#the colors look so different on my phone but we're ignoring that

[othersidelonging]

This has been living rent free in my head since I read it

From @keferon 's mecha au and @spector-author 's writing (this post! or on AO3)

(I think I'm supposed to tag you both? If not let me know and I'll remove it 👍)

[ahhnini]

okay season 4 rafe where they broke up and shes a kook turned pouge, and its just a bunch of angst and basically all of s4 with her?

our last summer - rafe cameron x reader

synopsis - he wishes he could've had one last summer with you

warnings - angst, kook turned pogue!reader, mentions of cheating, (slight) sofia slander (I love her tho!!), stabbing, character death

you were in no means ready to see him, let alone work with your ex-fiancée again. you knew he’d been stealing glances at you while you all trek your way through the sandy dunes of the coast of morocco, but you were strong enough to keep yourself from looking back and meeting his gaze.

your main priority was sarah, who you could tell was getting queasy from the amount of activity she’d been doing these past couple of days. once you saw the skyline of a city, your ounce of optimism returned.

around a year ago, you’d been happily engaged to who you thought was the love of your life, rafe cameron. after you’d found a tank top that wasn’t yours in your shared bedroom, you’d knew he was seeing someone else, but you didn’t expect that someone to be your own best friend, sofia.

you had followed the pogues to morocco after what groff had done to jj. you were willing to follow them to the ends of the earth, never leave a pogue behind, john b's words echo in your head.

you were sitting with sarah, rubbing her back while the rest of the group went to go get some food for her. rafe was mumbling incoherent sentences, something he always did while pissed off or annoyed, and you tried your best to ignore his complaints. "you okay?" you softly spoke up, sarah meekly nodded her head in response.

you hear the shout of multiple voices, turning around to see the rest of the group running towards you. you stood up, dumbfounded as the moroccan authorities chase your friends. already? one of them apprehends you, and you writhe at their grip. you plead to them, but its no use. you turn around, seeing rafe also getting held up. the rest of the pogues were nowhere to be found. as long as they got each other, they're safe.

after a quick interrogation, the authorities let you both go. you let out a huff, not only because you were falsely accused, but because you're now stuck with your ex-lover, in a foreign country.

"are you serious?" were the first words you'd tell him in a year. he pulled out a wad of cash and his passport from his belt bag. "that's like, hundreds of dollars, rafe! you could've fed your sister!" he turns to look at you, piercing blue eyes burning holes through your soul. "listen, my only job was to get you pogues to morocco. no more, no less. if you don't wanna get lost, you gotta follow me, I'm your best bet," "as if," you roll your eyes, "we're in the same boat—no pun intended—but, you are also in a different country," he pulls you into his chest with one arm, whispering in your ear, "yeah? but guess who has the money? guess who actually has defense skills. not you, huh?" he shoves you out of his arms, making you stumble backward. you scoff, following him through the crowded streets.

"you look nice," a slight smile dawned on his face as one of the store clerks helped you wrap your scarf around your hair. you both had changed into more neutral colored outfits to help blend in. "hold on" you see rafe turn to a stand that's selling phones. you impatiently tap your foot as he dials a couple of numbers in. you follow closely, wanting to find out who needed his attention so badly.

your heart clenched as you heard another female voice, quickly realizing that it was sofia. of course, why wouldn't he call his girlfriend? now, you distanced yourself from him, looking at the floor as you drag your feet along the dirt, getting your shoes dusty.

this day felt like years. after an extensive search for groff, you'd finally found him. you rode on the back of the motorcycle rafe stole, holding onto his waist. you couldn't help but have your mind flashback to your last motorcycle ride with him, still on kildare, on the way to courthouse to get marriage documents. his cologne hadn’t changed either. you remembered how his cologne lingered on every article of your clothing. you knew he’d been about it too from the way his body tensed up.

you shake your head, he probably does that with sofia now. you sniffle, hoping the sound of the engine would muffle it. rafe pulls off to the side of the road, stopping at a well. you use this time to regain your distance from him, stretching from the long ride. "is that it?" you point to the city down the cliff, squinting your eyes. groff looks at the map, nodding his head. you see the two men bent over the well, and you shuffle to see what they were looking at. "...good thing hollis and I paid off that girl...what was her name? sonya? oh, sofia!" you see rafe's face twist. you kneel down in front of the well, next to groff, "what are you talking about?" "its really none of your business," he retorted.

what happens next is a blur, groff pulls out a knife, attempting to stab rafe. rafe's reflexes work in record-time, but it was a horrible decision to try to help him at this moment. as groff attempts to defend himself, you feel the blade go into your stomach. you let out a sharp gasp, after seeing groff get shoved down the well, you collapse, rafe gracing your fall. "hey, hey, y/n, stay with me, please," his voice cracks as be sits you down on the side. he holds your wound, and you let out a painful groan. his eyes widen. he still calls out for help, desperation lacing his voice. "no one can hear you," you cough.

gentle hands hold your face, "rafe, you can't save me, I'm sorry," you feel a warmness fill your body. "no, no, I can, we can get you to a hospital! stay with me-" you cough again, louder this time, "no, its impossible," he curses under his breath, before shouting to the sky. he embraces you, your voice getting weaker by the second, "hey rafe? can you tell me about our best memories? like...during our relationship?" your voice was barely a whisper now.

he nods, voice barely steady as he begins to talk, "we had a lot of good memories, but my favorite was our last summer, where we were gonna get married in the fall. I shouldn't have cheated, I'm so sorry," he sobs onto your shoulder, "remember when all we did was go surfing? and I taught you how to ride those big swells 'cus you were too scared...and...how we were gonna move out of kildare after we got married? we were gonna move to colorado, live that white picket fence type of life," he bitterly chuckles, "I screwed up, I screwed us, and I'm so, so, sorry. If I could rewind time, just to feel your lips on mine again, just to hear you laugh, just to have you look at me with so much love, I would. I'd make sure you were never under this situation." your mind replayed all of those memories, and with shaky hands, you pull him in for one last kiss, pulling back to say your last words, “I never stopped loving you, rafe,” before letting your body finally succumb to your injury.

taglist - @nemesyaaa @julie123456897 @mfdoomdickrider @grxnde-dwt @littlelamy @rafeeekam @xcinnamonmalfoyx

[lousypotatoes]

Women Think I'm Tasty

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4

Reader has grey skin, and monarch butterfly wings, they can be any color that you want. This is reader's outfit and shoes. If you want something different, you're more than welcome to imagine something else!!

This chapter takes place during the pilot episode.

Song Recommendation:

Set Fire To The Rain - Adele

"Charlie? Are you okay?"

Charlie turned around and saw her aunt walking towards her, a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Y/N," Charlie said. "The extermination just has me thinking that's all.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Y/N said gently, grabbing onto Charlie's shoulders. "Your idea is amazing and its gonna work, I'm sure of it."

Charlie smiled. "Thanks Y/N,"

"That's what I'm here for, kiddo," Y/N smiled back. "Now c'mon, let's go back inside. It smells gross out here."

Y/N was sitting on the couch in the hotel, scrolling on her phone, reading about the latest extermination and the turf wars.

"This is all so fucking stupid," she muttered as she scrolled. "I hate the end of extermination day so fucking much."

"Y/N, are you coming?" said a voice.

Y/N looked up and saw her niece's girlfriend, Vaggie.

"What do you mean?" Y/N asked.

"We're going to the news station to try and get the hotel out there," Vaggie explained.

"Oh shit!" Y/N exclaimed, jumping off the couch. "I totally forgot that was today! Yeah, I'm coming, let me just get my shoes on."

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Charlie said.

"No, I want to," Y/N said as she put her boots on. "You're gonna need all the support you can get. Besides, I want this to happen almost as much as you do."

"Thanks Y/N," Charlie said hugging her aunt. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"The feeling is mutual," Y/N laughed, hugging Charlie back. "Now c'mon we don't wanna be late do we?"

"Good afternoon, I'm Katie Killjoy,"

"And I'm Tom Trench,"

Y/N sat on the couch in the dressing room, watching the news play on the T.V., her leg bouncing up and down nervously.

"Chaos out of Pentagram City today as the turf war is raging on the west side," Tom Trench said on the T.V. "Between notable king pin Sir Pentious and self-proclaimed spunky powerhouse, Cherri Bomb."

"That's right Tom," Katie Killjoy said. "After the recent extermination, many areas are now up for grabs."

The T.V showed footage of the fight between Sir Pentious and Cherri Bomb, the two of them throwing egg creatures and bombs at each other.

"Demons all over Hell are already duking it out to gain new territory," Katie said as the footage played.

"Those two seem to be really going at it, huh?" Tom said as the footage finished.

"It looks like they're fighting tooth and nail for that hot spot," Katie said, putting an actual tooth in her mouth and eating it.

'Gross,' Y/N thought, grimacing.

"And I'd sure like to nail her hot spot," Tom chuckled.

"You are a limp dick jackass, Tom. Or should I say..." Katie said, pouring hot coffee onto Tom's lap. "No dick."

Tom held his lap, trying to keep his sounds of pain down.

"Coming up next, we have an exclusive interview with the daughter of Hell's own head honcho," Katie said, ignoring Tom. "Who's here to discuss her brand-new passion project. All that and more after the break."

Y/N got up, walking over to Charlie and Vaggie.

"You remember what to say?" Vaggie asked as she finished fixing Charlie's bow tie.

Charlie took in a deep breath. "Yes! Let's do this!"

"Just look at me and I'll mouth it to you," Vaggie said, making Charlie frown.

"Come on Vaggie, I know what to say," Charlie groaned. "I just feel like we need to...I don't know, make things sound more exciting."

Charlie gasped. "Ohhhh what if I s-"

"Sing a song about it?" Y/N finished. "Charlie, sweetie, I love you and your ideas, but please for the love of Satan, please don't sing.

"Your aunt's right, this is serious." Vaggie said, grabbing onto Charlie's shoulders.

"Well you know, I'm better at expressing myself and my goals through song," Charlie said, climbing on the table.

"I know and you're great at it but," Y/N struggled to find the right words. "Life isn't a musical hun."

"Fine. But I have these other ideas of what to say," Charlie said, jumping up and down. "The highlighted bits are the best parts!"

Vaggie took the paper and read it, Y/N skimmed through it over Vaggie's shoulder.

"It's all highlighted," Vaggie said.

"Is that a drawing?" Y/N asked.

"Yes! That's the happy ending scene!" Charlie exclaimed, grabbing Vaggie's and Y/N's shoulders. "Everyone's smiling and happy in Heaven!"

"I don't think it's that simple," Vaggie said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Just please follow the talking points that the three of us went over."

"And do NOT sing!" Y/N said.

"Okayyy fine," Charlie groaned as an alarm bell went off, signaling that the commercial break was over. "I'll just have to result to my impeccable improv skills." she said, walking away.

Y/N looked over at Vaggie, who had a worried look on her face.

"Hey," Y/N said, putting her arm around Vaggie's shoulders. "She'll be fine, I know it."

"I hope so," Vaggie sighed.

Suddenly, the T.V. screen turned on. The two of them watched intently.

"Welcome back," Katie said, her neck cracking in an unnatural way. "So, Charlotte,"

"It's Charlie," Charlie said awkwardly.

"Whatever," Katie dismissed. "Tell us about this new passion project you've been insistently pestering our news station about!"

"How many times did Charlie call the new station?" Y/N asked.

"37 times," Vaggie muttered.

"37!? What!?"

"Well," Charlie said, looking around. She made eye contact with Vaggie and Y/N, and they urged her to go on.

"As most of you know, I was born here in Hell and growing up, I always tried to see the good in everything around me," she said, as Katie killed a bug, the bug's blood landing on Charlie's cheek. "Hell is my home and you are my people. We...we just went through another extermination. We lost so many souls, and it breaks my heart to see my people being slaughtered every year and no one is even given a chance!" she banged her fist on the table.

"I can't stand idly by while the place I live is subjected to such violence," she said, getting up and walking around.

Vaggie and Y/N looked at each other in concern.

"Soo, I've been thinking," Charlie said. "Isn't there a more humane way to endure overpopulation here in Hell? Perhaps we can create an alternative way to change souls through...redemption? Well, I think yes! So that's what this project aims to achieve!"

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, walking back over to the reporter's desk and sitting down. "I'm opening up a first of its kind! A hotel that rehabilitates sinners!"

It was quiet, people stared at her in confusion and shock.

"You know, 'cause hotels are for people passing through, temporarily," Charlie laughed awkwardly.

Y/N slapped her forehead. "She's getting killed out there," she muttered.

"I figure it would serve a purpose," Charlie said looking down. "A place to work towards redemption...yay!"

"Hah! Stupid bitch," the cameraman beside Y/N laughed. In one swift move, Y/N punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Serves you right asshole," she muttered.

"Look, every single one of you has something good deep down inside, I know you do." Charlie said sincerely. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she smirked. "Maybe I'm not getting through to you."

"Oh no," Vaggie and Y/N said at the same time.

~Happy Day In Hell song plays out (I'm too lazy to write out the whole thing)~

After Charlie was done singing her song, she was standing on the desk, breathing heavily.

"Wow," said a random demon. "That was shit."

Everybody started to laugh. Charlie's face started to fall.

Y/N looked around, wanting to punch everybody in there in the face for laughing.

"What in the nine circles makes you think a single citizen of Hell would give two shits about becoming a better person?" Katie laughed. "You have no proof that this little experiment even works! You want people to be good? Just because?"

"Well," Charlie said. "We have a patron already, who believes in our cause, and he's shown incredible progress!"

The crowd oohed.

"Oh?" Katie said. "And who might that be?"

"Don't say his name, don't say his name," Y/N said.

"Oh, just someone named Angel Dust,"

"The porn star?" Tom asked.

"You fucking mutt, Tom," Katie said, scratching the desk "In any case, That's not even an accomplishment. I'm sure you can get that hooker to do anything with enough sugar and lube."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Charlie leaned in closer to Katie. "He's been behaved, clean, and out of trouble for two weeks now."

Suddenly, Katie pushed Charlie off the desk. "We are receiving word that a new player has entered the ongoing turf war!" she said cheerfully. "Let's go to the live feed."

The footage showed Angel Dust stepping on the egg creatures and shooting guns

"Oh shit," Y/N muttered. "I swear, I'm gonna kick that spider's ass."

"It looks like the one who just joined the battle is none other than porn actor, Angel Dust!" Katie said. "What a juicy coincidence! You must feel really stupid right now."

Katie and Tom started to laugh. "Ratings!" The two of them said, doing jazz hands.

"Don't look at this!" Charlie said, trying to block out the green screen footage.

"Well, it sure looks like your little project is dead on arrival." Katie said. "Tell us, how does it feel to be such a total failure?" Katie started laughing

"That's it," Y/N said, walking towards the front, pushing the crowd out of the way.

"Yeah, well, how does it feel that I got your pen huh? Bitch!"

Katie stopped laughing.

Charlie laughed awkwardly, already knowing that she was in some deep shit. "Oops," she said, putting the pen back down.

Tom immediately ran, and Katie jumped on Charlie.

"Hey, cock sucker!" Y/N yelled, jumping onto Katie's back. "Get the FUCK off my niece!"

Using all the strength she could muster she kicked Katie as hard as she could, making Katie pull on her wings.

Charlie and Katie fought for a little while longer, with Y/N trying to pull Katie off her. Somehow, Tom Trench caught on fire. The four of them started screaming.

"I said get the FUCK off of her!" Y/N screamed, pulling Katie off and grabbing onto Charlie's hand. "Vaggie! C'mon! Let's go!"

"I swear I'm gonna fucking kill Angel!"

Y/N, Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel Dust sat in the limo.

Charlie was looking out the window, Angel was playing with window button, and Y/N and Vaggie were glaring at him.

"What?" Angel asked.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Y/N cried out. "What the fuck were you doing!?"

"I owed my girl buddy a solid," Angel said. "Isn't that a 'redeeming' quality? Helping friends with stuff."

