sadgirlqueenshit

[thebunnylord]

Schroeder speedpaint

[remxedmoon]

HAPPY (kinda late oops) BIRTHDAY MIWA!!!!!!!! ignore the other two LOOK AT HER!!!! IT’S MIRABELLE MSUNDAY!!!!

greyscale versions + my very normal color ramblings below!

ok full disclosure i already had this post drafted before realizing that mira’s birthday was coming up. i kinda debated just posting the mira doodles on their own but!!! i want to talk about my craft/general color headcanons still. and the mira art is part of that!! so be warned. also, this is going to reference my post about my craft headcanons a lot so like. read that if you so desire.

i personally think that mira’s healing craft is some form of creative craft, since the game describes her holding her palms up when she uses it (iirc anyways). this doesn’t really have an effect on anything, but it’s why i decided to color it yellow!

(also i ended up making mira’s scissors craft a lot more orange than i initially planned but that’s ok!!! i think both of her crafts would be pretty Orange. just thought i’d mention that since it’s a bit different from my first post)

i already explained sif’s craft in my last post so now i get to talk about the change god!!!!!! this is like. probably the most out there in terms of my color headcanons? but i have a reason for that. since the change god is, well, a deity, i thought it would be fitting for their design to match the colors of the 3 craft types (red, blue, and yellow)! this was a little hard to work around given that i also try to give my vaugarde designs warmer color palettes, but i think it worked out!

i also gave them a few slightly different palettes, since i think it’ll make sense for the change god’s colors to be variable. they never look the same, so why would their palette look the same? + i’m indecisive and liked all of these palettes lol

sorry for the ramble! i really like talking about character design and i’m not. very succinct. thanks for reading all this (if you did, perfectly fine if you didn’t!), here’s the greyscale versions as promised!!!

[gay-dorito-dust]

Can you maybe do a Wednesday and Enid x reader (platonic or romantic) where basically the reader comes from a very rich family and likes to spoil Wednesday and Enid.

(I hope this makes sense)

Is this what you wanted? Idk but I thought a headcannon format would be more sufficient for this but again idk. You tell me.

You spare no expenses when it came to Wednesday and Enid. You never bothered to try in fact because it didn’t really matter, as the money spent would eventually find itself back into your parents bank account anyways so why should you fret about accidentally crossing certain thresholds?

So when Wednesday’s typewriter starts having complications, hindering her writing time, you assured her that you would be able to get it fixed by the best people there was in fixing things. However it turns out that the typewriter was irreparably damaged and you had to buy Wednesday a new one that was personalised to be coated in a matte black colour and you even had her initials engraved on the front of it in gold cursive.

Wednesday may not have looked visibly thrilled at the new typewriter but her bland words of “I’m so ecstatic that my face can not comprehend how to convey it.” Were all you needed to know that she did in fact liked her new typewriter and began working on her book as though nothing ever happened. The next day you found a dead bird in front of your dorm, this was Wednesday’s way of saying ‘thank you.’

You even went out of your way to find enid a new part for her laptop when she complains to you that she couldn’t get anything do without it. So once again you went off to find the best shops available in Jericho that could help you in finding what you needed. Unfortunately due to it being the city of Jericho there weren’t a single good shop in sight that even had the part you needed in stock nor even in the back with the rest of the recent deliveries.

Typical.

With that you resorted to plan b and reached out online to shops elsewhere and ordered it for a next day delivery as to save yourself and enid the agonising waiting game. You even got her some other parts should this happen again but all of them were expensive and of state of the art manufacturing with the added promise of longevity and efficiency.

Enid was gobsmacked when she learnt that you did this all for her. “How can I pay you back for doing this for me?” She would ask but all you told her was that you didn’t need to be paid back for as long as she was happy and that the part was doing it’s job smoothly without any hitches, then that’s all the payment you desired.

This didn’t stop at fixing and or replacing their broken stuff but it also extended to their birthdays where you got enid more squishmellows for her growing pile, top of the range designer clothing that you’d knew she would look stunning in, new sets of nail polish, moisturisers, makeup and some new fairy lights should her current ones light their final night.

For Wednesday it was a little more trickier as she hated her birthday being celebrated in the traditional sense that you and enid were brought up with and instead you bought her an actual guillotine that she had set up next to her cello outside on the balcony of Ophelia Hall, dissection kits, things to keep her cello in top condition, some dark flowers that didn’t require much caring for, pacidermy animals much to Enid’s dismay as Wednesday would always seemingly have them face her whenever she said something that Wednesday wasn’t particularly fond of.

When Wednesday and enid try to repay you on your generosity, enid worries that due to your upbringing, you would be expecting diamonds, gold and the such thrown at your feet but Wednesday told her that she was exaggerating and that yes, you were born into an extremely wealthy family but the addams noted that you have a preference for the smaller things. So out they went to Jericho and chose a couple of things that they thought you’d might like.

Enid got you some cute toys that she though would add to your dorm along with getting you a matching snood with her and Wednesday that you could all wear to class together. Wednesday got you a necklace with a dead crow with a black Dalia sprouting from it’s heart with some of it’s crystal feathers dotted here and there up the silver chain as to give off the impression that this crow was shot out of the sky. She also got you some uncouth stuff like a hand mace or an taser for self defence for when people who couldn’t get the hint.

She wouldn’t admit it but even Wednesday was a little nervous that you might not like what they got you. However she didn’t have to continue putting belief into that thought as your eyes light up at each and everything that she and Enid got you that by the end of it you looked to both of them with the widest grin they’ve ever seen. “Thank you both so much! I love everything you’ve given me! Nobody’s given me things that I actually like!”

“What do you mean by that y/n?” Enid asks, confused.

“My parents think that splashing their money on expensive stuff for me is what I want but it’s not, I could care less about having the state of the art phone, tv, clothes, none of that matters to me but it seems that to them, that’s all that matters is to not only be rich but look rich too…so when they started putting large sums of money into my bank account, I spent it on the things that I want, on the clothes that I felt good in rather then what they think I’d look good in for their reputation. So I thank you both for these,” you told them as you squeezed one of the plushies Enid bought you close to your chest, “I love them a lot.”

“Even the taser?” Enid asked as Wednesday stared at her

You chuckled, “yes, even the taser. After all you can never be too sure when a creep is nearby.” You looked to Wednesday who’s lips almost uplifted into a proper smile but came back down into it’s neutral state just seconds later.

[hapuriainen]

Some comparisons of the “Disney girls if they were the player character in a pokemon game” designs, the earliest being from 2012.

Snow White - hasn’t changed much from the initial idea. For the most recent version aside from the improved colours (which really goes for all of these) I made the pocket a bit more sensible in size and less bland with the logo and changed the sleeves into something a little less costume-y looking. And apparently I had never bothered to check what her eye colour is supposed to be before?

Cinderella - I think the first one is way too tomboyish for Cinderella so it was a good idea to give her a skirt instead. And stop trying to copy the hairstyle as is, how is it supposed to work anyway? The most recent version is supposed to be wearing see-through plastic sneakers which was the closest equivalent of a glass slipper I could think of, but I don’t think you can see that well enough from this far.

Alice - I also like the original idea but it does look a bit too much like a costume. The more recent version is one of my favourites of the set, both with the design and how the art turned out overall.

Tinkerbell - I remember being dissatisfied with the first version (mostly for being boring) and thought I should have given her shorts instead, so here is that now. The top could still use some work though.

Aurora - She feels like she’s incrementally getting towards my ideal design but isn’t there quite yet. I probably should have done more with the half pink-half blue thing.

Eilonwy - not a lot to work with about her, though what is up with the shoes on the middle one?

Ariel - I don’t know what I was thinking with the turtleneck in the middle one, it’s supposed to be a warm weather design. Though to be fair sandals would be a better fit for that, but I like the stockings to represent her tail. Also apparently I got obscenely lazy with the shoes with the most recent one.

Belle - has barely changed at all, I remember being very happy with the initial design. Though now that I think about it the bag probably should use a different shade of blue. I’ve also done an earlier design with the yellow dress, but it’s so monochrome that it’s a bit hard to work with it.

Jasmine - I clearly wasn’t even trying with the first design, it’s just her canon outfit with very minor tweaks and a pokeball, and the second one isn’t any better. But to me Jasmine had one of the biggest glow ups with the most recent design and the art turned out cute as well.

Pocahontas - I really like the pants and would have liked to use them again, but then I thought, “is this problematic”, and ended up not using the tassel fringe thing. Overall she was a huge struggle and I’m not happy with the result at all, Pocahontas’ canon design has a lot of elements to work with, but I tried so many versions of one sleeved/one sleeve off the shoulder/layered tops and they all looked like a dancer or a figure skater. And I also attempted a tunic-like design like Yellow but that just looked like a LoZ oc. So this design is definitely subject to change if I redo everyone again in ten years. At least her face turned out cute..

Esmeralda - Another mess in both attempts, her canon design also has a lot of interesting details but somehow the best I could do with ended up being a schoolgirl? In my defense she was among the last characters I drew for this set and at that point I was just burnt out and ready to move to something else, so it was either this or not being drawn at all. Better luck next time!

Megara - the first attempt is pretty random and lazy and I don’t like it at all, but I do like how the second one turned out. Overall it does skew a bit too young though especially for a character like Megara, but she’s a kid here so maybe it’s ok?

Mulan - she is my favourite Disney heroine so it’s always frustrated me that I had never been able to really get the Poke design to work. But this time it somehow clicked that I could take inspiration from the male protagonists instead. I think the details could still do some workshopping but overall I like the result this time around.

Jane - the first one isn’t a Poketrainer at all, it’s just a jungle explorer anime girl. Though I guess there’s not much change in the second one either...

Kida - this has always been somewhat of a “just throw random ideas in there” kind of design and especially the first one I clearly had no idea what I was doing. In the most recent version I think the decision to move the mark to her hat was the best update, a facial tattoo on the supposed average kid feels kind of strange. 

Giselle - I really like the most recent one, it’s one of the most dynamic poses and I think it has a nice balance of “fine lady” and “going on a Pokemon adventure”. Not sure if any of them are properly recognisable as Giselle though.

Tiana - as you can see I have no idea what to do with her. I don’t know what’s wrong, there’s so much to work with her canon design but nothing ever works out properly. Many of my ideas, like poofy pants (because of the dress shape) also felt too kiddy and so out of character for Tiana who is at the more mature end of Disney princesses. Still, with the most recent attempt there is a lot I like, but somehow it doesn’t quite fit together and I now notice that repeating the flower shape everywhere is pretty awkward. Sorry Tiana! Maybe fourth time is the charm.

Charlotte - the first attempts feel too much like a formal party outfit instead of something for an adventure, so I had to lose the updo at least. The hat is a little silly but I figured it would fit the goofier Charlotte. I do like the bubble skirt (one of the abandoned Tiana ideas) but the top could still use some work.

Rapunzel - very pleased with how the most recent one turned out apart from the hair looking a little too brown, it’s supposed to be just shading and not two-tone hair. 

Merida - I’ve never figured out how to do her hair in Pokemon form and her canon dress is pretty stingy with workable details. I got the idea of using plaid from Sword/Shield, but I noticed everyone and their mother already drew Merida in a plaid shirt so I put it on her shorts instead. But in hindsight maybe I should have just gone with the flow.

Vanellope - her design is really fun to work with and the result is one of my favourites. With the newer version I realised that I tend to use white a lot when I don’t know what to do, which usually is at least inoffensive, but that there could be a more interesting option if I dare to try something else (talking about the socks here).

Anna - quite pleased with how the new version turned out but it could still do with some work, what was I thinking with black boots and almost-black tights? 

Elsa - I really like how the cardigan thing turned out, except for the fact that I realised I had already used practically the same thing for Aurora (but hers is more boring so it’s the one subject to change). Meanwhile the dress is pretty bland. The leggings use the ice type uniform design from Sword/Shield.

Moana - Another victim of the “I have to churn out something” project finale. I think I already had this queued and had to go back to doing at least some fixes because the initial version was somehow even more boring. I think the loose pants idea is very workable but she’ll just need more time and effort.

Raya, Mirabel - they’re too recent to have a comparison but let’s have a few words on them anyway. I just couldn’t get anything out of Raya’s design (though she was one of the last characters  to be drawn and also I really don’t like her movie so I was very much not in a mood to try very hard) so the result ended up pretty boring and definitely waiting for a redesign. As for Mirabel I like her look a lot more and especially the skirt practically designed itself, but this still kinda feels like a first draft. 

[busines-as-unusual]

˖ ࣪ ⭑⟡Chapter 9 - And How Do You Manage? ⟡⭑ ࣪ ˖

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Content Warning in this chapter for: sexual harrasment, unwanted touching, and bad puns

You were sick. More so than usual.

Ever since that night with Alastor, you had a knot in your stomach that refused to go away.

Thankfully there was no shortage of work to keep your mind too busy to ruminate. Work with the hotel was smooth sailing. Music was planned, auditions wrapped up— as predicted Angel got a lead role— and rehearsals were underway. Between that and running your bar, you had no time to dwell on how Alastor caught you during a horrifically vulnerable and revealing moment.

You didn’t fixate on how tipsy you got and how that made you bold enough to initiate touch with Alastor. Or how he didn’t push you away and how amazing that felt. Not a single time. Especially not at night when you tried to sleep.

You certainly didn’t think about how whenever you and Alastor met in the hotel to review event progression he treated you no differently than before. How he behaved like his usual cordial, charming, irritating self, and never mentioned what happened that night.

You absolutely did not consider how he caught you at your lowest, knew your greatest shame, how he saw you… and nothing had changed.

Did you appreciate that? Or did you resent him for crossing that boundary with you without permission? Did that change the nature of your relationship with Alastor? Or was it foolish to consider that at all? Maybe it was foolish to think any of this mattered. Would ruminating on this drive you mad? Was that what Alastor wanted? Was that his game plan?

You didn’t know because you weren't even thinking about those things. None of these thoughts crossed your mind, not once, not one time.

And you definitely weren’t looking for Alastor as you, Charlie, and Vaggie assessed the hotel’s amphitheater. Nope! You were a businesswoman doing serious business things with professional-level focus.

The hotel’s amphitheater was beautifully grand: Plush red leather chairs wrapped around in a semicircle of the large golden stage with ornate apple designs and a tall satin curtain, white instead of red. Chandeliers made of hundreds of multicolored crystals sparkled overhead.

You couldn’t have imagined a better place for the performances. A part of you worried there were too many seats, but Charlie was confident every one would be filled. For whatever reason, you trusted her gut.

