#nothing constructive. just like 'well you keep annoying people and you are not up to the standards. no matter how hard you try'

[breitzbachbea]

I know I need a break, but I can't take a break, I NEED a break but I can't take a break.

[fragmentedblade]

I hate that when I look up the "Kalpas" tag here there's me and then there's me again, but on another blog. Fake moustache me

[cranberrv]

video games!

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ in which you and dallas get caught kissing

( a/n : i haven’t posted in 4ever, so im sorry this is super short but i miss posting n wanted to get smth out! adore this request xx )

the burgundy of buck merrill’s thunderbird reflected across the lake that hugged the highway. you and dallas winston are driving to the nightly-double, the local drive-in that both socs and greasers go to. usually, you two would walk, but due to construction you had to take the long way and go on the highway.

you never loved when dallas drove on highways. you knew him well enough to know that he was not the best driver in the world, and he loved to go fast. so on the highway, he drives like a maniac!

you’re holding onto his hand, and his other hand is on the wheel. dallas is swerving past cars, going inbetween lanes, and basically doing everything you shouldn’t do. you elbow him when he almost bumps into the back of a car once you reach traffic.

“christ, hate fuckin’ traffic,” he scoffs and honks on the horn.

you roll your eyes playfully. “don’t think honking will help, dal,”

“whatever, man,” he sighs and leans back. his little moment of rest doesn’t last long, though. he glances at you, sitting there peacefully, unbothered by the traffic. he doesn’t understand why you are so easygoing. “we’re gonna miss the fuckin’ movie,” he groans and smacks the steering wheel, annoyed.

“dally, it’s fine,” i say softly. “didn’t wanna watch a horror movie, anyway,”

“‘course you didn’t,” the edges of his pretty lips form a gentle smirk. “you fuckin’ pussy,”

“excuse me?”

he lifts his hands up in mock-surrender. “hey man, i said what i said,”

“you’re a jerk,” you respond, crossing your arms and pretending to be mad.

if there’s one thing about you and dallas, it’s that you two tease each other endlessly. well, more him towards you. but he can’t help it! that little pout on your face is just so cute, in his mind.

“y/n, i was joking,” he says, even though it’s blatanly obvious. “what, you actually mad or somethin’?”

you decide to go along with the bit, amused that he’s almost believing you. with a shrug, you keep your arms crossed and look out the window.

“c’mon, man, tell me if i did somethin’,” he insists. “don’t need to give me the silent treatment,”

you continue to ignore him, a smile crossing your face that he can’t see. he can be so gullible sometimes. he acts all tough and he’s always telling people that nothing can touch him, but the minute that you pretend to be mad at him, he’s practically at your feet begging for your attention.

“you want me to turn this car around? this movie is gonna be no fun if you’re mad at me,” he sighs, kicking himself for calling you a name. “at least look at me, man,”

the minute you turn your head to look at him and tell him that you’re joking and you love him, he doesn’t let you talk when he grabs your chin and kisses you.

you could say you’re surprised, but you’re not. dallas isn’t one to apologize, showing his endless adoration for you through stuff like massaging your shoulders, hugging you, kissing you, buying (or stealing) you a new necklace.

the two of you get into it too fast. you kiss him back after a few seconds of registering what’s happening, getting your pink lipgloss on his lips as you reach to grab the back of his brunette hair and pull him closer. the cigarette in between his calloused fingers burns out, and he throws it out the open window before reaching for your hand with the one that’s not holding your chin. he leans more into the kiss, trusting that you forgive him for what he said — even though you were never mad in the first place!

he pulls a millimeter away as he catches his breath, his gorgeous voice filling your ears as he whispers, “you forgive me now, doll?”

you smile and can’t hide the soft blush on your face as he whisper to you. even though you’re dating, it still feels like you have a silly girly crush on him, going pink at the most casual of words. “was never mad at you, dal,” you whisper back.

he’s about to say something, probably about how annoying you are, but you stop him before he can, bringing both your manicured hands to his cheeks and pulling him back in to continue kissing. a soft chuckle from him vibrates your kiss, he loves it when you initiate the kiss. in his mind, you’re just too cute.

but i guess you weren’t cute in the cops eyes. cars honking is all around, but you assume that’s just from this super annoying traffic. news flash, it wasn’t. the traffic is long gone, whatever accident that happened earlier was cleared up, but the two of you were still in the middle of the 6 lane highway, kissing in the thunderbird.

a cop car stops beside you, coming to speak to you. the minute you hear the deep voice echo from outside, you jump and pull away. dallas sighs and mutters something about you being a “prude” for ending the kiss so soon, until he realizes that the cop is there.

“hey, lovebirds,” the cop greets you. he doesn’t look very happy. “you’re blocking the entire highway. you know it’s illegal to stop on the highway?”

dallas gives the cop a side glare, raising his upper lip in annoyance. “yeah, we know,” dallas says harshly. “we ain’t stupid,”

“winston,” the cop groans. great, your boyfriends name is known by some random cop. “you wanna go in the cooler again?”

“you’re seriously wanting to put me in the cooler just because i’m lovin’ on my broad? huh?”

“go love on her somewhere else.” the cop says. “come on, son, you and your girl are holding up the traffic. off you go,”

“unbelievable,” dallas whispers under his breath, then he steps on the gas and drives away. a sea of cars follows. you were holding up a lot of people just by kissing.

it’s safe to say that when you got there, you didn’t catch one word of the movie.

[skyeslittlecorner]

Some headcanons about Mc who suddenly leaves hell without anyone knowing (no notice (?) too, i mean not saying anything about their leaving).

I imagine that the kings have separation anxiety (hohoho love some angst stuff here 😈), but kinda wonder what's gonna happen when MC returned?

I feel allowed, and even encouraged, for some yummy angst~ We will switch order a little this time. And I *may* be a *little* biased, don't mind me.

꧁:･ ✡ ･:꧂

Leviathan tries to live without you as he did before he met you, but it's not the same. When you finally show up, he wants to hang you. But what if you leave again? No. He won't allow it. From now on, you are under constant surveillance. You're not even allowed to go to the bathroom alone (no, there's no negotiation.) He's lost too much to lose you too.

Beelzebub won't even know you're gone. You would have to literally disappear from under his nose during sex, well, a date too. In such a scenario, he would be furious. You wouldn't come back because he would find you; he has a whole army of clones, a lot of time, willingness and knowledge of the whole world geography. He would even snatch you back from heaven. Afterward, when he had you in his arms, he would think it was quite a lot of fun. But don't do that again.

Mammon has already ordered mourning in Tartaros, a huge site has been built for the construction of your own mausoleum. Have you seen the Taj Mahal? This is a dollhouse in comparison to the plans for your posthumous palace. But you're back, and you're alive! Or at least you're still alive, because Mammon is hugging you so much that nothing is certain. Now that you're back, maybe you want a huge palace to live in? He will do anything you want. Just don't leave, Master. Of course, you can do whatever you want, but... he will do anything to make you *not* want to leave.

Satan

It feels... so quiet here. So alone. His beautiful country shambles in ruin, his strong people lose their heart. He, as a king, must stay strong, but with every soldier bleeding out on the pavement, every devil loosing their limbs, every child losing parents his own will crush slowly. All he wanted to do was to help them. To make their lives easier. To take their pain and bear it himself.

"...prise, Your Majesty?"

Satan lowered the bazooka from his shoulder. His gaze was as empty as the sky beneath them. All the angels disappeared in a powerful explosion.

There was a ray of hope for Gehenna, for him, or rather... have been. But Descendant of Solomon disappeared. He looked for you everywhere. Trashed half of Mammon's palace, tore down Leviathan's ropes, damn it, he even found Beelzebub wandering around the pubs and shook all the information out of him. But nobody knew anything. He almost started a war with other countries and didn't care at all. This helplessness weighed was heavy inside him like a boulder.

"Your Majesty?"

Slowly, day by day, hour after hour, he was losing his strength. His will. Not to fight, but to live. This made him become quieter and angrier. Except for Sitri, all the nobles began to move out of his way. This only fueled his spiral of madness. He didn't sleep at night. Just fight, work and drink. If he didn't keep his mind occupied, the black void would fuel his wrath, and they had had to deal with his outbursts often enough. They were so strong that sometimes the entire castle lost consciousness.

Nothing helped anyway.

He was the king, he couldn't just leave it all behind and die. Even if he wanted to.

"Satan!"

"What."

Satan. His name. Nobody but you called his name here... He looked around frantically, but they were alone. Sitri tried to wake him up, it seems. His henchman looked concerned. It's annoying. So annoying. And he didn't mean Sitri's concern, but his own ridiculous behavior. Was it so obvious that he was worried again? He gritted his teeth and turned on his heel, heading to the hospital to assess the damage.

"Listen to me, won't you? I have significant information."

"If it doesn't concern them, I don't care."

"It does."

Satan stopped in his tracks and wanted to punch him. But this time with a hint of hope.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

He did, but that wasn't the point now.

"They are waiting for you at the hospital. At least freshen up a bit before you…"

But Satan wasn't listening anymore. He ran towards the tents and tore the curtains, looking around like crazy. Only the touch of a hand on his shoulder stopped his hectic search. The voice that came poured into his emptiness, sweet and thick as honey. A familiar, beloved voice.

"It's okay, I'm back. I missed you too."

He couldn't answer, physically he just wasn't able to do it. There was a lump stuck in his throat. Stiff as a rock, he didn't want to turn around. What if this is a dream? A sweet delusion? But someone hugged him from behind, and hugged him tightly. Illusion couldn't do it.

He turned and hugged you, sliding to his knees. Kisses, caresses, love, he wanted to give you everything so that you wouldn't disappear. He needed you. His eyes were dry, but he felt like he was going to melt himself.

"Never do that again." Hoarse voice sounded like a threat, but both of you knew that it was out of love. "Never. Leave. Me. Again."

"I'm sorry." Your heart broke seeing him on his knees. "I won't."

"Promise."

You crouched down and grabbed his chin to finally look into his red eyes. For the first time since you left, hope sparked in them.

"I promise that I will never leave you, and if I do, I will always come back to you."

From now on, he won't let you out of his sight even for a moment. Not after you made him a promise that finally ignited his will to live.

PS. Try to disappear from him for a second, and he will shove Zagan's talisman up your ass.

[night-market-if]

Answering some bulk questions

I am getting the same kind of questions in my inbox and instead of answering them all individually, I thought I would just make one long post. Hopefully that can clear some things up.

Why is m!pen white and f!pen black?

Mostly because the character of Pen is death. They have no form. Not a real one. Much like the MC, the image they are presenting is a construct. So, when I thought about that, I kind of thought it would be fun to play around with two very different aesthetics (I think in the final edit I might even write them a bit different). I did this for two reasons. One, because I haven't really seen this in ifs. And two, I kind of liked the duality of it. Opposites, really. It sat well with me for the character of death.

