#its fun ducks season i love fun ducks

[obsob]

hmm anyway. holds u in my arms

[atlaculture]

Favorite Foods: Zuko

Whereas everyone else's favorite foods required research and conjecture, Zuko's post mostly builds off what we see in the show. The foods Zuko likes are inspired by multiple real-life cultures. Links to recipes will be included.

Larou (臘肉) - Also called Lap Yuk in Cantonese, is cured pork belly aka bacon. According to the old Nickelodeon ATLA page, sizzle-crisps appear to be the Fire Nation's version of bacon bits. And, according to the official Avatar cookbook, sizzle-crisps are Zuko's favorite snack. He likes their long shelf-life and versatility, which are necessities for food meant to be stored on a ship. He not only eats them on their own as a snack, but uses them as seasoning for any dishes he considers under-seasoned and bland, which is most non-Fire Nation food. As such, he always carries around a bag of "sizzle crisps", like how some people always have hot sauce on their person. He likes his larou extra peppery.

Shaved Ice - A popular summer treat in many parts of the world, Asia included. In its most basic form, shaved ice is frozen water or milk, topped with a sweet syrup. Shaved ice brings back bittersweet memories for Zuko, reminding him of fun times spent at Ember Island with his family. Zuko's favorite flavors are guava and watermelon. He normally eats a pretty basic version in public, but will go all out with toppings when no one's watching.

Jook - Jook is the Cantonese name for rice porridge and the term Iroh uses when serving it to Zuko. Considering Zuko's tendency to push himself too hard, it's likely that the prince had a good number of bed-rest days during his banishment. As such, I think Iroh is quite used to preparing jook for his nephew. While Zuko initially didn't appreciate being "babied" (from his perspective), he comes to associate jook with his uncle's love for him. Rice porridge is eaten all over Asia.

Inihaw Na Bangus - Tagolog for "Grilled Milkfish", this is a popular fish dish in the Philippines. The milkfish is stuffed with flavorful ingredients, scored, and grilled over a fire. During the book 1 episode, "The Warriors of Kyoshi", Zuko is shown being served what looks to be this dish by his ship's cook. I feel that Zuko would have a love-hate relationship with this meal. He genuinely loves eating it, but it was also served to him very often, due to the availability of the fish while out at sea. Thus, Zuko went through cycles of eating it constantly, and then not even wanting to see it for months at a time. After the war, it became a meal he'd have about once a week.

Sea cucumber sashimi - As I mentioned in a previous post, "sea slug" is a more antiquated name for the sea cucumber. In ATLA, smoked sea slug is served as commoner's food, while parts of the sea slug are served raw to the wealthy. In real life, sea slug/cucumber is actually an expensive delicacy that's served raw in Japan and Korea. Considering Zuko's willingness to steal high quality food in Book 2, I always felt that he probably has a rather refined palette. "Sea slug" sashimi was probably the dish he missed most from the FN palace. He liked dipping it in soy sauce mixed with chili paste.

Tea - I'm sure we all saw this coming. Under Iroh's influence, Zuko comes to appreciate tea. While not the connoisseur that his uncle is, he does enjoy winding down with a mellow jasmine tea at the end of the day.

Also, I think we can all agree that Zuko would never eat a turtle-duck. ^_^

[amirasainz]

Hey love. Could I please request some Oscar story. Maybe Oscar and reader being in love with each other and the other drivers teasing them a bit but still think it's cute?

Enjoy reading and send some requests!!!

-xoxo babygirl 🧡

Quiet Hearts, Loud Paddock

The paddock buzzed with its usual chaos: mechanics bustling around, reporters scribbling notes, engines humming in the background. Yet amid the noise, one corner always seemed to shine just a little brighter — wherever Yn stood with her microphone, offering kind smiles and thoughtful questions to drivers who appreciated her genuine warmth.

Yn was the youngest reporter in the paddock, just twenty years old, but already well-liked by the entire grid. Her interviews were never intrusive or sensational. She focused on the people behind the helmets — their personalities, passions, and quirks.

And while everyone enjoyed her presence, one driver seemed particularly captivated by her: Oscar.

The quiet Australian wasn’t one to seek attention, but when Yn was around, his shyness melted into soft smiles, flushed cheeks, and playful remarks. The two of them turned every interview into a game of compliments and shy glances. Everyone could see it — the stolen looks, the way their eyes lingered a beat too long, the rosy tint coloring their cheeks after even the simplest interaction.

The other drivers found it both hilarious and heartwarming. But despite their teasing instincts, they decided not to meddle. Young love, after all, had its own pace.

----------

Media Day

The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the paddock as Yn stood by the media pen, holding her microphone and checking her notes. She smoothed her blouse and glanced at the interview schedule. Oscar — 3:30 PM.

Her heart skipped. Why did she still get nervous? She’d interviewed him dozens of times, yet her palms always got clammy just before he arrived.

“Waiting for someone special?” a voice teased.

Yn turned to see Lando grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“No,” she said, feigning nonchalance. “I’m just working.”

“Sure, sure.” Lando’s eyes twinkled. “I bet your ‘work’ blushes as much as you do.”

Yn rolled her eyes. “Go annoy someone else, Norris.”

He laughed but left her alone.

Moments later, Oscar approached, dressed in his team polo and cap. Yn's breath caught, but she forced herself to smile as she raised her microphone.

“Hi, Oscar!” she greeted, too brightly.

“Hey, Yn,” he replied, his dimples showing instantly. “You look…uh…nice today.” His eyes flickered to her yellow blouse. “Sunshine-y.”

“Oh, thank you!” she said, cheeks warming. “You always look good in team colors.”

Oscar laughed softly, ducking his head. “I mean…it’s required, but I appreciate it.”

“So, uh…let's talk about the weekend ahead,” Yn said, refocusing. “How are you feeling going into tomorrow’s practice?”

“Excited,” Oscar said. “The car’s feeling good. The team’s worked really hard. I just hope I can do them proud.”

“You always do,” Yn said automatically.

Oscar’s lips parted slightly, as though surprised by her conviction. “Thanks,” he murmured. “That means a lot.”

She cleared her throat. “And how’s the track looking this weekend?”

“Challenging, but fun. I mean, you've walked it, right?”

“Yeah. Nearly tripped over a curb though.”

Oscar chuckled. “Well, I promise not to do that in the car.”

They both laughed, the tension easing into something light and familiar. The interview went on, sprinkled with gentle teasing and lingering glances. When they wrapped up, Yn lowered her mic, but neither of them moved.

“Well…good luck, Oscar,” she said softly.

“Thanks, Yn.” His eyes softened. “See you around.”

As he walked away, Yn exhaled deeply. Across the paddock, Lando caught her eye and mimed a dramatic swoon. She ignored him.

----------

Post-Qualifying Interviews

Oscar had qualified P4 — his best of the season. Yn’s heart swelled with pride as he walked toward her with a grin.

“Congratulations, Oscar!” she beamed as he stopped beside her. “P4! How are you feeling?”

“Over the moon,” Oscar said, running a hand through his hair. “The car was great. The team nailed the setup. Honestly…I’m just happy I didn’t mess it up.”

Yn laughed. “You? Mess up? Never.”

Oscar ducked his head with a bashful smile. “You’re biased.”

“Maybe,” she admitted. “But I'm usually right.”

He met her gaze then, something unspoken crackling between them. She felt her cheeks flush and quickly asked another question.

Behind them, a group of drivers loitered near the hospitality suite. Carlos elbowed Charles.

“Look at them,” Carlos whispered. “They’re practically heart-eyes emojis.”

“Just confess already!” Charles mock-shouted toward Oscar.

Oscar heard. His neck turned bright red. Yn nearly dropped her microphone.

Max, standing nearby, shook his head. “Leave them alone. Let them figure it out.”

Carlos sighed dramatically. “Fine. But if they don’t kiss by the end of the season, I’m intervening.”

----------

Race Day

Oscar finished P4, earning solid points. Yn was the first reporter to greet him as he stepped from the car, hair damp with sweat and a tired but happy smile on his face.

“P4!” Yn said, raising her mic. “That was some brilliant driving, Oscar!”

“Thanks, Yn. It was tough out there.”

“You made it look easy,” she said, her admiration shining through.

Oscar rubbed the back of his neck, his usual tell of nervousness. “Well…maybe I had some extra motivation today.”

“Oh?” Yn tilted her head. “Care to share?”

His eyes met hers. “Nah. Not yet.”

Yn's breath caught. The air between them seemed to thicken, and the world blurred into the background.

When Oscar walked away, Lando sidled up. “Did he just flirt with you?”

“I don’t know,” Yn said faintly.

“You’re both helpless.”

----------

The paddock party was lively, music thumping, drivers and team members mingling with drinks and laughter. Yn stood by the balcony, watching the celebration unfold.

“Hey.”

She turned. Oscar stood there, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Hey,” she said, smiling. “Congrats again.”

“Thanks.” He shifted on his feet. “I, um…wanted to say something.”

Yn’s pulse quickened. “Okay.”

Oscar took a deep breath. “I really like you, Yn. Like…a lot. And I know we’ve kind of danced around it for a while, but…I just had to tell you.”

Yn’s heart soared. “I really like you too, Oscar.”

His face broke into a smile of pure relief. “Really?”

“Yeah. Always have.”

The silence stretched, comfortable now. Then Oscar, emboldened by the moment, asked, “Can I…maybe take you out sometime?”

“I’d love that.”

They stood there, the party noise fading into a distant hum.

From across the terrace, Charles fist-pumped the air. “Finally!”

Carlos laughed. “Took them long enough.”

Lando raised his glass. “To the shy ones!”

Max shook his head with a fond smile. “Leave them alone, guys.”

But Yn and Oscar didn’t even hear. They only saw each other — their quiet love finally spoken aloud.

[sunflowerlando]

like you mean it | pg10

Pairing: pierre gasly x norris sister!reader (no use of Y/N)

Synopsis: a night out clubbing leads to something you couldn't have predicted.

Word Count: 3.5k+

Warnings: probably badly translated french. swearing. drinking. smut. like forreals 18+ only - (oral sex (f receiving), unprotected p in v sex, multiple orgasms, if you squint a lil bit of dom!pierre)

Happy birthday to my favorite French fry!!! Been working on this one for a couple weeks and it only feels right to post it today. Cheers to 29 PG!!

fuck me like you mean it • make me believe it • walk the wire, it's alright • love me like you need it • cause I can feel it • take it higher, show me why

You’re out clubbing with some friends after a shitty week. You’ve already had about 4 drinks and are feeling pretty buzzed. You and a couple of your friends are having fun dancing when a guy slides in behind you.

You’re feeling free spirited, so you raise your eyebrows at your friend and mouth ‘Cute?’

She nods and you continue to dance with the guy.

A few songs in, you lean your head back on his shoulder and he bends to kiss your neck as your eyes close. His lips trail up your neck and to your mouth. You kiss him back, enjoying the feeling, and when his tongue touches your lips, you part them and your hand makes its way into his hair. You separate for breath and pull away, turning to face the guy, and meet familiar blue eyes.

“Pierre!?” you yell, jumping back farther. “Holy shit! What the fuck!?”

“Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you!” Pierre replies.

“Shit. I have to go.” You say, pushing away from him and winding your way through the crowd.

Your chest feels like it is trying to collapse as you feel panic rising at the thought of anyone seeing that and it somehow getting back to your brother.

“Just wait, please?” Pierre says, catching your wrist as you walk down the hallway to the bathroom.

You stop and lean against the wall, crossing your arms across your chest and raising an eyebrow at him.

“Can we talk about it?”

“You’re my brother’s coworker and friend, Pierre! What more is there to talk about?”

“Did you not enjoy it?” he asks.

“Of course you would ask that... It was a nice kiss, but that’s all it’ll ever be.”

“Nice?” Pierre says, placing his hands on either side of your head on the wall, caging you in as he leans into your space. “You sure you don’t want more?” he asks huskily, and you have to fight to keep your eyes from rolling back in your head at how hot it gets you.

“I’m sure,” you say quietly, staring straight at his chest and not meeting his eyes.

“I think that’s a lie.” He responds, taking one hand and tilting your chin up.

“Pierre…” you breathe before he connects his lips to yours.

His one hand is still planted on the wall as the other slides around the back of your neck. Your body thrums with electricity from his kiss and his touch.

He pulls back and looks in your eyes before smiling. "Was I wrong?”

You shake your head, and he kisses you again, this time with more hunger. Your hands grip his shoulders as he grabs your waist, pressing you back into the wall with his body weight.

He begins kissing down your neck as your head falls backwards and you struggle for breath with the fire his mouth is creating on your skin.

“Wait, wait, wait.” You say and he immediately pulls back.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just we’re in a hallway where anyone can find us at any moment.” You say and he grins before taking your hand and pulling you behind him out the back door of the club. You’re barely able to keep up with his long strides as he leads you to his car in the parking lot, unlocking it and holding the passenger door open for you.

You glance around, trying to make sure no one has seen you and that there are no paparazzi before you duck in the car.

You take a second to breathe as he rounds the car to the driver’s side and gets in.

“Where to?” he asks, starting the car.

“I’m living with my brother until season starts back…” you respond.

“My place it is then.”

He pins you against the apartment door as soon as you’re both inside, and you look up at him expectantly.

“You look so beautiful.” He says and you feel your cheeks heat.

“Thank you.” You respond softly and he smiles at you before kissing you gently.

