#judge why are you pointing the mic to your EYE

[mofffun]

Kitten Kaniska ฅ^∫ﻌ•^ฅ

[mightaswelljxmp]

hm ok so interestingly, bdubs’s courthouse is built on an odd number of blocks. note the roof of the facade coming to a point, but more importantly, the nine pillars….

you don’t use an odd number of pillars. like ever.

let me get this out of the way first: i get why you’d build with odd numbers in minecraft. i usually do it myself, to not run into problems like double doors or two-wide pointed roofs or frustrating spacing/symmetry between decorative elements. however. to not even out the design of something so unequivocally done in every other example of columns and pillars…. fascinating implications…

every other example guys. every other building with columns like this has an even number of them.

doing so sets the line of symmetry at an invisible point between two pillars, an even number on each side. but an odd total number of pillars makes the central pillar itself the line of symmetry. this does a couple things.

one, it upends the sense of community and equality. which i know sounds crazy, but really, a group of columns are all put there to hold up a structure. there’s no focus on one because they are all are working as supports.

symbolically, at least when first used in ancient greece, pillars represented people. and it makes sense for courthouses, especially, to want to show an even, fair, equal number of people on each side. no focus on any one, no inherent bias right off the bat just looking at it.

with an odd number of pillars, though, one will always be placed front and center.

and THEN. and then you walk in the courtroom itself (also odd-numbered blocks) and you are immediately opposite the judge, bdubs, located exactly centrally. and true, courtrooms are often set up like this anyway. but bdubs ups the ante and reaffirms that no, focus is on him by staging it all as a daytime court show, boom mic just over his head, cameras pointed in, spotlights on him.

literally by design, it was not built for justice. it’s built for show, for entertainment. and just look at the credits to know exactly what sort of message you’re supposed to be getting from this show.

the biblical story he used, with king solomon. it’s about king solomon. isn’t really about the trial itself, or the babies, or the women. it’s about showing (off) how wise and just he is. that’s the point. hm. interesting.

now, getting to the second point that etho also picked up on: it feels like a prison.

it’s not just the color palette. when your eyes naturally draw to the center point, you aren’t seeing an open space. instead of feeling like an arch or gateway or otherwise some kind of opening, the pillar there makes it feel closed off. the overall effect is that of prison bars. not pillars lining the entrance to a place of order or a temple. bars of a cage, a cell.

imagine the lincoln memorial were set up with 11 or 13 pillars. he’d look so much more trapped in there.

having a central pillar blocks the entrance. it’s not welcoming. you have to go around it; it’s immediately inconveniencing you. and when you go to leave, it’s there blocking you again.

this courthouse was not designed and built to be fair, nor accomodating, nor equitable, on any terms. even if unintentional, i wouldn’t call it so much coincidental as i would… subconscious.

after all, y’know. form follows function.

[fafomama]

Competition

Summary: Tama Tonga and Jey Uso have a friendly competition, judged by OC.

Warnings/Triggers: Smut, MDNI, 18+ only, choking, bondage, PIV, creampie, oral (both receiving), spanking, language, marking

Featuring: Tama Tonga x OC x Jey Uso

Again, MDNI! 18+ only!

Everything is fiction. I don't own nothing except the thoughts in my head.

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

They say a little competition is healthy, but at what point does it cross from healthy to toxic?

Lennox adjusted the incline on the treadmill, tightening her ponytail, and picking up her speed to a slow jog when the gym door swung open briefly catching her attention as the two men walked in.

Tama and Jey.

Jey and Tama.

So different, but so, undeniably similar.  Both building careers on their own, breaking out of their father’s shadows.  Both being known for teaming with their brothers.  Both rooted in their family, carrying their heritage with pride, evidenced by the ink adorning their bodies.  Both absolutely gorgeous.  Both dangerous.

Tama was definitely the more cocky, confident, more smooth, more wild of the two.  Every move calculated and controlled but so fluid and always bordering on unbridled. Watching him was like watching choreographed chaos.  From the way he would slide in to the ring to the way he walked to how his eyes shifted from dark brown, a quick flash of lightening in them before they turned almost black when his mood changed…or when he saw something he wanted.  He was mesmerizing.

Jey was slightly more reserved but still oozing confidence, a quieter note to his bravado.  His movements more spontaneous, hectic, reactionary. Watching him was like watching a storm rolling in.  One minute the air around him would be light, relaxing…the next, his hands would clap together, posture would shift, tone would become darker.  He was tantalizing.

Both men on a mission with something to prove, even if to no one else but themselves.

“Hey, Len” Tama nodded in her direction, acknowledging they weren’t alone.  Jey simply glanced over his shoulder, tilting his chin up, giving her a silent ‘hey’.

“Boys.” Lennox smiled politely and turned her attention back to the treadmill, increasing the speed.

Lennox stopped suddenly, jerking her headphones off her head, when a roll of wrist tape flew in front of her, narrowly missing her face.  “What the fuck?”

“Aye, sorry, Len.  But tell this fool ain’t no way yeyeye is more over than yeet.”  Shaking her head and laughing at Jey’s impression of Tama, Lennox grabbed her water bottle, taking a long drink. “I’m not getting in the middle of that.  I learned my lesson last time.”  Somehow, Lennox always found herself in the middle of their impromptu competitions.  Usually it was inane things…who had the better haircut, who had the better hair before they both got cuts, who wore a particular article of clothing better, who was the better driver.  Other times it was more serious, more tense, words occasionally crossing to shoving and even sometimes becoming physical, with the two exchanging blows.  Who pulled off a certain move better, who was better on the mic, who stole the spotlight during a match.  Most of the time, when things got out of hand, everyone just sat back and let them go until they would both be sitting across from each other, nursing random injuries but laughing, having forgotten why they were fighting, calling a truce.  Other times, their brothers would step in to separate them.  In rarer instances when it would take more than Jimmy and Loa, Jacob would step in too.

“Man,” Tama interrupted, “she just don’t wanna hurt your feelings because y’all been fucking.” Catching the shared look between Lennox and Jey, Tama continued on, “What? Yall thought nobody knew? Jimmy told everyone he caught yall in his garage a few weeks ago.”

Lennox felt a blush creep over her, but forced a shrug.  Jey laughed and shook his head, “Of course he did.  But, aye, you just mad I stepped up first.”

“Len,” Tama’s voice caught her attention again, “if we had both stepped to you at the same time, who woulda got it?”

Amusement hidden behind an eyeroll, Lennox stepped off the treadmill, “Nope, not getting pulled in to that one either.” Grabbing her gym bag, she paused at the door before turning around, “But, for what it’s worth, if you both came up to me at the same time running game…kind of sounds like a win win for everyone.  But, mostly me.” The gym door shut behind her adding an unneeded emphasis to her last words, leaving the two men sharing a look, wheels turning and ideas formulating between them, a challenge accepted.

If the two of them fighting was dangerous, Tama and Jey being on the same page, locked in on a mutual goal was downright criminal.  A hurricane and a wild fire set on the same path.

Lennox set her phone on the nightstand, a knowing smile spreading across her face when she heard the knock.  Feigning exasperation and boredom, she opened the door, not at all surprised to see the two men at her door.  “I’m not judging who can eat the most tacos.” Lennox had turned, opening the door wider, a silent invitation for them to come in.

Jey spoke first, as Tama nudged the door shut, the two men stepping inside, “I’m not hungry.  You hungry?”

Tama shook his head, “Nah, but I can definitely eat.”  The implication of his words hung in the air, grabbing Lennox and shaking her.  Lennox looked from one to the other, the shift in their demeanor from earlier was obvious.  This wasn’t friendly competition to see who could get under her skin first or who could make her blush fastest.  This was a war and Lennox was starting to realize it wasn’t them against each other, battling for whatever prize they wanted from her.  No, they were on the same side.  She was the opponent.  Her resolve, her body, her will power, her sanity.  Her.  They were going to tear her apart in the most delicious way possible. 

“So, is this where I pretend I have no idea why you two are here?” Seeking to take some kind of control, Lennox questioned, shifting her focus again between the two men standing in front of her.

“Nah, we’re all adults.  We all know what’s up.  We all wanna be here, right?” Jey spoke, words flowing out like warm honey.  Smooth.  “Right?” He asked again, taking a step forward, grabbing at Lennox’s hip and pulling her closer.   A movement the two had done a dozen times before, but this time, the pull was different.  It wasn’t just to get her closer, it was to give more space behind her to allow Tama who was moving now to close in.  And maybe, just a little bit was a reminder to Lennox and Tama which man had been there first.

“Right.” Lennox finally spoke, her voice certain but there was an underlying hesitation that dissolved the second she heard Tama’s voice and felt his warm breath against the back of her neck, “She knows what she’s doing.  She’s thought about this…she’s right where she wants to be.”  His voice low and warm, almost comforting.  Almost.  But his words twisted in her gut, making it flutter.

“What’s the word?” Jey tilted her head back, his face a breath away from hers.

“Philly” Lennox breathed out.

“And if you can’t talk?” Tama.  Of course he would be the one to think about what she would do if her mouth was otherwise busy.

Lennox reached one hand to Jey, and one back to Tama, pinching hard on each of their arms.  “That work?” She watched as they both nodded before adding, “Not gonna need either though.”

“You definitely will.”  Jey’s statement was simple, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once.

He was on her, smashing her body between him and Tama, the smell of their bodies intoxicating and overwhelmingly arousing.  Woodsy.  Smoky.  Manly.

A fist in her hair and a jerk of the hand had her neck wrenched, head tilted back to meet Tama’s ravenous mouth.  He was starved.  Determined.  A man on a mission to make up lost time and stake his own claim to her body in an attempt to level the playing field between him and the man who was already familiar with her body and how she liked things. 

Clothes quickly became a fleeting memory, discarded from overheated bodies with little regard or care, tossed around the room, falling wherever.

In what felt like no more time than a blink, but could have been minutes, or even hours because time didn’t matter anymore, Lennox was on the bed, Tama between her legs, mouth on her dripping sex, hands holding her hips still.  Jey was pacing the room, looking, searching for something, an unspoken idea brewing.  

“Damn, Len, pussy too sweet not to share.” Tama’s mouth barely leaving her, his statement almost a private conversation between him and her core.  Lennox bucked off the bed, hands gripping at the sheets, at Tama, his head, his back, the headboard, her own body as she shook, her arousal leaking out of her.   Tama turned his head, sucking and biting on her inner thigh, leaving a bruise and a perfect bite impression in his wake.

“Tama one.  Uso zero.” Lennox didn’t even have to open her eyes to know the smirk on Tama’s face as he taunted Jey with his words.

“Don’t get cocky. I ain’t even got started yet.” Jey was on the bed now, a charging cord in his fist. “Hands, mama.”  Lennox obediently raised her hands to him, watching as he wrapped the cord around both her wrists, securing them together. “You good?” He gave the cord a tug and watched as she nodded.

A startled gasp filled the room when Lennox was yanked sideways on the bed by her bound wrists. “Open up, Baby, let me paint that throat.”  Tama was standing above her, her head hanging off the side of the bed, the cord around her wrists held tight in his hand while the other fisted his cock, tapping the head on her lips.  Lennox opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out, moaning quietly when Tama slapped the head of his dick on her tongue, precum leaking on to her mixing with her saliva, leaving a string between her tongue and his cock that dripped down on to her chin. Tama shifted just enough, sliding his length between her eager lips, watching as she swallowed him. 

Lennox jerked forward when she felt Jey’s mouth clamp on to the inside of her thigh, leaving his own mark opposite of Tama’s.  The conflicting sensations of Tama’s grip on her hair with one hand, while yanking on the cord around her wrists with the other, his cock hitting the back of her throat with enough force to leave its own bruise mixed with Jey’s tongue now sucking on her clit, fingers working inside her, curling just how she needed him.  Another orgasm racked her, lifting her back and hips off the bed.  Lennox was certain she would have levitated had Tama not been buried inside her throat, keeping her shoulders and head pinned down.  With a yank of her hair, pulling her face against his groin, another orgasm rocked through her, covering Jey’s fingers, the scandalous sounds attempting to leave her mouth, muffled by Tama’s dick and his own groans and curses and he exploded in her mouth, pouring down her throat.

“Two Uso.  One Tama.” Jey grinned, arrogance flowing out.  “Gimme those hands.” Tama let go of the cord and leaned back on the bed, catching his breath. Jey pulled on the knot, releasing one hand and flipping Lennox on to her stomach and grabbing her wrists again, knotting them behind her. 

Lennox lurched forward, forehead making contact with Tama’s knee when Jey slammed in to her, pulling her back to meet his hips by yanking on the knot holding her wrists together.  A barely coherent, “Oh fuck” spilled out of her mouth, laced with need and want…pain and pleasure.  Jey’s hard thrusts behind her, a stark contradiction to Tama now.  His hand smoothing her hair, massaging her aching shoulders.  “Look at you, Baby.  You hear that?  Fucking obscene.”  Tama was right, the sounds coming from her body, the wet squelching, the slapping of her ass against Jey’s pelvis, the moans, the grunts, the curses, the smack of Jey’s palm against her flesh…every bit of it was obscene and enough to push her over the edge again.  Jey following behind her with an “Oh shit” and a hard tug on her bound hands with a series of shallow, hard, spastic slams of his hips.  The warm stickiness of him spilling out of her as she collapsed beneath him, her head falling from Tama’s shin to the bed.

