#Stories of Friendship and Sharing

[santaclaustales]

Welcome to SantaClausTales.com

Welcome to SantaClausTales.com Where magical stories come to life!

About Us At SantaClausTales.com, we bring the enchanting world of storytelling to children everywhere. Our mission is to spark imagination and joy in the hearts of young listeners through captivating tales that transport them to magical lands, introduce them to charming characters, and fill their dreams with wonder.

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Classic Children’s Tales Dive into timeless stories that have been cherished by generations. From the adventures of Cinderella to the tales of Little Red Riding Hood, these stories continue to inspire and delight children of all ages.

Animal Tales Animal Tales is a fun story category that we have created for you to instill animal love in your children. Children who are instilled with animal love show more polite and kind behavior towards people. That’s why we recommend you to read animal tales to your children every evening.

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Bedtime Stories Soothing and gentle tales to wind down the day. These stories are designed to help little ones relax and drift off to sleep with sweet dreams.

Moral Stories Teach valuable life lessons through stories that emphasize kindness, honesty, and other important virtues. These tales are not only entertaining but also educational.

Why Choose SantaClausTales.com?

Safe and Child-Friendly Content: Every story is carefully selected to ensure it is suitable for young audiences.

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Join us at SantaClausTales.com, where every story is a gift of imagination and wonder!

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

the horrible thing about if ted lasso eventually comes back for a surprise fourth season is that i'm going to bounce right back to believing that tedbecca is the endgame plan despite the show creators literally saying multiple times that tedbecca was never the endgame plan 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭

[angelosearch]

I just realized it was around this time last year that I started replaying FFVIII.

This time was different from all the other times I returned to it. For the first time since my initial playthrough, it brought me into the fold of the fandom. I tried to go on Reddit, but that was not enough. In the few months that followed, my ravenous desire for all things FFVIII led me back to Tumblr.

Since then, this fandom has done so much for me and my mental health. I've made new friends (even irl!). I've learned many, many new skills. Through the act of engaging, by creating, interacting with, and enjoying various fanworks, memes, and theories, I've been given so much joy, inspiration, and even moments of self-discovery.

And, of course, this fandom got me writing again, which has just been all-around life-changing. I used to spend so much time scrolling and watching TV - now I use that time writing.

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be learning how to sing, or dressing in cosplay I made, or finishing writing a 200k word fanfic, I NEVER would have believed you. But having this space to explore and play within the context of this videogame has brought out the best, most passionate version of myself.

Connecting with my inner child, returning to my favorite piece of media, meeting some incredible people; it has all just made me feel good about being alive and has motivated me to get creative in ways I never have before.

I was lucky enough to have the time and space to accept the wonderful things the universe offered me over the last year. As I move into this next (likely extremely busy) phase of my life with grad school and my internship starting, I want to express gratitude and also remind myself that while these pursuits do take energy, they also generate it.

This is my promise to myself: I will continue listening to my inner child. I will not stop writing. I will not forget what brings me joy. Holding onto these things is what makes the hard work and late nights and the stress of a new career doable. I will be a better person if I take the time to engage with my hobbies, and, as a therapist, it will be important for me to model strong work-life balance and professional boundaries for my clients.

To all my mutuals, thanks for being here for the journey. Shout out to a few of my closest fandom friends, as I cannot express how much better you've made my life since I met you: @tr1ck5 @suleikashideaway @irishais @gardengalwrites @aleheartilly @sevlinop @foxtrottcantfindshit @quiettekiyet

[wa3jetisbestpony]

revstar fans we need to put on the best talent show this towns ever seen and save ReLive!!

[anakirui]

something about vbs being destined to stay together to accomplish their dreams vs wxs being doomed to seperate at one point or another to accomplish their dreams. idk

[novorehere]

Famished First-Time

Hello friends! This is an especially special post that I am very excited about, because the story you’re about to read was not written by myself. A friend who would like to remain anonymous submitted this amazing story to me and wanted me to post it to my blog for you all to enjoy. While they don’t have their own vore blog, I hope you can all enjoy and give them some praise and feedback! Words cannot describe how much I ADORE it, and I think you all will too no matter if you’re familiar with Obey Me or not <3 

Enjoy!

_____________

“Thank you!” Yuki, the lovely young cashier, smiled sweetly as Rayfa plunked down the appropriate amount of Grimm—plus a generous tip—onto the counter. “Come again!”

“You know I will!” Rayfa laughed, and the demon chick behind the counter laughed too. They had become fast friends—what with Rayfa being a proud regular and all—and Yuki knew she’d be back again within the week.

It always started with an unrelated shopping trip. An excursion to buy some nail polish and ribbons for her next sleepover with Asmo. Or perhaps an errand to pick up the newest video game Levi had pre-ordered, for he was too anxious to go out himself. Regardless of where her ventures began, they always ended back at the bakery—where she could purchase a little something for Beel. It hardly cost her anything (mostly because Yuki gave her legendary discounts) and Beel always got so adorably excited when she came home with dessert, so of course Rayfa had made it into a habit. It was such an easy way to put a smile on his face! How could she not?

“I’m already looking forward to it!” Yuki beamed. “See you next week, hun!”

“See you then!”

Rayfa carefully lifted the hefty white cake box into her hands, then began her leisurely walk back to the House of Lamentation, the soft chimes of the bakery’s doorbell twinkling faintly behind her. It was a lovely night outside, pleasantly warm but with the welcome caveat of a gentle breeze. It was the kind of evening that Rayfa liked to spend admiring the beauty of the Devildom, but something about this particular night was making her uneasy. She felt like she was being watched—nay, hunted. Instinctively, she quickened her pace, trying not to think about it. It was surely just her imagination.

