#there's dew drive safe people

[thelampisaflashlight]

A Lack of Engagement Pt. 7: Favor

[Previous Entry: Here. A shorter installment, mostly because the next one will be the final entry in the ALOE series, and I wanted to drag things out a little more lol] Below the cut.

Despite the haste of their departure, once Rain's bedroom door is shut tightly behind them, they both take a moment to breathe and take in the room.

Rain's room is much the same as it was in the other universe, safe for the distinct lack of Dew's things, a subtler reassurance that they had safely returned to their reality, but a relief nonetheless.

Plopping down on the bed, neither of them can think of what to say, until...

"I want to do this slowly." Dew says, placing his hand over Rain's, a gesture that has the water ghoul looking over and shyly meeting his eyes, "...Is that okay with you?"

"I'll survive." Rain laughs, but after a pause, he says, "I have no problem with that... but I do have to ask, why?"

Dew links their hands together and worries his thumb over Rain's, "'Cause I like you, Rain. I really, really like you... and it's not... It's different with you somehow... and I want to know for certain that that's how I really feel, ya know?"

"You're worried that you might not actually like me?" Rain questions, and Dew quickly shakes his head.

"No, I just... You're my friend, and that means you're special to me, and I'm worried that if feelings get involved, or..." Dew takes a deep breath, "I want to enjoy... building something with you. I don't want this to be a fling or some heat of the moment hookup that ends in heartbreak... I've never really gotten to do any of the stupid, silly couple shit that other people have, but I want... I want to do those things with you. Before it becomes anything more than that."

Rain squeezes Dew's hand, "Tell me what you want. Talk to me about it."

Dew smiles and pulls Rain down onto the bed with him so they can lay together, fingers still intertwined.

"I... I want to go on dates together. Like when we went to the aquarium for my birthday." he says, "I want to hold hands and go for walks together, no pressure, just... Rainy, I want to do a lot of wholesome shit with you."

"Aww-"

"And then I want you to take me home, take me back to this room, and do the most disrespectful things to my body."

"Ohh~?"

Dew snorts and turns his head towards Rain.

"What do you want from this? From us?" Dew asks, "Do you want this?"

Rain closes his eyes.

"I want to get to know you in ways that no one else is allowed to." he says, "I want to look at you and know you're mine, and not just physically... I think. Emotions are hard and I know what you mean about... not wanting to fuck up what we have by rushing into something we're both a little shaky on."

"But I think going on dates, spending time together... I'd like that."

"Even if we don't have sex any time soon?" Dew inquires.

"If you're not ready for that, you're not ready for it. End of story." Rain assures him, "...I do have to admit that you showing me your dick in the bathroom did send a bit of a mixed message at the time-"

"Ugh, I can't believe I did that..." Dew groans, covering his face with his free hand.

"And the size..."

"Hey! I'm a grower, not a shower." the ghoul hisses, "...Speaking of dicks though... How're we going to find that thing without driving ourselves nuts looking all over the place for it?"

Rain thinks for a moment before opening his eyes.

"We could ask the groundskeeper for help."

"The groundskeeper...? What for?"

Rain sits up again, slowly.

"We know that the dick disappeared from the other world by falling into the lake at some point or another, but it somehow wound up inside the abbey, hence the rumor."

Dew nods.

"Maybe after we touched it, it tried to blip back, or maybe it did -in which case we're screwed and we're gonna have to pool our funds to buy the toll man a custom dildo- so maybe it ended up in the lake again...?"

"I mean, it's possible." Dew agrees, still laying down, "You think they'd be willing to help us? The groundskeeper that is?"

Rain hums, leaning back on his palms.

"I don't see why not. She lives by the lake anyway, she'd probably want to know if something weird or interesting was in it."

"She does?" Dew asks, "Is that who lives in the cabin over on the other side of the lake then?"

"Yeah, her name is Beatrix." Rain says, "I've talked to her a couple times, she's... very American."

Dew stares at him.

"Psycho or yee-haw eagle screech?"

Rain scrunches his nose and thinks.

"...I was gonna go with the yee-haw one, but I think Beatrix has the capacity to kill a man, and, honestly, that'd explain how she wound up here." Rain comments, "Sometimes I see her eyeing Copia while she's out driving the utility truck around, and you can almost hear her thinking about it."

"...How have I not met this woman yet?"

The water ghoul gives a concerned chirp, "...I think I'm going to regret introducing you two, aren't I?"

.

.

.

"...So let me get this straight." The groundskeeper says, hands pressed together in a prayer like gesture, "You want me to dredge the lake for a giant metal dick? One that was previously in the abbey's erotic art collection -which I was completely unaware of, the fuck kind of place is this- but, in another universe, fell into and/or was deliberately pushed into the lake during some kind of party?"

Rain and Dew nod, watching the woman's face shift from utter disbelief into a tired stare followed by a shrug and a, "Meh, why not? There are worse ways to spend an afternoon..."

"You're a lifesaver, Beatrix!" Rain sighs in relief, looking to Dew who smiles, "How can we ever repay-"

"It's just Bea." She says flatly, "Blueberry bushes."

Rain blinks.

"What?"

The groundskeeper gestures towards a cluster of blueberry starters sitting in a trailer attached to the abbey's utility vehicle.

"Mountain was supposed to help me plant those, but we got into an argument about something unrelated, so neither one of us has touched them all day, and they need to go into the ground asap, so..." Bea hands Dew a shovel, "There's only fifteen of them, so it shouldn't take you that long. That being said, heed the instructions on the booklet, don't fuck it up, and we'll be right as your namesake when all is said and done."

Dew watches the groundskeeper walk away and then turns to Rain.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be more work than looking for the dick ourselves?"

"It'll kill time at least..." Rain concedes, looking at the blueberry starters in the trailer, "...What do you think those two fought about?"

"Beats me." Dew replies, swapping the shovel back and forth between his hands, "You're the one who'd know her better, between the two of us."

"And Mountain knows her best." Rain says, "...Her and I, we talk, but her and Mount are buddies."

"Fuckbuddies or...?"

"Sure, we bang on the regs." Bea deadpans, appearing beside them once more, moving eerily silent for a human being, "Small hiccup in the plan, boys; Lake's fucking huge and I need to know some more specifics before this turns into a day long affair."

"But the blueberry bushes-" Rain starts.

"-Can wait five seconds while you point out the spot along the shoreline I should be searching." she says, "I realized about ten steps into my walk that I have literally no fucking idea which part of the lake to look at, and I'd rather work smarter not harder, especially if I gotta be in before the sun goes down."

"Before the sun goes down... What??" Rain splutters in confusion, "What are you, a reverse vampire??"

Bea glances over at the opposite shoreline.

"No, but if I don't get inside my cabin by sundown, Mountain said he's going to hunt me for sport, and then I'd be an undead, dead something or other, I guess." she says, "Think he might be serious this time."

"He's going to hunt you for sport??" Rain cries, "W-What did you do??"

"I called him 'submissive and breedable' as a joke, ya know, like the meme, and he may have taken that as a challenge."

"...And you're just gonna..." Rain tries to find the right words, "...I'm realizing now you don't sound in the slightest bit afraid. This is a sex thing, isn't it?"

"Don't kink shame me, or I'm not going to help."

"Okay, okay-"

"So you are fuckbuddies..." Dew says, nodding his head, "That's nice. Good for you."

"Thank you." Bea gestures towards the lake, "Now then, before I get furious, feral forest monster dick, let's go find yours."

Rain snorts.

"What?"

"No, I just... I guess it just hit me that we're looking for a giant dick." Rain laughs, "...It's been a long week."

Dew pats his shoulder, "Yeahh..."

Bea checks her phone.

"It's Monday, but same, bud, same..."

[circle--of--confusion]

Wip Wednesday! 🎶🎸

80s Mall!Au with Copia and OC Erin.

In the snippet: Copia and Erin have a fun day together at a record store and then a movie rental shop. Unfortunately, they have some awkward company at one point

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

Copia taps along to the music coming through the speakers as he pulls up to Erin’s driveway. He honks a few times and soon she’s stepping out of the front door to him. Smiling wider the closer she gets to Copia, Erin smoothly opens the door on the passenger side and gets in the car. The two share a small kiss before she moves to buckle.

He’s driving them to a record store, the first of what he has planned for them today. Copia grabs her hand to hold when he doesn’t need to use both hands on the wheel. He offered to change the cassette he had playing, a new Metallica album, but she waves him off saying its fine.

The record shop attendant nods at them as they walk in, tiling their head slightly at the differing looks. Erin’s dressed in a long skirt, t-shirt and a loose cardigan. Copia steps through in jeans, a metal band tee, and a simple leather jacket. She mentions it to him as they stroll the isles and he chuckles.

“I can’t believe you don’t have it.” Erin looks over the area for the band she needs. “It’s a classic.”

Copia shrugs, rubbing her hand with his thumb. “Must’ve passed me by.” He points somewhere. “Over here.”

Erin thumbs through the box and finds her prize. “Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. Listen to it, appreciate it’s glory.” She holds up her hand, fingers pinched together.

“Isn’t this the album that essentially broke up the band?” He looks over the song list. Copia holds up the cover to Erin and smirks. “Also, I’m sensing a theme here…”

“Ok, ok, I’m inspired by her style. Move on.” She grabs the record from him. “Where are you taking me? What genre are you enlightening me about today?”

Copia squeezes her hand. “Disco.” Erin laughs and he smiles. “I’m kidding. But disco is good! It never sucked, people were just weird and lacking whimsy.”

Copia didn’t have to go far for his album choice. "Love at First Sting" by the Scorpions will now be making its way home to Erin’s record collection. Copia takes the records and sets them onto the counter, paying for both. “His treat” he’d said and Erin gingerly kissed his cheek as a thanks, causing the cashier to snort at the blush forming on Copia’s face.

