#I had a little too much fun with graphics hehe

[bardic-inspo]

All of my Fallout 4 writing in one place.

MacCready x F!SoSu Slow Burn Friends to Lovers | Chapters 29/43

Canon divergence/reinterpretation | Eventual explicit smut (achieved!) | More hurt & even more comfort

[READ ON AO3]

Fic Summary:

“Six months, huh? How much fast talking did you do to get here?” “Enough to keep me alive.” “Really? Cause you don’t act like that’s your goal half the time. Hell, you throw yourself at everything like you’re jumping off a cliff.”

Sole survivor Natasha Sokolova is burning through friends faster than she can make them. Robert Joseph MacCready needs all the caps he can get. Problem is, the smooth-talking woman with a pistol and a job offer turns out to be more trouble than he’s counting on. They’re a match made in hell, but their little partnership might be the only thing that can see them through it.

Deacon x MacCready x F!SoSu OT3 Series

Short fics & One-Shots set post-Institute | Domesticity | Smut | Hurt/Comfort

[READ ON AO3]

Series Summary:

After the Institute, MacCready and Natasha find a place to land. They find Deacon. And Deacon finds his way home. In which a couple becomes a throuple and learns to brave the trials and triumphs of life in a post-Institute wasteland together. Occurs within the same ficverse as Bring the Gasoline. Can be read as standalone oneshots, or as a sequel to that fic.

Series Fics Listed Individually Below the Cut

No Rest for the Wicked - Rated T, Pre-OT3

“So, let me get this straight,” Deacon asks him. “You’re begging me to sleep with your girlfriend?”

Missing Pieces - Rated T, Pre-OT3

Six months after defeating the Institute, Deacon finally took Natasha and MacCready up on their offer to stay at their new homestead. MacCready wants to catch up. Deacon would rather skip the middle. Natasha orchestrates a plan for a more harmonious household.

We Never Go Anywhere Nice - Rated T, Pre-OT3

Deacon, Natasha, and MacCready investigate a lead in a case of several missing ghouls and find themselves spending the night in a house hiding secrets in plain sight.

In the Name of Love - Rated M, Established OT3

Deacon, MacCready, and Natasha have been together for a few months. This isn’t the first time they’ve done this. An unexpected bedroom mishap leads to some teasing and reflection.

Follow Suit - Rated E, Established OT3

What starts as a game of cards turns into Deacon, MacCready, and Natasha showing more than just their hands.

Warm Bodies - Rated E, Established OT3

One close encounter leads to another.

Rest Easy - Rated G, Established OT3

Deacon dozes off. MacCready and Natasha have some fun.

Feline Feelings - Rated G, Established OT3

Natasha makes a new friend who isn’t so friendly to the rest of her household. A series of short vignettes featuring a new, furry addition to the MacCready-Sokolova residence.

Hungry Hearts - Rated T, Vignettes Over Time

A primer in finding your way to your lovers’ hearts through their stomachs. Or, kitchen table polyamory. Or, a collection of short vignettes featuring Deacon, MacCready, and Natasha making love, happiness, and food.

Safe Haven - Rated T, Established OT3, Post Duncan Arrival

Deacon, MacCready, and Natasha prepare their homestead for an incoming blizzard. The storm stirs up bad memories gifted to Nat courtesy of Vault-Tec. Her family helps her cope with and conquer some of the side effects of cryostasis.

Worried Sick - Rated T, Established OT3, Post Duncan Arrival

One minute, Duncan was playing out in the fields behind their house. And the next... MacCready struggles to cope as an old fear resurfaces.

Recollections - Rated M, Vignettes Over Time

Deacon remembers moments along the road that led him home to Natasha and MacCready. Or, Deacon’s retrospection on a handful of moments from Bring the Gasoline after falling for the best shot in the Commonwealth and the woman out of time. Or, a sample/appetizer-sized taste of my favorite OT3.

Misc:

Center of the Universe - Rated T, Toothrotting New Year's Fluff feat. someone else's SoSu

MacCready might have his holidays mixed up; gift-giving is a Christmas thing. But he’s got one last present for his partner in crime before the year is out.

Character/Ship Tags:

Natasha Sokolova

Mactasha

Spicy OT3

Reclamations

Bring the Gasoline

Credits:

Font

Molotov Emoji

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Awwwww, I loved your tony fic 🥹 I need to make a request for you. Fem reader is dating tony, and she's virgin (legal age, of course hehe), but she's ready to give her virginity to tony, he's the most romantic and caring with her, the cutest lovemaking, please please ❤️

Touched for the very first time

PAIRING | Tony Stark x Virgin!Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 3.9K

SUMMARY | You and Tony have been going steady for a while, and you're finally ready to take the next step in your relationship. Tony wants to make sure your first time will be unforgettable and takes out all the stops to make you feel like the most special and beautiful woman on earth, which you will always be in his eyes.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Age gap (Reader is in her mid 20's, Tony is in his late 30's), smut [ fingering, protected sex, implied aftercare ].

A/N | Oh, dear Nonnie, thank you for this lovely request! I had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you will enjoy it too! I'm sorry it took me longer than expected, but I hope it will be worth the wait! 🖤

Likes, comments and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Divider is made by @firefly-graphics

Main Masterlist | Tony Stark Masterlist

It is a rainy Sunday night, and you and Tony enjoy a simple dinner with some Italian take-out and a sappy rom-com on the television. These nights are your favorite since you have already spent the entire day by his side in his lab and are enjoying a relaxing evening in the Compound.

However, there is something on your mind, and you need to figure out how to bring it up to your boyfriend. The two of you have talked about the fact that you're still a virgin, and he is very understanding, for which you are incredibly thankful. Right now, however, you're ready to take the next step in your relationship, but you don't know how to tell him.

Tony can feel your eyes practically burn a hole in the side of his head, so he turns his head to yours after pausing the tv. "Is there something wrong, Bubble Butt?" he asks, and you immediately turn bright red at the nickname he gave you when you started dating.

"I, uh, no. I'm sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts, is all," you say, but the flush on your cheeks doesn't go away when Tony keeps staring at you like that.

"And am I allowed to know what you are thinking about?" He asks, taking your hands in his to calm you down. "If there's something on your mind, you know you can tell me, right? Without judgment," he says, and you nod.

"Yeah, it's just… a little uncomfortable for me to talk about," you tell him as the red color on your cheeks deepens even more. "I… Uhm, I want you… to… well Iwantyoutotakemyvirginity," you ramble, but he doesn't quite hear you.

"What is that you said?" He asks, tilting his head slightly to ensure he can hear you.

"I'm ready to take the next step in our relationship, and I would like you to take my virginity," you say as your eyes are screwed shut.

"Okay, as much as I'd love to do that, I want us to talk it through first. It's not a decision to take lightly, so I'd like to talk about it," he says, and you nod.

"Okay," you whisper, cuddling into his side for now.

"First of all, I'm honored that you're asking this of me, but I want to do it right and make it absolutely unforgettable for you. You only have this chance once, so I want to make it special for you, Bubble Butt," he says, and it makes you smile to yourself.

"I appreciate that, but how were you planning on making it special?" You ask, wondering about what he is planning.

"I would like to make it an entire special day, so I would love for you to have a morning at the spa for a massage and get your nails done, both mani- and pedicure. Afterward, I want you to pick out the most beautiful dress and lingerie. I hope you can wear it to the restaurant I'm taking you to that evening. Afterward, I want to make sweet love to you," he says, and your insides are feeling warm and fuzzy at that idea.

"That sounds like the perfect way to do it," you tell him, and you sit up, letting him capture your lips with his pink, soft ones as you moan at the thought. The rest of the evening is spent with many cuddles and kisses, unable to leave each other alone for even a few seconds.

When it's time to go to bed, Tony grabs you and carries you over to the bedroom, plopping you down with a soft thud. "I love you, Bubble Butt," he says, and you grin big, enjoying the nickname he always calls you.

You still remember the first time he called you that in front of all the Avengers. You were over at the Compound and had met everyone for the first time since you weren't an Avenger or a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., to begin with.

He just introduced you to all of them, and now he pulls out your chair like a true gentleman. "Here you go, Bubble Butt," he says, and you sit down with a polite smile, but the both of you are getting a lot of weird looks from everyone.

"What? I think it's sweet he calls me that! Right, Bubba?" you ask Tony and all he can see is pure adoration in your eyes. He nodded in response before leaning over for a small kiss.

The morning you and Tony had talked about finally arrived, and now you're getting ready to go to the beauty salon. He has booked an entire morning for you to get a massage, a full body wax (which you requested), and have your nails done.

You step out of the shower and get ready for the day, putting your hair in a ponytail and grabbing your glasses, not wanting to bother with contact lenses today. You wear a black and brown outfit, ready to take on the day ahead.

Tony invited you to sleep with him at the Compound last night, and you happily agreed; you always love sleeping over there because he has a huge bed, a luxury you can't afford for your small apartment.

Tony already left for an early meeting, and you know he's in his lab working right now, so that's where you're heading; ready to say goodbye for now.

When you open the door, he immediately notices you, and his face turns into a big smile, which Bruce and Steve notice, giving each other a knowing look. "Good morning, Bubble Butt; you look gorgeous today!" he says as he walks over to you.

"Mornin' Bubba. Thank you, I'm heading out to the beauty salon right now, so I'm just saying goodbye," you tell him, wrapping your arms around his waist and pulling him closer, one of his hands on your cheek.

"I can't wait to see how much more beautiful you will be once you come back," he whispers in your ear before placing a soft kiss underneath it, teasing just ever so slightly. "I'll probably be busy when you return, but you can let yourself into my apartment and start getting ready for dinner. I'll be up there no later than 6 PM," Tony tells you, and you nod in agreement.

"Okay, good luck with work today. And I can't wait to see you again tonight," you say as you pull him closer by the back of his neck, capturing his lips in a breathtaking kiss. When the two of you pull apart, your biggest grin is on your face, and you wave goodbye to Steve and Bruce. "Bye, guys, it was nice seeing you again!" with that, you're on your way.

Tony hands you one of the keys to his car, and you walk over to it, opening it when you're close. You usually don't enjoy driving his cars, but his newest Tesla was the exception to his rule. Every time you borrow a car, it's this one since it's the least intimidating in your eyes.

The drive to the beauty salon is smooth, and you arrive on time, meaning you can immediately go on with your massage first. "Good morning, I'll be your-"is all the guy who massages you says before stopping mid-sentence.

"Bucky? You are a massage therapist here?" You ask, seeing the super soldier in his white tank top and jeans. His hair is slicked back into a high bun, making him look stunning. "Since when?"

"I've recently started working here a few days a week to get a break from being an Avenger. The calm here relaxes me too, and I enjoy putting my metal arm to good use," he explains as he shows you his metal arm.

"Wow, that's so cool! Sorry if I'm overstepping here, but do you mind if I touch it?" You ask, utterly starstruck by the metal limb, tracing the gold patterns on the black metal.

"Uh, only if you want to," he says, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He's not used to someone reacting that way to his arm. He walks over to you and puts it in front of you, letting you grab it and look at it from all angles.

"This looks amazing…" you whisper, and it makes Bucky smile a little. "Well, thanks. But shall we get started with your massage? You can check it out more when you're at the Compound," he says, and you nod.

"Yeah, sorry," you say, and Bucky leaves the room for you to strip down and get ready on the bed, a towel lying over your butt, covering it. "You can come in, Bucky," you say, and you hear the door open.

The next hour is spent massaging your back, shoulders, and legs, getting you completely relaxed, and having a light conversation between you. "Alright, I'm all done, I will leave now, and Jessica will be with you shortly for your next appointment. It was nice seeing you again," he says, leaving with a smile and a small wave.

You didn't have to wait long for Jessica to arrive because you were barely seated and covered like usual, and she knocked on the door. "Come in!" You say, and a woman with a bubbly personality walks in the door.

"Hi, and welcome to New York Beauty! My name is Jessica - but you may call me Jess - and I believe we're doing a full body wax today. Is this your first time, or have you gotten this done before?" She asks while she prepares the wax and puts on gloves.

"I've gotten this done before, just not here. My boyfriend suggested I'd go here; he comes here often for massages," you tell her, and she nods.

The wax is also over before you know it, and you feel smooth like a baby butt when you're done and ready to pay. The girl at the front desk tells you the total, but you want to add a tip for both Bucky and Jessica. "Will you add a 50-dollar tip for both of them?" You ask, and she happily does.

When that's done, you walk out of the salon, and it's almost lunchtime, so you visit your favorite small bakery. You get your favorite pastry and some s'mores cookies for Tony, together with an iced coffee. When you're about to sit down, your phone rings, and it's Tony FaceTiming you.

You grab your AirPods out of your bag and put them in before answering Tony's call. "Hey, Bubba," you say as you put the phone against the napkin holder on the table, so you can eat.

"Hi Bubble Butt, how is everything going? Having fun without me today?" He asks, sitting down in his office with his own lunch.

"It would be more fun if you were here, but I guess it'll do," you chuckle. "Had a great massage, and I'm all smooth again, so I can't complain. Also, I got some of your favorite cookies!" You tell him excitedly, showing the small box they have been put into.

"Oh, you're way too good for me!" He exclaims with a slight grunt, thinking of the delicious cookies heading his way later. The rest of your lunches are spent with him on the phone until you go to your nail appointment.

"Sorry, Bubba, but I have to go to my nail appointment," you say, and after your goodbyes, you head out and walk there; it's close by, so you decide that's easier.

When you arrive at the salon, you tell the lady behind the desk you have an appointment for both a manicure and pedicure, and you're taken to a big chair for your pedicure first.

"What color are we doing today, ma'am?" The lady asks you, and you look over to all the colors on the wall, finally deciding on emerald green.

She makes quick work of both your feet and hands, and in less than 2 hours, you're done, ready to pick out a dress, a pair of black heels for tonight, and a set of lingerie in the same color as your nails.

You drove back to Tony's apartment around 4 PM, and Tony wouldn't be home for another 2 hours, so you decided to work from home a little; there were still a lot of emails that needed your attention.

By the time 5:30 PM rolls around, Tony is done with work, and he heads to his apartment instead of staying late for once, wanting to see you again. He puts his key in the lock and opens the door to some soft music, and he finds you on the couch with a blanket around you while working.

"Hi Bubble Butt," he says when you look at him walking in, immediately putting your laptop to the side and getting up to greet him. "Hey, Bubba, I'm happy to see you again!" You say as you jump into his arms, cuddling him like a koala bear.

"Shall we take a shower together?" You ask when you have pulled back a little to look at him. He doesn't answer you but walks to the big bathroom and puts you on the counter.

He undresses you and leaves kisses everywhere he can, his fingertips sliding over the places his lips can't reach. Once fully undressed, you give Tony the same treatment but get impatient as you know what's coming later tonight.

"I can see someone's a little eager, but I want to treat you right, Bubble Butt. It's the least I can do to make your first time absolutely special," Tony says, and you pout a little, which he quickly kisses away.

The shower took longer than expected because the two of you couldn't keep your hands off each other, making the soaping and washing much more complicated than necessary. Still, the many shared kisses, cuddles, and sweet words were worth it.

You decided to change in the walk-in closet instead of in the bedroom with Tony because you wanted to surprise him with the outfit you got. You let your hair fall naturally around your shoulders just like Tony, and your makeup is relatively minimal to not take away from the outfit.

"Are you ready?" You ask and open the door just enough to poke your head through. He nods, and his mouth practically drops onto the floor when you walk out.

"Wow-"

"I had a feeling you would like this," you tell him, and you twirl a few times for him, feeling like an absolute goddess right now.

"I have one more surprise for you, Bubble Butt," he says and walks over to his nightstand, opening the drawer to find a big, square velvet box. He grabs it and walks over to you.

You open the box from him, revealing a gorgeous silver layered necklace. You turn over the rectangular pendant on the bottom and find a date. "Is that the day we first started dating?" you ask, and he nods.

