#been very busy and very down lately soooo ya it might take a bit if u decide to do it :( so sorry

[dreemurr-skelememer]

KIAIASKAISAKASZAKKASIASASO INEEE DYOU TO OPEN OCMISISSN PELSDLEWPSDPLDAPSDPLSDLPDSSLDPDSLPSDPLSDPLDSPLDSLPDSLPDSPLSDPLDSLPSDLDSP 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

WHEN YOUTRU ABKEL TO DO SO!!!!!!!$|]|2{|${$|{9|$}{$§8]$78§

not any time soon sadly 😭 im too busy w college, barely being able to finish my ko-fi reqs rn bc of executive dysfunction too

if you want, my ko-fi (it's in my pinned) is open for donations w little requests or you can just straight up send me money w/o a request

[gallavictorious]

Gallavich Week Day 5: Fix-It / Rewrite

Right, so fix-its aren’t so much my jam, but there is this one weird, weird, weird thing that I’ve (so far) been unable to meta into any sort of sense. Namely, Mickey looking like that in season 11 while apparently not working out. It’s just… uh… he… what? At one point I hypothesized that he’s been bitten by a radioactive spider or the like, leaving him magically super buff, and to be honest, that’s still the most reasonable explanation I can think of, soooo…

Today I'm back at my nonsense to bring you, everyone and especially our dear @gallavichthings, 2,711 Very Serious words about Mickey being a secret superhero. Well. Except for the hero bit.

Read it below or on AO3.

---

In Which Mickey Milkovich Does Not Save the World

Afterwards, he would always refer to it as the radioactive motherfucker bug from hell, but the truth is that Mickey never saw the thing that got him.

He was going about his business (namely poking around the Gallagher basement for any forgotten shit he could sell for beer money now that all the cash from the wedding had been surreptitiously replaced with I.O.U:s) when he felt a sudden, sharp pain just above his ankle. Cursing up a storm, he desperately waved his foot around and lost his balance and stumbled straight into one of the many piles of boxes that littered the basement. By the time he was back on his feet whatever creature that had dug its nasty little teeth/pincers/claws into his tender flesh had scurried off, leaving Mickey with a throbbing ache and a halfway impressive puncture wound on his left leg.

Muttering darkly about fucking Gallaghers being so used Frank they didn’t know how to keep goddamned monster vermin out of their shitty house Mickey limped up the stairs to pour some Jamison on the wound, and then pour some down his throat because he had the bottle out already so he might as well. He borrowed one of Franny’s colourful pirate-patterned band-aids, and when his nosy as fuck ex-EMT of a husband asked about it later that evening Mickey said he’d dropped a can on his foot, it’s just a scratch, man, no you don’t need to take a look at it, just put your fingers back in my ass, please.

Mickey didn’t make a habit of lying to Ian, but he figured that telling the truth would lead to all sorts of questions about why he was in the basement and having to come up with plausible explanation for that when he should just be focusing on getting railed wasn’t part of his plans for the evening. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Ian, who’d been getting so worked up over money lately, to distract him with that sort of unimportant stuff while they were banging. Mickey was a considerate spouse.

Thankfully, Ian dropped the subject and proceeded to do his husbandly duty. Mickey went to sleep deeply satisfied.

He was almost as satisfied the next morning when he woke up to realize that the pain in his leg was gone, as were all traces of the wound itself. Mickey had always healed pretty fast, but this was quick enough to have him questioning whether or not he’d really been bitten/stung/whatever at all. Maybe he’d had more beers than he thought and imagined the whole thing… ?

It didn’t really matter, and if that had been the whole of it Mickey was likely to soon have forgotten all about the radioactive motherfucker bug from hell. However, in the next few weeks he started noticing stuff, weird stuff. For instance, it wasn’t just the (possibly imagined) bite/sting that healed far more quickly than normal; it was all the little cuts and scrapes he tended to acquire. A big bruise from running into the table while playing with Franny; faded to nothing the next morning. A cut from the razor; gone within the hour. For the first time he could remember, Mickey looked at his naked body in the mirror and saw not one single wound (though there were still scars aplenty). It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but it was weird.

Then there was that thing with his muscles. Mickey had been in decent shape for most of his life and whenever he got locked up for extended periods of time he made a habit of hitting the gym on the regular. Really wasn’t much else to do in the joint, and having a decent bulk reminded the other inmates that you weren’t someone they could push around; letting people know that you could beat the shit out of them often meant you didn’t have to actually do it, which saved everyone a lot of time and energy and trips to the prison quack. But on the outside, exercise wasn’t very high on Mickey’s list of priorities, meaning he tended to slim down a bit after a while in freedom.

Not now, though. Almost a year after being out of prison, and he was still as built as ever; if anything he seemed to be developing more muscles, in spite rarely engaging in anything more taxing than vigorous fucking. (Okay, so there was a lot of vigorous fucking, but still. If anyone ought to be building their biceps from the sex they were having, it should be Ian.)

Mickey didn’t mind being inexplicably ripped, though. He felt great, looked great – and Ian seemed to be pretty into it, too. Then again, Ian seemed to be pretty into Mickey whether he wore dirty clothes, sported a beard, sported a dress, or hadn’t showered in a week, so maybe that wasn’t saying a lot.

But even given all that, maybe Mickey still wouldn’t have thought too much about it (he was, after all, very busy being on his honeymoon, which required lots of determined sleep-ins, dedicated beer-drinking, and – obviously – lots and lots of banging) if there hadn’t one day come a knock on the front door. At first he ignored itm in the hopes that someone else would get it, but when it became apparent that a, he was alone in the house, and b, whoever was at the door wasn’t giving up anytime soon, he grabbed the family baseball bat (even big soft ass Larry would react to Mickey opening the door with an extremely illegal gun in hand) and went to answer the insistent knocking.

Outside stood two women, looking an unsettling mix of sober and apprehensive and eager. One of them reminded him vaguely of Angie Zago; the other was taller and darker and quite possibly brooding.

“Can I help you?” he demanded, not quite as rudely as he might have. He didn’t think they were social workers, but one never knew; they’d been checking up on Debbie and Franny ever since Debbie pleaded guilty to statutory rape.

“Mr. Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich?” Not-Angie inquired in a polite sort of tremble. 

“Who’s asking?” Mickey demanded, feeling a little thrown by the use of his full name. The only people who pulled that out was law enforcement, and neither of these ladies had that feel about them. Especially since they seemed to be… excited to meet him, which wasn’t a reaction Mickey was used to getting. Particularly not from ladies looking like they ought to be out collecting for the fucking Red Cross.

They better not be asking for donations for the Red Cross.

“I’m Tania and this is Dreamweaver,” Not-Angie said. “Can we come in? It’s really best if we talk in private.”

Mickey didn’t move. “Dreamweaver? You kick your mama too many times in the kidneys before you were born or something?”

The women glanced uncertainly at each other. “Mr. Milkovich,” the one improbably called Dreamweaver began, but Mickey cut her off:

“You with the police?”

They quickly shook their heads. “No, we— “

“You here to give me money?”

“No, you see, it’s— “

“Okay, thank you, bye.” But as he moved to close the door, Tania – displaying more spunk than he’d have given her credit for – took a step forward and blocked the entrance.

“Have you been experiencing any strange body phenomena lately, Mr. Milkovich?” she blurted. “Wounds healing very quickly, perhaps, or increased muscle mass?”

Mickey stilled, eyes darting between the two women. Small, small smiles on their faces now, as if they knew they had him. There was a hint of hunger to those smiles, making Mickey feel uncharacteristically uncomfortable. The urge to push Tania back and slam the door shut was strong, but…

“Fine,” he said at long last. “Come on in.”

They better not be fucking cannibals either.

---

They called themselves The Guardians, and they wanted him to save the world.

Mickey asked what numbers they were talking and, after getting bored of their uncomprehending stares, clarified: “How much is it gonna pay? What’s my cut?”

Dreamweaver frowned. “You mean… money? As in a… salary?”

“Yeah, sure. What’s my salary?”

“Mr. Milkovich, saving the world is a higher calling and a duty, it’s not something that– “

“Uh-huh. So, just to be clear, you’re not gonna pay me?”

They weren’t. Mickey laughed in their faces, stood from the couch, and told them bye and good luck with that and don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.

They reasoned with him. They pleaded. They explained, again and again, that after the evil society USCH destroyed The Guardian’s headquarters in a devastating attack, the two of them–and Mickey–was the only thing standing between the world and utter destruction. Surely, he must understand that it was nothing less than Fate that had brought the one remaining Bestower Bot into the Gallagher basement and his path? Admittedly, injecting Mickey with the bio enhancer might have been the result of a malfunction – Tania and Dreamweaver had found the bot dead down the street a couple of nights ago – but didn’t he see that he had been called to serve as a warrior in the fight against evil?

“Yeah, no thanks,” Mickey told them, and then he picked up the bat and waved it around until they took the hint and left.

When Ian returned home a few hours later, Mickey carefully didn’t mention the curious visit or any of what Tania and Dreamweaver had told him. Ian was pretty into saving people and had all these lame ideas about service and honor, and Mickey found it more likely than not that his husband would both be upset that Mickey, rather than Ian himself, had been called as a warrior (it’d be Lip and West Point all over again, Mickey just knew it), and demand that Mickey answer the call and run off like some loon to get himself killed by evil technomancers.

Mickey didn’t particularly feel like dying and he didn’t like the idea of hurting his husband’s feelings either, so he kept his mouth shut and skillfully derailed all of Ian’s attempts at asking about his day by giving him a blow job, teasing him about being a grunt, and allowing himself to be wrestled to the floor when Ian decided he’d had enough of teasing. It was a good evening.

As he lay in bed that night, back against Ian’s chest and with those strong arms wrapped around him, Mickey wondered if it would be worth risking Ian’s reaction by going public. Okay, Tania and Dreamweaver had mentioned how he’d probably gotten a pretty small dose of the bio-whatever-the-fuck, lending him nothing more exciting than enduring muscle mass and enhanced healing, but that should probably be enough to turn him into a cut above the rest, right? He could hire himself out to the highest bidder and make a fortune doing private security or collections or stuff like that. Fuck, he’d even consider taking on jobs for The Guardians, if they just agreed to pay him.

It was a fun thought to play with, but in the end a long life in the shadows made Mickey wary of putting himself out there like that. Besides, he’d seen enough movies to know that it’d probably wouldn’t be long before he mysteriously disappeared to some secret government facility to be experimented on. He’d had enough of the state’s hospitality to last him a lifetime, so thanks, but no fucking thanks.

And that could have been it. Should have been it, but of course Tania and Dreamweaver wouldn’t leave well enough alone. They started showing up at the Gallagher house at all hours, whenever they knew they could get Mickey alone. They accosted him on the way to the Alibi, they sat down next to him on the L, and they left him pictures of puppies with little notes saying stuff like “Only YOU can SAVE him from BURNING. Have a HEART”.

It was exhausting. Fearing the retribution of the cartel hadn’t anything on fearing seeing Tania and Dreamweaver’s disappointed-yet-still-somehow-hopeful-and-terribly-determined faces appear in a crowd, or round a corner, or on the porch when he went out for his evening smoke.

Mickey began to lose sleep. He’d spend the nights tossing and turning, which led to him staying in bed half the day to catch up on much needed rest, and he was often so tired he couldn’t bring himself to put on proper clothes or go outside the door the whole day. 

Ian was on his ass about getting a job; he didn’t get that Mickey had a job, and that job was not getting lured into sacrificing his life for the greater good. If Ian didn’t like the prospects of being a prison widow, how offensive wouldn’t he find the prospect of being an actual widower, after his husband got blown to bits by some big bad villain?

It got to the point of Ian initiating a sex strike to force Mickey to get “a real job”, which struck Mickey as really fucking unfair, considering how all he was trying to do was make sure Ian even had a husband to refuse to fuck.

Enough was enough. Something had to be done. Fortunately for Mickey – and unfortunately for Tania and Dreamweaver – Mickey had a guy for everything. As annoying as The Guardians were, Mickey didn’t have the heart to see them killed, but he figured that having them kidnapped and shipped off to some sweatshop on the other side of the world would serve the same purpose. He felt a little bad about it, sure, but he had given them plenty of chances to fuck off. Not his fault they couldn’t respect a fucking boundary.

Mickey called Johnny, told him the score, and a few night later Johnny called Mickey to tell him it was done.

It was done. Over. Mickey would finally be able go about his life in peace again, giving all his attention to his husband and doing his outmost to make him the happiest man alive every single day, even when Ian was annoying as hell and started asking pointless fucking questions about how Mickey was in such great shape even though he never did as much as one single curl up.

I see. So… you’re telling me that you have secret superpowers.

Yeah. Except, not actually secret anymore. ‘Cause, you know, you told me we shouldn’t have secrets.

… yeah, that was three months ago.

Guess it must have slipped my mind, huh.

Must have. But let me get this straight: you couldn’t get a real job because you were busy dodging secret agents, and your muscles are the result of you getting bitten by some magic robot—

Radioactive motherfucker bug from hell.

—and not you sneaking down to the basement to do weights and cardio almost every day?

… oh.

Yeah, oh. Carl told me about it, asshole. He noticed you using some of the stuff down there. Don’t get why you’d wanna keep that a secret though?

…

Mick. We have to be honest with each other, remember?

Jesus Christ, I don’t know, okay? I don’t know.

Okay.

Guess the first time was back when you had that dip a couple of months after the wedding. Few times after that, if we had a fight or whatever and I needed to let off some steam. Then you started working and sometimes I got bored watching TV all day but you were all mopey about your shitty job and me not having any and you have this thing about your body—

I don’t have a thing about my body.

­—so I didn’t really wanna rub your face in me having all that time to work out when you could barely squeeze in dozen push-ups in the evening. And I guess I didn’t really want anyone to know that I… cared, or whatever.

Cared? About what? Being healthy? Looking good? Being strong?

Whatever, man, I told I don’t fucking know. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, ‘cause it was a radioactive motherfucker bug from hell that did it.

Of course it was. Come here. Show me what that bio enhanced body of yours can do.

---

Ahahahahahaha, would you look at that. I tried to meta it anyway. 😭😭😭

You might reasonably ask about Mickey’s visit to Kev Fit – how does that fit? WELL, I rather imagine that whatever Mickey does in that basement is enough to keep him fit but still not SUPER hardcore? So when he starts worrying about Ian thinking him weaker than, he decides to take it up a notch and do it properly in a real(ish) gym? And his comment about “not remembering how much working out sucks” is part of the whole “not wanting anyone to know this is something I care to do on the regular”… Yeah, it’s pretty weak. All in all, I’d say the radioactive motherfucker bug from hell is still our best bet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is probably the last time I have one of them tell the other a story this week, but I make no promises. These little ficlets don’t tend to go as planned. (Ha! She said, as if there was a plan to begin with. Oh, well. I guess it’s working out so far.)

[jinkicake]

Aizawa, Midoriya, Hawks With A Clingy S/O

Aizawa, badboy!Midoriya, Hawks with a s/o who likes to cling onto them.

Aizawa Shouta x Reader

Midoriya Izuku x Reader

Takami Keigo x Reader

Again, sorry Anon for not posting this sooner. I’ve been really busy the last few days. I hope this is okay!! I really like this prompt and wanted to try it out with these three fools. </33 Thank you for being my first bnha request!!!! ily!

