#obviously i am no actually celebrating it but in my heart i will be excited <3

[shalom-iamcominghome]

The dreidels have been acquired. Do I have others to play with? No. Did I get them anyway because I like games? Yes. 🩵🩵🩵

[simp4wom3n]

Celebrity Crush

Pairing: Jenna Ortega x Reader

Requested: Yes/No ~ request @meimei-a

Summary: Y/N has been simping over Jenna for years. What happens when Y/N finally gets noticed by her celebrity crush. (Y/F/M = your favourite movie) ~ Word Count: 2,190 ~ Warnings: swearing

A/N: Hello everyone!! Idk why these keep getting longer and longer but hopefully you guys still like them. Obviously because they are longer they take longer to write but my schedule has loosened so I have more time to write so hopefully the next one will be finished soon <3

Part 1 ~ Part 2

“And here to promote her new movie, the newest star of Hollywood, the amazing, and beautiful, Y/N L/N everybody!!” Jimmy announces with his iconic smile plastered on his face, his hand gesturing towards you as you walk out. Dressed in an extravagant pantsuit and heels, you wave to the audience as you make your way towards your chair. You greet Jimmy as you sit down, taking a moment to take in your first late night show, sat across from Jimmy Fallon, in-front of a large audience, cameras covering you on all angles. Sure you had done press before but this was something else.

Whilst you are undeniably nervous, the excitement of another ‘I made it’ moment overshadows any of your anxiety as you finally face Jimmy as the cheers of the audience diminish. “Welcome Y/N it’s amazing to finally have you on the show. How are you feeling?” he starts with a warm smile, instantly calming your remaining nerves. “Thank you so much for having me. This is definitely a dream of mine so a little nervous.” you explain, earning a nod from Jimmy. “I’m used to being in the audience so it’s still sinking in” you add, gesturing and glancing towards the audience, still unable to grasp the fact that your here.

“Well you have definitely earned it, I mean your incredible.” he commented, earning a chorus of cheers from the audience. A tight lipped smile of appreciation crosses your face as you reply, “Thanks Jimmy thats mean a lot”. “Now… your new movie Y/F/M, am I right in saying its your first lead role in a blockbuster film?” “Yes it is” you reply with a nod. “Now I know they are really strict on what you can say but is there ANYTHING you can tell us.” he asks with genuine curiosity in his eyes.

Despite wanting to go on and on about the movie and reveal every little detail you can, your director says otherwise meaning you can’t say a thing. “I hate to break your heart Jimmy but my lips are glued shut. All I can say is I’m really proud of it” you answer solemnly, giving both Jimmy and the audience a small smile of apology. “It’s annoyingly ironic. Like I have to sell a movie without actually talking about it.” The solemn look on Jimmy’s face is quickly replaced with one of pure elation as he leans back in his chair, letting out his signature laugh, instantly bringing a smile to your face. 

He took a minute to settle down before he moved on, “I had a feeling this would happen so I prepared a little game for you” he started with a mischievous look on his face. You matched his energy, playfully glaring at him, “Ok…” you replied with concern earning a chuckle from the audience. “So I had my team go through your twitter and try to find any common topics you talk about” At the mention of your twitter account you could feel your cheeks warm as you realise where he is going with this.

“Oh god…”. Despite having a decent following, you essentially used your twitter as a dumping ground for all of your opinions on films, actors, food, basically everything. Which also meant you tweeted a lot, and I mean a lot, about your celebrity crush. The breathtaking Jenna Ortega. You practically worshipped her. Your initial film reviews of her performances soon turned into you straight up thirsting over her, so much so you had been asked about it before in previous interviews. It was impossible to deny so you would always openly admit your crush, quite passionately if you might add.

“And it would appear there is one VERY prominent subject” he continued, attempting to hold back a chuckle after seeing the mix of concern and acceptance on your face. “Mhm” you hum as you rest your head on your hand, waiting for him to just say it. “Jenna Ortega”. There it was. You closed your eyes attempting to compose yourself as a smile grew on your face just at the mention of her. “So I thought we could take a look at a few of the more recent ones and you could explain them to us all”, he finishes with a look of satisfaction, knowing he had struck gold. “Really trying to expose me aren’t you Jimmy.”, you chuckle as you straighten your posture and face the screen, “Your lucky I’m passionate about this.” you add causing Jimmy and the audience to laugh.

“Ok first one”. A screenshot of a tweet you posted in January 2022, the day that ‘The Fallout’ premiered for streaming, came up on the screen. It read ‘Just watched ‘The Fallout’ for the first time. Jenna Ortega everybody🧎🧎🧎’. You chuckled as you listened to Jimmy read it out to the audience. “I mean it’s pretty self explanatory” you start, reflecting back on that day. “I didn’t get the chance to see it beforehand so I had been waiting for it to come to a streaming service and when it did… OOO Jimmy you have no idea.” you explain whilst the audience bursts out laughing and you just shrug your shoulders. “What can I say. Not only was her performance Oscar worthy but DAMN she looked good doing it.” you fall back in you chair with a massive smile on your face whilst they all cheer and laugh around you. 

“Ok ok next one” Jimmy says through his laughter. A new screenshot of a tweet from a week or so later, right after you had seen ‘Scream 5’, appears on the screen reading, “I’m not one for horror, but did I just binge the entirety of the Scream saga to see ‘Scream 5’ with Jenna Ortega? Absolutely. P.S it was so worth it”, Jimmy read it out as you and the audience laughed whilst your hand hid your massive smile. “Lets just say I would do anything to be able to watch her.” you say with a smirk on your face as you try to suppress your giggle. “I actually really don’t like horror that much. I hate jump-scares with a passion. I was also praying the entire time that Jenna’s character didn’t die. That was basically all I cared about.”

“Ok final ones” Jimmy states as he pulls up a tweet from only a few weeks ago from after you binged ‘Wednesday’ is one sitting. “Guys someone explain to me how Jenna played a literal psycho but was still incredibly attractive AND girlfriend material.” Jimmy read as he also pulled up another one from a few days ago, ”These bts photos from Wednesday… Someone take them away from me I need this girl as my girlfriend ASAP” you chuckle as he finishes reading them out. “I mean look I think we can all relate to a show being that much more enjoyable because an actor you love is it in right?” you question, looking at the audience who respond with nods and cheers “Right so when I saw that Jenna was playing Wednesday I legitimately counted down the days until it aired and I watched the entire show in one sitting” you finish with a laugh. “That first tweet was right after I finished it and the second one… I mean guys have you seen those photos how could I not be in love”

Meanwhile…

The Tonight Show was a show that Jenna frequently watched. She had been checking Instagram to see who would be appearing on the show when she stumbled across you. She noticed someone who she instantly found attractive, and their name sounded familiar although she wasn’t sure where from. ‘Y/N L/N…. where do I know you from’ she thought as she googled your name in an attempt to connect the dots. Browsing through your movies and tv shows, nothing seemed to trigger any realisation despite having seen some of them. ‘Weird’

Jenna set her phone aside, sat down on the couch, and took out her TV remote, turning it on and switching the station to start the show. Turning it on just as Jimmy announces you, she watches you walk out and her eyes widen slightly as her cheeks warm ever so slightly. You were gorgeous. She sat there speechless as she watched you smile and wave to the crowd, and she couldn’t help but smile with you as you sat in your chair.

If she was being completely honest with herself, she was entirely distracted by your beauty and hadn’t been listening to a majority of what was said, that was until she noticed you glaring at Jimmy. Snapping out of her trance, she listens to Jimmy explain the ‘game’ he wanted to play with you, something about looking through your twitter. ‘Wait have I seen her on twitter?’ Jenna briefly thought as he continued explaining. Her eyes shot open as she unexpectedly heard her name. ‘Wait what’, her ears immediately perking up, her attention now entirely on Jimmy.

As soon as the first tweet came on screen, Jenna’s mouth dropped open as she was suddenly hit with the realisation of where she had seen you before. She wasn’t one to frequent twitter, but whenever she did she would always notice a large amount of tags and tweets relating to you. The ones she had seen were just her being tagged in the comments of your tweets but she thought nothing of it and just presumed it was the fans messing around. She was obviously mistaken.

As you continued talking about your tweets and your love for her so openly on live tv, her cheeks burned as she sat there on her couch in pure disbelief. “How could I not be in love” is what you had said. That was all she needed to hear before she decided to binge almost all of your previous interviews, and to her surprise, and delight, you mentioned her in almost every one.

‘Holy shit’ she whispered as you wrapped up talking with Jimmy, saying your goodbyes and promoting your movie one last time. As she watched you stand she thought ‘fuck it’ as she reached for her phone, immediately opening instagram and going to her DMs.

Back at the studio…

You had just left the stage and were taking a moment to relax and think about how everything had gone. ‘I really just said that on live TV’ you thought to yourself as you chuckled and headed back to your dressing room to get changed and head home. The first thing you did was change out of your outfit because, despite how beautiful it makes you feel, your one and only real love—aside from Jenna—is an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. Once you had changed you grabbed your phone off the table and took a glance at your notifications, the number of which multiplied significantly since before the show. ‘Oh wow ok’ you mumbled as you scrolled through them seeing if there were any of significance.

You were about to put your phone down before a DM notification caught your eye, your breath hitching as you read the name. ‘Holy shit no way’. It was from fucking Jenna Ortega. ‘What the actual fuck… oh my god ok’. Deciding to wait until you got home to answer it, so you don’t seem too unbearably desperate, you grabbed your things and walked briskly to your car. As you drive along the quiet streets late at night, your mind is racing as all you can think about is her. ‘Oh my god does that mean she watched the interview?’ ‘I can’t believe she actually knows who I am’ ‘How am I going to respond to this oh god’. 

When you finally arrived at your apartment, you hurriedly got out of the car and made it to your floor before you almost crashed through the door with excitement. Not bothering to do anything else, you instantly collapse onto your couch and open you instagram, saying ‘Fuck it’ and opening the DM. “Hey cutie” it started, instantly making you blush. “I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you. I would love to get to know you better so I was wondering whether you wanted to maybe get dinner with me sometime this week?? Absolutely no pressure but I would love to meet you in person :)” You sat there speechless for a moment. Jenna Ortega, your celebrity crush, wants to go out with you?!? ‘This is too good to be true’ you thought as your fingers hovered over the keyboard. You eventually decided to just go for it, “Are you asking me out on a date?? ;)” you typed quickly and sent before you could start overthinking it. 

You were shocked when it was read in just a few seconds, and you waited eagerly for her reply “How could I not ask such a beautiful girl on a date <3”. Here you were, on what you thought would be a regular day of press, instead being asked to go on a date by your celebrity crush. This was an ‘I made it’ moment on a completely different scale.

Part 2

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Sebek Zigvolt - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Sebek: That pedestal there is a reproduction from the King of Beasts' bedchamber, and that teacup yonder is ceramic wear with a Queen of Hearts motif.

Sebek: Heheh… That's right, my preparatory research is completely perfect. With this, there shall be no opportunity for me to embarrass myself due to a lack of artistic knowledge.

Sebek: There is no way I can allow myself to appear unsightly now that I've been appointed a supporter of the Land of Dawning National Museum of Art.

???: Hm? What's with this green light in the middle of the painting…? Oh, it's just a bonfire flame.

???: Those fairies look like they're having a blast partyin' like that, I wonder if something good happened.

Sebek: How dare you claim them to be "partying." This is a painting depicting the Thorn Fairy's men extolling her grand exploits!

Ace: Ack, Sebek… Looks like I got caught by an annoying one. So what, you're tellin' me this painting's got something to do with the Thorn Fairy?

Sebek: Exactly. It is often said that these men were as proud of the Thorn Fairy's achievements as if it were their own, and would express their joy with their whole body and soul.

Sebek: Anyone should be able to infer how magnificent the Thorn Fairy was just from witnessing these men's unwavering loyalty.

Ace: Uh-huh, okay. Kinda just looks to me like they're just partyin', maybe masking it as a celebration for the Thorn Fairy.

Sebek: Don't you dare liken them to superficial humans like yourself. Each one of those fae that appear in this tale are all diligent folk.

Sebek: Back in my hometown there are many stories of the Thorn Fairy and other fae passed down for generations. We even have special functions held to emulate their greatness.

Ace: Sure. Can't see those functions as being anything other than boring, though, if it's attended by lame, "diligent" faes～

Sebek: Heh, curious, are you? One such event that has been around for a long while now is a dress color changing competition. Whosoever is able to magically dye the dress to the color closest to the provided example is the victor.

Ace: Ugh, that pisses me off that it's actually kinda cool-soundin'…

Ace: But I guess the whole having to use magic for it just shows it really is an event in the fae-rich lands of Briar Valley.

Sebek: …In my youth, my elder brother and sister took me to witness one such competition and I was struck with amazement.

Sebek: I was completely taken in by everyone's astounding magical prowess to turn a dress vivid blue or pink in the blink of an eye…

Sebek: I remember how excited I was to learn magic as soon as possible so I may also take part in this contest.

Ace: Guess even you have adorable moments. So, what place in the competition did you get once your long-awaited magic finally manifested?

Sebek: Don't be absurd. Color changing magic is a course of study that human mages only learn in their courses at an arcane academy.

Sebek: This was merely something I found enchanting as a mere child. Obviously I would not take part in such a contest now.

Ace: You suuure? Sounds pretty fun to me. Oh hey, then how about you and me have our own little contest with color changing magic back at my dorm sometime.

Sebek: Why would I set foot in Heartslabyul…? Wait.

Sebek: Surely I am mistaken, but… Were you intending on shoving your rose-dying tasks onto my shoulders?

Ace: No way, I wasn't saying that at all! C'mon, don't you think it'd be a great little competition to have with a fellow freshman?

Sebek: Your excuses will not work on me! I know for a fact that you constantly complain over having to paint the roses.

Sebek: The only contest I had any interest in attempting was the dress color changing competition in Briary Valley. Do the tasks assigned to you on your own!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Ace: Oh hey, I know this one. It's a painting of a girl and some talking flowers.

Sebek: According to the legends, the flowers native to the country the Queen of Hearts' presided over had the ability to speak.

Sebek: Who would have thought that the flowers cultivated there would be able to speak or sing as such. I'm sure it was disturbingly loud in the Queen's country.

Ace: Sure, probably. But hey, probably a lot less loud than your voice can get.

Sebek: …Perhaps if you were to cease your own impudent retorts, I wouldn't have a need to raise my voice.

Ace: Reeeaaally, you think? 'Cause to me it feels like you're always angry about something.

Sebek: Of course not. I simply find the uncouth antics of you humans to be utterly aggravating.

Sebek: I know there is a time and place for everything. I myself would never do something as rude as to throw a damper on enthusiastic festivities.

Sebek: In fact, I attended a performance at a live music club just the other day and I did not chide the audience for their overjoyed shouting one bit.

Ace: …Eh. What did you just say? YOU WENT TO SEE A LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE!!!???

Sebek: Why would you react as such?

Ace: I mean, come on, didn't strike you as someone who'd go to something like that. So, like, what was the live show you went to go see?

