#we’re almost halfway done with the story

[mimiexe15]

chapter 5: a new generation

Mira, Magica

Mira pov:

I immediately got dressed and then started heading out of the place with Yuri and kyubey I still wondered where he was this entire time "OK I'm sorry but I just got so many questions right now but first question where were you? Kyubey

I as said those words I was I was pulling my boots on and grabbed my soul gem then Yuri help me climb out the window "well the long story really I basically got kidnapped" Kyubey got kidnapped!? I mean, I guess that explains why he didn't warn us I was still holding Yuri hand. It felt cold, but nice.

"You got kidnapped, but by who and more questions who were those witches why were they different? They had intelligence they knew how to fight actual magical girls" Yuri looked at me and then back at Kyubey

"You mean, those witch I would hardly call them witches Been dealing with them for quite a long time I think they've been around for years now I'm guessing Kyubey didn't tell you about them yet" Yuri looked at me with a cold expression. I was still confused, but I guess it made sense but hold up. 

'Kyubey knew!?"

Kyubey then looked at me once again blinking with his emotionless face "of course I knew I never wanted to share the full information until Your girls were ready." When he said that I can't help but feel a bit of anger .not ready ..but at the same time maybe he was right I could barely defend myself.

I still always wonder when I look at my friends soul gems they get tan slowly, but mine seems a bit more sped up for some reason. but felt nice holding Yuri hand  I then look back up at Yuri as we walked through the streets "why do you want to help me?"

Yuri let out a deep sigh "well I would've refused at first and I was planning on it, but the fact I couldn't help but feel pity with that begging face to say the least"she smirk when she said that did I really look that stupid when trying to ask her...but then again I was begging I mean it works, but maybe she sees me as a dumb idiot who can't do anything??

I continue thinking to myself, still questioning my life. Yuri and I stopped somewhere. It was a large alleyway no one was even there, but it was nighttime so it made sense Yuri then look back at me "before we start Kyubey would like to talk to you for a minute"

Kyubey then hopped off of Yuri shoulder and looked at me

"if I'm correct your grief seed has run out of energy you can no longer use it or else witch the inside of it will be reborn again" Kyubey said those words right in front of my face I was surprised he knew that but then again he created the magical girls. Or maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. Maybe he's just a magical companion."umm ya" I said responded to him

Kyubey Blinked at me and then seem to be what I guess was a smile. It's hard to tell "have no fear I can take care of that for you just give it to me"I looked at Kyubey who told me that I gave him the grief seed I defeated from that weird train a couple days ago and handed it to him 

he played around with it on his tail and then put it in his red spot  on his back as it immediately disappeared.I was immediately surprised when I saw that. "Wait wait wait where did it go?"

"It's been converted into energy. It won't cause harm to the world anymore. Well, unless one of it's familiar it escaped and it's been reborn again." Kyubey Said as he walked "well, I'll leave you guys to work now"

I watched him walk away with me being speechless before I turned back noticing  Yuri had her sniper pointed right towards me I immediately panicked. I thought she was going to train me not shoot me she immediately shot the bullet as I immediately frozen  but it just went right through me. Was it not even a real bullet?!

Yuri look at me calming And then spoke "can you not dodge a bullet?"... I looked around for a second. This is awkward and mostly embarrassing. "No" I said, she then slapped her face. "We're gonna have a lot of work to do and to answered the question about the bullet that was an illusion"

When I heard Yuri say that I was completely embarrassed....how does this girl know what I'm thinking? Why is she so pretty? She must think I'm an idiot. Why do it have to be a student council member? I really really just wanna pull my hair out and wanna wrap myself under the covers

Yuri looked back at me "Let's just get started"

(Insert training montage because I am not writing a scene of them training that was difficult plus I think you guys wouldn't to have fun reading that)

Narrative pov

Mira has gotten better from last time a bit she learned how to platform and Dodge bullets, sharp objects, and defending herself but still had a couple ... errors as she still fell a bunch, still had problems using the weapon correctly at least she's getting somewhere

Mira slowly sign to her self as she sat down for a moment in one of the abandoned stations near the alleyway Yuri came up and sat beside her  Yuri then put Cup of noodles down "do you want one? I have a second"Yuri said, Mira looked back at her and simply smile "sure I guess"

Mira grabbed a cup of noodles and it openedi before Yuri hand her some chopstick, Mira starting eating. Yuri then laid back as she opens her cup and feed a noodle to Kyubey

"so why are you always so negative?"Mira then looked at Yuri, who said that Mira with her mouth still full, but quickly slurped up "what do you mean?"mira said looking at Yuri

"I think it's obvious I've always seen you at school with yourself  known your nasty, anxious wreck, even though you have great friends there your not exactly confident in yourself"said Yuri trying to explain what she meant

Mira, then look down "well I think it's obvious this world can be cruel something bad about to happen no matter what even when things look joyful. maybe I have a nice dad, but I have  never really got to know my mom" she had a frown on her face  "besides, I doubt the most positive person could be positive. when They're about to die"

After hearing that Yuri had a surprise, but cold expression, she wasn't expecting to hear that "what do you mean you never got to know your mom?" Yuri said  "she just kind of disappeared one day"Mira replied.

"Well just telling you you should stop being depressed or looking down at things if you wanna keep being a magical girl" Mira was confused when Yuri said that

 "you're not going to just get through life being depressed plus your emotions are connected to your  soul gem the more you spiral into your despair easier it get corrupted" Yuri said that lookIng calm mira was surprised when hearing that, but it also explained a lot on her mind

"Thank you"Mira said smiling. She then tried to finish up her noodles despite her being cold  it seemed like she wanted to help. She was a confusing girl to say the least. Yuri got up when she finished "now, then let's get back to wo-" before Yuri could continue her sentence mira immediately hugged her she then smiled, "no seriously thank you"

Yuri was surprised, not expecting to get a hug, especially with her being perfect girl for once in her life it wasn't a thank you but for being there "you're welcome I guess" Yuri then pulled her aside  "now come on. We still have a bit of training left"

Mira got up and put on confident face Kyubey only sat and watch the girls train they're just  them he may have found the right girls after all 

mira and started to learn how to control her weapon it was connected to her brain and what she was thinking so she learned just think of a weapon and wand would materialize it. She still had a lot to learn though things for sure if she stop thinking about it stop. She still had some failures  though..

Mira pov:

Focus gun gun, then angle and shoot! I reopened my eyes at the target I actually did it. I successfully aimed it. My wand didn't transform back and I actually shot something! "Hey mira have you actually fight a witch?"looked at Yuri, who watched her Soul gem glow

"Only once I have actually defeated one, but that was a lucky shot" I looked at her embarrassed. I never actually got into a real fight with a witch other than those two though mostly ended up losing. 

"Well I hope you're up for fighting another one because when a soul gem starts glowing it indicates a witches nearby" Yuri said, looking at meI was surprised when hearing that did Kiki and Raya if they did, they would've told me

Kyubey Then looked around for a minute "and by the looks of it, it's a recent one meaning no one will be harmed ... not yet. At least you should probably get going and put those skills to work"Kyubey looked back at me. I nodded my head when he said that.Yuri then grabbed my hand as we started heading towards where the witch could be

We eventually stopped at an old abandoned diner before Yuri raised her sniper and shot. One of the walls revealing a childish looking door it had a little plushy hanging around it there was a small flower symbol under it still wonder why they have the symbols  yuri looked at me "are you actually ready to fight a witch?"

I looked back at her and raised my head, nodding this time for sure I'll do better "ready, as I'll ever be" we open the door as both of us went in and turned into our magical girl forms we both entered the labyrinth. 

I knew each witch labyrinth is different in their own way, but this looks like a giant pillow fort, made out of a bunch of fabrics. Made me a bit dizzy from looking at all the patterns ..uhg. "Keep your guard up" I looked at Yuri, who said that and nod we opened one final door in front of us, a pink chest

Is that seriously the witch were fighting? It's just a toy chest"is that the witch" I asked as Yuri looked at me "most likely. Witch coming all different sizes, but I can see why you're a bit weirded out by this one"

We both looked down at the toy chest in front of us before it opened as a giant worm like thing came out do you know what kind of look like a sock puppet it's split its face open that things scared me something so innocent turned into that..it made me froze....I'm going to die....

(This update description above me may be updated in the future since we didn't have a canon design for the thing above us and also yes it was based off Charlotte)

"Well  S- - -"

I was speechless as I heard that voice in my head again I felt frozen in place like I couldn't even say a word or or move "and it's time to get going" felt those cold hands grab me again knowing it was Yuri. She moved me out of the way...I almost died. Did I just witness death in front of my eyes??

I could feel my own body sweating note to self don't trust a cute toybox...I also might need therapy.. I watch Yuri reload her sniper before heading back in fighting. Whatever that thing is I mean I know it's a witch, but I never think somethin- never mind I just need a helper. I can't stand around and be useless.

Narrative pov:

Mira head after Yuri into battle she was trained well so she should do better than last time from fighting a witch her familiars known as goneis immediately spring into action, Yuri shooting each one that tries to get closer to her 

Mira was trying to keep up as her wand materialized into sword, she was hoping for a mallet or hammer, but this is going to have to do "hey Yuri" Yuri looked towards mira and she said that before shooting a familiar behind her "ya?" Mira looked for a minute before slashing one of the familiars

"I was just wondering, maybe we could be friends or you can possibly come to my friend group if you know you have time"Mira said before dodging the witch who just launched at her "I'll think about it"yuri replied before jumping above the witch and shooting it in the eye before it started screeching

And immediately started ramming into the wall Mira  sword, then turned into a spiky baseball bat hitting it towards Yuri who once again, reloaded her shotgun and shoot it right in the face, the witches worm collapses to the ground "huh good job with the witch"

Mira got embarrassed and started blushing panicking a bit. She wasn't expecting a compliment. "we-l -l tha- nk you b-but you did much better than!"Mira said stuttering she smiled and trying her best not to act like some awkward, anxious wreck

 Before the two girls can finish the witch burst out of the smoke just about to eat the two before a sickle with chains wraps around their body and pulls them in Mira was surprised, knowing exactly who that sickle belong to

Jiko holding the chains to the sickle was there Kiki and Raya appeared above as they stomped on the on the witch as an immediately went flying like a hot air, balloon, the labyrinth shattered into pieces after that usually indicating the witch has been defeated

 Raya then waved rapidly at Mira after defeating the witch "there you are girl we thought you were still asleep" said Raya kiki just sign at least knowing her friend was safe Jiko just try to finish eating the can of chips she had in her hand

"So I'm guessing there are your friends I saved yesterday" Yuri said looking at Mira with cold a expression  Mira  looks back at Yuri "yeah they are my friends" Mira said that with a shy smileand then looked back at her the people she cared about

Kiki then walked up to both yuri and Mira  "glad you girls are safe oh and Mira is this the girl you were talking about right" Mira then looked Embarrassed"well yeah I- " before she continued Yuri interrupted "She basically asked me to train her and I said yes your friend has a lot of potential you know that right"

Kiki only nod "hey Mira, guess what!?" Raya said shouting "I was able to befriend Jiko" Jiko looked back at raya when she said she immediately responded with a angry expression "WHAT we're not friends. We just made a deal!"

Raya turned to Jiko With a cocky expression "you still accepted it though" Jiko eyes flared up when she heard that, she just continued arguing with her as Raya  got under her skin "that's not how logic works you idiot!"

 Kiki and Mira watch the two girls fight  then Mira noticed yuri leaving "hey where are you going? I thought you were staying" Yuri then look back at her "I did my job of training you therefore means my purpose of being here is no longer needed"

Mira then grabbed Yuri's hand "wait you still have a purpose well a new one at least you're my friend now meaning you should try to get along with my other friends"Mira said, looking at Yuri with a smile. 

Kyubey Watch the five girls chat with each other. He did it. He made a new generation one that could be more powerful to defeat the council. A new and better...holy quintet.. 

However, it was shortly interrupted with a loud silent eeeep!

Something fell right in front of them. The first object was a grief seed from the witch from earlier but the second one was a small creature plushy looking thing 

it had light blue dog ears with bells on them it wearing a toy chest on its head, one of its eyes were bleeding, and it was wearing a fluffy collar with pom-poms hanging down from it. It also look like it had little sock puppets on its arms. It looked injured...

To be continued

(I am happy how this chapter turned out we're pretty much halfway through the book surprisingly If you guys are curious, how Raya befriend Jiko there will be a flashback in chapter 6 to explain it either way thank you for the support on this AU and book. See you in the next chapter.)

[cybermcdel]

— 𝔖𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗟, rafe cameron . . . ⋆ ࿔｡  

⌗ pairing: ❪ rafe cameron x plus size!fem reader ❬

⌗ summary: ❪ dinner with rafe’s friends don’t go the way you expected… ❫

⌗ tags: ❪ angst, fighting with rafe, cursing etc! ❫

⌗ a/n: ❪ i just want come on here and say, your beautiful and so is your body. so go eat that snack that you’ve been craving. ❫

— ( 💿 ) 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉 —

❝I don't see myself

Why I can't stay alone just by myself?

Wish I was comfortable just with myself.❞

Rafe had invited you out with his friends for dinner, insisting it would be fun. You weren’t exactly thrilled about it—his friends could be a lot, and not always in a good way—but Rafe wanted you there, and if he wanted something, you usually gave in.

The restaurant was one of those upscale casual spots—nice enough that you wouldn’t show up in sweats, but not so fancy that you needed a reservation. You felt good in your outfit, your confidence high as you walked in beside Rafe, your hand tucked securely in his.

At first, things were fine. A few laughs, some inside jokes you didn’t entirely get but played along with for Rafe’s sake. But then, the teasing started.

It was subtle at first. Little comments. Snide smirks. Looks.

You were sipping your drink when Topper leaned back in his chair, nodding toward your half-empty plate. “Damn, you’re really going in on that pasta, huh?”

The comment was laced with something sharp. You stiffened, glancing at Rafe, but he was too busy scrolling through his phone to catch it.

Kelce chuckled, adding, “Yeah, we just got the food, and you’re already halfway done. You weren’t, like, starving all day or something, were you?”

Your grip on your fork tightened. “I just eat at a normal pace, unlike you guys who act like you’re allergic to chewing.”