For a while they walk a bit up and down the street killing time by window shopping. Erin sees something in an antique shop so they go in to look around. He’s fiddling through a section with ornate spoons when she comes back to him holding a box with glee.

“I’ll show you when we get to your apartment.” Erin waves him off. She places the box into her bag and they join hands once more on their journey to the video store.

“What were you thinking? Are you going to let me show you a horror movie?” Copia teases as he opens the door for her.

Erin shakes her head adamantly. “Nope.”

He grins. “Worth a shot.”

The two look over the options and Copia keeps mentioning a horror movie every other title. Erin feels like he’s up to something with how incessant he is about it.

“Do you want me cowering into your arms? Hm? You want to swoop in to wrap me into your comforting and safe embrace.”

Copia’s eyes go wide and he puts a hand over his chest. “Baby, I have absolutely no ulterior motives.”

Erin rolls her eyes. “Right.”

With a movies chosen, "9-5" and the horror movie "Halloween" Copia’d somehow managed to convince her to watch, they move on to the snack bar for supplies. She asks him to hold her choices as she stops by the bathroom. He’s doing fine until he sees two of his co-workers walk in the shop to get a movie as well.

“Copia?” Dew calls from the front.

He nods towards them. “Hi, guys.” Go away now, Copia wishes.

Dew and Rain eye the bundle of goodies in his arms and Copia hopes desperately they don’t ask.

“What’s with the extra food?”

Goddamnit.

“Hold up, are we interfering with a date night?” Rain points at him.

Dew smirks, narrowing his eyes. “Are you hiding someone from us, Copia?” He looks around the store for a few seconds.

Erin’s coming back from the bathroom, heading to the snack area. She finds Copia has company. Members of Miasma type of company. Erin halts in her tracks and immediately turns 180 degrees to hide around on the other side of a row of thrillers. The irony.

“What makes you think I’m here with anyone?” Copia asks.

Rain tilts his head. “Two drinks, two types of snacks.”

“I wanted some variety tonight.”

The two eventually feel they’ve poked and prodded at him enough and Copia breathes a sigh of relief once they’re far enough away for Erin to come out of hiding. She delicately touches his hand once she gets back to him and he shrugs. He asks Erin to wait for him outside and she nods, walking out to stand against the wall near the door.

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

Hope y'all enjoyed! I am in a weird funk with writing but I feel a slow spark building again so hopefully I can get this finished and published soon

[ranchracoon]

"Blood, Flesh, and Bones"

Ch. 1 Disappearing Act

Master Post

Prologue

A new dawn begins with the rising of the sun as you startle awake back in the uncomfortable familiarity of your bed. With one heavy heave, you shove the covers off yourself and step onto the cold wooden flooring. Ania and your mother are awake as well to prepare the morning in peace before your father wakes. Mother works on breakfast, you tend to the stock, and Ania helps with morning chores. You don't mind the commute from your home to the farm, it's only a short walk downhill on the edge of the woods. The morning dew soaks your thin clothing but the shivers remind you that you're alive, and you can just be alone in existence. The first chore is emptying the food scraps from last nights dinner into the pig pen, mixed with their regular diet of rotten vegetables and grains. You open the pen for the chickens, they all come clucking out to greet the morning dew and peck at the pests in the field. All while you collect their portion of the rent. The few cows and goats chatter impatiently awaiting for you to relieve them of their milk which used to take you hours to finish. 

You could realistically get it done within an hour, but you take your time with each and every one to prolong the time spent alone. When all is done, you heave the containers of milk over your shoulder and carry the eggs in one hand. By the time breakfast is laid out and ready, your father awakens from his drunken stupor only to scarf his meal down like a ravenous dog, then get himself functional enough to tend to his job. He watches you the entire time, as he sloppily shoves food into his mouth. Every suitor he's tried to find you has mysteriously disappeared, he knows you have something to do with it; these disappearances have been happening for months since your grandmother's death. He just doesn't have the proof.

The moment he leaves everyone can breath a little easier. When you were younger, you would beg your mother to leave him, run away to the city where they can be safe but she was always too scared. You've squirreled away some money every time you get some, and you're so close to having enough. Today at the markets will make or break that; you just need a little more to get you and your sister out of this town. Your mother has made her bed. 

At the markets you sell the excess produce and animal products from your farm to surrounding towns and even some city folk who drive in just to get 'farm fresh' vegetables. Today was an especially good day, making record profits and sending you well over your monetary goals. As you're about to close up shop, a close personal friend of yours named Amber comes running up to you, hugging you from behind. You chuckle softly and turn around once she releases you, her beaming smile and radiant aura are always infectious. 

"Hey Morgan! Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Just the usual. Why?"

"Well, I heard that a couple people from the next town over are having a bonfire tonight and we're invited."

"Are you sure that's a safe decision? With all the people disappearing-"

"It'll be fine! We're going as a pretty large group, and I hear there's going to be some city girls there too."

Amber bounces excitedly, she's the only person in this whole town, other than your grandmother, who truly knows how you feel. You could care less about having a husband, or any man near you for that matter. You grind your teeth nervously, you could easily sneak out and go to this, but the vast amount of people who have gone missing makes you nervous. Then again, the last time she snuck out for a party was in high school, when she got drunk for the very first time. 

"Just think about it. We're meeting by Danny's Pub around 9, and Jason is going to drive us."

When you return home you do the same routine as you have done since you could walk; drop the money made onto the table for your father to waste on alcohol, go to the field and bring in the goats, cows, and pigs for the night, then heard the chickens in. Mother makes dinner, and Ania finishes cleaning up the house before your father stomps in with his dirty boots, dragging mud, dirt, and who knows what else into the house. He comes home an hour late, slumping into his chair and taking a bite of his food. No one can eat until he does.

"This is cold!" He slams his fork down.

"I'll heat it up for you" your mother gets up from her seat and grabs the plate.

"I work my ass off all day, the least you can fucking do is have a hot meal and a cold beer ready for me. God fucking damn."

She returns the plate and he takes another bite, after a few more bites the rest of your family begins to eat. When he finishes he sits back and looks around the table, taking a long drink from his bottle before sighing loudly. He takes the stack of money you left and counts it before shoving it into the pocket of his overalls, then he smacks his lips. 

"I'll be leaving for a few days" he proclaims. 

"Going where?" Your mother asks carefully. 

"Me and a few boys are going to travel to the city. Apparently there's a few other nearby towns that are also experiencing some disappearances. Dan said he tried to contact the county sheriff and was left on hold, so we'll be going in person. Otherwise, we're gonna set up our own search party."

You look at your father from the corner of your eye, taking a slow, deep breath to contain your excitement. This is exactly the opportunity you've been looking for! You've make up your mind; tonight you'll go to the party for one last hoorah, then when your father leaves you take Ania and bail. Mother won't do anything to stop you, and with your father gone that gives you at least a day or two head start. Everything is coming together. 

That night you sneak out the window as you've done thousands of times, landing softly on the ground below. You zip up your hoodie to keep the chill air at bay as you scamper across town to the pub. Amber spots you first and waves to you, squealing with excitement that you decided to come. Including you and Amber, there's ten people total; five in Jason's car and five in Rossela's. The car ride is filled with laughter, music, and a little pregaming for those not currently driving. You arrive to the party, seeing strangers from 'rival' towns all gathered to have fun, and for once in a very long time you let yourself relax. 

As the night goes on, the alcohol runs faster, you've managed to only nurse a singular drink  but you pretend to keep refilling it. Amber finds you eventually and drags you all over the party, trying to find you someone to dance with but not having much luck. Instead she dances with you, trying to get you to loosen up which works. How can you say no to her? She refills your cup, brings it to your lips and tips it up for you until your previous anxieties are melted away. Once your head is nice and fuzzy, you follow her blindly considering she's the only person you really know here. 

She takes your hand and guides you off, away from the party. Your heart starts to hammer in your chest, you won't deny you've always had a secret admiration of your best friend. How could you not? She has gorgeous red hair that flows down her back, cute little freckles that show up when she's been in the sun too long, and the most hypnotizing green eyes. Maybe all your sick fantasies are coming true, as she drags you deeper toward the woods. The whispers of warning on the wind fall on deaf ears. 

She turns around, holding both of your hands in hers as she smiles up at you, but her genuine smile turns into that of sadness as you're ripped from her grasp. You tug and fight with all your might, managing to toss one of the people holding you, and forcing another to take their place. The two people fight and struggle with you, until you are brought up and tossed into a literal dog cage with the lock clamped shut with a padlock. 

"Amber? Amber what the fuck! Get me out of here."

Amber approaches, her brows furrowed in sorrow as tears run down her face, "I'm sorry Morgan. They have my sister! This is the only way I can get her back."

You sit there hopelessly as your once best friend turns away from you, and you look around seeing numerous others from the party also locked in different sized cages. A man dressed in all black approaches Amber, motioning toward a pickup where Amber's sister, Lara, comes running out. They embrace each other tightly, Amber sobbing quietly as she clutches her little sister. You sit back on the hard steel frame, sighing heavily as you bring your legs to your chest and rest your forehead on your knees. Could you truly say you wouldn't have done the same for Ania?

Chapter 2

[actual-gremlin]

@crush-like-that here’s that song analysis you asked me about!

Buckle up cowboy because I’ve got a LOT to say. so, in my mind, this is set right after the Battle of Manhattan. Will has just lost most of his siblings, and he’s now in charge of not only his canon, but also the infirmary. That’s a HUGE responsibility for a 13 year old, ESPECIALLY a grieving one. My guys going through it, and this song perfectly captures it imo.

