#I almost didn't post him today but my mom was like you gotta post for your boyfriend birthday

[skeletonnerdy]

Korekiyo Shinguuji Procreate doodle,,

Happy Birthday Kiyo!! I love him so much!! If I'm being for real, I really wanted to be able to do more for his birthday. I wished I had a more "finished" piece for him, tho it's not like this one's bad or even unfinished. My expectations may just be skewed because I'm the one who drew it, and he's my favorite. Idk he's still looks nice, and I had a nice time working on him tho

[woodenplank-gt]

The Ceremony

I’m soooo excited and nervous to post this story on here! Comments and questions are more than welcomed! I hope you enjoy!

3K words

Next Chapter

"SAGE! SAGE WHERE ARE YOU!" Her father's panicked voice pierced through the air, Sage could barely hear him over the screams and crackling of fire. She desperately tried to call out to him but only managed a weak cough as the smoke stole her breath. The rubble pinning her down was becoming heavier with each passing moment, the little girl knew it will crush her to death if the fire didn't reach her first. She hopelessly stared ahead to the scene in front of her; fairies frantically flying around, moms' carrying crying children, men dragging bodies away from the burning homes. And. So. Much. Fire. The flames completely engulfed the place that used to be her village, her home, carrying an unbearable heat that scorched the girl's skin. Then, her sight was interrupted by a darkness creeping over her eyes, she welcomed it and fell into the black void.

The young woman woke up in a cold sweat gasping for air, her heart pounding against her chest. She frantically glanced over her surroundings for any sign of destruction, but just saw her sad excuse of a room. She let out a sigh of relief as she sunk back down into the warm comfort of her bed, why the hell am I getting these nightmares, I should be over it by now Sage thought. But before she could think of any answers for herself, she heard a loud knock on her door.

"Sage, you better be up and ready right now!" The voice of a man shouted through the door.

Despite the stern tone, Sage couldn't help but chuckle,"I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable right now. How about you come back later." She called back, settling back down into her bed.

A loud, irritated sigh could be heard through the wooden door, "Please tell me you are just pulling my leg and didn't forget what today is."

She stared at the door for a moment, searching her memories for anything she could have forgotten, then the realization hit her like she just flew headfirst into a tree. "Oh gods! Why didn't you just tell me!" Sage immediately jumped out of bed and sprinted to the wardrobe that sat at the corner of the room, pulling out her black jumpsuit.

"I did like five times!" The man outside her door yelled,"I shouldn't even have to, you're old enough to wake yourself up!"

She knew he was right, but she didn't have enough time to come up with a retort, so she just shot an evil glare towards the door hoping he could feel it burning into him. Sage quickly slid on her set of light blue armored shoulder, elbow, and knee pads over her black jumpsuit. She hurriedly put on her matching breastplate while trying not to get her wings caught in it, that was the last thing she needed right now. Finally, she put on a white, sleeveless duster coat with little gold designs covering it. She slid her wings through the hole cut in the back of the jacket.

Then she made her way to the mirror. Her light brown hair was a tangled mess and her pale, freckled face had red marks all over it from what she guessed was her pillow after the rough night. She looked terrible. Sage quickly grabbed her brush and started painfully yanking out all of the knots. Once she felt that most were gone, she braided her long hair and flung it over her right shoulder.

"Are you almost done? We gotta get going!" The voice from beyond the door called out, sounding even more irritated.

"Yeah, I'm heading out now!" She called back as she put on her blue belt and armored boots. She reached out and grabbed her silver sword that rested by the door and sheathed it in the holder on her belt before opening the door.

She was immediately greeted by her good friend, Rod, who was standing outside of the door with his arms crossed. The two have been best friends since they were kids, so she never took him very seriously. He has a lean but muscular body that towered over the people around him, his brown skin gleamed from the yellow artificial light illuminating the hallway. His face sported a scar that traveled down his left cheek to his jawbone from an encounter with a group of sprites.

Rod wore identical armor to hers except his was green since he was part of the Ground Force and had to blend into the undergrowth, while she was in the Air Force and spent most of her days up towards the blue sky. His matching white and gold duster coat hung from his broad shoulders loosely over his body down to his shins. A required piece of clothing to show their higher authority.

Both Sage and Rod had been the military commanders of their kingdom, The Hollow, for two years. Rod commanded the entire Ground Force while Sage was in charge of the Air Force. Being the only fairy in the kingdom had its advantages when it came to impressing the royals and getting promotions. Since the rest of the Air Force had to fly using domesticated humming birds, they weren't nearly as agile when it came to aerial combat. The two commanders reported to the King who was the general of the military (despite never have been in combat before). He mostly listened to them anyways, so she supposed it didn't matter.

She gave Rod a confident smile,"See, there was nothing to stress over," she proudly put her gloved hands on her hips.

Rod only rolled his eyes, "Right, are you sure you got everything?" When Sage didn't pick up on his hint, he pointed to his head at his green helmet that had a small golden semicircle attached to the front. She held up her finger before sprinting into her room and grabbing the matching blue helmet she left in her wardrobe along with her goggles made of leather and acorn shells. As she ran back out of her room, she placed her helmet on her head and put her goggles over her helmet for easy access.

Rod nodded,"Now you're ready" he said with an amused smile.

Sage immediately ran around her friend so she wouldn't be as late to the ceremony meeting, but he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What are you doing?" She complained,"We're late enough as it is!" His grip only tightened on her arm when she tried to yank herself free, and he used his free hand to cover her mouth.

"Shhhhh! Do you want to wake up the whole barracks!" Rod whispered yelled as he let go of Sage.

Confusion covered her face as she looked up at her friend,"What do you mean? Isn't everyone already outsi-" Then it hit her. Rod, her apparent "best friend," tricked her into waking up early. He only smiled as she stood silently staring into his purple eyes, resisting the urge to punch him right in the face. She let in a deep breath and put on a smile of her own, though it wasn't a friendly one,"You better have a good reason for waking me up early." She crossed her arms, daring him to come up with a lame excuse as to why he forced her out of bed in a panic.

She could tell Rod was fighting his inner demons to hold in his laughter,"Actually, I do for once," he lightly patted her arm and the two started walking down the long wooden hallway lined with doors on the right side that opened to different barracks. On their left was a shabby little fence that apparently protected the troops from falling off the walkway to their deaths. Sage peeked over the fence and saw the giant pit that seemed to stretch down forever, she could barely make out the bottom of the hollowed out tree that held the soldiers living quarters.

The duo made their way to one of the elevators located at the end of the quiet hallway, they stepped on the platform and flicked the lever that activated the pulley system. This was a new invention created to help the nymphs since they kept complaining about climbing up and down all of the stairs, though Sage never had a problem since she can fly. The elevator made loud creaking noises threatening to break at any given moment, she couldn't understand how the nymphs thought this death trap was better than stairs.

Rod began talking as the unstable elevator made its way down,"the King requested we come in early to go over details for the ceremony."

Sage crossed her arms,"he never told me that."

"He probably figured you would be asleep anyways," Rod teased.

Sage chose not to retort back. They've been having the same argument for years and it always just went around in circles. It wasn't her fault she liked to sleep!

Rod then glanced off the elevator, smiling to himself. "Look at us. Casually going to the castle to speak to the King and Queen. I sometimes still can't believe we actually made it." He turned his whole body so he was facing Sage, leaning back against the feeble railing,"If I told myself years ago that the two of us would become commanders of the military, I would have thought I hit my head and became crazy!" He laughed, shaking his head.

Sage laughed along,"it really is crazy," she agreed. Considering she became a refugee with no family or home when she was young, she never thought she would make any impact in life. Especially during a time when the fae were hunted and taken by humans for reasons unknown to Sage. But the late king had given her a chance and allowed her to stay in The Hollow. Sage worked hard to ensure that trust didn't go to waste.

The struggling elevator reached the ground level with a loud thud, and the two friends silently stepped off. They weaved their way through the crowd of soldiers getting ready for the morning patrols, who saluted the commanders as they walked by. They returned their salutes with curt nods as they quickly made their way to the tree's exit. The exit was just a simple hole in the bark covered by the tree's roots and tall grass, making it a perfect hiding place from giant animals and sprites.

As they walked through, Sage was immediately greeted by the freezing winter wind and shivered. The rising sun was barely visible behind the dark grey clouds that covered the sky as they made their way along the path to the center of The Hollow, snow crunching under their feet with every step. She could see banners blowing in the wind as they hung from the homes made out of rocks and mud. The kingdom of The Hollow was surrounded by big, reinforced walls of rock, mud, and bark that housed a number of guard posts in order to keep one of the biggest nymph civilizations safe from the unforgiving world. Beyond that was a wall of large bushes that kept the kingdom hidden from any outsiders.

Although it was early in the cold morning, the kingdom was already bustling with excitement. Delicious, warm smells wafted through the air from the hundreds of street venders, making Sage's mouth water. Blue and pink streamers flew in the sky, a sharp contrast to the white snow that covered everything like a blanket. Huddled by small fires, she saw families and friends excitedly talking amongst themselves, filling the air with laughter.

Sage smiled at the sight knowing everyone came together to celebrate this very special day. For today, the King and Queen were revealing their newborn baby to the people of The Hollow. No one knew the name of the newborn royal or their gender, so it was a huge guessing game for the citizens.

Unfortunately, that meant the newborn royal would be exposed to the world. No one wanted to risk the life of the baby, especially with the increasing tension with the neighboring sprites. Therefore the commanders were forced to prepare for any given scenario instead of joining the festivities like everyone else.

A big group of younglings bundled up in fluffy fur coats ran over to Sage and Rod,"Can you guys play web catch with us again?" The kids jumped around as they surrounded the two, holding them captive in their circle while they waited for a response.

Sage chuckled as a little girl started pulling on her arm towards the court,"I'm sorry kiddos, Rod and I are really busy today because of the celebration." She felt a little pinch of guilt as the children collectively "awwed" at her response.

Her tall friend got down on one knee so he can be at somewhat eye level with the kids,"We'll play web catch with you guys all day tomorrow. How does that sound?" The group of children cheered wildly at his words, making Sage feel like the villain for delivering the bad news.

As the group began to run towards the court (avoiding the forming patches of ice), Sage fanned out her wings, purposefully smacking Rod in the face for making her look like the bad guy. She stifled a laugh at the abashed look on his face and he quickly rose to his feet to avoid anymore hits.

They exchange a 'this isn't over look' and turned towards the looming castle in the distance that housed the royal family. As they walked, citizens greeted them with smiles and asked what gender they thought the newborn was or if they were going to be at the ceremony.

Rod was the one who answered all the questions while Sage just smiled and listened. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy talking to people, she actually loved interacting with civilians, but small talk was not part of her skill set. Thankfully, citizens understood not to take her silence personally and were happy to talk to Rod. Much to Rod's dismay, they had to quickly end the conversations and made their way through the crowds.

Sage and Rod finally reached the castle to go over last minute details with the King and Queen regarding security measures. Despite meeting at the castle every day, it was still a breathtaking sight. The white marble structure towered over every building as it sat towards the back of the kingdom. It looked too good to be lived in, too perfect. As Sage stared at the golden doors in front of her, she failed to notice the ice under her foot and yelped as she landed smack down on her butt.

She rolled onto her side holding her now bruised buttocks,"You got to be kidding me right now," she groaned.

Rod stumbled around as he held his stomach laughing at his friend's mishap. He tried to help her up but only burst out laughing every time he looked at her. Sage cursed under her breath as she shakily rose to her feet, agitatedly flicking her wings.

To her dismay, she noticed a soldier briskly walking towards them. He looked fresh out of the academy, his orange curls fell over his eyes from under his green helmet, and his nose and cheeks were bright pink from the bitter wind. Sage desperately hoped that he didn't see one of his superiors losing a fight to a small patch of ice.

"Good morning Commander Miller," he saluted towards Rod who was now breathing heavily as he recovered from his laughing fit, then he turned to Sage,"Good morning Commander Burton." The two simply nodded to the young soldier before he continued,"The King and Queen are expecting you. Please head inside."

-----

Their footsteps echoed through the exquisite white halls lined with paintings and pale gray statues on each wall. They passed by servants dressed in black carrying fancy appetizers through a door, causing Sage's stomach to rumbled and she made a mental note to steal some on her way out.

When they entered the large throne room, she immediately spotted the King and Queen sitting stiffly on their purple and gold thrones, whispering quietly to each other. They stopped as the commanders walked into the room, giving them a polite smile.

Sage was disappointed to find no sign of the baby. She was secretly hoping she would find out who the firstborn child was before everyone else.

"Greetings your majesties," Rod and Sage said in unison as they removed their helmets. They knelt down on one knee and bowed.

King Ronin fixed his golden crown decorated with green and blue jewels on his head as he rose from his seat,"Good morning commanders, I hope you're ready for today." He said as he adjusted the green cape around his shoulders decorated with intricate gold markings.

The duo stood back to their feet before Rod spoke,"Yes my lord, we have made all of the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of your family and the citizens of The Hollow. I assure you, sir, there will be no issues today." He said with full confidence.

"Good, good," the King rubbed his brown beard turning his full attention to Rod,"Where are the ground patrols stationed?"

Rod stiffened a bit more under the gaze, his smiling face becoming emotionless,"There are troops positioned on top of the walls and some are patrolling a few feet beyond the walls. Some units are stationed inside the Kingdom, sir."

"How about you Commander Burton?"

Now it was Sage's turn to stiffen up,"The air units are positioned on top of the trees and castle. There are patrols flying above the Kingdom, throughout the forest, and the borders shared with the sprites, sir."

"However, your majesty," she added, exchanging a glance with Rod. "Miller and I believe it will be best to postpone the celebration. There is a storm coming in and we think citizens should be preparing themselves and the tunnels rather than getting caught outside."

The King pondered to himself, scrunching up his brows as he seemed to debate something in his head. He glanced back at the Queen sitting quietly on her throne, who returned his gaze with calm green eyes. Queen Claire looked stunning as usual. Her dark tan skin had a healthy glow and her black hair was put up in an elegant bun. Her stunning green dress sparkled every time she moved. Everything about her proclaimed royalty. She only held her husband's gaze, letting her eyes do the talking.

King Ronin stroked his beard as he looked back at his commanders,"I want the ceremony to continue as planned. The people have been looking forward to this celebration for months. I can't cancel it now."

Sage's eyes widened. They weren't expecting the King to dismiss their concerns about the storm. Even as they nodded in agreement, Sage was already making plans on how to safely get everyone into the tunnels in a short amount of time.

But her planning halted when King Ronin met her eyes again."although I still don't know if we feel safe revealing our firstborn to the public with the growing tensions with the sprites," he admitted with a frown. "I think it'll be best if Commander Burton checked the borders herself to make sure everything is okay."

Sage was all for this plan. As a commander and the only fairy in a kingdom of nymphs, she felt she had to prove herself constantly to assure everyone that she had their best interests at heart. The last thing she wanted was a bunch of sprites sneaking across the border and hurting the people she sworn to protect.

Rod, however, didn't like this new proposal and spoke up before Sage could voice her agreement. "Respectfully sir, I don't see how sending one person to check the borders, especially a commander, benefits anyone." His voice was calm but stern as he continued,"What would she be able to see that all of the other patrolmen can't? It's better to have her stay at The Hollow where she can command the Air Force if something happens."

The King seemed unbothered by Rod's protest,"Commander Burton is a fairy, one of a kind. She is faster than all of the hummingbirds combined and can check the borders in an instant," The King slowly walked towards the pair, his black boots thumping against the marble floor,"She has proven herself more than capable to handle this assignment. And if anything were to happen, we have the best patrolmen in the forest led by a reliable commander to help her." He gave Rod a knowing look,"I understand your concerns, but you need to trust me as much as I trust you." King Ronin said with full confidence.

Sage spoke up before Rod said anything he may regret,"I understand your reasoning, sir," She could feel Rod's eyes piercing through her armor as she continued,"I will leave immediately and come back by noon for the celebration."

King Ronin's eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled,"I knew I could count on you Burton." He clapped his hands together, "Alright then, we have no time to waste! You two are dismissed!" He declared with a wave of his hand.

-----

Sage briskly walked back out into the cold morning air, trying to take off before Rod attempted to change her mind. She was too slow. "Sage this really isn't a good idea." He said as he tightly gripped her shoulder and turned her around. He looked up at the sky,"A storm is coming in and I don't want you stuck out there by yourself. Especially with the sprites getting bolder."

"Rod." She calmly looked into his purple eyes full of concern,"I'm not some helpless youngling. I've earned my title as commander. I can handle whatever comes my way," she gently brushed his cold cheek with her hand and smiled,"I'll be back before you know it."

Her friend loosened his grip on her shoulder,"If you don't come back by nightfall, I'm going out there myself," He sternly stated, leaving no doubts in Sage's mind that he would do it.

Sage wiggled out of the loose grip on her shoulder and gave him her most confident smile,"Just worry about setting up for the ceremony, I'll be fine," she patted the green armor covering his arm,"You can trust me big guy."

Rod nodded without saying a word, the concern in his eyes begging her not to go. Sage could only give him a little wave before she put on her goggles, fluttered her white wings and took off into the sky, disappearing over the wall.

