#there is no easter bunny or tooth fairy either

[stormyromance]

Let me tell you I was beyond disappointed after leaving christianity and going to "alternative" spirituality to learn that "alternative" spiritual teachers believe a lot of the same crap about sexist gender roles that the christians do.

[lonelyparty]

shifted

a fic in which geto suguru is your brother's best friend

wc: 2.3k

18+ // minors dni

cw: nsfw, toxic geto, toxic reader, toxic relationships, smut, very light nanago in the middle, degradation, choking, gagging, lots of tears and drool, creampie

If you had to describe your big brother’s childhood best friend in ten words or less you’d say the following: He’s a slick asshole, kinda insane, but hot as fuck. If Geto Suguru asked, though? You’d just list off all of the qualities that should negate the fact that whenever you look at his face you just want to sit on it, but in fact just makes it that much harder.

“Remember when we were younger and you insisted that the two of you were going to get married and have 10 kids?” your brother asked as the three of you reminisced about your childhood while sharing a blunt.

Geto turns to you, half lidded eyes red and smug, “Yes, remember that?”

“I was 5? At that age I was still believing in the easter bunny and laying traps for tooth fairies,” you roll your eyes.

“You were always such a freak,” Geto teases, smoke falling from his nose as he laughs.

Your eyes catch on to the small bite in his lip that he adds at the end. It almost has you wanting to screw him on the balcony of your shared apartment. You didn’t, of course, your brother was there. 

“Only in your fantasies,” you snarl, snatching the blunt from his fingers and taking a hit of your own. You pass it over to your brother after a couple of more hits. He doesn’t seem to pay either of you any mind, staring up in space like the usual 5-blunt smoke out the three of you do once a week.

He bites the tip of his tongue, before shaking his head, “I don’t think so. You’re nasty, aren’t ya? Filthy even?”

The desire in your stomach pools. You’re reminded of your brother as he reaches over to hand off to Geto again. Geto’s eyes remain fixed on you as he inhales with a satisfied smirk. You’re calling upon the God you may or may not believe in to get the strength to not climb him like a tree.

You lean over into his personal space, taking the blunt that Geto offers to you. You lift your hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. You inhale, ghosting the hit before leaning in.

Geto looks confused for a bit before your lips ghost his, blowing the smoke down his throat. He’s inhaling before he even knows what’s going on. His body stiffens, eyes moving to look at your brother who’s passed out in his bean bag. But you can see it still, the hunger. Something the both of you share. But you’ll be damned if you gave this prick what he wanted without a little work.

When he tries to press further, you lean back. A small smile forms on your face at his confused expression. You chuckle at his expense, and pout.

“Guess you’ll never know,” you replied innocently, using the ashtray to snub out the roach. You stand from your seat and wave, “Goodnight, Suguru.”

-

Geto can’t recall when the shift occurred. You were always a brat; the way of acting never changed. But his feelings about your behavior definitely took a turn. Behavior that once boiled Geto’s blood in anger is now pumping a different kind of feeling.

It only got worse on your 21st birthday, with Gojo as his catalyst.

Geto wouldn’t call himself a jealous man, but there was something about the way you spoke to him. All sweet with bright smiles. Coupled with the fact that neither of you could keep your hands to yourselves.

Okay, the previous statement was definitely a lie. He may or may not have ruined your chances with other people to ensure nothing… intimate was going on with you and whoever else. Making sure to always be around in your shared apartment with your brother. Giving dirty looks and smug comments. He’s just very fortunate that your brother travels for work in that aspect.

The difference is, Gojo is only here because of Geto. He extended an invitation for him to tag along at the club for your birthday, So, it’d be quite telling, even to your slightly inebriated brother, if Geto created a small rift in the middle of this club just to get that blue-eyed bastard to leave you the fuck alone. Though the strength continues to leave him the longer your hand lingers on Gojo’s slightly exposed pec.

When Gojo finally tears away from you to go bother the only person in the club that he actually knew, Geto’s eyes narrow slightly. And the closer he gets, the deeper the deeper his eyebrows furrow.

“What?” Gojo inquires innocently.

“What?” Geto mimics, mocking him. He tilts his head to the side, staring at Gojo’s lips. His eyes squint in the dim, strobe-lit nightclub they’re in. “Your lips?”

“I think it's Fenty,” Gojo answers, wiping off the excess gloss on his lips. He laughs at the look that must reflect in Geto’s eyes. “What? If you were trying to kiss as many people as you possibly can to beat a personal best, I’d offer the same to you.”

“Oh.”

“Oh that’s right…” Gojo looks over his glasses, expression smug, “She made sure to let me know that you didn’t know that.”

Geto doesn’t incite a reply. Instead, he makes his way through the crowd. His eyes find you immediately, making out with one of the girls from another party group. It kind of makes sense now, the birthday sash and tiara. The purple, cold-shoulder dress you wore. You dressed to have all eyes on you. To kiss everyone.

Everyone except him.

As he approaches, your eyes meet him through the light. He can see the hint of a smirk in your eyes as you continue to make out with your latest conquest. Geto thinks he saw the person you’re making out with at your apartment a few times. Probably a project partner of some sort.

“Thank you for being such a good sport, love,” you smile, hugging them.

“Yikes, ‘good sport’. You probably didn’t hear that growing up a lot, did you?” Geto questions, making a point to walk in between the both of you. He hums, “At least you know when you get hungry, you have leftover lemon pulp in your teeth.”

Your jaw drops as you watch your classmate leave. “Geto, what the fuck-”

“I think I’m owed a kiss?”

You scoff, immediately tuned in to the station he’s on. “So it’s true what they say when it comes to the both of you. What’s yours is also mine and some other bullshit?”

“This was never about Gojo.”

“No,” you answer, releasing a few buttons on his shirt. You lean forward, hand cupping his face. Eyes hidden behind lashes, you tilt your head, “But he’s another major turning point. Remind me, how long ago was it since you watched me?”

-

Everything that you do is calculated. From a young age, your family members would say that you had a way of getting what you want. Manipulation is the most common word for it. It’s your greatest asset.

And that is exactly why Geto is attracted to you. You know it. He knows it. Even your brother knows it. It could be said that there’s something wrong with the both of you since you’re the same person. The main difference is your tactics. And that’s why yours is so effective.

Geto may not be able to recall when the shift in your relationship occurred, but you can. Because you planted that seed a long time ago.

It was the day of the very last time you said you’d marry him, when he graduated high school and moved on to college with your big brother. There was no way an 18 year old would pay attention to a 13 year old, so you waited. Luck was on your side that the next time you saw him, it’d be two years later.

My little sister! The worst words to greet your future wife after not seeing them for 2 years. But you were 15, you understood.

Your plan really kick started after you turned 18. When you had time to perfect your craft during your teenage years. Watching Geto for so long, you were bound to know what he likes and dislikes. You grew up in each other’s faces, it was inevitable.

But the years of pent up rage from being referred to as a ‘little sister’ left you with a grudge that you couldn’t scratch. So you did what anyone else would, and started getting on his nerves even more. Punishing him with sharp words, carefully placed innuendos, and sensual touches.

All in the hopes of getting him to absolutely ravish you.

And just when you were going to give up on this idiot for truly thinking your brother gave a single fuck about what went on between the two of you… something amazing happened when Geto fucking Suguru watched you get fucked by a classmate through the crack of your bedroom door. The both of your eyes fixed on each other, and a significant change in your enthusiasm as he watched you get fucked by another man and you knew.

You had him where you wanted him.

-

Geto’s eyes move from your face to your brother’s figure at the other end of the club. He looks to be ready to head out soon, wrapped around his long time girlfriend. He tracks down Gojo and isn’t shocked to see that he managed to drag Nanami here as well. The younger male looks apologetic to everyone as he practically drags Gojo out of the club. There’s something in the way that Gojo looks that reminds Geto to make fun of his useless pining because the blond is as smitten with Gojo as Gojo is with him.

Realistically, he knew that because of this, Gojo was never a threat. None of them are, if he’s being honest. Geto knows and he knows that you do, too. The rules of the crazy game the two of you created in your minds would have a good majority of people ready to just call it quits. But Geto will be damned if he had to endure another three fucking years of this torture.