2. Why does nothing bad ever happen to Milo? Stop playing favorites.

Bad things have happened to Milo. More so than the other characters, I would argue. I have a feeling this is more from people annoyed that a very specific bad thing won't happen to Milo. Because Milo has watched Malcolm and MC die. Was beaten as a child. Orphaned. Didn't know where his real home was or who he was. Has a ghost for a sister. (who he also watched die). Has been responsible for keeping his best friend sane for quite a few years. And got the shittiest job in the world. He has also been stabbed at quite a bit. Betrayed. And used.

I do a lot of bad things to Milo. Favorites would be if nothing bad happened to him. And defending your characters decisions is not playing favorites. It is just knowing your characters as a writer.

3. Who is your favorite RO?

I have said before that Milo is not my favorite to write. So inevitably I get asked who is. I don't answer this question because I don't want the complaints.

4. Why don't you have stats?

Because I don't like them. I come from much more of a storytelling perspective than a game mechanics one. And don't get me wrong. People that do game mechanics are awesome. I admire them a ton and enjoy their games (though my field is more video games). But that's never what I wanted the Night Market to be. I just want people to be immersed.

5. Do you feel you have to have inclusivity as a writer?

I don't know why I've been getting this one a lot. Might be something going on in the community. The honest answer is no, I do not. I have never felt pressured to have a certain representation within the Night Market. That all being said, maybe I don't feel that way because I tend to have an organically more diverse cast of characters? But I can't say I have ever felt like I have to put a certain representation in. And I don't believe writers should feel pressure for that. Because a lot of times, if you are just putting in a token character to do it, it becomes a bit problematic.

6. What are your favorite IF's and do you have recomendations?

I hate to say this, but I don't read IF's. I've dabbled occasionally in the past but I find when I read IF's, it messes with my head and my ability to write. Now, I read a lot of novels. That is my preferred vehicle of reading. But as for IF's, I probably won't read a lot of them until I am officially done with the Night Market. I struggle to enjoy stories when I feel like it is a part of my day to day job.

7. Why don't you ever speak out politically?

Because that is private for me. I don't want to. I want to provide an escape from the world. Not add to discussions that are being had by people far more adept than me. I leave my political feelings and responsibilities at home.

8. Why can't you provide (insert numerous topics) to the route?

Because coding and writing are a bitch. There is a lot of work that goes into this stuff that isn't always fun. And sometimes, as much as I would like to put something in or have a new route, I just can't. I am one person. A person who has a pretty hefty personal life. I am doing what I can.

[kairiscorner]

looks like someone put a pause on the grumpiness ; )

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

miguel x grumpy reader pt. 2

(part 1)

surprisingly, you were quite calm for the past few days. you seldom got annoyed at everyone, in fact, you seemed a little nicer. everyone was more horrified of you being nicer than usual than the classic, snappy image of you that they were so used to seeing.

you had a smile on more often, it unsettled a lot of people, but when they found out you were genuinely happier, they couldn't have been any more relieved. they didn't know what changed in you that you were suddenly a more friendly, more approachable person than before, but they didn't need to know.

miguel, of course, was very aware of what changed; and he was falling for that version of you as each and every day passed by.

behind closed doors, you were a goofy, beautifully emotional mess in front of miguel. you would change your expression and demeanor on the dime when it was necessary, can't have everyone think you didn't care about work anymore; but you liked letting loose every once in a while, especially when it came to the man who, once feared you greatly, now loves you wholly.

you two tried to keep your little "companionship" under wraps, sometimes some random spider person would catch you two together and think that you two would snap each other's necks off, but no, you two would just talk. and smile at each other. that was a scarier sight, so they'd just walk or swing off and pretend they saw nothing, it wasn't their business, anyway.

"feels good being feared, huh?" miguel asked you with a chuckle as he looked into your eyes, taking in how breathtaking you look, right in front of him; flashing him the sweetest smile he'd ever be treated to in his entire life. "you like being respected like the scary little spider you are?" he teased as he ran a hand through your hair, his smile widening all the while as he heard you giggle.

"it is quite... fun to have them run away or straighten up when i enter the room. it used to be offensive, but i wear the impressions they have of me as badges of honor." you expressed with exaltation, kind of a little too proud that you were well respected, at least in your perspective, at HQ. you loved being a leader, you hated it when others griped or disobeyed your orders, let alone someone else tell you what to do; and you took no nonsense none of the time.

recently, you were more lenient with your leading style--you gave the spider people under your leadership some breathing room, gave them more breaks, you barked less orders at them. you always gave constructive criticism and proper advice on how to wrap up missions neatly; you just always struggled with delivery, you weren't exactly the best people person, but you had a big heart, even if you kept it hidden away from many eyes.

miguel sighed in contentment as he leaned closer towards you, a small pink hue dashing his cheeks. "i do seem to find myself a little attracted to someone who can keep up with my style of leadership. someone who knows what they want and won't back down until they get it just the way they want it." he muttered as you felt his breath hot against your face, your noses nearly brushing over each others, which sent a shock up your spine, causing you to sit up straighter, and to blush a deep red shade.

"i know you're smitten with me, o'hara, i just didn't think you'd be, what was the term? ah, masochi-" you were cut off as he put a finger on your lips, laughing to himself softly. "i'm just simply admiring a strong, capable, scary comrade." he said as he rubbed the tip of his finger over your soft lips.

you chuckled back. "that tickles." you commented as his finger rested on your lower lip. before either of you could do anything else, lyla appeared in between the two of you, looking smug and snarky as usual.

"hey lovebirds, anyway, stop being like a married couple for a minute and check this out." she said as she pulled up a slideshow of pictures of another universe your most recent team was sent to. they were tied up in their own webs and the villain was causing mass destruction, civilians running away every which way, it was utter madness.

miguel sighed and cursed under his breath in spanish as the your bottom eyelid twitched as you continued smiling as if nothing were wrong.

"this is what i get for being too nice, apparently." you grumble as you headed off to get your equipment. but before you could even go, miguel gently grabbed hold of your wrist, looking at you with soft eyes. "regardless of what trouble they get in, or how much destruction is out there... you're always a great leader. it wasn't your fault for being more lenient, they should've been more responsible and organized. okay? you're doing amazing already as you are, querida." he said as he tucked a lock of stray hair behind your ear, caressing your cheek as his palm found its way down your face.

you smiled at his comforting words, it took your anger away by a smidge and reassured you a whole lot more than you expected it to. "okay. thank you, miggy." you thanked him as you gave him a peck on the cheek and grinned as you walked off to get your equipment, leaving in your wake a flustered mess of miguel.

he leaned against his desk and grinned widely, lyla taking pictures of his astonished self as he takes in the softness of your lips, the sweetness and reality of your kiss on his cheek.

you gave your team a stern and firm talking-to about following protocol, the plan, and not straying away from the team to please their own ego. you did some screaming, but they weren't complaining; they didn't do as you said, and they got themselves tangled up in that mess.

but as you were chewing them out, miguel came by and petrified every single one of them with his signature, cold gaze. "think they learned their lesson?" he asked you with his hands on his hips as he peered at you. "i'm hoping they did." you said as you looked at him with your arms crossed on your chest.

after a few seconds of you two playing the angry parents card, you and miguel cracked into smiling faces and laughed a little at how scary you were both being in front of these guys. you dismissed them with a warning, and you sighed.

"you did a great job paralyzing them with your gaze, grumpy mcgrumpface." you teased miguel as he looked at you with a grin. "not as much as how you were raising your voice to get your point across, the scary grumpspider." he retorted playfully as he moved closer to you, facing you and taking in all your beauty.

"i love you." he mutters as you mutter an 'i love you, too' back at him. he closed the distance between you two with a soft kiss, it was simple, it was sweet, it was short; but he told you everything he felt, had ever felt, and will ever feel in that brief kiss he planted on your lovely lips.

"can't believe grumpy mcgrumpface has such good kissing skills." you remarked as you ran your finger over your lips. he chuckled as he cupped your face in his hands. "wanna see how far i can go with those skills, oh scary grumpspider?"

a/n: this was supposed to be angst, but this is your canon event with him <333

tags !! @miguelswifey04

[kingofthering]

After the first race weekend in Misano, Marc finally visits Dovi’s track.

The drive to Faenza takes them about an hour and a half, the exit from Misano partially complicated by the last people leaving from the circuit. 

Marc alternates spending it looking at the scenery outside and looking at Dovi, a beautiful blush slipping on his cheeks every time he gets caught.

Dovi smiles at him and doesn’t comment on it. He does put his hand on Marc’s knee, after the third time, squeezes it once before putting his hand back on the wheel.

“What?” Marc asks, half annoyed, half amused.

“What what?” Dovi shoots back, eyes on the road. He doesn’t need to look to know that Marc is blinking at him, disbelieving.

“You’re making a face.”

“The only one making faces here is you,” Dovi says with a laugh. He glances at Marc, notices the corners of his lips still pulled up despite his faux annoyance. “You’re still high from your win, it’s cute.” And that huff you just let out was cute as well, sorry. “Happy and successful looks good on you, Marc.”

That blush, back a shade darker than before, and Marc looking through the rolled down window again, fighting the urge to widen his smile. Dovi can tell, he learned how to read Marc a long while ago.

It still makes him feel warm, the hot feeling in his body having nothing to do with the sun beating down on him.

“Let me appreciate it when I’m not the one you beat for once.”

The words earn him a laugh from Marc and when they share another look, Marc seems more at peace.

The radio keeps them company for the rest of the way and Dovi just keeps smiling whenever he catches Marc looking again.

The sun is almost ready to start setting when they arrive at the circuit, the sky painting the track hues of yellow and orange.

Marc listens intently when Dovi gives him a quick tour of the property, nodding at the right places and asking Dovi further questions about the construction when he’s not commenting on which turns should be challenging to take and which jumps should be fun to make.

When they reach the garage where all the bikes are stored, Dovi settles with one shoulder against a column, arms crossed in front of his chest as he watches Marc roam around, watches him stop next to a red bike, his index finger tracing the 0 on the front with swooping curves and then the 4, sharper lines.

“You said you enjoyed watching me win when you weren’t on the track but you could have been there,” Marc says idly, his gaze going up to Dovi while his hand settles on one handle of the cross bike.

Dovi smiles, ducking his head down, tucking his chin against his chest. 

Of course he’d heard of the people’s hope of seeing him wildcarding in Misano after he tested with Yamaha. Marc hadn’t said a thing. Dovi hadn’t truly expected him to ask anyway.

