad once spoke of. I jumped up and hugged M and J … we let the croupier collect all the losing bets and clear the board, then they waved over one of the casino attendants after handing me a little slip with their signature. We took the slip with the attendant over to the main counter … where they cashed in my slip and handed me fourteen-thousand in chips. It felt a little crazy to have won that much that quick and pretty simple as well … stunned. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU FUCKING WON WHAT THE HELL!?!?!” “Yeah same! Congrats! That’s crazy.” Fucking agreed … Alright J … I’m done, I’m up. “AHHHH WHAT!?!?!” “JESTER! … He is UP … he is Done.” “Agh whatever alright alright I get yah, deal is a deal … sheesh I just wanted a betting partner … fine yeah … I’m spent here then as well … my poor fucking wallet would strangle me if it had enough money left to do so.” “Agreed. I’m done as well. So what now?” Well … we are here so lets go see one of those shows they were showing here. Planet Hollywood, wasn’t just a themed casino … it also had a large theater, they hosted shows and entertainment at … [To Be Continued]

[cjp-film]

RTWW PROPS!

Over the course of about two weeks my job was to source and create all the props which where needed for our upcoming shoot. I organised my list into things I needed to buy, things I had to create myself, and things I could borrow:

Buy 

Frame for photo (A4) shop. 

Nokia phone. Charity shop. 

Stress ball. Toy shops. 

Oils

Body butters

Massage instruments 

Baskets/boxes

Bad wigs. Costume shop. Sunglasses. 

Fake moustaches

Towels. £12 for 3 in primark

Ply wood

Make

Portrait painting

Janet’s paintings

Office documents

Busters office poster

Ggjj poster

Name tag

Lanyard 

Questionnaire (on iPad)

Borrow

Mug of coffee. Lucas 

TV

Laundry ?

Books

Bottles ?

Post it notes

Poster tubes

Stationary items (pens etc)

Rucksac. Jacks

Second hand suit

Massage table

Salt lamps 

Mrs Muskaan’s watch 

My own items

Easel

Art supplies

Art clutter

iPad

My biggest worry was the massage table, as of course we are on a budget and don’t want to spend too much on a table which we are only going to use once. I put out an advert in a facebook film makers group asking to borrow a portable massage table in hope someone would have one they’d be willing to let us use. Luckily enough, I had plenty of responses, and we decided to go with a blue folding table from a man in Glasgow who was willing to let us have it for free. We couldn’t believe our luck, so Luca and I went through to Glasgow as soon as we could to pick it up. Our vision for this table was to have one of the masseuses wheel it along during the chase scenes to add to the humour, but sadly this table didn’t have wheels. We considered attaching some but came to the conclusion it would be too time consuming and might mean that the table wouldn’t properly fold with them. So instead we kept it as a folding table, and it would still work perfectly.

Costumes wise, I wasn’t to worry too much. Luca and I decided it would be best (and cheapest) to work with what the actors already had. As the film is set over the course of one day, the main two wouldn’t have to change. The masseuses however, would need to have two outfits, their scrubs, and their business attire. We managed to get some help from Luca’s mum who is a talented seamstress to create the scrubs, and then just buy a few business jackets from a charity shop. As when they are in the business attire they are in ‘disguise’ I bought some fake moustaches and found a Halloween wig as well as some sunglasses for them all to wear in this scene. The rest of their costumes was their own clothing.

As for everything else, it was easy enough to find online or in shops. We went through a lot of toys for the stress ball, but we knew that we wanted one with the eyes that popped out. This was actually a little bit hard to find, but I found a multipack of animals on amazon which matched this description. I decided to give Janet the Lion, as a symbol of her trying to be brave and strong in the face of danger.

Above: Costume items, including Janets Cardigan which we borrowed from Cara, and the scary wig.

Above: The massage table from Facebook.

Stress ball.

FP

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

01/21/2024 – 01/27/2024

Sunday

Manga Sunday is back in full swing and to start us off, it’s Girl Meets Rock! Nice to know that gay people exist in this story, and the art is still super charming. I like how bad Hatocchi’s band is, but it feels like we’ll soon cross over into “chasing your dreams and being rewarded for it” territory so it won’t be exactly what I was looking for…but I’ll stick around and see how it goes.

Undead Unluck was super good, as usual. I love getting these little hints about what each Master Rule is, and the main guy is particularly interesting.

An interesting dissection of parasociality in the latest Oshi no Ko chapter… Truly, Ai and all celebrities like her are made up of the perceptions of everyone else in the world, which leaves little room for their true selves. Not to mention the purity streak of the Japanese idol industry… I’m glad Ruby is eking out her own way in contrast to her mom, though, and understanding why Kana did what she did. Hopefully everyone will be alright by the end…

Dandadan: Oh, so that’s Zuma’s design… I mean, it’s certainly different from the other boys, but I don’t know if I necessarily like it. It’s mostly his hair that I think is a little stupid lol but his personality’s fun, it’s about time we got a stoic guy in the group. I’m pretty fatigued with all these “oh no we lost the ball again” shenanigans but whatever, I’m just looking forward to when this arc ends and Zuma joins the friend group.

Magilumiere was fine, I wish Shigemoto developed his own feminine style instead of just emulating that clearly fridged woman from his flashback, but oh well.

One Piece was great, this is the most I’ve been invested in the manga in ages. I’m glad Kuma has a chance at survival and this Buster Call feels like an exciting and exhilarating end to the Egghead arc.

SpyFam was…okay. The side characters trying to lean into the Detective Conan-esque murder mystery and the protagonists’ overpowered abilities thwarting that immediately made for some decent comedy, but nothing too special.

CIPHER ACADEMY IS SO GOOD… THE PUN ON MORG/MORGUE BUT IT ALSO HAVING THEMATIC RELEVANCE… THE CALLBACK TO THE FIRST CODE IN THE SERIES… THE AMAZING FULL CIRCLE TETE-A-TETE BETWEEN IROHA AND TOSHUSAI… YOSAIMURA GETTING ANON’S CHAIR FOR HER LIKE A TRUE GENTLEMAN… NOHIME’S ONE POINT LESSON… TOSHUSAI FINISHING FIRST JUST LIKE BEFORE, BUT IROHA PUTTING HIS OWN SPIN ON IT BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT TOSHUSAI’S PRIVACY… USING CODES/DUPLICITY FOR A GOOD CAUSE… TOSHUSAI’S SMILE AND IRORINNNNNNNNNNN AND THE CAESAR CODE AND THE CAESAR STATUE AND AHHHHH OUR BOY’S THE EMPEROR!!!! The statue’s shield being a cipher wheel is so cute… I really hope this is just the beginning but not the end, but even if it isn’t, I’m satisfied with this triumphant conclusion…probably. I’ll be really heartbroken when Cipher ends because I love reading it every week…

I checked out the first episode of High Card… My history with this franchise is somewhat interesting (to me, anyway) – I followed this one Japanese artist on Twitter for their Yowamushi Pedal fanart way back in the day, and over the years they’ve become an actual character designer in the anime industry. High Card is one of their projects, so I’ve been hearing about it for a while… And recently they announced a stage play adaptation starring one of the guys I like from A3! and one of the girls I like from Revue Starlight, so I figured I’d finally get around to watching the anime to see if the rest of the franchise is worth checking out. All that preamble aside, I stopped watching the episode about eight minutes in LMAO My suspicions that they wouldn’t be able to capture the character designer’s style in animation were confirmed, and the story is just a juvenile mess… As a kid I literally wrote stories about fantasy kingdoms based on the different card suits, and here it’s being presented in all seriousness with haphazard style and zero substance. I didn’t look into anything beforehand, so I had the impression it was some sort of crime drama with a dash of heist shenanigans? But the magic element is just too goofy and nonsensical to take seriously. I don’t know, maybe I’ll still check out the stage play because they’ll have singing and acrobatics, but the anime will be a hard pass from me.