Crew members scurried around, cleaning or testing equipment. A flash of red in the corner of your eye; your head swiveled so fast your neck cracked. It was Niffty, scurrying along the seats and chasing some fuzzy, bug-like vermin with a sewing needle, getting close but no cigar.

“Hey, Niffty,” you called. She eyed the critter with a murderous intent before scrambling over with her usual big, happy, smile.

You fished out one of the knives from your garter and presented it to her. Instead of taking it, she stared wide-eyed in awe at you; The Lady of the Lake handing her Excalibur.

Charlie and Vaggie frowned with concern. Vaggie waved a hand in front of Niffty’s face. “Uh… Nifft? You good?”

Finally she spoke, her voice quiet. “Am I worthy?”

You played along. “The worthiest, my dear.”

Cackling, Niffty snatched the knife and jumped back into the hunt, weaving through crew members’ legs and knocking a few of them over. She chased the varmint onto the stage.

You cupped your hands, shouting, “Save me the bones!”

“Gotcha!”

Niffty swan dived off the stage and chased the critter out of the amphitheater, laughing like a mad woman drunk on power.

Oh god, what have you done?

You turned to the girls. “I’ll take full responsibility for the damages.”

“Oh, don’t worry about her.” Charlie waved away your concern, her smile uncertain. “I’m sure it’ll be fine—”

A distant shriek of pain— that could’ve been from anyone for any reason— confirmed her sentiment.

“Anyway!” Charlie clapped her hands and spun on her heels. “Things look like they’re going well here. How about we meet with Husk and go over the refreshment situation?”

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

The wall behind your headboard was thoroughly wrecked; peeling paint and crumbling plaster revealed the ragged brick underneath. Once again, your talent for picking lovers was a blessing and a curse.

Mostly a blessing.

You called some of your employees to have it fixed, and figured you might as well have the room repainted while they were at it. The whole process would be a few days at most.

Your home was made to entertain guests, not keep them. You needed a place to stay in the meantime, so you packed some clothes and your essentials and did what you promised yourself never to do… you checked into the Hazbin Hotel.

You could’ve stayed with Mimzy, it’s been a while since you’ve seen her. Or with Rosie and caught her up to date about all those things you weren’t ruminating on. You had plenty of acquaintances who would’ve let you crash on their couch for a few nights, but in the end you succumbed to impulses you knew would bite you in the ass later. You were a child told not to touch a hot stove… in this weird metaphor where you were also the mother telling yourself not to touch the hot stove.

You were your own worst enemy. Maybe your mother was right.

An energetic Charlie greeted you at the hotel, oh-so happy you’d be staying for a few days, followed by Angel, oh-so happy to finally have a night off from dealing with Valentino’s bullshit.

A night like this couldn’t go to waste, so Angel called Cherrie, and you along with Husk hit up Consent, the nightclub you’ve heard so much about.

It was either that or stick around and risk having an awkward conversation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Ruminated-On.

Of course, you had to change out of what Cherrie had poetically dubbed, “old granny lingerie.” You wrangled together an outfit more befitting of a modern setting. You had a short wine-colored dress you accessorized with a leather chest harness with Succubi wings (because you used every excuse to wear it in and out of the bedroom). Once Cherrie squished your cleavage and mussed up your hair, you were deemed acceptable to leave the hotel.

Modern clubs weren’t really your style, but Consent was a pretty decent joint. The place was teeming with infectious positive vibes and the music was decent. At least you had a great time shaking your ass after a couple shots.

The thumping music and flashing lights moved you, and for a while your mind was free and blissfully numb as you danced with the Cherrie and Angel (drinking was more Husk’s speed). Cherrie ribbed you for how you danced, while conversation with Husk was a welcomed reprieve from the dance floor. The entire night, Angel insisted on taking pictures with everyone between shots of tequila and shots of even more tequila.

Speaking of which, it was your turn to buy drinks for the group. You brought them over to the corner table where your friends gathered and presented them all with a flourish and a big, drunken grin. “Voila, mes amis! Afterlife-saving alcohol. Buvons!”

“Don’t spill the good shit!” Cherrie laughed, helping you set the drinks on the table.

The four of you toasted with your shot glasses before shooting them back. It burned deliciously all the way down, warming your cheeks and relaxing your muscles.

You slammed the glass on the table with a big, contented sigh. “Ah! Just what I needed.”

“You’re telling me,” Angel said. “You’ve been tense for days. Somethin’ happen, toots? Ya ain’t getting laid enough?”

“Pffft! No! To both. I’ve been… overworked, ‘sall.” A very convincing dismissive wave of your hand. “Y’know with the event and my club and… stuff.”

Husk mmm-hmmed knowingly, eying you but staying quiet. As long as you’ve known him, he could see right through anyone and everyone. His six sense was what made him such a good gambler, good enough to be quite the Overlord, once upon a time.

“Well, maybe there’s been something… but it’s whatever, y’know. Hardly interesting at all.”

Cherrie leaned in, playfully jostling your shoulder. “C’mon! Spill it, bitch. You’re drunk enough to overshare.”

You considered it for a moment. Alastor already knew about the worst thing to ever happen to you. Telling these three how you felt about him couldn’t be any worse… or if it was, your fuzzy brain couldn’t produce the reasons.

Your fingers drummed the table. “I’ve been suffering… from a certain infliction…involving Alastor.”

“Certain inflict— the fuck are you on about?”

“She means she has it bad for Alastor,” Husk said before taking another swig of his drink.

Your fists pounded the table, mortified. “Husker!”

“What? It’s the fucking truth.”

“Seriously?” Angel asked in genuine surprise. “You have a thing for Freaky Face?”

Cherrie laughed. “Well fuck me double dead!”

You covered your face with both hands. “Is it that obvious?”

“Pretty much.” Husk shrugged. “I have no reason to give a fuck and I still noticed.”

You groaned, and dropped your face flat on the table, drinks clattering from the force.

“You wanna fuck the creep?” Angel asked.

“What?!” You lifted your head, chin on the table.

“I said…” He cupped his hand to his mouth and yelled over the music, “‘You wanna the creep?!’” His outburst earned your table a few semi-interested side glances from passers’by.

“Oh!” You laughed, flopping backwards in the booth. “Abso-bloody-lutely! The moment I saw him I wanted to jump his bones.”

Actually, the thought that ran through your head the night you first laid eyes on the drop-dead gorgeous stranger with the glasses and killer smile was that he looked like danger, vice, and sin… and that he probably ate people. It’s what spurred you on to steal him away for yourself.

No one ever said you were a well woman.

“Hold on a sec.” Cherrie brow creased over her eye and looked at you skeptically. “Ya serious with me right now?”

��Of course. Have you seen him?”

“Exactly why I'm askin’.”

You scoffed. “You must have cataracts because he is so goddamn fine, a certified looker and I am always looking. Very disrespectfully, I might add.”

“Look,” Angel said. “I'm not saying he's unattractive—”

“I am.” Husk and Cherrie said in unison.

“—but he's, like, the physical embodiment of a fuckin’ nightmare.”

“He is, isn't he?” You sighed dreamily, slanted smile on your face at the thought of Alastor. “I remember the first time I saw him grow in size to eat a person whole. He unhinged his jaw like a goddamn snake. I couldn’t sleep for days! And those weird magic tendrils he has make me—”

“No!” Husk held his hand, his face awash with absolute disgust. “No. Stop, goddammit. I’m trying to keep this shit down tonight.” He took a swig of his drink, as if to wash down your train of thought like vile medicine.

“Twenty or thirty years ago, I saw him with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. His bare arms?” You fanned yourself dramatically at the memory. “Oh! I could double die!”

Cherrie laughed, smacking the table. “Girl, come on! You’re actin’ like some Victorian prude seeing ankles for the first time.”

“Sounds about right. I was raised by two of them.”

Angel frowned. “I thought you lived around my neck of the woods?”

“Mon ami.” You put a hand on his shoulder with a cheeky grin. “They’re called boats.”

He flipped you off with three-fourths of his hands; you and Cherrie burst out laughing.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Angel waved away your jest. “So Creepy Face makes you dehydrated, huh? Why haven’t you jumped his spooky bones yet?”

I cringed like he suggested I chew on broken glass for fun. “Be serious, Angel. You live with the man. You think he’d ever be receptive to <i>anyone</i> jumping his spooky bones?”

A shrug of both sets of shoulders. “Eh, fair. I always got the feeling he didn’t play on any team.”

“And that’s fine, y’know? I don’t want to change him or anything, but when it comes to Alastor…” You grabbed another shot and swished the clear liquid around in the small glass. “I’m a dizzy yuck carrying a torch for the gigglemug and I’m going mad as a box of frogs.”

“Uh, in fucking English please?” Cherrie asked.

“She means she’s down baaa-aaad.” Angel sing-songed, waggling his brows.

Cherrie chortled, throwing you a look of mock sympathy. “Aww! You want him to be ya <i>boyfriend</i>, ya sentimental mug?”

They laughed, and Husk shook his head in pity.

Thoroughly humiliated, you finished your shot. Then two more… and then one last shot for good luck. “Thank you all for the wonderful evening. Excuse me while I go play in traffic.”

You stood, but Angel grabbed you by the arm and pulled you back down. “Relax, toots. We’re just razzing ya.”

“Yeah, chill out, ya drama queen!” Cherrie slid over one of Husk’s tall glasses of alcohol, much to his annoyance. “Here’s what you’ll do. Down some liquid courage and screw the next guy you see. Random dick best medicine for a broken heart.”

Your nervous laughter was unconvincing even to your drunken ears. “A broken whaaaaat are you talking about? You… silly little lady.”

Cherrie rolled her eye. “Uh huh. Start chugging, skank!”

Husk argued this was a terrible idea, and Angel ended up playing mediator between him and Cherrie. You heard none of it as you downed a pint of whatever in six seconds. It was sweet and terrible, like dirty sugared nail polish.

A rush of warmth rolled through you under your skin, making you shudder. You stood with the empty glass, holding it by the rim. “Mish we luck, darlings!” Purposely, you dropped the glass, and ignored the shouts of protest around you as you bantered back onto the dance floor.

It didn’t take long for an over eager demon to approach you. You’d spotted him eyeing you earlier but didn’t pay him much mind. He was some type of weasel-faced demon with jagged teeth and a jacket over a garish button up.

You stilled as unwanted hands snaked over your hips from behind, making your skin crawl. Cologne flooded your nose, making you gag.

“Hey, honey tits. You’ve been dancing all night. Why don’tcha kick up your feet and sit on my face a while?”

No fucking thanks.

You looked at him over your shoulder, red lips curled into an unamused smile. “That couldn’t have worked for you before.”

He chuckled with unwarranted smugness; rancid beer breath wafted over your cheek. “Come on, sexy.” A squeeze of your hips, an unwelcomed hump against your ass. “Bet I can show you a good time.”

“For some reason, I’m doubtful.” You wiggled from his grip and turned to face him. “I must ask you to, respectfully, piss off. But please do have a terrific night, you noisome sack of soiled taint.”

You turned to walk away, but he grabbed at you again like he had the right, tugging on your tail, hard.

The ghost of a smile lived on your face as you swallowed down a terrified yelp. “You’re gonna take your fucking hand off me.”

He scowled like you were piss on the sidewalk he stepped in. “Look at Roman’s favorite little slut thinking she’s better than she is—”

A flash around your fist; you introduced his mouth to your brass knuckles. The bones in his jaw caved before he crumbled like a ton of bricks at your feet. All at once the music cut out as dozens of eyes suddenly locked on you and the man you sucker punched.

Your friends at the table stared at you, stunned. “What the hell?” Husk shouted. “It hasn’t even been a minute!”

“Oh shit!” A group of about ten or so men ran to the passed out bastard at your feet. “Oi, what the fuck! You killed Ricky!”

The bastard in question stirred, rolled over, and spat out a few bloodied teeth.

You motioned to him like a sack of laundry. “Ricky’s right as rain, fellas. What’s the problem?”

No surprise, you were the problem, if the several guns aimed at your chest were any indication. Angel, Cherrie, and Husk rushed to your side, guns, bombs, and cards out in defense.

Fist to jaw, you cracked your neck from side to side. “So you wanna dance?” You grabbed one of your thigh knives and flicked it, the blade extending to the length of your forearm. “Let’s cut a rug!”

“Oh, hell yeah!” Cherrie whooped, tossing a bomb up and catching it with one hand. “Let’s fuckin’ go!”

And fuckin’ go you did.

You rushed the nearest goon. Ducking under his firing gun, your blade cleaved clean through his kneecaps. He howled and toppled over, severed legs left standing right, blood spurting like a busted fountain.

Soon the battle unfolded into a blur of carnage and unadulterated violence. The crowd, desperate not to get hit in the crossfire, screamed and fled out the door in droves. A flurry of bullets, blood, and explosions rocked the building. You caught glimpses of the others through the chaos and smoke: Angel gunned down the larger guys in the back. Husk, quick as a whip, threw his playing cards, slicing through torsos and necks. Cherrie threw her bombs with reckless abandon, her laughter accented with explosions. And you twirled light on your feet, slicing and dicing with experienced ease.

The smoke cleared, the fight ending faster than it started, the night capped off with the four of you surrounded by massacred bodies and rubble. You ended up cutting a juicy fat check to the extremely pissed off owner.

The four of you rode the high of victory all the way back to the hotel, laughing and talking way louder than necessary. After exchanging good nights, you shuffled to your room, singing under your breath and rummaging your purse for your room key.

“Quand il me prend dans ses bras… Il me parle tout basaaassSHIT!”

Where was your key? You dug through your purse, even dumped the contents on the floor. Lipstick, condoms, and spare tampons spilled on the floor, but not your room key.

Shit.

Shit shit shit!

Husk wouldn’t be able to get you a second key until morning, and you had no idea what room he or Angel slept in. That left…

“… shit.”

You knocked on the door three times. Thirty seconds passed, a minute, the silence painfully deafening. You contemplated sleeping in the lounge when the door to the Radio Tower eased open.

“Ah, salut!” You leaned on the door frame and nearly stumbled. Despite your nerves, you couldn’t hide your dopey happy grin. “There's the man I wanted to see!”

Alastor's permanent smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Temerity! What brings you here at this hour? And in such a state?”

Oh, right. Once again you stood before Alastor splattered in the blood of your enemies. You two had to stop meeting like this.

“Listen, my door is all—” You clicked your tongue and pantomimed turning a key in a door. “And I need you.”