"Not with turf wars that result in territorial genocide!" Vaggie yelled.

"You win some, you lose a few hundred," Angel laughed, putting his feet up on the seat. "It wasn't that bad anyway,"

He continued to play with the window button until Vaggie threw a knife at it, breaking it.

"Oh, come on! I had to!" he said. "My credibility was on the line! I mean, what kind of repuation would I have if people found out I was tryin' to go clean? It just throws out my entire persona."

"Your credibilty, are you serious?" Y/N asked. "What about the hotels? You made us look like a fucking joke!"

"No, no, no, babe," Angel said. "Jokes are funny. I made you look...uhh...sad. And pathetic! Like an orphan with no arms or legs...with progeria! Right, now I'm bummed thinkin' about it. This thing have any liquor?"

"Can you please just try to take this seriously?" Vaggie asked.

"Fine, I'll try, just don't get your taco in a twist, baby."

"Was that you trying to be sexist or racist?"

"Whatever pisses you off more," Angel said, looking for booze. "Is there seriously no liquor in here?"

"We should just kill him," Y/N said to Vaggie.

"Too late, toots," Angel said. "Wait, would that make me double dead? Where exactly do I go? To double hell?" Angel started laughing. "Sorry, you're stuck with me, bitches, get used to it."

Vaggie started muttering in Spanish.

"Listen, who cares is some jackoffs got hurt?" Angel said. "Most of them are ugly freaks. Look around, you got a bunch of Harley Quinn babies down here."

"You're one to talk," Y/N muttered, making sure Angel heard.

"Hey! This body is flawless. Everyone wants some of me, and I got the creepy fan letters to prove it."

"Ew, gross, put that fucking thing away," Y/N said, not wanting to look at the creepy fan letter any longer.

"That was really uncool, you know, Angel," Charlie said, finally speaking up.

"Uncool!?" Vaggie cried. "After that trainwreck there is no way anyone is gonna want to stay at the hotel! All thanks to you and your selfish bullshit!"

"Does that mean I don't have a free room anymore?"

It was quiet for a moment. Y/N debated whether she should kill him right then and there.

"Hey, come on, we don't know if things are over yet," Charlie said. "Y/N, Vaggie, try to relax, it'll be okay!"

Vaggie smiled softly when Charlie put her hand on her shoulder. It made Y/N happy knowing that Charlie found someone who cared about her just as much as she and Lucifer did.

Finally, the limo reached the hotel, the four of them getting out and walking into the hotel.

Y/N flopped down on the couch, Vaggie sat down next to her.

"It's probably a good idea to get some actual food in this place," Angel said, sucking on a popsicle. "You know, to feed all the wayward souls you got in here." Angel laughed.

Sensing that Charlie wasn't in the mood, Angel stopped laughing and walked away.

Y/N was sore and tired, she didn't even pay attention to when Charlie walked away. Right as she was about to doze off, Charlie ran into the room.

"Vaggie! Y/N!"

"What now?" Y/N groaned.

"The Radio Demon is at the door,"

"What!?" Vaggie and Y/N said.

"Uhh who?" Angel asked.

"What should I do?" Charlie asked.

"Okay, well, um, whatever you do, don't let him in!" Y/N said, standing up.

Charlie walked to the front door and opened it up.

"What did I just say?"

Vaggie got up and grabbed her spear, Y/N not far behind her.

"Stop right there!" Vaggie yelled, holding her spear to his throat. "I know your game, and I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone here you pompous, cheesy, talk show, shit lord!"

"Dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here," Alastor said, his mouth not moving. "I would have done so."

Y/N very slowly started to back up, not wanting to be close to the Radio Demon.

"Now, I'm here because I want to help!" Alastor said cheerfully.

"Umm excuse me?" Y/N asked, dumbfounded.

"Hello? Is this thing on?" Alastor asked, tapping his cane/microphone.

"No, no, I heard you loud and clear," Y/N said warily. "You want to help us?"

"Yes! I want to help with you with this ridiculous you're trying to do! This hotel!" Alastor said. "I want to help you run it."

"Uhhh why?" Charlie asked.

"Why does anyone do anything?" Alastor laughed. "Sheer, absolute boredom!"

Y/N suspiciously eyes him up and down.

"I've lacked inspiration for decades," Alastor said, pushing Vaggie. "My work became mundane, lacking focus, aimless! I've come to create a new form of entertainment!"

"Does getting into a fist fight with a reporter count as entertainment?" Charlie said awkwardly.

Alastor laughed. "It's the purest kind, my dear," he said. "Reality! Cruel passion! And after all, the world is a stage, and the stage, is a world of entertainment."

"So, does this mean you think it's possible to rehabilitate a demon?" Charlie asked hopefully but was cut off by Alastor laughing.

"Of course not!" he laughed. "That's wacky nonsense! Redemption, oh the non-existent humanity! No, no, no, no, I don't think there's anything left that can save such loathsome sinners," he said, looking over at Y/N, Vaggie, and Angel. "The chance given was the life they lived before, the punishment is this! There is no undoing what is done."

"Then why are you here, if you don't believe in our cause?" Y/N asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Consider is an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!" Alastor said, spinning Charlie. "I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment, only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure,"

Y/N stared at him with uneasiness.

"Right," Charlie said, removing herself from Alastor's grasp.

"Yes indeedy!" Alastor said, leading Charlie away. "I see big things coming our way, and who better to help you then..."

Y/N, Vaggie, and Angel stared at him as he walked off with Charlie.

"So, uh, what's the deal with smiles over there?" Angel asked.

"You've never heard of Alastor before?" Y/N asked. "You've been down here longer than me and Vaggie."

Angel shrugged his shoulders.

"The Radio Demon? One of the most powerful beings Hell has ever seen?" Y/N asked.

"Eh, not big on politics," Angel said, crossing his arms.

"Ugh, you explain, Vaggie," Y/N said. "I have a headache."

"Fine," Vaggie groaned, then cleared her throat. "Decades ago, Alastor manifested in Hell, seemingly overnight. He began to topple overlords who had been dominant for centuries. That kind of raw power had never been harnessed by a mortal soul before. Then, he broadcasted his carnage all throughout Hell, just so everyone could witness his ability. Sinners started calling him the Radio Demon, as lazy as that is. Many have speculated what unimaginable forces enabled him to rival our world's most ancient and destructive evils. But one thing's for sure, he's an unpredictable source of danger, a wicked spirit of mystery, and a violent monster of chaos, the likes of which we can't risk getting involved with unless we want to end up erased!" Vaggie finished.

"Are ya done?" Angel said. "He looks like a strawberry pimp!"

"Well, I don't trust him!" Vaggie said.

"To be fair," Angel said. "Do you trust any man?"

Y/N elbowed him in his ribcage, hard, as Vaggie got up and walked over to Charlie.

"Ow!" he said, rubbing his side. "That fucking hurt!"

"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't act like a self asorbed asshole then!"

"Says you, you uptight, prissy bitch!"

"At least I don't have to fuck greasy truckers to make some cash!"

"At least greasy truckers want to actually fuck me!"

"How is that an insult? That's just sad!"

The two of them continued to argue until Charlie started to speaking to Alastor, catching Y/N's attention.

"Okay, so, Al," she said. "You're sketchy as fuck and you clearly see what I'm trying to do here as a joke. But I don't. I think everyone deserves a chance to prove that they can be better, so I'm taking your offer to help, on the condition that there be no trickster, voodoo strings attached." she finished, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"So it's a deal then?" Alastor asked, holding out his hand.

Green light started to emit in the room, almost knocking Y/N, Vaggie and Angel over.

"Nope!" Charlie said. "No shaking, no deals, I....hmm...as princess of Hell and heir to the throne, I uh hearby order that you help out with this hotel, for as long as you desire.

It was quiet for a moment. Charlie looked over at Vaggie and Y/N, Vaggie looked to the side, a concerned look on her face. Y/N shrugged her shoulders.

"Sound fair?" Charlie asked.

"Hmm, fair enough,"

"Cool beans,"

Alastor hummed while he looked around, suddenly he grabbed Vaggie by the chin. "Smile my dear!" he said. "You know you're never fully dressed without one."

Alastor continued to walk around, humming.

"What's he doing?" Y/N whispered to Vaggie.

"No clue," she whispered back. "But whatever it is, I don't like it."

"So where is your hotel staff?" Alastor asked Charlie.

"Uhh well..." Charlie said, looking over at Vaggie and Y/N.

Alastor laughed. "You're going to need more than that,"

Behind Alastor's back, Y/N flipped him off.

"And what you can do my feminine fellow?" Alastor asked Angel.

"I can suck your dick!"

"Hah! No!"

"Your loss,"

"Well, this just won't do," Alastor said. "I supposed I can cash in a few favors to liven things up."

"Um, what do you mean by that?" Y/N asked, Alastor ignored her.

He snapped his fingers, and something appeared in the fireplace.

He walked over and picked it up. It was small and had soot all over it, whatever it was.

Suddenly, it's eye opened, staring at them all. Y/N backed up.

It moved and all the soot off of it was gone. It was a little demon, resembling a cockroach. She smiled at the four of them, her one eye looking around.

"This little darling is Niffty," Alastor said, dropping her.

"Hi! I'm Niffty!" she said, waving at them "It's been a while since I've made new friends! Why are you all women? Is there any men here!? I'm sorry, that's rude. Oh man, this place is filthy! This place really needs a lady's touch, which is weird because you're all ladies, no offense. Oh my gosh this is awful!" she said, running around, dusting.

The four of them stared at Niffty in confusion, and a little bit of fear.

Alastor snapped his fingers again and a grumpy looking cat hybrid appeared.

"What the fuck is this?" the cat asked.

"You!" he said, pointing at Alastor.

"Oh, Husker, my good friend, glad you could make it!" Alastor said.

'So that's his name,' Y/N thought. 'He's not that bad looking.'

"Don't you 'Husker' me you son of a bitch!" Husker said. "I was about to win the whole damn pot!"

"Good to see you too!"

"What the hell do you want with me this time?"

"My friend, I am doing some charity work, so I took it upon myself to volunteer your services, I hope that's okay!" Alastor said.

"Are you shittin' me?"

"Hmm, no I don't think so!" Alastor said cheerfully.

Husker pushed Alastor off of him. "You thought it would be some kind of big fucking riot just to pull me out of nowhere!?" he said. "You think I'm some kind of fucking clown!?"

"Maybe,"

"I ain't doing no fucking charity job," Husker said.

"Well, I figured you would be the perfect face to man the front desk of this fine establishment." Alastor said, pointing at the hotel bar. "With your charming smile and welcoming energy, this job was made for you. Don't worry my friend, I can make this more welcoming, if you wish," Alastor said, summoning a bottle of booze.

Husker stared at the bottle for a moment.

"What? You think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze!?" Husker said, grabbing the bottle. "Well you can," he said downing the bottle.

'An alchoholic, even better.' Y/N thought.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Vaggie said. "No bar! No alchohol! This is supposed to be a place that discourages sin, not some kind of brothel man cave!"

"Shut up!" Angel said, tackling Vaggie. "We are keeping this!" he said, pointing to Husker.

"Hey," he said, leaning on the bar.

"Go fuck yourself," Husk said

"Only if you watch me,"

Y/N pushed Angel out of the way. "Sorry about him, he's horny all the time, you get used to it after a while."

Husk looked her up and down, a small smile coming onto his face. Before he could say something, Charlie came and pushed herself in between them.

"Oh my gosh! Welcome to the Happy Hotel!" she exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "You are going to love it here!"

"I lost the ability to love years ago," he said, drinking more of the booze.

"So, what do you think?" Alastor asked.

"This is amazing!" Charlie said, a huge smile on her face.

"Not bad, I'll give you that," Y/N said, walking towards him.

"It's okay," Vaggie said.

Alastor laughed, pulling the three of them closer to him. "This is going to be very entertaining!"

Vaggie and Y/N removed themselves from his grasp, Y/N walked back to the bar.

~Alastor's song plays. I forgot the name of it~

Before Alastor could finish his song, there was an explosion outside, creating a hole in the wall. That piece of wall flew and hit Niffty.

Looking outside, Y/N saw the steampunk looking blimp that was on the news that day.

"Well, well, well, we meet yet again, Alasstor," Sir Pentious said.

"Do I know you?" Alastor asked.

Sir Pentious' face fell. "Oh yes you do, and this time I have the element of surprisse!"

A ray gun came out of the blimp, pointing at the seven of them.

"I'm so evil!" Sir Pentious laughed.

Suddenly, a portal opened up beneath the blimp, black tentacles came out of it, grabbing onto the blimp.

Y/N could hear Sir Pentious screaming.

Suddenly, the portal dissapered and the blimp exploded.

Everyone was looking at Alastor with a 'what the fuck' look on their faces.

"Well, I'm starved!" Alastor said. "Who wants some jambalaya! My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for jambalaya. In fact, it nearly killed her!"

"I hate my life," Y/N heard Husker mutter.

"Don't we all?" Y/N said as they walked back into the hotel. "I'm Y/N by the way, do you mind if I call you Husk instead of Husker? It takes less time to say."

Husker looked at her, confusion on his face, then that small smile cmae back onto his face.

"No, I wouldn't mind one bit, Isabell,"

sorry that there isn't more husk, he doesnt have a lot of screen time in the pilot 😭

i wanna try the mcrib from mcdonalds

this lovely banner was made by the lovely @al-of-the-stars

and also i wont be uploading the next chapter of singin in the rain fro a few days, cuz my amazon prime isnt working for some weird reason

also, y/n isn't charlie's bio aunt

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

Taglist 💃

@mysticwitchcraftco

@diffidentphantom

@wendigonamecaller

@barrythestrawberry041

@jx3-xd

[skilledmeowjesty]

Pairing: Rafayel x afab MC

Genre: smut

Rating: 18+

Word count: 2.6k

Tags: Dom!MC, Sub!Raf, Bottom!Raf, fingering, teasing, PEGGING

Content: Rafayel asks the MC to peg him with a strap he already owns

A/N: Shameless content of one of my biggest Kinks (pegging) featuring the Sub!iest man from L&DS (Rafayel) 🥰

I will be writing more pegging/sub content of these bachelors in the future (this is a threat)

‘come over when youre off work, i got something i wanna talk to you about’

‘its been over 10 min since your shift ended and youre not here yet 😒’

‘20 min now traffic cant be that baddd’

‘25 min and still no reply 🥺’

‘you cant even answer?? 💔’

‘are you ignoring me??? 😢’

‘Fine, ig ill just drown myself since you hate me sm 😭’

Rolling your eyes, you read over the text messages Rafayel had been spamming you with for the past half hour, unable to unlock your phone to reply to any during your meeting at work, leaving it to buzz every few seconds during the important debriefing at the Hunter's Association and earning a raised brown from your captain as you gave her an apologetic smile in response

‘I just got out of a meeting, I'll be there in 10’ you text back, knowing how dramatic Rafayel could get whenever he doesn't receive your constant attention

“Who you textinggggg?” Tara asks playfully as she peeks over your shoulder to see your screen, catching a quick look at the dozens of messages and emojis before you lock your phone and shove it back in your pocket, “is it your boyfriend?”