With the Twitter timeline abuzz with the news of more Monogatari, I figured it was as good a time as any to actually watch the whole series and catch up before the new anime starts. I first watched Bakemonogatari as a kid and didn’t really get it, but after I fell in love with Cipher Academy I wanted to get into more of Nisioisin’s work, so I rewatched Bake and had a fun time. Today I finally started chipping away at the movies, and I watched Kizumonogatari: Tekketsu. What I liked the most about Bake, and Monogatari in general, was the unique and heavy sense of mood and atmosphere that I haven’t really seen in any other anime. The surreal and almost liminal locations, the odd and staged way characters move through them, the unique directorial flourishes we now call SHAFT-isms, I really vibe with all of it. The story itself hasn’t gotten far enough for me to get attached to anyone yet, but we’ll see how that goes as I work my way through the series. This first movie was a fun dive back into Monogatari mode and all its eccentricities, even if the story felt like it was moving painfully slow at times. But the walk down into the station and the slow lead-up to Kiss-shot was great.

Monday

Shamefully, I must admit that I read Vtuber Confucius. It’s a deeply stupid premise that’s not even executed that well, and once they started shoehorning in other philosophical teachings as Vtubers I truly lost interest. This is something that should’ve been a shitpost Tweet at the most.

Things in Oni to Tengoku got resolved a lot quicker than I’d thought – I was definitely expecting a dramatic rescue by Manabu, but I can also get down with Oni to Tengoku’s usual realist approach. The way that the story uses these conventions to actually explore the main couple’s relationship in depth is what’s really engaging… The high schooler had a nice bit of a characterization too, with all the trappings of insecurity that come with a high school romance. What I love most of all about Oni to Tengoku is how a lot of things go unsaid/communicated non-verbally and are presented through illustrations alone – I feel like most manga tend to have their characters over-explain things, as if the mangaka isn’t confident that their drawings are conveying what they want to convey, but Oni to Tengoku lays it all bare and leaves it up to interpretation. And the drawings are so gorgeous in the first place, too… I love just how this work uses the medium to the fullest. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Manabu responds to Aoki’s proposal.

A Second Goodbye to You: Lol oh nooo the university student got stabbed to save Hiroki huh oh nooo whatever shall he do? Yeah I’m just sticking with it to see how it ends at this point.

Next I tried reading this BL called OΣG!!! = Oh My God =, and while I like the art style, the compositions and character designs are just such a busy mess that I didn’t want to read any further.

I finished reading Akuheki volume 3…and it’s really good… I love how this BL started off seeming like a dark BDSM sex manga, but it’s become a genuine exploration of how trauma can shape your beliefs and affect your relationships as an adult… ALSO, THE EX JUST HAVING A SIDEPLOT BL PREMISE WITH THE COWORKER????? I really respect the mangaka for actually going there because it’s sooooo funny (but also cute! And had thematic relevance!). The detailed look at Kojima’s backstory was so chilling and illuminating – it’s dramatic, but in a way where it still feels believable, and you can really get a sense of why Kojima turned out the way he did. I’m sure that he and Daimon can work their twisted relationship out somehow, but it’ll take some effort.

Last on my BL binge today was this manga called We Won’t Call It Love, and it looks like it’ll be an angsty ride. It’s interesting to start the main couple off with one of them just starting a comphet marriage while the other realizes his feelings, but we’ll see how it goes.

Tuesday

I don’t know what’s going on with Amazon Prime, but I guess sometimes they just lie to you about what’s leaving the platform because Downton Abbey’s back after a short absence from the service. It’s all the typical soap opera shenanigans with a dash of war drama, but it’s fine as background noise. As ever I feel really bad for Edith, and as ever the sense of time is so weird in this show…one scene Ethel’s announced that she’s pregnant and the very next she’s already had the baby. I loved that little scene where Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes talk about his move to be with Lady Mary, I think Hughes is the only person who could call Mary a minx in Carson’s presence and not be reprimanded for it. Their closeness to each other is so sweet and comforting. I’m annoyed that the show tends to cheat on the difficult decisions facing the characters by having the problems resolve themselves, like “Patrick” leaving on his own or Matthew’s legs miraculously healing or Lavinia conveniently dying. I almost wish the Lord Grantham and Jane plotline had gone on for longer – I find master/maid stories to have a more interesting dynamic than lady/servant ones. And given how morally upright Lord Grantham’s been up to this point, it was fun to see him engaging in some actions that torture his conscience.

Chainsaw Man good.

Wednesday

I guess ghosts are now canon in Downton Abbey? It’s a little lame that they drudged up Lavinia’s corpse to bless Mary and Matthew’s marriage with a blank slate of morality but whatever. It’s also a little lame that they’ve written in a new thing for them to argue about all season but also whatever. Thomas and O’Brien’s hater alliance finally collapsing is funny, at least. I’ve noticed that on Downton, they tend to leave a lot of important moments implied/off-screen, like characters telling each other information or even things like Matthew and Mary actually saying “I do” to each other at the altar. It feels like some lost opportunities.

Wow they really can’t stand Edith getting even a moment of happiness, huh? Mary gets all the bells and whistles and the whole town cheering for her as she drives up to the church for her wedding, meanwhile Edith gets left at the altar… Also I’m just now remembering that Carlisle’s threat has yet to come into light…I hope it does, because otherwise that’ll be another bullet that the Crawleys dodge by deus ex machina and make all that tension surrounding Mary’s conundrum a moot point (lol I looked it up. Guess it was all for nothing). God the Swires are just tools to absolve the living of all their guilt, huh? Sure, they’ll get to hem and haw about it for a couple scenes to cause drama, but then the hand of Swire reaches down and clears them of all their hang-ups so that they can do what’s most convenient for them anyway. Meanwhile, Anna and Bates’ romance is so filled with misery after misery that I’m actually getting bored of it. Branson is also majorly getting on my nerves, and I don’t really buy his and Sybil’s relationship.

…I’ve been complaining a lot, so I will say that the Mrs. Hughes cancer scare plotline ended very cutely, with Carson being relieved about her health. Those two are really the highlight of the show for me. And I’ll also say that I’ve been enjoying Thomas’ slow redemption arc from gay villain to mischievous over-achieving failgay (girl why did you think the black market thing would work…or the dog thing…).

God it’s so ghoulish and stomach-churning to watch the doctors argue while Sybil’s pregnant when you know what’s about to happen… Oh I just thought of another thing that annoys me about this show lol but by and large it feels like people catch feelings each other for literally no reason other than the writers want them to. Whenever a new character enters the scene they always have a knowing glance at their prospective paramour so that we in the audience know that they’re going to have relations, but there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to why the characters are attracted to each other in the first place other than physical attraction, I guess, but that’s such a shallow basis to a relationship. It really feels like the writers know they want certain characters to date but have no idea how to actually naturally lead them there, so it just jumps to them declaring their love for each other when we’ve barely seen them hold a conversation or have any sort of dynamic or romantic chemistry.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been slowly working my way through the A3! Blooming Live 2022 livestreams and having a grand old time hearing the seiyuu’s actual voices, and I’ve finally finished them today. As suspected, Tasuku Hatanaka and Shunsuke Takeuchi are the steadiest of the bunch, and their duet was so amazing… Kentarou Kumagai and Toshiyuki Toyonaga were other stand outs, and I have to commend Chiharu Sawashiro for hitting those Bb4’s in chest voice (!!!??) and Daisuke Hirose for doing all that actual dance choreo on top of singing. Junta Terashima also made me emotional with Hisoka’s solo, Shake the Shape and Road to Manjuu Master were incredibly hype, and Tooi makes me cry everytime. My only gripe was with Shintarou Asanuma…he didn’t sing half of his lines…they just played the recording while he passionately lip synced…it was especially painfully obvious in his duet with Chiharu, which just ended up sounding like a solo song… It’s just so jarring when Chiharu is literally singing his heart out while Shintarou is miming… I wonder if he had some throat issues…? But they would’ve had to prepared all this audio in advance so like?? I don’t know, maybe he had other circumstances, but this was a really disappointing showing for me. The live as a whole was fun, though, and it’s was funny to catch all the errors they made that got covered up in the Blu-ray version.

