#from the backroom (queue)

[xxnikox]

Where I blog from 🤭

I'll show where I REALLY blog from once I reach uhhh.... 100 followers?

[thomasicism]

── #. 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐒 ; 𝐋&𝐃𝐒

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𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊?

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𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒.

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OOC:                        out of office hours (ooc) Suggestive:           caution | suggestive Explicit:                caution | explicit Answered asks:            best regards; (inbox) General:                  gallery memo RP:              thomas | rp Thoughts:                      thomas | musings Propmts: contact info (prompts) Queue:             from the backroom (queue) Reblog:               attached herewith; (reblog) Thread tag:               (emoji/alias) | story unfolding Verse tag:             in your painting... ([e/a] verse) General label: (emoji/username) | mail

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Admin 🌹: @rose-tinted-kalopsia ^OC/MC, Kaia 🐰 @kaiakaya ^OC Cedar 📖: @ofthecedartree

[thomasicism]

He doesn't reply immediately. The slices are placed neatly onto each of their plates before he can finally look back up at her properly, and he's keen to search her eyes before he says—"What... exactly... do you not want me to back out of?"

The teasing is gone.

There's a certain warmth to his voice, still, but the mischief subsides—perhaps it's the way she's asked him, perhaps it's the thoughts he has running wild in his own head. But he wants to be careful. He's aware of how else this evening could be going. He doesn't want to make a mistake.

"'Melia," he mumbles, and he's inching his hand back closer to hers, their knuckles brushing lightly. "I'm not trying to coax you into anything. I just..."

A pause.

He'd normally pride himself on his honesty, but now he finds it's a lot more of a challenge.

"...I told you, didn't I? I want to cherish you a little more today." He closes his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry... Maybe I'm thinking there are things I want to try taking further with you. I'll admit as much. But it's a maybe, 'Mel. I'm not about to lead you into something like that if you don't want me to."

SANGUINE — ୨୧⋆ ˚ a closed starter。

🖼: @thomasicism 𝓲. 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨

Here's how it started: a meme, a silly idea, a single text, and a post. How it ended, however, is a very different story. How it ended, for Amelia, involved feelings of guilt, and want.

And that was why she was here now: in front of Flux' building, standing tall against the evening sky, its windows reflecting the last hues of the sunset.

Amelia walked through the revolving doors of the gallery with a sense of purpose, the box in her hands a delicate balance of apology and affection. The place was mostly quiet as the gallery was already closed to the public for the day, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning and the occasional click of a keyboard or footsteps from the few who remained at this hour.

She made her way through the halls and corridors, her heels clicking on the polished floor, echoing through the space. With the soft glow of the office lights guiding her way, she knew she’d find him, likely still hunched over his desk, oblivious to the time. Or at least she hoped so.

She paused outside his office, the frosted glass door providing a veil of privacy. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to knock, the box with the cake feeling heavier than before.

She hadn't made this cake on her own, opting to buy as she was pressed for time. However, its intent doesn't change—it was more than just flour and sugar; it was an olive branch, an unspoken promise to never send a text that could cause such a stir again. Maybe.

With a gentle tap, she announced her presence, ready to face the music, ready to see the look of surprise.

❝Thomas？I know I said yes to the call, but... I decided to see you in person instead...❞

She opened the door softly, and adopted a mostly apologetic expression on her face.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Man 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: mob!Lloyd Hansen

Summary: a demanding customer complicates more than your work life.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

A few days pass as the humiliation of your big lesson clings in the air. You think about it too much. Enough that you find yourself cringing to yourself on your bike ride home or even when lying in bed. You’ve never been the most socially adept so the encounter leaves you reeling.

As you help Bre with opening, you feel your heartbeat pick up once more. You need to chase the elephant from the room. You puff out and wet your lips as you glance over at her. She measures out grinds into the silver machine as her eyes pinpoint on the task.

“Um, so, Bre,” you approach her warily with a fresh sleeve of cups, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Mm,” she grumbles groggily. She’s on her second coffee already and she only just got there twenty minutes ago.

“So, um, that guy, from the other day,” you rub your boiling neck, “with the mustache. You said he’s the boss. So he owns this place?”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes as she shuts the lid of the machine and turns the silver dial on the front. She shakes her head as the machine starts to brew and she plants her hand on the counter in front of it. She faces you, her other hand going to her hip.

“Mr. Hansen? Lloyd. Hansen.” She enunciates as if you should know the name.

Your lips downturn and you shrug, “is that his name?”

“Are you new in town?” She asks hotly.

You nod, “yeah, actually. I used to live about forty minutes out of town but there was nothing there--”

“It shows,” she retorts, “he owns this shop, he owns the street outside, he owns me, he owns you. He owns this city. Got it?”

You hum and nod as you look thoughtfully to the ceiling, “not really. But he’s important, got it.”

“Just if he comes back in, come get me and say as little as you can. And please, for the love of god, do not ask him for money,” she snips.

“Oh, alright,” you deflate, “I didn’t know--”

“Now you do. Just trust me when I tell you, you don’t want to fuck around with him. If he tells you to pour boiling water on yourself, you’re better off just doing it,” she sneers.

You wince, “okay, sorry, Bre, I was just asking.”

“You ask too many questions,” she turns and goes into the backroom. She returns, dangling a keyring from her finger, “open up. It’s time.”

You take the key and go to unlock the door and flip on the sign. You retreat back behind the counter, swallowed up by the tension between you. You regret asking. You thought it might help clear the air but now you can barely breathe.

When the first customer enters, you volunteer to help them. Bre just mutters and slurps from her coffee. She might have less of a headache if she takes it easy on the caffeine. You don’t say as much to her, nothing really at all as you work through order after order.

She hops onto prep as you man the till while the queue grows. The morning rush is in full effect as you slide baked goods into little paper sleeves and hand them over before sending customers down to the window to wait for their drinks. The hectic flow helps you forget about the awkward start.

When at last the crowd trickles down and the cafe hums with voices sitting at the tables, you have a moment to catch your breath and center yourself. You like this job, it’s just like your last one, but the company isn’t as pleasant. Bre taps her thumb on her phone screen and ignores you.

The ebbs come with hide tides and soon lunch has you scrambling once more. The smell of toasted bread and cinnamon has your stomach grumbling. You’re too busy to let the emptiness bother you for long. When high noon influx subsides, Bre yawns.

“Lunch,” she announces, “I’m going to head down to Tabitha’s. They’re having a clearance sale.”

“Oh, alright,” you agree, not mentioning that she said earlier you could go first, “I’ll be here.”

She doesn’t respond as she disappears into the back to get her things. You hear her leave through the side door that leads through to the alley. You sigh out and watch the sit-in customers on their laptops or chatting with friends.

You resist the temptation of the tarts staring at you from the display. You can hold out until it’s your turn. The door jingles and a new customer enters. You’re too fixated on the painting of a latte to glance over. Not until you sense the sudden shift in the air. Several people quiet and pack up to go.

Footfalls scuff across the floor and customers leave their unfinished drinks on the table as they hurry for the door. You peer around then at the approaching shadow. It’s him. Oh no. Bre isn’t here.

“Um, hello, Mr. Hensen,” you smile shakily, “how are you?”

He stares at you as he comes to stand across the till from you. His blue eyes darken as he lets a long exhale out through his nose. You gulp and your cheeks tremble. He tilts his head and arches a brow.

“Hansen,” he corrects.

“Right, Floyd Hansen, I remember--”

“Lloyd,” he hits his fist on the counter and you gasp. “Lloyd fucking Hansen.” He leans forward and bares his teeth, “get that through that thick fucking skull.” He reaches for you, grabbing the front of your shirt, “you won’t forget who I am.”

“I’m s-sorry, I’m bad with names--”

“Shut up,” he twists the fabric until it strains against the back of your neck, “if you weren’t so goddamn pathetic, I’d drag you across this counter.”

Your eyes round and you bat your lashes. He’s only an inch away from you. You shiver as he opens his hand and presses the vee of his index and thumb to your throat. You’re frozen, terrified. Who is this man?

“Get me my fucking coffee,” he squeezes then shoves you so you choke.

You stumble back and bring your hand to your neck. You nod, eyes glittering with unspent tears, and look around. You can’t remember what he ordered. You’ll just have to make something up. Or maybe you could just sneak out like Bre...

[lillian-gallows]

Kinktober Day 12: Marking with Eddie Munson

Pairing: Eddie Munson X Fem!Reader Word Count: 730 Warnings: Marking, P in V sex, Possessive behavior, Mention of douchebags, Semi-Public sex (Bar bathroom), Hickeys, Biting, Possible unprotected sex (Unspecified).

Kinktober 2024 Master(sub)list.

Minors DNI

The sounds of both your bodies were echoing off the walls of the dingy bathroom of the Hideout, mixing with Eddie’s heavy breaths and your little whimpers, trying so hard to stay quiet while Eddie made it his life’s mission to make you be as loud as possible.

The porcelain sink was cold under your touch as you leaned over it, ass in the air with your little skirt flipped up over your hips, panties dangling around your knees while the metal head behind you pounded away, filling your pussy over and over again.

“C’mon, Sweetheart…Let’em hear how good I make you feel…” He urged with a feral grin.

A shiver ran up your spine as you bit your lip, letting out another breathy moan that you buried in the crook of your elbow.

Tonight is Corroded Coffins’ normal night to play at the local bar, and you’d attended as you often do to support your boyfriend and his friends.

The thing that made this time different, was the trio of young men seated at the bar, colorful polos with popped collars, quaffed hair and arrogant smirks. They reminded you of Steve, but far douchier than he could have ever dreamed of being.

One had eyed you when you entered, making rude comments as you passed by on the way to the backroom, in spite of the fact you were walking hand in hand with Eddie.

“Bet I could fuck’er better than that loser…” You recalled hearing among other things, far filthier things.

You’d felt Eddies hold on your hand grow tighter, not out of anger at you, no it was all at the other male. Eddie had a possessive streak, and this stranger had just trampled all over it.

It wasn’t often that your boyfriend felt the need to stake his claim, but when he did, he made sure it was very clear.

Often times he would just make you cry out in ecstasy, screaming his name and begging him to make you cum. But this time it felt different, you had a feeling that wouldn’t be enough for him.

So, you reached back toward him, tugging him by the hand till he leaned down, pressing his chest to your back, and tilted your head, baring your neck to him.

He let out a breathy chuckle and you could feel his hair brushing your bare shoulder as he pressed his forehead to the back of your head. “God, I love you…” He groaned, and you could feel his cock twitch inside you.