"It is; I wanted you to wear it close to your heart so you would never forget it," he says, and you hold out the box so he can get the necklace out of it and hang it around your neck.

"I love it, Bubba. I can't believe you got me this after everything you've done for me so far," you say, a blush creeping up your cheeks.

"I want nothing but the best for my best girl," he says, kissing you softly on your cheek.

Dinner went by way too fast for your liking since you were having so much fun with Tony, but you were also starting to get a little nervous about what was about to happen.

The two of you have made your way to the bedroom, and right now, Tony is peppering your neck with soft, sweet kisses to calm you down a little bit.

"Don't worry about what's going to happen, Angel. If you want to stop, you can always tell me, and we will stop. You can let me know if something's uncomfortable or painful, and we will stop. I won't ever do anything you're not okay with," he says, his thumbs stroking the apples of your cheeks.

"I-I know, it's just... I'm nervous," you say with a shy smile, and you drop your line of sight to the floor.

"And that's perfectly normal, but I will take it easy tonight. I'm not going to overwhelm you with doing every single thing at once. Tonight is about you and your pleasure, and we will take it slow," he says, and you nod, feeling a little reassured now.

"Now, let's get you out of this dress and see what gorgeous lingerie you're hiding from me," he says, and you can't help but laugh at his comment.

He slides the dress off your shoulders, and it falls around your feet in a silky puddle so you can step out of it and show Tony your lingerie in its full effect.

"Wow..." he sighs at the sight of you covered by the emerald green lace. Your ass looks absolutely to die for, and you're showing him why he gave you the nickname 'Bubble Butt' right now.

Tony captures your lips in a sweet kiss but doesn't deepen it immediately, knowing he wouldn't be patient if he did that.

"Let's get you out of this suit, hm?" you tell him, and he nods, so you quickly take it off. Not long after, you're lying comfortably on the bed with your head on the pillows; Tony is lying beside you as his hand trails slowly over your body.

Your lingerie has already met the same faith as your dress and is lying on the floor, leaving you entirely bare for him.

Once his hands reach your thighs, he takes it slowly, letting your legs fall open when you're ready. His lips have found your neck again, and he's softly sucking on the spot below your ear, turning you into a moaning mess underneath his touch.

As if they have their own will, your legs spread, and Tony walks over to your glistening cunt, slowly tracing his fingers between your folds to find your clit.

"T-Tony, yes!" you say when he finds it and starts rubbing short, quick circles to tease you. Your back arches off the bed, and your head lulls to the side, giving him even more access to your neck.

"Yeah? Does that feel good, Bubble Butt?" he asks, and you nod, unable to respond right now, only soft moans coming out.

"This may be a little strange, but it's okay. Just relax," he says, and you do right before Tony finds his way down to your entrance and inserts a finger.

Your legs immediately close at the feeling since it's weird, but you don't push him away.

"F-Feels good," you say as he slowly moves his finger in and out of you, your legs releasing their grip on his wrist, and he speeds up ever so slightly.

"Do you think you're ready for one more?" he asks after getting used to having one of his fingers inside you. You nod in response, and before you know it, you feel very full.

"Oh, f-feels... feels odd," you manage to say, and he nods.

"It's okay, you can take it; I won't add any more. Just relax into my touch and experience the pleasure," he says, and you do.

He moves his thumb to your clit and starts thrusting in and out a little faster while stimulating your puffy clit at the same time, making you cum on his fingers in no time at all.

"T-Tony! Fuck!" you scream out as your hips buck up and into his movements, your back arching off the bed too.

"Such a pretty girl when you cum for me. You're doing amazing for me," he says as he rides out your orgasm with his fingers and pulls them out carefully.

"Are you ready for me, Bubble Butt?" he asks after you take a few minutes to come down from what happened.

"Y-Yeah, I think so."

Tony grabs a condom from the nightstand and rips open the package after taking his underwear off and revealing his hard cock. You can't help but reach out and wrap your hand around it.

"Oh, yes, that's so good, Baby," he says as you move up and down a couple times, getting used to the feel of him in your hand first.

Your eyes snap up to meet his, and even though he knows what you're thinking, tonight is all about you.

"Don't worry, Bubble Butt, you can have a taste next time. Tonight is all about you," he says before leaning over and capturing your lips in a slow, heated kiss, your hands finding their way to his shoulders where your nails leave red marks as you accidentally scratch.

When he pulls back, he makes quick work of the condom and sits between your legs. "I'll go slow, I promise," he says before leaning in for another kiss.

His tip is pressing against your entrance, and just like he promised, he pushes in slowly, constantly giving you time to adjust while giving endless praises.

"Doing so well for me, you're amazing like this. Taking me so well; look at how well you're taking me right now. You feel so good," he says, and before you know it, he's buried deep inside you.

When the last bit sinks in, and he's completely buried, you let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding in, followed by a long moan.

"Please, start moving. Feels so good inside me," you say, and he does, starting with slow movements, which make you moan even harder.

"G-god, I'm close!" you say after he picks up his pace and thrusts into it steadily, and his thumb finds his way to your clit to pull you over the edge.

"Keep squeezing like that, and I'll come too," Tony grunts, and you do, falling over the edge simultaneously as him. He rides both of your orgasms out, and when he's completely soft again, he finally pulls out, ready to take the condom off.

The two of you take a bath afterward and talk about the entire experience, if there is anything you did or didn't like, and if there's something you might want to try later.

It has been a couple of weeks since your first time with Tony, and you're finally at the Compound again. He was gone for a mission that took longer than expected, but you decided to surprise him with his favorite cookies.

You were quickly distracted, however, because you saw Bucky, Steve, and Nat when you walked by the living room.

"Hi guys, I'm sorry to interrupt," you say, but they don't mind.

"Hey, it's no problem! You're always welcome to interrupt when we're sitting here," Steve said reassuringly.

"Bucky? Can I finally take a closer look at your arm like you promised?" you ask, and he laughs loudly.

"Of course, you can, doll," he says, and you plop yourself down on the couch on his left side, completely enamored by his arm, the plates shifting when he makes specific movements and the black and gold design.

"So cool..." you whisper, and you don't notice Tony walking in too.

"Well, it appears I'm not getting my girlfriend back for a while," he jokes as he grabs the box of cookies and kisses you on your head.

"Yeah, yeah, see you later," you say with a slight wave, never tearing your eyes away from Bucky's arm. Right now, you're busy; you will catch up with Tony later.

[pafbar]

Have you ever done any nsfw art with your characters. Ted has shown some cheeks previously but is there anything else? In general do you make any nsfw art or do you prefer to do only at most mildly suggestive art?

hehe uhhhh…. pleading da fith

We are doing a little suggestive out here for fun sometimes!! Honestly I would like to get into realistic sexuality a little more in my art but there’s some reasons I cannot get too graphic with it publicly, but the two boys are both a little weird and nervous about sex when you really get into it. Neither of them like it that much when they first meet because they’ve had not so awesome experiences before (just bad, not abusive) but they grow into it!! I feel like gay guys who are scared of sex get very little play in the mainstream, because of woke

[remapped-soul]

once again with an italian song, this time for charlos

"occhi diversi tutte le sere ma sempre il solito vecchio sorriso" >>> different eyes every single night but always the same old smile

i'm imagining something romantic and cheesy and charles' eyes changing with the light :)

once again, im so sorry how late this is. i had an idea for this ever since you sent me the ask but only now found the energy to write. i hope you like it <3 I tried making it cheesy and romantic. what's for sure, charles' eyes are definitely changing hehe. your prompts have been amazing and I had so much fun writing them

this is a companion piece to my charlos demon au. read it here

tw: mention of the lv incident, and charles is angry about it, but nothing too graphic.

This year was supposed to be different. This year was supposed to be their year. Prayers on his lips, the devil by his side, Carlos was supposed to win this year. Instead, he's barely scrapping in the top 5 as it is. To say he is frustrated is an understatement.

"I thought a deal with the devil meant glory," Carlos says the night after the race in Melbourne. "I thought the car would be strong. I thought--" the voice catches in his throat "--I thought I'd be strong."

Charles is motionless next to him, eyes a blue so dark and deep, no shadow disturbs them. Carlos is a little afraid to look at him.

"It will come." Charles presses his mouth against Carlos' shoulder, heat sipping through the shirt. He inhales, long and deep. He's just like a dog sometimes, Carlos thinks, a little amused, a little fond. Protective and possessive.

"Easy for you to talk." Carlos shakes Charles off. The artificial light of the hotel room slants in his eyes, and for a second, Charles' irises are not deep blue, but milky white. Carlos' heart seizes in his chest. He blinks. Charles' eyes are back to normal. "You were Senna in the past life."

Charles rolls his eyes. "I made a deal with you, not with Ferrari. I can't help them if they're not ready to pay the price."

"And I am? Paying the price?"

Charles smiles, crooked, lopsided, dimples popping, and kisses him into quietness.

*

It gets better until it doesn't and Carlos has to retire his car in Spa halfway in. It's Charles' turn to be on the podium, and Carlos is so angry he can barely stand to look at him.

"It's just a third place, Carlos. Nothing to stress over."

They go back to the hotel right after Charles finished his media duties, and Carlos wants nothing more than to be alone. He thinks slamming the door would have gotten the message across, but when he turns around, Charles is already there, by the bed, waiting, hands in his pockets, eyes a dull grey.

"A third place and three championships," Carlos sneers now, looking over Charles' shoulder. He can't stand the look in his eyes. "Nothing to stress over."

Charles sighs, exasperated. "I existed before you, Carlos. I will exist after you. My life now is nothing but a moment, painted in a different color. I don't choose my lives, the same way you didn't choose to be bound to me. If I could, I'd always be a king, a winner, but my life is defined by the contracts I make the same way yours is defined by things outside of your control." Charles stops, an angry breath hissing through his clenched teeth. He doesn't talk about his life, his existence as a being outside of the human realm, if he can help it. "You know what you got to do if you wish to never see me again."

Carlos finally looks at Charles. His eyes shine like marble in sunlight. Outside is dark, a starless night.

"And if I do? Will the old Charles be back?" Carlos still remembers the days before he made his pact. The sweet Charles, the shy Charles. The one that blushed around Sebastian Vettel.

"You drivers always think you're so different from one another, but you're all the same." The Charles in front of him gives him a sad smile. "There is no old Charles. It's always been me."

Carlos suddenly feels nauseous. He stares at Charles, at his eyes, at the grey melting into blue. "I think…I think I need to be alone." A pause. "Please."

Charles tilts his head to the side, watching Carlos. Carlos blinks. Charles is gone.

Later, they will be fine, as fine as a demon and human can be. They will fall into bed again, and Charles will let Carlos touch him, slide into him raw, make love to him. Charles will let Carlos wrap his hands around his throat, kiss him breathless, mark him. Charles will let Carlos believe he has power, and Carlos will let it happen, accept it. He will accept anything, everything as long as he gets to enjoy this for a little while longer.

*

The win in Singapore comes with a bang, and Carlos doesn't have time to think if Charles gave him this only to appease him. He is yelling over the coms, yelling as he gets out of the car, as he embraces the team. He sings every word of Fratelli d’Italia up on the podium. Fred pours champagne over his head, down his overalls. Carlos accepts everything with the biggest smile on his face. He won. He won for Ferrari. With Ferrari.

A tiny voice in his head tells him, you won before Charles this year, before Il Predestinato. It's delightfully mean. Carlos shoves it back where it came from.

He doesn't spot Charles anywhere until after his press conference, when Carlos is pulled into a desolate room, a hand on his mouth to silence him and a cheeky smile greeting him in the dark.

"Hi, champion."

Carlos grins against the fingers. "Hi back," he mumbles, pulling Charles into him by the waist.

Charles' eyes are a kaleidoscope of red-pink-purple, a sunset trapped in his irises. "My beautiful champion," he says and then he kisses Carlos hard on the mouth. Carlos parts his knees, Charles steps closer, pushes his hands underneath Carlos's shirt, fingers on his stomach, skin against skin. Carlos shudders.

"Bebe," Carlos mutters as Charles kisses down his neck. "Not here. Hgmm." Charles bites at a particular sensitive spot on Carlos' neck. "We don't have time."

Charles' eyes glimmer as he looks up at Carlos. "Is that a challenge?" He asks and drops to his knees before Carlos can get a word in.

Ten minutes later they're sliding into their chairs as the debrief starts, and if Carlos fixes his pants and Charles wipes the corner of his mouth, no one bats an eyelash. After all, they were only a few minutes late. No one scolds a Ferrari champion.

*

The manhole blows up underneath Carlos' car in Las Vegas. It brings the first practice to an end and rules him out of the second one. Because of the damage, he will most likely get a penalty on Sunday. It’s a mess. Charles is fuming.

Carlos watches as Charles paces the length of his hotel room, threat dripping from his tongue like a thunderstorm, and he speaks in French and sometimes in Spanish. Other times in languages that are not familiar at all. Carlos would laugh about it, would pull Charles into his arms, tell him not to worry, kiss the frown off his face. He’d do that and more if it weren’t for the shackles shining bloody red around Charles’ neck, around his wrists, eyes matching as they flare up with every new word.

Charles’ threats are not something to laugh at. They’re real, and if Carlos doesn’t do anything about it, Charles will level the city.

“It’s what they deserve,” Charles spits. “If there is something the humans have been constant about- it's money. It’s always about money. They’d risk everything for it. I should cut their fingers off, one by one. Make them choke on money. Teach them the consequence of greed.”

Carlos sighs. He doesn’t think too much about it and grabs Charles by the arm, pulling him into his lap.

“Cariño,” Carlos soothes, pressing a kiss underneath Charles’ right eye. He puts his fingers on Charles’ neck and doesn’t think about how it burns. “You’re older than mankind. Why are you still surprised?”

Charles growls low in his throat. “They messed with what’s mine.” Surprise and pleasure zip up Carlos’ spine. He drops his hands around Charles’ shoulders, pushes and pulls until Charles gives in and melts against his chest. “I am fine, really. I am here, aren’t I?”

Charles huffs. He grips the hem of Carlos’ shirt and presses his cold nose against Carlos’ neck.

“You could’ve lost your legs,” he mumbles.

“Not for long,” Carlos says as he draws lines on Charles’ back. Up and down, left to right, as soothing as he can make them. “I have you.”

“Yes,” Charles relents, finally, fight going out of him all at once, shackles fading until they leave only unmarred skin behind. “Yes, you do.”

He presses a kiss under Carlos’ ear. If Carlos senses a hit of teeth, too sharp to be human, he doesn’t mention it.

“Will you leave the city and its people alone?”

Charles smiles against his neck. “For now. For you. They owe you a life debt.”

“Yes, yes, my fearless demon,” Carlos says and then tightens his hold and flips them on the bed, Carlos on top, Charles splayed underneath him. For the next several hours Carlos makes sure Charles doesn’t have time to think about decimating the world. Charles lets him.

A pact with the devil is not so bad after all.

[thewhumpcaretaker]

So if, for example, Santino was hurt and was bleeding, does Clement faint AHAH? Or he really tries to keep himself awake ehhehehe :]

He really tries, and he succeeds for a while, but then he has to give Santino blood because that's how vampires do healing in VTM...you'll see hehe!

Just a short snippet, not even a ficlet really, but it was fun.

TW: graphic blood descriptions, passing out, nsfw mentions from Santino flirting, Clement makes a cut on his own arm to feed blood to Santino (not exactly self harm but adjacent so please read with caution)

It wasn't all blood that bothered Clement. If he could brace himself (before a surgery or a blood draw, for instance)...well let's be honest, it was still pretty bad. But seeing blood gushing out of a fresh gunshot wound was on another level. There was no time to freeze his muscles in place and force them to perform and tell himself that none of this was really happening. That was Santino's body in front of him, going pale and ice cold and trembling all over with the horror of that hole clean through his bicep, and it was making his own body do the exact same thing.

