#Funhouse sessions

[gaylactic-fire]

Looking for childcare places to work/study at and your options are "Little Worms", "Scrumbles And Scrimbles" or "John's Childcare." And they all suck.

[bitter1stuff]

Oh, hello.

[ohisms]

↪     𝑺𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 , updated .     (  a  collection  of  various  settings  meant  to  inspire  drabbles  or  be  used  as  prompts .   )

001.   the seaside ,  as the sun is setting .

002.   a cabin in the middle of the woods .

003.   a picket-fenced home in the suburbs .

004.   a dark bus stop lit only by street lights .

005.   a private jet miles high in the sky .

006.   a funhouse’s room of mirrors .

007.   an office building ,  bustling and busy .

008.   the back row of an empty movie theater .

009.   a run - down motel room .

010.   a loud house party on a suburban street .

011.   a university lecture hall during a class .

012.   the rooftop of a very tall building .

013.   a great ballroom during an elegant party .

014.   the back of a wailing ambulance .

015.   the wine cellar of a large mansion .

016.   behind the school’s gymnasium .

017.   a boisterous bonfire at the lakeside .

018.   an otherwise empty parking lot .

019.   the shady bar of a noisy , dark club .

020.  the grounds of an empty summer camp .

021.   a large hedge maze ,  easy to get lost in .

022.   a neglected or derelict treehouse .

023.   a spacious ,  light-filled meadow .

024.   an underground illegal fighting club .

025.   an abandoned scrapyard .

026.   a large penthouse overlooking the city .

027.    an apple orchard in the middle of spring .

028.   an empty playground with squeaky swings .

029.   an extravagant greenhouse .

030.   the base of a large waterfall .

031.    a spacious walk - in closet full of lovely clothes .

032.   a solemnly quiet hospital room .

033.   the dark depths of an abandoned mine .

034.   the deck of a fishing boat at night .

035.   the thick crowd of an audience at a show .

036.   a long ,  winding road .

037.   the scene of a violent crime .

038.   a fork in a hiking trail deep in the wilderness .

039.   a cramped dressing room .

040.   a dusty antiques shop full of relics .

041.   the street of an unfamiliar city at night .

042.   between the tall shelves of a thrifted book shop .

043.   a building abandoned during construction .

044.   a house without power or running water .

045.   a mysterious trail found in the woods .

046.   the back of a taxi stuck in traffic .

047.    the inside of an elevator that won’t move .

048.   fairgrounds during a large event  (or after hours) .

049.   a garden bountiful with flowers or produce .

050.   a childhood home or bedroom .

+   30  more  setting  prompts :    1 / 3 / 2024

051. the site of a horrible accident .

052. a closed pool , after everyone has left .

053. a home holding horrific memories .

054. by the side of a dangerously quick river .

055. a private hotel room .

056. a police station in the middle of the night .

057. a ferris wheel carriage under a sky of fireworks .

058. a lavish , invite - only party .

059. a public transit stop as rain is pouring down .

060. the back of a taxi going in the wrong direction .

061. the underworld .

062. a dusty , forgotten attic .

063. on the set of a television show or movie .

064. a lighthouse overlooking the raging sea .

065. in a post - apocalyptic bunker .

066. on a ship hundreds of miles from the nearest coast .

067. on the rooftop of a perilously tall building .

068. a tent pitched in the middle of the woods .

069. a crowded stadium during a football game .

070. the morgue during an identification .

071. an otherwise empty library during a late study session .

072. a place that feels familiar , yet you've never been here before .

073. a long hallway that seems to stretch on forever .

074. a signpost at the start of a hiking trail .

075. a bar or tavern bustling with life .

076. the dance floor of a masquerade ball .

077. inside of a car parked in a secluded area .

078. at the edge of a cliff overlooking a large lake .

079. inside a very old house with very old haunts .

080. the antiseptic interior of a space station .

[catmarlowastrology]

Transit Jupiter in Gemini for all Rising signs

🗣️ Aries Rising: Jupiter in Gemini is transiting your 3rd house of learning from your environment. Love a bit of gossip? You’re in luck. This transit will flood your life with juicy tidbits about everyone around you. Expect to bump into old acquaintances, or receive bizarre 3am DMs from friends spilling all sorts of tea. Invitations to go out and socialize will be pouring in, so get ready to play social butterfly. You’ll uncover all sorts of secrets about the people who share your daily grind. Have a crush on that cutie you pass every day on your commute? Now's the perfect time to strike up a conversation. In fact, you might want to chat up anyone you fancy building a relationship with, be it platonic or romantic. Networking is your best friend during this transit, and meeting new people on apps could lead to some exciting connections. Basically, this is your golden opportunity to dive headfirst into your social scene and make some memorable connections.

💸 Taurus Rising: Jupiter in Gemini is transiting your 2nd house of finances and possessions. This transit can be tricky sometimes. On the bright side, you might suddenly find people falling over themselves to offer you investment opportunities (assuming you roll in those circles). Your friends and family could also be all over you, urging you to turn your hobbies into cash cows. And it's actually a great time to do just that and rake in some extra dough. Perfect moment to start that Etsy store you've been daydreaming about. But make sure to gather all the info you need and politely ignore the unsolicited advice from people who couldn’t tell a stock from a sock. With Gemini’s influence, money can appear in your bank account quickly but vanish just as fast. Watch out for the shopaholic bug. The temptation to splurge will be strong, with endless cool experiences and shiny things calling your name. Keep a level head and focus on a few key purchases instead of buying everything that catches your eye.

🔍 Gemini Rising: Jupiter is transiting your 1st house. Expect countless opportunities to learn about yourself and grow wiser. If you've been feeling a bit adrift, now’s the time to dive into therapy sessions or binge on self-help books to boost your self-awareness and finally get comfy in your own skin. This transit is also the perfect excuse to play dress-up with your life, trying on different personas and styles to see what fits. You're in a self-discovery phase, and relationships will act like funhouse mirrors, reflecting who you are, who you aren't, and who you want to become (thanks to Jupiter opposing your 7th house). But don't worry, this isn't some grueling self-help marathon (we’re not dealing with a Saturn transit). It's a fun, enlightening chapter where you learn more about yourself and enjoy every minute of it.

🌜 Cancer Rising: Jupiter will be transiting your 12th house in Gemini. This house is introspective, personal, subjective, and takes place mostly in the hidden depths of your psyche. Expect a lot of overthinking, more than usual, to the point where your brain might just pack up and leave. If you have planets in the 12th house, external events might trigger this mental marathon. But if that house is empty, you’re left with your own thoughts. You'll reminisce, ponder, and lose sleep over things that probably don’t matter to anyone else but you. Now is the perfect time to start writing down your dreams and thoughts. Get them out of your head and onto paper, so you can analyze them and maybe even laugh at how absurd some of them are. Therapy is also a great idea during this transit. You'll learn a lot about your subconscious, but brace yourself: it’s going to be mentally exhausting.

🌍 Leo Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 11th house. Get ready, because your social circle is about to explode. Unlike Aries Rising, who are busy making friends at the local coffee shop, you’re going global. The world is your oyster, and it’s about to serve you a platter of new acquaintances from every corner of the globe. This is the perfect time to join groups and communities where you can share your interests. If you're into social media, now's the time to take it seriously. Get out there, mingle, and talk to as many people as you can. This is your moment to enjoy your time with strangers and make new friends from all walks of life.

🎭 Virgo Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 10th house. Buckle up Virgo Rising because your reputation and public accomplishments are about to get a serious boost. Jupiter in Gemini loves multitasking, so get ready to juggle new opportunities like a circus performer on caffeine. There's a fun twist here: you won't just be known for one thing, but for multiple things. Thinking about a new career path? Now’s the perfect time to dip your toe in, while still keeping one foot firmly planted in your old job. Who said you can’t have it all? Whatever happens, your reputation is set to expand. You'll be known as the multitasking marvel who can do it all. You might also become famous in your field for your expansive contact list and your knack for connecting people. Embrace the chaos and show off those multiple skills you've been hiding up your sleeve.

🎓 Libra Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 9th house. This house is all about stretching your horizons and either confirming or totally overhauling your belief system. Brace yourself because this could be the transit that crams your brain with so many new interests that your poor computer gives up and crashes under the weight of all those tabs you’ve got open. Maybe you'll even consider international travel, hopping from one far-flung place to another, just to soak up their vastly different lifestyles and beliefs. If Venus is in this house, people who think completely unlike you might just be the ones to trigger your personal growth and expansive worldview. This transit is the perfect excuse to sign up for every course under the sun, or maybe even drag yourself back to university if that was on your vision board. Let your heart run wild with as many academic endeavors as it pleases.