Finally, after months of stalling, I’m bringing back Movie Roulette……….but for my ever growing list of live shows instead. Today’s selection was Liyuu’s koii concert tour, and I watched the Shanghai leg because of course I did. It’s really funny to hear her talk to the audience in Chinese, as it’s a lot different from the kind of semi-prepared MC you’d get in a Japanese idol concert. She’s truly going off the cuff here, and the venue is small enough that the audience is yelling stuff at her and she can respond right back. Liyuu’s a lot more brusque in Chinese – it’s like a special side of her that only we Chinese fans get. The concert itself was cute, it introduced me to two Chinese songs of hers I hadn’t heard anything about?? And they were both bangers too… I was also impressed by her pitch control – her tone isn’t always my favourite, but at least she can usually hit the notes.

Thursday

As I’m finishing Downton season 3 this morning, I wanted to gather my thoughts before watching more. Overall, a fairly dark season, huh? I know it was the actors’ decision to leave the show, but having Sybil and Matthew die right after each other was a huge shock when I watched it for the first time, and it’s dreadful watching it happen all over again now. And then we had Bates in jail for most of the season, Anna miserable, Edith left at the altar only for them to write in yet another older gentleman who loves her but can’t be with her “for her own good”, Thomas failing every scheme he concocts and being subject to homophobia, Downton nearly going bankrupt…it seems like no one on this show can ever catch a break.

Despite all my griping about the writing on this show, I do care for a lot of the characters… Thomas and Mary have become so soft and sympathetic despite their slyness, and Edith has really endeared herself to me in how she tries to strive forward on her own path. (Strangely, I remember liking Anna and Bates on my first watch, but now their relationship bores me).

I will say though, season 4 hasn’t been impressing me thus far, as I don’t really care about any of the storylines… I don’t care about Mary tussling with her dad over how to run Downton, I don’t care about the love square between the footmen and the kitchen maids, I hate what they’ve done with Anna, Edna is annoying as hell and just another carbon copy “evil woman character” and I had to look her up on the wiki to make sure that she’ll be gone soon, I don’t care about Mary or Tom finding new romance, I Really don’t care about Rose, and I don’t really care about Edith’s romance either (the editor guy has as much personality as a paper bag)… It’d be faster to say what I am interested in, and that’s Carson/Hughes and Thomas, I guess. Hmmm okay I think I do also care about Mary and Tom’s awkward little friendship/in-law relationship, since they have some stuff in common now. And Tom’s definitely lost his edge after everything that’s happened, so he’s become more likeable in my eyes. I also like the elderly trio, as Violet and Isobel’s rivalry/begrudging friendship is always fun, and Dr. Clarkson provides some valuable wisdom to the ladies when they need to be knocked down a peg or two. Plus, after Dr. Clarkson’s weird little failed proposal to Isobel, I can’t help but read him as still interested in her, which adds some nice flavour to their interactions.

Took a break from Downton to travel to DunMesh. God it’s so good to eat food while watching this show. The episode was perfectly serviceable, but it’s a testament to Kui’s writing and considered world building that it’s still fun and engaging throughout.

Okay back to complaining about Downton. Rose is so annoying…with all the tragedies and serious problems going on in this house, her teenage fancies are so grating… I like Jack Ross, but I don’t care about their relationship, and also the actor’s American accent is so stilted that I can’t take him seriously. Great singing, though! It’s so funny that Thomas is still being vaguely threatening even though he’s just asking Baxter to keep an eye out for information. It’s not like he can do anything with most of it anyway. (God if Thomas, Violet, and Mary ever interacted…category 9 motherquake on the cunter scale).

Friday

New episode of Undead Unluck! Despite it being a pretty major turning point, the episode itself was just sort of perfunctory, with some odd janky animation here and there. I can only hope that the production team took it easy on these episodes in preparation for the big fight coming up (if I’m remembering correctly…?)

Also watched episode 15 of Kusuriya, and the first half was just fine and unnoteworthy, but once Lakan entered the scene I liked how they tried to vary up the visual style and compositions. This stretch of mysteries is just a little boring to me, though, so I’m not really looking forward to it.

Drag Race was also pretty uneventful – I never care for the improv challenges, but Plasma, Nymphia, and Sapphira’s skit was fun (actual singing and three-part harmony on Drag Race…wow). I don’t think Mirage should’ve lip synced…a really heartbreaking elimination.

Saturday

Weeks later, I’ve finally read another chapter of Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge and…it looks like my quest for an adult fiction book I enjoy is still unfruitful. The beasts themselves are decently interesting and I love cryptozoology, but I don’t like or care about the narrator and the romantic stuff they have going on, and their investigations are pretty shallow and boring. There just aren’t any real stakes for me to get invested in, and the writing feels so lethargic. I long for a book where things actually happen. (Meanwhile, every BookTuber I come across is recommending their 500th character-driven introspective study on the human condition and I’m sick of it!!! Where are the books with plots!!!!)

[wtfcraigslistnyc]

I’m back motherfuckers!! YES!!! To the roots of where this whole sorted mess began.. CRAIGSLIST… Life has handed me some of the sweetest cherries via CRAISGSLIST. I can’t ever quit you….

This first foray back to the OG art form comes to us from some DOUCHE in VIRGINA… It’s not just for LOVERS apparently. Having spent a fair amount of time in the mid-atlantic region I feel connected to this world this strange query springs from… ENJOI 12.6.23

CHRISTMAS ELF…

It’s really profound what the human mind is capable of. Curing cancer, overcoming tremendous adversity, dragging what’s left of your body after a bear mauls you… But other times the mind wanders in the cold, bleak, dark of winter. The walls close in and everyone begins to look like a bucket of KFC that complains too much. So the wheels spin and land on a very intuitive and obvious solution as you drift across the sewage treatment plant liquid surface of the modern popular cultural zeitgeist.

One can only try to imagine the wretched and pitiful mind that would solicit another human for their sick holiday fun….

WILL FARRELL!!! OF COURSE!!! ELF!!!

My cheating wife and asshole children will be so goddam stoked on this utter tidal wave of yuletide inspiration. Nothing will prepare them for the TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET-esque reveal I have on deck for them all…

The whole concept actually appeared in a fever dream as I took a stroll down memory lane to revisit my old childhood haunts of the web… EBAUM'S BABY!!! All the most vile stuff really. It brought me back to the time of dial up and TUB GIRL. Of lesser and greater evils I may or may not have been privy to.

The issue is that I know my dog is gonna rape the ELF… It’s the ELEPHANT in the room really.

BUSTER has been really not adjusting well to any of the many hurdles we’ve presented him with. First, we switched him from a VEGAN, non protein based diet. This caused our beloved pup to really take a turn for the worse almost instantly. His poor canine rectum became a fire hydrant of angry, hateful excrement. He seemed to charge at passing cars with what little life force remained, chasing his own death like a ball sadly…

Thankfully we found a DOGGIE LIFE COACH who really set us straight on the path of nothing but freshly butchered chicken and raw veg. His stools are now like baseballs, one saves in a bin and are carefully burned over the winter months to warm the family at our cabin in the stix…

The unfortunate byproduct of this new vigor BUSTER’s meat infused doggie heart is that he basically tries to penetrate ANY creature that he perceives as a possible for him to mount and dominate.