"It's alright now." He wasn't sure which of them he was reassuring. Clement could hear himself talking, and he wished it sounded like it was coming from somewhere very far away but it didn't. He was definitely wrapping a tourniquet around Santino's arm, feeling Santino's muscles slide against each other and a fresh wave of blood pour over his flesh at the pressure.

For a second, Clement had to close his eyes and turn his head away and just shake. He swore faintly, trying to spur himself on with adrenaline. He managed to open his eyes again, trying to just focus on Santino's face for a second. His charge, his responsibility, his wellspring of strength. Santino's head was leaned back against the wall and it kept lolling sideways. "No," said Clement firmly. 'Do not pass out, okay? We can't both pass out."

"You're passing out too? Why?" He sounded so innocent, just a kitten right now. Sweat had plastered his hair to his forehead. He was pawing at Clement's free arm, trying to pull him into a hug. Such a sweet man, in spite of everything. Hold onto that. Get vicious for that. He must already be going into a bullet wound fever, and Clement had to be there to hold him.

"No. No I'm not gonna pass out, but if I do, you put pressure where I tied this. And keep shaking me till I wake up." But he couldn't let that happen. It went against everything he needed to do, everything he needed to be. This damn body...he felt like he had been dipped in ice water. There was no feeling in his legs. He punched at his own thigh, trying to stay alert.

"Okay," Santino said weakly. He'd lost too much. It was drenching his whole arm in rivers, an external set of veins trailing down to his limp palm. God this was horrific. With sinking dread, Clement realized he had no choice.

"I have to do something a little drastic, okay? I have to push vitae into you. Blood. I - I have to push blood into you..." Clement pulled out his pocket knife and felt his vision swim as he held it over his own wrist.

Santino managed a sly smile even at a time like this. "You can push anything you like into me. Like that gun last week. Or the tip of your boot after I'm done humping it. Or your cock."

It broke the tension long enough for Clement to laugh. "Good, you're doing so good, distracting me. Lord almighty, I am holding onto consciousness by a fuckin' thread...okay, three, two, one - " Blade into flesh. The feeling of his own body pouring out of him, unfathomably wrong. Somehow, he got his wrist to Santino's lips and felt him latch on. There was his own vital energy pouring out of him, and the void rushing in. Every bit of strength lost was given to Santino, and that made this sickening weakness into something glorious. "Good..." he mumbled, slipping sideways onto Santino's chest. "You're doing - you're good - you're..." and his vision went black as Clement tumbled into the blissful nothingness of giving himself away.

[quannaix]

What is your experience with Animal Crossing?

Okay it has been literally over three months since you sent this so I apologise I just have a lot to say and wanted to enjoy going on about Animal Crossing.

My first was Animal Crossing Wild World, which I saved up for and bought, even pre-owned it was expensive for primary school me. I did not know much about the game and it was years before I realised that the copy hadn't been wiped so I'd walked into someone else's town. I'm guessing someone called George, since my town was named Egroeg. But by that point I'd been playing for so long I didn't want to wipe my progress. Also by then I had realised that he had upgraded Nook's to the highest version, which would have been hard for me to replicate because it involved playing multiplayer and I only had one other friend with the game. I really loved ACWW, and I spent lots of time playing it even though I definitely didn't understand a lot of elements of the game. My friend and I spend loads of time imagining things we'd love to add to the game, like if you could get a job (paying that loan off in shells is hard!) and I thought it would be cute if you could drive around in a little car that had a boot for extra inventory space (backpacks fill up a lot when things don't stack). I became best friends with Kiki in this game and when she moved I was so sad that I planted a tree where her house had been thinking that would stop another house taking her place (I was wrong, but it's the thought that counts).

I did get AC Let's Go to the City for the Wii, but never racked up many hours on that because being console based I'd have to find time when the family wasn't using the TV. I definitely prefer it as a handheld game.

I got given Animal Crossing New Leaf for my birthday when it released and I maintain this is best AC game. I still love it so much. I love that they introduced the mechanics of town design, most notably that Roost was a stand alone cafe and you got to choose where to place it!!!!! I think this might be around the time I first started following you (saxyplaya hehe) I assume because I found you from looking for QR codes for designs. I am still obsessed with so many of the QR code dresses people came up with. I think ACNL had the best balance of effort to output. Like it had these town design features but still took ages to do things. You had to grow trees from scratch and grow them again if you placed em wrong. This made everything feel more satisfying though, imo. You really put in the hours, and days and weeks, so the results would make me feel proud. I love that there are so many fruit tree varieties, I love visiting the island, I love that you CAN work at the Roost and that Brewster would give you coffee rewards. The updates they made with Happy Home Designer and the campsite, including adding the 'god mode' furniture design thing did make things a lot easier. But I like actually that to see anything you have to actually put it on/put it in the room, in your cupboards everything is just the generic category icon. I still have not caught all the bugs and fish in this game. I THINK I have all the fossils, but I think it makes it more fun for longer if it's not so easy to catch everything. I love the shopping street, and slowly unlocking the buildings. I love that little bench at the end of the street looking out. I think the music in this game is so lovely too, and one of my most favourite things is walking around on a rainy day in my town. I also actually loved that it was always the opposite weather hemisphere-wise, often I'd log in in irl winter so I could feel warm and vice-versa.

I also just love the graphics and look and feel of the game. The characters are still sassy and have a lot of personality. I always think fondly of my neighbour O'Hare, because his birthday is two days after mine. Now I could wax rhapsodic about ACNL al day but I should move on!

I freely admit I did obsessively play AC Pocket Camp for like a year or two when it came out (maybe longer??) to fill the void while I waited to see if there would be a Switch game. My partner also got me the original GameCube Animal Crossing for Christmas, which I played a little, but we don't usually have the GameCube set up and see above my preference of handheld play for AC. Still, a very cute present that I love having.

The second they Switch was announced, I said that I would be holding off on buying one until I saw if they put out a new AC game with a console to match. And I am SO glad I did because I was able to get the console and the game when they came out and I think the console is sooooo pretty. ACNH is really fun as well, I do like the addition of terraforming, being able to place furniture outside, and that they went really ham on the graphics. While I think I still have more of a soft spot for the older graphic style, I love things like the raindrops on the windows and the furniture blowing as the fan goes over it, etc etc those little tiny additions really melt my heart. I do feel like they smoothed out the characters too much, they don't have as much personality as they used to. And as much as so many things are easier (changing clothes, furniture, moving trees and plants, catching all fish/bugs and fossils) I think I preferred it when it was a bit more challenging. I wish the Roost was separate still </3. I loved the addition of Island Designer, I find that so fun, and I love the glowing moss furniture, and being able to design villager's houses (given that sometimes they start to look really dogshit after I've been gifting them my garbage furniture sorry guys). I don't send letters as much in this game as I used to, idk why exactly it just never seemed as fun or important in ACNH. I like the addition of cooking, more just because it tickles me personally. I'm back and forth on the crafting mechanism. I think overall I like it, and in many ways it's a return to the challenging aspects I just went on about loving in the previous game in terms of it being an involved process (esp if you want to change the colours), but I think that tools breaking SO fast annoys me and that even gold tools break annoys me heaps. Overall I do still enjoy ACNH, and I'm actually glad that it introduced the game to a whole lot of new people because it's widened the audience of people I can ramble about AC to. I do wish I had gone with the other hemisphere weather, I went back and forth on that and I discovered I actually prefer it NOT aligning with my real life weather so it can serve as an escape.

Thank you for asking me this question, in case you can't tell I love talking about Animal Crossing it is definitely one of my favourite game series of all time <3

[psychhound]

for the tarot rpg ask game! The Fool, The Empress, The Hierophant, The Chariot, The Hanged Man, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Sun

The Fool – What do the earliest stages of work on a game look like for you? OR How did you get into game design?

i had a dream that me and @hmooncreates were playing not a tabloid because i had made it for him and when i woke up i still remembered everything about the game so i just actually made it :) and then was like bet that was fun and made like 8 more games in the next month

The Empress — Where do your ideas come from? OR Do you seek out or avoid inspiration while working on an idea?

i usually start with a mechanic that i think could be cool and then build a game around it. for mama werewolf i wanted it to be very nature-based, so your move tokens are found in nature and the scenes are determined by the weather. for lullaby nights i wanted a game that could be played entirely with a music app, no dice or cards needed. for dead man's hand i wanted something where a full hand of cards had an influence on the story, not just drawing them individually. and then i just go from there!! often i try to hit on mechanics i havent used in my other games, i dont like to repeat myself too much!!

The Hierophant — answered!

The Chariot — answered!

The Hanged Man — What other creative pursuits do you have? OR What current trends in game design are you most interested in?

i've written three books, have published some poetry zines on itch, worked as a graphic designer for a few years, have been drawing since i was very little, hand sew stuffed animals, and dabble in embroidery :) i like being creative

The Devil — What motifs or mechanics do you just keep coming back to? OR What is a game you’ve enjoyed playing in the last year?

@mintandrabbits has been GMing a game of apocalypse keys that ive been having so much fun with :)) im really enjoying the system so far and i do think i'll have to do a deep dive into the rulebook to really study how it works. def the kind of game i could see building into my thesis

The Tower — Talk about about a game you tried to make that crashed and burned.

i really tried strong arming my way through a game that i just kept losing steam on and finally put away but ... it was a duet game where you play domovoy and/or kikimora (slavic house spirits) and the family whos house you live in has left the baby at home alone. you have to keep the baby happy until the family comes back, or, if they dont, kidnap the baby to be raised with the spirits. i do enjoy the idea i just couldnt get my feet under me with it

The Star — answered!

The Sun — Talk about a game you’ve made that you’re proud of.

i'll answer this one again hehe. i'm really happy with the narrator paradox!! its a game where you are a storybook narrator and your protagonist is trying to defy you and escape the story. i think it turned out surprisingly cohesive for a one page game!! i've been very interested in one pagers recently, i think theyre fun :o)

[jinkoh]

pentagon x gn!reader

summary: you unexpectedly fall into a strange world and quickly find yourself entangled with its peculiar people—as well as their problems.

tags: alice in wonderland au, multiple routes for several members, a little madness; warnings: non-graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of blood and weapons, cruel characters (but also very sweet and fun ones—this au is less dark than it sounds...probably)

wordcount: ~13,8k

a/n: okay so this kinda became a really really huge project that i've been working on for a while and that i am very attached to so ofc i'd be really excited if you gave it a try hehe i didn't stick very close to the original material so don't be too surprised. in case you want to know who is who from the get go you can check out the character introduction, but they also all get introduced bit by bit~ do heed the warnings before reading!

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

The weather had been weird for days now, heavy clouds hanging in the purplish sky and a constant drizzle making puddles form in the streets. The Uncle from the car shop on the first floor said it was an omen; that something bad was approaching. Your landlady called him crazy and said it just needed a proper thunderstorm and the sunny weather would be back. But she didn’t like him much to begin with and if he wasn’t such a good tenant, for whatever that meant, she would have thrown him out long ago. You didn’t really care much for her idle talk. You were somewhat fond of the Uncle, even more so since your cat Humpty Dumpty seemed to have taken a liking to him too, visiting him in his shop, whenever he managed to sneak out of your third floor apartment.

So, when the Uncle told you to be careful in this weird weather and to keep an extra watchful eye on Humpty for the time being, you’d meant to heed his advice. 

You must have had a moment of inattention though, because when you came home after getting groceries you found your small flat to be empty. You’d forgotten to close the bathroom window and he must’ve snuck out from there. With a sigh you set the groceries down in the kitchen area before stepping out again, hoping that maybe he was just in the car shop downstairs. 

You were lucky, finding the brown animal curled up on the roof of a beige vintage car, while the Uncle himself was working beneath the car, only his legs poking out.

“Here to pick up your cat?” He asked, without coming out.

“He slipped out again,” you replied while picking Humpty up from his spot that must have been incredibly comfortable if his unsatisfied meowing was anything to go by. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”

The man laughed. “Felt more like he was keeping an eye on me, honestly.”

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you, watching a little longer. 

“That’s a nice car,” you commented, more to make polite conversation than anything else. You didn’t actually know anything about cars, but you did think it was a pretty one with the little hood ornament resembling the shape of an M.

“Yeah, it’s a nice one. A Ford Mercury Monarch, though I doubt you’ve suddenly taken a big interest in cars, have you?”

“Not really.” You chuckled, feeling caught. Of course he’d know that you were just being polite. “Still, it’s kinda pretty.”

“Mhm,” he hummed. 

Humpty started to fidget in your arms and you knew it was time to head upstairs if you didn’t want him to scratch you.

“I better go back.”

“Mhm,” he hummed again and you were about to leave, when he pushed himself out from under the car and eyed you seriously.

“Remember to be careful, y/n,” he reminded you once more. “I think there’ll be a storm tonight.”

Somehow the way he said it felt insinuating and sent a weird shiver down your spine. 

You swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“I’ll remember it.”

With a weary feeling in your stomach you left his shop, slipping back out into the rain. The building you lived in was an old factory that had been turned into several loft apartments and the commercial property downstairs. A bunch of the complexes in your neighborhood were like that which gave the area a certain charme when the sun was shining onto the red brickstones and reflecting from the big, old windows. When it rained like now though, the sky above dark and grey, the tall buildings almost looked intimidating.

Just when you wanted to turn towards the entrance door next to the shop to head upstairs, you saw a white shadow rushing through your peripheral vision. Your head instinctively snapped around, and you clearly hadn’t been the only one to notice. Humpty all but leaped out of your arms, chasing the white shadow down the street which seemed to be—a rabbit?

For a moment you were frozen in place, watching your beloved fur ball disappear down the street. But then you snapped out of it, running after him as fast as you could.

Sadly, it wasn’t fast enough to catch up to him and to make things worse the Uncle had been right about the storm. The rain was picking up and you heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

Eventually you found yourself in a side street, no trace of either the cat nor the rabbit. Humpty had never been one to come back when called, but you tried anyway, shouting out his name, the brick-lined house walls echoing it back to you.

You knew Humpty would be able to find his way back home, but you didn’t like the idea of him outside in this weather by himself. So, you kept going, even when the rain got so strong you could barely see what was in front of you.

Feeling somewhat resigned, you turned into another side street, just to be met with the rabbit sitting right in the middle of the road, his bright white fur standing out against the gray surroundings. Humpty on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. But something inside of you told you that if you caught the rabbit, you would surely find him too.

The white animal watched you with calm eyes as you approached, and you almost thought you’d be able to grab it, when it bolted, disappearing behind a corner. You rushed after it, turning into the dead end just to find it deserted and almost completely flooded. The giant puddle seemed to reflect the sky above impossibly sharp, despite the raindrops rippling the surface. In the reflection it didn’t even look all that dark and cloudy, but before you could wonder about it more or bemoan the water drenching your shoes, you suddenly felt yourself stepping into a void, the floor beneath your feet simply disappearing. In a weird epiphany you realized it must have been a missing duct cover, but it wasn’t like that would help you now. You were already falling, dark water swallowing you whole.

When you came to, the first thing you realized was that you were cold and wet. You blinked your eyes open and pushed your damp hair out of your face. It didn’t make sense, you were sure you’d fallen down into the sewer, but you found yourself in the same dead end again, sitting in the middle of the giant puddle, completely drenched. At least the rain had let off and the sky was dyed in shades of pink and purple. 

You felt for the opening in the ground that you’d fallen into with your hand, but the duct cover was right there. Confused, you tried to squeeze some water out of your clothes which was only so effective considering that you were still sitting in the puddle. 

Just then, your eyes fell onto the white rabbit at the street corner he’d come from, looking at you almost thoughtfully. But then, as if he snapped himself out of a trance, his eyes widened. 

“Oh no, oh no,” he mumbled, or you would have thought he did if it wasn’t impossible for a rabbit to speak. “Go back, quickly!”

“What?” you asked anyway, but the rabbit just turned and bolted off again.

“Time is running out.”