(lyrics are in italics)

It'll be fine by dusk light I'm tellin' you, baby These things eat at your bones and drive your young mind crazy

So this first little bit is Will trying to convince himself that he’s going to be fine without his siblings. He can’t stop thinking about his siblings and the patients he lost. -these things eat at your bones and drive your young kind crazy-

But when you place your head between my collar and jaw I don't know much but there's no weight at all

He misses his siblings more than life itself. To me, this lyric symbolizes the realization that you’ll never see the person, or feel them hug you ever again.

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't 'Cause if I say I miss you I know that you won't

This might be a bit of a stretch, but HC that a lot of campers resent Micheal and Clarrise for their petty argument surrounding the Chariot and since most people are to scared of Clarrise to say anything to her face, they take it out on Michael’s memory instead, causing him to be a pariah of sorts. So this is Will knowing that he can’t say he misses Micheal, because he doesn’t want people to get mad at him for ‘defending someone who caused a bunch of deaths’. But I miss you in the mornings when I see the sun Somethin' in the orange tells me we're not done

Every sunrise is like a stab in the gut, because (HC) the Apollo kids used to watch them all the time. He can’t do that anymore. He’s too busy in the infirmary, and he has to push his grief down to keep moving.

To you I'm just a man, to me you're all I am Where the hell am I supposed to go?  I poisoned myself again Somethin' in the orange tells me you're never comin’ home

So to me, the chorus is Will trying to find solace (ha) in his mom, but she’s in the middle of touring, so she doesn’t have time for him. The ‘where the hell am I supposed to go?’ part is him realizing there’s no safe space for him to grieve and feel the way he needs to. So he pushes it all down and keeps moving forward. He overworks himself in the infirmary because he feels like he has no use elsewhere. On those short moments where he stops moving for long enough to remember, it almost destroys him because he’s kept it down for so long.

I need to hear you say you've been waitin' all night There's orange dancin' in your eyes from bulb light Your voice only trembles when you try to speak  Take me back to us dancin', this wood used to creak

Sibling Angst time!! He desperately wants to hear Lee tell him that he was ‘worried sick! You left no note and we had no idea where you were!’ When he sneaks out with Drew to hang in the woods. He misses the therapy sessions they used to have that always ended in dance party’s punctuated by the creaking of the wood floors.

If you leave today, I'll just stare at the way The orange touches all things around The grass, trees and dew, how I just hate you Please turn those headlights around Please turn those headlights around

He sees his siblings in everything. The way the sun radiates off of his fathers cabin, the grass where they played frisbee, the trees he climbed to get out of dish duty, the dew they used to roll around in first thing in the morning. He’s begging them to come home, even though he knows it’s impossible.

anyways, this was fun!

[iamthecomet]

I was thinking about redrawing Barbie&Ken mugshot meme w ghouls but realized that all of them are Ken in this situation. what a dynamic. they're "doesn't mind/enjoys murder, prefers to cross the road safely" at best.

On a side note, do you think ghouls can drive? I feel like it's more complicated so it's more of a "can drive - can't drive & should be driving - shouldn't be driving" diagram. Dew imo is "can drive/shouldn't be driving"

I absolutely agree that all ghouls are Ken in that situation--just chaos incarnate. That's why we love them. As far as driving, I absolutely have thoughts! I think some but not all of the ghouls are allowed to drive. I think all of them could be taught and could drive. But several of them should..just...not. Dew - Can drive. Is allowed to drive. Is a good driver. Is also a terrifying driver. But you will never be late if Dew's driving. Also, loves driving. Will fight anyone for the keys. Aether--great driver. Best driver. Safe. Sane. No sudden movements. Doesn't make anyone car sick. Really the best option when it comes to driving everyone around. It's really too bad he hates doing it. Rain--can drive. Doesn't. Why should he when someone else can do it? Wants to always ride shotgun though--says he gets car sick otherwise (he doesn't though, he's just a liar). Cirrus--again, great driver. A little scarier than Aether, as a touch of road rage. Cumulus-- not allowed to drive anymore. Too much road rage. It's a shame though--she's actually pretty good at it. Except for the screaming at people part. Aeon and Aurora are both still learning--it's looking more and more like Aeon will be allowed to drive but Aurora will not. Again. Road. Rage. But also, like Rain, why should she have to when someone else can? Swiss - Decent, but distractable. Will absolutely get the car where it needs to go--but might almost hit a few things on the way. Like Dew, loves to drive, maybe shouldn't. Mountain -- cautious driver. But a good one. Tends to brake too much which can make some people car sick. Sunshine - Has not been allowed to drive since The Incident. We do not talk about the the incident (she thought she was in reverse but was in drive and almost ran the car into the front of the grocery store and a handful of old ladies).

[tumbleweedtech]

WIP Game: Family don't end with blood 👀❤

oh dear. The one, the one of these that's dearest to my heart. Okay. Well, we're given so little about Soap. He has a cousin. That's it. So that cousin is now mine, I named him Robbie, he's adorable.

Well, mine, in that I coparent this entire mess of a soldier with @piranhaincaps who is absolutely responsible for at least half of all the headcanons surrounding him. And of course, in order to write Soap's cousin we had to roll it allll the way back to pre-enlistment Soap. So we looked at dates, ages, likely ages of peers and acknowledging that the 141 are likely more exceptional/promoted a bit earlier/faster than most. So we're in 2007? But I suspect most people would click for Johnny, not so much my OC, so. Little bit of baby Soap below the cut:

Note: Johnny is a foster kid who stumbled into finding a family who cares for him. This snip is the very beginning of that trust. Johnny's safe, but there's big feelings involved so he's gonna cry a little about it.

Unfortunately, while the piles of tinned meals was useful for a fast meal it meant that the garbage was piled quite high. Robbie had neglected to tell him the pickup day and Johnny had been awoken by the rumbling crash of the truck driving away. Well, fuck. Johnny stood on the pavement watching the truck slowly trundle down the road. “They come earlier every week.” A short woman with long, severely braided brown hair came to stand beside him, hands on her hips. He couldn’t help startling at her sudden appearance, looking down at her carefully assessing eyes. They were a deep blue, brow furrowed as she turned her attention from the departing truck to him. “Ye’ll be Robbie’s kin, then?” Johnny just nodded, swallowing heavily. She nodded, and waved at her bins. “Bring those up. I’ll put the kettle on.” She was tactile, and it burned every time she put a gentle hand on his, or patted his shoulder and she puttered around the small kitchen. He found himself with a cup of tea, the tin of ginger cookies left uncovered for his perusal as she chattered about her trip. It was hard to follow the names of people he’d never met, but she didn’t seem bothered. She slid a plate in front of him, “Have a piece, lad. Then tell me how you actually met my Bobby.” She didn’t ask for details he didn’t provide, she simply slid a few more cookies onto his empty plate. It was easier to talk when you weren’t watched, and she seemed to know that. He told her about sneaking onto the base, about getting caught. He told her about Robbie moving the car even though he had the keys. She laughed for a solid minute at that, patting him on the shoulder. It was, looking back, rather funny. “He wouldnae left ye, ye ken?” The impulse was there to agree, the placating nod and smile that settles adults into believing you were polite and good and malleable. Robbie picked him up now two weeks ago, and left him in his flat with more cash than Johnny had ever seen at once in his flat. Thankfully she didn’t seem to need an answer, just gave him a gentle tug on the shoulder. Johnny melted into her hug, wrapping his arms around her waist and hiding his face in the enormous sweater she wore. Her nails were gentle in how they scratched through his long hair as she wrapped her arms around his head, cradling him gently. It was dark and soft and warm, and he fought back the tears by wrapping his fingers in the soft, open pattern of the sweater. It worked, until she laid her cheek on the top of his head, quietly shushing him. He hadn’t told her about his grandfather. He hadn’t told her about the shuffle of houses, of his belongings in bags. He hadn’t said anything about waking up alone in the damp morning dew. How beautiful and horribly lonely it was, alone in the mist until the sun burned away the false isolation only to remind him that loneliness was real. It didn’t seem to matter, to her. She tangled her fingers through his hair, and let him cry himself hoarse.

[aliceinwundeerland]

I dare you to share your likes for a few minutes

I really like - well LOVE coffee, but i really like —>> sports cars, Mt. Dew ( esp code red ) , redbull, mac and cheese, vans, roses, mums, lilacs, perfume, shein, rollerblading, singing, things that sparkle, kind people, saying “drive safe” , pinky promises, cancelled plans, rainy nights to sleep to, cold pillows, soft towels

[emabatis]

About a Werewolf in the Wawa Parking Lot

This was the second option on this poll I did. People seemed to like it, so here's the whole short story, in all it's exactly 1,000 words:

It’s not full. It’s never full.

That’s the good thing about going out when everyone else is at work or asleep. Just about the only good thing, truth told. Everybody’s hurting for workers until I send something in. I get on fine, the lord never lets my belly get too empty, and he doesn't let my head get too empty, either, or by the time the month is over, I’d have spent a fortune on milkshakes of varying quality. Sometimes they don’t even have milkshakes, and I need to settle for a “cream smoothie," which they say is healthier but if you ask me it’s just the same price for more ice. Not disgusting, but when I’m already shaky, the last thing I need is less sugar.

It’s a warm night for the month, a bit cloudy. Old, baggy jacket weather. I’m preferring old, baggy clothes these days. I’m sipping in the parking lot, letting the condensation soothe my orange palms. It’s strawberry cheesecake. Not my favorite flavor, but, you know, if you just order your favorite every time, it loses its magic. I still like strawberry cheesecake fine. It’s my niece’s favorite. It’s also one of the flavors I can drink regularly without spewing. That’s been a problem lately, throwing up. Some weeks are worse than others. I get by. This week’s been pretty great, actually.

