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eleonoraalbright · 1 year ago

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The Mystery of Mistletoe

Pairing: Peter Pan x fem!reader

Summary: You find yourself underneath a mistletoe with Pan. Unfortunately for you, when you rush off in a hurry it leaves Peter with an insatiable desire to know why you are afraid of the small plant.

You hummed a merry tune while your hand brushed over the bushes’ green leaves to find edible berries. The dazzling sun hung high in the cloudless blue sky, causing beads of sweat to roll down your forehead.

You wiped them away and continued your work. It was a great pity that berry picking had to be done during the hot afternoon. The cool mornings were too full to add this chore to the busy schedule, and the evening sun would trick your eyes into picking the wrong, poisonous berries.

Your two consolations were that three out of the four baskets were filled, and you had help with the task. Peter Pan himself labored alongside you in the humid jungle. You were very grateful for his aid though you couldn’t fathom why he did it.

Surely, as Neverland’s ruler, he had better things to do than this. You wouldn’t voice this question aloud, lest he decide to quit the drudgery. Pan straightened out from hunching over the greenery and arched backwards, a satisfying pop emitting from the stretch.

“Let's take a quick break,” he suggested. Even though you had half a basket left and a break would prolong your time out here, you agreed. You and Pan sat on a log to rest. You brought out your waterskin and took a much-needed drink.

The cool water soothed your parched throat. You would have taken another long swig, but Pan held out his hand for a turn. You handed it to him for he must have been as thirsty as you were. He tipped the water skin and gulped down the refreshing liquid.

A trickle of water escaped his mouth and ran down the side of his chin. You had half a mind to catch the single drop with your finger and lick it. Not one bit of water should go to waste, should it? You shook your head to clear your muddled thoughts. It wouldn’t be a good idea to do that.

Annoying insects buzzed around your head, adding to the discomfort. A mosquito landed on your arm and you slapped it off. Had you been thinking, you might have worn a long-sleeved coat to ward off the blood-sucking bugs, but the notion had seemed like lunacy in the oppressive heat.

Your options were being drenched in buckets of sweat or covered in small, red bites. You had chosen the bites. Now it seemed the wrong one to pick; the following nights would be spent scratching your arms, legs, and neck to relieve the itchiness. Pan let out a sigh and scooched closer to you on the log where it was partly in the shade. He tossed the empty waterskin to the ground.

“Do you think you could assign some other Lost Boys to berry picking tomorrow?” If you had to endure yet another day in the muggy forest, you would scream. Well, that was a lie. You were too tired to scream, the most you would be able to muster would be a grumble.

“I don’t think anyone will do any chores tomorrow. We’ll all need a respite from this blistering heat. Tomorrow we’ll go down to the river. It’s been a while since we’ve played any river games anyhow.”

“Oh, that sounds amazing.” You imagined splashing in the water, your whole body cooling off from diving down and swimming. You would have a breath holding contest with Qian, Devin, and Darragh.

Last time Qian had won, but you had been practicing. Maybe everyone would participate in the game Marco Polo you had introduced to them. They had loved it previously, a little too much.

Bjarki had gotten a bit too invested in the game and gave one of the smaller boys, Andres, a black eye and knocked out his tooth while trying to catch him. The scuffle had turned to a full out war which led to three boys getting concussions and almost drowning underwater.

No lasting harm had been done as they had been rescued and resuscitated. The group could also play sharks and squids which was similar to the game of sharks and mermaids you used to play at the pool, but with more violence.

Pan interrupted your thoughts by mumbling, “I wish we were able to eat mistletoe. It looks delicious.” You followed his gaze upwards and saw the plant dangling from a branch above you both. All drowsiness and lethargy disappeared from your mind as you hurled yourself off the log, tumbled to the ground, and scrambled farther away from the red berries.

Peter was surprised by your actions. He glanced at the plant again to see if anything was wrong with it to have caused such a reaction. Nothing was. It seemed to be a regular old mistletoe. He said with slight amusement coloring his voice, “You seem more terrified of that plant than the dreamshade.”

“And for good reason!” You blurted out. You were confused by Pan’s words. Wasn’t it obvious why you wouldn’t want to be caught under a mistletoe with him? It then occurred to you that, of course, he wouldn’t be aware of the implications and traditions from your world.

He wasn’t from it, so why should he? You breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, dusting yourself off. You laughed, “My mistake, Pan. The heat must be getting to me. I’m not acting like myself.” You grabbed two baskets and began dragging them away.

“Well, I think we have enough provisions. I’ll get these and see you back at camp.” Thankfully, Pan allowed you to leave. You didn't know whether your face burned from embarrassment or from the sweltering temperature. Instinct made you leap from him, but to be honest, kissing Pan might not have been the worst scenario to find yourself in.

You doubted that would happen even if you did explain the custom to him. Doubtless, he would think you were making it up in a poor flirting attempt and mock you. It was better for him to think you batty for a fear of a mistletoe plant or going delirious in the stifling atmosphere.

Peter plucked the plant from its place off the branch and inspected it. He had thought perhaps there had been an enormous beetle or arachnid in its leaves. Just as he thought, there was nothing outright alarming about the humble flora.

Heat had not been an issue for you before, so why would it be now? No, Pan was quite sure your peculiar behavior was because of the mistletoe. The question was what exactly. It seemed like some tests were needed to find out. Was it the whole thing or only parts of it that scared you? Peter Pan was determined to find out.

A day later, the sun was setting in the west, bathing the clear sky in a multitude of blazing colors. An array of pinks and purples washed over the blue and tinged the horizon edges with orange. The Lost Boys were chattering and laughing as they prepared their crude makeshift beds for tonight. A few tents were pitched up.

There weren’t enough to go around for all the boys due to an unfortunate mishap regarding a not-properly-put-out-fire and high winds, meaning the boys had to take turns in sleeping in them. Luckily for Pan, tonight was your turn to sleep directly underneath the stars. He watched from a good distance as you made your pallet ready.

You managed to take another blanket from an older boy and gave it to a younger one who had been complaining about being cold. You went to fluff up your flat pillow when you spotted the small gift Pan had left on the mat. Teleporting closer, Pan lurked in the nearby bushes to witness firsthand your reaction.

He saw you bend down and pick up the bunch of mistletoe berries he left scattered there. You brought them to eye level and stared at them hard as if unsure what they were. Recognition flashed in your eyes and Peter noticed with delight your head swivel this way and that, looking for the person who did this.

Well, that got an interesting reaction out of you. However, to his disappointment, you tossed the red berries into the fire and went off to bed. He was hoping for a bigger outburst from you. He had even speculated you might try to switch sleeping pads with someone else from fear that more berries would appear.

But no, you had been quite commonsensical. On the other hand, there had been that little panicked moment when you realized what the unwanted gift was. Intrigued by your reaction, Pan decided more testing was needed.

The temperature had cooled down considerably the following morning when Peter sent you on a ‘special’ mission. He assigned you the task to find a particular carrot which could force whoever ate it to dance an entire day and night.

The root was on Neverland’s southern side and grew in the rocky area between the forest and the beach. He told you it was identifiable by its bright, sparkly pink leaves. This was complete balderdash needless to say; Pan only wanted you in that region because he had a certain surprise in store.

He tracked your location and became more excited as you approached the destination. Hiding behind a large boulder, Pan spied as you trudged out of the forest and came into view. Your expression morphed into one of great confusion.

Spread out for what looked like the whole beach were leaves. You stepped onto the green mass and grabbed a leaf, tracing its spiky edges. You let it fall to the ground, placed your hands on your hips, and gazed upwards. As far as he could tell, you were very bewildered at the strange situation.

Pan waited with eagerness for you to throw a fit of some sorts or at least run away from the mistletoe leaves. Again, to his disappointment and ever-growing bafflement, you did not. Instead, you plodded along, kicking your feet through the leaves. Evidently, you were still on your quest to get the imaginary root. Pan cursed.

How thick-headed could you be? Did you not see that it was a trick? Pan left. He would let you waste all morning, afternoon, and evening searching for the stupid carrot. It served you right for being such an enigma; worrying about mistletoe one day and not caring about it the next.

Pan sulked. He sat on a log on the camp’s outskirts, fiddling with a crown made of mistletoe in his hands. This was preposterous. Why should he care whether or not you were afraid of the parasitic plant? In an instant, he answered himself: because it would be funny if you had a mistletoe phobia. What was different regarding the circumstances? It couldn’t be the presence of people.

He was there the first time and the Lost Boys had been there the second time, but you had thought you were alone in the last instance. Your first reaction was big while the other two weren’t. Peter held up the leafy crown to study it.

