#these aren't the Funny ones these are the ones that pleasantly surprised me

[just-some-guy-joust]

Were there any characters you were surprised to see nominated?

There was a Katniss Everdeen submission BEFORE there were any Primrose submissions which was wild to me. Sol from I Was A Teenage Exocolonist was also a pleasant surprise, shoutout to the singular IWATE fan that seems to be following me I'm blowing you a kiss. "Any character introduced in a prequel that doesn’t exist in the first installment". Lonan, who is my OC and not even the one I'm putting in the tournament. Ganondorf from The Wind Waker, not one I ever expected but whoever sent that was so right actually. The entire cast of Bad End Theater.

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

(I love your writings, you are an impeccable smut machine)

But I raise you The ghoul being dotted/cared/comforted a bit later in the relationship from a sweet S.O/ partner etc… how would he react??? ( hurt/comfort be making my brain go brrrr)

Have good now❤️

This is the Cooper hurt/comfort request that doesn't have smut in it, and it's the only one of the couple I've been working on that stayed within a reasonable word count. I will let that speak for itself. Thanks for reading, Anon!

One of the funny ("please work with me, here" funny, not "ha-ha" funny) things about Cooper is that he's easy to hurt and difficult to comfort. Particularly so if you two are becoming close, but still feeling growing pains in your personal relationship. His desire for closeness is so overwhelming that it paralyzes him, leaving him afraid to lean on you, lest you flee (or worse, collapse) under the weight of all his issues. For all this time, he's suffered in silence through his worst days, his emotions a tertiary concern at best. Why should now be any different, especially if he wants you to stick around?

When you try to talk to him early on, sensing an emotional "in" as the two of you gravitate towards one another more and more, he likes to deflect with the remark that he didn't bring you into the partnership that led to what you are now to be his therapist. He's developed a hard shell out of necessity over the many decades, but that hard shell protects a still-sensitive core hidden deep inside.

It takes him an almost immeasurable amount of time to reach a decent level of trust with anyone, but once you make it there, the ache in his chest that yearns for understanding and companionship only intensifies. He wants to be known, to be cared about, but to get what he wants, he has to be ready to make himself more vulnerable than he's willingly been in lifetimes. It's difficult and painful and terrifying, and it feels like he fucks it up more often than not. What hurts more is the knowledge that he used to be capable of this, that it came naturally to him at one time.

It's pretty easy to hurt his feelings or put him in a pensive mood, actually. Not that he'd say anything out loud about it. However, there are very clear signs, changes in his behavior that only someone who knew him fairly well would pick up on. He's quieter, less present in the sharpness of his remarks. Meaner.

The fact that you notice these things about him is both flattering and annoying, as you grow bold enough to investigate what's wrong when you do. He's long grown used to the toxic, numbing comfort that simply swallowing down and stewing on his emotions affords him, and you knowing him to this level leaves him feeling rather exposed.

You're quite surprised to find he's actually very sensitive about his looks, what with as prone as he is to using jokes at his own expense as a disarming tool. You're less surprised to find that he's really only sensitive about them when it comes to what you think or say. It's both flattering and almost surreal to wrestle with; typically, you choose your words carefully with Cooper to avoid the cutting sting of his razor-sharp tongue should you say anything stupid. As it turns out, it's a bit of a different art to mind someone's ego, especially while pretending you aren't.

But eventually, with patience and more hard-fought digging into the bedrock of who he is, you find that he's also pleasantly susceptible to apologetic flattery and flirtations, rather easy to draw into a genuine apology with a few complimentary kisses. It's some of the most nakedly human behavior you see from him, this man who leans so hard into othering himself as a defense: failing to resist the charms of a pretty lady one is enamored with, eager for attention, affirmation.

Some hurts are easier to soothe than others, though.

Accidental (or intentional) insensitivities are plentiful in the world you two find yourself in, including your own. After a relatively short amount of time wandering the desert compared to him, even you develop a certain level of thick skin to just how cruel people can sometimes be. But not all wounds come from the outside. There are times where that hard mantle of pure anger fractures just enough to allow the ocean of sadness beneath to be glimpsed for a moment.

When he reveals to you that he's spent all this time looking for his daughter, something really changes between you.

Beginning in that moment, it's in these incredibly vulnerable times that he lets you in the easiest, the torment of what he's missing aching down into his bones and sending him scrambling for whatever he can find to ease the pain. Often it's booze, chems. Harsh, needless violence. More than once you've watched him pick deadly fights like it's compulsory, drowning himself afterwards in whatever he can find that's highest-proof.

You would be lying quite obviously to say that you didn't prefer when he seeks comfort from you, instead. Usually, this consists of him simply using you as a sort of sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry drunkenly on. You're often silent, not sure anything you might say wouldn't fall entirely flat at best. You know where your family is, know they're probably safe without you, even if your feelings about being separated from them weigh heavily on you sometimes. You made the choice to leave; they weren't taken from you.

It's the not knowing that's the hardest, he tells you in not-so-many words. When he's this raw, the far-away look in his eye unsettles you deeply. It's like you can see the pain of centuries of search and struggle reflected there.

Sometimes that far-away gaze is especially wet-looking, and that's when you tuck your chin on top of his head and allow him to hide his face in your throat. You know he hates to cry, that he hates it more with an audience, so you don't look. When you feel warm trails running down the side of your neck, you don't say anything.

Every once in a rare while, when he begrudgingly accepts that you already know exactly how exposed he is, he softly pins you down and rests his head on your stomach or chest, allowing you to fully hold him as close as you want, cradling the back of his head with your hands. This is a behavior you only see when he knows the two of you are truly alone; who knows what sort of damage could be done to the fearsome reputation of Thee Ghoul if people found out he likes to be held when he's sad?

You swear moments like these are the closest you see him get to real rest, to peace, to sleep. He tells you they're no such thing, but when he's truly beaten down, you find him in your lap more and more. You don't complain.

[wherebettertoescape]

Thoughts on The Outsiders Album

Okay, as I said yesterday, I have a LOT of thoughts on the album and I decided to revive this page so I stop bothering everyone IRL with my thoughts about it 😂 I figure there must be a good amount of people on tumblr who are down to listen to my rants about the album, so here goes.

I'll put it under a cut so there aren't any spoilers for anyone who hasn't listened yet, and I know there's one or two things which I've heard about the prouction via other posts and such. But I will stress that I haven't actually seen it, I've only listened to the album and obsessed over it 😂

It's also below the cut because it's fucking LOOOOONG

Please reply to this or send in your own thoughts - I have so much I want to talk about to do with this album and I'm like... shaking with the need to talk about it with people who actually want to listen 😂

(sad times living in the UK 🥲)

I'm gonna go through the album sequentially, like track by track, because that feels like the thing to do, even though I will say right off that I definitely have more thoughts about some tracks than others. And I will also give my favourite line from each song. But for a just, like, general overview to begin with - I love the album so much?

I will fully admit that I was kinda preparing myself for it to be bad - it's a book that I love and I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie adaptation for a few key reasons, but I was so pleasantly surprised by the musical soundtrack.

I'm in love with the style of music, I love the entire cast (all of them have such different singing voices and styles and I think that they merge together so beautifully), and it has most of the things that I love in a musical - for me, it's got the right balance of the talking sections included with the singing, as well, which I know some people aren't huge fans of, but I might be biased because Soda is and always has been my favourite character and most of the talking is by him 😂 (I love Jason Schmidt, but we'll talk about that later), and as well as that the style of music and singing like gives me a good picture of what the actual choreography might look like, which I'm obsessed with, since I probably won't get to see it unless it somehow gets to the West End (🤞🏻)

Tulsa '67

Okay so this song is just like ✨exposition ✨ but it's done in a fun way, and I've decided it's worth it just for the finale reprise

I was also like stupidly emotional the first time I heard it and it opened with the opening line of the book

I was wary because of the immediate characterisation of Sodapop as being the brother "with a broken heart" (side note - does this mean Sandy broke his heart before the show rather than after it? I've goes QUESTIONS) - I'll go into it again when we get into Grease Got a Hold for obvious reasons, but I was worried that Soda was gonna be reduced into just being a womaniser again, which is something that bothered me about the movie adaptation

Favourite line: "all the girls are pretty there, and all the guys are mean"

Grease Got a Hold

right so it has no right to be as much of a bop as it is, it's been stuck in my head for the past week since it came out and I can't even be mad about it 😂

It's essentially just a typical "gang" song to introduce and characterise all the different members

Dally always saying "Little brother" got me so emotional like immediately

And I know I just said that I was upset with Soda's characterisation as a womaniser, but considering later songs, I will say I do find it really funny that he basically just goes "yeah I'm a greaser bc I love women 😊"

I LOVE TWO-BIT MATTHEWS - I would die for Daryl Tofa, just something soooooo good about the line he gives after Soda's verse

I have to admit, I was a little worried that they were gonna be pushing some anti-Darry propaganda, but I had no cause to worry, as he's an actual angel. Also it's so funny how fucking Done he is the moment he starts speaking

Something really funny about Steve not getting a verse, but something really sad about Johnny not getting one, but I don't have fully fleshed out thoughts yet so I'm gonna leave that there

But also there's just something about all of them trying to act tough, but all of them just have the voices of angels

Favourite line: "I'm a latch-key kid but they keep changing the locks" and also "you wanna be a fighter? then know just what you're fighting for"

Runs in the Family

I'm upset because this song has been such an ear-worm for me, but it's actually just so sad? There are a couple of these, but this is one of the main ones for me

It immediately makes Darry just such a sympathetic character - it's well documented that Ponyboy doesn't feel like he's enough of a greaser, but I don't think we talk enough about Darry is a reluctant greaser

Side note: but I'm really glad that they included Darry having dropped out of school to look after Soda and Pony, because that was kinda glossed over in the movie, which I felt did Darry a disservice

I just want to hug Brent Comer and tell Darry that he's doing a good job and everything will be okay 🥲

Favourite line: "I don't know what them boys would ever do without me - and what would I do on my own?"

Great Expectations

honestly this song deserves a post all of it's own, and maybe one day I'll do a full analysis of it

but in the meantime, it's fucking GORGEOUS, like Brody Grant has NO RIGHT to sound like this I'm so mad

THE FUCKING HARMONIES I WANNA SCREAM THEY'RE SO GOOD

One of the things I've loved about the soundtrack in general is how Pony in particular draws parallels and comparrisons between Johnny and the other greasers - here it's between Darry and Johnny, and I love it because Pony references in the book that he feels like he and Johnny are the outsiders in the greasers, he feels like neither of them really belong there, and they convey that so well in the musical with these constant comparisons in the songs and music

The continual return back to this idea of a self-fulfilling prophechy - trying to prove that they're not all the same just because they're greasers (like with the different verses in Grease Got a Hold), and this striving for individuality despite the overarching label they've been given

Favourite line: "It's hard to write this story, when this story's writing me"

Friday at the Drive-in

they all just sound so young - that's my main take-away from this song

I love songs in musicals like this where you're forced to be reminded how young the characters are and you have to humanise them a bit more - a bit like with "Drink with Me" in Les Mis

Also anytime that a soundtrack includes the dance-break it makes me so happy 🥲

Favourite Line: "Got no more stress, nothing to worry me - no more teacher's pet or trigonometry"

I Could Talk to You All Night

I need to say that I love this song, but the opening from Cherry is so fucking savage - like fucking hell there's no need to do that to Pony 😂

Again obsessed with Pony not feeling like enough of a Greaser

I'm a sucker for two people who feel lost in their own worlds finding each other and bonding because they can be themselves in a way that they can never be around their other friends

It's just such a pretty duet, and I want more of Brody Grant and Emma Pittman singing - we could have a million songs of the two of them and it wouldn't be enough

Favourite line: "I'd rather read then fight a rumble, but Greasers have to go along"

Runs in the Family (Reprise)

Dude it's such a serious song, and I'm obsessed that despite that there's just Soda being a little shit in the background

"I'll fold your laundry - I'LL FOLD ALL OF IT"

I love that even in this song it's like you can tell he's just so worried about Pony but it's coming out so angry and frustrated

So full of grief for the life he almost had

He's just so angry at Pony for still being able to dream, and it's like he feels like he needs to prepare Pony for real life, because he feels like he can't dream or wish for things anymore

And then just the screeching violin at the end of the song followed by DEAD FUCKING SILENCE, and then it switches to the next song where Pony starts singing acapella it's just herugighadlsiughukdhjsak, y'know?