“I miss racing you.”

The warmth in Dovi’s chest comes back, moves around, settling around his spine. Marc is still looking at him, thumb rubbing along the line of the throttle.

“You know I wouldn’t have been fighting up front with that Yamaha.”

Marc makes that head movement, going side to side, the one that says “this is not the point but I won’t argue with you.”

Dovi knows. Knows what Marc means, knows where he’s coming from and that it never means any harm.

Dovi being happy with his retirement and all his plans for the track doesn’t mean that those kind of talks don’t stir things in him that he’s still battling around now and then.

“We can ride tomorrow, right?”

It’s a question that sounds more like a statement despite Marc’s best attempt at looking inquisitive there.

Dovi thinks that he’s seen his daughter less enthusiastic on some Christmas mornings.

“I don’t think I have enough fingers to count the number of people that would kill me if you injured yourself 10 days before the next race weekend.”

Marc rolls his eyes at him.

“Don’t worry, I know how to take care of myself,” Marc says. Dovi’s pretty sure there is a “now” hanging silenced in the air. And then, “What about you? Ready?”

Marc’s tone is challenging but laced with genuine worry Dovi can read in the softness of Marc’s first question, the lines that briefly appear on his forehead.

Dovi can also see Marc looking him up and down, studying his posture, searching anything that would betray a weakness Dovi would want to hide.

He doesn’t mention Dovi’s accident earlier this year but he doesn’t need to. 

“I read through your list of injuries, I think it’s longer than what I’ve broken through my entire career,” Marc had said on the phone, worry evident even for the morphine-induced fog in Dovi’s brain.

Dovi had said “That’s because you like to focus on one spot and injure that one a lot, I went for diversity” and the joke hadn’t landed, Marc making a pained noise from the other side of the phone.

“Sorry, I promise I’m fine. We’ll just have to postpone your visit here a little but it gives you more time to practice, yeah?”

And even in his state, Dovi had known that this was the last thing Marc was worrying about but talking about that promise meant not thinking about the pain and focusing on the good things in the future. Marc could get that. He did, smiling a “Sure, I’ll be ready whenever you are” down the line before telling Dovi to take care of himself and hanging up.

And now, a handful of months later, Dovi healthy and Marc still wearing the glow from his win, here they are.

Marc has gotten closer and even if there is no wall he can push Dovi against, Dovi stays solid against his post, lets Marc invade his space with the pad of his fingers feeling cold where they slip under Dovi’s shirt to find his ribs.

Dovi winces when Marc accidentally touches a sore spot and he apologizes with a sorry pressed alongside a kiss to the hinge of Dovi’s jaw. Tender enough to make Dovi’s breath briefly catch in his throat.

Dovi’s palm finds Marc’s cheek, thumb to the corner of his lips. Marc slightly turns his head, enough to kiss Dovi’s finger and nip at it once, just because he can.

“You said I was hot when I was happy, right? Something like that?”

Dovi laughs and the smile on Marc’s face grows bigger, the mischief on his features making him look younger.

“We’re not taking the bikes out tonight.”

A new roll of Marc’s eyes, almost theatrical, and a squeeze of Dovi’s waist, the distance between them someone shrunk even more.

“Can think of a few other ways to make me happy, I can give you some tips if you need them,” Marc says easily, his head still tilted against Dovi’s palm. His hands have moved up under Dovi’s shirt, one thumb finding Dovi’s nipple. “But I don’t think you do.”

The admission sounds softer than it should, factual.

Marc will be the death of him, one day.

Good thing it’s something Dovi has made his peace with a long time ago.

“Let me take you home then, finish that tour properly.”

Dovi’s place is only a couple minutes ride away. Marc spends the entirety of it looking outside with his hand testing high on Dovi’s thigh.

[justagalwhowrites]

This so random, but I love the way you write Joel talking with other people about Beautiful in New in Town.

For example when he’s talking to Tommy about how he’s in love with her but is worried it’s too soon to tell her. I’d love to see more of interactions like this! Him talking to Sarah about her, Tommy being annoyed about how obsessed he is. Him planning the engagement. He’s just so in love ahhhh

OMG Hi Bestie!

Joel is down so bad for her and I love it lol

I keep feeling like Joel is a deeply emotional person who tends toward attachment, he just is so traumatized in the OG timeline he can't let himself do it. So no-trauma Joel ends up being SO IN LOVE. Like he just adores his partner, thinks about her all the time, she is his area of special interest. I love it.

ANYWAY

I hope this is the vibe you wanted!

The Ask

Joel has a question for you. It just requires some planning first. Between the chapters First Thanksgiving and Second New Year in New in Town.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader (both from New in Town)

Warnings: STRAIGHT FLUFF Y'ALL But in general, 18+ only content, minors DNI

Length: 1.2k

“Over here!” Sarah’s arm went up from the corner of the restaurant, waving Joel over from the entrance. Joel smiled and thanked the hostess before heading for his daughter, trying not to feel nervous. 

He didn’t have a good reason to feel nervous. None of this should come as a surprise and he knew what his daughter was going to say. Probably going to say. 

OK, so he was nervous. 

“Hey old man!” Sarah got up, grinning before wrapping her arms around Joel’s neck. “Good to see you! I love that I only live a few minutes away now, we can just do things like meet up for lunch on a random Saturday…” 

“Me too, Baby Girl,” he smiled, giving her a squeeze. He really did love it. This, he thought, was how it was supposed to be. Sarah, having her own life and own interests but close enough that he could be a part of it. “Settling in OK?” 

“Yeah!” She nodded, sitting back down and sipping her cocktail. “I do really like the apartment, the gym is really nice and either my neighbors are really quiet or there’s actually decent soundproofing.” 

“Well I looked into the construction for a reason, Kiddo,” Joel smiled. “Not gonna let my baby girl move into a shoddy apartment.” 

Sarah laughed and shook her head as the server came over. Joel ordered a beer and the two of them ordered sandwiches even though Joel wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat any of it, the way his stomach was in knots. 

“So,” Sarah asked conspiratorially. “Been a while since I saw just you. Everything OK?” 

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “She’s got a hair appointment today…” 

“You know to tell her she looks good when she gets home, right?” Sarah teased. 

“She always looks good,” Joel smiled as the server put the beer in front of him. He took a long sip of beer, steeling himself before sitting back in his chair, watching his daughter across the table. “But I did want to see you without her here for a reason…” 

“OK…” She frowned a little, sitting forward, leaning on her arms on the table. “What’s up, Dad?” 

Joel looked at his daughter for a moment, marveling at her in a way. Sarah had always amazed him. From the day she was born it seemed like she did nothing but amaze him. But she had grown from an awe-inspiring girl to an incredible woman. She was still so young but had already accomplished so much, all while being uncommonly kind and thoughtful. Everything Joel had now he could only credit to Sarah. 

It’s why this conversation was so intimidating for him. He couldn’t do this without her blessing. 

“I was wondering,” he said slowly. “How you’d feel… if I proposed.” 

Her mouth dropped open for a moment before she clamped both hands over it, an excited squeal slipping through. Joel laughed a little as Sarah stomped her feet excitedly before she smacked both her hands on the table. She took a deep breath and looked like she was fighting to not smile hugely as she looked at him. 

“OK,” she said, excitement obvious in her voice. “OK, let’s talk about it.” 

Joel laughed again, anxiety easing. 

“Course, Baby Girl,” he said. “What do you want to know?” 

“Is this really what you want?” She asked, tone more serious now. “Or is this just what you think you should do? Because I know you grew up going to church and crap but you don’t have to marry someone just because you’re living with them, you know?” 

“I know,” he nodded, smiling a little. “That’s not part of it.” 

“Good,” Sarah said. “That’s good. So… Why?” 

“Because I love her,” Joel said, thinking about how to put how he felt about you into words. “She’s… Besides you, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Wake up every day wonderin’ how the hell I got so lucky that someone like her wants anything to do with me. She’s so kind, the kindest damn person I’ve ever met. She does this thing - it’s like she can read my damn mind - she just knows when I’m having a shit day and she knows exactly how to fix it, she just… she takes care of me. Don’t remember the last time someone did that. And she’s so smart, she’s so damn smart. I see how y’all are friends, you’re both the smartest damn people I’ve ever met… and she’s so funny. We watch those crappy movies and she…” Joel laughed and shook his head, remembering just a few nights earlier. “She says the funniest shit, I swear she’s funnier than the damn movie and she’s just… she’s the most fun I’ve ever had. Doin’ everything with her is better, everything is better when she’s there. I love her more than I thought it was possible to love anyone who wasn’t you and I wanna do everything with her. Everything, for the rest of my life.” 

Joel was quiet for a moment, taking a sip of beer as he watched Sarah from across the table. She was looking back at him, her eyes glistening and his stomach knotted for a second. What if he’d said the wrong thing? As much as he wanted this, he couldn’t do it without Sarah… 

“Oh Dad,” she said, her voice thick. She got up from her chair and came around the table, all but falling on him to hug him, kissing his cheek. He gave her a squeeze before she went back to her seat, drying her eyes on her wrists. “I’m so happy for you. I’m so happy for both of you. I wouldn’t think anyone would be good enough for either of you but, it turned out, you were just perfect for each other and I’m just so happy you found each other.” 

He smiled back, the pinch of tears in his own eyes. 

“Well, you knew it before we did,” he laughed a little. “Have you to thank for it, Baby Girl. All the best things I got in my life I have because of you.” 

She laughed back. 

“You’d have found each other eventually, with or without me,” she said. “You’re meant to be, I’m convinced. I couldn’t be happier that you want to propose, Dad. I couldn’t be happier for either of you.” 

He smiled, looking at his daughter for a moment. She’d grown so much since she was the silly little girl sitting across from him, learning how to drink through a straw or struggling to sit still for more than two minutes at a time. 

Her eyes went wide for a moment and she grabbed the table excitedly. 

“Have you picked a ring yet?” She demanded. “Because I have some thoughts…” 

Joel laughed, taking another drink. 

“I haven’t picked the ring,” he said. “Wasn’t going to take that step until I had your blessing.” 

“Well, you’ve got it!” She said. “Can I go shopping with you? I’m not saying I have great taste in jewelry but… I have great taste in jewelry.” 

He smiled, thinking of getting to spend his life with her and with you, getting to be happy forever. 

“Course you can, Baby Girl,” he said. “Course you can.” 

