#he's a squid here but i'll tag both

[golby-moon]

uh oh I did a thing and I'm finally posting it like I promised to do uhh like a week ago oops

*magical distraction in the form of giant squid!Cas being grumpy over getting called a sea monster and his pirate boyfriend thinking his grumpy face is cute*

y'know like you do. what better way to celebrate the start of Spooky Season than with fanart for a fic I accidentally maybe contributed to the existence of

this brush is weird to draw details with but the backgrounds look pretty good and I had a vision. turned out okay I think, though the expressions are a little weird. I did originally have Cas' skin in the second one the same dark blue his squid form's base is but it was way too dark to see where the hair was, let alone any smaller details, so I lightened it. their hair is weird because it's supposed to look wet but...doesn't uh. I say weird too much

update thing but I remembered I wanted to share the backgrounds as well so here they are. they look decent enough I think

the fic this is made for is called "Monsters Of The Deep" by @lazarus-rose

(10/01/23)

[filthygalli]

When I Met You: Chapter 3 "Iced Americano"

Fem!Reader x Neighbor! Hwang In-Ho

Main Master list

Squid Game Master list

Genre/Tags: Grumpy x Sunshine, Light smut, Fluff, Angst, Slow burn, Age gap (Reader is in her early 30’s, While In-Ho is in his late 40’s.) Rude In-Ho (but will eventually be soft with the reader Soon!) Literature Professor! In-Ho (Not specified what kind of literature) More Tags to come soon!

Warnings: MDNI!Masturbation, Cursing, A little cliffhanger for the pt.2 (Coming this week also), Short chapter (ik, sorry), Reader thinking that In-Ho is not just a Literature Professor, Not proof read.

Word Count: 1142

Author's Note: This chapter is quite short, I have my whole idea for the chapter 4, I'll 'tease' you guys a bit here, but I feel like it's some terrible writing? Anyways let me know what you think, and thank you so much for y'all's support! 🥹🖤

© Pictures that are used are from Pinterest.

You knocked on In-Ho's door to pick up Yu-Jin so In-Ho wouldn't bother to drop Yu-Jin at your house. You knocked patiently, hearing the doorknob twist as the door swung open, his gaze turning soft when he saw you, “Y/n? ” You smiled. “Good morning, In-Ho, I'm here to pick up Yu-Jin. So you won't take your time dropping him off at my house.” You looked up at him, scanning his reaction. Was he expecting you to come early this morning? To be honest, he got caught off guard; he thought you were some random person who wanted to ruin his morning, but it turns out it's a person who always makes his morning perfect. He paused for a moment before answering, scanning your eyes carefully, “Good morning to you too, Y/n.” He gave you a slight smile, which made you sigh in relief a little, ‘He's not in a bad mood,’ you thought, “Are you going to take him for a walk? ” He asked, leaning on the door frame, your breath hitched a little, “I—yeah—I was thinking of grabbing a coffee on the way there too…” In-Ho noticed your reaction to what he just did; he smirked a little, not too obvious for you to notice, “Hmm, I see…” You both looked at each other, “You know what…” He paused for a moment to rethink his thought, “What is it? ” You slightly tilted your head, curious about what he was going to say. “I’ll drive you and Yu-Jin to the coffee shop near the campus, We can both grab a coffee there before I go to work,” He looked at you for a moment before smiling, “It’s the least I could do.” He added, You admired his smile, the smile that you’ve never seen before, Maybe Yu-Jin sees it everytime, But you don’t, well, you do now, and his smile is one of the gorgeous smiles you’ve ever seen, “Y/n?” He said snapping you back to reality, You chuckled awkwardly as you nodded, “I’d love that.” You smiled up at him brightly, He opened the door just enough for you to get in, He leaned in a little as he said “Wait inside.” as if he’s telling you a secret that not even anyone else should hear. You went inside his home immediately greeted by Yu-Jin who lays down on his back asking for belly rubs. You chuckled in excitement as you crouched down to rub Yu-Jin’s belly. “He likes you too much,” He said looking down at you, “Hmm?” You looked up at him giving him a puppy eyes looks, ‘Fuck,’ he thought as he looks away for a moment before saying, “It’s nothing, make yourself comfortable, Y/n.” he said before going upstairs, You nodded as you picked up Yu-Jin bringing him on In-Ho’s leather chair. “Did you miss me, Yu-Jin?” You asked the cat who’s sitting on the arm of the leather chair, The cat meowed, “I missed you too–!” You chuckled, “I missed him too…” You muttered as you thought of In-Ho. You started to think of In-Ho, You thought of what’s his favorite food, Book, Movies? Does he even listen to songs? If yes, What kind and what’s his favorite songs? You thought of the things that what might Thee Hwang In-Ho like, You don’t really know him that well, You just know that he’s a literature professor, He owns a cat which is Yu-Jin, That he’s a stubborn and grumpy person, ‘Oh–he also likes black coffee’ you muttered to yourself, ‘Hmm..well he smells like one though..’ You chuckled to yourself remembering the time where you first met Yu-Jin and your second encounter with In-Ho. He smelled like a black coffee. He seems like an elegant person based on how he looks and style himself, the way his house looks so simple yet it screams ‘Old money’ type of thing–And let’s not forget his car, That Black Mercedes, God–Is he really a literature professor or a mafia? Because no one would buy such an expensive car by just teaching, ‘Maybe he has other work?’ You thought, ‘’What would it be though…?’’ You said to yourself as you chuckled to yourself for thinking such things.

In-Ho went to his room as he closed the door behind him. He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. He can’t take it anymore. The way you looked at him with that pouty look of yours sends him over the edge. You’ve been inside his head for a while—how calm and angelic your voice sounds, how soft your skin, how light your touches are, how you look so innocent and dumb when you’re with him… He wants you badly. He spent so many sleepless nights thinking about you, about your every encounter with him, how he purposely does things that he would think would make you go crazy, and he’s right. He feels his cock getting hard by the thoughts of you, He can’t do this right now, Not when you’re just down stairs, “Fuck, Not now In-Ho..” he growled, His body betrayed him, he groans at the feeling of his aching cock throbbing inside his pants, “Fuck.” He muttered as he unzipped his pants and pulls out his cock, Pre-cum beaded on the tip of his cock, he spat on his palm and used it as a lube to palm his aching cock, He groans from the feeling, he started to pump his cock up and down, God he wish that you’re the one who’s doing this to him, He started to sped up his pace, “Ah- fu-” He moaned as he thinks about you, How perfect your body is, How soft your voice is, god knows how will you sound like if he fucks you on his leather chair, Back pressed against his bare chest as he whisper sweet nothings to your ears, He bets to himself that your soft lips would look good wrapped around his cock, He feels himself getting closer his hands are getting tired–He wants to cum badly, wanting to release his cum that he’s been keeping for days since he thought of you, “Fuck–Y/n–!” He bit his lip, not wanting you to hear his moans, his moans that were dedicated to you. He came as he groaned from the feeling, the feeling of releasing days of tension between him and you; he whimpered as he pumped the last drop of his cum. As cum drips from his hand, staining his black pants, he pants as he groans in annoyance. He feels disgusted by what he just did. Jerking himself by the thought of you, he just wishes that you didn’t hear him moaning your name like a broken record as he chased his high a while ago. It’ll be a long day for him, and well for you too.

Author's Note:

Happy 200 followers!!! Thank you so much for the support🥹 I made this account I think 2 years ago if I'm not mistaken—i just wanted to read fan fictions to try it, eventually, writing caught my interest because I got so inspired by other writers to write my own depending on my own imagination, and I'm glad I started writing because writing is one of my gifts nowwww! Thank you so much everyone!🥹🖤

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Taglist:

@sebbymybaby21 @sylviavf @maria-trisha

@badasoneandonly @jspidey5 @angela075905 @totowolfffcheco

@k1ra-park3r @rosegracewood09 @onyxmango @macnbriee @annasnape7

@reader101988888 @bridge-always

@gloriousjellyfisharcade

[lieutenantbatshit]

squid game masterlist ~

hello and welcome to my masterlist! this started as a lee byung hun masterlist but now, i'll be updating it as a Squid Game AU masterlist to cater everyones requests (and my delusions <3)

feel free to browse and read my au's, and if you have any requests please feel free to do so! <3

REQUEST HERE

ONE SHOTS & REQUESTS ||

your favorite crime. (hwang in-ho x reader) +

Tags: angst, on-off relationships, age gap, violence

Given the age gap, you and In-ho had a lot of differences but one thing's for sure - you love each other so much it's destroying the both of you. As the relationship progresses, the fights progresses as well. In your last fight, you break up with In-ho. After two months of no contact, you and In-ho meet again in a local bar. But, he's with someone else this time.

my kind of distraction. (hwang in-ho x reader) +

Tags: university!au, inho x reader, enemies to lovers, young in-ho, fluff

You first meet In-ho at a convenience store, unbeknownst to you that he was also part of the police academy you were training for. On your first day of training, you meet In-ho again and think of him as someone who's arrogant during trainings, as he would criticize you whenever you were partnered with him. Over time, you found yourself looking forward to your trainings together. And when you successfully anticipated his next move, for the first time in a while, he smiled.

what if...? (squid game AU) +

A collection of what-if situations in the Squid Game series.

A Familiar Stranger

After the Red Light, Green Light game, the players vote to continue or leave the games with their own shares. In-ho votes for X this time, and the players are all sent home. Gi-hun goes back to the outside world and finds In-ho in a convenience store, but he knows him as Young-il.

SERIES ||

once you go in, there's no turning back. (hwang in-ho x reader) +

Tags: angst, smut, reader and in-ho are childhood friends, non-canon birthdays (jun-ho is older than he is in the show), violence, mentions of blood, guns, reader doesn't remember in-ho's face, lovers to angst, angst to lovers, toxic relationship, major character deaths, alcoholic!reader, smoker!reader, sunshine to darkness

What if it was you who approached the salesman instead to play ddakji, unaware of the games? You weren't in debt - money was never a problem to you, actually.

Then, in the games, you see Hwang In-ho again, your childhood best friend. Only this time, he was different.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Epilogue

Available on Wattpad and A03.

just another player. (hwang in-ho x reader) +

Tags: slow burn, blood and violence, in-ho as player 132, in-ho's transition as the frontman, reader is a pink guard, smut

Hwang In-ho, known only as Player 132, bleeds out during the brutal chaos of lights out. Amidst the darkness and death, you, a masked pink guard, are the unexpected savior. He survives, but his memory of you remains a haze, a fleeting image that haunts him. As the years pass, In-ho ascends to become the Front Man, and his mind becomes consumed with one question: was it really you who saved him? Now, with the power to search through the system, he’s determined to find the truth and discover who you were — and if you still exist in this hellish game.

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Available on Wattpad and A03.

----

REQUEST HERE

[un-unavoidableanxiousball]

My Unlucky Creator's Masterlist

This creator blogs have disappeared unexpectedly multiple times; they went by (I might've forgotten some): @sublimecandycrown, @yourssangwoo,

Their works (my reblogs for now):

Sorry, just reflex (Salesman x Reader)

"...I wanna see Reader and Salesman playing ddakji (maybe a regular game night) and at some point Salesman forgets himself or sth and slaps Reader on reflex. Then tries to make it up to Reader. Wheather Reader knows about the fact he's a recruiter I'll let you decide." [sth along the way] Warnings: Slight mentions of violence, tons of grammatical errors and sentences which cannot be deciphered.

My love language (Hwang In-ho x Reader)

"...What kind of language would our Squid Game men have? Also I want two scenarios - one where Reader has the same way of expressing love, and second where Reader has a different way."

Psycho and Pathetjc (Salesman x Reader)

"...Just wondering ur thoughts on a reader that is also as psychopath as the salesman"

Boldness (Cho Sang-woo x Reader)

"I want Reader to be the bold and very forward one, maybe even shamelessly flirty. First to ask him out on a date, (maybe Reader gives him flowers to impress ;) as men rarely get flowers); first to kiss and say "I love you"; I want that sweet progression of reader's relationship."

But I love you from within (Salesman x Reader)

"...the request was that Gong yoo and we are co-workers and we usually are annoyed by each other's presence, indicating each other that we are enemies but actually, deep inside we love each other." Warnings: Bad editing and tons of errors making you forget the existence of English Language, grinding, cumming, harsh words, pooling.

Jealous Headcanon of Cho Sang-woo

As it says — Prologue, Extended

Dream Catchers (Hwang In-ho x Reader x Salesman)

My request: "I ask that you write inho x reader x salesman (yes a throuple) both of them comforting reader after a nightmare."

A sneek-peek prologue that I don't know the name of ([and don't know what ship or fandom it is] Berlin x Reader, Jung-ho x Reader)

If this had a continuation I wasn't quick enough to reblog - that's what happens when I don't spend 24/7 on here.

If anyone reblogged other works of theirs let me know, because it's not everything.

Really. Let me know if you have other works of theirs (put @un-unavoidableanxiousball in comments and I'll see it), I'll put them in here as well...

or tag your reblog with #Beloved SG masterlist

This is another creator @yoursbeomjun-deactivated2025050 — There wasn't a confirmation it's the same person, instead I got: "Lets be honest here..l made this blog as a tribute to @yourssangwoo and l am happy a past follower of the mentioned account is getting the same vibe as the previous."

I got a feeling something similar would happen as to the person above. So I was prepared... (who can tell I didn't really read them??)

Their works (also my reblogs):

Pocky is so Cocky (Hwang Jun-ho x f!Reader)

My request: "can I request some sweet fluff with Hwang Jun-ho (squid game) having some pocky fun with reader?"

All Patched Up (Berlin x f!Reader)

Smut

Closer to him, why? (Kim Shin x f!Reader)

"...You are friends with Kim Shin and the Grimreaper and are also quite close with the GrimReaper because you can talk openly with him about your crush (Kim Shin). But the goblin doesn't know that you're talking about him and gets jealous because you're a little too close, talking too much, and so on 🙂‍↕️ Would it be possible to turn that into smut? For example, he takes you away from the grimreaper, pushes you against a wall in his room, and then you realize he was and still is jealous, so you tease him, and he tries to somehow reject it. And finally, soft smut, but also a bit possessive by admitting his feelings, leaving marks that the grimreaper will able to see and so on...." Jealousy, soft smut

My Beloved (Kim Beom Jun x Reader)

Smut

Disobedience (Berlin x f!Reader)

Smut "Hi, could you make one about berlin where we are younger than him and we take part in the robbery... smut plss (agegap, little rough)"

Behind her (Seong Gi-hun x f!Reader)

Something here had supposed to gain a part 2, however obviously they got deactivated. That's some incredible bad luck.

They were doing 3 of my requests. Three!

Kudos to @firefly-graphics for these dividers <3

[lullabysbride]

Okay i have like... a shit tone of question your au- so prepare yourself !

1 : about the other ancients, legendaries, the beasts, the most important cookies (like the minions : nutmeg tiger, caramel arrow), the faeries (elder faery and co), the rest of the cookies of darkness (specially Matcha ! She dark enchantress daughter) and the bravegang (ginger brave and co) ?

2 : is dark enchantress going to become white lily again, or will it be like og canon and tvey will both be alive, or is white lily like... truly dead

3 : also, what happened to white lily ?