“Three, one.  Better catch up.”

Lennox wasn’t certain which of the men spoke, but she knew for certain Tama was behind her now, pushing between her soaked and sloppy folds.  “Got a couple more left.” He wasn’t asking, he was telling her, running a hand down her back to where her wrists met, tugging her back again this time to meet his powerful snaps.  Lennox opened her mouth to allow a moan to slip out only to have Jey slide between her lips, easing into her.

“God damn, mama, you ain’t tapped yet?” 

A raspy “uhn uh” was all she could manage; any words being silenced by Jey’s cock in her mouth and Tama’s relentlessly feral strokes behind her.  Her eyes were watering as she adjusted to breathe through her nose, throat raw and aching, ass sore and now marked with two sets of handprints, each thigh bearing their individual marks like a proud battle scar.  She slid easily into another orgasm and faintly heard Tama behind her, “One more, baby.”

Gripping the front of her neck and pushing her head further into Jey’s pelvis, Tama shifted, grinding against her ass, angling himself impossibly deeper with short, hard thrusts.  “Hold her throat.” Tama let go and gripped her shoulder.  Jey reached down, grabbing her bare neck, “Oh shit, mamas.  I can feel my dick.” He squeezed a little tighter, feeling her throat tighten around him.

“Fuck, man.  Do that shit again.  She liked that.” Tama growled out feeling her walls clench around him nearing her release again.  “You’re doing so good, baby.”  He let go of her shoulder and slid his hand down between her legs, slapping her clit over and over setting off a chain reaction.  Her own release slamming through her, followed immediately by both men filling her, mouth and pussy both greedily taking their cum into her body before she collapsed.

Tama eased the cord off her wrists, each man taking a hand and rubbing the angry red welts, a quiet stillness engulfing them before Tama spoke, “Three – three.”

Lennox shook her head and rasped out a quiet whisper, her throat raw and aching in the most torturously spent way, “I think…” she swallowed hard, wincing slightly, “I won.”

To the victor go the spoils.

[crackrodent]

Check out the rest of my Flufftober library!

Poor Baxter

“Niff how fucking many bags of candy corn do you need? Poor Baxter can barely push the cart!” Husk huffed while absentmindedly rubbing the spot on his arm where Alastor’s mic had struck him for attempting to get out of driving Niffty on her seasonal sugar shopping spree.

Charlie should have picked anyone else to pick up the snacks and decorations for the holiday party. Niffty was going to really remind everyone that they are in hell at this rate.

“All of them!” Niffty said pulling another bag of the multicolored junk out of an unsuspecting hellhound’s basket and tossing it into her cart.

Baxter’s sinister little laugh forced its way into Husk’s ears leading to the former overlord wishing he could punt the tiny man. Husk was way too sober to be in Hellmart at six in the morning.

Baxter’s voice almost made Husk’s brain implode as he encouraged this bullshit, “Niffty, I think I saw some imps back in the freezer aisle, they must have had at least a dozen bags of candied corn, perhaps we could claim their share as well?”

Niffty looked like she had skipped Halloween and Thanksgiving and went straight to Christmas as she bolted out of Husk’s view dragging the cart behind her.

“Baxter! You fucking lost her now!” Husk hissed as he attempted to follow her.

“Nonsense Husk. She is in aisle 2 looking for imps that don’t exist.” Baxter said calmly, looking at his phone while walking opposite of Niffty.

Husk switched directions and followed the other short monster, “What? Why would you lie about that?”

“I needed to ask your advice on something,” Baxter said stopping in front of some big box of overpriced seasonal kid’s toy animals, “Do you think Niffty would prefer the stuffed spider or the stuffed scorpion?”

“Excuse me?” Husk asked, suddenly wishing he was more sober because he had to have caught a secondhand high when he hugged Angel goodbye as they left.

“The woman displays the most familial behavior to you and that radio demon. Since I do not plan to have my voice added to his broadcast, I require your assistance.” Baxter explained.

“Why the hell do you need my opinion? You just sent Niffty off to aisle 2 tracking down imaginary imps! You could’ve asked her yourself!”

Baxter rolled his eyes, “That would ruin the point of the surprise you dunce.”

“And you are trying to surprise her with children’s toys?” Husk asked, the annoyance flowing from his voice in contrast to its usual drip.

The fishy little man was definitely showing his form as he looked down checking the seams on the spider. "I wanted to ask her to accompany me during Charlie’s party. She doesn't seem like the kind to like flowers. I have observed her with bugs and other creepy crawlies however and she seems fixated on them."

Husk stopped and judged the pathetic scientist. Poor dude was going to get himself stabbed.

"The scorpion."

"You are sure Husk?” Baxter suddenly seemed hesitant to accept the help he was pleading for, “I wish they just had a roach. I know she likes those." Baxter said sorting through the bin.

"Women like her, like venom. And ya know scorpions got that stinger thing. Little shits like to stab people. Just like Niffty." Husk paused after his warning, "Trust me."

He was back to feeling too sober. Advising an adult about what teddy bug to buy for another adult added to the headache sobriety was bringing on.

Baxter quickly shoved the scorpion into his pocket as Niffty came back, the cart now full of candy corn décor as well as her 40 pounds of actual candy corn. Husk was going to have to take charge and grab the actual stuff from Charlie’s list.

Husk’s arms were on the verge of falling off by the time all the candy, drinks, food, and décor were inside the hotel. He grabbed a bottle of cheap booze that he was horrified to learn was pumpkin spice flavored after he already committed to a chair in the living room.

"Hey, Whiskers!" Angel Dusk said strolling in and perching himself on the arm of the chair Husk was already melting into. “How was your trip to the store?”

Husk chuckled a little. Sore and annoyed but still laughing at the fishy idiot. “Baxter has a crush on Niffty. He has no idea what he’s getting himself into.”

“I know that already,” Angel said, fidgeting with the bag Husk had failed to see in his hands before now. “He told me a couple of weeks ago.” He gave a nervous laugh.

“What is it Legs?”

“I’ve been trying to help out as his wingman and he keeps trying to ask her out and,” the sinner was shaking his head, “she just doesn’t hear him.”

“Yeah she tends to ignore people a lot-”

“No whiskers I mean, he keeps trying the dumbest things to get her attention, and she just doesn’t get it. He tried inviting her on a walk the other day and she responded that she was already walking and just went ‘see?’ and walked out of the room.”

“Today he bought her a stuffed animal to use as a bribe for her to be his date to the hotel’s Halloween party.” Husk took his turn to shake his head at Baxter. “Like I don’t even know how a normal person would react to that, let alone Niffty.”

“Yeah... that might not go well.” The bag Angel had been fidgeting with ripped and the contents fell on Husk’s lap. Angel attempted to recover the item but Husk was faster.

He looked at the stuffed orange cat wearing a little white ghost costume. Its little ears and nose poked out from underneath. And the belly of it had a little pun that read,

‘You look BOO-tiful today!’ in black factory print with ‘Husk’ written underneath in red marker.

“Hey Husk listen it was stupid, I just saw it when I was out with Cherri and thought ‘Hey! Husk is a cat, well kind-’” The rumble of purrs drowned out the end of his rambles.

Husk was certain of two things.

1. Baxter was going to get the Jack-o-lantern treatment from Niffty.

2. If Angel asked him to be his date to the Halloween party he would be the happiest sinner in hell.

[moth-yknowtheartist]

hey guys! Trying something a little outside what I usually post- so excited to share my process here, so please let me know any feedback at all (seriously, should I buy a new microphone?), I'd love to hear from you!!! and for the outro, please give Acher and Gale their well-earned props for their cover of Chase Petra's "Paranormal".

Posted: January 9th, 2024.

TRANSCRIPT:

???:

"To run o’er better water hoists her sails the little vessel of my genius now, which leaves behind her such a cruel sea; and of that second Realm I ’ll sing, wherein the human spirit purifies itself, and groweth worthy to ascend to Heaven. But here let Poetry arise from death, since, holy Muses, yours I am; and let Calliopë, here somewhat higher soaring, with those sweet tones accompany my song, whose power the miserable Magpies felt so keenly, that of pardon they despaired. The oriental sapphire’s tender hue, now gathering in the sky’s unclouded face, as far as to the first of circles pure, began again to give mine eyes delight, when forth I issued from the deadly air, which with its gloom had filled mine eyes and heart. The beauteous planet which incites to love, veiling with light the Fishes in her train, was causing all the eastern sky to laugh."

[TONE FOR A LINE NO LONGER IN SERVICE]

WHObris Icarian or

Daedalian,

am I Pygmalion or? (APHRODITE)

same Talos told again,

runs 0.333333(FREE)3333333333 along the Shore…

enter: Labyrinth.

(overlapping) MOTH:

[improvised starting recording, getting situated getting comfortable speaking to the mic]

> hey everyone! For anyone new to my blog, welcome, this is usually not the norm- mostly I post about puppet history and tech and stuff and I make art sometimes, on rare occasions my robot doppelganger creation takes control of my blog to scam my followers into their murder scheme while I'm busy playing arcade games in hell?

> for any long time followers and mutuals, hi, you're probably used to this by this point. Thanks for sticking with it.

> today, though, I'm starting on a special little project, something a bit closer to my usual tech and malware posting. You guys remember the robot doppelganger creation, right? Well, part of the… issue with them has been a malware infection originating around January of 2023, so- close to a year ago, now? We theorize this anomaly is the reason they've gained sentience and autonomy far beyond what I could have possibly created, why they've persisted so long past their planned funeral-robot lifespan, and why they started on their whole, um… attempted murder spree.

> that being said, I welcome you all to Log 0 of the Acher Malware Remediation project!! These audio logs will serve as my way to log everything I find and try as I figure out what they're infected with, what vulnerabilities this malware exploits and what its payload and impact looks like, and how to safely remove and resolve it. It also works to like… hold me accountable you know? Um- I've kind of been procrastinating on actually starting on this, like I keep talking about it to everyone and like 'ohhh that malware Acher's got I'm definitely gonna get on that and fix that soon' but honestly I've kind of been dreading it because I'm not super experienced and they're a whole person now, so like if I fuck it up it's kind of the equivalent of your hand slipping during brain surgery and OOPS surprise lobotomy!!!

[deep breath and sigh]

> I'm trying to be… more responsible. More careful. I've fucked up enough people's lives through not thinking things through, and- but if I never get this done, that's also irresponsible, letting this infection happen was why so many bad things happened in the first place. So no more procrastinating!!!!! I'm doing this, and I'm posting it publicly on the internet so that everyone can judge me until I finish it!!!!

> to give myself some structure here, and to use the hours and hours of A+ Core 1 and 2 studying that I'm never gonna get back, I'm going to model my investigation and remediation off of CompTIA's 7 steps of malware removal and 6 steps of the troubleshooting methodology. It's basically like the scientific method of IT? Those steps are, respectively-

Identify and research malware symptoms, and Identify the problem. I have a couple different places to look for this- one is obviously inside Acher's system itself, seeing if I can run some diagnostics or observe the malware's behavior to get an idea of what it is, how it works, what it resembles? If I can grab a sample, I can also run that through VirusTotal or something, figure out the malware family, and from there figure out how it's usually dealt with. I can also try and monitor network traffic in WireShark, see if it's communicating with any kind of command and control? But besides those technical steps, I also have the very helpful resource of Tumblr posts made around the time of infection, people I know who were around when it originally happened- those are gonna be huge in figuring out the situation leading up to the infection. Never overlook the human element, people!!

Quarantine the infected system, and Establish a theory of probable cause. The latter is gonna be based on whatever I find in the last step, and the former… should have been done ages ago, but listen, there's only so much a person can do from hell!!! Still, quarantining Acher while I start trying to actually remove things is going to be helpful as far as making sure it doesn't just plant itself in her system again.

Disable system restore in Windows and backups, and Test the theory to determine the cause. The latter is gonna be the most applicable here. Acher doesn't really have… backups? I'm sorry!!! I was planning on him being single use way way in the future, I didn't think I'd have to think about longevity!!!! … But at least it saves me a step here!

Remediate the infected system, and Establish a plan of action and implement a solution. This is the brain surgery part, this is the bit I'm dreading the most, but… assuming I do the last steps right, this will be easy. … These steps of malware removal aren't actually considered, like, best practice, because you can never really be sure you've removed everything. The actual best practice is going scorched earth entirely, assuming you have a backup of anything important, and then just starting fresh from a new OS install or a fresh image. That's… not an option here. Something that hasn't really left my mind since I committed to this project is the worry that, like, I can't remove the malware without removing Acher, who Acher currently is? I mean, I'm pretty sure the infection is part of the reason they actually evolved so much past their original code and developed a personality, independent wants and likes and dislikes and… I'm really worried I can't kill this parasite without killing Acher too. Or, hm, does that make it a parasite or is that more symbiosis?… I'm overcomplicating my metaphors whatever. Acher's being a pretty good sport about this, all things considered, I'm surprised they're actually letting me do this, so… I want to be really careful here. If I can't remove the malware without hurting them in the process, then I figure something else out. I can't afford to mess up here.

Assuming everything else went according to plan, Schedule scans and run updates, and Verify full system functionality and implement preventative measures. Basically fix the mistakes that led to this all in the first place, make sure they don't happen in the future.

Re-enable system restore on Windows and backups, and Document findings, actions, and outcomes. I guess I'm already documenting throughout the process, so I guess I'm getting ahead of this one? See, look, I don't procrastinate everything.