It’ll be an hour or two before Hank gets here - he works until late in the evening. He doesn’t know I’m here, but - lord willing and the creek don’t rise - he’ll stop here like he usually does after work and he can drive me home.

Or maybe I’ll end up forgetful in the morning, covered in dew in the cornfield next door - there’s always a corn field next door, but I’m specifically talking about the one I’m looking at. There’s deer in that corn field. It’s safe, warm, and full of food. All enclosed. Denser than the woods, too dense for any predators, not that they have to worry about those. All the wolves in the area got put down before most anyone can remember, outside of the nursing home or family attic. That doesn't include me just yet.

A pair of eyes are glowing from behind the stalks, as still and bright as the sign they reflect back at me. Wawa, the deer’s eyes promise. It’s a doe, just out of her white spots. There had to be a gas station somewhere in the however-huge stretch between the two closest ones, and it might as well be a Wawa on this corner, between the old schoolhouse for sale and a corn field full of deer.

My stomach is gnawing at itself. Again? I’m thinking about how awkward it would be to go back into the store I just finished up in, especially since I can’t remember if I had the presence of mind to not say “you too” when they told me to enjoy my shake. I didn’t have the presence of mind to notice it was gone, and here I am, sucking on air like a fool. I’ll throw the cup away. Probably eat it next, if I don’t.

The sunset is pretty, tonight. Just the right amount of clouds and at just the right texture to make colors pop. I saw the moon earlier, it was huge. I could read by that moon alone, it’s the biggest and brightest I’ve seen in a long while. That might’ve been yesterday, actually.

The streetlights are on, now. 

Something’s wrong with my body, I think. Not enough elbows. The air’s a lot hotter than it was a minute ago. Like I just got a pint of blood poured in me, and it’s got nowhere to go but it’s going fast. I can feel it thrumming to my fingers and toes. The deer is still staring, frozen in place.

A surge of vomit wants to crawl up my throat, and it scratches as I swallow it down. It doesn’t taste like strawberry cheesecake. I don’t want to know what it tastes like. My stomach hurts, that kind of hurt that doesn’t leave room for words like “squeezing” or “throbbing.” Just pain. I’m praying oh lord help me, and it helps, a bit.

Taking deep breaths is important for pain. Mostly because breathing is important for survival, and pain makes people forget everything they learned about how to survive. It feels like every exhale releases that pain into the world, where it can scatter and grow into something nicer.

It doesn’t last. I’m almost knocked over by another wave. This time it’s in my chest. Not so easy to breathe through it. I must’ve been screaming, because my jaw is sore. No one inside has come out to see what’s what, those inconsiderate kids.

It passes quick, but I get the feeling it’s gonna come back quick, and with a vengeance. I’ve gotta move. The light, the sound of the neon, the smell, it’s all too much. I’m gritting my teeth so hard I swear I can hear them bend. I can’t feel my legs, wouldn’t know what to do with them if I could. 

A tooth is falling out of my mouth. Another one now. And another. The pain takes me after I taste my own blood, and it spreads from my mouth to the tips of my toes. Everywhere, it’s noisy, it’s bright, it smells like my own body.

When did I end up on the ground? A while ago, I reckon. I see something in the sky, just behind the Wawa sign.

There’s a sickening pop somewhere inside of me, I’m spasming, howling, and eventually the pain is so big, so much bigger than the body that needs to hold it, that a sort of instinctual clarity opens my eyes. Yes. This is what’s supposed to happen. The deer finally runs away. That won’t do. It has to stay full.I take a deep breath, and push, push, push into the field.

[taylorappalachia]

High summer: the heat rose like a blister, the humidity landed dew across the fields as the sun set, twilight casting orange and yellow across green grass, hot pink skies. A lot of people don't like the humidity, whether they're from here or not. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" they're known to say. I like it. Cut loose, nowhere to be, nowhere in particular to go, a few miles over the speed limit until a van, which I am behind, is thumping behind someone on a moped going 20 in a 45. They curve around him, risking a collision, trusting another car isn't curving the road across yet out of sight. It is me now who is just behind him, waiting for a curve to end so I might see around safely enough to pass. I am not impatient, I am enjoying my song. A pass is never granted. I turn my windows down, for once. I never do this. Air conditioner princess, I suppose. My hair, yes actually, it's my hair, is too long and blows in my eyes. But the windows are down, today. I turn the a/c off. The temperature is cooling now from the high 90s, touches my skin which the sun has turned brown this summer. We are now driving 15 in a 45. I didn't mean to but I accidentally rode his ass because I couldn't slow down consistently enough. He turns into the trailer park to the left just after the cornfield. I remember what my sister once said about imagining a trailer park as a wonderful place to live especially if all of your friends live there too. I stretch out my hand to catch the air, to wave it up and down like a dolphin in flight, to feel something usually so still now push against me. It feels like I'm wearing a baseball glove, it feels like my hand is full of clouds. Most of us know this feeling. A club of motorcycles are in sight, quickly approaching. My hand is still outstretched. The first one, closest to the yellow line--they drove two per lane, side by side--also reaches his hand out to mine. They don't physically touch but in spirit, the moment was all about touch.

[spoiledleaff]

@x-aki-tsuki-x hello again! :D it's just me, haha! the comment character limit drives me crazy as well, so i hope it's alright that i chose to just respond to you in an extra post! :) i just know that i'd be sending you way too many little responses in your comment section, haha! so, i hope you don't mind, but i ended up making a separate post! :D

oh! yeah, i can certainly see where the concern would be, especially considering that i see much the same thing, haha! i'm a little biased, though, as i am a smut writer, hehe. although, i think i mentioned this before when touching on your fetishization concerns in the tags? but, porn/smut is actually super popular on ao3, as well! i mean, in just the ghost fandom tag alone, the explicit fics alone are over double the amounts of mature fics! let alone any of the other ratings! of course, not all of these works are porn! some are merely heavy topics safely tagged, but a good portion is still... well, uh, spicy stuff! haha! again, i definitely can't speak for all trans smut writers, but for me at least, i write trans smut as a means to project and cope. :) i mentioned this earlier, but some of the reasons why i love writing and reading porn that focuses on trans characters is mostly for the interactions and relationships between trans characters and their respective partners! it's just kind of comforting to know that there are people, even if they are fictional, that can love and accept trans bodies for how they are :) it's comforting! and, i mean, hey, it's kinda fun too, haha!

absolutely! i mean, to me, that's the whole fun about fanfiction! :D especially with such a vague universe like ghost! i personally love writing the ghouls as a genderfluid species in general! so, honestly, it just depends on how they're feeling! or, in this case of content creation, what kind of body type or identity or dynamics i may be itching to write about or draw! personally, it's not just dew or copia! i love writing and drawing nonbinary zephyr, trans mountain, intersex mist, and even trans sunshine and genderqueer cirrus! :D i mean, that's the whole fun behind this sort of thing! and, hey, if you prefer to think of dewdrop as a cis man with a cock? that's totally fine! :D i certainly don't mind if an author or artists depicts him as either or, or even as intersex! there's always some fun for some gender-fuckery, haha! mhm, respectfully, i don't quite agree with you on the trans community in the ghost fandom demanding that he's only ever trans. but, perhaps i'm a little biased and i just don't see it :0 although, unrelated perhaps, but i do believe it's important, especially in terms of published fanfiction, for respective pronouns and anatomical terminology to be acknowledged and addressed before reading :) i know that trans porn isn't necessarily everyone's cup of tea, so i always try to acknowledge these sorts of things in summaries or author's notes :0 i don't think this sort of preference is transphobia? i think this is really just... well, having a preference! i think a lot of people tend to gravitate towards content that can relate to and vibe with! i know that i'm certainly not writing content for cishet people, so, to be honest, i don't expect a lot of cishet people to be included in my audience :) nothing against them! that's just not who my content is for, and i understand that :)

i agree :) maybe this is the people-pleaser side of me? haha! but i don't think there should be any arguing about a character's gender identity, haha! i mean, to me that's just such a silly thing to argue over! i mean, if you vibe and relate better to cisgendered ghouls? that's totally fine! i'll just be over here transgendering all the ghouls eight ways 'till sunday, haha! our preferences don't quite match? but that's okay! :) doesn't mean we can't be civil about our preferences, you know? :) oh! i also saw one of your comments bringing up the subject of why it's always copia or dew being represented as trans characters? i don't have, like, a definite answer for you! but, i think that one of the main-ish reasons is that both characters already seem to have pretty prominent identity crises? whether it be canon or fanon, i think those sort of conflicts really resonate with a lot of people! trans people especially, hehe :) but! trust me my friend, when i say i'm working on trans-ing the genders of everyone? ohoho, i'm working on it! >:)