“I.. yeah” you answer with a slight blush, still getting used to the title, even though it has been well over a month since you and the Lemurian became official, “he wants me to swing by his place now that I'm off work”

“Is he the one that was blowing up your phone during the meeting? I thought Captain Jenna was gonna blow a gasket” Tara giggled

“He can get pretty impatient” you say in reply, swinging your leg over your motorcycle and readying to drive to Rafayel's loft to see what he wants, “so I better head out”

“Okay, have fun!” She waves with a suggestive wink, and with that, you drive off

_____

When you finally arrive to Rafayel's place, he doesn't greet you at the gate, so, you invite yourself in, having gotten his security code back when he first decided you were going to be his new bodyguard

Knowing the layout like the back of your hand, you easily find him in his bedroom, where the artist sits on his massive bed with his back turned to you, his arms crossed, and though you can't see his face, you just know his signature pout is on his lips

“So, you finally decide to show” he grumbles, and you can't help but roll your eyes again

“I told you, I was in a meeting” you sigh, stepping fully into the room, careful as you avoid stepping on any of the many loose half finished sketches scattered across the floor, pencils and other art supplies discarded this way and that, making moving as difficult as walking through a minefield

“You still should've at least replied”

“What did you want to talk about?” You ask, an attempt to change the subject before the artist spirals into more sulking

It seems to work, and he finally turns to face you, the colors in his surreal eyes swirling with emotions you find you can't exactly place

Excitement? Definitely, but, something more, vulnerability? Almost uncertainty, and you find yourself tilting your head as you wait for him to speak

“So,” he starts, before pausing, gnawing at his lower lip between his teeth, as if he's trying to find the words

“So..?” You reply, hoping to encourage him to continue, seeing how it seemed incredibly important with the amount of messages he has been spamming you with

“Well, you already know I'm Lemurian” he says, and you just nod with a quirked brow, not understanding where he was going with it

Another pause, a breath, “and since we're not human, we have a different…form.. in a few things..” he trails off again

“I know…?” again, you look at him with a baffled expression, still not following his train of thought

Rafayel stops again, and you fight the urge to grab him by the shoulders and shake the words out of him, growing as impatient as he was with you when he was spamming your inbox, not used to the man so hesitate in speaking whatever thing came to mind the second he thought of it

Rather than continue speaking, he reaches into his nightstand’s drawer, rumbling through it, a soft blush touching his face

“Raf, whatever you want to say, can you please just get on with-” your words cut off when he pulls out a rather LARGE and inhuman shaped silicone phallic toy, a harness quickly followed

You blink, staring for a few seconds at it while his eyes stay glued to your face, to your reaction

“What is that?” you finally ask

“A strap” he starts, the blush on his cheeks flushing more, overtaking his face, his ears turning a deep red, “it's modeled after Lemurians”

You stare at him in shock for a few seconds, before turning your attention back to the toy, the length, the size, the way it was shaped, curved up, a knot like bulge near the base, the head wide and vaguely resembling the end of a squid head, the edges riddled with groves like a tentacle, the massive toy looking otherworldly and definitely not what you'd have expected

“This.. is how Lemurians’,” you gesture down to his crotch, “look in merform?” You finish in disbelief, finally stepping towards him

He holds the toy out for you, though his eyes suddenly dart off to the side, refusing to meet your gaze as you take it to study

The size was much larger than anything you expected, the girth making it impossible to wrap your fingers around, taking two hands to fully hold it steady, turning it to and from, you look at it from all angles, still unable to fully grasp what Rafayel had said, that this was what his own length looked like in his Lemurian form, not seeing how it was POSSIBLE for something so large of that shape to enter ANYONE, Lemurian or otherwise

He hasn't said a thing, quiet as you inspect the dildo, but his blush has now traveled down his neck, the exposed parts of his chest visible from his unbuttoned shirt turning the same deep crimson his cheeks and ears held, as he once again shifted his eyes to stare at you, gauging your reaction

“You.. want me to use this on you?” You ask when the implications of what a ‘strap’ were came to mind, looking over at the simple black harness he had set next to him on the bed

Rafayel eagerly nods, staring at you like a puppy begging for a treat, his brows furrowing as he waits for your reply

“Would this even fi-”

“It will” he cuts you off mid word, his tone completely sure, as if he has no doubt, as realization dawns on you exactly why he must be so confident

The corner of your lip quirks into a half smirk, mischievous as you set the toy down next to him, your hand instead reaching to grab his chin, tilting his head up as you lean down from your place standing over his sitting form, bringing your lips closer to his own, breathing your next words out, “well, since you asked”

You waste no time kissing him then, half registering the shocked delight in his gaze as your arms move to snake around his shoulders and lean down, toppling you both over onto his expensive sheets

His hands immediately grip your hips as you straddle him, your fingers moving to quickly unbutton his shirt, undoing each one in a heist before yanking his top open and off

Your lips leave his to kiss up and down his neck, peppering the skin with soft pecks and light bites alike, and he moans, arching his back to into your hands when your fingers run over his chest, gently pinching at his hardening nipples before adding a bit more force

He's already panting under you after such a short amount of time; his hips lifting off the bed in a desperate attempt to grind into you, seeking friction, but lets out a whine when you put a stop to his rutting with a solid hand to hold him in place

“Hold still” you warn him, your hands shifting from how you held him to unbutton his pants, before yanking both them and his underwear down in one smooth motion, freeing his length that sprung out, the head smacking against his stomach and staining his skin with the precum already leaking out

You gather up a generous amount on the pads of your fingers, avoiding any real touch as you teasingly ignore his length to instead move past it, down, touching your slick digits against his entrance

He lets out a deep groan, and you feel it rumble from deep within his chest, his pale skin burning bright red, his hardened arousal twitching when you circle around, not putting any real pressure just yet

“Where's the lube?” you ask, purposefully pitching your voice into an innocent, if not slightly teasing tone, smirk on your lips as you look at him

He has thrown his head back, exposing his flushed neck, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows hard, his answer coming out in a choked whimper

“N-Nightstand drawer” he stutters, and you feel yourself clenching subconsciously at how utterly wrecked he looks, even though you have barely started

You reach your free hand out, blinding searching the open drawer before your fingers find the shape of the bottle

You pull it out, shifting where you straddled him to instead once again stand over him in between his legs

You push both his legs up against his chest which he shifts to hold up from the back of his knees, exposing his already fluttering hole, the smirk growing at the sight of him putting himself on full display for your eager gaze to sweep over

He still stubbornly refuses to look your way, but, you don't mind, enjoying the way his entire body was flushed deep red from his blush, the slight tremble in his limbs as you popped the cap of the lube bottle open, coating the fingers of your dominant hand

“Tell me if it hurts” you say, before gently press your index finger against him, easily pushing in, feeling very little resistance, immediately able to add your middle finger

He moans as you cant your fingers, brushing them over what you could immediately tell was his prostate, before pulling back, not wanting to overwhelm him as you scissor your fingers slightly to help stretch and loosen him, knowing it was important considering the size of the strap he wanted to use. Soon, you find yourself able to add a third, your ring finger, introducing it with another slight brush over his sweet spot to distract any discomfort he may feel as you stretch him more and more

His moans grow louder when you quicken the pace of your hand, fingers moving in and out of his waiting heat, canting, prodding, every once in a while brushing over where you knew he wants you to before once again ignoring it, half to avoid overstimulation, half teasing, feeling your own arousal damping your underwear, the sight of him completely falling apart under you turning you on more than you thought possible

“You seem pretty experienced in this” you tease, your pinkie joining in on the assault, causing his already arched back to arch more, taunt like a bow and you see his hands holding his legs up for you turning almost white with how hard he held his own limbs

“D-Don’t say it like that” he huffs, but the sound dissolves into a groan when your fingers once again prode against his prostate, cutting off any more words from him intentionally

Once you feel the muscles of his entrance completely loosen under your attentive movements, you move your hand back, and he lets out a whiny protest

You step back, grabbing the harness to easily put it on, deciding not to undress at all, excitement flooding through your veins at the power dynamic of it all, him, flushed and begging and nude on his back with his knees pressed to his chest on full display, and you, standing over him, still completely clothed as you attach the monstrous dick to the harness

As you coat the toy with a generous amount of lube, you see Rafayel releases his hold on one of his legs, hand moving to grasp his neglected length, but you quickly smack his hand away before he makes contact as you step closer once more

“No” you tell him, a mischievous glint in your eyes as, FINALLY, he looks back at you, the surreal color of his eyes overtaken by his blown out pupils, his lips parted as he pants, his chest heaving with each breath, and you can see the desperation in his gaze as he whines, yet again

“Whyyyyy” he pouts, furrowing his brows, but you ignored him in favor of lining the slick strap up to his waiting heat

“I control your pleasure” you breathe, and you see his eyes widen for a split second before you move, with solid hands on his hips, you pull him down onto the toy, pushing in in one smooth motion

He lets out a loud moan, louder than any you have ever heard from him before, which you immediately silence by crashing your mouth to his, swallowing the sound as you start to thrust

His legs wrap around your waist, his hands grasping desperately at the bedsheets, fingernails clawing into the fabric, his back arching further as pressing his chest against your own and you can feel his heart hammering away so quickly, so strongly

You angle each thrust, hitting where you KNOW his prostate is, overwhelming him into a desperate mess under you as he pulls his face away from your lips, turning his head to the side, his cries echoing off the walls, his legs trembling around your waist; you see tears start gathering in the corners of his eyes

He screams your name, over and over, louder and louder to the point you wonder vaguely if anyone else can hear him, even in his home so isolated from everyone else, he was being so loud

One of your hands leaves his hip to cover his mouth, cupping over his lips in an attempt to silence him

“Quiet, my lil conch shell” you breathe teasingly, and his eyes snap open, wide, the nickname proving to be his undoing

Reaching his limit, you feel his hot release spill out in between you two, his cum coating over your shirt and burning into the fabric, soaking it

You give a few extra thrusts, working him through his orgasm until his moans turn into pained groans from the overstimulation on his poor prostate

You finally pull back and out of him, leaving him a panting mess on the bed, his chest still heaving, his hips and legs trembling, his eyes completely glazed over, and you find yourself smirking at how completely fucked out he looks, just because of you

_____

It wasn't until later, when you're having some drinks with Tara, that you realize something

As she jokingly shows you a site she found while browsing the Internet for some new adult toys to spice up her bedroom, you see the very strap Rafayel said was modeled after Lemurians listed under “Monster Dragon”

You can't help but smirk when you ask Tara to send you a screencap to forward to your Lemurian lover

[666writingcafe]

Pride (Part One)

Everything should have gone according to plan. The House of Lords were going to use one of the businesses they sponsor--an ice cream shop--to hold a contest. Two of the lords in the Upper House rigged it so that MC would win the grand prize: a train trip for two to the Underworld. I would be their plus one so that I can ensure MC doesn't become trapped in the train or the Underworld, effectively foiling the Lords' devious plan and allowing MC to return to their rightful home.

The first time of trouble was that MC was accompanied to the ice cream shop by six of the brothers. Apparently, the contest had started a day earlier than I was led to believe. But it wasn't that big of a deal. All MC had to do was to tell them that they already had a plus one in mind, leading them to believe that it was Solomon. I mean, after the whole flood situation, the two of them certainly have a lot to discuss about the status of their relationship, which requires an extended period of uninterrupted private time.

But then fucking Lucifer had to butt his stupid butt in and insist that the second ticket would be his. I get that the demon puberty thing would strike him eventually, but did it have to be now?! I have just enough political power to protect MC from harm, but both them and Lucifer?! Forget it. He might as well have signed their death sentence.

After relaying the rather vicious argument the two of them had over the train tickets, MC asked me over the phone if I wouldn't mind buying my own.

"Are you sure you want him to join us?" I reply, causing them to sigh.

"I don't think I have much of a choice. Lucifer and I...we share a connection that I don't have with the others. Out of all the brothers' transformations, I figured his would affect me the most due to that connection."

"You know you acquiescing to him is going to feed his ego, right?" Another sigh.

"I know. But if I continue fighting him on this, then we're going to end up destroying something. As it is, the House was starting to shake at the height of our argument, and there's cracks on the walls that weren't there previously." A brief pause. "At least if you're there on the train with us, you can control the severity of our bickering."

"I suppose that's true. I do expect to be compensated accordingly for my services. Just listening to you recount your argument is making my head throb. I'd hate to imagine what it would feel like when I'm smack dab in the middle of it."

"A shopping spree for your brother?" Another pause. "Diavolo told me what happened to him at his school, and I wanted to help lift his spirits. Of course, I can get you something too--"