WC- 1,687

~~~

Aizawa Shouta

The things I want to say about this man…. The things I want to do to this man….. I,,,,, he’ll make your stomach drop…. please.

Anyway, I feel like Aizawa would really appreciate a clingy s/o

Like having someone who pampers him in love and affection is something he needs

Aizawa deserves all the support he can get and will sometimes lean on you when he needs it 

Not too much of course, he has a stern appearance to uphold LOL but in private I think he is really soft with you

He loves to hold you when he’s sleeping, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you into his chest

He has you sit on his lap anytime, like if he is working on something or just sitting at the table with his phone…. You’re going to be in his lap

It might take Aizawa some time to open up to you at first, but I don’t think he will ever reject your advances……

Whenever you want to hug him or hold his hand, he will let you. He’d probably even let your braid his hair 

Someone like Aizawa who spends his entire life taking care of people and looking after them probably just wants someone to do the same for him,,,, he would love the way his kitten dotes on him~

“Shouta,” You call out quietly into the living room where your husband is still focused on his UA work. “it’s almost three am.” Aizawa doesn’t even glance at you, he continues to strain his dark eyes towards his computer. With a sigh you pad over towards him and sit right next to him on the couch. Immediately your arms loop around his waist and you toss your legs into his lap. Aizawa glances at you when he feels your touch and softly kisses your temple.

“Kitty, go back to sleep.” The familiar nickname makes your stomach flutter, even after all these years, yet you refuse to budge. You stubbornly shake your head.

“Only if you come with me.” You bargain and Aizawa nearly sighs at your perseverance.

“I have to finish putting in these grades before patrol tomorrow.” Aizawa rests his hand against your bare thigh and gently squeezes in an effort to lull you back to sleep.

“Just let me do it tomorrow while you’re out.” You compromise and Aizawa continues to caress your legs.

“I can’t make you do that, baby.” Now, he finally sighs.

“Yes, you can.” You push and relax against his chest, resting your face into his neck. “Please, Shouta, I’m so tired. I can’t sleep without you.” You glance at him and pout, knowing damn well he can never say no when your eyes stare at him pitifully like this. Deep down you know that if you tell him the reason you want him to go to sleep is that he needs sleep, it won’t work and he won’t come to bed. However, maybe if you use your special charms-

“No. Just let me finish this.” He tries to go back to his laptop but you slam it shut before glaring up at him with cloudy eyes.

“We are going to sleep now.” You order and your husband sighs before scooping you up in his arms and bringing you back to your shared bedroom. “Yay~ I love you Shouta!”

“I love you too, kitten.”

Midoriya Izuku

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABT THIS, my head is full of thoughts when it comes to villain evil Midoriya….

“ If this man *Deku* came up to me he would get slapped, but if THIS MAN *villian!deku* came up to me I would take my pants off so quick “

That is literally, that’s it. That’s the headcannon

Whether we are speaking about just Deku or like villain bad boy Deku, I think either way he would still receive his s/o’s affection with open arms

But we talking about bad boy Deku so let’s steer away.... He’d tease you a little bit,, just to see you get flustered

I feel like this mf would make lewd jokes whenever you touch him, hug him, anything because he can and it is funny to watch as your insides melt…..

He’d take advantage of your clinginess and use it as a way to make you all rattled

Midoriya would drag his fingers all along your sides or your thighs just to see you scold him,,, he thinks it is hot whenever you yell at him

I feel like bad boy Deku would be soooo much more confident than our regular Midoriya is….. he still has the softness of the og but he has the asshole-y hotness of you know,,,,,,

You know who…..

“Izuku,” You groan and try to get out of your boyfriend’s comfortable arms. It is late in the afternoon and you have been laying in bed doing absolutely nothing, except napping, you seriously have to get up and do work now. “I need to do my homework.” You push at his head again but his strong arms only keep you pinned to his chest.

“Do it later.” He snaps in annoyance, though his voice is still relatively quiet. Clearly, someone is mad that you woke them up.

“This assignment is going to take me forever, Izuku please.” You complain and your boyfriend simply buries his face into your neck, his lips pressed into your collarbone.

“I love the way it sounds when you beg.” He teases and you squeak in embarrassment, the smirk on his face makes your heart do flips.

“You’re so,” You pause and bite your lip in thought while running your hands through Midoriya’s thick hair. “infuriating.”

“I’ll remember that the next time you want to have sex.” He responds cooly and you hide your face in embarrassment.

“I have to work on my college applications, they aren’t going to do themselves!” Midoriya yawns and closes his eyes, clearly not threatened by your fists or heated demeanor. “You make it so hard to get out of bed.” You whine and lay back down, tucking yourself to fit snug against your boyfriend.

“I know and in more ways than one, I hope.” He chuckles against your neck and you have to refrain from rolling your eyes.

“I don’t even want to fuel your ego even more so I’ll just say nothing.” You close your eyes and your boyfriend brings his strong hands to your hips. “I-Izuku!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just force the words out of you,” Midoriya tells you arrogantly and you don’t even think about opening your eyes again, too focused on each of his touches.

Takami Keigo

If someone doesn’t get this man a hug RIGHT NOW,, my sweet sweet poor baby NEEDS AFFECTION and needs it now!!!

Shit with Hawks,,,, I’m just tryna be his kid ya know….

He’ll tease you A LOT, please this cocky ass Kuroo blueprint bitch would be soooo flirty with you

“Did you miss me that much, dove?” He’d smirk when you tackle him in a hug after he comes back from a day of work

“I know you can’t control yourself that much around me, kid, but you can at least try”

Please him and Atsumu I want to rock their shits, and by rock his shit I mean ride his face

I think it would take Hawks a very long time to actually open up with you, much like Aizawa he wouldn’t deny your affections but that doesn’t mean he is ready to portray the same intense emotions back….

Given his circumstances I think Hawks would be very hesitant to have an s/o he can trust, though I also think he thrives off the attention you give him, so clearly he must like you in some way

He can be just as clingy back, you cannot tell me this man wouldn’t cling to you like a baby, he’d follow you into every room and even try to go into the bathroom with you  

Please…. Please, someone, give my sweet angel the love he deserves

“I’m back!” Hawks announced the moment he steps back into his apartment, he places the container of chicken wings on the counter and glances around at the empty living room. For a moment he finds himself wondering if you’re out at uni until he hears you running out the bedroom.

“Keigo!” You exclaim and nearly tackle your boyfriend as you run into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist. “I missed you!!!”

“How much, dove?” He teases and you have to refrain from rolling your eyes. Instead, you bury your face into his jacket and sigh in content in all the warmth he has to offer.

“So, so much!” At that you begin to pepper kisses all over his cheeks and Hawks laughs loudly while grabbing your cheeks between his hands. He pushes your lips together to pucker your lips out and smirks at the sight of your face.

“Yeah?” He lowers his lips to ghost over yours and you try to reach his lips but your boyfriend simply won’t let you. “Why don’t you show me how much you missed me?” He croons and your eyes light up, Hawks can practically see your obedient little tail wagging. “After we eat!” 

Your boyfriend pulls away and stalks into the kitchen, leaving you to grumble about what a tease he is. You won't fall for his tricks any longer!

“You got the pickled radish right?” You call after him and Hawks turns around slowly to look at you, his face pinched together as he feigns a thought.

“I don’t know… Did I?” He taunts and before you can threaten him, you notice the delicacy right in front of you being floated up by a single red wing. “What do you say, baby?”

“Thank you.” You mumble and Hawks gasps at your manners.

“Such a good girl,” He continues to tease before sliding up next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you into his chest. He leans down to kiss the top of your head and you watch him carefully, especially with the way his hands are descending down your sides. “maybe I’ll have dessert early tonight.”

~ Taglist.

@yams046 @why-am-i-sad-and-sleepy @xhanjisungiex @xxashshs @chaosamu @angelkogane @augustdearly @kunimwuah  @lovellucy

[browniefox]

Just Sit and Talk to Me

@wrightfamilyweek day 5 - Love Language. I'm not sure if I really captured this prompt, but I definitely gave it a try! You can read this chapter on AO3 here if that's more your style.

Trucy struggles with being a very young professional while also being a student.

oOo

“No, no, no! It’s not supposed to go like that!”

Trucy shouts up to the ceiling. The nice thing about living out of an office is that it actually seems to be better to be loud after-hours, because everybody has already left. Trucy’s now old enough it’s started to seem a bit more weird that they’re even allowed to live in the office. She asked Daddy about it once, and he said that he has some kind of agreement with the landlord, and doesn’t elaborate. Trucy imagines this must be like the Delites, or Gummy and Maggey, or anybody else that Daddy knows from his Lawyer days, where he helped them out over something, and now they’re trying to do the best they can to help him, even if he doesn’t like getting help. It makes as much sense as anything else does.

Anyway, that’s all to say that Trucy doesn’t feel bad about shouting at late'o clock and stomping her feet around. The nice thing about being raised as a magician is that she knows a lot of neat tricks. The not so nice thing about your magical family falling apart is that you have to figure out more tricks on your own. And the only performance you were a part of when you were in the troupe was helping your Daddy run away from the cops and giving your new Daddy the piece of evidence that got him disbarred.

See, Trucy isn’t a kid anymore. She’s a Teenager, and she can’t rely on her cuteness to keep her going for ever, nor the fact that she’s the only Gramarye still performing; nobody, including her, has heard from Uncle Valant in five years. She may have that Gramarye magic, that special spark, but the problem is that a spark doesn’t make performance. Practice, preparation, and creativity makes a performance.

And right now, Trucy doesn’t have much of a performance.

All she has is broken little pieces that aren’t working together, and she’s getting tired of trying to stick them together with glue.

“I hate it! I hate performing! I hate magic! I hate this!” Trucy shouts and stomps around her room because she can.

She feels drained, and tired, and maybe if she hasn’t been spending soooo much time studying for the end-of-year tests, she’d be a bit more focused, but she also doesn’t want to let her daddy down so she has to get good grades but then if she’s focusing on getting good grades how is she supposed to put together her summer show and-and-and-

“I HATE THIS!” Trucy screams, pulling at her hair.

“Truce?”

Trucy freezes where she stands and looks at the clock. It’s already midnight? When did it get that late? There’s a knocking on her door, one she hadn’t heard before but has the cadence of something that had already been done a few times before now, having a bit of urgency behind it.

“Truce, you okay in there?”

“Y-yeah Daddy! I’m fine! Just, um, just part of the-the uh, the show!” She calls back. She doubts even the worst competitors Daddy has played poker against would fall for her lie right now, and her daddy definitely doesn’t.

“Can I come in?”

“Just, um, just give me a minute!”

Trucy runs around her room, shoving the ripped props that hadn’t survived her most recent mess-up of the runthrough into her closet and the background details under bed. She checks her mirror, trying to see if she looks well put together. She has some dark circles under eyes, and there’s no time to put some make-up on to conceal it, but she can hide her frazzled hair with her hat. Her cape is all wrinkled, but she can fix that in the morning. She puts on her most dazzling smile, already knowing that this is a losing fight, that this isn’t going to work, but what other choice does she have but to try?

“Okay Daddy, you can come in!” She chirps and Daddy comes in. He has dark circles under his own eyes too, and Trucy knows that normally, if she hadn’t been screaming and drawn his attention, he would’ve gone into the office room and started working on his Secret Project for a couple more hours before going to bed.

“Is everything okay?” He asks in that voice where he clearly already knows the answer but is giving her the chance to just Tell Him.

“Y-yeah, everything’s fine, Daddy.”

Daddy frowns, and he fiddles with the little green charm he likes to wear around his wrist or neck, one she’s seen the Feys wear before. He comes into her room and sits down on her bed, looking at her patiently.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He presses.

“Not really.” She tries to sound defiant but she just sounds sad.

“Please, sweetie? You can talk to Daddy about anything, you know?”

“... I don’t think I can do this.” She says, small and quiet, barely more than a whisper. She almost expects her First Daddy to burst through the door right then and there, appalled and affronted.

“Do what?”

“Be… me .” She scrambles and fails to find a way to explain it. Because being a magician isn’t just something she can stop doing. Trucy Wright is a Magician, it’s written in her blood, but just thinking about trying to put together her show makes her want to scream again. Considering taking a ‘break’ and doing homework instead gets the same internal response.

How is she supposed to make either of her Daddy’s happy?

“Oh, Trucy.” Daddy says and pulls her into his lap. She doesn’t fit as perfectly there as she used to, and she finds herself hesitating before clinging to him. He’s so tired all the time, she doesn’t want to put this on him. It’s dumb, because it’s not a ‘want to’, these things are a ‘have to’. She has to do them. But she doesn’t want to, it feels like she’s getting crushed by it.

“I don’t want to take dumb tests! I don’t want to revamp my show! I don’t want to do anything!” She shouts into his shoulder. Daddy rubs her back.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. What’s so bad about those things?”

“Everything!” She wails.

“C’mon, it can’t be everything.”

She curls up further into a ball, making another frustrated noise, but her daddy’s presence, like it always does, is already doing wonders to clear her cluttered-up head. He has this way, where it’s like sometimes he can just take a hold of the cluttered-up mess in her head and lay it out plain and simple. But only if she lets him. There’s been times, where he’s stared at her, and asked her quiet little questions, and she’s made it plain to him that she doesn’t want to be doing this right now, and he’s sighed and left her to it.

“... there’s not enough time,” She explains. Daddy doesn’t say anything waiting for her to continue on, “Not enough time to-to-to do everything! I… Daddy, I need to get my summer show ready, and I need to study for tests, and keep up on homework, and then I need to perform twice a week, and… Daddy, where did all the time go?”

“If I knew, I wish I could tell ya.” Daddy sighes with his entire being, like he’s wilting into her. Trucy tries to curl up even tighter, like it’s just a matter of a little trick in order to turn into being an eight-year-old again, and able to be carried around by her Daddy if she needed to be.

“Daddy, I… I don’t wanna…” Trucy isn't sure what she’s trying to say, and the words get all tangled and caught up in her throat.

“Well… let’s start with what we have power over, yeah? You can’t stop going to school, so after tomorrow night’s show, we’ll go talk to Mr. Wunderbar and tell him you need to take a break from performing.” Daddy decides. Trucy gasps, tugging on his hoodie.

“No! But, Daddy, I’m finally doing two shows a week-”

“Truce, it’s okay,” Daddy pulls back and cups Trucy’s face in his hands. It’s only been recently, since she finally became a teenager, she’d been allowed to do more shows, “You’re still a little girl, you need time to be a little girl. So, how about until the end of the school year, no more shows. In the summer, maybe we’ll think about doing more? Once a month at first?”

“B-but-” Trucy starts to complain. Daddy taps her nose.

“Sorry pumpkin, but I might have to put my foot down on this one. No more shows until Summer. I can help you try and put your next one together, if you’d like, but right now we get through one thing, and then we tackle the next, okay?

“But I’m a teenager now! And-and-and I finally get to do two shows a week! And the mo-” Trucy’s teeth clack shut. There’s that joke about Trucy being the money-maker, the bread-winner, of their small family, but she was sure Daddy didn’t know that she was aware of just how true that was. Daddy does, indeed, blink in surprise, and then something akin to sadness falls over his face. Shame, perhaps? If it is, it’s a different color than what used to come over him those first couple years when people asked him about his old lawyer profession.

“... we’ll get through without, Trucy. I’m not letting anything happen to us. You need to come first, in front of that, okay?”

Trucy opens her mouth to argue again, but she’s so tired, and Daddy’s so tired, and a break? A break from five straight years of performances…? It sounds kind of nice.

She sits in her Daddy’s lap, marinating in his idea, coming to terms with it. Daddy doesn’t say anything more.

And it feels like a night of honestly, and truth, and reality, and so, tripping across Trucy’s tongue and off her lips is a truth she never tries to say, because her daddy is just so so busy.

“I wish you were home more.”

“...”

“I like talking to you, and being with you, and you’re always at work, or working on your secret project, and there’s nobody else to talk to about these kinds of stuff. I… I miss you, Daddy, even when you’re here.” She admits. She looks at her Daddy’s face, and his eyes do that thing where they fix on a spot below her face, and a shiver runs through him.

“... there we go.” He says, but he doesn’t sound happy about it.

“If we’re going to, to change things about my routine and everything, can we… can we change things… so that you’re home more?”

Daddy isn’t looking her in the eyes, looking down at her bed comforter.

“We’ll talk about it in the morning? Huh?”

Trucy holds onto her Daddy for a bit longer.

She’s heard comments from parents at school, picking their kids up, about watching their kids grow up and grow away from them. Trucy feels a little like she’s seeing the exact opposite happening slowly through these past five years.

She lost her first Daddy all at once, and her new Daddy is slipping through her fingers like sand.

[shaekingshitup]

Shae’s First Date

For anyone who is bored: the most brief (that I can recap because ya girl is a lengthy heaux) summary of my first date goes as follows:

EDIT: THIS SHIT AIN'T BRIEF. SORRY NOT SORRY 🤷🏿‍♀️🤷🏿‍♀️ But I put a TLDR at the end.

I matched with a guy on Bumble who had some cool hobbies and some of which overlapped with mine. We talked daily for almost 2 weeks before we met up in person and the guy was a very big charmer/woo-er. Like if I was messaging this kid I was constantly laughing and smiling

Tbh this was a lil bit of a red flag to me becauae I'm like: "no one is this charming. Something has gotta be up" & I legit came up with a few different scenarios. But I chose to shelf them because people do that to me all the time.

Like I'm just a really loving person and I will gas people up or go out of my way to make them happy if I can and people always want to try me like that can't truly be how/who I am or if I'm doing it it's because I'm trying to get at that person and they are always wrong. All the way from best friends to new acquaintances I really just like when people are happy. I mean the world's shitty already, if I can make your day easier or put smile on your face I'm game!

So we're on the phone one night (stayed up to 3 am sacrificing my sleep talking to this dude 🙄) talking more about who we are as people, what we're looking for in an ideal partner, etc. I told him straight up both via call and via message that honesty is really important to me. I value honesty with myself and also with others.

So also in this late night call things got a lil spicy 🌶 🌶 I was honest and told him that I'm pretty much a blank slate. Never fucked/sucked, etc or had anything like that done to me. He was taken aback like everyone I share this with is. Apparently I'm some sort of unicorn 🦄 out here in these streets to all y'all hoes. He makes a comment about stealing a kiss from me the next night and I said "I might allow it."

But the point is. I told him what it was. I was honest. That's my truth.

I didn't tell him that I'd never been on a date/kissed anyone because he didn't ask. Maybe if I would've said something, things would've been different. But I can't "what if" what's already happened y'all!

SO, day of. We messagin and snapping. I'm allll ready. We're going to a drive in and I'd never been to one before so I'm excited. I'm also just committed to making this a good time because I easily get distracted and often don't stop to take my experiences in to experience them fully. So I said not today!!

I got snacks. All of his favs and some of mine. I brought drinks and a blanket. I looked good.

Like I said in my pre-date post: I didn't have any lofty ideas about this dude being my soul mate or anything but I anticipated a good time.

He picked me up at our designated location. My sister met him and got his license plate; because apparently I had enough sense to realize I didn't know this nigga but not enough sense to later realize I didn't know this nigga.

It wasn't gonna take as long to get to the drive in as originally anticipated. So we went to a local park and sat in the car and talked because the park was PACKED and ya know RONA!

It was somewhat awkward because it was our first time talking face to face. But we found a groove and I'm extroverted af y'all. So, I can get people to have a conversation.

Topics range from our days, music and conspiracy theories which he's really into. What kind? Like: Shakespeare wrote the Bible is one. A lot of people that we know from media aren't really the original ones that we were introduced to is another. Ya know like that Beyoncé is not the real Beyoncé. There's two Trumps. There's two Hilary Clintons etc.

So at this point sensible me is like: this can be the point where you go home girl. You're 5 minutes away from your place. You can just say this ain't workin and cut it short.

OPTIMISTIC/BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT GIVIN/NAIVE SILLY ME IS LIKE: well, I 100% don't agree with anything you're saying just because you're saying it. But ya know, I don't know everything and I'm not in the business of judging people-especially since we just met and I don't want this human to feel uncomfortable. So, okay. I don't agree. But I won't judge. Let's just continue on.

If you haven't guessed by now which me I listened to, you may be just as silly as I am 🙃🙃🙃

But obviously I continued on and that's what I call mistake #1

So we're driving to the drive in. I'm realizing we're kind of different in ways. Most notable is that dude was raised Jehovah's Witnesses and celebrates 0 holidays & I'm in love with Halloween and at least birthdays.

We miss the drive in entrance due to my poor navi skills & he decides to smoke before we pull in. He offers it to me and I accept. This is mistake #2

Ya girl hasn't smoked in 6 years. I tried edibles recently. But that shit ain't the same. I really just feel like I said I wanted to be present and then I smoked and I was tired and everything was kind of dull?

So I'm high and sleepy but still a lil excited because it's my first drive in!! We get there and park and the drive in is really just a giant protection screen we all park in front of. Lmao. 😅 Idk what I was expectin but not that. But it was still cool. It's 10 and this movie still hasn't started because the last one is still showin credits.

Dude says he wants to chill in the back but he's going to the bathroom. I AM SLEEPY. THAT IS WHAT WEED DOES TO ME. Plus I was on the phone til 3 AM. So I'm like imma close my eyes before this thing starts since it's already late.

So while he goes to the bathroom I legit laid down in the back on a pillow because ya girl is a sleepy heaux 😴

He comes back and pits the pillow in his lap and is talking to me because this movie ain't started yet. My eyes are closed but I'm listening and everything and he's massaging my shoulders and whatnot. Eventually advertisements about common courtesy come on and what not. But that's not important and I don't move.

Soo he says something I'M ASSUMING IT WAS ABOUT THE KISS (I don't remember y'all. I'm about to skimp on some of these details because that high was really kickin in and I was feelin foggy.) But, I said "I would allow it." And he kissed me.

It honestly felt anticlimactic as fuck. Yeah my mind is kind of foggy because of the weed so I feel like I wasn't as fully cognizant as I would have been if I was sober minded. But also, it just happened

I'm in my head af. I've never done this and I'm sure I'm shit at it but I'm trying not to be ya know? Dude's tongue is in my mouth. His hand is under my romper.

So, I'm a roll with the punches kind of human and the rest of the film we pretty much are making out (lowkey meh), groping (I hate this word) & watching Deadpool ( for people who needed that detail)

As previously stated, all of this shit is new to me. But, I'm also not a "prude". I chose not to kiss/fuck anyone prior to this because it was what I wanted for a period of time. I couldn't do much in the date department because I was just not approached often or by people I wanted to entertain. But the opportunities for all that physical shit were presented and I chose not to just like I chose to engage in those activities on this date. I'm real big on not judging nor regretting those choices because those were what I wanted at one point and that's it. Soo if you got opinions about what I was out here doin, keep em to yaself.

We ended up making out and I feel like it was cool.. but just not great. We did other shit minus actual fucking. But it all just felt pretty muted to me. Not bad. Not uncomfortable. Just not great and I think in hindsight it was because I a) really didn't know and have an established connection with this dude and b) I was high.

He really wanted me to suck his dick and I was really hesitant to do that. Not even that much because I was checking off a lot of "firsts' or anything like that but because I swore I was gonna be shit at it due to 0 experience and that was what I told him. Like, I wanna be good at shit and also I would like if the person I was hooking up with was actually enjoying being with me ya know? Is that not a thing? Y'all just be out here tryna get ya nut and say fuck it to whomever you with? Lemme be a unicorn then. 🦄

But anyways, I did this and he says like nothing. I'm in my head af trying to recall upon all of my BP smut I've read and trying not to suck at sucking (SO THANKS TO ALL OF Y'ALL WHO BE WRITING SMUT!!). After a few minutes the car turns off and Ryan Reynold's ain't talking anymore. Sooo I take this as a sign that I should stop and tell him as much.

He turns the car back on so we can still hear the movie & I'm pretty much like half watching the movie and talking to him like: "Soooo. I did that and I feel like I was right." To which he responds, "I've had worse," which is like ya know the compliment of the century and the most reassuring feedback you can give someone who is insecure about shit they've never done.

We still ended up making out and I gave him a handjob and finished the movie. I can't recall if it was at this point or when he drove me home but he basically implied that I was a liar and that is the shit that literally makes me wanna go back in time and tell former me to never say yes to a date with this nigga.

He drove me home and I was pretty quiet listening to Ari Lennox (💕) and thinking/processing. He gets to my place and we're talking now that we're parked and tells me that he thought I probably wasn't right about never having sex before. He told me I probably just had sex like 3 years ago and it had been so long that's why I said that and that's why my pussy is so tight.

So, I'm real life hurt. I like to consider myself to be someone who has a good character and I am really big on honesty.

So I asked him why he said that if I told him from jump what it was. He told me that his ex lied a lot and that he just couldn't believe me..

And I know for certain that his assumption was independent of any of my actions. He literally just told me so. He projected his insecurities onto me. But I'm a sensitive ass heaux and that shit still shook me. PBS raised me right. I don't be out here lyin & I don't like when people try to tell me who tf I am.

We pretty much just ended up arguing about the night and he was doing it on purpose because he thinks it's sexy when women are mad. But when I get mad, I get done. If I let enough shit slide and you have the audacity to try and flip my script, I will fucking write you out of it.

Then I looked up at the time and realized I was sitting in this car arguing with nigga for at least 25 minutes. So I was just like: bitch, why are you still here?

I told him straight up that when I got out of that car he could forget about talking to me altogether and he was like: "I'll let you know when I make it home."

I told him he need not bother because apparently I'd finally gained some damn sense. I exited the car. He left. He hit me up when he made it home but I just deleted the app and removed him off of snap because I meant that shit.

TLDR; Went on my first date with a conspiracy theorist I matched with on Bumble and he told me I lied about my lack of sexual history.

[mamabearlarusso]

Journal: Getting Back to the Real World…Easier Said Than Done Part 2

So...since I knew what I wanted to do next, there was research to be done first. I started looking through pictures to get the right look...then I dug through all my old phones and contacts to find the number...it was a long time since I had the need to call it.

"Yelll-ooo?"

"Hey, Joey, it's Mandy...you manning the phones for your dad still?"

"Heeey, Mandy! Long time, girl! No, Dad put down the needle, a while ago...been living it up in one of those communities with Mom. He's got a weekly poker game with guys up there, too."

"That's really great to hear, Joey. He deserves it. You know, your Dad was my first? I thought I knew everything about what was going to happen, tried to hide how nervous I was. But he knew...he could definitely tell I was out of my element."

"Dad's a pro, you can't go forty-two years in the business and not pick up the signs."

"Yeah, I guess not. But he sure made me feel comfortable and was a complete gentleman about everything. I'll never forget that."

"It was just how Dad was raised, how he raised me...having respect for all clients is a must...no matter how hot they are." *grins*

*blushing* "Hey now. Didn't I hear somewhere that you got hitched?"

"Yup, to my one and only sweetheart, Vicky. Met her right out of college...and while you bring up the subject, didn't I hear someone made an honest woman out of you?"

"Married almost twenty years, two beautiful kids...divorced five months ago."

"Sooo...you're--"

"Yeah, soooo--maybe I should have a talk with that Vicky of yours." *raises a brow*

*clears throat* "Now...what did you need...dial the wrong number?"

"Very funny, Joey...looking for a new piece...can I email you some reference pics?"

"Sure...*waits for them to come through and looks them over*...where is this going to be?"

"Upper back, left of the spine."

"Okay, give me a few days to do a couple sketches and I'll call you back, alright?"

"Thanks, Joey. Love to the folks--"

"Will do, babe."

"--and to Vicky, Joey."

*laughs* "Just teasin', Mandy."

"Uh huh...see you in a few."

The next day after the phone call, Anoush walked into my office during lunch and sat down. He wanted a raise and to have some say in the next hire, since he would have to deal with them on the floor. He has definitely earned it, I couldn't have kept things going around here without him. I'm not exactly running on all cylinders yet either, so I wouldn't be able to handle him leaving for some place else. AND if I'm honest...if he left, I might just feel more of a failure, yet another person leaving--for whatever the reason--it's a pattern I don't think I'll ever get used to. So...we talked things out and I more or less gave him what we both needed...reassurance and security.

A few days had passed and work got a bit easier. I had looked through resumes and found a few I liked, then Anoush and I talked with them as they came in. I think we found a couple good ones. Things might actually be starting to look better around here. By their second day everything was going pretty well...so I when I got Joey’s call back, I felt secure and stable enough to take a long lunch. Anoush seemed calm and level-headed about it, too...he even smiled as he was shooing me out the door. 

As I drove to the old parlor--that I haven’t been to in decades--I felt happy. Blasting some AC/DC, banging my head and tapping the wheel to Iron Man...trying--but failing--not to think back the night we watched Iron Man and had Spaghetti for dinner...when things just kind of went pear shaped. I changed the channel to the oldies station and I Can’t Get No Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones was playing--it was perfect, for a minute or two...until it finished and Can’t Help Fight This Feeling by REO rolled over. You ever hear a song and it just hits you? Maybe not every lyric fits perfectly, but the music and some of the words paint a picture just right, or maybe it’s just enough to take you back to a memory and your living that memory over, or just wishing that the lyrics fit perfectly and wondering what it would feel like if it did and only half-listening to the song anymore? You know that feeling? Yeah, I don’t either.

I rolled into the parking lot and tried to wipe away my tears, before getting out of the car. I thought I was all touched up when I walked through the door, but as Joey stood up from his seat in the back to greet me, his mood changed and his face slowly stiffened as he escorted me into the back. “I haven’t seen that look in years, where does he live? I’ll definitely kick his ass this time.”

“No, Joey, I’m fine, I just...had a little bit of...what do they call it? I got hit with the feels...and they hit really hard this time around...but I'm good. You don't have to keep looking after me, I'm a big girl now, remember?"

*gestures to an empty seat a his work station* "Even big girls need help once in a while, Mandy."

*puts a hand up to his cheek and sighs* "You've always been a good boy and always treated me right. You ever wonder...?" *sits down*

*smirks and sits down* "Back then...hell yeah, I did. After seeing all those wrong guys you brought around here...*smugly*...when I was right in front of you...kinda hurts a guy's ego, you know?"

*Scrunches face* "Dude, you were the boss' kid AND three years younger than me, just out of high school. After all your folks did for me, I wasn't going to mess that up. Plus you didn't need me screwing with your mind, I was still pretty much a basket case back then...*laughs*...not that I'm much better these days. I just meant, If I wasn’t so...me, then maybe..."

"Hey, I’ve always liked you, Mandy...besides, I wouldn't have minded you scrambling the ol’ mind a bit." *grins*

*rolls eyes and tries not to smile* "Yeah, well, I'm sure Vicky would love to hear that."

*clears throat* "No, you're right, she'd totally kick my ass. You'd love her!"

*laughs* "I’ll bet. Now, are we gonna get this show on the road, or what?"

*opens a folder with the sketches, showing different angles and actions* "Here, let me know which one you like and we can get started."

*looks them over and a proud smile forms* (He's always been such a talented artist, and his skill has only improved over time) "Ooo, I like this one."

"Great." *hollers to an employee* "Kady!"

*steps in, behind the curtain* "Yeah, boss?" 

*hands her the page* "Prep this for me, will ya?"

"On it, boss." *looks to me* “Would you like some water?”

“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.” *after Kady leaves, whistles* "Look at you, Mr. Boss Man. I remember when I was in her shoes, little miss go-fer. I was so happy to be off the phones, felt really accomplished.”

*Joey has a certain look in his eye as he sits back in his chair and crosses arms* “Okay, so, what’s the story with this new piece. You’ve been rolling with nostalgia every chance you get, and not mentioning much about your life now.”

(He knows me too well, all the time passed hasn’t changed that.) *puts down my purse and relaxes in the chair* “Well, all the drama before and after divorce nearly broke me, alright?” I got caught up in it all and old Mandy started peaking back out. I’m not proud of it. I thought I had gotten rid of her and buried the shovel, but--”

“Hey, shit happens. We don’t always react well to it. I know I wouldn’t handle divorce well in any capacity. But I know you, deep down you’re a good person, Mandy. No time away can change that or my mind about that.”

*Swallows back tears and tries to smile* “You know, you’re not the first person to say that me, lately.”

“I’d call you every week and remind you, too, if Vicky would let me. *smirks* so how does this *gestures to the still open file* come from that?”

“Well, I gained a couple friends out of it all--”

“Hey, look at that!”

“Smart ass! Anyway, one way or another...they helped me through everything and one them had to go and move outta town. I don’t know...I just never want to forget what he did for me, you know?”

*has that knowing look in his eye again* “Ah, he’s clawing at you still, isn’t he? All that tooth and nail business. What’s with the snake?”

The look in his eye...he knows it’s more than I’m saying, but he’s not coming out and saying it right out. He knows me, he doesn’t have to. *rolls eyes, and chuckles at the memory* “His nickname, from some lame joke.”

“Oh, a lame Mandy joke, haven’t heard one of those in a while. Hit me.”

*shakes head and sighs* “Fine. Well, he’s all about Cobras, right? Cobras are tough...Cobras are badass...and all that. But I caught him in a weak moment once and teased him. ‘Are you sure, you’re really a cobra and not a rattlesnake, because I think you’re shaking.’”

*laughs* “Oh jeez, I didn’t realize how much I missed those.”

*Kady walks back in* “Here you go, boss.” *hands him the sheet and me a coffee cup full of water*

*Joey stands up* “I’ll give you a minute. Kady you mind helping her get set up?” *sighs and laugh as walks out to the front* “I think you’re shaking.”

After I got all bandaged up, and Joey sent me on my way with the next appointment, I was back in the car on my way back to work and I felt good--sore, but good. I had to fix the seat and sit up just right, but I’d handle it...I just needed some tunes to take my mind off it...I just needed a song to let loose, let it all out...and forget for a little bit. Playing around on the stations I finally found something good...Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine...oddly enough, it was perfect...it took me back to my time working at the parlor. Once the song was over though, the next up slammed me right back to flashback land...Don’t You Forget About Me...my eyes starting watering as I sighed and sat back in my seat, quickly wincing at the pain. I start laughing hysterically. “Even if it WAS possible before, I don’t think I can now, Rattles.”

Ali had called to reschedule our brunch at her place, stuff came up at the hospital and she would be working late. We even made a point to make appointments at my old gym to get those cheesecake-burning exercises in. So, I had some time to heal up before my next appointment, work was getting better, things were going good with Ali...I felt like I more or less could breathe again.

[studysnooze]

i kind of felt like i needed to make this post because i have been stressed out of my actual mind as of late and that isn’t helping me with my anxiety so i thought i would share some tips with you guys- friends in hopes that this helps you and also in turn helps me bc i am s t r u g g l i n g right now haha 

If you find yourself in panic attack/mental breakdown situations (during studying, sleeping, whenever):

1. TAKE A DEEP BREATH: this is legit some of the most underrated advice but this is so so so so so important. i often find myself holding my breath without thinking and even if you look stupid forcing yourself to breath between shaking and crying just do it. please. you will instantly feel better because bottling things up is legit the most toxic thing you could do to yourself