Should he try to recreate the situation to see if the same thing happened? He was so deep in his pondering that he didn’t notice when a Lost Boy came up to him until the youngster spoke.

“Hiya, Pan. Me and some boys made another tent outta the animal hide and we’re wonderin’ if–” He stopped and gawked at the plant his master was holding. “Say, ya got yourself some mistletoe! Neato! Ya gunna use it tah kiss some mermaids? Sure as heck wouldn’t mind smoochin’ those setta fish lips! Ya should–”

Seizing on the peculiar words, Pan leaped to his feet and clutched the boy's shoulders. “What do you mean by ‘use it to kiss some mermaids’?” Did this flora have a secret magical ability he was unaware of? Could this have any connection to your dislike of it? Would it have anything to do with why you flung yourself away from it and threw the berries in the fire?

The scared boy gasped, “If t-two people are under a mistlet-toe, they have tah kiss. It’s tra–tradition.” Pan released the boy. It all made sense now! Patting the boy on the back, he set off to one of his tree houses on the island. He had much to plan and prepare!

You plopped down at the Lost boys’ campsite. Your bones ached and hunger gnawed at your insides. All day was squandered looking for that carrot. You foraged high and low for that thing and had nothing to show for it, not even a sparkly, pink leaf.

You were beginning to wonder whether it existed or if the expedition was a mean joke played for fun. If that was the case, then it wasn’t a very good joke.

If it was real, you would be in hot water with Peter Pan for not finding it. Why would he want a carrot that made you dance? Your tiring questions were forgotten when Felix marched to the spot where you were sitting.

As usual, he spared no time on pleasantries. No, how are you? Do you want some food? Where have you been? To your annoyance, he stated, “Pan wants to see you at trumpet vine tree house.”

You huffed in displeasure, “Why?”

“I don’t know why. He wants you there now.” Felix gave you a stern look which clearly said, If you don’t get up of your own accord, I will drag you there myself.

You groaned. Pan’s word was law. Any protest against his commands would not end pretty for you. You complied with the order and made your way to the trumpet vine treehouse. The place got its name from the vines curling along its trunk and branches, beautiful reddish-yellow flowers bloomed to add a lovely fragrance in the air.

It was about a fifteen-minute walk away. Why did Pan want to see you and in a private setting to boot? Did he want the enchanted carrot? How angry would he get when he found out you didn’t retrieve it?

Should you pretend to have eaten it and dance for twenty-four hours. No, that was a dumb idea. Oh well, you would just have to tell the truth. You arrived and began to climb up the rope ladder.

You poked your head through the opening in the floor and your jaw dropped. On the ceiling, hanging above you, were dozens of mistletoe plants. What the hell was going on with mistletoe! Two days ago, had been the starting incident, then it was the berries on your pillow, then a whole beach full of them!

You didn’t notice Pan was in the room before he spoke, “Something the matter?” You had difficulty in forming a sentence. He pulled you up the rest of the way into the treehouse. He looked pleased with himself and rather smug. “Surely you’re not afraid of a little mistletoe, are you?”

“No, no, no! It’s– it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting it though. Nothing to be afraid of with mistletoe after all.” You prayed he wouldn’t be able to detect your lies.

He held onto your wrists and pulled you closer. “Oh? So, you’re not scared of anything we might have to do underneath it?”

“You know…” You admitted, defeated. “How did you find out?”

He smiled in a self-satisfied fashion. “I have my ways. It took a little bit of careful observing, a couple of tests, and a sprinkle of luck. But it was well worth it. Although it is an odd custom to be sure. What other eccentric traditions did you have back in the Land Without Magic?” He stroked your cheek with his thumb which trailed down your neck. His other hand grasped your waist.

Your attempt to answer was blocked by another query. He quirked an eyebrow up and leaned in further to ask, “Don’t you think that for all the grueling work I put in to understand your old world’s ceremonies and rules that I should be rewarded for my effort?”

Hmm, he did have a point. Giving him a small prize for all the work he endured couldn’t be that bad. Grinning, you performed the exact act that you had avoided doing not forty-eight hours prior. The kiss was sweet and simple and you pulled back three seconds later.

“I would have preferred a kiss on the forehead, but that wasn’t too bad either.” He chuckled at your shocked and hurt face. “That was a mere jest, love. The kiss was near perfect. Much too short of my liking however.” He took a step to the right, bringing you with him. “That’s fine because we are under a different mistletoe and have plenty more to practice under.”

He was right as he always was. Evening faded into night and you and Peter were still in the treehouse practicing.

#peter pan ouat imagines #peter pan x reader #peter pan ouat #x reader #once upon a time imagine #cross posted on ao3

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venus-vault · 8 months ago

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Friend of the Family

Mr.Reed × Fem!Reader(Mid-20s) [18+]

Synopsis: Part 1 - (y/n)'s boring family Christmas vacation to Colorado doesn't exactly go as anticipated...

⚠️TW: Boring Family Dynamic, Age Gap, Alcohol Consumption (all parties of age), Oral Sex (Male & Female Recipients), Raw P in V Penetration, Breif Mutual Masturbation, General Smut. ❄️

"So do I even *actually* know this guy?" I interrogate, unsure why we're staying there instead of some mountainside Airbnb. "Of course! (y/n), you've met Mr. Reed plenty of times, you were just, y'know...smaller." Dad explains, cheery. "Okay... but when you said 'Colorado Christmas Vacation' I thought we'd be like... snowboarding, or hanging out in a cute mountain town, or at least renting a cool cabin in Telluride... not like... the middle of nowhere part of Boulder with some guy I haven't seen since I was a kid..."

He sighs, defeated by my expectations yet again. "Listen. He's my best friend, a few years back he lost his wife, and its true, I haven't gotten around to seeing him in person since you were four, Bug."

He drones on,

"He's a really nice guy, and super cool. He loves that Lana Del Rey girl you're always talking about, and he's got a really nice collection of records and books, its like a mini Barnes & Noble in there! You might find you have more in common than you think!" He offers.

And I decline : "With a 64-year-old retired engineer from England? Yeah thanks, I'll pass. I'm just gonna stay out of the way, keep my headphones on, and let you two reconnect."

I pull out my phone, pop in my earpods, and open Tumblr, pretending to care at all about the latest posts on the Spencer Reid tag. Out of the corner of my eye I can tell I've hurt his feelings, but fathers never say the right thing, and he can withstand a little sting every once in a while. It's what he deserves for not telling me where we were staying til halfway through the plane ride.

Our plane finally touches down, we funnel through Boulder Municipal into a cab and I won't be the first one to speak. I take one earpod out just in case, which Dad takes as an invitation. "Just got a text from Mr. Reed, and I hope you're hungry Bug, because there. will. be. pie." He beams as though this is some great revelation, elaborating "He's got this wild recipe with earl grey in the crust and lemon zest in the filling, it's award-winning. Seriously! He enters it in the local contest every other year and it's only lost once!"

Despite how riveting my father finds Mr. Reed and his Great British baking exploits, I do not, and apparently it shows as his smile tamps down to a simper. "Sweetie, I'm really trying here. I can't convince you it's gonna be the best Christmas ever, hey, we'll probably both have altitude sickness the entire time, but let's just make an attempt, okay? Nothing has to be perfect." He's an idiot but he's right and I agree. "Okay, yeah. I'll be nice." I sigh "That pie does sound pretty good, I guess..."

The cab rolls through the city of Boulder as Lana lilts gently in my earpods about 'haaa-aa-ow toooo disappear~' and maybe this trip won't be so bad after all.

We're finally dropped at the gate to Mr. Reed's house and -you're fucking kidding me- his driveway, long and winding, is gravel. I wince inwardly at the realization that I'll have to lug two wheeled suitcases up that path and flash Dad a fake 'I'm so glad We're doing this' smile before yanking them out of the trunk and making my way up to the stoop. This pie better be incredible.

Once Dad and I are situated on the stoop, out of breath and travel-weary, I assault Mr. Reed's doorbell. It's cold and I need a shower.

ding. .... nothing. ding-ding. nope. dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding-

The door opens, finally, and a sweet-looking older man in a well composed cardigan-button down combo and jeans steps out to greet us, smiling bright as his eyes fall on Dad.

"Jonathan!!"

"Reed!!"

Laughter ensues as I observe their embrace, holding back a heavy eyeroll. Somehow I am already third-wheeling.

"Oh my god, Mr. Reed, you remember (y/n)? She's just finished a semester at Oxford!" Dad smirks, gesturing to me and I give a shy wave as Mr. Reed's eyes scan over me, widening in surprise.

"(y/n)? As in, little (y/n), (y/n) who was- ?" He holds his hand flat, bringing it down by his knee as he looks between me and dad in disbelief.