“True,” Sarah chimed in, sending you a supportive smile, but it wasn’t enough to stop the way Topper and Kelce exchanged glances like they were amused by you.

“Relax, we’re just joking,” Topper said, though his smirk told a different story. “You’re just a little more into your food than the rest of us. It’s kinda cute, actually.”

You clenched your jaw. You weren’t stupid. You knew exactly what he was saying.

Rafe finally looked up then, his gaze flicking between you and his friends. He didn’t say anything—maybe he didn’t even realize what was happening—but his arm moved to rest along the back of your chair, his fingers brushing your shoulder like he could feel the shift in your mood.

Then, it got worse.

When the waiter came back to check on your table, you ordered dessert—a slice of cheesecake, because you wanted it. But the moment the waiter walked away, Kelce let out a low whistle.

“Man, you’re still going? Gotta respect the commitment.”

“She’s bulking,” Topper snickered, nudging Rafe’s arm. “Right, Cameron?”

Your stomach twisted. It wasn’t even what they were saying—it was the tone, the way they were looking at you, like you were some joke they were all in on.

And Rafe? He laughed.

It was a small chuckle, almost absentminded, but it was enough.

Something in you cracked.

You shoved your chair back, the sound scraping against the floor as you stood up.

“Yeah, you know what? Fuck this,” you said, grabbing your bag. “I’m not gonna sit here and let you guys act like I’m some fucking sideshow act for your entertainment.”

Rafe’s head snapped up at your tone, his amusement vanishing instantly. “Baby—”

“No,” you cut him off, glaring at his so-called friends. “You guys are pathetic. Like, seriously. Sitting here laughing at me like you didn’t all get your asses handed to you in that stupid beer pong tournament last week.”

Kelce scoffed. “What—”

“And Topper,” you turned on him next, voice dripping with venom, “you wanna talk about eating habits? You were the same guy who cried over his macros being off when you didn’t get enough protein at that party. Grow the fuck up.”

Topper’s face turned red.

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” you finished, shoving your chair under the table, “I’m gonna leave before I waste another second of my time with this bullshit.”

You turned to walk away, and for a second, you thought Rafe would just let you go. But then, his chair scraped back, and before you even reached the door, his hand caught yours.

“Hey, hey, baby,” he said, pulling you to a stop. His voice was softer now, lower. “Wait.”

You yanked your hand away. “For what, Rafe? So you can keep laughing with them? So I can keep being the punchline?”

His jaw clenched. “You know that’s not—fuck—I wasn’t laughing at you, I swear.”

“Didn’t seem like it,” you shot back, crossing your arms.

Rafe exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. Then, without a word, he turned back to the table.

“Yo,” he said, his voice dangerously calm as he leaned against the edge. “You guys wanna tell me what the fuck that was?”

Kelce blinked. “Dude, come on, it was just—”

“I don’t care what you think it was,” Rafe cut him off, his tone cold. “That’s my girl you’re talking to like that. My girl, who I brought here, and you think you can sit there and clown her like she’s some fucking joke?”

Topper raised his hands. “Rafe, man—”

“Nah,” Rafe shook his head. “Nah. Y’all are dumb if you think I’m letting this slide. You wanna make jokes? Fine. Just don’t expect to sit at my table while you’re doing it.”

Silence.

Kelce shifted uncomfortably. “Dude, we were just messing—”

“Then mess with each other,” Rafe snapped. “Not her. Never her.”

You stared at him, your heart twisting, but you didn’t let your guard down. Not yet.

Rafe turned back to you, his expression softer now. “Baby, I swear I didn’t mean to laugh. I wasn’t thinking. But I should’ve said something immediately, and I didn’t. That’s on me. I fucked up.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Yeah, you did.”

He sighed, stepping closer. “I know. And I hate that I made you feel like I was one of them just now. But I promise you, I’m not.”

You didn’t say anything, still holding your ground.

Rafe hesitated, then, in a low voice, added, “Please don’t go. Let me fix this.”

You exhaled, tension still thrumming through your veins, but… fuck. He was trying.

After a long moment, you sighed. “You’re paying for my cheesecake.”

Rafe’s lips twitched, relief flooding his face. “Obviously.”

And when he reached for your hand this time, you let him.

[darnell-la]

Hopefully not to gross. But, I just have been thinking about Logan forcing his cock down his girls throat but he’s so big and rough it makes her vomit. Then instantly going from rough to apologetic when she’s upset

note: PLEASE READ ^^ this is unlike any story we have posted before, and we’d like to make sure whoever reads this will not give any kind of complaints. Thank you!

———

“C’mere,” Logan grabbed a handful of y/n’a hair and pulled her into the bathroom. They had been arguing for what felt like hours in an empty hallway about the mission Logan almost blew because of the way another man touched y/n’s hip.

“Logan, we’re undercover — Shit happens!” Y/n shouted at the man, which instantly put her on her knees. “Don’t fucking care,” Logan growled between his teeth as he reached into his pants to pull himself out.

“Logan, we’re working-“ Before y/n could’ve finished her sentence, the man pushed through her lips. He wasn’t fully hard yet, but he was still hung. That was one good dangerous thing about him.

“You think you’d enjoy this if it was him? Huh!?” Logan asked as he snapped his hips, making sure all that came out of y/n’s mouth were moans and saliva that made its way down her jaw.

“Oh, and believe I’ll send you right back out there to him, looking just like this,” Logan said as he wiped across y/n’s face a few times, smearing her makeup until she started slapping his hands away.

“Now do you think he’ll still want you after seeing you like this? Huh? Huh!?” The man asked as he kept pounding into y/n’s mouth relentlessly.

“No, he won’t — Only I like you like this, Bub, and only I can fucking see you like this,” Logan said right as his cock twitch. As soon as he got fully hard down y/n’s throat, he couldn’t hold himself back.

Y/n slapped Y/n Logan’s lower stomach, trying to tell him that she couldn’t breathe and that he was too far down her mouth, but he wouldn’t put his thrusts to a halt.

“Right there,” Logan growled as he spilled into her mouth. It felt good for a while until y/n began to cough. Within seconds, everything came up, and out of her mouth.

Logan quickly pulled back, not knowing what happened first until he watched her vomit over the bathroom floor.

“Oh, shit,” Logan said as he got to his knees and put a hand on her back to comfort her in some way. The man shook as y/n got everything out that needed to come out.

“Fuck, y/n- I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking-“ Logan tried saying until he was pushed away. “Fuck off!” Y/n’s voice died halfway through her speaking. She could feel the slight pain, and taste of what she had just let out.

“Baby, I didn’t- Baby, I’m sorry,” Logan said as he got up and got a bunch of wipes from the cabinet that was in the fancy bathroom. “Are you okay? Babe, please speak to me — Tell me, are you okay?” Logan asked as he began cleaning the floor.

Y/n didn’t answer the man. She continued coughing to make sure everything was out of her system.

Tears filled Logan’s eyes, feeling like he had done something he could never come back from. “Baby, please — I’m so sorry,” Logan said as he grabbed y/n’s face softly to wipe her down and clean her up.

“I-I didn’t know you couldn’t take it — I was just- I was thinking of myself and thought you’d be okay, because we always go through, and I couldn’t think about another man on you, and I just-“

“Logan, shut up! Please, just- God, relax — I’ll be fine,” y/n grabbed some towels from Logan before pushing him away. “God, you’re just so fucking annoying,” was all y/n could say.

“I’m sorry,” Logan said, wanting to break down right then and there. Y/n looked at Logan, hoping he wasn’t actually crying, but he was. That instantly made her roll her eyes and pull him into a hug.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Y/n said as she softly rubbed Logan’s back. Logan couldn't stop apologizing and bringing up how horrible of a person he was for not seeing the signs of her actual struggle, but she shut him down quick.

“Hey, I’m fine with you being rough — Just make sure it’s not after I eat ten deviled eggs,” y/n joked, making Logan let out a slight laugh, but he still didn’t feel too great.

“Let’s just go back to the hotel — He’ll be here tomorrow,”

[callikari]

CHAMPAGNE COAST

before debut, you and heeseung were something quiet and unfinished. now, years later, your comeback is all anyone talks about — until a single look at a fashion event brings him back into the spotlight with you, and suddenly, the past you buried doesn't feel so distant.

OO5. it's pulling us in

the city is quieter now.

the afterparty ended hours ago. your heels are off, your dress unzipped and draped over a velvet chair. the chanel gift bag sits untouched on the vanity, half-shadowed by the glow of new york streetlights flickering through your hotel window.

you’re in bed, but not asleep.

your phone is on the nightstand. face-down. turned off.

you did what you were supposed to do.

you showed up. posed. smiled. answered the questions with a voice that didn’t shake.

and yet—

something in you still won’t settle.

because the thing about pretending not to care is that you get really good at it — until you’re alone in a dark room, halfway across the world from the person you said you don’t think about anymore, and suddenly it’s all you can do not to care.

you try not to think about what he saw.

you try not to imagine if he watched the clips, the stories, the way the cameras caught you glowing in something custom. or if he read the way you quoted him, like it didn’t sting.

you tell yourself it doesn’t matter.

but something about it — about him — still lives under your skin.

and worse?

you don’t know if he feels the same.

meanwhile, in seoul, it’s almost noon.

heeseung is still in the practice room.

he’s been there since early morning. came in with no fanfare, just a hoodie, headphones, and that look in his eye that told everyone not to ask.

he’s gone through the same routine three times now — warmup, freestyle, start again.

but none of it sticks.

because every time he closes his eyes, he sees you.

in the dress. on the carpet. eyes soft, lips steady, telling the world you agree with what he said.

“there’s nothing to address, his statement said it best. we’re not personally connected.”

he should be relieved. it’s done. it’s out there. the fire’s out.

but the silence since then?

louder than anything he’s felt in months.

he presses play on the same loop of chords for the fourth time. leans against the mirror. slides down to the floor.

you’re in another timezone. another world.

but he still feels it.

whatever this is — this pull between you, this thing that’s never quite ended — it’s still here.

and he’s starting to realize:

maybe it never left.

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( cc ) taglist:: @bambisncs @iozaii @heesexual74 @sojumimi @angstywaifu @aeminju @leralise @naevisringring @vrikisn @ninistranaut @lilificationn @blvengene @jiyeons-closet @ineedsomezzz @chuhees @peachyaeger @enhypenxbts @rairaiblog @parkjjongswifey @sivenderz @myfavoritedelusion

enhypen taglist :: @nocturnebite @cheruphic @chrrific @manaah02 @jungwonbropls @ijustreallylike2read @ijustwannareadstuff20

© callikari — all rights reserved

[totallyhextra]

People? In MY computer?? It's more likely than you think!

The following is a fanvertisment and is not connected to the show. ****Yet.*** *Also yes, this is the fourth time I'm posting this because TUMBLR WONT LET ME EDIT SPELLING MISTAKES!

ANYWAY,

Once upon a time, back in 1987, Dire Straits put out this music video for “Money for Nothing”, which, as you know, was a song about wanting my MTV. 

The video was made by two guys (Gavin Blair and Ian Pearson) on a very moody computer. After the video went out, these two guys went to a pub:

Ian: “Hey, we should make a whole show like this!”

Gavin: “Dude, making three minutes almost killed us.”

And so it was decided!🎉

The two guys were joined by two other guys (Phil Mitchell and John Grace) and created the Hub, which then became Mainframe Entertainment. They got even more people, and then they all holed up in this hotel.

They were mad lads with a dream: a whole cgi animated show, and they made it happen a whole year before Toy Story!

Behold! ReBoot!

(Yes that fever dream was real)

Now before I get any of this:

Let me lay this down. If you can’t with the animation of the first season because it was CUTTING EDGE IN 1994, you can close your eyes and listen to it. ReBoot wasn’t just a CGI gimmick. The characters are fully developed, the voice actors are peerless, the plot is sharp, and there’s so many easter eggs that you’ll never find them all.

Never

(And yes the episode "Bad Bob" was the actual catalyst for Fury Road. Look it up)

ReBoot is about what life is like in a computer (in the 90s, because it was the 90s) called Mainframe (because of course it is). People are sprites, the guys that look like 1s and 0s are binomes (which represent 1s and 0s). Bad guys are viruses, and the good guy is a Guardian named Bob, who is a certified cinnamon roll.

In the first season the eps are light and self-contained, mainly because there was constant friction between the Mainframe studios and the Board of Standards and Practices.

They still got away with some pretty dark stuff, like Megabyte (virus) making Enzo (the kid) watch his dog get sliced open (dog got away, obviously) , Dot (sprite) have a hallucinatory breakdown, and the fridge horror of realizing the thousands of worm things (nulls) that plunged off a bridge to their death were actually people.

And Hex's (virus

best girl) scary face single-handedly traumatized an entire generation. 🙂

But busting through a window was a no go, because WhAt If tHe cHiLdReN dID iT tOo?

Anyway, halfway through the second season, ABC cut them loose, so they were like, fuck it, we’re going to start going hard. The story shifted from episodic to arcs and things start to get serious.

Third season the show moved to YTV in Canada, which gave no fucks about shielding the innocent children.

So it got DARK

How dark?

The UK refused to show the entire season, so the audience there had to wait until pirated copies made it across the pond to see how it ended.

Also by 1997, the animation was gorgeous. (Best example of third season animation I could think of that didn't have spoilers)

The show was green-lit for a fourth season on Cartoon Network, but halfway through production Warner Bros took over and the same fucking thing happened.

Because Mainframe was halfway done, they decided not to scrap all of it, but knowing they wouldn't be able to finish it correctly, Mainframe stripped anything that would hint at Season Four's true ending, then left what remained on a cliff-hanger of angst.

FOR 22 YEARS

(It's also why the last four eps of season four seem to make no sense)

And so it was.

Other crap happened, the soul left Mainframe, and its animated corpse spat out “The Guardian Code” in 2018. 

But never say die! The year is (almost) 2024, 30 years later. ReBoot shall rise from the dead, because here come the documentary!!

Do you dare see what you’ve been missing?

What the (UK) government doesn’t want you to know?? 

Then come on down to ReBoot!

We got:

Magnificent bastards with sexy voices!

(Tony Jay at his best)

Kickass women who could probably crush your head with their thighs and you’d enjoy it!

Innuendos in a kid's show!