“Show them…” Was all you said, voice airy and more than a little desperate.

“Yes, Ma’am.” He purred before you felt his soft full lips press to your heated skin, a light touch followed closing by the sensation of his teeth sinking into your flesh, not enough to break skin but plenty to leave a beautiful mark that would be a vivid purple in a matter of a few minutes, then he left another, and another.

The sensation had you clenching down on him, earning you a moan from deep in his chest, muffled by where his mouth is occupied. That was his queue to continue his previous task.

He had a needy girl to get off.

His hips returned to their punishing rhythm as he leaned back and brough you with him, causing you to arch your back and press back into his every thrust.

His lips remained attacked to your neck, sucking a smattering of smaller marks to decorate the collum of your neck before switching to the other side to make sure that they would be visible from every side.

 The dull sting of each one just sent new shocks of pleasure across your skin, driving you closer and closer to your peak.

It was with a cry that you came whimpering his name, voice echoing off the walls in a way that felt so loud in your ears, but you didn’t care, not when he attached his teeth to the curve of your neck and growled.

“That’s my girl.” He groaned as he finished, face buried right where his teeth had just been.

After cleaning up, and a quick check in, you both left the bathroom hand in hand, your hair now tied up to show off the new accessories now blooming on your skin.

The look on the assholes face was truly priceless.

[annabelle--cane]

Hello!

You’ve said that you fly on planes pretty often… As someone who’s never been on a plane before, could you tell me about what it’s like riding in a plane for the first time/some things you’ve learned to do to make it an easier experience?

Hope you’ve been doing well <3

with the qualifiers that while I used to fly a lot, I haven't since late 2019 + different airlines have extremely varying standards for comfort + I'm white and able bodied so there are a lot of common concerns that I've never had to think about:

-> being in an airport is first and foremost about waiting around and doing nothing. you queue to check your bag, you queue to go through security, you sit at your gate for a while after the inevitable delays to your takeoff time, you wait for your boarding group to be called, you queue in the group itself to get on the plane, eventually you queue to get off the plane, you queue to go through customs, and then you wait while staring aimlessly at some kind of hypnotic carousel of nearly identical black suitcases to collect your checked luggage. you can either gaslight yourself into believing that there is enjoyment to be found in waiting in huge lines or you can lose yourself to the queue madness.

-> speaking of the hypnotic bag carousel, it'll be easier to pick out your checked bags on sight if they're more distinct looking. if you've got some brightly colored suitcases, use those, otherwise they might pass you by three times before you spot them.

-> if you have a tendency to get car sick or sea sick or anything then I'd recommend bringing some anti nausea medication, in my experience most flights aren't particularly bumpy but better safe than sorry. plane bathrooms can be kinda nasty, if you're concerned about hygiene then you might want to bring some surface wipes. they tend to blast the AC, and the blankets they give out are static electricity central, so I'd recommend wearing a good jacket/cardigan and maybe bringing a small TSA approved(tm) sized bottle of hand cream.

-> if something about the processes of bag checking, security, boarding, customs, etc. is confusing you, you'll likely be in a group of dozens of people trying to do the same thing and you can ask around to see if someone if willing to explain.

-> your airline will probably tell you how early before your flight you should to get to the airport, and I would always advise arriving even earlier than that. ex., I've had a lot of experiences where getting there three hours before an international flight was technically enough time, but I had to rush everything and only got to my gate at the last minute. I would a hundred times over prefer to window shop in the expensive tech stores on the other side of security for half an hour than have to book it with my carry on down a huge backrooms looking empty hallway just to barely make it in time.

-> this could easily be a me thing but I've found the version of myself that exists on airplanes only wants to entertain herself with activities that I would never consider with my feet on solid ground. I enter an airplane and suddenly voraciously want to do a crossword and listen to europop. basically, if you're nervous about the flying itself, then I'd suggest planning to do something fun and kind of novel so you can have something a bit special to look forward to.

-> if you've got a window seat, look out the window! look at your city from above and either have an existential crisis or develop a god complex, it's great. watching a sunrise while flying over the ocean is basically like inventing a religion.

[ozzgin]

(Not a request. Just a talk here.)

There’s not enough fanfics of Urban Legends and Lovecraftian Eldritch stuffs. I love the Yanderes of them. <3

On the topic of urban legends/ abstract horror, I do have two requests I plan to work on very soon once I clear up some of the second-part queue: Aka Manto and a Backrooms-inspired entity.

I can also guarantee you that whenever I use "Eldritch" for a work, it's Lovecraft inspired (it's the only meaning I know).

I'd love to write more genuine, Lovecraftian horror once I have some time to spare. I actually just finished reading The Transition of Juan Romero*, and it's interesting to see where Lovecraft's cosmic horror actually started. Would make a nice yandere story too.

Picture it: You're a geologist of the early 1900s, summoned for an emergency inspection at a gold mine somewhere in the US. Upon drilling underneath what was assumed to be hard rock, the men have uncovered an abyss yawning into the depths of Earth with no end in sight. At night you hear an unexplainable rhythm, like Oriental drums and chaotic chanting, calling you back into the deep, mysterious cavern. You sneak away and discover its bowels glowing red with fierce flames, and a name suddenly carves itself into your mind: Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec God of Sun and War. What could an ancient Deity want from you?

*Really just a side note, but I'm currently going through my annotated book and if you're into Lovecraft I can absolutely recommend it to you! This part has the early, lesser known works with a lot of commentary and explanations.

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 2

Episode 9: Christmas Danger

'Twas the season to be jolly. The entire city was decked with tinsel, Christmas trees and lights, including the City Hall. That morning, there was a charitable breakfast going on in one of the historic building's many function rooms and Captain Man and Kid Danger were heading the food distribution. 

Ray had been doing it for a few years now, as a way of repaying the citizens that idolised him. Strolling out from the backroom, Henry smirked at the cheering crowd and took his place behind a microphone stand.

"Good morning." He smiled at the applauding people, well, everyone but a grouchy lady in the middle of the floor.

"Well, it's December twenty-fourth and that means, welcome to Captain Man's third annual Christmas Breakfast!" Henry announced, making the cheers grow even louder. Everyone loved that Captain Man did this.

"Thank you, that's nice. You know, it's really great to be he--" Henry's little speech was cut off by the grouchy lady shouting over him.

"Hey! Shut up and feed us!" She yelled and her peculiar dress sense made Henry think she was a man. Oh, no...

"Just a moment, sir." He said to her, thinking he was being polite and respectful.

"I'm a woman!" She snapped, frowning as Henry gulped.

"Sorry, ma'am. And now, I present your handsome host, the guy who paid for all this, Swellview's most important citizen, Captain Man!" Henry introduced his big-headed boss, who walked out to balloons falling from the ceiling. 'I bet (y/n) didn't help him with those crappy lines.' Henry rolled his eyes internally, already bored with Ray's self-indulgent attitude. 

"All right, everybody get up here and taste the Christmas!" Henry told the crowd as he and Ray stood behind the food table with the other volunteers.

"Here, kid. Put this on." Ray gave Henry a hairnet as people started to queue for their food. 

"Ew, I don't wanna wear a hairnet." Henry grimaced, thinking he was gonna look like a right idiot with one on.

"You have to wear one, you're serving food. It's city law." Ray told him and Henry took it begrudgingly and pulled it over his head. 

"Hey, how come you're not wearing a hairnet?" Henry asked in confusion when he saw that the superhero was waiting to serve without something covering his hair.

"Lots of reasons. First, I'm Captain Man, second, I'm very handsome and I don't wear hairnets." Well, those were pathetic excuses. Henry had a sneaking suspicion that Ray would get his comeuppance at some point but chose to stay quiet as the first citizens came down the line.

"Hey, are these reindeer eggs locally sourced?" The angry woman from before asked.

"Uh, uh, I don't know." Captain Man stuttered. How was he supposed to know where the eggs came from?

"Well, I don't eat eggs unless they were locally sourced." She snapped in a Karen voice. 

"Okay...good for you," Ray replied slowly and went to get some pancakes for her. This woman was a weirdo.

"Hey, why aren't you wearing a hairnet?" The woman asked another question and was starting to get on Ray's nerves. He gave up decorating the Man Cave's Christmas tree with (y/n) for this so he was annoyed that this woman was being so picky. He could have stayed home and danced around under the twinkling lights with his girl in fluffy socks, but no. He was giving back to Swellview's citizens from the kindness of his heart. 

"Uh, lots of reasons. One--" He began to retell his list to her, but this grouchy lady had an agenda.

"Shut up!" She growled loudly, making Ray looked at her cynically. If she wanted an argument, he'd give her an argument.

"You know, I'm guessing you don't get invited to a lot of parties." He told her in a sugary sweet voice, so she sighed in anger and walked off with a plateful of breakfast.

"Hey, Captain Man, Captain Man." The Vice-Mayor came over and took Ray away from the food line.

"Ah, yes, Vice-Mayor Willer." Ray greeted warmly since he'd met the man many times before.

"Hi, there's a reporter here from KLVY News. She wants to do an interview with you." The Vice-Mayor told him and Ray swallowed nervously.

"It's not Evelyn Hall, is it?" The superhero asked, hoping to God it wasn't. She was another failed attempt at him trying to save (y/n) from his unrequited love and it had ended rather messily, like most of his romantic encounters.

"I believe it is." The man confirmed, not seeing why he seemed so jumpy.

"Oh, crud. Hey, listen--" Ray tried to nip the possibility of an interview in the bud, but the Vice-Mayor was all too keen for it to happen. He didn't know that Ray couldn't bring himself to text another girl when (y/n) snuggled into him on the couch, it would just feel hollow and loveless. It wouldn't bring the same flutter in his heart when she smiled at him. It just wouldn't feel the same.

"I'll bring her over." The man walked away to grab the reporter, making Ray cringe and grunt in frustration. This was gonna be awkward.

"What's the problem?" Henry asked his boss when he saw how uncomfortable he looked.

"I took this reporter out on a date last week and I told her I'd text her the next day and I didn't," Ray told him ashamedly, biting his lip.

"Oh right, 'cause you're in love with (y/n)." Henry teased him, knowing that Ray could lie to himself all he wanted, but he'd never get away from the truth that he'd die for the woman back in the Man Cave. It killed the boy that he couldn't tell him she felt the same way and she had been sniffly all morning when he was on the date with the pretty reporter. Being sworn to secrecy sucked.