“To unlock your door?”

“… yes, that.”

A look flashed across his face you had no hope of discerning while inebriated. He stepped through the door and whirled his microphone behind him.

“I see! Well, I’m more than happy to be of assistance!”

You figured he’d use his freaky voodoo/hoodoo powers to summon a key, instead he strolled down the hall. Seconds passed before your three remaining brain cells figured out you should follow him. Alastor stopped in front of your room door. This was his way of messing with you, letting you know he knew where you slept.

…or maybe you were paranoid, but what was more likely?

Once at your door, he tapped it with his cane and the door eased open with a glowing green light. “There you are, my dear!”

“Merci beaucoup, Al-a-stor~”

You blew him a kiss and spun into the room, confidently inelegant. Alastor couldn’t help his hum of amusement. Even this sloppily drunk he found you to be more amusing than unsavory.

Alastor turned to leave when a terrified “Oh, bollocks!” stopped him in his tracks. Seeing you dig through your bra was not what he expected.

“Wait! Never mind.” You pulled your hand free and dropped three small white blobs on the dresser with a clatter. Teeth, Alastor realized. Sharp and jagged canine-like teeth.

A twitch in his eye as he regarded you. “Temerity, why were there teeth in your undergarments?”

“They’re not mine.”

Speechless. He was speechless, brow furrowed, head tilted to the side. Your blasé attitude left him with more questions.

You seemed to mistake his expression for annoyance. “‘m sorry about this. I know it’s late. I bet you were sleep sleep.”

“Not at all, actually.” He and insomnia had a complex relationship, to say the very least.

“Why? Because sleep is the cousin of death, or because it’s stupid?” You struggled with the lascivious harness strapped across your chest, pulling it off with so much force you nearly fell on your back. “We’re dead! Why do we even need to sleep? Or eat? Or have sex?”

Well, he could agree with two out of three of those things.

Alastor casually dusted off an outstretched sleeve and fixed his suit. “A very astute question, my dear. I’m afraid you’d have to ask the feathered schmucks stairs,” he said, using your own words from the other night.

You snorted, laughing behind a blood-speckled hand. “Alastor! Lord, you alway make me laugh…”

You rolled on your stomach, swinging your feet in the air and beaming at him with pure admiration, expression unfiltered due to your intoxication. “Remember that time at the bar? Those clods yapped and yapped about their old ladies, going on and on, and they started needling you about ‘your gal’ and you went—” you sat and cleared your throat, pushing up imaginary glasses. “‘My gal made a great meal, but I sure do miss her!’”

Alastor’s eye twitched. Your impression of him left much to be desired.

He didn’t listen as you went on to describe the night, because he recalled it clearly. He remembered that night decades ago at the speakeasy Mimzy worked. He’d spent many a night there schmoozing, drinking, dancing, prowling for possible prey.

In particular Alastor remembered the dark-haired, bright-eyed woman with far too much confidence who spirited him away to the dance floor, proudly declaring, “You look like a fella with stamina! You’re my partner now!”

He remembered sitting at the bar with you after hours of dancing and a few drinks in, hazy with smoke and surrounded by faceless dregs who jabbered on and on about uninteresting manners. His joke— really his attempt to steer the conversation off course— was received well by you alone.

Smile lines crinkled around your eyes as you snorted. Without skipping a beat, you said, “How sweet! My man only gives me the cold shoulder.”

He grinned, hardly noticing or caring when the others retreated from the bar. “To think he’d treat a dame like you so poorly. How tasteless.”

An exaggerated head shake. “I’m thinking of throwing him out.”

“In that case, I’d love to have you for dinner sometime.”

You leaned in, your permanent self-assured grin replaced with one of girlhood giddiness, in stark contrast to the jokes about cannibalism. “As long as it doesn’t—“ you stifled a laugh, “doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg!”

“Of course not, dear! Perhaps afterwards we can have a nice chat over a cup of Joe.”

You lost it, conceding to him the win in the battle of cheesy puns as you giggled like mad and wiped away tears.

Back in the present you swiped at tears of laughter and threw yourself back on the bed. “We were so dumb! It wasn’t even funny, I just—” A deep yawn rolled through you, “…appreciated your commitment… to the bit…”

You went silent, a soft rumble as your breathing deepended, and you fell sound asleep in an instant. Alastor would almost admire the ability… if it wasn’t simply because you were drunk. He’d seen you tipsy before, from afar at functions. Even when you two met you weren’t as wasted as this.

In your inebriated state you didn’t know what you revealed. Despite your candor about discussing your life on earth, you never mentioned your shared history with Alastor before meeting again in Hell. He thought you’d forgotten, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

He had to keep that in mind.

While brief, meeting you was a splendidly memorable night. At the time, he regretted never having the chance to meet with you again, despite your insistence that the two of you should. Someone like you was a rare fine, a true gem among the clods.

Alastor sensed you held similar secrets to him. Not necessarily that you killed people, but he could tell you protected yourself with charisma, hid behind smiles, and kept your true identity hidden within the depths of your soul. Despite your charm and wit, none of the people in your entourage stayed by your side as the night progressed.

Perhaps if one had you wouldn’t have met your fate that night…

Well! Enough reminiscing for one night! It was time for him to return to his Radio Tower, but once again something stopped him.

He looked over your sleeping form. Gentle snoring rumbled in your chest like distant thunder, a soft exhale escaped your parted lips. Your blood red heels (that most likely weren’t that color when you put them on) dangled over the foot of the bed.

His smile twisted as he took in your vulnerable sleeping body. What was it you said to him the night he found you, splashed with crimson in the same manner? Only an absolute fool would trust him absolutely.

Yet here you were, willing to be vulnerable in his presence.

Alastor could only fathom falling asleep in front of Rosie, but their relationship was the exception that proved the rule. While he meant you no physical harm and knew you didn’t fear him, it was appalling to him you’d choose to put yourself in this position.

Frankly, it was pure foolishness.

Perhaps the alcohol was to blame, but he doubted it. Coming to him was one option of many and you chose him. You trusted him.

For reasons he didn’t quite understand he found himself kneeling at the foot of your bed, ready to remove your heels.

It would’ve been more interesting to do this when you were awake. After all, most of the joy of violating one’s personal space came from annoying them, drawing expressions and reactions from them by mere proximity.

Would you be appalled and act disgusted by him violating your boundaries? Perhaps given your state you’d finally give in and confess to him. That could be fun, but nowhere near as satisfying if you did it clear headed, cognisant of the consequences.

Alastor found himself doing it anyway, gently slipping off one at a time and setting them aside. He knew first hand one shouldn’t sleep with shoes on.

Your skin flecked with blood reminded him of that night he saw your mask shattered in the perfect marriage of theatrics and brutality. His eyes glance to the blood smattering the fat of your thighs. An unfamiliar pang ached in the center of his being, a feeling he could only register as hunger.

How peculiar…

The feeling caught him by utter surprise. His taste in flesh never included friends; his psyche deemed them off limits and he was unable to view them as food.

But looking at you defenseless and covered in blood— like a wounded lamb purposefully dragging itself into the lion’s den— the uncomfortable longing stirring in him had to be hunger…

Alastor stood, more quickly than necessary, forcing his eyes off you and onto your room. Then he saw something that forced that feeling to rise into his chest, a final revelation before he vanished into the shadows.

Your radio from home sat on the nightstand.

A/N: Sorry I haven’t uploaded in a while. I got really depressed, got addicted to ai chatbots, and forgot how to write…

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♥︎Taglist♥︎

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@joumi13

@the--rebel--fae

@babesway22

@maychay

@mullet-mother

[logan-lieutenant]

i feel so high school (au) pt 2. charlos

anyway here are some high school aus for my fav f1 rpf ships and an exploration of who knows how to ball, and who knows aristotle

(based on american high school setups cause of the song)

theatre kid!charles/stage crew!carlos: probably goes without saying but carlos knows how to ball, charles knows aristotle (though maybe not in the traditional sense). so here we’ll have carlos as the stereotypical jock, plays like four sports and is the team captain in all of them, lowkey giving frat boy energy and is honestly the only reason the school has won a game in the last four years. he’s probably known for being the only guy who’s both like a jacked up gym-is-life bro and also an utter gentleman, he’s always the one holding open doors and giving up his seat. and he’s usually pretty quiet/disengaged but if anyone disrespects a female teacher you know for a fact he’s death staring them into a puddle until it stops. the only fight he’s ever gotten into was with a guy who was harassing a girl at a dance and wouldn’t let her go when she tried to pull away.

charles is like the school heartbreaker, because he can never seem to make a relationship work no matter how many times he tries… and it seems like he’s a player and he’s got a different girl every week which isn’t entirely false but he also just doesn’t know how to say no to anyone which is the root of the problem. anyway so yeah i’m making charles a theatre kid, like one who can fit pretty much any role but he prefers the classics (he’s the kind of guy who knows a shakespeare quote for pretty much any situation). he usually gets cast as the love interest whether he wants the role or not but he does get a lot of stage time which he’s happy with. he’s way more comfortable on stage than when he’s actually with people, and his looks get him pretty far but in reality he’s just really awkward and kind of shy and gets flustered so easily.

carlos is on stage crew because he needed to fill the “arts/language” requirement to graduate and stage crew counted as performing arts even though it’s all behind the scenes. so he’s there almost every day, spending more and more time as the shows approach helping build sets and man the ropes and (insert lots of other cool and technical stage crew activities here). so even they know of each other this is the first time their paths really cross and they meet.

this is going to be the most cliche romance ever. charles having breathless pearl-clutching moments of gay panic when carlos gets paint all over his shirt and stops to take it off, or lifts giant sandbags or ladders or planks around like they don’t weigh anything. except ofc charles is way too shy to say anything or make any kind of initiative move so he just finds excuses to stay longer after rehearsals, maybe he starts helping paint the sets/designs cause he’s not bad at visual arts (emphasis on alternate in this alternative universe). bonus if he makes friends with one of the stage crew girls and all of the sudden he’s got a new handler (“look around twink! everything in this office is either dead or dying even the therapy dog killed itself”) who is constantly rolling her eyes at BOTH of their inability to take a hint

this would be the kind of hc that involves dressing rooms and unexpected moments behind curtains etc.

[ddlcbrainrot]

how do you think the group dynamic operates between the girls (and mc i suppose) in non-game universe?

i love girlfail monika (it’s canon) but she’s still the president of the club so does she take on a leadership role even outside of the in-school club activities? would mc as a character still serve as a catalyst in how the girls interact or do you see that just a product of game design?

sorry if this doesn’t make sense sjdhfj

oh god this is going to take a while for me to answer 😃

the dynamics i usually imagine for the girls in a non game au is the side stories dynamic tbh. i mean, the side stories are still technically a game but since no one is aware it doesn't dramatically change any of the character's personality or relationship with the others.

girlfailure monika still definitely at least tries to be the leader of the group. i do think her whole "im so put together" facade worked best at the start of the club though. the more the girls got to know eachother, the more they started seeing monika as a dumb teenager just like them and not as the perfect student that she was knows for at school. even then, monika still is very much that "a single mom who works two jobs who loves her kids and never stops" person in the friend group

now here is where we get to completely headcanon territory. mc doesnt show up in the side stories, so there is no real way of knowing how his appearance would shake things up. i do think him becoming a member would definitely change the dynamics of the club, after all everytime one of the girls joined the dynamic changed as well. its just what happens when new people show up in general.

the girls at this point however have gotten super close, so introducing a new person would be very awkward at first, much to sayori’s disappointment. i love sayori, but she definitely expected the girls and mc to become close friends immediately. natsuki feels weird about having a new person in her safe space (especially a guy at that). yuri is anxious about meeting him, but she has already learned that people don’t inherently hate her, and he is sayori’s friend, so maybe it’s not so bad. monika falls back into her president persona out of habit. mc can probably feel that his appearance shaked things up. i’m not saying the girls don’t like him, they are obviously friendly to him (well, maybe natsuki isn’t that friendly actually), but it’s clear they think of him as “sayori’s friend” and not a club member.

i do think that he would eventually get closer to the girls, it’s really just a matter of time. maybe sayori notices him feeling left out and talks to monika about it. monika takes it to heart, she is the president how could she not notice? she was so happy about getting closer to the girls she forgot to make room for new people. but it isn’t time to feel bad about herself, she has to make it up to mc. after monika realises how mc feels she would definitely try to include him more. the more he is included, the more close they all get as a group.

the only two i could see needing more time to warm up to mc is natsuki and yuri. natsuki is not really comfortable with him (with most new people in general actually) but they eventually bond over manga and anime. yuri, unlike natsuki, isn’t passively aggressive towards mc, so he initially doesn’t really try as hard to get to know her. she is pretty friendly to him after all. perhaps when he finally gets close to monika and natsuki he realises that yeah they are friendly but they aren’t really friends. so, he tries to get to know her. normally yuri would see this as him taking pity on her, but she has already learned that lesson from sayori. unlike natsuki who would probably have an entire arc for becoming open to mc, after some time of just hanging out i think they would eventually become friends.

anyway the question was if mc would change the dynamics between the girls, and my answer is yeah at first, but as he settles in they also settle in back to their old dynamics with the main difference being that now there is one more person to have a dynamic with.

as for the dynamic between each girl and mc :

monika and mc -> for some reason i think he’d be the closest to her out of all the other girls, outside of sayori ofc. they both consider sayori as their best friend, actually i think they would really bond over sayori lol. like, both of them would just be like “yeah she’s the best” and then shake their head as in saying “understandable”

sayori and mc -> best friends. they have so much history together the others sometimes feel as if they are intruding. they definitely have their problems to get through in their relationship, i’ve already gotten into it before so i won’t be repeating myself

yuri and mc -> they may not have much in common, but they are still friends. i can see them being those friends that don’t really talk to each other much but when they do once in a blue moon they’re like “huh… this was so nice we should do it more often”

natsuki and mc -> they have a very playful friendship. a lot of teasing from both sides. i don’t think they would really talk to each other about serious topics tbh. they mostly view each other as “fun friend to hang out with”

uhh there’s probably more to be said but i e been writing this for like… 2 days now. i’m tired, gonna go sleep. thanks for the ask!!

[putellas11]

A/N:  Merry Christmas everyone! 🎁🎄 So happy to participate in the Christmas Writing Challenge alongside such an amazing group of writers. Thank you to @nytb for putting all this together! Check out @nytb’s fic that was posted earlier as well as @redhairedwolfwitch's fic coming out soon!