"Don't worry about it. I accept your offer."

~~~

Famous last words.

It started before we even boarded the train. Lucifer took one look at MC's suitcase and told them that they "needn't worry about bringing it" because he'd "already packed everything for them".

"I even included two outfits that are appropriate attire for tonight's dinner," he continues, ignoring MC's seething. "I prefer the blue one, but I think the color of the other outfit is closer to what you usually like to wear."

"I think I'm more than capable of dressing myself, Lucifer."

"For casual events, perhaps. But this is a train that Devildom nobles often use to go on holidays, since it's known for providing a luxury experience to its customers. Trust me; the clothes I've prepared for you are perfect for this occasion."

"Speaking as a Devildom noble, I think your attendant has dressed appropriately for similar occasions," I chime in. "They've certainly never looked under-dressed, so if they feel like their clothes would work, then I trust their judgement." I don't know whose facial expression is scarier: MC's smug one or Lucifer's irritated one. Or is it the fact that, despite the different expressions, they look eerily similar? Of course, that could be that mental connection that MC mentioned at work somehow.

Things are relatively calm as we board the train, and there are no further mishaps until dinner. I place my order with little issue, but the moment MC goes to open their mouth, Lucifer states,

"We'll both have this dinner here, with the bicorn tenderloin roti as our main course. We'll take our appetizer garnished with blood sauce. Also, a bottle of Talouse vintage 666 Demonus, and two glasses if you would." I don't have to look at MC to know they're wanting to reach across the table and strangle Lucifer. Thankfully, our waiter catches the change in MC's mood and preemptively allows them more time to look over the menu while he leaves to submit mine and Lucifer's orders.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I hiss at Lucifer.

"Making sure mistakes aren't made," he replies nonchalantly. "What I've chosen will appeal to MC."

"And what makes you so sure about that?"

"I know them, inside and out. So, there's no need to worry. I have everything under control." I take a deep breath, trying my best to keep my voice level. I will not be making a scene in this dining car.

"Listen, Lucifer, perhaps this part of etiquette has slipped through the cracks of what you've been taught, but unless someone makes it explicitly clear that they're okay with it, you never order food for another adult person. It takes away their dignity and tells them that you don't value their opinion."

"Is that how you really feel about me, Lucifer?" MC chimes in. "Do you not think that I'm capable of making my own decisions?" If looks could kill, both Lucifer and MC would be dead right about now, because they're staring daggers into each other's eyes. Unfortunately for us, that's when the waiter returns to check in on MC.

"Are we still deciding what to get?" he asks. MC forces a smile on their face as they reply,

"I do, actually." As they place their order, Lucifer mutters under his breath that they won't like their food for various reasons, whether it's that it'd be too spicy or too tough to chew. The waiter notices this and waves his hand in Lucifer's direction. The next time he opens his mouth to speak, no sound comes out.

"A little spell I've learned," the waiter explains. "You have no idea the amount of people that behave like that. I'll lift it once your friend here has finished ordering." The smug look on MC's face returns as they place the rest of their order, and I quietly tell the waiter to bring me a bottle of Demonus.

This is going to be a long train ride.

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr, @tenkobitch, @budbuddnbuddy

[obsidianimagines]

Just Like Old Times

Sam surprises you with a visit to the newly restored Flynn's Arcade.

Sam Flynn x gn!Bradley!reader

Warnings: None

Notes: This is my first Sam imagine. It's connected to some other imagines that are coming up, I just wanted to do this one first because it's cute. Reader is Alan and Lora's kid, but could easily be adopted if that works better for you! Enjoy ☺️

"You busy tonight?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Looking up at the home screen of your Wii, you smirked. "I've got a date with a little Italian plumber."

Sam chuckled from the other end of the phone. "Can Princess Peach wait a little longer to be rescued?"

"I don't know," you sighed, already shutting off the system and your television. "What do you have in mind?"

"Still got your helmet?"

Back when the two of you were still dating, and even before that, Sam used to take you out on his Ducati all the time. He'd gotten you your own helmet because even though he drove much more cautiously with you on the back, he still wanted you to be as safe as possible. "I think it's around here somewhere," you replied, trying not to betray that you still knew exactly where it was.

"See you in ten minutes." His motorcycle revved loudly before he hung up the phone.

Grinning, you jumped up from the couch and rushed to your closet to search for something other than the sweatpants and loose shirt you'd been wearing since you got home. Since you didn't have much time, you settled on a t-shirt and jeans look, and a hoodie on top to protect you from the wind. It wasn't like it was a date, so casual was just fine.

You took a minute to dig the old helmet out of the back of the closet, and you smiled at the sight of it. Sam had it painted in your favorite color, with a golden Triforce on the back. It brought back a lot of good memories.

With only a few minutes left, you fixed yourself up in the bathroom mirror and finally left to meet Sam.

You noticed him the moment you stepped out of the entrance to your apartment building. He sat on his bike, helmet off and resting in front of him. You tried to ignore the striking blue of his eyes and how the glow of the street lights played on his dirty blond hair.

Sam smiled when he saw you approaching. "You look great."

"I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?" you asked as you took the spot behind him, avoiding the compliment.

"Don't worry, I only just got here." He put his helmet back on, and you did the same for the first time in years.

You wrapped your arms around his middle, instantly feeling right at home. This was getting a little too dangerous already. "Gonna tell me where we're going?"

"You'll see."

Sam started the bike back up and took off, smirking as he felt you hold on a little tighter. Riding with you was one of the many things that he'd missed. He remembered the first time he'd taken you out for a ride, back when you were both 15. Alan wasn't happy about it afterward, but your father's protests didn't keep you from regularly ending up on the back of his bike.

You rested your head against his back and closed your eyes, feeling the rushing wind and the rumble of the street beneath you. If anyone else were driving that motorcycle, you would've avoided it like the plague. But you trusted Sam with your safety, and with your life. There was no question about it.

Remembering that made it that much harder to stick to the idea of starting over again as friends. Spending more and more time with him had you craving it all, even though he'd broken your heart when he ended your relationship. Circumstances were much different than before, but you didn't want to jump into things. You wanted to take it slow for as long as you could manage, and thankfully, Sam had understood that.

You weren't sure exactly how much time had passed when Sam finally came to a stop and turned off the engine. "Here we are."

Pulling your helmet off, your eyes went right to the huge glowing sign that read FLYNN'S. You hadn't seen it lit up since you were six. Even the Tron billboard up top looked exactly the same, not faded and worn. "Whoa."

"You should see the inside," he said, taking off his helmet and standing up, placing it on the seat. "Come on."

You followed his lead, watching as he unlocked the door and opened it up to let you inside. The place was almost pitch black as you stepped in, the outlines of some of the arcade cabinets barely visible. "I can't see much of anything like this."

Sam walked further into the arcade. "Wait there."

Shoving your hands into your hoodie pocket, you did just as he said, and moments later, heard the flipping of a few switches.

After 20 years of abandonment, you'd expected the place to look dilapidated, covered in a thick layer of dust. But no, once everything turned on, Flynn's looked just the way it had in 1989. Neon signs on the walls, the arcade cabinets flashing with idle animations, and the jukebox blasting pure 80's nostalgia. Tears pricked at your eyes, and you couldn't help the huge grin on your face.

For a moment, you were six years old again.

Sam smiled as he watched you take the place in, the awe on your face making him feel even more pride. It'd been a long time since he'd seen you so happy.

He came to stand beside you, only adding to that feeling of nostalgia. "I hired some people to clean the place up and get the cabinets in working order. Grand opening's in about two weeks."

"Dad said you mentioned doing something with the arcade, but I wasn't expecting this."

Passing by the neglected arcade had always stung a bit. There were so many days where your parents would bring you and Jet by, and you and Sam would play games with his father. Then Kevin Flynn disappeared, and the place was shuttered, remaining only in your memories until that night.

"It just felt like the right thing to do." Like taking back ENCOM and actually doing something with his life. Like reconnecting with you.

"How many hours do you think we spent trying to beat your dad's high scores?"

Sam glimpsed the leaderboard on a nearby cabinet, his father's initials still firmly at the top. "Nowhere near enough."

You walked further into the arcade, Sam trailing behind. "So did you bring quarters, or are you just being a tease?"

"Me? A tease? Never."

A loud laugh left you as you made your way over to Space Paranoids, and Sam headed off to fetch the coins he'd prepared. You fiddled with the buttons, getting a bit of a feel for it again. You'd played some arcade games off and on in the last two decades, but Space Paranoids was not one of them. Hopefully, you weren't too rusty.

Sam returned, holding a cup full to the brim with quarters. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" You slid one coin into the machine and got into position.

Sam's heart grew warmer as he watched you play. You'd always been at your most adorable when you were singularly focused, your eyebrows furrowed and tongue poking out from between your lips. It took everything he had not to kiss you right then and there.

"Come on, come on, come on," you mumbled, shooting at the Recognizer. This was the last stretch, and while you surely wouldn't beat Flynn's score, you still wanted to do your best and show off a bit. Once the final enemy was destroyed, you didn't quite make it on the leaderboard, but to be fair, you did have some stiff competition.

You moved back from the cabinet and nodded towards it. "Your turn."

"No, thanks. This one's a bit too real for me now."

Sam had told you about 'The Grid' and how he'd found his dad and Quorra there. Apparently, Kevin Flynn had succeeded in his dream of a digital frontier and ended up trapped there, in a world much like the Tron game in the back of the arcade. He'd told Sam stories about it as a kid–which Sam had relayed back to you a few times–but they were just stories, right?

You bumped your shoulder into his playfully. "I think you're just scared you won't do as well as I did."

And though you'd met and already adored Quorra, the idea of her being a program living in the real world seemed completely impossible.

Part of you wondered if Sam might have been concussed while base jumping off ENCOM Tower, or maybe just had a bad acid trip or something. But whether or not an adventure on The Grid really did happen, you were just glad that it triggered something in him. Everyone who knew him could see how much better he was doing already.

He would be the first to admit that you were better at most video games than he was, given that you continued to play them regularly into your teens and adulthood, but he stepped into the open space anyway. "Alright, I'll give it a try," he said with a laugh, putting a quarter into the machine.

"Don't forget, it's all in the wrist."

"Man, that was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Happy to help." Sam smiled, his arm casually resting over the back of your seat. After playing every game in the arcade, the two of you had decided to hang out in his dad's old office for a while. And he might have had an ulterior motive in getting you away from the loud music downstairs. "Not to ruin the mood, but I wanted to talk to you about something while we're here."

You placed your drink on the coffee table. "Uh oh. Should I be worried?"

"It's not bad, I promise." Sam ran a hand back through his hair, almost nervous. Would this be too much too fast? "Alan told me that you tried pitching a new games division a while back."

You'd talked about it off and on for years, but he'd had no idea that you'd actually brought it to the board until he began looking into more ways to change ENCOM for the better. Among other ideas proposed by employees, your father had informed Sam of yours, and he knew that it hadn't gone well.

"Oh, that?" There was a tinge of sadness that you couldn't hide from him, even though you tried to act nonchalant. "They practically laughed me out of the meeting. Told me that ENCOM Games went out the window a long time ago."

"Well, the new CEO happens to think it's a great idea." You could see the serious glint in his eyes as he continued. "I want you to be the head of game development for ENCOM."

In spite of the sincerity in his expression and tone, you laughed. "What?"

"We both know that operating systems aren't your passion. You got into programming to make games."

"Yeah, but I thought you were focusing on medical technology and research." He'd told you about ISOs, and how Quorra was one herself. How her DNA could change the world.

"ENCOM's a big company." Sam put his arm around your shoulder and gestured his other hand out in front of the two of you. "Come on, just picture it. An office that's not the size of a closet, with a great view of Center City. The power to make the games you've always wanted without having to answer to anyone. Except for me, technically, but I trust you completely."

Over the years, you'd showed Sam so many ideas and sketches for games that you wanted to make some day. Some fully fleshed out, others just interesting bits and pieces that you could expand on later. You had notebooks full of them, but you hadn't looked at any since the board shot you down. Sam knew better than anyone how much it all meant to you.

"I got on at ENCOM because I hoped things would eventually go back to how they were before. Over the years, it became more and more apparent that it wasn't happening. Then my pitch went to hell, and I gave up. I decided it was time to go and do what I've always wanted. But I was wrong. You're finally making ENCOM better, and I'd like to help you do it."

Sam needed all the help he could get, and he knew it. Thankfully, he had people he could trust. "We'll get you moved into your new office tomorrow."

He already had an office, which meant he must have already had space reserved for a new department, which meant..."You just assumed I'd say yes?"

"More like hoped."

"You almost missed your chance, you know. I was so close to being hired by Nintendo."

The idea that you were planning to leave Center City, especially now that you were in his life again, made his stomach drop. But if anyone deserved the chance to follow their dreams, it was you. He couldn't blame you for having written off a future at ENCOM. "...They would've been lucky to have you."

"I know," you replied with a shrug. "But now you're the one who's lucky to have me."

"That's old news."

Sam's bright blue eyes bore into yours, and you found yourself leaning in just a bit. His arm still rested around your shoulders, his fingertips brushing your arm and making your skin tingle even through the fabric. You glanced at his lips for a moment, and he started to move in to meet you. You could still remember the feeling of his mouth on yours as he held you impossibly close, making your heart pound in your chest every time.

The thumping drums of Separate Ways started up in the arcade, and you managed to break out of the spell. "We still had some quarters, right? We should go use them up."

Sam let out a breathy chuckle. "Yeah, that's a good idea." He would've been more than happy to stay up on that couch kissing you, but you obviously weren't ready for that, and he would never push it.

So, he gladly went back downstairs and played more games with you, just like old times.

[heywriters]

how to make a tumblr post (and get notes!)

Have never seen any post discuss these exact things, so i'm sharing my insights with y'all*

Use images. They don't have to be good or spectacular like this extremely coherent thing I just made. They just need to catch the eye break up dashboard monotony.

The gif search feature is an unreliable wild card at best and a NSFW eye gouge at worst, but it gives credit to the op of the gif

If you're an artist your whole post is your images, so skip to the links and tags section of this post because the rest won't help much.

-> Image Descriptions

When making a post that contains images, hover over an image and click the meatballs icon in the lower right corner of the image. Click "update description" to add a description. It isn't always necessary, but it is very courteous for a variety of accessibility reasons.

-> Text

Break up your text. Run-on sentences are standard here, lack of punctuation too, you can really do whatever you want, but avoid massive blocks of text. unless you've got a really incendiary opening line and the entire center of that granite chunk of text is actually comedy gold, hard-hitting tumblr journalism, or one of those zany confessional posts that can be followed up by the drive thru meme

break up

your text.

and go light on the ALL CAPS. save it for emphasis or when you're feeling very unhinged or saRcAStiC y'know how that goes, i don't need to explain it. this site has a very dry tone to its posts so caps are rare. also periods

Bullet points and numbered posts are good and fine. The "Chat" post option is used less often these days, but different groups found uses for it so it sticks around.

Titles Matter

they help break up text and put people at ease. they are best for informative, mature posts but can make you look like a square in more relaxed conversations. sometimes they are also great for emphasis in a comedic sh*tpost (censorship is entirely up to you, btw. you don't have to censor much on tumblr except titties and genitals).

Tumblr automatically shortens long posts now, but etiquette asks that you tag #long post if you want to avoid clogging up someone's dash. It don't matter too much though, this is the "color of the sky" site, so get used to posts being too long

That being said "READ MORE" is a fantastic feature. Use it when you want some level of privacy like "hey, only click below if you want to hear about my problems" or "click below to read my 18+ fanfic." Read more is also great in case you want to delete something forever. If a reblogged post has a read more, but op deleted the og post, that content is gone (readmore has to be on the og post at time of posting for this to work, btw; edits to og post do not span all reblogs)