"Shut up, shut up!" Ray hissed as the Vice-Mayor returned with a stony-faced Evelyn Hall following behind him. Wow, she looked pissed.

"And here's Captain Man." The politician introduced the sheepish superhero, who smiled anxiously.

"Yeah, I see him," Evelyn said flatly, any previous admiration she had for Ray gone. She didn't know what she expected; for the entirety of their date his focus seemed to be on someone else and she had gotten the feeling that Captain Man had another girl in his life.

"Uh, hey, look. I was gonna text you and--" Ray started awkwardly.

"But you didn't." She said in a depressed voice, making Ray feel a bit bad. He hated that he lead on so many girls, but he didn't know how to cope with his growing feelings for his best friend, so he just kept dating and hoped that he'd find some subpar placebo that would satisfy his aching heart.

"Uh, Evelyn..." He had to plaster a fake smile on his face as she turned to her camera crew and began her report.

"I'm here at City Hall with Kid Danger." She said bitterly, ignoring that Ray was also behind her. 

"And Captain Man." He said quietly when she failed to mention him.

"Kid Danger, Christmas question. If you went on a date with a girl..." She started, putting Henry in a very awkward position. He didn't want to be in the middle of Ray and a scorned woman, he just wanted to serve some food.

"Here it comes..." Ray breathed out. He should've realised that none of this would have ever happened if he had just told (y/n) that he loved her during one of his many opportunities.

"...And you promised to text the girl the next day, what would you do?" She scowled as Ray leaned around Henry so he could get near the microphone.

"Can you not do this?" He asked, knowing that his sweet girl was probably at home watching the news coverage on his annual breakfast event. He didn't want her to see that he was a loser when it came to love. He wanted to impress her so she'd maybe, possibly, perhaps briefly consider that he could fill the shoes of the man of her dreams and treat her like a queen for the rest of her life. He'd filled those shoes pretty well, after all, they'd long been in shape for him to step into.

"I--I'd text the girl," Henry answered honestly. He wanted Ray to know that he wouldn't support his cowardly actions. Either he actually considered the feelings of all the girls he dated or he asked (y/n) out. And Henry was in favour of the latter.

"All right, all right, Evelyn. I'm texting you, all right? I'm texting you now and... send." Ray took out his phone stroppily and began to scroll through the names of all the girls he had in his contacts. There was only one he really cared about and her name was highlighted with "Sweet girl" and a little heart next to it. He eventually came to a contact named 'Evelyn' and assumed that it was the right one, so he typed a quick message and sent it off to prove a point. 

"Oh, wait that's a different Evelyn." He cursed mentally as Henry and Evelyn Hall blinked in shock. He needed to get his game together.

"Are you serious?" Henry hissed as Evelyn stormed off in anger, much to Ray's guilt.

"Dude, you know you only care about (y/n) anyway. Let's just go serve the food." Henry said to cheer him up and Ray agreed.

"There he is! Right there!" The angry woman from before marched into the dining area, the chief of police following behind her.

"Wait, you mean Captain Man?" He asked in confusion, looking at how the superhero was busying himself by dishing out eggs, bacon and pancakes.

"Yeah, look at him!" She hissed.

"Oh, come on!" The chief groaned. They began to argue as she insisted that Captain Man be arrested and he insisted that he couldn't lock up the guy who kept the whole city safe. 

"Hello, ma'am, would you like some grits? They're freshly stirred." Ray smiled pleasantly as Evelyn Hall saw her chance to humiliate the man who ghosted her on national TV. 

"Everyone. Everyone, may I have your attention?" The chief reluctantly stood in the middle of the room. He couldn't believe he was about to arrest the city's best crime fighter.

"As Swellview's Chief of Police, I came here this morning to thank Captain Man and Kid Danger for this wonderful Christmas Breakfast." He started, making the crowd applaud and Ray and Henry look at each other bashfully. If only they knew what was coming next.

"Which makes what I must do now very difficult." The Chief sighed and motioned for his officers to put the cuffs on Ray.

"What's going on?" He asked in confusion as the policemen approached him.

"I'm very sorry, Captain Man, but you're under arrest." He was told, making everyone gasp in disbelief. Evelyn Hall just smirked; she was gonna spread this news all over town. 

"Under arrest?" Henry blanched at the revelation as the officers pushed past him and forced Ray's hands behind his back.

"Why am I under arrest?" Ray asked in alarm. He couldn't go to jail, he was a superhero for god's sake, he was a good guy! And he promised (y/n) he'd get home quickly and watch Elf with her. He couldn't let her spend Christmas alone.

"Because it's illegal for you to serve food to the public without wearing a hairnet." The police chief explained, making the grouchy lady smirk in success.

"I told you to put on a hairnet." Henry piped up, making Ray glower at him.

"Will you be quiet? You're seriously arresting me for not wearing a hairnet?!" The large man exclaimed incredulously.

"I have to. It's a class three misdemeanour." The woman pointed to the rule in her book on Swellview's law and Ray paled.

"Seriously? Seriously? Seriously? Seriously?" He repeated over and over again as he was led out and carted off to jail. 

"Seriously?" He asked again as the two officers locked the cell door.

"Please, stop saying seriously." One of them told him since he had said nothing else on the trip to the jailhouse. The word was even written on cell's walls. This was going to be a crappy Christmas, especially since his cell felt cold and lonely with no sweet girl to warm his heart.

~Later that day, Henry's House~

"Well, why didn't you make him wear a hairnet?" Charlotte hissed to Henry as they knelt and decorated the tree in Henry's living room. The girl knew that (y/n) had been Ray's emergency contact and was freaking out at the prospect of her best friend facing being locked up over the holidays.

"I tried. You know how Ray is about his Captain Man hair." Henry scoffed, thinking back to all the times Ray spent ages looking in the mirror to perfect his well-groomed quiff. 

"That's 'cause (y/n) once mentioned that it was her favourite part of his costume and now he's obsessed with impressing her. Anyway, we can't let Ray spend Christmas in jail all alone. (y/n) needs to someone to celebrate with and y'know, kiss under the mistletoe." Charlotte grimaced at the icky thought but knew that they still had to do something.

"Well, how do we get him out?" Henry asked, not knowing how to spring someone from jail. 

"I don't know..." Charlotte sighed, but their attention was grabbed by the doorbell ringing. 

"I'll get it," Henry said and got up to answer the door. He was surprised when a whirl of (y/c/h) hair and two bags of Christmas presents brushed past him quickly.

"Come in?" He said confusedly when he realised that the person was (y/n), who was nervously pacing around his living room. 

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." She mumbled as he hyperventilated, her breathing ragged from her mad dash to Henry's house and her incessant panic. Ray was locked up and boy, was she scared.

"Hey, calm down!" Charlotte soothed her by putting her arms on her Christmas sweater-covered arms and motioning her to take some deep breaths.

"Ray's in jail and I can't post bail for some reason and I can't speak to him and oh god, I'm gonna spend Christmas alone!" She rambled, putting her face in her hands as the gift bags slid down her wrists to her elbows. 

"(y/n/n), relax. We're gonna get him outta there. And if not, you can spend Christmas with us." Henry smiled at her gently, like she had done so many times for him. 

"Yeah, you won't be alone." Charlotte grinned and the teary-eyed woman brought them both in for a group hug.

"You guys...oh! These are for you." She remembered what she had brought with her and gave each kid their respective bag filled to the brim with presents she had picked out just for them. She loved giving presents at Christmas and after years of honing her skills, she was great at it.

"Aw, thanks! You didn't have to." Henry and Charlotte smiled gratefully as she blushed, her nerves a lot more settled now that she was around two people she considered to be family.

"Hey, do you wanna help us decorate the tree?" Henry asked her and her eyes lit up when she took notice of the half-decorated thing. This was another tradition she loved and she had been hoping to complete it with Ray like they always did, but obviously, shit happened.

"Yes, please." (y/n) answered cheerfully and knelt on the floor with the kids so they could start from the bottom and work their way up. However, she and Charlotte frowned when Henry lifted a gold bauble to a branch, despite their already being one next to it.

"You can't put to gold balls together." Charlotte frowned and (y/n) agreed with her.

"Yeah, it doesn't work." She added, also thinking that the clashing decorations weren't spaced out enough too.

"Huh?" Henry looked at them puzzled. He didn't have their eye for detail and in his mind, the tree looked fine.

"It's gotta go, gold ball, red ball," Charlotte stated, thinking that the pattern would make the tree look tidy and beautiful.

"Gold ball, red ball." (y/n) carried on, knowing that randomly placed decorations looked stupid. 

"I can totally put two gold balls together," Henry argued.

"No, you can't." The teen girl insisted, looking at the ornaments again and she still thought that they looked like crap. 

"Why not? What is this, the 1950s?" Henry hissed as the girls groaned. He obviously didn't see their vision. Their focus was taken off the tree as Mr Hart came plodding down the stairs to the merry sound of bells as he carried down one of the Hart Family's many traditions.

"Well, guys, I had to look for two hours, but Daddy found it in the attic." Mr Hart told his family as (y/n) suddenly noticed that Mrs Hart and Piper had appeared at some point. Well, now she felt awkward and they clearly didn't like the bells for some reason.

"Stop that! My parents paid a lot of money for these handbells and the least we can do is play them as a family on Christmas...who are you again?" Mr Hart scolded them all and did a double-take when he saw a new, yet familiar person in his house.

"Oh right, I'm one of Henry's bosses from Junk-N-Stuff, I came by to give him some presents." (y/n) smiled sweetly and held her hand out for Mrs Hart to shake.

"Oh, yes, I remember. You're welcome to stay for a while and celebrate with us, honey." The blonde lady politely smiled and (y/n) returned it, beyond grateful at how welcoming Henry's mom was. She could see why Ray...fancied her. 

"Mom..." Henry groaned as he heard one of the bells ding against another one, the sharp noise hurting his ears.

"Honey, you like the handbells, but the rest of us don--" Mrs Hart was cut off by her husband violently shaking the bells to drown out her protests.

"Look, dad, we played the bells last year and we have a guest. Can we please just have--" Piper's interjection was silenced too, despite the mention of the Hart's having a visitor with them. (y/n) was one of the few people Piper liked and she didn't want to upset her because of her father's odd tradition.

"You have to listen to what we're all saying. We--" Even Henry couldn't get through to his dad and the sound of those stupid bells were starting to hurt everyone's ears.

"Okay, okay! I'm really mad!" Jasper suddenly burst into the house, stomping his way over to his friends.

