#i make em from scratch most of the time. so awesome..

[l48yr1nth]

pancakes are like my specialty breakfast item. these ones always look INSANE!!!!!!!!! im not sure how exactly they do it but they're using WHIPPED BATTER to make it so HUGE!!!!! pancakes are already pretty filling but i wonder how these ones are....

soft and fluffy pancakes!🥞🥞

[ckret2]

Chapter 21 of honestly everyone's just sorta used to Bill being the shack's prisoner now (title tbd): Stan & Ford have a birthday party! Bill is not invited. He still manages to find a way to be fiendishly evil.

Also featuring: Wendy deciding what she thinks about "Goldie," the shack's mysterious secret "guest."

####

Mabel slid a piece of paper across the gas station front counter, listing a dozen scratch card serial numbers spread across three different games. "I'd like these numbers in these cards, please!"

The cashier gave the paper a dubious look, then looked at Wendy. "We're not supposed to sell the scratch cards outta order."

"Please?" Wendy asked. "Just a little exception? For us?"

"We really wanna play our lucky numbers," Mabel said. "Plus, I had a vision. In my sleep."

She and Wendy gave him their best big-eyed hopeful pouty looks.

The cashier shrank back. "Well..." He averted his gaze from the adorableness that was Mabel, and sighed. "Just this once. But I don't want to see you two in here with your nonsense again." He started unrolling one of the spools of scratch cards, inspecting the numbers. "These'll be over a hundred dollars."

Wendy winced. "Ooh. Mabel?"

Mabel offered three dollars and a quarter. "That's fine! Can we start with 177 from the beach cards?"

She received the card, depicting a pastel beachy scene next to five miniature bingo boards. She confidently scratched off the card to reveal its winning numbers, pointed at the fourth bingo board where she'd just gotten bingo, and said, "That's $200! Our payout, please."

The cashier took the card, inspected the numbers, and stared at Mabel in amazement. She grinned at him. Wordlessly, he opened his cash register, pulled out several twenties, and offered them over.

"Thank you!" Mabel accepted the money and pointed at the paper. "The rest of our cards, please?"

As they left with eleven scratch cards, Mabel handed Wendy three twenties—"Here! For helping!"—and stuck the rest of the change in her pocket.

"Dude. That was awesome. You were so cool in there, like—" Wendy put on her coolest, most unruffled expression. "'Our payout, please.'"

"That's just the kind of rock star I am." Mabel put the scratch cards in her bike's basket. "Thanks for the help, Wendy!"

"Sure, any time." Especially if she got a surprise $60 out of it. "Heading back to the shack?"

"Yeah! I've gotta finish decorating for the party!"  Mabel waved as she took off down the road. "See you then!"

"See you." She guessed that meant she wasn't invited to hang until the party started. Given the touchy situation inside the shack, no surprises there.

She wondered what Goldie had to do with Mabel's interesting trick with the scratch cards. She was sure there was something.

####

Bill leaned into the kitchen. "Hey! How's that cake coming along?"

Mabel stopped arranging dozens of candles in the frosting to point at the door. "Out, Bill! Nobody's getting cake until the party!"

Dipper said, "You don't even deserve a slice."

"Agree to disagree!" Bill said. "But if you don't give me one anyway, I'll annoy you about it for weeks."

"He can have a slice at the party," Mabel said. "The cake's big enough." A couple of overcrowded candles spilled off the edge of the cake. Mabel picked them up and carefully stuck them back in.

Bill fought back a laugh. "Are you sure about all those candles? If you light 'em all up at once, you'll burn off everyone's eyebrows," he said. "But unfortunately, you'd also melt the frosting."

"The frosting's already a mess," Mabel said, peering at the barely-visible HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAN & FORD hidden beneath the forest of candles. "But Soos doesn't have any of those number-shaped candles, so..." 

"Roman numerals," Bill said.

"Oooh." Mabel looked at the cake thoughtfully, and started pulling out candles. "How do you make 62?"

"LXII. Fifty-ten-one-one," Bill said, then shot a grin at Dipper—who was glaring at Bill for answering before he could. "Isn't that right, smart guy?"

"Yeah," Dipper grumbled.

"You kids take the credit if they ask about the candles," Bill said. "They'll just get grumpy if they know I had any influence on the decorations."

Mabel carefully tilted the bottom leg of the L just enough to keep the tip out of the frosting, and started smoothing out the rest of the candle-pockmarked surface. "Now I've got enough empty frosting to add some decorations!" Mabel said. "I don't have enough time to draw something complicated. Maybe rainbows?"

Dipper shook his head. "I don't think either of them would be into that."

"Draw gold bars," Bill said.

Mabel blew a raspberry. "That's what you'd want on a cake!"

"No, I'd want me on a cake. Stanley likes gold! Stanford should like gold more, you could help him develop a taste for it."

"No."

Dipper suggested, "Maybe you could draw gambling stuff on Stan's side of the cake? Since they couldn't have their birthday party in Vegas like he wanted." Dipper shot a sideways glance at the reason they had to stay in Gravity Falls. (Bill shrugged. It wasn't like he'd asked the Stan twins to stay in town.) "You could do poker chips or playing cards or—"

"Dice!" Mabel said. "Dipper that's perfect, they both like dice! We can put normal dice on Grunkle Stan's side and nerdy dice on Grunkle Ford's—"

"Oh, that's great! I've got my DD&MD dice bag in the attic!"

"I'll look in the board game closet!"

Dipper and Mabel took off. 

Bill waited until he was sure they were gone.

He checked out the kitchen window for witnesses, then picked up a dozen abandoned birthday candles, licked off the frosting, and hid the candles in his hoodie's hood. Too bad they hadn't left a matchbook out, but Bill knew a fun little trick with an empty aluminum can and a tube of toothpaste that would work just fine.

When the kids returned and Mabel stuffed the remaining forty-odd candles back in their box, they never noticed any were missing.

####

Mabel had put herself in charge of the guest list. Which explained why, along with Stan and Ford's actual friends, all Mabel's friends had been invited; as well as—among other people—the mayor ("he's like the Mystery Shack's best customer, Grunkle Stan!"), Shmebulock ("Jeff said Shmebulock stole the Journal 4 you started last fall, I was hoping he might gift it back"), and the Hand Witch and her boyfriend. ("Whaaat, Grunkle Ford you met her TOO?! What a coincidence! Dipper, did you know he met—oh, you did. I didn't read those pages!") It would have been a lot more awkward if not for the fact that the birthday boys were awed and humbled that so many people had attended knowing they were coming to a birthday party for Stan and Ford Pines, and none of the guests had even been bribed.

When Soos and Melody helped Mabel carry out the birthday cake, Ford laughed at the sight of it. "Did you make Roman numerals out of candles? How clever! Stanley, do you know what Roman—"

"Yeah, yeah. I watch the Football Bowl, you know," Stan said. "Honestly, I was expecting this thing to be covered in candles."

"I almost went that route," Mabel said. "But I thought I'd save that kind of firepower for the Fourth of July."

"Hah! That's my girl."

"Happy Birthday" was sung, candles were blown out, and the party lined up to get their cake. Mabel cut a slice, loaded it on a paper plate, then glanced toward the attic window. "I'll be right back! I've gotta use the bathroom. Don't open my presents until I'm back!"

She trotted into the house, taking the cake, a napkin, and a plastic spoon with her.

####

Bill met Mabel at the top of the stairs and scooped the cake out of her hands. "You're my hero, star girl." He carried it halfway back to his window seat, stopped mid-step, and asked, "You got a piece with my name on it?"

"I got the slice with the 'Birt' and took off the extra frosting!"

"Oh," Bill said. "Heh. That's—cute." And he looked so much like he was trying to pretend he wasn't genuinely touched by the gesture, that Mabel didn't have the heart to tell him she'd only thought of it halfway up the stairs.

He flopped back in his usual window seat post—where, Mabel couldn't help but notice, he had a perfect view of the party happening outside without him. She grimaced. "I'm sorry you can't come to the party," she said. "But you did torture and try to murder the birthday boys... and most of the party guests... and left half of them with lingering trauma..."

"Speaking of, how's your therapist doing?"

"Oh, good, she's good. I think she's gonna write a paper about Mabeland."

Bill fell silent, staring out the window. Mabel almost went downstairs—when he said, "You know, I was the only person who gave Stanford a gift on his thirtieth birthday."

Mabel turned back around so fast she almost tripped on the top step. It wasn't often she got a double dose of Bill lore and Grunkle lore. "You were?"

"He didn't make new friends in Oregon and he didn't keep up with his old friends from college. His parents mailed him a gift, but it got here a week late. So I taught him a couple spells to see the stars during the day and keep rain from landing on him, and told him where to be in Portland that afternoon if he wanted to pick up a free cake from a fancy bakery."

"Aww. That was... nice of you." But Mabel had to hesitate before saying it, automatically wondering what Bill's motives had been for giving the gifts and what his motive now was for sharing this. 

Bill waved a hand dismissively. "Ahh, they were parlor tricks. They're easy, flashy cantrips that impress humans but don't do any harm," he said. "Not much harm, anyway. That night he told me all about how he was the only human to see his zodiac constellation on his birthday. The genius spent all day staring at the sun so he could see the stars!" He laughed.

But it quickly petered out. "And now I'm personally banned from his birthday party. Funny, huh?"

Maybe Bill was trying to get Mabel to pity him; but she kinda thought he was just pitying himself. She patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Losing friends is tough," she said. She paused. "And that's why we should be nice to them."

Bill cracked up so loudly Mabel half expected the party outside to hear him. "Okay, Glory Unicorn! I've learned today's moral about friendship. Get outta here. See if I ever tell you anything again." But he was grinning as he shooed her off.

####

When Mabel came back cakeless, Dipper gave her a dark look, but said nothing.

"Are we opening gifts yet?" Mabel picked up a box and flung an arm around Dipper's shoulder. "You've gotta open this one first! It's from both of us to both of you!" She waved it at Stan and Ford until they took it together.

Ford pointed at the card that said, "To our Grunkles, from your gniece and gnephew!" "That isn't how you spell niece and nephew?" Stan elbowed him.

"Nope!" Mabel said. "But it's how you abbreviate great-niece and great-nephew."

"Ah, I see! Very creative."

"Nice recovery," Stan muttered. Ford elbowed him back. Together they tore off the wrapping paper and opened their box.

Inside were two more boxes, each small enough to hold in one hand—a square one labeled "Stan" and a long narrow one labeled "Ford."

Stan opened his box and pulled out a thick gold chain with a coin dangling from it. Engraved on the coin in sloppy text were the words "#1 Grunkle."

Soos held up a hand. "I did the engraving! First try."

Mabel pointed at the coin. "We made it out of pirate treasure that we have for reasons that we can't talk about! There's a skull on the back!"

They'd hung it from his favorite gold chain. He'd been missing it for a week—and he'd never even suspected the kids. How about that. Choked up, Stan said, "It's—it's great." He took off the chain he was currently wearing, chucked it into the bushes, and put on his gift. "C'mere, you two." He wrapped his arms around Dipper and Mabel.

Soos held his arms out hopefully. Stan rolled his eyes, but waved him over for a hug too.

Ford opened his box. "A pen?"

Dipper said, "It has an ergonomic grip, can take standard ink refills, writes super smoothly—I tested it out myself—makes a very satisfying click, and it's red with gold trim to match your journals."

Mabel said, "I helped pick out the design!"

"... And that's why it's also sparkly."

"I didn't do the engraving on that one," Soos said. "We had a lotta spare pirate coins but only one pen, so. They got it done at the mall."

Ford rotated the pen in his hand until he spotted the (more professional-looking) engraving on the barrel, filled in with gold. "Mine says #1 Grunkle too?"

Dipper said, "C'mon, we're not gonna choose between you two."

Stan said, "Oh, I see how it is! Trying to butter us both up, are you?" He reached under Dipper's hat to ruffle his hair. Smiling, Ford carefully slid his gift into his coat's breast pocket next to his usual pen.

####

When Bill saw that Mabel was back outside, he got up, left the rest of his cake on the window seat, scooted aside a storage box sitting forgotten in a corner of the attic, and pried a loose board from the wall.

He took his stolen candles out of his hood, wrapped them in the party napkin Mabel had given him, and stashed them in a plastic sandwich bag where he'd already stowed a crushed cider can, its edges torn and sharp.

Then he re-hid the bag, fixed the wall, replaced the storage box, gently brushed some cobwebs over the floor to hide the trail in the dust where he'd scooted the box, and turned away from his hiding spot.

To see a gnome wearing a journal like a backpack.

They stared at each other.

"You didn't see anything," said Bill.

"Shmebulock," said Shmebulock.

Bill eyed Shmebulock, the staircase, the window—and then dropped into a crouch, knees and feet spread apart like a sumo wrestler, teeth bared.

Shmebulock cracked his knuckles.

Five minutes later, Bill added Journal 4 to his hiding spot, with a mental note to find a new hiding spot the gnomes didn't know about later.

Unfortunately, Shmebulock escaped with Bill's cake.

####

Wendy squinted up at the blonde shape in the attic window. "You know—all this last week, I kept thinking I saw someone up there. I just assumed it was my imagination," she said. "Guess Goldie didn't get invited to the birthday party, huh?"

"Nope," Dipper said. "And for good reason."

Wendy laughed. "Yeah, sounds it."

Dipper glanced toward his grunkles. At the moment, Ford was opening a cheap set of watercolor paints and giving Mabel an exasperated look. ("I thought we could try them out together! And hate them together!" "All right, that might be fun.") He lowered his voice and picked at his cake. "So. You found out the big secret, huh?"

"Yup," Wendy said. She lightly punched Dipper's shoulder. "Hey—don't look so glum, man. I'm not mad you didn't tell me. There's some kind of family drama and a missing person case involved. I get it—you don't talk about that kind of stuff outside the family."

"Yeah, hah. Right," Dipper said. "So, what do you think of... Goldie?"

Wendy glanced up at the figure in the window. "We didn't talk a whole bunch before Goldie and Stan started arguing about plagiarism," she said, "but I got that she's some kind of wildcard paranormal investigator who gives off insane grifter energy. And seems really mentally messed up from being trapped in another dimension, but like, the kind of messed up that probably makes you fun at parties?" She was already mentally playing Goldie off of her friend group, trying to figure out how well she'd mesh with them. She seemed like the kind of person who'd be into some harmless trespassing and recreational vandalism. "How old is Goldie? She was working on a Ph.D., so that's what, mid-20s? Mid-20s but actually mid-50s after not aging for thirty years? Honestly, if I just met her on the street I would've thought she was like, 15. She does not look her age." Maybe it was the lack of makeup?

Under his breath, Dipper muttered, "You have no idea." He glanced away from Wendy, stuffed a large forkful of cake in his mouth, and mumbled to himself, "How much should I say? Sharing too much could be dangerous, but if I don't say anything..." Mumble, mumble.

Wendy would never tell Dipper how funny it was that he monologued to himself and hoped nobody would notice. Usually she'd politely ignore him, but if there was something dangerous... She lightly elbowed him. "Dipper. Come on," she said. "I can tell something's eating you. You can trust me."

"Ugh, I know, but..." Dipper glanced again at the rest of the birthday party—just far enough to be out of earshot, currently entranced by some thingamajig Fiddleford had gifted the Stans—and let out a heavy sigh. Voice low, he said, "Okay, Wendy, listen. For your own safety, you need to know that Goldie is way worse than whatever you heard about him last night. And I can't tell you why, because of reasons I also can't tell you—believe me, I wish I could tell you, but—don't trust him, okay?" Dipper gave her an earnest, pleading look. "Just don't. He's dangerous. That's all I can say."

It figured that even after Wendy learned the big secret, she'd just find another, smaller secret hidden underneath. Like a matryoshka doll. (She quietly made note of the "he" and wondered if Goldie had been part of the queer scene in the 80s, or if he'd only figured himself out while he was in ghost land.) "I'm assuming he's dangerous for Weird Spooky Paranormal reasons?"

"Yeah," Dipper said, teeth grit. "Yeah, basically."

He wanted to tell her more, she wanted to know more, and she was ready to play 20 questions on Goldie's backstory. Picking through what she'd learned last night for clues, Wendy asked, "Is it connected to Ford's research? All the weird magic stuff he got into?"

"Um." Dipper shrugged uncertainly. "Y...yeah? But... bigger than that?"

"Is it portal stuff." What was the most dangerous thing she knew of that was connected to the portal. "Is it Bill stuff."

Dipper let out an anguished groan, pulled off his hat, and buried his face in it. "I can't tell you more than I already have!"

"Oh my god it's Bill stuff."

Dipper eloquently said, "MRRGHF."

"Okay got it, so Goldie was some kind of Bill groupie or discovered how to summon him or something. Something like that. I don't need to know the details! But he's totally Bill-adjacent."