Sebek: My latest venture brought me to attend a small show that showcased a collaboration between bands that primarily performed heavy metal music.

Sebek: This was all due to Lilia-sama, who imparted on me that this was the best way to train my imagination, and that listening to live music is an important part of life.

Ace: Aaah, that makes sense now. But hey, do you even listen to heavy metal?

Ace: I mean sure, you can kinda get into it once you're at the concert even if you don't know the songs, but if you don't even like that kinda stuff in the first place, ain't it tough to actually take in?

Sebek: "Get into it once you're at the concert"? Don't liken me to someone like you. Of course I went to the show after doing my due diligence in research.

Sebek: If I were to attend the show without a full understand of what I am to partake in, it would be an absolute disservice to Lilia-sama's recommendation.

Sebek: I studied everything from the exact times the music club opened their doors and how the audience would be filed into the venue, to the established rules on refreshments, to the proper cheering behavior utilized by the crowd near the front of the house…

Sebek: I believe it is called a "mosh pit." Prior to attending the performance, I made sure to carve into my body and soul the different techniques and proper etiquette as well.

Sebek: On that day, I purport that I banged my head back and forth much harder than anyone else there, shouting and cheering alongside them.

Ace: Don't think I've ever heard of someone practicing to mosh before. But I guess it sounds like you had a pretty fun time, though.

Sebek: Indeed. Although, I did run into slight trouble.

Ace: Huh, what kind of trouble? Cause some mischief, did ya?

Sebek: Absolutely not! I'm not sure if they lost their footing during the show or what, but the performer fell forward towards the audience.

Sebek: I immediately caught the performer and returned them to the stage. After that, the show continued smoothly until the end.

Ace: PFFT! You seriously returned the performer to the stage!?

Sebek: Obviously. I could not allow this concert that Lilia-sama had recommended to me be cancelled merely because the performer had become injured!

Ace: Bwahahaha! Looks like all that prepping you went through didn't help at all. All they wanted to do was stage dive, too.

Sebek: A stage dive…? Hold on now, don't tell me that was part of the performance!?

Sebek: I suppose the performer did look rather stunned when I returned them to the stage… Ghurk, what a blunder…!

Ace: Oh man, that's so hilarious. Wish I was there to see it. Hey, let's hit up a show together next time.

Sebek: SHUT IT! WHO WOULD EVER GO ANYWHERE WITH YOU!?

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Sebek: This is a painting of the hyenas who served the King of Beasts, I see. Their countenance depicts an atmosphere overflowing with trust from their liege and confidence in their own abilities.

Ace: Yeah? To me it just looks like they're up to something.

Sebek: Isn't that due to your own wily tendencies?

Sebek: I have seen you multiple times in locations outside the gymnasium during what should be basketball club hours.

Ace: Hey, it's not like I'm slacking off or anything. C'mon, I'm a freshman, right? Sometimes I get saddled with odd jobs from the upperclassmen.

Ace: But, man… Sometimes I do want to skip morning lessons on cold days. Hey, aren't there times you don't want to get out of bed when it's way too cold out, too?

Sebek: It's true that back home it has happened that I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. However, that was not because I wished to skip my training!

Ace: W-Woah, really? I thought you woulda hit me back with another "Don't liken me to you!" or something.

Sebek: I could not help it. I was thoroughly chilled to the bone that morning. It was so cold that there were numerous icicles dangling from our roof, as well.

Sebek: I did not even wish to fathom the temperature outside, but… I somehow forced myself out of bed to begin my morning training.

Sebek: Perhaps it was due to not having slept well, but I could feel my eyelids start to droop. So I decided then to attempt to wake myself up further with the bitter taste of coffee.

Sebek: I swallowed down the strong black coffee and believed myself ready to go. But that was the last thing I remembered.

Sebek: I ended up falling back asleep on the couch and when I finally woke up, it was past noon… An absolute blunder. This is a blot that I will carry with me forever.

Ace: Hey now, that's pretty normal, c'mon. Pretty steep to say you'll carry that forever.

Sebek: No, you are just weak-willed. I, however, strived through trials and tribulations to overcome the bitter cold of mornings and finally found "that" thing.

Ace: What're you acting so pompous about now?

Sebek: Heh, of course you'd be curious. I suppose I can tell you. The thing I am talking about is… A HOT WATER BOTTLE!

Ace: A hot water bottle…? You're seriously using a hot water bottle? Even in this day and age when we have air conditioners and heaters!?

Sebek: Do you seriously not understand? That thing is a fantastic item that warms your entire body without fear of causing a fire or desiccation.

Sebek: Cold winter nights not only diminishes my ability to fall asleep, but also affects the quality of sleep I am able to get. In turn, that makes it difficult to rise from bed…

Sebek: However, a simple hot water bottle prepared at bedtime can warm my body and lull me to sleep even in the coldest winters!

Sebek: The temperature can even be easily adjusted by wrapping it in a towel, or adding water to the bottle. A very convenient item.

Ace: Huh, interesting. I mean, sure, it might not use electricity, but I'm surprised you're using a "human" item.

Sebek: I received this hot water bottle from my father. Back when he had just arrived in Briar Valley, it apparently was very useful in keeping him warm even without magic.

Ace: Oh, so it's a hand-me-down, huh. And here I thought I'd get to hear another hilarious story or something～

Ace: Since it sounds like there ain't gonna be a punchline anymore, I think I'll go check out the shop. Byeee―

Sebek: YOU ASKED THE QUESTION, HEAR ME OUT UNTIL THE END! Good grief, I can't stand that human. …Hm?

Sebek: This is… A painting depicting a the human chattering along with animals. I've read this story in a book my grandfather gifted me.

Sebek: This young lady speaks of her dreams to these critters… Does she truly believe that her wish will come true without any effort on her part? What a lazy creature.

Requested by Anonymous.

[soliloquent-stark]

this is a bit all over the place, don't mind me. and don't keep reading if you dislike gooey stuff.

as you might know from the lovely asks i was sent (thank you, everyone 💗) it was my birthday yesterday. and unfortunately, as it often happens, some things didn't go so well. i won't go into details, but it was tough, and it sucked to cry on my birthday more than usual (teenage trauma throwback, am i rite) though i admit it was really handy to have a cake to absorb all the tears right up. 🤭

but good things happened, too! and almost all of them had one common denominator: k! (typing it out like this is so silly. she has a name. but for all intents and purposes, she's simply ✨k✨).

without even getting into the actual gifts that my fiancée got me this year—which are as always perfect and thoughtful and useful and just magic—or the cake, or the flowers, or anything else, i wanted to specifically showcase the marvel related stuff that put such a smile on my face:

yes, that balloon gave me heart attacks whenever i walked into the room. yes, i pretended to hate cringy cowboy seb then ended up giggling and blushing every time i looked at him. yes, the spiderman gift bag is from the children's section and we've gifted it back and forth at various occasions for over a year now.

also a superfamily celebration:

i loved feeling like a four year old little boy with my spiderman cake topper <3.

and i obviously won't share the rest of what she wrote, but the card included some sweet quotes i genuinely was so moved by, then i realised they sounded familiar, then i realised it's from my hedgehog fic (which was a gift to her, so honestly we're just throwing the same quotes back and forth pretending it's about steve and tony. it was never about steve and tony).

quoting my own writing back to me?? hello?? queen behaviour right there. also peak moment for me.

(side note, that's not even all the marvel stuff i got from her this birthday. i didn't include any gifts in this post. also, i wish there was a way to show everyone just how many marvel things we own (including fanmade posters, stickers, zines etc. support creators if you can. ❤️) and how much that shocks some people who visit us because it doesn't seem like it goes with the sapphic-grandma core we got going on. oh well, it does now.)

it would be impossible to list why k is the best person in the world without writing actual novels (believe me, i have tried and it was very long) and sharing way too much about her story. but just trust me when i say she is the best friend you could ever have, and she makes me feel so loved and appreciated every single day, which makes special occasions even harder because how do you even top that? well, she still manages to. every time. 🥺

i guess the point of this was to share some appreciation and further my k propaganda, because i can see all the effort and care she lovingly puts into everything she does for other people, and to let everyone know just how much of an angel she is. i don't care if it's corny. and if you've ever seen a comment written by whinysteve, or read her excited tags on a reblog, or directly talked to her, or simply perceived her existence in any form, you already know she's the fucking best. it's not an act, it's all real. should get my shit together and finally wife her up. 🥹

tl;dr: she makes any moment better by just being there; and when she sets her mind to it, you will feel the power of her kindness. at the end of day, to be loved is to be seen. and she's got the world record for best vision. ❤️‍🩹

[jerzwriter]

Celebrate

Thank you to @brycesgirl for the suggestion: Ethan, Kaycee, celebration from this ask. (I don't know litg, so I hope this works!) As always, I ignored the 100-word thing, but it's under 1,000 and that's huge for me! lol I hope you enjoy it.

Book: Open Heart (Post-Series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee MacClennan) Featuring: Tobias Carrick Rating: Teen Words: 869 Summary: Ethan isn't happy when Tobias announces he's leaving on a WHO mission. Kaycee humorously helps him understand why while getting a little payback to boot. In the end, is there anything to celebrate? A/N: Participating in @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 Day 22 Friendship

“Oh, these are perfect!” Kaycee beamed as the balloon bouquet was delivered to the diagnostic team’s office. “He’ll love this!”

Ethan looked up from behind his desk and grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Ignoring his lack of enthusiasm, Kaycee continued arranging decorations.

“You know, if you start feigning the slightest bit of excitement now, Tobias might actually believe you’re being supportive when he arrives.”

“You’re wrong,” Ethan deadpanned. “If anyone could see right through me, it would be him.”

Noting Kaycee’s raised eyebrow, he quickly corrected himself. “Next to you, of course... dear.”

“Fair attempt at a save,” she grinned. “I don’t understand why you aren’t happy for him. Being selected for this mission is a big honor and a phenomenal opportunity... not just for him, but for the team and Edenbrook, too. The positive media coverage alone has been helpful, and he hasn’t even left yet.”

“Mmmm,” he replied, barely paying attention.

“Oh, I see,” she replied sarcastically. “We’re only supposed to be enthusiastic about WHO missions if the person is using the trip because they’re too much of a wuss to face the feelings they’re developing for the love of their life. I understand now.”

It worked. She had his attention.

“Wait... what? That’s not the only reason I went on that mission!”

“Only,” she smiled triumphantly. “So, are you finally admitting that was one of the reasons?”

He could argue and try to make his point, but he merely smiled with a shake of his head.

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Hey, I accepted your proposal twice,” she winked. “I’ve obviously let it go, but I will be ribbing you for the rest of your life, so...”

“Fair enough,” he grinned.

“But Ethan, honestly, why aren’t you being more supportive of Tobias? He’ll never admit it, but it would mean so much to him.”

“Because it’s six months. That is too long to be away from the team.”

“Says who? Harper and Baz both agreed to pick up cases, and we have the new fellow beginning next month. We will be more than able to handle our caseload. Otherwise, administration wouldn’t have approved this.”

“So we have to bring a new fellow up to speed down one permanent member?”

“Dr. Ramsey, are you saying we can’t survive without Dr. Carrick?”

“What! No! Of course not!”

“Then what are you saying, my love?”

He didn’t appreciate the condescending tone, no matter how adorable she looked delivering it. But that wasn’t what was eating at him; it was his inability to come up with an answer as to what had been nagging at him ever since Tobias made his announcement.

“It’s OK, you know,” she whispered.

“What is?”

“To admit that you’re doing to miss him.”

“I did not say I’m going to miss him!”

“Of course you will!” Kaycee insisted. “There aren’t that many people who find your curmudgeonly demeanor endearing, and now one of them will be on the other side of the world for half a year... just when you’ve gotten used to having a buddy to watch Red Sox games with again.”

Ethan inhaled deeply as he leaned back, acceptance reluctantly settling in.

“I suppose I will miss the ass.”

“See!” Casey beamed. “It kind of sucks when someone you care about just takes off on a WHO mission. Of course, Tobias told us about his, but...”

“Are you finished?” Ethan interrupted.

Happy to know she hit her mark, Kaycee sat on Ethan’s lap in a fit of giggles.

“I am,” she replied with a quick peck on his cheek. “It’s OK, baby. I already talked to Bryce. He promised to make some time for you while Tobias is away.”

“You what?”

“Hush, hon. It didn’t cost me that much; you can thank me later. For now, I need you to help me set up the room. Breakfast will be arriving any minute, and I want everything to be set up before Tobias arrives.”

“Too late for that,” a voice chimed from the door.

“Tobias!” Kaycee yelled. “Why the hell are you early! I wanted this to be a surprise celebration!”

“Oh, it’s a surprise, all right,” he jeered as Ethan sighed uncomfortably.

“How much of that conversation did you hear?”

“Enough,” Tobias grinned. “Admit it, man... you love me.”

“I’ll admit no such thing!”

“Ethan....” Tobias chided, when Kaycee stepped in.

“Tobias, really? It took him how long to admit he loves me, and I do some things for him that you just... don’t.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Ethan spat as two of the people most dear to him chuckled at his expense.

“It’s OK,” Tobias said with a pat on his friend’s shoulder. “I know the truth now. So, you need help with the decorations?”

“For your celebration?” Kaycee mocked.

“Hey, if he’s not gonna help.”

Ethan stood up with a huff. “Sit down and shut up, Carrick. I’ve got this.”

Tobias quickly claimed Ethan’s seat, placing his feet up on his desk. “Man, I’m feeling the love.”

“I didn’t really plan for this,” Kaycee laughed, pointing to Ethan decorating as Tobias hogged up his seat.

“Gotta give it to you, kid,” Tobias grinned. “You really know how to celebrate.”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[thetistaboveall]

Lawrence’s Fantasy Hotel

Famous actors Benjamin Affleck, Ian Bohen and Jamie Lomas are honor guests at the opening of my brand now one of kind hotel experience to bring your deepest fantasies to life. They are paying me to entertain as they stay at my Fantasy resort with their choice of celebrity slave pets.

Benjamin Affleck is the first time honored guest to arrive as the limo is pulling up to the curb the door pop open and he steps on to the red carpet and even though he hates the celebrity.He can’t stand these events yet the camera set up is flashing so brightly, clicking so very loud at the sound of it all and the sexy smile of his crept on to his face spreading wildly in everyone’s face.His mind goes completely blank propelling his feet to move forward on to the cherry red carpet and a male escort guides him to the swinging double doors as they enter in to the room.

“Mr Affleck! Welcome to the event! Please do follow me.”

“I can’t help but do that”

“Our owner is awaiting us”

“I feel so weird”

“You feel perfectly fine “

“Yeah! I feel fantastic “

“Obviously! Thank you “

“Go inside the room”

“Yes! Thank you “

“What is this place?”

“Hello? Oh! He left “

“Anybody here?”

“Actually! I am the only one here”

“You are in another space and time”

“I’m sorry! Excuse me! Who are you?”

“Mwahahahahaha! Follow the path with your eyes.”

