#but I suspect no one wants to pay anyone holiday pay

[identityunfounded]

Probably an unpopular opinion but oh well.

I kind of hate that holidays come with mandatory days off.

Like does everyone deserve a break to spend time with their families? Yes. I am not arguing that.

But the problem is that the world doesn’t shut down for the holiday. Just a large enough chunk to make a lot of people lives difficult.

I feel like for every holiday, some kind something important comes up and I can’t to anything but sit on my house and stew in dread and anxiety because the one place I need is closed.

My cat is sick. He needs to go to the vet. He’s not actively dying, he seems fine aside from, you know, the blood. But I’m worried as hell. And you know whose closed? The vet. The whole ass vet is closed because of the holiday.

Like. Imagine if an entire hospital closed. Or if all paramedics in a county got the day off. Sorry just don’t die today?

And yes emergency vets are open but they’re farther away, cost more money that we don’t have, and don’t have my cats medical records (he is a lucky if sickly boy).

So the vet is closed. You know what’s not closed? The spa I work at. I have a full schedule today.

And that’s fine. I don’t care that I have to work New Year’s Day. But it kind of irks me that I have to work, but vets don’t?

And you know why that irks me so so much? I called over a month ago to schedule my dogs spay appointment. They said no problem I’ll message the doctor and get you an invoice for the surgery.

Didn’t hear back for TWO WEEKS. So I called back. Oh sorry that doctor went on vacation when we sent that and she came but ope looks like she just left for another vacation sorry.

I had to go with a different surgeon. So the appointment got made. Much farther out than I would like but fine. Ok. It’s done.

So it bothers me because they can apparently take a month off whenever they damn well want and get every holiday off.

And maybe they earned that. Maybe I’m being too cynical and capitalistic. But you know what it’s hard to cheer for extra days off for people who make triple your income when they’re the only ones who can help your sick animal.

I know they work hard. I know they deserve time off. But animals don’t just stop getting sick because it’s a holiday.

Anyway. End rant. Not a good start to the year.

[witchyleehibernates]

Headcanons i came up with while in Tumblr jail

All of these will be mainly set after the book, but Johnny and Dally live! Also, also, there's hints and pushes towards Steve/Sodapop and Ponyboy/Johnny but its not explicitly said (but heavily implied).

Johnny moved in with the Curtis' after he was released from the hospital and any and all charges against him were dropped.

No one knows how or why the charges were dropped but they are thankful for it regardless. It was Cherry and Marcia's doing, but the two girls don't tell anyone. Two-Bit suspects, and only thanks Marcia (when they meet up after the whole phone number debacle, which only happens because Ponyboy snf Cherry sorted them out)

He and Ponyboy started sharing a room, letting Sodapop move back to his own, though it left him lonely at night because he was so used to cuddling with someone at night (Steve usually joins him to leave the couch for Dally should be need it).

Steve and Ponyboy both wear glasses

They also both don't wear their glasses cause they think the other will make fun of them and don't know the other also wears them.

Sodapop is confused on why neither of them wear glasses because he was with them both when they got theirs (at separate times, obviously)

Johnny thinks Pony's glasses are cute on him, and he'll occasionally put them on Ponyboy when he isn't really paying attention (like when they're in their room reading).

Sodapop also thinks Steve looks cute in his glasses. Steve hates that thought outwardly, it secretly loves it. Sodapop knows that.

Neither find out about the others glasses until, like, Thanksgiving the year they get them (like maybe four months after Steve gets his, which would be seven after pony gets his). Both are outraged and confused on why they are outraged.

Curtis' Gangs favorite holidays

Ponyboy's is either Halloween or Christmas

Ponyboy loves drawing his friends, and every Halloween and Christmas he gives them a drawing of them self.

Halloween is for when Ponyboy takes the time to draw everyone as 'monsters' or everyone in Halloween costumes, even if they didn't dress up that year. He doesn't really go out after the church and fire and stuff because he would feel terrible leaving Johnny behind, so they cuddle on the couch with Johnny's chair nearby while Ponyboy draws.

Christmas is for when Ponyboy thought they looked happiest that year, with either the story of what was going on or why he thought it was when they looked happiest. That and Johnny spends more nights at the Curtis' house, at least before the church and everything that happened. Now though, Johnny practically lives at the Curtis house and is honestly much happier which makes Ponyboy happier, and it raises the gangs spirits that Johnny never had to see his "parents" again, especially for the first Christmas after when it hit everyone about the year they'd had

Sodapop's is Christmas

Sodapop absolutely adores Christmas, because it's cold outside, there's eventually gift giving, and he gets to snuggle up with either his brothers or with Steve. And it means Darry's home a bit more because there's not really much roofing to be done with how cold it gets, which Sodapop loves (he loves his family at home, thank you very much)

He also is 'crazy' because he loves the cold. Ponyboy thinks he's crazy, but that's because Ponyboy freezes easier. Sodapop's a walking furnace though, not that Steve's complaining.

Darry's is Thanksgiving

Darry loves Thanksgiving because it gives him an excuse to cook loads (I headcanon him to be an excellent cook) and feed the gang loads. They have left overs for at least a week, week and a half of they pushed it, and he uses that to feed the gang in many different ways (there's only so many times you can eat something before you're sick of it, and Darry knows this so he gets to be creative)

Darry also cooks something special on Halloween because most of the gang loves the holiday and he wants them to be able to celebrate it and he likes being able to feed them.

Two-Bit's is Halloween

I've seen in many other people's headcanons that he loves to scare little kids at Halloween, or just scare people in general and I love that.

He and Dally team up every Halloween to scare people, including the adults. It makes the both of them cackle and when they get to the Curtis house, both with candy for Ponyboy and Johnny that they nabbed from the store, they have stories to tell that'll get Johnny and Ponyboy both laughing.

Two-bit also treasures every drawing Ponyboy draws and gives him. He saw Ponyboy after the fire and the hospitals and the rumble and while he was sick, and he knew just jow close theys come to losing Johnny and Pony and holds onto them and their 'innocence' that they still have left.

Dally claims he doesn't have Halloween (it's Halloween)

Dally tries to play off like he's Tough and doesn't have a favorite holiday, but it's absolutely Halloween. He loves scaring the kids (it's easy) and he loves the challenge of scaring the adults with Two-bit.

He also steals candy for Johnny (after the fire) and he and two-bit, after their fun is over, chill at the Curtis house until Sodapop and Steve gets back from either a work related Halloween event, or from wherever the two made off too to trick or treat (if they manage to trick people into it

Steve also claims he doesn't have one (he actually doesn't have one but he loves seeing Sodapop's reaction to Christmas)

I couldn't really think of anything to put here, but I think Steve gets a tattoo to remind him of Sodapop, it's a sunflower. Turns out, the same week Sodapop also got a sunflower tattoo, but neither knew the other got one until Christmas Eve. Steve's is near the crook of his elbow on his right arm, and Sodapop's is sorta near where Steve's bird(eagle outline?) tattoo is but on he left arm. They both cry, and then laugh.

Johnny's is Halloween but he also really enjoys Christmas

Johnny loves Halloween for the costumes and free candy. Even though he doesn't go out for them anymore. He would much rather sit with Ponyboy as he draws, or reads. He usually falls asleep early that night.

He loves Christmas because he doesn't really have to leave the Curtis house unless it's for school, and even then, he has the option of just asking Ponyboy to get his homework for him, though he does try stick it out most days. Also, he always has someone there to help him, because Ponyboy rarely leaves his side for long, and even if he does, Two-Bit's there or Steve is or Dally is at the very least.

Darry also let's him help with baking during the Christmas holiday, it's his favorite part

The gangs Love Language(s)

Ponyboy is gift giving

Sodapop is physical affection or acts of service

Steve's is acts of service

Johnny's is quality time

Darry's is acts of service

Dally's is gift giving but in subtle ways

Two-Bits is quality time or gift giving

And no I don't really wanna explain (for right now) the love languages one 😂, because honestly? My other headcanons kinda show why.

[raina-at]

Holiday

John sighs and closes his eyes, letting the warm water in the whirlpool relax his muscles. He yawns and takes a sip from his champagne glass. “Any movement?” he asks Sherlock, who’s lounging across from him.

Sherlock spares the towel room a glance and shakes his head. “Nope.”

They’ve been at the Magwan Luxury Hotel and Spa in Cornwall for two days, and John can honestly say he’s never enjoyed a case more. The hotel management called them in to discreetly investigate some thefts, and they’re undercover as guests. The food is excellent, the facilities are luxurious, and the view of the Cornish coast is spectacular.

Right now, they’re staking out the pool boy Sherlock suspects of being involved, and they’re doing it from the whirlpool. 

It’s off-season, and they’re alone in the small pool. John watches Sherlock as he sprawls in the water, his hair curling wildly from the moisture, a slight, relaxed smile on his face. There’s droplets of moisture on his chin and behind his ear, and John would very much like to bite Sherlock right where that one droplet of water is running down his enticing neck. He’s unusually languid, given that they’re in the middle of an investigation, and he seems to be enjoying the good food and the comfortable bed just as much as John is. They’ve spent a lot of time during the day exploring the hotel and the nearby town. Their room is quiet and has a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape, and they’ve spent a lot of time in bed, reading, watching telly, and having the kind of slow, unrushed sex they usually don’t have time for at home. As a result, they’re both in excellent moods and quite relaxed. 

“How long do you think they’ll be in there?” John asks. 

Sherlock shrugs. “Honestly, who cares?”

“What?” 

Sherlock grins. “John, really, pay attention. I solved this case two days ago. The manager was shagging the pool boy’s sister, who happens to be a maid. The two of them are stealing small items from the guests to afford moving to London, where the sister’s pregnancy won’t scandalise the village. They’re leaving tomorrow. The manager knows all of this, by the way, and called us in because the maid threatened to tell his wife if he called the police.”

“So why are we still here?” John asks, returning Sherlock’s grin.

Sherlock grabs John’s arm and pulls him into a long, leisurely kiss. “We can use a bit of a holiday, don’t you think?”

John finally indulges in following that enticing drop of water with his lips. “I like the way you’re thinking,” he mutters against Sherlock’s neck, which makes Sherlock shudder delightfully against him.

“I’m thinking we need to check whether the safe in our room is still intact,” Sherlock says, letting his hands wander over John’s naked, wet skin.

“Pity, I kind of like it here,” John says, winding his arms around Sherlock. All of that wet, naked skin is making him feel adventurous.

“I’ll break us in tonight after the pool officially closes, but right now, I really think we need to ensure the continued safety of our valuables.”

“We’ll have an excellent view of the safe from our bed,” John points out, then leans closer to Sherlock and whispers into his ear, “especially with you on your hands and knees.”

Sherlock pushes John away and gets out of the whirlpool. “We must investigate this lead immediately.”

“Oh, god, yes,” John says and gladly follows.

We booked our holiday today, so this is a bit late today... Thanks @calaisreno for the prompt and the tag.

Tagging a few people @keirgreeneyes @jrow @peanitbear @thetimemoves @meetinginsamarra @lisbeth-kk @totallysilvergirl @catlock-holmes @helloliriels @topsyturvy-turtely and anyone else who wants to play.

[mango-bango-bby]

All I Want for Christmas 🦢for yan Shoto where he sends his childhood friend gifts. Imagining it’s almost Christmas and he sends the her a beautiful necklace and that’s when he makes them his.?