"The very same, can you believe it?"

I purse my mouth into a smile, just completely overwhelmed by how awkward this interaction is.

"Well look at you! You've certainly grown up, haven't you?"

"I suppose so!" my best fake laugh.

Mr. Reed's eyes trace my form again and he pulls me into a quick side hug. He's warm and smells like lemon zest, vanilla extract.

"Let's get you two in then, supposed to be a blizzard tonight."

He grabs one of my suitcases and we follow him as he shuffles back inside.

His house is simple and a little cramped, but I do smell pie. 'Bless This Mess' reads a framed piece of embroidery on the wall, and if there is a God, I hope he does.

We toss our bags into our respective guest rooms at the top of the stairs and I finally get to take my shower before making a way back downstairs to the dining room.

We sit through a meal -shepherd's pie, what is it with this guy and pie?- and my dad and Mr. Reed discuss people they both know who died or lived or have moved or haven't moved and I am in hell until-

"Little after dinner drink then?"

My eyes snap up from my plate to meet his, a small smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth. His eyes crinkle at the ends when he smiles, warm and comforting and it occurs to me for the first time that Mr. Reed is...handsome... If he were 20 years younger he'd definitely be my type, in fact...

"Alright! So that's one, me makes two, Jonathan, little shiraz with your pie?"

"Well how could I say no to such a generous offer?" Dad beams.

We move back into the living room and sip and I pick at the pie. It is good and after a glass and a half of shiraz Mr. Reed looks just as appetizing, but I decide I'm not going to eye-fuck this old man in front of my father, or at least not in an obvious way.

So I sit, tepid, on my phone and pretend not to be bothered by the lack of service while I half listen to their conversation, looking up strategically to ogle Mr. Reed every now and then. His eyes find mine and I watch him nibble at his lip and does he know?

"So then (y/n), Oxford, hm?"

"Uhm, yeah, I'm in their creative writing MFA program right now... its... interesting."

"Interesting boring or interesting incredible?" He crosses one leg over the other and leans in, attentive.

"Uh, I mean it's going well, people in my classes are a little...er.. pretentious..?" I giggle, nervous.

"Exactly as I remember it, then!" He laughs loudly, and dad joins in, snickering along. His laughter is infectious and this wine is making me blush and I smile.

"You're an alum?"

"What, the accent didn't give it away?" A chuckle, "Yeah, yeah, I was lucky enough to take about an eon of courses in engineering sciences there, immigrate in the 90s, build this place, blah blah blah, but enough on me, it seems we may just be in the midst of the next great American novelist, eh Jonathan?" A wink.

"I don't know about that," I tear my eyes away from him, focusing in on the details of a floorboard.

"Oh (y/n) don't be modest, Reed you'd love her stuff, she's got some of the most well-metered prose, and-"

"Dad." I warn, eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Oop, sorry bug," He cringes "Didn't mean to dad-out on ya."

"I'd love to read some of your writing sometime, granted you'd be comfortable enough to share." Mr. Reed interjects.

"Uh, yeah. Maybe. Sometime..."

"Can I top you up?"

"Sure." He fills my glass just to the midpoint and does the same for himself.

"Jonathan?" He smirks playfully at dad.

"Ah, I dunno, I should probably be getting some shut-eye actually."

"Aw come on,"

"No, no, these days if im up past 10 with a drink in hand I'll be totally useless the next 24 hours." He stands, patting my shoulder. "Night, y'all. Don't have too much fun without me!" And there go the finger guns so now it's my turn to cringe.

He finally leaves the room and I'm alone with Mr. Reed. There's a heavy silence in the air and I take a small sip of my drink.

"So, (y/n), big on Lana Del Rey I hear?" He smirks.

"One of my favorites." I breathe, forcing a smile.

"Norman Fucking Rockwell or Blue Banisters?"

"NFR."

His eyebrows raise "it's okay to be wrong."

"But I'm not."

"Lust for Life or Born To Die; Paradise Edition?"

"... you ask hard questions, Mr. Reed."

"And you... answer them."

"And if I give you another 'wrong' answer?"

"Why would it matter? Are you trying to impress me?"

"...Paradise." I squint at him.

"Mm, see? We agree on something."

I'm powerless to the smile that forms on my face.

"Yeah?"

He lets out a low laugh. "Yeah,"

"What drew you to her, originally I mean?" He looks me over.

"Well, like a lot of young women I do have the obligatory depression diagnosis and Tumblr account combo, and things spiraled out from there I guess..."

"Ah, and here I thought it was just your ill-suited attraction to old men!" He lets out a warm chuckle at his own joke and I must've misheard him.

"What?" I shift a bit in my place on the couch, called out.

He scoffs. "Come on, (y/n). Let's not play this game. You've been eyeing me up since dinner, sitting there and sipping your drink and sucking berries off your fork in the most salacious way, letting your gaze linger, innocent and doe-eyed yet so apathetic to it all," he rolls his eyes like he might be as well, "when in reality, it seems, correct me if I go wrong, but you've been looking at me all night like you want me to touch you. Is that accurate or am I projecting a fantasy?"

The tip of his tongue trails his lip, my gaze following its path and I'm warm. His eyes search mine, that was supposed to be a question.

"Uhm... no that... that sounds...accurate..." I admit almost silently, eyes boring into the floor as I sheepishly take another sip of my wine.

"Hm. I see. And in front of your father too...tsk, naughty girl. Lucky for you the man's terrible at reading body language or subtext of any variant,"

Mr. Reed rises from his chair across the coffee table and plants himself on the edge of the sofa next to me. "I, however, do not have that problem." I look up at him and his eyes are two blue marbles behind those wireframed glasses, his cheshire smirk enough to melt me, it's overwhelming.

My face grows hot and my body tight as he delicately removes the wineglass from my hand, sets it down on the coffee table, and leans down to kiss me.

He's tender and gentle and his lips are soft, his tongue stained with blueberry filling as it finds mine, and he strokes my cheek. I place a shaky hand on his knee and one of his covers it as he presses his forehead to mine, breaking the spell. "Are you certain this is something you want, (y/n)? I wouldn't want to impose-" I cut him off with another, more assertive kiss because I need this.

The holidays are stressful and I'm horny and he's here. Fuck it.

As we continue making out, Mr. Reed scoots onto the couch beside me and I find his zipper. His dick jumps to meet my hand through the fabric as one of his hands slips under my sweater and he moans at the softness of my breast.

I pull away to unzip his pants and stroke him a couple times before moving to kneel between his legs. I look up to him, reverent, then back down to his cock, throbbing in hand. Giving him a few steady strokes, I lean forward, parting my lips.

"Can I?" I blink.

He nods eagerly, transfixed.

I take as much of him into my mouth as I can and swallow as his tip hits the back of my throat.

I hear him suck in a breath and his hands find my hair as I start to bob my head over the length of him, holding his balls with one hand and methodically stroking his base with the other. His breath catches, ragged and I feel him spasm in my mouth. I need him. I finally come up for air with a gasp and wipe a tendril of spit off my lower lip as I look up at him. "Mr. Reed, I want to fuck you," I breathe.

"Well all you had to do was ask," he sighs and I pull myself up off the floor, undoing my jeans and tugging them off my legs as quickly as I can before tearing off my sweater and within seconds I'm standing before him in just my panties and bralette. His eyes trail over me. His teeth sink into his lower lip as a hand wraps around his dick and I place a knee on either side of his legs, straddling him. Fair is fair and my fingers slip under the hem of my panties so I can work myself for him as he takes me in.

"How do you want me?"

"Turn around."

I follow his blunt instruction and as I do his fingers hook into either side of my panties, pulling the dampened fabric down my legs.

"Now, you're going to squat down for me... slowly."

I do as I'm told and he guides my hips, lining himself up with my center. Mr. Reed rests his hands on the tops of my thighs, pushing me further down into his lap and I gasp as I feel him begin to penetrate me. I knew it was big, I mean, he could barely fit in my mouth, but christ. I swivel my hips in an attempt to adjust to him, and hear him draw in a breath.

"(y/n), I want you to bounce for me, and you. will. not. make. a sound. understood?"

"Y-yes Mr. Reed."

I start to raise and lower myself slowly on him and gasp sharply as I feel myself tense. He holds me steady by my biceps and guides me up and down.

"Good, that's- ohh that is good, just keep going... mm, mhm, just. like. that. you. Are. Brilliant..." he murmurs, squeezing my ass and I bite back a moan

"Shhhh-shh..."

"Ssorry Mr. Reed," I manage quietly.

He continues to guide my movements, faster now, and I watch his head tip against the back of the couch. His cock twitches inside me and gasp sharply.

