#he said that many people get lost in that area so he offered me a ride which was dangerous but it went fine and he was really nice 😭😭😭

[jibitzlesscrocs]

the twins first birthday for the next kids for a day?

matt sturniolo x reader

warning : none

kid for the day pt. 9

in which it’s the twins birthday

You woke to the sound of distant giggling and footsteps racing down the hall.

It was Riley.

“IT’S BIRTHDAY TIME!” she screamed from somewhere near the kitchen, barefoot and wrapped in her unicorn blanket like a cape.

Matt groaned beside you, still half-asleep. “She’s more excited than the twins, and they’re the ones turning one.”

You laughed softly and sat up, stretching as sunlight peeked through the blinds. “We made it through a year,” you murmured.

Matt rolled over to face you, his eyes still heavy but smiling. “We made it through a year with two babies. That deserves a national holiday.”

Then came the second sound—your phone buzzing nonstop. Group texts from your mom, your siblings, Matt’s mom, and his brothers. Pictures of balloons in trunks, cake carriers buckled into car seats, and voice memos asking things like:

“Do babies like watermelon?”

“Do you have enough ice?”

“Does Jackson still hate that squeaky giraffe or is it safe to bring it?”

You blinked at the screen. “Brace yourself. They’re coming.”

Matt smirked and sat up. “How bad can it be?”

**

The twins were already babbling when you got to their nursery. Gabriela was standing, gripping the crib rail, hair sticking out at all angles. Jackson was on his back, legs kicking wildly, one sock already gone.

“Happy birthday, sweet peas,” you cooed, scooping Gabriela into your arms. “Today, you’re officially one. One whole year of sunshine, drool, and chaos.”

Jackson let out a squeal like he understood and demanded to be picked up too.

By the time you’d changed them into their cupcake pajamas and carried them downstairs, the front door burst open.

“Where are my birthday angels!?” came Matt’s mom, arms full of gift bags, tears already in her eyes. Behind her, Matt’s brothers, Chris and Nick, were arguing about who had the better wrapping job.

“I used actual ribbon,” Chris pointed out.

“Yeah? I used eco-friendly ribbon,” Nick retorted.

“Boys,” Matt muttered, sweeping Jackson up into his arms. “Let’s not fistfight before breakfast.”

Then your mom arrived with a tupperware tower of samosas, your siblings holding a tray of mango cupcakes, your dad offering an awkward but enthusiastic “Happy… Birthday… Team!” like he was giving a work presentation.

Riley dashed around the living room in full party-planner mode, taping her hand-painted signs everywhere. “Can someone get me more tape?! And don’t let Gabi touch the glitter glue—it’s not edible, even though it looks delicious.”

Matt leaned against the kitchen counter with Jackson on his hip, watching the chaos unfold. “This is what love looks like,” he said, voice half-laugh, half-awe.

**

Breakfast was barely controlled mayhem. You set out a tray of bear-shaped pancakes, but Gabriela smushed hers instantly, covering her tray and half her face in syrup. Jackson flung a blueberry halfway across the room, where it landed squarely in Chris’s pepsi.

“Yo—sniper baby!” Chris cheered.

You tried to take a photo of the mess, but your camera roll was immediately hijacked by Riley’s selfies with every guest. One even had your dad mid-bite, eyes wide.

Mid-morning brought the first meltdown—Riley got overwhelmed when Gabriela spit up on her handmade “Birthday Princess” sash.

“I worked so hard on that,” she sniffled, crumpling into your lap.

You cupped her cheeks gently. “I know, sweetie. And guess what? Gabi probably drooled on it because she loved it.”

Matt handed Riley a new sash, made quickly with marker and tape: “Super Sister: Round 2.”

“And this one’s drool-proof,” he added, earning a giggle from her through her tears.

**

By noon, the backyard had been transformed. Picnic blankets on the grass. Streamers in the trees. A soft play area with plush blocks and pop-up tents. Balloons floated everywhere. You lost track of how many people asked, “Can I hold one of them?” or “Which one is the one with the tooth coming in?”

The twins loved the attention. Gabriela soaked up every cuddle, clapping and babbling to each new face. Jackson played it cool until your sibling gave him a taste of their mango cupcake—then he lit up, frosting smeared across his nose like war paint.

Cake time was the peak of chaos.

You and Matt placed the smash cakes in front of them—Gabriela’s was strawberry with buttercream swirls, Jackson’s was lemon-vanilla.

Everyone sang—off-key and way too loud, of course.

Riley took it very seriously, waving her hands like a conductor. “Sloooower, people! This is their moment!”

Gabriela immediately face-dived into hers. Jackson hesitated, then cautiously poked his cake—before squealing and clapping when frosting hit his fingers.

Nick was filming on his phone. “This is going on your wedding slideshows, you know that, right?”

Matt looked over at you, frosting on his chin from stealing a bite. “We made good ones.”

“You say that like they’re cookies,” you laughed, wiping Jackson’s hands.

“Cookies with lungs and opinions,” Matt replied, pressing a kiss to your temple.

**

As golden hour hit, the twins were in fresh clothes—matching little rompers with tiny embroidered “One” patches—and everyone started to wind down. You all sat on blankets in the backyard, surrounded by toys and crumpled gift wrap. Gabriela dozed against Matt’s chest, Jackson lay stretched out across your legs, Riley leaned sleepily into your shoulder. humming a lullaby she made up on the spot.

Your mom brought out warm milk in sippy cups.

Your dad handed Matt a baby book he’d secretly worked on for months. “Memories matter,” he said softly, eyes glassy.

Chris accidentally knocked over a bubble machine, sending a stream of bubbles into Nick’s face.

“BRO,” Nick sputtered, wiping his eyes.

“I’m making memories,” Chris grinned.

Matt just laughed, brushing his thumb gently along Gabriela’s hairline. “This is my favorite day.”

You kissed Jackson’s sleepy forehead. “Mine too.”

**

As the sky turned lavender, everyone slowly filtered out. There were long hugs at the door, sleepy promises to visit again soon, and a final round of kisses from grandparents who refused to leave without one more snuggle.

Later, in bed, with all three kids tucked safely between you and Matt—Gabriela curled into your ribs, Jackson nestled under Matt’s arm, and Riley hugging her stuffed bunny in the middle—you whispered, “One year down.”

Matt turned to you, his voice quiet. “Forever to go.”

And then he kissed you. Just like he did when you brought them home a year ago.

Right there, tangled in love and frosting memories and gentle snores, your heart was the fullest it had ever been.

taglist: @courta13 , @sunkissedsturniolos , @ivysturnss , @imsoborediwannadie , @emeraldsturns , @beabadoobeelvur , @moth-feeet , @lezleeferguson-120 , @theowensturniolo , @leahfaith , @nickysturnss , @mattspillowprincess , @mqttsbunnyies , @passionfruitchris , @emely9274 , @riggysworld

MAI’S STORE

-

[dwsepgu]

ehm so i sat in a strangers car haha

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

During Qingming Festival (清明节Tomb-Sweeping Day) every year, Chinese netizens enthusiastically went to pay respects to Zhuge Liang诸葛亮（181—234）(People respectfully called him "Wuhou"武侯Marquis Wu, Wu stands for martial, ardent, courageous, valiant and dauntless etc, it's his official noble title, which later became an honorific celebrating his achievements and unwavering loyalty). His memorial temple is in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, where he's enshrined together with his best bromance Liu Bei刘备, the Emperor of Shuhan蜀汉(eastern han dynasty of ancient sichuan area)—it's the only 'ruler and minister shared temple' in Chinese history. So when people visit the Wuhou Shrine, they honor Liu Bei as well (Liu Bei once said "Having Kongming (literary name of Zhuge Liang) is to me like fish having water"). Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang's actual tomb is located at the foot of Dingjun Mountain in Mian County, Hanzhong 汉中勉县定军山(Shaanxi Province). Every Qingming Festival, it gets covered in flowers, along with many playful tributes left by young people, like three kingdoms-themed fandom merch, train tickets from Xi'an the capital city of shaanxi province to Chengdu, characters in a Three Kingdoms-themed mobile card battle game, BRPG cards and cartoon badges of three kingdoms (Wuhou Shrine's cultural-themed souvenirs), soil of central plains, memes and all kinds of handwritten letters.

Zhuge Liang is deeply loved by people for his wisdom and lifelong care for the common folk. He is seen as a symbol of intelligence, courage, and loyalty, a guardian deity of the people.

Many famous ancient Chinese poets admired him and wrote poems in his honor. For example:

Lu You陆游 (1125—1210) wrote: "His Memorial on Expedition has won him immortal fame;Who could ever stand with him shoulder to shoulder in name?(by xu yuanchong) "This campaign memorial alone ensures his name will never fade —Through a thousand years, who could match his grade? (by Burton Watson)出师一表真名世，千载谁堪伯仲间"

Du Fu杜甫 (712—770) penned: "Where is the famous premier’s temple to be found?/Outside the Town of Brocade with cypresses around./In vain before the steps spring grass grows green and long,/And amid the leaves golden orioles sing their song./Thrice the king visited him for the State’s gains and pains;/He served heart and soul the kingdom during two reigns./But he died before he accomplished his career./How could heroes not wet their sleeves with tear on tear (translated by xu yuanchong)丞相祠堂何处寻？锦官城外柏森森。 映阶碧草自春色，隔叶黄鹂空好音。 三顾频烦天下计，两朝开济老臣心。 出师未捷身先死，长使英雄泪满襟."

What moves people most is Zhuge Liang’s "Memorial on the Campaign" (Chu Shi Biao出师表).

It’s a heartfelt letter he wrote before leading the Northern Expeditions, expressing his devotion to his kingdom and ruler, despite knowing the odds were against him.

He vowed to give his all for his people, even as he grieved lost allies and faced his own aging and illness.

The mix of duty, sacrifice, and unshaken resolve makes it one of history’s most touching political texts—a testament to loyalty unto death.

In Chinese culture, it's believed that outstanding individuals who made remarkable contributions to people (like Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Mazu, etc, Mazu is worshipped as the guardian deity of sailors and fishermen) would be elevated to divine status after death. That's why these figures are deeply revered by the people.

Also at the tomb of Emperor Zhao Lie汉昭烈皇帝/ Emperor of Illustrious and Ardent (Liu Bei's posthumous title), you can see a fan tribute, a metal certification labeled 'Eastern Han Dynasty succubus东汉魅魔', for his ability to attract and inspire loyal generals to serve him, despite his humble beginnings. Fans even dropped a beagle plushie at the tomb as an offering—shoutout to Gan Ning甘宁, the original gangster ‘rebel pup’ of the Three Kingdoms. People love leaving inside-joke offerings for their favorite historical badasses. In Sichuan, Zhuge Liang is revered as one of the guardian spirits protecting the Land of Abundance天府之国 from evil spirits and misfortune. That’s why Chinese tourists visiting Sichuan always make a stop at the Wuhou Shrine to pay their respects—not just to Zhuge Liang (honored as "Marquis Wu"), but also to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei housed within the shrine. People think that a trip to Sichuan isn’t complete without these things: Admiring the natural beauty of Western Sichuan’s landscapes; Spicy hot pot; Visiting the pandas; and making a pilgrimage to the Wuhou Shrine—where history, legend, and local faith intertwine. The main reasons for them to visit the Wuhou Shrine are to attend a docent-led interpretation session and explore the exhibits—immersing themselves in the stories of the Three Kingdoms. If they just rush through it, they’ll miss the depth of the experience. (Note: During peak seasons, advance booking is required.)

"Little Sweet Ginger" (小甜姜xiaotianjiang) is a modern affectionate nickname for Jiang Wei (姜维), Zhuge Liang’s successor in the Shu Han kingdom. Jiang Wei took over after Zhuge Liang’s death, continuing the near-impossible mission of defending Shu Han against the stronger Wei kingdom. Despite his efforts, Shu Han fell in 263 CE, and Jiang Wei died fighting. Fans see Jiang Wei as a tragic figure—a loyal student burdened with his mentor’s unfinished legacy. To honor Zhuge Liang and his fellows, the standard seat fare for high-speed rail tickets from Chengdu to Xi'an is set at 263 yuan (Xi'an, anciently known as Chang'an, served as the historic capital of the Han Dynasty, and Zhuge Liang devoted his entire life to restoring the Han dynasty's glory—to return to the old capital and bring peace back to the Central Plains). Some believe it's just a coincidence, while others think it's an low-key tribute quietly endorsed by the authorities. Nearly two thousand years have passed. The Three Kingdoms are now but a distant dream, yet in their hearts, people still long to see him win.

[pedriache]

Can you write hector fort x FC Barcelona intern reader where she's talking with her supervisor in the area the boys are training and Hector got interested in her, then she and the supervisor go talk w the boys and Hector start showing her his interest for her. (sorry for my bad english😭)

Only angel — Héctor Fort.

Pairing: Héctor Fort x Fem!Reader

Summary: When Héctor first saw you, he swore you looked just like an angel.

Word count: 980+

Disclaimer/s: fluff , reader is a sports photographer intern + the supervisor is made a up person (oc sort of) !

A/N: haven’t written for Héctor in a while so hi!! this was lame and bummy asf but whatever..

Walking through the quiet halls that lead around Ciutat Esportiva building, you take a peak into one of the open doors. Luckily for you, it held just the person you were searching for.

“María?” You call out, pressing a hand onto the wooden door and pushing it open further. “It’s me.”

The dark haired woman glances up from her desk, smiling at the sight of you. “Oh! Good! You found me, I was beginning to wonder wear you were.”

María was a friend of your aunts, so when she found out about your interest in sports and photography, she offered you an internship. It’d made your year, and today was your first official day.

“Yeah, I got a little… lost.” You chuckle, closing the door behind you. Finding a seat in front of her desk, you clasp your hands together. “Where do we start?”

María’s eyebrow lifts, amusement flashing across her face. “Eager, aren’t we?”

“Very.” You nod vigorously, “and a little nervous.”

Standing up, she grabs her camera and another, “this one’s for you.” She beckons for you to grab it, which you do with wide eyes.

“Oh wow.” You exhale, “this is.. thank you.”

“You’re welcome, now, let’s go meet the team, shall we?”

The walk up to the field was, well—it took a lot of breathing. The stairs had nearly winded you. Brushing a few pieces of hair from your face and straightening your shirt, you take a look around. Your eyes landed on a lot of different people.

