#he sits on the window and is like totally chill and stuff

[mooifyourecows]

me and the metric paper wasp building a nest on my front door have a deep, emotional bond built from making eye contact multiple times a day through the glass and so naturally i wanted to express my love for him by way of little treat and looked up if paper wasps like sugar water but the search results were all "HERE'S HOW TO LURE WASPS INTO A TRAP TO KILL THEM AS HORRIFICALLY AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THEIR LAST MOMENTS ARE PURE TORTURE AND AGONY" and like no, sir, you do not understand, we are in love

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

If you want, can you please write something like tangerine and reader getting ready for bed together and then going to sleep? I always love to read tangerine fics before sleep so this would be perfect. If not it’s totally fine and thank you anyway!! Also I love your writing sm, definitely someone who’s posts Im always excited to see. 💌

I adore stuff like this!! AAA stop you’re making me blush🥹 thank you so so much! thank you for requesting, hope you like it💌

get ready for bed (tangerine x f!reader)

wc || 0.8k

warnings || none, just fluff & cursing

a/n || idk if it’s a british thing or a family thing, but ‘shouting’ is sometimes used as endearment, so any ‘yelling’ and swearing in this is purely out of love😭

masterlist + rules

taglist

“Oh my god! Come here.” You excitedly call out to your boyfriend.

“One bloody minute, I’m having a piss.” Tangerine replies from the ensuite bathroom. “Yeah?” He runs through to you standing by the bedroom window.

“Did you wash your hands?” Looking him up and down.

“Yeah.” He smiles.

“No, you didn’t. Go wash them.” You instruct, pushing him back into the bathroom.

“Alright, mum.” He groans while reluctantly washing them.

He returns showing you his now clean hands. “Better?”

“Yes, now come here.” You say, pulling his arm so he could be closer. “Look at that.” You point to the sky.

“What am I looking at?” His eyes darting around.

Holding the sides of his head, angling his face so he could see what you see. “The moon, look at it. Ain’t it nuts?” You smile.

“That’s the moon?” His eyes widen. “Fucking hell.”

“I know! And look, there’s Jupiter and there’s Saturn.” You point out on the glass.

“Fuck off! Really?” He says in almost disbelief.

“I know!”

“How do you know that?” He asks, looking to face you.

“Magic.” You smirk. “Bath or shower?” You ask.

“Shower?”

“I want a bath.”

He groans at your request.

“Oh come on, you love them. You know you love the bubbles and candles.” You say almost like you’re trying to bride a child.

The sides of his moustache twitch up as he faintly smiles. “Fine.”

“Be a dear and run it for me, I’ll get some wine and grapes.” Kissing his cheek, rushing downstairs to the kitchen. Collecting two glasses and a chilled bottle from the fridge. Washing a couple bunches of grapes in a bowl before running back up the stairs.

When you enter the bathroom you see Tan’s sweet attempts at decorating. Smiling at his thoughtful actions, looking around the room. Eyes widening at the mirror. He had written ‘I love you’ in lipstick. “Uh- that was a Chanel lipstick.” You chuckle.

“I’ll buy you another one.”

“You’re very sweet.” You say, looking at the candles surrounding the rose petal bubble bath.

“Mi lady.” He jests, extending a hand to help you into the bath.

“Why thank you.” Placing your hand in his.

Shrugging off your dressing gowns, both stepping into the bath. “Fucking hell that’s hot.” He groans. Look at that, a broody contract killer fazed by some hot water.

“You baby.” You tease.

//

You had spent the forty or so minutes chatting and relaxing, helping each other wash before deciding to get out.

Tan got out first, wrapping a towel around his lower half before helping you out of the bath. Drying you off and leading you into the bedroom. Standing in your towels as you search through the dressers.

“Can we wear these?” You ask, holding matching frog pyjama bottoms.

“What about these?” He questions, pointing to another pair of matching pyjama bottoms. They were the ones you got him for Christmas, they were grey with tangerine illustrations printed all over them.

“Yes!” You gush. “Can I borrow this? Thanks.” Picking up one of his t-shirts, not giving him chance to answer. Helping each other dress.

You do your skincare while Tan dries his hair sitting at the edge bed. Once you’re finished, you sit in front of him on the floor, silently asking him to dry yours too. He doesn’t hesitate, gently combing through your hair before drying it.

When he finishes you thank him with a kiss.

Pumping some moisturiser onto your hands, you gently swipe some onto his face, patting around his eyes as you smile at each other.

Walking into the bathroom, rinsing your toothbrushes so that Tan could squeeze some toothpaste onto them. Brushing your teeth together as you mumbled an incoherent conversation.

“I’ll go lock up.” He says with a smile, kissing your forehead.

“Ooh! Get me water, would ya?” You ask cutely before he could get too far.

“Eh? Can’t hear you.” He says halfway down the stairs.

“Water.” You yell out from the bathroom, sitting on the toilet.

Finishing up in the bathroom, washing your hands before jumping into bed.

Snuggling yourself under the covers and kicking your feet under the duvet to warm it up. Your beautiful boyfriend returns with a smile and two bottles of water.

“You did hear me?” You warmly say.

“No? These are mine.” He jokes before throwing a bottle to you.

“Har har.” You sarcastically laugh. “But thank you.” Exhaling after taking a sip.

Tangerine slumps into bed bedside you, pulling you close under the covers. Using the remote he dims the bedside lamps. “You’re so pretty.” He said sweetly.

“Shut up.” You shy away, hiding a grin.

“You are.” Snuggling into you and kissing your forehead.

Rolling yourself over resting your back against his chest, kissing his arm sweetly as he pulls you closer into him.

“Goodnight, I love you.”

“Goodnight, I love you more.” Reaching his head around to kiss your cheek.

“Not possible.” You quietly say, snuggling his arm as you both drift off to sleep.

[aanoia]

How Well Do We Know Each Other (interview)

Obx cast x reader (Rudy Pankow x reader, not much mentions tho)

Summary; the obx cast gets put to the test on how well they know their coworkers

Warnings; drug mention, not proofread

Words; 3,330

I kinda hate this, but I kinda love it. I hate how many times I used the word laugh though.

Also, I got totally lost with points so I made them up so you would win.

Also, why can't I find any GIFS of the whole cast?

Requests are welcome and encouraged! I have an anon submission box and you can ask in comments!

“We’re rolling in three,” I cleared my throat and adjusted the way I was sitting as the director called out. My boyfriend, Rudy, who was sitting next to me ran his hand through his hair and Jonathan, who sat on the other side of me, cracked his knuckles.. “Two, one.”

Madelyn began talking with a laugh, “We’re the cast of Outer Banks and we’re here to test each other on-”

“Nope.” Chase said, shaking his head with a smile and we all left as the cameras cut.

“Take two.” The director said.

“I am Madelyn Cline and we are here to test how well we know each other.” Madelyn tried again and I shook my head.

“Thank God.” Chase muttered.

“And we also the cast-” Austin started.

“We’re also the cast of Outer Banks!” We all said in unison and began laughing again.

“Cut! Take three.”

“I’m Madelyn Cline, and we’re the cast of Outer Banks.” She motioned towards us and I waved to the camera with a smile. “And we are here to test how well we know each other.

“Yeah!” We cheered as we clapped.

Madelyn held up the card, “What astrological sign do I like the most other than mine?” She asked.

“Do you like the most?” Madison clarified.

“Yeah.”

“Scorpio.” Carlacia said. “Taurus.”

“Capricorn, duh.” I said with a smile.

“Woah, woah, woah, wait.” Jonathan started. “One response, per person.”

Drew got up and leaned over to the side. “Drew, stop cheating.” I said.

“Drew, don’t you cheat.” Chase said as Drew sat back down.

“I’m not.” He defended.

“Or Capricorn, I agree with Y/n. I’m gonna go with Capricorn.” Madison decided and I high fived her.

“I’m gonna say Gemini.” Drew said as Jonathan was saying Gemini.

“Ah, I was about to say Gemini.” Jonathan complained.

“I was just thinking the movie Gemini Man.” Chase said.

“No, Geminis are crazy.” Jonathan decided. “I’m going to go Aquarius.”

Madelyn smiled as she turned the card around, “Gemini women.”

I snorted as everyone laughed. Drew held up his hands in a “what did I tell you?” way as Jonathan protested.

“Ah, he didn’t specify.” He tried.

Madelyn moved on, “What am I most likely to do when I’m not filming?”

“I’m gonna go Call Of Duty.” Austin said and I laughed.

“I think you’re gonna chill at home with a glass of wine.” Madison said.

“Cards Against Humanity. I don’t know.” Rudy said, his hand resting on my knee.

“By myself?” Madelyn laughed.

“Hm, sleep.” I said simply and Madison laughed.

“Okay, well I have a couple. Actually three.” Madelyn informed us and we laughed again. “Um, napping.” I put my hands up in victory.

“I’m so smart.” I bragged, looking straight into the camera and pointing at my head. “Come to me with all of your problems, and they will be solved with the low cost of five dollars.”

“Stop self promoting.” Jonathan deadpanned and I flipped him off.

“Um, wine.” Madelyn continued. “All natural. Natty wines.” Madison snorted. “Or doing Austin impressions to myself.”

I pointed at her, “Oh that’s fun. Mhm.”

“Right?” She said with a smile.

“It’s an honor, thank you.” Austin said with a hand on his heart. “Have you perfected it yet?”

“You’re perfect.” She imitated with a laugh. “What is my pet peeve?” She asked.

“Your car window getting broken, like four times.” Austin said

“In a year.” She added.

“I think that’s a pet peeve. That’s solid.” Madison agreed.

“Being like, talked down to.” Jonathan said.

“Yeah, changing out of pajamas.” Rudy guessed.

“Hm, that’s good.” I told him quietly.

“Like, mansplaining and stuff.” Jonathan continued.

“Getting out of your pajamas.” Rudy repeated.

“Not going to the spa?” Carlacia asked.

“So, JD, you were close. Being told what to do.” Madelyn said.

“Oh, yeah, yeah.” He agreed.

We rearranged as Drew got up to the seat.

“Purple nurple. Is it hot in the hot seat?” Chase asked.

“First question. What’s my secret talent? Bonus, where did I learn my talent?” Drew started.

“Sleeping.” Carlacia said.

“Insomnia.” Jonathan said right after.

“Guitar, piano. It’s an instrument.” Madison said.

“Well, what’s happening right now is you’re just giving me a lot of ideas.” Drew explained.

“Write it down.” Carlacia told him. “Cause you look like you’re waiting for us to tell you.”

“Yeah.” He said and wrote down his answer.

“Probably juggling.” Rudy said quietly, but not everyone heard him.

“I saw him playing harmonica with the monkeys.” I pointed out.

“With the monkeys?” Madison asked and I nodded.

“Oh, I can see that.” Austin said.

“When was he serenading?” Madison laughed.

“When the monkey swiped the drink.” I explained as Madison imitated playing a harmonica.

“Alright. My secret talent. I think I did hear someone say it. Which is juggling.” Rudy clapped his hands and I smiled at him. “Um, as a bonus though, uh insomnia is my secret talent.”

“Yeah.” Jonathan agreed.

“Who is my favorite Outer Banks character?”

“Barry.” Chase and Madison said together.

“Come on, that's easy.” Jonathan said.

“We know this.” Carlacia chimed in.

“I’m gonna say Shoupe.” Rudy said.

“Wheezie F baby, Wheezie F.” Madison said and I nodded my head.

“Yeah, Wheezie. Or C/n, because she’s just so hot and great, y’know?” I said with a smug smile while dramatically flipping my hair.

“Oh, for real.” Madelyn agreed as Rudy nodded in approval.

“Is it Ward Cameron?” Jonathan asked.

“No, it is Barry.” Drew said and flipped the card to face the camera. “Except C/n is pretty great.”

“I agree.” I nodded.

“That’s a point, can we count that one.” Chase said to the producers in the back.

“If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live?” Drew asked.

“I’m tempted to say Bikini Bottom.” Carlacia said and we laughed. “But I’m gonna not.”

“Bikini Bottom.” Rudy repeated.

“North Carolina.” Madelyn said as she laughed and Drew flipped the card which said North Carolina and we all laughed.

“You can see right through that. I saw it too.” Jonathan laughed.

“Hickory, North Carolina.” Austin said.

“Hickory, North Carolina.” Drew repeated.

“No, just put North Carolina.”

“North Carolina. Asheville, North Carolina. That’s my favorite place on Earth.”

“Aw. The Outer Banks.” Madelyn said.

“Paradise on Earth.” I said as Drew threw the card.

“Who’s up?” He asked.

Jonathan sat on the seat. “You ready?” He asked. “Settle down, class. Here we go, first question. What’s my favorite TV show of all time?”

“I know what it is. Go ahead, write it down.” Madison said.

“It’s Boondocks!” Madison, Carlacia and I all said in unison before all high fiving each other.

“It is Boondocks.” Jonathan said with a nod, turning his card to face the camera.

“Sunny Philadelphia?” Austin asked.

“Ooo, always Sunny Philadelphia close second. Hilarious.” Jonathan deadpanned. “Alright, two. What is my favorite soda? And I don’t really drink soda.”

“Crap, it’s root beer.” I said, trying to think of the brand.

“A and W root beer.” Carlacia said.

“It’s not A and W but it is root beer.” Jonathan said.

“Mugs?” Madison asked.

“It’s not Mugs.”

“Oh! Barks!” I exclaimed, pointing at him. “It’s what they have in Texas!”

“Yes, it’s Barks. That’s what they had in Wataburg, Texas. But other than that I don’t really drink soda. Now this is a trick question, because I think you all think you know the answer.” Jonathan said.

“Write down your answers.” Madison said as the boys kept talking over everyone.

“Boys, boys, boys, boys, boys.” Jonathan said, keeping up the teacher act.

“I apologize.” Chase said.

“What’s my go-to snack on set? Now, this has changed since the first season and everybodies gonna yell out fruit snacks. It’s not that.”

“Vickie’s jalapeno chips.” Madison said.

“Goddamnit, Madison.” Jonathan said with a smile and we all laughed. “Give everybody a chance. Alright, I’m gonna write down a second answer too. So everybody can know my second favorite too.”

“I feel like it’s flaming hot cheetos when they got ‘em.” Carlacia said.

“That’s Vickie’s. Vickie’s takes that spot.”

“Then fruit-roll up?” Rudy guessed.

“It’s fruit by the foot, actually.” I said while rolling my eyes.

“Fruit-roll up, or fruit by the foot. What do you say, Chase?”

“I’m thinking, come back to me.” Chase responded.

“Sour patch kid roll up thing?” Austin guessed.

“That’s not a thing.”

“Anyone up there got a guess?” Jonathan asked us.

“Cheez-its?”

“I’m just gonna go with the classic, Lays?”

“Again, it can’t be chips because that’s Vickie’s.”

“Honeybuns?” I asked.

“Uh, it’s goldfish. But Honeybuns too.”

“Does that count?” I asked and looked behind the cameras to the producers. “Does that count?” They shook their heads and I deflated with a pout as Drew patted my head and Rudy wrapped his arm around me and rubbed my arm.

“But goldfish is a chip.”

“It’s a cracker. It’s in the cracker aisle.” Jonathan defended.

“Is goldfish a chip?” Rudy asked the camera.

“It’s a- it’s a cracker?” Austin said unsurely.

“I’m gonna win this one.” I said as Rudy sat on the chair dramatically, his eyebrows furrowed.

“You better.” He said, pointing at me. “Uh, there’s two things, the two things to this question, uh, what am I certified in?” He asked.

“Kayaking.” A bunch of people said.

“Yeah, kayaking and climbing.” I agreed.

“Yeah, it’s kayaking, which I don’t know if I spelled that right, and climbing.” He said, pointing his card to the camera.

“Two of the most Alaskan things possible.” Jonathan said and I nodded my head with a laugh.

Quick point update. I have the most points, four, then Madison with three, Carlacia, Chase, and Jonathan all have two, and the rest have one.

“This one’s kinda weird, how many instruments do I play?”

“How is that weird?” I asked and he just shrugged with a smile. Lots of threes rung out.

“Wait, at what skill level?” Jonathan asked.

“That’s the question now, isn’t it?” Rudy laughed.

“I feel like we can all play something.” Calracia said.

“Cause I’m thinking the kazoo.”

“Yeah the kazoo!” Rudy laughed, doubling over in his chair.

“Yeah and then we got the maracas and the flute.” Jonathan said.

“The triangle.” Madelyn said.

“It’s definitely harmonica.” Chase said.

“Harmonica and guitar.” Madison listed.

“Drums.”

“I was gonna say ukulele.”

“He plays the drums too.”

“So, I’m gonna say 2.5.” Rudy said. “And I’m gonna even count like the piano. But I play harmonica and percussion. The drums.”

“Oh.” Austin said in realization.

“Yeah we bond over them.”

“The one person that should know.”

Austin sat down and grabbed the marker from Rudy.

“How old was I when I started playing drums?” Austin asked.

“Nine.” Madelyn said immediately.

“Right out of the womb.” Chase said.