💥 Scorpio Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 8th house. This house is the realm of losing control. Maybe you're itching to explore your sexuality? Maybe you're thinking about juggling multiple partners? Whatever wild ride you're on, you'll come out wiser. Gemini loves options and spreading knowledge like confetti, so expect to learn some jaw-dropping truths about yourself and others, especially if Mercury is in this house. If you're the sharing type, brace yourself for a crash course in joint finances. You might discover that your partner has a secret stash of cash they’re funneling into some mysterious hobby. But don't worry, it's Jupiter delivering the news, so it's more of a "well, that's interesting" revelation rather than a life-shattering bombshell (we'll leave that to Uranus, Pluto, or Saturn). Expect to dive into topics that most people run away from. It's all about growth with Jupiter. You’ll emerge from this transit not emotionally wrecked, but definitely a whole lot wiser.

💑 Sagittarius Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 7th house. Your 7th house is the VIP lounge for getting to know people on a deep, meaningful level. It's not your usual gossip fest like in the 11th house where everyone’s spilling tea. No, this is more like spending a day meandering with someone and talking their ear off. But, since we're dealing with Gemini here, your attention isn't glued to just one special someone. Nope, you've got at least two people vying for your attention. And it's not all about romance, either. Platonic relationships get a spotlight too. Your closest friends live here. Business contracts too. If you work with clients and close deals, brace yourself for a flood of new business. If you're in a relationship, keep an eye out for someone new who might turn your head and tempt you into some extracurricular activities — especially if Venus is in this house. Being an angular house, this transit is a big deal.

📅 Capricorn Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 6th house. Capricorn, you love it when life is a neat little package. With Jupiter transiting your 6th house in Gemini, you're suddenly all about efficiency and streamlining every aspect of your existence. This transit has you scheduling your life down to the millisecond, convinced that you can overhaul everything at once. So, naturally, you decide it's the perfect time to dive into yoga, Pilates, and kickboxing — all at the same time. Not stopping there, you become a culinary genius, mastering healthy meals like a gourmet chef. And why not throw in some home improvement classes, despite having zero DIY skills? You’re superhuman. At work, you’ve set your sights on the “Employee of the Month” title and are ready to work yourself to the bone to get it. It’s a lot to juggle for one person. The upside of this transit is that you’ll learn a ton about self-improvement. But you're not a robot — don't push it too far.

🎉 Aquarius Rising: Jupiter in Gemini will transit your 5th house. Aquarius, this transit is all about fun! With Jupiter transiting your 5th house, you'll be knee-deep in what makes you happy. You'll discover new hobbies, attend countless cool parties, and go on so many hot dates you'll lose count. The universe is basically Santa Claus, throwing a bunch of exciting opportunities at your feet to make you fall in love with life all over again. If expanding your family is on the agenda, this is the golden moment, especially if your Moon or Sun is in this house. Enjoy!

🏡 Pisces Rising: Jupiter will transit your 4th house. This is the perfect time to connect (or reconnect) with your family and roots. Expect sudden DMs from relatives you haven’t seen since forever popping up in your inbox. You might get an itch to discover your origins and splurge on a DNA test. Learning about your family’s past and culture is the theme of this transit. Thinking about buying a home or moving out? Now’s your chance, as the universe will throw a bunch of cool offers your way. During this transit, you might also suddenly become obsessed with home decor, trying out different styles and buying furniture that either goes wonderfully together... or creates a total eyesore. But the beauty of this transit is that you’ll end up wiser and more knowledgeable. By the end of it, you might just become the local guru on home styling. Who knows? Maybe you'll even be able to tell a chaise from a chesterfield.

[chaifootsteps]

even some of the moments of Stolas considering he's done wrong in the song frame Blitz like this uncaring guy who took off immediately after sex

https://www.tumblr.com/funhouse-mirror-barbie/754594432830128128/you-can-say-that-both-characters-are-in-the-wrong?source=share

god forbid he doesn't want to stick around to snuggle after a monthly mandatory sex with Stolas session

Imagine this exchange being played this way in absolutely any other uneven sex for services story. Imagine if Griffith and Gennon were written this way.

[romirola]

Headcanons for the Shaw Pack’s Favorite Carnival Activities and Foods

David: David’s favorite activity at a carnival is the Ring Toss. He knows that most games are rigged, but somehow, David always manages to excel at that game. He strikes the perfect balance of strength and finesse. When asked which prize he’d like, David always lets Angel pick something out for him because (since their mating), Angel suggests that they donate the stuffed animal they selected to the pups’ room in the Shaw Pack den, so lots of kids can enjoy. Their mere idea of using the prize for the young pups makes David’s heart melt. As for his go-to fair food? Fried dough with a generous sprinkle of sugar. There’s no such thing as nutritious fair food, and frankly, if there were, David would not want to touch it. After all, it’s not often that he goes to a carnival. While he’s there, he might as well enjoy and indulge!

Angel: Angel is a big Bumper Cars fan. They love to get behind the wheel and take down anyone and everyone they can. No one is safe from their bumper-car road-rage, even (especially) the pack. After their victory, they will track down a sausage sandwich with grilled onions and peppers to celebrate. 

Asher: Asher always looks forward to the Scrambler ride, because no matter how hard he tries, the pattern of movement always confuses him, which is what excites and thrills him. He habitually orders a large plate of nachos with every kind of cheese (or ‘cheese-product’) to share with the pack. Not only does Asher love nachos, but he also enjoys letting his friends have a bite. A bonus, his friends will usually let him sneak a bite of their food as repayment, meaning Asher gets to sample the whole carnival.  

Babe: Babe does not do rides because they get horrible motion sickness. They do, however, love playing all the games. Their favorite game to play is the Water Shooting Game, because they always do well. Since Babe saves money by not going on the rides, they are able to play almost every game and usually return home with many prizes of all sizes. Their favorite food to eat is caramel corn, because it’s somehow always better when eaten at a carnival than at home.

Milo: Milo makes a beeline for the Strongman Game whenever he attends a fair. He makes the bell ding every time, much to the surprise and chagrin of the employees. In fact, once, after Sweetheart declared that a stuffed gray wolf plush (which happened to reflect Milo’s own wolf form) was the cutest, best prize of the whole fair, Milo made it his mission to win. The plush, named Hammer, now resides on Milo’s and Sweetheart’s bed. (In fact, this is a headcanon I developed and discussed in an old fic, Cross My Heart.) Afterwards, Milo is hot to trot to get his hands on a nice, hot, salted soft pretzel. It’s filling, delicious, and quintessential to the fair experience. 

Sweetheart: Although one might expect Sweetheart to enjoy funhouses or horror houses, their favorite carnival activity is actually the Carousel. They walked up and down to seek out the perfect horse, ideally one with unique markings and/or close to the outer edge so that they can wave to their friends on each rotation. Sweetheart never leaves a carnival without eating a candy apple. They can’t resist the sweet treat, and love how convenient it is on a stick.

Darling: Darling adores a session in the Photo Booth. They ask (or sometimes, force) each of their friends to take a few pictures with them. Darling is a master at posing, always ensuring they get a wide range of shots showcasing all the fun they have. After the fair, Darling will copy the photos, keeping one set for themselves and giving the other one to the person. Having a physical reminder of the fun memories is so meaningful to Darling, especially if they begin to feel loneliness creep in. While at the fair, they usually opt for a corndog slathered in mustard. They have a very strong stomach. 

Sam: Sam may be reluctant about crowds, noise, and being forced to convert your money into ‘tickets’ to hide how expensive everything, but even he enjoys a slow ride on the Ferris Wheel. It’s a beautiful opportunity to see all the stars above and all the hustle-and-bustle below, especially when it’s Darling sitting next to him in the seat, holding his hand in theirs. Ever one with a sweet tooth (or sweet fang, rather), Sam usually gets a hot fudge sundae to eat, savoring each spoonful. 

BONUS!

Gabe: A bit of an adrenaline-junkie, Gabe always enjoyed the Roller Coaster. David clearly heard the familiar howl in his father’s voice as he dropped from the apex. Gabe always opted for french fries when it was his turn to order, but in reality, it was his job to eat whatever anyone else ordered and didn’t like or couldn’t finish. It was a job at which he performed efficiently. 