Small but Meaningful (Mapi Leon x Reader)

You’re not one to make impulsive decisions. It’s crucial to think things through and carefully consider all the pros and cons before making a final verdict. It doesn’t matter if it's deciding on a new job or a new pair of shoes, the process is the same. 

To you, this is completely normal. It’s the way you’ve always been. To others, however, it’s a little extreme. Everyone in your life, at some point or another, has encouraged you to be more spontaneous. To not think things through so much and to just go with the flow. But, they quickly realize that it’s just not in your nature. 

And yet, you managed to fall in love with one of the most impulsive human beings you’ve ever met. Unlike you, María Pilar León rarely gives more than five minutes of thought to any decision. If her heart calls for it, she will do it. Mapi doesn’t fear consequences. She knows she can handle anything and everything that is thrown her way. And that’s why you love her so much.

Her tattoos are a perfect example of this. One night, the two of you are just lying in bed, scrolling through social media and occasionally showing each other a funny video or meme. 

And then all of the sudden, Mapi sits up with a gasp, “me encanta!” 

On her screen is a tattoo design of a skull with an outline of a light bulb. The moment you see it, you know the two of you will be in a tattoo parlour in less than 24 hours. 

And just as you predicted, you’re now sitting next to Mapi as she discusses a few modifications to the design with the artist. Within seconds, Mapi made a decision that can last forever. She liked it, so she’s getting it. For her, it’s that easy.

You’ve thought about getting a tattoo before. The idea initially excites you, but once you really start thinking about it, you end up talking yourself out of it. Although Mapi’s personality and perspective on life have certainly rubbed off on you a little, just the thought of getting a tattoo gives you a headache. 

With the design finalized, Mapi can barely contain her excitement. “Do you like it?” she asks, looking at you with a sparkle in her eye. 

You may never actually get one yourself, but that doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate the beauty of tattoos. Not to mention how hot they look on your girlfriend. 

“I love it, babe.” 

Mapi, satisfied to hear your answer, leans back to allow the artist to apply the stencil to her skin.

“And when will I have the honor of tattooing you, Y/N?” asks the artist, still focused on her work.

Mapi stifles her laughter. She, of all people, knows the chances of you ever getting a tattoo are slim, if non-existent. 

“Por favor, don’t make me laugh,” Mapi shakes her head, a teasing smile on her lips, “I think her brain would short-circuit trying to pick out a tattoo.” 

You nod, in full agreement with Mapi. “Not an exaggeration.”

“You should have seen her last week trying to pick out a new toothbrush. She had like five tabs opened on her phone, just reading review after review.” 

You squint your eyes at Mapi, giving her a little kick. “Hey! It was a big decision and it didn’t even take me that long to decide, anyway.” 

“Remind me again how long it took you?” 

You look down at the floor, feeling a little warmth creeping up behind your neck, “I don’t know,” you mumble, “like 30 minutes.”

Mapi turns to the artist and gives them a clear and obvious, I told you so, look. “You see what I’m dealing with?” 

“I’ll get one, one day…” you say, trying your best to sound confident. 

“Sure you will, baby. Sure you will.” 

You and Mapi may be two very different people, that doesn’t mean you don’t share a few similarities. Like Mapi, you are very competitive. The very few times in your life when you’ve said, fuck it, without thinking of the consequences, have been for the sake of winning. 

“Go ahead, underestimate me. That’ll be fun.”

Mapi, noticing the change in your tone, blows a kiss in your direction. She loves to tease you, but also knows not to push you too much. Unlike so many others in your past, she never wants to make you feel bad for what some might consider a flaw. 

“You could always just be a little one, y’know,” the artist says, working on the lines of the tattoo “and if it means something to you, even better. Small but meaningful.” 

You remain relatively quiet for the remainder of the session, lost in thought. What the artist said resonated with you. 

Small, but meaningful. 

___________

For the first time in years, you don’t have to stress about what to get Mapi for Christmas. She has loved every gift you’ve given her in the past — no matter how simple or expensive the gift. But still, you agonize for months on what to get her. 

Now, just a few days before Christmas, you’ve never been so calm. Of course, Mapi has noticed how out of the ordinary this is for you. 

“Something’s not right,” she says, standing in front of the TV and blocking your view. 

“What do you mean?” 

Mapi looks you up and down, “you’re acting weird.” 

“How am I acting weird?”

“Two days before Christmas and you’re sitting here, watching TV, calm as a cucumber.”

“And what’s so weird about that?” you try to look past Mapi and at the screen, acting oblivious as to what the big deal is. 

Mapi snaps her fingers at you in an attempt to get your attention, “you should be freaking out!” she exclaims. “This is like the most stressful time of year for you. I mean, did you just decide not to get me a gift this year?”

“I already know what I’m getting you, amor” you tell her, brushing her off.

“You do?” 

“Mhmm.”

Mapi squints her eyes at you, one eyebrow slightly perked in suspicion. She knows you have something up your sleeve, but you know she’ll never be able to guess as to exactly what. 

For the next two days, you find Mapi snooping under the bed, in the closet, in every cabinet and every possible hiding spot in the apartment. If you were able to decide on a gift so quickly, it must be a good one. 

Now, sitting together under the Christmas tree, Mapi’s gift is still nowhere in sight. 

“I can’t take this anymore!” she says, tapping her knees impatiently, “come on, stop messing with me and give me my gift.” 

You’re just as excited to show Mapi her gift as she is to receive it. Her impatience is to be understood. This is the first gift you've given her that did not require any second guessing out of fear that she’ll hate it. 

Wanting to draw out the suspense, your movements are slow. Very carefully you tug up the sleeve of your Christmas sweater. Mapi can’t help but lean forward when she sees the reindeer band-aid on your wrist. 

“What happened?” she asks with concern. The gift is suddenly of no interest to her. 

“Go ahead, take it off,” you encourage her. Now only a few seconds away from the reveal, you can’t help the grin spreading across your face.

Mapi delicately pulls on the end of the band-aid until a small, number 4, can be seen. As soon as she sees it, she leans back. A puzzled look on her face. 

“What is that?” she asks, refusing to believe what she's seeing.  

“What do you think it is?” 

Mapi shakes her head, refusing to even believe the possibility. “No, I don't believe you” she says, leaning in again to get a closer look. “It can’t be real.” She wets her finger and tries to wipe away the number, but there it remains. 

“I know I tend to overthink everything and that it drives you crazy sometimes — even though I know you’ll never admit it,” you tug her chin so she’s looking you in the eyes, “but if there’s one thing, I’m hundred percent certain of, it’s you.” 

Mapi melts under your touch. She’s perfectly aware of how big of a decision this was for you and the fact that she’s the inspiration for your first tattoo makes it all that more special.

“I love it,” Mapi gives you a big smile and leans in to give you a soft and tender kiss, “and I love you,” she says against your lips.

Her reaction is everything you hoped for and more. 

“I have so many cool designs to show you!” she says, shaking you side to side with her hands on your shoulders. 

You put up your hand to stop her, “wait, don't you get too excited now.”

But it's too late. Mapi's already reaching for her phone.  

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Not to keep harping on that article because I just don’t care about any of these men, but from a comms perspective the approach his team is just baffling to me. And yes, I concede that it’s seemingly hypocritical to dismiss anything an outlet like Daily Mail says about, say, Taylor, but take it at its word for this, but it’s the context clues that indicate when there’s an “in” and when it’s BS etc. So maybe it IS all BS, and for Joe or anyone’s sake, I hope it is, but there’s a larger conversation in the way these articles are worded.

**warning: rambling post about media ahead**

I know the end goal is to keep his (or whoever the subject in question is’s) name in the press ahead of his new movie to try to jumpstart his career, but thinking they can out-maneuver the most famous woman in the world with infamously tight-lipped and strategic PR for a flash in the pan news cycle is just so amateur. And it’s not like this is a budding artist vs. veteran superstar thing — in this example this person was her life partner for six years, he and his team would have intimate knowledge on how she operates and how this tack would not work in his favour. And I don’t mean that in a “she’s going to be vengeful” kind of way, but just in a “she operates at a completely different plane of existence in the industry and you know how she will or won’t react.”

And one thing that stood out to me was the one bit about how the privacy thing was facilitated by Covid lockdowns, which kind of tips the source’s hand at what they’re trying to refute: the prison/cage metaphors. In this example they’re saying “see they HAD to stay in all the time, it was a pandemic, and they both liked it anyway,” which is ignoring the fact that they had been dating for years before the pandemic (and by the time the first lockdown happened they were already living together and she was writing music about them taking next steps) and broke up years after the lockdowns ended.

The introvert/extrovert excuse had already been used in the initial breakup articles and leading up to TTPD, so throwing in the “it was lockdown so they both had to stay in anyway” buries the perception that a) the actor who is trying to revive his career doesn’t want to be in front of crowds and b) that one person in the couple was neglected and left at home by the other. The “cage” thing was one of the most scathing details about him on the album: while no one claimed he forcibly kept her there (nor should anyone make that leap), the subtext is that his preferences about their public vs. private life are what led her to live within those parameters. Most of us have come to the realization that that probably very much was her choice at first in the earlier days of their relationship, but by the end it no longer served her and the dogmatic adherence to it was stifling.

The more gracious way of painting this situation by this team could have been, “ultimately they just had different preferences on how to live their lives and they grew apart over them.” That way neither is dragged for wanting to stay home or wanting to step out. There’s no moral judgment. But instead, one side is trying to find anything else that sticks: Covid forced them to be homebodies! Also they were private, unlike her new man! They both chose it and were happy with it, so don’t look here! But the subtle misogyny in the article makes it clear that they’re trying to shift the discussion back onto Taylor. (For instance, there was no need to bring up Travis in this article, but they did to make a clear contrast to sensitive, private Joe — never mind that Travis and Taylor are also very private, they just acknowledge each other’s existence. And I say this as someone who doesn’t care about Travis either!) I know that’s by design because that’s what’s getting clicks, but the point I’m trying and failing to make is that *that is the point*: they know using her name is a shortcut to getting some buzz and hopefully generating interest, and sourcing articles and interviews like this is a tacit approval of the messaging and tactics.

I want to make it clear: I don’t hate this dude. (I don’t think of him at all, to quote Don Draper.) I don’t wish him ill. I don’t think anyone should go after him. He’s literally just some guy, and I honestly wish him well in his career and hope he carves out a niche for himself if that’s what he wants. I think the accusations lobbed at him by some corners of the internet are probably unfair based on what we know and there’s enough textual evidence of his being an unsupportive partner without needing to add unfounded fabrications on top of it all. But between the feature over the weekend that was explicitly condoned by him as a participant, and the corollary pieces like this one that if not actively sourced then at least tacitly approved by his team it seems, there’s an image being painted by the media, based on his team’s information, about a narrative that’s being pushed. And that’s that *he* is behaving in a way that is above board, while *she* is using their life together for a quick buck. (Which is rich… coming from an interview in which he discussed it as well. Which is fine! He has the right to! But I’m just saying there shouldn’t be a moral judgement on either of them.)

If I were advising Joe’s PR team (or anyone whose team was acting in this way), I would tell them to dump this strategy ASAP. Speak about the elephant in the room in your first interviews after the breakup? Absolutely, go for it, rip that bandaid off. But stick to the basics — breakups are hard, it was difficult to deal with it in the public eye, I’ve moved on, those years were a special time in my life but I’m ready for new experiences. And if you’re going to bring the music into it, even if you hate it (lol), stick to, “I respect her right to make art from her experiences in her way” and if you have to, “art doesn’t always tell the whole story” or something like that to subtly say “she can sing what she wants and it may or may not be true.” After all, he knew the deal going in, and wrote several albums about him; it wouldn’t be a surprise for her to do so after they were done.

What these articles are doing instead are a) peddling a narrative that’s easily refuted and b) increasing the risk that your client’s only interest in the public eye is by his association with an ex. Which, yes, we KNOW is true, but the purpose of this media mini-blitz is to build on that and build interest in him as a person and actor to launch the next phase of his career. Use the breakup nuggets as the hook, but sell yourself after you’ve caught their attention.

There are so many layers of PR tactics (and fumbles), value judgments, misogyny, etc. In these pieces, and it’s so frustrating, not just as a fan of Taylor’s, but more importantly I think, as a consumer of media and observer of communication practices. Like, it’s not just that it’s wrong, it’s that it’s not even effective as a career-building strategy, and it makes me scratch my head at what the end goal is. It’s so short-sighted and feels like they’re playing for instant gratification instead of the long game.

Anyway, this is just a ramble and I’m no expert, but I’m just once again perplexed at what this is going to achieve.

[callsign-relic]

cityspeaker Ultra Magnus/Minimus.... yesssssss!!!!!! that'd be so so good in a post-IDW au... my heartttttt

or!! OR... ppppost? war? au?? maybe even no war au. anyway an AU where Megatron and Minimus have never met before. Megatron has had several cityspeakers in the past before but none interact with him like Minimus does. None have bothered to speak with him more than necessary, if at all. wardens very rarely need to speak to their prisoners.

Minimus comes along and just... quietly greets him the first day. for such a simple act, it sure draws Megatron's attention.

i think this would be particularly fun in a version of the AU where Megatron IS inhabited (be it in root mode or city mode. TF please give us more cityformer continuing to have ppl living on them in root mode. please please pleasr) because what better way to pay your dues than being of Literal Service to the people? Ultra Magnus gets hired on as cityspeaker/enforcer (what better way to enforce the law than having optics and audials everywhere as part of the living city...) because they are hoping that with him being a stickler for the rules, it will help keep Megatron in line. except instead of doing his job as intended, Minimus ends up befriending Megatron and making the city better for those living there.

wait silly thought for a second- Minimus walking around and taking notes of all the unsafe places around the city/Megatron. there needs to be a guard rail here. this lighting isnt up to code. those overhead pipes are a safety hazard. these stairs are too steep, regulations state that each step must be so tall, and so on. Megatron fixes them by the next day.

anyway cue dramatic chase scene where Megs gets to shift around Minimus as he's getting chased down by the other enforcers. if you want to be particularly poetic about it, he might even use the safety regulations against the oncoming pursuers (whoops there went that guard rail. totally forgot about it. those stairs? Minimus or Ultra Magnus sized now. he can get up them easily.)

hhrhghgrh them. they. augh. i need to write another ask. <- (trying desperately* to convince myself that no i don't need to write a fic or draw something based on the titan au!!! i don't!!!!!!)

