#but i was still bursting with so much trivia

[fictionadventurer]

The best people in the world are the ones who are genuinely interested when you infodump at them.

[bloodyinkandquill]

Darkheart and child Reader

just got my new glasses in need to adjust to them i’ve got like a fishbowl effect going on, but it’s friday and im tired, might nap but i wanna try and do this before i nap

reviewed his wiki as i do with every request, one of TWO trivia on his is that he wouldn’t be a good parent… lmaoooo

- You weren’t the one to find Darkheart, he was the one to find you, he was walking through dark alleys at night, like he usually does, he’s weird, when he heard faint breathing, his curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate, that’s when he found you asleep in a box, rather young and quite dirty, under regular circumstances he’d ignore you and carry on but something felt different about you, so he turned himself invisible to mortals and watched you

- He watched you for a few days, as you survived day to day finding food and shelter, clothing and water, whatever you needed, it was amusing to him honestly, but a part of his did take pity on you

- So one night as you were winding down trying to find a good place to sleep it began to rain, you ran for shelter at some random business’ back door that had a small awning and you sat there, it wasn’t big enough to lie down without rust of getting wet and it had a light anyways so you tried to just wait it out, that was until you noticed something, from deeper in the alley on the shadows a very creepy smile

- You screamed before slapping your hands over your mouth, he approached and as the light shined on him you realized he was one of the SFotHs, he knelt down to your level and told you he had been watching you, and if you’d like to accompany him, you took his hand and next thing you knew you were in his realm, it was honestly kind of scary there but it wasn’t raining which was nice

- Darkheart in his usual fashion chuckled quietly to himself as he watched you look around, he asked if you were hungry which obviously you said you were, so he gave you some grilled fish, not cut up or anything just a fish he had grilled whole, you ate as much as you could

- From then on you were almost always in his realm, it was safer there and he’d given you some sort of shelter, not quite a house but it was close, and he’d get you food and clothing and such, he wasn’t great at it but he tried, he also did not have a good concept on what mortals can or can’t eat so it was a learning period, he still occasionally brings you weird things thinking they’re food, but he’s done it less as times went on

- For the most part you usually leave him realm only to accompany him fishing, he teaches you how to and gives you a rod far too big for you, when it breaks because whatever bit the line was stronger then you that was the only time you saw him frown, it was basically his smile but upside down, you couldn’t help but burst out laughing because he looked rather silly, he got you a smaller training rod instead which works far better, it even had a rubber ducky bobber!

- He gets you occasional toys but they’re almost always older wood toys, like blocks, wheel ducks, that ladder thing, you do appreciate them but only so much fun can come from them, you do get stuffed animals though, specifically any and every fish stuffed animal he finds he gets and gives to you, you have an army of trout plushies

- When Venomshank learns of you he flips, he knows his brother has not been taking proper care of you seeing as you are a young child, he immediately brings you proper clothes and food, since his brother just gave you his own clothes to wear despite you being like half his height, he also gives you Sword’s old toys so that was nice, he comes by regularly to make sure you’re being taken proper care of, when Venomshank confronted his brother about it he just said ‘oopsies’

this was fun i’m going to sleep now

[10piecechickenmcnugget]

(hi chat. i wrote a fic about oli cameo-ing in wild life. it’s about 1k words. lizzie jimmy and scar are in it. it gets a little sad. i hope you enjoy it)

Oli snickered at the absolutely dumbfounded expression currently being given to him by none other than Jimmy Solidarity.

“Hiya Tim. Did you miss me?”

Jimmy continued to stare with his jaw halfway to the void. “What- you- you’re not- how are you here?”

Oli just grins, sitting back and crossing his legs with what he hopes is an annoyingly smug expression. Judging by the way Jimmy’s eyes flash, it’s working.

“I’m just that special. Being practically god and all, I thought I should pay a visit to my sweet sweet boy.” Oli waves a hand, tilting his head. Jimmy looks cute when he’s confused.

“Does Grian know you’re here?”

Oli grins. “Who do you think invited me?”

If Jimmy wasn’t in shock before, he certainly is now. “Grian. Brought you. Here. To his death games.”

Oli swings his legs absently. “Someone had to write a song for that little trivia bot. 2 of them, actually. In one day. Not sure how I pulled that one off, not to mention the snails.”

Jimmy dissolves into a fit of nonsensical babbling, and Oli can’t help but it burst into laughter again. While Jimmy processes this, Oli decides it’s about time he takes a look around. He hops off the block he’s sitting on, spinning around slowly to take in Jim’s base.

It’s cutesy, he decides, and almost painfully familiar. The cherry theming, the hilltop location, the giant animal statues. It always comes back to death and canaries, somehow. Oli can’t figure out how Jimmy keeps getting away with this. He walks slowly, dramatically sweeping around to take everything in. Listening to cherry petals shift under his feet and trying to drown out the phantom sound of explosions in his head. Jimmy has stopped talking, and is staring at him as he wanders. Oli flashes him a smile. Jim just looks apprehensive.

Oli doesn’t blame him. He’s not supposed to be here, even by Grian’s standards. And mathematically, Oli has an infinite amount of kills per death games he’s been in. He’s not a player, and as such he can’t die. He’s immune to Grian’s wildcards and rules. He’s practically a god, in a way, which is not really something he’s ever experienced. It would be more fun if he was allowed to stay. Maybe he can write another song.

Deciding there isn’t much more to look at, Oli turns fully to Jimmy. It’s uncomfortably quiet. Oli is about to make another quip when the silence is broken.

“Oli? What on earth are you doing here?”

If Oli thought seeing Jimmy messed with his head, hearing Lizzie calling out for him is like a shot to the brain. Even so, he can’t help but smile as he turns around to meet her.

“Lizzie!”

She runs up the hill towards him, slightly out of breath, transparent wings twitching in an all too familiar way. She pauses a few paces away, shooting him a grin.

“I knew those stupid snails sounded familiar. Joel recognized you first. How did you even get here?”

Pretending the mention of Joel doesn’t make him want to explode, Oli just shrugs. “Grian invited me. Voiced some snails, made some songs, and thought I’d come by and cause problems before he kicks me out again.”

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “To be honest, I’m surprised he hasn’t.”

“Well, I am technically God now, so…”

“Is that right.” Smoothing out her dress, Lizzie moves closer, forming a small triangle with the three of them. Jimmy still looks befuddled and Lizzie has that same mischievous glint in her eyes she always does, and Oli is suddenly very homesick. Is that even the right word? Home is where the heart is, or something.

“Yep! 100%, genuine, certified, bona fide God. Can’t die, and my snails wreaked havoc like none other.”

“You’ve got me there.”

“So,” Oli claps his hands together. “This is your guys’s base? Very cherry-esque. Draw inspiration from anyone?”

Lizzie puts her hands on her hips. “Hey! Pink has been my thing since we were kids. Cherry biomes were made for me. I’ve been making cherry wood houses since before your stupid hog.”

“How dare you!” Oli gasps, putting a hand over his chest. “My hog was not stupid, he was magnificent. And pink was my thing too! I had pink hair for a while there, remember?”

“Yeah, cause of me! I’m the only reason you dye your hair at all! And besides, you don’t even die it pink anymore after-”

Lizzie cuts herself off suddenly, eyes wide, and Oli freezes in place. Jimmy looks taken aback by the sudden tension, looking nervously between the two of them.

After what feels like years, Oli exhales. “… Yeah. Alright. Pink is your thing.”

“Oli…”

Oli turns around suddenly, walking purposefully towards the large birds marking the front of their base. He adjusts the little green halo floating just above his hair, which is notably not pink. “These are cute.”

Lizzie, forever hyperaware of Oli’s incessant need to avoid his problems, just sighs. “Aren’t they?”

And just like that, it never even happened. Jimmy eventually realizes he’s never getting any answers, and joins in the banter, helping Lizzie take Oli on an official tour of their base. Eventually Scar returns, resulting in a 20 minute long argument that ends with Lizzie half dragging Oli down the hill and towards the cave BAM has claimed as their own. Lizzie bitterly shows him where her snail first made an attempt on her life, and Oli’s apology is ruined by the fact that he can’t stop snickering.

Eventually Lizzie drags him back up to the surface, and all too fast for Oli’s liking it’s nightfall. Scar unhelpfully comments that they’ll need their sleep to deal with whatever horrors will happen next session, and that Grian will probably be on Oli’s case soon.

Reluctantly, Oli says his goodbyes. And if he hugs Lizzie just a little too long, she doesn’t comment on it. And if his heart isn’t quite in the jokes he makes at Jimmy’s expense, no one says anything.

He doesn’t really know where he’s going. He’s not entirely sure how he got there at all, to be honest. He supposes he’ll have to track down Grian and ask. He doesn’t want to leave, he’s getting awfully tired of finally finding his friends just to lose them again.

Maybe Grian will add him to the next season.

[stuck-writing-sickos]

In Poor Taste [p9.5]

(Yandere × Reader)

Series Link

[Warning: violence, explicit language]

(A/N: being physically ill from stress is something i am VERY aware of. At the same time, somehow everytime it happens i get so offended. Like "what do you MEAN it happens to me, too")

Antonement comes in many form, none of which you get to choose.

Yuki didn't realize that he inherited his father's temper.

Sure, he would fight when he was a schoolboy. They all did. But he grew out of it quick, since something about a fight outside of school uniform felt pathetic and juvenile. He liked to tell himself that he was too much of a man to throw kicks and punches, so he always stepped down and let other men win in arguments. He didn't care if he was called a wimp or a coward. After all, he had nothing to prove. He wouldn't be like his father who sought to dominate with violence. He was better than that.

Until he wasn't.

You were wet from head to toe, and so was Lukas who was hanging onto your legs, pale fingers turning red from the grip. The man's nails were digging into your skin as he cried so hard, he choked on air. Yuki couldn't think straight. He took in a breath and closed the door behind him.

You looked exhausted and disgusted, trying to kick Lukas off. Yuki had to give the moron that he was persistent:  you were strong, but his desperation was somehow even stronger.

Squatting down to Lukas' level, Yuki tried his hardest to remain calm when he asked "what's wrong with you, Lukas?"

Lukas' face creeped him out. His lips were pulled into a strange smile, as if he was enjoying your distaste. Between tears and the dampness of rainwater, his green eyes were wide and thirsty, fixed on you while he craned his neck to get a better look. His pained sobs couldn't conceal well a low, excited chuckle he emitted with every kick he took from you. Yuki felt like he was watching a worm squirm inside an aquarium. He remembered during the experiment, his teacher had taught him that worms breathe through their skin, so they needed to keep themselves in moist dirt.

Something about the way Lukas is taking in your kicks so pleasurably reminded him of that trivia.

Grabbing him by the back of his collar, Yuki peeled him off of your leg and threw him on the floor. Getting atop of him, Yuki raised his fist and landed it on his stomach.

Lukas's body jolted upon the impact. His face soured into a frown as he returned the favor by punching Yuki square in the jaw. His hands took ahold of Yuki's hair as he held him back.

"Stay out of it, man", he bitterly spoke, "you've always been such a bother."

Yuki didn't expect this kind of strength from someone who had just been crawling to your feet a couple minutes ago. Still, his head may be in a lock, but his hands were free enough. Deciding that words wouldn't do justice, he wrap his fingers around Lukas' neck and forced him down. He felt his grip on his hair loosen when Lukas choked, trying to gasp for air, his hands now clawing at Yuki's skin. He was survival mode now, Yuki supposed, making notes to restrain his torso with his knees in case he get any burst of energy.

When he saw Lukas' eyes roll back, Yuki felt him shoulders being pulled backward forecefully.

Snapping out of it, Yuki released his hold and let Lukas lie on the floor, heaving from the shock. He wondered what he needed to do. What if this foreigner pressed charge? Maybe if he finished the job now...

"Lukas...", your voice were cold and weary, "can you hear me? Can you still speak?"

He nodded. Yuki's nose scrunched at the way his eyes got big and soft when he looked at you.

You kneeled down next to him, your face void of any emotions.