the other bells and whistles like colored font or italics are helpful in improving text, but we don't really rely on them. every mode of looking at this site alters those aspects somehow so we often ignore them

-> Links

Hint: People don't want to click links. We don't know where they're taking us. Most of us are on our phone and don't want to open another tab or leave the app to go on the browser. We're cozy here on Tumblr and do not wish to be whisked away (unless it's a rickroll)

Don't leave the link thumbnail to do all the work, like so

add a little sneak peak info, maybe your favorite line from the article or a reason why it's important for people to know the info on the other side of that link. Sell it!

When you're adding a link into a list, i.e. no large thumbnail just a line of text leading you to another site, try not to copy/paste the link as is

"https://......"

No one wants to click on that it's gross and scary. It's screams "meh, i'll click later if i feel like it." If the build up to the link is too good to resist ("if you want to save the orphaned puppies here's the link") then that http mess is sufficient.

Otherwise, dress your links up a little by including the title or a description of what the link goes to:

Or, if it's an informal post where you're just popping info in to back up whatever insane thing you just said, just write something like "link here" or "(x)" and hyperlink it.

-> Tags

artists, writers, and other creators: leave a tag on your creative content that makes it easy for blog visitors to see it all at once. e.g. "My work" and we click on that while on your blog and see only your works

You can have up to thirty tags on any post. All will make your post show up in searches and followed tags (it used to be only the first five tags that got you traction). However,

Please. Do not tag everything you can possibly imagine being relevant to your post because

It's called tag spam and it's against TOS

Everyone here hates that

No one is going to check all those tags ever. Someone might search one five years from now and accidentally find your post hanging out in the ether and they'll still ignore it.

Your imagination is wicked tiny because I guarantee the perfect tag is going to be something indecipherable and seemingly niche.

Follow popular tags (or at least be aware of them)

If yours is an off-the-cuff post and you don't have time to find out what a niche group is into then wing it, sure, idc. this is also the shitposting site do whatever you want

Don't put your hate in the fan tags. This is the unapologetically-like-dumb-things site and your negativity is not wanted. You can still complain, just avoid tagging to get the attention of the fans of whatever you're complaining about. That enables pvp and even nonfans will know you deserve the backlash

-> Audio & Video

clickable by nature because we all love noise and moving images so there's no special way to share posts like this. just post them with good tags and maybe a one-liner, and they'll sell themselves

Tip: it's nice to add descriptions to these too but it isn't common

Protip: if the audio is the best part of the video (e.g. a baby burps REALLY loudly and it's hilarious) please caption or tag "Unmute!"

-> mkay bye

that's all i can think of right now. will update later if i remember something

---

*this is year eleven of my time on tumbles and i studied marketing in college for like six of those years and have been applying that bupkis to tumblr ever since. every post i see that gets no traction and every lovely artist that goes nowhere on here bothers me so deeply and i sincerely want y'all to succeed <3 <3

+ If you find this helpful and want to support my blog, I have a ko-fi!

+ If you're concerned about my mental health from being on Tumblr so long and want to contribute to my "get better" fund, I have a ko-fi!

[i-heart-yellowstone]

41 - The Search for Faith Dutton

Part 42

Raised Fair Share of Hell

Please leave thoughts and comments below ❤️

Oil House 

Ainsley and her father Tommy were sitting on the couch staring at her computer before he got a call from his work and started his long day.  They had been working on their plan the second he had gotten home after dropping his son and girlfriend off at the man-camp.   

Tommy scanned his eyes over the computer screen pointing to the note that dealt with the Rodeo.  “When was she competing in the rodeo?” 

“It looks to be when she was high school age.  She won a few medals and even appeared on TV to do an interview.  Look here.” His daughter spun the computer more towards her father, hitting play on the YouTube video. 

The person doing the interview asked.  “So why do you do Rodeo, Ms. Dutton?” 

“I do it because it's fun.  Most people may think I do this for the awards but it's not true.  I don't really care if they think I'm the Rodeo Queen.” The girl in question appears to be 16 or 17 years old.  Hair in pigtails and a tan cowgirl hat on her head with a grin on her lips. 

Someone knocked on the front door causing the pair to pause their search looking at one another.  “Were you expecting someone?” 

“No, you?” Ainsley shook her head no. 

Her father ignored it and went back to tapping on the computer flipping through pictures of Faith posting with horses and some with a few other kids.  “Who are these people?  Friends or something?” The picture he clicked on was her standing with one boy and one shorter girl and a clear landscape of green and blue sky behind them. 

His daughter paused pointing her finger to the shorter girl wearing a cowgirl hat too big for her head it looked t9 be falling off.  “I'm guessing it's a younger sister.”  The little girl looks very close to Faith, but she has bright blonde hair and brown eyes. 

“And the boy?” Tommy asked. 

She shrugged her shoulders.  “Ex boyfriend maybe.” The boy had slightly darker brown hair than Faith but they had different eye color. 

“Why don't her parents have her boyfriend's phone number?” They heard a female voice ask outside the window.  You couldn't see inside because they had closed all the blinds. 

A male voice responds.  “Hell if I know why they don't.  I just got a call saying I need to check on her.  Are you sure this is the right address?’ 

“Yes.  I remember her saying the name Tommy when she left our room.  Plus she'd never cheat on Cooper.” 

Ainsley spun around on the couch carefully peeking through the curtains seeing a girl and an older looking cowboy standing at their front door.  “Daddy, there's strangers on our porch.  What do we do?” 

“Hide your computer in the bedroom and hide behind the kitchen counter.  I'll handle them.” She followed her father’s instructions quietly going up the stairs and coming back down and hiding but peeking around where she could see the interaction when he opens the front door.  “Can I help you two  - argh - fuck!” 

Tommy got shoved against the nearest wall by Travis who bared his teeth demanding answers from the oil man.  “Where is she?  Tell me where she is!” 

“Daddy!” Ainsley cried out from her hiding place. 

Caroline slowly walked into the rental house standing beside Travis giving a sad look.  “I'm sorry, Mr. Norris.  We're just looking for my roommate.” 

“Who’s your roommate?” Tommy coughed attempting to push one of the hands off his throat. 

“Faith Dutton.” Caroline replied. “Can you tell us where she is, please?” 

“You better not be holding her hostage here, asshole!” Travis snapped back at him. 

Ainsley rose from her hiding spot with tearful eyes.  “Please don’t hurt my daddy.  Daddy, tell them where you dropped my brother off.” 

“We just wanna make sure she's safe, Mr. Norris.” Caroline softly spoke. 

Tommy pushed on Travis's harsh grip, coughing out his answer in breaths. “They’re  - at the - mancamp.  Oh god -” 

“Take us there.” Travis released his grip and the old oil man collapsed onto the floor of his home trying to catch his breath. 

Tommy slowly got up from the floor and his daughter rushed over helping him stand since he didn’t have good balance.  “Fine but my daughter comes with me - fucking cowboy.” Travis nodded walking outside to his truck. 

“Sorry, I didn't know he was going to do that.” Caroline apologies following the cowboy and the pair outside to their trucks to go see her roommate. 

Dutton ranch  - Alissa’s pov 

It was nightfall on the ranch and we still hadn't heard anything from Travis on whether our daughter was safe or not.  My mother and sister had come over from work hearing the news from John.  John was standing in front of the fireplace with one hand resting on the stone, staring into the flames.  “Do we have any news from Travis on my granddaughter?” 

“No.  Kayce called him at 8am and it's almost 9 o'clock now.” 

“Now you know the stress you put on your father and I before you got pregnant.” My mother scoffed under her breath sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. 

Whipping my head around I gasped standing near my father in law. “What did you say?” 

“I said now you know how we felt in your teenage years.” She responded back, tapping the side of her cup with her freehand.  “When you were 13 until 17 your father and I never knew what kind of trouble you were in.  We only knew you were likely with Kayce and your other friends.  And now the same thing is happening with my granddaughter Faith.  It's somewhat ironic to me.” 

“Wow, mom.  Thank you for that information that just scare the crap out of me even more.” Spinning on my feet I harshly paced back and forth in front of the couch, feeling a tightness in my chest growing. 

My mother gave me a weak look.  “Alissa, I was just trying to lighten the mood.  She could be perfectly fine like you always were.” 

“Or she could be in serious trouble, mom!” 

Alana calmly entered the conversation.  “Lissa, if I know my niece.  She's resilient just like her mother.” 

“You know what, I can't talk about this right now.” I stomped across the door, throwing the door open and slammed it shut behind me.  Standing near the porch railing I bent my head down laying my head in my hands crying for a good minute until I heard someone call my name softly behind me. 

“Alissa.  Are you okay, darling?” 

Barely lifting my head up from my hands I whisper out the person's name.  “Kayce?” 

“Come here, homey.” He rubbed my back, taking my hand in his leading me over to the porch swing.  Together we sat down on the wooden swings and he wrapped his arms around my shaking form. 

Burying my face against his chest I stained his shirt with tears. “What if she's hurt or worse.” 

“We can’t think that way, Lissa Rae.” He spoke into the air. 

Looking up into his eyes I croaked.  “How are you so calm right now?” 

“I already had my freak out.  If your mother asks, a raccoon threw her gravel driveway to hell, not my truck.” 

I chuckled at the image laying my head back on his chest and he kissed my forehead.  “The first time Faith looked like your younger twin was when she rode a horse by herself.  Do you remember that?” 

“I'll never forget it.” Kayce responded and I weakly smiled at the memory. 

It was a cloudy day on the ranch but that didn't damper our daughter's excitement.  Today she would be getting her own horse to ride when she turned 13 years old.  “I’m so excited, mama.” She bound up and down walking beside me. 

“I can tell sweetie.” I grinned down at her seeing her father lead the light brown horse down from the horse trailer that was near the fence area.  “Hopefully she’ll be a good horse for her.  Don’t you think, Kayce?” 

Faith slowly walked towards the horse that made a noise until her father stopped petting the side of its head.  “How do I get up on her, grandpa?” 

John came up behind her offering out his hand that was extended for me with a wooden box sitting beside my horse since she wasn’t as tall.  “Just put your right foot in the strup and swing your leg over the other side of the saddle.” He explained seeing her lift her body up onto the horse and swung her left leg over the saddle, shifting until she felt comfortable on it. 

Petting her horse's nose I smiled up at my firstborn sitting on her horse.  She tipped her cowgirl hat up slightly so we could see her face better.  “How do I look, mama?” 

“Like a natural, babygirl.” I grinned and the two men with me mirroring the same expression as I did. 

“Don’t bounce against the horse.  All right.” Her father raised his freehand in the air bringing his hand down while he explained. “When the horse bounces up, let it stand you in the stirrups.  And when it comes down, sit back in the saddle.” 

“Be careful and don’t stay out too late.” I called out to her when she gently tugged the reins and walked to the open gate.  John, Kayce and I watched her ride off into the green fields, howling up to the sky with such innocence in her voice. 

Tag list @bvbwestfall @hcwthewestwaswcn @child-of-of-the-sunshine @elenavampire21 @keep-the-wolves-close @kmc1989 @tallrock35 @whatelsecouldgowrong @lover-of-books-and-tea

[mylittlediarys-stuff]

Bite Back!

Link to part 2- https://www.tumblr.com/mylittlediarys-stuff/736028843342807040/bite-back-part-2?source=share

Okay, let’s do this for the first time.

My name is Amara Wanye. I'm 15 and for three wonderful days, I have been the one and only spider person. So, as you can imagine, I don't have an official hero name yet.

But to understand my story, we need to go back three weeks.

“Okay class, for today's tour of S.T.A.R. labs make sure you stay with your groups.” the teacher announced.

S.T.A.R. labs were one of the many things Amara loved, as she knew almost everything there was to know about S.T.A.R. labs. However, there was one thing she really wanted to do; visit the Arachnida lab thing they had here. According to the 5-hour-long research she did the previous night, the laboratory had a whole lot of recent developments- chiefly deciding to study spiders- even making artificial ones.

I wonder if they made-

“Amara!” She was broken from her thoughts by yelling her name.

“We're leaving to start the tour.” A student announced.

“Oh, thank you.” She felt a bit embarrassed as her whole group stared at her, waiting for her to catch up.

Once the tour began she had to stop herself from asking too many questions. In the beginning, she asked questions about every detail and she could tell her classmates didn’t want to hear her voice all day so she toned it down.

She took many photos that she thought would run out of storage.

“Next up is our new Arachnida department,” The tour guide opened up these big brown browns to reach the department and it was beautiful in Amara's eyes. The smell of this department was different from all the others, it gave it a more relaxed and happy vibe. It also has pops of green everywhere. “This department also works with Oscorp Labs.”

“Why are the lab stations green?” A random student asked.

“I was just getting to that, you can notice that most of the testing areas are green due to the fact that it’s one of their favorite colors.”

It’s amazing even the light here has a different hue!

“You guys have five minutes to explore the lab and take photos before we group up to discuss the lab in more detail.” Amara took off the moment she heard “explore the lab”.

If I ignore my fear that the spider will bite me and I die, they look so cool.

She looked over to the tarantulas, they were kinda big but looked oddly soft. She didn’t want to get too close but close enough to take good photos. As she got out her phone to take a photo she felt a pinch on her neck. Almost like something just bit her.

“What the'' She slapped her neck. Just to find some brown dead thing on her hand, probably a bug.

Is this a bug? In a room of spiders O MY GOSH DID A SPIDER BIT ME!

“Miss, are you okay?” The tour guide asked.

“Yes, I am," Amara replied, lifting her hair to show her neck. "I think something… bit me on my neck."

“There is nothing there Miss.”

“But there was a-”

“It’s nothing you probably just a bit scarce. I know we're in a room filled with spiders. You are not the first person to get a bit jumpy here.”

She is probably right.

Notes-

If you made it this far and liked my story please give suggestion and motivation

[britt-kageryuu]

Donnie is working on some little bipedal turtle 3D models. He explained it was for a new game idea he had. The audience was kinda confused, because Donnie was already still working on his other games project. So they asked.

"Hmm? I see a good portion of the chat today are not part of that Discord. In short, the game is basically done. We're just going through a rigorous bug hunt, and one other issue before release." Donnie switches the screen to show a menu screen.

On the menu screen is three 3D anime style girls in typical poses, but then it glitches slightly so the girls eyes are now purple with some symbols in them, before going back. Also on the screen is a little dragon like stuffed animal that moves between the girls. The game title is 'Stream Restore!' in changing font so that it matches each girls aesthetic.

"For those you don't know this is Stream Restore, the game in question. I won't go into detail because I might spoil something. The main reason, other than bugs, that we haven't released it yet is mainly distribution. And maybe some localization issues. But most how do we distribute the game to others."

Donnie switches to a screen with a spreadsheet of pros and cons of different places that indie developers can sell their games from.

"Clears Throat. As you can see, we're going over the different, would the word be publishers?, sites that you buy the game from, you can see we even have a note of just distributing it ourselves from our store, but it's still a bit of a holdup." Donnie stops to take a drink from a cup that reads 'Spare Battery Juice'.

"Anywho, that is for a different day. What I want to focus on is seeing how well I can put together this new game. It's going to just be a little 'Cozy Game' thing. Though it's going to be based on our backstory. Let me bring up the-" Donnie pauses and turns to look slightly down at something.

"Hello. How may I help you, little lost one?" Donnie quickly mutes his mic before anything else can be heard.

The audience can see that Donnie is talking to someone, and even grabbing his phone to call someone. But they're going a bit nuts with wondering what is going on.

Then Donnie, without un muting, switches the screen to show a game environment that resembles a defunct underground train station with fairt lights strung all over. He then starts to add and move around little pieces of furniture. Then adding one of the little turtle models and had it walking around the environment.

For the next few minutes Donnie is moving things around and changing colors, and switch out the turtle with a salamander, and then started to dress up the model.

He pauses again, and looks up towards someone likely Raph and talks with them shortly before they left, and Donnie un mutes his mic.

"Sorry about that. Red is watching Stars sibling again, and they keep wandering off during games. And apparently they like the studio because of the random stuff we leave sitting around here." Donnie pauses to look behind himself at the studio, "We should clean up a bit in here, some of this stuff is a potential tripping hazard... but that is for later. Now let me actually explain what I was just doing while entertaining my potential younger brother-in-law."

The next bit of the stream is just that. Going over various ideas for this little game, and possible plans. All while purposefully ignoring those who want to know more about the 'brother-in-law' comment.

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

Masterpost

I feel like I'm just gonna start having Donnie talk about game ideas I have, but no idea how to make them, or if they're possible.

[ashtheketchum]

Hi :]

Can you write a rise Leo x a reader that has trouble sometimes speaking English because their main language is Spanish?

ROTTMNT Leo X Spanish GN.Reader

A/N: My first real request! Wow, I'm so happy! :D I like the idea, so let's do it! Have fun reading! (Picture from Pinterest!)