"Yeah. Yeah. Yep." Dipper nodded emphatically. "Bill-adjacent is... the best way to describe Goldie."

"But Bill's gone, right? So Goldie's like a cultist without a cult leader. Doesn't that mean he's harmless now?" Wendy asked. "Or do you think he's gonna try to cause the apocalypse in honor of his boss or whatever."

Dipper tugged his hat back on his head and straightened it out. "I'm sure he'd try to end the world again if he could, but... we're all still trying to figure out what he can do."

"So, domestic terrorism risk. Cool," Wendy said. "Y'know, I sorta expected to run into a guy like that in the shack eventually, but I always thought they'd be here because of Stan, not Ford." She rolled her eyes. "I'll warn you if he starts talking about ending the world or anything."

"Thanks, Wendy." Dipper glanced uneasily toward the birthday party. (They were still distracted, currently trying to douse the flamethrower on Fiddleford's birthday gift. It was trying to eliminate the competitor gifts.) "Just... don't tell anybody else, okay? If the town finds out that Goldie is—you know—Bill-adjacent..."

"Relax." She pantomimed zipping her mouth. "I'm not gonna organize an angry mob."

She glanced up at the attic window. Goldie was still up there, staring down at the party. He noticed Wendy staring and made a face at her.

She made the same face back, and saw him silently laughing. Okay, he had bad taste in friends, obviously; but Goldie seemed kinda cool in an unhinged way. From what Wendy had gathered, Bill had conned and then betrayed half the people she knew—and if the Pines had only just managed to get Goldie back on this plane of reality, months after Weirdmageddon, that meant Bill hadn't bothered to rescue him when he could, so Goldie was just another victim. Maybe he just needed to be reintegrated into society.

Dipper said, "Hey, Stan just poured punch on the robot and it made the fire worse. Do you think we should help?"

Wendy looked at the fire—and looked up at the fire. She was moving before she spoke. "Yeah, let's do something about that."

They rejoined the rest of the party, and Wendy put Goldie out of her mind.

####

Ford stared at the ring on his left sixth finger.

Welcome back, the Hand Witch had said.

Thirty years ago, he'd met her at a carnival. She'd told him that he'd chosen the wrong allies and would doom himself for it. She'd given him a ring with a blue cabochon and told him that if it ever turned black, there was no hope for him.

He'd dismissed her as a phony palm reader; and, the night he'd decided Bill was right about Fiddleford not being bold enough to follow through with the portal project, the ring had turned black, and he'd thrown it in the lake.

Now here it was on his finger again.

He didn't think her a phony now. Everything she'd told him had been true. And anyway, it was hard to doubt she had real magic when she spent half the party trying to stop two small disembodied hands from escaping her pockets to visit Mabel. 

"Why are you giving this back to me?"

"It's your birthday! And I thought it might be useful."

"For what? Am I in danger?"

"I don't know, I'd have to give you another reading to see." She had pulled a cartomancy deck from her pocket. "Do you want me to?" The card on the bottom of the deck had been a triangle with a snake slithering through its eye socket.

Ford hadn't wanted a reading. He knew now that what he'd called superstition back at that carnival might be a legitimate form of prophecy he simply didn't understand; but he was tired of living his life by signs and portends.

All the same, it was comforting to see that his ring was blue.

Ford's view of the ring was blocked by Stan shoving over the "Get Out Of One Misdemeanor Free" coupon Mayor Cutebiker had given as his birthday gift. "Hey, do you think I'd get in trouble if I made a buncha copies of this?"

Ford took the coupon and inspected it thoughtfully. "If you do get in trouble... a coupon counterfeiting charge couldn't possibly be worse than a misdemeanor, could it?"

"That's what I like to hear!"

It had been a surprisingly long day—and, by far, the best birthday either of them had had in well over forty years. (Was it really that long?) Now they were retired to the parlor Soos and Abuelita had converted into a double guest room, sitting on their beds facing each other as they got ready for sleep.

There was a knock at the door. Ford stood. "Coming—" He opened the door to see Bill's grinning face, a foot from his own. "Oh. You." Ford resisted the urge to step back, in case Bill interpreted as an invitation to come in.

"Hiya, birthday boy!" Bill's gaze immediately drifted down to Ford's coat pocket. "Hey—new pen? I like the sparkle, adds a little pizazz."

"What do you want, Cipher."

"Just to hand this over." Bill pressed a couple of envelopes into Ford's chest, and kept them pinned there with a fingertip until Ford reluctantly took them. "I knew you'd hate getting something from me at your party, so just for you I waited until all the festivities were over. You're welcome."

Ford studied the envelopes. They were two pieces of yellow construction paper that had been folded into envelope shape, and written on each one, in lurching crayon text that drifted up and down, was "Stanford" and "Stanley". "You made cards?"

"You're flattered."

"I most certainly am not."

"'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.'" Bill shrugged. "Hey, they're your birthday gifts. Toss them in the fire if that makes you happiest. You just might wanna open them first—you know, to make sure I didn't write a fire-activated explosion spell on the inside."

Stan grabbed his envelope out of Ford's hand and eyed it in deep suspicion. "And why did you make these?"

"Because it's your birthday. Come on! Why am I explaining this, it's your species's ritual."

"I mean why are you doing it? We all hate each other. We're planning your execution, here," Stan said. "So what's your angle?"

"What do you need my measurements for, you pervert."

"ALL right—" Stan stepped toward Bill, cracking his knuckles, and was only stopped by Ford's hand across his chest.

Bill leaned back against the hallway's opposite wall. "Whoa! Consider this a peace offering! You know—'no hard feelings for all the murder, attempted or planned'! I can be a polite house guest, even if I'm not a voluntary one." Bill smiled wryly, "I'm trapped on an alien planet where I know less than a dozen people and all of them hate me. It gets boring." He looked directly in Ford's eyes. "And we've got history. Is it so hard to believe I might want to be friends again?"

This time, Stan had to put a hand across Ford's chest.

Ford said, "You're up to something."

"Is that a statement or a question?"

"Statement."

"Then you don't want an answer. Enjoy your gifts! Or don't, I'm not your boss." Bill waved, and slunk around the corner back toward the living room.

Ford shut the door. He sat on his bed, examined the envelope, and glanced at Stan, who was sitting on his bed doing the same thing.

They grimaced at each other.

"Okay," Stan said. "Is this more dangerous if we do open it or don't open it?" He hefted his envelope in his hand. "This thing's pretty heavy for just a card."

"Is it?" Ford's wasn't very heavy. He turned on a lamp on a bedside table and held the envelope up in front of it, trying to see through the construction paper. "I think he's counting on us to open these. I doubt he set a trap that will activate if we leave it closed—it's not his style."

"So, what do we think. Some kinda hypnotic mind-control magic that's activated by reading it? Or is he just trying to bribe us into liking him better?"

"He probably doesn't have hypnotic mind-control magic. If he did, why would he have spent so long trying to manipulate humans into doing his bidding?"

"I dunno, maybe he's stupid."

Testily, Ford said, "He's not stupid."

"No—listen, I've been thinking about this for months," Stan said. "You spent thirty years hopping between a zillion different dimension, right? If there's already safe portals out there, why'd he spend so long tricking someone into building a crummy one that'd destroy the universe, instead of using one of those? He's gotta be stupid!"

"I've... wondered the same thing about the portal," Ford admitted grudgingly. "But, no—I've seen him use so many roundabout tricks to manipulate minds that if he were capable of overt mind control, I'm sure he'd have used it by now."

"Fine, so mind control's off the table. But we're probably safer if we leave these alone. If we open them, they might be an annoying attempt to kiss up to us, or they might be dangerous." Stan waved his envelope like a fan. "And, we're gonna open them anyway, because not knowing will kill us, right?"

In his youth, Ford had arrogantly looked down on Pandora. "Of course we're going to open them."

They opened their envelopes.

They both contained a sheet of type paper folded in half with nothing on the front and messages written inside. Ford's read, "Stanford– I'd tell you to go to hell, but you'd barely be there long enough for it to be worth the trip. Happy birthday! –Δέος" Charming. Particularly out of the heel who'd just claimed he wanted to be friends.

"Hey, what is this?" Stan held his letter out for Ford to see: "Stanley– You were only the accomplice. I won't hold a grudge. Happy birthday! –Δέος" Stan pointed at the last word, "Is this some kind of curse?"

"A signature. Bill's real name isn't 'Bill Cipher'—it's just one of many nicknames he uses when communicating with humans. And, when writing to people who know him well, he prefers to sign with that nickname. It's pronounced déos." It meant awe—whether manifested in the form of fear or reverence. And it probably was no coincidence that Bill had picked a word that, to the untrained ear, sounded so much like the Latin deus—god.

Once, long ago, waking up to find his own hand had written a letter signed by "Awe" in a foreign alphabet had filled Ford with awe. Now... well, now it looked a little try-hard, didn't it. "Between you and me, I think Bill likes that signature best because it starts with a triangle." In Bill's handwriting, the delta looked unusually equilateral.

"Really fond of his own face, isn't he," Stan said, digging in the envelope for the rest of his "gift"—and he pulled out a handful of scratch cards. "What the...?"

How the heck had Bill gotten his hands on those? Ford checked to see if his envelope had the same—and came out with five pieces of notebook paper instead, still tattered on the edge from being torn out of a spiral notebook, covered front and back with writing—multiple languages, some inhuman, with a smattering of complex sigils and symbols. The first line on the first page read "Spell to Resurrect Fowl (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.—funny at dinner parties!)" Ford slapped the pages face down on his nightstand without reading the next line.

"What is it?" Stan asked.

"Magic," Ford said, voice flat with irritation.

"A trap—?"

"No. Magic for me. Spells I don't know. The kind of knowledge I'd—document in my journals."

Stan processed that. He tossed his scratch cards down on his own nightstand. "Lemme get this straight," he said. "Less than two weeks since he tried to kill us, with no access to the outside world and no resources at his disposal but his stupid wits—without even getting his hands on a freaking envelope—he somehow managed to get us both thoughtful, considerate gifts that are deeply relevant to our personal interests and passions! Is that about right?"

"It seems to be, yes."

"That jerk! I oughta wring his neck!"

Ford nodded in agreement. "I didn't know you're into scratch cards." He tamped down the urge to lecture Stan on the statistical improbability of making a profit.

"See, if even you didn't know, now I'm even madder that he does!" Stan groaned in frustration. "I kicked the habit. Still like playing 'em if I get them as a gift."

"Hmm." That was all right, then. Couldn't lose money on scratch cards if somebody else had spent the money.

They glared together at their thoughtful, relevant, deeply unwanted gifts, trying to decide what to do about them. Stan was the first to let out a resigned sigh and snatch his up. "What the heck. They're already paid for, I'm not gonna throw away potential free money just because it came from him." He fished around in his discarded pants pockets for a quarter. "But I'm not gonna enjoy myself!" He flipped through the cards, noting they were each labeled in a corner from 1/11 to 11/11, and muttered, "Why'd he draw triangles on some of the numbers?"

Well, if Stan had caved into his curiosity... Back into the box, Pandora, and perhaps we'll find hope at the bottom.

"Mabel must've helped him get these," Stan said. "It's the only way. And these cards have glitter and unicorns all over them." He scratched off his first card, and said, "Hey, three bunny faces—how 'bout that? I made thirty bucks already."

"At least it's not a total waste," Ford muttered, skimming the pages before him.

It was a treasure trove.

A spell to uncook food. The cipher to decrypt the Voynich manuscript. A potion to change eye color. A river stone submerged not five miles away that, when dry, hovered. A ritual involving five hours of meditation and a lot of mushrooms that opened up psychic communication with Earth's nearest alien neighbors. An illusion to make the floor look like lava. ("Good for games if you're very bored and oppressed by gravity.") The names of five hitherto-unknown demon nobles, the sigils to summon and bind them, the fields of knowledge and political influence in which they were most helpful, and a few personal tips on how to best to twist their arms into doing a favor. A complicated way to grind glasses that let one see, depending on prescription strength, anywhere from several seconds to several minutes into the future. And on and on.

And Bill didn't just toss down a few mystical-sounding words and move on: in a few terse sentences after each spell, he hinted at the principles that made them work (freely mixing magic, physics, and metaphysics), the people who'd created or discovered the trick (whether human, inhuman, unearthly, or transdimensional), where Ford could go digging to independently verify the information if he didn't want to take Bill's word for it—and what other, greater things someone might use these tricks to do, if only they fully understood how they worked, if only they had the right teacher. Bill had filled the margins, scribbled extra info in red pen in between the rows of black to double the amount of text he could cram on each line. Ford could fill an entire journal just by copying, disentangling, and expanding on everything Bill had packed into this dense five-page grimoire.

Bill had given Ford more in this letter than he had in all the years he'd been posing as Ford's friend—excluding those accursed portal blueprints. He'd shared the kinds of things Ford had always dreamed his Muse might show him. He gave it away like a free sample to entice a new customer. Five pages of deep secrets meant nothing to Bill and his infinite knowledge. He could have done this all along. He only did it now to try to bribe Ford into sparing his life: see what you could miss out on?

As Ford read the pages, his hands trembled in rage.

"—two hundred dollars, two hundred fifty dollars," Stan muttered. "Those are the biggest yet." He waved the scratch cards at Ford. "I don't understand it! That's eight winners in a row! I've made almost a thousand bucks just by scratching these off—that's not luck! How's he do it? What kinda weird alien magic gives you scratch card telepathy?"

"I don't know. I had no idea he could identify winning scratch cards," Ford said. "But I'm not surprised."

Stan shook his head in amazement, and scratched the next card.

Ford crushed the notepaper pages into a ball.

And he smoothed them back out. Bill was a monster, but this knowledge was precious. 

He looked at the Hand Witch's ring like it might tell him the correct course; but no matter which way his thoughts swayed, the gem remained a steady blue.

"This card's a thousand bucks all by itself," Stan said. "I've never won a thousand in my life. There's no way..." He scratched furiously at the last card, revealing symbols patterned after an array of gems and jewelry. "Five hundred!" Scratch scratch scratch— "Times five?! That's—!" He seized up all his cards and quickly tallied his winnings. "That's a total of nearly five thousand dollars!" He let out a disbelieving laugh. "Who needs Vegas? This monster's been better to me than she ever has!"

"Stanley, that's exactly what he wants you to think," Ford snapped. "He's giving us everything we want so we'll be more reluctant to kill him. This is less than chump change to him! Don't forget that his goal—"

"I know! I'm not stupid, I know what he's doing. Lotto numbers aren't worth the safety of the universe. But sh—shoot, Stanford, he handed me five grand for free and I'm keeping it."

"Fine," Ford said. "Fine. I suppose there's no point in throwing it away on principle."

"Darn straight!"

Ford glowered down at his underhanded "gift"—this little glimpse behind the veil into the mysteries of the universe. His whole chest bubbled and burned with rage; but beneath it—twinkling like a lonely star, twinkling like hope at the bottom of Pandora's box—was something he hadn't felt since Bill betrayed him.

Awe.

It was like waking up to a letter from his Muse.

This was who Bill could be—gift-giver, wish-granter, teacher, guide, friend—and he chose not to be. Why?! When this was so easy for him—why did he have to be what he was instead?

This charitable act only made the true Bill look even worse by contrast.

Ford re-smoothed the pages, carefully folded them in half, and stored them back in their construction paper envelope. He'd leave them there until he'd independently researched every one of these spells and ensured they did what Bill said they did and that there weren't any hidden side-effects.

And then he'd see about adding this information to his current journal.

No point throwing it away on principle.

####

(Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, I'd deeply appreciate hearing your thoughts! Thanks!)

[toytoriyadorm]

CHAPTER 9: Fire Breathing Dragon

“Popular much?” Yuukei joked once Winston got close enough.

“Hehe, I guess you can say that~.” He laughed aloud. “What brings you to the Coliseum? If you want to watch the plays, you gotta wait one more day!”

“Myeh, we ain’t impatient little kids! Me and the henchman just came to give you this junk!” Grim argued from within Yuukei’s bag, before shoving the stack of scripts into Winston’s arms. With an eyebrow raised, he quickly skimmed the content written by his supposed “arch-nemesis”.

“What?! Unfair!” He suddenly yelled, a country-like accent beginning to grow apparent. “Whatcha mean I can’t fight a dragon no more?!” 

The blonde teen and his familiar looked at eachother. “You were supposed to fight a monster?!”

“Well, technically! Zackery planned out some robot lizard thing for me to fight in our play! Lotsie always said it looked dangerous, but I didn’t expect him to pull the plug on it!” Winston sighs, further flipping through the document. “‘Now it looks like I have to fight him myself…”

“What's wrong with that? You guys are already at each other's throats most of the time, so why not just let it out on stage?” Grim commented.

