#WELCOME TO CLOWN TOWN BABY

[the-little-knight]

‼ NEW PIZZA TOWER AU INCOMING!!! ‼

WELCOME TO THE BATSHIT CIRCUS AU!!

The Batshit Circus (BSC FOR SHORT OR IF YOU DONT WANNA SWEAR /J) Is an au where, instead of the normal pizza tower, the tower is replaced by a large circus tent that has dropped into Peppino's home town...

...And with Pizzaface tricking him and all, Pep ends up as their brand new circus clown!!

(HEAVY INSPO COMES FROM TADC, @/sm-baby's TADC Carnival AU, my love of crazy ass circuses, and my upcoming reading of The Night Circus!!!)

ALL CHARACTER IMAGES (as of this point) BELOW THE CUT!!!

I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT COMES OF THIS SILLY LITTLE IDEA!!!

[arpmemething2]

Full House Sentence Starters

Send one for my muse’s reaction.  Feel free to change pronouns as needed.

"Gee, your hair smells like melon. What are you using?"

"Why thank you!"

"Don’t say it if you don’t mean it."

"No way, Jose!"

"She signed up for Shop Class cause she thought it was taught at the mall."

"We have this thing here in America called a restraining order"

“I guess we’re not as old as we thought we were, are we now”

"You don't have to be hip and cool. You're spick and span."

"I hope you're not offended. But if you are, that's her father over there."

"Darling, I just hope you are alright. But if you are alright, I'll kill you."

"You got it, dude."

"The baby's sleeping like a baby."

" Did ya get the triple chocolate with pink frosting in the shape of a clown's face with a big cherry-red nose? Did ya, did ya, DID YA?"

"I'm just cleaning my rubber gloves."

"She had the most incredible hypnotic eyes, the face of an angel, the most amazing body."

"You got a bad attitude."

"I can't have chicken pox, I'm immune."

"That's not a big problem. A big problem is like... well... if your butt fell off."

"You've been in toon-town for 2 days. Now, start acting like a human being."

"Cut. It. Out!"

"Talk to me."

"You're immune to common sense."

"Disco will never die."

"Shame on you!"

"Duh!"

"You should take a drive through a car wash without your car."

"I'm stuck in a room full of eggheads. They're worse than eggheads, they're omelette-heads!"

"Well, pin a rose on your nose."

"Oh, puh-lease!"

"How rude!"

"Don't shake your head. Your story's read. It's time for bed. To bed, I said."

"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you... Only you're not joining in."

"Jail break!"

"Now you can have ice cream and chocolate milk, no cookies."

"Elvis never made one golf movie."

"Boy, this is gonna be a fun night."

"Tell me something I don’t know!"

"This kid has been walking for three days and you haven't stopped taping her. I'll feel sorry for her when she starts potty training."

"She was choking on a bad piece of cheese, so I gave her the Hoover maneuver and sucked it out of her."

"'Sorry.' 'Sorry.' 'Sorry' doesn't change the fact that my chicken tetrazzini is ruined!"

"I had a traumatic experience with squash once. I ate one."

"Aw, nuts!"

"Have mercy!"

"You gotta be kidding."

"A telescope that can only see your face?"

"I think you're a little mixed up."

"We never clean at my house. We move in, trash the place for five years, then move out."

"Yeah, well I bet you won't be getting surprised tonight."

"You can't buy my vote... but you can rent it for an hour."

"I’ll stay home and watch public television."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Whoa, Baby!"

"Am I the raddest, baddest dad a kid ever had?"

"Oh, mylanta!"

"I tried, and I failed. I'm just glad I figured this out now, and not when I'm 46."

"Hey, you had your adventure and now I'm going to have mine"

"Watch the hair!"

"You. Are. Not. Welcome!"

"I am stoked! Whatever that means."

"Who wants white meat? Scratch the white meat. We have dark meat and really dark meat."

"You have the brain of a paramecium."

"I am not and I'm telling you said that."

"Hey, I thought we were going out for ice cream."

"I need that cake!"

"You’re in big trouble, mister."

"You can keep the drums, but the sticks have got to go."

"Like on 'Oprah!' People married to two people at the same time… oh my god, They are a botanist!"

"Happy birthday to me!"

"That’s not funny."

“I will never die”

[the-nosy-neighbor]

More on A Cricket on the Hearth

In Dickens’s version, we have more characters, the story is from the viewpoint of the Peerybingles, John and Dot.  They are a couple with a large age difference and they have a new baby.  They know a toymaker named Caleb who works for a jerk named Tackleton, who is going to marry Mary, who is an old school friend of Dot.  Mary used to be engaged to Caleb’s son, Edward, who went off and died in South America.  Dot doesn’t want to marry Tackleton, but her mom is making her do it.

John brings home an elderly guy who was hitchhiking and the old guy invites himself to stay.  Tackleton comes to John and says that Dot is stepping out, which worries John.  They go peeping and see that the old man is actually a young man in disguise, who is young and hot without the disguise and has his arm around Dot’s waist.  John is heartbroken.  He thinks about killing the guy, while he sits in front of the fireplace brooding, but then a cricket chirps and turns into a fairy that shows him Dot’s past and how she is a good person.  In the end decides to be the bigger person (and not murder her!) and divorce her so she can be happy with the young hotness.  

It all comes out and it turns out that the young man is Edward, who finally made his way back to discover that May was going to marry Tackleton and decided to go in secret to see if she still loves him.  Dot helps them find a moment to talk, and they get hitched.  Dot didn’t tell her husband because he is a bumbling idiot.  All is well.  I guess except for Tackleton, I suppose.

What that means in Welcome Home context, I am not sure, but I have some half-formed ideas.  This story became popular at the time, and brass crickets around the fireplace became a thing.  I believe it was a common gift.  Example below:

We are used to having bugs around, and I thought we had a cricket, but the wiki calls it a mantis and those sure look like mantis front legs:

So, it is a tradition, but one that honestly hasn’t been around for a while.  At least, not where I am.  It might still be popular in England?  The internet only has references to it being obscure and there are tons of little articles and essays like mine above, enjoying this forgotten thing and how weird it is.   

The subtitle is interesting, though.  “A Fairy Tale of Home.”  The home is central to the story, in that the cricket stays around there, and it’s supposed to be a general good luck thing.  Generally in literature and myth, the hearth is like the heart of the home, and is closely associated with the positive aspects of home and family.  Hera and other goddesses are generally described as “of the hearth,” and not of the home.  If you get really weird about it, the hearth is comparable to a womb (I looked it up, it’s not just me, whew).  And the toys are something that figured in prominently in the update, but most Christmas things have toys in some form.

Fairy tale, though. I wonder if that is the important part of the title for our purposes. I'm going to have to think about that.

I did pull some frames that remind me of Welcome Home.  

The pic below Eddie is Edward from the cartoon special.  For one, the names are pretty similar.  Edward’s last name is Plummer, of the toymaker and blind daughter Plummers.  The last name is a reference to a person who works with lead, maybe pipes = plummer.  Thank god they got out of that field.  I wonder if this is one of Clown’s references for Eddie?  I went and looked at the references Clown used in an answer to an ask, and it included “It’s a Small World” and Special Delivery Kluger from a Christmas special called Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  But that is a very specific reference, and Clown does have a love of animated specials and kids’ shows. I think it is still a possibility that this was a reference for Clown when designing Eddie.

Another reason I posted that pic of Eddie is that it has images overlaid, and I saw it in his eyes first.  When I saw the reflection of the figure in the eye (from the previous post), I thought, “this is something Clown would do and probably has done.”

There is something about the way the cuckoo clock background is drawn.  The wash that is on the background does feel like it is an influence, though instead of a blue we get a black/red effect.  

How about this:  When Eddie has his freakout, we are getting a purely external view of what Eddie is going through.  What if he is having a Dickensian experience in his mind?  Maybe not ghosts, per say, though you could say that there are ghosts overlaid on most of the images in the Homewarming content.  (below is me torturing this pic to see what is overlaid on the top)

Just out of sight, and I have pointed out a few different instances where this almost invisible layering is happening.  Could we be seeing what someone would see watching Scrooge have his out of body experience?

Clown has stated that hard work and being useful is Eddie’s reason for living.  Is there some reason that he feels this way, especially where Christmas packages are concerned?  What if he is going against some kind of moral Homewarming code that earns him an experience equivalent to Scrooge.

Also, Cricket Crocket is mentioned in this cartoon, so what if the pea on the plate is not only an expression of solitude and loneliness (and an all seeing eye, more on that to come), but is also a reference to the stingy dinner the Crocketts were going to have before Scrooge got it together and brought them food?  Side note, in Muppet Christmas Carol, which is the far superior version (Scrooged is a close second), they bring a giant uncooked turkey and every time I think “how are they going to eat that before tomorrow because it is going to take 12 hours to cook in a fireplace?”

Seeing the clock speed up and slow down in Home could be related to this idea of all of the spirits doing this in the same night, this manipulation of time.  Eddie sees himself in a room full of giant toys, and he is dwarfed in the middle.  Out of body, out of time, surrounded by strangeness.

I’m not suggesting that it is a Christmas past, present, and future kind of thing, but I’m suggesting a reference to a supernatural level experience that fits into Dickens’s works.  Like the references Clown has made to Eddie’s extreme commitment to his work, he may feel similarly about the holiday, hence why he was so excited to help Poppy.  He was performing the duties that he is supposed to do on Homewarming.  The fact that he didn’t follow the tradition, since there were no packages to deliver, could be a clue to where the breakdown occurs.  

I may have to read some more of Dicken’s holiday stuff to see if there is a stronger connection.  But I do think that I have some more to write about Eddie, regarding this theme and applying the themes introduced with Poppy.  

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Cabaret

April 24, 2024 | Broadway | August Wilson Theatre | Evening | Musical | Original | 2H 45M + 1H preshow

I am kicking my feet and twirling my hair as I lovingly, tenderly, reverently carve Bebe Neuwirth's name into the Tony personally.

Bebe Neuwirth Verdict: My Soul Transcended Space and Time

A Note on Ratings

Oh. The rest of the show. Right.

Cabaret is one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre to exist. I have seen four productions of this show on multiple "levels" of production (Broadway, community, regional, etc.) The show being what it is, it seems inconceivable to ever stage a poor production of a show with such rich material. Even if the talent pool came from a small town, the music, the lyrics, the story would be so strong, so moving, so timeless, that nothing coupled possibly ruin it.

I was wrong.

The fifth Broadway revival of this beloved Kander and Ebb musical is a stagnant spectacle whose price tag seems to actively encourage its potential audience to pick up their knitting, their book, and their broom, because the holiday of the Kit Kat Club is only meant for the rich denizens of society. Helmed by a director with no prior experience in musical theatre, the show fundamentally mistrusts its audience's intelligence and the once-masterful subtext is now about as subtle as a brick through a fruit shop window.

It's a bad sign when the security staffer at the entrance line tells you the design is excellent, the visuals are excellent, "the show is...good," with pointed hesitation and eyebrow raising. What would we do without New York honesty?

Under this new "immersive" direction, patrons enter through a seedy back alley door (with too many steps, which granted, they did warn me about before and I should have listened) and into a massive three-story club design with pre-show entertainment and drinks galore. With limited seating and rather underwhelming acts, my disabled ass went to my seat in the theatre instead where the whole auditorium has been gutted and renovated to create a theatre-in-the-round setup that ultimately does not suit the staging. Instead, actors play primarily to the "east" side, leaving the "west" to see a lot of backs throughout.

As characters, the Emcee and Sally are deranged, clownish, and utterly devoid of layers and complexity. They are exactly what their outlandish costumes, garish makeup, and overwrought performances say they are: too much. Eddie Redmayne is going for some kind of demonic muppet clown portrayal. This interpretation fails to do what the character is meant to do. Seduce, entice, enchant, all of which can be done in a morbid or even unsettling way, but Redmayne only ever irritates and repels. Similarly, Sally is an easy character to misunderstand. She's seemingly vapid, ignorant, and concerned with nothing more than having a good time. She's a character on the verge, but only ever on the verge. Too often I have seen performers act out the titular song as a full-blown breakdown. It is not. It is a triumph. It is a discordant celebration as the rest of the show falls into despair. In directing all of Sally's numbers to be as hysterical, unhinged, and off-putting as they are, it's clear the director, the producers, and to an extent, the actress who went along with it, do not understand this character, this story, this world. Less is more. Trust the material. Trust the audience.