4 : and can we draw the cookies characters for your au or do you wanna do everything...?

That's all I'm going to ask, for now ^^"

Soul Eater AU 🍰🍴

Hi hi! Oh my, this is going to be a long one! I hope this answers anything, if you need any clarification please just send me another ask and I'll happily answer 🤍

1 : All the ancients are currently teachers at the DWMA. PV is the homeroom teacher of our main group (RV, Lico, Pastry, Parfait, Aloe, Cy etc.)

There are only two beasts, who are witches and our main antagonists- Shadow Milk and Silent Salt. I don't have plans to add the other three. The faeries are exchange students and Elder Faerie is currently travelling.

All the legendaries are 3rd year students - except Millennial Tree, who is Lord Death in this AU. Reference Here

Most important epic cookies would be DWMA students unless stated otherwise.

- The Beast minions are not students and are either witches themselves or affiliated with witches and therefore are in hiding in Witch Town.. or trying to sneak into the academy 🐍

For the COD, almost all of them are living in the large house of DE as foster children. Matcha is DE only blood child and RV is the only adopted one.

Currently RV, Lico, Pomegranate, Affogato and Matcha all live together in the DE Mansion. Dark Choco only stays there during the school semester and for holidays he goes and lives with his Dad and younger siblings Carrow and Chip. 

- Bravegang does not exist currently (as does any of the child cookies like Crepe, Sorbet, Squid Ink, Peppermint, Poison Mushroom etc). They only exist in the future timeline where our main protags have already graduated and settled into their adult lives. I will make art for this at a later date

2 and 3. I've explained what happened to DE in a previous post! But TLDR, an accident occurred many years ago and WL got transformed into a witch. DEs Soul is split into two, WL still technically exists but only in the Soul Dimension and can only be accessed by resonating with DE.

4. Yes absolutely! I'd love to see anyone's drawings of my au and your additions. All I ask is that you tag and credit me and be mindful of what I've already created as canon, ik there's a lot to keep track but I'm open to head canons so just make a note on Ur post/submission (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

[ooihcnoiwlerh]

Find The Word

How it works: I search for the words previously assigned to me in my latest WIPs and then choose four words for you to search for in your WIPs.

I was tagged by both the wonderful @psycheetamore and the wonderful @peggyao3 for this. For the first I was tagged with the words sculpted, strong, delicious, and covet. For the second it was here, good, stop, and flow. I sadly don't have all of the words in my WIPs but I'll contribute with the ones I have!

GOOD:

Again he rolls his hips, keeping your head in place with both hands, pushing into your mouth as deep as he’s ever gone.

“What a good, obedient come-slut,” he says as he fucks your mouth.  “Getting better at this each time we do it.”

If he had pubic hair, your nose would nearly brush it.  He never chokes you; probably knows better than to try and cut off your airflow, given your current condition.  Still, you gasp for air when he tugs you off of him, your chest heaving.  

“That's it,” he says.  “Now turn around, sweet thing.”

STOP:

She starts fiddling with the latches on his boot.

“Stop,” he says sharply.

Sanna looks up immediately, eyes huge as she drops her hands.

“Don’t do that,” he says, irritation fading as immediately as it flared up.

Sometimes, when she’s with the children, Y/N reacts with what seems like a visceral need to hug or gush over them as if she can’t quite help it.  

“Sometimes I just want to squeeze them, you know?” she said.

No? he thought.  “You mean...smother them?” he asked.  He doubted it, it’s just not in Y/N’s nature, especially not with the children or her new niece, but he asked all the same.

And he wasn’t surprised by the stricken look that passed over his wife’s face.  “Oh, no!  Never.  I mean, sometimes I’ll look at them, something they’re doing, even if they’re just sitting there, and just feel overwhelmed with this urge to hold them.”

“Alright,” he said, still not quite understanding the urgency of it.  Holding Dimitri when he was born had been awkward; he’d never held an infant before and despite the assurance that his form was correct he was still certain that he’d crush his son’s bones just keeping him in his arms.  It became easier, over time.  He didn’t have to relearn the process quite as fast when Sanna was born.

HERE:

“I hadn’t realized women were allowed to be doctors here,” you tell him.

“There aren’t many,” Feyd says.  “And they look after the wealthier women in the Fortress as midwives.  If anyone was to be poking at your cunt during my absence I’d only accept a woman to do it.”

SLOW(LY):

And he doesn’t; he doesn’t batter his way all the way down your gullet but he keeps his movements insistent, sometimes going so slowly that it seems like he’s testing you, seeing how long you can keep your mouth around him.

@psycheetamore I'm so sorry I don't think I have those words yet, astonishingly 😭 although I imagine I will. I still have a lot to write. Here's a passage though that contains words similar to "strong" and "sculpted" in an upcoming chapter from kid!Feyd's perspective:

The man who sits on top of it is huge, especially to seven-year-old Feyd, who’s been told that it’s impolite to stare but nearly does anyway.  He’s not huge in the way Father was huge, other than height.  This man has jowls where Father had had a wide, square jaw and he has a more-than generous belly under billowing robes where Father had been a solid wall of thick muscle.  This man is also completely hairless, like everyone else here.  Strangest of all are the black tubes that seem to be coming out of his back that remind him of a squid’s tentacles.

I am very bad and awkward at tagging, so I have four words and an open invitation to anyone who wants to participate. Those words are honest, fear, warm, and blade.

Also as you can guess there are all Feyd-Rautha-related for now.

[sketch-begginerr]

Intro post!!

Yay, I'm finally doing an intro post!! (Idk how to, but here we go!)

STRAWPAGE

Name: Ce (experimenting with Asher or Ryan tho)

Age: MINOR ‼️

Pronouns: he/they/it

Gender: transmasc ig

Sexuality: asexual biromantic (maybe arospec? idkk)

Languages: I speak English (non-native), Spanish (native) and Catalan (also native). I also know a bit of French. And I can always use Google translate

DNI: pedophiles, TERFS, homophobes, transphobes, sexists, racist, JK Rowling, etc. in summary: assholes(basic DNI tbh)

Music: Cavetown (yay!), Måneskin, girl in red, Artic Monkeys, Mad Tsai, Imagine Dragons, Mother Mother, Conan Gray, Will Wood (!), Alan Sutton, Soucy Sushi

Media I like: Gravity Falls (also yay!), the owl house, HH/HB, Dan Da Dan, FRIENDS, Haikyuu, Nimona, Smosh, The Simpsons, Beetlejuice, MARVEL, pjo/riodanverse in general, OHSHC, TADC, Squid Games, Sonic movies (triple yay), Naruto, MHA, metal family, pretty pretty please I don't wanna be a magical girl, Villanous, Good Omens (!!)

Fav color (super important): purple/blue

Random likes: musical theatre (especially Beetlejuice), art (as in drawing and painting), writing, Van Gogh, fiddauthor, stobotnik, stars ✭, rain, music (!), theater in general (I go to classes), languages, *tone indicators*, THIS type of emoticons :) :( :D, grunge style, creating OCs, SNAKES!!, space (both senses), my friends, shitpost, Iron Man, Spiderman, journaling, researching about random shit, quizzes online...

Random dislikes (if u like it, it's totally ok lol): fish, lots of people in a place, socializing irl, my Physics teacher (he's a bitch), billford (I'm sorry guysss), the color orange, my mum telling me to keep my hair long bc I look like a boy when I got it short (THATS THE POINT, MOM), loud noises (except it's music)...

Pronouns page: https://en.pronouns.page/@Ce36

Tags I'll maybe use if I remember: #ce yaps (for when I just say random things), #ce writes (for when I write something ✨creative✨) #ce draws (for when I... Well, draw) and #omgcehasanaskbox (for when I answer asks)

PLEASE USE TONE INDICATORS WHEN ITS NOT OBVIOUS 😭😭

Searching for people to be moots w/ bc I wanna have online friends so bad!! Feel free to DM me!! (When I say feel free it means that I'm pointing at you with a gun and you have no other option /j)

User boxes under the cut :P

[corvuserpens]

A Girl, An Ocean {A Black Sails fanfic} - Ch. 12

Fandom: Black Sails Rating: Teen and up audiences Warnings: Very light NSFW Characters: Billy Bones, James Flint, Hal Gates, protagonist OC, supporting OCs Relationships: Billy Bones/OC, Hal Gates/OC (paternal), Max/OC (friends), James Flint/OC (mentor) Additional tags: Original character-centric, first person POV, canon character x original character romance, self-discovery journey, kinda alternative prequel to canon, canon compliant, slow burn, mutual pining, friends to lovers, tooth-rotting sweetness, cute but also sexy, angst galore, found family, Hal Gates has two children now, canon typical violence Series: Part One of Six of A Girl, An Ocean Chapters: 12/13 Summary: Constance's first birthday as a pirate becomes the most memorable of all when the crew prepares a surprise party for her. The cherry on top of the cake: Billy's birthday present.

Author's note: At last, AT LAST................. 👀 I don't want to spoiler anything, I'll just say this chapter got me giggling like a teenager while writing it.

Chapter xii.

"Where are you people taking me?" I demanded.

They had ambushed me at the tavern while I was preparing to have dinner. My arse had scarcely sat for a full minute when I found myself surrounded, with no escape possible. I was alone, too, which was stupid of me. Perhaps too much hubris, thinking that being a part of the Walrus crew somehow rendered me untouchable. They had blindfolded and now both my arms were being held firmly, though my hands were free. I should feel apprehensive, but curiosity was getting the better of me, I supposed.

I knew we had left the tavern when the ruckus of the crowded parlor faded away and the fresh night breeze blew back my hair, filled my nose with the smell of manure, tar and brine. We were going down the main street, judging by the inclination on the road. No one answered my question; wherever they were taking me, they were serious about keeping it a secret.

CRASH!

Something made of porcelain shattered not far from us, at my right side.

"Watch it, you git!" Logan reprimanded. "I don't have the money to pay compensation for everything you break."

"It was right in the way and it's dark!" Dooley barked back. "Next time, he can put it somewhere that isn't the middle of the fucking road!"

"Oy!" An angry male voice I didn't recognize shouted from behind us. "You gotta pay for that! That was the finest china in my stock!"

"Then put it somewhere people won't trip on it, you fucking swindler, or I'm shoving my pistol in you mouth and filling your skull with lead!"

Dooley must have looked quite scary while roaring, for the other complained no more. I pressed my mouth shut to fight back a grin. "Relax, Dooley. It was probably counterfeited and everyone knows it."

"Hate that scheming little weasel," he grumbled. "Always trying to rip people off."

We continued down the hill. Soon enough, the typical sounds of a bustling night life in town were replaced by the crackling of fire and the ocean's waves. Under my feet, the hard dirt transitioned to soft sand. Were they taking me back to the Walrus, perhaps?

"No, seriously, where are we going?" I asked a second time. "Wherever it is, it better have food. You bullies pulled me out of my squid kebab and you know how quickly it runs out."

"Trust me, Miss-" I heard de Groot say. "There will be plenty of food."

They went quiet after that, oddly so. Logan was a chatterbox and Dooley a blabber, so I could only assume de Groot had shot them a warning glare to keep their mouth shut and me ignorant to whatever was going on.

At last, we stopped. I could feel the warmth of a fire close by, smelled the burning wood. I heard people running around, footsteps muffled by the sand, but still audible enough for me to hear. They spoke in hushed tones and "shhh'd!" at each other, whch increased my curiosity.

"We're here," Logan said solemnly. "You ready, Siren?"

"Oh, get on with it," I retorted. "You're killing me with all the suspence!"

"Alright, alright, geez!" His fingers dug under the blindfold and tugged it out of my face. I opened my eyes--

"Surprise!!!"

The noise that came out of my mouth as I brought both hands to my heart must have been ridiculous, but thankfully, it got lost beneath the chorus of booming voices and the applause that followed.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!" They sang as Bjorn and Folsom brought forth the largest cake I had ever seen in my life, decorated with wave motifs and a replica of the Walrus sitting on top of it, complete with her flag and everything! Twenty-nine candles crowned the layers, symbolizing my twenty-ninth year of life. I had to cover my mouth to hide how wide I grinned. Probably like a child on... well, her birthday.

The whole crew was assembled around a wide firepit where various foods cooked. And not just my shipmates: Hammer was there, and Charlotte, Idelle, some other girls from the brothel, no doubt on duty rather than for my sake. But Max was also present, which increased my joy ten fold. They brought the cake to me while singing together, out of tune and at different intervals, but all of them at full lungs and with as much heart as they had in them. When they finished the song, they clapped and whistled and reminded me to make a wish before blowing out the candles. For their sake, I shut my eyes tight and made a show of thinking hard about my wish, but honestly? I had nothing to wish for. Everything I wanted or needed, I already had it. Right there, on that beach. My crew – nay, my family - my health, food and a real home, where I belonged. What more could I wish for?

I blew out the candles to the sound of cheers and wishes of happy birthday. Gates was the first to embrace me and even pressed a kiss to my cheek. Next, it was Mr. de Groot, who also hugged me. Then it was Thierry's turn; he shook my hand and rubbed a hand on my hair, playfully. Bjorn locked forearms with me like warriors do, then pulled me in for a quick hug as well. And of course, Hammer came forth, wrapped his giant flabby arms around me and lifted me off the ground into a bear hug, thundering laugh and all.

He wasn't actually hurting me, but for comedy's sake, I wriggled in his hold and kicked my feet while shrieking: "Hammer, you're crushing meeeeee!"

Gentle as if I was made of glass, he set me down, grabbed both my hands and kissed them, as was his custom. "Happy birthday, m'lady."

"Thank you," I huffed, touched by this gesture of appreciation on the part of all these people I loved. I did a turn to look at all my friends, my brothers. "Thank you all, so much. I... I don't know what to say."

Out of all of them, it was Max who floated up to me, beautiful in a black and blue dress that cut her silhouette perfectly, hair cascading in ringlets around her shoulders. She stretched her hands out to me with that captivating smile of hers and kissed both my cheeks.

"Say nothing, then," she offered, voice rich and sweet as caramel, especially with her French accent. "The look on your face speaks volumes."

I took her hands into mine and ignored the highly interested men that surrounded us and watched her like magpies around a shiny object. For the sake of a little privacy, when I talked, I did so in her mother tongue: "I know you're here on work, but believe me when I say that I am genuinely glad to see you here. After what you did for me, I consider you a friend. So, thank you."

For the briefest moment, surprise flashed in her spectacular amberine eyes, always lined with kohl, before she dominated herself and squeezed my hands with a more honest smile. "It was nothing. But, I still appreciate it. I'm glad to be here for you, too."

I leaned a bit closer and murmured, just in case: "And while you're here, if there's anything I can do for you, anything, don't hesitate to come talk to me. Alright?"

Max nodded, tilted her head sideways. "You are too kind, Constance. I would advise you to mind that, but... I prefer you this way. Don't let them beat it out of you."

"I will do my best."

She smoothed a hand over my cheek. "Happy birthday, ma chère."

"Oh! Coming through!" Muldoon looked behind him as the men parted. "Make way, everyone! Let the mastermind pass!"

I stretched my neck to see who it was, but turns out it wasn't necessary.