Favourite line: "Whats the use in dreaming, about a life I'll never know? That ship sailed long ago"

Far Away from Tulsa

okay so I've already said that I'm obsessed with it beginning with Brody Grant acapella, and I know that the songs probably don't flow straight from one to the other in the actual production, but for the sake of the cast recording the effect is incredible

But also, there was absolutely no need to make this song so gay 😂 - Ponyboy, the bisexual icon we all need

It's very reminiscent of Santa Fe, with just kids dreaming for a life that they could have outside of their big city. Especially with the line "this place is real, it's not just in my head", which is VERY similar to "just be real is all I'm asking, not some painting in my head", but I'm okay with it because Brody Grant is incredible

But that line, as well as the one "'Ponyboy you're just a dreamer', that's what both my brothers say" are also really great links back to the previous song with the references of him being a dreamer, and that being what sets him apart from the other Greasers

I also just wanna say that I think it's criminal that there weren't more Pony/Johnny duets. Sky Lakota-Lynch and Brody Grant own my soul

Also catch me being emotional over Johnny's dream being wanting a family - he doesn't realise that he's already got one in the gang 🥺 (I could write an essay about this and Dally's continued use of 'little brother')

OKAY ALSO OBSESSED WITH THE CIRCLE BACK TO GREAT EXPECTATIONS, AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE LYRICS CHANGE FROM

"Torn between what is and what could be. It's hard to write this story when this story's writing me"

TO

"It's all becoming clear, there's no way we're gonna find that here"

GOTTA ESCAPE TULSA TO ESCAPE THEIR FATE, SOMETHING AGAIN ABOUT SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES, I JUST CAN'T

Favourite line: "I'm tired of blindly watching as we're inching towards the ground"

Run Run Brother

There's so much to say about this song, but I literally can't formulate the words, so it's probably gonna be one that I come back to and properly analyse later. so in the meantime, here are my key take-aways

right from the beginning, it gives just an "oh-shit" feeling, just so much urgency and desperation

All three of them have such different singing voices and styles and the combination of the three just makes me so happy and I don't even know how to like express what I'm feeling

Back to the thing about Dally always calling Johnny (and Pony, but we're emotional about Johnny here) "brother"

the music is just so fitting - I feel like I need to be up and moving every time I hear it, like if I ran ever this would be on the playlist 😂

And I'm going insane over the echoes of what has been previously been said - the "grease isn't given it's something you earn", and "let's leave this behind, let's just get up and go" like you're FORCED to face that they are being given what they want but in a really terrible way

Favourite line: "I hate to make you go, but there ain't no other way"

Justice for Tulsa

okay so I know that this is a really important song and everything, but I will admit this is the one I tend to skip most

I will say I think this song would hit harder if they kept with the themes of police brutality that there are in the novel and movie with regards to Dally's death (going off what I've heard about the script changes from people who have seen it, I can't verify myself)

The song feels very claustrophobic, with everyone just trying to blame everyone else, which I think is really well done. Especially with the multiple voices coming in with "you know just what you did"

And it does show the bias of the world trying to blame the Greasers just by reputation alone, which is thematically nice

and also just the kinda mob mentality of the whole thing, especially at the end, with a declaration of war

Favourite line: "or we could send them back a message, take an eye for an eye"

Death's at My Door

I think I've seen somewhere that this is the opening song for the second act and I just - fucking hell, what an opener 😂 they really just wanna destroy all of us, huh?

EDIT: I've been corrected, and it's Justice for Tulsa that starts act 2 - my bad guys, I don't know where I saw otherwise. JfT starting act 2 makes soo much more sense 😂

I wanted to like reach through my headphones somehow and hug Brody Grant, like holy shit

The first time I heard it all I could think about was how much he's going to blame himself when Johnny (and Dally) do die - especially with Johnny having comforted Pony about it

And I'm just emotional about the exploration of Pony thinking of himself as a burden on everyone he loves, especially going back to what Darry says to him in Runs in the Family reprise, just confirming everything that Pony already worries about himself

Favourite line: "I don't believe in the death that you're bringing - the reason I'm living is you"

Throwing in the Towel

I just love brothers okay? This song made me want to like message all my siblings and tell them I love them

I loved that we see Pony's inner thoughts and fears about being a burden on his brothers, immediately followed by seeing Darry's own thoughts and feelings - the two of them being so similar in how they blame themselves for everything

All three of the Curtis brothers being terrified of losing anyone else

AND THIS IS THE SODA CHARACTER REDEPTION I NEEDED - he becomes more than just the womaniser, you can see him having like actual thought and feelings, and the amount of emotion in Jason Schmidt's voice as he's trying to reassure Darry, like this song and Soda's letter gets across everything that makes Soda my favourite character

And there's something to be said about how they're finally like communicating their emotions 😂

Favourite line: "I know your head is full of doubt, but brother that's what love is all about"

Soda's Letter

Musical letters my beloved ❤️

I love songs like these - they're always just so vulnerable

It links to Tulsa '67 Reprise with the reference to how Soda kinda keeps the family all together. This song you can like see the strain that it has on him, trying to keep the brothers who he loves so much together, by trying to tell Pony that Darry does love him even though he shows it in a very different way

also anyone who has seen it and made it this far in the post can you tell me whether they keep in the bit about Pony reading this really heartfelt letter only to go "Soda's so dumb he can't fucking spell" because it's all I could think about when I listened to it for the first time

Favourite line: "Your brother needs you just as much as you need him, and brother we ain't doing to good alone"

Hoods Turned Heroes

The triumphant return of my beloved Two-Bit, and he's doing some king shit

I love him, okay?

This is another song where I know it's really important, but I actually don't have much to say about it, other than I do really enjoy it

Favourite line: "It's time to celebrate Greasers, take pride in the Greaser name"

Hopeless War

I love that it's just Cherry begging Pony not to change, and hoping that he's still an outsider of the Greasers like she is for the Socs, a hope that the two of them are still kindred spirits even after everything that happened

She knows that the rumble is gonna be where Pony loses that last bit of dreamer in him because he's holding just so much anger at the world - I dunno, there's something there I'm sure 😂

it's such a smooth transition into "Trouble" and I wanna SCREAM it's so good

Favourite line: "even if you win, it doesn't change a thing"

Trouble

It feels like a war chant or something

The music is just so agitated

It's like Run Run Brother where I feel the need to be up and moving

Favourite line: "Do it for Johnny, even the scores, time to rally the crew"

Little Brother

I get chills every time I listen to it

Something about Joshua Boone's voice guys, I don't even know like how someone goes about beginning to talk about it, but whoever takes over as Dally has got some big shoes to fill

It's a lament to Johnny, and I feel like I listen to it and I feel the same anger and indignation that Dally feels

It's a song where I listen to it and I know, even without having seen the production, how I'd stage it and that always makes me excited

The longer the song goes on, the more uneasy you feel listening to it

It links him and Darry together again, with how he blames himself for everything that happened to his little brother, he feels like he should have been able to protect Johnny, the way that Darry always tries to protect Ponyboy

The final tempo increase and the discordant violin at the end, and it feels like even just listening to it you're watching him fall into a grief-led madness, and his certainty that there's only one way that his story can end

Favourite line: "They can't take anymore from me - if I ain't got you, then I ain't got nothing else"

Stay Gold

It feels somehow criminal to put these songs next to each other, but I mean obviously they have to be - that's how they want you to feel, but it doesn't mean that I'm not mad about it

I've listened to it like a million times and it still brings me to tears every now and then

There's something about having the hopelessness of "Little Brother", with Dally bring so apologetic at having failed Johny, followed by Johnny asking Pony to tell him that there's still good in the world

Just how much everyone in this story needs each other and they don't realise that the others need them too, yknow?

Johnny being Dally's "gold" - a lot to say about that but yknow, this is already long as fuck

The simplicity of the music itself (same as with Soda's letter - makes them thematically the same blah blah blah with them both being letters and all that), but it makes the song much more vulnerable than some of the others - nothing for Sky Lakota-Lynch to hide behind

Also that line: "I have looked into a thankful father's eyes, telling me I've saved his daughters life", and how that links to what Johnny says in the book about the little girl's life being worth more than his - I dunno, it just got me emotional, okay?

Favourite line: "I hold on to the good 'cause I've made my peace with all the bad" and also "It's easy to forget when you're trying just to make it through"

Tulsa '67 Reprise

WE MADE IT BOYS (seriously though, for real, if you made it this far, thanks for reading through my descent into madness 😂 and please send your own thoughts and such, bc I'm desperate to hear other people's thoughts)

I said it at the beginning, but I think the reprise of this song makes the exposition at the beginning worth it

At the beginning we hear Ponyboy as a dreamer, and at the end he still has that, but rather than idolising and making everything spectacular, he sees beauty in the mundane - he sees it in his brothers, his friends, all of that

The call backs to the original song as well, which allow us to go back to the theme of looking at individuality - the Greasers wanting to be seen as more than just characatures, and by the end they are like fully-fleshed out people rather than just the basic stock figures we initially get them introduced as in Grease Got a Hold

The clearest examples are, of course, Darry and Soda

Darry goes from being "could have been a football star, people say he had a ticket out" to instead being "the toughest guy I've ever known"

Soda goes from "suffers from a broken heart" to "this family's life and soul"

and then it goes from "got no parents, we fend for ourselves" to "can you imagine how proud mum and dad would be"

just something so beautiful about that, I dunno

There's more I could say about the themes of brotherhood and individuality ("grease as their disguise", for example), but I'll spare it for now

Favourite line: "Just too damn good for growing old, and in his memory I stay gold"

(finally - if you've stuck around to the end, I've also recently set up an instagram account, just for me, so please also check that out if you wanna hear more about my thoughts about random musicals and stuff!)

Freddie 🐸 (Instagram)

[madhatterbri]

Pumpkin King | Hangman A.P.

Summary: Professor Page has a little too much to drink.

Author's Note: Professor Page AU. Happy Halloween, babes. ❤️ I shot it out to @smallestsnarkestgirl and she didn't think it was stupid so I wrote it. 😂🤣

Hangman Adam Page Masterlist

AEW Masterlist

Taglist: @theworldofotps @smallestsnarkestgirl @magicalbuttertarts @new-zealand-chic

"I'm the pumpkin king!"

Y/N nearly dropped her phone to the ground when she heard her boyfriend yell that in the background of her phone call. After not being able to reach her boyfriend, Adam, she decided to call his friend John.

"John, what is going on?"

"No, listen, Adam, shut up, Alex. We are just having fun at the football stadium. Adam found a pumpkin and smashed it to the ground. He's wearing it on his head. Now he's the one true pumpkin king. He is going to steal Christmas," John answered proudly. A few of his words were slurred. Four idiots that drank too much on Halloween night.

Y/N was supposed to go out, but she had to study for her midterms. Now, she had to leave her apartment in the middle of the night to bring them back to her place. She thought dating a professor would be easy.

By the time she pulled up to the stadium, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her boyfriend was shirtless with a pumpkin on his head. He stumbled a little as three of his friends cheered him on. As she walked closer, Y/N couldn't believe what she heard.

"Adam, you are the pumpkin king, and we are the creepy little kids," Alex Reynolds insisted.

"Yes! Yes! Uno, you are Lock cause he wears a mask. I'm Barrel and you are Shock,"

"I don't want to be the stupid girl," Alex whined. "You always make me the female character in Dungeons and Dragons too,"

"It's because Shock has long hair. Come on. It's funny. Three of us and the pumpkin king," John chuckled.

"Boys?" Y/N questioned. The Dark Order looked at her. Evil Uno appeared the most drunk as he barely spoke. "Get in the car. John, you better not puke in there and don't push Alex's hair in front of him when he's vomiting,"

"I knew you did that!" Alex shouted.

"I did not! She was driving. Y/N couldn't see in the backseat anyways," John defended.

The two friends walked to the backseat of the car while bickering. Y/N sighed and shook her head. Now she had to rope one more guy into her car. Her favorite guy.

"Hey, handsome," Y/N greeted pleasantly. "You having fun with the pumpkin on your head?"

"I'm the pumpkin king. I'm looking for my pumpkin queen, but she had to study," he pouted. His bottom lip poked out. Y/N swore she felt her heartstrings break.

"Why don't we put your shirt back on?" She asked.

Y/N placed her hand on his bare chest and stomach. She reached behind to grab the shirt that dangled from his back pocket.

"No! You aren't my pumpkin queen. This is for Y/N," he spoke and took a few steps back.

Y/N sighed. "I am your girlfriend, Adam. I'm Y/N,"

"Y/N!" He called out. His light eyes widened as if she suddenly appeared. He grabbed the smashed pumpkin from his head. Some of the pumpkin guts and seeds stuck to his hair. "You have to wear this to be my queen. Don't worry. I'll find another pumpkin,"

"No! Adam put that down. We are going home. You have a midterm to administer in the morning,"

"Did you study for yours? Did you get an A?"

Y/N pinched the ridge of her nose. "Yes, darling, I did. Now let's get you dressed and back to my apartment,"

Adam dropped the pumpkin on the ground after telling it goodbye. He allowed Y/N to grab his shirt. With little struggle, his shirt was back where it belonged. "This was the best night ever. I have my pumpkin queen, and I got my boys,"

"I'm glad you had fun, baby. Let's go," Y/N insisted. Adam stumbled behind her. Their fingers interlocked. He sat in the passenger seat. Y/N made her way to the driver seat.

"Okay, boys, buckle up. We are going back to my place since it's almost one in the morning. You have to be really quiet," she stressed.

To her surprise, the boys actually listened. Not the first time she had to pick them up, the Dark Order laid in their favorite position to fall asleep. They bid their pumpkin king a good night.

Adam sat on the bed. He swayed a little. Y/N helped take his boots and socks off. His shirt was the next to go. Before she could remove all the contents from inside the pumpkin from his head, he laid down on a pillow. The seeds and guts managed to stain her white pillowcases.

She climbed in bed next to him. His arms wrapped around her. Y/N cringed at the feel of the pumpkin yet sighed. This was probably the best way she could have possibly spent her Halloween night.