♡ Need ♡

(A/N: Childhood friend trope is the best!!! I hope you like this, I think that he would definitely give his darling the most lavish and expensive gifts he possibly could 🥺🥺💘)

Content Warning ⚠️: Yandere, childhood friends, fluff, kidding at the end, obsessiveness

Summary: Todoroki has always loved you and he’s finally decided to tell you (Yan!Todoroki x GN!reader)

Holiday Event ➸ ♡

Masterlist ➸ ♡

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Shoto had been in love with you for years. He had fallen in love with you when you both were children and he was still in love with you to this day. He never even thought of anyone else because he had you. Even if he was to cowardly to admit his feelings for you. He felt brave enough now to at least try.

He was always scared of ruining your friendship if he ever told you how in love he was with you. It was all he thought about. All he thought about was you. He had made a while list of things to get you for Christmas so he can gift you something before confessing.

He was going to show you exactly how much he really loved you with specific gifts he got for you that he knew you would want or loved. He wants you to feel special and loved when you’re with him.

Shoto waits anxiously as he waits for you to open up the present he had handed you. He knew it looked quite small but he had picked it out specifically for you. It was a necklace.

It was simple, he knew, but it was one that had immediately caught your eye. However you refused to get it, saying it was way to expensive and that you didn’t really need it. But he knew how much you wanted it.

Plus, Shoto could use it to his advantage. He had payed to have a tracking device put into the piece of jewelry. And while it may seem creepy, Shoto really means well. He wants to keep you safe.

“Shoto, this was so expensive!” You saw upon seeing the necklace you had been eyeing the other day. Not exactly the response he expected, but it was sweet of you to worry about the price he spent on it. He would buy anything, no matter how expensive, if he suspected that you wanted it.

“Do you not like it?” He asks, although the tone in his voice is calm he worries. “No, no, I love it! I just- you shouldn’t spend so much money on me” you say, smiling sweetly at him. You were just so adorable, weren’t you?

Shoto stays silent for a moment. He couldn’t keep wondering if you liked him back. He needs you to be his, you two have been friends your whole life. He needed you to be his. “Y/n, be mine” He says simply, watching your face go from shock to confusion in under a second.

Shoto doesn’t think for another second before pulling into a kiss. Finally feeling your lips against his for the first time. He’s been dreaming about this moment for years. And, god, it was so much better than he could’ve ever imagined.

He loved you and he needed you to be his.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Thank you for reading, darling!!

[ladykailolu]

Remember the Marigold getting murdered Scenerio

Imagine it’s the 3rd day of trial, Phoenix is defending Godot

(bonus is it’s with the help of Maya who managed to spirit channel a particularly determined and bitter Mia)

and Phoenix has finally found out who the real killer is

A older (16) boy who went to the neighboring high school, who Marigold caught dealing drugs before stabbing her

And as Phoenix presses him to get him to confess on the stand the boy finally snaps and says

“It’s that bitch’s own fault she’s dead!”

“All she had to do was shut her mouth!”

“I told her I would let her go with no issues if she kept her mouth shut!”

“But that stupid girl just had to keep going on about how “I had to pay for what I did””

“Going on about “upholding justice” like her stupid whore of a mother did, and like her idiot uncle or something would do, and like her fool of father would want her to do”

“If anything, her father should go to jail for raising her to be a god damn idiot!”

“My parents raised me for success, and I wasn’t about to let some dumb bitch fuck it all up”

How would old Godot, sitting in the defendant’s chair, and Uncle Phoenix at the defense table react to that

(And Ghost Mia for the bonus)

The knowledge that she died trying to make them proud of her

[I’ve been watching a lot of homicide documentaries and things in courtroom outbursts]

Poor Marigold Fey was in the wrong place, wrong time. This reminds me of the Aiden Fucci case--a 14 year old boy who killed 13-year old Tristyn Bailey via 114 stabs.

Mari probably caught the guy meeting up with someone else near a forested area and tried to run away to notify the police, but he caught her by the wrist and dragged her into the woods. Then stabbed her until she stopped talking or make any kind of sounds for good. Mari had died at the scene long before anyone found her body.

Imagine if on day 1 of the trial, it began as a missing person's case. Marigold wasn't found out to be dead yet, but she was missing and hasn't come home in quite some time. She missed classes which was entirely unlike her, and Godot, whom she lives with, hasn't seen her come home. Throughout the trial, Godot is upset, mind racing, trying to think of where she could be and what happened to her. It's tough simply not having answers of what happened to your own child. At this time, the most likely suspect was Godot. He was the closest one to Mari, and Mari wasn't known to have enemies. He must have done something to her, right?

They don't have a body or any signs that there was violence or bloodshed during the investigation, so they don't accuse Godot of murder. Yet.

Then they find Mari's body, cold and lifeless, stuck with several knife wounds all over. It's a bloody, tragic mess. And when Godot hears of the news not just of his daughter's violet death but that the blame was being focused on him, his heart breaks. There's simply no coming back from this. He could never heal from someone so dear being ripped from his heart again.

At first, it's his bitterness and anger that keeps him fighting, but by day three when the truth is revealed, Godot is simply burned out. He has no more energy to fight. Only despair. He lost everything all over again, and when he's found not guilty and allowed to walk as a free man again, he'll never feel free. He'll never feel okay again. The whole point of living, to work his coffee shop, to stay among the living was to support his daughter. It was pointless now.

I imagine that after this trial is over with, after that kid was put away for life, after the funeral for Marigold finally ended, and she was laid to rest, something changed in Godot. He looked older, frailer. Quieter and lived like a shut-in. Feenie tries to check-in with him, but Godot hardly responds. He essentially fades out, and the memory of him stays a memory for Pheonix, Maya, and everyone else who knew him.

Every father's day and every one of Marigold's birthdays and major holidays, Godot visits Marigold's grave to lay flowers at her tombstone and spend some time with her. And he prays. He takes comfort in knowing that Mari is up there with her mother, and someday, he'll be with them too. He hasn't touched her room since her death was announced. Her bed was still unmade, her clothes strewn over her desk chair for days since Godot told her to put it all in a laundry basket. He would never touch any of it as if he was trapped in a delusion that she would come back home someday.

Do you think that if Maya or Pearl channeled Mia and let her speak to Godot that Mia would say that Marigold is doing ok now? Would Mia even know? Or maybe they would channel Marigold and let her talk and describe where she is. Or maybe the ghosts simply don't know where they are and their memories are limited to the physical world.

Either way, it'd be sweet if Godot could talk to Mari from time to time. It might be another reason to live--if he could only hear her daughter's voice. Even now, Godot spends a lot of time sipping coffee and thumbing through Marigold's scrapbook, looking over her baby pictures, her kid pictures, her quinceañera pictures, etc, etc. She was a princess through and through. His princess.

And sometimes...Uncle Feenie and Aunt Maya join Godot in visiting Marigold's grave. She was buried next to her mother, Mia. And they reminisce about Marigold, all the cute stories of her childhood, that time she spilled the coffee beans all over the kitchen floor, the way she looked just like a princess during her quinceañera, her first dance with her father, all those pictures she drew in crayons of everyone close to her, how bright she was.

Her mother would be proud of her. Her father most certainly is.

[jamieylnn]

WIP Wednesday!

I was tagged by @caterpills and I can deny her nothing, so here I am! I dug DEEP for this one; I started it in 2020 and have been plucking away for literal years when inspiration hits. I'm hoping that sharing this now might inspire me to finish!

This is the beginning of what was meant to be a modern AU (with magic) take on Shadowgast with a backdrop of the holidays. I started this around Christmas, so I was in a mood. As an added note, "Friendsgiving" was used as a placeholder until I could think of something more Exandria-like! It will probably end up being a play on Civilization's Dawn, once I think hard on it again.

"Can you pass the potatoes, Lebby?" Caleb jolted, as if Veth had stomped down on his foot, rather than just gently nudge him with her elbow from where she sat next to him at the far too small dining room table in Jester and Beau's apartment.  The jump seemed to have only been noticed by Veth herself, which made sense as she was the one that had inspired it, and Caduceus, which likewise made sense as nothing got past him as it was. "Ja, ja -- of course." Veth took the bowl as Caleb passed it over, eyes narrowing in that way they always did when she was scrutinizing him.  Her question of, "You okay?" didn't come as a surprise, but it didn't mean he actually wanted to answer it.  There were far too many of their friends around for him to verbally admit that he had been too focused on the computer screen that was sat at an empty chair across the table from him to pay attention to anyone that wasn't joining Friendsgiving digitally from Rosohna. "I'm fine," he replied, happy that it wasn't a lie as he flashed her a quick, albeit small, smile.  It seemed to satisfy her, leaving Caleb to look down to his plate of what was mostly just green bean casserole at this point, having picked away at his turkey and mashed potatoes while peering at Essek through the computer screen.  Normally the green bean casserole would have been the first side for him to focus on, but this year it had been Jester's dish to pass and he wasn't entirely sure what she had added to give it the specks of color.  He suspected they might have been sprinkles.

Consider this an open tag! 🧡💜

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 99.12

I’m back from holidays

and the final day of the competition begins.

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

--

The Greatest in the Galaxy Part 12

“Johnny, calm down!”

Devi stands between Johnny and the television, trying to keep him from smashing it, while Colton, Carmen, and Maddie stay warily on the other side of the room. Tenna is the only one not bothered by the commotion and continues watching the screen.

“How can I calm down?” he barks, twitching with agitation like an angered cat. “Did you see Squee?”

“Of course I did!” Devi snaps, “but there’s nothing we can do! They’re in another galaxy, for fuck’s sake!”

“So, what, I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing?”

“That’s what they’re doing,” Tenna points out, nodding at the screen.

Everyone looks at the TV showing the Battalion sitting quietly in their living room.

“Does Squee really think of Dib as his best friend?” Colton mutters.

“Is that really what you took from that,” Carmen grunts incredulously.

On Tourney, the Battalion have been waiting, patient and solemn, as Kio and Shmoopy work on Squee upstairs. It’s been over an hour since they got there, and they started cleaning him up even on the ride home.

“The non-injured guilt is strong,” Pepito remarks.

“What?” Dib questions.

“It’s something Squee came up with when you were injured.”

Finally, Kio and Shmoopy come downstairs and everyone jumps up.

“He’s stable,” Kio explains, “but still unconscious. I suspect he will wake up soon. We’ve fixed him up as much as we could for now, but he’s still too injured to take part in the final round tomorrow.” “That’s alright. I’m good to go,” Dib says.

“Pepito, you can go sit with him if you like,” Shmoopy suggests, “it’ll probably be better if he wakes up with someone.”

“Yeah, alright,” he nods and starts to head up the stairs.

“Just try not to be too alarmed when you see him,” she warns, “I promise, it looks much worse than it is.”

He nods nervously and continues upstairs. The cam-bot follows him, but he quickly shoves it away.

Pepito opens Squee’s door and hesitates briefly when he sees his boyfriend lying on the futon. His chest tightens and he swallows hard before going inside, sliding the door closed behind him.

Everyone else remains sitting quietly downstairs. Gaz turns on the TV to some kind of alien variety show to try and liven things up, but nobody pays attention. They don’t even want to try and check out any festivals this time.