"Dude, I told you, the Santa Clause at the mall isn't going to let a kid of your size sit on his lap." Henry sighed and the thought of Jasper trying to sit on Santa made (y/n) giggle.

"I know, I've accepted that," Jasper told him sharply, still a little bitter about that.

"Then, what are you mad about now?" Charlotte asked wearily, having had enough of her friend's dramatics already.

"Uh, has no one here heard that Captain Man is in jail?" The curly-haired boy looked around the room.

"Yeah, we heard." (y/n) said nonchalantly, acting like she wasn't the first person the police had called.

"Do you guys know why Captain Man is in jail?" Jasper carried on in a miffed tone.

"Yeah, something about a stupid hairnet law," Henry answered vaguely, also pretending that he knew nothing about the matter.

"Yeah, well, you wanna hear some other stupid laws here in Swellview?" Jasper asked rhetorically.

"Not really, but I've got a feeling you're gonna show us anyway." (y/n) mumbled and accepted the book on Swellview's law and ordinances that Jasper handed out to everyone in the room. 

"I wanna play the handbells!" Mr Hart whined, not giving a fig about Captain Man.

"Later!" His wife snapped, not wanting to hear that racket again.

"Take a look at this. Page 34, it is illegal to take a photo of a rabbit without a permit. How stupid is that?" Jasper scoffed and everyone agreed with him as Mr Hart got in a cheeky chime of his bell.

"Okay, everyone. Now, read the laws I've highlighted in your books." The boy moved on. He had put a lot of effort into this.

"Uh, ice cream on a cone may be licked. It is illegal to bite ice cream on a cone." Henry read out in confusion as his dad played another note with his bell. Next, it was Charlotte's turn.

"Okay, it is against the law to wear more than one hat at the same time." She knitted her eyebrows together as she processed the rule. It was dumb, that's for sure.

"(y/n), you go next," Jasper told the woman and she flicked to another page and saw one that caught her gaze.

"Let it be known that giving yourself a wet willy is a punishable offence in the City of Swellview." She read out, feeling as puzzled as the kids next to her.

"Piper." Jasper looked at the little girl who was far from pleased with the way her dad kept messing about with the handbells.

"Dads who play handbells must be destroyed." She. said sarcastically, causing Jasper to flick through the book to see if he could find it.

"It doesn't say that." He argued, but everyone agreed that it should. The bells were getting on their nerves.

"Well, I say it's wrong that Captain Man is in jail and to make my point, I'm going down to City Hall and I'm gonna break some more of the dumb laws," Jasper announced confidently, ready to be a martyr if it meant Captain Man. would be freed.

"Question," Charlotte stated, knowing that, as always, her friend wouldn't have thought any of this out. 

"Why?" She asked.

"'Cause they won't dare put a kid in jail on Christmas and then they'll have to let Captain Man out too." He explained, making (y/n) feel a bit queasy.

"I don't know, kid. I think Captain Man wouldn't want you doing anything stupid." She said nervously. His reasoning wasn't brilliant and she knew that Ray disliked Jasper's interference even at the best of times. 

"Now, I'm going down there and nobody is gonna stop me." He ignored her advice and felt a little jarred when no one else stepped in to protest against his idea.

"There's the door," Charlotte said when he hesitated. Knowing that no one else was up for it, Jasper sighed and exited the house swiftly, hoping his rampant nerves wouldn't get him arrested for anything serious.

"Now can we play the handbells?" Mr Hart asked as the room fell silent after the door slammed shut. 

"As a responsible adult, I'm going to go supervise that kid." (y/n) smiled nervously and backed out of the house as politely as she could.

"Charlotte, we should also go make sure Jasper's okay," Henry said too, the idea of playing the bells forcing his hand. 

"Yeah, hurry!" Charlotte said shakily and the three of them dashed out of the house before they had to play Jingle Bells or something. 

~Swellview City Hall~

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Jasper yelled as he entered the room where the Vice-Mayor, two cops and some other people were working. He had everything he needed to break some of Swellview's craziest laws: two hats, a rabbit and an ice cream cone. 

"Who's that boy? What's going on?" The Vice-Mayor asked his assistants in confusion as Jasper put down his rabbit cage. 

"Go get him, Jasper!"

"You got this!" Henry and Charlotte cheered him on as they appeared behind him, ready to see his performance.

"Just don't do anything too illegal." (y/n) warned him. Sure, she didn't care about the hats and ice cream, but she didn't want the boy to go down for an actual crime.

"My name's Jasper Dunlop and I'm wearing two hats." Jasper started, making his friends smirk as he took off his sombrero and showed the politicians that he had a baseball cap on underneath.

"I'm going to eat this ice cream cone thusly..." He carried on, taking a bite of the ice cream aggressively to prove his point. Time for the big finale.

"And now, without a permit, I'mma take photos of this rabbit." He said and began snapping a few pics of the cute creature whilst the Vice-Mayor walked up to (y/n) and the kids.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" He asked the young woman, assuming she was responsible for Jasper.

"Yeah, we're all mad that Captain Man got arrested for breaking some stupid law about hairnets." She replied, making sure she had an adequate amount of attitude in her voice.

"So, he's protesting by breaking more stupid laws," Charlotte explained, resulting in the Vice-Mayor gesturing for the onlooking cops to arrest Jasper. Oh, shit. 

"What are you doing?" He stammered. He didn't think they'd arrest him on Christmas Eve.

"You're under arrest." The cop said matter-of-factly as he tightened the cuffs on the boy's wrists.

"What? But I'm a child!" He exclaimed whilst the other policeman took off his hats. 

"Doesn't matter." The cop replied.

"But I was only doing this to show how wrong it was to arrest Captain Man," Jasper whined, his stomach dropping at the idea of being locked up.

"Well, now you're gonna be in jail with Captain Man," The officer told him, grabbing (y/n)'s attention. Huh, if she got arrested, they'd let her into the jailhouse. Interesting.

"But I---I am? I'm going to hang out with Captain Man!" Jasper gasped excitedly, thinking that jail with Captain Man didn't seem so bad. Charlotte and Henry rolled their eyes since they now had two problems incarcerated. 

"Oh god, poor Ray." (y/n) facepalmed, knowing her best friend would hate sharing a cell with the overzealous boy.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked her in puzzlement.

"It's bad enough he's spending Christmas Eve in jail. Now, Jasper's gonna be in there bugging him all day and night." Henry piped up, feeling her concern too.

"Oh, yeah. Poor Ray." Charlotte agreed as (y/n) felt glum again. Christmas without him felt so depressing. She was desperate to see him. 

"Henry, would you like to assist me in keeping him company?" The young woman smirked as an idea popped into her head. If you can't beat them, join them. 

"Yes, ma'am!" Henry grinned and shrugged off his jacket as they wandered over to where Jasper's props had been left.

"What are you both doing?" Charlotte eyed their movements suspiciously as Henry chucked his jacket to a sound assistant. 

"Oh, look at me! I'm a criminal!" Henry shouted as he and (y/n) plunged themselves into the deep end, much to Charlotte's horror.

"He's wearing two hats simultaneously!" The young woman pointed to the sombrero and baseball cap on Henry's head as he picked up the strawberry ice cream cone.

"Oh, look what I'm doing to this ice cream cone!" The boy took a bite as the Vice-Mayor came back in the room and groaned at the sight of more lunatics. 

"Yo, bunny! Smile!" (y/n) whipped out her PearPhone and took several photos of the rabbit with Henry.

"Oh, and Mr Vice-Mayor..." The young woman smirked and licked her finger before sticking it into her ear whilst maintaining eye contact with the politician. She ignored how gross it felt to give herself a wet willy. 'Anything for Ray.' She told herself internally.

"All right, you three are under arrest." The officers came back in the room and one grabbed Henry and (y/n) as the other took Charlotte, who. saw herself as innocent.

"Wait! Why am I under arrest?" She asked angrily as her friends submitted without a fight.

"Because you watched him wear double hats and bite that ice cream cone and you did nothing." The officer said in a commanding tone.

"Don't forget the rabbit and the wet willy," Henry mentioned, making (y/n) give him a fist bump. This plan had worked rather well.

"Aw..." Charlotte groaned as she, Henry and (y/n) were hauled out of the City Hall building and taken to the police station in several cop cars.

~Ray's cell~

It had been a tough afternoon for Swellview's greatest crime fighter. Not only was he spending Christmas away from (y/n), he had to share a cell with some dude who had some issues about being bald. He could do with a break.

"And my barber, he used to be my best friend. But since my hair fell out, he's all, like, get out of my barbershop! You ain't got nothing for me to do!" The hairless man cried, using Ray like a counsellor since he had let him cry on his shoulder earlier.

"Yeah...uh, barbers..." He tried to be sympathetic, but his worries were about to be over, as Henry and Jasper were brought to his cell.

"Ohhh, Captain Man!" Jasper cried out in glee as he saw his favourite superhero, making Ray curse God for the torture he was about to endure. Torture that came with curly hair and endless enthusiasm.

"What have I done? What made you hate me?" He looked up and asked whoever was listening, not seeing that (y/n) and Charlotte were being forced into the cell too.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second." The girl protested as Ray's and (y/n) eyes lit upon seeing each other, despite the fact they had to pretend like they didn't know each other.

"You're gonna put us in the same jail cell as a bunch of guys?" Charlotte asked the prison officer, feeling uncomfortable that they could have put her and (y/n) with any bunch of weirdos. 

"Look, it's Christmas. The women's prison is full." The man explained, stating that there was no other place for them to be put. 

"I don't believe this!" Charlotte groaned as they locked the cell gate. 

"Well, we've explained this as best we can!"

"So you better just suspend your disbelief!" The cops said, before walking off and leaving the "criminals" to themselves.

"Captain Man, all I want for Christmas is a hug from you. Can I please have one?" (y/n) asked innocently, knowing better than to jump into her best friends arms willy-nilly when there were strangers around.

"Of course, citizen." He readily agreed, welcoming his girl into a tight embrace after spending the entire day yearning for her. They could have stayed like that for hours, just happy to know that the other was safe and sound, but they had to keep up appearances.

"Thank you, Captain Man. My life's dream has now been fulfilled." (y/n) said distantly, pulling back too soon for her or his liking, but she had no choice. She didn't want Jasper or the bald guy to get suspicious if she got too familiar with him. 

"You're welcome, girl I don't know." He pretended like she was a stranger, but his eyes told her that she was anything but that. For him, she was home.