He slides his hands down your sides, following your curves as his mouth kisses across your jaw and down onto your neck for the third time that night.

“Tell me this is going where I think it is.” He says, dragging his nose up the side of your neck.

“Well I didn’t come home with you to have a tea party.” You respond and he laughs.

“You let me know if you want to stop at any point, oui?”

“Oui.” You reply before pressing your lips back to his. His hands roam over your ass and down to grip your thighs.

“Jump up for me.” He says and you do so, wrapping your legs around him as your dress bunches up over your hips. He carries you through his apartment and tosses you gently on the bed as you let out a yelp.

“Pierre!”

“What? You’re not that fragile, princesse.”

“How would you know?” you ask, fake scowling up at him as you kick your shoes off into his room.

“You don’t think I’ve watched you over the years, hmm? Don’t think I’ve wanted you since I laid eyes on you that first time?” he gracefully climbs over you on the bed, laying you back as your breath catches at his words.

“That was 5 years ago…” you say as he leans on his elbows above you, encasing you under him completely.

“I know.” He says tracing a hand over your cheek before kissing you softly.

“Lando told me to stay away from the other drivers, but I couldn’t help being attracted to you.”

“Please don’t talk about your brother right now.” He groans, dropping his face into your neck as you giggle.

“Did you miss the part where I said I’m attracted to you?”

“Oh I already knew that mon amour. You aren’t as subtle as you think you are with your staring…”

“Lando is about as subtle as an elephant, so I’d like to say I’m at least better than him.”

“Please stop talking about your brother.” He says, biting into your throat gently.

You laugh, and he smirks as he sits back on his knees, pulling his shirt off before reaching for the hem of your dress. You shift to help him as he slides it up your body. 

After your dress has been pulled fully off, Pierre grabs your wrists, pinning your hands above your head and holding them there.

“Can you keep those up for me, or do I need to find something to tie them with?” He asks and your hips jerk up into his unconsciously at the thought as he smirks. “I’ll remember that for next time, but will you answer me?”

“I’ll keep them up.” You respond quietly and he lets go, sliding his hands down your arms before settling them on your chest.

His thumbs tease over your nipples through the lacy bra you’re wearing. 

“Pierre…” you sigh, your eyes fluttering shut as he lowers his mouth to graze his teeth over and lick one of the now stiff buds.

“Does that feel good, mon ange?” he asks, and you nod. “Words, please.”

“Yes. I need more.” You say, opening your eyes to look down at him. His blue eyes are darker than normal, and his hair is still mussed from pulling his shirt off. He’s between your legs but holding his weight up on his legs and forearms. 

You wrap your legs around him and pull him down against you and he laughs.

“You said I couldn’t use my hands but didn’t say anything about my legs.” You smirk and he shakes his head in amusement.

“Oh, I’m definitely tying you down next time.” He says, and your heart skips a beat not just at the promise, but at the thought that he wants to do this again. 

He reaches around your back and flicks your bra open easily, pulling it so you can toss it on the floor before you place your hands back on the top of the pillow.

“Good girl.” He says and you moan slightly at the praise tumbling so easily from his lips. He buries his face in between your breasts, taking a breath before planting a gentle kiss and moving back to your nipple with his mouth. His hand comes up to massage your other breast as he teases you. You grip the pillow to keep yourself from running your hands through his hair as you bite your lip.

His kisses trail from one breast to the other and then trail down your stomach as you sigh.

“Still okay?” he asks.

“Yes,” you breathe, and he shifts his body down the bed.

“All this is for me?” he asks as he admires the wet patch on your panties before tracing a finger over it. Your hips buck towards his touch, and he slides his hands to your waist, slipping the panties down your legs and tossing them behind him.

Settling back between your legs and placing your knees over his shoulders, he starts slowly with kisses and love bites to your thighs before getting to where you’re actually craving him.

“Pierre!” you gasp as he licks through your wet folds, sliding his tongue deliciously around your clit.

“You are perfect.” He says softly before pressing his mouth back on your core, his facial hair tickling the inside of your thighs as you sigh in pleasure.

He works you thoroughly with his tongue, building the tension inside you as you reach for your peak. You’re lost to the sensation, and you thread your hand through his hair. He pulls back and looks up at you as your chest heaves and you whine at the loss of contact.

“Mon amour didn’t I tell you to keep your hands up?” he asks, and you release him, placing it back above your head.

“I’m sorry…”

“Do you want me to make you cum?”

“Yes, please” you breathe, closing your eyes again.

“Then behave.” You squeal as you feel his hand slap against the side of your ass sharply.

He goes back to sucking at your clit and moves a hand between your legs to slip a finger into you. You groan at the feeling, and he adds another.

He curls them against your soft walls and your hips buck as you build back towards your orgasm. His fingers work you rhythmically while his tongue dances around and across your clit. His teeth gently graze it and then he sucks while pressing his fingers into your g spot. Your legs are shaking, and you cry out as you orgasm. He works you through it before slowing his fingers down and sliding them out.

“Fuck you’re so good at that.” You groan and you feel his smile as he presses a kiss to your thigh.

“You’re so wet for me my pretty girl…” He says, climbing up next to you and dropping a kiss to your temple.

“Can I touch you now?” you ask and he smiles.

“Yes. You were a very good girl for me.”

You grab the chain hanging around his neck and pull him down into a kiss, tasting yourself on his lips and tongue.

You slide your arms around him, scratching lightly down his back and he sighs into your kiss.

“You have too much clothing on still.” You say and he moves so he’s standing next to the bed.

You admire his physique – the abs, the v cut of his hips, and the smattering of hair trailing down into his jeans as he unzips them and pulls them down his thighs. He shuffles them the rest of the way off, left before you now in just his boxer briefs, and your mouth waters at the sight of his bulge.

Needing to touch him now that you’re allowed, you sit up and hook your fingers in the waistband of his boxers. His arms are down by his sides, letting you do as you please, and your breath catches when you pull down on the fabric and his cock springs free. You curl your hand around him, enamored by how hot and heavy he feels in your hand.

“Mon dieu” he groans as you stroke along his length a few times.

“I’ll say…” you murmur, not realizing you’d said it out loud until he chuckles.

“Don’t worry mon amour, you can take it.” He says and your eyes snap to meet his as you lick your lips. You’re not sure you agree, but you aren’t about to quit now.

“Should I show you what I’ve been wanting to do with you?” he asks, his voice rough with desire now that you’re touching him finally.

You nod and he’s back over you quickly, his briefs discarded, and nothing between you now as you lay flat on his bed. Your legs spread easily for him, and he kisses you lazily, his tongue tangling with yours as he slides gently through your folds.

“You ready?” he asks, and you nod but he raises an eyebrow at you for a real answer.

“Please…” you manage, and he rubs the head over your clit before sliding it inside, meeting some slight resistance despite how wet you are and the prep he’s already done. You breathe through it, tilting your hips for more of him as he slides in slowly letting you adjust to the feel of him stretching and filling you.

“You’re so tight mon ange. You feel so good around me.” He groans, dropping his head into your neck, placing gentle kisses. “You okay?”

“Yes.” You manage out on a breathy moan as he rocks back and forth to stretch you a little more, being gentle but still very sure in his movements. His hips press against yours as he’s finally fully seated in you and you both moan at the feeling of him filling you so perfectly.

You grip his shoulders as he thrusts slowly and shallowly at first, letting you adjust as he gives you more, little by little. Each movement is a little harder than the last. His hips roll against you and your back arches, drawing him in as your body begs for more.

“Faster.” You plead and he’s more than happy to give you what you’re asking for.

Your body is soon meeting his thrusts, your hardened nipples brushing against his chest as you slide your arms around his back and scratch into his skin. His chain is dangling against you, warm from his skin, and you can’t resist grabbing him by it again, pulling him down for a sloppy kiss.

The pressure is building again for you, almost ready to explode, but you need a little more. As if sensing it, Pierre slides a hand between your bodies and finds your clit with his thumb. The tight circles he draws are the push that sends you into your second orgasm of the night and he groans at the feeling of you clenching around him.

“I’ve got you.” he says, almost panting in your ear. You turn your head, your lips connecting with his in another kiss. He allows you a moment to recover, pushing slowly in and out of you until your eyes refocus on his. He shifts your legs up on his hips as he adjusts for more leverage, changing the angle and quickening his pace. You’re more sensitive now, and a soft cry falls from your mouth as his thumb finds your clit again.

“Can you give me another?” he murmurs in your ear, his facial hair brushing against your cheek as you shake your head.

“I can’t” you gasp, shutting your eyes as you feel the ache growing again.

“Look at me.” He says, grabbing your chin as you open your eyes again. He’s pushed up on his arms, staring intensely as he drives into you. He’s determined now – determined to give you everything and to take what he wants. There is no hesitancy as he thrusts and your head swims with the sensations before your body explodes again.

He’s muttering praises to you in French, but you understand the sentiment even if you don’t know all of the words. Your mind is spinning, feeling drunk on this moment with him as his hips stutter.

He buries his face back in your neck, teeth grazing the skin while he moans your name as his release overcomes him. He thrusts through his orgasm as you skim your hands over his shoulders and down his back before he collapses against you. He’s careful not to crush you, but his weight is comforting in the afterglow.

You both lay like this for a bit, hands tracing over the other's body before he moves to kiss you softly.

“That was worth the wait.” He says with a smile, and you shove his shoulder with a small laugh.

“Incroyable, mon amour. Incroyable,” you reply, and his eyes light up.

“Is that the only French you know?”

“Just about. Will you teach me more?” you ask, and he nods, a smile still spread on his face.

“Bien sûr. You just have to spend more time with me to really learn.”

“I’m amenable to that.” You reply and he kisses you again.

As your kiss ends, he lifts up, sliding out of you as your walls flutter at the loss.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and then we can rest.” He says, kissing your forehead before standing up and holding out a hand to help you out of the bed.

The next morning you’re leaning against his counter in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of tea, when there is a knock at his door. Pierre comes out of the bedroom in just a pair of sweats, crossing to open it. You bite your lip at the sight of him, shirtless and fresh from the shower.

“Oh,” Pierre says once he swings the door open, “HI CHARLES.”

“Why are you yelling? And why aren’t you dressed to go yet?” you hear Charles say from the other side of the door, and your mug clatters to the counter.

Pierre glances over at you in the kitchen, your eyes wide with alarm, and he quickly gestures for you to go into the bedroom. You sprint into his room, shutting the door heavily as Charles laughs.

“Ah, that is why you’re not ready to go.” Charles said. “Are you still going to come play padel with Max, Lando, and I?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll get changed and we can go. Just wait here.” Pierre says, gesturing for Charles to come in before closing the door behind him.

He comes into the bedroom where you are sitting on the edge of the bed, chewing on your nail.

“Pierre what the fuck!?” you whisper angrily as he shuts the door.

“I forgot we had plans and he was picking me up!” Pierre whispers loudly back.

“Not just plans! You’re hanging out with my brother!” you hiss.

“Okay so the timing is shit, but I’m not going to say anything to them.” He says with a shrug, stripping his sweats off to change.

“The timing is shit? You conveniently forgot last night when you decided to bring me home that you were seeing my brother today?” you say.

“I didn’t conveniently forget, I just actually forgot. I told you I’ve wanted you for years, and when we kissed at the club, I had to take my chance.”

Charles was too nosy not to come closer to Pierre’s room as he heard angry sounding voices faintly through the door.

“Pierre…” you say softly, walking to him as he finishes changing into his athletic gear.

“Are you mad at me?” he asks, looking down into your eyes.

“When you talk about how you’ve pined for me kind of makes it hard to stay annoyed.” You chuckle, placing your hands on his shoulders, and leaning up to kiss him softly.

“Mon amour, I have to go. Will you stay here while I’m gone?” he asks.

“I can’t stay Pierre; I was supposed to be back at Lando’s last night. He’s going to ask too many questions if I’m gone for too long.”

“OH MY GOD!” you hear Charles yell from the other side of the door. He’d been trying to place your voice this whole time, and now he was shaking with laughter as he put the pieces together. “Lando is going to push you off the track when he finds out.”

Pierre flings the bedroom door open to see Charles still laughing. You were standing behind Pierre in a pair of his shorts and a tee.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay by the door?” Pierre asks.

“You know I’m too nosy for that.” Charles says with a grin, peeking around Pierre at you. “Hi Norris.”

“Hi Leclerc,” you reply with a sigh.

“Lando is definitely going to murder you.” Charles says to Pierre, and you roll your eyes.

“He won’t if you don’t say anything to him.” You say, a threat evident in your tone.

I'm thinking of making a part 2 to this where Lando finds out. Let me know if you'd be interested!

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Garden Kisses

Summary: As humanity's first year comes to a close, you spend the night watching the only two humans pass their time. The courtship of humans moved faster than that of angels but perhaps tonight the two of you could court at the speed of humans.

“Did you like the ducks?” Lucifer asked, bright blue eyes looking back at you as he fluttered his six pure white wings, floating suspended in the air easily. “I love when they’re still babies.” 

“They’re adorable,” you laughed, smile wide as you scooted toward the trunk of the tree, giving him room to settle next to you. “I loved them most.” 

“Oh, good.” Lucifer sat, reaching forward to rock the round fruit of the tree, where it was hanging from the branch. 

No matter the season, the fruits from the two sacred trees hung, ripe, tempting, and ready to eat. The fruit if neither the Tree of Life nor the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil held no temptation for either angel, though the two humans walking in the distance sometimes would look just a little too long at the trees. 

