#the fact that everyone in the town has agreed that this is how they decorate public spaces has a Stephen King vibe

[pdxbeerandmystery]

So. We passed through this small town in Oregon again this weekend. This is what their Harvest Effigy has evolved into this December. Again, we elected not to spend the night.

I especially appreciate the Christmas lightbulb necklace. It's hard to tell from these photos, but it lights up and flashes.

[drghostwrite]

Until my Last Breath

Okay so this one didn't win the vote but per special request by @maiveeetheone I’m going to write it! Hope you enjoy! xoxo

Pairing: Regina mills x pregnant!reader

TW: mentions of blood, almost miscarriage, kidnapping and minor torture.

Summary: Regina’s mother, Cora, returns and tries to turn her dark again but Y/N, her wife, has given her everything she’s ever wanted: true love, family, marriage, power and now a baby. What happens when she stands in the way of Cora’s sinister plans.

******************************************************** You sat across the conference room table as Regina conducted the meetings, it was for the town so Sheriff Swan, along with David and Snow, Mr. Gold, Regina the mayor, Zelena, a couple others and you, now you weren’t only married to the mayor and carrying her child but you helped run the hospital. You were Chief of surgeries after Dr. Whale had that taken away with the Daniel incident.

“So right now we’re using funds to help with remodeling of the school, so…” Regina was doing a funds recap and taking with Snow about what would need to be done and you started to drift off staring out the window. You ran your hand over your swollen bump feeling your baby kick and knowing that Regina’s voice was soothing to your unborn child even though she was talking finances for Storybrooke. You began to daydream about mornings where she would wake up with that slow morning growl, it made you feral for your wife and she knew it.

“Y/N…Y/N?” you heard her calling your name and it snapped you back to reality, back into the conference room with its white walls and black and white modern decor. Regina was looking at you amused, she could only imagine what had stolen your attention but had a good idea it was her and the baby.

“Oh yea, so as of right now we’re okay, we thought of possibly coordinating with the schools to give more volunteer opportunities to the kids, but we also have to discuss my leave, due to the Dr. Whale situation we’ll have to find a replacement for my maternity leave.”

“Well how about Zelena?” Regina asked, her relationship with her sister had grown tremendously, in fact that’s the only other person besides Emma and the Charmings that she’d trust with her life and family’s life.

“And what use would she be?” Asked the skeptical Mr. Gold.

“Well I mean she is a trained midwife.” Snow suggested.

“Because of a curse,” Emma reminded.

“And I’m a trauma surgeon because of the curse, Snow you’re a teacher even though it was a curse it created a version of us, a true version of us with all the training and skills," Regina watched you a grateful look in her eyes, “All I’m saying is that we give her a chance, I can set her up to assist Dr. Whale and keep him in check while I’m out and I can have Blue and the other fairies or nuns, whatever, check-in and help with outpatient care.”

Everyone exchanged looks and Regina mouthed a thank you, they then agreed that you were right and that’s the plan they’d go with. You discussed a few more minor things and then decided that it was time for everybody to go home after a long day, you stayed in the conference room until everyone was gone and then retreated to your office. You have an office at the hospital but it's in a secure part due to dealing with patients and HIPAA info so days like this Regina converted one of the old conference rooms into an office for you. It wasn't as big but she made sure to have the comfiest chairs and couches, it was decorated very modernly like her office with contrasts of vibrant forest green instead of the complete black and white, she had your favorite flowers on the desk, orange hibiscus flowers with a towering monstera plant in the corner both enchanted to never die. You had couches and chairs with a large rug on one side like her office and you had a bookshelf wall and a built-in mini-bar that quickly turned alcohol-free when you found out about the pregnancy, there was also a portion that pushed into a secret room like her vault allowing you to keep sensitive information. She wanted to make sure that you were comfortable, in your office and that it could be an escape for you considering what you did on a daily basis and the fact that she got to be closer to you during the workday, able to visit whenever and for whatever she wanted.

You finished some reports for the day and made your way down the hall to her office, you knocked and heard her call for you to come in. You walked in and before you could shut the door you felt arms wrap try and wrap around your waist but instead your bump blocked the little arms.

"Y/N!!!" you reached down and ruffled Henry's hair, and then ran a hand on his back looking up to make eye contact with Regina, she watched the interaction and her heart swelled, Henry loved you but he didn't take the idea of a third mom the easiest at first. Now don't get me wrong he was great and excited about a sibling but he had a hard time, with the whole new mom thing, he never called you mom he always said his mom's wife or your name, and he also wouldn't ever come to you either he went to Regina or right to Emma one time he even went to Snow before you knew. You wanted nothing more than to let him trust you so ever since the wedding you've been earning his trust, so it meant the world to Regina to see him so excited to see you and she knew it meant the world to you.

"Hey buddy, you have a good day?" you glanced down at him as he looked up at you.

"Yea we had a field trip today and then David offereed to take me to the stables to go riding."

"Oh really?" you smirked, looking back up to Regina as she just shook her head. "Well, then does my brave knight need me to drop him off?"

He laughed, "No, he's here, I just wanted to come in and see you before I went over, so I made him stop."

"Well in that case have fun, be safe, and take some pictures so I can brag to the nurses at work." you leaned down and kissed his hair as he hugged you tighter, he then ran back out of the office, but before the door closed you heard him yell back, "Bye, Moms!" You tuned looking at Regina, she got up walking over to you, a tear rolled down you face and she swiped it away letting her hand linger on your cheek and you leaned into the touch, she had her other hand holding yours running her fingers over your wedding ring.

"He really does love you." her coffee-brown orbs looked into your emerald green ones, as more tears ran down your face for her to swipe away.

You laughed, "God these pregnancy hormones are killing me."

“Darling, I…”, all the sudden you heard a crash outside, Regina turned and moved to the window. You held her hand in both of your as she reached to move the curtain.

“What the he…” that’s when she heard the moving of a cloud of smoke behind her and no longer felt the warmth of you hand, she spun on her heels and spotted the figure across the room.

“Mother? What’re you doing here?”

“Ahh sweet girl I’m here for you.”

“Where’s Y/N, What did you do with her?”

“You mean that peasant you call a wife,” she laughed at her daughter in front of her waving her off, “she’s in a safe place or at least it’s safe for a normal person, but not sure about her and the bastard child of yours.”

“No Mother that’s my wife and my baby, biologically both me and Y/N. She has more heart and passion and power then you’ll ever know and she loves me, truly loves me and Henry and I’ve never doubted her for a day, I LOVE her.”

“Oh darling you just live the idea of her.” Regina was done talking she whirled a fire ball, grabbing the spare dagger from the sheath attached under the desk, courtesy of you, and whirled it in that direction. She watched as smoke cleared and the dagger was no where to be found she prayed that she at least stunned her mother.

———time jump———

You were slumped forward and felt the restraints digging into your wrist and ankles as they were tied to the legs of the wooden chair. You were quickly jolted awake by Cora grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at her. Ugh, she let out a disgusted sigh and shoved you face away turning back, you watched as she walked out of the room into a smaller side room, looking around you realized you were in an older cabin, wait this was the cabin that’s hidden in the woods the enchanted cabin that… you heard heels coming towards you and turned your head, Maleficent and Cora both stood looking at you. Maleficent knelt down in front of you studying your features, she stared at your bump deciding whether or not to touch, as if it wasn’t real, you thrashed in the seat and she looked into your eyes, she ran a hand over your bump feeling your baby move.

“Cora, this is not the way to do this.” Maleficent spoke out but kept eyes trained on you as you gave her the smallest most gently terrified look you could.

“I decide how I do things, you’re just here for support on getting her back.”

“But her wife and unborn child?” Maleficent stood going to Cora.

“If they’re gone nothing will ever stop her from going back to dark and staying there.”

You started yelling into the gag and thrashing in the seat. Cora moved over to you and you felt as she slapped your face the sting of her fingers meeting your skin and the ringing in your ear her ring sliced into the skin of your cheek and you felt the blood run down, you knew you would have a black eye. She then grabbed the gag sliding it from your mouth.

“I swear if you lay a finger on Regina or my baby… so help me God.”

“Oh darling, I see why my daughter loves you.”

“My WIFE will be here before you know it and when she gets here nothing will stop her or me from destroying you!” You yelled at the woman in front of you. She bent down getting in your face, “nothing will stop me from getting my daughter back.”

“She’s not your little play toy anymore.” Again you felt a slap this time blood ran from you lip. You looked up and saw a shadow go by the window, Cora walked back over to Maleficent and retreated into the other room as you sat there hearing them argue. You watched as the shadows moved towards the door and then the door cracked, revealing Snow and Regina was right behind she pushed past the other woman and rushed to you, she ran her fingers over the cut on your lip.

“God what did she do to you?” Regina undid the restraints pulling you up into a hug.

“I’m okay…” you trailed, she pulled back placing a hand on your bump and running it over your large 8 month swollen stomach, “the baby too, we’re both okay.”

“Regina!” Snow yelled before being thrown against the wall by Cora, she used her body to shield you from her mother, taking her stand.

“My brave girl, protecting the mother of her child, but I ask who protects you, who truly keeps you from falling back into darkness.”

“I do.” You spoke up moving to stand next to her. Cora laughed out loud and Maleficent moved to check on Snow who was waking up, “Maleficent, what’re you doing?”

“This is wrong Cora.”

“And who are you to decide what is right and wrong, you destroyed villages and kingdoms with a single breath during your dragon days.”

“Mother my reign of terror and bloodshed is over, I’m never turning back.”

“Oh shut up stupid girl, I’ll show you terror.” She flicked her wrist and you felt a pain rip through your abdomen, it was so hard it brought you to your knees and you reached grabbing Regina’s arm as she turned to you.

“Oh God… Oh God the baby.” You let out a moan as tears started to fall, you felt the pain coming and going in waves, you looked down and saw a small stream of blood running down your leg.

“Mother, Stop!” Regina shouted and you watched as her magic collided with her mothers. You fell forward now on hands and knees as another pain tore through your body, you felt hands come around your sides and Snow tried getting you up.

“We need to get you out of here,” she let you lean into her and tried guiding you out the door. You reached a hand down brining it up coated in blood, again wincing in pain.

“But…but Regina,” you stuttered out in pain, letting out another moan. Maleficent placed a hand on your shoulder rubbing your arm as you tried breathing through it, “Let me save her for once you get out of here and get help before we have an injured Regina and a premature baby on our hands.” You looked into her eyes and saw she genuinely wanted to help, you slowly shook your head in agreement.

“Please get her back to me, please.”

She shook her head not breaking eye contact, “I promise, on my life.” Snow quickly turned taking you to the car as Maleficent threw her the keys,”I need to call Zelena we need to get you to the hospital.”

“No…” you struggled through another contraction.

“Y/N you’re in premature labor, there’s to much blood.”she tried reasoning with you.

“Snow if you take me all the way there…” you stopped breathing through another searing pain, letting out a low groan. “If we wait this baby won’t make it…God Snow… I won’t make it.” You said through gritted teeth.

“Okay just hold on.” You felt the car lurch forward as she pressed the gas harder.

She quickly rushed you back to the loft and called Emma filling her in, she reached over reassuring you again as you tried breathing in the passenger seat every wave coming stronger and faster. Once in the loft you were laid on Snow and David’s bed, Zelena and Emma quickly ran in the door, Zelena made her way to you. Seeing the blood on your thighs staining the white sheets red as you white knuckled the blankets, Snow brushing the sweat coated hair out of your face.

“What happened?”

“I…” you moaned, quickly being cut off by another pain.

“It was Cora she cast a spell and quick flick of her wrist and then Y/N was bent over in pain and the bleeding started.” She started to explain.

“Oh please don’t let her miscarry.” Snow said worrying.

“Don’t let me lose this baby.” You spoke out through another sharp pain.

“Labor?” Asked Emma looking to a very concentrated Zelena.

“Sort of, by the looks and sound of it mommy dearest used a pregnancy acceleration spell, if done right can work for mother and baby but if done wrong can cause a lot of problems.” Zelena explained, she lifted you shirt and felt your stomach pressing down in a few spots and releasing pressure as she felt the muscles tighten.

“Can you reverse if?” Snow asked concerned.

“I can I need to do it fast, and it will hurt like hell.”

“Will the baby be okay?”

“Y/N but you…” Snow started.

“Will the baby make it?!”

“Yes. I’m not sure the toll it will take on your body.” Zelena explained.

“I don’t care about me, you save this baby, whatever it takes you save my baby, our baby.” She slowly shook her head as you laid back against the pillows, Snow held your hand tightly understanding what could happen, Emma quickly gathered supplies and then came around to your other side, you felt Zelena swirl her hands on your bump, positioning them, you breathed through another pain.

“5 count?” She asked.

“Surprise me.” You let out a nervous breath as she nodded.

“Okay, 1…2…3…” she started before 5 not giving you much time to adjust, the last thing you heard was a bloodcurdling scream, realized it was you and then everything went black.

——— time jump———

You felt lips on your forehead and a hand holding yours, you felt tears as they landed on your hair. Slowly blinking open your eyes you realized it was your wife, she looked unscathed from events earlier. You quickly shot up on your elbows allowing the blanket to fall away revealing your bump, Regina was sitting next to the bed and laid an arm across you lap as you scooted up against the pillows resting her hand on your bump. You let out a small moan feeling the soreness in your muscles.

“Hey,” she spoke gently.

“What happened? Are you okay?” You slid your hand onto her cheek watching her eyes, she leaned into your hand.

“Well Zelena told me what happened, she told me though that you blacked out during the reversal spell.” She avoided the question.