“That’s it! You see the red dot “

“YES! My eyes are fixated on it”

“Precisely! You are my project “

“I choose you to be the main guest tonight “

“I don’t understand “

“Stop trying to be some hero”

“You are not Batman”

“You are a burly chump “

“Ouch!l

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“Maybe! It was kind of a turn off”

Something is off in the air as the dot grows it explodes covering the entirety of the wall shooting to cover over the other three walls and soon ceiling and the floor all of the color flows off.Forming a ball in the air the ball penetrates every sense in existence leaving him to his core shaking and eventually in a massive shambles. Ben is falling forward on to ten ground.The room begins to spin swooshing around and around till he faints everything goes in to spiral like situation and when he woke up he is now standing in the middle of my hotel room with a sexy smile and breaks out in a dance.

“Hello Sirs! Happy Birthday Jack. Let’s dance baby. I am about to strip!”

Ian Bohen does not know why or how he is now ending up next to Ben Affleck on stage hosting and presenting for a birthday party but yes he felt at home like he never wanted to be excited.The door soon lock surrounding us as the cool air from the vent sharply swooping all over the room hits Ian head on sending him flying on to the floor and his clothes strip open.He rises up unable to comprehend what is going on but Ben helps him up ripping off his clothes and Ian cannot do anything to stop it or help himself up as he wraps his arms over him.

“Ssshh….Command Prompt”

“Command please “

“It’s time”

“Everyone strip show”

“Pump the music”

“Dance off”

“Fuck yeah”

“Watch my ass “

“You see how it jingles “

“I feel enthralled “

“I am HOT”

“Mind if I join you babe?”

Ian can’t help himself bouncing on to the wall of the room doing a sexual sliding down the aisle moaning in pleasure in between my man Ben doing a back flip as the crowd Is roaring in excitement.Ian jumps up in to the backward forming a cannon ball landing before belting a note into the air and spinning in to the birthday boi Jack himself and sits on his lap with a wink.He does an unbelievable display of flirtatious then sits forward, placing his hand wrapping on is neck and doing a sexual lunges forces his cock to strengthen and grow forward a it presses on his pants.

“Hey babe!”

“Happy Birthday “

“Lay back”

“God! You are full and thick”

“How do you like my ass?”

“Kiss me”

“Lick my face “

“Mmmmm”

“Call me a good boi”

“Mmmmm”

“You say it so well”

“Fills my slave heart “

“FUCK!”

“YES”

“Fuck me!”

“So excited to be here bros”

“I’ve waited for my chance “

“Here we go”

“Stop flashing that in my eyes mate”

“Mate! I said “

“Mate!”

“Will you join me Jamie ?”

“Okay! Why not?”

“Great! Sleep”

“Command me”

“Showcase”

“Dance off”

“Party man”

“Yo bros!

“Want to see these pecs”

“My body is a toy”

“You mate come and feel them”

“I knew you love these guns”

“These are my guns “

“Kiss them”

“Ooohhh! Lick them “

“Take a deep breath”

“Inhale me”

“My every scent “

“My swerve”

“I smell good”

“Manly and musky “

“I bet you want “

“Bounce with Me”

“On my lips “

The end

[marengogo]

5: Marengo & The Rainbow Avengers

Take Two - by BTS  

[Music is a very big part of my life and I’m MOSTLY INCAPABLE of writing without music, so I just thought I'd share what I am listening to while writing this]

–🐺–🐺–🐺–

I meant to post this yesterday, in honour of their birthday, but, 24 hours never seem to be quite enough do they? So, here it is, the SUPER-LONG-DETAIL story of how Marengo was unexpectedly saved by 7 Rainbow Avengers, also known as BTS.

CHAPTER 1: MY HEART WAS BROKEN

The date was January 27; 2019. ARASHI japanese boy band that debuted in 1999 got together and in front of a well organised, and somewhat serene, press setting, televised to their fans all over the world including myself, announced that they would go on an indefinite hiatus starting January 1, 2021. Not sure why I wasn't expecting this. This was the first time they every did something like this, and the tell-tell signs had been plenty, but still, had I been ready, it still would have hit as hard as it did.

I remember silently crying, as Ohno their leader and my bias, who is the one in the middle of the above picture spoke and told us how, basically. he was tired and just wanted to spend his time on his boat fishing his days away. Fishing had always been his passion, but he also always dreamed of becoming the captain of his own ship Monkey D. Luffy watch out!. ARASHI had quite a few of their own shows and in one of them (Arashi Ni Shiayagare) we the fans, and the other members, got to cheer him on as he studied to get a licence to drive a boat. He succeeded, got his boat and for the rest of that year’s show he’d take us on adventures with his boat, fishing with famous Japanese celebrities as guests it was still a show after all. Every time he was on his boat he looked so fucking happy. So when he finally made the announcement, yes, I was shocked, yes, I was distraught, but ultimately I was happy for him. Just a whole STORM arashi means storm of emotions really. 

You need to understand, at that point, I had been their fan since 2009. If my Japanese is at the level it is right now, 1/10 of it is definitely thanks to them, since I used to regularly translate all their songs, dramas, shows, etc. To imagine I only started listening to them as a fun way to help me study Japanese … Anyways, back on track … their announcement happened on my 10 year anniversary (their 20th) and I remember the following day coming back from work, with their music in my ears, stopping at a traffic light wanting to cry as I kept thinking about them and right in that moment, I looked up at the big screen and so the following ad:

That evening was the first time I actually EVER seen the boys. Before that evening I had only  heard about them, A LOT,  and now in hindsight I know why. The first time had been some time in 2017, while I was looking for japanese articles to translate, I happened upon one that was about ARASHI, obviously, I got super excited and decided to read it. Only to find out how this journalist was basically describing why according to him ARASHI stood no comparison against this 7 boy band sensation “called BTS”. I was so irritated by that article I didn’t even bother to read their country of origin and for the longest time I decided they were Chinese 🤡. Mind you, I never once thought of BTS even after reading that article, my mind was ARASHI ARASHI ARASHI FOR DREAM! but that evening when I saw that ad I hated them. So I walked away, sad and angry O THE DRAMA! 🤡 but just like the first time I heard of them, I never thought of them again.

2020 rolled in, and just right before COVID, I started exploring new things on the internet amongst which I discovered a certain at the time budding actor and become a big fan not about to give myself out, so I won’t tell you who 😜, Let's call them X. What does a fan with extensive editing knowledge do? Why fan-edits of course! So I started making edits of X, and one day, as I was helping make X trend on Twitter for an event they were attending, on my timeline a particular video kept reappearing. So I clicked:

CHAPTER 2: I WAS LITERALLY SPEECHLESS AND MESMERIZED

Within ARASHI, only Ohno could actually dance, but these boys ... these boys could ALL dance and apparently they also sang, some holding one hell of a tune, and that beat, ooh the entire production…: JUST WOW. I must have watched the video another 10 times at least and all the while it never got old, in fact it only got better with every listen; so I then ended up adding ON to my playlist.

This day was February 25, 2020 and this is the date I unknowingly became ARMY and also the day I celebrate my anniversary on. Now you need to understand, my COVID days were mostly making edits of X, supporting X, trending for X on twitter so at this point I didn’t have the thoughts of wanting to find more about BTS. In my head, I found a song I liked, and thought "cool, I guess I don't necessesarily have to hate them ..." I quickly looked up JUNGKOOK because you don't belt a not like that and act like it didn't happened and kept it moving. 

Couple of days later, I’d start working on my first edit of X which blow up. This edit was was made using this one song I heard on a compilation which was circulating on twitter, it had a “certain dancer named Jimin” doing high kicks. The background song they used was named; UGH!. Sure, the dancer was hella skilled … but that song, I couldn’t stop playing the clip and though it was probably because of Jimin, my brain decided that it was the song can’t believe I found the exact edit!!! 👇🏾

Did I realise that UGH! which took me forever to find as I didn’t understand it was the name of the song at first 😂😂😂 was sung by BTS; as in THE SAME BTS I apparently didn’t hate so much anymore? NOPE. It didn’t even occurred to me because THAT BTS was a 7 member boy band not a hardcore 3 member rap group 😬😬😬. Anyways, I became obsessed with UGH! And as one does when in confinement, I started looking for people who would share my same enthusiasm, and since I had already fallen into the world of reactions on youtube for TV series THANKS A LOT COVID 🙃I thought I’d look to see if there was anyone who would react to songs, in this case, UGH! By the rapper group named BTS still to this point I had NO CLUE that they were the same people… I had to download an mp4 version from the internet in order to do the edit, so I didn't even know if it came from an album or where else and what I found was:

They were hella excited and I really could relate with that because that song always made me wanna turn the fuck up, but most of all, they were black people interested in something asian, and that for me was something I could heavily appreciated. Everyday I kept coming back to watch that reaction because it just made me so happy, and gave me so much energy, so I decided to see if they had any more songs from this rapper group. The first video that came up was their reaction to ON KINETIC MANIFESTO. THE AMOUNT OF DOTS THAT STARTED CONNECTING IN MY HEAD WERE SO MANY YOU’D THINK I DISCOVERED THE THREE LAWS OF EINSTEIN!

You should have seen my face when I discovered that UGH! was on the same album as ON: 🤡. This also made me want to look up the one member whose features really appealed to me the most, not gonna lie to y'all, it was love at first sight: RM. Wanting to know who he was I went on wikipedia, typed BTS and kept clicking every members name until I found him wikipedia has them ordered by age. I started reading about him and chuckled when I found out he was the leader what can I say, i seem to have had a type! aaaand he thought himself english and that made him even sexier in my eyes. When I tell you I spent a couple of days being obsessed with Namjoon 😬😬😬 ...

Anyways, I think a part of me wanted to start being invested, thus, before continuing watching more reactions with FoSquad I decided I wanted to listen to MOTS7, in its entirety, by myself and aside from ON and UGH! The only other song that I absolutely adored was Filter. AND SO began my search for the uncredited female singer that sang Filter, whom I couldn't find anywhere, NOT A SINGLE GOOGLE PAGE HAD THE NAME OF THE FEMALE SINGER THAT SANG FILTER ON ONE OF THE BIGGEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR. For a couple of days this is what my google search looked like “What is the name of the female singer that sings Filter with BTS”. … 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

CHAPTER 3: A THREE MONTHS BLINK

Not finding an answer with regards to the mysterious Filter Singer and also concluding that the internet was still so lacking on proper representation of Asian artists, rather than me being the one who was dumb AF, I went continued my supporting X life, while constantly listening to ON, UGH! and Filter. Eventually, it was time to make another X edit, meaning I needed to search for new songs and since X was obsessed with BlackPink I decided to give them a chance and at the time the most recent song was SOUR CANDY feat. Lady Gaga. It was very Gagaish I just so happen to really like Gaga and the beat was perfect for editing, so I used it. On top of that, I joined X's I don't remember how many days countdown to the premiere of “How You Like That”. As I said, X was obsessed with BlackPink, hence, I became a Blink for 3 months.

The day How You Like That dropped I was just as excited as X and at the time I was staying with my directors at their place and they became my "covid bubble". The 3 of us were trying to save our company during COVID inactivity, which meant that during the mornings it was an incessant string of calls with lawyers, with rightfully desperate landlords chasing for money we didn’t have, third parties also needed money we didn't have ... basically, just a whole lot of heavy grinding. But in the evening, we'd cook dinner and we’d all watch a movie once we had quickly gone through the most recent Queer Eye season, even Queer Eye in Japan! and after they’d go to bed, I’d step up, talking with my X Twitter GC, while watching other shows and right before going to bed I'd watch How You Like That to get my spirits ready for the next day.

This was my routine at their house, every day from the release of that song, for a good 2 months. When August rolled around I decided to go back home, as the situation with the company seemed at least a bit stable. So it was back to self-distancing by myself and to my own surprise I didn’t feel the urge to listen to BlackPink at all. X was all that really mattered after all, and they had stopped talking about them, for the time being. So one early ass morning on August 21, 2020 I just so happened to be awake and twitter was buzzing with people waiting for a new BTS song to drop. As I was already awake and had another hour waiting for X to appear at their interview event, I decided to silently wait with ARMY; I did like ON after all. Thus, came Dynamite

CHAPTER 4: LIKE AN ECHO IN THE FOREST

It was nothing like ON. So at first I was a bit confused and didn't know what to think, as it was clear that I hadn't understood their genre. Yet, somehow, that boy winking at me at the end of the MV kept making me want to replay the song and before I knew it I was “shining through the city with a little funk and so-oul!”. Eventually, I looked him up and found out that the cute boxy smile boy with the light blue outfit’s name was V. Just as easy a name to remember as RM. By all means, he wasn’t RM, but that smile just was the cheekiest thing I had seen in a while.

But there was another person that was also FINALLY "introduced" to me through this video, the one who was my mysterious female voice and "UGH! dancer": JIMIN. Not sure why it didn’t connect with ON but the second I heard his voice in Dynamite DOTS WERE CONNECTING LEFT AND RIGHT, AND IT WAS FINALLY CLEAR IN MY MIND THAT SHE WAS ACTUALLY A HE, WHO WAS PRETTIER THAN A SHE AND SANG & DANCED LIKE AN ANGEL 🤯🤯🤯. ... Basically Dynamite introduced me to VMIN. 

It goes without saying, my queer-senses were all over the place with Jimin. So, as i usually do, not at all knowledgeable of the South Korean culture, I dove into the internet to ask and see if JM was part of the community: nothing came up. In fact, it was full of people going to a great length to explain why there was NO WAY IN HELL THAT JM WAS QUEER. Funnily enough, as I kept trying to look for connections between JM and the community, all that came up with connections between RM and V and the community (as they had made posts and connected with queer people, music, etc). The strong denying of any sort of connection between JM and Rainbow nation did discourage me a little, NGL. I had spent a year trying to not fall for queerbaiting and I didn’t want it to happen again. However, as I didn’t want to jump the gun since I didn’t quite know them at all, I decided that even though he wasn't a Fred Mercury he perhaps was a Bowie or a Prince. I was okay with that and decided to close that rainbow chapter at that AT THE TIME, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW WHERE I STAND NOW 🤡. 

The weeks following Dynamite things around X’s management start to look very dodgy and fishy. As a fan you want to be positive, hope for the best, but as more and more evidence was brought forth I had to start to at least dissociate X from their company. This really made me and my X-friends incredibly sad and pretty disenchanted I will admit. Day by day we tried to look at the bright side but, it kept looking rather grim and right about that time somehow I was exposed to STAY GOLD and LIFE GOES ON. Thought Stay Gold wss the one in Japanese, the one that stuck with me was Life Goes On. I remember walking around the still empty studio we hadn’t been able to reinstated none of my colleagues with Life Goes On playing rather loudly. The comfort that song provided me in that moment I will never be able to explain. Is probably the same feeling older ARMY have with Spring Day. Life Goes On came to me in a moment when I really needed to hear those words, gently and promising, like an echo in the forest. 

As it started to become clearer that X was just as cowardly as their company I took a break from my Twitter page, which also just so happened to fall around Xmas time, so I got to actually have a real break with my sibling away from all that nonsense and into a different more secure looking world.

CHAPTER 5: WHO IS BTS?