[dballzposting]

i feel inclined to add on to that ask abt movies (cuz i love watching movies).

Trunks to me speaks to me as a person who at one point expected the stuff he watches to change him a little. To help him think in a different perspective and challenge his preconceptions or. SOMETHING. hes the kind of guy to try to watch movies like 2001 space odyssey but by the end of it, just looks up the ending explained. he has to try to get anything out of it. I don't think he liked trainspotting. I don't think he knew what to make of The Shining. Trunks would almost certainly try to not get bored at the beginning of Pulp Fiction (the bulk of that movie is talking). But he'll still go see movies in theaters or watch whatever he's got laying around in the house though.

He thinks he's watching movies to gain something but tbh ? Trunks has been watching movies all his life, and it might just feel rly weird to suddenly. not to. If that makes grammatical sense. I think it just gets too quiet in his house. His mom's always working on something in her lab, vegeta's always in his training room, etc etc. so he puts em on to chill. Even if he doesn't really get them sometimes. Bulma seems like the type to do the same thing while she works, maybe he gets it from her.

That's probably why watching movies with goten is so interesting though. He can really get to the core of what it's trying to say, engage with the story and themes on a meaningful level and come up with his OWN well constructed analysis with an infectious enthusiasm reminiscent of the way Gohan talks about entomology.

And Goten, country bumpkin that he is, probably hasn't even seen more than MAX 30 movies in his life (ever) besides whatever soaps his mom leaves on. he's glad trunks invites him over to watch this stuff. At the end of analyzing whatever film they saw I think he'd be like Waow. That was so cool Trunks thank you for showing me this :-) can I borrow this dvd and never give it back and Trunks will be like yeah man thats cool I'm glad you liked it so much. I have a bunch more laying around it's whatever. (He found a lot of these movies in this "guest" room he's never really been inside of. It still has a lot of stuff from before he was born.)

I think that's so interesting.. that Trunks is familiar with the elements present in film but because it's familiar, it's harder to parse how or why these elements are meshed together to make the whole. he's just "watching" them without really thinking about anything and as such, doesn't gain anything.

But because Goten isn't accustomed to watching movies all the time, he can look with unclouded eyes. Not just watching, but observing and taking all of it in.

Its the difference between hearing and listening if that makes sense.

(One last tidbit which isn't super important. I mentioned earlier a guest room. It was yamcha's. When he moved out, he didn't really take a lot of things with him, choosing to leave some of his clothes and most of his movies behind. Bulma probably told him that he could just leave his stuff there in case he ever wanted to visit. The only movie he bothered to take with him was Caddyshack. For some reason. Why)

peace 🌷

I mean this as a kindly reminder and I'm saying this to everyone: you can always make your own post / reblog the post in question in order to add on to it. You can get your name out there. Look alive... It's showtime. I mean I will always faithfully post asks (I cannot guarantee in a timely manner) but never forget your options there.

(For instance perhaps posting your own words on your own post stands to grant them more respect, rather than forcing them through the filter of somebody else's input in order to be posted - as is the reality of sending asks. I can tell when someone really cares, and I appreciate that, and I try to be faithful to that, but I also like to babble. Maybe some posts ought to be stand-alone?)

(Gotta raise my glass to this though becasue i found out today [I would have found out a week ago if I had bothered to check my email] that I may or may not be helping my school start a film club so TBH i gotta appreciate this ..... and I gotta respect the grinde.... It's funny thouhg because you know I actually hate watching movies. When the time comes I ought to come back to you and the other user for recommendations. Well anyway back to the ask)

OK Well this is some real shit you just said. I fully agree. It coheres with what was already said although with some extra sensitivity ...

Reposting this segment for a TL;DR becasue I thought it was an elegant conclusion:

Trunks is familiar with the elements present in film but because it's familiar, it's harder to parse how or why these elements are meshed together to make the whole. he's just "watching" them without really thinking about anything and as such, doesn't gain anything. But because Goten isn't accustomed to watching movies all the time, he can look with unclouded eyes.

I mean really it all comes down to Trunks being a Modern CityBoy; he's used to background noise, he's used to mindless entertainment. Goten doesn't have things in his life that are meant to be taken for granted, though, so that just makes him overall more attentive and appreciative.

That's the greater discussion here ... A veiled call for action for us all to try to look with fresh eyes upon our own lives ....

Really, If Trunks isn't taking to the creative storytelling aspect of it, he should at least take a shining to the technological artistry. Maybe he doesn't care why or when, but he does know HOW they do what they do. That'd be swagg. But then he'd have to do research on something that isn't Minecraft related. Sighhhh

BTW Thanjk you for addsing that Caddyshack bit in there for me. Mondo appreciated <3

[littlemisssquiggles]

So…about the Miraculous: Ladybug and Chat Noir The Movie…

I recently sat down and watched it this week.

This is just a compilation of notes and comments that I took while watching the film. I’ve seen other folks do something similar where they post little bullet points of their thoughts while watching something so in a sense you can consider this my own take on it.

If you wish to  jump straight to my final thoughts on the movie, you can skip my notes all the way to the end of my post.

But in a nutshell---as a former miraculer, I really, really liked this movie! If I needed an excuse to get back into Miraculous, this film gave me one.

Squiggly Notes from the Movie:

Personally I could've done away with this being a musical.

Chloe is less of a "bitch" in the movie. She's still a bully but they made her more of a drama queen which actually makes her feel more pleasant than her animated series counterpart. In the series, it just felt like the show was trying way too hard to make Chloe into an irredeemable character to the point of her behaviour being almost cartoonishly evil at times. Dare I say, it got utterly ridiculous after a point.

What! They have other classes at Marinette's school besides the main one with Ms Bustier?

What! Adrien's mom has a speaking role in this movie? She isn't a corpse for 5 whole seasons!

Adrien's introduction is interesting. Like how he and Marinette met. It's quite cute and hearing his first impressions of her is nice but this is one moment where I have to give it to the animated series. I actually prefer the "Coup de Foudre" moment from the series with the umbrella much better and wished that moment in particular was also reenacted in the film. But that’s just me.

The series delivered better on how Adrien was chosen to become Chat Noir by having him also be selected by Fuu because he also chose to help him in a time of need as opposed to the ring just going to Adrien automatically on a whim. The movie shows why Marinette would be chosen since she helped Fuu, in keeping with the series, but skipped Adrien's choosing. Didn't like that.

Tikki RAPS now! Also...Tikki's personality in the movie is...different.

Didn't get to see Adrien's side of things but I gotta say, I LOVE Adrien as Chat Noir in the film. The film improves on CN as both as hero and partner to LB and as a fan of CN, I am here for it.  

WHAT! Fart jokes. They have fart jokes in this movie and of course, they had to give it to Plagg because of course. I'm sorry. Another point for the animated series since they never relied on toilet humour; at least to my memory.

Plagg's favourite thing to eat is camembert cheese which is a "smelly kind of cheese". Plagg NEVER ate rotten food straight from the trash! What is this?! Look how they massacred my boy!

WHY IS PLAGG FARTING! STOP!

WHAT! Natalie has her own house! I thought she practically lived at Agreste Manor 24/7 based on the series.

Even Gabriel gets a song! I stand by my earlier comment. This movie did not need to be a musical. It could've been a regular ass feature film since in my opinion, the songs mess with the pacing of the story for me. All the moments of pause for the characters to suddenly break into song feels a bit jarring at times.

"Chaos Will Reign Today" is ZAG's attempt at a "Be Prepared" from the Lion King and I'm sorry, it doesn't work since while BP made Scar appear sinister as he should as the main villian, CWRT just made Hawkmoth look goofy especially when he was skipping down the alleyway. I mean the song was fine and the singing was alright. Just wished they had made it more sinister. This adds another knotch in why I would've preferred the movie to not be a musical. Thus far none of the character songs have been BOPs. Compared to other animated musicals, the songs just aren't spectacular enough and end being more of a distraction and not so good deviation from the plot. I find myself being more invested in returning to the story than sticking with the music.

Hawkmoth creating villains out of ACTUAL criminals he broke out of jail as opposed to innocent civilians makes perfect sense and gives him an actual army of lackeys he could always utilize as opposed to re-akumatizing the same people on repeat (e.g. Mr. Pigeon)

The moment is the film where Marinette transforms into Ladybug officially for the first time feels unearned in my opinion. This is another example where I think the series delivered better on this development. In the series, Marinette gained the courage to become LB after her new friend Alya was attacked by an akumatized Evan who was also shown to be a good friend of Marinette's. Marinette has a legit drive to want to become a hero in the moment. Not one but TWO people she cared about were in danger so it helped to drive her call to action which provided as a terrific build up. The movie doesn't have that. It's weird how the movie didn’t utilize Marinette's bond with her loved ones as a motive to become a hero. She just sees the villains attacking and just decides to look inside of herself to find the courage to become the hero in the moment. And while I do like this part, I just wished it was preluded by some kind of preliminary moment that gives Marinette a reason to become the hero. Like for example, her dad being in danger and Marinette has to save him. That could've been a good catalyst. But the movie didn't do it, disappointingly so the moment ends up feeling flat. Not even the second Marinette solo song was enough to help sell this scene for me. This is another odd decision that the movie made. The film chose to eliminate Marinette's connection to her classmates. In the series, Marinette was on good terms with her peers. While she was still the class clutz often tormented by Chloe, Marinette still got along with her other classmates like Evan for example (who she was seen giving advice when he expressed wanting to write a poem for Mylene who Evan had a crush on). In the movie, Marinette is a complete loner---known throughout the school as a magnet for disaster and all of her former classmates are just background characters who just stand and watch her without a care or concern.   Not even characters like Juleka, Rose and Max (who were actually part of Marinette's gal pal support group in the series) seem to care about her as they're just (recognizable) faces in the crowd in the movie.

Chat Noir saying that he's just the side kick only for LB to correct him and say their "partners" got me. Nice save!

Art nitpick---didn't like how they didn't add the honeycomb texture to CN's mask and instead opted for a glittery effect. Why? The texture in on his suit which helps to give a sense of cohision between him and LB who rocks the same texture on her suit. Just wishes they added it to the mask too. LB has the texture all throughout her suit, mask included so why not CN? It's an odd choice.

Chat Noir and LB's duet lovey dovey song scene---alright they got one. I thought this WHOLE moment and sequence was beautifully done. One of the best moments in the whole movie so far.

They did a better job finding a singer who matches the VA with CN than with LB. I have a better time believing that that's what CN would song like singing than with LB.

I like how they showed Gabriel's abuse of the Butterfly akuma affecting him physically based on how disheveled he appeared before Adrien. Also, Gabriel actually expresses how much he cares about Adrien and Adrien actually gets to pop off and chastise his father for neglecting him since his mother passed. Amazing! Point for the movie.

At 1:16:34 into the film---Not a fun touch how they treated Adrien's heartache as a joke during a very serious moment in the film while Marinette gets another solo song. This could've been another perfect opportunity for a duet between our two heroes, this time in their civilian forms but it wasn't taken, sadly.

The final fight between LB and CN vs Hawkmoth is legit the most OP CN has ever been in any given ML content and I love it.

Oh my god! Hawkmoth actually being threatening! LB being vulnerable and having to be saved by Chat Noir! LB getting to return the favour by saving CN and then being all protective of him when Hawkmoth comes for them both. CN being rebellious and badass to Hawkmoth. This whole final fight is just *chef’s kiss*

The movie delivered better than the series! Not only does Hawkmoth get to learn that Adrien is CN, not only does Adrien get to learn that his father is Hawkmoth but the icing on the cake is that there is no animosity. Gabriel doesn't double cross his son and akumatize him. Instead the day is saved by the love between father and son. Adrien encourages his father to let his mother go and Chat Noir purifies him this time. Not Ladybug. Chat Noir/Adrien gets to save his father! What's even more interesting is that the movie retconned the series. Emilee isn't some princess with a twin sister and Adrien isn't a sentimonster born through the.power of the Peacock Miraculous.

They kept the backstory simple but wholesome. The movie delivered better on the development and conclusion to the whole Agreste Family story than the series. One of the main complaints from how the last season of ML was concluded was that Adrien was completely omitted from both the final fight with Hawkmoth and the reveal that the villain was his dear ole dad all along. So it’s fantastic that the movie did a lot better job with this. Not only that but the movie also did better on portraying Gabriel as a sympathetic villain so when he finally does come to his senses in the end and is redeemed, it feels earned or at least better fleshed out than in the animated series.

Gotta love how even in the movie, Master Fu is still portrayed as a shitty ass Guardian. Where the F*** was this man for the majority of the whole movie outside of his first appearance meeting Marinette (and freaking her out with his cryptic speeches).

Also interesting, the Butterfly Miraculous was returned to Master Fu instead of being lost again and ending up in the hands of someone who would abuse it for their own selfish desires.

So they DO do the reveal between our heroes at the end and I gotta say, obviously I prefer how the film did the reveal. So basically after Gabriel was defeated, the powers of the Ladybug earrings and Black Cat ring fade away? I mean it was stated that the powers would only awaken when the world is in chaos. So it would make sense that they would go away once Hawkmoth was defeated.

Something the movie doesn’t confirm is whether or not Gabriel got arrested for his crimes as Hawkmoth. We got him being revealed as the culprit behind the attacks on Paris but no confirmation on whether or not he paid for them. My assumption is that Gabriel is currently in jail for his crimes and while he’s locked away, Natalie is going to be the one to carry on his work.

So it appears that there may be a sequel film in the works because it showed Emily. So my assumption is that we will get the whole Sentimonster plotline from the series but handled much differently based on the final scene. And y’know what? I’m all for Jeremy Zag doing his own take on the Miraculous story.

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

Overall Thoughts on the Movie:

While the film wasn’t perfect---it still had its fair share of flaws but I mostly will blame it on the movie format as opposed to it being a series allowed to build the story from episode to episode. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be the only former miraculer in saying this but I prefer the ML film over the series.

Say what you will about Jeremy Zag but he definitely did a much better job with the ML love story for the film than Thomas Astruc, it’s actual series creator, ever did with the story for the animated series. If Zag decides to do his own thing, somewhat soft-rebooting the animated series through the movies then I’m sorry but I’m more in support of the films than the series.

The movie just makes the romance between Marinette/LB and Adrien/CN so much worth the watch. One of the things that made me fall out of love with the series was just how worthless the love story between our two heroes became ESPECIALLY after S3. I found myself not wanting LB and CN to get together anymore since the series did such a disservince in making me care about their love story.

It’s difficult for me to even think that LB even liked CN in the series since we would always get these weird moments where she’s so spiteful and mean-spirited towards him.

It’s for this reason why I enjoyed the movie so much. LB and CN’s flirtatious banter and rivalry was brilliantly handled in the movie. You genuinely felt the chemistry building between them so when they finally do get together in the end, you feel happy for them.

I would give the Miraculous movie an 8.5/10:

Not perfect but definitely leagues better than the animated series in terms of making the audience care about the love story between Ladybug and Chat Noir which is the point of the narrative.

In hindsight, the film just better represented the wholesome charm that got folks like myself invested in Miraculous as a concept in the first place and that's what's so amazing about it to me.

Not to mention that the film handled the final fight between our heroes and the main villain way better than the series did in all 5 seasons, 130 episodes and 2 specials. Let that sink in, will you.

If people are looking to get into Miraculous, I feel like I’d just tell them to watch the film and not bother with the series at all. No disrespect to Thomas Astruc since the series is his brain child but I’m sorry--- Jeremy Zag did the love story he was supposed to tell us a lot better. At least in my opinion.