So, instead of playing along, he instead grabs you by the throat. Your smirk is gone when his fingers force their way into your mount, thumb and forefinger holding your tongue to effectively shut you up.

“This is what’s going to happen,” Geto says casually. His eyes move to the crowd as he leans forward, “I am going to offer to get us an Uber to my place. Use a lame excuse of giving those two their privacy at your apartment. In the meantime, you will behave yourself. If I so much as see you breathe at someone else in any other way that isn’t friendly, I won’t feel inclined to be nice.”

He makes sure to emphasize his points with a firmer grip on your neck with every important word spoken. Your would be moans trapped in your throat where in his grip, words and shear attitude has you speechless for the first time in a long time.

“It's my turn now, baby girl.”

-

When you retell the story of your 21st birthday and someone asks what happened after you left the club, there will be a 30 minute gap between your departure from the club and the current position Geto has you in. And it’s not because your night is forgetful, but only because you’ve lost count of how many orgasms he’s given you.

The second the both of you walked into his apartment, he ripped off your birthday girl sash, tossed your tiara to the counter and literally tore you out of your dress in anticipation. By the time you reached your third orgasm in his fucking hallway by his fingers alone, you knew this was everything you had hoped for.

And Geto wasn’t done, no. He was far from it.

Because when he finally got you into the bedroom, the intensity increased again. Your jaw hurts from how roughly he fucked his dick down your throat. Your make up effectively ruined. The only thing that remains untouched by those sinfully thick fingers being your hair and that’s only because you behaved yourself so well in the club.

And when he finally fucked into you for the first time? Well, it felt like everything fell into place perfectly. He is rough. Fingers digging into your hips as he fucks you up, down, backwards and sideways.

“Shit!” you gasp as you come undone once again, gushing around Geto’s cock again because there’s nothing that he can’t fucking do. He remains rock hard in your depths, slowly down to a stop to give you time to catch your breath again. “Oh my god-”

He tsks, “I thought I told you to: Shut. Up.”

One of his hands leave your waist to your mouth, where he shoves his fingers into your mouth like he did earlier. Except, this time, he’s taking satisfaction in the way you choke around his fingers.

“Much better,” he hums, pistoning his hips once again.

You moan around his fingers, drool now mixing with the tears on his pillow. The sound your pussy makes is obscene. Never have you ever been so wet for… anyone to be honest. And as his thick cock continues to fuck into your g-spot like his life depends on it, you come to realize that this is the best birthday ever.

“Let’s go for one more, yea?” Geto questions when he feels your walls clamp around his cock once again. He knows you can’t respond with three fingers down your throat effectively shutting you up. But he continues, “Show me how nasty this pussy gets.”

Your eyes roll to the back of your head, your stomach twisting and turning yet again. In the back of your mind, you register just how sloppy Geto is getting. He’s close, too.

When his fingers exit your mouth to play with your swollen clit while the other moves to your breast, forefinger and thumb rolling your nipple hard, you lose your mind. The floodgates open, and, for the fourth time tonight, you squirt. And this time, Geto cums alongside you, fucking his seed into your depths with a grunt.

a/n: abrupt ending bc i deadass couldnt be bothered, but be on the look out for a pt 2 🙈🙈

[i-am-beckyu]

One Small Gift- epilogue

Okay so I wrote this on a whim when I was writing part 2 and while it's not long enough to be a full fledged fic, I still think I'll post it because it's just a cute fluff scene<3

One Small Gift Part 1 & Part 2

wc:558

Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.

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“Hey Wilbur, you know how Techno dressed up as the Easter bunny?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Well, I’ve been thinking. If the Easter Bunny isn’t real, and the tooth fairy and you know basically most fairy tale creatures, then that means Santa Claus isn’t real either.” 

Tommy felt Wilbur stiffen at this, his pseudo brother soon cupping him in both hands as he slid up to be sitting cross legged and able to see the borrower better. 

“Well I guess so, but I mean Borrowers are considered fairy tales and yet you exist so that doesn’t mean Santa Claus isn’t real.”

Tommy crossed his arms raising a brow. “Wilbur, I know you dressed up as Santa. You don’t have to keep pretending about it.” 

“Tommy, I swear I didn’t do that.” Wilbur defended. “Why would I dress up? That’s so childish and whack and-” 

One look at Tommy was proof enough the blonde wasn’t buying it. Wilbur didn’t want to admit it but it was clear the boy he once knew was growing up and childish things like Santa Claus  were becoming a thing of the past- as much as he hated to admit it.

“Okay yes, it was me dressed as Santa Claus.” Wilbur admitted somberly moving to let Tommy down on his night stand. “How long have you known?” 

“Since we put out the Christmas decorations, but I think subconsciously I’ve known longer than that considering you never like to wear Santa hats and rejected the idea of dressing up everytime I asked.” 

“Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.” he replied, eyes downcast fiddling with his finger nails. “You don’t hate me right?”

“Hate you?” Tommy quirked a brow and to Wilbur’s surprise suddenly burst out laughing. “Wilbur, you saved me. I don’t know what I would have done had you revealed yourself to not be Santa. I was terrified of you!”

Wilbur deflated at that, guilt taking over. “Yeah, sorry about that. Again.” The Bean replied solemnly. Tommy stopped laughing noticing this and sighed before jumping off the nightstand and back onto the bed, making their way down to rest a hand on the older’s knee.

“Wilbur, I know you never meant to hurt me. I understand that now. Heck you dressing up is the only reason I ever gave talking to you a second chance.” 

“What do you mean?” Wilbur asked as Tommy hoisted himself up onto the man's knee.

“Well, kid me never intended to talk to any Beans ever. I only spoke to Santa because I saw a Television program talking about how he gave kids presents because I was desperate.” Tommy smiled as he recalled the past. 

“Santa gave me exactly what I needed in the moment, yes, but you gave me the push I needed to give speaking to you a chance. Remember prior to meeting you, I’d been living alone for awhile and never knew how lonely I’d been till after speaking to someone. “

The boy looked up to meet the Beans gaze, guilt and concern etched all across the olders’ face. 

“But meeting you changed that. Giving talking to you a shot was the best decision I ever made and now I’m living better than I could have ever dreamed and that’s not even the best part.” 

“What’s the best part?” Wilbur asked and Tommy smiled. 

“I gained a brother.” 

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Probably could have made this longer but that's all I wrote and I can't see myself adding more lol. Merry Christmas everyone <3

tag list: @local-squishmallow @brick-a-doodle-do @justarandomsloth @veryfunkycheesecake @munchkin1156 @kayla-crazy-stuffs @da3dm @eiscreme135 @orchid-harmony @the-tiny-lurker @colossal-red @nobodywritingao3 @nata2343 @bad-author777 @box-beanz @gracideaviolet @a-xyz-s

[officialbugdrink]

Jack Marston Head Canons!!!

☆Definitely has eaten dirt, sticks, mud, maybe even some sort of rock as well. He once ate grass to be like the horses.

☆Has either Adhd, Autism or Audhd

☆Gunsh0ts or any loud noise like that triggers Jack heavily due to the amount of bad experiences he has gone through because of that.

☆To match the one above, he also panicks over lawmen or the government in general due to his experiences with them

☆He isn't very good at singing but he loves to sing. He doesn't care what anyone thinks about it, though it doesn't bother what so ever.

☆Jack was once given apple juice, and his uncle Arthur said it was beer, so he pretended to be drunk.

☆He doesn't believe in Santa, the Easter bunny, or even the tooth fairy because someone in the gang told him they all weren't real at a very young age.

☆John has definitely dropped Jack as a baby. Abigail was so pissed

☆As a coping mechanism, Jack pretends to be characters from books when things get really rough.

☆Jack has a list of ocs and self inserts for his favorite books.

That's all for now. If you like it I'll make more. Just gimme your favorite rdr character, and I'll make hcs about them if you want me to do that! I'll even make a part 2 of this if you like!!