Cabaret is a racy show with plenty of lewd and lascivious content. But this production takes the graphic nature to an extreme that ultimately misses the mark. Instead of a seductive coaxing, or even a morbid eroticism, we're granted such overt choreography (a man jerks off a giant black phallus into a woman's mouth, a woman mimes raining her tit milk all over a man's face, a woman graphically masturbates to Mein Kampf) that it becomes a juvenile display. Like children who make sexual jokes to be edgy, but only ever sound immature. It's off-putting, it's annoying, it's dull. There are multiple rewrites to the "Willkommen" introduction schtick, and the new lines are such a downgrade.

There are moments of relief amidst the spectacle that somehow still lacks spectacle. Bebe Neuwirth is a wonder of wonders, and her chemistry with Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz is a miracle of miracles. They are the saving grace of this monstrosity. Age, experience, and deep connection to the writers and the show give their performances a joyous, heartbreaking, beautiful tone. They are real, they are grounded, and they will shatter your heart. These scenes are the only places the director shows she's capable, perhaps because she has only ever done dramatic straight plays. The decision to stage "Married" as a trio with Kost spot-lit and singing in tandem was simple and brilliant and poignant. The way this show is meant to be. "What Would You Do?" is staged perhaps a little oddly, given the director's inability to remember she's doing an in-the-round show, but Bebe's rendition is the best I've ever experienced. I have heard this song sung beautiful by stronger singers, many who still grasp the acting well, but none hold a candle to her. This is a woman who has torn out her own beating heart from her chest as she chooses safety and self-preservation, even if it breaks her. This is a woman who is old and tired and not brave. Who has been given this one moment of happiness in her life and she has no choice but to saw it off like a gangrened limb before it poisons her entire body. Schultz and Schneider are the heart of this show. They deserve better.

It's been said by others, but the issues with this production seems to stem from its creative team's fundamental misunderstanding of Jewish culture. The show was written by three Jewish men who understood what was at stake. They had all lived through WWII. This is a production with a distinctly English tone, directed by gentiles, for gentiles. Broadway and New York, more familiar with Judaism than perhaps the West End, clearly received this revival differently.

Final Verdict: A Long Slog to Curtains

A Note on Ratings

[metal-caregiver]

Tips for caregivers of punk/scene littles

This is probably my longest winded post..and the most self indulgent lol.. Here's just some of my personal snip-bits on being an alternative regressor. I hope this can help someone out or at least be entertaining for those who are alt regressors too ^^

Find stim toys that are otherwise "unconventional" or aren't labeled as stim toys ! - This might be a stretch,, and can honestly work for anyone looking for something to stim with. I love my chain necklace and I wear it everywhere I go! Its got a ring and 2 chains that I like to play with,, the texture of the metal is also nice in my hands and has a good weight around my neck. Sensory pressure is my favorite stim ! Skull necklace Moon phases Pride flags O-Ring necklace (mine!) Playing with piercings can also be a stim but ! be careful that jewelry is cleaned and fresh piercings are healed ! Its ok to allow your little to wear corsets, fishnets and tight clothing! It can be a great way to provide pressure therapy, or a stim in public or on the go~ Never force your regressor to stop watching shows/movies or listening to certain music while they're regressed. Sometimes horror movies, and loud noises can be comforting! * Talk with your little while they're big about this! There may be certain horror topics to avoid when they're regressed ! ... Some resources / things that I find helpful as an alt cg!

Movies & TV Shows 🎥 Stranger Things Over The Garden Wall Gravity Falls The Owl House Amphibia The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy Invader ZIM Courage the Cowardly Dog Dead End Park Scooby Doo Ruby Gloom Danny Phantom The Adams Family The Munsters Daria Corpse Bride The Nightmare Before Christmas Coraline James and the Giant Peach ParaNorman Edward Scissorhands Dark Shadows BeetleJuice SOME OF THESE MOVIES CONTAIN 18+ SCENES ** (but are generally sfw / are all PG-13) Nicknames ✏️ Petal, Dewdrop, Baby Bat, Prince(ss/et) of darkness, Moon-child, Beastie, Cub/Little Cub, Beetle, Vamp(y), Little monster, Little terror, Rockstar, Bizkit (like..limp bizkit its a personal one ok😭?!) Games and other Media 🎮 Night in the woods FNAF Silent Hill Animal Crossing Zelda Danganronpa Pokemon Kingdom Hearts Fran Bow Little Nightmares Little Miss Fortune Stanley Parable Half Life Omori Skyrim Devil May Cry Roblox Minecraft Shoots and Ladders - Korn Clown - Korn Bring Me To Life - Evanescence Juggalo Juice - ICP Hokus Pokus - ICP Rainbows & Stuff - ICP Youre So Creepy - Ghost Town Sugar we're going down - Fall out Boy I Write Sins Not Tragedies - PAN!C Teenagers - MCR Welcome to the Black Parade - MCR SOME OF THESE MEDIAS CONTAIN 18+ CONTENT & LANGUAGE ** (or are generally unsuitable for regressors but...we're embracing unconventional regressors with this list) Misc items Rainbow Drip bat plushie (etsy) Rearz "Rebel" collection (also in pink) - dips / nappys ( pocket nappy ) ( training pants ) - changing pad - onesie Bat sippy cup ( - Bitten CURRENTLY SOLD OUT) Skeleanimals bat hoodie ( - hot topic CURRENTLY SOLD OUT) Mushroom sippy cup (etsy) "Spoiled Bat" Tumblr cup (etsy) "Ghost W/The Most" Sippy (etsy) Personally I have used Rearz and aside from medial brands you find at the stores,, these have been my favorite ! They fit comfortably and Im not consciously aware of wearing them (after a bit) despite being also K!nk affiliated (like Little4Big ^^") They're one of my favorite adult nappy brands..and highly recommend them if you're looking for more "edgy" designs ! They also have "Rebel" in pink ~ Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any shops,,these have been recommended by friends, or through personal purchases

[dizzybizz]

you have unleashed a demon. i warned you.

i don't think this is going to have any structure whatsoever but i will pretend it does for my own sanity.

i want to start with some behind the scenes stuff bc obviously i do

like i only named guy that because i didn't want to think too hard about names and he has always been a silly little guy. his farms name is sail away farm,,, like the enya song. that's where it came from but really it's a SSS reference cus i will bring other SIs into this somehow. (it was from one of the ai dungeon streams... when julia wrapped up yet another accidental psychological horror story by sailing away whilst listening "to the tunes of enya")

and with remy i had already planned on romancing harvey so i wanted a name i could make a funny shipname of. their shipname is harmy (ironic isn't it ^^). stowaway farm came from some thoughts i had about remy's life before moving to pelican town. where he didn't feel welcome and like the people around him weren't keen on being seen with him. and i just liked the ring it has to it :) the two of them both having farms with "away" in the name was accidental and didn't hit me until after it was too late to change it.

here they are at the character creation screen !!!!

GUY IS MY SILLIEST LITTLE GUY. he's like a hamster or a chipmunk or other small rodents

him asf ^^^^

he's also like ponyo to me, he is very ponyocoded. his theme song would be the full version of ponyo on the cliff by the sea.

he is a biter, a chewer. he's kirby, a chainchomper... he would snack on rocks if he could. he's the breakdancing sims cat. he has bad volume control. he is an octopus, a koala, a monkey. he names a lot of his farm animals after fictional characters. but his hens are named hip, hop, cherry and pop after the lemon demon song. he would take a sip of a joja cola and go "oh, that is vile" and keep taking sips like he needs to confirm it multiple times.

him and elliott are so silly..... their shipname is gull which worked out so well it almost seems intentional. they both got ties to the ocean and beach... we love to see it. they got together the day after elliott's birthday, not only that but it was also right before elliott's 8 heart event. so it was really like guy came in before his book reading, asked him out and then was all "THAT'S MY BF EVERYONE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH" during the reading... he is his biggest cheerleader

he is best friends with emily and shane. and when emily mentioned that she would make a good clown during the stardew fair, he said "this is why we're best friends. we would be the best clowns." and he ate three burgers in a row that day. one day during blackberry season he collected 93 blackberries and was just running around the town with them on his person. him and gus have history together which i will make a whole comic about some day. whilst gaming with abigail he ran into enemies twice and got himself killed. he accidentally bought a pirate sword from marlon. he has died once. he is trying to goad alex into actually shaving his hair off because of that one throwaway comment. HE HAS TWO GARBAGE HATS. (tootsies is SO getting the other one once 1.6 is out)

^ this is what he wore for spirit's eve, called it "farmer in a rush" (he literally just took off his shorts)

i have way less on remy cus he isn't as far along and has had a mostly average time in pelican town so far.

remy is just a big dog who is scared of most things. he is a baby giraffe trying to walk for the first time. he feels very out of place in social interactions. his limbs are too long for him. he is trying his best.

he can come off as very... displeased... his resting face just looks slightly ticked off. really he's a big softie. he has some real unfortunate luck too.. except the night of the egg hunt when he had a fairy visit. he holds onto that little bit of luck there. a glimmer of hope. he had a meteor crash in the middle of his farm, luckily his crops were safe and sound tho, small mercies. weeds damaged his farm the same night the scripted earthquake hit. one day in the mines he got so lost in the dark he had to give up for the day and head up to the surface again, he was one level away from an elevator. he is financially struggling. he names his animals after food. his theme song would probably be cave in by margaux or something.

harmy is a slow-burn, strangers to friends to lovers scenario. they're delightful, i can't wait to see their relationship develop. remy kinda wanted to ask harvey to dance during the flower dance but chickened out (totally not because i only had 3 hearts with him stfu) (also those two pages aren't canon in my headcanon cus i think both of them would be oblivious and dumb as a rock. i just wanted to draw it lol. i think it takes a whileeee for either of them to ever catch feelings.)

he doesn't know many of the villagers too well. he is taking his time settling in fully and is so busy with the farm and mines and fishing and whatnot. oh y'know when sam asks you what his next song should be about?? yeah, remy said trains which has planted the idea that he is a former train kid in my head. and that's something he and harvey can bond over- i think it's really sweet :'). train and plane autism couple. remy has a sweet tooth. he feels intimidated by most villagers. i have a whole hair arc planned for him where he ends up growing his hair out once he really settles in. it's gonna be so epic. he went through 3 of emily's heart events in a row which was wild.

his chest lineup >>>>>

here's an expression sheet i started and will hopefully finish one day

i think that's all for now- I TOLD YOU IT WAS GOING TO BE A LONG POST NO?? ARE YOU HAPPY??? I AM. INFODUMPING IS AWESOME.

i ain't proofreading this are you kidding me.

y'all summoned this. my mutuals summoning my infodump demon with their summoning triangle. feeding my hyperfixation.

[tooti-fruiti]

FOLLOW THE RULES [CHAPTER FIVE]

Deeper into the forest

Once you and Ralsei caught up to Susie, you three saw a shop ahead.

However, before you could enter, Ralsei stopped Susie and stood in front of her.

"Susie. I know you missed what I said to (Y/n). But we're heroes, we can't go around fighting everyone."

Susie rolled her eyes.

"Look. I made you a manuel on how to fight properly. You can still attack but please don't...you know...hurt anyone too badly. Because if you weaken them enough, I can use my pacify spell and put them to sleep!"

Susie rolled her eyes again and yawned. "Yeah, just listening to you talk about it puts me to sleep. Let's keep going."

Looks like she paid very little attention to what Ralsei said.

Ralsei turned to you. "I-... I don't think I got through to her. Let's just warn enemies about her and we'll handle things. How about that?"

You nodded. "That sounds like a solid plan, I guess." You said.

You three walked into the shop and met a cat like doll with one button eye.

"Welcome, young travelers." The cat doll said.

After talking to the cat doll, you found out his name was Seam and how this place (whatever it was) used to be a wonderful kingdom, before the fountain appeared. Then Lancer and his father took over and changed everything for the worse.

You also found out about how the the king replaced every and all puzzle makers with someone named Rouxls Kaard.

Then you left the shop after buying three dark burgers.

Then you walked deeper into the forest and found Lancer again.