We found out the hard way… The kids had just come back from school. I was busy cutting brush out back with our gardener… Lord knows his idle hands won’t execute my desires if I’m not there to micro-manage each and every gesture of his hands.

The sound made JUAN and myself quite concerned. The state has advised me not to really provide any other details as the investigation is still pending. I think that in the end everyone will come out on the other side of this unfortunate misunderstanding far more cognisant of BUSTER’s potential for solo doggie breeding supremacy.

We take him to a place now. JUAN introduced us to the guy. He refuses to tell me his name because he says I have a big mouth and will make problems if I know it. He’s got a system where two times a week I drop off BUSTER and he lets him just pound all these dogs making more of his ilk to populate the gene pool. The guy is giving me a really good deal on this dog therapy. BUSTER is much more manageable now that his balls are drained of the hateful poison that bubbles like molten lava…

I’ve already hired a gregarious fella named AL to be the ELF. I actually held “AUDITIONS” in my minivan at the mall. AL was the only one to swallow and that goes a very long way in my book. He didn’t even complain about the ether fumes that engulfed the cabin of the van as I let my drippy rag make me forget why I had a little person blowing me at WALMART, nibbling on a churro….

AL says he has a lot of mascott experience which is going to be very important…. The guy who helps keep BUSTER chill, is on holiday for the next month and as such he left him with a rubber dog we chained up next to his kennel… The poor thing is barely intact and it’s only been a couple of days.

I see this whole holiday ELF reveal meets my psycho dog extravaganza going one of two ways… AL will be smiling counting his money driving home… AL spends the holidays chilling as BUSTER’s bitch in the kennel waiting for the “BONUS” I keep telling him is gonna be life changing and super sweet… It’s yet another YULETIDE MIRACLE.

[miranatoys]

  Toys and Games for Kids | Mirana Toys

Title: Mirana | Toys and Games for Kids.

Welcome to India’s leading online toy store. With Mirana, go beyond the regular toys and immerse in our world of Mirana Gaming App! Explore the adventure and real-world experience of Mirana Toys with its Games, Football, and more. Fuel your passion to play with App-Enabled technologically advanced smart toys and explore a new world of unmatched immersive play experience. As we come from the background of Design and Technology, our goal is to make aesthetically and ergonomically good designs with reliable and modern technology in the toy industry.

Air Football

Mirana Toys contributes indoor and outdoor gaming toys for kids. Air Football Pro floats on the cushion of air with soft foam edges giving you an amazing playful experience. Air football is a safe indoor toy having foam and LED lights that attract children which is best for small gliding spaces.

ATV-ACV

One of the most popular two Wheel Drive (2WD) App-Controlled Vehicle (ACV1) in India is made by Mirana. The Mirana App lets children experience their own world where freedom exists. This ACV1 car with a powerful engine helps the player go faster and get better performance out of the car. This App enhances your child's experience enabling them to be confident players. The 2WD ATV ACV1 is apt for children aged 5 years or above. If you want to drive such an exclusive car then buy it on https://miranatoys.com/

ATV-RCV

An outstanding product by Mirana, the 2WD ATV RCV1 comes packed with the best-in-class remote controller. It also comes with an in-built rechargeable 1200 mAH li-ion battery. You can experience the power of this ATV with its 1.5x nitrous boost. A kid’s source of happiness, this toy can also be a great stress buster after a long day at work. 

 Explorer

The Explorer is a never before mobile app-controlled Bluetooth enabled smart toy.  An in-built high power 2000 mAh battery gives you a thrilling experience to drive this smart toy with 1.5X powerful boost. This high-power 4WD is adaptive to a variety of terrain, be it dirt, sand, snow, beach, lawn or gravel. The Explorer comes with features such as C-type charging for fast charging, smart on-off switch and auto sleep mode to save battery life. The Explorer is made with durable plastic material and strong ABS plastic chassis for long life and is power packed with servo steering, responsive speed control, front and back independent shocks, RGB headlights, functional bonnet and comes in premium hi quality food grade paint finish with camouflage colors. The Explorer can be upgraded with multiple accessories thanks to the 4 independent accessory slots to attach various compatible accessories which can be operated through the Mirana app. The detachable front bumper which can be replaced by other accessories.

Mothership Air football

Presenting all new Mothership Air football by Mirana is an exciting toy for your kids to play indoor games. The way it works is that a fan creates an air cushion which lifts the ball off the ground and makes it glids. This Air football looks like spaceship with the latest super slider technology, which slides more smoothly and with less noise. This Air football offers 30 minutes of play time with USB C-type fast charging support. This Mothership Air football comes with rechargeable 2000 mAh Li-ion battery. This mothership is equipped with unique features like Auto sleep mode in 1 Minute when you stop playing and offers attractive rainbow effect of led lights having more than 20 light modes for unrestricted night-time play and added fun for your child. It helps to increase curiosity and pursue good habits of your kids. This is an apt toy for children aged 4 years and above. This toy set as your special gift for Boys & Girls in Birthday’s, Thanksgiving Day & festivals.

Warrior

Mirana Warrior is true to its heritage, combining capable features with updated design and materials to deliver a vehicle ready for the future. This remote-controlled stunt car comes in three amazing colours Coral Red, Onyx Black & Milky White. A fun stunt car which performs amazing stunts like 360-degree horizontal & 90-degree vertical spin. It not only attracts children but also keeps them engaged for a longer time. A top roller is offered for support & balance, single antenna having 50-meter Bluetooth connectivity range and eye catching 8 RGB LED lights in rear wheels. The Mirana Warrior App Controlled Stunt Car is equipped with a Micro USB rechargeable 600 mAh Li-ion battery that requires about 1 hour to fully charge and offers a play time of up to 30 minutes. A (5V-1A) DC input charging slot is provided at the bottom. Charge the toy using the Micro USB charging cable provided in the box. This toy can be a perfect gift for Boys & Girls aged 4 years and above.

Tracer

Experience high-speed racing with the all-new futuristic car that comes with an Aerodynamic body. It is available in attractive colors. The Tracer Remote Control racing car comes with a rechargeable 1200 mAh Li-ion battery. The box comes with a C-type charging cable. The Tracer has (5V-2A) DC input charging slot at the bottom. For the Tracer Remote Control, install 2 batteries of 1.5V ‘AA’ type. Tracer racing car offers 30 minutes of playtime and has a USB rechargeable battery that requires about 1 hour to fully charge. Tracer is an apt toy for children aged 4 years and above.

[differentcowboyland]

Chemical Guys ACC400 Ball Buster Wheel and Rim Polisher System

[sweatertheman]

I have exhausted by daily brain cell count thinking about DELTARUNE Lore. What have I come up with?

Well, let's start with some observations.

Kris, Susie, Ralsei, and even Noelle are all capable of straight up ignoring our commands. They can refuse to perform an action we tell them to and straight up "leave the party" when it suits them. Kris will stop you from dropping the Cards in the Light World, and the narration will scold you for attempting it. Kris will stop you from walking into their mother's line of sight while carrying a ball of trash. Kris will refuse to allow you the choice to watch Susie and Noelle on a Snowgrave route. Kris, in 2 chapters, has removed their Soul from their body and, by extension, "left the party," 3 times. Kris will refuse to allow the player to tell Noelle to "Proceed" through their own voice. Kris isn't going to say it for us, because they refuse to participate. Kris is also capable of speaking and even moving without our say-so. Susie doesn't even join the party until the last section of Chapter 1, and even then she will refuse to flirt with an enemy when instructed to. She also straight up says that if you tell her to do something dumb, she'll stop listening to you. In Chapter 2, she leaves the party to go off with Ralsei regardless of whatever you choose. Ralsei is the least willing to disobey commands, which is fitting of him as a Darkner, a being with its own mind but not its own will. He does however occasionally override a descision, like insisting that Chapter 1's Susie intermission be viewed. Noelle is second least willing to disobey a command, but that's part of her character flaws. She can't say no. Even then, she doesn't just do as she's told mindlessly. She refuses to use Snowgrave 3 or 4 times and will only use it when she gets fed up with being told to use it. She then leaves the party of her own accord.