[lifes-line]

So I’m rewatching Rise of the Guardians and I wanna say something - a theory I have about the movie that is never verbally theorized or communicated but heavily implied,,, or they just made a mistake

SO- the scene I’m talking about is in the movie, when they’re all at Easter island or Bunny’s realm, Jack has to take Sophie back home.

Now for context; rise of the guardians is a movie about how Jack Frost becomes the guardian of fun and to protect that child immaturity or fun they have.

The other guardians include Sand man(guardian of dreams), Santa(guardians of wonder), tooth fairy(guardian of memories?, and the Easter bunny(guardian of hope)

Pitch Black isn’t a guardian but he is like a myth like the other guys and he’s the villain.

Jack Frost started out the same way all the guardians do and as Pitch Black does; unbelieved in. And when no one believes in you; you are both physically weak and no one can touch you or see you and the guardians cannot physically touch any humans either.

This is important. No one can see Jack Frost- so when we see him in action in the beginning of the movie with the kids and Jamie asks “who is Jack Frost?” It’s evident enough there, no one has heard of this dude.

Now an important fact with contributes to my theory- his mom is the one who mentions Jack Frost and she says that as she takes Sophie back inside.

But focusing on Jack - in this Easter realm part of the movie, Sophie has snuck into the Easter realm and plays with the guardians until she eventually falls asleep, now they must discuss who can take her back home.

Jack says he’ll do it - already not possible because still in this moment even with the other guardians, no one believes in him. YET. SOMEHOW.

Jack is physically able to touch and carry Sophie all the way back home.

So at that point in the movie or PRIOR; someone started believing in Jack Frost.

The working theory is; Jamie’s mom or even Sophie at the beginning of the movie believed in Jack Frost.

Obviously the mom doesn’t because she can’t see him - but after she mentions Jack Frost we no longer see Sophie on screen anymore.

This is interesting later when she sees everyone in the Easter realm- she ONLY addresses the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy. Not caring at all for Jack Frost or Santa. Not because she can’t see them, but because she’s a little girl who likes cute things; like bunnies and fairies.

She also has to believe in Jack Frost if he is able to carry her back home.

This is also important because as I established; it’s the children’s belief in the guardians that makes them strong.

That’s why bunny shrinks near the end of the movie, Santa’s age catches up to him, tooth can’t fly etc

But in the fight scene where Pitch Black defeats Sand man; Jack retaliates with a very strong ice attack and defeats Pitch Black - Jack isn’t sure how he was capable of doing something so powerful and I believe it was after the interaction he’s had with the kids-

Sophie heard her mom say something about a Jack Frost “nipping at your nose” and now that child associates Jack Frost with snow or frostbite - and you know how kids believe anything they’re told, even if it’s not to them.

So; final theory.

Jack was able to carry Sophie and be this strong because SOPHIE believed in him in the beginning of the movie.

[godofhonse]

Bruce is the type of guy to always give kids serious answers to their questions. Even when they get into why chains he will always give an answer, and won't pull a "because I said so" or "because that's how it is" type non answers that parents will give when they get tired of the whys. Also because he has such a breadth of knowledge in so many areas, he can really give a good answer

Cut to him trying (and actually kinda succeeding) to explain the law of conservation to some lost kid as they wait for their parents.

Clark on the other hand will lie out of his ass if he's asked how babies are made. Responses range from stork to I don't know either. Will also say he has lunch with the tooth fairy on Wednesdays. Very much keep the magic alive for kids in contrast to Bruce's respect for their curiosity.

I wouldn't say either way is better as they each have their pros and cons. It does lend to a hilarious situation of two kids getting into a heated playground fight because Batman told one kid that the Easter Bunny is just for the fun of pretending and Superman told the other that the Easter Bunny invited him to brunch this Saturday.

[sepublic]

So obviously the original intention behind Kai dismissing the Serpentine as a myth was that they were entombed long ago; Centuries at least, hence why they were able to fade into enough obscurity that anyone could doubt they ever actually existed. But then when Ninjago was renewed past its original intended ending, we got S4 and its establishment of Kai and Nya’s parents as veterans of the Serpentine Wars.

So either their parents were super old, or the Serpentine Wars happened only a few decades ago, and a good portion of the population consists of people who lived through that event, remember the Serpentine, and probably interacted with some by the time S1’s first episode rolls around.

Surprise surprise, the Hagemans soft-retconned the Serpentine Wars as happening decades ago. Instead of just making Ray and Maya the exception, or revealing they’re just ancestors of Kai and Nya and not their parents. So with this new information, the only explanation for Kai thinking the Serpentine are a myth -even though he’d probably have neighbors old enough to remember them- is that he just… lives under a rock and is that out of touch.

Which I guess is a bit more understandable if he and Nya had to raise themselves for most of their lives, and didn’t go to a public school. But this timeline retcon has the hilarious and unintentional effect of making Kai look like Ninjago’s equivalent to like flat earthers or something. He’s like that bit from Megamind where Tighten lists off things that don’t exist, including the tooth fairy and Easter bunny, only to inexplicably mention something that does verifiably exist, the Queen of England. But in Kai’s case he’s talking about an entire species and civilization that some of his older neighbors knew, whom his own parents interacted with multiple times.

"You're living a fantasy, Nya. There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there are no Serpentine. This is the real world, and you need to wake up!"

[callofdudes]

Dropping all my AU thoughts on you. (Lovingly) pt1??

Hunger Games AU: All of 141 bring previous victors from their games who find solace with each other in the capital. Would go through what they experienced in their individual games and how they won. But when the victors face off comes they all have to work together to end the games permanently.

Skyrim AU: Ghost works with the Dark Brotherhood. Johnny is 1000% a Companion. Gaz is a bard who is also attending the College of Winterhold to become a mage. Price is either a leader of the Companions, or he's a captain of the Imperial Guard. Don't exactly have a proper plot. And Gaz is obviously a redguard. Price is definitely a Nord. John is probably a mix of either Breton and Nord or something. It just makes sense. And Ghost is an Imperial. It just makes sense and I can't explain why!

Or, another Skyrim idea: Johnny as the dragonborn and Simon as a Daedric Prince of Akotosh who chooses to serve Johnny after doubting Alduin's reign.

Transformers AU: It could go either way, I envision it with Ghost as a Tranformer. He's the last of his squad who escaped captivity (I hope you catch on) and is sent to earth to protect Intel and find a place to stay. Runs into the annoying Scottish mechanic when his paint is dinged up. Or Simon as the angry mechanic who does not want to fix this alien thing that keeps yapping all day.

Rise of the Guardians AU: All the characters are there. If Y/n was present in this I'd make Ghost the angry easter Bunny who "hates his job". But if they weren't he's hands down Jack Frost. Sorry. Gaz can be Sandy (sandman) we all know who Price is, and Johnny can be the tooth fairy. If you know why, you know why.

Obviously a httyd AU: because everyone needs one. I'm already conjuring up things for Ghost's backstory it's insane.

Gaming AU: Price is a moderator for a large gaming community channel and streaming platform. He greenlights a lot of games that go through and plays them occasionally. RDR games and those likes. Johnny and Gaz definitely play the sims together. They'd play those games like Lethal Company and such. They try to play horror games but it doesn't always go well. Simon, (known to fans as Ghost) wears his mask or has one of those cool avatars. Plays horror games religiously and first person shooters which has attracted a glamorized following. Friends with Price and that's how he ended up getting together in the streaming group with Gaz and Johnny. They're annoying, but ok, they're cool.

Assassin's Creed AU: I've been working slowly on this for a while but Johnny as a sword/bow for hire whose work has slowed in the city he's at. So he packs up with friend Gaz who is going to a different city to study as a medic. Price is probably the king of said place. (I'm thinking of setting up in Greece or we're going to old Britain.) And Ghost is our famous assassin. And they meet and some stuff happens!

Not sure what to call this one (AU) As a young kid Johnny was diagnosed with ADHD and went to weekly day camp for kids like him. It wasn't particularly boring and Johnny had lots of fun. Until a new kid who is very socially awkward and reclusive starts coming. He's quiet and fidgety and doesn't make much eye contact. Johnny wants to be his friend. The story where Autistic Simon and ADHD Johnny become inseparable childhood friends.