Marie: Marie never leaves a fair without getting her face painted. She usually asks for a wolf. Her favorite food is the pack of sandwiches she smuggled into the fair by hiding them in her large purse, because fair food is too greasy, too expensive, and (probably) prepared with too many health/cleanliness violations for her to even think about putting it in her mouth.

[perpetualexistence]

Through a Funhouse Mirror

Alenoah Week 2024 Day 6: Amusement Park / Laser Tag

Noah and Alejandro are on an end of year class field trip to the local amusement park. Normally, Alejandro only hangs out with his girlfriend Heather in the popular clique. However, recently Alejandro has integrated himself into Noah's friend group. He's even taken charge as their leader.

He acts the gentleman, but by now Noah knows better. He doesn't have any concrete proof, but he can tell Alejandro despises most of the group. There has to be some reason he's sticking around, but he doesn't quite know what.

He would confront Alejandro, but the eel is always too preoccupied with schmoozing the rest of his friends, and people outside of his immediate friend group. Now is a good of a chance as any.

Alejandro's the one who convinces the group to split off. He insists that it's so everyone can do what they prefer, but Noah can tell it's because he wants to get away from the others. Noah volunteers himself to go with Alejandro since nobody is allowed to be by themselves, and Alejandro obliges. There are benefits to being the only other sane one in the group.

Noah looks for somewhere private to confront Alejandro, and lucks out with the house of mirrors. He tells Alejandro he wants to go in and Alejandro, ever the 'gentleman' agrees.

Noah waits until they're deeper into the maze before he starts being direct with Alejandro about his nature. Alejandro tries denying it. Noah provides rebuttal after rebuttal. The argument keeps getting more and more heated.

Noah's back is to one of the mirrors. He's trying to keep his ground, but he takes another step backward as Alejandro takes one forward. His back is pressed against one of the mirrors.

Without warning, the solid surface begins to shudder. He feels something like a liquid on his back. Nothing seems to be supporting his weight anymore, and he begins to fall backwards. In his desperate attempt to stop his descent, he grabs onto the closest thing in sight: Alejandro.

In his own shock at seeing the mirror ripple, Alejandro is unable to react in time to stop their fall. He passes through the mirror with Noah, and falls on top of the smaller boy.

Noah groans in pain at the fall and at being crushed.

Alejandro quickly stood up to recover from this temporary set back. He's the first to notice that the tacky mirrors from before now loom over the both of them like imposing walls. The floor is much, much too close.

They both hear a chuckle coming from behind him, and turn to see a man the size of an eight-story building looking down at both of them.

After a quick screaming session, they learn that this is a trickster spirit who calls himself Chris. He likes to mess around with mortals from time to time for his own amusement. And man, they just handed themselves on a silver platter.

He offers them a deal. He'll tell them how to return them to their normal size if they can find him again. He'll give them a riddle, then once they figure out where he's talking about, they have to race towards it at their new size to get to him.

Alejandro shows no fear as he does his best to assuage Chris and assure him they can absolutely finish this task for Chris. Noah, however, is pretty peeved about this situation. And oh, does he let Chris know it.

Alejandro tries to get him to stop talking, but one doesn't stop Noah from going off on someone once he's started. Noah has successfully angered Chris, though Alejandro's able to convince Chris NOT to kill them. Chris still wants some punishment though, so he magics their phones away so they can't call or text for help. And he's going to give them the hardest riddle he knows.

Alejandro covers Noah's mouth and agrees to the new terms. Chris gives them the riddle, and leaves in a puff of smoke. It takes everything in Alejandro not to strangle Noah as they get to solving the riddle.

Between their IQ, and Chris not being as smart as he thinks he is, they solve it pretty quickly. It’s the Ferris wheel. They can remember seeing it on the way in. It's in the middle of the park. Full of crowded people. Who can step on them without even trying.

They start making their way over, doing their best to be as stealthy and quick as possible. They'd rather not let anyone else know about this because who knows how any stranger would take it?

Fortunately, they do come across someone that isn't a complete stranger! It's hard to miss Owen in a crowd with how his voice carries. He's getting an absolutely obscene amount of cotton candy.

Noah immediately starts making his way towards his chubby buddy, only for Alejandro to stop him. Noah wants to know what Alejandro's doing, and Alejandro points out that Owen might not be the best person to help them out in their current predicament. He doesn't know how to keep secrets, and isn't aware of his own strength. That is a VERY dangerous combination with both of them being this small.

Noah turns on Alejandro in an instant. Owen's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's not a complete idiot. He can stop when you ask him to stop something. And not spreading gossip is a different type of secret than one that'd put their lives at risk.

There's no way of knowing if they'd find any of their other classmates who is more 'responsible' and who might, might be willing to help. Owen could be their one chance.

Also. It's Owen. Of course he's going to help them! Plus, the big guy can charge through a crowd if he's highly motivated. Noah's pretty sure saving the lives of two of his friends is high enough motivation. They'd get to that ferris wheel in an instant!

Noah's not going to have Alejandro ruin their best chance of getting back to normal because of some stupid one-sided rivalry with Owen!

"He may squeeze me within an inch of my life, but you know what I'll be? Alive!"

Alejandro still fights to keep Noah from going out to get Owen's attention. He doesn't want anyone to see him like this, especially not that oafish buffoon no matter what Noah says.

Noah tries to wriggle out of Alejandro's grasp, but he loses. Alejandro only lets go after Owen has passed them by. He sighs in relief when he can no longer see Owen, and finally lets Noah go.

Noah starts going off on another tirade against Alejandro when the wind starts to pick up. Nobody else seems to notice, but for them the wind is threatening to buffet them away.

Alejandro crouches down to cling to the boardwalk underneath him for something to hold on. Noah is blown away a couple of feet (relative to his new size) before he's stopped.

Because a stray bit of cotton candy has been blown his way and is now trapping him against the ground.

Alejandro rushes for Noah once the wind has died down. He might be annoyed at Noah for making this more difficult that it needs to be, but that doesn't mean he wishes Noah dead.

He tries digging some of the cotton candy around Noah's face free so Noah can breathe better. Which does work, but it also leads Alejandro to getting cotton candy on him. He's lucky he's strong enough to have pulled his own arms out rather than get stuck himself.

He knows any type of liquid should dissolve this, but how to get some? He looks around to spot a large cup of soda littered on the ground. He runs for it and sighs in relief as he notices that it has a bit remaining. It won't be the most elegant solution, but it will do.

He drags the soda to Noah and jumps onto the cup. Soda sprays out of the straw to douse Noah, freeing him. Noah is coughing and snorting out cotton candy and soda, but he's breathing.

Noah reluctantly thanks Alejandro for the whole, you know, saving his life thing. Alejandro was going to tease Noah about it to get some semblance of familiarity back when he hears an extremely loud bark coming from behind.

He turns to see a large dog behind him.

This is fine. Animals love Alejandro! He has a commanding presence that they admire. They fawn over him. He can tame this beast and convince it they're not chew toys.

Turns out his commanding presence doesn't work when he's smaller than the thing he's trying to command.

The dog reaches down and bites onto the back of Alejandro's shirt. He's shaken about, grasping for anything to free himself, when he hears a familiar voice in a strange tone.

"Here boy!" coos Noah in a cutesty tone Alejandro didn't think was possible. "Drop the disgusting eel and come to me! I've got treats!"

To Alejandro's shock, the dog immediately drops him. He falls to the ground in a heap. The dog eagerly bounds towards Noah and begins to sniff him. The dog licks Noah, mostly for the soda and cotton candy he's drenched in.

"¿Quién eres y qué has hecho con Noah?" Alejandro asks himself as he hears Noah giggle at being licked.

Noah digs into one of the many pockets in his khakis that Alejandro had assumed were just to show off his poor taste in fashion. He digs his hand out with a small plastic bag filled with dog treats.

"Come on boy, let's get you a treat that won't kill you in the long run."

He gets the dog to sit, then lay down. Then begins to climb on top of the dog.

"...You tell no one what just happened, and I'll let you get on Shadow. I don't know if I can get him to go fast, but I can at least get him going in the right direction."

Alejandro knows better to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he puts all thoughts about how cute that was away as he gets atop of the newly dubbed Shadow.

It turns out that Shadow has two speeds: none and all. They both have to cling onto the dog as he bolts through the crowd towards the ferris wheel. They can only hope everyone is so focused on the dog that no one notices the two small humans desperately clinging to its fur.

Shadow takes them a good distance towards the wheel. However, he is a dog. He notices a seagull within his line of sight and begins to chase after it in a different direction. The two of them let go before Shadow can steer them too far off course, and land behind one of the prize booths.