[everythingdenied]

baby fever-matty healy

a/n: just a short one that's been sitting in my notes app for months today besties :) got so much non tumblr related work today so this is the best i can do. my apologies if it makes zero sense el oh el mwah x warnings: mentions of pregnancy/babies etc, literally the faintest mention of weed?? other than that its just a happy liccle fluff wc: 1,029

"What'd you reckon babies even think about?" Matty hummed, sat cross legged on our living room floor, his back pressed up against the sofa as he watched the tiny human in front of him with fascination.

Cocking a brow, I looked up from my spot on the couch, fingers curling around the warm cup of tea in my hands.

"What do you mean?" I snorted, amused by his question.

"Well, they're always giggling, aren't they? Must be thinkin' about something dead funny if they're laughing that much."

"Babies laugh at everything, Matty. It's just cause they're...I dunno...it's just cause they're babies."

"That's a shit answer" He tutted, unsatisfied, and turned back to look at my niece. The baby babbled to herself, a toothless grin on her face as she stared, seemingly just as intrigued by my boyfriend as he was with her. Matty chuckled warmly, leaning forward, chin resting in his hands. "C'mon, love. you can tell us what's so funny. Promise I won't tell."

He held his pinky out to emphasis his 'promise' but Ella, being barely six months old, hadn't a clue what this meant, instead latching onto Matty's finger with a chubby little hand. I watched on with an affectionate role of my eyes, taking a sip of my tea.

I was honestly pleasantly surprised with how easily Matty had taken to my niece. When my sister had asked the two of us to babysit her for the afternoon whilst she and her partner went out for the afternoon, the first little bit of alone time they'd managed to get since El's birth, I'd been fairly sure my boyfriend would do nothing but whine and protest the whole day. More than used to his constant cynicism about everything, not excluding children, it felt strange to see him so enamoured with the little person crawling haphazardly around our front room; half expecting today to be a running commentary on how he simply 'couldn't stand' kids.

"She's quite cute, isn't she?" Matty mused wistfully, lifting the pudgy baby into his lap, and I couldn't help the grin that painted my lips. He glanced over his shoulder at me, eyes narrowing in confusion. "What?"

"I thought you hated kids" I teased, shifting on the sofa.

"Never said that."

"You have. Many times." He pouted, looking down at Ella, who had now become preoccupied with Matty's hair, tugging lightly on a stray curl that had fallen over his eyes.

"Well...I didn't mean I hated 'em. I just-they're just a bit stupid sometimes, aren't they?"

"Bit like you then" I quipped playfully and he wrinkled his nose, breathing out a sarcastic laugh.

"Twat" He retorted and I gasped, reaching down to lightly slap his shoulder, earning a characteristically dramatic 'ow' from my partner, a man oftentimes more childish than the six month old currently residing in his lap.

"Stop swearing. I'm not returning her to my sister with that as her first word." Matty bit back a smirk but still murmured an apology, carefully cupping Ella's face in his hands as he begged her not to repeat what he'd just said, barely holding in his laughter. The little girl understood nothing but still seemed to hang on to Matt's every word, his voice drawing out her sweetest smile, seeped in purity.

It was a tender sight, oozing with a domesticity I'd never seen before in Matty and I couldn't help but snap a quick photo on my phone, smiling down at the image.

Later that evening, hours after my sister had come to collect Ella, I found myself crawling into bed with Matty, smiling to myself as I clambered beneath the duvet, laying my head on his bare chest. His arms enveloped me as if on instinct, pulling me closer to his warmth as I pressed a kiss to his sternum.

He mewled softly when I nuzzled into him, fingertips tracing up and down my arm, the faint smell of weed and toothpaste blanketing the air around he and I. There was a comfortable silence, the two of us basking in the peace and quiet for a moment, albeit I could tell Matty's head was anything but, marked by his incessant fidgeting.

"You okay?" I murmured, brows knitting together. Matty only hummed in response, saying nothing as he nestled his face into my hair, breathing in deeply.

"Do you think I'd be a good dad?" he cut through the silence abruptly, his words practically unintelligible, muffled by my hair and whispered lowly as if he didn't quite want me to hear them.

"Hmm?" I glanced up at him.

"Do you...I mean, would I, I dunno, be alright, y'know, if we ever ended up having a kid?" I smiled earnestly at Matty, my hand splaying out atop the tattoo on his chest, feeling his pulse quicken against my palm. "Not that i'm saying we should have a kid now or anyth-"

"I think you'd be an amazing dad" I cut him off, craning my neck a little so that my lips met his in an act of comfort. We'd talk about this before, obviously, the whole 'baby' situation, but never seriously. I'd almost always instigated the conversation and, more often than not, Matty had brushed it off, mature enough to recognise that he probably wasn't quite ready for a baby. He still wasn't, nor was I, but I knew that having Ella around had changed something in him. "It'd be difficult with the band and stuff but, you'd love that kid more than anything. I mean, if you treat it even half as well as you treat me...well, it'd be lucky to have you."

"You mean that? You're not just saying it so i'll shut up and go to sleep?" I chuckled and shook my head, kissing him once more.

"I mean it" His eyelids fluttered contentedly. "Now's not the time...you've gotta focus on the boys. But one day...one day you'll make the best dad in the world." I punctuated my words with a peck. "Promise."

Matty smiled lazily, the pads of his thumbs drawing mindless shapes against my arms.

"Good, 'cause I quite fancy being called a dilf on twitter."

[trilobitepunch]

What are some of your favorite character relationships/dynamics in TMNT, and why? Is there anything that you particularly like seeing explored with them in fan works (art, writing, comics, etc)?

Awww I gotta get my brain into answer-questions-mode...

Le's see....

What I really love is the exploration of family bonds, especially in the last two show iterations for 2012 and 2018. The original 198something one didn't really seem to dip too much into it, from what I remember, anyway, and only in hindsight do I realize they didn't really seem very teenagerish either, or at least that aspect just seemed lost to me. It's been a bajillion years and I know I never watched its entirety. Not even touching the comics realm- no idea what's going on there.

I completely missed 2003, but 2012's version was the first one that made it clear that they were- aside from being mutants trained as ninja in the sewers by a rat father- teenagers who loved each other but also could be annoyed at each other and mad at each other, tease and fight but still remember who they are to each other by the end of things. I'll tell you now, I've never been a big romance-oriented person and I don't think those relationships in that show really added much to anything. Funny at times, amusing, yes, but that seemed to be about it. Friendship bonds can be just as strong and meaningful!

Where 2012 dipped into relations between the brothers, 2018 pushed it further. The lads were mostly on their own due to a negligent father, although this new aspect of Splinter was refreshing and I love the idea of all of them basically trying to find their way around things and this nebulous duty bound to their family. I love that April's become more of a big sister to them and still shares some bond even with Splinter, similar to 2012's for the whole master and student angle. I think her relationship with Donnie is a fun one, her go-to for technical issues, for hanging out and homework checks, but she's not afraid to speak her mind and set the boy right when his brain is working too much.

The layers and directions they take with each character just makes it a fun mix when they throw everything together. I love that they don't even outright hate the villains and some of the villains don't even know why they hate the turtles but hey! We'll fight 'em just cuz! Ahaha, these poor kids. I do have to add that I'm also glad that no one's overly lamented about the fact that they've been mutated in this show except for poor Splinter at first, but all the villains basically kinda vibe with it like 'oh, I guess this is how my life is now /shrug'.

I like Raph's self-instated role as the oldest to be the protector, and how he especially looks after Donnie when things get sweaty. Or tries to, anyway, look- his heart's in the right place, even if half the time he ends up smashing his squishy brother by accident. I like the competition that goes on between Mikey and Leo, whether it's just at who's better or who's right, it's a fun dynamic. Of course I love Leo and Donnie antics too, and even though there aren't too many, the implications that they have dove into many a hair-brained scheme is just too funny. ...just going to go through all of them I guess. I'M SORRY, THIS GOT SO LONG AGH Right, Mikey and Donnie, a classic team-up, I love that they support each other so much, and the chaos they can get up to. Even funnier, I love that they actually succeed most of the time. And then Mikey and Raph's little bro vs oldest bro dynamic, which is in a way the same as Leo and Raph in that they can see eye-to-eye and get along, but when they clash, they clash hard. Classic.

...sorry I'm still not done, one more section...!!

When it comes to fanworks, I just like to see more of what was set up in the shows and the movie, but I also like being pleasantly surprised by wild and creative takes now and then. It's like... the reason I RP a character is to get more story, to see how so-and-so goes through and deals with this situation or another, the friends and enemies they might make in a different setting or opportunity. Fanart has glimpses of such things, fanfics and comics explore them in depth. Y'all are amazing, for the record, just saying.

OKAY SHUTTING UP NOW, here's my term paper *hits submit*

[thewhiskersonkittens]

Call Me

Pairing: Nick “Goose” Bradshaw x Female Reader. 

Summary: After you both find yourselves suddenly single right around Valentine’s Day, you and Nick “Goose” Bradshaw give the “Single's Connection” dating line a call on impulse. You both are pleasantly surprised with what you find on the other end of the line. 📞💋🔥

Warnings: Smut, strong s*xual dialogue, curse words. phone s*x, m*sturb*tion, Goose being a freak, sleazy late-night TV commercials, outrageous landline phone bills in the pre-Internet era. Minors please DNI! 18+.

Word Count: 5,713.

A/N: Minors please DNI! 18+. You are responsible for the content you choose to consume. I did a little bit of research on the old 1-900 numbers that used to be advertised for this sort of thing. I’m sure what I describe here in the story isn’t 100% accurate as to how those phone numbers worked exactly but I kindly ask to be overlooked on that.

Hope you enjoy my trashy mind. ;)

Goose sighed as he slumped into the recliner in his apartment on base. He ran his hand through his dirty blond hair. He didn't know why he was getting so worked up. Valentine's Day wasn't a real holiday, or at least it shouldn't be. It was just pure commercialism. It was something chicks made a big deal about and dudes went along with it just to keep their girl happy. But there was something painful about being dumped right before Valentine's Day. It hurt like hell.

His date to a party at the Officer's Club had canceled last minute. She was now the third consecutive dud Goose had in the dating world. He had no problem meeting attractive women, especially with Maverick by his side, but it seemed like it always went nowhere. 

"Don't worry, Goose," Maverick told him in the Miramar locker room after training was complete for the day. The pilot quietly told him he would check with Charlie and see if she knew anyone to fill the spot. Goose only shook his head no.

"Thanks, Mav, you're a real pal. But I'll pass. By the way, you do know you and Hot Teacher Lady aren't exactly a secret, right?"

Maverick and Charlie's relationship was obvious to anyone with a fully functional brain and set of eyes. It was kind of funny watching Maverick trying to keep it under wraps. Goose's best friend was anything but subtle.

Back in his apartment, Goose took a swig from a half empty bottle of Budweiser that he had left on his coffee table. He washed down the lukewarm liquid as he flipped on the TV.

He scanned through the channels, not really looking for anything other a mindless distraction. He landed on a commercial featuring a buxom, platinum blonde.

"I'm tired of being alone!" She proclaimed through the television.

"Yeah, you and me both, honey," Goose bitterly said out loud more to himself than to the woman in the box.

"That's why I'm calling the Single's Connection!" The woman went on.

The camera zoomed in on a shot of her picking up the phone and dialing.

A montage of other ridiculously good looking people smiling and chatting on the phone played as a sultry female voice over narrated:

"Talk to real singles in your area now! It's a fun, easy way to meet someone new and it's always discreet. Give the "Singles Connection" a call at 1-900..."

Goose couldn't help but scoff.

"I'm sure all these hotties must have a really, really hard time in the dating department."

Goose joked as he watched the obviously paid spokes-models on the screen, polishing off the rest of his beer.

The first woman from before appeared back on the screen.

"What are you waiting for?! Call me now and let's make a connection!"

The commercial ended and switched to a different one.

"Call me now and let's make a connection!" Goose mimicked.

What a crock of shit. He thought as he sat down his beer bottle. His eyes flickered to the cordless phone on his table. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at it. It was as if the device was silently daring him. He had never once entertained the idea of actually calling those dating hotlines. He figured a guy must be really desperate to resort to doing that and the girls on the other end were probably nowhere as sexy as the commercial portrayed.

"Nahhh..." Goose laughed at himself as he shook his head.

Yet, curiosity got the best of him. He picked up the handset and pulled out the long antenna.

"God, this is so stupid," He muttered. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."

He punched in the number and went through all the prompts. It apparently was one of those lines where you left a voice recording of you describing yourself and what you were looking for and if someone was interested they would give you a call.

"Hi, ladies, my name's Goose." He spoke into the receiver. "I'm six foot two, one hundred and seventy pounds. I have dark blond hair and brown eyes. For a living I...well, let's just say I have the most bitchin' job in the world. It's guaranteed to make your ex jealous. I'm not rich but I do know how to show a girl a good time. I hope you like the Grand Slams at Denny's and don't mind being picked up in a pretty rad Ford truck. In my spare time, I like playing the piano and singing "Great Balls of Fire" at the top of my lungs and pissing off my peers with my best friend. Anyway, I'm looking for a girl who thinks Valentine's Day sucks as much as I do and is bored and just wants to talk. Yeah, I don't have very high standards. I guess that's pretty obvious, huh? I mean, here I am calling the “Singles Connection” after all. So if you think I'm the stud for you, give me a ring. And by the way, I do have a mustache and I wear Hawaiian shirts in public with no shame. But don't let that scare you off. I'll rock your world, honey. "

Goose could hardly keep a straight face as he ended the message with his phone number. He figured no girl would ever respond to such a silly message.