2. if the resource is there: talk to someone. talk to a trusted adult like a teacher, mentor, counselor, or even your parents. i know how it is: you might not trust them, believe me- i have had a fair share of adults who have let me down from time to time and trust me, once you find someone that is perfect for you to talk to, you will cherish that person for the rest of your life. I will never forget my first middle school counselor, i don’t know her name mainly because i was having a panic attack when i met her but i’ll remember her face and her hospitality forever. and she was a stranger to me at the time: sometimes you need that outside stranger to talk to you know? that way, you get a less biased? (idk weird wording there but you get it) response

3. FOOD AND WATER: i cannot tell you how bad i am at drinking water like it’s hopeless at this point but its SOOO important for you! pleaseee drink water. i think water tastes like nothing and it’s pointless to drink it but that is really crazy thinking so don’t follow me on that please because i am seriously working on it these days and my skin has started to clear up majorly but i also feel so much better in general? like hydration does wonders i’m serious- you might not even notice but it’s doing something nice at least to your body. food food food food food please eat something. i know sometimes when i dont eat a few meals because i am so caught up in work, i forget what it feels like to be hungry and that is absolutely ridiculous, do not skip that many meals. i don’t care if your grade depends on it tomorrow for chem or that you need to finish your slide for that group project: if you cannot remember what you ate last literally drop whatever you are doing and get a freaking granola bar- not even- get a sandwich, some chips, and a water or a salad or some carrots and hummus LITERALLY ANYTHING put it in your mouth and chew it slowly and savor your food and thank the universe that your food is making you more energetic to complete your work because honestly not eating makes you feel so weak and it shuts you down. and you know what? when you shut down, it gives you more room to be stressed and anxious because that happens to me too many times in my life and it is the worst feeling in the world: being anxious, sleep deprived, weak :( its not okay and i need my people to stop suffering so eat your carrots kiddos❤

4. nap! this is also extremely simple but soooo underrated. literally nap for like 10 minutes and you will feel SO GOOD afterwards. i know it takes me at least 30 minutes to fall asleep because that’s just me but as soon as i feel sleepy, i turn on my alarm. shutting your brain off for a few minutes does wonders: it actually recharges and resets your brain for a little bit and as long as you don’t sleep for too long, you will wake up more motivated than ever before! 

4.5 going off of the previous point: if you are truly tired, sleep. sleep. sleep. i cannot tell you this enough. there is absolutely no point and no shame in going to bed if you have a headache, your eyes are closing and you cannot focus anymore. plain and simple: it’s just a major waste of time and you will have to end up studying it again anyways. i try to get to bed around 11 which i know is already pushing the late boundaries but if you go to sleep and really, truly, need to finish your work in the morning, wake up a couple hours earlier and finish it quickly- maybe catch a few more z’s. it’s better to get your hours in earlier and wake up feeling better than going to bed at 4:30 (cough thanks nonso) and waking up 3 minutes before school because you shut off your alarm. i’m only telling you guys my stupid mistakes just so you know there are consequences to not following this advice people- this is first hand experience haha

5. TAKE YA MEDS KIDDOS: that’s literally it, you may have forgotten and now are in deep doodoo with yourself whoops set a reminder

if you have trouble sleeping/resting at night or whenever:

1. i have had trouble staying asleep throughout the night for the past few years now. i’m not sure how it started but my brain is just too hot wired these days to stay put: there are some quick things i do when i wake up shaking, panicking, restless, miserable, whatever in the middle of the night: 

 listen to rain sounds on spotify

listen to my favorite podcasts (i gotta make a post about this, message me if you want podcasts like asap after reading this something)

watch “planet earth” or “round planet” on netflix-  round planet is by BBC so there’s that old british guy talking and i think it’s nice :) overall, it’s super therapeutic i highly recommend 

make a warm cup of tea or milk: i usually put honey and cinnamon in my milk or honey in my tea and it’s quite nice i think, it makes me sleepy again

sometimes i wrap myself in extra blankets and cuddle with more stuffed animals to help me fall/fall back asleep. i think there is some nostalgic feeling about being tucked in and being all warm and safe that makes me calm down again i’m not sure why 

if you’re having trouble focusing while studying (i got through this at least once a day omg):

1. take a breather! drinks a glass of cold water, stare around the room for a bit, walk around the neighborhood or the house or the library or wherever you are for a bit- get that blood flowing again

2. look at something motivational! i have a motivation tag kind of thing on my page called #feelgood so you can check it out if you want haha but there are tons of motivational videos and posts from the studyblr community so :)

3. study something you are interested first! this is by far the most useful study advice i have ever received because it motivates me to subconsciously focus my brain and keep me in a “grind” kind of mood 

3.5 related to the previous point, study in small chunks! also switch up on the subject if you get bored.

4. do a hobby! i LOVE reading for fun during study breaks or when i can’t focus especially when i’m super interested in the book because i get sucked into that universe and after i finish a chapter i want to finish more work in order to keep reading- it’s great. i also love doodling intricate designs on my moleskine to keep my busy and i also like writing poems or editing photos. just find something that is calming to you in order to give your brain a break! once you have that little reset, i promise you will feel better going back to work 

5. stop studying? sometimes i burnt out in the middle of studying and you just have to realize when you’ve reached your limit for the night/day so just stop and get some sleep, there’s nothing wrong with sleeping or taking a rest just a reminder <3 and sometimes that means you can get back to your work later or not and that’s okay :)

along with my finals series, i’m going to dedicate an entire post for reasons as to why you should stop comparing yourself so look for that in the next couple of days or so :) 

and just a reminder that you can do it! no matter your barriers you WILL overcome them with flying colors and you will have an amazing summer very soon✨

love,

Nonso

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 58

Wooooo here we go with The Last Mabelcorn, finally! You can’t imagine how long I’ve wanted to write this chapter and here it finally is for you to read and enjoy! I’m quite proud of it and I honestly don’t have a ton else to say outside of that so I suppose there’s nothing keeping us from diving right in! Let’s get started!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/177662322439/universe-falls-chapter-57-part-2

Chapter 58: The Last Mabelcorn

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With Dipper and Mabel spending the night up at the temple with Steven and the Gems in light of their ongoing quest to release Malachite, the Mystery Shack was even quieter than it usually was in the deep, dark, dead of night. Though Stan had turned in for the night at a reasonable hour, it had taken Ford much longer to pull himself away from his ongoing research in the basement. By the time the author finally did trudge up to his old room, it was quite late and as a result, he was quite tired. Though he was now thirty years removed from his extensive bout of paranoid insomnia, there were times every now and again when Ford would stubbornly resist the lull of a full night’s sleep out of fear of what might lie in wait in the often unpredictable world of nightmares. This particular, night, however, wasn’t anywhere close to one of those cases, for almost as soon as the author’s head hit the pillow, he was out, fast asleep and promptly thrust into the dreaming state he so often tried to avoid.

Or rather, into what was very soon about to become yet another nightmare, one that seemed to refuse to end even 30 years after it had first begun.

When Ford opened his eyes, he was quite caught off guard to find himself not back in the peaceful darkness of the room he had fallen asleep in, but rather he was standing amidst a vast, arid field of tall, ripe stalks of wheat. This curious expanse seemed to stretch on for miles, only broken by three landmarks afar off in the distance: an aged and broken swing set, a dilapidated, half-rebuilt boat, and the ruined remains of a certain portal looming large and inactive on the horizon. The author took pause as he glanced around his odd, new surroundings, though he didn’t have much of a chance to make sense of them. Completely out of nowhere, the wheat surrounding Ford suddenly began to flatten itself out into a shape that the author knew all too well. A shape that was, of course, accompanied by the maniacal cackling of a demon, a demon Ford had hoped in vain that he’d never encounter again.

“I know that laugh…” the author growled, his hands already curling into tight, defensive fists, just in case. “Show yourself!”

Right on cue, the demon did just that, his triangular form materializing right from the imprint of himself he had made in the wheat as he sharply rose to float right behind Ford, his sinister laughter continuing all the while. “Well, well, well, well, well, well, well!” he quipped brightly, splitting up into several smaller versions of himself as they all cheerfully circled the quite unamused author. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eye! Stanford Filbrick Pines! My old pal! It’s good to finally see ya in the flesh instead of on all those wanted posters I had put out for you during your little stint in the multiverse. Those sure were some fun times, huh, Sixer?”

Ford wisely chose to ignore his longtime foe’s callous taunting, more than used to them by now as he sent the demon a cold, distrustful glare. “Bill Cipher…” he stiffly acknowledged, countless years of ire and hatred dripping into his tone. “What do you want from me? I already told you more than once that I want nothing more to do with you!”

“Oh, quit playing dumb, IQ!” one of the several Bills mocked knowingly. “You knew I’d be back! And boy, have I been busy… Heck, right before I dropped by here, I nearly snagged the deal of a lifetime with some kid you may or may know. But oh well, its not like he can really hold onto that space rock of his for too much longer since its already mine anyway!”

“Kid?” Ford questioned in alarmed confusion, wondering what poor child could have possibly been subjected to Bill’s cruel tricks. “Who did you-”

“Eh, forget it, Sixer, all that business is soooo two chapters ago,” Bill interjected with a flippant wave of his hand as his many doubles all merged back into one. “What I actually stopped by for was to tall you that you must not be that much of a ‘genius’ after all if you think shutting down that portal could really stop what I have planned! Like I said, I’ve been making deals, chatting with old friends, preparing for the big day! You can’t keep that rift safe forever…” With a single snap of his fingers, the interdimensional rift appeared floating above the demon’s palm, its amorphous, glimmering substance still safely contained within its protective globe, though not for long. “You don’t have good ol’ Quartzy around anymore to bail you out this time, Sixer! You’ll slip up sooner or later, and when you do…” As Bill trailed off, he suddenly slammed the rift hard onto the ground, its very breaking violently tearing open a nightmarish hole through the otherwise smoggy skies and igniting the wheat field in a burst of bright crimson fire all around the author. Yet even despite this horrific display, Ford refused to let Bill get the better of him this time; after all, he had already accomplished that more than enough countless times in the past.

“Get out of here!” the author shouted fiercely, wishing he could put an end to the demon’s twisted ambitions right then and there. “You have no dominion in our world!”

“Maybe not right now,” Bill began, his eye turning black as he began to ascend into the chasm of untold horrors and nightmares he wanted to unleash upon the world. “But things change, Stanford Pines! Things CHANGE!”

On this final, ominous proclamation, the demon departed, laughing wickedly all the while as he thoughtlessly left Ford to burn in the field, awash with fear over the dreadful threats he had just heard. Fortunately though, the author wasn’t left to such a terrible fate as he was instead met with quick flashes of three very distinct images: his own six-fingered hand, a set of runes containing various unknown symbols, all of them surrounding a visage of Bill himself, and finally, four bright, vibrant diamonds, one white, one blue, one yellow, and one pink, arranged together and positioned against the backdrop of a distant, foreign planet that seemed to be crumbling apart at the seams.

And on that, the author sharply awoke, his nightmare over. For now, at least.

Even so, Ford bolted upright on the couch that served as his bed, his entire body covered in a cold sweat as he tried to catch his breath amidst his current panic. The fact that Bill Cipher, of all beings, had suddenly shown up in his dreams was concerning enough, but even worse were the frightening implications he had left behind. Before, the author had only ever assumed that the demon would target the rift, but now, there was no doubt whatsoever. Bill wanted that rift and if he got his hands on it, then the entire world, no, the entire universe, would certainly face untold destruction and devastation. He’d be all-powerful, unstoppable, and completely and utterly merciless to anyone who ever dared to try and get in his way. Which was why Ford knew that he had to stop this disaster before it even had a chance to begin. He had to put an end to Bill’s plans before they could come anywhere close to reaching fruition, there simply was no other option. But unlike last time he had made such a bold, dangerous attempt, the author wasn’t about to undertake such a risky venture on his own this time. He had learned his lesson and seen his folly in trying to walk this path alone 30 years ago. And as far as he was concerned, that wasn’t a mistake he was about to make again.

“I have to warn them…” Ford muttered to himself as he finally began to calm down, even though Bill’s haunting warnings still rung in his mind as loudly as ever. “He’s coming…”

A cloud of solemn anxiousness hung over Steven, Dipper, and Mabel alike as they departed from the temple the following morning, their minds still equally focused on worrying thoughts of a certain demon and his malicious intentions, whatever those might be. The Gems had sent them off quite early on, encouraging them to relax for the day and try to find some way to take their thoughts off Bill, even if it was very likely they didn’t intend to do the same themselves.

Still, none of the kids argued with them as they set out for the shack, running into Connie halfway down the hill as she had been going up to meet them. Despite the Gems’ advising them to focus on other things, neither Steven, Dipper, nor Mabel were able to keep themselves from telling Connie all about the events of the previous night, including both Steven’s alarming encounter with Bill in his dreams, as well as their nightmarish confrontation the Gems had with the demon themselves over twenty years ago. Needless to say that after hearing such a disconcerting account, Connie herself was every bit as shaken as the other three kids were to know that Bill was still out there somewhere, still plotting to harm them all, if not worse. Which was why the conversation was still very much focused on the demon, even as the kids made it back down to the shack to try and ‘relax’, even if there was a slim chance such a thing would even end up happening.

“So… even the Gems don’t know how get rid of Bill once and for all?” Connie asked, her voice kept rather low as the four of them wandered down the hall.

“No…” Steven sighed, rubbing his arm apprehensively. “They said the most we can do for now is just make sure we don’t fall for any more of his tricks, but… I don’t know how long that’ll really work for…”

“Probably not too long, seeing as how he’ll lie to just about anyone to get what he wants,” Dipper remarked quite bitterly, clearly quite frustrated with the situation at large. “It’s just… you’d think there’d be some way to keep Bill from messing with us anymore, at least. I mean, how are we supposed to figure out a way to stop him if we can’t even keep him from showing up in our dreams any time he wants?!”

“W-well, even if the Gems don’t know what to do right now, m-maybe they’ll figure something out eventually,” Mabel assured with a weak smile, hoping to, if nothing else, reassure her clearly on-edge brother about the concerning situation. “For now though, we should probably just drop the whole Bill thing and relax like they told us to.” Her smile widened somewhat as she pulled open a nearby closet door. “Why don’t we see if Grunkle Stan has any decent board games lyin’ around here? Huh? Huh? Come on, you three, don’t hold out on me. Steven, I know you’re always up for a good round of Latzee.”

Steven, Dipper, and Connie all briefly exchanged tentative glances at this, all three of them still rather worried about the situation with Bill, but even so, they knew there wasn’t really much that could be done about it now. Wasting their thoughts and energy on it at the moment wouldn’t really produce anything but more dread and woe, things that the kids largely wanted to be free of after the harrowing night they just had. Which was why Steven was the first to perk up somewhat, stepping forward into the closet to take a look at what the stack of old games before them had to offer.

“Hm, let’s see here… ‘Battlechutes & Ladderships’, ‘Necronomiconopoly’, ‘Don’t Wake Stalin’…”

“Oh, what’s this one?” Connie grabbed an interesting-looking jungle themed box from the pile. “‘What Could Go Wrong? The Board Game. The last players who opened this box never made it out alive!’”

A beat of silence passed between the kids at this, but even so, they were all quick to reach largely the same conclusion.

“Well, I know what we’re doing today!”

“Yeah, this should take up the next half hour or so.”

“Sounds like fun!”

“Can’t be too bad, right?”

However, before the kids could even leave the closet to set the game up to play, their plans were instantly dashed as they heard Ford’s stark, urgent call coming from the kitchen. “Family meeting! Family meeting!”

Needless to say all four of the kids were somewhat surprised to hear Ford of all people, call for a so-called ‘family meeting’. But even so they were quite curious to hear what apparently serious demand was all about, which was why they put the game aside to hurry off to hear whatever it was the author had to say.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of the kids, Amethyst had hurried down from the temple to the shack herself, surprisingly not because of anything remotely pertaining to what happened last night, but rather to make good on her promise to help Stan with a certain, rather illegal smuggling deal. “Alright, Santiago,” the conman remarked gruffly to the Spanish man him and Amethyst were passing off a sizable truckload of young pugs off to. “You have 24 hours to get these pugs over the U.S border.”

“And you better not… you know, no lo jodas this time either!” Amethyst snapped with a knowing scowl. “O de lo contrario lo vas a conseguir!”

“Yeah, what she said,” Stan remarked, though he did raise his eyebrow somewhat over the purple Gem’s rather crude use of language. However, before the exchange could properly end, Ford’s call for a family meeting rung out from inside the shack, startling the trio and cutting their illegal operation short as Stan swiftly shoved the last barrel of pugs into the back of Santiago’s truck before shoving him off.

“No te preocupas!” Stan shouted urgently as Amethyst kept a close lookout so they wouldn’t get caught as the truck sped off. “Vamos! Vamos!”

With Stan and Amethyst as busy avoiding the law as they were, it wasn’t surprising that they decided to avoid Ford’s meeting, though the kids were right on time to it, venturing into the kitchen just as the author was finishing setting up his copious array of scrolls, notes, and books. “Ah, children,” he greeted tersely, only briefly glancing over his shoulder as they arrived. “Come in, come in! Do any of you know if any of the Gems can make it down here within the next… minute or so? This is a very important discussion that I doubt they’ll want to miss out on.”

“Uh, w-well, actually… the Gems are kind of… busy today,” Steven replied, knowing this was both a truth and a lie in that, as far as they knew, they were still up at the temple, thinking about what to do to stop Bill. “We sort of had a… rough night last night…”

“Hm, you’re not the only ones…” Ford muttered to himself as he glanced away. “All the same, I suppose we can always pass this warning off to them sometime later.”

“Warning?” Connie spoke up with a worried frown. “What warning?”

“Does it have anything to do with these mysterious scrolls and potions?” Mabel asked curiously as she began rummaging through the author’s possessions. “Are you going to tell us we’re finally of age to go to wizard school? Is there an owl in this bag?!”

“No,” Ford interjected, quickly taking his bag away from her as his manner seemed to grow even more serious than it already was. “I can assure you that if there is an owl in this bag, then he’s long dead. Now, what I have called you children here for today is by far more pressing and urgent. Do any of you recognize this symbol?” At this, the author held up a weathered old scroll, one covered in ancient script and arcane text, though the triangular being emblazoned, large and dark and menacing on its center was one that all four of the kids knew the instant they saw it.

A round of frightened gasps escaped all four of the kids at the same exact time, each of them feeling as though they had been thrust right back into that horrific puppet show weeks ago. Connie quickly tore her gaze away from the scroll, as if simply looking at it would somehow summon the demon forth from it. Steven choked out another smaller gasp, one hand against his heart as it hammered away in his chest while his other was pressed close to his stomach, or rather his gem, protectively. Mabel latched a hand down onto her brother’s shoulder so fast that it normally would have startled him but instead Dipper only stared, his face pale and his eyes wide as he barely managed to even get the demon’s name out in so much as a weak, frightened whisper. “B-Bill…”

Ford flinched, quite taken aback by the kids’ initial reaction alone as he looked back to the scroll with growing alarm. “You… you know him?”

None of the kids offered an immediate answer save for Connie, who only gave one in the form of a small, anxious, silent nod. As for the other three, Steven tightened his grip around his gemstone, the vicious threats the demon had issues against him just a few hours prior ringing in his head as loudly as ever before. At the same time, Mabel’s focus remained on Dipper as she prepared to offer him whatever comfort and support he might need but in light of both his growing distress and his growing frustration he was hard pressed to accept any such sentiments now.

“I-it just won’t end, will it?” Dipper began, his tone quiet yet harsh as he shook his head incredulously. “First there was what happened last night with the Gems, and now this? Why won’t he just quit already?!”

“Dipper-” Mabel attempted to interject, though her brother was far too upset to back down now, especially as he got up to pace around frenetically.

“I was right last night after all,” Dipper continued, angry and anxiously as he largely talked to himself, even as the others all watched him with growing concern. “A-and I was right even before that! This isn’t over! Heck, maybe it never will be! He’ll just keep showing up and messing with us and lying to us and forcing us to play his games and there’s no way to stop him or get rid of him a-and it’ll just keep happening over and over again until he-”

“Dipper!” He finally cut himself off with a sharp gasp, stopping in his tracks under the weight of Ford’s firm, steadying hand on his shoulder. The author’s expression was initially fraught with palpable worry and dread, which quickly shifted into untold remorse before finally settling on what almost looked like grave, yet muted fury. “He… he possessed you, didn’t he?”

Dipper flinched at this, quickly averting his uncle’s gaze out of slight fear of how he might react to the truth of the matter. After all, the last thing he wanted was to admit such a momentous failure to the author he practically idolized and looked up to without question; the thought of disappointing him with his own shortcomings alone was enough to bring him more shame than he really knew how to deal with. But even despite his lack of a concrete answer, it was clear to see that Ford had inferred one anyway as he rose to stand, closing his eyes and letting out a long, almost tired sigh, one that gave really no indication of any sort of react at all.

“G-Great Uncle Ford,” Dipper began, his former frustration gone and replaced with obvious nervousness instead. “I… I just-”

“It wasn’t Dipper’s fault!” Steven suddenly interjected, tears already starting to well up in his eyes as everyone turned to look at him. “B-Bill tricked him! H-he lied to him and then he took his body a-and I was there for the whole thing and I wasn’t able to stop it a-and I couldn’t even tell anyone about it ‘cause he said he’d hurt Dipper’s body a-and I was so afraid and confused and we almost didn’t stop him in time but-”

“But we did,” Connie interjected as calmly as she could, taking Steven’s hand reassuringly as Mabel did the same for Dipper. “And that’s what’s important here.”

“So the four of you… ‘defeated’ him…” Ford mused, though his tone conveyed a hint of doubt in this fact. Still, he didn’t voice that doubt as he met all four of the kids’ fretful expressions evenly enough. “Even so, the fact that you kids have dealt with Bill before is gravely serious.”

“So… you know Bill too, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel asked, anxiously curious.

“Too?” the author frowned, confused.

“Uh, well, l-last night the Gems told us about how Bill tricked them before too…” Steven admitted somewhat hesitantly. “Mom even had to fight them to get him out of him. I-it was-”

“Oh yes, I already know about all that,” Ford interupted. “Pearl… told me all about that rather… unfortunate encounter just a few days ago. Honestly, I can’t say I’m even really surprised; it’d only make sense that someone as mad and as power-hungry as Bill would try to target someone as dedicated to protecting the Earth as Rose and the Crystal Gems.”

The kids looked to each other again at this, their expressions all somewhat uncertain but craving to know more about whatever knowledge the author might have concerning the dream demon. “Um, so how exactly do you know Bill, Great Uncle Ford?” Dipper asked rather hesitantly in light of his own lingering regret.

“I’ve encountered many dark beings in my time, Dipper,” Ford replied curtly. “But perhaps none as dark as Bill Cipher. All the same, the specifics aren’t important right now. What matters is that his powers are growing stronger, and if he pulls off his plans, then none of us, not this family, not the Gems, not even Gravity Falls itself will be safe!”

Upon hearing this, none of the kids were able to hold back a unified frightened gasp. In light of their past encounters with the dream demon as well as everything the Gems had recently revealed, it was obvious that Bill was certainly a threat to them all. But to hear this confirmation come from someone as wizened and well-traveled as the author of the journals himself only served to hit that alarming thought home even more. After all, if Bill really was such a severe and present danger to not just them but the town, possibly even the world as a whole, then what hope did any of them possibly have in trying to stop him?

“Fortunately,” Ford continued, as if he had somehow heard the kids’ shared worries and decided to address them. “There should be a way to shield us from his mental tricks. A way to ‘Bill-proof’ the shack and even the Gems’ temple, as it were.”

“R-Really?” Steven asked with a small but growing smile, one that was filled with relief that the other three kids equally shared. “That’s great! How does it work?”

“It’s quite simple, really,” the author began, laying a map of the shack out on the table. “All I have to do is place moonstones here, here, and here, sprinkle some mercury, and… let’s see, I always forget that last ingredient!” Ford frowned as he flipped open journal 1, briefly glancing through his notes before finding what he was looking for. “Ugh, that’s right… unicorn hair…”

“That’s not… rare, is it?” Dipper asked, picking up on the author’s disgruntled tone.

“Its hopeless,” Ford shook his head dismissively as he looked back to the journal. “Unicorns reside deep within an enchanted glade, and their hairs can only be obtained by a pure, good-hearted person who goes on a magical quest to find them. And of course, unicorns themselves are-”

The author’s explanation was abruptly cut off from a loud, shrill, undeniably excited squeal from Mabel, one that tore starkly through the ongoing solemn manner of this meeting. “Grunkle Ford! Can I please go on this quest?!” she asked with a large, eager grin as she hopped out of her seat. “I am literally obsessed with unicorns! My first word was unicorn, I once made my own unicorn by taping a traffic cone to a horse’s head and got banned from the petting zoo for it, are you even looking at the sweater I’m wearing right now?!” She quickly pointed to said sweater, which, fittingly enough, had a colorful design of a unicorn stitched onto it. “Not to mention that I’m probably the most pure of heart person in this room. Well, aside from Steven, that is.” A round of murmured agreements arose from this, no one really dissenting to such a claim given Mabel’s very transparent sense of altruism and helpfulness. “So can I please go on a mission to get that hair?” she continued pleadingly. “Please, please, please?! I’ll give you my blood!”

Despite this concerning vow, Ford simply nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly given the nature of the quest his niece wanted to go on. “Very well,” he consented gruffly. “But it won’t be easy. Take this,” he handed off journal 1 to her, largely since it offered a map pointing to where unicorns were known to dwell. “And this,” he also gave her a fully-loaded crossbow, much to excitement, even as she struggled to properly lift it. “I haven’t been in this dimension in a while. It’s still ok to give children deadly weapons, right?”

“Pssh, come on, dawg,” Mabel remarked with a casual wave of her hand. Of course, she didn’t notice that her other hand had accidentally squeezed the crossbow’s trigger until an arrow fired off through it, crashing through the nearby window and startling a certain pair of partners in crime outside.

“Ah! It’s the cops!” Stan shouted frantically somewhere outside. “Gun it!”

“Soy inocente, ¡lo juro!” Amethyst cried as a truck carrying a heavy load of pugs sped off.” ¡Todo fue idea de Stan!”

“Amethyst! Cut it out with all the Spanish already!”

“Heh, sorry, dude, can’t help it. Its mucho divertido.”

“Um… on second thought, why don’t I go with you, Mabel?” Connie asked after a beat of somewhat awkward silence. “Not that I don’t think you can handle yourself, but maybe having my sword along with that crossbow will make this whole, uh, ‘enchanted quest’ thing go a little easier.”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” Mabel gasped, cheerfully pulling Connie up out of her chair as she spun her around excitedly. “This is gonna be great! Mabel and Connie: Unicorn Hunters Extraordinaire! Ooo, wait! I got another idea! We should turn this unicorn duo into a whole unicorn party!” Without another word, Mabel quickly pulled her phone up and began dialing several numbers at once as she ran out of the room. “Wendy, Candy, Grenda, clear the afternoon!”

“Oh boy…” Connie chuckled as she prepared to follow after Mabel. “This oughta be… interesting.”

“Hm… perhaps you girls should take one of the Gems along with you as well…” Ford mused. “As far as I know, they do have some experience with unicorns so their aid will likely be an asset, and not just in finding them either…”

“Get a Gem to come, got it!” Connie nodded, offering the remaining trio a thumbs up as she headed out herself. “Thanks, Mr. Ford!”

“Yes, yes, try not to come across any packs of marauding ware-fairies while you’re out,” Ford advised, waving both girls off as Steven and Dipper did the same.

“So… what are the odds that they actually get that hair?” Dipper asked Ford, trying to hide his rather palpable concern.

“Unlikely,” the author replied as soon as he was sure the girls were out of earshot. “I’ve dealt with unicorns before and if I had to describe them in one word it would be… frustrating.”

“Aw, but this is Mabel and Connie we’re taking about here,” Steven said with an encouraging smile. “If anyone can get that hair, its them!”

“Well, just in case they don’t,” Dipper countered diffidently. “Is there anything else we could maybe do to stop Bill in the meantime?”

Ford took pause at this question, his expression initially unreadable as he looked between both of the boys sitting in front of him before his focus finally settled on Steven. The young Gem shifted somewhat apprehensively under the author’s scrutinizing stare, one that seemed to almost be searching for something, though he had no idea as to what that something could possibly be. “Um… Mr. Ford? What’s-”

“Steven,” the author interupted, his tone and manner both very serious as he glanced around rather discreetly. “Rose Quar—I mean, your mother, used to be the one person, or Gem rather, that I always felt like I could confide in. I trusted her immensely, and… I’d like to think that I can trust her son as well. So… can I?”

The young Gem was admittedly somewhat taken aback by this, but as he glanced over and met Dipper’s rather expectant expression, he found he was hard pressed to say no. “Y-yeah—I mean, yes,” Steven said with much more resolve, hoping that he could somehow honor the genuine bond that used to exist between the author and his mother even in some small, simple way. “Yes, you can. But, uh, can I ask with what exactly you wanna trust me with?”

Ford cracked something of a small smirk at this, clearly glad to have the young Gem on board. “Dipper, why don’t I let you tell him?”

“Oh, uh, ok,” Dipper nodded, immediately understanding exactly what the author wanted him to reveal. Even still, he hesitated somewhat, remembering the promise he had made to Ford himself to keep silent about it only a few days prior, a promise he devoutly intended to keep even still. And yet, since Ford was the very one telling him to make an exception to that promise right then and there, he decided to relent and do just that, knowing that if there was really anyone who he’d personally trust with such a momentous secret, it would be Steven. “So, Great Uncle Ford took the portal apart, right? But it sorta left this… what was it again?”

“An interdimensional rift,” Ford filled in, his voice low as he took another cursory glance around the room for any sort of prying eyes.

“An interdimensional rift, right,” Dipper said with a bit more confidence, which was something Steven only met with confusion as he tried to follow along. “And that’s bad because it could…?”

“It could tear our reality itself apart,” Ford finished gravely. “Especially if someone like Bill were to get his hands on it. If its power were to be unleashed, then he’d be completely free to wreak untold havoc upon this dimension, destroying everything and everyone in his path.”

“W-whoa…” Steven whispered, his eyes wide as he tried to take such a dark implication in. “And I thought everything the Gems told us last night was bad. B-but this… rift thing sounds like it could be even worse than that was!”

“Indeed it could,” Ford nodded coldly. “And that’s why the three of us have to do everything in our power to protect it from Bill. Including maintaining its secrecy from everyone.”

“Even the Gems?” Steven asked apprehensively. “B-because I-”

“Even the Gems,” the author interupted staunchly, glancing away. “The more people who know about the rift, the more danger it could potentially be put in. I did have some reservations about telling even you, Steven, but… well, I figured I might as well fill you in since I very likely would have done the same for your mother if she were still… around.”

“Oh, uh… gee, thanks…” the young Gem said with a halfhearted smile, the comparison Ford was apparently drawing between him and his mother not lost on him. A comparison that, in light of recent revelations, Steven wasn’t sure he was too comfortable with anymore, even if he knew that it was rather fitting. After all, wasn’t keeping such a potentially earth shattering secret hidden from the Gems the very same sort of thing Rose herself did before him? Still, he knew he couldn’t exactly betray either Ford’s trust on the matter either, especially since it was of such grave significance. The author had said so himself: if Bill ever managed to get ahold of that rift, then reality itself could very well cease to be. The knowledge of that fact alone was a momentous, massive weight, one that the young Gem feared he wouldn’t be properly carry but at the very least, he didn’t have to do it alone. For just as he began to doubt his own resolve, he was broken out of his thoughts by the comforting hand that fell upon his shoulder. Steven was unable to hold back a small smile as he met the gentle, affirmative one Dipper was offering him, one that carried the promise that, despite how daunting protecting the rift and its secrets might be, it was a task that they’d carry out together. And that alone was exactly the kind of warm reassurance the young Gem needed to hope that they’d be able to carry that untold, almost crushing weight after all. “B-but… you don’t have to worry,” Steven said as he turned back to the author. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

“Very good,” Ford said, genuinely grateful as he rose to stand. “Now, both of you, follow me. We’ve much to do.”

Neither boy questioned the author any further as they hurried after him to the gift shop, watching in curious anticipation as he opened the hidden elevator behind the vending machine up. However, instead of taking them down to the basement lab, the elevator stopped on the floor between it, at an ornate wooden door that only Ford seemed to hold the key to. And needless to say that that boys were quite amazed by what they saw.

Contained between the gift shop and the underground lab was an entire floor in and of itself, one that surprisingly spacious, even despite the walls lined with full bookshelves and old, interesting artifacts and machinery strewn just about everywhere. The rather long room stretched back into a corridor with covered walls and a massive machine consisting of several large screens and a dizzying array of wires and buttons. Of course, both Steven and Dipper were absolutely amazed to discover such an impressive hideout, one that neither of them ever even knew existed before though Ford was steady as ever as he led the way into it.

“Welcome to my private study,” he began, not making much time to give the boys even a simple tour of the room. “A place where I keep my most ancient and secret knowledge. Even Stanley, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl don’t know about this place, however, Rose did.” At this, the author briefly sent Steven a small, knowing grin over his shoulder, one that he only weakly returned as he continued following after Ford to the other end of the room. Dipper, however, detracted somewhat, curious to see exactly what knowledge his uncle might be keeping in this extensive collection, however, before he could really try to investigate, Ford urgently prompted him onward.

“Dipper, come along!” the author called as he began setting up the large machine, which was only labeled as ‘Project Mentum’. “If we can’t Bill-proof the shack, then we’re going to have to do the next best thing.” At this, Ford held up a rather old-looking metallic helmet, one that was connected to the machine by several wires and seemed to carry some sort of unknown purpose to it. “We’re going to have to Bill-proof our minds.”

Both Steven and Dipper let out a shared gasp at this, but even so, they were unable to hold back relieved smiles as they looked to each other. Because for perhaps the first time since last night, it seemed as though there was actually a way to fend Bill off after all, to keep him from tormenting them any further, from plaguing their thoughts and haunting their nightmares. And, after everything they’d been through because of the demon throughout the summer, that alone was enough to fill both boys with more hope than they had known in quite some time.

Even if such hope wasn’t destined to last.