“What happened with your mom?”

“Cora, I don’t consider her family after she went after you like that, Maleficent helped me and she pushed her back through a portal, she fell through with her though, I owe her my life.”

“Me too, how long was I out.”

“Two days, everyone has been asking about you.”

“Mmm, where’s Henry?” You rubbed at your eyes.

“With Emma and Snow and David they went out. Y/N I almost lost you, my love I’m so so sorry.” You watched as tears started to fall and you placed your hand back on her cheek, wiping tears with your thumb, she embraced the touch. You both let tears fall for a moment before she leaned forwards placing a kiss to your lips and then allowing you to lay your forehead against hers, “Y/N I will always fight for you, until I draw my last breath, I love you more than anything and I can’t wait to watch our family grow and I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

“Regina Mills you make me the happiest woman alive, don’t for a minute think that I’ll ever leave you, I love you, besides the ring is already on so it’s going to take a lot more than that to scare me away.” You both chuckled.

Zelena walked down the stairs and turned coming up to you and sitting at the edge of the bed, “So mama, looks like everything went okay, you’re gonna be sore for a little while, and as of yesterday you are officially on bedrest aside from coming in to visit.”

“Thank you Z, for everything.” You gave her a gentle smile.

“Don’t mention it just promise me that you’ll rest up and come back to show me the ropes before you have my niece or nephew.” She winked, patting your leg.

You heard the lock click and watched as the door swung open at first everyone moved in slowly until they saw you, they stood shocked until Henry came running around the corner and jumped on the bed hugging around your neck the best he could with your bump in the way. Zelena took her leave joining the others in the kitchen.

“Mama I thought I lost you!” You hugged him with one arm as tears rolled down your cheeks, Henry has never actually addressed you as mom before. You felt as Regina squeezed your hand and gave you a look, you closed you eyes living in the moment.

“Henry, love you’ll never lose me, I love you little man.” He wouldn’t let go of your neck and then you realized that he was crying, Regina reached around rubbing his back, “Baby it’s okay.” She reassured him.

“I…I…I just thought I lost you, I can…can’t lose both my m…moms, or my little sister I can’t wait to meet he…her” He said through sobs. You both smiled gently at him as he clung around your neck.

“Henry love what if you got a little brother?” Regina asked gently.

“No, I think it’s a girl.”

“Oh okay.” She chuckled looking at you as you held him and rubbed his back.

“I’d say someone agrees with that.” You let out a smirk, Regina looked at you hopeful.

“Really?” You nodded and she moved her hand down feeling as your baby kicked, a tear rolled down her cheek and she leaned up to kiss you.

“I wanna feel.” Henry said turning his head and placing a hand near Regina’s feeling the baby move. He let out a toothy grin making you both laugh at your sons reaction.

He pulled away but only to curl into your side holding Regina’s hand that was spread across your bump, he started talking to the baby, you sat there content knowing that no matter what you were all loved and that you finally had the family you always dreamed of.

[bidisaster-peanut-romano]

considering the state of bullworth (the city), what do you think the state of the country or world is like? do you think bullworth has a unique culture, or is it almost representative of the society outside its perimeters?

i think about what hal esposito said a lot when he and lucky were finding things to watch on the tv. "what? war footage and natural disasters doesn't do it for you?"

considering it is highly likely that the world's condition is very chaotic, how might this affect bullworth and its residents?

hello there!!! ah yes, geography. my beloathed

that's an interesting question of course, yes!! my instinctive thought when first reading this ask was what i always asumed, ie: the news hal and lucky were referring about weren't local but, yknow, american general news. also bc paris from the carnival says something very similar in front of her tv, and we know that the carnival travels, so i wouldn't think of something too different.

however!! let's go by steps there, because thinking about it that's something i never properly expanded upon.

so, first of all: canonically speaking, bullworth is in new england. now, as a non-usamerican, i have very little knowledge of anything about hyperspecific cultures in america, maybe just some west coast zones or south and some midwest.

however!! the fact that there are so many kids of italian certain descent and some other kids with non anglophone last names (kowalski, brakus, luna, karamazov, etc) implies that it is an important destination for migrations. this makes me think of earlly 1900s new york, which would certainly be coherent.

now, a long time ago i found the certain information that bullowrth was supposed to be in new hampshire. however, since i have learned that "trust me bro" is never a good source, i went back to dig some deeper into the whole thing: it still seems to be more or less agreed upon that the state is new hampshire, also because someone noted a striking resemblance of bullworth with the phillips exeter academy. of course maybe it wasn't as explicit and direct as this user puts it, but it is suggestive enough that it would be nice to go with it.

now, first about the culture: we mentioned bullworth being basically a melting pot. this means that it is not only unique, but in fact very diverse, also depending on the zone. for example, i think in new coventry you'll find an especially colorful culture, with people coming from different places and different cultures, everyone holding onto their own but also interacting with their neighbor. you'll find people giving each other giving their best wishes to their neighbor for a festivity they don't even celebrate but know the other does. i mean, maybe you'll have some catholic complaining about the shop being closed just that day, but cue to the stereotypical southern italian wife smacking him behind his head and telling her good friend is home with their family and he mustn't be an annoying jerk (not in so many words, of course).

it is probably quieter the more you get closer to the vale. maybe in town there will be the occasional decoration outside of the house or in a shop, but overall… i'd say that the fundamental sentiment in bullworth is, exactly as the school crest says, canis canem edit. mind your own business and you'll live a hundred years, like an old saying goes. keep a good distance, so they don't hurt you and you don't hurt them.

and in fact, the vale is where this hyperindividualism gets ornated with the hypocrisy of the Good People, some facade to keep so that not only no conflict is created, but any chance and risk of it is perfectly concealed. you have the middle class-bourgeois, christian family who greet their neighbors with a smile and then speculate on all their disgraces as soon as the front door closes. and everything that happens in the family stays in the family, dirty laundry is washed at home.

yeah, overall i'd say. the whole point of bullworth culture is self-sufficiency, it's doing the best of what you have and care thoroughly and not let anyone else touch what's yours.

now, the natural condition of the territory: established that we are on the new hampshire coast, i have tried to dig a bit. i will bring up again something i mentioned earlier: i immediately assumed it was us or global news, but, while it is unfortunately enough to desensitize the general public to military violence, natural forces can be… a bit different.

i will tell a small anecdote about me. i grew up in an extremely seismic area, and by that i mean that we would experience at least a couple waves every some weeks, not strong enough to cause damage but enough to be perceived and do small stuff like making small objects fall off or ceiling lamps shake. and, y'know, it has always been perfectly normal for me, it has happened while i was in class and the worst thing was that i smudged a line on the essay i was writing. but then i moved away for college, and, when in geography we started talking about earthquakes, my professor admitted being scared shitless of seismic waves. my friends got the news of some waves in my native area and asked me how my family was; my mom was like “what do you mean four? i only felt three”

what was that to say? well. in my experience, the general masses are much more moved by natural disasters than by wars. so, in some way, the idea that hal and lucky were at most annoyed by the repetitiveness of the news makes me think that they have some experience with it. earthquakes probably aren't the ones, since, well. plate tectonics. which i will not explain here mostly because i have already passed that exam and i want nothing to do with it ever again LMAO. but anyway the east coast is a very stable area of the earth, so no earthquakes nor volcanoes. and, since it is located tightly in a small gulf, i think sea storms and tidal waves are out of the question too.

however! apparently, tornadoes are not too infrequent in the area, nor, i guess, storms and other similar climate events. as i mentioned before: what happens there is that you get kind of desensitized there; the thought of anything horrible happening isn't there, or, if it is, it barely hits with its full force. “but what if it is stronger next time?” we'll all just die, at least i won't have to worry about rent anymore, maybe my boss will finally kick the bucket too, ha-ha. what do you mean someone died in the next city? well, you know, it can happen.

so yeah, when you ask how it affects the people of bullworth- it probably just amplifies whatever nihilism is already there, y'know. see constantinos, who's most probably clinically depressed, or lefty's “life sucks and then you die”, which is disturbing, especially coming from a kid his age.

i guess it's not the only factor, but it does contribute to this feeling of bullworth just being some lost land, forsaken by god himself left to its own devices. it's like the entirety of the population is... in survival mode, as i tend to say; you just pull through, which should be the bare minimum, but there we are. think of yourself first, then your neighbor, but actually fuck your country, since it has never done a thing for me.

[griefabyss69]

Bit of a NSFW drabble idea for the LARP Steddie: they could do a scene at a club?

Hey anon! I took some liberties with the idea of a club, mostly because there's like three ways I could interpret that. Also I don't think this is like, LARP AU canon (unless I decide later on to expand it), but it's definitely that version of those characters!

I hope this is what you wanted! I really had fun with this one, thank you so much for the request <3

[Drabble request series on ao3]

---

2.9K words - Steddie - Rated: E

Contains: Public humiliation, riding crops, pain play, ball torture (with the crop only), spitting, Eddie IN LOVE, Roleplaying (cowboys!), Bondage, handcuffs, and a fade to black kind of ending otherwise I would've been writing a novel about it LMAO

Of all of the ways that Steve's pushed him before, the crazy shit he's gotten up to since the first time Steve got him on his knees, this has to be the one that he should be tapping out of before it even begins.

It's so. Public.

Safe, Steve assured him, detailing exactly how he went about it, making sure that the bar they were going to was so far underground that it's never been raided before, that it's so illegal that nobody's going to even ask him for a fake, community minded in a way that means bad actors are thrown out so people can get up to their freaky shit in peace.

Yeah, because peaceful is totally the word Eddie would use for this.

Hard metal cuffs digging into his wrists – he'd asked Steve to leave a mark on him and meant it – as he struggles against the wood column he's strung up against, the chain of the cuffs hooked up high behind the pole and over one of the low wooden beams that spans the ceiling.

He has to hold onto it, to acquiesce to his position – in life, in this bar, in Steve's hands – otherwise the handcuffs are gonna really hurt him. His feet are tied together too, boots bound behind the pole with rope around the ankles, those and his socks the only fucking stitch of clothing he's got on.

He doesn't know it makes him feel more naked or not, but his dick is way ahead of him, physically sticking out like a red beacon and also way more on board with all of this than the part of himself that houses his common sense.

The cowboy hat on Steve's head tips back as he looks up at him, surveying the outlaw he'd captured, riding crop steady in his hand as he walks around him.

Their audience – because this place of Eddie-style freaks draws people who love watching helpless men get trussed up like a fucking Halloween decoration – is watching, eager to see what he does with it.

Eddie's… scared.

In his planning Steve had practiced with the riding crop, gave Eddie all of the details on how he tested it out on his own skin as Eddie's hand had crept into his shorts to get a hand around himself, and that kind of worries him. Because Steve knows how to wield it, he's not going to hold back. He promised he wouldn't.

Steve caught him, Eddie The Bad, the outlaw cowboy who'd been causing trouble in town, and Steve The Protector was giving him his very public punishment.

The light brush of leather over his thigh makes Eddie jump, eyes flying from where they were locked onto Steve's to watch him tease the crop up to where his balls are hanging – tight and ready despite the fact that they haven't gotten to the best part yet – ghosting over them just to drive home the fact of his vulnerability.

They'd set limits, but that doesn't change the fact that Steve could do whatever he wanted. He'd never, which is why Eddie even agreed to this, but with so many eyes on him he feels like he's truly at everyone's mercy.

Meeting the staff earlier had been interesting. They'd been fully dressed, normal, themselves, as they went over things with the bouncer and security and the bartenders. Steve had apparently been planning this for like three weeks, a lot of secret phone calls, letting the staff in on things that Eddie has no idea about.

The smirk the bouncer had given him, the "good luck!" he'd called as they headed in to set the scene, had not made him feel very confident.

But despite what he's cultivated his whole life, tonight isn't about being confident, about impressing anyone. It's about obeying, about fictional atonement, about mutual gratification through breaking him so far out of his comfort zone he thinks he's landed on mars.

His dick gives a heavy throb as he struggles again, trying to stay in character so he doesn't just attempt to get some friction from the crop.

Steve laughs, deep and beautiful, mocking him. His usually sweet smile is twisted into something that lights up further every time Eddie shows a sign of distress, and he wonders if the audience can tell that he's so fucking in love with him.

"Alright tough guy," Steve says, not bothering with a shitty western accent. "Can you count to one hundred?"

No fucking way is he hitting him with that thing a hundred times.

Eddie swallows hard, ice water fear trickling into his veins, and he widens his eyes at Steve, forgetting to look defiant for a moment. He's sure he just looks like a panicking loser, but a riding crop hurts, he's never even been had his ass slapped that much with a soft hand before.

"What? You can't? You can rob people of a thousand coins but you can't even count them?"

Steve brings the crop back up to his balls, toying with him, all cat-and-mouse about it as he gives them a light tap. It doesn't hurt, but Eddie still flinches.

"And you're not even gonna answer me? That's pretty rude, tough guy."

Eddie screws his face up into the evil villain frown he usually employs in way more G rated situations, gathering spit in his mouth. He has to aim carefully, doesn't want to get the borrowed cowboy hat dirty, but he's good enough with it, spits on Steve's flannel shirt, right over where his heart is.

How romantic.

Steve slowly looks down at it, his hat almost covering how he's fighting the twitch at the corner of his mouth, Jesus. Eddie really didn't think that would make him have to fight against laughter.

"You son of a bitch," he says like a threat, head whipping back up to glare at him. "Screw counting, I'm gonna have you here until the sun comes up, and then I'm gonna leave you for the folk you stole from, and they're gonna have you until I get back at sunset."