With them being in the back of the booths, they can see a path of relatively safety so long as none of the workers make their way back here. The ferris wheel isn't much farther off. So they begin walking. And talking.

"May I at least ask how you made a dog much larger than us eat out of the palm of your hand?"

"I trained my dog when he was a puppy. I figured it might be the same with another dog no matter the size difference."

"Still, I will admit. That was impressive."

"Huh, so you can give a genuine compliment. Didn't think you had it in you."

"I absolutely do give genuine compliments!"

"If you want to prove you're genuine, tell me the real reason you started befriending Team E-scope."

Alejandro sighs. Because at this point, he's tired, and he already has a piece of blackmail over Noah. If they don't survive this, he might as well get this off his chest.

Alejandro admits that the real reason he wants Noah and his friends at his side is because he needs them to get revenge on Heather for him. He's done his best to keep this out of the gossip circle, but she actually dumped him rather recently. He didn't quite listen to the reason why because she did the dumping instead of him. He can't just let that stand.

He knows 'Team E-scope' and Owen is because he knows they're the most chaotic group among them. He planned to trick them into pranking Heather for him so that he didn't have to get his own hands dirty, and no one would find out the reason he wanted revenge on the first place.

Noah can't help but laugh at Alejandro.

"You seriously went through all of that trouble so we could get back at your ex for you?"

"It's a very elaborate plan!"

"That's why I'm laughing! You did all of that for nothing!"

"Getting back at Heather is not nothing."

"No. That's not what I mean. We would have done it if you just asked."

"...What?"

"Eva hates Heather's guts, Owen's always down for a good prank, Izzy's Izzy, and I love to watch shitty people get their just desserts. You didn't even need to give us a reason. All you had to do was ask us to help you pull a prank on Heather. We'd do it because it'd be funny."

Alejandro has to re-evaluate a lot of assumptions and life decisions that he's made recently.

As they get close to the ferris wheel, they spot Chris walking into one of the carts. They immediately make a run for the cart before the attendant can close the door. They both land on the sticky, popcorn riddled floor at the same time.

Despite this, they each find themselves alone with Chris.

He spends the first few minutes laughing at them, confessing to having watched them the entire time. Then he says to each that he can tell them how to get back to normal, but there’s no guarantee it’ll work and they’re almost out of time. He can un shrink one of them right now, guaranteed. …But in return, they have to give up the other to Chris as an entertainment piece. The other will be fine! Mostly. They’ll be big again at least.

Once he gets the consent he can take the other away to do whatever. It’s an exclusive offer, so they better act fast.

Neither believes this is exclusive. They’re both pretty sure the other is being offered the same deal. It’s the classic prisoner’s dilemma. If they give each other up, they’ll probably both be subject to Chris’s whims for the rest of their lives.

Logically speaking, the right thing to do is to try to betray each other. But it requires a considerable amount of trust in the other. Noah would have to trust Alejandro not to be a selfish bastard. Alejandro would have to trust Noah not to be paranoid. 

...Noah doesn't think he can trust Alejandro. He has seen Alejandro put himself first time and again. He refused to get help that they clearly needed because of his stupid pride. He's been more honest with Noah, but now Alejandro is by himself, being offered a deal almost impossible to resist. If he's going to take Noah down, then Noah might as well take Alejandro with him.

And yet. Alejandro's first instinct had been to save Noah when he was trapped, despite proving that he'd be difficult to work with. There was something good there in that shriveled, dark heart. Taking Alejandro down would give him a sense of vindication, but he doubted that would last long with whatever punishment Chris had in store. At least with Alejandro free, someone would know what had happened to Noah.

Besides, there is a part of Noah that does want to believe that Alejandro has some standards. It's a small part. It's a stupid part.

But Noah would rather be a fool than be cruel senselessly.

So he denies Chris's deal.

…To his surprise, Alejandro thinks he can trust Noah. With how loyal Noah is to Owen, he doubts Noah would choose to subject someone else to Chris. Alejandro could easily take advantage of this. It won’t be his problem afterwards. People would ask questions about Noah, but he could lie his way around them. Alejandro could finally rid himself of an annoyance set on ruining his good name.

And yet. Noah's not just an annoyance. He can be useful when he wants to be. He saved Alejandro from his own overconfidence. Noah has potential to be more. Not just to Alejandro, but to others as well. He's a fool not to see it in himself, but Alejandro could guide him along the right way. With their minds combined, they could conquer any challenge. Including Chris'.

Besides, the world would be a worse place without Noah in it.

So he denies Chris's deal.

The two are suddenly besides each other in the cart staring up at a petulant Chris. He whines that he's disappointed in the both of them. Where's the drama in neither of them taking the deal?!

Unfortunately, he's bound by his own rules, so he does tell them that the only way to get back to their normal size is to go through the same mirror that shrunk them in the first place. (All of Chris's game was pretty much a distraction to trick them into giving themselves up to him or else be small forever, either way being entertaining for Chris.)

They have until sunset, which if he had to guess is about thirty minutes. With a huff, he vanishes.

The two just look at each other for a moment as they comprehend what just happened.

"...You didn't give me up." Noah spoke aloud.

"No. I didn't."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Alejandro admitted. Which was the truth. He knew he told himself it was to keep Noah around as a benefit, but there was a part of him that also just liked having Noah around. And he wasn't sure which was more true. "I can't believe you trusted me."

"I didn't."

"Why wouldn't you give me up when you thought I would?"

"I don't know," Noah confessed. His heart and his brain were too battle-torn to give a more truthful answer. His heart was winning when he spoke again, "I'm sorry. For doubting you."

"No. No, you were absolutely right to. I didn't refuse to betray you out of the goodness of my heart."

"But you did."

"...Sí. I did.

"So take the apology. You're not getting another one."

"No."

"Are you seriously arguing this right now? Why?!"

"Because you still chose to spare me anyways!" Alejandro snapped. "You know me better than anyone else. You know I'm not 'a good person deep down'! There was no reward in this for you! I would punish your loyalty for myself. And you'd still show me mercy! I can't-No entiendo-"

Alejandro pinched at the bridge of his nose as he desperately attempted to calm his thoughts before he spoke again. "...Thank you."

After a pause of his own, Noah replied. "You're welcome."

The sun got in their eyes as they both remembered Chris's new thirty minute deadline. The ferris wheel is currently stopped at the top. Even if they could scale down it quickly, it would take far longer than 30 minutes to get back to the house of mirrors by themselves.

Fortunately for them, they're crafty, and they're high enough to where they're at the height of seagulls flying about. They manage to get a seagull's attention by throwing popcorn out of the cart. When it comes to investigate, Alejandro remains pressed against the wall of the cart while Noah is in the middle, egging the bird closer.

The bird goes in to attack Noah, and Alejandro leaps onto the bird from behind. The bird attempts to fly away and shake Alejandro off. Alejandro holds it in place long enough for Noah to get on.

The two wrangle the bird into a dive bomb for the house of mirrors. All three of them are screaming as they crash land. The two quickly scamper inside before the bird is aware enough to get revenge on them.

They split off to cover more ground since neither one quite remembers where the mirror that shrank them is. Alejandro is the one who manages to find it first as he goes through it to become his regular size. He went in one mirror, though out another, and can only guess he's on the side of the maze that Noah went down.

He immediately speedwalks to find Noah. He can't run or he'd risk stepping on him. When he hears Noah shout his name, he immediately runs, grabs Noah, and races back towards where he believes the entrance to be.

Noah guides him back to the entrance, and he races towards the mirror once he recognizes where he is. He shoves Noah through the mirror, though his own hand meets a solid surface.

He runs back towards the other side, only to meet a regular sized Noah in the middle, panting. The two immediately hug and laugh in pure shock and disbelief that they're finally back to normal.

Chris is nowhere to be found or heard, though they do wish they'd be able to get some form of revenge on him.

For now, they're both content with leaving the park and never setting foot in it again.

They finally catch up with the rest of their friend group who ask where they've been the whole time.

Neither of them has a response prepared, so Izzy provides them with one: They were clearly making out the whole time.

The two try to beat back the allegations, but to no avail. It's still better than having to explain what ACTUALLY happened.

It does mean they'd have to be together more if they're going to lean into this lie.

Neither one minds it as much as they pretend to.

[2uuno]

Symmetry was not, even remotely, in love with Joe Hills.