With their unicorn-finding mission clear and their shared resolve burning, Mabel and Connie set out on their intrepid quest, gathering a motley crew consisting of Wendy, Candy, and Grenda to accompany them. And, as Ford had advised, the girls managed to recruit the first Gem they could find to act as something of a chaperone, said Gem just so happening to be Pearl, who had just ventured down to the shack to check on the kids as soon as Connie and Mabel stepped out of it. Without filling the white Gem in on much of their mission, she still decided to join the group, largely out of her lingering worry concerning the upsetting reveals made throughout the previous night. All the same, Pearl was somewhat surprised by just how overtly upbeat the majority of the group was as they ventured into the depths of the forest with only journal 1 and the knowledge contained therein to serve as their guide.

“It’s nice to finally be out on a mission, just us gals!” Mabel quipped as she led the way with a bit of an excited spring in her step.

“Well, a mission that isn’t super likely to put all of our lives in danger, at least,” Connie remarked rather knowingly.

“And exactly what the purpose of this mission again?” Pearl asked, making sure to keep an eye out for any supernatural monster that might possibly assail them. “You girls failed to really give me all of the details before we set out on this so-called ‘magical quest’ of ours.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Grenda asked boisterously. “We’re going to meet, touch, and/or become unicorns!”

“U-Unicorns?!” Pearl gasped, completely appalled as she looked back to Mabel and Connie. “That’s what all this is about? Well, if that’s the case then you girls can count me out of this little venture!”

“What?” Connie asked as the collective group stopped short to look to the white Gem in confusion. “But why?”

“Why?” Pearl repeated incredulously. “Because simply put, unicorns are nuisances. They always have been, ever since we happened upon them decades ago. Even Rose couldn’t stand their self-entitled attitude and honestly I completely agree with her. I can’t even begin to fathom why on Earth any of you girls would actually want to actively go looking for such… infuriating creatures!”

“Because Grunkle Ford said that if we get a whole bunch of their hair then we can use it to make some sorta barrier thing that’ll keep the shack and the temple safe from Bill!” Mabel informed with a sense of pressing urgency.

“Wait, what?!” the white Gem exclaimed, even more stunned to her this. “Y-you mean there’s actually a way to arm ourselves against that… that monster? All this time and we had no idea… This changes everything!”

“So… does that mean you’ll help us find a unicorn?” Connie asked, exchanging a hopeful glance with Mabel.

Pearl hesitated for a beat at this, though inevitably she let out a long, begrudging sigh, knowing that she really had no other choice. “I suppose I will if I really must… Still, I wish there was another way of going about this… Dealing with those infernal unicorns almost isn’t worth the aggravation, even if it will potentially help us ward off Cipher…”

“Um… well, who knows?” Mabel said with a bit of a forced, encouraging smile. “Maybe unicorns aren’t as bad as you remember them being, Pearl. I mean, based on everything I’ve heard about them, they sound like they’re the most magical, sparkly, amazing magical horses out there!”

“I hear that if you lick a unicorn’s neck, it tastes like your favorite flavor in the world!” Candy added enthusiastically.

“Candy, I will make sure you lick that unicorn’s neck, because I care about my friends,” Mabel said with heavy resolve, remembering what Ford had said about unicorns only allotting their hair to the most pure of heart. And as far as Mabel was concerned, she was already that and then some, to the point that the unicorns very likely wouldn’t need any proof of her innate kindness and goodness at all. Or so she thought.

“Honestly, I stopped believing in unicorns when I was like, five years old,” Wendy remarked, casually swinging at low-hanging tree branches with her axe. “I’m just coming along to keep you kids from stepping into a bear trap and to make sure you guys aren’t too disappointed when you find out unicorns aren’t actually real.”

“Oh, they’re real all right,” Pearl countered, her eye twitching out of slight frustration over the thought of merely encountering any sort of unicorn alone. “Real aggravating.”

“Stop!” Mabel suddenly exclaimed as they reached a rather ethereal glade, filled with shimmering, otherworldly flora, ancient stone monuments, and the occasional fairy or sprite floating nearby. “This is the magical part of the forest! Now, let’s see…” The others gathered around her as she flipped through journal 1 before landing on a map of the mystical area they now found themselves in. “The gnome tavern is over there… the fairy nail salon is over there, but it says that to summon the unicorn, one must bellow this ancient chant droned by only the deepest-voiced druids of old.”

“On it!” Grenda proclaimed, grabbing the journal and rushing forward to the center of the glade. And from there, she got right to chanting, her abnormally deep voice carrying across the clearing as she belted the ancient non-melody out while the others stood by watching curiously.

“Ten bucks says nothing happens,” Wendy said, crossing her arms dubiously.

“I’ll take that bet,” Mabel smirked, confident that this chant would work. And work it did as suddenly, the entire glade began to violently shake. In response to Grenda’s deep, summoning chant, a massive stone structure began to rise up from the ground, one that was clearly mystical in nature based on its castle-like appearance and the shimmering golds and lush vinery decorating it.

“Here we go…” Pearl muttered bitterly to herself as the younger girls reacted excitedly, all of them rushing through the large wooden doors and into a place somehow even more dreamlike and enchanted than the magical forest it was situated in. A rainbow-accented waterfall fed a flowing stream that cut through the grassy enclosure, one that was inhabited by a pan flute playing faun and none other than an unquestionably magical unicorn, one that was practically straight out of fairytales and legends of old. Simply put, she was ethereal, lightly shimmering all over, from her pale blue skin to her bright, multicolored mane and tail, to her huge, wide, sparking eyes. She tossed her rainbow mane and let out a mighty neigh as the intruding group entered, almost all of them completely dazzled by her mere appearance alone, much less her actual existence.

“Mother of mothers!” Grenda gasped, amazed.

“Dream of dreams!” Candy exclaimed, just as stunned.

“It can’t be…” Connie whispered, shocked.

“No way,” Wendy scowled, especially as Mabel reached her hand up for the bet she had just won and the ten bucks she now had to fork over.

“Oh of course…” Pearl grumbled upon looking to the familiar unicorn poised before them. “It just had to be her…”

“Hark!” the unicorn proclaimed sharply, apparently communicating through her glowing pink horn. “Visitors to my realm of enchantment!”

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Mabel squealed happily, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “What’s your name?”

“I am Celestabellebethabelle, last of my kind!” the unicorn introduced herself. “Come in, come in. Just… take off your shoes. I have a whole thing about shoes.” The girls were quick to comply, all of them removing their shoes at the gate save for Wendy and Pearl, both of whom were already none too enthused about this encounter in the first place. Even so, Celestabellebethabelle was quick to notice their belligerence and even quicker to call them out on it. “Ah, ah! I’m talking to everyone!” Despite their increased annoyance at this, both the cashier and the white Gem complied, though the unicorn let out something of an angry snort the moment she caught sight of Pearl in particular. “You! Crystal Gem!” she exclaimed hotly, slamming one of her hooves down. “I do believe I was quite clear with your leader many years ago that NONE of your kind are welcome back into my mystical domain! So please, be a dear and… REMOVE YOURSELF FROM MY PRESCENCE AT ONCE!”

“Oh, believe me, I gladly would,” Pearl huffed, crossing her arms as she unapologetically at the unicorn. “After all, the last thing I want is to be in the ‘presence’ of someone as completely gaudy and over the top as yourself, Celestabelle.”

“It is Celestabellebethabelle, and I will thank you kindly to remember it!” the unicorn snapped fiercely, lowering herself as though she planned on charging the white Gem herself, though fortunately, Mabel intervened before any such altercation could take place.

“W-wait!” she exclaimed, rushing to stand between the two before offering Celestabellebethabelle a very saccharine smile. “Heh, you’ll have to forgive Pearl here, she… had a pretty rough night last night.”

“I did not!” Pearl exclaimed defensively. “I’ll have you know that I tried sleeping for the first time last night and even if I still don’t understand the functional purpose of such an activity, I’d like to think that I still did a suitable job at it!”

“Pearl…” Connie whispered, giving the white Gem something of a pleading glance. And, despite her own apt frustrations at the unicorn that was still issuing her a rather harsh look, she begrudgingly backed down, knowing that acting out was doing nothing for their much more important cause.

“A-anyway…” Mabel continued, trying to make up for Pearl’s outburst with a heavy layer of politeness. “Celestabellebethabelle, we have journeyed far and wide-”

“About an hour!” Grenda chimed in.

“-On a mission to protect our family with your magical hair!”

“This is your chance, Candy…” Candy whispered to herself as she snuck to Celestabellebethabelle’s side, her tongue out as she leaned in close. “Lick the neck… lick it…”

“Very well!” the unicorn exclaimed, lifting herself up and her neck out of Candy’s reach. “Despite your rather… poor company,” she paused, briefly sending another cold scowl Pearl’s way. “I shall allow you this opportunity out of the immense goodness of my immaculate soul.”

“Oh please…” Pearl muttered, rolling her eyes at such an exaggerated claim.

“To receive a lock of my enchanted hair, step forth, girl of pure, perfect heart!” Celestabellebethabelle called, her tone as dramatic and bold as ever.

After a round of encouraging smiles and nods from Connie, Candy, and Grenda, Mabel stepped forward with a confident grin, assured that she’d be able to win the unicorn’s favor, even despite the rather rough start of this meeting. “Presenting… bum buh da bum bum ba bum bum! Mabel!”

Celestabellebethabelle seemed to take pause for a moment, as if sizing the girl before her up for a moment before letting out a harsh, appalled gasp. “What? You?!” she asked in what sounded like offended disbelief. “A unicorn can see deep inside your heart, child, and you have done WRONG!” To punctuate her claim, Celestabellebethabelle pointed the tip of her horn directly at Mabel, sparking up a bright, heart-shaped glow on her chest, one that was quick to turn dark and black, much to her alarm. “Wrong, I say!”

“W-what?” Mabel gasped, confused and distraught as she quickly covered her heart from the unicorn’s piercing gaze.

“But how can that be?” Connie interjected, quickly placing a comforting hand on Mabel’s shoulder as she addressed Celestabellebethabelle with apt seriousness. “I’m sorry to sound rude, but Mabel really is one of the kindest, most helpful people you’ll ever meet. Right, guys?”

“Yeah!” Grenda exclaimed in rowdy agreement.

“Absolutely,” Candy said resolutely as Pearl and Wendy also nodded.

“So… maybe your magical, uh… heart-scanning magic was just a bit… I don’t know, off?” Connie finished amicably enough.

“It is most certainly NOT ‘off’!” Celestabellebethabelle scoffed hotly. “A unicorn’s tuition is never wrong! And my intuition can confirm, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that THAT girl’s heart is nowhere near pure enough to obtain the prize of my glorious hair!”

“But-”

“H-hold on a sec, Connie,” Mabel interrupted with a fretful frown. “I… s-she… might have a point… I mean, I do make fun of Dipper a lot… Plus there was that whole… puppet show thing with Bill that was kinda mostly my fault… and I did just shatter a window with a crossbow…”

“Your bad deeds make me cry!” Celestabellebethabelle let out an embellished sob, rainbow tears spilling from her eyes and burning up the grass below on contact.

“Noooo!” Mabel cried, shocked and horrified by the unicorn’s incredibly harsh reaction. A reaction that was only garnished from her own apparently unknown lack of purity all along.

“Alright, that’s quite enough!” Pearl interjected hotly, sending Celestabellebethabelle a vicious glare as she came to stand defensively between her and Mabel. “Don’t think I’m not wise to your little ‘game’, Celestabelle.”

“Again, its Celestabellabethabelle!”

“I don’t care!” the white Gem huffed angrily. “If you think I’m going to let you get away with emotionally devastating a poor innocent child like Mabel, then you’re dead wrong!”

“Oh, well that’s just the thing,” Celestabellebethabelle remarked with a knowing smirk. “I don’t ‘have’ to get away with anything. I’m a unicorn. I do whatever I want! Including kick you out of my enchanted glen like the rabble you are.”

“Oh, I’ll show you ‘rabble’ you self-righteous, pretentious, over-glorified equine snob!” Pearl yelled, more than ready to summon her spear and outright attack if not for Connie and Wendy holding her back.

“Uh, Pearl? I’m with you on this whole thing being pretty screwed up, but you should probably reign it in just a little,” Wendy remarked as they began to lead the still quite hostile white Gem out of the glen.

“Yeah, its not worth it,” Connie agreed. “Well, I mean, it is worth it if it means we can get that hair protect the shack and the temple from Bill, but still we shouldn’t resort to violence to get it unless we absolutely have to.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right, leave with whatever small shred of dignity you have left,” Celestabellebethabelle said, turning her nose up at the rest of the group as they dejectedly left in defeat. “Perhaps try coming back when you’re PURE OF HEART!” At this, the unicorn let out another dramatic neigh, only to pause for a brief beat of silence as the group looked to her once more rather incredulously. “Exit is that way. Oh, and shoes! Shoes! Take your shoes! This isn’t some… some shoe store!”

And with that, the collective group was shut out of the unicorn’s glen, though thankfully it didn’t sink back into the ground, just in case they all decided to actually return again. Even so, that wasn’t something any of them were too keen on after the very cold reception they had just received from Celestabellebethabelle, especially Mabel, who was practically fighting back tears over the rather biting, perhaps accurate, claims the unicorn had made against her.

“Hey, Mabel, don’t let her get to you,” Grenda said as both her and Candy put comforting hands on their distraught friends’ shoulders.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t trust a horse that wears makeup,” Wendy scoffed, rolling her eyes over the unicorns’ uppity mannerisms.

“How dare that haughty horse pull that ‘not pure of heart’ gambit again,” Pearl remarked crossly, sending a cold glare back at the now closed gates of the unicorn’s glen. “I wouldn’t put any stock into anything she said back there, Mabel. After all, she had the gall to tell Rose, of all people, that she wasn’t pure of heart around the turn of the century! True, Rose may have made… a few mistakes in the past, but even so, such a claim is completely ridiculous; I mean, Gems don’t even have hearts in the first place!”

“Uh, I think what Pearl is trying to say, Mabel,” Connie interjected much more rationally. “Is that you shouldn’t worry about what that unicorn said about you. We can always find some other way to protect ourselves from Bill. Probably… Hopefully.”

“No, girls, she’s right,” Mabel said, sucking in a deep, resolved breath. “I used to be one of the sweetest people I knew, but recently I’ve been seriously slacking in the whole goodness department. Well, today, we’re gonna fix it! From this moment forth, I’m gonna do so many good deeds that I’ll have the purest heart in Gravity Falls!” With this dedicated proclamation, she threw a first up into the air with gusto, only for it to squarely strike a low flying bird by mistake, knocking out of the air and clearly injuring it, much to everyone else’s concerned surprise. “…That… that bird is fine.”

Knowing that time was of the essence when it came to halting Bill’s ambitions, Ford wasted none of it in calibrating his mysterious Project Mentum while the boys stood by, both of them curious, hopeful, and anxious as they mutually wondered whether or not this plan of action would truly work at all. Eager to finally be rid of the menace that was the dream demon once and for all, Dipper had volunteered to go first, with Steven patiently sitting next to him while Ford carefully hooked him up to the machine by way of its bulky metal helmet. Things had been rather quiet amongst the three of them in light of the seriousness of their shared endeavor, but when this tentative silence finally was broken, Steven was the one to do so.

“Um, Mr. Ford?” he began somewhat hesitantly as the author turned to the machine itself to finish setting it up. “Are you sure this is gonna work?”

“Yes,” Ford said, completely confident as he glanced over his shoulder. “I built this device specifically with the intent of using it as a defense against Bill quite some time ago. Which is why I have the upmost certainty that it’ll do its part in shielding you boys against his influence.”

Steven and Dipper exchanged another brief, somewhat hopeful glace at this, knowing that the promise of freeing themselves from the lingering nightmares Bill caused them even still seemed almost too good to be true. And yet, even that promise, as wonderful as it sounded, wasn’t quite enough for Dipper. Based on past encounters with the mysterious dream demon, as well as the Gems’ own horrific account given last night, he couldn’t help but still have quite a few questions concerning the looming threat that had been terrorizing them all practically all summer. “So… what exactly is Bill anyway?” he asked, hoping that, with his vast knowledge, Ford might hold at least a few answers to those questions.

“No one knows for sure,” Ford began, handing off a folder to his nephew that was simply entitled the ‘Cipher File’. Both Steven and Dipper glanced over its sparse contents, a few old documents that game only very brief, not very detailed information concerning matters only remotely related to Bill as the author went on. “Accounts differ of his true motivations and origin. What I do know is that he’s older than our galaxy, and far more twisted. His current domain is the Nightmare Realm, an unstable place of untold horrors all crafted by Bill himself. Thankfully though, he’s mostly confined there, for now. Without a physical form, he can only project himself into our thoughts through the mindscape. That’s why he wants this,” Ford held up the rift, being ever careful with its fragile form as the boys both looked to it apprehensively. “I dismantled the portal, but with this tear, Bill still has a way into our reality. To get his hands on this rift, he would trick or possess anyone.”

“Wait, so… he wants that rift too?” Steven asked, unconsciously placing a hand over where his gemstone was.

“Too?” Ford paused, turning to glance at the young Gem at this. “What do you mean ‘too’?”

“Uh… well…” Steven hesitated somewhat, though upon receiving an encouraging nod from Dipper, he decided it was best if he spoke his piece. “Last night, Bill showed up in a dream I had. He tried to get me to give him my gem, but after I told him no, he said that its already his since my mom promised to give it to him. The Gems are pretty sure that Mom never did that, but… I’m still not sure. What do you think, Mr. Ford?”

The author didn’t answer right away, instead looking to the young Gem with an expression of unquestionable alarm upon hearing such a claim. Yet at the same time, his reaction to the news was every bit as vague as it was when he learned that Bill had possessed Dipper, almost as if he was trying to conceal how he really felt about such a revelation. “So you’re the one he-” Ford quickly cut himself off, noticing the curious looks both boys were sending him as he immediately regained his usual scholarly composure. “Hm, yes, well, the fact that Bill is after your gemstone is extremely troubling indeed, Steven. Even so, I agree with the Gems; its highly unlikely that Rose would have agreed to turn over her gemstone to the likes of him, no matter what he might have promised her for it. As for why he might want it though, that’s… unclear. It makes sense that he’d want to get ahold of the rift, but its hard to say what he might want a gemstone—Rose Quartz’s gemstone in particular—for. Unless…”

“Unless… what?” Steven pressed, immensely curious.

Ford jolted at this, quickly shaking his head as if to clear it before offering both boys a somewhat forced reassuring smile. “Oh, i-its nothing, nothing at all,” he remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand. “What matters now is that we do what we can to protect our minds from Bill.”

“So how exactly do we do that?” Dipper asked intently.

“Well, there are a number of ways,” the author said. “I personally had a metal plate installed in my head by an otherworldly, seven-eyed oracle.”

“Heh, good one,” Dipper chuckled in response to such an admittedly outlandish claim. That is, until Ford proved it to be true by knocking against the side of his head, eliciting a strong metallic sound that was more than enough to get his nephew to awkwardly retract his doubt.

“But this machine is much safer,” the author continued, nodding to the several screens behind them. “It will scan your mind, bioelectrically encrypting your thoughts so Bill can’t read them. Now…” Ford paused, only to press the final button to set Project Mentum in motion. “Say hello to your thoughts.”

All at once, the machine sparked to life, its various screens filling in with Dipper’s own thoughts, putting them all on unfettered display for all three of them to see and hear as they cycled through at a seemingly random pace: “Oh man, I can’t believe I’m actually with the author!” “Is my fly down?” “Disco girl! Coming through!” “I miss Tyrone…” “Bill better stay away from Steven if he knows what’s good for him!” “I have to find a way to save Lapis!” “Huh, I might be just a little emotionally unstable… Maybe I should go get some therapy or something?”

“Um, y-you might wanna… ignore that last one…” Dipper said, quite flustered by his thoughts being so openly and unintentionally revealed like that.

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Steven exclaimed, stars in his eyes. “I wanna see what my thoughts have to say! I mean, I already know what they say since they’re in my head, but I wanna see them laid out on a screen like that!”

“And you will,” Ford interjected. “After Dipper is done. This is a very delicate process that could potentially take hours to complete. Which means all we can do now is be patient and let the machine do its job.”

“Oh, well, uh, maybe in the meantime you could… I dunno, maybe fill us in on what your history with Bill is in the first place?” Dipper ventured, still quite eager to know exactly what the apparently quite significant context for Ford’s impressive knowledge concerning the dream demon actually was.

“Dipper, do you trust me?” Ford asked, his tone quite serious as he knelt down next to his great nephew.

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Then you’ll trust that that’s not important,” the author concluded staunchly, standing as he headed back over to his desk, leaving both Dipper and Steven as much in the dark as they ever were. “Now, focus. Its time to strengthen your mind…”

Determined to prove herself to Celestabellebethabelle, Mabel took to the town, the others following suit to do whatever they could to help her carry out the lengthy list of good deeds she had come up with. Their main objective was clear: to help out as many people as they could in the hopes that no one, not even the unicorn herself, would be able to deny that Mabel was not just more than worthy enough to not just obtain that magical hair, but also that her heart was overflowing with purity and goodness beyond compare.

And so the group set out to do just that, lending their cheerful aid to any troubled soul they could find. They moved snails from the danger of the streets to the safety of the grass and planted a tree right in front of the door to the Gravity Falls’ Gossiper office, unknowingly trapping Toby Determined inside of it. They helped Kiki on her pizza delivery route and fixed up several of the games at Funland Arcade. They gave Stan a literal smile in the form of a giant smiley face sticker slapped onto his face and Mabel even went as far as donating three pints of her own blood to those in need, disregarding her own lightheadedness after the fact. From there, they covered several smaller deeds on the list, like helping old ladies and ducks cross the road, to filling Lazy Susan’s tip jar, to sprucing up the town statues of Nathaniel Northwest and William Dewey with a fresh coat of glitter. Though their altruistic mission took several hours of hard, selfless work on their part, by the time they were finished, they all felt quite satisfied that they had met their goal, particularly Mabel as they began to make their way back to the unicorn’s glade.

“Boom! A thousand good deeds!” she exclaimed happily as she crossed the last item off her list. “When that unicorn scans my heart again, she’s gonna say that I’m absolutely, one hundred percent, bona-fide-”

“NOT pure of heart!” Celestabellebethabelle proclaimed after the group returned to her glen, her insistence on the matter just as harsh and firm as it was before.

“Booyah!” Mabel cheered, though she quickly changed her tune upon realizing exactly what the unicorn had said. “Wait… w-what?”

“How is that even possible?” Wendy asked with an incredulous scoff. “Mabel’s a straight up saint, you judgmental hoofbag!”

“Seriously, she just spent the entire afternoon helping people,” Connie added knowingly. “Doesn’t that mean anything here?”

“Please! Tell me what I’m doing wrong!” Mabel practically begged, distraught that her efforts were apparently all for naught.

“Doing good deeds to make yourself look better isn’t good at all,” Celestabellebethabelle remarked haughtily. “Not to mention you’re crushing like, ten dandelions right now. Those are basically children’s dreams.” Mabel let out a horrified gasp at this, quickly stepping off the small patch of dandelions she was incidentally standing on before the unicorn condescendingly continued. “I’m sorry, Mabel. It’s not my fault you’re a bad person.”

Unable to take the unicorn’s brutally harsh criticisms any longer, Mabel ran off, not even trying to hold back a heartbroken sob amidst this second, much more painful rejection. As appalled by Celestabellebethabelle’s rather cruel attitude as they were, most of the others didn’t stick around to chastise her on it as they all hurried out of the glen to make sure she was alright. All except for Pearl, who decided to hang back solely for the sake of giving the unicorn a few choice words in light of the completely shameful display she had just witnessed.

“You may have those girls fooled, but you’re not fooling me,” the white Gem said, her voice almost a vicious hiss as she glared at the unicorn unflinchingly. “I know what you’re trying to do here. You did the exact same thing to Rose Quartz about 100 years ago so if you think I’m going to stand by and let you tear someone else down like that, especially someone like Mabel, then you’ve got another thing coming!”

“Oh really?” Celestabellebethabelle deadpanned, clearly not taking the white Gem seriously. “And what exactly might that ‘thing’ be?”

“Trying to act like you’re some grand authority on the contents of a person’s character!” Pearl exclaimed hotly. “I don’t know who made you had the right to judge others like you do, but whoever they were, they probably knew as little about actually being good and kind as you do.”

“As if you really know any better?” Celestabellebethabelle scoffed crossly. “The last time you were here a century ago, the only thing I saw you do was helplessly cling to your precious Rose Quartz as if she was paradigm of perfection. But even still, all these years later, I still stand what I said. She’s not pure of heart and neither are YOU!”

Pearl simply let out a harsh scoff at this, not even bothering to dignify the unicorn with a response to this as she simply turned on her heel to leave, though not before giving one final, bitter remark as she departed. “I don’t need some sanctimonious unicorn to tell me that,” she huffed, her anger dissipating into remorse as she completely turned away, recalling a certain recent mistake of hers that had all but proved her impurities through and through. “After all…” she muttered to herself somewhat sadly. “I already know…”

However, the white Gem’s self-pity didn’t last too long as she left the unicorn’s glen, only to find the girls all gathered around Mabel, who was lying close to the nearby stream, curled up into a miserable ball as she wept quietly, even despite the comfort the others were trying to offer her.

“Come on, Mabel,” Wendy encouraged earnesty. “Don’t beat yourself up about this.”

“Let’s just forget about that dumb hair and go home,” Candy advised, though Mabel was having none of that.

“It’s not just about the hair anymore, guys,” she sniffled as she sat upright and held her list of failed good deeds close. “It’s about me. Being kind and sweet is what makes me who I am. If I’m not a good person, then who am I?”

“Well, I know who you are,” Connie interjected, placing a steadying hand on Mabel’s shoulder. “You’re Mabel; you’re fun and creative and most of all, kind, no matter what that unicorn says. And you don’t have to prove that to anyone, especially not her; because as far as we’re all concerned, that was something we all knew from the very start.”

Upon hearing this, Mabel briefly looked up at Connie, her cheeks still wet with tears as she met the warm smile her friend was offering her. And for a moment, her encouraging, hopeful words almost managed to convince her that it was true, that she was a good person, despite Celestabellebethabelle’s claims. And yet… it still wasn’t quite enough. “I-I appreciate it, Connie, but… she’s right…” Mabel sighed sadly as she pulled her shoulder away. “Its time I finally admit it to myself; I’m just not as pure of heart as I used to think I was… Which is why I’m not leaving this spot until I think of a deed that makes me as good as Celestabellebethabelle!”

“But Mabel-” Grenda attempted to reason before she was promptly cut off.

“Just leave me be!” Mabel snapped in morose frustration, turning her back to the group as she began pondering over her list once more. The other girls were largely at a loss over what to do to comfort her at this juncture, but even so, they didn’t get much of a chance as Pearl discreetly called them all over to her spot under a nearby tree.

“Alright, enough is enough,” the white Gem began as soon as they had all gathered near her. “It’s time to put an end to this unicorn nonsense once and for all. And the sooner we do it, the better, especially for Mabel’s sake…” Pearl frowned as she stole a sympathetic glance at the miserable girl sitting only a few feet away, desperate to find a way to make herself worthy in the eyes of a creature who clearly didn’t deserve that kind of valiant effort.

“I’m with Pearl on this one,” Wendy staunchly agreed with a deepening scowl. “If you ask me, this whole thing is a serious load. Mabel’s like one of the best people I’ve ever met. We tried getting that hair the nice way; now its time we try the Wendy way.”

“Are you suggesting violence? Sabotage?” Grenda asked, caught off guard.

“Oooo… you know, normally I’m not the kind to approve of such roguish behavior but… in this instance… that sounds… quite intriguing…” Pearl remarked, sending a daring smirk towards the nearby unicorn’s glen.

“Honestly, at this point? I’m up for trying something like that too,” Connie said, crossing her arms. “Its about time someone puts that awful unicorn in her place, so it might as well be us.”

“But what about Mabel?” Candy asked worriedly. “She’s not going to like this…”

“Mabel doesn’t need to know,” Wendy shook her head dismissively. “Look, its time we stopped trying to be so ‘perfect’ and be who we really are. We’re crazed, angry, sweaty animals—well, except for you, Pearl, I guess. No offense.”

“None taken,” Pearl said, nodding for her to go on with her inspiring rand.

“But anyway, we’re not unicorns, we’re WOMEN! And we take what we want!” To punctuate her point, Wendy slammed her fist into the nearby tree, eliciting excited cheers from Connie, Candy, and Grenda alike as well as a satisfied grin from Pearl.

In fact, the newfound revelry was so contagious that Grenda ended up smashing a rather large rock to bits against her forehead, instantly quieting the cheers as the others all looked to her, aptly startled. “…Too much?”

“Ok,” Wendy said as the group huddled in to begin their ambitious, albeit morally ambiguous plan. “Here’s what we’re gonna do…”

Gnasty’s Gnome Tavern was by and large the most popular gnome tavern anywhere near Gravity Falls, largely since it was just about the only gnome tavern in the surrounding area. Its usual patrons were a notoriously rowdy bunch who spent their days knocking back honeysuckle shots and exchanging the regular brutal punch or kick to the face to anyone in the remote vicinity. Yet despite their renowned roughhousing, none of the gnomes occupying the tavern were quite prepared for the much larger group that rather violently burst into the bar completely out of nowhere.

“It’s the cops!” one of the gnomes cried as the tavern was immediately thrown into a panic as the group of girls forcefully pushed themselves into the hallowed-out tree. “Hit the deck!”

“We’re looking for someone who knows how to take down a unicorn!” Wendy shouted fiercely amidst the clatter of scattering gnomes. “No tricks or games!”

“We are human!” Candy yelled, breaking an empty bottle over a nearby table and holding its sharpened end up threateningly. “We take what we want!”

“I know a sure-fire way of K.Oin’ a unicorn,” a rather shady, grizzled gnome sitting in the darkened corner of the tavern spoke up. “Too bad I ain’t in the market for spillin’ that kinda info to a bunch of normal-sized girlies like yourselves.”

“Oh, I think you will,” Connie said coldly, drawing Rose’s sword and aiming its sharp tip directly at the gnome.

“Heh,” he chuckled, surprisingly not surprised by this overt threat. “I like the way you ladies operate. So, listen up. Fairy dust; a whole magic bag’s enough to put a unicorn out cold. But if I do you a favor, then you gotta do somethin’ for me.”

“Just spill it, half-pint!” Grenda roared, slamming her fist against a nearby tree stump.

“Now, now, patience,” Pearl advised much more calmly as she looked back to the gnome with solid seriousness. “Name your price.”

“Butterfly traffickin’ is illegal in this part of the forest,” the gnome began, his voice low and discreet. “But I like butterflies. They tickle my face and make me laugh. Bring me a bag of butterflies and we got a deal.”

The girls all exchanged a dubious glance at this, most of them rather bewildered by how the odd rules and regulations of gnome culture. Even so, they were quick to nod their agreement to this plan, knowing that this haggle would be more than worth it to make Celestabellebethabelle pay for what she had done.

Fortunately, it didn’t take the group but a few minutes to capture a whole bag full of butterflies before meeting up with the gnome in the designated clearing. The others all hid out in the nearby bushes as they sent Grenda in to preform the trade, her manner just as unsuspecting as the gnomes as she quietly handed him off the bag of butterflies before he produced his end of the bargain.

“Two bags of fairy dust, just as we agreed,” he said, turning over two small pouches of the glittering substance.

“Where do you get this stuff?” Grenda shook her head, glancing between the dust and the gnome.

“Everyone likes sausage, but no one likes to know how it’s made,” the gnome smirked as he peeked into his bag of butterflies.

“You disgust me.”

“Hey, you got your poison; I got mine. We made a deal.”

“Yeah, well, the deal’s OFF!” Grenda shouted, blowing a whistle to summon an entire squadron of gnome policemen from the nearby woods. The arrangement with the cops had been an easy enough one to make, one that resulted in a meticulously planned-out sting operation that was already unfolding exactly as planned.

“Freeze!” the chief shouted as the first gnome was heavily pinned down by the other cops, his butterflies quickly swiped away from him. “You’re under arrest!”

“These butterflies aren’t mine! I swear I’ve been framed!” the gnome cried, sending a harsh glare to Grenda and the other girls as they came out of the bushes to join her.

“Tell it to the adorable owl we’ve dressed as a judge,” the chief scoffed as the gnome as hauled away for sentencing. “My cut?” he held his hand out to Grenda a beat later, and she handed him one of the two bags of fairy dust, just as they had agreed upon.

“Has the gnome criminal justice system always been this corrupt?” Connie asked with a somewhat concerned frown over these shady proceedings.

“Oh believe me, they have,” Pearl remarked, crossing her arms knowingly.

With the butterfly bust complete and a full bag of fairy dust still in hand, the group wasted no time in hurrying back over the unicorn’s glen, taking care to not let Mabel spot them as she remained at her spot near the stream, still trying in vain to come up with more good deeds to accomplish. With Celestabellebethabelle distracted with reading as she was, she didn’t even notice as they all slipped into her magical domain, filing in behind a row of rocks and trees so they wouldn’t be seen as they prepared to carry the final steps of their daring plan out.

“Oh, sure, I wish I could travel, but its just not feasible in this economy!” Celestabellebethabelle huffed to herself as she read through her copy of Whinny, Prey, Trot. However, it was only a moment later that the unicorn was struck squarely in the face with the full bag full of fairy dust as a result of Candy’s accurate aim. “W-what the hey-!?” was all she really had time to say before the magical substance did its trick, knocking her out cold. Her attending faun witnessed all of this with apt horror, but as he tried piping out an SOS on his panflute, Grenda was quick to slip out of the shadows and cover his mouth with a towel dosed with a healthy amount of chloroform.

“Sleep now!” she hissed as the faun slowly went limp and unconscious as well. “Sleeeeeep…”

“Alright,” Pearl said as the others hurried over to the fainted unicorn. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Right,” Wendy nodded, pulling out a pair of scissors and a sizable lock of Celestabellebethabelle’s multi-colored hair. And yet, before she could make the decisive cut, their plans all too quickly fell through when they were unexpectedly discovered by the very person they had been trying to keep their ambitions a secret from in the first place.

“No, wait!” Mabel gasped, standing in the entrance of the glen only to see the others about to outright steal some of the unicorn’s precious hair. “Stop! What are you guys doing?!”

“What does it look like we’re doing?” Pearl asked in a careful whisper, glancing over at the still unconscious Celestabellebethabelle. “We’re taking what we deserve, whether that uppity unicorn likes it or not!”

“Yeah, seriously, Mabel, keep it down!” Wendy cautioned, moving her scissors in to clip the hair. “You’ll wake her up!”

“But this is wrong, you guys!” Mabel exclaimed, swiftly taking the scissors away from the cashier.

“But protecting the shack and the temple is good,” Wendy rationalized, trying to take the scissors back. However, before she could, the unthinkable happened as Celestabellebethabelle suddenly began to stir from her momentary slumber only to spot Mabel and the scissors she was unintentionally gripping the very moment she opened her eyes.

“What?!” the unicorn gasped, quickly rising to her feet. “Doth mine eyes deceive me?! THIEF! You shall never be pure of heart!”

“N-no!” Mabel cried, instantly dropping the scissors as she looked to Celestabellebethabelle pleadingly. “Y-you don’t understand! I-I wasn’t… it was… P-please!” she ended up begging, tears falling from her eyes as she made one final, desperate plea to the outraged unicorn, even though she knew it likely wouldn’t help her now. “I-I just wanna be good like you!”

Celestabellebethabelle was more than prepared to fire off a harsh retort at this, however, right as she was about to, this intense confrontation was suddenly interrupted by a very unlikely pair. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” a male voice said, coming from one of the two unicorns that had just emerged from the other side of the glen, one red, one blue, and neither of them looking that amused with Celestabellebethabelle in light of what they’d just witnessed. “Yo, C-Beth, are you seriously pulling that whole ‘pure of heart’ scam again?”

“That is messed up, man,” the other unicorn added, shaking his mane disapprovingly.

“Wait… scam?” Mabel asked, exchanging a confused glance with the others.          