"I didn't want this to happen."

"No, it's okay", he shook his head and propped himself on his elbow, his voice hoarse and meek, "it's okay. You were right... I had too much to drink. I'm so, so sorry."

Yuki did not buy it. Lukas looked sober, and he sounded it, too.

"I didn't want to hurt you", he continued, lying through his teeth, "I was carried away. I just... I never figured out how to approach you, and I fucked up. I deserved this, I really did."

For a split of a second, his eyes met Yuki's when he spoke again: "It's no one's fault but my own, really."

You were silent, watching every movement in the room. It would be like you to stay cautious. Perhaps you were suspicious still, unsure what Lukas may do or say. He might seem earnest, but Yuki could tell the man's existence in itself was a farce.

"But it isn't a good look, is it? You were right... with all this bruises and the tussling, do you think they would talk?"- Lukas continued, feigned cluelessness splattering over his demeanor. Yuki felt his tongue souring upon that.

"What should I say?" - you spoke slowly, your voice calm but your eyes nervous- "that you cornered me and tried to force yourself on me? What I did was self-defense, what you did was assault. Would that look good on you?"

"No, it wouldn't. You'd come out spotless, and I the creep. But what about Sakamoto? Would he ride that clean boat with you?"

[horoscope1078]

You’ve known Ruben for a couple of years now and though he’s known as the rock of Manchester City’s defense, to you, he’s just your goofy, overly competitive friend. You met at a mutual friend’s barbecue and despite his intimidating presence on the field, you quickly found out that off the pitch, Ruben was full of sarcasm, bad jokes and a surprising love for random trivia.

One lazy afternoon, the two of you had planned to hang out at your apartment.. nothing fancy, just a chill day. When the doorbell rang, you opened the door to find Ruben standing there, holding a bag of snacks in one hand and a giant stuffed shark in the other.

You raised an eyebrow. “What’s.. that?”

He gave you a wide grin, lifting the shark up like it was a trophy. “It’s Jaws.”

You blinked, utterly unimpressed. “You named a shark Jaws? Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”

“It’s classic!” he said, walking past you into the apartment as if carrying a giant shark was the most normal thing in the world. “And I didn’t name it. The shark spoke to me.”

You crossed your arms and followed him. “Oh great. Now you’re talking to stuffed animals. This is why you need more rest days.”

He flopped down on the couch, plopping the shark on the cushion next to him. “Don’t be jealous of my new friend, okay? He’s more supportive than you’ve been lately.”

“Supportive? Me?” you snatched the shark off the couch and held it in front of you like a shield. “I’m not the one tackling people for a living, Mr. Brick Wall.”

He chuckled, leaning back into the couch. “Hey.. you know it’s not all tackles. I’m delicate. Refined.”

You burst out laughing. “Ruben, I’ve seen you bulldoze through players like a truck. Where’s the delicate part? Was it when you almost took someone’s head off with a header last week?”

“Look, headers are an art form, alright?” he pointed at you dramatically. “You wouldn’t understand the nuance.”

“Oh the nuance?” you said, collapsing into a chair across from him, still clutching the stuffed shark. “Tell me more about the nuance of body-slamming people into the ground.”

Ruben crossed his arms and smirked. “You know, you’re really mean to me sometimes. I’m starting to think you don’t appreciate how much joy I bring into your life.”

“Joy? Is that what we’re calling it now?” you said, tossing the shark back at him. “I thought it was more of a.. chaotic mess situation.”

He caught the shark effortlessly and cradled it like it was precious. “Admit it, you’d be bored without me.”

You rolled your eyes. “Sure. Because my life was so empty before a giant man-child started showing up at my door with questionable stuffed animals.”

“Hey.. don’t insult Jaws like that. He has feelings, you know.”

You gave him a flat look. “You’re scaring me a little with how attached you are to that thing.”

He leaned in, eyes narrowing playfully. “You know, for someone who pretends to be so cool, I’m pretty sure I saw a stuffed penguin on your bed last time I was here.”

You blanched. “That’s.. different.”

“Oh is it? Care to explain?”

“It’s nostalgic!” you protested. “I’ve had it since I was a kid.”

“And Jaws is nostalgic for me.” he said, feigning seriousness. “Reminds me of all the shark movies I watched as a kid. Don’t judge me.”

You snorted. “Fine. You win this round, Dias.”

“I always win.” he said with a grin. “But thanks for admitting it.”

Before you could respond with something snarky, Ruben suddenly jumped up from the couch. “Wait, I almost forgot!” he rummaged through the bag he brought and pulled out a random assortment of snacks and.. a box of trivia cards.

You eyed the cards suspiciously. “What’s that?”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Prepare to be defeated.”

“Oh no..” you groaned, already knowing where this was going. “We are not doing trivia again. Last time, you cheated!”

“I did not cheat!” he gasped, looking mock-offended. “I just.. knew the answers. It’s not my fault I’m full of random knowledge.”

“You Googled the answers!” you shot back.. laughing. “Mid-round! I saw you.”

“That’s called resourcefulness.” he said, sitting back down and opening the box. “Come on, just one round. I’ll play fair this time.”

You sighed, shaking your head. “Fine. But I’m not letting you get away with it again.”

As he dealt out the first card, you squinted at him. “What’s the theme this time?”

He glanced at the card and smirked. “Sports.”

“Are you serious?” you groaned dramatically. “You do this for a living and you want to play sports trivia?”

“Don’t worry.” he said, eyes twinkling. “I’ll go easy on you.”

You shot him a glare. “If you go easy on me, I swear I’ll..” 

“Okay okay!” he held up his hands in surrender. “No going easy. I promise.”

The next half-hour was spent bickering over trivia questions, accusing each other of cheating and laughing way too much over the ridiculousness of it all. At one point, Ruben got a question wrong about football and you just about fell off the chair laughing.

“Oh my god, you’re literally a football player and you didn’t know that?” you wheezed.

“I’m a defender! They didn’t teach us this stuff in defender school!” he said.. trying and failing to keep a straight face.

By the time the trivia game ended, you both were sprawled out on the couch, exhausted from laughing. You looked over at him, smiling.

“You know, for a professional athlete, you’re really bad at trivia.”

He grinned back, throwing an arm around the stuffed shark. “Maybe. But I’m great at making you laugh.” 

And, annoyingly enough, he was right.

[kaylopolis]

Alastor's Shadow (18+) - Paris: Chapter Eighteen

Alastor x F!Reader

Synopsis: There’s a new Overlord in town and it isn’t the Radio Demon. Six years after you fell into Hell, you have finally earned your seat at the table as Pentagram City’s newest and baddest and with the Extermination coming six months earlier than planned, it is now time to implement your ultimate endgame. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of power and chaos? Your plan brings you to the doorstep of the Hazbin Hotel as Charlie’s newest Redeemer, but who you find waiting for you will not only turn your entire plan upside down but also challenge your grab for power… 

Tag List: Slow burn, rivals to lovers, eventual smut

Masterlist Link: Masterlist

(Let me know if you want to be added to the Tag List!)

____________________________________________

Dear Hoteliers,

Why 2 alternate endings? A few reasons; the main reason is because I wrote this first part with Angel and Mikaela and FELL IN LOVE with it. It was so cute and adorable I had to include it somehow. Also, because not everyone loves a pregnancy trope. I, particularly, was genuinely torn. I could not decide how I wanted things to end. "My Fawn and My Shadow" will include a pregnancy trope but "Paris" will not.

I will say, the epilogue I have planned for "My Fawn and My Shadow" had me crying (were they happy tears? were they sad tears? Is she foreshadowing? IDK!) - but, that being said, to each their own. Should you choose to read both, be aware that some sections are straight up copy and paste. The Epilogues will obviously vary greatly.

P.S. Ignore the timeline for the pregnancy trope. In reality, this is not how biology works. But someone *cough* author *cough* forgot to factor in the timeline by the time she got to this chapter... It was part of my original outline, but I got carried away *insert upside-down smiley face here*

<3 Stay smutty

Paris: Chapter Eighteen

Content Warning: Self Harm

T-3 hours until the portal opens…

“Okay, okay, I got this!” Collin breathed. 

Cletus banged him atop his head, “Just open the door!”

The sheep shot a dirty look at the… baby?... before drying his sweaty hooves on his overalls. 

This was it. This was the moment Collin had been waiting for his entire life. He has only ever seen the famous General at a distance and worshipped her from a far during meetings and through photographs. He had every single one of her fan club t-shirts and collector’s pins. He knew her battle strategies inside and out and scored perfect at every trivia night. He was the ultimate fan-girl and this was his moment to shine. 

And he was terrified. 

“Oh, my gosh!” Kennie shoved past him. “I’ll do it!” She prostrated before pulling the bedroom door open. 

The group froze, stunned by the sight of the yellow-eyed Angel ready and waiting for them on the other side. Mikaela Morningstar sat in a clothed chair perfectly perched in the entryway to her bedroom. The Angel had just finished the top laces of her leather boots before the Cherubs burst through the doorway. 

Mikaela had been waiting for them. 

Collin’s jaw audibly hit the floor at the sight of the warrior, legs crossed, one eyebrow perched in question, staring down at the three of them. She was like a goddess in material form - not to disrespect the Maker, of course. Her beauty practically radiated off of her in golden light as captivating as her irises. Although she had changed her hair and her wings were tucked out of the way, she was a vision. Collin couldn’t help but drool at the sight of her. 

“About time the three of you showed up,” the Angel laughed. “Talk about keeping a girl waiting.”

“You…” Cletus stumbled over his words. “You knew we were here?”

“Knew?” The Angel tipped her head in question. A habit she had picked up from a dear… friend. “You’ve been following me for days. Nifty’s collection of wool can only grow so much before a girl gets suspicious.” Mikaela laughed it off as if it was a joke, but Keenie’s head was still very, very sore. 

The Cherubs had no answer for her. 

“What can I do for you?” With hands perched in her lap, the General inspected the three of them, lazily soaking in their forms as they collectively entered the room. 

Wow. Mikaela Morningstar had expected them. Well, duh! Of course! She was God’s General! How could she not have seen them coming? She probably knew about everything: the phone call from Velvette, the orders from Rachel, their banishment from Heaven. She was, after all, an Archangel. Collin still couldn’t comprehend the situation. 

“Ms. Morningstar,” Collin began. Did he sound as nervous as he felt? “We have been sent from Heaven to return you to the Seraphim.”

The Angel blinked, but didn’t respond. Her face remained neutral as Collin spoke and even for a few moments after. He wiped his hooves on his pants again. The Cherub was thoroughly drenched in anxious sweat, which, hopefully, no one noticed. 

“Why?” 

“Why?” Kennie shoved her way forward. “Because you belong there? You’re Mikaela, the General, Heaven’s Archangel. You’ve been gone for over a hundred years doing…”

“God’s work.” Mikaela interrupted the sheep. 

“What?” Cletus asked. 

The Archangel chuckled. “You didn’t seriously think I just ran away from Heaven on a whim, did you?” 

The three Cherubs looked at each other for an answer, but it was the sheep who spoke first. “No, of course not!”

“Thank you, Collin,” Mikaela smiled. 

The Cherub’s heart jumped right out of his chest. “You know my name!?”

“Of course,” her eyes softened. “Why wouldn’t I know one of my biggest fans?”

____________________________________________

Yesterday…

“Hello, thank you for calling, C.H.E.R.U.B., how may we bless you today?”

“Hi! I’m calling about a loved one back on Earth who needs some help. It seems he’s lost his way a bit and I’d really rather not see him down here.” You twirled the cord in your hand.

Alastor sat across from you, a cup of tea in hand, one leg crossed over the other as he enjoyed the dyling light of day. 

“Of course! Can I get a name?”

“Well, actually… I’m quite protective of him, you see, and I want to know that you are sending your best.” The sweetness in your voice was practically sickening, but it made Alastor chuckle. “I was wondering who would be going. Would it be the three from the television commercial?”

“Cletus, Collin, and Keenie? By golly, no! They don’t work for us anymore.”

“Interesting…” You smiled. 