~LMS (2023)

[serasarahhhh]

Author: Maxine Pairings: BakuDeku Rating: R Chapters: 12/? Notes: Accidental quirk shenanigans result in an unplanned pregnancy. Post-canon, no a/b/o dynamics. Summary: It's not that Katsuki didn't want kids. He figured he'd have them one day, probably. That he and Izuku would adopt or maybe figure something else out. This is NOT how it was supposed to go. ~~~~~ CHAPTER 12 “You invited All Might for dinner?” Izuku repeats, gaping up at the man who’s still got his knees bracketing Izuku’s thighs. “I – what – Kacchan.” “It’ll be fine,” Katsuki says hastily. “It’s just All Might, don’t worry.” Oh please. That’s not the part Izuku’s worried about. “Are we even having dinner with my mom tomorrow??” “…I mean.” Katsuki goes a bit shifty-eyed suddenly. “Now we are.” “Kacchan, oh my god.” Izuku presses his hands against his cheeks. “Have you told her?” “I was going to call her!” “KACCHAN.” “Izuku,” Katsuki sasses back. “You wanted to tell him, right? Now you can!” “I–” Wait. Izuku blinks. “You didn’t tell him?” “I wasn’t gonna do it without you.” “But you did see him today?” Izuku asks, brows drawing down. Katsuki nods and Izuku pauses for a moment, trying to make that make sense. “You saw him, and he saw you, and he doesn’t know?” Katsuki frowns. “I ain’t the size of a whale, ya damn nerd. I just…” He lifts up on his knees like he wants to make sure Izuku can see him properly, then pulls his shirt up and starts sucking his stomach in. “I didn’t talk to him long, had the excuse of the meeting with Nezu to get to, so I kinda just did this and spoke fast and then fuckin’ bailed. So I doubt he noticed.” …It’s actually a little unnerving watching Kacchan’s belly flatten right before his eyes. When he holds himself like that, the bump almost entirely disappears. “Okay, okay, stop,” Izuku says frantically, reaching out to palm Katsuki’s hips so he can tug him back into his lap. “Don’t, that’s freaking me out.” Katsuki relaxes his muscles and it’s like watching someone blow air into a balloon, the way he easily rounds back out again. “She didn’t go anywhere,” he mutters, as he lets go of his shirt and resettles his weight against Izuku. “Calm down, crazy.” “Dinner,” Izuku says, trying to focus. “Tomorrow. Why my mom’s? Can’t All Might just come here?” “Where would we feed him, Izuku?” Katsuki throws a hand out toward the ground. “You want All Might to sit on the floor?” “…He could have the couch,” Izuku tries, but Katsuki just scoffs and looks away. “I’ll call her, okay? I’ll call her and let her know and I’ll even help her cook. It’s gonna be fine.” “I hate putting her out, though,” Izuku says weakly. “Yeah, well, this is why we bought a house. But we’re not in it yet, so I don’t know what to tell you.” Katsuki shifts off Deku, twisting to the side and flopping onto his back on the open length of the sofa. “We gotta tell Inko she’s getting a granddaughter anyway, so. Two birds, one stone.” “…Oh. That’s true.” Continue reading at AO3. Through chapter 12 now posted!

[astral-athame]

((Okay, so... it's officially the 23rd (And has been for 2+ hours here actually ^^;). With that said, I'm gonna give ya'll a little update for the remainder of the year:

Today (12/23): TONS of baking (I have 4 pumpkin rolls, a batch of kkwabaegi, chocolate chip cookies, mini apple pies, and mini chocolate cupcakes to make) both before and after the Christmas party at my grandma's. This is gonna be rough- I don't want to have to see my mom and my step-dad, but I do want to see my grandma because it's been 4 years and I miss her and I always regret not being able to go to my grandpa's funeral in 2020...

Tomorrow (12/24): Christmas at my sister's (which is why I have so much baking to do ^^; Only the kkwabaegi is for today's party, everything else, including the pumpkin cupcakes and the sugar cookies I already made, is for tomorrow). This is gonna be a fun one, but it'll probably be a long day.

12/25: Probably nothing too big. We might go over to our dad's for a few hours (though he'll be at the party tomorrow, of course) to hang out with him and our step-mom for a bit.

12/26: Possible Christmas at step-grandma's, it depends on how she feels. Even when she feels good, though, these parties are usually only 3 or 4 hours at most. Just some time to eat and chat and such. Nothing big.

12/27-12/29: I don't think there's anything going on those days so- freedom!

12/30: Christmas party at my Aunt's place. This is gonna be nightmare levels of rough because, again, I'm only going to this to see one or two people, but I'm REALLY not looking forward to seeing my Aunt Alice, her husband, or their daughter. They're judgemental as hell and give only the most backhanded of compliments (if they give compliments at all). I'll probably come home from this feeling drained and maybe even wanting to cry so... ya know. Not likely to be a good day. Hopefully it'll be short.

After that, I go back to work on the 2nd or 3rd (gotta wait for the call) to learn how to substitute in the kitchen (because I told them to put me anywhere except bus monitoring). Dunno how much I'll be subbing in there, but they want to get me trained which will be at least 2 or 3 days of short shifts. I also need to find time post-Christmas to make a phone call to cancel our internet service for our old place because APPARENTLY they didn't disconnect it despite me saying that we DON'T FUCKING LIVE THERE ANYMORE. So guess who just spent an extra $110 on wifi that I don't even have or use at a place that I haven't lived for almost 2 months now?? And then another $145 on top of that for the wifi service at our current address? Seriously, fuck corporations.

So, yeah. Busy busy busy. I'll try to be about when I have time, though! I hope you all are having a nice holiday season <3))

[chososwifey24-7]

I've been working on a story on wattpad called his Prayer. It is a Taiju Shiba x reader fan fiction. Since I couldn't get many views on wattpad, I decided I'd post the first chapter here! If people like it, I'll post more.

Enjoy!

All I could hear was the insitent beep of an alarm. It blared through the house and into my room.

"Luna!" I yelled and almost groaned. "It's time for school, just turn the dang alarm off, please!"

I covered my head with the pillow and let out an agitated sob.

The beeping finally stopped, and I sighed, opening my eyes only to see little Mana sleeping next to me.

Another nightmare, I assume.

Getting up, I threw on my uniform, I could care less for the wrinkles and for the disheveled look of it.

I ran into the bathroom and pulled up my hair. There was no way I was going with my hair looking like a rats nest.

"Y/n!" I heard my brother Takashi yell from the other room.

"What!" I yelled back.

No answer.

Classic mom move, Takashi.

I run out of the bathroom and see him and his friend, Hakkai, standing in the living room.

"We gotta go, We are gonna be late."

He simply stated. I looked at him before the two girls popped out from behind him.

"Sounds great. I assume I'm riding with Hakkai again?"

Mitsuya nodded, and they left the house. Hakkai didn't say a word to me and only blushed.

(No, it's not a ship. We just know how he is with women, lmao)

I hopped on his motorcycle behind him and held onto his shoulders.

Today was just going to be a long day.

Sitting in Algebra had to be one of the worst 50 minutes of my life.

Why couldn't math just figure out its own X? Beats me.

"Ms. Mitsuya?" My teacher called out to me.

I jumped in my seat and looked up.

"Yes, Sensei?" I inquired and looked at her a little scared.

"Care to tell the class what 2(5+6) +3(9-2)=X is?"

I gulped and went up to the board, working out the equation.

I've never been the best at math, I only knew how to get myself by.

Exhaling I finished the problem and looked at my teacher.

"X would be equal to 33, sensei."

She gave a nod of approval. Just then, the bell rang for us to be out of school for the day.

I went to the front doors. Takashi had told me that both him and Hakkai had gang business, so I would have to manage picking up Luna and Mana.

I began my trek towards Luna and Mana's school.

I stood at the front entry way of the school, and when Luna and Mana came running out in hugged me, I couldn't help but smile.

Luna and Mana were always there. They always held me when I'm sad and I reciprocated the gesture.

"Y/n! We missed you!" Luna said, jumping up and hugging my torso.

Mana nodded. She was still only in a daycare/preschool place. She wasn't amazingly talkative, but she was one smart cookie.

I picked Mana up and put her on my back. I used my other hand to hold Luna's.

As we began the journey home. It was a long walk, about a mile or so. We ended up stopping for ice cream, then continuing.

After finishing her ice cream, Mana fell asleep on my back. I sighed and felt a little sleepy myself.

As we walked up to the house, mom's car was still gone.

She's probably still at work.

I walked in and laid Mana down it was late after all.

Luna also said she was going to bed, but I had other plans.

Homework.

I couldn't skip out on it, or Mitsuya would kick my butt, and mom would have some words for me.

It was getting late, probably about 10 pm, and Takashi still wasn't home.

I wanted to wait for him and tell him goodnight, but it looks like that may not be on the agenda.

I heated him up some ramen and ended up crashing on the couch after putting my homework away.

It must have been hours later that I felt someone pick me up and carry me into my room. Opening my eyes, I noticed it was Takashi.

He had a small bruise on the side of his face, and his knuckles seemed bloody.

"Takashi?" I asked gently.

"Go back to sleep Y/n, it's late, and you seemed uncomfortable."

He said and set me down, but before he could go, I grabbed his wrist.

"Sit down idiot. How many times do I tell you I won't be mad as long as you let me help fix you up."

I basically forced him to sit as I got the first aid kit and walked into back over to him.

Turning on my lamp, I was fully able to assess the damage. Signing, I looked at him.

"Please don't be so reckless, Taka-chan. You always get hurt like this."

I began to dab at the wounds with alcohol pads. Takashi didn't wince or even flinch. He was used to it.

Bandaging up his beaten and bruised hands I looked at his face.

"Who was it?" I asked sternly but gently poked at it.

He hissed this time and grabbed my hand.

"Don't worry about it, and could you not, I love you y/n but it hurts like a bitch." He responded.

I only nodded and let him leave my room.

Curling up into a ball on my mattress was an amazing idea, and so I did.

I let out an exhausted sigh and closed my eyes.

I couldn't believe that all of this was now currently my responsibility.

[aksannyi]

tw: death of a family member

ok so my mom texted me today, i'm in my 7th period block, students are working, i check my phone and the message is basically that my grandfather is dying. (my last living grandparent, not that it's super relevant but maybe it is? idk?) he's going into hospice, they're gonna make him comfortable. no idea how long.

my immediate thought is, shit, i gotta fly up there, can i afford it, etc. these are the thoughts i had at 1pm when my students were all doing their thing, i was also trying to keep them working and not show them anything was amiss bc it isn't their business unless i share it and also if any one of them gave me even a shred of sympathy i would have lost it and i don't want to do that, i will cry on my own tyvm lol

anyway. i look at flights, reasonable for flight + car. reasonable-ish. and i texted the ...w/e the hell he is bc someone would have to stay with the dog since he works 24h shifts

had an appointment today, did some errands. whatever. then i'm sitting here at home, listening to some music, just sitting there and thinking and thinking and thinking:

i don't want to go.

and it sounds selfish, and it feels selfish, and it feels shitty.

and anyway there's history here. so my first grandparent to go was my mom's mom in 1993. shittiest saturday morning ever. my 2nd grandmother died in 2017, right after hurricane irma, and my dad flew me up to say goodbye. i was at her deathbed with family members, it was hard, also my family was being racist (which is totally irrelevant but it still pisses me off how they got mad at me cussing but it's cool for them to just fucking say the n-word) (assholes)

then last summer, 2022, my dad texted me that my grandfather (his dad, obvs) was dying and he had like 24hrs. not enough time for me to have gotten up there to see him, so dad told me to call and then put me on speaker phone and i said my goodbyes to him that way. i'm crying thinking of it now, hardest fucking phone call i ever made.

and then i got fucking covid so i couldn't even go to the funeral, and my mom. this person. she makes a guilt-trip post on fb because both of my brothers could make it and i couldn't, and she's convinced she will never see all 3 of us together again (and she never ever lets us forget it) because two of us live at literal opposite ends of the country - PNW and florida, and the one who lives up there is in the northeastern part of the country so it's like almost as far away as you can possibly triangulate 3 people in the continental US. and it was like wow mom fuck you, like i wouldn't have come up if i didn't have LITERAL FUCKING COVID, no i was not going to drive 1200 miles or infect an entire fucking airport, i'm not an asshole. and also i just felt like pure crap, tbh. like physically.

anyway.

i'm struggling. i know that he wants to see me. he called me, when i sent the blanket (which some of you might remember, (this post: https://www.tumblr.com/aksannyi/722322909005299712/aksannyi-my-grandma-passed-in-1993-october-to?source=share) and he said how much he misses me and wants to see me because he knew then that his time was running short. it's very hard for me to get up there, and i generally just don't like it up there due to a number of factors (completely unrelated to him, but definitely related to other family members, like my mom and a psychotic aunt and several shitty uncles) and just the damn drama of everything that goes on up there that i moved away from for a damn reason.

and i'm like. i should go. i know objectively i should go. i should go because it's the least i could do for him, the one thing i can actually do that would make him happy. like fuck my mom, fuck my brothers, fuck my aunts/uncles and the entire goddamn stupid small town i'm from, just to see him. but the problem is that i wouldn't just be seeing him, and i don't want to Deal With Them. all of them. collectively.

(and also i don't wanna see him like that... when i went to see grandma, she had been on the decline for years. she wasn't fully coherent, didn't always recognize me. every time i went up there while she was still alive i assumed it'd be the last time i'd see her)

(my dad's dad, on the other hand, knew me right up to the end. he'd be absolutely thrilled to see me. every time. but he was also in his upper 90s and so i also had made peace with the fact that he wasn't gonna be around that much longer)

and like it isn't like i didn't know this was coming, like i'm not stupid, obviously. he's had a lot of health issues, mom would text us about his doctors diagnoses and shit so we knew it was coming. he's 86 now. it was inevitable. and that's like. ok. i have made peace with that. but i'm struggling now with this incredible guilt because i don't want to go.

i can afford it. it'll be tight but i can manage it. i can do a whirlwind weekend trip. i'll be tired as shit for work next week but whatever, wouldn't be the first time. but i just. i don't want to. and that's what's fucking me up, it's that i don't want to and i feel like shit about it. because i know i should. and do i suck all that shit up and just Deal With It dot com...??? i do, don't i. i need to. fuck me, this sucks ass.

well if you read all of this and you have any advice or anything i guess feel free, i just needed to kinda get this out and deal with it. i know either way i'll be fine, but like do i really wanna deal with my mother fucking guilt tripping me for the rest of her life (and probably mine bc she'll fucking haunt me when she goes istg) ugh. ugh ugh ugh ugh uGH. ugh.

ok fine whatever time to look at flights (it is too far to drive unless i take time off work and ngl i will need my sick days, for like actual sick days.)

[synthy-sizer]

“Son of a bitch!” Violence slams his fist as Jordan cuts him off. “Focus on the bigger problem,” you scream, swerving madly to avoid a hailstorm of bullets! Violence grabs his cannon and starts carefully executing drones, one after the other. “I can't believe that didn't work! What were we missing?” Boom after boom explodes behind you, between each word he says. “No idea! Maybe it doesn't have to be a sustained signal? It just triggers the transformation itself?” You hadn't really considered that. “Do you think the broadcasting station had a shutdown signal we could have triggered?” “I fucking hope not!”

Without even realizing it, you find yourselves back in the neighborhood. You tear across the old gravel paths. At least it's a slightly less bumpy ride. It seems like you've outrun the drones for the moment, but you don't feel safe yet. You press your foot down on the gas even harder, taking advantage of the straight path. As you do, you make out the shapes of people in the distance, standing near a formal-looking building. You almost swerve around again, but realize they're not drones. They're wearing colorful clothes and don't have corpse-like skin. And most importantly, you don't see even a trace of metal. You slam the breaks and gravel goes flying as you skid across the path and finally come to a stop right nearby. You swing the door open. “Hey, uh…by any chance, are you Sofia Gardener's parents?” The woman nods. “Son of a bitch,” Violence groans. You smirk at him. “Guess you've gotta admit Jordan was right, huh?” “Yeah, yeah, yeah…” he grumbles, and hops out of the back seat. “Jordan said there was a bunker here, right? Any chance we can hide out here?”

You sit on a metal bench and look around the concrete walls. The room is illuminated by dim cage lamps. Probably emergency lights. Across from you, Sofia's parents sit nervously. “So, second time seeing some weirdos turning your world upside down today, huh?” They chuckle despite the nervousness. “I'm Lust, and he's Violence.” You pat his shoulder. “Try not to worry about the names. We're actually very nice.” Sofia's mom takes initiative. “I'm Rosemary. This is my husband, David.” You lean over and shake both their hands. “So…were you responsible for the big plume of smoke in the distance?” Violence speaks up, now. “Yeah. We couldn't exactly just turn the signal off, so we had to be a little more….drastic. That and the station didn't really resemble a station anymore.”

Flashes of the things you've seen return to you. A giant metal lotus sprouted from the earth, reaching for the heavens, had all but entirely consumed the broadcasting station. The antenna rose from the center, taller than could ever be built with human engineering. And around it, what did Violence call them? The steel forests? Rows and rows of power lines, sirens, lamp posts, fractalizing at the ends. When he saw it he just started shooting and didn't stop until it was a flaming husk. You think sometimes about what he saw before this, what Apollo did to him…

“Uh, well…I guess you deserve answers. Heresy was vague, I presume?” They look at each other, confused. He sighs. “Did she call herself Jordan Bernett?” David speaks up. “What's with the weird nicknames, anyway?” “Fuck, is that ever a long story.” You hold his shoulder. You spend a while after discussing the finer details of your situation. A lot of it is hard for them to understand. Luna doesn't have things like corporations or generators or monsters. Well, until recently. Apollo's corruption caught up to their paradise. But by the end they seem to understand. “The tricky thing is that although we don't agree with Jordan, it seems like she's right about a lot of things. And it seems like that includes Sofia being special. I'm afraid you might not see her for a bit.” They look sad. It's not like you don't understand. “We were practically done processing the grief, you know? We accepted she died, she came back, and just as soon she's saying she needs to leave again.” You lean over and hold Rosemary's hands. “I know, and I'm sorry.” “It's ok, Rose,” David says as he wraps his arm around her shoulder. “It's like she's grown up. She was going to leave the nest anyway, right?” You suppose that's not entirely wrong. But you still can't help but feel guilty. It's like you stole some of that from her parents. Or, maybe it's more accurate to say you were an accomplice to Heresy's crime.