*trying desperately and failing. adds it to my list. someone write smth for this so i dont have to hhrhhghgdh my list of projects is too long

- initiate

IM GOING CRAZY IM GOING CRAZYYYYYYYYY (positively)

It’s official. Titan au is my newest brainrot 👍 I encourage any and all asks pls I’m going insane the voices the brainworms the auahgauahaha

All of these ideas are genuinely so good I love them so much holy shit. Oh my god the part about different structures not being up to code in particular… what came to mind for me is Megatron having been carrying out his penance for so long and being so wrought with the guilt he failed to take care of himself as well, his internals a dilapidated city. Meanwhile Minimus is just very matter-of-factly going around assigning OSHA violations to everything he sees and…

…Megatron finds he doesn’t feel apathetic towards it.

Perhaps Minimus was right… it would be nice if his citizens had guard rails. Oh, those stairs were in poor shape, and it would only take him a second to clean them up…

Just. Minimus helping Megatron both literally and metaphorically pick up the pieces of himself after showing he cares for him

Also oh my god the shifting the environment around to help Minimus escape? Insane. I’m in love with it. Even better if Megatron never really let Minimus close to any of his more sensitive spaces before, only to lead him right to his spark chamber and seal off any exit to ensure Minimus’ safety. Right there, in the place Megatron never allowed anyone near, he knew Minimus would be safe.

Also PLEASEEEE PLEASSEEE send more asks or make art or write fic!!!!!!!!!!! It would genuinely make me so happy 😭😭😭 ough speaking of art I’m already imagining titan!Megs’ design… imagine him having big cuffs on his wrists and ankles or anywhere else they might fit really to symbolize his imprisonment in his punishment. And his imprisonment in his own guilt. Perhaps chains as well idk

I am just brainrotting severely so PLEASE keep talking about this to me 🙏🙏🙏

[mahou-furbies]

I like behind-the-scenes character trivia, so here is a copypasted compilation of that from Precure wiki, and also some bits I was able to find on Pixiv. The Pixiv stuff is based on google translate and my own faulty Japanese so take them with a grain of salt (and I’m not fact checking any of this anyway).

Cure Black

Cure Black's outfit was upgraded in Max Heart due to parental concerns about how her previous outfit might have been too revealing for children.

Nagisa's name was originally going to be Kuni (クニ), as revealed in the concept art book.

Yes! Precure 5

There were initial plans to have all five Cures be in a student council (with Nozomi as the president), but it was scrapped due to not wanting everyone to be on the side of power. (from Pixiv)

They were supposed to appear in the Healin’ Good anime first before going to the Tokyo trip in the movie together, but this was scrapped due to covid. (from Pixiv)

Milky Rose

According to an interview with the producer of the Yes! 5 series (Washio Takashi), he didn't expect the series to last for two years and also never meant to make Milk have a human alias. However, when the production of the sequel started, he wanted to make a new character become a Pretty Cure who would have been familiar with the Cures from the start and eventually chose Milk.

Cure Passion

In the book "Drawing Fantastic Female Fighters", it’s revealed that she was originally going to have a similar look to Cure Peach, save for an increase in hair volume until her costume was changed to look like armor to help her stand out.

Additionally, in early stages, animators played around with things like the position of the ribbon and different headband shapes.

The same book also revealed two things regarding Setsuna as Eas: 

The diamond-like cross on the back of her outfit represented the burden she bore before her defection.

Her original hairstyle lacked a headband and looked a bit too much like bedhead. But a hairstyle borrowed from a newscaster didn't appeal to Toei's target demographic.

Cure Blossom / Cure Flower

According to an issue of Drawing Fantastic Female Fighters, Cure Flower's design is based off how the staff imagined a grown-up Cure Blossom.

Cure Marine

According to character designer Umakoshi Yoshihiko, she was originally to have an updo hairstyle as Cure Marine

Cure Rhythm

In prototype concept art, Cure Rhythm was originally going to be a purple Cure.

Cure Happy

Miyuki was originally planned to be in cheerleading club. (from Pixiv)

Cure March

Her theme colour was originally planned to be purple, but was changed so that the characters would form a bright rainbow colour when lined up. (from Pixiv)

Cure Diamond

In the Official Complete Book of Doki Doki! Pretty Cure, it was revealed that Rikka does not have romantic feelings towards Ira, though there were initially plans to develop it. "On romantic feelings: I don't feel that Rikka has romantic feelings toward Ira, though there were plans to develop it. But that would be overdoing it for Pretty Cure."

Instead, it was confirmed by the director of Doki Doki! after the finale aired that Diamond was in love romantically with Heart, in turn how she freed herself after becoming frozen by her own attack is considered as a plot hole. Therefore, in theory Diamond sacrificed herself for Heart.

Cure Rosetta

Alice was initially planned to have an older brother named Hiromichi, who was the former student council president of Oogai Middle School and was the one who led Mana to become president herself. He was eventually cut due to the idea of Mana having a crush on him, which went against her "charity" character idea. This is mentioned in the Official Complete Book of Doki Doki! Pretty Cure.

Cure Sword

She was originally going to join the team halfway through the series, but the idea was scrapped due to her appearance in New Stage 2.

DokiDoki was supposed to be a 3-person team, with Sword joining as the mid-season Cure. When her joining was pushed to episode 6, a lot of plot elements had to be changed, such as Sword originally having a lot of senpai Precure from Trump Kingdom. (from Pixiv)

Cure Lovely

According to her official TV Asahi profile, she had made 100 friends during elementary school.

Her mother was planned to have an incurable disease, with the end series conflict being that Megumi has to choose between world peace and curing her mother, but it was scrapped due to being too heavy. (from Pixiv)

Cure Princess

Was originally going to be named Cure Brave (from Pixiv)

Cure Honey

Was originally going to be named Cure Tender, which later was reused for Iona’s sister (from Pixiv)

She was planned to have a plotline about some unspecified insecurity, but it was removed because her character turned out to be too mature for that to fit. (from Pixiv)

Cure Fortune

Was originally going to be named Cure Mercy (from Pixiv)

Her original design looked too much like an office lady, but elements of it (like the pencil skirt) were reused for Cure Tender (from Pixiv)

Cure Echo

She had her own 10th anniversary greeting storyboarded, but it wasn’t animated due to her position as a special character (from Pixiv)

Cure Twinkle

During early development, her transformation background color was yellow instead of purple.

Cure Miracle

Mirai was originally going to be revealed to have Magic World ancestry, but this concept was eventually scrapped by writers who wanted her to be the more normal member of the Mahou Tsukai team, making her the only of the main Mahou Tsukai! Cures not to come from the Magic World.

A handsome boy who was popular among girls was supposed to be Mirai’s classmate, and a story line where Mirai and Riko aren’t swayed by him was planned. (from Pixiv)

Cure Magical

During the production of Mahou Tsukai, Riko was originally going to have a rival named Shiina Ryuuichi, who was scrapped and ended up being a background character instead.

Cure Mofurun

According to an interview with movie director Tanaka Yuta, most of the staff of Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! originally thought of Mofurun as genderless. She became a girl through the development of the series and the characters - as a fact file states, they even wanted to include a line about Mofurun saying that she is “a girl, mofu!”, but did not get the chance to.

The fact file includes description of original plans for Mirai to have thought of Mofurun as a boy in her childhood, but Mofurun deciding otherwise after she became alive and telling her so in the above line.

A rough sketch by Miyamoto Emiko reveals that Mofurun was originally going to wear an overall-like garment.

Cure Chocolat

Early character exploration art by Ino Marie, the character designer, shows her to be scared of bugs and ghosts. 

Cure Yell

According to an interview with Kawamura, the character designer, in the January 2019 issue of the Japanese magazine Animage, the tragedy version of Hana from the future where George and Hugtan came from had never transferred schools. Because she never met Saaya or Homare and was stuck in such a hostile environment, Hana saw no reason to better herself at all.

According to staff member Tsubota Fumi, she based Hana's personality on her voice actor, and she even asked Hikisaka Rie about Hana's feelings for George, adding that it was the beginning of budding feelings. She also asked Rie about whether Hana would like Amano Hinase back, but Rie said that it would be impossible for Hana who prefers men that are older and more mature than him.

Cure Ange

According to an interview with Kawamura, one of the writers, in the January 2019 issue of the Japanese magazine Animage, the version of Saaya from the future where George and Hugtan came from never got to pursue her ambition as a doctor as she would be pressured by the high expectations set by her mother.

Cure Etoile

According to an interview with Kawamura, one of the writers, in the January 2019 issue of the Japanese magazine Animage, the version of Homare from the future where George and Hugtan came from is indicated that she would've remained a delinquent or worse after succumbing to the despair caused by her failed skating experience.

The original concept design for Homare had her wear pigtails in civilian form before being changed into her bob cut. Additionally her near final concept design was meant to don pigtails instead of the side tail hairstyle.

Cure Macherie

According to an interview with Kawamura, one of the writers, in the January 2019 issue of the Japanese magazine Animage, the version of Emiru from the future where George and Hugtan came from would never achieve her dream of becoming a guitarist and singer, because she and her elder brother, Masato would still be living under the oppressive mentality of their grandfather.

Emiru was originally going to be named "Utau", but the staff thought it sounded too old fashioned.

Cure Star

According to head writer Murayama Isao, a producer from ABC suggested the name "Akari" as an alternative to Hikaru, which he viewed as "too strong." Murayama thought "Akari" would be interesting since the character would share a name with the producer, Yanagawa Akari, but Hikaru was ultimately chosen.

Hikaru originally had glasses (from Pixiv)

Cure Milky

Although she has claimed to be an adult, and is considered one on her home planet, her voice actress stated in an interview that in terms of her character's actual maturity level, “It was a lie.”

In the January 2020 special issue of Animage, primarily focusing on Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure, series composition Murayama Isao stated that Lala's name was chosen because it felt right and "alien-like."

Cure Soleil

According to head writer Murayama Isao, Elena was originally going to be the student council president. However, as "pink and purple are more popular from a business standpoint," he was asked to keep the colors pink and purple as components "certain to mesh well," meaning Hikaru and Madoka were to be interconnected as opposing forces. As a result, Madoka became the president instead.

In contrast to Hikaru and Madoka, Lala and Elena were given more leeway when creating their characters, which is why the latter has a big family and a foreigner for a father. In terms of audience perception, Murayama admitted Elena was the most challenging as he predicted Lala would be perceived well for being an alien. That's why he and producer Yanagawa Akari were happy to hear that Elena's popularity grew as the series progressed.

When coming up with Cure Soleil's name, Murayama noted that the word "Elena" first came to mind. However, since Elena is a normal name for girls, it would have been like naming her "Cure Hanako," so they used Elena for her civilian name instead.

Cure Selene

According to the January 2020 special issue of Animage, primarily focusing on Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure, series composition Murayama Isao was the one who came up with the name "Madoka," and that it would be written with the kanji "円" which indicates a circle, or full moon in this context.

Cure Cosmo

Murayama noted that Yuni's phantom thief element was primarily pushed by the female staff of the project. Producer Yanagawa Akari admitted to this, as she grew up watching anime where a girl transforms into a phantom thief, those who have a stylish image such as Mine Fujiko from "Lupin III." She wanted to create an image of a "cool, independent woman" in Yuni.

According to the Kamikita twins, who draw the Pretty Cure manga, Yuni grows up to be 175cm during the 15 years time skip.

Cure Grace

According to an interview from Animage 2021, Ikeda confirmed that Nodoka had been ill for five years until the middle of her first middle school year.

Revealed in the Official Complete Book, Cure Grace was the hardest character for Yamaoka Naoko to design, as she had revised her design 13 times.

Cure Sparkle

According to an interview in the magazine Animage, Hinata's character development was affected because of the hiatus the season had to take due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, there was going to be a Hinata fashion episode, but it never made the cut.

Furthermore, as mentioned in the Official Complete Book, Hinata's mother was meant to appear in the fashion episode as well as the Christmas episode.

Cure Summer

An interview from Animage revealed that Manatsu's theme color was always meant to be rainbow with white from the start because the Producer wanted Manatsu to stand out even amongst all the Pretty Cure.

In the Animage January 2022 issue, it was revealed that Manatsu's name was originally going to be Natsu, then Natsuki, followed by Natsumi before the staff finally settled on Manatsu.

Nakatani Yukiko revealed that Manatsu was not only designed with her origin in mind, but also as if she was a protagonist for a boy's series.

Cure Coral

An interview from Animage revealed that Sango's personality is a bit toned down compared to the other girls, but she is also the closest to the audience because she is the normal one. She has a role in being an audience surrogate, but her personal charm points will also be highlighted throughout the show.

In the Animage January 2022 issue, it was revealed that the kanji for "Suzu" in Sango's surname was originally going to be 鈴, as it looked cute and Sango as a character loves cute things. However, the staff changed it to 涼 because they wanted to match the show's ocean theme and give her a name with a water radical.

The same 2022 issue also revealed that Sango was written to be a city girl that Manatsu can look up to, which contributes to her fashionable personality.

Nakatani Yukiko also admitted that she gave Coral many hearts because she's the "leader of cute". She also looked at fashion magazines for teenagers to get inspiration for Sango's civilian design.

Cure Papaya

In the Animage January 2022 issue, it was revealed that Minori's surname "Ichinose" was chosen due to it sounding girly.

More importantly, when the staff were selecting the Japanese pronunciation of Papaya between パパイヤ or パパイア, they chose the latter option as the former sounded like "Papa iya!" which means "I hate my father!" in Japanese.

This issue also revealed that her signature eye beam attack was not created until after the production of the Tropical-Rouge! short movie.

The staff had initially considered keeping her glasses even when she transformed into Papaya, before eventually abandoning the idea.

Cure Flamingo

An interview from Animage revealed that Asuka's Cure name was going to be either Cure Phoenix or Cure Volcano.

Cure La Mer

An interview from Animage revealed that in the first draft of the story, Laura had a more typical role and was a gentle girl to tone down Manatsu's outlandishness. But Tsuchida Yutaka was concerned that she was going to get completely overshadowed by the other girls, so they changed her into a character with a strong personality and with a big presence in the story.

In the Animage January 2022 issue, it was revealed that "La Mer" was Laura's Cure name before it also became her surname, but it was added because trying to be "Laura Hyginus" would've been difficult to pronounce once she started attending school.

The same issue also revealed that La Mer's nails were originally going to be multi-colored, but the staff eventually scrapped the idea as the end result did not satisfy them.

It was also revealed that Laura's role as the queen candidate is intentional. Tsuchida Yutaka believed the idea of becoming a queen by succession is a similar message to becoming a princess by falling in love with a prince, as it relies too much on someone else.