“Arguing is way different from fighting!!” Winston insisted, “Fighting means pulling fists and punching people enough to break something! I can’t do that to a classmate, I’ll hurt them!

Yuukei put a finger on his chin, wondering. “...Winston, could it be that you’ve never seen any behind the scene work for action movies..?”

The student with the side ponytail turned red, confirming Yuukei’s suspicions. He scratched at the star sticker on his cheek nervously. “Maybe…”

“No wonder you got all nervous about fighting that scientist guy! You don’t even know how any of it works!” Grim exclaimed.

“Yes I do! I get hooked to wires for all ‘em fancy flipping tricks all the time!”

“Flipping ain’t fighting! You’d probably end up knocking some teeth out!”

“Well that's why I don’t want to actually fight!! If you were actually helpful, you’d do something like say you’d teach me!!” 

“Wait, that's actually a good idea.” Yuukei perked up, causing the other two to give him an odd look. “We’ve already fought off overblot monsters, so Grim can use that experience as a basis! And Grim’s able to breathe fire too, so it’ll be like play-fighting with a mini dragon!”

The magical monster tried to interject, but the blonde teen whispered into his feline ear. “Plus, we might get more than a few cans of tuna as payment…” 

That seemed to get the beast’s attention, as he jumped out of Yuukei’s bag, flames a little brighter than usual. “Hmph, I suppose I can use my super awesome mage skills– unless you plan to back out,”

“For my performance? No way!” Winston smiled in a way that reminded Yuukei of a hero. “Over my dead body!”

CHAPTER 10: Ringing

After managing to clear out the stage for the two, Winston and Grim’s practice fight began. Playful swings and fake scratches evolved into bright spells and blue fireballs being flung around the stage, never hitting their pretend target. Yuukei managed to find a spot to ensure he didn’t get hit, pulling out his camera so he could snap some cool moments to show Ace and Deuce.

“You weren’t lying about those flips!” Grim gasped aloud before casting another fireball.

Winston dodged the magic with ease, as if he were performing a dance rather than a battle. “You thought I was lying?! Mean!” He pointed his magic pen back at Grim, light swirling from its gem. 

But before Toytoriya’s star could aim for the side of the beast– just as he told him to do– he had stepped far too close to the stage’s edge.With a sudden yelp, Ramshackle’s prefect watched as Winston fell off, his un-focused spell heading right for a surprised Grim.

“Grim, watch out!”

Suddenly, a familiar glass box formed on top of the familiar, deflecting the spell right before it could even graze his fur. 

“Having a magic duel without any safety measures… you Ramshackle students must really be trying to make a mess of our festival.” A tired voice calls out, ignoring Grim banging hard on his entrapment.

“Wait! It's not what it looks like!” Winston got up from the ground, rushing over to the white-haired student. “We’re not actually fighting!! It's practice for me and Zackery’s play!”  

Pat taps his wand onto the glass box, leaving Grim to fall out with a loud “Ow!”

Still, Winston continues his explanation; “Yuukei said that since Grim and him already fought overblot monsters, they could teach me how to, like, fake fight!”

Pat stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Ramshackle’s prefect told you that, since they fought magical monsters, they can teach you how to… avoid punching your classmate.”

“Uh, yeah!” Winston said, staring back at Pat with a far more blank look behind his eyes. 

Yuukei got up from his spot, ready to further defend his case when a loud ringing shot out of his bag. Walking up to the trio, he dug through only to find the silver watch ringing loudly. “Wow, this thing actually works? Now where’s the off button…”

Recognition flashed through Pat’s face, as he opened his mouth to ask where Yuukei had gotten the timepiece. But before he could say a word, a white glove flew past him and snatched the watch. He turned around, only to be greeted by a smile that he knew all too well.

“So that’s where you’ve been. I’ve been looking for this everywhere!” Lotsie says as he clicks the alarm off. 

[hwonnrinji]

hi guys . I deadass js realized that long thread we had goinf on w reblogs nd stuff my reblog didnt go thru ?? like it js deleted my entire text hence y my last reblog for that thread was like blank . 😭😭😭💔 stupid tumbkr omds

ANYWAY ! i frwakinf hate the sciences so bad like im good at every other subject but science i fear id rather be hwld at gunpoint than ever touch science after i graduate🙁 PLSS i wanted to take ap osych but im lwk mad lazy for that and my skl put a 3 ap per year maximum 😅😅 like damn okay . yall js hatw to see me succeed 😒😒😒 GAWAHHH i loge dpr so much like i deadass had mood on repeat for so long bcs of this one yeonjun edit that transformed my life i fear ! MERRY GO IS SOOO freakinf Good i love it so mich

i donr have my own room guys. ive been sharing w my sister for the past few years😢😢 its okat tho idrc bc anyw im barely in my room like most of the time im js in my living room doing my work nd stuff bc ion wannna bother my stupid sister like that💔💔 also cs shes mad stinky when she gets off her shift nd is home . LMFAO omg ur evil pushing smn off their bed 😭😭😭

girl i got like 1 valentines day fic in line and i fwar i prob will not finish it b4 valentines day . god pls give me rhe will to start picking up writing again. i have this ONE fic idea that lwk is fire like acc fire like so amazeballs and awesome sauce nd shit 😊😊 pls pray i finish it !!! AND GOSH U R A GENIUSSS like ur mind works wonders… cool w u… YESS GAWDDD i love cool w u SOO MUCH its one of my favs of nwjns plus get up and hypeboy and hurt‼️‼️ ive been tucked in bed at 9:30 since like. 3rd grade. ion play when it comes to having a healthy sleep schedule i fear. i CANNOT have eyebags ever idc 💔 i would nawt look good w eyebags oms. why tf is olaf taller tahn the average girl what the hell😭😭😭

LMAO I FIGURED like why is there just a reblog there shld be smth 😭😭😭 i love science so much oml that is my BAE right there ❤️❤️ lololol i got a year before i graduate i hear the gunshots already ME NEXT !!! my ap pysch is sooo funny for some reason like i love my group frfr 🙏 you js gotta dab on the haters ning (a member of the dance club told me that) dpr is my lifeline i don't fear. no blueberries has been charting on vinh's top 3 bcuz it's js so addicting 🤓☝️

i feel bad for you twin, i can't imagine sharing a sleeping space with someone because what if they're a snorer... then what? 😞 what if they sleep talk/walk and kill me... then what? 😞😞 OHEMGEE I HATEE being in my living room...😬😬 it's peaceful but when the adults come home from work it's like all hell js broke loose. i cannot and i mean cannot handle another loud laugh coming from my anyone's mouth when i'm trying to watch tv 💔💔💔 LMFAO stinky. i call my eldest brother stinkabutt because he reaks of wtv it is. what can i say? im a pusher 😜

dear ning pls bless us with another fic before i kay em ess. PLEASEEEEE 🙏🙏 heh my friends say im special 😼 but probably not the kind of positive special... scratches head. may cwy receive more recognition because the budget for mv must've been high 😭🙏🙏 im gonna be so fr rn... 9:30 is when i eat dinner LOL. sometimes not even, like it rlly depends. i can be eating my first meal at 5pm and eat my last at 10 💀💀 i play when it comes to a sleep schedule, i remember pulling 3 all nighters in a row. pretty sure i was hallucinating on the 3rd night. eyebags kind of fit me lololol but it makes me look emo and it beats my nonchalant aura. #NOTsigmaofme

not to mention i taught a bunch of working adults who can drink, drive, and smoke brainrot. like i was explaining the difference between skibidi toilet and evil skibidi toilet, and how they're not the same but they're twins yk. and also slangs like "clock it" or "sigma/alpha" and no sigma and alpha are not the same, alpha is below sigma, you geekers.

[genericpuff]

just curious, which webtoons do you fastpass? i also recently bought that same bundle of 100 coins, i normally only fp nevermore it's weird having so many coins haha. i only bought some episodes for two other series since which is the guy upstairs and cinderella boy.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not FP'ing a lot of series at the moment because most of the comics I read are either in the Canvas section or are non-Webtoons entirely (ex. Alfie, AwkwardZombie, Tamberlane, Tales from Alderwood, etc.) I find it's really hard to start new series from scratch and even harder when Webtoons makes it almost intentionally difficult to find the real unique and good stuff.

Currently I'm actively FastPassing City of Blank and Time & Time Again. They're both great comics and the people who make them are awesome. The former is the sci-fi action series that I've talked about numerous times on here, it's very solidly written and the art is literally anime-studio quality.

And the latter is a fantasy romance type story starring a gay vampire and his transmasc werewolf boyfriend who travel through time and get into shenanigans together (their names are Adam and Steve, hurhur) <3 The art style is bold and dynamic and very distinct in the best way, and the creator is incredibly prolific for all the projects they've done prior to and in conjunction with TTA.

(steve, my boy. precious baby. my sweet cheese, my good time pal <3)

That said, there are loads of Originals that I do want to actually catch up on, it's just been a matter of having the time to do it. I started Cursed Princess Club a while back and still need to continue it.

If you like Nevermore I highly recommend you check out Shiloh as well! They're both by the same artist / writer duo, from what they've stated in AMA's on reddit they basically try to keep one series active while the other is on its hiatus - so while Nevermore is on its pre-production breaks, Shiloh returns and posts new stuff, it's wild how they keep up that kind of work flow while still maintaining the quality of both comics. They're both gorgeous pieces of work with well-written plotlines that are deserving of recognition and praise.

I've also heard REALLY good things about Suitor Armor and The Greatest Estate Developer so I want to give both of those a try.

So yeah! If you're not reading any of those comics above, check 'em out!

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #121

Sephiroth!!!! SephirothSephirothSephirothSephiroth!!!! Guess what!!!! Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat!!!!!

Ahahahaha, you'll never guess!!! So I'm gonna tell ya!!!!

Okay!!! So for context!!! I've been trying to find a way to consistently cook eggs with intact, runny, delicious yolks for a while now. Years and years, in fact! Soft boiling them is a pretty good method, but then comes the part where you gotta peel 'em, and while making sure the eggs are older and putting a little baking soda in the water while boiling them, and then peeling them under cold running water (this is TORTURE for me, but I do it anyway for the nomzzz) can help a little, the fact of the matter is that the egg whites are gonna do their bestest to stick to the shells, and the result is, often enough, kind of a mangled egg. This becomes even more of a problem if you wanna make ajitama (which I gotta show you how to do one of these days because they are SERIOUSLY. THE BEST. OH MY GOODNESS.).

Most of the time, I try to cook eggs out of the shell. And you can do this in an aluminum pan like my wok, but eggs like to stick to EVERYTHING (oh my GOD!). It's really very terrible. So then, you crack them into the hot pan and they get all sizzly and nice, but then you go to flip them, and the egg is sticking to the bottom of the pan, and in order to get it off the bottom of the pan, you basically gotta rip it up off of the pan, and by then the yolk sac is all busted up and dripping everywhere, and then you end up with an egg with cooked yolks instead of runny yolks, which is VERY disappointing when it's not what you were intending, goodness me.

So I had resigned myself to the notion that if I wanna make over-easy eggs with golden, delicious, intact yolks, I'm gonna hafta break out my teflon griddle every single stinkin' time, which is a pain right in the toosh because the thing is big and unwieldy and difficult to clean. But it's teflon, and basically nothing sticks to teflon (seriously, it's got like a CRAZY LOW coefficient of friction), so it's great to cook eggs on. But the problem is that teflon is easily scratched, and not only does that ruin its capacity for non-stickiness, but also you get exposed to these chemicals called PFOA or PFAS, and a single scratch releases ALL KINDS of crazy nanoparticles, which then get into your food and can really screw up your body if you eat them.

I dunno if you've got teflon in your world, but if you do, you MUST remember to NEVER, EVER use metal tools on teflon cooking surfaces!! It's VERY BAD NEWS!!

Anyway, so J sent me a video of this awesome Egyptian guy (who is apparently called the Egyptian Magician in the kitchen? seems about right to me, given what I saw!) who covered the bottom of his aluminum pan with salt, and then he poured some oil with a high smoke point in the pan! The idea is that you turn on the heat high enough to let the oil in the pan get smoky while the salt is in it, and the salt then gets kinda brownish, and then you dump out the oil and salt and scrub any excess oil away with a paper towel, and voila, your aluminum pan is non-stick and you can cook eggs in it without it sticking to the bottom!

I TRIED IT TODAY. AND IT WORKS!!! I will show you!!!

So here's the part where I dumped the salt and oil in the pan. I know it's hard to see, but there's a lot of salt in there - enough so you don't see the bottom of the pan anymore.

From there, you turn the heat on. For my stove, putting it on 5 and letting it sit for a while is plenty. The highest heat is 9, and I only ever use that for boiling water. Anything higher than 5 for any other purpose is definitely overkill:

Oh. It's not 3:43pm in this photo. It's the kitchen timer. I was brewing tea; I'll show you how that turned out later!

Anyway, after several minutes of the oil in the pan getting all smoky, I dumped out the hot oil, waited for the pan to cool down, and then wiped out whatever was leftover with a paper towel. Here was the result:

I know you have no basis for comparison, because I didn't think to take a before picture; sorry about that. But! Please believe me when I say that the light is reflecting VERY differently from the bottom of my pan, compared to how it usually does.

So then I cooked some eggs! I used the farm fresh ones that Br brought over not too long ago! These ones are about a week or so old, which means that it'll be harder with these to keep an intact yolk. So I figured that they'd be as good as any to test this out with; if it can work well with these, then fresher ones will be a piece of cake!

...Chicken eggs that aren't from factory farms come in all kinds of pretty colors. I hope we can snag some more soon! Or maybe even sometime we can get some duck eggs; they're SO GOOD, oh my gosh!!

So here's how the first side of this egg turned out in the pan:

...And here's how it looked after it was flipped over:

DO YOU SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT IS!!! I have NEVER been able to do this in an aluminum pan!!! Ordinarily, the bottom of the egg is VERY firmly adhered to the pan!! But NOT THIS TIME!! WOW!!!

I think, though, that I might have used a bit too high a temperature for it this time, because I did have just a little bit of sticking; I'll have to try cooking it on 2 instead of on 3 next time around:

But this? This is NOTHING compared to what normally happens if you try to cook eggs in an aluminum pan. Normally, you're left with a MESS of EPIC PROPORTIONS, good grief!! And I was SUPER PLEASED to find that all it took to get this off the bottom of the pan was to put a little salt in the pan and and use my handy-dandy spatula to scrape it around; salt makes a GREAT abrasive:

I was able to cook all five of these eggs like this, with practically zero problems! Look how beautifully these turned out:

I could not be more thrilled!!! I could NOT be more thrilled!! 🤩🤩🤩

...Well. Unless you were here so you could eat eggs with us. And then I'd DEFINITELY be a LOT more thrilled. But that's impossible, so... ya know. 😞😔

But anyways... yeah!!! If you come to my house, I will make you some eggs!! And they will be ~AWESOME~!!! Unless of course you don't like eggs, in which case I will make you SOMETHING ELSE, which will be JUST AS AWESOME! 😄🥰😁

Oh right!!! I made tea today, and I told you I'd show you how it turned out! So here; today's was toast-and-jam flavored tea!

I can't share the tea with you. But I can send you pictures and hope that you'll remember how beautiful life can be, no matter how badly you were broken down in the past. A mind that can find love, joy, and magic in simple, ordinary things is a mind that is unstoppable. It is a mind that cannot be broken in a way that matters, because it is resilient and strong.

Sephiroth. If you really are "the strongest there is", as the writers of your story say, then please show me that strength. Because breaking everything is not strength - it is weakness:

...I hope somehow you can hear me...

Well anyway. I know that today's letter is early, but I am going to end this here; there's even more stuff I wanna do! Maybe I'll tell you about it tomorrow, if any of it is interesting!

I love you. Please stay safe, 'cuz you gotta read tomorrow's letter, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[dayfalwastaken]

Henry Emily and the tale of the Fredbear's Show Tape.

Eventually, the side Matthew was hoping for won out, and Henry knelt down to answer him.

“Hehe, alright, sure, if you guys want to hear it.” It was funny how easily he’d been convinced... but he may have just been dying for someone to ask him about the Springlocks. They were his most prized creations, so of course he’d be eager to discuss them. “It’s complicated but I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible. So, the process me and Bill have developed for this is rather interesting. First thing’s first, we write how the show’s gonna be. Everything that’ll be said and how it will be said. Then, we put what we write into a program that reads it and makes Freddy and Springbonnie speak. Now comes the tricky part. Behind the stage is where we the magic happens. William gets into either Fred or Spring, we plug `em with a few cables that are hooked up to a computer, and then Will starts acting. While plugged in, the suits are in what we call a Recording Mode. When that mode’s active, however William moves will be remembered and stored in the computer. There are sensors in the mask that know when your eyes are closed, and by how much, so that’s how those two are able to express. The jaw’s movement is also recorded-…”

It hadn’t taken Henry long to start rambling. Get the man to talk and he’d never stop, but Matt wasn’t protesting. Most of what he was saying flew right over Liz’s head- she was staring through her uncle like he wasn’t there, while Cassidy wasn’t doing much better. Evan understood some of it, but he was still struggling to comprehend all the information. Admittedly, it was a lot for him to wrap his head around. Charlie was following along alright, but from how she was watching her father, she’d have loved to be doing anything else. To Matthew however, Henry’s ramblings sounded awfully similar to motion capture.