The walkie crackles. “Violence, Lust, you there?” Violence is quick to answer. “No thanks to you. Guessing you didn't die?” “Indeed we haven't,” Heresy says through the shrieking of the speaker. “Sofia had a bit of a conversation with our friend, the megastructure. And thanks to that, the transformations should have stopped.” You stand up. “What the fuck?” “Yeah, I know. We can explain later. You need to get back to the launchpad now.” You and Violence start packing up. “It was lovely to meet you two. I'm sorry things have been a bit awkward.” They nod awkwardly and see you off. The walkie crackles once more. “Oh, one more thing. You're going to have to be careful. Most of the transformations have stopped, but some…”

The bright sunshine is suddenly blotted out.

“...are evolving.”

NEXT

PREVIOUS

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary126

1/18-19/2024

thursday - friday

should sleep soon.

the interview went very well i think. the guy seemed to like me and not care about anything. it seems like at this pizza place that is basically a pseudo chuck-e-cheese (i'm such a winner in life) i'll be working in the arcade area. i'm so freddy , i'm so fazbear.

i've gotta do a drug test and stuff. i'll ace that cuz i'm #straightedge. it's really easy for me to not do drugs, generally, or i guess i never have, so i don't really have the urge. i don't think i'm missing out on a lot, i don't even drink, some people find that very weird though.

i also spent all of today out with my gf and her mom, which was fun, we went to this cafe that's closing forever soon, it's really sweet, the place had a thing where you could write yourself a postcard and mail it to yourself, months in the future, a kind of time capsule-ish thing. the woman there told us that her dog just had puppies, and that she saw on her home camera, and had to close up shop to go help her dog, and then come back, and this was still happening, one puppy left inside the womb, still coming. she was very sad it seemed like, she said no one wanted to buy the business to someone on the phone, so they were just selling everything, all the stock, so my gf and i got some postcards, and some stickers, and other stuff. i'll post the postcards i got tomorrow but i just really like the box.

my gf got some sanrio ones, i should maybe get pix of those too.

today before the interview, while i was alone at home, i was just reading wiseblood by flannery o'conner, she's such a great writer, makes me want to write something fast/messy in that way again, i think that will filter down to music some way though. her approach to these overripe and grotesque distensions of reality, where everyone is haunted in excess, where we all know that as real and the exaggeration on lays bare what we use reason/social norms to displace. there is a part early on where you are watching a character stare through a window at a knee, fat and white, disembodied almost, just that one image through the window, this peeping tom preacher-but-not-a-preacher. there is a lot to say about it, flannery herself said she never gave up catholicism because she was forever haunted by it, the protagonist is similar, the guilt in him is infinite and inescapable, he is wrestling not with disbelief in god, but the impossibility of not believing in god. it is too base an assumption in his world, that jesus died for him, he's always trying to refute it, but it turns around on him always.

anyway, re: the job, the next thing is on monday at 3 pm.

re: music, i messed w/ the problem song, but tomorrow i'm just not gonna, i'm gonna try and get other stuff mixed better, and then when it's finally time to do another full listen i'll take my notes again and see, honest this time. i was listening to the locust and it just made me feel like i grasped something, idk, i don't know if i did really but that band always gives me ideas about how i should sound, they were so perfect, like an actual diamond in music, perfectly formed, geometric and strange, off in a cave unseen, crystalline growth out of waste, excess of time/life, gravestone clusters.

i am tired now thoo i hope i didn't fuck my sleep up or whatever. i have to be ready for monday

byebye!!!!!!!!!

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

The Babysitter

Single-Dad!Sebastian Stan X Fem!Reader

Summary: After your sister-in-law gets you a babysitting job, you and Sebastian fall in love.

Warnings: mentions death by birth (briefly) and fluff.

A/n: HI!!! Sorry, I accidentally posted the first draft 🤦‍♀️ but this is the exact same thing just not with the ask. I absolutely loved the idea!!!

You parked the car making your way upstairs. Knocking on the door it was answered by a man maybe 3 years older than you at the most. Behind him you could see a little boy hid poking his head around the corner, he couldn't have been older than 7. He had short light brown hair and bright blue eyes, that was obvious he got from his father. You recognized him from your nephew's class.

"Hello you must be y/n! I'm Sebastian, the spy back there is Julian." He said shaking your hand.

"Nice to meet you." You smiled at him before looking back at the boy. "Hi there hunny."

"Hi." Julian waved shyly.

"Come in." Sebastian welcomed. He was going out to meet up with Chris Evans since he was coming in town. So that's where you came in, you were the aunt of one of Julian's friends from school, along with babysitting for a few of his other friends. "Jule, come all the in and introduce yourself." Sebastian urged the young boy.

"Sorry tata." Julian said running over hiding behind him. "I'm Julian!"

"Nice to meet you Julian! I'm y/n." You smiled.

"I'm going to my toys now." He told his dad before running off.

"He's a delight when you get to know him." Sebastian promised. "Let me give you the run down."

———

"And bedtime is 9 no negotiations, he will try." Sebastian finished listing down the rules.

"Got it I think I can handle that. When will you be back?" You asked him.

"Uh probably around 11 or 12... You can sleep on the couch if you'd like, Netflix is signed in as well." He said.

"Okay got it. Go have a good time. I can handle Julian. Go have fun with your friend."

"Yeah uh sorry I don't leave him much. Julian!! Come say bye." He shouted. Soon the ocean eyed kid came walking into the living room.

"Bye daddy!" He hugged his dad.

"Bye buddy. Be good for y/n." Sebastian kissed his son on the top of the head and left.

"Okay. You have an hour till bedtime how about we got you in jammies and we watch a movie?" You asked.

"Yeah!! Can I pick!"

"Of course!" You smiled as you followed him to his room. "Okay pick your jammies."

"These ones!" He pulled out a pair of Captain America and Winter soldier pajamas. "My daddy is this one." He pointed at one of the characters.

"Woah! That's cool! Need any help?"

"No."

———

A tipsy Sebastian came stumbling into the apartment. He tossed his keys in the dish and went to the living room with intent to just crash on the couch. He had forgotten all about you until he saw you asleep with your feet on his coffee table, and Julian sleeping in your lap one of your hands resting gently on his back. Madagascar playing quietly in the background. He smiled, he wasn't sure about leaving Julian with someone other than his mom and step-dad. He's been raising Julian as a single dad since the day Julian was born. His mother passed giving birth. In those seven years, he's never found a woman worthy of him, and definitely not worthy of being his son's mother figure. It could be the lack of trying, or it could be that when he did try the women didn't like sharing his attention with Julian. That's why when he first saw you at his son's school, he didn't walk over.

He thought you were pretty, and wanted to ask you on a date but just couldn't work up the courage. When he did, you were already leaving, with a boy he recognized as his son's best friend. When your sister in law suggested to him you as a babysitter, he took her up on the offer, getting your number from her.

"Oh your back." A quiet voice whispered. He snapped from his thoughts seeing you rubbing your eyes with one hand keeping the other on Julian's back.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Here let me get him." Sebastian stumbled forward still tipsy.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Just go get ready for bed. I'll get him in his bed. And uh could I sleep here tonight on the couch of course. I think I'm to tired to drive." You gently stood before lifting the 7 year old with some struggle.

"Of course." Sebastian yawned before leaving to his bedroom. You smiled going to Julian's room tucking him in before making your way back to the couch and laying down. Sebastian came out a few minutes later but decided not to disturb you once he saw you about to fall asleep.

———

You shuffled away to the sound of sizzling on the stove. Looking around you saw Sebastian cooking while Julian sat on the counter talking to his dad about the night before. You yawned alerting the men of your consciousness.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Sebastian smiled at you.

"Morning!" Julian said happily.

"Morning. What's cooking?" You asked sitting up.

"Eggs! I'm helping!" Julian exclaimed. You chuckled walking over.

"Okay Jule go get dressed I gotta talk to Y/n." Sebastian helped his son off the counter.

"You got it, Tata."

"Why does he call you tata?" You asked curiously.

"We're Romanian." Sebastian explained.

"Nice. What did you need to talk about?"

"First you need paid... And second I was wondering if I could maybe take you out for dinner sometime?" Sebastian asked nervously.

"Sure, I'd like that." You smiled.

"Daddy!!! Can I have a lollipop in my lunch today?" Julian asked running in breaking up the moment.

"Sure." Sebastian smiled.

"We'll set up times later." You whispered.

———

That day was almost 6 years ago now, you're been married for two years. Looking back you knew your sister in law was playing matchmaker for you. Not that you cared, you met your now husband and the father of your kids, Julian and Grace.

"Mom! Can you help me?" The now 13 year old Julian asked holding his tie. "Dad's busy with Gracie.

"Of course Hun come here.

"Thanks mom." Julian smiled.

"Hey dragoste? Where is Gracie's new bow is?" Your husband shouted.

"I left it with her dress." You explained. Your family was off to a premiere for one of Sebastian's movies.

"Oh! Found it!" He shouted.

"Okay here-" You started helping your son with his tie.

Once Sebastian was done dressing the 1 year old he made his way into the living room where you were just finishing tying Julian's tie.

"There you go. Very handsome." You smiled kissing your son on the forehead. Sebastian loved seeing your relationship with his son grow. He didn't expect that dinner those years ago would've led to this but he sure was glad.

"Tata! Whatcha think?" Julian said noticing his dad.

"You look great!"

"We need a photo! Julian hold you sister for one photo." You said. Sebastian laughed passing Gracie to Julian.

"Okay mom."

This was your family. Sebastian was so happy watching all the mornings you dance around with Julian in the kitchen while making breakfast. He hopes that Julian's birth mother would be proud of how far their family has came.

"Well lets go!"

A/n: halfway through writing this I realize... The actor who plays billy maximoff in wandavision is named Julian as well. 🤣

[teddy-bear-surprise]

hi!! how are you? i seen your post about wanting to write headcannons or blurbs and i didn't know if you wanted them to be birthday related but osbddkndjdd staying up until exactly 12 am with peter and once it hits, the reader gives him a bunch of kisses & let's him now how happy she is to be with him!!!

This story is also available on AO3 and Wattpad!

Hi! Thank you so much for the request, I'm doing great today and I hope you are too <3

MASTERLIST

Title: Midnight Birthday

Word Count: ~2.4k

Warnings: None (they joke around about poop and farts, which makes me sound immature, but I promise it’s funny and not like serious)

Context needed: Y/N

I deviated slightly from the prompt on accident, but I hope you enjoy it :)

Your phone rang loudly for the third time, prompting you to finally pick up. Normally, you would ignore everyone’s phone calls, but you realized that Peter was the one calling you. You had set a special ringtone for him, just so this wouldn’t happen, yet he still had to call multiple times just to get your attention.

“Hey, Peter! Sorry I didn’t pick up before… You know how it is, right?”

Peter chuckled on the other end of the line, “Yeah, I know. We should really come up with a better system for you. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if there was an emergency and they had to call you. I know you can’t see me right now, but just the thought gave me goosebumps.”

You heard him shudder, “I’m sure you’re very goosebumpy, Spider-Kid.”

“Hey!” He asserted jokingly, “You know that I prefer ‘Spider-Man’, you know that. And don’t be mean to me! I’m over here calling to invite you out to dinner and this is what I get? I am beyond hurt. I will never recover.” Peter emphasized each word as sarcastically as he possibly could.

“Oh, get over yourself drama queen. Spider-Boy, Spider-Kid, Spider-Man, it’s all the same thiiinnggggg. Just take the compliment, hun. In thirty years– when you’re all old, wrinkly, and a Spider-Senior –you’ll be missing the days when people called you Spider-Kid. Now, what were you saying about dinner?”

“I said I wanted to invite you out to dinner! Were you not listening?”

You rolled your eyes and wished he could see your face right now. “I got that part, genius. I meant like what kind of dinner… Y’know, Where? When? The details, Pete, the details.”

“Oohhhh, that would make sense.” He laughed quietly, shaking his head at his own stupidity. “I was thinking that we could go to that restaurant you love, you know the one you were talking about the other day… Ummmm I think it was called Sveleka? Right? So we could go there around 7…”

Peter’s voice trailed off as he tried to remember the details of his plan and you cut in. “It’s Veselka, but that would be great, Pete. I’ll see you there at 7, love you.”

You hung up the phone before Peter even got a chance to reply. Your phone skills were rudimentary, to say the least, and it always got you into trouble. Luckily, Peter understood your bizarre hatred of phones and phone calls, allowing you to talk to him without worrying too much.

You knew that his birthday was tomorrow and you had developed a plan of your own. It was supposed to be a surprise, and the last thing you were expecting was for him to ask you out to dinner the night before his own birthday. In a way, it made you appreciate him even more, knowing that he loved you enough to randomly call you and ask you out to dinner. But now, thanks to his unexpected decision, you only had two hours to rearrange everything before meeting up with him for dinner. You stared at the giant teddy bear sitting on your bed and sighed. Even though your plan was technically easier to carry out now, you felt a twinge of annoyance about having to modify your schedule.

Originally, you wanted to sneak into Peter’s apartment, along with May’s help, and surprise him with a giant teddy bear that said “I love you” when you hugged it. Ideally, you would get there right at midnight, as the night turned from August 9th to 10th, and show him that you cared. That you cared about his birthday, his happiness, and his wellbeing.

You shook away the thought and positioned the teddy bear so that it looked like it wanted to give you a hug. In between its warm, fluffy arms, you placed a small box. This box was technically Peter’s real present. It contained a small, circular locket with one half of a glass spider and a key. In the very same box, you included a long handwritten note telling Peter how much you loved him and how proud you were of him. Once you rearranged the box and bear to your liking, you began to get ready.

The closet of your apartment was minuscule, as was the whole place, and the limited space had led you to develop a very limited wardrobe. Your outfits only consisting of basic black pieces, one dark green jacket, and three pairs of shoes. Peter always joked that he loved how your closet all looked the same, claiming that it made it easier to find you if you ever got lost in a crowd. You both knew that was far from true since everyone in Manhattan loves wearing black, but you appreciated that he was so kind about your unconventional fashion decision.

You grabbed a simple, long black skirt and a silky black tank top, changing out of your pajamas. It might have been five o’clock in the afternoon, but pajamas stayed on until you left the house. That was just the rule. While you fixed your hair and makeup, you began to worry that Peter would figure out your plan. It was a slightly irrational thought, especially since he was socially inept and on multiple occasions forgot when his birthday was. Still, the thought plagued your mind until the moment you were ready to leave.

As you walked to Grand Central station, you texted Aunt May, letting her know that the plan had changed. May had been the biggest supporter of you and Peter’s relationship from the start. Honestly, she was the only one you could trust because she was the only one who could keep both your and Peter’s identities a secret. You hopped onto the Six heading downtown, hoping that she would reply before your service completely cut out.

You: Hi, May. Peter invited me out for dinner at the last minute so we might have to rearrange a bit.

May: This is why I told you to make plans with him ahead of time, so we wouldn’t run into any bumps like this.

You: I know, sorry. I wasn’t expecting him to do this.

May: I was kind of expecting it… I made a bet with myself that he would do this and it looks like I won!

You: You bet on us?? Is this like a reoccurring thing???

May: Definitely not. That would be immature. I’d never do that.

You shook your head at your phone, laughing at how obvious it was that May bet on your and Peter’s relationship. To you, May was like a second mother, or just a really cool aunt. She seemed to understand how to be just serious enough, but not stiff. Not to mention that she was ten times nicer and more supportive of you than your actual mom.

You: I’m gonna pretend that the last part of the conversation never happened. But what I wanted to tell you was that I’m going to meet Peter for dinner around 7 at Veselka so I won’t be able to go back to my apartment and then to Peter’s in time. I just left the bear at my apartment and I’m thinking of asking Peter to go home with me after we eat, what do you think?

May: Sounds like a solid plan, kiddo. Good luck, and please don’t let Peter eat too many of those sauerkraut pierogies this time, he was gassy for two days. It wasn’t fun.

You: Thanks for the gross heads-up, May. Byeeee

You got off at Astor Place and walked in silence towards the restaurant. You were looking at the ground, head hanging low, when Peter called out to you from across the street.

“Y/N, hi!”

You looked up at him and smiled at the goofy boy waving at you. “Hi, Peter!”

Jogging across the street, you made eye contact with him. He held out a hand towards you, helping you onto the sidewalk, and embraced you. Peter kissed the top of your head softly and gave you one last squeeze before letting go.

“So, I guess we’re both early then. I gotta say that I’m shocked, Parker. I wasn’t expecting you to get here before me.”

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises.” Peter winked at you.

---

The two of you merrily ate your dinner, with Peter threatening to instigate a food fight more than once. You talked about anything and everything, by the time you two were ready to pay the bill, it was almost 11 and you were stuffed.

Peter rubbed his hand on his stomach, poking at it, “I think it would be physically impossible for me to eat any more. Like I would just spchwoooo,” he mimicked an explosion with his hands, “explode.”

“I’m just glad we didn’t order any of those sauerkraut pierogies, May said they made you all gassy last time. I don’t even want to know what would have happened if you ate those and the stuffed cabbage.”