They were hardly friends, she avoided him as much as possible, he was irritating and not even that pretty and, to boot, she didn’t like men. So.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t like him,” Bratwurst said, simply, adding yet another scoop of gravy to his breakfast sausage patties. “I don’t like women and even I had a crush on PearlescentMoon.”

“Didn’t she try to kill you?” Hels snapped.

“Yeah,” Brat sighed dreamily. “It was great.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Symmetry said, definitively, spinning on her heel and marching toward their usual table. “I don’t like him. Besides, I thought we agreed not to talk about him? Hidden recorders, hello?”

“There aren’t any,” EX frowned, looking up from their pancakes. “Wormman promised.”

Xornoth and Symmetry made eye contact, before Xornoth puffed up xeir cheeks and went back to eating. They all knew better than to try to convince EX that Wormman may not have their best interests in mind. No one knew what his motives may be, but they were almost definitely not good.

The five of them settled around the little table in the back of the dining area, just like they had every day for the last month. No one was sure how they’d become such a tight knit group after nearly two months of avoiding each other, but they were, and here they were, a quarter of a year after first meeting, the only people in the world they could trust.

“I don’t like Joe.” Symmetry said, again, seeing Bratwurst open his mouth. “And I don’t know why you think that.”

“I mean, he clearly likes you,” Xornoth said, calmly. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Okay Sym.”

“I mean it, you’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m just saying,” The demon leaned forward, tilting their head. “Isn’t it funny he comes in through your window every night, spends hours talking to you?”

“I think we should kill him,” Bratwurst said, abruptly and loudly. “I think that’s a reasonable outcome.”

“Don’t you dare,” EX said, through a mouth of pastry. “We’d probably have to pick up litter or something for that.”

“Or just get sent back where we came from,” Hels muttered. “Probably that.”

Everyone fell silent at that.

That’s another thing- they knew this was temporary. As soon as Wormman got what he wanted out of them, they were gone. Symmetry was going back to a fake name and a lonely, paranoid life, EX was going back to the void, Xornoth was going back to that amulet, Bratwurst was going back to the other dimension, and Hels was going back to… well… hell. They probably didn’t have much time left.

“It’s not a bad thing if you like him,” EX said, quietly. “It’s okay.”

“No it’s not.”

“Why not?”

(Because the ‘me’ he knows is someone else? Because I’m not a real person? Because I’m the funhouse mirror twisted version of a shadow of a woman?)

“Because this is stupid,” She huffed. “Like you’re not madly in love with Xornoth as we speak.”

“I’m sorry?!” EX spluttered. “I’m- what?!”

The table dissolved into chaos and stayed that way until Wormman called them in for their morning gardening session, and no one brought up Joe for the rest of the day.

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, here is a rec list of bottom Louis fics where Louis wears a collar. If you enjoy our rec lists and want them to continue being made, please show support by liking and reblogging them! Happy reading!

1) Wild And Exciting (I’m Breaking You Down) | Explicit | 2200 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

The tug and pull of the collar around his neck has him gasping for air but he's so hard under the knickers, and Harry's rubbing soothing circles into the soft give of his hip while murmuring praise and he really, really doesn't want to disappoint him.

2) Jingle Bell Time Is A Swell Time | Explicit | 2543 words

Harry gives Louis a present for his birthday and it includes jingle bell panties, a cat ear headband, a collar with a bell, red stilletos. Louis makes good use of them.

3) You're Like A Little Kitten. | Explicit | 2891 words

A one shot in which Harry is feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything and Louis's got a thing for butt plugs with cat tails attached and Harry's oversized sweaters. Louis always helps Harry out, doesn't he?

4) White Collar Worker | Explicit | 6051 words

Harry Styles - uncompassionate and single head of the company.

Louis Tomlinson - just a worker from the staff department. Nothing extraordinary except one thing: Louis has a hopeless crush on Harry. And of course he'll be given a wonderful chance to invite his boss to his house 'for a cup of tea'.

5) Your Silhouette Over Me | Explicit | 6823 words

“Alright don’t forget the mission, get Louis laid,” Louis shouted over the music.

“Don’t know who Louis is, but I support it.”

Louis turned towards the contributing voice and saw the bartender leaning in front of him, his elbows resting against the lip of the bar. He had brown hair that fell in loose curls just above his collar bones which were perfectly on show due to the fact that his shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his abdomen. The shirt’s sleeves were cuffed up along his inked bicep and the pattern was something that Louis would expect a dad on vacation to wear, not a young bartender.

“He’s Louis,” Zayn said, jutting his thumb in Louis’ direction.

The bartender nodded approvingly, “then I definitely support it.”

6) Funhouse | Explicit | 13037 words

The ‘Funhouse’ is an establishment that caters to boys with pussies and those that desire the opportunity to use and humiliate them.

The boy in question is blindfolded, unable to see the identity of the strangers taking pleasure from him. However, there is the option to remove the blindfold and officially meet after the session.

Louis has only offered himself up to the Funhouse several times before and the experience never left him particularly satisfied.

He decides to give the Funhouse a final try, opting for a session with a single stranger rather than a group. He decides that he will meet with the stranger afterwards just as long as the sex happens to be good. After all, what harm can it do to officially meet the stranger? It’s not like he’ll actually know the person who touches him… right?

7) Promise Me You Won't Run Away | Explicit | 23128 words

“Does kissing me stop you from having bad thoughts?” Harry asked, voice muffled into the collar of Louis’ dress shirt. Louis chuckled at this. He trailed a hand down Harry’s back, feeling the muscles tensing along with his touch.

“I guess you can say that. You’re a good distraction.”

“Then I will be the best distraction.” Harry answered, pulling back and watched Louis’ lips unashamedly.

“Come distract me, then.”

8) Hit Me With Your Sweet Love | Explicit | 39690 words

Powerful people only end up with powerful people. The rest are just playthings in their lives. Louis Tomlinson was many things, but he wasn’t anybody’s plaything.

9) Dark Doom, Honey | Explicit | 57801 words

Louis lifted one shoulder, lips slightly pursed. “You are acting like an asshole.”

Harry’s mouth pressed into a thin line, eyebrows knitting together. “I wasn’t being an asshole, I was following my own rules. The ones I always follow when I’m about to start an arrangement with a new submissive. If you don’t want this or are having doubts, we should stop now. But if we do this, I do want to make something clear, I’ll never do anything you don’t want to, but you have to be aware that I’ll never be sweet, I don’t do sweet, you already saw what I do. If you want something different you can go on dates, this is not that. Are we clear?”

It was the perfect way out. Louis could simply say no and their lives would keep on going as they were. So far, nothing was changed beyond repair. But he wanted to be. At some point in his life, way before Harry and the betrayals, Louis lost a little of himself, and had never felt closer to getting it back than in Lair, with Harry.

“Crystal.”

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[bengiyo]

Shadow Ep 7 Stray Thoughts

Last time, things were awkward for Dan with Cha-aim as he tried to give room for her to potentially grow closer to Josh, but Cha-aim is still interested in Dan. That nasty teacher Yada is pregnant with Anan's kid WHILE MARRIED, and seems to believe she's going to move overseas with him and the baby later. Dan started seeing Trin during the day and followed him into the Funhouse, and Nai also led Anan there who seems to also see Trin.

Holy fucking strobe effect, Batman!

Oh no. Anan thought Dan was responsible for this and now he's lost his ring.

Episode 7: One Armed Man

Anan knows too much about this place. He feels like he can challenge authority.

I'm so glad Nai is still focused on the Trin mystery.

Uh oh. Dan is tripping. Didn't Trin mention seeing dead bodies in one of his sessions with. Anurak?

I think Anan needs a good stomping to rearrange his attitude.

I'm worried that Nai doesn't seem to be seeing the Shadow anymore.

I hope nothing bad happens to Cha-aim in this show. I like her a lot.

Anan is so gross. Nai, please develop better taste in men.

I want to know what that memory flash about the person with the rifle was about, and who is stuck in that room?

What is this shadow and why does it keep touching Dan this way?? What did Nai see?

Interesting. What prompted Dan to envision this mystery boxer before this story?

Oh, he found his ring in time to beat the shit out of Anan. I hope Anan has his whole fucking life rearranged.

This was a fascinating experience. I'm not certain yet why we were introduced to this lore about the one armed man at this point, but I guess we'll see when we come back on December 7. I am glad they got Singto, Fluke, and Fiat for this. I don't think I'd be this invested with newcomers or less known actors. We've got a lot more to unpack, and I'm still not certain how supernatural this is going to end up being.