“What?” Austin said, pointing at Madelyn.

“Wow, Cline.” I commented.

“You saw it.” Drew accused.

“No.”

“I’m not saying that’s correct. We can keep going.” Austin said. “It’s nine.” He said in disbelief.

“Give us another age.” Jonathan said.

“What is the first thing I do in the morning?” Austin asked.

“Check your phone.”

“Wake up?” I said.

“Uh, just breathe.”

“Brush your teeth?”

“Check your phone.”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, take out your little soldiers.”

“Brush your teeth!”

“Go to the gym.”

“Invisalign?” Chase asked.

“Chase got it. Take out my night guard. But Y/n was also correct, give her a point too, I do wake up first thing in the morning.”

“I’m so cool.” I bragged.

“What’s my most prized possession?”

“Your drum set.” Rudy said with a laugh.

“Is it Blueberry?” Madelyn asked.

“The range?” Madison guessed as Rudy asked Madelyn what Blueberry was.

“The car, the BMW.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Yeah, for sure your car.” I said. “That thing was a lot of moolah.”

“I’m gonna go with the old, uh, bounce house that you got for Christmas.” Jonathan said, his arms crossed.

“Oh, when I was eight?” Austin laughed.

“When you were eight, yeah.”

“Thought Christmas was over and went downstairs to the basement and there’s a jumpy house!” Austin explained.

“My car.”

“Dude, why did you write it like you’re four years old?” Chase asked.

“Alright, good job, you guys know me pretty well.” Austin said and hnaded the Sharpie to Madison.

“This is the hot seat, huh?” She asked. “Okay.” She looked at the question and gasped. “Do I know how to spell this? I’m gonna write it small.” She said in a higher pitched voice. “What word would I use to describe myself?” She asked in her normal voice.

“Whoo.” Calracia said with loud laughs. I pursed my lips with a smile.

“The S-A-T word?”

“This is blasphemy!” Carlacia said and the whole cast laughed.

“Green.” Drew said with a straight face.

“She can’t spell green?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah, there’s your hint.” Madison laughed.

“I’m gonna go with- Earthy. I don’t know.”

“I feel like you’re tidy.” Austin said.

“Yeah, I’m going with earthy.” Rudy agreed. “You said earthy, that was a pretty good one.”

“What’s the word you can’t spell?” Carlacia asked and Madison flipped her card.

“Independant.”

I nodded, “That is difficult. For sure.”

“I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T! Do you know what that means? Hey!” The cast sang with large smiles.

���I covered my mouth because I’m over here like I-N-D-E-P-” Madison said and we all laughed.

“How did I meet my girlfriend?” She asked.

“Tikity Tokity.” I said as everyone said some version of Tik Tok.

“There’s gotta be some like, some OBX super fan getting all of these right, right now.” Jonathan said and I nodded.

“It’s me.” I said.

“Sure. But to you, we say thank you.” Jonathan said to the camera.

“What is my favorite movie?”

“Legally Blonde.” Chase said automatically.

“Pursuit of Happyness.” Jonathan guessed..

“Bambi.”

“Nacho Libre.”

“Princess Diaries?” Austin said unsurely.

“Solid movie.” Madison agreed. “JD got it, it is the Pursuit of Happyness. And it’s supposed to be spelled wrong, before I get cranked.”

“Oh, this is a great question.” Carlacia said as she sat down. “What am I most likely to spend my money on?”

“Drugs.” I said confidently, making the whole cast burst out laughing.

“Sneakers.” Madison said once she calmed down.

“Oh!” Carlacia laughed pointing at Madison.

“Sneakers!” Austin said, mocking Carlacias hand motions. “Jordans?”

“Good ass food?”

“Clothes.”

“Fashion. I just think it’s fashion. Just say fashion cause it’s all of it.” Jonathan said and I nodded.

“I change my answer to the entirety of fashion.” I said with a proud smile.

“You can’t do that, cheater.” Jonathan said, crossing his arms.

“Watch me.” I responded, also crossing my arms.

“Ladies, ladies, break it up.” Chase said.

“I have to change mine a little bit because they're probably right.” Carlacua said and I snorted. “I put shoes, but I spend a lot of money on fashion, cause y’know, shoes.”

(A/n, at this point I’ve lost track of points, so I’m kinda making them up) Point update. I have seven, still in the lead, Madison, Madelyn, Chase and Jonathan have five. Drew has four. Carlacia and Austin have three, and Rudy has two.

“Where is my favorite vacation spot?”

(There’s two way people say this, pick whichever you want)

“The Caribbean.” I said.

“It’s the Caribbean, not Caribbean.” Jonathan said, rolling his eyes.

“My bad, Hermione.” I said with a scoff.

“Yeah, I’m just gonna sum it up with the Caribbean.” Madison agreed.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s the Caribbean in general.” Calracia said with a smile. “That’s my favorite vacation spot. Shout out to the West Indies.”

“True or false: I have won a beauty pageant?”

“For sure it's true. You’ve also won my heart.” I said making a heart with my hands and she put her hand over her mouth, pretending to be flustered.

“Stealing my girl over here.” Rudy said and the cast laughed as I blew kisses to Carlacia.

Everyone else said it was true.

“If you didn't, you got robbed.” Madison said.

“Absolutely.” Jonathan said.

“It’s true. I have won a beauty pageant.”

“Yes! Carlacia, I'm your biggest fan, marry me!” I begged jokingly as the rest of the cast snapped their fingers.

“How many tattoos do I have? Bonus: Where are they?” Chase asked after he sat down.

“I feel like you probably have one on your ass.” I said and Drew nodded in agreement.

“There’s an ace, there’s a card.” Madison said, counting on her fingers. “There’s a dove.”

“Everytime I see you, you have three more.” Carlacia said.

“There’s a match.”

“Twelve.” I said with a nod, guessing a random number.

There was a bunch of crosstalk and guesses before Chase began talking.

“I think it’s twelve.” He said.

“Is that what I said?” Madison asked. “That’s what I said?”

“Yeah, we both said twelve.” I nodded.

“What other Netflix series did I appear in?” Chase asked.

“Stranger Things.” Everyone said together.

“I got four letters in then I realized my handwriting is that of a four year old, so, it’s just STRA.” He said, showing us the card.

I sat on the chair with a giddy smile. “It’s my turn.” I said in a sing-song voice and everyone laughed.

“I love how excited you are.” Carlacia said.

“I love you.” I responded while wiggling my eyebrows as she blew a kiss to me, which I pretended to catch and stick in my pocket.

“Ew.” Jonathan said plainly as I looked at the card.

What is my earliest memory?

I laughed evilly as I wrote down my answer.

“Oh Lord.”

“Mk. Guys, my dearest friends, what is my earliest memory?” I asked.

Rudy looked to the ceiling in thought.

“Is it when you peed your pants in second grade?” Austin asked and I gasped.

“You can’t say that on camera!” The cast laughed as I pouted.

“Getting the giant stuffed dog from your dads girlfriend.” Madison said confidently.

“That’s good.” Jonathan agreed.

“No, it’s the fishing trip.” Rudy said with a nod. “When you caught the biggest fish.”

I turned around my card which read “fishing trip” in large, bold letters.

“You’re right, Rudy. It’s the fishing trip.”

“Damn.” Madison said disappointed.

“I feel like Rudy has an unfair advantage here.” Chase said.

“Shh, they’re just in love.” Carlacia said.

“Guys, shush, it’s time for the next question. What sport did I play in middle and highschool?”

“Volleyball.” Everyone said.

“It’s all you want to do when we aren’t filming.” Austin said and I nodded, agreeing with him.

“Okay, the finale, what is my biggest secret?” I said and everyone was silent for a few moments.

“I have zero clue.” Madison said.

“I literally know zero of your secrets.” Jonathan said, getting a nod from Drew and Chase.

“I don’t know man.” Austin said, rubbing his neck.

“Is it that you used to write fanfiction?” Rudy asked.

“And?” I prompted.

“You would post it on Wattpad.”

“Ding ding ding!” I said.

“What did you write about?” Madelyn asked.

“Everything. I’m pretty sure one of my books got to like, 100k reads too.” I said.

“I’m not even surprised you wrote fanfiction.” Drew said.

“Okay guys, who do we think won out of this?” Chase asked.

“I’d say like-”

“I’m banking on you.”

“Drew?” Carlacia asked, looking at the scoreboard.

“Drew?” I repeated, looking for confirmation.

“How did Drew win?” Madison asked as Drew stood up, holding his arms out. The whole cast argued.

“False alarm.” Chase said. “It’s like the whole Miss Universe all over again.” He said as I wiggled my eyebrows at the camera, being the winner.

The whole cast began walking off the stage.

“So, can we play some volleyball?” I asked as Rudy wrapped his arm around my shoulders and groans rang out.

“No!” They yelled together and I laughed evilly, knowing I was going to force them to play anyway.

Unbeknownst to us, the camera was still rolling, and yes, they put that at the end of the video.

You could tell how tired I got towards the end by the lack of detail lmfao

[amethyst-ghoul]

@riverghoulxoxo oh? 😏

behold: HIGH GHOUL HEADCANONS

Part 2 that’s not really a part 2 to the baking headcanons below

(Includes Aether, Mountain, Dewdrop, Swiss, Rain, Cirrus, Cumulus, and Sunshine)

(A lil bit of spice 🔥 in Dew and Swiss’s parts but nothing NSFW)

Aether:

- Goes back and forth between super hyper and dead asleep

- One minute he’s bouncing off the walls and the next he’s face down on the couch and out like a light

- Embodies that one Tiktok sound: “I’m alive! I’m dead! I’m watching TV! I’m looking at you!” yk the one

- Says “I kinda wanna go on a run” every like three minutes

- Always trying to wrestle with Mountain and Swiss

- Tires himself out on his own

- Ends up falling asleep on top of the ghoulettes but they’re totally ok with it cause he’s fuzzy and warm

- All four of them always have the best nights sleep like this

Mountain:

- Accidentally overdoes it sometimes so he gets a little too high

- Poor thing never remembers how much he ingests/smokes the night before so he doesn’t know what his limit is

- Gets really existential and internally freaks out a little bit

- Will sit on the ground in one spot and will not move from that spot for hours

- Forgets to breathe and blink sometimes (I hc that ghouls don’t really need to do stuff like that but they do it anyway because it makes them seem more human)

- When he doesn’t overdo it (which happens about half the time) he’s kind of the same as he usually is

- Pretty chill and calm, very go with the flow, doesn’t talk too much, but he feels more relaxed so he likes it

Dewdrop:

- Gets hyper like Aether but ACTUALLY goes for a run

- Around the common room

- And steps on everyone’s tails

- All of what little common sense he possesses goes straight out the window

- Gets the munchies BAD

- He’ll eat anything and everything he can get his claws on

- If he ends up craving something he’ll try to make it but it never turns out well (see: the mozzarella stick incident)

- HORNY MF

- Always trying to make out with anyone within his general vicinity

- Tends to go for Rain and Mountain specifically though

- Super touchy

- Will start making out with someone and feeling them up then falls asleep before it goes any further

- Then he gets SUPER cuddly and clingy

Swiss:

- Gets super giggly and laughs at everything

- Like tears streaming down his face, shoulders shaking type of laughing at everything

- Will plant himself anywhere and sits in the weirdest positions

- Like laying against a wall with his legs on the wall or on a chair but sort of backwards in sort of a sit up position

- HORNY MF part 2: electric boogaloo

- Will ALSO make out with anyone he can

- But somehow Swiss and Dew don’t always end up going for each other

- Doesn’t matter how big or small the other person/ghoul is, he CAN and WILL sit on their lap so he can grind on them (with consent of course)

- Makes out with them but it’s pretty messy

- Well, messier than usual ;)

Rain:

- Doesn’t have a clue what to do with himself when he’s high

- Sounds like the animate version of those shower thoughts posts

- Saying things like “At one point in your life, you were the youngest person in the world.” and “Do you guys ever think about how things aren’t on fire but fire is on things?”

- It blows Dew’s mind every time

- Swiss and Sunshine get annoyed at him for it

- Stares at himself in the mirror

- Like touches his face to study it

- Plays with his tail

- Whips it back and forth and tries to grab it as if he’s not the one moving it

Cirrus:

- She gets very relaxed and kind of like go with the flow vibes

- Also very touchy

- Likes to cuddle with Aether and Cumulus the most cause they’re the softest and super comfy

- But will cuddle with anyone really

- She’ll cuddle up to their sides and knead like a cat on their tummies

- Or just flop face first straight down on top of them and will stay like that for hours

- Also gets very smiley (not Swiss levels though but still) and looks so cute

- She’ll just grin at everyone and her ears will go floppy on the side of her head

- Just absolutely adorable

Cumulus:

- Soooooo sleepy

- Also will cuddle with anyone and everyone

- LOVES to play with people’s hair

- She loves to play with and braid Dew and Mountain’s hair and will spend hours doing that

- She likes to be on the bottom of cuddle piles most of the time but when she’s high she needs extra pressure

- Like she needs someone to SQUISH her

- Likes when Aether and/or Mountain lays on top of her

- Also super giggly

- Laughs at everything

- Normally her laugh is super light and airy but when she’s high she lets out cackles and snorts

- Which is also very adorable

- Falls asleep very easily

- Sleeps like a rock and literally nothing will wake her

Sunshine:

- Turns into a puppy

- Bounces off the walls

- Chases Dew around the common room

- They’ll play wrestle and team up against Aether

- Will chase her own tail for like 40 minutes straight

- Also gets the munchies kind of bad

- Makes really weird food combinations

- I’m talking like pickles and ketchup or apples and ranch

- Has a huge sweet tooth

- Likes to make some sort of variation of the pasta from Elf (iykyk)

- Eventually calms down and cuddles with Aether and the other ghoulettes

[poeticlilies]

hi!!! r u ok with writing just general romantic hcs for tachihara.. 🫶 (gn reader / s/o)...

♡ Romantic Headcanons for Tachihara!

Tachihara Michizou x Reader (gender neutral reader)

Desc: HCs of you and Tachihara's relationship <3

TW/CW: spoilers for BSD, suggestive (?),

oh em gee,, you guysssss

if you're in the Port Mafia, then you guys would totally get ready tgt in the mornings and then make your way over to whatever mission Mori's assigned you on (kouyou makes him put u guys tgt bc she thinks u guys r so cute <3)

if you're in the ADA, though, he makes u leave the house at separate times,, he's slightly paranoid bc of his double-agent (or double-double agent? would that be triple-agent? (;𖦹ㅁ𖦹) ) so he waits until you leave first and watches u go, waving goodbye from the window before leaving discreetly thru the back door :)

however, the days where (by some miracle) u guys don't have missions, sleepy mornings w him are the best!! aughh,, if you try and get up he circles an arm around your waist and pulls you close, burying his face into your neck and quietly begs you not to get up yet and to give him "5 more minutes"

once you guys were making out and you gave him a hickey and he didn't realize and when he showed up for work everyone kept staring at his neck and when he finally realized he actually just went home and died of embarrassment HAHA and then he did the same to you

he's a lil hesitant at first but!! little dates!!

he takes you out to parks n stuff just to hang out and chill because his love language is quality time,, a lot of the time it's just you guys sitting in silence eating ice cream u got from a nearby vendor while looking at the ducks in the lake <33

never EVER lets you get involved w his work, regardless of if you're both in the PM together or not. what's his duty is his duty, and he won't be letting you do it for him!!

he sometimes just.. walks up to you and holds you. he might act like a big tough guy all the time but he needs his comfort too. what he does is hard and he doesn't want to but he's been roped in and it's too late to quit, so please just hold him and tell him u love him and it'll be ok :(

--

shoves this at you and runs. pls don't hurt me im sorry for the quality

[leyseyb]

could u do xavier and reader being enemies and one day he catches reader dancing to his fav song in an empty classroom LMFAO and u can decide what happens next

a/n: first of all, thank you all for such a good response on my stories! i‘m overwhelmed by the response!🥹🫶🏼 also i was actually writing on an enemies to lovers fic! but i‘m going to be honest, i‘m not really proud of this story, it kind of feels undone or not well put together. i‘ll see how you guys will like it so please leave a response to it!!! thank you!

dancing in the moonlight [x.t.]

xavier thorpe x g.n.! reader (i think i never mentioned any gender, please correct me if i did)

trope: enemies to lovers

warnings: swear words

not proofread!

alone at his name you grew nauseous. you couldn‘t stand being near him as he was just going to tease you about his better grades, his better powers, just everything.

you haven‘t had any specific power or ability. just straight up bad behavior followed by being a total outcast at any normie school. but apparently you were good enough to be at nevermore.

ever since you visited that school, xavier was your enemy. but how did that even occur?

the first ever week at nevermore xavier showed you around and tried to befriend you. but you weren‘t here to make friends, you just wanted to pass your time here.

so you turned him down every time he wanted to be nice to you or tried to come near you. that‘s where xavier had enough and started to tease you.

let it be teasing letters he send with any bird drawing he brought to life, following you through the hallways and asking you about your grades before showing off that he got a better grade or scored one point higher. even in your free time, you enjoyed so much and wanted to have all for yourself, he somehow showed up and ruined your day.

one day you were sitting in an empty class room, enjoying the silence with closed eyes and headphones on your head, music playing rather quiet. suddenly you heard, that someone opened the door. you figured they just looked inside and left again until a chair was pulled up close to you. you opened your eyes and saw xavier sitting in front of you, the chair backwards so that he leaned his upper body against the backrest. the moment you saw him you rolled your eyes and sat up straight, putting your headphones around your neck and gathering your stuff.