“Do you ever feel bad?” you asked, poking the fruit yourself. 

“For what?” Lucifer asked, watching a fruit fall to the ground where it would rot, untouched, as each fruit that fell had throughout the first year of humanity. 

“Putting these trees in the garden?” You ran your fingers reverently over the trunk of the tree. 

Within the fruits was the cognitive ability to weigh what was good or bad, the simple ability to question and think for one’s self. It was an ability you and Luci had, the angels had, but the divine father had decided that humanity could not be trusted with it. 

“Father wanted the trees here,” Lucifer said obediently. “So, I created them here.” 

“It seems…” you hesitated before continuing. “It seems like it’s setting them up for failure.” 

“My stars,” Lucifer’s wings fluttered as he slipped off the branch, hovering in front of you. “We must have faith. Our Father knows what is best. He created man and woman in His image. They’ve resisted thus far- a whole year!” 

“You’re right.” A bright smile spread onto your face, the shadows of questioning and doubt washed away. “The humans are doing well, yes?” 

“They are,” Lucifer nodded, looking back at the two figures in the distance. Long blond hair ran down the woman’s back, shimmering in the moonlight. “I think they’re still doing thier courtship dance.” 

“Oh!” You leaned forward, nearly slipping off the branch yourself. “What does human courtship look like?” 

You were well versed in the courtships of many of the animals Lucifer had created. There were things that sounded harsh at times, but each step of the different processes accomplished a task, ensuring the animal continued to reproduce as the Father wanted and as Lucifer designed. 

“I’m not sure.” Lucifer looked down, his own bright smile faltering before he pushed it back on his face. “Our Father saw to the designs alone.” 

“Really?” This news had your wings fluttering anew. 

Lucifer was the angel of creation. Everything he made was inspired, beautiful in its own way. He was the Father’s favorite son. Lucifer had been the architect of all you had seen in the living world. The very idea that something existed in this realm that his fingers had not touched had your mind spinning. 

“They are not your children, then?” Your eyes flickered between Lucifer and the woman, how she was pulling away from the man. They had been yelling at one another most of the night. 

“No,” Lucifer’s soft hair shifted as he shook his head. “They’re our brother and sister.” 

“Does it bother you?” you whispered, once again toeing the line you both knew existed. “That you didn’t get to make them?” 

“Oh, no!” Lucifer laughed, a bright, clear sound that always reminded you of heaven’s bells. Would humanity discover bells? “It’s been fun to watch them as they discover the world and how to court.” 

“Is it much different from us?” You and Lucifer had danced around the early stages of angelic courtship for decades now, though to beings like you that was hardly more than weeks. Soft touches, lingering smiles and the simple, godly act of sharing time together had dominated the stage the two of you were at. 

“They do things faster.” Lucifer spun around, dancing in the air with the simple joy of learning about a new creation. “Courtship that takes us decades- they do much faster. They’re more physical than much of my creations have been, too.” 

“Oh?” You danced through the air with him, robes brushing against his as you drew close but never touching him. Touching was far beyond what one did at the point of courtship that you and Lucifer were at. “How so?” 

“Well,” Lucifer reached out, taking your hand up in his. 

He was touching you. His hand wrapped around yours, warm and soft. Blood rushed to your face, casting your skin in a golden glow as you looked at where your bodies touched with wide eyes. “Luci?” 

His hand dropped yours as if something stung him. “I’m sorry-” His voice came out in a high pitched squeak, his face joining yours in the burning glow of embarrassment. “We’re not- we’re not there yet. It’s too soon, isn’t it?” 

You wanted to tell him he was wrong. You didn’t mind him grabbing your hand. It surprised you, that was all. Heat burned in your hand, driving you to rub it as you timidly looked up at the man, your mentor, and crush, as he did the same. 

“What if…” You took a long, slow breath in as you tried to will the next words to spill from your mouth. 

“What if what?” Lucifer prodded. 

“What if we were there?” Your voice came out in a soft whisper, face flushed golden as you looked everywhere but at Lucifer. “What if we courted the same the humans are, at their speed instead of…” 

“Oh,” Lucifer fluttered back, unsure. 

“I’m sorry,” you quickly settled back onto the branch. “I don’t know what I’m thinking.” 

“Do you want to…” Lucifer settled on the branch next to you again, eyes trained straight ahead as he looked at the two humans. “Do you want to court like the humans?” 

Your eyes flickered, darting between the moon and stealing glances at the angel next to you. What you wanted to say was ‘yes’. The word was stuck in your throat, like some gummy piece of dried fruit. You opened and closed your mouth, trying to dislodge the word from your throat while he kept his gaze pointedly on the two humans in the distance. 

After what feels like a lifetime, you give up on making the word come out. Instead, you inch your fingers closer and closer to his. He jumped, startled, as you initiate contact. Wide eyes, as blue as the oceans he had created for your Father, snapped to you. 

“What happens now?” you timidly asked. 

“I don’t know,” Lucifer admitted, mind working. “Adam… he kisses Lilith after he touches her hand.” 

“Oh,” you couldn’t help giggling. “It takes angels a century to consider such a display.” 

“Right?” Lucifer laughed. 

“Luci?” You chewed on your lips, not really sure if you were brave enough to ask what you wanted to ask.

“Yes?” He answered simply, fingers wiggling under yours, not resting until both yours and his weaved together. 

“Have you- have you ever kissed anyone?” You kept your eyes on where your hands touched, where his fingers and yours wove into a small fleshy fabric. 

“I haven’t,” Lucifer admitted. “I’ve never even courted another before you.” 

“Never?” You breathed the word out. He was the Morningstar, the oldest among his kind. He was the Father’s favorite. How could he have not courted at least once?

“Why not?” You prepared your heart to break, to be told that none were good enough, though you knew full well that what the both of you had been doing was courting. 

“Never wanted to before.” Lucifer looked down, taking in the perfect vegetation below for a few long heartbeats. Then he looked at where your hand was intertwined with his. “How long do you think is left, until humanity’s first year ends and thier second begins?” 

“Oh.” The change in subject left you feeling off kilter. Looking up at the moon and stars above, you walked through the calculation to determine the time- not that time particularly mattered for humanity just yet. It was little more than one of the many ways the angels logged and cataloged the events of the universe. “It’s just a minute or two, maybe less, I’d say.” 

“I know what I want out of the next year of humanity.” Lucifer ran his thumb softly along your hand. 

“What do mean?”

“I want to experience live as they do,” Lucifer nodded his head toward the humans in the distance. “I want to experience the things they do. I want to court like they do.” 

“Does that mean you want to be them?” 

“I want to do the things they do. Sometimes, I want to do the things how they do it.” Lucifer was making no more sense the more he talked. 

“Are you saying you want to kiss… someone?” You finally forced the words out, sending a prayer to your Father that you were not making an incorrect assumption.

“No,” Lucifer said quickly, crushing your heart without a moment of hesitation. 

“Oh-” you tried to take your hand from his, only to have his fingers tighten. 

“No, no- that’s not what I meant.” Words flowed from Lucifer’s lips quickly. Each word blended into the other, threatening to lose their meaning. “I don’t want to kiss just anyone. I don’t want meaningless kisses. I don’t- I don’t know if kisses can be meaningless but.. I don’t want to throw them away.” 

“Then who-?” 

“You!” Lucifer rushed to answer, turning to face you with his face a bright, radiant gold. “I want to kiss you. I mean, can I kiss you? Will you let me kiss you? Oh, golly- that’s too much. I’m asking for too much.” 

“Yes,” you said simply, face glowing hot and heart pounding against your chest. “You can.” 

“I can?” Lucifer asked one last time. “Are you sure- we’ve only been in early courting for- for three years and I just touched you- things, it’s too fast for you.” 

“Please?” you asked sweetly. “You wanted to do things like the humans are. I’m in. I- I want to too. Please, kiss me?” 

“You’re sure?” He asked one more time, eyes dipping down to look at your lips. 

“I am,” you promised. 

Lucifer leaned forward, both your and his body twisting to face each other. Your eyes fluttered shut as Lucifer’s did the same. It felt like it took forever for his lips to softly press against yours. 

The kiss was short, a sweet, chaste moment shared between two innocent souls. Though you didn’t know it at the time, the kiss had started the man you loved onto the path of learning, exploring, and experiencing things through the eyes of humanity. It was a path that would lead him away from you and to his damnation. 

What you didn’t know at the moment, had no power to hurt you. 

Join us at VoxTek for a Vox themed Hazbin Discord where we talk Vox, Hazbin, writing, reading, art and who knows what else. You may even catch some exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming fics from some of your favorite writers including the first page of the next chapter of MisD a day early!!

[rubysgirl32]

Behind the Cameras

Ruby Cruz x Fem!reader

Warnings: Enemies to lovers (kinda), VERY ANGSTY (reader and Ruby get to a fight), swearing, self hatred thoughts, and inner homophobia from reader

Summary: Reader gets paired with ruby for the press tour, which sucked because ruby seemed to constantly be dick around her.

Author's note: I just re edited this, so its more complete and its in second person pov rather than third, so yeah! enjoy 🤍

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

Being casted for the second season of Willow was something you never really expected. The audition in itself felt like a fever dream, but actually getting the role felt like your entire life was falling into place, just as you would dream of as a kid. You grew up with Willow, your brother and you were obsessed with George Lucas, so it was a constant binge between Star Wars, Willow and Howard the Duck. It was truly a dream for you, to get to fly to Wales, to be invited into this magical world and meet everyone, especially Warwick. What wasn’t a dream come true, was her.

“And yeah, this is truly a gift being back to playing a fucking disney princess, its crazy to me” Ruby replies at the interviewer, her brushed hair perfectly in place, and her lips forming a stupid perfect smile in such an effortless way as answers the question.

“And with the new cast, how has it been adding new characters and extending the willow family?” The woman asks, shuffling in her seat as she leans in closer for the answer

Ruby’s smile turned plastic quickly. She looked down at her finger and fiddled with her rings.

“Yeah, it was… fun. I mean with these new characters, the stories go further and are truly more interesting. We truly did welcomed everybody with such open arms-”

You stopped the video and looked back at your brother who stood with his arms folded.

“That lying bitch” You gasp “Open arms? Open arms, seriously? She is one of the coldest people I know- she never even once during filming spoke to me, and then says she welcomed me with open arms?” you huff out pure anger as rolling your eyes passing the phone back to your brother. The rest of the cast did receive you with open arms. Everyone was really lovely, and you quickly became a part of the already tight knight family, but ever since the table reading back in October, Ruby has yet to speak or even present herself to you. She dodges you in corridors, leaves whenever you enter the room and once she even left early from training because of you. 

“Just wanted to show it to you before you heard from the rest,” Jack shrugged. He then sat next to you on the couch, turned off his phone and threw it softly til the last cushion.  You looked back at your brother with a soft smile. God, you were lucky enough to have him around. You truly didn’t know where you would be without him.

“Thanks” you says softly as you grabs the TV remote “Let’s watch something, i need to get that moment off my head”

“How about Star-” Jack begging to say

“I'm not watching Star Wars again” you cut off like always. 

He laughs, rolling his eyes and grabs his drink from the center table. The two of you spent the day watching an X-men marathon, eating whatever was left in the fridge and pantry, just like when you were kids. It was not until noon, on the third film, when the silence was broken. Jack looked over at you and smiled sadly.

“I’m worried,” he confesses “Press tour stars tomorrow, and it’s supposed to be this amazing thing where you guys have fun and get to introduce the world to this new season but… i'm scared its gonna get ruined by Ruby’s stupid comments and bullshit”

You sigh knowing very well what he ment. Last week you got informed that you were sadly paired with Ruby for the interviews. Since you were a brand new character and never actually done a press tour for anything, the producers had decided to pair you with someone who already has experience with interviews, and apparently the universe thought that you and Ruby would make a great pair.

“I’ll survive” you says blankly shoving a cockie into your mouth “Plus, we are spending the day talking with other people, so i hope it won't be that bad”

“If anything happens you call me, okay?” He raises his hand and points up his pinky. This is some stupid thing you use to do when you were kids, but every now and then he would bring it back

“Promise” you link your pinkie with his and tightly squeeze them.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

From the moment you woke up at 7 am, a heavy pressure chest seemed to be placed roughly. Started when you got out of bed and followed along to the moment you got into the tall building where the interviews were being made. Your very strict assistant, Lola, told you the plan for the day as they were shown the small break room, where you had to change and put on the interview outfit. It was a light blue and white dress that looked very 60s, some pearl earrings and a necklace that matched. Sometimes an outfit can change your entire mood, so once you were dressed up, you couldn’t help but feel just a bit better. Then the make up artist came in and started applying some soft natural makeup that consisted of blushy cheeks and a soft eyeliner. But even after that, there was still something tense and heavy on your chest that didn’t seem to want to leave you alone. You walked out of the break room, into the place where you would spend the next 7 hours answering questions. You wave hello to everyone on set as the man starts putting on the mic pack on you and checking if your makeup looks good under the lights. You then sat on the chair and took out your phone from the pocket on the dress to see a message from your brother, Jack.

Annoying older brother: Good luck!!

Annoying older brother: Remember our promise, call me if anything happens

You smile and just type back an eye rolling emoji as a response. You put down her phone  once you felt someone sitting next to you, and softly reminded yourself where you were and the way you were supposed to behave. The silence took over the room as you left your phone under your leg. You looked over to your right to see Ruby. She looked nice. She was wearing an oversized red blouse and a white jacket, and her hair was messy. 