“Can I get the name of the person who needs a blessing?”

“No,” and you hung up the receiver. 

Alastor chuckled as he sipped his tea. “You make this look too easy, my doe. If it weren’t for the circumstances, you'd be running the place.”

This place... As in all of existence.

You grabbed your jasmine tea and clanked your cup with his. “How unfortunate the plan is to destroy it all instead.”

____________________________________________

Now...

The Cherub nearly feinted. 

The Archangel leaned in, speaking to the sheep directly. “You have to promise to keep everything I tell you a secret. No one can know that I am here.”

Collin blinked the stars from his eyes, “Of course! I would never!” 

In a whisper, Mikaela continued, “I’m on a secret mission from God. I can’t go into any detail, naturally…”

“Naturally!” Collin was nodding his head so hard he could have been mistaken for a bobble head. 

Mikaela leaned in a whispered, “... I’m here to find Roo.”

Collin stopped nodding. “Roo?”

“Roo.” Mikaela repeated, as if that answered all of their questions. 

“Wait!” Cletus interrupted once more. “You’re telling us that you are supposed to be here? Cavorting with demons!”

“Shhh,” Mikaela shushed. “Yes.”

Keenie scratched her sore head. “To find someone named Roo?”

“She’s the biggest threat against Heaven. Rumor has it that she’s planning an uprising against God. That’s why he left with me and went into hiding. Couldn’t have him unprotected while I hunted down this rebel.”

Too much information? Nope! Who the fuck is going to believe a bunch of banished Cherubs anyway? They can’t get back to Heaven and no one in Heaven would take them seriously even if they did. Negatives of fucking up with the Upstairs Management but a positive for you.

You could have told them any story that convinced them to leave you alone, and it would be no sweat off your back.

“Oooooooh,” Collin nodded. “That makes so much sense!”

“What!?” Keenie and Cletus echoed each other. 

“What?” Mikaela looked confused. “Do you think I’m lying?” She laughed. “Come now. I may be surrounded by demons, but I am still an Angel.” 

The three Cherubs blinked at her. 

“Oh.” Cletus awkwardly scratched his large head. 

Heaven Natives are so naive. Were you this gullible way back when?

The Angel adjusted the tie on her leather bracer. “And the three of you are interfering with my plan.” 

“What!?” Collin gawked. 

“I can’t exactly have Heaven stalking my every move while I’m on the job,” Mikaela rises from her chair, a towering figure over the tiny Cherubs. 

“Right! Right!” Collin was already headed for the door. 

Mikaela quickly ushered the other two out, ignoring the look of disbelief on their faces. 

“Thanks for understanding, guys.”

And then door shut behind them. 

Collin continued to drool in the direction of the doorway. 

“Now what?” Keenie asked as she dragged him by the collar down the hall.

“She’s so cool,” Collin gawked. 

Cletus smacked his face and rubbed the tension from his temples. “We return to Earth. I need time to think about this and I’m starving. I sure as fudge am not eating anything down here…”

____________________________________________

You shut the door behind them. 

“See,” you turned to the shadow at the back of the room. “I told you they’d believe me.” 

Alastor materialized from the darkness. With his cane in hand, he snaked the other around your waist and pressed a kiss to your forehead. 

This was not the first time you had run into one of Father’s minions. With Eve’s wild party streak, the two of you didn’t exactly keep a low profile. In fact, it would be odd for the two of you to not run into one of the Ishim or even a few Cherubs while they were on the job. You were recognized - because of course - and typically played it off as a happenstance run in while on a mission.

After all, the rumors in Heaven were that you were on some top secret mission with Father anyway. What were they more likely to believe: you were being a good little “Golden Girl” or playing Armageddon with Eve?

Eve on the other hand, either slept with the Holy invader if able, convinced them she was mortal if they were too young to know her face, or simply disappeared leaving you to fend for yourself.

What a friendship the two of you had…

“I never doubted you, my doe,” the demon mumbled into your hair. 

You grabbed for Alastor’s lapels to pull him down and…

“Alastor, what’s in your coat pocket?” Your fingers met something hard and boxy. 

The demon ignored your question. Instead, from the Void, Alastor pulled a hair clip - a new one. The metal was red, and pointed, with a small “A” pressed into one of the tongs. 

“I had Carmilla make it,” the demon holds the clip between the two of you, pushing you back so you are no longer pressed so closely together.

The red was a perfect match to Alastor’s eyes. 

How intentional… 

“Thank you,” you reached for it, but he pulled away. 

The demon was distracting you, but you allowed it. Your nerves were shot anyway and Alastor felt… off…

“Allow me?” He offered. 

Turning towards the mirror above the dresser, Alastor flipped your hair into a bun, clipping it at the back of your head perfectly square with your shoulders. 

You stared at the demon’s reflection in the mirror, noting the lack of music playing on his radio, noting the loss of static in his voice. He was nervous… 

“Al, everything changes after today. This is where the Endgame plan truly begins.” You tested the waters to see if that was what was bugging him.

“Hmm,” the demon continued to inspect your hair, his mind clearly stuck on something else. Not Armageddon plaguing his thoughts?

“But,” you turned to him, your back leaning against the dresser. “If I know war, and I do, there is always a lull after a battle. Perhaps, if just for a few days, we get out of here?”

“Oh?”

“I have safe houses in every Ring of Hell and in a few major countries on Earth - including an emergency backup in Heaven if things end up truly terrible… I have an apartment…” God, why were you so nervous? “In France.” 

The demon’s eyes sparked. 

“It’s in Place de l'Estrapade, not a far walk from the Pont Neuf bridge, just across the way from Jardin du Luxembourg*. I know it’s not Louisiana, but… There’s this adorable bakery in the square that I know you will love and…”

The demon swallowed your words with his lips. “Mes valises sont déjà faites. My bags are already packed.”

Right, why did you ever think Alastor Hartfelt would turn down a trip to France? 

Alastor’s shoulder slacked just a bit.

Then it hit you.

It was the after that was bugging him. After the battle that is. He comforted you last night in regards to your qualms with the battle, but funny how facing imminent death felt like an everyday for the Overlord.

But the after made him nervous.

The after…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“You lovebirds done shackin’ up o’ what?” Angel screamed from the other side of the wall. 

“Seriously?” Husk scoffed. “You called me up here for this?”

“What? Come on, Whiskers, you love spendin’ time with me,” Angel teased. 

You could practically hear the disbelief on Husk’s face through the door, “I thought you wanted me to help you bring something down, not hold your fuckin’ hand because you’re too scared of the Boss.”

“I ain’t scared of nothin’!” The spider demon protested. 

You smiled at Alastor, grateful for the spontaneous distraction. The demon pressed a kiss to your cheek and melted into shadow. 

Throwing the door open, both Husk and Angel jumped back in surprise before they realized it was just you. 

“Ha!” Angel crosses his arms. “See yous was scared, too!”

“I..!” Husk’s face turns red. “I was scared because she fuckin’ appeared outta nowhere, not because of…”

“Me,” Alastor melted from the floor, appearing behind the two of them. 

Angel jumped into you, grabbing onto your arm for support, while Husk remained utterly unphased. 

“Yeah, him,” the cat crossed his arms. 

You giggled at the sight of the two of them, the laughter breathing life back into your chest.

Just don't think about it... Yeah? Yeah! Don't think about it. Everything is going to be okay! It's fine. Everything is fine!

Taking a deep breath, you planted a smile on your face. “Come on, boys, we have an army to ready.”

You snuck a glance at Alastor, who looked distracted, wholly unaware of the nerves in your belly. Whatever was captivating him, you were thankful for it. It was quite uncharacteristic of him, but then again, you’ve never seen Alastor in the hours leading up to battle.

For whatever reason, you were disappointed in the last few remaining private moments you might possibly have had with the demon. Not that you were expecting a big declaration of love from him.

Holy shit, you still hadn’t even told him you love him!

Oh, no, no, no, no.

You put the brakes on.

You’d been so distracted by the Cherubs that you completely forgot about everything from last night! “Al, I need to talk to you-“

“There she is! There’s my little tomatuh!” Rosie had you in a hug so tight one would argue it was a chokehold.

“Rosie, dear! How delightful to see you!” Alastor pressed a kiss to the top of her hand. “Is that a new scarf? It looks astonishing on you darling, absolutely astonishing!”

The Overlord’s eyes shined like stars, “Oh! Al, stop! You flatter me.” Rosie ran a hand through her new purple boa.

“It isn’t flattery if it’s true!” Al came to stand beside you, his hands wrapped around the top of his cane.

The smell of the forest after rain calmed your nerves.

It’s okay. After. You can tell him after because there will be an after.

There will be an after.

Heading down the hall you ignored Angel's worried eyes on you. You ignored Alastor's shadow swirling about your feet with concern. And you ignored Husk's offer for a drink. For you had too many things to focus on right now...

A battle to win...

An identity to keep hidden...

A Human Sinner who still didn't know how you truly felt about him...

Welcome to the Endgame.

____________________________________________

T-1 minute until the portal opens…

“This is it,” you press your forehead into Alastor’s. “Al, I -”

“Shh, my doe. Entre deux cœurs qui s’aiment, nul besoin de paroles,” and then the demon melted into shadow, to find his place atop the Hotel.

Goddamit, the demon switched between French and English so fast you couldn’t keep up half the time.

Charlie appeared next to you, a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll get a chance to tell him.”

You blinked. But how did she…?

“Uh,” Vaggie cut in. “I don’t mean to break up this moment, but we have Angels incoming.” The ex-Exorcist pointed her spear at the sky, where a large portal had cracked through the walls of reality.

Fixing your hood atop your head, you summoned your two short blades from the Void and readied yourself next to the Princess.

On the other side of the portal, you could make out the beautiful golden glow of Heaven. God, you did not miss it.

Two figures stepped through: Adam and Lute.

And then the onslaught began - but not before Alastor summoned his dark shield. The mass of magic covered the Hotel in a dome. Some of the Exorcists made it through, but the less fortunate ones bounced off in a wave of broken bones.

“It’s working!” Charlie screamed.

Until it wasn’t.

With a flick of Adam’s wrist the shield melted and then the Exorcists fell through.

It was a dance of a battle. A beautiful pirouette of savagery and desperation, impregnating the air with the stench of golden iron.

You would have found yourself riding the high of battle had you not had Charlie to look after. Yes, Vaggie could well protect her on her own but it was the deal with Lilith that ensured no harm came to the Princess.

As the Princess shot sparkles you shot daggers. As she sang apologies, you delivered death. Constantly you were forced to grab her by the wrist and twirl her from danger. It was hard work, one that captivated all of your attention.

Good. You needed the distraction.

BOOM!

Cherries’ explosions began, the next line of defense before the Exorcists reached Sir Pentious and his battery of cannons.

This was good! Things were looking good!

Fuck you might actually all make it out of this thing.

BAM!

The next thing you knew, you were on the ground, a pain so powerful ripping through your core it blinded every sense, every fiber of your being.

Green light exploded from the scar which cut you from neck to hip, a beacon of agony which temporarily halted the onslaught from Heaven as Human Sinners and Angels alike were forced to shield their eyes. The wall of light shot up into the atmosphere of Hell before dispersing into a rainstorm of sparks that fell upon the whole of Pentagram City.

You felt, rather than saw, hands upon you. The green had burned your retinas, completely blinding you. Your body healed fast, however, but not fast enough to clearly make out the fuzzy grey/red blob shaking your shoulders.

“Come on, kid! Come on! Don’t quit on me!”

The pain numbed your body, but your Angelic blood quickly fought against it. Your fingers and toes tingled as your mind reset itself over and over again. Where are you? What happened? The memory of pain threatened to spill as the ability to breathe found your lungs, as your eyes remembered how to blink.

“Holy Hell, what da fuck was that!?”

“I don’t fucking know, but both Boss and her went down at the same time.”

“What da fuck kind of Voodoo shit did he do ta ‘er?”

You forced your mind to clarity, forced the blurriness into - somewhat - sharper objects. A vague outline of Husk and Angel came into view, along with a background of Exorcist Angels flying overhead. The fighting had resumed despite the interruption.