„wowowowow, heyyy, don‘t leave yet sweet stuff~!“

„don‘t call me that“

you said and closed your bag.

„you don‘t want to know why i‘m here?“

„i don‘t even need to ask because i know you and i also know why you‘re here. so please, either you leave right now and i get my deserved rest or i‘m going to leave and you look pathetic for the attempt to talk bad about me. eitherway you already are pathetic but looks like you don‘t care, since you follow me everywhere and use every given moment to tell me how much better you are than me. so go ahead. leave or talk.“ xavier sighed and looked out of the window.

„can‘t i just join you and have a bit of silence as well?“

„no.“

xavier showed a sad smile and nodded before he got up and shouldered his bag, leaving the room right after.

you watched him leave, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

what was wrong with him all of the sudden? needing silence, yeah sure.

he did look a bit tired but he doesn‘t have to enjoy his silence here. he can chill somewhere else.

the next few days you haven‘t heard much of xavier. maybe some bickering here and there. but he was less present than before. not that you missed it, you enjoyed the extra rest you got through that.

maybe xavier finally got to his senses.

one day you enjoyed your free time in an empty class room again, headphones on and music blasting into your ears. you enjoyed loud music a lot and you used every free minute to listen to music. it was one of your only passions.

when you can‘t move things with your mind, turn into a werewolf or bring your paintings to life, you can at least turn your emotions into music. just listening to it, depending on your mood, or even writing some lines yourself. at least something you could do.

you felt pretty good these last days, maybe the fact that xavier kept his distance had to do with that.

you were currently listening to 'baby doll' by ari abdul, but a rather sped up version. it was one of your favorite songs and you almost listened to it on a daily basis.

your headphones had the highest volume they could reach and you started to sing along quietly as you stood at the window, looking outside.

the song was picking up on speed and you couldn‘t resist to move your hips slightly, swaying them from left to right, from right to left. you just felt that song in your whole body. plus you felt like you were in your own movie, the main character. you didn‘t gave a shit to anything at this very moment and just started to dance through the whole classroom while voicing out the lyrics to your favorite song.

but there was one thing you didn‘t notice, since you had your eyes closed. or rather someone.

xavier was looking inside the classroom and quickly but quietly got inside and carefully closed the door.

he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms while watching you, a small smile appearing on his lips.

the way you were smoothly moving your hips and your arms to your soft voice.

and xavier just now noticed which song you were singing.

it was also one of his favorite songs, maybe not really dedicated to a person like him, but he still liked it a lot. and seeing you singing and dancing to it made him feel all fuzzy. his stomach made some weird tickling turns, his cheeks were warming up and his legs felt weak. he quickly grabbed himself a chair, turned it around and sat down, leaning against the backrest with his upper body and crossing his arms on top of it to lay his head down.

he watched you a while until the song was over and you caught your breath and opened your eyes again.

„whoo..“ you breathed out until your eyes stopped at a figure sitting near the door.

„oh fuck!“

you got startled and quickly turned around, removing your headphones, so they were around your neck again. you held your heart and calmed down a little before turning back to the person sitting there.

„jesus,xavier, how long have you been in here?!“

„long enough to hear your beautiful voice“ he said and smiled at you, making you speechless. did he just…compliment you?

„well. you can leave now, show‘s over.“

you said and went to the desk your stuff was at, packing your stuff.

xavier watched you before he got up and walked up to you, leaning over the table.

„y/n“

„no, leave me alone“

„please, i..“

„i said leave me alone. you tiptoed in here and now you‘re going to joke about me again. listen xavier, i‘ve got enough of you. i can‘t listen to you, taking my name into your mouth and saying cruel stuff about me.“

you said and looked up at him, your eyes meeting.

he looked like he was hurting inside, his eyes suddenly shifted into a softer gaze.

„y/n, please let me finish what i want to say, okay? no interruptions, just me talking and you listening, okay?“

you just nodded. what‘s happening?? you felt weird, like you had to throw up.

„i‘m sorry. about everything. it was immature of me to get onto you like that after you made it clear you wanted to be alone. i feel terrible. and i just recently realized. i know, a simple sorry won‘t do it, but i couldn‘t think of anything else. i also..grew to like you for who you are. let‘s meet behind the greenhouse tonight, okay? i‘ve got a little surprise..“

he said before smiling slightly at me and leaving the classroom.

you looked after him and blinked.

behind the greenhouse…? wait. you knew exactly why people meet up behind there.

but it was going to be different. xavier and you weren‘t like that.

on the other side, how can you trust him? that he‘s for real?

you‘re just not going, easy. you‘re not falling for his trap.

you fell for it. you were actually on your way to the dumb greenhouse. you sighed and looked around, careful not to get caught by any teacher.

you walked around the greenhouse and looked around again.

„xavier?“

you whispered, hoping to get an answer and your prayers were heard.

„yes, over here y/n“

you followed his voice and suddenly could hear faint music playing. you furrowed your eyebrows and walked up to a tree, where xavier was standing. fairy lights wrapped around the tree, a music box on the ground, playing one of your favorite songs from The Neighborhood and then xavier, holding out his hand towards you.

„may i ask you to dance with me?“

you were confused. what was all of this? was he really tricking you into something?

„xavier what..?“

„shh“

he took your hand in his and pulled you closer, wrapping his other hand around your waist.

„i hope it was a good choice, song wise. i figured you would like the same music as i do“

it was weird being so close to him, but you didn’t hate it all of the sudden.

xavier began to slowly sway his lips, gently pushing your waist so you would join in.

„xavier, what are we doing here exactly?“

you asked as you started to dance with him.

„dancing, what does it look like to you?“

„it looks like you‘re trying to prank me or something. i‘m not playing your games“

xavier shook his head.

„i‘m not trying to do anything“

he said and let go off you, spinning you around.

he caught your body in his hands again, putting both of his hands on your waist now.

„y/n, like i said. i‘m sorry for everything i‘ve put you through. that was childish.“

you just nodded at that, not looking directly at him.

„would you go to the rave'n dance with me, so we could dance together like this again?“

„i didn‘t plan on going“

„then please think about it and answer me when you know it, okay?“

you just nodded slightly, still confused about everything that‘s happening.

xavier and you danced slowly like this a little longer before he pulled away and pulled you to the tree, a blanket layed out in front of it. you both sat down, leaning against the tree with your backs. you looked up and saw the moon, shining brightly into your faces, making you smile slightly.

you loved the moon, it was so peaceful looking.

xavier looked at your face and smiled slightly.

the moment he realized he liked you a lot was way before this one. but the way how beautiful the moonlight and the fairylights lit up your face made him realize his feelings were sincere. that he actually started to like you a lot.

„so what is your answer? rave'n dance yes or no?“ he asked and fidgeted with his fingers.

you looked at him and your heart skipped a beat as you saw how his face was just perfectly lit up by the moon and the fairylights, his eyes practically sparkling.

what were these feelings? what was happening inside of you? your stomach felt like turning itself around inside of you again and you looked away.

„sure. let‘s do it. but only when you‘re for real. i don‘t want to be a target of any prank of yours.“

xavier smiled and nodded

„i promise, i‘m sincere.“

[jackiequick]

What If The Dagger Squad Were Teachers Headcanons… 👩‍🏫📚👨‍🏫

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 📓

—> If you haven’t seen the last post yet, it was What If The Daggers Were YouTubers 🎥

— Starting this out by saying Iceman is the Principal while Slider is Vice Principal of Top Gunner High School 🛩 and Maverick is one of older teachers there, also the Driver’s Ed instructor as well. Now onto the Daggers!

Mr Rooster Bradshaw ~ Music Teacher 🎶

Mr. Bradshaw classroom is a pretty chill environment but it can get kinda chilly due to the AC being on or windows being open sometimes. It’s a very simple set up with posters on the wall, instruments played neatly in alphabetical order and plenty of notes on his write board with the lesson plan.

Bradley easily a very tough but patient teacher, always trying to be very gentle and patient with his students even if they can roughly annoy him sometimes. He’s tough and will call out a child if they’re not being best behavior with the others students, he wants everyone to be treated fairly in his classroom!

In the very front of his classroom, nearby the whiteboard and SMART board, Mr Bradshaw has a gorgeous black cherry one of a kind piano. And he will play that thing every single Friday for his students as everyone sang ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ as loudly as they want! They also has his students play songs on the piano and other instruments too of course.

Rooster tends to take a lot of requests from his students and staff for songs to play everyday they come into the classroom. He labeled it ‘Bradshaw School Playlist’ as hooks it up to the speakers every time he can.

Speaking of song requests, Rooster always takes songs from the suggestion box in the front of the classroom and depending on the song, that will be the song they analyze that day for class.

Mr Hangman Seresin ~ Gym 👟

One of the youngest P.E./Gym teachers in the school and he takes that with pride. He knows he’s one of the young teacher for standard stereotypical ones are supposed to look like but he doesn’t care. Since Hangman a lot more active he’s able to keep up with the young students physically, mentally and emotionally!

He knows all about jokes and fun Tumblr fan pages the students created about him & Mr Rooster. Hell, he encourages it! His students laugh and tease the teachers for their tension haha. Especially the winks Jake leaves Bradley with sometimes during the school week.

Anyways, back to teacher stuff! Jake is a simple and fun gym teacher, every three weeks he has his students playing all the sports and games he can think of. Volleyball, baseball, mini basketball tournaments, hockey, tennis, ping pong, football games outside in the field and etc.

And if you wonder about Time Of The Month, Jake totally understands! He grew up with sisters, a sweet southern mama and a few girlfriends to know how annoyingly painful periods can be. He will let the girls sit on the sidelines of the gym if needed.

Mr Phoenix Trace & Mr Bob Floyd ~ Social Studies & History 📕📗📘

These two have their classrooms next to one another, so it made it easier to keep track of each other’s students while also popping in to chat. Sending their students into classrooms to collect or swap sheets with.

Social Studies with Phoenix is a fun one, she tends to challenge, joke around and teases her students with questions during class to see who was paying attention and who wasn’t (You know who you are!!). She wants all her students to pay attention and treat people with plenty of respect.

Phenix is very helpful as a teacher and always listens to her students. She’s very open to hear them out and give them suggestions or cut them some slack if needed. She’s the Mama Bear of the teachers, cause she has such a big heart!

History with Bob is pretty a chill one, he tends to play music in the background as the students work on their classwork (and whatever was leftover sometimes will be homework on Fridays). Bob always has his eyes and hears on high alert, so he might catch you quickly, if he sees your doing something your not supposed to be doing.

Bob takes participation very seriously as he likes if everyone can communicate, interact nicely and understand the lessons. Sharing thoughts and answering questions. Even coming up to the SMART Board to explain and demonstrate certain topics of history. Bob doesn’t tolerate misbehavior and rude people in his classroom, especially if a teacher or fellow students is presenting something to the class. So be nice! 

Mr. Fanboy Garcia ~ Science teacher 🔬

One of young nerdy science teacher, he tends to try to dabble in teaching a bit everything over the years. But the ones the schools will give him are Biologically and Earth Science, with some Chemistry too.

Fanboy always treats his students with care and respect, expecting the same thing in return. If there’s no respect or everyone is misbehaving in his classroom, you wouldn’t get the happy and somewhat loud teacher. He will be quiet and annoyed, everyone will get memo to act better.

He’s the teacher to nerd out about certain things in between class and if he’s able to incorporate his love for fandoms into the classroom he would. Fanboy will joke around and mention Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Star Trek and etc during lessons to get the point across. Some students will catch onto it and smiles, others might be confused until he explains it in between the lessons.

Those tricky science tests? Well if the class is good enough and depending on the exam, they will be an open book test with notes. Fanboy wants to see who’s actually paying attention and taking notes, and who’s not. So he can re-teach and go over certain topics later on.

Mr Payback Fitch - English teacher 💻

This man one of the chill teachers in this school. So in result his classroom tends to be be very relax and entertaining for his students. Payback tends to have books to read, notebooks to use, sheets of papers in his closet, pens and pencil in the front of the classroom and etc. Along with posters on the wall to help with tips and tricks for writing and reading.

He’s very causal with his students and treats them plenty of patients and support during lessons. He expects the same in return, to have respect and patience with him.

Payback enjoys teaching his students all about writing stories, reading chapters of books their using to the class, explaining themes and ideas, the passion and mindset behind a character, points of view and the list goes on.

He tends to play movies in his classrooms usually they were related to the lessons but sometimes they were used as talking points. As for projects, he has one very specific project he enjoys doing, Shakespeare Fair! Each grade is given a Shakespeare book to reads, have lessons based on and a project to do. This is where he gets to see the creativity of all the students in the school shine!

Mr Coyote Machado - Art Teacher 🎨

Get your sketch books and art supplies out because you will be taking note here. This man is cocky, sweet and a gentlemen, he will joke and call you out on your shit if he notice something ain’t fitting the vibe to the grooves of the classroom.

Coyote is the type of teacher that encourages creativity and critical thinking. His classroom is where students can experiment, make mistakes and learn from each other. Use that mind of theirs!

Each month he puts up two interesting fact about Art to impress and inspire everyone. He doesn’t want his students to give, he wants them to try and try until they feel satisfied with them. Or to at least say they tried!

His art class consist mainly of class projects and assignment reflecting a certain degree of styles. Painting, pop art, cubism, contemporary, fantasy, impressionist and etc. He tends to encourage his students to use the supplies and examples in the room to help with inspiration. Also well as the music Coyote tends to play from his speakers from his computer. He usually takes music requests!

—-

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it and happy Teacher Appreciation Week 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫

Tags: @mandylove1000 @gaminggirlsstuff @t-nd-rfoot @fanboygarcia @topgun-imagines @rooster-84 @hangmanbrainrot @bradshawsbaby @gcthvile @msrochelleromanofffelton @hanlueluver @starkleila and etc

[bee-saucee]

Basically Impossible | ShinKami Oneshot

pairing: ShinKami

cw: anxiety, descriptions of imagined death/dying, mild hurt/comfort

words: 912

summary: Kaminari is afraid to fly on a plane for the first time with his boyfriend Hitoshi who comforts Kaminari to subside his spiraling thoughts.

“How am I supposed to remember all of this safety stuff, Toshi?!” Denki groans.

He grabs the safety booklet on the back of the seat in front of him that the safety video mentioned.

“They just throw all of this information at you and expect you to memorize it all? I wasn’t even worried about not having oxygen before getting on this plane and now it's a big worry of mine. What if the mask doesn’t fit on my head? How quickly will the little mask things come down from the plane? And I’m gonna admit it, I don’t remember where the life jackets are!”

Shinsou finally looks over at his boyfriend. “Under the seat.”

“Where under the seat?”

“....under under?”

“That’s the kind of hesitation that will get you drowning in the salty sea. We have to be prepared and ready for something when it happens,” Denki gripes

“You’ll be fine,” Shinsou states and goes back to playing on his Switch.

Did he really just ‘you’ll be fine’ him? When he’s freaking out before they’ve even started their vacation?

“Toshi, the video very clearly said that I may not be fine.”

“Just don’t think about it.”

This whole trip was supposed to be a big step for them in their relationship and now Shinsou wasn’t even trying to console him. Denki crosses his arms and closes his eyes with a huff. Fine. He can be all aloof and absent too if that’s what they were doing.

“Denki, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about the totally not deadly flying tin can we’re in. Also thinking about how we could pull off some Titanic shit in the ocean if I can’t find the life jacket under the seat. You’re a better swimmer so you’re Jack in this scenario. We’d be fine because it’s summer and we could swap places. But I’m chilling.”

“Denki, please just relax. That is basically impossible.”

Except it was very possible or else they wouldn’t have that video. Shinsou was just not getting it. It was a possibility no matter how small. How could he just sit there and hope it would be okay? The safety briefing felt so quick and slapped together he knew he wouldn’t be prepared or know what to do if things went wrong. He was being the reasonable one here, right?

Unless he wasn’t. But he’s being aloof and totally unconcerned for his safety like everyone else apparently was on this plane.

“Yeah, sure. You’re right. I’m overreacting,” Denki says.

Then the plane begins to take off. He crosses his legs to really sell the I don’t care and I’m chilling attitude. But he totally wasn’t chilling now. They were taking off so there was no going back now. Would looking out the window help or make it worse? He glances over at the window and yup…definitely made it worse. People fly all the time like it’s nothing so he shouldn't be as scared as he is. But he is.

Denki squeezes his eyes tighter as if that will protect him from that small chance of danger. He knows he needs Hitoshi right now so why wasn’t he here in the way he needed him to be?