[suzieburself]

Screaming into the void about my Bylerween fics because !!! The creative juices were really flowing today!

Just a quick synopsis of all my ideas if anyone is interested!

Day 1- my pride and joy the Beetlejuice inspired fic<333 Enemies to lovers modern ghost Will au

Day 2- As You Like It (Shakespeare) loosely inspired drunk Halloween party fic (I know it sounds ridiculous but iykyk) where Mike doesn’t realize he’s talking to Will in costume and says a little more than he means to say…

Day 3- Byler meeting in the Underworld and falling in luuuuuv

Day 4- A series of October firsts with sweater sharing !!! Featuring miwi, plenty of fluff and a little bit of fluff (because who am I without it?)

Day 5- s2 Jancy paralleled Byler in a haunted funhouse

Day 6- Established adult Byler giving out candy on their porch when they meet a kid who reminds them of how they used to be

Day 7- DnD came back wrong with zombie Will

Anyway I’m sleep deprived and felt the need to share plus there’s only so many Wednesdays to share wips

@bylerween2023

My to be added to AO3 Bylerween collection

[disneytva]

With No Panels For Animated Shows, New York Comic-Con Sets Disney's EnterTOONment HQ Booth With Photo Ops, Activities, Screenings and Live Drawing Sessions

Disney Branded Television has announced Disney's EnterTOONment HQ a booth at New York Comic Con a immersive section with interactive daily activities, giveaways & more from your favorite animated series from Disney Television Animation and Disney Junior Educational Resource Group.

The room is open from 10AM – 7PM on Thursday - Saturday, and from 10AM – 5PM on Sunday at Family HQ.

On Friday October 13 , young kids can enjoy a adorable robot bulding activity where kids can build their own Devil Dinosaur bot, additionaly a A Moon Girl meet and greet will be avalible on Disney's EnterTOONment HQ, the meet and greet will be avalible all the weekend alongside meet & greets from Bluey and her sister Bingo from acquired licensed series "Bluey" from Ludo Studios. Disney's EnterTOONment will include "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures" jedi training demonstration for the young kids. the area will have dance parties inspired by SuperKitties,Pupstruction,Spidey and His Amazing Friends,Mickey Mouse Funhouse,Firebuds,Playdate with Winnie The Pooh and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. several episodes of those shows will screen at the convention. Disney Channel fans can enjoy a live drawing session with Dan Povenmire, Jeff Swampy Marsh ("Phineas and Ferb","Milo Murphy's Law","Hamster & Gretel", Disney Junior "Hey A.J!") Nic Smal and Lucy Heavens ("Kiff", "NDA Disney Channel Series"). On October 14, Povenmire, Marsh, Smal and Heavens will join on a epic live drawing battle to prove which show is the best. Additionaly several episodes of fan favorite Disney Channel series (Big City Greens,The Ghost and Molly McGee, Chibiverse, Hamster & Gretel,Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,Kiff, Phineas and Ferb and Hailey's On It!) will screen at the convention, fans can find some photo ops inspired by the series and additionaly a special photo booth where you make your own Disney Channel Wand ID in celebration of Disney Channel's 40th Anniversary.

[walker-extended-universe]

Funhouse Mirror, Chapter 1

Relationship(s): August Walker & Cordell Walker & Stella Walker, Geri Broussard & August Walker

Tags/Warnings: Magics, Potions, Genderbend, Genderswap, Mistakes, Angst and Fluff, Hijinks and Shenanigans, Family Feels

Summary: August and Stella are messing around with spells again. August suffers the consequences.

Part of the Walkernatural series

Written for @tropetember Prompt 21- Genderswap

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

-----

August and Stella were slowly but surely climbing up the ladder from novice witches to practice witches. That meant Rowena was giving them more intense homework to practice with in between their sessions, which meant Stella got very excited about trying out new spells. And it’s not that August wasn’t excited to try out new things and see what they could do- it’s that Stella had a tendency to pick the harder spells.

“Are you sure about this Dream Potion?” August asked, swirling the dark purple liquid in his cup. “It doesn’t look right?”

“I’m sure,” Stella said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Last time you said that, you switched bodies with Uncle Sam.”

She smacked him upside the head. “Shut up and drink it. I wanna see if it works.”

“Okay, but if I die-”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll tell all the girls at school it was some heroic venture and donate all your stuff to charity. Now drink.”

August rolled his eyes but complied. He grimaced on his first sip. Magic rarely tasted good but this one was particularly foul. “Are you sure you did it right?”

Stella rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, yes! Just drink it!”

“Alright, alright, geeze…” August downed the rest of it in a few big gulps, each more disgusting than the last. Once the cup was empty he set it down and coughed. “Okay, so…what’s supposed to happen now?”

Stella looked back at the spellbook. “Now, you’ll fall asleep in a few minutes, have a dream, and when you wake up you’ll remember every detail about it.”

August nodded. “Okay. Well, I’m going to bed then. See you in an hour.”

Stella waved him off and started flipping through the book again. He walked up the stairs to his bedroom, yawning as the effects of the potion started to hit him. He crashed as soon as he made it to his bedroom, falling face first into the mattress as sleep pulled him under.

—-----

When August woke up, something felt different. His first thought was that the potion didn’t work because he didn’t remember any dreams at all, let alone in great detail. His second thought was that something was wrong but his sleep-fogged mind couldn’t quite put a finger on what.

That all changed when he stood up.

The first thing he noticed was that his pants didn’t fit right anymore. The second thing he noticed was that the front of his shirt didn’t reach his waistline anymore and he felt the cool air of his room on his midriff. The third thing he noticed was the curtain of long hair in his face that wasn’t there when he fell asleep.

He brushed the hair aside and looked down to see…breasts?

“What the fuck?” He clapped a hand over his mouth when he heard his voice. He sounded like a girl.

No. No, there was no way this was happening. Maybe this was the dream. It had to be.

He dashed to the bathroom down the hall. Surely the mirror wouldn’t lie to him.

“STELLA! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU PUT IN THAT POTION?!”

—---

If there was one thing that Cordell had learned from raising two children, it was that if things were quiet, something bad was about to happen.

Which is why when he came home to Stella sitting by herself at the dining table and no other noise in the house, his anxiety spiked. “Hey, Stellablue….. Everything okay?”

“Uh…. If by ‘okay’ you mean everyone is alive and there’s no major impending doom…. Mostly.”

Of course . Was it too much to ask to have just one day where the universe wasn’t imploding in his living room? “What happened?”

Stella bit her lip. “Well, Rowena gave us a new book to practice with and it’s our first chance to do potions alone….”

Of fucking course this was a magical problem. Why did he agree to them getting lessons from the Queen of Hell of all people? “I’m guessing your practice didn’t go well?”

“I thought I did everything right, I swear! I didn’t substitute any ingredients or anything. I did lose count of my stirs but I didn’t think it’d be that much of a problem….”

Cordell was going to need a few drinks of a potion called “whiskey” to get through this one. “What happened?”

“Well…. August drank it and it didn’t do what it was supposed to do.”

“What did it do?”

She turned and looked at the stairs. “Augie? Dad’s home….” she called.

“I’m not coming out!” yelled a voice that definitely did not sound like his son. It sounded like a girl. A very angry teenage girl.

Cordell gripped the back of his chair and gave Stella his best “I’m not mad I’m just disappointed” glare. “Stella…. What did you do to your brother?”

“I just want to make it clear that I did not mean for this to happen-”

“Answer my question.”

“Well….” Stella bit her lip and twisted her hair in between her fingers. “The potion kind of….turned him into a girl. And I’m not sure what went wrong so I’m not entirely sure how to turn him back.”

Just one day of peace. Is that too much to ask? “Okay. I- You- Sit. I’m gonna go check on August and then we’ll- We’ll figure out how we’re going to handle this until we fix him. And we’ll figure out a suitable punishment for you.”

“But I-”

“Do not dig a deeper hole for yourself young lady. I thought after last time you knew better than to do magic unsupervised.”

Stella muttered a quiet and petulant “Yes sir” but didn’t argue any further. He was going to take that as a win for now.

Cordell quietly tread up the stairs and steeled himself before knocking on August’s door. “Hey, Augie…. You okay in there?”

“What do you think?” August snapped. “I woke up and I’m a girl !I have breasts!”