Educate end user. I'm not exactly sure who counts here in this case. Am I the end user, maybe I'm the one who's supposed to have the learning experience here? That would make sense, but also I'm the one learning throughout this whole thing so again I'm kind of already getting ahead of that. Is it supposed to be Acher, maybe? I dunno, I'll get a better idea of it once I figure more out about how the infection happened.

> thanks to everyone listening! Next time, tune in for step one- research time! Also, let me know how my audio is? I did a couple test recordings before I committed to this one and I swear I kept ending up with little bits of corruption or weird background noise. Maybe I need a new microphone.

> cue outro!

[outro does not play; start of a different, candid audio clip]

MOTH:

> [startled noise] JESUS. acher it's 3 am.

ACHER:

i donT sleep. You doNT sleep.

MOTH:

> yeah, but- but gale's supposed to be, so I try to be quiet-

ACHER:

SORRY. couldnT get A thought out Of my head. dO yo.U reMEmber th.e deTAILS of my C.ode?

MOTH:

> [groggy] .... uh, maybe? It's been a while since I... why? why are you doing the ryder thing?

ACHER:

[silence] couldnT get A thought out Of my head. hopeD you could eLUCID.ate.

MOTH:

> you're being weird.

ACHER:

I feel finE?

MOTH:

> okay. ... actually, can you come to the garage? I've been meaning to ask you about stuff anyway.

ACHER:

surE.

[niallerspayno]

Between the Lines - Chapter Three

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

…

The venue hums with anticipation as the crowd begins to fill the seats. Their excited chatter and sporadic screams echo through the walls, a tangible reminder of the world the boys inhabit. The energy is infectious, and you feel a flutter of nerves that has nothing to do with stepping onstage.

“You ready for this?” Niall asks, adjusting his in-ear monitors. He’s perched on a chair nearby, his guitar resting across his lap.

“Not sure anyone can really be ready for this,” you say with a laugh, gesturing toward the door and the growing roar of the crowd.

He grins, his eyes warm. “You’ll be fine. Just stick close, yeah?”

Before you can respond, Louis strolls in, already dressed and radiating confidence. “Stick close? She’s not going onstage, mate,” he quips, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Unless you’ve got some hidden talent you’ve been keeping from us?”

“She’s better off back here,” Niall replies lightly, though there’s a firm edge to his tone.

Louis smirks. “Shame. She’d probably steal the spotlight.”

“You’d enjoy that too much,” Zayn pipes up from the couch, where he’s scrolling through his phone. He doesn’t look up but smirks knowingly.

“She’s already causing enough chaos,” Liam adds, sipping from a water bottle. “No need to give her a mic.”

Louis tosses his towel at Liam, who dodges it with a chuckle. “Bunch of jokers in here. Don’t worry, love, I’ll take you under my wing.”

“She’s good,” Niall says pointedly, giving Louis a look. “She’s with me.”

Harry, lounging in a corner and tuning his voice, hums thoughtfully. “Why do I feel like there’s a story there?” he teases, his sharp green eyes flitting between you, Louis, and Niall.

You roll your eyes, laughing nervously to deflect the sudden weight of their attention. “It’s fine. I’m just here for the experience… and the book.”

Louis’s grin widens, sensing the shift. “Well, if you need inspiration, darling, I’m full of it. Stories, that is.”

“You’re full of something,” Liam mutters, earning a laugh from the group.

Before the banter can escalate, a stagehand pops their head in to give the ten-minute call.

The energy shifts as the boys file out to the stage. Niall hesitates at the door, glancing back at you. “You’ll have the best seat in the house,” he says, his hand brushing your arm as he leads you toward the sound booth.

The roar of the crowd builds to a deafening level as the lights dim, and the boys take their places onstage. You’re swept up in the show—the harmonies, the energy, the way they interact like they were born to perform together.

Louis, true to form, finds you in the crowd almost immediately. He points at you during one of his solos, his grin cocky when you flush.

“Subtle, that one,” a crew member beside you mutters, shaking their head with a grin.

By the time the boys launch into their encore, Louis has ramped up his antics. He winks at you, tosses his towel your way, and even directs a cheeky lyric in your direction.

You glance at Niall, catching the flicker of irritation in his expression even as he keeps playing. Harry notices too, his gaze briefly lingering on Niall before smirking.

After the show ends and the lights come up, the boys rush backstage, buzzing with adrenaline. Louis is the first to find you, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “So? What’d you think of your first show?”

“It was amazing,” you say honestly.

“See?” Louis beams. “Told you we’d impress.”

Niall appears a moment later, towel slung over his shoulder. His smile is tight, his eyes scanning Louis’s arm around you. “Glad you liked it,” he says.

“Not just liked it—loved it,” Louis cuts in, giving your shoulder a squeeze before finally stepping back.

Harry leans casually against the wall, his gaze darting between you and the boys. “She’s definitely a fan now. Though, judging by Louis’s performance, she might be the only one he was singing to.”

“Jealous, Styles?” Louis quips, unbothered.

“Nah,” Harry drawls. “Just calling it like I see it.”

Liam chuckles, tossing an arm around Niall. “Looks like you’ve got competition, mate,” he jokes, though his eyes are watchful.

Niall shakes his head, brushing it off. “She’s here for the book, not the circus.”

“Book, circus—it’s all the same,” Zayn says from the couch, smirking. “She’s already part of the madness.”

The conversation turns light again, but you can’t ignore the lingering tension in the air. As you scribble notes in your journal, you catch Niall watching you from the corner of the room. His smile is soft, but there’s something unspoken in his eyes—a quiet intensity that lingers long after he’s looked away.

The night feels electric, charged with possibilities and unspoken tensions, and you realise this tour might be even more complicated—and exciting—than you’d ever imagined.

...

The buzz of the concert still hangs in the air when you finally make it back to the hotel. The adrenaline from the show has worn off, replaced by a quiet exhaustion that you can’t shake. The hallway is mostly empty, the sounds of the other boys’ laughter trailing off as they retreat to their rooms, but you find yourself lingering in the lobby, not quite ready to go up to your own room just yet.

You spot Liam sitting at one of the couches, his legs stretched out in front of him, eyes focused on his phone but with a far-off look in his eyes. He’s always been the one to keep things running smoothly, the one who makes sure the group doesn’t fall apart, but there’s something about him tonight that makes you feel like he’s a little more… weary.

“Long day?” you ask softly, leaning against the back of the couch.

Liam looks up at you, blinking as if startled, then gives a small smile. “You could say that. But it’s worth it. I mean, seeing the fans—hearing them sing along like that—it’s all the reason we keep going.”

You nod, your eyes scanning the lobby. “I get it. It’s like... a different world out there. Everything moves so fast. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

Liam chuckles softly, the sound warm and comforting. “Tell me about it. It’s hard to keep up sometimes.”

He sits up slightly, the soft creak of the couch filling the quiet space. “How are you holding up?” he asks, his gaze steady. It’s not the casual question you’ve gotten from the others. It’s like he’s genuinely concerned, like he’s taking a moment to make sure you’re okay.

You shrug, a slight smile pulling at your lips. “I’m good. Just… still processing everything, you know?”

He nods, understanding. “It’s a lot to take in. But you’re doing well. I know it can feel like a lot, especially when we’re all so… chaotic. But don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.”

His voice is calm, reassuring, and it’s easy to see why he’s the one who holds everything together. You give him a grateful smile, feeling a little lighter in his presence.

“You’re kind of like the tour dad, aren’t you?” you joke, crossing your arms.

Liam laughs, the sound genuine. “I guess you could say that. Someone’s gotta make sure nobody gets into too much trouble.” His smile fades slightly as he looks at you more seriously. “I know you’re new to all this. And I just… I want to make sure you’re okay. I don’t want anyone here to feel like they’re not part of the group, or like they’re being overlooked.”

You blink, surprised by the intensity in his voice. “I’m fine, Liam. Really. I’m not… I’m not out of my depth or anything.”

He gives you a small, almost imperceptible nod, though his eyes don’t leave yours. “It’s not that I think you are. But you’re here with us now. And I just want to make sure you know that you’ve got people who’ve got your back. Even if it’s a bit crazy, even if it feels like too much. You’re not alone.”

The weight of his words hits you in a way you weren’t expecting. There’s a sincerity in his tone that makes you feel cared for, protected even. It’s a side of him you haven’t seen up close before—this calm, steady, dad-like figure who quietly looks after everyone without needing acknowledgment.

You smile softly, meeting his eyes. “Thanks, Liam. That means more than you know.”

He nods again, giving you a warm, reassuring smile. “Anytime. Don’t forget—you’re part of the family now.”

A comfortable silence falls between you two, and for a moment, the hectic whirlwind of the tour feels miles away. It’s just you and Liam, in a quiet corner of the hotel, talking about nothing and everything all at once.

After a moment, Liam shifts slightly, his tone more thoughtful as he continues, “I know you’ve been spending a lot of time with Niall and Louis… they can both be a little… much sometimes.”

You raise an eyebrow, intrigued. “Much how?”

Liam smiles, his eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement. “Niall’s always been the protective type. He’s a good mate, always looking out for everyone. But sometimes, it’s hard to get him to take a step back, especially when it comes to you.”

You feel a pang in your chest, not quite sure how to interpret that. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing bad,” Liam reassures quickly, sensing your confusion. “He just cares about you, a lot. I know you’ve been friends for ages, but he’s… well, he’s Niall. He’s not always the best at hiding how he feels.”

You nod, trying to wrap your head around it. “And Louis?”

Liam’s expression shifts slightly, his lips curling into a slight smirk. “Louis... well, Louis is Louis. He doesn’t hold back. He’s always looking for fun, looking for trouble. But he’s got a good heart. Just... keep an eye on him.”

You laugh lightly, trying to lighten the mood, but there’s an underlying tension in Liam’s words that you can’t quite ignore. “I think I’m learning that pretty quickly.”

Liam gives a knowing look. “I know you are. But just… don’t let them pull you in too many directions at once. You don’t have to choose sides or figure everything out in a day. Take your time.”

You smile at his protectiveness, feeling both reassured and more than a little bit curious about what he’s really trying to say. “Thanks, Liam. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He nods, his expression softening. “I just want you to be happy, that’s all.”

You nod back, feeling the weight of his words and the sincerity behind them. You’ve always known Liam was the one to keep everyone grounded, but it’s clear he cares more than just about the band or the tour. He genuinely wants you to feel comfortable here, to feel like you belong.

“Don’t worry,” you say with a smile. “I’m just trying to keep up with all of you.”

He chuckles, giving you a reassuring pat on the back. “You’ll do more than just keep up. You’re part of the family now, and we’ve all got your back.”

As you rise to leave, you pause for a moment, glancing over your shoulder. “You know, you really are like the dad of the group.”

Liam’s smile widens, but there’s a glint of something else in his eyes, something unspoken. “Just doing my job,” he says, his voice light but sincere.

You nod, walking away with a sense of comfort that lingers long after you’ve turned the corner.

...

The next day starts off bright and warm, a perfect excuse to escape the monotony of hotels and venues. Paul has arranged a casual outing—somewhere quieter but still bustling enough to feel alive. It’s a rare day off for the boys, and you’re looking forward to getting to know them better outside of the tour bubble.

The car ride to the local park is lively, with Louis leading the charge on a debate about the best superhero. “Batman doesn’t even have powers! He’s just rich!” Louis declares, throwing his arms up dramatically.

“Exactly,” Harry counters with a smirk. “That’s what makes him cool. He’s relatable—well, minus the billions.”

“Relatable?” Louis scoffs. “Speak for yourself, Styles. I’m Iron Man. Chaotic genius, plenty of charm—”

“Zero genius,” Zayn cuts in, earning a laugh from everyone except Louis, who glares at him playfully.

You sit squished between Niall and Liam, laughing along as the banter bounces around the van. Niall’s leg presses lightly against yours, a small but constant point of contact that feels familiar and grounding.

…

When you arrive, the fresh air is a welcome change. The park is sprawling, with shaded paths, a sparkling lake, and even a small café tucked in the corner. It feels normal, like a piece of the real world you haven’t seen much of lately.

As the boys spread out, you walk with Louis and Harry down a shaded trail. Louis is in high spirits, pointing out random birds and pretending to name them ridiculous things. “That one’s Nigel. He’s the leader of the pack,” Louis says, gesturing to a completely ordinary pigeon.

“Very regal,” you say with a grin, jotting it down in your notebook just to humor him.

Louis leans closer, his tone shifting to something more teasing. “You’re really writing that down? Should I be flattered?”

You roll your eyes but can’t help smiling. “It’s going in the book—‘Louis, king of pigeons.’”

“You’re welcome,” he quips, nudging your shoulder lightly.

Harry watches the exchange with quiet amusement, but when Louis slings an arm over your shoulders, you notice Niall from a distance, his expression stiffening.

…

At the café, the tension starts to bubble.

The group gathers around a large outdoor table, enjoying iced coffees and snacks. Niall sits beside you again, close enough that his arm brushes against yours whenever he moves. Louis, however, sits across from you, his eyes rarely leaving your face as he talks.

“Alright,” Louis says, clapping his hands together. “Let’s settle this—what’s your most embarrassing story about Niall? Come on, you’ve got years of material.”

You laugh, glancing at Niall, who instantly narrows his eyes at Louis. “Don’t you dare,” Niall warns, but his tone is more playful than serious.