"(y/n), stand for me?" And I do.

He turns me around by my hips and I blink down at Mr. Reed and he's panting, glasses perched on top of his head, looking me over hungrily.

"Lay back on the couch here, pet."

He sets a pillow down for me to rest my head on and I do as he says, watching him part my legs, settling between them as he presses gentle kisses up my inner thighs, staring intently into my eyes as he does.

He hovers over my core and I gasp at the warmth of his breath. I watch Mr. Reed's eyes close for a moment as he inhales the scent of my sex and smirks to himself.

"Does your pussy taste like Pepsi Cola then, (y/n)?" He lets out a low chuckle at his own corny little quip, bringing his mouth closer "Shall we find out?"

He pins my thighs open and slowly licks a wide stripe up my vulva from entrance to clit. I can't hold back the whimper that slips from me at the heat of his tongue, and it's even harder to silence msyelf when he dips two fingers into me, curling the pads of his fingertips just slightly as he steadily works me, his tongue moving in a synced rythym against my clit.

The sensation is almost too much and I gasp as I feel myself spasm a couple times around his fingers. He hums into me and the vibration sends a shudder through my body. He tilts his head up, panting as he continues fingering me, and my hips arch up to meet his hand.

He removes his fingers, pressing them against the plush of my lower lip and into my mouth. I suck and lick impatiently, and before long his mouth is on mine again as I feel his cock slip back into me. I can't help the soft moan that escapes my lips as he begins to slowly rock his hips into mine.

"Mister Reed?" I breathe

"Mm?"

"It's... you're just...so big...." He smirks.

"Oh, I'm aware dear." He picks up his pace some "You're taking me so well, though..." he presses a kiss into the side of my neck and I gasp.

"Being so good for me..."

A loud creak interrupts us from overhead and Mr. Reed stops moving, eyes glued upwards as he clamps his hand over my mouth.

Heavy footsteps make the floorboards groan above us as he slowly starts to fuck me again and I take in a sharp breath through my nostrils, looking up at him, panicked.

"Shhh, shh-" another low creak.

Mr. Reed quickens his thrusts and I involuntarily whine against his hand which finds it's way to my neck instantly, holding firm.

"I said. Be quiet." He whispers sternly.

I bite my lip in an effort not to cry out, nodding and I begin to feel that familiar tension coiling inside as he bucks into me, my mind going totally blank at the way his hand feels wrapped around my throat.

The footsteps and floorboards finally stop, his grip on my neck releases some, and a warm haze overtakes my body as he continues to forcefully piston into me. I feel myself starting to tense up and struggle for breath as I unwind completely under him.

Seconds later, Mr. Reed lets out a low groan and I feel his orgasm pulse out acutely within me as I weather my own.

We lay there for a few minutes and as we come down together, the weight of our indiscretion settles in some.

I've just fucked my dad's best friend. Three days before Christmas. And I liked it. A lot.

"Needed.. that..." I huff.

"I could tell," he chortles.

Mr. Reed slips out of me, grabbing one of the discarded linen napkins from the coffee table to clean himself off with, before gently tucking it between my legs.

"Oh, and... it does, by the way."

Part 2❄️

#em.fic4 #friend of the family #hugh grant #mr reed #heretic #mr. reed #mr reed x reader #mr. reed x reader #mr. reed x fem reader #friend of the family fic #mr. reed smut #smut

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cionneire · 21 days ago

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In an attempt to be Cool and Hip, I ended up designing some alternative designs for the main series Algebraliens to make them. Actually look like aliens. I came up with a few headcanons based on these designs and I’ll try and explain my thought process below

Firstly, I gave them all a bug/small critter inspiration because uhh. Most of them are weird and wacky on their own, so they’d be easiest to incorporate into the designs of characters with mostly asymmetrical shapes.

Four is based on the spiny orb-weavers

X is based on the monarch butterfly

Two is inspired by snails in general

And One takes inspiration from the cuckoo wasp!

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts and headcanons of these designs!

- Four and X are matching! Their fake eyes specifically :)

- I tried to make it so that their patterns and colours — much like a lot of real life animals — are a sign of ‘Danger! Keep away!’ The more vibrant and prominent markings are, the more ‘powerful’ they are. But with my designs that looks sooorta debatable since I got..carried away and had lots of fun. But I mean, it’s also sorta debatable in canon LMAO, but when I get to the sub special Algebraliens I could probably show that off more as most of them don’t seem to have any other powers than being squishy, so they probably have fewer markings

- The markings can change as an Algebralien’s powers are strengthened or diminished. In the 2763 Sub special for example, patterns would have dulled. They can also be earned. X for example gained some spotting after spending more time learning from Four.

- These patterns can glow when using their powers! Four has some of their markings glow constantly because of the maintenance of the EXIT :)

- Really complicated hc of mine is that algebralien powers comes from the ability to manipulate the variables around them. They can manipulate expressions used in physics and chemistry, for example, to change or create matter.

- This allows it so their abilities are both innate and learned. Yes one may have a natural talent for manipulating expressions but they also need to learn *how* those expressions work first before being able to bend them. It’s why X was able to be taught how to recover dead contestants. Four taught them the ‘expression’ to do so

My next goal is to try and design Three and Six next to cover the algebraliens from the main series before moving unto the sub specials ^^

Enjoy this ramble of a post lmao

(Some additional concept sketches below)

#bfdi fanart #bfdi art #battle for dream island #bfdi tpot #the power of two #x finds out his value #xfohv #two tpot #one tpot #x tpot #four tpot #algebralien #algebralian #i say my next goal is three and six but #i have no bug inspiration to draw off from yet #if these tags are still around after this scheduled post #help

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sexypeople-contests-2025 · 20 days ago

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#can’t think of roly polys without thinking of that one episode of Rick and Morty #tumblr 2025 #tumblr polls #tumblr cool bug contest #cool bug contest #cool bugs #cicada #dragonfly #roly poly #I’m planning on getting a tattoo of one of these #already got the pricing estimate and everything

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gingermintpepper · 11 months ago

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I haven't read the Odyssey so I'm asking you. Are you telling me besides Athena, Apollo was the god who helped Odysseus and his family the most? Indirectly at least.

If that's true it's really a missed opportunity in EPIC.

No, no, the god who assists Odysseus the most after Athena is unquestionably Zeus.

Zeus genuinely has no problems with Odysseus and makes it very clear that he finds the man brilliant and would have already had him home and safe if he had his way, but he makes it clear that he's deferring to Poseidon who actually has the problem with Odysseus because, ultimately, the sea is Poseidon's domain and kingdom and Zeus doesn't intend to step on his brother's toes.

(Od. Book 1 trans. Robert Fitzgerald)

I'd definitely give third place to Apollo however. The big bug-bear about Apollo in the Odyssey is just that he's much less tangible than Athena or even Hermes who appears to Odysseus multiple times to help guide him/give him proclamations. His presence is everywhere though; like I've previously mentioned (and like he did with Jason) it's Apollo protecting Odysseus from Poseidon as he sails the sea after Odysseus blinds Polyphemus. It's also Apollo keeping Telemachus safe. His most vital role by far is when Odysseus returns to Ithaca in time for the challenge that will determine the next king. Not only is it a shooting contest whose first hurdle is to string a bow, the challenge itself takes place on a festival day for Apollo. Athena is there with Odysseus and Telemachus physically, but Apollo is looking after them in spirit, sending signs and signals to keep Telemachus especially safe.

(Od. Book 15, Telemachus warns about the state of Odysseus' house to Theoclymenus, a son of one of Apollo's prophets.)

There's also the fact that Odysseus makes sure to pray to Apollo before he attempts to string the bow:

(Od. Book 21. Beggar-Odysseus petitions to shoot his shot)

Likewise, before he slays the first suitor, Odysseus again prays for Apollo's guidance and gaze to guide his arrows:

(Od. Book 22. Odysseus commits the first of many (divinely-sanctioned) murders)

Also, as an additional thing, have Telemachus invoking Zeus, Athena and Apollo that he could see the suitors have their asses beat:

(Od. Book 18. Telemachus excitedly gushes to him mom about his cool new friend (Odysseus. Odysseus is the friend.)

There's a lot of minimisation of Apollo's role in the Odyssey because it isn't as bright and showy as his role was in the Iliad but hey, even there people tend to minimise how truly present Apollo is for the duration of the war when they're doing adaptations. Within Epic, the stage is already more than set for both Apollo and Athena to be there at the advent of Odysseus' revenge but none of that matters if that's not the creator's intention, y'know?