  Jesus Christ that was not a mental image he needed. “Yeah, I heard-”

“And my voice is annoying! I sound like a stereotype! And my hair is too long and I haven’t even touched it and somehow it’s tangled and it’s just- everywhere . And now my- my plumbing is all different and my body is-”

“Okay, okay, I get it! It’s weird and uncomfortable and nobody is happy about it.” He really didn’t need an in-depth description. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried really, really not to picture what his son looked like on the other side of the door. Which would have to open eventually. Probably. Was there a way to avoid that?

Focus, Walker.

What the hell was he supposed to do about this? Obviously they had to call Rowena- something he never looked forward to- but he knew better than to plan for her having an immediate solution. Whether they liked it or not, August was going to have to live like this for a while. Was he going to have to have the Talk with him? He barely made it through the one with Stella and he had Emily with him that time. How was he gonna handle this alone?

Unless-

No. He didn’t have to handle it alone. Geri was a girl- woman. She’d know what to do. And August was more likely to listen to her than him or Stella. Yeah, that could work. He’d just call Geri. That would solve some of these problems.

“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna call Aunt Geri. And- She’ll come over and she’ll help. And then once you’re- Once you’re comfortable, you can come out-” Oh god he’s going to have an actual image to deal with “- and then we’ll figure out a solution with Rowena, okay?”

“What?! No, I’m not coming out!”

“August, you’re gonna have to eventually….” Cordell sighed and winced at August’s now very shrill displeasure. “Look, we- We don’t know how long you’ll be like this and you have school-”

“You’re gonna make me go to SCHOOL like this????”

“Ah- Well, we-we can talk about that. Just- Let me call Geri and we can start working things out, okay?”

August groaned and Cordell could hear him stamping around on the carpeted floor of the bedroom. “Fine! Just- Only Geri can come in here.”

“Yep. Definitely. That’s fine. I’ll let you know when she’s on the way.”

—------

If there was one thing Geri Broussard had learned after over 20 years of being around the Walkers, it was to be prepared for any number of dramatic scenarios waiting on the other end of a phone call. However, nothing could have prepared her for this call from Cordell.

“What do you mean, Stella turned August into a girl?”

“I don’t know! Some magic practice gone wrong or something. Just-” Cordell groaned. “Look, August is holed up in his room and he’s refusing to come out to even talk about this. He needs clothes. And probably some guidance. And he’s not talking to Stella and I doubt she has anything that will fit him anyway so….”

“So you decided to outsource the solution to me.” She sighed. “Alright, I’ll stop by my house and pick up something for him and see if I can get him out of his room. Is he going to need more than a set of clothes?”

“I- Well, that depends on how soon we can get this fixed. Ideally, Rowena will know what to do but….”

“Chances are he’ll be stuck like this for a while.” Of course. “Well, in that case, I may need to take him shopping for clothes that will actually fit him, especially bras.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds good. If you can talk him into it.”

“Cordell Walker, you don’t need to be so awkward about this. You already raised a girl.”

“I had time to mentally prepare for Stella! This all happened in one afternoon! I wasn’t ready for it!”

“Okay, okay, geeze, calm down.” Geri covered the speaker end of the phone to let the new bartender know she was taking the rest of the day off. “I’ll be over there in an hour, alright? Tell August to hang in there.”

She stopped by her house and picked out a few different pants and shirts. Then she stopped off at a shopping center real quick to pick up underwear. They probably wouldn’t fit him exactly but they would be good enough until she could take him shopping. Hopefully, this whole thing could be resolved quickly but things rarely worked out that way.

As promised, she was knocking on August’s door in one hour. “Hey, Augie. It’s me. I brought some stuff for you to wear….”

The door cracked open and Geri carefully stepped in to see… August. But not.

The teenager in front of her definitely looked like August. Just… as a girl. His hair, normally cropped short in an overgrown bowl cut, now reached halfway down his back. His face was softer, all the same features just a bit more delicate. He was still tall and relatively skinny but Geri could tell he had a more feminine figure and his clothes hung on him all wrong.

“Huh. Your dad wasn’t kidding.” She brushed aside some of his hair so she could get a better look at his face.

August blushed and crossed his arms. “Yeah, I know I look all weird.”

Geri gave him a small smile. “You look different, sure. But you’re still August. And, if I may say, you make a pretty cute girl.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. What did you bring me?”

Geri showed him the options she brought. “They probably won’t fit perfectly but they’ll do until we can buy you something.”

August tried on a few things until he settled on an outfit and let Geri fix this hair into a braid. “This’ll do until we get this fixed,” August muttered. “I hope it won’t be too long.”

“Well, you’re a good witch,” Geri said. “I’m sure between you and Stella and Rowena, you can figure something out.”

—------

Rowena hummed, inspecting the remains of the potion. “This is going to be a tricky one. Not impossible, mind you, but it’s going to take a little time to figure out the root issue and find a cure.”

August groaned, banging his head against the surface of the table. “I was afraid you’d say that….”

Stella gently pet his back. “I’m really sorry, Augie. I don’t know what went wrong. But we’ll fix this, I promise.”

“You better,” Cordell muttered. “And we’re going to set much stricter rules about your magic practice. I mean, the whole point of you two taking lessons was that things like this wouldn’t happen!”

“But Rowena-”

“For once, I agree with your father.” Rowena cut a glare at Stella. “I admire your passion and ambition for magic, but this is not something to do recklessly. It’s not an exact science and messing about with things you don’t understand can only lead to trouble. I give you spellbooks to study in your own time, not for unsupervised practice. One more mistake like this and I’m going to lose a valuable Amazon pickup point.”

Cordell grunted. “Why do you use our house for that, exactly?”

“Because Amazon doesn’t deliver to Hell yet, dear. And your brothers won’t let me use their PO box anymore.”

August tuned their bickering out and tried not to have a panic attack over his current situation. He was suddenly, randomly, a girl and there was no solution in sight. Who knew how long he was going to be stuck like this. What if it was permanent?

“Hey, Augie, chill,” Stella murmured. “I know this is scary but we’ll figure it out. I promise.”

He hoped she was right.

[absylphe]

hc + community

She has a few communities -- her community here (which is comprised both of people she sees regularly and people she only talks to through tumblr and streams), the people she interacts with in the capacity of fellow parents of schoolchildren, and her IRL sessionmates, most of whom live on a small (but slightly larger) island just nearby the island she lives on.

She gets most of her socialization fix online. The trolls who are around here are all fucked up, like her -- she has a few things she's still nervous about being "weird" about her, mostly the wrigglers -- but in general, she's not particularly fussed about being "wrong". She likes to be available to offer assistance to others, even just little ways of helping like sending over meals or taking a look at bruises makes her feel incredibly fulfilled. These are the people she mostly sees as being like herself; misfits, somewhat (affectionate).

She is currently trying to be friendly with a group of parents of her eldest daughter's friends, but it's been a rough go. It's easier with some of the parents of the younger kids, but there's such an experience and age gap between her and the other parents of 12-year old human kids, they can often be condescending or overly delicate. She attends book clubs twice a week trying to fit in, but since the occasion is mostly just an excuse for a bunch of 30-somethings to get together and drink alcohol and giggle about mediocre smut, she finds it difficult. She holds these people at arms length sort of subconsciously, so even though she's trying to put in the effort, it's fairly easy to tell that she isn't having a good time. They just assume she's had a really hard life because they can do math, and she's so young and Frifaj is so old. So they're also very awkward and don't address it and just let her keep coming to book club. They're basically in a social stalemate, but Kanaya has absolutely no idea because she can't read social cues. She hates The Elf King's Bride: Embrace of the Fae with a passion. It feels like they have been reading it for literal years.

With her actual friends that she fought with and would have died for, it's just... hard. They spent so long dead in the bubbles, basically stagnant and shouting into an echo that crystalized Who They Are to a point where they feel like almost archetypal versions of themselves, which is only sort of hammered in by meeting so many alts over the last decade. A very Karkat Karkat, a very Tavros Tavros, an extremely Vriska Vriska. She has spent so much of that time wallowing in despair, trying new hobbies, learning new things, meeting new people, and finally taking chances -- it's what led her to be able to resurrect her timeline's players, as well as ghosts beyond that, but being faced with her friends she finds herself unrecognizable as herself. Everyone else is normal and she is like a funhouse mirror version of herself, twisted beyond recognition.

She is always available to help them, and they know that, but they generally don't contact her because she moved away from the main hub so quickly after finishing her resurrection work and cavern setup. She keeps in close contact with her timeline's Aradia, who often babysits her kids on a moment's notice (mostly by taking them to dangerous historical periods for history field trips). She also keeps up with Dave somewhat, as he uses bullshit crypto schemes to keep everyone funded and essentially pays out allowances to them all -- though he'd gag at it, they're basically the two most responsible for keeping their comfortable lives in isolation fully functional.