For a brief second you stared at the spot where he’d still sat a moment ago, but then you quickly stumbled to your feet and ran after him. You turned the corner just in time to see a man, not a rabbit, scurrying down the street. He had snow white hair, just like the bright fur of the rabbit, and it felt a bit too odd to be a coincidence. Especially with the pair of rabbit ears sitting right there on his head.

“Oh no, oh no,” you heard him again from the distance and even though none of this made any sense, you kept going after him.

Despite running until your lungs burned, you couldn't catch up to him. Maybe that was your sign to call it a day, you thought. Surely, Humpty had already made his way back home to your apartment by himself to escape the bad weather.

When you looked around though, you noticed that something about your neighborhood felt off. On first glance it was the same, but on second glance everything was different. All kinds of weird plants were overgrowing the pavement and crawling up the brick walls. There were no lights on behind the windows, no matter where you looked, nor was there any other trace of people. 

Overcome with an eerie feeling you slowly made your way down the street in the direction of your home. The light of the street lamps looked colder than usual and they flickered in irregular intervals. 

“I think you’re going the wrong way,” a voice behind you suddenly said matter of factly.

Startled, you turned around, looking right into the face of a young man with bright blue hair. He smiled and it was undeniably pretty, but it didn’t look entirely genuine.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of a reply he just shrugged and then seemed to disappear into thin air. You looked around, trying to understand where he’d gone, but he was nowhere to be found.

“What do you mean?” you repeated, your voice a little shaky.

“That the direction you’re going in is wrong.” He suddenly replied from right next to you.

“But I’m going home.”

“If you say so.” He giggled and it almost sounded childlike.

You felt yourself growing a little annoyed. “Then where am I supposed to go if not this way?”

“I won’t tell you.” With that he disappeared into thin air once more and you didn’t have it in you to feel surprised about it again.

“Fine,” you snapped in no direction in particular. “Then don’t tell me.”

You continued your way, but from time to time you still heard his giggles and little comments.

“So wrong,” he would say with a chuckle, his voice coming from one direction first and then another next.

“If you’re not going to tell me, then at least leave me alone!”

“But it’s funny,” he argued, suddenly appearing right in front of you, a wide smile plastered on his face. “It’s funny to see you run right into their fangs.”

“Whose fangs?” 

“The Queen’s servants,” he whispered right into your left ear, before reappearing on your other side. “The heartlings.”

You frowned in confusion, all of this giving you a headache. None of it made any sense. You just wanted to go home, curl up in your bed and cuddle your cat. But you couldn’t help the weary feeling in your guts, telling you that there was at least some truth to the weird guy’s words.

“So, where would you go?”

“Oh, I can go anywhere,” he replied with a giggle. “They can’t catch me if they can’t see me, right?”

“And if you couldn’t turn invisible?”

“Hm,” he seemed to think for a moment. “Maybe I’d get myself a snack from the gas station?”

You looked at his vanishing form in utter disbelief. “A snack?”

“Or a coke, maybe.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well, I’m not saying you should do that. But you asked me what I would do. And I gave you an answer.”

You felt so unbearably frustrated with whoever this guy was, and yet you still turned around and headed into the direction of the gas station. Maybe you’d get some answers there and if you didn’t you could at least buy a snack and a coke before going home.

When you reached the gas station it too wasn’t quite looking the way you remembered it to. Instead of the brand logo you were so familiar with, the pink neon sign showed an abstract symbol next to letters that you couldn’t read. Just like the rest of the neighborhood it seemed to be completely deserted, but at least the lights in the shop were on.

“Are you sure I can go in?” You asked, convinced the blue haired guy was still around.

“If the door isn’t locked you can,” he replied, his voice coming from further away than you’d expected.

You turned around to spot him sitting in the branches of a tree near the edge of the parking lot.

“Are you not coming along?”

“I doubt my presence would be appreciated.”

You frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like to pick sides. Besides,” he hopped off the branches but disappeared before his feet hit the ground, just to stand in front of you a second later. “Cats aren’t welcome.”

He pointed towards a sticker on the glass door, a pictogram of a cat crossed out with a thick red line.

“But you’re not a cat,” you argued, following the gesture with your eyes before your gaze settled on him again.

“Am I not?” He tilted his head and a pair of grayish blue cat ears was sitting right there, poking out of his hair. 

You stared at him flabbergasted. You knew for sure they hadn’t been there before. You would have noticed such a detail, wouldn’t you? 

“Wha—how?”

“Because I’m a cat,” he replied as if it was common knowledge. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” 

With that, he vanished into thin air once more, the last thing you saw of him the bright white of his toothy smile.

“Wait! Am I supposed to go alone?”

“Weren’t you alone from the start?” sounded his reply, but he didn’t turn visible again.

“But what if I need help?”

“I’m sure you will.”

“So how will I know how to find you?”

He giggled. “Find me? You won’t. But should I ever be in the mood to help, I will certainly know how to find you.”

“Wait!” you tried to stop him once more, but it stayed quiet and you were sure he was gone for good this time.

You sighed, focusing your attention on the shop in front of you instead. Even on closer inspection you couldn’t spot anyone, but the staff door behind the cash desk was cracked open, so you assumed that someone was in the back.

With a deep breath you opened the glass door and stepped inside. It felt cramped with how closely the aisles stood together, maybe a little more so than usual. You looked around, hoping that the cashier would come out if you just waited a bit. You picked up a coke and a chocolate bar from the shelves, not because you were in the mood for either, but because the cat guy had mentioned it.

By the time you stepped to the counter and sat down the products on top there was still no sign of anyone coming out anytime soon, nor was there a bell to ring.

“Hello?” You timidly shouted in the direction of the door. “Hellooo?”

“Hello?” It suddenly echoed back from beyond. “Hellooo?”

You rolled your eyes at the staff’s humor. “I’d like to pay.”

“They’d like to pay,” it sounded back, but this time it didn’t seem to be addressed to you.

Before you could say anything else, the door opened and a guy with tousled red hair stepped out. For a moment he just eyed you thoughtfully but then he broke into a goofy smile that made a dimple form on his cheek.

“Welcome.”

“Uh, hi,” you replied awkwardly. “Do you work here?”

He wasn’t quite what you’d expected. Instead of the off-white t-shirts the staff here usually wore, he wore a sheer turtleneck in bright orange and a colorful silk shirt on top that he kept open. He absolutely didn’t look as if he was working here. Nevertheless, you couldn’t help but think that in some peculiar way, you found him attractive.

“Work here?” he repeated, sounding almost a little confused. “No, I don’t work.”

“Uh, then, is someone here who does?”

“Is anyone here who does?” he shouted towards the staff door, passing your question on.

“No, no one,” came the reply shortly after.

“The hare says no one is here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard.” You pinched the bridge of your nose slowly losing patience with whatever was going on today. “So, how do I pay?”

“Oh, with money.”

“With—forget it.” 

“All forgotten.” He nodded with a bright smile. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I was just looking for my cat and then got into this whole,” you gestured vaguely at your surroundings, “mess.”

“A cat?” His face crinkled with disgust. “Not a blue one, is it? That scoundrel is not allowed in here.”

“Blue? No, Humpty Dumpty is brown.”

“Humpty Dumpty is an egg.”

“What?”

“What?”

You shook your head in exasperation. “Anyway, so I was looking for my cat and then there was this rab—man?” It sounded more like a question. 

“You’re looking for a man?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Hm,” he looked around the store as if he could find him between the aisles if he just searched hard enough. Then he turned to the door once more.

“Changgu, do we have a man?”

“A man? No, no, we don’t have that.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have any in store,” he said apologetically.

“I’m not—I don’t want to buy one. I’m—he was running away. He had white hair and—rabbit ears? And he seemed to be in a hurry. Have you seen him?”

“Ah, you met Hui. Terrible workaholic, really.”

“Do you know where to find him? I think he knows where my cat is….maybe?”

At the word cat his face scrunched up once more, but he didn’t comment on it this time. 

“I might know.”

“So, will you show me?”

“Now? I can’t. It’s tea time. In fact, maybe you should come in and have tea with us.”

You frowned in confusion. “But you don’t even know me?”

“Right,” he nodded. “Who are you?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n. That is certainly a name,” he nodded once more. “I’m Shinwon. The Hatter.”

“A hatter?” You weren’t aware that it was a job that still existed. You’d assumed that the fast fashion industry had more or less let that handicraft die out. Furthermore, “You’re not even wearing a hat.”

“Not a hatter. The Hatter. And my hat—�� for a moment he stared into the distance, a deep sadness in his eyes but then he snapped out of it, smiling like nothing happened. “That’s a story for another day.”

The sudden change in mood had piqued your interest, but you decided to respect his privacy and not pry into it further.

“And what is the Hatter doing in a gas station?”

“A gas station? I’ve never been to one.” He didn’t give you the time to question his words, already turning towards the door. “Now, let’s have some tea.”

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea to follow this guy to the back. He didn’t seem to be right in the head, though to be fair, you weren’t sure about your own sanity either. After all, you’d chased down a talking rabbit and then shared a walk with a man who seemed to be able to vanish into thin air. Perhaps, a mad hatter in a gas station was on the normal side of things in comparison.

The backroom didn’t look the way you’d expected, though at this point you weren’t sure what you were expecting anymore. The space was completely cluttered with chests and boxes, and all kinds of fabrics and curtains were draped throughout the room. In the middle of it all was a long table which was decked out with way too much dinnerware. In fact, the tea cups were stacked up so high, you almost didn’t notice the guy sitting in one of the mismatched chairs near the end of the table. 

“I brought a guest,” Shinwon declared, pointing at you.

“A guest!” The guy jumped up from his chair with a dazzling smile. 

Only now did you see the floppy ears that sat on his head, reaching down all the way to his shoulders. They were a light brown, the same shade as his wavy hair, and they looked so soft and fuzzy you kinda wanted to try petting them. 

“Hi,” you awkwardly greeted, raising your hand in a small wave. “I’m y/n.”

“That is certainly a name,” the man replied with a nod and Shinwon next to you clapped excitedly.

“Right? That’s what I said.”

You didn’t know what to make of the comment so you decided to just ignore it. “And you are Changgu I assume?”

 “Ah, where are my manners?” He rushed over, accidentally knocking some cups off the table that shattered on the floor.

“Yes, Hare, where are your manners?” Shinwon echoed.

“I’m Changgu. The March Hare,” he introduced himself, reaching out his hand to you, that barely poked out from underneath the sleeves of his plaid coat.

“The March Hare?”

He nodded, before leaning in closer as if he was about to share a secret. 

“It’s because I’m as mad as one,” he whispered. “I don’t have both ears in the water.”

As if to prove his point he raised one of his ears and let it flop down again.

“It’s oars, Hare. You don’t have both oars in the water,” Shinwon corrected, before ushering you further into the room. “Now, let’s have some tea?”

He pulled back one of the chairs for you while he took the seat at the head of the table. You sat down and stared at the mess before you, unsure how to behave. It didn’t exactly look as if it was set for a tea party (or set at all, for that matter). You felt out of place and it didn’t help that your clothes were still wet. It had almost slipped your mind, but now that you were sitting you felt the damp fabric sticking to your skin again, leaving you with an itchy feeling.

“Tea?” Changgu, who’d taken the seat across from you interrupted your thoughts. He pushed a cup he’d poured in your direction. The other porcelain on the table got shoved out of the way on his quest but he didn’t seem to mind, not even when one of the higher stacks started to sway dangerously.

Unable to watch what was clearly going to end in disaster, you quickly took the cup with a “Thank you” and promptly received a bright smile in return.

Before you could take a sip of the steaming liquid though, Shinwon held out a plate with muffins to you, each one decorated with a small candle.

“Dessert? We also have cake,” he pointed at a ring cake somewhere in the mess. “And biscuits.”

“Then, a biscuit, perhaps?” You agreed reluctantly.

“A biscuit, Hare, quick, a biscuit for the biscuit!”

Changgu nodded eagerly, holding out another plate to you, and you took one of the cookies from it.

But you didn’t get to try that either, because all of a sudden the door was pushed open with so much force, it made you flinch and drop the cookie into your tea cup.

“Ah, not in the middle of tea time,” Shinwon complained, clearly annoyed but not surprised. “What does the Queen want now, Paul?”

For a moment you weren’t sure who he was talking to, but then you spotted the frog that was standing upright in the doorway, dressed in an outfit that resembled a Victorian newspaper boy.

“An invitation,” he croaked, taking a big leap right onto the table, porcelain clinking at the sudden impact. He fished out a piece of paper and handed it to Changgu who took it from his green fingers.

“We got it. Now, shoo, we’re having tea.” Shinwon gestured for the frog to leave with a wave of his hand. “Unless you fancy to join us for a cup?”

“Not particularly,” the frog replied, hopping off the table and disappearing to where he’d come from. 

Changgu passed the paper onto Shinwon who took it with the tips of his fingers as if it was something disgusting. 

“What is it?” You’d managed to catch a glimpse of the writing and once again had to realize that whatever alphabet it was, you couldn’t read it.

“A party invitation,” Shinwon replied, almost spitting out the words.

"Do you not like parties?"

At your question he broke into a laughter so intense as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

“Do I not like parties?” He turned to his friend in amusement "Did you hear that, Changgu?"

“Do you not like parties?” Changgu repeated, shaking from laughter himself, his ears flopping up and down at the movement. 

You felt awkward and maybe a little upset that you once again weren't in on whatever the joke was.

“Well, do you?” You interrupted their laughter, light annoyance in your voice.

Shinwon's eyes were gleaming when he replied. “I love parties, Biscuit. I love them so much I celebrate all my unbirthdays every year.”

Changgu nodded hastily to support his point. “Every single one!”

“We’re celebrating one right this second.”

You didn't bother asking what an unbirthday was. “Then what’s so bad about this?”

Immediately, Shinwon's face turned dark again. “It's the Queen's party.”

“Then don't go.”

“Don't go, you say,” he repeated with another giggle. “No, we have to go. It's the Queen's party."

After a brief glance at a clearly broken cuckoo clock on the wall he sprung up with so much vigor, his poor chair fell over backwards and clattered to the floor. “In fact, we should go right now!” 

Then his eyes got stuck on you. 

“You're wet,” he commented as if he only just now noticed the sorry state of your clothes.

“I fell into a puddle.”

“Why would you do that?”

You frowned. “It’s not like it was on purpose.”

The side eye he exchanged with Changgu told you that he still considered it to be weird, but he let it rest. 

“Either way you can't wear that to the party. The Queen hates bad fashion.”

“Oh, I won't go to the party, I wasn’t invited.”

Another rush of laughter overcame the two of them. 

“It's the Queen's party,” Shinwon repeated yet another time. “Everyone is invited. Hare, don't we have some clothes for the child?”

“I'm not a child,” you argued but neither of them minded you.

“Maybe we have some in the dairy section.”

“Mhm-mhm,” Shinwon nodded thoughtfully and then disappeared into the shop only to show up a minute later with an odd looking suit that he handed to you. The fabric felt cold, as if it'd just come out of the refrigerator and the combination of colors and patterns seemed a little random. But it was still better than the damp clothes that were sticking to your skin uncomfortably, so you took the suit and changed into it while Shinwon and Changgu waited outside.

When you came out again, the two of them seemed to have cleaned up for the occasion as well: Shinwon had buttoned up his shirt and tamed his red hair while Changgu had added a black tie with red dots to his outfit. He hadn’t bothered to tuck it under the collar of his shirt though so it made him look more disheveled than before, but you didn’t point that out. 

Shinwon eyed you intently, his brows furrowed as he took in every inch of you. Then he broke into a happy smile. “Oh, it suits you! Isn’t that right, Hare?”

“Exquisitely so!”

You weren’t sure about their assessment but their compliments still made you feel a little better in your skin.

The three of you stepped outside and you would have thought the sky would be pitch black by now, but it still had the same purplish pink colors as before. 

“So, where is this party?” You asked as you walked down the street.

“The Red Castle,” Changgu supplied an answer that made you none the smarter.