#ginger rambles #ginger answers asks #the odyssey #epic the musical #epic the wisdom saga #Man shoutout to Antinous for invoking Apollo to be like #oh haha yeah we'll just postpone the challenge and offer a sacrifice to Apollo #so he won't be mad #Like Apollo didn't already have his bow cocked and ready to shoot all the suitors LMAO #Odysseus and Laertes also both thank Apollo for keeping their sons safe btw #Odysseus thanks Apollo offhandedly while speaking about Telemachus -thanking him for ensuring that Telemachus took after him in wisdom #While Laertes is restored for a brief moment after he and Odysseus reunite and he thanks Zeus Athena and Apollo for keeping him and Ody #long enough to have this reunion #Other fun things include: Penelope praying to Artemis to strike her down on the day before the challenge so she never has to be w/h another #man besides Odysseus #The suitors praying (loudly and with fervour) for Apollo to strike Telemachus down #And Odysseus praying to Zeus because the amount of times he wanted to just say “fuck it” and start slaughtering people #for defiling his house LMAO #odysseus #telemachus #apollo #athena #zeus #Thank you for the ask!

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goldenclover-16 · 3 months ago

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TPOT 17 SPOILERS

Ok so it's finally out and I need to word vomit about it cause this episode was PEAK

First off Pen being sad and watching Blocky's old show for comfort, at least TV is finally doing something. Pen is going through some shit losing both his best friends and seeing it expanded upon is great.

IM SORRY BASKETBALL IS JUST HERE?? SHES OKAY?? I had thought One kidnapped her too but I guess not, but none of the other eliminated contestants mention anything about One. Has Basketball NOT SAID ANYTHING TO THEM!!??!! She was one of the people to resist their the deal and knew something was up. Even if One jumbled her speech or something so nobody could understand wouldn't they at least mention something?? Either way nice to see these guys again, also theories on where the EXIT door leads, I personally agree with it being either the second hotel door or equation playground. No Gatey though so they've more then definitely been kidnapped.

Oh Bottle's hosting this episode? Cool I like her silly vibes god knows CloudYay need it right now they stressed about the elimination. But also it's kinda sad seeing other people keep hosting for Two I really enjoyed them.

Pencil's panic attack was cool to see, last she remembers it was vote to eliminate so frankly it was pretty reasonable. Donut having to calm her down and remind her it's vote to save.

Anyway eliminations and honestly I think this was best case scenario. As much as I like Pillow and YellowFace most of the team was going through more important arcs. The only person I feel could be switched in without too much changing is Winner. Also YellowFace being so panicked and not wanting to go, things were finally going really well for him with Taggy. Hopefully they will be able to keep the warehouse going without him.

This whole scene with Fanny and Tennis Ball was cool, seeing how One is actively attempting to stop word spreading. I've already seen other people decipher the board so I'm not going to put it here (I'm lazy ik and also don't care).

Damn, Two still got depression and looks like shit, they're just bed rotting. I can't personally comment on how accurate the portrayal is but from what I've heard it's pretty accurate. Give them their wife back PLEASE I NEED TO SO THEM HOST AGAIN. Also i've seen people mention how Two is slightly paler and thinner from last episode which is concerning, hopefully they'll be okay. . .

THE FOURSE RETURNS HAHA IT'S SO ANGRY I LOVE HIM

Ok onto the contests I just had to mention this first.

The eating contest was some fun comic relief while everything else was happening, interesting teams to put on it as well. We got Black Hole sucking his up, Taggy selling theirs (nice to see the failed debuters out and about as well as the giant David) and Winner just... absorbing it? Liy being the only one who has to eat normally. Black Hole's little moral dilemma with the bugs was great, seeing him learn to balance the P.A.C.T with finishing challenges, he was trying so hard. Also Winner with the Loser O's, seeing that Loser maybe cared more about him then he thought, Also Loser not being famous anymore? Damn that episode really came back to haunt him.

I don't really have much to say about these guys, it was pretty tame compared with everything else going on. Nice to see Pen trying to branch out and connect with people.

Pencil and Book crash outs HOLY SHIT THIS WENT HARD! Pencil is traumatized from being in the E.X.I.T for years and wants things back to the way they were before with the alliance but has no idea how to convey her emotions properly which leads to her seeming obsessive and selfish. Her actions are sill bad but it's clear it's because she's hurt and traumatized and because of that is left emotionally unstable which leads to her accidently pushing away the people around her. Despite this I find Book pretty reasonable in her reaction if you look at it from her perspective, she had just managed to repair her relationship with Icy by giving her space and has practically forgotten about Freesmart till Pencil joined back. By this point Book has moved on and found new friends in Winner and Taggy but Pencil just comes in and expects Book to immediately want the alliance back. Book needed the same space Icy did for there to be a chance at healing their relationship but Pencil, unlike Book at that time, is highly unstable and unable to regulate her emotions so she suffocated Book which only leads to things getting worse. Pencil desperately needs some therapy.

In the end, Pen's talk with Pencil does give some hope at a redemption arc, it would be messy and painful but possible. Pen understands what it's like to lose all your close friends, and he could have become like Pencil except he still had people to catch him, namely Liy. Pencil had nobody going back into the game. Hopefully Pencil will listen to him and maybe Pen could continue helping Pencil become better.

Going back to some tamer stuff for a bit the haunted house group was interesting to watch. The writers finally gave TV something to do which is great but he's still one I wouldn't mind getting eliminated. The nature vs mechanical theme was interesting and just more showing of the slight negative bias towards mechanical minds from the contestants. Admittedly though Tree had a point for leaving TV to save both himself and Grassy but TV still had a right to be mad. Him controlling the spider mech was cool, Spid-TV lol. The fight scene was cool and just having Tennis Ball and the Fourse crash onto the mech was funny

Now onto the best part of the episode, Donut unironically just became on of my favourite characters now because of this episode. One's room is destroyed and she is clearly unstable, things are falling apart for her and Donut's ass is not helping that. He is suspicious from the start about the contract and is the first I believe to actually ask what's in it which One immediately deflects. As their interaction continues One becomes more and more agitated by Donut's refusal to sign, eventually having a full crash out while slamming him against a table and stealing his legs as well. Props to Donut here for sticking to his guns and not changing his mind despite having his last limbs actively ripped off which kinda reminded me of BFDIA Pin when her limbs were removed. Connection? Probably not but fun to note. Also notice how One has switched from manipulation and sweet talk to straight up threats and blackmail to get deals, most people left in the game to take for deals are smarter and questioning her which isn't great for One. Her facade is breaking apart as she has to put more and more effort into securing deals.

I also wanted to go into Donut getting his limbs back anyway at the end of the episode. I believe this could represent how One is actually quite powerless in a way. Sure she has her magic which we've seen to be very powerful but it can't control others. While we don't know right now why One needs to make deals with the contestants it's clear they're important to whatever plan she has. And to get those contracts the contestants have to actively sign them, she NEEDS the co-operation of the contestants and that's not something she can force through her magic, they always have the option to deny her no matter what she does. We see through this scene that the contestants don't need One to solve their problems and without her they will find a solution on their own. I like to think that if One hadn't interfered when she did for any of the deals they would likely solve their own problem soon after like shown here. And that's not even mentioning the POWER Donut has right now. While contestants like Fanny, Ice Cube, Gatey and Basketball know something is wrong, especially Fanny as we see her actively try to show Tennis Ball he research, they are all under contract. They have all accepted a deal. DONUT NEVER ACCEPTED THE DEAL AND NOW KNOWS WHATS GOING ON WITHOUT ONE BEING ABLE TO CALL IN A FAVOUR TO STOP HIM. He is now arguably the most powerful out of the resistance gang now due to this.

Now this last part is purely speculation so it could easily be proven false but I noticed how both Fanny and Ice Cube could make out their research while Tennis Ball couldn't. While this could just be One messing up his vision specifically what if knowledge about One determines if someone can see the board. Tennis Ball has never seen one like Fanny and Ice Cube and would, by this logic, not understand the writing. But Donut, who has seen one would be able to. I hope that makes sense.

In conclusion this episode was peak, thanks for listening to this long ass ramble

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pixelartpeach · 7 days ago

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GUZMA HEADCANON MASTERLIST

I have an unhealthy attachment to this guy

As such, I have had way too many thoughts about him and how he exists in my headcanons.

This is going to be your problem now.

Ahem.

BASICS

His full name is Guzmania Kala'i Sasaki. His mom picked out his name, and his first name came from the fact that when they first got their house, his parents' first housewarming gift was a guzmania bromeliad. Guzma thinks this is stupid and refuses to go by his full name.

His mom is Alolan. His dad is Kanjohni. His grandma on his dad's side is from Johto, and his grandpa was from Kanto.

Mom's name is Crysantha, dad's name is Nasu.

Only child. He quickly became way too much for his parents to handle.