Summary: April brings an internet friend from Spain to the boys. April's friend has come to New York for vacation and is looking forward to meeting the four turtles. However, since the reader barely speaks English, Leo makes a few jokes.

Warnings: GN.Reader, oneshot, Leo is an idiot, Reader is from Spain (no appearance specified though!)

,,..." = Someone speaks spanish

____________________________________

PoV (Y/N):

I had finally arrived in New York and I was very happy. April, my internet friend, invited me to meet her friends and of course I immediately accepted her offer. We met on Instagram and have written every day since then. I also already knew April's “special” friends, the turtles. Raph, Leo, Donnie and Mikey. Although I only saw them briefly and introduced myself to them briefly, they were also happy to get to know me properly.

However, while I was writing to April, I always used a translator because my English was terrible. I only knew a few words, which usually got me through school, but New York was a whole other level. ´Hello´, ´Bye´ and ´How are you´ wouldn't be enough, I already knew that. So April helped me a bit with my pronunciation and vocabulary. We spoke on the phone every evening and she taught me important vocabulary, which I learned and then used. Even on my plane to New York, I learned every word again until I could only think about that language.

When I arrived at the airport, I saw April swaying towards me. Smiling, I walked towards her with my bags in my arms. "Hey, (Y/N)! I’m glad you’re here!” She greeted me and hugged me tightly. I laughed and hugged her back before looking at her beaming. "I'm happy too! This is something different from my home.” I would live with April for a full week before setting out to fly back. I was allowed to sleep with her for as long as I could.

"We're going to the boys' tomorrow, today we'll just unpack your stuff!" April said, giving a thumbs up. I also gave a thumbs up and grinned wider. ,, Yes!"

At April's house I unloaded my bags and we got the couch ready for me. I would sleep on the couch that April specially laid out. While we were putting my clothes in her closet, we ordered something to eat and watched a movie. We also watched it in English, so I might learn new words.

<Time Skip>

The next day April and I set off to see the turtles. Before that, April called the boys to let them know while I was still getting ready in the bathroom. When the call ended, however, April sighed loudly. ,, Everything okay?" I asked, with a worried look. ,, Yes! Yes, yes, everything is great!” But then she said, with a strained smile. I looked at her suspiciously for a moment before continuing to brush my teeth.

On the way there, we were quiet and we listened to the traffic. There was a lot going on, just like on many other days. But suddenly April spoke up, with a nervous grin. "Listen… if Leo seems weird, just ignore him, okay?" She said suddenly. I looked at her in shock before raising an eyebrow in confusion. April hadn't told me much about the turtles, just their names and their corresponding colors. And hearing something like that directly from one of them worried me a bit. “How exactly… do you mean that…?” April scratched the back of her head before answering. "You'll see that… just ignore him or speak in Spanish to confuse him."

Her answer didn't really cheer me up, but at least it was something. But then I nodded humming and prepared myself for this Leo.

In the cave, it didn't actually look like we were in the sewers. A huge main hall connected to many small rooms. It actually looked really cool. April showed me around here a bit before we arrived at a smaller, darker room. In the middle of the room was a brown armchair that was right in front of a screen. Around this chair stood four huge turtles, of different species. "Hey, guys! Look what I brought with me!” April shouted loudly.

The turtles turned their heads towards us and they smiled at me. Raph and Donnie smiled at me in welcome, Mikey more happily and Leo had that cheeky grin on him. Oh man, Leo. I didn't know him and I didn't want to anymore. "Hey, you must be (Y/N)!" Mikey then said and he pointed at me. ,, Yes that's me!" I then said proudly, as if I were a superstar.

"Cool, April told us a lot about you." Raph then said. April and I grinned widely at each other before both laughing quietly. But suddenly Leo pushed Raph and Mikey away and he bowed deeply to me. He took my hand in his and grinned cheekily at me. "Hello, new visitor. I’m Leo.” He said in Spanish. His accent was terrible and you could tell he had never spoken Spanish before. "Hello, Leo." I said simply, with a tight smile.

,, I'm pleased! That means you can understand us well, right?” He spoke too quickly so I couldn't understand him properly. I looked at him uncertainly as he then giggled. "Ohhh, I understand." He then giggled and wrapped his arm around my neck. "I'll show you around a bit! My house is also your house!” He just said laughing. April wanted to run after us, but Leo was already closing the door behind us.

Leo gave me a tour of their cave and he showed me the different rooms. During this time, however, he spoke so quickly that I couldn't understand him at all. It made me incredibly nervous, so I sometimes spoke in Spanish out of reflex. Whenever I did this, Leo would always laugh and squeeze in another line. "And here is my room! It’s actually the coolest thing based on the style, right?” Leo gave me a big grin while I just looked at him in awe. I didn't really feel uncomfortable, but I was incredibly nervous. "It looks very good, but everyone has their own taste." I murmured quietly, in Spanish.

,, Haha! I may know the basics, but I’m not that good, little one!” He then joked. However, all I understood was the nickname and that he wasn't good at something. Inwardly I tried to calm myself down and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry… I'm still learning…" I then murmured quietly, but this time in English. Leo chuckled again before wrapping his arm around my neck again. "You know I'm just teasing you, right?" He then asked, but this time he looked at me nicer.

Somehow I didn't know how to answer him. I had never thought that Leo would want to hurt me, but his jokes said something against it. Not that they hurt me, they were even amusing at times. "I… just don't understand English that well." I tried my best to get back into my rhythm, but Leo really had me out. "It's all good, little one."

Leo pulled away from me before handing me a small piece of paper. ,, This is my number. I'm sure we can talk more often when you're no longer here. But as long as you’re here, I really hope you come visit us every day.” He spoke so quickly again. I had trouble understanding him again, so I just stared at him silently. Leo gave me a wry smile before smiling lovingly at me. He repeated his words again, but more slowly and more clearly. It gave me some relief, so I nodded this time. "Y-yes, I'm coming to visit." I just said. Leo hummed happily for a moment before leading me back to the others.

April looked up at Leo completely distraught, but when she saw me smiling reassuringly at her, she relaxed again. Apparently she was worried, understandable. "Oh man, Leo… I hope you didn't do anything bad…" She just mumbled. "I would never!" He just laughed it off.

We spent the rest of the day with the brothers and their father. We chatted, but everyone made sure to speak slowly and clearly. Especially Leo. Sometimes he even translated what the others were saying. I was happy that they accepted me so much and that Leo stopped making jokes about me so often. Even though sometimes he wanted me to speak Spanish. "Leo, you are the weirdest idiot I have ever met." "Wow, what did you say!?" "That you're nice." He will never know.

That evening I saved Leo's number and April asked me what Leo had done after he kidnapped me. I explained to her that he had just shown me around again and talked to me. “You guys seem to like each other.” April suddenly said with a mischievous grin. My cheeks turned bright red and I stared at my phone screen. "Yeah, maybe… but he can really be an idiot…" I then said, with a small giggle. "Idiocy, cute turtle." I then mumbled quietly. "I understood that." April said suddenly, surprising me again.

Was there anything that April was not good in it?

[ratatouillewastakendammit]

Regrets

Chapter 5

Warnings/Chapter Index

Next chapter

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. A good number were injured so they'll be waiting to move after they receive backup."

Your best friend was sitting where you did hours ago, less than a foot away from his mortal enemy. Leorio was driving and another one of his allies named Melody was in the passenger seat. Kurapika mentioned her once before and you had jumped at the chance of hearing about someone with similar abilities to yours.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting the chain user to be a woman."

"Who says I was?" Kurapika removed the grey wig, revealing the tufts of blond underneath. "I thought you of all people knew better than to trust appearances. Either way, you should watch what you say."

"You won't kill me. Not after you left your precious friends behind." The man challenged.

"I may appear calm and composed, but I will not ignore your threats."

The thing was, he didn't appear calm, nor composed, and it most definitely didn't take an emotion reader like yourself to see it.

"Kurapika! That's enough."

Leorio's attempts to quiet him were only effective for a moment before the dark haired leader chained up in the backseat again.

"My fortune failed to mention this. Therefore, this even isn't significant enough to matter, or else I am quite certain it would have come up."

"Bastard!"

"Kurapika!"

"If you kill him, I'll kick your ass, you hear me?"

Both males in the backseat ignored the cries of Melody and Leorio.

"Should I explain further?" His steely eyes never left Kurapika's and his serene smile never faded. "This situation is nothing to me. It's no different than an afternoon coffee break. In fact, it's quite peaceful."

Your friend's eyes lit up in bright red fury as he raised his hands at the individual beside him, who surprisingly made no move to stop him.

"Kurapika, calm down! Nothing has changed!" Leorio glanced behind before turning back towards the road. "We're on equal footing now."

"Equal? I'm afraid you're quite mistaken in that regard." His voice didn't even waver at your friends threatening stance. "Your assumption is completely wrong. I have no value as a hostage."

"Shut up. If you insist on babbling-"

"It's the truth!" Kurapika turned around to face Melody. "Everything that he's told us so far is sincere."

"There you have it. This is reality. You're the one who's cornered."

Ignoring him, Kurapika kept his eyes, which had now faded to their natural color again, on Melody. "What do you mean?"

"I mean his heartbeat is perfectly normal. He's not shaken by any of this. He's not worried or scared, even of death." She began to sweat, moving her hands up to grip her hair in agony. "I can hear that he walks with death every single day of his life. How can he produce such a sound? I can't listen to it anymore!"

"Oh, Melody."

"He truly believes that he has no value as a hostage, and yet, he is still their leader."

Kurapika finally pried his worried gaze from Melody, gearing towards the one sitting beside him.

"What are you people?"

The man turned to face his reflection in the car mirror, which still held that chilling expression, as unconcerned as the individual giving it. Even if he was lying and Melody's abilities were incorrect, he made no expression to show that he was even remotely bothered.

"The Spiders."

XxXxX

A phone ringing.

That was the next thing you heard.

"Okay, so what happened?"

It had been exactly thirteen minutes since the boss had been taken when Phinks, Shalnark, and Feitan made their way through the sliding glass doors.

"The lights went out."

"The boss was captured in the confusion."

"Here's the message from the chain user."

At the arrival of the others, the Phantom Troupe had slipped into a heated discussion on what the next move needed to be, with Feitan expressing his disdain that they had yet to trail Kurapika and Nobunaga arguing about yours, Gon's, and Killua's value as hostages. Once Shalnark finally had calmed the group down, they had just seemed to fall into a reticence, waiting for whatever happened next.

That's when the phone rang.

"It's from the boss' cell."

The troupe gasped at Phink's remark, but he quickly answered and moved it to his ear.

"Hello?" An anticipated beat of silence. "You the chain user?"

Another breath for whoever was on the other line to answer.

"Can I ask you something first? It's about your second demand. See, the hostages started putting up a bit of a fight so, we had to break a few bones." Phinks answered, an ugly sneer forming on his face.

Liar.

But instead of a reply, surprised flushed over his features as he lowered the phone. He then hit the redial and continued the conversation.

"Sorry, I was lying. They're all okay."

In all honesty, it took quite a bit of strength not to let out a large snort, especially when Machi snatched the phone, passed it to Pakunoda, and gave him a nice smack, but you refrained.

"Yes, hello?"

She lowered her head, shook it, then moved to the other side of the room, most likely at Kurapika's request.

You could only wonder what they were talking about. She even gestured for Nobunaga to come join in the conversation as well. Eventually, she hung up and they both walked back to the middle of the room, Pakunoda not bothering to stop.

Phinks raised a hand in protest. "Paku!"

"She's going to meet the chain user. Let her go. We're gonna go back to the hideout. Those were his orders." Nobunaga sighed.

"Who cares about that?"

"He just said if we disobeyed, he was gonna kill the boss!"

It wasn't hard to tell both men were getting extremely heated, and it wasn't going to get better. Phinks and Nobunaga were always one of the easier ones to read, even if they gave enough care to try and filter themselves, which wasn't often.

"Are you an idiot? If that happens, we'll kill the chain user. And that'll be that."

"It's what the boss would want us to do. Your way of thinking is an insult to the Spiders, Nobunaga." Feitan injected.

"Let's quit wasting time and follow Pakunoda. It's the only choice we have."

"He does have a point." Shalnark added. "There's no reason that we should let her go alone. If we keep following the Chain User's orders, the fortunes will come true."

Machi spoke up as well. "Look, I'm with Nobunaga on this one. We should all just comply with his demands for now."

"For now? How long is that gonna be? Until half our limbs are gone or what?" Phinks just scoffed and turned away. "Hey, Shizuku, what do you think?"

The Troupe argued back and forth between which way to go next until eventually Shalnark's phone began to ring, the soft vibrations quieting the group for the second time tonight.

"It's from the chain user."

"Here, let me take it." Phinks held out his hand to which Shalnark hesitantly placed the small bat looking contraption. "Yeah, this is-" He was quickly cut off, and was probably annoyed by it, but seemed to do whatever was asked and held the phone up to your ear.

"Take it."

"Uh, hello?"

"Are you okay?"

Relief flooded your body at the sound of Kurapika's voice, even if it was through the static veil of the cellphone. You pushed the momentary feelings of reassurance away and answered.

"Yeah, yeah we're fine."

"Are all of them together?"

"Right now they are. But they've been talking about going after Pakunoda so be-"

The device was abruptly pulled away from you by Phinks.

"Watch what you say." He turned back to the phone. "Still there?"

Phinks listened to whatever was said on the other line, then lowered the phone to signal the end of the conversation.

"Guess we can't follow Paku now."

"Damn it!" At Shizuku's remark, Phinks clenched his fists in anger, but lifted the phone to inform the other Spiders of Kurapika's instruction.

XxXxX

"Were you the leader of the troupe five years ago? When they mercilessly slaughtered the Kurta of the Scarlet Eyes?"

Silence, pregnant and overpowering, was only the answer the man beside him provided.

"Answer me!"

Kurapika raised a chained hand to his hostage's face, threatening to strike. However, the latter still seemed completely unconcerned, but at least gave the courtesy of acknowledgement.

"Are those the chains you killed Uvo with?" This time he was the one left unanswered. "What were his last words?"

"I don't remember them."

"That isn't true. But I can relate. I feel the same." He turned away, facing forward once more. "I have nothing to say to you."

Kurapika gripped the metal in his shaking palms, a feeble attempt to stop himself from doing anything he might regret. Through clenched teeth labored breath traveled in and out.

"Stop it! He's trying to provoke you, dammit!" But Leorio's words had not been able to reach your friend, who was still shaking in anger. "What would Y/n say if she were here?"

They did, however, reach someone else.

"So, that's her name then? Y/n." The male tilted his head to the side, almost seeming to ponder an inner train of thought. "I must say, I'm quite interested in her. Someone who is powerful enough to counter Pakunoda's abilities is compelling indeed."

SLAM

This time, Kurapika did let his hand fly, striking the man's face, who didn't even flinch at the harsh contact. The car went quite as your friend was shaking breathlessly in rage, his eyes burning a bright vermilion once more. His fury coated the space around him, causing (almost) everyone else in the car to tense.

"Say her name again. I dare you."

The stillness continued, until he finally realized what he was done and turned away, scowling. His victim was still quiet, totally emotionless as he looked out the window.

That proves it. The dark haired male pondered, looking forward at the car seat in front of him. I'm surprised. Chrollo watched Kurapika's eyes fade into a shade that was actually quite similar to his own.

The chain user has a weakness.

One that I can exploit.

[harleybeaumont]

Never Have I Ever

Chapter 7 - Third Base

Book- TRR

Series- Never Have I Ever

Pairings- Bertrand x MC 

Chapter Synopsis- The Beaumonts spend some time at Applewood, and Riley and Bertrand move on to third base.

Chapter Warnings- language, oral sex

Rating - Explicit, 18+ only

Word Count-  2,930

A/N- I've been trying to keep these chapters relatively short, but this one got away from me

Chapter 7 - 3rd Base

They arrived at Applewood Manor early. Way too early. Bertrand had insisted on them leaving Ramsford at 5 a.m. so they could be the first to arrive.

And indeed they were.

The Beaumonts car pulled under the awning outside of Applewood an hour later, and they entered the lobby, where one employee greeted them nervously. 

“Oh my! Duke Ramsford, we did not expect anyone would arrive yet. Your rooms are almost ready, but in the meantime, would you like to have breakfast in the orchard? The apple trees are in full bloom and the gardens are exquisite. I assure you that our five star chefs will provide a most satisfactory meal for you, Your Grace.”

Riley cut her eyes over at Max and whispered, “Is it always like this? Everyone kissing Bert’s ass while we’re basically ignored?”

Max snickered, “Yep, but honestly I’m all for being under the radar. Means I get to have more fun. Perks of being the spare.”

The staff member led the Beaumonts plus Riley outside onto a gorgeously manicured patio with flowers and apple trees as far as the eye could see. “Holy crap,” Riley exclaimed as she looked around in awe.

Bertrand pinched the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat pointedly at her. 