With a chuckle he put the phone back in the cradle. He got up to go finish the previous night's dishes and when he was done he returned to the recliner and dozed in and out of sleep while watching some more TV.

A few hours later, the phone started ringing, stirring him awake.

Goose looked at the phone ringing and glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight. Who was calling this late?

...

"Hello?" Goose answered. No one said anything. "Hello?" He tried again.

He heard nothing but a faint gasp and the sound of a click. The caller on the other end hung up. Goose looked at the phone in his hand in disbelief.

A minute later, it rang again. He answered on the second ring and hesitated before speaking.

"Helllooo?" Goose asked, slowly and carefully.

A deep breath was inhaled and exhaled on the other end. Finally, a female voice spoke.

"Um, yes, hello," You said, timidly. "Uh, hi. Is this...Goose?"

You sounded so unsure.

"The one and only," Goose replied.

You cleared your throat, took another deep breath and said:

"Hi, there. I'm Y/ N. I heard your message on the Single's Connection."

Goose about shot up out of his chair when he realized what was going on. He had practically forgotten about calling that number and that silly message he left.

"Holy shit...." He leaned forward and clasped his hand over his mouth.

"Is this a bad time?" There was a hint of disappointment in your voice.

"No, no, no!" Goose assured. He chuckled. "I'm sorry. It's just...I didn't expect anyone to actually call me back."

"I'm sorry for hanging up on you earlier," You explained. "It's just I've never done this before. You know, call one of these 1-900 numbers."

"Yeah, it's the first time for me, too." Goose said.

You both breathed a sigh of relief. It made you both calm down and relax.

Goose leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I'm...I'm glad you called! So, you say your name is Y/N? That's a really pretty name."

"Aww, thanks," You replied. "But Goose isn't your real name. Is it?"

Goose laughed. "Hehe. It might as well be. In my line of work it's what everyone calls me."

You smiled on the other end of the line.

"What line of work is that?"

 Goose smiled proudly.

"I'm in the Navy. For now, stationed right here in sunny San Diego. I ride in the back of some really bad ass jets. I'm basically like an extra set of eyes for my pilot. I play with the radio and watch the radar, among other things. If we happen to come across an enemy pilot, we keep up foreign relations. Communicate with the single finger salute. We're really friendly like that, you know. All in all...it's...it's..."

He pretended to struggle to find the words. "It's pretty much the best damn job in the world."

You were giggling on the other end.

 "Wow, yeah! That does sound really cool. Bitchin', I think is what you called it?"

Goose laughed, remembering he had said that in his message. "Yes, ma'am.  Bitchin'."

You spent a few minutes telling him what you did for a living and described what you looked like. You cleared your throat and shifted in your bed. You pressed the receiver closer, so close the pressure started to hurt your ear so you loosened up a bit.

"Hey, um," You start. "I hope you don't mind me asking this... " You take another breath. "But I gotta know something. You know, before we go on..."

"Ask away. I'm an open book."

You laugh nervously. "So..you aren't married, right?"

You grimaced at the thought. Messing around with a married man, even just over the phone, was a line you wouldn't cross.

At first Goose was a little bit taken aback by the question. But it was a reasonable question to ask. Just because it was called the "Single's Connection" didn't mean only single people used the service.

 "Oh, God, no!" He said. "Nah, no lucky lady has claimed me yet."

 He paused and thought about it.

 "Are you?!" He asked, quickly. "You know, married?"

You exhaled a breath you didn't realize you were holding.

"Oh, God, no!" You repeated.

"No, I'm not married. I'm single as a freakin' Pringle!"

You immediately thought that sounded like a such a dorky thing to say but you smiled when you heard him laughing.

"Well, good," Goose said, relieved as much as you were. "That's...that's a very good thing to know."

"That's part of the reason why I called tonight," You told him. He didn't respond and you went on:

"I, uh...um...God, I don't know why I'm telling you this. But I just wanted to talk to someone tonight." You paused and twisted the telephone cord around your finger.

"Well, talk to me, honey. I'll listen. That's why I called, too. Just to talk. All jokes aside. "

His voice was so soothing and friendly. You had only been speaking to this guy for a few minutes but he seemed really warm and funny just like he did on his message. Not at all like some creep you expected to get on these hotlines. It also sounded like he had a little bit of twang when he spoke. A sweet Southern man, you thought.

"So you know it's Valentine's Day this weekend, right? I was supposed to go with my boyfriend on this romantic getaway..." You paused and then quickly clarified:

"My now EX boyfriend, that is! Anyway, so we had these plans set months in advance. We were going to go to this really nice cabin resort in Colorado. Oh God, the pictures of it looked so beautiful. But I found out he's been sneaking around on me! He's been hooking up with his ex for weeks."

You scoffed at reliving it all. "Maybe even longer than that. Shit, I don't know. I feel like such a fool. We had been together awhile now. And I thought...I actually thought...we'd...God. I thought this trip was where he would ask me to marry him."

Your voice cracked at the end but you weren't crying or even tearing up. You had no tears to waste on a cheater.

"I guess I thought wrong, huh?" You concluded.

Goose remained silent for a moment. He wasn't exactly sure what to say to a story like that. He went with the first thing that popped into his mind.

"You were going to go on a romantic getaway to Colorado?!" He asked, incredulous. "What's so romantic about having snow all the way up to your ass?!"

You burst out laughing while Goose went on.

"I mean, no offense, dear, but Hawaii is where it's at!"

"Pffft!, " You playfully spit. "Oh, please! Yeah, Hawaii is nice but it's so cliche. Everyone goes to Hawaii! Or the Bahamas. Or the Virgin Islands. Or the Florida Keys..."

"Yeah, cause they know warm weather is better than freezing-your-nuts-off weather anytime!" Goose interjected.

You both laughed. God, this girl is really sweet. Goose thought. You had such a sweet, lovely voice and you described yourself so pretty. Of course, there was the possibility you were lying about that but he knew you weren't. You were very pretty. Inside and out. He just knew it.

"No, but seriously, Y/N," Goose said. "I'm sorry that happened to you, sugar. And here I was sitting 'round moping just because I had a date cancel on me. You got it much worse. You deserve way better. You dumped his sorry ass, right?"

"Absolutely!" You confirmed. "No regrets. I figure I dodged a bullet."

"Good girl."

Something about that made you shift. Underneath the sheets you felt a tingling sensation in between your legs. It was the other part of the reason why you called. You were looking to get off. It had been awhile.

"Hey, um, Goose? There's something else...I,um, hehe... there's something else. I don't know...if you'd even be up for it?"

"Yes? What is it, honey?"

He really should stop calling you the pet names. He had no idea what it was doing to you or perhaps he did? You assumed it was just a thing that came naturally to him, being from the South and all.

"So..." You began. You told yourself to grow up and just spit it out.

"I know we both said we just wanted to talk but the truth is..."

You trailed off. You took another deep breath and put it out there.

"I'm all alone and I'm feeling...like I need someone to help me release some tension."

Your voice had a slight change in it. You wondered if he knew what you were getting at. He sure did.

Lord have mercy. Goose thought. Somebody pinch me. This is too good to be true! Phone sex was one of his biggest kinks. He had done it before with previous girlfriends especially while being on a lengthy deployment. He always ended up regretting it when he got the phone bill but it was one weakness he couldn't resist.

"Goose?" You asked, worried he might have hung up. "Are you still there?"

“Yeah, I'm still here," He said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"So...just to make things clear. You're feeling horny, honey? And you want me to talk dirty to you? Is that it?"

You felt your cheeks get hot and you were certain you were blushing every shade of red right now.

"Is that right, Y/N?" Goose asked. His voice had become more honeyed and an octave deeper. He had turned on his bedroom voice.

"Yes," You breathlessly admitted. "Yes, Goose. That's right."

"Oh, honeyyy...," His always drawl came out thicker when he felt turned on which was happening rapidly even though nothing had got started yet. "I'd be more than happy to help you!"

You felt the tingling sensation in between your legs again and this time it felt like it was starting to throb.

"OK, so what do I do?" You asked, softly, your heart beating faster. "I've never done this before."

"That's all right. Where are you right now?"

"I'm in my bed."

Goose hummed. "OK, that's good. What are you wearing?"

You looked down at yourself as if you forgotten what you had on. You told him you had on an old cotton T shirt and shorts. You realized you hadn't exactly thought this whole thing through.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly in my sexiest attire," You joked. "I told you this is my first time doing something like this."

"Hey, that's A OK with me, baby," Goose reassured. He asked if you wearing anything underneath.

"No?"

"Great. Take them off. All of it. The shirt and the shorts."

"I'll have to set the phone down for just a second."

"Take your time, sweetheart."

You flung back your bed sheets and did as Goose instructed. The cool air in your bedroom made your unclothed body pebble up but you knew you weren't going to stay cold for long.

"I'm back," You said, raising the receiver to your ear again.

Goose shut his eyes trying to picture you, lying naked on your bed right now. He bet it was a really pretty picture.

He opened his eyes and continued.

"All right. I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath for me. Clear your mind. C'mon, honey, close your eyes and take a deep breath. This won't work if you're not completely relaxed."

You scooted yourself all the way back on your bed so that your back was flush with your head board. You both took a few deep breathes together.

"Keep your eyes closed for me." Goose told you. "I want you to imagine something. Think about your snowy Colorado cabin, OK? Think about how beautiful it is."

"OK," You whispered. You concentrated very hard.

"I want you to really picture it, honey. Picture the most cozy, comfy log cabin. It's big and spacious. There's a King size bed. With super soft red and black plaid sheets. There's a wood burning stove in the corner. There's a nice, crackling fire going. It's the only source of light in the whole room besides a few candles that are lit. Inside it smells like oranges, cinnamon and cloves. All those sweet winter smells. On the table, there's a bouquet of two dozen long stem red roses and a basket with wine and chocolates. Outside, it's snowing. It's a light fluffy snow and it's coming down at a steady pace."

"Mmmm..." You hummed. It all started to take shape in your mind. "You make it sound so lovely."

"There's floor to ceiling windows." Goose continued. "No shades. No curtains. No blinds. If there was anyone standing outside, they could see right in. They'd have a perfect view of you. Lying completely naked on the bed..."

Goose was looking straight ahead but the only thing he could see was the picture he was painting with his words.

"But there's no one there," He whispered low into the receiver. "There's no one there but you and me, baby."

Your breath hitched as the fantasy started to turn sexual.

"Can you feel me, baby?" Goose asked. "I'm right there with you in the bed. I'm naked, too. I'm on top of you. We're looking into each other's eyes and I'm stroking your hair..."

"Are you kissing me?" You asked. You had the phone receiver nestled in the crook of your neck. You were starting to move your hands up and down and all over your body. You were feeling much more relaxed.

Goose smiled. "Mmm...yes, honey. I'm kissing you. Kissing your soft, sweet lips..."

Goose moaned just thinking about it.

"Your tongue on mine. Over and over and over. I'm kissing you all over your body. Mmmm...kissing your pretty little face. Kissing your chin and then right along your jawline. All the way down your neck...mmmm...You feel my mustache tickling your skin, baby?"

You giggled. "Mmmm...I bet it does tickle!"

"It's going tickle you everywhere. Everywhere."

You moaned at the scene playing out in your mind. You began to toy with your pebbled nipples and it made you start squirming.

"What are you doing, baby?" Goose asked. "Are you touching yourself already?"

"I'm playing with my nipples," You replied and you hear him make a throaty noise. "Are you going to suck on them, daddy? I want you to."

You had no idea if Goose was into the "daddy" kink thing. You knew from your experience some guys were and some guys weren't. His moan on the other end of the line confirmed he didn't mind it.

"Hold that thought, honey." Goose said.

Goddamn, this girl is going to be the death of me. He thought as he sat the handset down so he could pull off his shirt. He unbuttoned his jeans and unzipped the fly. He was getting harder and harder by the minute. He moved a box of tissues closer. He was definitely going to need them later.

"You there?" Goose asked when he picked up again.

"I'm here, baby, " You breathed, still stimulating your nipples with wet fingertips. "I'm here with you in the cabin. We're in the sheets. You're kissing me all over. You were going to give my nipples some attention."

"Mmm, yes, " Goose started to palm himself over his underwear. "I bet you got luscious titties, don't you? Do you like it when daddy kisses your titties, baby? Kiss, lick, suck." He made a popping noise as if he just sucked and released one of your nipples. "I love me some titties, darlin'."

"Who doesn't?" You said and you both laughed.

"That's true. Very true!" Goose agreed.

There were two types of people in the world as far as he was concerned. Those who love titties and those who lied about not loving titties.

"Are you going to titty fuck me, daddy?" You asked.

It caught Goose so off guard he didn't recognize his own voice when he made an ungodly moan and almost dropped the handset. He never had a woman ask him to do that before. Over the phone or in-person. It made him pull himself out of his underwear and let his now raging hard-on be free.

"Oh, honeyyy," He drawled. "Fuck yesss..."

You crossed your arms over your stomach so your breasts pressed together.

"Just like that, baby," You begged, picturing him sliding up and down in between your breasts. "Feels so good...mmm...yes, that's it..."