It was hard not to be in awe seeing the players of your favorite team only feet away from you, live in action. María, beside you, watched you with a smile. “Impressed?”

“Very.” You laugh.

Twenty feet away from you stood Héctor Fort, his eyes trained on you curiously. Leaning to his left, he nudged Pau. “Who’s that?” He asks, pointing in your direction.

Pau followed his line of sight, shrugging when he didn’t recognize you. “No clue. But if she’s with María, i’m assuming family or maybe an assistant.” He glances at his friend, who was still staring. He smirks, “chill out, you don’t know how old she is.”

“Why would you say that?” Héctor gasps, swatting the back of Pau’s head. His friend laughs, jogging away from him.

Héctor’s eyes look back to you, his heart skipping a beat as you laughed at something María said. You looked like an angel with the sun shining down on you as your smile brightened.

When it came time for their water break, María leads you to the group. You followed her, nervously fidgeting with the straps that held her camera securely around her neck. “Boy’s!” The woman called out, waving to get their attention.

Hansi Flick, their coach, turned to face you first. He says something to the team, which you couldn’t hear, but it has their rowdiness turning into calm behavior.

“I’d like you to meet my new intern,” María introduces you, and in turn, the guys all say their ‘hello’s’. “She’ll be working alongside me and when i’m gone, she’ll take my place. Please be kind to her.”

Your lips had formed a pursed lipped smile while nerves wracked your body. It was awkward having so many eyes, much less all men’s eyes, on you.

Once that humiliation ritual was over, you found a seat on the sidelines where María suggested you sat while she ran back to her office to grab a few more supplies.

You snapped pictures here and there, not realizing you’d focus on one person in specific. Héctor Fort. He was your age, your friend’s favorite player, and he was cute—very photogenic.

You were clicking through the photos you’d taken, deleting the bad ones and smiling proudly at the good ones. You failed to notice when a shadow came over you, too enthralled in your camera.

“Hello?” A deep voice spoke above you, nearly scaring you. Nearly.

Snapping your head up, you come face to face with the man who belong to the picture you were just looking at. “Oh! Hey! Sorry, I didn’t notice you! Do you need something?”

Héctor shrugs, “just wanted to introduce myself. I’m—“

“Héctor.” You force a quick smile, “I know.”

A faint flush spreads across his cheeks. “Right. I suppose you would.” His eyes drift down to your camera, “is that me?”

Now it’s your turn to blush. “Uhm, yeah. I was taking individual pictures while I wait for María.” There’s a beat of silence, in which you realize he’s waiting to see it in full. “Oh! Here.” You take the strap off around your neck and diligently hand the camera to him.

Heart spreads across your hands when his fingers graze yours. He examines the picture, an impressed look passing over his expression. “Wow, this is.. really good.”

You laugh, “it’s really not that impressive. But, thank you anyways.” A sense of pride swells in your chest, his approval meaning more to you than he might have known.

“Could you send it to me?”

Blinking at him stupidly, you don’t catch onto the fact that he wanted you to send it to his number. “Sure! I can have María email it to you.”

Héctor suppressed a smirk, your obliviousness only made you all the cuter. “I meant send it to me, personally. As in, my number.”

Oh! Oh, right. Because he definitely wasn’t lowkey asking for your number.

“For sure, yeah. Like, me? Or, María..” You trail off. You sounded silly stumbling over your words so hard.

“After practice, find me. I’ll give you my number.” He smiles, “it was nice meeting you,” he says your name, and the way it rolled off his tongue so smoothly had your heartbeat stuttering.

“You too.” You force out, waving goodbye to him as he walks away. You were really starting to love this internship.

likes , comments , and reblog’s are all appreciated. lmk if you’d like to be tagged in future héctor posts.

DTS , @halfwayhearted @sakashq @hrts4havertz @spidybaby !

[unoislazy]

Flowers In Bloom

(Jiyan x Reader)

Wuthering Waves

Spoilers for Jiyan’s story quest.

(Some of this may be inaccurate, I’ll get better at figuring out his character as time goes on so bare with me for now)

The city of Jinzhou was never described as a quiet place, in fact many believed it to be quite the opposite. People were constantly around, tending to others, doing their jobs, or even just hanging out with friends. There was always something happening in Jinzhou.

So much so that at some points, the life of such a busy city could get pretty stifling. The feeling that one must always be going somewhere and doing something, it got in the way of remembering to relax. So that’s why you had always set out to take a moment to relax amongst the flowers near the Square Bell.

It was quite a solemn area, as it was there to honour those who had fallen in battle, but the respect for the area made it all the more peaceful. On one of your many trips to this area, you had noticed a plot of plants that you couldn’t identify. They looked to be like wheat or lavender, but it was clearly not one or the other.

You decided to pay it no mind as you continued your visits until you saw the sprout of one forming. It didn’t seem like it had been watered that day, so you decided to go out of your way and water it yourself. It felt nice, almost as if you were somehow helping tend to the fallen soldiers of the area… but you didn’t know why.

From then on it just simply became a habit. Any time you’d visit you’d water the ones that seemed like the needed to be watered and sit amongst the plants to watch the sunset. That was until one day you went to do your usual visit and you saw a man who you hadn’t seen before, admiring them as he stood on the pavement in front of the bell.

You bit your lip, wondering if you should say something to him. Maybe he knew more about the flowers than you did.

“They’re lovely, aren’t they?” You asked as you walked up to the man. He didn’t react physically but it was clear he had been a bit startled by your appearance before he relaxed.

“They are.” He responded, his expression softening the slightest bit as he looked over to you. His eyes traveled down to the water pail you held in your hands which caused a small smile to appear on his face; so small one would hardly even notice it if they weren’t looking for it.

You couldn’t help but stare at the man for a moment. He looked familiar but you couldn’t quite place exactly where you had seen him from, if at all. His clothing was no where near casual, and he seemed to be wearing pieces of armour, so no doubt he was helping fight.

Your eyes slowly made their way to his face. His eyes, while a beautiful golden colour, held a very far away look as if he was lost deep in the trenches of his own mind. His hair was a teal colour, which wasn’t exactly unusual but it was styled in a way you almost thought to be odd, but it looked good though so you weren’t complaining. As you continued to quickly look over the man, he snapped back out of his thoughts and turned back to you fully.

“Do you often come here to take care of the plants?” He asked, gesturing to the water pail in your hand. His words managed to snap you out of your thoughts as well as you looked down at your own hands, having forgotten you were even holding something to begin with.

“Oh! Yes, yes I do.” You exclaimed, trying to cover up the fact that you hadn’t been entirely paying attention. It was clear the man knew but he paid no mind to it.

“I saw a sprout that needed watering one day and decided to help out. I don’t even know how long ago that was at this point.” You thought to yourself, you had been doing this for a few months, maybe a little more.

“I was wondering how they were getting replenished so often. I must thank you for your commitment.” He said, looking away for a moment to survey the area, taking in the peace and quiet that the spot had to offer before turning back to you.

“So… I assume you come here a lot as well?” You asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the mysterious man. Had you seen him fully before you spoke to him, you might’ve been too scared to say anything. He looked to be such a strict and intimidating man and yet the feelings that surrounded him as you spoke were nothing but relaxed and gentle.

“When I have time.” He answered with a nod, gesturing for you to stand more beside him. You obliged and stood next to him, now looking over the city and the plants that swayed gently in the wind before the two of you.

“I take it you have friends who have fallen then, unless I am assuming too much.” You said, hoping your assumption wasn’t offensive in some way. The last thing you wanted was to anger this man, do a wave of nerves smacked you in the face while you waited for his reply. A melancholy look washed over the man’s face.

However, despite his saddened look, his smile remained on his face as he noticed your sudden change in demeanour. The question didn’t offend him by any means, so it was a little funny to him to see you back track as if it did.

“You are correct. In fact I’ve known many people who have ended up here, that’s why I planted these.” He said, turning his attention to the plants.

“I planted them in the hopes that if there is an afterlife, those who have fallen can look in at Jinzhou with these plants.” He explained, his gaze shifting to look up at the city that, like always, never seemed to rest for long. You looked over to him in surprise. Not only did he plant them but you also pieces together that he without a doubt had been fighting alongside a handful of these people.

“That’s a beautiful sentiment.” You responded, also looking back at the city, “I’m sure they enjoy the view.” You continued, a smile making its way onto your own face as you looked over at the sun. It had been a lot later in the day than you initially realized.

“While the plants are made to be resilient, I’m sure they appreciated your constant care.” The man mentioned, that same small smile having yet to leave his face. Despite his intimidating nature he seemed to be quite a nice man.

“I’m glad to have been of some help to them.” You responded quietly.

“Are you from Jinzhou ?” You asked, you might as well considering he didn’t seem to mind your conversation.

“I have moved around to many places as I grew up, but Jinzhou is where I seem to always come back to,” He answered in a more wistful manner before continuing. “Although it has been some time since I’ve been back, so I’m not sure what has changed exactly.”

You perked up at this as you looked over to him, your interest very clear on your face which caused the man a slight bit of confusion.

“So you haven’t been to the new restaurant that opened up?” You questioned. You were referring to a smaller business that not many people frequented given the fact that it had yet to gain the beloved reputation that the surrounding places had. However, you had gone one day to try it and loved it ever since.

The man shook his head, meeting your gaze with confusion as you seemed to become only more enthusiastic.

“We should go some time, I could show you where it is. I’m not sure exactly what your taste in food is, but I’m sure you’ll love it. They make a killer Jinzhou stew.” You claimed eagerly which quickly gained the interest of the man before you.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try, maybe we could go tomorrow… If you’re free that is.” He asked, almost hesitating through his sentence as he went through it. You simply smiled, your excitement having yet to die down before you nodded.

“That sounds like a great idea. We could meet here at the same time to make it easy.” You offered to which he nodded in return. You hadn’t really noticed but his smile had grown since your initial offer. It wasn’t exactly rare for him to smile, but it certainly wasn’t an expression he had all the time.

He looked to you before he looked up at the sky, realizing that the sun had long since set and the night sky was becoming more visible.

“I should get going, but I will see you here tomorrow, right?” He asked before beginning to walk off.

You nodded gleefully, excited to show off your favorite place to someone, not even realizing what had just happened. As the man turned away from you to walk off you looked over him again. The teal colours, the dragon scaled armour, the fact he’s been fighting for a time period you couldn’t even begin to imagine.

It finally hit you.

“That was General Jiyan…” You muttered absentmindedly, simply staring at the man as you finally pieces together who he was. This entire time you had been speaking with him so casually and yet he was the very well respected general that everyone and their mother has heard about.

And then the rest of the conversation finally caught up with you as well.

“And I just asked him on a date.” You muttered, completely lost as to how you managed to go this long without it clicking.

What you hadn’t realized though was that your revealation had been heard by the man himself, earning a stifled chuckle from him as he walked off.

[moonphaseswrites]

I got an idea but not sure if you are comfortable to write or not.

Poly!NiktoKrueger x reader. I feel like these two are going to be so much fun, especially in bed.

i whole heartedly assumed that it was way too early for me to actually start getting requests! ive hardly had this account up for 24 hours! this excites me to know that ive peaked peoples interests!!

and of course, i havent thought too much of krueger as of late, so i may not portray him too well.

poly!niktokrueger x reader thoughts! both sfw and nsfw, dont worry

sfw

despite the two men being on active duty and neither seeming to be touchy or affectionate people, they happen to make great lovers. between niktos voices calming down with kruegers unneeded usage of german, usually so nikto can zone out, and just your calming aura calming his head down, its not as hectic as youd imagine.

of course, if you didnt know any german or russian going into this, oh boy will you know at least how to speak a bit of each within a few months.

krueger is the one out of the two thats constantly using petnames and sweet talk on the two of you. he adores giving you two gifts, usually something as simple as little notes that he hand wrote. these notes tend to have both an english and a german translation.

the names he calls the two of you vary, but usually stick to the same theme. he is big on the use of "mein". making it known constantly that youre both his, and that he wouldnt think of separating.

your nicknames from your austrian boyfriend are "schatz" and "maus". his name for nikto is "spatzi", although he interchangibly uses "liebe" and "liebling" on both of you.

your russian boyfriend on the other hand isnt a huge fan of nicknames or many loving gestures. he finds it very difficult to express himself, especially with constant arguing going on inside his head about how he should react.

that being said, hes more of the acts of service type of guy. he knows all too well that you can simply take care of yourself, but when hes home he has a knack for telling you to shut up as he quietly does mundane things. washing the dishes (yells and curses at you and krueger if you try helping), tying your shoelaces for you, and even bathing you. its his way of showing that he really does care, even if he doesnt or cant show it in any other way.

i feel like theyd both be a bit overprotective with each other, constantly deployed at around the same times, usually ending up grouped together when deployed at the same areas. meaning theyd also be a bit obsessive protective of you. youre theirs, body mind, and soul. all theirs.

nsfw

being protective, if anyone ever tried to chance the fact that you were theirs, theyd stick a bullet in the person. although, theyd probably joke about pinning and fucking you over the dead body... although youre hoping that its all just a joke.

as nice as it would be in bed, whenever the two of them get home from a long deployment, theyre all over you. nikto being a bit more touchy than usual, rubbing your shoulders and your back. while krueger on the other hand is acting like some needy mutt, almost sitting on his knees in front of you, trying to lean his cheek against your thigh, slowly tugging his face covering to offer up his mouth.

both men tend to be more dominant leading, going at it as more of a duo than anything. although, if there had to be one who was the ultimate dominant, it would be krueger. explaining to nikto just how to do things to make whatever it is feel great, either to whoever was within niktos grasp or even nikto himself.

some nights its you on your back, spread across the shared bed as nikto uses your throat to get off, being rougher than he intended to be as he lost himself. sometimes your hands are tied behind your back, and sometimes youre helping him with your hands as well. its during these times that krueger is pretty much a service top, giving you head while you choke and whine pathetically. any squirms or sudden movements gaining a gentle nip to where his mouth is, occasionally nipping your inner thighs instead.

if youre into biting or pain, theyd make sure to mark you up really good. bruises to mark their territory like some stray mutts, but making sure any bad or violent marks are treated properly with a nice clean.

because their is two of them in this relationship, each with their own needs, youre almost always left satisfied and laid down between the two.

nikto, usually over heated and overstimulated with everything after constant interactions, keeping a bit of a distance between you, but he stays faced towards you in order to witness your tired yet blissful expression. gazing and watching you for a while before you would fall asleep.

krueger curls up against you on the other side of the bed, muttering german compliments and praises into your ear. his hand affectionately caressing your side with a half assed hum, or gently kneading onto your hip and lower abdomen in silent apology for any rough touches.