“Of course,” you mumbled. “Where else would it be?”

Even though Shinwon had been less than ecstatic to go to the Queen’s party, he didn’t dwell on the bad mood. Him and Changgu giggled and goofed around on the way, most of their jokes going past you. 

“I’d much rather go home,” you let out a small sigh, barely even noticing that you’d said it out loud.

Shinwon interrupted his laughter to turn to you. “Oh, that’s just the right mindset for attending this party. I too would much rather go home. But,” he playfully nudged your shoulder with his own, “when we all want to go home, it’s almost the same as actually going home.”

You didn’t a hundred percent get the point he was trying to make there, but his words felt comforting nevertheless. Perhaps it wasn’t his words per se, but the consoling smile on his lips and the genuine expression in his eyes.

You shook your head in amusement. “Let’s go home then.”

“Let’s go home!” he repeated with a wide grin, raising his fist into the air and making you giggle.

As you kept walking, you slowly realized though, that maybe that was quite literally where you were headed. You were only a block away from your house now, and the closer you came, the more lively it got on the streets that had still been empty a few hours ago. Approaching your home should have filled you with a sense of relief, but instead it just made you feel queasy. 

Your bad feeling about it all proved to be there for a reason. When you turned into your street, you could barely recognize what used to be so known to you. The streetlights were decorated with a weird assortment of red flowers and warning tape, and the whole area was jammed with people (though you weren’t sure if people was the right word for the diverse assembly of beings, some more human than others but none that were human through and through) and at the center of it all seemed to be the tall factory building with its brick walls and the car shop on the first floor. It looked vastly different, the entire front of the building covered by a huge mural painting depicting roses that crawled up the walls, their stems carrying sharp thorns. Still, there was no mistaking it:

“That’s—that’s my house.”

“Oh, how fortunate,” Shinwon exclaimed gleefully. “You wanted to go home!”

“No, but—,” you interrupted yourself, not even sure what to say. Maybe it’d been a little delusional to believe your home would still be your home if nothing else seemed to have remained the same.

“You didn’t want to go home after all?” Shinwon nodded understandingly. “Then this is indeed unfortunate.”

“Very unfortunate,” Changgu agreed.

“I’m just so confused. Why is nothing the same as before?”

“Maybe that’s a question for a caterpillar,” Changgu replied seriously. “They are experts on things that do not stay the same.”

Before you could inquire how you were supposed to discuss this with a caterpillar of all things, you spotted a familiar pair of snow white ears in the middle of the crowd that disappeared as suddenly as they’d shown up. 

Without thinking you chased after the white rabbit. You weren’t sure why you were still so keen on catching him. It didn’t seem very likely anymore that he knew where Humpty was. But he was the only one who had already been there when the world was still normal, so maybe he’d also know how to turn it back.

“Why are we running?” Shinwon asked behind you, sounding out of breath. You hadn’t noticed he’d come along.

“The rabbit!” You explained. “I saw the rabbit.”

“Why are we running?” Changgu shouted from behind Shinwon, following as you rushed through the crowd.

“The rabbit, they saw the rabbit,” Shinwon explained in your stead.

You almost expected to lose the rabbit in question again, but then he was suddenly standing right there, throwing a worried glance onto his wrist watch. You abruptly stopped in order not to run him over, causing Shinwon to bump into you. In your relief to have finally caught on, you didn’t pay it any mind though.

“Thank God,” you pressed out, catching your breath. 

The man with the white rabbit ears turned to you, seemingly only noticing you now.

“Oh. Oh, no,” he looked a little distressed at your presence before his eyes wandered to your company in surprise. “And the Hatter?”

“And the Hare,” Shinwon added, pointing at Changgu who’d come to a stop behind him.

“So, what do you want?” The man asked, his eyes darting to his watch once more. “I’m in a hurry.”

Shinwon chuckled. “It’s good to take a break from time to time, Hui.”

“Of course, you would say that.”

“My cat,” you interrupted before their discussion could drag on. “Did you see my cat?”

“A cat?” He sighed. “I don’t have time for Yanan’s shenanigans."

“No, no,” Shinwon chimed in. “This cat is brown.”

“I don’t have time for a brown cat either,” Hui shook his head. “In fact, I don’t even have time for this party.”

With that he took off, quickly disappearing into the crowd again.

“Wait,” you shouted after him. You still hadn’t asked him about whatever was going on with the world around you, and he was probably the only person who could know something (and also the most sane one you’d met so far, despite his constant haste and his rather cold demeanor).

“Don’t take it to heart,” Changgu reassured. “In fact, he already lingered longer than usual. Sometimes we don’t hear from him for months. And he doesn’t even spare the time to celebrate his unbirthdays.”

You sighed in resignation. “Still, I had so many questions.”

“Even if he knows the answers, I doubt he has the time to give them,” Shinwon replied comfortingly, though it didn’t feel very comforting at all. “Caterpillars on the other hand have a lot of time.”

You didn’t get why Shinwon too was bringing up caterpillars now, but the two of them had been talking nonsense from the moment you’d met them so it was a little late to start overthinking it now.

Suddenly, the sound of a fanfare cut through the noise of the crowd.

“Oh, it’s beginning,” Shinwon exclaimed, grabbing your hand and pulling you further towards the front, until you were standing in the second or third row with a direct view on what used to be your home and was now something else entirely. "From here you can take a good look so you know whom to avoid."

"The Queen?" you asked for clarification.

"That too. But the Heartlings and Knave as well."

You remembered the former from when the blue cat had mentioned it before, but the knave was new. You didn't get to ask though, because the fanfare sounded again.

A frog, just like the one that had brought the invitation, was standing on a stack of tires in front of the garage door, a scroll in his hands that he unrolled solemnly. He cleared his throat twice before finally addressing the crowd.

“Your Majesty, the Queen of Hearts,” he announced, his voice way louder than you would have expected from a frog of his size.

The crowd cheered more or less enthusiastically and he hopped from the stack of tires. A pack of ferrets came to the scene, quickly pushing the tires to the side. The last one had barely scurried away, when the roller shutter of the garage started to open, slowly disclosing the shop beyond. For a while, all you got to see was the car that was parked right in the center. You recognized the vintage car immediately with its beige finish and the M shaped hood ornament. As the shutter had almost rolled all the way up, it finally revealed a person sitting on top of the car, in just the same spot that Humpty had taken a nap in earlier today. (At least you thought it was still today—with the sky not changing color at all, you were a little confused about the passage of time.)

To your surprise though, it wasn’t a Queen at all. Instead it was a guy with choppy blonde hair wearing a velvet tracksuit. His gaze was fierce and there was something captivating albeit intimidating about his aura. Still—

“Where’s the Queen?”

Instantly, the whole crowd fell silent.

The man in the velvet suit cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in on the guests. “Who asked that?”

Everyone around you took a step away, trying to gain some distance from you. Solely Shinwon and Changgu stuck to your side, but even they seemed a little uneasy. From your peripheral vision you spotted a man with wavy hair next to the garage door straightening out his posture. You hadn’t noticed him before, but he must have been there all along. He pushed back the fabric of his jacket a bit to reveal the grip of a gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. You didn’t understand what was happening, but you were smart enough to realize it wasn’t anything good. Your stomach was filled with dread and you instinctively reached out to Shinwon, your fingers clasping onto the hem of his shirt.

“Uh, oh, Biscuit,” he whispered close to your ear. “You’ve really done it now.”

“I said,” the man in the velvet suit started again, this time with more emphasis, as he leaped off the car roof in one smooth movement. “Who. Asked. That?” 

The crowd seemed to budge even further away from you, leaving you easily exposed to the man who approached with striding steps.

“You?” His gaze landed on you, making you feel small and helpless. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

He took another step closer, close enough for you to spot the beauty marks on his face, close enough to notice the glow of his skin. “Tell me your name, dear.”

“Y/n,” you pressed out, your voice barely hearable.

“Y/n,” he repeated with a hum, almost as if he was tasting the sound of it on his tongue. “So, y/n, what were you thinking? What made you believe that I’m not worthy of being the Queen?”

The thoughts started circling in your mind. It was clearly a trick question; no matter what reply you presented him with, it would be wrong.

Thankfully though, you didn’t have to give one at all. Before you could even think of saying anything, you felt Shinwon leaning in close to your ear again. 

“I’ve got this,” he whispered, stepping in front of you with confidence.

Anxiously, you glanced over to Changgu, who gently took your hand in his, mouthing a reassuring Don’t worry. 

“Your Distinctiveness,” Shinwon greeted overly friendly, taking an exaggerated bow.

“Hatter,” the Queen replied, his face contorted in disgust.

“You see, my dear friend is new here,” he explained. “And to make matters worse, they have terrible vision, don’t you, Biscuit?”

You felt frozen, even more so now that the Queen's attention was back on you. It wasn’t until Changgu squeezed your hand, that you hurriedly nodded.

“Very terrible vision,” Shinwon repeated, his voice sounding pitying this time. “Can’t even tell right from wrong.”

“Is that so?” 

The Queen didn’t seem convinced as he gave you another once over. You instinctively held your breath, as if that could protect you from his piercing gaze.

“Consider this a warning,” he eventually said, finally taking his eyes off you.

“And you, Hatter,” he turned to Shinwon, “educate your guests right. Wouldn’t want to lose any, hm?”

“Of course, your Noteworthiness; by no means, your Exquisiteness,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully.

“Good!” The Queen’s mood suddenly shifted. He clapped his hands and a grin spread on his lips. “Now, let’s celebrate, shall we?”

He strode back to the car, using stacked up tires to take a seat on the roof again like a Queen on her throne.

You let out the breath you’d been holding, relieved that you’d evaded whatever storm would have awaited you if Shinwon hadn’t been there. You gently tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. 

“Thank you. You really saved me there.”

“Oh, yes, Biscuit, that would not have ended well,” he replied with a giggle before his expression grew more serious. “But I have your back.”

You weren’t sure why he’d helped you, after all he barely knew you at all. But you didn't dwell on it for too long. Of everyone you’d met today, if you had to choose just one person to trust, it would surely be him. In all his madness and with all his nonsense, you decided to trust him. 

The party proceeded, though it hardly resembled your understanding of the term. There was music, sure, but the mood felt strained. The Queen however didn’t seem to notice or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

“It’s a party,” he drawled. “So, entertain me.”

“Of course, your Highness,” the frog from before hurried to assure. “The dancers, get the dancers!”

A group of dancers stepped forward, wiry figures with white wings on their backs just like those of a swan. Music started to play and they moved to the melody. It was a beautiful choreography but you couldn’t help but notice the way their arms seemed to tremble with nerves. And you weren’t the only one.

“What a pity for them,” Shinwon whispered next to you. 

“A tragedy, even,” Changgu agreed.

“He won’t like that.”

“He’ll despise it.”

You looked between the two of them, before your gaze wandered back to the Queen. He looked onto the spectacle with contempt.

“Boring. Show something else.”

Immediately the music got interrupted and a different song played, the dancers changing position and starting anew. The Queen watched for a moment, his lips pursed thoughtfully.

“If only I could make this more fun,” he complained with a big sigh but then his eyes widened as if he’d had a brilliant idea. “Ah! I know! Jack! Get me some firecrackers!”

The frog nodded, relaying the task onto the ferrets who disappeared and showed up seconds later with a red box. The Queen clapped joyfully before he took the box and fished a lighter out of his pocket. 

“What is he doing?” You asked Shinwon, your voice barely a whisper.

“Playing a game, it seems. He loves games.”

An uneasy feeling took root in your stomach. “What kind of game?”

“Dodge.”

The game was exactly what it sounded like. While the performance continued, the Queen lit up the firecrackers and threw them at the dancers’ feet, watching in delight as they tried to evade the small explosions.

You felt sick to your stomach and for the first time since you’d fallen into the sewer you truly wished to wake up from what clearly had to be a nightmare. With shaky fingers, you pinched the skin of your inner arm, hard enough to make tears spring to your eyes. But nothing happened. You didn’t wake up and this wasn’t a dream. The dancers were still hopping from one foot to the other, the Queen’s manic laughter drowning out the music they were dancing to. And you just stood there, frozen in place, averting your gaze instead of stepping in.

“That’s insane. How can he be so cruel?”

“He’s the Queen of Hearts, what did you expect?” Shinwon scoffed. “Of course, it was different when—no, I shouldn’t say. Not here.”

The rest of the party continued in the same vein. The Queen had a very different idea of how to stay entertained, it seemed. His games hardly qualified as games at all. If anything they were torture, for those who had to watch and even more so for those who had to play. But he was sitting on his makeshift throne enjoying the show.

“Oh, what a delight!” The Queen eventually addressed the crowd. “I had feared for this party to become a disaster. After all, it was off to a miserable start, isn’t that true?”

Maybe it was just your imagination, but you felt as if his eyes were looking right at you, giving you a warning glare as if to say I remember you. Don’t mess up again.

Panic rushed through your body and you were shaking like a leaf as you tried to withstand his gaze. When he looked away at last, announcing it was time for the grand finale, you felt all strength leaving your body and your knees would have given in if Shinwon hadn’t immediately reached out to steady you. Even when you’d found your balance again, he stayed closely behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“Are you okay, Biscuit?”

You didn’t even bother pretending and shook your head. 

“When is this over? When is it finally over?”

“Soon. We only have to make it through the fireworks now. You can hold out, right?”

You nodded weakly and watched with something akin to relief as the ferrets set up fireworks that for once seemed to really be just that—fireworks.

“No one’s going to get hurt, right?” you asked, to be sure.

Shinwon gave your shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “No one’s going to get hurt.”

And his words proved true. The ferrets lit the fuse and you watched with tired eyes as the flame crawled over the bloodstained floor until it reached the fireworks. They shot up with a bang and exploded into sparkling pink hearts filling the sky above you that had at last started to darken. It was a beautiful spectacle and for a brief moment you could almost trick yourself into thinking that it’d been a regular party after all. Almost. While everyone’s eyes were glued to the sparkling sky, your own fell to the Queen again. He was watching the fireworks too, in awe of its beauty, while the traces of his cruel games were scattered all around him. It seemed he was the only winner today.

After a moment he lowered his head to look at you. It was a slow, deliberate shift as if he’d been aware of your gaze all along. His eyes briefly flicked over his surroundings before they landed on you again, a small smile on his lips. Despite the distance you knew exactly what he was mouthing at you.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

When it was finally over you couldn’t even manage to be relieved. You’d seen too much and you despised yourself for watching all of it in silence.

“Why is everyone just accepting this?” You asked, once the crowd had dissipated and you’d gained some distance to the Red Castle.

“Because there’s nothing else we can do,” Shinwon explained matter-of-factly. “Not yet.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that it’s not time yet.”

“Not yet,” Changgu echoed. “But soon.”

It wasn’t a very satisfactory reply, but who were you to talk? You’d only been here for a day and it wasn’t as if you’d been brave enough to say anything either. No, you’d looked away much the same as everyone else.

You sighed and followed behind them, slowly realizing that you had no idea where you were headed. It definitely wasn’t the way back to the gas station unless the streets had suddenly swapped places which wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen that day.

When you asked, Shinwon looked at you in confusion. “To the caterpillar, of course.”

“The caterpillar?”

“You want answers and he has a lot of them. And if you’re lucky a few of them might just match your questions.”

“Is it far?”

“Oh, very much,” Shinwon nodded but then he added, “we’re almost there.”

Eventually you turned into the street with the old theater and realized that that must be where you were headed. You’d always loved it there and had many fond memories of musicals and theater pieces you’d watched there. It was a charming building with a pretty front that you remembered to be adorned with big illuminated signs announcing the shows that were currently running. Now though, it looked sad and abandoned as it laid in complete darkness at the end of the street. 

“What happened here?”

“The Queen doesn’t fancy theaters, I’m afraid. He’d rather the only shows that happen are the ones he holds in the castle. Of course it was different when—” Shinwon interrupted himself once more, but then he seemed to remember that you weren’t at the party anymore and that no one was around to hear. Still, he whispered when he continued, just to be safe. “It was different when Hongseok was still king.”