Winged AU. I did a little thing on this a couple months ago. Some 30% of the popular are born with wings. Johnny is one of them. He's incredibly proud of his wings and it gives him some advantages and disadvantages in the military. Simon seems to hate Johnny for the sake of it. But every time Simon sees John's wings, he remembers the scars on his back and the pain of when his wings were torn off...

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

It be pretty funny if Yuu did that pulling finger off trick in front of the others in either monster au or god au

Ah yes, a non-magical human's trick to baffle and amaze others. Optical illusions, sleight of hand, smoke and mirrors--you name it, and someone will have found more ways to impress (and confuse) their audience!

I can see the magic "disappearing thumb" trick working on some of the more naive members of the boys in both AUs. Ace knows a lot of magic tricks thanks to his older brother (such as the card trick and the disappearing coin trick he taught Grim in the game), so he'd be amongst the more keen-eyed students (aka most of the second and third years) who would figure out it was a simple hand trick off bat. Whether they reveal the truth or not though depends on when the reactions of the others stop being so hilarious!

Riddle might initially be fooled in both AUs (if Yuu chose to do it during a tea party, then yes, he spat out his tea in shock), but he quickly figures it out because he's too curious to know the methodology behind it. Malleus and Kalim, however, might be the only ones who would be a mix of amazed and horrified (although compared to deity!AU Kalim, monster!AU Kalim would be scrambling around the room yelling and barking like the fennec einfield fox he is looking for the first aid kit. Monster!AU Jamil was not amused).

Now, if Yuu were to do things like the "invisible chair" trick like in this video here and other public magic tricks, imagine the sheer chaos and shenanigans that can occur in the monster!AU or the amusement in the deity!AU! Woe be to those researchers who thought Yuu had somehow developed magical powers. U.U

Hmm...now that I think about it, in the deity!AU, most of the deities would be out of touch with mortal activities. Sure, they may be able to watch mortals going about their daily lives, but generally speaking, they have other duties to perform. Like North said in "Rise of the Guardians" when Jack asked when was the last time he, the tooth fairy, and Easter bunny hung out with kids/knew how to have fun:

"We are very busy bringing joy to children! We don't have time...for children?"

Except in this case, the deities are very busy with maintaining the balance for mortals. They don't have time to interact...with...mortals...oh.

These guys are going to discover that they have much to learn once Yuu meets them. And luckily, they do have some deities who are more familiar with the way mortals work, so they'll be more than happy to educate their fellow deities~!

[prapasara]

Tooth fairy

Tooth fairy

The tooth fairy is a folkloric figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures.  The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table; the Tooth Fairy will visit while they sleep, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment.

Origins

During the Middle Ages, other superstitions arose surrounding children's teeth. Children in England were instructed to burn their baby teeth, on pain of spending eternity searching for the baby teeth in the afterlife. Fear of witches was another reason to bury or burn teeth. In medieval Europe, it was thought that a witch could assume total power over someone if they were to obtain one of their teeth. 

Another modern incarnation of these traditions into an actual Tooth Fairy has been traced to a 1908 "Household Hints" item in the Chicago Daily Tribune:

Tooth Fairy. Many a refractory child will allow a loose tooth to be removed if he knows about the Tooth Fairy. If he takes his little tooth and puts it under the pillow when he goes to bed the Tooth Fairy will come in the night and take it away, and in its place will leave some little gift. It is a nice plan for mothers to visit the 5-cent counter and lay in a supply of articles to be used on such occasions. 

Appearance

Unlike Father Christmas and, to a lesser extent, the Easter Bunny, there are few details of the Tooth Fairy's appearance that are consistent in various versions of the myth. A 1984 study conducted by Rosemary Wells revealed that most, 74 percent of those surveyed, believed the Tooth Fairy to be female, while 12 percent believed the Tooth Fairy to be neither male nor female, and 8 percent believed the Tooth Fairy could be either male or female.  When asked about her findings regarding the Tooth Fairy's appearance, Wells explained: "You've got your basic Tinkerbell-type Tooth Fairy with the wings, wand, a little older and whatnot. Then you have some people who think of the tooth fairy as a man, a bunny rabbit, or a mouse."  One review of published children's books and popular artwork found the Tooth Fairy to be depicted in many different forms, including as a child with wings, a pixie, a dragon, a blue mother-figure, a flying ballerina, two little older men, a dental hygienist, occasionally a female dentist, a potbellied flying man smoking a cigar, a bat, a bear, and others. Unlike the well-established imagining of Santa Claus, differences in renderings of the Tooth Fairy are not as upsetting to children. 

Depiction on coins and currency 

Starting in 2011, the Royal Canadian Mint began selling special sets for newborn babies, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, "Oh Canada", and the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy quarters, which were issued only in 2011 and 2012, were packaged separately. 

In 2020, the Royal Australian Mint began issuing "Tooth Fairy kits" that included commemorative $2 coins.

Reward

The reward left varies by country, the family's economic status, amounts the child's peers report receiving, and other factors.  A 2013 survey by Visa Inc. found that American children receive $3.70 per tooth on average.  According to the same survey, only 3% of children find a dollar or less and 8% find a five-dollar bill or more under their pillow. 

The reward is affected by inflation.  According to data gathered by the American dental insurance company Delta Dental, the average payout per tooth in the United States rose from $1.30 in 1998 to $6.23 in 2023.  According to Delta Dental, the payout's trends typically mirror macroeconomic conditions and the S&P 500 stock index. 

Delta Dental found that the first tooth lost gets a higher reward than other teeth on average in the United States.

Belief

Belief in the Tooth Fairy is viewed in two very different ways. On the one hand, children's beliefs are seen as part of the trusting nature of childhood. Conversely, belief in the Tooth Fairy is frequently used to label adults as being too trusting and ready to believe anything. 

Parents tend to view the myth as providing comfort for children in losing a tooth.  Research finds that belief in the Tooth Fairy may comfort a child experiencing fear or pain from losing a tooth.  Mothers especially seem to value a child's belief as a sign that their "baby" is still a child and is not "growing up too soon".  By encouraging belief in a fictional character, parents allow themselves to be comforted that their child still believes in fantasy and is not yet "grown up". 

Children often discover the Tooth Fairy is imaginary as part of the age 5- to 7-year shift, often connecting this to other gift-bearing imaginary figures (such as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny). 

Author Vicki Lansky advises parents to tell their children early that the tooth fairy pays much more for a perfect tooth than a decayed one. According to Lansky, some families leave a note with the payment, praising the child for good dental habits. 

Research findings suggest a possible relationship between a child's continued belief in the Tooth Fairy (and other fictional characters) and false memory syndrome

Related myths

El Ratón Pérez (Spain and Latin America) 

In Spain and Hispanic America, El Ratoncito Pérez or Ratón Pérez (lit. transl. Perez the Little Mouse or Perez Mouse) is equivalent to the Tooth Fairy. He first appeared in an 1894 tale written by Luis Coloma for King Alfonso XIII, who had just lost a milk tooth at the age of eight.  As is traditional in other cultures, when a child loses a tooth it is customary for the child to place it under the pillow so that El Ratoncito Pérez will exchange it for a small payment or gift. The tradition is almost universal in Spanish cultures, with some slight differences.

He is generally known as "El Ratoncito Pérez",  except for some regions of Mexico, Peru, and Chile, where he is called "El Ratón de los Dientes" (transl. The Tooth Mouse), and in Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Colombia, where he is known simply as "El Ratón Pérez". He was used by Colgate marketing in Venezuela  and Spain.

Elsewhere in Europe 

In Italy, the Tooth Fairy (Fatina dei denti) is also often replaced by a tiny mouse named Topolino. In some areas the same role is held by Saint Apollonia, known as Santa Polonia in Veneto.  (Saint Apollonia's legendary martyrdom involved having her teeth broken; she is frequently depicted artistically holding a tooth and is considered the patron saint of dentistry and those with toothache and dental problems.)

In France and French-speaking Belgium, this character is called La Petite Souris (The Little Mouse). From parts of Lowland Scotland comes a tradition similar to the fairy mouse: a white fairy rat who purchases children's teeth with coins.