“Listen, kid,” the blue unicorn began rather dryly. “Unicorns can’t see into your heart. All our dumb horns can do is glow, point towards the nearest rainbow, and play rave music.” To prove his point, his horn began to somehow play a bout of upbeat techno music, which he could easily switch off at ease.

“Yeah, the whole ‘pure of heart’ racket is just a line we use to get humans to leave us alone,” the red unicorn said with a knowing scoff.

“Guuuuuys…” Celestabellebethabelle whispered nervously as her entire scheme began to fall apart. “Shut uuuuuup…”

“Wait, so… it was a lie all this time…?” Pearl spoke up before breaking out into a bout of triumphant, albeit somewhat unhinged laughter. “Ha! I knew it! I knew she was a fraud! All these years and I was right! It really was just a cruel trick to tear others down all along! Oh, if only Rose was still around to hear this, I bet she’d feel just as vindicated as I do right now!”

However, despite the white Gem’s zealous excitement, not everyone was as elated to hear the truth of the unicorn’s malicious gambit. “All this time…” Mabel began, her voice low and practically shaking with rage as she crushed her list of good deeds in her hands altogether. “All this time I thought I was a bad person, but you’re even worse than I am!” Her anger reached its mounting height as she threw her notepad down hard, her hands in tight fists as she glared at Celestabellebethabelle, refusing to let the deceptive unicorn be the judge of her any longer.

“Ok, fine,” Celestabellebethabelle huffed haughtily, knowing she’d been caught. “So you learned our secret. We’re jerks, ok? We have more hair than we know what to do with, and we keep it to ourselves just to tick humans off. So, what are you gonna do about it, huh? Huh? What are you gonna do-”

The unicorn was abruptly cut off the moment one of Mabel’s fists made brutal contact with the side of her jaw, instantly drawing some of her sparkling, rainbow-colored blood. Just about everyone gasped in shock in light of this sudden attack, and even Mabel herself was stunned by it as she looked to her own blood-covered hand, one that quickly turned back into a fist as she sent Celestabellebethabelle another hateful glare.

“Woo! Go Mabel!” Wendy cheered, already pulling her axe out of its hoister to join in on the fight.

“Join the dark side!” Grenda yelled, grabbing a nearby log to use as her weapon.

Mabel did just that as she fiercely tore the unicorn stitched onto her sweater off, making it quite clear that her former admiration and respect for the hypocritical mythical creatures was all but completely shattered right then and there. This sentiment of righteous fury carried throughout the rest of the group as well, with Wendy, Candy, and Grenda cheering for the no doubt oncoming fight as Connie swiftly drew her sword and Pearl even went as far as summoning her spear.

“You know, I usually don’t believing in physically harming any of the magical creatures of Gravity Falls,” the white Gem began as her expression slowly changed into a vengeful smirk. “But in this case, I’m more than willing to make an exception.”

“Oh, so it’s a fight you want, huh?” Celestabellebethabelle growled, digging her hoof into the soil below her as her fellow unicorns prepared themselves for the inevitable brawl. “Well, then it’s a fight you’re gonna get!”

Without any further hesitation from anyone, both sides rushed each other, meeting in a violent clash that quickly devolved into boundless chaos. Mabel was initially kicked back clean in the face by one of the unicorn’s hard-hitting hooves, though Connie was quick to swoop in for retribution, slamming the dull edge of Rose’s sword against his head in a decisive move. Grenda had landed one of the other unicorns in a headlock, repeatedly punching it in the face as Candy jumped onto his back and pulled on his hair as he let a heavy neigh of protest. Wendy was the first to get the jump on Celestabellebethabelle herself, only to be nearly trampled underfoot as she reared up high. Even so, she quickly fell back to the ground as Pearl landed a swift, elegant kick to her gut, one that was followed up by Mabel coming in for another punch to her snout. As intense and wild as this scuffle was, none of the girls could really deny that it was cathartic as could be; with each blow or beating they inflicted upon the deceitful unicorns, it felt as though there weren’t just taking out their anger in some much-needed revenge. It felt as though they were righting a grave wrong, breaking out of molds that they saw no reason to belong in any longer, and rising above unattainable standards that never truly existed in the first place. And most of all, they were proving, not just to Celestabellebethabelle, but to themselves, that the content of their characters was no one’s call but their own.

A feat that in and of itself would have been rewarding enough; though socking a sickeningly snobbish unicorn clean in the jaw only made that reward all the better.

As Ford had said, Project Mentum’s mental encryption process worked at an incredibly slow pace, something that Dipper and Steven realized more and more every time they stole a glance back at the screens behind them, which, even several hours later, still only showed its minimal progress at a mere 15%. In fact, it was taking so long that Ford had ended up falling asleep amidst pouring over his notes, leaving the boys to keeping themselves entertained during what was certainly a very lengthy, very boring endeavor.

“Ok, its my turn,” Steven grinned as he carried on the rather one-sided game of ‘I spy’ they had playing. “I spy with my little eye something… blue!”

“My vest,” Dipper answered immediately, clearly far from invested, especially when compared to the young Gem.

“Oh yeah, you got it!” Steven cheered brightly. “Then again, that one wasn’t that tough since there aren’t a lot of blue things in here.” The young Gem chuckled lightly at this, though his humor died down somewhat as he glanced over to far less enthusiastic friend beside him. “Um… Dipper? Are you ok?”

“Huh?” Dipper sat up a little at this, glancing over to Steven briefly. “Oh yeah, I’m fine, its just… we’ve been at this for hours now and it really doesn’t seem like anything’s actually happening.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how do we really even know that this thing is actually gonna keep Bill from messing with us anymore?”

“Well, Mr. Ford said-”

“I know what Ford said,” Dipper sighed in growing frustration, especially as he glanced over at his sleeping great uncle a few feet away. “But how does he know? Why does he have to be so mysterious about Bill anyway? The Gems told us what they know about him, so why won’t Great Uncle Ford? He knows we’ve dealt with Bill before, which means whatever he’s keeping from us, I can handle it! I-I mean, we can handle it.”

“Maybe… he’s just not ready to tell us about it yet?” Steven suggested, largely respecting the author’s call on this. After all, given just how brutal and horrific the Gems’ past was with Bill, it only made sense that if Ford’s previous encounters with the dream demon were anything of the sort, that he’d be hesitant to discuss them. Dipper, on the other hand, was not so easily allayed.

“Hm… or maybe…” he trailed off, his sights still set on the author as his thoughts, made audible by the machine he was still connected to, filled in for him. “Maybe you should just use the machine! It’ll show us his thoughts!”

“H-huh?” Steven glanced behind him, somewhat alarmed to see and hear Dipper’s thoughts once more, especially as Dipper himself hardly seemed to pay them any mind. “Dipper, I… don’t know if using the machine on Mr. Ford is such a good idea…”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, we really shouldn’t…” Dipper said in apparent agreement, though his thoughts clearly said otherwise. “Great Uncle Ford won’t have to know. He’s going to tell you anyway.”

“Y-yeah, I’m sure he will!” Steven interjected anxiously. “Which is why we should probably just respect his privacy and let him tell us when he’s ready! R-right?”

“Right, right,” Dipper nodded, closing his eyes pensively as his thoughts continuing unveiling the truth. “No, not right! The more you know about Bill, the safer you’ll be! The more you can help!” “But then again… it could show us something really useful. You never know.”

“W-well, I do know that I think this is a bad idea,” the young Gem shook his head, his dread growing more and more by the second in light of his friend’s rather concerning thoughts, especially as they began to take on something of a more frustrated tone.

“Easy for Steven to say, he wasn’t the one who Bill tricked and possessed and nearly killed like YOU were!” Dipper’s expression darkened at this recollection, something that made Steven’s heart and stomach both sink in worry and fear alike. And those feelings only spiked as Dipper slowly removed the helmet, his stream of consciousness finally going silent as he kept his resolved sights on Ford and nothing else. “I’m sorry, Steven,” he said, his voice almost unnervingly quiet as he rose to stand. “But I have to know.”

“B-but-”

“It’ll be just a quick peek, I promise,” Dipper assured, casting a brief final glance back at Steven before carefully and quietly putting the helmet on his still-sleeping uncle. “What are you hiding about Bill…?”

The moment that Dipper finished securing the helmet onto Ford was the moment he got his answer. And that answer was much more horrifying than anything either him or Steven could have expected. For as soon as the device began to read the author’s thoughts, none other than the menacing image of Bill Cipher himself appeared on all of Project Mentum’s many screens, floating amidst a background of his iconic, sinister blue flames and cackling like the madman he was absolutely known to be. Unified gasps of equal fear rose up from both of the boys as Steven shot out of his seat, rushing to Dipper’s side as they watched with wide eyes and racing hearts as Ford’s slumbering thoughts told a story that neither of them ever thought they’d see.

“Where are these ideas coming from?!” A much younger McGucket yelled to a younger Ford, harshly shaking his shoulders as he gave him a look of complete and utter distrust. “Who are you workin’ with?!”

“Stanford, you HAVE to tell me what’s going on!” Another screen switched to Rose, her expression rife with worry as she spoke to the author just as urgently. “Who is ‘he’? Why won’t you let me help you instead?!”

“Because I don’t NEED you as long as I have him!” Ford shouted back, quite furious with the pink Gem for whatever reason.

The other screens were just as active as they flashed with an array of alarming images. Ford restlessly tossing and turning in his sleep, lost in an apparent torrent of unseen nightmares. Him writing “I’M LOSING MY MIND!” and “TRUST NO ONE!” into journal 3 in frantic, erratic script. The portal, sparking to life as nothing but sheer darkness and devastation lay beyond its otherworldly light. And throughout all this, several different voices joined in, weaving into this disjointed, frightening narrative each in their own unique, disconcerting way.

“My brother is a dangerous know-it-all…” Stan warned, though Ford himself soon cut him off with a warning of his own.

“He would trick or possess anyone-” the author had said and Steven and Dipper hadn’t doubted him. And yet the next scene they saw was more than enough to make them both doubt everything Ford had every said to them.

“Then it’s a deal,” Ford smiled, young and clearly confident as he held his hand out in offering. “From now until the end of time.”

Bill’s eye flashed with some unknown intent as he also extended a hand, one that was aglow with blue flames as he spoke with faux amicability. “Sure thing! Just let me into your mind, Stanford!”

“Please,” the author’s smile widened, completely oblivious to the danger the dream demon posed as their hands met in a solidifying shake over their ‘deal’. “Call me… a friend.”

The very next thing the boys saw was the result of this deal, Ford himself possessed by Bill, his eyes dark slits against piercing yellow and his voice mingling with the demon’s as they both cackled wickedly together in perfect, awful unison.

While Steven was largely stunned into silence by all this, Dipper only managed to get a few words out himself, even despite his own immense panic as the demon’s telltale maniacal laughter rang in his ears just as much as it had when he had been pulled out of his own body weeks ago. “N-no…” he choked, his voice barely a whisper as he shook his head in disbelief, hoping and practically praying it wasn’t true. “No, i-it… it can’t be… Ford a-and… and Bill?!”

Another sharp gasp rose from both boys as a sudden clamor rose from behind them, and as tense as they already were, they quickly spun around only to find that Ford himself had finally woken up at the very worst possible time. “You shouldn’t have done that…” the author said, his voice low and dark as he slowly stood. By his expression alone it was clear he as tranquilly furious, even though his eyes were obscured by the screens’ bright reflection off his glasses, which only served to make him even more admittedly intimidating as he towered over both of the terrified boys. Even still, Ford hardly seemed to note their obvious fear as he roughly took the helmet off and tossed it aside in his anger. The helmet just so happened to strike one of the many sheets covering the walls as it landed, easily pulling them down to reveal something that only made the boys’ palpable horror skyrocket exponentially.

Hidden behind both layers of curtains and secrets was what could only be defined as an all-out shrine to Bill Cipher. Several statutes prisms and statues of the demon were tucked away into the shadows, almost like twisted idols paying homage and reverence to someone who both Dipper and Steven knew to be an absolute monster worthy of no such honor. But worst of all, the walls were covered in detailed murals depicting Bill’s triangular over and over again, all of his painted eyes seeming to stare down at the frightened boys below them.

“W-what is all this?!” Steven asked, his entire body trembling as he forced himself to look away from the depiction of the demon who had haunted his dreams just a few hours prior.

“W-why… why were you shaking hands with Bill?!” Dipper exclaimed, quickly turning back around to face Ford, quickly glancing around for some means of defending himself and Steven, just in case. Fortunately, the Sword of Seasons was sitting on a table close by, largely since Ford had been tinkering with the invention a bit earlier, and even though the thought of drawing that blade against his own uncle made him sick, Dipper grabbed it nonetheless, as well as the memory erasing gun lying right next to it. “Steven! Grab the rift!”

Steven sucked in a sharp breath at this but he didn’t argue, quickly grabbing the rift off the table next to them, though amidst his rush to summon a bubble to further protect them, he nearly dropped the precious tear altogether.

“Careful!” Ford scolded harshly, his glasses still reflecting gold as he reached out to grab the rift, though he couldn’t get too close thanks to the bubble now surrounding the pair as they began to carefully back away. “Hand me the rift! Now, boys!”

“N-no!” Dipper retorted, trying to sound as brave as he could amidst his mounting fear. “You said Bill could possess anyone so he could get this, but—but you made a deal with him! How do we know you aren’t Bill right now!?”

“Now, just calm down, p-”

“Pine Tree?!” Dipper instantly cut Ford off, finally aiming the memory gun at him as opposed to his sword as memories of constant sleeps plagued with endless nightmares where Bill taunted and teased him with that very nickname flashed through his mind. “Is that what you were going to call me?!”

“I was just going to say please, kid!” Ford rationalized, but even so, his tone was still harsh and cold. By now, the boys had essentially backed themselves up into a corner, leaving them trapped with only Steven’s bubble serving as their only real defense against what could very well be Bill Cipher.

“Great Uncle Ford told me to protect the rift!” Dipper shouted, glancing over to make sure that Steven was still holding it close and tight. “And I’m not about to let you get your hands on it or on Steven’s gem! Get one step closer and I’ll shoot!” He aimed the memory gun up a bit higher at this, with the full intent to fire it off even despite knowing full well what its effects could be. “I’ll erase you right out of Ford’s head!”

“It’s me, Dipper!” Ford yelled hotly, his severity hardly calming either of the boys down whatsoever. “It’s your uncle!”

For the briefest moment, Dipper hesitated at this, his hands shaking as he tried, so very hard to believe that it really was just Ford, that Bill wasn’t using him as his own twisted puppet just as he had been weeks ago. And yet, he knew he couldn’t; because doing so could very well put himself, Steven, and even reality itself at risk. And that was a risk he wasn’t about to take when it came to Bill. Not again, not ever again.

“Steven, drop the bubble,” he said starkly, his tone every bit as shaky as his arms were.

“W-what?” Steven’s longstanding fearful silence finally broke at this, his eyes wide as he clung onto the rift and looked to his friend in disbelief.

“I said, drop it,” Dipper repeated, still not tearing his hardened gaze off of Ford, especially as the author threw his hand down onto the bubble’s pink surface out of anger.

“B-but that’s-”

“I know.”

“But if you shoot him, t-then his memories will-”

“I know, Steven!” Dipper shouted back fiercely, finally looking to the young Gem and allowing him to see just how much panic, rage, and sorrow were all mingled into his expression all at once. “Just drop it already!”

At this final, harsh command, Steven found he could no longer argue as he instead pulled the rift even closer to his chest, closing his eyes tightly as he slowly let the bubble disappear, leaving nothing between them and Ford. Nothing that is, safe for the memory gun that was brightly sparking with its erasing light in Dipper’s hands.

“T-trust no one…” he muttered to himself, tears starting to well up in his eyes as he prepared to squeeze the trigger. The author’s own mantra rung true, certainly in a moment like this, when even the person who wrote it himself couldn’t be trusted. And while Dipper had failed before in upholding it, he knew that he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, not when so very many things that mattered so much to him were at stake. “Trust no one! Trust-”

“Hand it to me!” Ford demanded, and it was at that moment that Dipper knew he had no choice. On a beat of sheer terror and impulse alone, he squeezed the trigger, the bright beam firing off directly at the author as both boys were knocked back by it. Miraculously, the ray struck Ford clean on his glasses, which reflected it perfectly and sent it bounding across nearly every surface in the entire room. Steven was quick to protect himself and Dipper from it by way of his shield, though as soon as the beam struck it, it ricocheted upwards towards the many screens of Project Mentum, where it finally met its end by breaking every single one of them in the process.

And yet, this brief bout of chaos only gave way to another one. Both Steven and Dipper were quick to act on sheer panic, knowing that Bill could very well still be in control of Ford and out to get them both. Dipper quickly dropped the memory gun and took up the Sword of Seasons instead, yet before he could do anything with it, Ford suddenly grabbed him by the back of his vest, easily hoisting him up into the air. He nearly latched onto Steven’s arm as well, though the young Gem had the wits about him to pull away just in time and run, taking the rift with him. That is, until he heard Dipper’s fearful struggle against the author holding him.

“L-let go of me!” he cried, weakly swinging his sword about in moves that showed no signs of hitting Ford, as far out as he was holding him.

“Dipper!” Steven gasped, stopping dead in his tracks as he hurriedly set the rift aside and ran back towards the action. “W-wait! Stop!” The young Gem cried, completely panic stricken as both the events of a particular puppet show as well as his own haunting dreams the previous night came rushing back to him in an oppressive torrent. “I-I’ll give you my gem! Just please, don’t hurt him again!”

Both Ford and Dipper froze at this, surprised gasps escaping both of them as they looked to Steven with what seemed to be horrified shock. And yet, for as shaken as he was, Dipper used this brief distraction to his advantage, finally landing a blow on the author’s arm with the very tip of his sword. It wasn’t too large or deep of a cut, but it did cut through his coat and sweater and break the skin just enough to catch Ford off guard and force him to drop his nephew entirely. Steven quickly rushed over to him, summoning his shield and tightly grabbing Dipper’s free hand as the two of them stood together, more than ready to defend themselves against the demon who had caused them both so much pain and devastation.

Or, at least they would have been if Bill was actually present there at all.

“N-now, now, just calm down,” Ford advised, his tone much softer as he adjusted his glasses, finally allowing the boys to past the reflective glare. “Look into my eyes, both of you. It’s me, not Bill, I promise you.”

Upon seeing the lack of telltale signs of Bill’s possession, Steven and Dipper both finally let out the heavy breaths they had been holding in, yet even so, they hardly relaxed. Dipper in particular quickly picked up another round of hyperventilating, especially as he caught sight of the bleeding wound torn across Ford’s arm. A wound that he had inflicted.

“I-I… I tried to erase your memory…” he began, quickly dropping the Sword of Seasons as he pulled his hand out of Steven’s. “A-and then I hurt you! I hurt you with the same sword you made for me!”

“Dipper, it’s just a scratch, it’s fine,” Ford tried to reassure as he covered the relatively harmless injury, though his nephew was having none of that amidst his massive wave of guilt and anguish.

“No, its not fine!” he practically shouted, his tears quickly starting to return as he pressed his hands to his head in remnant terror. “I messed up so badly! I used the machine on you without even asking you about it because I couldn’t just wait for you to tell us the truth about you and Bill for yourself! And then I just had to go and make it even worse just by being dumb enough to believe you were possessed by him!”

“Dipper-” Ford attempted to interject once more, only to be drowned out by the boy’s ongoing hysteria.

“W-what was I even thinking?!” Dipper yelled, his hand now pressed tightly against his chest as his breathing grew even more short and frantic. “How could I be so stupid?! Every time I try to convince myself that I actually stand a chance against Bill, I only end up doing is ruining everything and it just keeps happing no matter how many times I try to fix it! B-but… but there just isn’t any way to fix this… There’s no way to fix me…”

Dipper had just about broken down into a remorseful, painful sob, yet before he could fall apart again, Steven quickly rushed in to help hold him together. He stilled, letting out an almost inaudible gasp as the young Gem suddenly hugged him from behind, wrapping his arms tightly yet securely around him in a steadying, comforting embrace. “You don’t need to be fixed,” Steven assured, his voice a gentle, warming whisper as tears started to well up in his own eyes. “You don’t need to fixed because you aren’t broken. You’re gonna be ok someday. We’ll be ok. I promise.”

As overwhelmed by his own many mingling emotions as he was, Dipper didn’t offer too much of a response to this reassurance outside of the small, somewhat weak sob he had been holding back. All the same, he did slowly reach up to place his hands over Steven’s, more than grateful for his support and solidarity in a moment such as this. While he wasn’t entirely certain that he’d actually ever truly be ok as Steven had said, what Dipper did want to believe that he did at the very least have a chance at someday moving past all of this lingering fear and dread. And, with someone like the young Gem standing beside him to keep him standing hopeful and strong, that was a belief that he didn’t have too many difficulties holding onto.

Ford let out a long, remorseful sigh as he watched the boys’ embrace slowly break apart, but even so, he largely averted eye contact with either of them, even as he hesitantly spoke up. “Dipper, Steven,” he began rather pensively, clear shame leaking into his tone as he continued gripping his injured arm. “I… deeply appologize for what just happened. I never intended to frighten either of you. But, I can say that if I really had been possessed by Bill, then you both would have done great, especially you, Dipper. I only wish I had been more like you when I was younger…”

Of course, given everything that had just happened, Dipper was quite surprised to hear such praise coming from the author himself. But Ford’s proud smile and comforting hand on his shoulder was indeed finally enough to put an end to his already fading panic attack once and for all as it gave him the realization that, perhaps this time, he hadn’t really made as momentous of a mistake as he at thought. “T-thank you…” he said quietly, somehow smiling in spite of it all.

Ford returned his nephew’s smile briefly, though all too soon it vanished into a look of shame as he glanced up at the countless images of Bill on the walls surrounding them. “I was a fool to hide all this…” he said, a hint of bitterness in his tone as he shook his head. “The reason why I’ve been trying to prepare you boys for Bill’s tricks is because Bill tricked me. It’s the biggest regret of my life. Bill wasn’t always my enemy, you know. In fact, I used to think he was my friend…”

1981

For six years, Ford’s ongoing research of Gravity Falls and its incredible anomalies had been going strong and steady. With the invaluable help of the Crystal Gems, he had unearthed discoveries that would certainly boggle the mind and ensure him a coveted spot in the scientific community once he one day published his findings. Yet even despite this success, the young researcher still craved to know more; he wanted to know exactly why Gravity Falls was such a hotbed for strangeness, where did all of its bizarre creatures and landmarks originate from, how did such unbelievable things even exist in their world at all?

And yet, for all his wondering and all his theorizing, these were questions that Ford never seemed to find the answers to on his own.

Even despite the Gems’ vast knowledge on the oddities of Gravity Falls, they themselves were plagued by the same questions of their origins as well. Which was why, when the collective group had dedicated themselves to uncovering those answers, they all too quickly hit a stark and heavy roadblock in their research. Weeks of intensive thought and pointless leads had gotten them nowhere closer to discovering the truth, and even despite Rose’s warm encouragement and reassurance, Ford was starting to become rather frustrated by his own lack of any concrete findings. If he couldn’t discover just why Gravity Falls was so strange in the first place, then what was really the point of any of his hard-earned research at all? Without a strong and proven theory to back it all up, certainly no one would ever believe his accounts of the paranormal, downright mythical sights the town had to offer. He might as well have packed all of his things up and headed home, a thought he had considered as his hopes running dryer and dryer by the day.

Until…

In order to clear his jumbled thoughts, Ford had, almost randomly, decided to take a break from his research to go on a calming walk through the woods. Bereft of the Gems by his side as he usually was, the author casually decided to venture down an unmarked path he had never taken before, only to happen upon a mysterious, somewhat darkened cave that had never showed up on any of his maps of the surrounding area whatsoever. Curious, Ford ventured inside, with only his lantern light to guide him, only to find something that left him reeling with amazement. The entire cave was covered in ancient markings that likely dated back thousands of years; though they it was somewhat hard to make out, the writing described a powerful being who possessed the answers to all of humanity’s wonderings. And yet, despite such miraculous claims, the cave markings were also quite grave, with dire warnings against summoning this being lest impending doom and disaster strike. All the same though, Ford was desperate; certainly, if such a being did exist and was as wise as these carvings claimed, then perhaps they might be willing to finally provide him with the truth he so intently craved.

And so, with only slight trepidation, the young researcher read the summoning inscription aloud, only for nothing to apparently happen as a result. Disappointed with what he assumed was nothing more than ancient legends and folklore, Ford left the cave, eventually deciding to take a brief rest under the shade of a tree not too far away. Of course, the young researcher hadn’t expected to doze off in the warmth of the afternoon sun, but he did all the same; and as he did, his dreams provided him with what he believed, at least at the time, was nothing short of a miracle.

Needless to say that Ford was quite amazed upon opening his eyes only to find himself floating amidst a vast, peaceful space-scape, one littered with countless stars, notes, lab equipment and even journals quite similar to his own drifting all around him. The young researcher had no idea what to make of any of this as he began exploring this intriguing space, only to be met by something, or rather someone even more bewildering.

“Hiya, smart guy!” Ford spun around with a gasp upon hearing this unexpected voice echoing through the void, but who he saw was the last thing he could have ever expected. It was a being that was, simply put, a triangle, bright yellow in coloration with only a single slitted eye to emote with and thin black limbs to over the young researcher a friendly wave of greeting. “Whoa, calm down there! Don’t have a heart attack, you’re not 92 yet!”

“W-who are you?” Ford asked, his initial alarm turning into immense curiosity at such a bizarre being.

“Name’s Bill!” he introduced himself brightly with a cordial tipping of his long tophat. “And your name’s Stanford Pines, the man who changed the world! But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s relax! Care for a game of interdimensional chess?” With a simple snap of Bill’s fingers, a translucent chess board appeared out of midair, along with a comfortable chair on each side of it. “Have a cup of tea!” he exclaimed warmly, materializing a teapot and cup to pour into, one that floated directly over to Ford, who was more than fascinated by this point.

And thus, their friendly game of interdimensional chess was underway, and through it, the young researcher was able to learn a good bit more about his new acquaintance. According to Bill, he was a muse, one who chose to inspire one brilliant mind every century with his boundless knowledge and wisdom. And with apparent excitement in his tone and a playful wink of his singular eye, he cheerfully informed Ford that, impressed by his zeal in researching Gravity Falls, he had selected him to be the one to receive his otherworldly insight next. Of course, the young researcher was elated by such an incredible offer, and, without really thinking at all, he gladly accepted it on the spot.

From that point on, Ford wholeheartedly considered Bill to be his research partner just as much as he did with Rose and the other Gems. And yet, for as excited as the young researcher was by this new alliance, Bill gently cautioned him against informing the Crystal Gems of it, mostly to keep from arousing any distrust or suspicion on their end. While Ford was somewhat confused by this warning, he decided to uphold it nonetheless, for certainly the Gems, as stuck in their rather alien ways as they often were, wouldn’t understand the contract between himself and a higher being such as Bill.

Even so, right from the start, Ford saw the immediate benefits of his newfound deal with Bill. Not too far into their regular meetings within the dreamscape, the triangular being unveiled the very thing the researcher had been looking for: a way to finally answer his longstanding questions concerning Gravity Falls’ weirdness. According to Bill, all of the town’s strangeness leaked into it from another dimension entirely, and the key to discovering that dimension would be by way of a grand gateway, a portal to another world entirely. To this end, he even provided Ford with complete schematics to such a seemingly impossible machine, one that he gladly allowed the researcher to add his own ideas and equations onto to improve it even more. After all, it was as Bill told him: this was how genius happened, and all as a result of a little help amongst friends.

And, for the longest time, that was what Ford fully and fool-heartedly believed.

So construction of the portal began, with the Crystal Gems and Fiddleford to aid Ford on the corporeal end of things while Bill continued to provide his unseen yet very impactful assistance through his dreams. As weeks turned into months, Ford’s determination on the project grew even more determined and intent, especially as Bill regularly reminded him that the portal would certainly give him all the answers he had ever hoped for and then some. To further lend his aid, Bill even volunteered to keep work on the portal going, even when Ford himself was too physically exhausted to persist. By simply allowing his muse to come and go through his mind, possessing him as he pleased, the young researcher saw his productivity practically spike tenfold, pushing progress on the portal along even faster. What Ford didn’t notice amidst his enthrallment with the invaluable help his muse was providing him with, however, were the worried looks Fiddleford often sent his way, the confused whispers between the Gems as they wondered exactly what was going on, the general, unvoiced dread between his other partners in general as they questioned whether or not they were the only ones working with the author on his mysterious portal after all.

And all too soon, they all were quick to discover such worries were not unfounded, in perhaps the worst way possible.

The moment that Ford and the Gems hurriedly pulled Fiddleford out of the finished portal after he was accidentally sucked into it was the moment the author began to suspect something was wrong. However, his alarm only grew when the mechanic and the Gems all angrily quit the project in a huff, leaving him alone with his anxious pleas to Bill, pleas that were only answered by quiet, sinister laughter and a single, ominous message: “The door is open…”

Desperate to know exactly what went wrong, Ford ventured back into the familiar dreamscape him and Bill often met in, determined to get to the bottom of exactly what path his supposed muse had led him on. “Bill!” Ford shouted hotly, rushing towards the triangular being as he lingered before a tear in the space-scape, one filled with vague silhouettes of countless untold nightmarish creatures. “You lied to me! Where does that portal really lead?!”

“Hoho, looks like Mr. Brainiac finally got smart!” Bill laughed deviously as he turned around to face the author, no longer masking his malicious intent. “Let’s just say that when that portal finishes charging up, your dimension is really gonna learn how to PARTY! Right guys?” he asked his apparent ‘friends’ inside of the otherworldly tear, who all simply roared and cackled in a chorus of wicked triumph.

At first, all Ford could do was let out a gasp of shock as he realized just how much of a monster Bill truly was. But blinded by flattery and charming games as he had been, the author had never once considered that the demon planned on tricking him, had been using him as nothing more than a foolish pawn to meet his own destructive ends all along. “N-no!” Ford exclaimed, resolved to fix this incredible mess he had mad. “I… I’ll stop you! I’ll tell the Crystal Gems everything and together, we’ll shut that portal down once and for all!”

“Ha, as if!” Bill rolled his eyes, clearly not taking the author seriously. “You really think Quartzy and those Crystal Chumps are ever gonna trust you again after all this, then you’re gonna be sorely disappointed! All the same, a deal’s a deal, Sixer! You can��t stop the bridge between our worlds from coming, but it would be fun to watch you try! Cute, even!”

At that very moment, Ford awakened with a stark gasp, his eyes wide and his heart racing as he reeled with everything he had just heard. Bill had betrayed him, that much was clear and there was no undoing the massive mistake he had made by even trusting the insane demon in the first place. Which meant that the only thing he could do now was try to minimize the damage before things could get any worse. Acting quickly, the author shut down the portal in the hopes that it would never be active again, lest Bill gain access to the Earth as he so eagerly wanted. From there, Ford quickly filled what he could of his third and final journal with frantic and paranoid warnings concerning the demon and his tricks, even though he planned to hide his research so no one could ever finish the demon’s treacherous work.

And yet, despite these valiant efforts, Bill had been right in the fact that his deal with Ford still very much stood. No matter how much the author tried to protect himself against the demon, Bill still had complete access to his mind, just as they had agreed years ago. Just about any time Ford happened to slip into the depths of slumber, even amidst his growing panic and insomnia, Bill was more than happy to take over, littering the journal with his own inane coded ramblings and even going as far as to injure his pawn just for fun. In fact, it was in the midst of one of these wild spells of possession that Rose herself happened to discover just how much Ford had really been hiding from her all along.

“Stanford?” the pink Gem called as she entered into the author’s secluded study one chilly autumn day months after their own partnership had ended. “Are you in here? I-it’s been a while since any of us have heard from you and I’m starting to worry if-”

Rose cut herself off with a sharp gasp as she finally spotted Ford, digging a knife into his upper arm as he slowly looked back at her with a huge, uncharacteristic grin of sheer, sadistic glee. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about Sixer here, Quartzy!” he quipped in a voice that the pink Gem immediately recognized. A voice she had never wanted to hear ever again. “In fact…” His smirk widened as he pulled out the blood-soiled knife. “I’d say he’s doin’ A-ok!”

“I-it… it’s you…” Rose shook her head in disbelief, her voice but a stunned, genuinely fearful whisper.

“Yep, it sure is me!” Bill exclaimed brightly as he began to walk over to the terrified pink Gem. “Right here in the flesh. Or, I guess in Fordsy’s flesh, but since he did decide to let me in whenever I want, I guess you could say it is mine after all!”

“B-but… but how did you… when did you-”

“Oh, it looks like Sixer really did chicken out about telling you after all, huh?” Bill asked with a knowing glint in his slitted yellow eyes. “Turns out I’ve been the one pulling his strings all along! Dumb old ‘Brainiac’ here let me give him the plans to a certain gateway that I remember someone else promising to build for me way back when. A gateway that’s gonna give me a one-way ticket to your perfect little planet, Quartzy.”

“M-my… t-the portal?!” Rose gasped, overwhelmed with shame and terror at the thought. “N-no… no, you… you tricked him! You tricked all of us, just like you did before! If I had known that you were behind all of this, I would have never allowed Ford to-”

“See, that’s just it, Quartzy!” the demon interupted smugly. “You didn’t know. No one did, and all because it was so easy to get him to do whatever I wanted. Now that I mention it, that sorta sounds like you, doesn’t it? In that case, you really do belong down here with these dumb old humans seeing as how you’re just as empty-headed as any of them are!”

Rose practically had to fight back the urge to draw her sword upon hearing such callous remarks, reminding herself exactly who the demon was possessing at the moment. “G-get out of him,” she ordered as sternly as she could. “Right now.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m leaving,” Bill shrugged casually. “But only ‘cause Fordsy’s about to wake up. In the meantime, have fun dealing with the fact that you’ve basically doomed your precious planet over several times over. See you and that rock you still owe me next time, Quartzy!”

And with that the author’s eyes fell shut, his entire body growing limp as he slipped into unconsciousness. Rose barely managed to catch him before he hit the ground, healing tears already spilling down her cheeks to work on the several injuries Bill had left behind as Ford slowly, painfully awakened.

“Hm… R-Rose?” the author groaned as he opened his eyes to find the pink Gem anxiously hovering over him.

“F-Ford…” the pink Gem whispered, holding back a sob. “Why didn’t you ever tell me a-about… about him…?”

Ford quickly looked away from Rose at this, knowing exactly who she was talking about and not even having to ask how she found out about him. “B-because…” he began, deciding to finally be honest with her. “I was too ashamed to tell you about the terrible mistake I made…”

“No,” Rose corrected, offering a hand to help him up. A hand that seemed to offer so much more than that and then some. “It’s a mistake we made…”