"Well flip my flapjacks! The clowns are back in town!"

"Well, bad news! Since you last saw me several minutes ago...I've created a brand new fighting team ready to stop you! Not even the purple girl can stop me now! Ho ho ho! Are you ready to be-"

"Stop." Susie said. "Stop talking. 'Ho ho ho'? What is that? Why are saying that?"

"Ho ho ho? It's my evil laugh! Scary right?!"

"You sound like baby Santa Claus." Susie said, putting a hand on her hip.

"...Uh, you mean, like, in a badass way...?" Lancer asked.

"Shut up." Susie said as she pushed past you and Ralsei, walking over to him.

"You REALLY think you know how to be scary?"

"W...Well...I..."

"Wrong." She scoffed. "Wannabe tough guys like you really piss me off."

She walked closer. "Face it. You wouldn't know scary, if it picked you up and bit your face off."

Lancer looked down, seemingly upset. "Th-That's not true..."

"Oh really?" Susie said, bending down.

She grabbed him by his collar and lifted him to her face. "Then why don't we PROVE IT? We'll start with the part...where your face gets bit off."

She then let out a deep loud laugh.

Lancer stared at her for a minute before smiling.

"Ohhhhh okay. I get it! Thank you, purple girl!"

Susie tilted her head to the side a little bit. "...What?"

"Thanks! It was kind of you to teach me to be scary! With an evil laugh!"

Susie set him down and backed up. "Hey, I wasn't-"

"And now..!" Lancer said as he raised his hand.

He then pointed at you and a group of walking puzzle pieces came forward.

"You're going to be thrashed!"

Lancer mimicked Susie's evil laugh and took some steps behind his team.

"Merry Christmas!" He said as he left and the battle began.

(Hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned for more and have a good day)

<-Chapter Four

Chapter Six->

[yukidragon]

Do you have more Jack's family in STT AU? I reallu adored them! ❤️💛💙

You’re in luck! I just happened to see a very lovely picture of the family over here on twitter of our favorite clown family. It might be worth checking out, and while you’re there why not give the awesome artist some love?

I haven’t done too much more lore of my version of the SunnyTime Town AU than what I posted here, but I will say this picture and blurb did give me a small nudge and a couple of thoughts.

Town darling Jack is struggling to take his music career off the ground, being good with guitar and singing, but somehow having all the bad luck when it comes to getting gigs despite his popularity and how good he is at singing and playing his guitar. Oh what wacky, crazy things happen to him to thwart him every time! He’s forced to move back home with his folks and sister and get a job as a teacher.

Of course, Jack loves the kids, even if the teacher salary isn’t all that great. He isn’t ready to give up on his dream of becoming a musician. He also secretly longing for love, though he pushed dating aside to try and reach his dream.

Funny thing is Jack isn’t the only new teacher, or the only person who moved into town. Although for him he was moving back home, for the new art teacher, Alice, this is her first time in SunnyTime Town. Sparks fly for these two new clowns in town, though of course more wacky hijinx ensue to make things difficult for them to just get together. A certain puppet in particular is more than a little protective of her bestie.

After finding out about her little brother’s crush, Jane just has to meet Alice and quickly makes friends with the new clown in town, much to Jack’s chagrin. It’s just the perfect way for Jane to tease her little brother all the more when he’s so clearly pining for Alice. She meddles with their relationship, helping as much as she hinders her baby bro - for his own good of course. Someone has to look out for him and help out these two hopeless goofs.

Jane may or may not be responsible for Alice and Jack getting “accidentally” trapped in a locker or closet together after school with no one else around to get them out. “Coincidentally” Buddy was nowhere around to serve as backup either. Honey is also likewise occupied elsewhere. Funny that.

Poor Jack and Alice get pretty flustered by the whole situation, especially by the time they finally get free. Jane doesn’t admit to anything, but the first thing she tells her blushing brother when he gets home is, “You’re welcome~”

Jack, naturally, paid her back for that later. It’s what siblings do after all. Not sure how exactly, but it would have to be equally embarrassing but also kind of helpful. Fair is fair~

Naturally, at some point, Jack will have the opportunity to play a private concert for Alice. Maybe then his luck will finally turn around in ways he never expected, or maybe some more wacky things will get in his way. Who knows with these classic wacky 80′s sitcoms.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur  

[yourimagines]

Nate with a few years younger girlfriend, fluff maybe some angst. Thank you!!

Between us

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Triggers; angst, cyber bullying, swearing and some fluff

Y/N POV

Nate and I went out for shopping. He was looking for new shoes. “How about this one?” I held up some black sneakers. “I already have those.” I nodded and placed them back. I saw neon yellow shoes, I giggle and picked them up. “This one?” He laughs. “Babe are you afraid you lose me in the dark or something.” I giggled and placed them back. “Ugly shoes..” I heard him saying behind me. “How about this one.” I held up some a dark green sneakers. “Let me see.” He took them and look closely at it. “Looks cool.” I smiled at him. “I’m gonna asked if they have it in a different size.” I nodded as he walked away to find someone. I sat down and scrolled through my social media. Reading stuff about Nate and I under a post from Jake shields

‘He’s 32, she is 25. I’m just saying.’

‘Don’t forget they are already a year together.’

‘I like them, she looks fun.’

‘Urgh why is she there.’

‘Jake please stop inviting her.’

‘Girl she looks good.’

‘The queen arrived.’

‘A happy couple.’

‘Find a real woman Nate!’

‘She’s so young, hanging out with the adults.’

I sighed as I read more comments. “Babe what do you think?” I looked up as Nate walked back wearing the shoes. “They look good on you.” “Thanks.” He sat down and changed his shoes. “I like these, good choice.” He smiled at me. “No problem.” I winked at him. He chuckled and stood up. “I’ll be right back then.” He walked of to pay for the shoes.

We both walked into his house, he was holding our shopping bags as I carried our food. “I’m so hungry.” I placed the food down and grabbed some plates. Nate walked into the kitchen walking behind me. “You are always hungry.” He kissed my cheek and walked away to grabbed some glasses. “Sorry that I just like food, I mean look at this.” I pointed at the food. He chuckled. “I rather look at you.” He wrapped his arms around my waist. “Okay that was a smooth one.” “I know.” He kissed my shoulders as I filled the plates with food. “Do you want to stay tonight?” He traveled from my shoulders up to my neck, leaving a trail of kisses behind. “Do you want me to stay tonight?” “Always.” I smiled to myself. “Okay, then I stay tonight.” I felt him smiling against my neck.

We were laying on the sofa, my feet where in his lab. He was massaging my feet. “Why do your feet always hurt.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, I probably should sport more.” “You know you are always welcome in my gym right?” I nodded. “I don’t want you to go to these clowns in the east side of the town.” I looked up at him. “Hey, my brother gyms there.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry but he’s a clown then.” I laughed at him. “That’s not very nice of you Mr Diaz.” “I’m not nice?” He raised his eyebrows. “Yep.” He stopped with massaging my feet and crawled on top of me. “Say it again.” I smiled at him. “You’re not nice.” He grabbed my arms, locking them above my head. I tried to wiggle out of the position but he started to move his legs, locking me completely. “I’m nice, say it that I’m nice.” “I know I’m nice but you Nate… i don’t know.” He started to tickle me. I yelled out a laugh. “Okay okay, you’re nice!” He laughs as I wiggled away from his hand. He leans forward, hovering above my face. “Am I a nice person?” “Yes, you are thé nicest, sweetest person I ever known.” He smiles and released my arms. “Good.” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. He looks down at my lips and back up to my eyes. “God, you’re so beautiful.” He traces my face softly with his fingers. “Do you really think that?” I whispered at him.

Nate POV

“Do you really think that?” “Yes of course why you asking that?” I looked into her eyes. ‘Someone told her bullcrap.’ “Baby, why you asking me that? Did someone told you otherwise?” She shook her head. “No they didn’t told me, they told you.” “Me?” I was confused, nobody told me this crap. “Yeah, its all over social media…” ‘fucking social media!’ “Baby why are you reading those things?” “I don’t know, I was bored and read those comments under Shields post.” I groaned. “Don’t listen to these clowns, I don’t care what they think about us.” She moved her hand from my shoulder to my bicep. “I know but it got me thinking.” “Don’t agree with them, don’t you fucking dare.” I saw panic displaying on her face. “Nate….” “No you are not breaking up with me or I don’t know some other shit.” I grabbed in frustration the decoration pillow next to us. “Nate I’m not doing that but please don’t get angry while I’m trapped under you.” Her hands where laying against my chest, slightly pushing me. ‘Calm down, you’re scaring her.’ “Sorry.” I moved off top of her. She moved a bit away. “Baby…” I reached out for her. “Are you still angry at me?” She grabbed my hand and I pulled her against my chest. “No I’m not angry at you, I’m more angry at myself.” “Why?” “Because I can’t protect you from these things. I hardly post things about us, I don’t mention you, I don’t bring you along to my fights and still this shit happens.” She caresses my arm. “Its not your fault Nate, I love you and you love me right?” “Of course I love you.” “Then we are fine, you’re right who cares about these clowns.” She looks at me. “This what we have is between us and not between those fake people from the internet. They don’t even know us.” I smiled at her. “This is why I love you.” I kissed her nose. She giggles. “My angry side?” “No…sometimes. I was more thinking about your honesty.” She pulls herself on top of me, her hands went to my chest. “I really love you that it makes me so crazy.” She started to leave a trail of kisses behind on my neck. “Good, can we both be crazy.”

[glitterdragonthegreatprotector]

Endodorian lemdfeyemazetha dieulowcooghazetcas (Death Lights)

The souls of Endodorian children from the genocide on their race take the role of death, if they don't choose to move on (their only option during the genocide was to go to hell, because they were automatically not welcome in heaven.).

Once they're given the option to go to different afterlives, they choose to become "Guides to the Final Odyssey". Finding souls to lead to the Seas of Death, where they are to make rafts to get on boats that already have crews to welcome them aboard.

So imagine a robot puppy or a clown baby with a lantern walking up to you giggling. "Toehafediedielsheo! You don't need to be afraid anymore! Death can be dark and scary, but the best adventures are scary! Come on, I have a light to guide you to your final quest!"

They also wear robes that are damaged in the way they died (dented metal decorations if they were beaten, slight glow if they were bombed, ashes and burn marks if they were burned alive, mold and mushrooms if they were attacked with water, they wear backpacks and robes with holes if they died at school, so on and so forth.)

(Little world building post for my AU)

From left to right:

The bear died from a school shooting.

The puppy was attacked on the street with water.

The pigglet's town was bombed.

And the bunny was beaten to death in the street by police.

[fathomlessbabbling]

Smile, a Charak RPF fic, Chapter 5.

This is a work of RPF. If you are uncomfortable with this kind of fiction, I encourage you not to read.

A03 link here

The rest of the night went by without issue as Tarak, Ram, and their now good friend Tomas showed them a wonderful restaurant and a nice place to relax with a few drinks. Tarak’s admission to himself in the changing room was enough to ease his mind of the fear he had harbored in his chest over the last few days. The more Tarak pondered about it, this worry that weighed so heavily on him had truly been with him for much longer but only presented itself when RRR wrapped filming, and the Awards tour had finished. Tarak was in a better place mentally to put that aside and enjoy his night with his new friend and his… crush? He was still trying to think of how to identify Ram now that he admitted that the connection he felt was deeper than the ‘best friend’ title could signify.

Tarak raised his glass of bourbon on the rocks in a toast. “Let us cheers our newfound wonderful friend Tomas. Long may he know that haters gonna hate, hate, hate-” As much as Tarak wanted to finish singing the Taylor Swift song with his toast, Tomas’s groan made him let out a deep husky laugh.

“Ugh. Why do you do this to me? That song drives me nuts!” Tomas whined with a smile on his face and his head in his hands.

“Welcome to being friends with Tarak. This is the man who, when we were on stage promoting RRR, reached over and pinched me in the side as I was complimenting him on his professionalism! ” Ram proclaimed with a large grin on his face. He sat with his arm over the back of Tarak’s chair and giggled as Tarak recalled the memory and laughed even harder.

“I remember that! Jakanna just laughed and said it was like working with children!” Tarak continued to snicker to himself.

“I can definitely see why,” Tomas quipped as he joined in the laughter.