Spamton desires Kris' Soul on the grounds that it will allow him to be the one making the calls. That with it, he can see past the dark, and look into "heaven." When speaking to Spamton, they say they refuse to give up their Soul because of their friends.

Kris, despite being able to undo, ignore, and prevent our control of them, chooses to allow us to control them. They will veto a descision they don't like, but they willingly give up their autonomy. They only occasionally decide to stop us controlling them, and they always bring us back.

ACTing is an ability that, despite explicitly NOT being magic, is capable of doing literally anything. An ACT can give buffs or debuff, it can damage and heal, it can summon things that aren't there and make them disappear when not needed.

ACTs are only ever used in battle, and only by characters who are "in the party." When Susie saves Noelle from Werewires, she does it by using Rude Buster on the control wires.

When a character is "in the party" it means they can recieve commands from us regardless of whether or not Kris is up. The fact that Susie doesn't join the party for so long means that, while she is in the battle, we can't issue any commands to her directly. She is also unwilling to listen to directions from Kris. However, even after she joins the party, she retains the ability to reject our commands. Being in the party solely ditactes the ability to recieve our directions.

During either Susie intermission, Kris' Soul remains inside their body, and dialogue options are spoken directions from their mouth. Susie can barely hear Kris in Chapter 1 because they're in another room behind a brick wall, and in Chapter 2, she doesn't react to those choices because she literally isn't in the room.

ACTing is strictly necessary to beat DELTARUNE. K. Round cannot be defeated without using it, and neither can the Music Guys.

In most cases, ACTing will create a heart-shaped particle effect. This is diegetic to some extent, as the dialogue options for the Ferris Wheel reference it.

"Point and hearts come out."

Ralsei consistently preaches the value of ACTing. He claims FIGHTing is unnecessary, and insists that Susie learn to ACT, partially out of fear of what could happen if she doesn't.

Ralsei has a prevalent Heart motif, with the heart on his robe and on the big door in his castle.

Ralsei claims Kris' Soul contains the FATE OF THE WORLD. As a fitting parallel to this, the DELTA RUNE, an image representing the Propehcy of the end of the world and the heroes that undo and/or prevent it, is heart-shaped, with the three triangles and winged circle contained within.

Dual Heal, Red Buster, and Courage are all accessed via the ACT menu.

In Chapter 2, ACTs initiated from Kris' ACT menu will be more powerful than ones from Susie and Ralsei's Magic menus.

After the Goner Maker but before the Opening, a distinctly Non-Gaster voice will discard your vessel, state that no one can choose who they are in this world, then tell you your name is Kris, though that last part comes through the mouth of Toriel. This voice shares speech patterns with Chara Dreemurr.

It is implied Gaster has seen a future in which the heroes fail, and brings in the player to create a new future where they succeed. It is also implied Kris has seen this "old future" as well.

Kris Dreemurr shares many similarities with Chara Dreemurr. A love of chocolate, a green shirt with a yellow stripe, non-descript pants, some kind of preoccupation with knives, a snarky attitude and prankster streak, etc.

Putting all this together, I present my latest theories.

For one, ours is the power to ACT. Only characters in the party can ACT, and ACTing can create things that aren't there, as well as cause anything to happen. Kris, our defacto vessel, can ACT better than anyone else, because they have the most direct connection to us. We are represented by a heart, and hearts appear when an ACT is used. Ralsei, a proponent of ACTing, has a heart on his robe, and on his big door. The DELTA RUNE, the prophecy of the heroes, is heart-shaped. The Prophecy requires that ACTs be used in order to progress. In this theory, Gaster brought in the player specifically because they have the power to ACT. They have the power to change things, to make anything happen. Spamton wants Kris' Soul in the hopes that he will be able to change things. That he won't be a slave to someone else's will.

The second part of this theory is that Kris was the one to reject the Vessel. Kris allows themselves to be controlled for their friends' sakes. While capable of removing us directly or telling someone about us, they don't, because it was their choice to allow us in the first place. In this theory, Kris already failed to save the world, but the timeline was reset. Gaster, seeing that Kris failed, calls in the player, but Kris decides to steal a second chance. While not his intention, Gaster does not object to Kris' interjection, because it doesn't matter to him. As long as they player is there, there's hope. This theory actually goes hand in hand with the first, as Gaster summons the player for the power to ACT, and Kris takes them in by their own descision, as their own autonomy is not as important as that power. It's a small price to pay. Kris, when they do remove our influence, seems less concerned with getting away from us, and more concerned with keeping us around. They could just crush that heart or stab it, or even just throw it away, but instead they keep it locked up in a cage, hidden in a cabinet, or stuffed in the couch. And when they're done making a Dark Fountain in their own living room, they put us right back in place, but not before holding up the heart, as if staring at it in awe.

anyway as i said i have no braincells left feel free to tell me why im wrong have a good nighttfftffx

[i-jakeb]

Best apps to kill time on 😻

I've been seeing some posts circulating about popular websites/apps and wanted to make my own version.

These are apps I’m way too addicted to. Am I missing any?

Edit: Sorry for all the time I’ve taken away from your life

Commaful - popular fanfiction, story, and poetry community 👑

Photo Filters - makes my Insta feed look perfect

Spellbinding - super addictive bite-sized stories

Sweatcoin - get paid to walk

Terrarium 🌱 - build the ultimate garden empire

Idle Human - build a human from scratch. for reals.

Palm Reader - get your palm read!

Meditation and Sleep - helps me find happiness and calm!

Choices - get crazy in this role play choose your adventure game!

Fitnesss Coach - your indoor fitness coach, get fit!

Cat Game - cutest cat game ever 😻

Byte - watch the funniest videos on the internet

Weed Factory - grow your weed empire 👿

Idle Construction - build a city!

Tabou: juicy HS stories

Sushi Bar - run your own sushi restaurant and win big

Zooba - zoo battle royale!!!!

BIGO Live - the best live streaming app!

BitLife - a life simulator

Calm - how i deal with my mental health

My Story: go to back to HS in this choose your own adventure

Well - an awesome hypnotherapy app that makes you feel better

Idle Workout -get fit in this virtual workout game!

Draw it - how fast can you draw? So addicting!

Tennis Clash - the best multiplayer game on the app store

Hily - a privacy + safety conscious dating app!

Repair Master 3D - open up some electronics and fix em up!

Perfect Paint - how fast can you paint?

AMAZE - taking mazes to the next level!

Video Editor - an easy video editing app for your phone!

Bake It - bake some masterpiees for your customers!

Yubo - come make friends!

Cold Cases - solve some cold cases!

Go Fish - win trophies by catching hella fish

Golf Orbit - ever play golf on mars?

Basket Throw - just throw the ball into the basket. Easy right?

Gun Gang - build your gang and shoot your way through

Avakin Life - your 3D virtual world

Knock'em All - shoot balls, destroy everything!

Adventure Escape Mysteries - investigate clues and solve the crime!

Drop and Smash - smash it all!!