Minutes pass slowly, feeling more like hours, before there’s a timid knock at the front door. Everyone glances at each other with confusion before Zim stands up and opens it.

“You?” he gasps and everyone else looks over him to see.

Nimbel stands in the door, nervously wringing her hands. Her cam-bot hovers behind her, watching her every move.

“What are you doing here?” Tak asks suspiciously.

“I um...I was just curious...if Squee is okay...” she admits.

“Why do you care?” Gaz asks.

“I don’t...or I-I shouldn’t,” she replies.

“You attacked him during the battle, didn’t you?” Dib questions.

“N-no! I mean, I did,” Nimbel stammers, “but I was just trying to keep him from fighting the Irken. He ended up...protecting me though...”

“And you won,” Zim points out, “so take the point and get out of here. If you’re feeling guilty about it, don’t. Squee didn’t care about the game in. He just wanted to take down Zinather.”

“But how-how is he?” she asks.

“That is none of your concern,” Zim says sternly, “now stop grovelling at the doorstep of your enemies, and show some pride for your planet.”

With that, he slams the door shut on her face.

“Weren’t you a bit too harsh?” Shmoopy suggests.

“We can’t go giving away our information to our opposing teams,” he insists, “our well-being is none of their concern.”

“Besides, anyone watching our team knows Squee is still unconscious,” Dib adds, pointing to the cam-bot. “That’s all they need to know for now.”

Upstairs, Pepito sits patiently beside Squee, watching him sleep. He feels like he might nod off soon too and rests his head against the wall.

Before he can fall asleep though, Squee wakes up. He groans uncomfortably, squirming beneath his blanket, as his eyes blink open.

“Squee!” Pepito gasps, immediately sitting up. “Try not to move!”

“Pepito?” Squee mumbles blearily. “What’s...where are we...?”

He lifts his hand to rub his head and notices bandages wrapped up his arm. He tries to sit up but pain stabs through his chest and he groans.

“Right, I remember now,” he mutters and looks at Pepito. “You got a mirror?”

Pepito grabs his phone and turns on the selfie camera, holding it out in front of Squee so he can see his face. His left eye is covered by a gauze pad, as are both of his ears. There are small burn marks scattered around the remainder of his face. He’s also shirtless with bandages wrapped around his chest and up his arms.

“Mummy,” Squee mumbles.

“Can you hear me?” Pepito asks.

“Yeah, a little,” he replies and sticks out his arm. “Help me sit up.”

Pepito carefully helps Squee sit up and props up his back with a pillow. “How do you feel?”

“Stiff mostly,” Squee replies, “how long was I out?”

“Just a couple hours.”

Squee clears his throat. “My throat is dry. Do I sound hoarse?”

“A little,” Pepito replies and hands him a glass of water. “Here, Shmoopy left that for you.”

“Thanks,” Squee says and takes a drink. It stings a little as he swallows.

Pepito watches him then sighs heavily. He leans forward, resting his head in the crook of Squee’s neck. “You...really scared me, you know...” Squee nuzzles his face against Pepito’s hair. “Sorry.”

“Thanks for defending my honour, though.”

“Anytime.”

They snuggle against each other, their faces brushing together as they close in.

“Squee?” Zim exclaims, throwing the door open. “I knew it, you are awake! I knew I heard you speaking!”

“Squee!” the others shout and race in.

Squee and Pepito glare at them before splitting apart. “Yeah, hey, guys,” Squee grunts then flinches with annoyance as the cam-bot zooms in on him.

On Earth, his friends sigh with relief.

“He’s okay,” Johnny says.

“He’s covered in bandages,” Tenna points out.

“He looks tired,” Devi observes.

“How do you feel?” Kio asks.

“Like a burn victim,” Squee replies.

“Well, you did blow yourself up,” Gaz points out.

“Any pain?” Shmoopy asks.

“A little, when I move,” Squee replies, “is it bad?”

“Not as bad as it was,” Shmoopy explains, “your eardrums received some damage, your ribs were cracked and you had large slashes across your chest, and you were covered in burns. We were able to fix up the majority of it. The bandages are mostly a precaution against infection and agitation, especially because human eyes and ears are so delicate.”

“Just my left eye?” Squee asks, poking the gauze pad.

“Compared to the rest of your face, the area around your left eye received the most damaged from the explosion,” she replies, “you’ll still be able to see though.”

“Okay. Well, thanks for the help.”

“Of course, it’s my pleasure,” she says, “I-I mean, not-not pleasure. But I’m happy to help...when you need it...”

“You’re not gonna be able to participate in tomorrow’s round though,” Kio points out.

“Yeah,” Squee grunts, “about that...”

He trails off and glares at the cam-bot hovering over them. Then he looks at Pepito. Pepito catches his eye and glances at the cam-bot before nodding.

“Private meeting,” Pepito growls before throwing the cam-bot out of the room and closing the door.

“Hey!” everyone on Earth whines.

“What’s up, Squee?” Dib asks.

“Keep your voices down,” Squee orders, “there’s something you guys need to know.”

“This whole competition...is rotten.”

---

“I’m sorry I can’t be there to support you in person,” Squee says as everyone gets ready to leave for the day.

“It’s better this way,” Kio points out, “the stadium is too loud for your injured ears.”

“And you can support us on the TV,” Dib adds.

“Will you be alright by yourself?” Shmoopy asks.

“I’m hardly alone,” Squee grunts as Minimoose lies on his head, Gir hangs off his shoulder, Mimi stands at-attention by his feet, and the cam-bot flies around them. “But yes, I’ll be fine.”

“Our ride is here,” Tak says, nodding to the front window.

“Make sure you cheer for us,” Zim orders as everyone heads for the door.

“And don’t take off those bandages,” Shmoopy demands.

Pepito gives Squee a kiss on the forehead before leaving and Squee waves after them. “You can do this!”

They close the door behind them, leaving Squee alone with the minions. He sighs heavily, hanging his head, and goes over to the kitchen. He digs around in fridge for a minute before grabbing the milk. After he puts together a bowl of cereal, he sits in front of the TV, wincing slightly. As he eats, he glares at the cam-bot hovering in front of him. “This good TV?”

On Earth, his friends watch him on the screen.

“I’ve watched worst,” Johnny comments.

“Can’t I change it to the stadium?” Devi asks, “we have to watch the final round.” “We can watch Squee watch the final round.”

“Johnny!” everyone snaps.

“Alright, fine,” he groans.

Devi uses the remote to change the view on screen to the stadium as the teams arrive to begin the final round.

“Welcome, audience and viewers, to the final day- the final round- of the competition! It all comes down to this! Who will win, and crown their planet as the greatest in the galaxy!”

The audience erupts into uproarious cheers.

“Now as you’ll recall, the battle yesterday was furious and left Zinather of team Irk and Squee of team Earth out of commission. But both teams are still raring to go! Will Earth be able to overtake Irk’s lead, or will Irk win yet another competition? Only one way to find out! Let’s begin!”

The holographic screen in the sky spins the wheel of games. All of the teams watch tensely from their balconies.

Squee watches too, with Gir, Minimoose, and Mimi on his lap, as he drinks his cereal milk. “Here we go...” Behind him, in the kitchen, in the fridge, tucked in the back behind the milk carton is a small, purple grenade. It suddenly lights up and begins flashing.

Squee sighs as he finishes his milk, lowering the bowl and standing up.

The games wheel lands on ‘Target Practice’.

“Target Prac-!”

The grenade in the fridge blows up, causing an explosion that erupts into the sky high enough to be seen and heard from the stadium. All cam-bots turn to look at the commotion and see a huge billow of smoke in the distance. They immediately take off for it.

“Uh um, I apologize for the interruption, folks, but something unprecedented seems to have occurred! It-it would seem that the Earth team’s house has...has blown up!”

“What!” the audience gasps.

“What!” the other teams gasps.

“What!” everyone on Earth exclaims.

“Change it back to Squee!” Johnny orders, waving frantically at Devi. “What the fuck happened?”

“Hang on, hang on,” she insists as she changes the channel. But when she gets to what should be Squee’s channel, it’s just a black screen. “There’s...there’s nothing!”

“Go back, go back!” Tenna demands, “what are the other cam-bots seeing?”

She changes to the next channel. The cam-bot is closing in on the Earth house, which looks to be nothing but a burning, smouldering wreck. But as it gets closer, it seems to lose control before the screen goes black.

“What?” Devi questions.

“What happened?” Colton asks.

“I don’t know,” she replies and changes it again. But the next screen is black too.

She rapidly changes the channels, but they are all black screens, and the ones that aren’t quickly turn black, as if something is happening to the cam-bots, one by one.

The all stare at the blank screen, flabbergasted.

“What the fuck is going on?” Devi asks.

Back in the stadium, the audience and team members are mumbling with confusion to each other as they also watch the cam-bots go out on the big screen.

“Um, audience- as we appear to have lost the viewers- I do apologize for these...technical difficulties. I assure you, we are working on righting this wrong as we speak and will have the cam-bots running properly again soon...as soon as we find them...”

In their sky box, the Tallest are pacing around angrily, snapping at their subordinates.

“What is going on?” Red demands, “what was that explosion?”

“We-we don’t know, sir,” an Irken servant says. “But-but we can confirm that the Earth team house has been destroyed.”

“But we didn’t do it,” Purple points out, “did we?”

“I don’t think so,” Red replies, “I don’t remember issuing an order to destroy their house.”

“Was anyone inside it?” Purple asks.

“It is too dangerous to send anyone to investigate yet,” another Irken servant replies.

“Well, get to it,” Red orders, “if there are bodies, I wanna see them!”

“There’s one more thing you should know, sirs,” the first servant says, “the Earth team seems to have...disappeared.”

“What?” the Tallest question and look out their window. From here, they can see all of the team balconies. They’re all full of the respective members, except for Earth’s- it’s empty.

“Where did they go?” Purple snaps.

“They must’ve slipped out during all of the commotion,” Red muses, “but why? Find them! Now!”

The two servants salute before rushing out. Red and Purple remain at the window, glaring out at the stadium.

“What on Irk is going on...”

[catierambles]

Public Relations Ch.3

Pairing: Clark Kent/Superman x Charlotte Danvers (OFC)

WC 1184

Warnings: None

@kingliam2019 , @greensleeves888

lemme know if anyone else wants to be tagged

Clark stayed even after completing his interview with her and she ended up ordering them a late lunch, telling Melissa to order something for herself as well. They talked more in-depth about her charity work, having touched on her philanthropy in the interview. He stated early on that it would not be the hit piece that everyone else was writing and instead would focus on the positives about her. She was human, and a lapse in judgment did not make her a bad person. Charlotte was charming and funny, making him laugh several times as they talked and he found himself wanting to know even more about her.

Needing something to show for his extra time there, she gave him permission to talk to some of her immediate staff, telling him to let them know that she said it was okay to talk about her candidly and honestly. She needn't have worried. Everyone he talked to had nothing but glowing things to say about her. She was generous, both with her time if they needed it, and with their holiday bonuses. She encouraged people to work hard and only hired those who did the same as supervisors but encouraged them positively. If mistakes were made, a small informal meeting was called based on the severity and the problem was addressed honestly, with a solution formed on how to fix it and how to make sure it didn't happen again. She didn't punish people for honest mistakes, but she did expect people to own up to them when they were made. Tough, but fair, was the term he heard most often.