Goose couldn't help but be slightly amused.

"You're a little freak, aren't you?"

You gasped.

"So are you!" You defended with a laugh.

"Of course I am!" Goose licked his lips. “I’m a man after all and I’m in the Navy. It goes without saying. Aww, yes, honey...I'm fuckin' those great titties of yours."

He was steadily stroking himself now. You reached down in between your legs and started rubbing your nub with your manicured hand. You both continued to go back and forth about what you were doing to each other. You were going to put him in your mouth and suck him off. He was going to continue his journey down the length of your body. Kissing, licking, sucking, he assured you he would leave hickeys all over your skin.

"Don't worry," Goose told you . "They'll all be in places where nobody can see."

"Mmm...you're such a gentleman, " You teased. "Turns me on even more."

Goose snickered. "Hehe. I might be a gentleman but trust me, baby, before it's all over, I'll have you acting very unlady-like."

You sighed. "God, yes, please...."

Goose told you about how he was going to use both his mouth and fingers on you.

"I'm in between your legs now, honey. You taste so fuckin' good. Mmmm...You feel it? I like to take my time. Licking that pretty pussy of yours. Over and over and over. Is it pretty, isn't it, darlin'? Pretty just like the rest of you. Then I'm gonna take my fingers..."

He paused and gave them a wiggle before he went on:

"I'm going to take my fingers...my middle and ring fingers...and I'm gonna push them in and out. In and out, baby. Real slow at first..."

You had long since slid down your headboard and you were writhing in your sheets and moaning and panting heavy into the phone. The more this went on, the hotter it got and the more real it seemed.

"That's right, honey, " Goose praised you. "You feel these fingers in you? In and out. Mmm...and I'm still licking you. Mmmm...I'm going to go a little faster. Yeah, faster, faster. That's right. You're getting so wet for me."

You whimpered. "Yesss...Oh God, yes!"

It was true. You were getting wetter and wetter. You rubbed yourself faster.

"That's right, honey." Goose encouraged, loving hearing how you were getting more and more worked up.

"How hard are you right now?" You asked. "You gonna put it in me, baby? I want you inside of me."

Goose looked down and saw he was hard as a rock. He pumped himself faster.

"I'm ready for you, sweetheart. I'm so ready."

He pictured you naked and turned on and all spread eagle for him. It was a gorgeous sight. He just knew it.

"You feel me?" He asked. "I'm right up against you. I'm rubbing against you right now. You ready, darlin'?"

"Please!"  You cried.

"I'm going in, sugar." Goose's breathing was becoming as heavy and as labored as yours. "I'm inside you now. You feel so good, baby. Yesss, so damn good. Mmm...You feel me sliding inside of you? Mmm...In and out. In and out..."

"Don't stop!" You practically wailed. You were rubbing yourself vigorously.  

"Aww, no, no, no," Goose grinned. "No, baby. I'm not stopping. I'm just getting started. In and out....Mmm... You're so fuckin' good... You feel so good...You feel the rhythm, baby? The nice rhythm we got going?"

Goose exhaled. "Ahhh. You feel soooo good!"

He had no doubt in his mind that in real life you felt incredible.

"Harder.." Your plea was just a breathy moan. Goose heard it but decided to tease you a little bit.

"What's that, darlin'? What did you say?"

You were so wet at this point you were starting to leave wet spots on your sheets.

"Harder, daddy, please!" You begged. Your back was arched and while your one hand was busy stimulating yourself, your other hand was putting your fingers in your mouth.

"Ah, you want me to fuck you harder, honey? You like it rough? Can you handle it, baby?"

Goose was starting to wonder how much more he himself could handle. You both were moaning in unison, both of you getting closer and closer.

"I'm right above you," Goose said. "I'm holding you down and I'm driving my hips into you. Over and over. Mmm...faster and faster...Mmm...you feel so fuckin' good! ...Yesss...So deep inside you...Hehe...I can hear how wet you are, honey..."

It was true. The noises you making were becoming obscene.

Goose couldn't help but feel a bit of an ego boost.

"You're making me feel so proud, honey. Keep it up. Atta girl. Yeah, that's it! Come and take it, baby! It's all yours!"

You weren't going to last much longer.

"Holy shit!" You cried. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna..."

"You gonna do what, baby? You gonna come for me? Is that it? I want you to."

You were a blubbering, whimpering mess. It was all you could do was moan into the phone. Your legs were shaking.

Goose was still pumping away.

"Ah, I love those sounds you're making," He groaned. "Like music to my ears, honey. Come on, baby. Yeah, that's good. Mmm...You can come, baby. I'll let you..."

He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt his own crescendo about to happen.

He cradled the phone in the crook of his neck as he reached for a handful of tissues.

"Come with me, darlin'," Goose egged you on. "Come with me. Come on...you can do it. You can do it, baby. Come with me...Ahhh!!!"

"Ohhh, babyyy!!! " You managed to cry. It seemed to be the thing that finally made you both come undone. Your whole body spasmed as you rode out your climax, uncontrollably moaning into the phone. You heard him grunting in rapid succession and knew he was feeling the release too.

You both listened to each other catch your breath for a minute.

Goose chuckled. "Look what you made me do, honey. I made a mess."

You were still trying to come back down to earth. You continued to ride your pleasure wave with little breaths, moans, and whimpers.

"So?..." Goose asked. He discarded the used tissues in the trash can and reached for his pack of Marlboro's. "How are you feeling now?"

He was hoping he helped you out at least a little bit. You certainly helped him.

You cleared your throat, still trying to recover. You opened your mouth to say something but you couldn't help but start giggling. Softly at first and eventually it became a giggle fit. You felt good. So good. Better than good.

Goose smiled listening to you. He, too, began to chuckle as he lit a cigarette and took a drag.

"As long as you're laughing with me and not at me!" He said. "Ahhh...You sound so pretty when you laugh. So? You have a good time, honey?"

You finally found your voice to speak:

"You were fantastic...Incredible."

It was no lie. You wondered if he could make you feel all that over the phone, then he must be dynamite in-person.

"You know, for a guy who said he thinks Valentine's Day sucks," You reminded him of what he said in his message. "You're actually quite the romantic, aren't you?"

You knew deep down he had to be. After coming up with the whole romantic cabin scenario on a whim like that.

Goose laughed. "You caught me, baby. Guilty as charged."

It was true. He was a romantic. A hopeless one, if he was being honest with himself.

"How was I? You know, my first time over the phone and all?" You asked.

Goose thought about telling you that was some of the hottest sex he'd ever had. Instead, he said:

"Perfect. Just...perfect. You were perfect."

"You're not at all what I expected when I called the number," You told him. You told him how you expected to get some creep or a desperate loser or both, neither of which he turned out to be.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, honey," Goose joked. "No, in all seriousness, you're not what I expected either. I didn't expect anything much other than an outrageous phone bill..."

He trailed off and you both groaned simultaneously, remembering how expensive calls to hotlines can run.

"Hey, Y/N?" Goose started. "This might sound kind of crazy but...could I call you, sometime? Outside this hotline?"

He really liked you and wanted to keep talking to you. If it kept going as well as it did, maybe the two of you could meet in person. Perhaps make the fantasy a reality?

"Sure, Goose," You replied, warmly. "I'd like that."

You definitely wanted to keep in touch.

After you gave him your number he said:

"Nick."

"What?"

Goose ran a hand through his hair and grinned.

"My real name. It's Nick."

You smiled.

"Well then, Nick. It's been a pleasure." 

In more ways than one! You thought. "Good night."

"Likewise," Goose drawled. "Oh and hey, by the way...Happy Valentine's Day, honey."

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Hey I know these problaby aren't the question you where thinking where gonna come up here but I have a couple rapped fire questions I don't know who to ask and your the only one who ever consistently comes into my page so here I go:

How does one game followers on this app because whenever I post something I feel like I'm just waiting my time cuz nobody ever sees the stuff I'm writing or making, and I know people say to just be who you are and do what you like but I've been doing that and I have a total of six followers (and in all honesty your the only person who ever interacts with my posts)

Is it better to just spew out content or space out posts? I have all these ideas and things I want to make and post but I feel like if I post over something it's gonna have an even smaller chance of being seen and that honestly hurts cuz I put allot of time and effort into my posts for literally no one to see them!

Okay I know that was a lot and I'm sorry but I just don't know how else to ask and you seem like you would know that kind of thing because you always get notes on your posts, if these are questions you can't or don't wanna answer that's obviously fine but If you do choose to answer I would really appreciate it since I'm new to this whole Tumblr thing and I have never had a platform like this.

Anyway I'm done rambling, answer or no answer thank you for your time and I just wanted to thank you for everything!

Ella Zimmerman

Hello! Dear friend! First of all, some bigger blogs don't mind signal boosting. You can drop an ask into the inbox of some of them and be like, "hey, do you think you could ask people to look at my art and/or writing? I'm having trouble finding people." Case in point: EVERYBODY GO FOLLOW @ellazimmermansblog , HER STUFF IS VERY COOL, SHE IS VERY FUNNY AND TALENTED, AND HER ART IS AMAZING! SHE MADE MY HEADER IMAGE!

I feel you on nobody interacting with your posts, it felt like a while before I found my people here! This is how I found them.

1) Follow other people. A lot of the followers I have are just my much cooler mutuals. Find someone who's blog you like. Follow them, interact with their posts, send them asks, that kind of thing. Just an example of the kind of asks you can send: I love OC content, and a lot of really cool people will happily infodump about their OCs if you ask them. A lot of people are happy to make friends. The way I find people to follow is part scrolling through tags for my interests, but also looking through likes and reblogged that were made on my own posts and seeing if I click with any of those folks.

2) Make fandom posts. Tumblr is a fandom website, and while I ADORE your original content, it is easier for people to find you through fandom and then get attached to your other stuff.

3) Be alright with screaming into the void. A lot of the time when I make posts, I'm not actually expecting anybody to interact with them, unless it's a fandom post. I'm kind of just screaming into the void. Sometimes I'll get pleasantly surprised and someone will interact with it, but my personal posts are all 0-3 note posts most of the time, while most of my fandom posts hover around 20ish and sometimes my posts "break containment," which I classify as anything over 50 notes (you can see which ones have broken for me in the top posts section).

4) Tag EVERYTHING. This one is annoying and boring and hard, but tags are how people see your posts. I spent a solid month just having an empty blog and stalking tumblr before I actually made a post, so I had a pretty good handle on what tags I should be using, because some of them aren't very intuitive. For example: I play wizard101 and that was one of the first posts I made where I found mutuals. Wizard 101 is tagged under #wizard101, #wizzy101, #wiz101, and #w101. That's FOUR different tags that people could be using, and if I wanted all of them to find that post, I had to use all four. Tumblr's auto-suggest tags are pretty helpful, but so is just scrolling through like a maniac.

(I also ramble in the tags of my posts. Just things I want to add that don't really belong in the main body of the post).

5) Post a lot. There are 2 types of people on this website: the people who are doing some kind of long-form project and don't really have time to make other posts, and the people who just post things and reblog things they like willy nilly. The long form project people also usually post their project on a side-blog and have a main account they use to still jabber and talk about stuff not related to it.

6) Reblog things. A LOT. Tumblr isn't really a "passive engagement" website. There's no algorithm on here. People prefer to curate their dashes very carefully based on the tags and the blogs they follow. So if you want to see more content for something you like, follow that person and reblog that post! ESPECIALLY posts that don't have very many notes, since those people are usually also looking for friends and engagement. You've probably noticed my blog is like 80% funny reblogs where I ramble in the tags and 20% my own nonsense.

7) And this last piece of advice is more for how to engage and less for how to get engagement yourself: find someone who is really bored and likes answering asks. They may not follow you back, but it'll be a fun conversation and way to engage and pass the time. I'm shy, so I look for people who are bored and have anons turned on like @call-me-chips (hope you don't mind the tag!) For people who are unaware, I am ALSO one of those people! Ask me questions! About anything! Even invasive ones! Including stuff I logically can't answer! Or just send me rants about things that you just want someone to hear! I love them! Send them as anons if you want! I don't care, I love talking to people on this website!

I hope this helps you find more of your people, and best of luck to you amigo! Remember to follow @ellazimmermansblog who I am tagging twice and praying that tumblr doesn't break for at least one of them!

[fluffypandabun]

I have a welcome home request if you don’t mind!

Lee Barnaby and Ler Frank

Frank gets sick of Barnabys prank calls and decides to put a stop to it

(Sorry if I’m bothering you i just really like your fanfics! 😅)

(No bother at all love!! I love writing these, as usual pls dont tag as ship)

Barnaby B. Beagle was relaxing under a shaded tree on a sunny day, laying down on the soft grass with his eyes closed, pipe in his mouth leaking out a steady thin stream of grey smoke, he felt just about ready to take a nap. 

"Ahem"

Barnaby cracked open an eye at the sound of a clearing throat above him, he was met with the familiar frowning grey face of the neighborhood's resident Butterfly expect. 

His lips curled up into a lazy grin as his tail started to wag slightly behind him happily at the presence of his friend. 

"Frankie!" He hummed pleasantly. "How can I help you on this fine sunny evening?"

The grumpy puppet rolled his eyes. "You know very much so what you can help me with today Barnaby."

The beagle opened both eyes and peered up at him curiously. 