And then he feels Shinsou take his hand.

“I felt the life jacket. You want me to show you where it is?” Shinsou asks.

“Nah. It’s okay. I was just being silly.”

Shinsou takes the hand he was holding and guides it down to under the seat anyway.

“You feel it?”

Denki takes a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“You feel confident you’ll be able to get it?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

As they sit back up, Kaminari rests his head on Hitoshi’s shoulder.

“You know those stories about moms lifting up cars to save their babies?” Shinsou asks.

Kaminari peeks an eye open to look at his boyfriend and nods.

“If this plane goes down I know I’ll get that same kind of rush so I can rip the door off the plane. That way you can rest on it while I float in the water because there totally won’t be room for the both of us.”

“Mm, what are we gonna talk about to help the time pass? The ocean is pretty boring,” Denki says, a slight smile finally breaking across his lips

“Hmm, maybe we could analyze the geopolitical implications of Shrek?” Shinsou suggests.

“It really was a global sensation.”

“Still is.”

“Yeah, you’re totally right.”

There’s a bit of turbulence and Denki startles, holding tighter onto Shinsou’s hand. It breaks the little bubble of distraction Hitoshi was forming and reminds Denki that his fears are founded in truth.

“Deep breath.”

“I’m fine.”

“Deep breath.”

He’d done this with Hitoshi plenty of times when he got a bit too anxious. In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. Again and again.

After he completes a round Shinsou starts back up again.

“When we land I’m thinking we get piña coladas. I heard there’s a bar near our hotel that has great ones. And then tomorrow morning we can sleep in because I know you’ll be tired from the flight so we can start with lunch on the beach and swim together and cuddle after as we dry off.”

This trip was a good idea and it is exactly what they needed. While things weren’t perfect, he felt more assured each day that he picked the right guy to handle his heart.

“Dude, you know I’ll never turn down a 'lada.”

Thanks for reading! Check out my masterlist for more.

[holodeckprotocols]

animorphs book 38 (the arrival) #thoughts

a LONG overdue an ax book. he has significantly fewer than everyone else. i wonder why??

well well well.... the andalites FINALLY decide to show up. welcome home cheater

if ax has an extremely awkward and forced romance with this female andalite i'm going to frisbee my phone out the window

glad to see the andalites are just as overconfident and underprepared as always. get cinnabonn'd.

so nice to see ax immediately choose jake this time <3

omg noooo the female andalite is the diversity hire, poor girl

well this has gone to shit immediately.

i hate reading about the misogyny of the andalites... call it realistic or whatever but i don't like it. i especially hate seeing ax parrot it! i am not having fun!!

i changed my mind. the ax/other andalite flirting is pretty cute. i do require that it ends in this book, though. we've got stuff to FOCUS on.

ohhhh i knew it!! criminals!!

yo what the actual fuck

andalites & genetic warfare. name a more iconic duo

spongebob voice: you used me.........for virus development!!!!!!!!!!!! 

haha oh shiiiit!! i was totally fooled by the animorphs' deception here! ok, their behavior wasn't sitting right with me and now i see why. well done, ghostwriter.

wow i bet rachel and maco had a great time play-acting out that fight. 

"these are my people. anyone who believes in freedom, anyone who resists tyranny, anyone who pursues peace is my people." AXXXX my boy!!! <333

holy shit the human shield of controllers gave me full-body chills. 

much better than the last one! 

[sdr2lovemail]

I just recently rewatched the mugen train arc and fell in love with Enmu again! I forgot all about him when I saw the Hantengu clones...😳

If you write for kimetsu gakuen could I request just relationship stuff with gakuen Enmu with a really chill partner? They hardly bat an eye at all the weird stuff he does. They're also a photography teacher at kimetsu academy. Totally not like my oc 😋I hardly see writing about the kimetsu gakuen universe.

If you write this thank you so much!

Kimetsu Gakuen Enmu x (GN) Reader

Synopsis: General dating scenarios with Enmu!

Notes: Non consensual picture taking, Enmu is his own warning. Gakuen Enmu is so silly and strange. I hope we see more of him in the spinoff manga. I'm trying out a new mix of headcanons and little scenarios for some requests.

Inbox is open!

●Your first meeting was downright creepy. Despite the rocky start, you continued to talk to the man against your better judgment and warnings from friends and family. 

●Enmu himself didn’t know why he was so entrapped with you. His whole life, he only cared about a few things: photography, dreams, and trains. Maybe it started as a simple curiosity that turned into infatuation.

Sitting on a bench at the station, you waited for the train. You looked up from your phone’s screen upon seeing the flash of a camera. Standing uncomfortably close was a man with an eerie smile. He was dressed formally and had square tattoos on his cheeks. He didn’t say anything, only looking between you and the camera.

“Did- Did you just take my picture?” You looked at him with a questioning gaze, leaning away as he approached.

The man giggled. “Oh no. I was taking photos of the train. You just happened to get in the way.” He was lying, not even trying to hide that he had taken another photo.

“Oh, well, I wish you would’ve asked me first.” You shrugged. This city, especially the school you worked at, was full of strange characters. One more wouldn’t be much of a difference. You’ve heard stories about a man who stalks around train stations; never did you think you’d actually meet him.

With a sigh, the man sits down on the bench. “Isn’t this station just lovely? It’s so fancy and clean. Newer train models come through here as well!” He was ignoring anything you said, opting to ramble on. 

You hum, taking a moment to think about his question. “I guess I never thought about it. It is a pretty nice station.”

He lets out another airy laugh as a deep blush coats his cheeks. He felt spurred on by your laidback personality. Offering you a handshake, he introduces himself. “I’m Enmu Tamio. Say, do you take this line often?” 

Accepting his handshake, you introduce yourself as well. “Yeah, this route takes me to my job. I’m a photography teacher at a nearby school.” The man next to you smirks. He’d have to come by this station more often.

Enmu leaps up with a joyous grin, stepping in front of you. “You enjoy photography as well? How wonderful!” His fingers idly fiddling with the buttons of his camera. He wanted to get to know you better. To know your likes, dislikes, what you do for fun, everything. Enmu had never felt this way about another person; he was simply excited.

“Perhaps you’d be interested in my train lovers club. We specialize in photographing the rails.” Enmu hands you his business card with a phone number on it.

Soon, a train pulls into the station, and Enmu visibly perks up. “It was wonderful talking with you; we should do it again sometime. Can you hold this for me?” He shoves something into your hands before running into the train with a wide smile. Stopping at a window, he takes the time to wave goodbye. Looking down at what he pushed into your hands, it was a leather belt.

●Once the two of you start dating, you’re the one Enmu calls when he gets arrested. His club members were thankful they weren’t the ones getting called anymore. Not that they ever answered.

The police officer guides you to a holding cell, navigating with ease. Like they had done it many times before. Once the door slides open, Enmu is already by the door and clinging to your arm.

“My love, you came in record time. Always so quick to my aid, never asking questions.” Enmu sighed as he rubbed his cheek into your sleeve.

With a bleak look, the officer hands Enmu his camera back. “Please, keep your clothes on next time. We can’t keep doing this.”

Enmu barely pays the officer any mind as he continues to fawn over you, not even looking at them as he snatches his camera. “I’ll try my best. Come, my love. I must show you the pictures I got before I was detained.” 

●On the topic of the members, they often try to ask you to reel Enmu in when he’s acting out in public. Whether he’ll be trying to nap in the luggage compartment or taking his pants off, they’ll look to you for help. However, he might start taking his clothes off faster when it comes to you.

●Enmu often asks his members to take candid pictures of you; the club members attend a university near the school where you teach, so it would be easy for them to snap some photos. They decline because they’re railroad fans, not stalkers. That’s fine with him. He takes enough pictures to last a lifetime.

●Along with his photography, Enmu likes to scrapbook. Though his books are pretty barebones, he feels like too many decorations will take away from the beauty of the pictures. He has many scrapbooks dedicated to you with different types of photos. Ones from dates, ones you’re aware of, ones you’re not. Enmu just loves to flip through them. 

●Enmu would love to go on photography dates with you. While trains are his passion, he’ll take you to many scenic places out of the city. 

●More often than not, you’ll have to pull Enmu back to reality. He struggles with differentiating his dreams from reality; he’ll look for you to help ground him. However, there are also times when he prefers to be off in his own world, blankly staring off as he’s curled up against you or in bed.

●He will tell you about every dream he can remember, often calling you first thing in the morning so he doesn’t forget any details. When you’re unavailable for his lengthy calls, he writes his dreams down in a journal so he can tell you all about them next time you’re available.

[normal-sea-urchin]

Casey Jone Fucking Dies 2: Electric Boogaloo: Chapter 1

surprisingly short chapter on his time, but at least i have an idea on where the fuck im gonna pick up at chapter two, but yeah here you dudes go

Bleeeeeeeggggggghh.

Casey was not feeling so hot. He woke up the other morning with a serious fever and looked green. Like really green. Weird. But hey, at least he didn't have to go to school. 

Unfortunately this also meant that he couldn't go crime fighting. Thus, leaving him stuck in bed for two days. He tried to make the best of it; writing in his journal (which is NOT a diary), catching up on tv shows he used to watch, that kind of thing. 

By the end of the first day, he was sick of it. And by the second day, he was far past sick of it, and couldn't sit around any longer. Besides, the fever had gone down a bunch, the only problem was that he still looked kinda green. No biggie. He hadn't felt like throwing up like, at all, so he would probably be fine.

Once his dad and little sister went to bed, and the sun was down, he leaped out of bed, and into action. He applied his totally metal skeleton face paint and strapped on his vigilante gear. Once he had geared up, he opened the window and leapt out onto the fire escape.

The cold wind hit Casey's face, sending a bit of a chill through his body. He took a deep breath in. Who cares if he was only out for one night? He was gone for what felt like waaaay too long. Casey scrambled up the fire escape, way hype to fight some crime. 

He reached the roof and started scouting for some crime. Hmm. No luck. He jumped over to the next building. And the next. and then a few houses down. Damn. Where were the purple dragons when you needed them? 

CRASH!

The sound of glass shattering interrupted Casey's thought process (not that it was getting anywhere). He turned in the direction it came from and peered over the edge of the roof. A bunch of street punks were robbing a store. Hmph. Not in Casey Jones's town.

Casey snuck down the fire escape until he was close enough to the ground that it wouldn't hurt if he leapt down from where he was. 

"Huh, good haul boys!" the head sleazeball remarked, walking out of the window he broke. Behind him were what appeared to be his two lackeys hauling some boxes full of techy junk. 

"Hey!" Casey called out, grabbing the attention of all three punks, "No one steals in Casey Jones's town!" he yelled, leaping down from the fire escape to the ground with his baseball bat in one hand and a hockey stick in the other.

"What the- Who are you?" the head bitch asked. Did this guy just like, completely miss where Casey called out his name? Y'know what, whatever.

"I'm the last guy you see before you wake up in the hospital." Casey threatened. He loved saying metal stuff like that. 

"Uh, uh-" the main punk fumbled, "Get him!" he demanded. The two lackeys dropped their boxes and came chasing at Casey. 

"Not so fast, lawbreakers!" Casey yelled, dodging their attack. Casey lunged to the side of one of the lackeys and hit them in the back of their knees. He fell backwords and let out a brief scream of pain. The second henchman came running towards Casey with a steel pipe. He swung at Casey's head, but he was smarter than that. He crouched down to dodge the attack and spun around so that he was now behind the criminal scum.

Casey brought his baseball bat up above his head before crashing it down on the punk's head, letting his body drop to the ground. Just as Casey was taking a breather, he felt a sharp pain hit the back of his head. Like, a really sharp pain. 

"OW!" Casey cried, flinching in pain. He closed his eyes and crouched down, grabbing his head in pain.  

"C'mon, let's get outta here!" the head douche yelled. He heard their sneakers squeak against the pavement as they ran away. They were gone. Casey's stood back up, rubbing where the sharp pain lingered. 

And I really don't fucking know how, but his fingers completely missed the shard of glass that he had been stabbed with. 

Dumbass.

"Man, that smarts." Casey muttered to himself. He should get to the lair, maybe Donnie could check to make sure he wasn't like, dying or something (hint hint nudge nudge). After rubbing the back of his head a little more (and still somehow missing the fucking shard of glass), Casey crept into the nearest alleyway and snuck down into the sewers. 

                _______________________

He walked through the sewers, trying his best to ignore the smell. And the trash. And the green, muck-filled water. And the rats, Casey tried especially hard to ignore the rats.

As he neared the entrance, he heard the sounds of Mikey and Leo yelling at each other; probably arguing about whether to watch Space Heroes or whatever it is that Mikey wanted to watch. 

"Hey guys!" Casey cheered as he turned the corner and hopped over the turnstiles. He gave a small wave to the two blue-eyed turtles sitting in the conversation pit. 

Leo turned to greet Casey, only for his face to immediately. Upon seeing Leo's reaction, Mikey also turned to face Casey, only for his eyes to widen with shock and a bit of concern. 

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Casey assumed, already beginning to try and wipe off whatever was on his face. It wasn't until after he saw smudged black and white paint on his glove that he remembered he was wearing his face paint. "Fuck I smudged my face paint." he remarked. The room fell silent for a bit after that. 

"YOU HAVE GLASS STICKING OUT OF YOUR HEAD!!" Leo yelled, breaking the silence. 

"...What? No I don't." Casey commented. He began to feel around his head nonetheless, only this time he actually fucking noticed the glass shard. "OH WAIT WHAT THE FUCK!?"

[ltwharfy]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks to @daddygrandpaandthebeaver for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10.

2. What’s your total word count?

25,908 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Bob's Burgers

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

It's my five oldest fics, but not in release date order: 1. "I Will Call You Pet Names No One Knows" (aka 2.2k words about Rudy's name); 2. "Surely It's Okay If I Just Tell Pancake?" (Rudy tells his stuffed flounder about the events of "Bob Actually"); 3. "Former Guidance Counselor of the Bride (and Groom)" (Louise and Rudy's wedding told from the POV of Mr. Frond, of course); 4 (a tie!). "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" (Rudy sees Louise dancing to Boyz 4 Now song at a store, awkwardness ensues) and "Old Friends/Bookends" (Rudy and Louise rediscover Pancake when moving to their new apartment).

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I adore getting comments. Whether its just a stream of incomprehensible happy letters or paragraphs describing favorite parts, I appreciate anyone taking the time to say something nice about my stories and I try to say something nice back to them ASAP.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

So, I don't really write angst. My real job is pretty depressing (I'm a lawyer for poor people in the midwestern US!) so when I'm writing (or reading) fic, I tend to gravitate towards the sweet, soft, and silly.

That said, I think my most recent fic, "And In the Backseats We Just Tried to Find Some Room to Breath", has a kind of melancholy ending. Although the very last line is a shippy Roudise line because I couldn't help myself, the image I really want to end with- Rudy quietly sitting by himself in the backseat of his father's car looking out the window at the night sky after an emotionally draining evening, it's not angsty but I think it's less warm and fluffy than some of my other stuff.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

That would be the wedding story, I think. Not only are Louise and Rudy totally in love with each other, just married, and having a great time but Mr. Frond realizes that he has had an even bigger impact on his students' lives in ways he hadn't really thought about, and that really means a lot to me, too. I still think the last paragraph or two of that story might be my favorite thing I've written; I just go back and reread it sometimes and feel like a baseball batter watching a home run sail into the upper deck- like I totally nailed that one!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I never have, and I really appreciate it. Everyone I've interacted with in Bob's Burgers fandom on AO3 and Tumbler has been really sweet and chill. One thing that particularly stands out to me is that first fic actually has a minor continuity error in it (I thought that Louise actually told Rudy that Chloe was flirting with him for test answers in "Bob Actually" and only discovered last month that she doesn't give that detail.) Nobody ever mentioned that to me in comments on the fic- every comment I got was just people loving the fic. Either no one noticed this or they didn't care about it enough to throw it in my face, and I appreciate that.

9. Do you write smut?

I never have, but I feel like at some point I probably will end up writing some Rudy/Louise as adults smut. Whenever I have story ideas about them when they are older the ideas inevitably end with them making out, and at some point I'll probably just decide "why stop there?"

For example, the last line of "Old Friends/Bookends" is: "'Of course…', he said, and took he took her by the hand as they eagerly headed to the bedroom." When I was writing that, just for my own amusement with no intention of keeping it in, I added: "And then they boned!" and then immediately deleted that. But, y'know, my mind goes there.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. Not opposed to them, just never had an idea for one.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

So, they were never actually published as fics, but when I was a kid in the early 90s I was really in to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and developed a number of spinoff series of my own. One, "Starfleet Academy", my cousin and I created together.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I want to make some clever joke here, but I can't think of one. It's Louise/Rudy. 80% of my stories are about them. They are the reason I got into reading and then writing "Bob's Burgers" fanfic, they are the reason I am on tumblr. I've loved "Bob's Burgers" since it started, but the need for more content about them pulled me deeper into this fan community than I've been in anything else in a while.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

I've tried to finish everything that I've started, but I've currently got three unfinished WIPs in Word. The one that is least likely to see the light of day, or will be really significantly reworked if it does, was a story I started this summer about teenaged Rudy being nervous about asking Louise on their first real date and talking to his dad about it. it's called "Dating Advice from Mr. 'I'd Let That Dump Me'" (which I do love as a title).