Rayfa was maybe two blocks away from salvation—the HoL—when disaster finally struck. Out of nowhere, Rayfa felt burly/muscular arms wrap uncomfortably tightly around her waist. She readied herself to scream, but a freakishly large hand—with claws—clamped down over her mouth. She fought and kicked as violently as she could, but humans were no match for demons, and her attackers callously dragged her into the nearest alleyway.

Once they were far enough back not to be spotted from the sidewalk, Demon #1 forced her up against the wall and spat out an impatient order.

“I’m going to remove my hand now. Scream, and we’ll make things far messier than they need to be. You understand?”

Rayfa, shaking with fear, nodded frantically. Devildom nights were darker than black, and the streets had been relatively barren earlier, anyway. Rayfa doubted that anyone would come running even if she did scream. The clawed hand was removed, and Rayfa gasped for breath. It wasn’t that she couldn’t breathe before; She was just relieved to get that grimy hand away from her face.

“It’s not every day you see a human ’round these parts…” Demon #1 chuckled darkly.

Rayfa spied two more demons over his shoulder. So there were three of these fuckers, then.

Demon #1 stepped forward to grab her chin—to force her to look at him—which Rayfa desperately wanted to resist. Her self-preservation instincts told her to keep quiet though, and frustratedly, she obeyed.

…Until the dirtbag harassing her stepped purposefully on top of the cake box that had fallen from her grasp during the scuffle.

“That was for my friend…!” Rayfa growled angrily, surprising even herself with how upset she had gotten on Beel’s behalf—especially when her own current predicament was so much worse.

“Yeah, well-” Demon #1 scoffed and cruelly kicked the cake box aside. He stepped closer—again—and made a very deliberate show of licking his lips. “Your friend’s not the only one who needs to eat.”

Rayfa went pale. This guy was actually Oberon levels of creepy. (Levi would have been so proud of Rayfa for that SAO reference.)

“Wait! You-! You can’t eat me!” Rayfa squeaked. “I’m, like, the face of the exchange program! You could ruin relations between the three realms forever!”

“Tch. Like we care about that!” Demon #2 mocked boisterously. “We never wanted to make friends with those stuck-up celestials in the first place!”

“And humans, of course, are just snacks!” Demon #1 tacked on gleefully. “Who gives a fuck if Diavolo’s little exchange program falls through?”

Rayfa gritted her teeth. She wanted to argue more, but they had clearly already made up their minds. She was so royally screwed.

Demon #3, who had been relatively silent throughout the whole exchange, suddenly stepped closer. He was easily the largest of the three degenerate demons; Rayfa had to tilt her head almost all the way back just to meet his eyes. Intimidating. Demon #3 stared her down with the ferocity of a lion. Then he began to speak—quietly yet gruffly—the words foreign and unrecognizable. Suddenly, realization dawned on her. He was reciting a hex.

But by the time Rayfa realized, it was already too late. Her body shrank rapidly and she dizzily watched the world around her grow larger and larger and larger—until finally, she was left untouched at 2-3 inches tall. Things were not looking good for her. But! At such a small size, they couldn’t possibly clamp a hand down over her mouth again! Right?

Desperately, Rayfa began to recite the one phrase she prayed could get her out of this mess:

“Hear me, denizens of the darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it! Hear me and do as I command!”

“Stop her!” Demon #1 roared furiously, and Demon #3 (the nearest) made a desperate grab for her. Rayfa just barely managed to scramble out of the way before he could get his grubby hands on her, silently cursing the fact that the summoning incantation was so ungodly long. Nevertheless, she was determined to see it through.

“I, Rayfa, call upon you to send forth one of your number! I summon the Avatar of- HnghGruh!”

Though he had failed to grab her, Demon #3 was still determined to shut her up. He backhanded her—hard—which was enough to garble her words and send her flying backwards across the pavement. Rayfa winced at the scrapes she received. They were gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow, assuming she lived to see it.

Interrupted as she may have been, though, the spell—blessedly—had still gone through. There was a blinding flash of golden light, and then there, standing before her, was none other than…

Mammon, the Avatar of Greed.

Huh.

Rayfa had (admittedly) been hoping for Lucifer, but whatever panicked sound she’d made upon being swatted away had apparently sounded more like the word greed than the word pride. Honestly though, Rayfa was just relieved to see a familiar face.

…As endearingly incompetent as that familiar face could sometimes be.

Mammon stumbled around dazedly for a moment, and Rayfa felt guilty knowing that her poor casting of the spell was likely to blame. Quickly, she shook her head to clear her mind. Guilt could come later; Right now was her chance to escape!

Even though Mammon had not immediately chased off the three depraved demons, his unexpected appearance alone was more than enough of a distraction for Rayfa to work with. At the very least, she no longer felt quite as cornered as before. Demon #1, Demon #2, and Demon #3 were focused entirely on Mammon now, and that gave her the perfect opportunity to disappear. A full-sized demon was a much greater threat than a tiny human girl, after all! Rayfa instantly began scheming. Maybe she could subtly sneak away now, text Lucifer or Satan to come pick her up, and apologize to Mammon for using him as an escape later. He would fake like he was annoyed by it, she was sure, but there was no way these demons would actually be able to hurt him—not like they would hurt her—and Mammon would recognize that too. He’d just be relieved that he’d protected her, even if unknowingly at first.

Rayfa was just about to make her move, ready to dart out of the shady alleyway, but right before she took the first step, dark blue eyes swirled with gold locked onto her.

“Rayfa?!” Mammon spluttered out with confusion, as the last of the vertigo from her botched summoning spell finally wore off.

It took a good few seconds for Mammon to realize exactly what was happening, but eventually things did click for him, and the Avatar of Greed whirled on the lesser demons indignantly. Unfortunately for him, Demon #1 and his lackeys had finally recovered from the shock of their surprise visitor and were eager to make him pay.

“Oh shit!” Mammon swore, lightning-fast reflexes kicking into gear as he ducked to avoid a punch.