💗 This adorable cinnamon roll!! 💗

Insane third season glow-ups!

YOUR NEW GOD

These guys!

(Gay roller-skating binome is my boi. I named him Jerry)

Nonstop cultural refs (You'll never find them all. Never.)

(There are literally videos dedicated to trying)

So many computer puns!

Body Horror!

Existential Crisis!

HAVE I MENTIONED YOUR NEW GOD?

This is it, folks! The real thing, the gem hidden in the moose-filled forests of Canadia!🌲🌲🌲

Take a trip inside a mid-90’s computer!

See the World Wide Web! (omg):

Witness the original purple Gamecubes that randomly fall from the sky when the owner of the computer (OUR GOOD LORD THE USER) wants to play a game. If it lands on people and they lose, they dissolve into mindless energy leeches, fated to tormented by their former bretheren for all of eternity.

Just like in real life! 🙃

So watch the eps! They on YouTube!

I think they're on Pluto, Hulu, Sling, and Tubi too! Also DVDs for people who have the patience to wait for them!

WATCH! BELIEVE! SUFFER THE SOUL-CRUSHING RAGE OF THE SEASON 4 CLIFF-HANGER!* (come on, its fun!)*

HYPE THE DOC!

The more people hype, the better the chances of actually getting it finished.

NOW SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE!

And now I will leave you with this screenshot from the ep "Painted Windows", where dicks can clearly be seen drawn upon the wall behind the fleeing anthropomorphized television.

(PS: If you heard the clown pic at the top of the page in your head, you're welcome)

IMPORTANT UPDATE

This message is now approved by Gavin Blair! He's an awesome guy. Show him some love on TWITTER (fuck you musk) at @TheRealMrSweary Also, if you want to share this with non-tumblr friends, here is my attempt at a webpage version:

theseventhstarprojects.com/REBOOT.html

[lfzyxf]

hi, can you do tiktok trends with stiles? like y/n doing them on him or with him. (does that make sense?)

Stiles Stilinski x reader

A bit on the shorter side but I hope you like it! I went with half headcanons and half story to explain it better. Don't be afraid to request more stuff if you like this!!

Word count: 474

Masterlist

Stiles would love to do more silly trends for sure! The one with the “you’re spinning me around; my feet are off the ground” audio came straight to mind.

Or maybe the one where you play rock, paper, scissors, and the winner gets to eat while the loser runs away and back? He’d be shoving the food in his mouth before you can make it back for sure!

You could try to do the trend where you try to hip thrust, squat, deadlift… each other, but I’m not sure how far he would get. Especially in the earlier seasons, he’s not getting far.

If you really enjoy doing these videos with him, he is all for it. Just come up with an idea and he’s game. He might even get Scott to join you guys for some TikTok’s. Really, he’d do anything for you if it makes you happy.

If you’re not the biggest fan he wouldn’t push you, but he might ask if you’d like to do a trend occasionally. Just say yes, and he’ll be elated.

I don’t think he’d post them for everyone to see just for your friends.

Scott is responding to every single Tiktok you guys make. Especially ones where he’s in or if he’s the one filming.

Allison and Lydia are just your personal fangirls. Responding to TikTok’s with heart eyes emojis and little comments about how cute you guys are.

“And after that you have to pick me up.” You instruct while staring at the video playing on your phone. “What if I drop you?” Stiles asks, his eyes are narrow as he stares at the Tiktok playing. You’ve been trying to get the dance right; he barely has to do anything and yet he is the one struggling. “Just don’t?” you reply looking at him incredulously.

“I don’t know, that seems like a dangerous move.” He leans back, and one of his hands is resting on his hip. “Stop being dramatic, it’s been fifteen minutes, and we still haven’t gotten it down.” You’re getting close to giving up, you might as well ask Allison to do it with you instead. “Okay, okay, I got it. Let’s go again.” He nods while speaking, almost trying to convince himself more than you.

You simply shake your head before getting back in position. You stand next to him, one of his hands above your head as you spin in a circle a few times. Next, he moves behind you, his arms under yours as he picks you up for a few seconds, before gently putting you down again. “See, I can do it! I’ve got this.” He tells you, standing confidently next to you.

You nod at him, laughing slightly “We’re only halfway done Stiles.” He claps his hands before moving to stand next to you again. “What’s next boss?”

[pelaajaniftaarchive]

«The Shining Zone»

So here are two of my stalker OCs enjoying a view in Pripyat! A freedomer and a noontider. They climbed up the ferris wheel and saw something incredible... There's a little story behind the artwork if you're enjoying small stories 🤭

Freedomer glanced up nervously. The endlessly gray sky loomed above his head, partially obscured by the bulky structure of the Ferris wheel with its yellow cabins. A crushing feeling settled in his chest, and his throat suddenly went dry.

“So you’re saying there’s an anomalous zone up there where we can see Pripyat the way the Zone herself sees it. Right?” his question came out a little strained. He tried to make it sound deliberately casual.

”That’s right, Guide”, she answered calmly. Her suit was the same dull gray as the sky, marked with a “Noontide” patch. “You just quoted me word by word”.

Suddenly, it didn’t seem like an inspiring idea anymore. Guide scratched the back of his neck.

“But how are we supposed to get up there?” He weighed the option of backing off, turning away, even proposing to sit in that creepy rusted bumper car surrounded by electrical anomalies. Receive an electric shock, sure – but anything suddenly felt better than climbing up there.

”I’ll help you.”

“How? Gonna drag me up there by force, digging up old memories, huh, Snow?” He chuckled, but his voice trembled slightly.

Snow didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“You go first, I’ll guide you. I’ll tell you where to place your feet. Come on. It’s not as scary as you think.”

“Not as scary as I think, yeah right,” Guide repeated in his mind as the structure beneath his feet wobbled. Step by step, one small motion at a time.

He climbed.

“Don’t look down,” her voice came from below. Was she really not afraid of anything?

”Yeah, yeah!”

“Grab that ledge. Just like that. Now pull yourself up, and stretch your right leg toward that metal bar. Yes, that one. Yeah, it takes some flexibility. Come on. You won’t regret it once you’re up there.”

“Got it!”

“I won’t regret it once I’m up there,” he repeated in his head, again, cursing like a madman. Guide gripped a beam tightly, like his life depended on it, and paused to catch his breath. He looked around. They were only halfway up, but he could already see far more than he expected – rooftops, treetops. He wondered how fast he’d have climbed if a bloodsucker was chasing him right now.

“We’re not done yet. Now move right, along that branch,” Snow nudged his calf lightly with her finger, reminding him to focus. Freedomer pulled himself up again. Yeah, this was a decent strength workout, this climb. Might even get his biceps pumped. He noted to himself to straighten his shoulders too.

“You’d fit right in with Freedom. People there go on all kinds of crazy trips too. And green suits you.”

”Don’t get distracted,” she replied, but he heard a smile in her voice.

Guide focused on moving his hands and feet correctly. Somewhere in the distance, pseudodogs barked. Probably fighting over a piece of pseudoflesh. “Having a pseudo-brawl,” the Freedomer joked to himself. Too bad Snow didn’t get jokes. Not anymore.

“Now comes the hard part,” she said from behind him. “Step onto the beam and jump.”

“What? Ha-ha, down there, you mean?” The mere idea of letting go even for a second sent ice through his veins. He fixed his gaze on the cabin, just to avoid accidentally looking down. The structure swayed; his legs shook.

”Alright,” Guide couldn’t see what Snow did, but her voice was suddenly right behind him. “Take my hand and stand up.”

He did as he was told – her grip was firm.

”Now jump forward and grab those bars over there.”

Seconds passed.

“Okay,” he straightened his shoulders. “This is stupid,” thought to himself. And then he jumped, letting go.

The leap was quick. He flew forward and almost smashed his forehead against the pole in the center of the cabin. Feeling the structure shift beneath him, swaying like a wave, Guide grabbed onto it with both hands and squeezed his eyes shut. Something sparked sharply in his head, and he thought vaguely: “Well, that’s it – a stroke. Game over.”

”Open your eyes,” a calm voice came from beside him. A hand rested on his shoulder. “Look at it.”

That last sentence sounded almost awestruck – unusual for Snow, who mostly spoke emotionlessly.

Guide slowly pried his eyes open. At first, everything was too bright, too vivid. He honestly thought he had died. Then he realized it was sunlight. It was shining on the grass, the trees below, the road, and…

Snow sat down on the rusted bench, leaning back, squinting slightly as she looked out over the suddenly sunlit Pripyat.

”Definitely a stroke,” Guide muttered hopelessly, knowing this kind of view was impossible in the Zone.

Snow glanced at him with clear eyes and nodded toward the seat behind him.

“Sit. Take a look around. Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Guide cautiously let go of the metal bar and turned his head. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The apartment blocks looked almost friendly, nearly new. The trees rustled with bright green leaves, and the horizon wasn’t hidden behind a veil of radioactive dust. From up here, he could even see the CNPP – free of its usual aura of death and despair. All that was missing for total bliss were some birds singing and flower petals drifting on the wind… though, he was pretty sure those colorful patches below were flowers.

Guide reached to his chest and pulled out his anomaly detector. Silence – it showed no danger.

“Have you…” he began, clearing his throat when he felt the rasp. “Have you heard the theory of the Shining Zone?”

Snow slowly shook her head, her gaze drifting downward. Her ginger hair seemed to glow, and her suit looked less gray.

”The Shining Zone? No. But I think the name suits this anomaly.”

The Guide looked at her and put the detector away.

“How did you even find it?”

She tilted her head slightly.

”I… was looking for new landmarks,” she replied vaguely, placing a hand on the back of her neck and gazing at the CNPP.

Guide leaned back against the bench, crossed his legs, then straightened up.

”Alright then. So, tell me — how are things in “Noontide”?”

Snow’s gaze suddenly lit up — he hadn’t even noticed when it became heavy.

“Good. Peaceful. There’s always something to do during the day — help the scientist with his measurements, remind the cook to check the expiry dates on the cans, check on the patrol brothers. Strider doesn’t give me hard tasks — he forbade me from carrying waste barrels, for example. Said they were too heavy for me.”

”And… what do you think of Strider?” Guide’s leg suddenly began to twitch nervously, tapping against the rusty metal.

“He’s a great leader — keeps everyone together. Works too much though. I remember when Degtyarev stopped by Wild Island. He joked that we noontiders are all like his children, and together we’re like one big family.”

The wind lifted a strand of her red hair, messing up her hairstyle. Snow turned her head the other way and went on.

“We look after one another. In the evenings we sit by the fire and someone reads a book out loud. I listen and try to imagine myself as the hero of the stories, picture the scenes…”

Her voice grew quieter.

“I try to remember if I have ever read it in my past life.”

Guide thoughtfully ran his fingers along the strap of his gear on his thigh. He was hypnotized with how good her hair looked against the background of the foliage. He was silent for a while, and then said:

”Hm, green really suits you…”

”You’ve said that already.”

“I did?” he didn’t remember. “When?”

”When we were climbing.”

“Ah, right,” the Freedomer scratched his head, convinced he hadn’t said it. “You sure you don’t want to join us in Freedom? Our entertainments are way more…”

“I’m sure,” she cut him off and gave a firm look that made him falter. ”I won’t abandon my brothers. We need to stick together. We’re building a base, building a home. Learning to live again.”

She suddenly turned away and stared once more at the distant silhouette of the Chernobyl NPP — its smokestack surrounded by scaffolding, the workshop behind hastily built cover. She exhaled noisily.

“A year ago the Zone gave me a second life,” she continued, as if forcing the words out. “A new chance. And this time, I’m going to live it the way I want. And I won’t be anyone’s puppet.”

Her eyes flashed with that familiar spark of determination. The kind that could make a bloodsucker freeze and could calm the wildest chimera. The kind that hadn’t been seen in her gaze for a long time.

The kind that made him bite his tongue and stop himself from blurting out: “But you already lived it the way you wanted!” From saying that they’d known each other before her “Monolith” days. From shouting her name – her real name – not the Zone nickname she’d taken after forgetting the one he liked so much more. The one he’d given her himself.

He wanted to dive into her mind, just to check — was there anything left of her past in there?

But the words remained unspoken. They rose up and dissolved in the warm anomalous air. He has no right to take from her what she has now. He couldn’t be that… selfish.

Snow kept staring at the CNPP, then suddenly spoke again, reaching out as if trying to grasp fleeting memories.

“I woke up there a year ago. The Emission was roaring around me. Soldiers clutched their heads, writhing on the trembling ground. Their brains were boiling, burning them alive, and I had no idea where I was or what was happening."

Guide felt his throat tighten. He silently watched Snow, studying her light eyes. He noticed her fingers twitching on her knee, like a nervous tic.

”My suit was red from soaked-in blood. Not mine. My gloves felt wet. Near me was laying someone’s torn-off head — not cut off, no. Ripped out without a shred of remorse. And I don’t remember if it was I who did it or…”

Freedomer leaned forward and reached out, gently touching her hand on her knee. Through two layers of gloves. He didn’t want to force himself on her — only to calm her. Because despite the outward calmness and steady voice, Snow was on the edge.

She went silent, glanced at their hands, afraid to move. He himself was trembling slightly. She didn’t have to say any of this. “But she wants to,” he thought.

Snow looked up at him uncertainly.

“What if one day I become a puppet once again? What if I grab a knife and start chopping off the heads? I’ve heard stalkers’ campfire stories about Monolith, the one I was into — ruthless, unforgiving. What then?”

“I…“ he began quietly, after a brief silence.

But what could he say? He wasn’t some almighty god. He was just a Zone’s guide. Just a guide. Guide.

”Will you stop me?” her voice trembled.

Guide frowned, dragging out the pause. Snow gave a joyless smile and shook her head, as if scolding herself for such thoughts.

He genuinely thought she is fearless, but then there it is – one thing she was afraid of that is more thoughtful than he could imagine. 

”I’ll join your ranks,” said in the end. “And I’ll make sure that never happens again.”

“To always stay by your side,” he added in his head.

Snow, as always, didn’t immediately understand him. She furrowed her brow seriously, already about to say something like, “Sorry, only former Monolith members are allowed into ‘Noontide’,” or “the brothers won’t understand if we start inviting just anyone.”