“Oh, I’ve got plenty,” you say with a smirk, and Niall groans dramatically, burying his face in his hands.

“Traitor,” he mutters, though his voice is muffled.

Before you can launch into a story, Louis leans forward, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. “So, what’s it like knowing him all these years? Must’ve been interesting watching him go from small-town lad to pop star.”

“It’s been… surreal, honestly,” you admit, glancing at Niall. “I always knew he was talented, but seeing him in this whole other world? It’s like he’s the same, but also completely different.”

Niall gives you a soft smile, his usual teasing edge replaced with something more genuine. “I couldn’t have done it without you, though. You’ve always been my biggest supporter.”

“Not to mention you’re still as protective as ever,” Louis interjects, his voice light but pointed. “What’s that about, Horan? Afraid someone’ll steal her away?”

The table goes quiet for a moment, the air charged with something unspoken. Niall stiffens beside you, and you glance at him in confusion.

“Maybe I just don’t want her getting caught up in… distractions,” Niall says finally, his voice tighter than usual.

Louis raises an eyebrow, clearly undeterred. “Distractions? Or competition?”

Your eyes dart between the two of them, the weight of their words hanging heavily in the air. “Okay, what is going on here?” you ask, your voice sharp enough to cut through the tension.

“Nothing,” Niall says quickly, his tone defensive.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing,” you say, your frustration bubbling over. “Niall, you’ve been hovering like a helicopter since I got here. I’m not a kid, and I don’t need you playing bodyguard.”

Niall flinches, the hurt in his eyes flickering just long enough for you to notice. “I’m just looking out for you,” he says quietly.

“I don’t need looking out for,” you insist, your voice softening.

The others stay silent, the awkwardness palpable. Louis finally breaks the tension with a grin, leaning back in his chair. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m excellent at distracting people. If you ever need a break from Horan, you know where to find me.”

You shoot him a look, half annoyed and half amused. “You’re not helping.”

“Wasn’t trying to,” Louis says, unapologetic.

Liam clears his throat, ever the peacemaker. “Alright, let’s not turn this into a thing. We’re supposed to be relaxing, yeah?”

The group falls into a more tentative silence, but you can’t shake the tension lingering between Niall and Louis—or the growing realization that there’s more to Niall’s protectiveness than you originally thought.

…

The group wanders through the park, the chatter lively and light. The air is fresh, the sun high in the sky, and you can almost forget the undercurrent of tension from earlier. Almost.

Louis, of course, gravitates toward you, a mischievous energy radiating off him. Niall hangs back with Liam, but you can feel his gaze flickering your way every so often, his protectiveness palpable.

“So,” Louis says, his hands tucked in his pockets as he strolls beside you, “what do you think? Pretty good day for a bit of chaos, don’t you think?”

You chuckle. “Chaos seems to follow you everywhere, doesn’t it?”

“Only because I let it,” he replies with a wink. “Speaking of…”

Before you can process what he’s doing, Louis suddenly sprints ahead toward the large fountain in the park’s center. You watch in disbelief as he climbs onto the edge, teetering there like a tightrope walker.

“Louis, don’t!” you call, your voice half-laughing, half-panicked.

“Why not?” he shouts back, his grin wicked. “Live a little!”

And with that, he jumps.

The splash is enormous, water shooting up and over the edge as Louis lands squarely in the fountain. Passersby stare, some laughing, others looking scandalized. You can’t help it—you laugh, shaking your head at his sheer audacity.

Louis stands in the shallow water, his clothes drenched and clinging to him, his hair plastered to his forehead. He looks absolutely ridiculous—and unreasonably good at the same time. Your laughter dies in your throat as your eyes catch on the way his shirt clings to his chest, outlining his lean frame.

“Come on, love!” he calls, holding out a hand. “Don’t just stand there. Join me!”

You take a step back, shaking your head firmly. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on,” Louis says, wading toward you. “Don’t make me come get you!”

You narrow your eyes at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

His grin widens—a clear warning—and before you can react, he’s grabbed your hand and yanked you forward. You stumble, shrieking as you crash into the fountain, the cold water soaking you instantly.

“Louis!” you shout, splashing him as he laughs uncontrollably.

“What?” he says, feigning innocence. “You needed to cool off.”

The water drips from your hair and clothes as you glare at him, but it’s hard to stay mad when he’s looking at you like that—his eyes bright, his laughter infectious. For a moment, it’s just the two of you, the rest of the world fading away.

“Unbelievable,” a familiar voice mutters behind you, breaking the spell.

You turn to see Niall and Liam standing a few feet away, both wearing identical expressions of disapproval. Niall looks particularly annoyed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

“Really, Tommo?” Liam says, his tone exasperated. “What if someone recognizes us? Paul’s going to lose his mind.”

“Relax, Dad,” Louis quips, winking at Liam before turning to Niall. “What’s the matter, Horan? Afraid of a little water?”

Niall’s jaw tightens, his eyes darting to you. “You’re not the one who has to deal with her catching a cold,” he snaps. “Get out of there before you cause more trouble.”

Louis just laughs, hopping out of the fountain and offering you a hand. You take it, your cheeks burning as you climb out, dripping wet and thoroughly embarrassed.

“Don’t be mad, Niall,” Louis says, clapping him on the shoulder as if they’re old pals. “She had fun. Didn’t you?”

You open your mouth to respond, but Niall cuts you off. “You’re unbelievable,” he mutters, turning away.

Liam sighs, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling Paul. He’s going to love this.”

As Louis grabs his jacket and offers it to you with a devilish grin, you can’t help but glance at Niall, who’s walking ahead with his hands stuffed in his pockets. There’s a hurt in his posture that tugs at your heart, but when you look back at Louis—so carefree and unapologetic—you feel the pull of something else entirely.

…

The hotel hallway is eerily quiet as you step out of your room, the muffled hum of the city outside the only sound accompanying you. You hesitate for a moment before heading toward Niall’s door, heart thudding. Today had been a whirlwind—Louis’ antics in the fountain, the way Niall’s hurt gaze had lingered, and your sharp words to him afterward. You know you need to make things right.

You knock softly, hoping he’s still awake. A moment later, the door creaks open, revealing Niall in a plain white t-shirt and sweats, his blonde hair tousled from what looks like an attempt at sleep. His expression softens when he sees you, though his shoulders remain tense.

“Hey,” you say quietly, twisting your hands together. “Can I come in?”

Niall steps aside without a word, letting you slip into his room. It’s simple, unassuming, just like him—his guitar propped in the corner, a bag of crisps half-eaten on the bedside table.

“I’m sorry,” you blurt out, turning to face him. “For snapping at you earlier. You were just trying to look out for me, and I—”

“You were right,” he interrupts, surprising you. “I’ve been a bit… overprotective.” He scratches the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “It’s just—you’re here now, and it’s been so long, and I guess I don’t want to mess it up.”

Your chest tightens at his words, the vulnerability in them. “You’re not messing anything up, Niall,” you say softly. “If anything, I feel like I am.”

He frowns, stepping closer. “What do you mean?”

You take a deep breath, unsure how to articulate the swirling mess of emotions inside you. “I’ve missed you so much,” you admit. “And being here with you, with the band—it’s incredible. But Louis… he’s… I don’t know. There’s something about him that’s just so—”

“Reckless?” Niall cuts in, his tone sharp.

You blink, taken aback. “No, not reckless. He’s just… exciting. Fun.”

Niall’s jaw tightens, and he exhales deeply, dragging a hand through his hair. “Look, I get it. Louis is—Louis. He’s charming and all that, but… I don’t think he’s right for you.”

You narrow your eyes. “And why not?”

“Because,” Niall starts, his voice faltering as he struggles to find the words. “He doesn’t know you like I do. He doesn’t get you. Not really.”

The weight of his gaze makes your heart skip a beat. There’s something in his expression—a quiet desperation, a longing—that makes you feel suddenly off balance.

“Niall…” you begin, but he shakes his head, cutting you off.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do,” he says, his voice softer now. “I just… I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all.”

For a moment, neither of you speaks. The air between you feels heavy, charged with something unspoken. Finally, you step closer, reaching for his hand.

“I missed this,” you say quietly, squeezing his fingers. “Us. Being together. And I don’t want to lose it.”

“You won’t,” Niall promises, his hand warm and steady in yours. “No matter what, you won’t lose me.”

Something about the way he says it makes your chest ache. You give him a small smile before pulling him into a hug. His arms wrap around you instantly, grounding you, and you can’t help but relax into the comfort of him—the familiarity, the safety.

When you pull back, your gaze lingers on his for a beat too long, and you feel that flicker of guilt again. You shake it off, offering him a tired smile. “Can I stay here tonight? I don’t really feel like being alone.”

Niall nods without hesitation, his lips curving into a soft smile. “Of course.”

You climb into his bed, curling into the space that feels like home, and Niall slips in beside you, his arm draping over your waist in a way that’s both comforting and intimate. It’s not the first time you’ve shared a bed, but tonight feels different.

As you drift off, your thoughts are a tangled mess of Louis’ charm and Niall’s quiet devotion. For the first time, you feel truly conflicted, caught between the chaos of something new and the steady warmth of something familiar.

And it terrifies you.

…

Next chapter

[explaining-creature]

Do you honestly think Noah is a good person? This isn't a rage bait question, it's a genuine question.

I ask because in my eyes who you are friends with or who you associate yourself with is a reflection of you and your morals/values. He's worked with P on VAN, toured with her, traveled with her (infamous Brazil airport video), went to her album release party, went to the TOP concert with her and been confirmed seen at least one of her shows.

People will defend and say "it's the label pushing them together" okay so Sumerian forced him go to her show in LA a few months ago? Unlikely. I am not a Noppy shipper or P fan at all, but he is willingly attending her shows and continues to associate himself with her... this is why I think he maybe not be a good person after all and that hurts my heart.

So what is your opinion?

I think it's really hard to judge a person to the point of saying whether they're good or bad without knowing all the little details or what they actually think about certain things. (And without knowing them in person)

A lot of what happened was definitely pushed by Sumerian. Sometimes I feel like it's obvious they enjoy working with her (I’m talking about the whole band/crew), but other times I think about how Noah ignored her at the airport and during those performances where he danced around the mic, and honestly, I'm not so sure lol. (Also, he went to her show with his friends)

So I really wouldn’t know how to answer. In any case, being associated with a shitty person (through work, in this case) doesn’t automatically make you as horrible as they are.

I can’t tell you if Noah is a good person or not, but from the little things we do know about him, like the way he behaved during streams/what he said, or how he treats animals (yes, let me add this detail, it matters to me lol), he doesn't strike me as a bad person. And I believe the band won’t have anything to do with Poppy once the summer is over.

Also, maybe she is very good at playing the poor angel victim and people working with her believe her 🤷‍♀️

[jeonghansshitester]

around the world in 8 days!

episode 3:

You were already regretting agreeing to karaoke the second you stepped into the room. Dim colored lights blinked overhead, a screen scrolled lyrics you barely recognized, and two mics waited on the small table like a challenge. Doyoung, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, scrolling through the song list like he’d done this a thousand times.

“I’m just saying this before I embarrass myself, you’re definitely a better singer than me,” you said, making a grim attempt to laugh off the nerves.

He looked up at you with a grin. “I’m flattered.”

You sat down on the couch, tapping your fingers against the leather as he queued the first song. He didn’t pressure you to sing right away, which helped. Instead, he started, choosing something upbeat and ridiculous trying to lighten the mood. Watching him dance dramatically while singing to a girl group anthem had you laughing so hard, you forgot why you were nervous in the first place.

By the time he shoved the second mic into your hands, you were still getting the last few laughs out. “No backing out now,” he warned, a teasing glare in his eyes.

The first few lines you sang were shaky. You kept your eyes glued to the screen, avoiding any eye contact, but you heard him start to harmonize with you. Beginning softly and steadily. You glanced up at him, and he smiled like he’d been waiting for you to meet his gaze. Your tense posture softened and sunk into the seat, bringing your nerves along with it. Song by song, laugh by laugh, it got easier.

You tried to outdo each other with dramatic performances. At one point, you both stood up, dancing with the mics like it was a concert. He got way too into it and nearly tripped on a cable, face turning red immediately, your laughter bounced off the soundproof walls, reverberating into the microphones, filling the room, adding to his humiliation. 

In the breaks between songs, you talked. About your childhood music, the artists you listened to in secret, the ones which were too embarrassing to admit. He didn’t judge, he just listened, asked questions, made you feel like what you said mattered. There was something comforting about the way he looked at you when you spoke, even if the room still smelled faintly of worn out leather and drinks. “I swear, I’m usually way more shy than this,” you said at one point, after finishing a song that had you both out of breath.

Doyoung winked, “Maybe you just needed the right duet partner.”

You looked at him, mic still in hand, your laughter fading into something softer. You hadn’t expected a karaoke night to feel this easy, this close. And maybe it didn’t mean anything, maybe it was just two people letting loose. But maybe, just maybe, it was something starting to shift.

And when the final song played and your voices blended in an off-key harmony, which was definitely not doyoung’s fault, it didn’t really matter who was better, because it clearly was doyoung. What mattered was how natural it felt to be there, together, singing like no one else existed.

you’ve reached the end! here’s a 🍡 for reading! thoughts and comments are heavily appreciated!

special thanks to my taglist: @automaticwastelandpuppy @tamakikaname @bluedbliss @wumutititititi

taglist is open as always! a/n:idk why my interactions went down after each ep☹️ anyways i was listening to svt don’t listen in secret, no one noticed by the marias and beginning by doyoung while writing this, i think it’s quite obvious 😭

[astro-nerd]

Day 20: “You’re next.”