He twirls the crop in his hands like it's not long and unwieldy, and then whips the head of it smartly into Eddie's thigh.

He didn't really expect to be broken into a moan so fucking quickly, but the intention to curse at him drowns under the way his whole body tries to roll into the pain.

There's a few whispers in the crowd, most likely talking about how he’s a slut for the pain, how they either expected that or not, and Steve smirks, nailing him in the exact same spot as the first time.

That fucking hurts and he hisses, fingers clenching into the wood of the beam above him, bracing himself through the initial pain of it.

"Fuck. You!" He yells, knowing that all Steve will hear is a beg for more.

"As if I'd ever let you inside of me," Steve says, bringing the crop down on the inside of his other thigh, eyes sparkling in the incandescent lighting as Eddie gasps.

He's not sure he'd be able to describe the feeling he has now, a mountain made up of so many different layers of things that should be their own mountains, as big as they are.

Love and humiliation are locked in a fierce battle, while pain and pleasure have linked arms to mess with his head. Then of course there's the feeling of joy he gets whenever he gets to take something like this seriously, the drama and creativity of it forming summits of fun. A sprinkle of the little pride he has left feebly dusts the tops of it all, quickly melting away with each new smack of the crop.

Later he'll feel even more, when Steve rescues him from Evil Steve, Steve Who Wields This Fucking Weapon and Also Undressed Him In Front of Like Thirty People. Appreciation and exhaustion and the soreness that tells him he's going to wake up feeling both super well rested and hard as nails.

But for now he has to endure the way that he overhears someone pointing out how much his dick is leaking, pre-cum dripping in humiliating rivulets down the big vein in his cock to get his balls all wet, has to endure Steve reaching up to whip him right in the nipple, hard enough he's going to feel it against his shirt all day tomorrow.

He has to endure how loudly he moans, how he almost cums even though Steve's usually the one with the sensitive nipples, how if he doesn't try to keep his attention focused on Steve or on the ceiling, everyone's eyes feel like they're seeing deeply into him, and it's bad enough his skin is bared for everyone, but for them to read how much he loves it too?

The crop caresses his face before there's a quick-soft-glance of a whip over the head of his dick.

"No!" He yells, gasping as his hips buck forward, chasing after the pain. "Fuck!"

Steve laughs, as mean and beautiful as always, his cheeks a little flushed under the shadow of the hat. Getting to see him like this, all put together in a proper costume, having so much fun with roleplaying in public, it makes him fall even harder than ever.

They haven't even broached the topic of a date, or making this something between partners and not friends who do freaky shit together, but Eddie's been finding himself daydreaming about illegal backyard weddings for a while now.

The riding crop rips his attention away from the curve of Steve's mouth when it slaps up into his balls, hard.

There's a sound that must come out of him, broken like the craggy rocks of Mount Humiliation, the pain causing lights to sparkle in his eyes as he looks across the expanse of his reality and finds that his existence really fucking hurts.

"Are you going to comply with me now?" Steve asks, leaning back against a table, hip cocked all pliant and easy.

This is just another day of tormenting bad guys, for him.

Eddie shakes his head no, can't trust he'll open his mouth and anything better than drool will come out, though once he has control of his muscles again he might use it.

"Guess I'll do it some more," Steve says, twirling the crop again.

The head of it shines dimly in the light, Eddie's pre-cum on it.

It's a stark reminder of his aching dick, pulsing so hard that it defeats the entire scientific concept of gravity.

Steve straightens up slowly, and Eddie sees people watching him, interested in the tilt of his hips as he walks back up to him, and. He's not possessive, and maybe it's a relief to have less of the sharp gazes assessing every inch of him and how horny he’s gotten, but he knows that he'd hate it if Steve paid them any attention.

They just don't know him like Eddie does, their mouths wouldn't fit over him like his does, their hands are all wrong. He knows that without seeing them.

Steve doesn't even notice them, though. Eddie's getting all weird about it for no reason, wedding bells chiming in the back of his mind even as he sees the crop – practically in slow motion – headed towards his balls again and all he can do is tighten up and brace himself.

Except…

Steve pulls back at the last second, the only thing touching him is the air, and Eddie thinks he might cum too early just from the sheer relief.

He sags, blowing out a breath, letting the handcuffs hold him up for a second to give his hands a break.

"I'm not that predictable," Steve says, and smacks the crop into his one of his sore thighs.

It still hurts, but after the rolling tsunami of pain from his balls, visceral enough to wind him, it's practically a loving caress. He groans, lets his legs shake as he rolls his body forward, seeking out the sensation of it.

"I'm also not that kind, either," Steve says and -

Fuck.

There it is.

It hurts so badly this time that he blacks out for a moment, teeth clenched so hard that spit drips out of the corners of his mouth, his abs clenched in a too-late brace against the pain that has his brain tricked for a moment, made him think he's cumming.

He's not, there's no orgasm, it's all just the agony of his throbbing balls, of the tears welling up in his eyes and spilling out, no chance to try to blink them away to save whatever minuscule amount of pride he has left. There it is, melted right off the mountain by the hot rays of Steve, rivers of it trickling down to drip off of the end of his jaw.

Steve's eyes look black under the shadow of his hat, big and beautiful but wicked, the sadism Eddie never thought he'd love seeing anywhere but in the mirror spearing him right through the heart.

He'd give it over in his own heartbeat, still pumping on a leather platter, tied up with his handcuffs and rope, if that's what Steve wanted. If he planned carefully for three weeks and broached the subject only after clearing the idea with a literal team of people staffing the venue where he wanted to sink his teeth into it.

"Yeah, you thought you could take it, huh tough guy?" Steve asks, tapping the crop firmly against one of his cheeks, mixing pre-cum and tears together. "Give up yet?"

Eddie shakes his head, feeling a bit dizzy but not weak, still good to go if he wants.

And fuck, he hates himself for it, but he wants it so badly at the same time. He's been knocked down several pegs in the past few months, what's another one?

So, of fucking course, he wants it.

"Never met someone who had to rely on torturing someone's ball sack to scrape out a victory," he says, and spits on him again, getting it right on his mouth.

Steve goes still, and quiet. The twitch of laughter isn't there like before, this time he slowly wipes the spit off, every inch of movement broadcasting the danger of a snake about to strike. Eddie's dick throbs hard, greedy.

"There's going to be nothing left to torture when I'm done with you," Steve hisses, prodding his chin with the end of the crop. "You're going to regret ever stepping foot in this town."

Eddie thinks that if he's not careful he'll start to melt right out of his skin, letting the hard nudge of the braided leather guide his head upwards, baring his throat for everyone.

"Can't wait," he says, his voice strained and dry.

Steve watches him for a minute, taking him in, maybe giving him another moment to rest before he starts again, kicking it off with a hard flick to the tip of his dick.

He groans, his eyes squeezing shut against the sharp pain even though he's trying to find Steve's hand again, wanting to press up against him.

"It's like you want me to do this to you," Steve says, flicking him again.

His eyes roll back, his hips roll forward, he's… yeah. He does.

"Maybe you should shut up or make good on your threats, Pretty Boy," he says, dredging up a smirk through the haze of intensity that grips at him.

Steve laughs, smacks the crop against the same nipple as before, and flicks his dick again. It's a heady combination, has him writhing against the ropes holding his ankles together, his calves squeezing around the wooden column.

"Maybe I should punish you by leaving you here," Steve says, stepping back a few paces, twirling the crop in his hands again. "Do you think anybody would take pity on you? Cut you loose? Maybe smack your cock around, since you love it so much?"

Eddie catches himself before he begs him to stay, just stares for a minute as he tries to think of something to say that isn't so incriminating. He knows he was technically defeated before they even walked in here, that's how they planned this would go, but he's been fighting against it the whole time. It doesn't make sense to give in yet, especially not if it reinforces the idea of Steve threatening to leave him in order to get what he wants. Even if it's just acting.

"It would be a soothing balm to my sorry eyes if you walked on out of here," he says, making it obvious that he's starting to gather more spit.

Steve's eyes flick to his mouth, sharp like the whip they'd vetoed last month, and in one fluid movement so graceful it has Eddie impressed in the split second of brainpower he gets to have, he takes two prowling steps forward and hammers the crop against his balls again.

Eddie goes somewhere for a moment, brain stuttering on the image of Steve's arm, crop in hand, flying through the air, blackened pain shot through with exploding lights, his bones maybe starting to disintegrate with the feeling, and he thinks this must be what all of those romantic comedies are about. The kiss so good it sets off fireworks in your skull, rattles love deep into your spinal cord until you'd do anything to get more of it.

His eyelids struggle when he opens them, but he's glad he does, catching the worried furrow of Steve's brow, the alert way he stands tall and strong, waiting on him.

"Harder," he croaks out, and spits on Steve's shoe.

[kanisema-blog]

Bentley chap 2

Bethany gathers her things and heads for the elevators. She wants to take a quick shower before heading out to the mall to find a new dress.

Once she arrives home, she goes into her bedroom, strips down, and takes a nice hot shower.

As the water cascades down her body, she begins to fantasize about what the CEO might look like.

She's seen a few photos of him in the newspapers and magazines, but they are always taken from far away.

She wonders what he's really like in person, and if he has a girlfriend or not.

After her shower, Bethany gets dressed and goes out shopping.

At the mall, she tries on a dozen different dresses before finally settling on one that's simple but classy.

She's happy with her choice, and heads back home to get ready.

She decides to curl her long, brown hair, and adds a touch of red lipstick to complete her look.

When she arrives at the party, everyone is already there and having a great time.

The music is loud, and the drinks are flowing freely.

She looks around and sees her co-workers talking and laughing together.

Mariah waves to her, and she smiles back.

Bethany spots a tray of hors d'oeuvres and heads over to get a plate.

Just as she's about to pick up a cracker topped with cheese, a man approaches her.

"Hello, Miss. Can I offer you a drink?" the man asks.

Bethany turns around and sees the tall, handsome, and extremely rich man standing in front of her.

It's the CEO.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Bentley," she says.

"Please, call me Bentley," he replies with a charming smile. "And what is your name, Miss?"

"My name is Bethany, and it's very nice to meet you, Mr. Bentley," she replies.

"The pleasure is all mine, Bethany," he says, and then calls over a server who hands her a glass of champagne.

Bethany takes a sip, and finds the champagne to be delicious.

"So, what do you think of the party, Bethany?" Bentley asks her.

"It's great," she answers. "The food is delicious, and the music is great. I love the way the decorations bring the whole room together."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he says, and then takes a sip of his drink.

Bethany is surprised by how friendly and personable he is.

She'd expected him to be a bit aloof and cold, but he's not.

"So, what is your position at the company?" Bentley asks her.

"I'm a senior concept artist," she replies.

"Impressive. How long have you been doing that?"

"A few years," she answers.

"You must be quite talented."

"Thank you," she blushes. "I do enjoy my job, and I feel like I'm making a difference."

"I'm sure you are," he replies. "What kind of work do you do?"

"Mostly designing products and packaging."

"Very interesting. Do you ever get to travel?"

"Not really," she says.

"That's a shame. You should try and see more of the world."

"I've been thinking about it," she admits. "I'm not sure where to start though."

"You should go on a vacation," he suggests. "Somewhere warm and tropical."

"Maybe I will," she replies.

Bentley and Bethany continue talking and getting to know each other, and she soon realizes that he's not at all what she expected him to be.

He's friendly and funny, and not at all stuck-up.

In fact, she finds herself quite attracted to him.

"So, where are you from?" she asks him.

"I was born and raised in California," he answers. "But I've traveled the world extensively."

"That must have been exciting."

"It was, but it's also nice to be back home," he replies.

"Are you originally from California?"

"No, I'm originally from England," he says. "I moved here when I was a teenager."

"Really? You don't have an accent."

"I worked hard to get rid of it," he chuckles.

"I can imagine."

"So, where are you from?"

"I'm from a small town in Wisconsin," she answers.

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes," she admits. "But I love it here."

"I can see why," he says. "This is a beautiful city."

"It is," she agrees.

The two of them continue to talk and get to know each other, and Bethany can't help but notice how handsome and charming Bentley is.

She also can't help but feel a bit jealous of the women who are constantly surrounding him.

He may be a CEO, but he's still human, and Bethany is pretty sure she's not the only woman who has a crush on him.

After a while, Bethany starts to feel a little tired.

"I think I'm going to go home," she tells Bentley.

"Already?" he asks. "But the party's just getting started."

"I know, but I'm not much of a party girl," she replies. "I've had a long week, and I'm just not feeling up to it."

"Alright, well, can I walk you to your car?"

"Sure, that would be nice," she replies.

They head out into the parking lot and walk to her car.

"Well, thanks for a lovely evening, Bethany," Bentley says.

"It was my pleasure," she replies. "It was really nice getting to know you."

"Same here," he says.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at work," she says.

"Definitely," he replies. "Have a good night."

"You too," she says, and then gets into her car and drives off.

She can't believe she's leaving the party early, but she's not much of a party person, and she was starting to feel tired anyway.

[voidingintotheshout]

Mini Movie Review

Holiday Date (Hallmark, 2019).

Grade: B minus.

Please note that this review contains spoilers.

OK, so I don’t know if I like this movie. I have to ding it quite a few points for the completely bananas premise, which involved both main characters lying and gaslighting this woman’s family for the entire movie and them in true Hallmark fashion, none of the family members are remotely mad about this, and everyone gets along in the end.