Bunch - really fun way to play games with friends

Crazy Shopping - spend as much as you can, as fast as you can!

Army Clash - build the biggest army and destroy them all!

Shoot out! - kill the bad guys, save the good guys 🔫

Dental Bling - pull out the rotting teeth

Fam - video parties!

Aquapark - race you down the water slide! (and push you off it!)

Jetpack Jump - fly this addicting jetpack!

Scribble Rider - Draw your wheels in this crazy adventure

2048 Balls - how far can you go in this one?

Ball Blast - upgrade those cannons and shoot some balls!

Smash Cars - race and smash some cars!

Taimi - finally a good lgbtq+ dating app

Wired For Youth - get knowledge and learn from interviews and books

Ultrahuman - a very calming meditation app for sleeping

Flex - work out with friends!!

FitnessAI - your personal home workout trainer

Unfold - make your Insta stories awesome

Flip Jump Stack - flip and stack all the way to the cheer tour!

Run Sausage Run! - Avoid the knives and save the sausage

Bee Factory - build and raise your bee empire!!!!

Draw Joust - draw your own cart and crush the other player!

Sniper - are you a good shot? prove it!!

Rolly Legs - race your robot to victory

Let's Be Cops - you're the only good cop in the city. Can you keep the peace?

Good Slice - slice that food!

Go Fish - win trophies by catching hella fish

AmpMe - amp up your phone speakers!

Betternet - a safe, fast VPN to get around bans!

Demolish! - demolish everything!

ASMR Slicing - the most satisfying slicing game

Paint The Cube - paint through a 3D cube maze

Car Restoration - let's restore some cars!

Curvy Punch 3D - swipe to punch!

Line Color - paint the road!

Flip Tumbling - just keep flipping! Parkour!

Baseball Fury - hit that home run!

Summer Buster - play these summer mini games!

Sharpshooter Blitz - your mission, storm the enemy base

Shred - your personal home workout planner

Spiral Roll - dig wood, make spirals, destroy enemies

Tower Run - grow your tower of humans

Foot Clinic - run a foot clinic to fix all types of feet!

Farmer Hero - run your own ranch! step into the farm land!

Jumpero - can you get through this obstacle course?

Sleepzy - Your sleep cycle tracker

Crash Landing - anyone can fly, but landing takes skill

Farmers.io - harvest as much as you can!

Ball Slider - slide that ball!

Blast City - Be the hero the city needs

Fast Driver - It's a race! Can you win?

Magic Woods - chop those trees!

Five Hoops - shoot hoops with millions!

Super Sniper - be the best sniper you can

Sleep - awesome bedtime stories!

Off The Rails - control the train!

Tie Die - make some awesome shirts, bikinis, and more

Woodturning - create your wood masterpiece!

Crowdmaster - blast those enemies away!

Ramp Car Jumping - do some crazy jumps with some crazy cars!

Stunt Truck Jumping - do some crazy stunts in trucks!

Doodle Run - it's a race!

Overtake - a racing game, can you overtake your foes?!

Acrylic Nails - run a virtual nail salon!

Spark - ran easy mobile camera and video editor

Braindom - figure out who's lying, cheating, and married!

Ramp Car Jumping - drive off a ski jump...in a car

Super Salon - run your own salon!

Bullet Rush - shoot everybody!

Itsme - hang out with your BFFs!!

Idle Slice and Dice - the most satisfying game for cutting all kinds of stuff!

9 Months - a pregnancy simulation!

NERF Epic Pranks - epic nerf battle!

Flipper Dunk - pinball meets basketball!

Ibotta - save money on everything you buy!

Wish - the funnest way to shop!

Wishbone - fun game for comparing stuff like hair, celebs, sports

Sticker Stack - epic stickers for you to send!

Celebs - the app that shows you what celeb you look like

Palm Reader - get your palm read!

Yarn - stories that are seriously creepy af

RemNote - the best freenotetaking site for students and professionals

WeBull - get 2 free stocks valued up to $1k!

Sweatcoin - get paid to walk

Idle Human - build a human from scratch. for reals.

Terrarium - build the ultimate garden empire

Spellbinding - super addictive bite-sized stories

You’re welcome 😉

[stilldani24]

is that ur ex?

corpse husband x reader

words: 1015

request: “Can I request one where you run into an ex boyfriend while out to eat or something with corpse and he’s like protective and intimidating?” from anonymous

You didn’t make Corpse go out when he didn’t want to. You knew about his social anxiety well before the two of you began dating, and it didn’t bother you any. You enjoyed going out on your own, especially to the grocery store. It was a cathartic time for you, listening to the soft, generic supermarket music and the slightly squeaky wheel of your cart. It was almost soothing. 

However, you did request one night out of the year where you wanted to go out with him, and that was your anniversary. He couldn’t say no to you, even if you asked him to go out every night. You would never make him do that, though. So, your anniversary was the one night you wanted to go on a proper date. Corpse let you choose, so you chose Dave and Buster’s. You wanted to have fun that night so you wanted shitty food while playing games. It was a Monday as well so it wasn’t as busy, so hopefully he wouldn’t be too stressed.

The both of you had dressed up slightly nicer than you usually did, wanting to be a little fancier for your special day. You got there at six in the evening and just as you predicted, it was almost a ghost town. From the corner of your eye, you saw Corpse’s shoulders relax. You gave him a smile before taking his hands, following the hostess to your table and leaving a table marker on there before the two of you head out to play some games. 

“Watch this, watch, bowling champ of 2014,” you joked as you grabbed a skeeball and bowled it up the machine, gaining a smooth twenty points. Corpse barked out a laugh as he hit his hip against yours, moving you out of the way as he grabbed a ball next.

“At that rate, we’re gonna go home with a handful of Laffy Taffy,” he teased as he threw his ball next, making you bump his elbow so he would miss. 

“Hey, Y/N!” you heard a familiar voice from somewhere next to you, and your eyes widened as you locked eyes with your ex-boyfriend. You hadn’t seen him in ages, since he cheated on you and you had kicked him out of your apartment. Not to mind he had also been manipulative and mentally abusive, but you didn’t realize that until a few months after leaving his sorry ass. 

“Oh, um. Hey, Brian,” you grimaced a little as you faked a smile, wanting to put on a face just so it would make him go away. 

“What are you doing at a Dave and Buster’s on a Monday night, huh? Hot date?” he joked as he jabbed you in the side with your elbow, making you recoil at the feeling and stand closer to Corpse. Corpse immediately stood closer to you, wrapping his arm around your waist tightly and holding you close. He wasn’t one for public affection, so this was a huge jump from his comfort zone.

“Yes, actually,” he replied, looking down at your ex. While Corpse wasn’t insanely tall, standing at five foot ten, he was a hell of a lot taller than your ex. While there’s nothing wrong with shorter guys, Corpse was a huge improvement in more ways than just height. “We’re on a date for our anniversary, so if you’ll excuse us.”

Brian’s eyes were widened slightly. The combination of Corpse’s voice along with the height difference between the men, he was definitely intimidated. Corpse then led you away from the skeeball machine, having grabbed your tickets, and walked you back to your table so you could finally order dinner. 

“I’m sorry about that,” you apologized sincerely, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. “We ended on bad terms and he’s been trying to hit me up for months.”

Corpse offered you a gentle smile, squeezing your hand in return and promptly planting a kiss on it. “Don’t worry, okay? You’re here with me and that’s all that matters.” 

You nodded in agreement before picking up your menu to skim through it. Throughout the night, whether at your table or playing games, you noticed Brian out of the corner of your eye. Just, staring at the two of you. It was making you uncomfortable, no matter where you were.

He approached you again when you were at the prize counter.

“Need some extra tickets? Maybe I could get you a teddy bear,” he told you, and you could hear the smirk in his voice. He had obviously been drinking. 