And it was a hand that Ford only barely took. For even though he immediately came clean to Rose about his deal with Bill as well as the demon’s inevitable betrayal right then and there, he still hesitated to trust her any further with helping him in the matter. After all, he had trusted Bill and had seen where that had gotten him. How could he trust Rose, or anyone else for that matter after such a cruel and immense deception?

But in time, he did decide to trust her again, though only for the sake of helping him hide his final journal away. Later he would wish he had only trusted her more, for perhaps if he had, it could have saved him from all of the tragedy and woe that had began following him like a shadow. And yet, he didn’t, deciding to walk alone in his fear and anger and carrying one, single sole resolve all the while.

To stop Bill Cipher’s twisted ambitions. No matter what the cost.

Present Day

“Bill’s been waiting for the gateway to reopen ever since,” Ford finished his lengthy tale, his tone still quite grave as Steven and Dipper tried to take it all in. “All he needs to do is get his hands on the rift. To Bill, its just a game, but to us, it could mean the end of our world…”

“Oh man…” Dipper sighed, shaking his head with immense worry. For so long now he had been preoccupied with the threat that Bill potentially posed to himself and his friends that he had never really even considered just how destructive and devastating the demon’s ends really were. But now, it was clear; if Bill had his way, then certainly nothing would survive, a fact that only served to make both him and Steven alike fear him even more than they already did, if such a feat was even possible.

“Oh man, indeed…” Ford nodded with serious agreement, briefly glaring up at one of the many images of Bill on the surrounding walls. “I know that I might never truly be able to compensate for the foolish error I made in trusting Bill, but I’d still like to think that preventing him from getting that rift is a start. Unfortunately though, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make up for the brief time I actually decided to trust him over Rose…”

“Why not?” Steven asked with a worried frown.

“Well, simply because I never got around to making amends with her,” Ford sighed rather sadly. “I was so consumed by paranoia and dread at the time that the thought never really crossed my mind to just… appologize to her for all that went wrong between us. I chose Bill over Rose and I completely ruined our partnership and our friendship as a result. I’d easily count that as my second biggest regret because now… well, I doubt I’ll ever get the chance again.”

The three of them were quiet for a long time after this, all of them feel rather small under the scrutiny of the eyes of the effigies of dream demon on every wall around them. In time, it was broken, again by Steven, whose voice was small, but sincere as he addressed Ford once more. “I think she would have forgiven you…”

The author couldn’t help but finally smile in spite of this, knowing that, even if that forgiveness hadn’t come from the pink Gem herself, it still felt genuine and comforting all the same. “Thank you, Steven,” he said, choosing to believe that if Rose herself was still around, then perhaps she would have said the exact same thing.

An air of solemnity hung between Ford, Dipper, and Steven as they went upstairs, largely since Project Mentum was no longer a viable option to safeguard them against Bill. Their thoughts and worries were still largely on the dream demon, even as they unanimously decided to take a much needed soda break around the kitchen table in what was initially fretful silence until Dipper ended up breaking it.

“Ugh, I’m still so embarrassed about earlier…” he said, clearly bothered by his burst of blind panic in the study. “I’m such an idiot.”

“No, you’re not!” Steven chimed in earnestly. “You were just scared, we both were! At least this time, if we really had been up against Bill, we would have been able to fight him together. Just like we will next time, right?”

“Right,” Dipper said with a small laugh, truly comforted by the young Gem’s continued reassurance.

“Dipper, I can assure you, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Ford added just as sincerely. “From now on, no more secrets between us. We’re not the first ‘idiots’ to be tricked by Bill, boy. But if we all work together, then we could be the last. And the same thing goes for you too, Steven. For now, I suggest following what the Gems said to protect your gem from Bill at all costs. I’m still not sure how him getting his hands on it would factor into his plans, but we can only assume that if he did get it, the outcome would not be good.”

Steven simply nodded at this, still resolved to do what he could to keep his gem out of the demon’s possession. Even if he did still secretly wonder if his own mother really was the one to promise it away to him or not…

“But… what about Bill?” Dipper spoke up anxiously. “I broke the machine! Now we have no way to protect the shack or the temple!”

“Did somebody say unicorn hair?!” Mabel shouted as she suddenly burst into the room, slamming down a fistful of shimmering, rainbow-colored hair onto the table. Pearl, Connie, Wendy, Grenda, and Candy all filed in behind her, all of them looking much worse for wear with torn clothes, bruises, scratches and various multicolored unicorn fluids covering them from head to toe. Even so, they all wore bright, satisfied smiles, their mission accomplished and their vengeance against Celestabellebethabelle and her deceitful tricks achieved.

“Um… no actually,” Dipper frowned, pushing Mabel’s hand away as she playfully waved the hair in his face.

“Oh. That would have been perfect,” she shrugged before quickly perking up again. “Either way, we got some unicorn hair!”

“Also some unicorn tears, unicorn eyelashes…” Candy listed before Grenda continued, holding up a large, ornate chest.

“They finally gave us this treasure just to get rid of us!” she proclaimed, dumping the contents of the chest onto the table to reveal a massive horde of gold and jewels.

“Not to mention we got to put a very irritating, very unethical unicorn in her place,” Pearl said, crossing her arms with a smug smirk. “So all in all, I’d say it was a very successful day.”

“Also, a pretty weird one, what with that butterfly sting operation and our all-out brawl with the unicorns,” Connie added, rubbing some unicorn blood off her arm.

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Steven exclaimed, stars in his eyes as he looked to the girls. “I knew you guys could do it!”

“It… can’t be!” Ford exclaimed, just as amazed as he looked to the plentiful clump of unicorn hair Mabel had gathered. “This is a great day, girls! With this unicorn hair, we should be able to completely shield both the shack and the temple from Bill’s mind reading tricks!”

“Is it ok?” Mabel asked, her tone hopeful as she handed the hair over to her uncle.

“Its better than ok, its perfect!” the author laughed warmly as he placed a proud hand on his niece’s shoulder. “You’ve protected your family and your friends. You’re a good person, Mabel.”

“Aw, thanks, Grunkle Ford,” Mabel smiled, glad to hear it. After all, she’d much rather have the approval and support from those she cared about then some uptight, uncaring unicorn any day. “But today, I’ve learned that morality is relative!”

Before anyone had the chance to question her on this somewhat bizarre life lesson, Stan suddenly rushed into the room, hurrying past the treasure-laden table and grabbing a plentiful armful of it in his wake. “MONEY!” he shouted wildly as Amethyst ran in after him, grabbing yet another load of treasure with a rowdy laugh and another bout of her somewhat botched Spanglish.

“Viva larga CHASH MONEY!”

Not wanting to waste any more time to risk subjecting themselves to Bill’s tricks any further, Ford and Dipper got to work, Steven and Pearl both volunteering to join them in erecting shields around both the temple and the shack. It was a lengthy, somewhat dull process in gluing the long strands of unicorn hair around the foundations of both structures, with the temple in particular proving to be something of a challenge given its large perimeter and odd structure. Even so, as soon as they were done, a magical shield, covered in mysterious protective runes and symbols, bloomed around both buildings before fading back into invisibility, ensuring that them and everyone within them, would be in no danger from the dream demon’s tricks.

“Perfect!” Ford grinned as they finished up on shielding the shack. “This should protect us from Bill. As long as we’re inside either the temple or the shack, our minds—and gems should be safe.”

“What a relief!” Pearl sighed as she placed a hand on Steven’s shoulder. “If only we had something like this 24 years ago. It would have saved us a lot of trouble, to say the least.”

“Well, who knows?” Steven interjected with an encouraging smile. “Maybe now that we have these barriers put up, there won’t be anymore trouble!”

“Yeah,” Dipper agreed, unable to hold back his own allayed grin. True, Ford had said that the protection spell was only a safeguard and not actually a way to vanquish Bill once and for all. But if it truly could give them a much-needed reprieve from the demon’s mental games and relentless tormenting, then for now, it would be enough. “No more trouble. I’d say that sounds like a pretty good deal.”

Unbeknownst to the group standing outside of the shack, they were all being watched by a familiar, singular eye, one that was carefully observing their every move from his home deep within the unimaginable depths of the horrific Nightmare Realm itself. Bill couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh as the motley crew celebrated their success, success that he knew was only going to be very short lived if he had anything to do about it.

“That’s what you think, Pine Tree,” the demon remarked, hands held behind his back as he finally looked away from his peek at the shack. “Still, I guess if I can’t possess anyone inside the shack or the temple, then I’ll just have to find my next pawn… on the OUTSIDE…”

At this, the demon’s eye rolled back, a variable roulette of people and Gems alike, either in or around Gravity Falls: McGucket, Lars, Candy, Pacifica, Jenny, Tyler Cutebiker, Mr. Smiley, Lazy Susan, Manly Dan, Sadie, Soos, Onion, Peedee, Greg, Robbie, Lolph, Dundgren, Barb, Jamie, Durland, Blubbs, Kiki, Sour Cream, Preston, Priscilla, Toby Determined, Mr. Fryman, Malachite, Nanefua, Lee, Nate, Ronaldo, Blendin, Connie, Shandra Jimenez, Kofi, Kevin, Grenda, Vidalia, Mayor Dewey, Gorney, Tambry, Yellowtail, Buck, Bud, and Wendy. As far as Bill was concerned, any of them would make excellent puppets to use in furthering his sadistic schemes along.

And fortunately for him, he already had the perfect pawn in mind…

 Next: 

[kpopboysreact]

Zuho SF9 A-Z NSFW

A – Aftercare

Zuho seems tough and scary on the outside, but he’s such a kindhearted person. You were one of the few people in his life he really opened up with and exposed his true self around. After being as vulnerable with you as two people in love can get, he would want nothing more than to pull you into his arms and hold you tightly against his chest as your breathing slowed and he could feel you drift to sleep while pressed against his body.

B – Body Part

He loves his nose. He’s said it before and I’m sure he’ll say it again at least another dozen times. He’d love it if you pressed tiny kisses against his nose while cuddling. He would find it so adorable you might actually just melt him. About you, he would find your shoulders attractive. He would love to kiss them and massage them after a long day.

C – Cum

He likes to see his cum cover your tummy but sometimes he would get so lost in the feeling of being inside of you that he wouldn’t be able to help himself and he’d cum inside you. If you weren’t comfortable with that though, he’d make sure not to.

D – Dirty Secret

He wants you to take charge just to see what it would be like, and he often fantasizes about it. He’s a soft dom, but every now and then he wants to be taken care of, too. He wouldn’t ever tell you though because satisfying you would be his priority, But he wouldn’t complain at all if you wanted to take charge for once.

E – Experience

He’s more experienced than you may think, having had a couple of partners in the past. He’s no expertise, but her certainly knows what he’s doing.

F – Favourite Position

I think he would really love spooning you while taking you because he could hold your body against his then hold the position for a little while after finishing. It’s just relaxing to him.

G – Goofy

He’s not very goofy during sex but that doesn’t mean he’s against having fun and being lighthearted if that was what the mood called for!

H – Hair

He only trims his hair if it gets uncomfortable down there, but other than that he prefers to just let it grow. Unless you preferred it shorter in which case he’d probably overdo it trying to make you happy.                                                                     

I – Intimacy

He’s just so in love with you that it wasn’t hard for him to really be intense and intimate during sex. But as afore mentioned, he has his goofy moments.

J – Jack Off

He jacks himself off at least three times a week. He’s super busy being in a rookie group and they just had a comeback so he’s been even more busy lately. He doesn’t have much time to have sex so he often turns to his hand. But you can be assured that he’s always thinking about you when he’s getting himself off.

K – Kink

He loves it when you lick your lips. That turns him on soooo much. Don’t even get him started because you will be in for it.

L – Location

Zuho prefers to keep sex to the bedroom. If you wanted to try a different location, he would consider it, but he really does prefer to keep sex to the bedroom.

M – Motivation

If you were to ever write songs with him, he’d keep losing track of what you two were talking about because his thoughts would be stuck on whether or not you’d be okay with him pinning you against the wall and taking you right then and there.

N – NO

He would never have sex in another member’s bed. Never. Not even gonna go there.

O – Oral

He loves giving you oral and rubbing his nose against your clit. He likes to draw your orgasm out of you nice and slowly so he can savour your time together since he’s so busy. He’d never turn down the opportunity to receive oral, but he prefers giving.

P – Pace

Zuho would start out with slow, deep thrusts inside you, but he would eventually get too lost in you and the heat of the moment and end up thrusting sporadically into you.

Q – Quickie

They’re not his favourite but he’s come to appreciate quickies since they allow you two to be close and intimate more often during his busy schedule.

R – Risk

Zuho isn’t the most risky person out there. He doesn’t always like the goofy part of himself in bed with you; he wants you to know that he takes you seriously, so he doesn’t take as many risks because he just wants every time you two have together to go perfectly. No unexpected surprises means no goofiness.

S – Stamina

He can keep it up for a while. Most commonly you’ll only get one long round out of him, but he could usually go for a second equally long round if you’re up for it.

T – Toys

He owns a couple but he prefers to get you off himself. It feels more intimate to him that way.

U – Unfair

He only teases you a little bit because he knows that if he teases you too much, you’ll tease him right back and he can’t handle that. If you do decide to tease him, expect it to be cut short…

V – Volume

This guy is a groaner. He’s going to groan a lot in your ear with that deep voice of his. He can get pretty loud, but he tries to control himself and his noises. If you told him you wanted to hear his moans though, after blushing for eighty years, he would comply.

W – Wild Card

I kind of mentioned this before, but he wants to pin you against the wall and fuck you roughly. He’s just always so gentle with you that the thought of such a rough act makes him hard.

X – X-Ray

Couldn’t find a bulge pic for him so here’s a sexy gif for ya instead~

Y – Yearning

He wants you a lot. So much so that he actually gets embarrassed and often keeps it to himself. If you noticed when he was turned on though, you two would have a bunch of fun times together.

Z – Zzz

He won’t fall asleep until he feels he has sufficiently cuddled with you. And even after that, he won’t fall asleep until you’re already asleep in his arms.

[graysonpuzzle]

Ghost

Soooo this is chapter two! This is something that I wrote a long time ago and am publishing on here because why not. After the next few chapters it will be me actually writing it as I put it on here. Warnings: language, violence. I would love feedback!

The Puzzle

CHAPTER TWO

————————

December 19th, 2006

“What can I get for ya hon?” A female bartender asks me.

“A beer please,” I reply with a faint smile.

She sets a bottle right in front of me. “Alright, here ya go, let me know if you want anything else,” she says with the signature ‘I have to smile at you’ smile.

“Thank you.” I came to Manning a month ago. I just finished a hunt in Oregon and decided to take a break. I’ve been having panic attacks a lot more lately, which are very annoying. On top of that, I barely sleep. I want to, but it’s like something in my head is stopping me every single time.

The cabin is close enough to the bar to walk. I walk up to the front door and through my shivering, find my keys and let myself in. I take off my layers and throw myself onto the couch. I grab the blanket I left on the arm of the couch and put it over myself. Maybe tonight I will actually sleep for more than 3 hours for a change.

I wake up with a start and my eyes dart to the clock on the wall. 4:22 am, wow, a whole 5 hours. I stretch my legs and let my toes touch the other side of the couch. That’s when

I hear a sound…a footstep. My instincts kick in and I jolt to my feet. I creep to the other side of the room to grab my knife from the side table. I go to the hallway and the first door is open. I don’t remember if I left it open or not; I check in really fast and it’s empty. I let out a small breath of relief right before two arms wrap around me like a snake.

I quickly throw an elbow into my attacker and he stumbles back, letting me go. I turn to face him and lift my knife, ready to fight.

“Who the hell are you?!” I demand.

“Gordon,” He replied simply, well why the hell is Gordon here?

“Ok, Gordon, why are you attacking me?” I ask, my eyes watching his every move.

“Nothing personal, just some business,” he states.

“Business!” I spit, “What the hell do I have to do with your business?!”

“It will make sense after you help me.”

“No way am I helping someone who broke into my house and attacked me!”

“You are just making things so much more difficult,” he says as if I’m a child he’s disappointed in.

“What is wrong with y-” I start but he shoots at me, barely missing. I stand there in shock, which is a mistake because he knocks the knife right out of my hand.

I run at him and put both hands on his shoulders and try to drive him into something. I fail though, because he is stronger than me. In my attempt, he headbutts me and I see stars instantly. I take a few steps back to gain my sight but he charges me and we go flying into the small kitchen. He then throws me into the kitchen table; it almost breaks on the impact.

“You son of a bitch,” I say, barely audible. If he wants a fight, then I’ll give him a fight. I run straight at him before he can even flinch and I grab his head with both hands then bring his nose directly to me knee.

Blood gets all over my jeans and I can feel the warmth of it seep through the material. I step back to recover.

“You’re definitely Daniel’s granddaughter,” He says, holding his hand to his bloody nose. How the hell does he know my grandfather? Is Gordon a hunter too? It doesn’t matter, he started this and I need to finish it.

“If you’re so sure then why attack me if you know I was trained by one of the best?” I taunt and run at him again, but this time he catches me by the shoulders and slides his hands up to my neck. He grips my neck tighter and throws me against the wall, still grasping tightly.

“I have my reasons.”

“Your reasons suck,“ I choke out and kick him right in the jewels. He lets go of my neck and bends down a bit, giving me the perfect opportunity to punch him in the head. He bends farther down; at first I think he’s giving up but I see him pull a knife from his boot.

“Really? I was expecting a clean fight,” I say.

“Gotta do what ya gotta do,” he says and lunges at me with the knife. I scream in pain and look down at my left leg. He stabbed my right in the thigh.

I touch the wound with my hand and when I bring it up, it’s doused in blood. He then grabs my arms and twists them behind my back and pushes me towards the table. I try to kick at him, but my leg is in so much pain that I can’t stop tripping over my feet. He then puts a hand on the back of my head and I know exactly what he’s going to do next. He slams my head into the table and everything goes black.

I wake up with my limbs tied to a chair and a rag in my mouth. It looks like I’m in a motel room.

“Look who finally woke up!” Gordon chimes and I just glare at him, hoping my eyes alone send the right message. “Maybe when all this is over we can hunt together, you’re one hell of a fighter!”

Why don’t we torture children and kill puppies too?

“Maybe not,” he answers himself, “Well, I have to make a call.” He gets out his phone and puts it to his ear. I stay quiet to try and hear who’s calling.

“Hey there, Dean. Listen, I found your friend and I thought you might want to see her…what’s her name? Grayson! You meet me at the coordinates I send you, or she and I will have a little fun. Well if you don’t believe me, here she is” He pulls the rag out of my mouth.

He pinches the wound he stabbed in my leg earlier. I let out a shriek and grind my teeth. “Hear that? I suggest you come as fast as you can.”

“You’re psychotic!” I shout.

“No, I’m a hunter who’s about to do the world a favor.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sam Winchester is a monster, and if he isn’t stopped, well, it won’t be pretty.”

“Sam is a hunter! Why on earth would you want to kill him?!”

“He’s not like us…he can kill people.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty different than the average hunter, and I’m pretty sure you are capable of killing people, so how about I kill you?”

“I’m human,” he says, his voice stern and serious.

“So you think Sam is some kind of monster?” I ask

“I know he is,” he states as he glides over to the window, pulling the curtain back.

“You hear that?” He asks, referring to the sound of Dean’s car. He comes over to me and shoves the rag back in my mouth through my fighting.

Gordon positions himself behind the door. It slams open and Dean bursts through with Sam close behind. Gordon attacks Dean while Sam runs over to me. He undoes the ropes around my hands and goes to help Dean. I untie my legs and take off the gag. I stand up, leg still hurting, and walk to where Sam and Dean have Gordon pressed into the wall. I punch Gordon with a wide swing.

“Try anything like that again, you son of a bitch and I will kill you,” I threaten.

“What would your grandpa say about that?” He asks, obviously trying to make me furious.

I get right into his face and speak through my teeth, “first of all, he’s not here, second, if he was he would want me to kick your ass and third, if you so much as come into the same state as me, I will not hesitate to shoot you, do you understand?” I send another blow to his head. It doesn’t feel like enough so I do it again, then a third, fourth. I form another fist, ready to hit him again, but one of the boys grabs me and carries me away from him.

“Let go, let go of me! Put me down!” I yell, kicking my legs, ignoring the stab wound again. Sam sets me on the motel bed and I try to get up, but he pushes me to sit down by my shoulders. I lift my hands to my face, resting my elbows on my knees.

“Can we just leave?” I ask through my hands. I can feel myself on the verge of a breakdown. The me from two months ago would hate all the freaking out I do now.

“Dust in the wind,all they are is dust in the wind.

Just a drop of water in an endless sea.

All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see”

Dean is driving, Sam is sleeping the passenger seat while I sit in the back, keeping my leg propped on the seat. I stare out the window and the volume of the Kansas song goes down.

“Alright, what’s up with you?” Dean asks.

“Nothing.”

“Last time we saw you, you took out a whole vampire nest and now you’re letting Gordon get the best of you?” he asks, I’m a little offended, but at least he’s being honest I guess.

“Maybe my only living family died since then and I haven’t been hunting as much because of the…” I trail off, not wanting to tell him. Something in my mind clicks.

“Why did he go after me?” I ask.

“Gordons just crazy,” he states and I notice his grasp on the steering wheel gets tighter.

“Bullshit,” I counter.

“Look, can we wait until we stop somewhere to talk about this?”

“Gordon said he attacked me for business, he said a bunch of crap about killing Sam,” I tell him.

“Look we barely know you, we have no idea why he would go after you and especially no idea what he meant about Sam,” he is lying, I can tell from his body language.

“You’re such an asshole.”

“Why? Because my brother and me saved you?” He argues. Does he really think I owe him for getting me kidnapped?

“Don’t you dare act like I need to be so grateful, you got me into that mess and you are going to tell me the truth. Both of you.” I cross my arms and look out the window. He lets out an exasperated breath and focuses on the road. I don’t know how, but I will make them tell me.

After a few more hours of driving we reach a little saloon with ‘The Roadhouse’ on the top.

“Alright Sunshine, this is the roadhouse, a safe place for hunters I guess.” Dean says before reaching over and shaking Sam awake. We walk into the roadhouse, Dean leading while Sam and I are side by side behind him.

“Hey boys!” A woman shouts at them.

“Hey Ellen” They shout back in sync and walk towards her as a follow behind.

She looks me up and down, “Who’s this?”

“This is Gryson, Daniel Elkins’ granddaughter.” Sam answers for me. She looks at me again and stares for what feels like the longest seconds of my life.

“Hello,” I say awkwardly.

“You look just like your parents,” she states, “mother’s hair, daddy’s eyes.”

“You knew them?” I ask, I don’t remember much about them, so this excites me.

“Of course! Ryan and Elizabeth were great, came by here a lot between hunts,” she explains. Hearing about the makes my eyes water. I’ve never heard anything about them except when grandpa would tell me about how they faced certain monsters. I guess everyone notices my eyes and Ellen decides to change the topic.

“So boys, whats up?” Ellen asks them.

“Wondering if you have anything for us, actually,” Sam replies and a small blonde girl walks around the bar and eyes the boys. Maybe she’s one of their girlfriends or something.

“Hey guys,” she says.

“Hey Jo,” Dean greets her.

“You should give them that haunting case,” She tells Ellen.

“Can we see it?” Sam asks and Ellen puts a folder between the two of them. While they look at it, I spin my chair and take a look around. There’s a lot of people here and based on what Dean told me, they’re all hunters.

I get a tap on my shoulder, it’s the blonde, Jo, offering me a beer. “You look like you could use this,” she says, setting it in front of me.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, so what are you doing with these two?” she asks, nudging her head towards Sam and Dean.

“I honestly don’t know,” I say and take a big gulp of beer.

“So what’s it like?” She asks, and I have no idea what she’s referring to.

“What’s what like?”

“Hunting.”

“I haven’t been doing very much of that lately,” I say honestly, looking into my beer because I start to feel a little embarrassed.

“Did these two get you into trouble or something?” She attempts to joke, but I don’t laugh.

“Just got a bit off track…Where’s the bathroom?” I ask, trying to end the conversation.

“That way,” she answers and points across the room. I get up and walk past a lot of hunters, most of them men except for maybe 3 girls total.

I walk past a table of guys who look only a few years older than me. I try to ignore their annoying laughter and keep my eyes forward. I get past their table and my ass immediately stings. I turn around stiffly but quickly and stare at them with rage heating in my cheeks.

“Which one of you drunk bastards smacked my ass?” I fume and they all start losing themselves in fits of laughter. One of them raises his hands up, admitting he is guilty. I grab him by the collar and bring his face close to mine, I can smell the alcohol in his breath.

“What are you gonna do baby?” He asks and smiles sarcastically.

“Well first, I’m gonna take you out to your car,” I purr, “then, we’re going to go where nobody s around,” he starts breathing heavy like a pervert, “and I’m going to cut off the hand you touched me with, using the biggest machete I own,” I finish and his eyes go wide.

I let him go and turn to walk away, but once again, someone touches my ass. I whip around and this time it’s a different guy. He smiles at me and I grab him by the wrist then fold it between my arm and I hear it crack.

“OW!” He yells, “SHE BROKE MY WRIST!”

“I told your friend here not to touch me, and then you go and touch me. Seriously dude,” I say and the whole saloon is looking over at me. I look at the group of guys again, “In case you were wondering, I can kill every single one of you with my bare hands, so keep yours to yourselves.”

I look and see Sam, Dean, Ellen and Jo look shocked but amused. I finally get to go to the bathroom and sit back at the bar.

“So do you wanna help us with a hunt, get some practice?” Sam asks, waving the folder around.

“I don’t need practice.”

“You said you haven’t been hunting as often, and you got taken out by Gordon, and he’s a lousy compared to you,” he teases, a small grin forming on his face.

“You weren’t there to see the fight, I was winning until he cheated and stabbed me,” I say pointing my my newly bandaged wound.

“Either way I think you should come with us,” he persists.

“You think I can’t handle hunting by myself?”

“Maybe,” he says and sips his drink, not breaking our eye contact. A smile creeps on my face.

“Fine, I’ll go, but after this you two need to take me back to Manning…Where is Dean anyways?”

Sam turns around in his chair to look at Dean flirting up one of the girl hunters. I raise my eyebrows and laugh. “No offense, but your brother is a piece of work,” I joke and he laughs along with me.

“A haunted school?” I ask from the backseat, my arms resting on the front seat so I am at the same level as them.

“Yep,” Sam replies from the passenger seat. We reach the small town and just by looking I can see it’s a close knit community. Everyone stops to say hi or wave at each other. I keep looking and outside a coffee shop a woman stares at us, but it feels like she’s looking directly at me. We get to the motel and start the usual routine: check into rooms, and start researching.

Sam and Dean are hunched over a computer looking up old newspaper articles about deaths meanwhile, I’m pacing back and forth in the history section reading up on the high school. I hear a shuffle on the other side of the giant shelf and turn, I shrug and continue reading the book. I make another lap at the end of the bookcase and bump into someone on accident.

“Sorry,” I say before looking up.

“Must be a good book,” a woman’s voice says.

“Yeah this town’s history is very interesting,” I say without looking up again. She walks away and I look up just in time to catch her face. It’s the woman who stared when we first got to town. I lose the book and head over to Sam and Dean.

“Got anything?” I ask, but I’m still curious about that woman.

“Well the first death at the high school was on December 20th, a kid named Roger Colson,” Sam says.

“And that day every year someone dies,” Dean adds, “did you find anything?”

“Well, every year the victim dies when there’s no school, so it’s always either teachers staying after, kids with detention, sports teams at practice, never during actual school,” I tell them.

“Well, we only have a day, so let’s get a plan and then we can stop whatever this thing is,” Dean says and starts putting on his jacket to leave.

We wait until dark to get into the school and look around. We walk around together, looking thoroughly through everything.

“So if today’s the 20th, then where the hell is this thing?” Dean asks, obviously annoyed that we haven’t found anything yet.

Something clicks. How did we not catch it before? “Guys, a better question is, where is the dead body?” I ask.

“Were there any non-school related murders, like strangers that walked on campus or something?” Dean asks me and Sam.

“Not that I found,” Sam replies and looks back at me.

“I didn’t see anything, you guys were looking up the death records,” I point out.

“Great, so this spirit either killed already or it’s going to kill us,” Dean says.

“Lets hope for the latter so we have a better chance of even finding it,” I say.

We decide to split up, each of us takes a section of the school. Dean gets to check the second level, Sam gets the lower level and I get the extras; auditorium, gym, music room, etc. because they all have their own little branches away from the normal classrooms.

I check the music room first; it boring, smells funny and there’s no murderous ghost. Next I walk to the auditorium. I walk through the double doors and it’s pitch black except from a small light on the stage. I walk to it and hop up onto the stage.

“Still haven’t found that ghost huh?” A woman says, I turn to look behind the curtains and the woman from the library is walking towards me.

“Who are you?” I ask her, and put my hand on my knife that’s trapped to my thigh.

“Your worst nightmare,” she states.

I roll my eyes at her and scoff, “Yeah sure you are.”

“Maybe I’m not your worst fear, but I’m the reason you’re going to be dead in a few months,” she says teasingly and crosses her arms, “my name is Mindy.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Now I’m confused.

“You’re a hunter. You kill things that go bump in the night; I get it, it’s your job. But my job is to hunt the hunters.”

“You’re psychotic,” I spit.

“No, but I am pretty evil,” She says and her eyes flick black, a demon.

“Why not just kill me now?”

“I like to play with my prey, I know it’s childish, but demons like to have fun too,” she says with a wicked grin on her face.

“I like to kill monsters, demons especially,” I retort.

“Oh, I know. I know everything about you.”

“Bullshit.”

“I know that your parents went on a hunt and never came back. You can thank me for that,” she smirks.

“There’s no way. They could’ve been killed by anything.”

“I also killed your grandmother, I was about to kill your grandfather too, but the vampires beat me to it, so now I’m moving on to you.”

“So what, are you just hunting down my family?”

“And anyone else I can get in between.”

“Well I’m the last one bitch, so might as well get it over with.”

“No…like I said earlier, demons like to have fun too,” she winks and walks away, “and by the way, your spirit friend is in the gym.”

She disappears behind the stage curtains and I make my way out of the auditorium. There’s no way she killed my family. If she did, what’s the point of just going after one family of hunters rather than multiple? I shove the thought out of my mind and walk down the long hall to reach the gym.

I walk in and it’s freezing. I get my gun ready and keep walking. I get goosebumps and I know the thing is near me. I turn around and there it is. A pale white man in a suit coming towards me. I shoot and he disappears. Who the hell was this guy? A principal or teacher? I pull out my phone and call Sam.

“Find anything?” He asks.

“Yeah, and was the first death a teacher or something?” I ask, a different spirit comes at me but I shoot and start running out of the gym; hopefully he will follow.

“It was a math teacher, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, he’s on my tail, do you know his name?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, we just need to burn the bones.” I say and shoot at the ghost behind me.

“Where are you?”

“Leading this thing right to you,” I hang up and hopefully Sam gets Dean to burn the bones.

I keep running and shooting, but the thing keeps popping up seconds later. My thigh is burning and I can’t help but slow down. I turn a corner and slide a little so I have to grab onto the wall. When I pass classrooms, I turn my head to see if Sam is inside. There are only a few rooms left and I don’t see Sam in any of them. Almost everywhere I go a new ghost pops up, probably all the victims. It’s like they’re all after me.

I hear a gunshot behind me and stop to turn. Sam is running down the hall towards me and a dozen ghosts come charging towards us.

“GO! GO!” Sam shouts and runs towards me. I run into the nearest classroom, Sam right behind me and we shut the door. He gets salt out of his bag and starts making a circle.

“What the hell was that?” I ask out of breath.

“I don’t know, but I told Dean we could hold them off until he burnt  those bones, so we’re on our own.”

“What if he’s not even the right one? I mean there were at least 15 ghosts chasing us out there,” I say and step into the salt circle.

“Maybe he’s controlling them or something, maybe the other ones are afraid of him.”

“So do we just wait and find out?”

“I guess so, just see if they all stop when his bones are burned.”

The door bursts open and multiple spirits come into the room. Sam and I start shooting, but then wind picks up in the room; it’s like a tornado and blows away our salt circle. I run out of ammo and reach for my belt for more. Sam is busy defending himself, so a ghost takes the opportunity and touches me.

She puts both her hands on each side of my head and pain begins to seep in. I crouch to the floor and the next thing I know, I’m standing in the hallway. But it’s different, it’s crowded with students and there’s banners with the year 1978 on it.

Its like im in a dream. Or a memory. I see a girl who looks like the ghost that touched me. Next I am flashed to what looks like the principal’s office. the girl is sitting and talking to him, but it’s not the ghost I saw earlier. I’m flashed again, but this time the girl is in the bathroom, but the principle is still there. he stalks towards her and there is a knife in his hand. He murdered her. But he wasn’t a ghost, he was a living human being.

I’m flashed to another scene. its another murder, but I recognize the victim; he was murdered last year and this time the principle isn’t alive, he’s a ghost himself. The vision goes black and I’m snapped back to reality. Sam shoots the ghost and helps me up.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Its none of them, these ghosts are trying to warn us… it was an old principle,” I say and the ghosts stop and stand still, ”they’re all past victims trying to help us, the principle killed people while he was alive and continued after he died.”

Sam pulls out his phone and I know he’s calling his brother.

“Dean, we got it, its an old principle,” he stops and asks me his name, “his name is Geoffrey Jordan…we just know okay! Hurry, it’s almost midnight.”

“What now?” I ask.

“Well, I guess we just try and not get killed.”

“Well that makes sense.” I say and he rolls his eyes.

“We should get moving,” he says and he tries to push the door open. It doesn’t budge, “what the hell.”

“I think he finally came out to play.”

Since we’re locked in, we get our guns ready. the temperature drops and we can see our breaths. I get goosebumps and lookup to see that behind Sam is the principle.

“DUCK!” I shout at Sam, then shoot after he does. The ghost vanishes. Once again, Sam gets salt and makes a circle around us.

“Hopefully this will hold him off long enough for Dean to burn the bones,” Sam says as he finishes the circle.

I look around the classroom for anything useful. It looks like a chemistry room with a bunch of lab stations with sinks and glass containers. So basically, everything in the room the ghost can use to hurt us, but we can’t hurt it. The principle appears and he grins while he turns on the nearest sink. I don’t understand what he’s doing, but then I see where the water is headed: towards us to wash away the salt. I’ll admit, this spirit is pretty persistent.

Sam notices as well and has an irritated look on his face, “seriously?”

“He really wants us dead,” I say and he comes towards us and we shoot. I run out of ammo, and stop to refill while Sam stays on guard. I hear the clatter of something on the floor and look back at Sam. Mr. Principal got it from his hands. He walks closer to Sam and I finish loading my gun. I shoot and save Sam’s ass for a second time today. Then again, he and  Dean saved me from Gordon, but it’s their fault so, yeah.

Sam goes across the room to get his gun while something tugs at my ponytail and slams me to the ground. This asshole ghost recovers fast. Sam shoots and offers me a hand. I take it and he helps me off the ground.

“Thanks.”

“We need to get out of here,” he says and tries the door again.

“How is he so fast? I’ve never seen a spirit that recovers like that,” I wonder out loud.

“Lets think about that later and focus on getting away before he actually hurts us.”

There’s only one other way to get out of this room, the ceiling. It looks like the kind of ceiling with movable boards. “The ceiling,” I say and he nods, and gets on top of one of the counters then pops of the ceiling board.