In Catalonia, the most popular would be Els Angelets (little angels) and also "Les animetes" (little souls) and as in the other countries, the tooth is placed under the pillow in exchange of a coin or a little token.

In the Basque Country, and especially in Biscay, there is Mari Teilatukoa ("Mary from the roof"), who lives in the roof of the baserri and catches the teeth thrown by the children. In Cantabria, he is known as L'Esquilu de los dientis ("the tooth squirrel). 

Asia and Africa

In Japan, a different variation calls for lost upper teeth to be thrown straight down to the ground and lower teeth straight up into the air; the idea is that incoming teeth will grow in straight. 

In Korea, throwing both upper and lower teeth on the roof was common.  The practice is rooted around the Korean national bird, the magpie. It is said that if the magpie finds a tooth on the roof, it will bring good luck.  Some scholars think the myth derived from the word 까치(Ka-chi) which was a middle Korean word for magpies that sounds similar to "new teeth", or because of the significance of magpies in Korean mythology as a messenger between gods and humans. 

In Middle Eastern countries

 (including Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and Sudan), there is a tradition of throwing a baby tooth up into the sky to the sun or to Allah. This tradition may originate in a pre-Islamic offering dating back to the 13th century. It was also mentioned by Izz bin Hibat Allah Al Hadid in the 13th century. 

In Mali, children throw baby teeth into the chicken coop to receive a chicken the following day. 

In Afrikaans speaking families in South Africa, children leave their teeth in a shoe so that the Tandemuis (Tooth Mouse) can replace the teeth with money.

In popular culture

In 1927, a children's playwright, Esther Watkins Arnold, brought to life an extraordinary, elf-like creature, in an 8-page playlet. She playfully christened it as the "Tooth fairy", and this mythical creature had the power to fly around visiting young children, to collect their fallen (milk) teeth.

See also

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark – A film featuring an early version of the creatures

Fairy

Ratoncito Pérez – Spanish tooth mouse

Hammaspeikko – Finnish tooth troll

Hogfather – Discworld novel featuring their version of the Tooth Fairy

CR   ::      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_fairy

[booksrbetterthanpeople]

Megamind's one of my favorite movies, so I'd like to see Megamind quotes with Monarch as Megamind, Marc as Roxie, Duusu as Minion, Kim as Metroman, Lucien as Hal, and Louis as Bernard

Monarch: *to Marc, exasperated* Let's stop wasting time and call your boyfriend in leggings, shall we?!

—

Monarch: Oh, you've gotta be KIDDING me! Nooroo, if I live, I will feed you sour stuff.

—

Monarch: Nooroo, I'm a villain without a hero. A yin with no yang! A bullfighter with no bull to fight! In other words, I have no purpose!

—

Monarch: *after waiting hours for Lucien to show up* This is EMBARASSING! Wholly inconsiderate, boneheaded, irresponsible, rude, unprofessional... That's what this is! Would Scarlet Beetle have kept me waiting?! Of course not, he was a pro!

—

Scarlet Beetle: I started to realise, despite all our powers, each and every citizen of Paris had something se didn't: a choice. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had to be what this city wanted me to be. What about what I wanted to do? Then it suddenly hit me - I do have a choice! I can be whatever I want to be! No one said that this hero thing had to be a lifetime gig. But you can't just quit either. That's when I got the brilliant idea... to fake my death!

—

Marc: *To Nathaniel, who is disguised as Louis and starts to cry* Louis... I-I didn't know you... had... feelings. Are you okay?

—

Marc: *looking around, while being held captive in Monarch’s lair* Is there some kind of nerdy super-villain website where you get Tesla coils and blinky dials?

—

Lucien: *after Monarch breaks into his apartment room* Is this a robbery? Because the lady across the hall has way better stuff than me!

—

Lucien: Hey, losers. This is Scarlet Tower. They say it's supposed to be a symbol of our city's strength, but for me, it's a reminder of the day this guy ferociously ripped out my heart! And I hate reminders!

Marc: Lucien, please don't do this. I know there's still good in you!

Lucien: You're so naive, Emerald. You see the good in everyone, even when it's not there. You're living a fantasy. There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no Queen of England!

Felix: Blaspehmy!

Lucien: Shut up! This is the real world, and you need to wake up.

*Suddenly, a swarm of Akumas arrive and form Monarch’s head*

Monarch’s head made of Akumas: You dare to challenge ME?!

Lucien: This city isn't big enough for two supervillains!

Monarch’s head made of Akumas: Oh, you're a villain, alright! Just not a SUPER one!

Lucien: Yeah? What's the difference?

*Many of the Akumas disperse and create sort of this curtain, that, when drawn to the side, reveal Monarch in all his glory standing on a platform of Akumas*

Monarch: PRESENTATION!

*Cue fantastic over-the-top lightshow*

—

Monarch: *on a video screen; threatening Scarlet Beetle* This is a day you and Gay Paris shall not soon forget!

Scarlet Beetle: Why do you keep calling it that?!

Monarch: Ah, potato, tomato, potato, tomato...

Scarlet Beetle: We all know how these ends up- With YOU behind bars!

Monarch: *sarcastically* Oh, I'm shaking in my custom, baby seal leather boots! *serious again* YOU will leave Paris! Or this will be the last you ever hear of... Marc Anciel! *presses a button to show a captive Marc on a seperate screen*

Scarlet Beetle: Don't panic, Marc... I'm on my way!

Marc: Yeah, I'm not panicking.

Monarch: *smirking* In order to stop me, you need to find me first, Scarlet Beetle!

Monarch: We're at the abandoned observatory!

Scarlet Beetle: Ah-ha!

Monarch: No, we're not! Don't listen to him! He's crazy!

—

Marc: You're SOOO predictable!

Monarch: Predictable? Predictable? Oh, you call THIS predictable?! *pulls a lever that opens up an alligator pool beneath Marc*

Marc: Alligators, yes. Mm-hmm. I was thinking about it on the way over...

Monarch: *pulls another lever that reveals a hidden gun* What's this? Boom! In your face!

Marc: Cliché!

Monarch: No! Look! Watch! *brings down a gauntlet of blades*

Marc: Juvenile!

Monarch: Shock and awe! *brings up a chainsaw*

Marc: Tacky!

Monarch: OH, IT'S SO SCARY!! *unleashes a cycle of spiked boots*

Marc: Seen it!

Monarch: *frantic* What's this one do?! *unleashes a flamethrower*

Marc: Garish! *Monarch breaks down crying* Okay, the spider's new.

Monarch: Spider? *He sees a spider hanging in front of Marc. Nooroo just shrugs* Uh... Yes! The... the spider. Even the smallest bite from... "arachnus deathicus"... will instantly paralyze... *Marc blows the spider into Monarch’s eye* AAH! GET IT OFF! IT BIT ME!

Marc: Give it up, Monarch. Your plans never work!

—

Lucien: This is the last time you make a fool out of me!

Monarch: I made you a hero! You did the "fool" thing all by yourself!

—

Monarch: Over here, old friend. In case you haven't noticed, you've fallen right into my trap.

Scarlet Beetle: You can't trap justice. It's an idea! A belief!

Monarch: Well, even the most heartfelt belief can be corroded over time!

Scarlet Beetle: Justice is a noncorrosive metal!

Monarch: But metals can be melted by the heat of revahnge!

Scarlet Beetle: It's "revenge", and it's best served cold!

Monarch: But it could be easily reheated, in the microwave of evil!

Scarlet Beetle: Well, I think your warranty is about to expire!

Monarch: Maybe I've got an extended warranty!

Scarlet Beetle: Warranties are invalid if you don't use the product for its intended purpose!

Marc: *groans* Girls, girls! You're both pretty! Can I go home now?

—

Max: I love you, Scarlet Beetle!

Scarlet Beetle: And I love you, random citizen!

—

Marc: Well, let's take a look at the contents then, shall we? You destroyed Scarlet Beetle, you took over the city, and then, you actually got me to care about you! Why are you so evil? Tricking me? What could you possibly hope to gain? *Monarch looks up at him sadly* Wait a minute. I don't believe this. Do you really think that I would ever be with you?

Monarch: … No...