[thirdwheelravi]

Whew okay this might get long but I'll try to share all the details I remember.

So I last month I finally got my long term housing after being displaced by the Eaton Fire in Altadena and it's Highland park. So my friend was like let's explore the area a bit so we did dinner and then walked to a bar that was close by. We were there for a bit and I noticed this huge crowd walking in and then I made eye contact with Anirudh. I realized he looked familiar but growing up in L.A. means he could be an actor or someone you went to school with. I decided to go to the bar just to see. I thought he and his wife had gone to like a 20's themed party or something. I managed to squeeze up to the bar, the whole party had taken up this one corner and a seat opened up like right near there so I snagged it. I realized it was Anirudh when I sat done because sitting like ten feet from me was Ryan and I fully locked eyes with him. Then I realized the person next to me was Kenny and then Traci walked right behind me and sat next to him. I made my friend abandon our table and sit with me at the bar. We just drank our drinks and chatted with each other because I'm not the type to bug anyone. Lou came by later and hung with some crew people a little ways down the bar because it was so crowded. Oliver literally wandered in from the back like thirty minutes later. He said that he didn't realize it was so close and had walked super far past it. They were there for like an hour and the whole time were making plans to go to Traci's and she left to get her place set up. I can't believe how casual they were being like literally yelling her address to crew people who were not close but they were all a bit drunk! It was also fun seeing just them having a good time and hanging out as friends. It is clear that the crew is well loved and treated great by the main cast.

Some crew guys came in and saw Kenny right at the bar and was like how do you always manage to get up there first. But he ordered drinks for everyone who couldn't get close.

Anirudh is so pretty in person his skin was flawless

Oliver made friends with these two people when he came in and brought them over to introduce them to everyone because the guy said he was a fan. I got the idea they were industry adjacent because the girl said her friend had been a guest star and Oliver literally invited them to the after party!

Also Oliver didn't seem to be drinking but he was so flirty with everyone haha but not in a gross way just in a way natural way (also the girl he met thought he was South African and he said he got that a lot)

Oh and when some crew were leaving one of them said they were picking up alcohol for the after party and Oliver offered to give them his credit card to pay but Traci had already made sure they had money.

Unfortunately Ryan was the furthest from me but they all did have to walk by me so that was exciting. But when they were leaving Ryan stopped by every group and table that had spread out in the bar and made sure to say goodby to everyone. He didn't leave until he had chatted with everyone still there.

Also Ryan took off his page boy cap at the bar and his hair was perfectly mussed and sweaty. And his stray curl kept sticking to his forehead.

Everyone in the crew was so sweet. I chatted with a few while we waited for drinks just in the way you make friends with people at the bar. Okay that's everything I remember. Haha I promise I did not try to be creepy but they were just all so close and after the rough few months I had this was just the highlight of my year so far. Whew this is long!

...and that's what you missed on Glee!

first of all im so sorry you lost your home but im glad you at least are in long-term housing now!!! (said this in my other ask but i know so many people who lost their homes in the palisades and altadena and it's been...so so so rough on them so i hope you are doing ok 💕💕)

and yay what a fun exciting night!! i love LA for many reasons but randomly running into celebrities is always just such a fun little perk especially when it's someone you genuinely like are a fan of. and i totally changed my mind you should have said hi im a fan, at least when they were on their way out! (that said i dont think i ever actually went up to a celebrity when i lived in LA...most of the time im like they probably do NOT want to be bothered while they are like enjoying dinner at this mexican restaurant or whatever). and you don't sound creepy at all! you were just sitting there!!! sounds like they were having fun 🫶🫶

[the-s1lly-corner]

A rest well deserved (Astro x reader)

as promised for assisting in me and my friends attempt to get to floor 20! (we failed/lh), here is @dollie-stars one shot! hooray! not my first dandy fic but its the first that is going to be posted! yay! prompt: astro and the reader unwind after a busy day in gardenview notes: fem toon reader, reader is an age regressor, based off of both mine and the requester's experiences woo!, pre game, short and sweet, admin is still trying to figure out how to write astro so his dialogue may be clunky or off, no use of y/n he calls you starshine/starlight, caregiver astro, not beta read we die like men, you both wind down for a much needed nap, admin has never written caregiver fics in long term so this may be hit or miss word count: 1.7k cws: none

Today had been… busy to say the least. Far from the busiest day Gardenview had seen- no new toon had been released and there were no time limited events that were being hosted that’d draw in some extra waves of people.

To the shock of no one the mains were given the most attention- with Astro being swept away almost as soon as he had set out into the halls. Something you’d grown used to even if it never fully dampened the pang in your gut at being separated from him for so long. 

Lunch time was kind enough to grant you about half an hour to catch up over whatever Sprout and Cosmo had cooked up. Something good, usually. 

Pizza and cookies were eaten- cutely enough the pastry was modeled after the mentioned celestial toon…

And right back to work. 

Taking pictures with visitors, signing any merchandise that they approached you with, and sharing the same sayings from lessons you’ve recited over and over again. It was almost a relief when everyone was warned that Gardenview was closing in five minutes over the intercom. 

Five minutes pass, and then a couple more to usher any stubborn stragglers away…. Finally, freedom. 

Your steps echoed softly through the halls are you bid your greetings to passing toons. 

Goob had craft bits stuck in his fluff, and Gigi was sneaking away with all sorts of lost items left behind in her arms. 

“Going up?” Dandy was already in the elevator- Boxten quietly tucked himself to his own corner a few feet away. You speed your pace up to cross the threshold of the door. 

“Mhm,” Your hands straighten out your dress. A yawn is clenched back in your teeth- the flexing of the back of your throat more than a little unpleasant. Dandy said something in response as he turned to the buttons of the elevator- stretching up on his toes before falling still.

“You wouldn’t happen to be going to Astro’s?” The flower shot you a glance over his shoulder. 

A knowing grin stretched over his face as he swayed slightly on his toes. 

Your words stumble slightly. 

“Yeah- yeah, I’am,” You mumble sheepishly. Without any hesitation Dandy presses a button and lowers himself back flat to the floor. “Had a hunch you were,” He hummed and looked over to Boxten. Then back to you. “He’s already in his room,” Dandy added with a wink. 

The elevator shudders to life and begins to rise…. Motion mixed with the creeping sleepiness in your body swirled into an almost disorienting and unpleasant sensation. You’re silently grateful for the rails installed on the walls of the elevator. 

“If you’re lucky you might catch him before he dozes off,” Dandy snickered softly under his breath. You only offer a hum of acknowledgement as you steady yourself. 

Slowly the elevator rises… before finally crawling to a stop- ending with a slight jolt. 

“Thanks,” You give Dandy a sleepy smile as the door cracks open and reveals itself to Astro’s themed floor. Every main had one- two actually, one for the visitors and one as a personal living space for the main. This floor had many similarities to the one allowed to the visitors; really the main difference was there were more resting areas. Bean bags, sofas, things like that. Slightly smaller too. Still massive compared to the rooms the other toons were given. 

You push yourself off of the railing and shuffle your feet forward- the exhaustion no doubt starting to hit in harder waves as your head tries to readjust to being still once more. 

“Have a good night-” You look over your shoulder and give the flower one last wave- one that was eagerly returned in a more exaggerated gesture. “You too Boxten-” You manage to quickly squeak in before the door slammed shut… The music box nearly scrambled out a response… failing before the door cut him off. 

Quiet once more. 

Astro’s floor was cooler compared to the others. That’s how he liked it when he slept- though to be fair he could fall asleep anywhere; and at this point you could too. 

The immediate area is scanned.

No sight of him, yet. 

You bring your hands up to your mouth and cup them. 

“Astroooo?” You call out in a half yell. You never liked yelling around the toon- he wasn’t the easiest to startle but he disliked sudden sounds almost as much as he hated flashes of light. A few seconds pass… nothing… 

You suck a breath between your teeth and prepare to call out again- only to fall silent as the first syllable passes through the air. He had heard you the first time. 

He shumbled slowly into view around a corner. 

“Starlight,” His tired face broke into a sweet smile as his singular eye lands on you. He brings himself closer and closes the wide gap between the two of you. He stops a few steps in front of you… his head is lowered as always, as if it weighs heavy on his shoulders. The sway in his step was apparent as the end of his blanket dragged across the floor. 

“You came here fast, did you need something?” He asked. Had it been anyone else the question may have come off as annoyed or impatient. Astro was never the best with tone but with you misunderstandings like that were few and far between.

He had only ever treated you with softness and compassion. 

“Missed you,” You mumbled and returned his same tired smile. 

Astro hummed softly… and his arms shifted under his blanket. You wasted no time in coming even closer and allowing him to envelope you in the soft fuzzy covers. Two sets of hands gently set themselves on your frame and guide you to the hiding spot the toon had come from. 

“I meant to come down and get you, but I couldn’t find you… I assume you went straight for an elevator?” His eye darts to you before focusing back to the path in front of him. 

You melt into his hold. Like his room he was cool. Not freezing but he wasn’t the warmest. The blanket made up for the chill… it smelled slightly of lavender and jasmine. It was a wonder Astro could stay awake throughout the day while constantly smelling the fabric. 

“I did, it looked like everyone else had the same idea,” You smile as you lean into his shoulder. 

“To the elevator I mean… not to your room,” You added sleepily. 

Astro hummed softly against you. The vibration meshed into your shoulder- another layer of comfort. 

“A sleepover doesn’t sound so bad, it’s been a while,” He turned the corner and while still guiding you he stepped towards the large bed he had made his own. Massive- wide, and absolutely littered with blankets and pillows. No one needed that much bedding… it more so resembled a nest than a bed. 

But it was nice, and cozy. 

“Not tonight,” He added as he gently set you on the edge of the bed. Astro’s arms shifted off of you for a second to adjust his blanket. Your hands reach forward again in an attempt to grab him and pull him back in. 

Astro’s expression softened. 

He allows himself to be pulled in as soon as his fidgeting passed. “Did you have a good day?”

He carefully shifts his legs onto the bed- more than a little mindful of his knees as he clambered in while you slightly tugged him onto the mattress.

Neither too soft nor too firm. It was perfect. 

You shimmy him to the middle of the bed towards the eye of the mock blanket nest. 

“It was real fun,” You let your head come to rest on one of the pillows. The scent of the blanket wafted over you as Astro covered you in it. The bedding carried the same calming fragrance. The lights were dim- fake stars hung around the walls illuminating the space around the bed. Soft music made an ambience for the room. Muffled, quiet, Calming. Comforting. A safe feeling. Almost nostalgic in its own way. Almost like taking a nap while it rained outside. 

“Yeah? What did you get up to Starlight?” His arms reach themselves to the top of your head and lightly pat the top of it… pats turned into light circular rubbing. 

If you were melting before into the bed… you were now reduced to a pubble of ichor under his hands. 

He always loved listening to how your day went, even if he wasn’t much of a talker himself.

“Me and Poppy helped Yatta out with one of her parties- we gave out sodas and candies… Yatta mostly did the candy, though,” You push your face into his shoulder. The toon hummed in response. 

“Yatta does throw good parties, doesn’t she?” His hands slipped from your head down to your back. Any tenseness left behind stood no chance. The massage shifts into a hug… and he doesn’t shift as you wrap around him like a koala. If anything he had grown to expect the move and would’ve asked if you were okay if you hadn’t done it. His thumb gently swipes across your spine in one last final movement before falling fully still. 

“Why don’t we get you some rest, Starshine,” He shifted you around into a more comfortable position. 

You didn’t have it in you to fight back. Even if you did have the energy you didn’t want to wriggle your way from his embrace. 

“We can talk more about it after a nap,” Astro added as he rested his chin on top of your head- comfortably nestling your face close to him. 

“And after dinner?” 

“And after dinner, of course,” He chuckled… then he began to hum a soft tune. 

So it was decided- the two of you would spend more time once you were more rested. The threat of oversleeping not much of a problem knowing Sprout would come looking if neither of you turned up to come eat. 

The promise of possibly seeing Astro in your dreams added extra encouragement to succumb to sleep. 

Not even a minute passed before his humming warbled and gave away to the quiet buzz of white noise in your ears before unconsciousness took over…

[docholligay]

sounds like you successfully argued to have migrants put in PRISON instead of the equivalent of a hurricane/emergency evac center :/

So i had a whole, really cutting takedown of this statement, and, in general, the smattering of bad faith engagement I've had with a post that went far beyond my usual reach so wasn't written with as many protections against folks looking for a crack in the wall.

But being mean to someone, who, in any case only believes what they are saying so far as they can be anonymous while doing it, isn't helpful. It doesn't inform you any better, it doesn't inform anyone of how to go about this stuff, it just makes feel good that I, what? Made someone on tumblr look silly? Everyone claps? Jesus Christ what a waste of life.

So, let me tell you what actually was successfully argued. What was argued was that the one place in the state that had been offered up by the politicians was rejected by its people. There may be one someday, but not here and not today.

The prison that guy mentioned? (It was not me, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it--this went around with an INSANELY, fox newsbite level, bad faith crop that made me immediately regret not editing better) It's not owned by the state. I went and looked it up later. It's owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Supposedly they are running it for their own use. It's gonna be a lot harder to get them to use that.

What we successfully argued, is delaying the implementation of anything. Delaying is a huge part of resistance. Every headache you give people, every hour you cost them, is a win. We cannot afford to wait for utopia, and perfection, and a savior. Some of our greatest weapons in life are delaying, and feigned incompetence, and picking at threads. Especially if you live in a red area, sometimes you gotta go, "Oh sure, yeah, but you know, not THERE, and...no, not there either, cause of X, and, man, Y is almost a perfect place but I just can't sign off on it because..." you see what I'm saying? Oskar Schindler was arguing he needed Jewish children to polish the insides of gun barrels.

The other thing that was argued, is when the commissioner said, 'We'll bend over backward to accommodate your orders," we said, "No we won't." And that goes much further than any site. It sends a small message, that, even in a red part of a red state, not everyone is falling into line. This is why action matters.

I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and my work in political arenas is not either. But, I have been doing stuff in political arenas since Obama, and, I have always worked here, in this very complicated place. I am an extremely pragmatic worker. I do what works. I don't care much about the appearance of goodness. Sometimes delaying a project is what it takes. Sometimes, in life, you lose anyway. But that doesn't make the delaying worthless. I have lost a lot of fights, and I am going to be set up to lose a lot more. But, today? An offer had to be withdrawn. And that's something.