He climbs up and I try to get up but it’s too high for me even on the counter. Sam reaches his arms down and pulls me up into the vent. This is such a cliche plan, crawling through the vents/ceiling in need for escape, seriously.

“So what if our little friend traps us up here to?” I ask, starting to panic, fear kicking in. I wouldn’t say I have claustrophobia, more like I have a fear of confinement or being physically stuck anywhere.

“Then we’re screwed,” he states simply, “but we just need to get a few feet and make it to the hallway…Wait, are you scared right now?”

“No,” I reply, rather aggressively.

“It’s ok if you are, I mean everyone is afraid of something, and looks like small spaces is yours.”

“Actually, i’m not afraid of small spaces, it’s actually pretty roomy up here, I just don’t like the idea of being stuck or confined somewhere that I don’t want to be,” I argue as we crawl.

“Alright, sounds reasonable,” he says and pull up another ceiling board when we’ve crawled for a bit, he looks down and nods.

He jumps from the ceiling and I hear a thud as he lands on his feet, I follow and when I hit the ground my leg almost gives because of the freaking wound Gordon gave me. We start walking down the long hall towards the exit that’s all the way at the end. The spirit appears again and comes charging at us, we both shoot, but he sweeps himself to the side and dodges both our shots. This is one freaky spirit. He keeps coming and we keep shooting, failing each time.

He finally comes close enough to knock Sam over and throw me a few feet in the opposite direction, both of our guns away from our reach. The ghost makes his way to Sam, making his choice on who he wants to kill. I get up quietly and dash over to my gun. The principle notices and turns to attack me, I slide on my good leg and get my gun. I shoot at him from the ground and I hit him. I get up and run over to Sam, picking his gun up for him on the way.

I get to him but he’s unconscious, what the hell did that ghost do to him? I reach down and check his pulse: he alive. I try to shake him awake, but he doesn’t wake up and the spirit returns. I stand up and ready my gun.

“Come on, asshole! Face me!” As soon as the words leave my mouth, he appears in front of my face and I get shoved across the hall again. I guess he decides he wants to kill me instead because he takes his hand and I feel it go through my chest. It’s not painful, but it’s not pleasant either.

“Doesn’t hurt,” I spit and he takes both hands and moves them to my head like the victim ghost did earlier. I experience a stronger pain and scream worse than earlier. this time all I see is people dying, kids, parents, teachers and more. I scream at him to stop but he doesn’t. The vision ends abruptly and I wake up short of breath to see another ghost holding him off. There’s multiple now, all the past victims are holding him away from me. I stumble to my feet and try shaking Sam again, but it doesn’t work a second time. I struggle to pick him up and put his arm over my shoulder. Hes such a big guy that I struggle to stay balanced, so I set him on the ground again and pull him by the arms down the hall. If this wasn’t so dire I’d probably be laughing, but obviously I have to worry about staying alive. I drag him as fast as I can towards the exit that’s only about 15 feet away. I look back and the good ghosts are losing, the principle overpowering them.

I try to go faster when I see there’s no other spirits holding the homicidal one back. He has a maniacal grin on his face as he charges towards us like a gust of wind.

He throws me over and I faceplant on the tile. I turn on my back to try and hold him off and just as he’s about to lunge at me, he bursts into flames. Finally, Dean found the bones. I let out a sigh of relief and rest my back on the concrete wall and reach for my nose. It is bleeding from the fall and I’m pretty sure a bruise is forming on my forehead.

“Thank you, Dean, for not letting us die!” I shout even though he’s not there and sit in silence, trying to clean up my nose with my shirt.

I hear Sam’s phone ring from his pocket and assuming its dean, I reach into his pocket and answer it.

“Sammy?” Dean asks.

“No, Grayson, he got knocked out by the son of a bitch that, if he only had 2 seconds, would have slaughtered us,” I rant.

“Why is he- forget it, I’ll be there in 5, don’t move,” He commands and hangs up the phone.

“Whatever you say.”

Dean gets here minutes later to find Sam still unconscious and me tending to my never ending nosebleed.

“How the hell did he-”

“I have no idea, the thing separated us for a minute and the next minute he was unconscious,” I say before he finishes asking his question.

“I knew I should’ve stayed, I knew you couldnt handle it,” he says looking at his brother then shifting his gaze to me.

“Yeah and maybe I could’ve found the bones before anyone got knocked out or almost died, since you could barely handle it,” I defend myself.

“You know what, it’s not my fault you’re unstable and couldn’t handle watching anyone’s back but your own.”

“Unstable? are you kidding me?”

“Last time we saw you, you took on a vampire nest without making a plan and then you freaked out and broke everything within 10 feet of you, so yeah, I would say that’s unstable.”

“Why don’t we worry about your brother instead of arguing about my infinite problems?” I fume.

“Help me get him up,” he commands and despite my anger towards him, I help and we take Sam to the car and put him in the back seat.

Dean and I don’t speak on the drive to the motel. Sam wakes up right before we pull into the parking lot. They get a shared room while I get my own thats a few doors away. I decide to take a shower before I go to bed. I get out of the steamy bathroom and throw myself on the bed, falling asleep as soon as my body hits the soft surface.

The next morning, Sam knocks at my door and I get ready to go. We pay for our rooms and get in the car. None of us speak while the music plays. Sam clears his throat and I can tell he feels awkward.

“So want to come on the next hunt with us?” he asks me.

“No.” Dean and I reply at the same time. Sam wrinkles his brows, confused.

“I’m sorry, but you’re brother is a dick and I’d rather not spend more time with him than I need to.”

“Listen Sunshine, I don’t want to hang out with you anymore than you want to hang out with me.” Dean says.

“What is wrong with you two?” Sam asks.

“Your brother thinks it’s my fault that we had a close call with that ghost last night.”

“You let him get knocked out!” Dean argues.

“Oh yeah, I remember almost dying actually so you can shove it right up your ass!”

“GUYS! Dean, the ghost separated us long enough for him to knock me out, it wasn’t her fault, and Grayson, he’s just being protective, no big deal,” Sam intervenes.

I let out a huff, cross my arms and rest against the seat. Dean turns up the radio and Sam  just stares out the window.

Hours later we pull up to the Roadhouse. I walk in ahead of the Winchesters and ask for a phone book. I open the book on the bar counter and Dean sits down beside me.

“What are you doing?”

“Running a marathon,” I reply.

“Look, I’m sorry about the crap I said,” he apologizes.

“I’m sorry I called you a dick.”

“But really, what are you doing?”

“Looking up a cab service or something,” I say before Sam joins us.

“I think I just found another hunt,” Sam states.

“Yeah, just one more hunt, sunshine!” Dean insists.

“Fine, but it better not be another ghost, I’ve had enough for now.”

“Actually, it’s a werewolf,” Sam replies.

Thanks for reading if you did! I feel like these chapters are really long, but at the same time I want certain things to be in each chapter. Maybe I should separate the chapters into parts? Idk

[saltzmanbabes]

can you do sanvers with do you have any idea how wrong that was please?

"Do you have any idea how wrong this was?" -Sanvers"Do you have any idea how wrong this was?!!?" "Felt pretty right to me...""It's not funny Maggie! Kara is gonna kill me if she finds out!" Alex exclaimed with wide eyes. "She's not gonna find out Alex, relax babe." Maggie reassured with a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder. "We should be ashamed of ourselves. What we did was not right.." Alex was panicking at this point. "How about we just wash the sheets before Kara gets home, huh? Doesn't that sound like the best thing to do?" Maggie could tell Alex was taking this was more seriously than she was. "She'll know! She has superpowers! You think she won't be able to tell that her sheets are clean?""Babe, I don't think she'll care." Maggie seriously did not understand all the fuss behind this. "She may have superpowers, but I don't think she'll really be able to question why her sheets are clean."Alex was too busy biting her fingernails dwelling on what she had just done with her girlfriend...on her sister's bed. "Gosh, what was I thinking?""Alex, can you please relax? Seriously, it's not a big deal." Maggie said as she began stripping the sheets off Kara's bed. Alex just watched as Maggie gathered all the sheets and pillowcases, and tossed them in the washer machine. As the wash cycle started, Maggie couldn't help but laugh looking at Alex's face. All of the color had drained from Alex's face as she continued to pick at her cuticles. -A little over an hour later, the dryer ringed, indicating that the laundry was done. Alex jumped up from her place on the couch, and almost bolted to the dryer. She hurriedly pulled all the laundry out and threw it on Kara's bed. Again, Maggie just laughed in amusement at Alex's disposition to their fun a little earlier on in the day. Once Kara's bed was all made up as if never touched, Alex plopped down on the couch once more, letting out a giant sigh in relief. She had managed to clean the sheets on Kara's bed all before Kara herself came home to question her. Alex wouldn't have been able to handle the embarrassment of telling her little sister, whom she loves and respects very much, that she and her girlfriend might have had some pretty sweaty sex on her bed... Alex could never tell Kara that and dirty her innocent little alien ears. Alex was pulled out of her thoughts to her phone dinging, indicated a text. She looked down to see it was from Kara. "Running late, but coming with takeout!!!"Maggie sat with Alex on the couch with 2 open beers, and handed one to her. "Good work there agent, I like seeing you move so swiftly." Maggie flirted with a kiss on the cheek. Just then Kara walked in holding a bunch of bags obviously containing tons of takeout. Lena following closely behind with even more bags of takeout. "Hi guys! Sorry it took so long, the line was soooo looooong.""It also doesn't help that you ordered 3 extra orders of spring rolls." Lena jokingly rolled her eyes. "No problem. No problem at all." Alex answered very quickly. Maggie couldn't help but giggle a bit.They all sat down to eat and talked for a while before Maggie and Alex stood up to leave. "Oh wait, let me get your blanket that you left here the other night from when we had movie night!" Kara said, already running to her room. "No, it's oka-" but Kara was already gone. "Here you go.." Kara said handing the blanket to Alex with a strange face. Alex was afraid what was gonna come next out of her sister's mouth. "Umm Alex? Did you clean my room for me?""No, I just washed your sheets because I figured they needed to be cleaned, so you don't get sick, and so you can sleep more comfortably, and so it smells good, and I know sometimes Lena gets a rash from the rough sheets, and plus why not clean them, you know? Mom always said that sweet dreams come from clean sheets and I jus-" By the look on Kara's face, she couldn't keep up with a word Alex was saying. "Babe? I think it's time to go." Maggie interrupted Alex, grabbing her arm and slightly pulling her towards the door. "Right, okay, bye. Seems you later. Both of you. Bye." Alex still rambled, walking out the door. "Thanks for dinner guys, see ya later." Maggie followed. Right as the door closed behind them, Lena laughed out "Your sister and her girlfriend totally had sex on your bed." All the blood rushed to Kara's face as she choked on the image in her head of her sister naked in her bed, while Lena just laughed hysterically in the background.

[katybeth23]

Vacations

[comicteaparty]

April 11th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on April 11th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe~! (https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

hey super~!

Superjustinbros

Coming in and I'd like to give a big shoutout to that header image on the comic's Tapas(edited)

I dunno, I thought it looked badass

RebelVampire

it is a nice header image. although what sells it for me is the logo design. its a really nice logo.

for favorite scene, hmm. ya know, i cant not pick it. the convention scene. that scene legit almost made me cry at how touching it is both with its message about how anyone can cosplay whatever they want regardless of how they look. not to mention the themes of reaching out to others. all wrapped in a nice package of no dialogue so that its the emotions at the center forefront.

Superjustinbros

Yeah.

Also this guy's hair.

RebelVampire

i like his hair and his smile combination. like both scream cocky little shit design wise and i love it cause he kind of is a cocky little shit. XD

Superjustinbros

Oh yes XD

Cocky little shits are my favorite

RebelVampire

another scene i want to show some appreciation too is the scene where we first meet kit's mom. like, i knew it was coming from the chapter title. but i enjoyed the twist it was her step-mom and theres a deeper issue going on. it turned what was easy to guess to something surprising again just by how the story plays out the reveal

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1370747 This is a pretty good page.

Hm, Doug McClure sounds a awful lot like this chap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUg6e072vgA

RebelVampire

anything in particular you like about it super?

Superjustinbros

The last two panels.

And the followup

https://tapas.io/episode/1371714

dat backside

RebelVampire

i really love the back shot composition. like what a great way to show overwhelming odds

mathtans

Evening. Made it as far as the start of the Bully arc, so late 2018.

Superjustinbros

Yeah. Also ello

I love also how Doug's got like, a million pouches on his belt

I dunno it's a detial I like

mathtans

Yeah, the convention stuff was good. Some of those real-life scenarios that made you want to shake people are good when done right.

Superjustinbros

Yes

mathtans

I'm not sure if I have a big favourite moment, but I have some little ones. Like when that "pinball wizard" thing played as Kit was taking on that nozzle in the gaming store, and it turned out it was the coworker.

The guy at the school in the knight suit, who had the fascination with corndogs. Weird background detail, added some humour to an otherwise tense scene.

RebelVampire

i love the corndog knight

i want a spin-off comic of just them

cause i want to know about them

why are they a knight

why corndogs

so many questions

mathtans

Heh. Made me think of that other bounty hunter, pointy-ears, who also couldn't speak.

Also, did not expect the female reveal there.

And I liked how the scientist flipped out over his research having the higher bounty than himself. Like, that trumped everything else he was in the process of dealing with and he went on a rampage. Amusing.

RebelVampire

yeah the scientists in general was fairly hilarious in everything he tried to prioritize. although i enjoyed that at the end of the mission the crystal wound of broken anyway. cause i felt it was fitting given everything it had been through

mathtans

I thought it was really clever how the rock was used to blind the scientist. Kitty is this weird mix of hyper competent (like when she used the snack habits of that one guy to track him down) and absent-minded (like when she then didn't make a grab for the compound).

I'm not saying that's unrealistic or anything, I can totally see it.

Very "living in the moment" with a dash of forward thinking.

RebelVampire

nah i agree shes a really interesting character. like at first i wasnt sure id like her but some of her plans have been pretty spot. and to be fair a lot of the absent-minded ness you could write off as it her being a kid. so of course shes expected to be a kid and not always think through with her actions.

a more comedic moment i liked was at the end of Mor where Kit and Mary both have to stand there awkwardly making their false apologies to the whole school. this page especially cracks me up just cause of the sheer height diff between the two. i think that makes it extra hilarious https://tapas.io/episode/1215017

mathtans

It's true. And I'm still wrapping my head around the kid thing.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. One of the comic’s focuses and highlights are the action sequences found within. Of the characters Kit has pursued so far in her bounties, which has been your favorite? Why is that? Likewise, which bounty did you think had the best fight choreography? What do you specifically think makes the choreography the best one? Do you think we’ll see any of the criminal characters again? If so, what could that mean for Kit? Considering many of the villains parody stereotypes and similar things, what other sorts of characters do you think or hope we might see? Lastly, do you believe Kit will encounter more of her professional rivals? If so, what do you think will happen?

its okay i had my struggles wrapping my head around but the convention scene really cemented it for me for some reason. but that might just be personal association of conventions being largely for the youth.

mathtans

Incidentally, I wondered initially about the use of "der"... and then when Kitty used the term "Hoser" I thought she was Canadian. That proved incorrect, what with the Norwegian thing.

Ahh... yeah, I went to a certain convention for 20 years straight soooo...

Like, I want to ship, but it feels wrong. Normally if they're young I just think of it as cute, or picture them as older, and neither of those things kinda work here.

I wonder how big Kitty's gonna get when she's 20.

RebelVampire

i didnt start going to conventions till i was an adult but at the same time my experiences is that theyre largely dominated by the youth. not to say there arent older adults there. but the youth are the ones always around drawing attention to themselves being loud. but i digress, just wanted to give context for why it worked for me

mathtans

That's fair.

RebelVampire

tbh i just assumed she was full grown. cause i was actually only an inch or two shorter than my full height at 13 cause i sprouted up early

mathtans

As to the question of the moment, I admit I'm not huge on seeing action and choreography, tending to be bigger on characters anyway. Which is probably why that scientist one sticks out so much, since we got his whole backstory and everything.

I am gonna be in for such a shock when my little one grows up, aren't I.

That short gangster guy who stole the boat might return. It was implied.

RebelVampire

and i legit cant imagine kit taller cause she literally towers over everyone. although is she still shorter than her dad? cause if she is, shell probably be his height.

mathtans

I think she is. I'm equally bad at noticing that sort of thing.

RebelVampire

id have to look again just cause it wasnt something i was looking for and her dad was only in so many scenes XD

im torn on my answer to this question of the moment. i think i agree i like the scientist the best cause he got a lot of backstory. not to mention when kit was doing their dialogue for them from the roof i was like "nah shes gotta be exaggerating" then we meet the scientist and nope, he really is just that arrogant and she was spot on. so overally he was definitely the most entertaining

but for fight choreography, im picking the first bounty with the spin off kool aid man. i really enjoyed the use of the environment and just the sheer level of destruction that was visited upon that grocery store

mathtans

She knows her business. I wonder how long she's been at it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about that one. I liked when Kitty roped the random customer.

RebelVampire

i liked when after the fight ended, the old lady asked if the employee who was buried under rubble basically could get her a new box

MoeAlmighty

And that was most difficult one to come up with

mathtans

The one with the orcs going after cows was also good, not for the fight (which I think was offscreen) but world building. Until then it was sort of, like, what's reality here anyway.

Oh, hello creator.

MoeAlmighty

Hello there all ^^\

mathtans

Rebel: That was a good scene for setting the tone.

Superjustinbros

Hello Moe!

MoeAlmighty

Thank you. It's always a challenge to come up with a beginning for a series.

Superjustinbros

Thanks for this cool comic of yours.

MoeAlmighty

Howdey

Thanks

Superjustinbros

No probs

And yeah all this talk about conventions is reminding me of all the ones I've been going to lately. Comic focused ones and hugely commercial conventions are easily the most populated-by-youth ones.

mathtans

"Annie" con was a clever name.

MoeAlmighty

It was a little play on words. I always like to make those little puns when I can(edited)

RebelVampire

i did enjoy the orcs with the cows. probably just cause of the extreme accent going on in that dialogue. but i also just love this concept that someone would think clearly humans are only good cause they drink milk. like someone really watched those got milk commercials too much.

mathtans

I very much approve of puns. Also Senshi Kitty.

The head orc was milking his time in the spotlight.

Superjustinbros

Puns are always good

RebelVampire

i do agree with you math that i got the impression well see the gangster who got away from the scientist again at some point. what it means for kit? i could see her being extra determined to catch him since he got away last time. but then maybe thats when well see buff elf chick again who is out for revenge.

MoeAlmighty

Defintely. Orcs have always been my favorite fantasy race to play around with

mathtans

biab

RebelVampire

i do appreciate orcs getting some love in a way cause in my experience theyre really underutilized in a lot of fantasy settings. can find elves everywhere, but nobody wants the orcs.

MoeAlmighty

Well nothing is off the table.^^

Orcs have always been treated as the bad guy or the henchman merely due to their monsterous appearence.

RebelVampire

speaking of not elves, i really like that this guy turned out to be the real villain from bully bully https://tapas.io/episode/1348464. partly cause it was a good twist that it was a bully victim becoming the bully. since that is very true to life. but also, selfishly, i noticed this character immediately in the background one time and i was like "ah man what an interesting looking side chara too bad well never learn about him" and then we learned about him.

QUESTION 3. Even in Kit’s dynamic world, she still has some unique mysteries surrounding her. Why do you think Kit is the only female in her family to receive Freyja’s blessing/curse, especially after it’s been so long it’s almost a myth? What do you think the story is behind Kit’s rage modes that seem to take over when she gets mad? What do you think happened to Kit’s mother, and why is Kit so sensitive about the subject of her mother in general? Additionally, why did Mary calling her mother a whore set her off in particular? Lastly, how do you think Kit got involved with being a Bounty Killer? Why do you think her family lets her pursue the career given how dangerous it all is?

MoeAlmighty

Oh yeah the Goblin. I thought it was a perfect opprotunity to not just introduce the Goblins , but I was also playing around with laying out clues in plain site for the reader to notice.

Superjustinbros

That's smart thinking/writing

MoeAlmighty

There are plans for future stories that are straight up mysteries Kit will have to sovle.

RebelVampire

that sounds exciting and like a good challenge for her character too.

in regards to the current question, i want to dissect the fact that kit's specific phrasing about her mother was that mary hadnt even cared who her mother was as a person. and to a degree, i kind of feel like it was projecting that set her off. that kit herself didnt know a whole lot about her mother. so it might not be so much that her mom was called a whore that did it, but that someone would make a bold claim about her mother when kit herself didnt even know her that well and has since lost the chance to get ot know her. but thats just me theorizing.

mathtans

Back, little one's asleep in the crib again. For now.

MoeAlmighty

Mm hm, It would show that Bounty Killers in the world aren't used for just nabbing a bad guy with a hefty sum on their head. Sometimes folks need someone to investigate with the police's involvement and not ask any questions

mathtans

Was Kitty maybe given up for adoption? (Is that what makes her worthy of the cat ears?)

The police were handy against the scientist too, for a little while.

Superjustinbros

That's a good way of expanding upon bounty hunters.

RebelVampire

i dont think given up for adoption fits cause mor said shes the step mom which implies kit's father is her biological dad. that and there is one pic where the dad is with the mom

mathtans

Oh, right. We did see her biological mom in that holiday special though, didn't we? And Kitty must remember enough to have taken up violin playing (on the roof). So... yeah I dunno.

RebelVampire

thats interesting to know that the bounties arent just for nabbing bad guys. although makes me wonder what kit is going to do when shes told to do something shady and just not ask questions

mathtans

Or was that not the biological mom, was that a younger Dar?

I can't see Kit not asking questions.

RebelVampire

that was her step-mom. her bio mom we only see briefly in a pic

https://tapas.io/episode/1279607

mathtans

I wasn't sure if it was her dad remembering another time in that scene though. Like, the previous stuff was a memory.

(I also don't get enough sleep these days.)

RebelVampire

i could see how youd get that interpretation but pretty sure it was the step-mom and the bio mom was just in the picture

MoeAlmighty

There are a lot of things I don't want to say because of spoilers and I'll be answering those kind of questions down the road. But to answer the question pretaining to Mary, they do indeed have some History as hinted.

mathtans

Mary is actually the younger cousin of the short boat-stealing gangster.

It's why her dad went into law.

MoeAlmighty

heh. that is a pretty interesting theory.

mathtans

(I need to have at least one insane theory and one ship per comic chat. I think it's in my contract.)

RebelVampire

puns are also in your contract math. although you already fulfilled that one.

mary's dad kind of spooks me. like hes a really domineering presence and idk if i want to believe hes good or bad.

MoeAlmighty

Truth is, when I created Mary, she was developed as just the rich girl who presented herself as Ms. Perfect while also having the spoiled brat persona as well

Superjustinbros

lol

mathtans

Oh right. Well, those come naturally. I wonder if her dad is part orc.

Superjustinbros

That's one of many ways to describe that

MoeAlmighty

Best way to describe him is that he's a Lawyer... a very wealthy lawyer.

Oh no, he's part Dutch lol

mathtans

Incidentally, I kind of like that Kit's got both cat ears and human ears, it tends to be how I draw my characters too (even if mine are just headbands). But it does make me wonder how the curse might have rewired her brain to deal with the extra input.

Oooh, a flying dutch man.

RebelVampire

all the dads just drink lots of milk

Superjustinbros

What about Doug.

RebelVampire

to be fair if kit's cat ears are more sensitive than her human ones the extra input probably doesnt matter cause one would hear it better than the other anyway. at worst i imagine things just sound even louder XD

mathtans

It's that special beer.

Maybe it's partly why Kat's so on edge at times.

Superjustinbros

mm, beer

Wait, what kind of beer we talkin

MoeAlmighty

It's kind of a mix bag with it comes to her ears. Internally they do connect to her regular ears and she can hear through them, but only if she concentrates. Mostly they just act like a short range radar or a sixth sense. Something like spidey's spider sense.

Ah yes, I've notice some folks like our esteem adventurer. Others not so much

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Besides the action, there is still a lot of slice-of-life material to be had in the comic as well. Do you think Kit will eventually tell Bia about her career? How do you think Bia will react to finding out about it? What challenges do you foresee awaiting Bia and Kit as their relationship continues to develop and secrets reveal themselves? Further, how do you see Kit balancing her school life in general with her job? Will she manage to maintain her grades and everything, or will things prove tougher than she expects? In terms of Kit’s regular life, what things are you hoping to see be explored in how she lives her day-to-day life? Lastly, are there any themes (like bullying) that caught your eye from the slice-of-life segments? What about them did you enjoy?

mathtans

It's cool that youv'e thought about that.

Honestly, the bounty-hunters clashing, while not necessarily slice-of-life, felt realistic and added depth to the idea of the job. Also revealed how their methods are non-lethal. And was the first ship I considered.

MoeAlmighty

Ah yes, I had a lot of folks doing a double take when I revealed her age.

RebelVampire

unrelated to the current question, i really hope we get to see more bounty killers in the story just cause they cant all work out as well as buff elf chick. also id really like to get a feel for the age range cause its concerning the gov was like "nah a 13 year old bounty killer? thats fine"

mathtans

That's a good point. Did she register under an assumed name?

Superjustinbros

Seconding Rebel.

MoeAlmighty

Well due to Kit's size, she may or may not of lied about her age when she took the job

mathtans

Also, I feel like the construction job field gets a lot of work in this universe. We only see Kitty's exploits but there have to be other incidents in the world as well.

Actually, magicians too must be a thing. And mimes.

Did not expect the mimes.

MoeAlmighty

Their are plans to explore other parts of world. One in particular is the Bounty Pick Up units sent to pick up the bounties and make out the reports.

Yes, beware the mimes ^^

I will be exploring a lot more of the Magis and how the magic works as well.

mathtans

Silent but deadly.

MoeAlmighty

very

mathtans

That short magic comic did a good job, I thought.

And I liked the money van guy critiquing the pun.

MoeAlmighty

Hm Hm, well not everything can be a homerun for our little cat girl

RebelVampire

yeah i really liked the short magic comic. cause it was funny and really did some good world-building

i also loved the cowboy bank robber

just cause he was a cowboy

and that was ridiculous

mathtans

Oh yeah, forgot about him.

I wonder how Kitty practices her quick draws.

Where do they lock these guys up, anyway? Regular jails seem like they wouldn't be sufficient.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, you don't see that many cowboys these days. But it was a perfect nod for one of the inspirations of the comic

Superjustinbros

Cowboys are fun.

MoeAlmighty

Um, they go to regular prison and go through the same process as the law provides^^

Superjustinbros

Always love one with an appealing design when one shows up.

MoeAlmighty

Very much so

RebelVampire

what sort of lawyer is mary's dad?

mathtans

How do you lock up an orc so that he doesn't just bend the bars?

MoeAlmighty

He's a defense lawyer

mathtans

He lawyers der fence.

RebelVampire

ah so i can say maybe mary's dad defends all these criminals kit tries to send to jail.

MoeAlmighty

Booooo

It's a possibility and her dad is very much against the Bounty Killer and the Bounty Board in general

Superjustinbros

ooh, is that so(edited)

mathtans

Circling back to Bia, it'd be amusing if someone in her family was also a bounty hunter. Kitty admits it and she's like, "oh, okay, I can see how you'd be good at that too".

RebelVampire

just to talk a bit about the current question, i do feel its inevitable kit has to tell bia about her job. cause i mean...kit isnt the most undestructive. just takes one time of showing up burnt to a crisp to school to give it away. but i think bia is gonna take it better than kit thinks shell take it. cause tbf, if i was bia i would not be surprised.

tbf i kind of agree with mary's dad. they might be catching criminals, but holy shit that property damage

mathtans

I feel like Bia might find out not through Kit though. Like maybe even via Kit's brother. Which could strain the relationship.(edited)

RebelVampire

especially the property damage caused by the scientist

cause even if they have the money to fix it, it still takes time

mathtans

Or magic.

MoeAlmighty

Bia finding out Kit is a Bounty Killer is inevitable, and it might happen happen sooner than you think

RebelVampire

it could strain their relationship too. though for some reason i feel for bia itd be more about the age thing than the danger thing if that makes sense. cause the career suits kit. just maybe not when kit is still 13, in school, and all that

mathtans

'Cept her dad is okay with it.

I feel like I'd totally be that dad by the way. Who makes concessions. Then ends up in trouble with mom too.

MoeAlmighty

It is going to a very unique exploring the relationship Kit and Bia have. In many ways, Bia will act more like the straight man of the relationship

Well Edward looks at it more like she's hunting game. expect the part of gutting it and cleaning it for food^^

RebelVampire

i just want to say i really love kit's dad and i hope we get to see him more. he seems just so utterly likeable. like a gentle giant

mathtans

Just want to give a shout-out to the school nun badass. Possibly like the opposite to dad.

MoeAlmighty

He is indeed^^

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is wrapping up in a bit, I'd like to wish @MoeAlmighty the best of luck with Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, it's got a great artstyle, story, and some good humor.

mathtans

Oh right, pretty good stuff done with only black and white too.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, Beatrice is indeed a beast^^

Thank you so much^^

Superjustinbros

You're welcome! ^^

RebelVampire

yeah i loved the nun. especially her epic entrance and this page https://tapas.io/episode/1188530

like everything about that page is perfect

"Keeper of the Lunch Period"

MoeAlmighty

God help the guilty

mathtans

Indeed.

Probably a bumper sticker on her car.

MoeAlmighty

I'm sure everyone here remembers that one teacher that kept everyone in check at lunch period

best bumper sticker ever

mathtans

Kitty has some nice exclamations too.

Superjustinbros

lol

Anyways, cya till next time, and thanks for dropping by @MoeAlmighty

^^

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Moe, as well, for making Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Moe’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic

Moe’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MoeAlmighty

Moe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/theMoeAlmighty

[punkscowardschampions]

Tommy & Meena/Meena & Ro

Slides into ya DMs a million years later

Tommy: [Sends her a link to a facebook post about their dance teacher from when they were kiddos] Tommy: As if she's retiring! 😮 It doesn't seem 5 mins since she was calling me out for picking my nose like Tommy: I wanna get her a pressie or something, what you reckon? 🤔 Gin or bubbles Meena joined the chat 105 minutes ago Meena: I know, crazy isn't it, sure she's telling everyone she doesn't feel anywhere near old enough (hoping they'll say she doesn't look it either) Bless her Meena: and it is a pretty nasty habit I hope you left behind, in fairness 😛 Meena: I don't think she'll oppose either, I'll go in with you on it if that's alright Meena: We should, really Tommy: 😂 Mostly. We all have our off days though, yeah? Bet your thumb still be looking tempting on the reg 😜 Tommy: Fuck it let her be down with the kids and chug down a 'trendy' gin Tommy: Yeah I was gonna ask if you did wanna but knowing you I didn't wanna assume you hadn't already gone all out like 🎉 Tommy: 😇 to my 😈 Meena: Never! That rancid nail paint Ana got me put me off for life Meena: could totally rock a mani now, even if pedis are forever out of the question 💃👣 Meena: I hadn't actually, been so busy with this band stuff with your sisters and that Meena: Probably wouldn't have done it if you hadn't, doesn't want any old riff-raff she barely remembers showing up Meena: her ⭐pupil though, that's different Tommy: fair, she's been at me bout it too Tommy: needs my skills appaz but it'll cost her Tommy: come on, it takes two to tango! nothing without the baby to my johnny 💑 Meena: Nice try but I'm not getting involved in sibling drama, I know better than that 🙅 Meena: my own Brother is going great lengths to avoid me so I'm chilling Meena: 😂 please Meena: if the other girl hadn't got knocked up, baby woulda been surplus from the start Tommy: Drama, me? Please 😂 Tommy: Nah tbh I'm excited to get involved Tommy: & see you lot in action ofc Tommy: Imagine! We'd have to have been going some to be dealing with pregnancy scares at that age even by my ma's standards Meena: 😏 Isn't it on your required curriculum? Meena: Can't blame you Meena: It has been a lot of fun Meena: It'll be good to see you too Meena: 😨 No thank you, I'll leave that to Ali, she's got it covered Meena: No way either of us could keep a child alive 😂 Tommy: You got me 🥊 Tommy: It looks it & the socials never lie Tommy: It'll be fab to see you too! 💙 Tommy: How've you been, girl? Meena: Naturally, filters need not apply Meena: Me? I'm all good Meena: Nothing to report, no pregnancy scares or slightly predatory older men Meena: How's the London life? Tommy: 👍 Tommy: Me either Tommy: Only the teachers 😂 Tommy: London's capital D dramatic but I'm surviving 🤩 Tommy: like you said, required, yeah? Meena: Don't even joke, Mr. Lucas, this new teacher, is soooo sketchy Meena: not that he's likely to go after me 😂 but there will be drama worth reporting there Meena: mark my words Meena: and don't lie, you so LIVE for it, don't you? 🙂 Tommy: Oh my god colour me unsurprised and deeply disturbed Tommy: Trying to big you up without calling you a lolita and all that jazz Tommy: but noted Tommy: Shame the news came too late to get my sister learning from the nuns Tommy: 😂 Meena: Thank the Lord we can rule out everyone but Caleb pretty much for Rio's daddy Meena: she's so cute 😍 Tommy: Right? she's his double Meena: Nah she looks a lot like Ali too Meena: still, Mr. Lucas has not gone that far is my point Meena: she hates him, its so funny 'cos your Ma can't even be mad 😂 Tommy: Yas! Glad she ain't protesting too much Tommy: None of us got time to be dealing with that level of drama even me 😏 Tommy: Ma can ALWAYS be mad tho Meena: I wouldn't like to say Meena: Trying to get me to badmouth all your family today...are you print screening this?! 🙊 Tommy: Only if it gets juicy 😂 Tommy: what'll it take to get you to throwdown on 'em? Meena: 🤐 Tommy: It's been good catching up Tommy: Soz I'm not better at it Meena: No, it's not all you Meena: I'm not the most social of bears Meena: and its been a while Meena: but it was nice 🙂 Tommy: we should get a drink when I'm back 🍹 do it proper Tommy: no pressure like and even less drama Meena: You got it in you to leave it in London? 🤔 Meena: but i'm up for it Meena: I don't drink drink though, just an FYI Tommy: I'll do it for the craic 🍀 Tommy: Still gonna dance on the tables tho, yeah? Meena: 😳🙈 guess so Meena: anything you do, i'll do backwards and in heels Meena: thems still the rules, last I checked Tommy: 👑💚 Tommy: Love it Meena: Okay...Can I just vent at you for a hot sec, Ro Meena: More than free to comment any way you see fit (of course) but also as free to say nothing if you can't or don't wanna Meena: Just need to get it out 'cos what even Ro: Oh...of course Ro: Go ahead Meena: [Screenshots Tommy in her DMs] Meena: so I know its awkward 'cos familial ties and whatnot but WHAT THE WHAT Meena: He's been ignorning me for what, 6 years? Meena: Perhaps a little dramatic but basically Meena: and now we're just meant to move on as if a. those years didn't happen and b. the ones BEFORE didn't either Meena: am I being insane? I tried not to sound it with him but I am at such a loss rn Ro Ro: Um...I'd say it's rather awkward regardless Ro: What was he thinking? Ro: You are most definitely not insane, in fact, I applaud how together you remained Ro: It's a nice idea, in theory, to reconnect, but that's all it can be and surely he must see that Ro: The past can't just be erased when it's convenient Meena: Ugh, thank you! Meena: I can tell you're not just yes-manning me and it is so appreciated 😘 Meena: You'd think it had been a couple of days, the way he just tried to pick up there Meena: I get it...I wish it was possible in many ways Meena: but if we're going to be anything more than passing acquiantances ever again then I'm afraid we need to have a convo more awkward than that one even! 😬 Ro: Exactly! Ro: We'd all love a quick fix but they simply don't exist, even if you are a McKenna Ro: I'm frankly at a loss for words Meena: I mean...guess it was a nice gesture? right? Meena: God, feel like I'm 9 and he's pretending to like me so he can laugh about me with his friends at break Meena: Ridiculous Ro: I suppose so, if misplaced and poorly timed Ro: Well that's hardly surprising considering you were a child when he last talked to you Ro: You don't have to go for a drink with him just because you agreed then, remember that Meena: I know Meena: but I don't know Meena: I think I want to? Meena: Maybe he wants to say his piece in person Meena: although, in that case, perhaps give an indication in the text! Meena: Walking into an ambush Ro: You don't have to decide now at least Ro: And you can always call me if it does turn into an ambush Ro: I'll act as if there's an emergency Meena: Ooh, good plan Meena: never felt like I was in a romcom before Meena: almost exciting except i feel a bit sick Ro: I understand that all too well Ro: Another idea, cliche though it is, would be to channel this situation into composing a song Ro: Just don't let him know he's the subject Meena: it might be time to embrace the clichedness of it all Meena: the others would be proud Ro: They certainly would Meena: if not a little curious where all these deep feelings had sprung from Meena: oh the shame 🙈 Ro: True, but have no fear, my lips are sealed Ro: Whilst we're on the subject though, how do you feel about him getting involved with the band? Meena: Thanks, Ro 💛 Meena: I mean, I don't mind...I don't WANT to mind, it should be fine Meena: He's a part of my life as long as you guys are but that was admittedly far more abstract when he was more Meena: gone Meena: I am going to try, it would be good for the band, and me, to get over this Ro: Never mind the others, I'm very proud of you, Meena Ro: And for what it's worth, I think that's the right move, after all, he won't be away at school forever Ro: Should he decide to come back home for good you too are bound to interact more Meena: Exactly Meena: Can't ban him from Dublin and activities with his fam Meena: but I also don't think I need to exile myself...far too cliche for words and I frankly, don't want to Meena: I feel better for having talked it out...I just felt absolutely insane, like I was in topsy-turvy land or something, there for a sec Meena: Thanks again Ro, it means a lot Ro: What are friends for? No need to thank me, I'm just glad you feel better Ro: A very strange day for you indeed Ro: Tomorrow is a new one though at least and I'll be here if you need to talk again Meena: Truly! So strange manners were dropped at the door Meena: When we talk again I WILL ask how you are and what's going on with you Meena: I promise 😘 Ro: I have no doubt whatever Ro: But you're forgiven Ro: If there was ever a time for such an entitlement it was now Meena: 💛