"The Amazing Rudy" has sort of made me reevaluate the way I thought about Rudy and his dad. I actually had a more positive impression of Sylvester than a lot of fans- at the risk of oversharing, it was because I thought that-even with his flaws- he seemed to be doing the divorced dad thing better than my own dad did. And, after "The Amazing Rudy", I just feel like I'd have to write more about how Rudy and Sylvester's relationship evolved over the years- and how Sylvester grew as a person and a father- to get them to the place I had them in that story. And maybe I'll want to do that at some point, but right now I don't.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Writing stories that other people invariably describe as "cute"! I'm kind of joking, but that does always happen even though I'd say really only one of my written stories was written with the express intention of being cute.

More seriously, I love (and think I'm good at) getting inside characters' heads and really describing their emotions and thought process. Rudy was the first character I wrote about, and I find it easy to get in his head because he reminds me so much of myself as a boy, but when I got compliments for writing from other characters' perspectives- especially Louise's- it made me feel like I really have a knack for that.

I also think I am pretty good at capturing the character's voices in dialogue. I really writing enjoyed "For the Boy Who has (Allergies to) Everything" because it was my first effort at writing Belcher sibling dialogue (and Sgt. Bosco!) and I was pleased with how it turned out.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot. I love writing about emotions and writing fun dialogue, but none of my stories have particularly involved plots. The plots are basically just a background to the feelings and/or dialogue. Half of my stories are built directly on actual episodes- I have three that are essentially episode tags, one that's basically a prologue, and one that is a missing scene focused on two background characters.

I have an outline for what would be my most plot intensive project- "Workers of the Wharf, Unite!" a story about Louise as an adult helping the Wonder Wharf employees form a union- and I've got bits of dialogue and thoughts all written out, but then there are big places that just say "stuff happens". I've yet to figure out the stuff that needs to happen. That's the hardest part for me. I hope I do figure it out eventually, because I love the idea and there's a scene I've partially drafted that would be near the end between Bob and Louise that I think would be beautiful and really encapsulates how I see Louise's character and Bob as a father.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I was surprised to realize I did it once! In "The Life of the Symposium (aka Party)", I have Arnold say "Domo arigato" to Kaylee. Which would be about all the Japanese I know. But I thought it made sense for Arnold's character given his love of Karate that he would pick up a little Japanese.

I took German and Spanish at different points in my life but really don't remember much beyond ordering food (German) or asking for directions (Spanish). So, if I ever put another language in a fic, it would most likely be like Tina's song in "The Cook, the Steve, the Gayle, and Her Lover"- basic phrases used for comic effect.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

"Star Trek". This started when I was a preteen and first got into TNG. I came up with several of my own Star Trek spinoffs. First, the incredibly originally titled "Star Trek: The Third Generation", then "Star Trek: Discovery" (sadly or fortunately, no resemblance to the current show of that name beyond the ship being named Discovery), "Starfleet Command" and the Academy show I mentioned with my cousin. Most of this stuff was just done for my own amusement, but I think I may have published some of it on AOL. And I think some of the "episode" titles and summaries (the main thing I wrote) are on 3.5 by 5 floppy disks back at my mom's. (I feel so old typing that sentence knowing how few of the people who will read it will be able to relate. I am Rudy's Dad making the "Party of Five" reference to the hostess who was born in 2002.)

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I could say the wedding fic or "In the Backseats..." because they both mean a lot to me but I'm going to go with one I haven't mentioned yet "Happy Anniversary (Whenever It Is...)" It was written for a Flufftober prompt and in response to "The Amazing Rudy" and it is the one fic I really wrote with the explicit intent of being cute. It's about high school age Louise and Rudy, who are officially a couple, playfully arguing over what their anniversary date should be. it is loaded with as many callbacks as I could cram into it, and just a lot of fun dialogue. It includes two really nerdy jokes that may be my favorite jokes in any of my stories.

It is also really my love letter to that relationship. Putting aside any shippy/romance aspect, I just think they've done such an amazing job showing those two characters growing closer together in a way that just feels like the natural growth of a friendship. They have such a better understanding of each other, and are so much closer at the end of "The Amazing Rudy" then they were at the end of "Carpe Museum" and you can see that developing logically as a result of other episodes like "The Kids Rob A Train" and "House of 1,000 Bounces", and "The Hawkening", etc. Someday, I may write an essay about that...

Also, I think that story has the vibe of the framing story to one of those clip shows that TV shows used to make (I especially associate them with 80s sitcoms like "Family Ties"). Like it would be:

Louise: What about the wine train...

CUT TO clip from "The Kids Rob A Train"

And as someone who grew up on 80s/90s sitcoms, I actually kind of love that!

[thefactsofthematter]

perspective flip: anything from the Olympic au!

what a genius ask!! surprise of the century: jack is just as much of a flustered mess as davey <3

-

Jack opens the door to the dorm and flies through it without even thinking.

"Hey, Davey! I'm so glad you're in here, I was-" He cuts himself off and stops short, upon realizing that Davey is talking on the phone. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

Jack is sweaty and out of breath— he ran here from the bus stop, because Race bet him he couldn’t make it to his room and back in three minutes to catch the next shuttle— and he suddenly feels incredibly flustered as he stands in the entryway.

How is it fair for Davey to look like that?

He’s in nothing but a pair of running shorts, laying on the floor, his phone pressed to his ear and a foam roller under his legs. He’s so goddamn ripped, and the way the midday sun hits him through the window makes him look like some kind of Greek statue. It’s insane, quite frankly.

"I'm gonna let you go, Sarah," Davey smiles over at Jack in acknowledgement, before laughing at something being said on the call. "Great chat. Say hi to everyone for me. Love you."

Jack’s stomach immediately sinks a little— call him eager, but in the less-than-a-day that they’ve known each other, he’d already pegged Davey as a potential love interest. He texted Charlie about it and everything: his roommate is unbelievably hot, super sweet, and didn’t seem all that interested in Kath’s attempts at flirting, so that means they’re basically meant to be, right?

Davey having a girlfriend, however, throws a bit of a wrench into things.

“Hey, Jack.” Davey sits up, setting his phone and the roller aside. He runs a hand through his hair, and it makes Jack slightly weak in the knees. “What’s up?”

"I was gonna text you, but I realized I didn't have your number, so I'm glad you're in here," Jack starts, before realizing he’s already starting to ramble— was that totally creepy to say he wants Davey’s number? They don’t even know each other that well yet, so maybe he’s being weird… but maybe he’s just being friendly. He makes a quick attempt to button it up and get to the point. “How much free time do you have right now?”

Davey checks his watch.

He doesn’t seem creeped out, which is a good sign.

"I have dry-land in like three hours, but I'm free until then,” he says. “I was just gonna chill here in the air-conditioning and take a nap."

Jack bounces on his toes a little— he has way too much energy today, and he knows it’s about to come out as word vomit.

"Okay, well, I just finished practice early and bumped into Spot and Race,” he starts. “They want to try authentic sushi, so we're gonna go look for a local restaurant downtown, and maybe do some shopping if we have time. Wanna come? We'll be back in time, since Spot has practice at two-thirty."

He cuts himself off before he can keep adding unnecessary details, and simply offers an awkward sort of grin.

Jack Kelly is incredibly bad at talking to hot people… this is going to be a long couple weeks.

"Sure," Davey says, with a shrug. "Let me throw some real clothes on and I'll be good to go."

He stands up, stretches a little— he’s so tall— and Jack has to avert his eyes to keep from ogling that mouthwateringly defined V-line at the top of his shorts.

"Make sure you wear something Team USA," Jack all but chokes out. He clears his throat, trying to play it off as a cough. "People give us free stuff when they know we're athletes— tricks of the trade, y'know."

Davey grins before heading off to his room, and Jack feels mildly faint.

"Got it. Thanks for the tip."

[chanlvr2]

hi this is my first fic ever so please be nice 😭🫶it’s unedited for the most part

stargazing.

It was a nice summer day in Alexandria. Not too hot, not too cold, it was perfect. You and your best friend Carl were hanging out outside of the Grimes’ house, playing with Judith. You sat on the grass as he chased Judith around. You watched in admiration as Carl just ran after her.

in all honesty, you had liked Carl for a while now. You first met when the group found you in a train cart, living off of nothing but old cereal. Carl and Rick were the ones that found you first, and since then you’ve just been with them.

You liked everyone in the group. They were all really kind and open to you. You lived in a house with Glenn and Maggie, they were the best option to live with anyways.

Your focus turned to Carl again as he laid in the grass next to you after taking Judith inside to be Ricks problem. “tired that quickly Grimes?” you laughed. He sat up, “you’re the one laying in the grass!”

You both laughed. It was about midday so you guys had some time to kill. You sighed as you just took in the sun and just being with Carl, it was relaxing. Carl completely sat up next to you now.

You guys kind of just watched everyone until, “Wanna come up to my room and read some comics?” He smiled at you. You guys bonded over comics and video games a lot, so of course you said, “of course.”

The two of you got up and went into the house. He grabbed some water and you both went upstairs. You opened the door and flopped yourself down on his bed, kicking off your shoes and sitting criss-crossed as he grabbed out his big stack of comics the both of you had collected on runs.

You both chilled together for a while, reading and talking about the comics, life before, and just other stuff.

The two of you talked till around sunset, when Carl started putting away his comics. You sat up, a bit confused. You guys usually read till dark and you were forced by Rick to go home. He sat back on the bed, and smiled at you. “Carl? What is it?” You asked.

“Well, last time we hung out, you got me something, so I just wanted to do the same..” You started smiling. “Oh really now?” he laughed a bit. He got up and reached for under the bed, pulling out a pen pack and a notebook. He smiled as he handed it to you.

“Wow Carl, thanks so much.” You smiled and gave him a hug, an awkward one. He hugged back kinda. It was weird. You pulled away and and stood up. “Well it’s dark now, so I should get going before your dad comes and kicks me out.” You smiled awkwardly.

Carl stood up and nodded. He walked you out and waved to you as you walked down the street.

You walked quickly back to your house to get out of the view line of Carl. Finally after what seemed like the longest walk ever you got home. You walked up the stairs and went inside. Saying hi to Glenn and Maggie then making your way upstairs.

You went into your room and put the stuff that Carl got you onto your bedside table and took off your shoes.

Laying on the bed, you looked up at the ceiling. relaxed, you fell asleep.

You woke up to clinking sounds outside. you sat up and it was pitch black out. you heard another clink. you got up and walked cautiously to the window with a flashlight. you opened the window and shined the light. “Carl??” you whisper yelled. You saw him smile and reached a hand down for him. He managed to climb up with the help of your hand.

“Carl what are you doing here? it’s the middle of the night!” you said, the tired in your voice very apparent. You sat back down on your bed as he closed the window. “I was just bored, and plus, I had planned something for us.” he smiled.

You rolled your eyes at his dumb boyish smile. “Okay..” you played along. “So, get dressed or whatever, and then we can go.” He said, stepping out of your room. Him walking out your bedroom door totally defeated his stupid cliche climbing through the window move.

You laughed at his stupidly cute antics and put on a pair of sweat pants that you stole from Carl. you put on a jacket and your boots and quietly left your room. You and Carl quietly walked downstairs and left the house.

“You know, Maggie and Glenn aren’t my parents.. we don’t have to sneak around the house, i’m grown Carl.” You nudged him in the arm a bit. “Hey, I know, but what would the world be without gestures like climbing through the window?” You both laughed as you walked down the street to wherever Carl was taking you.

You both walked a while longer until Carl stopped you both. “Okay, it’s not top quality, but it took like, a long time, so be appreciative of my efforts.” he laughed through his sentence. You smiled and nodded as he took your hand through a small amount of trees.

It led to a small opening with a pond, where you saw right next to it he lied down a blanket, some comics and a small wooden box. You smiled as he led you closer, not letting go of your hand. You blushed at the small, unnoticed action, but not letting go yourself either.

You sat yourself down on the blanket, finally letting go of each others hands. “Carl this is so amazing..” you said, quietly and softly. You could feel Carls smile through the dark.

“here, lay down.” He lied back himself and you did the same. You scooted yourself closer to him, by the smallest, unnoticeable amount. But he noticed.

The two of you looked up at the stars together. Before, you could never see stars like these. But now everything was different. Everything in the world was messed up, but somehow with Carl, you felt safe.

[hughjidiot]

Still working on chapter eight of Total Drama Level Up, I hope to have it ready and published by the end of the month. For now here's a little ScaryZee sneak peak. (Gotta say, the more I write this pairing the more I genuinely like it.)

--

Fat raindrops pattered the windows of the rec room, strong winds causing the glass to rattle and shake. The room itself was empty, save for Zee and Lauren sitting at the couch facing the TV in the corner. The former had his prosthetic leg propped up on the cushions, motioning with his hands as he spoke, while the latter held onto every word with apt attention.

“… and by the time they got the harvester shut off, the thresher blades had just completely ripped my leg off at the knee, blood and shards of bone shooting out the back to splatter across the hay,” Zee said dramatically. He nodded. “So, lesson learned: when playing hide-and-seek on a farm, make sure you’re familiar with the harvesting schedule.”

“Woooow,” Lauren said, blue eyes sparkling. “How do you come up with this stuff?”

“Years of practice.” Zee produced a soda can from one of his pockets and pulled the tab, taking a sip. “Ever since I was little I’ve been telling people stories about losing my leg. After a while I started to get a feel for what kind of stories people like to hear. Some people like ‘em thrilling, others like ‘em suspenseful, some are really into the messy details.”

He tipped his soda can towards her and smiled, a sight that sent Lauren’s heartbeat into overdrive. Feeling her face start to grow warm, she cleared her throat.

“Why do you like making up stories about your leg anyways?” She asked. “I know you said in season one that you know people like hearing cool stories when they ask, but is that really all there is to it?”

Zee was quiet for a moment, tracing the rim of his soda can. “Well… I remember back when I was real little, my mom would set me up on playdates with her friend’s kids. At first they’d be interested in my leg and ask what happened to it, but when I told them I was just born without it they always seemed disappointed. Like they expected something cooler. Or someone.”

Lauren listened in silence as Zee went on. There was an unmistakable tone of melancholy in Zee’s words, almost alien coming from someone as chill as him. “Don’t get me wrong: I came to terms with only having one leg a long time ago. But when you’re real little and all the other kids see you as just the one-legged kid and nothing else… it has an effect on you.”

He paused to take another pull of soda. “Fast forward a year or two, and it’s my first day of kindergarten. The teacher had us all introduce ourselves and share a fun fact about ourselves. When it got to my turn and all my new classmates looked at me, I didn’t even think: I pulled up my pant leg, showed everyone my prosthetic and said, ‘Hi I’m Zee, and I lost my leg to a shark attack.’”

“For real?” Lauren couldn’t help but giggle at the mental image. “I can only imagine the looks on their faces!”

Zee chuckled too. “Oh yeah, everyone was stunned – even the teacher. But here’s the thing: next thing I know I was getting swarmed by kids asking me for details about what happened. I’d never had so many people interested in me before.” He smiled fondly at the memories. “It was… nice.”

“Did the truth ever come out that you were just born without a leg?”

“Oh yeah. I was like five so I couldn’t keep the details of my story straight for long. But by the time I admitted that I was really just born this way, I’d gotten to get to know my classmates and even had friends, so no one was all that mad at me. I think it helps that I was making up stories to entertain them instead of trying to get fake sympathy. After that, it sort of became a running gag at my school where I’d make up a new story about how I lost my leg every time I introduced myself to new people, and I just got used to doing it.”

Finishing his soda, Zee crushed the can in one hand and tossed it into a nearby recycling bin. Smiling with satisfaction, he leaned back in his seat. “So yeah, that’s my story. Like I said, I’ve came to terms with who I am, and there’s more to me than just being the guy with a prosthetic. Telling people crazy stories about how I ‘lost’ it is something that just kinda happened.”

“Well, I’m glad it did,” Lauren said sincerely. Without realizing it, she found herself scooting closer to him. “I love your stories. They’re so creative.”

“Aw, thanks.” Zee glanced away, a hint of red on his cheeks. “You know, no one’s ever been as interested in my stories as you are. I’m really glad you like them.”

“How can I not? You have such a way with words and details…”

Lauren trailed off as she and Zee found themselves looking into each other’s eyes, less than a foot of space between them on the couch. A silence fell over the two, broken only by the patter of rain on the window.

Abruptly Lauren shot up from the couch, smiling a little too wide.

“So uh the movie last night was fun!” She said quickly. “Wanna watch another?”

“Oh yeah, totally!” Zee said, picking the remote up from the end table beside the couch to turn on the TV. “What was it you showed me, Halloween? That was really good. There any more like it?”