I spent a good deal of my xmas break watching people's reaction to BTS, their story, their struggles, their MV. Through these reactors and “BTS experts” I was introduced to SOPE. In my baby ARMY experience they came as a set, Ying&Yang, one the opposite of the other, at least this was how majority of the old BTS edits and explaining videos would portray them luckily we now have many updated and more extensive videos out there. While watching all these compilations I also eventually learned all their names and started watching RUN BTS from episode 1 when I figured out tha utmost of the edits were from there I thought “Let’s go straight to the source, if I want to learn really what they are like”. 

The first thing that became pretty clear to me was that for example HOBI and YOONGI weren’t quite exactly like the compilations had been describing them all of them in fact. And it wasn’t like all the boys tried to act reserved or hide certain parts of themselves, they seemed so open that if people paid even just the smallest amount of attention they would know. So for the first time in a long time I found a group that wasn’t giving me doubts, worries … I really didn’t have to think too much but at the same time I knew that if I ever fell back into being depressed from my post-COVIDic environment, they’d also be able to find me down there, because they didn’t seem to shy away from those situations either. 

Going back to RUN BTS real quick, the one thing that it did for me, was introducing me to none other than KIM SEOKJIN. Before I knew it I always found myself following jin on the screen, waiting for him to talk and say a pun or dad joke, or just wanted to see and hear him laugh … I developed a crush for Jin and a small pointy edge every time someone would leave comments on youtube like “why is jin even in this band”, “ there is a reason why Jin dances in the back”. “Jin is not even handsome”. GURL/BOI/ENBY. Taking a break from X meant I would stay well away from Twitter, so I had no idea about BTS proper solos, antis, etc and like a moth to a flame, I’d fall for any troll and start defending Jin against the world. MFers … how dare they disrespected him like that! AND IN FRONT OF ME!

That being said a person called me a Jin-solo in a comment and the second that happened I was about to reply that "Yes I love Jin-" the implications of being a solo, COMPLETELY lost on my Baby ARMY ass but the second i started typing I immediately thought of Namjoon, and then Jungkook, and Jimin ... eventually I thought of all members and realised that I liked each member for different reasons and I couldn't choose one. Further research would eventually teach me that meant I was 0T7.

On my way back from my Xmas break I decided that I would stop associating with X and just move on with life. On my journey back home we were told we had to be Lockdown again, which really depressed me, but as if it was second nature, I played Life Goes On and tried to think of any positive thing. So I got back home wanting to watch more BTS reactions, while listening to BTS and wondering what Jin was doing. And from that moment on for a good month I’d go into my still empty office but this time knowing we could start calling back at least 2 of my colleagues, which made me so ecstatic sit down with my coffee and say “Alexa, play BTS” and Alexa would reply “Shuffling songs from BTS” and ALWAYS the playlist would start with a familiar whistle …

And the rest is history 😜.

So who is BTS? They are the 7 boys that came to my rescue when I felt heartbroken. The 7 boys that had so much skill and love to share with the world and wanted for me to join and not be left out. They are the boys that never pressured me into needing to like them, but somehow were always there when I unknowingly needed them. They are the 7 boys who reminded me that it was okay to not be okay and just go with the flow of things, even if it is against the flow of all. They are the 7 boys that keep trusting us with their everything and all they ask in return, if possible, is to be there, at end of this gigantic rainbow. And that is exactly where I plan to be. I am so grateful for all 7 of you and words could never describe how much I love you.

HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY MY RAINBOW AVENGERS.

Always incredible respectfully yours,

Marengo. 

[the-radio-demon-blog]

Good evening, Alastor! We're having a tropical depression here. Can't complain, really. The worst of it went to the Gulf coast, I think.

I'm eating hush puppies right now. You're a good (not literally HAH) southern boy, thought you'd appreciate that.

You are correct! Can confirm, having been a teenage girl myself, their interests are mocked frequently. It doesn't end there. Idk if you are aware of how women are mocked for something as simple as liking pumpkin spice flavored things? Just as a minor example. Don't get me started. It's a Monday and I will go on a tirade about 'the Pink Tax' just for starters. And no one here wants to read all that. Haha. I am small and filled with unending rage.

Yep, the original Indy movies take place in the 30s and the third one is WW2 40s. The second one is...rather unfortunate, yes. You might rather like the parts where they eat brains and eyeballs and such though. And when they remove the still beating hearts from people! Hah.

How was the gator? Did you find the prize inside? Lol. Did you make anything from it or just...devour it?

I think I may try sending a picture whenever we chat...so...

I've started decorating my house for Spooky season. How do you like the wreath I made year before last? I'm not terribly crafty, but I was pleased with how it turned out.

https://imgur.com/a/jutQs2e

After while, crocodile 🐊

Well, I heard the hurricane is moving up the East Coast unfortunately.

Oh my, hush puppies! Why I totally forgot about those tasty little treats. They're rather good, aren't they?

Yes, I'm afraid that is all a part of misogyny. Hating on the things that women and especially what young girls like, romance books about vampires and trivial things of the like. However perhaps it is better I do not start talking all about it since I in retrospect truly know nothing. I'm a man and I can only go by the experiences of the women in my life. And I believe it would be rather inappropriate for me as a man to have a comment on misogyny since I am not the one experiencing it.

Well, that sounds slightly exciting! Most movies of that time do play into racial stereotypes but I've heard that it does especially lean into that stereotypes. And its rather dark story. However I've heard great things about Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade. Movie night is tonight so I shall tell you (if you'd like) how it was!

Stanley was disappointed he couldn't eat the alligator which is rather concerning yet understandable! Hah! It seems he's a cannibal like me! I actually feed him the little trinket in there: the arm. Stanley loved it!

You're not terribly crafty? Darling, its a gorgeous wreath! I myself can't wait for the spooky season to arrive! Everyone in the Hotel loves it and its really the only holiday we can celebrate. Christmas and Easter are obviously off the table. However Charlie...well, made her own special version of Christmas.

See you later, my dear, alligator!

[bookish-rival]

👑TWIN CROWNS SERIES👑

⚠️BURNING CROWNS SPOILERS!!! SPIN-OFF SPOILERS!!

We are getting 2 standalone novels about Marino and Alarik!!!! 😭♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

I am so happy and excited!!! Especially for my King Alarik🥹❄️🐻‍❄ He deserves to find true love and get his happy ending!!!

~☆~

Now that BURNING CROWNS has been out for a few weeks, I am seeing more and more reviews and reader discussions about it—both positive and negative. Most of the negatives though, are expressing disappointment about Wren's endgame.

Obviously, I cannot change anyone's mind—each to their own— I, too, was disappointed that Wren did not end up with Alarik. HOWEVER, after gaining some much-needed insight, I was able to move on and feel much better about the conclusion.

Because this information helped me, I wanted to share them with everyone else who relates. What I want most is to continue supporting the authors and their work, and I hope this perspective helps others do the same.

Shortly before the US release date, there was an online interview where the authors shared insights behind the trilogy. Catherine Doyle especially addressed Wren's endgame, explaining that “she ultimately ends up with who is best for her, her journey and her happy ending“.

It was mentioned that Wren’s happy ending required someone who made her soft, and we can all agree Tor did that. While many of us preferred Wren to be herself with Alarik, the choice of Tor makes sense given the authors' intention to soften Wren’s character. Tor was always planned as her ultimate partner from the very beginning. They added a love triangle with Alarik to create some complexity, but Wren was always meant to be with Tor.

Moreover, the actual message of the books is sisterhood, with the sisters now united and ruling together, side by side with their loved ones, proves to be the only plausible and perfect happy ever after for them.

The authors also mentioned that it will all make sense once we know every character's journey and that the decisions regarding Wren and Alarik’s endgames will be the best for them. We will understand everything once we know all the stories and see the bigger picture.

I cannot wait to see Alarik's journey and the ending he deserves. Even though I love Wren, I am ready to let her go.

~☆~

About Alarik’s novel and his potential new love interest:

While it may be challenging to envision a different outcome for Alarik, given the build-up between him and Wren, trusting in the authors' vision and their dedication to craft the most suitable and best possible ending for each character is key.

Remember, sometimes the wrong person leads us to the right one. The quote, "if I can love the wrong person that much, imagine how much I can love the right person," is a perfect fit that makes me think Alarik's first failed romance will lead to a brighter future and an even more fulfilling love story that's truly meant for him.

Knowing that Catherine has a special affection for writing Alarik's character and is committed to giving him a fulfilling conclusion reassures me. The passion an author has for a character can be felt by readers. Even though he was only a side character with about 20-30% relevance in the trilogy, Alarik captured many hearts. And now, we are getting an entire book focused on him. It’s incredible to think about!

Understanding the behind-the-scenes reasoning and the authors' thoughts has made it easier for me to accept the ending of BURNING CROWNS, and moving forward allows me to support Alarik's future novel with everything I have.

I am confident that Catherine will create an ending for Alarik that's much superior than what could have been with Wren, showcasing his growth and finding true happiness in a way that will satisfy all readers.

Together, we can appreciate the depth and richness of the world they’ve created and celebrate the characters we love, as we look forward to the exciting adventures that await.

I sincerely hope these insights help more readers who are feeling the same way. Please, let’s continue to support our best-selling authors with all our might. Let’s do it for Alarik and Marino, too! Their journeys are just beginning, and we have the opportunity to see them shine in their own stories.

👑👑👑👑

[cinnamon-bunni]

UHH NOT ME COMPLETELY FORGETTING TO POST MY NEW FIC ONTO TUMBLR OOPS HA HA

Anyways! here it is! i am really excited for this fic!! i have a lot of plans for this fic, and hopefully i'll actually finish it; i have a bad track record of abandoning multi chap fics, and im hoping this wont end like that ^^; i have high hopes for this fic, and really want it to be my best work, so im gonna be putting my 110% into this lmao

anyways! the first chapter is under the cut, but please feel free to read it on ao3 as well! i have my own skin for this fic, and imo its better to read it that way (i mean, doesnt add anything important, but just more fun, i think). i also wont be putting the future chapters onto tumblr, only on ao3

pairing: luigi/peasley genre: fluff (first chapter) word count: 4.9k first chapter under the cut!

The Goodwill Ambassador Lady Lima is commanded by

The Prince to invite

the Mario Brothers            

to the Beanbean Kingdom’s Woven Hearts Festival

on the twenty-fifth of December,

at the Beanbean Castle.

Your presence would be greatly appreciated. The Festival shall be a great celebration, and I would love for you two to join!

Until then,

Prince Peasley

The letter was short and efficient, and it wasn’t anything Luigi didn’t expect as a formal invitation. Luigi had to say, he had never heard of the Woven Hearts Festival, but it wasn’t like he was too familiar with Beanish tradition in the first place. But he was excited to find out, especially since it was a chance to visit Peasley again.

In a different, more personal letter, Peasley had talked about how thrilled he was for the festival. Apparently the kingdom only celebrated it every ten years, so it was a pretty big deal. And with that, it was the first time that Peasley was hosting, instead of the queen. He sounded pretty excited about having that responsibility, and Luigi himself couldn’t wait. While the festival itself was only a week away, Peasley had requested for them to arrive as early as possible, and Luigi wasn’t one to disappoint. Besides, more time to catch up and be in the prince’s presence was something Luigi would enjoy, and if he could be of use to help with preparations, then it would be even greater.

Sadly, Mario couldn’t leave as early. Toadsworth had requested that the cheap cheap problem be dealt with sooner rather than later–which meant that Mario was going to be down in the sewers to deal with the fish that had made a home there. It wouldn’t be more than a few days of work though–maybe even only a few hours if Mario was lucky enough that the problem wasn’t that big, as Toadsworth made it seem.

But he insisted that Luigi go ahead to go down to Beanbean Kingdom. Just because he had to work didn’t mean that Luigi had to wait to see his boyfriend. “I’m sure you’re just dying to have some alone time with him!” Mario had reasoned, and while Luigi did indeed look forward to the idea of seeing Peasley again, it didn’t stop him from his face turning a bright red for Mario to laugh at.

So Luigi, with his packed suitcase, headed off for Beanbean Kingdom. Nervousness as well as excitement swirled in his gut, as the thought of seeing Peasley again, as well as celebrating an obviously important festival, brought a jumbled bunch of emotions into him. It was clear that it was very important to Peasley–and as an extension, the kingdom as a whole–and Luigi wanted it to be sure it was as special of a moment as Peasley seemed to want it to be. But nothing was going to ruin it, of course not; Luigi was determined and confident that it was going to be a completely normal vacation with many exciting moments with the prince. It was going to be fun, and Luigi was going to relax.

The Beanbean International Airport had been bustling with life when Luigi landed. Beanish people and many others flew in, more than likely for the same reason Luigi had. He would’ve been worried about finding a place to stay–with so many visiting, he was sure that hotels everywhere in the kingdom were booked up to the brim–had it not been for his confidence that Peasley would insist that he stays at the castle. The prince would rather be transformed back to Dragohoho than be a less than stellar host. Luigi had doubted that, but Peasley always insisted that it was true.

“I want nothing but the best for you, my love! It is the least you deserve, for everything you have done for me and my kingdom. And if the way I pay you back is through lavish staying conditions, then so be it! Nothing less than best for you, Greenie.”

It still made Luigi’s face burn up when he thought about it.

By the time he had left his terminal, Luigi’s nerves only increased tenfold. Not in an anxiety-inducing way, no, but in an excitement mixed with a healthy amount of restlessness. A whole week and weekend to spend on a vacation sounded wonderful, and Luigi was quite excited for it to start. He hadn’t even left the baggage claim area before he heard shouts over the bustling people.

“Luigi! Over here!” Luigi’s eyes searched through the sea of people, only to land on the prince of the Beanish Kingdom. His smile was bright and lit up the whole building, and his beauty was just as radiant as Luigi remembered. The prince’s outfit was the same as ever, sans his characteristic cape. In its stead was a thick, cream-colored scarf tied around his neck.The smile that grew on Luigi’s face was wide as he waved over the prince.

“Peasley!” he greeted, and was instantly met with a hug. Luigi let out a low chortle as his arms instinctively returned the action, and gave a tight hug back. The prince pressed a kiss onto his cheek.

“I’ve been waiting for so long for your arrival! I have so many things planned for us, and I’m sure you’ll love it.” He pushed himself off of the plumber, but kept steady hands on his shoulders. He looked around the terminal. “And where is your brother?”

“Oh, about that; Mario ended up being dragged into some work before the flight left. But he promised to arrive no later than tomorrow afternoon!”

Peasley tsked. “Well then! I’m afraid we’ll just have to get started without him, won’t we?” A hand trailed down his arm, down into his hand, which Peasley held onto. Luigi responded with his own squeeze of the hand. “I was thinking we first head for some coffee–we have so much to catch up on, don’t we? And what better to do on a cold day than have a warm beverage and some exchanges of stories?”

Peasley took the lead, through the crowds that parted way for the pair like an ocean. The second they stepped out of the airport and into the fresh air, Luigi’s body began to shiver. He knew it would be cold–it was in the middle of winter, after all–but he hadn’t considered wearing any of his warm clothes that he had packed. How Peasley was able to wear his normal, out-of-season clothing and not even flinch when a harsh wind blew against them, Luigi would never know.