"Captain Man, do you remember me? I'm Jasper! We've met several times." The curly-haired boy butted in as (y/n) played with her sleeves once she had separated from Ray. At least she was with him, that was all that mattered. The large man grimaced as Henry and Charlotte chattered quietly behind the boy. How could he forget this kid?

"Yes, I remember you, hi...hey, why don't you talk to my new friend, Harold?" Ray suggested. He didn't want to put up with the kid's questions and endless nattering, he just wanted to spend Christmas Eve listening to whatever (y/n) wanted to say. He could listen to her stories all day.

"No! Bald! Don't look at me!" Harold screamed in terror, his arms wrapping around his smooth head as Jasper sat next to him and tried to soothe his sobbing. Ray took his chance as the two were distracted and led (y/n) by the hand to the opposite side of the cell where Henry and Charlotte were.

"Okay, what's the plan?" He asked excitedly as they huddled together so Jasper and Harold wouldn't hear anything. 

"What do you mean?" Henry asked in return as the three of them gave Ray blank looks. They had worked hard to get into jail, they had no clue how to get out.

"The plan, what's the plan?" He reiterated, assuming that they had some idea of how to bust out of jail so he could go home and celebrate Christmas with (y/n) like he always did.

"What plan?" Charlotte folded her arms in confusion.

"The plan to get me outta here." He explained.

"Ohhhhhhh." The three of them suddenly felt very stupid.

"We don't have one," Henry revealed, making the man's smile drop instantly.

"You don't have a plan?!" Ray looked from the kids to (y/n) in disbelief. What the hell were they doing here if not for getting him out?

"No! I mean, I didn't want you to be alone and locked up here on Christmas Eve, with Jasper might I add, so Henry and I got arrested to keep you company." (y/n) told him sheepishly, feeling a bit dumb when she said it out loud. By the way Ray thudded his head against the wall, she guessed he was annoyed. Oops.

"I'm just a victim of circumstance," Charlotte added as he walked around them and into the middle of the cell. (y/n) gulped as he brushed past her, she had hoped for a better reaction than that.

"Great. So I get to spend Christmas in a jail cell." Ray complained bitterly. He had wanted to spend merely one evening with his girl on the couch, both of them wearing pyjamas and giggling in the light of the Christmas tree. They'd wake up in each other's arms, having fallen asleep watching Home Alone for the hundredth time and then they'd open their gifts. Maybe by some Christmas miracle he would've given her a mistletoe kiss and made all his dreams come true. He'd have done all that if he wasn't in some lousy jail cell.

"Well, at least we're here with you," Henry said positively, trying to look on the bright side.

"Yeah, and I'm sure our parents are gonna--" Charlotte tried to be rational, but she was interrupted when Jasper soothed Harold, who was still sobbing about his hair loss.

"There, there. It's okay that you're bald. You didn't choose to be this way." He said softly to the man as he stroked his head. The four people across the cell looked at the scene in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry we're spending Christmas like this." Ray turned to his best friend and mumbled to her quietly. He knew how much she loved the holiday season and how she tried to make the most of it since she rarely got to see any of her family when it finally rolled around. He was the one who always kept her company, but now, thanks to his ego and a hairnet, they were gonna have the worst Christmas ever.

"Hey, it's all right. As long as I'm with you, I don't care how we spend Christmas." She smiled at him sweetly, but the tender moment was disrupted when a cop came to the cell with Mrs Hart following behind him.

"Mom!" Henry grinned at his mother, assuming she was there to get him out, but it soon fell when the blonde lady miserably shuffled into the cell, and the officer locked the door again.

"Oh, crap." (y/n) breathed out as the cop walked away, leaving everyone in the jail cell to twiddle their thumbs again. Mrs Hart took a seat on one of the blue benches in the cell, and Ray followed suit, smirking at her as he ignored the way his heart pulled towards his best friend. 

"Hey, figured I'd sit here." He crooned to Henry's mom, making (y/n) feel sick to her stomach as she quietly took a seat next to Charlotte. The girl sympathetically put her hand over hers when she stared at her lap as her dream guy flirted with another woman. Looks like he didn't feel the same way and that he'd rather spend the evening with Mrs Hart than her. As usual, she'd been overlooked, and her hopes of him feeling the same was crushed back into the corner where she ignored them. 

"Okay." She smiled politely, not wanting to get too cosy with him since she was a) in jail, b) in love with her husband and c) knew that Captain Man loved a girl he was too afraid to talk to. And by his flirtatious behaviour, she guessed that he was still building up his courage to do so. 

"I can't believe you're in jail." She ignored the superhero and frowned at her son, who was sitting on the floor.

"You're in jail." Henry pointed out to her, thinking that any punishment he got from her would be entirely hypocritical. 

"Well, what kind of mother would I be if I let my child sit in jail without his mother." Mrs Hart defended herself, even though her argument was built on shaky ground.

"You know, I think you look too young to be anyone's mother." Ray complimented her, unaware of how he was breaking (y/n)'s heart. It was bad enough knowing he chatted her up when she was stuck in the Man Cave, but seeing it in person? She swore she wouldn't last the night.

"Oh, stop!" Mrs Hart told him, trying to be stern, but she came across as flirty to both Ray and (y/n). The woman wanted a reason to hate her, wanted to curse her name and call her a bitch for flirting back, but she had no ground to stand on. Mrs Hart was a lovely woman, sweet, kind, and generous. How was she supposed to compete with that? How was she supposed to hate her when she'd done nothing wrong?

"Kill me." (y/n) whimpered to herself, Henry and Charlotte being the only people who heard her.

"Yeah, stop," Henry instructed Ray in an icy voice. He hated when Ray tried it on with his mom, but with (y/n) in the room, it boiled his blood even more. The superhero knocked it off when the boy nodded his head to the young woman, and he saw how she was sat by herself, looking miserable to say it was her favourite night of the year. 

"I can't believe I'm a girl spending Christmas in a man's jail! And I don't see any tissues available." Charlotte complained, standing up and frowning at her cellmates. The sign on the wall was complete bullshit, and it made the night seem even suckier.

"Look, the important thing is that it's Christmas, and we're all together," Ray said, putting his hand on Mrs Hart's shoulder, ruining his message for Henry and (y/n) as he tried it on again.

"But we're not all together, are we?" The young woman said in a bored, cool tone, knowing that Mr Hart had been put in another cell. She could swear that the universe was against her; she knew Ray wouldn't dare touch another man's wife if said man was in the room. Unfortunately for her, though, he was free to cuddle her as much as he liked since Mr Hart was absent. 

"Yeah, I'm worried about your father." Mrs Hart said to her son, making Ray back off at the mention of the man she married. 

"Well, if they arrested him with you, how come they didn't put him in here?" Henry asked as Ray wandered over to (y/n), who just ignored him. She loved him to pieces, but she would never lower herself into being a rebound.

"Apparently, pulling down a police officer's pants down is a class one misdemeanour." His mom explained, making the young woman behind her raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, shit." She said as she mulled over the situation, trying not to show any sign that she was annoyed with Ray. She didn't want him to see how his flirting upset her, so she just kept her distance from him.

"What?" Mrs Hart turned around and looked at her in worry.

"Oh, that means that they've put him in a cell with all the bad criminals. You know, the murderers, robbers, gang members...I'll stop talking now." (y/n) trailed off when everyone grimaced at the thought of Henry's dad being with all those dangerous men. Well, everyone apart from Ray, who smiled at the thought of having an opportunity to drown out his yearning by focusing on some meaningless feelings. Every time he turned to someone else, he didn't see how (y/n) took one step back from telling him how she felt.

Charlotte took a seat next to Mrs Hart, who was thrumming her fingers against her face as the hours started to stretch. 

"This does not feel like Christmas." (y/n) grumbled as she sat next to Henry on the floor. She could've spent Christmas on a landfill site, and it would've been better than sitting through Ray's lovefest with another woman. Especially since he'd shoved Charlotte down the bench so he could get close to Kris Hart again. Gross.

"Not at all." Jasper agreed, Ray looking at his best friend in heartbreak. He wanted to take away all her pain, thinking that the jail cell was cramping her mood, but in reality, he just needed to talk to her, not Henry's mom, and she'd bounce back instantly.

"Not even close." Charlotte finished, feeling depressed at how her Christmas was turning out.

"This is the opposite of Christmas." Mrs Hart sighed, but their ears twitched when they heard a scratchy tune coming down the hall. They all frowned in confusion as the different notes began to blend into harmony.

"Am I imagining something or...is that..." Henry said as the melody seemed familiar.

"...Jingle Bells." Charlotte realised, following the tune in her head.

"In jail?" Jasper asked in bewilderment as Henry and (y/n) stood up so they could hear the music.

"But...where is it coming from?" Mrs Hart wondered, trying to think of who would be tapping along to a Christmas carol in a prison.

"Maybe someone who really wanted to play with his handbells." (y/n) smiled as she remembered that Mr Hart was down the hall. She figured that the festive season brought out his musical side and that he was creating the tune with his cellmates.

"Jingle Bells, Jingles Bells..." Henry started to mumble along to the melody absent-mindedly, and Ray and (y/n) decided that they felt like singing too.

"Jingle all the way." They smiled at each other as they joined in, prompting everyone to sing the well-known lyrics too. 

"Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!" Mrs Hart and Jasper held hands as they moved into the second verse.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh." Ray put his arm around (y/n) as everyone sang together. This was what made her Christmas special, just her, him and their friends sharing the festive spirit. Mrs Hart pulled her son into a hug as the couple danced with Charlotte, and Jasper and Harold put their arms around each other. 

"Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh, O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way, haha!" They giggled as they finished the bits they remembered, glad that they had found some cheer even in their bleak situation. 

"Oh my god, look!" Charlotte gasped as she saw something above everyone's heads and pointed to it. 

"Holy cow, mistletoe!" Jasper exclaimed as he recognised the plant that had been mysteriously taped there. Well, this was a turnout for the books. Mrs Hart gave her son an affectionate peck on the cheek, and (y/n) did the same to Charlotte, whilst Jasper and the bald guy just settled for a handshake. That only left Ray, who gulped at all his options.

"Hey, who am I supposed to kiss?" He whined, not wanting to be left out, but also blushing as the situation dawned on him.

"Not my mom!" Henry quickly interjected, not wanting to see that and he knew that they'd have to carry (y/n) out on a stretcher. 

"You know, 'cause she's...married." He excused, his heart thumping at the moment they were shaping.