As the laughter died down, Tarak actually held his glass up for a toast, “Seriously, though. Thank you, Tomas, for being wonderful, showing us clowns around town, and helping us on a fantastic first day in beautiful Los Angeles.”

Ram clinked his glass of vodka soda against Tarak’s, “I’ll happily drink to that.”

Tomas sheepishly smiled and joined in the toast, “Here’s to two of the most fun people I’ve ever had the pleasure of showing around the neighborhood.”

The three men sipped their drinks in celebration. Ram slowly rose from his seat as they continued their conversation, “I have to go use the facilities. Don’t get too drunk while I’m gone.”

Tarak held up his glass that was once filled with bourbon but now barely had any left, “I don’t know if I can keep that promise, baby.”

Tomas almost spat his drink out. “What did you just say?”

Tarak felt a wide grin spread across his face, and his cheeks flush, “Baby. I call him baby.” He then immediately started to laugh at how that must sound.

Ram tried his best to hold his giggles back as he spoke. “And I call him baby back. Baby one and baby two.”

Once again, the three laughed before Ram finally started moving towards the bathroom, leaving Tarak and Tomas alone at the table. As the laughter died down a little, Tomas looked to Tarak with an appraising look.

“How are you doing? Since our talk earlier, that is?” Tomas asked with genuine care in his tone of voice.

Tarak took a moment to think, but his smile didn’t fade as he nodded. “I’m doing much better, I think. It is strange to admit to yourself that you may love outside the norms you were taught as a child. It may take time to grasp it fully, but I am happy,” Tarak smiled wider, “I am happy to have been able to understand something about myself that I thought was a defect or something similar. In truth, I am just glad to have this connection to Charan.”

Tomas’ eyes squinted as he smiled, raising his glass to Tarak. “To understanding ourselves.”

Tarak nodded, clinked his glass against Tomas’, and sipped the bourbon, enjoying the heat after he swallowed. “We should probably cut ourselves off. We have to be up early for that lunch tomorrow.”

Tomas nodded, “Not a bad plan. I’ll take care of the bill,”

Before Tomas could protest, Tarak waved down the server who had brought them their drinks and presented his card for payment. “Thank you so much for everything. I will close out all three of our tabs.”

Tomas’ face went from shock to a faux grumpy face that made Tarak laugh.

“Rude.” Tarak laughed as that was the only word to come out of Tomas.

The black SUV pulled up to the hotel doors, and Tomas looked into the backseat at Ram and Tarak, both having the sway of someone with a nice alcohol buzz. Before speaking, he inwardly thanked himself for only having one drink because this sight was entertaining.

“Alright, gentleman. We have reached our destination. I will be back tomorrow morning at eleven to pick you guys up so you can meet with Kevin. Go get some good sleep!”

Tarak leaned forward and squeezed Tomas’ shoulder, “Thank you for a wonderful day, Tomas. Go home to your Mateo! Tell him Tarak says hello!” He then climbed out of the SUV as Ram also said his goodbyes.

As the two of them watched the SUV pull away, they both waved with a twinkle in their eyes as the drinks they had earlier hit a little harder than they had planned. The two men turned and looked at each other and couldn’t help but stand and giggle for a moment before making their way inside the gaudy lobby of their hotel towards the elevators. As they walked, Tarak reached over and pinched Ram in the side just as they passed by some other hotel guests, which made his friend jump and contort at the tickling touch right in front of them.

“I’m so sorry. My friend is a child,” Ram said in a low voice as he glared at Tarak with a smile on his face, the hotel guests giving Ram a look before stepping away.

Tarak walked a little faster to the open elevator, hoping to avoid Ram’s revenge. This escape plan was futile as once he stepped inside, Ram entered right behind him. Tarak instinctually covered the sides of his ribs to protect himself from pinches while giggling like a schoolboy. Ram hit the button for their floor and glared at his friend.

“It was too tempting! You would have done the same!” Tarak said in a higher pitch, waiting for Ram to strike as the doors to the elevator closed.

Ram smiled and laughed at the truth that Tarak spoke. “You are right. If I could, I would pinch you while you meet with Steven Spielberg.”

Tarak’s expression turned to one of overdramatic shock, “Betrayer!” he spoke before giggling some more.

The two of them continued to snicker at their almost drunken buffoonery as the elevator arrived on their floor. As they walked, Tarak slung an arm over Ram’s shoulders and felt his friend put an arm around his waist as they approached their room. Tarak fiddled with the keycard to unlock the door as Ram found his time to strike. Just as Tarak opened the door, he felt the pinch he had hoped would have been forgotten in the elevator ride and immediately shifted his body to avoid the tickle while laughing and stepping inside. He whirled around with a smile on his face as he held his hands in a defensive posture while Ram stalked towards him almost like a hunter, a goofy expression on his face.

The door behind them closed, and Ram leaped at Tarak to continue tormenting his sensitive ribs, but Tarak’s strength was too much for him as his wrists were caught and held in place. The two men giggled as they play wrestled with each other, Tarak’s strength and history of winning these fights proving an advantage as after a few moments, he managed to pin Ram down to one of the beds, luckily Ram’s, with his arms above his head. Tarak straddled his friend's waist, still giggling as he secured his win. “Do you give up?” he asked with a husky, out-of-breath voice.

Ram struggled under his grip, but eventually, the wiggling subsided. Ram looked up at Tarak with an expression of defeat. “Alright. You win,” he murmured dejectedly.

Tarak eased his grip on Ram’s wrists, allowing them to move freely. Ram placed them on each of Tarak’s quads. Something about that touch slowly caused the smile on Tarak’s face to change. He was still seated on his friend, both arms on each side of Ram’s head for support. It took a moment to realize that neither of them had moved or spoken for a long while. They remained in that position, simply looking into each other’s eyes.

This moment seemed to stretch time and space for Tarak. A million different thoughts flew through his mind, all about how beautiful Ram really was and how he didn’t want to admit it in the past. There was nothing outside of himself and Ram in this position that mattered. Tarak wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss Ram, but he realized he hadn’t breathed in a while and felt himself inhale shakily.

“Are… you alright?” Ram asked quietly, his eyes not leaving Tarak’s as his expression also changed. Something about his eyes made his gaze deepen.

“Y-Yeah. Yes. I’m alright.” Tarak answered, his throat feeling dry. He blinked and shook off the thoughts in his head, not wanting to possibly ruin what he cared so deeply for. Tarak lifted himself off Ram and sat on the edge of his own bed a mere foot away. “Sorry for lingering. The bourbon had me a little dizzy.”

Ram let out a small groan as Tarak’s weight was removed, and he could sit up. Tarak noticed a little grin on his friend’s face as he found a more comfortable sitting position. Tarak caught Ram’s gaze and instinctively looked away, feeling a blush start to form on his cheeks.

“You and your bourbon are a perfect recipe for chaos,” Ram snickered.

Tarak found his smile and laughed in response, “What can I say? It’s my poison of choice. Unless you were making coffee,”

Both men giggled momentarily, and a comfortable silence fell between them. Tarak found his gaze magnetized to the warmness of Ram’s eyes. After allowing the moment to remain, Tarak eventually rose from his seat on his bed. “We should probably get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.” Tarak spoke in a low, shuddered voice.

Ram nodded, looking like there was something he wanted to say before choosing to leave it unsaid. The two men took turns stepping into the bathroom to change into proper pajamas instead of just underwear. As they did, Tarak felt something hanging in the air between them, a strange energy that made his heart flutter even more when he caught Ram glancing in his direction as he prepared his bed for a good night’s sleep.

Both men climbed into their beds, and Tarak turned off the lamp that was on the wall. As darkness filled the room and both men got comfortable, Tarak’s eyes hovered over the dark shape of his best friend in the other bed. He strained his eyes as he tried to determine what position Ram was sleeping in, then lightly shook the curiosity off. Don’t be creepy, Tarak. He thought to himself. As a few moments of trying to find sleep passed, he eventually turned back to look in Ram’s direction, his eyes adjusting enough to see his head poking out from under the covers. In a moment of something between weakness and boldness, Tarak called out quietly from his bed.

“Are you still awake?” Tarak whispered,

There was slight movement before he heard a whisper back, “Yes. What is it?”

Once again, Tarak found himself in a predicament where he only wanted to confess his feelings, climb out of bed, and lie next to Ram. He was so tempted, finding that the voice of reason in his brain was apparently having trouble reporting in until the last moment as Tarak replied.

“I think… You are going to do wonderfully tomorrow. Kevin is going to love you,” Tarak clutched his eyes shut in defeat.

Tarak then heard some movement from Ram’s side of the room before his voice broke through,

“I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you here, Tarak.” Ram’s velvety voice spoke out from the mass of blankets that was a bed.

Tarak took a moment and absorbed each word, smiling deeply and closing his eyes to the feeling. He would do anything for the man in the other bed to be happy and successful. Tarak knew he wanted to say more, to reveal what was in his heart, but he was thankful for the words that reached his ears.

“Good night, baby one,” he heard Ram say in a sleepy voice, making the sweet feeling in his chest more palpable.

“Good night, baby two.”

***

Both men had awoken extra early to make sure they would be ready in time for Tomas to pick them up. Ram managed to awaken at eight and immediately jumped in the shower to ready himself. Tarak noted that Ram took a little longer as he assumed some meticulous beard grooming was happening. Eventually, Ram did step out of the shower wearing the bathrobe from the day before, now freshly cleaned. Before he could let himself be distracted again by the beautiful man, Tarak retreated into the bathroom to diligently clean himself and prepare. He quickly disrobed and jumped into the shower, deciding it would be best for a cold shower this morning to help him fully awaken. The coldness of the water thankfully further prevented any thoughts of Ram. After feeling clean enough, he stepped out and continued his morning routine.

Unlike his friend, however, Tarak had little patience for making sure his beard was as immaculate. His face was mere inches from the mirror's glass, and he moved his head in every possible direction to ensure his beard was even and not crooked. As he moved, Tarak released more than one grumpy curse in Telugu. After several minutes of making the tiniest adjustments to his beard, Tarak heard Ram’s voice on the other side of the door.

“I can hear you from out here. Do you need help?”

Tarak growled, “No. I can do this myself. We should have gone to a barber yesterday,”

He heard a muffled chuckle and instinctively glared at the dark wood of the door, “Come on, Tarak. I can assist you. I don’t want you to take all day.”

Tarak grumbled as he reached for the door handle, then looked down and realized he was still completely naked from the shower. He quickly grabbed the bathrobe and secured it before finally opening the door.

Of course, he already looks positively radiant. Tarak grumpily thought to himself. All he has to do is wake up, comb his hair a little, and he is ready to meet the bloody Queen of England. Ram stood in the doorway wearing the outfit he had bought from the shop the day before. Even though Tarak chose to suffer through a cold shower, there was a feeling of heat in the pit of his stomach as he took in the sight of his beautiful Ram.

Ram paused momentarily, moving Tarak’s head in a few directions while examining his beard. After an appraising look on his face, Ram stepped into the bathroom and took the razor. Methodically, he lifted Tarak’s head and gently touched up the lower part of his friend’s beard. With each touch, Tarak’s nerves threatened to jolt in excitement; the hands of Ram softly dragging across his neck almost drove him mad. All he could think was what the feeling of Ram’s lips on his neck would feel like if his hands were this soft. As he stood with his head craned to look at the ceiling, he slowly clutched his eyes shut in an attempt to will his lower extremities to behave. Finally, Ram lowered Tarak’s face and inspected the beard lines on his cheeks. Tarak had experienced this closeness with Ram before while shooting a particular scene in RRR where the character of Bheem was being groomed to attend the party at Jenny’s invitation. However, instead of a look of naive curiosity on Tarak’s face, it was a look of restraint as Ram’s hands caressed his cheek.

Finding it far too difficult to continue this torture, Tarak eventually spoke up. “I really only needed help with my neck. Thank you for all of your assistance, baby.” His voice was breathy, and he mentally kicked himself for sounding like a child.

“Are you sure? There is one spot I can fix-” Ram tried to continue,

“Oh! I can see it. I’ll take care of it.” Tarak quickly asserted that he could handle the rest.

Ram shrugged with a smile and stepped out of the bathroom, checking his watch. “We have about an hour before Tomas gets here. If you are ready by then, take all the time you need.”