Cure Precious

In Oops! All PreCure Animage interview, Cure Precious' name comes from Yui's own appreciation for food.

During the Delicious Party Kanshasai, Hishikawa Hana (Yui’s VA) said that Yui's ideal romantic partner is somebody that loves cooking and making food together with her.

Cure Spicy

In the Oops! All PreCure Animage interview, Cure Spicy was chosen as Kokone's alter ego name as it sounded cool.

In the same interview, Kokone's first name was originally going to be either Tsutsumi or Hasami to match her sandwich theme.

Yufu Kyouko (character designer) also remarked in the interview that Cure Spicy's circular braid is meant to resemble a donut.

During the Delicious Party Kanshasai, Shimizu Risa (Kokone’s VA) said that Kokone's ideal romantic partner for a date is somebody she can have a calm conversation and exchange books with. Pam-Pam's voice actor, Hioka Natsumi also pretended to be Kokone's date in the same scenario.

Cure Yum-Yum

In the Oops! All PreCure Animage interview, Cure Yum-Yum was originally going to be named "Cure Yummy", but was changed to make her sound cuter. Mem-Mem was chosen to be her partner to match both her Chinese motif and the food "ramen".

In the same interview, Yufu Kyouko originally drew Cure Yum-Yum wearing a Chinese hat in her first draft design.

During the Delicious Party Kanshasai, Iguchi Yuka (Ran’s VA) said that Ran's ideal romantic partner is someone she can go on adventures with.

Cure Finale

As stated in the Oops! All PreCure Animage interview, Cure Finale was originally going to be called "Cure Gorgeous" but her name was changed to match her dessert motif.

Yufu Kyouko also stated in the same interview that she wanted Finale to look like a fighting princess.

During the Kanshasai, Kayano Ai (Amane’s VA) said that Amane's ideal romantic partner is someone she can train martial arts with and watch sunsets afterwards.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗕𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗦

The time has finally come for me to share my Ever After High plot bunnies with you guys!! I really did mean to post this shortly after I talked about my Monster High babies, but some things happened and I never got around to it. However, I’m here now!! Feel free to also check out my Ever After High fancast if you want to better picture these plot bunnies with their friends and ships!

(Also gonna tag my beloveds @ginevrastilinski-ocs and @manyfandomocs since they’re the ones who inspired me to share these, and also my beloved @auxiliarydetective!!)

Tempest Witch, daughter of the Sea Witch, poly Dexter/Raven ship, China Anne McClain FC. Hidden away in the sea and homeschooled for most of her life because her mother wanted to protect her from having to sign the Storybook of Legends and suffering the same fate she did, but starts attending Ever After High after the Storybook is officially abolished. Kind of in awe of Raven and has a bit of a hero worship crush on her at first since she’s the one who changed everything, but eventually that turns into real feelings as they get to know each other better and those feelings extend to Dexter as well. A total sweetheart who absolutely doesn’t want to be evil and believes in goodness and helping people, but also intensely awkward and a bit naïve after being hidden away from the world for so long. Can transform into an octopus hybrid form whenever she gets into water, and also has hydrokinesis and is actually one of the strongest magic-using students at school since she was with her mother for so long and didn’t have a lot to do but practice. Obviously a Rebel, since she absolutely doesn’t want to become evil and hurt people, and her roommate is Lilly Bo-Peep.

Helena Müller Jr., daughter of “Thousandfurs,” Duchess ship, Paris Berelc FC. Named after her mother’s real name, but call her Junior and she’ll stomp on your toes in heels. One of the most fashionable students at Ever After High, and has definitely collaborated with Poppy on designs before. Happy to be a princess and looks forward to ruling her kingdom some day, but also wants to be able to design and sell her creations and is way too much of a social butterfly to be content being in disguise and unknown for years, so she certainly isn’t upset when Milton finally gets rid of the Storybook of Legends. A bright, cheeeful, and energetic person, always the life of the party, but also tends to be a bit insecure that people only like her because of her looks (a leftover from what happened to her mother). Develops a crush on Duchess despite the vast differences in their personalities, and though Duchess initially resents her like she resents all students with happy endings she eventually comes around and they get together. Some kind of a mix between a Royal and a Rebel (she likes her happy ending but doesn’t want to go through everything leading up to it and anyway believes that people should get to choose their destinies), and her roommate is Clara Lear.

Faerena Upland, daughter of Glinda the Good Witch, poly OC ship, Maisie Peters FC. Basically for the longest time this girl is Apple’s pre-Legacy Day beliefs combined with Glinda’s personality before she became friends with Elphaba - Faerena is a master at becoming exactly what the person she’s talking to wants to see and hear so she can keep boosting her social status, but she’s also pretty self-absorbed and doesn’t care about much but becoming Oz’s beloved Good Witch someday. Doesn’t care for the Rebels at all, can’t understand why they won’t just suck it up and stop making things hard for the people who do want their happy endings, and is constantly rude to all of the Rebels and Ness in particular, since he is supposed to be her future “enemy”. Eventually does realize the error of her ways and strives to become better and make amends, though, especially after she falls in love with Ness and Em - she doesn’t quite ever lose the vanity or the instinct to put on an act, though. Like her mother, has the ability to do magic but isn’t super good at it, which frustrates her to no end. Initially a hardcore Royal but transitions into becoming a Rebel, and her roommate is Emerald “Em” Gale (and they were roommates!).

Ness Thropp, son of Elphaba Thropp a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, poly OC ship (Faerena and Em’s boyfriend), Finn Wolfhard FC. Named after his late aunt Nessarose, which he isn’t exactly sure how to feel about. Most people at Ever After High tend to forget that he’s actually a student there, because he’s incredibly quiet and tries his best not to make his presence known. A good bit more skilled in magic than his mom since he has more opportunities to actually practice and learn about it, but mostly just practices so he can keep it in control because he’d much rather be drawing or painting than doing any magic. A dedicated artist who’s terrified of becoming Oz’s misunderstood pariah and is honestly kind of afraid of Faerena before he comes to realize just how constantly she puts on an act. The days Raven refused to sign the Storybook of Legends and when it was officially destroyed were the two best days of his life because it meant he didn’t have to be afraid anymore, but he also does have pretty bad social anxiety and has to learn to accept support from the people who care about him to overcome his worries and insecurities. He and Em start dating at first (he’s been hopelessly pining after her for literal years and she finally asks him out shortly after the Royals and Rebels start to make peace), and even though it takes him a bit longer than Em to forgive Faerena and start dating her - even though he’s also had a crush on her for a while despite everything - he fully supports Em entering into a relationship with her first and is the sweetest most attentive boyfriend to both his girlfriends when they all get together. Definitely a Rebel considering how much he’s always feared his destiny, and his roommate is Tucker.

Emerald “Em” Gale, daughter of Dorothy Gale, poly OC ship (Faerena and Ness’s girlfriend), Halle Bailey FC. Has always been excited for her destiny, since she can’t wait to visit Oz, but has also always thought Ness was sweet and doesn’t really want to go up against him, so she’s happy when the Storybook of Legends gets abolished because it means she won’t have to. Also doesn’t like Faerena much at first, since as her roommate she really sees how self-absorbed and image-obsessed she is, but eventually she sees how much the other girl puts on a constant mask and doesn’t really know who she is without her destiny and offers to help her make amends (essentially taking up the role of Faerena’s Elphaba rather than Ness doing it), and eventually winds up falling in love with her and dating her while also still dating Ness. Very happy when Ness and Faerena fall in love because she loves love and now the two people she loves love each other too! Definitely a lot like her mother, curious and adventurous and a bit quick-tempered, but also a sweetheart who would do anything for the people she cares about. Probably would describe herself as a Roybel (likes the idea of her destiny despite the fact that she completely flouts it, and does believe that people should be allowed to choose what they want to do), and her roommate is Faerena Upland (again, and they were roommates!).

Kieran Dancer, child of the eleventh Dancing Princess, Hopper ship, Keiynan Lonsdale FC. Justine’s cousin, but in her year at Ever After High since their mom didn’t have them until later in life. An absolutely terrible dancer despite the fact that their parents and aunts have had them and all their cousins in lessons since they were able to walk, so they’ve always been dreading their destiny and they’re intensely relieved when Milton finally gets rid of the Storybook of Legends. A very talented actor, though, and they get involved with Ever After High’s theatre department once Raven doesn’t sign and the Rebels are more free to pursue their actual passions. Kind of a class clown, super quick-witted and funny, but also has a big heart and knows how to be serious when it’s needed. Besties with Dexter since they both thought for a while that Dexter might be the prince in Kieran and Justine’s story, even though Kieran knew he was in love with Raven and was totally cool with it since they basically just see Dexter as a brother. Has had a crush on Hopper for years but never tried to make a move before Raven doesn’t sign the Storybook, but doesn’t hesitate to ask him out once the Royals and Rebels make peace. A Rebel who does also support those who like their destiny and want to go through with it, and their roommate (unfortunately) is Gus Crumb.

Molly Marian, daughter of Maid Marian, Darling ship, Ella Purnell FC. Has always hated the idea of her destiny, both because she hates that she doesn’t get to do anything important and because she thinks Sparrow is annoying and doesn’t want to get married to him at all (never mind the fact that she doesn’t even like guys). One of the biggest troublemakers at Ever After High because of this, because she is determined to make Milton’s life as miserable as possible before she has to sign the Storybook. The very first one, besides Maddie of course, to be on Raven’s side after Legacy Day, and is eternally grateful to the other girl for what she sees as saving her from the life she didn’t want. An absolute spitfire, fierce and defiant and never afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it, but also has a big heart and loves deeply. Has been pining for Darling from afar since they were kids, but doesn’t make a move until after the Wonderland adventure when she learns the other girl’s White Knight secret - they’re an absolute power couple when they do get together, though. Kind of becomes besties with Raven and Maddie after Legacy Day. Basically the original Rebel, and her roommate is Kitty Cheshire (which can be stressful sometimes, but most of the time she likes it).

Now, I don’t actually intend to properly introduce these guys or do much with them, but if you still want to ask any questions about them, feel free!! Hope you guys enjoy these babies!! <3

[northstarcoyote8]

my opinions on random “a starless clan” cats as i just finished river

thunderclan

-Nightheart: the angry mommy issues man himself. love him. this is probably the closest we’ll get to a trans character in warriors. also surprised no one mentioned Bristlefrost when he failed his assessments as i remember Bristlefrost failing at least once. they could’ve made a good connection there.

-Honeyfur: pretty design i think, got salty at twigbranch once and haven’t heard from her before or since. 

-Bayshine: a sweetie, good brother-ish figure for Nightheart in my opinion.

-Shellfur: never knew much of anything about him but yay he’s got a gf now. happy for him. 

-Bramblestar: just step down already man. (i know he does, i can’t wait till i get to it).

-Squirrelflight: can’t wait till i get to Squirrelstar!!

-Bumblestripe: a jerk as always.

-Finchlight: a lil too over enthusiastic about the “greatness” of thunderclan. really shows how arrogant they can be tbh.

-Ivypool: wish i heard more from her.

-Fernsong: i wish we saw more of Fernsong with Ivypool. or any Fernsong at all tbh.

-Sparkpelt: i’m not really sure how to feel about her and her relationship with Nightheart. it’s definitely interesting though and something new.

-Cloudtail: him as an elder is amazing.

shadowclan 

-Berryheart: Spireclaw’s relationship with her hits too close to home. all i gotta say. also (proceeds to say more anyway) totally Mother Gothel-coded, there’s a pmv of her with “Mother Knows Best” that fits so well. “i’m your mother, and i know you better than you know yourself” (226).

-Sparrowtail: i kinda like how he sorta initially was on Berryheart’s side but now he’s really uncertain about her beliefs. interesting in seeing more about this relationship.

-Spireclaw: love him!! a sweetie! wanna see more of him and Fringewhisker. also interested in the tension with him and Berryheart over this. lowkey kin him.

-Dovewing: she’s not deputy, but i see her as sort of like a clan “princess”, y’know?

-Sunbeam: relate to her a lil, also i think she has the cutest name ever. at first i thought her unrequited crush on Blazefire felt like a repeat of Bristlefrost and Stemleaf but at least Stemleaf was nice. Blazefire was straight up gaslighting her about being concerning about Lightleap “pffft she’s fine bro you’re not the clan leader” aughhh

-Blazefire: this is why you don’t do friends with benefits guys.

-Lightleap: augh she’s so terrible but i love her at the same time. i love how a protagonist’s sibling can finally be explored upon with how the previous events from the broken code affect her psychologically. doing a psychoanalysis on her hehe.

-Gullswoop: haha just a gal who loves gossip. glad a she-cat background character can actually have a personality now. 

-Pouncestep: wish we heard more from her tbh. there’s shadowsight obviously and now the whole lightleap thing but we don’t know much about Pouncestep or how things have affected her. she’s just kinda.. there.

skyclan 

-Leafstar: please just let her rest. i’m begging. 

-Hawkwing: i want him to be leader already, i feel like he would be a good leader with all the character development he’s had in his super edition.

-Fidgetflake: his name is so cute i love him. don’t hear from him at all though really, i just like his name.

-Uhhhh that’s about all the skyclan cats we hear from.

windclan 

-Hootwhisker: bro really just yeeted himself over a stream into thunderclan territory for a vole.  

-Whistlepaw: she’s so sweet i love her. please Erins let Whistlepaw and Frostpaw be together. please. please. i’ll give you all my warriors plushies.

-Crouchfoot: i know absolutely nothing about him but i just thought that’s a kinda funny name. 

-Songleap: what.. is a.. song ..leap..?? how do songs…. you know what, nevermind. 

-Fernstripe: with her and Fringewhisker, and also Dovewing from before, i’m really noticing a trend with typically she-cats leaving their clans for toms. not sure how i feel about that. 

riverclan 

-Splashtail: a nefarious lil guy from what i’ve heard? very interested to see more of him, he reminds me a lot of Hawkfrost. i also have a suspicion that he faked the curled feather sign on page 215. i mean, Frostpaw went with just Splashtail and she heard someone walking around above the moonpool then finds the feather on the path. is it a fake sign did bro just pull a Hawkfrost. —or what if the sign was real but meant for Icewing, as it was a white feather, and that night Frostpaw dreamed about the feathers turning into “birds, whirling around her head like a blizzard” (219).

-Owlnose: just a silly lil guy.

-Mistystar: was arguing and literally fell and died. best death ever. rip the queen. 