"May I suggest my friend, (y/n)? She's not married." Charlotte shoved the woman forward, her cheeks flushing as she looked at Ray in terror. These little shits, of course, they'd try something like this so she'd break. 

"Oh, I don't think Captain Man wants to kiss me." She chuckled nervously, trying to get herself and Ray out of the situation. There was no way in the world he'd want to kiss her; she was his friend, nothing more.

"I would never force this young lady into anything like that." Ray held up his hands, feeling just as anxious as his friend did. God, he wanted to kiss her, he was desperate to discover what those lips tasted like finally, but he took her nervousness as repulsion, so he reigned in his desire. 

"I'll kiss you, Captain Man." Jasper offered, not caring about the connotations; he just wanted to be helpful to his favourite superhero.

"I'll kiss (y/n)." Ray quickly deadpanned, the idea of being anywhere near the boy making him nauseous. The young woman blinked and gulped as her masked hero turned to her and stepped forward. Was this really happening?

"Y-you don't have to d-do this." She stuttered, wanting to give him one last chance to push her away before she succumbed to everything she had ever dreamed of doing.

"You don't have to either." He swallowed the lump in his throat as she put her hands on his chest. He also wanted to give her the space to step back, even though he was already leaning in. 

"It's all right." She promised him and closed the gap between them. 

It was chaste, innocent and agonisingly brief for everyone watching. But for Ray and (y/n), it felt like a lifetime as their lips met for the first time. He was right, she did taste like honey, but also like the gingerbread chapstick she had been using throughout the holidays. He just wanted more, especially when she instinctively slid her hands up to the hair on the nape of his neck.

(y/n) took in everything about him, how soft his chocolate locks were, how his cologne enveloped her and how his lips were softer than she had ever imagined. Every other guy she had kissed before had rough, chapped lips, but his were plump, gentle and made just for her. He tasted like mint and bubblegum, an unexpected flavour, but not one that she hated. In fact, she wanted to experience it for the rest of her life. This was what she had been missing, what she had been chasing and it felt like she was drinking in his soul. 

It was perfect and Henry and Charlotte subtly shook hands as the couple lingered for a few seconds, feeling like all their work had paid off. Two friends who had been dancing around each other for years had shared their first kiss thanks to them and it was their greatest achievement, but...it didn't last.

(y/n) realised that she was being overly indulgent and pulled back before she could truly explore the depths of Ray like she wanted to. She took in a deep breath as he removed his hands from her waist and she let go of his face. Ray remembered who he was kissing and who was watching and receded in slight horror. He'd let go of his inhibitions and he felt like he had taken advantage of her.

"Well, that's that." He breathed out and took a step back from her, kicking down his instinct to dive back in and see what else he could learn about her. She too stepped away awkwardly and licked her lips, chasing that faint lingering essence of mint before she lost it. Waiting to see if he would say or do anything else felt like an eternity, so she beat him to it and acted like it had been a mere friendly peck. 

"Merry Christmas, Captain Man." (y/n) twitched her mouth into a nervous smile as Henry and Charlotte mentally facepalmed at how they reverted to their shy and oblivious selves, seeing how they refused to believe that the other enjoyed the kiss. 

"Merry Christmas, swee--Miss (y/n)," Ray replied with an equally tight smile and refrained from giving her his preferred name. He longed to take her in his arms again and tell her everything he felt for her and kiss her until he had mapped out her mouth in his mind, but he couldn't. There were too many people watching and she had turned away to give Charlotte a stressed, but blissed-out face. 

She never saw how he pined for her and he never saw how she longed for him to make a move.

[masteredinstinct]

cont. from here / @stlispenard

louis would have never stepped into a place like that .

the decadence began well before he stepped through the entrance : shivering bodies crowded in a fenced in corner , healing their nicotine addiction through laughter and coke fuelled conversations while , just a meter away , a girl held her friend's brightly coloured hair as she vomited every meal she had had throughout the day . the odour which spilled out of the club every time the doors were pushed open was obscene ( sweat , alcohol , tobacco , sex , bitter drugs , bitterer blood --- ) but it still called to the dozens of extravagantly dressed people queueing outside , eager to be freed of all the inhibitions of daytime .

louis would have never stepped into a place like that . but he did wait to be let in and paid a generous extra fee in order to persuade security to ignore the dress code . and once he got down to the dance floor , louis du lac felt as if he had entered a fresh new layer of hell . the loud music climbed up the walls and vibrated through every bone of the vampire's skeleton . the strobe lights caused the dancing bodies to flash in and out of existence and yet , despite all of the chaos , louis could hear only one thing ; a heartbeat echoing through the ether , calling to him , beckoning more than any flash of exposed skin or artery --- lestat de lioncourt was there . and that by itself might not have been a crime but , the fact that he had not gone looking for louis after he had extended a clear invitation to him , had been enough to propel mr. du lac to get on a plane and hunt him down .

pushing through the sea of people posed no challenge . plenty of humans protested or did a double-take whenever louis nudged past them , noticing how out of place he looked in his tweed . louis would have never stepped into a place like that . BUT THERE HE WAS ; he would have recognised lestat with his damn eyes closed . and even just a glance at the back of his blonde head had sent his heart into a frenzy . never mind that he had his face buried in a young woman's neck ( louis knew better than to be jealous , but still felt his jaw clench at that sight ) , he was quick to press his hand to lestat's back and guide him out of the nest of contorting bodies .

not a word is shared between them . louis cannot afford to give reason any room ; he fears lestat might try to persuade him out of getting what he wants again . though he doubts he can --- not when he can feel lestat's heart pulsating when they hold hands . not when they finally reach the backroom and louis pins him up against a wall to crash his lips into his , kissing the laughter right off his pink mouth . one of louis' hands latches onto the other man's jaw , making sure he keeps him still as he deepens the kiss , tasting every inch of lestat's mouth he can before the blond attempts to ruin the moment with words . louis cannot help but inhale sharply , the kiss too hungry and eager for a man who had named himself a master of his instincts . but god , he had missed him --- louis had missed lestat too much to sit idle and wait .

[mhalachai]

Hello! I just reread Hands of Clay for the billionth time. I live in Calgary and every time I get to the part where Bucky says he wants to roadtrip up for the Stampede, I go "CALGARY MENTION!" I love this fanfic with my entire heart.

Have you ever visited Calgary for Stampede?

Friend, i still have gravel embedded in my knee from the number of times I tripped and fell on the Stampede grounds as a child. I am still 12% pancake from all the Stampede breakfasts i've eaten over the years. I still have the blisters from being forced to stand for hours to watch the Grandstand show because my parents were too cheap to buy tickets for us to sit down. I rode in a car in the Stampede parade for about a block, not because I was invited, but because my 4-year-old self took advantage of her mother's inattention to hop in the car beside the nice lady (I think it was an insurance firm float?) until my grandmother ran the car down and grabbed me back.

Really, though, I grew up in Calgary until my early teens and then afterwards we always went back for the Stampede. This was back when it was cheap enough to go to several times, when the rides were cheap and rickety, and crucially at that time in the 1980s where children aged 8 and up could safely be abandoned for the day once inside the park gates and no one was too worried they'd get grabbed or murdered or anything.

things are different now - for one, parents tend to pay attention to where their kids are at; second, the Stampede (along with the city) has lost a lot of the sharp edges and metaphorical dust covering everything, a vibe that lingered from before the oil boom in the 70s. don't get me wrong - life back then wasn't better by any stretch of the imagination; it was just different. I think it's survivor's bias or something, the nostalgia of having made it through in one piece when you know life around you was tough.

ANYWAY early in the planning for Hands of Clay there was going to be a chapter where they took the kids on a road-trip - it ended up turning into the Long Island trip instead (which made so much more thematic sense) but anyway Natasha was going to get lost in the Roundup Centre and end up in the backrooms area and meet up with the spooky old caretaker (queue Wade Wilson). Buckey was going to lose his mind. Natasha had it all under control. Etc.

And once I convinced myself to shelve that particular storyline, I did want to keep a slight homage to my hometown :D :D

thanks for the ask and the chance to be old on the internet lol

[thomasicism]

"Amelia, you..."

He brings a palm to his face for a few seconds, half in exasperation, half in relief thst he can finally see her.

...And see, in fact, that she was not with the right frame of mind.

He makes quick strides across the street. It's late enough, at least, that the cars—and cabs—passing by are scarce, and he's able to pull her into his arms for a hug.

"Silly," he murmurs. He can smell the alcohol on her, but he doesn't mind. "Don't do that again. What if something happened to you? Next time, wait for me to get there. Okay?"

He reaches down to pick up her phone, wincing at its state—"I'll just get you a new one... Let's go inside? Stay close to me."

thomassss inmisd you i miss you sosososososo muchhhh @ameliadamen

Amelia...? Have you been drinking?

You know I'm always just a call away from you... Is everything okay? Do you want me to come over?

[eternitas]

No context Lorenzo and Sergey bc writing them brings out my comedic side [at least I think I'm funny]

Ser: -but quite frankly nobody asked! Lor: ?! YOU literally just asked! *pause* Ser: Well I'm not asking anymore! --- Ser: There is a specific place on hell reserved for people that constantly NEEDS to make their dumb thoughts known to the world.... And we're gonna be roommates ♥ :3 --- Lor: You just exist to rob me of my last nerve, your entire existance is just to drive me insane. Ser: Awww... it's so cute that you believe to be at the top of my priorities, but I just don't feel the same way about you, sorry... Lor: I am literally 2 seconds from killing you Ser: I'm really not into that kinky stuff. ---- Ser: That went well... anyone want a smoothy? Lor: Nobody wants a smoothy and that went aweful! Ser: Oh... Well, less of a queue at the smoothy bar~ --- Ser: Can we just agree to disagree? Lor: We can agree to all of this being YOUR fault and me kicking your ass once we're done here! Ser: ... You know what, that's fair. ---- Lor: On a scale of one to cleaning after officer Bels blood games, this is easily up there on the most gore contained in one squaremeter. Ser: Have you ever been in Lussurias backroom? Lor: What? No! Ser: Oh- Nevermind then --- Lor: If you don't shut the hell up, I'll shave your head and feed you all your hair just to pull it back out from your intestines like a bad sequel to The Ring! Ser: You saw The Ring?! Lor: FOCUS! ---- Ser: On a scale of one to five how pissed off are you right now? Lor: 12. Ser: Okay, sure, carry on, don't mind me. ---- Ser: Lorenzo, if we die here can I tell you a secret? Lor: No I don't care. Ser: Aw :c Lor: No, actually, tell me, I don't plan to die here and then I'll have something to sell to Mammon. Ser: Well, now I'm not telling you! :/ ---- Ser: Whaaat? Noooo! He'd never do that, nooo- Lor: He'd absolutely do something like that Ser: Oh yeah, definitely. --- Ser: Let me hear you say ayooo~ Lor: Bing, boom, kachow Lor+Ser: Nailed it~!