Tarak felt himself melt a little at that smile once again, nodding as he closed the door to the bathroom. He glanced down at the tent in his bathrobe that would have slowly parted if Ram had not left when he did. After Ram’s touching, his thoughts were of wrapping him up in a tight bear hug and pinning him to the door. Tarak groaned quietly as he willed his arousal to calm, doing his best to push such thoughts from his mind. Instead, Tarak focused on the small part of his beard that Ram had pointed out, trying to mimic Ram’s attention to detail as he evened it out. Confident that his beard was well groomed, Tarak stepped out of the bathroom to finish preparing for lunch.

***

The two men were at the main entrance ten minutes before the scheduled meeting time, and, to their pleasant surprise, Tomas was already there waiting for them. The three hopped into the familiar large SUV and felt the excitement build as the vehicle pulled away from the hotel doors and onto the street. Some small talk was exchanged, but Tomas could tell that his two backseat guests were nervous. As the SUV pulled up in front of a beautiful modern restaurant with ‘Cecconi’s’ labeled above the large open double doors. The two men in the backseat stared out the window at the building as if they were staring at the gates to Mount Olympus.

With the car parked, Tomas turned around in his seat to lock eyes with the two men, a comforting expression on his face.

“You are going to do fine. Just breathe and be yourselves. Kevin is a very nice guy. Plus, this is just a casual lunch. The business talk will probably be in a couple days,” Tomas spoke gently, realizing that maybe fifty percent of what he said was heard by the two men, making him chuckle.

Tarak turned to Ram with an excited expression. “You ready, Charan?”

Ram took a moment to take in a deep breath, nodding in reply to his friend.

Before they stepped out of the car, Tarak placed a soft hand on Ram’s thigh and lightly squeezed. “You were born for this, baby.” He spoke sweetly and smiled when Ram’s nerves visibly relaxed. Tomas smiled and looked at Tarak’s eyes, noting that particular sight.

The two men stepped out of the black SUV and approached the door, seeing a hostess standing behind a small beautiful wooden desk. She looked up and smiled at the two men, “Welcome to Cecconi’s! Kevin just arrived a moment ago. Let me lead you to your table.” she spoke sweetly and very professionally, which made Tarak smile and nod. Ram looked like he felt more than a little stiff.

They were led through the interior of the restaurant and past several tables. As they walked, Ram whispered to Tarak and gestured to a table on the other side of the room, “I think that is Jake Gyllenhaal.” Ram’s perception made Tarak giggle as he glanced in that direction, inwardly confirming that it was, in fact, Jake Gyllenhaal. I wonder how many other celebrities come here for lunch. Tarak thought to himself as they walked.

The hostess led them to the patio, where they saw the man they had come to meet sitting at one of the tables. Unlike some of the other guests, Kevin was wearing a simple blue polo and a baseball cap with jeans. Kevin glanced up as the hostess approached with Tarak and Ram and rose with his hand out,

“Wonderful to see you both! You guys made it!” Kevin said with a smile.

Ram and Tarak both shook Kevin’s hand, Ram speaking up first.

“It's wonderful to meet you, sir. This place looks wonderful! The food smells great,” Ram smiled that charming smile, but there was a minor shake to his voice,

“Thank you so much for inviting us,” Tarak said with a bright smile as the three men sat at the table.

“Of course! This is one of my favorite spots to get lunch. Their green eggs are my favorite,” Kevin said with a smile.

The polite conversation followed with all three men enjoying their lunch. Tarak noticed that Ram still seemed a little nervous as time passed. Knowing he needed to do something to ease his friend’s mind, Tarak slowly moved his foot under the table to lightly press against Ram’s. Since he couldn’t hold his hand, he would try and communicate the same calming feeling with his foot. As he smiled at Kevin’s current story of his time in LA and his favorite spots, he stole a quick moment to glance at Ram and give a comforting smile. As he did, he saw Ram’s eyes lock with his, and a smile spread across his face as he tuned back into what Kevin was saying. A moment later, Tarak felt Ram’s foot push against his own, almost an unspoken gesture of thanks.

Kevin eventually shifted the conversation away from the small talk as he used his napkin to clean off excess crumbs from his face from his toast. “So, I know that we are going to meet in a couple more days to discuss particulars, but I wanted to let you know the role we had in mind for you,” Kevin said, looking at Ram.

Ram leaned in slightly, his expression shifting to business mode, “Absolutely. I’d love to know more.”

Kevin smirked and continued, “We are going to be working towards a relaunch of the X-Men to fit into the greater MCU, and we are looking to fill out our cast. We want to include a particular character from the comics named Indra. He is one of the students at the academy. This would start as a minor role that would eventually grow with future films.”

Ram smiled and nodded respectfully, allowing Kevin to explain further. Tarak couldn’t help but take in the sight of Ram speaking with Kevin, a mammoth producer in Hollywood. It warmed Tarak’s chest to witness the moment that Ram’s career would change and grow. He looked on almost like a proud parent or spouse.

Kevin glanced at his watch and let out a sigh, “Ugh. I’m so sorry. I’m going to have to cut this a little short. One of our trailers got leaked, so we must officially prepare to show it at the upcoming comic convention next month.”

Ram nodded, “Oh, I completely understand! A producer’s job is never done, right?” Ram joked,

“Haha! You aren’t kidding for sure.” Kevin stood again, offering his hand to the two men, “It was wonderful meeting the two of you. I promise we will have more time to discuss everything in a few days.”

Ram eagerly shook Kevin’s hand, “The pleasure was all ours, Kevin. Thank you so much,”

Tarak also shook Kevin’s hand with a grin on his face. He then signaled one of the servers as they passed by the table. “I am going to take care of the check for the three of us.”

Kevin’s eyes widened as he smiled, “Oh, you didn’t have to do that!”

Tarak shook his head with a smile, “It is my treat. You showed us yet another wonderful place to visit for some delicious food. It’s the least I could do.”

Mr. Feige smiled and had an appraising look for a moment, “Well, thank you, Tarak. I gotta run. I will let Tomas know when we have a meeting set in stone,” Kevin said as he stepped away from the table and waved to the two men.

Once he was out of sight, Ram sat back down at the table and sighed as though he had an unbearable weight on his shoulders.

Tarak sat back down as well, looking to Ram with a worried expression, “What’s wrong? You did great!” he said in a comforting voice.

“I was so nervous the entire lunch. I don’t know if I was participating in the conversation as I should have been. I couldn’t tell you what we discussed before he started talking about the role.” Ram finally uttered. He held his head with one of his hands and stared at the white tablecloth.

Tarak sighed with a smile and reached over to lightly take Ram’s chin in his hand, turning it so he could look directly into Ram’s worried eyes. “I promise. You did wonderfully. He even specifically brought up the role he is considering you for. He wouldn’t have done that if he wasn’t serious about his consideration for you,”

A moment passed where Ram’s eyes still held onto some of the worries, but Tarak was pleased to see a light smile play across his face. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Tarak.” his voice was low and sweet, making Tarak’s eyes squint.

I don’t know that there are words to explain how beautiful you are. I don’t know if there are enough stars in the sky to match how many ways you make me happy. There is no need to dream as long as I am with you. So many possible responses to Ram’s confession entered Tarak’s mind. He wanted to admit them all. To sit and say each one until night fell. There wouldn’t be one wasted moment.

Instead, Tarak chose to lightly cup Ram’s cheek and smile a little wider, almost hoping that this small gesture would satisfy his desire to pour everything in his heart out for Ram to see. After letting his hand linger and feeling the need to pull it back for fear of onlookers, his breath hitched as Ram placed his hand on top of Tarak’s. That little act made Tarak’s mind race. They had done this a million times before; it was their normal behavior. But after the last few days, it made Tarak’s heart dance in his chest.

In this moment, as Tarak took in the sight and feeling of Ram’s cheek in his hand, a terrible and dangerous thought entered his mind. What if? When this question came to the forefront of his thoughts, Tarak felt heat spread throughout his body, his nerves slowly numbing. What if Ram felt the same way toward me? Tarak repeated in his mind as he tried his best to memorize the feeling of the pristine beard of his best friend in his hands, the texture of his soft skin, and the eyes of Ram staring right back at him with that sweet smile.

Tarak felt his expression shift, his smile changing as it did the night before, and his breath shuddering for just a moment. Everything in his body wanted to pursue this hypothetical scenario to whatever conclusion there would be. Just as Tarak’s mouth opened slowly to take that step and ask the question that could ruin everything, he and Ram felt their phones vibrate in their pockets. Tarak slowly retrieved his hand as his wits returned to check his phone to see Tomas's message to him and Ram.

T: Where are you guys? Kevin left a couple minutes ago.

Tarak smiled as his mind began working correctly once again. He quickly typed that they were leaving before looking up at Ram.

“You ready to celebrate the start of the next chapter of your career?” Tarak asked with an excited tone,

Ram nodded, and the both of them rose from their seats and walked towards the exit. As they walked, Tarak inwardly thanked the heavens for not allowing him to be foolish enough to take such a risk with his beloved friendship with Ram. Yet even as he was thankful, much of his heart hurt with yearning. With each step, his limbs regained feeling, and he felt himself settle back into reality as they approached the familiar vehicle their guide sat in.

The two men climbed inside, and Tomas looked back excitedly. “Well? How did it go??”

Tarak spoke before Ram could underplay his performance, “It went wonderfully. Kevin divulged a little insider information on what Ram was being considered for.”

Ram waved off Tarak’s compliments. “I worry that I was a little overly nervous, but I do also think it went pretty well.”

Tomas smiled brightly, “Fantastic news! I’m always glad to hear it!”

Tarak smiled. “I think we should celebrate. What do you recommend, Tomas? It’s the middle of the day, and the weather is beautiful.”

Tomas smirked a devilish smile, clearly already having something in mind. “What would you guys say to a beach day? Mateo has been bugging me about catching some sun and unplugging for a while. I don’t have any other appointments or talent to cart around town anyway,” He said in a playful tone.

Ram’s eyes lit up, “I love the beach!”

Tarak laughed, “Mateo has the right attitude! In fact, bring him along! I want to meet this Mateo!”

Tomas’ eyebrows shot up, “Really?”

Ram shrugged, “Why not? The more, the merrier.”

Tomas laughed and shook his head, “You two are definitely the nicest talent I have taken care of since I started this job,” Tomas said as the vehicle pulled onto the street.

***

The SUV stopped by the hotel, so Tarak and Ram could change into proper beach clothing, finding their swimsuits and a tank top to wear with their sandals. They also brought a small bag with a couple of water bottles, sunglasses, and some sunscreen, just in case. They then quickly stopped by Tomas’ apartment and watched as Tomas stepped out wearing his own beach clothes with his Mateo. Mateo was a taller man with a thicker build and had long hair kept in a bun. He walked alongside Tomas while holding his hand. Before he stepped into the car, Mateo pulled Tomas into a fleeting yet passionate kiss. Tomas then opened the trunk to place a small cooler and a couple of beach blankets inside.

As Mateo settled in the passenger seat, he gave a slightly nervous wave to the two men in the backseat. “Hey there! I’m the husband!”

Tarak chuckled at the greeting, “Hello, the husband! I am the Tarak, and this is the Ram!”

Ram rolled his eyes at Tarak’s joke and smiled, “Wonderful to meet you, Mateo. Tomas has said so much about you.”

Tomas smiled as he closed his door, turning the car on. “Don’t worry, I only told them terrible things about you.”

Mateo made a face, “You would,” he said in a tone that made all the men laugh.

It didn’t take long before the SUV was parked at a small parking lot next to the beach. Tomas opened the trunk to retrieve their supplies. The four men walked along the beach and laughed as they continued their small talk, finding a suitable spot to set up their blankets under one of the large umbrellas and a couple of beach chairs available.

Ram had put on his sunglasses and handed Tarak his pair, “So, how did you two meet?”

Mateo smiled at Tomas and explained, “We met at a coffee shop. He sort of cut me in line for coffee and-”

“Hey now! You cut me in line. If you’re going to tell the story, tell it right.” Tomas grumbled, smiling to himself.

Mateo laughed, “We cut each other in line and managed to make small talk. We pretty much hit it off right away. After a few days of idle chat, I asked him for dinner. Little did I know how picky he was.” Mateo glanced in Tomas’ direction once again, expecting a snarky response.