“I mean..” Riley smiled at the employee, “Thank you very much. This is quite lovely.”

“Of course, my lady.” He bowed to the three guests before heading back inside.

They sat down at a table for a moment, before Riley jumped up anxiously. “I’m sorry, would it be extremely unnoble of me to take a walk in the orchard, Your Grace?” She bowed teasingly at Bertrand and he rolled his eyes.

“I suppose not. Just don’t go too far.”

She chuckled, “Yes, my Lords.”

Maxwell laughed as she headed down the steps and disappeared in the trees. “She’s something, isn’t she?”

Bertrand raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. “Yes.. something.”

Maxwell leaned back in his chair. “Soooo.. What you wanna talk about?”

Bertrand sighed, “Must we talk? We could just sit here in silence and mentally prepare for the day.”

“No way, that's boring.” The birds chirped and a cool breeze swept by as Maxwell tried to think of something to say. “Wanna talk about Riley?”

“No.” Bertrand replied without looking up from his phone, hoping that he wasn’t blushing.

“Ok.. Wanna talk about Savannah? I heard she’s coming tomorrow for the ball.”

Bertrand looked up and arched an eyebrow. “Must we talk about my personal life?”

“Well, aren’t you excited to see her?”

“I suppose.”

Max sighed, “I’m trying to bond with you, bro. We never talk about women! Tell me what you like about Savannah.. Give me something!”

Bertrand rolled his eyes at his younger brother’s persistence. “Why would we talk about women? You don’t even like women.”

“Maybe not romantically, but I still like them! And besides, you do like them, soooo..” Maxwell pretended to hold out a microphone to his brother. “The world needs to know.. What's the hot goss on Duke Bertrand Beaumont's life.”

Bertrand scoffed, “Love life. That’s laughable.”

The waiter emerged with a fresh pot of Earl Grey tea and took their breakfast orders. Maxwell ordered Riley several different items so she could choose whatever she wanted when she returned. Once the waiter left, Bertrand cleared his throat. 

“Her eyes.”

“What?” Max looked at him curiously.

“You um.. asked what I like about Savannah. Her eyes.”

“Oohh, now we're getting somewhere! What do you like about them?”

Bertrand sighed loudly. “You are way too excited about this, but fine.. the color.” He looked down at his cup of tea and couldn’t help but grin, “They’re my favorite color.. Green. If you look close enough, you can get lost in a sea of sparkling emeralds.”

Bertrand stirred his tea, smiling fondly, and Max let out a soft chuckle. “Pretty sure Savannah has brown eyes.”

Bertrand’s head snapped up and he frowned, “No Maxwell.. I’ve looked into her eyes enough times to know that they are emerald green.”

Max grinned cheekily, “That’s Riley. Riley has green eyes. Savannah’s are brown.”

Riley bounded back up the stairs, taking her seat at the table. She smirked and held open her purse with a grin. “I snagged us some apples for later.” 

“Thief!” Max teased, and Riley laughed, her eyes shimmering green as the grass in the orchard. 

Bertrand stood abruptly and rushed inside the building without a word.

“Shit.. I pissed him off again, didn’t I?” Riley sighed. “I’ll put the apples back.”

“No, it’s not that.” Max shook his head. “He’s just having a hard time accepting something.”

Riley arched an eyebrow and Max stammered, “W-with the estate, I mean! Some, uh, merger didn’t go as planned.”

Riley nodded her head, satisfied, and the two tucked into their breakfast.

_____________________________________________________

Riley spent a relatively boring afternoon catching up with the nobles as they arrived at Applewood. The royal family wouldn’t get there until the next morning, and all the ladies weren’t being catty or competitive with each other the way they were when Liam was around. Olivia was actually being pleasant and invited everyone to a party she arranged on the terrace which would take place after dinner.

But despite everyone actually being friendly, Riley found herself feeling lonely. Lying on the bed in her assigned room, she realized just how few friends she actually had. A couple back home in New York, but she hadn’t spoken to them in over a month. Maxwell was currently her best friend and she had only known him for a few months. She thought of Bertrand as her friend, but did he reciprocate her feelings? She got along with a couple ladies at court, and Drake and Liam were nice enough. She furrowed her brow as she began to think that maybe something was wrong with her. 

Dinner would be served in an hour, but she wasn’t hungry. She took out her phone and scrolled through her texts- some funny memes from Max, dates and times of events from Hana, a couple ‘good morning’ and ‘goodnight’ texts from Liam.. She opened Bertrand’s most recent text and couldn’t help but laugh. It was a photo she sent of herself in a low cut gown that Maxwell had chosen, and the very Bertrand-like response he had given was below: “Lady Riley! Dear God, please tell me that wasn’t the dress you chose! That gown is practically pornographic!”

Riley smiled as an idea hit her. She’d send Bertrand another picture. She pulled off her shirt, barely concealing her breasts with one arm, and snapped the picture. She typed out, “Come to my room for another lesson.”

Within five minutes, there was a knock at her door. A flushed and flustered man stood on the other side, seemingly out of breath. 

“Did you run?” She asked with a smirk.

Bertrand clutched his phone to his chest and stepped inside her room. “What if someone had seen that photo?! My God, can you imagine the gossip!? The court would inform the press, and the press would have a field day with that! Your image would be destroyed!”

She pressed a finger to his lips and he stopped talking immediately. 

“So you didn’t like it?”

He blushed and swallowed hard, “I.. That is beside the point..”

“You sure rushed up here pretty quickly.” She teased as she lightly ran her fingernails across his chest. 

Bertrand shivered beneath her touch. “I.. well..”

Riley grabbed his hand and pulled him to her bed where they sat down beside one another. “You ready for another lesson, I take it?”

“I.. would not be averse to it.”

“You remember what comes next?” She purred, tracing her finger down his abs and stopping just above his belt. 

Bertrand’s heart fluttered. She had told him that oral sex, aka third base, was next. “I.. Can I be frank with you?”

“Of course you can. You can tell me anything, Bert.”

“I’m just a bit worried..”

Riley took his hand, her expression turning serious. “If you don’t want to do this, it’s totally fine. Some people just don’t like performing oral sex, and that’s ok! It’s a very intimate thing and honestly it's more up close and personal than actual sex. So I totally understand why you don’t want to do it to me, and I swear I’m not upset or offended at all.”

Bertrand pushed out a breath, looking down shyly. “No, no.. I want to do it to you. I’m just nervous about you doing it to me.”

Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Are you worried I’ll hurt you?”

“No.” Bertrand still couldn’t face her. It had gotten slightly easier to discuss this type of thing with her, but it was still uncomfortable as hell. “I think I’m feeling self-conscious. What if I finish in your mouth by accident? What if you become disgusted by me and then … and then.. You.. don’t want to do any of this anymore.”

His last words had come out so quiet and hesitantly, that Riley wasn’t sure if she had heard him correctly. This poor man had such low self esteem and it broke her heart. She turned his cheek so that he was facing her. “Bertrand.. I promise you have nothing to worry about. I won’t be grossed out about you cumming in my mouth.”

Bertrand immediately flushed at her lude description and looked down again, but Riley turned his face back toward her. “I’m serious,” She said calmly. “I actually really like it. It gets me off.”

His eyes widened, “Really?”

She chuckled nervously, actually looking embarrassed. “Yes. But this lesson is going to be your call. Whatever you want to do tonight, I’m down. I just want you to be comfortable and honest with me.”

Bertrand nodded and cleared his throat, staring at the carpet so as to not meet her eyes. “I apologize. Saying all this is just really difficult for me.”

“I know,” Riley smiled. “And I’m really proud of you.”

Bertrand smiled slightly. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he forced out the words. “I would really like to.. to.. focus on you tonight.”

Riley felt her stomach erupt in butterflies and she grinned. “Then let me grab a quick shower and we’ll get started.”

Riley emerged five minutes later, wrapped in a plush white towel, her damp, blonde hair cascading across her bare shoulders. Bertrand knew she was gorgeous.. Hell, everyone knew she was gorgeous, but the fact that he got to see her in a way no one else at court had seen her, always gave him a little burst of confidence. He had seen her naked three times and Liam hadn’t even once. Bertrand’s stomach briefly twisted with guilt as he remembered why Riley was even in Cordonia in the first place- for Liam. 

Riley dropped her towel and Bertrand gasped, whispering to himself, “Four times.”

“What?” She grinned as she made her way closer to where he was sitting on the bed.

“Nothing!” He flushed.

Riley dimmed the lights as she always did to help Bertrand feel more comfortable, but he spoke up softly. “Could we.. leave them on this time? I would like to see what I’m doing.”

She grinned brightly, “Of course!”

Bertrand stood next to the bed awkwardly while Riley climbed in and lay down on her back. His eyes hungrily raked across her naked body and his cock twitched in his pants. He had been fully hard ever since she emerged from the bathroom, but he already decided that tonight was not going to be about him.

“What do I do first?” He asked hesitantly.

Riley patted the spot next to her and he climbed on the bed. “First you take off your shirt.”

“Oh? Is that necessary for oral sex?”

“No,” Riley gave him a coy smile. “I just like to see you without your shirt on.”

He laughed and quickly removed his shirt, folding it and laying it aside before turning his attention back to his teacher. Riley leaned forward, meeting him in a deep kiss which he eagerly returned. After a few intimate moments locked in the embrace, both were breathing heavily and Bertrand began to let his hands wander along her body. She nodded in encouragement when he positioned himself in front of her.

“You can work your way up if you like. Start kissing along my thighs, and work your way further in if you want to continue. Oh, wait.” Riley quickly stopped him. “But if you don’t like it, please stop. I promise I won't be offended or anything.”

Bertrand’s entire being was trembling as he lowered his body onto the bed in preparation. He took hold of her supple thighs and gently spread them apart. 

She was breathtakingly gorgeous. 

He began tenderly placing kisses along the inside of her thighs. As unsure as he was, he was ready to dive straight in. And more than anything he wanted to please Riley.. To have her scream in ecstasy. He shuddered at the thought and inched forward even more. The tentative kisses he was initially leaving were quickly becoming more intense and he heard her release a soft moan in anticipation as he got closer to her center.

“Just remember to be gentle.” She smiled down at him and he nodded. “You can pretend it’s Savannah if you want. I mean.. I assume that’s what you do every time anyway.”

“Er, right. Of course.”

Bertrand placed his lips against her warm cunt, alternating between leaving soft kisses and swiping his tongue through her folds. His entire body flooded with warmth once he tasted her. It was like nothing he had ever imagined. He found himself lapping up her sweet juices and she moaned softly as he swirled and flicked his tongue. He couldn’t see her face, but imagined the way she looked. Her mouth was probably open, her luscious pink lips parted as her breath quickened. Her emerald eyes were probably closed, or better yet, watching him. He groaned at the thought and increased his pace.

“Oh my God.. Bert that feels so good.. Just like that..”

He took hold of her thighs, bringing her closer to his mouth as he worked her. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced and he didn’t think he could ever get enough. He wasn’t sure why Riley said people didn’t enjoy this. The way she was moaning and writhing was enough to make him cum in his pants. She occasionally moved his head to a different position and each time he dove right back in, lavishing attention exactly where she wanted him.

He daringly pressed his tongue inside her and she gasped, “Oh.. that’s.. yes.. Keep doing that..”

This was heaven. His nose was pressed against her glistening core while he fucked her with his tongue. Riley took hold of his hair and brought this attention back to her clit which he took turns kissing, licking, and gently sucking. Her back arched and her grip in his hair tightened, “I’m gonna cum.. Don’t stop!”

He continued and she cried out, releasing a string of curses as her body writhed beneath his mouth. Her juices coated his tongue in a rush and he licked them up eagerly, savoring every drop. He selfishly continued well after her orgasm was finished until she reached down to lift his head.

“Oh my God!” Riley said breathlessly as she looked at him in surprise. “That was.. That was.. Fuck!”

Bertrand wiped his mouth against the back of his hand and smiled. “Good?”

She laughed, still trying to catch her breath. “Amazing. How are you so good at everything?”

“Really?” He beamed at her praise. “Maybe it’s because I.. thoroughly enjoyed it.”

She smiled and gestured at the bulge in his pants. “You want some relief now?”

He shook his head shyly. “No. I meant it when I said I just wanted this to be about you.”

“Wow,” Riley chuckled. “You are really something, Bertrand Beaumont. Savannah is a lucky lady.”

Bertrand’s heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

“Well ya.” Riley cleared her throat, “I, uh.. I should go clean up.”

“No, no!” Bertrand jumped up and headed toward the bathroom. “Allow me.”

Riley helped Bertrand clean her up and she frowned as she tried to scrub the damp sheets. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about.. that.. I know it’s a mess. I honestly haven't had it happen in years, so I didn’t think about it...”

Bertrand cleared his throat, “Female ejaculation or ‘squirting’. I know.” He didn’t want to say it out loud, but he loved that it happened.

“You know?!”

He chuckled bashfully, “I may have looked up some things on the internet.. In preparation.”

Riley's jaw dropped and she laughed loudly, “You cheated!”

“I prefer to call it studying.” He grinned, “I have always strived to be a model student.”

Just then Bertrand’s phone beeped, alerting them that it was almost time for dinner. He buttoned up his shirt and reached for the door. “I'll freshen up in my room and head downstairs. You are coming to dinner, right?”

She twirled a lock of her hair nervously. “We could always just order room service and watch a movie in my room or something. Just the two of us? It might be fun.”

Bertrand’s brow furrowed in confusion, “But.. this is a prime opportunity for you to mingle with the other nobles. You need to get in their good graces if you are to become queen.”

“Right.” Riley nodded, even though her heart sank. “I’ll be there in a few.”

[novelistash]

Rosette embodies the cordial smile of customer service. Her smile and stance is polished. Her attire, professional but colorful in the way a watercolor for children helps to soothe the senses. Behind her soft eyewear is the look of a fighter. Rosette may have retired from battling, but she's kept that edge.

She greets me with a firm handshake, no doubt anticipating a show of machismo that I never deliver. We're not alone at the outside diner, but Spiral isn't here. Standing at Rosette's side is a woman with noticeably tan makeup contrasting her graying blue hair. The woman is putting on a little weight, especially around the hips, but she has the same height as every Officer Jenny I've ever encountered. Rosette introduces her as, "Kicho. She helps me organize a lot of coordinator events here in Slateport.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I didn't expect you to come so prepared.”

Rosette shakes her head. “We're going to a meeting right after this so it's really more of a coincidence rather than something we planned. Feel free to order anything. You're not working, right?”

Blushing, I tell her, “I have a nest egg.”

Rosette ignores me, putting her attention into food selections from her Roto-phone.

“Do I have to order from that?” I ask. “I only carry around a Poketech X.”

“You should switch over,” says Kicho. Her voice is a smoker's variation on the familiar whistle sounding voice of the Officer Jennys. “The League has already announced that they're going to phase out Poketech support with the launch of Paldea.”

“He likes to try to do things differently. ASH was a Normal trainer back in the Indigo League, and originated the Slaking-Shuckle combo in doubles,” Rosette explains with a veneer of praise.

The detail unsettles me. She knows a lot more about me then I know about her.

My scowling only makes her smile transition into worried sympathy. “Isn't that right?” She offers her Roto-phone so I can order.

Nodding, I order a hamburger steak with gravy.

“So.” Rosette folds her hands on the table. “Who is this coordinator you're looking for?”

“Esther Flowne. She used to use a Beldum, but I don't know what her specialty was.”

Kicho knows who I'm talking about right away. “Esther Flowne, she was a tough coordinator who fell into it because of her latent psychic powers. It came as a big surprise. She was training to be a triathlete like her mother until some tragedy happened. I can't remember the details, but she would always compete with this boy. I think they're married now.”

“Do you know where I can find her?”

“Lemme check our records,” Kicho says. She pulls out a Roto-phone with the back dressed to look like an Arcanine's face.

“Spiral says that you ran into her at Mauville,” says Rosette.

I nod. “She must've told you about how I forced an apology on her. You don't need to chide me for overstepping my bounds, alright? I didn't plan on making her cry. I am genuinely sorry. If you have any advice on how I should apologize, I'm open to it.”

There's this strange look on her face. I glance over at Kicho, sure that I've committed another mistake. “Sorry, I guess I shouldn't be talking about this.”

“No, maybe not,” Rosette mutters, her hand going up to adjust her glasses.

“So, um, what is it that you do, now that you've retired from battling?”

“I do battle from time to time. It's good exercise for my Pokémon.” She continues while I bite my tongue. “I work for the League to assist in civil planning.”

“Sorry. I'm sure working for the League isn't great.”

“It's actually a fulfilling job. I get to see communities at their best and bring Pokemon and people together. Most of my job is a lot of hard work, but it really is worth it when all that planning comes to fruition. A lot of people are being critical of all the big changes going on, but the League is doing things that no other organization has done before. We're bringing the world together.”

I bite back my comments about how the goals of the League mirror the ambitions of Team Plasma. “Well, it isn't easy having to rework strategies with every acquisition. I spent close to half a million pen on items that cause mega-evolutions and now I'd be lucky to get a tenth of that back on the open market. It's even worse with Z-moves. You tell me this, are they going to allow Dynamaxing once Paldea is added to the League?”

Rosette stays composed. “I can't talk about changes before the announcement.”

“Figures.”