So the actual plot is that this lady gets dumped by her fiancé a week before Christmas. Why he couldn’t have just waited until after Christmas IDK. The first question that it made me think about is did he know that she was planning on introducing him to her family? Because it seems like breaking up with her when he knew she was about to mention him to her family would’ve been the best time. If alternatively, she was planning on bringing him to her family for Christmas, and hadn’t even mentioned this to him when Christmas was less than a week away is another thing entirely. That seems kind of crazy. Maybe it’s my fault for trying to inject logic into a hallmark movie.

In any event, she is left by this guy that she was engaged to but she now is alone and has already told her family that Ethan is coming and is “Mr. Christmas”. That’s when she goes to a holiday party and meet this dude that is an actor and who wants to “connect” with small-town life, so he agrees to be her fake fiancé in exchange for being able to understand what small town living is like. The only thing is that he is Jewish.

As a gentile, I’m unsure, but from what I’ve gathered, he seems like one of the more assimilationist Jews that I’ve heard of. In the clip below, he goes on about how he’s so excited to get into Christmas and to put up lights and decorate a tree and sing Christmas carols and open presents and stuff like that. I could be wrong, but a lot of Jews don’t wish they were Christians. They’re really proud of their culture. Also, he does a recitation, if that’s the right word, of the prayer “Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik neir shel Shabbat.” However, he does it in what feels like the most gentile pronunciation I could’ve imagined. I mean the actor playing this person is Jewish from what I’ve gathered, and it’s all about him sharing his Jewish faith with these Gentiles, which is great, but him as a character, as a representative of all Judaism was really… confusing.

Like, it’s what I expected because Hallmark has gotten a lot of knocks from people in the Jewish community about their depiction in Hallmark movies as this group that wishes they could be Christians and not actually celebrating why they’re happy to be Jews. I knew that’s kind of what this movie was going to be depicting. It’s telling that most of the scenes about his Jewish culture involved the Christians being presented as good allies, and being excited to learn about this culture, which is also great, and not about why this culture matters to him. Like obviously latkes are delicious. Sufganiyot (jelly donuts eaten during Hanukkah) are obviously delicious. I don’t know. I liked it but I feel like the movie worked because it wasn’t just another two attractive white people and their one person of color friend in a absurd small town that doesn’t make any sense except during Christmas, making extreme life choices based on their love of the holiday season. It was about people connecting—but wow.

The fact that her family was totally fine with her lying and bringing a fake boyfriend, lying and implying that the boyfriend was Christian, and then revealing that they’re Jewish, revealing that the person isn’t even named Ethan. They aren’t an architect. Those two weren’t dating, but you expect your parents to believe that the dude who you bought as a prop to trick them is a guy you have fallen in love with and are now dating. Then, both of you decide to quit your jobs on Christmas Eve to do jobs that objectively will not pay enough to live in New York. And everyone is cool with it? That is a typical Hallmark movie ending.

[sparkles-and-trash]

Erasermic for Halloween requests 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️😩

oh yes, of course! I hope it's okay that I added some Eri and Class 1A stuff just for funsies <3

as with most couples, Aizawa and Hizashi knows most, if not every, of the others secrets

for Aizawa, one of his biggest ones are the fact that he really enjoys halloween

not as much in the sense of himself dressing up and doing stuff, but he really enjoys the vibes, as well as seeing how much fun all the kids are having

both of them love doing the whole thing were they decorate their place and set it up for the trick or treat-ers and dress up themselves, always as something fairly recognizable for the kids, and always over the top

after they move to UA, they suddenly have Eri to share the traditions with

the first year she's with them Nejire and Shouto takes her out because of how busy they are with everything going on

but the next year, when things are calmer, they finally get to spend it with her themselves

they take her to the big halloween store in town to pick out her own costume (Aizawa is so proud when she insists the costume has to be scary)

sadly for them, or, Aizawa mostly, this is spotted by Mina and Denki

and they do not hesitate to run to Midnight to ask about why they just saw their teachers fully decked out to go treak or treat with Eri, when she's the one who's supposed to be the main event

and Midnight do not hesitate to spill the details of her friends past, where young Shouta and Hizashi would always win the best couple costume awards at any and all parties they went to

or how their whole home, no matter where that was at the moment, would be decked out floor to ceiling in full halloween decoration from the first of October and up 'til halloween, every single year

and of course Denki and Mina runs straight to their class to spill all the details

on actual halloween, during the day, all the students show up to class in their costumes, trying super hard to not laugh when Aizawa sees them

(even Bakugo agreed was bribed into put on a pair of devil horns)

legends say Aizawa actually smiled a little that day

Present Mic, on the other hand, got so excited when he saw them he decided to skip class and hold a costume fashion show

Eri was obviously invited, and ended up being a judge in the competition that ensued

(she declared that everyone won)

the look on her face as she tells Aizawa all about the show they put on for her later makes him love that stupid class just a little bit more

Aizawa obviously isn't big on social media, but Hizashi very much is, and every year he and Aizawa outdo themselves with a new, ridiculously over the top couple costume

and every year, the internet goes absolutely crazy for it

when Eri gets a little older, she gets to join if she wants to

but only if the costume does a good job at hiding her face and such, both Hizashi and Aizawa are very set on keeping her sheltered from the public

it's one of their oldest and most sacred traditions, and they both absolutely love it that way

you can easily say that halloween is their favorite holiday, haha <3

mha halloween requests open <3

[siswritesyanderes]

I loved your yandere Drukkari.How they would react with Sadie????

Oh my gosh, thank you! This is short, because once again my laptop ended up deleting half of what I originally wrote and it ended up shrinking in the rewrite process, so don't judge it too hard, lol.

"I'm not agreeing to 'no mind control'," Druig said frankly, a lazy smile raising one corner of his mouth. "Mind control has to be on the table."

Sadie sighed and put her pencil down. "I understand why you feel that way," she said slowly, "but do you understand how small a concession 'no mind control' is, from a human perspective?"

"That's because humans think very highly of their own decision-making skills. As an ancient, immortal being, I find their confidence unearned."

"Are you saying that you're unwilling to compromise?"

"'No mind control' isn't a compromise."

"Okay. How about 'No mind control except in cases of imminent physical danger to my person'."

Druig considered this, then sat back in his chair. "Ehh, still no."

"Why not?"

"There are plenty of ways for you to get hurt that don't count as 'imminent physical danger'. I need to be able to take control whenever I feel I have to."

"If you're not willing to agree to any of my terms, then what's the point of making a contract?"

"You like contracts and we like you," Druig said simply. Trailing a fingertip over the back of her hand and drawing an imaginary heart.

"But you don't respect my autonomy," she probed, "because you consider me a lesser being."

"Not lesser. Just...younger." The depth of his eyes betrayed his age.

Makkari tapped Sadie on the shoulder. "How about mind control is allowed, but afterwards we vote on whether it was necessary, and if at least two of us agree it wasn't, then there's some consequence."

"Meaning it's up to you when it's okay and when it's not?" Druig said. "Since I will probably always say it was necessary and Sadie will probably always say it wasn't."

Makkari nodded, unabashed. Her eyes were also deep with millennia of wisdom, but she wore the years differently. Where Druig seemed to always have the energy of either a father keeping a small child from touching the hot stove or a father watching out of the corner of his eye to make sure the small child isn't walking up to the stove again, Makkari's energy was that of full and profound internal comfort. Sadie had never seen Makkari appear to doubt herself or question herself. Makkari didn't know everything, nor would she claim to, but she knew herself better than anyone.

Druig dipped his head. "Well, I trust you, darling. I can agree to that if Sadie can."

Sadie considered for a second. She didn't find it an adequate concession on his part, but it was progress. She took up her pencil. "I'm writing it down, but I'm going to want to discuss this again later."

"Of course." Druig winked at Makkari.

Sadie had to smile, just a little, at the sight. She would continue to fight for her right to not have her decisions piloted by someone else or made subject to review, but she didn't hold much against the Eternals otherwise. They had done a lot for humanity, and their morals were worlds better than Sadie would have expected, given the opportunities their powers provided and their having been around for all of humanity's cruelest events.

They had also seen a lot of humanity's best.

And the way they looked at her...it was like they were seeing it now.

Sadie set her pencil down again and cleared her throat. "Okay, next item. Makkari, I know one of your love languages is gift-giving, but I think decorating my house wall-to-wall with stolen artifacts, treasures, and gadgets might not be the best idea."

"Why?" Makkari asked.

"Are you worried about the police?" Druig added. "Because they don't come here. Anymore."

Sadie raised an eyebrow. "Yes, the fact that you're intermittently controlling everyone in town is next on the list; don't worry."

Druig laughed, far from repentant.

[clementinesjourney]

Record Shop Funk - Pt. 1 Like real people do

A.N. : Hey guys, so i had this idea yesterday, and i really hope you'll like it. <3

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

Words: 1,9k

Pairing: camboy!Steve x Reader, roommate!Bucky x reader, Stucky x reader (as the story goes)

Warnings: nothing yet :)

Summary: Who knew that having a secret crush, then a hearbreak will end in such a sweet thing..

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You and Bucky shared an apartment above the recordshop you both worked in. Your aunt was the owner of both, so it was a fairly good payment, and a fairly good apartment for a cheap price. It was a bright and big apartment with two bedrooms, so your decided to rent it out, all while searching for a helper to the shop downstairs. When Bucky came in applying for the job, you asked out of joke if he needs a place to live since you had seen around 5 people already and none of them felt right. His eyes lit up as he said he is in fact looking for a place. Since he was fitting for a job, and looked like a decent guy, you congratulated him on his new job, and asked if he wants to see the place today. You still had one and a half hour to close, but after it you would gladly show him the apartment.

He had nothing better to do, so he agreed to it, feeling happy about having a job he might actually like and a coworker he might actually will get along with.

-Do you drink coffee? I was thinking of getting one in the meantime. My friend works close by, and they make the best coffee in town. - He asked.

-I could go for one thank you - you smiled at him - iced cold-brew, no sugar, i'm sweet enough.. - you said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back at the joke. When he arrived at the café, he saw his friend Steve flirting with a girl whom he could visibly see trembling just cause he talked to her. Steve always had his way with girls, ever since the serum of course. After he broke up with Peggy, it was mostly just hookups, never finding a girl worth keeping around. Not as if they werent kind, pretty or good to him, it just never felt right. Bucky smiled at his friend, Steve immediately shifted his gaze from the girl, to a very happy Bucky.

-Did you get the job?

-Better.. I got the job, and she has a room for rent which i'll see tonight.

-Wow Bucky, i didn't know you were even better then i am.. sooo how does she look? - asked Steve with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. He wanted Bucky to get a girl since ages and hearing this, his mind immediately ventured there.

-5'7, ginger, green eyes, freckles, curvy just the right places. why?

-Nothing Buck.. nothing.. - Steve said smirking at his friend.. Bucky never realized when he liked a girl, so he never really acted on it. He last had a woman back in the 40's.

-Sooo i know you didn't come to have chat with me, one black coffee and.. ?

-ah, iced cold-brew, no sugar..

After paying for the coffee, he hurried back to the shop, hoping to get to know his coworker a little bit better.

You thanked him for the coffee, and when you tried to pay, he refused.

-Next round's mine then. - You smiled at him with your 1000 watt smile, which again he couldn't help but smile back at.

-So tell me about you Bucky, what do you do in your freetime?

-Nothing really, just reading, spending time with my friends, kind of thats it.. I have a boring life really. What about you?

-Well, i work here, then i go home and listen to music, cook, god i love to cook, thats a big pro for the apartment.. just saying. - you said with a playful wink. - besides that nothing much. Sometimes i go to a nearby bar with my friends maybe concerts and thats it.

-I like washing dishes if that helps with the application for the room. - he said with a shy laugh which made your heart skip a beat.

- It sure does.. Do you leave your stuff around?

-No i'm a tidy person.. thank you very much. - he said cockily (just for the sake of being funny really).

-Okay okay, if you like it you can have the room, just promise to tell if you bring up a girl so i can leave. The walls are kind of thin.

-It's okay, i don't really...

-Oh um i'm sorry, i didn't meant to intrude, it just something i would really like everyone to add to their rental contracts. - you chuckled embarassed.

-Noo no, it's okay, i'm not embarassed by it. I guess i don't want hook ups, if one day there's someone i'll tell in advance.

-yea me too, i promise. If you end up renting it anyway haha. on that note it's time to close so i can show the room in a min.

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When you opened the door to the apartment Buckyquietly took in it all. It was really bright, white walls with paintings all over the walls, plants in every corner or shelf you can put one on, a comfy looking mustard couch, aztec-y rug under the coffeetable, and a wall fully shelved, filled with books and little trinkets, it looked like a home he never had a chance to have. The livingroom had an american kitchen on the side, island in the middle of the kitchen area, it was white, and blue which reminded him of greece, down the hallway you showed him the bathroom which of course had a lot of plants that liked the atmosphere of a bathroom, a shower in the corner and a bathtub under the window. You then showed the empty room he could rent out. It only had a shelf and a wardrobe, and a queen sized bed. No decorations, no signs of anybody ever living there. You then pointed to the room the opposit of what could possibly be Bucky's in the future, saying that is yours. You didn't show your room, he wasn't gonna go in there anyway, and showing your most private space on the first day didn't seem like a good idea either. You then invited him out to the balcony, watching the setting sun, smoking a cigarette.

-So thats about it, what do you think?

-I really like it, and i mean.. my workplace is pretty close so thats a plus, also you said something about cooking all the time.. sooo if it's alright with you i would love to rent it out.

-It's settled then roomie. I'll give you the keys, you can move in whenever you want to. Tomorrow we are closed, so maybe that would be ideal.

-Yea, then tomorrow it is then. I'll ask my friend to help, then we can maybe hang a bit if you're free.