“Kidding! I know: blah blah, rules, blah blah, I didn’t lose my memory,” he quickly said, pulling away and raising his hands defensively, forcing a smile.

He desperately wanted to steer the conversation toward something more relaxed after all that, but…

She did it herself.

”I wanted to say that you’re already a part of us. Brothers accept you and know you’re not like the other stalkers. That you’d never hurt any of them… or me.”

Snow sighed and looked back at the plant again, lost in thought.

“But she’s not sure she won’t hurt them herself one day,” he thought.

Guide realized, with a slight delay, that this “ride” on the Ferris wheel was a kind of a birthday invitation. In May 2012, something ended for someone, and for someone else, something began. Those someones are now building ‘Noontide’ together and learning to live all over again. One of them asked her leader for a day off and asked Guide to take her there. To Pripyat. To the amusement park. And he did. He’s a guide, after all. Just a guide. Even if he liked Freedom’s entertainments more.

The wind lifted another strand of red hair.

“I wanted to say thank you. For helping me and all of us. For not having any prejudices and being kind. That rare in the Zone.”

”Well, how could I not help you…” he muttered.

And then he saw how Snow smiled. Suddenly he felt like someone had tossed his guts into a meat grinder. He swore: for that smile, he would give up all the artifacts in the world. For the one he remembered from before the C-Consciousness recruited her into a quasi-religious puppet faction.

He should’ve stopped it. But back then, he’d been a total idiot. Now, though, he felt like he would burn from the inside if he didn’t say:

”You know, you’re so beautiful it makes my heart ache.”

The smile froze on her face, her eyes widened. All that Monolithian calmness vanished, replaced by flushed cheeks and a stunned expression.

”Even more beautiful than the Shining Zone.”

The moment hung still, like a shard of glass caught in a “razor” anomaly. Hundreds of unsaid words suddenly spiraled, spinning madly around the motionless Ferris wheel. He felt his suit stick to his back. The air felt too thin. Her words echoed in his mind: “The Zone gave me… a second chance.”

And this time, he was going to take it.

Snow hesitantly adjusted her hair and clasped her hands together, clearly not knowing what to do or to say.

“But maybe not today. This is her moment,” he thought, a little sadly, and looked down at the abnormally green grass and flowers.

Once they climbed down, all the magic would disappear. Pripyat would return to being gray and unwelcoming. But maybe… just a little less gray than usual.

“You know, sitting up here is nice and all, but I didn’t think about how we’ll be getting down…”

A moment later, a quiet voice answered:

”We have to jump.”

“What? Oh you can’t be serious,” it probably came out sharper than he intended, and his eyes widened more than he expected, but for the laugh that burst out of her, he was ready to jump — even knowing that in a hundred percent of cases, such jump ends with imminent death.

“There’s some sort of air cushion down there. We won’t die.”

“I’m afraid to ask how you know that,” the Guide smirked.

Snow took a deep breath. Maybe he wouldn’t get an answer today.

But for some reason, he felt sure that someday, he’d know everything.

And that he’d tell her everything too.

[rafecswhore]

fractured tides part 2: crossed currents - r.c x pogue! reader

01 | 02 | 03

the next morning, y/n was already awake when the sun began to rise. sleep had eluded her, the words she exchanged with rafe playing on a loop in her mind. she hated how much space he took up in her thoughts—his infuriating smirk, his sharp words, the way his eyes burned when he looked at her.

it didn’t help that the rest of the group seemed to act like nothing happened. kie and pope were laughing by the fire, john b was halfway into a story about something stupid he and jj had done last summer, and rafe… well, rafe was acting like he owned the place.

he strode into the campsite with his usual swagger, a coffee mug in hand, as if last night’s argument had never happened. y/n tried to focus on her work, flipping through her notes, but his presence was impossible to ignore.

“you’re up early,” he said as he passed her, his tone neutral but his smirk unmistakable.

“don’t you have someone else to bother?” y/n replied, not looking up.

“probably,” rafe said with a shrug. “but you’re more fun.”

she finally glanced up, her glare sharp enough to cut through steel. “and you’re more annoying than i thought humanly possible.”

he chuckled, unbothered. “good to know i’m leaving an impression.

“trust me, it’s not a good one,” she shot back, turning her attention back to her work.

rafe didn’t say anything else, but she could feel his eyes on her, like he was waiting for her to crack.

the day’s hike was long and grueling, the humid air pressing down on them as they navigated the uneven terrain. y/n kept to herself, sticking close to kie and pope while rafe led the group from the front.

“you’re awfully quiet today,” kie said, nudging her shoulder.

“just tired,” y/n replied, though her eyes flicked toward rafe’s broad back as he walked ahead.

kie smirked knowingly. “right. tired. has nothing to do with the human storm cloud up there?”

“he’s not a storm cloud,” y/n muttered. “he’s just… rafe.”

“and that’s somehow worse,” kie teased. “but hey, at least he’s not picking fights with you today.”

y/n snorted. “give it time. the day’s still young.”

as if on cue, rafe slowed his pace, glancing over his shoulder. “you guys planning to keep up, or are we waiting for someone to catch their breath?”

y/n bristled. “we’re fine, thanks.”

“just making sure,” rafe said, his smirk returning as he turned back around.

kie stifled a laugh, and y/n shot her a glare.

they reached the sandbar just before dusk, the golden light of the setting sun casting an almost serene glow over the landscape. but y/n’s unease from the night before lingered, her gut telling her that something wasn’t right.

as they set up camp, rafe approached her again, this time without his usual air of arrogance.

“hey,” he said, his tone softer than she expected.

y/n looked up from her notebook, narrowing her eyes. “what do you want now?”

“to talk,” he said, sitting down beside her before she could argue.

“that’s new,” she muttered.

he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “look, i know we don’t exactly… get along. but we’re stuck together for this trip, so maybe we could try not hating each other for a few days.”

“not hating each other?” y/n repeated, raising an eyebrow. “big words for someone who went out of his way to make this difficult for me.”

“fair,” rafe admitted. “but maybe i don’t hate you as much as you think.”

y/n stared at him, caught off guard by his honesty. “what’s your angle, cameron?”

“no angle,” he said, meeting her gaze. “just… truce?”

she hesitated, then nodded slowly. “truce.”

as they shook on it, y/n felt the faintest flicker of something unexpected—something she wasn’t ready to name yet.

[mapofsouthdakota]

Hello!! I am literally eating up the Bear AU!! The tension and drama with all the little moments and interactions in the kitchen is so beautifully done! You are amazing at writing! Also as a Caleb girlie and because I think you portray him really well, I wonder what you think Caleb (from the game not in an AU) would he do if MC is harassed by girls (because usually people write guys and he can just step in, but I wonder if he goes about a more subtle manipulation?) OR what’s the interaction when there’s two Caleb’s (for example, X02 and the colonel) A Drabble or just your thoughts, I’m curious! The Caleb brain rot is so strong 😅

Hiii!

Aaa you have no idea how grateful I am for your support! I hope you keep enjoying this little AU of mine. If you ever have thoughts, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to drop them in! And if you’re just here for the ride, I’ll be in awe for simply consuming my creativity while it goes absolutely bonkers. Thank you, dear reader—and thank you for vibing with my take on Caleb.

(Naturally, he’s not affected by any chip in the AU, which tones down the obsession a little… but that just brings us back to in-game Caleb: our favorite obsessive menace. Smug yet kind. Kind but cruel. Etc. etc. A walking contradiction in a very hot body lol.)

Sooo… About your request… lemme see what I can whip up from this chaotic little noggin. And when you say harassed—we’re talking actual harassment, right? Not just top-tier bullying? Just checking! Let me know if you’d prefer a slightly less felony-adjacent vibe, heeh!

You better believe I came back from a hike with my dog and immediately spent hours typing out these two scenes like a woman possessed. I’m kinda pleased with the outcome. Like, did I black out? Maybe… we’re not questioning it.

(I went with post- and pre-chip Caleb for now because I’m still not totally comfortable headcanoning his myth. But! I might circle back after my fifth reread of it, lol. Would you be a dear and remind me if you still have an itch later on?)

So here you go—750ish words of pure Caleb brainrot. Featuring: you (/MC) getting harassed by women and Caleb handling it. Enjoy. We’re in this rot together, lol.

Maps 🫶🏻

🧡 Caleb

Pre-chip frat boiii

It starts the day he walks in on them laughing a little too hard at your discomfort. The way one girl grabs your hand and won’t let go. The way they say your name—like it’s theirs to use.

Flight jacket slung over one shoulder, hair still messy from drills, eyes locking onto you instantly. And then—them. He doesn’t call them out.

He smiles.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask—are you all friends?”

They nod. Eager. Too eager.

“Great. You should come by for dinner. I cook.”

He flashes that perfect Caleb grin.

“Our place. Tonight.”

You don’t find out until you walk in and smell something incredible on the stove—your favorite. He’s already set the table, laid out drinks, even lit a candle like this is some warm domestic moment and not a low-burn ambush.

They arrive giggling, dressed up, thinking they’ve been invited in. And Caleb?

He’s the perfect host. He serves them personally. Smiles. Asks about classes. Keeps his hand casually resting on your thigh under the table—protective, firm, constant.

Then halfway through dinner, he leans forward.

Still smiling.

“You know…” His voice is low, almost casual. “It’s really nice to see her smile. She doesn’t do it around people who make her uncomfortable.”

One girl stiffens. Another shifts in her seat.

Caleb takes a sip of water. Doesn’t break eye contact.

“I don’t like people who corner her in the lounge. Or touch her arm when she clearly steps away. Or spread stories just to see if they can get a rise out of her.”

He sets the glass down. The smile never fades.

“But I figured it’d be kinder to make that clear over dinner. In her home. Our home.”

A pause.

“So next time you think about getting bold, remember whose name is on the mailbox.”

Silence.

And then—he turns to you. Gently tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Want dessert, Pip-squeak?”

Post-chip delulu booiiii

You didn’t expect them to be so bold.

Female hunters on your squad—older, confident, entitled. Their flirtation started subtle. Became invasive. Comments, touches, threats wrapped in jokes. And you?

You handled it. Until they followed you into the locker room.

The next morning, you’re pulled aside by your squad leader.

The women?

Officially? Both were transferred—different posts, different sectors.

Unofficially? No one’s seen them since.

You only hear about it in whispers—the kind of whispers that go silent when you walk into the room.

You call him during your break—barely restraining your frustration, thumb jabbing your phone harder than necessary.

It rings once.

Caleb’s face appears on the screen instantly, lit by the glow of his office. There’s static in the background, low comms chatter, but none of it touches his expression.

He smiles. Wide. Warm… Pleased.

“Heey, Pip-squeak.” His voice is like sunlight through glass. “Didn’t expect a call. You miss me already?��

You don’t even have a chance to answer. Because he keeps going, smooth and soft.

“You look beautiful. Something wrong?”

And just like that, you remember—this isn’t the boy who used to walk you home after class. This is the man who already handled it. The man who smiles when you’re upset… because he knows it’s taken care of.

You lift one hand to your temple, rubbing slow circles as you stare at his face on the screen—framed in clean lighting, collar sharp, smile easy. Too easy.

“Caleb,” you say slowly, watching his expression. “Two of the women on my squad got reassigned this morning.”

You pause. Let it hang.

“The same two who’ve been… bothering me.”

His smile doesn’t change.

If anything, it softens—like he’s relieved you noticed.

He doesn’t blink.

“Did they touch you?”

You freeze. You didn’t expect that. Didn’t expect the change in his tone—still calm, but stripped of pretense.

You hesitate.

And he sees it.

That’s enough.

His jaw shifts just slightly. The smile lingers, but now it’s… sharp-edged.

“You shouldn’t have to deal with things like that.” His voice is gentle. Dangerous.

“Not while I’m breathing.”

He leans forward slightly, fingers ghosting over the screen like he wants to reach through it.

“I handled it.” A beat. “You don’t have to think about them again.”

You ask him how he did it. What he did.

And Caleb smiles—slow.

“Let’s just say I made sure they won’t forget who you belong to.”

No filter.

Just you.

And the absolutely lethal devotion of a man who refuses to lose you.

Then, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, his voice softens again.

“Anyway. You want me to make dinner when I’m off?”

A pause. Thoughtful.

“I’ve still got that braised chicken I vacuum-sealed. Could warm it up for you.”

Like he didn’t just erase someone for touching you.

Like you’re the only thing he’s hungry for.

——————————————————————————

Writer’s note: This song is so Caleb-coded it physically hurts. I have a tiny headcanon marinating where he sings this to you—yes, sings. And the request I just got from you? It completely reactivated the memory. Someone please stop me from posting it because now the delusion is back and thriving. Believe you me, I nearly fell out of my chair when I realized it’s actually canon that he plays the ukulele. Like? Why would they do that to me specifically??? Ok sorry for rambling I’ll shut up now. Please give it a listen and tell me I’m wrong

[ellethespaceunicorn]

The Howling of Claw Creek Forest, Chapter One

Chapter One: Hide and Seek 

Rating: Mature, 18+, Minors - DNI 

Pairing: Werewolf!Walter Marshall x Reader 

Word Count: 2.7K 

Series Summary: You live in a small town called Claw Creek, surrounded by a deep, dark forest. Since you were a kid, an urban legend of the creature in the woods has been told. If the distant howls at night and mutilated livestock are anything to go by, you fear the stories to be true. 

Chapter Summary: After a curfew is set in place, you and your best friend sneak out past the town border for a drunken game of hide and seek. What could go wrong? 

Warnings: drinking, peril, mention of blood 

A/N: A special thank you to @peyton-warren for being my lovely beta and soundboard for this.  

Dividers by me 

Support/Reblog banner by me 

Cover Art by me 

Series Masterlist 

My Masterlist 

“C’mon, girl. You need to get out of the house for more than just work and the coffee shop. Look, we’ll even stay in town. Just please don’t make me stay in and watch The Great British Bake Off again. Paul Hollywood’s eyes still haunt my dreams.” Your best friend drapes herself against the couch in a dramatic show of boredom. 

“Liv, you’re the one that agreed to wine and TV. So, what? You wanna hit the bar now?” You guess, sitting on the arm of the couch. 