If an emergency arose that called for someone to take time off immediately, they were allowed to do so, no questions asked. Melissa had nearly cried when he spoke to her, telling him about the time her mother was sick and she needed to take care of her. Charlotte not only gave her the time off she needed but put in extra paid time off when it looked like she was going to go past her given PTO allotment. Then, she even went so far as to pay off the exorbitant hospital bills that had been racked up in full. They had been paid anonymously, but Melissa knew it was her, or at least heavily suspected it. Charlotte cared for those who worked for her directly, honestly, and earnestly.

When it came to her business dealings, Clark knew she had a bit of a reputation for being ruthless. She took no prisoners when it came to negotiations of contracts, either private or government. When new companies were acquired and absorbed into Danvers Incorporated, she kept anyone who wanted to stay at their current salary and gave those who wanted to leave generous severance packages as well as referrals and references to other companies. She didn't leave anyone destitute. Online reviews from employees working at the companies under the Danvers umbrella were very complimentary, most saying that it was one of, if not the best place they've ever worked.

At the end of the day, and he was done talking to people, Clark found himself admiring her. She was honestly one of the good ones, trying to make her own corner of the world a better place for herself and those in it.

"Productive day?" She asked as they sat back down on the couch and he nodded.

"Very." Clark said, "I learned a lot about you and your company. I think I've got a pretty good story here, something to drown out all those trying to drag you down."

"Well, however it turns out, I appreciate the effort." Charlotte said, giving him a small smile.

"Listen, I'm going to be busy the next few days getting this all organized," Clark said, "But after that, once the article is published, would you like to maybe…I don't know, grab lunch sometime? Or dinner?"

"Are you asking professionally or personally?" Charlotte asked, regarding him softly.

"Personally." Clark said and she gave him a gentle smile.

"I'd like that." She said, "How about dinner? Wherever you would like to go."

"My favorite haunts probably aren't as fancy as what you're used to, honestly." Clark said.

"Nothing wrong with pizza or good Chinese takeout." Charlotte said, "How about this? We exchange numbers and you send me a list of your favorite places and we'll go from there. I'm sure we'll be able to find something."

"Yeah, that sounds good." He said, "Sounds like a solid plan." They exchanged numbers and he sighed, leaning back against the couch. “I should probably get going. As much as I’ve enjoyed my time here, I have an article to organize. Thank you, Charlie.”

“No problem at all.” Charlotte said, “This was the most enjoyable one by far. Want me to walk you out?”

“I remember the way and I’ve taken up more than my allotted time.” Clark said and she stood as he did, watching him grab his overcoat that he had thrown over the arm of the couch and put it on, adjusting his glasses that he had put back on while talking with her staff.

“Hmm.” She said and he gave her a questioning look.

“What?”

“I should have my tailor reach out to you.” She said, “Get you into something more deserving of those shoulders.”

“I like my clothes, thank you.” He said with a smile, “Besides, I wear my suit underneath it and anything too…tailored would be too constrictive.”

“That’s gotta be warm in the summer.”

“Not really, actually. It’s amazingly breathable.”

“Where do you keep the cape?” She asked, “Is it like, jammed in there or something?”

“It’s detachable and folded up in my bag.” Clark said.

“Ever thought about going without it? It seems like a safety hazard.” She said, “Not to mention it would be quicker when switching personas if you don’t have to fiddle with it every time.”

“Not really. It’s kind of my maintained image.” He said and she shrugged with a small sound.

“Whatever works for you.” She said and grabbed the remote, turning the door and walls clear again before going to him, reaching out to hold his arms gently. “Clark Kent of the Daily Planet, it was wonderful speaking with you.”

“It was a pleasure speaking to you as well, Ms. Danvers.” Clark said, “I’ll let you know when the article is about to be released and send you that list.”

“Please do.” She said and he hesitated a moment before leaning in, pressing a light kiss to her cheek and catching the small, bashful smile on her face as he pulled away. Charlotte watched as he left her office, giving a farewell wave to Melissa as he went past and Melissa looked at her with a shrewd grin, tapping her cheek, letting her know she had seen his parting gesture. Charlotte made a zip-it gesture across her lips, and Melissa gave her a thumbs up, mouthing the word “Nice”. Charlotte just rolled her eyes with a smile, going back to sitting behind her desk and diving back into work and emails.

[decks-writing-blog]

Smoke Break

Summary: Upon escaping work to take a smoke break, Burgerpants runs into Papyrus. They have a chat.

~

Working retail sucked no matter the time of year and no mater if one was on the Surface or Underground but this Christmas nonsense was a new low. And of course Mettaton embraced it fully. Which meant throwing a Christmas Eve party, inviting all the monsters that were still important after the move from Underground to the Surface. He held it in his new fancy storefront, no doubt so everyone would see the new fountain he’d just had finished being built showcasing his superstar form, it was the only thing not covered in gaudy Christmas decorations. The location unfortunately also meant Burgerpants got forced into acting as a waiter now too. He didn’t get paid enough for this but more than ever also couldn’t afford to quit. And so, waiter he was for the night.

As often as he could get away with, even pushing the limit a little, he took a break. Most often at the edge of the room so he could pretend to still be working if anyone in charge glanced his way or decided to make sure he wasn’t slacking off; he’d be in trouble if he got caught, possibly even fired. But finally he’d had enough of dealing with pompous assholes and listening to obnoxiously cheery Christmas music. He escaped through the backdoor into the alley.

He froze even before the door could finish closing behind him. Papyrus, second in command of the Royal Guard and thus not only an important person but also one best not messed with, stood there, arms crossed and leaning against the opposite wall. Come to think of it, Burgerpants hadn’t seen him for a while now. Not that he’d been paying that much attention to the guests but Papyrus’ intimidating but attractive appearance and height made him hard not to take note of.

Pretending not to be intimidated – showing weakness was bad in general but even worse when working any kind of service job – Burgerpants stepped to the side out of the door’s way. He leaned back against the wall, meeting Papyrus’ steady gaze. “What are you doing out here? Can’t be to stand guard, can it? Surely you’d have one of your lessers do that for you.”

“No. Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Nah, taking a break.” An unsanctioned one but he didn’t care. Unless Papyrus told on him. “Want a smoke?” Might be a good idea to butter him up a little, get on his good side and maybe he wouldn’t even think to suspect Burgerpants would get in trouble if caught out here.

Papyrus didn’t answer as Burgerpants pulled out a pack of cigarettes but when offered one directly, he accepted it. Burgerpants had to light it for him as he didn’t have a lighter of his own. After that, Burgerpants settled back against his wall to light his own cigarette. He took a long hard drag on it as he flipped the lighter closed and pocketed it once more. The smoke burned in his lungs and yet somehow he felt a little better anyway, not good but still better. … He really needed to quit smoking. Or not because what did it really matter to anyone if he didn’t live until he was ninety or whatever?

Inside, a particularly loud song started up, one he’d heard a million times already while working in the store over the past few weeks, though that was true for all of them. Barely audible through the wall but seems Burgerpants wouldn’t be allowed to escape it completely after all.

“Humans sure got some dumb ideas for holidays, huh?” he said because why not make conversation to drown the music out a little more. Besides they were both out here anyway and it’s not like he got many opportunities to talk to hot people outside of performing a transaction for his job. “First Thanksgiving, now this Christmas thing. They say it’s about love and kindness, dumb enough all of its own, but all I see is the lot of them going stark raving mad for buying a bunch of useless junk they wouldn’t want any other time of year.”

Despite his initial reluctance to accept the cigarette, Papyrus blew out a puff of smoke in a way that made clear this was far from his first time smoking. “Monsters used to celebrate it too. We called it Gyftmas.”

“Huh? Really? Never heard of it.”

“You wouldn’t have. It starting fall out of style not long after we got trapped in the Underground, when things started getting… bad.”

“Then how do you know about it?”

For a moment it seemed Papyrus wasn’t going to answer but after a few long seconds he did anyway. “I used to know someone who had a book on it.”

Burgerpants could crack a joke about how surprising it was that a member of the Royal Guard could read and almost did just to see what kind of reaction he’d get out of this fellow. But, as far as important people went, Papyrus was being surprisingly not rude despite knowing how far below him Burgerpants ranked. A rare thing for sure, instigating something to ruin it wouldn’t be wise. Besides, Burgerpants was kind of curious now. “We steal it from them or they steal it from us?”

“I don’t know. It was… a long time ago that I read that book.” His tone indicated it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about and that perhaps he was done talking in general right now.

With that being the case, they lapsed into silence as they smoked. A comfortable one, or at least Burgerpants felt that it was. But alas, as enjoyable as it was to avoid work to smoke in an alleyway with an attractive monster, if Burgerpants was gone too long he’d be missed and punished when found. Unless he was never found. But alas, running away to start a new life elsewhere could only ever be a daydream.

So upon finishing his cigarette, he snubbed out the last of its flame on the wall before flicking it into the alley trash bin a few feet away, landing it just barely. He then turned to open the door. Before stepping through though, he looked back at Papyrus, still nursing his cigarette as he was clearly in no rush to get back to the party. “Nice chat. And by the way, you probably get this all the time but you’re hot.” He didn’t wait for a reply because it probably wouldn’t be a good one, before heading back in, closing the door behind him.

[perfectpaperbluebirds]

Okay so this is impossible not to request with Father Luc 🌟 but I would actually love to see a quick moment of Flora going to midnight mass despite being sick because she wants to see Father Luc in that robe and him noticing her fever because am I misremembering or does that blessing involve the priest touching people’s foreheads?? (I’m not catholic sorry lol) and this unspoken moment where he’s a little tripped up by it but there’s a line of people so he can only say it with a look, but then slightly later approaching her like hey I think you might have a fever 🥺

Title: Cheer My Wearied Spirit

Words: 1853

Note: Thank you for the request, my friend! I love the reversal here from the other Father Luc thing I just wrote. A lot of it felt similar to the previous father luc fic, but it was essentially the same setting (just different years) so I suppose that is to be expected. I am still planning to write the day 2 follow up to the original father luc fic! Over the holidays I will have quite a lot of down time and hope to do a lot of writing over those two weeks or so, and that follow up is top of the list 

It seemed she had just shut her eyes when the alarm telling her to start preparing for mass began to scream in her ear. Flora groaned as she reached out to shut it off. She didn't feel well. If anything she felt worse than she had before she fell asleep, which was obviously the opposite effect she had been hoping for. She nearly rolled over and went back to sleep. Since she was evidently going to be sick for Christmas, she was sure her parents would excuse her from midnight mass if she asked. 

However, the image of the hot, young priest who had recently been called to her parents' church flooded her mind. She hadn't been able to forget his beautiful smile in the intervening six months since she'd met him over the summer, and she'd be darned if she missed her chance to see it in person tonight. For one thing, she needed to confirm if he was really as handsome as she remembered. She had fruitlessly googled him and scoured the woefully out of date church website to no avail. She needed to see him again for herself.

Every joint ached and her head throbbed as she got out of bed and began to dress. As a precaution she also took her own temperature. She was desperate, but she wasn't stupid. If she had a high fever, then of course she couldn't go. However, the reading wasn't even over 100 degrees. The show would go on. She put on her best "I'm not sick" face for her parents when she emerged, and they didn't seem to suspect anything as they got their coats on and loaded into the car. 