“I took Matt Damon to that restaurant, and he got food poisoning from it! I was wary! So sue me!”

Tarak laughed at the two and how adorable they were but found all attention diminished from them as Ram removed his tank top, and the beautiful, sculpted muscles of his chest and back were in plain view for all to see. He looks like he should be on the cover of a magazine. Or a romance novel. Tarak thought to himself, stunned in place by the sight.

“Hey, Tarak! How about a bottle of water? It’s extra hot out, I wouldn’t want you to be thirsty,” Tomas said rather loudly to break Tarak out of his trance, tossing him a cold bottle of water from their cooler. Ram retrieved one of their own water bottles from their bag.

Tarak thankfully smirked, shaking his head from the spell Ram’s beautiful body had him under. He took a drink and also removed his own shirt, stretching a bit as his own chest and back were exposed. His muscles still ached from the other day's workout, but not as painfully. He quickly sprayed the sunscreen over his furry chest and arms to be on the safe side. Then, he turned away from Ram to set up one of the blankets on the sand.

As Tarak fought against the wind to have the blanket settle without being blown away, he heard Ram speak behind him,

“I’m going to go and get into the water for a bit.”

Tarak noted a strange inflection in his voice and turned to see Ram already on his way to the water’s edge. He then heard Mateo and Tomas snickering and glanced in their direction, his eyes narrowing.

“And what’s so entertaining?” Tarak inquired, his eyes still narrowed in a faux grumpy face.

Tomas took an extra moment to respond as he shook his head. “You two are hilarious and cute. That’s all,”

Mateo nodded, “It’s true. I’ve known you two for twenty minutes, and I think you guys are adorable together.”

Tarak felt his cheeks flush, “Together- Oh no. No, we’re not…” Tarak slowly silenced himself as Mateo’s expression didn’t change. His eyes then looked to Tomas irritated, “You told him, didn’t you?”

Tomas opened his mouth to explain, but no words came, and he hung his head. “I’m sorry, Tarak. I only told him so I could get another perspective involved to help you if needed. Please forgive me.”

Mateo sat up a little from his blanket, “It was my fault. I asked how the day went yesterday, and I kinda poked and prodded for a full rundown of the situation. My lips are sealed. I promise.”

Tarak wanted to be upset but nodded. He could tell that the two of them meant well and genuinely cared. As he finally laid back on his blanket, he felt the dam of thoughts of the last several hours about to burst.

“I need to figure out how to control myself. It’s like I’m an animal starving for food around him. Whenever he shows a bit of platonic sweetness toward me, I want to pounce. Its happened multiple times since we arrived here. We have only been here for a couple of days! How am I going to be able to get through this without ruining everything?” Tarak grumbled. Both Mateo and Tomas nodded in understanding but shared a look between the two of them. Tarak caught this exchange, and again he felt his eyes narrow. “What now?” he asked in a grumpy voice.

Mateo looked at Tomas and took a long drink from his water bottle.

Tomas sighed before he looked at Tarak with a genuine smile on his face, “Okay. Tell me more about these interactions.”

Tarak spent the next few minutes divulging, with some explicit details about his physical reactions missing, the several encounters he had with Ram that had his mind spiraling. With each one, the eyebrows of both Mateo and Tomas rose higher and higher.

“You were on top of him, and he gave no intention of pushing you off?” Mateo asked with a slightly incredulous tone to his voice.

“No. We just stared at each other for a few moments.” Tarak replied.

“Wait, let's go back to yesterday morning. He saw you in your boxers, and you said his behavior changed a little. Changed how?” Tomas asked.

Tarak’s head wobbled as he tried to think of how to explain. “He looked like he was flustered. He blushed a little and looked away.”

Mateo and Tomas shared a look and were about to continue speaking when they saw Ram approaching and opened their cooler to present a bottle of margarita mix and tequila, quickly changing the subject.

Ram wandered back with clear signs he did more than just dip his feet in the water as droplets were running down most of his body, his swimsuit clinging a little to his form. Tarak quickly distracted himself by accepting one of the margaritas and taking a big gulp, choosing to instead stare out at the horizon. The drink's coolness combated the sun's heat rather well, as Tarak felt a chill run down his back.

“How’s the water?” Tomas asked,

“Surprisingly warm. It was nice to step into the waves.” Ram said, a strange smirk on his face as he lay on one of the available blankets.

Tarak saw Tomas nudge Mateo a bit with his elbow. A moment later, Mateo started conversing with Ram about his workout habits, mentioning that he really liked lifting weights. As Ram was distracted by Mateo’s mention of healthy habits, Tarak felt his phone vibrate. It was a text from Tomas.

T: Do not react to this message. Why haven’t you pounced, exactly?

Tarak put on his best poker face and feverishly typed a reply.

NTR: What do you mean? These interactions are no different than before I started having these thoughts.

Tomas’ response came quickly.

T: That’s my point, Tarak. What if these moments happened before this because Ram has been feeling the same way about you that you do for him? What if he is waiting for you to say something?

Tarak felt his heartbeat quicken, unsure what to send back.

T: Mateo and I saw him check you out when you took your shirt off, almost exactly how you checked him out a second beforehand.

Tarak had to read that message several times before it sunk in. Before he could respond, Tomas sent one final message.

T: Just think about it. Maybe by talking about it with him, things may work out differently than you think. Now relax and enjoy a couple of drinks.

Tarak slowly put his phone away, suddenly hyper-aware of his position in relation to Ram on the beach. His eyes looked over in Tomas’ direction. Tomas took a long drink from his margarita while looking directly back at Tarak, signaling to do the same. Tarak savored another taste of the cold drink as his mind whirled in his head. That question he had at the restaurant returned with a vengeance in his mind.

What if?

After much internal debate, Tarak came to a decision. His heart began beating a mile a minute, but he was resolved on the next action to take.

Tonight. I will talk to him tonight.

@vijayasena @kaagazkefool @stars-in-the-distance

[inxthexshadowxofxdeath]

(Jeremy Allen White) [THE ICARUS]. Please welcome [RUBEN HOBBES (HE/HIM)] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [35]-year-old [RESIDENT] who lives in [TOWN]. You may see them around working as a [DEPUTY GAME WARDEN]. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive. 

Broken bottles shine just like stars…

Full Name: Ruben Hobbes Nicknames/Aliases: Hobbes (only close friends/family call him Ruben or know his first name for that matter); Roo (Strictly by his deceased parents, deceased wife, Clara Jones, and maybe eventually his current partners) DOB: 12/01/1989 (Saggitarious) Birthplace: Huntsville, WV Orientation: Hetro/panromantic, Pansexual

Make a wish anyway…

Ruben was never given a true middle name, his parents could never decide on one. One day it was Gregory the next Ochs... His father's favorite was Baryte - a reference to an oil paint color ("the perfect green") that was long discontinued. Not that they ever got around to filing the paperwork. Seeing as his mother was the music teacher at the elementary school and his father a painter (known for detailed oil portraits of ducks and other Appalachian wildlife they'd shrink real small to decorate stamps), the Hobbeses weren't the most organized people but they were lovely nonetheless.

Little Roo knew nothing but love, and finger painting, and making music on pots and pans on the kitchen floor.

Our dreams on the window sill…

His childhood was a good one, filled with scraped knees and dirty sneakers and messy hair. In high school, he quickly became the class clown. Funny, charming, silly Hobbes. Clever and athletic and easygoing... and head over heels in love with his high school sweetheart. Hobbes and Hanna with no 'h'. They'd been going steady since 5th grade.

She was bookish and wild and far smarter than he was. All that to say: she was perfect. They could've been prom king and queen probably if they hadn't skipped the dance to climb trees and eat take out and talk about their future life together. Hanna sometimes thought about leaving Huntsville but Hobbes never did. She'd tease him about how he didn't dream big enough.

Hobbes thought his dreams were just the right size just... simpler. And that there was something beautiful in that. In reality he would have followed her wherever she wanted but she would never ask.

They immediately got married after high school, right in the gazebo in the park. They had a vanilla sheet cake and the whole town there. Hobbes doesn't remember much from that night due to the drinking and merrymaking other than Hanna had spilled beer down the front of her thrift store wedding dress and that he was the happiest man in the world. It seems so long ago now.

And your heart's a thousand colors but they're all shades of blue…

Lola Rose was their 'oopsie' baby and Hanna and Hobbes could not have been more over the moon. He remembers this short period of his life - their life, together, as a little family - vividly.

It wouldn't be right to say it was before everything went wrong. Because just before Lola was born his parents passed, and naturally that was difficult. It was a car accident and the roads were wet. But it wasn't anyone's fault; it was just life. The car was old.

Still, moving his little family into his now empty childhood home felt melancholy. He and Hanna vowed to fill it with nothing but joy. So they set to making it home again even in his parent's absence. There was crayon on the walls like his father would have wanted and the kitchen was still for dancing as his mother would've insisted, and for a while things were right again.

Then Hanna got sick. And cancer doesn't really care how much you love someone.

It wasn't anyone's fault; it was just life.

I’m dying, Roo.

He missed their secret handshake. He missed how she always burned the cakes she tried so hard to make. How she always left her socks on the couch. How she poked his cheek when she wanted attention. How she wore her wedding ring around her neck because it was a size too big and they never got around to getting it fixed...

What am I supposed to do without you, Hanna?

I don’t know, dummy. Live, maybe?

He missed her so much sometimes it felt like he couldn't breathe. He still does.

The tumors in my head, Roo. Not yours.

Lola was a bit too young to truly understand when they buried her mother. 3, just about 4... Hobbes tried to explain to her as she grew. They'd feed the ducks then go 'get flowers for Momma' as Lola would say. They'd sit a bouquet of wildflowers down at the grave and sometimes Hobbes' eyes would water but he'd wipe them before his daughter saw. Seeing Momma was never supposed to be sad. Sometimes they couldn't help it though.

And the years went on. Lola was his sun and moon and stars and she was just as mischievous and bright as her mother. And for a while things were... not right. But good again. Until it wasn't. 2012 wasn't good for anyone.

To be fair, they made it 5 years. And that was more than some could say.

Let's get this over with / 'Cause i'm late for work...

Hobbe's found little comfort in the thought that Hanna wasn’t there to receive the news with him that their daughter was ripped apart.

Their silly, blue eyed girl.

His daughter was in the watchful care of the babysitter who he thought he could trust. He was at work when he got the call from Henry. He should have been home. He should have been home. He should have been… If he couldn't stop whatever got in at least he would be dead too.

He lost a bit of himself when his parents died, as all children do. He would never be the same after Hanna. He buried the rest of who he was with Lola Rose. It wasn't anyone's fault; it was just life didn't really cut it anymore.

In an empty house he smoked and drank then went to work. He didn't sleep well if he did at all. It took a year for him to speak to anyone outside of work again. A couple more to pretend he was fine.

He didn't think he'd be fine again until a year ago.

I sold all this land to buy me some dreams…

The whole fiasco with a Romero and a Brit was unexpected and stressful and crazy and... wonderful. Sure, Hobbes had slept around here and there to balm whatever pain he felt constantly in his chest but he never expected to form any real relationship with another human being again. Much less two. For a simple, small town boy this is all quite scandalous for him. And while none of them are perfect, they're making this funny thing they have going work. It's scary. But while Hobbes does a good job pushing Hawk and Matt away at times when things get too heavy they do a good job at always bringing him back.

I been thinkin' you probably should stay…

Fun Facts… (Alternate Title: An Admittedly Long Section Because Hobbes was One of the First Characters I Brought In and I Am a Year Later Writing This Out So Most of His Shit is All Fragmented Bit of Information About His Life. Please Forgive Me.)

- Y'all I went back and SCOURED the discord for facts I might have said about my own fucking character and one of them is that Hobbes is an average sized king standing at 5'7" tall. (At one point I think it was Max that tried to take away one inch and make him 5'6" that is FALSE NEWS smh)

-I've also said in chat: "I've also realized that you probably hardly ever catch Hobbes without his like ranger station baseball cap on. He wears that thing to DEATH"

-He is currently dating both Matthew Walker and Hawthorne Romero. No he doesn't know how he got here.