“Hi” You greets softly with a small wave

Ruby looks at you, nods shortly and looks away. 

You tried to take the response in a less personal way, looking away and trying to swallow the anxiety away. But once the young interviewer arrives, and Ruby literally stands up to shake his hand and greet him, it becomes more than personal to you.  You stood up too, to shake his hands and greet him as he got ready for the interview. They haven’t even started and you were already fiddling with the hem of your dress nervously, like a child.

“Well Ruby, Y/n, I just want to thank you for giving us another season of Willow. We are truly excited to see not only the adventure you go on now, but the new characters as yourself y/n”

You just smiled and nodded in response.

“Now how does it feel to join such a magical and close family, how have they treated you?” The interviewer asked as he shuffled with his cards

What a perfect question.

“It's truly been a gift” you starts, your voice being slightly weak but you quickly clears your throat and begin again “I grew up huge George Lucas fan and honestly at first I was truly terrified of joining the cast and crew, but they really have received me with… open arms” Your words slightly bitter. You notice how Ruby looked at you from the side, clearly noticing your reference “It’s been such a dream come true, really”

The interviewer nodded and read the next card in hand “Now giving to much away, what can you tell us about this new season”

“Well” Ruby stars, with a hand on her jaw “There’s definitely a lot more action. Me and y/n actually have a lot of scenes together where we had so much fun! And the adventures this season are-”

You could hear Ruby speaking but it was like your mind just stopped listening

“...So much  fun!”

Her voice ringed in your head again, as your thoughts ran crazy. You couldn't remember a single time you had “fun” with Ruby on set. Actually, you can clearly remember that every fight scene you had together was actually hell, since Ruby had past training and it seemed so easy for her to just pick up on choreography. Every time you got a move wrong or stumbled on the fight, Ruby would roll her eyes and sigh frustrated. Every single scene together was hell for both of them, and Ruby just said they had “So much fun”? 

The anxiety in your chest started to slowly become fury, and the confusion of why would Ruby ever lie in an interview if not needed completely took over your thoughts. Your ears turned warm and you fisted her left hand, digging your white painted nail into your palm.

“Right Y/n?” Ruby looked at you and gave you a tight and clearly fake smile. It was obvious from  the stare that you were supposed to follow along with her lie

“Yeah” you nod, trying to smile at the interviewer “So much… fun!”

The guy bought it clearly as he continued with his vague and irrelevant questions. As Ruby answered most of them, you just sat back, thinking about Ruby’s words. Every now and then you would nod your head, agree, or even let out a fake laugh, but never really truly talk much. The interviewer didn’t seem to mind, and so you just stayed silent. 

“Maybe I wasn't gonna be as okay as I thought I was gonna be” You thought to herself as you fiddled with the ring on your finger. You wished you could be back in your apartment, with your brother, watching stupid movies and laughing like idiots at the simplest things.

“Last question before I leave,” the man announces as he looks at his watch, checking the time “Yesterday, we interviewed Tony and Erin and they told us of the wrapping party you guys had at your house, Ruby. Do you guys have any funny or just stupid memories of that night?”

You cluelessly, tilt your head and look at Ruby who laughs as she clearly knows what he’s talking about.

“Oh my god! The wrapping party was so much fun!” she claps her hands softly, as you stare completely clueless “So yeah, after almost a year of shooting the second season, I invited the cast and crew to the house i was renting, to have a kind of a goodbye party or something but…a funny memory? Oh yeah! We ordered pizza, but I'm talking about tons of pizza, and we made this… kind of tower? We stackled them up until we literally had to get on top of each other to put on the next, and that was honestly so much fun” she said “or when me, Dempsey, Amar and Tony did like a weird karaoke battle? That was fun too”

Something inside of you started to crack slowly. Your head spinning with bullet-like thoughts that seemed to kill every grasp from reality you held. A wrapping party? With cast and crew? With everybody? When was this? Why weren't you invited? Ruby said it was at the end of filming and that was 6 months ago, and you were finding about this now? And then it hit you like a truck. Of course you weren't invited. You were new. You barely knew the cast, got a year too late to the family, of course they were not gonna invite you. The anxiety inside your chest started to rise, stopping right at your throat. 

“Tony mentioned it yesterday!” The man laughs “And you y/n?” he then asks you “any favorite memories of that night?”

Ruby turned to look at you and it felt like her gaze left you under pure pressure. It felt like her blue eyes were burned into your head and made the anxiety get even worse. Your fisted hand grew sweaty as you swallowed roughly. 

“I-” the words wouldn’t come out but you just tried again doing your best to look as normal as possible “Yeah… The karaoke battle was crazy fun”

The man behind camera yelled cut, the interviewer then excused himself as in came the assessor to come touch up the makeup, outfits and mics. But before anyone could even get close to you, you marched quickly straight to the small break room where you got ready. You closed the door and ran to the desk filled with water bottles. You took one, twisted it open harshly and started chugging the cold water. You could feel it run down your body, but that didn’t seem to help. You took it off your mouth and breathed heavily and quickly, leaving the water bottle with the rest. The first thing that came into mind was texting your brother, so you looked around the room for your phone, moving the cushions and bags.

Three knocks came from the door and then someone just opened it. Ruby came in looking quite weirded out by the mess you were making. She closed the door, causing you to turn around to see Ruby staring at her.

“Ruby” you stammered “I- I thought you were-”

“The interviewer is late” she said coldly “They gave us a break”

“Yeah sorry, I was just looking for my pho-”

“I don’t care” she snapps back

You just nod and bite your lip harshly trying to push back any stupid emotions. You were an actress for god sake, why couldn’t you just fake your emotions. Why can’t you act as if Ruby’s word didn’t mean a single thing. It was so overwhelming that your face clearly started growing warm and Ruby clearly seemed to notice.

“What’s wrong?” She said as she left her purse on the couch, her voice sounded quite genuine instead of annoyed “why are you crying?”

You turns around towards the dresser with a mirror, to see the soft mascara running down your cheek

“Shit!” you swore under your breath, swiping the tear away leaving the black mascara smeared across your face “Shit! Lola gonna kill me” you then ran towards the small bathroom to grab some toilet paper and placed it under the water tab to start trying to clean it away. Your soft swipes turned harsh as the stain on her face didn’t want to leave. If Lola saw you like this, she would be pissed for screwing up her first ever interview “Fuck!”

“Heyheyhey'' Ruby said, grabbing your wrist and stopping the wet toilet paper from slapping your face. Her touch was probably meant to be sweet, but instead it came out quite harsh since her grip on your wrist was quite strong. "Water's not gonna work, it's probably waterproof, just…” Ruby let’s go of you to pushed her hair back with a sigh “Seat on the toilet, let me get some make up remover”

You let go of the wet toilet paper and left it on the sink. Then you sat down on the toilet seat, as tears started to fall down your face. You pushed your hands into your face, completely ashamed of yourself. Your first interview ever and you ended fucking crying in the bathroom

 Ruby walked back into the room with a bottle of make up remover and cottons on her hand. 

“Come on” she says coldly “We don’t know when the interviewer is arriving” She then kneels in front of you and starts to place some of the liquid on the cotton ball.

“Why did you say that?” You ask in between the tears. It was clear that Ruby was trying her hardest to look away, avoiding your gaze but before she even think of it, you spoke “Why did you say any of that when you know that shit isn’t fucking true” 

“I-” she began

“What did I ever do to you?” Your voice broke while speaking. It felt like the anxiety inside of  you gripped you tightly making it impossible to even let the words out

Ruby freezes and blinks a few times. She then leaves the bottle on the floor a bit too strongly as she looks back up at you with a frustrated sigh. Her frown is lowered and her looks became a deathly glare.

“Nothing” she says simply taking the cotton in her hand and move it close to your face

“Then why do you ignore me? Why do you always look at me like I'm a bother? Why didn’t you fucking invite me to the wrapping party?” You move your hand away from your face, trying to have a conversation

“Because…” she said before swallowing “Because i…” Her words never really leading anywhere

“Because what?! What Ruby?” The tears that once where on your cheeks where now running down your neck

Ruby shook her head and she stood up and dusted off her pants clearly bothered. She shook her head, her hair swishing perfectly. 

“I can’t do this right now” she says walking out the small bathroom with an tired huff “I’m gonna get some air”

You stood up and followed behind her, your slingback heels clacking against the floor

“Ruby!” you call out frustrated “Answer me, please”

Ruby turned and it was clear she was mad, and it was written all over her face. On the way she pursed lips in disgust, in the way her eyebrows met harshly on top of her eyes, on the way cheeks were red and her eyes dead serious. On the way her chest was out proudly and her hands were fisted in the same way your’s were a few moments ago.

“Because…” she says, completely stone cold, and her head tilted to the side “Because you’re… fuck!” her fist raised and shaking in rage as tried to find her words

You took a careful step back, lower lip slightly quivering. Ruby didn’t have to say a word, because you knew, you knew what she meant. You knew everything. You were annoying, you are not part of the cast.

Ruby groaned as she ran her hand through the hair. Then she walked toward you, her steps firm and commanding, intimidating every bone in your body, making you walk backwards completely scared of what might happen now. You walked back to the small bathroom, till you hit the wall. You tried to press yourself against the wall as much as possible, closing your eyes and raising both of her hands, in defense. 

Ruby was barely a few inches away, looking at you as you trembled nervously against the wall. Everything seems to be going from bad to worse, and it didn’t help the fact that you were shivering like a scared cat. The short haired girl sighed, placing both of her hands in her face, groaning loudly. You opened a single eye, to see your co-star. Ruby removed her hands from her face to look back at you, both of your eyes locked in. And it was then when you felt her warm lips on top of her. Ruby was grabbing your jaw as she pushed you back against the wall. You froze in place and did not reciprocate the kiss, even though something new inside you roared into life.

Ruby stopped and then separated your lip, to look up at you with your eyes wide open in fear. Ruby inhaled completely terrified as her face turned white.

“Oh my god” She whispered “I am so-”

Ruby interrupted when both of your arms wrapped around her, your chest and shaking lips against hers. At first it was really weird for you. Kissing a girl was different… new. Feeling something for a girl was… new. It took a few seconds for the two of you to melt into the kiss, softly placing your hands around each other, softly caressing and touching each other as much as they could. The kiss was salty with your tears, but sweet with Ruby’s cherry chapstick. 

“Guys! The interviewer is here!” Lola yelled as she knocked loudly on the break room door. Her voice quickly made you freeze, stopping the kiss, and turning your once melted warm body to stiff and cold. 

Ruby looked back at you, opening her eyes softly to find a single tear falling off of your face. It  was like looking at a wax figure. pale and completely frozen in place. The knocks kept pounding against the door so the short girl ran towards it and told Lola they are just talking some stuff and that they will be right back out. You, who snapped back from the pure fear of someone finding you with a girl,  reacted and quickly picked up the cotton with makeup remover and wiped it hard against your cheeks. 

You were just kissed. By Ruby. Ruby who ignored you for months, Ruby who can’t stand you. Ruby who is… a girl. A girl just kissed you. You kissed a girl. What’s that supposed to mean? Are you gay now? Did you like girls? What about boys? What if someone found out about this? What if her parents found out about her kissing a girl? What if they hated her?

What if Jack hated her?

Before your anxieties turned into catastrophic realities,  Ruby came back to the bathroom and stood closely to you. She softly placed her hands on your jaw and moved your face till you were facing her, and no longer the mirror. She took the cotton from your fingertips hand and started swiping it on your cheek and under eye softly, petting and cleaning the black ink from your face. To say you were confused, was to say the least. When you arrived at the building, you swore that Ruby hated you like no one else in the world, but now, she was treating you like one would treat their romantic partner. It didn’t make sense, the sudden change but neither did the strong beating of your heart. By having Ruby’s warm and gentle hand on your jaw, cupping your face carefully and tenderly, it made your heart naturally calm down and made you head grow fuzzy. The soft brush of the cotton in her only made you gaze into an even more peaceful state. 

“Done” Ruby said letting go of your face and throwing away the cotton ball “Let’s go”

You wake up from the cold air hitting your cheek and you quickly step back to create some distance between the two of you. You swiped your nose with the back of your hands and looked at the floor nervously. Ruby opened her voice to speak, but you quickly ran out the bathroom and the break room to where a young woman was sitting waiting for you guys. You go to sit on your chair, to find your phone, which you quickly grabbed and texted Jack

 Snarky little sister: Hey

 Snarky little sister: U were right

 Snarky little sister: Can you come pick me up? plz?

 Snarky little sister: I really don’t need a car ride back with her

 Snarky little sister: i finish a 6

You sent your location and turned off your phone and shoved it under your leg like before. At least you weren’t crying anymore, and with the bit of makeup the assessor just applied, made you now look decent.

The rest of the day was a blur. It was interviews after interview. The same questions being asked over and over. Eventually there was a lunch break where you decided to lock yourself in the bathroom and eat your lunch on your own to drown out the confusing feeling bubbling inside of you. Ruby knocked a few times and tried to talk to you, but you couldn’t even process her words. Every time she tried to talk to you, you would walk away or tried to mutter a “not now” under your breath. These new feelings and emotions felt like bricks under you. The possible reaction from your family made you tremble with pure fear.  And the questions the journalist asked her over and over again just made her look like a broken record, repeating over and over the same phrase.