I hope you come back, and reread both the post and this response, and, even if you disagree with me, have a different perspective on how political action can be approached. More than that, I want it to give you hope that even small, imperfect actions matter. The perfect is the enemy of the good. And the good is the enemy of the literally accomplished.

[welcometoneverland-98]

Fire of Venus // 𖥸 Chapter 4 𖥸

#Anna’s POV#

My body kept shivering the whole ride to the colosseum. 

It had been days since the feast and this was to be the first day of my new so called job. I was to tell stories and cheer up the men that were due to fight in the deadly arena. I had never even been here before and now as I got closer my whole body started to shiver at the sheer size of the building in front of me. It was colossal. Marble covered statues adorned the walls and I could only imagine how long and how many men it must’ve taken to build such a thing. 

Emperor Geta had offered to join me, he had, surprisingly been very kind to me these last days. Something I was really not expecting from one of the current emperors of Rome was kindness, and there I was, getting it. He has commanded his men to come with me today and that’s how I found myself surrounded by many tall and armed men as I was being ushered to the back ends of the colosseum. 

My own favourite stories seemed to be coming to life as I stepped foot inside the area barely anyone saw. The people came here for a show, they sat or stood outside, never reminding themselves to look in for the people that were waiting what could be their final judgment. Caracalla called them animals; animals that were filled with rage and ready to strike. Most of them had been taken from their homes and had lost so much, at least that’s what Lucilla would tell me in her stories. They surely blamed Rome for their downfall and waited triumph and freedom that could only be granted in the arena. 

I clenched my fist as we approached the bronze gates and held my hooded tunic closer to my skin. I could not show fear. I had a feeling they would be able to smell it and take advantage of it. But as I looked at the guards I had been granted the company of I couldn’t help but notice that any rage filled men would be capable of strike them all dead and get to their shiny new toy. That’s what I had to make myself not seen as. A toy. I was to be their beacon of hope. Their friend if I was ever so lucky. 

“You’ll stand in the middle of us” one of the emperors’ men spoke as I nodded my head. 

They walked first and the first thing I noticed was the smell. 

It smelled of dirt and sweat and what I could only imagine to be blood. There was loud chatter and I could soon hear it die down the more we walked forward. They had noticed the new intrusion on their space and were clearly curious. 

Some of them stood up from the table were they had been sat eating, other kept their food in their mouth as they looked at the men and then at me. Some curious, others uninterested. 

The guards called out to them loudly and told me all to scatter around us which some did, but others chose to ignore their orders and kept doing whatever it was they were doing before. 

“What is this? Some kind of gift from the emperors?” One laughed out loud as he looked me up and down “are you being remembered now?”

Others took turns in making their own jokes and statements about what my purpose there could be. Some made foul insinuations, the ones I had honestly been expecting to hear the moment the idea of coming here had been presented, but there were those who stood still most of the time. 

There was one who caught my eye. I had been told about him before coming in, if I was not mistaken, he was a doctor now and spent most of his time working on the injured gladiators so they could put on their best show. He was one of those who stood still, his eyes never leaving his plate as he ate in silence and it was him who finally broke the commotion once the insunations started getting too loud. 

“She is here to tell us stories” the doctor said as he wiped his lips with a piece of fabric that he had in his pocked “isn’t that right miss?”

I found myself nodding my head, almost forgetting for a moment how Geta told me that the doctor would know. 

“I’m here to tell you stories” I found my own voice as I finally looked around the men “they will not bring you glory or even the honor you seek. They will not help you find revenge either if that’s what you need but maybe, if the gods grant me that favor, it can help sooth you if needed be. Maybe it can even bring smiles to your faces from time to time. I believe we could all use a little bit of that”

There was silence. 

And then slowly, the men started sitting down and I knew then that it was time to begin. 

[thefusioncelestial]

Mix 13: A Geeky Bulk

Anonymous asked:

I am a chubby and hairy American Guy who is a little on the geeky side of life. I love Jamar Pusch's pecs and how he can make them bounce. Could you merge us please?

For the uninitiated, for those going the natural route of being big & cut at the same time comes in two cycles; the bulk and the cut.

The bulk is when the user focuses on gaining mass, and that means an big calorie intake. That means covering that coveted slab of visible muscles; the abs. But while they join the population of bears, the muscles, when paired with exercise, encourages muscle growth with the building blocks just sitting there.

The cut? Think of it as revealing the results. You go in the opposite direction on calorie & fatty intake and bask in the results. Continuous use of this basic method is how the skinny kid becomes the long lost cousin of Captain America.

Here is one dude who does this:

Jamar Pusch.

Worked his butt off to get that look. You would swear that he was sculpted rather than built up.

Unbeknownst to himself, he is the target of that infamous group we call the prowlers. In this case, a father who wants to give was Jamar has to his wimpy son. You would think that with all the money in the world that he could just pay for the best trainers & dieticians, but many wealthy people can be illogical & demanding.

He procured a bottle of red liquid. All he has to do is pour on the target, and have the one who attends to assimilate touch them.

Jamar is finishing a typical photo-shoot, the best result will go on his Instagram, the rest to whoever he dms. The man is looking for love like the rest us.

His shoot has been infiltrated, a couple of payments here & there under the table, and the father and son arrive to the location using the new info. There are other people there admiring the modern day Adonis. The duo poses as fans. The event concludes, and Jamar goes to a trailer he rented for use for a nearby music cultural event, and the duo follows him.

There is a knock on the door. He opens and sees the father & son standing there gleaming. The son has a nervous energy about him, but Jamar pushes this away as a nervous fan. He beckons them into his trailer for a private supervised one on one meet & greet, and they obliged him.

The father was more excited than the son. Maybe the son was just getting introduced to this world to inspire him to workout? How fatherly.

Unknown to all three of them, a third fan was just out of earshot in the area. He saw this as an opportunity, goes to the trailer as well. The door is unlocked. He goes in, but what he sees angers & shocks him.

Jamar sits the pair down and offers them drinks.

They accept.

The father sees this as his chance.

He uncorks the bottle and splashes the contents on Jamar. He turns around to protest, but soon he freezes up like a statue. The only thing he could do is plead & scream in protest.

"I must thank you Mr. Pusch, I appreciate what you are about to do for my son. He is about to go to college, and I find he will have a better time if he can "hang" with the physically gifted type. Tell me, what sports are you into," he asked in a jubilant manner that turned stern.

His son looked nervous. The father glanced over with a frown at his son.

"Hopefully you will give him your confidence too, I tried so hard to instill courage into him, but his mother may have babied him a bit too much. No matter, let's get this over with," he said.

"Charlie, go shake Mr. Pusch's hand," he said.

The young man walked over silently. Jamar tried his best to move but couldn't. He then saw something. Hope.

The silent fan who came over saw all of this in the trailer. His mouth was agape. Was Jamar about to get kidnapped or worse killed? His anger took over. He dropped his phone that he was going to use to get pictures, and ran over to the father.

The shock of an intruder made the father's heart stop and blood freeze. Was he caught by security? The person coming over was a large man after all. By the time he registered to do something else and than wish for laser beam eyes, he was knocked over.

The son too was shocked at this. He moved his hand away from Jamar, and turned to his father.

Truth be told, he didn't want to change like this. He didn't want to steal someone else's body to appease his father or anyone else for that matter. If he was going to change, it was going to be on his terms. What Charlie wanted to do right now was save his father.

He found his courage.

He ran over, and with an adrenaline boost peeled the large man off his father and shoved him away. But he pushed him in the direction of Jamar.

He crashed into Jamar, and it began.

Surprisingly, Jamar didn't fall over or collapse. He just sort of absorbed the impact. For the large fan, it was like jumping into a combination of marshmallow & quicksand. His body sinked further into Jamar until all there was left was just Jamar.

Jamar cocked his head back & began to shift.

Mentally, Jamar was in this fan's head space. He was getting assimilated by him. Jamar & this fan talked it out. Explaining things from their perspective and then uniting under one cause of escaping from these crazy people. Jamar also convinced him to let him drive the wheel. He sensed that whatever was happening was a done deal, and he would be better steered to handle whatever they are about to become. The mind space inverted. They were in Jamar's mind. The fan broke down into confetti and merged into Jamar. It was time to kick some ass.

In flipping the mind merge, Jamar was able to reverse the physical merge process. The fan would upgrade him.

He let out a soft moan. His body began to quiver & shudder.

His skin grew softer as layers of fat grew all over.

"Hmm."

A warmth washed over stomach, each wave an inch of fat covering his abs.

There was rustling in his pants. His rod grew longer and strained against the tight pants. He grunted and then chuckled.

His neck bulged out & his head lengthened.

His facial features shifted, bigger eyes, smaller lips. A slightly more upturned nose. He kept his ears. His hair shortened.

He took on a darker skin tone as well, but soon after hair began to grow throughout his body.

He opened his eyes. The father & son were shocked by what they saw.

The father snapped out and commanded Charlie to touch the fused Jamar, but nothing happened. One pair per dose, and the father used all of it in one go.

He gave the father a beating. He had to change himself and consume someone else because some jack rabbit of a father wanted a shortcut. Security came in after seeing the trailer move a bit, and apprehended the pair.

The father was charged with attempted kidnapping later on.

The son wasn't a total wash and Jamar would mentor the young man.

As for Jamar, his life trajectory changed. The fan that saved him, was a part of him now, imparted some interesting interests. With the connections he built up, Jamar went into acting; doing mo-cap & voice acting for video games, one of which involved a galaxy far far away. He is having a blast too:

In time Jamar would deal with layers on his stomach. He has been here before many times. He just fast tracked a bulk cycle. Time for the cut.

Wait, did that water bottle move by itself?

[lilghostiequinni]

His Dancer

Main Masterlist Lando Masterlist

Pairing: Exotic dancer!female oc (RaeLeigh;Ravenna) x Lando Norris

Warnings: Fluffy (in the relationship), Strip club, Mature themes, Implied smut

Summary: Max takes Lando to a strip club, not expecting him to fall in love with the dancer he paid for. It was never thought to last; not many had known her, and those who did were few. No one knew what she did, but nothing can stay hidden for long.

Requested: NO / yes

Max brought Lando to a strip club for winning the Miami Grand Prix, the first win of the Briton's career in Formula One.

Max paid one of the dancers to take Lando into the back after a dance.

What Max doesn't expect is to go to Lando's hotel room to find the dancer from the night before leaving the room as he goes to knock.

The dancer offers a smile as she leaves through the door and down the hall.

"You brought her back last night?" He asks as he sees Lando make his way to the door.

"Yeah, I guess so. I had to wait until she got off," Lando then just turns and walks back into the suite as Max follows.

Max chuckles at his friend's admittance of having to wait.

There wasn't much Lando could do after he was told to enjoy himself for the night; it also didn't help what Max did, paying for a stripper to give him a lap dance and then to the back room.

It's no surprise that Lando waited all night until 2am, when her shift ended.

"What's your name?" She asked when she walked over to Lando.

When she sat across his lap, and he answered, "Lando."

"Oh, are we celebrating?" She asked him as she dragged her finger down his partially opened shirt.

"Yes, what is your name," Lando asks her, watching her face rather than the finger she moved lower and lower.

"Call me Ravenna, Lando," Even the way she said his name was enticing above all else. Lando just got lost in the woman on his lap.

"Your friend over there said that you needed a dance," Ravenna says to the man, hands now to herself, dragging them along her own body.

Lando was entranced and just nodded at Ravenna, not speaking a word because he was left speechless by her beauty.

After his dance, she stands and holds her hand out to Lando, which he takes, and leads him through the masses of people to the back, where Lando gets his own private show.

When he returns to the main area, he finds Max, who smiles at him and just pats his shoulder.

"Please welcome your favorite, her last night here before she jumps ship to Europe, Ravenna Quince!" The announcer says as the whole sense of the club changes, with many cheers.

By the time Ravenna has walked off the stage, she has no clothes on her being as she walks off the stage, throwing one last look into the crowd before she is out of sight, particularly at Lando.

Max leaves about 1am, leaving Lando to himself as he's taken most of Ravenna's attention for the night.

When her shift ends an hour later, she's walked out the door of the club only to find Lando waiting for her next to an Uber.

"I want to take you back with me."

"Yeah, that's not how it works," Raveena tells him as she goes to move away.

"Please, I know that it's crazy, but just tonight, I won my first Grand Prix in my 6th year of Formula One. Just one chance," Lando basically pleads while holding out his hand.

"Alright, just one pretty boy," She says as she grabs his hand.

Lando pulls her in and kisses her, "Ravenna." He says he pulls back.

"My name is Rae," She whispers as she pulls him in again before the Uber driver honks.

It doesn't take long for Rae to become important to Lando, and it doesn't take long for the opposite.

RaeLeigh quickly falls for the British driver, and by the end of the championship, they're dating, in secret of course.

In the 2025 season, Lando is pulling a strong game, gaining even more attention, and in an interview, he accidentally reveals his relationship with Rae to the world.

Media is a frenzy; that is what it becomes.

But with the publicity comes fans digging into past things and places that had been put down.

Rae had become a dancer to pay bills and as a means to save up for college; the night she met Lando, her life was already changing.

When fans learn of her past in dancing, most say she was in the wrong and was only with Lando for the money.

Just hours after fans started to bully his girlfriend, Lando posts about how true fans wouldn't bully the person who makes him truly happy.

He talks about how that's in the past, and they don't even know the true reasons for her being a dancer, only the rumors and theories that where untrue and thoughtless.

But something else about the day is the day Lando proposed after only a year because Rae truly was the light of his life in any situation and storyline, in any reality or universe.

A/N: I'm tired, but I'm going to do this; not quite how I wanted it to go, but oh well. Also, the photo at the top will be up later after I've slept. As will the rest of the F1 one-shots.

