#at least i think so? it’s been a few weeks since my last gravity falls rewatch

[gravitycreature]

hmmm…. he wears a big oversized black hoodie…….. even during the middle of the summer……… doesn’t sound so cis to me

[budbuddnbuddy]

Little obey me headcanons pt 7

A/n: It’s been a while since I came on with one of these babies huh? Well I’m here with a new one now back and better then ever! Enjoy!!!

The Little D’s have transformation powers nothing extremely powerful, they can only really turn into objects or small animals, perfect for sneaking around as that is what they were made for.

With this information in mind, Barbatos was the one to send a bunch of the Little D’s off into different parts of the human world to gain information for candidates, using their disguises as objects and animals to spy on various humans of various different backgrounds….totally not illegal.

While Lucifer and Satan are different looking at first glance they do look a lot alike in the face, the same nose, shape of the eye, the way their brows bend and curve with each and every expression they make, you get the deal.

I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about Mammon smoking, but after seeing a lot of art and reading drabbles with it, I really warmed up to the thought of it. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely because of peer pressure and he’s not good at it at all. He just does it to put up his “Nonchalant Bad boy” persona. loser

Yes. There are infact Cliques in RAD, popular demons, Nerds, Jocks, Delinquents, Normies, Gamers, Loners, Social floaters, etc. You get the deal, it’s painfully obvious too. You see it all in the cafeteria like in a stereotypical 2004 highschool movie and yes you are the new kid.

I have a feeling that MC would put Luke onto human world cartoons. Powerpuff Girls, SpongeBob, Adventure Time. You get the deal, but I think his personal favorites would be Gravity Falls and Adventure Time. He gives off the vibe that he likes shows with deeper meanings other than your daily life lessons. Ya know?

Also same thing with video games, I have a feeling that he’ll take a real good liking to Minecraft and Undertale. (He’ll fall in love with the sound tracks.)

All Demons have sharp teeth yes however Gluttony demons tend to have longer canines and just sharper and stronger teeth in general. This is how Beel is able to bite and eat all the things that he does, other demons can’t really do that.

It is true that Diavolo had your D.D.D altered so that it would be able to work in the human world when MC left, yes. HOWEVER, MC accidentally left the charger for it in their room in the Devildom so like after 2 days it died. It was mailed back to you after like a week but…I think you can imagine how that week went for the brothers…

“Why the heck ain’t MC returning any of my calls or texts?! It’s been a whole week!”

“lmafo, maybe they finally realized how annoying you are.”

“Shaddup!!”

“As much as I hate to agree with the idiot of all people, it is a tad bit concerning…they don’t usually go longer than a few hours returning a text…”

“Maybe they’re busy?”

“Yeah, Beel’s right…they have a life too ya know. They’re probably catching up on work.”

“Everyone!!! Look what I found!”

“…Is that, their charger?”

“Yeah! I found it in their room! It was still plugged on the side of their bed. Our human can be so forgetful sometimes. <3”

“Waitaminute! The heck ‘ere ya donin’ in there room anyways!”

“Yeah! The hell is up with that? Last time I checked I don’t remember MC’s last words to us being: ‘Asmodeus can come into my room anytime!’ So don’t think you get free reign!”

“Oh don’t act like you two any better.! Mammon, I’ve seen you digging around their closet! You too Leviathan!”

“!!!” “!!!”

“Well at least we found it, now hand it to me so I can mail it to them.”

“No way, I wanna mail it!”

“Nuh uh no way you’ll probably sell it, I’m gonna mail it to them!”

“Hello??? Are you guys forgetting I’m the one who found it? It only makes sense for me to send it to them!”

“I wanna send it to MC too.”

“Me too.”

“That’s enough. All of you.”

With Lucifer being the only one out of the seven to actually know where you live he ends up sending it to you in the mail. Along with some cash to spoil you for the next month of course. Lol.

There are royal guards on school grounds at RAD, though they mainly stay and guard the outside to make sure no intruders get in. If you aren’t wearing a uniform then you can’t come in!

Don’t let any of the brothers come with you to any sort of medical appointment you may have in the future. One cheeky joke from your doctor and they might be killed.

“Well MC your knee seems to be badly infected.”

“What will need to done doctor?”

“We might just have to cut off your whole leg.”

“……”

“Haha! Just kidding! We’ll clean ya up and have you bandaged and sent home in less than 15 minutes. It’s not that bad, don’t be so serious!”

MC’s just like “haha…yeah.” while patting their slightly growling demons leg in a “He didn’t mean it, he didn’t mean it.” fashion. As he’s literally determining the best way to kill the doctor you had for the past 4 years, Sorry doc.

[the-orion-scribe]

A Road Trip to Roadside Attraction

This is kind of a follow-up to my essay on Escape from Reality. I decided to review one of the fandom’s most widely-riled episodes – Roadside Attraction – and upon a rewatch, I say it isn’t that bad. Some of the flaws fans have with it are very true and I agree some aspects could have been written better. The pacing could improve a lot more for one thing; it’s pretty rushed for a road trip episode. But I don’t think it really deserves the title of worst GF episode. Even on IMDb, an unofficial platform on rating episodes, RA is not even in the bottom 10 worst episodes (at 7.9/10 stars, on par with Legend of Gobblewonker).

But first off, let’s explore why the episode was written. It seems out of place, doesn’t it? Right smack in the second half of Season 2 when the threat of Bill was on the horizon. Doesn’t it feel weird that after Bill-proofing the Shack, then the family leaves the Shack for a road trip? Even Ford was not at all mentioned in the episode (Look up the transcript and try to search for Ford’s name), though Hirsch later explained in the canon Journal 3 that he stayed behind to boost the Shack’s defences. 

Roadside Attraction has the misfortune of being sandwiched between two plot-heavy episodes. I would argue it’s not Roadside Attraction that’s the odd one out but actually the Last Mabelcorn that was shoehorned in-between the less plot heavy moments. From the commentaries, it seems it has always been planned to have such a road trip episode as a throwback to the Gravity Falls crew research trip across the Pacific Northwest region (the episode is full of references to real Oregon tourist traps). 

The initial plan was that the preceding episode, The Last Mabelcorn, was supposed to be a Wendy-centric episode that Hirsch scrapped at the last minute for unknown reasons. I guess the “Dipper getting over Wendy” subplot was intended to build on from that. The rewriting of The Last Mabelcorn placed the threat of Bill on the forefront, and that led to RA breaking the pace. 

The criticisms about the episode being a whiplash are valid, and I certainly agree Hirsch could have ironed out more details of the episode and its relevance to the overarching plot. My best guess is that Hirsch didn’t have time to ‘fix’ RA after rewriting the entirety of The Last Mabelcorn and eventually did the retcon in J3, but admittedly it still doesn’t make sense overall. Even Hirsch admitted the placement seemed off in the commentary, wishing it had come out earlier. Nevertheless, I still like the road trip aspect, giving us a break from Gravity Falls and exploring more oddities beyond the region. And of curious note, the Spider-people we see is a throwback to Trembley’s State of Union speech in Irrational Treasure. 

"The only thing we have to fear is gigantic, man-eating spiders!"

Another thing fans like to diss about was the Dipper flirting romance subplot, and some even dissing Mabel as a ‘hypocrite’ for calling out Dipper for flirting with many girls at once. I admit that aspect is a little cringe, and a major flaw of the episode is just how contrived all the girls Dipper encountered are reunited back again at Mystery Mountain. 

But my view on it is, at least, it shows Dipper trying to be more confident of himself and exercising that charm he never knew he had. It might not be a popular opinion, but I like that the episode shows Dipper still harbours feelings for Wendy, despite their conversation back in Into the Bunker. It’s still a few weeks since that and it takes time to get over Wendy. His line about wanting to move on to move one but unable to switch his feelings was poignant. And I personally found it very relatable, unfortunately. 

Some people have criticised Dipper as a playboy for chatting up so many girls. But then a close friend pointed out that casual flirting isn’t cheating. Dipper never stated he wanted to start relationships, just boost his confidence and get to know new people. And Stan reassured (wrongly) that Dipper will never see them again. Despite whatever that happened in the episode, Dipper at the end of the episode still managed to accomplish some of his goals – getting over Wendy (or at least, not to dwell on her for much of the trip) and learning to talk with girls.

I think there’s still something many fans tend to overlook for this episode, and that is Stan trying to improve his relationship with Dipper ever since what happened in Not What He Seems. It’s rather apparent Stan was trying to impress Dipper with the bad advice to repair their bond, so he wanted to try and win him back by giving him advice on girls. It’s of note that Stan only (re)used the advice himself after Dipper had so much success, and that is what caused him to get into trouble with the spider chick. Stan did eventually admit he’s no expert, and I quite like how they bonded over their failed attempts near the end of the episode. I wished this could be expanded further on, but I guess there’s some time constraints in the episode. Moringmark did so for his fan comics. (Stan and Dipper, and Candy and Dipper).

I admit Mabel is being quite an ass in this episode. Some haters of Mabel use her actions in this episode to fuel their rants, and it’s frustrating some have raised good points. She takes her brother’s box of private items in the opening and criticises his lingering crush instead of offering help besides telling him to “move on”. It’s no wonder Dipper followed Stan’s advice considering his sister was so unhelpful. 

Some have said, Dipper tried to comfort her when she was upset about Mermando and her failed romances (in Society of the Blind Eye), but why couldn’t Mabel do the same and offer advice? Well, as we know, Mabel isn’t an expert in this field (despite what she claimed) nor is she as wise as Dipper, who was mainly comforting her about her failed romances and not her inability to move on. 

Mabel had a much easier time moving on from her many ‘romances’ because she didn’t get as emotionally invested in them as Dipper did with Wendy. The closest Mabel got was with Mermando, spending one-on-one time with him and learning about his family, and it’s shown (in Sock Opera) that she did, in fact, have a harder time moving on from him than any of the others. While Dipper’s crush on Wendy was one-sided, it was also (probably) the first time anyone of the opposite sex (besides Mabel or his mom) had ever paid any kind of positive attention to him, causing him to become a lot more invested in the relationship than social-butterfly Mabel ever was with her crushes.

Because of this, Mabel underestimated how hard and how long it would be for Dipper to ‘move on’ from his crush on Wendy, despite placing greater value on their platonic friendship. She herself has moved on quite easily from most breakups, and even Mermando only took a couple of weeks at most, and assumes her brother must be capable of the same. This is not a character flaw, just a matter of Mabel not understanding Dipper as well as she thinks she does.

I would like to add that Mabel didn’t exactly know what was in the box and thought it was important to Dipper, until she tripped and the box contents revealed itself. She was trying to be helpful as a sister in packing Dipper’s stuff for the trip, but admittedly she should know her boundaries. But well, that’s the thing with siblings unfortunately – often taking and moving your stuff without permission. 

Another point raised is how Dipper got thrown under the bus for acting confident and socialising, while the girls get to flirt with several people throughout the series (Boyz Crazy and Northwest Mansion Mystery as examples). Let’s explore the events of the episode from Mabel’s perspective. The girls were far from aware that Dipper had just been trying to practise turning on his charm, and Candy in the spur of the moment caught it. Mabel was trying to be a supportive friend and, from her perspective, it’s an ideal fantasy to matchmake her friend with her brother. Admittedly Mabel was supposed to have learned from Love God not to get involved with people’s relationships, but I say Mabel was trying to kill two birds with one stone – help her brother get over Wendy by pushing him into a relationship with Candy. Mabel isn’t some malicious troll, but she does have good intentions in whatever she does.

I guess, after the match fell through and the fantasy crushed, Mabel thought Dipper was flirting around with many girls, at least from what Candy told her firsthand about what happened in Mummy Town. It might seem a huge double standard that Mabel called out her brother as “traitor” given she had many matches herself, but I say she’s partially justified (at least from her perspective) given Dipper was trying to flirt with many all at once. (While we know that isn’t the actual case, she doesn’t have the full picture yet.) On the other hand, Mabel only had one interest every time. And she’s also trying to protect and cheer up her friend who’s feeling betrayed. Had she known about Dipper’s socialising with other girls, I doubt Mabel would have been so quick to set him up with Candy. I don’t think Mabel was hypocritical so much as misinformed. 

No one in the romance subplot is the asshole, really (well, except Stan, perhaps). The entire drama really stems from miscommunication between the siblings, and also highlights the diverging bond between the twins – a theme of the second half of Season 2. I might agree that the subplot could be handled better, but then, most of the episode could really see better writing. The subplot ended amiably overall for Candy and Dipper. I wouldn’t say the episode really sank the ship (Hirsch made his opinion clear about Candip – clutching at straws – but we can ignore that) since the two came to an understanding. The ship isn’t bad at all, bringing together two nerds, but they’re still young and I suppose there’s still a better chance in their older years. I would like to point out that Candy still has her limelight in this episode, bringing the family out of the situation with the Man-Spider. 

My conclusion is that the episode isn’t as bad as many fans claimed. The episode still has its charm and brought us somewhere different, and the Man-Spider twist is really the highlight. My most favourite part of the episode is Dipper learning to be more socially confident himself, and it’s rather consistent with his character back in Northwest Mansion Mystery, during which he was in his element and Pacifica caught his charm. Stan’s advice was sound, but like any other advice, there’s certainly an appropriate time and place to use it.

But I’m inclined to agree it’s in a weird spot, and I’ve only rewatched the episode in a vacuum which makes it easier and more enjoyable to rewatch. It’s certainly one of the weaker episodes, but there aren’t as many out of character moments compared to some episodes (Stanchurian Candidate comes to mind). The only weirdest part was Dipper writing the numbers on his arms instead of a notepad, but I guess he was trying to be cool with some pen tattoos.

I suppose RA would have benefited greatly if the episode were to be in the initial half of Season 2, or that Hirsch had gone ahead with the Wendy plot in the previous episode. I agree some parts could have been explained and written better, especially the actions of Mabel and co, and the talk between Stan and Dipper near the end. The episode is rather rushed, quickly resolving the romance subplot before dealing with the Man-Spider. Some jokes don’t hit as well and aren’t very memorable. Though the last part about Stan getting his just deserts for ruining the other traps is really ironic, and him being clueless of what he did to deserve it.

The point of this essay, nevertheless, is to understand and offer an explanation for some of its flaws. Of course it doesn’t redeem the episode totally, and I know RA would probably continue to receive a lot of scrutiny and hate from the fandom. But I hope others will understand some of the creative decisions and relook the episode with another mindset. I think it’s a fun road trip episode, and doesn’t really deserve all the hate it gets. If people can dissect Fly of Breaking Bad and explore its deeper meanings, I suppose others can for this episode.

Feel free to reblog and share your thoughts and opinions!

(The above is written with assistance from MilkyBoyBlue and TheoryOfWeirdness, fellow fic writers, and @hkthatgffan, who is able to provide newfound appreciation for the episode)

[isabel3710]

Bad things happen bingo request, Missing and Presumed Dead.

In less than 24 hours you and one other person requested this. Not that I'm surprised! The other user decided to remain anonymous so I'm going with your message.

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Fandom: Gravity Falls

Prompt: Missing and Presumed Dead

Masterlist

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Initially, Dipper's absence went unnoticed. It was not unusual for Dipper to forget to call them since he was always pretty preoccupied with classes. Mabel was the only one who regularly talked with him, but due to her upcoming art project, she didn't have the time.

As soon as Mabel was done with her project she called him.

Dipper didn’t pick up. 

This was strange, but not alarming. Mabel assumed that Dipper had forgotten to charge his phone and would call her back once he saw the missed call.

He didn’t. 

After a couple of days Mabel tried calling her brother again. And just like before she didn’t get an answer. So she decided to reach out to her Grunkles and see when they last heard from her brother.

“So let me get this straight,” Mabel said, on the phone with Stan and Ford. “Neither of you have heard from Dipper in almost two weeks?”

“No,” Stan said, “we thought he got busy with his fancy college courses.” 

“I did too,” Mabel amidted, “but I’ve been calling him non-stop for the past few days and he hasn’t picked up.”

“I am sure there is nothing to worry about” Ford said “like Stan said, he’s probably busy and doesn’t have time to talk.”

“But if that was the case then he would text me and tell me he’s busy” Mabel said “just like he always does.” 

“Well my dear” Ford said “why don’t you call the police and request a wellness check?”

“That's a good idea” Mabel said “thanks Grunkle Ford.”

“Anytime.” 

—------

Mabel paced back and forth in her tiny dorm room, anxiously waiting for a response after calling in the wellness check. Although she knew the police were probably busy and hadn't had the chance to investigate yet, but that did nothing to calm her nerves.

Her phone ran and Mabel rushed to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hello” a male voice said “may I speak with Mabel Pines?”

“This is her.” 

“Hi, I’m Officer Green and I’m calling to follow up on the wellness check you requested.”

“Yes?” 

Officer Green seemed to hesitate for a moment “ma’am, Mason Pines is your brother. Correct?”

“Um yeah” Mabel said “though my family and I call him Dipper.” 

“Right” Officer Green said “well ma’am-”

“Mabel.” 

“Sorry, Mabel” the officer said “it seems like your brother wasn’t home and his roommate hadn’t seen him in almost two weeks.”

“That was the last time I heard from him,” Mabel said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Now normally” Officer Green said “we think that the person in question decided to leave, especially people his age.”

"Dipper isn't like that," Mabel protested. "He wouldn't drop out of school, especially without telling us."

“I believe you” he assured “we found no evidence of him leaving, at least under his own free will.” 

“So you think he was kidnapped?” Mabel’s voice was starting to shake. 

“We aren’t sure” Officer Green said “but I am going to do what I can to find out.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Mabel asked.

“Yes” the officer said “if you could come down sometime in the next couple of days we would like to interview you.”

"Okay," Mabel agreed, her mind racing. "I just need to clear it with my professors."

“If I can get their emails I can have a letter sent to excuse you from classes,” Officer Green offered kindly.

“Okay,” Mabel agreed.

After they hung up, she sat in silence for a long while, worried and fearful for her brother's safety.

—-----

As promised by Officer Green, Mabel received an excused absence for all her classes. Although she was unaware of the contents of the emails, it didn't matter to her at the time. She hastily packed a bag and caught the first flight she could find.

Stan and Ford also flew in as soon as they heard about the wellness check results. Mabel knew that their friends in Gravity Falls would have come too if she hadn't talked them out of it. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone for something that might turn out to be nothing. And Mabel was doing her best to hope and manifest it to be nothing.

So Mabel went to the police station and met with Officer Green and talked with him for a few hours. The man wanted to know everything about Dipper and she complied. Anything to find her brother. 

There were, of course, a few things Mabel didn’t tell the officer. Things that would make her and Dipper look like crazy people but since he never asked she didn’t feel too bad about it. 

After the interview the Grunkles took Mabel out to lunch. “I’m sure he’s fine, '' Stan said for the hundredth time. “Dipper’s a strong and resilient kid.” 

Mabel just nodded, picking at her food. She knew Grunkle Stan was just as worried as the rest of them but was trying to stay strong for their benefit. 

—-----

Days passed and during that time the three of them worked with the police to try and find any word on DIpper’s location. Then they get a call down and are asked to come down to the station. 

Officer Green leads them to a private room and had them sit down. The man doesn’t say anything as he sets the object on the table. It was a clear plastic evidence bag. 

Inside is Dipper’s pine tree hat. 

The hat had a few extra rips and stains from when Mabel last saw it but the things that caught her attention were the blood splatters. She was vaguely aware of Stan letting out a curse but couldn’t take her eyes off the hat. 

“I assume this was Mason’s?” Officer Green asked.

“Yes” Ford said, “he’s had it since he was twelve and never takes it off. Where did you find it?”

“I see,” Officer Green nodded, “we found it in a wooded area not too far from here. But this wasn’t all we found. I can show you everything we’ve found, if you’d like.”

“Yes,” Ford said, “we would like that.” 

Officer Green led them to a room where there was a long table with plastic evidence bags were all lined up. They were full of Dipper’s things. 

There were pieces of one of his shirts, ripped to shreds and covered in blood. There was his wallet and keys. There was a single shoe, chunks of his brown hair, and fragments of his other shoe. And so much more.

Officer Green let them take in the scene and gave them a sympathetic look, “we believe it was an animal attack but we’ll do some more investigating to be sure. We’ll need to do a DNA check as well.” 

Mabel was frozen in place, unable to remove her eyes from the table. She felt Stan wrap and arm around her shoulders as Ford questioned the officer. 

“Have you found a body?” He asked “or any type of human remains?”

Mabel choked and felt tears in her eyes. 

“No” the officer said “all of his belongings were scattered across the area and we have people looking for more. All of this was found over the course of a couple of days.”

“He’s dead?” Mabel’s voice was on the verge of a sob. 

“Until we find a body we can’t proclaim him to be…” Officer Green said “But we assume that yes… Mason is dead. I’m so sorry.” 

Mabel felt her knees buckle and someone caught her as she began to sob.

------

Author's Note:

Not much to say about this one...

NLGQDSSHG

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Tag List:

@badthingshappenbingo

[callipraxia]

Been writing some 'extra' scenes for Infinitesimal Variations this week, mainly as a form of exercise - trying to build up the writing muscles. These are scenes which always happened, but which I just didn't, in my commitment to sticking to only six narrators (...only six. Ha. Well, everyone knows how long that lasted...) write at the time. On which note: have Example 1, in which Tate McGucket decides to think things over like a calm and rational adult who definitely isn't sentimental and who would definitely never do anything as crazy as contemplate rolling up in your front yard and just shooting you:

If everything held steady, Tate thought - if everything worked the way it was supposed to, then the sun would go down within the next few minutes. If physics were working normally again, according to the rules - in that case, less time stood between him and it getting dark than it had taken him to tell that agent about....

If the numbers weren't lying to him, it was about to be dark. The trouble was, the numbers had already lied to him once today, and that meant he could not rule out the possibility that they would do so again. That he might have to operate without the numbers, at least for a while - and on the worst day possible for that to happen, considering how helpful good numbers were sure to be if he did indeed decide that he was going to go kill a man tonight. 

Breathe - in - one - two - three - 

Breathe - out - one - two - three - 

It had been a long time since he'd needed to resort to an exercise as rudimentary as breathing on a count to center himself. Was it just that he hadn't predicted the earthquakes (how? how could he have not predicted three earthquakes in a single day? He could predict the weather accurately a month in advance even in Gravity Falls; outside of it, he could probably hit a year without even exerting himself too much. He could predict the lottery. The numbers didn't lie, they never had, and they weren't supposed to be capable of it, but somehow, there had been three earthquakes, and he'd never seen them coming - ), he wondered, or would he have found himself confronted with this problem if the only unusual thing to happen had been the conversation with the agent? 

Does the name Stanford Pines mean anything to you? 

Do you know anything about his relationship to your father?

It was impossible, of course. Stan Pines was the man who had ruined his life? Who had ruined the lives of every member of his family? The Stan out on Gopher Road, the one who just made stuff up to entertain normal people - that Stan Pines? Stanford Pines, of all the people in all the world, was the person who Fiddleford had decided to abandon his wife and son for, all those years ago? His father's Friend - that was Stan Pines?

Impossible, logic assured him.

And yet.

He stood still beside his somehow still-functional telephone for a long moment, holding his limbs immobile through sheer force of will. The numbers span through his head, almost visible, never giving him any peace, but he ignored them as much as he ignored his desire to destroy something just for the hell of it right now. Finally, he turned stiffly and picked his way across the room which made up the majority of the bait and tackle shop. Found his stool, upside down and several feet away from where it belonged. Picked it up. Carried it back to its proper place behind the counter. Tried to put it down - and, in the attempt, he instead slammed it into the floor, its feet screeching against the wood as it slid almost a foot away from where he had tried to place it. 

Breathe - in - one - two - three - 

Breathe - out - one - two - three - 

Ignoring his now shaking hands, Tate pulled the stool back to its proper place and sat on it, bracing his elbows on the counter in front of him and sticking his fists under his chin as he stared straight ahead, far beyond the chaos of the remains of his business.

He had decided that, if he ever got the chance, he would kill his father's Friend several years ago, just after his mother had died - but just because some fed implied it was Stan, didn't mean that he could just tear off and kill Stan without thinking this through first. Feds did not always get it right. They were far less accurate than his weather predictions. Mistakes everywhere, not this one fluke which meant that something was profoundly Wrong, either with math or with the town. He could not kill a man just because of something a fed hadn't even said outright, but only...implied. 

Fiddleford McGucket wasn't really worth killing anyone at all over, if he was to be reasonable about the thing. From what his momma had told him, his father hadn't been of much account even when he'd been sane - always off with his head in the clouds, tinkering with impractical inventions while she brought home the bacon. And, of course, he'd abandoned his family, and hadn't even been man enough to come tell them to their faces that he was doing it, or why. Even aside from that, though, Tate had no particular reason to love his father. Not when Fiddleford, according to everyone, was the source of what it had pleased Momma to call Tate's gifts - that was to say, the numbers, the damned never-ending numbers that made life so boringly predictable outside of a place like Gravity Falls that he'd had to come here just to keep from shooting himself. The numbers that meant he, too, could spiral into...nothing, someday. Just one wrong move, and then - 

And yet, he was still Tate's father. And besides - there was more than sentiment in play here. There was also his momma's honor to consider - and avenge - and - all right, maybe she would have gotten the cancer even if Dad had never abandoned them, and maybe it would have killed her just the same - but she'd always talked bitterly about how they could have been rich, if Dad had just applied himself to something useful. Rich people didn't die as much as ordinary people, because they could afford doctors - better ones, too, than anyone living on a schoolteacher's wages ever could....

But he could not kill a man on no more evidence than he had right now. Which meant, of course, that he needed more information, and he needed it quick. How to get it, though? He'd asked around more than once about his father since he'd come up here, but all anyone had ever said was that crazy Old Man McGucket had always been here, and always old, and always crazy. Tate knew for certain-sure that this wasn't true, but he'd had to drop that line of inquiry lest it draw the attention of those culty freaks in town. What was he supposed to do now, then? Just...ask Stan?

Well - why not? As much as Tate hated the numbers, as much as he wished they would go away and let him live without knowledge of so much of the future and the constant fear of going insane the way Fiddleford had - as much as all that was true, they did come in useful, sometimes. He attributed his ability to usually figure out when people were lying to him to the numbers. He could count the little movements in their faces and eyes, the things most people - or so he had read - didn't usually notice. Wasn't any law against driving down Gopher Road at this time of evening and stopping to ask a neighbor a question or two, was there? Not even in the absurd legal codes of this hell-town. And it was in the Constitution of the United States that there was no reason why he shouldn't have a gun or six with him at the same time, in case of needing it. Nobody could say a word against him going out there and seeing what he could find out. If Stan hadn't taken his father away from them, driven the old man insane, and then discarded him like he was less than nothing - well, in that case, no harm done, except for a waste of time both of them could have used to pick up the messes the earthquakes had made of their places of business. And there were worse things - far worse things - than wasting a little time.

Slowly, Tate sat up straight and nodded to himself. That was what he was going to do. Now that he had a plan, he felt better, and so only paused long enough to load a shotgun before walking straight out to his truck with the weapon in question in his hands.

It was not his best gun, that shotgun. In fact, it was near enough to one of the worst. It had been his granddaddy's shotgun, back in Tennessee: at one point, the second-most valuable thing (after the cow) that Granddaddy had owned. He'd given it to Fiddleford when Tate's parents had decided to go west, an attempt - like so many attempts Tate's mother had made to him over the years, when she'd still been alive - to have some kind of connection with the son he'd never understood even a little bit; Fiddleford had presumably brought it to California for the same reason, but he hadn't taken it to Gravity Falls, though, and so it had ended up with Tate more or less by default after his mother had died. He'd never messed with it much for fear of it blowing up in his face, given its extreme age - but if he was ever going to use it, then he thought the present occasion seemed appropriate. 

[yanderelovlies]

✨Galaxy Anon ✨ here!

Hey viví I’m back. Sorry for disappearing for a few days. It’s been tiring and honestly some what the hell moments at work. So I will now reply again!

Deflecting? I see how it is. Well the. I will make the schedule muhahaha!

I mean it’s the truth. Sometimes we spend more than can afford so to actually get that advice…Isn’t the most comforting lol. But also I can also blame just everyday things are getting more expensive and have few cash to spend o something they want so I can’t judge them that much.

Oh I get you, though I do recommend some of them especially gravity falls. It was amazing and has one of the best finaIes I ever seen. I get it. Maybe make a schedule and only watch one or two episodes every week so you don’t get tired and don’t take a lot of time to finish and won’t be as distracted. I get that, it’s a problem with me since I get so distracted and my main thing is walking around the couch so if I get distracted or want to move I do that for ten minutes and it’s hard to stay focused on a show even if I like it.

Cool! Then I don’t mind you asking questions though I maybe not be able to answer a lot of questions invoking fnaf and my hero academia ( later seasons like season 5) but the rest I can answe better so go ahead. Wish? What is that? Yes I really am clueless? Does it scam people or?

At least your have determination * undertale music plays*. Oh and undertale as well I like forgot about that. Hey don’t worry so much, you’ll burn yourself out and make it worse if you overthink. Study and do your best and hope you pass. That’s what anyone can only ask of you. That sounds like a very useful class. Oh I do that sometimes as well like grateful for how beautiful the scenery is, how good a food smells, how much I love my family and also that there isn’t a zombie apocalypse….the last yeah I really hate it when people want a zombie apocalypse! Like do you hate life so much you rather fight for your life and not be able to live peacefully without having to make sure zombies aren’t near?! Your rather have to learn a very hard way who you can trust and who not to trust?!

Ooh okay I wouldn’t mind and if you ever want some songs to hear I can always list some that I hear when I’m imaginating scenarios in my head.

Aww I see especially also since you have lots of siblings? Pfft they just maybe at this point are used to it and if they actually don’t hear it then they start to wonder if someone is dying in the house lol. At least your considerate and make sure not to disturb your neighbors when they are going to sleep. Love song playlist? That what you mean right? I literally checked google for this since I actually never heard that expression before.

Yes like leave me alone! I have other people to tend to! It’s either because they are spoiled or think we are actually paid enough for this shit when in all honesty no we aren’t. Because it makes them feel superior and actually can take there anger out on someone, trust me I actually picked up on that and frankly I hate it.

No worries viví you always worry for me so I must worry for you back and I want to always make sure you aren’t overburdening yourself! Someone got to keep you in check.

But more work stories. Well on Wednesday I actually told the host I could take more tables but I told her I have to allow it. She starts sitting me down but then suddenly she stops asking and seats me more than I can handle ( six tables and two were with six people) and I have to catch up while apologizing to people ( a table was so nice about it though I almost wanted to give them a free dessert for it). And when I was trying to get my food while rushing one of the managers who I actually liked started yelling at me because why I was taking mine but it was the third ready meal and she yelled why I never take the others food first since it was a team effort and other people foods were already done and I was shocked and later on angry since I was so busy and if it was slower I would’ve maybe and I actually do take other people food but I couldn’t this time and the nerve of her trying to say she helped me DAYS earlier on bringing my food and I just thought “ yeah days!” And she was just carrying tray since I needed two trays to carry all the food and I anyway did most of the work so I’m still mad because it felt she never actually tried to understand what was actually happening. And not to mention she never even delivered the food later on! She yelled at me for nothing! I’m still angry and it sucks since I can’t confront her or I can get fired if I take it too far.

Galaxy!!! I'm glad you're okay! I'm sorry if that post made you feel bad or anything. I'm also sorry about all that you're going through. 🥺🥺💕💕

Lol, let's start with how many times I say sorry cause I'm typing this feel self aware.

I'm sorry if that statement offended you or anyone else. That wasn't my intention. I want to put more context, but that feels like talking down about them, and I don't want to do that. Just please know it wasn't out of malce that I said that, and more out of concern because I still worry about them even though we aren't friends anymore.

I've heard a lot of people (my sister included) LOVE gravity falls. I really need to watch it now! Also, that's a really good idea. Maybe it will hook itself in my brain, and I'll finally binge it. I don't even know how I got into some of the show I did.

I know of FNAF and BNHA now. Don't get wrong. I'm not up to date, but like I'm getting there, lol. They claim to be selling you a laptop for a dollar and then send either a small (like charm small) version or something else.

I know it's a terrible habit, honestly. My family has to constantly stop me from overthinking. You know I don't think I thought about how many people bring up zombies apocalypse like that till now. Zombie apocalypse scares me on a whole different level, ngl.

Oooh, yes, please! Those are lowkey, my favorite kind of songs.

I'm always self-conscious about my neighbors cause I think about how I would feel if it was the other way around. Also, no, actually....now that I think about it, I don't think i have a love playlist. It's my depression playlist. When I get like that, I try to watch and listen to happy music, but honestly, it makes me feel worse. So i listen to sad music that I relate to.

I wish it was okay to just igone those type of people or just kick them out.

Aaahh, you're gonna make me cry. Thank you, Galaxy 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💕💕💕

Have you thought about taking it up with the boss discreetly? Cause I'm sorry that's not okay or team work in slightest. You clearly had more going on it would have hurt for them to send some help your way damn.

[momentia]

@sarking tagged me to do this thing!

last song: billie eilish’s “happier than ever,” the snl version even though snl is basically dead to me, because it’s such a great performance.  i am not, in fact, happier than ever, but i am trying to pretend to be grateful for this loss.

last show/series: i think avatar the last airbender was the last show i finished.  before that was the venture bros (problematic but fantastic) and gravity falls (cool world building but the presentation was sometimes grating; it's a kid's show, so).  also: the orville was really, really good.

currently watching: american dad, archer, svu, and l&o: organized crime in terms of shows currently airing new eps.  watching gotham, ghost files, monster high, miraculous ladybug (and surely some things i am forgetting) with various friends.  unlikely to finish phineas and ferb or korra at this point, but i'm technically in the middle of those.  oh and i’m watching that dahmer miniseries with a friend (i know it’s been torn to shreds and we were all supposed to agree not to watch it, but i am anyway), and it is brutal and distressing and i do not recommend!

favorite color: changes frequently, but it's been blue since july.  for some reason it's the color i associate with getting through that hellish week.

sweet, spicy, or savory: sweet.

currently reading: about ten books i will probably not finish, but the two i'm carrying around and pretending with currently are a slow death: 83 days of radiation sickness, which i have been reading for a year or two because there’s so much misinformation about that case, and neil gaiman's neverwhere, which a colleague gifted me before he left for a better job (i’ve lost so many people that way the last couple years).  the new jason pargin novel comes out this month, idk when, i pre-ordered it then forgot about it, but i'll at least try to read that once it comes.  (after a few weeks i'll give up and download the audiobook and finish that way, probably, as i did with the last one.)

what i'm working on: quite a few things (wips often go to my gdocs to retire peacefully and undisturbed, unfortunately), but the most noteworthy imho because i do actually plan to finish them once i start writing again:

"in the perfect dark of a new moon," a.k.a. tentaclefic.  it's the untamed canon divergence where wen qing took jiang cheng up on his offer and he was so whipped that he defied the world to save her family.  it's been done a million times and i completely gloss over the political cost of all of it, but anyway.  background wangxian family and background nmj/jyl to really turn off anyone who dislikes non-canon het ships.  haha.  oh, and also jiang cheng is a wereoctopus and there's a lot of smut with both his human and octo bodies.  this story started as a pwp and is now like 25k words and nowhere near done.

several jalachi wips i probably won't bother to finish now (sad trombone) but i do still hope to finish at least the one temp-titled "✋" because no one writes the exact stuff i want and so i have to do it or go without.

i technically haven’t started this yet but i have a lot to say about oswald cobblepot and physical pain, emotional trauma, and intimate touch, and i am sure that if and when i finish gotham i will get around to writing something that touches on that.

currently obsessed with: my mental health is worse right now so i am seeking constant distraction but not totally connecting with any of it??  i guess my current obsession is trying to reach minimum calorie goal on days i have no appetite and everything is unappealing.  i hate being back to living on protein shakes and effing fig newtons but hopefully things get better faster this time.  oh, and i’ve been reading so many aita threads to distract myself and kill time at work, since i can’t focus on reading or writing or my job currently.

[la-folie-a-deux]

howdy everyone, it’s me just coming in to give an update. i have not abandoned the page nor have i stopped having passion for writing but there have been quite a few bumps in the road that have delayed my progress since last year. it’s been a very tricky time for me since i last updated force of gravity and on top of everything else, my computer completely died a couple weeks ago and has been taken to get fixed but i might need to buy a whole new computer if it’s bad news.

now, if you don’t know me well then i will inform you that i am someone who have a very overactive imagination. at any given time, my brain is thinking of new stories and plots and ideas for things i have planned so trying to keep the story on track without making decisions that change the flow is difficult and causes my writing process take a lot more time than i care to admit. i really am pretty constantly thinking about what I could be doing or about an important event i want to incorporate but it does make focusing on the task at hand borderline impossible. i have adhd, ocd, and gad and try my best to work with my conditions yet i fall victim of getting stuck in a loop (my poor living space is definitely visual proof of it because i start cleaning and if i can’t continue working on it uninterrupted then I stop partway and it stays that way for weeks at the very least) so please don’t feel like this is not going to get farther than where it’s at now because it hopefully will. i have lots of good intentions to keep putting out stories on here because i love stories and i want to help contribute to filling this website with posts that are creatively motivated.

i want to thank everyone who still follows me and are looking forward to reading more of my writing. it really means a lot to me. i greatly appreciate your patience and hope everyone stays safe, happy, and healthy. i hope to come back soon to post something new for everyone.

xoxo dee

[uniformbravo]

it's nanowrimo & i havent touched my wip since last year so im gonna reread it all rn to jog my memory lets goooo

-

"And so, class, as you can see, blah blah blah…"

Silan wasn't listening, so neither should you have to.

i didn't know how to start it skjfdkngkf

-

goes on for several paragraphs about why he wasnt paying attention, making up a bunch of bullshit about him being sooooo sleeby bc he watched a horror movie last night & then couldn't sleep, fascinating stuff

-

So no, he wasn't listening to the lesson going on at the front of the room, nor was he prepared in the very least to be called on suddenly.

"Silan, what's your answer to number fifteen?"

Like a bucket of ice water was sitting upright on the ground beside him instead of upturned over his head, Silan's brain fog persisted as he struggled to catch up with the moment.

ok fine the ice bucket line is kinda funny im here to subvert ur expectations not unlike a mime thats allowed to say fuck

-

"Y equals seven…?" he guessed, understanding completely as he said it that it definitely would have been better to just say "I don't know," or "Could you repeat that?" or even "Sorry, I didn't sleep well because I watched a horror movie before bed and was too scared to fall asleep for hours and now I can't focus because I'm so tired, so I honestly have no idea what's going on right now."

As it was, his actual answer garnered a few laughs scattered around the room, from people who'd given Silan way too much credit and assumed it was a very intentional joke. He couldn't look his teacher in the eye, that knowing gaze piercing right through him as if to say, "You may have fooled them, but not me. I know that was a real attempt at an answer, and I am disappointed in you on multiple levels. I'll see you in my office and also you have detention forever."

What he actually said was, "Mr. Scott, this is a Biology class."

CHRIST i take it back im a comedic genius

-

Chris is A Dude in Silan's class, but he's so much more than that; sports ball player man, wearer of varsity jackets and knee-length shorts of all varieties, copier of his friends' homework whenever one of them has actually done it on time… He truly is just Some Guy, but to Silan? He is The Guy.

WHAT are u fuckin TALKING ABOUT HELLO

-

If Silan himself were to be the one to describe Chris, that paragraph would have probably gone a lot more like: Chris is on the baseball team, so he's fairly muscular; he has a sharp, square jaw and dark brown hair that's not quite long enough to submit to gravity just yet, so it sticks up and looks just sooo fluffy and soft (do you think he lets anyone touch it?). He's never actually grown a beard but he does have stubble across his chin and jaw that suits him extremely well. His eyes are brown and his skin is a natural tan and it all suits him perfectly and he's hot okay. He's hot.

Silan is gay.

and he is being sooo normal about chris

-

They'd only ever spoken a total of two times; once when Chris had gotten the rows confused on a day he'd seemed particularly groggy (this class ran from 10:45 to 12:15 and was the one right before lunch, though, so it was beyond Silan what exactly had put him in such a state) ((I'm the author though, so I know exactly what it was, and it's that he'd been out nearly all night with his friends to the subsequent dismay and rage of his parents, and his request to stay home from school the next day was vehemently denied)),

this is fucking unhinged. publish me right now

-

That had been just a few weeks ago; the other time was last year (junior year, or 11th grade, or year 3 out of 4 of high school, whatever makes the most sense to those unacquainted with the American school system) in April and I will tell you more about it later.

FUCKING HELLO

-

It was the urge to doodle their initials in a heart together in the margins of his notebook like… like some kind of lovesick middle schooler (not that. He'd ever done that. In middle school,).

silan would never

-

The combination made him want to launch himself directly out the window, had one existed (the only windows were over by the door, which Silan sat pretty much across the room from).

He was kinda fucked.

tfw u cant throw urself out the window bc of ur school's evil fucked up floor plan

-

Rhoden, while still fairly small for his age, definitely isn't the same kid Silan met back then. There's a maturity to his jaw, his brow, that he's really come into since, and his voice has deepened considerably; anyone who might still initially mistake him for a much younger boy would be instantly enlightened the second he opened his mouth. And then they'd have to figure out how to politely decline a spontaneous interview proposal from a guy they'd thought was twelve two seconds ago.

when u get within a certain radius of him a giant health bar appears at the top of the screen & boss music starts playing

-

Today, though, was a photography day.

They were always Silan's favorites. He did enjoy his other tasks, in general, but none of them were as fun or freeing as photography.

It made him look at the world around him differently. Taking such a wide expanse of possibility and narrowing it down to that one perfect shot; knowing where to look and how to find potential. It was capturing a moment, but not just that; it was turning a moment, even the smallest, mundanest occurrence, into something timeless- into something special.

(And, of course, there were other perks to the job, but we'll get to those later.)

i am 100% certain said "perks" are getting to Observe chris at baseball practice which is a very funny juxtaposition to the previous paragraph

"photography is a timeless art form, truly nothing as magical or poignant could ever exist.... also i get to look at hot boys cha-CHING"

-

"Silan," she called out now in lieu of a team name, since the work of a photographer was mostly individual.

"I'm, uh, shooting baseball practice today."

😏

-

A few short minutes later, Silan was signing off for the club's camera, which he needed permission for every time. This was one of Mrs. Springet's few roles as an advisor, to make sure the camera wasn't being stolen. It was a nice camera, to be fair.

Oh To Steal The Journalism Club's Nice Camera

-

While Chaulden High did have a football team, the undisputed star of the show was the baseball team; with a coach that led them to victory time and time again, it wasn't hard to see why.

As such, the New Moon always made sure to leave room for a section on the team, even going as far as establishing a series they ran every year called "Dug-Ins & Outs," in which various members of the team were interviewed.

ok still proud of that title TBH

-

Which meant Silan was often sent to obtain shots of the team, which was no problem. Less than no problem. He was pretty fine with it, actually. Perhaps even looked forward to it, some might say.

Because Silan was definitely interested in the team, as a whole, all twenty-six members. All of them, and not a single one more than the rest. He would never single a specific member out to accidentally focus 90% of his attention on. That would be ridiculous, and highly unprofessional of him. Perish the thought.

…

So uh. Chris is on the baseball team,

cups hands around mouth fucken NERD

-

The coach, Mr. Wendell, stood with a clipboard tucked under his arm by the dugout, clapping and calling out to members who were lagging behind in the group of joggers. He always made Silan nervous, if he were honest. He was something of a hardass, with high expectations for his team and a grueling training regimen he held them all to. He had a loud voice and a firm handshake, was broad shouldered and tall, and if Silan weren't so intimidated by him he might even find him [REDACTED].

OK ALRIGHT CALM DOWN THERE BUDDY

-

CRASH!

Just as he clicked the shutter the chain-link fence behind him exploded into sound and he jumped violently, sending all of the birds flying. Heart pounding, he sat up and turned around to figure out what the hell that was.

On the other side of the fence was one of the team members leaning down to scoop up the offending ball as the coach's voice echoed across the field, "Stop fucking around, Neely!"

fucking Neely

-

It took him a good five or six more minutes to calm down, sitting there in the grass and pretending to flip through photos on his camera. This time he made sure to face the fence to avoid a repeat scenario- because of course, Silan was known to have the reflexes of a tiger and wouldn't even flinch were another ball to come hurling at the fence.

jotting this down in my Extremely True Silan Facts notebook

-

He sat on the very top row and zoomed in on the players, scattered across the field. The fence still sat between him and the rest of them, reaching high for maximum audience-shielding ability, so he decided to see how many of the players' heads he could frame perfectly within the open links in a single shot.

His average came out to about four, mostly because it was basically impossible to keep track of any more than that at once, but he did manage to get one with six on accident, so that was pretty neat. It didn't help that they were all constantly moving around- Silan probably would have had more luck trying this with the birds.

He spent about another twenty minutes doing this, occasionally moving to other parts of the bleachers for different angles to see if they made any difference (they didn't; the lower he went the wider the holes got but also the closer together the player's heads became, so it balanced out), before the main event, as far as he was concerned, finally began: batting.

silan: boy oh boy i can't wait to take pictures of the baseball team!!!

also silan: does this bullshit

-

Everyone knew baseball players looked coolest and most iconic when at bat, and anyone who disagreed was simply wrong (second best was pitching, third was sliding). Silan's opinion on this was in no way swayed by visuals of Chris that may or may not have been burned into his memory.

Evidence:

[three pictures of a batter, a pitcher, and a sliding athlete respectively side-by-side, the batter obviously being the coolest most hyped up one with dynamic lighting and stuff, whereas the pitcher and the slider are intentionally lame, like cheap-looking clip art or pictures where they're making really ugly faces]

im gonna lose my fuckin shit (no theres no actual pictures this was just a place holder for when i eventually found & inserted them which i was absolutely planning on doing)

-

He stayed on the other side of the fence, lest a stray ball hit him (or worse, the camera)

TRU

-

He was tall (he had several inches on Silan and a good few on Chris), and he was slender and lean and really quite handsome in general. His thick, curly black hair was neatly shaved close to his head and the corners of his jaw were pleasantly pronounced.

Not that Silan could see any of that from this distance, especially with the helmet obscuring most of it. But as a member of the newspaper club these were things he had to know. For professional reasons.

i believe him

-

He should have been adjusting his position to line up the perfect shot, but it was hard not to watch as Chris rose up on one foot, twisting his torso with his arms raised and clutching the ball- then sprung into action by slamming his foot back down into the dirt and following the momentum with his upper body, arm arcing into a powerful throw. A split second after Silan saw the ball hit the backboard he heard the noise, a loud, solid smack!

God. God.

SCREAMS ALRIGHT SILAN CALM DOWN FKFSKGNKSDJFKD

-

"Make sure you're getting my good side, yeah?" He joked, grinning and striking a stupid pose.

silan watching chris: beautiful. flawless. show stopping. groundbreaking. so so hot and sexy hehehauhaoehemeheuenana

silan watching lucas: clown ass motherfucker striking his goofy ass POSE what an idiot 000/10

-

"Yo," Devon greeted as he pulled himself to his feet, flashing his hand in a pseudo wave.

"H-hi," Silan answered haltingly, heart beating a little fast from the maneuver he'd just had to pull. Devon offered what Silan could only describe as a dashing grin before turning his attention back towards home.

hee hee hee hiiiiiii devonnnn *twirls hair* (silan impression)

-

They rarely talked but Devon had always come off as a nice guy with a friendly vibe. He'd certainly never referred to the newspaper club as Mooners- not that Silan had heard, anyway. Though it wouldn't be such a big deal if he did, since the nickname was pretty widespread at this point. But it was nice that he didn't.

Also, he really was quite handsome.

this would have been a very different story had silan gone for devon instead of chris, devon would NEVER pull the shit chris is about to pull in this story fksndkjfdkjg he doesn't even call them mooners 😭

(school newspaper is called the new moon so people call the club members new mooners, an extremely clever & funny joke that i came up with myself)

-

(ok context, silan was gonna take a pic of chris sliding (the team's doing this whole exercise where they alternate from pitching to hitting to sliding) but bc he was so focused on getting the shot he didn't realize the ball was headed right for him so chris collided w him trying to intercept it)

Silan turned around, seeing the coach standing with his arms crossed as Chris examined his elbow. He looked up when Silan moved.

"Thank Christ. That was stupid as hell, you both could've gotten way more hurt." He hadn't even checked if Silan had been injured. "Jumping over another guy like that. We're not a goddamn gymnastics routine."

"But I caught the ball," Chris grinned, holding it up and waggling it around. Silan immediately had to stop himself from asking if he could have it.

LMAO SILAN???????????? DOWN SO FUCKING BAD

-

As he walked off herding the team away, Chris stepped closer to Silan, instantly setting his heartbeat into overdrive, more than it already was.

"Your shoulder okay?" he asked with a gesture towards the shoulder in question, and Silan just about passed away on the spot.

when he checks if ur ok after he ran u the fuck over 😍😍😍

-

Then he looked to the left, in the direction Chris had tossed the ball just a minute ago, at the spot in the grass it had rolled to a stop.

The backboard of the catcher's box announced another missed swing, and Silan picked up the ball, examining it.

The object that had ruined his perfect shot. That had come careening directly towards Silan's head (or worse, the camera). That had resulted in the disastrous collision and subsequent injuries of Chris and Silan. That had wasted precious minutes of Coach Wendell's perfectly scheduled practice regimen.

He tucked it neatly away into his hoodie's front pocket and took a seat on the grass right where it had been.

STOLE THE FUCKING BASEBALL this is unhinged behavior and also exactly the kinda shit i would've pulled in high school 10/10

---

uhhhhhh that was chapter 1 and i feel i should perhaps stop here for now since this is getting like way longer than i thought it would lfksndlfmdkgj the whole thing is like. 30k ish words? i feel like i wrote about 3 or 4 chapters

i like. shoulda done this shit a few days ago so i could start writing again today (the 1st) but i was too busy drawing heehee uhhh whoopsieee >w<

its ok its fine this year i will make it to 50k easy peasy dont even worry abt it ;3 i will definitely not go back to drawing today that would be sooooooo silly and goofy of me hahaha :)

[cloudshapedpatch]

i love knowing my friends inside out. i love fitting together like puzzle pieces with my loved ones.

my best friend has every dog breed memorized. he hyperfixated on them in early elementary school. he thinks it's weird now and only those he's known since childhood know he can tell what any mutt is mixed with. i ask him what every dog is when we take walks and he happily teaches me. he keeps a box of all his old stuffed animals and gives me one for every birthday because i liked playing with them more than he did during our first grade play dates. neither of us know what he's going to do when he runs out. he tells me last year's was a border collie.

my sister makes fun of me for having a weird style or liking weird music but i know she wouldn't know what to do with herself if i wasn't around. she's country through and through which is weird cause we grew up in the mountains and she's the only one who listens to country music. she's naming her baby boy the most white suburban mom name ever and she's so happy. she answers her phone and calls me a hoe. i call her a bitch. i could tell she was pregnant the second she called me, she said hey and i saw her face on the screen and immediately put on my shoes and ran to her house down the street and asked to see the pregnancy test. she almost fell over laughing because how could i have known. because she's my sister. and she had been glowing for the past week.

my other best friend loves to draw. i love hearing about her OC's. she's not out to her family yet, we both know her parents and siblings are ally's but she's nervous and that's okay. she likes her coffee black. has drank it that way since she's been in middle school. absolutely loves hatsune miku but her favorite vocaloid is len. her dream is to see rin and len live someplace and she wants to work internationally. she's not sure what she wants to do yet and she's young it's okay, but she hopes it's an office job with plenty of time for commissions.

my other other best friend wants to be a welder. no one knows. he's getting a general studies degree instead of trade school because he's scared to make the leap until he's absolutely sure. he cooks to calm down. he makes corn dogs from scratch and lights up as he watches me try them. he finds cooking therapeutic. he hates doing the dishes. i do the dishes. i find it calming. i talk his ear off as i wash and he dries. he likes legos and star wars and spider-man. he likes spider-man because despite how life seems to kick him while he's down, he dedicates himself to keeping the community safe. he wants to settle down and have a family. it's his ultimate goal in life. have a job he likes well enough and come home to his wife and raise his children in a safe and loving home. he wants at least one daughter.

my brother wants to be a comedian. he likes working out and pushing himself to be the best he can be. he cries when he's sick and brings me tea when im sick. he takes his coffee black and knows how i like mine. he really likes five nights at freddy's and gravity falls and recently, the owl house. that's not very alpha male of him so he doesn't mention it. he turns off the tv when we watch the owl house together when our third roommate comes home. but he relishes in our time together. im his annoying little sibling who will talk about jelly for an hour but he begs to watch a few episodes of this anime he found or play some minecraft or watch this movie he found life changing. he wants to be a filmmaker.

[fennelwrites]

Hiiiiii I’ve liked your Volo stories so far, so you have any ideas for one based around finding him out in the wilds after his plan falls apart? Ever since I finished the game, I miss seeing him around…

ahhhhh anon this ask has been living in my brain since it arrived!! i ALSO miss seeing volo around, the entire time i played daybreak i was looking for him lmao. where is he nintendo. hand him over

ANYWAY this scenario exactly plays out in my head at least ten times a week, and the direction this fic takes is just one possible way i could see it going! lmk if you want to see some other version of mc finds volo post postgame i have many of them :3

--

lost and found (volo/reader)

after finishing up some survey work, you stumble across a familiar face in the highlands.

(cw: none. contains postgame spoilers)

read on ao3

A shower of sparks erupted from the top of the Pokeball you’d thrown moments ago, marking a successful catch. You sighed as it disappeared, miraculously making its way to the pastures, and pulled out your Pokedex to mark down notes. The rain around the Highlands had finally let up, so you now had the chance to take down information about every Pokemon you’d caught in the massive outbreaks.

Your thoughts were elsewhere, however, as your pen moved across the paper. If you were honest, your thoughts had been elsewhere for months now. Ever since the incident at the Temple of Sinnoh, your mind had been cluttered with what-ifs, alternate endings to whatever that was. And most of all, you’d been thinking about him.

"My journey is over. My story ended when I lost to you."

You swallowed around the lump forming in your throat as you replayed Volo’s final words to you in your mind. The vitriol and the intensity in his eyes as he faced you in battle was seared into your mind like a brand. It was so different from the playfulness and levity that he practically exuded before, almost like he’d become a completely different person. The Volo who had saved your life after your exile from Jubilife, the Volo who seemed to be the only person who liked you for who you were rather than what you could do for him, the Volo you had loved…he was gone. And you couldn’t comprehend it.

You had done a fairly good job of keeping it together as you reported the events to Laventon, then Cyllene, then Kamado; but the moment you closed the doors to your quarters, you had burst into a flood of tears. It didn’t make any sense, and taking a break from surveying for a few days hadn’t helped you to understand. Eventually, you dragged yourself out of your quarters and back to work; you had a divine mission, after all, and it would be senseless to go through all of that and not accomplish it.

Now, months later, here you were. With an unfinished Pokedex and a god who wouldn’t listen because of it.

You snapped your notebook shut, stuffing it back in your satchel and standing up. The light was steadily fading, and you’d have to write your remaining entries back at camp. You glanced at your phone; the nearest camp was the Summit Camp, and you’d have to trek through the Celestica Ruins to get there. With a sigh, you dusted off your uniform and started on your way, trying to stifle the tears welling up behind your eyes.

As you rounded a pillar, a flash of movement caught your eye. You turned to face it, hand flying to your partner’s Pokeball; you’d cleared all of the Pokemon from this area earlier. Had some already come back? You held your breath, waiting for something, anything to happen, but you were met with only the sound of the breeze.

Then, from behind another pillar, a figure emerged, and you felt your heart leap into your throat.

Volo’s hair had gotten much longer since you’d last seen him, but it was still worn in that gravity-defying style. His clothes were torn in some places, revealing barely-healed scars, and though he glared at you from across the ruined path, anger wasn’t the only emotion present in his eyes.

He looked tired.

He looked lonely.

The two of you stared at each other for what felt like ages, neither of you daring to make the first move. The sun had fully set now, and the full moon illuminated Volo in a silvery glow, contrasted by the shadow the pillar cast over his frame.

“Well,” Volo finally said, his voice hoarse from underuse. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Same to you,” you managed to reply, taking a shaky step forward. Your thoughts were a mess as you gazed at him, trying to decide what to say. “What have you been up to?”

Volo scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. “Oh, the usual. Wallowing in my failures and recovering from devoting my entire life to a god that won’t give me the time of day. You?”

You winced at the bitterness in his tone, fidgeting with the hem of your uniform shirt. “...same old,” you said quietly, not meeting his gaze. “Filling the Pokedex. Research. Survey Corps stuff.”

“Of course, of course.” Volo turned away from you before glancing over his shoulder, visible eye filled with that same anger and sadness from earlier. “Well, next time you speak to Arceus, do give it my regards. Perhaps leaving a message with the chosen one is the best I can do.”

You watched him turn to leave, tears welling up behind your eyes again, and said the first thing that came to your mind that might get him to stay.

“It doesn’t listen to me either.”

To your credit, that did the trick; Volo stopped in his tracks, though he didn’t turn to face you just yet. “What?” he asked, his voice so soft you barely heard it over the wind.

“It won’t let me talk to it until I meet every Pokemon,” you continued, taking a few cautious steps toward him. “I get, like, vague guidance about where I need to go next, but that’s it. And I sure as hell don’t have the chance to say anything back.”

Volo was silent, mulling over your words as you kept approaching. “...I don’t know if that’s comforting or terrifying,” he finally said, idly toying with his pendant.

You stopped a few feet away from him, deciding to let him either turn around or walk away on his own terms. “Look, I’m not saying you have to like me or anything,” you began, your voice sounding far more confident than you felt, “but…you don’t have to isolate yourself, okay? I care about you, so… If you need help, I’ll do whatever I can for you.”

“Short of handing over the plates, of course,” Volo quipped; there was no real malice in his tone, however.

Finally, finally, he turned to look at you. His single visible eye was illuminated by the moon, and he shivered almost imperceptibly in his thin attire. The hair that hung over one side of his face fell past his chin now, and you were struck by the urge to brush it out of his eyes. Now that you were close to him, you could see just how exhausted he was.

“You look like shit,” you said without thinking.

Volo laughed, and that small gesture was enough to remind you of every adventure you’d had with him. “I feel like shit,” he replied, taking a small step towards you.

“Come back here in a week,” you stated, smiling up at him as he approached you. “I’ll put together a bag for you. Some fresh clothes, first aid supplies, treats for Togekiss–”

“Don’t spoil her, she’ll never leave you alone.”

“I think that’s a me problem, frankly.” You placed both hands on your hips, looking up at Volo determinedly. “Still. You’ll be all set, at least for now. And where it goes from there…we’ll see. Okay?”

Volo sighed, looking down at you. “You’re something else, you know that? If that commander of yours finds out about this, you’ll probably be kicked out of the village again.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” you replied. “But if it does happen again, at least I’ll have good company, right?”

Volo shook his head, laughing softly. “You were always good at looking on the bright side.” He sighed, not meeting your gaze. “...thank you. I don’t deserve your kindness, but…I appreciate it. Sincerely.”

Something snapped inside you; before you knew it, your feet were moving on their own volition and you were enveloping Volo in a hug. He stiffened at first, but slowly relaxed into your embrace.

You smiled against his chest, the wind around you finally settling down. There were still a lot of things you wanted to say to him, but they could wait. Tomorrow, you’d have to figure out the logistics of your delivery, but that too could wait. Right now, all that mattered was that he was here, he was alive, and he was hugging you back.

That was enough.

[forsakenmis]

After the snap

Summary: Wanda was snapped away. You, on the other hand, remained and had moved on. You moved out of the country, started a new job, and had even gone on a few dates. Then everyone came back and suddenly a familiar witch was knocking on your workplace door.

Pairings: Top!Wanda x Reader

Warnings: dark!wanda, oral (r receiving), strap, public sex, posessive wanda, mummy kink

You’d long put away the shield (so to speak) and were at a point that going back to everyone just seemed so jarring. Maybe you didn’t want to believe it wasn’t true. After five years of grieving, of building a new life, and suddenly everyone’s just….back.

Wanda was back.

You knew it was wrong to have not contacted her. For her, it must seem like yesterday that you were whispering your plans about eloping, but that was five years ago. You moved on. Found someone else. She was nice, sweet, normal. She worked as a custom officer but she could spend hours and hours talking about all these topics that fascinated you.

She also was very predictable and normal.

Admittedly, your relationship hadn’t quite been defined. You suspected she was seeing other people, keeping her options open, and you weren’t sure how long you two were going to last but you were enjoying the time that you had together.

On top of that, you had a job at a bookstore that paid your rent. Sure, it wasn’t as flashy as it was back then but you liked being surrounded by all the books, some new and some falling apart. You spent a lot of pride restoring the latter in the back. You never had much of a chance to read before everything happened, your life was mostly spent trying to make sure everyone didn’t die.

Your abilities were healing based and that was more useful than you had initially thought when you first met them all. In fact, you thought you were awfully inadequate compared to people like Steve Rogers, Thor and Wanda Maximoff. But your time was kept filled to the brim.

Your only time to relax was your time with Wanda.

It had started off innocent enough. She used to stay with you after you finished up in the medic bay. She’d have dinner with you. Admittedly, you were pretty sure she didn’t have many other friends in the complex. Then it grew until she was fucking you every chance she could get. How else would either of you relax?

But that was a long time ago. You were done with that life. You weren’t the same person anymore. You ran and started a new life and not even the idea of Wanda could make you go back and maybe she was just that–an idea.

You were confident none of them would find you. Natasha couldn’t. You knew she had been trying to track you down like she had for Clint but no one came knocking on your door. So if they couldn’t, you were pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to find you either.

You’d just closed shop, the sunset streaming through the shutters covering the windows, and were taking stock. It had been a quiet day, but it was always quiet on a Tuesday so you had easily reached the predicted quota. The one downside was your boss, but he was only around once a week.

He was the kid of some millionaire who was trying to be hip and all that. So he opened some urban bookstore but he was too busy partying to actually stay on top of the business. Which is fine-you liked that arrangement. You’ll keep the shop running and he’ll never be up in your business. It worked without a bump in the road.

You were nearly done for the day, all you had to do after was–

The bell attached to the door trinkled. Someone had walked in. It was nearly half past, well past closing, so surely your boss would understand if you told whoever it is to leave. You were behind the shelves, you couldn’t see who had walked in. They weren’t making a lot of noise. Some people just had that soft touch, usually women.

Coming out to the front, your mouth already opening to ask them to leave, your words died in your throat.

Wanda.

Your eyes were frozen on her face, her eyes, those big doe eyes that always drew you in. She was smiling, an expression full of relief, and she was taking you in, grazing your body, before she moved forward to close the distance.

You stepped back.

Frozen with the air changing. Heavier, like you could feel the gravity pulling you down. Her light, happy, expression melted off and confusion replaced it.

“Wanda,” you said, wanting to cut her off, you couldn’t do it. You couldn’t listen to her. She’d want you to come back. Five years for you, a few days for her. “You shouldn’t be here.”

You may as well have slapped her.

“Shouldn’t be here?” Wanda repeated and you closed your eyes. For the first time in years, you heard her voice. That voice that whispered to you in your dreams. A voice you thought you could hear every time you were alone. “I think I’m exactly where I need to be.”

When you opened your eyes again, you jumped, she was right there. You didn’t even hear her footsteps. “Wan–” you began but then her lips were on yours, her tongue sliding into your open mouth and you grunted in shock. You didn’t kiss back but you didn’t push her off either. You froze. You let her tongue be pushed down your throat as her hands slid onto your cheeks.

Her thumbs beginning to rub small circles into your skin pushed you back into action, your hands going to hips to shove her off you hard enough that she stumbled back a few steps.

“Wanda, I can’t,” you hissed out. “It’s been five years. I…”

“Why aren’t you happy then?” Wanda asked, bewilderment splashed across her face and almost instantly did guilt wash through you. Like you were betraying her somehow. “I was gone for five years, and now I’m back. Why didn’t you come back? Surely, you didn’t move on that easily?”

With that, the guilt was gone.

“Easily?” You hissed out, your hands balling into fists, “don’t come into my shop and–”

You stopped. It was no use getting angry. Your sentences always fumbled into one elongated word that no one could ever understand. “You have no idea what the five years have been like,” you snapped and she tilted her head, just slightly, but enough that a cold chill went down your spine. “You shouldn’t have looked for me. I’m not interested in going back to the avengers. I moved on.”

With that, you turned on your heel to go behind the desk, tapping away at the register. Maybe if you ignored her, she’d get the hint and leave.

“So you developed an attitude?” Wanda remarked and slid her hands into the woollen cardigan that...you knitted her. You frowned when you made the connection. You spent hours labouring away at it. It wasn’t that good, the colours were awful, but she rarely took it off. “Seems we have to start at square one again.”

You frowned. You seem to be doing that a lot. You could already see the wrinkles beginning to form on your forehead. Why wasn’t she listening to you? “I’m seeing someone,” you blurted out as the cash register popped open loudly and Wanda’s face went blank as she registered what you just said. “A girl. She’s nice.”

You weren’t sure if you just signed this girl’s death certificate.

You kept eye contact with the Sokovian and even when her face morphed into a cold fury you hadn’t seen since the civil war. Her expression was tight and it almost looked like she was trying to hold herself back.

“I see.”

“I’m sorry,” you whispered after a moment, “I...I know this can’t be easy for you either. I know it must seem like last week that...well. You know. I just...that life is over, for me at least. I hope you can understand.”

Wanda was silent. She was being too silent. She didn’t say anything, she stood there watching you, and you were too nervous to say anything else or make the next move. Maybe, hopefully, Wanda wouldn’t even say anything else, just walk out. Resent you for the rest of her life. It was better that way.

Instead she walked around the register and your heart dropped to your stomach.

“Wanda-”

“Shut up,” she hissed, her hand whipping up to grab your jaw. Your hands shot up to her wrists and she dragged you forward, closer to her face. “Do you really think I’d let you give up on us this easily? That I’d let you whore yourself out to some girl off the street?”

You didn’t say anything but your glare said enough.

“I trained you so well. I spent years breaking you in, years loving you, and you treat me like this? Like I’m just some common bitch you can throw onto the street?” Wanda’s tone didn’t match her words. Her tone was soft, almost a coo, sounding more disappointed than angry. You almost wished she was more angry than disappointed.

Her lips were on yours again and her hand moved to the back of your head, her teeth biting down into your lips and you groaned at the sharp pain, giving her entrance back into your mouth.

A hand went down between your legs, rubbing, and you instinctively opened your legs. Your body remembered her. Remembered her scent. Everything.

Wanda hummed in approval and soon you were being pushed onto the counter. She broke the kiss, pulling back to look down at you, her hands beginning to rub the inside of your thighs. “Just one night,” she whispered, her expression already having smoothed out, as if that kiss, your touch, was all she needed. “One night with me and if you still want me to leave by the end of the night...well, I’ll leave you alone. Forever. Even if you change your mind. Even if you come crawling back, begging.”

You doubted her. Something in the back of your mind didn’t believe her. On anything. You were pretty sure she wanted you to beg. Your hands were shaking and you gulped. Everything about this reminded you of when you were last happy. Like you were back in the avengers tower where nothing was going wrong.

Her lips were on yours again and her hands soon began to pull at your skirt, ripping them off you with ease, to find nothing but your bare cunt for anyone to see. You jerked up when her hand slammed against it, slapping it. Once, twice, three times, four. “You dirty little whore,” she whispered, “you let anyone and everyone see this, didn’t you?” She slid a finger into your folds and your bottom lip trembled.

“Wanda…” you whispered, feeling your own walls beginning to crumble. Maybe one night wasn’t so bad. One night. One indulgence.

“It’s mine tonight,” Wanda confirmed before suddenly her hands were on your waist and flipped you around and your stomach slapped onto the desk, taking away your breath, leaving you gasping. “You said I didn’t know what happened. In the past five years. You’re right, I don’t, but you’re going to tell me. Tell me everything I missed. If you leave anything out, and I know when you do sweetheart, I’ll stop. Understand me?”

“Yes,” you breathed out as you felt her mouth in between your legs, her tongue lapping at your clit and your back arched as you tried to push more of yourself into her. Soon, it started spilling out. What you did the first few months, how you struggled to get out of bed, how you travelled the world. Therapy. Everything. Her tongue didn’t stop, in fact the more you spilt, her tongue sped up, making you wetter and wetter by the second. “I couldn’t get you out of my head,” you mumbled by the end of it, “I found her. She was everything you weren’t. Mundane. Boring.”

Your stomach was tightening, that tempting release building and building, so expertly brought on by the way Wanda devoured you, the way she breathed onto your throbbing clit, the way her tongue teased your gaping entrance. When you stopped, she pulled away and you bit down onto your bottom lip to stop yourself from cursing.

“Such a good little whore for me,” Wanda purred, her hand falling in between your slit to rub your clit and the moan that left your mouth sacrificed any and all self respect that you might have been clinging onto. “This is where you belong isn’t it? Bent over for mummy. I treat you so well, don’t I?”

Two fingers dipped into your already gaping entrance pushing them in and out. “I think you deserve a little reward,” Wanda hummed out, “for being so honest with mummy.”

You didn’t have much long to prepare before you felt a strap push into your entrance and you gasped in a sharp breath, your eyes bulging and your body pressed forward. Wanda didn’t push into you completely, only pushed the tip in and out, focussing on the one area.

In truth, that was worse than if she shoved into you completely. You were forced to focus on that one area, not get that relief if she were to push in deeper, and it was as if she was grabbing at every inch of your mind, forcing you to feel nothing but that tip dipping in and out of your body.

“Tell me…” she whispered, her hands coming onto your waist to grip them, nails digging into your skin, “tell me where you belong, baby girl. Who you belong to. Look at you, five years without me and you still get so wet for me. I go in so easily. Don’t worry, baby, I’m not going to leave you again.”

“W-w-” you choked out and you took in a breath, trying to contain the moans slipping out of your mouth, “you said one–”

Her hand slammed down onto your bare ass and you jerked forward. Still, she didn’t go deeper, didn’t give you what you wanted. Still, you didn’t verbalise this. Your skin was stinging and your fingers reached up to hang onto the edge of the desk.

“Answer my question, don’t make me treat you like a common whore,” Wanda hissed, pulling out completely just to thrust back in, shoving more of the shaft inside of you, ripping your walls open, but then she pulled back to just the tip again.

Then the doorbell rang again and it was as if someone poured a bucket of ice cold water all over your body. Your vision was already blurring by this point but you could see her outline, the blonde hair, standing at the door.

Wanda slammed into you, bottoming out, and a scream shot out of your lips, whilst her hands were in your hair, pulling your head back until your neck was straining. She could see your face, see every expression you pulled as Wanda began to fuck you without restraint.

“If I were you,” Wanda’s voice broke through your moans and screams, icy cold and calm despite the way she was beginning to thrust inside of you, “I’d leave and never come back. If you knew what was good for you, you’d wipe my girl from everything. Phone, address, memories.”

You couldn’t hear what she said, you could hear her voice, but unlike Wanda, it was all a garbled mess. Even in this state, Wanda’s words were in absolute clarity. You watched her leave. The door clicked shut and you swore you could see red mist at the door, locking it.

Wanda bent over you, pressing down onto your back, lips pressing against your neck, sucking and nipping, her hips still pushing inside of you, pushing you closer and closer to an orgasm that was tightening at the base of your stomach.

Then her movements slowed until she was completely still, her strap still inside of you, your walls wrapped around it, clinging to it.

“Much better, just us,” Wanda whispered as she nipped at your earlobe and you moaned. “You take my cock so well, don’t you? No, I couldn’t dream of letting you go, not when you’re such a good girl for me. I’ll take you with me and I’ll give you the life you want. A normal life, where no one will ever hurt you. You can read all you want. Forget the world outside. Just us two, together.”

“Mummy,” you whispered and you could feel her body vibrate as she hummed in approval. “Mummy, please.”

“Tell me where you belong,” she whispered back as she began to move her hips again.

“With you, mummy, under you. I missed you so much,” you whispered, “I belong to you. I always have.”

“I know, sweetheart, I know you did,” Wanda whispered before she stretched up and her hands went to your elbows, pulling you up from the table before she began to rail you. Sharp thrusts, slamming into you again and again, and tears began to burn the back of your eyes as pleasure began to roll through you. “You're going to cum for me like a good girl. Then you’re going to lie on this table to wait as I go pack your bags. You live above this, don’t you?”

“Y-yes, mummy,” you choked out as your orgasm was already threatening to flow through you. You could feel your own juices dripping down your thighs and you knew that your boss would be walking in to find an absolute mess.

“And then we’ll leave. Together.”

“Together.”

It wasn’t long until you felt like you were choking on your breath, your stomach twisting and churning, your legs trembling, and it was Wanda keeping you up. Otherwise, you would have collapsed onto the table, even the ground.

Soon, you felt it. Felt that blissful euphoria that often put you to sleep wash over you in intense waves that made your toes curl. Wanda was laughing, quietly, as she felt you come undone around her strap. “That’s it, baby girl, let it all go. Good little whore.”

She slid out of you with a pop and you groaned, the disappearing sensation already sorely missed. “Mummy, please, I still need you…” you mumbled, your words drowsy and reality was folding inwards around you as you felt your body hit the table again.

“I’ll be back, in just a moment,” Wanda whispered into your ear before her warmth disappeared and you could hear her moving through the store and up the creaky stairwell. Then your eyes slid open and you took in a deep breath as you began to move. Pushed off the desk, your legs sore and shaky but stable, and you looked for the skirt, long discarded. You knew you only had a small amount of time before she realised or, god forbid, heard you. Pulling the skirt up you grabbed only your wallet, didn’t even dare grab your phone and risk being tracked. You can get a burner if need be. You knew it’d be difficult, if she found you here, then she’d be able to find you wherever you went but...maybe she’ll give up.

You didn’t go through the front door, not with the bell, but there was a small door leading out to the back. Your footsteps were silent as could be, and your heart was beating in your chest. One wrong step and she could hear you. You could hear the banging doors, even her humming, but she didn’t stop.

Soon, you were in the back alley, with nothing but overflowing bins and a motorbike there. Yours. The only thing you kept from Stark. Faster than anything you could buy in a store. You hated riding with a skirt, let alone with these shoes, but what choice did you have?

You only had so much time to run.

[btsxmalereaders]

☆ Even in zero gravity, I would still fall for you!

♡ pairing — bang chan x male reader

> genre — fluff | f2l

> word count — 4.3k I don't know how this happened

> summary — chan realises he likes you by not being able to use pickup lines on you

> a/n — i saw a tiktok where chan says he's gonna use a pickup line on felix and my love-deprived self ended up writing this lol i hope you all like it

| 05282021

| Please keep making more whosfan accounts and keep streaming WOLFGANG on the correct platforms!

"Hey, how you doin'?" Chan casually says as he enters the kitchen, trying not to grin and start giggling right away. He even places his hands over the table and tilts his head a little in an attempt to look confident. Felix takes his attention away from the food he is cooking and turns on his feet to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Good?" He answers with an air of suspicion. "Why?"

Chan finally lets out a small giggle, "Oh nothing, I was just thinking that... I am not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together."

And Felix thinks it's a creative pickup line, funny even, but what ends up making him laugh is the way his best friend bends over to start laughing louder and the way his cheeks turn reddish at the embarrassment he's probably feeling.

"That was a good one, I must say," He chuckles. "Not as great as the Optimus Fine one, though. Even if it made you laugh for ten minutes after you said it."

And Chan can only laugh harder at the remembrance, placing his hands over his slightly aching abdomen and gasp for air when he can't handle it anymore. Felix giggles as well and denies with his head, going back to stir what's on the pot.

"Stays keep getting creative when it comes to flirting with you," He speaks again as the laughter finally dies down. "They probably think you might use it on someone you like, and you're here almost crying because you use them on us."

Chan hums, "Well, I don't really like anyone right now."

Felix turns off the stove and makes a -dramatic- pause, turning again to face Chan as he gets closer and squints his eyes. "I don't believe it."

"What?" Chan laughs. "Why would I lie?"

"I don't know, but I don't buy it. Maybe it's the love songs you have as drafts in your laptop."

"Ah, that doesn't mean I'm in love," He explains and takes a seat in front of him, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "That's why they're still drafts, though. They don't convey the feeling of being in love because I am not in love, you know?"

"Good point, but it still doesn't convince me."

"Why?" He asks again with a chuckle, a little embarrassed by the sudden interest in his - nonexistent - love life. "You know our activities barely give us time for ourselves, so it's almost impossible to have a relationship with someone. At least a formal one."

"You can still like someone and not be with them." Felix shrugs. "So spill it. Who is it?"

And Chan knows he's just messing around with him, but he can't help but feel flustered. "No one! I think so." He almost says it in a whisper; however, Felix doesn't comment on it.

"I still want to listen to those drafts," He stands up and smiles. "Why don't you show me?"

This was not the way Chan expected the conversation to go, so he hesitates a bit about his friend's request. Well, it wasn't unusual anyway, at least Changbin had heard a couple and also helped in the composition of the songs, so having someone else hear them wouldn't hurt. He might even listen to ideas on his part to improve them.

"Okay, I can do that. Next week Y/N will come to the studio and work on something, why don't you pop-up at some point and I can show you?"

Felix nods, "Sounds good! Y/N asked for help for his new album?"

"Yeah, he wants me to listen to some tracks he has been working on." He casually comments, taking his phone from his pocket and leading his attention to the device, so now Felix can't see the slight blush on his cheeks.

"Hm, I haven't seen him in a while. Why hasn't he come to the dorm lately? We should invite him."

"He has been busy with his album, that's why. If you think I leave late from the studio, that's nothing compared to him, he truly spends an ungodly amount of time there."

"So you see him often?" Felix asks with sudden interest, now being aware of how Chan's ears are tinted pink.

"You could say that, yeah. He also spends time on my studio whenever he has the chance. And vice-versa." He shrugs, not finding it odd. You two were really good friends, so it was a normal thing for you to do. "Why?"

"Nothing, I was just curious." He mischievously laughs. "So, next week, you said?"

After a quick glance at the time on your phone, you decide to stand up and stretch your body. It's been a long time since you started working, and you still have a lot to do; and on top of it all, the progress you've made tonight doesn't totally convince you, and that just meant you'd be spending more time in the studio.

As you take your phone again to read your notes, a notification pops up on the top. You weren't supposed to meet up with Chan until later, but in the new message you just received, he tells you that he's free from working on his stuff and you could go earlier if you wanted.

You decide to go; after all, it was nearly impossible for you to concentrate again, and you truly needed to know what does he think about the tracks you sent him a few days ago to finally make an advance. So you grab your laptop after making sure you've saved the changes and the cup of half-drunk coffee, walking out to the long hall and taking the elevator to an upper floor.

The soles of your shoes are dragged across the floor all the way to the studio's door, where you softly knock a couple of times before remembering you already know the password to enter. Your fingers press the buttons, entering code you know by heart at this point, and the door quickly unlocks, making Chan to look your way and greet you with a smile.

"Hey, how have you been?" He sweetly says, seeing you entering the room and placing your belongings on top of the big desk in front of you and taking a seat on the couch behind him.

"Busy. And tired." You murmur and let out a sigh. Chan immediately plays a song at a low volume and takes seat next to you.

"You're still struggling with the track you told me about?"

You nod as an answer and pout, "I am desperate. It's like, no matter how many times I rewrite the lyrics or change the beats, it still doesn't convince me at all and I hate it."

"I get it," He sighs. "But don't worry about it, I'm here to help you out."

And Chan isn't someone who breaks his promises, so the following hours are spent listening to your music, carefully reading everything you've written so far, listening to your ideas and giving you advice.

In between work, he tells you every other joke to make you laugh and feel at least a bit less stressed; and it works wonderfully since he has a long list of dad jokes that take you off guard, plus his laughter is contagious, so not laughing with him is impossible.

It's no surprise that his advice and opinions are so accurate to the point of clearing your mind and helping you out of your creative block. Chan has always been hard-working and so good with words that every time you engage him in conversations, you feel more relaxed and less burdened. No matter what situation you had a problem with, Chan would always help you find the best solution for it. Maybe that's why you admire him so much, maybe it was one of the many reasons why you didn't hesitate for a second to go to him and find security in his presence and words... Maybe it was one of the thousands of reasons why you had romantic feelings towards him...

"Is it better now?" His voice takes you out of your thoughts. He's sweetly smiling at you; he probably realized you got lost on the way his lips were moving as he told you his thoughts on the recent draft of your song.

"Yeah, yes, honestly, you've helped me so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." You smile and go for a quick hug, taking the opportunity to ruffle his hair. Your fingers sliding between his soft and messy curls and making him fondly smile in the process. "You're my hero. I mean it."

Chan chuckles and can't keep his eyes off you as you type something on your laptop and hum. He recalls the conversation he had last week with Felix, and that ambiguous feeling settling on his chest makes him wonder if, after all, his friend was right. He doesn't remember when was the last time he felt the urge to hold someone in between his arms and dearly appreciate, and he wants to know why he smiles and feels his stomach tickling when he sees you.

Maybe it's because you spend a lot of time with him, a voice inside his head says. But he doesn't feel this way with any other friend.

Maybe it's because you have known him for a long time and you just appreciate him a lot, the voice tries again. Maybe. He finally gives in at the last thought. He'd have to figure it out.

His phone buzzes inside the pocket of his jeans and he takes it, knowing for sure it's a message from Felix.

"Felix is arriving in a few minutes." He murmurs, making you take your eyes off the screen. "He wants to listen to some songs I have, is that okay?"

"Of course, it's your studio, silly." You giggle. "I am almost done with this, so if you're gonna be busy I can go back to m-"

"You can stay, if you want to." He quickly adds. "Plus, he says he wants to see you, you know... He misses you." Chan laughs. He wasn't lying, but that wasn't the only reason he wanted you to stay.

"Okay! Sure, I haven't heard from him in a while, either." You nod and keep making changes on the file you have open.

Just as he said, Felix enters the room just a few minutes later, smiling brightly and immediately running to give you a big hug once he sees you.

Soon, the room was filled with laughter and long conversations to catch up on everything around your lives. Felix tells you about the new pastries he baked last week and that he was waiting for you to come around and bake with him, the new video game Jeongin bought and has been playing with Hyunjin, the new songs Changbin and Jisung have been working on and how Seungmin was learning to play piano, playing songs at night for everyone at the dorm.

"And you know? Chan hyung has gotten better at flirting." He laughs as the latter gives him a threatening glare. "He can't stop saying pickup lines whenever he has the chance."

"Ah, really?" You chortle. "You haven't said one in all the time we've been here."

"Well, we've been working, and I've told you many other jokes... Besides, it's not like I come up with them out of nowhere."

"Yes, you do!" Felix says. "You do that all the time, what are you talking about?"

You glance at Chan, who's currently blushing and at the loss of words. Felix, on the other hand, seems to be happy to see what he just provoked. And he'd definitely enjoy every part of it.

"I want to hear one! C'mooon!" You laugh. "Please?"

Chan rolls his eyes and tries to look confident as he would normally do. He clears his throat and thinks of a good pickup line he hasn't used yet.

"Alright," He says and smiles, he even thinks it's gonna start laughing before even opening his mouth, but the very moment he looks into your eyes, it's like he forgot every single word on his vocabulary. "Uhm, are you, no. Did you-? Wait! I forgot what I was gonna say-"

Felix can't help but burst into laughter, and you only look at him, as if you couldn't believe it. Was he nervous or was it because of the fact that Felix was in the same room? Would it have been any different if he weren't there?

You end up laughing at Felix's loud laughter, as well as seeing Chan blushing up to his ears and hiding his face behind his hands, probably also in an attempt to cover the huge grin he now has.

"Wow, that was an epic failure. And I thought you were the biggest flirt on earth." Felix teases him, to which Chan ends up groaning.

He continues talking about other stuff while Chan stops feeling embarrassed, even though he's not able to look in your eyes for the entire time until you have to go back to work.

You close your laptop and stand up, throwing the now empty cup of coffee on the trash bin. After thanking Chan for his help and promising Felix you'd drop by their dorm soon, you walk out of the studio with a smile and feeling your heart beating fast. There was no way you didn't have feelings for him.

"Oh my god, so I was right!" Felix says a few seconds after you left. Chan's first instinct is to cover his face again. "Look who got nervous so suddenly."

"Stop, I- I don't even want to talk about it." He murmurs, feeling flustered and avoiding Felix's gaze. He types something on his laptop and presses the play button, hoping that this way, his friend would forget about what just happened and could focus solely on the music.

And Felix doesn't talk about it anymore. The next few minutes are set by the music coming out of the speakers; the room filling with Chan's voice, singing the love songs that probably no one else would listen to. Felix seems to be concentrating on the lyrics, but Chan's thoughts are solely about you. As he listens to the songs, he is aware of how his skin bristles every time his hands accidentally touch you, the times when your eyes connect with his and you give him smiles every time it happens, all those times when his heart would race when he hugged you.... It's as if all those songs that professed a love he said he didn't feel, started to make sense.

He feels overwhelmed. Maybe if he was aware of it before, maybe if he listened to his heart instead of his head, this wouldn't be a big revelation to him.

Chan pauses the music, and before Felix can ask what's going on, he speaks up: "Why- why did I do that?"

"Did... what, exactly?" Felix asks, confused.

"The pickup line thing!" He blurts out. "I mean, I do that all the time, right? Why did I just forget how to even talk?"

Felix giggles, "Well, have you considered it's because when you use those pickup lines on us you just do it for laughing? To joke around with us, and with Y/N it's because... I don't know, you have feelings for him and it gets real? Like you're flirting with him."

Makes sense, he thinks. He remains in silence for a moment, processing everything that just happened and finally connecting the dots.

"Wait, you just had your epiphany?" Felix jokes. "It took you too, too long."

"I can barely fall asleep, how was I supposed to know I was falling in love?"

"Fair enough." He says, comprehensive. "Are you telling him?"

"Should I?" Chan's eyes sparkle, but he still feels confused. Should he even try? It's been so long since he last felt this way about someone, and given the circumstances of his life as an idol, he felt more reluctant to take the next step. Even more, considering he had just taken the first one by accepting his feelings a few minutes ago.

"I was right all this time by you being in love," He says. "And I am also sure that it's mutual. I've seen you two for a while, you know? I am surprised you didn't come the realization way earlier than this."

Chan giggles. "Alright, I get it."

"But it's up to you now, I guess. All I know is that you deserve to be happy, and you deserve good things... And Y/N is a great person. You should give yourself an opportunity on love."

Chan feels chills as he hears those words. Tonight's even have been too much for him to process, so he'll think deeply about it later.

"Okay," He nods. "Thanks, Lix. You've been really helpful."

"I know, what would you do without me?" Felix laughs. "Now let's keep listening to the songs, I am loving all of them."

Fortunately, the help Chan gave you really made it possible for you to finish the songs in no time. You are just now walking out of a meeting with your managers and the people in charge of the release of the album to set the final details, and you quickly send a message to Chan to let him know the news.

In the meantime, you drop by your studio to clean up a little and maybe write down some ideas for new songs that have been in your mind for a while. After a few minutes, you hear a knock on the door, snapping you out of your thoughts and then feeling confused. You weren't expecting anyone to come. So you slowly open the door, and a smile spreads across your face the moment you realize it's Chan.

"Oh, hi!" You greet him with a hug, immediately letting him in afterwards. He shyly gets inside, taking a seat on a chair and placing a bag on the small table behind him. "What brings you here? I thought you were still busy with you guys upcoming album."

"It's okay, Changbin is working on his stuff now at the studio, so I took the chance to come here and celebrate with you!" He grins. "Congratulations on making your first self-produced album!"

He starts clapping, making you smile; he truly was the sweetest person you've ever met.

As soon as he read your message he went to the nearby cafeteria and bought your favorite drink and pastries, claiming that it was a special occasion and should be celebrated.

"For all your hard work and the success of this album!" He makes a toast as he raises his cup of tea.

Soon you find yourselves immersed in a long conversation about everything that went into creating this album; from when you had the first idea for the concept, to those sleepless nights when he helped you without hesitation. Chan was definitely an essential part of this whole process, so to be celebrating with him right now felt right. It was how it should be.

"You know," Chan clears his throat as another song starts playing. "These past days I've had this thought in my head, and after talking it out with Felix... I am certain about it. And I want to tell you about it. I know I have to."

You frown, feeling curiosity, especially since his semblance has changed to be a bit more serious. He still has a small smile that gives you some kind of tranquility, but another part of you can't help but feel nervous as he gets a little bit closer.

"Of course, what is it?"

"So, uhm" He starts. "Some weeks ago, when Felix came to the studio and we were talking with you... Well, the reason he came was because he wanted to listen to some love songs I've worked on. And, after listening to all of them I figured out why I didn’t like them. I was sure I wasn't in love. That's why, to me, they all sounded plain and didn’t convey the feeling of love... But then..."

He makes a pause, catching his breath as he feels more and more nervous. He knows for sure his ears and cheeks are red right now, and it's impossible that you haven't noticed it. His hands slightly shake behind the table, anxiously looking for yours, but refraining from doing it because he doesn't know how this was going to end. You don't want to interrupt him, so you give him his time to clear his head and talk again.

"While listening to those songs, the only thought I had in mind was you." He finally confesses, with his gaze now fixed on his lap. "I guess that for a while I didn’t realise that I started to, uhm, catch feelings for you. And, it's okay if you don't feel the same way about me. I just really wanted to let you know because the thought has been on my mind for so long and I needed to let it out."

For a moment, the only thing that can be heard in the room is your voice coming from the speakers along with a sigh from Chan, who still didn’t dare to look up and face you.

"So... what you're saying is..." You speak up, feeling incredibly shy, trying to process the words addressed to you.

"What I am trying to say is that I am in love with you."

And you swear you could start screaming to the top of your lungs right now, but you try your very best to stay calm and finally grab Chan's hands. With that, he looks at you again.

"Channie," You softly say, looking at him in his precious eyes and dearly smiling. You don't even know where to begin, but a voice inside you begs for you to give him a hug. So you open your arms and embrace him tightly, feeling instant comfort and love. "I am so glad you feel this way too. I love you too."

Chan sighs in relief, placing his hands on your waist and pulling you closer; his nose pressed against the crook of your neck and closes his eyes, melting between your arms and enjoying every single second of that gesture.

"Wait a minute," You say out of nowhere, so he separates a bit from you and tilts his head. "That's why you couldn't even say a sentence when you tried to say a pickup line?"

You laugh when his expression changes to look ashamed, his lips frowned in a pout and his gaze avoiding your eyes again.

"Try again, I'm sure you're good at this." And Chan's head only comes up with the dozens of lines he has read, but seeing you smiling right in front of him and your arms over his shoulders, he can only think how lucky he is. He can't possibly say anything to you. "Alright, let me try instead."

You hum and recall all the pickup lines you've read and have been told before, "Hm, can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll return it."

And you expected Chan to start laughing out loud, instead he starts blushing again and giggling, covering his face as he feels nervous.

"C'mon! Seriously?" You laugh and wait for him to stop being shy.

"You make me nervous, give me time." He excuses himself and laughs some more. "That was a good one, and you know what? You can borrow all the kisses you want, as long as you keep your word and return them."

"See? That's what I'm talking about!"

Chan fondly smiles at you, placing his hand on your head to pet your hair for a moment. You close your eyes as he does it, feeling his soft touch traveling all the way down to your chin. He rests his thumb on your cheek and after a few seconds you decide to open your eyes.

"Can I?" He murmurs as his gaze shifts from your eyes to your lips.

"You don't even have to ask."

And just as you give him permission, he breaks the distance between you two. He starts carefully, placing his lips against yours in a tender, chaste way, barely there pressure that makes you exhale through your nose as if you had been holding your breath all along. One of his hands still holds you by the waist, so he takes the opportunity to slide it to your lower back, carefully holding you and sending you shivers to your entire body.

You lean forward barely a few millimeters, but it's enough to feel more pressure over your lips. Chan angles his head and traps your bottom lip, tongue trying to dart out of his mouth to taste more of the sweetness of yours. He, however, contains himself and smiles in between the kiss, instead. He was probably gonna be the death of you.

The deep kiss loses intensity as a minute passes by, so you two end up giving smaller kisses and share smiles, your noses constantly touching in skimo kisses. And you think it's perfect; it's way better than what you one day imagined.

Chan can't miss the chance to make you sit on his lap, so now your head rests over his chest. Your fingers fidgeting the hem of his hoodie and shyly longing to intertwine your hands.

"Hey, Y/N?" He grabs your attention and smiles. "Are you a parking ticket?"

You raise an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because you've got fine written all over you." He ends up with a muffled laughter.

"Oh no, what did I just get myself into?" You joke around, this time finally making him burst into a louder laughter. "You just declared war on me about pickup lines, you know?"

"Oh, so you got some lines, too? Can't wait to hear all of them, then."

And for the rest of the day you let yourself be held in between the arms of the person you loved the most. Later you'd find the way to flirt with him and make him feel flustered when he least expects it.

[africanotaku92]

Schrodinger's Boy

I missed Phan Phic Phight but now I'm here for Dannymay! Not really going along with the prompts, just wanted to write something for the month.

I dedicate this to @five-rivers because i love their stuff so much!

Please, enjoy!

***

Schrödinger’s Boy

It was dead when she saw it.

Oh so very dead, but walking. Talking. Living.

That really doesn’t make sense, so let’s start from the beginning;

Nelia Ugochi d’Bandinello was not a normal child. Ever since she was young, she could see death. And no, not like the walking skeleton clad in black robes and a scythe most people assume, but real death; the dead, the dying, the undead, all. No one, not even her closest family members knew, and she intended to keep it that way. As long as she kept to her own and didn’t cross the line for the rules, she was safe.

Ever since her family moved to this country, she knew the small, sleepy town was a little dead. The essence was in every nook and cranny, even the air had a thin yet distinctive layer of it. Nothing she couldn’t handle.

That is, until now.

The air’s death suddenly sharpened the moment before it walked in.

At first glance, it looked like a boy. A cute boy in fact. Short compared to her tall. Pale skin in contrast to her deep dark, straight black hair opposed to curly blond. Baby blue opposing forest green. But then, the closer she looked, the more she noticed what was off. Skin was a little too pale to be considered healthy, and became slightly transparent as she saw more. Hair was wispy and floaty, almost defying gravity, almost flowing like it was under water as its head bounced. Eyes a bit more, sunken, a bit more tired. Worst of all, its heartbeat sounded so, so slow.

And now, it was sitting two tables across from her.

She swallowed the milkshake that threatened to spill out of her mouth. She tried to turn back to her food, tried to ignore its presence. But she kept glancing its way, turning back to the most terrifying yet fascinating creature she had ever seen.

And she just. Kept. Staring.

One of its cohorts – the black one with glasses – pointed at her direction, and it suddenly looked over. Their eyes made contact. She gasped and looked away.

‘Such haunting eyes.’ She thought.

“Nelia? What’s wrong?” She looked up to see her brother Irnerio, who had previously been trying to unhinge his jaw to fit an absolutely massive burger, was now looking at her in concern.

“Nothing.” She forced out. She glanced back at them. Her brother’s concerned face was already contorting into a smug grin.

“Oh? Falling in love already?” He chuckled “It’s the pale boy, right?” Her cheeks heated. Definitely not what was happening.

“Shut up.”

“Well, you did say that one of the advantages of moving was ‘Date cute Americans’. Though I must say, I always thought that the goth girl would be more your type. You could both indulge in your weird fascination with death.”

She hit her brother in the ribs.

“Stolto*.” She hissed. “I said shut up.”

Her brother laughed.

***

“Dude, the new girl is totally checking you out.”

Danny swallowed his bite of a burger. “What?”

He, Sam and Tucker had gone to Nasty Burger for lunch that Saturday, and had noticed the two newest additions to the town residence. The girl had been looking at them ever since they walked in.

“She’s probably not into me. Probably looking at Sam. They look foreign, so for all we know, she may be their first goth.”

“An honour I am willing to have with pride.”

“She’s looking over here right now!”

Danny turned to where Tucker was pointing and sure enough, she was looking at them. They made eye contact, and hers widened and she looked away.

“See? Totally into you.” Danny rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, Tuck.” He continued eating his burger. But somehow, he couldn’t shake the stare off of him. As if she was looking past his flesh and staring at the very ghost that made his soul.

He shivered at the thought.

***

Oh God above, it went to her school.

The creepy thing goes to her school.

She wondered how it got into her school. She wondered why, of all things, it had to attend as a student.

Mondays where truly the worst days of the week.

She had learned the creatures name was Danny Fenton, official school weirdo, son of the two most successful ghost hunters (oh the irony), and all-round loser she shouldn’t interact with (according to the Mexican girl that approached her). She didn’t really care though, as much as she was weary, she still wanted to know what it was. And she was determined to find out.

The bell rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She sighed and pulled her books from her locker. She didn’t want to be late.

***

Hours later, school was long over, and Nelia was busy at work in the kitchen, kneading dough for her second batch of strawberry calzones, the first already in the oven. Her mother stood at in front of the doorway, watching her.

“That’s a lot of dessert calzones for 4 people.”

She finished kneading and started rolling out the dough. “Oh no, ours are part of the last batch. Most of these are offerings.” She turned to her mother. “I’m going to the Cemetery after dinner. To pay some respects.”

Her mother sighed. There was no talking her out of this. Every time they go someplace new, she always paid her respects at a local gravesite. She stopped trying to prevent her a long time ago.

“Well, just be back before midnight. But in the meantime, let me help you close the ones you’ve already filled. We could talk, use some mother daughter bonding time.” She smiled and nodded at her mum, handing her a spare apron. She gladly took it and set to work beside her daughter.

“Have you heard? There’s a story I heard. They say this town has some kind of ghost hero…”

***

It was late in the evening, and she had paid her respects at the last grave when she saw him.

And he was oh so very much Alive.

Silver white hair adorned his head like a glowing crown. Striking, electric green eyes, a black jumpsuit with white boots and gloves. Veins, across his skin, visible with the implication of pure green death flowing in them, the sound of each breath he takes. A pulsating buzz emitting from his chest, almost sounding like a beating heart. These where the features of Amity Park’s local hero and (dead) celebrity, Danny Phantom.

And he had just landed in front of her.

“Um, are you ok? It’s pretty late out.”

She blinked at first, startled to hear him talk, but composed herself enough to speak.

“Ah, yes I’m fine. Just, paying my respects.” She gestured to the grave and the basket of food.

“Oh, really? That’s nice of you! Apart from family, hardly anyone pays respect these days.”

“Yes, it’s something I try to do everywhere I go. Speaking of respect, where’s yours?”

Danny blinked. “My what?”.

“Your grave. I have to pay my respects to you. This is the only cemetery in town, but I didn’t see your grave.”

Danny froze in shock. He hadn’t really thought about it.

“Oh. I kind of, uhm, don’t have one?” Because I’m not really dead.

It was Nelia’s turn to be shocked. And then she was angry. Was this town really so ungrateful that they didn’t have a grave for their hero? That wouldn’t do.

“Where do you want one?”

“What?”

“Where would you want your grave? I’m going to make you one.”

Danny’s eyes widened.

“Your… going to make a grave for me?” “Of course? It’s only common decency, a basic right to the dead. I might not have your body, but if I have a photo to at least mark your image, it would do.”

Danny was stunned by this gesture. No one had offered him a grave before. So, he told her about his ideal spot.

Weeks later, in a secluded spot in the woods, he stands with her above a freshly dug grave, underneath a willow tree, facing directly at the night sky marked with a picture of him in his ghost form. She drops a plate of calzones and lights some lavender incense. She pays her respects and stands back letting him trace over the picture and admire the grave. It’s not the best grave, but it’s also the only one he’s received. He couldn’t help it, as a few tears dripped from his eyes. It was a sweet gift.

He turns to her, clasps his hand in hers. He manages to choke out between tears.

“Thank you.”

She stares back at him. This action, it’s so… human. She senses familiarity, like she could almost imagine him when he was alive……

Oh.

Oh.

The connection between the dead boy and alive ghost hits her like a train, all the similarities adding up. She smiles at him.

“It’s your grave. You should bring your friends to see it.”

His eyes widen in panic, wondering how she found out. She shakes her head.

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

He relaxes and nods, let’s go of her hands and they stare back at his very own grave. Sam and Tucker are going to flip when they see it.

That night, she’s back in her room, wide awake, thinking of everything that happened. His hands were cold, but not like death cold. Like he had stuck his hands in the freezer. His tears were so real.

This boy, who was dead yet alive. Walking perfectly on the line between life and death, tittering to neither side.

Schrödinger’s boy indeed.

[fruitcoops]

hi <3 i hope you’re well and having a beautiful day so far. i was wondering if you could write a fic about sirius or logan’s brother like relationship to adele - for example, how they would approach her when she’s having a bad day or when she needs advice about something or maybe even after a disagreement with her parents. no worries if you can’t, i just thought it would be a wholesome interaction 💕

Oh, for sure! Katie and Logan get so much attention (for good reason--they're adorable), but I like to think of Sirius and Adele as the blueprint. Hope you enjoy! Combined with asks for Logan and Loops friendship, Papa Dumo (for @ jinxedjaz), Sirius coming back from visiting his parents while living with the Dumais, and Sirius-learning-to-people from this hc list. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

I

A little hand tugged on the hem of Dumo’s sweater. “Papa?”

He glanced up from his crossword and smiled, turning to lift Adele into his lap. “Bonjour, mon papillon. Do you want to help me?”

“Is Sirius okay?”

Dumo paused. His first instinct was to lie—how could he even begin to explain the complexity of the situation to a seven-year-old?—but the brightness in Adele’s big eyes told him she already knew the answer. She was a smart kid. She deserved to know at least some of the truth. “He’s having a tough day,” Dumo said quietly as dishes clinked in the other room. No matter what he and Celeste tried, Sirius insisted on washing up. “He’ll be alright.”

A little furrow appeared between Adele’s eyebrows. “Is it because of us? Because he misses his family now?”

“No, sweetheart, not at all. He just…” The words were impossible to find. “He just doesn’t like holidays very much.”

She worried her lower lip for a moment before wiggling free of his arms. “I’m going to make him feel better.”

“Adele—” Dumo made a grab for her, but she had already scampered out of reach and around the corner to the kitchen. In the three days since Sirius had come back from Thanksgiving, he had already reverted back to his shut-down ghost of a self.

“Excuse me, please,” Adele announced. The sink shut off. “Are you sad?”

That’s certainly one way to do it. Dumo craned his neck to watch their reflections in the glass of the back door without revealing his position. Sirius was always more comfortable around the kids than himself and Celeste. “Quoi?” Sirius asked, turning to face her.

“Are you sad? You’ve been frowny.”

Silence fell for a few seconds. “Ouais, a little,” he said at last. “But I’m not sad because of you.”

“That’s good. Papa said so, too. He says you don’t like holidays, but that’s so silly, because we were just talking about Christmas last week.”

“I like some holidays,” Sirius said haltingly. There was a rustling noise; Dumo saw him pick Adele up and settle her on his hip with a thoughtful tilt to his head. “I’m very excited to spend Christmas with you.”

“Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear.”

“Good. I want you to spend all the holidays with us. Will you be frowny on Christmas, too?”

“I don’t think so.” Dumo could practically hear Sirius’ smile. “See? I’m already better.”

“Will you open presents with me? Marc and Louis always open theirs together, and Mama and Papa, but Katie’s too little to do it with me. I like playing Santa, but it means I hafta go last.”

In the glass, Dumo saw Sirius press a raspberry kiss to her cheek until she burst into giggles; his grin lit up the whole kitchen. “Of course I will.”

II

“You have to smile,” Adele groaned. “You’re scaring off all my customers.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Pardon?”

She turned a big, sunshine grin on him, pressing her fingers into her dimples to exaggerate it. “Big smiles! You like being here! These are the best cookies you’ve ever had! Everyone should try them!”

“They should!” Sirius agreed. “I don’t know why you’re upset!”

She heaved a sigh and clonked her forehead on his stomach, knocking some of the air out of his lungs. “You look scary when you don’t smile.”

“I do not.”

“You do! You’re built like a brick wall and when you’re thinking, you get frowny!” She adjusted her Girl Scout vest and straightened up. “You have to be perky and fun and the cutest little kid on the block.”

“…I might have a problem with the last part.”

“Then I’ll be the cutest little kid on the block,” she said, exasperated.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you think I’m scary?”

“No,” she snorted. “But other people do.”

“No way.”

“Yes, way. Mama looks surprised when her face relaxes, but you’re, like, looming.”

“So…you’re upset with how my face looks?” he teased, dodging her attempt to poke his ribs.

“No, I just don’t need a bodyguard to sell cookies!”

“That’s literally what I’m here for,” he laughed, tugging one of her pigtails until she stuck her tongue out at him. “Alright, madame, I’ll try to be ‘perky’ and ‘fun’.”

“The air quotes weren’t necessary,” she informed him with great gravity, though she couldn’t hide the smile on her face as she turned back to the people walking across the street. “Hey, lady, do you want cookies?”

III

“So,” Logan began, then shoved another handful of pretzel sticks into his mouth. “Dating the captain. What’s that like?”

Sirius looked up from his phone and glared. “I am sitting right next to you.”

“Shush. Loops?”

Remus sighed and let his head fall toward Logan’s armchair; he was starting to get lightheaded from laying upside-down for so long, but it was doing wonders for his lower back and sore feet. “Dating the captain? Pretty cool, to be honest.”

Logan made a noise of disagreement. “I don’t believe that for a second. Does he make you run drills in the basement, or is it just a cuddle party all the time? ‘cause there’s no in-between.”

“Tabarnak,” Sirius muttered, flicking Logan’s ear as he headed out of the room. “You two gossip like middle-schoolers.”

“It’s really not bad,” Remus mused as he stretched one leg toward the curtains. “I’m the one who likes running drills, so he’ll usually watch tape while I do that for a bit. Cuddles aren’t as frequent as you might think. We’re boring.”

“Mmm, with some wild nights in there, eh?” Logan wiggled his eyebrows and Remus chucked a pillow at him, though it did not seem to deter him. “I seem to remember hearing a certain conversation about a new bedframe?”

“A headboard,” Remus corrected, pulling a face at him. “And it was already almost ten years old. You’re just jealous.”

“Ugh, for him? Nah. Peanut might have carried a torch—”

“You’re kidding. Did he really?”

“Oh, yeah,” Logan snorted, as if it was obvious. “But he has better taste now. Honestly, though, I’m glad you two are together. And that you’re happy in your boring domesticity, even if you’re breaking beds left and right.”

“Headboard, and it was one time.”

“Did I ever tell you about—”

The front door slammed open; both of them jumped as something heavy hit the ground with a thud. “Sweetheart?” Celeste asked from the living room, audibly concerned. Remus’ heart dropped and he shared a worried look with Logan, who was already on his feet. “Adele, what’s wrong?”

“Adele?” Logan called, his voice laced with worry. Remus’ heartbeat picked up as Adele appeared in the doorway to the living room with tears streaming down her cheeks, only to throw herself into Logan’s arms with a harsh sob. “Woah, hey, qu’est—”

“Boys are so stupid!” she half-shouted, half-wailed. “And I hate them!”

Remus stood there, useless, as she tore away and sprinted for the backyard, yanking the door shut with a bang before tearing across the grass. “Logan?” he asked after a moment. There was no protocol for this. He had absolutely zero experience with preteen breakdowns, and the Dumais kids always fell into Logan and Sirius’ territory. He could count on one hand the number of actual conversations he had had with Adele.

Logan’s nose twitched; he opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat when Sirius came through the doorway and made a beeline for the yard without a single glance to either of them. “She’ll be okay,” Logan murmured as Sirius walked slowly to the swings, where Adele was sitting on the bench seat with her arms wrapped tight around herself.

“She seems pretty upset.”

Logan shook his head, not taking his eyes off the pair. “I’ve got Katie, he’s got Adele.”

“Yeah?” Remus asked, surprised. Logan and Katie were famous for their bond, two peas in a pod. As far as he knew, Sirius was equally close with all the Dumais kids.

“Apparently, they bonded from day one,” Logan said with the flicker of a smile. Outside, Adele laid her head on Sirius’ shoulder and pulled his arm around her back, burrowing into the softness of his hoodie as he gently rocked the swing with his foot and gave her a light squeeze. “They’re both quieter. Oldest children and all that. You really didn’t know?”

“I…” Remus trailed off and shook his head. “You and Katie are much louder about it, but that makes sense. He talks about all of you all the time., I guess I just assumed it was different since he was so closed off at first.”

Logan hummed. “Ask about it sometime. Dumo always likes talking about them.”

Sirius and Adele walked back after a few more minutes, still attached at the hip as Sirius jostled her lightly and pulled half a smile from her; they entered the house in relative quiet and Adele wrapped her arms around him one more time. “Love you,” she said, voice muffled in his sweater. Sirius rubbed her back in slow circles until she pulled away and padded down the hall to the bathroom

“Children are so mean,” he said as soon as the door closed.

“Then I’m glad she has you.” Remus curled his hand around Sirius’ shoulder and felt him relax beneath his touch. “Is she alright?”

“Some little asshole told her nobody would want to date her because she plays hockey.”

Remus’ heart panged. “How can we help?”

“Teach her how to throw a right hook,” Logan suggested. In a rare turn of events, Remus couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not; from the look on his face, it seemed to be the latter.

“She’ll be okay, baby,” Remus said. Sirius didn’t look away from the closed door. “Kids have always been mean, but the best thing you can do is be there for her, which you just did. It’s hard and it sucks but as long as she knows you love her, that’s enough.”

“Does she?” Sirius asked, almost too quiet for him to hear.

Remus looped an arm around his waist and kissed the top of his shoulder. “She does,” he promised. Without a doubt.

IV

Sirius drummed his hands on the steering wheel with a wide smile. “I’m so excited,” he said for the fourth time in twenty minutes.

“I can tell,” Remus said, still reading through his missed messages. The cell service in customs had been abysmal, and for some godforsaken reason his dad desperately needed to send paragraph updates on his hunt for the perfect holiday lights. Some days, Remus wondered whether he was happiest with his family or in Home Depot.

“I missed them.”

“Yep.”

“And I can’t let Logan get there first.”

“Sure thing, honey. Speed limit.”

“Three weeks is a long time, did you know that?”

“Mhmm. Sirius, speed limit.”

“How do you manage being away from Jules for that long?”

“Very poorly,” Remus said as he typed out a quick response to his dad’s latest text. His mother would end him if he allowed their house to be decorated with anything green—in all honesty, he was starting to think she had a personal rivalry with the Snakes. They turned onto Dumo’s street and he felt the excitement radiating off Sirius kick up several notches. “Deep breaths, love.”

“Ah, fuck me, the cubs are right behind us,” he muttered, pulling over to the curb and unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Sirius!” Remus spluttered.

“What?”

“Turn the fucking car off before you get out!”

Sirius heaved a sigh and pulled the key out, then took off toward the house at a jog; Logan went sprinting past the passenger window half a second later, and Remus heard Finn shouting after him from the still-running car to no avail. They reached the front steps at the exact same time, shouldering each other in an attempt to reach the doorbell first.

“—want to push it!” Logan insisted, kicking Sirius lightly on the shin as Remus headed up the walkway.

“You did it last time!” Sirius argued.

“I’m the youngest, so I get to do it!”

“That’s not how it works!”

The door swung open just as Logan tried to bodily shove Sirius out of the way, only to be put in a scrambling headlock. Dumo regarded them with an exhausted look on his face. “Bonjour, Loops.”

“Hey, Dumo,” Remus called from the base of the steps. “Nice night, eh?”

He shrugged, ignoring the two grown men roughhousing on his welcome mat. “Not bad.”

“Are les enfants here?” Logan panted, trying to heave Sirius into the nearest hedge.

Dumo rolled his eyes and opened the door the rest of the way. “Kids, we have visitors!”

Thundering footsteps echoed off the walls; Logan and Sirius tripped over each other in their haste to get inside. “Tremzy!” Katie shrieked, launching herself into his arms with a beaming smile.

Sirius hoisted Adele straight off her feet and shook her back and forth as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “You were gone forever!” she laughed. “We missed you!”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Logan teased as he set Katie down and opened his arms for a hug of his own. Marc and Louis slammed into him, nearly toppling him in the entryway.

“No, no, no!” Katie giggled as Sirius blew a raspberry kiss on her stomach, only to mimic it on his cheek a moment later. “You’re all scratchy.”

“Tough for kisses,” Remus agreed. “You should tell him to shave, Katie-bird.”

Katie squished his cheeks in her hands with a solemn frown. “No more porcupines.”

“You got it,” Sirius confirmed. “What do you think, Adele?”

She pulled a face and they all dissolved into laughter, exhausted from the long roadie and unable to contain their happiness. It was a tradition Remus was coming to know as he spent more time with the team—Logan and Sirius just couldn’t resist swinging by the Dumais house after a long trip, no matter how drained and battered they were. It was a combination of a competition and a family reunion, and the kids loved it every time.

“Are you staying the night?” Marc asked, lazily tying Sirius’ shoelaces together.

“Not tonight, no.”

“But it would be fun,” Louis said from his place hoisted under Logan’s arm, legs dangling.

“They’re tired, boys, be nice.” Celeste winked at Sirius as he leaned down so she could kiss his cheek before moving to Logan to do the same. “We watched all your games. You were wonderful.”

“Merci, Celeste.” The corners of Logan’s eyes crinkled, and Remus saw Finn and Leo share a smile behind him.

Sirius craned his neck to look back. “Oh, she wasn’t talking to you.”

Logan stuck his tongue out as the kids laughed, still clinging to them both. Remus happily accepted a quick hug and a hair-ruffle from Celeste before she moved on to Finn and Leo, and settled in for a cozy evening at home.

[callipraxia]

oh!!! this is a few hours later, but i also wanted to ask what the lost-but-recently-revived project actually is, because i've never thought to ask in an ask box until now. when my tablet is dead. eugh. it must've been mentioned before, but if you'd like to say more, i'd love to learn about it!!! i feel like i've been talking too much about my own things lately, and i wanna read about others', specifically yours >:] (i remember something about gideon and the axolotl, but that might have been a different project---regardless that sounds whimsy af) if you dont feel like it or anything, you can ignore this :^

The lost project actually hadn’t been discussed much, if at all; it’s a post-canon one-shot where Stan and Ford go back to Glass Shard Beach, reasoning that Stan probably needs to see the place again for the good of his memory and that Ford should probably pay some form of respects to their deceased parents. Stan has a video camera. He ends up documenting just how much everything has changed. He and Ford have Feelings about this, and then they run into someone unexpected. It’s...hardly high drama, so it probably doesn’t make sense that it’s taken this long to start rewriting it, but so it goes with my short pieces.

The Gideon thing is a spinoff/sequel to FWJB I’m considering – specifically, what happened to him after the final battle. It begins ten years later, with Gideon waking up to discover that someone appears to have recently jammed the majority of a tube of drugged lipstick down his throat. Since said lipstick would knock someone unconscious and induce mild amnesia in a much smaller quantity, it’s done a real job on him, which leaves him trying to figure out where he is, how long he’s been there, who drugged him, why that person drugged him, and, in fact, most of who he is – he knows his name is Gideon, he knows he should really not tell anyone that, and very little else. Not even why it’s so important to hide his identity.

Naturally, once he figures even a tiny bit of that information out, he promptly finds himself with even worse problems than he started with.

Other ideas...what the heck, I might as well talk about them a bit, not least to, er, document them in some fashion. Been thinking that writing them down might be a good idea anyway, so here we go:

1) You once suggested I kill Ford and make Stan have feelings about it. I’ve started that one, too; it’s the one I wrote down a lot of and then typed up and then lost...last week? Week before last? Week before last, I think. In this sad little universe, Ford manages to break his neck and die like six months after Weirdmageddon. Stan takes this poorly.

2) In other possible returns to old stomping grounds, I’m intrigued by the idea of going further into how Agent Trigger, of all people, somehow managed to slip under the radar, climb the ranks of the DFSI, and end up recruiting Dipper. Similarly, I’d like to do at least a short return to the IG Epilogue situation, if I can think of a good plot for it beyond Dipper’s initial reaction to “...did that guy really just take his face off like a pair off sunglasses and call me by name??” Plus, of course, if I’m ever in a fluff mood, I gotta write what happened when Soos made good on his promise to loan Ford the deeveedees.

3) Road trip time with Fiddleford and the Stan Twins! What could possibly go wrong?

4) So, Powers. Tell us more about how your agency spotted signals from Gravity Falls thirty years ago. What did you guys do then?

5) Writing more of McGucket’s memoirs, and/or the horror novel about the building of the Portal that I’ve had in mind, and/or a between-the-episodes incident where Fiddleford, struggling to remember who the Author was and why he’s so darn difficult to remember, convinces Tate to talk to him about the past, resulting in them going over a bunch of letters Emma-May had kept and Fiddleford struggling to figure out what was real vs what he was lying about, all while he and Tate are having feels (and sometimes explosive arguments) in the present.

6) Some college years stuff. I have vague ideas for something about the construction of the mind-control tie, and for something else about That One Time Fiddleford Convinced Ford To Come With Him To Tennessee Over The Holidays.

7) More angsty one-shots...stuff like Stan pretending to be Ford at Filbrick’s funeral, and the first day Ford went back to high school by himself, and some stuff with small Tate, and...you get the picture.

8) I will admit this only because of your current tagline – I, too, have entertained the idea that Stan has actually read Moby Dick. Specifically, that in his last months in school, he and Ford ended up in separate classes for part of the day because Ford was taking calculus or something, resulting in Stan having to take the standard-issue American Lit class by himself, and the teacher essentially annoying him into making a good-(ish; it is Stan we’re talking about) faith effort to do his book report properly...only for it to all end on the most depressing note possible, of course. I’ve told myself I cannot actually write this, but… *shrugs*

9) Early in his years in Gravity Falls, Stan visits the library. The librarian is someone he finds attractive. Somehow, one thing leads to another and he finds himself being strong-armed into helping with the town science fair, despite a) him not really being a scientist, only playing one in front of tourists and b) his very specific hatred of science fairs.

10) It is September. Everyone is going back to school. Wendy discovers that Tracey and Quattro exist. This is the one that had me complaining about how I missed the apocalypse not long ago – it’s harder to 99% ignore their infatuation with her in a lower-stakes scenario, and I have no idea how to handle that.

11) It is the academic year. Pacifica struggles to deal with her new social milieu.

12) Some other AU ideas...mostly “what if someone didn’t think of [clever thing] in time” disaster scenarios. There’s also the Better World AU, where...let’s just say it’s not a very nice place at all, at least for some people.

So, there you are! It’s...the majority of the ideas floating around my head at the moment. Some could merge together into one project. Some might not ever see the light of day. But I’ve got plenty of material to work with, just have to get my head back in order for writing, and I’m pleased to say that my head is getting closer to order by the day.