“Do you mean slashers in general or other Halloween movies?” Lauren asked as she inspected the shelves of DVDs. “Because there’s a few other slashers here. As for Halloween they made a lot of sequels – some good, some bad – but I don’t see any – Oh! Wait…”

She pulled a case of the shelf, gasped and beamed when she read the title. “Halloween III! Perfect!”

“Wait, three?” Zee asked, blinking as Lauren opened the DVD player. “Are we gonna be able to follow what’s going on without seeing the second movie?”

“Oh don’t worry about it; the third movie is a completely different story,” Lauren said, walking back to plop down beside Zee as the movie loaded. “It’s also a sci-fi horror rather than a slasher.”

“You don’t say,” Zee said, sounding interested. “How does that happen?”

“Okay, so: originally Halloween was envisioned as an anthology series of horror movies centered around different aspects of the holiday. Only the first two movies were supposed to be about Micheal Myers, which is why the second movie ends with – Oop! Never mind, spoilers! Let’s just say that was supposed to be the end of his story. So the third movie is entirely standalone…”

--

Zee sat in the confessional closet, a thoughtful look on his face as he slowly sipped his soda.

“You know, I get that SG can be a bit much sometimes,” he said, “but she’s a really cool girl when you get to know her. She’s got great taste in movies and knows a lot about them, she’s a great conversationalist…” He paused, blushing faintly. “And she’s cute too. In that ‘antique porcelain doll from a pawn shop that might be haunted’ kind of way.”

Zee took one more swig and got up to leave.

The camera lingered on the empty closet until the ceiling vent fell open with a clatter.

Lauren dropped down onto the floor from above, her blue eyes wide and pale cheeks bright red.

“… He thinks I’m cute?”

[ticklish-touch]

Trapped in the Backrooms - Ch 9: Reflection and Shadow

(Ragaeli x lee!Y/N - tickling, macro/size difference, soft bondage, unreality)

You and Ragamuffin finally have the chance to take a break from all the recent insanity of your Backrooms adventure. You see a different side to your Nightmare friend, and both of you start to see things from a different perspective after an imposing deity of the Grand Order makes his acquaintance.

(Chapter themes:

Lofi Beats / Vaporwave Mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsq7ytfzPAY

Limbo - Title Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRiF8mX_iVc )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          By the time the Court Jester let you take the path to your next destination, Ragaeli had to carry you bridal-style. You were totally laughter-drunk and buzzing with excitement. The circus, despite the massive battle between gods that you were caught in the middle of, had made you feel like a kid again. That being said, the entire last couple hours of insanity had completely worn you out. You were a little overwhelmed and in need of a break.

          Thankfully, the huge hotel manor lit aglow with blue and purple neons became that needed refuge. The lounge in the main lobby instantly hit you with a calm Vaporwave feel; pastel neons everywhere, gridded patterns on nearly every piece of furniture, wall decor of sunsets and martinis, and soft synth music playing overhead. It was just warm enough to make you feel sleepy. Large glass windows from across the lounge looked out onto a twilight sky, and a glowing aquamarine pool in the courtyard. A few facelings wandered about the lounge and headed down hallways to the elevators, and gave you both a wave as they passed by. Quite a few of them did a double-take at Rags. He stuck out like a sore thumb among the cooler hues, and he was still wearing his extravagant ringleader suit.

          Even the manic Nightmare seemed affected by the chill vibes. He plopped you down in a large nearby sofa, taking a seat next to you and laying back, lazily giving your leg a few pats. "Still feelin’ alright?"           You nodded and laid out next to him, your head on the cushion in front of the armrest.            "Lemme get into something more comfy." He snapped his fingers, trading his Ringleader getup for a cropped black tank-top, and baggy black jeans with a few chains. "How 'bout you get some shuteye? I'll keep looking for more clues n' stuff. Maybe get some giggles outta the guests here and a drink or two."           You couldn't help but stare at his exposed midriff and arms for a moment, blushing a little. "Damn, you really do look good in anything, heh~" You then yawned loudly, already feeling yourself start to drift off. "But yeah, sounds good to me..." After getting a good stretch and curling up on the comfy couch, you drifted off, totally content...

                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          You slowly woke up to the sound of lo-fi synth quietly playing overhead. You'd slept so deeply that for a few moments, you could've sworn that everything that transpired was all some wild fever dream. 

          But Rags was still next to you on the sofa. He looked more serious than you'd ever seen him; almost comically so, mouth downturned into a frown, sitting like The Thinker, brow furrowed in concentration as he scanned through his hovering window onto the Backrooms.           But upon noticing you starting to stir, he flashed you a playful grin, relaxing back against the couch. "Heyyy sleepyhead~ Get a good rest?" His speech was slower than usual, eyelids drooping.           You let out a big yawn. “MMmmm… heh, yeah… How long have we been here…?”           He shrugged. “About a half hour. Tried waking you up to see if you wanted food or drinks, but you’ve been out cold, heh." His portal window vanished and he slowly stood up to stretch out his arms and tail, his hair tendrils shuddering and fluffing up… Then he promptly collapsed back into the couch like a limp ragdoll. “Nnnghh…”

          You raised an eyebrow. “You alright? Wear yourself out battling the Jester?”           He sighed and shook his head. “Yeahh I’m fine… Wasn’t really going all-out anyways.”           Your jaw dropped. "That wasn't going all-out??"           “Heheh; yeah, well, I can’t expend all my magic yet. Jingles was also holding back. Good thing, too. If he’d gotten real serious then… we both would’ve been screwed.”           “I see…”           “There’s some kinda enchantment in this place trying to suppress my magic,” he muttered. “I can feel it. Dunno if he’s is actually giving us a chance to rest or if he’s trynna trance us for a second time…” He glared around the lounge suspiciously, scanning the other patrons and staff. “But I bet you feel it too, huh?”           Come to think of it…You realized you’d been laying in the same position like a limp noodle. You thought your lethargy and brain fog came from exhaustion, but it seemed like a bit more than just relaxation. You didn’t want to move. “...I feel totally zooted.”           He snorted and nodded. “Yeahh, sounds about right. It’s a lot like Featherbutt’s magic.” He reached over to wrap his arms around your waist and pull you up to his chest, stretching his legs out. “Let’s just… Lay down for a bit, yeah?”           You were a little thrown off by how calm he was, but you certainly didn’t protest getting to snuggle close to him. He folded his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. You were very tempted to sneak your hands into his exposed armpits. But your arms felt like noodles, and he looked like he was deep in thought. So you were content just huddling up to him for now.

          "...It's quiet,” he stated after a few more minutes.

          "Hm?"

          "The laughter. It usually fills my mind. It's all I hear, night after night; the echoes and memories of peoples' beautiful, desperate laughter and begging and screams...My body vibrating with the excitement and hysteria I’ve collected…" He smirked a little, which quickly faded into an annoyed frown. "It's... Weird, not hearing or feeling it. I don't like it. Feels too lonely."           "Heh…you're the only person I can think of that enjoys having voices in their head."             He snorted again and gave a shrug. "I gotta hear the joy. The silliness. The madness…Feels like it gives me purpose. It's the reason I exist, after all."             “Hmm…” You suppose it made sense. He had to rely on the very thing he was made out of in order to keep his physicality.           "Used to be that I felt like the chaos is the main thing keepin' me running,” he continued. “But... nah. It's you guys. Without making connections, friendships, then the laughter wouldn't matter." His soft expression sank. He looked…guilty. “I can’t let you get stuck here. Not before I fade…"

         You looked up at him thoughtfully. "Man... You sure are a different person when you're actually relaxed.”

          He rolled his eyes. "Yeahh yeah... Kendoll tries to get me like this sometimes. Uses his soporific Dream magic, tries to get me to talk like I'm in a shrink's office." He scoffed. "I don't fuckin need therapy. If anyone needs therapy, it's him. Lovey-dovey goody two-shoes takes way more onto himself than he should. Lets them break down crying in his arms, lets them put their trauma on his shoulders." He shook his head. "Like I told ya, you can't help everyone."

          You contemplated for a little bit. "Well... I think you take a lot on yourself too. You do your damndest to help people when you have the chance. Hell, you’re going through all this just to help me.” You smiled. “You may be the big bad scary tickle-obsessed maniac that could rule the world if he wanted to, but you fight for the sake of people that are so much smaller than you. That's really selfless."           You could hear him grumbling before you'd finished your last sentence. Eventually he snuck his hands down to squeeze your sides. “Stop being so sappy already," he huffed. Glancing up, you could see a prominent blush on his face, cheeks puffed up in a pout.

          You giggled into his chest. Then smirked a bit. Might be a good time to take advantage of all that exposed skin…           "Don't you even– pffFFHEHE!!" He yelped and giggled the moment you snuck a hand down to tickle his toned belly, slipping your other hand under his armpit. He wiggled around underneath you, bubbly giggles rising up in his chest. "MMmMHEHEHE!!" He growled playfully and clamped his arms down, his long fingers starting to dance over your sides and back of your ribs.           You yelped and gasped with laughter, burying your face into his chest. "GGhhhehee sorryyy-heheheh I c-couldn't resist~!"           "Hmmph, you're lucky I'm a limp noodle right now or I'd make you fill this whole lounge with your laughter~" He chuckled and eased up after a few moments.

          Still blushing brightly, you caught your breath after a few moments, huddling closer to him. "Hmm... anything else you wanna talk about?”

          He took a deep breath, flopping his arms out around you, rubbing your back. He was still a sloppy hugger as always. "I dunno… Lounging around this place gave me time to think. Trying to remember more about this world. Going by what the Jester said at the end there, clearly there’s shit I’ve forgotten.” He sighed. "It's important to remember. Most important thing a person can do for a Dreamie or a Nightmare." He glanced down at you after this statement. It almost seemed like his comment was an instruction. "We can disappear just as soon as we come into existence. You know that weird feeling of a dream just going poof when you wake up? Well, if you can un-poof us in that mind palace of yours, if the slightest thing reminds you of that dream, we can come back right outta that No-Man's-Land."           “…Okay yeah, you sound like you’re high as a kite.”           "It’s true,” he scribbled his fingers up your ribs, making you yelp and give out lazy snickering. “Thank fuck for it, or I'd… I wouldn’t still be…" He drifted off again, stopping himself from finishing his sentence. He eventually gave a shrug, averting his gaze from you. "Not like that matters for me, of course~ I've been around for so long that nothing can get rid of me. Not even a broken-ass Hell dimension that either tries to kill me or makes me never want to leave.” he scoffed. “I’ll show ‘em. I’ll show ALL of ‘em they made a mistake fucking with me.”           You thought things over for a bit. “Rags… I know you may not like hearing this, but… Maybe you should ease up a bit.”           “Pfft– Yeah, right.”           “I’m serious.” You frowned. “The more you cause trouble, the stronger you get, the more the entities here seem to target you. I love seeing you running around going apeshit, but… You heard what the Jester said. The entire world thinks you’re the enemy. It’s trapping you here on purpose.”           He stayed silent.           “I dunno, just… Maybe if you show others in the order that you’re not trying to take over the world or whatever, then they’ll be more willing to cooperate."

          He shrugged. “They already decided I’m the enemy, from the moment I got stuck here. Tucking my tail and confessing like a kid eating out of a cookie jar isn’t gonna change their minds. If anything, it’s just gonna make them think I’m showing weakness. Just like my world in a lot of ways… Dog-eat-dog, monster-eat-monster. Shit, even some of the other monsters here aren't all about terrorizing their prey on the spot. Octo-dad, the twin fish sticks, my mini-army in the lab, Cartoon-Topia, the clown gang… All of 'em either came around quickly or weren't too keen on being the bad guy to begin with. Like they know how fucked up things are." He nonchalantly petted the back of your head.           "And the fact that they have literal gods in power, letting all this insanity happen to all the sorry saps that end up here, is even worse…” His nose wrinkled in anger. “It makes me sick. Aside from trying to help you, that’s the biggest reason I’m showing off. Showing ‘em that if they keep picking on the little guy, the crazyass god that actually cares is going to take down their whole operation.”           You sighed, laying your head back on his chest. “Yeah… I understand that. I just… Don't want to see you get hurt."

          He grumbled after a few more minutes, starting to fidget and try to sit himself back upright. “Rrrghhh… This neon eyesore’s making my mind slow down enough to get all introspective n’ shit. Hate it," he retched. "It's so boring. Life's way more fun living every moment to the fullest!! I'm immortal, I don't NEED to rest!!" He huffed and yelled, catching the attention of some of the Faceling patrons. After you rolled off of him, he tried to stand up and stomp his foot down, his hair tendrils slithering like Medusa snakes... before falling limp right along with the rest of his body, plopping back into the sofa. “Hhhhh…” He rubbed his head. This time he laid back against your lap. 

          You blushed a little bit when he laid back against you, resting your hands over his shoulders. "Man, you're really not down for getting high, are you?"           "Fuck no," he scoffed. "My body fights it. Getting wasted is kinda fun though, heh. You think I'm a loopy bitch now, you oughta see me when I'm barely able to hold my form together and got giggles and magic flyin' all over the place."           “Heh; yeah, I’ve seen how you get at parties,” you nonchalantly poked at his ear.           “Ngh– Hey,” he swatted your hand away.           Oh yeah; he was touchy about his ears being touched. Even though you knew from Kenni that he secretly liked it.

          “.....” A grin came to your face. Slowly, you crept your hands closer to his scalp.           He let out a low growl and glanced up at you to narrow his gaze. “Don’t. You. Dare.”           But your smile just became all the more mischievous. “Why not? What’re you gonna do about it?” With that, you slipped your fingers into his hair, tracing and scritching his scalp.

          He gasped loudly; you felt his body shudder under you, his hair fluffing up like a cat’s. He let out a mix between a loud sigh, and a long, deep growl - a bit like purring. “Hnnnghhh-!! Y-You sonuva bihihitch…!” Breathy giggles bubbled up from his chest, and a wide, wobbly smile stretched across his face, eyelids drooping shut. “Nnghhh-hmmhmh..!!”           You had the biggest smile on your face. “God, you’re so cute like this,” you teased. “The Big Bad power-mad Tickle Monster, taken down by head scritchies. You deserve affection too, y’know~!”           The continued comments just made him whine and pout and giggle all the more, trying to clamp one hand over his burning face while using his other hand to half-heartedly try and yank your hand away from his head. His tail slowly thumped on the floor, rhythmically. It was wagging. “Ffffhhhkhehehe I-I’m so gonna fuggin mahahake you payy for thihihis!!”           “Oh, I’m sure you will. I look forward to it~”           After a few more giggly whines and flustered growls, and after he started attempting to genuinely roll away from you, you finally relented. He quickly sat upright and glared daggers at you with his bright maroon-tinted face, his tail thrashing like an agitated cat, sneering and hunching forward, preparing to pounce. You felt giddy, and not just because of the impending revenge. He’d told you that he never let anyone play so gently with him like that except for Kenni, and you knew he could’ve easily retaliated if he wanted to, even in a weakened state. He truly did trust you.           “C’monn, you know you liked iiIIIIT–!!” You squealed when he leapt forward and buried his fingers into your sides, playing them like a piano. Your body was so relaxed that you could barely even squirm away. “Nnnnhh-hehehehe!! I-I was just playiiiihihing!!”           He still had a pissy sneer on his face, but his tickling was a bit more gentle than usual. “Hmmphh, now who’s the cute one?? Lookit you, can’t even do anything except laugh and take the tickles~” 

          You felt your blush growing hotter and you weakly tried to push his arms away. When that didn’t work, you hid your face.           He leaned in close and lowered his voice by your ear. “Tiiiickletickletickle–”           You yelped and shoved your palm against his face. “S-Staaahahappp!!” You tried to retaliate by sneaking a hand underneath his armpit. He gasped and let out hyena-giggles, squirming back and forth over you. He doubled-down by slipping his hair tendrils up your shirt and swirling them around your belly, and sneaking a couple inside of your shoes to slip between your toes. “YyeeEE-Hehehe!!” You whined and weakly bucked underneath him. His annoyed expression had become much more soft and playful. His smile widened when you tried again to attack his midriff with scribbling fingers, bubbling up with happy hyena-giggles, pushing his weight into you to try and clamp your arms back down against the couch. “NnnNNHHehehe nihihice try~!!”

          After a couple more minutes, both of you wound down from your tickly playtime. Rags went back to slumping back on the couch, arms around the back of the seat, taking in the scenery. You sat up to stretch your arms. "Mmnnn... think I will get a drink while I'm here." You slowly started to stand up, nearly staggering right back onto the sofa. "Wah-!"           Rags put a hand to your back. "Easy there, tipsy. You sure you need a drink?" He snickered.           "Oh shut up," you gently smacked his arm before heading over to the bar.

          The faceling bartender gave you a wave and handed you a menu. "Y'know, there's a nice deal on double rounds tonight. Perfect for lovely couples like you two."           "Oh? Thanks, but we're not a couple."           "Really? You two seem very close."           You shrugged. "I mean, we are really close. Just not like that. He's aromantic, for one thing. And... let's just say he gets around a lot. He's happy hooking up with partners, he just isn't interested in settling down."           "I see. Open relationship?"