Demon #2 quickly lunged after him, but Mammon—surprisingly tactfully—sidestepped that, too. Levi really hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that Mammon was “Fast as fuck, boi!” Seriously! He moved so quickly that Rayfa could scarcely make out a blur! Mammon deftly avoided several more attacks, then glanced around with wild eyes, searching for an out. When he found one—as he always did—his body moved before his brain could catch up. Rayfa supposed she shouldn’t hold his recklessness against him though. It was what she was currently banking on to save her life.

When Mammon finally threw a punch of his own, the attack was surprisingly calculated. His fist connected squarely with the jaw of the head honcho—Demon #1—and Mammon capitalized on that fact. All he had needed was an opening, which he’d succeeded in creating for himself when Demon #1 had stumbled backwards from the force of the blow. He quickly darted past the now capsized enemy, taking advantage of the clever little “escape route” that was open. And then…

Mammon just fucking ran for it, gravel flying as he skidded past the remaining two lackeys and began sprinting directly towards poor terrified Rayfa. He didn’t slow down as he neared her. In fact, Rayfa swore he sped up! She squeezed her eyes shut as Mammon barreled forward at breakneck speeds, leaning down at just the right moment to scoop her up as he careened away from the alley. Rayfa let out a squeak of alarm as she felt Mammon’s fingers curl around her, but she relaxed somewhat when she realized that he had actually taken great care to hold her securely (but not so tightly that she’d be uncomfortably squeezed).

And then, just like that, they were gone.

Rayfa hadn’t expected anything less from him. If there was one thing Mammon was great at, it was running away. (Usually from debt collectors or angry brothers, but the logic applied here too.)

“Oh shit! Oh fuck!” Mammon panicked, footsteps pounding heavily on the sidewalk. “I really don’t wanna die!”

Despite herself, Rayfa felt a smile playing on her lips. Even when Mammon actually managed to pull off something pretty damn cool, he was still an endearingly panicky mess. But Rayfa wouldn’t have him any other way.

A few tense minutes of running later, Mammon veered off into another alleyway further down the street, panting heavily. Quick as he was, he obviously didn’t have the stamina to go on running forever. He needed a breather, but Rayfa didn’t think they could afford to take one.

The demon muttered something frustratedly under his breath. Rayfa couldn’t quite catch the words, but she could only imagine he was cursing out their pursuers. Which was totally understandable—they very much deserved it—but what Rayfa couldn’t understand was why he had stopped to do so. Tired or not, they had to get home!

“Mammon?” Rayfa questioned nervously, gently prying his fingers apart to sneak a worried peek up at the demon. He held her level with his heart, hands cupped carefully around her, blue-gold eyes gazing down upon her worriedly. Had they not been dangerously preoccupied, Rayfa would’ve melted at how concerned he looked over her.

“I’m not gonna let ‘em have ya,” Mammon growled protectively. “You’re my human, ya hear?”

Mammon had always been relatively exceedingly protective of her, but Rayfa had never really minded. She thought the whole “keep you all to myself” thing was sweet, even, albeit in a very Mammon sort of way. But something about the way he was staring at her now…

For the first time since they’d met, Rayfa felt inherently nervous under the Avatar of Greed’s gaze.

“Uhhh, are you-” Rayfa started to say, but the demon’s hands suddenly lurched beneath her, causing her to yelp with surprise rather than finish her thought. “Aaa!”

Mammon determinedly brought her to eye-level, an uncharacteristically serious expression etched across handsome features.

“What are you doing?!” Rayfa nervously demanded, the demon’s sudden solemnity eating away at her. Mammon was never sober like this. To make matters worse, Rayfa could hear the angry shouts of the demons they’d run away from. Those fuckers were finally starting to catch up.

It seemed that Mammon had heard them too, their voices being what finally spurred him on to do the unthinkable.

“S-Sorry ‘bout this!”

Mammon rarely ever apologized, which only solidified Rayfa’s right to fear whatever was coming. She had a really really really bad feeling about this.

Mammon, looking just as nervous as Rayfa felt, awkwardly guided the brave little human towards his lips. He gulped nervously, then opened wide with an automatic “ahhh”, and realization came crashing down onto the girl like a tidal wave. Rayfa screamed and tried to scramble backwards, but Mammon quickly threw his head back and fervently crammed her in.

It was almost absurd how quickly the demon’s mouth flooded with drool. Rayfa whined with disgust as warm gooey saliva oozed over her, bubbling up and seeping through her clothes. Mammon cautiously brought his teeth back together, sealing her away inside, then began eagerly slurping down her staple human flavors. Rayfa felt herself blush, angry and embarrassed that Mammon was spending such an exorbitant amount of time tasting her.

“Mammon!” Rayfa seethed, practically shaking with rage. “What the fuck!”

She was exhausted and disgruntled and grossed out, but begrudgingly, she decided to put up with whatever episode Mammon was having right now because she trusted him. For all she knew, demon spit could reverse hexes cast on humans or something! Right, yeah. Mammon probably had a plan. She just needed to play along and-

*Glk!*

Mammon gulped thickly, and Rayfa suddenly felt the clench of tight/squishy muscle around her as she was sucked down into the boy’s throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, being worked deeper and deeper with every purposeful swallow. Mammon had been quick to stuff her into his mouth, but now that she was safely out of sight, Rayfa noticed, he was taking his sweet time getting her down. Slow, languid gulps. Pleasured hums vibrating around her. Fingers gingerly pressed against the throat, presumably to feel her fight back as he swallowed. Rayfa grimaced as she slowly squelched down his greedy gullet, squirming violently as the unyielding flesh easily suctioned her down.

“Stop enjoying this…!” Rayfa growled disgustedly. “Bastard…!”