After 6 hours in the same room, you were finally able to leave. Lola tried to talk to you, her tone scary and stern as she scolded you, but you just grabbed your bag and left for the elevator. Even though everything you were wearing wasn't technically yours, you couldn’t bother to change, you couldn’t bear another second in that room with Ruby and with all of those people with their eyes on you. So you just left.  Once in the lobby, you saw a text from jack.

Annoying older brother: I'm a few blocks away, wait for me inside

And so you did. You waited in the lobby, tapping your shows anxiously against the marble floor, making it echo around the room. There was a ding from behind you, and you see Ruby, in different clothes, walking quickly up to you. Your airways seemed to close as you turned around and started walking even faster away from her.

“Y/n!” Lola screamed “the car hasn't arrived yet, where are you going?” she looked up from her phone, shaking her disappointment “The chauffeur is 5 minutes away!”

You turned around, walking back carefully not to trip. You tried your best no to meet Ruby’s eye as you simply shook your head.

“Jack came to pick me up” you yell loud enough for everyone to hear, but it was clear that your voice was weak and on the edge of cracking “I’m leaving with him, i'll text you when i get home”

Then Ruby started walking faster and calling you names, to catch up with you, but you left the building and made yourself to the street. You then saw your brother's blue jeep and you quickly jumped in and left. On the rearview mirror you could see Ruby staring back at you, as the car took off quickly, her figure became smaller til she was barely visible.

Jack quickly placed his hand on your knee, and the touch on itself was enough to make you burst into tears once again. You cover your mouth in disappointment of your previous actions. Your sobs soon got louder than the radio, completely drowning all the noise around them. The fingertips on your mouth shaking as you could softly still taste Ruby’s stupid cherry chapstick.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

[janesbeloved]

☆ FINDING FRANKIE AU INFOPOST ☆

(incredible logo I made /silly)

—

Hiya everyone!!! Thank you soso much for the love and support regarding this AU!!! Due to so many people being curious about it and wanting to do little fan OC's for it, I'll explain it properly!!

This AU is worked on by me and @perish-lolz , thus characters belong either to me, them or us both! We both write the story and characters and do art together ^_^

—

THE PLOT: Franklin JR "Boss" Rabbit and his older brother Frankie Rabbit first made a cereal company. To advertise said cereal, they eventually created a fun TV show for little children (mostly age group of 5-10) called "Frankie's Toonville Adventures", which had it's main character cast: Frankie the magician rabbit (played by... Frankie), Henry Hotline (...played by himself..) and Deputy Duck (played by Debbie Duck)! The show had multiple seasons, it's episodes consisting of important life lessons and other things for tiny kids to learn!

At the height of the shows success, Boss opened up an activity park called "Frankie's Parkour Palace" with parkour, trampoline and waterpark fun stuff, said park becoming incredibly popular!

Eventually as the show ended and it's popularity faded, Frankie's Parkour Palace was expanded, with more entertainment areas added so there's a ton of things to do for literally all ages!

☆☆☆

Toonville Adventures: The Aftermath, takes place after this. The stars of the old show try to navigate themselves through life, finding new careers for themselves. While everyone else finds their new slot in the expanded activity center, Frankie isn't happy. Sure he's the image of the company, his name and face plastered everywhere, but he's not ready to give up his stardom. This AU mostly focuses on the struggles people in the showbiz face, how cruel the environment can be, how easily people will backstab eachother if it's to benefit themselves.. all desperate to secure their own survival no matter what it takes. Families get torn apart, bonds get broken... a lot of stuff happens! It's just the grim reality of it all.

—

If you wish to make OC's for this AU, you're very welcome to do so!! Just tag me or send a pic to me in DM's as I really wanna see them!<3 These fan OC's mostly function as background characters, as me and my friend have the main storyline and characters pretty much set up ^_^

The OC's can be park workers (besides from the known areas in the park, theres also a little shopping area, a movie theatre, a bar for adults, a small indoor amusement park section, a lazer gun area, rock climbing and just so much more!), or workers of the film studio thats attached to the park. While the show itself is no longer running, they do other stuff there such as commercials, Henry has a lot of his career still as an actor, as well as a talkshow host ^_^

-

MAIN CHARACTERS & SOME RELATIONSHIP INFO:

(all my art ofc ^_^)

—

I'll write individual character infos when I can, but I have posted stuff of this AU to its tags!! You can look through em! Thank you again for the love and support this AU means so much to me <33 ;;___;;;

[reverseexorcist]

Hi! How are you? Can you write some enemies to lovers with Lute if you feel comfortable with that? Like reader is a overlord who likes to fight every extermination day just for fun and Lute sees a worthy rival until they fall in love?

❥ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧 𝐌𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 ❥

Oh wow I love her such a normal amount like seriously you could ask me anything about her and I would be the most normal person ever about her. But something about enemies to lover Lute with a sinner reader just hits different-

Someone here was having way more fun with the enemies to lovers aspect of this (and it's not Lute.)

(I am sorry I took so long with this request, but it was just so long and I'm juggling multiple blogs, interests and school-work rn so I'm just happy to get this one out. Thank you for being so patient <3)

➲ Lute + !F!Overlord!Reader

➲ Romantic ☒, Platonic ☐

➲ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 Count; 4,532 Words

➲ Warnings/notes; Descriptions of gore, descriptions of body shifting/horror, tsundere Lute, lots of fighting between two idiots who are actually trying to murder each other

Three hours before extermination day. Three hours before the exorcists would descend from Heaven like a plaguing swarm to rid Hell of as many demons as they possibly could. Three hours before you could go dance with death like you usually did and scare the living shit out of winners and sinners alike with your almost insane mannerisms.

Because that's what you did for fun, apparently.

However, unlike the countless times before you'd done this, you were feeling just a little tired. Staying up late to binge the new episode of 'MAMMON'S MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MID-SEASON SPECIAL' mightn've been the best idea you'd ever had, but it was one hundred percent worth it even as you stood proudly, staring up at the pearly gates of Heaven. From where you stood, they still looked rather bare, and so you didn't think a quick nap beforehand would be all that bad, right?

At least, that was the plan. Just a quick nap before the extermination to get your head in the game - Except you'd forgotten to put a damn alarm on and slept right through the beginning ceremony. As the holy trumpets and guitar riffs echoed throughout the scorching pit of eternal suffering, you were snoozing away peacefully in your Evil Overlord Tower™.

Or, at least, you were.

Something didn't feel right, which was odd, because you had one of the most comfortable beds in all of Hell courtesy of the instinctual fear you spread throughout the ring of pride. And when something wasn't right, you sought to make it right because you didn't deal with shit that annoyed you (such, through the power you held).

A light weight rested across you, evenly spread expertly as if whoever was standing above you was trying not to rouse you from your slumber. For a moment, you thought you'd imagined it. There was no movement from above you, and there was a split second where you considered just letting your mind relax and fall asleep again, but such thoughts didn't get you into your current status. Being an overlord meant destruction and paranoia, the two things you strove to embody.

You barely gave whoever was on top of you time to react, moving swiftly enough that for a split second, your entire body shimmered and turned invisible as you slammed your would-be attacker into the floor.

Your hands fumbled, grappling with a sleek, steel pole that you promptly threw outwards, topping the attacker in front of you over. The room around you shook violently, the lights flickering as your brain caught up with your body, trying its hardest to shake the dregs of unconsciousness from your mind.

Bold stripes stared back at you, a sleek mask emblazoned with threads of angelic steel. The sight jogged your still sleep-hazy brain.

'Oh yeah, extermination day' and you gleefully took a swipe at the exterminator in front of you. You'd just fix the damages later.

But she was fast, swift on her wings and on her feet as she ducked and rolled out of the way. You could see she was stumbling, still recovering from the shock of being thrown halfway across the room. But you could still clearly see that she wielded her weapon with pure fury and raw talent, which was certainly something you weren't used to. Other exorcists relied on the fact that normal demons couldn't hurt them, their fighting sloppy and trivial because of it. The one in front of you actually knew what she was doing.

"You're kinda rude, y'know," Rolling your shoulders, a part of you was miffed for being woken up so rudely. Another part of you was grateful for the wake-up call.

She laughed, deep and sharp. The sound made your heart flutter.

"Demon scum like you don't deserve niceties," Her grin grew, sharp edges stretching upwards. You hummed thoughtfully and shrugged your shoulders.

The exorcist charged forward, striking forward with precision startlingly quickly. But you were quicker - Ducking under the point of her spear and tackling her, grappling with her wings as the two of you rolled across the floor in a writhing mass of fury. Holy steel clashing against the might of an overlord. Deep grooves were carved in your floor, yet, as the exorcist managed to tuck her head and roll with the momentum till she was on her feet in one elegant swoop, you couldn't find yourself caring. Adrenaline coursed through your veins, and you almost laughed as she stabbed at you with her spear once more. You parried it almost expertly, cackling before you managed to grab the pole between your palms.

It almost seemed evenly matched between the two of you, an unstoppable force fighting against an immovable object. The poor spear quivered, bending as you both quarrelled over it like young children until it splintered roughly between your palms, crushed beneath the sheer force you exerted. That seemed to get the exorcist's attention.

She stumbled backwards, no doubt thoroughly pissed off at her now shortened weapon - But even that didn't deter the bloodlust in her step. Half of it was thrown away, the broken half that held no pointed end, and chucked it at your face. It missed, and instead, it rattled ominously somewhere behind you in time with the flickering lights, but with your attention split for just a breath, the exorcist lunged forward and scraped a shallow wound in your forearm. It stung, numbly, and the wisk of air as she jumped warned you belatedly. Crimson trickled tantalisingly down your arm as the air between you sizzled, thick and heavy with some undeterminate feeling that made your blood thrum with electricity.

You cackled, grin growing to match the angel's, jaw splitting further than it probably should've as your bones cracked seamlessly, form growing larger as you felt the power of endless stolen souls burning your flesh. Your head brushed against the ceiling, bending to fit in the limited space - You could only relish in the confusion and fear that rolled over the exorcist's face, quickly masked with the solemn, set expression of a battle-seasoned soldier.

However stoic she seemed, you saw your opening and rocketed forward with speed that seemed unsightly for how big you were, pulling yourself against the floor like the demon you were. With the force of a semi-truck, you slammed the exorcist into the wall, fracturing the framework and no doubt rattling her entire being to her very core. You could feel the point of her spear pressed faintly against your chest, a gentle reminder that you quickly snagged and tossed the item far across the room. 

Face to face, almost nose to nose. A twisted scarl danced across her face, pearly white fangs stained with spatters of golden blood. It was almost beautiful with how it shimmered in the darkness, like liquid stardust.

"You better fucking kill me, hell-spawn," She spat in your face, fingernails carving angry crescents in your skin.

You laughed, because her words were rather cliche, after all.

"Y'know," You mused, "maybe knowing I'm down here will make you try harder next time."

That did not ease her scowl, but that didn't really bother you, because you had other places to be right now - You weren't going to waste your entire extermination day on one singular angel after all.

You threw her out of the nearest window.

She would be fine, with her wings and all, but it was still funny watching the momentary panic spread across her face before she realised the same thing you did.

Furiously, she flared out her banded wings, scattering loose a flurry of black and white feathers, specks of gold blood arcing in the crimson sky around her. Dazed as she was, her fierce eyes flickered and spun before honing in on her mobile target, namely, you. A titan of the underworld, an overlord in hell - An ear-piercing, spine-chilling cackle echoing around the eastern side of the Pentagram as you pulled yourself from your tower, monstrous figure all too elegant for how big you were, hauntingly so.

And that just made her blood boil, to see a sinner escape her clutches and laugh like nothing was wrong - Or worse, to laugh and knock down her subordinates straight from the sky like they were nothing more than bugs. As little as she cared about the fledglings on their first escapades, that was her hard work going to waste because the littles had no idea how to use their wings. 

And that just pissed her off all that much more.

The little exorcist you'd hucked from the top floor window was the furthest from your mind as your galavant around hell started again. She was a little spitfire, but nothing you hadn't ground into the dirt before and gotten away with. Even the array of cuts and slashes littering your body, courtesy of her spear, didn't mean anything beyond a harsh sting that would be gone within the next month. Yet nothing she did was permanent, which is why you didn't exactly pay attention to the screeching war cry of rage followed by a sharp twinge between your shoulder blades.

Which irked you, but not that much. You twisted your neck in an unnatural manner, bones creaking as your form bent in on itself, teeth fastening around the stab-happy angel's wing before wrenching her away from you. The machete she'd snagged from elsewhere remained buried just beneath your shoulder, you absentmindedly reminded yourself to remember it after this whole ordeal was over. Angelic steel was no good when left to fester in an open wound.

It could've been the same angel, probably was for all you knew. All their stripes looked the same, and plenty had horns curved back like hers (you had a collection of similar exorcist helmets lining your basement, and you still struggled to tell them apart when not labelled.)

But it was those eyes - They were different, or her mask was at least. You'd never seen obsidian glass carved with an 'x' like that marked over an eye, but there was something about it that was so alluring. It was shiny, unique, and belonged to an especially bloodthirsty angel, and you had what was probably the perfect spot to display it back in your den.

Greed made you strike out, grabbing at her helmet and tussling with the exorcist as the two of you fell to the ground. You may have had the size advantage, much, much larger than the lean figure writhing beneath you, but she was still incredibly strong. Her wings were annoying too, beating and kicking up dust that made your eyes water and ache, battering against your face and drawing a headache up, thrumming against the back of your skull. But you wanted that helmet more than anything, and she seemed extremely determined to keep it on.