-Sure, i have nothing planned, and it's good to know who i'll be living with. - you said with a smile.

Before closing the door, you said your goodbyes, and you realized what did you just do, after he wished you good night with a killer halfsmile that almost had your knees buckle. You just agreed to living together with possibly the most handsome man you've ever seen who is also your new coworker, so you will basically spend most of your time with him.. Guess we'll see how this goes you thought to yourself.

Morning came soon enough, you were sitting out on the balcony when you saw Bucky arrive with a very tall, just as handsome man, carrying boxes of books, and bags of clothing. Bucky looked up at the balcony, waving towards you, you waved back, then moved to open the front door before going back out to the balcony, resuming your coffee and smoke.

When they finished bringing all Bucky's stuff in, it was already midday, so you decided you'd order pizza for all of you, as in like a welcome present.

-Hey guys, i'm thinking of ordering pizza, what kind would you like?

-Oh (y/n) you don't have to. - said Bucky, earning a smirk from Steve as he looked back and forth between you two.

- Noo i insist, today won't be the day i'll start to slowly kill you with my cooking. - you said giggling a bit.

- Whatever's fine peach. - said Steve with a wink, that you decided was just out of friendlyness. You didn't veen knew his name, and he seemed like a lady's man anyways. Not really your type no matter how handsome and muscular he is.

- Steve, by the way, nice to meet you.

-(Y/n), likewise. - you shook his hand.

When the pizzas arrived you called them to the kitchen, listening to all their shared stories from their early years. They seemed like really close friends, and genuinely good people. You had a really great time. It was nearly 9 pm when Steve left, for saving a dame from dying cause of boredom he said. You and Bucky chuckled, then he let him out, closing the door, locking it for the night.

-I guess i have some packing to do, so.. good night (y/n).

-Good night Bucky, if you need anything just knock. - you said with a smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. He felt at peace. He had Steve, now he had a job, and a room to make a home of, and you as a new addition. You were so kind, so eager to help if he needed anything, he loved how the scent of raspberries and flowers lingered in the apartment mixed with coffee and cigarette smoke. It seemed to have a calming effect on him.

You heard a soft knock half an hour later. WHen you opened the door you saw a smiling Bucky, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

- Hey, um.. sorry. I forgot i didn't bring a blanket, could i borrow one until i get my own?

-Yea sure, i'll get one in a min. - You said, leaving the door open, letting him see a bit of "you" while you were searching for your spare blanket in your wardrobe. The room really was you. White, with mustardy curtains on the window, plants everywhere, books piled up here and there, a really comfy looking bed, pictures of you and your friends on the walls. And damn, your room smelled even more like you. If he wouldn't pay attention your scent would lure him into your room and never let him leave he thought.

-There you go. - you handed him the blanket smiling.

-Thank you very much.

Then he stood there for a moment drinking in the sight of you in front of him. You were wearing an oversized tshirt, that ended just around the middle of your thighs, hair in a messy bun, no makeup. He could swear he thought you were pretty before, but seeing you as you were made him fancy you even more.

With a small smile you told him goodnight again, then closed the door in his face.

You could hear his little laugh on the other side of the door, then his door closing. For the first time in months he didn't wake up in the middle of the night, and he didn't had a nightmare either. He was afraid he would, and then he would wake you up with his screaming, but looks like the blanket which smelled just like you calmed him enough.

After waking up because the rays of sunshine on his face, he smiled to himself guess i'll wait with getting my own blanket then...

[believingispowerfulmagic]

A Fairytale for Christmas

Summary:  When Robin Locksley plans a masquerade for businesswoman and heiress Regina Mills, he just hopes to expand his client list. He gets much more when he takes his cousin’s place as a guest at the party and makes a connection with one of the guests. The next day, he learns that person was in fact the hostess, Regina Mills, and that her mother has announced that Regina will marry whoever that man was. His cousin Keith figures out it was Robin and teams up with Cora Mills to marry Regina, pulling in his cousin to their deception. But as Robin gets closer to Regina, will he tell her the truth or watch the love of his life walk down the aisle to his cousin?

Chapter 1: FFN | AO3 | Wattpad

Chapter 8

FFN | AO3 | Wattpad

Excerpt: 

There had been many times that Regina had wished she could stop time. As the days grew even shorter, Christmas movies played nonstop and she couldn't go anywhere without hearing Christmas music, she grew acutely aware how soon Christmas Eve really was. She wished she could give herself more time to figure out her situation but it seemed like luck was not on her side.

But since her rather disastrous first date with Keith, there were times where she wondered if it would be so bad being married to him after all. He had apologized the next day and explained that he had been nervous, which was why he had put on a rather arrogant persona. After that, he seemed more like the man she had met at her party and Regina almost found herself falling in love with him.

Yet something still didn't feel right.

And she couldn't stop the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that Robin, not Keith, was really Shakespeare.

"You're not going to like this," Mary Margaret said, coming into Regina's home office. With the wedding getting closer and closer, she had started working from home more and more to get everything finished.

Regina frowned, leaning back in her chair. "Like what?"

"Someone leaked the proposal to the media," Mary Margaret said, sliding her phone toward Regina. "And by someone, I mean…"

"Mother," Regina said, picking up the phone. The video showed the gazebo in the town park all decorated for Christmas with red ribbons and evergreen boughs. Regina and Keith stood in the middle, believing they were alone. Whoever was filming this clearly did a good job hiding themselves as Keith dropped to one knee and gave Regina a ring he admitted her mother picked out. He promised that once they were married, he would get her one that better fit her.

She wasn't too sure about that. Keith insisted he was only pretending to go along with Mother's plans to make sure everything went smoothly but her gut told her that he really agreed with her mother. The last thing she needed was to be married to someone who would just be her mother's lackey.

"Great." She sighed, handing the phone back to Mary Margaret. "Will I ever have a moment of privacy?"

"Probably not until after the wedding," Mary Margaret said. "Unless Keith or your mother sells your honeymoon pictures."

Regina groaned. If even her assistant – who saw the best in everyone – knew that Keith was bad news, why did she even continue with this charade?

Because otherwise Mother would destroy your life along with Granny's and Mary Margaret's.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Regina said, both to Mary Margaret as well as to herself.

Knocking interrupted their conversation and Regin's heart skipped a beat when she saw Robin standing in the doorway with his tablet in hand. He smiled sheepishly as he apologized for interrupting. "The baker is here to discuss the cake," he said.

"Oh, sounds like fun," Mary Margaret said, her eyes lighting up. "Have fun."

Regina stood, her stomach twisting in a way she wasn't sure from excitement or dread. "Is Keith here?"

"No," he replied as Mary Margaret left the room. "He's with his groomsmen getting fitted for their tuxes. He said he'll be good with whatever you decide."

"You mean whatever Mother decides," Regina muttered, walking past Robin. So far, the only major battle she had won had been to have the wedding at Mist Haven. Her dreams of a traditional Christmas wedding were dead as Mother had insisted on ultra-glamorous and ultra-modern, insisting the colors were to be white and gold as they were classier. And she was handling the seating arrangements, dismissing the suggestion of open seating. Keith seemed to fight Mother on their decisions but Regina never felt his heart was in it. That maybe his own desires was more in line with Mother's than her own.

And she wondered if that was a big reason why he was her groom.

Robin fell in step with her, sighing. "I know it's frustrating. I wish you had more control of the wedding as well. If I could, I would give you everything you wanted but…"

"She's the one paying," Regina said bitterly. She reached out and gave Robin's hand a squeeze. "I know you're doing your best. I appreciate it."

"Thank you," he replied. "I just wish I could do more."

She sighed. "I wish your cousin would fight more."

"Me too," he replied, a dark look in his eyes.

They reached the first level and he motioned to the kitchen. "She's in there with the samples."

"Are you coming?" she asked him, surprised that he wasn't continuing into the kitchen.

"Oh," he replied, his eyes widening. "I wasn't planning on it. I thought this was something you would want to do by yourself."

This was something she wanted to do with her groom but when she thought about it, she realized she preferred having Robin with her than Keith. She felt more at ease with him. He understood her in a way that Keith seemed incapable of doing. And that made her even more suspicious that she was engaged to the wrong cousin.

But she still couldn't say which one was Shakespeare with certainty so she pushed forward with the charade. Hopefully one would slip up either way to reveal the truth or she would find a way to cancel the wedding without anyone else getting hurt when her mother unleashed her wrath on Regina.

For now, though, she reached out and took his hand. "I think I would like a second opinion. Besides, you know what your cousin likes, right?"

"I do," he replied, a pink tinge coming to his cheeks. "Alright, let's go."

[thatweirdoleigh]

Socks (but i finish the fic)

Elijah Mikaelson x reader

Warnings; Eli’s a good husband, and the reader cries oh yeah and reader’s pregnant

a/n ; Here is the full thing!! Cause its cute and for once i actually like the thing that i made. 

Imma tag the people i think will enjoy this.

My moms  @elijahs-wife​ @hellotvshowtrash

The Murder aunts; @mikaelson-emma​ @dumble-daddy​

Other Family Members that i don’t really talk to but love and appreciate anyway!;  @xxwritemeastoryxx​  @ronniemikaelson​ @lady-salvatore @thatfanficstuff @zodiyack @auroracalisto​ @dizzydancingdreamer​ @imaginearyparties​ @alwaysfangirlingish​ 

The giggles of his sisters echoed through the halls and into the entry way as Elijah opened the front door and stepped into his family home. Hope’s laughter and the laughter of his brothers and their wives joining shortly after. Rebekah was telling stories again, of all the mishaps, mistakes and schemes from over the centuries. It made him smile. Today was a good day.

After everything that had happened over the centuries, particularly the past several decades, it seemed like a dream come true to finally feel like a family again. To feel the same humble happiness that they felt when they were all still human. Like touching the stars with their bare hands. So he savored the memories and the joy and the rest that it brought to himself and those he cared so dearly for.

Walking into the parlor he was greeted by the warm welcomes of his family.

“Brother!” Klaus, all but beamed, “Welcome home!” A chorus of welcome home and welcome back echoed behind him.

Elijah grinned, wholeheartedly approving of the laid back posture of his younger brother, his arm slung over the back of the couch behind the witch that Klaus had fallen in love with. It was a stark contrast to the rage and paranoia that plagued him for so many years. “Its good to be home!”

“How was your meeting with the contractor brother?” Finn queried, far more subdued than the others. Even though they had all forgiven him, and profusely apologized for 1000 years of pain, Finn still didn’t feel like he quite belonged with the rest of his family. A fact Elijah had been eager to fix once the realization had set in of exactly how shitty their treatment of him was. Courtesy of Camille, of course. However 900 years in a coffin is not forgotten overnight, so it was still a work in progress. So it further proved to warm Elijah’s heart when his eyes laid upon Finn and found him squished between Freya and Kol’s firecracker of a fiancé, instead of locked in his room.

Elijah smiled at Finn and placed his suit jacket over the back of an unoccupied chair, “It was good. We got all of the final details and planning done and now its we are just waiting for the town to give us a building permit”

“that’s good” Finn replied with a nod.

For context, Y/n was pregnant with Elijah’s child, a miracle given in the form of a spell cast as a wedding gift and created by Kol and Klaus’ wife. Y/n had all but declared that she wanted their children to have as normal lives as physically possible and while the Mikaelsons were hesitant to go along with this plan, it was agreed that perhaps living in a mansion with 4 witches, 6 vampires, and 3 hybrids was not a normal childhood. So it was agreed that they would own a separate family home to raise their children in while still visiting as often as physically possible.

As Elijah looked around and took in the the scene around him he noticed that y/n was not among his siblings and so begged the question as to where was his darling wife?

“If I may ask, where is y/n?”

It was Kol’s fiancé that pipped up. “She came rushing in with a bag, declared that she was going to enjoy her new socks and then she was taking a nap, You know how my twin is Elijah, she gets excited over the simplest things, and then she ran upstairs without another word. Imagine she is asleep by now. Probably has been for a while. ”

Elijah smiled and Keelin looked at her curiously, ”Socks?”

Elijah cleared her confusion “Yes Keelin. Socks. Its seems that my darling wife has developed an affinity for collecting and wearing the most colorful knee-high socks she can find”

“It is rather amusing to watch auntie y/ns excitement.” Hope testified from where she had tucked herself under her father’s other arm. “She rambled on about a pair she had found with neon green strips, all while eating a plate of bacon in the kitchen the other day”

Everyone laughed at the image, and Elijah just shook his head with mirth in his eyes, ”yes well, if you don’t mind I am going to join my wife and unborn child in bed. Goodnight to you all” and a chorus of goodnights followed him down the hall.

As Elijah climbed the stairs he couldn’t help but be reminded of how grateful of all of the things that life has granted him over the years. He had a beautiful wife that loved him and siblings that adored him and soon he would have children of his own.

As Elijah approached the door to his bedroom he couldn’t help but notice something was wrong. Stopping to listen he could hear sniffling and shaky breathes just beyond the door way.

“y/n?” he took the handle and pushed the door open.

There sitting in an armchair in the corner of their room was y/n. She was wearing one of Elijah’s Cambridge sweatshirts and a pair of his boxers. The sweatshirt was cream in color and it matched cream colored socks she held in her hand. While Elijah would normally fawn over how adorable she looked round with his child and dressed in his clothes he was more focused on the tears stains that and puffy red eyes that decorated the face of the love of his life.

Elijah was quick to kneel in front of her and cup her face in his hand “Y/n? Baby what’s wrong? Are you alright?” He placed his other hand on her belly and searched for some kind of injury to suggest that she was hurt.  