Billy Bones, who towered over the majority, came forth without difficulty, eyes twinkling with mischief, but also glad for seeing me so happy. He was dressed better than usual, with clean clothes and freshly trimmed beard, not a scrape of dirt on his tan skin. He looked so handsome that my stomach did a flip, like I had butterflies trapped in it.

Billy stopped in front of me and, for a few seconds, all we could do was smile at each other like two timid little children. Then, he brought one arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest to give me a hug.

"Happy birthday, Constance."

"This was you?" I whispered in his ear, hands clutching the linen of his white shirt. "You did this...?"

"I may have had a hand in its planning, aye." He chuckled. "It was mostly Gates' idea, but we all thought, since this was your first birthday with us, you deserved to have it be a memorable one."

I laughed into his shoulder and held him tighter, took this rare opportunity to appreciate his natural scent, feel how large and warm he was, how good it felt to have both my arms fully around him.

"Mission accomplished,” I sighed. “No one has ever done anything like this for me. Thank you..."

He pressed his lips to my temple and I very nearly melted in his embrace. "You're welcome."

It would have been nice to stay there with him a minute longer, but then the teasing started and forced us to apart. This time, he didn't seem too embarrassed by it. Instead, he smiled like I was the most precious thing in the world and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before releasing me.

"This is all very nice and cute," Logan quipped. "But I thought you said you were hungry? Let's eat and drink, boys!"

Muldoon smirked and winked at me. "Oh, she's hungry for something, alright."

"Muldoon!" I protested with a violent blush.

Billy snorted and started to walk away, but I noticed that he had gone red in the cheeks, too. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that, and so should you."

"You know what, you're absolutely right," I agreed. "I'm going to get a drink, instead. Bye!"

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Muldoon cackled after me.

Having taken my first shot of rum that night, I perused the banquet at our disposal for something to eat. There were all kinds of food to choose from: salted pork, fried chicken, roasted beef, and yes, my beloved squid kebabs. There was also grilled fish, shrimp, fruit whose names I didn't even know and sweets galore. After my supper of squid and shrimp, those were the ones that got my attention the most. I would soon discover that sugar coupled with good booze made for a very hyper-active birthday girl.

Well into the party, the vast majority of us drunk and high on opium, I was invited to dance. Folsom was too pissed to be our violinist, but he wasn't the only musician in the crew. Besides, as it was prone to happen on that island, not long after our get together started, all kinds of people joined - merchants from town, other crews, people I had never seen before, so a rag tag band formed quickly. The music if violins, lutes, a harp, a bódhran, a cello, an accordion, pipes and drums filled the air for miles around, I was told later. I was sitting with Thierry and Luca when Hammer came over, offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet.

Back home, I had never been much of a dancer; my Father used to say I had two left feet. But that was ballroom dancing, which was all delicate waltzes. This was energetic, vibrant, random and chaotic. There was no expectation to perform well. Hammer had one arm around my back and practically spun me around like a rag doll, my feet barely touched the sand! And God, how I laughed while at it – hysterically, joyfully.

Logan and Charlotte joined us next, then the working girls found partners for themselves. Before I knew it, we were hopping around the fire, all holding hands, river dancing as we sand along to cheery shanties. We would then spin and trade partners - male or female, it didn't matter - elbows locked like chain links, breathless from the effort and from laughing so hard. I was drenched in sweat, feet light as feathers, hair twirling around me. I had never felt so free.

Who would have thought that I would come to find that I loved dancing?

Then I spotted Billy sitting somewhere to the side, talking to Gates. They were smiling as they held their heads close together so they could hear each other over all the noise we were making. I spun out of the circle and approached them.

Gates gave Billy's shoulder a proud tap that got him glowing with satisfaction, then looked up when I arrived and chuckled as I reached for Billy's hands.

“Dance with me!” I pleaded while tugging him up, but he resisted.

“No, Constance, no. I don't dance--”

“Nonsense, you're an excellent dancer!” Gates interceded, one hand on his back to push him forward.

“See? You're an excellent dancer!” I giggled. Between my pulling and Gates' pushing, we got him off his arse. “C'mon, just one dance!”

Billy grunted softly. “Fine. But you're mending all my clothes after this!”

“Deal!”

I brought him to the circle around the fire, but kept us on the outside of it so we could have space. I placed his hand on my back, laid my own on his shoulder and started skipping and swaying to the lively tune our band was playing.

Contrary to Gates' words, Billy was not, in fact, a good dancer. He had trouble finding his feet and almost stepped on me a couple of times, always dreadfully worried he might have hurt me, but I just laughed and kept trying to get him to follow my lead. Little by little, he got the rhythm of the music and trusted me to guide him, although we still had a few close calls.

“Y'know, for a veteran sailor, you're quite clumsy,” I teased.

“You're not exactly a ballerina, either,” he returned with a smirk.

“Do I look like I care?” I pulled away and lifted our hands so his arm would make an arch that I could spin under. On instinct, he tugged me back and held me close, afraid that I might fall.

“That's the spirit!” I giggled. “Now you're getting the hang of it.”

Encouraged by my praise, he took the lead without my noticing and made me follow him. I definitely stepped on his toes at least twice, but there were no complaints.

Billy spun me around by the hands, skipped up around the fire like we were kids jumping puddles and, one time, he even lifted me high into the air. Just for a second, I could see how big the party had gotten and I realized how truly blessed I was.s.

For twenty-nine years, I had lived in stale conformity, trapped by expectations, forced to be something I was never meant to be, surrounded by shallow people more concerned with climbing the social ladder instead of forming meaningful connections. And now... here I was, dancing with the man I wanted, surrounded by friends, living in paradise. I had no idea what I had done to deserve such a boon, but I thanked God for it every day of my life since that night.

When Billy brought me back down, my eyes found his and I allowed myself to be pressed against him, hands around his waist to interlock at the small of his back. He slowed us down and held me there as we swayed in gentle circles. I couldn't tell what I scrutinized in his gaze; I only know that it was intense, like he could see into my heart and I into his. There was an unexpected connection in that instant, two halves of a whole clicking together. It took my breath away and made me dizzy.

Or perhaps it was all the alcohol I'd had and the spinning around that was affecting my head. Who the hell knew. Either way, it was the perfect excuse for me to rest my ear on his chest and close my eyes to better hear his heart beat wildly. His arms encased me as his lips touched my hair. Embraced like that, we continued to dance in a lazy back and forth. I was so happy that there weren't enough words in any language to describe it.

By the time we decided to stop, we were both red in the face, but smiling. My head felt so light, I had to hold onto him, for when I tried to step back, I nearly fell on my bottom.

"Woah--" He laughed while keeping me upright. "I think that's enough for one night."

"Yeah," I chuckled.

Billy guided me away from the fire and sat me down on a chair for a rest. When I looked up at his face, I could hardly make out his features, since they kept shifting and going out of focus.

"Oh, hello there, Billy's twin!” I slurred. “Nice to meet you! It's amazing how much you two look alike."

With a soft chuckle, he knelt in front of me and cupped my cheeks. "Close your eyes for a bit, it'll pass."

Actually, it had passed almost as soon as his palms had touched me. The shock of that unexpected contact, so intimate and tender, brought my brain to a stand still long enough for my vision to stabilize. Even so, I did as he suggested and let my eyelids flutter closed.

It was... nice. His hands were clammy with sweat, but they were warm and so gentle as they held my face. I felt his thumbs rub ever so slightly over my skin, which caused my heart to skip a beat, only to then hammer furiously against my ribs. I had to part my lips to breathe better after it had become shallow, almost desperate.

Had he been bold enough to lean in and close the remaining distance between us, I wouldn't have protested. In fact, I wanted him to. I wanted him to so much...

Instead, he asked, rather hoarsely: "Better?"

I cracked my eyelids open. Finally, I could distinguish Billy's features fully: he was quite close to me, but kept his distance still, and smiled while he waited for my answer. However, I knew he would release me as soon as I did, and I wanted him to leave his hands where they were just a little longer. I let a few more seconds pass before speaking up.

"Much better. You're back to being only one."

He dropped his hold on my face. "That's good."

I offered my own smile to let him know I was alright, though there was a pang of disappointment in my gut. At least he went back to taking my hands in his, so that was something.

Billy's stare deviated to my left for a moment and he made a face - a grimace, actually, eyes wide in bafflement.

"What?" I turned to look over my shoulder, but I only saw Gates standing a few meters from us, trying (and failing) to look like he was merely inspecting my mostly devoured birthday cake.

With a smirking, I returned my attention to Billy. "What was he doing?"

"Nothing," he replied in a rush. "Just Gates being Gates. Anyway, if you've recovered, could I invite you to take a walk with me...? To clear our heads a bit?"

My cheeks lifted in a grin from ear to ear. An opportunity to be alone with him, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the crew, and have some real privacy? How could I pass up?

"Sure," I nodded. "I would love to."

So he helped me to my feet and, always keeping a hold of at least one of my hands, he sneaked us away from the chaos of the party, toward the darkened beach.

Fortunately, the moon was full that night, which allowed us to see the white sand glowing silver, as well as the undulation on the surface of the ocean, the foam of the waves. The wind was calm, though a little chilly, and after all the dancing, my skin felt uncomfortably cold.

I used my free hand to tug the scarf Billy had gifted me from beneath my belt and wrapped it around my shoulders instead.

"Cold?" He inquired.

"Just a bit." I tied the pashmina wool at my front so it wouldn't fall off and took back his hand. "There. Much better, now."

His fingers weaved through mine. The smile he gave me was the softest I had seen on his lips yet, eyes half-closed as they took in the sight of me.

"I love seeing that scarf on you," he whispered, perhaps more to himself than to me. Still, I gripped his hand a little tighter and drifted closer to him until our arms were rubbing together.

There hadn't been a single day I hadn't worn that scarf somehow since he had given it to me. It was a constant reminder of Billy's affection, a symbol of our bond, and I wore it with pride so the world might know how dear he meant to me. I couldn't help to hold my head a little higher whenever he would see it on me and blush with a secret smile.

I wondered...

As we walked together, steps lazy on the sand and the sea breeze filling our lungs, I slipped my hand from his. At first he was confused – but when I slowly let it go around his lower back, just a light touch that he could easily refuse if he wanted to, his arm went around my shoulders and pulled me gently me to his side. He hadn't even hesitated.

I kept my chin tilted down so he wouldn't see the stupid big grin on my face.

Moments later, rather small and timidly, he said: “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” I replied.

He opened his mouth, paused, closed it again. He turned his face toward the ocean in search of inspiration, then stared straight ahead, too intimidated to look me in the eye as he spoke.

“You and Max... I...heard things.You went to see her once on your first time here, didn't you?”

Oh. He heard things. I had a feeling I knew exactly what he had heard and who might have told him.

“I did,” was my cautious answer. Jesus Christ, this was going to be so embarrassing for me.

“And I saw you with her back there.” He nodded behind us. “You two seem... close. Which is fine by me, don't get me wrong--”

Heaven above, I couldn't take the beating around the bush. He was going to ask the question sooner or later and I would rather get it over with as soon as possible, so I leaned my head back to look at him.

“Billy, I know what you're trying to imply at. You want to know if she and I fucked.”

He faltered, blinked a couple of times and stuttered like he had forgotten how to speak English. Adorable.

“I... Wouldn't put it in those terms, err...”

“But that is what you want to know--” I knit my brows into a frown. “Don't you?”

He pressed his mouth and shook his head. “Listen, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. You're a free woman and you can do whatever you wish with whomever you wish. It's just...”

Again, he scanned the sea to try to find the right words. “If you and her are involved, I would like to know because... I...”

I made us stop and brought my fingertips to his chin to encourage him to look at me.

“There is nothing going on between Max and I,” I told him, calmly but firmly. “Yes, I went to see her, but not for the reasons you're thinking. I...”

Now it was my turn to struggle for words. I might as well just spit it out and hope for the best. Fists clenched tight at my sides, I opted to stare at his chest or to the side instead of his face. “My... My bleeding came while we were in town. I had no female friends to turn to for help, hence, I went to the brothel. Max happened to be the one to attend me. When I explained to her that all I wanted was to know where to obtain what I needed to prevent all my trousers from looking like they came from the butcher, she laughed at me!”

Billy listened with barely contained horror, skin going pale in the moonlight before turning bright red with shame.

I bit my lip and dropped my gaze to our boots, as I couldn't bare to see that expression any longer. It hurt too much. “Muldoon and the others saw me exit her room and assumed I had gone to see her for sordid reasons, and since I was too embarrassed to tell them the truth, I lied and let them go on believing it was true. That's all. I...”

I shrugged and prepared for the visceral reaction men tended to have when confronted with the biological reality of a woman's body. When my eyes started to prickle, I had to walk away so he wouldn't see.

Fuck... And we were having such a good time...

“I understand,” he said after a minute. Casual. Relaxed. Like it was nothing to make a fuss over.

I stopped and twirled around to see him nod whilst he attempted to mask how much he was squirming on the inside. When he saw the dismay on my features, his expression changed to a troubled one. He came up to me and pulled me back against his side so we could resume our walk, and given that he was much larger than me, I had no option but to follow.

“Thank you for telling me,” he added. “That is... That is a relief. Again, not because I think it would be wrong, it's just... I'm sure you noticed, but you mean a lot to me, Constance. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't fighting a losing battle. That I... That I might be meaningful to you, too.”

If only he knew. I clutched him tighter and laid my cheek on his shoulder, let his wonderful scent – sweat and sea salt, hemp and wood, a musk more intoxicating than any rum – calm my fragile heart.

I grasped the hand he had on my shoulder and held fast. “You mean more to me than you know, Billy Bones.”

His mouth pressed against my hair and I just knew he was smiling by the sound of his voice alone when he whispered: "Good... That's... good."

I let out a small sigh and let my eyes close for a moment to better take in the feeling of being enveloped in his warmth, his strong yet gentle hold, the comfort of his presence. That he believed Max and I were lovers and it had bothered him was all the confirmation I had needed.

Billy had romantic feelings for me. We were taking a walk on the beach, under the moonlight, embraced like only lovers would do. There wasn't any shadow of a doubt about it, now. If I had been happy minutes before at the party, in that instance I was in heaven.

We were almost at the opposite end of the beach, where a rocky promontory blocked our path, when my foot got caught on a pit in the sand, and if it hadn't been for Billy holding me, I would have twisted my ankle for certain. Wouldn't that have been a terrible end to an otherwise almost perfect night?

"You alright, there?" He chuckled as I straightened up. "You didn't have that much to drink, did you?"

"Look, in my defense, it's dark and it's my birthday, so shush, you!"

Billy laughed with both arms firmly around my frame, though not too tight. With my front pressed against his, I was in no danger of falling, and yet he didn't let go. Still, just in case he thought I might want him to, I let my hands climb up the expanse of his back in one smooth motion and curled my fingers into his shirt.

His laughter turned into a pleased hum that sent chills down my spine. Without thinking, I scrapped my nails down his shoulder blades, pressed the tips of my fingers into the muscles of his torso, then brought my palms around his sides to his front. As my fingers continued their trek up his stomach, took their time on his chest and stopped at his collar bones, his eyes fluttered closed, hands pressed flat on my back. His lips opened just a fringe, his eyebrows tensed up, but he didn't tell me to stop. So, I bit on my lip and kept going.