The little church was packed when they arrived, and more people streamed in every second. The three of them were just barely able to squeeze into a pew while most of the other latecomers were relegated to folding chairs. They had hardly removed their coats when the organ began to belt out the opening chords to the first hymn. Everyone rose as one without being told, drew a collective breath, and began to sing their hearts out, with grinning and good cheer all around. 

However, Flora wasn't paying much attention to anyone except the man in the robe who had just taken his place at the front of the church. He, too, was grinning as he picked up a hymnal and began to sing along, his face rosy and fresh and his eyes perfectly set off by the royal blue of his stole. Corny as it was, the most fitting comparison that came to her mind in the candlelit room was that of an angel. 

"Damn," Flora sighed to herself. "He really is that beautiful."

The service was the same as it had been every year of her life. Usually she loved the comforting familiarity, but tonight there was a thrumming undertone that she couldn't quite place, except that it intensified whenever Father Luc looked her way. It would have been deliciously exciting if she hadn't been feeling so gross. 

Ten minutes into the service and she began to wonder if coming had been a mistake. She immediately began to overheat, squeezed between her parents as she was, and the air felt thick even in the sanctuary, with its soaring ceiling and dozens of windows. Her head was throbbing before the end of the first hymn, which she couldn't sing along with anyway since her throat felt as if she'd swallowed glass. While her eyes followed the priest's every move, her sluggish thoughts couldn't actually follow what he was saying. She swallowed yawn after yawn, and soon she found herself thinking about her bed more than anything else.

She was in such a fog by the end of the service that she didn't realize it was almost time for communion until Father Luc began to prepare the host. She shook herself out of her stupor as much as she could and readied herself to be inches away from the hot priest. 

She hadn't been to confession in months so she didn't plan to partake of communion (not to mention the idea of knowingly sharing a cup with the rest of the congregation while she was ill made her shudder), but she wasn't going to miss out on the chance to be blessed by him, so when her parents rose she did the same, and the three of them walked to the front when their turn came. 

She moved down the line, lulled into peace by the familiarity of the sacrament and the lovely piano piece being performed. She didn't realize it was her turn until she was shocked into awareness when Father Luc made eye contact with her, his eyes warm and bright. She wordlessly indicated that she did not wish to partake in the sacrament, mesmerized by his deep blue eyes. With a warm smile he laid his hand on her head and began to murmur a blessing, according to tradition. However, she was startled when the smile faltered as his skin made contact with hers, and for a moment she thought he was going to draw his hand back, blessedly cool as it was. He did not, but blessed her as usual, though his gaze probed hers and a strange expression tugged his eyebrows toward the center–was it worry, perhaps?

She was unable to discern the meaning of his behavior before she was pushed along by the queue behind her. She made her way back to her seat in a haze of confusion and sickness, clamping her lips shut against a cough as she sat back down. She didn't have much time to dwell on the strange interaction before the service drew to an end. A little more talking, a little more chanting, and then the introduction to "Silent Night" could be heard as the lights were dimmed and candles were handed down the rows and lit. Soon Father Luc was only visible from the chin up, the candle he held casting strange shadows on his face as he sang, yet Flora still couldn't keep her eyes off him. She wished she could talk to him–say something funny or witty or memorable, in the hope that she would stick in his mind just as he had stuck in hers. 

When the service ended, the congregation began to file out of the pews to meet the priest who greeted them as they exited the sanctuary as always. Once again Flora was electrified as she made eye contact with him, and he froze for a split second too. Her parents quickly drew his attention, seemingly not realizing what had transpired between them. They clasped his hand, thanked him for the service, and presented her for an introduction. 

"This is our daughter, Flora. She's home from nursing school for the holiday break," her mother said. "I think you met her once before over the summer."

"I believe you're right. It's a pleasure to see you again, Flora," he said, holding out his hand to shake. 

Flora mirrored the gesture breathlessly,  attempting a smile. "Same to you, Father," she said. 

Once again, the handsome smile flickered when they touched. This time his hand felt roastingly warm while she had started to shiver in the line to get out the door. 

He opened his mouth, hesitated for a split second, then seemed to change his mind about what he was going to say. "I hope you are well this evening," he said, his eyes probing hers again. 

She nodded and smiled as she was supposed to, then moved along so the next people could greet him. If only he knew, she thought to herself, that she was the opposite of well. And yet she thought he might suspect the state of her health. Why else would he look at her so closely? And use that particular phrase? 

Her parents were always some of the last people to leave any church service. This had been the case her entire life. Their families had been attending this church for generations, so they knew everyone here, and if they didn't know them then they made it their mission to get to know them. Usually Flora didn't mind, but tonight she certainly did. She hovered by the door closest to their car, holding the door for everyone else lucky enough to be leaving and mentally imploring her folks to hurry up just this once. 

However, her patience was rewarded in an unexpected way. Out of nowhere, Father Luc appeared and headed right for her as if he'd been searching for her. He had removed his robe and was wearing a royal blue sweater, the same color the stole had been, over a striped collared shirt and tie, looking very dashing indeed. Flora's heart fluttered as he drew near. 

"Flora, I was hoping I would catch you before you left," he said, stopping only inches away. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. This will probably sound strange, but when you were receiving the blessing, I thought your face seemed very warm. I think you might have a fever. I just wanted to let you know so you could check when you get home."

Flora flushed immediately, fever notwithstanding. "I think you're probably right. I wasn't feeling the best this evening, but I really wanted to make it to mass. I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have come tonight."

"Oh no, that's not… it's a blessing to have you with us tonight and I wasn't trying to say otherwise. I just wanted to make sure you're taken care of. No one likes being sick on Christmas." 

She flushed even brighter. "Thank you, Father. I have everything I need back at my parents." 

"I'm glad," he said earnestly. "And while I am excited to gather with the congregation again for Christmas Day, under the circumstances I'll say that I hope I DON'T see you tomorrow!... Unless you make a miraculous recovery of course. And if the Lord chooses to work such a miracle, all the better! But… I guess you understand what I'm getting at," he stammered, his face red now as well. 

She giggled a tiny bit, his nervous rambling somehow cuter to her than anything else he could have said, and also serving to put her at ease. "I do. I promise I'll stay home tomorrow if I'm still sick. I appreciate you checking on me."

"Certainly, and I hope you feel better soon. Take care, Flora." He turned and walked away, both of them still red-faced.

He had hardly turned the corner when her parents emerged at last, and Flora avoided their eyes, lest they notice anything amiss. She ushered them through the door with pleas to head home to bed, not needing to exaggerate the fatigue she felt. She wouldn't tell them she was sick tonight. They would only fuss and blame themselves for bringing her out in the cold weather. There would be plenty of time to be fussed over through the rest of this holiday break. Instead, she let silence reign during the drive home, smiling to herself as she imagined his cool hand on her face over and over again. 

[cookinguptales]

Okay friends, I am starting my segue from fall-o-ween to xmas (because I have to go to center city on Monday and I suspect it's going to be VERY winter holiday-y there) so uhhh yeah let's do tarot readings today. I have a Nightmare Before Christmas Deck. Yeah. That's a great segue.

I've noticed that in the past few tarot nights, I've tended to get exhausted quickly and can't finish all the ones I wanted to. So... I'm not gonna say I'm gonna quit doing them or anything (I really enjoy them) but I will not make any promises about getting to everyone. in short, if you want a reading, get your request in early.

I'll try to do them throughout the whole weekend, but this is also my housecleaning weekend (to prep for holiday decorations) so it'll be off and on. I'm gonna try and pace myself this time and see how it goes.

So... here's how this works, for new followers.

I'm not psychic. This is just for fun. I just collect tarot decks and like to show them off every so often. I do believe that tarot readings can be useful, though; because they deal with archetypes that pertain to almost all of us, you'll likely see something relating to your own life in a reading. And... if that's the first thing to come to mind, maybe it's your subconscious telling you to pay more attention to it. I can't tell your future, but maybe I can help you organize your thoughts. Maybe something will really resonate with you, or maybe you'll say "that's not right at all," but either way, it may help you think about something that you need to.

If you would like a reading, please send me an ask. You can be anonymous, but if you're anonymous, put something in the ask (like an emoji or something) that will let you know which one is you. This also makes my notifications easier to understand.

Please do not ask me specific questions, like "will I get this job?" Like I said, I'm not psychic. I can't answer yes or no questions or whatever. That said, if you'd like me to focus my reading on a specific subject, I can do that to the best of my ability.

Please do not apologize for the space you take up when you send me an ask! Please don't be like "oh, if it's not too much trouble" or "oh, if no one else is asking" or "oh, sorry for asking, but--" No!!! I am doing this because I enjoy it and you have just as much right to ask for a reading as literally anyone else. You are not taking up any resources that I am not willingly giving. I recognize that a lot of people have been trained to do this out of "politeness," but please, please don't make yourself smaller on my account. Let's just have fun together, okay?

I like to take my time with each reading and will also be pacing myself this time. Please be patient with me if I haven't posted anything in a few hours. I'm still probably making my way through requests.

And, because this gets asked almost every time, let me just be clear -- this is 100% free. If you'd like to do something in return, please just pay it forward and do something kind for someone else in the oncoming weeks. If you really want to make a donation (that... will inevitably be used on more tarot decks) then I do have a ko-fi.

And finally, because it seems to be my most popular deck, I'll also have @theartofmadeline's Muppet Rainbow Connection tarot on hand if anyone would prefer that one. Just lmk.

And as always, if you want to block all this, please block "#tarot shenanigans".

[survey--s]

437.

When was the last time you used a regular telephone? Ha, good question - years ago probably. I suspect when I worked at my old job which was back in 2019.

How many times have your comments been top comments on YouTube? I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a YouTube video in my life.

Would you ever wear a wig? Sure.

What did you learn today? Uh, nothing in particular really. I haven’t exactly done very much as it’s been pouring rain most of the day, plus it’s Sunday.

What are you most afraid of? Failure.

Are you watching TV as you fill out this survey? Yeah, I have Two and Half Men on at the moment. I’m not really watching it though - it’s more background noise.

Have you ever tried to make a movie? Nope.

When’s the last time you turned something upside down? Probably yesterday when I was winding the cat up, lol.

Do you read books just for fun? Sure, though I’ve not really read anything for ages now.

Do you like the moon or sun more? The sun.

Do you have any posters in your room? Nope.

True or False: You burn a CD every day? Ha, how old is this survey? My laptop doesn’t even have a CD player anymore.

Do you smile more than you frown? It depends on the day.

Do you know anyone named Spencer? No. Spencer is a really common surname here.

When’s the last time you used an envelope? Before Christmas - one of my customers pays me in cash and leaves it an envelope on the side for me.

Do you sing in the shower? Sure, sometimes.

What’s your worst subject? It always used to be maths and science.

Do you ever go to the mall on weekdays? Sure, when I worked in retail I always had weekdays off.

How often do you wash your pants? Well, I put a clean pair on everyday but I don’t do laundry everyday.

Would you rather have a million dollars or be able to fly? The latter.

Do you like Friday or Saturday nights more? Either is fine as I generally don’t work weekends anymore.

Have you ever been ice skating? Yeah, a few times. I used to go when I was on holiday a fair bit.