[witchy-mel]

Merry Christmas!

A/N: A little side story revolving around the Petey x Russell ship(i gotta come up with a ship name for it). This time it's Christmas-themed! (despite it being summer🤦‍♀️) So I hope you enjoy it!

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

December. The start of Winter break and a couple days before Christmas. Peter was going back home because his mother said she missed him. Which was probably true, but it's most likely because she didn't want to be stuck with babysitting duty if he stayed at Bullworth. His cousins would always come over for the holidays, so it was his "tradition" to watch them while the adults are busy drinking and talking about their New Year's resolutions that never happened. He liked kids, but his cousins were a lot to handle on his own. Peter appeared to have his schedule all planned out. He wondered what Jimmy was doing for break. He hadn't said anything since the exchange between him and Peanut. His dart-throwing was starting to become aggressive as well. Peter decided to ask him to break the silence. "So, uh, Jim, what're you doing for Christmas break?" "I don't know. Probably find out who the hell this Johnny guy is, I guess," he answered. He threw a gray dart at the bright red circle surrounding Dr. Crabblesnitch's face. "Well, what would you have usually done?" Peter asked, attempting to start some kind of conversation. "Usually, I'd be at home celebrating Christmas with my mom and whoever my dad was for that year. If I was lucky, I'd receive two pairs of new socks instead of one. On top of that, I'd get to watch them make out under the mistletoe for nearly thirty times or more. Compared to now, this would be an improvement and that's saying something." "That...doesn't seem like much fun..." Peter stated softly. He started to feel bad for him. Jimmy glanced over at the smaller boy before hurling another dart. "Hey, what's with the long face? You don't have to feel sorry for me, dude. I'm used to it." He ruffled Peter's head. "And hey, who knows, maybe my mom might send me an ugly Christmas sweater. Or better yet, I meet Mr. Claus himself." "Really..." Peter knew he was just trying to lighten the mood, but that joke was horrible. "So, what're you doing for the break?" "I'm going back home. I leave tomorrow." "Really? What about Russell? You guys have been going pretty steady, right?" That was true, but unfortunately, Russell said he'd be staying here for break. Sadly, they can't spend their first Christmas together, but there's always next year. "Yeah...about that; he’s gonna be here while I’m back at home." "Oof. That's gotta suck. I guess no kisses under the mistletoe for you then, huh," the freckled boy said while elbowing Peter's arm. A pervy expression settling on his face. "Hey, quit that!" the now flustered boy shot back. It's not like he and Russell haven't kissed before; it was just embarrassing to talk about so openly. "Haha, I'm just messin' with ya." "Yeah, yeah I know"." They continued to joke around and throw darts for a bit longer until Jimmy left to look for Johnny. Peter set his darts in the pile Jimmy left his then went to his room before nighttime rolled around. This was the last time he was gonna have some alone time in a while, so he ought to enjoy it while he can.

It was the next day. Peter had been sitting in his room waiting for his mom. He was just waiting for Miss Danvers to call him down to the office so she could pick him up. A moment later, a click was heard from the intercom. "PETER KOWALSKI, PLEASE COME TO THE OFFICE. YOUR MOTHER IS HERE TO PICK YOU UP." The announcement then ended with another click. Time to go. He put on his sneakers, a light blue jacket, and a gray beanie with a smiley face embroidered on it. He also grabbed the white canvas bag he came to Bullworth with. He packed it with a pair of pajamas and an extra pair of shoes. He didn't need to bring much with him since he was going back home. He put the straps across his chest and headed out of the boys' dorm. When he entered the main office, his mom was sitting in a chair closest to the wall. Her long, dark brown hair was styled in a messy low-side ponytail. She was wearing a sky-blue, loose turtleneck sweater that stopped right above her midthigh with a pair of black skinny jeans and black matte flats. She was so occupied reading a school brochure that she didn't even notice him enter the room. "Hey, mom." She adverted her attention from the paper and looked directly towards the center of the room. He gave her a little wave and a shy smile. "Gummiworm!" In an instant, she sprang out of the chair and hurried towards him, her arms wide open. She grabbed hold of him and she squeezed him so tight you'd think that he could feel her heartbeat through her chest. "Oh, I've missed you soooo~ much!" "I've missed you too, mom. Can you let me go though, you're kinda squishing me." "Oops- I'm sorry, sweetie, I wouldn't want to turn my baby into a pancake as soon as I get to see his cute, wittle face again." She pinched his cheek as she talked in a way you would to a newborn. Peter was getting embarrassed by this constant coddling. Fortunately, Miss Danvers chimed in and saved him, "Well, I see you two are enjoying yourselves. Well, if that's all, I expect to see you again after the break, right Peter?"  Peter nodded his head. "Very good. Have a wonderful break, you two," She said with a polite smile. They left the office and walked down the main stairs to the car parked out by the school gates. He opened the backseat door and tossed his bag in first, him trailing after. His mom climbed into the car and started the car. "Seatbelt on?" "It's on," He reassured her, but he double-checked just in case. It's been a while since he's been in a car. "Alright, we're ready to roll. Before we go home, we're gonna go to the mall so we can find some presents for the family, 'kay?" "Okay." The closest mall was an hour and a half away, so it would be a long drive. He thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to get Russell a present. Then Peter wouldn’t feel sad for not being able to spend time with him this year. He didn’t know what though. He figured he would probably find something once they got there.

A fifteen-minute gap of popular Christmas songs playing on the radio and cars passing was interrupted by his mom asking him questions. She turned the volume down a little, so it would be easier for them to hear each other. "So, you told me you made a new friend called Jimmy. You guys hang out a lot?" "Yeah. We go to the park sometimes and he shows me how to ride his skateboard. He's pretty cool." "That sounds fun! What about Gary? You didn't really say anything about him in the letter you sent me." Peter hesitated to answer. It's not every day you get to tell your mom that your childhood friend is trying to ruin your life by trying to take over your school. "...we don't...really talk anymore..." Her eyebrows furrowed with concern as she looked at her son through the rearview mirror " Huh? Why not? Something happen?" "It's...complicated..." She glanced back in the mirror at her son sulking by the window. He looked upset, so she backed off of him a bit. "That's alright. I won't force ya." Peter continued to stare out of the window, staring at all the freshly snow-covered trees and hedges. He always liked Winter. When he was younger, he and his dad would go to their backyard and challenge each other to see who could make the most deformed snowman. After being in the snow for so long, they'd rush into the house and drink hot chocolate his mom would make. That was all before he started working at the library two towns over from their house. He would come home so late at night, Peter would already be fast asleep when his dad got home. He would really only get to see him on weekends and certain holidays. "Are there any girls you like?" Peter was so focused on the scenery outside that he was caught off guard with that out-of-the-blue question. His face became so red he practically became Rudolph 2.0. "Wha-, mom, no!" "What~? I saw some pretty cute girls there! I wouldn't mind if you brought one home to us someday." "Mom, can we not talk about this anymore?" he urged, still looking out the window, hiding his reddened face from his mother. Besides, he's already with someone, and that someone was Russell. A boy. His parents never cared about his love life, as long as he was happy with whoever he was with, but they’ve always wanted him to start a family and have kids of his own. He didn't even mention Russell in the letter he sent in response to her asking about his current school life. It’s not like he was afraid to tell her. He just thought it was too early. But Russell's mom knew. She found out when she noticed Russell would come home later than usual some days after school because they would be out on little dates. They would occasionally hang out at his house as well. Peter was the only partner, or anybody, that he has ever brought home so frequently, so it didn't take her long to catch on. She wasn't bothered by it at all, and she was super supportive. How he was going to tell his parents, though? How would they react? It's not like they needed to know right away anyways. Maybe Summer break would be a decent time to tell them. "Alright, I'll stop messing with ya. I know I'm probably acting like a cop the way I'm interrogating you like this." She quietly laughed to herself while she dialed the radio back up to the Christmas songs that played earlier. Peter yearned for this car ride to be over ASAP.

They eventually pull into the large mall parking lot. It was jam-packed due to last-minute Christmas shoppers. There were so many rows and rows of cars lined up it looked like a multicolored forest made of metal. They'd be lucky to even remember where they parked their car, let alone find a parking spot. After a long search, they finally found a parking spot, but it was farthest from the entrance. He knew how his mom got whenever she went shopping, especially holiday shopping. When he was younger, he would wonder where she'd get the money to buy all that stuff, and he still does now. Just thinking about carrying all those bags back to the car made his arms feel like jelly. She parked in the spot and turned off the car. They unbuckled their seatbelts and hopped out. She pushed a button on her keys that locked all the doors and they began to walk to the entrance. Upon entering the mall, Peter was amazed by what he saw. Bright Christmas lights were dangling from the second-floor rails. Candy canes and ornaments made of shiny tinsel were randomly located throughout the mall. A strong scent of gingerbread was also floating in the air. But the icing on the cake was the giant, rotating, decorated Christmas tree that stood directly in the middle of the mall. It hasn't been that long since Peter had been to the mall, but he never went when it was during the holiday season. His mom has always done the gift shopping beforehand while he stayed home with his dad. It was kind of weird experiencing all of this for the first time. "Alright, so here's the plan," his mom started, snapping Peter out of his state of awe. "I'm gonna give you $40 to spend on anything you want for a present. It can be for a friend, yourself, anything. Since you haven't been around us as much this year, I gave you a pass." She dug into her purse and pulled out her pink sparkly wallet. She took out two $20 bills and handed them to him. "Spend it wisely because that's all you get, kay?" Peter nodded his head. "Good. Meet me back at the food court when you're all done, alright." She lowered herself and kissed him on the cheek, then walked off. $40. That's all he was given to spend on a present. He already knew who he was going to spend it on but didn't know what. Standing here all day wasn't going to solve anything. Maybe he'll find something if he walks around a bit. He shoved the money into his pocket and started his hunt for the perfect gift.

It'd been a couple minutes, and Peter hadn't found anything yet. 'This might take longer than I imagined...' he thought. He wished to find something and quick. It was as if a genie heard his thoughts because, at that moment, he came across a craft store. Peter idly stood in front of the store entrance, wondering what he could possibly use from here. Then it came to him. Heading into the store, he searched for what he was going to need. The first section he went to was 'Simple Crafts' where he grabbed pink and white felt, crazy glue, and some golden tinsel. He needed some thread for the felt, so he headed to the 'Sewing' section. There he grabbed a spool of white and pink thread, needles, and a pack of colorful heart-shaped buttons. He got everything he needed. If not, he could just look in his basement for supplies. All that was left was to check out. Up at the register, he placed all his items on the counter. A middle-aged lady with short salt and pepper hair was working the counter. "Will that be all, sweetheart?" she asked kindly. "Mhmm," Peter answered back. "Alright, that's gonna be $12.15." She rang him up and put all his belongings in a bright, red plastic bag with the store's logo printed on it. He handed her the money, and she put it into the cash register, "Here ya go," she said as she handed him the bag, "Enjoy your holiday!" "You too!" Peter said as he rushed out of the store, quick to get the final item. Reaching the top of the escalator, he stepped off and began looking for a men's casual clothing store. He didn't see any on the first floor because there were a lot of clothing stores for women and item-based shops. There were some shoe stores, suit shops, and sportswear stores on the second floor. Not anything he was looking for. After a tedious search for a regular clothing store, he eventually came across a casual apparel store for men. This was probably his best and the only option, so he walked inside. The first thing he did was scan through all of the tops. No sweaters here. "Maybe they're by the jackets," Peter said to himself. Jackets and coats were on another side of the store, so he walked over to where they were hung. To no surprise, there they were. That was the first check off his list. Now all he had to do was find one in green. No luck on the first rack, the second one either. Fortunately, the third rack had some. Another check off his list. Now he just had to find the right size. He remembered that Russell wore an XL. He only knew that because they were on a date one day, and they got caught in the rain. Russell took off his shirt and draped it over Peter to keep him dry since he was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt. Thinking about that made him blush a little because Russell was getting completely soaked and he couldn’t stop looking at Russell as water dripped off of him. They had fun drying each other off back at his house though. Peter shook his head to regain focus on what he was doing. He skimmed through a few of the sizes before he came across the right one. Before unhooking it from the rack, he checked the price tag. He had a bunch of cash left since the art supplies were pretty cheap, but he didn't want this sweater to go over his budget. He flipped the tag and looked at the price. Only $20. Perfect. Right on budget. He traveled to the checkout counter, purchased it, and left the store. He now had everything that he needed. 

Now he just had to head back to the food court and wait for his mom. He didn't know where it was at, though. Coincidentally, there was a map of the mall a bit farther down from where he was standing. The blue dot on the screen indicated where he was now. The food court was on the second floor, so he didn't have to walk too far. All he had to do was go straight from here, and he'd be there in no time. He must've got there before her because she was nowhere to be found. There wasn't a big crowd, so if she was here, he would've spotted her almost immediately. She was probably still shopping. He then heard a weird gurgling noise. It was his stomach. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't eaten anything all day. Might as well get something before his stomach eats at itself. Peter used the remainder of his money to buy himself a slice of pepperoni pizza. He found a seat, placed his bags next to him, and ate while he waited for his mom to show up. Five minutes passed as Peter watched the corner, waiting for her to pop up. His wait was shortly over because she finally arrived. And she was holding some bags. A lot of bags. Too many bags. She looked around for a second before she spotted him. "Oh, there you are!" She began to approach him, and with every step, he could just feel his arms began to give out. "Looks like you beat me here, huh?" she inquired as she set her bags next to his. "Yeah. I didn't know how long it was gonna be before you showed up, so I got lunch." "Oh, that's right. You didn't eat anything this morning, did you? I knew we should've picked something up before we got here." "It's fine, mom. All that walking made me hungry. I was fine earlier." She rested her cheek on her palm and gave him a worried pout, but soon replaced it with a soft, closed-lip smile and pet his head, flattening his beanie. "Well, if you say so, Gummiworm. Well, It's time to go, so grab a couple of bags to help carry to the car." Peter carried six bags, three for each arm, including his two bags. His mom took six as well. They pushed open the doors and were hit with the cool winter air. It was lightly snowing as well, and as they walked, snowflakes landed in and on the bags. Some, melting instantly and others coating the items in a fine layer of frosty powder. His mom pressed some buttons on her key that unlocked the trunk and the doors. They stored the bags into the semi-full trunk of wrapping paper and boxes and hopped into the car. Their house was a 20-minute drive from the mall, so it wouldn't take them long to get home.

At last, they were finally at home. His mom backed into the driveway and parked the car. Unlocking the trunk again, they grabbed the bags, wrapping paper, and boxes and carried them to the door. Fishing the key out of her back pocket, she unlocked the door and turned the knob. "Honey, we're back!" she called out to the person in the house. They walked in and placed all the items on the living room carpet and couches. A moment later, there was a sound of footsteps coming down the wood stairs. "I see you guys went shopping today." said the familiar voice. Peter knew that voice. "Dad?" Peter questioned, looking up from the bags. "Hey, Kowboy!" Peter ran to him, soon binding him in a tight hug. "I've missed ya, bud" "I did too." After a hug that seemed to go on forever, he freed him from his grasp. "You still haven't changed since yet?" His mom complained as she grabbed his mix-matched pajamas. "I don't see why I have to. The only people who are going to see me are you guys and the rest of the family," he stated. "Jeremy," her tone now more serious. "Alright, I'll go change. But I'm only changing the shirt." "That's fine," she said and she pecked him on the cheek. He hiked up the stairs to their bedroom to find a presentable shirt to wear. "Peter, honey, could you help me wrap these presents? I wanna get this done before the rest of the family get here." she requested. "Sure." He hung up his jacket and kicked off his shoes, then walked to the couches. Peter already separated his bags from the others so his mom wouldn't accidentally wrap his stuff. They wrapped the various gifts one by one. Cutting and taping the assorted wrapping paper around cardboard boxes. Labeling who they're for and from. They finished in an hour. "That appears to be all the presen-" she paused when she saw Peter's bags still on the couch. "Must've skipped over these." She reached to grab them but was interrupted when Peter snagged them away. "Ah- ma, you can’t wrap these," he explained. She raised an eyebrow, "And why not? You hidin' something from me?" she teased. "Uh- no. It's just I have to make it first; that's all." "Oh alright, hon. I still got more stuff to do, but I'll make your dad help me. You can go on upstairs and make your gift." Peter grabbed a box and a ribbon then walked up to his bedroom.

He turned the knob and opened the door. The room looked the same as the day he left. His bed was still neatly made. His figurines and trinkets on his desk were where he left them. He plopped down on his bed, dumped out all of the craft supplies, and took out the sweater. He spread it out across his bed and tore open all the supplies, separating them into individual piles. Grabbing a Sharpie and a pair of scissors off his desk, he outlined the letter "P" in the pink felt and the letter "R" in the white then carefully cut them out. He set them in the middle of the sweater. Next up, tinsel. There was so much of it, but he managed to form it into a heart. He snipped off the excess and put it away. He took a red, medium-sized heart button and placed it right between the P and the R that made a message that reads "P heart R," which meant "Peter loves Russell." Lastly, he picked out a handful of tinier buttons and randomly distributed them on the green, wooly fabric. Now that he had his design planned out, all he had to do was make it stay there permanently. First, he super glued the tinsel, careful not to get any on his fingers or anywhere else on the sweater. Then he took out the white and pink spools of thread and the needles and threaded them. Peter was pretty skilled at sewing. Whenever he went to his aunt's, she would teach him how to sew. Sometimes he would fix a button or sew a hole close on an old pair of jeans or shirt. He even took a sewing class in the summer. He started with the tricky part, which was the letters, and the buttons last since all he had to do was crisscross the thread in the holes. After he was finished, he held up the sweater and admired his work. Picturing Russell wearing it made him smile so wide that it stretched ear to ear. Peter folded it up and neatly placed it into the purple box, then closed it. He took the green ribbon and tied it into a neat bow. He carried the to his desk, then walked downstairs to the kitchen. His parents were busy putting the presents under the tree and hanging up some extra ornaments. "You finished your present?" his mom asked while she tiptoed to hang a sparkly red and gray ornament on one of the tree branches. "Yeah. I just need to get it to them before Christmas." "Okay, I'll take you tomorrow. Where do they live?" "Old Bullworth Vale, back by the school." "I'll take you at some time around 10, so be ready by then, alright." "Alright," Peter responded. Not even a second later, there was a ring from the doorbell.

"That must be them. I'll get it." His mom skipped over the presents and rushed to the door. When she opened the door, she was greeted by his aunt and twin cousins. "Lily!" his aunt squealed. "Amber!" his mom squealed back. They hugged each other as if they hadn't seen one another in ages. "It's great to see you again. Where's Daryll?" "Oh, he's getting the bags out of the car. He'll be here in a bit." "Why don't you guys come inside then. It's freezing out there." They stepped inside and hung up their jackets and scarves. His cousins noticed him first. "Pepper!" [A/N: They call him "Pepper" because they're both like 4, and they can't really pronounce "Peter" or "Petey". i'm not gonna nickname him "PeePee" lol(i was low-key tempted to tho👀). even tho that would be more appropriate for their age. also, a little fun fact: they're actually twins] They both raced up to him and clutched onto his legs, almost causing him to lose his balance. "W-Woah! Hey guys." His aunt noticed him next due to the noise they made, "Polar bear!" She walked over and hugged him while planting a kiss on his cheek, leaving a red lipstick stain. "You've grown so much! The last time I've seen you, you were this small." She raised her hand to her midthigh to symbolize his past height. He wondered if it had actually been that long since he had last seen her. "What, am I invisible now?" his dad's voice piped up. "Oh-I didn't even notice you, Jeremy. You were hidden by the tree." "Well, now I know I'd win a game of hide-'n-seek." Eventually, his uncle paraded in, multiple bags in hand. "Need a little help here." "Ay, Daryll! Hang on, I'll help ya." His dad walked from behind the tree and rushed to help with the extra luggage. The adults separated and left Peter alone with his cousins. His mom and aunt were in the kitchen and his dad and uncle downstairs in the guest room. The chaos had now started. His first day home consisted of him playing a long game of tag with his cousins with him being 'it' the whole time. Making sure they didn't get hurt or into any trouble. This went on until the sun went down, and the little ones got tired of hearing their own footsteps. He called his aunt upstairs to collect them, for as they were growing sleepy, and she took them to get ready for bed. Peter was so tuckered out that as soon as his head hit the pillow, he blacked out. He didn't even get to change out of his clothes.

It had to be a quarter before 10 when Peter was rudely interrupted from his sleep by his cousins jumping around him on his bed. "Pepper! Pepper! Wake up!" the two shouted. He gradually raised his head off the pillows. His eyes still practically closed. His cousins climbed off the bed giggling and ran towards his mom, who was standing at the door. "They woke up early today, so they helped me wake you up." Peter responded with a short grunt as if to say, 'Oh.' "It's almost 10:00, so you should start getting ready. I'll be downstairs." she instructed. She picked up one of his cousins and went downstairs. Peter moved his legs off the bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He got up, walked into the hallway, and grabbed a pale-yellow towel out of the linen closet. Walking into the bathroom, he turned the faucet and waited for the water to warm up. When the water was at the right temperature, he removed his clothes and hopped in the shower. After, he brushed his teeth and washed his face. He collected his clothes off the tiled floor and walked back to his room, shutting the door behind him. The twins had him so tired out last night that he wasn't even able to pick out an outfit beforehand. He decided he would go for a simple look today. Peter opened his closet and took a look at his wardrobe. He grabbed a white dress shirt, a navy blue sweater with a gold stripe near the collar, and a pair of beige dress pants. He finished the look with a pair of long white socks and black and white canvas sneakers. After getting dressed, he grabbed Russell's present off the desk and stuffed it under his arm. He left his room and walked downstairs. His mom was waiting in the living room reading a fashion magazine, his aunt busy in the kitchen feeding the kids breakfast. His dad and uncle, surprisingly, weren't here. "Hey, mom, I'm ready," he called out. "Alrighty!" She closed the magazine and laid it on the coffee table beside her.  She got up from the couch, and they both went to grab their coats from the rack by the door. His mom reached for the doorknob to leave, but as if on cue, they were immediately stopped by his aunt. "Ah- before you guys go, Polar bear, I have something to give you." She walked to the guest room to retrieve whatever it was she had. She came back a few seconds later, holding a pair of brown mittens with white snowflakes decorated on them. "Here! Consider it an early Christmas present~." She said as she handed them to him. "Oh, thanks," Peter replied, slipping them onto each hand. His mom opened the door, and they headed out to the car.

It took 2 hours to reach Bullworth because of a traffic jam caused by the snow. The whole time, Peter was sitting in the backseat eagerly waiting to arrive at Russell’s house. "Okay, we're back in Bullworth. I'm gonna need some directions from here on." his mom informed. Peter told her which way to go until they ended up in front of Russell's house. "-and stop riiiight here." "This house?" "Yep." She parked the car and he hopped out. He excitedly walked to the front door, imagining Russell’s reaction to Peter’s surprise visit, and rung the doorbell, quickly hiding the present behind his back. *DING-DONG* The sound of the bell softly echoed. There was a long pause of stillness that made Peter progressively grow more and more impatient. Suddenly the door swung open, and Russell stood in the doorway to greet him. He was wearing a white t-shirt and red plaid pajama pants. He was probably sleeping a while ago. When Russell saw him standing in front of him, his eyes widened with confusion. "Petey? What are you doing here?" he asked as he scratched his head. "I thought you go home." "I did, and I still am, but I just wanted to give you something since I won’t be able to on Christmas day." Russell slightly tilted his head as Peter unhid the box from behind him. Holding it in both hands, he held the box out in front of him. "Merry Christmas~!"

[celestialallstars]

Episode #9: “Beggars can't be choosers and I'm already on my knees” - Jack

Ok well never mind Drew just got booted which NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT??? Like if Matt had gone it'd have been one thing because I would've heard at least the name of the person who actually went, people might've been honest for once. But noooooooo let's create this Drew concoction and once again leave Jack out of a vote! I mean, would I have voted Drew out? I don't know, probably not. But still it's the principle. Was I kept safe? Yes, but another ally and former Cyrena left. My numbers keep dwindling and I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

So this round I want Mitch gone. I don't trust him too much, as I know he isn't as close to Bryce as I am. Which scares me cause Bryce is my ally right now. I know me and Mitch are in this 8 person alliance, but that shit means NOTHING to me. As I never said i wanted to be in it. So Ya FUCK THAT. Time for me to push mitch this round.

Drew is out but I decided to be honest about it with Michael. Ill talk with Chloe today and try and do some chatting with Jack too but beside that I usve hope for a few tribals wooo! Or maybe its time to die, we'll see ha

I’m already over this game and it’s final fucking 12. I shouldn’t have played I should’ve just hosted this is all my worst orgs on fucking steroids because everyone’s too busy fetishizing this anti-Cyrena agenda. I don’t care if it’s not a thing, there’s no reason to target Matt and I and leave us out of votes when we have 0 agency and are literally 2 votes up for grabs. But nobody gives a flying fuck about logical gameplay and like fine, be a moron, and have fun getting blindsided at 9th when all the easy votes are gone and you were too busy standing around with your dick in your hand to put yourself in a better position. Fuck this season and fuck this cast

Today's to do list:

Call Jared Yell at Jared Tell Jared he's not beating his Wakea placement Hang up Win immunity Cry myself to sleep

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"yikes, you’ve been shot!" is a common theme for me this season

Watching the immunity was pretty telling I'd say, as random as it was. Having it said, it's been down to Loris, Zach, and Bryce for hours now. THE smart thing is to give Bryce immunity and up his threat level, but alas we gotta get a  show out of it lol.

So uh.... forget everything I said about Jared I guess because he wants to work with me? Lmao. Idk man like, can I really trust anyone besides Michael and Matt at this point? Not really, but Jared is the ONLY other person to legitimately give me a lifeline here (I don't count Mitch/Chris or any of the BS Zach/Bryce are giving me) so I have to take it, find some footing, figure out if I can actually get through this early merge here. I'm keeping my head down unlike my past games and I'm letting the game come to me. Beggars can't be choosers and I'm already on my knees

I FOUND AN IDOL!! I cant say I thought this would happen but I am so happy that it did! I just hope I can do right by this immunity idol! I got help out of Stephen so I am just so thankful for that!!

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So I have this feeling things are not going to go the way I wish so. Rhys is gathering troops to get Mitch out and he's already gone to Bryce who told me and Zach, and Jared. How does he have numbers? BECAUSE HE HAS FLIPPED. We might as well should've had Kori in the chats because both have said the same thing as far as contributions go

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Now I am in a pickle, not knowing if Jared/Bryce/Zach all want to flip after they wnet on a call together. Its a little concerning not gonna lie. What makes this worse is that like we are putting ourselves in a position where we HAVE to do play certain way. I dont want to be 6-5 I want to have cushion and Rhys is doing exactly what I figured he would be doing just early. I need to figure out exactly how willing the others are for this before its too late

So last tribal was a little bit of a rough one and the day after wasn’t too great either I just felt drained the entire day but I didn’t sign up for all stars to lose after being blindsided I came to win and I need to do whatever I can to get that fighting spirit back. I’m not out of this yet and hopefully the relationships I’ve built plus the killshot results mean that we can get a nice little blindside going.

What’s the German word for when people ask you if you’ve heard anything about the vote knowing full well you haven’t been privy to any information all merge?

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Bryce telling me Mitch’s name??? 8.5 hours before tribal??? You really do love to see it. Michael told me Jared told him Mitch as well, so I’ll probably hear from Jared soon. This is beautiful stuff I could give less of a fuck about Mitch going. Everything’s coming up Millhouse!

These bitches are conspiring against me.

So, Rhys has been feeling antsy and decided he wants to flip on our 8. Tbh it's probably a smart move for him since he's the least incorporated of the 8 and would likely get 8th if my understanding of the situation is anything to go by. Soooo I can't exactly blame him, but, that's not all.

Bryce is ALSO wanting to flip. It seems so early for a well-connected member of the alliance to want to do something like that, so I imagine it's because he wants to play the middle between this group and the 4 outside of it. Rhys and Bryce may have leaked the alliance already, and, if they did that, then they also probably leaked how everyone was pretending Matt was the target at the last vote.

This group seems to be planning to vote Mitch out tonight, which isssssss bad. Very bad. Especially bad for me since he is one of my closest allies.

Chris found an idol, though, and I'm really hoping we can save it for late-game. There's still a chance this vote can turn around though. That's what I'm hoping for.

IM BEING DUMB IDK WHAT TO DO UGH I WANT MITCH OUT HTIS ISNT SMART THIS ISNT LIKE ITS NOT I KNOW THAT BUT IM DOING IT ANYWAY THIS IS A MISTAKE I KNOW IT IS JFAKDHK BUT IDK HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME BC I THINK PPL SAY IM A THREAT AND I CAN ONLY PLAY UTR SNAKE NOT THIS WHOLE KUMBAYAH THING PPL GOT GOING ON

hi. so . after I almost win immunity after it was given to bryce when hes  already won immunity in another social challenge, now bryce  wants to vote mitch because ‘he Doesn’t like him’. I don’t know who the votes going to be and I rlly like Mitch so like I’m gonna pray and try to make sure it’s not him :( Fuck bryce

Okay... so. This round has been quite a lot, and I am going to try to explain it piece by piece because I have probably played more game in this round than I have the rest of the game combined.

Rhys told me that he wants to flip, and then Bryce told me that Zach also wants to flip (along with himself) against Mitch. I did not want to deal so I went to sleep.

I called Zach the same night and tried to gauge how much trust he has in me by admitting that Rhys wants to flip, and seeing how he would react towards me. He played very coy which is very... Zach.

Bryce told me that he went to Chris about flipping and that Chris shut it down, so I quickly went and leaked to Chris and showed my disinterest in flipping. I made a plan to call Zach and Bryce and try to convince them that this was the wrong move. (Keep in mind this was all the same night, after the immunity results.) I thought I made up some ground and pointed them in the direction of targeting Michael, but I would soon realize that they were just placating me. The call ended with Zach saying that he wanted to get Stephen's thoughts in the morning.

Come the morning, I hatch this crackhead plan to get Mitch the merge idol. According to Stephen from the night before, we were only 11 steps away from the end of the bridge. At 9 AM Bryce quickly searches and says "IT APPEARS WHATEVER WAS ONCE HERE IS GONE AHHH" (I was using my 3 person alliance to get myself or Bryce the idol, not knowing that I would regret doing that.) Being that Bryce said the exact line as if something were missing, I thought there were a couple possible scenarios: 1. He straight up lied. 2. Stephen actually got to the end of the bridge the night before. 3. The night before after everyone had guessed, Bryce took the numbers to a 3rd party (Zach) so they could get the idol.

So that plan was dead. I then considered, "what if I give Mitch my idol?" I quickly realized I would probably regret that in a few rounds.

I spent the rest of today formulating a plan to position myself in everyone's good graces no matter what the outcome of the vote is. I told Rhys I would help him recruit the minority to vote Mitch. I messaged all of them about the vote, and then I came clean with Chloe on call saying that "even though the vote is Mitch, we should be aware that it aligns with Bryce and Zach's agenda and they threw your name." I then communicated to Chris, Loris, and Stephen what Rhys said and my distaste for flipping.

You may wonder where the sudden distrust for Bryce came from. Well, Chris told me that Loris said "Bryce had this planned before immunity (voting for Mitch)." I'm thinking Bryce probably just used me to get to Zach but still wants us to be the F3. My interests don't seem to be aligning with theirs.

With that being said I will likely be voting for Mitch tonight. RIP to the brodie, you deserved better. I will try my best to put off using my challenge advantage and my idol for as long as possible, and I will be trying to play both sides between the Zach/Bryce duo and Chris.

So I’m finally in danger of going (love that). I’m praying someone doesn’t have an idol because I feel like the rehidden one has been found. It’s between me and matt but if I stay which I think is likely, I have to do a better job communicating. I think that’s what got me in this position in the first place. If this is my last confessional I really hope jared Stephen or Chris wins. They are all playing solid games and I will be cheering them on from the sideline

jared thinks hes so funny calling zach but not me like. all i demand from allies is complete loyalty and that they talk to no one else. is that asking too much???

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Mitch is voted out 6-5-1. He becomes the 1st member of our jury!

Watch his exit interview below: