#it's so poofy by the time you get to them that they can't even begin to hide it from you

[missjoolee]

Chapel of Love

1.1k words

The barest hint of hot, dry air ruffled against the baby hairs on the back of her neck doing little relief. Long gone were the multi-layered stage outfits, having learned she needed something more breathable underneath the stagnant tent two days ago at the start of the music festival. Instead, she wore a poofy crop top with shorts, and she could feel Luke’s eyes roaming the revealed skin of her shoulders, midriff, and legs with each song they sang together. He'd been winding her up with each set.

Her hands grip the top of the mic stand as she leans into where the mic sits, holding herself in place where normally she would be dragging it over to share with Luke in this moment. But they are halfway through the seventh and final set and his eyes weren’t the only thing she could feel looming nearby. Just outside the Loud & Local tent sat the “Chapel of Love”. And the next lyrics were too close to vows that she might do something stupid if she got too close to him. Why had they written them this way, again?

They hadn’t seen the simple archway that signified the “chapel” when they had arrived to set up, the van being parked on the other side of the tent that held the stage that they would share with four other bands over the three day festival. And when they finally had a chance to roam the festival grounds, Reggie pulling them to the food truck selling fancy milkshakes, they saw it but didn’t know what it was. Even on the information board sporting a map, it was just a tiny innocuous dot.

It had been later on a water run that Alex and she saw a small gathering of people under it, two of them sealing their love with a kiss. Apparently, you could get married at this festival.

"Huh," Alex had said, taking a drink from his bottle and then resting his arm on her shoulder. "That's a decision." "I don't know. I think it's kind of sweet," she'd responded. A snort rang out from above her head. "Of course you would say that." She'd sent an accusatory glare up at him, dropping her shoulder so his arm would fall way. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She had known exactly what he meant though. Her eyes close against the crowd in front of her and drift open to her left, knowing exactly where Luke would be.

She can feel electricity thrum through her body as she begins the call and response moment.

"I've got a spark in me."

She can see the confusion on his face, but he smiles at her as the words slide out of him with ease.

"I've got a spark in me."

She closes her eyes against the assault of love intertwining with the electricity already coursing though her. In her mind, the simple archway looms above them. This is why she was fighting her entire being from going to him. It was too soon. Too impulsive.

"And you're a part of me."

She can't escape the feelings that have been building with each performance they've done this weekend. The euphoria of performing their music with the her best friends, and the man she loves, not caring that she shut her eyes in an attempt to block it out.

"And you're a part of me."

Luke's voice right next to her sends a shiver across her shoulders, her eyes jumping open to see he'd closed the distance to share a mic with her. Not letting her run from him, not realizing she wasn't running. She was trying to reign in some very impulsive thoughts. She can see the concern in his eyes behind the determination and can't help the smile that graces her face, softer than what is normally part of her stage persona.

"Now till eternity."

His response is accompanied by the smile he normally saves for her when they are in the studio. One that Alex and Reggie unfortunately have to put up with because it side tracks things often enough. "Now till eternity."

The mental reigns she's been wrestling are completely forgotten about. She's a goner. Their voices twine together like they have thousands of times before.

"Been so long and now I'm finally free."

The rest of the set goes off without a hitch. The adrenaline and dopamine high intoxicating. She feels Reggie's arm go around her shoulders as Luke's goes around her waist and she looks at all her band-mates with pride. This weekend was amazing and did a lot to promote them, even if they were competing for attention with signed bands that have been around a whole lot longer on two other stages. They take a group bow to the crowd before they disperse like the non-existent wind.

Luke's arm tightens and he leans down to her ear to be heard. "Everything okay?" His voice is raspy and a bit lower than normal from doing seven performances in three days.

Perfect. The word rings in her head, bolstering her onto her toes next to his ear so he can hear her response.

"Marry me." Her own voice rough, lower and more sultry than she expected.

He looks surprised as he processes her words, but not like they made him uncomfortable if that same smile he saves for her lighting up his face means anything.

"Yeah. Okay."

She grabs hold of the hand on her waist, interlacing their fingers as she heads for the exit of the tent with determination. He drags behind her a bit.

"You mean right now??"

The first flicker of doubt hits her. "Yes?"

He drops her hand and scrambles to get the guitar strap over his head. "Oh hell yeah."

Her smile is so big she can feel the ache in her cheeks but she doesn't care. He wants this as bad as she does.

A voice interrupts them. "Uh Julie? Luke? Where are you going? We have to pack up our stuff so Midnight Mayhem can go on."

Reggie looks confused, his thumb pointing over his shoulder off the back of the stage. Alex's looks suspicious. Julie can feel heat soar to her cheeks as she looks up at Luke's face and sees the eager giddiness there and then back at Alex. Yeah, that tracks.

"Sorry guys. Got a little distracted. Band meeting after we get everything packed up."

She pulls Luke back over to their gear to begin packing up. Squeezing his hand before dropping it to unplug her keyboard.

He looks at her with confusion. "Band meeting?"

"We'll need witnesses."

"Riiiiiight. Nice."

[silly-inky]

Some Princess Luisa and fem Sunny love

I made a short story about how princess Luisa and fem Sunny met in this au (I made this last month but I only just got round to spell checking it) i made Sunny much more of a flirt in this. I did make some art to go along with it and that's after the writing

So Queenie ( Queen Boo) and Luisa are heading over to Delfino for a little vacation, they are mutually pining but neither have said anything yet. Peach, Dandy and Maria come with them but they arrive there with Queenie earlier than expected because of an earlier plane being delayed.

Luisa unfortunately missed this as she had to sort out a few things back at home before she could go, the others offered to wait but she thought it would be easier for them to go and get things sorted out so when she gets there there is no reason to fuss. It's not like she has a lot of luggage anyways, well she has a special suit case that can fit more than normal (curtsey of E.Gadd), not like she packs a ton but its good to have it all in one bag.

Now Luisa arrives there in the early afternoon (the others set off the previous day and got there in the night) and she looks lovely, she has a poofy long skirt/dress that's her signature green, she also has a sunhat, heals and vintage sunglasses with her suitcase in tow, she looks fabulous and everyone is noticing this gorgeous woman walking around the island, word makes it to the hotel before she even gets there about a gorgeous tall brunette with lovely long curls and a beautiful dress, she looks like she could be a princess or a model. (If you are curious on how she gets on the boat, she just takes her heals off then jumps)

When she finally arrives at the hotel she's a little flustered but still people can't help but stare. She apologizes to the man behind the front desk about being late as she had just missed the last boat and had to wait another half an hour before she could get to the hotel. This entire time the whole staff have been looking at her, one person in particular has already taken a particular liking to her.

As Luisa receives her room keys she goes to the lift (elevator) only to see it's out of order, with a heavy sigh she begins to pick up her suit case so she can drag it upstairs, then her knight in shining armor or appears as a very large woman approaches her, she has to be the tallest person she has ever seen besides Bowsette, she's chubby and surprisingly pale, she like many of the other islanders doesn't have a lot of clothing on, a pair of khaki shorts, a very large Hawaiian top left completely unbuttoned showing off her bikini top and the gold chain that hung around her neck, her hair was curly with a slight pink hue to it and her face wasn't too different to a Boo's apart from the difference in the eyes.

Luisa would be lying if she didn't find this mysterious woman.. Attractive.. but she was confused as to why she had approached her, so all she could really do was to stand there as she makes her way over to her. Standing next to her was a completely different feeling as usually having someone tower over you like this is a little intimidating, but she had a kind face and seemed to mean no harm.

"Hello ma'am, I'm sorry to disturb you an such a gorgeous day but I couldn't help but notice ya have some luggage with you that you need to take up to your room, is that right?" the Tall woman asked, her voice was calm and soothing, a little deeper than what she expected but not off putting in th slightest

"Ah! Well the lift here seems to be out of repair so I'm going to have to take the stairs unfortunately, i usually wouldn't mind but with heals and having to walk about so much today already I'm just having to mentally prepare myself" Luisa replied politely laughing a little at the end

"Oh there is no need for you to struggle darling I'll carry it for you, it's no trouble at all and you should take a rest" the Tall woman insisted

"If you wish, but please don't feel pressured into helping me Ms" Luisa said as she handed the suit case over to the other

"Of course, but what kind of hotel owner would I be if I didn't help out my guests! Shall we go? Ladies first " the Lady said as she picked up the suitcase with ease and gestured to the stairs

"Oh you are the owner! Oh well isn't that handy" Luisa said as she started to walk up the stairs

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" the tall woman asked with a smile

"Oh of course! My name is Luisa, what is your name? " Luisa laughed a little

"Luisa? As in Princess Luisa? Oh well it's an honour to meet you, Queenie has been telling me all sorts about you! She told me you were beautiful, but her words don’t do justice to how truly stunning you are."

"Oh! Well thank you! you are too kind I don't deserve such praise. You know Queenie?" Luisa was a tad bit flustered but took the compliment in stride as she asked her question

"Well of course I do, if I'm not mistaken she brought you here to meet me sweetheart" the lady smirked a little in a teasing manner to fluster Luisa a little more

"Oh so you must be Sunny! Well it's a pleasure to meet you, i feel a little bad now since you invited us as guests and now you are having to carry my luggage" Luisa said cheerfully although still a bit flushed from the look Sunny gave her

“I told you before, I wanted to help, and I'd be a fool to not try and help a lovely little lady such as yourself, my name sounds so nice coming from you~ I'm a little jealous of how Queenie gets to spend all be time with you" Sunny said with a wink

"You are quite to flirt aren't you" Luisa didn't care to hide her cheeks at this point seeing as it only instigated sunny further

The two kept talking for another couple of minutes until they finally reached Luisa's room, she was sharing it with QB so she only had to knock. When Queenie came to the door she gave Luisa big hug and said how she was glad Luisa got here just fine, then she noticed her friend standing next to Luisa with her luggage in hand.

"Oh so you've already met Sunshine! How lovely, are you two getting along well?" Queen Boo asked as she took Luisa's luggage from her friend

"Are you kidding? We've already become besties! And how dare you not telling me how much of a cutie she was! The whole island is talking about her" Sunny pipes up before pinching QB's cheek a little

"Oh wow so she's already left quite the impression! Well I'm not surprised, and I did tell you she was a gem"

Luisa looked between the two becoming flustered again in the process

"Oh and she's such a delight to flirt with she looks so cute when her cheeks go red, you better be careful Q or I might steal her from you" Sunny says as she gives Luisa a knowing look

"Ha! I'd love to see you try! But I do agree, she's adorable when flustered" Queenie said

They were both joking and overall just acing like good friends, but there was the tiniest bit of tension between the two, like a silent rivalry sparking up, QB seemed to get just a little more protective of Luisa all of a sudden and didn't seem to want to back down.

This is going to be a long vacation for Luisa if things keep on like this

Art: (I couldn't be bothered erasing Luisa's legs, the skirt is not see through)

@brosif40 @spectrayus @skulls-soul

[rizykim]

Found you / Kim Sunno

Pairing: Prince Sunoo × Princess Aliona (Instead of y/n and cause this is for a friend ✨)

Summary: Aliona is mated by the higher ups for the future of the kingdom and the only way to find their partner is by attending a ball. She was upset about how she wouldn't be able to be with her real lover since childhood but for her surprise it was him.

Word count: over 1K (Didn't check,sorry ;-;)

Warning: Fluff,angst and crying

"Your highness..." The maid called out from behind the door along with three knocks,gaining my attention from my trail of thoughts "It's time..." She said as the princess sighed heavily. A sad frown decorating her beautiful features painted with a light touch of makeup to bring the best of her beauty. Her hair styled to a lovely wavy bun with white pearls from the purest of bays. Her body wrapped in the most expensive fabric, tailored by the best Taylor of the kingdom. Light yet worthy jewellery on her neck and ears,representing her status. Her hands covered in silk gloves to complete the whole dress. She looked breathtaking. Almost unbelievable of how she looks perfect as if from a painting.

She stood up,adjusting her pink poofy dress,grabbing her white mask,a brief moment of looking at it with bored eyes "And so,my fate is decided by a pathetic mask" she tsked,annoyed of how a mere piece of face coverage gets to decide who she will have to spend the rest of her life with.

It has been a custom since the earliest of the era,the royalty heirs-who does not have anyone in mind to get engaged with are set up with an yearly ball. The kings and queens;their parents choose their partner after a negotiation with the other family and sends their child a matching mask to which they must wear at the ball to find their partner.

As childish and fun it sounds,Aliona despises her parents for setting her up instead of giving her a chance to reveal who is in her heart. The mere thought of not being able to spend the rest of her life with him makes her heart break into a million bits. Her eyes tearing up,almost spilling out of her painted eyes but she didn't let them fall.

'I am the future leader of the kingdom my mother and father put their heart and soul into bringing this towns people to wealth. I can't let them down. I will find a way to be with him' She consoled herself with deep breaths, tarring her eyes away from the mask as she put it on her face,tying the ribbon behind her head tightly as she huffed a breath out one last time before her fine heels clicked against the marble tiles to the door,leaving to her carriage.

At the ball,the first thing she saw the moment she entered the grand venue was the already matching couples dancing and talking with smiles. Happy of finding their mate. She scanned the area,the light traditional instrumental playing in the background, gorgeously dressed couple of various kingdoms already begining to elegantly away with the melody.

Aliona couldn't help but to picture herself with him,dancing just like this 'but that would take a lot longer to happen' she told herself walking through the room,in search of her specific other.

She looked wherever her heels took her to but there was no site of her own mask. She huffed,starting to feel annoyed of how she'd have to search for her mate-when she felt a small tap on her shoulder. With curiosity,she turned her head to see a dashing prince,dressed in all white along with his hair which was stilt with a ravishing slick. Her eyes widened slightly realizing that he had the other mask.

"Good evening m' lady" he said in a polite manner and bowed with one hand behind him. Aliona felt his heart accelerating,she felt a rush of all sorts of emotions she couldn't understand. Fear? Anger? Relief? She couldn't pinpoint it "G-good evening" She said briefly,her voice almost cracking if it wasn't for her looking away and offering her hand. He took it gladly and laid a tender kiss on her hand that she felt like a electric feeling was sent through her body at.

"Mind for a dance?" He requested,his arm extended in asking for her hand. With hesitant movement,she let her hand come in contact with his hand as he pulled her to the center of the room,his hand finding it's way to her waist while the other interlocked fingers as their bodies collided with the melody.

Both of them starred into each other's eye closely,observing every detail of their faces and masks,taking in the fact that the person Infront of them is indeed their fated other.

"You look beautiful tonight my lady" He complimented with a smile,his round soft like cheeks spreading at how he smiled so vividly. Aliona looked away,not pleased with how a man other than who she loved finds her beautiful.

"Is something...wrong?" He asked worriedly,his smile dropping with sadness of how his words were ignored.

"No...nothing is wrong..." She said stopping her steps,letting go of her grip on his hand and shoulder and stepped back "I-I need to step out a little" She said quickly,still avoiding eye contact and left.

The man reached his hand out and was about to speak when she had already left through the doors to the front garden.

The princess hugged herself to keep herself warm from the chilly breeze. Her eyes admired the starry night above the grassy lands. Her feet lightly walked along the small stone path leading to the big stilt lake.

Another tired sigh left her tinted lips. Her heart feeling heavier with every thought about him. The heir of another kingdom. Prince Sunoo of I-Land.

They were kids of 6-7 when they first met at a gathering. Sunoo was being the little mischievous boy he is and was running around in the open field while both families talked over matters. No one was paying attention to him as he ran through the lavender fields. Everyone was occupied under the big tree,gathered around a table to discuss matters while the little girl was giggling to herself watching him when suddenly a yelp came from him as he disappeared.

Worry took over the girl as she stood up and rushed to the last place she last saw the boy. She tried her best to scurry herself through the flowers to see him on the ground. Holding his wounded knee and in tears.

That was when her sweet gesture of helping him to calm down by giving him her precious candy that everyone knew the little princess was too greedy of sharing. He was stunned,his crying came to a stop seeing her hand him her candy without any hesitation. He was surprised if how the grumpy girl was being thoughtful.

Ever since that day,they have grown closer and closer. Playing,studying,sharing their happiness and sadness with each other always. It was platonic and pure untill they grew up. Sunoo was the first to confess which took Aliona by surprise but she didn't hurt his feelings by turning him down, because she had also developed feelings for him too.

But, unfortunately it didn't last long since he had to travel far from home for family matters. 5 years,5 torturous years went by with only occasional letters sent between the 2 lovers. It was shattering when the princess heard she had been mated with a man she doesn't acknowledge.

"Seems like you have a lot on your mind princess" A voice suddenly spoke from behind, gaining her attention as she looked behind to see the man she is paired with.

The princess stayed silent. Ignoring his presence to adore the night view of the slow breeze on the water, wavering so peacefully. The moon shining down on the surface,bringing the whole scenery togeather.

"Alright..." The prince nodded his head in understanding her silence.

"Why are you so upset princess?" He voiced out,only to hear nothingness.

"I thought you'd be happy to hear my voice again"

"And why would I? Do I know you? I think not" The princess sassed with tone.

"Oh,have you forgotten me already?" He said "I'm sorry,do I know you?" She repeated with emphasis,looking at him.

"Indeed,I was one of the few people you let to be at your side" He announced with a smile which only confused the princess even more.

"Sorry but I don't remember letting anyone associate with me closely" She said turning around to leave when he spoke up again,making her stop at her tracks "Says the little arrogant princess that shared her precious strawberry candy with me once. Hm,that was such a long time ago" she turned around to face him. He was facing the lake,his perfect skin glimmering under the moonlight along with his white medieval wear. The golden bordering showing itself more detailed under the light.

She would be lying if she said she doesn't find him attractive,but her heart has already chosen her other and refuses to comply against her decision.

"Beg your pardon?" She waited,hoping for him to continue whatever he is trying to imply on.

"I think we were around at the age of six or seven if I remember correctly. I still remember the worry face you made. That was the moment I began loving you within my heart" He said,slowly turning around to face the princess with his tender smile still decorating his lips. He connected his eyes with her confused ones. He chuckled to himself 'She is still adorable' he thought to himself and reached his hands to his head. Untying the dark blue silk cord of his mask and removed it.

The princesses face dropped,an audible gasp making it's way out of her tinted lips. She was at disbelief. She was awestruck. She felt like her eyes were betraying her. Her heart felt like thousands of emotions were swirling inside of her,but none of them-she could express nor point out.

"It's been a while, princess" His words began to make her heart beat. A feeling she lost with him back then,came back to her. She was still shocked in place. Her hand slowly made it's way towards his face to feel if he's actually there or if she's dreaming,when he took ahold of her hand and snuggled it against one of his plush-like cheeks. His eyes falling at the warm sensation.

"Is...is it really you?" She happens to voice out meekly.

"Who else would it be,my love?" The small smile along with his loving tone set it off for her. With a slick move,she threw away her mask and hugged him tightly. Her arms wrapping around his torso as she started to sob into his chest.

"Aliona,oh dear don't cry hm? Please don't cry" One of his arms found it's way around her small shoulders while the other patted her head dearly. He wasn't expecting such a reaction from her. He hated seeing her cry ever since they were kids and seeing her do so because of him pained his heart.

"How can I not cry dummy! How-how could you do this to me! I was beyond the verge of losing myself for how I would have to engage to a man I don't love and you,you are here playing tricks at me!" She yapped through her sobs,slightly hitting his chest in anger.

"Aw my deepest apologies my love,I didn't mean to hurt you. I only wanted to make an appearance when you least expected it to" He said holding her close to him. A smile spread on his lips with realization of the moment. He was finally back and was at the moment of holding his dear beloved in his secure arms.

"Aliona...Thank you...for still holding onto me. I thought you would have long forgotten me and moved on with another man. But I was wrong. You held onto me" He said making her look at him with his thumb and index under her chin.

"How can I ever forget you? You were my first and I wanted you to be my last for a reason Sunoo..." He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear,looking more closely at her long waited beautiful face.

"I apologize again for making you sad. I really am hm?" He said staring into her eyes,his hand resting at the side of her face,holding her like she was the most fragile of all he ever made contact with. His eyes were beginning to tear up with a mixture of many emotions. Happiness, sadness,glad and most important of all,the feeling of finally having her by his side.

"it is not a problem,what matters is that your back" She said,a tear rolling down her cheek as she smiles brightly at him. Sunoo wipes it away with his fingers,hating the sight of seeing her cry.

"I am so ashamed of myself for making you cry Aliona,I feel so guilty-"

"No no, don't" She cut him off,shaking her head "It-it was alright. I mean it,all I care is that your here now"

"I promise,I won't make you cry again once you're my princess" He said kissing her forehead. His heart was still feeling heavy with regret.

"You know I love you so much princess. I really really do. I came back just for you. I was ready to see you with a different another,as long as you were happy and safe-when I heard the rumours of us being paired,I was more than thankful. I rushed back to the kingdom as fast as I could,just so I could prepare myself to present Infront of you. I thought I almost lost you"

"No,never...I won't ever leave you" She said with a laugh making the latter laugh along. Their foreheads connected as they laughed at their silly moment. Both of them were in tears but were happy and laughing.

"I love you so much Aliona...I love you...I love you..." He repeated a few times,his thumb caressing her cheek.

"I love you too Sunoo...I love you with all my heart" She said staring deeply at his eyes when he pulled away. He took a breif moment to admire her beauty once more.

"If you don't mind,may I have the permission to kiss my beloved?" He asked in a joking tone to which she nodded her head and before any other thought could cross her mind,she felt his soft lips land on hers. Their long awaited love of years,where now finally flowing through their hearts.

[sunny6677]

Careless Whisper.

A Kevin x Eyes crackfic.

Summary:

Kevin can't stop thinking about a certain eldiritch entity he saw the first time the kids brought him trouble.

————

Kevin was an ordinary man, with an ordinary love life. He had a few partners here and there. Some boyfriends, some girlfriends. Though all of which ended up in some sort of break-up. Sometimes because they made him feel too overwhelmed, and he couldn't handle them anymore. Or because he was causing issues they didn't want to put up with.

But.. none of them were like a certain thing he had on his mind. An entity to be exact.

A while ago, he had been waiting for those stupid kids in Halloween costumes to come in again and ask for candy cans. They always came at the same exact time, so he had sort of been just standing there watching the clock until it struck about 8:40.

He lifted his head up, sighing, "Here we go."

As if right on time, the artificial doors came open, and the two kids had rushed in once more with eager smiles on their faces. They rushed in so fast they practically ran right into the tall white counter sitting before him. Their faces pressed against the glass of it.

He just looked down at them in confusion, before grunting out, "What do you two kids want?"

They both lifted their heads in return, grinning, "Three candy cans please!"

He was more than willing to give them candy cans. After all he had given some out to them before. But... they never exactly asked for three before.

Curiously, he asked, "Where's the third one?"

And then, he heard a sound. It was spontaneous, as if to answer him. It.. sounded like grass breaking. When he looked in its direction though, he saw not the potentially broken automatic doors or not the potentially shattered windows. But several little round cyan eyes glowing, staring into his own.

It was large. Dark red in its flesh, with beautiful locks of poofy mush for its head. It's eyes were bright. Gorgeous even as they looked down at him. It's mouth had several layers of sharp teeth. White, pristine. Sharp enough to bite down and sink into any flesh it touched. He could have sworn he saw unbelievably long pairs of tentacles stretched from the lower half of its body. Visible from the view of the windows, swirling and wondering around.

This thing.. it.. it was..

...beautiful. The moment he set his eyes on the thing, he felt his cheeks growing warm. He should have been horrified. He knew that was the normal human reaction in a situation like this. His heart was racing. Yet.. not anxiously. As he looked up at the thing behind the two kids. He strangely didn't care that it was with them. Or for the kids safety in the moment. He was just.. captivated.

"..what.. what is th—that..?" He stammered out, his hands trembling. Everything around him felt like it was beginning to become slightly tinted pink. And as he slowly blinked, he could have sworn he heard what.. sounded like a faint saxophone? He—he didn't know. Maybe he was just hearing things or seeing things.

In response, he heard the one in the skeleton costume faintly say, "This is our friend!"

"He wants a candy can too!" The one in the pumpkin costume proudly exclaimed.

A candy can..? He didn't even process the words for a moment as he just stared. He was letting out short exhales, breathing in short inhales. When the words finally hit him though, he replied shakily.

"Uh.. o—okay.. su—sure.. heh.."

Slowly, he lowered his hands, letting them reach the two candy cans he already had behind the counter waiting for the kids. He scooped up another he had waiting in his hands. He had originally been planning to save it for one of them the next time they came, but he couldn't resist giving this.. handsome beauty what he wanted.

He set the candy cans on the counter, giggling nervously. "Hah.. ahahah.. uh—do—do you want a box? I—I can get you that if you want."

This gorgeous thing before him didn't respond for a second, before speaking in a beautiful voice which sounded like a thousand voices screaming at once. "..YËS. GIVE MË ALL YÖUŘ CÆNDY, FLËSH."

Flesh? Hah.. the name itself sounded weird, but he didn't mind being called anything by this absolute hunk of a man before him. He grinned nervously, finding himself fidgeting with his hands as he stepped to the side. "Ok—Okay.. le—let me get that for you.."

..and so, he had gone to the back. He had retrieved one of the boxes of candy they had brought in for re-stocking last week, wondering back into the main area as soon as he grabbed it. The moment he stepped back out though.. a tentacle shot out from beneath the thing, wrapping tightly around the fragile box. As quickly as it came, it retracted rather quickly.

Kevin stood there. He found himself giggling again, lifting his hand to the side of his head and twirling his hair.. well, twirling the very little hair he had around his slender finger. The hunk with several eyes looked down at him.

The two kids had turned around though, and in an instant, the thing shot out two more of its tentacles—wrapping it around their bodies and slowly lifting them to the top of his head. And once he had, the two waved to him as they often did before they left.

"Bye, Kevin!" They beamed.

And.. in an instant, the gorgeous thing that spoke to him only once left along with those damn kids, like a lingering whisper in his mind. Ever since then, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn't stop thinking about those.. large sharp sets of teeth it had. That beautiful luxurious hair of dark red mush. Those beautiful eyes that felt like the crystal blue skies in a paradise that existed far away. He wanted to go into the things eyes, and be within its paradise. He wanted to see what it looked like glistening. He wanted to feel it's tentacles wrap around him and hold him close in a romantic embrace.

It's voice was like a lingering melody in his mind, gruff. Rough. He wanted to hear it speak again. He wanted to hear it speak his name. He wanted to hear it speak loving poetry toward him.

He wanted to ask for its name. For its backstory. For its family. He wanted to be with this thing for the rest of his life no matter what it meant he had to do. Did this thing have wealth? Where did this thing get its education? Was it good at dancing? How many people had it kissed? For he wanted to know if he'd be its first kiss. If he'd be the man this.. absolute hunk of a thing would marry. He wanted to ask this thing on a date perhaps.

He wanted to be its love, for it was already his own love just from one meeting. And with his lover, he wanted to be.

And.. anytime the kids came to cause trouble, he wouldn't get irritated. He'd just want to ask about that thing. But.. anytime he tried, they'd always seem to conveniently leave.

He'd try talking to his friends about it anytime they'd always ask if he was alright or why he was being so quiet. But anytime he told them of this hunk of a creature he met, they'd give him weird looks. Radford arched a brow at him the first time he told him, saying, "..dude.. what are you talking about?". And.. Rick only looked at him with an expression that was a mix of genuine confusion but slight blankness as well.

They never understood no matter how many times they were told to him. They couldn't understand him. Not his love for this thing. Not for his lingering longing to be with this thing. Not the faint saxophone that would begin to play anytime he thought of it or looked up at the sky, with stars that seemed similar to its eyes.

Yet, even without understanding, Radford had given a sigh after Kevin had yelled about it at the bar for the third time or so. And clasped a hand over his shoulder.

"Listen, man. I'm.. not sure if you're joking or not. Or if this is some weird reaction you're having to meeting someone attractive. But—if it's the last one, just go for it! You can probably ask those kids about it.. him the next time you see them. Least you can do is try shooting your shot and talking to him again, right?"

..yeah. Yeah. Radford was right.

He'd ask the kids about it once and for all the next time he saw them. No matter what it meant he had to do. No matter how confused they'd get at his odd determination to see their supposed friend again. He would speak to that thing again if they told him. He'd ask more about it.

He'd see his love again, no matter what.

[compostboy]

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE:

You are [y/n], existing in [current location]. A miniature cheerleader, with poofy pink hair and your full ass name written over their nongendered tits, spawns on your shoulder. Kind of looks like Pinkie Pie?

"Hello, [y/n]!" they cheer. "I am Sparklefarts the Almighty! I have come to take you on a journey!"

"Totally. Before we begin, I need to ask you a question... Have you drunk any water recently?"

A: Eh... [go to 1]

B: Absolutely, you might even say I'm drinking it right now! [go to 2]

[1] "TOWARDS THE NEAREST WATER SOURCE!" the cheerleader bellows. "DRINK. OR PERISH BY MY POM POM."

A: "OF COURSE LET'S GOO!!!!" [go to 2]

B: "Due to unfortunate circumstances, there is no water source..." [go to 3]

[2] "GOOD JOB GOOD JOB Goooooood job that's amazing I love you," the cheerleader gushes. [go to 3]

[3] Ready to move on, you face the cheerleader, anticipating another question. You're pretty sure you know where this is going.

"Okay. Now we are ready for step 2. I need to know... have you eaten anything in the past 4 hours?"

A: "I have eaten today, but not in the past 4 hours." [go to 4]

B: "I haven't eaten today at all. Worst case, maybe it has been a few days since I ate? Hmm..." [go to 5]

C: "Yup, I totally have!" [go to 6]

[4] "Ah, so it's time for a meal then? Based on how hungry, tired, etc, you are, you can choose anything from a small fruit to a proper meal. Yoghurt? Oats? There are many easy to prepare things you could go for, and if you need a full meal but can't prepare it, it's okay to eat many small things instead of one big thing."

"Thank you for reminding me. I'll go get something right now." You go to the food source of your choice, do the necessary preparations, and put it in your mouth. Chew chew. [go to 6]

[5] "Oh, I'm sorry. You must feel very tired. Maybe it's just that you haven't had time for breakfast yet, but, if going more than a day without food is a regular occurrence for you, your body might be in starvation mode, and you should ask a medical professional how best to get back into eating without triggering refeeding syndrome. I don't want you to do something that can be dangerous, I only ask that you give your body a little bit of fuel so your brain can get you through the day. Brains without fuel can get very depressed, more than they otherwise would be, as they cannot think properly."

A: "Actually, I just haven't had time for breakfast yet." [go to 4]

B: "You're right, I either don't have access to food or choose not to eat it on a regular basis. I can't or won't change that right now. [go to 7]

C: "I have access to food right now, and while it is common for me to not eat enough, I think it is medically safe to have a meal and I am going to choose that right now." [go to 4]

[6] "YOU'RE AMAZING. YOU PREPARED A FOOD AND ATE IT?! That's so cool of you I'm envious I also want to prepare a meal and eat it, but I am deathly intolerant of everything except glitter glue."

A: "What a coincidence! I happen to have a tube of glitter glue just lying around." [go to 8]

B: "Oof I'm sorry, I don't have anything like that for you..." Or at the very least, you don't think it's a good idea to give it to them. [go to 7]

[7] "You probably want to get on with this now," the cheerleader nods solemnly. Their pompoms rest on their hips. "Have you done the BBs? Brush HAIR and Brush TEETH?"

A: "Truthfully, neither." [go to 9]

B: "Only 1 of them." [go to 10]

C: "1 or neither is applicable, but I have done what needed doing!" [go to 11]

D: "Yeeees I have!" [go to 11]

[8] The cheerleader chugs glitter glue. It pours out down their chin and everything is covered in glitter oh god oh no what have you done.......... Anyway. [go to 7]

[9] "BB TIME. LET'S GO. Give me a B!" the cheerleader strikes a pose, but doesn't wait for you to answer. "Give me a B! What does that spell? BB!"

A: "I can't fucking do it I'm sorry" [go to 12]

B: "I managed to do 1, but I don't think I can do another, not right now at least. This is as good as it gets right now." [go to 11]

C: "I managed to do 1, but I need some extra encouragement to be able to do the second one." [go to 10]

D: "I DIDS IT!! WEEEEE!!!!!" [go to 11]

[10] "Yooooo that's so cool, take a moment to celebrate that victory before we get a move on this second one. You did so well," the cheerleader calms down and it's clear they really are happy for you that you got this far.

You celebrate by striking a pose that makes you feel good, and tell yourself that you did a good job.

"I did a really good job with that, tbh. Maybe it wasn't perfect, or maybe it was, but it was worth doing regardless. Nice."

The cheerleader pulls you by the hand towards the unused brush.

It occurs to you there are ways to make it easier, like for example using a toothpaste you don't hate, or combing your hair a little bit at a time, or only doing it for a short while rather than all the way to completion.

"Ready?" they ask.

A: "Ready." You take the brush and get to action. [go to 11]

B: "I'm sorry. I'm not ready, and I don't think I'll be ready anytime soon. Can we go to the next one?" [go to 12]

[11] "YOU DID IT!!!!!!!! HELL YEAH HELL YEAH HELL YEAH THE BARE MINIMUM MAINTENANCE IS THE BEST FUCKING THING YOU CAN DO YOU RULE!!!!!!!!" The cheerleader throws their pompoms so hard they explode, bam bam, and new ones materialize in their hands.

"My teeth are feeling so happy right now," you say. "My hair too."

"Awesooooome," they say.

"Awesooooome," you agree.

Such success. Much celebration. [go to 13]

[12] "That's okay," the cheerleader pats your back. "Maybe today is just a kindness day, and you forgive yourself and move on? No need to beat yourself up when you're already down. Let's accept that sometimes we can't do things, and that is morally neutral. Sure, there can be consequences for it, but to be equipped to handle those consequences you need to first be gentle with yourself you can cooperate with yourself and problem solve."

You take a minute to think neutral thoughts about yourself. No judgements or opinions, only facts. You have a face. You're looking at your phone with your eyes, this is neutral. There are tasks that you could do, or not do, or do halfway, a little bit, there are many options in the world.

"Do you feel ready to try only only 1 of those things, or would you rather try something else?" The cheerleader asks.

A: Try 1 thing. [go to 10]

B: Try something else. [go to 13]

[13] "Now, the thing we've all been waiting for!" a mysterious drum roll accompanies their voice. "It is time to do something that YOU want to do."

"Me? But isn't this your quest game thing?"

"Yeah! And my quest is to make sure you were prepared to do something you like."

"Oh. That's nice. Thank you, Sparklefarts." You almost forgot their name, after everything you have been through together.

"No need to thank me. This is what cheerleaders were born to do!"

"I see. How do I know what I want to do now that I get to choose, though?" The world is much more complicated when you have free will. There are infinite possibilities. You could crawl into bed. You could run to the nearest bungee jump station or die on the way. You could draw old men making out with each other. Your head spins.

"There are many ways to decide," they take you to a whiteboard where they draw their suggestions. "Either the first thing that comes to mind, or pick 3 things and choose the one that makes you feel best, or set a timer for your first choice so you can have time to do the next one too, or use a randomizer, or roll dice."

How do you choose a method ?!

"First method that pops into your head!" Sparklefarts shouts. "Go go go!!"

You are GOING!!!!!!

WOO!!!

As soon as you are on your way to your activity, Sparklefarts bursts into a ball of glitter. They're on to new adventures as a cheerleader.

Their power lingers in the air.

"I can do this," you say.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #262

Hey. Git yer boots on. We're going for a nature drive.

…Well, sorta. Unfortunately, I can't actually put you in the car with us, so... this is a video I took for you.

In any case, I brought J to Great Barrington today, and I decided that taking pictures of the trip to Great Barrington is not enough to do it justice, so I found my GoPro with J's help. And then I strapped it to the dashboard of the car, and then I went. I cut out the boring parts, and so what we're left with is just the good bits. I also cut out the audio; I couldn't imagine that you'd wanna hear the car engine, or mine and J's random chatter. So… I guess just put on a playlist while you watch it. And heck, you can even watch it at twice the speed, if you wanna just see everything quickly. It's up to you.

And… if you're at a loss for a playlist to use, I've got a bunch you can borrow. Here, copy and paste these; just get rid of the quotes at the beginning and end:

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHHnrB14N-c&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZsapC2aCuCoQB78na1n5Rdx"

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P1ceu2yZuc&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZvazQT2oLiyzY3adBrTI4rY"

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSoJXpCjzGY&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZuI2H6EVcPE6Pf3oTGsaGAH"

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jcKQqZLbJk&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZuEzzPWpfuHTSNX8o-VbE0g"

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcaD7sAjgfE&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZsmlgG7radD4t0mHaUpUfjC"

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj6jF7I2s10&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZsNr5HRvralp1uq8Qnk1MBI"

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUL8faVHPgg&list=PLBVBjj5ZEaZsaVV_31qWYi5xFx8a5wvo0"

…I know you like nature. I know it because of the way you marveled at the scenery at Nibelheim, as far back as the original rendition of your story. Your love of nature and landscapes was made even clearer in the most recent telling of it. So… I wanted to show you a little of my world. I wanted to show you a little bit of how our roads are made. I wanted you to see the rolling hills of the Appalachian region. I wanted you to see the trees sparkling in the sunlight and the mountains in the distance and fields full of lush grass and flowers. I wanted you to see the poofy clouds, the sun, and the blue sky. I wanted you to see my world in motion. I wanted you to see how beautiful it all is. I wanted so many good things for you, so… I did the thing.

The GoPro does not do videos in a way that's normal, though. It breaks up every recording into segments that are about 11-12 minutes in length, which is kind of lame. And it also names the clips out of order, so it's hard to figure out which bits go where. So after I got home from Great Barrington, I had to figure out which order the videos were supposed to appear in, and then I had to stitch them together in a different program; the GoPro people, for whatever reason, don't make it easy to turn whatever you capture on the camera into a quality video of appreciable length. So I had to spend a number of hours trying to figure all that stuff out, so… sadly I don't have a whole lot of other thoughts for you in today's letter; I'm really sorry about that.

…All the same… I hope that with this, I've still managed to shout love into the void loudly enough that you can hear it. Can you hear it? Can you see…?

I'm going to go to bed now, though, because I gotta wake up for work tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. It'll be good to hang out with Mi and Ma. It'll be good to see their faces and hear their voices and to smell the delicious things coming out of the oven. Maybe I'll take some yummy pictures for you, if I get the chance. I'll try really hard, okay?

…I hope you'll try really hard, too, with whatever it is you're doing. Please don't get yourself killed out there. Please come back to us safe and sound. In fact… please just come back to us; even if you're in a weird state of being after all this, we can help you - it'll just take a little time and a little TLC. Those of us who care for you miss you.

In case it's not clear: I love you - not because of what you look like, or for what you can do, but just because you're you.

And, as always, I will write to you again tomorrow.

'Til soon...

Your friend, Lumine

[aevyk-ing]

And that's a wrap on Camp Cretaceous! (The kids are finally home, let's party)

This last season felt a little too short, but they wrapped it all in a bow... until the very last seconds, that's it. I was starting to think that the Yaz/Sammy ship was something made in Tumblr and, when it finally happened, it was a little rushed. These kids have gone through a lot, so it was nice to see them reunite with their parents and having all those moments. And the timeskip! It's kind of funny, because this is the second show I've watched where I get to see the ending we deserved for Tales of Arcadia (first was the wedding ending in Legend of Korra). I liked most of the grown- up designs, except for Yaz, her hair looked too poofy.

Overall, I liked it. I even liked it way more than the last two movies (the first Jurassic World was okay, the second was boring and the third was so bad). My biggest problem was the pacing, which was too much for me, and I think the show struggled to find its own identity, leaning too much in the HTTYD territory. I had my problems with the dub, but the characters have grown in me and I think they all had a great development.

I struggled with all of them sooner or later. Darius and Brooklynn were the first ones, but also Kenji. Yaz was just there being the cool girl and Sammy was okay since the beginning, but my favorite was Ben. And yes, I said "was". He's still a close second, though.

And guess who's my new favorite? Brooklynn! I really liked how she discovered her new passion, it was way more nuanced than Yaz and her drawings. I can't wait to see more about her.

I had my problems with Darius and I had to remember myself more than once that he has to be the younger of the bunch. He spent too much time trying to be the "next Hiccup" (he's way better at that than Tom, btw) but he shone brighter when he was given his own personality.

The same with Kenji. I'm glad he grew out of the "funny guy" phase and I want to see more about him too.

Yaz was okay. I like her. And Sammy too. And both of them together. Would have loved to see even more.

And, oh, my, I wonder how Ben's mother reacted when she realized how different her kid is now. While I think it happened too fast (kid's show, I get it), it's good to see the old Ben is still there, just stronger.

The production design is really good. I've been watching DreamWorks series since Riders of Berk and you can tell how much the animation has improved, although I'm sure they had a pretty good budget. The characters' animation is good, they all have great expressions, and the environment looks amazing. They also had time/money to make water effects and heavy rain, which is a plus.

Talking about design, while I have some nitpicks with the characters, they work fine. And all the dinosaurs looked cool, with all those textures and colors.

This one has been on my list for a while and I'm glad I finally watched it! I'll be tackling the spin-off (is it supposed to be a spin-off?) sooner or later.

[rhywhitefang]

Last Hour References Part 1

Poor Lighton, disoriented, confused, and doesn't even have a shirt on his back </3 At first, I pictured our boy as blond but at this point, I do think the dark hair suits him in a different way :)

My favorite thing about Heliogabs outfit is the rubber boots :) And of course I had to feature the hook since they're putting it to such diligent use

I like Aiden's freckles, they make him look so cute. And how could I deny him his signature bow? Getting ready to shoot! The glass blower outfit. In the beginning the sleeves were just as poofy as his trousers but that looked quite ridiculous. Also ever since Phi pointed it out to me, I can't unsee that the pockets on his apron form a fucking smiley face. You're welcome.

I had a very clear vision for Caviens outfit from the beginning, with the one exception that I only added the pattern for his coat at the last minute though. I like that I did that though because I think it pulls the look together and makes it seem just a bit more fancy for our mayor here.

If you talked to me at all it's been pretty clear that I like Tesla a lot and I think that's evident from the way I draw him.

Honestly, I really like Lithos overalls, he looks adorable. I was a bit sloppy with the plaid pattern but I think you can still tell what it's supposed to be.

Diego's whole get up was super clear to me from the beginning, and it was one of the ones that already had a design before I did any of the others. The feather cape isn't even that much of a pain to draw and I think it really fits the whole vibe. It was the mask that I designed fresh for these, and I'm happy with it, I think it's the most "Venecian" mask out of all of them.

Speaking of masked dancers, I really wanted to emphasise the whole insect theme with Cas. This is why he has like, this almost armor-like body suit. You know, like an exoskeleton. With every body part being partitioned in its own section. Originally, I had the wings at his shoulders like a cape, but I like the look of this better, more ornamental at his hips. His mask has a pretty clear and detailed description in the story so I didn't have to interpret too much.

Fun fact! Joule is the only person in this arena wearing a dress! I even gave her a corset for it, and - sorry to gush - I think she looks just to die for. With her role, I thought it made sense to give her something-coat like, but I wanted to be cute, so I give her a little coat dress. She even gets a silly little hat^^

I've been told that Silvins snake theme isn't quite as obvious as I'd like it to be with his costume, which uh.... fair enough. I mean, he does have a snakeskin texture through his jacket and the flaps around his hood are supposed to be reminiscient of a cobra, but I can see how that doesn't totally come through. His mask is also the one that I'm not 100% satisfied with... it doesn't look very wearable ^^'

Tiffany's outfit is another one that's pretty clearly described, so I didn't have to add all that much. The fun is in picking the coloro f her headwrap.

I have an entire folder full of tattoos for Mateo^^ He's got a lot of them and only some of them are specifically described. Although I don't think I'll be drawing him shirtless any time soon for this exact reason.

I think Tave's outfit is the one that gets the most thorough description of all them in the story, so I honestly just drew what was described. My only addition is the off-the-shoulder cape. I just think it looks cool^^

[the-firebird69]

More things are going to happen today and this week. And they're pretty big so we're going to list them

-one of them is we're going to be in a better situation no it's going to get harder and harder and these cities are cordoned off and they're attacking the troops pulling stuff out hitting them with chips and they're pressuring them a lot and they're going to start fighting right now they're fighting a little I'm sorry weird these people are idiots

-another item that's coming up with Stan has a check and he is going to deposit it we think tomorrow and you got it today and Stan wanted it today to have it for tomorrow. So it's good but he's going to hold on to it and people try for it and he can't lose it cuz our son has poofy page and he said you didn't get it to me it says well what would happen to the check it would get canceled or someone else from cashing and he says oh yeah or he would have to cancel it and Stan would say I don't have it so he says okay it's not like your across town anymore he's giggling. We have a couple more things

-also has had some nuts and crackers and feels it but really he's got to put a lot of that iron and b to get this reaction and more than he used to is not true but it's still it's something kind of constant thing constantly has to do it it's not good so we want to make sure that that doesn't happen right now we are experiencing a lot of people having trouble breathing and performing basic tasks and he's having trouble sitting down he needs to have a better chair and a better seat on his bike and he might look at anyone and try and use the money from his other bank he can buy it online with it and the other bank's getting mad and it's heating up boy what a mess out here this is a disaster it's probably going to send another pic to Ken it looks really bad it's really terrible these are old boats and they're heirlooms and they have a lot of meaning but them out of here movies will start top gun Miami vice Jaws all sorts of things begin with these things are removed.

--but that said there's going to be some other activity around here they are going after certain people when it's mild when the morlocks start fighting back we expect some time this week they will go after them a lot harder right now they're going after people for credit card attempts tons of them and Big Time

-a few more things it looks like it's going to be a very harsh winter for our son and daughter and it's true it probably will be if he gets funding and things like that his situation is still kind of up in the air it's not that bad Stan likes him being there he's intercepting things from the two weirdos we are going after those two weirdos and we're pushing the pressure up and he knows that a lot of people doing work and you can't really see us you can see Mac doing stuff now and others because these idiots are charged up and they're going on missions like with Uncle Phil who will turn around and go after them he's a miscellaneous Mac morlock and people haven't gotten into it yet the morlock stuff he says it's so superhero group and their anti-heroes lots of them like calypso and she's actually his grandmother but there's several people who play that character and that was Kat von d.

It says it hasn't caught on that much and there are a few outfits that look like it in a close one is that Chinese gang those are more lock and people are into it and they say they know and he says good it's about damn time and there's some more too they're obscure characters she's like a pirate look and that's what it is but she helps a lot of mutants and Camilla is one of them

--other things are happening our son is going to start growing and we're laughing like when when the price hits zero and risperdal itself doesn't prohibited that much it's not a really strong growth inhibitor or even immune system inhibitor they're both kind of the same thing it is something that contained it has a mild effect but it won't stop him from growing it's going to grow a little as it comes out and then it stops and we think and he's wondering why he hasn't started now but the real thing comes out too it's not that much but still comes out and it will come out for some time now probably even a couple more weeks and it's going to be that kind of deal a few other things. Walmart is now far away so just to make a list trying to get a huge deliveries he's going to start doing that it's a smarter idea needs to get a hair cutting kit and she's going to do that really is out of control I think they're hiding the fact is turning black when it comes out and it does change what he looks like. Oops other items are developing for today

--we have a lot of people complaining rapidly so we're going to address that we have a lot of people who don't know their own business and are not staying to it I'm going to have to learn it there's other things happening we're going to mention later I think it's time for him to go eat but he should be growing shortly and he has to knock the Prilosec out everyday and because of that he's not growing but he doesn't get it says if I'm knocking it out I guess he says I'm knocking it out and it keeps coming out that's the problem even though he's irradiated and he should be growing from that alone there's a bunch of it coming out and it deteriorates mostly before it has an effect on the gallbladder and swing and stuff and it's steady radiation even at low levels it works but it's going to be higher and higher it does have somewhat of a point but that's really not how it works and we did explain it and he does get it it's going to be a trials healing like crazy and you would think you would grow but it's mostly against the growth hormone and cells rather than the healing they're different cells Believe it or not. And thank heavens they do limit healing you have to have high levels of oxygen for it to work but it is working he will start to heal this weekend rapidly and he needs to and he needs the oxygen to clear out more of the 50 cent it is kind of surprising he didn't grow and he lost weight later on. So we expect at 18% about a percent a day and really that's almost 3 weeks and that's kind of as fast as it's going to go three weeks is not very soon. It is ways away and we know it's it's taken a while so with that said we are going to sit tight it kind of got a little slow and we had to recalculate it 3 weeks . And we're thinking maybe December 13th and he says why wouldn't it be the 15th and it makes a lot of sense it's bja birthday so he has to figure out why we don't know why no we do he doesn't our son daughter has an idea. That day is the day with the last of it will be cleared probably very small for saint 0.03% the less that's in tax of the other part of it would be garbage but it kind of clings together and makes it harder for it to get rid of that would be cleared out mostly the night of the 14th and during the morning of the 15th he would not start growing until probably 2 weeks later we'll spend the typical people said it. We are getting ready for his ride back home I'm just going to go eat some stuff but he's going to digest his crackers and penis for now it's been a hell of a day and a hell of experience with two storms back to back and the treatment was terrible and all greedy and losing and their intelligence levels low and ability to get real slow I made it into a nightmare and it's getting worse we're going to make changes to the program and intensify our side soon we're going to start hearing about relatives who aren't doing well and he's curious he thinks Uncle Phil first would be weird it would be weird but not have normal but then throwing up about Arnie would seem less weird and that's true because the family might get a hold of it and the LaMontagne for fighting with the Diets and that's true that two families in there it is kind of how it was and they might do that

Thor Freya

This might make sense we're in a lot of trouble we're going down it says the Empire is at us and pseudo Empire a lot of it might be Mac Daddy and I'm saying that

uncle Phil

Oh yeah I guess it might be me no I said it was me this morning

Mac daddy

Olympus

[just-absolutely-super]

OP au crack

At the musical

Lan and Mayl have a good time, even if they feel a bit overdressed (thanks to some meddling people)

But a bit more far back in the audience in some very bad disguises

Roll: can you them? I can't believe our plan worked! (Roll is wearing an over the top wig, a super poofy dress and some makeup with a beauty spot on her cheek)

Mega: kinda. They're not very visible from where we're sitting. Can you use your binoculars? (Hub is wearing a monocle, with his hair slicked back and the rest in a ponytail, and has drawn on a very thin mustache. He also has a very gaudy purple velvet suit on)

Roll: good idea! Let's see

Mega: I hope Lan gets his act together

Roll: I hope they get together after this

During Intermission

Lan: This is pretty cool so far

Mayl: Isn't it? I've always wanted to see a musical in person! I've only ever watched them on a visual transponder snail

Lan: I'm glad you got to finally get this chance, Mayl

Mayl: Me too! Thank you for being here with me, Lan!

Lan blushes and might look like he wants to say something when he feels a chill go down his spine. He whips his head to the back of the auditorium and sees a very suspicious and funny-dressed couple trying to hide their faces with their playbooks...

Lan: You gotta be kidding me...

Mayl: What's wrong?

Lan: I think we're being watched

Mayl: Oh no, is it the navy? Or bounty hunters? Do we have to leave?

Lan's about to tell her who's back there but stops when he sees her distressed face looking at the stage in disappointment. He sighs.

Lan: No, it's not that it's just...some nosy people looking at us

Mayl: Oh, do you think they recognize us?

Lan: Maybe...or it could be how we're dressed

Mayl: Hehe yeah... I tried telling Roll this was a casual event but she insisted on me wearing this dress!

Lan: Hub insisted real hard on this button down too. It's not like we were going to the damn opera!

Mayl: Hahaha I know right?

Lan: Well, if anything, Roll did good helping you with your dress. You look beautiful

Mayl, blushing: E-Eh? Really?

Lan: Yeah, of course. You'd think I'd lie?

Mayl: N-No... Umm I think you look really handsome too. Hub surprisingly has some good taste in clothes...

Lan, blushing: O-Oh, yeah? You think so?

Mayl: Yeah...I do

The two face forward as the lights begin the dim to indicate the show was about to resume. Mayl boldly reaches for Lan's hand. Lan squeezes it back. Lan then hears some familiar whispers from the back and rolls his eyes. Without Mayl seeing, he holds up his other hand and flips the bird.

Roll: Oh! I think he realizes we're here!

Mega: The rude gremlin! What if someone else back here thinks he's doing that them and tries to kick them out?!

The normal citizens, who are sitting around the disguised couple, silently gawks at them.

Their thoughts: No, we can definitely tell who that gesture is directed at...

[doofnoof]

GWEMWINS!!!!

[nerd2614]

April's Fall - Part 5

Lost Memories

@write-it-motherfuckers original prompt

Part 1 // Part 4

“Run away with me!” The young teen exclaimed as he twirled away from my blade.

I laughed and parried his returning blow. He was joking about it more often these days.

“I can’t, Raph. You know we’re needed here.” A smirk crossed my face as he fell to the ground with a grunt.

“Oh my April, my Autumn moon! How could you wound me so?” Raph threw his head back with all the pompous royal arrogance he could muster. I rolled my eyes and held my hand out for him to grasp. Raphael’s hand in my own was warm.

“We’re only using wooden swords now because someone got scared.” I teased.

His grip tightened and I braced to help him to his feet. He winked and swept his legs under my own. With a thud, I fell on top of Raphael and was flipped to the ground. I felt the cold bite of his dagger at my throat.

“We’re using wooden swords because you spilled my blood.” He reminded me with a wicked grin.

“You are both using wooden swords because we can’t trust either of you not to lob each other’s heads off accidentally.” A firm voice reminded us.

“Hello Father, Mother.” I greeted them politely, brushing the dust off my training pants. Raphael inclined his head and murmured his acknowledgement.

“Are you training like you’re meant to, children?” Mother inquired with a teasing lilt.

“Yes, m’lady.”

“Yes mother.”

“Carry on then.” Father waved his hand to reset the match. Raphael and I turned to face the centre of the ring, swords poised at the ready.

“I’m getting better!” Raphael exclaimed as he knocked the gilded blade from my hand. Practising to fight in ceremonial garb was always a pain. The weapons were too heavy and the material too restrictive.

I huffed and crossed my arms. I would never tell him, but the last round hand jarred my wrist badly. “Only because I let you win!”

“Oh, come on, April -” Raphael boasted as he passed my sword back, “- it is I who lets you win!”

I growled and brought my blade to attention, ignoring the twinge of pain. “Wanna bet?” Instead of retorting, Raphael nodded to someone behind me. I turned to see one of the younger messengers from the court. We had all celebrated his centenary not two moons ago.

“Lady April, there’s been terrible news from The Twisted. They’ve captured your parents.”

Suddenly my wrist didn’t hurt so much.

I was informed to wear the gown of spider silk as we were meeting someone important today. Standing next to Raphael, I could not figure out what was so important about the toad in front of us. He had beady eyes that reeked of betrayal. His hair was weird too, more like matted fur.

“This is James,” Raphael’s mother introduced when it became clear that I would not inquire, “he will help protect the both of you. You can trust him.” The last sentence was directed to me. She then left us to get acquainted, as was the custom.

“Hi, James, I’m Raphael! It’s about time there’s another guy around!” My friend grinned and held his hand out. He nudged me to encourage me to introduce myself.

“I don’t like you.”

“April!”

James licked his lips. “Don’t worry, Raphael. April and I will be close before you know it.”

I was aiming the arrows with vicious accuracy. Raphael had requested James accompany him today so he could learn the ropes. So when a throat cleared behind me I launched into an attack.

“Your training is coming along nicely, April.” The guardian almost smiled as he halted the arrows with a flick of his wrist.

“Guardian Sebastian.” I bowed my head in deference. “I apologise.”

“There is no need to apologise, child. It is I who should extend my apologies. We found your parents bodies at sunrise.”

Walking around in the forest was never peaceful anymore.

"She's only young." The people whispered.

"Who would take care of her?" Those of the court gossiped.

Even the trees were not silent. "Evil witches." they hissed as I passed them.

“You’ve been feeding information to the witch.” Raphael's demeanor was calm, but his eyes were filled with contempt.

"No, I haven't! How could -" With a flick of my wrist, the ceremonial sword that had been dangling uselessly on the wall bit into James' fleshy neck. His tearful protests stopped almost immediately, replaced with a smug grin.

"I see you have progressed far more than you let on, April." He spat my name with a venom that only fueled my disdain.

"Answer the question." The only reason he was alive was because Raphael desperately wanted it to be untrue.

"How did you know, Elf?" I sighed at James' futile attempt at prolonging the inevitable.

"I may look young, but I’m much older than you, mutt." Raphael snarled. I smiled and forced the sword deeper into his neck, making James stumble backwards to avoid being beheaded.

"That may be." James mocked. "I just can't wait for the day you get what you deserve. The war is just beginning… and I'll take everything from you. Just wait." With that he stormed out of the room into the arms of the guardians. His yells echoed through the corridor as he was dragged to his new home.

"I never did like him." I pointed out smugly. Raphael rolled his eyes before sinking into a pensive state.

Only mere seconds had passed between you swallowing the potion and waking up. You were still trying to warn your not-so-stranger against fighting the hellhound that held you captive. “Run!” You croaked weakly. “Run, Raphael”

James cackled with his hand still gripping your throat. “How does it feel to have lost, Raph?” He taunted.

“Get your hands off her!” Raphael snarled dangerously, "I shall not tell you again."

"What will you do, lover boy? Once I discard you it won't take long for April to forget all about you again!"

"What have you done!?" The one you'd been calling Grandmother screeched as she stormed out of the front door. "All of my hard work! Wasted!"

In her anger, the witch sent James flying through the air towards herself. She flung his body into the ground and proceeded to send sharp pebbles to collide with his skin.

“Idiot!” She bellowed.

Before you could process what was happening, Raphael had hoisted you to your feet and the two of you stumbled into the woods. Your vision was still faulty. The trees started to blur together.

“April, my love, please hang on just a bit longer.” Raphael knelt next to you and stroked your cheek lovingly. Blood smeared across your cheek.

“It’s really you.” A happy sigh escaped you as you returned the gesture. His face was battered and his eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

“Yes.” Raphael took in a deep, laboured breath. His hands clasped both of yours, squeezed them gently and let them go. “Now run. Stay off the path. The others are coming. I will distract her.”

“But-”

“Go.” His voice was firm. “You will see me again.”

You glared at Raphael without malice. It was not a vow that you would see him again alive. He always had a way with words, manipulating the person to think the outcome would be in their favour if they followed his words. You were always more direct - sometimes forgoing words altogether.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Raphael’s lips. He knew you would escape and be safe. Only because it was he who asked you. You limped further into the trees. Away from James’ howls of pain.

Birds fluttered in the trees above you. Small game hopped, ran, and bounded around you, creating a path for you to follow. The leaves crunched under your feet. One foot in front of the other, you concentrated on moving forward as fast as you could. You stumbled and fell to your knees. Tears welled in your eyes but you blinked them away. A doe tip-toed out from behind the trees. She knelt beside you in order to nuzzle you up. Her nose was velvety soft as you stroked it.

It took all the strength you had, but you managed to drag yourself to your feet. The doe stood with you. Placing a hand on her back, you allowed yourself to be led through the thicket. The howls faded until there was nothing but the sounds of running water and the whispering of trees.

You made it to a river before you fell again. The cold water was refreshing against the bruises and cuts on your skin. You wept into the water. Nothing made sense. Memories were still whirling in your head. Disgust at James. Betrayal at your Grandmother - no, the witch. Your bruised ribs made it hard to breathe which exacerbated your rising panic.

Movement further up the river caught your attention.

“Lady April!” A voice called out. He was wearing light armour that changed colours with the trees. “You’re back!” The young elf grinned as he placed a hand on your shoulder. You flinched away instinctively. His grin dropped.

“Where’s the Prince?” He asked, voice curious and stern.

“The Prince…”

“Oh, my Prince!” I swooned into Raphael’s arms. He promptly dropped me onto the soft clovers we were practising on.

“That’s no way to win!” Raphael laughed, pinning me to the ground. His grip was cumbered by the poofy skirts that made up my dress. I used it to my advantage to flip him over.

“I say it is.” I giggled. “Use every element to my advantage, right?”

“That’s why you’re my knight, my protector.” Raphael breathed out.

“A great job I’m doing.” I rolled off him to lay beside him in the grass.

“You are.” The Prince of the Autumn court stroked my hand with his thumb. “You know, one day I’ll rescue you.”

"And, one day, I'll be a Princess." I snorted.

Raphael smiled softly. "One day."

You clamped onto the elf’s hand. “The Prince, you have to help him. He’s fighting with-”

“APRIL!” His scream echoed over the water.

“- her.”

The witch cackled as she levitated Raphael behind her.

Tags: @scuzmunkie, @wordsaremylife, @luarinne, @inuhuffclaw, @wayward-demigod

[berrisweetsiren]

~ Dance of the Poison Ivy ~

Anyway if tumblr could Not butcher the quality that'd be fantastic.

Ivy stared down at the dress she wore, slowly taking deep breaths. In... and out. In, and out again. Herself, her sister Serenity, and the two's best friend Farren, had all been getting ready at the former's house for the wedding of a lifetime- between Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.

Still, she felt... uncertain. Even after all these years- all the struggles she went through not just with the cursed vaults but with her own being, dysphoria was ever present in the back of her mind.

Serenity watched her sister as she looked over herself in the mirror, sighing softly with a somber smile as she walked over.

"Ivy? Is everything okay?" She asked, not wanting to push her younger sister into a response. Ivy simply fiddled with a chunk of her hair- most of it being strewn down her back as she looked between herself in the mirror, and the dark haired ravenclaw beside her.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just feeling a bit uneasy. Are you sure I look alright? Was yellow a good choice to wear?" She smoothed out the dress, it's pastel yellow form practically bouncing as she stood. Serenity only motioned for Ivy to sit down on the chair next to her, before shaking her head.

"You look gorgeous, Ivy. Mom wouldn't have it any other way, you know," As Ivy sat down, Serenity tended to the mass of wavy hair, snagging one of Ivy's favorite hair ties off the dresser and slowly beginning to bunch the lot of chestnut locks together, "Plus, that potion we found hasn't even worn off. It's been years since you drank it, whats the chances of it wearing off now?"

"Mm..." It was true, after Serenity found the correct potion in order to properly compose Ivy's body to her own ways years prior, but even still... something still felt off.

As Serenity finished up with Ivy's hair- adjusting the little preserved red rose that was clasped to the hair tie- she turned Ivy around to fix some of her sister's makeup.

"Of all days to get dysphoria, why oh why did it have to be today?!" Ivy remarked with a forlorn sigh, closing her eyes as Serenity touched up the light eyeliner along her eyes. Ivy had decided prior not to do too much for makeup- a light dose of eyeliner would suit just fine. Often, she didn’t wear too much- just enough to look a bit fancy. She does like going all out on occasion though- during pride month or around her birthday. 

Farren only chuckled, as they ran a hand through aburn hair in attempts to fix a single little scrap that wouldn't line up right.

"Hey, look on the flip side, Vee. At least you don't have to watch out for a wayward prankster that is my girlfriend," Farren joked lightly, adjusting the tie they wore and then their vest, twirling to look at themselves in the mirror to make sure there were no creases in their outfit.

Ivy stuttered, trying to make a comeback, but eventually groaned and huffed.

"Fair enough, I guess. I wish you luck keeping her from interrupting the wedding," Ivy said bluntly, Serenity having gotten up- satisfied with her work- and busied herself with the last touches on her own ensemble.

Farren huffed and shook their head, shooting the brunette a teasing side look as Ivy got up.

"It'll be easier than keeping a certain slythrin's hands off ya, I'd say," They rebutted, making Ivy flush bright red.

"I...N-nooooo...??" Ivy stuttered over herself, biting her lip. Serenity giggled a bit.

"I'm fairly sure if any of our brothers caught wind of what we got up to with our partners at this point, they'd all be dead," Serenity responded with, gently meandering over and adding a secondary smaller broach to Ivy's dress, "I still can't believe everyone's coming.."

"Well, so goes the hope anyway." Ivy put in, sighing and running a hand over her face- careful not to mess up the intricate makeup in the process, “Our brothers might not come. Not like any of them were too close to Bill before all of this.” 

“You never know, Ivy,” Serenity added, “At the very least, our parent’s aren’t coming.” 

“Which I think is the only safe-escape here,” Ivy joked, “After last summer, I don’t think mom and dad would let Merula near me again under their supervision.” 

“Look at it this way-” Farren said, “-at least you know your family now truly cares about you, Ivy.”

“Oh no, don’t get me started on that nostalgia trip, I’ll cry-” Ivy said with a little laugh. Ever since the court case, ever since that day over the summer...she’s been a Hortensia. She’s been Serenity’s little sister. She’s been...home. Just thinking about how far she’s come- it always makes her emotional. 

Feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes, she fights off the urge to rub at her eyes- instead letting them fall into her dress- wiping off the tears from her cheek.

“I still can’t believe it’s been 11 years since all of that happened...” Ivy said softly, as Farren and Serenity kneel beside her, looking at the trio in the mirror, “...I can’t believe I got through it.” 

“I know. I can’t believe I never heard about any of this until I came to visit in late July!” Farren exclaimed, “I’m still disappointed in you both!”

The two sister’s burst into giggles, “I know, I know, we’re sorry!” Ivy exclaimed, “With everything happening, we didn’t have much time to think.”

A set of chuckles fill the room, soft memories of the past dancing through their minds. From everything that happened- meeting the trio and becoming best friends, to discovering the secrets of the vaults, to getting partners, to Ivy becoming a Hortensia, to finding their brothers and all the way up...to this very moment.

Quiet falls over the room a few moments later, Serenity, Ivy, and Farren all looking to each other in the mirror. Serenity with her bright blue, overly poofy dress; and Farren with their sleek crimson red suit. 

“You guys have always been there for me. I don’t think I ever could thank you enough...” Ivy eventually mumbles, leaning her head against Serenity’s arm. Farren wraps an arm over the brunette’s shoulder, slowly smiling and nuzzling close to their best friend- their family.

“Of course, Ivy. We’ve all been there for eachother,” They said quietly, “Remember- we’re the cursed trio.”

“...And we’ll always be together.” Ivy concluded, giggling before hugging the duo close, “I know.”

Silence fills the dressing room for several minutes, slowly taking a few deep breaths before Farren and Serenity let their arms fall, and Ivy gets up.

“Ready?” Serenity and Farren smile to Ivy, who smiles in return- that bold, confident smile she always held with her. 

“Ready.” 

Ivy smiles, taking her sibling’s hands, headed out of the dressing room to address the crowd. 

-- ⭐ --

[bulgariansumo]

Galactimato Big Brother Week 3

<<Week 1 | < Week 2 | Week 4>

Week 3 begins with yet another vacancy, this time evicted by America through Emil. Things didn't go too smoothly, however, as his plans may have been seen by another houseguest! How long will he be able to keep his secrets? Is he running out of time?

Now that everyone has had a few weeks to get to know each other, they were asked one simple question: Who would they evict out of anyone in the house? Most were too nice to give an answer, but some did respond.

--

"Higgy." Tsuki tapped her cheek. "I don't like the way he works Nicky and Toni to death with those dance rehearsals."

"The older Konno is too," Lorenzo tried to find the word, "...rowdy for my liking."

"Higgy!" Maxy answered without hesitation. "Someone needs to knock him off his high horse! At least Mai is fun about it."

Higgy tilted his nose up. "Maxy is a nuisance."

"It's nice to have friends here." "Angelo started. I-I even made a new one! Somehow. But it's hard to s-s--to spend time together... It's selfish, but everyone I'd vote off is close to them in some way. Or America's Player. Th-They could be really bad for my friends' chances. I th-thh--I might I know who it is..."

--

Those cryptic words may spell trouble for Emil, but the next segment spells HoH. It's time for the Head of Household Competition!

--

"I don't have many rules." Jun stated upon winning. "Just, like, keep the vibes chill, okay?"

--

Were the vibes chill? Before we head to the Nomination Ceremony, let's see what some of the houseguests have to say!

--

"It's nice! Higgy's practice is a little rough, but that's normal. The star rangers are nice. Emil and Roxie have poofy hair and hearts. We are friends~" Nicky pointed at the camera. "And you're here too."

"The viewers or...?" asked Kenji.

Nicky smiled.

"I think he's dehydrated."

"I swear Higgy has his band brainwashed." Tsuki shook her head. "Toni especially. Poor thing's practically on a leash!"

"Everyone thinks Higgy-senpai is mean. He is," Toni admitted, "but he protects me from Maxy! And listens to me! Sometimes."

"I don't like that kid trying to cling to Toni. Jun too." Mai sneered. "He's weird. I heard him begging for that freckle chart when Toni was tossing it out because 'I didn't get a chance to vote for you!'" She mimicked Angelo's pitiful face. "Gimme a break! I swear he woulda dug in the trash if Emil wasn't there."

"I've been hanging out a lot with Emil and Maxy lately and hadn't realized how much I ignored Angie." Leon glanced away. "But Emil's been getting him to tag along! He's so welcoming like that~! Also, I swore I saw a leg in the garbage can last night. Might be my imagination."

"I'm worried about Mai." mused Jun. "She says wild stuff and doesn't, like, have guidance. I've been trying to help out. Angelo hovers around, but I guess he's too shy to interrupt. I worry about him too. Y'know how it is, yeah?" They asked Kenji.

"Please don't acknowledge me."

"Lorie asked me about voting off Mia." Emil began. "I forgot her family was struggling financially, so that's what I told him. Feel kinda bad though." He paused. "But what I do remember is that Jun knows how to check fingerprints. I've been keeping an eye on Ange so he doesn't get his hands on the chart again." He winked. "I think he's worried about Leon, Roxie, and Toni, but I can't see America voting them out. I tried telling him that. Subtly. 'Siiiides, we took the trash out yesterday afternoon."

"It's been nice being with the others, even th--even though I know what Emil's doing. I-I don't have anything against him, and it's kinda s-silly but," Angelo pulled a crumpled, stained paper from his coat, "I trust myself over America. S-s--I'm sorry."

--

It appears Emil has underestimated how far Angelo will go to protect his friends. But can he protect them from the veto ceremony? Let's find out!

--

"Thanks for a really chill week, you guys." Jun started. "I'd rather not nominate anyone, but two of you did kinda harsh the vibe. Higgy, Maxy, step into the nomination zone."

They did so, glaring at each other all the way.

"This wouldn't have happened if you didn't mess with my rehearsals." Higgy muttered.

"Well you shouldn'ta had 'em near my bird-calling spot!"

"What kind of birds make fart sounds??"

"Hey! Don't blame your butt problems on the birds!"

Higgy seethed. "I have ways to make you live in regret."

"Hey, hey." Jun interrupted. "Let's let the eviction votes settle this, assuming neither of you get vetoed."

"Fine." conceded Higgy. "But if he somehow survives, mark my words, I will evict Maxy Konno with my own hands."

"Not if I get rid of you first." Maxy flashed his fangs.

"Oooooh, spicy!" Benji's gold tooth twinkled as he smiled. "Will the flames of rivalry be put out by eviction, or will they burn a little longer? Stick around for the veto competition to find out!"

"I didn't even do anything to get Higgy nominated!" Emil recounted from the interview room at some unspecified point in the future. "I was too busy dealing with Angelo and forgot!" He laughed.

For the PoV Competition, it's time to get schooled ...Again?

--

"Is it a good idea to reuse a challenge in the same week?" asked Kenji.

"Reuse sounds so cheap, call it a 'redux!" Benji corrected. "Plus, I'd rather not build anymore sets until we have more hands on deck."

"I understand."

--

Jun, Maxy, and Higgy, along with Roxie, Nicky, and Tsuki, play Getting Schooled again for the Power of Veto. Maxy wins! Onto the Veto Ceremony!

--

"Should I use this now or wait until we explain ourselves or whatever?" Maxy waved his PoV around.

"Why waste our time? Just use it." Higgy ordered.

"Thought I was the host, but okay!" Benji raised his eyebrows. "Why don'tcha use your veto?"

"I veto myself! ...Again~" Maxy gave a dirt-eating grin to Higgy and Toni as he returned to the group.

Jun seemed at a loss. "Uhh. Shoot. I dunno who else to pick."

"Excuse me?" Angelo raised a hand.

"A volunteer~" announced Benji.

"No no no! I-I just wanted t-t-to know if you could check this for prints?"Angelo lifted the freckles chart.

"Did you get that from the dumpster??" Emil blurted out.

"I'd be interested in it." Jun answered Angelo's question. "But I don't, like, have everyone's prints on hand for comparison. And now's kind of a bad time."

"S-Sorry..." Angelo looked down.

"It's cool!" They reassured. "Tell you what, give me a name and I'll check that person's fingerprints after the eviction, 'k?"

"Right now?"

"Ch'yeah~"

"In front of everyone?"

"I'd let you whisper, but... you seem to have a situation going on." Jun gestured to his trashy clothes.

"Th-That's okay." Angelo declined.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well. You helped me with one thing at least." Jun told him.

"What's that?"

"Picking a replacement. Angelo, step into the zone."

"Wh-what?" His eyes widened in shock.

"No one knows who put up the chart but you and the culprit." Jun smirked. "Could be the same person. You have the perfect moment to name them and you won't?" They went on. "Sounds suspicious to me. Sounds like something America's Player would do to throw us off."

"What?? No, I'm not them!" he insisted.

"That's something America's Player would say!" accused Maxy.

"I-I'm not! I'm really not!"

"Leave him alone!" Toni defended.

"Didn't you throw it out?" Mai recalled. "He could've been tryin' to frame you."

"Angelo wouldn't do that," Toni turned to his friend, "would you...?"

"No." Angelo was on the verge of tears, wounded by the accusation. "Of course not!"

"We don't know if he did it." Jun reminded, looking a little mortified, just as Emil did. "But just to be on the safe side, he's the replacement."

--

Angelo set out to reveal the truth but one hesitation landed him in hot water with his fellow contestants. Where will the votes fall, and who will America choose as its next target?

While Higgy was no Mr. Popularity, Angelo proved to be too big of a threat to Emil for America to allow him a continued existence at the household. How did the houseguests handle this decision?

--

"The younger Summers has schemed once." reminisced Lorenzo."He could be doing so again."

"I'll make sure Toni's safe." Mai nodded, folding her arms.

Maxy threw his hands up"I don't care if the other kid's America's Player, Higgy's goin' down!"

"Do I really have to explain my vote?" Leon smiled nervously. "Angie's my little brother!"

"So Emil," Benji began, "what do you have to say to uhh, that?"

"What can I say?" Emil shook his head. "He had to go, but... that was brutal. He could've ratted me out at any moment, but he didn't. I feel like I need to say something to him."

"You'll get your chance."

--

Angelo became yet another falling star from the Celestion-5's sky, following Aiden and Mia. How many more will follow him? At least four more, but only time will tell. As for now, it seems like Emil isn't the only one who has something to say to him.

--

"Hey." Jun leaned in the doorway as Angelo, clean and freshly dressed, packed his bags.

"Hello."

They sighed. "Shoulda picked my words more carefully. I got so wrapped up in my theory, I started a witch hunt. I didn't mean to, but I did, and for that I'm so sorry."

Angelo stopped packing "Thank you Jun. Th-That means a lot to me." He held up the chart. "Do you still want this?"

"Sure, it's the least I can do." Jun's smile melted into a frown as they took it in their hands. "It's soaked."

"S-Sorry, I know it's gross." He apologized. "It got stained in the garbage and my hands were s-sweaty, so that didn't help."

They gave a pitied smile. "It's not your fault. But I can't take prints from this. Not by normal means."

"Oh..."

"You know what? It's better that way." Angelo almost said something, but stopped. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Benji stood in front of the house with Angelo. "Well. That was kind of a rough ceremony, huh? How're ya feelin'?"

"A little sad I have to leave." admitted Angelo. "But if th-th--if I helped the others s-survive, I'm happy. I just hope no one's too mad at me."

"Welp, these three aren't!" Benji extended an arm to the side. "You can come out now!"

Leon exited first and gave his brother a hug. "I'll miss you, buddy."

"I'll miss you a lot too..."

He gave another hug. "That one's for Roxie!"

"She's not here...?" Angelo seemed a little hurt.

"She would be if she could! But someone else wanted to show up even more."

Toni barreled around the corner and into Angelo for a hug, stunning him.

"T-Toni? But you--"

"I didn't vote against you because I thought you lied!" Toni blurted, holding Angelo's hands. "I did so Higgy wouldn't be mad at me. I really like you! I'm sorry!!"

"It's okay. I...I like you too!" Angelo happily teared up. "I hope I can see you again someday."

"Toni, it's time for rehearsal!" Higgy's voice called.

Toni looked at his shoes. "Sorry, but I have to go now."

He turned to walk away, turned back, and gave Angelo one last hug before running off.

Emil was the last to exit. "Hey, Ange."

"Emil...?"

"Yeah, he wanted to say goodbye!" Leon explained to his brother's shock.

"Plus I had something to tell you!" added Emil. "A secret!"

"Oh?"

Emil stooped down to whisper to him.

Angelo smiled and giggled. "I have something for you too."

He whispered something in Emil's ear. The latter stood back up and nodded.

"Of course. I'll try! And one last thing!" Emil gave Angelo a hearty hug. "Stay strong out there, okay? We're rooting for ya!" He winked.

"And don't try to sneak back into the house!" Leon warned. "We'll miss you, but don't do any crimes!"

Angelo laughed. "I'll do my best!"