Do you hate it when guys treat girls like crap? I hate it when anyone treats anyone like crap.

Do you like turkey or ham more? Turkey. I’m really not a huge fan of ham.

When did you realize that Canadian bacon was just ham? We don’t have Canadian bacon here, so it’s not really something I’ve ever thought about before.

Have you ever slapped someone’s butt? Sure.

Do you ever have sleepless nights? Yeah, I’ve always had problems when it comes to sleep. Either it takes me ages to get to sleep or I wake up constantly in the night. I take Nytol now and that seems to have solved the issue luckily.

Would you rather be treated fairly or equally? Fairly.

What’s something that always comes and goes? Sunrises and sunsets.

How many pillows do you sleep with? Two pillows, plus sometimes a couple of small cushions.

Do you want to help save the rainforest? I mean, sure, but I don’t think there’s much that individuals can really do - it has to be all about corporations and government changes.

Do you think dimples are ugly? Nah, they’re pretty cute

If you could restart your life, would you? Nope, life is pretty good, for the most part.

Who is better: Shia Labeouf or Ryan Gosling? I prefer Ryan Gosling in terms of looks.

What’s your favorite food? Steak.

Did it snow today where you live? Yeah, it kind of sleeted for a bit this morning, but nothing settled.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be someone else? Sure, I think most people have wondered that at some point, surely?

What’s the last thing you purchased that you couldn’t eat? Uhh, medication for the cat lol.

Do you like zebras? They’re aggressive little buggers lol.

Are you missing anyone right now? Nope.

Have you ever taken a shower while chewing gum? That’s very precise, but no.

Do you own a pair of striped socks? I’m sure I have some somewhere, yeah.

Do you like Converse shoes? I love the look but they always rub on my heels and give me blisters.

Do you like Rihanna? I like her music, yeah. I think she’s pretty talented.

[lilyaquarius]

I posted 1,023 times in 2022

16 posts created (2%)

1,007 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@xiranjayzhao

@aconstantstateofbladerunner

@lake-shark

@poorshadowspaintedqueens

@notbecauseofvictories

I tagged 127 of my posts in 2022

#rottmnt - 10 posts

#hellcheer - 6 posts

#fairy tales - 4 posts

#asexual - 4 posts

#ace tag - 4 posts

#writing tag - 4 posts

#gochi - 4 posts

#witchcore - 4 posts

#history - 4 posts

#dbz - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#like he made it plainly clear how little he cared about his kids and when lydia gets married to wickham he has no one but himself to blame

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Jaiden Animations coming out as AroAce makes me feel so valid.

https://youtu.be/qF1DTK4U1AM

11 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

#4

OK, look, there are a lot of issues to be had with Becoming Elizabeth but honestly, the problems I've seen were ones I fully expected. The thing with Thomas Seymour, saw it coming a million miles away. I was not shocked, I was disappointed, but I suspected they were going to handle it badly anyway. But the (other) thing that gave me this angry, visceral rage was the Kett's Rebellion subplot. Because the show wants you to think that it was about a poor, illiterate, mindless violent mob of catholic's rebelling against an (imperfect but not "bad") Anglican government, committing atrocities because they were poor, illiterate, violent, stupid peasants who are also Catholics.

The reality is the rebellion was the peasantry rising up in righteous indignation at the abuse of power from landowners cutting off the land from the common people. People couldn't let their animals graze in fields, and families were literally kicked out of their homes. All so rich landowners could close off land to do with what they wanted. With inflation and unemployment on the rise, some landowners also rose the rents of their tenants and wages also dropped. You can't afford to pay my increased rent with your decreased wages? Too bad, get out or I kill you. Everything benefited the rich landowners and they knowingly, intentionally fucked over the poor. Not unlike today!

The government's response to it was swift, violent, and brutal. Maybe 3,000 rebels total were killed to say nothing of the civilian casualties. To add further insult to grievous injury, after the rebellion was quelled it was decreed there would be a national holiday celebrating the rebellion's defeat and lectures were given on the sins of rebelling against your king and government.

I know why they didn't go with this subplot. Because no rich person with power wants the regular, ordinary person to see a rebellion that they can sympathize with and get it in their heads that they can too. Rebellions scare the rich because they know the "poor" outnumber them a million to one. We also live in a modern society where we can think, act, and band together to fight injustice. Why do you think the conservative right wing is so determined to remove as many rights as humanely possible from anyone who isn't exactly like them?

How they chose to portray Kett's rebellion to be as unsympathetic and as inaccurate as possible then turn it around to show how Lord Dudley is a prick while his son Robert can only look dumbfounded when he doesn't show mercy...it doesn't have any impact narratively speaking. We already don't like Lord Dudley. Anyone with a basic knowledge of Tudor history knows he dies. I feel like, a better team of writers could have portrayed the rebellion as sympathetic and Dudley killing the leaders and anyone else tied to it having a stronger emotional impact. There's plenty of material to use to show the divide between Catholics and Protestants.

Hell, go the extra mile and have it narratively tie in with Elizabeth being the victim of a powerful rich man taking advantage of someone who has no support or power of their own. Have her rebel against his attempts to cajole her into a relationship and marriage. My God, the Seymour's ousted her mother and her family from power! She shouldn't want to have anything to do with them!

But no, I guess have it be stupid peasants rebelling as an excuse to murder and steal because poor people are dumb and evil obviously and all non-evangelical Protestant religion makes you evil, and yeah, portray your groomer and abuser as sympathetically as possible.

I guess!

17 notes - Posted July 18, 2022

#3

So, I don't normally do this but after watching the first twenty something minutes of Netflix's Blonde all I can say is....

What The Fuck??

What did I just watch? Why was this movie made? How could anyone have possible derived any sort of pleasure in what was seen?

I mean...it was bad guys, it was really bad. Bad as in it turned my stomach watching it, kind of bad. Feeling gross, horrified and uncomfortable the whole time, level of bad. I couldn't even finish watching the movie, I just went "screw this" and fast forwarded to the end.

This movie revels in the violence the character of Marilyn Monroe/Norma Jean endures. It takes sadistic joy in making her suffer. Fully expecting the audience to also revel in her suffering. Hateful is the perfect word for it, its just pain p*rn from start to finish. You can tell this was written and directed by some really fucked up men.

It is also boring as hell. It is badly written in how horrific it treats Monroe's character to just how badly written the script in general is. There is nothing engaging about the story, nothing that makes me think its worth sitting down and watching all the way through for the next hour and a half. The dialogue is stunted, the cinematography is weird, the acting isn't memorable or great and I STG, every other scene is just to provoke shock value.

The weird choice to go back and forth between black and white to color also makes no sense. Because everything is so disjointed and confusing. To say nothing of the freakish obsession the movie has with Marilyn's fixation on her, ugghhh...."Daddy". Which, if I'm being honest, I think is the writers fetish shining through.

Don't bother watching it, your life will be a happier one if you don't.

37 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#2

HTTYD Nine Realms (potential fanfic fuel)

Dragons: The Nine Realms does have some genuine potential but if I may, here's a few changes I'd make from what I've seen.

1.) Have Dr. Kullerson be an archeologist/historian who specializes in Viking history.

It makes far more sense to me story wise. The previous movies and franchise dealt with Vikings and their culture. That wasn't a tiny period in history, that lasted from roughly 790's-1060's CE. There is a lot of ground to cover and Tom's mother could be someone who specializes in Berkian Viking history. Having her be the historian gives writers someone who can give a useful exposition to people new to the franchise while also helping to expand world building.

She'd ask questions like: How did the Viking's go from hating Dragons for over several generations to (what looks like) effectively worshipping them in the span of a single generation? Why did they move from old Berk to new Berk? Where are there ships? Was Hiccup Haddock real or was he a mythical figure like King Arthur? Etc. Etc.

The potential is fascinating because we learn more about what Hiccup, Astrid and the other dragon riders did later in their lives. A big episode could be finding their tomb and all the maps, journals and wellspring of information he wrote down that were spared for future generations.

2.) The Nine Realms are different hidden worlds that the team goes to find.

Hiccup was a Viking, they sailed around the world. Its not impossible to believe that he and Astrid traveled across the globe and learned of other hidden worlds. Hence the series title, Nine Realms. He made a map so that future dragon riders, i.e. Zephyr and Nuffink, can continue protecting the dragons. Which could lead to a whole wealth of storylines that can have Tom traveling the world and meeting other kids like him who learned about the dragons and are protecting them.

3.) The story doesn't need an overarching villain, but there are plenty of potential antagonists

HTTYD and its TV Series had it easy in that regard, since they could use antagonists from the books or just create dragon hunters as enemies. Here, Nine Realms doesn't necessarily need a Viggo, Johann or Bludvist. You can have someone who just hates dragons for the sake of it or for profit but the show shouldn't just do something boring like "Evil Dragon Hunting Group tm". It could be interesting to see the kids fighting against government officials, companies who would try to steal or exploit the dragons, Zoo's and theme parks, and even have antagonists that aren't against dragons per se, but rather concerned about reintroducing a species that hasn't been seen for serval hundred years and how that could negatively impact the current ecosystem.

These wouldn't be easy antagonists with easy solutions, or one dimensional villains. The kids would have to think hard and work together to defeat them, the way Hiccup and the riders did with their enemies.

4.) Dragons have been existing in the world as we know it, we just don't know because they are good at hiding.

One serious complaint I've found from fans point out how it could be even possible that after 1300 years the dragons could survive after living in the hidden realm for so long. My answer, they've been leaving the hidden world on and off, they've just been good at hiding. Believe it or not, there are plenty of unexplored places in the world that humans haven't been to or rarely venture to. Forrests, lakes, jungles, underwater caverns, the ocean. It's not impossible to believe.

Those are just a few ideas, I may add more later. What are other peoples thoughts on this? What would you add, change or recommend?

37 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about Iron Widow was Wu Zetian's anger. Her absolute rage at the injustice of her situation. The second hand catharsis I felt reading about someone who is so sick of everyone's bullshit and just lashing out, no fucks given felt weirdly liberating. As someone whose been taught to suppress her anger her whole life and has a stupid amount of difficult time trying to express that anger, (and everyone telling you oh just get angry and let the anger loose, like no you dumb fuck it isn't that easy unlearning a toxic habit that's been ingrained in me for the last thirty years of my entire fucking life!) seeing her rage, felt good.

Anyways, more YA novels where the female lead is not only allowed to get mad and stay mad but isn't punished for it. Please.

52 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[whych-whytch]

Praise Vuall!

This ain't my first fascination magick rodeo. It's always a roller coaster ride when I need to charm the pants off the wild beasts of the corporate jungle, and today was no exception.

Sorry, no cut. I'll add one later.

Here's the back story: it's complicated. Isn't it always?

It's a tale of sexual jealousy and rampant upper management corruption, and it all goes down at a Fortune 500 company. My best friend, "Old Nick", a shaman, worked in produce. I, "Lilith", a budding sorceress at the time, worked in e-com. We got a new store director, "Lord Farquad" and he decided I belonged to him, as the most "exotic" woman at the store, since you know, beauty and power go hand in hand.

"Lord Farquad" is nicknamed such because he wears lifts in his wingtips. And he hates fairytale creatures... but more on that later.

There was only one man standing in his way. Old Nick.