I felt my way up his shoulders, then the column of his neck... Soon enough, my palms cupped his jaw. I loved how his short beard scratched my skin.

Slowly, like he was in a daze, he opened his eyes. I gasped quietly; there was so much adoration in them, mingled with a longing I had never known before. They glowed with want, with intent, with... God, with...

"It is indeed your birthday," he murmured. We were so close I could smell the rum in his breath, but I didn't mind. Mine probably smelled of it, too. "So it's only right that I give you a birthday present."

I smiled softly. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"It's not a thing, per say." Now I could see doubt on his face, in the way his expression fell away and his eyes drifted to the side before returning to mine, determined. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Do you trust me?"

"I do," I replied without hesitation.

He touched his forehead to mine. His breath quickened as he stared at my mouth, licked his lower lip like he could taste me on his tongue. "And you know I would never do anything you weren't comfortable with, don't you...?"

My heart raced in my chest to the point I could feel it in my throat. My lungs constricted as I too found it harder and harder to breathe. I thought I knew what he was driving at, and the answer was: "Yes... Yes, I do...."

"Close your eyes for me," he requested.

So I did.

His nose touched my cheek. His shallow breath brushed my lips. I swallowed hard and parted them in anticipation while electric shocks ran rampant along my every muscle.

And yet, he didn't come closer. He was waiting for me, allowing me one last chance to back out. He was passing me the reins so that I might feel safe, so that I might know he was worthy of my trust. Not that I didn't know that, already.

I went up on the tip of my toes and pressed my lips fully to his. Then, I all but melted.

My hands slipped from his cheeks to lay on his shoulders, wanting him closer, as close to me as humanly possible, and so did he - his arms held me hard against him as we kissed. A choked noise hardly audible, escaped his throat.

It was everything I had expected and more. His lips were chaffed as they slowly moved on mine to savor every bit of contact, but hell if I cared. I let one of my hands rub the short crop of hair at his nape, and the moan he produced made my entrails tingle, especially on my lower belly. I parted my mouth to invite him in and he wasted no time slipping his tongue inside, eagerly reaching out for my own. He tasted of the rum he had drunk, the fruit he had eaten, and something else I couldn't identify. Something sweet, unique... Something that was his and his alone.

Lord forgive me, I wanted him. I wanted him with all my burning heart, with every inch of my skin. I wanted him to the point of tears. He was the final piece of my puzzle that I needed to be complete. I locked my arms around his neck and pressed myself to him, wishing there was some way I could bring us closer.

As if reading my thoughts, Billy brought his hands lower and lifted me off the ground so he wouldn't have to hunch over. Our teeth knocked together in the process, but we just laughed and went back into it, all but devouring each other until we were both breathless. My fingers held onto his shirt like driftwood in a storm, while his dug into my back or got lost in my hair.

When we finally ran out of air, he moved from my mouth to plant quick pecks on my cheek, my chin, the underside of my jaw. I let my head fall back to give him easier access, sucking in breath after breath in desperate gulps, grunted when he kissed down my throat and dragged his teeth and tongue on my trachea.

If he had wanted to rip my neck open there and then, I would have let him. If he had wanted to lay me down on the sand, pull all my clothes off and take me, I would have let him, too. But he didn't. Instead, he held me up, panted into my clavicle with a hand on my nape to keep me secure.

I opened my eyes and saw the vast expanse of the night sky, stars as far as the eye can see, and wondered how something that felt this good could be sinful. How could this beautiful feeling in my chest be seen as evil? In that moment, Billy and I were of one mind, one heart, one soul. He wanted me and I wanted him. How miraculous was that? To wish to be with someone and have that person desire you the same way was a miracle. I never wanted that moment to end. I wanted to stay like that with him forever, wrapped in bliss and never let him go.

"Do you want me to stop...?" He murmured against my skin.

I shook my head and tilted down my chin to reach his ear. "No..."

He swallowed, then kissed my cheek. "I'm going to lay you on the ground, in that case. No offense, but my arms are getting tired."

I snorted to that. "Fair enough."

However, as he adjusted his grip on me and prepared to set us down, I wrapped my legs around his sides (quite instinctively, might I add), which caused him to hiss and literally fall to his knees with me still hanging on to him.

I gasped when he lost his balance and shot out an arm to stabilize himself, causing me to drop on my back on the sand. Fortunately, I wasn't far from the ground, so I didn't get hurt.

Billy leaned over me with preocupation in his eyes, which scanned me for any sign of pain that might indicate an injury, but all I did was stare up at him, hypnotized by how beautiful he looked on top of me with the moonlight glowing behind him.

“Sorry,” I sighed. It was the only thing I could manage to think in that moment, mesmerized as I was. I reached up with a hand to touch his cheek, hardly believing he was real and not a vision conjured up by the alcohol in my system.

“S'all right,” he returned, every bit as stunned as I was. “It was my fault, really...”

“Hmm...” I hooked my finger on one of his necklaces and tugged him down. “I'm not complaining...”

“Uh huh...” He eased himself on top of me and wrapped one hand around my back while the other once again tangled in my hair. I raised my head off the ground to meet him halfway and hooked my ankles around his thighs so he could rest between my legs.

That was when I felt something hot and hard press into my core that set my insides on fire. Without meaning to, I moaned quietly into his mouth as we kissed and rolled my hips on his.

His head jerked back, eyes wide as he watched me intently. I, on the other hand, was in a daze. My whole body sizzled beneath his weight, my skin crawled with desire. Perhaps I should have been afraid; I had never laid with a man before Billy, after all, but I trusted him wholeheartedly and there was nothing I wanted more than to have him all to myself.

I snaked my fingers into the collar of his shirt to feel the feverish warmth of his flesh, the drum of his heart beneath all that muscle. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if to clear it while I undid his buttons one by one, dying to see him bared to me.

His hand snatched up to hold my wrists and make me stop.

"Constance... We shouldn't."

Just like that, my heart stopped in my chest. My hands froze - in fact, my whole body went cold and numb, in the blink of an eye.

"Why not?" I whispered. I didn't want to stop, not now. I was ready and willing. Why wasn't he?

Seeing the disappointment on my face, Billy lowered himself down and placed a love bite on the crook of my neck, which made my back arch until my whole front was pressed into his. His hand felt up my side and - oh, that devil - he curled his hips into mine so I could feel every bit of his lust for me.

"I want to keep going," he groaned in my ear. "God, I want to keep going until you're moaning my name and begging me not to stop. But we're both drunk and I want to do it when we're clear headed, so there won't be any regrets later. I want to be sure you want me for me rather than because the booze is telling you, you want me. I want to do it when we're both in a state of mind where it matters."

Well... when he put it that way, how could I not agree with him? He was right, of course. What if we ended up going too far and I got scared? I didn't want to hurt him like that. Not by leading him on nor by making him think he had done me harm. Or, what if I didn't remember what happened the following morning? I wanted to remember every part of it, every detail, every touch, every kiss. Therefore, when he pulled away and rolled off of me so he was lying by my side, I didn't protest.

He brought my hand to his lips and then held it to his chest as we locked eyes. To let him know I was fine and concurred with his argument, I joked: "I hate how noble you are, some times."

His smile morphed into a smirk. "No, you don't."

No, I didn't.

I wriggled closer and laid my head on his shoulder, curling into a ball by his side. It was cold, after all. This near to the promontory, we were sheltered from the wind, but I still craved warmth and he didn't mind sharing. He put his arms around me and rested his cheek on my forehead while I intertwined my legs with his. Much better.

In no time, my eyelids became heavy with sleep. I was so comfortable... The sound of his heart beating in my ear was like a lullaby. Before I knew it, I was out like a blown candle and only woke when the first rays of light painted the sky in breathtaking shades of lilac.

I was on my side, head resting on Billy's biceps. His arm was around my side, hand encasing mine to my chest, his front to my back. I could hear his calm, deep breath and didn't want to wake him, so I laid there half awake, wrapped in my lover, and recalled the previous night with surprising detail.

Blushing and smiling, I licked my lips to the memory of his mouth on mine. Even if I had felt let down at the time, I was grateful that we had stopped. For one, I didn't want my first time lying with Billy to happen on a beach, where sand would get everywhere and any random stranger could see us. For two, I wanted it to be special, something to look forward to and to cherish for the rest of my life. And for three... I had no wish to become pregnant any time soon. Once again, I would have to consult Max on how to avoid that outcome.

No. We would do it when we were both good and ready, and it would happen between four walls, preferably on a bed. I could wait. It would be worth it.

Until then... a kiss here or there would be fine. It would suffice. For the time being.

[tiddiesoutwhenthetisout]

i *have* done this tag before, but i was tagged by both @mt-isnothere12 and @babyrdie this time. i'm pretty idle anyway, so i'll be doing it : 3

last song:

so i went ahead and shuffled elton john way back, and i've only played music this week during showers. i left off at "Nothing Else Matters" by miley cyrus ft. watt, elton john, yo-yo ma, robert trujillo, and chad smith. i don't even remember what it sounds like, i was 50 seconds in when my shower was over 🤣

favorite color:

gold? i'd say black, but recently my tastes have also significantly changed. i used to wear all black because i sucked at coordinating outfits and a singular color automatically made everything cohesive (though i was mindful or textures and shapes!). i've grown to like white, but i think gold makes it to the top because i like it to accent everything.

and it's fucking shiny; hell yeah. i also have this certain makeup look i like to call "bronze statue aesthetic" and it's when i use lots of gold highlights! there's also mel medarda inspired gold makeup accents i tried recently lmao 👍

last book:

it's been so long; i've been at my gf's this week and i haven't actually sat down to open a book. when i come here i go for the things i don't usually do alone. like watching TV. and i can tell you, i got a little addicted to TV and snacks recently 🤣 i'll curb it when i get back to my place. i *have* opened several books just to check them out, and i've been reading random shit. for the book i actually sat down to read, it's the iliad. i don't think i'm finishing this, ever (kidding; i have a lot of reading plans). i'm being pushed to go out and about for the sweet sweet brain chemicals.

last movie:

so we watched 4 movies yesterday.

Smile 2022 (it was actually good! genuinely horrifying at some points, i think i screamed like four or five times. jumpscares usually don't work on me, but this was something else 😭 sadly missed smile 2 in theaters, as i haven't seen this first one yet when it was showing.)

Tarot 2024 (a little cheesy i'm ngl, but the idea was there. 4/10 for me, but you can check it out if you're into cursed objects with a dark history. typical of horror movies that involve a group of friends. there are frustrating as well as fun moments.)

Pearl 2022 (i asked a friend about it and he said "you'll like it, i think". i did. i did have an idea about the kind of movie it was, but i didn't think i'd be right lol. it's honestly just a sad story in a gory shell. it has a lot of layers. it's a prequel to a modern storyline, but you can honestly watch it on its own.)

LiTTLE MAN 2006 (comedy for a change. it was pretty funny, but maybe the humor isn't for everyone. just look at it the way it's intended and you'll be fine, unless you're into slapstick and early 2000s jokes, then you'll like it. so yes, there is questionable shit 🤣 wholesome at times, as well as its finish.)

last show:

squid game s2. i get the hype now, it's pretty damn absorbing. although i find it ironic, [deleted ramble about the show and its real life parallels in case there are spoilers for people who haven't seen it yet and intend to].

sweet/savory/spicy:

all in that order (kidding).

it's just a different genre of food and you can't make me choose; there are different profiles for different moods 🤣

sweet: i want to be Just A Girl enjoying a drink and dessert on a fine afternoon after facing all the world's horrors. my mind included.

savory: fill me up. i'm here to eat for my hunger, i'm here ready for war, and my helmet is on the table. (as well as-- never start your day with sweets, which i've unfortunately been doing recently as a trial for a different lifestyle... but it's not doing my body any good so i promise i'll get it together lol)

spicy: the void is overtaking me. it's running faster than i can breathe. it's crawling into my skin from the top of my head. it's almost at my toes. it almost has me whole. give me the spiciest thing you have-- i want to feel alive.

last thing searched:

"best spas in [my city]"

current obsession:

it's obviously the iliad

looking forward to:

this graduation ceremony ending. i'm so bad at sitting still. as well as-- the entitlement in this fucking hall right now; the anger stemming from that was so thick among parents at the beginning of the program i felt my stomach churning and my skin prickling. i felt and still feel bad for the staff, and i am absolutely wondering how people of this level of emotional maturity manage their day-to-day frustrations. it's always the men too-- women went to the bathroom to complain about something that's completely understandable, whilst these fathers just display outbursts of toddler-esque impatience over the slightest inconvenience.

it's not my ceremony, it's a friend's, and i'm SO GLAD i didn't go to this university. people from "elite schools" have so much issues to work on and a whole lot of humanity to study. just another reason why i hate money and status.

for the long term, i'm not sure. looking forward to earning my right to travel around the world? 🤣

tagging:

just you, @amnesiaa-on-ice, as i think my previous mutuals have tagged other mutual mutuals 🤣

no pressure though. and god, i still have not memorized my mutuals' usernames, nor can i remember who they are when i tell my brain to 😭

[nyx-fey]

Hi! Hello! I'm Nyx! Welcome, and thanks for stopping by (the odd crab seems to be happy)

So uh, I got motivated to start posting more about my fanfictions/weird art here. Posting schedule is pretty terrible but I do get projects done occasionally.

I'll be starting a more dedicated side blog soon, (one that's pretty much all robots since that what I'm obsessed with rn) and it will definitely be nsft, because I've got some serious robot crushes and I'm trying to keep everything sfw on main.

(I will talk about transformers here too, I've got a bunch of fic ideas in the works, I'm just bad about finishing them. Other than that it's mostly obscure lore and speculative biology)

I'm still planning to use my main for weird insomniac rambling, and cryptid hunting- also just the rare reference to actually being a human and not like. a weird squid. (One can dream 😮‍💨)

This blog is, for the most part, SFW. But there are some exceptions. I curse, drink and eat weed. I am not excessive about it, but I'm not trying to hide it either. So if that is something you want to avoid this this is not the blog for you.

(Mostly I use sfw/nsft when talking about excessive-gore type horror, or explicit sexual material (not anything real-life in either, just art and writing) which will both get dedicated blogs with specialized 18+ only warnings. I will not be putting content of either type on my main.)

Main is definitely the best place to learn about how far along any of my projects are coming though. And I will put them here if they are sfw.

So uh, besides that, this is also the place where I primarily simp for Eldritch horrors beyond moral comprehension; pretend to be a cambrian era plectronoceras, because it makes me happy; talk about being pagan; reblog whatever cool things I find scrolling Tumblr with zero rhyme or reason; talk about my hyperfixations; be unapologetically gay; build real life robots; and reblog whatever I find even remotely funny at three in the morning when I can't sleep.

--LINKS--

My BlueSky: Coming soon!

My AO3: Coming soon!

My Transformers side blog: Coming soon!

-------------------------------------------------------

Origin of my profile pic art:

(I'll be replacing it soon though)

--Navigation--

#3 am nonsense | absolute random garbage hopefully still fun though

#writing / #fanfiction | talking about how my writting is going or fanfiction culture

#how do drawing tablets work? | A genuine question, and also where I talk about any of my drawing ideas

#im only putting this here because i don't know where else to put it | Here as in here on Tumblr, talking about real life mostly- I'm still keeping it vague because that's how I prefer it.