“Alright, cut the shit,” Corpse spoke up before you even had a chance to respond. He gently grabbed your arm and pulled you behind him, guarding you from him. “I’ve been watching you watch us all night. Get it through your tiny brain that they aren’t going to miraculously take you back, asshole. If you’re smart, you’ll tuck your tiny dick between your legs and waddle out of her with whatever pride you have left before I kick the shit out of you.”

Brian scoffed as he shoved Corpse by the shoulder. You think he tried to say “I’m not scared of you” before Corpse punched him square in the mouth, shutting him up in under one second. He hissed and shook his hand from the pain of the impact, since punching something with hard bones behind it would hurt. Brian grabbed his mouth, blood trickling between his fingers as he stared at Corpse.

“Fuck off,” Corpse told him before turning to the prize booth attendant, who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Listen, pal, we’re leaving right after I get my person a teddy bear.”

The attendant just shrugged and nodded. “Purple or orange?”

“Purple, please,” you grinned happily, staring up at your boyfriend with such adoration. Never in your life would you ever think that Corpse would punch someone. He just wasn’t that kind of person to hit first. But when it came to you? 

He would kick the shit out of everyone in that fucking building.

[ash-the-porcupine]

Bustash moments.

OOH OKI. THE DUMB THINGS THEY HAVE DONE AS A COUPLE GO AS SUCH....

-They love going out to see movies. One time, they started dancing and singing to the song in the credits because the animals behind them were being annoying. Payback time.

-They stole mini-golf balls to go mini-golfing and bribed the waiter to give them half-price on French fries

-Found a cheat flaw in a game at the arcade and came up to the desk person with well over a thousand tickets because of it. XD

-Ash forced Buster into riding a ferris wheel. He dumped a water bottle on her head while she was distracted face-timing Rosita. Rosita was laughing but just let Buster do it without telling Ash what was about to happen but for an offhand comment about getting a shower. Ash thought she meant it might rain. NOPE.

-She also made Buster go on a roller coaster, and through this learned that his screams were the funniest thing she’d ever heard in her entire life

-They sang Brighter by Patent Pending in the middle of the Roc’s parking lot because the rap music coming from an alligator’s car was annoying. They actually got quite the crowd.

-Ash once tripped holding ice cream cones. Scratch water, Buster got an ice cream cone dumped on his head this time.

-Ash likes to spook Buster. He is very jumpy and she finds it hilarious. She did learn her lesson when she dressed up as a clown though. Buster locked himself in his office for a full day and a half, and would have stayed there had Johnny not picked the door lock.

-Buster tried to make Ash a birthday cake, but ended up having to call Meena because he messed up so many times.

-One time, Ash asked Buster to grab a bag of flour in the store. He yanked on it too hard, and the whole thing poured out on him, leaving him white and odd-looking for the rest of the trip. The workers had a laugh at this, making them less mad about having to clean up the mess.

-Buster told Ash at a Halloween festival that he wanted her to bob for apples. She dunked the back of her head in the bucket and came out with her spikes holding ALL the apples.

-Buster has to do parkour all the time because he’s such a smol bean. More than once Ash has had him fall from the rafters of the theater and face plant in front of her. It scares the cheezits out of her, but it’s funny. She tells him often, “You’re going to break your nose one day.” And I have a feeling that day is fast-approaching.

-Ash went on a trip all the way to Japan. At the train station, she kissed his cheek. He stood there grinning like an idiot for the next ten minutes.

[gumballavocadoharry]

Harry and River;

Boo boo buster:

River was playing on the sidewalk riding his tricycle. I was sitting on the steps, occasionally going through my phone and replying to emails. "Look at me daddy, I'm going faster than a car!" River shouted for his bike. I waved to him, making sure he doesn't wheel into the street. It wasn't until River was going really fast that I began to panic.

"River watch where you're going!" But it was too late....he had already slammed into a tree and fell off his tricycle. I immediately ran to him and helped him up. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" River's lip quivered; looking down to see his slightly bloody knee. He touched it only for a sharp burn to sound within his exposed flesh.

"Wahhh" I scooped him up in my arms and held him close to my chest. "It's okay, we'll fix you up." I said in my baby voice. I took River inside after moving his tricycle away from the tree and taking it inside. I set him down on the bathroom counter and got out the first aid kit. "Okay, Mr. River, we're gonna make that boo boo better." I tried to closely imitate a doctor. River giggled because in his words, I sounded "funny".

"Would you like me to bring in my assistant nurse rexie?" "Yeah! Rexie said he always wanted to be a doctor, we practice on each other all the time." I smiled softly and went into River's room and got rexie.

"Here you go- I mean....hello nurse rexie. Today my little patient was in a bicycle accident and he hurt himself. So we gotta fix him up. First we'll pour the alcohol on this cotton ball..."

"No daddy! It's gonna burn!" I snapped out of my doctors mode and comforted River. "It'll be okay baby. I'll tell you what, you can hold rexie's paw and listen to him tell jokes while I clean it." River wasn't convinced. "I'll be quick I promise." I said in my baby voice. I went as fast as I could but it still didn't stop River's cries.

He put his hand over his mouth but cries still escaped from his lips. "Oh my big boy..." I set the cotton ball down and wrapped River into a warm, affectionate hug and pressed soft and loud smooches on his chubby wet cheeks. "I'll make it better." I said in my baby voice. I finished up cleaning River's knee, and then I added some antibiotic ointment on it. "Now you're favorite part my little special patient, Bandage."

I applied a dinosaur bandage to River's knee. "Cool! Pterodactyls are on it."

"And now for my special treatment of boo boos..." I said in my doctor's voice. "....a kiss and a cuddle." I kissed River's cheek loudly and gave him another warm and tight hug. "Oh I can't forget about the knee." I bent down and kissed River's knee and made rexie kiss his knee too. "Mwah! There River now you feel better." I pretended rexie was speaking which made River laugh.

"Now how about we try again on that trike?" My little boy looked to the side before smiling and nodding. I had won him over. I took him gently off the bathroom counter, cleaned up and went back outside with River's bike, prepared to try again.

[teddy06writes]

A Night In Las Vegas

requested by this anon: “I had the BEST idea: CC!Quackity came up with the idea of his Las Nevadas character arc after going to Las Vegas and meeting Reader there. Maybe one night the reader decides to go and twitch and finds quackity doing a lore stream and the reader is like: no way, it’s the guy I met in Vegas.”

{I love this concept, sorry it took so long for me to get out}

Quackity x reader

trigger warnings: some swears

premise: after getting ditched by your friends on the last night of your long weekend in vegas you run into a very interesting guy who doesn’t hesitate to befriend you. But what happens months later when he still seems to be running circles in your mind?

{covid don’t exist here, no sir}

{for the sake of the story, readers favorite color is blue, if its not, either pretend it is, or get over it}

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

10:34pm

“You can’t just- you can’t kick me out!” You yelled. 

Your bestfriend laughed, “Just find somewhere to go for a few hours! Me and Hunter want alone time!” 

“A few fucking hours!?! Seriously?!” But your duffle bag had already been thrown at your feet, and the hotel door room was swinging closed, muffled giggles coming from inside.

Groaning, you picked up your bag, where were you supposed to go now? 

“Not that I was like- listening in or anything- but damn that sucks.” 

You jumped turning to see a man with black hair sticking out of his beanie standing in front of the door diagonal from yours. 

“Uh- yeah. Last night in Vegas and I get ditched for a random hook up,” You scoffed, “I should’ve known it would happen.” 

“That’s not cool, uh- I’m Alex.” He stepped forward, offering his hand. 

Somewhat reluctantly, you shook his hand, “(y/n).” 