“What?! May said that? I never get gassy. Ever.” Peter lowered his voice, “I’m literally superhuman, it takes more than some sauerkraut and cabbage to mess with this iron stomach.”

“That’s not even close to being true. You had explosive diarrhea after that burrito two weeks ago, and don’t blame the food, you were the only one out of the three of us who got sick. Did you forget that May and I had to take you to the hospital? Because I don’t think that counts as an ‘iron stomach’.”

The two of you argued about stomachs, diarrhea, and food the rest of the way to your apartment, stopping every few minutes to point out airplanes flying overhead. You insisted on walking home so you could arrive almost exactly at midnight. Plus having Spider-Man by your side was basically a guarantee of safety, even in Manhattan. Peter held your hand the whole time, swinging it like a smitten teenager. After walking nearly fifty blocks, you arrived at your apartment. You noticed that Peter seemed hesitant, only lightly resting his foot on the first step leading up the building.

“C’mon, let’s watch a movie or something. I don’t want you to leave yet.” You pouted and tugged on Peter’s hand, pulling him up into the doorway.

“Well then, I guess I’m not leaving.”

---

The two of you were cuddled on your small couch watching Buzzfeed Unsolved, Peter’s favorite show, but you weren’t paying attention. Every few seconds your eyes would dart up at the clock, waiting for the hour hand to strike 12. Peter was entranced, never letting his attention deviate from the screen, and he didn’t even notice that you weren’t looking at the TV. The minutes went by slowly and you were counting down the seconds until midnight, gripping onto Peter’s arm. He thought that you were just scared by the prospect of unsolved murders, not that you were anxiously waiting for his birthday.

The last second passed and the clock struck 12, you immediately jumped out of Peter’s embrace and turned to him. Peter sat up in shock, confused by your sudden movement. You took the opportunity to straddle him and grab his face.

“Happy birthday, My Love.”

You peppered his face with sweet kisses and his eyes widened. His body softened under your touch as a feeling of love and happiness filled his heart. Peter snaked his hands up your thighs, letting them rest on your hips, and squeezed softly. You gave him one last kiss on the lips and rested your forhead against his.

“I have a surprise for you, Birthday Boy.” You lifted yourself off of his lap and held your hand out to him.

Peter took your hand and followed you obediently, curious to see what his surprise was. You opened the door to your room, revealing the large stuffed bear and its matching box. Peter let go of your hand and excitedly ran towards your bed.

Before he could say anything, you began speaking, “I know it’s not much, and I know you probably thought that I’d have like a trail of rose petals in here or something like that. But I wanted to show you that my love for you isn’t just about our physical relationship, my love for you i-is emotional and wholesome. I love you, Peter Parker. I truly love you and I’m so happy that you’re mine. I mean, every morning I wake up, I remember that I’m dating you, and that makes me the happiest person in the world.” You reached over to the box in Peter’s hands, “So, Peter Parker, will you accept this key?”

You opened the box and Peter’s cheeks glowed red. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he nodded his head.

“Yes! I love you so much too. I- Thank you,” He paused, “Oh no. Wait, I don’t have a key for yo–”

“Pete, this is your birthday present. I wouldn’t expect you to give me a gift on your birthday, silly.”

He rambled energetically, “You’re right… I’m still going to get you a copy though. Oh my gosh. I love this so much, and is this a spider because I’m Spider-Man?! Where’s the other half? This is so cool!”

You held up your matching locket, opening it to reveal the other half. “Yep, it is because you’re Spider-Boy. The best superhero in town. And, don’t throw away the little note at the bottom. Well, don’t open it now, but if you ever need a reminder of how much I love you, just read that note.”

Peter held your hands in his and pulled you down, both of you crashing into the giant teddy bear. The second you fell onto it, it blurted a freakish, distorted “I love you”, scaring both of you. You jumped up and looked at a wide-eyed Peter.

“Y’know, maybe we don’t need the bear. I don’t really want to be on the next episode of Unsolved.”

You laughed at Peter’s joke, pushing the bear onto the ground and kissed him. His soft lips tasted like the blueberry dessert you shared and his skin was as soft as butter.

You pulled away, foreheads resting together once more. Peter whispered, “Thank you for giving me the happiest midnight birthday, darling.”

[preciouspeterbparker]

i wish i were

inspired by conan gray’s “heather”

warnings: stepsibling incest (not yet but that’s the whole premise), underage masturbation, underage sex, angst. peter’s like 16 and a half, Tony’s almost 18

word count: 2.2k

summary: peter’s in love with his big brother. no biggie. (spoiler alert: it’s a big deal)

(A/N: okay this has been living in my head rent free for over a month. i've written more, but it's not fully fleshed out yet. 

i figured i would post this and see if anyone is interested in reading it before i put a bunch more effort in lmao. this is filth. most of the angst comes later lololol (and more filth).

i hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think / if you'd like to read more!

- bloo)

PART ONE

Peter stands at his locker, desperately trying to blend in and remain unseen as he switches out his English textbook for Physics. The school year is basically over, given that it’s the last week of May but he’s still not comfortable in the junior-senior hallway. He’s always been the youngest (and therefore smallest) kid in most of his classes, given that he’s been in the ‘gifted & talented’ track since middle school. (He’s on track to graduate next year, taking his last few mandatory classes and completing an internship for additional credit.) This year, Peter feels even smaller than usual; maybe because most of the seniors are already eighteen, while as a sophomore, he isn’t even seventeen. He doesn’t have many friends this year, because of it. Ned moved away last summer because his dad got a new job, and, well, he’d never really needed more than Ned before. 

“Hey Pete-squeak,” comes a voice from behind, making him jump. Rolling his eyes, Peter pivots slightly to face the newcomer. The infestation of butterflies that he's been harboring for the past few months begins to flutter immediately, tickling the walls of his stomach as his cheeks flush lightly.

The voice belongs to a tall (or, well, taller than Peter, anyway), ridiculously handsome boy with dark hair and dark eyes, walking towards Peter with his hands in his pockets. The cheeky smirk on his face is all but permanent, but the small, genuine smile it slips into is something that Peter holds close to his chest, something that is typically reserved for him.  

Tony, his older brother, is pretty much Peter's favorite person in the world. Technically, he’s Peter’s step brother. Maria, his mom, and Peter’s dad Richard got married when Peter was a year old and Tony was almost three. They’d essentially spent their whole lives together; neither of them could really remember anything before. They’ve always been close, but that’s changed a little bit this year.

“Hey Tony,” Peter chirps, reaching back into his locker to grab his physics binder. He tries to act natural, even though he feels anything but. His heart’s going a mile a minute inside his rib cage. He feels a little ridiculous, he has for the past few months. Swallowing, he manages to sound relatively calm. “You read the last 2 chapters of Beowulf, right? Mrs. Herrera gave us a pop quiz last period.” 

The older teen groans. Closing his eyes, he throws his head back, a metallic thunk sounding as it collides with the locker he’s leaning back on. “Fucking hell. The final paper is due in like four fucking days! Is that not enough?” It’s quiet for a moment as Tony pauses before he opens one eye, cutting it to look at Peter. “What were the answers?” 

Peter snorts in response, shutting his locker. “Not happening, T.”  He pulls his phone out of his pocket to check the time and lets the left side of his body rest against the cool metal. Three minutes til the bell rings, and Mr. Riley’s class is right across the hall. So he’s essentially got three minutes to indulge himself and the fuzzy warmth that’s running through his veins. He loves any time he gets to spend with Tony. “You’re lucky I told you at all, be grateful.” 

Tony wrinkles his nose at him. “Rude,” he scoffs in mock offense. “I know you can remember them,” comes his teasing accusation. (And he’s right. Peter can recall the entirety of the quiz, but he’s still not going to enable Tony.) Then he pauses and raises an eyebrow at his younger brother. “Is that my sweatshirt?” The garment in question is a worn and slightly faded black Led Zeppelin USA 1977 crewneck sweatshirt. Peter’s wearing it over a charcoal and white check button-up. The sweatshirt is one of Tony’s favorite pieces of clothing, he wears it all the time (hence why Peter...borrowed it...without asking).

Having mentally prepared himself to be questioned at some point, Peter’s reply is already on the tip of his tongue. “Yeah, it ended up in my laundry and once I put it on it was too cozy to take off. And it looks good with these jeans and the button-up. And my boots. Trying out a new look,” he finishes, smiling as he pushes his glasses further up his nose. Tony often teased him about the thick, clear-but-slightly-pink frames, but Peter hadn’t wanted glasses at all (he doesn’t need any more reasons to be teased, thank you), but he likes these. They make him look cute, more feminine. More like someone Tony could want. 

“You’re right,” Tony smiles. One of his hands comes up to playfully ruffle at Peter’s russet hair. “Looks great on you, kid.” There’s warm affection in his voice. 

Peter feels his cheeks go hot again, and he wills the flush to go away. He can’t take compliments from Tony, now- they make him ache and preen simultaneously. He knows that Tony doesn’t mean it the way he wants. Peter knows that Tony would never speak to him again if he knew what was really going on inside his little brother’s head. The thought makes him sick to his stomach. 

Speaking of stomachs. “Hey,” he starts as he fingers through the papers in his physics binder, attempting to find the problem set that’s due today. “Did you ever catch up on Hell’s Kitchen? I’ve been rewatching episodes trying to wait for you, but you’re taking too long. You saw the episode where Gordon-” Peter’s heart falls to his stomach and he abruptly stops speaking when he looks up to notice that Tony isn’t looking at him anymore, barely seems to be listening. 

It falls completely out of his ass when he sees just what, just who, has stolen his attention. 

“Sorry, Pete, gotta go,” Tony mutters once he realizes that Peter’s stopped talking, shooting him a hasty smile and shoving off the navy metal. He skirts past Peter, a slight skip in his step as he makes his way down the hallway. 

Peter's swallows and clenches his jaw as he watches his brother walk straight to her, the bane of his existence. The reason he and Tony don’t spend as much time together anymore. The object of Tony’s affections. Pepper. She's...everything Peter wishes he could be, honestly. Tall, somehow a perfect mix of skinny & curvy, bright blue eyes, long strawberry-blonde hair. She's perfect. And not only in looks; she's also ridiculously smart. If Tony wasn’t valedictorian, she surely would be. She even volunteers at the local soup kitchen every weekend, and Peter’s pretty sure she reads to dogs at the animal shelter once a month. He hates that Pepper is so nice; he hates that he can't hate her without hating himself for it. 

As if he didn't have enough self-loathing already.

***

Peter exits the bathroom that connects his bedroom with Tony’s after gently flicking the lock on his brother’s door to disengage it, the soft ‘snick’ ridiculously loud in the quiet of the house. He’s the only one home; Mom and Dad are at some sort of event for Dad’s law firm, and Tony went to a party at Rhodey’s house. (Tony had insisted that Peter was invited, but he had to know that the younger would never go- why would he want to be surrounded by drunk, horny, belligerent teenagers? The last thing he wanted to see was Tony and- )

There’s a dark gray towel loosely wrapped around his waist, so loose he has to clutch it in his hand to keep it from falling. He closes his own bathroom door behind him and drops the towel, digging through his underwear drawer to pull out a random pair of plaid boxers. 

After sliding them on, the brunette takes a deep breath and lays back against the pillows, arms behind his head. He tries to consciously relax his muscles, the tension of the day not having melted away during his shower like he had hoped. Time for Plan B. It’s never let him down before. Peter reaches for his phone and unlocks it before swiping through his apps to open Spotify. The sound of “Dazed and Confused” fills the air through his speakers, and he sets it to repeat on a loop. It’s a little fucked up, the way he’s conditioned himself to respond to this song, but- Peter knows the whole thing is fucked up; he’s fucked up. 

Closing his eyes, he does the only thing he’s been capable of for months: he thinks of his older brother. 

He’s growing fond of the new facial hair Tony’s trying out; he wonders how it would feel against his skin. Which areas would be the most sensitive to its touch? His thighs? His neck? Peter’s head tilts back and to the side as he imagines wet, warm lips and the scratch of stubble. Just the thought, the phantom sensation, makes a soft mewl leave his mouth. It’s a little ridiculous how easy he can get himself going, when he thinks of Tony’s touch, of his body. Of his love. In his boxers, his cock shifts against his thigh as it begins to fill out. 

The sensual, plucky bassline and wailing guitars of the song drag along, and so does Peter’s breathing as he brings a hand up to pinch at one of his nipples. He imagines the way Tony would tease him until he was whining, begging for release. He supposes it wouldn’t be dissimilar to his older brother’s typical manner of playfully taunting him. Maybe Tony would pin him down like he did when they were younger, climb on top of him and hold him there with the muscles he’s gained from boxing in the garage. The opportunities he’s had to see the older teen breathing heavy, shirtless and glistening with sweat, would be forever ingrained in his mind. The mental image sends more blood rushing south and his dick throbs as it quickly reaches full hardness, drawing a gasp from his mouth. 

Peter takes himself in hand, studying the details of his cock. He knows he’s not huge, but he’s at least on the larger side of average. It’s flushed a deep, mauve-y pink, and he traces the line of a vein on the side with the tip of his pinkie. A shiver shoots down his spine. He wonders how similar it is to Tony’s. Is he circumcised like Peter is? Is he bigger? Longer, thicker even? Sure, he’s seen him naked before, when they were younger changing or in the bath, but that stopped around the time Tony was seven or eight. 

(Tony and Peter had come home from school one day, and Peter’s head had been reeling over what he heard some older girls saying on the bus. He’d decided to ask Tony about it. His big brother knew everything. ...Mom & Dad caught them kissing in their bedroom. That was the end of bathing together, and Tony got his own room, too. Peter never forgot about the way his big brother’s lips felt against his own.) 

A bead of precum oozes out of his tip and Peter rubs his thumb over it, smearing the liquid over his cockhead. Robert Plant’s voice moans over the speaker and Peter echoes the sound as he slowly strokes himself with a loose grip, his hole tightening around nothing. Biting his lip, he hesitates before slipping his left pointer finger into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it sloppily. Once it’s wet, he reaches down and gently presses the pad of his finger against the tightly furled muscle between his cheeks. His breath hitches as the sensation; he’s only touched himself down here a couple of times before. 

The tip of his finger begins to breach his opening and a whine leaves Peter’s mouth. It stings a bit so he tries to relax, muscles fluttering, making a mental note to grab some lube next time he goes to the drugstore. He wants to be able to stretch himself out more, to imagine Tony’s fingers, Tony’s cock, splitting him open and stuffing him full. Fuck-

Tightening his grip on the base of his cock, Peter grits his teeth and grunts softly as he pulls his finger from his ass. He can’t cum yet- he’s not done. He reaches under his pillow, pulling out the balled-up t-shirt that’s taken up residence there. The black fabric has faded in some spots, and the Black Sabbath logo is cracked and worn; it’s one of Tony’s favorite shirts. Peter brings the soft cloth up to his nose, fumbling with it to find the area with the strongest smell. There are hints of Tony’s Old Spice deodorant mixed with a scent that’s distinctly Tony, a warm, masculine musk that has saliva pooling in Peter’s mouth. Delirious, fucking his hand to the beat, he wishes he had dug a little further in the hamper, pulled out a pair of Tony’s briefs. 

That’s the thought that does him in. Peter cums into his fist, gasping his brother’s name, the sound getting muddled in the maelstrom of guitar and drums. Thick ropes of jizz splatter on his stomach and chest, entire abdomen heaving with his breaths. 

He wipes the mess up with Tony’s t-shirt before tucking the fabric back under his pillow for safe keeping.

to be continued???

[aestheticallyholland]

NEVER NOT | AFTER YEARS . . .

❃ PAIRING tom holland x fem!reader

❃ DISCLAIMER i do not own the artists (and the reader) that are going to portray the characters, but i do own some of the their names. the plot of the story is inspired to the book and movie 'to all the boys i've loved before' but with changes. the gifs and photos used in this series are edited by me but i get credits to the originals. also, this series is first posted in wattpad by me. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST IT SOMEWHERE ELSE !

❃ WORD COUNT 2.8k words

❃ AUTHOR'S NOTES you have reached the final chapter of my tom holland series, never not! for those who have reached this part, i would like to say thank you so much for taking your time to read this cliche story that i wrote originally on wattpad, and hopefully, you enjoyed and loved it. thank you also for the constant reblogs and likes for each chapter in this series. i truly appreciate every reblog and like you gave. i also hope that you are satisfied with the ending of this series. with lots of love, lei <3

NEVER NOT MASTERPOST | LEI'S LIBRARY

"All love stories are tales of beginnings. When we talk about falling in love, we go to the beginning, to pinpoint the moment of freefall." - Meghan O'Rourke

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"ONE MORE POSE FOR ME!"

Flash.

"And another one!"

Flash.

"Alright!" Y/N exclaimed and removed her Canon 90D DSLR camera from her right eye. "That's it for today, guys! Great job everyone!" shouted once more and looked at the photos that she took from the monitor of the computer.

She was doing a photoshoot for one of the famous magazine companies, The Hollywood Reporter. She was one of the photographers for the magazine company for almost a year already. She surely was so happy to receive a call way back a year ago before that she was hired. And, she surely was so happy to pursue what she dreamed of.