Fandom: original characters

Characters: Lawrence (Lauren/Laurie), Alan

TW: panic attacks

Lawrence’s PoV

“Contestant 34 you’re up. Contestant 35 you’re next.” Nope I’m definitely now because I’m about to lose my lunch on the floor. Why on Earth did I agree to this? I should’ve just gotten myself grounded.

“You’re spiralling.” Alan takes me by the shoulders and gives me a little shake, not enough to make me lose my lunch but enough that I come really close. Of course I’m spiralling for some reason Morgan Jacobs approached me to come and try out for her band as leader singer even though she’s only just found out that I can sing because she came into the record shop while I was alone and found out that both I worked with the illegal records and that I could sing and then just invited me to her secret auditions and now I have to go on in about two minutes and it’s going to be terrible and I’m going to die.

“Laurie, breathe.” Air enters my lungs at those words and I realise I look like a mess. Mostly because I am a mess but I’m sure that’s besides the point.

“I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this.” I manage to get out as I’m handed a water bottle and begin to drink rather frantically.

“You can do this. Now are you saying you don’t want to because you actually don’t or because you’re terrified?” I’m out of water. How am I out of water?

“What was the question?” I’m doomed. Alan takes the water bottle from me and swaps it out for another full one. I swear he’s a wizard. He puts a hand on the side of my face and keeps my attention on him.

“I’m not going to make you do this. If you really really want to cut and run we can.” Somehow despite most of my mind and body screaming that that’s the best choice some form of rationality peaks through.

“No. I want to try.” Even if it kills me. He smiles and strokes his thumb across my cheek.

“Great cause you’re on.” No. Nope. No way.

Yes my brother had to shove me up there but this time I made it on stage without losing my lunch. Much better than the talent show. Bright lights mostly blinded me as I stumbled a little on my way to the mic. Looking back I see Alan giving me a thumbs up. Morgan briefly smiles when she sees me before trying to become as serious as possible.

“Hi, would you please give us your name?” The guy next to Morgan, I think his name is Jaden, announces into his mic. Okay you can do this. You know your name.

“Lau-Lauren Whittendale.” Only one stutter. Doing great. With a nod Jaden waves his hand and the music starts. Now you just have to sing.

That’s your cue. Sing.

Sing. Lauren.

…

Please.

Please don’t do this.

Sing.

The track stops and before either of the judges can say anything I hear it.

“Classic Frightenedale.” No. No no no. I knew this would happen. There’s laughter and I’ve run for the curtains before anything else can follow. Stupid. Stupid song. Stupid auditions. Stupid me. Why couldn’t I just sing? I lock myself in the first room I come across. Or at least I thought I did until my brother came tumbling in after me.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” Through the now mountains of tears I manage to shake my head. I may not be physically hurt but I am entirely humiliated. Why did I try? Alan lets me cry into his arms until I can’t anymore. Then he dries my eyes and weirdly enough starts to pull a box from his backpack.

“Now listen you can entirely say no but I did think up a plan B for you.” I wipe some snot onto my sleeve, completely confused.

“Plan B?”

“How do you feel about Lawrence auditioning? I mean they were invited.” I stare at the case in his hands and realise what it and the rest of his backpack holds. Plan B huh?

“Let’s call them Plan L. Pass me the box.”

[ianbeck]

“Secondhand Smoke, Firsthand Regret”

[Setting: UA High School’s teachers’ lounge, late evening. The vibe is… smoky. Aizawa and Present Mic are completely stoned, Midnight is buzzed on something she probably shouldn’t have brought to work, All Might is accidentally high from secondhand smoke, and Cementoss is entirely sober but regretting every life choice that brought him here. Meanwhile, Class 1-A is gathered outside the door, eavesdropping, and trying not to laugh.]

Aizawa (slouched in his chair, eyes half-closed, holding a bag of chips like it’s his lifeline):

“Wonderwall.” That’s it. That’s the best karaoke song. No debate. Everyone knows it. You just… strum your air guitar and go, “Sooo maybeeee.” Easy.

Present Mic (lying sideways across two chairs, munching on gummy bears with intense focus):

Shou… Shouuuu. Listen. Listen to me right now. “Wonderwall” is… LAME. You’re lame. It’s like, the Starbucks of karaoke songs, man. BASIC.

Aizawa (pausing mid-chip):

You’re the Starbucks of people.

Present Mic (gasping like Aizawa just committed a war crime):

BRO. BROOOOO. TAKE IT BACK.

Midnight (waving her wine glass dramatically):

Alright, both of you, shut up. The best karaoke song is “Like a Virgin”. It’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s—

Aizawa (cutting her off, his voice dry as desert sand):

—your theme song.

Midnight (glaring, pointing her glass at him):

Oh, and what’s yours? “I’m Too Sexy”?

Present Mic (snorting, spilling gummy bears everywhere):

PFFT. SHOU, IMAGINE YOU ON STAGE—LIKE, “I’m too sexy for my scarf.” HAHAHA!

Aizawa (mumbling):

I’m too sober for this.

Cementoss (calmly eating an apple):

Technically, you’re not.

All Might (sitting upright and looking far too serious for how red his eyes are):

I… I think the best karaoke song is “Don’t Stop Believin’.” It’s hopeful. It’s unifying. It’s—

Aizawa (interrupting, his voice flat):

A cry for help.

All Might (offended):

IT IS NOT A CRY FOR HELP. It’s a heroic anthem!

Present Mic (rolling onto the floor dramatically):

Toshinori, you’d sing like, “Don’t stooop… [wheeze]… beeeeep—” And then pass out!

All Might (offended but also a little giggly):

I would NOT pass out! I have excellent breath control!

Midnight (grinning, swirling her wine):

Prove it.

All Might (standing, determined but wobbly):

Fine! I will serenade this room right now!

[All Might inhales deeply, but before he can sing, he starts coughing violently. Present Mic bursts out laughing so hard he rolls into a trash can.]

Present Mic (wheezing):

That’s your Number One Hero, folks!

Aizawa (nodding slowly like he’s just figured out the meaning of life):

Yeah, I bet he could cough in key, though.

[Meanwhile, outside the door…]

Kirishima (whispering, red-faced from holding back laughter):

This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.

Ashido (giggling uncontrollably):

Aizawa’s out here acting like “Wonderwall” is the national anthem.

Jirou (trying to stay quiet but failing):

I swear, if they make us judge this, I’m voting for Cementoss just to mess with them.

Bakugo (snarling):

Shut up, extras! If you laugh too loud, they’ll know we’re here!

Midoriya (anxiously whispering):

Why is All Might… swaying? Is he okay?

Todoroki (deadpan):

He’s probably just riding the secondhand high.

Kaminari (snorting):

Yeah, Todoroki, because the rest of them are totally sober.

[Inside the room, the chaos continues.]

Midnight (standing up and dramatically pointing):

Okay, this is how we settle it: karaoke contest. Right here. Right now. Winner gets bragging rights forever.

Aizawa (groaning into his chips):

No. I refuse.

Present Mic (already opening a karaoke app on his phone):

TOO LATE, SHOU! THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!

All Might (slurring slightly, raising his hand):

I accept the challenge! Let’s… let’s fight with honor!

Cementoss (calmly):

I did not agree to this.

Midnight (grinning):

Oh, Cementoss, don’t chicken out. We all want to hear your smooth jazz voice.

Present Mic (suddenly yelling into an imaginary microphone):

“CARELESS WHISPER” BY CEMENTOSS, EVERYBODY!

Aizawa (groaning louder):

I want to die.

[At this exact moment, the door creaks open, and the Class 1-A students all tumble into the room in a heap.]

Bakugo (yelling):

YOU IDIOTS ARE SO LOUD WE CAN’T EVEN PRETEND WE WEREN’T LISTENING!

Hizashi (pointing dramatically at the students):

JUDGES! You’re all judges now!

Ashido (grinning):

Oh, this is gonna be amazing.

Aizawa (burying his face in his hands):

This is how my career ends.

[The scene fades as Present Mic grabs a hairbrush to use as a mic, Midnight cranks up the karaoke machine, and All Might flexes dramatically while everyone laughs uncontrollably.]

⚠️ script and picture made with ChatGPT ⚠️

[pacifymebby]

Does anybody have any tips when you feeling anxious?? ❤️

Sorry to hear that you are feeling anxious my lovely, sending you a big hug.

I am a girlie who gets anxious all the time about different things in different ways so I'll try to give you different coping strategies!!

If you feel anxiety really physically some quick tips are

🐇 breathing exercises, take yourself somewhere quiet, get as close to the floor as you can (I lie on my back if I can) and close your eyes, breath in to the count of four, hold for seven and then out for eight. I count on my fingers for an extra level of grounding and do this until my bones/chest ache less or feel less tight. Usually the first couple of breaths give you this sinking into the ground feeling which can be quite nice.

🌸 go somewhere with some space and literally shake or jump it out, sometimes anxiety manifests itself as a deep physical tension in your muscles and an extreme restlessness at the same time. Having a big old shake/wiggle/jump can really really help. They say exercise can help to regulate anxiety but honestly you don't have to go to the gym or a big long run, 30 seconds of wiggling and loosening up will do it for you.

🐇 in the same vibes my boyfriend really likes to go and scream somewhere, I cannot do this I hate loud noise and I hate making loud noises lol but it works for him he likes to do a big John Lennon esque scream from time to time.

🌸 if you can find someone who will give you a big tight hug let them squeeze the anxiety out of you, if you can't weighted blankets and that sort of thing do the trick too.

🐇 change something to do with one of your senses, you could listen to music, use aromatherapy (or go and sniff one of the spices in your cupboard for s bit whatever) chew gum or peppercorns (they give this as advice for if you're too stoned but the principle is the same!) Anything that has a strong sensory experience attached to it will work to ground you in the moment and settle your body. This is why ice baths and also saunas can help with anxiety, or why taking yourself from a dark room into a light one or the opposite way around can really bring you out of a negative mindset.

🌸 None of the above are going to cure anxiety but they help to ground you and soothe the physical anxiety sensations.

Now

🪽 you can either do these by writing in a journal or talking to a friend but,

🌸 how do you feel? Is it physical (sick/shakey/exhausted/overstimulated/numb) is it more in your head (racing thoughts? Circling/spiraling/repeated thoughts?) Can you pin point things you're anxious about or that are making you feel insecure in some way?

🪽 so you write all of that down, you write down the reasons you feel that way or you just scribble whatever and write random words that come to mind or pictures if you can't pinpoint or put it into words.

🌸 If there's specific things overwhelming you or that you're anxious about ask yourself what about those things is making you anxious? (Do you think you're going to embarrass yourself, do you think people won't like you etc..)

🪽 now this bit sounds silly and ill try to give you an example to make it make some sense but you have to then write the "realistic" outcome, not necessarily an overwhelmingly positive one, just mundane, what do you know logically is more likely to happen

🌸 for example I did this with a friend last week, I was anxious about going to an open mic on my own and was going to stay home instead because

- I was worried no one would talk to me, that the people who know me would ignore me in favour of their better friends, that people would judge me for being there on my own

- realistically however and drawing from past experiences I could reason with myself that a) other people go on their own all the time and no one judges them, I don't judge them etc, b) people always say hello to me when I'm on my own, I know people I can say hi to and talk to etc c) those people aren't going to suddenly ignore me when they never have before.

- then I went and everything was fine people invited me to sit with them I even made new friends. So when I got home I completed stage three of this by reflecting on my anxieties and comparing them to what actually happened.

🪽 its a very long term strategy but I find that it really helps me in certain situations that feel big and scary.

🌸 if I'm overwhelmed in life and that's giving me a more vague anxiety, impending but vague doom anxiety as I like to call it, I try and write a list of all the things I've been ignoring, bills to pay, chores, the ailments that need seeing to, people o need to text back, dishes to be done, books I wanted to read etc... I make a big long list and then I make a plan for the ones that are multi step and I just try and cross each thing off one by one starting with the smallest or the most important tasks first, if a bill needs paying in the next few days for example then that gets done straight away. With each thing you get done you feel better and more capable of doing the rest.

🪽 connect with nature somehow, literally touch grass, press your hand to a tree trunk, stare up into tree branches, breathe in outside air, pet a dog or cat or horse whatever. Go stand in the sea/ a river if you're near one...

🌸 a warm drink and breath the steam in?

🪽 a big big thing I think is talking to people, open up to someone you trust even if all they can do is offer distraction or a hug or a smile.

🌸 really though I find that whereas depression and heartbreak and panic attacks and things like that require a lot of distraction techniques the best way to deal with anxiety is to face it head on, address the things making you feel that way and take action, even the smallest step towards fixing a problem can help.

🪽 if it's something like hangover anxiety or anxiety from having socialised too much or something this is a bit different and then I'd say you should try the physical approaches or distraction techniques like reading a book or listening to music or video gaming or something better.

🌸 something I would say about that though is like, don't just read, read AND listen to music, video game with the sound up, watch a movie and crochet or do something with your hands that requires concentration... Engage more than one of the senses to keep your brain from circling. In this instance games like Tetris and snake or guitar hero/Arcaea are all very effective.