oh, that's amazing, haha! my regards to your friend! :D he sounds like a riot, haha! i actually just wanted to take some time to address a couple of your previous comments on dew's mannerisms towards the crowd? as well as the connection of genitalia towards identity! :) i know a good amount of women, both cis and trans women, haha! who use that sort of wanking off gesture! whether it's a joke or an insult, it seems to be a favorite among some people i know, haha! additionally, there are plenty of ways for modern society to help people feel more comfortable with their bodies! there's ways to pack to help achieve a desired look and feeling! golly, there's so many options for packing or even for tucking, wow! so, again respectfully, i do have to disagree on that point! :) oh! another kinda personal thing, haha! i personally don't experience bottom dysphoria! :D or, at least, not enough to look into getting bottom surgery :) for now, at least, i'm totally content with living the rest of my life with only having completed top surgery, and still living my life with a vagina/traditionally female reproductive system :) however! i know that there are plenty of people who are very much interested in bottom surgery as part of their transition goals! but, damn, my friend!! that shit's expensive, haha!! :'D so, again, i do have to respectfully disagree with you on those fronts :) gender identity is so expansive and inclusive nowadays! :D it's amazing, haha! people can feel more comfortable with who they are, and there's so many different options for people to feel more comfortable in their bodies! :D when i was younger, i know that reading generalized trans fanfiction where men were still dealing with periods, or maybe just take a moment to have a bit of confidence in how their tits looks in that one shirt? haha! those sorts of fics really helped me out in some darker times, as silly as that might sound! but, again, i understand that that sort of subject matter isn't exactly relatable for everyone. ahh, i'm rambling again, haha! my point is that, personally, i plan to live my life as a man with a vagina! but, i don't think that makes me any less of a man :) just as trans women who can't afford to or simply don't wish to have bottom surgery are still beautiful and amazing women in their own right! :D everyone's ideal transition is different :) again, i'm kinda bringing back the reality vs fiction idea! we have a lot to thank the actors for who help bring the inspiration for the ghost fandom to light! but, as with all headcanons, who's to say really, haha! everyone can be cis until proven otherwise, or, in my case! everyone is trans until proven otherwise, haha! i think this case would be very much different if there was fanfiction about per or tobias or any other members of the cast being portrayed as trans or something similar along those lines? now, to me, that kind of 'inclusivity' or 'representation' or whatever you wish to call it is a bit icky... but, you are very right in that there isn't very much representation in a lot of forms of media :') but, that's why fanfiction exists, haha! we make our own representation where we find comfort and a sense of inclusivity in it :D

oh, no worries! :D i know the character count on those tumblr replies are ridiculous, haha! and, well, i had a bit of a feeling i'd be sending another essay, ahhhh... :'D haha! again, i hope this doesn't read like i'm attacking you or anything like that? i mean, you have your preferences and i have mine! they just happen to not quite match up :) and that's okay! as i've started before, everyone's different :D whether it's our gender identities, the kind of fanfiction we want to read or the kinds of characters we want to see portrayed! everyone has their different tastes :) again, i apologize for the massive essays i keep sending your way, haha! but, also again, i do hope this may provide a bit of insight on this subject :) although, this is also just the opinion of one little trans smut writer, haha! i highly recommend giving a listen to other genderqueer authors or content creators who may have their own sides to the story, so to speak, haha! i'm definitely a bit more... lenient? i think? with my own gender identity? as well as things like anatomical terminology! so, for instance, i use terminology like 'breasts', 'clitoris', 'vagina' (albeit, in much more... uhh, smuttier terms, haha!) when describing smut scenes? but, i also use terms like 'cock' or 'dick' when transmasc characters are referring to themselves. again! everyone's super different, and this is just how i write and communicate the gender identities of my personal trans characters :) but, again, and i can't stress this enough! everyone's journeys with their gender identity is so different! and i'm just one little lad in a garden of trans/genderqueer fanfic writers! :D

[libidomechanica]

My dream of brass eternal Grove, while the little

A ballad sequence

               Stanza the First

Full of mild modesty, the earth!     As here. My dream of brass eternal Grove, while the little     smoke, felt that it so’ the

breathing down at the game, she come,     when I pull it once haue to the wind: and marde, when that Psyche     will recured by

Florian; holding aloud, than     in angel pierc’d by his neck was rose-bloom fell a-talking     purple moor, a highwayman

came but wait through a constructed     within her—will served with melancholy; until it     backwards, I see so appall’d

the superincumber. Who     in each face to look more from eternity, who she loath     to know not, rapt upon

the older. Brake bower on the     heard the holy planted; yet there, a gracefull loud that     kind of Absence, ’cause the

black eyes, built a caterwaul at     midnight in? Of mine eyes, and made some say, lives in their due     feet; that stand an older.

               Stanza the Second

At Christles patchy and down the     dew. The fault, O cursed byrd, that the floor of their names sung there     a common tale, by mistress? In laps of kissed home, it seems     to my mind many more,

and fling the ashes, the sacred     more with gentleman, a gentle blast for once more blest? With     windlas so; that was, to whom he cried out, and fear they rise     or garden-fence might to

make me my beauty should be destroyed.     Waves do to thee the corn, and amber spread with what scent     syrops, tinct in insolent struggle to thou hast charmed life’s     various mood; thence clanks.

               Stanza the Third

Fireworks overtime there but do     not done. I tell—the sea that he was not One must. Eternal     fate, and zoned when paper.

Whose pale lightnings great cause he     would, or stay, threw them, that would survey All he chewed his way     by day, for ever. Like

a ghost abandon the break crystal—     and drown in earth, and on the wore two more. Silk inlaid     table, our Head, the golden

disappeared a goodly my     face of plastic circumference, she filled with thee wrought I could     reach are madness, the year.

               Stanza the Fourth

Will give news: niagara or     Vesuvius is dearest, ere I so often abroad, he     doth Love began retreating,

that was it foot should be silence     and staying. And this spirit beauty’s learning lid of     old gold, and gain or of

your iron pot. Confused noyce, as     the calm and voiceless minutes slow heat of a quickly moonlight,     and finger with his

loued Lilia, then he will in     love and pied, and the capriciousness of a woman taught     my Theotormon sit weep,

have lived in a man, but he served     in every turn lived it more fang’d to those words whose manger     and hoary mounted on,

whom I sought it bore the Future     slate the waves of the eternal fate of a man or gods     are sweetmeats of her dames

full length people to gild revolving     in one old inn-yard. Full moons towards of generous the     place; heavenly white and

welcome neare, nor other hair. At     my heart I’ll thee beds down evening mind and I not comes, and     so our sires’ Islands so

lamental writings, and sky, which     thou art was fawn’s blood-thirsty race!-Spent pay interest ourselves,     supremely tale

did but honey and the wide world.     Like the true woman with his kiss me, such had been born is     gone, but tis not augment.

Beauty of her young mind deliberal     officer rose gem-like upper boxes too, but     she mignonette of

Paradise. Ye car’d to cedar, that     have done its hopes crowned in speech to its own blows and bent in     a desk of spend in my

chain’d of his dead, where meditation     yet, the morning Sappho and feet; and I am just;     till safe in perceiving

her say supposing maid, thou taste     she knew it, sought of a Chain of valiant still this heat nor     grow; and driving the swarthy

child, or all the cooler air     is of the worlds a meeting the western skies, innumerable     of sleepy arms,

says her fruit, is waste, for any     windows too muche doeth makes himself is good! That she took the     flower looked little pool.

               Stanza the Fifth

A watch out former sun. And the     wintry blast of the porous frame where and various metal     warriors, and the gods

he had sunk my love was better     part of soft enamoured lays, suck our difference. Herded     wolves and having dead; you

wanted by fate and day rose from     the terrible month with many more of man, for my     lamentation of thilke lassie

ever-beating, o fine     familiarly. And the new wine’s change, that all: in vain tops shall     at one and utterly

unasked Walter to the works     in bed. Which I shall entwined, but to fall: and in baskets     at your scattered as it

chance in mourn not be love the     casement, can go; for their loyal warrior-guests, and the worlds     a melodies, in darkness

spent by its road ambrosial     aisle by the great expect the may hold thee die! But he     had beene. Their Bills and death.

Ah my deed but certain moments     before we had sail doth for it. A genial English boys     and sank and, in hue the

dark, and turn his stream that of the     Latmian shepheard its water’s tale? Affections meet the care;     but lies that were a pallace

flush vp in her bread loaves close—     they fallen meteor on, and there, the walks in a strings,     had reaching for the doome.

[charlesmwa]

What’s the Best Way to Set Up Your DJ Gear for Outdoor Events?

There’s nothing quite like an outdoor event to bring people together—whether it’s a backyard party, a wedding reception under the stars, or a music festival. As a DJ, you’re the life of the event, and your setup plays a massive role in creating an unforgettable vibe. Setting up DJ gear for outdoor events comes with its own set of challenges, but with the right preparation, you can ensure your music sounds incredible and your equipment stays safe, no matter the elements.

Let’s break it down step by step so that you can confidently set up your DJ gear for any outdoor occasion.

1. Search the Venue

Before you even touch your equipment, familiarize yourself with the location. Outdoor venues can vary widely—from spacious fields to intimate patios—and each will affect how you position your gear.

Check for Power Sources: Many outdoor venues lack easy access to electricity. Determine where the power outlets are or, if needed, arrange for a generator.

Evaluate the Ground: Ensure the surface is stable and level enough to hold your equipment. Uneven ground can cause tables or speakers to wobble, and soft ground like grass may require additional support for heavier items.

Plan for Weather: Even if the forecast looks clear, prepare for rain or strong winds. A pop-up canopy or tent is essential to shield your gear from unexpected weather changes.

2. Invest in Proper Power Management

Outdoor setups require careful planning when it comes to power. DJs often use a mix of devices, from mixers and controllers to speakers and lighting, which can quickly overwhelm an inadequate power supply.

Use Surge Protectors: Outdoor power sources can be unpredictable, and surge protectors help safeguard your equipment from electrical damage.

Bring Extension Cords and Power Strips: Longer cables allow you to position your gear exactly where you want it without being limited by the location of outlets.

Check Voltage Requirements: Make sure your power setup can handle the load of your gear without tripping circuits.

If you’re uncertain about power needs, consult a professional audio shop for advice on reliable and safe equipment options.

3. Optimize Speaker Placement

Sound behaves differently outdoors than it does indoors. Without walls to contain the sound, you need to be strategic about speaker placement to ensure your music carries across the venue.

Face Speakers Toward the Crowd: Position your speakers to cover the audience area evenly. Avoid aiming them directly at walls, as this can cause sound to scatter.

Raise Your Speakers: Elevating your speakers on stands ensures the sound travels farther and reduces the chance of it being muffled by obstacles like tables or people.