—

Marc: *On the phone with Monarch whose pretending to be Louis* I just want to thank you for inspiring me the other day.

Monarch: Oh! You inspired me too.

Marc: Great. It's time we stood up to Monarch and show him he can't push us around.

Monarch: Oh! Oh, really? *whispers to Nooroo* He's so cute!

Marc: I'm already hot on his trail.

Marc: Uh-huh, and what gives you that idea?

Nooroo: Uh, sir...?

Marc: I just found his secret hideout!

Monarch: *shouting* How did he find my hideout?! *back onto the cell phone* Uh… how did you find his hideout?

Marc: This is the only building in Metro City with a fake observatory on the roof.

Monarch: Okay. *To Nooroo* There’s no way he'll find the secret entrance.

Marc: There's a doormat here that says "Secret Entrance"!

Monarch: *turns around angrily* Nooroo!

Nooroo: *nervous* I kept forgetting where it was…

—

Monarch: Oh, don't like that, huh? Well there's more! *Akumatizes himself to look like Louis as he slowly backs onto his platform of Akumas* I'm also the "intellectual dweeb" dating Monarch.

Lucien: No.

Monarch: ...And we were smooching up a storm! *makes kissing noises as the Akumas carry him off*

Lucien: *enraged* When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna–

Monarch: Yes, yes. I know. "...Bring me to justice." Oh, God. How'd I miss this? *Lucien attacks him* And the hero strikes the first blow, but evil returns with a backhand!

—

*after a big ball of copper has been dropped on Lucien*

Monarch: Guess what, Blood Beetle! It's made from copper. You're powerless against it. It's the very same metal used to defeat– *Lucien’s fist punches out through the copper metal* … Scarlet Beetle?

Lucien: You... should stop comparing me to Scarlet Beetle!

—

Marc: Hey, who needs him? We can beat Blood Beetle ourselves. I say we go back to the evil lair, grab some ray guns, hold 'em sideways and just go all gangsta on him!

Monarch: We can't.

Marc: So that's it, you're just giving up?!

Monarch: I'm the bad guy. I don't save the day, I don't fly off into the sunset, and I don't get the boy. I'm going home.

—

*Monarch flips TV channels in prison*

Lucien: *on TV* Monarch. *Monarch continues channel surfing until he changes back to Lucien on TV* You and I have unfinished business. I’ll be waiting at Scarlet Tower. Oh, and just so you don’t get cold feet… *reveals Marc captured*

Monarch: Marc...

Lucien: Come on, Emerald. Call for your "hero" to come rescue you.

Marc: Monarch… I don't even know if you're listening, but if you are… you can't give up! The Monarch I know would never run from a fight, even if he knew he had no chance of winning! It was your best quality. You need to be that guy right now! The city needs you… I need you…

Monarch: …

Lucien: You have 1 hour. Don't keep me waiting.

—

Monarch: You want me to say it? I'll say it! Here it is, from the blackest part of my heart: I AM SORRY!

Roger: Not buying it.

Monarch: *sighs* I don't blame you. I've terrorized the city countless times. Created a hero who's turned out to be a villain. I lied to Marc, and...my best friend Nooroo, I treated Iike dirt. Please don't make this city... don't make Marc pay for my wrongdoings.

Nooroo: *removing the Roger disguise* Apology accepted.

[linaselandbasil]

Children and Santa headcanons for my boys:

Lance: "Are you excited for your first day of school? Good, now go tell all your enemies that Santa isn't real. I'll take you to get Ice cream this evening, alright buddy?"

Nevra: He's from a different culture but if you want to lie to your children about who these gifts are from then go ahead. He'll play along until the last bastion of faith fades from the kids as they catch mom with the tooth fairy money delivery and they meekly go to ask him: "Father, why was mom putting the money under my pillow?" He's sitting in the big leather sofa reading newspaper because he's goofy like that. "The tooth fairy isn't real." The kids gasp. "And what about the Easter bunny?" "Rabbits don't lay chocolate eggs. Don't eat anything that comes out of a rabbit." The kids eyes fill with tears, they sniffle. "Amd Samda???" He puts the newspaper down and beckons the kids into his lap because he wants to save on time when they inevitably start to cry. "No, he's not real either." Mom comes in the room and starts crying too because the kids are growing up too fast and she can't manipulate them with these fictional characters anymore. She joins the sad pile atop the man and Nevra is pissed that he doesn't have enough hands to caress everyone he loves simultaneously.

Leiftan: We all know what to expect. He's going to tell the kids that this mf lives on the north pole with a bunch of (slaves) Christmas elves and that he flies over the entire world to give little snotbags like them a few presents each. He's going to leave cookies on the counter that he knows for sure that he's going to love eating at 3 in the morning and he'll happily watch hid kids lose their shit over an empty plate. So nauseatingly sweet.

Ezarel: He only ever mentions Santa when he sees a big white beard. If you don't tell the kids who Santa actually is they'll have a very distorted perception of him.

Mathieu: He's not doing anything extra, he just tells the kids that if they're bad Santa's going to eat them.

Valkyon: He's not that well versed in Santa stuff because he was homeschooled or something. He can dress up as sexy Santa for you though, he looks great in red! You can go ahead and make more kids like that, with your feral whore husband.

[inmymagnetoera]

Hi! Got a fic prompt for you :)))

This might sound unusual (and I fully understand if u don't want to do it) but could you do a weight gain/chubby fic with either Charles or Erik? Or even both?

I was thinking of like the kids (be it the kids from the X-Men First Class era or Erik's kids or other characters) wanting to celebrate Christmas at the mansion or having someone dress up as Santa Claus and give out gifts. So either Charles or Erik has to be Santa Claus but neither of them can't/don't want to wear a fake belly. So one of them has to gain weight to look like a realistic Santa Claus while the other one can help them with reaching that goal.

Bonus: they both like/turned on by the weight gain (even if they deny it/don't want to admit it)

Bonus bonus: One of them likes to touch/grope/pinch/poke/etc. the person gaining weight.

Bonus bonus bonus: they decide to keep their new weight afterwards

Bonus bonus bonus bonus: sexy santa outfit for later ;)

Bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus: big man tiddies and bubble butts

Heyy, thanks for the request. I have to tell the truth, I was a little skeptical whether to do it or not at first because it was quite a new thing but it never hurts to try new things. I hope that what I have written fully satisfies you! (And if others want to submit a request, don't be shy!)

____________________

Santa has got it

"Absolutely not!" Erik said looking at the red hat with the white wad in his hands.

“Honey, someone has to do it.” Charles said, sighing and sitting down on the brown leather sofa in his study. He ran a hand over his face and thought of a solution. Damn. He couldn't even be mad at Erik's children, he never could of course but they had created a little problem for both of the adults.

Pietro had come running to them that same morning in what looked like a bright red sweater and pants.

"One of you will be Santa Claus." The eleven year old boy said handing his parents the clothes.

"I'm sorry?" Charles asked placing the cup of tea on the table.

"Lorna watched a cheesy old movie and Santa Claus was in it, now she's convinced that on December 25th he'll come in person to bring the presents. Wanda and I don't care, I mean, I'm practically an adult now." Charles kicked Erik's shin when he saw that the man was about to burst out laughing at the last part of his son's sentence.

"But Lorna cares and will be disappointed if you don't."

“Darling, it's nice that you want to do this for your sister but I think Lorna is old enough now to stop believing in Santa Claus.” Erik said as he ran a hand over his son's head and ruffled his silver hair.

"Ok." Pietro said turning to leave but stopping at the door.

"I hope you are ready to explain to her that the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, the unicorns, the gnomes, the fairies and everything she reads in her storybooks don't exist either."

The two men fell silent.

"Okay, we'll do it." Pietro looked at them and smiled.

“You are good dads.” He said running out the door.

"I won't wear a fake belly. No, I never will." Erik said shaking his head and bringing his husband back to the present.

"Well I won't either." Charles replied, pouring some whiskey into two glasses and handing one to Erik.

"The solution would be to gain a few kilos. Not too many obviously but enough to look soft." Charles laughed and leaned against the table.

"Idea. Chess game and whoever loses has to do it."