The force of it all sent a splintering crack through the surface, shining a brilliant bright white like the threads of angelic steel melted and spilled like blood as one horn snapped clean off beneath your palm.

Those eyes.

They almost made you falter, as gold as angel blood. They were beautiful.

The exorcist, however, was not as thrilled.

She snarled, whipped her head around and sunk her teeth into whatever of your flesh she could reach.

It was more like a hell-kitten nipping at your skin, but you still flinched and let her go, watching as she slumped, cradling a crooked wing. A swelling of a certain emotion welled in your gut, something that made you feel small and achy and you absolutely hated it, but you couldn't do anything. Or, more aptly, you didn't want to do anything as you merely watched the exorcist flare her wings out, still beating strongly despite the fact one of them surely was broken.

The trumpets sounded. She made a rude gesture (many rude gestures, actually) before she grabbed the discarded weapon and the broken curve of her horn before disappearing back into the flock.

It was almost creepy, with the way your eyes watched her without blinking.

"You-"

"You!"

It was that time of year already.

The puffed-up exorcist looked angry, but no more than the last few times you'd seen her. You'd come to associate her venomous scowl, sharp wings and pointed spear as a sort've unique welcome between the two of you, in the same manner that your oversized overlord form bent out of proportion was a gratuity you reserved for your exorcist and your exorcist alone.

Because it was fun, and something you two did together.

"I want to try something," You mused out loud. The angel in front of you didn't respond to your remark, circling you like a severely ticked-off lion. You didn't expect her to, intently watching her as your neck kept twisting and twisting, bending like an owl.

Even with every muscle in her body tensed, she still wasn't prepared for how fast your strikes were. One and two, sharp against her chest as your hulking silhouette snapped and quashed itself into a far more humanoid one, the exorcist's favourite blade now held loosely between your hands. As if it would make her feel better, you kicked a machete, similar to the one she used in your first fight, toward her. Coated in crimson blood of sinners, yet still undoubtedly sharp.

"Here, now it's more of an even fight," You shrugged your shoulders, stancing up.

She scoffed.

"Is that really the best you can do?" She sneered, tapping her foot and folding her wings back high and proud. You quirked your eyebrow.

"Huh?" Your head tilted just a bit too far to be considered 'cute' or 'puppyish'. The exorcist grumbled.

"Your form. It's shit," She motioned with the tip of her blade. "Tuck your arms in, for fucks sake. No wonder your swings are so sloppy."

For once, you seem flustered and tried your hardest to follow her instructions. Heat swelled in her chest, almost like pride. But she would never be proud of someone like you.

"And speaking of, adjust your grip. Move your dominant hand up and your non-dominant hand down - For the love of anything holy, how can you be so shit with the bare basics!"

"Okay! Sorry!" You shifted your weight and tried to do as she told, almost forgetting where exactly you were. The exorcist only felt her grin grow more sadistic, watching how small you suddenly seemed in front of her, and how pathetic you were at actually using a weapon like a somewhat normal person.

It was sad.

(It reminded her of her bright-eyed, curious fledgling classes. All of them eager to learn about how to serve the lord above.)

"Like this?" You question, insane eyes almost reflecting the same eagerness of her students.

It was all wrong, but that was what she wanted.

"Ha. No."

This time she was the one covering the distance between you two with frightening speed, flinging herself forward with the momentum from her wings. The noise you made plucked at her heart, that startled screech clashing with the harsh sound of metal as you brought her own weapon up against her.

It was a brief moment of weakness, one quickly lost as you found your footing and started swinging. For how amateur your swings were, they were more than halfway decent compared to the littles fighting closer to the portal into Heaven. She could work with this, make it feel like you were actually a challenge instead of just another run-of-the-mill sinner.

She could see the way your eyes were glowing, looking all too content with yourself as you somehow matched her footwork and swordsmanship. You were a bit all over the place, but you were also incredibly smart - Picking up on her unique fighting style that not one other exorcist had, and you were doing it fast. Puffing up, almost preening.

"Aha! Now for some witty back-and-forth banter!" You declared out of nowhere, swings much more confident. She narrowed her eyes, infuriated. Just when she thought you were starting to take this whole thing seriously.

The exorcist remained eerily silent, not even puffs of exhausted breath or grunts with each collision of the blades.

"Huh, yeah, not really sure where to go with that?" You shrugged with the brief lull in fighting, darting backwards and sheathing your weapon with just a tad too much confidence for her taste.

Which, every part of this felt like a trap, but she trusted her own skills enough to not fall prey to the like of a sinner. Expertly, more than expertly, she matched those steps as you fell back, advancing, wings arced out as eyes aglow with holy fire.

Only for you to, once again, take her off-guard with your usual tactic. Darting forward, ducking under her blade and kicking her feet out from underneath her. She didn't make a sound but refused to go down with a fight and grabbed at the back of your outfit.

Her vision briefly went dark, the impact of something heavy crashing against her torso and knocking the wind right out of her. Her helmet cracked again, which was par for the course ever since she started brawling with you every extermination.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," Through the new crack in her helmet, she could almost perfectly make out your face. A bit too perfect, and way too close. Close enough to see her pale reflection in the dark of your eyes.

Your, admittedly, pretty eyes.

She felt like carving her own heart out rather than admitting she'd ever thought that in the first place.

"Get. Off. Me." She snarled. Meanwhile, stars practically glowed in your eyes.

"Oh wow! Dropping the 'Hellspawn' and 'Demon-scum'? Could this be love?" You were clearly joking, but her own heart decided to betray her thoughts, flipping in graceful arcs that she'd seen you perform one too many times.

She bit you again.

Five hours.

It had been five hours into the extermination.

With a ranking tally of two hundred and fifty or so demons, the exorcist figured she was fine to have a quick look around.

Because, through all this time, she'd seen neither hide nor hair of you. She didn't want to admit that she'd been loitering around your tower, knowing your tendency to throw yourself into the fray, dancing like you were tempting a lightning storm. She didn't want to admit that she'd been expecting to see your annoying face peering out at her from a nearby rooftop or to descend upon her like a leaping cat, or even to stroll up and start talking to her like the two of you were old friends. None of that happened.

The streets were rather empty, if you didn't take into account the blazing wrecks of cars, broken corpses and puddles of crimson blood puddling around the divets in sulphur roads. There were no moving, 'living' souls scurrying around, and that was what worried her.

Or, no. Not worried. She wasn't at all worried at the thought of you gutted somewhere, dying in a pool of your own blood, banished to the forever void that came after a second death. No, she was pissed at the thought that someone else had managed to kill you after all those years of the same cat-and-mouse dance. Or, more aptly, cat and fox dance. That honour was rightly hers, and she'd smite down any other exorcist that dared to stand in her way.

 In her way of killing you. Yes.

The exorcist pinned back her wings, sheathing her weapon and scuffing her boot against brimstone in annoyance. This was bullshit.

There was no fun in the exterminations without your jeering taunts, or odd remarks, your instance of fighting absolutely everyone you saw. Along with the annoyance of you ditching her mid-battle to rip feathers from one of her cohorts, along with a certain warmth she felt when you came bounding back towards her, bloodlust in your eyes and that same weapon you'd stolen from her all those years back pointed directly at her.

The angel only stopped once her boot stepped in liquid gold. It rippled, her thoughtful reflection mirrored and shimmering on its surface. Amber ichor, melding into the red from a nearby puddle, the mingling of sinner and winner blood alike.

What was the chance? She reasoned. But only one demon so far had managed to draw blood from an exorcist.

With a set snarl, she followed the trail. Her bootsteps were the only sound ricocheting around the dinky alley she found herself tracing.

"Oh, it's you..." She almost jumped out of her boots at the sound of your voice. Although, it didn't sound like you, per se. It was croaky and weak, dull and mild-mannered to put it lightly.

You were resting against a brick wall, clutching your front, eyes dimmed in the bright light. Squinting, as if a headache was plaguing your every thought.

Beside you, one of her cohorts rested too. Not dead, but her mask was all but shattered, one of her wings horribly ripped. She wasn't sure if she'd ever fly properly again.

But, you were not dead! Which was good news, because it meant she would be the one to finally slit your throat and watch the light drain from your eyes. And you knew it too, with the way your head kept tilted in her direction, a thoughtful twinkle in your eye.

"So, how's your day been?" Still playful, still joking. It was definitely you.

She scoffed.

"How's the blood loss?" She quipped back, the first she'd ever done so. Properly, at least. You laughed wetly, gagging on your own blood. Even she couldn't help but chuckle, dragging the tip of her weapon up until it rested gently over your heart.

Your laughter died down. Her hand was shaking.

Everything around you was quiet, like the two of you were submerged in a solid bubble of silence. Your ragged breathing was the only sound above a whisper, wet and ragged.

"Can I see your face?" Your voice was as soft as she'd ever heard it. Genuine.

She hummed, quirking a single brow. Not that you could see, because of her helm.

"Why would I do that?" She'd meant for it to sound more venomous. It didn't. You tried your hardest to shrug your shoulders, wincing in pain.

"Well," You sucked in a pained breath, "if I have to die here, the last thing I'd like to see is your face." Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes, smudging the whorls of gold and red blood alike as they dribbled down your cheeks.

Something within her snapped. Dead. Death. A future forever without you. If she'd thought today's extermination had been boring without you, she couldn't even imagine any more.

That's what she told herself, anyway. A future without you was not one she wanted to live, for any reason.

The clank of angelic steel broke the atmosphere, harsh against the bloody floor. Fingers fuzzy and numbed, clasping as the latches that kept her exorcist helmet together. One flick, then another, a sharp snap. Dark obsidian peeled away, horns lifted till a silver-sharp face so out of place in the depths of hell appeared.

"I was right," You croaked. "You are... Pretty woman."

You devolved into another flurry of hacking coughs. The angel felt her feathers flare up, alarmed.

"Yeah, yeah," You waved her off, "don't show weakness or whatever, thanks lieutenant." Your chest crackled painfully as you just regained some unneeded breaths. The angel in front of you stumbled, anxiously padding forward as her boots clacked against the ground.

"Look, I can die happy now. Was fun fighting against you - Really fun, actually. And look! You finally came out on top this time, eh?" You tried to wink, you really did. It just didn't have the same effect when you were bleeding out in front of her. Which made her stomach drop and her adrenaline spike.

'This goes against everything I've ever done' She squinted, furrowing her brow. Gold eyes almost glowed like hot iron, fingers clasped firmly against the hem of her outfit. 'But, y'know, I could always say I was just trying to save my flockmate.'

And she tugged.

Her shirt ripped, the sound harsh against your ears, but it left her with a hefty chunk of fabric that slid against her chainmail gloves. The Lord would smite her down if he ever found out about this, but chances are, in the belly of hell, it would be a secret between only the two of you.

Hours ticked onwards, slipping through her fingers far too quickly. She was just lucky you were as strong as you were, holding on to your consciousness with all your might as she worked her magic. Stuff the wound, stop the bleeding, heal and hope to everything that was holy that angelic magic didn't sear your flesh the same way their steel did.

Of course, you being you, airy quips were thrown around, keeping the air light as your wound slowly healed. It was nasty, there was no doubt about that, your first permanent scar. But at least this way, you'd make it out with your life.

"How did you even let her catch you off guard?" She questioned you after hours of silence.

"I'll be honest, I thought she was you based on her footsteps," You sighed, exhaling softly as she tugged at your makeshift bandages. You got no proper response outside of her light scoff. Somehow, that still made you burn hot with shame.

In perfect unison, the two of you looked out to the horizon. Golden light spilled down from heaven, the portal slowly growing more and more, ripping open a way back to their holy home. Six minutes till the trumpets would sound, if you had to guess. The angel tutted, disapproving of the way time worked. The thought was enough to make you crack a smile.

"I have to go," She seemed hesitant.

"I'll be fine," Even if hoisting yourself to your feet almost made you black out, lugging yourself back to your tower shouldn't have been a big problem when you could literally see one of the back entrances.

That didn't ease her thoughts. She was thinking, mind ticking away as she thought and thought and thought. She kept thinking, until she slowly reached up and snagged a rounded, down-fluff feather from her puffed-up shoulder. Pristine and warm to the touch, it washed away the blood as she carefully placed it into your shaking palm.

No words were shared between you as she rested you against the wall, letting you steady yourself and she hoisted her fellow exorcist onto her shoulders. After helping her shimmy back into her iconic helmet, she glanced backwards at you before stepping toward the light.

"You better not die before I can kill you." Her words were soft, unlike her sharp exterior. You could only match the assumed small, hidden smile. With a hum, you felt only a single name come to mind.

"Yeah, course I won't Lute."

Rules + Info,

Masterlist,

[everwhovian]

what remains. | Hwang brothers

Part 1 | next part | masterlist

Part 7: Jun-ho thinks about the true meaning of ‘hyung’

Jun-ho never thought much about his father.

Not in the way the other boys at school did.

They talked about their dads all the time: what they did, how strict they were, the games they played together, what kind of things they taught them. Some of them wanted to be just like their fathers.

And when they asked about his father, Jun-ho always said the same thing. “He’s busy.”

And most of the time, that was enough to end the conversation.