Tags: @poppyflower-22 @samantha-chicago @barcelonaloverf1life @tallrock35 @hellothere9597

If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know so I don't keep tagging you. If you are striked through, I don't know if you want to be tagged, but just let me know if you want me to continue or stop

[hyperch1ptune]

with the recent rise of popularity of modern Doctor Who from Mr Ring A Ding/Lux, it’s thankfully given me a good oversight over the franchise BESIDES the Daleks (them being my only view beforehand lmao)

& with that given oversight, it’s had me realizing more & more how much this franchise has similarities to something I hold dear to me personally..especially with the recent cast of “Whoverse” Gods even with my minuscule knowledge on them - SO SORRY if I get anything wrong or off with them btw

a setting with the impression on finding dopamine from a constantly changing face? both for the protagonist AND antagonists??? this just feels like an open area for me at this point

I wanna take this chance to finally give me an excuse to ramble on - hopefully even indulge people of the story involved in:

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

& ITS ICONS

Although I know the event itself isn’t all that niche, I never see that many people focus on the building blocks on how these houses & house/event characters came to be.. it’s a yearly fixation of mine to be one of the ones who study in what’s deeper to all these gross-out experiences; 5+ years & counting, I think next year might be 10 years of me doing this holy hell,,,,

Even with all of this “knowledge”, I know that this event has been relevant for years before the 2010’s - being in its mid 30’s currently!!

Because of this, it’s had time to build on itself, find a structure to keep balance whilst adding onto its ongoing plot, or hell, adding new ones into the mix for continuation. With the addition of me knowing how much longer Doctor Who has run for, its developmental schedule is such a good format for people new & old to the franchise can jump into any period of time & still have an understanding story; just like with HHN! There can be people either broadcasting their trip nowadays whilst people looking for traces of lost media (clips, in-house footage, etc) in means of ingesting more content..honestly a fun ride.

Enough with the overhauling background, what’s up with the story?? why do I think of this comparison?? it’s a much longer story than intended…but I still wanna start off in anyway I can.

Not only does this event revolve around houses, scarezones, IP’s, and anything scary, but it has a special addition to make the experience all the more remembering: Icons.

Icons (characters) are the center point of attention of the given year, being promoted like crazy to be seen as something you’re supposed to be afraid of; the whole reasoning as to why there are certain houses or events that you have the misfortune on stepping in on, and the main face of the overall event - not plural, given how many leaders and mascots have had the role prior. There can either be major or minimal in roles, the minimal ones more so being house-specific characters who were expanded on to be given more personality and depth to have it stand out compared to the rest of the line up; sometimes interacting with the major ones!! HHN’s character lineup is ever growing being given this information - and with the addition of “foreign” add-ons from Singapore, Japan, and Hollywood compared to Florida, there’s a huge array of almost personalized tastes being spalled out to be a favorite!

..But with me saying that there is a vast variety of characters, it’s almost TOO much characters to be infodumping about….even with that said, my purpose isn’t to immediately dunk down deep into what HHN has to offer, so I wanna at least talk about characters that I feel compare the MOST to certain Doctor Who elements whilst having importance.

Firstly: Boris Shuster

Boris is the proclaimed protagonist of the event; as much as one as he can be compared to the Icons at least.

He is very similar to the Doctor for his role as “protagonist”, being a private investigator and supernatural detective who dares to go deeper in the strange in means of destroying its origin to put an end to it. Additionally, wanting to give himself a “anonymous” facade.. do you know who else may wish to do that? I got a hint, & it rhymes with numbers 1 through 15

His role is one of the more crucial to the story of HHN overall - being a building block for creative reasoning as to why or how the event began to structure. With his adventurous footprint, he’s had very close dealing with the legions of horror & their totems - the legions are a future highlight, so keep that name in mind.

Having discovered a totem in 1948, he journalized his sighting as means of being able to archive the current paranormal event for him at the time; doing so with each of the legion’s house totem in means of keeping them “in shape”. Wasn’t until 1957 where his mission was finalized, trapping off the wickedness of the legions within the totems in safe keeping, not wanting the energy to be released back into public once more to torment anybody anymore.. it wasn’t until 1991 where a kid by the name of Tim Foyle got ahold of Boris’s now aged writings, almost following it as if it were step-by-step instructions on getting the totems for himself. Tim was just a geek not knowing any better on the grotesque and sinister, so his curious mind ended up reopening the legions from their tyranny.. accidentally killing himself in the process of the released monsters “hosting” Universal’s Fright Night that year!

Now, the Legions of Horror aren’t exactly a single character, but rather sections that group together multiple characters as a way or organization (as well as interactivity from these being used as a flash game when first announced).

Each legion carrying they’re own role, involving The Necromancers/Iniquitous (surrounding death & cemented imagery), The Vampires/Strengoits (surrounding well.. vampires), The Beasts/Cerebins (surrounding predatory creatures who’s only instinct is primal), The Warriors/Baccanoids (surrounding medieval horror), The Prisoners/Maschorians (surrounding revenge-thirsty captists close to death), The Traditionals/Morphans (surrounding the playfully sinister nature of twisted facades), and The Walkers/Kerezans (surrounding the ghoulish undead).

Why bring them up? I wanna bring the focus over to The Morphans, being one where most of the more notable Icons are stored - but also that group overall reminding me of another stored pair of characters under the same influence: The Gods.

Even with my little knowledge on the modern antagonists, I have still seen enough characterization from each to say that The Toymaker, Maestro, and Lux resemble the most of what HHN has for famous characters: Dr. Oddfellow, Jack Schmidt - and his doll-born lackey hypegal, Chance.

Beginning with: Dr. Oddfellow

A strange man, really, for he always yearned for power for as long as he lived.

..Having lived to see both the 2020’s and early 1900’s, it wouldn’t be until 1920 where he’d found a rare artifact skull connected to the Zodiacs that’d granted him immortality whilst his time as an aspiring sorcerer - as well as tampering with souls to do as he pleased; manipulating anything and everything in his path to have it flow his way. Alas, there was a toll for him to keep his powers, needing to “feed” the zodiacs via sacrificial gifts through the deaths of innocents, leading up to his mutations and homicide whilst running a carnival to hide the deeper operation, removing any signs of himself from the crime.

Here’s where things begin to develop: before Oddfellow influenced the idea of gaining power, in the midst of the 1800’s, 2 brothers by the name of Jack & Eddie Schmidt were born in “Shady brook Rest Home and Santiarium” - in other words, an enclosed asylum. Oddfellow was under the influence of Jack escaping his toxic living scenario once he’d gotten older, becoming the main event of the circus as Jack The Clown.. his younger brother Eddie was left behind whilst Jack played a friendly facade while having a grease-covered face tinted fresh with his victims blood, later becoming a chainsaw maniac from his fascination of slasher films & his revenge after a “harmless” prank amongst his cheap horror house leaves him with permanent burn scars over his face.

Over the years, Jack had gotten worse & worse at hiding his own evidence, eventually leading the FBI to the carnival with the assumption of “missing children” being the cause. Oddfellow could only fear for the worst seeing at his own plans were seemingly on the verge of foiling from some insolent maniac, killing Jack on the spot not long after his confession. Unknowingly, Oddfellow’s blood did get infused into Jack’s from him scratching at the Doctors face; hence the scar in his design, foreshadowing Jack and his return for the near future.. for now, he’d been stuffed into a comically large lettered box that’d soon turn his name into a pun the moment he was reincarnated.

Once Jack had the ability to get to work, he got to WORK, i’ll say that. Taking over Oddfellow’s now abandoned carnival since getting his revenge kill, and traveling worldwide through his carnival of carnage for the pure purpose of entertaining through tortuous horror! And with his connection to Universal, it’s made it much easier for him to reunite with his younger brother, and befriend many freaks - no matter the variety. One of his more notable sidekicks would have to be one born from a simple ballerina music box: Chance.

Chance is like Jack’s Harley to his Joker, being his main assistant throughout the years & finding more & more development as time goes on. If it wasn’t notable from her personality, she’s freakish. Almost more loud than Jack is, and he’s already overwhelmingly obnoxious enough! She is very childish & happy-go lucky, almost the perfect balance for Jack & his default sadistic nature. Having been around him since the 2000’s, but it wouldn’t be until 2015 where all of the fun had to come to a halt for poor old Chance; having the death of their hostages luring in the police in means of catching the culprits. Jack abandons the scene at the moment, almost purposefully leaving Chance behind to have it seem as if she was the one who’d cauce all of the blood shed. Needless to say, she did NOT take any of that well, being sent to a mental institution as public isolation and for the crime she’d committed, Chance had surely gone mad given her growing spite..and growing hallucinations hearing her own voice talk to her. Chance had grown fully dependent by 2016, encouraging all of her equally “manic” peers to take over & run down the asylum she was put in, seeing out Jack in any means necessary as he kept himself hidden.

I may just be speculating too hard, but I’ve found a lot of connections between the Gods and the Icons listed beforehand.. even with me not knowing much of the story, I do know that Lux & the Toymaker have had their banters every once in a while; to the point where it traps him i’ve heard?? This makes for a fun comparison, really.

The Toymaker is similar to Dr. Oddfellow in means of powers and motivation, putting on a stand-up facade whilst twisting the boundaries of anything they can think of - all the while laughing like it’s just some sort of game.

Lux is similar to Jack in ways of how they’ve been treated on they’re ends mostly, hiding a deeply sinister persona over a cheerful and entertaining mask in means of getting through to manipulate and find the dopamine they’re looking for faster.

Maestro is similar to Chance from the ways they both express themselves and execute certain tactics, almost being the most preppy and playful when it comes to their tricks.. even with their own restrictions and flaws.

I haven’t even gotten to the REAL meat & potatoes HHN has to offer, I mean hell, there’s entities like Adura who’s the main embodiment of Fear itself - paralleling well with Sutekh and it being the God of Death.

As well as the twin sisters SINIST3R & SURR3AL being hinted descendants to Adura in means of showcasing fear either through physical means, or mental mind games.

& my favorite favorite FAVORITE ICON: The Pumpkin Lord; being the embodiment of Halloween itself & feeding off of fear to become this disgusting mutated pumpkin-like monster.

….but dude this really was just an excuse for me to ramble on about something that I would’ve assumed some people could find interesting.. wait till people hear that Jack kinda counts as a hidden sexyman as well with how often people fawn over him.

Most of where I got my intel is here.. the wiki is such a fun read PLEASE LOOK DEEPER INTO HHN THANK YOOUU

anyways I wanna thank this bluefuck for giving me this idea so ROUND OF APPLAUSE MR RING A DING

[divergentsuperwholockianvictor]

I’ve seen a lot of posts about how Wymack was chomping at the bit to get Jeremy after The Banquet and Rhemann was like “no, mine” and don’t get me wrong, I love this take. But consider: the heartfelt talk they certainly had about what would be best for Jeremy. These are two men who care very much about the young people on their teams, so here’s my thoughts on their conversation post The Banquet:

Wymack knows that sometimes it’s for the best to get away from your blood family. He’s offering Jeremy an out, to get away from the pressures he’s facing at home, the spectacle of both his sexuality and his brother’s death. But also a removal from the network of drugs he has in CA. He could certainly find them at Palmetto but it would give him the opportunity and distance to change. And to an extent, he’s giving Rhemann an out too. At that point, Jeremy does not fit the perfect image of the Trojans. There’s simply no way USC wasn’t demanding that Rhemann find a solution to the PR nightmare that was The Banquet. And Wymack knows what it’s like to have school admin breathing down your neck. I think he would recognize that while Rhemann might want to keep Jeremy at USC, it might not be possible. So he gives Rhemann the best alternative he can: a safe place for Jeremy to land, a promise of an open line of communication for Rhemann to check up on him, frequent updates from Wymack himself. Does Wymack see the Fox in Jeremy? Absolutely. But more than that, he sees two people in a hard spot and wants to offer his help in any way he can.

Now, Rhemann on the other hand knows Jeremy by the time The Banquet happens. He’s seen that Jeremy has a good heart, one that is more than exemplary of what it means to be a Trojan. He sees the potential for Jeremy to be great at USC, within their system of positivity. And yeah, part of him wants to keep this poor kid who just had his world ripped apart close by. Wants to lead by example and show him that there’s nothing wrong with being gay. That it does not devalue you the way so many at the time would have been saying. The idea of sending away a kid who just lost his brother so violently? The only message Rhemann hears in that: you’re not worth the trouble. And Rhemann could not disagree with that sentiment more. All that being said, I think Rhemann would also struggle with separating what he wants with what’s best for Jeremy. Does he want to keep Jeremy at USC because he wants to be the one to help? Is this area too full of loud opinions and bad memories for Jeremy to not only recover but thrive?

Ultimately it comes down to Laila. Rhemann sees how close they are, how much Jeremy relies on her support and how easily she’s willing to give it. And who is he to separate the two of them? Beyond that tho it reinforces to Rhemann that Jeremy doesn’t need a new city, new faces, new teammates. What Jeremy needs is a community that is not so quick to abandon him at the first sign of trouble, the first mistake made. A community to pick him up, dust him off, and trust him to keep moving forward. A community to trust his Trojan heart. And damn if it isn’t a good one.

[novemberdrift]

'𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩'| colby brock x male oc

a/n: enjoy ;) summary: sam, colby, corey and jake plan to go to the witches forest, little do they know, they’ll meet a friend of jennifers. he’s a lonely medium studying witchcraft, what happens when colby starts to feel a pull towards him? his feelings confuse him, and make him question himself. 

words: 8.8k (TOO FUCKING MANY, i got lost in the sauce🫠)

sam sat on his couch, dialing the number of the woman him and colby met at the stanley hotel. the latter began to film as she picked up. 

“hello?”

“hi is this jennifer?” they shared a look towards eachother, acknowledging the awkwardness.

“yes, this is she.” 

“sweet uh.. about that forest, was that a legit offer? colby and i have been talking over the past few weeks and maybe.. are you in la now?” he asked, curiously.

“yeah i am”

“cool so maybe tomorrow or later this week we could meet up, and we’d probably be filming it so if that’s cool with you, you could tell us more like about what the forest is and then maybe like find time to schedule to go out there or something?”

“yeah we can meet up.” jennifer said ominously. 

“okay cool, maybe tomorrow we’ll schedule a time then.” sam started to laugh from the awkwardness, and immediately after the phone call was over he threw the phone onto the table and freaked out. “why is it so awkward?” he cringed.

“everytime we talk to her.” colby chuckles.

they both start talking to the camera about their plans with the witches forest, and planning a whereabouts for the meetup. 

a day had past, and sam, colby and jake were in the car, driving to the area where they were supposed to meet up with jennifer. colby had parked very close to another car in attempts to not be in the way of someones driveway. “can’t park in this driveway brother, gonna get a ticket.”

“can’t go to jail again.” sam laughs.