-Speaking of the Romero's he is very close family friends with them and will stand (has stood) by Mallard's side through the worst of it. He will continue to do so and loves all of the Romero's dearly. It was Hawk who was there when Hobbes' got the call about his daughter and he will forever be in his debt for catching him.

- Used to smoke heavily but has been trying to quit. Had a pretty good streak but broke not too long ago. He struggles with this, but is trying.

-Despite his sleepy disposition he is one of the best damn shots in Huntsville and takes his job very seriously.

-Loves a good sandwich. Truly a foodie.

-Has an american traditional rose tattoo with his daughter's name and birthday on his bicep.

-He likes to read but isn't a good reader if that makes sense. Was never the most book smart but likes to learn.

-Was a wrestler and played rugby in high school. Definitely has some chipped teeth because of this.

-Turned down a position at the hs to be a sports coach/gym teacher to work at the ranger station.

-He has a peanut allergy which I totally forgot about and have no idea how that came to be or why I did that to him. Just for flavor I guess(?)

-Kind of has Jon Snow energy in that like, he's just a guy, thrown into impossible situations and probably should be dead by now but... here he is... He has a better sense of humor though. Kind of a class clown. Maybe uses it to deflect but you didn't hear that from me.

Possible connections…

- Y'all be grateful I got this far lol oh god UM truly a lot of people at least know ~of~ Hobbes he is the Deputy Game Warden after all. Anyone with any sort of proximity to the Rangers have seen him.

-He is such an easy to get along with guy, please reach out and throw whatever ideas at me! He's much less out here in these streets shaking hands and being a leader of the community than Cab but he's still, you know, around and well liked.

-If you're an older native you would know about the tragedy of losing his parents then young wife and then later daughter. But who hasn't been touched by tragedy here.

-Other young parents who have/had kids ages 7+ (Lola Rose passed in 2017 when she was 9)

[endingboyhansel]

okay I have done something

concept for PJSekai x Evillious Second Collab

obviously all fanmade by me

may do lil card stories

UNITS

Hatsune Miku - Michaela

Card:

The Peasant of Green

“I wonder why humans are the way they are…”

Skill: The Call of the Forest

Conversations:

There is a girl I’ve met when I became a human. Her name is Clarith. And I cannot picture not being by her side anymore. She is truly one of the nicest people I have ever met.

There was a sorceress who turned me into a human. Before then I was a forest spirit. Even though I’ve spent time as a human, I still don’t understand many things…

I don’t believe you’ve met Master Freezis. He is a very welcoming man, and I’m glad to be in his employ. However his wife… I don’t understand her distrust of me.

Kagamine Rin - Rin Chan

Card:

The Princess-Like Diva

“Oh ho ho! Is that how it goes?”

Skill: Glance In A Mirror

Conversations:

My singing? Well I’ve always enjoyed singing, ever since I was at the orphanage. You should ignore those rumours about me lip synching. You know how people are.

Lemy… I heard he was adopted by the President. He must be having a life in luxury then. I wish I could say the same for myself. Well, if he’s happy, then I’m glad for him.

Oh ho ho ho! Now bow with me! No wait it was bow to me… getting the appearance of the infamous Daughter of Evil is difficult. Maybe I should ask Mr Corpa if I can buy a tea set for my performances.

Kagamine Len - Lemy Abelard

Card:

The Fifth Pierrot

“If only I hadn’t been reborn…”

Skill: Through a Ring of Fire

Conversations:

Haha! The jester strikes again! May the town feel fear at the hands of the Fifth Pierrot! Yes, I think that’s fearsome enough! Wait until I tell Miss Santa!

Some time ago, I was saved by the former Fifth Pierrot. He was wearing an extremely impressive clown suit. I wonder if I’ll be as famous as him one day!

Pére Noël is an organisation with less main members than the public would probably think. Only a few are used for any… real purpose. Like Sixth Venom for example. He only does chores.

MEIKO - Julia Abelard

Card:

The Bewitching Sorceress

“The world… it is full of mistakes.”

Skill: The Mother of Malice

Conversations:

Of course I can manage the next speech. I am after all the president of Elphegort. I have the draft written and I’d be happy to show it. Please, take a seat.

KAITO - Kaspar Blankenheim

Card:

The Doomed Marquis

“I barely remember any childhood promise.”

Skill: The Wooden Ring

Conversations:

My father abandoned my family when I was a baby. Good riddance to him, I say. I do not know if he is alive or dead, but he has not been seen since that fateful night.

Margarita? Ah, she is an interesting person. But the fact she cannot sleep is… it is so unusual. I would rather keep my distance, I only married her for my own reasons after all.

SONGS

Fifth Pierrot

Tree Maiden ~Millennium Wiegenlied

Gift From The Princess Who Brought Sleep

[madamemedic]

Room for One More? (Chapter One: Nat 20 on Unarmed Strike)

(This is a poly relationship with you, Eddie and Chrissy. Here's a quick list of what will change or stay the same.

1: No Upside Down

2: Jane gets legally adopted by Jim because Becky cannot look after her and Terry at the same time. So he adopts her.

3: Will does not get lost.

4: Bob is alive; he just doesn't date Joyce.

5: Barbara moves out of town to get better education choices.

6: Nancy cheats on Steve, but Steve finds out later. Nancy still ends up with Jonathan.

7: Star Mall is owned by a greedy company, no Russians; thus, it still stands, but Steve and Robin quit anyway.

8: Joyce and Hopper are newly dating.

9: No powers

10: Reader is 19

11: Nobody dies. Even Billy.

12: There is no papa.

That is it. Enjoy.)

Chrissy POV:

As far as Chrissy knew, her life was stagnant and, to be honest, boring. Every day was the same in the sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana. Wake up, go to school, practice for cheer, go home, sleep and repeat. Chrissy was fed up with the days that seemed to drag on. However, it is always wasn't dull. There were times when two people made the day enjoyable despite not being involved.

It was Eddie Munson and (YFN) (YLN). Every lunchtime, you two arrive hand in hand. The love that even Chrissy could see when you looked at each other was something special. Jason never looked at her like that. It made Chrissy slightly ashamed, but in a way, she was jealous. You two were attached at the hip, where you saw one. The other was just a little behind. Today was no different.

"Look, it's the freak and the weirdo," Jason mutters to his jock friends as you and Eddie sit on the Hellfire table. The way you sat on Eddie's lap was casual like you two were sitting at home. Chrissy then saw Eddie's arm slink around your waist to slide your body closer to his. How could you two be nonchalant with your public displays of affection? Jason wasn't like that. Sure, if he caught anybody looking at Chrissy, he'd bark at them along the lines of 'hey, that's my girl, man' or 'quit staring at my girl.'

Chrissy was no longer interested in her food and couldn't help but watch you two. Eddie leans in to whisper in your ear. It must have been funny because you laughed and lightly tapped Eddie's arm.

"Gross, people like that need to be locked up in looney bins" Jason never held Chrissy close or told her jokes. In fact, Chrissy felt more like a trophy than a girlfriend at times. Of course, she could break up with him, but she didn't like being alone. So Chrissy sucked it up.

The jocks didn't seem to care that their words were mean and downright hurtful. Chrissy was damn sure that Jason was trying to provoke Eddie like always. He didn't always get what he wanted, but today, Jason hit a nerve.

"You got a problem, little boy?" Eddie calls over to her table. Now is where Eddie and Jason exchange insults; Chrissy thinks the whole ordeal was childish. So she usually ignored the talk between the two boys. That was until someone said her name.

"I would say that I feel sorry for your girlfriend having to date a freak like you, but she's like a weirdo like you two. A couple of circus clowns." Chrissy could see that comment got to Eddie since she saw his hand on your hip clench for a few seconds before relaxing.

"Oh, we freaky alright. I bet you don't stray from missionary because any other position scares you," Hellfire's table cheers.

"Damn, I feel sorry for Chrissy; bet never given her the big O; I bet Jason's a one-pump chump kind of guy. But, don't worry, Chrissy baby, if you want to experience a good time, you are more than welcome to come to me, baby, anytime." That's when Chrissy looked at you. You had the most salacious grin on your face, and Eddie looked like he was going to pass away with how hard he was laughing. But, on the other hand, Jason looked ready to burst from anger. Apart from Jason's table, the entire lunch room was laughing along, only fulling Jason's anger.

"Freak, you best put a muzzle on that bitch before I do", Jason had stood up. Chrissy could see that Jason was ready to start a fight.

"A bitch? Now listen here, daddy's trust fund baby. You even try to muzzle my girlfriend, and I'll fucking kick you and your friend's asses" Eddie had now, by the end of his sentence, walked over to the Jock table. This looked like it was going to end in a fight. Still, you had taken Eddie's hand and started to pull him away whilst saying, 'he isn't worth it' and 'Eddie, you can't afford to get another detention.'

"Yeah, that's right, get your bitch to defend you. Fucking slut" Now, up until he said that, you had almost got Eddie to go back to his table, but that's when you did a 180 and stormed over to Jason. His face was cocky, but not for long, as you punched Jason square in the face. There was a loud cracking noise as Jason fell to the floor, cupping his nose.

"FUCK, I THINK SHE BROKE MY GODDAMN NOSE" The room fell silent.

"TRY THAT SHIT AGAIN, AND I'LL BREAK MORE THAN JUST YOUR FUCKING NOSE", You spit at Jason. Chrissy was stunned. Sure there had been back and forths, but this was different. By the time she recovered, you and Eddie were gone. The room now was bustling with whispers as Chrissy had turned to Jason. His face was covered in his own blood... wait for a second; you really did end up breaking Jason's nose or what looked like it to Chrissy, but there was no time to ponder as Jason called for Chrissy to take him to the school nurse. Of course, Chrissy, the ever-doting girlfriend, helped her poor boyfriend to the infirmary. Despite Jason having the broken nose, Chrissy hoped you and Eddie got away safely. Maybe when the dust settled, Chrissy could find you to see if you were OK. But for now, she was stuck tilting Jason's head back to stop the bleeding.

(Hoi, you punched Jason, and now he has a broken nose. Rad. I hope you will leave feedback and enjoy your day or night)

[boonedelmont]

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌 . 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 . 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐘 . 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 . 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 .

[cis man & he/him] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [BOONE DELMONT]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [BOYD HOLBROOK]. You must be the [THIRTY SIX] year old [BOAT DRIVER AT AIR BUBBLES SCUBA DIVING CLUB]. Word is you’re [PROFICIENT] but can also be a bit [VOLATILE] and your favorite song is [GENTLE ON MY MIND BY STEFIE SHOCK]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [FISHERS COVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

———— ◽️ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒

government name.    booker nelson delmont

preferred name.    boone

current age.    thirty six

birthdate.    december 23rd

height.    6'2"

identity.    cis male, he/him

sexuality.    heterosexual

moral alignment.    chaotic neutral

language(s) spoken.    english, very little spanish

occupation.    boat driver at air bubbles scuba diving club

residence.    inherited house in fishers cove

———— ◽️ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐏

without having a hope in hell from the get go, boone was raised in the sweltering depths of louisiana in a household that always had some form of drugs or alcohol ( usually both ) at his parents' disposal at any given time. so he was exposed to these addictions at a very early age and would eventually follow the same path, but to a lesser degree.

as the apple of his parents' eye, for some reason, he could do no wrong. when, in fact, he did very wrong, at any given moment. boone was labelled a problem child by his teachers. it started off with him being an annoying punk kid, disrupting class and clowning around with his friends. but as he got older, the problem grew with him.

fist fights were a common occurrence whenever he was in attendance at school. so if he didn't skip, he was sent home regularly. however, he never let his parents know the difference ( if they'd even notice anyway ) and he'd stay out on the streets all day -- drinking, smoking, wreaking havoc on the small town -- until school was let out and it'd be time for him to go home. as a result, he was held back a couple times in different grades.

eventually, boone would flip a final fuck you to the system and drop out of high school. who needs big brains?? certainly NOT him. instead of pursing a fruitful career like every other kid on the block, he acquired the necessary license to become a long haul driver because 1) he wanted to travel and 2) what else was he gonna do.

rootin great rapport via walkie talkie channels with all his trucker buds, tootin his loud ass horn down the highway at every little car that tried to cut him off, boone was content with this way of life. until he met some girl at some bar, somewhere along the way home. then he was apparently in love.

when word spread of this, he inherited ( rly was given ) a whole ass house in aurora bay from a relative. rumor has it some shady business was going on in there and so having boone and his aforementioned gf live there was all a cover up to keep the cops from sniffing around. but whatever the reason, he didn't care. he got a free home, away from his parents.

while boone wasn't exactly your all american, golden boy or best big brother, he felt guilty ditching his younger siblings, and made a point to keep his door open for them if they ever needed a place to crash. he wasn't the affectionate type by any means, but he tried to be a better influence than their parents ever were.

without ever having any real big bills to pay, thanks to the inheritance, boone did well to save up a huge chunk of his earnings. so when his girlfriend ended up having a baby, he quit his long haul job and bought a boat, eventually landing a solid gig with the local scuba diving club. all the rich people loved disrupting the ocean life, so he thought it was a great investment. big brains.

having been the boat driver for air bubbles for nearly a decade, he's been through all kinds of ups and downs. his girlfriend left him for an accountant and moved across the country with their kid, he lowkey became an alcoholic by trying to drink his sorrows away, and his house was broken into one night by a couple guys he used to run with ( he thinks ), which resulted in him almost getting shot for trying to fight off the assailants. safe to say now, he keeps a shotgun tucked away for future intimidation ( which he may or may not legally own ).