“Husk?” You mumbled. Grabbing onto the cat’s paw, you slowly pulled yourself into a sitting position. Despite the pain which had surged through your scar, no wound was visible. You hadn’t been struck after all. “What…?”

There was a pull behind your navel - it was weak, oh-so weak.

Alarm bells immediately went off.

Alastor.

Without a thought, you shoved away from the cat demon and shot into the air, not caring that your wings were now on full display for the entire Angelic Army to view. Not caring that the hood Charlie helped make you was now shredded to pieces.

You hit the roof, landing practically on top of the red and black mass crumbled in a heap of blood. Using your black wings, you attempted to shield as much of Alastor as you could.

You couldn’t make out Alastor completely, your vision was still sluggish to return despite you willing your blood to heal as fast as it could, but you could feel him. You could feel his heart beating wildly, feel the pain with every breath, feel the one ounce of panic the Overlord allowed himself to feel in this moment as he watched you take up a defensive fighting stance over his prone form.

The demon was hurt and bad.

Like a panther protecting her wounded mate, you unleashed the full force of your power. Dark and twisted horns grew from your skull as you morphed into your demon form. A spiked tail uncurled from your backside, your fingernails sharpened into claws, and your fangs elongated to a point. The sclera of your eyes flashed black as the rune on your back was unlocked, the text from the Book of Knowledge melting into your hands, forming an exoskeleton of Newtonian fluid that flowed over your appendages.

As your vision healed, the Angel’s stupid helmet sharpened, a look of pure shock reflected in the metal. Adam had his guitar and Alastor’s blood was still fresh as it dripped off the blade.

“Don’t…” Alastor protested, but his sentence was cut off with a cough.

“Mikaela?” Adam’s jaw dropped.

Your only response was a low growl. Pure instinct had kicked in. You were more animal than Angel.

You felt the coldness of Rolf wrap around your ankle, but it was barely a whisper compared to how solid the shadow normally felt. The shadow tugged, threatening to whisk you away from the rooftop, but be it the weakening of Alastor’s magic or your stubbornness, you did not move.

“Holy shit, it is you! How you doing, sister?” The First Man smiled, lowering his sword.

Behind you, you could feel the blood flowing from Alastor’s chest as real and as solid as it would your own. It only added to the panic and anger and desperation you were feeling in this moment.

“Where’s Eve?” The Angel looked around as if the Second Woman might turn the corner at any moment and join the conversation.

“Dead,” you bore your teeth and growled, your voice laced with Alastor’s radio static.

“What?” Adam did a double-take.

You pulled your sword from the Void, your blue fire licking the steel’s surface as small green bouts of static danced its way down your arm and disappeared into the heat. “And you’re next,” you threatened, your voice filled with static.

“Wait,” Adam narrowed his eyes, his pupils darting back and forth between the two of you as he slowly put the pieces together. “Wait. Wait. Wait.” He put up a hand. “You’re defending this loser?”

You growled, your teeth itching to sink into flesh.

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. A voice rang in the back of your head.

“Woah, there, sister. We’re on the same fucking team!” Adam had a look of pure terror on his face.

From your crouched position on the ground, you moved forward.

Adam immediately dropped his sword and began backing up. “Listen! Listen! Listen!” He stammered. “Let’s just take a fucking second and talk like bros. Okay?” His laugh was strained. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for why you’re down here defending the scum of existence? Ha, ha. Right?”

Kill him, the voice commanded.

You growled again and attempted to take another step forward, but a clawed hand wrapped around your tail and tugged. Finally, you turned to face Alastor and the sight knocked you out of your bloodthirsty trance.

The demon was pale, a deep gouge sliced right across his chest in an exact mirror image to your injury from Velvette. You felt the anger flee from you then, only to be replaced with pure terror. You met Alastor’s stern eye and the look he shot you stopped you dead in your tracks.

But it was already too late. All of Heaven had seen. Mikaela Morningstar was alive and well in Hell, defending Lucifer’s daughter in a battle against Heaven. You had killed Exorcists. A war was brewing, and you were a part of it.

The demon shuttered out a pained breath, one you felt reverberate through your own chest. You dropped your sword, the steel popping back into the Void before it even made contact with the ground. Falling to your knees before Alastor, you cupped his face in your hands and pressed a soft but shaky kiss to his forehead.

“What, the fuck?” Adam gawked behind you.

Every part of you was screaming to rip the Angel limb from limb, but you fought the instinct, and instead channeled that energy into the connection that had ripped open between you and Alastor. You let your magic flow through your inky fingers and into the demon, willing his heart to beat faster, to slow the blood seeping from his wounds, to staunch the pain in his chest.

Alastor’s eyes fluttered closed as he took a deep breath, already the color returning to his cheeks.

You turned to Adam then, your black sclera burning pure hatred into the Angel’s heart. “I won’t be the one to kill you today, Adam.”

“I am so fucking confused,” the Angel scratched his head.

“Adam!” Charlie appeared atop the rooftop, royally pissed as she hung from the Hotel sign.

And with that, you shadowed the two of you from the rooftop, landing in the only place you could think of to go right now: Alastor’s radio tower.

Atop the balcony, you pulled the clip from your hair and slit open your wrist, dripping a waterfall of golden blood into Alastor’s wounds.

“Stop,” the demon tried to shove your hand away, but he was too weak at this moment to do anything other than lay there and breathe.

Clenching your jaw shut, you didn’t let up until you watched the first stitches of skin begin to form. Jesus Christ, the wound was deep. It had cut through several ribs but, thankfully, had not nicked his heart. Alastor would have been dead before you had even landed on that rooftop had it gone any deeper.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You knew! You fucking knew this was going to happen!

A tear fell from your cheek and landed in the mixture of black and gold liquid swirling atop the demon’s chest.

“Stop,” Alastor said more forcefully. The demon wrapped a hand around your wrist, the golden liquid bubbling through his fingers. He pulled you down into him and pressed his forehead into yours. “I’m alright, my doe.”

“This is my fault,” your voice cracked. Green static danced across your skin, your demon form still out in full force. Sucking in a breath, you forced yourself to your feet. Sinking your inky hands into your hair, you paced the floor, your wings dragging behind you.

Alastor’s magic jumped off your form in sparks. Which was impossible but you didn’t have the mental room to even consider why.

Alastor had almost died! He could’ve died! Adam almost killed him!

“My doe,” Alastor attempted to sit up, but the pain from the wound was too much, his body demanding every ounce of power to heal.

“My fault,” you shuttered. “My fault. My fault. My fault!” You bent over the handrail and threw up.

Alastor jumped to his feet then, one hand wrapped around his middle to stop his insides from spilling out. “Mikaela!”

Using his cane for support, the demon forced himself to stand next to you. His red irises bled into your soul, his brow crinkled with worry.

Your entire body was shaking as he wrapped his arms around you. “It was not your fault.”

“I almost lost you,” you mumbled into his coat jacket, drenched in blood.

____________________________________________

Somewhere Else in Hell…

“Ha, ha,” Striker plucked the cigar from his mouth and tapped the lit end into the cement lining of the roof.

The imp pulled the rifle to his shoulder and aligned the scope with his eye. “Too easy.”

And pulled the trigger.

____________________________________________

You saw the bullet before you heard it.

BANG!

The metal object soared towards you as if in slow motion, the iconic swirls of Angelic Steel clearly coating its surface.

But the bullet meant for you did not hit its mark.

For Alastor shoved you at the last moment, appearing between you and the shooter.

Red irises met yours, “Mourir d’amour, vivre de haine…”

The bullet met its mark right between Alastor’s eyes.

Dying for love…

“Nooo!”

The demon went down, his cane smacking against the metal balcony in an explosion of green sparks.

You spun, immediately knowing where the bullet originated from. You didn’t care who or what was on the other end. Fuck you didn’t even care why.

Kill, the voice echoed as a blast of dark ink shot out from your hand. Like a wave of a tsunami, the mass collided with the building the shooter was perched atop of, taking out the top twenty floors. You swung down, collapsing the building in on itself in one fell swoop.

Whoever it was - plus the inhabitants of the building - were dead.

“Alastor!” You screamed as you collapsed onto the ground next to him. Dark blood pooled beneath his head. The wound between his eyes steamed with green as his magic desperately fought to heal.

But fought in vein.

You watched as Alastor’s eyes fogged with the veil of death.

“No! No! No!”

And felt his Soul fade from his body.

“Alastor!”

You screamed. You begged. You cried.

“Don’t!”

You even heard yourself begging with God to let him live.

“You promised you wouldn’t leave me again!”

But you could do nothing as his Soul slipped from his body…

“No! Don’t! You can’t!”

… and faded from this world entirely.

“Don’t leave…”

Alastor was dead.

“Don’t leave me…”

____________________________________________

You don’t know how long you lay there.

Minutes?

Hours?

Days?

Years?

Long enough that Alastor had grown cold next to you. Long enough that the blood began to crust against your skin. Long enough that your joints hurt and your body begged to move.

He was gone.

Alastor was gone.

You curled into him, praying somehow your warmth might leech into him and warm his cold body back to life. Praying he’d brush a hand through your hair and tell you everything was going to be alright.

Praying this was just a dream.

Praying that you were the one dead instead.

Praying that you were both dead and this was some sick version of Purgatory Father had concocted for you as a punishment.

“Al…” You mumbled into his jacket, your fingers curling around his lapel as if he would fade beneath your touch entirely.

Too soon. Too fast.

And all your fault.

All your fault…

And then your fingers brushed something hard.

In his jacket, hidden away in a pocket you didn’t know he had, was a small leather box.

Fuck.

No. No. No. No. No.

Sitting up with alarm, you dropped it on the balcony and scooted away.

That better not be what you think it is.

Open it.

You jumped.

A young woman with hair as brown as mud and eyes to match sat across from you. Cross legged, arms folded neatly in her lap as her curls pooled down her back, the girl stared intently at the small leather box.

Open it, she repeated.

You didn’t respond, your mind was too preoccupied with trying to comprehend how this was happening.

It’s a ring, obviously, but you already knew that. You think that’s why he was so distracted today? She motioned to the blood. How pathetic…

“Shut up!” You bit, your throat raw from years of crying.

Ouch. Is that anyway to greet an old friend? Oh, wait, sorry. Were we even friends? I mean, you did murder me and all. Did Alastor…

“I said, shut up, Eve!”

Her eyes found the box once more. Do you think he’s an emerald man or a diamond man? Emerald is more classic for the 30s but diamonds! Ugh, I’m just dying to know, aren’t you?

She went for the box, but you were faster. You held it against your heart, “Don’t touch it!”

Eve gasped, Is that why he asked you to take him to Louisiana to visit his Mother!? Awww, he stayed behind to tell his Mom about the ring. How sweet. Too bad she wasn’t actually there. - ya know, being in Heaven and all. But I suppose it’s the thought that counts.

“Why are you here?” The words seeped out from behind clenched teeth.

She smirked. Because you let me out.

You followed her eyes to your hand, still black from the ink. You never sealed the power away after desecrating the building.

Fuck, you were still in your demon form.

You’ve never let me out this long before. Figured it was time to stretch my legs and finally introduce myself. She stood and made her way to you, stretching her limbs as she went. Holding a hand out to you she made to help you stand.

Hello, I’m the Book of Knowledge, but you can call me Eve and we are going to have so much fun together.

You didn’t take her hand.

Your eyes found the dark jacket seeped in blood laying a few feet away.

You went to him, your fingers brushing the curls away from his face. With his eyes closed he looked as if he was sleeping - so peaceful.

Even in death, Alastor smiled.

The girl frowned, clearly annoyed that you weren’t giving her your full undivided attention. What about power and chaos, and all that jazz? What about revenge!?

To power and chaos…

“There is no power and chaos without him.” Pressing a kiss to his forehead, you whispered, “I love you, too.”

Wait, so that’s it? Eve threw her hands in the air. The plan is over? The big Endgame we’ve been planning for over one hundred years is just done!?