“we’re in a neighborhood, it’s not that sketchy.” sam commented, as they all start talking about how creepy this whole situation was, joking about getting murdered. 

they walk into the park, and they look around until they see two people sitting at a park bench. “hey!” sam calls out, as he sees them. “nice to see you again!” he goes in for a hug with jennifer. 

“how was the shoot and everything?” he asked.

“it was good.” she responded, nodding her head, before looking over to her friend, the guy next to her. jennifer didn’t really care about meeting up with strangers but elias, found it sketchy, so he decided to come along as some sort of backup.

“hey, i’m elias, good to meet you.” he shook hands with the person closest to him, colby. 

“nice to meet you too.” colby smiled, curious about the guy infront of him. he looked pretty cool, his sense in fashion was definitely something out of a vintage movie. his hair was dark brown, about medium length. he had brown circle glasses pushed towards his nose, contrasting his freckled face. 

from what he was wearing, you could see a few tattoos under his sleeves, along with a few different ear piercings. ‘damn this guy is cool’ he felt like some kind of fangirl.

as sam talked to jennifer, colby starting asking questions to the other. “are you also into the paranormal?”

“yeah. i grew up around it my entire life, and now it just seeks me out i guess.” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “how’d you get into it?”

“that’s the same as one of my friends, corey.” he acknowledges. “honestly it’s not that exciting, me and my buddy sam would explore like abandoned places and stuff then it became haunted areas and now we think we’re haunted.”

“that’s cool.” suddenly jake climbs onto the picnic table, creating a thud sound. “jesus jake.” colby laughed.

“so do you guys chill at the park often?” jake tries to make conversation with the two.

“yeah.” they answer at the same time. the camera is held facing jennifer as she begins to explain why the cabin is haunted, and why it’s called the witches forest. 

“you really have to figure it out yourself.” elias commented, chuckling. 

“so you’ve been there too?” sam interrogates him. 

“you could say that, i also own a cabin about a mile out.”

“would you say it’s haunted?”

“oh definitely, in 1946 a couple moved into the cabin and after a few years they started like experiencing financial issues, and it caused a lot of stress between them and eventually the husband started drinking, and one night he killed his pregnant wife before shooting himself in the head.” elias smirked, watching their jaws drop. “let’s just say i’m not legally able to rent it out anymore because of what happened to the last guests we had.”

“holy shit.” sam looked to the guys, with wide eyes. 

“that’s actually insane.” colby said, rubbing his eye. “so do you live there or just use it as a vacation spot?”

“bit of both honestly, the spirits don’t bother me much. i was just there a few days ago and i stayed about three months, left with tons of scratches and stuff.” elias explained.

“do you still have visible marks?” 

“yeah, the longest one is on my leg, i can show you if you like.” the guys nodded, so he stands up and props his leg on the park bench, before rolling up his black pants. quickly a red shiny scratch is visible. it starts at his ankle and goes underneath his thigh. “it’s one of the weirder marks i’ve gotten. it’s shiny and feels almost like a burn, like blistered over and stuff.”

“holy shit, that’s crazy.” jake muttered.

“i don’t know if we should do this anymore.” colby laughs, jokingly crying.

“so on a scale of one to ten, how is this a good idea or are we going to die.” sam wondered.

“let’s just say it’s scarier then the stanley hotel.” jennifer answered.

“is that the key?” jake zooms into colby holding the key to the cabin. colby pauses for a second, having an idea. “would you let us see your cabin?” he asks to elias.

“uhh, i don’t know, i would have to be there to supervise.” “not just because i don’t know you, but also for you’re protection. the spirits know me well, even the negative ones, they don’t like other people.”

“jesus.” colby mumbles. “is that why you can’t rent it out anymore.” he nods slowly.

“we have a friend out there that we met from the summer camp thing. a few of them are still there. elias can probably get in contact with one of them to help you out. since they’re both wiccans.”

“so you’re friend is a... wait you’re a wiccan?” sam asks towards elias, pointing the camera in his direction, receiving a half nod. 

“after i became a medium it slowly transitioned into exploring witchcraft, i wouldn’t like 100% consider myself a wiccan but i do partake in that stuff.” he holds up his pagan necklace. 

“wow, so does your friend live around the cabin?” 

“yeah.” 

“now i see why it’s called witches forest.” sam laughed hesitantly. 

“so a lot of people there are wiccans i’m assuming?” colby asks, before receiving a nod. “witches forest, wiccans.” he does a weird voice to express how crazy this situation is.

“this is awesome, thank you so much for this, we would probably just of done another hotel video.” sam thanked her. “should we call corey?” he asks to the guys.

everyone begins to say goodbye, colby hugging jennifer and elias. “we’ll let you know how it goes.”

“but uh, i just wanted to say, i haven’t been there in awhile so be careful.” jennifer calls out to them.

jennifer and elias start walking back to their apartment. he glances towards the group they had just encountered. “they seem cool, colby’s pretty nice.”

“yeah i guess. i’m surprised you didn’t give them the key.”

“first, they’re strangers, second, they seem like novices, i don’t want their deaths to be on my hands.” elias joked.

“you could’ve gone with them.” she shrugs. elias pauses for a moment, thinking about it. maybe he should. they are trying to find the most haunted areas.. 

“i’ll think about it.”

it was early morning of the next day, and elias had been messaging with colby since he woke up talking about whether or not he should go up with them. colby has been trying to persuade him, borderline begging him to come. they think it would be awesome for the video and their paranormal experience. 

and secretly colby just wants to get to know him as well.

the four boys were in their car, on the way to the first house, to talk to a wiccan who is offering a reading, and more information on the witches forest.

“i was thinking about what the physic said a lot last night, about how corey and i are in danger, and i think they could be right. i hope we have service because we’ve never been in this forest, who knows, like what if we get lost right? that’s why i think bringing elias, who knows the area could be helpful.”

“honestly yeah, and he seems like a cool dude so.” jake shrugs, agreeing with the idea. corey then calls and agrees to come, making everyone so much more relieved. 

“let’s just act like we’re going to a cabin in the woods.” corey says, trying to lighten the mood as he gets into the car.  

they keep on driving, about twenty minutes out, pulling over only to get jake some food because he kept complaining about being hungry. they pull into a burger king, and grab some food. colby suggests sitting at a table so he can fill both corey and the viewers in about elias and the other wiccan.

“just to catch everyone up, we got some food and we are ten minutes away from the forest!” sam starts it off.

“i’ve been texting with both this wiccan and elias, who agreed on meeting us, but they want to meet us at her house. she was just like ‘yeah swing by, and i’ll show you my tarot cards and stuff.’” 

“well, let’s hope we don’t die.”

they walk out to the parking lot, and talk a bit more, explaining to corey. “me, colby, and jake met up with jennifer and this new guy, elias, so the reason why he’s texting to this random wiccan is because they’re friends, them two would meet up with her at summer camp, and she’s going to tell us about the area.” sam said.

as they start driving, they encounter the fog of the mountains, and they struggle to see out the window.

“yeah, elias is going to be with the wiccan, so atleast it’s not like we’re by ourselves with a complete stranger.” colby mentioned.

“well we don’t really know him either.”

“better then completely alone though.” he shrugged, continuing to drive until google maps said he was at the correct address.

“so what have they told you?” sam asked. 

“nothing really, just gave us the address and said see you then.” colby explained, shutting the car door. they walked up to the door, not even having to knock before someone opened the door. “hey colby!” elias said, arm on the door. 

“yoo hey.” colby gave a hug before smiling. “thanks for taking up our offer on this, having you here and talk about some of the stuff is super great for the video.” 

colby felt nervous, seeing elias stand confidentially at the door, he looked more relaxed today, grey sweatpants, black hoodie and his usual brown glasses. you can tell he wasn’t planning on coming. 

in the light, it was much easier to see his face. he also realized elias’ hair was slightly curly. 

“yeah it’s no problem.” elias said as the other wiccan presented herself. “good to see you again.” 

“hey, how are you guys?” she asked. “wanna come in? if you don’t mind i’ll have to sage you though.”

“yeah it’s no problem.”

after the boys were saged, they sat around the table and began to talk about the witches forest. “so why is it called witches forest?” sam asked, getting down to business. 

“there’s a lot of rituals that go on in this area, it used to be a spot with mobsters, there’s a lot of satanic rituals, which aren’t as bad or evil as you would think.” elias nods along, agreeing with her. 

“so you guys would consider yourselves wiccans in the way that you both study witchcraft. 

“yes, i identify as a wiccan, but i feel like it has a different perception of what you would think.”

“okay so can you explain that to us.” sam asked.

“i like to live my life by the moon cycles, so full moon would be a time of like creativity and energy, where as new moon is more introspective and..” she trails off as the door opens for the second time. 

“we’re trying to spend the night here, in the forest. do you think that’s a good idea or bad idea?”

elias grimances, shaking his head. 

“what’s that supposed to mean?!” corey fake cries.

“a lot of people have died up there.. not recently so i don’t think you’ll die.” she says positively. “if you want we can do a little tarot reading.” she suggests, waving over elias to help her with it.

“tarot reading?” colby repeats asking for clarification. 

“tarot cards really tell you what you’re feeling subconsciously, and they help give insight into the past, your future, or the present. and basically however you relate to the card, it tells you what’s going on with your inner-self or stuff you may be doing.” he explains, before sageing the cards.

“this basically helps to detach anything thats holding onto the cards, so for example, the past readings she’s done, it’s possible that those readings could effect yours. so when i sage the cards, it clears anything on them.” he hands over the cards to colby, who passes them to sam, to jake and then to corey, to get their presence onto the cards.

she takes the cards and sets them onto the table. a few gasps come from the guys after seeing the death card, “none of these are bad, so don’t be afraid.”

“the tower is an iffy card in my opinion, so it means danger and destruction, it’s basically like a very sudden unforeseen change, which means you have to rebuild. it can lead to the next chapter of your life. so it starts out negative and eventually it leads to rebuilding which is positive.” elias explains.

“yeah and chaos isn’t always a bad thing, which relates to the death card.” she taps onto it. 

“the next chapter of my life is death?” sam asked.

“no.” elias answered shortly. “the death card will almost never mean death or represent anything like that. it’s typically more like the end of an era, so it implies new beginnings. it also is commonly known as the card that describes self awareness.” he was briefly interrupted by a bang upstairs.

“this card is all about fear and anxiety.” she points out. “but not a real fear, more like you’re worrying about something too much. like it’s in your head, like when you can’t sleep and you’re terrified but it’s not something that you should be worrying about. it’s more like you’re imagining something, like making up a problem.”

“like making conspiracy theories about yourself.” jake adds in, earning weird looks from colby and sam.

“just being scared of something that isn’t that big of a deal, like you’re more afraid then you need to be.” elias adds.

“that’s basically our group.” sam comments.

they talked more about the different chapters of their life, corey refusing to do more tarot. she gave more advice on how to keep the guys safe at their campsite, like taking the sage, having a ring of salt and holding hands.

elias watches as they huddle into the corner of the room and talk about some of their plans together. “honestly guys, i don’t know if i can do this.” corey admits. “this shit is crazy, we don’t need more spirits trapped with us.”

“i think we just have to hurry up because it’s a few hours from sundown, and we don’t know the area too well, i don’t want us to get lost.” sam comments.

“do you think we should invite elias?” colby asked.

“brother, now why would we do that.” corey said, shaking his head.

“he knows the area, and i think he would be awesome for content, he can tell us more stories, we can get to know him and maybe do more ghost stuff with him in the future.” 

“i’m down.” jake shrugs.

“we don’t know him very well, but i do think he’d be beneficial for this.” sam doesn’t seem to care that much.

“okay well i won’t invite him if you guy’s arent sure.” they all to look corey. 

“fine, but i swear to god if he murders us, i’m going to murder you again.”

“okay awesome!” colby walks away from the guys and up to elias. “i was wondering if you wanted to come with us, like to our campsite.”

“oh. uhh, i mean i guess i could hang for a bit, but it would probably be weird to stay the night with you guys. my cabin isn’t too far away in the forest so i’ll go back there once you guys are settled in.”

“we’d be chill if you wanted to stay the night in a tent beside us or something, but it’s cool if not.”

“i’ll figure it out later.” he shrugs, and follows the guys to the car. elias sits in the passenger seat, sam giving it up to sit in the back, so he didn’t have to sit squished next to strangers.

they began to drive in the direction of witches forest, taking a right turn onto a gravel road. 

“so where do you suggest us staying the night exactly?” 

“well i would say definitely be near one of the main roads, so you’re near your car, but as in area, if you keep going down here, there’s some pretty flat ground with trees surrounding it.” elias points in the right direction.

they pull into a blank area, and start gathering their stuff. “just down this way.” he leads, while helping carrying one of their bags. 

“awesome, thank you.” sam thanks him, actually kind of surprised how much this stranger was helping them.

“do you need help setting up your tent, or?” he wondered.

“uhh..” jake mumbled, knowing he’s never put up a tent in his life. 

“that is a possibility.” sam chuckles. ”so like, did you group up in california or elsewhere?” he took what colby said earlier, about getting to know him, and ran with it.

“oh uh, no i grew up in a small town out of seattle, but i moved to la when i was 17.” elias answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“oh cool. why’d you leave seattle?” jake asked.

“just bad memories i guess.” he took a deep breath. “the house i grew up in.. my brother he died there when i was 6. his death brought me into the paranormal world.”

“oh, i’m sorry for your loss.” colby commented, beginning to build the tent.

“don’t be.” elias laughed it off. “it was a pretty natural death, he was born with heart complications, honestly a miracle he lived till 14. he was very positive and i’m sure he wouldn’t want people mourning, so i choose not to i guess.”

“that’s a good way to look at it.” colby smiled at the other. colby took a liking to him, he wasn’t sure why though but it felt like something was pushing him to get to know him.

“so you said you’re a medium?” corey asked, helping colby with the tent.

“yeah, the thing with my brother, it guided me to other spirits and i just kind of fell into it all. i feel things more the most people, i hear more, i sense more.” he paused. “i don’t feel any presences here but i feel sadness and regret.”

“that’s honestly really cool, so to become a medium does it need to be something that happens to you or can you like learn and study to become one?” colby asked, setting up the camera on a camping chair, pointed to elias.

“in my opinion it has to come to you, you can’t work for it. if you are gifted with the ability you can learn and study to enhance it but you can’t force it.”