On the way, Peasley spoke about the different kinds of festivities he had planned, how excited he was to be planning the whole thing. The Hearts Woven Festival was a big deal in the kingdom, and he wanted it to be the best for his subjects. He talked about all the different plans he had for the festival, all sorts of decorations and games and stalls, all sorts of plans that made Luigi think about the carnivals that the Mushroom Kingdom had on special occasions. The only difference he found was that the whole celebration was over two days; one day was filled with the festivities that Peasley rambled on about, with the next day holding a gala-like party in the castle. They reveal the Harmony Heart, as a symbol of the kingdom’s unity. Determination bled into Peasley’s words, and no doubt was the prince set on creating the best festival that he could. And Luigi didn’t doubt his partner’s abilities—Peasley could do just about anything he set his mind on, and if he wanted this to be the best festival that the kingdom has ever thrown, then Luigi was confident that Peasley could pull it off.

When they entered Castle Town, it only hit Luigi then just how thrilled the rest of the kingdom was over the festival as well. He supposed it made sense–it only came around only every ten years, and was the biggest event, according to Peasley. The Beanish around them all wore grins on their faces, with laughter and cheerfully chatter filling the air. There were ones who were setting up different food stalls, games, and things of the like around, and others who were putting beautiful decorations of pennant flags tied from pole to pole, balloons and streamers everywhere, and artwork being done on the freshly built wooden stalls. None of it was close to being done, no, but Luigi could tell with ease just how much care and work was being put into this. 

“We should deal with your luggage first,” Peasley said absentmindedly, more to himself than to Luigi. “We’ll drop it off real quick, and have someone bring it to your room. There’s just so much I want to talk to you about and show you!”

“We have a whole week, Peasley,” Luigi reassured with a smile, “it’s fine if we take it slow.”

“Oh, but so many things to do in only a week, my love! And I don’t want to waste a single second with you.” Peasley continued to lead Luigi, a clear goal and plan in his head. Luigi didn’t mind too much–he enjoyed getting to see how the town was getting ready for the festivities.

The castle matched the town in its decorations almost perfectly. The color scheme was the same–a pattern of gold, white, and red adorned the castle and its town–and lines of pennant flags were tied across from wall to wall. The guards on duty seemed to be in a jollier mood too, even when Peasley requested them to take hold of Luigi’s luggage and find a handmaid to go and put his suitcase into the guest room he’d be staying in.

The pair finally got inside somewhere warm when they entered the Starbeans Café. The warmth of the heaters blasting throughout the building was extremely appreciated by the plumber, and Peasley hummed in glee as he rubbed his hands together. 

“It doesn’t seem to be that busy, luckily for us,” Peasley commented. “Do you mind finding us a place to sit while I order our drinks?”

“Alright. Could you get me-”

“A chuckoccino?” Peasley offered a playful smile. “You’re a man of habit, you know.” Luigi couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped through his lips, or the heat that consumed his face. No matter how much he tried to pull his hat down, he couldn’t hide how flustered he was. Why did Peasley always do this to him during the most mundane of situations?

Peasley only laughed again before he walked off.  Luigi found a quiet table against one of the walls, with a large-scale window right against it with a great view of the town. The clouds that blanketed the sky blocked out a good deal of the sun’s light, and the dark hue made him wonder if it were ever going to rain. Or would it snow, based on how cold it was? Luigi would’ve definitely preferred the latter.

It didn’t take long for Peasley to return with their drinks. He placed down the mugs gently on the table, and Luigi dragged his own over. The two beverages steamed, ready to burn any mouths that attempted to gulp it down. Luigi blew on the drink, and took the tiniest of sips. He hummed in delight, the warmth of the small amount of liquid already making him content.

“You know, you’ve never told me what the festival is about,” Luigi mentioned. Peasley, who was mid-sip of his drink, gave a small nod.

“Oh yes,” he said, putting down the drink. “I can’t believe I completely forgot to explain it to you! Do you truly not know anything about it?”

“I never heard of it until yesterday, honestly,” he admitted. Luigi felt a bit bad for not being aware of customs and traditions of the Beanish as he should, but he was met with a smile from Peasley.

“Well, I’ll do my best to keep the story short. But, it started a long time ago–a few generations after the kingdom was created with the Beanstar. I told you about that story, didn’t I? How a lonely king wished to create his own kingdom, but everything always went wrong? And then a star came down and blessed his good heart, and his wife with the most beautiful voice in the land?”

“Well…no. But I think maybe we should stick to one story at a time.”

Peasley chuckled. “Yes yes, of course.” He started to trace the rim of the mug with his index finger. “Well, the Beanbean Kingdom was flourishing for a while, and all was well for everyone. But, it was said that outside of the kingdom walls, out in the sea and the fields and mountains, that evil and darkness incarnate existed. They wanted to have the Beanstar for themselves. But they never could get in the kingdom, for the walls were too strong. And so, instead of trying to destroy it with brute strength, the darkness and evil decided to instead slip through the cracks of the walls, and sneak in.

“While the darkness couldn’t be there physically, it started to slowly affect the citizens of the kingdom. It started to take over the kingdom’s people, and took over their souls, infecting them with darkness and evil. The kingdom started to fall apart because of it. The king lost many of his people to it–he even lost one of his sons, and only daughter to it, too. The kingdom was collapsing, but the king stayed true to himself. He did everything in his power that he could to save everyone, and refused to let himself succumb to evil.”

Peasley gave a sad smile as he continued. “And then his wife ended up falling into it. The loving queen, who had always been by his side, was starting to get taken over by it. And the king just couldn’t accept this reality. And from his strong emotions–his need to save her, his grief and determination that came from it, and the goodness and purity of his heart, the Harmony Heart was born.” Peasley paused, for a few seconds, and then hummed as he moved his hand down to drum on the table. “None of the texts that we can find talks explicitly of how though, only that it just…appeared. Odd, but I guess we’ve never really questioned it. It was a miracle afterall, one that saved the Beanbean Kingdom.

“But I suppose that fact doesn’t matter,” Peasley sighed, not letting a single thing get in the way of his story-telling. He then gave a triumphant smile as he continued on. “As I said, the Harmony Heart was created. And with that, the king was able to use that power and rid all of the evil and darkness within the kingdom, and bring light to all! He was able to not only save his wife from it, but all of his subjects as well. The Heart took the king’s heroicness and purity, and was able to spread it all across the land.

“And so every ten years we throw a festival and feast to celebrate not only how we’re still here today, but also that the Heart is what keeps us united and is what keeps that kingdom-falling evil at bay.” Peasley, as though on a final note, took a sip of his drink. “That’s about it, really. I’m sure I’m missing a few details though–the story got a bit…muddled throughout the years, but that’s the gist of it.”

“Wowie…” Luigi hadn’t even known what to say. A long–but apparently short by Peasley’s standards–story, but one of triumph and success. The Mushroom Kingdom had many like it, but the Beanbean's were quite unlike stories he had heard before.

“The festival sounds fun,” Luigi decided on. “A-and, I can’t wait to see what you have planned for it.” Peasley’s smile grew more by those words, and Luigi couldn’t help but reciprocate that grin. Peasley’s eyes shone a brilliant yellow, bright with excitement, and Luigi felt like he could get lost in them for hours on end.

“Oh!” Somehow, Peasley’s excitement grew even more, his voice light with giddiness. “I should show you around Castle Town so you can see how much we’ve gotten done!” 

Luigi was sure that he had seen quite a bit just from traveling to the coffee shop. But if it made Peasley happy, then he wouldn’t mind a stroll through the cold, but cheerful, town. Who was Luigi, to dampen his boyfriend’s clear excitement?

He barely got in a nod as an answer before Peasley quickly downed the rest of his drink and got up from this seat. He then stuttered a bit with his actions, and  sat back down as Luigi took a slower sip of his own beverage.

“Ah–perhaps I got a little bit too excited,” the prince admitted bashfully. Luigi offered a comforting smile. He could tell how restless Peasley was, but that was understandable. It was obvious how much Peasley cared for this event, and just wanted to show Luigi everything he was working on, and how he was proud of it, and Luigi couldn’t fault him for that.

Peasley, while Luigi worked on his drink, continued to talk about the festivities. He spoke about how the Hearts Woven festival was in fact celebrated over two days–one entirely of a fun festival in Castle Town with music, food, games, anything that could be imagined–and then a ball on the next day, held within the castle–more of an esteemed event, Peasley explained, with it being focused more on the royal family and how they watch over and protect the Harmony Heart. Luigi froze a bit at the mention of a formal ball; he had been to plenty in the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland that he was familiar with the customs of a ball, but any sort of thought of a social affair could make his stomach drop.

But, it would be fine. Luigi knew that it would be fine. Peasley would be there, and Mario had said he would arrive no later by the next day. Besides, Luigi knew how to handle himself in a crowd–he had gotten a lot better at it when compared to the first ball he had to attend, back when Mario saved Princess Peach for the first time from the demonous claws of Bowser. That had been a disaster. But now it would be different, because, even though at times it didn’t seem like it, Luigi had gotten more confident in himself. He could handle himself just fine.

By the time Luigi was finally done with the drink and warming up inside of the shop, he had to brave out into the cold air once more. Once again, Peasley didn’t seem that affected by the freezing air. Just a small adjustment of his scarf, and he continued on, and dragged Luigi further into the depths of Castle Town. Luigi understood how excited Peasley was, he really did, but why couldn’t they go on a tour around the growing festival another day? Preferably when it was warmer?

Luigi suddenly caught on as to why, though. The whole town was hard at work–many of the wooden stalls were still being put together, along with many other mechanics for other, more complicated and bigger pieces of the festival. There were many Beanish who were up on high ladders, all still putting up decorations on the buildings. Heads started to turn, more and more of them, as murmurs grew in the crowd. 

“Your Highness!” one squeaked out, rushing over. “Thank goodness you’re here! Tell me: which colors would look best? I want to paint our sign a lovely shade of green, but my husband insists that we go with red. I tell him time and time again that red does not suit the colors of the festival, but of course he thinks he’s the artistic one out of the both of us.”

Ah, that’s right. As a prince, one who was fully in-charge of the event, of course Peasley had to watch over everything, and make sure that every little detail was right. The citizens needed his approval on just about everything, and would need his help, as well. It would also explain why Peasley was so quick to rush into the coffee shop–the second he would be spotted, he would have to start up again with his princely duties, and he was just so excited to spend time with Luigi. 

But, Peasley didn’t seem to mind at all. Which didn’t surprise Luigi; Peasley had always been one who was always so happy to help out others around him. And seeing as how it was his subjects who were requesting for his opinions and help, how could he say no?

Luigi got distracted from Peasley and the Beanish’s conversation. There was a shaky ladder in the corner of his eye, and Luigi rushed over to help. He was, afterall, nothing if not helpful. Getting people out of pickles, whether it be others, himself, or his brother, was just something that was second nature to Luigi. Second nature to Mario too, he knew. They just loved to help people out, and whether this was what Peasley had planned to happen or not, Luigi would never oppose helping someone out. The ladder steadied when Luigi was able to get a firm grip on the base of it, keeping it still from any more shaking. The Beanish on top, who was in the middle of tying a pretty bow in golden ribbon, looked down and gave a “hey, thanks!” before focusing back on their work.

As Peasley slowly started to get surrounded by work, trying to advise how the festival should not only function, but look (“no, yellow roses! Not lilies, those are meant strictly for funerals. Why would we want white lilies in the first place? Roses are a much better choice!”). Turned out, he had quite a bit to do. Luckily, Luigi’s presence was just as appreciated; as it turned out, having an extra set of hands was something that many of the townspeople needed (“oh, how lucky we are to have a carpenter here!” He was not a carpenter, but he did know his way around woodworking tools, so Luigi never corrected while he helped out building stands and stalls).

Luigi was also a bit surprised to see how many of them remembered and recognized him. Yeah, he and his brother did save their kingdom, but he just wasn’t used to all of the attention. The questions if he was actually the Luigi that saved them, voices filled with an attempt to keep their enthusiasm hidden, always made Luigi stutter a bit as he nodded yes. The attention was new, but not unwelcomed. He couldn't help but wonder if this was how Mario felt all the time, in the Mushroom Kingdom. If it was, he wasn’t sure how Mario could handle it all the time, or have the energy for it. Just a small con of being the kingdom’s hero, he supposed. 

The small looks Peasley sent Luigi never went unnoticed. The smiles that the prince gave were often met with shy ones from Luigi. Small waves exchanged between the two, along with a few words when they were close by, until one or the other was whisked away by a townsperson in need of their help. But of course, the smile Peasley wore never left as he helped–whenever Luigi’s eyes fell back onto the prince, the smile was always graced upon his face.

And, down the line, they did end up doing what Peasley wanted to do in the first place. Luigi got to take in the hard work the Beanish people were putting in for the festival. They were proud of their work, that much was obvious, and Luigi believed rightfully so. The games he got to survey, treats he got to taste-test, and artwork he got to take in were all incredible in their own ways. The effort that the kingdom was putting into the festival was clear; they all deserved to feel pride over their work.

The pair worked well until the evening, with the sun falling behind the mountains. Luigi would say that he was hungry for dinner, but with all of the different savory foods and sweets all given to him–followed by questions if it was too salty, if it needed more sugar in it, if maybe perhaps a maple glaze would work well with it–it was safe to say that his appetite was well taken care of. Although, the only complaint that Luigi had was that even with his gloves on, his hands were starting to freeze. He definitely wasn’t bundled up enough for the cold, and with the moon starting to come up, he knew he would have to get warmer clothes if he wanted to stay outside.

Thankfully though, Peasley seemed to have wrapped up what he was doing. Promises to his people were made, that he would come back in the afternoon to be of more help. It wasn’t until the last person left did Peasley let out a slow exhale, with his shoulders coming down into a more relaxed position. Though his smile never left, it was clear that he was on the edge of exhaustion. The prince was good at hiding it at times, but Luigi had learned his tells well enough to see.

“I believe it’s time for us to head back,” Peasley said. Luigi nodded in agreement, and the two were off towards the castle. “I don’t think the chefs are quite done with it, though–I’ll have to check up on that. But, as you wait, you can decompress in your room.”

“I don’t mind the wait,” Luigi said. “I, uh, got quite a bit of food from the chefs cooking the festival foods. They were a bit filling.” A nervous chuckle followed, but Peasley simply hummed.

“Well, even so my love, I’ll be sure to come by to pick you up for dinner. I’m sure my mother would want to properly see you as well, and getting those formal greetings is often best done over a meal.” Luigi didn’t mind that. The queen was a bit…intimidating, he had to admit, and carrying a conversation with her with the chance to stuff food into his mouth to prevent words and stutters from pouring out seemed ideal. He also hadn’t seen her in quite a bit of time–the last being when he and Mario had to save the Beanstar, and that wasn’t quite a formal or proper time to really discuss anything or have her ask a plethora of questions.