Within the minute, Mammon finished swallowing her down, letting out a relieved and breathy sigh. Rayfa, meanwhile, gasped out as the tight, hot, unyielding throat finally gave way to a much roomier space. Fleshy and vulnerable, the squishy pink walls shifted easily around her as Rayfa scrambled to reorient herself. A noisy gurgle stretched on, echoing around the darkness. She had finally reached his stomach.

“…hububhhuhuhh…” Mammon babbled through what sounded like a very drooly mouthful.

“Mammon! Are you kidding me right now?!” Rayfa screamed, raging annoyance briefly overtaking her fear.

“…tha’ feelsh…” Mammon moaned out. “…so fuckin’ guhd…”

Rayfa shuddered at how the stomach lurched as Mammon stumbled almost-drunkenly backwards, then slumped against the grimy brick walls, slowly sliding down and lowering himself to the ground.

“Urghhh!” Rayfa groaned, utterly exasperated. “You! Are! The! Absolute! Worst!”

Every word was punctuated with an annoyed punch to the stomach walls. She only really succeeded in getting her fist all sticky/slimy with stomach ooze though; Manmon appeared entirely unaffected.

Rayfa surely would have chewed him out even more had she not been interrupted by a sickeningly familiar voice. Even though she was tucked away out of sight, she still shivered just hearing it. They had finally caught up.

“What did you do with the girl?!” Demon #1 demanded furiously.

“I, uh…” Mammon slurred. He had barely even begun to answer when his digestive system suddenly did the work for him, a deep and contented burp rolling up his throat. “Mrph. ‘Scuse me.”

It didn’t take much for Demon #1 and his lackeys to put two and two together after that.

“Bastard! She was supposed to be my lunch!” Demon #1 roared. “Get him!”

Rayfa hated that her heart leapt at the thought of Mammon getting caught up in trouble. Especially on her behalf. She was supposed to be angry at him—he had fucking eaten her—but much to her annoyance and embarrassment, she couldn’t shake the worry from her heart. She’d grown to care too much.

“Mammon, please! Get it together!” Rayfa urged, cursing herself for encouraging the man who had gulped her down like nothing more than an afternoon snack. But she couldn’t just sit idly by!

Mammon stayed seated, but Rayfa felt the stomach shift as he at least sat up straight. She felt a sudden surge of power flow through and around her, too. And when Mammon next spoke, his voice was unrecognizable.

“BaCK oFF,” Mammon snarled like a rabid dog, sounding like an actual demon for the first time since Rayfa had met him. “Or I’LL eaT yOU foR desSERT!”

Rayfa was pretty sure that Mammon only had a hankering for humans—not for other demons—but the threat worked all the same. Mammon almost never lost control, which made the few times he actually did downright terrifying. Rayfa could only imagine the looks of horror on her attackers’ faces as they trembled at the sight of the second son’s true form.

“Shit! I didn’t realize he was one of the seven Avatars-!”

“Okay, okay! You can keep the human! Just-!” An honest-to-god whimper. “Please don’t hurt us!”

“Quick! Let’s get out of here!”

Noises from the “outside world” (with the exception of voices) had proven too muffled to hear from within the confines of the demon boy’s gut, but Rayfa imagined that if she had been out there with him, she would’ve heard a stampede of receding footsteps. Her suspicions were further supported when she felt the energy needed to maintain his true form slowly fade away. Mammon let out a thoroughly contented puff of breath and relaxed back against the wall again, too. Demon form now totally dispelled. And then, in a move Rayfa never would’ve expected, Mammon began rubbing his belly appreciatively—she could feel the gentle weight on the other side of the “wall”. For a hopeful but fleeting moment, Rayfa almost believed he cared. But no! He had eaten her!

Rayfa tried desperately to work out why Mammon had done this. Had he decided that, if she was going to end up “demon food” anyway, it may as well be his belly she was filling? A memory from long ago suddenly sprung to the forefront of her mind:

“The next time your life’s in danger, I’m gonna be the one to save you, all right? Don’t you forget that.”

“…And if I can’t manage to save ya, then make sure you die, got it?!”

Rayfa felt tears prickling at her eyes. So that was it then. Mammon had decided that if he couldn’t protect her, the least he could do was take her out himself.

Rayfa shuddered as the stomach gurgled loudly. It’d been relentlessly noisy—groaning and churning around her—for the entire duration of her “stay”. She felt drowned out, unsure whether or not Mammon could even hear her, but Rayfa had never been the type to give up.

“Mammon! They- They’re gone now, right? So then let me out!”

“…fiyve mr…minuhhs…” Mammon mumbled out, words slurred and utterly unintelligible.

Rayfa groaned.

Why are you like this?

Praying that Mammon could hear her—she still wasn’t totally sure her words would reach him from down there—Rayfa did the only thing she could think left to do. She called upon the power of the pact.

“MAMMON!!!” Rayfa roared at the top of her lungs, fingers crossed that he could actually hear her so that the pact would work. “SPIT! ME! OUT!”

Rayfa guessed her words must’ve gotten through to him, because just like that, the demon’s body began to obey. The stomach lurched, and Mammon began making throaty/guttural choking noises like he was dry-heaving. Rayfa felt herself being tugged back towards the esophagus—This was her way out!—but the gagging sounds poor Mammon was making were rapidly becoming unbearable. Rayfa was genuinely beginning to worry that she’d accidentally commanded him to choke himself.

“Hrrk, rggh, hrghk-!”

“Okay, okay! Stop! Don’t hurt yourself!”

Rayfa cursed her own lack of resolve. She was going to die here now. As nothing more than “demon food”—like Mammon always teased. All because she couldn’t bring herself to hurt the lovable dumbass who’d eaten her.

Her surroundings shook turbulently for another few seconds as coughs wracked Mammon’s body. He wasn’t choking anymore, thank god, but he was very clearly gasping for breath. Rayfa felt terribly guilty for putting him through that. When Mammon had finally cleared his throat, he muttered out an unabashedly annoyed:

“Ya know, it’d be a lot easier on the botha us if ya lemme cough you up myself.”