His grandma is a former Kimono Girl, Miki (the one who gets harrassed on stage by a Rocket grunt in HG/SS), and her Flareon's name is Ichigo.

Was part of a mischief trio with Kukui and Molayne back when he was a kid.

POKÉMON TEAM

Six-teamer, and proud of it. Dustpan the Golisopod, Hazard the Ariados, Syrup the Masquerain, X the Vikavolt, Launchpad the Pinsir, and Tachi the Scizor. He only trains male Pokémon because he doesn't want to deal with eggs.

Dustpan: Caught as a Wimpod before he was licensed. 8-year-old Guzma went to the Akala beach with his parents, then lured a Wimpod into his backpack with cucumber sandwiches. Spent the whole ferry ride home trying to hide his squirming backpack. Dustpan lived under his bed for awhile, eating scraps of whatever Guzma tossed down there, and it took him AWHILE to trust the kid.

Hazard: Short for "Tripping Hazard," Guzma was supposed to do a report on local Pokémon for school and went hunting, then tripped over the Spinarak's web and lost him his prey. Hazard then proceeded to give him the biggest, saddest wet puppy eyes about it, so Guzma felt bad and caught him a Cutiefly. Hazard never stopped following him around after that.

Syrup: Caught at Brooklet Hill with a net, then when Guzma went to take him out of the net, covered his hand in sweet syrup (according to the Pokédex, they do that when scared to repel flying types). Guzma, gremlin he is, licked his hand, then decided to keep the Surskit.

X: Kukui, Molayne, and Guzma all went off trying to follow a poorly-drawn treasure map that had been tucked into a book in the school library. When they got to the "X" on the map, they dug it up, and found a Grubbin instead of treasure. The other two were disappointed, but Guzma got spiteful about it and loudly declared that obviously, the Grubbin was the treasure they were supposed to find, and caught it.

Launchpad: Caught in Johto during a bug catching contest while on vacation, can and will yeet anything on sight. Including Guzma and his friends. STILL can, even when they're all grown men. He's not the brightest, but he'll do anything Guzma asks enthusiastically.

Tachi: The only one Guzma didn't catch himself, the Kahuna of Ula'Ula had Guzma doing odd job requests when he lived in Tapu Village to help him get on his feet, and one of those requests was an old man from Malie asking for a Heracross. Guzma caught him the Heracross, and in exchange, got Tachi the Scyther, who had "a lot of fighting spirit, deserving of an expert battler."

BATTLING

Guzma trains his 'Mons with a clicker, or clicks his tongue when the clicker isn't available, and only shouts his moves when he's either dealing a final blow, cut off from quieter noises, or panicking. He also gives them hand signals. Whenever he starts off a fight, they'll look at him to see how they should be doing it: Hand held low for "cool it, not a serious fight," high for "stakes are high, fight with whatever you've got," and a finger across his neck for "don't hold back, destroy them."

Side note, Tachi had to be retrained on this system. His former trainer used a sports whistle.

For the most part, Guzma's team is well-enough trained to take on most fights without play-by-play direction. They just need a general nudge or signal: "stall for me," "play evasive," "tank the hit," and they'll figure the rest out. When they're unsure or he clicks for them to look, they'll glance his way for new direction.

Guzma is THE strongest trainer in Alola, barring the Champion, and a lot of that is because of his strategy. Type disadvantage and Pokémon effectiveness is only HALF the game; the other is figuring out what your opponent is trying to do, and throwing them off so they doubt their own strategy. He absolutely excels at the latter.

He crouches down when he battles so he can see things from a lower perspective, mostly to watch smaller Pokémon or to monitor larger ones' footwork. That it makes him look casually badass is a bonus point in his book.

FAMILY

Nasu Sasaki: Something of a brick wall of a man, he and Guzma share the same anger issues, but he's colder about it. Very reserved, very acutely aware of how he's perceived, and irritated that Guzma isn't. Plays golf to work out stress, because it's nice to hit something and watch it sail away. Holds himself to a high standard of perfection.

Crysantha Sasaki: The complete opposite, sweet and loving to the point of saccharine. Refuses to believe her family can do any wrong, will brush aside any wrongdoing with a smile. Scolds Guzma like a puppy when she's disappointed in him—picture the "Guzma, what's wrong with you?" line being said in a high-pitched, patronizing voice with hands on hips.

Miki Sasaki: Kimono Girl Miki. The only family Guzma's actually regularly in touch with of his own liking. Very traditionally Johtonian, loves Guzma and was proud of him as a kid, doesn't exactly approve of his gang activity, but lets him stay at her place and have tea whenever he likes. Has been BARELY on speaking terms with her son since the Golf Club Incident. Probably the reason Guzma hasn't dropped the "Sasaki" name, tbh.

Hideomi Sasaki: In HG/SS, he's the older guy with the Psyduck in the crowd when Miki's getting harrassed by the Rocket Grunt. From Kanto. He died of old age when Guzma was small, but Guzma has fond memories of building Palossand castles and finding shells with him.

HISTORY

Oh boy.

Always was a loud, brash kid. Very much a "fight" over "flight" when scared, and, much as he would refuse to admit it, he got scared a LOT.

Fueled by three things: fear, approval, and spite. Spite is what led to him becoming a Bug specialist; he had a Wimpod that he tried to send into battle, and when that didn't work out, he got mocked; bug-catchers aren't exactly respected, and he got teased relentlessly for it, people asking if he was going to send out a Metapod next and Harden it to death. So he leaned fully into the Bug-typing with the intent to destroy everyone in school with his team. He still never picked up a Caterpie, though.

Used to sneak out a lot. He had a rule to be home by curfew, but he broke it often, so his dad had his Houndoom watch after him from afar and drag him home if he ever got into trouble. That's all well and good, until one day when he was 7. He'd read in second-grade geology that peridots came from volcanic activity, got starry-eyed, and wanted to go to Ten Carat Hill to find treasure. Ten Carat Hill, however, is strictly off-limits, so his parents said no. Naturally, he snuck out after dark to go there anyways. The peak of Ten Carat is Rockruff territory. Guzma got cornered by a Midnight Lycanroc that was ready to gut him, but his dad's Houndoom fought it off...and lost. He ran home in tears to get help, but by the time they got back, she was done for. That Houndoom had been his dad's partner Pokémon back in Johto, since she was a little Houndour. Nasu never really forgave Guzma for killing his best friend, and Guzma grew up feeling like his dad would have picked the Houndoom over him any day.

Has had celebrity crushes on Cynthia, Diantha, and Steven Stone. He has a thing for people who look fancy.

Had a highschool relationship with Kahili, who he knew from following his dad to Akala to play golf. Mostly dated her because she could squarely own his old man in the field, and that was a fun feeling. Also why they broke up; she decided she didn't want to be his victory lap. Understandable breakup.

The golf club thing: A very, very, VERY bad day when Guzma was a teenager and he and his dad were in a yelling match, Nasu hit him in the back with one of the clubs once to teach him a lesson. It TERRIFIED Guzma. Less so about the damage itself, more that Nanu had crossed a line he couldn't take back, and what's to stop him from doing it again? So he took his dad's prized golf clubs up to Route 3, and spent the whole night smashing them against boulders and denting them beyond repair. Can't wield what's broken. Sort-of backfired, because his dad insisted that the golf clubs were kept on display after, that way whenever they had guests over, Guzma would be reminded that his "actions had consequences on people's opinions of him." Guzma HATES those clubs and the shame now associated with them and wants to throw them in the ocean.

Guzma DID finish his Island Challenge, unlike most of Skull. What he DIDN'T do was make it to Trial Captain, like he wanted. The cutoff for Captain, as in, when you're too old to even remain a Captain, is 20. It took until Guzma was 18-going-on-19 for the singular Melemele spot to open up, and then when it did, he got passed up...in favor of an 11-year-old Ilima and his partner Eevee. That night, he went home late after punching trees and breaking glass to try to burn off his anger, got scolded by his parents, and decided "fuck both of you, I'm leaving," and ran away.

His dad chased after him, they had a Pokémon battle in the middle of the nighttime woods, his team of bugs vs his dad's (young) Houndour. Guzma won, but Nasu wasn't having it, so he tried to drag him back home, and Guzma punched him in the face. It wasn't on purpose. He honestly didn't mean it, he let his anger get the better of him, but he broke his dad's nose. And, when Nasu looked at him, stunned, blood dripping down his face, he panicked and bolted.

Guzma went to Ula'Ula. First to his grandmother, who lives in Malie, then when his mother came asking for him, off to the Kahuna's place in Tapu Village.