Once they entered the castle, Luigi first noticed the way it buzzed with life. It was clear that many of the staff members were helping out with preparations as well, and weren’t letting anything distract them from their tasks. Diligent guards kept a keen eye out (or, maybe not so diligent, based on how a group of them chattered and a lone one snored away while standing); many maids and butlers walked with a pep in their step, letting Luigi know that it would best if he did his best to stay out of their way.

Peasley led him to his room, where his suitcase had been placed on the otherwise untouched bed. With Peasley bidding a goodbye to let Luigi rest for a short while, Luigi was finally able to get off of his feet. Exhaustion weighed heavier on his shoulders than he had originally thought, Luigi realized as he all but collapsed on the bed. He just couldn’t help it–the room was warm, the bed incredibly soft, and after a tiring day, it was nice to settle into. It was practically inviting him in, and Luigi wasn’t one to say no to comfort.

He wasn’t sure how long he had laid there for. It must’ve only been a few minutes though, and too early for Peasley to come back to alert him of dinner, but nevertheless, there was a knocking at the door. The quick and hurried type, with urgency behind each sound. Confused, Luigi sat up, staring at the door. He only then got up to his feet when another set of raps hit the door, just as fast and alarming as the last set.

Luigi opened the door to reveal a worry-filled Peasley on the other side. There was a smile on his face, more likely to be used as some sort of cushion or reassurance, but it didn’t match his eyes that were filled with fear and concern.

“Peasley? Is something wrong?” A dumb question on his part, he internally chided to himself–of course something was wrong.

“Ah, yes my dear, you see- well-” It wasn’t like Peasley to stutter his words like that. Something big must have definitely happened. His hands were constantly shifting as he tried to gather his words, and Luigi hesitantly went forward to grab one of the prince’s hands. Peasley grabbed onto it, and gave a gentle squeeze as he took in a deep breath. His voice, steady and sure of itself, announced something that made Luigi’s eyes widen.

“The Harmony Heart has gone missing.”

[adultswim2021]

Ranking the Shows (as of 2008), CONTINUED!

A ranking of Adult Swim's original programming up through 2008! Continued from yesterday's post. Read that one first for a COMPLETE ranking.

15. Delocated (2008)

Only one to go off of, but it's pretty wonderful. Jon Glaser is another one of those guys who should just be allowed to make whatever show he wants. Uh, on cable, anyway. Let's be reasonable, here.

14. Welcome to Eltingville (2002)

Of all the passed-over pilots in Adult Swim's past, this one could've been a bonafide classic. It's truly ponderous how much I didn't like this back then.

13. Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004)

Didn't always hit it out of the park, but a handful of these were truly great. It rarely outright disappointed me. The show felt like a revelation at the start and I was always excited for a new episode.

12. Korgoth of Barbaria (2006)

Beautifully animated and cool as fuck. I am assuming it was too expensive to pick up as a series, but that's only a testament to how great this show looked. And it was funny!

11. Metalocalypse (2006)

Immensely watchable, and occasionally extremely funny. It also uses cheap, ugly animation to it's advantage, which other Adult Swim shows fail to do. I can only imagine how much I'd love this show if I actually gave a shit about metal music.

10. Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000)

Of all the shows that exemplify the Adult Swim/Williams Street formula, this one will always be remembered as THE ultimate example. It's frequently very good, but it's best days were probably in the 4:3 days. The Great episodes make it easy to forget about the more mediocre episodes.

9. Home Movies (1999)

Some stone-cold classics, and most of the non-classics are still really wonderful. At times I considered this to be a top-3 show, but that final season was much worse than I remembered. Still, it deserves to be celebrated more than it is.

8. Xavier: Renegade Angel (2007)

Dizzingly funny and sometimes difficult to keep up with. This show is an insane, unique masterpiece.

7. Moral Orel (2005)

One of the few shows on the block that palpably felt like it had a higher purpose. At worst it was still a pleasant way to pass the time. At best it could either be ingeniously funny, heart-breakingly sad, or soulful and beautiful. An important achievement that doesn't get the credit it deserves.

6. The Venture Bros. (2003)

A show whose total sum is greater than it's parts. In less-nice terms, it's uneven humor-wise. But it's so well-crafted that the weak episodes still go down easy. The great episodes are VERY memorable, and the show can be really hilarious.

5. China, IL (2008)

Brad Neely is one of the funniest people on earth, and the China, IL short that aired was incredible, and there's a possibility that I'm sorta letting it stand-in for his Super Deluxe work at-large. I sure hope they make this into a show some day, and that they ruin it's wonderfully unique style with digital animation.

4. Superjail (2007)

Not every episode is mind-blowingly great, but the ones that aren't do come pretty close. It easily occupies both extremes of being an "Adult" "Cartoon", by being very Adult and very Cartoony. Very obviously a labor of love in the way most TV shows aren't. A wonderful, entertaining spectacle!

3. Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007)

I may have not been so hot on season three, it still had a lot of inspired sketches and ideas. The show can feel dashed off in an unpleasant way, but it still manages to be one of the best sketch shows ever made.

2. Tim and Eric Nite Live (2007)

Technically speaking, this is a Super Deluxe show, but I am counting it because it's close enough, and I also need to demonstrate that Awesome Show would be in this spot if it weren't for season three.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1994)

Not only is it foundational to such a degree that it would make perfect sense to just rank this #1 for purely symbolic reasons, it still remains my favorite show out of all of these, and the one show I'm almost always in the mood to watch. It's also the only show on the list that I could very easily spend all day watching. There's maybe only a couple of episodes I'd deem "skippable", but even the less-than-classic episodes feel like I'm home.

The only conceivable way I'd bring this down is after watching the GameTap episodes, which I still haven't done. Uh oh.

[kakaphoe]

For My Lady's Heart

So I'm about a hundred pages into this Laura Kinsale Medieval romance and oof the drama.

So our main dude is a knight who got fucked over because his wife went all rapturously religious while he was crusading and wants to become a nun and he was supposed to swear chastity so they can have the marriage put aside, but then he sees this super hot princess in a dress covered in emeralds and he ganders (yes I know this is Victorian slang not Medieval, shush) at her.

So she is like "He gandered at me with lust in his heart."

And his wannabe nun wife is like "You ruin everything with your sinful dick"

But it's decided that they can dissolve the marriage anyway and she can go into the nunnery but they take literally everything the knight has except his pants (gold, horse, sword, armour) as her dowry.

So knight goes back to his inn (in his pants) and has a cry because he has nothing to his name (and also PTSD from the crusades) and he gets a package of two emeralds from the princess' fancy dress that will be enough to start him up again.

So he swears he will find her in the future and become her sworn man (not sexually, or romantically, but courtly pure love).

This was just the prologue.

So 13 years later princess is now a widow with a daughter trying to politic her way out of being murdered by two rival Italian families. She is in currently in England reluctantly flirting with the Duke of Lancaster for reasons but she hates the guy and is she lets him get too far or the Italians will murder her, but he is literally the younger son of the King so she can't piss him off either.

Mysterious Knight turns up and pledges to her troth (she doesn't remember him yet) and she makes him fight with her favour, which means the Duke challenges him to the death. Knight does obviously not want to do this but she makes him and only let's him stop when he is about to kill the Duke.

And then she laughs.

This makes our poor knight guy realise that he spent 13 years venerating her like she was The Virgin Mary, when actually she was a bit of a Bitch (but for reasons, she's literally fighting for her life every minute). So he has a moral crisis and is upset cos he thinks he is in servitude to "Satan's whore".

So dramatic, it reminded me of when incels realised their Manic Pixie Dream Girl Celebrity Crush actually had thoughts and opinions.

There 350 more pages after this, I am excite.

[computercreature]

ehmmmmm. papyrus undertale for character ask game?

you didn’t specify a question. so i’m answering all 30 of them >:D nyeheheheh!!

first impression: super silly skeleton! love him!

when i started to like him: it’s hard to remember but probably from the very beginning. specifically? umm probably the lamp scene haha he’s so <3

song that reminds me of him: this is such a copout answer i know but i always think of papyrus makes a mixtape. such a formative song to my childhood

how many people i ship him with: 0! i hc him as aro!

my fav ship: again probably none… i’m not a huge fan but i feel like the most ok in my book is papyton

least fav ship: literally anything else all of his friends are either children or his brother or a lesbian

a quote i remember: if you see a shop, you should stop… drop, and roll… into some great deals!! because we’re having a fire sale!! at my imaginary store, which sells flames.

fav outfit: AHHH i love the battle body for the comfort fit swag but. my heart belongs to the cool dude fit <3

least fav outfit: NEITHER they both fit him so well!!!

describe him in one sentence: he’s funny and silly BUT i swear he’s so much more mysterious than people realize!

first thing i think of when i think of him: the papyrus knight theory, and how excited i am for him to be in deltarune >:3

sexuality hc: mm i think gay aro

fav friendship: FLOWEY!!!!! they are besties ok i’m so glad more people are realizing this

best storyline: ahhh hmm. again i think his friendship with flowey! they’re characters that are perfect for each other and their dynamic has a lot of crazy implications. without the post-canon content and some of the harder to find dialog it’s easy to assume flowey’s messing with him but they really are friends!

worst storyline: i’ll be honest the date 💔 i do like it from the perspective of an aro guy forcing attraction but i still prefer the hangout way more for. obvious reasons

childhood hc: i think he’ll be a child/teen deltarune! and i think he was a lonely (bonely) kid, which is why he wants to be popular so much

what i think his first word was: sans :]

what i think he was like as a child: i already kinda answered this but also. i’m an otherworld sans truther and i really have no idea what ut papyrus’s deal is. if the skeletons just showed up one day i really don’t know what that means for papyrus

most random ship i’ve seen: well other than the obvious. i would say papyton is pretty random since they’ve never met? but he does canonically have a celebrity crush on mettaton so i guess i get it haha

weird hc: cat person (or at least says he is) because of the annoying dog lol

when he was at his happiest: obviously post pacifist when he can feel the sun on his skin and wind in his hair 🩵

when he was at his lowest: tbh before meeting frisk he was really lonely. in deltarune it’s probably worse since he doesn’t have undyne or. any other friends

future hc: i love the hc that he designs escape rooms on the surface!!!!! i think he (and a lot of other monsters) start taking anthropology classes

a secret he’s never told anyone: he actually loves the annoying dog 🩵

when he acted most ooc: ohh i don’t know. hrm. i don’t think there is one off the top of my head!

when he was himself the most: before and after saving him in the asriel fight! copout answer for all the characters but i stand by it!

most fun character for him to meet: ohhh i have to think about this. maybe tome of mob psycho fame. monster obsessed with humans + human obsessed with the occult would be the perfect autism duo

most unnecessary thing he did: when he turned the puzzle into his face and couldn’t figure out the solution. when he summoned a billion bones for his attack and let you fly right over them. when he kept asking about your outfit and kept giving the wrong answers to undyne. when he jumped out undyne’s window. he’s so <3

how would he be as a parent: carlyraejepsans has a great post about this but i think he’d be the fun uncle who loves kids!! also all the monsters are communally raising frisk anyway <3

funniest scene: OH THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE. umm i love the lamp scene, when he first sees frisk, the mettaton tile maze, umm a lot of his phonecalls especially the fire one, and the winter newsletter. he’s just so!

[deepestperfectiondragon]

September 25, 2023

Well shit, it's been a while since I've posted here and A LOT has happened since. But since my mental health has started to be a lot worse again I figured writing would help. So here I am.

So me and my boyfriend have been together for a year now, it was actually our one year the other day. Let me tell you, we definitely got past the honeymoon stage LOL. Don't get me wrong though I wouldn't trade him for the world, but we have had our ups and downs for sure (like any relationship). Me and him have both said some stupid shit or done some stupid shit to each other, but we've also gotten to know each other a lot more and work through all the hard times together which in my opinion only brought us closer in the end. Things have been good with him lately, we've been trying to work as a team again and it feels good. But on our 1 year his best friend passed away from an overdose, it's only been a week since but thing have been hard for both of us, more so him obviously. Just seeing him hurting makes me hurt, I've been trying to be there for him, I know he's had some moments where it may have gotten a little taken out on me but at the same time that's what I'm here for, he apologized afterwards and it's not like I don't understand the anger that comes with losing someone that meant a lot to you. Our relationship has kind of been put on hold for now I feel, but it's okay because I want him to grieve. For example our one year we didn't really celebrate, we haven't been having sex, we haven't really done much of anything, once again I'm not complaining, just hope we can come out of this stronger because the last thing I want is for this to affect us negatively. My cousin who passed away has been on my mind lately, her 5 year anniversary since she passed is on Friday, which makes this even harder for me because I'm having to support him while supporting myself all on my own. I'll get through it, but damn it's been hard. Friday is his friends funeral, and I had plans with my family for my cousins anniversary. I want to be there for him but I figured I haven't been able to grieve at all since his friends passing, and on that day I think to take some time and let it all out might be the smart thing to do for myself, I offered to go with him but he understands that it's a hard day for me as well and to go be with my family. I feel bad, but at the same time I know he won't be alone and I've been nothing but supportive to him all week.

On the other hand, things with my family have been weird as well. i have never felt so distanced from them all, I'm not sure if I did something, but everyone has been treating me like I have. I can't even get a conversation in with my dad, he acts awkward and distant and sometimes doesn't even reply back, he just keeps his face in his phone or replies with a couple words. My mom only reaches out to me when she wants money. My brother went on a trip and I haven't seen him since like I offered. Shits just weird right now, BUT I got to meet my new niece! My best friend just had her baby and I couldn't be happier. She is so adorable, and I am so excited she's here. I cannot believe that she's a mom now and I'm an auntie <3.

Things with school have been weird as well, I literally made one of the stupidest decisions of my life. I switched from massage to child and youth care, and I should of just stuck with massage. Child and youth is so overwhelming and I know my heart is in the right place, but my brain cannot handle it. I feel so drained since I started placement. I have no energy left in me with everything going on and dealing with these kids all day long. So I figured I'm going to use the credits I already have and switch back to massage next year. If I can't get in for January, it won't hurt to work and save up some money till next September as I won't be able to work summers for the next 2 years. I like to think I have a smart plan now, but no one has really validated that yet. Guess I'll just figure it out for myself and prove them all wrong haha. Honestly though. It's time I start living for me, no one else. Life is too short to try and figure out what everyone else wants me to do, if they don't like what I'm doing, there's literally nothing forcing them to stay in my life. SO tired of fake ass people.

But ya lol, that's kind of an update of where I'm at right now. I like to think I'm doing better with this whole life thing than I would of been before. I honestly am at the point where I don't care what anyone thinks of me, I want to make myself happy now. I spent too many years trying to please everyone else and it was pretty much impossible and got me no where. Time to focus on me for real this time.