She looked at him with a watery smile, kissed his hand and said “I found a pair of socks that would match my favorite one of your sweatshirts and I got so excited to wear them.”

She held up the socks and gestured to her feet. “But I cant reach, so I cant put them on. And it made me so sad that I cried.”

Elijah’s face relaxed and he gave a sigh of relief, realizing it was something simple that he could easily fix. So he gently took the socks from her hands and unfolded them so he could put them on her. He rolled them up and then pulled them all the way up her legs to just below her knees and then gave a kiss to her nose. “there “ he whispered. “all better.”

“thank you ‘lijah.” She mumbled and then yawned.

“Oh. I think its bedtime.” He stated playfully.

“Im pregnant not two.” She grumbled with another yawn.

Elijah looked at her with nothing but adoration and said “baby you just cried over a pair of socks.” In response she pouted and Elijah couldn’t help but smile. 

“Alrighty. Bedtime!” He said scooping her up bridal-style. 

“you can’t be serious!” y/n scoffed. 

“Dead serious!” 

“Eli!” she whined, “don’t make puns when im annoyed at you! Then I can’t enjoy them!” 

Elijah only laughed, and then slowly spun her around in a circle. “wheeeeeee!” he said before gently tossing her on the bed. 

y/n looked up at her husband in exasperation as she watched him use vampire speed to strip to his underwear and climb onto the bed like a leopard on the prowl.  

“I love you.” he purred pressing a kiss to her swollen belly, eyes playfully looking up at her. 

She raised an eyebrow, “Me? Or your children?”. 

“Both” he replied, gently coercing her backwards onto the bed as he crawled farther up her body his hands rubbing circles into the sides of her stomach. y/n rolled her eyes and chuckled her amusement as he enveloped her in another kiss. 

Sighing happily y/n ran her hands through Elijah’s hair, as he eagerly deepened the kiss. However Elijah had to stop this blissful moment rather short. 

He furrowed his brow and pulled back slightly so he could see his wife’s eyes, “Children?” he questioned. “plural?” 

Now it was y/n’s turn to grin playfully. 

“I went to the doctors today.” She said eyes twinkling with mischief. “And i learned something rather interesting.”  

Elijah narrowed his eyes, recognizing that she was toying with him. “did you now?” 

“I did” she purred rubbing her hands down his neck and shoulders. “Apparently twins are not always magical miracle coincidences. More often than not they are genetic.” and as her smile grew bigger so did Elijah’s. “And considering that I am half of a set, I’d say the trait has passed on.” 

Elijah’s grinn was getting bigger by the second. “you mean to tell me. That not only am I getting one daughter.” he leaned in closer until their noses were touching. “I’m getting two?” 

“yes” she whispered seductively and elijah expressed his joy by kissing her again. 

“And do you wanna know what else I learned?” y/n said slyly as he trailed his kisses down her throat. He grunted quietly for her to continue and y/n leaned up and murmured in his ear, “Both of your ‘daughters’ are sons” 

Elijah groaned and pulled back up to her face, “damn. I was really hoping was really hoping for a mini you.” he admitted swallowing y/ns laughter in another kiss. 

Y/n pulled him to lay beside her as they both got under the duvet and settled comfortably for bed. y/n lay on her side facing Elijah and he buried his face in her hair his hands finding their way to her rounded abdomen, joyful and excited to meet his children in the nearby future. 

“Eli?” she said softly. “will you sing to me?” she asked looking up at him. 

“Of course, My love” and so Elijah sang the same nordic lullaby his mother taught him all those years ago and they both drifted off to sleep. 

[genshin-impacted]

road to home // Diluc x Reader

Notes: Diluc/Reader, gender-neutral reader; sfw; established relationship; fluff; mentions Lisa, Jean, Kaeya, and hints to the presence of other characters

Word Count: ~1400

Happy Birthday, Diluc!

.

.

It’s unfortunate but Diluc knows best of all that travels can go awry and make the homestretch feel like light-years away. It’s why he ultimately understands that your letter to him, delivered by the hawk you dote on so dearly (Diluc thinks he’s getting spoiled and tries not to think how he wishes he could be too), is a gentle but apologetic message that you may not come home on time for his birthday.

Your journeys have led you to Liyue where you stayed at its harbor for an extended period of time where commissions were plentiful. You wrote back often, regaling Diluc your tales of bravery for his amusement while also ensuring him that you were safe as you could as an adventurer in a neighboring country. And whenever he could, he would reply back. You would always tease him about the formality of his words, calling them akin to secret letters from a humble knight to his royal lover. It’s not as though Diluc feels the need to keep up appearances in front of you, but whenever he writes in the dead of night under the dim glow of candlelight, his thoughts flow best into prose more similar to poetry.

(And if he does sound like a doting knight sending a discrete love letter then, well, it’s not as though that was an inaccurate statement.)

When Diluc reads your frantic message, it’s evident you are, or possibly more distressed by this fact than he is. You have always cared to celebrate his birthday more than he did. His friends at Mondstadt and his servants at the winery have always insisted on holding a party for him, but now with you in tow, he has less willpower to say ‘no’ to it. As a result, his birthday bash has become a yearly thing (as birthdays wont are), though he can’t seem to remember the last time he has spent the day without you. You always seemed to ensure he was never alone on his birthday-- always filled to the brim with all the love he can hold, surrounded by the people who are still with him.

Diluc would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t disappointed that you would not be here with him.

Still, he writes, like he has always done upon reading your messages. He writes about the fruit harvest, how the apples have ripened sweetly just in time for the cider to be made. He thinks of sending you a bottle and makes a note to do that as soon as he finishes. Diluc weaves words he has learned ever since he was a schoolboy still being taught by his father and subtly, very subtly, asks that for the next time you adventure out, he shall join you and not go the day without your presence.

Diluc sends the hawk to deliver his message and the clock chimes midnight.

It is April 30th.

.

.

.

The next morning, Jean and Lisa are skilled at asking him to leave for a certain amount of time as they set up the banquet without making it as though they are kicking him out (they are). Kaeya is nowhere to be seen, having taken up Jean’s administrative duties until the party tonight, and Diluc is grateful for that because he’ll be spared the knowing (and smug) look on Kaeya’s face when he undoubtedly notices that Diluc is ‘a little grumpy not having his lover by his side on his special day.’

Instead of walking into town, Diluc ends up wandering Wolvendom, tagging along with a trio that would have inevitably found their way into trouble (much to Bennett’s dismay). Despite his efforts not to, he finds himself looking west to the Stone Gate as though you would appear at the shore the minute he stopped watching for you.

He wonders if the apple cider is to your liking.

When the sun starts to paint the sky swatches of orange and pink, Diluc bids the four ‘farewell’ (can’t forget about Oz; that would be rude of him) before setting off to Dawn Winery once again. He wonders if the landslide blocking your path has been cleared; he wonders and hopes that you aren’t guilting yourself sick for not coming back on time. The last thing he expects is for you to come barreling down the road, patches of dirt clinging stubbornly on your clothes even as you run along the shores of Dawn Winery.

Diluc does everything he can to stop himself from leaping forward the moment he sees you. But when he sees the way you light up the moment you spot him, Diluc thinks there is a time and place for putting up appearances, and the time has never been in front of you. He speeds down the dusty path the same time you start to run toward him, and the two of you meet in the middle, your arms wrapped around his shoulders as he swings you around in your embrace-- your laughter in his ear.

“I made it,” you say triumphantly, dropping your hands onto your knees as you finally breathe from what Diluc thinks is most likely the longest non-stop trek home. “Sorry for being late; I came as fast as I could.”

“How did you get here?” Diluc asks. “I thought you said you wouldn’t make it because of a landslide blocking the path.”

“I said I might not make it, just in case,” you say teasingly, “but you know me, I find a way somehow.” You huff and brush away the dust on your clothes (as though you were digging through rocky terrain), and Diluc cannot help but look after you endearingly even as you miss a few spots here and there. “I had a little help from some friends… don’t mind the details on who for now, though I did give them the apple cider you sent as a ‘thank-you’ gift to them.” You clear your throat and Diluc can only watch on in amusement as you say, embarrassed, “They said that I was their birthday present to you so… Happy Birthday!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Diluc tells you, and he cannot help but be terribly fond of you as he watches you grin up at him exuberant despite your fatigue. “Tell your friends I’m grateful for the ‘present,’” he says honestly. “I missed you.” (And that, also, is true.)

Your gaze softens and he lets himself be tugged closer so you can press a kiss onto his forehead. “Me too,” you tell him, your hands playing with the hair that falls off his shoulder. “I’m glad I made it home on time.”

“We should return to the manor,” Diluc says, purposely ignoring the way he wants nothing but to embrace you and never let go. He has all the time in the world to be with you, he thinks, as long as you are here by his side. “Everyone will be happy to see you back,” he says. “Shall we then?” He smiles when he sees you perk up at the thought, and he extends an arm out for you to grab onto, which you do without a second thought.

The two of you walk through the vineyard and then through the doors of the winery and are welcomed with the faces and voices of the people you love.

Diluc looks toward the dining room of the winery, a place he long ago would have never thought would have ever been home for him decorated with red and gold ribbon and filled with people he holds near and dear to his heart. He turns to you as you tighten the hold on his arm and smile up at him. Even though you’re the one who has taken the long road to home, he thinks he’s the one who finally feels at home.

(‘Home is where the heart is,’ Kaeya would tease him later, but for once, Diluc can only agree.)

[holykillercake]

Tap Dancer Fish

word count: 1.5k

summary: Zoro´s haramaki is falling apart and he can´t find another one to buy. You decide to crochet him one before he kills someone. 

highlight: ¨You must be tired... stupid marimo.¨

notes: This was an anon request for a fluff where they have a s/o that made them a thing with crochet and how they would react. This is 1/3 of the request, we´re starting with Zoro <3 

𝕷𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘, 𝖗𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖘, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊!

¨Any luck?¨ you asked without taking your eyes from the city guide, even with the rowdy sound of the metal chair scratching the brick sidewalk. 

¨No.¨ 

¨Need any help?¨ you tried to hide your smirk by sipping your coffee. 

¨No.¨

¨Well,¨ you closed the map and placed it on the table ¨I still have some errands to run. I´ll take a look around, see if I can find it. ¨ 

¨Thank you.¨

You placed a hand on his chest and gave him a quick peck on the lips before making your way back to your tasks. 

The Strawhats had docked on a Spring Island called Gardenia. It reminded you of Dressrosa, but without the talking toys and mad king. The houses and stores were all painted a shade of green or brown, but what made it extraordinary to the eyes - and nose - was the number of flowers. All kinds of all sizes and colors decorating everything around you. 

However, while you felt like an enchanted character from a fairy tale, your boyfriend felt trapped in a nightmare. For starters, everything smelled like flowers; Sanji would not stop bumping into him, saying that he mistook him for a moss tree, and the flowers made every corner look the same, so he got lost all the time. 

But what was really making him grumpier than usual was his haramaki, the green garment he wore religiously around his belly - well, not religiously. 

He has been procrastinating to get a new one for a long time, and despite you offering to purchase it whenever you ran errands, he would always turn the offer down. The problem was that it was not keeping itself anymore. After all the battles he fought and opponents he defeated, his haramaki was falling into pieces. 

In the beginning, you were able to patch it up with some simple sewing, but now he needed to get a new one. And here´s where problem number two arises, you have entered a chain of summer and spring islands where they don´t usually sell this stuff. As a result, Zoro was mad at everyone - you were an exception, though. 

It pained you to see him bothered like this, despite all of your previous warnings. Everyone has their own thing, Luffy has the straw hat, Chopper always carries his blue backpack, Sanji never stops smoking, and Zoro wears his haramaki. Anyone would be bothered, although anyone would listen to your advice. 

So you came up with a plan. Since you could not find one to buy, you were going to crochet one. That was an interesting fact that no one knew so far, your ability of crocheting. You would do it whenever you were in charge of the night watch, and when you presented someone with a piece of clothing that matched their personality or traits, you would say you found it in town. Reason being that you didn´t want to be swamped with sweaters and beanies to do. You knew the crew would go crazy if they didn´t have to pay for winter clothes anymore. 

¨Yosh, now I just have to make it.¨ you looked at the green ball of yarn in your hands before hiding it at the bottom of your bags. 

~

¨Oi, Luffy! Don´t steal her food!¨

¨But she´s not even eating it, Sanji!¨

¨Y/N, are you ok?¨

¨Y/N?¨

¨Y/N!¨ you almost fell off the chair when you woke up from your zombie state. 

¨What?¨ 

¨You look tired. Are you getting sick?¨ Robin asked, placing a hand on your forehead. ¨I hope you didn´t get some deadly poison from a plant.¨

¨Oi, Robin! Don´t say these scary things!¨ Usopp cried and walked away from you.

¨I couldn´t sleep last night.¨ the girls stared at you with a malicious smirk, and Sanji stormed out on flames ¨Yeah, uhum, I wish! I couldn´t sleep because Zoro kept rolling on the bed, it felt like I was sharing a bed with a tap dancer fish!¨ you shouted grumpily.

The longer he stayed without a decent haramaki, the more jittery he got. So throughout the night, he rolled on the bed, got up to train, went back to bed because he was too frustrated to train, mumbled and grumbled, and made you go through his insanity with him. At some point, you were planning on throwing him off the ship or choke him with that stupid belly warmer. 

After you finished your third cup of coffee, you decided to head to the deck. Your green-haired tap dancer fish was napping on the grass with furrowed brows and arms crossed. Suddenly, the irritation you felt was gone. 