He nodded, “I was going to head out for a late night wander, find something to do-, preferably away from all the hookups that seem to be happing around us right now. If you want to come.” 

You glanced around, “Seriously?” 

“Oh- god that did sound kinda creepy didn’t it,” Alex scrubbed a hand over his face, “Sorry- I- you can just forget about this then-” 

“No! I mean- You don’t seem like a rapist or anything. I’ll come with.” 

He grinned, “Poggers, you can, leave that, in my room, if you want. Just seems like a pain to lug around everywhere.” 

You bit your lip, “Leaving my belongings in a strangers room while I go with said stranger to find something interesting to do, sure- why not?”

~~

10:57pm

Somehow, you found yourself wandering out of the hotel lobby, and onto the crowded streets along side Alex. 

“So.... whats your favorite color?” He asked as you walked.

You laughed, “What?” 

“We’re like, total strangers- it was a question, to get to know you.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. 

“Oh, well-” before you could finish your sentence, there was a large amount of gasps and yells from the crowd in front of you.

“What’s going on?” Alex asked quietly. 

You craned your neck to look over the crowd, gasping, “The water show! With the fountains outside of Caesar’s Palace!” You grabbed his hand, tugging him with you to push through the crowd, “This was the whole reason I agreed to this trip- but we never got to it!” 

You shoved your way through the crowd until you got to the front, pressing against the barrier to watch the fountain display. 

“Holy shit.” You heard him mutter from beside you. 

You grinned, “It’s impressive right?” 

“Imagine the coding it would take to get those things to stay on time.” 

~~

11:27pm 

After the show had ended, you had kept wandering for a while, up the strip, asking various questions back and forth. 

You had found out that he was a Minecraft youtuber and a law student, though you’d had to admit, you weren’t too knowledgeable on either that subject. 

Now you were both staring up at the Dave and Busters sign, “This is a good idea right?” 

He nodded, “Definitely. Come on, I’d bet I could beat you at skee ball!” 

Laughing, you followed him into the building, and up the stairs toward the arcade entrance, “Your on!” 

After buying the credit cards for access to the games, you grabbed his hand, dragging him over to the skee ball lanes. 

“Lets go!” He shouted, a few minutes later, upon realizing your score was a total of 10 points behind his, “I’m popping off!”

You laughed, “Okay, what game’s next?” 

Nearly an hour later, you had both run out of credits, and laughing, made you way up to the prize area. 

“Do you think its possible to compile our tickets?” He asked. 

“Why?” 

You followed his pointing finger to the large stuffed dragons sitting on one shelf. 

“We need him.” You said immediately.

After picking out a bright red dragon, you began to argue over the name as you made your way to the counter. 

“What about Carl?” You suggested. 

He shook his head, “I have a friend named Karl.” 

“How ‘bout........ Phil?” 

“I also know a Phil.” 

“Hmmmm, what about Sebastian?” 

“He doesn’t look like a Sebastian!” 

You frowned, “Well do you have any ideas then?” 

Alex thought for a moment, “Albert.” 

You looked down at the dragon, “Albert it is.” 

At the counter Alex convinced the reluctant worker to allow you to use both the cards credit totals, and then you went happily on your way out of the building, stopping to take a picture of Albert in front of the sign, which Alex posted to twitter with the comment of, “Look at our son!” 

You’d staid mostly out of frame, but he managed to get about half of your side, since you were the one holding Albert. 

“Do you think any pf the buffets are still open?” Alex asked. 

“I hope so, I’m starving.” You giggled. 

~~ 12:06am

The buffet was somewhat deserted, and you and Alex had grabbed seats in one of the corners after getting plates full of food.

Albert sat on the table between you as you talked. 

“So it’s roleplay- but in Minecraft?” You asked, barley holding back a laugh.

He nodded, chuckling, “It sounds stupid, I know, but it’s like- huge. Especially since technically I’m getting back into the main lore now, with the whole project: vegas thing.” 

“Project Vegas?” You asked. 

He nodded again, “My character, he’s been through almost everything that's happened, and everything always ends to blow up in his face, literally sometimes. He’s built contries from the ground up- as stupid as that sounds- but they always fail, but this one won’t fail.

“I’m partnering with another guy on the server to set up a whole economy, he’s making a bank, and I’m making- well I’m making my own Vegas.” 

You took a sip of your drink, “What’s it going to be called?” 

“I haven’t figured it out yet,” He admitted, “I wanted to just call it Las Vegas but the names already taken.”

With a chuckle you shifted in your seat, “What about....- what about Las Nevada's?” 

He laughed, “I like that.” 

“Tell me more about this server then, I still don’t understand the story.” 

With another chuckle he launched into the story, “Well, it all started when this guy called Wilbur Soot decided he wanted to start a nation....”

~~ 3:18am

“Blue.” 

You were back at the hotel now, still with Quackity, sitting out on the balcony of his room. Some how, you had ended up having some slightly deep talk about life and death and a million other things before lapsing into silence, simply watching the blinking lights of the city. 

“What?” He asked softly. 

“You asked me my favorite color, ten minutes after we met. It’s blue- that's my favorite color.” You shivered against a cold breeze. 

Alex shifted minutely closer, “Why?” 

You shrugged, “It can be so many things. Deep and dark and mysterious but also light like the summer sky and filled with hope. There’s a million shades from happiness to anger, and to everyone it could mean something else.” 

“I like that.” He said quietly. 

~~

7:04am

You yawned, rubbing sleep out of your eyes as the car drew closer to the airport.

Alex tapped on the steering wheel in time with the music, quietly humming along. 

“Oh, I see my friend, they actually waited for me.” You said as the car pulled up to the curb. 

“How considerate.” He chuckled, climbing out of the car. 

You followed suit, retrieving your duffle bag from the back seat. 

“Well, it was cool knowing you Alex.” You said. 

“Likewise.” 

Before you started to walk away you remembered, and quickly turned back to where he was standing, pulling Albert out of your bag, “Here, he’s yours. You spent more tickets on him than I did.” 

He shook his head, “Keep him. I give you full custody of our son.” 

“Oh- okay... bye then.” 

You barley made it a few steps before he was quickly catching up to you, grabbing your arm and spinning you to press his lips on yours. 

“Good luck with your shitty friends.” He breathed, before hurrying back to his car, leaving you flustered and running to catch up to your friend. 

~~

One and A Half Months later

It had been over a month since the Vegas trip, but you still hadn’t gotten Alex out of your head. 

You had clicked, on some level, and the late night conversation you had shared seemed to keep you thinking about him.

Now, you scrolled aimlessly through twitter, checking the trending tags until you came across one called “LAS NEVADAS” 

Now that piqued your interest, and clicking on it, you found posts of people live tweeting an event- no a live stream. And not just any live stream- a Minecraft stream.

Quickly you opened a new tab, pulling up twitch as fast as you could. 

What was the name of his channel? Oh god why did you forget?

Returning to twitter you searched until you found a link, following it to a new twitch tab. 

And there he was. 

The boy who had been doing laps around your mind was actually there, talking to another character. 

“Look Sam, you and me, we could control everything. I need the bank to help fund Las Nevada’s, we can be partners.” 

You sat, watching the stream, enthralled. 

Once it had ended, you still could hardly believe you found him, quickly following another link back to his twitter and opening a direct message. 

Y/n: Um, this is awkward, idk if you remeber this, but we met in vegas, about a month ago, and I had no idea how to find you until the stream today

quackityHQ: uh, hi? 

qusckityHQ: proof?

Quickly you sent him the picture you had taken of him with Albert, 

y/n: uhhh, bam, proof? 

y/n: our son is sitting on my head board right now

quackityHQ: holy shit