“You know, the League actually does a lot of good for the regions they adopt. Hoenn was something of a warzone before they showed up. Team Aqua and Team Magma rose up from corrupt criminal institutions that were completely uncontested before the League's involvement. Critics accuse the League of taking from the culture and discarding what doesn't sell, but we've been keeping coordinator events going even though it's costing the League money.”

“Yeah, and they were thrilled to have that activity relegated to Lilycove in one building.”

“That was an attempt to revitalize interest by keeping everything centralized. The League actually does care about the longevity of the places they occupy. This is more than gym battles and badges.”

I sit up straight and let out a calming sigh. There's no point in taking out my frustration with the League on Rosette. She's doing her best with the job she has, it's not her fault that the League is expanding like an empire of old. “No, you're right. Hoenn is a lot safer now than it used to be. I'm sure you're doing good work. I'm sorry if I came off as ultra critical. The League wasn't supportive when I lost my main fighting team and maybe I've never forgiven them for that.”

“I've sent Esther a message and she got back to me,” says Kicho.

“What, now?!”

“We've been here for a few minutes,” Rosette says with perfect composure. She's acting like I never wronged her.

Kicho continues, “Esther says she doesn't know you.”

“Of course she doesn't know me.” With an exaggerated wave of my hands, I express my annoyance. “I'm getting in touch with her because I want to talk to her.”

“Well you haven't told us what this is about.” Rosette's tone is clear, or at least I think it is. She wants me to stop attacking the League and her friend and get to my goal.

“I'm helping Fenominal Labs research the growth rate of a Beldum. She was involved in the same study years earlier and I'd like to ask her questions about her training methods.”

“Did you get that?” asks Kicho into her phone.

Esther from the other line speaks up, “Yeah, loud and clear. Tell him that I can meet him at the museum.”

I glare at Kicho, but instead of being paralyzed she lifts her self assured chin. “Thanks, Esther. I look forward to meeting you.”

“You too,” she says before ending the call.

“What was that?” I ask Kicho. “You can't wait for me to explain things and then relay it?”

“Life is too short to waste time running back and forth. Honestly!” Kicho stands up and excuses herself.

I'm starring daggers at her until I pick up on Rosette watching me. “What?”

“She's a clone. She doesn't have as much time as we do.”

“Okay, but that shouldn't mean that she ignores social protocol.” I pause to take in the lack of a smirk on her face. “What did I say this time?”

“You know, people have to change their behavior a lot to deal with you. I would've thought that you'd be more patient about accommodating the needs of others.”

“Well, unlike you, I'm not perfect.”

“I'm not,” she snaps and it is a stoned edge comeback. “I have to work hard to be presentable too. This doesn't come easy to anyone. It's another skill, just like everything else.”

For some reason her hard composure and talk of social training reminds me of the first video I'd ever seen of her. Rosette and Spiral were fighting while they were making their rounds through the Hoenn League. Spiral humiliated her with using a Shedinja's Wonderguard. Everyone was talking about it. That was how I'd come to learn about Spiral. It was why I was prepared for my first major fight against her.

“You know, you were a good trainer back in the day,” I say. “If you'd kept with it you probably could've been a Gym Leader or better.”

“I know,” she says without shame or pride. “But I enjoy doing this more. Life isn't always about doing the big things and winning fame. There's a lot you can do when you let go of pride and enjoy life for what it is.”

I poke the bottom of my cup with a straw. “I've been trying to do that, but it never seems to fit me.”

“Maybe that's because you think you have to fit in right away. Pokemon taught me how to evolve, what have they taught you?”

Looking down at the bare plate, I see the stylistic design of Kyogre along the edge. I've never seen a Legendary and I don't know anyone who has, but we have pictures of them all over the world. Maybe being a Champion is kind of like that. Maybe I'm missing the point entirely. “Pokemon taught me to fight for what I want, but the problem is I don't know what I want anymore.”

“You do,” she says with confidence, but annoyingly she doesn't elaborate.

The server comes back with our meals and by the time Kicho and Rosette are finished eating, they get up to leave.

I shake their hands. “Thanks again for setting up the meeting.”

Kicho shrugs. “It was pretty easy. You can find people's numbers if you had a Roto-phone.”

Rosette smiles at her comment, like she's trying to give me a secret message or something and I don't get the joke. “Take care of that Beldum you're studying and be nice to Esther Flowne. I won't be around to smooth things over.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, thanks. Oh, and tell Spiral thanks for arranging this meeting. You were a big help.”

Rosette smiles, but doesn't respond. It creates a lingering effect, some rippling tension that tickles at my undeveloped foresight. I'm experiencing some kind of omen but I don't know why. Rosette and Kicho leave and I wait around for the server. It takes him ten minutes to come over and explain that Rosette already paid for everything.

[carbo-ships]

Okay I'm sorry to bug you but I'm so stupid. How are you guys making the yumeship things? Like the background and stuff is there a program y'all are using to get it? I've been trying on my phone and I don't know how y'all get them so perfect looking 😭 please explain it like I'm 5. If that's too much work, feel free to ignore this/delete this no hard feelings I'm just incredibly dumb 🥲😅

No worries at all!

I do it on my computer in my drawing software. If you don't have one, you can probably achieve just about everything that needs doing using this free software:

I'll break it down step by step how I made mine below the cut. there are lots of pictues. i hope this makes sense. we'll be recreating my Aether/Ardis one for this tutorial.

here is what we are going to do today

So step 1 is to download the template

I like using the transparent version because I find it easiest to edit for my purposes, but feel free to use the other ones as well if there's one you prefer. you'll just skip the first couple steps of this tutorial. Open it up in your software. I'm using Paint Tool SAI. It should look like this.

First, I'll drag in the background that I want and put it on a layer underneath the template. It will look something like this (you can also use a flat color, whatever you want)

Now I want to fill in the big boxes so that I can actually read the text, so I'll go back to the template layer and magic wand select the main bit of empty space (blue shows what's selected),

then invert it (there is probably a button for this on your software)

now I'll make another layer under the template and bucket fill what i want to be white

you can color in extra things you want to change the color of on this layer too, or just leave it as-is. I'm going to spruce it up a bit, though.

ok great. now i'm going to change the grey text boxes to be white because the light grey clashes with my pastels. this may not be necessary for yours. you can bucket fill those too on the main template, but I'm going to use what's called a clipping layer on SAI, which basically means that it's a layer that only draws on top of things that already exist in the layer under it (this may or may not exist in the software you're using, but do whatever works for you). so i'm going to make a new clipping layer over the template and color white over all the grey parts.

much better. it's time to cut out where we want our pictures to go. I find it easiest to work when I treat all the boxes like picture frames, kinda like how the ones in the bottom right are. there are other ways to do this, but this is my prefered method. so we're going to go to our template layer and magic wand select everywhere we want a picture to go (once again now highlighted in blue)

and delete those from both our template layer and our white layer. it should look like this now

so now all you do is drag in your pictures so that they're underneath your template, erasing any parts that stick out

and then you just add text and little rectangles and whatnot! (I added mine in a different program because my art software doesn't have a text feature)

I made a couple other adjustments to mine (black circle around the one photo, getting rid of the line at the bottom of the aesthetic trio) by just editing the template layer.

and that's it! all done! does that make sense? i hope that makes sense. if i skipped over anything vital or if that makes no sense, let me know.

[aplaceinthedark]

chapter seven: MOTH to a FLAME

Summary: Down in the Shenandoah Valley, there lay a court consisting of the Grim, the Drowned, the Witch and the Watcher.

CW: supernatural themes, mention of death, mentions of religious sacrifice, body horror, religious trauma, drowning

Every chapter will have a different cw section. This is Bad Omens rpf, so obviously I don't know all the little nuances of the members or their family members.

A/N: Some things are color-coded. If any of you are colorblind lemme know. 

I had two requirements before I went out into the woods with Nick: a shower and a nap. I was filthy and exhausted. Nick agreed, as he was exhausted as well.

Despite the horrifying revelation of the past twelve hours, and Nick’s pseudo-involvement in them, I was fine with him napping in the same bed as me. I felt safer, even. It was still a little bit of a shock though to wake up curled against his back.

When I was ready to go, as Nick was packing a bag, I opened the door, expecting to see some horrifying Slenderman-esque figure to be perched on my porch. Instead, I was greeted by the same man I first met what now felt like forever ago. He wasn’t wearing two jackets this time, showing off the ink on his arms. He was perched on the porch railing, munching on the apple I had left before I blindly charged into the woods.

"All this time I was feeding you," was all I stated.

"You could switch it up occasionally. I do like beer," he said with his mouth full.

"How bout I just don't do it at all?" I asked.

"Please don't," Nick and Noah said at the same time. Nick came up behind me and placed a hard on my back, a gentle push to get me out the door.

"What happens if I don't?" I asked.

There was a glance between the two. "Take it one thing at a time," Nick said. "I will tell you why, but there's other things to be told first."

I rolled my eyes and looked up at the sky. It wasn't nighttime, but the sky was just starting to lighten. I checked my phone: 5:16 am.

"Here." Nick handed me a jacket. "You'll need it."

"It's barely chilly," I said.

"Where we're going doesn't get warm," he said.

"In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine... I would shiver the whole night through…" Noah began to sing as he walked towards the woods. If it weren't for the creepy song, I would've said he had a beautiful voice; haunting, appropriately.

"Ignore him, he's being an ass on purpose to annoy me," Nick said, helping me into the jacket. It smelled of cigarettes, lavender, and lemongrass. "I promise you'll be safe out there with us."

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise. Here, gimme your hand," he said, holding his own out toward me.

"What?" I asked.

"Trust me," he said. Something in me said that he meant it.

I held my right hand out. He took out a piece of red yarn out of his pocket, and tied it around my pinky finger. I could feel my face warming at the feeling of his calloused fingers brushing against mine.

"Do you know about the tale of Theseus?" he asked, snapping me out of my shyness.

"The guy who fought the Minotaur?"

"Yeah. It was said that Ariadne gave him a ball of yarn so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth.."

"So this is your way of making sure you got out of the woods?" I asked.

"We thought it was clever back then, before shit happened," he said, his eyes flicking over to Noah, before returning to mine. "Now it works as a quick charm."

I looked down at the string. It wasn’t anything fancy. He had left the extra string hanging loose. But it was the way he was still holding my hand that made me stare.

"What if we get separated?" I asked.

"This helps with that as well," he said, tapping on the yarn. I looked up from the gibbous moon tattoo on that finger and into his face. His lips curled into a sly smile. "Unless you'd rather I hold your hand the entire way?"

He could've been making fun of me for all I knew, but it didn't deter me from timidly nodding. He blinked, maybe in shock. "A-All right then," he said.

Turns out his hand was really helpful, because we had a lot of hills and rocks to climb. And I certainly was no mountain climber, with my hip. Noah, on the other hand, traversed everything with ease. It was almost like he knew every spot, and his mile-long legs didn't help either. Nick might've been as skilled a climber, but he was weighed down by me.

It felt like forever as we traversed through the woods. "How much longer do you think we have?" I asked.

Nick looked back at me. "Not long now. We're almost to the river," he said. His hand was still wrapped around mine. Earlier I had caught a glimpse of Noah staring at us - at our hands - but when he caught me staring, he just gave me a smirk and turned away.

"You probably didn't bring something to stuff their ears," Noah said to Nick.

"No, because you said everyone was going to be on their best behavior," Nick said. I caught the angry look he shot at Noah.

"Fine I'll tell him," Noah said, sighing with a huff.

"Tell who? How?" I asked.

LIKE THIS.

I froze, yanking on Nick's hand. "What the fuck was that?" I asked.

"A means of communication when I can't move my mouth to form human words," Noah said, easily leaping over a rotting log.

"When you… What?" I asked incredulously.

"Did you not see what I looked like last night?" he asked.

"I was a little preoccupied, you know, what with being almost eaten," I hissed. Nick squeezed my hand, whether in warning or sympathy, I didn't know.

"Well, I don't keep this handsome face," he said sarcastically. "And I can't open my mouth when I'm forced to transform."

"What a shame," I muttered, earning a glare from Noah and a chuckle from Nick.

Nick suddenly turned towards Noah. "Be nice," he said.

"What? I didn't say anything," Noah said in a sweet voice.

"What did he say about me?" I asked.

"I'm not repeating it," Nick mumbled.

Thankfully, Noah remained quiet for the next several minutes, at least that I could hear with my ears. I contemplated how it worked, like one-sided telepathy or two-way, until I heard music from up ahead. Really beautiful music.

At the same time, Nick's hand tightened over mine. "Taylor?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor, and don't let go of my hand."

"O-okay."

"You haven't told them anything, have you?" Noah asked.

"One thing at a time, Noah," Nick sighed. "I told them about my practice and what Folio is."

"Not about the Näcken?" Noah asked. Nick glared at him. "Okay, okay. One thing at a time."

"What's a..." I tried to pronounce whatever Noah said, but it came out all wrong, making Noah laugh.

"You'll find out here soon," he said.

And that's when the cold descended over me.

It was like we crossed over some invisible border. My breath was visible in the air as I scrambled closer to Nick, moreso for warmth than safety. The leaves blocked the sunlight, casting a green tint over the dimness.

This... This was the Appalachia everyone warned about.

"Watch your step," Noah said before sliding down a rocky hillside, vanishing from view. "What up Jolleeeeeeee!" His voice faded.

"Just say the word, and we'll turn around and head back," Nick said. "No judgement."

I looked up into his eyes, which even in the dim light I could tell had faded back to their usual grayish-blue color. And despite the remnants of Noah's attempts to scare me, and the sound of what I now knew to be an acoustic guitar tempting me down the hill, I was ready. I mean, I had already come this far.

"Lead the way," I said.

After descending after Noah, the hillside evened out to a rocky riverside. There was one area where the sun was able to break through the leaves, letting in weak rays of sunlight, though I couldn't tell if it was because of the oncoming dawn or the space inbetween. That's where Noah and Nick were leading me.

In the middle of the river, where it was at its thinnest, a shirtless man sat on a rock, with his back towards us. The guitar in his lap revealed the source of the string music. His waterlogged hair was half up in a bun, half trailing down his bare back.

"He's in a mood," Noah said.

"I am not in a mood," the man said without turning around, but he stopped playing the guitar. It was only in the absence of the sound that I realized I had been leaning towards him.

Just then, there was a spray of water from nearby, and another man came running out of the water. "'Bout time! We were getting bored out here!" he said, grinning.

This one was recognizable. I'd seen him in the newspaper, as well as a brief glimpse into Nick's memories. The missing boy, the one that was sacrificed, Nick Folio.

The one who only several hours ago had had his teeth near my throat.

But when he looked at me, it was hard to believe that he could be that abnormally large wolf-creature. He was almost my height, if maybe a few inches taller. His face still held some of boyish wonder, even though he looked older than what I've seen.

But as he got closer. I could see the similarities in his hazel eyes. Those I know I would never forget.

"Hi, I'm Nick, he said, holding his hand out towards me. "Or Folio, as the others call me."

I don't know if I was on autopilot or not, because I let go of the other Nick's hand, and shook his. I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. "Taylor," I mumbled.

"Sorry about last night," he said.

"Well, I'm alive still, so I guess it's all good," I said, earning a grin.

I heard another splash, this one smaller, and turned in the direction of the mysterious guitar man, who was making his way towards us. He sported a full sleeve of tattoos that crawled over his chest. Out of the four he had the most facial hair, sporting a short goatee and mustache.

His eyes were also completely white, like a corpse.

"This is Jolly," Nook said from beside me. "He doesn't get out a whole lot."

"I wonder why," Jolly grumbled. Somehow, I could tell he rolled his eyes.

"Why? I asked.

His milky eyes fell onto me, and I fought the urge to grab Nick's hand again. "'Cause I'm stuck here near the river," he said. He had a different accent; almost lilting in some words.

"Why the river?" I asked.

"Because this was where I died," he said bluntly.

I was stunned into silence for only several seconds. "So, both of you are dead, but alive somehow?"

"So is he," Nick spoke up, the first time since we arrived. He was pointing at Noah

Missing Resident Presumed Dead.

"Are you dead, too?" I asked Nick.

"On the inside," Folio said. Nick shot him a bored look.

Nick then turned back to me. "This is it; the Court of the Shenandoah Valley," he said. "You got the Watcher, the Grim, and the Drowned" He motioned towards Noah, Folio, and Jolly respectively.

"And the Witch," Jolly said, earning a glare from Nick.

"Why do you call it a court?" I asked.

My question earned me a wide, feral grin from Noah that sent shivers down my spine; chills that had nothing to do with the bitter air.

‘CUZ I'M THE FUCKIN' KING.

Tysm for reading! Next chapter coming soon!