“the tent’s looking good.” corey nodded towards it. “but i swear to god i don’t want to sleep here.” he begs, making everyone laugh.

once everything was set up, and looking good, elias decided to leave. “i’ll probably head up to the cabin.” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“yo, you sure?” jake asks, actually wanting him to stay. in the past few hours they’ve all been vibing pretty hard.

“yeah no pressure to leave.” colby said, giving him a smile. 

“i don’t wanna intrude too much on your video or anything, but feel free to come to the cabin if you have any problems or something crazy happens. can’t promise staying at the cabin will be any better but still. i have wifi, hot water, beds, all that stuff so don’t be shy.” elias smiled back.

“alright, thank you.” sam nodded. 

“make sure to say goodbye before you leave though!” elias called out, as he walked away. 

“bye!” colby shouted.

“cya!” jake yelled.

“dude, you’re staring.” corey pointed out, laughing at his friend. colby turned to look at him, before rolling his eyes.

“shut up, i just think he’s cool.”

corey winked to sam and jake, them chuckling to eachother.

it was hours later, maybe 3 or 4, and elias was in his cabin, drinking a glass of wine, while reading one of the books from the old bookshelf. his days here were simple. he’d tend to the plants, garden, read some books and drink wine. he wish he had a more extroverted life, and would sometimes regret missing out on opportunities. such as hanging out with the guys back at the campsite. 

he wondered why he didn’t just stay, when they were clearly okay with him there, but he was still unfortunately a stranger. they were okay with him there, but they didn’t want him there. 

‘god i need friends’, he thought. he’s been so lonely, his only friend being jennifer, and they weren’t all that close anymore since he’s started studying witchcraft. elias has only had a few friends in his lifetime, people thinking he’s weird or abnormal for his interests and gifts, and he’s only been in one relationship which ended around 6 months. 

he honestly hasn’t felt that interested in people, elias finds them too generic, but he did take interest in the group. no matter how goofy they all seemed, they were cool. especially colby, he seemed to care the most. and he was kinda cute so that’s a plus. but he was probably straight.

he paused, hearing a bang upstairs, before sighing. his only friends are the spirits of the forest. he took his glasses off and gave them a rub, as they got a bit foggy. 

‘maybe a bath will ease my mind’ as he began to run a bath he heard a scream for help. his eyes widened at the voice, that was definitely colby. 

“help!” it was a gut-retching scream. elias turned off the bath, and as he was running to the front door, he turned the outside lights on, immediately lighting up the area. 

“colby?!” he called out, opening the door. 

“elias?!” suddenly, he came into view. “holy fuck, thank god.” he sighed, relieved. he rushed to the door. 

“what the hell happened out there? where is everyone?”

“i-i i got lost, i don’t know where i am, i was chasing after a shadow and i thought sam and jake were after me but i went in circles and i walked for so long it’s been like 15 minutes and i don’t know where they are.”

“woah, colby are you hurt?” elias reaches out to the others side, seeing a few smaller scratches. he gently touches them, earning a hiss out of colby.

“ouch.” he chuckles. “anyways, i really need help finding them, i don’t know what the fuck happened.”

“you said you saw a shadow figure? was it just a shadow or were there any visible descriptions?”

“just a shadow.” he shrugs, shivering a bit. 

“theres been a few people spotting shadows around here, a lot of people think one of the main shadows, it’s of a larger male and it’s predicted that it’s the spirit of the husband i told you guys about earlier, and that he’s stuck in this forest as punishment.”

“jesus.” colby exhales. 

“here, come in for a second, i’ll get you a heavier jacket and i’ll get a bandage for your side.”

“oh, thank you so much.” colby rubs his neck, awkwardly standing in the others home. “this cabin is actually beautiful.” he said, not expecting it.

“haha yeah, i take pride in it. nobody ever is here to see how gorgeous the wood and plants are.”

“oh why’s that?”

“i just don’t have many friends.” elias said, while grabbing a few items. “gets lonely up here.”

“hey well, you can consider us friends, i think you’re cool as hell.” colby smiles, taking the jacket, and putting it over his shoulder. “it would be awesome to have you come with us to other haunted places.”

“i-” elias was about to decline, before he thought for a minute. he knew he would regret declining. “sure, why not.” he gestured for colby to move his arm so he could wrap his side. 

“that should do it.” he gave him a pat on the shoulder. “now, we really have to get you back to your friends, they’re probably freaking out.”

“yeah.” colby agreed, rubbing his side. 

“do you mind if i spend the night with you guys? i have a feeling.. like i can feel something bad in your future, and i don’t think it’s safe for you guys alone.”

“oh god..” colby sighed, not ready for whatever he’s talking about. elias grabbed a few more things, and shoved it into a backpack. “it would be appreciated if you stayed with us.” he laughed it off, pretending he didn’t care too much, but he actually felt pretty nervous about the idea. 

he’s never really found guys that attractive or anything but something about elias, it wasn’t even his looks, something about his personality or dare he say ‘spirit’ was alluring. colby just needed to know more, needed to get close to him.

“okay, let’s go.” he said, turning off the house lights, and turning on his flashlight. 

they walked through the forest, trying to avoid all of the unnerving noises they heard. “thank you.” elias said quietly.

“what? why?”

“because, today has been the most social interaction i’ve had in awhile.” he chuckled. they continued to walk in peaceful silence, colby instinctively walking closer to elias. they smiled to eachother, elias having to look away and blush out of sight. ‘jesus, what is happening to me.’

they walked a bit more, and finally began to see bright lantern lights, similar to colby’s. “guys!” he shouted.

“no way, colby!” corey shouted, running straight to him out of relief.

“guys!”

“holy shit it’s colby!” 

“colby!”

“what the fuck happened to you.” sam shook his head. they all looked closer and saw another person. as they got closer they realized it was elias.

“holy shit.” corey exclaimed.

“are you okay bro?” jake asked.

“the shadow person, i kept chasing it, i saw it again. it ran so i ran after it, i ended up going in circles and i got lost so i started screaming for help and i saw a cabin, thank god it was elias’.

“did you hear the scream? it was like a female scream.” sam explained. 

colby went to sit in a chair, his side aching. “no i didn’t, i scratched my side though.” he lifted his shirt to show the bandage. 

“dude, me and jake saw like a baby or something small hung.” sam said.

“bro, i looked at it, and my first thought was that it was a baby hanging, it was swaying and everything.”

“wait.. you said you saw a baby hanging?” elias looked at them in pure shock. “holy fuck.. you saw her.” he mumbled.

“what?” sam asked, eyes wide.

“what the fuck is going on.” corey shouted.

“the.. the story i told you guys, about the husband killing his pregnant wife. a few people i rented the cabin out to, they would see shadows of a hanging dead baby outside the windows.”

“holy fuck!” corey screamed, jumping before walking a few steps away.

“that is fucking crazy.” jake exclaimed, holding onto his head.

“i can’t believe this.” sam held the camera, beginning to shake. “okay, a rule, we can’t separate again.”

they began to talk about what the shadow could’ve been, talking about the biker kids they had seen earlier in the day.

“it definitely was not a biker, you would’ve heard it a mile away, and nobody just goes for a walk in the middle of the night.” elias shakes his head in disbelief at the situation. 

“i’m not staying out here any longer.” jake says, running into the tent. everyone else begins to pack away their stuff, making sure that if they got scared again, they could leave without having to worry about their scattered belongings. 

sam pulls out the camera once everything is put away, and gives the viewers a quick update. “just a little update guys, we did clean up our entire campsite, and now we’re going to chill in here for a little bit, because we don’t know what’s out here.” he gestures inside the tent.

“is it alright if i stay here? i don’t feel like walking back to the cabin.” he asks.

“oh yeah of course.” sam practically invites him in. “you’ll just have to deal with our gross selves.”

“i think i’ll be fine, i was a babysitter for 3 years of my life.” he joked, earning laughs from everyone.

a small fight ensues about sleeping bags with the guys, and elias sits off to the side of the tent, not wanting to get too close and make anyone uncomfortable. he watches as colby pokes around at corey’s pocket. 

“brotherrrr, scared the fuck outta me.” corey cries out. “it’s either colby hitting on me again or a ghost.” elias laughed at that.

“i like to use shrek’s belly as a pillow.” jake mumbles, away from the drama.

a few minutes go by, and bugs in the tent frighten elias, while sam and colby start swatting at them before jake and corey talk about the white people face. elias, guilty of making that face more then once tonight.

the rest of the night was filled with fivesome jokes, jake playing with shrek into the camera, dance parties, sam touching more spiders in the tent, and colby trying to rest his eyes.

he originally laid near corey, between him and elias. he was resting on the end of his sleeping bag, feeling exhausted with the night so far. after another bug was squashed, they placed the camera back in the center of everyone.

elias was the closest to the camera, slightly out of frame, colby close by, corey leaning to the front, jake beside him, and sam on the other side also out of frame. “who keeps farting?” colby asked jokingly annoyed.

“yo what is that smell bro.” colby started cringing, holding his nose, causing everyone to laugh, corey the most.

“who farted dude?” jake commented about the smell looking towards sam.

“i don’t smell anything.” he shrugged carelessly, elias agreeing with him.

“yeah cause it was you!” 

“someone ripped ass, and it was me two minutes ago.” corey revealed, laughing like a madman. 

“my face was right by your asshole!” colby shouted, making a disgusted face to the camera before slowly shuffling away from the guy, and closer to elias. he dramatically collapsed onto elias’ leg and begged him not to do the same.

colby found his leg oddly comfortable, holding onto it like a pillow. he didn’t want to get too over the top and make elias uncomfortable, so tried to stay away from the boys lap.

then, it was back to jake putting shrek up to the camera, pretending to ring an imaginary doorbell. 

“look guys, stop recording if we’re actually going to fuck.” corey pulled his sleeping bag over his face.

“yeah i don’t wanna be on camera.” elias said, holding his hands up, making everyone snicker. it was kind of awesome how they could go from complete strangers, thinking eachother was creepy, to then making jokes like this.

speaking of jokes, everyone made comments about colby and how he was sleeping all cuddly on the other, and god was it unbearable. 

it was awkward, and uncomfortable but oddly enough, the friendly teasing felt better then being alone, so he dealt with it, and listened to corey’s little story about the boys and the shadowman. 

suddenly, noises started getting louder. exhales, footsteps, bangings. corey felt uncomfortable, and kept demanding to leave the tent. everyone paused, trying to listen to the surrounding sounds, sam hearing a car, and elias hearing thuds. 

“yo, should we just try to go to sleep?” colby asked, genuinely really tired.

“uh, no.” corey answered like it was obvious

elias felt the need to interrupt. “listen, the noises are obviously scary and whatever, but you need to understand that you guys are overthinking. think back to the tarot cards. you are scaring yourselves.” he tried to explain, as a way to calm them down.

it definitely didn’t work, corey hearing another exhale, and telling everyone to get out of the tent as a safety precaution. 

eventually everyone began to rush out of the tent, into darkness, sam screaming for someone to get a light. elias put on his glasses, and grabbed a flashlight, pointing it around the camp.

he heard rustling coming from a near bush and started walking up to it, he peeked around trying to find what the noise could’ve been. “elias, hurry up!” sam called, as everyone began running to the car. 

he caught up to them, not caring anymore and jumping in the back with jake and corey. “holy fuck.” he exhaled. “where are we going?”

“jennifer’s cabin.” corey replied, nodding at the idea.

sam’s phone started to ring as colby was driving on a tight road. “yo, yo, look!” he answered the call, everyone hearing absolute gibberish. it was random noises, deep exhales and other strange noises.

“that sounds like someone fucking with us.” colby stated, as sam talked about telling all his friends he was coming here.

“holy shit, i don’t think it’s someone pranking you guys.” elias stared, wide eyed at his phone before holding it up so everyone could see. 

“fuck.” jake muttered. “answer! answer!”

elias answered the call, putting it on speaker phone. the sounds coming from his call was much different from sam’s. these, sounded like chants, as if a huge group of people were shouting into the phone, cursing the boy. “guys, what the fuck is this.” he had experienced everything, but never has he gotten no caller id calls, with scary ass chants. “are you fucking with me right now?” he asked the group, tears welling in his eyes.

“no! no! of course not!” colby assured him. “we don’t do shit like that.”

he pulled into the driveway of jennifer’s cabin, immediately opening the doors and seeing the pouring rain. at the door, jake started shaking the water off of him, complaining about being wet.

quickly, elias could see sam was struggling. he was digging through his bag trying to find the key. he was beginning to panic, and everyone was starting to realize. 

“wait you don’t have the key?” corey questioned, getting nervous. “sam.” he sighed.

“was it in your pockets or the backpack?” colby asked.

“when do you remember last having it?” jake watched as sam patted his pockets.

“n-no i had it today, i showed the girl that jennifer gave me the key.” he defended. “here, just check the car, i swear, i have it.” 

“really try to remember, did you put it in your bag or your pockets?” colby kept pushing.

sam frantically looked around the car as the others judged him, complaining and blaming him for losing the key. “hey honestly sam, don’t worry about it, it’s just a mistake.” elias tried to reassure him everything was fine, only for corey to say something.

“i thought.. it’s either here or in the backpack.. unless is it in our bags? should we check the trunk?” everyone was freaking out, and elias stood there awkwardly watching. he felt bad for sam.. he could feel the sadness and guilt dripping off of him.

“we need this key. we can’t get in. dude jennifer trusted us with this key, you can’t-”

“is this the only key?” “sam, are you fucking serious, dude. i’m not trying to be rude, but first you lowkey lost colby, and now you don’t have the key. i’m just saying, this is why i don’t like doing this type of shit.” corey raised his voice. 

jake and corey agreed they didn’t want to go back to the tent, as colby kept filming. elias took a breath before saying excuse me and pulling sam to the side. 

sam looked confused, but his guilt was overtaking it. “what?” he looked at the other, wondering why he dragged him a few feet away. 

“dude, don’t listen to them, losing the key, like i said is a simple mistake, any of them could have done it, they’re not upset at you, they’re just upset at the cirumstances. but you’re forgetting i have a place just a few minutes away.” elias tried calming him down, seeing tears well in his eyes. he could tell sam wasn’t one that could deal with being yelled at.

“it’s not anything big, it’s a two bedroom with a pull out couch.” elias shrugged. “please just accept my offer, alright?” sam nodded, wiping any sort of water away from his eyes.

“thank you elias, really.” sam suddenly grabbed onto him, giving him a side hug. 