You stood, “New plan.”

New plan? Eve scrunched her nose. What new plan?

You smiled softly, the dark ink slowly invading your arm, “The one where everyone dies.”

Oh! Oh! Oh! I like that plan. Where do we start?

You turned to the pile of rubble 100 yards away. “Greed.”

-> Paris: Epilogue

Annnnnnnd yet another cliff hanger. Come on guys you know me by now. Not everything is as it seems!

Tagged Hoteliers: (Let me know if you wish to be added!):

@sirens-and-moonflowers @saccharine-nectarine @wonderlandangelsposts @mommymilkers0526 @alastor-the-radio-demons-blog @eris-norwega @goyablogsstuff @missgirlsstuff

@sillywormtrixareforkids @its-a-dam-blue-brick @cloverresin20 @blue-bird251 @speedycoffeedelight @littlebluefishtail @sawi1987 @mopeyghost @beelz3bub @fraugwinska @minamilinaqueen @demoarah @diffidentphantom @divineknightmare @animecrazy76 @sleepykittycx @graunta @reath-solia @satansdaughter123 @mysticatto @freshonyourpages @chibistar45 @rapunzelbro @stephydearestxo

[kodaloveschris]

VIP Magic at Disneyland

The morning sun cast a golden glow over the entrance of Disneyland as Nick, Matt, and Chris Sturniolo eagerly awaited the start of their VIP tour. They stood near the exclusive entrance, sipping on complimentary beverages and chatting excitedly about the day ahead.

"I can't believe we're here," Matt exclaimed, his eyes scanning the park with anticipation. "VIP treatment at Disneyland? This is a dream come true."

Chris nodded, adjusting his VIP badge with a grin. "Yeah, skipping the lines is going to be epic. Which ride do you guys want to hit first?

Nick chuckled, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Space Mountain, definitely. I heard it's even more intense when you zoom through without waiting."

Just then, Madison Beer and her brother Ryder joined them, both dressed casually but stylishly for their day of adventure. Madison flashed a bright smile at her friends. "Hey guys! Ready to explore Disneyland like VIPs?"

"You bet!" Nick replied with enthusiasm, his excitement matching Madison's. "Thanks for inviting us, Madison. This is going to be legendary."

Their VIP tour guide, a cheerful Disney cast member named Emily, greeted them warmly and led them through the park. As they passed under the iconic Disneyland Railroad bridge, Emily began sharing insider stories and trivia about the park.

"So, first stop is Space Mountain," Emily announced, leading them briskly through the crowds. "We have reserved seats waiting for us. No waiting in line for you today!"

As they entered Tomorrowland, the sight of Space Mountain towering above them sparked a fresh wave of excitement. They breezed through the entrance and boarded their rocket ships, ready for the exhilarating journey through the stars.

"That was insane!" Ryder exclaimed as they exited the ride, his hair slightly disheveled from the speed.

Madison laughed, capturing Ryder's reaction on her phone. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Ryder!"

Ryder grinned sheepishly, shaking his head. "It was wild, okay? I didn't expect it to be that fast!"

Next, they ventured into Adventureland, where they embarked on the Jungle Cruise. Emily narrated the humorous jungle adventure, pointing out the animatronic animals and entertaining them with jokes that had everyone laughing.

"I think Emily's got a future as a stand-up comedian," Chris remarked, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

Madison nodded in agreement, filming Emily's antics. "She's definitely making this tour unforgettable."

After a morning of thrilling rides and magical experiences, they stopped for a VIP lunch at a reserved table on Main Street. They feasted on Mickey-shaped sandwiches and indulgent desserts, reminiscing about their favorite moments of the day so far.

"I still can't believe we're here," Matt said between bites of a Mickey ice cream bar. "This is like a dream come true."

Nick nodded, his expression reflecting awe. "Yeah, it's amazing. Thanks again for setting this up, Madison."

Madison smiled warmly. "I'm just glad we could all do this together. It's been so much fun."

After lunch, they continued their VIP tour with visits to Fantasyland, where they rode classic attractions like the tea cups and Peter Pan's Flight. Each ride brought new excitement and laughter, solidifying the bonds of friendship among the group.

As the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over Sleeping Beauty Castle, they gathered for a private viewing of the fireworks show. They watched in awe as fireworks burst into the night sky, synchronized to classic Disney music that stirred emotions and filled them with a sense of wonder.

"This is magical," Madison whispered, her eyes fixed on the sparkling display.

Nick nodded, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. "Thank you so much, Madison. This VIP tour has been beyond anything I imagined."

Ryder grinned, his eyes reflecting the colorful lights. "I'm so glad we could all experience this together."

Chris clapped Madison on the shoulder. "You really know how to make a day unforgettable, Madison. This has been one for the books."

As they walked back to the VIP exit, tired but happy, they reflected on the day's adventures. The VIP tour had allowed them to experience Disneyland in a way they had never imagined, creating memories that would last a lifetime.

As they bid farewell to Emily and the park, they knew that their day of VIP magic at Disneyland had been more than just rides and attractions—it had been a celebration of friendship, laughter, and the joy of experiencing the magic of Disney together.

[papa-evershed]

Hey! If you’re interested in doing so For Science or something, I could go a run down on your favourite moments from the Act On interviews. I really feel like Rob is so comfortable and engaged in those, they’re a delight.

I can definitely do this! This is right up my alley because I completely agree, I feel like the Act On This interviews are when we get the best glimpse of him just being him because it isn't press related. And quite frankly, him just being himself is more interesting to me than watching someone answer the same five questions over and over again on a press tour. (Not that I'd complain if he did do more press. I'll take whatever I can get, I'm not fussy.)

I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length and because this will most likely be a very unorganized list. I considered doing video clips but Tumblr just makes that too much of a pain in the ass. 😩

(* I decided to really only do the most recent Act On This because otherwise I'd be here all damn week trying to make a list and ain't no one got time to read that. 😂)

First off, it's not exactly a moment but like previously mentioned—just the general vibe of these interviews. It's so much more laid back and less professional (in a good way) so we get to see The Hot Mess Express™ in all of his glory and who wouldn't appreciate that small glimpse into his unfiltered chaos? These gifs literally happened within seconds of each other. Between him dropping his phone, struggling to set it right, then immediately breaking into dance, I get whiplash just watching.

2. I won't gif this one because he's so understandably private about his kids, but the moment when one of them bursts in not long after the above moment. And honestly, there isn't anything there to gif (again, not that I ever would) because boy was quick as lightning to turn that camera to protect his kid's privacy. 100/10. For all of his goofing off, Dad was quick to Dad™. And even with that distraction and the speed with which he remedied it—he still kept up with what Ross was asking and saying to him. For all the talk of how much of a class clown he is, it appears he can still handle his shit without missing a beat when it really matters and this was a prime example of that.

3. When he pretty much just admitted to being drunk during the Christmas trivia. Keep it real, that's how we like it. 😎

4. This one may be considered a boring choice but another one of my favorite aspects of the Act On This interviews is hearing him get to speak so candidly about his acting process. It's not something most actors really get to discuss in great length with traditional press anymore unless they're the pretentious, insufferable, method sort that make headlines with their extremes. But hearing him discuss how he tried to find ways to bring warmth to the character in The Inheritance made me even more interested in seeing it—to see how much of it they kept, to see if the attempts were even successful. He talked about adding humor because otherwise the audience might grow tired of these fighting siblings and he's right. When he finally does settle down and get serious, he gives incredibly insightful answers and I feel like his approach to most characters is just spot on. So yeah, a thoughtful answer that also increased my interest in an upcoming project is a major win.

5. It's happened over the course of a few different Act On This interviews so it's a bit hard to gif or anything but when either he or Ross mentions how frugal he is. 😅😂 He's got a five year old IPhone (which shouldn't be remarkable but lbr), his laptop supposedly only works if it's plugged into the wall, he'd rather have the money than a make-up artist, and I'm almost positive there are examples I'm missing. Love me a frugal king. 👑

6. I wouldn't call this one a moment really, more so just another example of why I love Act On This—for little pieces of insight and perspective like this. I like learning how people cope with different things and what tools they use, this one is also just very relatable because it's something I find myself also doing as I get older too (although not in audition rooms, obviously).

7. Similar to the last one, whenever he talks about how he's found ways to deal with nerves. It's especially interesting to me because I feel like I've seen a lot of chatter among fans as to whether or not he gets nervous but he's pretty transparent about how his nerves have sabotaged him in the past. It's something else that's relatable, when he discusses finding methods that work for him (mindfulness really is slept on). It takes a certain level of vulnerability to admit when you've been actively searching for ways to cope and it's admirable to hear anyone not just admit it but to encourage others to do the same. Plus, don't we all watch these hoping for those honest moments?

8. Because I'm a trash person and I wouldn't be me without admitting it...every single moment when he has the audacity to just exist looking like this. 🤷‍♀️ He was 🔥🔥and I'm honest enough to admit that the eye candy is certainly a perk of any Act On This interview.

Honestly, I could keep going but I will spare us all.

Of course there's the obvious mentions too, like whenever he breaks into song and/or dance. The Christmas trivia was a pleasure. And like most people, I also enjoy just any little personal tidbit he's chosen to share throughout the years, even something as simple as what beer he wants to drink or his love of house plants.

Overall, I appreciate these interviews because like you said, they're just so comfortable and engaging. Once he gets the wiggles out there's usually some really great advice or tidbits shared so I really watch these always waiting on those moments and anything else is just icing on the cake.

Hopefully this was somewhat of a satisfactory answer and bless anyone that's read this far. 😳

[le-trash-prince]

Only Friends (But It’s a Jazz Musical)

Here is the 100% self-indulgent project that I have been working on since the series started! This began when I realized I was adding a lot of jazz songs to my regular OF playlist that didn't flow with the vibe of the other songs, so I separated them and realized how much they really worked on their own. I narrowed this down to a selection of ~40 tracks to just 11 to make it album-sized.

I think, despite the fact that these songs aren't modern at all, they fit the series really well. As musical theatre is wont to be, though, this would be very anachronistic—not tied to a particular place or point in time, and with a range of music genres utilized. It's the type of thing where producers would say "Who cares? It's Broadway!" while critics write scathing reviews on how musical theatre is the lowest form of art.

Mostly it's just meant for fun. 😊 Listen on YT

Tracklist + Scene Breakdown

I’m Gonna Live Till I Die

(YT / lyrics) The opening number. The scene at the bar where we meet the cast. I love the long opening vocal note to this song and can picture each of the four main friends standing under a solo spotlight as the music builds, until the beat drops and the curtain parts and the stage bursts into life. The instrumental break in the middle would be lengthened in order to give Mew a chance to introduce the cast to the audience.

Something’s Gotta Give

(YT / lyrics) This is the scene of Top hitting on Mew during trivia night. The irresistible force (haha) meets an immovable object. The line "something's gotta give, something's gotta give, something's gotta give" would easily be a recurring leitmotif sung by the chorus ensemble in the background of some of TopMew's tense moments and arguments.

You Go to My Head

(YT / lyrics) This is the SandRay theme of the show. Ray starts off singing this to Sand when they're at Ray's house that first time. The direct comparison to alcohol shows that Sand is Ray's new fixation. An instrumental variation of this would play during most of their scenes, with a refrain sung by Sand later in the show ("Still I say to myself, get ahold of yourself")

I Put a Spell on You

(YT / lyrics) Nick sings this while Boston seduces Top—through dance of course. This number is about both Boston coercing Top ("I put a spell on you") and Nick’s possessiveness over Boston ("because you're mine").

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

(YT / lyrics) Mew sings this about Top's betrayal. This was about how blind he was at the beginning, and the song culminates in Mew setting Top's drawing on fire.

I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You)

(YT / lyrics) Both of the pool fights are combined in this scene, Mew going after Boston and Ray going after Top. It’s a little physically comical with lots of people chasing each other back and forth across the stage, but Mew and Ray are absolutely out for blood.