“You-!” Rayfa brightened at finally being addressed, tears of relief blurring her vision. “You were really going to let me out?”

“Well, duh.” Mammon shrugged, and Rayfa slid as the walls shifted around her. “If I wanted ya dead, I woulda let those lesser demons have ya.”

“But-! But you-!”

“Didn’t ya hear the protection spell?” Mammon grumbled, clearing his throat again. Apparently, some lingering discomfort remained. Rayfa winced sympathetically. She really hadn’t meant to hurt him. “I cast one on ya right before I swallowed ya down.”

Ah. So that’s what he had been doing when she saw him “cursing out” the demons chasing them. Apparently, that flustered muttering had been a protection spell.

“Okay, fine! But why didn’t you answer me?!” Rayfa demanded shakily. “I was seriously freaking out, Mammon!”

“I, uh…” And the regret was practically tangible. He sounded immeasurably guilty. “’M sorry.” He finally settled on. “I didn’t mean to get buzzed like that.”

Yeah, Rayfa had figured that much out. She didn’t say so, though. Instead, she stayed patiently quiet, giving him room to elaborate.

“Humans really are a delicacy for us, ya know? And havin’ one alive and kickin’ in my belly…” Mammon mumbled embarrassedly. “…kinda fried my brain.”

Yeah, that checked out. Rayfa hummed in acknowledgement.

“Didn’t mean to give ya a heart attack though…” Mammon continued after a beat. “I really am sorry ‘bout that, Rayfa.”

He sounded so beyond apologetic that Rayfa couldn’t help but want to reach out to him. In moments like these—rare as they were—Rayfa would usually give him a hug. But obviously, that couldn’t quite be done…

Almost reflexively, Rayfa reached out with both hands, palms splayed against the squishy stomach walls. She gave a reassuring little shove—like a playful nudge to the shoulder—then slowly began rubbing soothing little circles into the flesh. Mammon shivered with delight at her touch; Rayfa could feel the stomach tremble with pleasure. Despite herself, she let out a little laugh.

“That good, huh?” Rayfa teased. The playful banter almost made her feel like they were chilling out on the couch together. Almost made her forget where she really was.

“Sh-Shaddup!”

Rayfa just knew he was blushing like crazy.

“I guess I should probably thank you for saving me,” Rayfa sighed wistfully. “Albeit through very unconventional means.”

Mammon huffed proudly. “You’re welcome! You should know by now never to doubt the Great Mammon!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rayfa waved away the egotistical comment. “Can the ‘Great Mammon’ cough me up already? It’s super gross down here.”

“Uh.” Mammon froze, and Rayfa could feel the stomach tense up nervously around her. “Just lemme getcha back to the dorms first. You’ve got a penchant for trouble and I don’t wantcha runnin’ into any more of it.”

Excuse me?! You think I’m the one with the penchant for trouble?!

It took Rayfa a moment to realize that Mammon didn’t actually think her a trouble-magnet. He just wanted an excuse to hold onto her for a little longer. Because he was enjoying it.

Rayfa sighed heavily. She knew she was going to regret this: “Yeah, okay. But you’d better let me out the second we get home.”

“Yeah, ‘course! Sure thing.”

Rayfa laughed and shook her head. Now that Mammon had gotten a taste, Rayfa had the distinct feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time she found herself playing the role of “dinner”.

But curiously enough, Rayfa also found that maybe she didn’t totally mind. ❤️

[lavendertrash39]

So.. huntlow childhood friends au :]

It all starts with the mountain trial. All the scouts get left at the top of a mountain and they see who can make it down alive, and the fastest. 

Hunter is 9 years old when he attempts it. He ends up being one of the fastest scouts there. 

When he starts to reach the bottom of the mountain, he hears a girl cry out. He looks behind him and sees that he's far enough ahead, and goes to investigate the sound. He ends up finding a girl around his age standing by a stream, holding a bunch of mushrooms in her hands. 

She introduces herself as Willow. She's sweet, bubbly, and loves foraging, just like him! She seems equally excited when he shares that he has the same interest. He ends up showing her how to find a specific mushroom and gives her a bandaid for a scratch she'd gotten when tripping.

They unfortunately have to part ways soon after meeting each other, but neither of them forget their brief interaction. After all, they’d never met anyone else who enjoys foraging like they do.

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

So who is your favorite creepy pasta my is laughing jack

Abandoned by Disney and Godzilla NES!!! For the creeps associated with the slendermansion idea (which I love btw), it has been years since I last read their creepypastas, but just for their characters I think Laughing Jack and Ticci Toby! I think Jeff is INCREDIBLY funny because in the og story he was just 13. To me he made that story up and posted it in the internet. I know him.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Post Voyager returning to the alpha quadrant there’s definitely (in my heart) an unofficial club where the spouses/loved ones of her ex-crew gather to talk about how different and fucked up the experience made them, both of them in some cases. There’s also an official one but many of them don’t want to talk to a professional since Voyager is a media circus and they either don’t want more spotlight, are afraid of things leaking to the press, or are just uncomfortable talking to someone who might potentially idolize the person they’re talking about. (some of them share their experiences of this happening even amongst family or friends). A lot of talk of divorce, a lot of feeling trapped in relationships (a breakup would now be at LEAST semi-public and again it might prompt a lot of negativity - YOU broke up with a HERO? or speculation about the person they love[d] not to mention just general feelings of guilt). But there’s also a lot of funny (at least to them) stories, tears, venting, community. Also maybe to lighten the mood Quark’s there trying to get them plastered.

[lena-oleanderson]

True Blue (to Rio) from Side Wounds

fun fact: a version of this poem was in the first draft of side wounds (it went through Many, and features a lot of brand new poems i wrote just for the collection) but was also the last one i finished editing. and truth be told, if my deadline hadn't caught up with me, i'd probably still be editing it.