“no worries.” he smiled, leading him back to the car, before they explained the plan to the others. everyone could see the disappointment in sam’s eyes, as he sat quiet in the passenger seat. 

jake whispered to elias, about what happened out there, him shaking it off as to say it was private. he guides colby down the different roads, and in a few minutes they were outside his cabin. 

“here we are!” he welcomes them inside, turning all the lights on.

“shit this is nice.” corey nodded, jumping onto the couch. 

“woah woah, take your dirty ass boots off.” elias joked, watching as he threw them off in the direction of the door.

“thank you so much for having us here.” sam smiled, setting his bag down. 

“really, don’t worry about it, i’m glad you’re here and not outside.” elias took their stuff and organized it by the doors. “okay so, there’s two bedrooms, you guys can take those if you want, i don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”

“hell no.” colby laughed, refusing to have him give up his own room in his own house.

“mkay whatever, someone can sleep in my room with me i guess, because trust me the couch is very uncomfortable to sleep on. plus the rooms are much safer. the living room is the scariest, you’ll hear the most shit out here.” he chuckled. “you guys can look around if you want, also feel free to eat anything you find, and use the wifi, passwords on the fridge.” he yawned. “i’m going the fuck to bed.” 

the guys chuckled, taking him up on that offer. 

for over half an hour, they decided to eat some of the snacks in his fridge, and taking crackers from the pantry. “god i was so hungry.” jake moaned into the leftover burger he was eating.

“okay guys, take it easy, we aren’t trying to raid their food.” colby snickered, watching as his friends ate like hungry rats. 

“yeah good point.” sam took a handful of crackers and put the box back. “should we talk about sleeping arrangements?”

“there’s no fucking way i’m sleeping on the couch or anywhere in the living room after what he said.” corey stated, heading into the direction of the guest bedroom. 

“yeahh, me neither.” jake followed after him.

“so.” colby shrugged. “do you care where you’re sleeping tonight?”

“not really, i’ve gotten to know elias pretty well so it doesn’t really matter to me.” the brunette squints at him. 

“what did you guy’s talk about?” he questions. 

“honestly, when he pulled me aside i was shocked. he like saw how overstimulated i was with the whole situation and he completely calmed me down, comforted me and everything.” he threw his arms as he was talking.

“yeah, i’m sorry about that, we were all just frustrated about the key.”

“don’t worry about it.” sam smiled. “are you and elias getting close? you were like all over him, sleeping back at the tent.” he was genuinely curious, considering he hasn’t seen his friend like this in awhile.

colby paused, thinking about everything that’s happened tonight. “honestly... i don’t know, it’s been really weird for me. i’m so confused with what im feeling.” he shook his head, so unsure.

“hm, i’ll go sleep with corey and jake.” they both nodded to that. “goodnight colby!” sam called out, walking in the same direction as the others did.

colby slowly approached elias’ room, pushing open the door gently. both bedside table lights were on, followed by a few candles around the room. he could see that the other boy was still awake. “oh hey.” he put down his book.

“hey elias. thought you were going to bed?”

“i was, heard some loud munchers in my kitchen though.” he giggled, as colby apologized. “no, honestly it’s okay, i was actually surprised how fast you guys decided to come to bed.”

elias yawned once more, stretching his arms out on the bed. “i can either sleep on the floor, make a little bed and shit, or if you’re cool i’ll just stay on the right of the bed.”

“literally don’t worry about it, not the first time i’m sleeping with a dude-” he paused, cutting himself off. “god that sounded bad.” he laughed, blushing with embarrassment. 

“wouldn’t be my first time either.” elias smirked, blowing a fake kiss before wheezing at their dumb jokes. 

colby moved closer, setting his personal backpack down and folding his jacket on the table. he shuffled towards the bed, and sat ontop of it. “i have no idea if i’m going to sleep tonight.” he sighed.

“that’s fair. it’s crazy out here. if you want we can just stay up and talk for awhile?”

“actually.. that would be nice.” colby rubbed the back of his neck. in was silent for a few seconds, him getting comfortable under the covers. “so..”

“how did you like the witches forest? scary enough for you guys?” the other asked, trying to start a good conversation.

“oh definitely one of the scariest places we’ve been to, like with the history of it and everything.”

“what other places have you been to?”

“uhh the stanley hotel, the biltmore, queen mary, cobb estate, griffin park, and we’ve explored so many creepy places, like morgues and abandoned hospitals.” colby explained.

“geez, no wonder you guys are haunted.” he laughs. 

“do you think we are? we joke about it but im genuinely curious if we are.”

elias thinks for a minute. “i don’t think you’re haunted. however, i can sense something with you. with you and corey. whatever is following you, is completely different then what is attached to corey. notice the different in words.” he points out. “i think you have gotten yourself into many negative situations, not just paranormal.” “would you consider yourself lonely, or sad?”

colby exhaled shakily. “yes, sometimes.”

“spirits love following people that are lonely, they find them to be like easy prey, vulnerable.” he emphasizes the last word. elias closes his eyes, really focusing on colby’s presence. “i think the spirit that is with you is also lonely. they are following along with you, because you are feeding into it, giving it attention. and that’s fine, but if you don’t want it with you, you have to make it clear.”

“is it friendly?” he asked.

“yes. it’s friendly. i can’t tell you where you picked this spirit up, but it’s positive, and enjoys your company. it will not hurt you-” he stops, feeling something float by him. “it will not hurt you, it doesn’t want to, that’s not it’s intent. infact, it wants to protect you. noises you might hear, when you go to a haunted area, it very well could be this spirit trying to assert dominance with other ones.”

“holy.” colby tried to calm his breathing. “this is crazy. as long as it’s friendly, then i welcome it.” “so, do you think corey’s ghost is like bad?”

“i wouldn’t say bad, but when i was sitting near him earlier, it isn’t as friendly as yours. it likes the fear that comes with scaring him, i’d even go as far as, it wants to scare him more, it wants to up it. and with that spirit challenging him, i am nervous for his health both physically and mentally.”

“jesus, i have to tell him that in the morning, he’ll probably freak.” he sighed. “it’s so cool how you can like sense this stuff, does it ever get overwhelming?”

“allll the time.” elias chuckles. “sometimes i can just be in a library back in la, and i’ll feel like some version of spirits and like all these weird emotions, and i have to leave.”

“wow i’m sorry that comes with such an amazing gift.”

“it’s okay, i feel at peace with it now. i think my brothers with me, helping me deal with it all. i think he realizes how alone i am, and has decided to follow me.” he laughs at himself. “sorry, sorry, let’s talk about something more fun.”

colby laughed along. “so do you have a girlfriend?” he wondered, making elias pause and blush lightly.

“no, i’m single.” “goes along with the loneliness, if you feel me.” he chuckled. “you?”

“same, it’s hard to date now that sam and i’s channel has blown up. a lot of people have tried to use me for like clout and stuff.” the other frowned at that, apologizing for his past experiences. “no, no it’s okay, i just hope i’ll find someone soon, i do feel you, it gets so lonely.” he fake cries.

elias sips his glass of wine, offering some to colby. “i’m a vodka and rum kinda guy.” 

and soon enough, the boys were drinking, gossiping to each other about absolutely everything. colby was a very talkative drunk it seemed. he was blabbing about his friends, girls, ghosts, anything. “so like, are you gay?” he asked.

elias spat out his wine back into the glass before turning to colby. “uh wow..” he rubbed the back of his neck. “where did that come from?”

“i-i don’t know.” colby admitted, trying to hide himself with the blanket. he really didn’t know why he asked, his weird confused feelings mixed with being drunk just made him ask, he was so curious.

“i’m bisexual.. how’d you know i was into men?” 

“i.. i didn’t.” colby mumbled into the blanket. he felt himself shaking, so nervous and anxious. he took a deep breath and exhaled aggressively before jolting up and looking right at elias. “i didn’t know you liked men but i think i do.” he rushed it out. 

“i’ve never felt anything for a guy before so i’m pretty freaked out right now and-d confused but i think i like you.” he rubs his eyes, embarrassed and uh pretty drunk.

“wait really?” he paused for a moment. ‘holy shit’ he thought. he never would have expected this, he just thought colby loved being physical with his friends from all the touches earlier in the night.

seeing that his confusing feelings were being reciprocated, it made elias the happiest he’s been in awhile. “dude, i feel the same way.”

colby stopped, completely still. both boys were completely shocked at each others confessions. 

“like i feel like i’ve known you for awhile.” elias commented.

“same.” he tried to think of what to say next, where to go from here. 

“hey.” the other touched his arm. “don’t get too nervous about this whole situation, we have plenty of time to get to know eachother, plenty of time for you to figure out everything you’re going through.” “don’t feel pressured into anything.”

colby thought for a few minutes. “thank you, i appreciate it.” “it’s.. it’s so weird feeling like this. ever since i was younger i’ve been so convinced that i’m straight, and now i’m getting all these feelings for you and it’s honestly making me scared. what if i do like you? does that mean i have to come out? tell my friends, family and viewers? what if i don’t and this is just a mistake?”

“you can.. or we can figure it out one step at a time.” elias smiled. “and by the way, never feel pressured to come out, it’s a personal and heavy thing to do.”

he shivered, tears threatening to spill. it was such a vulnerable moment for him. elias reached out to the boy, offering a hug. 

they shared a tight hug, elias rubbing his back out of comfort. 

their moment was interrupted by an incredibly loud bang, and three loud screams from the guys in the other room. “colby!” one of them shouted.

they pulled apart from their hug, just as the three barged into their room. “did you fucking hear that, bro?!” sam questioned, before looking at the people in front of him. he acknowledged how close they were, the slight tears in colby’s eyes,how intimate the room lighting was, the wine, the white rum.. 

oh fuck, they just interrupted a moment. 

the other two didn’t notice, too scared of the noises they’ve been hearing all night. “that was the loudest one yet!” jake announced. 

“i’m not going back in there.” corey whined.

“we’ve been hearing shit over there, what about you?” sam asked, before mouthing a sorry to the two sitting in bed. elias smiled at the gesture, before trying to wipe off his smirk.

“nope.” colby shook his head, his eyes less red then a few minutes ago.

“it’s safer in here.” corey stated, setting down the pillow he brought from the other room, and curling into a ball onto the floor, making elias laugh.

“are we having a sleepover?” he asked.

“oh, fucking totally.” jake snickered, running back to the other room and grabbing every blanket and pillow he could.

sam made a gesture with his finger, calling over colby. he noticed and walked to the bathroom with him. 

“uh, hey, sorry about that, we didn’t mean to interrupt you guys.”

“interrupt? you uh didn’t interrupt anything we were just talking.”

sam made a face, before nodding. it was his business, so when he wanted to tell him, he would, so he left it alone. “alright.. you ready for this sleepover?” he smiled.

“fuckkk yeahh.”

it had been over an hour, everyone was dead asleep, corey snoring. elias was the only one awake, he was too in thought to sleep. he watched over colby, who was laying right infront of him on the floor with the rest of the guys. they were each laying on both bed mattresses, covered in blankets, basically in a line.

he had been debating to put an arm around colby, but.. if they woke up like that he could expose colby to the rest of his friends, or atleast cause him to get teased. 

after a bit, he decided to shuffle his left arm under colby, so it was less noticeable. he held the boy, smiling, before finally falling asleep.

he didn’t know this, but colby was awake the entire time, smiling, wondering what the frick he was gonna do about this goofy medium he found himself possibly falling in love with...

[ex-foster]

Foster kids being exclusively used as rhetoric in the abortion debate is a problem. We face discrimination due to this mindset.

I want to tell you a story about me trying to find resources after I aged out of foster care. This was during the covid pandemic where businesses were closing and times were uncertain. I went from working full time hours to suddenly only working 3 or 4 hours per week. I got nervous about my income and started planning for the worse (What if I can't make rent? What if I get evicted? What's going to happen to me?). So I called 211 to ask about possible emergency housing.

I spoke to a man who informed me that since the pandemic their shelters have been at 100% capacity. This was due to several factors including health regulations which required beds to be spaced further apart, which limited their capacity. Also when lockdowns and social distancing were enforced, there was a rise in substance abuse. People turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of loneliness and anxiety during uncertain times. For some people this meant their addictions lead to job loss and they required emergency shelter.

I explained to the guy that my social worker told me that most foster kids end up homeless and he replied "yeah that's why I'm pro-choice". I was so taken aback by his reply that I said some very vulgar words and then hung up. He attempted to call me back and apologize. He said his coworker was also a former foster kid and they talked about our conversation but the damage was done. They lost my trust. How did it make any sense to make a comment like that? You are pro-choice because maybe decades after an unplanned pregnancy a global pandemic might cause homeless shelters to be overwhelmed?

Some people say the silent part out loud and say that the solution to foster care is us just not existing to begin with. Then there are others that discriminate against us because they have this mindset that foster kids are somehow different than other people.

On a separate occasion where I called 211 I again inquired about services available to former foster kids who aged out of care. The person on the other end wasn't able to think of any services that might be helpful for someone in that situation except for one program specifically for former foster youth between the ages of 18-21. I asked if there was anything besides that and he said "no, nothing". It's almost like these people forget that we are regular citizens that can also access the same services as other people that are not exclusive to former foster youth (for example a youth employment center). 211 is not trained on former foster youth.

Keep in mind that 211 services acknowledge other demographics like LGBT, disabilities, elderly, indigenous people, and immigrants/newcomers. You can google what services your 211 offers in your area and see for yourself. Now tell me why there isn't a category for former foster youth?

I see more resources for LGBT than for former foster kids. Why is there dedicated LGBT community groups and social clubs but nothing for former foster youth? Many former foster youth are lonely during the holidays but you're telling me there's "nothing" for them if they call 211? There are LGBT summer camps. There are LGBT mentoring programs. Our tax dollars go towards LGBT flags being painted on our crosswalks or printed on pins handed out by our libraries and schools. So you're telling me that foster kids should be aborted but "protect trans kids ✊🏻🏳️‍⚧️!"

You progressives are completely cherry picking who matters and who does not. You absolutely could put effort into activism for former foster youth but you choose not to. You see us as nothing more than political pawns for abortion and that's it. So I don't ever want to hear you hypocrites saying that Conservative pro-lifers "don't care about foster kids" because I see zero evidence that liberal pro-choicers care.

So before you open your mouth and try to use us as pawns in the abortion debate why don't you try to make our community more inclusive to FFY?