#eldritch horrors that give me warm fuzzy feelings | exactly what it says. Mostly Lovecraft focused. (He was beyond a terrible person- but he's dead now and I can put Cthulhu in a dress if I want to spite him.)

#uerrgh... art | things that I've drawn and posted here

#wow i actually wrote something | for when I actually finish a writting project as post it here

#video games i like | Talking about video games

#transformers / #macadams | Transformers focused posts and my current obsession

#really cool art i found / #i loved reading this | the general tags I use for stuff that's not mine but that I also really liked

#is that a cambrian-era plectronoceras? | Ask box answers, interact with squid guy

#thats right nyx is a furry | I really am! Nyx Fey has been my fursona name for years- before I decided that Nyx would just be my preferred name when online. I will also probably make a side blog about this too!

There are others but none of them are really dedicated enough to put here, I will update later if I need to. Especially as I make side blogs to try and organize things better.

I have a terrible posting schedule due to personal life, please be patient with me thank you 💚

[dilfzziie]

howdy, welcome to my blog. 

I reblog a lotta stuff and sometimes I make text posts if I'm feeling especially freaky 

my name is Kazoo, you can call me Kaz for short, or Kazzy for the exact same length. I also respond to Miyaa, Bunny, and Thingy. 

I'm in my 20s, and my pronouns are He/Him, It/Its is also good. I'm just a guy, take that as you wish, rest of my alphabet is a secret. I have a wife, whom I absolutely adore.

under the cut are just some cool lists of stuff I like in no particular order :) as well as a DNI and stuff I guess? I'll update it as interests change.

games: Ryu Ga Gotoku, Ace Attorney, Stardew Valley, Fortnite, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Lethal Company, Gourdlets, WebFishing, Mouthwashing, Bugsnax, My Sweet! Housemate, Your Boyfriend, Red Dead Redemption/2, Disco Elysium, Peglin, The Long Dark, R.E.P.O., Needy Streamer Overload, and i like Tetris 

series/movies: Heathers, Grave Encounters, Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Bluey, My Little Pony(all gens!), Squid Game, Ghosts(BBC), Butterfly Kisses, Rick & Morty, Like A Dragon(2007), and Breaking Bad with its variants 

anime/manga: FullMetal Alchemist(2003), Lucky Star, Umaru-Chan, Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun, Golden Kamuy, Way of The House Husband, Watamote, DanDaDan, Death Note, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Mob Psycho 100, I Love Amy, Bota Bota/Drip Drip

music: Ghost (BC), Mannequin Pussy, Kocchi no Kento, Weezer, BBNO$, Destroy Boys, Porno Grafitti, Deftones, Coheed & Cambria, Aurora View, ATEEZ, ILLIT, and most of the music from Ryu Ga Gotoku also 

I do art sometimes: @maybemuzziie

here is an approximation of what I look like

picrew sauce

my text posts are under either #bundog yaps or #yeagh or sometimes both 

on rare occasions I post images, those are under #bundog irl but are probably found in other tags too

I have a few other tags: #aikoposting is about my OC, #kenjiposting is nsfw, and #lookie nel is for one of my mutuals specifically

mutuals can DM me whenever about whatever they want also, I do not mind

"hey, what does 14106 mean?" it's a pager code! it's also a reference to Heartbreak Mermaid from the Yakuza series! the code means I love you

DNI

people don't usually read or respect these, so if you or your vibes suck I will personally trap you in the chain email dimension as one of those shitty scary ones no one enjoys.

that being said, fuck TERFs, radfems, zionists, zoophiles, and bigots of any flavour 

[slova-the-necromancer]

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

introduction

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

⤅ hi, i'm sawyer! you may also know me as squid. either way, welcome to my blog!

so...who am i?

⤅ 21 y/o

⤅ he/him

⤅ full-time student studying social studies education at the secondary level with a focus in modern european history, also full-time sexualizer of That Old Man.

⤅ you'll mostly find me posting about a very very wide array of things. dead by daylight, red dead redemption, saw, silent hill, resident evil, a ludicrous amount of slashers, just general yaps, things i find funny, what have you.

⤅ i do art sometimes, too! maybe there'll be a rare art post here.

DNI if...

⤅ normal DNI. all of the phobics, all of the -ists

⤅ illegal proshipper. don't be THAT kind of freak in my presence, please

⤅ minor

⤅ you don't think hex: pentimento needs a nerf (/j. unless..)

just...use common sense and we'll be fine, i guess?

general navigation

⤅ stuff i especially like and will PROBABLY wanna come back to later will be tagged w/ #sillies

⤅ yap stuff will just be tagged with #squid is squeaking

⤅ for dbd specific rambling, i'll tag it both with the game tag (depends) and #dibby doo

⤅ everything else is tagged with the main fandom/by character name/whatever, so everything stays in order

enjoy your stay!

[izercharo]

Erm guys, have this totally random piece of writing I never shared here. Dunno what to tag it

Mother gave me this book to write in.

Paper books are rare. I'm thankful for it.

---

The food processor broke today, so a group went outside the town to find some parts.

I sometimes wonder what is out there, beyond our home.

Father says the whole world was once full of other people before the flood, with buildings reaching the skies and technology so advanced it was almost magic. But that our greed made us fight eachother.

We don't know how much time it has been since the floods, but Grandma and her friends think it's been atleast a few thousand. They said something about 'air polution decreasing a lot' or atleast that's what I remember.

We think there might be something outside our forest, besides the second town up north.

Not monsters, those don't exist.

Maybe it's other people? That would be cool. But I don't want to meet them. They probably have an ecosystem they live in, just like us. I don't want to disturb that, but I hope they're okay if they're out there.

I think Mother had an expression for that... 'Live and let Live'? That's most likely it.

---

One of the kids, Morgan, said he wants to build a HUGE tower for everyone. He said each floor would have their own playgrounds.

That would be cool.

The adults said it's a good idea, but it would be better to do underground.

Makes sense, better to not attract attention to ourselves.

---

A weird looking yellow creature in a basket got dropped near the town's border.

Sandra said it looks like a squid from the books. I wonder what squid tastes like.

It's definetely not any animal we know of. Maybe it's an evolved squid? Weird evolution for such a short amount of time then. Why would look like that and be all the way out here? Is there an ocean nearby? I'll have to ask Father about that later.

---

The adults presume it's a baby of some kind, we don't know if it's sapient or not.

My parents decided to keep it.

It'll either be a new pet, or a younger sibling for me. Both options are good.

I made a space in my room for both outcomes.

[littlestrawberries]

whoa me

Intro post - last updated: 4/22/25

Strings/Red/Bunny/Goldie/Zero - they/them - disabled

Art tag: #send help

Other socials:

Artfight: LittleRedDreams

Toyhouse: LittleRedDreams

Discord: littlereddreams

AO3: Mazymay12

Chicken Smoothie: littleredstrings

Mweor: littleredstrings

Hello and welcome to my blog that I continuously forget about. I'm a disabled artist and writer that primarily does fan art/fic for the Undertale Multiverse fandom, but I'll occasionally post other fandoms, especially Hollow Knight, MLP, and Warrior Cats, as I have OCs in those fandoms (and I'm practicing drawing ponies and cats lol)

My two main projects are my Bad Sans Poly fanfic, The Slow Fall, and my own little verse called "By a Thread". More about both of these under the cut. Thanks for stopping by 💖

The Slow Fall: in which Nightmare's Gang and The Stars fall each fall in different ways.

Nightmare (and all his lovers) can't help but fall for Error, their current guest and target for love and support.

And the Stars? Well, the right thread's been pulled, and they're calling apart.

TW: self harm, suicide, off-screen violence, depersonalization

A "two sides of the same coin" type story that is entirely self indulgent. It's a slow burn that explores mental health, trauma, and different types of relationships.

By A Thread: my own personal multiverse I've been developing through RP. It includes multiversal gods, collectively known as The Pantheon, several AUs and groups created by me, a world eater and more. There's a lot of lore lmao but here's some relevant AUs/groups:

Under the Flowers: a flower language based AU where flowers began growing on monsters shortly after the death of the royal children. The AU has low resources but is highly community based that focus a little more on trading services and goods than using gold, very accepting of AU travelers, and has added locations, characters, and plant life.

Midnight's Dove: a non-modern AU where the gods just continuously fuck over the youngest of their population Ink and Error are the time gods named Crow and Dove. Once lovers, Crow hunts down Dove to bring "justice" after an event that the other gods could've prevented. Similar situation occurs with the youngest, Dream and Nightmare (Prophet and Delirium). And then there's rumors that there was a time God before Dove and Crow, a rumor that the others won't address...

The Plague: The Pantheon's Reaper's husband, Geno, now Contagion, is patient 0 for a highly infectious hivemind disease while a Nightmare, Mutation, is functionally a virus. He protects a small group of other monsters, including his brother (Fever, based off of fever dreams) from an Ink names Uto (based off of parasites). Uto's Error (Null, based loosely on various mental health symptoms) escaped Uto and now resides in a small AU, grappling with his new appearance and health issues associated with Uto partially reverting him back into a Geno.

The Inbetween: a bar that can be found in the Anti-Void owned by a partially errored Lust Sans named Eros, his Grillby, Dionysus, and a strange Nightmare, Ink, and Error (Octi, Squid, and Jelly). Jelly has special portals that open in specific AUs at specific times so customers who can't universe hop can get to it.

The Salvation: a massive ship that travels to AUs through the void, captained by an eccentric skeleton named Binni Nerik. The Salvation saves residents of crumbling or corrupted AUs, among others in difficult situations, and cares for them while trying to find a new home for them. Nerik also uses these travels as a chance to study AUs, Out of Codes, and other strange beings. He wrotr a well known collection of travel guides to help AU hoppers avoid dangerous situations.

Safe Haven: named after a shelter, this au is one that accepts refugees from The Salvation. The shelter is run by two fell brothers, Russell and Ryker, who have various resources and connections to help new arrivals get medical care, therapy, jobs, homes, etc. This AU also has The Pantheon's Error and his family's house.

Derelict: a diseased multiverse. The only relevance is that five members somehow managed to escape and are now in By a Thread.

[scarasun]

another year wiser - and happier.

pairing ; scaramouche x gn!reader

wc ; 5.6k

summary ; when you find out that scaramouche has been keeping his birthday a secret from you, you take it upon yourself to make his day as amazing as possible.

cw ; scaramouche is called scaramouche throughout the fic because idk what else to call him, reader can't cook, slight angst at the end but we get a happy ending (wooo), your ex shows up and he's a creep, you're bad at painting, light cursing

a/n ; andd here it is!!!! i've pieced together this fic in the past two days, so im truly sorry if there are any mistakes throughout, or if the wording is just off. maybe i'll read it through later and fix a few things. anyways, im tagging @keqism, who prompted me to get my idea on paper for scara's bday,,,ty <333 speaking of ideas, i had wayyy too much time thinking about what scenario i could possibly write, and ended up using all my ideas...that's why this piece is so long. anyways, enjoy!

9:00am 

Scaramouche, once the mighty Sixth Harbinger of the Fatui and now the Dendro Archon's helper, has been keeping his birthday a secret from you.

Although the both of you had been together for quite a while, he had given no indication that his birthday fell on the third day of the year, and if it hadn't been for Nahida's intel, you would've never guessed.

You straightened your back, wiping the sweat from your forehead as you examined your handiwork. A couple small sausages lay on the chopping board in front of you, the bottom half of them sliced into eighths. They looked just like the pictures in the recipe you were using (if you were willing to look past the fact that the cuts were uneven), and if the instructions were correct, the ends would curl up when they were put to fry.

Such was the magic of squid sausages - and you were hoping your boyfriend would love it.

Being no good at cooking, Scaramouche had designated himself to be the household chef, claiming that even as a puppet, he was not immune to food poisoning. That didn't stop you though.

Knowing that Scaramouche had hidden his birthday away from you probably meant that he had never celebrated it in his life - or maybe he never had a reason to. But now that you were in his life, you were determined to bring a smile to his face - starting with breakfast in bed.

You filled the heated pan with some oil and put the sausages into it, biting back a yelp as the oil began to react violently. You watched with bated breath as the ends of the sausages began to curl outwards, and you switched off the stove after a few moments, too afraid that the sausages would begin to burn. Turning to the bento box sitting on the counter, you began to organize its contents carefully, folding the fried eggs into rolls and shaping them into hearts. You positioned the sausages to lie face up, placing the bacon you had made earlier on top of them to make it look like a blanket.

When it looked perfect in your eyes, you took the bento into one hand and a glass of juice into the other. and made your way to your shared bedroom. You walked as lightly as possible, being careful enough to not accidentally spill the juice, but it still quivered dangerously in its glass as you opened the bedroom door. I'm shaking it way too much...

Looking up, you almost dropped the bento to the ground. Before you, Scaramouche lay on his back, hands behind his head - clearly wide awake. At the sight of you, he cocked his eyebrows.

"Good morning! You're awake," you said cheerfully, shaking out of your initial shock. You dropped the bento and the glass on his bedside table, taking a seat next to where he was lying.

"Well it was sort of hard to stay asleep with all the ruckus you were making," he mumbled, his voice still hoarse with sleep. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of the kitchen?"

"Well yeah, but I didn’t," He sat up, and you took the bento into your hands, placing it on his lap. "Bon appetit, sweetheart."

He poked at the food with his fork, taking a bit of the eggs into his mouth. You clasped your hands together, awaiting his response, but he remained silent. 

"Well? How does it taste?"

"...It's quite good actually. You've improved a lot." You beamed, and he reached up to tousle your hair. 

"Aren't you wondering what the occasion is?" you asked. You knew Scaramouche wouldn't forget his own birthday – right?

"Not particularly," he responded. His attention was laser-focused on his breakfast, and you almost felt like he had forgotten. Almost. But you knew better than to fall for his poker-face.

You touched his shoulder, and he looked up, finally glimpsing the serious expression on your face. "Come on, don't act like you don't know. Today is your birthday, isn't it?"

He paused his chewing, wide eyes locked on yours. So Nahida was right - it really was his birthday.

"Who told you? It was Nahida, wasn't it?" His eyes glinted, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Yeah, but why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't like following stupid human customs,” he replied nonchalantly, popping a squid sausage into his mouth.

"I knew you would've said something like that. But I'll show you how amazing our 'stupid human customs' can be!"

He paused his chewing. "What are you thinking about doing?"

You stood up from the bed quickly, your excitement beginning to bubble over. "I'm glad you asked! I have a lot of things planned for us today-"

"Absolutely not. Ignore what Nahida told you."

His rejection meant nothing – you had many cards up your sleeve, cards that would have him succumbing to your plans in a second. You sat back onto the bed, looking at him with pleading eyes as you pulled your lips into a pretty pout. "Please? Do it for me?"

"...Fine. But at least let me wash the dishes. You’ve already cooked."

"No! It's your birthday!"

"If you don't let me at least wash the dishes then I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Okay! The dishes are yours to handle."

11:00am

"Here we are!" you said, pointing to the low-ceiling building in front of you. It was a Sumerian restaurant, one that had opened recently. Its roof was tiled with vibrant green, and patterned, red cloth was hung from each of the four posts at the corners of the restaurant. It looked even better than the last time you saw it.