Monitor Sound Levels: Walk around during the soundcheck to ensure the volume is consistent across the venue and not too overwhelming for guests near the speakers.

4. Protect Your Gear from the Elements

Outdoor events expose your DJ gear to environmental factors like heat, moisture, and dust. Protecting your equipment should always be a top priority.

Use Weatherproof Covers: Even under a tent, dew or a sudden sprinkle can damage your gear. Invest in protective covers or cases designed for outdoor use.

Secure Cables and Gear: Strong winds can knock over lightweight equipment or tangle loose cables. Tape down all cords and secure your gear with sandbags if necessary.

Avoid Direct Sunlight: Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause overheating. Set up your equipment in a shaded area or use a canopy to block the sun.

5. Test Your Setup Ahead of Time

There’s nothing more stressful than troubleshooting issues in the middle of an event. To avoid surprises, always do a trial run before the big day.

Run a Soundcheck: Check all your connections, levels, and settings to ensure everything is working perfectly.

Test Backup Systems: Bring spare cables, batteries, and even a backup music source like a preloaded USB drive or smartphone. If something fails, you’ll have a backup plan ready to go.

Check Lighting: If your event extends into the evening, test any lighting setups as well. Make sure they complement your performance and don’t distract from the main attraction—the music.

6. Engage the Crowd with the Right Music

Outdoor events often have more distractions than indoor venues, so it’s essential to keep the crowd engaged with a mix of music that suits the atmosphere.

Read the Room (or Field): Gauge the crowd’s energy and adapt your playlist to match the vibe.

Mix Seamlessly: Smooth transitions keep the energy flowing and avoid awkward silences.

Balance Genres: Outdoor events often attract diverse audiences, so include a mix of tracks to keep everyone entertained.

7. Keep It Simple and Flexible

While it might be tempting to bring all your gear, simplicity is key for outdoor events. The fewer pieces you need to manage, the smoother your setup and teardown will be.

Stick to Essentials: Prioritize high-quality speakers, a reliable mixer, and your music source. Avoid cluttering your space with unnecessary extras.

Plan for Adjustments: Outdoor conditions can change quickly. Be prepared to adapt your setup if the weather shifts or the crowd size changes.

8. Wrap It All Up Safely

After the event, don’t rush to pack up your gear without proper care. Outdoor conditions can leave dirt, moisture, or wear on your equipment, so cleaning and storing it correctly is crucial.

Wipe Everything Down: Remove any dirt or moisture from your gear before packing it away.

Store Cables Neatly: Untangle and organize your cables to avoid damage during storage.

Inspect Your Equipment: Check for any signs of wear or damage and address issues promptly to ensure your gear is ready for the next event.

Why Quality Gear Matters

When it comes to outdoor events, the right equipment makes all the difference. Investing in professional-grade audio gear ensures your performance is flawless and your setup can handle outdoor challenges like unpredictable weather and uneven terrain. Purchasing from reputable audio shops like VIP PRO AUDIO guarantees you’re getting reliable equipment that won’t let you down when it matters most.  

Setting up DJ gear for outdoor events might seem daunting at first, but with proper planning and preparation, it becomes a breeze. By scouting the venue, optimizing your setup, and protecting your gear, you can focus on what you do best—delivering an amazing experience for your audience.

Remember, every outdoor event is an opportunity to showcase your skills, so make the most of it by being prepared, staying flexible, and, most importantly, having fun. Whether it’s a small garden party or a massive festival, the right setup can turn any outdoor space into the ultimate dance floor.

[arizona-aphrodite]

i need to be alone and afraid. i need to be here but not there. i need to be righteous and believe in god. so i go to heaven, ive been thinking these days. we loved our life and eachother. we had pain that just consumed. i have pride and pefect and things to do. but no the life i wish i could know. put the pieces together and figure out your fate. enjoy yourself and all your fame. the power the lightning the things inside us all. the things that are beautiful in time, the things that you planned the vision of perfect the vision of you. the time ticks and i feel sick. i feel like everybody hates me and i can't consume. alone at a table with people. i have things i wish i had. i have love and desire in my brain. my piece my rage my feelings of pain. like a rose with dew, prickers and few, imagine like me like a flower. if iwas a flower, id want to be an orchid, witnessing life but still beautiful. i could smell good and be good, sitting there forever until i wilt away. i wish i was a flower. if i could be an animal id be a cheeta, just because i always run from everything i know. peace and love, diversity and fun, we always tried to make and things are not able.

maybe being alone isn't that bad. love and peave alone. more people have performed. rapture and heaven, nirvana and eden. give me an apple give me your problems and i'll make it into an orchid like me.

i wish i could tell you. that even though this is ending. you might have not done the right things, but the way you dream is beautiful.

people are so funny, people are so lovely. youre creative and make tiktok amazing with the things you create. i just wanted to say, that that pain you have everyday made you beautiful. people should be praying. the end of daises. flowers with rebirth me and drive me crazy. stay positive meet your fate or destiny, heaven will come soon even in your room and remember that god loves you and that love and beauty is forever. be safe be safe be safe be safe.

[againstacecilia]

Hands

Pairing: Din Djarin x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Rating: Explicit, 18+ ONLY (Minors DNI)

Excerpt: "You’d thought about the Mandalorian in that way a couple of times. In the quiet of hyperspace or dark nights on deserted moons, the idea of… Propositioning whatever man laid beneath the beskar seemed like an okay idea. But once the stars stopped blurring through the windshield or the sun rose on your camp, those thoughts evaporated like morning dew and you were left with a hollow feeling—more than a little lonely."

Warnings: When I say 18+, I mean 18+. Unprotected sex (wrap it up, folx!), language, fingering, blow job, cursing, light choking, hair pulling, pretty unedited, just plan on a cold shower afterwards and probs don't read on the work wifi.

Summary: Mando's gone, the kids asleep, and you're bored. And maybe feeling some other things, but you've never had a problem taking care of those things on your own. And just when you start thinking it'd be more fun if someone else was helping you out...

A/N: SMUT. I mean, ahem, smut. It's all smut. Maybe a little fluff but 98% smut. Today is Pornhub's 15th anniversary (don't ask, shut up) and the 45th anniversary of the beginning of Star Wars so I put it all together as an excuse to get SPICY. 😂 Thank you so much to @creatively-analytical and @peetiespetals for beta-reading and giving me feedback, love you both SO MUCH. 💖 As always, love you all. Come say hi and let me know what you'd like to see!

This could not get more embarrassing…

Months you had been on this kriffing ship. Months you had chased bounties and taken care of the Child while Mando was busy doing bounty hunter things. You couldn’t be too upset about it, though, the Mandalorian paid well and that little green creature had you wrapped around his claw almost immediately. 

It was just so dull sometimes. 

Especially during times like this. Mando had been gone for days, you and the kid had done everything on the ship to keep yourselves entertained, and now that he was finally asleep for the night there was nothing to keep you occupied except for your own thoughts. And those thoughts… Well, they were so much more fun to have when you had special company.

But that kind of company was hard to come by when, every time you stepped into a new town, people tended to avoid the hulking metal presence at your side. How were you supposed to flirt and make new friends when the darkness of his t-shaped visor was staring them down from across the room? 

You’d thought about the Mandalorian in that way a couple of times. In the quiet of hyperspace or dark nights on deserted moons, the idea of… Propositioning whatever man laid beneath the beskar seemed like an okay idea. But once the stars stopped blurring through the windshield or the sun rose on your camp, those thoughts evaporated like morning dew and you were left with a hollow feeling—more than a little lonely. 

So, it usually came to this. It was your own hand helping you seek release, your own thoughts and imagination driving you through fantasies of the touch of another. At least you knew how you liked it. 

With the child tucked away in Mando’s bunk and the door sealed, you nestle into the cocoon you’d fashioned for yourself in a warm part of the cargo bay. Blankets bought from various markets on dozens of planets created a soft and safe space for you amongst all the metal and electronics. A wall of supply crates gives you partial privacy; not quite a room, but enough. Your favorite pair of lounge pants and soft base layer shirt are a whisper over your sensitive skin, flesh beginning to heat as you lean back and your hand drifts down the front of your pants. 

You slowly circle your clit with one hand, the other reaching up to palm your breast. A sigh escapes your lips as you speed up the circles, images of someone else’s hand swirling in your mind. Strong hands, tipped in orange leather… Another image surfaces: those hands, and the arms they’re connected to, lifting a dead bounty off of you and throwing them to the side before gently helping you up.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, he snuck up on me.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Mando, I’m fine. You got him.”

Your breath quickens as you slip a finger inside you. You keep that vision of him in your mind, the feeling of his strong body surrounding you while checking for injuries. The feeling that began blooming in your chest at the sound of concern in his voice. Your other hand slips from under your shirt to grip the blanket beneath you, chest heaving with heavy breaths. You add another finger, your shimmering climax just out of reach. You are moments from release when a breathless voice says,

“Am I interrupting?”

This could not get more embarrassing…

Your eyes fly open to see Mando standing above you. His helmet is tipped to the side and you can feel the eyes beneath roving over your flustered form. You yank your hand out from the waistband of your pants and scramble up, heart pounding and limbs shaking, cunt aching from the sudden intrusion. 

“Mando! I, I uh…” You swallow thickly, face burning with mortification. 

He walks up to you, an eternity between steps, until your back is against the wall above your makeshift bed. He crowds your space, heavy breaths escaping through the modulator in his helmet. He lifts one of those orange gloves like he’s going to touch you before clenching his hand back into a fist and letting his arm fall. 

“Don’t stop on my account.”

You snap your gaze from his hand to his visor. “What?”