[typically-untypical]

Another Day in Paradise

AU: Coffee Shop AU

CW: None that I can think of

WC: 1,886

Date: 12/18/2023

"Janus, can you get the muffins out of the oven?" Patton called, hands currently occupied with the latte he was making for a customer. He was surprised how busy it was for an afternoon on a Tuesday. He didn't mind though, busy meant the days always went by faster.

"Of course darling," Janus called back, slipping toward the backroom to take care of muffins. Normally Janus would be the one taking care of making the drinks but he had been refilling some of the things they had started to run low on. It was hard, but with all of them, Patton knew they could take care of it.

Logan wrote on another cup and passed it toward him. "We haven't been this busy in a while, I guess Virgil's marketing campaign really worked out didn't it."

The smile on Patton's face was dazzling as he nodded his head, grabbing the cup from Logan and putting it on the queue to be made. Virgil had taken over their social media a few months back because he had had an idea and quickly the four of them realized that he was amazing at that kind of thing, of drawing people in.

"Gilbert, I have your Large Latte ready. Thanks a Latte for choosing us today!" Patton watched as Logan rolled his eyes with a fond smile and returned to working on the customer orders, ringing them up and gathering what was needed. When Patton had suggested to his boyfriends he wanted to open a coffee shop he hadn't expected them to go all in with him. Patton had only told them because he wanted to warn all of them that things in their dynamics would change a bit. However, each of them had jumped at the chance to help him. Now, after a few years, the coffee shop was rather successful and it was more perfect than anything he could ever imagine. Janus handled legal stuff, Logan handled finance, Virgil handled marketing, and Patton handled recipes. They all worked together in the shop, supporting each other, caring for each other and Patton wondered almost every day if he was dreaming. Other days, he worried about the dream ending.

Each of them had left something behind to be by his side. Janus had a law degree, Logan was trained in finance, and Virgil had been studying musical composition. Sometimes, Patton felt like he was stealing that all away from them. 

"Cookie, go take a break," Janus whispered in his ear causing Patton to almost jump. He must have really been in his own thoughts if he hadn't even noticed Jay behind him. Then again, Janus had always been sneaky.

"I'm okay." Patton shook his head, trying to banish the last of his thoughts before looking up at Janus who was staring at him with a very accusatory smirk, one Patton knew far too well. "Okay, okay," he whispered. "But tell me if you need me."

"I always will," Janus gave Patton a quick peck on the check before ushering him away, basically shooing Patton off. With a little sigh and a pout, Patton walked to the back, going over to the office and knocking on the door frame. Virgil jumped, closing a tab on the computer before turning to him.

"Hey P, what's up?" That was another thing that was making Patton feel off and probably what had brought up all of these insecurities. Virgil was acting strange. He had been discussing something with Janus and every time Patton walked into the room the two would shift the topic, Janus normally more gracefully than Virgil. He would distract Patton and pull him into topics he knew would make him smile and forget about the awkwardness, and it did, for a time. However, Janus wasn't the only one Virgil was conspiring with, he had also been talking to Logan about finances, Patton hadn't overheard nearly enough because he didn't want to ease drop but it really made his stomach twist. Still, when Virgil gave him that soft smile, held out his hand to pull Patton in closer, it was hard for his fears to survive. 

"Janus chased me out of the front because I was spacing out." He walked over to Virgil, taking his hand and slowly sitting on his boyfriend's lap.

"That's not like you, everything okay?"

He could bring it up now, he could cry into Virgil's shoulder about how he worried about asking Virgil what was wrong, but Patton didn't want to push, but he also couldn't keep doing this. "You would tell me if something was wrong, right kiddo?" He asked, using their little nickname for Virgil. He was after all the youngest even if it wasn't by much.

Virgil wrapped his arms around the small of Patton's back, pulling him closer. "Yeah, of course, I trust you. I mean it might take me a bit because I'm anxious and all that shit, but I trust you."

Patton nodded slowly, trying to even out his breath.

"Hey, cookie, what's gotten into you?" He pulled back, just enough to see the tears forming in Patton's eyes.

"Something's wrong, I can feel it. Behaviors are off and I... if you need to tell me you want to leave the bakery it's okay. I understand. It was a lot to ask." Patton was trying to smile but he had been so stressed out about this for so long. He didn't know if he could keep up the worried knot that had formed in his stomach.

"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, what do you mean leave the bakery?" Virgil asked, his arms tightening around Patton. "I have no intention of leaving. I love that we all get to work together, that we go home together, that every day I get to see your smile."

"It's just, you've been talking to Logan and Janus lately and I know they handle emotional things better then I do, and also the logistics."

Virgil tilted his head for a minute, the confusion obvious on his face until his eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh Patton, no, I didn't realize I was being so obvious. No. I don't want to leave the bakery. I do have a surprise for you, and I should have warned you. I guess I was just a bit nervous about it and didn't want you finding out too early."

Patton collapsed into Virgil, relief escaping him in a hiccupping sob. He took in a stuttered breath. "Okay, okay. I'll wait. It's not bad, right?"

"No, I promise it's not bad. In fact it's pretty good, at least I hope it will be," Virgil sighed, his own anxiety beginning to show a bit. "Fuck, Logan is so much better at keeping surprises than I am. Can you hold out until tonight?" His hands threaded into Patton's hair. "I was going to tell you after we shut down the cafe anyway. I can tell you all about it and there won't be anymore surprises for a while.

"Yeah, yeah I can wait." Getting confirmation that it wasn't bad helped him calm his heart a bit, and knowing that Virgil wasn't trying to leave the cafe helped settle the feeling of unrest in his chest. It didn't ease everything, but it eased enough that he could take in a slow stuttered breath. "Can I also stay here for a bit longer? At least until I need to start the next batch of muffin mix?"

"Duh, it's not like I was going to let you leave anyway." Virgil held him closer. "You're mine."

Patton giggled and took in a sharp breath before letting it out slowly. It was heavier than he expected but once again, he felt lighter. "Yes I am." He curled into Virgil's arms and closed his eyes. For a while, he would be just Virgil's, just holding him here away from the stress of reality.

That night, after the doors were closed, the chairs were put away, and Patton was almost done mopping the floor, Logan walked up to him, wrapping his arms around Patton's waist. "You built a brilliant place for the four of us to exist." Logan held him close. His hugs were sturdy, measured and oh so warm. Patton couldn't help but look up into Logan's eyes marveling in the shy soft smile only he and the other two ever got to see. He wasn't sure what the occasion was for this hug, but he was so happy to be in one of his lover's arms. Logan swayed him back and forth as if there were music playing, reaching for Patton's hands and releasing the mop, allowing it to rest against the container of water. He then took Patton's hands, kissing one then the other before he spun Patton around. Logan looked at Patton with an adoration that had no words, a warmth that was all consuming. 

Logan didn't dance much, but when he did it felt fantastical, like the rest of the world was fading away. They stepped and they twisted, staying on the dry ground. Logan led him into a spin and when Patton was in Logan's arms again, they kissed. He wasn't expecting Logan to be this romantic, but it was so very needed after a stressful day. Both the stress of worry and the stress of customers. When they pulled apart, Logan looked at him for a lingering moment, twirling one of Patton's curls on his finger before spinning Patton around and pushing him forward. 

Right into Janus' waiting arms. "You think so much about others, about how you can help, how you can care, it's a trait I find both exhilarating and exhausting," Janus teased, kissing Patton on each of his cheeks. "Although I can often predict your choices, it is sometimes hard to understand why you are willing to show so much kindness. That's a puzzle I'm willing to spend the rest of my life trying to figure out." He nuzzled his nose against Patton's. "Stay with me?"

Patton giggled, nuzzling him back, holding tight to Janus' hands. "Always." That was a promise he was willing to make. He was willing to stay by Janus' side, by all of their sides for the rest of forever. As long as he had breath, he would love them.

Janus smiled, kissing Patton with a hungry burning passion, then twisted him around before he could get the air back into his lungs. Thankfully, what Patton saw made him gasp, hands going up to his mouth as his eyes welled with tears.

"I was talking to Janus about the legality of a multi person marriage, I was talking to Logan about the finances for a ring," Virgil whispered, on one knee with a box. "Patton, I would never want to leave this bakery. Actually, I kinda want to stay here for ever with all of you by my side." He opened the box, revealing a simple wedding band Patton would still be able to wear while making food, but also a thin gold chain just in case. 

"Patton, will you marry me?"

His voice came out strained from the joyful tears falling down his face. "Yes." He didn't need to think about it, didn't need to question or guess if this would be right. 

"Yes, I will."

@tsspromptmonth @simplestoryteller @fantasticfangirl21 @joylessnightsky @glacierruler

[hampaanirvi]

To-do

Muzzled mutt IDpack/moodboard/fashionboard

Cryptid researcher IDpack/moodboard/fashionboard

Sona keres Mirzoyan (CoD) moodboard

Simon Ghost Riley (CoD) moodboard

Gore NPTs (request)

Keres, Soap, and Ghost (CoD) mask pixels

Ranboo NPTs

Keres (CoD) NPTs

Carrion merfolk NPTs

Merfolk IDpack

Apocalyptic merfolk moodboard

Requests

Organs in an arcade machine (inspired by the song "cabinet man" by lemon demon basically.) NPTs

Deimos from Madness Combat NPTs (notes; violence/gore/apocalyptic themes, masc/neu/alterhuman names.)

Based on "Vending machine of love by The Stupendium" ID pack

Kyouka Izumi from bungo stray dogs ID pack

windows or computer/web themed NPTs

Level 9 (the suburbs), level 11.3 (the red light district), and level 13 (infinite apartments) from backrooms ID pack

Wip

CoD affiliation badge pixels

Self indulgent Dogboy IDpack/Moodboard/fashionboard

Spencer Reid (Criminal minds) moodboard

Immortal Moodboard/IDpack

Firefly (HSR) IDpack (request)

Sweet pup kemonomimi IDpack/moodboard/fashionboard

50x50 bone pixels; mutt, pedigree, untamed

50×50 bone pixels; raccoon, flying lemur, and owl.