So he did what tyrants do, and forbade us from speaking to one another, and did his damndest to keep us apart. Because what goes on in everyone else's beds is his business 🙄 And everyone was convinced me and Old Nick were secret lovers.

So LF promoted Old Nick, and then crushed his dreams by demoting him, telling him that he needed to tell everyone he'd stepped down on his own, and if he told anyone the truth, he'd be fired on the spot.

We did what all good witches do, banded together, and took revenge with magick. But Old Nick ended up quitting and going to work for the competition, and me? Well, I stayed. To bide my time, and plot the juiciest revenge. Because LF crushes everyone's morale, and all their hopes and dreams.

It's four weeks into the holiday season and it's all coalescing nicely together. I started from the bottom, to crumble the pyramid that way. LF suspects nothing. He thought that when he stomped on the snake's head, he killed his biggest enemy. But the female of the species is more deadly than the male...

In the meantime, I'm playing, because I get bored and life is always ripe for magickal mischief. I need to know that I've got LF right in the palm of my hand before I crush him like a rotten grape.

Here's the story, morning glories: today my truck got stuck in my driveway. After calling my manager, I waited for the plow. We'd had three call outs and we're very short staffed. People keep quitting or transferring internally because morale is so bad at work, and everyone blames LF directly for it. He has "his people", and if you're not a favorite, he treats you like shit. We all hate him.

I got a call, the manager said one of the cashier PICs was coming to get me. She hadn't offered. LF just told her to come get me. She tried to spin it as being an altruistic person, but had almost gotten plowed into by a semi on the icy hill. She also wants a promotion. So you know, when the store director says jump, you say how high...

A few weeks ago, I was shopping. I was on one side of the bananas when I spotted LF lecturing some poor produce guy. I decided he wouldn't notice me if I kept scanning my produce in, but no such luck. He spotted me and lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, jumping up and down and waving and calling my name. "Lilith! Lilith! Hi! Lilith!"

I pretended not to see this forty year old man making an idiot of himself. He came up to me, grinning like an idiot. "Lilith! Didn't you hear me?"

So I get into work three hours late. I'm at the desk. Suddenly he's right there next to me. "Lilith! You made it."

I look up from my task and smile demurely. LF is grinning so big it takes up his entire face, and his eyes are shining. Oh shit girl you got him, I think, and then, Old Nick would kill me if he knew.

Vuall, to create an aura of sensuality, to make men think I will gift them their sexual fantasy. Gusoin, for awe.

LF offered to pay for an Uber to get me home, but when I was finishing up our last shop, Boston arranged me a ride instead.

[saphirafoxgirlspost1]

(Open Rp) "My Mystery Valentine"

(to Followers, If your muse is a Saiyan, super hero, vampires, werewolves, ect..You can decide if your muse is going to become or Contains weight gain or muscle growth....Viewer disgression is adviced)

On the First Day of Febuary, Saphira was Decorating for valentines day and She Loves That Holiday So much but...Her Husband Named Calvin James Dairy...Did Not..But Saphira Was Stern about him, He Usually came home late and making alot of Excuses. It made Saphira very Suspecting but until one Night when she made dinner when Calvin Decided to act like a Tyrant and he said," Saphira! your Dinner Looked like crap! I want some better Dinner Woman! Your food belongs to the trash an-" But then WHAM!! Saphira Hits Him on the head with a rolling Pin and She said," CALVIN! Whats the Rules In this House?" Then Calvin rubbing his head and he Answered," No Tyrant in the House..ever.." "Thats Right! So you better eat dinner that I'd Just cooked and Work hard to make this food better! If you ever act Like this again, So Help Me Inari I.....Will.....Divorce you! And you know what Happens if I Divorce you!" She said with a Cold Look in her eyes While Holding a Big Rolling Pin in her hand..Calvin Knew What Would Happen..After all Her Father Mordue Is a Very Powerful Buisness man and Calvin was Her fathers right handed man...God Help him if Calvin would ever Acting like a Tyrant Towards Saphira...Her Father Would Make Him Disappeared Or Demoted Him and Work triple hard Till he gets his Act Straighten...So He Nodded Fearfully and then Saphira Said,"Good...Valentines day is coming in, So you better throw that Tyranny attitude Out from the Window! Because If you Do This Stunt again...You'll never Date or Marry anyone again! Do I make Myself Clear Calvin?" She asked coldly as Calvin nodded in fear...and then She said,"Good Now eat up before Your Dinner gets cold.." But On the Second day Which is "Ground Hogs Day", Saphira was heading home from Shopping For Groceries..when she got home and she Said," Calvin I'm Home!" No Answer Until..She Saw Her Neighbors Wife Name "Riley Whistlers" Comes out from her bedroom with saphira's robe on and she said,"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!!?? RILEY!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN MY HOUSE!!?? WHERE'S CALVIN!!??" She was so angry Not Knowing that He was trying to act like a Tyrant last night..but He cheated On her With a Neighbors Wife...Riley Stood there fearfully and Saphira Told her to sit Down on the bed till Calvin gets here..as Calvin came out from the Shower and Saphira said,

Saphira: "CAAAALLLLVIIIIIN!!! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" *pointed At Riley on the bed*

Calvin: "Saph! this isn't what it looks like! I can explain!"

Saphira:"Explain what!? you cheated On me With Our Neighbors Wife! Are you Out of your Mind!? Do you have any Idea who your Married to and Why?!"

Saphira Crossed her arms angerly..her Blood began to Boil like lava in rageful manner..Then She began to call Rileys Husband, Mr. Whistler and Told Him Everything....then Mr. Whistler comes in and Apoligize to saphira and She said,

Saphira: "It's not your fault Mr. Whistler, However your Wife Is going to pay The compensation and also the Alimony along with "Calvin" here..

Calvin: "What!? You mean!?"

Saphira: "YES CALVIN, I WANT A DIVORCE!! And also..How Long Did you and Riley had been going on huh!?"

Calvin was so scared and then..he told her that he and Mrs. Whistler had an affair For about 2 years..and Saphira was furious and she said,

Saphira:"So you've been cheated on me behind my back after our 4 years of marriage and this is a result!!!. Thats it! I want you Out! Your Officially In the DOGHOUSE Permanantly! and I will tell my father about this!"

No matter How much Calvin begged her not to..It never Change Saphira's Mind...Her Now "Ex Husband" and Now Mr. Whistler's Ex Wife got Divorced and Him and Riley Pay Saphira The Huge amount of Alimony and Compensation as well...Her Father was Furious at Calvin..So he Demoted Calvin to the Stockroom So he can work to Pay saphira Up with his Salery..And then before Calvin left..Her Father Said, "You Better Be Lucky that I Wouldn't Fired you in this Spot For Cheating On my Daughter Like that! I will Not Have this Kind Of behavior to be My Right handed man!"..Then Saphira told Her father That She wants to Move out of Town away from bad memories and Start fresh..So Her Father Granted and Bought a Nice Mansion On the very very Far Side from the Town..When She moves there. 5 Years Later. her Life was Wonderful..until her friends told her that This Manor was Haunted By Someone, rumor has it That the Owner of this Manor is the most wealthiest man in the whole country..but Suddenly..he was Murdered by a greedy bride..Or Some say..He was So Lonely..he took his own life right out of it..But Most of them Said that the mystery green glow came out of nowhere and never Seen or heard from him again...Saphira Thought about this "Mystery" Previous owner of this Manor, Her curiousity is Killing her badly..But She looked down at the basement and Saw Alot Of Lab stuff..and including Cylinder Chambers and she said, "So the green light was here...thats explains it..alright buddy...what are you Creating?" She looked around and Saw a One Full Chamber but She can't see who it was...But She sees the plans and experiments notes..Like Someone or something wants to become (vampires,werewolves, or Super hero, Saiyans, ect..whatever you want Followers)...So She said,"Yeesh..someone is desparate.." She said..she went upstairs to her Masters Bedroom..But then in the Middle of the Night..She hears the Loud Glass breaking as she rushed down into the basement..She sees the Chambers broken..Something was Lose..so..saphira runs back to the bedroom and lock the Doors till morning..But then..She woke up that Morning and Saw the Lovely letter and it says......

[amerrierworld]

Little Songbird (pt 3)

Part 1 | Part 2

Summary: Lady Dimitrescu becomes addicted to your voice and wants to hear you... sing some more.

Characters: Alcina Dimitrescu x fem!reader

Word Count: 3,087

Warnings: The extra Smut Chapter ;)

The next day, you were a bit exhausted from the previous night’s... activities. But you set about work the same way as usual, though buzzing with an unusual excitement about the evening to come. 

You were working on repairing a rip in one of your old dresses. You really wanted to impress the Lady and look as good as possible, now that she had taken a liking to you. As you worked, the head maid asked you about your previous night’s duties while preparing lunch.

“It wasn’t all bad.” You kept your gaze on the hole in the dress you were mending as she prepped ingredients. “The Lady seemed very preoccupied. I don’t think I was much of a bother.”

“That’s very rare,” another maid cackled while peeling potatoes next to you. “She always looks at us like we’re the dirt on the bottom of her shoes. But I suppose the pay is good.”

“Not freezing out in the cold is very good pay, I agree,” the head house maid said dryly. “I suggest you try to keep it that way.”

The maid looked flustered at the comment and scampered off, intimidated by her gaze and muttering something about more things to be done. You bit your lip to stop from smiling.

“How was it really, my dear?” The head maid turned to you, a much kinder look in her eyes now. “The Lady can be a touch.. harsh.”

“It was fine, really. I didn’t know she had a piano until now.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve never heard her play myself, but I’ve heard stories she used to perform. Especially around holidays or important events.”

“Really?” Your mouth gaped a little as she explained. “I didn’t know she was that good at piano.”

“Oh, no, dear. Not piano. She would sing. It’s a bit sad we haven’t heard her sing at all in our time at the castle. I suspect it would make her a little more approachable. But that may not be what she wants. I’ve heard she was quite a talented singer though...”

As she kept talking, the needle had stilled in your hands, your body freezing at the sudden revelation. Lady Dimitrescu, a singer? Surely not. 

“..Are you alright?”

You snapped out of your thoughts, thinking of how she would sound, what she would sing, and if you would ever get to hear her sing. 

“Yes, yes I’m fine.” You kept pushing the needle through the fabric, trying to remain calm. You felt your body tingle as you remembered the way she wanted to hear you sing. “I have to say, it is quite surprising.”

“Our Lady is definitely full of surprises.” She patted your shoulder before leaving you to your thoughts and your half-stitched handiwork. You weren’t sure if you’d be able to focus on any tasks for the rest of the day now.

Later that night, you hurried to sneak through the hallways on your way to your Lady’s bedchambers. You really didn’t want anyone to see you on the way, since you had no supplies to have an excuse of a chore to be done this time. There was one maid who caught your eye, and she gave you a curious once-over as you walked by in your nicest dress, looking like you were going out rather than going to bed. 

When you got to the door of the room, your heart was thundering in your chest. Your hands had gotten sweaty, and you didn’t understand what was so stressing for you. She had seen every inch of you already, had stripped you on top of the piano, and made you come like you never had before.

You delicately rapped your knuckles on the door, and waited for long, agonizing moments for a response. When none came, you became curious. You turned the door handle and pushed. It opened with no resistance, and there seemed to be no noise coming from inside the room.