          "Yeah, more or less." You didn't really want to go into how... complicated things were with him. You loved him dearly, of course; you had a very close bond with him. But you also knew things couldn't really work between you, even if you both did want to go for a solid relationship. He was immortal, a wild and free spirit, visiting hundreds of people per night. He literally couldn't comprehend the idea of staying partners with one person for the remainder of their life. And you wouldn't want to ask that of him. "Either way… I'm happy to be part of his life," you commented out loud, smiling thoughtfully.

          The bartender prepared your drink of choice. "Apologies for being nosey. I've just... Never seen anyone like him. Never seen such an imposing-looking entity huddle up to a Wanderer. Then again, the Manor has a way of softening everyone up. Forgetting the dangers out there..." He trailed off, 'looking' off into the lounge as if contemplating.              “Heh; well, thanks to him, we’ve both avoided a lot of the most dangerous Levels. We’re just... Doing our best not to hit a dead end.”             The bartended nodded, leaning an arm on the counter. "Well, don't worry about the things you can't change, yeah? Does you no good. Just keep looking for the good things. Even in the worst situations, there's always a solution." He took your glass and started tending to another beast-like entity that came up to order.

          You headed back over toward Rags, who had his eyes locked on you. "Have a nice talk?" He scritched at your side when you say back down.           "N-Ngh-heheh! Yeah," you smiled.           "I know how hard you crush on me," he grinned smugly. "And you're right about me, buuut that doesn't mean I'm not gonna tease the hell outta you for your little crush~" Before you could comment, he leaned in and put his teeth to the base of your neck and shoulder, nibbling and growling playfully. "Rrrrrr nomnomnom~"         You yelped and shivered hard, shoving him away and hiding your burning face. "S-Stooppp you jerk!!"           He giggled impishly, ruffling your hair and sinking back against the couch, summoning up a portal window to start scanning through it again. “Hm… Feels like our Jester buddy might still be keepin' an eye on us. That strong energy signature has been around since you woke up."

          “Really?” You looked around to see if you could spot him.           You did a double-take when you saw a tall man in a trenchcoat from across the other side of the lounge, sitting on the armrest of another chair, looking directly at you, with familiar vibrant teal eyes. It was the same man you saw peering at you on the TV screen at the science lab. The same man that caught your attention at the amusement park.           “Rags… I don’t think that’s the Jester.”           “Oh?”

          With that, the man narrowed his gaze, and vanished in a burst of golden light just before Rags looked over in his direction.

          “We’re being followed around. I’ve seen that same guy from the TV in the lab three times now.”           He cocked an eyebrow, looking amused. “Really? And he doesn’t have the balls to show himself to me?” He snickered. “These damn High-and-Mighty Order-Ups really can’t handle us bein’ here. You’d think they’d try to get us outta here sooner in that case. It’s like a nightclub letting a raging druggie run around breaking shit, instead of having his ass kicked out.” He shrugged, starting to scan through portals again. “Hmm… Maybe I could trick one of ‘em… Get them to let their guard down first…”

          He stopped scrolling for a few moments, squinting at the image in front of him: A brick wall, with a large pitch-black square hole cut out of the middle. It seemed to be leaking some kind of smoke or miasma.           You looked over at the image, and felt a strange pull at your mind. As if it was beckoning you. "I...don't know why, but I feel like we should go there."

          "I'm gettin that feeling too, actually. Probably another trap," he scoffed. "Not like that matters. We held our own against a god of the multiverse, I think we can handle another Big Bad," he stood up and pulled you to your feet. He gave a big stretch, his hair fluffing up for a moment. "MMmmm- Alright, let's get this show on the road!" He lazily threw the portal out in front of him. When you tried to follow behind him, his tail whipped out and grabbed you by the arm, swinging you out in front. "You first!!" He shouted to you as he shoved you through.

          "AGH-" You exclaimed, stumbling on your feet, quickly spinning around to glare at him. "Would you quit doing that?!” You huffed.            He just giggled, arms folded behind his head as he casually took a big step to follow behind you. "Whaaat? I just wanna keep an eye on ya. We ain’t chancing any Orpheus and Eurydice bullshit here.”           "Mmhmm, sure. I think you just like having a reason to stalk behind me." You lunged your arm out toward his midriff.            To which he grabbed it in a flash and pulled you right up to him, leaning his face down over you. "And what if I do~?" He snickered impishly at the bright blush that spread across your face. You gave him a shove back.

          After your banter, you both turned your attention to the hole in the wall. It was much larger than it looked in the portal; it was probably close to twenty square feet. "Oooh, spooky," Rags commented. "Imagine something leaping out and pulling you in to wreck your shit~"           “Sh-shut up,” you grumbled, shivering at the thought.

          Stepping inside, you were met with pure silence; but you didn’t feel any dread, or malevolent energy. You still felt calm, albeit cautious. The darkness cleared only slightly, revealing a field of short, grey grass, and the silhouettes of tall pillars in the distance.

          "Helloooo!!" Rags called out, his voice echoing in the darkness. “Marco??” He tried holding up a hand and conjuring up a large red plasma-ball beacon, but it only gave off enough light to see a few more feet in front of you. "Damn, this darkness is thick... Could hide away pretty easily if we need to. Could play a hell of a game of hide-and-seek~”           You both wandered up to the nearest pillar, looking it over in curiosity. It was inscribed with a completely alien-looking language, and looked ancient.

          But before you both had the chance to explore further, you started to hear huge, rumbling footsteps approaching. You stood beside Rags, who took a defensive stance, hands crackling with energy.

          A giant figure started to become visible in the darkness. It stood at probably a good fifteen feet; the height of Rags’ true form. He was a massive humanoid with pure black skin, completely clothed in a shiny suit of black metal armor with a long cape, two pairs of sharp, bull-like horns on his head, wearing a pure onyx crown with a single white gemstone. Ethereal white flames arose from inside the edges of his spiked pauldrons. He had no facial features, save for his pure-white eyes that pierced through the darkness.           Rags whistled, standing upright, his magic calming down. “Another big boy, huh? Let’s see what this one has in store~” he opened his arms in an overly-exaggerated swagger. You could’ve sworn you saw the red aura around his hands glow brighter for a moment. "Too bad I can't get every major outpost in the Backrooms to look in on us and see that these guys are real, heh."           The entity tilted its head, but otherwise didn’t respond.           You swallowed, cautiously taking a step forward, craning your neck to look up at him. “Um… Hello?”

          “You came after all.” The entity’s deep voice rumbled out. “I was uncertain whether the signal I put forth would reach you, but I’m glad that it did.” His deep voice carried a certain gentleness and warmth to it, despite his size and intimidating stature. He even knelt down to try and meet you at more of an eye level. “So you’re the Wanderer and the Interloper that have been causing a ruckus… How fascinating.”           You nodded. “Yeah, heh… We don’t mean any harm, though, I promise! This one’s just a maniac,” you gestured over to Rags, who just grinned smugly, arms folded over his chest. “But we’re really just trying to get back home. To the world we came from.”

          The deity nodded. “I’m well aware. There are many that have fallen into this plane who seek solace or escape. And yet… There are very few whose actions are so brazen that they attract a being like the Jester.” He stood upright. “He projected to me glimpses of your conflict,” he waved his hand and conjured up images of the battle between the two deities. “Your power is unique," he looked down to Rags. "It’s something few in any reality can match. Remarkably similar to that of his own abilities to peek in at other planes of existence. A multiversal vagrant, capable of transcending the flow of space and time.” He squinted, looking somewhat annoyed. "Similar, as well, to his penchant for causing disruptions to timelines rather than keeping order.,” he huffed. “And yet… Despite your overblown swagger, you are acting almost entirely upon your desires to bring this one to safety.” He leaned over and brought a clawed finger down to poke gently at your chest. At a close proximity, his hand appeared to be made of pitch black stone or crystal.           "Almost entirely," he reiterated, narrowing his gaze at the Nightmare, standing upright again. "You're fortunate that the Jester spared you. Had I encountered you first, I would've had no choice but to send you into the Void." He folded his arms across his chest, glaring down sternly at him. "Your manner of mischief and greed has been alarming to many that have observed you."

          A frown briefly crossed Ragaeli’s face. He slowly walked up to the deity, hands in his pockets. He sighed. "Listen..." His brow furrowed more. He looked completely serious. "I know I've been causing an uproar. It's just how I operate. Can't help it. I'm made of laughter, excitement, chaos; I just wanna have a good time, and I always want my partners to feel the same.”           The deity listened closely.           “Of course I’ve been fighting, throwing punches, challenging authority. How can I not do that when the whole fuckin’ dimension has their fingers pointed at me??” he shook his head. “I get it… Maybe I did get carried away. I didn’t mean to make anyone here feel truly afraid of me.”

          You gawked at him, a little dumbfounded. He never humbled himself like this.           "But if I’m the one getting thrown in jail, I don't see any fuckin' reason for them to be serving the sentence with me!" Rags gestured to you.           “Hm… Indeed…” The deity's expression and posture softened. He put a hand to his chin. “I can’t say that I disagree. But even I, as the Dark Sovereign, can only do so much when it comes to the matters of higher-level Interlopers. Our dimension acts as a collective, a neural-network, seeking out potential threats to the fabric of our reality. The Order is responsible for overseeing the potential threats that have been detected.”           Rags scoffed. “Yeah, so I’ve been told.”           “It is for that reason your Wanderer companion has been targeted just as much as yourself. And… I deeply apologize.” He cast his gaze down for a moment, before peering back down to you. “However, I may be able to provide a few answers that you seek, in order to help your companion complete their quest.”           Your eyes lit up. “Really?! So you can help us to Level 3999?”           “Ah, you do know of the True End.” He conjured up a very large tome of sorts, flipping to certain pages, projecting dozens of them into the air. “There are a multitude of different paths one may take in order to clip through the correct Levels. It is not in my authority to reveal to you all of those paths… But perhaps I can inform you of a couple that would be more viable options.”           Rags pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ughh, we don’t have TIME for that!! I’ve only got like, three hours left at most before–”

          “Before you are taken from this reality.”

          You didn’t like his stern change in tone; the finality of that statement.           The Nightmare huffed, looking away. “Yeah, exactly. And respawning back in my world before they escape isn’t gonna do them any favors.”           “Indeed…” The Sovereign kept his gaze on the Nightmare, staying silent for a moment, before bowing his head a little. “Well then… There is someone who could lead you directly to the True End. If you win his favor." He held out a hand, conjuring the image of a man in his palm.

          The man in the trenchcoat.

          "The Keymaster holds the keys to every Level in our world,” the Sovereign explained. “But he does not give them up easily. Wanderers who show him utmost respect, and those who show great courage and tenacity, are more likely to win his favor.” He flicked his hand, making the image disappear.           "I've seen him!" You commented. "Several times now!"

          “Have you?" The deity tilted his head. "Intriguing... Well, that could be to your advantage. Or to your detriment. It is rare that he takes enough interest in a Wanderer to follow their progress. Though, if he's seen the frivolity your friend here has displayed, he may be less willing to concede." He folded his arms behind his back, gaze shifting back to Rags. "But... You've shown me you are capable of humility. And selflessness. Surely he will be able to see it as well.”          "Leather trenchcoat, tall boots, teal eyes, black hair, key ring, cravat. Voltaire-lookin fucker," Rags loudly listed off his features. "So, that's it, then?" he folded his arms. "Get this guy to cough up the key and get my buddy outta here?"           "More or less."

          The Nightmare nodded, bowing his head. "Thank you..." Slowly, his lips spread into a wide smile. A low, devious chuckle welled up in his chest. "Hmhmhehehe... Thank you SO much!!" He flashed that signature ear-to-ear smile up at the deity, his body starting to glow brighter and crackle with energy, summoning up his megaphone again.           He then glanced up and around. "YOU HEAR THAT, EVERYONE??" His voice boomed into the darkness, then snapped his fingers. One by one, the many portal windows he'd opened up began revealing themselves, moving forward out of the cover of darkness. "This place makes for a good cover-up!! Like infinite blackout curtains!" Sure enough, the windows were all opened up to onlooking humans, outposts, and other wanderers, who were paying close attention like watching a news report. One of which was looking onto the group of survivors you’d met in the bunker. Ramon, Laurence, Venali, Fern, Cian. No sign of Jay… Hopefully she was just out on a reconnaissance mission. But all of them gasped and waved to you and whispered among themselves.          "I hope you took in EVERY word!!” Rags continued to shout. “Look for the Keymaster, ask about Level 3999, don't stop pestering him about it till you get some answers!! Show 'em ALL that you're not gonna take SHIT from them anymore!" He gave a dramatic snap of his fingers to make the portals and megaphone vanish again, bursting into giddy maniacal laughter, completely pleased with himself.

          The Sovereign's eyes were wide as saucers. If he had a mouth, his jaw probably would have dropped. Yours certainly had.

          Rags flashed him a shitty grin and gave an exaggerated shrug. "Hey, this is all in your words, not mine! You gave them the answers, so I'm not breaking any rules!! Thanks to ol’ Jingles, I know how the technicalities work~" He took a step closer to the Sovereign. "I just can't believe how easily you fell for it!!" He put on an exaggerated sad face, clapping his hands together in a pleading gesture. "I'm sooo sorry, Officer, I know I did something wrong, I won't do it agaiinn!" He mock-whined, before bursting into cackles again. "Yohohou didn't even notice me opening the portals or calling out to them!!" He pointed mockingly at the deity, still whooping and laughing. You found yourself laughing right along with him. He was definitely back to the shitty chaotic gremlin you know and love.

          "You… absolute mongrel!" The Sovereign snarled, taking a couple steps closer to Ragaeli to glare down at him, making the ground beneath you rumble. You gasped and stopped laughing, worried that you had both angered him.

          But then... He burst into booming, hearty laughter, holding a hand to his stomach. "I will admit, that was well-played. You truly are as clever as you are powerful.” He placed a hand on his hip. "How long were you planning a move like that?"

          Rags shrugged, winding down from his giggle-fit. "Hehehe~ Ever since we made some buddies in this world, I've kept my eye and ears open for a chance to help ‘em out! I'm not gonna just let the blind lead the blind if I have the chance to give ‘em some torches to find their way outta their caves! It’s always fun to stir up a little rebellion~"           The Sovereign chuckled, holding his hand to his head, still in disbelief. “I suppose I should’ve seen something like this coming, after that first announcement you sent screaming throughout the world...”            You walked up closer to the deity. "You're uhh, not going to get in trouble or anything, are you?"           He shook his head. "I've not disclosed any information about Levels that can deliver the means to unfathomable power into the wrong hands. Although, it may be even more difficult to win the Keymaster over after a stunt like that..."          "Good," Rags gave a cocky smirk. "I like a challenge~ And I think it's about time he quit stalking us around like a vulture waiting to pick off its prey!"

          The deity chuckled. "Hmhm, indeed... Well, I know where you should go next, in order to locate him faster." He waved his hand, conjuring up a vision of a small log cabin set in the middle of a foggy, dense forest. "Traverse the forest outside of this cabin, and find the Greenhouse. There will be a doorway with a golden frame that takes you to the Hub. The Keymaster resides at the end of the tunnel. But you must be careful," he added sternly. "Do not choose the wrong door, or you're likely to be thrown into a random Level and will have to start your quest anew."           "Man, this really is some DnD shit," Rags muttered to you, making you snicker a little. 

          "However." The Sovereign waved the image away, folding his arms behind his back. "Don't think I'm going to let you leave without consequences for your trickery."                     You pouted. "Aw come on, I thought we were cool!"

          The Sovereign snapped his fingers. The darkness itself crept in closer, engulfing around your wrists and ankles, lifting you high into the air, almost meeting the deity at eye level. You gulped, starting to feel butterflies. The deity seemed kind enough, so perhaps the 'consequences' wouldn't be so bad...

          The same happened to Ragaeli: the Nightmare was hoisted into the air, limbs engulfed in shadow. He exclaimed in surprise, but otherwise didn't make a move. "You sure that's a smart idea?" His smug grin remained on his face, and his body gave off bright sparks.           "Calm yourself. I'm not going to harm you. I'm simply... curious." He held out a hand, and to both of your surprise, a few sparks of Rags' magic jumped into his palm, as if he'd pulled it in with a magnet. He observed it closely, watching it dance between his fingertips. "This magic of yours is... Simple, yet surprisingly versatile. No capability to cause harm or pain, but still enough to overwhelm the most stubborn foes into submission. And, from what I saw, it can be turned against you…” He flicked the ball of sparks over at Rags, making it burst against his exposed midriff.