"I'll take the chessboard." Erik said, finishing the whiskey in one gulp.

After a long match and a lot of swearing from both sides, Erik emerged victorious.

“Do you want me to go get you something to eat, honey?"

“Oh, fuck you, Erik.” Charles said drinking straight from the bottle to soften the defeat.

There was just over three months left before Christmas and Charles, like the good man of science that he was, found out how to gain weight.

"I'll have to eat pasta and carbs every day. I hope this doesn't ruin the taste of spaghetti." He said as he made a salad for his husband and Erik cooked him some pasta in return.

"Don't worry darling, I'll give you a hand." He said kissing his cheek.

The three months that followed were fairly uneventful. Charles ate his carbohydrates as planned and Erik always helped him not to overdo it or risk feeling sick. The children didn't notice the first month but by the second, Lorna had started to have suspicions.

"Dad why are you bigger?" She asked one day when Charles picked her up.

"Your father needs to be a little more careful about what he eats, don't worry." He said trying to suppress his killer instinct at the sight of Erik laughing.

On December 23rd, Charles weighed himself for the last time and felt proud of himself: in three months he had managed to gain about ten kilograms. He looked in the mirror and looked at his new form. His love handles protruded slightly from the khakis he was wearing. his entire torso was bigger and he pushed a hand against his stomach to feel the fat. He was amazed at the change but not in a bad way. He had always been thin, even as a child he ate little and moved a lot and had always had a fast metabolism so seeing himself like that was a bit of a surprise. His arms also looked bigger as did his thighs and, whether he imagined it or not, he didn't know, his face looked plumper too.

"Hey honey, Wanda asked me to..." Erik entered the room but stopped short at the sight of his husband. Of course he had noticed the change in his lover's body but that particular situation, Charles in only trousers and socks in the center of their large room, sparked something in him.

"You are beautiful." Erik said in a whisper. He approached his husband and began to run his hands over Charles' body. He started from the chest and lightly squeezed the now slightly protruding pectorals and went down to the hips, closing his husband in his grip.

"I like you like this." Erik said kissing him.

"Love, the kids." Charles said trying to escape the hold.

"The kids are across the house with your sister. She'll keep them busy for the next couple of hours." He brought his hands behind Charles' back and moved down to his buttocks, pinching them slightly.

"Pervert." Charles teased, finally pulling away and going to close the door.

“So while the kids are gone, show me how much you like me like this.”

And Erik didn't have to be told twice.

On Christmas night, everyone gathered around the large kitchen table, Lorna almost jumped in the air at the sight of a Santa Claus with a long white beard and splendid blue eyes coming through the door.

"Oh Oh Oh! I heard someone was a good kid this year." Charles almost fell to the floor when Lorna jumped into his arms.

"It went very well." He finally said, still in his red suit and hat when the children had already gone to sleep.

"You've been an amazing Santa, Honey. You have a gift for that." Erik said as he got into his husband's lap. They remained silent as Charles ran his hand over Erik's back and Erik played with his white beard.

“Are you going to… lose weight?” Erik asked as Charles continued to cuddle him.

"You'll still like me if I decide to?" Erik laughed.

"Charles, I'd love you even if you had to stay dressed like this for the rest of the year. It's just that... you look healthier like this." Charles looked at him questioningly.

"I sometimes forget that your mother's love language is making food for the people she loves. Maybe that's why you find me more attractive this way."

"Maybe." He said pulling the other's white beard down and kissing his husband.

"I don't think I want to lose weight, anyway. I'll still try not to overdo it though. Oh and by the way, you have to promise me you won't pinch me in public again though."

Erik looked at him and laughed.

“You like it when I do that.”

"It's not true!" Charles replied embarrassed.

The look Erik gave him made him doubt that too.

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hello! While I don't know my type (INXX F), what do feelings of shame say if they involve your passions? Growing up I learned that it's better to get a career and do what you'd like as a hobby, but I hate my job. It consumes so much time and energy; there are times when it takes up my whole life.

However, whenever I try to share my "true self" with others, people either don't care, tell me it's not mature/normal enough, or use it against me. Now, sometimes I look at what I love and feel sick.

What complicates it is that it's hard for me to feel a sense of belonging anywhere, yet when I watch some of these writers/artists/animators, see how they think, I get a sense that I could belong with them. Some are analytical when explaining their processes, others more methodical, all of them love what they do, no matter what their goals are.

I wish I could have that type of work, on which you could focus and follow this flow (although this isn't always the case). That is not true for my job. You have to fight everything and do a million things at once, yet I can't escape without something to fall back on. Although I'm trying to improve my skills and build a portfolio, find good teachers, it's hard.

People say to have confidence in yourself and make your own decisions, but what if every choice you make is wrong? What if you can't win and you're supposed to take it? How can you be yourself when you're fundamentally taught everything about you has to be hidden or "fixed," that your needs are illegitimate and should be ignored whenever possible?

I'm asking this because while I feel fine more often than I used to, I don't want my past or other people to control me. I want to be myself, but I keep asking myself what that is. It's like there's a piece of me that's locked away and I can't get it out. Thank you.

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Figure out your exact type by doing a proper type assessment. If you are INF, that only leaves two options: INFP and INFJ. The two types are very different and would call for different ways of approaching personal development. If I don't know your type, I can't get into specifics of how to address your issues.

Many people experience some degree of invalidation as they grow up. It is a near universal experience because it is a natural consequence of socialization. Socialization is the process of learning how to function and thrive in the society you live in. Certain negative traits and behaviors in people are widely discouraged, shamed, or condemned for the sake of maintaining a well-functioning society. If people weren't socialized, the concept of "society" would cease to have any meaning.

Parents, schools, and society at large use various ways to socialize children. While every member of a society must go through socialization, some parenting styles are better than others, some education methods are better than others, and some societal values are better than others for children to internalize and perpetuate. The worst methods of socialization leave people suffering from psychological issues such as low self-esteem or grandiose entitlement. The best methods involve learning how to strike the right balance between self and others.

You ask "how can you be yourself when you're fundamentally taught everything about you has to be hidden or fixed, that your needs are illegitimate and should be ignored". Do you just automatically believe everything you were ever taught in life? Do you still believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny?

At some point, you have to grow up and think for yourself, do you not? At some point, continuing to blame your parents/upbringing really just becomes an excuse. Are you concealing a deeper truth about not wanting to grow up, perhaps because of not wanting the heavy responsibility it entails? Refusal to mature is one common way people get stuck in a rut and remain at the lowest levels of ego development, thinking and behaving like a child or teenager all throughout life. The longer you resist the call to confront your life challenges and grow as a person, the more and more self-esteem you'll lose, because the evidence of your deficits becomes harder and harder to ignore.

Belonging isn't easy for everyone because not everyone happens to be born into an emotionally, socially, and intellectually supportive environment of best fit to their personality. You can take this as a personal affront and bitterly point fingers, or you can treat it as a matter of circumstance and change it. If your environment doesn't work for you, you owe it to yourself to either find a better one or create a better one for yourself. As a child, you have little control over your circumstances. However, as an adult, you are equipped with enough power to counteract toxic upbringing and change childish thought patterns. You not only have the power to learn, you also have a responsibility to yourself to address what is not working in your life.

Do you understand the concept of "owing things to yourself"? It is predicated upon the idea that you own your life and should therefore take full responsibility for it. You won't take ownership as long as you have a weak sense of self. People with a weak sense of self have low self-awareness. They don't know their own mind, their own values, their own needs and desires. You may not be at fault for having a weak sense of self, so it's not a crime to be punished. However, it becomes an ego development problem if a person resists strengthening their sense of self. When you aren't able to make good decisions for yourself, what happens? You always defer to others, you fly by the seat of your pants, or you get stuck in indecision - which option sounds best to you?

Regardless of what you did in the past, how are you going to make decisions going forward? Continuing on as before means nothing will change for the better, but your feelings about yourself and your life will continue to worsen over time. Feelings are very important for informing you about what's not right or what's not working in life. If you don't listen to them or even suppress them, they get worse and they get louder, which can have a very negative impact on your mental health. You must answer feelings by properly attending to the problem that they are urging you to resolve.