Walt Disney had done it first with animatronics more than ten years ago, but still, Henry… He was so casual about having recreated literal motion capture!! And to a level that surpassed any existing technology in that niche field!

He’s way too nonchalant about his achievements. Like, man, don’t downplay what you’ve built- you’re so awesome for doing something like this, is what the boy wished he could’ve said.

To think that this was the in-universe explanation for why the next gen animatronics were less mobile than the Springlocks despite being newer…

“-Now, the voice lines are played over a speaker as Bill performs so he can react accordingly. It’s all done live, and it has to be in one take or we start from scratch. That’s the hard thing about it. There’s no room for mistakes if we want it done in a timely manner. Thankfully William is great at acting, so we don’t run into too many issues. He does his thing and I press the buttons. But anyway, once he’s done, he takes the suit off and does the same for the other one. At the end, we combine the audio with the movements, put them on a special tape, upload it in the suits and we’re golden. That’s all there is to a Fredbear’s Show Tape. Pretty rad, huh?”

If he'd had a red beer cup Henry would've been the perfect stereotypical uncle. The kind spotted only at backyard barbeques and awkward family gatherings.

[turtledude]

Rise tmnt with a flamboyant !male! reader

(Ex:flashy personality and feminine clothing)

Warnings: None! (NON-SEGGUAL STRICTLY FLUFFY)

Raph

He’s your biggest supporter no matter what so when it comes to the way you dress and act he’s your biggest hype man

Personality wise he finds it fun how dramatic you are

Even though he doesn’t need clothes he finds them cool

He actually wants to try dresses cause he thinks they look cool but none of Aprils stuff fits him. So you may or may not have gotten a few things so you guys could dress up together

Speaking of dresses, if you dress more feminine he honestly doesn’t see why anyone would be against it

He doesn’t see anything wrong with it but finds it commendable that you wear stuff that others would look down on you for

He gets really bushy if you wear anything red

If your an extroverted type he’ll get really embarrassed if you try to show him off, but please do, he likes it

Also if anyone in his reach try’s to mess with you because of it he’s gonna pound em

Leo

Twins

He honestly just screams hype man tbh

He’s also very verbal about how much he likes your fits so be careful

He kinda wants you to dress him up tbh

Scratch that you WILL dress him up, you have no choice.

Def the type to try and buy matching fits for you guys but they probably look really bad 💀(if you wear them anyway it’ll make him really happy)

Would def show you off like “lookhowcoolandamzazingmyboyfriendishahahesmineandnotyoursloser”

Casually roasts people who insult you

Honestly genuinely finds it a really endearing part of you and feels butterflies whenever he’s sees how good you look

Wont shut up if you wear blue.

Donnie

Honestly no one expected that you two would be together but in a way it was also very expected

Like Donnie does act stand offish at times but he’s a loud theatre kid at heart and we know he’s flashy

Tries to not notice it but he thinks you look amazing

Will choke if you wear purple

He’s not the best at compliments but if he gets into his theatrical mood he’ll say something stupid and poetic about you. Away from his brothers of course

He does show you off to people but most likely not infront of you

His brothers are tired cause he won’t stop talking about you

If you have a cool like cyber punk style or something with a lot of accessories he will probably steal them and modify them with tech. No you don’t have a choice but it’s okay cause it always turns out super cool

Mikey

Omg he loves you sm

He finds your style really fun and likes to do like random fashion shows in his room with you

If you wear orange he probably will just treat it like any other outfit (meaning telling you how absolutely awesome you look) but if you tell him you wore it cause it reminds you of him, he will cry and hug you

He’s not a big show off but he’ll talk about you a lot

He also really likes your personality and it goes pretty well with him

He’s quite bubbly and you suit eachother

Doctor delicate touch mode is on immediately when someone is rude too you

The whole concept of “boys can’t wear feminine clothing” never made sense too him. I think him and Donnie have def tried on some of aprils clothing for fun

[dragonfirerogue-writes]

Kindred Spirits

Jade West x Reader

You put the final touches to your locker door as students started piling into the halls of Hollywood Arts. Dark surroundings leading to a portal with lush colors spilling out. Certainly a good statement to make, you supposed. You gave the painted door a few flaps of your fan before cautiously opening your locker to get what you needed for your classes. As soon as you shut your locker, you hear a voice behind you.

"Whoa! That's really cool. I like your door."

Turning around, you face a pretty, thin Latina smiling wide as she surveys your locker. The corner of your lips turn up a bit in response.

"Thanks. Just finished it, actually."

"Oh! No wonder I haven't seen it yet." She held out her hand. "I'm Tori. Nice to meet ya."

Her wide smile was infectious as you take her hand and shake. "Name's Y/n. Just transferred from the East Coast." After the moment, you pull out your schedule.

"Hey, can you actually help me find my classes? I haven't had a chance to snoop around." You let out a soft chuckle. Tori looks over to scan the paper in your hand.

"Looks like we share a few classes together. Including Sikowitz. Awesome! Let's go. I can lead you around." You let out a sigh of relief, glad to not have to wander the halls aimlessly.

"'Preciate it."

Before you knew it, lunch arrived and Tori invited you to join her and her friends. However, as soon as the two of you walked up to the table, a voice spoke up.

"Who's your new pet, Vega?"

Your eyebrows furrowed at the question. You just stare confusingly at the pale goth across from you. Tori hurriedly replies "D-don't mind Jade. She's a little... Rough around the edges."

"Unlike my scissors. No rough edges on this baby."

Tori just ignores her and pulls attention from the rest of the group. "This is Y/n. They just transferred, so I'm showing them around."

"Oh miss Sweet Sally Peaches is doing her duty as a goody two-shoes do-gooder!"

"I don't talk like that!" Tori huffed. Jade only smirked, having pushed Tori's buttons. "Anyway! That's Cat, Robbie and Rex, Andre and Beck." Each nodded or waved in greeting as they were introduced. You thought it was fairly odd that the puppet got an introduction as well, but you just figured it was a thing. With a smile, you joined the table, staying quiet as the group made their plans.

"Oh, Tori" exclaimed the redhead known as Cat. "Did you tell Y/n about movie night?" Tori could only get a couple words in before Cat railroaded her.

"We're having a movie night this weekend where we all bring a movie then pick which one to watch at random!" You were amazed that the explanation was all in one breath. You took a moment to process her words.

"I'm pretty sure most of my movies are still packed up," you say, scratching the back of your head in slight embarrassment. "But if you guys are willing, I'd still like to join." Everyone (except Jade) agreed excitedly. Then Andre made a suggestion.

"Hey, how 'bout you choose the movie? We'll bring 'em, you pick 'em! And no pressure. We generally all enjoy whatever movie. Except for Jade." Said girl gave a sarcastic smile in response. You were just happy to be able to get involved with new friends.

"Sure. Sounds like fun."

With a round of yays, the bell rang and everyone made their way to their respective classes. Your first day and you already had friends and plans. You were definitely looking forward to the weekend.

-----+++++-----

It seemed as though the week sped by in no time. Getting used to a new school and settling into your new home kept you incredibly busy. Now, you were ready to hang out with your new friends. In fact, you were on your way to the Vega residence. The passenger seat was filled with snacks and drinks. Since you weren't bringing a movie to choose, you could at least provide treats.

You pulled into the Vega driveway and parked behind several cars. It seems as though some of the others had arrived. You grabbed all of the foodstuffs in your car and made your way to the front door. Determined to only make one trip, your arms were full so you kicked the door in an effort to knock. It took a moment for the door to open, but as soon as it did, you were suddenly relieved of your baggage.

"Oh. Hi guys... Uh thanks."

"Snap! You got, like, everything!" Andre excitedly went through the bags, passing them over to the other boys to rifle through.

"Yeah... I didn't know what everyone liked so I just snagged whatever I could." You watched in awe as the bags were torn apart. Tori walked up next to you, smiling at the boys' antics.

"Toooooori!!!"

You turn only to see a red blur crash into Tori. You side step to avoid the flailing limbs as Tori actually manages to keep both her and Cat up. The Latina wheezes out a small hi before sending the shorter girl towards the snack table. You can tell that it was going to be an exhausting night.

The front door closes, drawing your attention to the last member of the group, Jade.

"Alright. Let's get this over with. The quicker I deal with you lot watching a crappy movie, the better." She grumbles, taking a seat on the nearest sofa.

"Why? Did you bring a crappy movie?" You couldn't help it. Jade had left it open to the comment. But it really surprised you how easy it left your mouth, considering how new you were to the group. Jade raised an eyebrow and everyone froze in anticipation.

The dark-haired beauty slowly stood up and stalked towards you until she was right in your face. With her boots on, she had the height advantage of an inch or so. You stood your ground, but you could feel your heart beat faster. It wasn't clear whether it was out of fear or something else. This was something you decided to deal with another day. You had a scary goth staring at you.

"You get a pass this time. Only until you pick a movie. If you pick a crappy movie, I will destroy you." She leaned closer, forcing you back a bit so you wouldn't be touching noses. "Understood?"

You could only nod, giving her a half smile. Jade narrows her eyes at you and turns away. You missed the near imperceptible impressed smirk.

Eventually, everyone gathers around the coffee table and lays out the movies that were brought. One by one, you take a look, either reading the synopsis of movies you haven't watched, or your opinion on ones you have. One movie remained and as soon as you see what it was, you immediately light up.

"Oh whaaat!? I didn't know 'The Scissoring' had a director's cut!"

Everyone gawked at you as you read the back of the movie box. Soon, everyone's eyes moved to Jade. She was surprised, but had a growing smirk on her face. "Looks like we have a winner." Everyone just lets out a loud groan.

-----+++++-----

The group was split into two groups. Andre, Cat, Beck, Robbie and Tori were on the sofa, huddled under blankets, pillows and snacks. You and Jade, on the other hand, were on the loveseat, engrossed in the horror movie playing on the screen. Jade intermittently whispers commentary and trivia to you as the movies played, keeping quiet during footage you haven't seen. At some point, she nudged your foot to get your attention. Not wanting to look away from the movie, you just lean back towards the girl with a "hm?"

"Wanna scare the weenies?"

For the first time since the movie started, you glance over at Jade. In the dark room, her face was only illuminated by the tv, but her eyes glisten with mischief. You're taken aback slightly at how close she was and you're glad the darkness was hiding your blush. Once you gather your bearings, you glanced at the rest of the gang. Tori, Cat and Robbie were hiding behind various pillows while Andre and Beck were trying to act tough. A grin spreads on your face as you look back at Jade.

"I'll follow your lead."

With darkness as your cover, you manage to sneak your way behind the scared group. The plan was to time the prank with the movie's dialogue. You settle yourself and listen for the cue.

'Why are you doing this?' the pretty girl says. 'W-we never did anything to you.'

The dead girl slides forward unnaturally and grips the pretty girl's neck, her scissors poised to strike.

'Never?' The dead girl slowly stalks forward, spinning a pair of bloody scissors in her hand. 'You don't remember terrorizing me? Leaving me traumatized? Leaving me for dead?'

The larger of the two groups huddled closer as the scene intensifies. Jade shifts ever so slightly to get into position, getting her own scissors ready.

The dead girl slides unnaturally towards the pretty girl and grips her neck, the scissors poised to strike.

'LET ME RETURN THE FAVOR!'

As the girls on the screen let out blood curdling screams, you and Jade strike, letting out your own terrifying screams. Everyone, except for Beck who just stands up and walks out the front door, screams in terror and collapses into a heap on the floor. By the end of it, you were having trouble breathing from how hard you were laughing.

"That wasn't funny!" Tori recovered the quickest. "Seriously! I almost wazzed my pants."

"I think I did wazz my pants...." Robbie piped up from the ground. Everyone took a step back from him.

Jade sat back down with a self-satisfied smirk. "That's something I've been planning for ages. Worth it."

You recover from your laughing fit soon enough and pull Tori into an apologetic hug. "I'm sorry." Tori pouted as she refused to hug you back. "It was too good of an opportunity to pass up." You held onto the Latina until she gave in and hugged back.

Jade clears her throat, causing you two to part and look at her. She was ejecting the movie from the DVD player and putting it back in the case.

"Jade, what are you doing? We haven't finished the movie." You asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, now that I got my excellent scare, I don't wanna spend anymore time with you losers." She gestures with the movie box as she walks towards the door. "So, I'm gonna watch the rest of this movie at home." You frowned, sad that you couldn't finish the rest of the movie.

"Awww dang. Can I borrow it at some time so I can finish it?" Jade just looks at you, eyebrow cocked.

"You're not going to join me?" Everyone whips their head towards Jade. Beck even comes back into the house to gawk in surprise. Jade just looks confused. "What? I actually like this one," she said, pointing to you. "No one else likes what I like. So I'm gonna keep them around."

You grin before grabbing a few bags of snacks and a case of soda. "I'll follow you to your place, yeah?" The goth nods and pushes past Beck to leave. You follow soon after, waving to the rest of the gang. "See you guys at school!"

As the door closes, the group all exchange looks, unsure of what just went on.

"Uh..." Beck starts. "Jade made a friend?"

Andre grimaces. "Are we gonna have two Jades now?"

Tori pipes in. "No. Y/n is really nice. Maybe they'll make Jade a bit nicer?" Everyone thinks for a moment before laughing.

"Jade? Nice? Naaaaahhhh."

| Next

[the-final-sif]

"Is the baby asleep?"

Technoblade's voice was quiet, but it still startled Tubbo, who was on the verge of passing out on the kitchen table. His entire body jolted and his heart almost gave out before he managed to take in a quick breath. Recovery took several seconds, but Tubbo pulled himself together enough to hiss out words.

"Not cool, big man! You can't jumpscare me like that!"

The fact he was staying quiet was answer enough. Techno rumbled out a huffy laugh, shrugging off his heavy outer cloak and setting down a bag that was filled with... potion brewing stuff? Tubbo was pretty sure that was what Techno'd gone out for. It'd been quite awhile. Nearly a full day now that Tubbo thought about it.

"Gotta stay alert at all times! You never know when I might strike!"

Despite Techno's words, his voice was still hushed and the slump to his shoulders indicated he was exhausted from his trip. Still, he had a good mood about him. Tubbo rolled his eyes, but grinned all the same.

"You find something cool?"

As he asked, Tubbo pushed himself to his feet with a yawn, reaching for Techno's bag to put away the ingredients, only to stop when Techno moved it away.

"Got a surprise for the piglet. I swung by the bastion that took him in to let 'em know he's alright, and they sent me off with some treats for him. I'm gonna put them with the nether wart, you can give 'em to him tomorrow after breakfast. No more than two though."

The idea was exciting. Tubbo couldn't help but wiggle a bit, still careful to keep his voice low.

"Oh! That's awesome! Me and Boo tried to make some nether food ages ago, most of it didn't turn out great, I'm not sure how well translated our receipts were, but the one that was edible Michael really liked. I'm sure he'll love these! Are you sure you don't want to give them to him though?"

As Tubbo rambled, he'd followed Techno down to the storage area, where the piglin had started putting away the ingredients. The man laughed again.

"Nah, I'm putting this stuff away and then passing out for the next 24 hours. No need for him to wait that long for 'em."

"Fair. I'll tell him you brought 'em back then."

Techno nodded, finishing up his sorting and giving Tubbo a pat on the back back as he slid past to head up to his bedroom. Right. Sleeping. That was a thing people did. Tubbo found himself suddenly very tired, and made his way over to the huge couch that took up half the living room. Sometimes he went over to Ranboo's place to sleep, but most nights he found himself here. Honestly, the couch was so big that it was basically the same size as a bed for him anyways.

Grabbing a few of the blankets to pull over himself, Tubbo settled down for the night, excepting to fall asleep quickly.

Only, something was wrong. A gut feeling that he was missing something.

Not something life threatening. Not like they were about to get attacked. Just that something important was off, and he'd been forgetting it for awhile now.

Tubbo couldn't seem to pinpoint what was bothering him, and it kept him up until his body finally passed out.

The morning was no better. There was an itch in his brain he couldn't seem to scratch, even as he went through the motions of preparing breakfast and bringing it up for Michael and Dream. Even as he sat in the chair and tried to make conservation, he found his mind drawn back to this puzzle he couldn't make out.