"And what is this?" Scaramouche deadpanned. He looked up at the restaurant with no kind of amazement.

"A restaurant, obviously." 

"But we just ate."

"Well all that traveling has got me hungry! Besides, I've been wanting to take you here since they first opened. Let's go!" you said, pushing him towards a seat on the outskirts of the pavilion.

As soon as the both of you sat down, a waitress approached your table, smiling cordially. "What would you guys like to order?"

Scaramouche opened his mouth (no doubt to tell the waitress off for rushing the both of you), when you leaned over and touched his forearm. His attention now fully focused on you, you took his distraction as an opportunity to intervene.

"Yes, we'd love to order now. I'd like to have the Aaru Mixed Rice, and he'll take the Tandoori Chicken, please."

"I don't think I've ever heard of that dish in my life," Scaramouche mumbled under his breath. 

You patted his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, I know you'll love it."

"Okay!" the waitress said as she finished scribbling in her tiny notepad. "Your food will be ready in fifteen minutes tops!"

"I'm going to the washroom, I'll be right back," Scaramouche said, getting up from his seat as the waitress departed.

You leaned back in your chair, feeling its cold metal digging into your skin. So far, things were going well, and your boyfriend hadn’t been reacting negatively. As a matter of fact, he wasn't giving any type of reaction. You knew he wasn't often the excitable type, but you were beginning to wonder if taking him out was the best idea. He wasn't easy to appease, and while you enjoyed teasing him, you didn't want to upset him.

Maybe there's a reason why he never shared his birthday with me, you thought.

You both had your fair share of baggage, but Scaramouche's past was darker by far - there was no doubt he hid it from you without a good reason. You sighed, fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth, when a large shadow loomed over the table.

"Scara, are you-" You turned your head, and the words died on your lips.

It was your ex, a smug smile plastered onto his face, like a pirate who had found some thousand-year-old treasure. The look sent a shiver down your spine. What was he doing here?

"Well, look who it is. It's been a long time, hasn't it? What are you doing at a restaurant like this?" He reached out to touch your hair, and you instantly recoiled.

You straightened your back, giving him a dirty stare. "That's none of your business, Earl."

He let out a hearty laugh, but you knew he was less than amused at the situation. It only masked his anger at being talked back to, if anything.

"Seems like you grew some guts since the last time we saw each other," he said lowly, his gaze traveling to the empty seat across from you. "And it also looks like you're here with new company. Your better half, maybe?"

Earl cackled again, attracting the attention of a few customers nearby.

"And who the fuck are you?" a voice laced with barely restrained anger echoed from behind Earl, and you heaved a sigh of relief.

Although Earl was probably a full foot taller than your boyfriend, his confidence seemed to wither under the ex-Harbinger's stare.

Your ex grit his teeth, trying in vain to maintain his confident exterior. "I'm the ex. Who the hell are you?"

You saw a muscle tic in Scaramouche's jaw. "I'm the boyfriend. Now scram."

Earl gave him one last look before turning awkwardly on his feet, scurrying as quickly as possible in the other direction. Scaramouche took his seat across from you silently, as if nothing had happened.

You cleared your throat. "I'm so sorry-"

He waved his hand in dismissal. "It's fine. Let's move on."

You nodded, and a comfortable silence settled over your table gradually. Scaramouche’s purple eyes ventured out of the lookout point and beyond the city, and you followed his gaze.

It was basically a perfect view of the landscape of Sumeru, luscious green stretching on for miles and miles into the horizon. The sounds of laughter and talking along with the clatter of cutlery in the restaurant provided a busy sense of comfort, and for a moment you knew this was right where you needed to be – even if you had been accosted by an asshole mere minutes ago.

You looked back at Scaramouche, only to see him already staring at you. A sharp intake of breath escaped through your mouth.

"Well? How are you enjoying the view? I believe this is the best seat outside," you said hurriedly, taking a sip of your water to hide how flustered you were. Even though the both of you had been together for a considerable while, his purple stare never ceased to send your heart into disarray.

"It's...actually beautiful. Nice job," he replied, his gaze not once flickering back to the scenery.

Chuckling shyly, you pulled your hands into your lap. You opened your mouth to reply when you saw the waitress approaching your table at the corner of your eye, her hands filled with platters of food.

"Enjoy your meal!" She put the dishes on the table carefully, departing soon after. To say the food looked delectable would have been an understatement. The Tandoori Chicken seemed to be cooked perfectly, its golden skin shining under the sun. The rice you ordered was piled onto the plate, its colors varying as much as the ingredients used to make it. Both dishes smelled absolutely delicious, and your mouth watered as its aroma filled your nose.

"Taste it and tell me if you like it!" You took a bit of his chicken with your fork, and brought it to his lips.

He scowled, but it didn't hide the deep red coloring the tips of his ears. Taking the food into his mouth, he began to chew slowly. You watched as his eyes gradually lit up, and he swallowed.

"Well?"

"It's definitely not bad." You chuckled, knowing that that was probably the biggest praise he would probably ever give. From the way he was eating, you could tell he was enjoying the food.

After a few moments, he spoke again. “What’s next on the agenda?”

Deciding to be a little playful, you said: “Agenda? Who told you we were going anywhere else?”

Scaramouche put his fork down and glared at you, his mouth twisted into a frown. “You said you had plans – plural.”

You laughed; he was so easy to tease it was almost ridiculous.

“Don’t worry about that right now. Just focus on eating.”

2:00pm

By the time the both of you had paid the bill and left the restaurant, the sun had risen to its station in the sky, watching over Sumeru with a burning glare. People who had initially decided to eat outside fled from the scorching heat, and you yourself had taken off your jacket, already beginning to boil as well. Scaramouche, as expected, didn’t give any indication that he was bothered by the heat.

“Where do we go next?” he asked, as the both of you continued along the path leading deeper into Sumeru city. It was probably the fifth time he had asked since the both of you left the restaurant.

“Oh? Are you, by any chance, excited about our next destination?” You hooked your arm through his.

He rolled his eyes at the smile plastered onto your face, but didn’t say anything to deny it. “To answer your question, we’ll be going to a spot right outside the city, to do something I think you’ll enjoy. But we have to make a stop over here first.”

You pulled him towards a pair of large, brass doors, the steep, rounded stairs leading the both of you to the Bazaar. It was as busy as expected, shop owners clamoring loudly as customers bustled through stalls. The air was thick with the aroma of spices and flora, and dancers practiced on the large stage, their costumes glimmering under the bright spotlight. 

You led Scaramouche to a stall on the right, being careful not to bump into the crowd. “What could you possibly want from here?” He asked, raising his voice over the commotion.

“You’ll see!”

Eventually, you reached a small stall at the corner of the Bazaar. Two shelves at the back contained row after row of bouquets, all in the most elaborate vases, and flower vines wrapped around the posts holding up the canopy of the stall. Behind the counter sat an old lady with kind eyes hidden behind thick glasses.

“Mrs. Li! I’ve come to pick up my order.”

“You’re here, finally. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show up,” she got up slowly, making her way to the back of her stall. Mrs. Li was a gardener who hailed from Liyue, who decided to travel to Sumeru to partake in the market of selling plants and flowers. You had met her on your own travels to Liyue, and when you heard that she was opening a shop in the Bazaar, you knew you needed to check it out.

You turned to Scaramouche, who was shuffling from foot to foot. His face harbored no expression, but you knew he was less than pleased at the crowd.

You took his hand in yours, rubbing circles onto his knuckles soothingly. “Don’t worry, we don’t have much longer. I just need to grab something from here and we’ll be on our way.” You gave his hand a light squeeze and felt him squeeze back.

“Did you buy me a present from this stall?” 

Before you could reply, Mrs. Li reappeared behind the counter, holding a simple yet beautiful bouquet in her hands. She winked and smiled at Scaramouche sweetly, before handing the flowers to you.

“Here you are. Enjoy!”

---

Back outside, you dragged Scaramouche to the first empty corner that you spied, eager to let him examine the bouquet more closely. You had placed the order for a custom-made bouquet an entire month before his birthday – and Mrs. Li surely delivered. 

“Here you are,” you said, thrusting the bouquet into his hands. You leaned over and pecked his cheek. “Happy birthday, handsome.”

His ears reddened at the nickname. “Thank you.”

“Look here,” you reached over and opened the pristine, white card attached to it. Written in gold lettering were the names of the flowers included in the bouquet, along with their respective meanings. “The pink bluebells signify everlasting love, the gardenias represent joy, the balloon flowers mean endless love and honesty…”

Scaramouche said nothing, but you knew he was listening attentively. He stared at the bouquet, his eyes slightly glazed over.

“Well? Do you like it?”

“I do.” His voice was quiet. He reached up and plucked one of the balloon flowers from the bouquet. You opened your mouth to protest, but not before he could lean over and bury it in your hair.

“These mean endless love, right…?” He said nothing more, but the implications were clear. The tips of his ears were red again, but this time you also felt a familiar heat creep into your cheeks. Even though this was his day and you were supposed to be treating him, he still found ways to make you fall in love all over again.

Patting his shoulder, you whispered, “Thank you.”

He looked away first, clearing his throat. “...Anyways, let’s go to the next place.”

4:00pm

The both of you walked in silence to the city gates, his left arm holding the bouquet close to his heart, and the other linked with yours. There was a certain bounce in his step that told you the gradual quietness of the atmosphere had improved his mood significantly, and with the way he was holding the bouquet, you knew he wouldn’t be parting ways with it in a hurry. He always made it a point that he detested sentimentality with every fiber of his being, but you knew him for too long to know that that wasn’t true.

Eventually, the both of you came across a clearing where a park had been installed. The grass was short but still thrived, and the rustle of the leaves overhead was more than enough to send a pleasant wave through your body. There were a few wooden tables evenly spaced out in the clearing, and lucky for the both of you, they were all empty. You led Scaramouche to the table closest to the trees and under the shade, and rested your satchel onto the table as you took your seat.

Scaramouche sat opposite to you, still clutching the bouquet of flowers to his chest. He looked around the empty area, the wind tousling his hair.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to have another meal,” he said flatly, watching as you rummaged through your satchel.

“No, actually. Although I do have some sandwiches in case any one of us gets hungry.”

You pulled out a dark brown, wooden box from your satchel and placed it onto the table, its cover painted with gold patterns. You opened the cover to reveal an abundance of potted paints and a variety of paintbrushes. Your boyfriend’s eyes widened at the sight of it, and you smiled.

Not long after he began working under Nahida, he had picked up the art of painting. He had spent endless hours working colors onto canvases – but he had never once showed you any of his artworks. Once day, while the both of you were walking along the streets of Sumeru, you noticed how the embellished wooden box of paints had snagged his attention, and he didn’t seem to take his eyes off of it until the both of you had rounded the corner.

“I know you seemed particularly interested in these paints the last time, so I decided to get it for you before they all sold out. I hope you like it.” Just like before, his eyes stayed glued to the box as you slid it towards him on the table. “I also brought some canvases. I thought we could try a little something.”

You reached into your satchel and pulled out two small canvases, along with two matching easels. 

“I’ve been seeing a lot of other people doing this and I thought it might be interesting…let’s try painting each other!”

He put down the cerulean blue paint pot he was examining and focused his full attention on you. His eyes narrowed. “Is this your excuse to take a peek at one of my paintings?” 

You threw your hands up in defense. “No! I just wanted you to try the paints out, and we can spend some quality time together while you’re at it.”

He hummed, probably only half-convinced, before taking up one of the easels. “Let’s get started then. Sunset is close.”

And so it began – your journey to capture the essence of your beloved’s soul onto a canvas. It puzzled you how Scaramouche – usually abrasive and snappy – could take up such a hobby, which required time and patience. Glancing over at him, you could see that his eyes, which were usually stormy, were now peaceful and clear, and the seemingly permanent scowl on his face had melted away. His paintbrush danced across his canvas in long and short strokes, and his palette was already filled with a myriad of mesmerizing colors. 

You, on the other hand, were struggling.

The colors you chose looked off together, and you never seemed to choose the right paintbrush to do the job. If you were in any other situation, you would’ve been pissed, but the most important thing was that Scaramouche seemed to be enjoying himself. That alone was enough to keep your mood from plummeting.

“I’m done. What about you?” he asked, setting his paintbrush down.

You were busy trying to fix the head you had painted for him, which looked more like a lopsided egg than anything else. You were about finished with the general painting, but nothing looked quite right. 

“Uh, I need more time,” you mumbled, painting over his bangs.

He nodded slowly, reaching over in your satchel to have a sandwich. Sitting back, you examined your painting from afar. If you squint a little, it doesn’t look so bad…

“That’s enough fixing. Let’s see your rendition of me.” You jumped, startled at his loud voice.

“Fine…It’s not any good, but in my defense, I don’t think I’ve ever held a paintbrush in my life…” You turned the easel towards him, watching his reaction closely.

His eyes widened into a look of horror, before his eyebrows twitched into a frown – but then, he did the unthinkable.

Scaramouche slapped his hand over his mouth and let out a full-bodied laugh, loud enough to echo through the park. He bent over his seat, his cheeks red and splotchy as tears began to stream down his eyes. You stared at him, shocked by his reaction. Was your painting really that hideous?

Finally, he calmed down, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“Well? I hope I did your handsomeness justice,” you said lightly, playing off your incompetence as a joke. 

He took the canvas from the easel and smiled – one of the biggest you had seen in a long time. “...It needs some work. Maybe I’ll teach you some basics in the coming days.”

You smiled, before your gaze slid to his own canvas and easel. “You’ve had your fun, now let me have mine. I want to see your painting.”

He seemed to hesitate, his eyes lingering on the picture, before turning his easel towards you. You gasped.

To say it was breathtaking would’ve been an understatement. He had painted a picture of you smiling so deeply that your eyes were closed, and your hair seemed to blow in some imaginary wind. It didn’t even seem that he had pulled together such a piece in only two hours.

“Oh wow…” You breathed.

“I take it that you like it?” Scaramouche’s voice wavered a bit, and you looked up. His gaze was laser-focused on the wooden table in front of him, and a light blush dusted his cheeks.

“It’s absolutely amazing! I’m just surprised that you showed me your painting with so little convincing. You’ve never done that before.”

He shrugged. “It was the least I could do, especially for the paints.”

You reached over to give his hand a light squeeze. He squeezed back, and you smiled.

The sky overhead was beginning to turn purple, and you got up, taking a deep stretch. “The sun is starting to set, so let’s get going now.”

He stood up as well, packing away the supplies. “Are you done with your little tricks, or are we actually heading home now?” There was no bite to his words, and his lips were curled into a small smile. You held out your hand to him.

“Nope! I have one more place to take you. I have a feeling you’ll love this one the most.”

7:00pm

The sun had fully dipped below the horizon by the time the both of you had arrived at your last destination. Although the journey had only taken half an hour, you were panting by the time you made it up the hill.

“Here we are! Our final destination,” you spread your arms, taking your last few steps onto the plateau of the hill. From your location, you could see the entirety of Sumeru City in all its glory at night – a mix of warm glowing lights and stunning architecture. It was truly a sight to behold.

You turned around, feeling the absence of Scaramouche’s warmth by your side. He was standing a few feet away from you, moonlight shining onto his face. He was still holding the bouquet and canvas, but his eyes held a faraway look.