¨You must be tired... stupid marimo.¨ you whispered and made your way to your room. 

He never bothered you before. Even when the other guys made him go crazy, he would always lay down, hold you close to his body, and sleep. On the days you were not so tired, pillow talks would last hours and hours, and he would tell you things he hasn´t told anyone; he would show interest in the stupid things you like and be the Zoro the other guys would never get to know. 

So you fought your will to go to sleep and grabbed the wool and a hook, determined to put an end to both of your miseries as soon as possible. 

With Zoro napping all day, Robin in charge of the ship, and the rest of the guys exploring the Island, you would have all the peace in the world to work. 

And that was exactly what you did. You were definitely going to hear from Chopper for going the entire day without a sip of water or bathroom break. Your fingers were red and hurting, and your shoulders were stiff and sore. But it was worth it. 

It was almost dark when you finished, part of you wanted to wrap it with laces or some sort of crap, but you passed out as soon as you heard the snap of the scissor cutting the yarn. You didn´t even know you had passed out until you woke up the next day, sunlight hitting your eyes. 

You were alone in bed, but not the way you imagined. You expected cramps and spasms to take over your body, but all you got was a slight soreness. You were in your pajamas and tucked like a baby. 

¨What the-¨ you sat and searched over the blanket looking for the crochet garment, but found no sign of it ¨Did I dream about that?¨

You threw yourself off the bed and marched - more like crawled - to the kitchen, craving for coffee. 

¨Morning, Y/N!¨ everyone was already up, although Luffy was sleep eating again. 

¨Morning, guys.¨ your voice came out sleepy. You grabbed a cup of coffee and sat beside Zoro ¨Good morning, you.¨ You smiled.

¨Morning, sleepyhead.¨ He kissed your temple.  

¨I´m so happy you found it, Y/N. I don´t think we would be able to handle his mood anymore.¨ Nami said relieved, and Zoro yelled something when everyone agreed. You gave her a confused look, and she pointed at your boyfriend.

Your eyes scanned him, oblivious for a moment, but when you noticed him wearing the haramaki you made, a big smile grew on your face. That also explains why you slept comfortably in your pajamas, he must have gone to check on you and saw your pitiful state alongside his present.

¨Yeah, I was lucky, I guess.¨ He held your hand tighter under the table.

After breakfast, the two of you decided to stay on deck, enjoying the gentle sun and the fresh breeze before it was time to set sail again. You were sitting between his legs, against his chest, and his hands rested on your lap while you played with each other´s fingers. 

¨Thank you... for making it for me.¨ You forgot about sore muscles. You forgot about raw fingers. Listen to him sounding so relaxed and peaceful made you forget about everything. 

¨Thanks for not telling the guys I made it. Besides that, how are you going to protect my ass if you can´t focus without this stupid belly wrap?¨ he let out a lazy laugh, and you felt his body vibrating against yours. 

¨Well, thank you again. I really liked it, and I won´t ruin it.¨

¨I know.¨ you whispered, closing your eyes and seizing the moment. 

You knew he would eventually destroy it, but that was fine. You didn´t have the emotional connection to it like he had. What mattered to you was his well-being. You were not strong enough to protect him - not that he needed - so keeping him warm and loved was your internal mission. Because that´s how he made you feel. 

[taiblogcomics]

Bridging the Generation Gap

Hey there, bad milk blood robot. Before we move on to our next major series, let's spend the next couple weeks to knock out a few of our backlog items. By which I mean pony comics, of course. Got a handful of them for now, and maybe more in the future again. We got a crossover to finish, in fact~

Here's the cover:

This cover kind of speaks to the crossover as a whole, doesn't it? The Friendship is Magic ponies are front-and-center and much bigger, and the G1 ponies are just kind of pushed into the corner. That's literally how this crossover is, because it took 'til this issue for the G1 ponies to finally even show up. Anyways, all those ponies better be careful regardless of generation, because Rainbow Road is a pretty tricky track to navigate. This one doesn't even have guard rails!

Anyways, since it's been a while, here's a recap. The witches from the 1986 MLP movie each had a daughter while banished to a volcano (somehow?), and said daughters have taken up their mothers' vendetta. To that end, they've created three evil ponies out of Smooze to infiltrate the school of friendship and sow a little discord among the citizens of Ponyville. With things getting worse and worse, our heroes go seeking help in another dimension. And that's where we pick up, with the monumental meeting between generations...

So it's a little awkward at first, but of course it's Pinkie Pie who breaks the ice. I don't know many G1 ponies by name, so I've had to look some of these they don't introduce up, but I do recognise Minty. Everyone knows Minty. North Star seems to be the leader here, and she and Surprise explain the story of the '86 movie. Long story short, a witch and her daughters (the mothers and grandmother of our current problem witches) made an evil slime that flooded the lands and infected folks with bad feelings, until their friend Megan used the Rainbow of Light and the Flutter Ponies to defeat it.

G1 Applejack enters to give FiM Applejack the locket containing the Rainbow of Light. Now this is the kind of surreal thing you sign up for in a crossover like this. Heck, they should just be glad Megan's not actually in this story, because we'd have to take a huge amount of time to explain humans. And they didn't even bring Lyra. And just in case the Rainbow doesn't work, North Star and a contingent of other ponies agree to come back to Equestria to help out. Besides, the witches are technically their problem, if they're from their world. Is Responsibility an Element of Harmony~?

Meanwhile, speaking of the witches, Grackle and Dyre receive another insulting letter from their mothers. Grackle gets mad, while Dyre makes tacos. This also reveals their grandmother, Hydia, is dead. Not even recently, so it's not part of the plot. And while they're enjoying Taco Tuesday, the S'monies are up to their usual stuff in Ponyville. They've got an appointment with Pinkie, who's not around at present. So the three of them take the initiative to decorate the celebration with Violet Shiver's cursed decorations on their own. For evil, and no other reason! Truly!

And while they set up, the Smooze-infected decorations spread their tendrils through the town, infecting other ponies by touch. Our heroes return to Ponyville, and in addition to North Star and Minty, Lofty, Lickety-Split, and Rose Dust have joined the party. The tour of town hasn't gone so well, given most of the place is wrecked and everypony's in a sour mood from Smooze infection. Despite the help, things still look dark, especially since the upcoming Bestie Festie celebration is only two days away.

While everypony crashes at Rarity's boutique, they discover her cat Opal has had a tussle with the witches' familiar, Trench. Fluttershy gets the deets, and North Star identifies the tuft in Opal's mouth as lava-goblin fur. Oh, I thought Trench was just a possum, but apparently he's a dang lava-goblin. This information gives Twilight an idea. Long story short (and, being Twilight, she does take a circuitous path of logic to get to the point), they can use certain crystals to refract the Elements of Harmony into the Rainbow locket and combine their powers.

While our heroes try this out and test whether it works, Trench returns to his masters with a report. He's retrieved notes of the celebration, particularly revealing that they're naming Black Belle "teacher of the year" during the event. Grackle in particular is furious, but Dyre calms her down. And by working out the problem, they realise something. Since the S'monies are made using the witches' magic, their magic can reach outside their realm. And therefore, they can use it to pay Ponyville a visit and crash their party...

Well, here we are. It only took four out of five issues, but we’ve finally gotten to the crossover part of this inter-generational crossover. And I gotta say, it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. Now, I know the focus characters and cast were different back in the before-times, but go back and think about the first issue’s cover. When you hear “MLP G1 and FiM are crossing over”, do you expect the main ponies to be North Star, Lofty, Minty, Lickety-Split, and Rose Dust? I think what everyone wanted was to see the characters team up withe their original counterparts. Instead, Surprise and G1 Applejack only appear as one-panel cameos. Firefly doesn’t even appear.

Other than that, though, I don’t think it’s a bad issue. It’s just probably not what everyone would have wanted from this concept. Either way, next week, we’re gonna see this thing conclude. And just because the crossover was a disappointment doesn’t mean the story has to be~

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Someone to Watch Out for You: Chapter 3

When Stars Dance

Summary: In which Ventus becomes Disney Castle's first Keyblade wielding knight. Word Count: 1,811 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

A year later and Ven didn't think he had changed much. He certainly didn't look much different at the very least. Goofy had been rather accommodating to Ven's squire attire. The only real addition were braces for his dominant hand and lower legs. It was two steps down from wearing his Keyblade armor in whole. In fact, Goofy even let him use the armor to take on training exercises with a bit more punch to them. The amount of times Ven actually needed to wear his armor were few, but in the instances where he did? It was a lifesaver.

Soon enough, his Keyblade armor was synonymous to his status as Queen Minnie's protector. It was a symbol of protection to everyone. One glance and you knew help was on the way. Ven thought back to Pete's disguise of Captain Justice and almost laughed.

Today Ven was going to be knighted. It was an event that made him both proud and anxious. This was the true mark that he was part of Disney Castle and one its citizens. This was his home now, and he was going to protect it with his life. Curious, Ven went over to his window that held a pretty good view of Disney Town and tried to see how many people had shown up so far. He could already hear the big house band play triumphant marching music to pump everyone's spirits up.

Sure enough, from here Ventus could see more than half of Disney Town's residents were already grouped in the main square. Everyone was greeting each other as if they hadn't seen their friends in awhile. He almost couldn't wait to see the decorations at ground level. Up here it just seemed like a mess of color. Which, considering Disney Town's usual color schemes, made the ceremony that much more overwhelming.

Resting his arms on the window sill, Ven idly said to himself, "I wonder how Terra would react with all this stuff. Bet he wouldn't even believe it was for me. Heh."

The soon-to-be knight paused.

"I wish they were both here to see this." he decided in one last murmur before deciding to head down to the square.

The first thing Ven saw when he crossed the gateway from the castle to the square was Minnie crying.

"Queen Minnie!" he suddenly declared as he got to her side. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

Choking back a laugh from her light sobs, Minnie shook her head.

"Oh no, Ventus dear." Minnie assured him. "I'm just really happy. It's a big day for you, and oh! I invited some important guests. I wasn’t sure if they’d come or not, but they'll be here shortly."

"Alright." he agreed with a nod. He then gave the queen a formal bow before inquiring, "May I still escort you until the festivities properly start, my queen?"

Minnie laughed; a genuine one no longer held back by tears.

"I'd be honored, Sir Ventus."

Smiling, the duo walked around the square with no real aim or goal. They were occasionally stopped by a citizen or two that wanted to give Ven their congratulations. Not a single one got annoying or too overbearing. Minnie even nudged Ven to notice a pair of young dog-like female citizens that appeared to have a crush on him. He gave them a polite wave and the girls in turn huddled in a circle to giggle.

"Oh!" Minnie suddenly declared at one point, almost scaring Ven. "They're here!"

"Who?" Ven wondered. His answer came rather quickly when someone barrel hugged Minnie.

"Minnie!" the newcomer, a female cat in a frilly pink and blue dress with matching sun hat, happily proclaimed. "It's been forever! Those boys really need to make travel easier between our worlds."

"Ortensia!" Minnie happily said back, even returning her hug. "You're right. It has been awhile. But... don't tell me you came alone?"

"Of course not." Ortensia huffed. The spunky cat lady spun on her heel, then brought her fingers to her lips to let out a loud, shrill whistle.

The response was instant. In a stampede of roughly 30, blue bunnies no larger than Ven's fist came bursting through the crowd. Obediently the bunny children formed a crowd of their own around Minnie, Ven, and Ortensia. Minnie bent down to pat the bunny child closest to her.

"They've gotten bigger." she said to Ortensia. The bunny child approved of this remark, making itself stand a bit taller and even attempting to flex its muscles. Minnie laughed. She gave a thoughtful hum before asking Ortensia, "Is that all? I would understand Oswald, but I thought she would also..."

"Oh no. She's here too." Ortensia finished for her. "I don't know where she went though..."

"Well when you give that whistle, I think we all know we need to report for duty." a new voice piped up.

Ortensia lit up at the addition.

"Sabrina!" she exclaimed. "Oh sweetie, come over here and greet Minnie."

Sabrina, unlike Ortensia or the bunny children, was a fully sized human. She looked around Ven’s age, maybe a bit younger. Ven found himself knocked away just by the sheer fact that it was the first time (in a long, long while, actually) he'd seen someone his size around here. It was just his luck that he immediately fell for her too.

Worst of all, she was heading his way.

"So you're the new knight in question?" Sabrina questioned. Her dark eyes scanned him over with a certain air of scrutiny. When they caught Ven's own, his breathing hitched.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ven breathed, quickly giving her a bow. The bunny children let out a soft round of 'ooooh's as if they knew something everyone else did not. Sabrina quickly gave them a glare, and even tried to swing her foot at a few close ones. Catching a quick sight of her ankle made Ven consider if he should look away or not.

She might have been aware that he was staring. After shooing away the bunnies, Sabrina made a point to bend down to readjust her dress skirt. As she got up again, she gave a glance directly at Ven that made a chill run up his spine.

But it wasn't him that she spoke to after all this.

"Thank you for the invite, Aunt Minnie." she said to Minnie with a nod. "Depending on how the rest of the ceremony goes, I might stay for the after party."

"That's wonderful to hear." Minnie approved. "Just have a good time and relax, alright?"

Sabrina gave a half smile of agreement.

"Wait," Ven realized, "Aunt?!"

He wildly looked from the girls in hopes of some explanation. At best he got some giggles between Ortensia and Minnie, at worst Sabrina smirked in her own level of bemusement. To add insult to injury, Sabrina gave them a small wave before departing. Half an impulse in Ven wanted to follow her. Instead he got bombarded by the blue bunny children out of nowhere.

"What's your name, mister?" one asked.