Queue

shoto todoroki introject NPTs

[ashes-in-a-jar]

Bestie. Fellow podcast fan. I saw in your recent post that podcast hiatus's are driving you insane, have you listened to wooden overcoats before? because if you haven't I just listened to it because tmagp break is driving me crazy and its very good 100% would recommend.

Omg yes I have!!

Antigone Funn my belovedddddd 😭😭😭

I was so excited to see Beth Eyre credited as [REDACTED] in episode 10 of tmagp, coming out of that locked door in the ruins of the institute

I (and the world) need more Beth Eyre creechurs lurking in the shadows and scaring poor unsuspecting bystanders

Thank you for the suggestion! There are a few shows I'm binging right now, you're also welcome to join me if you wish!

Liberty podcast, scifi from the makers of the white vault, I think it's one of their first creations and it's been on my list for a while. I'm on episode 6 and so far the world building is intriguing and I'm already getting attached to the team on the research expedition going out from their safe high tech city to the dangerous post apocalyptic parts of their world

The orphans, another scifi horror of survivors of a crashed ship who lost their memory and are being chased around on a strange planet by multiple threats. I'm on episode 3 and each and every person in this is the poorest little meow meow you've ever met, including the deteriorating AI who can only ever be rude to everyone around it. Actually establishes some good tension in the action scenes, something that is hard to do in podcasts and I rarely find any who succeed in doing it without compromising clear sound queues and well balanced sfx.

The liminal lands is the last podcast I'm binging. I randomly chanced upon the name and decided to pick it up. It's about a man who one day went hunting, tripped and fell and no-clipped into an alternate reality where no one else exists and time and electricity are on the fritz. I'm on episode 3, it's a beginner's passion project so the acting and sound is challenging to anyone used to high quality but the story is fascinating and keeps me hooked and the crisp southern accents definitely help. It's like a podcast version of the backrooms and it definitely manages to convey the same kind of eeriness.

Oops I went off lol, hope this is somehow helpful even if you didn't ask for it 😅

And yes I fully agree about wooden overcoats everyone should listen to it asap it's so good!!

[whimsyskittles]

he likes the girl in the band hobie x f!reader PART 1!

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

my first fic everyone..sorry if it disappoints lmao

TW: i literally cannot do hobies accent for the life of me I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE

also i started losing sanity throughout writing this because it was like 3 when i started and 5 when i finished!!1! (if i dont finish an 'assignment' all together without breaks i end up procrastinating until it never gets finished) teehee anyways here you go!!

word count: 1542

it was the night of your concert, you and your bandmates were practicing on stage before the doors to the arena open. you were the bass guitarist and were very skillful. skillful enough to the point where people have cried at some of your performances.

a few minutes later, people started filling the arena. everywhere you looked you seen thousands of heads. close to where you were standing, in the very front section, you seen an absolute gorgeous tree-like figure standing there, cheering with the rest of the crowd. your cheeks turned a rosy pink color, before you snapped back to reality (eminem reference??!!?) just in time to prepare yourself to get in position.

after everyone had gotten in, the keyboard started playing, which led the singer to start vocalizing. this meant it was almost your turn. you had to start playing your bass in front of thousands of people. the intensity and anticipation rose as it was almost your queue to start moving your fingers along the guitar in your arms and really get the concert going.

after a few seconds, you started jamming to the music and plucking your guitar. everyone was screaming and cheering to the point where you could hardly hear your increasingly fast heart beat. you continued to play as you eyed the guy you had noticed before the area filled up to its maximum capacity. you were making eye contact with each other and you grinned as he watched you, he looked quite mesmerized as he sung along with the rest of the fans.

after a few seconds of maintaining eye contact with the boy (and an internal confidence booster), you winked at him as you got a little more funky with your guitar playing, showing off a few free spirited moves before the end of the song. even thought you couldn't tell, he was definitely blushing. "did the guitarist just wink at me?" he thought, as he paused his singing before starting again. "nah, there's too many people for y/n to even notice my appearance." (ironic considering the situation) he settled with this and cleared his mind before turning his attention back to the concert.

[timeskip: after the concert] IM SORRY IF THIS IS A LITTLE WEIRD JUST A REMINDER THAT ITS MY FIRST ONE BARE WITH ME

your band walked off stage into the back rooms (BACKROOMS REFERENCE???!!!!) and grabbed a few waters before you walked into the main lobby near the entrance to meet a few of your fans. (i'm sorry i dont really know how that works lmao) you and your bandmates moseyed on down to the main lobby where a couple of tables were set up. the trio stood by a table as the crowd flooded in and formed a line amongst (amongus reference??? i apologize it's 3 in the morning) the rest of the people who had decided to leave instead of waiting in the now huge line. with each fan, each member signed their name and if wanted, took a photograph with them. as it got down to the last person in line, you blushed a little and zoned out into the eyes of the beauty standing in front of you (the much noticed beauty of course). you felt yourself get nudged in the rib cage

"give the man his autograph, y/n, what're you doing?" the voice was coming from literally right next to you. it was your bandmate, ryan.

"oh, uh, yeah, sorry about that, got zoned out there." you tried to cover up what had just happened by signing your name on the newly purchased poster and handing it down to the other members.

"no worries, love." the boy said, directed towards you, "my names 'obie, 'obie brown. im a 'uge fan of your band, been listenin' for years now. it's my favorite for sure." he grinned and looked directly into your eyes, much like how you guys had locked eyes before during the concert.

the lead singer handed the poster back to hobie. "okay hobie, here ya go, it's your lucky day, you get all three signatures of the members from your favorite band." said ryan, the one who had nudged you before. "sorry about y/n, don't know what's going on with her today." he nudged you again, you were still looking at hobie, admiring the outfit he was wearing.

you finally zoned back in and your bandmates, including hobie were staring at you.

"you okay there, love?" hobie inquired, raising an eyebrow

"yeah, yeah sorry about that..again..uh...you know what, i've gotta go get another water, wait here and we'll get a picture with you."

he nodded and smiled as he watched you walk away to go grab another water bottle

as you walked backstage to get another bottle, you sat down for a moment. you thought to yourself "oh my god what am i doing?? am i so obvious that the man himself was taking notice of my behavior?? you put a hand on your forehead and took a deep breath out. you composed yourself and finally walked back with your water.

"woo, she's finally back, here she comes!" shouted one of your bandmates

hobie looked at you, focusing on your lips as he grinned while you were walking back to the area where you were originally standing. "you're ready to take the picture now, yeah?" he raised an eyebrow at you and held his phone up to take a selfie with the members.

"yeah, of course, go ahead and shoot." you said, grinning back and posing for the camera.

[SORRY I DIDNT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO PUT TIMESKIP TIME!! timeskip: one day later at a park]

you and a few of your closest friends, including ryan, a member from your band, decided to have a fun little picnic at a nearby park. you were laughing and joking around with the group when you seen him. hobie was also with a friend, you seen him in the corner of your eye.

"hey, guys, i'll be back in a few minutes, i'm gonna go over here and chat a little, kay?" you looked at the group and nodded your head towards hobie.

"yeah, go talk to your boyfriend, y/n" ryan teased

"oh, stop. he's not my boyfriend, he just stuck out a little from the rest of our fans, i wanna go talk with him for a bit, and don't say another word about it" you threatened joked, as you walked away from your friends and started making your way towards hobie.

as you got close enough to where he could hear you, you shouted and waved, "hey, hobie! it's me, y/n!"

he turned around and had a surprised look on his face "y/n? a member from a famous band came to see me? i'm not complainin'. what brings you over 'ere?" he looked at you and waited for a response (like he doesn't know the entire population is attracted to him in some way)

"just wanted to stop by, you stood out to me yesterday and i think we have a good chance at becoming friends!" you looked at him and smiled, not having any intention of creeping him out in some kind of weird stalker way, even though the entire situation was a little odd.

he blushed a little as you were always his crush favorite in the band. "alright, let's get to know each other a bit more then, yeah?" he started asking a few questions and a bit later he had asked one that really made you stop and overthink for a minute, "so, y/n, are you single at the moment?" he was looking right at you. was he crushing? was he genuinely just wanting to 'know more about you'? or was he just messing around?

after a minute, you responded, "uh, no, i'm currently single. i've been trying to find the right person before i start dating anyone." you so badly wanted to tell him that you genuinely had at least a little bit of feelings for him. but what if he didn't accept and made a fool out of you? what if you don't like him as much as you think you do? you had zoned out for a minute as you were questioning everything before he tapped on your shoulder.

hobies pov at that time:

he was extremely flushed when you came over, but he was doing a great job at hiding it. way to go, hobie, you didn't stutter this time! (lmao just you wait)

he had just asked you what had seemed like a normal question, although you and him were both sorta overthinking it a bit. was he too direct? was it an odd thing to ask all of a sudden? had it made you uncomfortable? these are the questions he was currently asking himself.

you had finally responded to him to which he said, "ah.." you didn't catch that, though.

he looked at the grass for a moment before noticing that you were zoned out as well. he scooted closer to you and tapped on your shoulder. it felt like it was just the two of you, looking into each others eyes.

(love how everyone else including the friend hobie was with is just being ignored 😍)

back to your pov:

you looked up and met your eyes with hobies, you two looked at each other for a good while before..

before he had leaned in to..to kiss you?!?

before anything could happen you quickly stood up, swerving hobie. "uh..sorry..i've uh...i've got to go.." you stood there for a minute, feeling bad about your actions.

hobie looked away, you couldn't tell if he was disappointed or understanding of what had just happened

you stood there for awhile longer, allowing the awkwardness to settle in. you were about to apologize, but quickly shut your mouth and decided it would just be best if you had left, so you walked-almost speedrunning-away from hobie and his friend. you walked past your own friends, and walked back to your apartment, which was only a couple of blocks away from the park.

you unlocked your door and sat on your sofa. thinking of everything that happened. wondering if you did the wrong thing. questioning your actions. did i really just do that? we don't even know each other that well...but i do like him...but what if he hates me now? does he? what am i saying..we just met! but he's so...amazing..he probably hates me. what is wrong with me??

a couple of hours had went by and you were in a constant loop of laughing at the tv show that was currently playing and stressing about what had happened at the park

suddenly, you hear a knock at your door.

CLIFFHANGER!!! (i bet nobody could guess who's at the door 🤭)

ANYWAYS, ILL START WORKING ON PART TWO TOMORROW BECAUSE IF I DONT SLEEP NOW, I WILL QUITE LITERALLY COMBUST!!1

goodbye and thanks for reading!

-whimsy ☆