"Great shots, Y/N. Great as always." Someone said from behind her and Y/N could just smile at the compliment.

"Thank you, Millie." She said and looked at Camille. Camille became a fashion designer like how she always wanted to be. She worked alongside Y/N in several photoshoots just this year, coincidentally.

"Want to grab some coffee on the way home?" Camille asked as she prepared her purse and placed it on her shoulder.

"Sure," Y/N said and got the hard drive that was plugged into the computer since all of the photos were there. Not only was she a photographer but also one of the editors for the magazines. "But after that, I gotta go somewhere."

"Are you gonna go to that place again?" Camille asked and Y/N looked at her and nodded as an answer. They walked out together as they were the only people left there.

"I'll probably call Erika after you go. Just gonna remind her about the reunion that our family had planned for this weekend." Camille said while walking beside Y/N.

"But she'll probably be with Harrison right now," Y/N said.

"They're still together all these years? Never knew she was a relationship person honestly." Camille said.

"Me either. But, she's happy so I'm happy for her." Y/N said.

They entered the coffeehouse that was packed with busy people. The scent of coffee went to their noses as soon as they got in.

"I totally forgot that it's still Friday today," Camille said. "So many people."

They lined up in the long line since there was only one cashier available.

"By the way, have you seen the latest movie?" Camille asked Y/N and she gave a confused look.

"Which one?" Y/N asked back.

"I think it was the— erm— The latest Spiderman movie. I don't know the full title but I heard they just released a new one this month." Camille said. "Tom is in it right?"

Tom.

That name that Y/N will never forget.

Y/N smiled under her breath before answering her. "Yeah, I guess."

After that, they just waited for the line to be shorter and shorter until they were the next one to order. After they ordered, they stood in the corner waiting for their coffee to be made.

"One cappuccino and latte for Y/N!"

"I'll get it," Camille said and walked fast to get their orders. She mouthed thank you to the lady and went to Y/N's side again. "Here's your cappuccino," Camille said and handed Y/N her drink as they made their way out of the coffeehouse.

"So, I'll see you on Monday at work?" Camille asked.

"Always." That was what Y/N answered. "Take care!" She added before waving goodbye to Camille and went in the opposite direction as her with her drink in her hand.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Y/N parked her car on the side of the empty road. After how many months, almost a year, of driving lessons, she could finally drive for herself.

Before she got out, she got her drink and her other things first and removed her coat. She got out of the car with her things and shut the door and locked it.

The wind suddenly blew her hair and she smiled at this great feeling. As she walked towards the sand, she took off her shoes and placed them in the same spot that she would sit on. Luckily, no one was in the place other than herself.

The sun was almost setting and the waves were still moving in the ocean. She had come to this place almost every day or at least most of the time. The light of the sun reflected on the sun symbol on her bracelet that he gave her a few years back. She sighed at the thought of him.

She had lost contact with him just almost a year ago because of his busy schedule but Harrison would be the one to tell her how Tom was doing and all. Well, not really lost contact but they rarely contacted each other for the past few months due to their work.

Although those had happened, she never stopped going back to this place that Tom wanted her to always go. This was the place that kept her alive and stress-free.

Their relationship had its ups and downs.

Tom became one of the most famous celebrities in the world ever since he got the role of being Spiderman. After that, he had more upcoming movies for the past years later on.

Although there may have been rumors about him being in a relationship with one of his co-stars, Zendaya, because of their roles in Spider-Man, her trust for him remain. Although at some point, it hurt her but that just passed away.

Overall, she was happy for him and for what he has achieved. She was so proud of what he had become. It didn't stop her from visiting his family's house and spending time with them.

"I wish you were here right now." She whispered to herself as the wind could not stop making her hair fly.

"And I'm here." A voice said from a distance but loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes widen at this very familiar voice and her eyes began to water.

She slowly looked in the direction of the voice that she heard and there stood the person that she has been waiting for.

He gave her the same smile that she would never forget. He still looked the same as before but he was more muscular now. He looked better in person than on the big screen or in his interviews. His brown hair is now shorter but still had curls on.

"Tom?" She whispered and he could just easily read her lips calling his name. He opened his arms widely for her. She then ran up to his open arms and did not think twice about wrapping her arms around him. He spun her around as soon as he closed his arms around her.

Her tears fell from her eyes while hugging him. When Tom heard her sob, he placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair. "I'm home, love." He whispered to her.

She pulled away for a while and admired him. His face features, his hair. Everything about him. She suddenly pinched his cheeks with both of her hands that surprised Tom.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked as he felt the slight pain from the pinch. His voice is deeper than before and his British accent is kind of mixed with an American accent.

"You are real," Y/N said that made Tom chuckle.

She was still as adorable as always. Tom thought

"Of course I am. You thought you're hallucinating?" Tom asked her and she nodded.

"It's been so long to finally see you personally," Y/N said and she slapped him on the chest. "You kept me waiting you know!"

"I'm sorry, love." Tom apologized and kissed her forehead. "Four years, huh?"

"And three months," Y/N added while looking at him and grinned.

"You have been counting," Tom said that made Y/N nod. "I missed you so much." He said and pulled her for a hug again. "God, I do miss you."

"I missed you too, Thomas." She replied and noticed the scrunchie that was on his wrist. The same scrunchie that she gave him before. "You kept it." She said and held to his wrist where the scrunchie was and smiled at him.

"Of course. It really reminded me of you." He answered.

They decided to sit down and talked about each other's new life. Tom was surprised about Y/N's career since he never thought she would be into photography like his brother, Harry.

"Your mom really influenced me to go to that," Y/N said. "That's why I'm so grateful for her."

"I had a photoshoot in that company actually," Tom said and that made her eyes widen. "Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, but that was like two thousand seventeen or something." He answered.

"Your American accent is really showing up," Y/N said and smiled at him.

"Well, most of my roles required this accent which I'm good at, surprisingly." He answered.

"How long have you been here already?" She asked him, curiously.

"Just today. I told my family first and Harrison that I was coming back for a week's vacation. And, I wanted to surprise you." He answered and placed his arms around her shoulders. She placed her head on his shoulder and gave a relieved sigh. Her happiness cannot be measured right now.

"You wanna go to the water?" Tom said and Y/N suddenly ran away from him and giggled.

"If you could catch me first!" Y/N said and ran which made Tom scoffed a laugh.

"I will!" Tom said and chased after her. After a few seconds of running, Tom was a few inches away from her and scooped her legs and carried her bridal style and he walked towards the water.

"No! Put me down! The water is gonna be so cold!" Y/N said but Tom ignored her and laughed. Then, Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and forcefully pushed both of them down together to the water.

"Holy shit, the water is so cold," Y/N said as she raised her head up from the water as well as Tom. "Damn you, Holland!"

"You're gonna pay for that," Tom said and splashed her with water and Y/N did the same. Basically, the couple had a water fight. They kept laughing and splashing on the water to each other even as they stood up.

Tom then grabbed Y/N's arm and pulled her closer to him. They both wrapped their arms around each other and Y/N just gave a light laugh.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Do you have a towel in your car?" Tom asked as they got out of the water, their bodies and clothes soaking wet as they stayed there a while ago to watch the sunset.

"Yep. It's on the back. I came prepared." Y/N said as she gave Tom the keys and walked towards her car. Tom could just laugh.

Tom got the towel and wrapped it around Y/N's body and continued to hug her from behind. They decided to stay on the beach a little longer until they dried up. After a few minutes, they then went inside the car with Tom as a driver although Y/N insisted that she would drive.

They went directly to Y/N's apartment that she rented ever since she got her work. Tom parked in the basement of the building. As soon as they got out, Tom locked the cars and gave Y/N back her keys. They walked together and got to an elevator going to her apartment.

"How's your dad and Aria?" Tom asked as Y/N shoved the key on the doorknob.

"They are doing great actually," Y/N answered. "Aria got a job in New Zealand in tourism. And, will you believe that my dad actually got married a year ago?" Y/N said happily and opened the door.

"Really? I never heard of that." Tom said.

"Because we made it a private wedding so it's only our relatives and Mom Trina's family too," Y/N explained to Tom. "Mom Trina is an amazing woman and I'm glad they got to meet each other."

"Your mom will be happy that your dad is happy," Tom said and Y/N could only smile.

She placed her things down the counter table. "This is my home." She said to Tom who was looking everywhere in the apartment. "It's not that bad." He said.

"Yep. In my room, I get to see the city and the sunset and sunrise too." While Y/N was talking. Tom just kept staring at her, admiring her. He couldn't explain how happy he felt when he finally saw her again. He walked closer to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. This startled Y/N a bit but she held his arms and leaned her back to his chest.

"How did I get so lucky to have you?" Tom whispered and moved her hair away and gave a peck on her neck.

"Destiny, I guess." She answered and turned around to face him. She saw him looked at her lips and decided to close the gap between them by pressing her lips to his. Tom responded to the kiss and pulled her closer to him. As soon as the kiss became heated, she jumped and wrapped her legs around Tom's waist and he was carrying her. He then walked towards her room and shut the room by kicking his foot at the door while kissing and carrying her.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The ray of light hit Y/N's eyes as soon as she woke up. She felt strong arms around her bare waist and she smiled. She yawned and stretched her legs before she tried to move Tom's arm around her. She could still hear his soft snores beside her. His curls are really showing off when his head was on the pillow. She tried to get up but was stopped when she felt a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to the bed. Strong arms wrapped around her again but this time tighter.

"Tom!" She exclaimed.

"Don't leave me here," Tom mumbled while his eyes were still closed and snuggled his head to her neck which tickled a little.

"Alright, baby," Y/N said and snuggled back at him. "But I have to cook breakfast. It's like almost lunch already."

"That was a long long night." Tom teased and Y/N felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered what happened last night. She slapped Tom's arm playfully who just laughed at her. "Let's do it again," Tom whispered in her ear with a husky voice and attempted to kiss her again but Y/N covered his mouth with her hand.

"Nope, nope. Not happening." Y/N said as she shoved his arms away from her and stood up with the blanket wrapped around her. "You better go and shower, Holland!" She exclaimed as she exited her room.

"Join me, then!"

"Shut it, Thomas!"

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Alright, we're on our way now, mum," Tom said through his phone as he drove in the road. "Love you too. Bye." He ended the call and placed his phone down. His eyes focusing on the road.

"What did she say?" Y/N asked.

"Harrison and Erika are already there and there done preparing." He answered and she just nodded as an answer. He glanced at her and smiled, taking her nearest hand and intertwining their fingers together. Y/N looked at him and smiled back. Tom decided to stop driving for a while which made Y/N confused. He parked the car on the side of the road.

"What's wrong?" Y/N asked, concerned.

"I just..." Tom paused for a while. "I'm just so happy that I got to see you again," Tom said and looked at her deep in her eyes.

Y/N placed a hand on his cheek and smiled. "Me too, Tom." She said.

"I'll take you with me once my vacation is over," Tom said and her eyes widen.

"But I have work—"

"I already talked to your manager and he's fine with it. He's gonna give you a break for a while." Tom said.

"How is that even possible?" She asked and giggled.

"Secret," Tom said and grinned. "I want you to see my work and some of the co-stars want to meet you."

"Seriously?" Y/N asked. "You talked about me to them?"

"Yep." Tom answered, emphasizing the 'p'. "Even the Avenger cast wants to meet you."

"Alright, then. I'll get to see celebrities." Y/N squealed and smiled at him. "At least I get to see my boyfriend work. This is exciting."

Tom placed a hand on her nape and pulled her head closer for him to kiss your forehead and lips.

"I love you, my love." He said. "You are my world and my everything."

Oh, how lucky they were for each other.

"I love you, too, Tom."

Always.

Forever.

Fin.

❝ WE WERE SO BEAUTIFUL

WE WERE SO TRAGIC

NO OTHER MAGIC

COULD EVER COMPARE ❞

❃ ANOTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE to add, feel free to also comment or reblog how this series was. i would lovre to read your thoughts and feelings about this series. once again, thank you for reading NEVER NOT, by yours truly 🦋

❃ TAGLIST @allthisfortommy @kait4073 @lovebittenbyevans @l0ve-0f-my-life @spiitfiires @robertpattinson-th @jackiehollanderr @butterflies-glitter

[silver-starlight-99]

Monsters at Work: The Jokester Generation

Chapter One: Everyone's Gotta Start Somewhere

Wow, I finally got around to writing this. To those who bothered to stick around since my initial Monsters at Work post, thank you.

To the newcomers, this fan fiction is based on the... I guess drabbles I'd written to create my own version of the animated series Monsters at Work, one where Boo would get to be an active part of the plot. While the events of Monsters University remain relatively the same, I am changing up certain events from Monsters Inc, following the arrest of Mr. Waternoose. I'll do my best to organically integrate the important parts of those drabbles into the story. But if you wanna read all the details yourself, feel free to check them out. Just think of it like an extended prologue:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

There will be other little things in regards to names and character descriptions that may be changed from their canonical iterations.  Either for story reasons, because I didn't know about certain characters' official names, or just 'cause I wanna do my own thing.  I might go back and change certain details if I feel the need to, but don't expect anything definate.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated.

As a mother and son drive through a bustling metropolis, a rather coincidental commercial is heard on the radio. 

"The future is bright at Monsters Incorporated!

We power your car, we warm your home, we light your city.

Carefully matching every child to their ideal monster to produce screams, refined into clean, dependable energy.

Every time you turn something on, Monsters Incorporated is there!

We know the challenge: In a time where talk of alternative energies is becoming more common, it's hard to know who you can trust for reliable services.

The voice of narration changes to a flat, almost wooden tone.  It's as though the Monster is reading his lines directly off the script, but even if he'd memorized what he had to say, he'd still use the same inflection.  It's a change from the warm, grandfatherly timbre that belonged to the old CEO of Monsters Incorporated.

Not to worry.  As always, MI prepares for the future.  With the top Scarers in the country, the best in refineries, and ever-constant trials to explore more efficient scaring techniques.

The voiceover shifts once again, this time to someone younger, and far more enthusiastic.  

That's right baby, we're working for a better tomorrow TODAY!  Because we're Monsters Incorporated!

MI, Monsters Incorporated:  We Scare Because We Ca-"

Millie turns off the radio as she reaches her destination.  She parks her car and turns to look at her son Tylor, somewhat cramped in the seat next to her. 

The younger monster's face is a mix of anxiety and anticipation as he gazes at the building outside.  She’s not surprised.  After all, he's been waiting for this day for what's seemed like his whole life.  And Millie can't imagine the pouring rain outside is doing anything for his stress.

"Mom, you didn't need to drive me.  I could've walked."

He wasn't wrong.  The Tuskmon homestead was just a fifteen minute walk from their destination, maybe twelve if someone ran.  And with Tylor's umbrella, designed specifically to cover his extra-long horns, the poor weather wasn't much of an issue.

I know, but I just wanted to make sure you were alright before your first day.”  One of her hands cups his cheeks.  The familiar gesture does help to relieve his nerves, just a bit.     

"Have everything you need?”

Tylor grabs a thick, tan messenger bag from the back seat, and pats it in assurance.  “Yeah, don’t worry.  I triple-checked everything before we left.”  His parents didn't have the kind of money to get him a fancy car or an elaborate summer trip like some of his fellow MU graduates, but he still appreciated his parents' gift.  And, call it paternal instinct, but Bernard Tuskmon had the idea that his son would've been embarrassed to show up to his dream job toting around a lunchbox he'd had since middle school. 

"And you're certain you don't want me to walk you to the door?"  Millie gets very close to undoing her seatbelt before her son dashes out of the car, quickly trying to put on his new bag.  The strap gets snagged on one of his horns.

"No no no!  That's alright!"  Tylor says in rapid succession.  He fixes the bag strap.  He's about to sprint to the door, but turns back around to his mother's window.  "I promise I'll be fine.  But I gotta get in to turn in my paperwork.  See you later.  Love you."

Millie chuckles in amusement, before giving him a wave as she starts the car back up.  "Okay, I'll see you at five then.  Love you, my baby behemoth!"  Her voice is muffed by her window and the rain, but Tylor knows his mother well enough to get the gist of what she'd said.

Millie drives off, and Tylor groans in embarrassment.  But a quick look around shows that everyone nearby is too busy trying to get out of the rain to have paid attention to him or his mother.  He wants to take a moment to reflect on everything that's led to this day.  All the hard work, sacrifices, and sleepless nights that got him to this moment.  And how it will all be worth it when it's his efforts that are powering his hometown, and making his mark on Scarer history.

The screeching tires of a swerving car pull Tylor out of his mind.  Just long enough for him to see the car in question, a sleek, yellow, six-wheeled beast of a machine rushing to the parking lot in the back of the building.  Suddenly, he remembers the rain. And the fact that a cloth bag can only do so much before the water starts to get to the papers inside.

"Right.  First day, big day!"  He says, more to himself than to anyone nearby.