[wren-kitchens]

the people called for wips, so wips you shall have

trans bad boys <3 inspired by this conversation with @/bigb-enthusiast!

joel chews at her lip, staring straight ahead at the fishing bobber currently bouncing on the surface of the little pond (?) they’ve constructed on the roof of the mansion. he’s pretty sure the hook has been bitten at least three times in the past five minutes, but they can’t seem to zone in fast enough to catch it before the fish swims off. it’s very annoying.

it’s just- it’s even more annoying, actually, because joel knows why she keeps staring into space, and it’s not because fishing is more boring that xe remembers (although, it’s not not that). it’s very stupid, just- well, regardless of how stupid it is, it remains a problem, which joel thinks is probably the dumbest thing ever. why can’t dumb problems just be solved, huh? maybe joel doesn’t want to have to fix them, did anyone think about that? 

much to its annoyance, joel’s problems do not immediately vanish after they think this, which is also stupid, because it means that he has to actually deal with them. ve should ask grian if he can fix that; he’s got all that watchery stuff going on, right? if they can orchestrate four death games and command all of them to kill each other, the watchers can definitely stop joel having to deal with awkward and potentially upsetting conversations.

“I- okay, dude, you’ve ignored like, fifteen bites.” grian’s voice cuts through joel’s thoughts, and she has to stop from yelping in surprise. it comes out as a half strangled shriek, which isn’t much better. “what’s up?”

“nothing.” joel says, defensive. immediately, xe knows that it was way too defensive, because both grian and jimmy frown at him in that dumb way they do when they’re about to have a serious conversation. “I- don’t give me that look, it’s nothing.”

“well it’s clearly something.” jimmy half grins, reeling in his rod. “your tail’s on fire, for a start.”

“wh-“ joel turns and sees that jimmy is right. yelping, they dunk it in the pond. “that- okay, that doesn’t mean there’s anything-“

“you’re doing the voice.” grian points out, and joel is tempted to hit him—mainly because he’s right. joel is doing the voice, and he is very irritated (and a little pleased) that grian knows her so well to notice. “c’mon, you know you can tell us, right? bad boys?”

“we ain’t seen bad boys 2.” jimmy adds, and joel gives a small huff of laughter. 

“I just.” joel hesitates; they have no idea how to explain any of this. in all honesty, she hasn’t entirely figured herself out yet, so explaining something he doesn’t even know what xe means to someone elseis- impossible, to say the least. “I don’t- I don’t know the words?”

“that’s fine.” jimmy says, and joel is a little blown away by how sincere he sounds. “I mean- we can help you out, right?”

“exactly.” grian says, and pauses. “well. I can’t guarantee either of us will be any more eloquent than you, but we’ll try.”

“it’s, um.” joel pauses, before saying, “so- y’know how we’re the bad boys?” xe finds themself beginning to fiddle with the cuffs of her sleeves. “and me and etho were the boat boys?”

jimmy nods, frowning slightly—not in anger or upset, just curiosity. grian, apparently unconsciously, tilts his head to the side in question.

“so- y’know, it’s all boys.” joel says, glancing at his hands again. he doesn’t know if she wants to see their faces or not. “but, um. what if- what if I wasn’t. a boy. or- or a guy, or a man or- or a woman, I was just- something.. else?”

joel stares determinedly at their hands as the silence stretches longer and longer, and her words hang heavy in the space between them. ve knows- jimmy and grian wouldn’t just dump him over something like this, but- well, what if they do? what if they’re too freaked out, and they don’t want joel in the bad boys because- they’re not even a boy!  do you still count as a bad boy if you’re not even a boy? what if you don’t- what if joel specifically doesn’t, even if he did make this group, because what if-

interrupting their spiralling thoughts, grian finally- finally says something. and it’s probably the lastthing joel expected him to say.

“oh thank void.” grian gives a slightly hysterical laugh, and joel looks up at him. he’s grinning, looking strangely nervous, but not even remotely- well, joel doesn’t really know, but it doesn’t look like he’s freaked out. “I thought I was gonna have to- i’m not a guy!”

joel stares at them. “you- seriously?”

[that-one-enby-ranger]

Puzzle

“I blame you for this,” Halt said grumpily.

“You’ve said that already,” Crowley complained back. “And I'll admit that it was my fault, even though it wasn't, if you move your arse and help me fix it.”

Halt was half sitting, half lying across one of the couches in the living quarters Crowley had in Castle Araluen. He had a glass of wine in his hand which he was now twirling around, watching the liquid swish in the glass.

Halt groaned. “I'm too tired,” he complained, “and I wasn't the one that broke it.”

“Well I didn't break it either,” Crowley said stubbornly, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Liar,” Halt mumbled, loud enough for Crowley to hear.

“If you help me fix it, then I'll stop complaining. Otherwise I'll just keep annoying you and you won't be able to have any peace for the rest of the night. And,” Crowley added, “I'll lock all my doors so that way you can't escape and you really will be in here all night.” Crowley held Halt’s glare easily, refusing to back down.

“You can't do that,” Halt said, trying to call his bluff, but Crowley held firm.

“I'm your boss.” Crowley didn't say anything more than that. Halt glared at him some more, his wine glass a little tighter in his grip before he gave up.

“Fine,” he hissed between slightly gritted teeth. He placed his glass on the small table next to the couch and stood up, stretching. He stood next to Crowley and looked down at the wreckage

“Do you know how to fix a table?” Crowley asked, glancing at his friend. Halt shook his head. Crowley kneeled down next to the broken pieces and picked up one of the table legs that had snapped off. “It looks like that the pieces that broke off were individual parts before being put all together,” Crowley observed, standing up again. “Nothing is properly broken, the pieces just came apart, so we need to put them back together.”

“Should probably use something more permanent than whatever the last people did,” Halt said. He walked back over to where he placed his wine glass and took a big sip of it.

“I have some glue,” Crowley said but Halt waved his idea away.

“Glue isn’t going to fix this,” he said, “it’s probably what the original idiots used in the first place.” He was still holding his wine glass and didn’t set it down, and now Crowley was holding his own.

“What about some rope?” Crowley hadn’t drunk enough wine so that he was drunk and clueless about everything, but he had drunk enough so that he couldn’t come up with proper good ideas.

“Are you stupid?” Halt asked, “Rope ain’t gonna work either.” He paused, pondering the situation for a moment while taking another taste of the red wine. His eyes lit up, an idea striking him. “You know what might work though,” he said slowly, “if we combine the two.”

Crowley looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“We could both glue it, and then tie it together with the rope. By themselves, they're useless, but if we use them both at the same time, then maybe they can be useful.” Like Crowley, Halt had also not drunk enough to get properly drunk , but enough to be thinking and acting like an idiot.

Crowley considered the idea for a couple seconds. Anyone who didn't have multiple glasses of wine in their system could see that that was a bad idea, and that it would most likely not work. But Crowley was not one of these people. The intellectual part of his brain was slightly clouded with alcohol, so of course he said:

“Yeah, I guess we could try that.” Crowley went to grab his rope and glue while Halt sat down crossed leg next to the broken table, wine still in hand, and tried to figure out what pieces went where. Crowley returned with the supplies and sat down next to Halt, placing his own glass on the floor next to him.

“You're gonna knock it over if you leave that there,” Halt remarked dryly.

“No I won't,” Crowley replied with quite some dignity.

The two half drunk friends began to try and reassemble the table. They would switch between holding two of the pieces together and constructing them to stay together.

They struggled for almost a full hour, constantly swearing and arguing with each other about “no that's supposed to go first” and “what the fuck are you doing with that? That doesn't go there” and even, “You're supposed to put the glue first then the rope not the other way around!”

Throughout the entire process, they constantly got the wrong pieces in the wrong places, and sometimes wouldn't even realise until after they had put them together. Glue got everywhere, and their hands became so sticky to the point where Crowley tried to pick up his glass with his sticky hands. It worked for a little while, before it didn't and the glass dropped and shattered, red wine soaking across the floor.

Halt looked up at him with an unimpressed look on his face. “I told you.”

“No,” Crowley said, “you said I was going to knock it over. I dropped it. There's a difference.” Halt had no response to that so he just rolled his eyes.

By the end of their little frustrating as hell puzzle of a broken table, they had managed to construct a table with some misplaced pieces that was still somehow standing. It was wobbling slightly, and looked like it was on the absolute brink of falling over, but it was standing.

“I am very proud of ourselves,” Crowley claimed.

Halt looked at him. “You do realise that if you put anything on here it's gonna break, right?”

Crowley shrugged. “I know. I don't care. We still managed to put it back together.”

“It looks like some sort of mutated table.”

“Whatever. You want some more wine?”

“We had like three trying to put this monstrosity together,” Halt pointed out.

“I know,” Crowley replied, “but I think we deserve another one. You know, as a reward.”

“Fine. One more.”

This is very stupid and I did not put much effort into it because I'm tired and was writing it on my phone but I just felt like writing two drunk idiots in love.

This is definitely probably the least serious mood board I have done and we have the homophobic dog to thank for that :D

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

(GFL Crack Fic) "The Firefight before Christmas"

Alternative Title: "What your average retail worker goes through during the holiday season"

Right before Christmas, the Commander asked Angelia and the rest of DEFY to guard everyone's presents. Deciding she had nothing better to do for the holiday, Angelia agreed and moved to oversee the defense of a bunch of toys. If she had known what was going to transpire, she would have brought more guns. Word Count: 3.8k

Date: December 23rd, 206X

Through a heavily secured door contained a relatively spacious and shiny black floored room. It was home to Griffin's Commander, well his second home anyway.

It was just his office, albeit a more empty one. The room only had two desks for work, a couple of decorations in the shelves behind him, and large amounts of data servers and file cabinets lined up along the walls.

Angelia sat in the desk next to the Commander, both of them performing the mundane task of filling out paperwork. G36 was also present, but she was in the middle of organizing their files before their day off on Christmas. None of the three said anything while the radio blasted a cheery Christmas tune.

"Rockin' around the Christmas tree At the Christmas party hop!"-

Normally, neither of human officers would have anything playing due to the same annoying songs playing ad nauseam. However, it was at the insistence of a certain adjutant that it be played to 'keep them in spirit'.

(Kalina) "Commander, Ange~!"

Kalina almost skipped happily through the door that slid open, bringing much needed coffee for the both of them.

(Commander) "Ah, thanks Kalina."

(Angelia) "Make mine the way I like it?"

(Kalina) "Yup! One sludge coming up..."

Kalina made sure that she had muttered that under her breath, turning back to the Commander and G36.

(Kalina) "Commander, we got the presents secure, right?"

(Commander) "Well, they should be unloading in the cargo bay under the disguise of our usual supplies. But as for actually guarding it...-"

G36 stopped what she was doing and her shoulders slumped, thinking in fear about what measures they put into place.

(G36) "Master, you and Kalina did not have Persica construct another machine, did you?"

(Kalina) "Wha-Psh, no! We wouldn't do that!...Well, without a few hundred extra precautions, anyway."

(Angelia) "You what now?"