"Now I'm not too sure what you mean there bud."

Seeing the bigger puppet was in fact confused, Frank rolled his eyes again and crossed his arms. 

"Both Julie and Wally prank called me today."

Barnaby chuckled, reclosing his eyes. "Yeah those two kids are rascals, need me to tell ya where they are?"

"They aren't the ones i'm looking for Barnaby."

"Oh?" Barnaby hummed, ear perking up slightly. 

Frank let out a groan. "I know you know the only reason they started doing it is because you did it first."

Ah so that was what this was all about, Barnaby fought to hide his smile. 

"Now i'm not quite sure I have any idea of what youre talkin bout there Frankie."

The puppet scoffed. "Oh don't play dumb with me Barnaby I know you've been the one encouraging them to prank call me!"

Okay maybe the blue beagle had done a little bit of...encouraging of his other small friends, it wasn't his fault they had decided Frank's reaction was so funny when they had witnessed Barnaby prank call the grumpy puppet himself, that they just had to do it for themselves. 

Unable to stop himself from grinning this time Barnaby just tsked at the puppet. 

"Why Frankie I am ashamed of you."

"I-what!?"

Barnaby had to stop himself from snickering out loud at the pure disgruntlement in the puppets tone, maybe he was being a bit mean but he couldn't help it. Frank's flustered reactions were just too cute. 

"Sitting here and assuming i'm the one at fault, why i've just been sittin here mindin my own business all day. For shame."

Barnaby shook his head, keeping his eyes closed and arms resting under his head. He didn't even try and keep the smile off of his muzzle at the shocked silence from Frank that followed. For a sec he thought the puppet might have even walked away until.

"Oh okay that is it!"

There was some quick shuffling and before Barnaby could even open his eyes, two hands grabbed onto his sides and began to gently squeeze, sending shocks of ticklish energy shooting all throughout Barnaby's body. 

The Beagles eyes snapped open and he let out a embarrassingly high pitched squeal, immediately he attempted to curl up into a little ball, rolling over onto his side as he burst into giggles. 

"Wha- hehehehey! Frankhehehehe"

The smaller puppet smirked at the beagles attempts of escape, he simply allowed his squeezing hands to stay glued to the beagles sides.

"Now Barnaby don't act so surprised, you know you walked right in to this one."

Barnaby cackled, kicking out his legs and attempting to dislodge Frank's hands to no avail. "Y-You ahahahahaha!"

Frank raised a brow; "I what? I am perfectly justified for doing this after you sent those two pranksters after me?

"Ihihihihi did nohohoho such thihihihihing!"

"Oh?" Frank hummed. "So you aren't willing to admit that it was you who started this whole 'Lets Prank call poor innocent Frank' shebang?"

Barnaby snorted softly, reaching over and trying to grab Frank's hands in his bigger paws. 

"Lihihihihihies and Slander!" He managed to choke out between titters. 

"Hm, very well."

The grey puppet leaned down and proceeded to drape himself across Barnaby's side, reaching down and, after making his hands into the shape of claws, gently scratching up and down Barnaby's blue fur covered belly. 

"I don't mind keeping this up until your ready to admit to truth Barnaby."

Barnaby let out a long 'awooo' before it faded out into loud body shaking belly laughter, the beagle kicking out his legs while his tail wagged a mile a minute behind him, smacking against Frank's leg. 

The puppet chuckled. "Though perhaps this isn't the best method to get you to admit the truth, considering how much you seem to enjoy it."

Barnaby snortled, arms out in front of him as he flapped his hands, as if he were unsure of what to do with them. His left leg was kicking so much he was starting to kick up dirt and grass.

He tried to speak but anything he tried to choke out was lost in his snort filled laughter, which was broken up by the occasional soft awwooing howl, beforing fading back into laughter again. 

The normally grumpy puppet couldn't stop himself from smiling as he watched his friend laugh happily, it was a well known fact in the neighborhood that combining tickling with belly rubs always drove poor Barnaby up the wall. 

Maybe Frank was being a little mean by using this tactic, but to be fair Barnaby did leave him no choice. 

 "You really do like the Belly scratches don't you?" Frank chuckled softly in amusement. 

"It does make sense of course, you are a dog after all." He hummed thoughtfully, never slowing down his scratching once even as he got a thoughtful look in his eye. 

"Though dogs don't usually have this kind of reaction to gargalesis like you do, but that most likely has to do with the fact that you are a sentient one-"

Barnaby didn't know what to do with himself, between the tickling, the belly rubs, and Franks thoughtful observations of Barnabys own ticklishness, he could handle teasing but he could never handle Franks on casual comments, finally after a moment he reached out to slam his fist against the ground. 

"U-UNCHEHEHLE!" He guffawed. "UuhuhunclewoooOOO!" 

He cries for uncle faded away by a final, quite literal, howl of laughter. Seeing his friend call for mercy, Frank immediately stopped. Undrapping himself from across his friends side he sat back on his knees and crossed his arms over his chest, a smug look on his face. 

Barnaby was left sprawled on the ground, body shaking with left over titters as his tail wagged at a more sluggish pace behind him. After a moment he let out a long groan, sending Barnaby a lighthearted glare over his shoulder. 

"T-That." He huffed. "Was so uncalled for and unfair."

Frank just raised a brow at him. "You could have stopped me by telling the truth at anytime."

Barnaby didn't answer, he just let out another long groan as he turned over to rest onto his stomach, chin stretched out to rest down on the ground as well. Frank chuckled, leaning forward to prop his elbows upon Barnaby's back. 

"Well?" 

Barnaby gave him a glare before he huffed. "Fine, Fine alright, I might have done a little bit of pushing to get em to team up on you." 

Frank gave the top of his head a few gentle pats, which did not make Barnaby's tail wag any faster; it did not; he was still very totally mad at Frank, letting out a self satisfied hum.

"See? Now was that so hard?"

Barnaby gave him a little tiny growl, though it lacked any real anger or threat behind it. Frank simply kept looking rather pleased with himself, as he turned around and leant againt Barnaby. Pulling a book out of...somewhere, Barnaby rose a brow.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to rest up so you can help me get back at Julie and Wally."

Barnaby scoffed. "And what makes you think I'll help you? I should get you back the moment I'm back on my feet."

Frank didn't even flinch, simply turning a page in his book. 

"Because if you don't I'll just ask Eddie to help, and I'll make sure to let them know that you were the one who sold them out."

Barnaby froze, thinking of the wrath the two tiny puppets could inflict on him, especially if they got Howdy involved. (The two small puppets had Howdy wrapped around their pinkie fingers, the poor caterpillar puppet had quite the soft spot for the small puppets.) 

Finally he huffed. "Fine fine, I'll help you. But dont think this means that you are off the hook bud."

The blue beagle suddenly shifted around, causing Frank to let out a surprised noise, but Barnaby simply had shifted on his side so he could curl around Frank like a big puppy, the grey puppet now leaning against his stomach. 

Frank froze for a moment before he relaxed with a fond sigh, reaching out with a free hand to scratch behind Barnaby's ears as he continued to read through his book. 

Barnaby let out a content hum, tail thumping against the ground in a steady rhythm as he closed his eyes. 

Now this was a much better way to relax.

[bubblymiilk-art]

VERY funny how I'm getting to the end of this queue right as stuff is starting back up again (Read More!!)

Sadly (at least to me), this is all that I had managed to do in the time frame of one school year. College is a new beast in terms of managing motivation, but I still really liked the stuff I did!!

Once again, my habit of going back to 23 to Feel. I'm real proud of the acting I was able to convey. Quad is such a tragic guy :')

The Shadow Fandub came out right before I left for school, and was pleasantly surprised that Ryan ended up doing a similar arc to Quad's. This was also inspired by Quad's moment of Catharsis in an ncct (3 i think?) against Dr Order because he deserved it <3

Lyric pieces are fun, this one is Artificial Heart by Jonathan Coulton. I wanted to have fun with a lineless style, and I think it came out really good!! ohhh J0hn4th4n you have been Ship of Theseus'd

Jack for a club contest piece, I wonder what his life on the tundra was like...

And a bunch of other doodles I managed to get out sporadically through the year

Quad and Blora are attached at the hip to me, if you can't tell. That's not really it but they Go Together so much in my mind it just Makes Sense

Wow look at that wonderful family I hope they aren't narratively doomed to never be together :) But on another note, I loved how all of them turned out. Getting to differentiate between slightly different versions of someone really makes you savor the details.

Some silly Order and Sephiroth doodles, I had realized just how Goofy those two were. Mad scientist/doctor tampering with life and the universe itself. And Sephiroth from Sephiroth is here and has probably been her closest working partner for years.

And sappy gay people because I Live for that shit :] Man drawing HamHel is hell but it was worth it

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Pauline

Pauline found it difficult to pack her backpack. But she knows that she is the one who got herself into this situation. Even if unintentionally. Pregnant, alone and with only a handful of luggage. "Morgana said if I had problems, I could come to her...but I don't think there would be room for me there. Hh, where else can I go?".

It felt like there was no end to the day. She visited Morgana and told her everything. But unfortunately she couldn't give her shelter, it would have been too cramped with one more person. So she would have to continue her search… She was tired and hungry… And surprised. "Zelda, is that you?".

"Pauline? Hey, long time no see...". Pauline was very surprised. "What's happened, are you living here now?"/ "Oh, don't ask. Yes, hn, and tomorrow I'm sure I'll have the sore muscles of my life. You wouldn't believe how much I've done here in the last two days. And all the things I've found... Wait... Oh man, finally finished, another secure line, great".

Pauline put down her backsack. "Actually, there's a simple explanation for this. It could have been so nice with Gobias, but I didn't get on with Susan at all. And you're not just walking around with a backsack and a depressed look on your face for no reason, are you?"/ "Oh Zelda, I…"/ "ooh, someone's hungry… come in, I'll make us something to eat and then you can tell me what's going on"

"You really did all that on your own? There was almost nothing here but a ruin"/ "Yes, but only almost… Hey, but don't expect a luxury apartment inside, okay?"/ "I don't care what it looks like inside, the main thing is that I can sit down first, my legs hurt…"/ "hey, you're not 60 yet…"/ "No… Not that".

Pauline quickly noticed that it was pleasantly warm inside the house. There was an old rusty fireplace in the room, but it wasn't broken and it smelled pleasantly of the wood that was slowly burning. "So, be honest"/ "a bit shabby, but clean..."/ "I like shabby, but still chic, shabby chic, hnhn. Is salad okay for now?"/ "h-hh, mhm".

Pauline would have preferred to eat something really good again, but at the moment she didn't really care what was on her plate, she was really hungry. "Where did you get these pretty figures?"/ "Found them... As I said, I've found a few things recently. ".

While Zelda prepared the food, Pauline looked at the little figures in silence. She knew that Zelda loved kitschy things, playful things. And she had to smile... "So, what happened, sweetie? Stress with Xander? You're together, I heard?"/ "Yeah, n-no... I was... With him and... With Hank..."/ "With both?? Oh, wow, Pauline, hnhn".

"it's actually not funny at all, you know? I…I thought it might work, but instead I lied to myself and hurt them both"/ "hmm, well, they're men, they'll get over it"/ "surely not so fast, because…one of them is going to be a dad"/ "oh, congratulations, then…ouch! Wait… Are YOU pregnant??"…

"mhm… Yes, I am… And…". Zelda dropped the knife on the chopping board. Then she turned to her and squealed with delight. "I can't believe it, Pauline, you're really having a baby?". Pauline had to smile a little at her reaction. "Yes, but please don't make a big deal out of it, okay? I…"/ "h-h, oh man, oh man, that's really unbelievable sorry, but I… I'm just happy for you… Aren't you happy?". Pauline shrugged her shoulders a little.

Zelda only had to look at her face to realize that something more must have happened. Pauline's eyes filled with tears. "oh… Come here, hm. You don't know which of them is the father of your baby"/ "I have a suspicions, but I don't really know, no. And Xander, he… He kicked me out"/ "What? Oh man."

Pauline slowly pulled away from the hug "He was really mad, Zelda. I betrayed him and now this… I'm really bad, aren't I?"/ "Oh, no, you're not bad, just… Just always very quickly very much in love. But I know how you feel, o.k.? Hey, if you want, you can stay here for a while, all right? And… for your current state, I'll even offer you my bed, I've still got a sleeping bag"/"h-hh, Oh you… Thanks"/"not for that… Oh man, a bahaaby!".

After the salad was ready, they both took a plate and sat down at the table. Zelda could tell that it really wasn't easy for her at the moment. "But you… You want to keep the baby, don't you?". Pauline looked at her and smiled. "Sure… it's not it's fault. I didn't want children before… But now that I know it already exists… I like the thought. But… I'll be alone with him…or her"/ "oh no, you've got me, I'm the cool Auntie Zelda".

Pauline had to smile a little again. Zelda is indeed a good aunt, at least to her nephew and niece. She is very sorry that she no longer lives under the same roof as them. But luckily they can still visit each other. "the salad is really good, thank you"/ "there'll be meat soon, I've been practicing hunting with VJ"/ "Oh, really?".

"Mhm. there are some wild animals that have come back… We've already made a plan, nobody shoots more than one animal a week and we have to watch out for the season, when they have their young etc…."/ "I know my 'young' certainly won't be hunted. Don't you have a sink?"/ "I have to plug it in first, sorry, but there's a pump with a bucket outside".