“Yuck. No way. I was thinking of something much more exciting. But you gotta agree to it before we go. That’s the deal.” She props her head up on her fists, while she lays on her stomach, letting her feet swing in the air back and forth. As innocent as she looks, you knew better. 

But then again, you could always go for a little adventure.  

And that is how you ended up in a clearing in Claw Creek Forest with Olivia, a heart full of optimism, and a six-pack of Jack Daniels Watermelon Punch. By the time you are halfway done with your second bottle, the sounds of the night are almost calming. Crickets are chirping, owls are hooting, and leaves are rustling in the light wind that tickles your neck. 

You’re downing the rest of your drink and looking up into the sky when Liv suddenly stands up with a look that can only mean one thing. She’s got a terrible idea that she thinks is genius. 

You decide to stop her before she even starts, “Girl, whatever idea just popped into your head after two wine coolers is not gonna be as brilliant as you think it is. Just say it so I can turn it down.” You twist off the top of your third bottle and look up at the defeated face of your best friend. 

“Damn, way to try and spoil all the fun. I just wanted to have a chugging contest.” She sits down on the fallen log next to you and grabs the last bottle from the cardboard pack. She twists off the top and you nudge her with your elbow before winking at her. 

You smile at each other before bringing your bottles to your lips. The rush of the bubbly drinks makes you both stop every few sips to breathe and burp a little. But in the end, you finish your bottle first and shoot up off the log to slam down your empty bottle. 

The moment you are upright, the blood rushes to your head and you instantly feel ten times more drunk. A few seconds later, you feel like you even out and you can hear Liv’s laughing as she falls backward off the log and her drink goes flying. You crumple to the ground, laughing your ass off, until she pops up over the log with a small scowl on her face. 

“Oh, you think that’s funny, huh?” She stands up and brushes off her pants before picking up her now empty bottle along with yours. Her little attitude is adorable, but you don’t dare say that. As she walks past you, she doesn’t look at you. 

“Olivia, don’t be like that. Come on, girl. We’re having a good time! I don’t want it to end. Please?” You’re not too proud to beg, and she’s not the only one who can pout charmingly. 

When she turns around, the first thing she does is look at your pout and scoff, “OK, fine. But I’m only staying if we play a game of hide and seek. It’s spooky season, after all. Well, technically, in my head it’s always spooky season, but you get it.”  

“You wanna play hide and seek...in the woods...in the dead of night...drunk?” You hoped there was enough moonlight so that she could see the incredulous look on your face. 

Wiggling her eyebrows, Liv bites her bottom lip and says, “All of those things together are so perfect. We’re drunk. It’s nighttime. Spoo-ooky woods all around. Come on, babe, the kid versions of us would be so proud to say we weren’t too scared to play hide and seek as adults with barely any wits about us.” As soon as she finishes speaking, the cutest little hiccup escapes her, and you can’t help but laugh and shake your head. 

“Fine! But I’m hiding first. Count to 30 so my drunk ass can find a good spot around here. And don’t cheat, Liv!” You direct her to face a tree and cover her eyes so she cannot sneak a peek at where you are going. You also make her count loudly so that she can barely hear your footsteps crunching over the leaves. 

Even drunk, you are surprised you can think of all that. You back up slowly, turning around to run in a full sprint in the opposite direction. When the tree cover blocks out the light of the moon, you slow down and pull out your phone to use the flashlight to light up your way. 

You don’t know if you got very far in 30 seconds or if Liv just stopped counting, but you can’t hear her anymore. You turn off your flashlight so she can’t use that to find you. You tip-toe forward in case she has gotten closer to you. You find a tree with large roots above ground and decide to try and hide in the little alcove it is shaped into. 

But something catches your eye. At first, you think someone is shining a flashlight or something a bit away from you. But flashlights don’t usually blink, do they? But if you can remember correctly, you’ve seen those glowing yellow eyes before.  

And now they were slowly moving toward you. The glow of the moon illuminated dark fur covering pointed ears and a muzzle that only hid its teeth for a moment. As those fangs came into view, a billow of hot breath turned into a smoke cloud in the frigid night air. The sudden huff of the beast made you realize you weren’t moving. You were standing stock-still while an imposing wolf thought about making you into its dinner.  

Turning on a dime, you begin to run further into the forest. Not looking where you were going, you didn’t see the pile of rocks in your path. Your right foot slips, and you fall face-first onto the unyielding ground. You grunt as your head connects with a sharp stone. Your head starts to swim as you try to lift yourself to continue running, another huff directly behind you scares you enough to flip over onto your back.  

Ringing starts in your ears, and you suddenly feel light-headed. You start to hyperventilate as the wolf comes closer. As tunnel vision closes in, you think you hear it whine softly. The last thing you feel is a wet snout against your temple and then nothingness. 

What was once the sensation of cold wetness is replaced by warmth as you start to regain consciousness. You reach a hand up to your forehead and feel a wet cloth being pressed against your temple. When your hand touches what is holding it there, your eyes shoot open, and you try and scuttle away.  

A firm hand grips your shoulder, and you find it hard to move. Turning your head slowly, you first look at the hand that holds you down. Thick fingers clutch your joint tightly, and the connected veiny forearm is covered in a smattering of dark chocolate hair. Even under an old woolen sweater, you can see the outline of a sizable bicep. The broad chest breathing heavily under that sweater triggers the onset of hyperventilation until the hand that was holding your shoulder moves away. 

When a warm palm touches your jaw, your eyes threaten to close. But when a thumb brushes your cheek, you finally lock eyes with...an angel? 

You can’t tell if the dimly lit room you are in is fuzzy or if you have a concussion. But if you were a betting person, your money would be on head trauma. Because there was no way he positioned himself in front of a light to have a slight glow about him. Maybe that just works like that? 

Deep cocoa brown curls are about ear-length on his head, but a few unruly strands are hanging above his slightly raised brow. Concerned aquamarine eyes with a touch of brown in the left iris aren’t enough to hide the growing bags under them. A strong nose sits in the center of his face. And a small, yet inviting, mouth is outlined by a dark beard speckled with a few greys here and there. 

“...best you lie back down.” The stranger speaks and you only catch the last bit of it because you were looking at his pretty face. 

“I...,” You start, your hoarse voice causing you to clear your throat, “I’m sorry, what did you say?” 

“I said, it’s probably best you lie back down. You’ve got quite a lump on your head. If I hadn’t found you when I did, who knows what could have happened?” With one hand grabbing for the warm compress, his other hand guides you back down to lay your head on a soft pillow. 

“Found me? Was there a wolf near me? He was huge and he chased after me and then I slipped and hit my head. And where am I? Where are we right now? Who are you? I need to get back to my friend.” Your words exit your mouth hastily as if you are in a rush to get the hell out of...wherever this is. 

“Try and stay calm. Yes, I found you not far from the trail. I didn’t see a wolf anywhere, though,” He pauses quickly, but picks right back up where he left off, “Ehm, my name is Walter. Walter Marshall. We’re in my cabin, just outside of Claw Creek. I didn’t see your friend anywhere but, as soon as this swelling goes down a bit, I can take you into town.” Walter speaks clearly and smoothly, his voice is dark yet pacifying, but it’s obvious that he doesn’t enjoy talking.  

“I guess I should give you my name,” You rattle off your name, and Walter nods, “I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you, Walter. But considering the circumstances of our meeting, this could have gone a lot differently. Not the way I hoped to end the night.” You laugh, mostly to yourself. 

“I should hope not. When I found you, you were still bleeding a bit. I was able to stitch you up and get you cleaned up. But I’d probably go and see a doctor first thing in the morning.” Walter suggests in a strong tone. 

“Thank you, Walter. I hate to think what would’ve happened to me had you not shown up when you did.” Your bottom lip quivers as you think the worst. 

“Hey. You’re stronger than you think. And the swelling has gone down some. Why don’t we get you back to town where you can get more rest?” Walter pats your shoulder and gets up from the chair he was sitting in. 

Your eyes follow him as he moves about the cabin. You realize that you hadn’t looked around before, so focused on him previously. It’s a nice, cozy place. Full of warm, rich colors and various little knickknacks on shelves. It lacks a woman’s touch, so to speak, what with all the antlers and not enough candles to cover the smell of a man. However, it suits the man who lives here. 

Grabbing a set of keys, Walter comes back to where you lay on the couch in the center of the room. He gently and slowly helps you up and off the soft furniture and guides you to his truck parked outside. He helps you into the passenger side, shutting the door when you’re seated, and walks around the front to get in the driver’s side. Turning the key in the ignition, the truck rumbles to life and you are on your way home. 

You’re rubbing your hands together and shoving them into your coat pockets before Walter gets the hint to turn on the heat. It’s only a couple of minutes before it is warm enough to be comfortable.  

The drive down the tree-lined road is mostly silent, save for the low music playing on the radio. Walter points out where he found you and you almost can’t believe you made it that far on foot when you reach the edge of town. But you were drunkenly competitive, so you had your eyes on the prize. 

Once you make it to town, you pass a curfew checkpoint and Walter supplies the officer with a story about how you two lost track of time while out of town. You thank him for the cover and direct him to stop at Olivia’s house to make sure she got home safely. Of course, you told him it was your place, and that Liv was your roommate. 

As handsome as he was, serial killers come in all shapes and sizes and no way were you giving this man your actual address. You’d apologize to Liv later. 

Once he stopped outside of her house, you went to unbuckle yourself and thank Walter for all his help. Protocol for this type of situation eluded you, so when you went for the door handle, you weren’t expecting his voice to stop you. 

“Do me a favor and be careful from now on. No more late-night drinking in the forest. It can be a dangerous place." His calm smile brings out the most adorable dimples and you resist the urge to poke them. 

“I promise. Scout’s honor. No more drunk forest parties. Thank you again for everything.” You place your hand on his arm and squeeze before exiting the truck and waving as you walk up the pathway to Liv’s house. 

The light on the porch turns on and your best friend rushes out and hugs you tightly, bringing you in from the cold as Walter drives off into the night. Once you are in the warmth of her home, she takes your coat and prepares you a cup of tea. She asks who brought you home and you tell her about your ordeal. 

When she asked if he was cute, you shouldn’t have been surprised but you still giggled bashfully. She also playfully swats you when you mention that you didn’t get his number. But that’s fine because at least you have his name.  

Once she deems you safe enough to be on your own, she drives you the few streets over to your home and has you promise to call her in the morning. You take off your boots at the door, remove your coat, and start to sling it over the back of one of your dining room chairs. As you look closer at your coat, you make a note to take it to the cleaners tomorrow. 

You survey the coat for any damage to the fabric and thankfully it just looks a bit dirty. You begin to wipe it with your hand and notice that it’s not all dirt on the coat. You can’t be sure, but if you had to guess what was on the sleeve and collar of the coat, you would say it was dog hair. 

Coarse, short dark-colored hairs that when you hold them under a lamp look to be an inky brown. You try and stop yourself from jumping to conclusions, but it is almost impossible not to do that very thing. If these truly were what you thought they were, that means that you didn’t hallucinate that giant wolf. He was there with you, and he didn’t eat you. 

You decided to get to the bottom of this. You’d schedule a check-up with your doctor in the morning. And after that, you would go back into the woods.  

In search of the wolf? Possibly. In search of the truth? Definitely. 

There was only one place to start. At Walter Marshall’s front door. 

To be continued... 

A/N: Walter is finally in the story!! Yay. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

**Tag List** 

@deandoesthingstome @cakesandtom @brattymum96 @ambinxe @avengersfan25 @kebabgirl67 @thabiddie23 @sweetandgentlecreature @foxyjwls007 @art2emily @titty-teetee @astheskycries @enchantedbytomandhenry @rebelangel1102 @milknhonies @peyton-warren @geralts-yenn @raccoon-eyed-rebel @cardierreh15 @viking-raider @imaslutforcuddles @ilovetaquitosmmmm @warriormirkwood @shellyshellshell @calwitch @meanlilbean @samahenoyrhye 

Let me know if you wanna be added (or removed) 😁 

[angeldrawsstuffs]

So, we’re almost halfway through December and only now do I get some Nutcracker AU art done-

Anyway, I’ve made an updated reference for Show!Jay in this AU! He’s been slated into the role of the Nutcracker Prince’s toy solider general, magically bound by the rules of the story to be compelled to obey any order given by his prince.

And this year, I’ve got some lore on the character Jay is embodying due to the curse! Here’s as brief as my autistic butt can make it:

General Robin was once a humble soldier of the royal army, but rose in the ranks swiftly to become the general after the previous holder of the post was deemed unfit and Robin was found to be quite skilled in both combat and thinking on his feet. With so much time spent on castle grounds, he ended up developing feelings for the princess, soon learning they were reciprocated. The two were not present for the initial invasion of the castle by the Rat King, having been on a date at the time. Upon hearing of the prince’s cursed fate, staged a counterattack just days later, ending in Robin blocking a blast meant for the princess, turning him into a windup tin solider. Unfortunately, his sacrifice was in vein, as his love was cursed shortly after when she tried to continue the assault on her own. The couple now stick by the prince and a strange new companion’s side on a journey to reclaim the now nicknamed “Kingdom of the Dolls”.

So that’s the lore! Keep in mind that’s the character Jay’s taking on the role of, so he’s gotta learn who the heck this guy is along with everyone else figuring their assigned characters out. Hey, at least being lovey dovey with his girlfriend makes sense in the story!

[blackberrysummerblog]

Happy Sunday, everyone! We’re almost halfway through October, can you believe it? Thank you for the tags on Wednesday and today, @monbons, @wellbelesbian & @drowninginships, and to everyone who’s been tagging me lately. I haven’t written as much as might be hoped, but I’ve become very wrapped up in learning to knit this past month & a half. I’ve been learning mostly from reading and pestering @rimeswithpurple with questions every night, & her endless patience is probably the only reason I’m now at the point where I may be able to start my first project—it’s a cowl, & I’ll only be thrilled just to try something beyond the basic stitches that it took me ridiculously long to learn, lol.

But, I have done some writing, so here’s a bit from Chapter 4 of Time Will Lie Down and Be Still. It was really fun to show a light-hearted Baz-Dev interaction, since the story’s had some tense parts up til now. Dev POV:

“Did you know he swings both ways? A mage and a slut.”