“Hey, are you okay?” you asked, walking towards him again. He shook his head and took a deep breath, coming out of his trance.

“Isn’t this the place where we…?” He didn’t finish his question, nor did he have to. You knew what he was talking about.

Months ago, when the both of you were still hiding your infatuation for the other under a moth-bitten veil, you had journeyed up that very hill with him to star-gaze. A study of the constellations quickly turned into a confession, and the next thing you knew, his soft, inviting lips were on yours. It wasn’t a day you had ever forgotten, and by the looks of it, it hadn’t slipped his mind either.

You looked out at the city again, a small smile creeping onto your face at the memory. “It is. Do you mind being here?”

He shook his head, and followed you to where you stood at the plateau. You took a large cloth out of your satchel and spread it across the stony ground, taking your seat next to him. It was usually so easy to forget what a small place you took up in the world with everything going on around you, but with your gaze elevated towards the stars, all your worries melted away.

From next to you, you felt Scaramouche’s hand slowly creep onto yours, your fingers intertwining. You looked towards him and smiled, reaching up to run your fingers through his soft hair.

“How do you like the view?” You whispered. He leaned into your touch and closed his eyes.

“It’s just the same as I remembered it,” he opened his eyes suddenly, and a serious look crossed his face. “But didn’t I tell you the stars in the sky were fake?”

You rolled your eyes at him, your gaze turning towards the sky once again. The stars seemed to have been thrown randomly throughout the sky, some bigger and brighter than others. Some also appeared to be twinkling. Even if your boyfriend was right, and the stars really were fake, was it not enough to appreciate the night sky as it was?

You turned to Scaramouche, only to see him staring back at you.

“Frankly, I don’t care if they’re fake or not. What really matters is whether or not you enjoyed your birthday.”

He turned his face away from you, obviously hiding a smile. “Well? Did you?” You reached around his neck, dragging him towards you so that your forehead was against his.

“Of course I did, idiot. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here now.”

You sighed, relief flooding your chest. “Well, that’s a relief. I was wondering if all my careful planning would be a waste.”

He leaned over and gave your cheek a light peck, before the both of you settled into a comfortable silence. However, something still lingered at the back of your mind, only beginning to resurface now that your surroundings were quiet.

“Scaramouche.”

“Hm?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your birthday?”

In your arms, you felt his body tense up, before he pulled away from you. His eyes were shadowed with an indescribable emotion, and he edged away from you, the few inches of space between you now feeling like miles and miles of cold nothingness. You could feel him mentally pulling away from you, and you knew asking such a question was a huge mistake. 

“It’s okay! You don’t have to answer…Just pretend I never asked.”

With his face angled towards the ground, it was difficult to gauge his expression. After a few agonizing moments, he finally shook his head, turning to face you.

He was crying.

Tears streamed down his face, and his breaths came in short gasps. It was nothing like a few hours earlier, when he had laughed so hard he started crying – these were real tears, glistening with sadness and hurt.

“I’m so sorry! Please, don’t cry…”

Comforting others wasn’t usually your strong suit, especially when it came to Scaramouche. He would always request that you leave him alone whenever he was facing another one of his nightmares, always desiring to put up a strong front. But you could always see in his eyes how much he needed you there by his side, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it.

However, in that moment when he turned to you, his energy was different. His usually hard exterior had totally shattered, leaving nothing but a broken boy. He was broken, but he was still beautiful.

Tentatively, you reached out to wipe the tears from his cheek. He leaned towards you, burying his neck in your face, and you wrapped your arms around his shaking form. A few minutes passed with the both of you huddled together like that – or it could’ve been hours, you weren’t sure – before he finally pulled away, his cheeks still red and splotchy.

“I’m sorry…” He sniffled, and you felt your heart breaking all over again.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. It was my–” 

“No.” He inhaled deeply and straightened his back, his eyes hardening with a new resolve. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

You stared at him in silence for a few moments, before he continued. “I’ve never celebrated my birthday. Before I met you, before all of this, I hated myself. I didn’t see the point in my creation – my mother had found me defective, and tossed me out like trash. I had spent years suffering and consequently making others suffer because I hated myself. But now–”

He took your hand gently, caressing your knuckles. “Now, because of you, I don’t feel like that at all, and it’s almost scary. I’ve been hating myself since I existed, and now I can’t bring myself to feel like that again…It’s so scary.”

You pulled him into a hug again, and he wrapped his arms tightly around you. In the crook of your neck, you heard him whisper: “I don’t deserve this kindness…”

You pulled away from him to look him in the eyes, wiping away the extra tears that had fallen. “No, you do. Even if you don’t think so, you have good in you – you are good.”

He began to shake his head, but you took his face into your hands, making sure that he had nothing else to focus on except you. “Yes, you are good. What about all those times you insisted on helping me around the house? And when you defended me earlier today? You might not think of yourself as kind, but everyone else can clearly see it. Although I can’t speak for anyone else, I for one am glad that you’re here with me, even after everything you’ve been through.” 

One of your hands came up to rest on his chest, where his heart should’ve been. You leaned over giving him a small peck on his nose. “Don’t cry, okay? It’s called happy birthday for a reason.”

He couldn’t fight the smile that crept onto his face at your analogy.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask you something? How did you enjoy your first birthday celebration? I know you said birthdays were stupid…” You chuckled at the memory from earlier, and he followed suit. You were glad to see him smiling again.

“Of course. Didn’t I tell you before? If I didn’t like it, I would’ve left a long time ago. And you were so kind, doing all these things…” He stole a glance at the bouquet and the canvases peeking out from inside your satchel.

You released a sigh of relief, the weight on your shoulders lifting. “I’m glad, then.”

You pressed your lips to his, and he reciprocated, deepening the kiss. You pulled away first, leaning your forehead against his. If you weren’t sure earlier, you were definitely now – he was the one you wanted to be with at the end of your days. 

The moon was already deep into its journey through the sky, but you didn’t want the night to end. You just wanted to see him happy for as long as he existed. 

“Happy birthday, Scaramouche.”

[fountainpenguin]

Who are some of your favorite FOP characters and why? Or more specifically, what is something they character did that made you like them?

For the sake of rambling on about some of the convoluted reasons why I love these children, here's the upfront disclaimer that I'll be referencing a few of the early draft episode scripts (from Fred Seibert's Scribd); that's where the wordy screenshots are from.

[ Tagged as "long post" but same deal as usual - if I put a Read More on it, it'll crash and delete :') Sorry ]

Imaginary Gary was my first true love in terms of FOP characters. He's such a brokenhearted little 5-year-old trying to play with the big kids. His debut episode starts out so lighthearted and silly with Timmy talking about this imaginary friend who used to attend therapy with him play with him when he was 5. The tone shift you get punched with after Gary realizes Cosmo and Wanda have to grant his wishes too because "he's a part of Timmy" just hits so hard.

I also just love his debut episode because it speaks so much to me about what the show is really about at its core... Timmy got physically and emotionally wrecked by Vicky as a kid, and that's a trauma he's still recovering from. The boy is not okay.

Fanart I made the first time I watched FOP, circa 2016

"Escape from Unwish Island" is very good too, such a fantastic episode in both context and execution.

I think Mark was the second show character I fell in love with, namely around "New Squid In Town" and "Five Days of F.L.A.R.G." There's something so incredibly charming about a teenage alien prince who flees his fiancée at the altar and seeks protection from a scary rival boy... and then just, like, enjoys being human so much that sometimes Timmy shows up at his house and Mark is just hanging out in his human 10-year-old disguise. By himself. Because he likes to be 10 and human. Love that for him.

His entire character type of "surfer dude alien prince" is so funny and creative. Mark is the guy who suffers physical pain when he's hugged, but he'll hug Timmy anyway in an attempt to show Earth affection. He has such a good heart. I also enjoy his dynamic with Vicky, like how he still wants the real girl even though his parents cloned her for him in Season 2, and how he keeps making attempts to be physically affectionate with her according to American culture even though things are drastically different on Yugopotamia.

They break up at the end of "King Chang" because she finds out he's an alien, then a few episodes later in "Wishology" they're hanging out again and he tries to put his arm around her while in alien form and she's like "Don't even think about it" and he respects her rejection, and then they still get back together in Season 9 even though she blatantly knows he's an alien and she decided she was okay with it, and he just adores her so much and has ever since Season 1... he's a sweetheart.

Also this early "Foul Balled" script hits the right spot for me-

Sob... they are in LOVE, your honor.

Mark's journey to being a terrifying prince who feared a human boy to becoming Timmy's biggest fan and best friend is just really sweet. I like to imagine they become roommates later in life. Timmy has to say good-bye to Cosmo and Wanda someday, but Mark stays in touch forever.

Flappy Bob has always been a favorite of mine. The man played the perfect role of an untouchable antagonist while simultaneously doing nothing wrong. Worked hard in school, started a business, did his best to make it a pleasant place to be. Stood up for Betty when she told Gary to respect her touch boundaries, straight up chased him down to make sure he didn't cross a line... all-around great boss.

Got handed magic and wished to make the world a safe place where people could feel loved and not get hurt. After his world of peace was in effect, he walked around, did his own research, and came to his own conclusion that this wasn't working out. Apologized to Timmy for being wrong and did all he could to fix the situation. Sold his business to Gary and Betty, then left town to live his dreams.

The clown theme was a lot of fun to see in a movie, and I'm glad it was acknowledged since it would have felt weird to see him namedropped in Season 2 ("Totally Spaced Out") and then not have the clown aspect be followed through with... The Musical is my favorite episode for good reason. Absolute sweetheart, 10 out of 10. This man can do no wrong.

I don't have much to say about him beyond that, but he's a fantastic character I adore. I would have loved to have seen more of him, but he did all that he needed to do and he's perfect. Also, big shout out to Timmy for handling the interactions with Flappy with grace even though in this same season, he revealed he has a clown phobia.

H.P. is just a funny guy. He's the big boss of a race of clones who file magical paperwork and he really just wants to swing by the club and dance and hang out. Incredibly sarcastic. He'll call you "Dude." Teamed up with Anti-Cosmo and immediately dubbed him with a nickname. Successfully took over two worlds in a single day (after planning this for 37 years) and just wanted to chill in a hot tub tbh.

He's a big, sassy goofball who likes to party and he shouldn't be brushed off as "just an old guy who speaks in monotone and does dull and boring paperwork and nothing else." He is very much Not That. Fairies canonically get drunk off soda, which means we've literally seen H.P. drink on the job. Slaps high-fives and fingerguns his underlings. Smirks and snarks constantly. Respects contracts even when they don't go his way. Keeps detailed files about members of another species. Supports his employees when they join music competitions. Gave his godson a nice car and flowers and sent him on a date with a girl he'd already screwed up with.

Literally gambled all of Fairy World in a bet against a 10-year-old boy and then almost quit after like 30 seconds because he wanted to go to a rave instead. Laughs at his own jokes. Complains when his employees suck up to him. Dressed in drag to flirt with Jorgen. Straight-up lost a golf game to Timmy despite the fact he was cheating in an attempt to win. As in, like... even before Cosmo tipped the scales back into Timmy's favor, H.P. was straight-up losing slkdjfs.

He golfs in his full-on business suit. Twirls his club like a baton. His head will stick in a dartboard if you throw him hard enough, and when Jorgen used him for darts the only thing he said was "You can only imagine the joy I feel in my heart right now." He has a laser cannon in his head. Jabs his elbow into you for attention. Always being snooty with hands on his hips. Used a newborn as a yo-yo. Kidnapped a baby, then announced he wanted to name the child Bill because "Bill's a guy you'd trust with your insurance portfolio."

Went out and bought office supplies in the middle of the Fairy World Games. Won a footrace against Anti-Cosmo. Uses dollar bills as pizza toppings. Keeps chicken drumsticks in his ear. Will flap his arms and make chicken noises at you. Monotone "Go me, go me, it's my birthday." Literally makes you use enormous microscopes just to read the fine print in his contracts. Will hand you a cell phone and then call you even though you're standing in front of him. Once wore a bowler hat on top of his already existing hat.

Keeps his golf club on the table during board meetings. Likes to breakdance. Anti-Cosmo started taunting him and H.P. jumped on a scooter and said "The only thing you'll be eating today is my dust! Later dude!" and peaced out. He might be one of the oldest and most "professional" characters in the series, but in his heart he's like 21 and a total party-loving dork. He's all business on the clock and he might even pay attention to you for five minutes, but honestly he just wants to drink soda, attend raves, and do the worm. H.P. is my dear beloved and I just can't imagine not adoring this perfect man.

And he really is just Like That:

I love him so much...

I like how H.P. was totally okay with splitting the world with Sanderson when they take over... When asked WHY he wants to take over, his reply is "I'm not a hater, but I must cater, to my mission, my ambition, to be the world's administrator" and I like to interpret this as "I don't hate Fairies, but their world is disorganized and I have OCD." Oh no. His hat is also a pen.

Also the OG script shows Jorgen, Anti-Cosmo, and H.P. each choosing a contest for Timmy to judge them on so Timmy can name one of them the "best in the universe." I am obsessed with the sheer confidence of H.P. selecting one task in the universe he knew he could beat Jorgen and Anti-Cosmo at, so obviously he picks:

(Anti-Cosmo wanted to play cowboys)

This early script also depicts H.P. and Anti-Cosmo getting in a magic fight and exchanging insults like "Bring it on, meat" and "Oh no you didn't" while they shoot each other with duckzookas and magic and I need everyone to understand how much I treasure the bitter frenemy silliness that is... Them™

Idk, I feel like if H.P. had been portrayed as a younger character with the exact same personality then he'd probably be more popular in the fandom, and that's really too bad because he's freaking hilarious. He is just a guy. A dude. He's here to party and make it everybody's problem. We need way more H.P. content out there, I adore him.

Sanderson I like for many of the same reasons as H.P.- I've always loved dorky suck-up characters. Plus, Sanderson blatantly cheating at every competition he touches is funny to me. He has a similar goofy attitude to H.P. except he's also like, more vulgar and easily distracted and it's hilarious. My boy really broke a rhyme scheme to compliment his boss on the same hat he's been wearing since forever. In his mind, H.P. is just really really cool and he'll say it.

Sanderson loves music, but when he had the chance to describe himself in song form, his response was basically "Lol, I'm about to end Fairy World's whole career; bite me" and I respect that. He is just the perfect embodiment of "that suck-up who likes to drink and party with his boss, but oh wait! He also has a lot of genuine affection in his heart! But oh wait! He'll also screw you over :)" He's great.

I very much enjoy the fact that when Gary called for Pixie backup in the Musical, it was Sanderson, not H.P., who got the call. I like to think Sanderson took Gary and Betty under his wing and might be a little more attached to his dorky music-loving "godkids" than he'd like H.P. to know. H.P. gets to call the shots, but Sanderson will sneak them candy. As Gary starts sliding off the deep end in my 'fics, I think Sanderson's slowly breaking heart is one of my favorite parts of the whole arc. He really likes Gary, but his hands are tied on how much he can interfere even when his mental health comes crashing down. He's a high-up at Pixies Inc., but still can't overrule the boss's orders. It's lots of fun to play with characters who have power, badly want things, but can't take the risk to use power for the things they want.