It wasn’t like his father was gone completely. Sometimes, he showed up. Smiled. Ruffled Jun-ho’s hair. Told him to listen to his mother. Asked about school in that vague, detached way that told Jun-ho he didn’t really care about the answer.

Jun-ho loved him, of course he did. That’s what sons were supposed to do.

But when the boys spoke about their fathers… when they spoke about the moments that really mattered…

A different face came to mind.

Not their father’s.

In-ho.

It was In-ho who had been there every time he fell. Every time.

It was In-ho who had knelt in front of him, arms open, when he took his first steps.

It was In-ho who had taught him how to ride a bike, running alongside him, holding the seat steady – only to laugh when he toppled over, but immediately reaching out to pull him back up.

It was In-ho who picked him up from school, who made sure he ate, who made fun of his bedhead and ruffled his hair just to make it worse.

It was In-ho who helped him with his schoolwork, grumbling the whole time but still giving him a light shove or a proud smirk when Jun-ho finally got the answer right.

It was always In-ho.

And at school, when the boys talked about their fathers and their memories, Jun-ho stayed quiet. Because he had those moments, too.

Just not with the person they expected.

“My dad and I went hiking up Bukhansan. Have you ever gone with yours?” one of the boys asked him one afternoon.

Jun-ho hesitated, then shrugged. “No.”

The boy frowned. “Doesn’t he take you anywhere?”

Jun-ho didn’t have an answer. But instead of his father, he thought of where In-ho had taken him just last week.

A small arcade, flashing lights, the smell of cheap fried food. His hyung standing behind him, arms crossed, watching Jun-ho grip the claw machine controls with all the focus of a seasoned warrior.

“You’re not actually gonna win,” In-ho had teased, leaning on the machine, grinning. “You’re just feeding it your allowance.”

“I’m gonna get it,” Jun-ho had said with absolute certainty, tongue poking out in concentration.

“You’re too short,” In-ho continued, just to be an ass. “You can’t even see the angle properly.”

Jun-ho huffed and stood on his toes, just to prove a point. And then, against all odds, the claw grabbed the stupid stuffed dog Jun-ho had been aiming for.

It wobbled. Held.

And then – it dropped.

“No!” Jun-ho shouted, pressing buttons frantically, as if that would change the outcome.

“Tragic,” In-ho said, completely unsympathetic.

Jun-ho turned to him. “You distracted me!”

In-ho smirked. “I did nothing. You just suck at claw machines.”

And because Jun-ho was twelve and furious, he smacked his brother on the arm.

But later that night, when he had gone to brush his teeth, there was the stuffed dog, sitting on his pillow.

No note. No mention of it.

Just there. Waiting for him.

Jun-ho stared at it, his fingers hovering just above the fabric but never quite making contact. Beside it sat his well-loved stuffed duck, worn from years of being hugged, its seams a little frayed. It had been In-ho’s once, years ago, though Jun-ho didn’t remember a time when it hadn’t been his.

Now, the dog sat next to it. A quiet, unspoken addition.

And when Jun-ho had stomped into the living room and thrown himself onto the couch next to In-ho, glaring at him suspiciously, his hyung didn’t even look up from the TV.

Jun-ho smiled at the memory. Because it wasn’t his father who had taken him to the arcade.

It wasn’t his father who had played with him, teased him, made fun of him, and then made it better.

It was his hyung. And maybe, for Jun-ho – that word meant something bigger than it did for anyone else.

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ○△□ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

Part 1 | next part | masterlist

[fairytale-poll]

BEST MODERN FAIRYTALE ADPATATION! SEMIFINALS, MATCH 2 OUT OF 2!

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley is based off various fairytales; Princess Tutu by Ikuko Itoh is based off the Ugly Duckling and Swan Lake.

Propaganda Under the Cut:

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley:

The Sisters Grimm was a formative read for me as a kid. It’s fun and episodic, but over time it also examines both what place fairytales have in modern lives and uses fairytale characters as an allegory for self-determination.

Amazing to see The Sisters Grimm go up against Diana Wynne Jones. I know which one is probably objectively better, but only the other has kept a stranglehold on my brain to this day. For all its flaws, honestly maybe because of all its flaws, Sisters Grimm really is the middle grade series that keeps on giving. I'm not saying that anyone new should, like, read these books, I'm just staying it's nice to see people vote for them Anyway the other reason you should vote Sisters Grimm is because if we could get it facing off against OUAT in a later round that would be funny I think

there were a good few years of my childhood where I could only sleep with an audiobook on. Except I didn’t have a phone then so I would play them through my Alexa. But my Alexa only played the free ones. Aka the sisters grim book 2 and this other book. so for a span of around 5 years almost everyday I listened to the audiobook of the sisters grim book 2 and I can now recite passages of it.

OK sorry one more thing. I feel like you can't just compare the newer editions' cover art to a good DWJ cover like that. These books originally came out with some honestly iconic illustrations. Look at this stuff. [Click through to see the illustrations] The physical design of these books was another thing that I always truly loved. They were different than all the other books on the library shelf. I was especially fond of the paperbacks, because something about the squarish proportions just made them feel so nice to hold. And the hardcovers with their textured fabric and all the gold detailing really felt like you had happened across not just a book, but a tome. These books felt genuinely special when you held them.

Princess Tutu (2002 - 2003):

This show is PHENOMENAL. Starts as a fairy tale show, slowly starts to discuss fate vs free will and the archetypes that fairy tale characters have to play and what would happen if they could fight the narrative. Also has one of the most perfect endings to Duck's arc that any protagonist could ever have.

Princess Tutu ftw, let's be honest here

Princess Tutu is a combination of The Ugly Duckling, The Nutcracker, and The Swan Princess In addition to the plot points and themes already mentioned, look how pretty this series is [Click through to see images] This show is hella underrated And it's two seasons, you could totally binge the whole thing

[lavenderchqn]

Congratulations on 500 followers! Your writing is so underrated, you deserve all that you have and more.

For the event, could I order some white tea in an enamel cup? Maybe a situation where he finds himself silently admiring the MC for something other than intellect — whether that be him reflecting on how he went from disinterested to smitten over the course of their interactions, appreciating their looks as they go about their day, or seeing them demonstrate an internal trait he initially didn’t value as much but had grown to appreciate because of the MC (kindness, integrity, charisma, strength, or whatever you’d prefer the trait to be).

Ultimately, though, you don’t have to write any of this — if you have something else in mind that completely differs from my suggestion, I’d love to read that as well! Or, if you’d like to take a break and not write at all, I wouldn’t want to pressure you! You deserve to have fun at this milestone too, so I want most for you to enjoy your creative process, however that has to happen.

Please have a wonderful day and take care of yourself :)

✧・┆gelid — albedo

— during a regular trip for some starsilver, albedo discovers how much love he can hold for you

tysm for the request and the biggest sorry for getting to it so so late! i hope you enjoy~

Serene. It feels so serene. 

No matter how many times you go on an expedition with Albedo, you’re always mesmerised by the atmosphere the icy mountain has. 

The biting cold wraps around you like a persistent embrace, but it’s never unpleasant. Instead, it sharpens your senses, making the crunch of snow underfoot and the gentle whistle of the wind all more vivid. 

You spare a glance at your partner, who is carefully examining the starsilver pieces he just managed to salvage. That’s right — you’re here to collect materials to make more paint. Something about their leyline affected properties making it the best kind of silver paint. 

The soft glow of the ore glints faintly in his gloved hands, its ethereal sheen reflecting the muted light of Dragonspine’s perpetual frost. Albedo inspects each fragment with the precision of a seasoned alchemist, his brow furrowed slightly in concentration. It’s a sight you’ve grown familiar with — his unwavering focus, his meticulous care — but it never ceases to captivate you. 

“This batch is quite pure,” Albedo remarks, his voice calm yet thoughtful. He turns one piece over, letting its surface catch the faint moonlight. “The leyline resonance here is powerful today. It should enhance the pigment’s stability and vibrancy.”

“That’s nice.” You murmur, nodding your hand. In all honesty, you’re paying half attention to Albedo’s hands and his spiel about the leyline energy, deciding to focus on his pretty features instead. Ocean-hued eyes and blond hair… Ever since getting with him it’s gotten so fluffy, you could turn it into a nest for some birds. A little flock of ducks living in his hair, how cute that sounds? 

Ducks? Why were you thinking of ducks all of a sudden? 

“—ack” A faint cry catches you off guard. It’s meek in its volume, almost as if exhausted. You stand up, trying to locate the source. A person getting hurt at a place like this, at nightfall sounds like a terrible scenario to deal with. 

Soon enough, you locate your eyes with the owner of the tiny sounds. Right in the middle of the lake, there stands a flock of ducks on a floe. No wonder you were thinking of them just a mere second ago. You must’ve heard them previously and not paid enough attention to connect the dots.

“Love?” You speak, eyes remaining on the birds. 

“Yes, Darling?” 

“Are there any ducks native to Dragonspine?” You ask, hopeful that you’ve simply stumbled upon a breed that’s used to the frosty weather, rather than someone deliberately choosing to abandon them.

Albedo straightens up, his gaze following yours towards the flock of ducks huddled on the ice. His expression is calm yet, a flicker of curiosity sparks in his ocean-hued eyes.

“Ducks?” He echoes, stepping closer to you. “Not typically, no. Most waterfowl avoid Dragonspine due to its extreme climate. These must have wandered here by mistake or… were left here intentionally.” His voice takes on a more sombre note at the last suggestion.

The ducks, a small cluster of feathers and shivering bodies seem woefully out of place amidst the icy expanse. Their quiet quacking echoes faintly in the stillness, a plea for help that tugs at your heart.

“They don’t look like they’re handling the cold very well,” You murmur, frowning.  

“We could coax them off the ice and guide them to a sheltered spot—“ Albedo ponders out loud, not noticing until the last second you’ve decided to take matters into your own hands. Quite literally. By the time he looks up at the ducks again, you’re already knee-length in the water. 

Your partner rushes towards the lake’s edge, stunned at your sudden heroic action. He wants to shout for you to get out, to remind you of the dangers that come with doing something so irresponsible. And yet… he simply can’t get a word out. He can only stare, and fall deeper and deeper in love. 

Looking back, you always were like this. The sheer generosity you’ve held in your heart. How much you’ve inconvenienced yourself for the sake of others. 

Albedo thinks back to the time he had taken on his first student in Sucrose. Many, oh so many, moons ago she was even more shy than in the present day. The young scientist could barely utter a word in his presence in the beginning. And yet, you’ve always taken the time in your day to check up on her, to make her feel more welcome in that nerve-wracking office. Bit by bit, you’ve managed to get her to open up. 

Or the time when you've become the Mondstadt’s librarian when Lisa was bedridden with a terrible cold. You’ve had little to no connection to the Knights of Favonious, aside from your relationship with the Chief Alchemist, and yet you’ve taken upon her duties to ease the organisation’s mind… and schedule.    

“Don’t think I’ll let you off lightly after this, Darling,” Albedo murmured, mostly to himself. “You’ll catch your death out there, and then who will I scold for being reckless?”

You manage to guide the ducks closer to the edge of the floe, using your scarf as a makeshift barrier to nudge them gently. One by one, you manage to gather them into your arms, holding them as close to your body as possible. Any sort of heath will do. 

“I’m going back!” You announce after scooping the last of the ducklings. 

The blond watches as you trudge back through the icy water, your arms cradling the small flock of birds as if they were treasures. The sight is both heartwarming and mildly infuriating — how could you be so selfless and so reckless at the same time? 

He meets you at the water’s edge, quickly shedding his gloves to help you transfer the shivering ducks into the folds of his cloak. 

“Be careful with Daisy,” You whisper, voice trembling from both the chill and concern. Your scarf is damp, clinging onto you, but you seem oblivious to your own discomfort as you fuss over the ducks. 

“You’ve already named them?” Albedo questions, his voice calm and yet mildly intrigued. He bundles the ducklings carefully, their soft quacking muffled as they burrow into the warmth of his clothes. 

“Of course!” You protest, shivering as the adrenaline begins to wear off, still managing to give him a small smile. “Our children need names,” You mumble, your teeth chattering. 

His lips twitch upward in an amused smile. “Our children, you say? Quite the bold declaration.” He adjusts, ensuring the ducks — your children — are secure and as warm as possible. 

You decide against trying to argue against the man of science, when you’ve just discarded any sort of rationality by diving into an ice-cold lake head, well legs, first. 

The silence might seem as if your partner is deeply upset with you for being so irresponsible but in all honesty… it’s the exact opposite. 

Albedo’s mind can only focus on how much more love his artificial body can hold for you. Although in the saying marriage comes first before children… sometimes improvisation is in order. Gently locking his hand with yours, he only mutters. 

“Perhaps a trip to Liyue is due soon, hmm?” 

date of posting — january 8th 2024

[intricatechaosofyou]

The Right Wrong Turn

Pairing: Crosshair x f!reader

Fandom: The Bad Batch; Star Wars

Summary: A hiccup in the mission ends up with you on a rooftop with the Batch’s sniper. Using the prompt “This did not go the way I expected.”

Warnings: 18+!!!!, blasters, shootouts, cursing, some sexual tension, a couple of references to lines in season 3 but NO SPOILERS (tell me if you find my references though ;) !!)

Author’s note: Happy Bad Batch season my loves!! Our boys are back and I couldn’t be happier (or sadder). I had the privilege of writing for @urfriendlyneighbornightfury so I hope you enjoy this babe! I had so much fun writing it. Italics indicate small flashbacks. Also, please keep in mind that this is post-Echo but pre-Order 66.