[seaottersandstrings]

something lgbt just happened to me (extreme emotional pain edition)

(ignore me I just need an internet void to scream in where she wont see it or read if you’re nosy and willing to be nice about it)

(also if anyone has any advice for how to not be so fucked up about the girl who is kinda your ex but not really (in the “never actually dated but we both had feelings and acted like it a lot” way) officially dating a new person for the first time since she shattered your heart into a million tiny pieces please dm me said advice this is 100% serious)

like we have all the same friends and it’s been over half a year so I feel weird talking to irl people about it. even I am surprised at how intensely the emotions punched me in the lungs when she told us she has a bf now. like cmon brain I knew we weren’t over this but I thought we were at least getting better. 

also there’s the added fun layer of “her own internalized biphobia and biphobic family members made it so our connection was always laced with shame and repression and suffering anyway.” and now she gets to celebrate this moment with friends and family and do boy talk with her mom and ask her parents for advice about this guy she’s known for a couple months and have an easy friends to lovers arc with him. while I was stuck listening to her family coo over how she should get back with her ex bf once he transferred to our college while she and I were literally sleeping in the same bed the night before. but bc I’m not a guy ofc nothing could possibly have been going on there. 

like you’re telling me I was in a years-long, will-they-won’t-they sufferfest where I was embarrassingly emotionally devoted to this person only for npc #3 to crawl out of the woodwork and get the instant stamp of approval for wanting to get to know her better and giving it the old college try? 

and to be clear I’m not blaming her she feels how she feels and obviously the bi/homophobia is a societal/community level issue. it just sucks so bad to fall so deeply in love with someone over such a long time and have those feelings be treated less seriously because of things we can’t control. like just on top of the regular heartbreak of it all. and believe me the regular heartbreak of it all is more than enough for my little eggshell heart to handle. 

and on a regular heartbreak level it also sucks because she’s a good person that I genuinely care about on a non-romantic level and still think very highly of. like our relationship wasn’t and still isn’t perfect but she’s one of the best people in my life and an objectively decent human being. so it’s not like I can even rationalize to myself “well it was toxic” (actually maybe the dynamic was but like SHE wasn’t a toxic person y’know) or “she treated me badly” or “she sucks so I’m better off now anyway.” like no she’s wonderful and her new bf is very lucky life just sucks sometimes. 

did I mention she and I are still best friends and even though we live in different cities now which helps I still have to pretend to be totally 100% excited about this for the sake of being a good bestie? like god I love being a lesbian if I had to do life all over again and got a choice I would choose to be queer every single goddamn time. but this is the most painful shit I’ve ever felt in my life and that’s a pretty high bar at this point. especially since this is technically not my first heartbreak but it’s my first one since realizing I’m a lesbian and not bi and started having a lot of The Piercing Loneliness of Breaking Every Societal Expectation feelings about it. like I think my brain was unintentionally pulling a “maybe I’ll turn out normal-passing” on itself (which is total bullshit) for a while there. and even though I know that was bullshit coming to terms with being a lesbian was so much harder for me than coming to terms with being queer at all and everything related to it has just felt so much more intense since. 

and on some level I’m also jealous bc she got out and can have a relationship she can celebrate and talk about with her family without fear and I can never have that. like bi people obviously go through so much shit and have a hard time getting both straight and gay people to take them seriously and as someone who lived that (in the “other people treated me like I was bi bc we all thought I was” sense) and thought that was who I was for 7 years I would never want to diminish that but oh my god being on the other side now I can understand how easy it is to let yourself get bitter. And I never want to be that person but at the same time speaking purely of my own experience it didn’t take me so long (2+ years) to figure out I was a lesbian because I just didn’t know like at some point deep down I knew especially near the end of my questioning era but I kept asking myself “well are you SURE?” because didn’t want to face the loneliness of it. Of closing the door on the last possible chance I had for my family and I to bond over something in a normal way for once. And coming out again was incredibly freeing but I also had to be willing to break my own heart to do it and the compounding heartbreak is just so much. 

anyway if anyone is reading this I love you and I hope you’re having a better day than me. happy new year. 

[bisexual-horror-fan]

Through The Heart Is The Only Way. Chapter Three. "Getting Closer." Poly!Chiffany X FEM! AFAB! Reader.

Hey, hey, hey! 

New chapter is here! Masterlist is here! Soooo I know, I know, almost two months with no new chapter, terrible of me, eh? But I got busy! Two year anniversary of this blog and my writing career, hitting 1,500 followers, doing a giveaway to celebrate and writing 15 some odd fics in like less than a month will do that. 

I appreciate the patience and I hope this 6K update is worth the wait! I am so excited to be getting back into this, I really love this chapter and the direction this is going. Just as the title suggests our triad is getting closer, more is happening and I hope you all eat this up! Let’s not linger any longer, here we fucking go!

—

Rating. SFW. Length 6K. Charles Lee Ray X Tiffany Ray Valentine X FEM! AFAB! Reader. She/Her Pronouns. Warnings. Alcohol Consumption. Smoking. Teasing. Flirting. Brief Mention Of Murder.Kissing. Not Much Else. 

—

It’s not like you cared that much. 

Or at least that is what you tried to tell yourself anyway. 

It was hard to remain convinced of that though when they came into the club again that following weekend and that wide grin spread across your face upon seeing them. You were surprised but you shouldn’t have been, they said they would come back and true to their word they did. You had been at work around two hours and yet you found yourself fucking with your hair a little, eyes dropping down to your outfit, smoothing down your skirt, concerned that you still looked okay before you stopped. What were you doing? You were being ridiculous, they were your customers, nothing more, besides that they are together. 

You need to stop. Both the weird thoughts of wanting and the insecurity.

This was you we were talking about here and you are hot as fuck. You know that, you put in a ton of effort before leaving the house each day for work, looking good was part of your work, the better you look the better the tips after all. You shake off the current line of thought and decide to do another lap around to check on your other tables before making your way to them so you don’t seem overeager. 

You come up from behind, Tiffany was leaning against Chucky, he had an arm around her waist, they looked so good together like this. You choose when there was a lull in their conversation to greet them. “Hi! Hope you two haven’t been waiting too long.” 

They both seemingly perked up at hearing your voice, turned and you could see what they were wearing better. Did they ever look bad? Her in something short and tight and him in that space between casual and formal that he looked way too comfortable and right in. 

You wondered what they looked like outside of the setting of your work, when they weren’t dressed up for a night out. Either way their attire wasn’t helping these weird feelings you kept trying to push out of your mind. 

“Tiff look, it’s our favourite boy scout.” Chucky said easily and Tiffany gave him a gentle elbow to the ribs as her expression shifted to mild annoyance, taking what he said as if he was being a dick, “Hey c’mon now, that’s mean! She looks great.”  

You laughed, resting your drink tray on your hip. You corrected her, “No, no it’s a call back to something I said when we first met, he’s being cute.” 

Chucky rubbed at his side jokingly as if what she did actually hurt, a grin as he looked rather pleased with how you’d jumped to defend him. “Yeah, hear that? I’m being cute.” 

“Mmm real sorry for jumping to conclusions.” She said in a somewhat apologetic tone and he sighed as if he was doing her a big favour when he said, “I supposed I can forgive you.” 

“How generous of you.” She rolled her eyes fondly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. You enjoyed this, seeing how they were together, they were obviously a great fit. You liked the air about them and the banter they shared. 

You eye the light imprint of plum coloured lipstick she left behind on his face for a little too long as you ask with a smile, “So what can your loyal boy scout get you both?”

They order a couple of cocktails and you go get them and the night presses on. It’s a really good Saturday by all accounts. You get them more drinks and talk casually in between your other tables. You find yourself unable to stop yourself from constantly looking at them, stealing glances at them to see them drinking, laughing, talking, flirting, dancing and kissing. Whenever you catch those moments of deeper intimacy you do your best to force yourself to look away, you don’t want to and yet you do at the same time, something aches in your chest when you do. 

It’s only once you had bid them farewell and they left, that the club had closed down and you were walking to the train station that you realised the feeling that had settled into your chest was longing. 

You would see them being physically close and you were fucking pining, God, how pathetic could you get?

They were customers at your job and again they had each other! Who were you? Just some fucking waitress, one that they were probably just being nice to, maybe they tipped everyone this well? Were they this nice to everyone? It might be just who they are as people. You could barely focus on what Jackson was saying on the platform as you waited for your trains, you were too in your own head. You gave a small wave as he got onto his train, a nod and a promise to see him tomorrow. 

You wished you could be part of what they had but that was impossible. You made a small disgusted sound to yourself as you boarded the train, you needed to get over this. 

That night at home your bed feels lonely for the first time in a long time. 

Unbeknownst to you the pair of them talked about you on their own trip home that night. 

The club you worked at was a good time, reasonably priced as far as some other clubs in town go, a good atmosphere and better drinks but the real find, the best part? Was you. 

They liked you. They really fucking liked you. 

You were cute and fun, funny, attentive and while they were aware part of it could be simply because of you just doing your job but it didn’t read that way. The pair thought themselves able to judge people pretty well and there was some quality to you that read as being genuine in your care and interest of them. There was a possibility that you were just the best actor that they have ever seen but it was far more likely that you saw something in them the same way that they saw something in you. 

Not to mention the way you had been able to help lead them to some new victims and potentially could, to many more. 

They knew you’d been looking too, and had caught you stealing quite a few glances their way tonight. They definitely needed to do something about this. 

The next week passes by the same as always and you try not to linger on the thought of them and you manage to fall into a groove with your work and mostly stick to that. Until the weekend rolls around again. 

You expected to see them. Maybe that was stupid, no one said that they had to come in every single weekend, hell they didn’t even say: “See you next weekend!” 

So why did you keep looking to the doorway like they might come through at any moment? 

Point is they didn’t come on Friday or Saturday or Sunday and that was fine, rather you try to convince yourself it is. You’ve been trying to convince yourself of a lot of things lately it seemed.

You didn’t want to go home right away but for once all your coworkers were busy and had plans after work. You are really hungry and decide that fuck it, you can go get a little take out for yourself before going home. It’s early February, late and cold as hell and worse still it is pelting down with rain. 

You are in the mood for one thing in particular and there is only one place to fill such a craving, you rush to your favourite diner about two blocks over. You shake off your umbrella with a shiver before coming inside, it’s a near immediate relief, the diner is as warm and comforting as always. 

The place is slightly rough around the edges but the food is amazing, prices are stupid cheap, it’s open all night and right between your work and the train station. You walk up to the counter and sit down on one of the stools at the bar, a waitress with black hair that has served you countless times gave you a smile and held one finger up to show she’d be with you in a minute. 

You give a small nod to show you were fine with waiting and glanced over the menu briefly. You already knew what you wanted but still, you never know what might catch your fancy at the moment. 

She comes over and asks, “Hiya hon. What you lookin’ for tonight?” 

You push the menu aside as you ask, “Can I get an order of fries and a slice of the birthday cake special?”  She doesn’t bother writing it down and tells you it’ll just be out in just a minute.

Five minutes later the takeout boxes were bagged and you slide the money and an ample tip across to the waitress who takes it gratefully. You thank her and tell her to have a good night and she tells you the same. 

You walk over to the door, umbrella in hand and you hesitate, not wanting to brave the cold again so you take a moment, a deep breath before you are going to go back out and if you didn’t do that you wouldn’t have heard something that turned out to be vitally important. 

Two very familiar voices. One rougher telling some story in a clearly jokey tone and the other more feminine and laughing along and asking, “Uh-huh and then what happened?”

You look over your shoulder and see that the duo you’d been getting to know and had been invading your thoughts constantly were here. They were seated in a cosy looking booth in the back corner, the place was mostly empty and their voices carried easily in the space, reaching you no problem. You smile and without thinking about it you walk over and say, “No wonder I didn’t see you this weekend, you’ve been holding up here the whole time.”

Tiffany looked up at you first, with a wide smile as she said, “Oh my God, hi!” 

“Hey.” You said with a short nod to them both and Chucky asked, “What are you doing here?” 

You give a small shrug and hold up the bag as you said, “Work is done for the night and I was hungry, stopped by here for a little take out.” 

“Well it’s good to see you.” Tiffany said and it sounded sincere, they looked happy to see you. So happy that Chucky said, “Why don’t you sit down and join us?”

You weren’t expecting that. We're just going to come over and talk for a minute before facing the rain and going home to eat your food and sleep. You are a tad reluctant and so you say, “Oh I dunno-”

And they both press the issue, Tiffany asking sweetly, “Awe please?”

Chucky said after her, tone matching as he asked, “Yeah, please?” 

A beat as you really consider it and he asks with a thumb over his shoulder to the window being pelted with rain, “Are you really in that much of a rush to get back out in that shit?” 

He makes a great point. 

You are off tomorrow too, Sunday is bleeding into Monday, you got nothing to do and nowhere to be so you say fuck it to yourself and say with a laugh, “Alright, alright you wore me down, I’ll sit.” 

Tiffany made a small excited sound and Chucky shifted over on the booth seat so you could sit down comfortably and you slid in next to him.  

They both still looked good, not quite as good as they did out at the club but still way too attractive. 

You asked what they had gotten up to and they told you Friday was dinner out, Saturday was a small get together with some friends. Sunday they just stayed in and took it easy, a real lazy day, this was the first time they got out all day. The pair were having some breakfast food, nothing like eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns with fresh fruit past midnight. Once again they are showing you they have good taste. 

They asked how work was this weekend and gave a brief apology for not stopping in, to which you waved off with a scoff, “Oh God it’s fine, I mean I practically live at the club but that doesn’t mean that you should.” 

You appreciate the fact they apologised anyway though and you respond to their original question saying, “It was a fine weekend, busy, good money but not as good as it could have been.” 

Tiffany had picked up her coffee cup and asked, “What coulda made it better?” 

You were starting to unpack your take out as you said teasingly, “Obviously if my two best customers didn’t abandon me it would have gone from fine to great.” 

A small chuckle from Chucky as he asked, “You miss the extra tip money that much?”

“More the interesting conversation. I can only potlietly smile and bat away the guys tryna fuck their waitress so many times before it truly becomes dull.” It wasn’t a lie, at least a couple times a night you’d get guys who would turn to you when they struck out too many times with single girls at the club. 

“That a big problem for you?” He asked, adjusting in his seat, facing you better, his body language seemed a little more tense, was that concern? Was HE concerned about you?

You fight back the urge to grin at the thought, you push it down, mentally telling yourself to not get your hopes up. 

“Not that bad. Nothing I can’t handle.” You look between him and Tiffany who didn’t seem fully convinced until you said, “Really, I mean it, promise!” 

They both seemed to relax a touch at that and let it go, you got the sense they wanted to say more but instead Tiffany asked, “So what’d you get?”

You say, “Fries and the birthday cake special.” You pop open the containers and show them the crispy and seasoned fries and the vanilla funfetti cake with the sky blue buttercream icing, decorated further with looping swoops of bright pink on the sides and edges. 

“That your usual go to?” He asked and you nodded as you picked up a fork, “Yeah, what can I say, I’m a sucker for salty and sweet together late at night. It’s not an all the time thing but it's nice to indulge every now and again right?” 

“More than nice, I’d say it’s necessary.” Tiffany said and you asked, “Yeah you think so?” 

“I know so, you gotta give into those urges or you’ll go crazy.” The smile she wore when she said that made that same warmth flicker in your chest and Chucky gave her a knowing look, must be some shared joke or reference. You had no idea how long they’ve been together but clearly it’s been a while for them to develop this particular brand of closeness. 