———— ◽️ 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒

he's lowkey insane. like homeboy has no qualms when it comes to protecting his territory and his people, and is no stranger to violence.

however crazy he may get, he has a soft spot for his family & co-workers. to make up for being so shitty when he was younger, boone does his best now to help out where he can and looks out for his own.

drives an old ford bronco, but also owns a loud af dirtbike that he rips around on at night to 'clear his head'.

checks in on his parents every so often bc as much as they tainted his childhood, they also showed him some sort of love in their own fucked up way.

still drinks almost every night, so he's always at a bar or lounge. would probably sing karaoke if he was drunk enough.

does a video call with his kid every day ( or every other day ) and faithfully pays out child support. while he misses his daughter, boone knows she's better off growing up away from his family's antics.

( @aurorabayaesthetic )

[sleepy-achilles]

Streets- Chapter 2

Taker meets the two crews

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

The skeleton blade clatters as it falls to the floor. Golden eyes scan the bodies spewed out on the floor. So much carnage. So much blood spilled that never needed to be spilled. They just needed to stay away. Shakey hands reach forward, grabbing at a cyber upgrade. Gold eyes scan in. A new model, achilles heel upgrades. Makes them stronger.

Perfect...

-----

"Welcome to the crew, Taker."

Taker had no clue what he had just signed up to. All he knew is that kane would owe him big time once he got him back. Who was taker kidding? He had no idea what shape his little brother would be in. Last time taker saw him he didn't have a single upgrade and was busy whining about the fact taker got his.

Taker looks at shawn. Shawn who's been on the phone since they got in goldusts car. His red eyes stare straight through taker. Takers never met someone with red eyes before. Well, there was one, his mother. Her green eyes would switch to red. It use to scare others but taker found a beauty in it. The myth about eye colours always drove taker crazy. He hated it. Reds were painted out to be manics. Loose canons. Dangerous. His mother was no such thing. Shawn? Shawn on the other hand he wasn't too sure about.

Shawns eyes switch to blue quickly. "Goddamnit. Dust! We need to get back to dx headquarters!" Shawn calls. "On it" goldust hums. "Whats wrong?" Taker asks. "Job gone bust. Knew I shoulda gone. But someone insisted i meet him" shawn growls. "Worth it, wasn't it?" Goldust asks. Shawn examines taker. "Not the point. We can pick hunter and kid up at the same time. Nash and Hall are already at the kliq hq. Saves us time atleast, even if I do have to bust some skulls" Shawn grunts. Goldust chuckles. "You have little faith in them" Shawn shakes his head and leans back. "I have a lot of faith in chyna, hunter and Rick. Just not in those punks they've brought in. Hell, not even in kid." Shawn responds. "Hey, it's just how you started out, no?" Goldust asks.

Taker watches as shawns jaw tightens and he looks out the window. "We both know that's not true." Shawn mutters. Taker wants to ask what he means by that, but he knows better. He doesn't want to upset the man who could bring him to his brother. Not yet atleast. Shawn hums, bringing taker out of his head. "We should grab chyna aswell." Shawn states. "Why? Can't kid do any hacking you might need?" Goldust asks. "You already know kids not there yet. Chyna on the other hand has all the skill we might need for this." Shawn chuckles. Goldust tuts. "You doubt that boy to much" Shawn rolls his eyes.

He turns his attention to taker. "When we get there, I want you to come in. Tell them your name and that's it. I don't need dx knowing anything about this. Those clowns will just want to get involved and I do not have the time. If they ask, your a new member of the crew and that's why I wasn't at the job, I was hiring you." Shawn explains. "Got it" Taker nods. "I like it. A man who finally listens to me" shawn smirks leaning back. "Baby, you have nash and Hall wrapped around your little finger. Don't pretend otherwise" goldust chuckles.  Shawn smirks as he looks out of the window.

Taker can't decide if this is the best or worse friendship he's ever made.

-----

Taker follows Shawn into the warehouse. Goldust insisted on staying in the car, especially in this part of town.

Shawn stops infront of a door, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Remeber what I said. Name and that's it." Shawn grunts before kicking the door open. All talking halts and all heads turn to them.

"What the fuck happened?" Shawn demands as he walks in. And they all start talking at once, except the only girl in the room. Shawn just tilts his head back and everyone falls quiet. "Rick. Talk to me." Shawn sighs. "Its quite simple bossman. Someone wasn't in their spot when they were supposed to be" Rick answers crossing his arms. Shawn kisses his teeth and moves further into the room. "I aint even going to ask for names. I haven't got the time." Shawn tells them. Taker looks at the shocked faces. "But, none of you are getting paid for it, unless yall clean this mess up and get me what I sent you too get" Shawn growls. "And what about you?" A blonde asks. Shawn looks at him. "You, kid and chyna are joining me on a kliq job." Shawn tells him. So this is hunter.

"And who's he? Is he helping us then?" The other blonde asks. "No. This is taker. He works for me and only me. Taker this is chyna, hunter, Rick, kid, Billy and road. They make up degeneration x." Shawn introduces. They all make small grunts or nods at taker. "Now cmon, we need to meet Scott and kev now" Shawn orders. "Wait, if your taking hunter, who's incharge?" Billy asks. "Rick, obviously. Don't be stupid. If this gets fucked again, I will be asking Rick for names and will be taking action" Shawn warns. The staying members nod. "Ill get the job done, boss" Rick nods. "I know you will. Now let's go." Shawn claps before leaving the room, the others following close to get in goldusts car.

"So, you gonna tell us what's going on?" Hunter asks. Shawn looks at him. "Goldust, kliqs apartment please." Shawn requests. "On it baby boy" goldust replies. "I asked you a question Shawn" hunter snaps. "And you can wait until we get there. I'm not repeating myself" Shawn snaps. Hunter raises an eyebrow. "You still angry about last night?" Hunter asks leaning closer to shawn. "Get out of my face hunter. I have a right to be pissed when I leave you incharge of a job and it goes to shit" Shawn growls. "Well if someone wasn't busy picking themselves up some new eye candy, the job might of been smoother" hunter snaps. "You should be able to run a simple job without me. And this sat next to me isn't eye candy. He's a client and will be paying your next paycheck so watch it" Shawn snaps.

Hunter glares at taker. "Why is he here?" Kid asks. "He wants to help. And I don't care. Means more manpower." Shawn shrugs. "We could use dx though" kid states. "And yet those two have fucked up every job so far. No. We do this just as the kliq. And chyna of course, my beloved" Shawn smiles. The women shakes her head fondly. Hunter shakes his head in anger. "We will talk later." Hunter tells him. "Sure thing." Shawn mutters. Taker can already tell this will be interesting. And he already hates that he's thinking like that.

--------

They walk into an apartment to be met with two tall guys on the sofa watching the news. "You lot seen this? Goldies struck again!" The tallest calls. "What is it now?" Kid asks rushing over. "Killed 12 police and stole cyber upgrades. It's crazy. People reckon it's a psycho. I don't. They seem to steal upgrades of parts they've stole before" the other states with an accent. "Goldie?" Taker asks confused, his mind going straight to goldust. "Dont worry, not goldust." Shawn chuckles. "Its a killer. The people they kill, the police collect their death footage but the only thing they can see from the killer is the fact they have gold eyes." Hunter explains. "Real rare that" kid chuckles. "I wouldn't call them a killer. I mean they only killed at first because they were trapped and about to be killed themselves. I reckon if the coppers stopped trying to find them, no more deaths would arise." The taller states. "Probably. But we will never know. They'll never stop hunting them." The other shrugs.

"So, who's this?" Tallest asks. "Taker. He will be joining us. This is Kevin and Scott." Shawn introduces moving closer, pulling taker with him. "Joining us for what pretty boy?" Kevin asks pulling Shawn into his lap. "Its what I called us all here for. He's our next client." Shawn tells him. "Whats the job Chico?" Scott asks as Taker sits on the end of the sofa. "My brother. He was taken from our town when we were kids." Taker states. "Shawn.." Kevin mutters. "Dont be an ass. I already was. His parents were killed in a house fire and his brother was taken by a family friend in the same night. He reckons he could being used for something bad." Shawn explains. "He could be golden eyes" kid jokes. Scott kicks him causing him to yelp.

"Did he have any upgrades when he was taken?" Kevin suddenly asks. "No. Our father was planning to give him some the next day after seeing how upset he was about me getting mine. He didn't have the chance" Taker answers. Scott and Kevin share a look. "Hey, bud..you don't reckon it's a classic case of Corp boogeyman?" Kevin asks. Shawn squints before looking at chyna. "If taker gives you a photo of his brother can you look for files about him?" Shawn asks. Chyna nods and moves to taker eyes turning neon green, holding her hand out. Taker accepts it and transfers her his last photo of kane.

She smiles before moving towards a room. Kid goes to stand when hunter grabs his wrist and pulls him down. "Ill be going with her, you perv" hunter growls before following her. "Not fair, I'm also a hacker" kid frowns. "Your also a perv" Scott chuckles as shawn stands. "What is Corp boogeyman?" Taker asks. "Jesus you really aren't from here are you?" Scott huffs. "One of the big companies will take kids, mainly kids that won't be missed like street kids or orphans and uses them to test latest techs or turn them into super soldiers" Kevin explains, watching as shawn moves to the window. "So..kane could be dead?" Taker asks. "Well, it's possible yes but if he's got your genetics I highly doubt it. If he's as big and strong as you look then he's probably one the lucky ones. They wouldn't miss out on that" Scott tells him.

"Who was this family friend?" Shawn finally asks. "Im not sure it was him, but I haven't seen him since the fire." Taker tells him. "Name?" Kevin asks. "Paul Bearer" Taker responds.

Kevin watches as shawns eyes glitch in the reflection. "Recognise the name?" Kevin asks. Shawn doesn't respond. Taker watches as shawns fingers twitch, his eyes glow bright as they glitch. "Kev.." Scott gasps. Kevin stands and moves to stand behind shawn, turning the blonde carefully and resting his back against the window. Taker watches as their foreheads connect and shawns eyes turn fully red, pupils, iris and the whites. "They've known each other for a long time. Been there through the worst of times. If shawn glitches out at anytime, call Kevin." Scott tells him. "Understood" Taker nods.

Taker has a feeling he'll find out about Shawn via his crew and friends.

The three sit in silence as Kevin and shawn open their mind to each other.

'Whats wrong?'

'I've heard that name. Back in the labs. This isnt good'

'The boy. Will it be good or bad news? Do we even bother?'

'Depends on chynas results. But..we try. You know we always try. If he's on file and Paul brought him in? He's most likely alive. Well, most likely more cyber than human, but still.'

Kevin pulls back slowly, he opens his eyes and examines shawns face. "We wait for chynas results before we plan anything." Kevin speaks up. "And if the results aren't what we want?" Scott asks. Kevin turns back to them after placing his hand against shawns neck. "If your down, we destroy those Corp bastards and make sure this never happens again." Kevin tells him.

"Sounds like a plan." Taker smirks.