(Commander) "Long story, basically on Halloween, G36 and Springfield stopped a rogue bot that stole the T-Dolls' candy."

Angelia exhaled through her nose in amusement, crossing her arms.

(Angelia) "So if you don't have a kill droid this time around, what's your plan on protecting these presents?"

The Commander leaned back into his chair, thinking on the answer to that question.

(Commander) "Well, I need T-Dolls that I can trust to guard it."

(Kalina) "There's some of the Sangvis Dolls we could ask."

G36 shook her head and her eyes squinted further in thought.

(G36) "As much as I have faith that they could protect it, I fear for their safety if some of our T-Dolls learn Sangvis of all people are assigned to do so."

The Commander nodded, raising a finger as he counted the amount of problems with that solution.

(Commander) "Plus, there's Architect who'd probably get way too eager and open the presents herself. Or Destroyer, like during Valentines. Or Alchemist, for the hell of it."

(Angelia) "...So that's a no go."

(Kalina) "Hm, Squad 404?...No, UMP9..."

Kalina crossed her arms, shaking her head in frustration.

(Commander) "And there's not a force in this world that could stop SOPMOD if she learned our presents arrived early."

(G36) "Master, perhaps you could leave it to Springfield and I once more? I could have some of my sisters and Lee-Enfield join as well."

(Kalina) "What? But we don't want you to work yourselves during another holiday again!"

(Angelia) "...Tell you what, Commander."

Everyone in the room turned to Angelia.

(Angelia) "How about you leave it to DEFY and I on Christmas?"

(Commander) "You'd seriously assign the girls to do that?"

(Angelia) "They listen to me, no questions asked. Consider it my present to you this year, Commander. Peace of mind."

The Commander sighed in relief as he leaned back into his chair, smiling as he adjusted his red uniform.

(Commander) "That'd be a huge relief, Ange. I guess I should mention you and DEFY have some presents in there too."

(Kalina) "Yeah, make sure you don't open them before, or you'll be put on the naughty list!"

Angelia scoffed as she crossed her arms.

(Angelia) "Think all of us humans are on there, already."

Date: December 24th, 206X Time: 22:30

Angelia adjusted her coat as she sat in a large empty warehouse, staring at the absolutely massive mountain of presents stocked up for every T-Doll and Human personnel in Griffin.

Despite the haphazard way they were organized, they were all lovingly wrapped. It was clear no machine did the wrapping, much to her horror. She would hate to be the one doing all that for every single being in this base.

She brought a chair along with her, casually resting in it as she heard the door slide open, revealing the rest of her squad. AK-12 gave a light hearted salute, though the respect was still clearly there.

(AK-12) "DEFY, reporting as ordered, Ange."

(Angelia) "At ease, everyone. This giant pile of cardboard waste behind me is our objective to defend for tonight."

AK-15 looked up at the presents, obviously confused about the objective.

(AK-15) "Christmas presents, ma'am?"

(Angelia) "Yup. Our dear Commander requested that we make sure no one gets their hands on them early."

(RPK-16) "Well, this is certainly one of the more interesting operations we've been a part of."

RPK-16 commented, crossing her arms as her lips curled into vague amusement.

(AN-94) "Should we sweep the perimeter, ma'am?"

Angelia shook her head, motioning for the squad to get comfortable.

(Angelia) "No need, 94. We'll be able to hear anyone coming a mile away. Besides, no one knows their presents are even here."

AK-12 put a gentle hand on AN-94's shoulder and gestured her head forward, making her relax.

AK-15 simply leaned against the wall, her rifle slung on her side.

RPK-16 walked towards the presents and investigated it with her scanners, quickly finding DEFY's gifts.

They were all wrapped in black paper, with a white ribbon enclosing the boxes.

(RPK-16) "Aw, that's cute."

Angelia raised her head and chuckled along with RPK-16.

(AK-12) "Think the Commander had that special ordered for us?"

(Angelia) "Probably. Either he or Kalina did."

AK-12 laid on the floor, one leg simply resting on the other while AN-94 stood awkwardly at attention, staring straight at the door as if she was anticipating an attack.

(Angelia) "...Oh right, forgot to say this. Merry Christmas, girls."

(AK-15) "You as well, ma'am."

(AN-94) "Should I play Christmas music to keep the festive spirit up for the night, ma'am?"

(Angelia) "Do that, and I'm throwing a lump of coal at your head. I've had enough of those damn songs. How the hell are those songs still enduring after a near century, anyway?"

(RPK-16) "Humans do love their Christmas music, Ange. That won't ever change, evidently."

(AK-12) "At least it's not blaring on our systems 24/7."

...

A few hours passed and DEFY were casually chatting with one another. It was the first in a very long time that they had time to simply decompress.

Granted, the tension between AK-12 and AK-15 was ever present, but it was dimmed down given the lax nature of the operation.

Even AN-94 was talking a bit more than usual, much to Angelia's surprise.

Seeing her squad get to relax for once was honestly refreshing. Maybe she should ask the Commander if they can do this every year.

(AN-94) "It is hard to imagine what gifts the Commander would have gotten us."

(AK-12) "Maybe it's Vodka?"

AK-15's eyes were closed, but the tone of her voice suggested that she found the idea humorous.

(AK-15) "For you and 16, maybe. I don't require anything other than a trustworthy officer to lead us."

(RPK-16) "But you're not against the idea of a gift, are you?"

(AK-15) "It would be pointless, given we are androids."

(Angelia) "But you still didn't say no."

The girls quietly chuckled before AK-15's eyes shot open, turning towards the door.

AK-15's normally shut eyes did the same, while AN-94 and RPK-16 suddenly adopted a combat stance.

Angelia knew that they would not have reached for weapons if it were just a Griffin Doll approaching. Was there actually an enemy coming close, thinking this was something valuable?

Regardless, she would not let anyone lay a damn finger on one of these boxes.

(Angelia) "12? What are you scanning?"

Everyone held onto their guns, ready to move out the door while AK-12's pink irises adjusted their focus.

(AK-12) "Motion trackers are picking up something a hundred meters from here. Multiple contacts, it looks like-"

Suddenly, there was distant gunfire, and the distinct sound of an explosion.

Angelia loaded the magazine into her own rifle and immediately began giving out the commands.

(Angelia) "AK-12, AN-94. Investigate the area. AK-15, RPK-16, seal the entrances to this place besides the front door. I'm contacting the Commander."

Everyone nodded and attended to their tasks given. Angelia moved to grab her radio before realizing it was being jammed. Only static was coming through.

(Angelia) "Shit."

(Distant Voice) "H-Ho, Ho HEEEELP!"

Suddenly, everyone stopped what they were doing and all turned to towards the door, looking extremely confused on what they had just heard.

(RPK-16) "Wow, the lungs on that human."

(AK-12) "...I'm not detecting any human in the AO."

(Angelia) "...Then what exactly are you picking up? T-Dolls?"

AK-12 frowned. That alone was enough to send alarms ringing through everyone's heads.

(AK-12) "Unknown, Ange. All I'm seeing is movement...Wait, it's getting closer!"

All of the DEFY T-Dolls put on their masks and aimed their guns at the target moving closer to the warehouse, and it was approaching rapidly.

AK-15 immediately had Angelia stand behind her, still aiming her gun at the door. Angelia knelt alongside RPK-16, who mounted her machine gun onto the floor for better stability.

AK-12 and AN-94 hopped behind several crates, aiming at the door, watching as the target came closer.

And without warning, a massive red sleigh burst through the walls, and several reindeer tumbled and fell onto the gray floor, the snow from the outside trickling in as DEFY watched in utter confusion of what they were witnessing.

The reindeer closest to DEFY had a glowing red nose, staring right at AN-94.

(AN-94) "...What?"

Everyones weapons pointed right back at the sudden movement coming out of the sleigh, and it revealed a large red coated man with a long white beard.

(???) "Ho, ho, ho my GOD! Thank goodness you all are here!"

The large man stepped forward before everyone's guns trained on his head.

(AK-15) "Move a step closer and we open fire."

The man did not appear to be intimidated. In fact, he was more offended than anything.

(???) "Hmph! And here I was, considering on putting you on the Nice List this year, AK-15!"

The mention of her name made everyone tense up.

(Angelia) "Alright, enough with the Santa bullshit, just who the hell are you?"

His steely gaze turned to Angelia, adjusting his tiny glasses as he stepped forward.

(???) "And such naughty words, Anna! What happened to the festive cheer you had a moment ago?"

Immediately, Angelia pulled the trigger at his feet, a gunshot echoing throughout the warehouse. This person's intel was better than she thought if they knew her real name.

(Angelia) "The festive cheer is going right between your eyes if you call me that again."

But once again, he seemed more offended.

(???) "Why, I never!...Hm, no. Considering your lives, I should not judge so harshly. After all, I am here to deliver presents to Griffin as well!"

(AK-12) "So, are you going to introduce yourself?"

The man puffed out his belly in pride.

(???) "Santa Claus!"

(Everyone) "..."

(AN-94) "Santa does not exist. Are you a T-Doll?"

(Santa) "Miss AN-94, do you not find it strange that none of you can detect me, or my reindeer here?"

DEFY looked at the lifelike Reindeer, then back to the sleigh, and finally the man calling himself Santa.

(AK-12) "What, did Sangvis suddenly gain a sense of humor?"

(Santa) "Young AK-12, I am not an automaton, I am the flesh and blood Santa Claus himself! And I am here to make a delivery to everyone, yourselves included!"

Angelia scoffed.

(Angelia) "What, are we getting coal this year?"

(Santa) "If you keep this nonsense up, yes!-"

Santa was suddenly cut off as a stray bullet almost hit him, making him leap for cover and forcing the rest of DEFY to shift their attention. The rest of the Reindeer looked at each other and ducked for cover as well.

(Santa) "ACK! They're here!"

(RPK-16) "For being such a large man, you move very quick-"

(Santa) "That is rich, coming from a Machine-Gun T-Doll!"

It was RPK-16's turn to look offended. Did Santa just call her fat?

(AN-94) "Santa, what is attacking you?"

Santa turned to AN-94, somewhat relieved that someone was taking him seriously. Or at least giving him the benefit of the doubt.

(Santa) "Snow-Dolls, and yes I am being serious!"

While Angelia and RPK-16 had their weapons on "Santa", AK-15 moved towards the hole in the wall, carefully peeking out.

(AK-15) "Impossible, there is no such thing as Santa, and there are-"

AK-15's eyes widened in shock, seeing beyond the horizon an approaching army of moving snowmen.

All armed with guns made of snow.

One of their button faces turned into a frown as soon as they saw her, and a bullet made of snow almost took her mask off as she leaned back behind the wall.

(Angelia) "15, report!"

(AK-15) "Multiple targets are...indeed, Snowmen. All armed, and intent on killing us."

Angelia sighed and turned to "Santa", motioning for everyone to take up positions.

(Angelia) "If you're lying to us, I will hang you with your own fucking hat."

(Santa) "All I ask is for enough time for me to escape, I am on a tight schedule! I will have to unload your presents here, then I will be on my way! I promise!"

(Angelia) "This is not how I imagined my Christmas Eve would be...DEFY, take offensive formation!"

AK-15 nodded and punched out a large slab of the concrete wall that vaguely resembled a roadblock, using it as a makeshift portable cover, advancing out towards the open.

AN-94 and Angelia rushed behind her, taking cover and opening fire on the incoming snowmen, forcing them to scatter and rush behind the trees. Well, slide behind cover, to be precise.

AK-12 attempted to begin her electronic warfare programs, but found there was nothing to hack. She was not being countered, and there was nothing jamming her.

(AK-12) "...Are these actually killer snowmen?!"

Santa hopped behind his sleigh and started rapidly throwing presents from a massive brown sack towards the Commander's pile. All of which were somehow landing perfectly next to RPK-16, in an organized fashion.

(Santa) "Let's see: Suomi, C96, M4A1, MP40-!"

Santa began listing off a dizzying amount of T-Doll's names, as RPK-16 looked at the pile one last time before joining AK-12 and mounting her machine gun towards the newly created half-cover next to the sleigh.

(RPK-16) "Beginning cover fire."

She calmly stated, pulling the trigger and watching as a hail of bullets flew out and hit the snowmen who were being distracted by AK-15's group.

AK-15 held onto the concrete as the snow bullets tore the corners off, AN-94 and Angelia rapidly firing concentrated shots and making the snowmens' heads explode into a white flurry.

AK-15 slammed the wall into the ground, making sure it would not tip over as she rushed the nearest snowman. With one punch she knocked off its head with relative ease, ignoring the ice bullets failing to pierce through her and instead engaging in close combat with the ones closest to her.

The buttons on their faces remained in a permanent frown as they slowly approached the warehouse. Their numbers were beyond counting.

AK-12 closed her eyes, realizing that they were truly magical beings and not something she could hack. Pulling the trigger, her gun began to pick off out of position snowmen that weren't hiding behind trees already.

RPK-16 looked at AK-12 as she reloaded calmly, giving her assurance.

(RPK-16) "I'll cover you, go!"

AK-12 nodded and vaulted over the wall, rushing towards cover as the ever approaching horde continued to pin down AN-94 and Angelia's location. RPK-16 made the snowmen pay with their...lives? As she gunned them down with ease.

Although DEFY was tearing through them with ease, when they killed one, ten more seemed to take their place.

Angelia clenched her teeth as an ice bullet hit her in the shoulder, making her crouch down and reach for the stinging pain.

(AN-94) "Ange has been hit!"

AN-94 immediately knelt down to start applying pressure on the wound, making Angelia cringe in slight pain as she reloaded her rifle with one hand.

(Angelia) "I can't believe that a bunch of goddamn snowmen are giving Sangvis a run for their money in the swarm tactics!"

AK-12's mask hid what emotion she was making, but Angelia could tell there was a wry smirk behind it as she tossed a grenade overhead, dirt and snow flying above them from the explosion.

(AK-12) "At least you made the right call having DEFY be here. I'm not sure even the Commander could defend this warehouse from homicidal snowmen."

(AN-94) "RPK-16, what is Santa's status?"

AN-94 asked before returning fire on the snowmen getting dangerously close to their makeshift barricade.

RPK-16 turned around as she reloaded, her mouth slightly dropping in sheer awe.

Santa had created a beautifully organized pile of presents, all organized by squad. The Commander's pile looked downright insulting just existing next to it.

(Santa) "Ah, I am done here! Now, get your friends back here if you would, I'm about to leave these snowmen a very very nasty lump of coal, if you catch my drift!"

RPK-16 didn't, but she also didn't care.

(RPK-16) "Santa is done, retreat back to the warehouse!"

AN-94 and AK-12 nodded before grabbing Angelia and rushing back at their full speed. AK-15 was right behind them as she roared out in anger, one hand wielding her knife and tearing through them as she tore the stick arms off others approaching them.

Her armor was covered in frost and bullet marks, with bits of artificial blood dropping from her head.

The bits of armor from the rest of DEFY were beginning to chip off as well due to the frost damage, everyone except RPK-16 who was still trying to fend off the never ending horde.

She moved to reload, but her waist was devoid of any remaining magazines.

(RPK-16) "Out of ammo!"

Everyone else checked their magazine count after hiding behind the wall, gaining a small reprieve from the cold.

(AK-12) "One left."

(AK-15) "Out."

(AN-94) "Two left."

(Angelia) "Tch, one."

Any prolonged fighting would have their ammunition run dry. They weren't expecting a fight to break out like this at all, their lack of preparation coming to bite them in the ass.

But who the hell would be ready for an assault by magical snowmen armed with snow guns?!

Santa whistled at the Reindeer as he hopped onto the sleigh, looking at the rest of DEFY with a warm smile.

(Santa) "You have saved my hide, and Christmas for the rest of the world! These darn Snow-Dolls have been pursuing me ever since...-"

Suddenly concentrated fire was aimed at the sleigh, cutting Santa off as he nodded at them.

(Santa) "Bah, hambug! Doesn't matter, Thank you, DEFY! Good night to all, and to all-"

(Angelia) "JUST GET YOUR ASS MOVING ALREADY, I'M BLEEDING HERE!"

Santa jumped back in his seat and immediately yanked the straps back, forcing his reindeer to float up and out of the warehouse, the gunshots all attempting to hit him as he circled around the battlefield.

DEFY watched as Santa doubled back towards the snowmen, dropping several christmas ornaments onto them, before they exploded into a fiery inferno that melted the snow from the sheer heat, making everyone duck behind cover.

Looking back up, the squad saw nothing remained of the snowmen, in fact there was no trace of them at all now.

Other than the concrete wall in the middle of the snow, alongside Ange's blood, bullet casings littering the grass, and explosion marks from grenades, it looked like any regular aftermath of a battlefield.

The squad then looked back at the presents, and saw how beautifully colored they were, each one with a name tag of a T-Doll or human of a Griffin member.

Then finally, the Commander's voice came through Angelia's radio.

(Commander) "Merry Christmas, Ange! You and DEFY have a silent night?"

(AN-94) "...I wish for these Christmas puns to end."

(Angelia) "Shut the hell up. By the way send a medic."

(Commander) "Hah, good one...W-Wait, what?!"

...

Apparently, no one had heard the insanity of DEFY's firefight during the early morning of Christmas Day.

In fact, no one even saw the explosions or the snowmen outside the base windows.

There was a perimeter scan and it was triple checked by the Anti-Rain Team, and Squad 404. There were no signs of hostile activity whatsoever.

After DEFY was sent in for repairs and Angelia's shoulder was patched up, they were ordered to take the day off and enjoy themselves with the rest of Griffin.

But first they headed back towards the dorm to rest up before the presents were to be handed out. Right now it was only eight in the morning.

(AK-15) "I still cannot believe everything we have just witnessed."

(AK-12) "Santa being real is...quite contradictory to everything we've learned. Does that mean other fictional stories are true as well?"

(Angelia) "This is a rabbit hole I don't want to open up right now, ladies."

(RPK-16) "Do you think Alice in Wonderland is true too?"

(AN-94) "I am sure it was just a fabrication, or some advanced technology we are not privy to yet."

(Angelia) "Get some rest until present time. I'll be in my room."

DEFY saluted Angelia as she walked off to her room alone.

When she opened the door, she noticed a plate of cookies and milk on the plate. She reached for her pistol, looking slowly around for who could have entered.

Seeing the note on the table, she frowned as she read it, but quickly faded.

Thanks for all your hard work, as always Ange! Save some for the rest of the girls, okay? - Signed, Commander, Kalina, G36

Angelia smiled, examining the cookie and making sure it wasn't poisoned. However, there were a couple signs on the cookie itself that revealed it was made from Springfield's café. The way the treat looked too perfectly circular, and cooked to almost perfection.

Realizing the threat was nonexistent, Angelia bit into it before pouring the milk out near her sink, and replacing the drink with Vodka.

(Angelia) "...Next Christmas, I'm not doing this shit again."

Suddenly, the radio turned on next to her.

"Last Christmas I gave you my heart But the very next day you gave it away~-"

Angelia immediately smashed the radio with her metal arm, eye twitching.

(Angelia) "And I'm having Kalina turn those goddamn songs off."

=====

a/n: This is totally 100% canon to the lore of Girls' Frontline. Source: trust me bro.

Anyways I have nothing else to add besides a nice picture of DEFY for your enjoyment.

Their smiles are precious. okay that's it, byeeeeeeeeeeeee

[luck-and-larceny]

FFXIV Write: Telling

Audr Shade's home is a small, nondescript house in a relatively undeveloped ward of the Lavender Beds. It sits tucked away in an appropriately shady, uninhabited corner of that undeveloped ward. This says to me one of two things:

This guy is a recluse who is just begging to be robbed and Nymeia is fully on my side today.

There is no Audr Shade. This is an elaborate set-up by my asshole ex-boyfriend and the Adders and Nymeia has decided I should get fucked today.

If I abandon the plan to rob this very introverted and probably very imaginary music genius now, I will avoid being arrested. That might be nice.

But I'll also never know what might have happened if I went inside and what secrets could be hidden within. That is not nice. I do not like that.

It occurs to me that I have more options than just stupidly going into this house. I don't have to roll the dice without knowing who I'm playing against. I don't have time to go searching through public records or to interview people about this lucky landowner's history and tragic backstory, but I know people who do have that time. I settle into a cozy spot hidden away at a nearby, half developed house, behind abandoned construction supplies, and watch Audr Shade's place while I call my fixer.

“Floors and Decors,” he answers. 

“You changed the name again? Sibert, you're not going to be taken seriously as a committed business if you can't even commit to a name for that business.”

He sighs. He hasn't made it through even one sentence from me before becoming exhausted. I feel so powerful!

“Go on then,” he says in a world-weary voice. “Give me more business advice I can rightfully ignore. I've got the time.”

“Oh, good! It's time that I need, actually. See, I'm working on– you know what? No. I need to say more. I take back my criticism. I don't think you're changing the name of the store enough actually. You should switch it up at least once a week. Keep em guessing. What's that guy in that ramshackle place down by the dock saying he's got this week? Chairs for Lairs? Sheds and Beds?”

He cuts me off to grumble, “Stop! What is it that you need?”

“Couches for Grouches then,” I reply, “I'm working on a job and I don't know if it's a setup. I don't actually know if the guy I'm robbing even exists. I've been sent to Ward 31 of the Lavender Beds–”

“I didn't know there was a 31st Ward,” he interrupts. “I thought it was still being constructed.”

“Me too,” I say, “But there is a house here all the way at the very end of this ward. It's super basic. Nondescript. Nothing notable in the yard. I don't even see a place to tie up a chocobo.”

He scoffs. “Well, that's telling. Are you calling to ask me if this obvious trap is actually a trap or to try to convince you it's not?”

Well, fuck. When things look like they are too good to be true, they usually are. But sometimes they're that good because Fortune has smiled on you. I admit I have some difficulty these days discerning between divine intervention and my own intervening delusions. I really ought to examine that more. I won't, of course, but I ought to.

“Could you just look into this guy for me anyway, boss man? His name is Audr Shade and–”

“Audr Shade? The musician?” He's curious now.

And I'm annoyed. Why did he know that immediately? I'm the one whose hobby is music and I didn't know him! Unbelievable. I bet Sibert couldn't tell the difference between a flute and a fart.

“Yeah. Him. So he's real?”

“Well, I've never met the guy face to face, but I know him, yes.”

“Right. Of course. Because you definitely pal around in the same circles. The antiques and home goods community sometimes invites the art crowd to brunch?”

“Well, no. I mean, sort of? I mean– Lia, he's worked with me before. Not as a contractor, but as a client. Not recently, but not so long ago either. Actually, I had you retrieve a golden spoon once for him. Do you remember that?”

Do I remember that? Sibert had “forgotten” to warn me that the woman who had this antique spoon also had a trained Gigatoad. I shudder at the memory and suddenly feel like I'm covered in toad slobber all over again.

“Yeah, I remember. Wait, so this guy is a part of our world?”

“Enough that he's reached out a few times anyway. Describe the house to me again?”

“Like I said before, I can't. It's the most boring house I've ever seen, but, like not even in a notable way. Like… it's just a white house with black shutters. You know what? Shutters are stupid. Like they don't DO anything. They're just a decorative thing that pretends like they have a function, but they're nailed to the sides of windows! They couldn't even actually shutter anything if they wanted to. Everyone's just got these silly pieces of nothing fixed on their houses because they see every other house has them–”

“Yes. Great. People do things because other people do them and because it looks good. Very insightful. Back on task, Lia. I said it was telling that his house is nondescript. I thought that might be because it's a trap. But maybe it's not. Maybe it's nondescript so it'll be ignored. Maybe he does live there."

A light turns on in the home. Moments later it turns off again and a guy… a very boring looking guy– the Highlander equivalent of a nondescript white house with pointless shutters– steps outside. And looks right in my direction. 

[kimbapisnotsushi]

Hi, can I ask your top 5 favorite characters from Haikyuu? Why you love them? And, what are your top 7 favorite moments from the series? Which top 3 fav games are your favorite (between which team)?

Also, why do you love Haikyuu? What made that series special to you?

Yes, I'm so excited after watching the movie. Haikyuu really is one of the best anime/manga series ever....

(Love your headcanon Haikyuu, thanks for sharing them)

aww thanks so much!! i am so so sorry this has taken me a while to get to, but i'm happy to answer!!

to get the last one out of the way first: i've probably mentioned this, like, a million times already, but haikyuu has so much great symbolism and imagery and characters that just make it really fun to dive into and think about!! they all come together to make a beautifully constructed story, which can be very difficult to do when the genre is realistic fiction/sports. and i like that the overall messages and themes are very hopeful and uplifting at the end of the day—it's about connection, it's about dreams, it's about trying again and again. it's about getting back up!!! it's about trusting in the people around you, and being able to trust yourself. it's something i really appreciate and keep close to heart. i love haikyuu for lots of reasons, but this covers the basics of it pretty well!!

now, as for the rest of what you've asked . . .

top 5 characters:

okay i'm going to cheat a little and say that kageyama and hinata are obivously tied for first. i can't help it!! they're the main charas and they do it so so well. the growth that they go through is one of my favorite things about them, as are the relationships they have with each other and the people around them. they're sort of a package deal, really, so i don't think you can blame me for that

in second place i would have to say oikawa!! beautifully flawed and beautifully human and such a great antagonist overall. i think he's the closest we've ever seen to a character almost making a mistake that they would have regretted (ie hitting kageyama), and even despite all that it's not like he truly hates kageyama or wants him to stop marching on his own path. he's also just really funny and pathetic i love him

YAKU!!!! YAKU MORISUKE MY BELOVED. i like him because i find him very relatable and i love what he does for nekoma!!!! he's so badass!!!!!!! everyone loves him everyone thinks he's so cool AND i love his whole thing with shibayama and lev. he's kind and caring but hides it under like five layers of being a bitch bastard if you're someone who annoys him i love him so much oh my god

and on that note kenma!! thinking about who he used to be, who he helped kuroo become . . . the fact that he finds volleyball fun and admits it . . . the fact that he loves it despite how exhausting it is . . . how he loves his friends and team . . . kenma's story was so wonderfully done and i adore it with every bit of my soul. he cares soooooo much!!!!! i adore that about him!!!!

hngngnsdhfsjyuef last one this is so hard . . . but i think i'm going to have to say hoshiumi! the way he wants to prove how he has nothing to prove and wants to leave no room for doubt . . . right off the bat he recognized hinata for what he was worth because they were the same!!! and the way he said he'd wait for hinata!!!!!! i could probably go into so much about how hoshiumi was probably the first to look at hinata and see a true and proper rival because there was no way he couldn't when he knew what it was like!!

top 7 moments:

oooooh boy. okay first off is the first boom jump during the nekoma match, when kageyama calls for an open!!!! i love this for obvious reasons but UGH the fact that it symbolizes kageyama's trust in hinata and is a testament to how far they've both grown . . . how kageyama decided to make it a set for hinata rather than giving up on him . . . how hinata was able to fly to reach it . . . it is soooooo good oh my god

hmm second i would have to say are definitely the parallelism panels (real match vs practice) during the nekoma match!!! the idea that karaneko playing against each other is so familiar and so fun that it feelsl ike home and feels like any other day is so precious to me. truly one of the best moments that show how haikyuu is about connection and love and passion.

"someone even better will come and find you" are you SHITTING me. everything we learned about kageyama and his grandfather broke my heart but that scene especially, followed by hinata's "i'm here!" easily makes into top seven for me oh my god. i get so many emotions thinking about it and it was just so incredibly well done.

when hinata yells "I'M HOME" during the jackals v adlers match!!! and everyone yells 'WELCOME BACK" and kageyama says "took you long enough" GAH i want to cry. baby is home and he's back amd he's here and they're together again!!!!! i just hngngngn UGH

when oikawa shows up at olympics with argentina!!! and he calls it a family reunion!!!! i wanted to cry!!!! i guess it does depend on the translations you've seen but i MUCH prefer it when he calls it that because that really solidifies what haikyuu means!!! and it shows how he's never forgotten where he came from!!!

kenma's "this is painful. this is tiring. i don't want it to end" with the panel of him GETTING BACK UP AND RUNNING TOWARDS THE MATCH??? that meant EVERYTHING to me oh my god.

ughhhhh last moment . . . this is so hard . . . i'm going to cheat and say hinata's collapse during kamomedai because of everything that happens after it!!! takeda on his knees talking to him, kenma's "i came to cheer up a friend", kageyama's "but i wanted to go further with this team" . . . it gave us so many good things and i think is also such a pivotal moment in the story!!! i don't think most people were really truly expecting it (although people have def picked up on its foreshadowing before) and it makes you think that really anything can happen during a match i'm adding a bonus to this: that moment during the all-stars match when oikawa asks ushijima what he thinks of oikawa's "petty pride" now, and ushijima tells him "i think it's fantastic". LIKE HOLY FUCK WE HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE!!!!!!!!

top 3 matches:

okay this probably goes without saying but karaneko at nationals!!! that was everything to me!!! that was what we were all waiting for!!!! i know there are those who don't like it because of how it ended but imo it's very fitting for someone like kenma and it really does, once again, give off the sense that anything can happen in a match and can make you win or lose—it's what furudate's been trying to tell us this whole time, even if some read it as a cop-out.

inarizaki match definitely. it was really really good not just for introducing inarizaki and their stories but also the fact that we realize hinata doesn't have to be chained!!!! there are people capable of keeping up with him and there are people who WANT to keep up with him at his level!!!! atsumu was the first determined to do so!!!!!!! (which i could talk about more but like. that's a story for another time)

AGH last one was so hard . . . it was a toss-up between karasuno v seijoh (spring high playoffs), karasuno v shiratorizawa, or jackals v adlers and i'm going to have to say jackals v adlers!! i love the other two but the fact that we got a match fthat shows how far everyone's come and how they're still connected and passionate and full of hopes and dreams is my favorite thing ever. we got some GREAT stories within that match and we got to see so many characters return!!! what more could you ask for, really?? i will say tho that i'm giving honorary mention to nekoma v nohebi i've got such a soft spot for that match LMAO

but that's it!!! thanks for the ask i had fun answering all these. if anyone's ever curious to know more about anything i've mentioned feel free to swing by, and thanks for reading!!

[ghostlyshellofapuppet]

Howl Pendragon x gn baker reader

I've never wrote for Howl before so sorry if he's occ and I'm writing for movie Howl not book Howl. I realize my writing is probably dry and I'm trying to work on that and constructive criticism is always appreciated. I think I kept it gn if not I'm sorry. I will probably make a part two

You've been running a small bakery for about six months and it's been doing really well for how long it's been open, and it's been a really nice part of your life. There's just something about seeing people enjoy what you make that makes waking up at 6 am to make sweets worth it. But today day started slow, maybe because of that rumor going around, something about a wizard and a castle. Anyway not that it didn't give you time to relax after baking all morning, until the door opened.

In stepped a tall man with blonde hair, a big jacket and a poofy white shirt, and you've never seen him before which is kind of odd. It's a small town and normally if it's a slow day your regulars are the main ones that come, but a customer is still a customer. He walks up to the counter with a type of stride that's oddly charming. He looks around for a second before speaking. " I need to chocolate cupcakes and a loaf of bread, please." After he makes his request you tally down what he asks and he pays, you move to start gathering the order. Deciding to make small talk you ask, " So I don't think I've seen you before, are you new?". He looks at you and smiles, " No, I'm not, I just don't get out much. It takes a special occasion for me to come out normally."

As you seal the box for the cupcakes and begin to wrap the bread in cloth you speak " Well I'm glad to meet you, I'm y/n . So what's the special occasion?" While handing him the baked goods, he replies, " My name is Howl and it's my apprentice's birthday so I thought I'd get him something, goodbye for now." You watch as he waves and walks out the exit while you now have to wait around for the next person.

It was five days later when he walked through your door again, this time with a red headed child who ran to the display case, looking at everything very excitedly. Howl, whose name you remembered which surprised you, walked up next to him. "Hi, nice to see you again, thought you didn't come out much." you greeted, while Howl greets back " Markel here", who glaces up at the sound of his name," was bugging me to buy more sweet stuff since I don't keep it on hand." Markel speaks up looking annoyed," All he keeps in the house is eggs, bacon and bread. "What's that?", he points to a cinnamon roll. Once you realize what he's pointing too, you tell him while Howl looks at you too with a smile, and the two start ordering what they want, pay and leave while you wave them off. The small talking with them is nice and doesn't seem as forced as it does with some people who come to your bakery, it's nice you realize, it comes naturally and kind of look forward to when he comes again, that is if he does come again.

It's been two weeks since you saw Howl and Markel until one morning you see Markel walk through the door and jog to the counter. " Hey" you greet," come back for more sweets?". Markel looks around in the display case and responds without looking at you, " Howl has been kinda distracted lately, lost in thought and I wanted to get him something to make him feel better and I know he likes the stuff you make but I don't know what to get him". At that you have to think for a moment about what makes people feel better, probably nothing fruity or citrusy, maybe something with cinnamon or chocolate. "What type of sweets does Howl like?", you ask Markel, but he shrugs and says, " He liked the chocolate cupcakes you made so maybe something chocolate, but I know he also really likes carrot cake." So to help Markel out you start to box carrot cake, chocolate cake and a cinnamon roll for Markel, while he watches slightly confused. You turn around and give him the box telling him not to worry about cost and Markel looks surprised but also joyful. He starts to run off to the door while thanking you but stops " Thank you ..... I don't think I ever learned your name." You smile " y/n" you say with a small laugh. " Thank you y/n" Markel calls as he runs off.

Markel arrives back at his house to find Howl staring off into space, sitting in front of Calsifer. "Howl, look what I brought you" Markel says as he runs up to him, causing Howl to tilt his head to him and perks up slightly seeing the box Markel is holding. Calsifer notices and starts speaking, " You got more from that bakery, can I have some this time, I never even got a cupcake the first time and you keep bringing back with nothing for me. I do keep this castle running but don't even get a bakery item." Howl ignores Calsifer and stands up, taking the box from Markel and makes his way over to the table and pushes away clutter to make a spot. " Thank you Markel, what is this for?" Howl questions while Markel grabs his cinnamon roll, " I noticed you've been off recently and I wanted to make you feel better. I think you like y/n baking a lot, don't you, I mean isn't that why you took me there that one time? So you would have an excuse to go again." Howl doesn't respond to his question and looks away slightly, listening to Calsifer in the background complaining while Howl takes the carrot cake for himself and takes the chocolate piece to Calsifer. While the fire demon eats it in one go Howl sits in peace eating while Markel tries to figure out what's been bothering him, deciding to ask him later, Markel goes back to eating.

If you read to the bottom thank you and if you have any constructive criticism to help my writing be better it is appreciated. I will more then likely be making more parts to this

[symbioticsimplicity]

This Idiot Has Seen Goncharov

So today marked the coalescence of the Goncharov Incident as I’ll be calling it, so I think it’s finally time to share.

For a bit of context, you need to know a little more about one of my co-workers. We’ll call him Zeke. First it’s important to note that despite being in his early thirties, Zeke doesn’t have any sort of social media accounts outside of a MySpace page. Dude has straight up been living like it’s still 2007. Zeke also has a fixation with my friend/roommate who also works with us. Zeke will hop onto whatever bandwagon this friend, who we’ll call Jesse, is on. But most importantly to this whole tableau, Zeke likes to tell tall tales, like no matter what you’re talking about, or what you’ve done, this guy has done it but bigger and crazier.

That alone would be annoying, but it wouldn’t be enough to push myself and Jesse to the level we’ve hit with him. For me, it’s the constant need to put other people down for ‘knowing less than he does’ despite the obviousness of his knowledge being a collection of poorly constructed lies. Like not only does he lie, but this dumbass doesn’t even bother to check into the things he lies about. Several times he’s tried to convince me of something in a subject I know everything about. He refuses to admit to being wrong and he won’t back down from anything he’s said, it’s infuriating.

For this, and quite a few other reasons transphobic cough cough augh, he’s been bothering Jesse and I for quite a while. Badly enough that the spite fueled wasp nest that lives in the back corner of my brain Morse coded a plan to me.

Goncharov.

What better way to trip up a ride or die compulsive liar than a piece of media well known for being entirely fictional?

The next day, when Zeke climbed into my car during our lunch hour, Jesse and I began talking about this old movie we’d recently watched. The two of us have known each other more than long enough to able to follow each other’s bullshit like second nature, we’ve played an assload of DND together. In ten minutes we’ve got the whole first arc talked out with a few of the “best scenes” highlighted. (Personal favorites being Andrey juggling guns “a la John Wick/Guns Akimbo” and Katya killing a man point blank after saying ‘Get Gonch’d bitch’ in a 1973 film.)

Zeke didn’t respond too much, just kind of nodded and ignored most of the convo since it wasn’t really about him. I didn’t really expect him to engage to start, he usually doesn’t, but we’d planned to keep this up for another couple days anyhow.

But like clockwork, the more Jesse talked about it, the more Zeke seemed to remember it. Enough that I jumped ahead a little and pulled up the faux movie poster to show him.

He squinted at it then nodded and said he’d definitely seen the movie before.

When I tell you I almost fucking screamed.

Of course he couldn’t remember many details because it had been so long since he’d seen it. To tell you the truth I’d checked out at that point, I was focused on not losing my shit, I have no fucking idea what he said.

While this was an entire meal served up on a silver platter, it would have been pretty easy to say he’d seen the poster somewhere despite not having socials. I want this man incinerated, not merely singed.

Which leads me to the events of the last couple days.

So Zeke came up to Jesse and I and told us he wanted to re-watch Goncharov and asked us if it’s on Netflix.

Jesse and I both said that it is, without hesitation.

Zeke went to look for it (at work, while we’re working no less, again I missed the rest of what he was saying here I was mentally biting him) and obviously found nothing. So he searched every other streaming platform he had, and Youtube, all once again coming up empty.

At this point, I was sure the jig is up. He was actually searching it now so obviously he’d find one of the search results letting him know Goncharov’s true nature. I’m fairly certain the first result for it on Google says that it’s fake.

Oh hoo hoo, no.

Zeke came to me to complain about not being able to find the movie and in a fit of clandestine fervor, I told him that we probably watched it on a pirating site.

It was beautiful, it was inspired, and it worked.

Zeke asked me for the site and I told him that I’d have to get it from our other roommate since she’s in charge of the tech in our house. Then I hauled ass to go find Jesse and spill the latest tea before Zeke could. 

Later on Jesse sent him the link to the site, and he told us he’d find it over the weekend.

Well today, friends, is Monday.

Most of today we spent too busy to go grill Zeke about whether or not he’s crossed over into the fucking Mandela timeline and managed to watch Goncharov. But ten minutes before close, while we’re waiting to go, suddenly Zeke perks up, and remembers that when he gets home, he has to finish watching the movie. He’d had trouble getting the site to work on his phone, but his Xbox had run it, and he’d started watching it, but had unfortunately fallen asleep before he’d finished.

Now. I am a calm man, I can keep a straight face if I need to. But hearing this fucking idiot tell me he’d started watching a fictitious movie made up by Tumblr.com of all places nearly sent me to the fucking Shadow Realm with the amount of effort it took not to crack.

He talked for a couple more minutes before fucking off to do something else, I have no idea again I wasn’t fucking listening, I was trying not to visibly cry from holding back laughter.

But then he left and like instinct, like the inevitable impact of atoms inside of the Hadron collider, Jesse and I turned to look at each other. I knew what Jesse would say, Jesse knew what I would say, and like fate, like destiny, like two people who had witnessed a man commit manslaughter against his own damn self, we spoke at once.

“This idiot has seen Goncharov.”

[ajpendragon]

I know it's the 5th, and not the 7th, but these turned themselves into a story along with number 14, and the two are in the wrong order. So have a little emotional whump to brighten your day.

Radio Silence

Radio Silence. Any rescue coordinator’s worst nightmare. At best, it simply meant your operative was ignoring you. Over the years, John had dealt with enough annoying younger brothers (and occasionally older ones) who were either mad at him, or simply too distracted to answer. Sometimes, it was simply a comm malfunction, which, although stressful, was easily fixed back at home. But today…

Today was the worst-case scenario. 

It shouldn’t have been a hard rescue. As far as disasters went, this one was relatively minor. The collapsing building was the first in the new development, so there was nothing else nearby it could bring down with it, and it was still under construction, so it was relatively empty. 

Virgil and Gordon had been tag-teaming it, alternating getting people out and shoring up the weakest points. The building was going to come down, there was no question about that, but they could delay it until everyone was out. 

“You’re doing great, guys.” John encouraged, eyes darting between life signs, weak points, and his brothers’ vitals. “There’s one more life sign in the southeast corner of the building. Looks like ground level or lower.”

He could see the weight lifting off their shoulders as they wiped dust and sweat from the foreheads. They were both flagging, he could tell, but they would finish the job. Gordon grinned brightly. “I got this, Virgil. Keep my exit open until I come back.” He dashed out of view, his hologram flickering out. 

Virgil sighed heavily. “He’s doing too much, John. He’s going to burn himself out.”

“I know, Virgil. After this, he’s on mandatory downtime for the next week. You both are.”

Virgil shook his head, moving to secure a crumbling beam. “I can keep going.”

“Funny. That’s exactly what Gordon would say. You’re both grounded. You’re way over your flight hours.”

Later, John would blame his lack of focus on bickering with Virgil. Whatever it was, he missed the yellow blip on his screen indicating a major weak point until it turned blaring red. 

“The building’s coming down now!” He shouted. “Get out of there.”

Virgil responded immediately, getting clear fast enough to avoid the debris, but Gordon must have been underground, for all they could hear from his comm was static. 

“Gordon? Gordon!?!” John and Virgil both shouted simultaneously. John’s hands were flying, pulling up images of the building and Gordon’s last known location, as well as any other information he had. “EOS! Get me Gordon’s suit readouts, now!”

“I cannot. Gordon’s suit appears to be malfunctioning or damaged. There is no data transmitting.”

Just then, the rubble shifted, a few last pieces of debris settling down, and the garbled static from Gordon’s comm cut off, leaving something worse…

Silence