Following the example of his fellow monsters, Tylor rushes to the front doors, stubby tail wagging as his earlier anxiety gives way to excitement. On the way, he gives a spirited, "Mornin' co-worker" to a stout, crab-like monster wearing a thick, blue rain jacket.  They're on an elevated platform, doing some kind of work on the building's famous We Scare Because We Care logo.  Tylor gets through the doors before he can see the other monster wrench off one of the letters.  The maintenance monster lets out an amused, "rookies" before shaking their head and moving on to the next letter.

"There's nothing to be worried about," Tylor reminds himself. "This wasn't a mistake, they specifically asked for you. They wanted you. You were meant to be a Scarer! Just show everyone your stuff and everything will be fine. Everything today is going to be fine!"

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

The warmth of the lobby is a relief to Tylor's skin, somewhat chilled after his time in the rain. He makes an honest attempt to get some of the water off his bag.  After shaking off the last few droplets, he takes a moment to absorb his surroundings.  This wasn't his first time inside the revered factory.  Heck, for most Monstropolis natives, trips to Monsters Incorporated were considered a staple of elementary and middle school.  It was no different for Tylor, having taken his first steps into this very lobby when he was seven years old.  But that didn't take away from the sense of awe encompassing him.  If anything, it was enhanced.

"Today, I'm not a guest, or just a visitor.  I'm a Scarer, an actual Scarer.  Huh, I wonder how many kids are gonna look up to me when I'm the one racking up the numbers." 

Despite his familiarity from childhood, it is interesting to see the upgrades made since his elementary school days. They added a few more tables and chairs on the side for visitors. It looks like the tile work on the lobby dome had been refurbished; the rainbow of colors showing through even on a rainy day like this. And just above the ring of clocks showing all the different time zones are a bunch of tv screens, displaying a news channel or a number of Monsters Inc commercials.

Looking around, Tylor tries to see if he recognizes anyone there.  It had been a while since he'd collected any Scare cards, but he did his best to stay updated on the top Scarers of all the major energy companies.  Sadly, no one stands out.

"I guess that makes sense.  It is early."

Anticipating his excitement for the day, Tylor had his mother drop him off ten minutes earlier than he needed.  Just to give him the time to get all his fanboy-ing out of the way before he made a fool of himself in front of his more seasoned co-workers.  "Would it be too forward to ask them for an autograph?," he wonders. 

"Okay, first thing's first… " he mumbles to himself as he looks around the lobby.

Unsure of where to go, Tylor heads to the front desk for directions.  The employee working there is an orange, bespectacled fellow who looks to be around his age, maybe a year younger.    

"Uh, hi… Otis."  Tylor says, spotting the receptionist's name plate.  "I'm, uh.  I'm sorry, this is my first day as a Scarer here.  I was told I needed to bring in some special paperwork before I got my IDs, or my Scare assignment."  Tylor pats his bag, indicating to the documents inside.  "Do you know where I'm supposed to do that?"

The receptionist uses one of his many vine-like arms to pull out a clipboard.  "Sure, I can help you. Name please?"

"Oh, right. I'm Tylor, Tylor Tuskmon.  I got my acceptance letter from the Board of Directors, if that helps."  He can't help but let a hint of pride ooze into his tone as he brings up his special letter of recommendation.

Otis flips through several papers before finding Taylor's name. 

"Yup, here you are.  Huh, you're not the only new guy coming in today."

Otis takes a moment to skim the rest of the document.

"Well, it looks like you'll need to stay here until someone from monster resources comes by to take your paperwork.  And… then I guess they'll give you your assignment.  They should be here in a few minutes."

"Great, thanks."

For the next few minutes, Tylor does his best to not look too awkward as he meanders by the front desk.  But the child-like enthusiasm in his smile is too hard not to notice.  Lucky for Tylor, the custodial and office workers already there are plenty familiar with that excitement, having seen it on the faces of many a Scarer on their first day.  Most simply ignore him as they make their way to their departments.  Others are at least courteous enough to wave back at Tylor as he gives an awkward "hello" to try and break the silence of the lobby.

By nine o'clock, Tylor isn't the only Scarer in the room.  Slowly, one new face after another comes to the front desk, all with their own instructions to wait for a monster resources employee.  By the fourth monster, Tylor decides to step in and explain the situation for the other new arrivals, giving Otis time to focus on his other responsibilities.  Meanwhile, all the new Scarers engage in introductions and small-talk, most of which are just iterations of the same first-day excitement.

Five minutes after nine, a green, lizard-esque monster slithers into the lobby while carrying a box.  He takes a moment to adjust his tie and glasses before approaching the front desk.

"Ahem, excuse me?  Excuse me?  May I have your attention?" the Monster asks as he tries to gain the attention of the crowd.  All the Scarers are too engaged in their discussions to notice him.  Otis is too preoccupied answering the phones to be of any help.

"Huh, newbies" the monster sighs, his irritation clear as he shakes his head.

The monster pulls a small notebook out of the box.  He flips through several pages before finding something.  

The monster shouts, with no small amount of sarcasm, "Oh no!  A child has escaped from the Scare floor and is currently stealing monsters' bones!"    

It's a ridiculous claim, but it does the job of getting everyone's attention.  It's not just the new hires, suddenly everyone in the lobby is now staring at this diminutive monster, expressions varying from bewilderment to horror.  He clears his throat.

"Ahem, now that I have your attenti- ACK!"

Suddenly, a monster decked out in a yellow hazmat suit bursts out of nowhere and tackles the smaller employee, restraining him. The whole action is so fast, Tylor almost misses the Monsters Inc logo on the suit's right side, just bellow the CDA agent's rank number.

In a distorted voice, the tackler barks, "We got a 16-2 in progress.  The employee is secured.  I repeat, the employee is secured.  Do a sweep of the area.  And we'll need someone to check in with the security team to see what they know about a loose kid!"  

At their command, at least eight more monsters in the same yellow uniform pop out of nowhere to secure the lobby.

Some of them are using strange devices to scan the entrance and exit points.  One can even be seen walking on the outside of the lobby's glass dome, looking for something.  But mainly, these workers just keep everyone in place while the others do their jobs.

The green monster is unamused.  "Oh for the love of Criamat.  Unhand me, you overpaid oafs!  I didn't mean it!  I was just trying to get their attention!"  

"Huh?" the CDA agent utters.  He releases his grasp on the employee just a bit, before turning to one of his fellow operatives to see if their team's findings can confirm this.

"Wow, these guys are hardcore!" Tylor says in shock, some of his fellow newbies nod in agreement. 

"Yeah, they're always like this," Otis chimes in, no less uncomfortable than the other new hires.

For a second, Tylor's mind goes back to one of his late-night research sessions at Monsters University.  It wasn't necessary for Scarers to know much about the histories behind the major Scream factories, but he always liked to try and stay informed.  He remembers reading about these guys.  

After the event dubbed The Waternoose Scandal, Monsters Incorporated faced many visits from the CDA.  Some were due to false alarms on the Scare floors, brought about by the jittery atmosphere lingering in the building.  Others were the result of faulty tips the CDA received, made by paranoid Monstropolis citizens who believed the Tiny Terror of Monstropolis had snuck back into the city.  It was impossible of course, the human was returned home and her door was shredded for good measure.  But after the discovery of Waternoose's Scream Extractor, and a… rather unsettling chamber filled with child-sized cages, the CDA couldn't take any chances.  

Eventually it became too much of a hassle, and a waste of resources to send so many agents to deal with false alarms.  So the CDA stationed a small team of their own at Monsters Incorporated to assess any claims of child breeches and report back to the main facility if further assistance was necessary.  

An agent with a 737 on his hazmat suit comes up to the one tackling the green monster.  "736, it appears that Mr. Crummyham is correct.  We haven't picked up anything on our scanners, and the security team came up empty too."

"I could've told you that!"  Mr. Crummyham snaps.

"Also, sir,"  agent 737 continues, "we might want to bring in the team.  749 says our quarantine has caused a build up by the front doors, and the monsters are getting restless."

Muffled shouts and banging sounds are heard by the entrance.

Agent 736 sighs, disappointment evident even with his voice modulated by his suit.  "Alright, bring it in everyone.  It's a false alarm!  Agents, clear out and head back to your stations."

The agents do so, with 749 slipping off the roof because of the rain.

Agent 736 helps Mr. Crummyham up and hands the employee back his box.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenienc-"

"Touch me again and I'll have your pay docked!" The assaulted employee snaps back.

The agent sighs, "whatever," before calling back the rest of his team.

As the last of the suited monsters leave, the front doors open, and a wave of new monsters pour in, all desperate to get out of the rain.

Tylor might have tried once again to see if he recognized any of the incoming Scarers.  But he, much like all the others by the front desk, were still reeling from… whatever you want to call what just happened.  If there's any good that came from the whole affair, at least it got everyone's attention on Mr. Crummyham.  Who furiously scratches out something in his tiny notebook as the atmosphere in the lobby shifts to a busy hum.

"Well then," he begins, doing his best to regain his composure.  "I am Mr. Crummyham from monster resources.  I imagine you all have questions in regards to the paperwork asked of you to bring in today?"

Murmurs of agreement are heard from the crowd.  "And our Scare assignments!"  Tylor chimes in.

The green monster nods in confirmation.

"To answer your questions, you're all being assigned to a floor with a specific set of regulations.  It's nothing dangerous, but a certain amount of confidentiality will be required until you've all been officially cleared."

The green monster opens his box to reveal several thin folders.

"By one thirty, you'll all be expected to meet in conference room B.  There, you'll meet your floor supervisor, learn more about your given assignments, and have the time to get any other questions you have answered.  But until then…"

The monster resources employee reads the name labeled on each folder and begins to hand them out.  In return, the new hires hand him their own documents stapled together.

"You will be temporarily placed in another department."

Everyone's faces shift to express their personal level of confusion or shock.

"Wait, what?"  Tylor exclaims.

"Is this like, a downsizing thing?"  Another monster asks. 

"But we're still getting paid the same as a Scarer, right?  I really need the money,"  says another in the crowd.

"How long are we expected to work like this?" an anxious voice pipes up.

Quickly, the lobby is flooded with the sound of questions.  But unlike the last time, all it takes is for Mr. Crummyham to raise his hand in a halting motion to get everyone to go quiet.  He continues to hand out folders while talking.

"I'm sorry, that's all I know about this arrangement.  Please wait until the meeting this afternoon to express your concerns.  In the meantime, I advise all of you to get to your departments.  If any of your supervisors get on your case for being a little late, just blame the CDA.  I always do."  He says that last bit with something almost akin to a smirk, before it returns to his usual, tired expression.

"In case you're worried, each of your MI applications have been read through to ensure you're somewhere that best suits your pre-existing skill sets.  Please wait until after the meeting if you want to talk about changing positions."

Mind frazzled as he tries to process everything, Tylor almost misses Mr. Crummyham mumble a "good luck" to him specifically as he hands the maybe-scarer his new assignment.

"Huh… wait, what did yo-" Tylor tries to ask.  The green monster finishes handing out folders and addresses the crowd once more.

"You'll find a general map of the facilities in your folder to help you find your department.  If you still get lost, don't be afraid to ask someone for directions."

With his task completed, Mr. Crummyham picks up his box, now filled with everyone's entry paperwork, and leaves the lobby.

Tylor, along with his fellow newbies, is still trying to make heads or tails of the whole situation, unsure of what this development means for his career.  Suddenly, he realizes something.

"Wait, he didn't even give us our IDs!"  Tylor exclaims, his frustration causing him to raise his voice.

"Maybe we'll get them after the big meeting?"  Someone answers back.

"Why is it so hard for them to give us answers?"  Someone on the other side of the crowd asks. 

It is a small, orangey-red, winged monster who breaks the growing tension.  Tylor can't remember the guy's name, but the other newbie's southern twang helps him to stand out.

"...I, I guess I'll just head on over to my new department.  I'll see you fellas later."  With that awkward goodbye, the orange monster flies out of the lobby, personal folder clutched in his tiny talons.

Unsure of what else they can do, the others in the group follow suit, slowly trickling out as they follow their personalized maps.  Everyone except for Tylor.  He stays behind, his befuddled expression never leaving his face as he looks through his thin folder.

"Hey… Otis?"  Tylor asks, having to remind himself of the receptionist's name by checking his plate again.  "I don't see a map, or any directions in my folder.  Do you know where I can find… the MIFT department?"  he asks, unsure if he's pronouncing the name correctly.

"The what?"  Otis replies.

Tylor's about to elaborate, when a loud but distant gasp grabs his attention.  The gasp is accompanied by the rumbling engine of some kind of cart.  Both sounds grow louder as they approach the front desk, and very nearly hit the purple monster.  

The maintenance cart halts, but the driver's gasp continues, though it is clear now that it's an exclamation of excitement rather than shock.  The driver, revealed to be an orange, furry monster wearing a blue lanyard and a tiny blue helmet, keeps on gasping, but now has a look on her face that implies she wants Tylor to say something.  Tylor himself maintains a confused expression, unsure of how to respond.  Though mildly impressed she's managed to gasp for a full minute without looking like she's seconds from passing out.

Eventually, the orange monster stops.  Her expression changes from one of absolute jubilation to one of confused amusement.  She takes a second to try and study the purple monster's face.

"Tylor?  Tylor Tuskmon?"  She asks.

"... Ye- yes?"  He replies.

"Tylor, it's me, Val!  Val little!"

His mind's drawing a blank.  Weather or not she realizes this, Val continues,

"Monsters University, freshman year.  We had that Origin of Fear class together.  I guess you didn't recognize me because I'm doing my hair different now."  Val playfully bats at her magenta hair buns.  "It's just that, where I work, there are a lot of little hazards I always have look out for.  Eventually, it was just easier to cut it and make 'em into these cute bun-thingies."

"Right, Origins of Fear."  Tylor eventually gets out.  "Since it was such a big class, I guess… well…"  Tylor doesn't know how to keep going without this conversation turning awkward.  "So, you work here now?  When, uh, so when did you graduate?"

"College?  Yeah, that was an interesting detour.  Too much of a commitment for me.  Not really a regimented, stuffed-shirt, college-scene kind of gal.  Blegh!  But enough about me, what've you been up to?"  

"Graduating from college."  Tylor replys, not sure how to take the monster's blase attitude towards his alma mater.

Now it's Val's turn to be embarrassed.  Realizing she may have hit an unintended nerve, she gives a sheepish, "Huh, well, good for you."

"Yeah, it's...it's great."

"I mean, except for the loan debt.  That's gotta be like, ka-ching!  Or, I guess in your case, ka-ching ka-ching!  Because you know, you actually graduated"

"Scarer Cum Laude, actually.  I graduated Scarer Cum Laude from MU, top of my class.  And now…"  Tylor looks back at his folder with uncertainty and a bit of bitterness.

"Now, they've got me working with MIFT, whatever that-"

Another joyous gasp escapes from Val.  "No way!  You're our new MIFTer?"

Tylor gives an uncertain shrug, but is quick to correct her.  "Temporary MIFTer, but, yeah.  I guess I am."

"Tylor, that's my department!  Come on, I'll take you!"  She pats the adjacent seat on her cart.

Unsure of how else to find MIFT, or even the specific details of what MIFT is, Tylor puts his folder in his bag, and hops aboard Val's cart. 

He and Otis share a wave goodbye before Val drives them both out of the lobby.

"This is crazy right?  I drop out of college, you graduate from college but we end up working at the same place.  COSMIC!!!"

"... Yeah that's… one way of putting it."

The two continue to ride along until something catches Tylor's attention.

"Woah woah woah, hold on a sec!  Is that a Scare floor?"  It's the first time since his initial arrival that his mood shifts back to something genuinely excited.

Val takes a second to stop her cart in front of the aforementioned Scare floor.  It's from a distance, but the two can see the Scarers and their station assistants begin to prepare for their busy day ahead.

"Yup, but I wouldn't get your hopes up Tylor.  We only head in whenever there's a problem with the machines.  And that isn't too often." 

Val starts up her cart once again, and goes on to talk about… seemingly anything and everything.  But by this point, her tag-along is already tuning her out.

"It's just a minor setback, that's all this is,"  Tylor reminds himself.  "Just a few hours at… whatever MIFT is, and then your real Scarer career will begin.  Everything will get back on track.  Everything is going to be fine."

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

Something Tylor discovers pretty quickly is that Val is a very chatty monster.  

"Sorry about the whole missing-map thing.  It's just that, when I first started working here, I think I got lost every other day on the way to the office.  It's a total maze down there if you don't know how to find the right landmarks.  If you can find them at all.  Sometimes the lights on the lower levels don't get replaced on time, so some places just look like flickery hallways.  Which is why I decided, if MIFT ever got any new members, I would personally chaperone them to and from the office.  Just to help them find their footing, ya know?  But to be fair, we have a pretty understanding boss, so don't worry if you still wind up coming in late sometimes."

It's all rather sweet, if only Tylor wasn't too lost in his own mind to register it.  

"Gagh, it smells awful down here.  I gotta remember to clean up before the meeting this afternoon, can't let these fumes seep into my skin.  But it's okay, it's just gonna be for a few hours.  Then I'll finally get my IDs and... what could be so special about my Scare assignment?  I really hope dad wasn't right about this."