If anyone sees this and wants to offer their own thoughts reblog with them and I'll reblog them back into my tl for anon xxx

[teachingenglishtokids]

DIY Sound-Scape: Recording Forest Ambience With Kids

Turn simple nature sounds into a one-of-a-kind lullaby track

Why This Activity Matters

Hands-on science: Children hear how wind, water, and animals make sound waves.

Music skills: They learn rhythm, layering, and volume.

Creativity: Kids feel proud when their own sounds become part of a song.

Calm focus: Listening for quiet details trains careful attention.

Watch the “Magical Forest Lullaby”

Start the activity by watching or listening to the Forest Whisper Lullaby together.

Ask your child:

What do you see in your mind when the forest whispers?

What sound would the moonlight or owl make?

How can we turn the song’s words into real soft sounds?

This step helps them connect imagination with sound.

Lyrics of the Forest Whisper Lullaby

“Forest Whisper Lullaby”

Verse 1 Whisper, forest, softly sing, Fireflies paint a silver ring. Moonlight drips on sleepy trees, Stars fall slow like quiet seas.

Chorus Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, Dreams will gently fly. Wrapped in leaves of velvet green, Sleep in forest shine and sheen.

Verse 2 Petal pillows, moss so mild, Cradle every drifting child. Wind hums low, a tender spell, Safe you are and all is well.

Chorus Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, Dreams will gently fly. Wrapped in leaves of velvet green, Sleep in forest shine and sheen.

Bridge Owls keep watch with golden eyes, River sings where silence lies. Heartbeats blend with rustling air, Night will guard you everywhere.

Final Chorus (soft) Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, Dreams now fill the sky. Held by trees and silver light, Rest, sweet child—good-night, good-night.

What You Need

• Smartphone or tablet--Built-in voice recorder works fine.

• Optional small mic--Makes cleaner sound but not required.

• Headphones--Help kids hear details when editing.

• Easy, free sound-editing app--See options below.

• Notebook & pencil--For a “sound list.”

Kid-Friendly, Mostly Free Editing Apps

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Plan Your Sound Hunt

Talk about forest sounds: rustling leaves, bird calls, dripping water, footsteps on grass, a gentle stream, petal pillows, wind humming, star falling

Make a checklist: Let children draw small icons—leaf, bird, drop—next to each sound.

2. Set Recording Rules

Quiet feet: Walk slowly to avoid extra noise.

One sound at a time: Point the mic at the source.

Countdown: “3-2-1-record” teaches timing.

10-second clips: Easy to handle later.

3. Go Outside (or Improvise Indoors)

Backyard trees for leaf rustle.

Water tap half-open for a trickle if no stream is near.

Paper towel tube blown gently can mimic an owl “hoo.”

Encourage kids to invent: crumpling paper = cracking twigs.

Or make sounds:

Petal pillows = fabric rubbing

Wind hums = blowing gently in a straw

Stars falling = bell or soft chime

4. Review the Takes

Use the simple chart below to rate each clip. Kids practice critical listening and decide if a retake is needed.

5. Import Clips into the App

Create new project → “Audio.”

Label tracks: LEAVES, WATER, BIRD. Color-code if possible.

Drag clips onto separate tracks.

6. Trim and Loop

Show children how to:

Cut silence at start/end.

Loop short sounds—leaf rustle repeats smoothly.

Fade in/out so no sudden jumps.

7. Build the Sound-Scape

Base layer: Soft water trickle sets calm mood.

Middle layer: Leaf rustle panned left, bird tweets panned right (introduce “left/right” sound).

Top layer: Child whispers a line from the lullaby, e.g., “Hush-a-bye.”

8. Adjust Volume

Explain “mixing desk”:

Water low (20–30 %),

Leaves medium (50 %),

Voice higher (70 %). Let kids slide faders and judge what feels soothing.

9. Export the Track

Tap Share/Export → “Audio file (MP3 or WAV).” Rename it “My Forest Lullaby – [Child’s Name].”

10. Bedtime Premiere

Play the track during the bedtime routine. Ask your child how the sounds make them feel. Celebrate their work!

Extension Ideas

Science journal: Draw each sound source and describe how it was made.

Math link: Count loops—how many times does the bird call repeat in one minute?

Art project: Paint a picture of the forest scene while listening.

Language: Write a short story using the recorded sounds as plot points.

Safety & Courtesy Tips

Record in safe, familiar areas.

Respect wildlife; keep distance.

Avoid private property without permission.

Final Thought

Creating a DIY forest sound-scape turns the world into a gentle classroom. Kids discover that music is not only instruments—it is wind, water, and their own quiet voices. With a phone and a little patience, you and your child can craft a lullaby that’s truly your song of the woods. Sweet dreams!

[the-yoru-whoru]

( part one ) Valorant discord,,,, val dudes x shy! introverted! reader | ( school au ) ( tw assault ) ( some angst and comfort ) ( nsfw mentions under the cut) ( reverse - harem ) ( god this is so self indulgent ) ( not about to proofread this whole thing so apologies for mistakes ) ( dub-con)

Discord nights were loud.

Phoenix often screaming into the mic whenever he died, Yoru telling him to shut up, and Chamber complimenting his own gaming skills.

You often play as healer or support, and are very good at it.

Although you are quite quiet compared to your friends, whenever you spoke the call would quiet, and you’d never be ignored or forgotten.

The first time you started playing with them, it had just been you and Phoenix.

Him being the overly extroverted and loud friend, you being introverted and meek in most cases, preferring to stay home and game then to go out and meet people.

But the two of you got along perfectly.

Easily flustered and with a tendency to overreact to jump scares or teasing, he just thought you were so fun to hang with.

Which led to you both hopping onto a discord call for at least a few hours a night every day.

You were both still in school, so sometimes the two of you would vc just to do work together, once in a while talking and just enjoying knowing the other person was there.

Then Phoenix met someone from his school named Yoru.

The first time Yoru joined the call, he hadn’t even seen awkward, just speaking confidently and mostly replying to Phoenix’s jokes with an eye roll that was almost visible in his tone of voice.

You took a while to warm up to him, but Yoru was calmer then Phoenix, and talked to you in a slightly more gentle way.

The only times he really raised his voice are when Phoenix team kills him, or when someone on the other team is trash talking too much.

His ego just can’t take the assault sometimes.

Yoru is often the carry in most games, and is known for staying calm and clutching most seemingly un-winnable rounds.

You and him often vc to play chill fps games together, as he’s good at guiding you to the win and giving tips on aiming.

Chamber joined in on the request of Yoru.

Yoru had been taking French classes, and apparently got along well with one of the assistants.

The French dude was self-absorbed and cocky, but was very polite towards you.

You often find yourself flustered whenever he comes onto vc, referring to you as “mon amour” jokingly (?).

The three of these were pure chaos in every game, and as a result Saturday nights on Minecraft quickly turned into all out battles and building competitions with you as the judge.

All three had ego’s the size of a house, and were constantly fighting, with you usually trying to calm the situations and add reason.

It got even worse when the three of them would put aside rivalries just to fluster and confuse you as much as possible, whether it be buying you skins in games or having pick up line contests, it was overwhelming.

That’s why you were slightly grateful that Sova decided to join.

The man was calm, humble, and kind.

He and Phoenix got along surprisingly well, and apparently had met in some school events.

Sova was the friend you went to when you wanted to play Stardew Valley, or when you wanted someone to talk with while you played Animal Crossing.

Him playing with the chaos trio was equally fun, as he was funny in a wholesome way, and was very matter of fact in pointing out mistakes in the others gameplay.

The dude has never raged or been toxic. Ever.

At this point your discord server was almost always active; there would be someone on at any time, and it was nice to always just pop into a vc and talk for a little throughout the day.

Over time more people joined in.

Cypher was the genius smart ass who was the most likely out of all of you to go to MIT, and Omen always had his status set to “life has no meaning” while his profile picture sported a picture of a cute cat.

Everyone got along well, and although you were the only girl you never felt excluded, if anything the other guys constantly talked about how you held the group together.

You felt loved and a lot of the time they were the ones who helped you not feel lonely when you were always home alone.

But nothing could have prepared you for how loved you’d really feel.

( nsfw parts from here )

( clarification : you’ve never seen any of the guys irl before, except for Phoenix, and even then that was years ago, when you were both dorky middle schoolers who played on your 3DS together )

They all had nice voices.

You would never admit it, but sometimes their voices were too nice sounding.

The first time Sova called you a good girl for getting dinner instead of eating ramen, you had to suppress a full body shiver.

You were mortified at the sound you made when Cypher called you a sweet girl, and had been so flustered at your own reaction that you had simply exited the call.

Yoru’s tired voice in the early morning of the day was unnecessarily sexy, and Phoenix’s pissed off voice had no reason making you as breathy as it did.

And that’s not even mentioning Chamber’s sensual voice when he talks about how much he appreciates your help with his English homework ( why does he keep referring to you as his goddess!?!? ).

And sometimes, on the rare occasions that Omen did speak, it was just to say how cute you were when you get scared on horror movie night, in a low voice that was just a little bit teasing, something he usually never did.

Suffice to say, you were having a hard time handling it.

On the other hand… the valorant guys were having some issues of their own.

Having one on ones conversations with you felt like heaven to Yoru at times.

He’d feel guilty as he crept a hand into his shorts as he listened to you talk late through the night, your soft voice making his chest tighten with longing.

Phoenix would constantly imagine what you looked like now, always pestering you to post a selfie in the chats or something, but you were always too embarrassed.

Being the genius and computer wiz he is, it didn’t take much for Cypher to find out what you looked like in real life.

The overwhelming guilt of having invaded your privacy would always be lessened when he jacked off to your pictures, matching your kind voice to the sweet girl he’d put up on his screen.

Sova started becoming flustered in your presence, stuttering a bit more and sometimes forgetting his train of thought whenever you spoke.

The ever lurking edge lord Omen would start talking to you very often, if not just to send a quick cat gif into your private dms, or to ask you to tell him about you day.

He had to replace his computer mouse after a night of playing horror games with you; your quivering voice and adorable squeals made him clench down on his mouse so hard it cracked straight through the middle.

He tells you that he just stepped on it by accident.

Even though you don’t know what your boys looked like, it was enough that their voices and presence was always there for you.

Until one night you’re walking home from a late night shift at work.

You’re busy thinking about what game you’d want to play tonight, and whether Sova managed to make it onto the archery team like he mentioned.

So busy that you don’t notice the dark figure creeping up behind you before it’s too late.

The rest is a teary eyed blur; you feel hands pulling at your shirt, the smell of booze on your assailants hot breath, and his greasy mouth on your lips.

It feels like ages before someone pulls him off of you, and starts speaking to you worriedly.

There are police involved and you numbly answer the questions of the kind lady across from you, and finally, a police car drops you off at your apartment, pushing a card with a number into your hand and telling you to get therapy if needed.

You stare blankly at the door after you close it. Finally, you start sobbing, falling against the door and crying brokenly.

You don’t log onto discord that night.

Or the next. Or even the next. Days turn into weeks and you haven’t logged into for almost a month.

You feel so gross and afraid.

You triple check your doors every night, you scrub at your skin till it’s red, you have sleepless nights about a greasy body pressed up against your behind.

You can’t even muster up the will to attend classes anymore.

It’s a Friday night when you hear a knock at your door.

You freeze at your spot on the couch, laying aimlessly about while a news channel played on the tv.

Standing up a bit unsteadily, you look through the peephole cautiously.

There’s a familiar face on the other side. Your eyes widen.

( part two )

[jjolmyeonz]

cookie | kim sunoo

pairing: sunoo x gender neutral! reader

genre: fluff with a tinge of angst

word count: 888

warnings: mentions of food, minimal cursing

“Come to think of it, Sun,” why are we even fighting in the first place?”

You sat side-by-side with your boyfriend, Sunoo, who's breathlessly panting from his P.E. class. Not bothering to look at him, you curl up in a guilty ball as the events from earlier resurface from your memories. He, on the other hand, doesn't say a word immediately; he just looks somewhere at a distance, just averting your gaze and waiting for the words he wanted to hear from you—“I'm sorry.”

Heck. Sitting under the tree with him was supposed to be a great time but not right now. You could clearly remember you having a pretty unpleasant parting with him before your classes started, with you lashing out at him and him running off before you could even apologize.

"Nope," he spat out, breaths slowing as he avoids your gaze and fixes it somewhere far away. "You should know that by now."

You grumbled. "Ugh, come on! Is this how we're supposed to fix this?"

He mindlessly kicked away a stone. "You tell me."

This new attitude Sunoo showed you was completely out of the ordinary. Though his sulking was totally understandable, how he could utter words with such a tone was so beyond you. The Kim Sunoo that sat beside you was different—he wasn't gonna have any bullshit.

You didn't know what to say next, being cornered by his statement. I'm sorry? I shouldn't have shouted at you? It was childish of me? You felt like whatever you say among these would either make or break the situation, so you sit and think again despite knowing it would make Sunoo look like an idiot waiting for an answer from you.

"Y/N." Sunoo called out as calmly as possible, trying his best not to whine out of impatience.

"Fine!" you blurted out with eyes shut, scared to see whatever expression is all over your boyfriend's face. It wasn't going to help with your already agitated self. "I just wanted some of your cookies, okay?"

A moment of silence follows as the sound of swooshing leaves make up for the white noise. One, two, three seconds pass and your urge to be eaten up by the ground gradually rose. There was no point in explaining yourself further, because judging the lack of reaction from Sunoo, whatever you say next would be futile.