“Very different,” Changgu agreed. “Hongseok loved the theater.”

“He also loved cookies,” Shinwon added.

“And fun rides.”

“And coffee.”

Changgu nodded excitedly. “He handed out free coffee on all 23rd unbirthdays.”

“He did. Every 23rd.”

“The 23rd unbirthdays are always the best,” Changgu explained.

You looked at him in confusion. “Why?”

Now Changgu was the one looking confused. “Because they are the 23rd, of course.”

“Right,” you nodded slowly even though his explanation didn’t actually explain anything. Still, even if it didn’t make much sense, what you did understand was how fondly they thought of Hongseok. You didn’t know if he’d been a capable king, but he must have been a beloved one.

“Why isn’t he ruling anymore?”

Shinwon laughed, as if it’d been a particularly stupid question. “Because now we have the Queen, dummy. There can’t be a king and a queen.”

You wanted to argue that in fact there usually was both, but you doubted that anything would come of it.

The three of you walked towards the entrance of the dark building when Shinwon suddenly stopped in his tracks and swiveled around to Changgu.

“Do you have cash on you?”

“No, no,” Changgu shook his head, turning his pockets inside out as if to prove his point. A single button fell out and clattered to the floor.

“Oh, no. I am afraid they don't take credit card.” Shinwon sighed with a wistful glance at the dark and empty ticket booth before turning to you. “You don’t happen to have any?”

Your gaze wandered between him and the abandoned theater. “What do you need cash for?”

“To buy a ticket, dummy,” he said with a giggle. “Hare, she doesn’t know you need a ticket to go to a theater.”

“You can’t just go in without a ticket,” Changgu nodded.

"No, I—agh, nevermind."

“You’re so funny, Biscuit.”

You didn’t consider yourself a particularly humorous person, but as long as it made them laugh you supposed it was fine. Still, you didn’t get why you would have to pay to go into an abandoned building where there clearly were no shows running. You checked your pockets anyway, but you had nothing except for an old bubble gum wrapper.

“Hm,” Shinwon looked thoughtful. “Well, I guess it will have to do.”

He took the wrapper from your hand, picked up the button from the street and fished a safety pin out of his own pocket. The random assortment of things was then shoved through the hatch of the ticket booth that was meant for paying. Meanwhile Changgu opened the entrance door to the right of the booth which was barely hanging in its hinges. 

“After you,” he said with a grin and an exaggerated bow.

“Very kind,” Shinwon replied with a nod and a tip of an invisible hat as he stepped past him into the dark lobby of the theater. You followed suit, giving Changgu a quick thanks.

Somehow the building made you feel weary. It was distressing how it looked as if it’d been abandoned from one second to another. There were coats hanging in the cloakroom and a half eaten bucket of popcorn was laying tipped over on the floor, popcorn scattered around it. The whole atmosphere gave you chills.

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem to have any such concerns though. The Hatter went straight for the snack counter, starting to rummage through the fridge that was clearly turned off.

“Coke anyone? Or a limo?” He asked, holding up glass bottles, that almost looked like the popular brands you knew, if it wasn’t for the unfamiliar writing.

He didn’t wait for a reply, already setting them onto the counter.

“Do you think we should bring something for Jinho too? You think he'd want a coke? Or something else?”

“Maybe something else.”

Shinwon nodded thoughtfully. “A water? But that's for boring people.”

“Maybe a water,” Changgu agreed anyway.

“Jinho? Are we—are we still talking about a worm here?”

Shinwon bursted into laughter. “A worm! Oh, he would hate that!”

“Wasn’t it a worm?”

He snorted before turning to Changgu. “A worm, Hare! A worm!” He repeated between chuckles, nudging his friend in the side who’d long joined his laughter.

“We shouldn’t ever tell him that.”

“We shouldn’t. He would hate it so much.”

“He would,” Changgu shook himself in delight. “Maybe we should tell him.”

“We should!”

“So, it wasn’t a worm?”

“A caterpillar, Biscuit. He is a caterpillar.”

Jinho was sitting on one of the balconies, watching the empty stage. His head was propped up on one of his hands as he leaned over the balustrade, sipping on a small pouch of red ginseng extract. The dim light in the auditorium gave his dark gray hair a blueish, almost iridescent shimmer that made you want to question if it was real. Still, he was most certainly not a caterpillar.

“A lovely theater, isn’t it?” He mumbled without looking up and you weren’t quite sure who he was talking to.

“Very lovely,” Shinwon was quick to agree but he didn’t sound serious.

“You should have seen it in its heydays,” Jinho continued, turning his head to look at you. “It was truly marvelous.”

He spoke slowly, as if his every word was well considered and it made you nervous. 

You swallowed around the lump in your throat before you replied. “I’m sure it was.”

“Mhm,” he hummed approvingly, then he turned back to the stage. “I’ve been expecting you. You’re late.”

“Oh!” Shinwon chimed in. “Really? I was thinking we should have left a little earlier.”

“Not you, Hatter,” Jinho drawled in response. “Alice.”

“Alice? Which Alice?” Shinwon looked confused. 

Jinho nodded in your direction. “That Alice.”

“I’m not Alice. My name is—”

“Y/n,” he interrupted you with an exasperated sigh. “I know. But you’re also Alice. One does not preclude the other, you foolish rat.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You couldn’t quite choose between feeling distraught by the fact that he knew your name or offended by his tone, so you settled for both.

“It means exactly what I said. You’re Alice.”

While you still didn’t get what he was trying to say, Shinwon and Changgu looked absolutely flabbergasted, their eyes flicking back and forth between you and Jinho.

“Our Biscuit… is Alice?”

“The Alice?”

“How many times do I need to say it?” Jinho shook his head. “Y/n is the new Alice. That’s how it’s written in the script.”

“It’s written in the script,” Shinwon repeated in disbelief.

Changgu nodded. “Y/n is Alice.”

“Would anyone please explain to me what’s going on? How can I be Alice if I’m me?”

“Because the script says you are.” Jinho squeezed out the last bits of ginseng extract, before shoving the empty package back into the box that was sitting on the seat next to him. “The script is never wrong.”

“What script?”

“The one,” Shinwon explained unhelpfully.

“The only,” Changgu added.

Jinho took out a new pouch of ginseng, his whole focus on the packaging as he slowly and carefully ripped it open. Your eyes automatically followed the movement. 

“I can show you. If you wish to see,” he offered without looking up.

“I—I don’t know. I don’t know what any of this means so I don’t know if I want to see it or not.” You instinctively turned to Shinwon for help, searching his eyes for advice. “Do I?”

He didn’t immediately reply and when he did his voice was unusually calm and collected. “I think you should.”

“Okay,” you nodded slowly before turning to Jinho again. “I want to see.”

He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, calmly emptying the rest of his ginseng extract before getting up from the velvet seat. 

“Let’s go to the prop room then.”

“Oh, the prop room!” Changgu looked excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I haven’t gone there since our last show. It’s been a while!”

Jinho led the way out of the auditorium to narrow stairs at the far back of the hallway. A chain with a handwritten sign was supposed to keep visitors out, but Jinho nonchalantly pulled it to the side.

“Careful,” he warned before going downstairs and not without reason. Fabrics, props and costumes were scattered all over the steps and the handrail, making it feel like an obstacle course. While you slowly followed Jinho, carefully not to trip on anything, Shinwon and Changgu seemed almost delighted, hopping down the steps as if it was a funny game. Though, after seeing the gas station’s backroom it wasn’t as surprising that they weren’t bothered by the mess, you supposed.

Once you’d reached the bottom of the stairs, Jinho pulled a small key out of his pocket and unlocked the wooden door to reveal a room, cramped with more odds and ends. 

Changgu went right in, purposefully taking a handkerchief from one of the zillion shelves. 

“Was wondering where I’d kept that,” he commented happily before stuffing it into his pocket.

Jinho pushed past him with a sigh. “We haven’t taken out the script in a while, and this is how you act? Some adequacy, if you please.”

“Don’t be such a killjoy, Worm.”

Jinho’s head snapped around to Shinwon, giving him a death glare. “Worm?”

Shinwon just shrugged lightheartedly. “Right, Caterpillar. My bad.”

“These kids,” Jinho shook his head before turning his attention back to you. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

He took your hand and pulled you along to the far back of the room, where a wooden chest was covered with a bunch of colorful fabrics. Jinho shoved them aside to reveal the little metal lock that he opened with another key from his pocket, before pushing up the lid of the chest. It was empty except for a stitched booklet that looked like a regular manuscript for a musical or a theater piece. Jinho took it out and thumbed through the pages until he abruptly stopped, his finger pointing to one of the lines.

“We’re here.”

You stared at the scripture written in the same unfamiliar letters as everything else in this world.

“I can’t read that.”

“Ah, right.” 

Jinho closed the booklet briefly before opening it again, his fingers still marking the page. When you looked this time, you were surprised to find that it was written in letters you were able to read. Your eyes scanned the lines Jinho was pointing to, and you were overcome with a feeling of disbelief.

Caterpillar: We’re here. Alice: I can’t read that. Caterpillar: Ah, right.

Below that, the sentences seemed to be incomplete, only bits and pieces that were scattered on the paper.

“How is that possible?” you asked and right as you spoke the words started appearing in the script.

“It’s the script,” Jinho explained calmly. “That’s what it does. It documents and it predicts. It assigns roles and it decides the plot.”

“That’s right,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully but your eyes were still glued to the page, watching as everything they said formed on the paper.

“And as you can see, y/n, your role is Alice,” Jinho continued. “At least for now.”

“For now? What does that mean?”

“Well, you’re the replacement,” Changgu stared into the distance with a nostalgic shimmer in his eyes. “The old Alice is no more.”

“Did they…die?”

“Died? No, no, he is fine.” Shinwon pressed out between laughter so hard, he had to hold his stomach. “He would whine so much about this. I can practically hear his voice: ‘Don’t say something like that! Don’t jinx me!’ So funny.”

“Wooseok fulfilled his role,” Jinho explained calmly. “So now he is only Wooseok, in the same way you were only y/n before you became Alice.”

You sighed. “I don’t remember applying for the role, though.”

Jinho rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

“So, what does it mean? Is me being Alice the reason that I’m stuck in this weird parallel universe?”

“What’s a parallel universe?” Changgu whispered, nudging Shinwon in the side.

“Surely the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Shinwon whispered back.

“Ah.”

Jinho didn’t pay them any attention. “Not exactly. You’re stuck in this weird parallel universe—”

“That’s the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Changgu interjected.

“—because you followed the rabbit through the Looking Glass. He was supposed to directly bring you here—but well, there’ve been some circumstances.”

“I didn’t follow anyone through a looking glass though.”

“Mhm, not purposely,” Jinho hummed. “You fell right in.”

“The sewer?”

Jinho scrunched his face in disgust. “Not the sewer. The reflection. The mirror image on the water surface.”

“So if I fell in—can I fall out again?”

“Oh, it doesn’t work like that, foolish Alice.”

“Foolish Biscuit,” Shinwon echoed, but his voice had a fond undertone to it.

“You have to fulfill your role first. Then you can go back.”

You nodded slowly. That at least meant there was a way back. “So, what do I have to do?”

“Right, that’s the tricky part, dear Alice. The script never reveals the full plot until it happens.”

“Are you saying I have to fulfill my part without even knowing what that is?!”

Jinho shook his head and skipped to a later page in the script. “We do know some things.”

The page was almost blank, only scraps of a conversation readable.

Queen of Hearts: Alice?!           You betrayed me Queen of Hearts:      What have you done to me?     hurt so much Queen of Hearts:   I'm dying

You stared at the words, an uncomfortable feeling spreading in your stomach. You had an inkling but you still asked anyway.

“What does this mean?”

“You will kill him,” Shinwon whispered. “You will end his reign.”

“No.” You shook your head. “I can’t—I can’t possibly kill anyone. Can’t someone else do it?”

Jinho shook his head. “It has to be you. He won’t die if it isn’t you.”

“But—how would I do it anyway?”

“I'm sure there are plenty of options. The King would know. Poison, maybe.”

Poison. You shuddered at the mere prospect of it; the body cramping up and lips turning purple—a gruesome thought.

“I can’t.”

“You’ve seen his cruelty. He doesn’t deserve any better,” Jinho said calmly. “And it will happen anyway. The plot may not be all written out yet, but that which is written will happen with certainty. Unless, of course, you die before that. Then a different Alice would have to take your place.”

“Unless I die?”

He shrugged. “If you’re careful that shouldn’t happen. So don’t worry about it too much, just follow along.”

Your head was spinning with all of this. Of course you wanted to go home, but could you really kill someone? But what if it was the only chance to go back? And if what Jinho said was true then was there even a use to think about what you wanted? It would happen, whether you resisted it or not. The only way out was dying, so there wasn’t even a decision for you to make, not really.

“Okay, fine,” you pressed out eventually. “I’ll fulfill my role. I’ll be Alice.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Jinho’s lips. “I knew you would say that.”

“But how would I even get close enough to do it?” You asked Jinho while he locked the booklet in the chest again. “Does the script say anything about that too?”

“Not too much,” he admitted. “But I am convinced a chance will present itself. The Queen has his eyes on you.”

His words had you incredibly worried. You’d seen his cruel games and you’d felt his piercing gaze on you—just the prospect of having to be in his presence again terrified you. 

No, the Queen didn’t seem like the type of person you’d want to have the attention of. You would much rather be invisible than to be seen by him. Yanan surely wouldn’t be afraid of him; he could just turn invisible if things got dicey. You still remembered the cat’s cheeky smile before he’d disappeared on you. In fact, it was ingrained so clearly in your brain, you almost thought you saw it in the corner of the room. But when you blinked nothing was there.

You shook yourself out of it, focusing back on the problem at hand.

“But he doesn’t know, right? That I’m Alice?”

“No one knows,” Jinho reassured. “Only a selected few. The Rabbit. And the people in this room. Though,” he threw a quick glance at Changgu who was playing around with some props on a shelf, “who knows how long the Hare will remember. He tends to be a bit scatter-brained.”

“So, what now?” You asked once the three of you were outside the theater building again.

“Hm, I guess we need to go see Hongseok. I’m sure he’ll have some poison for you,” Shinwon replied and you almost flinched at his words. How could he say it so casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal? As if you weren’t supposed to kill someone with it?

“Off to the White Castle we go,” Changgu agreed. “The King is the best address for anyone seeking leach or lotion or poison or potions.”

“Hare! You can’t call him that. Not here.” Shinwon reprimanded him, his eyes searching the streets around you cautiously.

“Right, right. The Un-King, the Used-To-Be-King, the No-More-King,” Changgu corrected. “Either way, chemistry has always been Hongseok’s strong suit.”

You weren’t sure if brewing lethal poison was really part of regular chemistry, but you’d been curious about Hongseok anyway after everything they’d said and it wasn’t like you had a better idea.

“Wooseok will be there too,” Shinwon looked at you with a small smile. “Maybe you’d feel better after talking to him.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

You walked through the city for a bit. It was deserted again, no traces of all the people who’d still been out a while ago to attend the Queen’s so-called party. As if the sky had decided to match your mood, it had turned all black by now, lit up only by the crescent moon that was hidden behind thin clouds. Time seemed to be a little off here, and you thought you could understand the Rabbit a bit. Who wouldn’t be in a constant hurry if time passed almost randomly?

“Where’s everyone?” You eventually asked when you turned into yet another street that was completely void of people.

“It’s after the curfew,” Shinwon explained.

“Yes, the curfew,” Changgu was quick to nod. “Once the sky turned fully black, it's for the best to hurry back.”

“If the sun has fully set, it is time to go to bed,” Shinwon added.

“If the sky is in the moon, the knave of hearts will get you soon.”

“But Hare, that’s not how it goes. The moon is in the sky.”