It hit him right when he gave Michael the treats. The boy recognized the candies, making grabby hands as he bounced with delight. Tubbo had laughed and handed them over, explaining it to Dream as he did so.

"They're from the bastion, Techno visited-"

And with that sentence, Tubbo got hit over the head with what he'd been missing. The realization stunned him into silence for several seconds. Dream tensed, glancing around for danger before Tubbo finally managed to collect his thoughts enough to speak. Words slow as he tried to assemble his thoughts.

"I- sorry- it just hit me. We've been so busy and-. Michael was at a bastion. They took him in. He's not- He's better. There's no bone, or fungi or- We haven't given him one potion. What- It's not- Everything Ranboo and I found find said it was incurable. I mean- Was it Sam?"

Admittedly, none of that was a question, and it was accompanied by a series of half aborted gestures as Tubbo desperately tried to communicate what had somehow slipped his mind in all the chaos. Michael was no longer half dead. Somehow.

Dream relaxed his shoulders a bit, taking a breath before replying.

"Nah, the- Sam." A pause, Dream shook himself slightly and restarted. "Sam didn't do shit to help. Wouldn't even let me have harming potions or take the fucking time to treat it himself. I don't think he understood how serious it was. Maybe he just didn't give a fuck. It got- It got kinda bad. So I used the book."

What.

No.

Oh no. No, no, no. Tubbo would've seen the message. Right? There would've been- Michael couldn't have-

"Oh fuck, not like- he didn't die. It's not-. The book, it works- So, XD, he's a weird motherfucker, but he'll show up and it's only supposed to be for revivals, but sometimes he'll bend the rules. I summoned him, asked him to patch Michael up, and he did what he could. Michael's still, uh, sort of infected? It won't get worse, but healing and harming are still flipped for him. Was the best XD could do without changing him too much."

Dream quickly explained, and it eased the panic in Tubbo's chest. That- It still wasn't good that Sam hadn't given Michael any medical treatment. Fuck, Tubbo was tempted to hunt the man down and take his last life for that alone. Another time, maybe. But at least Michael didn't die. That was something.

Tubbo nodded quietly, eyes turning to watch Michael as the toddler stayed distracted by his candy. Intently focusing on picking it apart to eat it in a very particular manner. He wanted to scoop the toddler up and never let him go again, but Michael was still very wary about being held. For anyone but Dream.

A few minutes ticked by, and before long, Tubbo found himself processing a lot of the implications of what Dream had said. A lot of it was good. Michael's infection had been a constant struggle, even with medical treatment, there was only so much that could be done. Michael was happier now. No longer in constant pain, and having regained some mobility. The lack of exposed bones was nice too. It would reduce his risk for other infections and help protect him when he ran into things as young children do.

Still, there were parts of the story that left Tubbo with questions. None of which he could ask. Tubbo had already been firmly told by Techno that he was not to ask Dream any questions about the revival book. The older piglin had been deadly serious about it, and even if Tubbo didn't quite understand why, even he could see how Dream's shoulders tensed at the mere mention of the book. Still, he had to ask something. The tense silence in the room was killing him.

"Wait- you called XD a 'weird motherfucker', isn't he like, your god? Like Techno with the blood god?"

Despite the mask covering Dream's face, Tubbo could tell that he was getting a Look for that.

"Fuck no. I mean, we've got some stuff going on, but he's not my patron. Honestly, I dunno if he even does that stuff."

That caught Tubbo off guard, he'd been assuming- well, a lot of things apparently. Dream wasn't wrong though, XD was a rarely worshiped god, known for not responding to those that did attempt to communicate with him. Which made it all the stranger that he was apparently willing to show up for Dream. Still, it was odd for Dream to be so willing to speak ill of him. XD was still a god, an old and quite powerful one at that.

"If he's not your patron, then why do you dress like him? I thought that was it? Do you just happen to dress like the god who lets you revive the dead?"

Dream snorted, not even offended at the accidental near accusation.

"Hell no, you've got it backwards. I don't dress like him, he dresses like me. When we met, he looked totally different, but he liked the way I looked so he copied it. Actually copied my mask too at first, but I drew the line at that shit. Made him change it so people can tell us apart."

Seconds ticked by, as Tubbo's brained stalled out. Long, long seconds.

"WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN GOD COPIED YOU?!"

Oops. No sooner had he shouted, then he remembered there was someone still asleep in the house. Michael finally startled, looking up in alarm first at Tubbo, then over to Dream with one wide little eye. Dream was also startled for a moment, before he doubled over laughing, barely managing to half shrug his shoulders in response.

Only several seconds in to Dream's laughing fit as the man started to sound genuinely out of breath, did Tubbo remember that Dream's lungs were still weak, and Phil had specifically told them all not to make him laugh since it could trigger a coughing fit. Too late for that now. What was he supposed to do again? Something about water breathing and strength? Tubbo's brain was still dead from finding out that a god was apparently copying Dream of all people.

Luckily, a very sleepy Technoblade chose that moment to appear in the doorway, glaring at the occupants of the room (not Michael thought, Michael got a half-grin). Despite his tired state, Techno quickly noticed that Dream's laughter had in fact, turned into a coughing fit.

With a sigh, the piglin shuffled across the room to a cupboard where he snagged a purple looking potion. The potion was splashed onto a washclothing, and Tubbo quickly moved out of the way so that Techno could shift up Dream's shirt and apply it to the man's chest as he tried to get his breath back.

Once that was done, and Dream no longer sounded like he was dying, Techno turned to Tubbo with a single raised eyebrow. Clearly wanting answers. Tubbo had none, he could only wave his hands helplessly. Something Techno was decidedly unimpressed with.

Tubbo endured a staredown for nearly half a minute before Dream finally managed to speak up and save him.

"Tubbo just learned that XD's the rip off."

That got a bit of a face journey from Technoblade as he processed then acknowledged the point, finally landing on what seemed like understanding.

"Ah, so you finally learned God's a Dream kinnie. Fair enough, and welcome to my life."

And with that, Technoblade shuffled back out of the room to go back to bed, uninterested in explaining anything more.

[i-jakeb]

Best apps to kill time on 😻

I've been seeing some posts circulating about popular websites/apps and wanted to make my own version.

These are apps I’m way too addicted to. Am I missing any?

Edit: Sorry for all the time I’ve taken away from your life

Commaful - popular fanfiction, story, and poetry community 👑

Photo Filters - makes my Insta feed look perfect

Spellbinding - super addictive bite-sized stories

Sweatcoin - get paid to walk

Terrarium 🌱 - build the ultimate garden empire

Idle Human - build a human from scratch. for reals.

Palm Reader - get your palm read!

Meditation and Sleep - helps me find happiness and calm!

Choices - get crazy in this role play choose your adventure game!

Fitnesss Coach - your indoor fitness coach, get fit!

Cat Game - cutest cat game ever 😻

Byte - watch the funniest videos on the internet

Weed Factory - grow your weed empire 👿

Idle Construction - build a city!

Tabou: juicy HS stories

Sushi Bar - run your own sushi restaurant and win big

Zooba - zoo battle royale!!!!

BIGO Live - the best live streaming app!

BitLife - a life simulator

Calm - how i deal with my mental health

My Story: go to back to HS in this choose your own adventure

Well - an awesome hypnotherapy app that makes you feel better

Idle Workout -get fit in this virtual workout game!

Draw it - how fast can you draw? So addicting!

Tennis Clash - the best multiplayer game on the app store

Hily - a privacy + safety conscious dating app!

Repair Master 3D - open up some electronics and fix em up!

Perfect Paint - how fast can you paint?

AMAZE - taking mazes to the next level!

Video Editor - an easy video editing app for your phone!

Bake It - bake some masterpiees for your customers!

Yubo - come make friends!

Cold Cases - solve some cold cases!

Go Fish - win trophies by catching hella fish

Golf Orbit - ever play golf on mars?

Basket Throw - just throw the ball into the basket. Easy right?

Gun Gang - build your gang and shoot your way through

Avakin Life - your 3D virtual world

Knock'em All - shoot balls, destroy everything!

Adventure Escape Mysteries - investigate clues and solve the crime!

Drop and Smash - smash it all!!

Bunch - really fun way to play games with friends

Crazy Shopping - spend as much as you can, as fast as you can!

Army Clash - build the biggest army and destroy them all!

Shoot out! - kill the bad guys, save the good guys 🔫

Dental Bling - pull out the rotting teeth

Fam - video parties!

Aquapark - race you down the water slide! (and push you off it!)

Jetpack Jump - fly this addicting jetpack!

Scribble Rider - Draw your wheels in this crazy adventure

2048 Balls - how far can you go in this one?

Ball Blast - upgrade those cannons and shoot some balls!

Smash Cars - race and smash some cars!

Taimi - finally a good lgbtq+ dating app

Wired For Youth - get knowledge and learn from interviews and books

Ultrahuman - a very calming meditation app for sleeping

Flex - work out with friends!!

FitnessAI - your personal home workout trainer

Unfold - make your Insta stories awesome

Flip Jump Stack - flip and stack all the way to the cheer tour!

Run Sausage Run! - Avoid the knives and save the sausage

Bee Factory - build and raise your bee empire!!!!

Draw Joust - draw your own cart and crush the other player!

Sniper - are you a good shot? prove it!!

Rolly Legs - race your robot to victory

Let's Be Cops - you're the only good cop in the city. Can you keep the peace?

Good Slice - slice that food!

Go Fish - win trophies by catching hella fish

AmpMe - amp up your phone speakers!

Betternet - a safe, fast VPN to get around bans!

Demolish! - demolish everything!

ASMR Slicing - the most satisfying slicing game

Paint The Cube - paint through a 3D cube maze

Car Restoration - let's restore some cars!

Curvy Punch 3D - swipe to punch!

Line Color - paint the road!

Flip Tumbling - just keep flipping! Parkour!

Baseball Fury - hit that home run!

Summer Buster - play these summer mini games!

Sharpshooter Blitz - your mission, storm the enemy base

Shred - your personal home workout planner

Spiral Roll - dig wood, make spirals, destroy enemies

Tower Run - grow your tower of humans

Foot Clinic - run a foot clinic to fix all types of feet!

Farmer Hero - run your own ranch! step into the farm land!

Jumpero - can you get through this obstacle course?

Sleepzy - Your sleep cycle tracker

Crash Landing - anyone can fly, but landing takes skill

Farmers.io - harvest as much as you can!

Ball Slider - slide that ball!

Blast City - Be the hero the city needs

Fast Driver - It's a race! Can you win?

Magic Woods - chop those trees!

Five Hoops - shoot hoops with millions!

Super Sniper - be the best sniper you can

Sleep - awesome bedtime stories!

Off The Rails - control the train!

Tie Die - make some awesome shirts, bikinis, and more

Woodturning - create your wood masterpiece!

Crowdmaster - blast those enemies away!

Ramp Car Jumping - do some crazy jumps with some crazy cars!

Stunt Truck Jumping - do some crazy stunts in trucks!

Doodle Run - it's a race!

Overtake - a racing game, can you overtake your foes?!

Acrylic Nails - run a virtual nail salon!

Spark - ran easy mobile camera and video editor

Braindom - figure out who's lying, cheating, and married!

Ramp Car Jumping - drive off a ski jump...in a car

Super Salon - run your own salon!

Bullet Rush - shoot everybody!

Itsme - hang out with your BFFs!!

Idle Slice and Dice - the most satisfying game for cutting all kinds of stuff!

9 Months - a pregnancy simulation!

NERF Epic Pranks - epic nerf battle!

Flipper Dunk - pinball meets basketball!

Ibotta - save money on everything you buy!

Wish - the funnest way to shop!

Wishbone - fun game for comparing stuff like hair, celebs, sports

Sticker Stack - epic stickers for you to send!

Celebs - the app that shows you what celeb you look like

Palm Reader - get your palm read!

Yarn - stories that are seriously creepy af

RemNote - the best freenotetaking site for students and professionals

WeBull - get 2 free stocks valued up to $1k!

Sweatcoin - get paid to walk

Idle Human - build a human from scratch. for reals.

Terrarium - build the ultimate garden empire

Spellbinding - super addictive bite-sized stories

You’re welcome 😉

[killemwithkawaii]

Goretober 2022 Day 19: One Mans Trash

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

The fourth time we met, I found them sitting in a box.

I’d been going through the motions for around… 4,000 years then, I think? It was getting harder and harder to keep track of the exact number…. 

I’d been doing my usual thing- hopping, living, fighting, dying, hopping again… it was… getting a little boring, if I’m being honest. Things were starting to get repetitive and blur together... I was having a hard time keeping details straight. Most of the time it really didn’t matter, though. People just thought I was kinda spacy, or that I was making some sort of joke when I didn’t know about some huge thing in the current-universe zeitgeist… I learned not to get myself down about it. How was I supposed to know when nobody had bothered to tell me? It was interesting to see the different things people could come up with, anyway- I was always receptive to retrying something that was the same, but a little different, just to mix up the monotony of immortality…. Well, almost always…. You get what I mean.

[chuckling] Larry gave me such a hard time when I didn’t know what they- it, was....

Lisa had called us up at the house and told us that she was cleaning out the lost and found box for the apartments, and if we wanted to, we could come look through it before she chucked it in the church donation bin. We weren’t about to pass up free stuff, so we went to sift through the trash and see if we couldn’t find some novelty treasures.

There was a lot of what you’d expect in there- some old moth-ridden coats and hats, cheap umbrellas, a few mismatched shoes and random papers… we thought our quest would be fruitless, until we dug to the very bottom and saw a pair of heart-shaped keychains sitting together in the dust.

“Oh, shit, no way! Check it out…!” 

Larry plucked one of the keychains out of the box. It was purple with a small, bat-shaped charm attached to the loop mounted in the side.

“I haven’t seen one of these things in forever!”

“What is it?”

“Dude, come on…”

“What? What is it?”

“...It’s an S.O., dude….”

“An ‘ess oh’…?”

I picked up the one that Larry had left in the box and turned it over. Its scuffed-up plastic shell was pink with white buttons, and it had a little scratched up screen in the middle. There was a strawberry-shaped charm attached to the loop mounted in the side.

 It looked… really familiar….

“You can’t be serious, man… It’s an S.O.- you know, a ‘simulated other’...? They were the big thing around Christmas a few years ago…?”

I’d only been hanging around in that timeline for about a year at that point, so I wasn’t up-to-speed on the hot holidays trends of seasons past. 

“Uh… oh yeah, I think I’ve heard of those…”

He rolled his eyes and then looked his over for a second.

“Dude,” Larry snickered, “… let’s start em up, it’ll be hilarious…”

“Uh, okay…?”

I watched Larry tap on the heart-shaped button below the screen. A sing-song tone played. He tapped one of the side buttons. Another tone. A few seconds later, he threw his head back with a laugh. 

“Holy shit, awesome! I got me a keeper, bro, look-”

He turned the keychain around to show me. There was a little pixelated bust of a bored-looking girl with heavy eyeliner and choppy, blunt-cut bangs bobbing on the screen. A speech bubble with a skull, then ellipses, then a purple heart came from its mouth.

“Ahaha, got me a hot goth g.f. on the first try! Nice…” I had to admit, she did look like his type, in a lot of different timelines….

“Alright Sally, your turn. Let’s see what ya get…~”

I imitated what I’d watch him do with my own keychain. I tapped the heart-shaped button, a sing-song tone played, and a selection screen came on:

It's been a while!

>Continue

>New Game

Larry told me to select a new game. I did. The S.O. icon faded in and stayed in place for a second. When the ellipses beneath it reached four dots, another tone played, and a little pixelated bust appeared on the screen. It had dark hair, styled in braids, pale skin, huge eyes with long lashes, a little button nose, a big crooked smile with two pixels that I assumed served as lip piercings…

A speech bubble with an exclamation point, then a heart, then scrolling text came from its mouth.

Deja vu came over me. My heart fluttered and my stomach sank. I realized then why the keychain looked so familiar.

The text read:

Hi, I’m Mitch, your new S.O.! It’s nice to meet you 💕

>Continue

>New game

…. There they-.... it was….. I’d found them again, in a sense… they had been waiting for me right under my nose, sitting in the dark, and now, they were right here, in the palm of my hand… [traces his palm with his fingers]

Larry looked at the screen and said, “Hey, she’s kinda cute… you wanna keep her, or do you wanna try it again?”

He had no idea how loaded that question was….

“Uh, yeah, I’m… I think I’m gonna stick with this one.”

“Nice. Ha, look at us- we have giiiirlfriends now! Ahahah…” He dangled his S.O. by the chain and laughed, jingling it around like the toy it was. 

“Dude, we can go on fuckin’, like, ‘double dates’ and stuff, show off our ‘ladies’… oh man, this is gonna be a riot…”

I said, “Yeah, this’ll be… a lot of fun.”