          The Nightmare yelped loudly and bucked. “YYEE-HEHEH!!” He glared playfully and lit up with more sparks, willing them to shoot out and strike the Sovereign.           But.. Nothing happened. No yelp or laughter, not even a flinch. The sparks lit up the deity in a dazzling display, reflecting off of his armor and his body to reveal that he was, indeed, composed entirely of obsidian rock and metal.           Rags’ cocky smirk immediately dropped into a pout. “Oh c’mon, how is that fair??”           Despite the lack of a mouth, the deity showed a playful smile in his eyes. “Hmhm; apologies~” He snapped his fingers. Once again, similar to what the Jester had done, the Nightmare’s magic was pulled out of his glowing hair tips, sparking and pulsating.           “Hey,” Rags growled. “I need that!!” His tendrils whipped out and tried to retaliate. But, again, the magic was redirected by the Sovereign, jumping up into his armpits and trailing down his sides. “AIEEE-HEHEHEHE!!” His squealing laughter rang out and he tugged at the shadowy restraints.           The deity continued to eye him over with curiosity. “You appear to re-absorb your own magic, correct? But I assume you cannot feed on your own laughter in order to build your reserves.”          “L-Luhuhucky guess!!” Rags retorted, attempting to teleport himself out of the shadows. But he was pulled right back into place. “RRRGH–!”

          The Sovereign chuckled; a deep, rumbling chuckle that seemed to have a devious edge. “I’ve a feeling this is going to be quite fun…~”           He continued to turn Rags’ magic against himself. The shadows siphoned out plasma-like arcs of magic from his hair and aura, causing it to burst and spark against his exposed midriff, sides and armpits. He was shrieking and cackling within seconds from the feeling. “YEEE-HEHEHEHEH AGHH-HAHAHAHA!!” He thrashed and bucked - noticeably arching into his ticklish magic, but tried unsuccessfully to teleport away again. When he gave off more sparks to try to zap the deity with, the shadowy magic just stopped its path and ricocheted it back into his body, causing him to be attacked with twice the amount of tickly zaps. “GYEEE-HEEEHEHEHEHE!!”           You stared at the Nightmare, watching him laugh and flail, his hair and tail writhing behind him. This was a cute sight, and made you all the more antsy, knowing you were very likely getting targeted next.           “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you~” The Sovereign cooed, as if sensing your thoughts. He reached out a finger to pat the top of your head. Soon, the shadows started to creep in more and go to work, making a shaky smile rise to your face.           “Nnh- H-Hey now…” They tugged at the edge of your shirt and pulled your shoes off, giving your belly delicate, experimental strokes. You gasped and tried to stifle giggles, shivering from the feeling. But they were persistent, and eventually started fluttering so fast over your belly and under your armpits that you squealed in delight and burst into giggles and whines, shaking your head back and forth. “NNnooOO-HEHEHEHE!!” It felt firmer than a feather, but softer than fingers, giving off a slight vibrating sensation that just made you giggle more.

          “I think I’m beginning to understand why this particular weakness is one you choose to exploit with your various encounters,” he explained to Rags nonchalantly while the Nightmare was howling with laughter. “You both seem to enjoy how the sensitivity of your own nervous systems can be turned against you, making your defenses completely crumble away… Laughing to your heart’s content~”           You weren’t sure if he was intentionally trying to tease you or if it was just a result of his ‘experimenting’. But either way, it flustered the hell out of you.           With another flick of his fingers, some of Rags’ magic jumped over to you. The intense ticklish sparks explored your belly, dipping into your navel, slithered down your hips and backs of your knees, zipping in circles around your feet. Your laughter increased in octave and you thrashed in the air even more. “A-AAHH-HEHEHE WHAT WAS THAHAHAT FOHOHOR?!”           “I merely wished to see the effects of his magic on an organic being up close,” the Sovereign explained, though he couldn’t hide the sly edge in his tone. “You’re even wearing a token of his magic, correct?” he poked at your Laughing Hand talisman, which gave off warning sparks... that were quickly redirected against you, sending a ticklish pulse through your torso.

          Soon, the shadows started to double their efforts on both of you. They snaked their way up and around Rags’ huge feet, soles, heels and ankles, slithering and sawing between his toes, releasing a shriek from him in response. They kneaded his ribs and sides, vibrated against his belly, slipped up into his pant legs to swirl around his knees. They caressed against his neck and ears, much to his disdain, causing him to whine and growl as he burst into hysterics. “NNNRRHHH-HEHEHE I’LL F-FUCKIHIHING GET YOU BAHAHACK FOR THIHIHISS!!”           When his hair tendrils started extending and thrashing, the shadows discovered they could engulf the wild locks and turn them against their owner as well. Shapeshifting into clawing hands and frilly appendages, the tendrils were soon joining the arcs of magic in kneading, tickling, poking and prodding over the Nightmare’s thrashing body.           And, likewise, the shadowy bonds tickled you affectionately, feeling like hundreds of soft appendages poking and stroking in unison against your most ticklish spots. They caressed under your chin and pressed up against your back. You felt as if you were being held in a soft embrace; they even started kneading your back and shoulders soothingly… As well as giving you a tickly foot massage. “MMmm-heheheheh!! P-Pleheheasee-hahaha!!” They prodded at your talisman to force it to release more ticklish sparks, which they sucked up and targeted at your sides and hips. You went from looking the huge deity in the eye, to glancing over to watch Rags flail in hysterics, to looking away entirely and squeezing your eyes shut.           Although it tickled like hell, the deity was definitely being more gentle with you than with Rags. Because, eventually, the shadows and red sparks combined again to wreak total havoc on him. With a wave of the Sovereign's hand, the Nightmare was trapped in a ‘globe’ of shadows.. Which lit up like a red plasma ball when his flow of magic attempted to strike the inner barrier. Rags howled out and crumpled onto the ‘floor’ of the globe, shrieking, cackling, rolling and kicking, his hysterical laughter echoing out into the darkness.           “How interesting…” The Sovereign cooed. “You were more than strong enough to hold your own against the Jester. You could break free of my hold if you truly wanted to.”             “YEEE-HEEHEHEHEHE IS THIHIHIHIS!! THE B-BEHEHEHEST YOU GOHOHOT?!” Rags replied in defiance.           Another devious chuckle. “Hmhmhm… Certainly not. But I will spare you the dilemma of opposing me at my full strength, as you need to hold onto that energy to complete your journey.” He glanced over to you. “But you would both be quite fun to play with for a while... This haven of mine can be a little too quiet for my liking sometimes~”           The deity’s magic did not ease up for a good ten minutes. It continued gently fluttering, caressing and playfully stroking against every bare inch of ticklish skin it could find, staying pressed up against your body no matter how much you squirmed and tried to suck in your stomach. They slipped between your toes no matter how hard you clenched your toes. This, combined with Ragdoll’s magic being continuously siphoned through the shadows and zapping you both periodically, made your defenses completely crumble. You were soon gasping with delighted laughter and going limp in the shadowy prison, leaning into the ticklish caresses.           Ragamuffin was beside himself with hysterics. The shadows were firmly set on staying locked onto his worst spots: His huge feet, his belly and underarms, his V-line and thighs. Nonstop fluttering tendrils of shadows and his own wild locks of hair, with a nonstop stream of his tickle-magic flowing directly into his soles and navel. He splayed out in the air and laughed away like a madman, tongue hanging out; it almost seemed like he was intentionally shooting off more sparks for the shadows to absorb and bombard him with.

          Finally, the Dark Sovereign decided you’d both had enough. He snapped his fingers, and the shadows stopped their attack; any remaining red magic absorbed itself back into its owner. You could now freely glide around with the aid of the shadows hugging your limbs and midsection. You felt yourself buzzing with excitement and serotonin, starting to catch your breath, leaning into the gentle caresses of shadows, smiling wide up at the deity. You were buzzing with affection and excitement, genuinely happy that you got to have a tickle session with such a kind, surprisingly playful entity.           Ragaeli, however, wasn’t about to let the Sovereign have his satisfaction without taking revenge.           "Alright, big guy... You've had your fun, but now it's my turn!!" Rags smirked wide. His aura glowed brighter, his body lighting up with sparks; with a loud snarl, his body started to grow to its full height, forcing its way out of the shadowy prison, landing on the ground with a BOOM. He stomped forward, getting in the deity's face and grabbing his arms firmly to hold above his head. “I think it’s high time I show you why I’M the King of Tickle Monsters back in my world~!”           For a brief moment, the Sovereign’s eyes and the white flames on his shoulders glowed brighter, startled by the Nightmare's aggressive display. But he just laughed. "You're quite bold, knowing your magic will not affect me."

          Rags smirked mischievously. "We'll see about that~" Letting go of the deity's arms, they were restrained by red magic cuffs. “If my magic’ll work on metal, I betcha I can make it work on minerals, too. It’s just a matter of finding a crack in the armor… Literally~” His gaze locked on the white flames billowing from beneath his pauldrons. He slowly strolled behind the deity, cracking his knuckles, bringing his pointer and middle fingers up to meet the edges of his armor. “This fire’s gotta be venting from somewhere, right~?”           “Wait– What are you–” The Sovereign was quickly cut off by massive sparks of Ragaeli’s magic flooding into his shoulders. The huge deity howled and boomed out with startled laughter, his widened eyes, gem and flames flaring up brightly, clamping his hands up around his upper chest. “AAHH-HAHAHA OHH HEHEHEAVEHEHENS!!” He nearly staggered forward. The magic could faintly be seen lighting up the inside of his stone body.           Extremely pleased with himself, Rags lifted his two sparking fingers to his lips and blew at them, like he was blowing smoke off of a gun barrel. “Gotcha~”           The deity’s eyes were as wide as they could get. “That… is what tickling feels like??” he gawked over at you. “That is what I just made both of you endure??”           Rags snorted, coming back around to the front. “Aww c’monn, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”           “Well– No, it wasn’t bad, it was just… Strange. Almost exhilarating, in a way...”           “Yeah? Well in that case, lemme give you more~” Rags grinned evilly and shot off finger-guns again, directing two bolts of magic right into the vents in his shoulders again.           And again, the Sovereign bellowed with laughter, throwing his head back, his flames flaring up and his onyx body trembling. “AAGHHH-HAHAHAHA!!”           Rags folded his arms. “Man, I can’t imagine what it’s like bein’ tickled from the inside out. Must be Hell~ but again, you said it wasn’t bad, sooo maybe you’d like it if I kept going~” He clapped his hands together, forming a cat’s-cradle arc of tickly magic that emanated with the echoes of laughter.           The Sovereign eyed him over nervously, and yet… “I…I’ve never experienced such sensations before… And I’ve no idea when I will experience this again, so by all means; show me firsthand how much control you have over that magic of yours.”           “How much control, huh?” Rags chuckled. “Normally this magic ain’t meant to be controlled. It does what it wants, it hunts out the absolute worst spots that can get someone screaming and laughing nonstop~ But mayybeee…” He concentrated the mini-lightning, letting them flow into the Sovereign’s body again. Instead of overtaking his entire body in a ticklish maelstrom, Rags focused his hands like he was trying to steer a kite string. The Sovereign started to gasp and tug, moving different parts of his body as they were each targeted. Rags wiggled his fingers as he guided them over the deity’s armpits, sides, armored belly, legs, feet. “How’s this feel, big guy? Do you feel just how tiiickliiish you really are~? D’you like feelin that unbearable buzz that makes you just wanna laugh and laugh and laugh~?”           The ‘poor’ deity gasped, yelped, growled and stomped. “NNNrrRRRH-HEHEHEH!!” A smile could be seen in his eyes again, his flames billowing intensely.           You watched with a smile. Each and every time Rags managed to get his comeuppance on a Backrooms entity, it was completely rewarding for everyone involved. Like he said; without the emotional connections, without his playmate’s willingness to give into their base impulses and let themselves enjoy the attention, then the laughter wouldn’t matter. This was his true strength.           “E-ENOHOHOUGH!!” The Sovereign eventually cried out. Rags immediately eased up, letting his magic dissipate.           When he was released from Rags’ magic binds, the Sovereign fell to his knees, making the ground rumble below him. “Hhhhhahh… That now makes... two of the Order that you’ve bested, heh…” He righted himself, clearing his throat. “I think it’s time you move on now, before our commotion can be heard clear across other Levels.”           Rags snickered impishly to himself and nodded, poofing back down to his regular height. You glided down to rejoin him on the ground.           “I wonder, though; is there anything else you’d like to ask me before you leave?”

           You thought for a moment, before you knew exactly what you wanted to ask; a thought that had been on your mind since your journey began. You just never really found the time or place for it. “Yes actually… What exactly are the Backrooms? Is it all a simulation? Is it just, a planet with super crazy laws of physics?”          The Sovereign looked you over thoughtfully. "Heh… The 'Backrooms.' What a strange alias. Though I suppose I've no room to speak. The true name of our world has long since been lost to the flow of time." He conjured up a globe, similar to the one that Ragaeli had summoned when you first got stuck here: A planet covered in closed-off cubes of data, glitching and shimmering.           "This world seems to have direct ties to your own world, Earth. It is an amalgamate of everything that mortal minds and souls are capable of. Emotions, hopes, dreams, joy, sorrow, fears, regrets, compassion, cruelty… Memories and nostalgia of familiar places, people, animals, architecture. Collected as data, compartmentalized for study by the Order… And, perhaps, by beings of higher power that even we cannot fathom. They appear as "rooms," or "simulations" to you Wanderers, because it is the dimension's attempts at keeping things organized. It is not much different than the neurons of a sentient brain categorizing data. Or the cell of a multi-celled organism creating and replicating DNA.” The image of the globe shifted through imagery of various cellular processes.           “Just as your kind has yet to understand why or how we exist… We, too, have yet to understand how mortal beings slip through the cracks, and manage to survive in a world that is not meant to be lived in by trespassers." He glanced back at you. "I find it… Quite inspiring, in a way."

          He looked out thoughtfully into the distance. “Of course, there are many who take advantage of this… glitch in the system.” His brow furrowed. “Ever since wanderers started taking roost in our world, the Order has developed Levels as a means to steer them away from sources of great power, or lead them to locations where they could potentially live out the rest of their lives peacefully. But… the taste of fear and anguish is intoxicating for lowly blights that desire only to prey off of weaker beings. Fear has, unfortunately, become one of the most prevalent emotions infesting our reality. And those with great strength enjoy exploiting it… Experimenting with it. Intentionally trapping Wanderers in Levels they could not hope to survive with their body or mind intact."           Rags scoffed. “Tch… it really is like my world, then.”           “And yet,” the deity’s expression softened again, “I have hope that Wanderers much like yourselves, who refuse to become consumed by fear, who seek knowledge and guidance rather than control or destruction, will someday turn the tides again, and restore balance.” He looked over to Ragaeli. “That little trick of yours may be the event that tips the scale.           Even if you are forgotten.”           “Pshh– As if anyone could forget me!!” Rags quickly responded, putting his hands on his hips. “But in any case, glad to have a little more insight on this world. Now can we get going now??” He was tapping his foot impatiently.           The Sovereign chuckled in amusement. “Yes, yes, of course.” He gave a wave of his hand, and the portal to the forest opened up, right in front of the door to the log cabin. “But one more thing,” he spoke up firmly. "It is imperative that you two do not become separated. The ‘King of Tickle Monsters’ here may be able to open portals to wherever he sees fit, but… I suspect the powers that be will try even harder to tear you two away from one another.”           You rolled your eyes and sighed. “Yeahh, somehow that doesn’t surprise me…”           “It may be safer if you were to discard this…” He poked at your talisman. “Its magic is a direct connection to him."           “I mean… I can’t get rid of it even if I wanted to, unless Rags himself destroys it." You yanked off the chain and tossed it out into the air, and it poofed right back over to you before it hit the ground, re-attaching its cord around your neck. “But it’s also acting as protection for me in case I come across anyone hostile.”           “So either they ditch the charm and risk getting fucked over, or they keep it and risk getting fucked over. Cool, great options,” Rags threw up his arms.           “I see…” The Sovereign scratched his chin. “Well then, I stand by what I said. Stay together, no matter what.” He plucked at their air between both of you, revealing the red magic cord. “This tether will be your lifeline. Now more than ever.”

          You nodded firmly.

          Rags scooped you up into his arms bridal-style again. “Well thanks again for the insight, Rocky~! I guess you Order-of-the-Killjoys aren’t all bad. Doesn’t mean I’m ever gonna stop trying to get under their skin, though~” He winked.           “And I suppose complete and utter madmen with the power to bend realities aren’t all bad, either,” the corners of the Sovereign’s eyes creased in a playful smile. He gave a bow to you both as you headed into the portal.

          You started to feel the smallest inkling that something was… Wrong. All this talk of being forgotten… Was Rags really going to be okay?           You had to believe he was going to be. You were both so close now. You’d both avoided dangers, sparked a potential uprising, earned the respect of two powerful deities. Everything looked to be in your favor. You were confident that you and Ragaeli could get through this together and escape the Backrooms once and for all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Footnotes: Vaporwave Mansion: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Level_514

The Dark Sovereign: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dark_Sovereign

I definitely knew I wanted a mellow chapter after the building intensity of Ch 6 thru 8, and I figured a Level that is literally designed to forcefully calm peoples’ minds would be a good chance to show a side to Ragman that people don’t really get to see. He’s a total softie deep down but of course he’ll never admit it :3c 

We’re approaching endgame now, everyone. Or are we?