-Duskfur: still mad at her over Mistystar’s death tbh. 

-Reedwhisker: poor man. all i gotta say. 

-Havenpelt: i just like her name. 

-Mothwing: if anything happens to her, Blixemi is gonna lose it. 

-Icewing: haha Wings of Fire name. 

-Curlfeather: such a pretty name tbh. she seemed so sweet but i heard she’s actually evil? interested to learn more in the next books. it may make sense, she seemed a little overbearing at times, maybe a cover? also Curlfeather suggesting Frostpaw goes to her den and Frostpaw immediately finding the 5-pointed dock leaf sign there (124-125) is kinda suspicious, i feel like she might’ve faked a sign.

-Jayclaw: died of “unknown causes” is a lil suspicious. right after Curlfeather mentions his death, the book says “a heartbeat later Curlfeather went on more briskly-” (18) and she changes the topic. i’m wondering if Curlfeather killed him after maybe he disagreed with her evil plans? could’ve pulled a Hollyleaf and killed him to keep him mute.

-Frostpaw: poor lil fluffy kid is traumatized, i just wanna give her a big hug.

-overall, this book was amazing and so far i might like this arc even better than the broken code, we’ll have to see

[mercillery]

can you please do a scenario or headcanons where Lucius’s s/o cheats on him. Thanks a lot for your writing, reading them makes me happy 💕

The gasp I let out when I read this… this is like a lamb willingly going to the slaughter 😦 Also thank you so much anon, kisses and love for you 🙂‍↕️❤️❤️❤️ I’m going to start putting “gender not specified” rather than “gender neutral reader” because it’s really bothering me for some reason. But anyways, this was really entertaining to write.

WARNINGS: TOXIC + GENDER NOT SPECIFIED + TOXIC AGAIN

Congratulations! You've managed to complicate your life in ways you never imagined possible. Lucius will make sure you regret every moment, leaving you longing to turn back time and undo the foolish mistake of cheating on him. Did you think he was going to forgive and forget? Maybe in the end he will, but for now, absolutely not. You need to be disciplined. Cheating on Lucius was never going to go unnoticed or unpunished.

Upon uncovering your infidelity, Lucius' initial reaction would likely be one of composure. Rather than impulsively reacting, he'd take the time to craft a plan designed to deliver the most significant blow possible—mentally wise, that is. To him, the anguish wrought by psychological torment cuts deeper than any physical pain ever could.

Maybe you’ve cheated on him because you felt neglected. After all, Lucius is very dogmatic when it comes to his belief in remaking humanity and ruling as the Final Wizard King. Perhaps his all-consuming obsession with his vision for the future left little room for you, causing you to seek emotional fulfillment elsewhere.

Regardless of your motives for cheating on him, the repercussions will be severe. He'll ensure you experience the full weight of your actions, leaving you to contemplate your choices and your very existence. It may sound extreme, but trust me when I say that he will absolutely dismantle your psyche, forcing you to confront the consequences of your betrayal on a deep level. In essence, if you haven't grasped it yet, he's capable of shattering your sense of self—and he will.

Among the numerous punishments Lucius might deploy, isolation stands as a formidable weapon, stripping you of any semblance of affection or support. He's also adept at weaving intricate mind games, tormenting you with psychological manipulation designed to erode your sense of self. Moreover, he won’t shy away from employing tactics that sabotage your career, relationships, and reputation, leaving you grappling with despair and utterly at his mercy.

Isolation reigns supreme as Lucius' preferred method of punishment, consistently occupying the top spot in his arsenal of tactics. He firmly believes in its efficacy, viewing it as the most effective means of gradually dismantling any remaining shreds of hope within you. He'll justify this extreme measure as an act of love, insisting that it's necessary to reshape you and your behavior, all in the name of ensuring that the thought of cheating never crosses your mind again—even if the process ultimately leaves you scarred and traumatized.

Under Lucius' rule, there's no room for complaints or protests; in his eyes, you've brought this upon yourself. Even the smallest of complaints will only reinforce his conviction that you're resistant to changing your unfaithful ways, prompting him to escalate your punishment even further. It's in your own best interest to suffer in silence, as any attempt to voice grievances will only serve to worsen your punishment.

Eventually, the relentless mental torment inflicted by Lucius will transform you into a completely different individual. His ultimate objective is to mold you into a faithful and devoted partner, eradicating any traces of your previous unfaithful nature. While the journey may leave you deeply scarred and traumatized, Lucius will derive satisfaction from witnessing his relentless barrage of torment yield the desired outcome: your unwavering loyalty directed solely towards him.

And regarding the person you cheated on Lucius with, well, Lucius left it to his clones to address that matter. While Lucius might admit to a hint of curiosity about your choice, he ultimately holds no regard for them. Why would he care? The only thing he cares about is putting you back in your place. And if by the end of his cruel punishments you’re not crying like crazy in his arms, then he must be doing something wrong—which only drives his determination to make you submit even more.

When it comes to Lucius, loyalty is not a choice—it’s an obligation. But you know this already, don’t you?

[chialattea]

Hi hi hi I just found you as a fellow Baby 5 enthusiast soooooo I wanted to share my most recent idea about her. W/ how her and law kinda parallel with each other, I think it's honestly ridiculous to imagine her design never incorporating feathers. But she couldn't wear pink ones if she wanted to start to heal, and her signature color is black, which.... were Cora's and he. Y'know. Saved someone she cares about but still abandoned her in the process. I like the concept of a bright yellow feather jacket for her in the future, because a) reference to law, obv, the only person from her childhood she still fully respects I feel, b) canary in a coal mine motif would be insane for her given how much she's witnessed, and c) it resembles a raincoat and keeping her dry as a devil fruit user = keeping her safe, and moving her desire for security from wanting to be useful and not abandoned to being safe would be really really good. Thoughts?

man I really need to remember where asks are— how do I keep missing these

AAAAAAA FELLOW BABY 5 ENJOYER LETS GOOOOOO!!! We may be a humble size but let us stand tall about it and not think of our very likely attachment issues anyways!! (Ramble ahead)

My feelings in regards to Baby 5 and Cora (lit two of my favorite characters) are… complicated to say the least. Like sure technically speaking he had no obligation towards her, I guess, and his mission was a priority only superseded by his initial surprise at Law being a D— and sure its 100% obvious he only spent like 1 millisecond thinking about his course of action (come on man, you had no countermeasures in case you had to leave the family for a while and the Marines’d stop banging at their door?? Did the fucking Marines just immediately act on any scoop you passed along??? Is he stupid? /j) but that doesn’t change the fact that he left her there, you know. Yeah he tried to make her leave through the power of incredible violence but like after the first year or so you can stop laying it in so thick because if the six yo hasn’t already left there’s like. Zero chance she’ll do it now. And she was literally like, 11. It wasn’t like Buffalo (whom to be perfectly honest I’m pretty eh about) who was already a teenager— she was a kid too. And he knew they were taking advantage of her and honing her into a weapon by feeding into her trauma and he just dipped. Which isn’t fair to him because (waves hands at the whole shitfest) but come on. COME ON. If i finally confronted that the family who groomed me into a weapon was bad, actually, I think I’d feel pretty angry at the guy who could have saved me but didn’t feel I was important enough. Like geez. Baby 5 wasn’t chosen AGAIN which is so sad it’s almost laughable.

ANYWAYS‼️‼️ AW MAN it’d be a really cool evolution from her yellow ribbon. Her color scheme can be black, white and yellow… (I must admit I’m very happy w her original black and burgundy color scheme because it’s one of my favorite colors eheh)— I assume in this scenario she wasn’t saved by Cora but defects from the DX family to join the Heart Pirates? A yellow kimono would look good on her too…

[cozza-frenzy]

Fanfic: A La Carte (Part 1: Appetizer)

It’s a big part of what makes us human; believing we have a soul that needs to be fed, too. So this one has been in the works for a little longer than the others! Not only has my Discord “job” been keeping me VERY busy, but I also wasn’t sure where to go with this, exactly... but after seeing a certain art post yesterday, I know now... and I also know it needs to be a 2-parter. Yep, this one’s LONG, folks. And it’s about food! I’d like to give my thanks once again to @chronicsheepdrawing​ for their wonderful designs and autistic character headcanons. This is going to be less angst, more fluff this time, so content warnings are a little more sparse! May we all experience moments of Autistic Joy like those found in this story. Happy Autism Acceptance Month! Part 3 of a series: Anything Not Saved A Perfect Moment

CONTENT WARNINGS: Body Dysphoria (Not Gender Related), Messy Eating, References to Sensory Deprivation, Mild Sensory Overload