Just then, peals of laughter rung in your ears along with sounds of clapping and feet hitting the ground. In disbelief, you lifted your head up and turned to him. He was definitely enjoying this. Was your boyfriend seriously laughing at you in this situation?

"Hey, Kim Sunoo!" you hissed, finally mustering up the courage to give your boyfriend a sour look.

Him laughing will always be therapeutic to you in a sense, but in this state? It was hell on earth. Cheeks warm from embarrassment and subtle anger, you stared as he falls to the floor, clapping like a madman as his laughs fail to cease. Unbelievable.

"Ah, Y/N… I should've known!" he says between giggles, even unintentionally hitting your shoulder. "You still owe me an apology for shouting, by the way."

"Damn it." you roll your eyes, cursing under your breath.

"What was that, my love?" Sunoo teasingly extends a hand in front of your mouth as if pointing a mic at you. The amusement was clear as day in his face and you were hopeless.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you, Kim." you conceded, searching for any trace of anger on his face. You wouldn't want to mess this up, wouldn't you?

Sunoo, still amused, softly pats your heavy shoulder, smile fading as you avoid his gaze again. I must've been too hard on them myself.

He clearly remembers turning his back on you as the bell rings for the next class. Surely he would've given you enough time to apologize if it weren't for that matter, but he figured you would've taken it the wrong way—that he would ignore you that easily.

"You know I love cookies the most in the world, bubs," you continue, looking up at him with tired eyes. "and the fact that wouldn't share them upsets me."

Shit. You did take it the wrong way. He was supposed to keep the box of your favorite cookies hidden until the end of the last period, but alas, you have spotted him chucking it in his backpack.

"Baby—"

You nodded vigorously. "Petty, I know."

"These were for you, silly."

He places a slightly damaged box of cookies on your lap. Wrapped daintily in fancy paper and ribbons, you could see sugar cookies peeking out of the box's small orifice. Tears welled up your eyes, realizing how dumb you were for not realizing what date it was today. How could I forget? Your chest dropped at the thought of him sad for the rest of his classes.

"Happy anniversary, L/N."

"Oh, come on!" you squeaked, snatching a cookie from the box and popping it into your mouth. "How am I ever gonna stand to be away from you at this point?"

"Then don't." he replied, lifting your face up with a finger and blowing cookie crumbs off of your lips. He eventually pecks them with lips dangerously close to your face. "Stay close for as long as you wish."

a/n: hiiii everyone! i come bringing a gift 🤩 maybe i'll progress to longer fics soon if my time and mental capacity permits it but hey, starting small wasn't as bad as i thought it would be! hope u guys enjoy 🥹

© jjolmyeonz on tumblr, 2022

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

tti episode 9

"Last time on Total Takes Island: the campers played a friendly game of hunter and hunted, complete with costumes and projectile weapons. Max gave Michael the cold shoulder, for some reason, and Austin showed off his not-so-groovy side when he used his teammate as a human shield. Sha-Mod got rivals Ass and Courtney in a tangle, and for that he was sent packing. Will the Fujoshis ever win another round? Will Scruffy ever find some solid evidence of what’s happening on their team? Find out now- on Total! Takes! Island!”

Caesar sits up, looking at the analogue clock on the wall- 6 AM- and then sighs as he covers his ears to drown out McLovin’s sobs. 

---

CAESAR: “All. Week. All week! That homo-wannabe has been crying over his boytoy leaving the island. If I had known it’d affect his fragile little heart so much as to disturb me from my beauty sleep, I would’ve voted for Ass!”

---

McLovin shakily holds a simple crayon drawing he made of him and Sha-Mod surrounded by a large red heart as he sits on the cabin floor. Caesar gets out of bed, eyes tired, and stares blankly into the camera. 

A knock on the cabin door forces him to shuffle over and open it, only to see Bonnie holding a pillow and looking equally as tired. 

“Ass and Courtney have been fighting. All. Night,” they mutter, eye bags heavy. “I don’t care about the gender-adjacent rules anymore, I just want to sleep.”

Caesar sighs and points into the cabin where McLovin is crying. “No sleep around here,”

“Oh, brother,”

---

Julia sits on the porch outside the cabin door, legs crossed and eyes closed as she pretends to meditate to listen in on Austin and Kelly’s conversation. 

“And then I said, why have one bird when you can have all of them?” 

Kelly laughs. “You have such a way with words,”

“Smashing, baby,”

Julia sighs in defeat, clearly not learning anything of value, and stands, walking over to where Max is leaning against the cabin exterior wall. She hovers in front of him until he finally acknowledges her. “What do you want?”

“I was thinking we could discuss strategy,”

He scoffs. “Yeah, right, as if I’d take pointers from you,”

Julia rolls her eyes. “I just think we should go over what we’re doing about the Scary problem?”

“No one’s gonna vote her out,” Max says, beginning to walk away. “You’re playing the wrong game here.”

“Attention, campers! Meet me on the beach in five for your next challenge!” Chris’ voice blares over the intercoms. Everyone winces at the mic feedback and then slowly begins moving, quietly grouping off. 

“Today’s challenge will not only test your strength, your endurance, your intelligence, your patience, your-”

“Oh, just get on with it,” Julia rolls her eyes. 

Chris glares. “You’ll be cooking a three-course meal. Each team will appoint a head chef to create a theme for the meal, and oversee the cooking. If you’ll all look off to your rights- no, your other rights- you’ll see our food delivery truck, stocked full of ingredients, which is what you’ll be using for your meals,” he continues, pointing to a small truck down the shoreline. “Chef and I will be judging, so make it edible, please.”

Courtney turns to the rest of the team, now a five-player ensemble. They cross their arms with a smile. “So… who wants to lead this thing?”

“Why not you, your holiness?” Ass says, rolling their eyes. Courtney glares, but doesn’t object, turning to the rest of the team. 

Caesar shrugs. “I don’t have any problems with that. Bonbon?”

Bonnie yawns. 

“McLovin?” Caesar turns, and then looks around the beach. “Um… has anyone seen McLovin?”

---

A spiritual, wistful tune plays as McLovin sits at the big cliff’s edge, cradling his knees to his chest and crying. 

---

“Oh. Joy,” Courtney sighs. “Normally, I’d look for him myself, but I need to oversee the cooking. Bonnie?”

“Bonbon and I are kind of a package deal,” Caesar says, holding their shoulders to prevent them from collapsing. “Where they go, I go.”

“Fine! As much as I hate to say it-”

Ass smiles a little and stands. “I’ll find him. Just worry about not losing this time, m'kay?”

Courtney rolls their eyes and turns to their two-person team. “We can work with this. Caesar, make sure Bonnie doesn’t hurt themselves. I’m going to go check out the kitchen and then make a list of what we need. Is that okay?”

Caesar shrugs. 

---

“Now, clearly, I should be the head chef-”

Julia elbows Max in the ribs, causing him to cough and sputter. “Fine! Whatever. Scary, you’re in charge,”

Scary beams, giggling and cartwheeling towards the ingredients truck. 

Michael raises an eyebrow. “Have you lost your mind?”

“We took a vote, Mikey,” Julia grins, wrapping her arm around Michael’s shoulders. 

“Don’t call me that,"

Scruffy blinks. "Who voted for Scary?”

“Let’s see… Frollo, Staci, Scary itself, and me and Max,”

“You and Max are in agreement on this?” Michael scoffs.

Max storms through, shoving Michael out of the way while Julia snickers to herself. 

---

JULIA: “This is too easy,”

---

“Is this everything?” Courtney asks as Caesar and Bonnie dump a few armfuls of food packaging onto the table in their designated kitchen. 

Caesar pants, gasping for air as if he’d just run a marathon. “No, we still have a few trips to make,”

“Okay, okay, we’re all good. I’m gonna get started on the appetizers, since that’s what’s getting served first. I think I have an idea of how we could pull this off,”

---

Somewhere deep within the woods and very far from camp, McLovin and Ass walk together, shoulder-to-shoulder. 

“Well, why do you think it was so distressing? Were you really that good of friends?” They ask, kicking a pinecone along the path. 

“We weren’t just friends, we were bromates. That’s like soulmates but for men… Joner came up with it,” McLovin sighs. 

“And this Joner guy wasn’t your… ugh, your bromate?” 

McLovin shakes his head. “Michael was around way before I was. I only came in around the ninth grade, so he was already spoken for,”

"Isn't Michael a girl?"

"is she?"

Ass raises an eyebrow, then gives him a sympathetic look. “Third-wheeling, huh? I know how that feels,”

“It was more than third-wheeling. But I don’t wanna talk about it, it gets… complicated. Things with Michael aren’t so good anymore. But Sha-Mod was like my oasis in the desert, man! He saved me from all the girl drama and the cooties!”

Ass rolls their eyes, but an endearing smile sneaks through anyway. “You’re funny, you know that?”

“I know,” he sighs. “Sha-Mod used to tell me how funny I am…”

---

Scary scampers around the kitchen, laughing maniacally while writing down their own recipes on the back of napkins from the mess hall and passing them out like party favors. 

The other Anons raise eyebrows at the messy handwriting, and then turn to Max, who shrugs. 

---

JULIA: “My plan is simple. Get Max to put Scary in charge, convincing him that her failure will get her eliminated, and then when we inevitably fail, I’ll pin it on him and he’ll be toast!"

---

“Okayyy, let’s see- I want this to all go perfectly, so no lollygagging, tomfooling, dilly-dallying, or horseplay, pretty please!” Scary says. “Austin, Kelly Staci- course number three. Julia, Scruffy- course number two! The rest of you-” Scary narrows her eyes at Michael and Max, then at Frollo across the room. “Course number one and STAY OUT OF MY WAY!”

Michael takes a step away. Max rolls his eyes. 

Austin reads the recipe card Scary had handed him, and then beams. “Black forest cake- right on, baby!”

“Pasta,” Julia squints at her group's napkin. “Um, wait- where are we supposed to get the-”

“Figure it out!” Scary grins wickedly. 

Max finally looks at the remaining recipe. “Um. This isn’t real,” he ignores Michael, turning to Frollo behind them. “She’s messing with us. She has to be.”

Frollo closes his Bible with a loud snap and walks over, taking the napkin. He squints at it, and then his face goes pale. “Witchcraft!” he shouts, dropping the napkin on the floor, kneeling down beside it and repeatedly smashing it with his Bible. 

“You know it’s already flat, right?” Max asks as he and Michael watch the ordeal from above. 

---

“Caesar! I need you and Bonnie on the main course. I can handle everything else until- if- those two ever get back,” Courtney shouts, tying an apron around their waist as the two remaining players come back from their final round of carrying ingredients. 

Caesar half-heartedly salutes them and picks up the cookbook Courtney found, flipping to a tabbed page. He grins. “Courtney, you genius,”

“Yeah, I know, but we still gotta make it!” they say, grabbing an oven tray and spreading a thin layer of tortilla chips over it. 

---

COURTNEY: “My parents aren’t really at home a lot, so I’ve been feeding myself for most of my teen years. Whenever I don’t feel like cooking something big, I go to my defaulto easy and quick meal- Americanized-Mexican food.”

---

Julia and Scruffy stare at the last ingredient they need on the list, and then look to each other. “So… you don’t suppose they have that on the truck, right?” she chuckles. 

“Not that I would think, but… someone’s gonna have to get it,” 

Julia’s nervous smile drops as she realizes they mean her. “Fine. If I die, kill Max for me,”

“Um… sure,”

Julia takes off her apron and walks out of the kitchen just as Kelly and Austin come back in holding a new carton of eggs. 

“You know, my great-great-great-great grandma Eliza actually published the first ever recipe for chocolate cake. It’s an old family secret, but we use chopped chocolate instead of melted,” Staci smiles, pulling a huge butcher’s knife out of a drawer and smiling as they begin dicing a few chocolate bars. 

Kelly smiles. “Your family sounds really nice, I wish mine was so talented,”

“You’re always welcome to join! As my great-uncle Bertram said, family is determined by bonds, not by blood,” 

“You mean it?!” Kelly’s eyes widen. “I get to have a big sister??”

Staci beams. “Ohmigosh, totally! I’ve always wanted a younger sib!”

Austin pops out of nowhere, holding an armful of eggs. “I want in on this found family dig too, baby! I’d make a smashing sister!”

“Yay! Sisters!” Staci smiles. “OW!”

All three look down to their finger, where the knife had slipped and produced a thin cut. Staci turns white and then immediately passes out. 

“I don’t get it,” Max says, pacing around Michael and reading the napkin again as soon as he got Frollo out of the kitchen. “She’s actually trying to lose.”

“Will you-”

“This is all because she has this tall-person superiority complex, she thinks I’m stupid!”

“Can I-”

“That’s why she puts everyone she hates on appetizers! She wants us booted! Shit- this must’ve been Julia!”

Michael grabs his shoulders, shaking him. “Let me read it!”

Max’s face turns red and he crosses his arms after handing her the napkin, ignoring her again. She rolls her eyes and stares at the list. 

“Tongue of lamb… hair of toad… guts of eagle… hm, okay. She wants us to make a salad,”

Max’s jaw drops. 

---

MICHAEL: “Joner went through a witch phase in the 7th grade. All of the “eye of newt” stuff is just fancy herbalist language for different plants,”

---

“So, what’s your deal?” McLovin asks, no longer crying. His hands are in his pockets and his face is dry. 