Pauline went outside to wash the dishes. "oh man, that's really primitive... But also kind of funny. She did everything by herself... and what can I do? Drive men crazy, drive myself crazy... I hope I don't have a crazy baby".

"and I can really sleep in your bed? I don't want to be a burden on you, Zelda"/ "you have the more difficult circumstances, and I have enough space. don't worry about it, okay?"/ "mhm. Let's go to sleep then, baby... I'm so tired".

The first night alone, well, not quite. After all, Pauline now has a baby under her heart and she can stay with her friend for a while. They've known each other for a while, and they also have something in common. Both are half-Asian. And they certainly have common interests. We'll see how things go from here.

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

@greenplumbboblover 😊

[lesvegas]

ritchie’s🎃💀 ABCs of Horror Movie Marathon!! 💀🎃

Horror movie challenge prompted by @quintsmachete

Day Six - F is for Final Destination (2000)

I've seen all the Saw movies multiple times and my fellow #sawfreaks have mentioned this one numerous times, so I figured now was as good a time as any to finally give it a watch. All I really knew going into this was that, like the Saw movies, it features over-the-top gruesome deaths and that the first entry was solid while the sequels got goofier over time. I also know from my partner that this movie is practically an OCD simulation video.

Just like going into Saw (2004), I expected this movie to be a lot dumber and a lot more gruesome, and was pleasantly surprised when it felt fairly grounded despite the evil magical presence of death itself. It also felt like a time capsule of the mid 90s-2000s which is always a positive for me. Also, besides comparing what I perceived these movies to be before I really knew anything about them, Final Destination and Saw really aren't alike, like, at all.

I don't personally have OCD, but I have observed some symptoms and thought processes from my partner, and watching this with him while he was like 'ME WHEN I HAVE OCD' especially in the first half was both kind of funny and also illuminating. It genuinely feels like one of the writers either have OCD, knows someone with OCD, or unintentionally made a great OCD nightmare movie. This all doesn't have much to do with how good the movie is on its own, but it did add an extra layer of enjoyment for me personally.

All that aside, I really liked this movie. I especially liked the special effects and I think they've aged spectacularly well. I genuinely couldn't predict some of the deaths with all the fake-outs which kept me on edge. The performances were fine, I thought the main guy was great while the rest were fine, no other stand outs. The movie never once felt like it was dragging or missing anything; great pacing and I have no desire to see any of the sequels. I found some moments unintentionally funny but that usually just adds to my enjoyment rather than takes away from it.

Overall, much better than I was expecting, and I'm glad I finally saw it.

This one gets four outta five plane explosions 💥💥💥💥🗌

[sschmendrick]

I keep getting so pleasantly surprised by some people. I don't expect much because we only knew each other for a few days, we aren't the best of friends or anything. He's a sound engineer I met at a festival and he's been answering my questions and giving advice and encouragement here and there. We don't text that often, not as often as right after the festival.

I always worry when I don't speak to someone that is more or less a mentor and to whom I cant bring much, I worry they will just forget about me or find my questions annoying with time. But this dude, who has 10 years of experience on me, keeps answering me so fast with a level of emotion I wouldn't expect (funny things, emojis, etc). It's been about 2 weeks now since we last spoke and it was just me showing one of the concerts we did because we had talked about doing live sound for orchestras and this was an orchestra. I just asked him a question like 5-10 min ago and about STAGE LIGHTING not even sound, and he answered so quickly ! I thought it would be like a day or two maybe, between his work and my work and the fact that it is 1am here so midnight for him. Some people keep surprising me in the most pleasant ways

[sorcerous-caress]

gave DA:I a go, didn't click for me, so I went on to try Origins instead and oh my god

This game is genuinely everything I want and more, I adore it so much and I'm barely out of the main area. The dialogue is so fun and well written, the contrast between Origins light-hearted nature and Inquisitor lore dumps.

I fell for Alistair so hard, god have mercy. A man who's actually funny??? since when? All DA:I men do is be bisexual, eat hot chips and lie. I hope the witch lady in the pics is romancable tho, they let me sleep with the elf lady in waiting, so I'm very pleasantly surprised by this game.

Anyway, the betrayal after betrayal is getting borderline comical. Looney tunes ass plot, but it's so fun to watch! Not like the writers were trying to be subtle, they sprinkled breadcrumbs to get the players to reach that conclusion early on purpose. This was their vision, which they executed beautifully.

I tried to put the game, but I can't, I just keep coming back telling myself "lemme just finish this one quest"

I can't use mods this time around, so rip me. At least I managed to make a cutiepie from vanilla character creation.

I'd say the graphics are nostalgic, but they aren't. For me, at least. By the time I got to games during my childhood, the graphics had already evolved way past these. So when I say I love these graphics, you know it's not nostalgia clouding my view.

There is something beautiful about it, the flat, unmoving hair that's clearly two mesh slabs stacked together. The low res textures, limited polygons in models with sharp corners. The "plastic doll" skin and airbrushed features everyone has, the sprayed on armour, the awkward expressions. It's really appealing on its own and not in a "pathetic but endearing" way. You'd think it was stylised, a faithful love letter to an era gone by.

[melsdreamweaving]

I don't know if this is supposed to help anyone. At the moment I am feeling a little lost. And at the same time, I'm pleasantly surprised. After years of suffering, I feel like a chapter has come to a close. I'm just an ordinary person, who has met some extraordinary people on the way. A nobody who really knows nothing at all. I'm happy being a nobody.

A somebody is someone who just does. But in my case, I'm choosing to balance between doing and contemplating. My middle school teacher called me the thinker. She made an award just for me. Praising me for resolving conflicts in our classroom. But the only thing I did was ask a group of teenagers and tweens to just stop and breathe for a second. That petty fights aren't worth their friendship. That is until one of them screamed in my face. I remember Miss Reyes, her lips set into a thin line. Hating that the toxicity of an older teenager was all it took to make me shrink again. But at the same time I had befriended another girl from Puerto Rico. We've been nerdy art friends ever since.

It's funny to me but in my home, I just wanted to pick up the pencil and draw. However I was also told that I had to write. To make our story known... I used to look at my grandmother and ask her, with what voice? You have already taken mine.

I've had many friends, they come and go. I've had lovers, they come and go. Could I have stayed virginal for the "right one"? It depends. Up until that point, I hadn't really met anyone I would have saved myself for. If I even had something to "save" for them. A girl I knew from Dade, had a similar circumstance. She was funny, and she used to say steal all of their virginities. That way they will never forget you. This person was a riot. And at the same time I understood what she meant. I'm glad that they were able to move on and have a better life elsewhere.

One of my friends had pointed out, that those with sour grapes shouldn't spoil your kind spirit. I also ran into one of the two boys that I altar served with. Reminding me that I have kind eyes, eyes that inspire compassion... I appreciated it, especially now that I am struggling not to go low.

My favorite comedian, Margaret Cho, is now in her '50s. When I dropped out of high school, I was filled with shame. The entire year I had spent it trying to get expelled. Coming up with elaborate plans, and failing miserably because I was still a naive young girl. My favorite thing that she said in the stand-up bit called Vicious Cho was: f*** it this is me. I feel like a lot of young people would benefit from watching her. Especially if you're not LGBTQ but are just feeling lost in your own body. I was told to have a career first, and then there will be time for family. But at the same time, I fell in love. A goofy other nobody named cro mag named Ug, really saw me for the first time.

I can't explain it. But most of what I do is motivated by his smile and influence. I was a teenager when I met him. Just barely turned 18. He took me out on a date, and got me a copy of "Brave New World" from the local borders. I definitely recommend reading it. He asked me if I saw myself in anyone. To tell you the truth I saw myself in the indigenous young man. Taken into high society and not being able to cope with man's inhumanity to man. He told me that you can't save everyone. I knew that. Even one of my professors told me that not everybody can get on the ship little one. And then he proceeded to tell me that being a single father is hard. I nodded my head and said that it must be...

I didn't want to rule the world, I just wanted to see it. Having been a nerd, I enjoyed reading the encyclopedia on the computer. At the time, I loved the sound of hearing the machine come to life. The disc whirring and... My best friend would be there to greet me.

I shared the computer with my uncle and brother. It was a lot of fun to look and see what they were into. Sometimes I didn't understand it, but as my mom taught me snitches get stitches. So I stayed quiet, and played on the encyclopedia Britannica. They had this really cool game called mind maze. Were you learned random facts and navigated a castle.

My favorite games were those where you were a protagonist navigating a strange world. The King's quest games were my favorite. I loved King Graham, and the enchanted world of Daventry.

The woman who authored these games, was introduced to the role-playing games by her husband. I always thought it was awesome to be able to do such a thing. In college it was really hard to find others who played these games but it was fun to talk about character design, and story structure.

Currently I'm playing Shadow dark with a group of my husband's friends. What I enjoy about it is that it reminds me of discworld, at least the way we're playing. None of us have died yet thank goodness.

I like drifting away from things too. People, places, and just relaxing. Have you ever just laid face up in a pool for hours? It's my favorite thing to do. You can just meditate and forget everything. It feels like you're in space. Even though I don't think I would like to be up there. Something about the sky always makes me feel like it's trying to eat me. The ocean however feels like home.

Having Taino ancestry I think back to one of the last survivors of Fidel. At the time when he came to power, the first people he targeted were indigenous. My grandmother had to hide my mom. Her straight hair was a huge problem back then.

The man that I'm thinking of if he is still alive, lives by the ocean fishing and just swimming all day. A simple life. A wonderful life really. My husband and I, talk about living by the sea. Not caring anymore. Just enjoying our lives, because why bother with a world that would turn around and defraud its own people. You were ignorant for believing in others... Okay, I think that says more about you than it does about me.

I love my husband because he said go back to the gym palpy you ain't getting my Padme, lol 🤣. Our food names are ironically rice and beans. Everyone used to call him Mr Bean cuz he looked like the actor when he was younger... And at the time my friends all had food names, and I picked rice. Mostly because I go with everything. And of course being a fan of Fruit baskets definitely influenced that. My friends were fun, but I always felt plain like rice. I met other people that are like rice though. I call them burnt rice, mostly because they're rough around the edges and prickly.

If you were a food what would you be?

[teaberrii]

Chapter Seven: The President's Roommate

You and Cyno can’t be more different. He’s Akademiya’s perfect student council president. You’re a labelled, cursed delinquent who changes into a cat for eight hours when kissed.

When Cyno gets a complaint about you, he’s forced to take action, only for it to lead to unexpected circumstances.

Cyno/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Cyno is pleasantly surprised that you’re drinking responsibly. Not that he doubted you, but he hoped your drinking habits didn’t mimic what was shown in movies or TV. However, it does make him wonder if you drink just as responsibly around Jebrael and Rahman. An image of you knocked out drunk on the table with a bright red face comes to mind. With beer bottles scattered around you, you raise an empty one, look Cyno in the eyes, and demand more.

Cyno slightly shakes his head. Let’s… not go there again.

He walks into the lounge with a drink and sees you at the back, talking with Tighnari and Candace. You seem relaxed and comfortable, and most importantly, you seem like you’re having a good time. Upon hearing a loud cheer from a small crowd of students nearby, Cyno turns to his left and sees your friend walk out of the room. He gives you one last glance and follows her.

“Hey.”

She stops and turns around. “Ah, Cyno!” Cyno notices she’s fidgeting. Out of nervousness, perhaps? “Do you need something?”

“Could we chat?”

She forces a small smile. “What about?”

Cyno thinks about being blunt and mentioning you directly, but he figures that would put her off. She’d probably start avoiding him. So, he decides to take a different approach.

"You probably know that I've been asked to deal with the complaints about Y/N," Cyno says. "Your name keeps coming up the more I investigate." Cyno opens the door, leading to an empty patio, and gestures for her to head outside. So she does, a little reluctantly, but it means she's willing to talk. "I want to hear your side of the story."

“My name?” she asks cautiously, turning around. “What have you heard, Mr. President?”

“The conversation in the parking lot? Let’s start with that.”

“That… was a misunderstanding,” she says calmly. “I think she got confused.”

“About?”

She leans against the railing. "She thought I spread those weird pictures of her and those guys." Then, she chuckles softly. "Funny, isn't it? Why would she think it was me when it was obviously that student? She should've gone to him, not me."

“It’s just something I heard… that student said it was you who told him you saw her at The Red Sand.”

“Me? That’s ridiculous! How would I know where she spends her free time?”

Cyno raises a brow. "Aren't you two friends?" She opens her mouth, but he cuts her off. "Even if you didn't know where she goes, you knew where she lived. You didn't hesitate to give me her address back at the teacher's lounge, remember?"

“I was helping you, and now you’re using this to accuse me?”

“You're looking at this the wrong way,” Cyno says. “I want to find out what’s going on so I can deal with things appropriately. If I don’t ask the people involved, I wouldn't get anywhere."

“Can I trust you?” She crosses her arms. “I heard you’re close with her. Or is that just an act, Mr. President?”

Is she finally exposing her true colours?

"With all due respect, whether I am or not is my personal business." That came out a lot more hostile than he intended. "If nothing is going on, you wouldn't care if I am or not. None of this would be happening in the first place, and even if it did, you'd want to clear up the misunderstanding as soon as possible. There wouldn't be any ambiguity."