Her timeline's Karkat and Rose reach out about once every 3 months saying they should get coffee, but nothing ever happens because Kanaya is so distant. Sollux is her go-to for tech support, and Equius helped her set up the elevator and soundproofing in her house (turns out void magic is SUPER useful for that).

She also keeps up with her session's Davesprite (who's just going by DS for now, while figuring out if he wants to change that or not). They managed to seal up the session together and finish the genesis frog together, and she's incredibly fond of him. He's been spending a lot of time with the consort population on the main island since getting a new body -- they are pretty fond of each other, but each one has that evil brain parasite of "you probably only leaned on me because you had no other choice, so now that we've accomplished all we've set out to do, I will leave gracefully and let you live your life." Jade sort of sidelined Kanaya in her excitement to set up an ectobiology project to clone him a human body that could pass through the world without a second look, and she sort of took that as a cue to get lost. Because of the brain parasite. (Mental illness. You know how it is.)

She's been reaching out to her timeline's Gamzee recently, after realizing how incompetent her sessionmates are at keeping up with people who disappear. (Eventually, this may lead to a realization that they're just shit at keeping up with her and don't just hate her because she's weird, but she's only been spending time with Gamzee for a few weeks now, so it's probably going to be slow going.)

[kuwdora]

Top 5 Most Underrated SF shows/movies you think everyone should watch and why

Top five most underrated SF shows/movies you think everyone should watch, and why :) --from destina

Okay a million years ago (more like 2 and a half months) destina asked me about my top 5 most underrated SF shows/movies I think everyone should watch. I have three shows and two films that I’ve really enjoyed over the last few years and I'll try to break down why I'm loving them.

This gets kind of long so I'll put it under a cut. The shows/films include: Moonhaven (AMC), Avenue 5 (HBO), Humans (AMC/BBC), Life (2017) and Prospect (2018).

Moonhaven is a new AMC show (1 season, 6 episodes) that is rather high concept on the sociological side of the scifi spectrum. They’ve built a utopia on the moon, guided by an AI that has spent a century learning from the human colony there in order to learn how to build better technology and solve the environmental/social ills on earth. This colony of humans have been cut off from the Earth and they’re about to send their first batch of humans and tech back to the planet when there’s a Murder that happens.

The main character is Bella Sway who is a cargo pilot/smuggler and who is also a war vet of sorts who gets accused of committing a crime while she’s on the moon and there’s a lot of mystery/intrigue to unravel.

Now this is very very serious and interesting set-up but what the trailers for this show did not highlight is how strange and wacky the character dynamics are. Because you’ve had a socially isolated human colony (Mooners) now interacting with a bunch of Earthers and— it’s hilarious and strange and eerie. Most of the time the Earther characters are baffled as fuck by the mooners who sound like they’re in a group therapy session that’s performing on stage. The mooners have high emotional IQs and love art and culture and are so touchy feely that the contrast with the hardened Earthers is amazing.

The show also is filmed in Ireland so you get to see some new filming locations that you don’t ordinarily catch in genre shows. AND of course has Dominic Monaghan who looks like he’s having the time of his life.

Emma McDonald plays Bella Sway and she brings such an incredible amount of nuance and depth to her character that 6 episodes just haven’t been enough for me and I’m really excited to see more. I try not to get my hopes up with new scifi shows these days because it’s too easy to get my heart broken but I have REALLY enjoyed this show. It’s doing a lot of interesting thematic exploration about nature vs nurture and the role of technology in people’s lives and how different groups of people see the purpose of technology differently.

It has SO MUCH WORLDBUILDING - including polyamory and partner dynamics within a family, fascinating birth/death rituals that have evolved on the moon, and some rather questionable ways mooners have altered child-rearing responsibilities to circumvent tribalism and prevent violence in their society.

What the trailer and reviews for this show mostly fail to capture is also just how fucking funny and strange the cultural differences are between the Mooners/Earthers. The Mooners LOVE to dance out their feelings.

There’s a conspiracy plotline that I’m not sure how it’s going to shake out but I’m really gnashing my teeth happily on these characters, the worldbuilding, and the technology.

Avenue 5 is an HBO scifi/comedy (2 seasons, somewhat cancelled but maybe not cancelled according to some sources, seems to be a bit of a Schrödinger Cancellation) I am not sure I really recommend for most people because it is hilarious in that dark satire kind of way that not everyone wants to stomach (for good reasons). It’s by the same fellow who wrote/produced Veep so the humor is dark. I described Ave 5 as looking at our current dystopia through an un-funhouse mirror and laughing in horror.

The premise of the show is a space cruise gets thrown off course and it’s going to take years to get back to earth and the ship is full of tourists and incompetent people running the ship. It also features Ethan Phillips playing an obnoxious Martian astronaut character in a GIANT NOD to the hilarity of Star Trek Voyager.

The biggest (and most delightful) surprise of the show is Hugh Laurie’s character is queer and poly (he had two partners back on Earth). The show veers into shenanigans throuple territory (that I 100% need to write some fic for because the show is reasonably cancelled and I need MORE).

This show has some of the most hilarious and obscene dialogue that I’ve heard in years. I love it and have watched every episode several times because humanity is terrible and I kind of like laughing at their pain and awfulness rather than the real world. It’s extremely self-aware and has Lenora Crichlow (of Being Human UK!!!!) and Hugh Laurie being ABSOLUTE TOP OF THEIR FUCKING GAME.

Humans (UK) is the AMC/BBC take on the Swedish show with the same name. On the surface this is a “we’ve created robots to do all of our work for us” premise (they’re called Synths here) and features a Colin Morgan as a scruffy fellow on-the-run with his fellow Synths that he was raised with as a child because his dad programmed the Synths with intelligence. This also has GEMMA CHAN!!!!!! As one of the main leads and she is EXQUISITE as Mia.

I watched and loved the original Swedish version but the British version did a fantastic job of building the family dynamics. It follows the Hawkins family who purchases a new Synth (Mia) and Mia has had her memory temporarily wiped to be in hiding so she doesn’t know who she is yet. The mystery in the beginning season is great but in the later seasons it really builds out the Hawkins mother/daughter relationship as well as letting Laura use her legal background to explore what kind of autonomy and protection she could advocate for Mia and her Synth family.

Mattie is a teenager who has an interest in programming and she’s adrift like many others her age who are facing a future with little job prospects and just getting yanked around by the world- and I just loved her arc in the show so much, especially as she gets involved with helping Mia and her family.

Colin Morgan is really great, too but I really fell in love with Gemma Chan’s depiction of Mia who slowly learns who she is and then is trying to find and keep her family safe while also protecting the Hawkins who are trying to help her.

I found this to be a very solid show — and one that I wish I had vidded already — with great character arcs and was very mindful in the way it was exploring these age-old questions about personhood and outsourcing work to machines and how you treat these machines.

Life (2017) is a horror/thriller film inside a sci-fi setting. Scientists on the International Space station find a new life form that they picked up from Mars to study and Things Go Bad. Pretty great cast- Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare along with — for some reason — Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.

The life-and-death tension and anxiety of being trapped with something scary in the vacuum of space is spectacular. Really enjoyable film.

Prospect (2018) is hands down one of my favorite indie scifi films. Low-budget, INCREDIBLE ACTING, masterful storytelling. The stakes are emotionally and physically high for our characters and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The premise is a girl and her dad (Jay Duplass) go to a remote alien moon to try to mine some minerals to make it rich and start a new life. They get a contract that goes tits up in a bad way and end up face to face with the locals and scoundrels. INCLUDING PEDRO PASCAL. Pedro Pascal and Sophie Thatcher are the fucking stars of this and absolutely captivating. And yes this is part of the Pedro Pascal Multiverse Dad Canon so put it on your list to watch if you need more Dad Pascal.

This movie is INTENSE and raw and absolutely 10000% highest recommendation from me. The writing, the characters- the acting. The set/wardrobe design. A+++++

Everything about this movie is so detailed and internally consistent in a way that makes me wriggle with so much fucking joy.

I even trawled through YouTube to try and find out more about it and fell in love with a behind the scenes featurette. They filmed dust motes in a basement and transposed the dust over the outdoor scenes of the alien planet rather than doing CGI for it. And the work they spent designing the space suits is so great, too.