Kukui came along to check on him, which turned into a yelling match that destroyed their friendship. It started with asking Guzma what was wrong, then when finding out about the Captain thing, told him not to worry about it, it's not a big deal, HE'D given up on that dream ages ago. Which, to Guzma, was a HUGE betrayal; it was a pact they'd made when they were 12! They were going to be Captains together! And now Kukui's going to kick him while he's down about it?!

Poor Molayne quietly fell to the wayside. He didn't want to take sides, and clearly Guzma wasn't in the mood to hear advice from a friend—doubly so, he reasoned, from one that HAD made the Captain spot. So the whole trio fell apart.

Now Kahuna Kalei...man, he almost deserves his own post. Bulu's Kahuna before Nanu. Psychic specialist. Wanted to be a therapist before he got assigned his role. Spent most of his time helping Alola's troubled youth. He was a really stand-up guy, giving them housing when they needed it, finding them jobs, helping them adjust to things, etc. Guzma went to him, and got a place as roommate to Plumeria, and that's how they met.

Kalei, however, wasn't a great Kahuna. Don't get me wrong, he was a fantastic guy...to humans. Too much so. He wanted Ula'Ula to have more tourist revenue, so he started the Recycling Plant, helped polish up Malie Garden, had the bus routes built...had Po Town built, without the Tapu's approval...had the Thrifty Megamart built, without the Tapu's approval... It was all well-intentioned, sure. The kids he was in charge of would have jobs, Ula'Ula would thrive economically, etc. But you don't DO things without Tapu approval, ESPECIALLY not when you're supposed to be the Tapu's mouthpiece. So Bulu removed his lifetime position. Forcefully.

Guzma didn't SEE Kalei die, but he was in Tapu Village when Bulu started rampaging. It felt like an earthquake, at first, then plants started growing through the ground. All the kids got evacuated to the PMC, which was, miraculously, left alone. He was 22 at this point.

Side note, right after, Po Town got cursed with rain as a gentle sign of Bulu's displeasure with the people living there without his say-so. "Leave, I don't want you here."

Everyone was scared, naturally. Guzma too. The issue is that when Guzma's scared, he hits back. So he eventually got fed up with everyone cowering and grieving and decided he was going to make his OWN place. So he stormed off to Po Town, Plumeria following to make sure he didn't go fully self-destructive, and took over the manor at the far end of town, then told any neighbors and cops that had a problem with it that they could try battling him to force him out. Nobody local was strong enough, and the cops honestly had more important things to do in the wake of Bulu's wrath than deal with some upstart kid in a house nobody technically owned.

Was the manor occupied? ...Technically. The previous owners were hastily moving out, spooked by the Kahuna's death and the Tapu's wrath. Guzma bullied them into cutting their losses and leaving most of their furniture and finery behind, and the rich vacation getaway people decided it was NOT worth sticking around for.

Guzma and Plumeria made the place their own. They graffitti'd whatever and wherever they wanted, they had wine, they partied. They called themselves Skullbusters and Guzma DELIGHTED in making the neighbors flinch. Then slowly, the neighbors started leaving, and slowly, the other kids Kalei looked after started filtering in, wanting a place with Guzma (and nudged that way by invitation from Plumeria).

There's a trial to get in. You have to battle Guzma. And then when you lose, which you inevitably will, when he asks if you think you deserve in, you yell "no!" with all your chest (the first few times, he had to tell them "I can't hear you!"). And THEN he'll let you in.

It started off with everyone getting their own room, then sharing, then cuddle piles, then taking over the houses as the rich neighbors fled the worsening conditions and rowdy new kids next door. Soon enough, Po Town was theirs. "Skullbusters" wound up being too much of a mouthful in the long run, so it got shortened to "Skull."

Plumeria became the face of Skull, and Guzma, the looming threat behind it. Plumeria LOVED those kids, both the originals around her age that were in Tapu Village, and the people who joined in after. So if you mess with them, you get her as a warning. And Tapus help you if she thinks you haven't learned your lesson, because she'll get the big guns.

This led to Guzma throwing his weight around Ula'Ula. Who was going to stop him? The Kahuna? Fully embraced the chaos, loved being feared for once instead of stepped on, he embraced his dramatic, theater-kid side and made a heel out of himself. "Greetings, cowering public!" is just the latest of his attention-grabbing mottos; he'd regularly remind Ula'Ula of his strength by putting up a show in Malie Garden and letting any tourist or local that felt brave enough try to challenge him, only for him to crush them.

It was good for funds. For food, for awhile, they had berries in pots (since those things grow like weeds and never go out of season in Alola); that's not nutritionally sound, though, so Skull started stealing. And when that landed them in too-hot water for doing it too often, eventually, some of them (Guzma included) bit the bullet and started raiding the old Megamart. After the first few times where none of them died, it became their more stable source of meals.

Clothes are all Spinarak and Ariados silk. Guzma kicked it off, and it's worked just fine for all of them since. Hair colors and contacts are both for anonymity and expression (and they're not all pink and blue; there's variation).

Anyways.

Nanu came along at some point, realized what was up, and decided not to do anything about it; he knows Guzma and Plumeria are actually taking care of these misfits and delinquents, so he doesn't see a reason to step in, and Guzma thinks he's lazy for it, but he doesn't care.

Guzma. 25, king of his roost. Gets contacted one day by Aether President Lusamine. She's seen his shows, she watched him fight in Malie, and she thinks he's exactly what she's looking for. She needs some...distractions, and he's got the manpower, the muscle, and the lack of a spotless reputation. He just needs to cause some trouble so Aether can do their thing without the professors getting in the way. Guzma sees that as two birds with one stone: Spite Kukui (and his wife, but Guzma doesn't really care about Burnet), AND make more of a name for the kids that follow him. He might be scary, but his grunts definitely aren't, so this is a win-win.

And things develop. Lusamine starts showering him with praise. He gets hooked on it. Falls into a relationship with this Ninetales. Tells her everything, to get validation that he was right in the decisions he's been insecure about. And he fights Plumeria on it whenever she sees the red flags.

And OH the red flags. Lusamine is a master manipulator, and Guzma is one of the most gullible guys in Alola. She'd tell him everything he wanted to hear, get him to do what she wanted, praised him perfectly...and then do the complete opposite whenever he was inadequate. She knew how to make insults HURT. She knew exactly what combination of things would have him angry, destroy his self confidence, shove him into a depressive slump, then come crawling back to her with mumbled apologies in the hopes that she'd take him back. She took full advantage of the fact that he'd always been a screw-up, to everyone, even his parents, and that he would always view her allowing him back into her good graces as a favor he didn't deserve.

It didn't take long to get him to the point that he would do anything for her. He ignored her "private collection," excusing it as a messed up way she was dealing with being a widow. He kidnapped Lillie for her, reasoning that it wasn't REALLY kidnapping, she was just a runaway 11-year-old who didn't know how good she had it (with a mom that adored her and doted on her) and who couldn't battle in the wild, so he was really doing something right by her.

Side note, Gladion's a different story. He tried to join Skull the way all the grunts had, but then got arrogant when faced with the question of "do you think you deserve to be here," which is why the grunts don't like him very much.

Back to present day. The fight against the will-be-Champion happens. And he gets beat. Publicly. Every. Single. Time. It makes him FURIOUS. The first time, it was just Dustpan and Hazard, so fine, he got cocky. But after that? Beating him in front of his own grunts? In front of Aether? He LOATHES that kid.

Then the thing with Ultra Space happens.

Guzma, stranded in an alien world because Madame Prez asked him to, tries to catch her a Nihilego. Gets parasitized by it. Freaks out—Nihilego amplify the emotion most core to your being, and while that's obsessive euphoria in Lusamine, it's sheer terror in Guzma. Every big decision he's ever made has been fueled by fear—either to get control of his life, or to avoid shame, or both.

So he tries to stop Lusamine, thinking it'll do the same to her, and she turns on him. And completely lays into him. Fueled by her goal being so close and his usefulness having evaporated now that she's finally here, and seeing him as the one obstacle to her sweet Nihilego, she tears him apart. Calls him useless. A failure. No wonder Alola hates him. No wonder his parents never seemed to be happy with him. She certainly never loved him, and he was an idiot for thinking so.

And then she left him. Crushed. In the nightmare dimension. To chase after her poisonous nightmare herself. And he...let her.

Another side note: He had a suit properly tailored in case she ever asked him to a dance at her fancy manor. You know, for business reasons, or...something. He held onto it for months hoping she would ask him. And then this.