The Bad Batch has meant so much to me over the years and while it feels like the end has come far too quickly, I’m grateful for everything it’s done for me and the rest of the Star Wars community! Thank you to @ghostofskywalker / @cloneficgiftexchange for putting on this event!! I’m so grateful to participate in this huge event!!

Sending everyone a Wrecker-sized hug and a happy season 3!! <3

━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━

You panted as you made a sharp turn down an alleyway, trying to lose your pursuers.

It was supposed to be a simple mission: sneak in while Hunter and Wrecker distracted the guards, download a few files, then Echo and Tech would pick you all up in the Marauder.

What you hadn’t planned for, however, was the heavy encryption on the files you needed.

———————

“Tech, I thought you said I just had to plug this data stick in and the files would download!” You whispered into your comm as a red screen appeared on the datapad.

“Theoretically, that should be all you have to do. However, I do suppose the encryptions on the files could prevent the transfer,” Tech replied, his static voice from the comm making you angrier by the second.

Your failed attempts at transferring the files had set off the alarm. You needed to get out of there, but you needed those files first.

“Keep the data stick in,” Tech requested. “I can undo the encryption from my end and transfer the files manually.”

A blaster shot fired right past your shoulder and you immediately ducked behind the large desk in the office. Sneaking a look, you counted three guards with their blasters pulled on you.

Kriff. You had to get out of there.

“Cross,” you hissed into your comm as you pulled your blaster from its holster on your hip.

You didn’t even have to finish your sentence before you heard the sniper’s voice crackle through the comm.

“I’ve got eyes on them. I take middle.”

You couldn’t see him on the next rooftop over, but you knew he was already lining up his shot through the large glass window behind the desk you were hiding behind.

“No fair. I wanted middle this time,” you answered, a smirk forming on your face.

Crosshair tutted. “Too bad, sweets.”

You rolled your eyes as you shifted your blaster in your hands, getting ready to fire.

As soon as Crosshair’s shot came through, shattering the window behind you and killing the assailant in the middle, you stood and shot the two remaining.

“Tech, how’re we looking?” You questioned.

“Files are transferred. Make your way back to the Marauder.”

You grabbed the data stick and booked it to the stairs just as another group of guards bursted into the office.

———————

You thought that they’d give up once you exited the building, but they were still managing to follow you through the busy streets of Bracca.

It was getting harder to lose the guards behind you as you dashed through the streets. One wrong turn and you knew you were in deep trouble.

As you turned down the next alleyway in hopes that you’d finally outpace the guards you heard someone hiss your name.

Looking up you found Crosshair, leaning over the roof of a nearby building, hand outstretched to you.

“Hurry up before those di’kuts catch up.”

You smiled and grabbed his hand, allowing him to hoist you up onto the roof.

“Could’ve used some help earlier, Cro—“

The clone’s hand covered your mouth before you could finish your snarky comment, pushing you to lay down the cold metal roof as he followed suit, laying halfway on top of you as the guards flooded into the alley in pursuit of you.

He lowered his head, sharp eyes watching the guards, ensuring that they didn’t spot the two of you.

But you? You watched him.

He had shed his bucket before helping you onto the roof, granting you full freedom to ogle at his face. You watched the way his eyes darted across the length of the alley, the way jaw clenched every time a guard spoke, the way his lips were parted as he took slow, steady breaths.

Suddenly, the chill of the night was replaced with a heavy heat and you were overcome with the need to move out from under him.

The hard plastoid of his armor dug into your skin as you attempted to shift out from underneath him. But your movement only caused him to hold you down harder, his free hand pressing your hips down to keep you from squirming.

You stifled a frustrated groan, going to shift again but the way he turned to look at you made you freeze. He stared you down, almost daring you to move again.

Unfortunately for him, you loved getting under his skin.

You tried to shift out from under him again, accepting the unspoken challenge from the sniper.

He retaliated, pressing his entire forearm against your hips to prevent your movements.

With a huff, you realized this might be one battle you wouldn’t win. You resigned yourself to watching him again as he took a glance back at the alley.

When his eyes found yours again, he finally took his hand away from your mouth but his arm across your hips stayed in place.

“You nearly got us caught,” he hissed.

“Yeah, well, this didn’t go the way I expected,” you replied, a sarcastic smile on your face as you once again attempted to get out from under him.

The way he put more weight on your hips told you he wasn’t letting you go that easy. “What did you expect? That I’d just let you stand around up here and let the guards catch both of us?” He questioned.

“Stow it,” you demanded, trying to ignore the way your face felt hot. “We need to get back to the Marauder.”

“Not until you answer my question, sweets.”

You huffed, letting your head fall back. Maker, this man was stubborn. “Don’t call me that. You know I hate it.”

“Hate what, sweets?”

“You calling me that!”

“Why, sweets?”

You bit back a snarl at the way he emphasized the name just for the sake of driving you crazy. “I said stow it.”

“What’re you gonna do about it? I seem to have the upper hand, sweets.”

You hated the way his lips curled up into his signature smirk as the nickname left his mouth. Your hands acted on their own accord as they grabbed his face and crashed his lips onto yours. His response was automatic, hands coming to cradle your face to bring you closer to himself.

The kiss was a mess of tongue and teeth, both of you still in an attempt to win an imaginary battle against the other. He pushed you and you pushed back harder against him. Around and around you two went in desperate attempts to put the other in their place…until Crosshair’s comm sounded.

The sniper let out a discontented huff as your mouth left his as you pulled the comm from the belt at his hips.

“We’re still on a mission, sweets,” you reminded him, reveling in the way his jaw ticked as you used the nickname against him before turning back to the comm and assuring Hunter that you and Crosshair were en route to the Marauder. “We gotta get going.”

Despite his groaning, he still shifted off of you and offered you a hand to help you stand up.

You brushed yourself off and took in Crosshair’s usual frown. “Cheer up, Cross.”

“I don’t like being interrupted,” he replied, pulling a toothpick from the pocket on his belt.

Shrugging, you grabbed the toothpick from his hand and put it in your own mouth. “Don’t worry. We’ll finish this later.”

The corners of Crosshair’s mouth ticked up at your insinuation. “I like that plan, sweets.”

Although you rolled your eyes, you couldn’t help the fond smile from growing on your face. Instead of granting him a response you simply turned and started the trek back to the Marauder with Crosshair right beside you, his hand resting on the small of your back. Yeah, you’d definitely be finishing this later.

[aspergerasparagus]

After high school I can't wait to check your blog to see if you've posted anything, it's exciting to have something to do after a tiring day of studying.

I love the idea that while we and the chat people wait for the new season, Frankie and the others do daily streams, so Lucky and the others can chat and enjoy the chat. I imagine that some stream, Lucky turns on without the bunnyhusbands noticing with the name "secret sleepover stream with the phone head and the tablet duck, while the 3 bunnies sleep" and they talk and have fun with the chat. Until well... The other 3 wake up.

Remember to drink water and get plenty of rest! <3, greetings from Argentina!!

Its me your cool weird neighborhood Cwas here to bring you cringe memes and silly little doodles after a hard day at school. Keep it up, keep studying and trying your best! And hello all the way in Argentina! So very very far from me, I hope it's nice there and slightly warmer then here.

Lucky, Henry and Deputy having a secret podcast they run in the maze without anyone knowing, funnier still if its a gaming show and they have rigged Deputy up to play games and they just trying to beat each other in party games. Its all v silly but shhhhhh don't tell the Frankies.

[highlifeboat]

Hey, Dad, since we on topic of Mascot Horror media, what's your opinions on some of those?

In general? I think mascot horror is great, and as much as I think people are kinda getting over it, I still find it enjoyable. In terms of specific ones... (I'm gonna list a lot so be ready to read a ramble.

Shipwrecked 64 is amazing from what I've seen. It's pretty... dark a gruesome, but the story is very compelling and I've been watching GTLive play through it and it's been really fun. First mascot horror to scare me in a hot minute.

Güby is a more recent one. Not a game, but like one of those mock-kids shows that features a cartoony/puppet protagonist. Gets to the spooks pretty quick but I love Güby's design and I'd say it's pretty unique. It's on YouTube if you wanna check it out.

BeeVeeKee's "Not Your Normal Kids Show" is also a good non-game mascot horror. They're mainly on TikTok but the series is on YouTube in a playlist and I recommend it.

Poppy Playtime is getting more interesting as time goes. The Cat Nap short was really cool and I'm still excited for the new chapter.

Garten of Banban is... something. I'll be real I have no clue what's happening in these games, I mainly use gameplay of them for background noise, but apparently they have been getting better so cudos to the developers of that game.

Hello Neighbour fucking sucks. It started out good and then it was like watching a train crash.

Speaking of trains, Choo Choo Charles is hilarious and amazing and I love him and I love Pickles. Like. SO much. She's best girl.

Amanda the Adventurer is amazing and I need to consume so much more content of that game. Also Wooly might be evil, but he's just a Little Guy so its okay. Him and Amanda are great I love them.

Slender is a classic Mascot Horror before FNAF. Maybe not scary by today's standards, but goddamn that scared the shit out of me at 7 years old.

Mr. TomatoS and Mrs. LemonS are interesting ones, weirdly full of lore complete with extra files and talking to each other and such.

UuuUUUhhh

DUCK SEAONS! Duck Season was a FANTASTIC game! A games based of Duck Hunt where the Dog tries to kill you and also might be your dad? FUCKING. BEAUTIFUL!

AND TATTLETAIL! DOESN ANYBODY REMEMBER TATTLETAIL BECAUSE THAT GAME WAS ACTUALLY REALLY FUCKING GOOD AND THEN IT JUST LIKE VANISHED FROM THE PLANET AAAAHHHHH

Anyway that's my opinions on some mascot horror games.

[agentoffangirling]

On "What If...?" s3

Okay

I'm going to start this off by saying that What If...? must be incredibly fun to work on. Speaking from as an aspiring screenwriter, a show where I can write whatever?? Where my favorite characters can meet and be besties?? Where I can make everything queer and completely fan service-y?? SIGN ME UP

And What If...? truly does that; seriously, the idea of Darcy and Howard the Duck getting together and having a child (everyone is vomiting in the background) is a scheme only a fanfic writer could cook up. Due to its premise, it allows the crew to be incredibly inventive, with no bounds to their creativity. And I cheer it for that, I don't believe we'll have another Marvel project as boundless as this for a while

Most of the episodes were quite fun as well. The Agatha one had great team dynamics, same with Red Guardian and Bucky. Byrdie grew on me as a character, even if her origins are. Questionable at best. The 1872 episode was my favorite by far, I loved the inclusion of the Defenders (Jun-Fan is an Iron Fist in case you didn't get it) and everything about Shang-Chi's and Kate's bond is chef's kiss. They work sooo well together!

It's also great that season 3 calls back to a lot of forgotten Marvel characters/properties. The Eternals tie-ins were welcomed, more Jotun Loki, more COULSON

But for a season finale, season 3 fails. It's not that the episodes are necessarily bad, they just don't fit properly for a finale. Too many them were just "meh" and passable, which is not what Marvel should want. Mech Avengers were a great idea, but there wasn't anything that stood out to me. I love Riri, but her hatred towards Beck doesn't feel very earned and feels disjointed. AoS did the "Earth cracking apart" plot much better as well. Even the episodes I mentioned enjoying above have their flaws, primarily the fact that they play no role in the finale at all. The less I say about Captain Carter the better (dear god, what does Atwell have on Feige to have him put her in literally every MCU project?)

And why the hell does Storm not have her own episode? You had an extra one! 8 instead of 9, why doesn't she have one?

I also look at the episodes we could've had-- Ghost Rider?? Wolverine Thanos?? Out of all potential ideas, did you purposefully choose the worst ones? Are you trying to ruin yourself? Why do you do this?

There were better things to go with for a season finale, or even better, don't have a finale in the first place. What If...? has ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES, so why are you stopping it when it's barely beginning? That doesn't seem right

You can do more. You can do better. Stop putting in characters no one has thought about in ages and allow for older shows to exist. You're called "What If...?" not "What If Captain Carter beats shit up for the billionth time"

[usertransducks]

Last of the three ask! What is your favorite Donald fanfiction story you are willing to share?

Picking just one is impossible because I have so many Donald fics I reread frequently so here’s 3 in word count order:

He can Understand by bamboozledeagle: A DT17/PKNA/Double Duck/House of Mouse fic where Donald tried to keep the House of Mouse afloat while Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Daisy all run off doing their own superhero and spy things. He is so tired

The Clock, also by bamboozledeagle: A DT17/PNKA fic where the Time Clock from the Meet Scrooge! DT17 short sends a teen Donald forward in time to the 23rd century post-PKNA #43. Odin and Lyla have to take care of him while they try and find a way to get him back to his time. Raider is also there >:3

Masks Within Masks, a still-ongoing fic by Kyprish_Prophetess: A DT17/PKNA/Double Duck/Kingdom Hearts/Legend of the Three Caballeros fic that ignores DT17 season 3 and instead has Donald going back to all his old identities after a significantly more dangerous version of the Phantom Blot returns. Its also José/Donald/Panchito

As you can see I love PKNA fics and fics that focus on Donald having multiple secret identities!

They’re not as Donald-focused but I’d also recommend checking out fics where Darkwing Duck and/or Gizmoduck interact with Paperinik because they’re extremely fun