[pastafossa]

I'm not sure if this was already asked, but if Jane had skipped town when she had planned to, would Matt ever forgive her? How would he react?

Ooooh, now this is an interesting question.

I definitely think there's a small part of him that never would have forgiven her for it, especially since he'd already had a few vulnerable moments with her where he'd opened up and she, seemingly, had opened up with him, too. But mostly, it would have simply... broken that part of him that felt hope, that felt that maybe, just maybe he deserved to have someone care about him, or even love him one day, because he'd have read her letter - the kinder one, the gentler one, the one that said without saying, 'I could see myself loving you if I stayed.'

Ironically, despite her intentions - that she leave him a kinder letter, one that was honest and told him how much she cared for him - reading that letter after dhe left would have broken an entirely different part of him.

The loss of her, the idea that he'd been left alone again by someone who might have loved him, would have been all the proof he needed that he was a fuckup, that everyone in his life that he cared about was destined to leave him. He'd spiral, spiral right down into the decision that all he could do was leave them first before he hurt them so bad or put them in so much danger that they left him behind and, subconsciously, before they hurt him like the loss of his parents had, like Stick and Elektra and now Jane had by walking away. He'd retreat in on himself, curling up tight around that hurt and hiding behind the ferocity, darkness, and rage of the Devil because that seemed like the only way he could protect himself from being abandoned again when he wanted so, so desperately to have just ONE person who might... love him. It would have been a ticket to the S3 mindset basically, but because Karen and Foggy at that point didn't know about Daredevil, and because he hadn't met Maggie yet, no one really would have been in a decent position to help drag him up out of that spiral.

And Stick knew that, which is exactly why he tried to talk Jane into leaving, and why he gave her that letter to ensure she truly broke the more gentle, tender part of Matt. He knew this would push Matt into the mindset Stick wanted: that Matt was meant to be alone, that there was nothing for him but his 'duty', and there was certainly no room for friends, for lovers, or family.

One day it's possible he would have pulled himself out of it, and by then he likely would have forgiven her - either because he recognized she ran for fear of Cyrus, or because he simply blamed himself instead of her - but either way, if that domino had tipped, a part of him never really would have recovered or felt safe reaching for that kind of gentle connection again.

[kasienda]

Celebrity Status - Ch 12: Something Important to Tell You

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Read on Ao3

This chapter was written for @ladrienjune Day 28: Sharing Secrets. I'm super excited to bring this story to a close for all of you! I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you do as well!

Chapter 12: Something Important to Tell You

Once out of hearing range, Adrien was tempted to find the nearest alleyway, transform, and storm Marinette's balcony. But Ladybug might not forgive Chat for figuring out her identity. It was safer to do this as Adrien.

He would have gotten to the bakery faster if they had eaten at school, but it ended up not mattering because Marinette wasn’t home. 

He ended up back on the streets, wandering aimlessly. 

He texted Marinette, but she didn’t respond. 

A few minutes later, Ladybug was seen swinging overhead. And he grinned. Time for a new plan. 

He found an alleyway and transformed. He didn’t go directly to her. It was still safer to do this as Adrien. 

He found the most isolated rooftop that he could find - one without sight lines. 

He shot off a message to Ladybug. 

CN: 

Please meet me here as soon as possible. It’s important. 

Then, he let go of his transformation and just waited. 

It didn’t take long. She was there in less than five minutes. And it was wild how clearly she was Marinette under the mask. 

He found himself smiling fondly at her. 

She did not share his expression. Her expression twisted into panic.

“That damn cat! We can’t do this!” she insisted, raising her arm to cast out her yo-yo. 

“No, wait!” He leapt up from the roof to block her departure. “I didn’t mean to trick you. I have to tell you something. It is important, and has nothing to do with us.”

Well, sort’ve. 

Her stance softened. “Adrien,” she whined. “We can’t risk this.” 

“No one can see us up here. Chat Noir made sure of it.” 

Her scowl deepened, but she didn’t leave. 

He bit his lower lip. 

“Well?” she prompted. “What is it?” 

“I'm sorry! I’m just nervous. I think you’re going to be pissed.” 

She softened completely and came to him, her hand reaching out for his, which he took instantly. “If it helps,” she said with a shy smile, “it’s literally impossible for me to stay mad at you.” 

He barked a laugh. He doubted that would hold once she knew he was Chat Noir. 

“I love you,” he said. 

Her forehead scrunched together. “You said this wasn’t about us.” 

“And it’s not. Not really. I just–” He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

She frowned in concern, stepping closer and squeezing the hand she already held. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I’m fine. Better than fine, really.” He squeezed her hand back, and looked up into her crystal blue eyes, still swirling in concern. “I know who you are.” 

Her eyes widened and she froze, but said nothing.

"Marinette," he added.

She jerked away from him, her arms pinwheeling backwards. He leapt forward, to catch her. Suddenly, he was laughing. 

"Oh my god. Did I break you?"

She clutched onto his arms to steady herself, and then looked right at him. "How?" she asked.

“So… Alya kinda crashed my lunch with Nino.” 

Her face paled. "Ayla knows ?!"

"No!" he was quick to reassure. "At least, I don't think so. She wouldn't be so mad at you if she knew."

And then Ladybug deflated completely, and burst into tears. His arms were around her in a second.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her tightly. "I know it sucks."

"I didn’t want to run out on her. She’s so important to me. But there’s the whole city to think about, and Chat had just been thrown into a building, so it’s not like I had a lot of time—”

"Shhh…” he soothed, rubbing her back. “I know. I know."

She dissolved into tears again, and then they dropped down to the roof with him continuing to hold her. She let her suit dissolve in a flash of pink light. His fingers were interlaced through hers. He was touching her bare skin! 