I narrow my eyes and draw in a breath, and suddenly the whispering turns to croaks—the old bullyfrog spell I used to threaten classmates with back in the day. “Baz!” I hiss, scandalised. 

“Wasn’t me,” he says flatly. 

“Well I didn’t do it!” I press the back of my fist against my mouth and when I turn to Baz, he’s doing the same. We collapse against each other in a fit of ill-concealed giggles while Tessa and Timothy Avondale croak in wide-eyed horror.

And that’s it! Thanks so much to everyone reading along. We’re in the home stretch of it, but there’s still a lot ahead. Have a great week!

No pressure tags to everyone above, as well as @palimpsessed, @thewholelemon, @hushed-chorus, @nausikaaa, @artsyunderstudy,. @larkral, @raenestee, @cutestkilla, @youarenevertooold, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @stardustasincocaine, @letraspal, @valeffelees, @aristocratic-otter, @shrekgogurt, @tender-ministrations, @mooncello, @imagineacoolusername, @c0nsumemy5oul, @iamamythologicalcreature, @j-nipper-95, @facewithoutheart, @fatalfangirl, @beastmonstertitan, @stitchy-queerista, @bookish-bogwitch, @raenestee, @ic3-que3n, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @fiend-for-culture, @supercutedinosaurs, @alexalexinii, @asocialpessimist, @forabeatofadrum, @roomwithanopenfire, @supercutedinosaurs, @orange-peony, @shutup-andletme-go @prettygoododds, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, and anybody with something to share! ❤️

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

This wasn’t intentional, but it’s turned into a Bobby-centric ask 😄

🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠

⏲️⏲️⏲️⏲️⏲️⏲️⏲️⏲️

Well we adore Bobby in this house so that's welcome.

24 for 🍎:

---

He’s about to pull up his contact info and give him a call, when the email notification pops up on Bobby’s phone screen. 

Buck has used almost all his vacation days. Effective next shift. Bobby can expect to not see Buck for… For at least two weeks. 

What the hell happened?

v.

It’s a frantic, irrational decision. Buck knows that. Deep down, he knows he’s not doing the most clear-headed, mature thing he could be doing. He knows he has another option, and he knows it involves talking. Except, sometimes talking involves hearing the very thing you’ve dreaded hearing, so… So it’s better to just not. It’s better to walk away from the discussion altogether. 

Instead of walking, he drives. He drives like a man possessed. He leaves and he doesn’t tell anyone where he’s going. Not even his sister, which is probably unfair of him. He inputs his destination on the map and doesn’t even call ahead to give warning. Definitely unfair of him. But he can’t. He just keeps driving. He hardly takes breaks for anything more than gas and quick coffee refills. He hasn’t done a stretch of travel like this since his early twenties, and he feels it by the time he arrives. 

He parks the Jeep in the driveway of a house he’s only ever seen on real estate listings or via FaceTime. He’s been going for over twelve hours, nonstop, and it’s dark.

---

24 for 🏠:

---

“Oh my god. What’s going on?”

“They aren’t in trouble, sir,” a police officer says. “We’re only interested in talking to the parents.”

Preston and Candi, he means. 

“Are these your dads?” Gabby whispers to May. “They’re so cute. Which is the doctor?”

May sighs. “Neither. My dad and my mom’s husband.”

Oh, has he been relegated to just that, then?

“What were you doing over there?” Michael demands. “You terrified us, May!”

Bobby looks at him and shakes his head. “Don’t ask that first question.”

Michael thinks on that for a second before looking horrified. 

“May!” He gasps. 

“What?” She asks. “I’m an adult.”

---

24 for ⏲️:

---

“You can head to bed early if you want,” Bobby says to Ravi. “I think Buck has so much energy, he just volunteered for dish duty.”

Buck frowns. “This feels targeted.”

“I’ll help,” Eddie offers.

“What a surprise,” Chim says.

“Thanks, Cap,” Ravi says. “I might just take you up on that.”

Bobby nods. “I think a good night’s sleep would do us all some good.”

8:30pm

Half an hour. Just half an hour left, and they are officially halfway done this shift. Bobby thinks they can survive. Surely the second half can’t be as weird as the first. If anything, they’ll be able to say it’s almost over. 

It’s almost almost over. 

Bobby goes back to his office after dinner. He watches Buck and Eddie do the dishes together through the glass. He doesn’t think they’ll do anything stupid in the kitchen, but this is Buck they’re talking about. Sometimes a wave of stupid rolls over him like a storm. And from some of the stories he’s heard about Eddie outside of work, Eddie doesn’t exactly discourage it. Eddie might be an instigator. 

[lifewithdavefarts]

DaveFarts - Episode 25 “Endurance Test” [Episode List] Tim gets a bit too cocky and challenges his gassy friend by (jokingly) doubting of his farting skills. Dave, whose farts are being as powerful as usual, if not more, gladly accepts the challenge.

This story was originally requested by StraightFartGods.

POV: Tim

The weather outside, despite being warm, wasn’t the best so our plans for the night, being a group of friends who’s starting to surrender way too easily (it’s because once you’re past 25, you get instantly old), we all decided to stay home, our respective homes even, so Dave and I ended up alone. We don’t mind that much.

Dave likes going out way more than me (though it’s not like I don’t know how to have fun) but he too cherishes some good, safe alone-time to recharge social batteries: we’re much more similar than we’d like to admit, which is why we get along so well. They say we’re “the odd couple”, but I think that weirdos simply attract each other naturally, even though they can look very different at first.

“Alright.” Dave said, walking into the living room. He was dressed as if we had to leave, so a grey shirt and a pair of good old dark blue jeans, slightly loose because he untied his belt. “I’m starving.”

“Pizza?” I simply asked.

“The day I’m gonna answer ‘No’ to that is the day you’ll know a skinwalker took my place.”

The power of pizza.

Even though we didn’t actively plan for it, the night slowly morphed into a “movie night”, just the two of us on the couch eating pizza and watching a cheesy, manly, toxic action movie that we can recite by memory because of how many times we watched it: “Bullet Gore”. Now that’s a title!

“Your face is history.” the male hero said, right before turning somebody’s head to bits with his shotgun.

We cheered as and had a sip of beer as if our baseball team scored the match point and enjoyed the unnecessary but fun gore sequences of the film.

“Too bad they ruined everything with the sequel.” Dave commented.

“Aw come on. It’s worse, but not that bad.” I replied.

“Never watched and never will.” he stated, taking a good sip of beer.

By the time the movie was halfway done (it was a surprisingly long flick), I had to turn up the volume because of some noises next to me making me difficult to hear what the characters were saying.

Indeed, Dave started farting, the way he does during nights like these, with pizza and beer acting as fuel for his already incredible talent. He was resting both his legs on the small table in front of the couch, his denim ass facing the TV, so I didn’t have a proper full view of it. I could, however, hear every single blast echoing in the room, with the terrible scent immediately following each thunder.

I would love to say that he was doing this because of my kink, but this is actually what being Dave’s close friend means: you better get used to his farts, because he’s gonna just casually do it in front of you whether you like it or not. He wasn’t even acknowledging that he was ripping one every few minutes, huge ones nonetheless, though once or twice he did snap his fingers to get me to turn to him, so I could see his smirk as he ripped one. Once again, he does this with our other friends as well, but he does seem to put some extra “care” into the teasing part because he knows I actually, well, like it.

But everyone’s got limits: the farts were huge, not overly long, but incredibly stinky. Even for my standards, it was getting a bit… stuffy in there, so I actually went for it.

“I know this is weird coming from me, but… can you tone it down a bit?”

Dave slowly turned to me with a serious, surprised face, and effortlessly replied by ripping a loud, almost wet one, renewing the stench he was immune to. This time it was one of his longer ones, around 7 seconds long.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you.” he managed to say while farting. “Did you say something?”

After the fart ended and a few moments of silence (ignoring the TV), I opened my mouth to speak again, but my friend’s ass spoke first, emitting another loud, long rip.

Dave gestured to his ear and slowly shook his head, as to say the he still couldn’t hear me, as if we were in a loud nightclub, but the only music piercing through my own eardrums was my bro’s loud fart.

That ridiculous scene actually made me laugh like an idiot, while also giving me the hardest boner so far of the night.

9 seconds and the rip was over.

“So, I did it.” Dave said. “You’ve been healed. I blasted your kink out of you.” he joked.

“Please…” I played along. “Those were like… low-tier farts, for your standards.”

“True.” he playfully admitted. “So don’t tempt me.” he threatened. 

I hated that I found that… hot.

“I’m n-not… I’m just s-saying that the entire room smells like, I don’t know, rotten beer? Is t-that even possible?”

Dave laughed. “If only there was something or someone who could fix this!”

“What are you implying…?” I asked.

“Well…” Dave sat normally on the couch. “I assumed your lungs were better than this. But apparently you just can’t handle my power.” he said, with a cheesy smirk.

“Oh…” I got what he meant. “Well, maybe I’m not complaining because of you’re farting too much.” I leaned closer to him, as if we were doing some shady business. “Maybe I’m complaining because you’re not farting enough.” I dared to say.

My friend replied with a surprised laughter. “Are you seriously challenging me?” he didn’t sound offended or disgusted, just amused. But he can get cocky.

“Wanna bet?” I asked, indeed challenging him.

“Alright, get up.” 

Dave stood up and I did the same: it truly looked like we were doing a business meeting.

“Challenge accepted.” he continued, and we firmly shook hands. “If I win, beers are on you for 3 months.” 

“Deal.” I replied. “But if I win, we’re gonna watch ‘Bullet Gore 2’ later.”

While still shaking hands, Dave looked at me funny. 

“Really? That’s it?” he replied, with a smile. “All of this just to watch a shitty movie with me?”

Funny how that’s the thing he found weird instead of, you know, the boner his farts give me.

“Yeah. Pretty gay, huh?” I joked.

“Okay…” he nodded, still somewhat surprised. “It’s a deal.”

We once again had this super manly handshake going on, just as an helicopter in the movie exploded in a fiery fireball, killing a bunch of henchmen and one of the main villains, with the shirtless muscular hero saying something like “Burn in Hell, you son of a bitch!”. Probably the manliest moment I ever lived through.

“So, let’s hear those toots.” I said, bravely.”

“Toots?” my friend replied. “I’m gonna blast your face so hard you’re gonna regret having this kink…”.

Dave casually threatening me like this… got me instantly hard. I knew he was just playing along but goddammit, why am I like this? Why is he like this? Why the fuck did I even accept this bet?! As my own mind made fun of me, my bro lied on this stomach on the couch, his tall figure occupying all of it, his nice jeans-clad ass facing up, looking like a soft warm denim pillow.

I simply managed to sit between his long legs and planted my face into that ass, still stinky for all the farts he ripped until that moment. My nose wasn’t facing down however, as I didn’t want to make it weird.

“Dude.” I heard Dave say. “Honestly, your lack of commitment to your fart kink disappoints me”. he then laughed, reaching for my head. “Be a man and face my ass.” he said, pushing my head deeper between his denim asscheeks.

I tried not to laugh myself at that weird statement, so I just obeyed and turned my head, facing down, now fully at the mercy of my friend’s powerful butt. I took a good whiff, enjoying the smell of almost 1 hour of loud, post-pizza blasts. As I did that, I felt the ass’ muscles relaxing, a sign that Dave was pushing one out, and indeed it came out immediately: an ear-piercing blast and made my face shake, almost wet-sounding, felt like a slap on my face. 

My task was clear: not a single particle of gas had to reach Dave’s nose, so I inhaled it deeply and loudly as the fart kept erupting straight down my nostrils. I inhaled so hard and for so long that I actually surprisingly outlasted my friend’s 9 seconds: now the only noise we both could hear (besides someone getting shot in the movie) was me breathing his gas in… which made me realize how weird that was.

Am I making this weird? Too… “porn-y” for my straight friend? I love that he has no problems with me and my kink, but I don’t want to cross certain lines you know. He’s not saying anything… but his silence only makes it worse. I had to make sure.

“Dave.” I said, my voice being muffled by his ass, which made him laugh. “Am I making this weird?”

My friend simply turned his head, trying to look at me. I managed to get a quick look of his facial expression but the only thing on his face was a cocky smirk.

“Not weirder than usual to me.” he simply said. He then reached for my head, making it bounce a bit in his ass. “…Ready?”

Another fart erupted, which itself was Dave’s real answer to my question: “it’s fine”, he knows what this kink is by now, and he’s the one who basically challenged me to sniff it all up. Plus, if he was weirded out he knew he could just tell me and I wouldn’t be offended: we’re all adults here after all.

So there I was, my nose enduring some of the worst rips my friend ever gifted to me, the sheer power of those blasts being raunchier than his usual for some reason, maybe because of the beers being warmer or the mozzarella on the pizza being spoiled. No idea.

Or maybe it was just Dave putting extra efforts into his farts, if that was even possible. He’s the Fart King after all, so if he was somehow able to set custom pitch, loudness and power for each farts he ripped I wouldn’t have been surprised. Then again, he could even fart on command, so maybe he doesn’t need more buffs than he already has.

“Your face is history” my friend said, in a deeper voice, a clear reference to the masterpiece we were watching earlier.

And just like the henchman from the movie, my head was blown away by a sheer deadly force, this time in the form of Dave’s being unhinged, each natural blast somehow bigger and better than the previous one. I feel like that it doesn’t matter how this bet goes: I’m winning by simply having a bro like him.

I kept sniffing it all up as the blast rushed down my throat. He was good at farting, but I was also good at taking it. It’s like I said: weirdos work better together!

Yeah, I was taking it all like a champ.

“I could do this all night you know.” he boasted, during a rare moment of his ass being silent.

“What a coincidence: me too!” I bragged.

“Ohhhh… someone’s getting cocky back there.”

Dave really wanted those free beers, huh? He once again reached for my head and, with a firm grip, pushed it deeper down his warm denim ass, now almost sagging.

“Let’s see if you can keep your promise, shall we?” that was a threat.

There was like 10 seconds of silence, 10 never-ending seconds, but I just knew Dave was brewing something big, as he kept my head there (not that I was planning to move it anyway). Finally, he turned to me, with a cheesy grin, purposely trying to look like some kind of serial killer from a slasher movie before finish his victim off. 