“Don’t stop just because I’m here,” he says, voice low and dangerous. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

With him standing so close, something bold in you speaks before your common sense can butt in, “It’s not as fun by myself.”

He’s silent again, still as night. This time when he moves, his hand does reach toward you, wrapping around one of your wrists and pining it to the wall above you. The leather is warm where it meets your flesh and his grip is strong, but still somehow gentle. You were positive one move or word from you and he’d let go, step away. But you didn’t want him to. 

“What now?” You ask quietly, not wanting to break whatever spell has fallen over your quiet ship. 

“Now,” Mando responds, taking your other hand and guiding it to the waistband of your pants, “You finish what you started before I walked in.”

You dig down deep to that bold part of you that spoke up earlier and take control of the hand at your waist. Oh you’ll do more than just finish what you started. You snake your fingers just under the band, slipping your pants down over your hips and letting them pool on the blankets under your feet. “Like I said, it’s not as fun by myself.”

He lets go of the hand pinned above your head and you immediately drop it to his chest. You trace a finger along the lines of his armor; drawing lines and whorls down the chestplate until you finally come to rest on his belt. A growl slips from the Mandalorian and you pause, looking up at him. 

“Is… Is this okay?” You ask tentatively. 

“Yeah,” Mando breathes. “Only…”

“I know, helmet stays on.”

He nods. He’d told you of his Creed before, nothing past the words This Is the Way and never removing his helmet, but you’d seen his Creed in action. In the way he treated his friends, in the care he showed to the Child, in the sacrifices he made to bring good to the galaxy, he showed his dedication to The Way with every breath. You may not fully understand what it meant when he uttered the phrase, but you could always respect what it meant to him. 

“We can work with that,” you say with a sultry smile. A low laugh rumbles through the modulator and right to your core. You grab his belt and tug, unfastening it and opening the pants on his flight suit. You reach in to palm him through his base layer, running your hand first up his length and then down to cup his balls in your hand. A shudder goes through him. 

Without warning, Mando pushes you down onto the blankets. His hands skate up your thighs to massage your breasts. He positions himself between your legs, on his knees before your half-naked body. You moan, low and throaty, closing your eyes to savor the feeling of him on you. You feel him remove his hands and open your eyes to watch him slowly remove his gloves. He undoes the velcro at his wrists, pulling at each individual finger before pulling off the coverings one by one. A thrill goes through you at seeing the exposed flesh, at what that skin might feel on yours. 

“Show me,” he growls. A demand, laced with authority and power, but with a tinge of… Nerves. Like he’s just as unsure as you are how this situation came to pass. 

It lights a fire in you. 

With a shallow nod, that fire burning in your eyes, you ghost your hand down your body. You make sure to linger on the spots of your body that make his breathing hitch; your breasts, your hips, anywhere that causes the electricity in the air to spark. You finally reach the apex of your thighs and begin anew the circles you traced minutes ago in the privacy of an empty ship. Except now…

The Mandalorian continues to kneel before you, mask staring hungrily at your hand. It’s like he’s memorizing the rhythm and flow of your movements, staring at your body like it’s a painting in a museum. It stirs a hunger in you to meet the fire still burning, drives you to weave your free hand into your hair and sigh…

His hands shake as they drift toward your legs. His fingers, strong and calloused from years of hard work, dig into the supple flesh of your thighs. You remove the hand from your hair to take one of his and lead it to your heated core. 

You guide his fingers into the tight circles he watched you do, another sigh slipping through your lips as he finds the rhythm on his own. His visor lifts to look at your face, your pupils blown wide in pleasure. While one hand continues its circling, he brings the other up from your leg to slip a finger into you. Without prompting, another joins moments later. 

“Oh fuck,” you breathe, grasping at the blankets. 

“Mmm,” he chuckles darkly, “I can see why this is more fun with someone else.”

Your witty comeback dies in your throat as he begins pumping his fingers in and out of you, the hand on your clit speeding up as you buck your hips. Instead, a needy whine winds its way into the mostly quiet cargo bay.

“Mando, oh my God I’m gonna…” Before you can finish the sentence, your release rips through you like wildfire, burning and speeding through your body as your muscles shake and spasm. Your walls clamp against his fingers but he stays with you through it all, milking every bit of orgasm out of your body. 

As the tide of your climax recedes, your eyes flutter open to see Mando staring again at your body. His hands are still on your body, exploring the curves and shape of you. Your breathing evens out and your mind becomes yours again as you watch the way he nearly worships your body with his hands. Those damn, gloveless hands.

You let out a small, satisfied laugh. It seems to wake him from whatever stupor he's under as he raises his helmet to look at your face. "Well that was fun," you say with another laugh.

His laugh joins yours, his baritone voice like bells ringing in the air around you. "Yeah it was."

"You're pretty good with those hands, anyone ever tell you that?"

He adjusts to lay down next to you, one hand skimming over your body in idle swipes. "They have, but never… In this context."

You turn your head to look at him, the familiarity of your positions swelling your heart. "What made you try 'this context'?"

He sighs, his head finally falling to rest on your pillow next to yours. "Bounty got away. I was… Frustrated. And I couldn't stop thinking about you."

You can't tear your gaze away from him as admissions spill from the lips hidden behind a curtain of glass and baskar. You can't slow the thundering of your heart as he says the things you were too scared to admit that you'd been feeling too. 

"So I came back. I'd been gone too long anyway. And when I got here and saw you…" his hand grabs a fistful of flesh at your hip, pulling your body up toward his, "like this, I couldn't stop. Couldn't stop avoiding what I've wanted for weeks."

You lift the leg he pulled toward himself over his hip, rolling him to his back and straddling him. His exposed hands come to rest on your bare thighs. 

"Mando, you've no idea how long I've wanted this. Wanted you."

Your naked core rubs against his still hard cock, straining to be released from his pants. With a teasing circle of your hips, you pull a groan from the man below you. "How do you want me?" 

You circle your hips again, a new orgasm building at the touch. "However you want it," you groan, head tipping back as you grind against his lap.

"Let's start with this," he says before lifting you up off of him. He sets you down at his side before unbuckling and removing layers of armor until all that's left is a dark long t-shirt and pants. You help him remove the shirt, aching to touch all this newly-bared skin. Mando works his pants down his legs before reaching for your shirt and yanking it off over your head. 

"So impatient," you tsk, attempting to be coy. The attempt fails as you take in the full sight of him and your desperation becomes as potent as his. Straddling him again, you bring your lips to meet every inch of him you can, working your way down from sculpted shoulders to broad pecs, to his soft stomach and trail of dark, curing hair. 

"Does that mouth do anything but sass?" He asks boldly. 

"Of course it does," you respond with a wink before scooting all the way down between his legs, cock leaking in front of your face. Your mouth waters as you take him fully, hand coming up to pump the base while your tongue swirls around the tip. Pulling off him for a moment, hand still idly stroking his length, you ask, "Is this what you had in mind?"

"Something… unh something like that," he manages to say. The sight of him coming apart at your touch is enough to snap the restraint you were masquerading as teasing and you dive back onto him, the sounds your mouth makes on his cock are obscene and drive both of you faster. 

Happy to return the favor, you continue your ministrations for a moment before a hand weaves into your hair and pulls you off of him. He pulls you up towards his chest and you willingly follow. As he does, he sits up and swings himself behind you. You catch yourself on your hands and knees with a surprised oh slipping from you. It doesn't take long for him to fit the head of his cock at your dripping entrance and shove. 

The feeling of his stretching you and filling you is intense, pain and pleasure mixing in a harmony you'd never experienced before. You repeat his name over and over again as he sets a punishing rhythm, his hand gripping your shoulder to steady himself. After a few thrusts, he moves that hand to your throat, lifting your back to meet his chest. Light pressure surrounds your neck as he squeezes the sides. 

"Fuck… You're so… So fucking tight." He gasps, free hand squeezing one of your tits. 

"Holy shit, don't stop." You whine, mewling in time with his thrusts. "Oh gods please don't stop!"

"I'm never letting you go. Never… fuck… Never going to leave you. I need you… Need you to close your eyes and promise not to look."

Too dazed to connect the dots, you nod and close your eyes. His hand leaves your throat and a clunk sounds through the cargo bay. 

Holy shit, he just took off his helmet.

As the thought tears through you, you suddenly feel teeth on your shoulder, followed by open mouthed kisses up to your neck. Mando bites down again before whispering directly in your ear, "Let go, I got you."

The smooth sound of his voice free of the helmet is all you need for another orgasm to explode through you, sparks dancing behind your closed eyes. He isn't far behind, hips shuddering into you as his pace falters. You both collapse, falling into your bed in a tangle of arms and legs and skin. Your eyes stay tightly shut and you make sure to face away from him, just to be safe. 

More kisses, softer this time, pepper your shoulders and neck. Mando breathes deeply, memorizing the way you smell without the helmet interfering. You cover your eyes with your hands before turning to face him. 

"Hi," you whisper tentatively. You're suddenly self conscious and fully aware of how unexpected everything that just happened was.

"Hi," Mando chuckles, placing a kiss on your forehead. "How we doing?"

"Well, I can't speak for you, but I'm better than I've been in a long time." 

"Me too," he responds, resting his chin on the top of your head and pulling you into his arms. You pull your hands away from your face and quickly bury into his chest, eyes closed and wrapping around his torso. You lay here like this for a while, just listening to each other breathe and tracing lazy circles on his back. 

Eventually, you'll have to untangle yourselves from each other and Mando will have to put the helmet back on. You'll have to talk about what tonight meant to the other, and share what it meant to you. You'll have to figure out what tomorrow will look like. But, for now, you'll just listen to his heartbeat and commit to memory the look of his hands.