“Hm, hm, right, that’s not how it goes,” Changgu repeated thoughtfully before his eyes widened with an epiphany. “Ah! If the moon is in the sky, fear the red Knave’s dreadful eye. For if he spots you in the street, a dire fate is what you’ll meet.”

He looked at you with a proud smile after he was done reciting his little poem, but you couldn’t really share his enthusiasm.

“So, we’re not supposed to be outside right now?”

“You’re so smart, Biscuit!”

“Then shouldn’t we go inside? And who’s the Knave anyway?” you asked, the term feeling a little familiar.

“Of Hearts,” Shinwon replied. “The Knave, that is.”

“The Knave of Hearts?”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s the Queen’s right-hand man.”

“You might have seen him at the party,” Changgu chimed in. “He has a scary look. And his birthday is in January.”

“Why does that matter?” You asked in confusion.

“Oh, it doesn’t. But it means he has an unbirthday today and instead of celebrating he’s surely out on patrol.”

“You must know me very well,” a deep voice suddenly sounded from behind you, making Changgu’s ears perk up in interest.

A man stepped out of the darkness of a house entrance, and the moment the dim light of the street lantern fell onto him, you recognized him as the guy with the wavy hair from the party. You remembered him well—mostly because of the gun that was surely tucked into the waistband of his pants even now.

“If it isn’t the Knave of Hearts himself,” Shinwon exclaimed with a delighted tone. “It’s been so long, Yuto, the last time must have been when—right, you probably wouldn’t want to talk about that. It was a dark day for your Queen after all.”

“Hatter,” Yuto replied with a straight face, his tone void of any emotion. “Always a pleasure.”

Then his eyes fell onto you.

“I see you still have your visitor with you. I would say their little scene today wasn’t a source of amusement for the Queen, but that would be a lie. In fact, Hyunggu was very amused.”

His words made a cold shiver run down your spine and you automatically took a small step back. 

“Oh, yes, our Biscuit is a very humorous person,” Shinwon replied, his voice still light but he held out his arm in front of you protectively.

Yuto huffed a laugh before glancing at the dark sky. “Still, violating the rules isn’t a funny matter. Why aren’t you in your cozy little hideout yet, Hatter?”

“We’re on our way!” Shinwon said.

Changgu nodded over-enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, on our way. Almost home!”

“Better hurry then. I won’t be as kind next time.” With that, Yuto turned around to go his way, leaving you with an anxious feeling in your stomach.

Shinwon let out a small sigh as soon as he was out of sight. “That was a close call. Now, let’s hurry, let’s hurry. I wouldn’t want to run into him twice. Not a very funny fellow.”

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem particularly shaken by the encounter. After a few steps they were back to their giddy selves. You on the other hand couldn’t stop yourself from checking each dark corner for a person hiding in the shadows.

When you spotted the ferris wheel towering above the surrounding buildings you started to suspect where you were headed: the amusement park. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been there, but just like the theater it was a place with fond memories to you. 

Once you reached the entrance, Wonderland written on the archway in weathered letters, you had to find that there was none of the usual hustle and bustle. The park laid before you abandoned and still, solely the lights of the castle in the middle of the artificial lake flickered weakly in the distance. What used to be a vibrant, lively place looked washed out now, the fun rides and booths overgrown with patches of moss and their colors bleached out by the sun.

“Aaaand we made it,” Shinwon said as soon as he stepped through the entrance. 

“But we’re still outside?”

“Outside but not really. The curfew isn’t in force here.”

You looked around in confusion. You didn’t really see a reason why anything would be different on the grounds of the amusement park. “Why not?”

“Because the White King’s protective spell takes effect here. It keeps heartlings from entering. Even the Queen can’t enter,” Shinwon explained.

“The Queen isn’t as powerful as he’d like to make everyone believe,” Changgu added with a nod, as he headed straight for the shabby pedal boats in the shape of swans that were floating on the calm surface of the lake. 

He pulled one a little closer to the pier, gesturing for you to get in. When you set foot onto the boat it started to wobble dangerously and Changgu held out his hand to steady you, not letting go until you were safely sitting on the bench in the back. Shinwon got on next, taking one of the two front seats and Changgu hopped on last, after untying the rope from the metal loop on the pier. The two of them set to work, pedaling the little boat towards the small castle. As a child you had always dreamed of going there, but it hadn’t been open to the public, the pretty front just a means of decoration. Now though, there was no fence separating the little island from unwanted visitors, and the two of them easily steered the boat onto the narrow shore.

Changgu got off first, tying the rope around one of the two flagpoles that were positioned left and right of the castle. You remembered them to fly flags with the logo of the amusement park but now they were white, depicting a silver pentagon with a snowflake in the middle. The emblem of the White King, you supposed. The three of you walked the cobblestone path up to the entrance of the castle. Now that you were standing directly in front of it, it seemed way bigger than the decorative fake in your memory. It probably was bigger. 

Shinwon didn’t bother knocking on the double wing door before pushing it open and stepping inside. The lobby was all white, from the marble floor to the chandelier and it almost felt blinding.

“Hello?” Shinwon yelled into the building with the same tone you’d had at the gas station earlier today and you wondered if it was on purpose. “Hellooo?”

“Eh?” A honey blond head of hair appeared on the second floor, leaning over the handrail. “Shinwon? Changgu?”

Changgu raised his hand in a tiny wave, a dorky smile on his lips. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” The guy asked as he walked towards the stairs and made his way down. “And who’s your friend?”

“Y/n,” you introduced yourself before anyone could beat you to it and say Alice or Biscuit.

The guy came to a halt in front of you and only now you realized how incredibly tall he was. There was nothing intimidating about him though as he looked at you through big doe eyes. His hair was combed back in neat waves and he was wearing a sweater vest that was loose even on his lanky frame.

“Wooseok,” he introduced himself and held out his hand in a greeting. In comparison to everyone else he seemed surprisingly normal.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for Hongseok,” Shinwon explained, slipping out of his shoes and leaving them by the entrance as if he was visiting someone else’s apartment and not the prop castle of an amusement park. Changgu did the same though and you realized Wooseok was wearing slippers as well, so you too toed out of your shoes. Surprisingly enough, the marble floor didn’t feel very cold beneath your feet at all.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Wooseok nodded towards a corridor to his right.

“Alright!” 

Shinwon sauntered down the hall with the casualty of someone who’d been there a thousand times before and Changgu followed along just as naturally. You were a few steps behind them, Wooseok next to you. He kept glancing over to you curiously but didn’t say anything.

“Hongseok!” Shinwon greeted just a bit too loudly as he threw open a door to reveal a spacious kitchen.

A man with curly brown hair looked up in surprise, his hands covered in flour and a white apron tied around his waist.

“Oh, Hatter. And Hare.” He went over to the sink and rinsed his hands before his gaze fell on you. “And another guest?”

“Yes, this is—”

“Alice!” Changgu interrupted his friend, visibly excited about sharing the news.

“Alice?” Wooseok’s head snapped around to you and he stared at you with wide eyes. “So, you’re—you’re not from here?”

You just looked back at him. You’d already been told that Wooseok was the old Alice, but it hadn’t even occurred to you that maybe he too wasn’t from this universe.

“Now, now,” Hongseok walked over to you, wiping his wet hands on his apron. “We shouldn’t corner our new Alice like that. What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

“A pretty name,” he smiled and gently squeezed your hand. “I’m Hongseok, the White King, but you might have heard. Wooseok was our last Alice, but his part has already played out.”

“Yes, yes,” Shinwon interrupted. “Biscuit already knows all that. But what we don’t know yet is how to kill the Queen of Hearts.”

“Oh,” Hongseok’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that your part?”

“Seems like it,” you murmured, not withholding that you weren’t exactly fond of it all.

“Mhm, so it’s that time already. It’s really coming to this.” With a swift movement of his hand he motioned for the others to leave. “Give us a moment, will you?”

They did as they were told, though Wooseok lingered a moment longer before actually stepping out and closing the door behind him. 

“Do you want to drink something? A coffee? A hot chocolate? I have cookies too.”

You were inclined to say no, but when you gave it another thought you realized you hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while and could also really use the comfort of a hot drink. Hongseok prepared a hot chocolate and a plate of cookies for you, while you sat down at the small table in the corner of the room. Once he was done he sat down across from you, his eyes calm and gentle. After how Shinwon and Changgu had talked about him, it shouldn’t have surprised you, but it still amazed you how different his whole aura was compared to the Queen of Hearts. Where the Queen had been intimidating and rash, Hongseok radiated kindness and patience.

“Here,” He mumbled after a moment, nudging the plate of cookies a bit in your direction to encourage you to try some. “They are good, I promise. I only just made them this morning.”

You hesitantly took one and started to nibble on it, only to find that Hongseok had been way too humble—it tasted amazing.

“See? They are good right?” He looked a little proud when you nodded. “So, do you want to tell me about it? About what’s written in the script?”

In all honesty, you didn’t. But it seemed like he wanted to help so you told him about everything that you’d found out at the theater. Through it all, Hongseok listened calmly.

“So now,” you concluded your story, “I have to find a way to actually do it.”

“Well,” Hongseok nodded slowly, “here’s the thing: the Queen of Hearts is not easily harmed. Not just anyone can—it has to be Alice. And even then, there’s only one weakness.” 

“Which?” 

“The heart.”

“The heart?” In a way it seemed plausible for that to be the weakness of someone called the Queen of Hearts, but at the same time it seemed a little too simple.

“Yes.”

“How do I do it then?”

“Mhm,” he got up from his chair and walked towards a glass cabinet with a zillion little bottles and jars inside.

“I know of two ways. One is this,” he held up a little test glass with a dark red liquid in it. You swallowed around the lump in your throat. 

“Poison?” 

“It's the blood of the Jabberwocky to be precise. But poison describes it just fine. Once it gets into your body it will pollute your blood and ultimately make your heart stop.”

Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard. You could just add some to his food. Still, the thought of being able to feel it invading your blood circulation made your skin crawl. “And the other way?” 

“I doubt you’ll like it.” 

“What is it?” 

Hongseok sighed before opening the drawer beneath the glass cabinet. He pulled out a silver dagger so radiant it almost looked white. He held it out to you and you hesitated before you stood up and took it with trembling fingers. It was lighter than you’d expected and ice cold to the touch. 

“If you stab him with that—but it needs to be right in the heart.”

That was definitely worse. You would never be able to actually go through with something like that.

“I couldn’t,” you pressed out, holding it out in your open palm for Hongseok to take it back. 

But he gently closed your hand around the hilt again. 

“You don’t have to use it. But keep it, just in case.” 

“There won’t be a case.” 

“All the better.”

Hongseok had invited all three of you to spend the night in the castle, so you wouldn’t have to go out during the curfew again. The room you’d gotten was fancy and as white and shiny as the rest of the castle’s interior. In the middle of it was a soft bed that smelled like vanilla and fresh snow and just waited for you to slip under the covers, but you felt restless. You paced the room, unable to tune out that there was a dagger and a little heart shaped pendant with poison laying on your nightstand. This definitely wasn’t how you’d expected your day to end. It seemed to have gone downhill from the moment you’d stepped foot to that cursed party, but when Shinwon had talked about the Caterpillar having answers, there’d been a sliver of hope flaring up inside of you. Now, there was nothing left of that.

Even though you’d gotten your answer on how to get back to your world, you didn’t feel relieved in the slightest. All you could think of was the horrifying things you’d have to go through before finally going back. And the worst part was that you didn’t seem to have a choice, not really. Even if you decided it wasn’t worth it and you’d just stay—what was written in the script would happen either way.

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

[ikoarts]

November 2023 Art

as u can probably tell i did not pump out much art this month and the little i did do besides the big project is a lil basic or just working shit out, but erm, it's not Nothing, so thats good...!

vvv dates + info under the cut vvv

1 - 01/11/2023 : my half of an art trade with @toxicbunny from last year, i never posted it here oops, but its of her OC Luan <333 he was so fun to draw and im super happy with the results, esp playing around with texture a bit

2, 3 - 18/11/2023 : some random headshots of Heidi n Jasmine, think with Jasmine i was trying somethin a lil different with her hair

4 - 18/11/2023 : pen doodles.... a bit of trying to figure out some more human ttte designs, not perfect ofc, still naawt concrete on any kind of James design, like i know how he looks, but drawing hard </3 Thomas is also there hehe

5 - 18/11/2023 : another Heidi :D i think i wanted to draw her with her hair up like that, erm, i forget, but hey JTHM shirt, very epic, it was on my mind, i had the silly idea post-drawing this that she has insomnia and the shirt is an inside joke, coz she thinks shes funny

6, 7 - 18/11/2023 : (only by a margin coz i was drawing late again) lil human Diesel pen doodles again, this time we're doing the REDESIGN!! almost there anyway. mostly just a redesign of his hair somewhat, also Philip is just there (much like the show (jk i kinda love Philip for no reason other than hes a little guy)) not much to say here other than drawing bad on purpose is fun x

8 - 25/11/2023 : was thinking about book covers, forgot why, but also on the name of my story for Ru, Toni, those fellows, usually i just call it Violet, but i feel maybe its a bit, nothing, idk, like its not catchy enough, so i have another idea of expanding it into You, me, & Violet, and heres a quick mockup of what a book cover for it could look like.. u can tell i got graphic design qualifications from the late 2010s x (shut up i luv this doodle)

9-11 - 25/11/2023 : Robin redesigns.. again.. just some concept doodles, mostly just a change to his hair and his top, i thought adding more colour was essential, so, he'd usually wear like minty green colour trainers, i made those and, by extension, his jumper, the same blue colour, which isn't Too blue, it's still a little bit greeny, very slightly, just for some harmony in his design.. will need to draw more of this concept to really get a concrete final design

[realmermaid333]

AO3 Fic Tag Game :)

I was tagged by: @burntblueberrywaffles @suchaladyy @cosmic-lullaby and @nonamemanga

20 questions beneath the cut 😛

How many works do you have on ao3?

26!

What is your ao3 word count?

125,134

What fandoms do you write for?

I write for Wednesday, The Hunger Games, and I'm thinking of maybe writing some Walking Dead fics, we will see! Right now I am focusing on my Wednesday fics though till I finish them.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

His Little Bedbug

Tipsy Truth Telling

I'll See You Around

Take You Like A Drug

Can't Keep Quiet

Do you respond to comments?

Always! I love responding to comments

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is hard to say, so I guess I will list three LOL. Well, I think first place is definitely A Hyde Only Knows One Thing: Pain. But the runner-ups are Don't Let Go of Me, and Nowhere to Go.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics have happy endings because I love happy endings! I love peace and love and joy! But I guess the happiest ending would be Smoke Signals as it is a growing-back-together/reconciliation fics that carries over to Say Yes to Heaven. And I also wanna throw in This Would Have Happened Anyway, which is an old Hunger Games fic I wrote that I plan to go in and re-edit soon haha.

Do you get hate on fics?

Rarely, but yes. I think the only fic I got hate on has been A Burning Hill. Luckily most people are wonderful!

Do you write smut? What kind?

Yes, LOL. Idk what the different kinds of smut are? but I tend to write established relationship smut, it is my fav. I write it pretty graphically, but I like to make it really sweet and comforting. I love romance!

Do you write crossovers?

No, but I think they are neat

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!!! Smoke Signals was translated into Thai by the amazing @adogfrmhell :)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I co-wrote Take You Like A Drug with my bestie @suchaladyy, and also Wash Away Your Woes with @nonamemanga @suchaladyy and @averyaddamsromance ! it is so fun to cowrite with friends : D

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I know I will finish it, but A Burning Hill! it is just on the backburner for a while longer.

What's your all time favorite ship?

I guess I'd say everlark because they were my first ever ship! they are just so cozy and forever in my heart.

What are your writing strengths?

I'd say showing emotion and imagery! I have been told I am able to make eyes water and hearts swoon hehe

What are your writing weaknesses?