He knew who Ladybug was and she was the precious friend who had a crush on him!

"That's how you figured it out? Because Alya was mad that I bailed on her all the time?"

"Not just that. It was that you were fighting in general. You told me as Ladybug that things were dicey with your best friend, but I hadn’t realized you and Alya were fighting until today.” 

He still felt guilty about that. 

“She was angry that Marinette didn’t go to her award dinner where Ladybug presented her award, but it made no sense that you wouldn’t have gone given the way you were talking about it the day before. Then, you disappeared in the middle of your apology lunch during an akuma.” And she had a crush on him, but Adrien didn’t know Ladybug had a crush on him. Chat did. “It just fit. And then once my mind went there, it was obvious and I felt like an idiot."

"Can I ask you something?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Anything.”

"Why did you never get mad at me for ditching you? I've even managed to irritate Nino before he just decided that's who I was."

His hand flew to the back of his neck. "I... well, uh..."

"It wasn't that you felt guilty was it? For all the times your father pulled you away?"

There it was - a ready made explanation held out to him on a silver platter. He didn't want it though.

"The truth is Buginette, I wasn't even in a position to notice. When Alya lost it because you were flakey I was so confused."

Her brows furrowed. "But what about—”

He put a finger to her lips. "Let me finish."

She nodded.

"Every time you darted away with some lame excuse, I didn't notice because I was too busy trying to come up with my own explanation."  

Her eyebrows furrowed. “An explanation for what?” 

"Think about it. Why would I need to bail on my friends at the same time as you?"

She looked puzzled, and then she turned to him in shock.

"Chaton?"

He grinned. "Hi?"

“Oh my god!” She bolted to her feet and paced back and forth. She looked entirely like Ladybug to him in that moment for all that she wore Marientte’s clothes. 

"Are you mad?" he asked. 

"Yes!" she screeched, throwing a glare in his direction. "Chat Noir was trying to convince me to keep dating Adrien! You self serving jerk,” but her tone held absolutely no bite. “And no," she fell back to the rooftop, immediately cuddling into his side. "I mean, I get it. If I had learned Adrien liked Marinette while I was Ladybug, I probably would have been far less normal about it than you were. And I was the one who insisted on secret identities."

Her phone went off, and she pulled it out of her pocket and her eyes widened in panic all over again. 

“It’s Alya.”

… 

Adrien pushed the phone towards her urgently. “Answer it! I’m not here.” 

Marinette swallowed, her heart was pounding in her chest as she slid her thumb across the screen to answer the call.

“Alya?” 

Alya was sobbing.

“Alya! What’s wrong?”

“I’m awful. You’re right not to trust me with your secrets.” 

Marinette’s eyebrows scrunched together. “What are you talking about?” 

“I was angry with you and Adrien said something about how you never flaked on him. And I was angry. I may have let it slip that you have a crush on him.” 

Her gaze shot to Adrien. 

“You tom cat!” she mouthed at him. 

He grinned cheekily at her. That’s totally how he figured her out. 

“I’m so sorry, Marinette,” Alya cried. “I had no right to share that even though I was angry.”

“Alya! It’s okay!! I actually have to thank you! Because he just confessed to me, and I asked him out!” 

Adrien’s eyebrows rose into his hairline. 

“No way! Really?! What did he say?” 

“Well… umm… I’m kinda still waiting for an answer,” she said, staring right at him as his lips stretched into a smile. 

“Oh my god! He’s there, isn’t he?! I’ve been trying to get you to confess since forever and you finally do and I’m interrupting! I’m sorry! I’ll just go—”

“No! Don’t go!” Marinette begged. “Adrien can wait! Are we… are we okay?” 

There was a long pause, and Marinette held her breath. 

“I want us to be. And right now, I’m mad enough at myself that I think I could say we are, but if this keeps happening… I don’t know.” 

Marinette squeezed her eyes closed. “I think you’re right to be mad,” she said. “At me, not at yourself. That’s totally fine. I promise!” 

Adrien squeezed her hand in encouragement and she flashed him a smile. “I feel awful for how much I’ve hurt you. I feel absolutely terrible, but I can’t fix it, I can’t explain, and I can’t… I can’t promise it will stop happening.”

Her eyes welled with tears. 

“I actually appreciate your being that honest. Can I ask for one thing?”

“Of course!”  

“Can you just not lie? Just tell me you can’t explain. We can come up with a code word or something.” 

“Yeah, we can do that.”

“Then, I think we’re good. We’ll figure out that part later. Now, go finish your conversation with Adrien!! And then call me later with all the deets!” Alya literally squealed. 

“Okay! Sounds good! I love you!”

“Love you, too! Before I go, can I talk to Adrien for a second?”

“Umm… you’re not gonna give him a shovel talk are you?”

“No no no. Nothing like that!” 

She handed over the phone.

…

“She wants to talk to you.”

Adrien took the phone with more than a little trepidation, knowing he had pissed off Alya himself less than an hour ago. And Alya was someone he knew he didn’t want to piss off. 

“Hello?” he answered. 

“You know her secret, don’t you? Something I said at lunch, helped you put some pieces together.” 

He tensed. Marinette noticed. “She promised no shovel talk!” 

He shook his head, and held up a finger. 

“Umm… what secret?” 

Alya laughed. “Yeah, that’s fair. Can you just do me one favor?”

“Depends on the favor,” he said. 

“Do a better job protecting her secrets than I did?” She asked softly. 

He smiled. “Yeah, I’ll try. Thanks Alya.” 

“Okay, now scat! Don’t leave my girl hanging!” 

He laughed. “Thanks, Alya.” 

The call ended and he held out the phone to Marinette. But she didn’t take it. Instead she just smiled at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were smiling. 

“You going to answer my question?” 