If I Didn’t Care

(YT / lyrics) Sand is singing this onstage at club YOLO while all the boys try to process their unresolved feelings for each other. Lots of longing glances and loaded looks across the room.

I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire

(YT / lyrics) This is Boeing's "I'm too hot for you to blame me for the chaos I bring and I'm going to set Top's life on fire" song. I absolutely envision this as a casual tap dance number, and he does the entire thing with his hands in his pockets and a shit-eating grin on his face.

If That Ain't Love

(YT / lyrics) This one is on Sand's shuffle playlist in Ep 12, but I thought it really fit for a Boston solo! And I wasn't gonna not include the only jazz vocal playlist in the series. This is Boston trying to convince Nick that he loves him, even though Boston has no experience with romantic love.

You Always Hurt the One You Love

(YT / lyrics) All of the boys are singing this song. Hurt people hurt people. Top, Ray, and Boston are singing together on one side of the stage, with Mew, Sand, and Nick on the other, with all three pairs meeting in the middle and clasping hands at the end. (circa ep 10/11)

My Way

(YT / lyrics) This is the closing number and a duet between Mew and Boston on their final meeting. For a musical theater adaptation, compared to the original series, there's going to be more of a bang than a whimper at the end of this friendship, with both of them standing proud about who they are, faults and all. People were hurt, crimes were committed, questions remained unanswered, but Only Friends did it in a way no one else has.

I hope y'all can give this a listen because I really enjoyed working on it. Doing a more theme-specific playlist was new for me, since I usually just throw anything and everything into my playlists, so I'd definitely like to try something similar with another fandom in the future. I hope y’all enjoy 😊

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic #538 - "Lament"

Originally posted on September 3rd, 2010

Story, Script, Letters - Seb Script - HdE Art - Roy Stiffey

deviantART | Seibertron | TFW2005 | BotTalk

wada sez: This Crosscut spotlight is absolutely the funniest Mosaic I've read in ages. On deviantART, Seb said: “Well, my dictionary defines 'soliloquy' as "the act of a character speaking to himself so as to reveal his thought to the audience" (whereas 'colloquy' would be a regular conversation between 2 parties). Technically, Crosscut doesn't 'speak' here, which makes this a 'monologue' instead of 'soliloquy', but since the piece is all about big words, the latter one sounds way more 'literate' ;p”. HdE added: “With LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS, Roche and Roberts gave us the horrors of war, musings on insanity, sacrifice, betrayal and a huge helping of death and destruction. With LAMENT, Seb and HdE give their audience... big words. And waffle. Lots of waffle. Mmm... waffles... [...] Our intention here was to put Crosscut over as being far-too-verbose and serious for his own good. But hopefully, you can still feel a pang of pity for him at the end.” See below for a mirrored version of Seb’s full commentary for the strip, originally shared to his own deviantART account, along with clean colors and even an Italian translation.

Now to explain the not-so-pure motivation behind this piece, sigh.... :) Mainly, there are two reasons:

1) I was always amazed (not always positively) by how TF fandom takes pride in (sometimes even competitive) knowledge of insanely obscure trivia, situations and characters from within the franchise. In 25+ years, said franchise has accumulated an insane number of somethings than can, depending on the case in question, be labeled as a character, "character", pitiful excuse for a "character", and pitiful excuse for a word "character". No matter, for as long as someone is "official" (appeared in some officially sanctioned part of the franchise), poor he/she/it "deserves some love", regardless of the fact that 2 minutes of someone's mental effort can result in a MUCH better "character".

This is only partly "derogatory", for I myself indulge in such things. I'm poking fun at myself as well. :D

Now, I knew this had to be pulled of with a Mosaic starring Crosscut - a (let's face it) pitiful excuse for a word "character" who appeared only on 2 panels of a Marvel TF issue from '86, the first one depicting him in a glow of energy while testing the Space bridge, the second one depicting him explode into pieces due to Bridge's faulty fuel line....but one thing had set him apart from all the others "hi-then-die" guys - he was NAMED.

So, the idea was giving that sorry li'l dude a back-story most profound, not knowing what it'll be. And it waited....

2) I had a discussion with HdE about overly serious and over-the-top writing bursting with pathos that can be seen in writing in general, and how a whole lotta NOTHING can be disguised with big, dramatic words. The talk (d)evolved into a hilarious exchange of pretentious and verbose pseudo-poetic ramblings, and thus the idea of Crosscut the Poet was born!

I compiled that pompous mumbo-jumbo, adapted it for the situation, added quite an amount of equally verbose pretentious fillers, distributed it among the panels and sent the draft to HdE. He Shakespeare-ized the ramblings even further (which I didn't think was possible, but it was!), added several additional juicy passages, and VOILA!

All the script needed was master Roy to bring this fragile beauty and innocent vulnerability to life! :)

...and here it is - a blank slate given the deepest depth imaginable. ;)

[girlreviews]

Review #293: Last Splash, The Breeders

FUUUUUUUCK I love this record, but it permanently damaged the hearing in my right ear. I caught their show at Blackheath Hall in 2005. I put myself right at the front because I really loved them that much and I wanted — no, needed — to feel the heaving guitar in my chest, it felt like, to even continue on. I was seventeen so you know, everything felt a bit extra. I might as well have been hugging the PA system. Anyway, I didn’t anticipate what would happen during the part in Cannonball where Kim sings (yells) “WANT YOU, LITTLE CUCKOO” into the harmonic mic with all that distortion. Yeah, it’s loud. It’s so loud. My eardrum burst. I’ve had tinnitus ever since. My poor left eardrum suffered the same fate two weeks later at the Reading Fez (RIP), during a Mew show. Respectable, but so much less cool than its audio peeper partner in crime. Wear earplugs my friends. It’s not a joke.

Kim Deal founded The Breeders while The Pixies were on hiatus. Well that’s not true, she had been doing both but never able to focus on The Breeders, until 1993 when went Frank Black abruptly announced The Pixies hiatus live during an interview without informing the other band members first. The hiatus was kind of due burnout from recording three albums in two years and touring the hell out of them. Really though, Kim was not getting along with Frank. Here’s the thing — nobody really gets along with Frank. I love the Pixies. I do. But I will get into a fist fight with anyone who wants to insist that they’re better than The Breeders. They’re not. And the thing is, everyone has listened to The Pixies, while most of those same people haven’t given Kim and her band the same time of day. And you know why that is? Because they’re women who are playing heavy rock music. That’s all there is to it. I won’t hear anymore about it, I won’t say anymore about it and I’m not gonna fucking argue with you or anybody else about it. I’m right. Frank Black is a man, he fronts a band, so he gets paid more attention and listened to, and his shitfuck behavior gets dismissed as creative genius. The songs are great but that doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole, Frank! I’ll die on this hill but I’ll also throw hands before I do. Come at me.

I present to you, No Aloha, which actually, beautifully illustrates my point. It is also both beautiful and knockout punch effortlessly cool. It’s dreamy, and also like “we’re here to fuck shit up”. How can I express that it’s lovely and also ass kicking in its vague but biting commentary on being a woman in the music industry, and trying to make it in a band made up of all women (I think they’ve had a dude drummer in their line up from time to time to be fair, but still). It’s about how people that gave her the time of day during her Pixies tenure don’t give a shit about her now “No bye, no aloha, gone with a rock promoter” and how the perils of womanhood impact her creative output “motherhood means mental freeze, freezeheads, no aloha”. Think about what no aloha means. No hello. No goodbye. The disrespect. Ugh. Fuck yes to putting this out there unabashedly.

Obviously, Cannonball, the song that exploded my right ear, is iconic. If you don’t immediately recognize its bassline then I regret to inform you that you need to brush up on your general pop culture knowledge and you stand literally no chance of ever placing at any kind of trivia night. But most importantly, where have you been, and what have you been doing? And are you okay? Genuinely, you’re missing out. The whole thing about them is that musically they are just making some NOISE, and rocking so hard, but Kim’s voice is also so gentle and smooth. Like warm molten wax, or thick maple syrup and butter soaking into a perfect pancake. And she’s harmonizing with her own twin sister, who has the same voice? It’s too many textures but they’re polar opposites. It overwhelms and soothes at the same time. It’s quite an experience. So get it in your ears already.

There are some really lo-fi dulled down tracks, that are really tender and only a band of women could make them. Do You Love Me Now? Literally a low energy bass-led ballad earnestly asking someone if they want to get back together. It’s heart on sleeve girl bravery: I still love you and I don’t care if this doesn’t work out for me, I’m gonna say it. Such a poignant question, followed by a command:

“Does love ever end?

When two hearts are torn away?

Or does it go on?

And beat strong anyway?

You’ve loved me before

Do you love me now?

Come on come on come back to me

Right now”

It finishes with this cascade of harmonies. And I adore it.

My favorite track, and favorite story. Drivin’ on 9. A little ditty! Who doesn’t love a ditty? Again I need to talk about Kim’s voice. It’s like. It’s like. What is it like? When you toast a marshmallow and then squish it between a graham cracker and melted chocolate. It’s like, a smooth whiskey, probably (I don’t like whiskey). It’s like a tiny bird just landed on your hand for the briefest moment. It’s so delicate and precious and you don’t know how such a voice comes out of anyone’s mouth, but especially not hers, because she’s so tough and cool. The strings in the song make me want to die in the best way. Like when people say they died and went to heaven. They pluck it AND they use the bows. Why do I love it so much? Probably because it’s a song about driving and thinking. That’s my favorite thing to do.

“Drivin’ on 9

Lookin’ out my windowsill

Wonderin’ if I want you still

Wonderin’ what’s mine”

I last saw them play at Cannery Ballroom, and the most wonderful thing(s) happened. Firstly, they played this track, so I was happy to begin with. But there was some issue, like one of the violins was missing or broken or not able to be mic’d up correctly or something, I forget. So, Kelley Deal SANG the violin solo. And got it dead on. I cried. These women are just the coolest to ever do it.

I write these reviews because I fundamentally have a problem with the makeup of music critics being made up of men. And I notice looking back how these records and tracks are interconnected with trash men who have acted trash to me or others. I have things to say. I take issue with how they’re written as though their subjective opinions are gospel to be consumed as objective fact. This dynamic can make or break someone’s career when it’s their art and creative output that they’ve poured their heart and soul into. It’s no coincidence that music overall, but rock and alternative music in particular is made up of majority white men, too. Some with self-proclaimed “good taste” can just label it good or bad when it’s not necessarily made for someone that looks like them. These reviews are my experience and my opinion and it’s okay with me if you do or don’t agree, if you love a record that I hate, or if you hate a record I love. But more voices are important and remembering that they’re subjective opinions is pretty fucking important. Hearing someone’s passion (or lack of) about a record is more valuable than hearing their self-importance or gravitas. The Rolling Stone Top 500 is fundamentally flawed in how it’s compiled because of who it’s compiled by, and so I’m deconstructing it one review at a time, noting that as a white woman, the addition of my voice isn’t the full answer or even a big part of the answer. But like I said, I have things to say, and I hope if you have things to say, whoever you are, you’ll share too. But here we are: it’s just proving my point. I’ll be writing one review of The Breeders, but two for The Pixies.

I’m just doing what Kim did when she got sick of the bullshit with Frank Black and The Pixies and decided to do it her way. Nowhere near as loud, nowhere near as cool, and I expect your eardrums will survive my reviews in tact.

Signing off with these words from my favorite “girl” band:

“I see a boy I know

His hair's on fire

The whole world I discovered

If you're so special, why aren't you dead?

I just wanna get along

I just wanna get along

I just wanna get along

Wave bye bye

Cus it ain’t never coming down now”

[silverskull]

Ohio Laundry Room

Chenford Week 2023

Day 1: Inspired by Canon

Amazingly, this fic covers all three points: (one of my) favourite scenes, canon quotes, and season five song.

Whole work below, but also here on AO3. Comments, reblogs and likes are SO VALUED!

It was a dusty shade of green.

Soft avocado; mushy peas; moss stems gripped and plucked from the bottom of an Ohio peat marsh.

The walls were thick - rough cement blocks stacked close together to provide some sort of dampening to the constant rumble of whirring washers.