I cradled my S.O.-... I cradled Mitch, in my hands, and held it as gently, and as firmly, as I could. I wiped a little of the grime from its screen, and another heart emoji came from its mouth….

It was them, and as usual, it felt the same… just a little different.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[foxsimthings]

Nino Moretti & Michi(ko) Okeke for @galaxsims Love Island!

Nino Moretti Young adult | Bisexual Firefighter | Heroic | Family-Oriented | Bro

Michiko Okeke Young adult | Pansexual Massage Therapist | Dancer | Comforting | Laid-Back

(you thought I could stop at one? you were mistaken. I also feel like I’m usually the one making sims to stir up drama, but there were already a few drama-stirrers so here we go ehuehuhe)

Nino has always suffered from looking like a far worse guy than he actually is.

Is he, perhaps, a bit of a jock? Sure, of course. Does that thick Brooklyn accent sometimes make him sound a little extra arrogant? Maybe, now and then. But underneath a healthy layer of bravado, dudeliness, some slightly archaic beliefs and a lot of cologne, he’s a good guy who tries his best.

Nino’s family wasn’t always the most accepting, and the Moretti family only really hung out with extended family. Cousins, aunts, distant cousins, great grandparents - he can list every relative he’s ever had back to his ancient caveman ancestor Tito Moretti who invented putting out the fire, but he can list friends he has that aren’t related to him on one hand. 

Being in such a closed environment, some of his beliefs are still a bit archaic, but he tries hard to correct them when he realizes they’re wrong. Those close to him may have found him a bit intimidating to talk to at first, but he’s extremely open to and willing to learn and if he says something that’s perhaps not so correct, he has no problem apologizing when corrected and doing his best to fix himself. 

A firefighter working out of San Myshuno, he risks his life pretty much on the daily and is always the first into danger and the last one out. Nino’s apartment is overrun with stray animals he scooped up off the street and his landlord has been lenient with her no-pets policy because, I mean, it’s Nino. 

Coming from a big family, it’s Nino’s dream to have a big family of his own, a nice big house for everyone to get together in, a loving husband or wife, and a few little chickens.

Name. “Nino Moretti.” Age. “Twenty-five.” Occupation. "Firefighter, been for uh couple years now. It’s awesome.” Hometown. “San My, baby.” Sexuality. “Uh, I forget if it’s pansexual or bisexual. I like ‘em both. Er, wait, there’s more than two now right? Oh shit, have you been writing all this down? Oh man, I’m gonna look like the biggest asshole. Okay just scratch all that out, just put down bisexual.” Ideal Type. “Must love animals, first of all. I got like six cats back home. You know people just dump off their old cats? It’s fucking disgraceful is what it is- sorry, no swearing, sorry. What was the question? Right, ideal type. Yeah so they gotta love animals, gotta have a good heart, but not too... soft, you know? Like if they cry every time a diaper commercial comes on maybe not, but a good person. Gotta get along with my Ma. We gotta be best friends, we gotta love each other’s company. I want us to have fun, go places, laugh until our faces hurt. And if they don’t think my memes are funny, I mean, it’s over. I just wanna settle down with a good person, an animal lover, who cares about family and doing the right thing. And can put up with my ugly mug, aha!” Why are you applying for Love Island? ”I think it’d be fun. Is that okay to say? I dunno, I mean I’ve worked since I was fifteen, I went from high school to training to become a career firefighter and, you know, I don’t take no breaks or nothin’. Well, no, that’s a lie actually, I was at my cousin’s wedding in Tartosa. You never been? Aw, we should go. No really, it’s beautiful, we got a villa out there and-- I’m sorry? Oh, sure, yeah. I guess I’m applying because it’d be fun, because I could use a break, and I mean, who doesn’t wanna be on TV, you know? All my buddies back at the station’ll be going bananas!” What do you hope to get out of this experience? “I mean, that depends if the drinks are comped or not, hah! No, don’t write that, that’s stupid. Uh, I mean I don’t know if I’m looking for forever but I’m definitely hoping for... for now. You know what I mean? You probably shouldn’t write that either. I just don’t wanna come off desperate or nothin’, you know?”

-----

Coming from a very mixed family with Japanese heritage on one side and Nigerian heritage on the other, Michi has always experienced a lot. A lot of culture, a lot of language, a lot of food and spirituality. She’s also an only child, which means everything her parents had they gave to her; and it was a lot. She was loved endlessly - still is, for that matter - and though her family isn’t as big as some people’s(^), it’s a warm, tight-knit unit. 

Michi grew up in Del Sol Valley where her father continues to work as a dentist. While perhaps the Okeke family isn’t incredibly wealthy, they certainly have never wanted for much. Michi has babysat for Brytani Cho, ridden horses with Holly Alto and gotten high with Venessa Jeong. There isn’t a Simschella festival that she hasn’t attended. She’s always sat right at the periphery of stardom and celebrity, and it’s always suited her quite well. While it might have been easy enough to slip in a connection or two and rise to fame herself, she prefers a more down-to-earth lifestyle.

One can’t walk into Michi Okeke’s apartment without being struck by the smell of lilac and lavender. A crystal sits in just about every room and she’ll explain at length why her jade egg is her most valuable possession. She’s obsessed with lepidoptery and keeps rosy maple moths. Michi calls her parents every night and cooks them dinner every Sunday. She believes that ghosts are made when people die holding on to ‘bad vibes’.

Her presence is often regarded as calm and motherly. Very little seems to get under her skin and she’ll try just about anything once. 

Name. “Michiko Okeke, but people usually just call me Michi. Or Itchy. Or Iko. People call me kind of everything.” Age. “I turned twenty-three on July 2nd. Gemini squad. But it’s crazy that you and I are even chatting because you’re a Virgo, right? No, I can totally tell.” Occupation. “I’m an RMT, a registered massage therapist.” Hometown. “Del Sol Valley.” Sexuality. “I’m pansexual, I kind of lean toward men sexually but romantically I can and have loved everyone of every identity.” Ideal Type. “Spiritual, romantic, spontaneous. I like a little wild, but not crazy wild. I mean like... let’s just go get lost in the woods for a week and live off the land wild. I want to get sick off random berries with you and go swimming after dark and push you on the swings. I just want to experience all of life with someone, the good and the bad, and just be so in love with someone that even the bad is hard not to smile through. But what about you, what’s your ideal type?” Why are you applying for Love Island? “I’d love to meet some new people, make some new friends. And my friends have been pushing me to do it, so I figured I’d just take a chance. Worst case scenario, I have a great time and come home as single as I left. Best case scenario, I fall head over heels in love and next thing you know we’re starting a kazoo band and touring the world.” What do you hope to get out of this experience? “Everything! Anything! I’m just excited to experience something new, there’s so much life out there to live.”

[absolutepokemontrash]

MC’s half Demon, and they look AWFULLY familiar...

‘Kay guys, I got a different kind of stupid Headcanon to throw at you. Get ready!

Part 2 Lessons 1-5 Part 2.5 Group Retreat Lessons 10-12 Lessons 13-15 Part 3 Part 4

*ahem* picture if you will, it’s the day the exchange program is set to start. The student council (nix Mr. Kill All Humans, Weeb-supreme, and our Scummy Sweetheart) have assembled to welcome the new human student. All is going according to schedule, the portal opens up at eight am sharp, they hear the pitiful screams of the selected human who was not given a heads up about the whole thing, and the poor little human falls straight onto the marble floor.

There’s something a tad... off about this human don’t you think? After they’ve peeled their sorry ass off the floor they observed the assembled student council with an air of sophistication and self importance that no one expected. Their posture was perfect, their eyes sharp and calculating... they bared a striking resemblance to-

“Lucifer,” Diavolo looked to his right hand man, then back to the human. “The human kind of looks like you!”

And out popped four pitch black wings from the human’s back and two small horns out of the sides of their head, one horn was a bit bigger than the other. They even still had some of their down feathers! How cute!

((Content warning: Swearing (I have a potty mouth, forgive me), but that’s it.))

Luci-dad

So, the MC is Lucifer’s kid! Of course Mr. Prideypants immediately tries to recall exactly what little romp in the human world uh... spawned this half-human half-demon child of his. Good thing MC’s got the other parent on speed-dial.

“Please note, MC,” Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose upon hearing Asmo take even more pictures of his newly discovered hellspawn. “I was not aware of your existence, if I was I’d-”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not upset.”

Lucifer blinked a few times in surprise. “P...pardon? You aren’t upset?”

“No, my parent told me that my father was a high ranking demon, and they bare no ill will against you. Though, I am looking forward to this whole... exchange program thing.”

Oh wow, that was easier than Lucifer thought. Damn. Well, he was a father... (let’s be real, he’s been parenting his brothers for thousands of years, and a good chunk of you sinners call him daddy)

MC is probably the most protected student at RAD, despite the fact that they have no visible security detail whatsoever. They didn’t want to be seen as... weak and pathetic.

Something about this human just... set the lesser demons on edge. Any talk of eating them was stamped out on the first day when they walked by. It’s like Lucifer himself was staring at them, daring the demons to try and bother the human. MC’s powerful presence kept them protected and feared.

...at least until dear uncle Asmo decided to do their hair one morning. All those ribbons may have looked adorable but they kind of ruined the intimidation factor.

MC loved to mess with the other students, keeping their lineage a secret for the first little while just made it so much funnier when the other demons tried to scramble out of MC’s way without looking like they were running from the ‘weak little human exchange student’.

Oh wow, what a sadist. Like father like child

Flying lessons are a must. Poor MC isn’t terribly good at controlling their wings, and their horns are still growing in so when they pop into their demon form the first thing they get is a sore skull. Ow... it sucks that Lucifer isn’t outwardly very sympathetic.

“Ow!” MC crashed face first into the grass in the backyard of the House of Lamentation. “Father! My wings are cramping! Can’t we practice this tomorrow?”

The sight of seeing his dear child crash face first into the ground had lost its hilarity after the first three times. Lucifer slowly lowered himself to the ground and crossed his arms as he stood over his incredibly grass-stained kid.

“MC, we’ve been ‘practicing this tomorrow’ for the past month. If you want to learn to fly you’re going to have to actually manage to stay in the air for more than three minutes.”

MC shot Lucifer a withering glare that only preteens were capable of, Lucifer matched it with his own much more sophisticated glare.

“You’ve been flying for over a thousand years! Don’t you have any tips that can actually help other than ‘don’t panic, you’ll look ridiculous’?”

Lucifer dragged a gloved hand down his face and looked around, the two were alone as far as he could see.

“MC,” Lucifer began. “When I was a young angel, I needed to learn how to fly with someone else.”

MC perked up. “Who?”

“Michael. The smug bastard picked up flying quicker than I did.”

“What’d you do?!”

Lucifer smiled at his child’s intense investment. “I practiced flying every day for five extra hours until I could do everything that Michael could do, just better.”

MC’s starry eyed interest died almost instantly upon hearing about the extra five hours of practice. “Humph, I bet I could outfly younger you and Michael with only two hours of practice a day.”

“Really now?”

“Yes! Watch!” MC shook off their wings and took off in a running start before shakily making it into the air. Their form was decent enough, and they weren’t shaking as much as the previous attempts. “SEE?!”

“Yes MC,” Lucifer smiled. “I can see.”

You know what else Lucifer could see? MC crashing right into a tree.

“Ouch...”

Okay... maybe they could halt practice a little early and order a treat from Madame Scream’s. A little sugar to refuel is needed when the end goal is crushing a mutual rival beneath their heels. Just some good old fashioned father/child bonding time!

MC has a smaller seat right next to Lucifer’s seat in the Assembly Hall. I will not compromise on this one.

For all your fluff needs, I give you: Lucifer teaching MC how to play the piano. He has a proud little smile on his face when his kid finally starts getting it. That’s all. Enjoy the image.

That one Uncle who gives you Alcohol at Family Gatherings (Mammon)

Yeah, when Mammon burst in late to the party and whining about everyone’s spamming him with texts to haul his scummy ass to the Assembly Hall, the last thing he expected was to see a mini-Lucifer.

“What the fuck am I lookin’ at?!”

The glare the two Lucifers gave the poor Avatar of Greed was enough to make him want to turn tail (uh, wing) and book it down the hall.

“Mammon, this is MC. They’re my child.”

“Hello.”

“...whaaaa..?” Mammon looked between the two, same glare, same intimidating aura, same annoyingly good posture.

Mammon scratched the back of his neck and looked over at his older brother. “Do I uh... still gotta babysit em’ if they’re not human?”

“The lake of Cocytus will melt the day I let you babysit without supervision.” Lucifer grumbled.

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

Despite Lucifer’s initial denial, Mammon and MC ended up spending a lot of time hanging out when Lucifer was busy with paperwork. Of course Mammon’s first thought was ‘how do I profit off this situation?’

MC is now Mammon’s designated babysitter after they caught him picking up their feathers that had fallen off with the intention of painting them white and claiming they were Lucifer’s from back in the Celestial Realm.

Mammon does end up spoiling MC a little. Just a smidge. They’re the kid of his totally not his favourite brother after all! How could he not? Whether or not these gifts are obtained legally or are legal at all is subject to scrutiny.

“Mammon, I can’t drink this!” MC placed the bottle of Demonus back on the counter of the kitchen.

“Why not? That’s a bottle of the good stuff! We gotta celebrate you gettin’ an A on that test somehow!”

“I’m underage! Incredibly underage. I’m not legally allowed to drink.”

Mammon wordlessly plopped a silly straw into the bottle. “...does that help?”

“No.” MC then inclined their head to the bottle. “And I don’t want to get hung from the ceiling, that bottle was in my father’s study yesterday, I’m above theft.”

“How old are you s’posed to be anyway? Never mind... uh...” Mammon wracked his brain for something else he could do for MC that didn’t cost anything (don’t judge him, the poor bastard was flat broke!). “I could... teach you to drive!”

“Driving?”

“Yeah! Drivin’ is awesome! We can take my car!”

The bills for the damages done to the car and the Devildom were mailed to Lucifer the next day, and MC and Mammon got to keep each other company as they hung from the ceiling. Ah well! At least MC wasn’t upside down!

Mammon wasn’t that good of a flight teacher either, he also crashed into a tree (the same tree MC crashed into, actually) when he was cheering for MC. They were finally able to do a loopdy loop! He was proud and distracted! Okay?! Lucifer! Stop smirkin’ at him! It’s not that funny!

At least the vantage point from the tree was decent and the branches didn’t scratch him up too badly. Oh hey... that person walking by was wearing a very nice watch... he’d be right back-

That Uncle That is Always Absent From Family Gatherings and When He is Present He Leaves Early (Levi)

He missed everything. That is not an exaggeration. He was in the middle of an online raid battle and couldn’t look at his phone! No Lucifer he can’t pause an online game! That’s not how it works!

Okay, the human exchange student is half demon? WOAH! THAT’S JUST LIKE THAT ONE ANIME- W A I T. THE LITTLE NORMIE IS LUCIFER’S KID?!

Okie doke, he was fully convinced that MC just had to be an anime protagonist.

They binged every series that Levi compared them to. Sure MC might have missed a few assignments because of late night anime binges, but they were too good for this school crap anyway, right?

Nope. Lucifer put a ban on the two watching anime until both their grades improved. Surviving that hell brought the two together.

“Ugh!”

The sound of a pencil case being haphazardly thrown across the room made Levi peek out of his bed-tub. If his figurines got knocked over so HELP HIM-

“This is stupid!!I shouldn’t have to catch up with this!” MC crossed their arms and gave their Demonology textbook their best disapproving glare.

Lucifer Lite (tm) was having a hell of a time trying to claw through their missed work, and Levi sympathized, he really did, it’s just... he was playing Animal Crossing-

Levi paused the game to placate his anime-buddy when their wings popped out and he feared for his rare merch’s safety.

“H-hey, MC? Do you need help?” Levi’s offer was met with a bone chilling glare that lived rent free in his nightmares ever since. He had pulled a Mammon and forgotten he was talking to Lucifer’s child. Lucifer’s allergy to help must have passed down to MC.

“No! I don’t! It’s just... dumb!” MC hissed, she turned and looked over at the fish tank. “Right Henry 2.0?”

Henry 2.0 did not respond.

“MC, you need to finish your homework or we can’t watch anything together,” Levi sighed, he had finished his work over an hour earlier. He had mastered the art of all night anime binges and managing to do most of his work in the fifteen minutes between the time he woke up and the time school was supposed to begin. “We haven’t even binged all of volume 4 of TSL yet!”

“Mmm...” MC grumbled. “Fine...”

MC picked up their pencil case and began continued their work. Levi breathed a sigh of relief and went back to Animal Crossing.

The tiny normie did in fact finish their work, only after they caved and asked Levi for help. Swore him to secrecy, they did... very intimidating, they were.