He grinned, feeling playful. “I don’t know. I distinctly remember you telling Chat Noir that you had feelings for someone else, and Adrien that we couldn’t be in a relationship.” 

“This is payback for all the times I’ve rejected you, isn’t it?”

He pulled her into his arms, and leaned in for a kiss, but he stopped two centimeters from her lips. “I think I could be persuaded.” 

She closed the distance between them. And kissing Marinette was exactly like kissing Ladybug, except better because he could feel the warmth of her hand, and the beating of her heart against his chest. 

Because he didn’t have to be worry about Adrien and Marinette being caught in quite the same way.

“I would absolutely love to go out with you,” he said. “I love you so much, m’lady.”

It felt so good to finally be able to call her that as himself. 

Her cheeks bloomed with pink and she kissed him again. “I love you, too. Can we take a selfie of us kissing?” she asked, grinning. 

“You’re not tired of the picture we already have of us kissing?”

“Honestly, I kinda love that picture,” she admitted. “I might not have chosen to share it with the rest of the world, and I definitely would have preferred they didn’t all feel like they were allowed to ask invasive questions or interpret it however—”

He was never going to stop smiling. He interrupted her with another kiss. He wasn’t actually trying to interrupt or stop her from talking. She was just so pretty, and she had just asked him out, and he was still definitely over the moon. And so he kissed her. 

He took the picture she wanted for her a beat later, but the kiss kept going so he took more. 

When she finally pulled away gasping for air, he held out his phone so she could choose her favorite. 

“This picture can be just for us if you want,” he offered as she swiped through the pictures, picking out her favorites. 

She winced. “And maybe for Alya?” She asked, smiling guiltily. 

“You already sent it to Alya?!” 

He got three texts in rapid succession. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll ask next time.”

He laughed, and pulled her in again. “Is it weird that I’m happy you want to share it instead of keep it a secret?”

She smiled softly, her fingers brushing locks of his hair out of his face.

“No, not weird at all. I’m sorry we had to be a secret before. If I was brave enough to confess as Marinette instead of being creepy with you as Ladybug—”

“Your visits were never creepy!” he objected. “I loved your visits!”

“—maybe we could have had this without the scandal and maybe without the reveal.” 

His heart sank into his gut. “Do you regret that we know now?” 

She shook her head, grinning. “No, probably not. I just— I want you to be safe.” 

“I am Chat Noir,” he reminded her. “I can protect myself.” 

“That almost makes it worse, but yeah, I do feel better.” She grinned, her front teeth were biting down on her lower lip. “I’m super excited that we don’t have to risk being out as Ladybug and Adrien. We can just be Ladybug and Chat. No one will suspect a thing.”

Not a thing! Until they got kissing on camera again, but Adrien wasn’t about to bring that up. 

… 

They lasted a week. A whole seven days without being caught with lips locked. And that was a miracle with how much they had been meeting up to do exactly that. 

But it felt different. 

When reporters came out of the woodwork asking for details, Chat Noir was right there, holding her hand. This time, she denied nothing, and instead she dipped him into a kiss for all the world to see. 

“What softened you towards the cat?” Alya asked her in an interview that Marinette was only too excited to grant her. 

Ladybug giggled. “Honestly? It was how supportive he was when everyone was hounding me over my dalliance with Adrien Agreste. He was so respectful of my boundaries and he defended my right to make decisions in my own life when I knew he had feelings for me.

“That told me he cared more about my happiness than his own and that he would always respect my boundaries. He has already died for me. How could I not fall in love with that?” 

Chat Noir pulled the mic towards himself. 

“Thank you, Adrien Agreste. You truly did me a solid!” 

“Oh my god! Stop!” Ladybug squawked.

The interview dissolved into incoherent  giggles and silliness after that. Alya didn’t cut any of the footage. It was her most popular post to date. 

…

At the end of the day, nothing had changed for Marinette. And yet, everything was different.

Adrien sought out Marinette at school. She didn’t stumble over her words. He actually kissed her and they didn’t have to hide any of it away. 

His knowing her identity didn’t make her flake out on Alya less often, or suddenly stop driving her parents to madness with too many truancies. Ladybug’s fans were still mostly sweet if exhausting. Others were still beyond aggravating.

The difference was Marinette had three people – well, beings might be a better word – that knew her on both sides of the mask.

Tikki was a great listener and gave great advice just as she always had.

Plagg was more fun. He would give into her more frustrated rants or violent fantasies. He would occasionally play mostly harmless pranks on people who were giving her a hard time, which, while childish especially in Tikki’s eyes, always made her feel better.

And Adrien... Adrien understood. He understood the pressure of living up to an impossible ideal, the stress of living a double life, and how being a celebrity could push into your private life. He could listen, he could back up her stories. When they both disappeared they could pretend they were together.

Although it wasn’t really pretending. They were together. Just not hiding or making out in some broom closet like everyone thought.

And with the support and with time, she got better at covering, at telling selective truths instead of outright lies.

Of making it up to her friends in general, and Alya in particular. Of pulling off miracles in her attendance record. Though that may have involved hiring a guy Adrien knew to do some hacking. She earned the best marks ever with access to a study partner who would pull all nighters on rooftops with her though, so she figured it didn’t matter.

Hawkmoth was still at large, but Ladybug was confident that with her partner’s aid, they would hold him at bay for as long as they needed to until they could uncover his identity and recover his stolen miraculous.

Life as a hero and as a celebrity just didn’t feel quite as overwhelming as it had before. 

In fact, Marinette was loving it.

[hyunjinz]

.

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 5!!!

[thebramblewood]

Helena's been capturing scenes of Britechester over the course of an entire autumn for her elective photography class, and she just developed the pictures! 📸

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[karinyosa]

As a model for Brinker Hadley I used Gore Vidal.

jay parini and gore vidal respectively, the united states of amnesia / john knowles, a separate peace

id in alt.