She’d thought it was a quake hazard - avoided the little room on purpose, having no need of the facilities thus far into her stay.

Then: “Lock the door first.”

Not what she’d envisioned utilising the meet spot for.

They’d mentioned it before, gone over the blueprints of the apartment complex and the map of the block. Decided it was inconspicuous and secure. Nyla had approved it and Metro had agreed. In case of emergency.

“Meet me at the laundry room.”

Relief had flooded through her when he suggested it, her breath finally slowing down and filling her lungs completely, her heart giving one quick squeeze and relaxing its frantic patter.

He’d had incident reports to sign, and she got there first, running into the apartment and peeling off the elegant jumpsuit she’d worn to dinner. Glass had settled in the folds of fabric and now tinkled to the ground as she stripped, sticking to her bare feet like lopseed burrs while she hopped out of one leg, then the other. Her night clothes were nearest  - a soft hoodie and some yoga pants - and, once she’d dressed, she pulled the hood up close around her neck while watching out the window for his lights. 

She’d made him sleep on it - the hoodie - her last night at home.

He’d rolled his eyes and pointed out the pesky lumps of metal on the end of the strings and along the zipper, but even as he said it, he tossed it on the bed, sitting on top of it and pulling her hips in close. She’d laced her hands around his neck and bumped his nose with her own.

“They’re called ‘aglets’.”

He’d had no interest in her trivia, kissing her mouth closed with smiling lips, knocking her knees out from under her and rolling her into the bed with him instead.

She could still just smell him along the seams of the hood, and she inhaled deeply, squeezing her arms against her chest to prolong the scent.

His headlights lit the sidewalk as he turned into her street, pulling into a space in front of the railings. She didn’t wait to see him get out, hurrying to toss some vests and fabric softener into a basket.

He was already folding jeans when she burst in the door. She recognised them too - a pile he’d packed and thrown in the trunk the last time they’d stayed at his house, ready to add to his slowly expanding set of clothing in her bedroom dresser.

But his jeans were just a fleeting thought and she discarded the basket as rapidly as she could, dashing into his arms and burying her nose in his neck.

“That was really scary.”

It was hard to separate the layers of the four words.

That was really scary…

I thought I’d die.

I thought you’d die.

I thought he’d take me away.

I thought they’d take you away.

I thought you’d crack and come looking for me.

I wanted you to come looking for me. (I didn’t want you to come, either.)

I saw you past the gunfire, your face lit up through the windshield by the streetlights: I saw how frightened you were.

I nearly didn’t look away from you in time.

I miss you so. much.

“Yeah, I ‘bout had a heart attack.”

She could still feel his heart against her own, hammering away in his chest, the rapid pulse in his neck at odds with the reserved stillness she’d seen him wear like a mask.

His hands covered the full expanse of her back and she wanted to melt into him, sink into his skin like warm chocolate.

Business first though, and he tried - he really tried - two or three times. But she could see the way his eyes flicked fretfully around her face, his hands twitching at his sides as he restrained himself from reaching for her. He sounded like he was talking about the case, but it kept coming back to her, to her… her control, her boundaries, her safety.

He trusted her beyond doubt - her skill and expertise and ability - but the shooting had shaken something loose and he was struggling to reign himself in. She could see the momentary release he’d had from holding her undoing as she spoke, his arms and neck tightening with anxiety, his shoulders curving under the weight of his fear.

It wasn’t what she’d planned on saying, or doing.

But it was out there, and when she’d said it, she knew it was exactly what both of them needed.

“Lock the door first.”

She didn’t have to ask him twice.

And as the ash-green wall burst into stars before her eyes, she dug her fingers into the warm skin of his back, his hair rough and sweat streaked between her breasts, and one thought lit up her mind like a firework.

It didn’t matter where they were - laundry room or private jet or his tiny office at the station -  because everywhere was better when they were together.

And she always wanted to be with him.

Because she was in love with him.

[ddwcaph-game]

🌟Dear diary, what kind of games do the kids enjoy? Like video games, board games, sports, etc? BTW, I really like this IF. I'm not good with words, but there are so much details and choices you can make that make this IF stand out. I hope you have a lot of success in your life! Thank you for your time 😁

First of all, thank you so much for the kind words! 😊 I hope you enjoyed the latest update!

Sorry for the late reply, but I really needed to take a break and asks like this is quite taxing to me (as I've mentioned in the FAQ).

Wayne does get bored pretty easily, so he pretty much enjoys any kind of game, except maybe sports. He still likes dancing and other physical activities of course, but it's just not his thing.

He doesn't have a big genre preference when it comes to video games, as long as he can goof around with it or if it has RPG elements with a character creator (so puzzle games not so much). Besides playing with the birdies, you can see in Chapter 5 that he also likes playing with Lego and other physical toys with Rosie, and in Chapter 6 you'll see that he also made his own board game that you can play!

And if there isn't any game, he'd probably turn it into one anyway. In the van ride to JM's mansion for example, he'll try to get MC to pretend shooting other cars like they're in a tank, for example.

Roselyna isn't very much into video games, but Wayne can easily drag her into anything he's playing (except horror games). And as mentioned a few times, she does enjoy playing virtual pet/farm games on her phone.

Like Wayne she'd prefer dancing and other physical activities over sports, but Rosie would enjoy pretty much any game with make-pretend (especially with younger kids) or social aspects like party games.

If you think Lily would like competitive multiplayer video games like racing, fighting, or shooter games, you'd be correct. But she also enjoys single player stuff that let her flex her strategy, mystery-solving, and creative muscles (such as Minecraft as mentioned in Chapter 6).

Lily prefers video games overall, but she likes board games just fine (as long as there's a strategy element to it), and you can pretty much challenge her to any game that she doesn't deem silly. Also good luck beating her in any arcade or parlor games.

JM isn't into video games very much, unless of course it's supernatural/horror, or it has mythology elements in it. He'd probably enjoy single player strategy/puzzle/trivia games too (and try to compete with Wayne and Lily), but only in short bursts until he starts to feel unproductive.

Out of everyone, JM probably enjoys card and board games the most, but he's fine with most games unless it's stupid or he has something more urgent to do. Oh, and he likes playing with Mayari too, of course.

B also isn't very much into video games like JM, and prefers sports much more than anyone else in the group. That said, B would also probably enjoy the same things as JM (single player strategy/puzzle/trivia), but replace the horror stuff with superheroes and RPGs.

It's not really a game I guess, but B also isn't bad at the piano, so I could see them competing with Wayne and Rosie in a rhythm game. B would probably lose to them though, hehe.

[ashipiko]

ASHACE TRIVIA!

buckle yourselves in guys this is gonna be a LONG ride (click under cut for the trivia)

🌺 — Ashi has absolutely NO idea how makeup works 😭😭 “oh I know concealer! then it’s like eyelashes and eyeliner and eyeshadow and lipstick… uhh… and uh… uh… WHAT DO YOU MEAN DO I KNOW WHAT FOUNDATION DOES. HOW WOULD I KNOW” meanwhile ace over here is all “oh yeah that does that for that and blabalabahalh” and so it’s a funny dynamic of “ash, you’d look good w this” and “what. what is that” 😭😭 personally I like to think that ace does makeup on her for fun because a pretty face like hers has SM POTENTIAL that its like “??? HOW DO YOU NOT DO ANYTHING W IT???” and also the fact that. ashi’s one of the prettiest people at NRC and she’s completely natural is so good

❤️ — ashace has like. A LOT of dynamics within them (besties, besties to lovers, mutual pining, rivals, etc etc) but their romantic dynamic (AKA what I think most of y’all are curious about) is

ashi: teases/flirts w ace for fun

ace: teases back

ashi: malfunctions and has no idea what to do

ace: gets the upper hand

AND IT BECOMES LIKE THIS LIKE. ONCE ACE GETS FED UP W CONTAINING HIS FEELINGS AND JUST GOES “SCREW IT” and that causes Ashi to fall for him and BAM. ashace canon

not to mention ashi’s like a gigantic tease for fun 😭😭 she just uses her charm to see how many people she can make fall for her as like. a personal challenge <3 even tho she’s straight she won’t hesitate to see if she can make chicks fall for her too

SHES LIKE. THAT STANDARD “flirty chara but has no idea what to do when flirted back to” YK

🌺 — ON A MORE NON-FLUFFY HAND…….. man. the inferiority issues ace has dealing w both Ashi and deuce………. BOOK 5 IS SUCH A GOOD BOOK FOR ASHACE DEVELOPMENT BUT IT HURTS SOMETIMES.

SPOILERS FOR BOOK 5 BUT LIKE so in another AU (called yuuniverse might talk about it more another time; but the yuus can basically learn magic as long as they work hard enough) Ashi reveals her UM in book 5 😭😭 and its like?? she’s aware that Ace could totally feel inferior when two of his favorite people end up getting a head start over him but she reveals hers because “deuce hasn’t gotten his yet so Ace’ll have deuce” and then BAM deuce gets his. AND IM LIKE??? POOR ACEY…

but even just canon where ashi’s magicless she’s just so naturally talented and excels at so many things w such ease that like YAY ACE HAS COMPETITION. BUT THE INFERIORITY ISSUES RHAT COULD STEM FROM IT….. UGHHAGSHVWSHWH yeah. them

❤️ — Ashi freaks the hell out and bursts out red when ace grabs AAAANYWHEFE LIKE. around her midriff/hips and once Ace figures that out she’s done 😭😭 tryna tease me??? yoink I’ve got your hips <3 she loses all power

TBH on the other hand I do think that ace would freak w anywhere on his head??? like head pats head scratches blabalaha <3 v cute and he’ll melt into Ashi during cuddling sessions v easy

🌺 — ashi has baby hands. no matter WHO she compares them to THEYRE ALWAYS A GOOD CHUNK TINER like maybe even just the tiniest bit bigger than orthos. DUNNO

but ACE MAKES FUN OF HER FOR THIS ALL THE TIME but alas he still loves holding hands w her 😔 even when they were just friends

❤️ — SPEAKING OF JUST FRIENDS……. Ashi has a habit on grabbing onto people’s arms and leaning her head on people’s shoulders when she likes them (platonically or romantically) and w ashace they hang out SO MUCH that Ashi pretty much always does this 😭😭 espec when she’s tired, she’ll just lean her head on ace’s and close her eyes and fall asleep maybe 🙏

🌺 — ………if ashace have kids the two names they’re planning for are Avila and Alexander (Alex can go both ways, avila’s for a girl <3) to keep the trend of having every family members initials be A.T. 🫶 speaking of initial’s ashi’s and Ace’s are the exact same already 😭😭 both are A.T. (totally not foreshadowing I swear)

❤️ — ace pops by ramshackle for sleepovers WAYYYYYY more often than he does in canon and he NEVER STOPS TRYING TO SLEEP W ASHI. after a while she lets him because they’re close enough friends but like DW THEY DONT GET TOO IN CONTACT. maybe pre-relationship there’s some tickle war’s and movie watching but they don’t cuddle 😔 once they DO get into a relationship they cuddle and ashi’s the little spoon and it is so cozy because her bed is covered in pillows and fluffy things <3

🌺 — Leona legally (and secretly) adopts Ashi during her time in twisted wonderland (they’re like annoyed older brother and annoying little sister dynamic to the max) and Leona’s really protective of her, and so you BET when ace gets w Ashi he has to talk all smooth around Leona if he doesn’t wanna get pummeled 😭😭 for all Leona yumers out there you’re basically ashi’s mom now (sorry not sorry DW she’s responsible)