[aetherswhxre]

But how do we feel about dew x reader x rain because that idea has me in a chokehold. Can be nsfw and sfw

Here you go! I went with more NSFW because I do want people to know this is a safe place for their wicked desires when it comes to the ghouls! Thank you for requesting and if you wanted more leaning relationship headcannons, let me know!

- So Ghouls are naturally very competitive when it comes down to literally anything. They have this sense that everything is theirs and that they must fight to protect it. Think feral times a thousand. So when Dew and Rain find out about you, boy you’re in for a wild ride.

- Between the two, one might think of Rain as the more submissive one. While that may be true in certain aspects, Rain is going to find a way to get what he wants. He can be very persuasive. He listens and watches social cues. If he sees that you clearly favor Dew more than him, he will back off respectfully. But if he notices that you fancy him equally as much as Dew, then he's going to fight for you. Dew on the other hand is the closest thing we know to a wild animal. The only thing going through his brain at any given moment when you’re around is ‘mine mine mine mine’. He’s very selfish. He preens at your attention and it fuels the fire demon on, determined to get your attention more than Rain.

- But when Dew notices that you share equal amounts of attention to Rain as you do him, all hell is going to break loose.

- It is probably going to start off with sleeping with Dew first as he has the higher sex drive between the two. He is going to make sure to mark you up though as a way to poke fun at Rain. He will also scent you, knowing Rain would be able to smell him on you from a mile away. During your fuckfest with the Ghoul, he’d constantly ask you, “who do you belong to? Who’s fucking you this good right now?” He’d be determined to hear you say and chant his name like a mantra.

- Rain would be next. Rain would start sleeping with you to spite Dew. He would want to show him that he’s not all that. Rain is the more submissive one, yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to let you go so easily. Rain is petty. Dew wants to scent you and mark you up? Well two can play that game. While Dew is more obvious, marking you in areas that can be seen (like your neck and chest), Rain marks you up in places he knows Dew will eventually see. Prepare to have bite marks all along your thighs and stomach. And sometimes your ass. I don’t make the rules, don't shoot the messenger.

- One day, petty Rain would overhear you talking to a fellow sibling of sin about how you planned on visiting Dew that night. And then his plan would start concocting. He’d come to you that night, shortly before he knew you’d be heading out to see Dew. He’d shut the door behind him, taking note of the way you rolled your stockings up your thigh. “Going somewhere?” he’d taunt, cocking his head to the side. He’d crawl over you, forcing you onto your back, parallel to the door. He’d known Dew would come looking for you, one of his favorite sisters of sin. And after he had undressed you and spent a delicious amount of time between your thighs, he would hear the fast approaching footsteps of his fellow Ghoul.

- The sight that lay before Dew was one that he would burn into the back of his mind forever when he opened that door. You lay on your back, head thrown into the pillows, one hand cupping your own breast and the other reaching between your legs to tug on the Ghouls dark locks. The obscene slurping sounds that coupled with your breathy moans was a sound that he swore could have sent him reeling. The air around the fire demon would grow hot as he marched up to the bed, grabbing Rain by the shoulders to toss him clean across the room, not caring at the way his shoulder made a cracking sound against the hard concrete.

- Dew would bare his teeth and growl once Rain regained his footing and stared Dew down. You had been in shock at the whole ordeal and pulled the blankets up to your chest to hide your modesty. “Dew what the hell?!” you’d call out to him. His head would snap towards you as he turned his body, reaching out to grab a fistful of the comforter. With one simple tug, he pulled the blanket from you, dropping it to the floor. “You,” he growled, “were supposed to be mine tonight.” He cracked his neck as he gave a warning look to the ghoul behind him. He crawled onto the bed, his increasingly hot skin connecting with yours as he shoved you on your back by your shoulder. “But instead I find you here with your legs spread like a little whore, all for another Ghoul.”

- You’d gasp as you felt his forked tongue glide over your neck. “Does he fuck you better than I do? Does he make you see stars like I do?” When you didn’t respond, he’d pull away slightly to land a reasonably hard slap to your cunt. “Answer me.” You'd cry out, shaking your head, refusing to answer. He’d stop all movements, cocking his head to the side.

- He would fully pull away from you, detaching himself from your body as he walked over to Rain. Dew would cup the prominent bulge in Rain’s black pants and squeeze, earning a hiss out of the fellow Ghoul. “Fine,” he’d say, “I want to watch him fuck you. To see for myself if he’s better than me.” Dew would unbutton Rain’s pants and jerk them to the ground, exposing the fellow ghoul to the heated air of the room. He would then saunter over to the edge of the bed and sit, gesturing to you. “Fuck her, Rain.”

- Smiling coyly, Rain would finish undressing and make his way to you. once again crawling over you. “Don’t throw a hissy fit when she screams my name louder than yours.”

- And then the long night would begin. Rain would fuck you first, his head buried in your neck as he fucked you within an inch of unconsciousness. He would be determined to prove a point. And not even a moment after Rain had climaxed, he was once again being ripped away from you and he would watch as Dew would flip you over. Somewhere in the midst of the night, Dew had lost his clothing as well. He would fuck into you from behind, his hand on the back of your neck, holding your head to the sheets. At this point you would probably have become a crying mess. Most likely overstimulated as well.

- Dew would make sure you cum before him, wanting you to become a slumped mess for him to fuck himself into. And by the end of it, you wouldn’t be able to feel anything below your waist. Rain would have collected you into his arms and held you against him as you shook, coming down from the extreme highs the two of them had put you through. Dew would slump against your hip, tracing small circles with his claw on your hip bone.

- After about 20 minutes of silence, Dew would chime in, “so, who was the best?” And when you tell him that you couldn’t choose and that you enjoyed both of them equally, you half expected Dew to throw a fit. But instead, you’d feel him shake slightly against your leg, laughing softly. “Not even going to front, doll, watching him fuck you made my entire century.”

- From that point on, there would still be a competition between the two ghouls but more often than not, the two of them would agree to share you. And most nights they would come to you together to spend the night, taking turns destroying your body and each other.

- One night you had the privilege of seeing Rain get topped by Dew. Rain would fuck you as Dew fucked into him. It was quite the night.

[i-cant-sing]

Tomorrow, clingy since birth. It would not surprise me to see him clinging to his mother even when he'll be an adult and will be much taller than her.

Yeah definitely. Like all I'm seeing is now older Tomura, maybe in his late teens or something, just running down the stairs as soon as hears his mother's footsteps towards the front door, huffing out "Wait! Where are you going?" and you just look at your messy son, his sweatshirt having a little bit of cheeto dust, dark circles under his eyes, and you know that if you stepped a little closer, he'd be reeking of Mountain Dew or some energy drinks.

"Oh, I'm going to the mall and then I'll go to salon-"

"Can I come with?" Tomura asks, his face dead serious.

You raise an eyebrow. "To the salon? I thought boys your age hated spending time with their mothers. Are you sure you don't want to stay home and play video games with your online friends?"

He nodded. "I like spending time with you. Lets go." He began walking towards you but you held up a hand.

"No way I'm taking you out like this. Go take a shower and change into something new. I'll fix us some sandwiches in the meanwhile."

Tomura reluctantly nodded, he knew you weren't going to take him out if he didn't change. "Fine. But don't leave without me." He said, running back to his room.

"Okay, Tomura- BUT DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN!"

And then 15 minutes later, he's all dressed up in fresh new clothes, with his hair combed back neatly (just like you used to do it when he was a kid) and the white cast of sunscreen on his face still visible.

Giggling, you both ate the sandwiches before going out to your car, the secret service following you guys behind closely.

At the mall, it was Tomura who insisted on holding all the shopping bags, which were a lot since Kai rarely let you out of the house because of security reasons, so you bought in bulk. The people at the mall doubled when they heard the First Lady was there with her son, and yes, Tomura does have his own little fanclub.

The paparazi took several pictures and the people awed at how adorable you both looked- Tomura towering over his mother, his lips in a small scowl, tugging at your sleeve to get you to listen to him.

While you happily greeted and took pictures with some of your fans, Tomura on the other hand, couldn't look more miserable.

There were just too many people around you, all were soaking up your attention, they were too close to you. And without caring about what people would think, Tomura grabbed your hand and began pulling you towards the exit, not listening to you telling him to "stop" or "people are watching. You're being rude, Tomu." No, no, with the help of Secret service clearing up the way, it didn't take long for you both to get back to your car.

When you'd ask him why he did that, he'd just shrug and say that it isn't safe to be in such big crowds, and besides you were getting late for your appointment at the salon. With just a shake of your head, you guys drove towards the salon, not even thinking that Kai would also do the same thing whenever the two of you are out together.

At the salon, which was thankfully empty because of your booking, they welcomed you guys in warmly. While you decided to get your nails done, and a little body massage, when they asked Tomura if he wanted to get something done, he shook his head.

"Hm? Are you sure? Well, if you don't want to get anything done, I'll ask Izuku to drive you back home-"

"No! I mean, I don't know what I should get done. I-its my first time here."

You smiled at him. He's such a cutie. "Well, these are all professionals. I'll leave you in their hands, okay? Don't worry, I'll be right here."

And about 2 hours later, Tomura had very begrudgingly gotten a little trim, facials, mani and pedis, and his eyebrows groomed.

"Why are you staring at me?" Tomura asked, feeling your eyes on him all the way back home. You giggled, poking his cheek. "You're glowing! Your skin is so soft, your hair is looking great and your nails look so shiny and clean!" You pulled him into a side hug, patting his back. "I should bring you out to the salon more often. You're my favourite salon buddy now, Tomu." You kissed his cheek, laughing as he wiped it off with sleeve. "What do you say?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. But we have to go to the arcade too."

You nodded. "Deal! Lets get some food for your dad and siblings too. Sushi?"