"Does your hair always look like that?" another questioned.

"I think he has a crush on Sabreenie!" yet another declared. "Lookit, he's blushing!"

If his face really was red, it was because all these bunnies had decided to dog pile him without a way out. There was no way he was crushing on a girl he just met. Besides, it wouldn't work. Ven wouldn't call himself a genius, but even he knew she was way out of league. They might not even see each other after today. Besides, he had more pressing matters to focus on.

. . .

Mickey was worried about something. It was a small feature; something no one would have noticed at first, or unless they were talking to him directly. Ventus himself only caught it for a fraction of a second as Goofy recited the first half of the knighting speech. That worry wasn't directed toward Ven, was it? No. It must have been something else. For a fleeting moment Ven wondered if it was Sabrina, but that seemed even sillier. Earlier Minnie and Ortensia had talked about an Oswald- could it have been him Mickey was worried about? Especially since Sabrina seemed to imply a relation between the royals and herself.

"Do you, Ventus, promise to uphold the laws of our land as you, in turn, defend it from those who do not?"

"I do."

"Should the Cornerstone of Light be compromised in any way, do you swear to use the light within yourself to ensure it does not waver completely?"

"I do."

"Will you stay true to the light within yourself, and listen to your heart so long as it does not harm others?"

"I will."

Minnie had started sniffling again. Ven almost wanted to stop the ceremony just to get her a handkerchief.

                             "Ventus," Mickey then said, "As our kingdom's first Keyblade wielder since, well,                                                  me                                                  , we wish to present to you a new Keyblade. Found by Master Yen Sid, forged by the heart of our very world, Queen Minnie and I are proud to present to you Tempest Heartbeat."                    

With a flourish, King Mickey made the new Keyblade appear within his hand and pointed it to the sky. Like Wayward Wind before it, this new Keyblade had a guard designed from the reverse gripped wielder. Its main coloring was a dark green, almost resembling that of dried bone, with bright green accenting. If Ven looked at it a certain way, the center of the bright green fuller seemed to pulse in a rather relaxed way. The crowd made the awe known in both wonder and approval.

"Now," Mickey said, "Put on your armor and accept this blade, so that you may officially be known as a knight of light."

"As you wish, my king." Ventus agreed. Turning the audience, Ven slammed his hand on the activation for his Keyblade armor. Once the light had dimmed on his new form, he went to Mickey to gently take the new Keyblade with both hands. Ventus lent his attention back to the citizens as he vowed, "With my duty as both Keyblade wielder and your knight, I promise to you all that I will always protect this world and the many others with every ounce of light in my heart. May our hearts be our guiding key!"

The crowd went into an uproarious applause at this promise. Ven grinned as he raised his Keyblade high in the air. Not once did he consider the last sentence of his speech, nor where he had heard it before. He didn't even realize that Mickey had suddenly gotten nervous again, or how Sabrina glared at the Keyblade with a sense of familiarity. Right now this was a new beginning, and nothing was going to ruin it.

[itsbenedict]

I just finished hosting a 15-person game of Mafia for some friends. One tradition we have for these games is that every death is accompanied by some themed narration, so for my game I opted to spice it up with some art on top. Had to draw it real quick since I didn't know for sure who was going to die next until it happened.

The game's theme was "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", with the hidden subtheme that all the roles (stands) were named after They Might Be Giants (@tmbgareok) songs! A list of their powers, links to songs, and a recap of the game under the cut.

01) Mogis - 「Flo Wheeler」

02) TD260 - 「Working Undercover For The Man」

03) JGH27 - 「Good To Be Alive」

04) Raya - 「Stone Cold Coup D'Etat」

05) KK / Sahrimnir - 「Thinking Machine」

06) Spontaneous Combustion - 「The Statue Got Me High」

07) Leviwulf - 「Push Back The Hands」

08) DarkFalco - 「I Am Alone」

09) Deli064 - 「Doctor Worm」

10) Fedaykin - 「Letterbox」

11) Surge - 「I Am Alone」

12) Wikxen - 「Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head」

13) Minby - 「Where Your Eyes Don't Go」

14) Bel - 「(She Was A) Hotel Detective」

15) SnakeInABox - 「By The Time You Get This」

Bold roles were Jotunheim (Mafia), normal roles were Johnsburg (Town), and italicized roles were third parties. (Jotunheim is the realm of giants from Norse mythology! The mafia were, in fact, giants! And the town's job was to figure out who might be giants! And the two sides were Jo and Jo! JOKES!)

「Flo Wheeler」 was a town role with a power that was pretty dangerous to the user- if anyone happened to be watching or tracking when a kill took place at night, Mogis would look like they'd visited the target that night in addition to whoever actually did. It could potentially be used to catch a mafioso in a lie, but otherwise it was more of an obstacle for the town to overcome- a miller-type role.

♪ You can't do the time, therefore you didn't do the crime ♪

「Working Undercover For The Man」 was a third-party role working for the Speedwagon Foundation to perform a threat assessment. TD could win with the town, but could win and leave early if he could guess all the names or powers of every other stand in the game. He could scan a name every night, to help that along.

♪ Planning midnight raids / On our unsuspecting fans / While the roadies rig / The video surveillance van ♪

「Good To Be Alive」 was a spin on the usual town doctor role- normally, a doctor can target a player and prevent their death if they would die that night. But... JGH couldn't actually prevent deaths- just fake it. The dead would become ghosts, who couldn't vote and couldn't be killed but were still allowed to talk as if they were alive.

♪ Hello leg / such a shaky leg / Just barely more than decoration ♪

「Stone Cold Coup D'Etat」 was a third party with an unusual win condition. They had to recruit a certain number of people to a private side-chat- and then make sure all those people got killed. Plus, she could redirect anything that happened to her at night to her recruits. If the recruits figured out what she was doing and got rid of her, they'd get a boost to their power.

♪ The bark now commands the trees / The queen is overruled by the bees ♪

「Thinking Machine」 was a town role with a mysterious purpose that didn't seem to make much sense at first. Sah would get, every morning, a strange series of numbers and letters of uncertain origin. It was information, somehow, but how to use it?

♪ Tape has brightening arm connect (Wait, that didn't make sense.) / Self-paint lever itching does! (That made even less sense!) ♪

「The Statue Got Me High」 was a mafia power. As the song describes, the victim is enthralled by the monolith and forced to obey its commands, until their eventual death. That is, Spont could recruit a player to the mafia, but they'd die one night later- and if he wasn't careful, he could die and his recruit would flip back.

♪ And now it is your turn (your turn to hear the stone and then your turn to burn) / The stone, it calls to you (you can't refuse to do the things it tells you to) ♪

「Push Back The Hands」 was a passive ability that caused anything that would happen to Levi- a nightkill, an execution, some other power- to be delayed by one day, giving him some time to react. He'd be told who it was that targeted him, so going after him as mafia was risky.

♪ Screeching tires but never a collision / Endless day without a sunset provision ♪

「I Am Alone」 was a weird one. See, DarkFalco, who was mafia, didn't have a stand as such. She was the stand- and she was the stand of Surge, who was town. They were linked together in everything, meaning the mafia had to work to keep Surge alive on top of their own people. She could send messages to Surge at night to mess with him, though.

♪ Before you fire I should inform you / One of us is a double ♪

「Doctor Worm」 had no real special abilities. His ability was to be pretty good at playing the drums, a power that had absolutely no relevance in a game of Mafia.

♪ I'm not a real doctor, but I am a real worm I am an actual worm ♪

「Letterbox」 was a mafia ability that let Fedaykin pick another player, and offer that player a chance to deliver a private message to one other player of their choice. He could see the "secret" communications, though, and once per game he could edit the message before delivering it.

♪ I'll never know what you'll find when you open up your letter box tomorrow ♪

「Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head」 is a classically mafia ability, but in the hands of a town player: the ability to force another player to vote for another. Normally the manipulated person isn't allowed to say what happened, but there was no such restriction here- confusion's no good for the town.

♪ Memo to myself: do the dumb things i gotta do: Touch the puppet head ♪

「Where Your Eyes Don't Go」 let Minby pick someone else to watch him at night. If anyone visited him to target him with an ability, the person he designated would be told the names of those people. A nasty trap for the mafia, as long as Minby doesn't pick a mafioso to share the information with.

♪ Where your eyes don't go, a part of you is hovering / It's a nightmare that you'll never be discovering / You're free to come and go / Or talk like Kurtis Blow / But there's a pair of eyes in back of your head ♪

「(She Was A) Hotel Detective」 was a very powerful town role- Bel was the cop, and could scan another player's alignment at night, plus track or watch them. Except... not directly. She couldn't scan players- she could scan hotel rooms, and if other players didn't check into the hotel at night or give up their room numbers, her information was useless.

Here are the room numbers, in order: Levi (1) Snake (2) JGH (3) TD (4) Spont (5) Sah (6) Deli (7) Fed (8) Minby (9) Falco/Surge (10) Raya (11) Wikxen (12) Mogis (13).

(Oh, and Thinking Machine's codes were actually encoded versions of her results, and Sah would get a weaker version of her power if she ever died.)

♪ She's got her ear to the walls / And she's tappin' the calls / If you've got a secret, boy / Forget about it! ♪

「By The Time You Get This」 imbued its wielder with the incredible powers of... an estate lawyer! Which meant Snake could leave a will behind when he died, naming another player and casting a vote on them from beyond the grave the next day.

♪ By the time you get this note / We'll no longer be alive / But our skulls are smiling still / At the thought of things to come ♪

So! Here's how it all shook out.

Day 1: The first day is always kind of a tossup, since no one has any information yet, and everyone's just trying to verbally stir the pot. Levi soft-claims his role right out the gate, warning town not to try targeting him or else. Mogis is executed, casting a vote on himself to save the town the trouble of dealing with Flo Wheeler.

Night 1: Spont uses the statue to recruit Wikxen, at the same time that Wikxen forces Snake to vote for Levi. So, now the usually-scum power in the hands of town is in the hands of scum for real. Bel scans room 3, and learns that its occupant is innocent. Raya recruits DarkFalco, and accidentally recruits Surge alongside her, to her surprise. JGH tries protecting Levi, to test if his claim was a bluff.

Day 2: Levi tries to push JGH on the basis of having targeted him last night, but everyone agrees to wait and see if Levi actually dies first. Votes circle around Wikxen and Raya for suspicious-seeming defensiveness on Day 1, and ultimately, when it seems like Wikxen's about to be executed, a small group of players flip their votes at the last minute and vote Raya out while she's asleep and can't defend herself. Rude! She was poised to win the game for herself and the town, since she'd convinced Falco that the mafia would benefit somehow if they were all recruited.

Night 2: The mafia kills Minby- and Minby opts to tell have Fed watch him, wasting his power. Lucky for town, though, Bel happens to scan room 8, confirming Fed is mafia since he volunteered his room number. Wikxen's coat contains a furnace where there used to be a guy.

Day 3: Wikxen forced Snake to vote for J, making him look bad- but Sah begins sharing his bizarre results from Thinking Machine, and Bel confirms that they're a log of her detective power. Then she points out that Fed is mafia, and the town falls in line behind the accusation with Sah to confirm.

Night 3: Spont uses the statue to recruit Bel, to keep any more problematic scans from ruining them. Bel, before being recruited, scans room 10, though- and now the town knows there's something funky with Falco and Surge, because Sah gets the results and knows what they mean. Due to their mismatched alignments, though, the encoded version is still misleading, so there's wiggle room. TD scans Spont and learns his role name.

Day 4: Spont concocts a daring scheme. He has Bel lie and claim to have received an incriminating result on him- so that Bel will be caught in said lie when Sah produces his own results. The plan is to frame Bel, who's a dead girl walking anyway, and clear Spont's name going forward. But the town talks themselves into explaining away the contradiction- even when TD reveals Spont's stand name, and Spont denies it outright and claims 「Combustible Head」, a fake vigilante (town nightkiller) role instead, the town explains away that, too. After a few more people claim, TD260 has completed his mission- his correct guess wins him the game and he leaves. Spont cleverly excuses himself by claiming that TD lied about his role to get him to claim his "real" one. Afterwards, the town ends up executing Deli064 instead, for some reason- poor Doctor Worm!

Night 4: The evidence vanishes from Bel's charred and smoking chair- because JGH tries to protect her at the same time the mafia are killing him! Bel is a ghost now, and the town never finds out her alignment.

Day 5: Bel not dying poses a problem for the mafia, because Spont was supposed to prove his own innocence by pretending to kill her! The mafia tries to misdirect by having Bel lie again, claiming to scan room 10 when she actually scanned room 6, Sah. Ultimately, though, the town is able to coordinate behind killing Surge and Falco, which- because they're linked- is a compromise option that both parties are happy with (when perhaps they shouldn't be).

Night 5: Since Bel is technically dead, Spont recruits again, grabbing Sah and removing the threat of scans entirely. If he'd recruited Snake instead, they'd have won on the spot, since only his will-vote prevented them from winning instantly due to outnumbering the town. We move on to a somewhat redundant...

Day 6: It's now down to five players- Spont, Sah, and Bel vs Levi and Snake. The mafia technically outnumber the town, but Bel's vote doesn't count, and Sah's going to burn the next night- so the town can still win by forcing a tie and then using Snake's By The Time You Get This power to place a vote on Spont. But that's if they can figure it out and get on the same page, and... they don't. There's no way there could be three mafia still alive, so the mafia are able to sow total confusion and ultimately get the town all voting for Bel... who's a ghost, and can't vote or be executed, which the town doesn't know because JGH died before he could fully explain. The execution defaults to Snake, and the mafia win the game.