You ask "what if every decision is wrong". What if I told you that there are no "wrong" decisions in the way that you mean? In order to progress in life, one must learn from every experience. Therefore, all experiences, positive and negative, are important to your personal growth. Your reluctance/refusal to accept the negative aspects of life means that you lose precious opportunities to learn and grow into the person you're meant to be.

You ask "what if you can't win and you're supposed to take it". What if I told you that there is no such thing as "winning"? In order to make good decisions, one must be attuned to reality. In reality, "winning" is just an idea, a mental construct, a value. Mental constructs are only "real" insofar as you choose to believe in them, which means you can stop believing any time you decide it's no longer worth it. As long as you want the superficial status of "winning" and keep believing in the concept (because someone told you to), you'll keep suffering the consequences of "losing" and the feelings of being a "loser". Is that a price you're willing to pay? If not, then it's time to change your worldview. Your way of thinking lacks sophistication and nuance.

You say you don't want the past or others to control you? Some people romanticize suffering and build their identity around it because they like the benefits of positioning themselves as the victim. Some people wish for a dominant figure in their life to make decisions for them because they don't want to bear the hardships of discerning what is right/wrong. As long as you derive some sort of "benefit" from viewing yourself as a victim of your past or submitting yourself to the control of others, why would you choose differently? Are you willing to give up those "benefits"? If so, you have to stop seeing yourself as a victim and you have to stop seeing yourself as incapable. You have to change the stories you tell about yourself.

As an adult, you have to acknowledge that the "locked" up piece of you was locked up by you. It is a defense mechanism; you did it to protect yourself from hurt and pain. But, in the end, it means you are trapped by your fear of hurt and pain. Logically, the way out is to confront hurt and pain and learn the emotional intelligence skills you need to manage it better.

You believed that locking yourself up would free you from pain, but you are still in pain, aren't you? Worse, you are likely to hate yourself for getting stuck in pain. Confronting the challenges of your life is also painful because it's hard work and you open yourself up to setbacks and failures, but the difference is you get rewarded with self-esteem and growth. Thus: Choose your pain wisely. You treat all pain as being bad, which is more evidence that your way of thinking lacks sophistication and nuance. If you're going to experience pain either way, at least get something meaningful out of it.

When you suffer from devaluing your own existence, you are likely to benefit from assertiveness training. I've talked about it before and recommended books on the resources page. Taking a practical course might be a good idea. They are usually offered by employment upgrading, self-improvement programs, or mental health services. They are designed specifically to teach you: how to change faulty beliefs about yourself and the world; how to honor yourself; how to communicate about needs and wants; how to advocate for yourself in various situations; etc.

[someheroescarryfloss]

"I bet I can make a scarier pumpkin than you."

Alpha cocked an eyebrow at the Tooth Fairy's assertion. "You do know who you're talking to, right?"

Roy wore a cheeky grin as he held out one of the two basketball-sized pumpkins he had brought. "C'mon. Scared I'll win?"

She rolled her eyes and took the pumpkin. "I thought you were 'so busy' today."

"I was." He set down his own pumpkin and went to get the carving sets he had bought. "Busy getting ready to hand you yer butt!"

"Hah! Yer on, but I warn ye...I've been carvin' jack-o-lanterns since the days they used turnips. And it'll be yer arse I'll be handin' tae you!"

They sat down at the kitchen table, and Alpha scoffed a bit when she opened the pumpkin carving set. "Och, what's this here? A plastic scoop...a twee little saw...ohp, there's two o' 'em. Some kind of pokey-like thing. Why, I always just used a sharp kitchen knife. Where's the challenge in this?"

Roy was already working on his own pumpkin. "Well, if you'd spend less time making fun of the tools and more time usin' 'em, you might stand a chance of beating me."

"So, what'll ye give me if I win?" She started cutting around the stem.

"What do you want?" He asked, then gave her a reproachful look and turned his pumpkin away when she tried to peek.

"Hm...a foot massage would be nice. Last night's hunt was a long one. And you?"

"Gotta have a backrub. Ah-ah! Stop trying to peek."

With much teasing and snickering, they eventually finished and placed a lit tealight candle inside their own respective pumpkins.

"Ready?" Alpha looked up.

"Yup, on three. One...two...three!"

They turned their jack-o-lanterns, and Tooth Fairy's face dropped at what she had carved on hers. "Oh, come on..."

Alpha's mouth sagged open in dismay. "Really, luv?"

Each had carved a rather unflattering caricature of the Easter Bunny, and dismay turned to snickering.

"You did peek!" he accused, "No foot rub for you!"

"Or backrub for you, either!" Then, belatedly, she held up a hand. "On me mother's grave, I didn't see what ye were carvin'. But...who wins?"

"Ehh...I'd say it's a tie. Wanna roast the seeds?"

"Sure."

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

sometimes, i really wish i didn't live in the bible belt.

i've been atheist my whole life. or at least, once i got old enough to question things instead of just blindly accept what my parents told me. though i was never good at that either, i was one of those kids that had to know things. i never bought into the tooth fairy or easter bunny, and i thought santa was just a game we all played and pretended to believe it. the idea of god felt the same to me, like some thing we were just pretending to believe in

except the grownups (and even some of the kids) actually believed it. so i went along with it, because my mom made me go to church with her, so it wasn't like i had a choice. but it never felt true to me, though i tried to make it feel real

i was 11 when i realized i never would and never could. i had tried to force myself to believe, but it never worked. i knew, deep inside, that there was no higher power. more so, i knew i couldn't keep spending my life living a lie. i knew i'd never be the believer i pretended to be.

and that scared me. not because the idea of hell or anything, but because i'd sat through more than one sermon and heard about how non-believers would burn in hell with the sinners. and my church 'family' seemed to agree. so that let me know that these people who called themselves my friends would be fine with seeing me burn in hell for all eternity, just because i didn't believe in the same invisible man in the sky as them

i didn't even believe in hell, but just imagine that. knowing that the people you've known your whole life believe you deserve to be punished forever for not believing what they believe. i'd already spent my entire life feeling like an outsider (multiple undiagnosed mental illnesses/disorders) so when i realized i could never be what these people wanted me to be, that i would never be able to convince myself to believe, it terrified me.

so much so that i got 'saved' in front of the congregation the next sunday. i pretended to believe as hard as i could. hell, i even wrote fake entries into my diary just in case anyone found it and read it

i was so afraid to admit i didn't believe. but so angry that i had to pretend. so i questioned things and made people uncomfortable. eventually, i had enough and said i was atheist. i was more angry than scared by then, fueled by teenage angst and hormones and the undiagnosed depression/anxiety disorders

in the end, I stopped going to church when my mother stopped forcing me. but the damage had already been done. i'd spent years trying to shove myself into a box i didn't fit it, for people that frankly didn't deserve that kind of sacrifice on my part

and there are still people who hear that i don't believe and judge me. who try to convert me. who think of me as less than them bc i don't believe what they believe.

i don't know why i'm thinking of this today. maybe bc my country is hurtling into evangelical christian fascism and that scares me. but i think growing up like that gave me some low-key religious trauma

and now I'll have to go back to work soon. where i'll have coworkers who ask me about where i go to church, who try to invite me to there's. to students who sometimes ask me questions about religion, and I have to say i'm "not religious" bc if i say i'm an atheist there's a good chance parents will complain about me teaching their child

i've literally heard a coworker being gossiped about and mistrusted bc he's openly atheist. people blatantly admitting they don't want to work with him. so i stay in my lane and stick to myself and try not to engage with these people beyond a professional level

i have to sit in anger, when we're forced to do something like pray in school, something that isn't supposed to be legal. hell, our superintendent makes us all pray with him when we have our yearly meetings

add to that i'm pretty far left when it comes to politics, i'm queer, and neurodivergant i don't feel like there's a place for me here. i live in a very conservative area. i'm talking majority trump fans conservative. but i'm trapped, too poor to escape. and it eats at me sometimes, being around all these people who if they knew me, would condemn me. even if i believe in letting people believe or disbelieve whatever they want and minding my own damn business about it

sometimes, i really wish i didn't live in the bible belt