The silence drags on… and on… and on… but Cyno doesn't mind. He can see it in her eyes, an inner battle of whatever emotion holds her hostage. Finally, she clenches her fist, takes a small breath, and says with a shaky voice, "I hate her." She smiles wryly. "Mr. President… do you know who she is?"

She knew? For how long?

“Would you believe me if I said she’s part of a criminal organization?” She scoffs quietly. “Probably not, huh? Someone like her? She doesn’t look the part.”

That's true. You obviously don't look like you'd be part of an organized crime syndicate. But your reputation is already in dangerous territory. Even if that got around, it sounds like a joke that people wouldn't take seriously, but probably add on by saying you're next in line.

Oh, wait.

“How are you so sure?” Cyno asks.

She pushes herself off the railing and walks past him but stops just before reaching the door. “A word of advice, President.” They look at each other at the same time. “It would be in your best interests to stay away from her.”

Then, she’s gone.

What… was that? She sounded so confident. Yet, this sparks another question: why? Surely she has evidence to back up her claims. But why resort to rumours and dragging in other people to confirm your identity? It's strange and seemingly a waste of time… or is there something he's missing? Still, the overarching questions remain.

Why is she doing this? Why does she hate you so much?

Cyno pushes open the door and heads back to the lounge. When he gets there, Candace waves him over.

“Cyno! Over here!”

As soon as he walks over, Candace slides him an empty glass. When Cyno sees two large bottles of alcohol on the counter and empty glasses, he thinks he knows what's coming. You're standing across from him, looking a little nervous. Cyno glances at Candace; he's almost positive that Candace had something to do with getting you involved. But let's think positively. Maybe this game of Truth or Drink will bring everyone a little closer.

“Tighnari, you first!”

“M-me?”

Candace laughs. “Why are you getting so nervous?”

“Is that my question?”

One of the girls clears her throat. “Of course not, silly. Your question is… have you ever read erotic fiction?”

"Starting off with the hard-hitting questions, huh?" Candace asks.

Tighnari’s face starts turning red, and everyone starts laughing. Then, he clears his throat and says as calmly as he can, “Yes. I have.”

A collective ooh echoes throughout the room, and then one student asks, “Would you recommend it?”

Cyno sees you trying to hold back a snicker as everyone pesters Tighnari over specifics about what he read. The way your bottom lip curl inwards and your eyes light up. Cyno doesn't know Candace notices his little smile when he's looking at you. She has to hold back an amused grin herself. It isn't until you glance at him does Cyno casually look away.

One of the boys turns to Cyno. “Next is Mr. School President!”

“I have one,” Candace says. “What is your ideal date?“

"That's such an easy question, Candace!"

"Yeah! Let's go with something... spicier."

Candace shrugs. "Good luck getting anything spicy out of him. He's never been on a date."

Silence. It’s so quiet that Cyno can probably hear a cricket chirp.

One of the students look at him. “Is that true, Cyno? You haven’t been on a single date?”

Tighnari chuckles. "More like he never saw it as a date. Maybe the other person did, though."

"Gosh," you say. "How many hearts have you broken, prez?"

Cyno clears his throat and says, "To answer Candace's question... just being with the person I like is enough."

"Such a standard answer!" a student pipes up.

"Yeah, but it suits him... don't you think?"

Candace claps her hands. “Okay, okay, Cyno answered the question. Let’s move on.”

“I have one for you, Candace.”

“I don’t like the look you’re giving me, Tighnari,” Candace deadpans.

“Have you ever gone to a strip club?”

Candace narrows her eyes as everyone waits with bated breath. It isn’t until Candace reaches for the alcohol that everyone starts probing for details. Once she slams the empty glass on the table, she says, “Moving on!”

“Let’s take things up a notch!” A girl looks at you and smiles. “Are you attracted to anyone in this room?”

A boy rolls his eyes. "Yeah, that's really next-level stuff."

The girl hits him. "Fine. Let me rephrase my question then." She looks back at you. "How many people in the room are you willing to hook up with?"

“Could we have a little variety in the questions?” you ask.

“Are you trying to get out of answering, Catnip?” Tighnari asks with a small smile, and you frown at him. “You don’t have to say who. Just give a number.”

"None," you say confidently. Tighnari gives you a skeptical look, and you return it with a deadpan stare. "I prefer lasting relationships."

As the game continues, more people are starting to get tipsy, including you. When the game enters its final round, and it's your turn to answer, your cheeks already have a rosy glow, and your eyes are a little bloodshot.

"Okay, I have an easy one for you, Catnip," Tighnari says. His face is even redder than yours. "What do you think of Cyno?" As you stare at the vice president with wide eyes, it's as if the question makes you sober.

“Ah, I don’t think she wants to answer that,” a student says, already filling your glass with alcohol. Cyno narrows his eyes and takes your glass before you can take it yourself. “H-hey, Cyno! What are you doing?”

“I’ll drink for her.”

“You sure? You’ve been drinking more than usual.”

But Cyno doesn’t care. He downs it anyway.

“Your alcohol tolerance is pretty high, Cyno.”

Then, the lounge doors open, and a professor walks in with a hand on his hip. "Hey, it's time to wrap up! Get to your rooms. Don't forget you have to get up bright and early tomorrow."

After everyone cleans up the lounge and starts heading to their rooms, Cyno makes sure to be behind you, watching you closely as you sway when walking to your room. Unable to take it anymore, Cyno walks faster and stops before you. You slowly look up at him and surprisingly smile.

“Do you need something, prez?��� You look like you're drunk but don’t sound like it. Cyno isn’t sure how to react when you hit his chest. “You’re in my way.”

Cyno turns around and crouches. “Get on.”

He isn’t expecting you to laugh, but then again… what should he be expecting? “Prez, I’m fine! I’m too heavy, anyways.”

“You’re going to hurt yourself.”

You hit his back. “I’m not made of glass, you know. I can—”

Cyno takes your hand and gently pulls you forward, using just enough force, so you land on his back. Then, he effortlessly stands, and your arms naturally go around his neck and legs around his waist.

“I guess I’ll see you back at the dorm,” Tighnari says, coming up beside Cyno.

“What happened to Candace?”

“She’s already back at the dorm. Knocked out.” Then, Tighnari smiles at you. “Have to admit… she is kind of cute.”

Cyno gives his friend a look and says, “I’ll be back soon,” and walks off before his friend can say anything else.

Cyno occasionally walks by a few students who don't bother to hide their stares. Of course, Cyno doesn't spare them a glance.

“Hey… prez.”

Cyno is fully aware of how close your face is to his. “Yes?”

“You… you didn’t have to drink for me back then.”

Cyno sighs. "You would be more drunk if I didn't."

“You know… you know”—a soft laugh—“you know what I think of you, prez?”

He's not in the mood to bicker with you, especially when you won't remember anything the next day. So, he keeps quiet, hoping that it will be enough to end the conversation. But, instead, he feels your lips on his ear, and the heat rush to his cheeks. Are you always touchy-feely when you're drunk? Or… is it because it's him?

“You’re kind of annoying… and such an o-overachiever.” Really? Is that what you really think of him? “But… but… you’re kind of okay.” Kind of okay? It’s better than nothing, he supposes. “And I…” You… what? Cyno slowly turns to you, not expecting that one little action to be enough for your lips to brush against his cheek.

A puff of smoke. A weight lifted off his back. Clothes fall to the ground. And… a panicking school president. Cyno feels something fluffy, and he immediately looks behind him and sees a knocked-out white cat with a red face.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, he can’t help but think it’s his first time seeing and carrying a drunk cat.

Cyno is clueless. Absolutely clueless. How long does this curse last? What happens when you change back? The last thing Cyno wants is for you to misunderstand, thinking he took advantage of you while drunk. He's in a pickle… and it had to happen on a school trip.

By now, Cyno has already gathered your clothes. He uses some for you to lie on while the rest is a makeshift blanket. He's carrying you in his arms, and you're curled against him, four paws up, and shifting to make yourself comfortable. Despite how cute you look, Cyno wants to scream.

“Hey, Cyno.” He never knew that a greeting could almost cause a heart attack. Cyno turns around and sees your other roommate walking up to him. As soon as she sees you, she stops. “Where did the cat come from?”

“I found her nearby,” Cyno says quietly.

"She looks adorable!" When Cyno steps closer to her, she gestures for him to stop. "But I'm allergic…."

“Oh… I didn’t know.” Well, there goes one of his options.

“Are you taking her back to your room?” Then, she chuckles. “She seems to like you.” Cyno glances down and hears you purring in his arms. “Well, have a good night!”

A stressful one is more like it.

Cyno cautiously opens his door. As soon as he notices Tighnari is in the shower, Cyno quickly heads to his room and closes the door. He sighs softly and then hears a soft meow. He looks down and sees you looking up at him with wide eyes. Are you sober now?

You raise a paw. Are you asking him to hold it? His hopes are dashed when you suddenly swipe at his hand and jump onto his bed. Hold up. Are you mad? You're walking around his bed until you get comfortable on his blanket. When Cyno gets on the bed and drags the blanket, you suddenly look up and meow angrily at him.

“You’re going to catch a cold,” Cyno says sternly.

You meow again. Your front paws are now spread on the blanket as if to assert your dominance over his blanket. Cyno frowns. Should he be expecting any different? He starts dragging the blanket until you bite it and look up at him with wide eyes.

“You really are stubborn,” Cyno says quietly.

Unbeknownst to Cyno, Tighnari has finished his shower and notices that his friend’s door is closed.

“Hey, Cyno, why is—” Tighnari stops when he sees his friend wrestling with a cat on the bed. The cat is lying on its back, its front paws caging Cyno’s hand. After a prolonged silence of everyone staring at each other, Tighnari finally asks, “Where did the cat come from?”

Cyno gets up just as you roll upright. “I found her nearby.”

"Nearby?" Tighnari asks, sitting on the edge of his friend's bed. "Weren't you bringing Catnip back to her room?"

Cyno glances at you, and he's surprised you're looking back at him. "She was wandering the corridor," Cyno says.

You slowly walk to Tighnari, who then scratches your chin. "A cat just wandering the corridor? Surprised no one's found her. Maybe she belongs to the owner."

“Maybe."

“I guess you’re going to let her stay the night.” You walk back to Cyno’s blanket and curl yourself on top of it. Then, Tighnari chuckles. “Looks like you have no choice.”

Before his roommate leaves, Cyno says, "Hey, Tighnari." His friend turns around. "Could you not tell anyone about this?"

“That you surprisingly brought a cat back to our dorm? Sure. But… what’s the big deal?”

“Pets aren’t allowed in the dorms.” Suddenly, Cyno feels you dig your claws into his back. He turns around and sees you frowning at him.

As Cyno slowly picks you up and puts you on his lap, Tighnari laughs. “It doesn’t seem like she likes to be called a pet.”

“Well, she’s going to have to settle for that for the time being,” Cyno deadpans.

You swipe at his face, but Cyno grabs your paw. Tighnari looks from Cyno to the cat and back to his friend and asks, “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Cyno says, still looking at you. “I just never knew cats could be so picky.”

◆◆◆

It's the middle of the night when Cyno opens his eyes. He feels something furry brush against his leg, so he lifts up his blanket and sees you slowly crawling up the bed. However, as soon as you see him, you stop, eyes wide as if caught doing something you shouldn't be doing.

When Cyno went to sleep, you had made yourself comfortable on the windowsill. While Cyno had made it clear that you're welcome to sleep on his bed, you still opted for the windowsill. So, the last thing Cyno is expecting is for you to want to sleep with him.

Cyno lifts off the blanket and picks you up. He hears you meow softly as he puts you on the empty space of his pillow. Cyno puts the blanket over you and lies back down himself. You’re staring at each other when he gently scratches the top of your head.

“Goodnight, Catnip.”

◆◆◆

The next time Cyno awakens, you’re nowhere to be found. He’s quick to notice that your clothes are gone, and his first thought is that you turned back… but where did you go? Cyno gets out of bed just as Tighnari opens his door.

“Oh, good! You’re up!”

Cyno looks at his friend. “Have you seen Cat—the cat?”

“No. Don’t tell me you lost her.”

"I wouldn't say I lost her…."

Tighnari looks around. “Well, we’ll have to look for her some other time. We have a class this morning.”

Tighnari closes his friend’s door, leaving him to wonder if everything that happened yesterday had been a strange but pleasant dream.

When Cyno and Tighnari arrive for their first period, you're already there with Candace and some students from yesterday night. You're wearing different clothes, so you must have returned to your dorm before the early morning class.

"Hey!" Candace waves them over.

Before he and Tighnari could join the rest of the group, you immediately excuse yourself to go somewhere else. 

"Is Catnip okay?" Tighnari asks, watching you leave.

"Ah... she has a bad hangover. So, I gave her some medicine." Candace says.  

Tighnari looks at her. “Hopefully, your hangover wasn’t too bad."

Their conversation falls on deaf ears as Cyno glances at you, who's grabbing a drink nearby. You meet his eyes, and the first thing you do is look and walk away, which takes Cyno by surprise.

Are you avoiding him?

Chapter Eight

End notes:

Ending 2022 with a fluffy update :D

Have a safe and warm New Years' Eve, everybody!

Tag list: @seirenspinel @iwishitwas @sketcheeee @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn