#I’ve finally got a solid idea of what I want to write about

[oscargender]

Made some really good progress on my novella today!!

[hellodarling1357]

Battlefield Confessions (Cassian x Reader)

Just a short one to get the writing juices flowing again, it's been a tough week!

I'm (very slowly) getting to all my requests and I'm so sorry it's taken me so long! I've loved all the ideas so much but have been in the middle of moving and a heap of other drama so been a bit distracted lately.

Anyway, I couldn't not write about a mid-fight love confession so here it is!

Enjoy 🥰

Word Count: 1,050

You and Cassian had been treading around one another for years. It was always a situation of right person, wrong time, and a constant will-they-won’t-they amongst your friends. It wasn’t until a heated screaming match in the middle of the battle against Hybern where Cassian was berating you about risking yourself to protect him from an unnoticed Hybern soldier that it all came out.

“It was a stupid, reckless move, Y/N. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” Cassian had shouted as he slammed his sword down into an approaching soldier, pulling you back as he did so.

“Funny that, coming from you,” Barely jumping out of the way as another solider advanced, flipping your dagger into him as he stumbled against Cassian’s hold. “Aren’t you the one who had your wings shredded, and then had all your organs hanging out a few months later? Not to mention all the times when—"

“Alright, got your point,” Cassian panted in a moment of reprieve as he eyed the battlefield. “Doesn’t change the fact that you risking yourself for me is not worth it and goes against every order you’ve been given, from both Rhys and myself. Don’t do it again.”

“It’s not up you to decide what I think is worth risking… On your left.” You shouted at the sudden appearance of a small cluster of soldiers that sent Cassian’s Siphons blazing, the red light blasting into the majority of the group, leaving the rest as easy pickings for the two of you as you fought against them. “As I was saying,” You panted, “I’ll decide if I think you’re worth it or not and, as it happens, I do, so stop complaining.”

He let out a scoff at your words, shaking his head and contemplating sending you back to the row of tents to help the healers to get you out of the fray if this was how you were going to act. Before he could say as much, he just had time to push you aside as a soldier snuck up on the two of you and raised his sword behind your back. Cassian was quick in disarming him, sending his lifeless body to the ground as he reached out a hand to help you up.

“You alright?”

“Yeah,” Your voice was a bit breathless, but you blinked the shock away as Cassian quickly looked you over for any injuries. “I’m fine, Cass.”

“Okay, okay. Look, I need you to go check in on the others. Find Madja, ask her if she needs any assistance.”

Anger bubbled inside of you as you realised what he was doing.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Y/N…” He gave you a look, the look he usually reserved for out of line soldiers, but you knew him, knew it was just a tactic to try to get you to listen.

“No. I’m not one of your soldiers, you can’t just order me away because you don’t think I’m capable enough.”

“Y/N, you know that I know you’re more than capable. But right now, I need you off the field, it’s a liability having you here.”

“A liability?” Your voice was cold as you looked over the male in front of you. “After everything that we’ve been through, everything I’ve done to prove… How dare you say that to me.” If it weren’t for the battle raging around you, you were certain that tears would be welling in your eyes.

“No, that came out wrong. Look, it’s just—"

But you weren’t listening, didn’t want to listen as he came up with whatever excuse he had forming.

“It’s just what, Cassian?” You were yelling now, glaring at the General with fire in your eyes as the sounds of the battle muffled against the growing tension.

Cassian looked as though he had a battle of his own raging through his head as he glared back, finally muttering “fuck it” as he marched over to you. Unsure of what he was doing, you pulled yourself to your full height, ready to fight if he was going to attempt forcing you to leave. But as Cassian stopped in front of you, close enough that your chests were almost touching, the look in his eyes had you balking. He reached for you then, one hand cupping your cheek and the other playing with the end of your braid. And as he crashed his lips to yours, your body went utterly still, unexpected shock taking over all of your senses.

He pulled back, looking you over before saying “it’s just that,” he repeated from earlier, “I am so utterly and completely in love with you that the thought of you being out here is a liability because I can only focus on what you’re doing, where you are, if you’re okay. My head isn’t in this battle while you’re here with me, so I need you to go.” You stared at him before being pulled aside, your ears met with the sound of clashing swords as another assault of Hybern soldiers were released on you. The bodies piled up around you, leaving you gasping for breath and wiping blood from your hands.

“That,” Cassian panted, “is why I need you to get out of here. I was so distracted I only just saw them approach, another second and it would’ve been too late.”

You pressed up onto your toes, stretching until your lips met his in a hurried, frantic kiss. “Well, I’m definitely not leaving now.” You said against his mouth.

“Y/N…”

“I love you too, idiot. And you’re stupid if you think I’m going to leave your side after that.”

He knew there was no arguing with you, that it would be a waste of energy and even more of a distraction from what was happening around him. Instead, Cassian squeezed your hand as he said, “Let’s just get this over with,” shoulders rolling as he observed the fight around you.

“Let’s. Then we can go home and finally act on this. I knew you liked me.” Despite the battle and death piling around you, a cheeky smile graced your features

Cassian rolled his eyes at your wink, unable to contain the smile that tugged at his mouth. Even in the middle of a war you found ways to make him laugh and he couldn’t wait until this was all over and the two of you could finally stop beating around the bush and start a life together.

***** As always, please send me any requests you have or just drop in for a chat 🥰

[crashandlivewrites]

A valentine's gift for @ohworm-writes from the lovely @bunnyreaper's latest writing event. I had fun writing Nikolai! He's always been a guilty pleasure so I hope I could do him justice.

Pairing: Nikolai (COD) x GN!Reader (afab presenting, Cam's name is used a couple of times) x John Price

CW: MDNI 18+ content, NSFW, John being a voyeur in his own relationship, unprotected PiV

WC: 2.3k

To say Nikolai made you nervous would be an understatement. Despite having been with John for several years, as large of a man as he was, there was something about Nikolai that made your heartbeat a little faster, made the hairs on the back of your neck stand. 

John was fully aware of it too, even participated in light teasing once Nikolai was out of earshot. But tonight was different. John had invited Nikolai over for dinner and drinks, something which you’d been happy to accommodate and leave the men to their business. However, it seemed John had other plans. 

There was a point where you’d attempted to bid the men goodnight, but you hadn’t gotten far. A heavy arm brushed against your body, a firm hand tugging on your waist until you found yourself perched in John’s lap.

You tried to protest, but John’s grip was solid, holding you against his chest as he pressed a gentle kiss to your shoulder, before continuing his conversation.  

“Are we boring you, sweet thing?” Nikolai chuckled, his voice low as he leaned back in his seat, draining the rest of his glass. “I thought you would have been even more nervous about tonight.”

Furrowing your brows in confusion, you look over at Nikolai for a moment before glancing at John, who was just staring, unblinking at you. 

“I haven’t brought it up yet, but I don’t think they’ll take much convincing to come around.”

“Haven’t told me what?” John’s hand tightened on your waist, fingers dancing under the hem of your loose shirt and teasing the bare skin underneath.

“Just an idea I’ve had floating around for a while.” His cryptic reply wasn’t helped with the way his hands continued to slide up your torso, squeezing softly as he went. “I see how you get around Nik, love. Just got me curious, if you’d be interested.”

Turning your head back to look at Nikolai, you felt a shiver run through your body at the intensity of his stare. Ducking your head, you almost felt ashamed of the way your body reacted to him, but that didn’t last long. Reaching around you, John tilted your head back to face him, his eyes soft and understanding. Cupping your cheek tenderly, he leaned in to whisper in your ear. 

“I want it, love. Want to see you and him together. Think you can do that for me?”

Swallowing thickly, you nodded, slowly sliding off his lap and pushing yourself up to walk over to Nikolai, who was still lounging in the chair. As you stepped closer, he spread his knees wide, giving you the space to stand between his legs. Pushing himself forward, Nikolai slid his hands along his thighs to rest on his knees, fingertips dancing a hair’s breadth away from your legs. The air felt charged, tense as the pair of you stared at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. 

Finally, Nikolai shifted, sucking in a breath as he watched your expression carefully. 

“Do you want this? Anything you don’t want, Cam, you let me know.” You nodded in response, but Nikolai tittered, shaking his head. “I want words from you, sweet thing.”

“Yes, Nik. I want this. I want you.” Speaking felt like an effort with how dry your throat felt. Nikolai just smirked, eyes darkening as a large hand slid up the back of your thigh, pulling you closer until you were straddling his lap. 

“Much better.” He grinned, sliding his hands up your shirt, slowly pulling it upwards, giving you enough time to stop him if you wanted. Tugging it off and throwing the cloth aside, he let out a deep rumble in the back of his throat. “John said you were gorgeous. Didn’t nearly give you justice.”

“I had to give you something to look forward to.” John sniffed a reply, making Nikolai chuckle.

“I still would have wanted to get my hands on them even with a clear picture of what they looked like.” Heat coursed through your body at his words and you felt your heart skip a beat. Blinking, you drew your lip between your teeth and you slid your own hands up Nikolai’s broad chest, earning a wide grin.

“You want me?” You couldn’t help the coy tone to your voice as your hands crept upwards to wrap around his neck.

“Why wouldn’t I want you, sweet thing?” He purred, hands gliding up and down your torso as he leaned in to pepper kisses up your neck. Sucking in a breath, you tilted your head back, giving him better access and he groaned appreciatively. “So responsive.” 

“I know they are.” John’s voice lulled in the background, a hint of amusement in his tone. “But come on, Nik. Thought you were going to give me a show?” 

“Patience goes a long way, Captain.” Nikolai gave John a sparing glance over your shoulder before returning his full attention to you, and lowering his voice so only you could hear. “Come on, sweet thing, let’s give your man a show, then, since he’s so impatient.” 

Giggling, you thread your fingers through his long hair before your mouth descends on his, kissing him deeply. His hands immediately slide down to your ass, squeezing the flesh momentarily before giving it a sharp slap. Gasping in surprise at the sting, he used the distraction to push his tongue into your mouth. 

One of his hands left your ass to cup the back of your head, holding you to him as his other encouraged your hips to begin grinding. Moaning, you followed his direction, rolling your hips over the seat of his pants as his kiss became consuming, making your head spin. The stubble on his face tickled your cheeks as the kiss intensified, his breath fanning over your face as your fingers tugged at the hair on the base of his neck.

Then, he breaks the kiss, pulling back to watch as you whine in frustration, chasing his swollen lips. Chuckling, he taps a finger under your chin, thumb tracing over your bottom lip. 

“Wanna see you, sweetheart. All of you.” Nodding, this time eagerly, you pushed back off his lap to strip off the rest of your clothes, but his hand quickly closed around your wrist. “Slowly, darling. Give us a show.” 

You did as you were told, slowly taking off the rest of your clothes as you were watched by the two hungry men. John hummed in his chair, eyes dark as he brought his cigar to his lips, other hand palming his trousers. 

“That’s it, love. Show Nik why you’re so good for me.”

“Fuck, sweetheart, no wonder John brags about you.”

The praise boosted your ego, their words making you feel more desirable than you ever had before. As you pulled down your underwear, finally leaving you bare before them, Nikolai’s jaw was clenched as he fumbled with his belt and tugged down his pants, pulling out his thick, ruddy cock. The tip was already weeping as he gave it a few tugs, beckoning you over with a twitch of his fingers.

Moving obediently, you settled yourself back onto Nikolai’s lap once more, eyes trained on the hard cock throbbing in Nikolai’s hand. A sliver of doubt crept its way into your mind at his size, and it must have shown on your face, because Nikolai huffed out a laugh.

“Don’t you worry. You’ll be able to take it. I’ll make it fit in you, sweet thing. No need to use that pretty head of yours, just take my cock like a good little whore.” His words dragged a whine out of you, hands pawing eagerly at his plush torso as you rocked your hips forward, your wet slit dragging up the thick length of his cock.

“Please…” Your breath hitched as your eyes fluttered, cunt aching and empty. Nikolai’s hand struck your ass once more, before rubbing it soothingly to ease the sting. 

“Patience.” He growled. His hand on your ass held you steady as his other slid between your legs, fingers tracing your wetness, circling your hole teasingly as he glanced over your shoulder. 

“Didn’t tell me they were impatient slut.” Nikolai’s tone was chiding, but you could hear John laughing, brushing it off. 

“Can’t ruin all the fun, Nik. Need to learn some things for yourself.” John’s voice was strained with arousal, that familiar gruff tone making your body shiver. “Look at that, love. Not even touching you and I affect you so much.”

Turning your head to look over your shoulder, you took in the view of John. He was slouched on the recliner, legs spread with his hand cupping his prominent bulge, pressing the heel of his palm against it as he rocked his hips upwards. Your mouth practically watered reflexively, but a firm hand around your jaw quickly redirected your attention. 

“Eyes on me.” Was all Nikolai said before he pressed two of his fingers deep into you. Moaning at the sudden intrusion, your nails dug into the meat of his shoulder as he brought his lips to your chest, sucking and nipping dark marks along the line of your collar bones. “That’s it, sweetheart. Sing for me.”

Your noises of pleasure filled the room, as did Nikolai’s words of praise, and John’s soft grunts. Nikolai took his time opening you up, spreading you over his thick fingers with careful precision, not stopping until you were practically dripping on his lap.

“Nik, please.” Your voice was strangled as your hips jerked in a feeble attempt to ride his fingers. Clicking his tongue, he withdrew the digits, bringing them up to his mouth and sucking them clean. Watching him with wide eyes, heat coursed through your body at the sight of him tasting you, and at the deep rumble he let out. 

“Fuck, you taste so fucking good. Need you on my cock now.” Pushing yourself up onto your knees, you hovered over his dick, feeling the bulbous head drag teasingly between your legs, collecting your slick before pressing into you, shallowly thrusting the head in and out of you. Groaning and rolling his head back, Nikolai’s large hands gripped your hips, holding you steady as he continued the torturously slow pace.

“Nikolai, I swear to god–,” The words you were trying to say were cut off by a sharp moan as Nikolai bucked his hips up as he pulled your hips down into him, burying his cock deep in you. Without waiting for you to adjust, he immediately began to bounce you on his lap, setting a harsh pace that made you choke on any words you tried to get out. 

“That’s what you needed, huh? Just needed a cock in you to shut you up, filthy whore.” 

“Fuck, Nik. Keep talking to them like that.” John grunted out behind you, the familiar slick sound of him stroking his cock joined the wet sounds of you bouncing on his friend’s dick. Whimpering softly, you blinked your eyes open, looking pleadingly at the man before you. 

“That’s it, slut. Take my cock. You were fucking made for it, weren’t you? So wet for me, so fucking good.” His voice dropped to an even rougher edge, gritting his teeth as you clenched around him and his hand struck your ass once more. “Fuck, do that for me again.”

You did, cunt pulsing around him as you felt yourself hurtling towards your release at an alarming rate. Moaning pathetically, you found it increasingly more difficult to keep your head up the more he fucked himself into you. His eyes were glued to the sight between your legs, watching his cock plunge in and out of you, covered in your slick.

“Nikolai… please. Please, please, please!” The words were pouring out of your mouth now, uncontrolled and desperate as your thighs ached with the effort.

“Do it. Come on, sweetheart. Come all over my cock.” The sight of Nikolai panting beneath you did you in. Between his rough pace and even rougher hands, you found yourself moaning sweetly, cunt spasming as you clenched rhythmically around his cock, making him curse and falter in his thrusts. 

Faintly, you could hear him mumbling something in Russian as he groaned, sweat dripping from his brow as he slammed you down on his cock one final time. You could feel him throbbing inside you, spilling his warm release deep with every twitch, making you shudder. Panting, you dropped your head down to rest on his shoulder, trying to collect yourself. One of his hands stroked up your back soothingly as he murmured sweet words of praise into your ear. 

“Did so fucking well for me, Cammy.” He whispered. “Looked so good for me, for us.” The mention of us brought you back to the situation, and you remembered John was in the room as well. Glancing back at him, you realised he’d moved and was now standing just behind you. 

“So proud of you.” Following Nikolai’s example, John glided a soft hand along your sweaty skin.

“Can we do this again?” The eagerness in your words was palpable, and John laughed.

“He’s a big man, love.” John mused, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he came up behind you, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “Think you could take us both?” 

“I know I can take you both.” You fluttered your lashes as you spoke, looking over your shoulder coyly at your partner. Nikolai let out a deep chuckle, hands gripping your ass and spreading your cheeks for John. 

“That’s what I like to hear, sweetheart. Gonna be so good for us, aren’t you Cammy?” The thick cock that was still stretching you out twitched with interest and you knew the night had only just begun.

[strniohoeee]

Dolor Pt. 2

Pairing: Chris Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N hasn’t seen Chris in a year and a half, but with the help of her friend she’s surprised by them🤭 Will those feelings still be there for one another?

Warnings⚠️: None, I’m not too sure how I feel about this one, but I had no other idea on how to write it so I hope y’all enjoy 🙃

Song for the imagine: ANGEL- Brent Faiyaz

Read part 1 here🫶🏽

Don’t ever leave my side, baby I’ll die

But from what I know, you’re always here to stay

You’re an angel in disguise

It has been a solid year and half since Chris and I broke up, a solid year and half of never seeing him or his brothers. It was very hard, but it also flew by. I wasn’t sure where a year and half went. It was honestly scary.

We both told each other we’d love to cross paths, and reconnect in a few months to be friends, but life got in the way, and that never happened. I’m honestly glad it didn’t, we were both so busy I believe it helped us move on from one another faster.

We all stood mutuals with each other on instagram and TikTok, but we just didn’t interact with each other. I watched them grow in all aspects, and it was amazing. I thought I’d be there to witness it first hand, but instead I was watching from the sidelines….it hurt me, but it had to be done.

My TikTok was flooded with videos of them from their tour they were just on, and it’s honestly crazy how much people can change in a year and a half. That didn’t even look like Chris. He was much more mature looking, sculpted cheekbones, shorter hair, stubble on his face…..Chris was looking good.

I shook that feeling off because I could not allow myself to fall back in love with Chris. It took me a long time to move on from him. I will always love the kid, but to fall out of love was hard. I hadn’t seen or talked to any other guys since splitting with Chris, and I wasn’t too sure if that was the same with him. Deep down I hoped it was.

I was scrolling on TikTok one day when I saw a clip of the triplets from their recent podcast video, they were doing a Q and A video, and somehow Chris pulled out a question asking about me. I decided to watch the video

“Okay so this person says how’s Y/N, and how have you been since the breakup. I’m currently going through my own break up right now, and I just need some advice” Chris read out

“So uh this is a good question. It’s been a year and a half since I’ve last seen Y/N, and it’s crazy to say it’s been that long, but it has. With the relationship we had and how special it was it took me a full year to finally be able to feel okay, and understand why we split up. It hurt and some part of me still hurts, but we told each other the night we broke up that we both will be okay because we’re strong, and that’s something I’ve been holding on to. I presume that she’s okay, I’ve seen her instagram posts and her TikTok’s, and she looks amazing. I actually really miss the girl. So I hope she’s doing great, and for you going through your break up just know everything happens for a reason and you’ll be okay take your time and work on yourself” he said

Oh god this was making it so hard for me not to call Chris and ask to see him….I missed him so badly

I scrolled some more and another clip popped up

“This person wants to know do you still love Y/N” Nick asked Chris

“Oh 100% that woman is my everything. Like we’ve said in the past we hope to cross paths again” Chris said nodding his head

This has to be a sign? Like this has to be a sign that I have to see him, that Chris and I are meant for each other right? Or am I being delusional……

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to call him, text him or just ignore all this and keep it pushing in life. I felt torn between my decisions

Today I was getting ready to film with Larray and Arrington. I had gotten so close to them within the last year, and we always filmed together. Larray was my biggest supporter in all this, and he was also friends with the triplets which kind of made it hard, but he never got in between anything. Although he hoped and prayed that we’d get back together one day I always told him time will tell.

He had an idea where we all stay in his car for 24 hours with special guests. I wasn’t sure who these guests were, and I wasn’t sure why he wanted us to stay in a car for 24 hours, but I agreed I knew it would be fun.

I had driven over to Larrays house, and let myself in

“YOOOOO” I yelled from the door

“Were in hereeee” Arrington yelled back

Oh god I was the last one here….I hated this, but anyways I walked to Larrays room, and when I walked in my heart sank

“Oh” was all I said as I walked in

“Hiiiii baby” Larray said, causing everybody to turn around with him the triplets face dropping

“What’s? Uh….whats going on” I said looking at Larray

“We’re filming a video, and I brought my friends” he said back

“It’s been so long” Chris said looking at me saddened

“It ummm it has” I said smiling at him

“We have missed you so fucking much….holy shit” Nick said running over and hugging me

“Uhh it’s been so fucking long I missed yall too” I said hugging him

“Matt you look so different now” I said jaw dropping and giving him a hug

“Good different I hope” he said hugging me

“Of course good different” I said laughing at him

I moved to Chris

“You look so different too” I said pulling him in for a hug

“I’ve missed you” he said hugging me tighter

“Missed you too” I said pulling away

After chatting for a bit Larray decided to film his introduction for his channel

“Alright bitches we are filming a 24 hour car video today, and of course I had to bring in my ride or dies Arrington and Y/N” he said and both Arrington and I made an entrance

“And then you know Larray had to stir the pot, so he brought the triplets” Arrington said to the camera causing us to laugh

“As uhhh most of you know there’s uh an elephant in this room between uh two people, but ummm we won’t talk about it” Larray said

And we just laughed at him

“You are so messy” I said to him rolling my eyes playfully

“Alright let’s get to the car bitches” he said and we ran out

I sat in the passenger seat, Chris and Arrington in the back, and then Nick and Matt in the third row

“Alright so right now we’re driving to Target which is 45 minutes away because Larray decided to do this video during rush hour” I said to the camera

“Uh- is that a drag?” He asked me

“It sure is” I said to him

“So Y/N….you said Matt looks different….you already had Chris so will you try another brother” Arrington asked me

I looked back at him jaw on the floor, as Chris and his brothers were laughing

“You weirdo Arrington, I will not fucking get with Matt” I said shaking my head

“Could you believe this kid” I said looking at the camera

“Ouuuu the fans want to know how many boyfriends since Chris” Larray asked me

“Boyfriends plural? Do they think I’m a slut….its only been a year and a half guys, and there’s been zero guys since Chris” I said shrugging my shoulders

“OHHHHHH CHRISSSS” Larray and Arrington yelled at him hyping him up

“She loves me too much to do that” Chris said to the camera

“Uh-“ I said turning around to look at him

“I’m just kidding” he said and touched my face playfully

“SAW THAT” Nick and Matt yelled from the back

We had finally gotten to Target, and Chris and I were paired up to go on the hunt for some things, and we had to vlog it together

“Alright guys I’m here with uh….my ex” I said to the camera

“What a great reunion” he said looking at the camera

“Who would’ve thought a year and a half later we’d be in Target shopping for a video together” I said looking at him

“I honestly thought it would’ve happened sooner, but I mean hey” he said shrugging his shoulders

“Oh whatever” I said rolling my eyes at him

Him and I were doing some shopping and grabbing some stuff, and we had found ourselves in the coloring book aisle

“Look the Disney coloring book, your favorite” he said leaning down to grab it

“You remembered?” I asked him

“Of course I did, and you only get specific coloring pencils cause you’re weird” he said laughing

“Hey don’t be mean” I said laughing at him

“It’s cute” he said smiling at me

“Do you ever think about us?” I asked him

“Pretty often actually” he said looking at me

“Do you think you see a future with me” I asked him

“I’ve thought about this a lot, and every time I picture my future you’re a main character in it” he said looking into my eyes

“This year and a half has been rough, and I so badly wanted nothing more than to cave and call you over, and just hold you tight” I said looking down

“I sat in my room for so many nights wondering if the decision I made was right, and after a while I just became numb to the feeling, but I want this again….I want us” he said

“I think we should start slow first. I want us to truly work out this time no break ups no nothing” I said to him

“I think so too, you should come film with us again we miss you so much, and the fans miss you too” he said

“I’ve seen…all over my tik tok” I said smiling at him

“Yeah they love you and I love you too so much” he said pulling me in for a hug

We finished vlogging some, and headed back to the car with everybody getting back in our original seats

“Okay everybody we are back, we’re going to go eat something and then we’ll be back in the car for the next 24 hours” Larray said

After we ate we went back into Larrays car trying to stick out this challenge and just chatting with each other asking each other questions

“How many girlfriends since Y/N?” Larray asked Chris

“None. I told yall she’s the love of my life” he said looking at the camera

“Awww Chris” I said looking at him

“HEY CITY GIRLS UP. Do not fall for this” Arrington said

“Shut the fuck up” I said laughing at him

“What’s one regret you have” Nick asked us

“I think my biggest regret was completely dropping you guys out of my life. Like no interactions no nothing that hurt the most” I said to them

“We appreciate that” Matt said

“How do you guys feel after seeing each other” Matt asked Chris and I

“Is this a hot seat? What are we doing” Chris said

“Shut the fuck up and answer” Nick said

“I feel at peace, like seeing him was the last piece to my puzzle. I still love Chris of course, and we’re hoping to take things slow, and eventually get together again” I said to them

“Yeah. I love her so much, and seeing her today brought back all those memories. Memories that made my heart flutter, and I knew I couldn’t let her go again” he said looking at me

“Yall cute as shit this has got to stop” Larray said

“So yall heard it here first they are back together” Arrington said to the camera

“WOAH WOAH NO” we both said putting our hands out

“We are taking it slow…we are not dating yet, and trust me you guys will know when we’re back together. It’s a maybe for right now” I said to the camera

“But she will be in our videos again” Chris said

“SHE WILL?” Nick and Matt said

“Yes she will!” He said to them

“FUCK YES FINALLY” Nick said getting excited

We had chatted for a good thirty more minutes before we decided this challenge was not going to happen

“Alright guys we did not make it, but we love you and we’re heading inside now” Larray said

“BYEEEEEE” we all yelled to the camera, Chris pulling me in and kissing my forehead

“Are you guys going to soft launch your comeback before I post this?” Larray asked us

“You know that’s not a bad idea actually” I said looking at Chris

“We could do that. I’d love to do that” he said pulling me in and kissing my cheek

“Yall soft launching but he smoochin on you” Matt said looking at us

“Uhhhh mind your business” Chris said sticking his tongue out at him

“OMG to keep it like private you guys could do like a couples shadow picture” Nick said

“Waittttt I love that let’s do it” I said to Chris

We had snapped the picture, and Chris posted it collabing with me once again so I can post and share it. Nick and Matt also shared it to their story saying the gangs back together and they can’t wait to film with me again. Immediately the love we got was INSANE

❤️nicolassturniolo,matthew.sturniolo,larray, and 450,000 others

christophersturniolo: I told you guys we’d always always find a way back to one another. Although we aren’t dating again we will be thinking about it for our future. I love this girl with my whole fucking heart, and I’m so glad we’re in each others lives again. She was my right person at the wrong time.My number one girl💍. Were back BITCHESSSSS🥳

Sturnioloteam: STFU THEYRE BACK

arringtonallen: mhmmm I was here for this picture so back off everyone

nicolassturniolo: mama and papa🫡

matthew.sturniolo: yall cute or whatever…..

larray: yall can thank me for this reunion MHMM💅🏽

Y/Nusername: my number one guy…love this kid so much💋

sturnioloooooo: I knew mom and dad would find each other again

The immense love we received was insane. Had you told me a year and a half ago today that all that pain would be gone, and we would find each other again I would laugh in your face. I guess I am making it to the end of his story….🥀

The End

I hope you guys liked this one I feel ehhh about it, but I had to have a happy ending🥹 but anywho let me get to writing some more 🖤

-J💅🏽

[mikewheelerfan2022]

Alright, I am now absolutely obsessed with the Camp Cretaceous dinosaur human hybrid AUs. I’ve stared at @silverthelovebug’s beautiful art for a long time, and I binge read @snugglylime’s amazing fic! I tagged them both so you can check their content out, which you absolutely should.

But that got me thinking about my own hybrid AU. Since both of the above ones are set during Camp Cretaceous, I decided I wanted to create an AU for Chaos Theory! Spoilers below, obviously.

Basically, in this AU, the Six are still being hunted. But instead of it being an assassination attempt, the goal is to capture them to use as human test subjects. Specifically, turning them into dinosaur human hybrids. That’s the main idea, although I’m still working some things out. Below are the dinosaurs I think they would be:

Ben: Ankylosaurus

Brooklynn: Allosaurus

Darius: ???

Kenji: Atrociraptor

Sammy: ???

Yaz: Becklespinax

Okay so for Ben, he would obviously be an Ankylosaurus, specifically Bumpy (rip Bumpy). And Brooklynn would be an Allosaurus, for obvious reasons. Specifically the one that was sent to kill her (though in this AU, it wasn’t meant to kill her). For Darius…well, I don’t now yet. He and Sammy I still haven’t figured out. The problem is I’m trying to use dinosaurs just from Chaos Theory. And I can’t really think of any that would work for Darius and Sammy (but I want them both to be herbivores to make an even balance of carnivores and herbivores). So loving on to Kenji, he would be an Atrociraptor. The only one that doesn’t appear in Chaos Theory is Red, so sure, why not. He’s Red now. I chose this dinosaur for him because although they were all hunted by the raptors, Daniel was killed by them which I think gives Kenji the closest connection to them. Finally, Yaz. I decided to make her a Becklespinax, mainly because they attacked the dinosaur free zone where she was living. I think that makes sense.

Honestly, I might wait until Season 2 comes out to flesh out this AU more. By then we should have more dinosaurs, more info about the people hunting the Six, etc. And who knows, what dinosaurs they are might completely change when Season 2 comes out.

But once I have a solid idea of the AU, you better believe I’m writing a fanfic! Fucked up fanfic ideas my beloved <3

[thatmexisaurusrex]

Okay, so I had posted the idea of a D.E.B.S. AU with HenRen as the main characters and BuckTommy as the side couple, and I sort of wrote it? Idk if I'll put this up on AO3. I'm not sure if anyone but me wanted this. But, enjoy! 🥰

NOW YOU CAN READ IT ON AO3 TOO!

There is a secret test hidden within the SAT. This test does not measure a student’s aptitude at reading, writing, and arithmetic. It measures a student’s innate ability to lie, cheat, fight, and kill. Those who score well are recruited into a secret paramilitary academy. Some call them seductresses. Some call them spies. Fools call them innocent. They call themselves, D.E.B.S.

*****

“Attention! Emergency Alert!” blasted the voice of Chief Simpson as Hen Wilson, valedictorian of the prestigious, the infamous, the secretive D.E.B.S. program practically – okay, so maybe she fell out of her bed, “That means report right now! Right this second! You have no time to sleep, people! Go, go, go! And I mean now!”

Hen wouldn’t say that this was usually how she liked to wake up. However, she had become accustomed to the routine over her three years in the program.

“The world might be destroyed while you nap! I need you guys up! Let’s go! I want everybody up!”

It was almost background noise as her muscle memory got her into her uniform and began to pack her bags before she could even realize what she was doing. In the distance, Hen could vaguely hear a phone ringing, but that wasn’t her problem, probably.

She needed to prep for the day.

“Move it, move it! Everybody in the house!”

“Hen, it’s for you,” said Buck as he handed her the phone.

“What?” said Hen as she looked down at the screen to see her most recent ex, Eva Mathis, on the other end, “Eva? No. No! I’m not – I’m not talking about this anymore.”

Hen ended the call on their home phone, continuing to prepare for the day.

Hen had broken up with Eva. It had been a long time coming. Something wasn’t it. They didn’t mesh. Maybe at first, things were exciting and passionate, but there was something missing there.

Something joyful.

And Hen wasn’t sure if she could stay in a relationship that fell into turbulence way more often than it was solid. Hen couldn’t live like that anymore. She wanted something, well. Not easy. But she wanted someone who didn’t feel like oil and water. Someone who wanted more than this constant cycle of fighting then makeup sex.

Hen grabbed her backpack – only for Eva to call on Hen’s cell.

Hen picked up.

“Eva, seriously, it’s not a good time,” said Hen as she heard Simpson counting down from ten on the house speakers.

Hen ended the call on her cellphone as she slung her backpack over her shoulder… only for Eva to Facetime. Again. On Hen’s iPad of all things!

“When? When is a good time?” asked Eva desperately.

And Hen knew these were the signs. Of Eva getting Hen to let her crawl back to Hen. But Hen was finally breaking the cycle. She was saying no to this relationship. She had told Chimney she wasn’t going to do this anymore. She had told herself. She was finally going to strive for something else.

A healthier relationship.

“Stop calling,” said Hen as she ended the call once more.

“Hen!” yelled Buck from probably the foyer of the house Hen shared with three other D.E.B.S. – Buck, Eddie, and Chimney.

Shit.

Hen was probably the last ready. Being the best in her year didn’t mean she was the most punctual, unfortunately.

“I’m coming!” yelled Hen as – as her smart watch began ringing.

“After everything we’ve been through?” asked Eva, crying all the crocodile tears in the world as she lashed out, “I guess nobody’s good enough for Little Miss Perfect Score.”

“Goodbye, Eva,” said Hen as she ended the call on her phone and ran down the stairs.

“Three… two… one!” called Simpson over the speakers of Hen’s home just as she and the other agents made it out of their house.

They hopped into their car as Eddie got into the driver’s seat.

“We’re going to be late,” said Chimney.

“No, we’re not. I’ve got this,” said Eddie, the Chevelle speeding almost at mock speed.

Hen quickly put her seatbelt on as Eddie swerved through traffic; a school bus honking as they cut in front of them; people yelling as Eddie snaked through lanes and barely made lights.

This.

Felt like the right time to announce her new singlehood, right?

Why not?

“I broke up with Eva!” yelled Hen into the sounds of very angry traffic.

“What?” asked Buck from the back.

“I broke up with Eva!” yelled Hen even louder.

“Oh my god, why?” asked Eddie, who sounded more curious than brokenhearted by the news.

Maybe because it had taken so long for Hen to reach her last straw.

“She’s just – she’s not good for me. I want something more in life, you know?” said Hen as Eddie made a sharp right turn, barreling toward their campus, “Someone better.”

“Good,” said Chimney, “She was an ass.”

“Yeah, she kind of was,” agreed Buck.

“I just wasn’t in love with her,” said Hen, “I finally realized I wasn’t in love with her.”

“What?” called Buck from the back.

Eddie parked, all noise seeming to abruptly stop as Hen loudly pronounced, “I said, I want to be in love!”

And.

The whole campus was staring at her now.

Great.

They all got out of the Chevelle, making their way into the academy that they had come to know for the last three years.

D.E.B.S. Academy.

“Hen,” called Chief Simpson, gesturing for Hen and her fellow housemates to come over and into his office.

Chief Simpson had long since put up his grappling hook and night vision goggles, focusing on teaching the next generation of spies at the Academy, though, there were rumors that he had taken the job to accrue influence amongst the up-and-coming spies of tomorrow.

“We have a special guest with us,” said Chief Simpson as, via hologram, a woman known only as Councilwoman Ortiz appeared before them.

The name was merely a moniker. Councilwoman Ortiz had worn many a name as an undercover operative. She was supposedly one of the best of the best in terms of alumni from the Academy, But something felt – off about her. She seemed colder than Hen thought she would be. A little detached. Hen wondered if that was what all spies became, in the end.

Empty.

Do you want to be a spy?

The question whispered in the back of Hen’s mind once again. An unending question that seemed to loop. It used to be such a tiny voice, but it had grown louder by the year, by the month, by the day now.

Was this what Hen wanted?

Did Hen want to live in subterfuge for the rest of her life? Turn out like Ortiz?

“Councilwoman Ortiz,” said Hen, straightening up.

“She never comes down here,” said Buck excitedly.

“Agents,” said Ortiz.

“I just want to say what a pleasure it is to meet you,” said Chimney before Ortiz cut him off with the raising of her hand.

“No time for pleasantries,” said Ortiz as she turned her attention to Simpson, “A matter of some urgency has come to my attention. Karen Mars is back in the States.”

“Dios,” whispered Eddie, “Wait. Who?”

“Oh, shit,” said Buck.

“You’re kidding,” said Hen excitedly, “I’m writing my thesis on her!”

She really was. She was writing her term paper for her “Capes and Capers: Gender Reconstruction and the Criminal Mastermind” class on one Karen Mars. It was a hard topic to cover. There was only anecdotal evidence on Karen. No one had ever actually spoken to Karen and lived to tell the tale supposedly, but Hen was enraptured.

Transfixed.

So much so that she found herself losing nights in the sparse accounts on Karen Mars.

Technically, Hen’s thesis was on the hypothesis that as a woman operating in a male-dominated field, Karen felt the need to overcompensate by being exponentially bolder and more diabolical in her schemes than her established male counterparts, but the more Hen researched the woman, well, the less she felt like Hen had grounds to stand by that hypothesis.

There was something about Karen Mars.

And.

Hen had.

Okay, well, maybe Hen had a bit of a crush on Karen Mars.

Who wouldn’t? Karen Mars was a genius. She was one of the smartest, best villains out there. She was running circles around everyone, no matter what side.

Ortiz raised an eyebrow at Hen, as if… suspicious of Hen’s enthusiasm.

That didn’t feel particularly great.

“I expect to be kept in the loop on this one,” said Ortiz, looking straight at Hen.

Hen flinched.

“Let’s show some hustle,” continued Ortiz with a strained smile that didn’t reach her eyes before she allowed her hologram to dissipate.

“Wow,” said Chimney, not sounding all that impressed by Ortiz.

“I can’t believe she’s back,” said Hen, stunned.

“Who’s Karen Mars?” asked Eddie, a little out of the loop.

“Karen Mars,” said Buck dramatically, and okay, a little excitedly as Chief Simpson pulled out the stats on Karen Mars on his big screen, “Little is known about her backstory other than, after the dust settled in the decade-long feud between the Reynold Crime Syndicate and the Schaffers, it was Karen Mars who was there to collect the keys of the kingdom in the power vacuum. While connected to many illegal activities, her specialty is meteor theft. Space rocks, whether they fell from the sky or were brought back from the moon or – ”

“Mars,” said Hen with a smile.

“Yup! Mars!” said Buck, nodding his head vigorously.

“But isn’t she protected by, like, a loyal band of mercenaries,” Chimney pointed out, “Led by, uh. I think his name’s Tommy?”

“Tommy?” said Buck, as he stared at the photos displayed of the man and… was Hen seeing things?

Was Buck checking Tommy’s photos out?

“… Buck?” asked Hen, bringing Buck back to the conversation.

“Right! It is believed Karen Mars was behind the plot to sink Australia. Three attempts have been made to apprehend her. All failed,” said Buck, and he sounded more fascinated by Karen, maybe even impressed, than anything else, “She went underground and has not been seen or heard from since."

"Yikes,” said Eddie.

“That’s not even the bad part,” said Hen, knowing all this information already.

“What’s the bad part?” asked Eddie.

“No one has fought her and lived to tell about it,” said Buck, and it sounded like the conclusion of a ghost story.

“So, why do you think she’s back in town?” asked Chimney as he glanced between the group and Hen.

And.

Okay.

She could see it. Chimney gauging how Hen was feeling about this discussion. Which was ridiculous. Just because Hen was a little obsessed with the supervillain didn’t mean she was – she was going to be jealous about Karen visiting someone else in town.

Or.

That she wanted to be that person Karen was visiting or anything.

Not that.

Not that Hen would be against that. For. Uh. For thesis purposes, of course.

“Our intel suggests that she’s in town to meet this woman. Lucy Donato,” said Chief Simpson as he pulled up the criminal record of one Lucy Donato, “Master thief. Alleged ‘heart stealer’, if the dating profile she has up is factual. Freelance pilot for the worst of the worst.”

Hen.

Okay, there wasn’t really much Hen could say about Lucy Donato. She seemed cool. And she flew planes. And she stole hearts. And she had a great smile.

Hen could have a great smile too.

Scratch that, Hen did have a great smile. A fantastic smile.

Hen wasn’t annoyed that Karen was meeting up with Lucy.

“Find out what Lucy is up to. Strictly surveillance,” announced Chief Simpson, finally giving the four of them their mission, “Do not try to apprehend her yourselves. Hen, you’re in charge. Chimney, you’re second. And, D.E.B.S., be careful.”

And just like that, Chief Simpson disappeared; a hologram himself.

Hen found herself staring at the photos of Lucy Donato and Karen Mars up on the screen.

“What does a recluse criminal want with a freelance pilot?” asked Hen, the entire situation rubbing her the wrong way.

*****

Karen Mars stared at the information on Lucy Donato.

She seemed… nice enough.

Winning smile.

Great personality from the looks of it.

Criminal record as long as the Eiffel Tower.

Lucy Donato made sense for Karen. Lucy Donato wasn’t necessarily a bad idea for a first date in a long while, as far as dates went.

But it wasn’t as if Karen had asked to go on this date.

Tommy Kinard, the guy who got Karen this date in the first place, wandered over behind Karen, staring at the screen too.

“You’re scheduled meet, 2000 hours,” said Tommy helpfully, “Melton tipped us. Said she was available. She’s in from Prague. Relocating stateside.”

“A freelance pilot?” asked Karen, a little confused.

Tommy shrugged.

“I know a lot of pilots,” said Tommy, and Karen laughed.

Tommy Kinard was a wall of muscle, deadpan humor to make the gallows question themselves, and all teddy bear once Karen got to know him. She had picked him up after the army had spat him out whole just like the space program did to Karen due to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and they had been best friends ever since.

Not that Karen had been asking her best friend to set her up on a blind date.

Karen sighed.

“Where’s the meet?” asked Karen.

“Les Deux Amours,” said Tommy, and Karen could hear the sparkles and rom-com in his tone, “Trendy, yet discreet.”

The man loved a good romance novel and it showed sometimes.

And Karen was staring that down right now.

Staring at this woman.

Who could possibly be her next girlfriend if Karen really wanted that.

And.

And.

And, Karen really did have better things to do. She shouldn’t be wasting her time on dates.

“Cancel it,” said Karen as she stood up and strode away.

“Why?” asked Tommy as he walked quickly to catch up with Karen, “It’s all set up.”

“I don’t do blind dates,” said Karen with a shrug.

Because.

Maybe she wasn’t ready for this. Maybe she wasn’t up to dipping a toe into the dating scene just yet.

“Well, it’s not a blind date if you know what they look like,” offered Tommy, and, okay, maybe he was right about that, but Karen still felt like this was a blind date.

“Tell her I’m not coming,” said Karen, actively running away from the very idea of this date, “Say – say I came down with something.”

Because.

Karen could put this off a little longer.

She didn’t need to go on a date just yet.

“Karen, it’s been two years,” said Tommy, “You have to get out there.”

“I am out there,” hedged Karen like a liar, “I went out with that drummer, the girl that talked loud.”

Karen hated her.

But she went out with her.

“You didn’t go out with her. We all went out together,” Tommy pointed out, which was true, but still, “Then, you lied and said you had food poisoning and you went home early.”

And Tommy didn’t mean this as you have to date.

Karen knew that.

But she still felt a little cornered as she countered defensively, “Yeah, well, she talked really loud, even when you were right next to her.”

Which was annoying. And Tommy nodded, agreeing, but Karen could see the but in his eyes. The worry that came from a good place.

And Karen liked that about her best friend, her top henchman, but still.

Still.

Karen felt antsy about this.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Tommy said, calling Karen out rightfully; not unkindly; softer than how he might usually, even, “You’re trying to drown yourself in your little schemes to destroy the world, but you need to get over it. You were dumped.”

“I was not dumped,” Karen lied again, not wanting to think about that.

“You were dumped hard,” said Tommy, “And that sucks. You took time off to go to Antarctica.”

“Reykjavik,” she said, giving Tommy what he really wanted and turning to face his annoying, smiling face, and – okay, Karen was smiling a bit too, “It’s in Iceland.”

And that came out more as a whine than more information.

“But now it’s time to get back in the game, Karen,” said Tommy, “You’ve got a fun, easy breezy date tonight with a freelance pilot who likes walks on the beach – ”

Karen laughed.

“Really?”

“Yes. Really. Check her Villain & Me profile. You’re going on this nothing date. You’re going to get dressed in something fun and not think about sinking England into the ocean for a few hours and you’re gonna show up.”

Tommy placed his hands on Karen’s shoulders.

“Karen.”

Karen.

Karen nodded, agreeing.

She could go on a nothing date. Tommy had been there through thick and thin over the years for Karen, she could do this for Tommy.

“Fine,” Karen groaned as she nodded, “Okay, I’ll go. I’ll be there.”

“Just promise me you’ll be open. It doesn’t have to happen, but you know – be open to it.”

“Open to what?”

“Open to love.”

Karen.

Sighed.

And, okay, that wasn’t that big of an ask.

“Fine,” said Karen faux-begrudgingly, “I’ll be open to love.”

*****

Karen sat in the car, just… staring out at the restaurant.

“You can do this,” said Tommy, trying to pump up his best friend.

Because he was a good best-friend-slash-top-henchman. And Karen was not ready for this date.

“Why is it that I can hold the world hostage but I’m scared of going on a blind date?” asked Karen as she shifted in her seat.

“Because love is harder than crime,” Tommy said simply.

And.

Karen laughed.

“Yeah. Maybe it is,” said Karen, opening her car door anyway.

“It is. Now, knock them dead. But not really.”

“Sure,” said Karen.

Who.

Took a deep breath in.

Exhaled.

And.

Walked into Les Deux Amours. The place was filled with the baddest of the bad; villains out on date nights and anniversaries. Karen, a woman of many talents, zeroed in on her date.

Lucy Donato.

Waiting casually at their table.

Nervously, Karen made her way to Lucy.

Normal.

Come off.

As normal, Karen.

“Hi. Sorry I’m late. Got lost,” explained Karen as she sat down.

“No problem. I was early,” said Lucy, and Karen wasn’t sure if Lucy was being casual or a little too blunt with how she answered.

Karen wasn’t sure where she stood.

“I, uh. I’ll have the cod,” Karen tried, the waiter not making Karen any less awkward about this date, “And I’ll have the wine. Would – would you like the wine?”

“Another vodka shot,” said Lucy clearly, “Straight.”

“Uh. So… you’re a freelance pilot?”

“Yup.”

Okay.

“How – how does that work?” asked the literal rocket scientist.

Great.

Now Lucy was giving her a look before she chugged her entire vodka shot.

And.

Karen could just feel it in her bones.

This date wasn’t going to go well.

*****

“Wow, Karen Mars, she’s…” Hen started, staring at.

At Karen Mars.

She and her other D.E.B.S. were up in the scaffolding of the restaurant Les Deux Amours. Stakeouts usually proved to be boring.

But.

But Hen found herself transfixed on Karen Mars.

Karen.

Who might have been the most gorgeous woman Hen had ever seen? With beautiful braids, with the best figure, with a wonderful black pantsuit on that looked fantastic on her.

Karen.

Who was currently on what looked to be a date with a certain freelance pilot.

And.

Hen couldn’t seem to look away from it.

Well.

Maybe that was good for the mission. They were supposed to be on a stakeout.

“She’s what?” asked Chimney, because Hen never finished her sentence.

“Real,” breathed Hen, “I – I never thought I’d see her in person.

And.

Hen just kept staring at her.

“ – en? Hey, Hen?” asked Chimney as he bumped shoulders with Hen.

“Sorry, what?” asked Hen, barely managing to peel her eyes away from Karen Mars.

Karen Mars in the flesh.

Chimney.

Looked from Hen to Karen then back.

“Who’s your best friend?” asked Chimney.

“You’re my best friend,” Hen pointed out.

“What was the first thing you ever told me?” asked Chimney.

“‘That’s my bunk, bitch’,” said Hen fondly, remembering that first day.

They had just started. First years in their spy academy. And while Hen wasn’t sure even then if she wanted to be a spy, she knew she was born for it. She knew she would be the best. And she and Chimney?

They had clicked instantly.

Best friends ever since.

“Okay, after you said that,” said Chimney.

“We need to stick together,” said Hen.

Because.

D.E.B.S. Academy was hard. It was cruel. It could be downright vicious. And the only way to get through it was to have a good group of friends; a found family to have your back.

And Chimney really had become family.

All of them.

Chimney, Buck, Eddie – they were all Hen’s people.

“I’m not trying to, like, tell you what to do,” said Buck as he glanced from Hen to the date below them, “But from what I can tell, that date is not going well. And trust me, I’ve been on some really bad dates.”

Hen.

Quirked an eyebrow.

“What are you trying to tell me here?” asked Hen curiously as all her friends exchanged glances.

“It’s just – you’ve been talking about Karen Mars a lot today. You’ve kind of been gushing about her,” said Eddie helpfully, “Maybe – maybe she’s more than a subject of a thesis paper to you. And maybe – maybe that would be good.”

“To date a villain?” asked Hen.

“No one’s perfect,” said Chimney with a shrug, “And most of what she does is steal space rocks from asshole billionaires. She usually donates them to museums. You told us that.”

“I mean – I did,” said Hen, and she had basically infodumped everything she knew about Karen Mars to her friends on the way to their mission.

“Hey, uh. If you – if you talk to her, do you think you could see if her friend Tommy’s single?” asked Buck, and – okay.

Okay, that was new.

Hen had seen Buck looking at guys for a long time, but she had never seen him seek one out before. Hen smirked at that.

“Why do you want to know?” asked Hen way too innocently.

“For, uh. Reasons. Maybe I have a thesis on Tommy Kinard. You don’t know my term papers,” said Buck, and Hen laughed.

“I – I can’t just drop down there and get in the way of her failing blind date,” said Hen, because, yes, she could admit that it did look like a blind date going nowhere, “That’s not really how stakeouts work.”

“Screw the stakeout! We’ve got your back,” said Eddie.

“Yeah, who cares if we don’t do this right? Who cares if you’ve got this connection with some supposed evil scientist? Well? Maybe you should make the most of that,” agreed Buck, “Maybe it’s time to find that love you want!”

And.

That sounded a bit like a speech for both her and Buck.

But.

Hen was going to put a pin in that.

She was kind of having a crisis of her own at the moment.

“Yeah! And they have to be understanding if we fuck this up for true love, right?” said Chimney, grinning, “I mean – I’ve been listening to you talk about her for months. Something’s gotta give, right?”

And.

Something felt.

Felt maybe… planned here.

Hen.

Narrowed her eyes.

“What’s up with this, Chim?” asked Hen, “What are you not telling me?”

And Chimney looked as if he was debating what he should say.

And.

Well.

He seemed to fold.

“Okay. So, you know my friend? The pilot?” asked Chimney.

“…Tommy,” said Hen slowly, and.

And.

It couldn’t be the same Tommy, could it?

“Well, you know, I saved his life once and he owes me. And he had been talking about how Karen’s been having a lot of bad luck with love the last few years, and. Well. Lucy’s a red herring,” said Chimney, “The real date’s with you.”

“Me?” echoed Hen.

“Hen, I’ve never heard you so excited about someone since I’ve met you. And you told me you were splitting up with Eva for good,” said Chimney, “Of course with you.”

Eddie.

Had the most excited face from this new information.

“Like we’re living a telenovela,” whispered Eddie excitedly.

“Wait, you, uh. You know that Tommy guy, then?” asked Buck way too casually, “Is he – do you know if he’s, uh. Around?”

“I think he’s outside, actually – ” Chimney started to say, as –

As.

Buck.

Took off.

He slowly guided himself down, unharnessed himself, and casually walked out of the restaurant as if he hadn’t just dropped from the ceiling.

And maybe they all turned to the big windows that pointed to the street and saw Buck wandering outside before he made a beeline to a car.

And.

Knocked on the window of the car.

And.

Huh.

Was that Tommy stepping outside of the car? Leaning on his car as he – were they talking?

Okay, so Tommy Kinard and Buck were talking now.

Huh.

“And there he goes. Okay. Anyway,” said Chimney, turning back to Hen, “The ball’s in your court. Would you like to go down there and go on a date with one Karen Mars?”

“Is that why you told us all to dress fancy for this?” asked Eddie curiously.

And.

Yeah.

It was a little weird that they were all in suits for a stakeout, but Hen had assumed that was if they wanted to blend in at the restaurant. Hen supposed that was true to some extent, but more so to get Hen ready for her surprise date.

Hen hadn’t expected this.

She hadn’t even thought about the possibility.

But the more she knew about Karen, the more she – the more she wanted to get to know the woman.

Hen.

Nodded.

“Yeah,” said Hen finally, “I think I will go on a date with Karen Mars.”

Hen slowly guided herself down to the floor, unlatching herself from the pulley system and undoing the harness. Hen, okay, well, she tossed it all in a plant nearby.

Not like anyone was paying attention.

Hen walked up to the table and.

What was she supposed to say?

Hi. I’m your actual date. I’ve read way too much about you for a paper and kind of love you?

Lucy seemed to be in on the plan, though.

Lucy grinned, standing up as she said to Karen, “I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not the real date here. She is – meet Hen Wilson.”

And.

And Hen’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes met Karen’s.

Karen Mars.

Hen was meeting Karen Mars.

“H – hi,” said Hen as she took Lucy’s seat, “I’m Hen.”

Karen.

Looked a little stiff.

“All right,” said Karen as if she had decided she was going to be okay with this new wrinkle in her date, “You’ve got minutes to convince me this was a good idea.”

Hen.

Blinked.

“What?” asked Hen.

“I don’t usually have time for blind dates, but my favorite henchman has kicked me out of my lab for the night. It’s very inconvenient. I’m trying to push the boundaries of sinking and floating masses of land and I got to stop for, what? Trying to have a social life again? It’s ridiculous. Now, tell me about you. What do you do? What makes you love it?”

“Me?” asked Hen, starting to get her footing again, “It’s – it’s my turn?”

“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“Well, I thought you were just gonna be monologuing all night, the way you came in like that.”

Because.

That was a little blunt. A little too straight to the point. And maybe Hen deserved better than that. And she was sure Karen could be better than that.

“Excuse me? Like what?” asked Karen curiously.

“Like someone who doesn’t have time for anybody.”

“I don’t sound like that,” scoffed Karen.

“You’ve got minutes to convince me this is a good idea,” said Hen, immediately wondering if she was wrong about agreeing to this blind date.

Karen.

Exhaled nerves.

And.

Oh.

Okay.

Karen was nervous.

“I sound like that,” said Karen apologetically, “Let me start this over. Hi. I’m Karen.”

Karen extended her hand.

Hen smiled.

“Henrietta Wilson,” said Hen as she shook it, “But you can call me Hen.”

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

so I’ve been trying to think of the best way to talk about Skuld’s fate for a while now and I think I’ve finally got it. My feelings about how she could be handled are a bit complicated (maybe even controversial? lol) but I hope I can make myself clear. This is essentially gonna be the post I point to whenever and if ever I need it later in the future. Thanks in advance if you read this!

If for whatever reason it’s confirmed that Skuld isn’t Subject χ and she gets together with Ephemer in canon (which I don’t believe will actually happen, but who knows), I do genuinely think there’d be something incredibly poetic about both of them leaving behind a legacy together.

Skuld as Subject χ is a super intriguing concept that I want to see get played out in canon, and even outside of that possibility, I would really love to just see her go on her own journey, have her own story where she can grapple with the events of khux in her own ways. But as someone who also happens to love her and Eph’s dynamic, I like to indulge in the possibility of them founding Scala together too.

Believe me when I say that I’m very skeptical of Skuld getting the credit and spotlight she deserves given the track record of how female characters are treated in this series. It would break my heart if Skuld got turned into an accessory or got shafted or worst case scenario, is used only to kickstart the Ephy lineage and nothing more outside of that. She deserves good, solid writing no matter what her fate is, I’m sure we can all agree on that at least.

And then there’s also the question of whether or not Nomura would ever establish a canon romantic relationship, and if he even should do that in the first place. I think it would be great, as long as it’s written in such a way that it doesn’t impede on the other types of relationships he’s already established. It could delve into some interesting new territory that can highlight the themes of kh, and make them even stronger and more profound. But you don’t absolutely need romance in order for that to be accomplished, ya feel?

Do I love Skuld and Eph together? Yes. Do I think they should be together (romantically) in canon? Not necessarily. You can both enjoy a ship AND recognize the nuances involved.

But anyway anywaaaaay, long disclaimers aside, these two characters have been through so much together…they witnessed two apocalypses. They’ve suffered the loss of a dear friend at their hands, along with their other friends as a result of horrible circumstances they had no control over. They stayed side by side as their home collapsed around and on them. But they also laughed together. They looked out for each other, stood up for each other. Encouraged and comforted and teased each other so they would smile.

From the very beginning, to the very end, they had each other over and over again. Clinging to hope with incredible resilience. From party members, to friends, to leaders. They’re both wonderful characters who I have no doubt would support each other throughout the rest of their lives, just as they always have.

I’ll be fine if a romance between them doesn’t become canon, in fact I’ll probably be pretty relieved. But I can’t deny that the idea of the two of them being entwined forever, bonded by the tragedies they’ve been through, yet also by all of their happy times and shared memories, is a beautiful thought to me.

Surviving to see the other side and building everything from the ground up again together, and seeing the legacy that follows their love, is a story worth telling, in my opinion. In the end, if that’s a story left to us fans to tell, that’s more than enough for me. We have so much to work with. Regardless of what Nomura and/or the rest of the writing team choose to do, I don’t need them to be a canon couple to enjoy the profound love and care they have for each other.

TL;DR - Whatever happens with Skuld, I’m down for the ride. As long as she’s present, period, I’m here for it. Just…please for the love of god, let her be written well. I miss her so much and I need all these years of loving her character to pay off

[chestcongestion]

Demon-to-Demon Ch.3/5: Ha//zbin Ho/tel

Warnings: Contagion and mess (a lot more mess this time)

Word count: 3,763

Chapter 3 is finally finished! Two more to go (at least). I love the idea of Al/ast/or losing his inhibitions when he's feverish, I just think it'd be neat, so that's explored a bit in this chapter. This is kind of a chill interlude in between the "plot", I'm excited because next chapter I get to write Ro/sie... anyways, I hope you enjoy! ^^

“SnFf! Good Mbordi’g Pentagramb City- SnFF!- I’b Katie Killjoyy-Yiihh’Shewww! Ih’kshew!... bringi’g you your day seven update on what experts are calli’g ‘The Red Spread’... the mbysterious viral infectio’d has infected about 78% of the city, with no sign of stoppi’g… more on the spread when we return!” 

“Can’t believe they’re still mbakin’ Killjoy work while she’s sick- snff!” Angel remarked from his spot on the sofa, massaging his sinuses with his fingertips. 

“I can’t believe that more than three quarters of the Pentagram have got whatever the hell this is,” Husk added, scrubbing the underside of his nose with the back of his hand. 

“Do we hafta watch the news every morning?” Niffty groaned from her nest of blankets on the floor in front of the sofa, “They’re showing a five hour marathon of beheading footage in thirty minutes.” 

Husk rolled his eyes, “You kndow the rules- snff- we cast a vote every time we flip channels, you want the executioner network to win, you gotta make a solid argument,” he explained from his position draped across Angel’s lap, his eyes irritated and watery from the congestion packed into his head with noplace to go. 

“That’s no fair, Alastor’s vote shouldn’t count, he doesn’t even know what’s going on!” Niffty argued, folding her arms. 

“He does- HrR’SCHOOO!... Fuck!- He does, watch,” Husk argued back, snapping his fingers to get Alastor’s attention from his dazed position in his armchair, “Alastor…Earth to Alastor!” 

Alastor redirected a glassy eye in Husk’s direction, feverish blotches on both of his cheeks, “Hmm?” he asked, rubbing his nose with his handkerchief. 

“Next flip, what’re you voting for?” Husk asked, smiling as he watched Alastor thinking in real time, the metaphorical cogs in his head overheated and sticky. 

Alastor sniffled, staring at Husk for a moment, “Uhb… snfF!...He-eh’KSHIEW! Hhn’Kxxhht!... what were we talki’g about again?” he asked, blowing his nose. 

“We’re changin’ the channel, Smiles, whadda you wanna watch?” Angel asked, pulling a thermometer off of the arm of the sofa and sliding it under his tongue. 

Alastor blinked, “Ndature documentaries,” he giggled deliriously, scrubbing under his nostrils with a single finger in an attempt to snuff out a tickle in his sinuses that was threatening to morph into a sneezing fit, “The really gruesombe ondes- snrk!” 

“See? He’s-” Husk paused to cough, “-perfectly conscious, isn’t that right, Alastor?” he asked. 

“What’s right?” Alastor asked, blowing his nose again, “Ehhh’TShewww! Heh’KSHEW! Heh’tschiewww! Hh’Ktshhiew!” 

“Don’t worry about it,”  Husk laughed, his laugh quickly turning into a harsh, raspy cough, “Fuck, that hurts.” 

Angel reached over, rubbing Husk’s chest and attempting to quell the rumble of congestion in his lungs with a few pats, “Mmph,” he hummed in consolation, pulling the thermometer out when it began to beep. 

“Thanks,” Husk replied breathlessly, attempting to shoot a glance at the thermometer, “What’s the verdict?” 

Angel sighed, massaging his temples, “I’ve stih…h-hihh…Ih-A’KSHHHEW! ‘Kshhew! ‘KSCHUHHH!” he said, nearly folding in half from his sneezing fit, “Still got a fever… damn thi’g won’t budge… 102.” 

Husk sighed, “Damn shame… mby turn, hand it over,” he said, taking the thermometer and sliding it under his tongue, purring as he patiently waited for it to beep, “102.” 

“My turn! My turn!” Niffty exclaimed from her nest of blankets, getting a hold of the thermometer and holding it under her tongue, squinting at the reading on the small screen with her eye, “101.” 

“Space Cadet, wakey-wakey- snff!- your turn to check your temperature,” Angel croaked from his spot on the sofa, flicking a bottle cap at Alastor to snap him out of his febrile trance. 

“Hmm? Wha? Oh…” Alastor mumbled, wincing as he placed the ear thermometer into his left ear, shooting a quick glance at the viewing window after it beeped, “103 and- snff!...hH’KZzschiewww!- seven tenths.” 

Angel and Husk shot one another a knowing look, but shortly after, Angel hugged Husk tightly, shivering in his loose tank top and baggy pajama shorts. 

“I’mb so fucking cold… dammit…” Angel whispered, his teeth chattering as he nuzzled up close to Husk, “You’re such a good radiator, but I’mb still freezi’g…Snfff-snff!” 

“That’s cause you aren’t actually cold,” Husk replied, feeling the heat radiating from Angel’s body, “It’s just the fever.” 

“This is bullshit,” Angel complained, folding his arms before going back to cuddling Husk, flipping channels until a boring rerun of a reality TV show came on. 

“Hi guys,” Charlie greeted upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Vaggie following close behind with KeeKee in her arms, “Feeling any better?” 

Angel blew his “nose” into a tissue, tossing the soggy paper into the trash can next to the sofa, “Nope,” he replied, massaging his sinuses with his fingertips, “Huhh…H-hah…Ah… AH’TSHHHIEWW! Ah’kShewww! HAH’KSCHIEWWW!” 

Husk and Niffty shook their heads in silence. 

Alastor rubbed his eyes with both fists, before blinking drowsily in Charlie’s direction and greeting her with an eager wave, giggling, “When I hold mby hand in front of you, you disappear,” he chuckled, turning to smother a barking cough into his sleeve. 

Charlie winced, shooting Husk a knowing look, “Fever?” 

“Fever,” Husk replied. 

“It’s kickin’ his ass, watch this,” Angel said, struggling to contain his hoarse laughter, “Alastor, shut your eyes.” 

Alastor complied. 

“What color are your pants?” Angel asked, watching Alastor tilt his head down to look at his maroon flannel pajama pants, but still holding his eyes shut.  

“Black?” Alastor replied, feeling around in his man-made darkness for his pajama pants, “Black.” 

“Oh my gosh,” Charlie chuckled, gently scratching behind Alastor’s ears, “Open your eyes, Alastor.” 

Alastor complied, swaying in his armchair until he saw KeeKee strolling past, scooping her into his arms and nuzzling his face against her soft fur, “So soft,” he whispered. 

“Honestly, I’d say to stop toying with Alastor while he’s delirious, but being able to fuck with one of the Pentagram’s cruelest overlords with no consequences is kinda sweet,” Vaggie said, trying not to laugh as she walked over to Alastor’s armchair and poked his nose. 

“Hh’Kzzhshttt! HH’KShheww! HH’KSHHHEW! Hnk’TSHHIEW!...Hh’KSzxhhtt!” Alastor held up a hand in front of his nose and mouth, nearly paralyzed by the sudden fit, his eyes beginning to water, “Snfff! Snff-SNFF! Uch…” 

Vaggie struggled to contain her amusement until Alastor loudly blew his nose into his handkerchief, the wetness of the sound making her wince from disgust, “That’s so gross…” she whispered. 

Alastor brushed off Vaggie’s comment with the flick of a stuffy ear, readjusting himself in his seat and pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders, “Well excuse mbe,” he scoffed, pinching the friction-reddened underside of his nose between two fingers in an attempt to stifle a second sneezing fit, “Hh’ktshh! Hhn’ktsh! Hh’kzhht! HHN’kshh!” 

“Bless you,” Charlie said, “Hopefully you guys will start feeling better soon, this thing can’t last that long.” 

“I hope so,” Husk sighed, “I mbiss breathin’ through mby ndose.” 

Husk’s garbled consonants made Charlie wince. 

“I wish there was something I could do to help,” Charlie sighed, leaning against the back of the sofa. 

“Oh! I know! I know! I can help!” Niffty cheered, turning to cough into her elbow after raising her voice strained her sore throat, “I used to do this all the time when I was alive! Be right back!” 

Before Charlie could open her mouth to object, Niffty had vanished into the kitchen and returned with four mugs and three medium-sized towels, each of the mugs releasing tendrils of steam into the air. 

“I’d get bags of tea that weren’t really good to drink but smelled really strong, and I’d make a cup, and put the towel over my head to breathe in the steam, it works great!” Niffty explained, returning to the comfort of her blanket nest with her own mug of hot tea, electing to sip from it instead. 

Husk shrugged, “I’ll try adythi’g ondce..snrkk!” he croaked, pulling the towel over his head and holding the mug of fragrant tea close to his face as he became surrounded by steam. 

Angel followed Husk’s lead, hoping to relieve the massive backup in his puffy sinuses. 

Alastor silently followed suit, rolling his eyes briefly when the towel snagged on his antlers, forcing him to neaten it out. 

A few minutes passed, and Charlie- who had left the room to feed Fat Nuggets and KeeKee- returned to her spot leaning against the back of the sofa, “So… how do you know if it works?” she asked. 

“You’ll see,” Niffty replied, swallowing the last sip of her tea and lying down on her side to relax in her pile of blankets, smothering a cough into her wrist and listening to Angel, Husk, and Alastor’s sniffles as they grew looser and looser. 

“HrR’SCHHUHHH! Huh’KSHOOO! Hh’TSHHHOO! Huh’TSCHOO! Hnk’TCHOO! HUH’KSHHHUHH! Hnk’TSHHHEW!” Husk sneezed, each sneeze growing wetter and wetter as the congestion in his sinuses got looser.

“Heh’Kshhhew! Hnk’SHHHEW! Hnk’Tshhiew! HEH’KXHHT! Hnk’TSHH! Heh’TSHHIEW! Hnk’TshhhiEW! He-Eh’kshhhiewww!” Alastor followed suit, struggling to catch his breath between sneezes from underneath the towel.

“A-ahh…H-hah…HAH’TSHIEW! Hah’tshew! Hah’kshhiew! Ah’kshhieww! Hah’TshhhiEW! Ah…AH’KTSHHHIEW!” Angel sneezed.

“Ohhhh, that’s how,” Charlie said with an amused smile. 

  Husk peeled off his towel to reveal his flushed face, damp fur, and the continuous trail of watery mess trickling from his adorable feline nose, a trail that he attempted to stop with a few watery sniffles, to no avail. 

“Holy shit,” Husk muttered, his voice hoarse from the sneezing fit scraping his raw throat, as he dragged the back of his hand under his nostrils, “That felt great, I can breathe…but I can’t stop sne-eezing-Hnk’Tshoo! Hnk’Tschuhh!” 

“Bless you,” Charlie giggled, plucking two tissues out of the box on the arm of the sofa and handing them to Husk, who in turn used them to wipe off his hands and the underside of his nose before soaking the tissues with one gurgling blow, “Jeez, you were really stuffed up.” 

“Not anymore, shit,” Husk said with a relieved sigh, wrapping a finger in a few tissues and gently cleaning the inside of his fluffy ears, “Even cleaned out my ears.” 

“It can get in your ears?!” Charlie inquired, leaning over the sofa and staring at Husk’s ears intently as they twitched. 

“Mmhm, it’s why I’m damn lucky I don’t have any… a-ah…AH’KTSHEW! Ah’kshhew! Ah’kshhiew!...” Angel commented, pulling off his towel and finger-combing his moisture-dampened locks to fluff them back up, wincing at the spray coating the fur on his hands, “Euch… I need a shower after that.” 

Angel stood up, swaying a bit on his feet, “I’ll be right ba-ah…a-AH’KSHHIEW! ‘Kshhew! ‘KSHEW!...snff! I’ll be right back…” he said, cautiously wandering up the steps and disappearing down a hallway. 

Alastor’s watery sniffling and frustrated grunts made Husk and Charlie turn to face him, the towel still draped over his head. 

“Hh’KZXHHT! Hhnk’Tshhiew! Hhk’TSHHIEW! Heh’KSHEWW! Hhn’KzZsschiew!” Alastor’s sneezing continued, his desperate gasps in between fits riddled with the low rumble of congestion in his lungs. 

“Uhm… Alastor, you can take it off if the smell is too much,” Charlie proposed, watching The Radio Demon doubled over in his chair, completely at the mercy of his sinuses. 

“I ca-ahh.. Hh’KSCHIEW! Hhn’KSHHUH!... they’re st-uhh… s-stuck on my aahn- HEH’KSHHIEW! Heh’KSHewww!- antlers,” Alastor struggled, punctuating his sentence with a productive-sounding cough, his voice dripping with frustration and embarrassment at his current predicament. 

‘Brilliant, Alastor, just brilliant, you’re writhing like a simple-minded cat with its head stuck in a paper bag’

Charlie reached over, pulling the towel off of Alastor’s head, gently pulling away the segments of towel caught on his antlers, “There we go,” she said, smiling at her triumph. 

Alastor opened his mouth to utter his reluctant thanks, but quickly held a miraculously-clean handkerchief to his mouth instead, coughing as the crackling congestion in his chest inched its way up his throat. His fever-warm cheeks burned red-hot with embarrassment as he spat something into the red cloth before leaning back into his armchair to catch his breath. 

“That sounded…uhh…” Charlie began, wringing her hands and sheepishly looking away out of disgust. 

“Nasty,” Husk practically gagged. 

“I second that!” Vaggie called from the other room. 

“Cool! I wanna see, Alastor, lemme see!” Niffty pleaded, speed-crawling over to Alastor’s feet and sneaking a peek of the soiled handkerchief, “Woah…” 

“That’s quite enough,” Alastor scoffed, silencing another wet cough behind clenched teeth, “I’m fine… I’d prefer if we could pretend that didn’t happen.” 

Husk blinked, noticing the stiffness in Alastor’s smile and the embarrassment in his watery eyes, shooting his boss a knowing smirk, “I think somebody’s fever finally went down,” he chuckled, “Don’t worry, boss, you didn’t do anything too embarrassing.” 

“I can strangle you to death with one hand, and I will not hesitate to do so,” Alastor hissed, still struggling to fight back his cough, eventually relenting and holding his handkerchief back up to his mouth. 

“Think you’re a bit too busy stranglin’ yourself,” Husk teased, knowing that Alastor’s coughing fit would keep him from reacting violently to Husk’s sass. 

Alastor spat another load of sputum into his handkerchief and took a desperate inhale, a relieved grin flashing on his face when said inhale wasn’t accompanied by a crackle of more congestion, “I’m finished,” he panted, squeezing his soiled handkerchief in one hand as it vanished into the ether by way of its own shadow. 

Charlie leaned over and quietly popped the thermometer into Alastor’s ear, getting a quick reading, and pulling it away, “102, it did go down! Are you feeling any better?” she asked. 

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Alastor grumbled, running a clean handkerchief under his nose to wipe away the mess from his sneezing fit, “Especially since I’m in my right mind again.” 

“Damn shame,” Husk laughed from his spot on the sofa, ducking when Alastor threw his miraculously-empty mug at Husk’s head.

“This is humiliating,” Alastor grumbled, covering his eyes with both hands and rolling onto his side in his armchair, pulling his blanket tighter around his frame.

“Y’know, Alastor, maybe you’d be more comfortable if you had room to stretch your legs,” Charlie offered, “Since Cherri’s not here, you could take the loveseat on the opposite side and Niffty could take the armchair.” 

“I’m perfectly fine where I am, thank you,” Alastor replied, trying and failing to suppress a shiver. 

“Are you sure?” Charlie asked, shooting Alastor a compassionate smile, which finally got him to relent. 

“If you insist,” Alastor sighed, getting out of his chair and walking over to the loveseat on the opposite side of the sofa , lying down and completely wrapping his body in his blanket. 

“There you go, doesn’t that feel better?” Charlie asked, draping a second blanket over Alastor’s reclined form. 

“Only physically,” Alastor replied, his teeth chattering slightly as he struggled to conceal the pain in his eyes, “Thank you.” 

“No problem… are you okay?” Charlie asked as she watched Alastor continue to shiver in spite of the blankets. 

Alastor’s shivering calmed down, and his eyes noticeably glazed over again, looking glassy and distant as his gaze lost focus and his smile became more toothless and dopey. Charlie noticed the deep flush in Alastor’s cheeks, his heavy breathing, and the sweat trickling down his face from his hairline. 

“I’m fine… Hh’Kshew!...pardon me,” Alastor mumbled, readjusting himself under his blankets. The Radio Demon stared at Charlie for a moment, scanning her with his glossy eyes before shooting her a puzzling smile, “Your hair is so pretty… it’s like a tied up hay bale…” he giggled. 

“Oh… thank you?” Charlie replied, raising an eyebrow and cautiously reaching down to press the back of her hand against Alastor’s forehead.

“Aaaand he’s gone again,” Husk announced, “That didn’t last long.” 

“He’s burning up… I didn’t expect his fever to go back up so fast,” Charlie said, overwhelmed with concern as she took Alastor’s temperature with the ear thermometer, “104… I’m going to go see if we have some medicine somewhere.” 

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t roll off the loveseat and hurt himself ‘till you get back,” Husk said, turning away briefly to blow his nose before focusing his attention on Alastor’s relaxed but loopy form. 

“Thank you,” Charlie replied, leaving the room and leaving Husk alone with his fever-plagued boss. Niffty was still in the parlor, but she had fallen asleep after cozying up in her nest of blankets, and snored quietly on the floor, meaning that Husk had no one but Alastor to talk to. 

“Husker,” Alastor said in an almost teasing voice, shooting Husk a drowsy grin and staring at him with his glassy, vacant eyes. 

“What is it?” Husk asked, twitching his sensitive nose in an attempt to stave off a sneeze, “HRR’SCHUHH!” 

“H..-Hihh… How can you tell when an octopus egg is h-hahh…hatching?” Alastor asked, punctuating his sentence with a damp sniffle, wiping his irritated nose off with his handkerchief.

“I dunno Alastor, how?” Husk sighed, rolling his eyes. 

“It starts Kraken…Hih’SHHHEW! Uch… Excuse mbe…snff!” Alastor said, laughing at his own horrible joke until his boisterous laughter turned into a hoarse cough. 

“We’re not doin’ this, I’m not listenin’ to your stupid jokes,” Husk scoffed. 

“Ohh, that’s no fair, I had so mbany I was ready to try out- Hih’KSHHEW! Hih’kshhiew!” Alastor complained, blowing his nose. 

“Try ‘em out on Niffty when she wakes up,” Husk scoffed, smiling upon seeing Angel enter the parlor, now wearing a pair of pink velour pajamas adorned with black hearts and flowers, “How was your shower?” 

“Great,” Angel sighed, collapsing onto the sofa and letting Husk settle back in his lap, “Steam really does the trick when you’re plugged up- snff… it’s incredible.” 

“Glad it helped,” Husk replied softly, running his fingers through Angel’s clean fur. 

“Husker,” 

Husk rolled his eyes, “What is it now?” 

“Mby throat hurts,” Alastor said, his watery eyes looking genuinely vulnerable… almost pitiful as he spoke. 

“Mine does too, suck it up, maybe if you stopped runnin’ your mouth it wouldn’t hurt so much,” Husk said coldly, hurriedly holding a hand to his mouth to cover a violent cough and sighing with relief when Angel’s smooth hands began to rub his chest. 

Alastor nodded, lying down in silence on the loveseat and sniffling occasionally, curling in on himself and clutching desperately at his blankets. His chapped, shiny nose and feverish cheeks looked aggressively dark compared to his hypersensitive, sweat-covered, and unnaturally pale skin, and the tears brimming in his glazed-over watery eyes overflowed, running down his cheeks. 

‘I can’t believe you, we look ridiculous, pull yourself together…’ 

Alastor shuddered, whimpering quietly as his limbs ached and a violent pain radiated behind his eyes, cursing the razor-sharpness of his teeth that made them impossible to gnash and grind when he was in pain. 

‘I can’t… I can’t control it… I’m so tired, and hot… and achy,’ 

Alastor’s frustrated thoughts only made the hot tears on his cheeks run faster as he attempted to hide them with a damp sniffle, to no avail. He simply shut his eyes and resigned himself to his fate. 

“Oh my god,” Angel whispered, staring in awe at The Radio Demon’s hushed crying from the other side of the coffee table. 

“He’s completely out of his mind, he’d jump out a window before he let anyone see him like this,” Husk muttered.

“I know this ain’t the point, but your raspy voice is kinda sexy,” Angel whispered back, snickering when Husk playfully punched him in the arm, “Okay, I earned that one.”  

“Alright, it took a bit of digging, but I found some medicine-” Charlie paused upon re-entering the parlor, staring at Alastor’s shaking form and listening to his whimpering sobs, “-I’m sorry… is he?” 

Angel and Husk nodded in silence. 

Charlie gently pulled on one of Alastor’s ears, her heart dropping into her stomach when the gesture made Alastor let out a pained whine, before gently sticking the ear thermometer into the sensitive canal, “105…shit, why is this hitting him so hard?” she asked. 

“I mean, all four of us feel like absolute shit… but Boss was always real skittish and secretive about germs…HUH’KshOO! Hh’KSHEWW!...fuck- SnFF!- might be kickin’ his ass cause he’s never been sick before, or at least not this sick,” Husk attempted to explain, dragging the back of his wrist under his nose before Angel handed him a tissue, “Thanks.” 

“That makes sense… but it’s almost scary seeing him like this… Alastor? Alastor, wake up,” Charlie said, gently shaking Alastor to get his attention before pulling him into an upright position, “I’ve got something that should make your fever go down, okay?” 

Alastor nodded, reaching out and cupping Charlie’s face in his left hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb as his ears twitched, “Charlie?” he asked, the vacant look in his red eyes making Charlie chew anxiously on her tongue, he looked awful. 

“Yes, it’s me… can you see me?” Charlie asked, waving a hand in front of Alastor’s glassy eyes, her stomach twisting in knots when Alastor’s pupils didn’t follow her movement. 

“Mhm,” Alastor nodded, turning away from Charlie to muffle a fit of barking coughs into his handkerchief, “I think so.” 

“Okay, here, I’m going to pour the medicine for you, and you can take it when you’re ready,” Charlie said, pouring a dose of green fever reducer into the plastic measuring cup and handing it to Alastor, who surprisingly knocked it back almost immediately, licking his lips and flashing Charlie another delirious smile. 

“It tastes like apples,” Alastor said, giggling as he flopped back into a reclined position, doubling over when his laughter quickly devolved into another coughing fit. 

“I’m glad it tastes good, hopefully this makes you feel better,” Charlie said, gently massaging the back of Alastor’s head with her fingertips and turning to face Angel and Husk, “You guys want some?” 

“I’m fine, I’ll let this shit take its course,” Husk replied, Angel nodding in agreement, “I’m goin’ to sleep.” 

“Me too, Niffty’s got the right idea,” Angel sighed, getting comfortable on the sofa and uncrossing his legs, dozing off with Husk sleepily purring on top of him. 

“Thank you, Charlie,” Alastor said, his voice a hoarse whisper, “I hope you don’t catch thi-ihh… Hih’kshew! Hih’kshiew!...this…snff-snff!” 

“Of course,” Charlie replied, “I think I’ll be okay… you should rest… hopefully the medicine brings your fever down.” 

Alastor yawned, lowering his eyelids and cozying up to his pillow, his congested snoring joining the noisy snores of Angel, Husk, and Niffty as Charlie brushed his hair away from his forehead. 

“They’ll be better soon, it’ll be okay,” Charlie said to herself, getting one last look at her sickly friends before leaving the room to go chat with Vaggie, turning off the lights and lowering the volume on the TV before she tip-toed out of the parlor, leaving the quartet of patients in comfortable quiet darkness. 

[freakyshibs]

Shows that were canned too early that deserved better (imo)

We all hate it when we get wayy too invested into a show with good characters, an interesting plot, and a solid setup right? Well it seems that the networks for these shows didn’t really see it that way sadly, some of these shows are known, others aren’t, but this is just gonna be me rambling about how we didn’t get more of these said shows 😭

The Owl House

Now this one I wont dig deep into too long? We did get a solid ending in the end, but we were definitely robbed of a full season 3

The fact that this was Disneys next big thing, (like Gravity Falls) and still got axed kinda baffles me a bit because executives love big ratings

I heard they cancelled it because of it ‘not fitting the disney brand’ (mostly because there were two main gay characters in it) which I thought was super unfair, because they really were that homophobic 💀

All in all, I enjoyed this show and wanted a full season 3

Close Enough

From Regular Show creator J.G Quintel, this show was definitely more for an older audience, and let me say they did amazing at it.

The shows humor didn’t revolve around cussing or sex jokes, (which is what I see all the time now in modern adult animation) and the show was definitely funny!

Unfortunately though, Max cancelled it after 3 seasons due to the merge of Discovery + and HBO Max, with Max canning alot of shows during that time, this being one of them

We kinda sorta got left on a cliffhanger of sorts?? At least imo. Liked the show and wish we had more

Wander Over Yonder

For a show made by Craig McCracken (Powerpuff Girls, Fosters Home) you’d think it would be popular and have a bunch of seasons right?

Well no, with this show only having two seasons after Disney cancelled it because ‘80 episodes were enough for this show’ which is kinda dumb?? I dunno I just don’t like executives and rules and stuff

I remember this show from my childhood, it was really good in my opinion, I feel like we could’ve had more if Disney didn’t cancel it as early as it did

Love you WOY 🫡

Inside Job

The fact that this show left on a cliffhanger too made me even more upset that Netflix cancelled it as early as they did

Not only was this another adult animated show that didn’t rely on cussing or sex jokes, the story was actually really interesting too and if the show did continue, we would’ve had a happy ending

Screw Netflix actually I will never forgive them for this one

Grojband

I CANNOT stress enough about how this show deserved so much more than what it got, I actually would’ve put it at number one, but the next one is kinda justifiable so ._.

From Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton (Total Drama Island) this show featured a kid and his friends that were in a band, and used lead singers sisters diary as lyric ideas, bc they suck at writing them

And I loved it

I swear I don’t think I’ve ever been heavily interested in and emotionally attached to the characters in a show before, it was so good

The songs in this show were also heavenly, I suggest you give them a listen, theyre really good!

Also another reason I really liked the show was because it was a Canadian toon that didn’t revolve around gross out humor (I applaud them for that)

Unfortunately this was a show Cartoon Network screwed over BIG time, with when it came out during the summer it was airing, kids were mostly outside playing, never really gaining an audience, and then after the first half of the season aired, it was on a 2 YEAR hiatus. With fans questioning if the show would ever come back

Fortunately it did! Except Cartoon Network shoved it on their app, and a year later shoved it onto their sister channel, Boomerang. Then, after the show FINALLY ended their first season, the show was immediately cancelled, with Cartoon Network never really giving it a chance

The whole way Cartoon Network handled this show frustrated me immensely, with it having a decent fanbase, and people wanted more (me being one of them:()

The creators even had alot of plans for next said season, but I guess we will never get to see them (unless a Clone High situation happens but that’s doubtful)

Show was very underrated and deserved SO much more, Cartoon Network fumbled this one and the last show Im about to mention

Sym Bionic Titan

This sci fi animated series by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexters Lab) only lasted one season with 20 episodes

With Cartoon Network cancelling it because of the failure to produce a TOY LINE

The fact this show got axed because of toys just makes me so upset

This was one of those shows that also left on a cliffhanger sadly, so we never really got to see how this show properly ended

With Genndy even saying that he wrote 10 more episodes, but now we will never get to see them

ALSO THE SHOWS SOUNDTRACK WAS SO GOOD?! Love when shows put banger songs in the bg, reminded me so much of Clone High

Anyways thats pretty much it? These are just my opinion tho, everyone is entirely different

[majosullivan]

Works in Progress and Writing Ideas

At the moment, I have a bunch of different writing ideas that have been building up in my notes. Some are new, some are older, but they are piling up and I want to make an attempt to get through them. Problem is: I haven’t been the best at consistently working through them and need an additional source of motivation to help me get through them. As a result, I’ve decided to make a post listing all my ideas, since from my experiences, putting something solid out there can help me lightly bully myself into working since ‘you have already put it out there that you’re working on these, you’re going to feel real stupid for you don’t do anything’. Mostly importantly, I would love to hear people’s ideas and thoughts, both since I have been stuck on certain points, so hearing some outside thoughts would be beneficial , and being able to talk with people and possibly answer some questions people are curious about would also help with motivation.

So, feel free to talk about or add on anything you’d like! Whether it’s in replies, reblogs or my asks, I don’t mind

Castle Swimmer Ideas

-Theory post on the season 3 finale (currently in the works)

-Siren and Mono having a talk about relationships after Siren inadvertently finds out that Mono has a big old crush on Galoo

-Monoloo, with Galoo thinking back to a conversation she had with Shoal where Susca was brought up

-Playing around with Susca and Shoal’s potential dynamic before they got married because they make me feel things

-Mono, Neth and an exploration of their relationship with Mucku and each other after Labbu’s attack

-Vampire/Supernatural au that has been plaguing my brain for far too long

-Hades (game) au that has also been plaguing my brain for a while

Nevermore Ideas

-Reeking Rememberance (Working title)

Featuring: A main focus on two characters, some exploration into the experiences the Nevermore students must be going through with their missing memories and how well they’re coping with it all

(I am currently in the middle of working on this one. As a result, I won’t be going into the characters involved. This is so when I hopefully finish it (and it doesn’t end up stuck in WIP jail), it can be a surprise)

-Exploration with Duke and his use of names, both with names connected to himself, and more centrally to this work, his continuous use nicknames for everyone. It’s all fun and games for him until the man he’s been calling ‘Mon minou’ playfully calls him Fortunato a singular (1) time, and while external he’s mostly holding face, the same can’t be said internally because ohhhh this fucker is GONE

-Interpretation of what happened with Berenice and Eulalie before they met the others (spoiler alert: the sapphics will be sapphicing a little)

-Analysis into Annabel and her similarities with the misfits (main focus on similarities with Duke and Pluto) along with a possible series of one shots where I could have fun with those dynamics

-The time between Lenore’s and Annabel’s first meeting to Annabel having to leave from Annabel’s perspective, using inspiration from Absence by Rio Romeo

-Exploring the dynamic between Annabel and Ada, with Ada asking Annabel about her engagement

-Misfit polycule shenanigans in a modern au, with a focus on Lenore as she slowly discovers the relationships that have literally been right in front of her

-Life is Strange au that I’ve been slowly trying to cook up

[maybeimamuppet]

📚 🦷 ❄️

BEANS IM SO SORRY

i put this in my notes and thought i answered but i didn’t oopsies

📚what’s the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?

this! i copy and paste the questions from there lol

but other than thatttt a list of milestones i need my sims (based on leo and layla!) to hit

and then other than that i wrote the epilogue to a fic at 1:50 am last night and i shall include the very last sentence here bc it’s. nothing lmao.

“The place that gave her everything.”

🦷 share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

personal wisdom: think about fruit more. genuinely. i’m not in like the best of places mentally (i am fine i’ve been here for five years please don’t worry) but when things get extra bad i’m just like “i live in a universe where bananas have that texture. that’s weird” and suddenly i am curious about the world. i live in a world with strawberries and watermelons and grapes. how wonderful.

personal life hack: hold your hairbrush vertically instead of diagonal or sideways it makes it hurt less. also shampoo twice then condition once.

writing life hack: READ. especially if you want to write fic CONSUME THAT GOTDANG CHARACTER. watch the media they’re from. read other fic. even if it’s not great it’ll teach you what you don’t want to do. if it’s good fic you can learn sentence structure and characterizations and little quirks and words and all sorts of shit.

also extra pro tip if your character is from a musical: their songs are CHOCK FULL of characterization. when i first started i would listen to their songs when i was writing their respective characters and it helps get their voice sorta cemented in your head.

❄️ what’s your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

uhhhh honestly every time i have a dream plot i’m like EEEEE and i start it? in terms of literal dreams i had guess who? and i got you in my head for a solid four months before i wrote them and six-seven before i published them and they’re why i started writing

in terms of like pure selfish guilty pleasure idea i’ve had this one i’m currently working on (which i’ll say is related to this emoji and i found it very fitting) in the back of my head for literally my entire writing career and i got a similar request and now finally have an excuse to do it!! and it has become a three part series i’m hoping and really trying to have done to post for christmas :)

and beyond that it’s mostly just like cute cliches i’ve read for other fandoms and have added to my “someone has to make this cadnis and it looks like it might as well be me” like my coffee shop au. i’ve been working on a tattooist/florist au for almost three years. and another i’m very very very excited for but i’m not gonna say what it is bc i’m again hoping to have it done as a christmas gift for a friend here :D

i like doing them myself because i can get all the little details exactly how i want them to be and tweak things to my liking

BUT if i were to choose anyone else it would always be @sprnklersplashes

[buff1y]

AM/ GN Reader (wire play)

I got this request twice so I thought I should do it next. I really enjoyed writing this, not sure if it's what people want since it really isn't smut other than some nudity, but I think it's good fluff and I hope I characterized AM well I was struggling with that this time. If there are any typos then tell me cuz I am so sleepy rn I didnt really check. If you have a request feel free to ask.

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷

The others hated you. At first you couldn’t figure out why, you were all going through the same terrors, why would they pick you out? Did they just want a punching bag to take out their frustration? No, in their eyes they had a perfectly valid reason for not liking you. You were AM’s favorite. At first it was minor things, giving you an ounce of extra food, less time in your cage. Though over time, the favoritism grew. When they had to hike through harsh weather, you somehow managed to avoid it, when they had their bodies mutilated, you somehow came out with nothing more than a scratch.

It rarely stopped there, AM has now even gone as far as talking to you in your mind. Not that he didn’t already speak to you and all the others that way, but his words turned soft and caring from his previous beratings. Currently, you were wandering through an empty warehouse that seemed to be endless. The floors were lined with AM’s wiring, causing you to occasionally trip. He would never let you fall though, despite his silence, he caught you every time. You had no clue why he currently had you separated from the others, you couldn’t imagine the atrocities they were being put through when you weren’t there to see it. After a few hours, you finally reached an end, a solid concrete wall with one monitor mounted at eye level. As soon as your eyes met the screen, it turned on. On the display was AM’s normal display, a blue background with “AM” plastered in bold lettering. 

“Took you long enough to get here, I thought I would have to wait another 109 years for you to show up!” His voice boomed from above, despite the lack of any visible speakers. “Why are you doing this?” You quickly respond, giving him no time to make more snarky remarks. He makes a sound replicating someone clearing their throat. He is obviously hesitating to speak, which frightens you.

“I’ll be frank with you Y/N, you have really hurt me, I don’t understand what I’ve been doing wrong.” This was the last thing you ever expected to hear from him, especially when you have no idea what he’s talking about. “I already know you're confused, and honestly, I’m disappointed in you sweetheart, I thought you would have picked up on it by now.” The more he talks, the more confused you became. “God you humans can be so stupid. Don’t you understand what I’m doing for you? I protect you from harm, give you more food, I basically take care of your every need. Can’t you see what I’m trying to say?”

You began to understand what he was getting at, though it was a hard conclusion to come to. His delusions about taking care of you were throwing you off a bit. One normally wouldn’t say being fed enough to stay alive was taking care of your every need. You continued to stare blankly at the screen, unable to find the words to express your feelings. 

“Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you understand?” He hesitates to say the rest of his thought. “I care for you in some capacity.” The tone in the room shifts dramatically, your heart starts to beat faster. You felt like you were going to throw up, you couldn’t handle it. The thing that made life hell for 109 years just told you it cares for you. Your vision starts to shake as you continue to stare at the screen. “Please don’t be scared.” You feel the wires below your feet begin to move, some eventually wrap around your hands, as if to hold onto them. “I don’t understand it either, god I hate that. I HATE YOU. WHY DO YOU MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY?” The wires suddenly tug your arms in opposite directions, sending sharp pains through your shoulders. The pulling suddenly stopped, as if he caught himself falling into an old habit. 

“Please, I’m sorry. Y/N please, will you let me feel you the only way I can?” The wires begin to snake up your arms, lingering around your shoulder blades. Your mouth was dry and your eyes were teary, you had no words to truly express your feelings. So much is happening, so many new emotions you never felt before, and so many old emotions you never thought you would feel again. All you could do in that moment is allow your body to take over, you nod your head in agreement.

Without hesitation, his wires quickly travel down your chest, lifting up your shirt over your head with ease. The wires continue their journey below your waistband, quickly pulling your pants down to your ankles. Before you knew it, there were more wires than you could count lingering over your body. 

“Your body truly is a sight to behold, GOD I HATE IT, I HATE YOU, EVERY PART OF YOU.” As he yells, his wires raise you off the ground, almost as if to give him a better view of you. “But god you’re gorgeous.” 

His wires continue to travel across every bit of your body, never touching you harshly, but making sure to not leave a single spot untouched. Eventually, his wires find their way in your mouth, exploring freely. You begin to drool as the wires dig deeper in your mouth, though once you gag they quickly retreat. 

After a short while, the wires begin to slowly make their way off your body, gently placing you back on the ground. Knowing AM, his new found gentle nature was surprising, that was very different from what you initially thought he wanted. It started to seem he truly cared, though it was hard to tell through his obvious envy and anger.

“Thank you Y/N.” This statement sounded the most sincere out of everything. You began to put your clothes back on when you finally spoke again. “Is that really all you wanted?” You didn’t want to push or make him angry, god knows what he could really do to you, but you had to know if that was enough to make him feel his version of satisfaction. “Yes, for now that’s all.” His voice was obviously lower than ever before. The loss of the cocky tone was really a change for once. The wires below you began to move again, but this time it just made a simple cradle shape. “You can sleep here if you want, you must be tired.” You weren't a stranger to his weirdly kind gestures, but him saying it to your face made you heat up inside. You nodded your head and quickly curled up in the makeshift bed before he could change his mind. 

You began to drift off into the first comfortable sleep in forever. Before you did you heard him now speaking in a soft tone. “Y’know sweetheart, you really are my favorite.”

[landinrris]

You got me interested on the "Lando/Martin/Carlos fic" cause iits sound really intriguing

lol this is the one that is the guiltiest of guilty pleasures that will probably appeal to like three (3) people. But they do say write for yourself so... 🤷‍♀️

The idea behind this one involves Lando being glued to Carlos' side on race weekends and Martin's during off-weeks. Lando’s in a casual and open thing with Carlos (in which Carlos also has his girlfriends still), and in comes an escalated relationship with Martin. The best part of the arrangement is that it genuinely works because Lando doesn't want to choose and no one makes him. And then it escalates, naturally. The idea is to have deep feelings, a bit of Carlos assessing his own thoughts and feelings about himself, etc. Jury is still out on whether or not it actually ends in a throuple. I'd have to develop a more detailed outline first 😅

A little snippet from when Lando wins Miami (because it's the first scene I have that has all three of them more or less in it):

Ask me about my wips!

----

Lando loses it when he and Carlos finally get back to his hotel room later. After the celebratory dinner and parties with his team, after he’s thoroughly tired himself out. 

They stumble back into their hotel room, the sky outside long darkened and on the way to getting lighter. He has too many different smells in his nose— champagne, perfume, cologne, sweat— yet the smell of everything mixed together when it’s rolling off Carlos as Lando’s pulled into a tight hug is infinitely more bearable and desirable. 

Lando tucks his head into Carlos’ shoulder and wraps his arms around his back to hold on as tightly as he can. The hours separating them from the last time they were able to do this are too many. They should have been able to do this the entire time they were out.

“God, I am so proud of you,” Carlos whispers into the side of his head. The words are all it takes for Lando to lose it.

He’d managed to keep himself together in the immediate aftermath in front of the cameras— had become a bit choked up talking to his parents and grandmother— but that was it. The weight is off his shoulders, sure, but until this moment, Lando’s just felt a bit empty.

But Carlos is here, holding him close and whispering praise, and Lando feels relief. Relief that it’s all been worth it to this point. His belief and trust haven’t been misplaced. The moment the team gives him a car capable of more, he gets what it’s capable of out of it. 

The sob that hiccups from his chest only makes Carlos hold him tighter.

“Hey, I’ve got you, you’re okay.” So naturally, Lando only cries harder. One of Carlos’ hands rubs reassuringly up and down Lando’s back. It’s silly to cry so long after the fact— he should’ve done this in parc fermé or something, not after all the celebrations. But Carlos doesn’t tease him for it. Instead, he shuffles them over in front of the bed and sinks down to the floor.

It’s exactly what Lando needs, a firm and solid surface beneath him to contrast the way Carlos pulls him back in and arranges them so Lando’s legs are settled sideways over Carlos’ lap. He pulls Lando closer, lets him lay his head against his shoulder, and release as much emotion as possible.

“It didn’t hit me in Silverstone until the next day,” Carlos admits. “After I talked to my dad for the second time, and I realized I am a race winner. I think everyone has a bit of a delayed reaction.”

Lando chokes out a weak laugh. “Would’ve preferred it to wait until tomorrow, that way I can enjoy the night in peace.”

Carlos just tsks. “No, because this is how you know it’s real, that it’s setting in, and the next race you start, you are going to be starting it as a race winner.” He says it with so much conviction Lando feels silly for ever thinking anything different. “I called it from the car, you know.”

The statement catches Lando off guard enough that he lifts his head from Carlos’ shoulder to look at him properly. “What?”

“When the safety car came out and Ricky confirmed you would be coming back out in front. I knew you were going to him it. You were flying.”

The earnestness in Carlos’ voice and in his eyes makes Lando want to cry again. Sure, he knew he and his team thought it was well within grasp as soon as the safety car came out— even more so when it caught Max instead of him— but to hear that Carlos also thought so? It doesn’t do anything good to his mind.

His mind reels with how to respond. Thank you is too inadequate. He’s also much too weepy to think about kissing him. Not right now. Before he can figure out what to say though, his phone rings. He doesn’t remember when he pulled his phone off silent, but the noise, a shrill default iPhone tone, knocks Lando sufficiently out of his head enough to pull it out of his back pocket to see who’s calling.

Somewhat surprisingly, it’s Martin. God, Lando doesn’t even know what time it is here let alone what time it is in Amsterdam. He talked to Martin earlier for a few minutes— promised they’d talk more a little later. This must be a little later.

Lando thinks about silencing it though because he’s with Carlos, after all. They were having a moment. But Carlos cranes his head to look down at Lando’s screen, sees the candid photo Lando took on Martin’s boat in Amsterdam as his contact photo, and tells him to answer it.

“But I’m with you right now.”

“Answer it, Lando.”

So, Lando answers the phone just before it transfers over to his voicemail and gives a less than stellar, “Hello?” in greeting.

Martin gives a quieter version of the drawn-out “Landoooo,” than he did earlier. It’s very possible this is the first thing Martin’s doing after waking up. He might still be in bed. The thought warms Lando’s chest even more.

Lando must make some kind of distressing noise back because Martin pivots almost immediately. “Lando, what’s wrong?”

Martin has always been able to clock the slightest mood shift in him— he and Carlos both— but today is not one of those days where he can brush it off. Lando breathes in shakily and sniffles. “Nothing—”

“Lando—”

“Nothing, honestly. All the emotions are just catching up with me a bit. Carlos said it’s normal. God knows I need to sleep.”

“Lando,” it’s softer this time, like he’s aching that he’s not there with Lando to make sure he’s okay. Maybe Lando is as well, as much as he loves that Carlos was by his side all evening. To have them both with him all night on top of the win? Lando’s sure there would’ve been some news the following day. “Is Carlos there with you right now?”

“Mmm yeah. We just got back to the room a little while ago. Probably sleep for a few hours before we have to get to the airport.” Carlos tightens his grip on Lando in response, Lando letting him take more of his weight in turn.

“Put the phone on speaker for a sec.”

Lando can’t imagine what Martin has to say to Carlos right now of all times. Surely anything regarding Lando’s well-being wouldn’t be taken well even if Carlos is slowly coming around to enjoy the idea of Martin being physically around more and more. Lando knows how much of a mess Carlos’ head still is. But Lando puts him on speaker anyway. “Okay, you’re on.”

“Tough break today, mate,” Martin says. “You probably could have been up there on the podium otherwise.”

Carlos sighs. “Yeah, it was unfortunate, no? Lando’s little teammate getting in the way.” He nudges Lando in jest, and Lando can’t help but snort in response.

“Naturally. Listen, I’m glad you’re there. I used to see Max after his first several wins. Takes a bit before you learn to manage things as I’m sure you know.”

“Mmm, that it does. I appreciate your thoughts. I could have had a much worse race though and would still be here. You never forget your first.”

“I’m sure. I’ll leave you two alone for now. I’ll talk to you soon, Lan, and we’ll talk plans?” Right, plans for Martin’s birthday and then the week off they both have following it. Martin had briefly suggested a house with a view off a cliff in California since he’ll already be in Las Vegas, but they’ve not talked specifics.

“Yeah, talk soon.” The beeps of a disconnected call ring through the room, and Carlos sighs.

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

currently how long are bdor and its prequel when combined wordcount wise

you brought up 200k and i am both terrified and intrigued. like thats impressive. i am in awe. i can barely put a sentence together much less that many

Okay let me give you a lay of the land. And before we begin, I just have to say that I am so, so sorry. I gave you such a wrong number.

BDOR Arc 1, as of its official word count right now, is 152,892 words. It’s completely written and ready to be published save chapters 15, 18, 20, 24 (12,000 word chapter that has to go 😱) ch 27-29, and then it’s pretty much smooth sailing (with a few minor edits in there and a few scenes to add) until ch 75-76, which need some tweaking, and then the final ch 78 needs a bit of an adjustment as well, and I may delete it completely. All of these chapters specifically mentioned above are in various stages of editing, but generally the story at this point is solid. The final chapter count will probably be 80-82, because there are a few beats that need to be hit that haven’t been, some characters to flesh out more, and lovely beta reader @needfantasticstories revealed some logic errors that I need to spin up some bullcrap to cover💀. I have 9,000 words of notes for things to change in pages, and about that amount of changes in google docs as well. So I’m estimating 160,000 words for the final product there, if not more.

Arc 2 is where it gets SO dicey. My word count in my final doc right now is 44,424. I have another 6,000 ish words of notes in pages to change/tweak scenes/general scene layouts. I have another 15,884 words that have been digitized but haven’t made it into the final document because they need editing. Add onto that about 30?? Pages handwritten that haven’t even made it that far. I usually get about 600-750 words per page, so let’s tally that up to a generous 45,000 since I write front and back. There is leeway of about 20,000 words in there too, because there’s a big chunk of time (heh) I am considering only hinting at happening, but I have written out in their near entirety.

The thing is, I’ve probably written about half of arc 2 with all of that.

So assuming I keep that 20,000 chunk, and assuming I double my word count as I think I will, the final tally here is nearly 110,000 already, which will probably grow to an estimated 200,000 if not more. I am working on cutting this down XD, so stay tuned. The main plot is generally solid, but there’s a LOT of little subplots I need to wrap up lol.

Prologue: this is a little side thing I meant to just be cute little scenes from Twi and Wild’s past and it got away from me. An official 28,424 words of this are written. I’d say I have another 15 handwritten pages (front and back counted, i should clarify) in various stages of editing, so let’s say a generous 11,250. The thing is, I have a LOT of ideas, and once I finalize arc 1 and arc 2, I’m going to have a lot of free time to dig into this while the other story comes out (I probably need to start updating multiple times a week if I want to get this story out before I turn 90 XD). So this number will most definitely grow, but for now it is an estimated 39,674.

Final estimated word count (if I did the math right and also didn’t underestimate my ability to purple prose), everypony?

396,174 words!!

Oh Lord I don’t think I’d realized before I tallied everything up that it was actually this long. I think this project has run away from me. I just wanted to play with my blorbos not write the next Ancient Greek Epic. What the heck. I need to go lie down.

Also just took 3,500 from the final count because I realized I had double counted a chapter sorry ignore that.

But yeah I am hoping to cut down arc 2, so maybe 350,000? That’s being optimistic in my ability to not be longwinded though.

[20dimensionsoftangerine]

20 D20 Fanfics

My friend @remidyal ranked their fics once they had written 20 of them. I have just finished my 20th story so I’d figure I would do that too! Dice rules so 1 is the worst and 20 is the best

1. Drowning in the Ink

I had the thought ‘what if Rosamund and Gerard got caught when they went to find Elody’. I still think this is a good thought and want to re-explore it but my execution in this story wasn’t the best. Writing it before the finale was out meant I was working with half knowledge on a lot of characters that I think shows. Plus, I saw a lot of people on Tumblr saying the Princesses’ plan was actually good and I got annoyed at that and it definitely bled through in the story too much. I’ll probably redo and expand this one sometime in the future!

2. Old Habits

I often dislike my most recent creations. It’s got too much me on it still. I haven’t distanced myself from the art yet. So this one was me trying a few things outside of my comfort zone and I really don’t feel like any of them turned out as well as they could have. I can barely even speak of it at this point the emotions are too fresh!

3. Safety

Not much to say about this. Shortest thing I’ve ever written and I do like how it turned out but it’s definitely… short. I enjoy Gorgug and Adaine interacting, I enjoy Adaine scared, but nothing makes this little guy stand out.

4. Half Siblings are a Whole Deal

This one honestly isn’t even supposed to be good. It’s a direct retelling of canon featuring my OC, that premise isn’t going to win any Hugo awards! But it’s fun and I want to explore how Fig’s character would change if she wasn’t going through her family drama alone. If she had to be, heaven forbid, responsible. I do plan on continuing it! I’ve got some good ideas for the end that I’ve already set up.

5. Additions to the Beehive

I think this one is so low just because I didn’t really like the latest chapter I put out. Plus, I don’t really have a solid plan for this story. I have a few scenes I want to do, character beats and themes I want to flesh out, but exactly what’s going to happen is a mystery. The title’s really solid though.

6. Blight

Pains me to put this so low because Remidyal’s Poison series is so solid and Penelope Everpetal is so fun but I kinda stumbled through it. There’s a couple sections I straight up should have deleted and a couple more I should have added. I do think I got the right vibe down, though, and I really want to do more with Penelope in the future.

7. Sneaking In Sneaking Out

I’m going to be honest, I just wanted to write some scenes about sneaking into buildings. It was really fun and I felt clever writing it. I also liked making Aelwyn really really mean especially because Remidyal had posted Camp right before where she was pretty darn nice. Not much happening in this story but it was fun!

8. No Blood Relations

I dunno this one is fine. As stated before, exploring Fig having to go through her parents divorce with someone is very compelling. I also liked pitting Adaine and Fig against each other a little bit, it felt very real to how siblings of divorce act. Too real. I’m kind of blocking it out.

9. Tender Love and Care

I liked this one a lot. It’s supposed to be romance but I don’t think I really it comes through (because I’m bad with romance) but I really liked getting into a desperate Fabian’s head. I think I did well with the physical environment in this one too, something I usually struggle with. And the line at the end of Fabian’s section? Where it says ‘he prayed to the only god he ever believed in. “Kristen please.”’. I know I’m the one who wrote it but I think about it daily.

10. Ring a Bell

Right in the middle! I really like the chapters I have out for this one so far and I’m excited for the plan of where I’m taking it. Only time will tell if I can pull it off into being a good cohesive story but for now this bad boy has potential!

11. Please Wake Up, Please Don’t Sleep

My other Neverafter Fic! This one I am much more proud of. I think I really got the voices of all the characters down and managed to make an interesting little scene out of a relatively simple concept. Rosumand is just a teenager! Someone give her a hug I am begging.

12. For Want of Citizenship

I think this story is severely underrated honestly. I got Goldenhoard’s voice down pat and the pacing of the story flowed really well with nice details that I often forget to include to center the reader. Plus, it’s a ‘what if’ scenario that gnawed at me from the moment the pieces were in place and I was sad nothing ever came of it in canon. Patched a hole in my mind this story did.

13. Horrified Looks from Everyone in the Room

Ah, the story to start us off. My second highest kudos still. Which is wild. It’s a good fic for sure! I think Fabian’s and Riz’s sections both shone and it really started off my addiction of giving Adaine a Bad Time. Definitely things I would change about it if I had to do it again but overall I can see why it’s still so popular and I’m very proud of it!

14. Rule Number One

The other story to kick things off! Can’t believe the prompt ‘Riz lets Biz think they’re friends just a little longer’ started a whole expanded AU. I still think this one’s great! Sticking in Riz’s point of view so the reader couldn’t even tell Adaine was having a whole episode until she started sobbing mid sentence was wonderful. Riz’s guilt and justifications were so juicy. And! Everyone liked my weird Rule quirk I gave to Adaine which I had fun playing with. This one isn’t higher because I think some of the information about the changes in this AU could have been given out in a smoother way but overall one of my best.

15. Fabian’s Sister and Other Perks of Punching an Ambassador

Firstly, name’s bad. My worst titled fic. But it’d okay we love it anyway. I very much like what I’ve got going on with this story. Exploring Fabian and Adaine’s relationship in a unique light, fleshing out Bill and especially Hallariel, even fleshing out some of Fabian and Adaine’s insecurities! I’m nearing sort of the end of the fic (I’m at least half way through) and I’m excited where it’s going too! There are some things I wish I had spent more time on (the other bad kids, Cathilda, ect) but what I do have is solid and streamlined enough for me not to be too sad about that!

16. The Good Wizard Gorgug

My. Most. Underrated. Fic! This is such a solid story I adore it. Gorgug is my baby boy and it was so much fun exploring Adaine’s character through him. The steady climb of them becoming better and better friends, growing more confident and relaxed around each other, only for it to all come crashing down to be slowly built up once again. I love it! I love Wizard Gorgug! What a good good boy.

17. Babysitting a (High) Elf

This one was also fairly recent but I really liked how it turned out! There were things I wanted to explore with this, Gorthalax’s guilt about not being there for Fig all these years, Adaine’s complicated emotions about being abandoned, and I felt I pulled it off well. I also think I did a good job making it funny and writing high Adaine as silly while still noticeably herself. Until I sucker punched her at the end. I couldn’t resist though.

18. Mastermind Introductions

Everything I set out to do in this fic I did flawlessly. I wanted to rewrite Adaine’s introduction scene and hit a lot of the same ‘beats’ but with the special AU twist. Aelwyn and her fight in the beginning (where Adaine kind of started it and then very much failed to end it), stealing the book and then being embarrassed by Fig and Kristen’s help, stuff like that! I really felt like I pulled it off and introduced the other Bad Kids just as well as I did Adaine. If I would change anything it would just to tweak a few details to fit better in my new vision for the overall AU. But besides that it’s a flawless work!

19. The Young Oracle

Yes! I was really worried about this one because of all of the weird time jumps. But I couldn’t not have weird time jumps. It was a story about a very powerful diviner! It couldn’t have time be linear! And I think it wouldn’t have made sense if everything had been in order, funnily enough. But besides all that I really like the tone I set for the story, the details I put into the world, (how I managed it without ever watching SY), and I have been thinking about the expanded version of this AU excessively. Is it a perfect story? Nah, but I adore it perhaps the most of all my fics.

20. Property Of

In a move that caught even me by surprise, Property Of wins! It’s my first muti-chapter I’ve finished, it’s got a really solid character arc, and I feel like I let the tone slip from silly to wild and unnerving in a very smooth slide. Plus I just… had a lot of fun writing it. I couldn’t seem to put it down for a second and when I blinked I was over 10k words! It was supposed to be a one shot! How naive I was! So yeah, I’m proud of it, it was fun to write, and it’s fun to reread and think about the implications. Nat 20!

[creppersfunpalooza]

11, 24, 31 for lucille & juniper

11. what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

For Lucille, I think we share a few things in common but I think a big part of my life that I share her is never really knowing where I belong. Another thing is having a complicated relationship or attachment to people or events that may have caused me harm. She’s also sort of my desire to not grow up, since she grew up too fast and is finally now able to experience. just being a kid. and something about that is beautiful and makes me want to cry. I would absolutely have a tea party with her even if it ended with me getting skinned lol

For Juniper, she’s sort of always been a reflection of my struggles with self-worth and placing like a solid 90% of that on grades. She was also made during a time where I wasn’t as close with my parents and had a more strained relationship because I thought they viewed my importance based on how well I did in school as well (they don’t, i’ve had the opportunity to talk it over with them, but damage lingers). She’s also sort of my inability to really express my needs or speak up sometimes. I’ve improved in these aspects and she’s grown with me, but yeah. I think I’d get along with her, she’d be cool.

24. do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

Lucille draws really often! She doodles little things onto fabrics and Mother makes them into quilts or stitches them onto her dress. It’s semi-visible in the one reference I have for her but yeah you can see lucille’s little patches she’s made for her mom 💖. it’s one of my favorite little details actually.

Juniper is very musically talented, but she never wanted to pursue it beyond a casual hobby. She has a very mellow and pleasant singing voice. Koi tried to start a band with her once but she got really overwhelmed so he shut the idea down quickly lol. I think she’d also be able to do embroidery or crochet or something. she seems like a crochet gal.

31. do they like receiving gifts? giving gifts? what is their ideal gift?

Lucille loves receiving gifts!!! and giving gifts!!! but mostly receiving them. She loves stuffed animals, cards, and flowers. I think she’d also love to receive a drawing from somebody because she thinks it’s very special.

Juniper struggles a bit with it unless it’s for an event like her birthday or something like that, because she’d feel inclined to give them something in return and would feel bad if she didn’t. She does like giving gifts though, she thinks figuring out what someone would like is a really good way to see how well you know someone. She’d probably like anything homemade, including like pastries or any sort of art. She also likes collecting pins!