Just saying, he most definitely sent that one Keanu Reeves meme with big Keanu and little Keanu but with Lucifer and MC to the wrong group chat. Poor bastard.

Flying lessons? No. Levi hadn’t flown since his time in the Celestial Realm, he had no advice to give other than: “Flap your wings!”

“THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING YOU-”

MC didn’t get to finish that thought, they lost their balance and fell right into RAD’s fountain. Ah well, Levi had a head start on running for his life that he squandered by laughing at MC. RIP.

The Uncle/brother/whatever the fuck that Starts a Fight With Your Dad at the Family Reunion. (Satan)

Oh... another Lucifer? Eugh. Gross.

Satan gave the kid a wide berth when they first met. Everything the kid said or did ticked him off. “Tsk. Look at MC. Making an omelette. So annoying.” “Oh wow, MC vacuumed? Roll out the red carpet, we need to celebrate their existence!” “Look at them. Breathing. Disgusting.”

MC’s pride wouldn’t ever let them admit it but... they knew Satan didn’t like them, and it hurt their feelings.

“Shhhh,” Satan whispered into his backpack.

“Meow.” The backpack replied.

“I said shhhhh.”

The backpack did not reply after that, which was a good thing considering the little princet of the HOL was nearby.

“Satan?” They asked. “Who are you talking to?”

Satan coldly brushed past them as he made his way to his room. “No one you need to concern yourself with.”

When the little calico kitten was safe in his room, Satan quickly realized a mistake in his foolproof ‘sneak a cat into the house’ plan. He didn’t have any toys for the kitten, and he didn’t want his books getting scratched...

It was alright, he’d just rush out to the a store that sold cat things and rush back! Five minute trip tops!

Well when Satan got back the cat was no longer in the room. Oh dear. He discreetly tore apart the house looking for the poor little thing until he ended up finding it in the library, happily chasing around a loose feather being held up by MC.

“Oh, hello Satan.” MC chirped as the kitten batted it’s adorable little paws at the feather.

“My... my door was closed. Did you let the cat out?”

MC shrugged. “I heard meowing.”

Satan ran a hand through his hair and grumbled. Stupid smaller Lucifer. Stupid original Lucifer. Everyone sucked.

“Let me guess, you’re going to run to Lucifer and tell him all about the meowing and the rule breaking.”

MC shook their head and glared at Satan. “Of course not. I’ve already gotten way too attached to this little guy anyway. We’re co-parenting this kitten like mature adults.”

With some coaxing, Satan did sit down and play with the kitten, maybe MC wasn’t... so terrible.

The two watch Unsolved Mysteries together, that’s their show. “This guy did it.” “Satan, we’re two minutes into the episode-” “Trust me.”

Thirty minutes later.

“He did it.” “See MC, what’d I tell you?”

Lucifer did find out about the cat, but with enough pleading, MC and Satan managed to warm up the cold spot in Lucifer’s chest where his heart should have been. The cat’s name is Detective Toe Beans (or just Bean).

Satan can’t fly, he has a tail, but he did read up on wing anatomy and how flight actually works in demons, his advice would be good in theory, but it’s full of so much technical jargon that MC can’t understand it.

At least MC didn’t crash into something, they barrel rolled through one of the HOL’s windows. Good thing it was the window to their room. The broken arm still hurt like hell.

The Best Dressed Bitch Who Brings The Booze to The Reunion. (Asmo)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Lucifer’s kid was SO CUTE! A thousand pictures commemorating that adorable moment needed to be taken! Wait- Lucifer- GIVE BACK THE PHONE-

Asmo, surprise surprise, absolutely adores little MC! So cute! So small! He was just so excited to announce to all his Devilgram followers that Lucifer was finally a certified DILF.

That post disappeared five minutes after it was made but the damage had already been done.

Asmo made sure MC looked their best at all times, if they needed help talking to anyone? Asmo’s got their back!

Sure, maybe he’s a little pushy, but pushy’s a good thing sometimes, right?

“Asmodeus-”

“No, these shoes wouldn’t fit you...”

“Asmo-”

“No, not these ones either...”

“ASMODEUS.”

Asmo squeaked and jumped upwards, Geez Louise... little MC’s voice could sure be scary when they wanted it to be...

“I don’t need any fancy new shoes.” MC huffed, sitting up straighter in one of the chairs in Asmo’s room. “I thought this was supposed to be a sleepover.”

“Hmmm...” Asmo pouted. “Makeovers are an essential part of sleepovers... what’d you do with your human friends up in the human world that could possibly be better than a make-over?!”

MC began to list things off. “Ordered junk food, talked about people we hated, watched movies,”

“Greasy food is so bad for your skin...” Asmo cringed and shook his head violently. “But I’m totally down to watch a movie and bitch about people I hate!”

“Ah yes, human sleepovers, a tradition I never quite had the chance to enjoy.” Solomon said from Asmo’s bed. “Who are we bitching about?”

“Remind me what Solomon is doing here.” MC muttered as they sat down in front of Asmo’s TV.

“Because, I wanted to hang out with my two favourite humans.” Asmo cooed, reaching over and trying to pinch MC’s cheek, which they awkwardly dodged.

“Can we watch The Exorcist?” Solomon asked, propping his head up with his hands.

“Ew, no.” Asmo made a face at him. “That scene with the vomit? Hell NO.”

“Mm.” MC mumbled. Asmo turned to look at them.

“MC? Are you doing okay? You don’t look like you’re having any fun...”

“I’m fine.” MC grumbled.

Asmo pursed his lips, as much as it made his little narcissistic heart break, he nudged MC. “Why don’t you pick the movie, sweetie. I’m sure Solomon and I will like anything you pick!”

MC noticeably brightened. “Let’s watch Scream!”

The strangled noise that came from Asmo was... concerning, but to his credit, The Avatar of Lust held his tongue about his distaste for the movie, and the three slumber-party goers had quite the lovely time.

After the movie ended, MC went back to their room, sure it was a sleepover but their bed was right down the hall.

Good for Asmo and Solomon. Horny fuckers. We stan.

Asmo just claps and tries to cheer MC on when it comes to their flying lessons. (The idea that Asmo came up with to wear his cheerleader costume from the previous Halloween was immediately shot down by Lucifer)

“You’re doing wonderful, MC- WATCH OUT FOR THE POWER LINE!”

MC didn’t hit the power line, but Asmo’s scream of terror caused them to fall butt-first into a dumpster. Their injured tailbone served as a tragic memory of the incident.

Oh well, good thing Asmo had nice smelling soap to give that could mask dumpster-stink.

The Uncle that eats everything and tells you to eat your veggies while you angrily pick at your broccoli at the kid’s table. (Beel)

Lucifer... has a kid?! Beel choked on the cheetos he had snuck into the Assembly Hall when the kid’s wings popped out.

Oh wow, that’s nice :) maybe they can eat together. Belphie would probably like them.

Wait what is the gender neutral term for Niece or Nephew?

...Nibling? Uh... let’s not say that around Beel. We don’t need him to get hungrier and begin associating MC with nibbling on things.

The Underground Tomb incident probably went a little differently, but after all that nonsense, the two are closer than two peas in a pod!

Mmm... peas...

“Beel?” MC stepped into the Avatar of Gluttony’s room.

“Hi MC.” Beel was doing push-ups in the middle of the room, on the ground right beneath his head was a massive bowl of spaghetti that he bit into every time he completed a push-up. “Can you come stand on my back? I need the extra weight.”

“On your back?” MC padded closer. “Are you sure? It’s not going to hurt?”

“No, it’ll be okay.” Beel assured them. “Belphie and I did this all the time. Except Belphie is normally asleep.”

MC tentatively stepped onto Beel’s back. It was a balancing act to say the least, they eventually gave up on standing and ended up sitting cross legged between Beel’s shoulder blades.

“You did this with Belphegor?” MC asked.

“Yeah,” Beel sighed. “He was always too tired to exercise, but he’d let me bench press him sometimes...”

MC frowned and hugged their knees to their chest. Knowing full well that Beel’s twin wasn’t in the human world like Lucifer said was absolutely ripping them apart from the inside. Guilt felt just as rotten as their pride did when they were being belittled...

“Maybe you’ll see him again sometime soon.” MC whispered. “Maybe my father’ll come to his senses and let him come back down to the Devildom.”

Beel paused his push-ups for a brief moment, then nodded and went back to his eating exercising combo. “I hope so. He’ll like you, MC. I’m sure of it.”

MC nodded. “I... hope so.”

Beel’s a pretty decent flight teacher, but his wings are just so different from MC’s that it renders any tips he had next to useless.

“MC, maybe your wings aren’t flapping fast enough.”

“Beel, I appreciate the thought, but I’m not a hummingbird. Or a fly. I don’t need to flap my wings a million times a minute to stay afloat.”

Ah well, MC tried to take some of Beel’s advice, but their lower right wing cramped up and they ended up flying in circles until Beel was able to catch them. Ah well, better than the dumpster incident the previous week.

The Uncle That Passes Out in The Basement and You’re Not Allowed to Wake Him Up Even Though All Your Toys and Video Games Are Down There. He Also Picks a Fight With Your Dad’s New S/O Before He Passes Out. (Belphie)

Sitting in the attic was quite a drag, and this supposedly weak little human was quite the annoyance to try and call out to. It took a lot longer than expected, but when he heard little footsteps coming towards his prison, Belphegor nearly jumped with joy.

Oh... it... looked like Lucifer. Smelled like Lucifer. Stood like Lucifer. Quacked like Lucifer. Or... trilled..? Whatever sound a peacock made, this brat sounded an awful lot like Lucifer.

A... half-demon. Hmph. Belphie honestly thought Lucifer had actual standards. Not anymore, he guessed.

(Man I could fill a whole-ass fic with the Belphie betrayal thing, but for now let’s skip to post attic nonsense)

Okay so maybe MC wasn’t disgusting. They made a good nap buddy. It was cute when their wings came out when they were sleeping sometimes. Well... it was cute when they didn’t hit him in the face and make him wake up with his mouth full of feathers.

What Beel said had been true, Belphie made a good substitute when weights weren’t available, but Beel didn’t want MC to feel left out, so Belphie and MC ended up sitting on his back while he did push ups. MC once got bored and started playing Go Fish with Belphie on Beel’s back while he exercised.

Yes. MC is still a member of the Formerly-Anti-Lucifer League.

“Are you sure he’s not going to be too mad at us?” MC asked for the dozenth time that day. Detective Toe Beans was wrapped around their neck like a scarf (he had gotten so big!!!) while MC nervously sat in one of the Library chairs.

“Positive.” Belphie said with a toothy grin. “Besides, he’s like putty when it comes to you. Just give him your best puppy eyes and we’re not guilty on all charges.”

Putty..? Really..? Lucifer..? How strict was he before MC got there... they wondered.

“Sh! He’s coming!” Satan stuck his nose into a random book, it was the Oxford English Dictionary... and it was upside down.

Belphie pretended to pass out and MC decided that the best course of action was to stare deeply into their cat’s eyes. Yeah... that looked casual and not weird.

“Satan, MC, Belphie.” Lucifer nodded to the three of them as he walked towards the entrance to his study.

“Lucifer.”

“Afternoon, father.”

Belphie let out a cartoonishly loud fake snore that nearly caused both MC and Satan to break cover and start laughing.

Side note, Bean had adorable widdle eyes! That cute little face was just to die for-

“You three..!”

Belphie, Satan, and MC peeked their heads into Lucifer’s study, their handiwork was perfect. Everything was covered in red post it notes. Perfectly not harmful, but SO inconvenient!

“You’re all cleaning this up or so help me-”

“GO!” Belphie and Satan each grabbed one of MC’s arms (Satan also grabbed Bean) and sprinted out of the House of Lamentation. Maybe they’d move back there in twenty years... they hoped that Solomon and The Angels would let them crash at Purgatory Hall...

Belphie had used up his physical energy supply for the next four years. He passed out the moment they stepped into sanctuary. Time for a nap...

Flight practice? Ha. Belphie’s napping. Though, he was suspiciously awake and filming whenever MC did something stupid.

“Try not to suck so bad.”

“GO TO HELL BELPHIE!”

“I’m already there. Hell is every second I’m stuck here watching you fail.”

“YOU’RE GOING TO GET IT FOR THAT!”

Well... MC mastered the dive bomb that day. Lucifer bought them a cake.

Bonus! Your Dad’s New Husband! That Has Managed to Somehow Make Everyone Hate Him Despite the Fact That He’s A Cinnamon Roll. (Diavolo)

A mini Lucifer? A mini Lucifer!

Diavolo dotes on MC like he’d dote on his own kid. MC wants a crown? They’re getting a crown! A damn nice one too! MC wants a title? Here! MC is now... idk Ruler of the area between Majolish and Hell’s Kitchen.

Poor Uncle Mammon’s got some financial insecurity, he’s still the cool uncle... right?!

He is very much that ‘how do you do fellow kids?’ Meme.

He tries to do stereotypical ‘dad’ things but he’s not very good at them. Once he tried to host a barbecue...

Barbatos saved the day, but Mammon’s hair was still singed, Solomon’s cooking still gave Beel food poisoning (SOLOMON EATS TOXIC WASTE I SWEAR-), Luke still got hit in the face with a frisbee, and Simeon got an unhealthy dose of DAD NERVES and got so stressed everyone was almost blinded by the holy light he suddenly started blasting. We do not mention the water guns.

(Seriously whose bright idea was it to give Belphie and Satan water guns while they were in Lucifer’s presence?)

Praise Barbie. He’s too good for them.

“Um...” MC awkwardly held up the baseball, trying to look at it from all angles like it was a completely alien object. “Lord Diavolo... are you sure you want to play catch?”

Diavolo clapped his hands and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Yes! It’s a thing human fathers do with their children, correct? We must make up for lost time between you and Lucifer, right?”

Lucifer massaged his temples and nodded. “If you two would like to play catch...” Lucifer grimaced. “I will too.”

“Okay! MC, throw the ball to Lucifer!” Diavolo instructed.

Lucifer half heartedly held up his baseball glove as MC tossed him the ball. He caught it, and looked over at Diavolo, who was applauding like he just witnessed the greatest feat in sports history.

“Okay! Throw it to me!” Diavolo waved his glove in the air, Lucifer rolled his eyes and smiled. He threw the ball at Diavolo with... a lot of force. Enough force to probably dent steel... Diavolo caught it like it was nothing.

MC suddenly feared for their safety.

“Okay MC, catch!”

Diavolo threw the ball with enough force to break the god damn sound barrier. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but the ball sailed way over MC’s head and crashed right through a window.

“Oh my...” Diavolo put a hand on his hip and surveyed the damage to the window. “This isn’t so bad, I believe in human world TV shows this happens quite often. Look! The glass broke in a perfect circle!”

“Yay... property damage...” MC murmured.

Lucifer sighed and pulled out his DDD. “I’ll phone someone to replace the win-”

“Lucifer no! Now according to human world customs we must,” Diavolo took a deep breath, rushed forward, grabbed both Lucifer and MC’s hands and started sprinting away from the Demon Lord’s Castle. “RUN FOR IT!”

“Di- Diavolo!” Lucifer gasped.

“Who are we running from?! That’s your castle!” MC squeaked.

“I don’t know! Just run! That’s what the human TV show says to do!”

Weirdly enough, Diavolo was the best flight instructor. MC’s ability to fly increased tenfold after Diavolo found out that MC was learning to fly.

“You’re doing amazing MC! That was a perfect turn!”

“Thanks Lord Diavolo, I’m surprised I haven’t crashed into anyone or fallen yet!”

“Well, I highly doubt you’ll be crashing into anyone anymore, your flying is practically perfect now!”

Mammon proceeded to fly past them holding what looked like Lucifer’s wallet.

“M-mammon?!”

“Oh... I wonder what he’s doing. Look, MC! It’s Lucifer! Hello Lucifer dea-”

Lucifer ended up colliding with the two of them and sending them all crashing to the floor.

That was the last time MC fell during flying practice.

(We currently have a Go Fund Me set up for Mammon to get the funds necessary to flee the Devildom after that incident. Please donate to save- oh shit hi Lucifer-)

[krisiverse]

dirt and sunshine for susie?

The sun was shining through the trees, filtering through the new growth and casting little dappled shadows all around. It was springtime, and you could see it in the life all around, even feel it in the air.

At the Dreemurr household, two monsters and one human were busy making the most of the sunny afternoon.

"What's this one called again?" Susie asked, her nose buried in a spicy-smelling plant with very round leaves.

"Nasturtium," Kris answered. "And the other ones there are-"

"Marigolds, yeah. I remember 'cause I was complaining that they weren't all gold."

Kris shrugged. "That's just what they're called."