And then he hit me with his weapon of choice: the loudest fart I heard that night. It was big, it was powerful, it was deep, long. His hand didn’t move and my whole face was shaking because of the sheer power of the blast; I had to close my eyes ‘cause the gas was making them burn. How was it possible to fart so naturally and casually like this for him will always be beyond me… but I didn’t care. I managed to breathe that monster in with my mouth open, almost choking on my friend’s deadly gas.

Dave loved the challenge, but two can play this game! I could tell he was amused, disgusted and surprised by how good I was at enduring his powerful rips.

And finally, after 16 whole seconds, that impressive display of flatulence was over, not a single particle of gas reaching my farter-friend’s nostrils, as I promised.

“I believe you’re losing your touch.” I mocked him.

“With all the farts you've been eating, of course you'd be talking shit you ungrateful bastard!”

“Ohhhh sorry, someone's a little touchy.” I kept teasing him.

“Alright, I’m done holding back.” he sounded comically annoyed by my impressive endurance.

My friend slowly turned over until he was lying on his back, making sure he didn’t accidentally kick me with his long legs. He now assumed a more familiar position, the one he usually has when blasting me. He cocked his legs up, showing off his denim ass and a tiny bit of his red boxer brief, and wrapped his legs around me, pulling me closer to his gas source. His long legs had an even stronger grip than his hand, and my whole face was now completely planted into my friend’s ass.

“I’m feeling merciful tonight, so I’m giving you the chance to surrender now.” he stated, as his legs held me still, keeping my nose right between the rough fabric of his jeans-clad buttcheeks.

“Never.” I boasted. “…unless, you know, you actually want to stop because this is getting too weir-“

“Shut up!” he cut me off. “You just had to ruin my villainous speech, didn’t you?!” he laughed.

I just didn’t know what to say.

“Again, this is your last chance bro.”

I played along, knowing he was okay with it. “Hit me with your best shot, but don’t wound what you can’t kill.”

We both laughed like immature idiots, but Dave took my words at heart, because once we were done laughing at that ridiculous moment, he felt air being sucked inside his anus.

Yes, he switched to “on-command” mode, his secret weapon, his final secret move. Despite my face being there, my bro didn’t have any trouble at sucking more and more air through his ass like a vacuum cleaner, and the sound that made wasn’t that different from an actual fart. Every time I heard that “air-being-sucked-in” noise, as silly as that sounds, I think of a drumroll, the kind of tension that raises before the beat actually drops, because that’s what Dave’s farts are: something to look forward to… if you’re into it of course.

He’s been sucking air for like 20 seconds now and I started to regret my cockiness: when even a kinky bitch like me ends up being afraid of his own best bro’s farting skills, you just know something big, maybe too big, is gonna happen.

The anticipation made me hornier than ever, and the fact that it was, well, Dave, just Dave, my friend, made it even hotter for me. So casually, undeniably hot.

Finally, he stopped sucked air in, and I could hear Dave breathing (from his mouth) heavily, a sign that he was getting tired… and even his ass was getting sweatier and warmer.

“Your face is history.” my bud said again, in a comically deep voice. 

We love that movie.

What followed, however, almost made me pass out. 

The loudness was almost unnatural, I feared it could make me deaf. Imagine the stock sound of a fart, only longer, more powerful, airy, the most impressive fart Dave ripped in months, something so powerful that he can even feel the recoil as he pushed it out… just like a shotgun.

The more he farted, the louder it got, and I swore he was gonna tear a hole through his jeans this time, there was no way his clothes were able to endure that. I kept sniffing, breathing heavily, the fart’s pace being faster than my own breathing, if that makes any sense. 10 seconds already and the blast didn’t seem to lose any power: I almost got scared.

As the fart kept getting ripped, I felt Dave stretching his long denim legs wide to ease the fart out, which in turn made it sound even louder and deadlier. I felt like living a weird fever dream, probably because of all the poisonous gas in my lungs. But I also felt the luckiest man in the world.

I dared to peek over that denim ass, only to be greeted by Dave having the most evil smirk in the world, completely unfazed by how weird I was, how all of that was… but I could also see how tired and sweaty he was from forcing all those farts out, incredibly enough.

I planted my head back where it belonged, sniffing as much as I could, as if my life depended on it, even though I was almost passing out for all that stench… and the blood rushing down to my boner didn’t help to focus at all.

And yet… I won. The fart was losing power, ending with a quick series of toots, Dave’s legs crashing down the couch, his left one on my right side, his right one on my left side, and I got up myself, my face leaving that gas trap, finally sitting down normally on the couch.

I took a good look at Dave: he was indeed tired, sweaty, sporting a silly smirk.

“Is that how you look like after sex?” I dared to joke.

My friend laughed. “Hey, I love you bro, but you gotta settle for my farts.”

I patted one of his legs in response, as a cheesy way to thank him, and hopefully he knew how thankful I was. I mean, he already knew how aroused I was anyway, so why keep the fact that I’m grateful a secret?

Dave too adjusted his position, this time kicking me on purpose while doing it, and sat back normally.

“I gotta say, I didn’t except you to win.” he admitted.

“…win?!” I replied. “Bro… I was basically done. That last one almost killed me.”

We both laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

“Let’s call it a tie then.” he proposed. “Until next time at least.” he just casually said.

I simply turned to the TV, only to find out that the movie was over.

Did Dave just face-farted me for like… 30 minutes?! Time truly flew by.

My friend then reached for his beer and the remote. We some on-demand features on our TV and, after navigating the UI for a few seconds, he started downloading “Bullet Gore 2”.

“Really?” I asked. 

“Well, if you can endure all of that gas, I can sit through a turd of a movie.” 

I think he was gonna watch this movie with me either way, regardless of any bet, just like I’m more than happy to offer him a beer whenever I could, so all of this fart-bet was for nothing.

Then again, weirdos attract each other naturally...

End of Episode 25

[mikeslvr]

I FOUND AN UNFINISHED PURPLEPHONE STORY I WROTE THAT I FORGOT ABT

it’s kinda old but I think it’s kinda really adorable, it’s abt Vincent meeting Scott’s parents for the first time, it’ll be under the read more 4 anyone interested

“This is ridiculous.” Vincent groaned, slumping his shoulders as he looked at his groggy expression in the mirror. One hand gripped the sink beneath him, and the other lazily held a tube of eyeliner. He had his purple hair pulled back into a ponytail, his long, uneven bangs scattered around all over his face, partially tucked behind his ear.

“Are you sure I have to meet them?” Vincent looked up at the person standing behind him in the mirror, a taller man. He had short black hair that swooped over his forehead, accompanied with brown eyes with a red hue, and red square glasses. Vincent continued, “I mean come on, Scott. I could just be invisible– that’d be fine!” The other man, Scott, shook his head, letting out a small chuckle as he put his hands on Vincent's shoulders.

“Yeah no, we’re not doing that. You have to meet them.” Scott pat Vincent on the shoulders, spinning him around. He took the eyeliner from Vincent’s hand, pushing the hair out of his face as he leaned down to his level. One of Vincent’s eyes was halfway circled with eyeliner, while the other wasn’t done at all.

“Do it for me, at the very least?” Scott asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at Vincent with sparkling eyes. Vincent let out a guttural reaction, snorting and wheezing in Scott’s face. He waved a hand in the air, almost shooing Scott away.

“Jeez, don’t look at me like that. You’re corny– AGH!” Vincent began to make fun of him, before getting poked in the eye with the tip of the eyeliner pen.

“Oops.” Scott mumbled under his breath, trying his best to hide the smile on his face, “Now stay still.” Scott demanded, and Vincent obliged. He finished outlining Vincent’s eyes with eyeliner, and then gently smudged it with his fingers to give it that edgy look Vincent liked.

“I could’ve done that myself.” Vincent complained, before being quickly interrupted.

“No, no you couldn’t.” Scott replied with a snarky grin, fixing Vincent’s jagged hair.

“.. I don’t want to make a bad impression.” Vincent grumbled, suddenly embracing Scott into a tight hug. Scott’s eyes widened, and he let out a small sigh, wrapping his arms around Vincent.

“You won’t, Vince, they’ll like you.” Scott reassured him, as Vincent exaggerated a groan of annoyance.

“Just trust me on this, V. You won’t know unless you try.” Scott pulled away from the hug, holding Vincent’s hands instead. Vincent looked at him like a lost puppy, doubt and worry clouding his face.

“Alright, fine.” Vincent sighed and nodded begrudgingly.

,,that’s it

like i said i never finished it and probably never will,, at least not for a while. hope this suffices either way

[elliewithcellie]

Long Cool Woman - Chapter 3

chapter summary: It's Day One of pageant practice, and someone has their eye on you.

wc: 4.2k

cw: awkward reader lmao, two brief implications of sex life, mention of a condom ha, i think that's it. Dean plays older brother, Jealous Sam? who knows

a/n: Find the rest of the story here

As the car rolled to a stop, you realized you had dozed off. It had been a long day. You all grabbed shopping bags and staggered through the hotel and into your room. The boys looked as exhausted as you felt, and it was only 9:30. You looked at the two beds with the desire to have one to yourself. You looked at the boys, sure they were thinking the same thing.

You sighed. You claimed a bed while the boys battled it out with rock-paper-scissors. Dean won, a smile joining his features. Sam’s eyes widened, the color draining from his face. They argued silently in front of you, their unspoken words still an enigma to you, a foreign language that held context clues at bay.

Sam’s face grew rosy as he walked toward your bed, his feet dragging in defeat. The closer he got, the more doubtful you were about the situation. Your mind told you that you were an adult and that you could handle sharing a bed with a man, but your body could not be convinced.

“You know what?” you said scrambling out of bed. “It’s ok, Sam. You can have it.”

You grabbed a pillow and pulled the comforter off the bed.

“What are you doing?” Dean asked.

“I’m gonna sleep in the bathtub. You both have a long day, so I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intruding,” Sam said.

“It’s ok, really. I’d fit in here better than you guys would.” You forced a laugh. “Goodnight.”

You dragged the blanket into the bathroom and shut the door behind you.

“Sweet. Win-win,” you heard Dean say, his voice muffled by the door.

As far as bathtubs go, this was the nicest tub you’d seen. You laid the comforter down to form a padding, pleased with your quick thinking. But you felt stupid. The urge to fix it and act like an adult grew larger, the embarrassment rattling in your head like a pinball machine. But that ship had sailed. You had sealed your fate. You tossed and turned in the tub until your mind settled into sleep.

A muffled alarm through the bathroom door woke you from your pained slumber. As nice and spacious as the bathtub was, it was still a bathtub: cold and solid. No matter how padded, the comforter’s efforts remained in vain. You stretched your aching back, not quite finding the relief you sought.

You stepped out of the tub, careful not to slip. The mirror served as an unpleasant reminder of your lack of sleep. Dark bags hung under your eyes, and your hair shot in every direction. Your shorts had twisted halfway around your waist, and only one sock remained on your feet. You tried to groom yourself slightly before opening the door, hoping to signal an invitation to the others.

You had just finished brushing your teeth when Sam entered the bathroom. Juxtaposing his large frame, he shrank himself down, almost a mixture of shyness and guilt as he approached you.

You decided to beat him to the punch. “I’m sorry for ditching last night. We’re adults. It shouldn’t have been a big deal.”

“No, no,” Sam said, his eyes wide, frantic to reassure you. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry we made you sleep in here.”

“You didn’t. It was my choice.”

“You wouldn’t have made the choice if we didn’t push you to. We should have gotten another room for you. We weren’t thinking,” he said, his posture straightening with his assertion.

He towered over you, closing some distance, but his demeanor remained soft and sincere. Heat radiated off of him, his warmth a welcome change from the cool porcelain of last night. Still, chills ran down your spine.

“I—I’m not here to make anyone uncomfortable. I’ve just –”

“You’re not.”

“—never done that kind of thing, but we’re all adults here. I can pull it together and act like one.”

“Done what?” Dean asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Been in bed with a guy,” you said, your quick confession taking you by surprise. You covered your eyes with your hand, a meager attempt at hiding your embarrassment.

Dean’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he squeezed between you and Sam to find his toothbrush. “Bobby didn’t let you out much, huh?”

“Dean,” Sam warned.

“Nothing in high school, though? Never ditched class for a boy?”

“What? No, not at all,” you said. “Some small little innocent crushes and school dances, but nothing serious. What are we talking about right now?”

“This is on us, ok?” Sam said, pulling your attention as he gathered your pillow and comforter from the tub. “We should have gotten you a separate room. I’ll go see if they have any others.”

“No, it’s fine. Really,” you said. “I’m fine with it if you guys are fine with it. I just can’t sleep in that bathtub again.”

“Deal,” Sam said, returning your things to the bed. “Taking the comforter, though, now that’s unforgivable.” A smirk rose on his face, watching for your reaction.

You chuckled and smiled back, and he resumed making the bed.

“Ok, out, Dean,” you shooed him. “I gotta get ready.”

“Wait, just two minutes.”

“Fine, but I really have to get going. Shoot. Is there a dress code for this? Sam, Where’s the itinerary?” You left the bathroom and rummaged through your duffle bag, the door closing swiftly behind you.

“Here,” Sam said holding the paper up. “It says, ‘Welcome to Day One. Meet the rest of the contestants for breakfast before we begin our first rehearsal. Come as you wish to present yourself (The judges do not score until Day Three).’ So, it sounds like you can wear whatever you want.”

“Thank god,” you exhaled.

Dean exited the bathroom, and you entered, closing the door behind you.

As you showered, your body teetered on the line of anxiety. You were an imposter. You knew that the other girls would practically smell it on you. Your looks and lack of experience could be enough to be caught in this lie. You wanted to back out altogether. But lives were at stake here. You had to remember that. Miss Vermont was found dead. You could not afford any more casualties. You exited the bathroom, Sam taking your place. You returned to your bag and practiced what you learned yesterday, in hopes of elevating your look just enough to blend in with the contestants.

Sam returned to the room as you finished up. “You gotta get going. Here, we’ll walk you out.”

You nodded and slipped on your shoes. The closer to the lobby the three of you got, the quicker your heart started racing.

“You’re going to be fine,” Sam said. “Just remember to keep your eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Try to get people talking and keep your phone handy just in case.”

“And use this when you have any free time,” Dean said as he handed you his EMF detector. “Any information is helpful.”