You poked your head inside, and was once again astounded by the sheer size of the room. Against your better judgment, you slipped inside and shut the door behind you. Being early was always a good thing, you decided.

Since Lady Dimitrescu wasn’t there yet, you had time to take it in. You were drawn to the massive bed, and the dark red sheets that adorned it. Probably the best colour choice, you figured, considering the high risks of blood stains on any surface in the entire castle. 

You approached and ran a hand over the edge of the fabric, marvelling at its silkiness and expensive textures. It reminded you of everything Lady Dimitrescu liked to wear; expensive, silky, smooth...

The door slammed open, ripping the quiet thought out of your brain, and there stood Lady Dimitrescu. Her expression was fuming, angry, but it didn’t seem to be directed at you, because the minute she saw you standing in the room, it softened in confusion. Like she had forgotten you’d be coming.

You let go of the sheets and clasped your hands behind your back, curtsying quickly in fear of her anger and not wanting to step out of line. She nearly scoffed at you, and took a few long strides to the vanity, sitting down heavily on the bench.

“Help me with my dress.” Her tone was curt, demanding. You paled a little, thinking this night wasn’t gonna go how you expected it to, but still doing as she said. You were a maid, after all.

With her seated, it was easier to reach the buttons along her back, and you made quick work of them. But when you stepped back and she didn’t make any move to get out of her seat, you realized she wanted you to get the entire garment off her.

Her pointed gaze at you in the mirror disappeared from view as you approached the open back and pushed the two halves of the dress aside like peeling delicate fruit. You couldn’t help it; you ran your hands along the thick skin of her back as the dress fell off her shoulders, revealing a tantalizing bra clasp right at eye level that you could have undone quickly if you wanted to.

“You’re being quite bold, little one,” Lady Dimitrescu finally spoke, her voice deep, sultry, but not gentle like it had been last night. There was an iciness to it that stung. Your hands had been lingering a little too long on her skin.

“Forgive me, my lady,” you said, stepping away as she got up to her full height and let the dress pool at her feet. You saw heels in your view and stockings raking up long legs, but you didn’t dare look any higher. 

“Oh, pet. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She ran a hand over your head and walked past you. Your instincts kicked in and you picked up the dress to fold tidily on the vanity’s bench. The slightest touch from her fingers made you shiver, and a blush crept up the back of your neck.

“Look at me, sweetling.”

You turned around to face the bed, where she was sitting, one leg swung over the other, hands perched behind her on the mattress. Yellow eyes looked at you and you gulped for air at the sight of her.

“You’re allowed to look, darling. It would be a bit inconvenient if you weren’t.”

Your cheeks were burning now, but you finally let your eyes wander down her frame. Her lingerie was the epitome of femininity, yet dark and sultry, just like her. The black lace hugged her curves. Her stockings were held up by a garter belt, and she kicked off her heels with one smooth jerk of her legs. 

Her tummy folded in when she was seated, and her thighs, though muscular and lean, were thick and looked strong enough to crush your entire body if she wanted to.

“Come here.” That familiar voice zapped through you and you approached the bed, briefly wondering if what you had heard about her singing talents were true. You supposed it wouldn’t surprise you. As a lady of her standard, learning an instrument or musical skill must’ve been a required lesson for her etiquette. 

She picked you up to sit in her lap, and you squeaked in surprise as she lifted you once again. A chuckle rang throughout the room and you looked up at her, relieved to see the earlier anger had dissipated from her gaze when she looked at you.

“I’m glad you’re here. I had almost forgotten you were coming,” she said, running hands soothingly over your thighs as you straddled her. “I apologize if I was a bit of a sight when I arrived. The staff in this castle is somewhat... incompetent at times.”

So it was the staff that had made her angry. Did another maid try to escape? Enter the cellar? Was there an errand boy that couldn’t keep his hands off of one of the new deliveries? 

Her head lowered to breathe in your scent, lingering right by your ear. You let out a heavy sigh at the feeling of her so close to her, and you reached out to grip her upper arms that framed your body. You ran your fingers along her skin, and she recoiled for a moment, pulling away.

You froze. Did you do something wrong? Fear etched in your eyes, you looked up at the Countess, wondering if you stepped out of line for touching her. Then her gaze focused in on you and she seemed to relax a little.

“Don’t stop.”

Was it a request? An order? You didn’t mind either way, because now your hungry hands ran over her, feeling the dimples and ridges of scars and stretched skin all over. You explored with your hands as much as you did with your eyes, gazing at her cleavage, the curve of her neck, the muscles in her shoulders. 

You ran a hand over her tummy, feeling softness and subconsciously prodding it a little with your fingertip. She giggled at the feeling. Giggled. Her body jostled a bit, moving you about. You liked the feeling and the softness, so kept your hands there.

“I can see a question in your eyes, little one,” Lady Dimitrescu purred, combing a hand through your hair. You cast your gaze downward, running a hand over her skin repeatedly, familiarizing yourself with the patterns of the stretch marks.

“Just.. something I heard today.”

“And what was that?”

You squirmed uncomfortably. “I’m not sure if you want to hear.”

A finger tipped your chin up to her piercing eyes, “I doubt it’ll go unnoticed by me, sweetling. Even if you don’t tell me now, I will hear about it.”

Your mouth went a little dry at that. She was right, nothing happened in this castle without her knowing about it, but goodness... the power behind those words made you weak in the knees. Thank heavens you were sitting. 

“I was told you used to be a singer.”

An amused look crossed her face. “Is that it? I was expecting you to announce a mutiny at hand.”

You shrugged slightly, delighted in the way her hand reached to cup the back of your neck, a thumb running over your throat. “I was hardly a singer, darling. But yes, I used to.. dabble in performance. Long ago.”

“Is that why you were so interested in my singing?” 

She grinned, teeth gleaming. “I was interested in your singing because I was interested in you, little songbird.”

She tugged you impossibly closer, leaning down and running her wicked tongue over where her hand had just been on your neck. 

“W-will I ever get to hear you?” you managed to huff out, because now her firm hands were holding your middle, exploring your body the way you had been exploring hers.

“Is that what you want? To hear me sing?”

You nodded, because the low timbre of her voice was reverberating throughout your whole body, and you suddenly needed to hear it singing a tune.

“Perhaps... if you indulge me like I had indulged your last night, you may get to hear me sing too.”

You felt the tips of your ears nearly burst into flames, but you were so desperate... so eager to please. You nearly dropped down to the floor to get on your knees. 

She chuckled, “not so fast. I have a better idea.”

Lady Dimitrescu shuffled back on the bed until she was up against the pillows. Shoving a pillow under her lower back, she crooked a finger to beckon you closer, spreading her legs. The sight of her, half in candle light, spread out for you this time, but still in charge, made you swoon.

You crawled towards her and pressed your lips against the inside of her knee. She rocked her hips a little at the feeling of your warm, small mouth on her body, and fisted a hand in your hair.

“I really won’t need any foreplay, dear,” she said in a hushed tone. “Give me your mouth.”

You raced to tug the black lace panties off of her long legs, and were met with the sight of slick, swollen flesh. A carnal desire overtook you, and you surged forwards to press your mouth against her, desperate to taste.

A soft ‘oh’ escaped the giantess at your eagerness and your soft tongue tasting her arousal without hesitation. She enjoyed teasing you, yes, making you beg and dance around the sexual gratification she could give you. But this, your hunger and desire to please, made her warm all over.

“Good girl,” she said softly as your tongue began flicking over her swollen clit, lightly and experimentally. Your hands gripped the inside of her thighs, keeping them steady and spread. She was able to look down at you, and realized her rough gripping had made your hair come undone, causing curls and locks to drop down, loose and wild. Your eyes met hers, pupils dilated, and then you sucked. 

The high-pitched cry that escaped her was broken and sudden, and it made your body flood with arousal. Your legs trembled a little, the space between your legs begging for attention.

“Oh, who would have thought you’d be so good with your tongue, sweetling?” Lady Dimitrescu moaned, “I knew you were talented.. but that mouth...”

Her sentence was left unfinished, and she bit her lip, groaning softly in the back of her throat as you kept going. Your fingers rubbed her folds, teased her entrance, kissing and sucking until you could find a rhythm that made her squeak.

A nip at the hood of her clit made her gasp delightfully, so you did it again. The hand in your hair pressed down to bury your face in her cunt.

“Wicked girl,” she growled, and you moaned against her, your face wet. “Don’t you dare stop now.”

You pressed harder, one hand pushing three fingers at her entrance without any resistance as they slid inside. Your brain wasn’t working enough to keep up the pace of both, so you curled them and pressed against that soft, swollen frontal wall, scratching with the pads of your fingertips.

She nearly howled, a string of soft curses and... were those pleads? Her eyes were screwed shut, and you looked up at her strong, soft body. You couldn’t help but reach down and rub yourself through the fabrics of your clothes with your other hand. 

Eventually she noticed when she opened her eyes again, and she chuckled, making a point of slowly rolling her pelvis into your face. 

“Couldn’t keep your own hands off of yourself?” she said, her voice slurred with arousal. You made a whiny sound, restrained by your tongue and mouth against her cunt.

“I want you to come with me,” she gasped, her thick thighs beginning to shake from approaching her orgasm. You rubbed yourself even harder, eager to do as she said. 

Her usually-reserved voice came out in whimpers and low growls, and you sucked hard at her clit again, pressing your fingers deep inside, and her whole body instantly convulsed. 

Her cries of pleasure and incoherent words of praise made you topple over the edge shortly after. Her well-kept hair was undone, her mascara a little smeared, and her hands were digging painfully into your scalp. She let go once the last tremors left her body, and you relaxed against her thigh, breathing in her smell and kissing her everywhere you could reach.

“Well done, little songbird,” she cooed, eventually managing to open her eyes again and look at you. “You really are too precious for words.”

You blushed. You extracted your hand from between your legs, grimacing a little at the stickiness of your clothes.

“Let’s get you out of those,” Lady Dimitrescu whispered softly. You let her hands lift you up like you weighed nothing, and strip you.

“But- work...” you made a feeble attempt to get up, but she tutted, holding you closely to her chest, your head resting on her breasts. 

“Nonsense. You will stay the night here. You’re in no state to return to your duties yet.” She spoke curtly again, meaning there was no room for argument, but the soft throb between your legs and the haziness of your sated mind already left you limp and jelly-like. You wouldn’t have made it out the door without collapsing even if you did try to leave.

And so, you were bundled up in her arms, the blankets pulled up around your trembling form. She had pulled out a book from her nightstand and let you relax against her body as she flicked through the pages, a quiet peace filling the atmosphere around you. And then you heard it.

With your head pressed against her chest, you heard the rumble of her voice under your ear, and then her soft humming filled the room. You held your breath as you listened to the low, baritone-like notes, and the occasional page flipping of her book. 

You didn’t know the song, didn't know if it came with words, or if she had come up with it right now, but it made your heart flutter. Did she know you were still awake? 

Eventually, a hand came off of the book and pressed on your head, helping you settle against her warmed skin a little more, and then she spoke,

“Sleep, little songbird. There’ll be plenty of times for you to hear me later.”

A/N: It really doesn’t take much to convince me to write more of a series when I love them as much as this one ;) I hope you have ~enjoyed~