The rest of the drive to MIFT goes on like this; Val doing her best to be approachable, but completely blind to her passenger's disinterest.  There are a few seconds where Tylor gets the feeling he's being watched while the two of them are in an old elevator, but he chalks it up to his frazzled nerves.

"... and well, I guess you could say I learned the hard way to always put the plastic down before cleaning up the bloo- oh hey, we're here!"

"Huh?"  Tylor asks, knocked out of his thoughts for a second.

Val drives her cart up to a building that seems to be built into the wall, just bellow some kind of underground door track.  While appearing sturdy, this section of the factory looks to be far less maintained than the clean lobby or the immaculate Scare floors above.  Here, specs of rust can be seen on some of the larger pipes.  The paint on the front doors is chipping away.  And then there's that weird, stale odor lingering in the air.

Overall, MIFT headquarters could've looked worse… but that doesn't do much to improve Tylor's already bitter opinion on it.

"Yup, here it is, MIFT headquarters!"  Val does an impromptu little song to build up the team's supposed grandeur.  Its meaning is lost on Tylor who's doing his best not to roll his eyes while she's watching.

"Okay," she continues once her song is done.  "You can just head on in through those doors.  I'll be in in a sec, I just need to park this bad boy."  Val loving pats the steering wheel of her beat-up little cart.

"Alright, sure."  

Tylor walks up the steps and through the double doors to see a simple office space.  A small kitchen area to his right with a beat-up vending machine in the corner.  To his left is what looks like a makeshift meeting area, complete with a scratched up table, several plastic chairs, and a large dry erase board.  The rest of the room seems to be several cubicles, with one larger walled-off office against a back corner.  

But none of that is what has Tylor's attention.  It's that it should be the start of the work day, yet this place seems to be totally empty.  Even the lights aren't on.  It's only by the light coming through the front doors' frosted glass that Tylor can see anything.  

"Uh, hello?" He asks aloud.  He's almost expecting a bunch of monsters to jump out of nowhere, welcoming the new hire with a loud obnoxious party.

"If they're anything like her, that doesn't sound too far off."  He ponders.

It's a few seconds before he gets a response.

"MIFTer!" Someone quietly calls out, like a stage whisper.  It seems to be coming from a door on the other side of the room.

Tylor isn't sure if he heard correctly.

"MIFTer!"  They call again, just a bit louder.

"Huh, maybe I wasn't too far off with that party idea."  Tylor wonders.  He sets his bag on the scratched table, and walks towards the door, taking his time to make sure his horns don't bump into something by accident. 

"MIFTer!"  Someone just shouts regularly, sounding impatient.

Surprised, Tylor accidentally bumps one of his horns against a wall, leaving a very noticeable scar. Internally debating whether or not to leave a note to explain things, he is interrupted once again by a-

"MIFTER ALREADY!"

Deciding to deal with it later, he rushes to the blue door the sound's been coming from, and goes through.

Tylor is met with a seemingly empty, pitch black room.  

"Uh, hello?"

As though responding to his voice, Tylor begins to hear some kind of rhythmic drumming.  It's a simple, steady beat, but one that begins to fill the young monster with a confused sense of dread.

Until suddenly, there is a bright light directly over him.

"Young neophyte!  Take swift to repairs, I welcome you to MIFT!"  Someone proclaims in a jaunty, sing-song manner.  

That someone is revealed by another burst of directed light.  It is an older, furry monster with a single eye above his tapir-like nose.  But what catches Tylor's eyes is what the monster is wearing; a fuzzy orange robe, some kind of necklace made from different colored paper clips, and a… crown (?) that's just an orange traffic cone with a wrench taped to it and leaves coming out the top.  

A fashion statement this is not, but it certainly is eye-catching.

"Yes, MIFT!"  The larger monster exclaims as he shimmies over, and puts a hand on the shoulder of a bewildered Tylor.

"Since the day Monsters Incorporated was founded, there was a need. A need for monsters behind the monsters.  The unsung heroes!"  The monster continues as he gestures in front of him.

Suddenly, there is a bit more light in the room, but not enough to fully illuminate it.  It is enough to show that what Tylor initially believed to be an empty room was actually rather packed.  Going all around the walls are somewhere between twelve to sixteen monsters wearing orange hoodies, makeshift robes or bathrobes.  All of them are holding large buckets upside down, and are the source of the rhythmic drumming.  

"M.I.F.T!" Says a group of four.

In front of Tylor and the jaunty monster are four MIFT employees.  Val is one of them, eagerly shaking a wavy piece of metal panel, wearing an orange robe and a rainbow taped to her Monsters Inc helmet.  Beside her is a pea-green monster in another robe, his wings sticking out of holes in the back, with paper wrench cutouts taped to his helmet.  He plays a pan flute made from smaller pipes, but doesn't look as into it as Val.  On one end of this lineup is a blue crab-like monster in an orange jacket that Tylor can't help but find to be familiar.  The only accessories she has are two dented pipes on her helmet, similar to the pipes she's using to play her own bucket-drum.  And on the other end is a small, three-eyed monster that kind of looks like a slightly peeled green banana.  He's wearing what appears to be a coffee filter as a makeshift tutu, and a bunch of orange straws taped to his head.  The only instrument he has is a tiny noisemaker, but is also making fart noises with his nozzle-like mouth.

...you know, when I describe it like that, I can't really blame the look of absolute "what-the-fuckery" on Tylor's face. 

"Is this a cult? Did I just step into some kind of freaky corporate cult thing? Seriously, all this is missing is the runes drawn in blood and the virgin sacrifice to tie it all together. Wait... would I be the sacrifice in this scenario!?"

The monster to his side, seemingly oblivious to Tylor's reactions, continues his little speech.

"If a part breaks, we fix it!  If a machine needs maintenance, we maintain it!  This elite squad of polished professionals, each of them an expert in their fields!  They are the girdles-"

"Girdles?"  Tylor pipes in, unsure if he's hearing that correctly.

"Girders," the blue monster supplies.

"Griddles!"  The "crowned" monster decides on.

"... upon which the factory stands!  And Monsters Inc is a very big factory!  But before we proceed, how about a few words from our esteemed initiate?"

Finally, in this whirlwind of weirdness, things are starting to make sense to Tylor.

"Oh, oh!  This is an initiation ceremony."

"I mean, I guess that's better than what I was thinking. But... I should still be careful. If Oozma Kappa was anything to go buy, ceremonies like this can go from weird to fire-hazardy real fast."

Hey guys, this- this has all been… great.  But this is just a temporary thing.  So-"

"So you're leaving?"  The green monster interrupts, a suspiciously eager gleam in his four eyes. Suddenly, Tylor recognizes this voice as the one calling out to him just minutes ago.

"Leaving in a cardboard tube most likely."  Added the monster with the bucket drum.  "Just like Rodney after that hydraulic press incident.  Flat Rodney."  Her blase tone makes it very hard for Tylor to tell if she's being serious, or trying to make a morbid joke.

Before he has the time to question things, one of the monsters by the walls comes forward to slide a beat-up toolbox towards him with an eager, "heads up!"

"Behold!" Decrees the crowned monster as he opens the box, "You will signify your readiness, for everlasting membership-"

"Everlasting?"

"With your first sacred tool!"

He pulls out an electric toothbrush.

There's a look of realization on the blue monster's face  "Oh, so that's where I put it.  Thanks!"  She takes back her toothbrush and stuffs it away in her jacket.

The crowned monster pulls a wrench out of the box, and gently hands it to Tylor.  "Tylor, I beseech you.  Wrench the nut!"

"What kind of nut are we talking about? 'Cause I have allergies."

Another hooded MIFTer pops into the light, rolling along a tool cart, a heavy-duty clamp on it holds a plank of wood in place.  This plank looks old, but ornately painted with blues and whites.  Proud to be MIFT is painted in the center, surrounded by the names of fellow employees scratched into the wood.  An old bolt is wedged between the lines of the painted motto, and on its end is a large silver nut.

Tylor is gently nudged closer to the plank.

"Wrench the nut!  Wrench the nut!  Wrench the nut."  It's what everyone is chanting by now, some admittedly more into it than others.  The green monster looks like he wants Tylor to burst into flames for some reason.

The crowned monster continues, "You're on your way, to a lifelong membership in MIFT! Do not feel unworthy, young neophyte. Fulfill your joyous destiny, and wrench that nut!"

"Wh- what? I don't- No, I don't want anything to do with this nut. You people are crazy!"

By now, everyone's gotten into a frenzy.  The chants are growing louder, and one of the hooded drummers has gone completely off the rhythm and is doing his own kickass solo.

"It's just a temporary job, it's just temporary. Just give the cultists what they want, and soon you'll never have to see them again. Everything will be fine"

"Ok, fine, fine fine fine!  If it'll get you guys to stop chanting!"

Not seeing any other choice, Tylor takes his wrench, and proceeds to wrench the nut.

...or try to, at least.

It's been a while since he'd even held a wrench, let alone used one.  And the growing noise certainly isn't helping his concentration.

"Uh, is the ground supposed to be shaking like this?"

Tylor isn't mistaken, as he continues to try and wrench the nut, the ground does seem to be rumbling, as though going through minor earthquakes. And it's somehow keeping in time with the beating of the drums (minus that one guy.)

"It will all be okay, you just gotta wrench this stupid nu-"

With a wrench that's just a bit too powerful, Tylor causes the nut to pop off its bolt, and roll through the gap in a nearby floor grate.

Suddenly, everyone goes silent, except that one drummer guy. His grand finale serving as the drum roll to follow the nut as it descends deeper into the pipe system. This goes on for a full minute, until the echoes of the nut can be heard no more, and the drummer lets out an enthusiastic, "Wooohooo!" before finishing his number, and passing out from exhaustion.

There is a beat of silence before the crowned monster speaks.

"Good enough. Tylor Tuskmon, welcome to the Monsters Inc Facilities Team! Now then, how's about we get you settled in?"

"... Are we just not gonna talk about the mini earthquakes!?"

[imagines-mha]

When you wear his clothes

Fandom(s): Haikyuu!!

Characters: Daichi, Oikawa, Kuroo, Bokuto, Terushima, Kita, Futakuchi, Ushijima

🔸 Daaamn if this man ain’t smug as hell

🔸 He wouldn’t seem it, and it’d take a genius to tell- but beneath his cool facade, he’s overflowing with utter pride

🔸 You show up one day to practice to drop off his lunch, clad in one of his comfy t-shirts

🔸 Let's be real, Tanaka and Noya see you way before he does

🔸 And bc ur the captains s/o™️, you get a free pass to becoming the unofficial mom of karasuno

🔸 So yes, they all adore you. And yes, they tease you and Daichi like hell

🔸 “WOAH Y/N!! IS THAT DAICHI’S?!” Noya calls, and all eyes magnetise to your figure

🔸 That’s when a smirk creeps onto your boyfriend’s face and your face starts to heat up bc he is HOT

🔸 “You gotta wear my stuff more often babe,“ he’ll grin after the team finish with their compliments, “seems like everyone here thinks you’re cute as hell too. Pity you’re all mine though-“

🔸 *cue cheesy couple shit that makes half of the team wanna throw up*

🔹 If you wear ANY of his stuff, you can bet he’s gonna put the evidence all over the internet. Yall KNOW he would upload it onto a public billboard if he could

🔹 Because everyone needs to see how cute his little y/n is

🔹 And also- boy likes to boast about his relationship cus he thinks ur a gift from god lol

🔹 He’ll probably still tease you about it tho U CANNOT WIN W THIS MAN

🔹 “Aw y/n are you trying to get even closer to me by wearing my shirt? Did you really miss me THAT much? Gosh you’re so cute when-“

🔹 Just slap him

🔹 Fr tho either tell him to knock it off or feed his ego even more. We all know what choice is gonna take less time lmao

🔹 He’s the boyfriend who encourages you to wear his stuff, but super subtly.

🔹 Leaving hoodies on radiators when it’s cold, t-shirts in convenient places just in case you wanna throw them on…

🔹 He just loves having an s/o who wears his clothes it makes him feel like a cool boyfriend okay

🔹 He’ll post pics with the caption “isn’t my sweet little y/n just adorable in MY hoodie?! 🥰🥰🥰” and u can’t lie it kinda does make you melt

♦️ Go grab the dictionary and look up “teasing little bitch”

♦️ There u go that's how he is. He’ll torture you abt it but we all know he’s so into seeing u wear his stuff.

♦️ Sexually.

♦️ “Wow dontcha have your own jacket to wear? Or are you just trying to show me off again?”

♦️ “And who gave you the free pass to steal all my shirts?”

♦️ He’s just teasing though, y’all know he prays every night for you to wear them cus he thinks you’re fucking precious

♦️ You remind him of a little kitty when his giant hoodies are draped around your shoulders

♦️ It drives him CRAZY

♦️ He’s got hard like 83 times more than he’d like to admit just from the sight of you in his clothes not his finest moments

♦️ With that in mind, wear his clothes for a free pass to the best sex of your life amen

⚫️ Lmao. Simp king.

⚫️ He comes home early from practice to find you rummaging around in the kitchen, one of his hoodies hanging around you

⚫️ And istg he almost has to call an ambulance

⚫️ “Y/N WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WORE MY STUFF WHEN I WASNT HOME ANDJWJDJWDJSH”

⚫️ Openly campaigns for you to wear his clothes

⚫️ Like if advertising his clothes to you was an olympic sport, he’d have won gold at least 6 years in a row by now

⚫️ Ur like “oh i'm coming to practice today” and he’s like “ok wear my hoodie”

⚫️ And BOI when you do. WHEN YOU DO.

⚫️ You’re gonna feel like A BEAUTY QUEEN.

⚫️ “EVERYONE LOOK AT HOW FUCKING ADORABLE Y/N LOOKS IN MY HOODIE. HEAR THAT? MY HOODIE. THE HOODIE THAT IS MINE AND BELONGS TO ME. M-E. NO ONE ELSE.”

⚫️ Bokuto you’re making another scene

⚫️ Its fucking cute though

🟣 Confused.com

🟣 “Y/n… where are all your clothes?”

🟣 God bless him he’s such a sweetie pie. He just doesn’t get the memo you’re doing it bc he has comfy ass clothes and you wanna wear them also he smells nice n u like to boast that ur ushijima’s s/o what about it

🟣 When you tell him this, he just nods for a moment, still clueless as ever

🟣 “I can buy you new clothes if you need them?” USHIJIMA NO

🟣 Somehow he works out that you just wear them cus you wanna, and he is more than okay with that

🟣 Lowkey fills him with pride

🟣 You’ll find he’s more clingy when you’re in his hoodies etc. He’s a big cuddlebug on the worst of days so this just sends him OFF

🟣 Perfect for when u need that extra affection

🟣 Just throw on his hoodie and BAM there you are. Cuddly wakatoshi. Ur welcome

▪️He finds it endearing above anything

▪️ He isn’t one to openly show how blushy something makes him, so his reaction is a narrow display of how his heart is really feeling

▪️ You can still read him like an open book tho and u just KNOW by the sparkle in his eyes that he’s melting at the sight of you

▪️ He’s a busy guy, but meticulous at that. He’ll walk into your home and notice you wearing it immediately

▪️ It makes his chest heat up at the sight of you, and he just has to indulge himself in the situation

▪️ You feel his arms around your waist before anything else, giving you a warm squeeze and a peck to your head

▪️ “You look beautiful y/n”

▪️ You guys always cuddle before bed, and you find he’s holding you just a little closer and tighter when you’re in his hoodie/shirt

▪️ He likes to nuzzle you to his chest and play with your hair- it comforts him

▪️ But if you’re in his t-shirt while he does it?? It’s like the feeling is hyped x100

🔸He’s gonna get turned on by it no cap

🔸Seriously, what else did you expect from him?

🔸 He’s boastful as hell when his sees you in his outfits, and even the idea of it just makes him heat up

🔸 You show up to his house one day in a shirt he left at yours

🔸 You’re met with a sharp whistle, catching you off guard and clearly to compliment how hot you look

🔸 “Didn’t know you were comin’ all dressed up for me baby,”

🔸 You swear every time he calls you baby it makes you swoon

🔸 Like Oikawa, he’s boastful as hell

🔸 Expect 104827 selfies before you leave he treats u like his model its so fuckin cute

🔸This man just likes to show you OFF

🟢 Boy gets a little flustered

🟢 But does he mask it with cockiness? Yes. Yes he does

🟢 “Wow, this for me?” He’ll smirk a bit, dropping his bags on the floor and making his way into the bedroom where you lay

🟢 And then it could go one of two ways my friend.

🟢 Either you act all sub and cute- pouting back, letting him take control of you

🟢 Or you call him out on his faux-smugness, and watch him fall weak to you

🟢 If you chose option 1, he’ll probably take it as an opportunity to further things and fuck you- cus that boy is ALWAYS ready to go if u know what i mean ;))

🟢 If you chose option 2, you get to watch his soft side come out and it's CUTE as hell

🟢 He’ll be like “y/n stoppp let me be cool…”

🟢 Either way he fuckin loves when you wear his clothes. Surprise him in a t shirt and nothing else and he’ll SLAM you into a wall and kiss you til you can’t feel your lips istg