[terminalisms]

caved so quick to the 2nd muse impulse o mein gott......throwing sejoon into the mix with another minimal stats page + round two of rambly character intros 😵‍💫 if u are interested in plotting just like this post or add me on discord!! (tip.toph) 🥰

tw! mentions of terminal illness, death of a parent

only son to 2 anomalies. plain jane working class background

in a past life, dad is still a top tier hardboiled detective who doesn't gotta think about the fact he has a wife and kid at home

in this one, mom is inconveniently out of the picture for......... [vague gestures] reasons and he has to hunker down into single father life fast. ends up opening a restaurant in order to be able to provide

but in spite of all of this his childhood isn't so bad! he and his dad are close despite obvious stark differences in personality, which can be summed up as naive softie vs cynical hardass. even if sejoon's too trusting ways has dad up at night wondering how the hell is this kid gonna survive on his own

also dad: [does the absolute most to keep him shielded and sheltered cause he's Seen Things and as a parent's bare minimum that means letting a kid being a kid. which means shoving things deep under a rug and the default response to any inkling of curiosity being "Don't worry about it"]

until sejoon's anomaly kicks in at 12-13 by making a patron's chair float on accident and his dad's like k. better late than never......

its a little (ok a lot) hard to coach sejoon through controlling his abilities considering dad's own anomaly is not anything remotely close to moving things w his mind (its memory manipulation btw for some hwang fam #trivia) and sejoon is like ): but this is so cool why shouldnt i wanna show it off......

their deeply anti-anomaly district with equally staunchly anti-anomaly neighbors, friends, politicians being a VERY good reason not to: (:

dad: wear this patch thingie. dont ask why just do what i say

(thank god for nullivi huh like seriously)

doesnt stop the bubble bursting with when people realize ur not "human" they treat u different but ykw.........the sun is still shining and the world is much much bigger than their humble slice of daegu for EVERYONE to be that way

sua's open for admissions just around the time sejoon's thinking about higher ed AND broadening his horizons. gets in on arts scholarship and off he goes

baby bird leaving the nest turns fish out of the water. college and seoul are a bit of an adjustment but exciting all the same. and he does thrive! gets involved in the sporting rallies, really developing his artistic vision, has a social life, and gets to be his #true self among fellow anomalies the whole enchilada

things only really go downhill in the last 6 months of his undergrad with 2 wrecking balls: a devastating breakup and (TW: ILLNESS, DEATH) his dad being diagnosed by stage iv lung cancer

its right after graduation that sejoon immediately falls off the face of the earth for 3 years to be his father's sole caretaker until his death (END OF TW) no one i mean no one knows what he was doing or where he is

but hes back now to do his mfa!! let the bella loca where the hell have u been-isms begin

vibe wise hes bright, social, easy to talk to but can also be kind of spacey eccentric and the ultimate pacifist. the type that makes u feel like u guys are sooo close but then when u reflect ur like actually idk if i really know much about him at all (which!! is not totally intentional he just makes for a better listener and is great at making conversation about what YOU have to say). these days that same can do energy is there but it doesnt feel the same if u look too close but its fine!!! everything is fine

plots that are marginally better than the first time around but not by much:

friends who were blindsided by him going mia without warning

friends who are gracious enough (or equally ??????? avoidant? weird even) to pick up where they left off like nothing happened in the first place

people who dont even know who he is so like none of the above for his sob story doesnt even really matter

this is really really limited to one (1) person but somebody who managed to run into him in the three years that he was laying low

will require extensive plotting but the ex......not necessarily endgame but i am in the mood for some bittersweet woulda shoulda coulda's, angst and answering the penultimate question of: why did we break up?

former teammates? i imagine he was part of house samjoko during undergrad

ur a stranger feeling nosy and ur ultimate mission is figuring out where hes been. he lets u speculate

u need someone to do ur graphics. can be contractual pro bono whatevah.......

im running out of steam here but i am open to it all please hmu

[2nd2ndalto]

Spaceman

Written for the @writers-choice prompt "astronaut"

___

Will pushes himself up in bed, propping his shoulders against the wall, hoping that maybe the change in position will help his damn sinuses drain. He can’t remember ever feeling this miserable. His head is throbbing, his throat is raw, and neither the nectar nor the Tylenol seem to have done much good.

He closes his bleary, watery eyes. It’s been three nights since he’s slept properly, and he thinks he’s starting to hear colours. He’s feeling so sorry for himself he’s tempted to burst into tears. But he’s pretty sure that would make his head hurt even more. It doesn’t help his mood that this stupid cold has coincided with a day he was really looking forward to.

Camp Half Blood’s not a regular camp by any means, but with nothing world-threatening going on at the moment, the head counselors had planned a field trip to the science museum this weekend, and earlier today most of the year-rounders had loaded up in the camp vans and headed into the city. But not Will.

There’s suddenly a soft tap at the door of the cabin. “Yeah?” Will calls out, his voice hoarse.

The door creaks open and Will turns to see Nico framed in the doorway, dark, shaggy hair damp from the rain that’s been falling since last night, water droplets speckling his aviator jacket.

“Hey. Can I come in?”

“Yeah, of course,” Will frowns. “What are you doing here, though? Is everyone back already?” He glances at his watch, wondering if he’s lost track of time in his hazy state.

“Nah, it’s just me. Everyone else is still in New York.”

Will rubs at his eyes. “Why are you back? What happened?”

Nico shrugs, his gaze dropping to his feet. “I don’t know. Wasn’t the same without you. Didn’t seem right walking through the Star Wars exhibit without anyone trailing along behind me telling me random bits of trivia.”

Will lets out a surprised laugh. They’ve been friends for almost a year now. He liked the other boy to begin with - his sharp sense of humour and his quiet intelligence. Frankly it doesn’t hurt that Nico’s also one of the most beautiful people Will’s ever laid eyes on. But it still surprises Will how honestly sweet this kid is, under the scowl and the sarcasm and the occasionally-stupid bravery.

“Anyway. I thought you might want some company,” Nico finishes. “If you don’t, that’s cool too. I just - I felt bad about you being left here on your own. I know you were looking forward to getting out of camp.”

Nico meets Will’s gaze, and the look in his eyes is somewhere tenuously on the border between fierce and terribly vulnerable. It warms Will to his core, and his first instinct is to jump out of bed and wrap the other boy in a hug. But he’s almost positive that would scare him right back to New York.

“Yeah, company would be nice,” Will says instead. “I mean, I’m feeling really crummy, honestly. But as long as you’re not expecting me to be entertaining…”

Nico’s shoulders relax and he almost, almost smiles, Will’s sure of it.

“Okay. Cool,” he says

They gaze at each other for a moment, Nico hovering just inside the door, then -

“I um. I brought you something,” Nico says, holding up a small plastic bag. He crosses the cabin to perch on the foot of Will’s bed.

“There’s um… ice cream sandwiches. For your sore throat,” Nico explains, passing the bag to Will.

“Aww!” Will exclaims. He grabs the bag and spills it out onto the bed, letting out a gasp. “And astronaut ice cream?” he says, holding up a package.

“Because, you know. You like space stuff, and - I don’t know. I grabbed the astronaut stuff first, but then I saw the ice cream cooler…” Nico scrunches up his nose, suddenly looking unsure. “Look, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” He moves to grab the package back from Will, but Will snatches it out of his reach.

“You can pry my astronaut ice cream out of my cold, dead hands,” he tells Nico sternly, reaching to place the package on the window ledge next to his bed.

Nico snorts.

Nico’s brought two ice cream sandwiches, now beginning to melt, and the boys eat them in companionable silence. Will’s still feeling stuffy, achy and exhausted, but he suddenly finds there’s an unexpected warmth in his chest.

Nico accepts Will’s empty wrapper, crumpling both and tossing them into the garbage.

“Okay, what now?” Nico asks, sounding awkward but determined. “Do you need more nectar? I can make like… tea?” He gazes at Will in silence for a moment. “Honestly I don’t really know how to make tea,” he adds, frowning. “But I could probably figure it out if you told me how.”

Will blinks at the other boy, marveling at how all his sharp edges have turned out to be so much softer than Will ever would have imagined.

“You didn’t just come back here to keep me company. You came back to take care of me,” Will says softly.

“Yeah, well.” Nico shrugs. “I figured you’d done it for me enough times.”

“Yeah, but I’m a healer.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “I’ve been paying attention, Solace. Mostly what you do is pass out nectar and lecture people about vegetables."

Will snorts. “Jerk.”

“Nerd,” Nico retorts, a smile pulling at his lips.

Will sticks out his tongue.

“Anyway, what’s the plan?” Nico asks. “Do you want to watch a movie?” He frowns, studying Will for a moment. “Or maybe you should sleep. You kind of look like shit, actually. No offense.”

Will grimaces. “I feel like shit. I haven’t been able to sleep properly for days. I just want to feel normal again.”

Okay, that sounded really pathetic. Will braces himself for a teasing, sarcastic response from the other boy, but instead Nico’s gaze softens.

“That really sucks,” he says quietly. “I hate it when I can’t sleep.”

Will nods. And gods, he actually feels tears welling in his eyes. He really is pathetic. And exhausted. Stupid rhinoviruses and their stupid resistance to Apollo healing powers.

“I can help you with the sleeping part, though,” Nico says.

“You - you can?” Will blinks. “Oh, you can.” His eyes go wide. “I totally forgot about your sleeping powers. Oh, Nico, that would be amazing. Can you knock me out for like, three days?”

Nico laughs. “That might not be the best idea. How about if I give you a good nap now and then I can come find you later this evening and knock you out for the night?”

“Oh gods, yes please,” Will croaks. “You’re seriously the best. I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask you sooner.”

Will slumps back against the wall. His sinuses throb even more loudly, if that’s possible, and he presses his fingertips into the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe I missed the stupid Star Wars exhibit,” he says regretfully.

“Can’t you go another time? I’m no healer, but I’m guessing this probably isn’t terminal.” Nico nudges Will’s foot.

“Nah,” Will sighs. “This is the last weekend it’s in New York. I think they’re moving the whole exhibit to Denver next week.”

Nico watches him for a moment. “I know a guy who can get us to Denver.”

Will gazes blearily at the other boy, taking a moment to process. He’s so tired it’s becoming difficult to make sense of words. “What? Who?”

Nico gives him a sardonic smile, but it’s like… half affectionate, Will thinks.

“Me, you idiot,” Nico says.

“Really? You’d take me all the way to Denver and do nerdy stuff with me?” Tears spring to Will’s eyes again, but this time he can’t bring himself to care.

“Yeah, probably,” Nico shrugs, suppressing a smile.

And Will’s inhibitions must be suffering the same fate as his ability to parse sentences, because he scrambles across the bed to wrap his arms around the other boy. “Oh my god, I love you, you’re the best,” he rasps.

Nico lets out a small, surprised laugh against his ear, and when Will doesn’t immediately let go, his arms settle tentatively around Will’s shoulders.

“Okay, Solace,” Nico says after a long moment, patting him on the back. “Less hugging, more sleeping.”

Will drops back to the bed, grinning. Nico looks embarrassed, but pleased, Will thinks.

Nico stands so Will can adjust his blankets. Will reaches for the kleenex, blowing his nose loudly, then snuggling into his bed. Gods, sleep sounds so good right now.

“They had an interactive thing where you could fight with lightsabers,” Nico says as Will makes himself comfortable. “Which is cool, because I’m going to kick your ass.”

Will snorts. “No way. You just wait. I’m gonna… you’re gonna see -” Will interrupts himself with a jaw-cracking yawn that morphs into a coughing fit.

Nico smirks. “Yeah, I’m really scared now.”

Will groans, throwing an arm over his face. “We can argue about it later. Please just put me out of my misery.”

He hears Nico say, “okay,” and then -

“No, wait,” Will opens his eyes again. “Nico - thanks. For everything.” Will’s not entirely confident in his ability to form sentences at the moment, nor is he exactly sure what he means to say. But from the look in Nico’s eyes, he thinks he must have managed to convey something of the warmth and gratitude he's feeling.

“Of course,” Nico says softly. “Any time.”

Nico clears his throat. “You ready?”

Will sighs happily, closing his eyes. “A thousand times yes. Knock me out, baby.”

“Oh my god, you’re such a nerd,” Nico mutters, and then Will’s abruptly overwhelmed by a sense of peace, and comfort, and then blessed unconsciousness.

He wakes several hours later to the sound of his siblings’ return. Still achy, still congested and feverish. But somehow not nearly as despondent as he was this morning.