“My deal?”

“You know, you’re all dry and sarcastic and stuff. Why?”

Ass shrugs. “When you deal with enough drama, it gets to you,”

“Aw, that’s too bad,” McLovin says, holding up his finger as a butterfly lands on it. He turns and smiles at Ass. “It’d be awesome to see you smiling more, you know?”

They smile a bit. 

---

ASS: “It’s kind of ridiculous how Courtney thinks they can just claim a person… however, when that person is McLovin, I guess I can kind of get it.”

---

Courtney slices a jalapeno, watching Bonnie carefully as they attempt to dice up a few tomatoes, but lose their grip on the knife every few seconds. 

“Here, let me,” Courtney says with an apologetic smile, taking over for Bonnie as they finish up the jalapeno. “Sorry about last night. I’m sure that wasn’t easy to sleep through.”

“What… sleep?” Bonnie yawns. 

“I guess I just keep letting my emotions get the best of me. I don’t mean to step on anyone’s toes, you know?” Courtney picks up the cutting board and scrapes off the diced tomatoes into a nearby bowl. “Can you grab the cilantro?”

Bonnie nods and drifts across the kitchen before returning. “It’s okay, I get it. And, for the record,” Bonnie smiles, picking apart the cilantro. “I’m on your side.”

Courtney smiles. 

---

COURTNEY: “Bonnie is kind of sweet, actually. Now I get why Caesar won’t listen to anyone else,”

---

Frollo paces back and forth outside the kitchen, looking at the ground with a contemplative stare. He hears some motion in the distance and looks up- seeing a pitch black figure approaching. 

“DEMON!” he yells before running off into the woods. 

Julia rolls her eyes as she walks by, doused in black squid ink. Scruffy blinks at her when she enters the kitchen. “Did you get anything?”

She glares, pulls out a bowl, and then wrings her hair into it, a metric ton of squid ink filling it to the brim. Scruffy blinks, and then shrugs. “Let’s cook,”

Across the kitchen, Max finishes tossing the salad before turning around and seeing Kelly and Austin alone, frosting an amazing looking cake. “Where’s Staci?” he asks. 

The two look at each other and then step apart, revealing a still-unconscious Staci on the floor. Max sighs, walks over, and shakes them awake. 

“Whu- huh? What happened?” Staci looks around, then winces. They look at their finger, still bleeding slightly, and immediately pass out again. 

Max slaps her awake this time, holding her hand away from her face. “You up? Good. Hope you had a good nap, sleeping beauty. Get some rubbing alcohol and band-aids from the medical tent and get back here before I lose my mind. Okay?”

Staci nods and shakily stands, slowly walking out the door. 

Max stands, smacking his palm to his forehead and gritting his teeth. Austin and Kelly make fleeting eye contact. 

“Hey, baby, are you doing alright? You’re not looking so groovy,”

“I’m fine!” he snaps. “I’m doing so awesome, thanks for asking!”

---

MAX: “I hope they all know how close I am to snapping,” he pauses to laugh insanely, holding his head in his hands. “Cause I’m really getting there!”

---

“Woah, dude, calm down,” Michael steps in from behind, putting a hand on his shoulder. Max’s face goes blank and he relaxes a little, losing tension. “You’re gonna give yourself a headache.”

He sighs, exhaling deeply. “I’m… okay. Let’s get this over with,”

---

“Campers, you have twenty more minutes to finish preparing your dishes!”

Courtney glances around the kitchen nervously, surveying the nachos and tacos prepared for the meal. “I feel like we’re missing something…”

Their face goes blank. “Oh my God- the dessert!”

Bonnie and Caesar's tired eyes widen and they look at each other nervously, neither one wanting to step in and volunteer to save the day.

Luckily, McLovin and Ass walk in just before the two have to, laughing to themselves. Courtney’s head whips around to them. “Where have you two been!?”

“Walking, talking, vibing,” McLovin shrugs. “Ass said you had it under control.”

Ass shrugs. “With all your amazing skills, I figured you wouldn’t miss us,”

Courtney glares, holding their arms out for emphasis as they get in Ass’ face. “Thanks for the input, but we’re about to lose! You are so going home!”

“Woah, let’s all take a chill pill,” McLovin steps between the two, holding out his arms. “Court, what’s going on?”

“Bonnie and Caesar are exhausted, you two have been missing for hours, and I didn’t have enough time to finish the dessert!”

McLovin raises an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

“What do you mean is that all?! We’re gonna lose!”

“I can make churros in like, fifteen minutes,” McLovin shrugs. “My abuela taught me this super quick recipe back in grade school.”

Everyone stares. Courtney’s jaw drops. 

---

Staci walks back into the kitchen, dazed and confused, holding a large bottle of rubbing alcohol with their entire hand bandaged. Max narrows his eyes. “What is that?”

“What?” they ask, holding up the gallon container. “Rubbing alcohol?”

“I didn’t want you to bring it back here! And look, you’re getting it all over!”

Staci looks at the ground, where a tiny hole at the bottom of the bottle is leaking a trail of fluid all over. They glare back. “You have no right to criticize me. You’re not in charge today,”

“Scary!” Max yells, before looking around the room. “Where is Scary?”

The other Anons look at each other, and then hear a faint giggling outside. The entire team walks out, Staci leaving the bottle on the counter adjacent to the one with the delicious-looking salad, squid ink pasta, and black forest cake. 

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” Max exclaims. 

 A large wooden stake has been set up just outside the kitchen, a massive pile of sticks under it. Frollo walks around one side, spinning the stake around to reveal Scary tied to it. She giggles again. 

“Jesus Christ is correct, my brother,” Frollo says. “I’m going to burn this witch and free this island of sin.”

Julia turns to Max. “When I said I wanted her gone, this isn’t what I meant!”

“Let her go, now!” Max shouts, though no one dares get any closer. 

Frollo shakes his head and lights a match just as Scary easily slips out of the ropes and somersaults into the woods. He doesn’t notice, though, and drops the match anyway. 

Max’s eyes drift down as the flames consume the wooden pyre, then flit down to the trail of rubbing alcohol leading to the mobile kitchen. 

He sighs. “Oh, sh-”

The steam of liquid immediately catches fire and the mobile kitchen explodes, blasting everyone backwards onto the beach. The Anons stare in shock as a massive bonfire envelops the charred remains of the shiny trailer, and their challenge along with it. 

---

“Mm, amazing! And these churros, man, I’m impressed!” Chris chuckles, dabbing his chin with a cloth napkin. “Fujoshis, despite everything, you’ve really outdone yourselves this time.”

“De-licious!” Chef nods, looking at Courtney. “Have you considered a summer internship in the kitchen? I could save you from this competition.”

Courtney smiles proudly. “I think I’ll stay on the show, but I appreciate that, Sergeant Chef,”

Chef salutes and Chris chuckles again. “Now, time for the-”

The sound of the trailer exploding outside makes everyone jump and run outside. The Anons are lying across the beach, groaning. Chris blinks. 

“Um… oookay... I guess we have a winner, then!” he shouts. The Fujoshis cheer, McLovin hugging Ass and Courtney while Bonnie and Caesar high-five and then both pass out. 

“Anons, I’ll see you- or what’s left of you, anyway- at the campfire tonight!”

---

“Anons… wowwwww. Wow. Just wow!” Chris shakes his head. “And the sad thing is, from what I saw, that weird goth meal looked delicious!” 

Max sighs, massaging his temples. Julia rolls her eyes. 

“You had a lot of mishaps today, some worse than others. But only one of you will be walking the dock of shame, boarding the boat of losers, and never returning. Ever,” 

“Scruffy- you’re safe. 

Max,

Scary- good work today, champ.

Michael, Kelly, Austin- safe!”

Chris looks between the final three marshmallow-less players. “Julia- you’re safe.”

Julia smiles and catches her marshmallow before flicking it at Max’s head. 

“Frollo- your weird 17th century point of view blew up a very expensive trailer, and your team's hard work inside. And Staci- you supplied the ammo. But only one of you is going home tonight. And that person… is…

Frollo,” Chris tosses Staci a marshmallow. “Staci, you’re somehow still in the game.”

Frollo stands, looking unbothered, and begins walking. He stops to whack Max upside the head with his Bible one last time, and then disappears down the dock. 

---

FROLLO: “I set out on a mission. However it turned out, I’ll know that I did well. We’re all in God’s plan. I can only hope the brothers at my church will forgive me for fraternizing outside of the membership…”

---

Max’s eyes open slowly and he sits up, rubbing his head. The campfire area is now abandoned and it’s clearly late at night. 

He looks up as someone walks into the area and offers a hand. He hesitates for a moment, and then takes it, allowing Michael to pull him to his feet. 

“I was just coming to check on you. Julia finally fell asleep,” Michael says. “Sorry you got knocked out.”

Max rubs the back of his head. “I’m just glad that nut is gone,”

Michael nods, looks around for a moment as the silence looms over them, and then begins walking away. Max watches for a few seconds before clearing his throat. “You did well today!”

She turns for a second, smiling. “I’d hope so,” and then walks back to camp. 

Max also smiles- just a tiny bit- and follows a few minutes after, just as Julia peeks around the corner with a frown.

[kenneth-omega]

kenny omega x reader

“sit still or get off my cock”

warnings: 18+, cockwarming, sexual language used

a/n: i saw the prompt on a NSFW list which I can’t find again 😑 but yeah hope you enjoy this load of waffle about gamer!Ken

word count: 876

👾 “that’s bullshit!” kenny barks down the microphone of his headset, angered at his loss in this round of the video game he’s been obsessing over since he came home last week.

👾 you’d seen glimpses of him through the week, having still been working yourself despite his return, often kissing his forehead goodbye in the mornings whilst he slept and then returning home to find him sat up in your combined office/games room, eyes glued to his monitor.

👾 tonight however was the last straw. perhaps you shouldn’t have allowed your pent up frustrations to fuel your actions, having not had time to clear your head after returning from a mind-frazzling day at your job.

👾 finding the nicest set of lingerie you owned, a particularly racy combo that kenny had actually bought you himself for valentine’s day, you got changed and went to find your boyfriend. he was sat in the same place as always, leaning back in his cushioned gamer chair, his hair slightly damp from his shower earlier.

👾 positioning yourself in the corner of his eyesight you wait for him to notice your presence. not even a minute later kenny has lost his next round and he rolls his eyes, taking a moment to glance your way, wondering why you were loitering around. he has to do a double take as his brain tries to catch up with his eyes, and you can see the cogs whirring in his head.

👾 with a sly grin he beckons you to his lap, with which you oblige happily, positioning yourself so that you’re straddling his legs, hovering just above his crotch, where you know he won’t be wearing any boxers beneath the tracksuit pants he currently adorns.

👾 he pulls you into him, a signal to lean backwards so your back rests against his chest, his curls tickling against your collarbone as he rests his chin on your shoulder in order to keep a clear view of the screen.

👾 as he enters the new round you begin to feel impatient, having secretly hoped that the sight of you alone would have pulled him away from this bloody game long enough to give you what you wanted. what you’d been craving all week. your ass presses firmly into his lap, and with a slight shift of your hips you can feel the half-hard outline of his cock flush against the soft flesh of your cheek.

👾 this prompts a salacious smirk from you, a telltale sign that he’s not entirely focused on the game. slowly you begin to grind yourself against him, at first only a couple of fleeting rolls of the hips, just to test the water.

👾 kenny seemingly doesn’t flinch, but his cock continues to grow, now erect and vying for attention as it nudges you, reacting to every slow swirl of movement you make. feeling brave, you start up a steady rhythm, giving yourself that much needed friction to quell the fire in your stomach.

👾 you can hear the game’s noise bleed through the headphones, along with a couple of voices of kenny’s friends who he’s online with. you dip a hand down to toy at the waistband of your panties, running a finger along the elastic and letting it snap, the sound pinging in the otherwise silent room.

👾 by this point you were unable to understand how he hadn’t thrown the controller aside to tend to yours and, judging by his erection, his obvious needs. feeling irritable, you give a breathy moan as one particular roll of the hips has his tip bumping up against your clothed, throbbing clit. the noise isn’t lost on kenny as you can hear one of his friends ask down the mic what that sound was, causing kenny’s jaw to set and clench.

👾 a small victory. you grow more ambitious, a hand reaching up to tug softly at his curls as you roll your hips more aggressively. this seems to be a step too far for kenny, as his hand leaves his controller to grip the wrist of your arm currently wrapped up in his hair.

👾 you turn and bat your eyelashes innocently, able to see the vein in his neck flexing with each clench and unclench of his jaw. his eyes promise dark revenge as he silently tells you to behave, his gaze portraying the clear message of warning:

👾 “sit still or get off my cock”

👾 as though in challenge, a silent dare for you to misbehave again, kenny lifts you off his lap slightly with his strong arms, shuffling his pants down so that his erection is free from restraint. without further consolidation kenny slips your panties to one side and angles you down onto his large shaft, grunting softly as you sink deep onto him.

👾 you wait for him to make the next move, but instead, much to your chagrin, he simply picks up the controller once more and continues his game.

👾 you’re speechless in all honestly and were it not for the full and delicious feeling of him being sheathed in your tight cunt you’d have probably slapped him. but you know kenny and how his brain works.

👾 this is his challenge to you. behave and sit still whilst you warm his cock, or else you’ll not get the release you’ve so desperately craved all week.