I just wont shut up sometimes LOL, i tend to give almost too many details and too much imagery. Which I know is not inherently a bad thing, but it makes all my writing pieces so goddamn long lol! I start to feel like Bram Stoker writing Dracula XD. And sometimes I feel like my dialogue can be awkward, which I suppose makes it more realistic, so once again not always bad! i am just best at writing neurodivergent characters maybe hahah

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have done this very briefly before, but it was just two words in Spanish for a ritual scene! I would not write tons of dialogue in another language unless I had a beta who spoke that language fluently and who could translate and make sure the translation made sense.

First fandom you ever wrote for?

The Walking Dead! when i was like 12 I wrote TWD fanfic on wattpad LOL.

Favorite fanfic you've ever written?

How could you ask me this? What is wrong with you?

What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

I will be rewriting my Hunger Games one-shots series and reposting each one-shot as its own fic!

tagging: @therulerofallpotatos @wincestation @katwitchwriting @lovepoison9 @thesweetnessofspring and anyone who wants to join in!

[hotluncheddie]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

ty @steddieasitgoes !! this was fun!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

16!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

26,316 (wtf)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

steddie / st only 😤

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Tiny Green Shorts 

2. Seasons change, but people don't.

3. extra credit

4. that's when boys kiss

5. pretty boy

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

YES! i luv comments! its one of the best parts of writing anything and makes it extra fun! its connecting with people!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

mmm i don't really like angsty endings. i guess Little Lamb has the most general angst but tbh that's not even gonna be a sad ending once its done - its gone have a lot of hope. maybe just high masking but again the connected part is comfort heavy

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

everything :) happy endings only in this house! 🍓 is maybe the most good vibes all the way thru piece

8. Do you get hate on fics?

its honestly a dream of mine to get cyber bullied one day, so no but if anyone wants to u can just this once

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

ya - mmmm mild d/s dynamics and graphic descriptions of bellies :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

no - sometimes i think about doing like film inspired steddie but idk if i'll ever get around to it (like school of rock au or dead poets society au)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no???

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no! but that would be cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no :) i think having to consider someone else's schedule when writing would be stressful - i am slow

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

steddieeeee 😤👌🫡💪

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i'm working on a openly bi steve / queer eddie fic and it needs a lot of editing and keeps growing and it could honestly never get done but i really hope i work it out one day (i wanna incorporate music into the like theme of the scenes somehow but i dunno if i'm capable enough for it to be good - plus rewriting is hard bc what's there is good its just not right for this)

16. What are your writing strengths?

i like to think i can write my rancid sewer goblin dream boy eddie munson pov well

and maybe dialogue, or like metaphors?? i also have a thing about rhythm when i write so hopefully that come through, like pace and flow of sentences or whatever.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i have like pictures in my head and i never know how much to describe, like do i go full setting and facial expressions but then that feels like too much so idk. but ye that - the stuff around the dialogue

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i dumb baby i wouldn't even try bc it would just be google translate n that's embarrassing

19. First fandom you wrote for?

this one! i only lurked before hehe I've used ao3 for like over 10 years and this fandom was the first i ever wanted to make anything for

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

uhhh i think unmasking is very dear to my heart. but also Seasons change, but people don't. just bc its still my longest fic to date

that was fun! no pressure tags!! and sorry if you've already been tagged don't be mad a meeee!!!

@pearynice @numinosmoon @2btheanswertothequestion @flowercrowngods @aringofsalt @scarcrossdlvrs

[whmp]

I just wanted to say that your video game looks really cool! I'm a (fairly beginner) game developer and overall it just looks really great. I love the graphics and style. I do not consider myself a sadistic person and I can confidently say I have never had any urge to hurt somebody, but I'm still super hyped to play your game.

Anyways, I guess I'm just curious on how you're making it/ any details of the process so far you'd like to share.

hehe thank you so much anon!!! don't worry, the "have you ever wanted to keep someone in your basement" was (mostly) a joke, being a sadist is by no means a prerequisite. : ) the process itself is a bit chaotic - such is life of a solo developer. i'm spread a bit thin between animation, modelling and programming so when making the game i'm trying my best to stick to my strengths: for example, when you look at characters and items, most of them have only very basic textures, but they do have a neat little shader on top which makes them look cel shaded. there's also a hefty dose of VHSesque post processing on top of everything! i left for a bit of a vacation recently, hence the lack of updates, but i YEARN to go back to work. on top of the to-do list is to finish up the time-simulation system. originally i wanted the game to be in real-time like animal crossing or something, but i've since shifted focus to a different approach with a simulated time, kind of like in stardew valley or minecraft or pretty much any game with a day/night cycle. the two tasks i dread the most are going to be fixing whumpees hair and his skeleton. god. take a look at how this smug fucker's hair look like:

if you know anything 3d you're probably getting a headache just from looking at this terrifying thing. stop. stop looking at it now, please, avert your gaze and don't make fun of my topology skills. if you don't - on the left there's a wire frame of polygons that when painted gives us the poor little meow meow on the right. as you can see, his hair is SUPER DENSE when it comes to polygon distribution. basically, a good 95% of whumpee's geometry is concentrated in his hair. i have since changed it (it's an old screenshot) but his hair still is a bit too dense for my liking - this is the sort of thing that WILL cause performance issues further down the line. i should just shave him bald i swear.

the second thing is his skeleton (or rig, or armature or """avatar""" if you go by unity's terminology). there's no nice way of putting it, his bones are fucked up. i rigged him in blender and upon being transported to the game engine environment, his spine just sort of left his torso. i managed to shove it back in, but it's far from ideal. here's how he looked like prior to the Bone Surgery:

scary. think of the back pain.

to summarize, gamedev is hard, bones are bad, but i really want to get back to work. hopefully i'll post a major update post within a week or so! no taglist on this post since it's not really an update, but @fanboy-enby-undead mentioned wanting to see bloopers/glitches so here's an @. : )

[maluceh]

how long have u been drawing? i scrolled ur blog (great stuff btw) and your art has improved sooo much over the past like year or so it motivated me a lot hehe so im just asking out of curiosity as someone who's been thinking about picking up the hobby! and maybe if u could share what exactly made u improve thar would be fantastic <3

hi! I have been drawing since i was a toddler, but my art stayed pretty much the same cause i made the same drawings over and over. Even when I picked up digital art, I did it on my phone and with my finger so it wasn’t… great. (to anyone seeing this i beg you to let my 2017-18 art DIE).

I started to get serious about it like four years ago, i stopped doing just profiles and hiding hands and I started looking at different references and art videos which helped a lot. I also started studying graphic design and they had a class on traditional drawing and human anatomy and it helped me A LOT. not saying you have to join a class or anything, there’s a lot of online free classes or videos that can help you, what I did in those classes you can do it for free for sure. But having a routine, or an specific time where you set to just learn and take the time can help you (the class was 4 hours a week and all we did was draw and draw and draw, but with direction)

i don’t like to say “don’t do this, do that”, because every artist chooses their own path and they end up using things that others don’t and it works for them. so this is what i did:

doing the basics, studying the human figure (if that’s what you want to draw), studying scale and contrasts, etc. This is for traditional art

applying that knowledge and drawing A LOT of dynamic poses

it gets repetitive having to draw different poses again and again but it helps a lot

timing it to do 20 or 30 second drawings so you find the quickest way to recreate a pose or to at least get the basics of the subject (how long the arm goes, how the leg bends, how the hand sits on different poses etc) it doesn’t have to be great, it’s practice :)

then learning about color theory and how colors works and combinations, etc.

applying that to digital art, learning more things from other artists online.

finding new things about the program i use and taking advantage of them.

never stop learning, there’s always something else you haven’t tried, something you didn’t know, a new hack another artists teaches you, a new discovery you make yourself that changes the way you did things…

a lot of artists will tell you “oh you need to draw and draw a lot” but i find that advice unhelpful. You do need to draw a lot, but you need to work your way up and KNOW what you draw.

this is for later but, for coming up with your own style:

looking at and taking from other artists helps too! (i recommend this FOR PRACTICE not for posting and claiming it’s yours after copying one artist)

if there are more experienced artists you like, you can learn a lot from them and take little things from their art but it has to be multiple artists you shouldn’t take from just one. Try to resemble the way one of them draws bodies, the way that other one does hair, this one has a fun palette, the line art on this one, etc. Even if it’s things from other artists, you will end up with your own style, and it will help you find things that you like or don’t like and discard them (maybe cause they don’t work for you, maybe cause you want your style to look different).

and that’s basically what i did, i hope it helps you!! and i’m honored my art journey inspired you :)

[dennydraws]

Good Morning and happy Mon- wait it's Tuesday!

Argh, I got lost in time again! It's another week and back to the grind! Why weekends can't be longer...

Whew, youtubing is getting slightly easier! But now I struggle with the phone camera. I keep trying different settings and at the end the weird wiggle still persists. But for now I just want to get more comfy with the drawing process while recording cause that alone can be a little uncomfy hehe I guess it's the whole selfconcious that you are being recorded XD but with that said, I ran out of energy to record a voice over last weekend while fighting a terrible migraine on Sunday. I thought to leave it for the next weekend instead of pushing myself but if I get burst of energy earlier, I will post it through the week :D

Comic work! Thank you for following "The Snake, The Firebrand and The King of All" !! ... that title sure is a mouthful, huh xD; The next chapter will be a bit late, likely next monday? I did outline it, I had to start sketching the pages on Sunday but I felt so incredibly tired, I spent most of the day just sleeping. I think work fatigue piled on me once more. We have a lot of holidays in February and of course a lot of graphics for those. I've been coming home with nothing but brain fog, static noise and desire to sleep forever. u_u;; But at least chapter 11 is fully sketched and I quite liked the flow of it! It is a bit more complex but maybe I can line art it little by little through the week rather than all at once in the weekend. I'll see! I'm pass the mid point and into the fluff now! +o+ I didn't think I'd go this far for something I didn't incredibly prepared for!

I've been playing Fire Emblem Heroes on the side... while waiting for other games to come out this year - looking at Eiyuden 👀! I will likely drop off the earth till I finish it, when it comes out, hehe ! :D But yes! FE! I'm long time fan though I hadn't played anything after Awakening, so more of a fan of the old ones? I couldn't invest the time and energy to pick 3 Houses purely because there was no golden ending of everyone lives and is happy - I'm too old for that sad shite, okay? u_u;;; Fates... we don't talk about Fates and Engage felt like the vtuber nation attacked. I couldn't get pass the character designs so I never touched it. The mobile game is fun and I just mainly picked it so I could grab some faves and pamper them! Lucky for me my faves have like no alts and were easy to pick :D;;; ...so I guess my taste is that bad, huh 8D;; It's ok Gangrel, I still think you are the best Trash King!

But yes~ I'm swamped at work, my hands are giving in, I can't wait for the weather to get warmer and I can't wait for Eiyuden to come out! \o/ Until then, I try to survive xD;; but don't we all? Apologies for not posting much...or anything lately. Work has just been soul crushing crunch as usual when several big holidays come in 1 month.

In any case ~ Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have great rest of the week! \o/!!

[cutiedwaekki]

Hi guys ~ how are you doin' ?

I'll need your help for a little thing , i got some ideas for my next fic but i don't know which one should i write first so i let my readers the possibility choosing it because i'm too lazy for doing it myself !

So here's the ideas i got (and mostly get obssessed with) :

•DWAEKKI GYM

or were changbin see all his friends getting chubbier day by day and want them to get back in shape .... but it doesn't goes as he expected especially when he realize that they don't lose any weight but also that he start gaining weight too !

Pairing : Changbin centric (but some mention of Seungbin beauce i'm too soft for them)

•I'M THE BOSS

Or were Minho , a cold hearted boss who makes everyone around him scared is also a total simp for his husband who can be even more creepy and bossy than him especially when he's hungry

Pairing : Minsung

•INNOCENT

Where Chan, who was once in high school qualified as the jock of his school, finds himself at a reunion 5 years later accompanied by his boyfriend. Jeongin seemed so sweet and innocent that no one could realize all the dirty thoughts that came to his mind when he saw how his once athletic and muscular boyfriend had become fat and lazy because of him and that no one realise it.

Pairing : Jeongchan

•TEDDY BEAR

or were Seungmin and Minho used to be chilhood friends but the oldest as a kid always made fun of the youngest for being chubby. But no worry , karma come and hit him. Ten years later they meet again , Seungmin become a famous model loved by everyone and Minho a graphic designer loving a bit to much sweet. How will it turn out ? Hate ? Love ?

(Inspired by a rp with my bestie @quokkahans hehe)

Pairing : 2min

• ANY REQUEST

If you guys have any request you can also vote for it and send me a message or put the request in my ask box ^-^

It could be also any group , boygroup like girlgroup as long the pairing or the person is not a minor

Btw if you want to dm me for a rp or just chattkng you can also to it i promise i don't bite :D

[gingerbreadmonsters]

TW: VIOLENCE AND VERY GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! FOR THE ASK GAME IMMA PICK MY FAV PARA FROM MY FAV FIC >:) "His glove and about a inch or two of his sleeve are wet with blood as he reaches inside, turning the syrupy mess of what used to be a vampiric heart over in his hand. It pulses just a little, tiny involuntary twitches while it cools, but it’s not worth saving - delicately, he drops it back into the cracked mess of the body cavity with a sticky slap, letting the strings and pipes and cords settle as he takes in the scene in front of him. Poor, frightened children. Some try to fight back, to protest, to taunt him. Make him out to be a madman, or perhaps a maniac. Some try to run, but there’s nowhere to go. Honestly, don’t they see it? The writing on the wall is a familiar shade of red, and an upstart clan of brainless bloodsuckers isn’t going to make it out unscathed."

[no i don't have it saved in my notes wym]

leo's talking about this ask game (still open!)

YES YES YES!!! GOD this was such a blast to write and i had so much fun really getting into all the blood and guts of it, so to speak, so i'm very glad you like it hehe 🥰🥰🥰

the fic in question: bury the hatchet (spoilers for that fic under the cut!)

(for context, william has just skewered this particular vampire through the heart to the wall and then pulled the cane he did it with out, so the body falls to the floor)

it's william solaire at some big important vampire do - of course he's dressed up, and i can't see that man turning up without a nice pair of gloves 😍😍 in my mind they're dark leather - not cotton, that's a bit too butler-y - and the sleeve is probably dark as well, but the image is also nice if you imagine a sort of beige or cream or almond colour with the blood! i didn't mention any ruffles because i wanted the clothes to be mostly up to interpretation (it depends whether you think he's dressed in a more modern style, or something a bit more historical lol), but do feel free to imagine them 🤩🤩

oh this bit of description was LOVELY to do - i was trying to imagine what it would actually look like inside the body if this really happened to someone, and i loved the idea of the heart almost turning to pulp from being staked (obv there's some nice 'stake through the heart' traditional vampire stuff going on here, which i feel like william would take great pleasure in) 🥳🥳 plus the idea of the ribcage kind of cracking open like a book is such a horrible, uncomfortable image that i couldn't just leave it out!! the bit about "strings and pipes and cords" was my way of hand-waving away any actual biology here, but i think it's a very effective way of putting it - having to actually think about the body being full of stuff, and not just random organs all existing in discrete spaces, is so viscerally awful and wonderful to my angst brain.....

if i were to make this longer, most of that would probably come from the bit where the vampires try to escape - i was kind of tired at the time and this is basically an excuse to not have to write in either them escaping or being killed by william lol 😵‍💫😵‍💫 but i think it works!! he doesn't care about what they think, and the narration doesn't either. i will say that the "writing on the wall" bit is a little bit macabre (if the rest wasn't already), just because that's bc the wall in-universe is now literally covered in vampire blood, but i LOVE the "brainless bloodsuckers" part 😍😍 i'm very proud of the way that came out, and i think it fits quite nicely into my idea of william as a man who is simultaneously very old and very young - who holds courtesy and the way of things very dear, but isn't afraid to get his hands dirty 💖💖