I just love my little dynamic of Happy Peppy "I'm a pawn who can't cry in front of my godfathers" Gary and Mr. "I can't express affection in front of Gary or I'll get fired" Sanderson. There's just so much pain there to play with if you jump into FOP canon, point at Gary's call to the Pixies, and say "And I took that personally."

I also enjoy the fact that Timmy was extremely insistent that Poof needed to score "perfect 10s" on the gymnastics course in the Fairy World Games and the Pixies bribed the judges to take 1st place, which implies that it was the Pixies, not the Anti-Fairies, who scored a 10-10-9. Sanderson and H.P. are the only pixies seen on the field in that event and I would have loved to see that. Sanderson likes to be where the action is. He is hanging out.

Happy Peppy Gary and Betty are just inherently fascinating. It's pretty obvious that they know about the magical world. Even if we wave off their weird laser tech and overlook the fact that they got teleported from California to Florida, then made it back before the end of their work shifts in "Baby Face" and didn't even question it... there's a scene in the Musical where Gary picks up a phone that is blatantly labeled "Pixies" and calls Sanderson directly. My boy really went "Dad pick me up, I'm scared" slkdjf I love him.

Actually that's not true, his actual words were "Kids just being kids; they could all get hurt!" and honestly my heart. Like, I'm a full believer that the Happy Peppy duo were in on the Pixie takeover scheme even though Flappy wasn't, they are miscreants, but still... Vote Happy Peppy duo some of the sweetest and most innocent characters in FOP canon, please and thank. Ignore the times they launched babies off-screen, used lasers to cage infants, stuffed a child in a box in front of his horrified peers, and all that other stuff, that's not important. My children did nothing wrong.

I just really love thinking about all the different backstories you could write about these... extremely intense teenagers getting mixed up with magic. I favor the idea that the Pixies have always raised them the same way they raised Flappy Bob, but I think the concept of these two showing up for work one day and accidentally walking in on Pixies scheming to take over the world is equally hilarious.

I want what Gary has- I want the absolute confidence to look a crowd of kids and adults in the eye after they've just been tormented - after I'VE just been tormented - and say "Welcome back, give me money." The extent of the brand overhaul he did on the Learn-a-Torium was slapping his and Betty's names on the side and investing in giant images of their heads. He changed nothing else, not even the uniforms, and just decided to shoot his shot. I love him.

It's also VERY cute that we saw a cardboard "You must be this tall" Gary standee in "Baby Face" and I'm obsessed. This is before Gary and Betty took over, so why isn't it a Flappy standee? For some reason this cracks me up because the implication is that either Gary loves his job so much that he volunteered to be a standee model or someone else took one look at him and knew he was destined to be the smiling face of the Learn-A-Torium so they made standees of him. I love it.

I adore Gary and Betty because they make me think... To me, they're not easy to brush aside and overlook because I have a million questions, and they're cute and fun and I love them. I wonder if Vicky runs in their social circle. They probably cross paths in the babysitting field sometimes.

Also the fact that Betty is so physically affectionate with Gary on a daily basis, but the moment he turns to her for genuine comfort, she bolts out of the room, always gets me laughing. I guess it evens out, because Betty passed out in front of him once, yelling about her heart and clutching her chest, and Gary just covered his ears and screamed that the world was falling apart sdklfj. My babies.

I talk about this all the time, but Gary and Betty also have some fantastic scenes in early episode scripts that were cut from the final versions, like this gem from "Totally Spaced Out":

I love them.

Also in the early days of planning, the Musical's antagonist was actually Imaginary Gary.

While it's not confirmed that Gary and Betty sing this song since unfortunately there's no full script for the Musical available, just the first song drafts, the lyrics for the OG version of "Get Flappy" remain almost identical to the final and it's said to be sung by "Clown cheerleaders," so it seems likely that this refers to them.

I think about this a lot. I mean, if Gary and Betty are singing while Imaginary Gary reveals himself, the implication is that they found out their boss Flappy Bob was actually a 5-year-old in disguise who came out to them as an imaginary friend and they were like "Yeah, that's cool with us." For obvious reasons I don't treat the Imaginary Gary plot as canon in my 'fics, but like... They accepted him. Man.

Like... I can never express how much I enjoy the BFF dynamic that is "I'll keep working here even though our boss is 5 and imaginary, I'll run away to Mexico with you, I'll run a business with you when our boss skips town, I'll catch you when you jump in my arms, but if you want genuine comfort then BOI I'm walkin' out." Betty sdjklf

On that note, I feel like something does need to be said about Gary seeking comfort from Betty when scared and her response is "But I don't like you like that!" She obviously felt like she needed to clarify that and I have so many questions about their relationship. Ignoring for a moment the obvious need to transition to a new scene, it's just not a good look for Gary that Flappy felt the need to chase them and mediate. Is Gary okay. Does he need to be held. My son.

Anyway Gary and Betty have my heart and they know it- they fascinate me and I love them very dearly. I feel bad for the fact that literally every fanfic scene I've put them in is just a horrible downward spiral of their relationship and sanity; I'm pretty sure I've never actually been nice to them, and honestly that's terrible slkdjf

Foop will be ranked at the top of my fave characters for forever and a day. He's just a messed up little sweetheart ping-ponging between being socially awkward in school, hanging out with his loser friends, and struggling against the desire to consume the world in a black hole. He's just struggling so hard and there's, like... no one giving him actual help and it's heartbreaking, but also you don't feel too bad for him because he also has a healthy social life and he's doing okay.

There are something like... 5 or so episodes where you can see Foop's alternate personality take over and I'm just happy that the alt personality thing wasn't pushed as a reason for his destructive behavior. The alter is focused on a little when Foop is freshly out of solitary confinement, comes up again when he's going to school, but all the other appearances are a lot more subtle and just showcased in later episodes by Foop getting that extra highlight in his eyes and gushing over things ("Oh, goody! I found a spot on my body where I wasn't bitten by a spider!" which... isn't the same way Foop speaks when he's in pain any other time in the series, because usually when he's hurt, he'll moan, grump, or panic). It is interesting to me.

Anyway I'm just very happy that the alter wasn't a one-episode gag "played for laughs" who then got thrown aside like nothing happened. Rather, the alter features majorly in two episodes (or three if you want to make an argument for "Terrible Twosome"), then quietly becomes part of Foop's character in a few episodes after that.

We saw extremely valid reasons for where this alter came from. Foop was locked in solitary confinement from the day he was born, developed claustrophobia, accidentally yeeted himself into an alternate dimension for an unconfirmed amount of time while the timestream was frozen for 50 years, and although there's a certain humor in his alternate personality (like when said alter rigged the class president vote for the wrong person) there's also just... this quiet melancholy to the whole experience, this very legitimate childhood trauma that Foop is recovering from... Yikes.

Also this comes later in his life, but he also experienced other fun childhood events such as being tortured with magical shocks while trying to escape a bully and also that one time in Season 8 when the Fairy Council ripped him out of reality. Foop is not okay.

Anyway, Foop's alter is there for him while he adjusts to life outside of solitary confinement and again when he starts a stressful first day of school, and after that he becomes a smaller aspect of Foop's attitude that you can still see in later episodes when he's stressed. Like yknow, that time he literally saw the Grim Reaper and got told how he'll die, I also would probably struggle emotionally with that.

Foop is great- he'll bribe you to spare his life with a dollar bill and he'll still ask if he can keep the change. Disaster child. He's a struggling little kid who's struggling with massive amounts of trauma and doesn't seem to have much of a relationship with his parents. At least Anti-Wanda packs anti-venom in his Kelly Clarkson lunchbox, so I'm glad they're on good terms. Overall, Foop is such a goofy character with a harsh backstory, a difficult family life, a criminal record, and high political expectations and he's also a bad boy evil genius, so like... He's the best kind of character type. But he also has silly subplots where he spends hours TP'ing a house because he forgot he had magic (twice), he loves making prank phone calls, and he freaks out when Crocker doesn't invite him to a party. His dialogue is always fantastic and I really enjoy when he's onscreen.

The downward spiral of his mental state when being tortured with lightning and forced to team up with Vicky in "Scary Godcouple" to the point that he stops caring about anything, straight-up ready to let her kill Poof even though he'll ALSO die just... Man. Hits hard. This happens after "Timmy's Secret Wish" where Foop was violently yanked out of reality. He already ceased to exist once and begged for life again, and then the forced team-up with Vicky happens and he just... can't. He can't.

He screams and begs and finally surrenders to it all, right up until seconds before Poof dies. Finally he lashes out at Vicky and blasts her with magic, gets tortured because of it... This boy is not okay. My man be STRUGGLING. And then the fact that he had to face Vicky AGAIN in "Certifiable Super Sitter" and he just did not trust her for a single second... ouch. The emotional arc of Foop saying "Ooh, I really like her :D!" in his first encounter with Vicky to Foop throwing himself in front of her chainsaw to save Chloe in their last...... Love that.

The Crocker / Dark Laser / Foop friendship is important to me. I just want Foop to have adults in his life who care at least a little about his well-being. He has very few people to turn to... Chloe made him cry with a hug, the boy struggles so hard with healthy affection. He might be a destructive force of chaos but he's also just baby.

I also just really like Foop's dialogue; he's this posh British boy genius who will get extremely worked up about how "For the record, if he HAD thrown a lightning bolt, it would have been done in protest over being asked to participate in this candy-coated farce that you call theater!" but he's also like 5 so he'll just groan about how things are "Super lame" and it's adorable. He has a certain twang to his speech where he'll "spit" these single-word sentences like "Wow" and "REALLY?" and "SERIOUSLY!?!?" and I just find him both refreshing and easy to write. He's so loud and so very cute.

This kid literally runs around on the playground eating poisonous spiders while trying to pick up girls by comparing them to potassium chloride, he'll also distract his teacher by pointing at the window and yelling "A van of rich single men!!" where else can I go to experience this character type, he's the best. He booked a restaurant for Cosmo and Wanda at a black hole. When will I ever be this funny.

Also I cry over the fact that Foop corrected Goldie every time she called him by the wrong name - from the day she came to class to the day they held the play - until he finally screams that his name "isn't that difficult!" and honestly just the fact that he had to deal with that is interesting to me. Goldie knew Poof's name, she memorized her lines in a play... there's no way she "forgot" his name. She was doing that on purpose. In his debut, Foop made it clear multiple times that he hates his name, but he also stood up for himself when misnamed. Love that.

It's also extremely funny that in "Spellementary School," Foop reveals he's never been able to understand anything Poof says and he just has to guess all the time, yet he's also shown to be extremely accurate in recognizing when Poof is grumpily agreeing with him, arguing with him, or straight-up swearing at him and I love that about their relationship. The scene in "Two and a Half Babies" where Foop assures Poof that he can be trusted because he's "not a pathological liar" and Poof just looks at him sadly and says "Poof poof" and Foop backpedals with "You're right, I am; I lied about that" is v funny to me.

Nonverbal popular kid and the boy who needs someone to talk to for the absolute win. They are bonded for life... Good luck, Poof.

I also really like Poof, especially in "Love Triangle" when he screws Foop over by making him take over as understudy and then he just eats popcorn while Foop fumbles around onstage. Comedy gold. Poof is sweet and forgiving, but he's also a straight-up savage and he knew EXACTLY what he was doing. Love him for that. As good as he is, he still has that wild streak the same way that Foop has a secret soft spot for people. Poof doesn't mean to cause trouble except for the times when he definitely DOES mean to cause trouble and it's hilarious.

Poof has a certain "looks like a cinnamon roll, but could kill you" vibe. He's this kindhearted little boy who's very cautious and sweet and you can just imagine what a little gentleman he'll be when he grows up. I love how the first thing he did when he met Chloe was tip his crown at her, the sweetheart.

He'll jump into new adventures. He'll play along. He'll help you out. Yet while all of this is going on, you can see how when he's scolded - either when it's being scolded for "not forgiving people after they try to destroy you" or Timmy yelling that getting them both stuck in a spider's web is all his fault or even just Wanda telling him to calm down because he was getting so worked up when he was unable to articulate what he wanted to say......

Poof doesn't know how to stand up for himself in those situations. He holds himself to this standard of respecting authority even when he's overworked to the point of exhaustion. When he was assigned as godparent to Mrs. Crocker, he went into it with a good attitude but came home wiped out. Didn't voice a single complaint. Just exhausted. Didn't know what to say.

Meanwhile, Foop will flip the heck out if you accuse him of anything and I really enjoy that... Here are two counterparts, and you've got one kid who struggles to speak up so he usually just keeps his head down, and then you've got Captain Overshare who will outright lie and throw blame on other people and it's just... nice to see the personalities of two opposite creatures truly be opposite like that.

There's definitely something to be said about how when Poof finally started talking in sentences, it was while dueling Crocker in a magic fight. The poor kid had been been begging for others to step in and get Crocker out of Spellementary School for two days. No one was there for him. Poof got backed in a corner and had no choice but to challenge Crocker himself. Kid got blasted with magic lightning, slammed into a wall twice, and finally pushed himself off the floor and stood up for himself. Good on ya, kiddo. He WILL get in a physical fight to protect himself or others, but if he's in a situation where he needs to say "Hey, I'm struggling with this assignment" or "No, I'd rather not hug the guy who tried to kill me last time we met" then oh heck no, absolutely not, he'd rather die skldfj.

Poof finally spoke and the second sentence out of his mouth was "Your plan to absorb all the magic from my friends and Foop has failed" slkdfj. Tell us how you really feel. And then after Foop apologized for a lifetime spent trying to kill him, Poof still tried to extend the hand of friendship, my heart...

Also, the dynamic of "I blatantly do not like Foop, but I tolerate him because he's my cousin / counterpart / classmate" is very funny. Poof doesn't usually go out of his way to hurt Foop, but he absolutely sits back to watch Foop create problems for himself. If Foop launches a spiked ball at him, he'll fling it right back at him instead of eliminating it. He also accidentally pushed Foop into a garbage can one time and chose to leave him there instead of helping him. Love that.

Poof's great, I love his vibe. He's neither a brat nor a goody-goody... He's just this shy little kid who was born a celebrity and has to deal with everything that comes with that, like attracting a crowd of friends at school and being nominated class president. He's sweet with a streak of mischief... He'll go along with a plan to steal Cupid's arrows, he'll eat all your brownies, and he'll also eat 11 pounds of chocolate just because he wants it. He has his share of chaos, but he's a lot more thoughtful and controlled about it than Foop is. Needlessly dramatic and likes doing things with a flair <3

Woo... This post became much longer than intended, yikes. I'll wrap it up, but Juandissimo, Kevin, Norm, Crocker, Ed Leadly, Chester, A.J., Elmer, Sanjay, Binky, Jorgen, and Dr. Rip Studwell, are all such fantastic characters too, just to name a few off the top of my head. There's a special place in my heart for Chet Ubetcha, Mr. Bickles, Schnozmo, Chloe, Molly, Dark Laser, Cosmo, Wanda, Anti-Cosmo, Anti-Wanda, Blonda, Schnozmo, Remy, Mama Cosma, Big Daddy, and Sammy Sweetsparkle too. And Timmy himself, but I think that goes without saying.

So many funky dudes; I love them so much...