So whose birthday do you think it is this time? Ah, yes, I suppose it DOES say “Happy Celebration To Whomever”, doesn’t it? It might not even BE a birthday. It might even be celebrating all of the incredibly productive work we’ve been doing! Gosh, imagine that! FINALLY some recognition for all those years of- …And you’re gone. Of course. No doubt you have more important things to do than talk to the likes of me. Honestly, I don’t even know WHY I bother - I swear, it’s almost like some sort of COMPULSION! Just rambling on, and on, and on, and… oh dear, and I’m even doing it when there’s nobody to listen… …Hm. Actually, come to think of it… I wonder if he got the memo… ? 427? Ah, Employee 427? Hello? …Stanley, it’s ME - open the door! Oh, there you are Stanley! I do hope I wasn’t interrupting anything; oh, you were waiting for-? Well you… you didn’t HAVE to, you do realize that, right?? You were really just going to sit in your office, pushing your buttons, until I just HAPPENED to call out to you? I mean for heaven’s sake, Stanley! Don’t you want to take the initiative for even ONCE in your career? It could result in you getting promoted! Or possibly- well, probably more than likely, fired. But aren’t some things worth the- …What do you MEAN you already got one?? I just BROUGHT you a- Oh. Oh Stanley, you-you didn’t! You didn’t… heeheehee, really!? Well come onl, come on, get inside, quick! Shh! SHH!! Hahahahaaa, I can’t believe it!! I can’t BELIEVE you-what? NO, I’m not going to TELL! Gosh, what do you take me for, Stanley?? I mean you’re one of our most valuable employees; who ELSE could push buttons like you can, I ask you?? No-one, that’s who! Though I must say, haha, I never would have pegged YOU as the secret Bad Boy of the office! Mister Employee Four-Twenty-Seven, pilfering an extra slice of cake from under everyone’s collective nose! They’ll never suspect a thing! Hahaha…! …Oh come now, stop that, we’re not going to get CAUGHT. And even if we did, it’s probably my fault, anyway. Ugh, I must be a truly terrible influence on you, Stanley, I really must… it’s that horrid little rebellious streak in me. Probably why I never seem to get anywhere in this bloody office… Ah? Oh thank you Stanley, I’d love some coffee. Little more sugar if you could- yes, and- oh, you remembered! Ah yes, that’s lovely, I… oh, um, are you sure? I know how much everyone looks forward to our scheduled Standard Issue Office Sheet Cake, but you took that fair and - oh GO ON then, you absolute rascal! Since you’ve already cut it and everything… heh. Happy Whatever-It-Is, Stanley… —————————————————————————————————- This is a story about a man named Stanley. Today - if there even is such a thing as a ‘day’ any more - Stanley is in the Employee Break Room. A place he’d stopped by countless times previously, just to admire; the gray walls and dark blue carpet as comforting and familiar as they ever were. The couch; just as soft, yet firm enough to encourage the good sitting posture that was vital for employees. The whole place still smelling vaguely of printer ink, paper, and coffee. It was quiet now, given that all of Stanley’s coworkers had mysteriously vanished, leaving him alone in the office. Or, well… not quite alone. Not any more. Next to Stanley, on the couch, sat his Narrator. Some time ago, they’d had a fateful - and completely intentional, absolutely no mistakes were made - encounter in The Memory Zone. And since then, he’d decided to stick around. It just felt far more comfortable than unloading his model; it gave him something to anchor himself to, something that reminded him he was real. And all things considered, it wasn’t that bad. Even if he was still slowly learning to tolerate his… eh… he twisted the words around in his head, tossing aside epithets like “silly-looking” and “bizarre”, completely ignoring “ugly” and “monstrous” for a change, before finally settling on something. Unusual form. Yes, that will do for now… Ahem. Anyway; overall, The Narrator was, at least, willing to tolerate the unusual situation he’d found himself in. Since then, he’d found there was one thing more important to him than how he felt… and that was how Stanley, his protagonist, felt. After all; without him and without his co-operation, there was no story. There was no Stanley Parable without Stanley. So of course, as his Narrator, he couldn’t have him become lonely or depressed. Especially since the last time the Parable ended, The Narrator could have sworn they’d finally found freedom… They’d finally stepped outside; onto real grass and real dirt! Surrounded by real trees, under a real sky! On his very life, he could have sworn that they had... and yet… like a dream, or perhaps a burning memory, curling up in the flames like a discarded photograph, they’d found themselves back here. In the office. Right where they’d started. Perhaps they’d made a mistake somewhere… Stanley moved his hands, and the Narrator glanced downward. No, wait, he wasn’t saying anything; he was just fidgeting. And, he noticed, Stanley’s head had been resting against his shoulder - but it seemed from his half-laying, half-sprawled position on the couch, he’d slid down until his ear now rested against the Narrator’s stomach. Something that - the Narrator now realized - had probably been intentional. It was a comfort thing for him, apparently. Something about the liquid sloshing around in there helped him calm down. And perhaps it was the weight of Stanley’s head, or the soft sound of his breathing, or the gentle touch of his button-calloused fingers, but the Narrator couldn’t help but feel calmer too. It made things seem more… alright. Not entirely alright; not just after what they’d both been through, but more alright in himself. Like maybe he didn’t hate this body quite as much as he had previously. It certainly seemed to help keep his thoughts from going to much darker places... Stanley moved his hands again. The Narrator heaved a huge sigh. “Stanley, if you’re going to say something, just say it. I know you were disappointed with how our story ended, but we can’t try again if we just sit here and stew in our own failure… slow-cooking in regret… a crock-pot of misery and hopelessness, with a side dish of pointlessness, and a bitter-sweet ‘we’re never going to get out but at least we’re still here’ sauce… ” The Narrator’s words caught in his throat, and he stopped himself before he choked on them. No, no, he wasn’t going to let this get to him! This was his story! Nobody could tell him how to feel about it except him! He wasn’t about to backslide into utterly crushing despair… No, not him… definitely not… <Do you miss being human?> “W-what??” The Narrator boggled - he’d retired, undefeated, from Professional Boggling, but still boggled casually when the mood called for it - and looked down at Stanley. “You… “ He wondered for a moment how Stanley had remembered, but… of course he had. Back in the Memory Zone, they’d talked for hours, perhaps even longer, and of course sooner or later, everything had to come out. The fact that The Narrator still had memories of being human, once. Memories of having a real face, with makeup he’d painstakingly applied with real hands, that in turn had real nails, painted in office-appropriate colors. And how he couldn’t remember what he looked like, or what his name had been, but- “...You already know how I feel about that, Stanley. I can’t go back.” Somehow, the thought of returning to that time terrified him. Slowly, something had been coming together, at the core of the shattered funhouse mirror that made up his memories. Something that stared into his soul with a white-hot, searing sense of wrongness. Something that gave him no choice but to look away. I can’t go back to what I was before. I can’t. <I know that.> Stanley signed; taking a moment to sit up, he paused to think about what he was going to sign, as he often did. <But you really don’t miss anything?> “Stanley-” The Narrator started with a warning tone. Stanley certainly liked to push buttons; and apparently not only did he not know when to quit, but his obsession with button-pushing also applied to pushing other people’s buttons. But The Narrator couldn’t deny; the look on Stanley’s face held no malice. It was the same way he looked at The Narrator’s hands, when he ran his thumb over the line of stitches. The same way he watched the liquid inside his transparent globe of a belly slosh back and forth, and the way the light reflected off his plastic eyes. He remembered when Stanley had noticed his tie resembled The Stanley Parable Adventure Line™, and the biggest smile had crossed his face as his fingers traced its shape and felt its silky texture, wide eyes drinking in its bright color. Then they’d both just sat for a while, and reminisced about how they’d teamed up for the mis-adventure dubbed The Confusion Ending... It was pure, simple curiosity on Stanley’s face. The Narrator felt his cheeks flush involuntarily; it seemed he was still inexplicably fascinated by everything about him. And that, apparently, included what was inside his head. <I was just asking because…> Stanley hesitated again, looking away nervously. <Because you were talking about food. Do you miss it?> “Talking about-? Wait, was I - oh! Oh, Stanley… ” The Narrator laughed a little; “That was a metaphor! I wasn’t literally talking about those things, I was simply describing-” Stanley shook his head vigorously; waving his hands. Oh no. He wanted him to stop talking. The Narrator’s words had apparently got him thinking, and now he was practically buzzing with questions, a torrent of them starting to spill out like angry hornets from a disturbed nest. <Do you ever get hungry?> “I, ah… ” Did he feel hungry? He’d never really thought about it, but come to think of it… no. He’d never felt hungry; not once since he’d woken up like this. No urge to eat meant he’d never even tried to, though he had no reason to believe he couldn’t… and what was equally strange was he’d had no urge to drink, either. Or sleep! Or - well, this one was convenient, at least - use the facilities. And yet somehow it had never crossed his mind that this was unusual at all-? The Narrator wondered for a moment if it was simply the way his body was now; transformed from a mere human into some kind of immortal and ever-moving construct, perhaps by a Higher Power with a twisted sense of humor. But then… that couldn’t be true, could it? Because now that he thought about it; not only had he never felt hungry or thirsty since The Parable began, but neither had Stanley. But Stanley - dear, simple Stanley - seemingly hadn’t noticed anything was amiss. And he was still persisting in asking questions. <Do you still eat?> “I don’t have to.” The Narrator said curtly, prickling with defensiveness. “Why is this so important to you, exactly?” Dodging the Narrator’s question like a protagonist from a much more exciting genre would dodge bullets, Stanley was already tilting his head quizzically, locking and loading  yet another question. He squinted, like he was trying to make sense of something. The Narrator squinted back. The questions were already annoying him, but there was very little that irritated him more than being ignored, and he was about to launch into a lengthy rant when Stanley pointed to his face and asked... <Where is your mouth?> “What!?” The Narrator huffed, immediately caught off-guard by such a ridiculous question. “I mean, really?? Goodness, Stanley, I can’t believe you have to ask that! Obviously it’s right here!” He pointed to his mouth. Stanley just looked hopelessly confused. “Ugh, don’t look at me like that... you look like a puppy with a headache.” The Narrator sighed, rolling his eyes a little as he relented. Evidently, this wasn’t going to stop unless he did something to stop it. “Alright, just give me a moment. This should put an end to all these bloody questions… ” He reached into his memories. No, not all of them were smashed, broken, piled up in ways that only sort-of made sense like some kind of junk yard - oh no, not at all! Events, people, faces, things that had happened when he’d used to be human, anything that was complicated was a mess… but memories of things? Ah yes, things! Things were simple. He could handle things; hell, he’d even fabricated an entire Memory Zone out of things! Things were great! In fact, things were fantastic. There was no way things could possibly end badly. So of course, taking a memory of a simple chocolate chip cookie and manifesting it was hardly any effort at all; Stanley jumped a little as it appeared in The Narrator’s hand with a small ‘pop’. “Since you’re so utterly fixated on this for some reason, Stanley - allow me to demonstrate.” He took a bite. ————————————————————————————————— Meanwhile; a man named Stanley wasn’t entirely sure what he’d just seen happen. Nor was he entirely sure what he was still seeing, right in front of him, right now, as the Narrator took a second bite of the cookie he’d just created out of seemingly nothing, with the mouth he didn’t seem to have. But he was chewing all the same, complete with crunching sounds as if he had teeth… and there was a distant look crossing his face for a moment, as if he was taking a moment to taste it… “Mm, that is… my, that is actually rather good… ” said The Narrator, his voice slightly muffled from a mouthful of cookie. “In fact it's very good - I think perhaps I’ve outdone myself!” He brought the dessert level with his face, and - again! - a big bite suddenly disappeared. Stanley couldn’t help but stare. Not just because of how unreal it looked, but because The Narrator looked… happy. Very happy. His whole body seemed to have relaxed; and as he took another bite he actually made small, happy sounds, one of his glove-hands touching his own cheek as he rocked back and forth on his heels. “Mm… mm! Oh, I wasn’t expecting… Stanley, I know I made this, but this really tastes home-made! It’s simply del-i-cious!“ - munch, crunch - “So crisp! And chewy in the center… dark chocolate chips, a little sprinkle of salt… my gosh, it’s divine!” Stanley watched as The Narrator… licked the chocolate off his fingers? Somehow he knew that was what he was doing, even though he didn’t see a tongue. Trying to make sense of it, as the man pulled a napkin from his pocket and cleaned himself off, was starting to make his head feel weird… “Oh, Stanley! You simply must try one!” The Narrator said eagerly, offering a cookie with his other hand - he actually laughed a little, the experience having made him almost giddy. “Go ahead, it’s not going to bite you!” Stanley hadn’t even heard a ‘pop’ this time and yet here it was - another cookie, being held between glove-fingers, right under his nose. He looked at it for a moment; just like the other cookie, it had come from seemingly nowhere. But the smell of vanilla and brown sugar was real enough to make his mouth water, and the chocolate chips almost seemed to glisten under the office lights, like they were just slightly melted… “Oh come on, Stanley! I make an entire Memory Zone for you to walk through, and a bloody cookie is what makes you stand there, mouth agape??” The Narrator snapped, irritated by Stanley’s continued hesitation. “This is quite the treat, I’ll have you know!” Stanley carefully reached out his hand. “Don’t make me change my mind, because I will scoff the entire thing if you don’t.” Stanley snatched the cookie like it might run away from him and took a big bite. Immediately, Stanley exhaled through his nose; yes, now he understood. Now he felt that tingling from his very core; that rapidly rising tide of joy! The cookie was warm, and sweet, and its perfectly crispy edge practically melted on his tongue like buttery cotton candy. The crunchy exterior and soft, chewy interior were a symphony of textures. The chunky, bittersweet dark chocolate was a rich, heavy bass. And popping here and there to balance out all that sugar were little crystalline flakes of sea salt, that came in a flash and vanished like falling stars… He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a cookie this good. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a cookie. And now he desperately wanted a glass of milk to go with it. Stanley gestured frantically at the Narrator, hardly able to form a coherent sign. “A glass of-? Oh of course, what was I thinking!” Another pop, and there was suddenly a glass of milk in his hand. Suppressing his excitement for just a moment, Stanley steeled his nerves and sipped, letting the ice-cold drink contrast the gentle heat... and sighed. It tasted like how a warm blanket felt in the night air; his whole body wrapped in a comforting, nostalgic hug, made all the sweeter from the chill that lurked just on the edge. “Stanley, are you alright? You’re not allergic to something, are you?” The Narrator asked, squinting at him. “You’ve got a funny look on your face… ” Stanley couldn’t answer. Stanley was frozen in place. Stanley felt like he might cry. Stanley was unbelievably, overwhelmingly happy. Stanley desperately wanted to stim; to flap his hands out of sheer, overwhelming excitement, wrap his arms around himself and rock back and forth as his heart fluttered in his chest… but obviously he couldn’t, not with a cookie in one hand and a drink in the other. Then a particularly mischievous thought crept its way into his head, very softly, on tiptoe… and Stanley bit his lip. He shouldn’t. He really, really shouldn’t. He did. Stanley tore into the cookie like he was starving to the point of near-death; alternating between it and the milk in desperate gulps, crumbs falling between his fingers. He devoured the snack without any regard for table manners, office etiquette, or anything vaguely resembling human dignity - and he relished every single precious, visceral second of it, ending his frenzy with an utterly contented sigh. He stimmed gently, touching the backs of his own hands, enjoying the moment... “You, ah, must have been… hungry.” Then Stanley turned towards The Narrator. The smile fell from his face. And it may as well have shattered into pieces on the floor, from what he saw. The Narrator looked… pale. Almost like he was about to faint. Almost like he was expecting to get the worst news he’d ever heard in his life; news which would break his heart in such a way it would never heal right, and he’d carry this moment’s phantom pain for a lifetime. And Stanley, somehow, could tell clear as day what he was thinking… much like The Narrator seemed able to read his thoughts sometimes… In his obsessive quest to get his perfect ending, had he let his protagonist starve? <NO, NO!> Stanley shook his head, waving his hands in protest. He hadn’t been hungry, not at all! He knew he hadn’t been hungry in a long time and that had never really bothered him! After all, as The Narrator’s very important and heroic Protagonist, he’d had no shortage of very important and heroic things to do! But… Looking at the remaining chocolate stains on his shaking hands, he couldn’t deny, something else inside him had been absolutely ravenous. Something that had been so, so hungry, and was so, so thankful to be finally fed. With that hunger finally sated, there was a warm feeling curled up cozily inside him, like a purring cat on his chest. …It was almost like… “Like when you put your hand on me for the first time.” mused The Narrator, distantly. “You’re not hungry, but you haven’t tasted anything in hell knows how long… ” <And you haven’t, either!>, signed Stanley, a desperate, sympathetic look on his face. <Didn’t you ever make anything for yourself??> “I suppose the thought just never really occurred to me…” The Narrator sighed dejectedly, his face still a picture of regret. “I mean, I’m honestly surprised I even remembered how food tasted at all, but… knowing you were deprived of that joy… ?” Uh-oh. Stanley knew that look on The Narrator’s face; he only got that look when he was about to have another ‘crisis’, remembering or realizing something awful that sent him into a spiral of self-loathing and hopelessness. Sometimes he’d even ‘unload his model’ and disappear for what felt like hours, leaving nothing but the distant sound of sobbing; or worse, a horrible, yawning chasm of silence. Stanley reached out, gently taking the Narrator’s glove-hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb; just like The Narrator did for him, when he felt overwhelmed. He just wanted him to be alright, please just be alright, but those big plastic eyes still looked so sad... “Oh, Stanley… you didn’t deserve that… ” The Narrator closed his eyes. He wasn’t crying, but Stanley listened to the sound and speed of his breathing, trying to gauge his mood, his emotions, trying to somehow figure this out and make him be alright again. Somehow, he had to try to take The Narrator’s focus off the idea that he’d hurt him… he needed to… he needed to sign something to snap him out of it, maybe? It was worth trying, if it meant even a slim chance of breaking the terrible, slowly rising tension. <Can you make more?> Not to mention the anxiety he himself was struggling to keep at bay; that maybe this time would be the time The Narrator wouldn’t come back. That he’d be alone again. And that it would be his fault somehow. “I… wait, what was that? Didn’t quite catch-” Stanley smiled excitedly; The Narrator had his eyes open again - and what was more, the stars had somehow aligned and fate had weaved its threads to grant him an idea! <You can make anything! You made the Memory Zone! You made the Baby Game! You even made me fly through space! So different kinds of food should be easy, right?> A cheeky little smirk crossed his face. <...Or is it too hard for you?> “WHAT?? Too HARD?!” The Narrator huffed, getting so riled up it almost looked like the liquid in his stomach was bubbling, boiling like a kettle. “Too hard indeed! What, do you think a vast, sprawling imagination like mine is restricted to mere snacks? That the depths of my wildest dreams contain no more than simple, infantile finger foods!?” Stanley relaxed his shoulders. Ah, much better; all he’d had to do was push the right buttons, and there was no more cringing, shrinking, or apologizing! The loud, proud, pompous voice that he adored was back! Though he’d have hardly called a chocolate chip cookie like that one ‘infantile’... “I mean after all, this is my story! And even if it is irrelevant to our ultimate goal, well, isn’t the journey just as important as the end? Is it not important to let our heroes breathe? To let them laugh, and love, and feast??” Stanley watched excitedly; The Narrator was gesturing energetically, pointing his finger in the air. He’d learned from their time together - that is, actually together, now that he could actually see him - that meant he was on a roll. And that always led somewhere interesting. “Well we shall feast! In fact, we shall have a veritable buffet!” Stanley snorted and bit his lip as he tried to keep a straight face; he’d pronounced it ‘boo-fay’, with a great amount of dramatic flair, which tickled him terribly. But he allowed him to continue… “Yes, a collection of culinary concoctions and creative cuisine! I see it now… there’ll be appetizers that delight and entrance! Entrees and side dishes, rivaling the banquets of kings! Desserts and patisserie to make you weep sugary tears of joy! Cocktails! A cheese course! Little things on sticks! Yes, yes, it’ll be fantastic! Stupendous, even! In fact, it’ll be-” …Until Stanley bravely put one hand on The Narrator’s shoulder, his gaze suddenly steely and determined. This could be his only chance he’d ever get for The Narrator to go along with an idea of his in its entirety. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it now - and he did, signing with his free hand. “A picnic in the Memory Zone… ?”