So Sun/Moon's conclusion happens. He's rescued. He tries to go home to Po Town, full of very, VERY fresh wounds and completely destroyed. Plumeria tries to hug him from behind, he reacts on instinct, whips around- And punches her in the face. She drops. It was an accident. He didn't realize. Nihilego's still fresh in his mind, getting grabbed from behind and parasitized is still a very, VERY new fear, so he reacted on instinct. And now his best friend is on the floor, spitting up blood, and—is that a tooth?

So he runs away. Just like he did when he popped a right hook on his dad. He can't stand not being in control, it terrifies him, and he runs.

So where to go to now? Not Po Town, he just HIT his now-ex best friend. Not to his grandmother's, he's still cut open from everything Lusamine said and he can't handle the uncertainty of sweet words, plus the lingering fear that he'll somehow hurt Miki, too. Everyone hates him, and he doesn't even have a leg to stand on after being publicly humiliated by that Champion kid. He goes home. Says he was wrong like Lusamine trained him to do and begs his parents for forgiveness. Because at least he knows where he stands with them.

Skull comes around knocking, because of course they do. He's their boss! Who jumped into a terror dimension, came home, and had a breakdown! Is he okay? Does he need them? Nope. Skull's done, everyone get lost. He can't do this anymore.

Enter Guzma's depression arc.

That's usually all the backstory I give him when I'm about to play him in a text rp or write fanfic about him. Everything leads up to the depression arc.

Ahem.

APPEARANCE

6'6.25" (198.75 cm) when standing at full height. Otherwise, 6'2" when slouching. If he's asked, he ALWAYS includes the quarter inch. "Makes it more believable that way."

Scars: Nihilego tentacle scars on his shoulders, upper arms, around his waist, and curled around his ankle. Carvanha bite on his calf. A handful of cuts on his hands from punching glass. Strike marks from the Golf Club Incident.

He's got piebaldism and he HATES it. It's just one lock on his forehead, slightly skewed to the left, with a tiny patch of paler skin at the hairline. When he was growing up, he dyed it black, then when he moved out, he decided to be contrary and bleached it all white, minus his undercut.

Made all his Skull clothes with Hazard's silk. It's not the greatest job, the stitches are all uneven, but it works for him.

Got the tattoos on his arms after deciding on Skull's name, then, after Sun/Moon, covered them up with concealer.

LOVES his jacket. Will not toss it whatsoever. The inner lining is full of badly-patched holes. The X made of tape on the back, covering up the custom Skull embroidery, was ironed on to make it melt in.

The Pokétch on his wrist is a fancy one left behind in the manor. He also loves that and will not get rid of it. He likes gold.

Ears are pierced, though he hasn't worn them in awhile. Used to have amethyst-and-gold studs in them.

Caught all his 'Mons in Net and Nest Balls, then transferred them to Ultra Balls to look scarier for his Malie Garden shows.

His Team Skull glasses were originally eclipse glasses, hence the sun and moon shapes. He got those back with Kalei, and back when they functioned as eclipse glasses, he used to show off to the other teens that he could walk around flawlessly with them on. He eventually popped the black film and replaced it with actual shade lenses, then got a real pair of shades when he disbanded Skull.

Silver eyes. Got them from his dad, who got them from Miki.

His curls are from his mom, though.

PERSONALITY, MENTALITY, AND MANNERISMS

Rubs his neck when shy or sheepish

Fingers in his hair when he feels as if he's done something wrong (easy way to tell if embarrassment is getting to be too much for him)

Berates himself mostly because if nobody else does, he'll feel even worse.

Flips up his hood when he wants to avoid being looked at

If he's angry and you don't challenge him on it, eventually he deflates and falls into "whatever" mode.

High highs and low lows. ECSTATIC when something makes him happy, quick to get swept up in the moment. People are cheering for him, he'll ham it up. He's pleasantly surprised, he's picking up the nearest person and spinning them around.

Incredibly easy to woo. If asked, he'll tell you his types are "1, into me, 2, breathing." That's not entirely true, his type is "pretties up nicely and carries confidence," but when he falls, he falls hard. Does not make the first move for self-esteem reasons.

Likes to tease in conversation, definitely cannot take it like he dishes it. Very easily flustered and blushy. Also fistpumps to himself when he's done something right, romance or otherwise.

A showoff. Give him ANY reason to peacock, and you'll have trouble getting him to cool it. Including dumb things (like walking around with eclipse glasses).

Talks with a drawl and in street dialect. He's always had something of a lazy voice when he enunciates, but he picked up the dramatic "bad guy" talk when he was a kid to look tough, from TV. His mom was NOT pleased about it and has yet to break him out of the habit.

MISC

Massive sweet tooth. Loves Tapu Cocoa, of course, but just generally a sugar bug. Likes Litchi and Pecha soda, and when he's in a drinking mood, either champagne or shochu highball.

Obv, depressed as all hell. But he's been swinging in and out of that for longer than he realizes; he's a very crash-and-burn kind of guy. Kick him at the wrong moment, and he sinks into self loathing and apathy, but give him something to get pumped about, and he's right there at the front with the megaphone. In school, this was apathy towards grades, tempered with enthusiasm after winning a battle, tempered back to sadness with disappointment on not getting first in a competition, and so on. In Skull, it was a week or so of sulking on the couch, drinking too much cocoa, before finding a reason to crush someone and party it up with the grunts again with a victory lap. He'd recognize his current state, being apathetic and tired at home with no upswing, as being depression, but before that? What are you talking about, he just had off-weeks.

Cutiefly are attracted to people with auras like flowers, according to their 'Dex entry. Guzma happens to be one of those people. He hates it, because they nest in his hair and look adorable, and HE is DESTRUCTION IN HUMAN FORM, thank YOU.

Has a taste for luxury. Knows what wine pairs with what, likes owning finery and sleeping in high-thread-count Swablu-down beds, knows how to dance just about any dance you can name.

Speaking of dancing, if you ask him, he'll say he's good at exactly three things: fighting, dancing, and surfing. Fighting encompasses both fistfights and battles, he KILLS it on the dance floor, and he's a showoff with tricks when he surfs.

Also speaking of dancing, owns the entire leaderboard of dance arcade games. Not just the high score, has gotten the high score on the hardest songs enough times that he's the ONLY score.

Knows basically anything about any Bug-type on Alola you can name, from prey to predators to ecological niche, and so on. Of course, HIS bugs are his specialty, but he made a point of being the expert.

Bisexual. Did not know bisexual was a thing for the majority of his life, thought people consciously picked one they liked more and (at first) found it annoying that people would lament not liking the other gender and get cliquey about it. Plumeria looked at him like he'd grown a second head when he first told her that (it was during their roommate phase under Kalei; she's a lesbian).

An ace at Voltorb Flip. Not an infallible ace, but enough that he more or less has to be dragged out when he's on a winning streak.

Used to pick up bottles from the Route 2 PMC's cafe and take them to Route 3 to smash them and burn off steam, then bring back the glass for recycling.

His usual order at that PMC was Tapu Cocoa with a dash of almond extract and a pinch of cinnamon, along with a square of butter mochi.

Won 2nd place in the Johto Bug Catching Contest, earning a silver bug net and taking home Launchpad the Pinsir.

Speaks Common (which is NOT English; my version of Pokémon world has a lingua franca everyone speaks that uses that weird alphabet nobody can translate), Johtonian, and Alolan. His Johtonian is better than his Alolan.

Went to Lake of the Sunne/Moone to relax whenever he needed alone time away from Team Skull.

Likes the rain, and since Skull, has trouble sleeping without it.

Decent singing voice. Not great, but good enough for karaoke.

Does NOT want kids, despite his experience with Skull's new recruits. Would not trust himself to be a dad.

Loves Kaiju movies, like Tyrannizilla vs Mothrim. Thinks Dynamax battles are peak entertainment.

Has a thing for normally-put-together people with messy hair and messed-up makeup. Especially if he's the reason for it.

Would be killer at drums if he took them up. Sometimes when I have him breaking out of his depression arc, I give him drums to hit instead of needing to smash glass.

Needs to take better care of his hair. I mean, he washes and combs it, sure, but he also bleaches it, and thinks "bodywash" and "shampoo" are interchangeable things.

The Tapus let him live after the whole "unleashing horrors on the island" thing because Bulu actually doesn't hate Guzma. He sees Guzma as filling the niche in Alola's ecosystem Kalei left behind, and being better at it.

Has a silver Lugia feather from his grandmother, as a graduation gift for when he finished school. It's strung on a cord necklace with glass and silver beads. He left it at his parents' house when he ran away from home way back when.

Anyone else grabbing his hair is an instant freeze from him. Not a pleasant one. It's so ingrained with his self-loathing tendencies that it starts to trigger a panic response.

And THAT is all the stuff that is currently coming to mind. I'm sure I have a lot more but I've been at this for over three hours and that's honestly too much already.

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