"Should be called sumn' else," Susie muttered, focused on delicately biting off one of the nasturtium's leaves. "...Still feels like your mom's only got me helping 'cause she doesn't wanna do it herself."

"Wellll, more like she doesn't want Dad doin' it. But you didn't hear that from me," Asriel said with a sly wink. "Also, I saw that. We gotta make sure there's a plant left to plant, okay?"

Susie and Kris exchanged a glance. Then at the same time, Kris started giggling, and Susie let out a snort of laughter. Even though Asriel didn't really sound like Ralsei, sometimes he sounded just like Ralsei.

"Got it," Susie promised, and Kris gave him a thumbs up.

"Good! Now let's go ahead and get these things in the ground." Asriel handed them each a trowel, then frowned. "Do you want some gloves, Susie? I know we got a pair that'll fit you."

"Nah, I'm good."

"Yeah, she loves digging in the dirt with her bare hands like an animal," Kris added, giggling as they narrowly dodged the clump of dirt Susie threw at them.

"Maybe I do like digging with my hands like an animal," Susie said with a grin. "The hell are you gonna do about it?"

"Nothin'." They smiled innocently.

Asriel chuckled, then thought for a moment. "Y'know, if you wanna dig with your hands, we do have a pair of gloves with big ol' claws on them." (Susie's eyes lit up, and he smiled further.) "Kris, do you think you could get those for her? They oughta be in the junk drawer in the kitchen."

"Oh! Sure thing, Azzy." Kris got up and dusted themself off, before running inside.

Asriel watched them go, then crouched down beside Susie. He started digging another hole next to hers, quietly for a moment, before speaking up. "Hey, uh, while they're inside... can I say somethin'?"

"You can try. But be warned, I bite," Susie replied flatly.

"Heh, I get it, Kris does too. But don't worry, it's nothin' bad, I just... I wanted to say thank you. For being such an awesome friend to them."

"Huh?" That threw Susie for a loop for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "I mean, yeah. I am pretty awesome."

"You really are," Asriel agrees. "I mean, I've only known you for a little bit, but I can tell you and Kris are really close. They're totally comfortable around you... It takes a pretty special person to accomplish that, you know?"

Susie looked away, saying nothing, and scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"You're getting dirt on your face," Asriel pointed out with a slight laugh. "But, yeah. They seem... really happy, having you around. And I just wanted to say thanks for looking out for 'em."

Susie looked back at him. After a moment, she nodded seriously. "You're welcome. Just... happy I can be there for them, y'know?"

"I know. And you're doing a great job."

The two of them worked in silence for a little bit longer - Asriel somehow managed to plant two of the marigolds while she wasn't looking - until the door opened again.

"Found them," Kris said, grinning triumphantly as they held up the digging gloves.

"Oh hell yeah! Give 'em here-"

And so it continued on as usual for the rest of the day, filling the air with banter between siblings and friends, and filling the garden. By the end of it, all three of them were tired and covered in dirt, but none of them cared in the slightest.

[queenxxxsupreme]

Protector (Arthur Morgan x f!reader)

A/N: In most of my Arthur fics, if I mention the reader’s horse his name is Calvin and he’s blind in one eye so if you’ve noticed it that’s awesome! If you haven’t no worries! I just wanted to point it out before anyone gets confused. I’m not sure how many times I’ve mentioned it but I know in my head that’s how it is 😂

Warnings: Micah being a dick, no actual animal abuse but it almost happens, Micah roughly grabs reader but that’s it, nothing out of canon

Word Count: 2.6k

Summary: You can defend yourself. Arthur knows this. But he makes sure Micah knows you aren’t the only reason he should keep his hands to himself.

***

You hummed softly to yourself as you helped Mr. Pearson prepare dinner. 

You looked up from the potato in your hand for a moment, eyes flickering around camp to take count of who was present. 

Mrs. Grimshaw had pulled Pearson away from his wagon and all the way to the other side of camp. Mary-Beth was sitting on a chair near her shared tent with the girls, busying herself with a book in hand.

 Abigail and Jack were towards the back of camp. Abigail was doing her best at keeping Jack occupied with the flowers growing in the grass back there. Molly was fixing her makeup in her tent at the center of camp.

 Micah was near the horses, messing with a saddle bag on his horse. Everyone else was gone. Today was one of those days that everyone was busy away from camp. 

“Son of a bitch!”

You lifted your head up from the potatoes you were peeling, turning your attention to where the horses were hitched. 

Micah stood by your horse, a gray Dutch Warmblood named Calvin. Micah was cradling his hand to his chest as he cursed, but then he looked at your horse and pulled his fist back as if to strike the animal. 

You were on your feet and crossing camp in a matter of seconds, grabbing the back of his coat and pulling him away from your horse. 

“Don’t you dare put your hands on my horse, Micah Bell.” You spoke through clenched teeth, holding the knife you’d been using to peel potatoes in your hand at your side. 

“That damn bastard of a horse bit me! Nearly took off my fucking hand!”

“Then don’t get close enough to him for him to grab you!” You raised your voice to match his, holding his gaze as he glared at you. 

Micah took a step towards you, knowing very well that he could use his height to appear more intimidating. But you weren’t one to back down so easily.

“Maybe if someone taught you a lesson in manners, that horse would behave better.”

“You don’t get to say shit about me and my manners, Bell.” You shook your head, pointing at him with the tip of the knife. “Don’t touch my horse, or I’ll put a knife between your ribs.”

You moved to return to the potatoes but Micah wasn’t about to let you off so easily. 

“Now see, girl, I don’t much care for that attitude you have.” He grabbed your arm and pulled you back around to face him. You didn’t even get a chance to use the knife to defend yourself because he’d grabbed the arm that you held the knife in. 

“Let me go, Micah.” You spoke through your teeth, glaring up at him. 

“Oh, Mr. Morgan isn’t here to save you, sweetheart. You’ve gotta face the consequences of your actions.” He smirked as he looked down at you. His grip on your arm was unbelievably tight and no matter how much you tried to get loose, you couldn’t seem to break free. “Don’t you raise your voice at me like I’m some little bitch of yours. I’m not your cowpoke. I ain’t scared of you, and I ain’t scared–,”

You cut him off by headbutting him. He immediately released you and stumbled back, cursing. 

“Don’t put your hands on my horse, Micah Bell.” You repeated your warning, readjusting your grip on your knife. 

“You think you’re big and bad because you’re sleepin’ with Morgan, don’t you?” Micah took a step towards you, wiping the blood from his lip. “Goddamned whore! Probably sleeping with half the fucking camp too!” 

“Micah!” Charles called his name. 

You turned your head to see Charles moving towards you and Micah. 

“Is she sleeping with you?” Micah pointed an accusing finger at Charles but Charles ignored him. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” Charles asked you. 

“I’m fine, Charles.” You gave him a little smile, hoping that maybe he’d let the whole thing go. “Just had to have some words with Micah.”

“Looks like it was a little more than a few words.” Charles glared at Micah before following you back towards Pearson’s wagon. 

“Well, with someone like Micah Bell, words barely get through to him.” You returned to peeling potatoes. “Too damn stubborn.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

Just a few moments later, Arthur, Bill, Javier, and Lenny returned to camp, hitching their horses up beside Calvin. 

Bill tethered Brown Jack to the same post Calvin was on. 

“Be careful of Calvin, Bill.” Lenny warned, pointing to your horse. “He likes takin’ a piece off of whoever passes by too close.” 

You grinned a little as you listened to them joke around about Calvin. He was a sweet horse, he was just crotchety and being that he was blind in one eye didn’t help that either. 

“I think it’s just you boys he don’t like.” You spoke up as the small group made their way into camp. “Kieran can brush him down any time of day and Calvin is just as sweet as could be.”

“That’s ‘cause Kieran sneaks the old man treats.” Javier spoke as he sat down at the table not too far away from Pearson’s wagon. “Found out how to get to Calvin’s heart. Sugarcubes.”

“Oh, it’s just ‘cause Kieran’s a sweet kid.” You teased, eyes flickering up to watch Arthur. 

He grunted, shaking his head. 

“Ain’t nothin’ sweet about an O’Driscoll.” 

You finished cutting up the potato in your hand and then put the knife down. 

“Damn bastard!” Karen shouted as she hitched her horse to a post.

“Who are you cursing at, Karen?” Lenny asked. 

“Micah! He nearly ran right into me running outta this place!” She brushed her skirt off. “What’s got him all pissed off?”

“The wind probably blew the wrong way.” Arthur said. 

You chose to stay quiet. You turned your head to look at Charles. He was near the backside of Pearson’s wagon. His eyes found yours. You took a deep breath, shaking your head just slightly, then turned your attention to Calvin. He was okay, you knew that, but you couldn’t help feeling the need to make sure he was okay. 

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” You wiped your hands off on a rag and set it on the table before making your way towards the horses.

Arthur took note of your behavior. You usually were the first one to poke fun at Micah, to comment on his antics. It was unlike you to stay silent when his bad attitude was brought up. 

Arthur sat down in the seat you’d previously been in, absentmindedly scratching his scruffy jaw. 

Seeing that Javier and Lenny were engaged in a conversation of their own, Charles moved to Arthur.

“Arthur?”

“Hey, Charles.” Arthur greeted him.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Arthur nodded and followed Charles towards the lake away from everyone else. 

“I didn’t see everything, but I was coming back from switching out guard duty when I saw Micah had ahold Y/N’s arm.” 

Arthur’s eyes darted across camp to you. 

“Don’t worry, Arthur. She’s okay.” Charles assured him. “I just wanted to tell you because I don’t trust Micah. I don’t know if he’ll do anything or what he was trying to do. I don’t know what goes through that man’s head, and I don’t want anything to happen to Y/N.”

Arthur let out a heavy breath, running his hand over his face. Anger bubble in his veins. 

“He’s a snake, Arthur.” Charles spoke quietly.

“I know he is, Charles.” Arthur shook his head, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Did you…. Did you see him put his hands on her in any other way?” 

“No. All I caught was him holding her arm and she headbutted him. Caught him right in the nose and mouth.”

“He didn’t hit her or nothin’ did he?”

“Not that I saw.”

Arthur nodded his head, letting out a heavy breath through his nose. He put his hand on Charles’s shoulder, nodding his head once, then moved across camp. 

***

You approached Calvin on his right side so that he could see you. His left eye was the one that was blind and he didn’t react well to anyone coming up to him from that side. 

“Hey, handsome.” You cooed, smiling softly as you reached out to rub his nose. He huffed and leaned into your touch. Your touch moved along his neck and down his side, then to his hindquarter. “My good boy, huh? Just don’t like no one else, do ya?”

“Think you have a thing for grumpy old fellers.” 

You looked up to see Arthur rubbing Taima’s nose. 

“I like the challenge that comes with the grumpy ones.”

He chuckled.

“You, uh, you know why Micah left like he did?”

“No.” You shook your head, moving around to Calvin’s blind side. “But it’s hard to tell what’s going through that man’s head.”

“Just thought maybe you’d know since you were here with him.” Arthur thought at loud.

You shook your head. You could feel his eyes on you, studying you like a book. 

“You’d tell me if something happened, wouldn’t ya?”

Your eyes flickered up to meet his. You were quiet for a few moments, locking your jaw. 

“Charles told you, didn’t he?”

Arthur nodded silently.

“He almost got a knife in his gut. He raised his fist like he was gonna hit Cal ‘cause Cal bit him. But I had it under control. No need to worry. Micah’s just a sour bastard. Don’t like being told off, especially not by a lady.”

Arthur let out a sigh. 

You gave Calvin a loving pat on the shoulder and moved to go back to Pearson’s wagon. 

“I don’t like leavin’ you here at camp with him.” Arthur followed behind you.

“I know you don’t, but you don’t have much of a choice.” You washed your hands and started to get back to work. 

His hand wrapped around your wrist and he carefully pulled you back around to face him. 

“Don’t egg him on when I’m not here.”

“I can fight my own fights, Arthur. And I’m not gonna let him hit my horse-,”

“That’s not what I’m sayin’, Y/N.” He cut you off, looking down at you. “If he ever put his hands on you, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill ‘em.”

“I know.” You placed your hand on his chest. “I know. But you, Arthur Morgan, also know that I can kick ass just as good as any man here. You shouldn’t worry so much.”

“I’ll always worry.” Arthur took your hand and brought it up to his lips. “Micah’s a snake.”

“Worrying is bad for such an old man’s heart.” A grin tugged at the corners of your lips as you moved away from him. He allowed you to slip away, watching you return to your chair by Pearson’s table. 

Arthur chuckled at you, shaking his head. 

***

Arthur settled back into bed, getting comfortable while you changed into a chemise and fixed your hair for the night. 

“I think I gotta go to Strawberry tomorrow.” 

“What for?” You slipped on your chemise, pulling it down over your head and into place. 

“Dutch said there’s someone there who has information on a train comin’ through.” Arthur tucked one hand behind his head and watched you turn to face him. His eyes flickered down to look over you. 

Though the lighting from the lamp wasn’t the best, he could see an odd marking on your bicep just above your elbow. It was darker than the rest of your skin and seemed out of place. 

Arthur sat up, brows furrowing together. 

“Come here a minute, pumpkin.”

“What?”

“Just come here.” He patted the bedside next to him. 

You moved to sit on the edge of the bed, confused but unaware of what he had seen.

Now that he was close enough to see just exactly what they were, he could tell they were bruises. 

You looked down to see what he was looking at. 

“What is that?” You furrowed your brows together.

“Looks like finger shaped bruises.” Arthur just barely brushed his fingers over the markings. “Micah’s lucky I don’t cut off his goddamn hands.”

“Don’t, Arthur.” Your eyes shot up to find his. “I’m serious.”

“I am too.” Anger clouded his blue eyes, making them a stormy gray instead of the pretty vibrant blue you adored so much. 

“He ain’t worth you gettin’ in trouble, Arthur. I probably broke his nose anyways.” You stood up. “Let’s go to bed.”

Arthur was silent as he laid back down and you climbed into bed with him. You curled up against his side, resting your head on his chest. 

“Just don’t want nothin’ to happen to you, pumpkin.” He murmured, kissing the top of your head. 

“Nothin’s gonna happen to me.” You assured him. 

***

Once Arthur was sure you were asleep, he put his clothes back on and slipped out of his tent. 

He looked around camp, spotting a small group gathered around a campfire near Pearson’s tent. He could spot Dutch, Hosea, Javier, Bill, John, and most importantly Micah. 

Arthur took a deep breath, fighting the urge to cross the camp and start throwing punches at Micah. 

Instead, he calmly made his way to the fire and sat down on the log next to John. 

“Thought you went to bed.” John commented. 

“Nah, can’t sleep.” Arthur shook his head. 

“Arthur! So glad you could join us!” Dutch’s voice was unnecessarily loud. Arthur hoped you wouldn’t wake up. 

“Hi, Dutch.”

“Thought you and Miss Y/L/N had gone off to bed for the night, cowpoke.” Micah offered him a beer but Arthur declined, lips pressing together in a tight line. “What happened?”

“Figured I’d stay up a little longer. Spend some time with you guys.” Arthur forced a smile on to his lips. “Don’t get to do that much anymore, do I?”

“No, as a matter of fact you don’t. You’re either off playing hero or-or…. or your off playing hero.” Bill swayed in his seat. He had too much to drink. 

“Or you know, you’ve got certain people around here up your ass.” Micah shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t have time to sit around and drink with your brothers.”

John furrowed his brows, looking over at Micah. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Bell?”

“Shut up, Marston.”

“You know what? Maybe you’re right.” Arthur tilted his head to the side a little as he looked at Micah. “What happened to your nose? I’ve never noticed it was so crooked.”

Micah scowled. 

“Or maybe it’s not.” Arthur shrugged his broad shoulders. “Maybe I just never got a good look at it.” 

“My god, Arthur, I think you’re right.” Hosea leaned forward as if to take a closer look at Micah’s nose. “Looks absolutely terrible, Micah. You might need to get that checked out.”

“Go to hell.” Micah started to stand up. 

Arthur stood up too, stepping towards Micah. 

“The next time you think about putting your hands on Y/N or her horse, the least of your concerns is gonna be her breakin’ your nose or pullin’ a knife on you, you hear me?” He spoke lowly. 

Micah held his gaze for a few moments before turning and skulking away. 

Arthur turned back to those who sat at the fire. Everyone was silent and didn’t know what to say. 

“Is Y/N okay?” Hosea asked. 

“She’s fine.” Arthur muttered, clenching his fist together. “I don’t like that fella.”

“Don’t think many of us do.” John sighed, standing to his feet.

Taglist: @winterwolf @doggone-cowgirl @lauramb7 @caraqas @bluscryn @nonodino @krenee1drful @thefirelordm @sargeantsea @sokkasdarling @thecollection @mayday1284

If your name is in italics, it wouldn’t let me tag you :(