You all entered the lobby littered with beautiful women. Chatter and laughter bounced off the walls, all but singeing your skin in overwhelm.

“I’ll see you guys soon, right?” you asked.

“Like we never even left. Now, go make some friends. Ooh, especially with her,” Dean said pointing over at one of the contestants.

“Shut up,” you said. Still, you laughed.

“Hey,” Sam said, his eyes serious and concerned. “Be safe, ok?”

You nodded. “You, too.”

Without another word, the boys left the hotel and left you to truly fend for yourself.

******

Clink, clink, clink.

“Alright, ladies. Please take your seats in the chair with your state labeled accordingly.” You looked up to find an older woman on the stage, holding a glass in one hand and a fork in the other. She sounded too chipper for the time of morning, and her smile seemed sewn to her face by three cups of coffee. She struck you as presidential: matching tweed blazer and pencil skirt with a shirt the same shade and pointed shoes two sizes too small.

You found your seat and slumped down, hoping to avoid unwanted attention. Pastries lined the center of the table. You scanned the others. No one attempted to take one, so you didn’t either. You tried to focus on the speaker, but your stomach rumbled silently.

“Now that we are all settled, welcome and congratulations for making it to the Miss America pageant. I’m Nancy Roshambo, the event coordinator for the next three days. These are my fellow producers, Tod Larkins and James Mathesby.” Nancy gestured to her right revealing a frail, older man and a younger, fit, attractive man. You sucked in a breath at the sight of James. It may have been your first time meeting someone who took your breath away. Embarrassment struck you, desperate to avert your eyes from him.

Nancy continued. “While the stage crew sets up the stage for rehearsal this afternoon, we decided you all should get to know each other!” Small cheers from the crowd of women erupted in the room. They all seemed so excited as they turned to their peers and giggled. You only settled into your nerves, taking a deep breath through the commotion. The girls collected themselves as soon as Nancy resumed speaking.

“We have generated a few games for you ladies to play for the next few hours, so by the time we are ready to rehearse, you all will be each other’s best friends!”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You were sure these girls were lovely, but Nancy was coming on a little strong. Still, the overall consensus remained positive. Nancy announced the first game, and everyone shuffled around accordingly. Through the transition, you grabbed one of the frosted donuts that sat perfectly at the center of the table. The rest of the table settled in around you. As you ate, you felt their eyes searing into your skin.

“That’s impressive,” one of the girls said.

“Am I not allowed to eat right now?” you asked, putting your donut back on the table.

“No, go on ahead,” she said. “It’s just so courageous for you to eat sweets just days before that show. I’m Tanya by the way.”

You cursed to yourself. By simply eating, these girls were on to you. You introduced yourself sheepishly.

To your surprise, Tanya shrugged and grabbed a donut of her own. Another girl couldn’t remove the disdain from her expression.

“What, Kari? I’ve been inspired,” Tanya said.

“Could someone tell me what we’re supposed to be doing?” you asked.

“We are supposed to be playing Two Truths and a Lie,” Miss California said, irritation evident in her tone.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we got to know each other by, like, asking regular questions?” you asked.

“Yeah, these games are stupid!” Tanya said. “We don’t even know each other well enough to make a guess. You guys play your game. Me and Y/N, here, are going to actually get to know each other.”

The rest of the girls at the table commenced their game as Tanya shifted her chair toward you. “Alright. Are you going to share first, or should I?”

Because of your unique situation, you let her do the talking. The conversation went smoothly for hours. It was exciting to get to know someone your age so easily. The boys, as kind and hospitable as they grew to be, were reserved. There wasn’t much information to gather unless you dug for it, a risk you weren’t quite willing to endure yet. But Tanya was an open book. She discussed the experiences she had growing up in Georgia. But it wasn’t until she mentioned she was engaged that you found yourself holding onto every word she had to offer. You longed for the experience of a partner, even though you knew you could never have one. The normalcy of her life left you evaluating your own, how strange it became, and how much you’ve missed out on. Still, a girl could dream.

“Alright. Enough about me. What about you?”

Before you could begin, Nancy tapped her glass with her fork, a hush falling on the crowd.

“Alright, ladies. We’re going to take a little break while the crew finishes their last-minute details. Feel free to use the restroom to freshen up!”

“You’re off the hook this time, but you will tell me more about you later.” Tanya winked, and in a mad dash, headed for the restroom.

This was your opportunity to investigate, you quickly realized. You pulled out the EMF detector and scanned the perimeter of the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. You rounded a corner where a window was left slightly ajar. On the windowsill sat a small pile of yellow dirt or maybe sawdust. Before you could examine it, you felt someone approach you from behind.

“What are you doing?”

You turned around and found James Mathesby towering over you, his arms folded at his chest. You scrambled for something, anything that could cover your tracks. But experiencing him up close had you short-circuiting.

“I—I, uh, it’s stuffy in here, isn’t it? Can’t hardly breathe in here.” You fanned yourself as your temperature rose. In truth, you couldn’t breathe, but it wasn’t the air causing you to swoon.

“Oh shit. I mean, shit. Let me take you outside.” His hand found residence on your lower back as he ushered you through the lobby doors. His hand left a fire in its wake as the heat traveled through you. To say you were touch-starved would be a gross understatement. You let out a deep exhale in hopes of pulling yourself together.

“Is that better?” he asked.

“Yeah, it is. Thank you,” you said, allowing the breeze to ground yourself. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

He smiled and extended his hand. “I’m James.”

You shook his hand. Even the simple exchange of hands was enough to send you over the edge. The butterflies in your stomach twisted into knots. You were careful not to shake it for too long.

“So, what is it you do, here?”

“I’m in charge of run time. We have a tight schedule, and Nancy tends to go overboard with everything, so I keep her in check. I am also in charge of the videography of the event, telling which camera to cut to and when to pan to a wide angle or a close-up shot.”

“Oh, so you’re basically the director,” you said.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” James said, a slight rouge warming his cheeks.

You didn’t want the conversation to end. His big mysterious eyes pulled you into every word he said. You found yourself staring. You didn’t mean to. It wasn’t like you hadn’t seen a built body before, but his called to you, begging you to come closer. There was something about him you couldn’t resist, and you wanted to find out more.

“Ah, shit, er, crap. Sorry, I’m trying to be better about that.” James sighed. “We’re past time already. I better go. It was a pleasure meeting you. Get some water, and hopefully, I’ll catch you later.”

James left you alone. You heard the mutterings of Nancy over the microphone, but you found yourself too flustered amongst your own thoughts to comprehend her words. His fingertips had branded your back, the memory all too much to handle. You had never felt this way before. You were sure it was chemistry. You were determined to see where this feeling would take you.

 As you entered the lobby, the other contestants shuffled through double doors into another room. You stepped in line with the others and followed them into the ballroom. The production level completed in the hours you’d been present astounded you. Within the room stood a two-level stage with a spiral staircase on either side. American flags and giant glimmering stars hung on the back of the stage and from the ceiling. A sea of folding chairs sat evenly distributed across the floor. The sudden image of possibly thousands of people sitting in those chairs made you nauseous. You pushed it to the back of your mind as Nancy explained the situation.

“Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the pageant routine!” Nancy directed the women to their various positions. It seemed easy enough. Step and pause and step and pause. Still, the walk took six attempts before no mistakes were made. As you approached your final position, you found James off-stage. You made eye contact for only a split second before returning your focus to the stage. You felt flustered, then embarrassed over the effect that he was having on you. You had to keep it together.

“Ok, ladies! Let’s move on to the next section of the show!” Nancy announced. More walking, this time from a different approach for section two of the event. Nancy continued to add to the routine, and you continued to sneak peeks at James. You couldn’t sway your delusion; almost sure he watched you more than the other women.

After six hours of standing, walking, looking at James, and listening to Nancy say “Alright, ladies” for the millionth time, you were finally off the hook for the day. As all the contestants shuffled out of the ballroom, Tanya found her way to you.

“Hey! Day One is over, and it’s only 5:30.”

“Thank god, right?” you said, relaxing your posture for the first time today.

“So, if I were you, I’d go walk on over to James and see what he’s up to tonight.”

“What? How did you—”

She laughed. “I saw you guys talking when I came back from the bathroom. I noticed how you were checking him out. And he was totally staring at you throughout the whole rehearsal.” She nudged your arm with her elbow.

“Shut up. Don’t mess with me right now.”

“I’m not!” Tanya said. “You need to go for it.”

You sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. I mean my—my family might be doing something tonight.”

“Please, you’ve worked so hard to get here! Go have some fun! When was the last time you did anything for yourself?”

She raised a good point. He was too intoxicating to pass up. And what harm could another conversation cause?

“Fine,” you said. “Next time I see him, I’ll talk to him. What are you up to tonight?”

“Oh, a couple of the girls are getting drinks, so I better get going! I’ll see you tomorrow. You have to tell me everything.” She gave you a quick hug before running off.

Your fear kept you rooted to the floor beneath you. You sighed. There was no way you were going to go through with it. The boys would freak out, and this wasn’t a vacation. You were working. You turned around to head to your room in defeat. Your spin on the hardwood floor broke your balance, and you slipped backward. Yet, you never hit the ground, two arms catching your fall.

“You know, when I said, ‘catch you later,’ this isn’t what I meant.” James chuckled as he lifted you back to your feet.

You were mortified. You so suddenly ran hot across every inch of you. His hands never left your body, keeping you close.

“This is the second time, now, that you’ve helped me. I’m so embarrassed,” you said candidly.

“Don’t be,” he said, still holding you close.

You felt your pulse rise with each of his breaths. His eyes bore into yours, and even if the moment only lasted for two whole seconds, the weight of it lasted a lifetime.

“Forgive me if this is too forward,” James continued, “but what are you doing tonight?”

You, you thought uncharacteristically. Your mind was melting before your eyes. The desperation to come up with something quick swelled beneath your skin. “Umm, not much. It should be a relaxing night.”

“What if you joined me for dinner? I’ll buy. I’d hate myself if I didn’t try to ask you out.”

You were careful not to shudder in his grasp. Nothing could have prepared you for this moment. You did everything you could to conjure a nod. “What time were you thinking?”

“Meet me in the lobby at seven?” he asked.

“I—I can do that.”

James smiled. “Then I’ll see you at seven.”

The two of you parted ways, your head dizzy with excitement. Your emotions stirred in your head as you headed to your room. Before you opened the door, you took a deep inhale. You pled that the boys were still out investigating. Writing a note would be easier than facing them, you decided. You exhaled as you unlocked the door.

To your disappointment, the boys sat on their respective beds, Sam with his laptop and Dean sharpening his knife.

“Oh hey,” Sam said smiling up at you. “How’d it go?”

A pang of guilt struck just beneath your lungs, though you didn’t know what you could feel guilty for.

“Oh, you know, it was good, a lot of standing and stepping.” You released a breath, nervous to break the news. “And I made a friend or two.”

“Oh, sweet,” Sam said. “We knew you’d have no trouble with this.”

“Yeah, it was good. How’s the research going?”

“Coming up dry,” Dean said. “Nothing’s out of the norm here. No angry dead Miss America contestants or anything like that.”

“You didn’t get any readings, did you?” Sam asked.

“No. I tested the lobby and ballroom. Nothing. So, what are we thinking, now?”

Dean stood up. “Well, I say we take a break. How about we get some food before we return to square one?”

“Mmm, about that,” you said. “You guys go without me. I sorta made plans.”

“Plans?” both boys said.

You winced at their surprise. “It’s no big deal. One of the friends I made asked me to go out, so I said yes.”

You sucked in your lip as the boys exchanged a look of disbelief. “It’s not a big deal,” you said again, not quite sure if you were reassuring them or yourself.

“So,” Dean said finally, “what are you and this ‘friend’ gonna be up to?”

“Just a dinner. It doesn’t have to be long. I meet him at 7, so—”

“Him? So, it’s a date. Sam, it’s a date.”

“I heard,” Sam said, his voice dry.

“Guys,” you said, exasperated. “Fine. Maybe it’s a date.”

“I’m not sure I like this,” Dean said. “You don’t know this guy.”

“I thought that’s what the dinner was for.”

Dean looked to Sam, who had turned away as if to hide the thoughts running through his head. Dean huffed. “Listen. I want you back by ten. No later. I want a text every time you stop at a different location.”

You nodded.

“Now, are you… prepared?”

“Well, I’d like to take a few minutes to get ready. I mean—”

“No, no.” Dean sighed again. His cheeks turned a tinge of red before rummaging through his duffle bag.

“Dean, what are you—”

He pulled out a small square wrapper from his bag.

“You can’t be serious.” Sam forced a dry laugh from his throat.

“Can’t ever be too careful,” Dean said trying to hand the condom to you.

“Woah!” You backed up completely flustered. “That’s—it’s not like that! I mean, I don’t think—”

“It’s always good to keep it in your back pocket. Sometimes the heat of the moment sneaks up on you.”

You were speechless, your jaw on the floor and your cheeks set ablaze. You dared to look at Sam in hopes that he would defend you. His eyes burned a hole in his computer, his whole face flushed, his eyebrows furrowed.

You snatched the wrapper from Dean’s hand and shoved it in your pocket. “Anything else you need from me? Need me to give you the play-by-play when I come back?”

“No!” Both boys yelled. You jumped at the urgency.

“No,” Dean said calmer. “But I do want to walk you out, so we know who to kill if he fucks up.”

“You’re joking. No. No way.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sam said, standing at full height.

Two against one. Before today, you would have folded in embarrassment, opting to stay inside for good. But the boys didn’t understand that this would be your first night of freedom in years. Your first night of freedom in your whole adult life. You weren’t going to allow this opportunity to pass you up.

“Fine,” you said finally.

You took the time to refresh yourself, the ticking clock a rude instigator of anticipation. It was finally time to go, and as you left the room, the boys followed close behind.

James had beat you down to the lobby. He stood at the sight of you, a smile wide on his face, only for it to taper as he took in the Winchesters behind you.

“Hey,” you said. “I’m ready to go if you are.” You grabbed his arm to pull him toward the exit.

“Who are they?” James asked.

You rolled your eyes. “My guard dogs apparently. Let’s get out of here.”

“After you.” He opened the lobby door for you, and the two of you headed to his car before the boys could say a word.

chapter 4