“You seem to know what you are talking about. You indulge often?” You ask in a rather playful tone and Chucky nearly snorts into his coffee before saying, “More than you know.” 

She flips him off with a sweet smile and he simply grins and throws her a wink in response. You look back down to your plate as you pick up a fry and you ask, “So are you both native to Chicago?” 

That gets a laugh from her, “Does it sound like it?” Fair, that is on you.  

He fills in the blank as he says, “We’re from Hackensack, you know, in New Jersey?” 

Oh wow, decent jump, that is easily a twelve hour drive straight. You get a dumb thought and go with the urge, “Ahh that is where they invented hackie sack, right?” 

He looks unimpressed as if he’s definitely heard that one before and you giggle from his expression before going on and saying, “Oh wait. No, it’s it the home of cock and ball torture! That’s right! I always get that and hackie sack confused.” 

Tiffany laughed loudly at that, almost choking on her bite of toast and Chucky leaned forward, closer, slightly amused and he asked, “Okay, okay, and where are you from?” 

You tell him before taking a bite of your cake, it’s as delicious as always, rich and moist and familiar, hits the spot perfectly. 

He thinks for a moment, clearly trying to think of his own joke but he comes up empty and Tiffany touches his forearm as she asks sweetly, “Don’t think too hard, I know this place allows smoking but I think they mean cigarettes.” 

Fuck, she was funny. You liked seeing her tease him, it was sweet, fond. You watch as he jerks his arm away telling her with the smallest amount of bite, “Don’t patronise me.” 

“Stop making it so easy and sure, I’ll give up the habit.” She spears a piece of cantaloupe on her sharp nail and brings it up to her mouth and you make yourself look down at your own food again, you need to stop staring at her lips. 

“So why’d you leave?” You asked. 

He was dipping the end of a piece of toast into his egg yolk, you notice that he likes his eggs over easy while she prefers her scrambled with what looks like chives. 

He responds, “Sometimes you just need to get away.” 

She covers her mouth with her hand, not wanting to be rude as she was eating, “What about you?”

You shug and were honest as you said, “Same thing. Needed a change.” 

“And what do you think?” He was pulling out his pack of cigarettes from his jacket and you asked, “What?”

Tiffany gestures that she wants one and he holds it so she can snag one as she asks, “Was it a good change?” 

You smiled and said. “Yeah. Best one I think I ever made.”

“Gotta say I like it so far too.” He admitted as he held out his lighter for Tiffany to light up and she agreed with that. 

The conversation continued on, a few cups of coffee and a couple of hours later the rain had stopped and you were all leaving. The three of you stepped out back onto the damp street somewhere well after three in the morning. You had gotten some coffees yourself and the pair had paid from them on their bill while you were in the bathroom and you were thanking them again for it. 

“It was only a few bucks, don’t worry about it honey.” Tiffany assured and Chucky nodded, “Yeah, you can get us back next time.” 

Honey. Next time. She called you honey and there was going to be a next time. You liked that thought a little too much. You play it cool and tell them you’ll remember that. It’s time for you to part ways and Chucky told you,  “Have a good night, eh?”

“Yeah, get home safe!” Tiffany called out with a wave as they headed in the opposite direction and you told them, “Same for you two! Bye!” 

You come away with a better understanding of them and you walk home with a big smile, trying not to hold out too much hope and remind yourself that you shouldn’t be too excited. They were just nice, just friendly, right? 

You see Tiffany a few days later. She came into your work. She had gone out for dinner with some friends and thought of you and brought you her leftovers. “That isn’t weird right? My friends got this appetiser for the table and I didn’t have my share and didn’t finish my fries so it’s not like I actually took any bites out of it.” 

You were already smiling as you listened to her and she continued, “I thought of you and how you might appreciate the snack.” 

She thought of you. Brought food for you and you almost honestly swoon. You take out the offered box, “Thank you so much! You are so sweet. You really didn’t have to do this.” 

“Awe stop, it’s nothing.” She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear and you wished you could have done that for her. You tell her, “It’s not nothing and seriously, thanks.” 

She left shortly after that, you ate at the bar perched on a stool and the food was still warm and tasted so good. Logan tried to get one of your fries and you smacked his hand, “Did I say you could have one?”

He shook his hand as if you had seriously hurt him, over exaggerating the pain, “Ow, no, you didn’t. Where the fuck did you get this anyway? We don’t have a kitchen here and you’ve been here the whole night.” 

You picked up another fry and popped it into your mouth before saying, “Did you not see her? One of my sweet regulars came in and brought this for me.” 

“Oooh who?” He asked with a big smile and you said, “You’ve probably seen her around, tall, gothy kind of look, totally stunning.” 

“You mean the blonde bombshell who’s been splashing cash like crazy for you? She’s with that dude right? The one who wanted your name?” 

You give a single nod, “Ding, ding, ding. Correct on all counts.” 

“Well lucky you. I won’t steal anymore, you enjoy your treat.” Someone gestured for his attention and he made a move to go serve them and you told him, “Thanks, I will.” 

And enjoy it thoroughly you did. 

The next weekend they both come in again. 

You don’t play as coyly, don’t fuck around. You are attentive, almost like you can’t stay away, you spend a lot of time with them while still not neglecting your other tables. You get them whatever they need, a few drinks, some conversation and jokes and definitely a little flirting. 

You requested a song Tiffany wanted and Jackson of course played it no problem. You were bringing another round of drinks and found Chucky at their table alone. You set the cocktails down as you say, “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He said simply before taking a drag of his current cigarette and you ask, “So tell me are you a menthol man?” 

That gets him to laugh on the exhale, “Oh my God-” You grin and ask, “What?”

“Hilarious, really. How long have you been waiting to use that one?” He sounded more amused than annoyed, a lazy smile on his face. 

“Not that long, like maybe a week?” You respond. 

“Your self restraint is somethin’ to marvel at.” He is in a really good mood tonight. But why wouldn’t he be? It’s Friday night, he’s out with her girlfriend, drinking and making merry, who wouldn’t be pleased as fucking punch?

“You flatter me with such sweet words.” You said as you decide to stop, all your other tables are good for a moment, you might have been hauling ass to make sure that could happen so you could have a small break to chat with them. You lean against the table and ask, “Where’d she get off to?” 

You were sure she’d thank you for ensuring her song got played and he gestured with the drink now in his hand, “Out on the dancefloor.” 

Your eyes follow his and see her out there, beautiful as ever in dark blue velvet and swaying to the music and you realise this whole time he hadn’t looked at you once when you came over. He was looking at her. Your gaze falls on his face and you see the expression, it’s clear how much he loves her. 

You ache a little. 

You wish for what they have. A not as quiet as you wished part of yourself wished he or she’d look at you like that. 

An unexpected wave of emotion runs over you at that. You break away and excuse yourself, he seems surprised by the abruptness of your departure but lets you go all the same as he calls after you, “Alright.” 

You make a beeline for the back hall. 

Thankfully there is no line. You come into the bathroom and find an empty stall and you go inside. 

Why are you being like this? You need to get it together. You take a deep breath in an attempt to steady yourself, it sucks, this all sucks.

You click and connect with them both so well but you’ve only known them for a little over a month by this point. You need to get over it. You wipe at your eyes frustratedly, you weren’t going to let this emotional hiccup ruin your make-up when you shouldn’t even be feeling this much over practically nothing. 

You give yourself another moment to straighten yourself out before leaving the stall and you practically run into Tiffany who had somehow entered the bathroom without you hearing it. You really need to stop running into her like this, you open your mouth to say that in some attempt of making a joke but her expression makes you stop. 

She looked concerned. 

“Are you okay, hon?” She sounded concerned too. You make sure to keep some distance between you and her as you take a step back. 

You do your best to hide how you are feeling. You force a smile and say, “Yeah Tiffany, I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine. You don’t look fine. You look like you were almost crying.” She took a half step closer and you took one back, a nervous laugh leaving your lips. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

She was too astute and could see right through you. Lying was never your strong suit when some more serious shit was on the line, like such complex emotions. 

“Really it’s nothing-” She isn’t having it. 

She cuts you off. “It’s clearly not.” 

She isn’t gonna let this go. You need to still get her to let it go so you say, “It doesn’t matter, I just-...I have some issues that can’t be fixed. I need to just get over them.” 

A pause that is full of tension and things unsaid.

You can’t look at her. Your eyes fixed on the singular tile on the floor between your heels and hers. She says, “I think I know what it is.” 

She does? “I see you looking and I look too.”

You look up and your eyes lock with hers, surrounded and lined with black and glitter. She takes another step forward and you take one back and your spine meets the pillar between two stalls. You cannot move back anymore, she steps again and is nearly pressed to you. She is taller than you but add on her choice of heels and forget about the fact you are wearing some yourself, she still beats your height easily. 

You haven’t looked away, neither has she, you speak softly, can feel your heart rate picking up, “Tiffany what are you doin-”

Her hand takes yours and it stops your sentence short, what she says next is so sincere it is almost unbelievable but of course the tone is genuine, “You’re gorgeous to me.”

You have no time to respond, her head dips down and she kisses you. 

Your eyes go wide, your hand squeezes hers in shock and she hums sweetly. 

This is happening. You weren’t expecting this, anyone but certainly not her kissing you in your works bathroom. It wasn’t like a club bathroom isn’t used to seeing a lot of action but it just never had with you. Also she was into you? 

You thought she’d been flirting a little but who knows? You weren’t about to make a move, the odds of the woman you were into also being into men and women were nearly astronomical. Being very decidedly not straight wasn’t something most people could be open publicly about. You had to be very careful and extremely sure that the object of your affection swung that way and wasn’t just overly sweet or it could spell all kinds of trouble. Clearly, luckily, she was like you in this regard, talk about striking gold.

But this wasn’t like you, getting involved with a customer, especially one who is already seeing someone but-

Fuck.

Her lips are so soft, she tastes so good and she is warm and your mind swims, so you kiss her back. It feels amazing, she feels amazing, this feels so fucking right, more than it had any right to. When was the last time you had been kissed like this? Or just kissed at all?

Leaning up on the front of your heels and your lips move against hers and she presses you harder into the unrelenting surface at your back and you enjoy every shared move of your lips and hers. You recall what she said back in the diner and you decide this is a perfect moment to just not think and instead, indulge. 

It goes on for another moment that is somehow blissfully long and far, far too short.

She is the one to break the kiss with a sigh and your eyes flutter back open to see her still so close to you. God, she is beautiful and holy shit, such a good kisser. 

As soon as her hand slips from yours and she takes a step back you feel guilty. 

What about Chucky? What does this mean? You start to panic, your mind races and your breathing changes and she immediately takes notice, her hands cradle your face and she coos to you, “Hey, hey.”

You look into her eyes again and she tells you, “Listen to me. Don’t worry.”

The way she looks at you and says it, something about it just soothes you, against all odds it works. Your mind is calm and you stop worrying. She smiles and asks, “Okay?”

You take another deep breath and give a single nod with a soft smile, “Okay.”

You leave the bathroom hand in hand and once you finish walking down that long hallway that leads from the restrooms to the dance floor you let each other go. You focus on your other tables and you don’t say a proper goodbye, they both give you a wave on their way out the door because they see you are busy and you return it.  

The club closes less than an hour after that and you are still giddy. 

Jackson asked you, “Is that the same lipstick you had on earlier? I coulda sworn it was lighter.” You brushed him off as you teased him, “Duh, of course it is, maybe you are finally losing your mind?” 

It works, he laughs and drops it, “Guess so.” 

You can’t help it. 

She likes you and fuck, you like her too.

You don’t know what this means but for now you are just going to enjoy this. You go home after closing up high on her perfume and lipstick smudged on your lips altering the lip colour you’d chosen that night. You are unable to feel the February chill, much too warm for it to seep through your coat. 

You sleep insanely well that night. 

You float through your day and the next night at work the pair comes in again. You serve them but you feel a little weird about seeing Chucky. You can’t quite meet his gaze and don’t hang around them as long as you normally would. 

You keep some distance and they definitely notice. 

Tonight you were really busy and it did give you a little bit of plausible deniability, that you were occupied with your other tables and your work. The evening flies by, they leave at some point and you didn’t see them go, you feel bad about that. 

You leave the club after closing down and find that they are still there. Waiting outside sharing a smoke and Chucky says, “There she is.” 

“Hey you two.” You greet before asking, “Why are you both still here?”  

Tiffany says, “You were awfully busy tonight, feels like we barely saw you, thought we might walk you to the train station.”

Oh shit. You tried to think up an excuse why they couldn’t but your mind was blank. You didn’t give them as much attention that you should have tonight and to make up for it you should let them take you to the station, it’s the least you could do when they are so nice. 

“Yeah sure, that’d be great. Jackson is my usual walking buddy but he had to go early.” You smile and off you all head. 

You feel awkward. 

It’s quiet. Just the sound of two sets of heels, yours and hers and his dress shoes on the wet sidewalk and a thought enters your head. Something you meant to ask the other night. You speak and ask them, “How did you both meet?”

They share a look and Tiffany laughs softly as does he, “Would you believe at a nightclub?”

You smile genuinely at that, “No shit.”

“Yeah, I uh was actually out for a drink and I ended up talking with this girl and her and I clicked a little and she suggested something pretty out there and I went with it.” 

You question him, “Out there how?” 

“A threeway.” She fills in with a grin and your mouth falls open. “You suggested a threeway?!”

She had to be kidding. Chucky said, “Oh no she didn’t. Tiffany was the other girl that me and the first girl picked up.” 

Oh so he was out with someone totally different and they picked up Tiffany for a threesome? How’d they get here then? 

“Yeah and fuck am I ever glad she suggested it.” Tiffany said as her shoulder playfully nudged him.

He said, “The other girl was okay but nothin’ in comparison to Tiff. We got alone and the chemistry-” His sentence stopped to take an inhale of his cigarette. 

Tiffany says on an exhale, “Amazing, totally crazy.” 

“Right. I couldn’t keep my hands off of her, forgot about the other chick and we’ve been together ever since.” Chucky finished the story and you?

Your heart races. 

A threeway. 

That was how they fucking met, they had a threeway the very first night. You made yourself ask your next question as evenly as possible, trying to keep the massive excitement out of your tone. “So you are uh, still down for that?”

You have made it to the station, it’s quiet again. 

It’s late and there is almost no one else around. They share a look before looking back at you and Tiffany asks, “Are you down for that?”

Chucky dropped the last of his smoke, he exhaled, fingers ran through his long hair and stomped it out before he stepped closer as he asked, “Yeah are you?” 

Did they seriously just ask you that? What should you say? You knew what you wanted to say but was it a good idea or rather a smart idea?

You can’t think too hard, they are here right now, they obviously want an answer and you want to give them one. This is what you were hoping for, what you wanted, isn’t it? Why are you hesitating so much?

You work up the nerve with another deep breath, Chucky is so close to you. Whatever cologne he is wearing is so good, it pushes you forward, you nod and swallow hard. Hand reaches up, wraps around his tie once and you say, “Yes.” 

You lean up and tug on his tie at the same time and you kiss him.