#i fuckin wish it were though. that track was awesome

[inoankin]

i had at some point figured out the primary path for every single option in the game (as in, which option seemed to have been considered "canon", or at least before its counterpart, by the developers, based on how the game fits around it) and then i fucking forgot all of it

[atangledfate]

Surge was Glued to her seat as the rematch began, damn she couldn't wait for this. But on the other hand, if they took Carol's stuff away? She might be in a bad way right? If it was her and she didn't have her speed she'd be fucked for sure. Honestly that Gem wasn't nearly as fast as she initially thought watching it this time. there was a slight delay wasn't there? Wasn't much but she caught onto to it the last match. She wondered if there was other ways to track it but without being on the receiving end she couldn't say. Not like she was one to talk she got absolutely destroyed by Sonic and probably shadow to. Still she was ready for this fight, she just wished she was there to root Carol on.

She shoved a hand full of popcorn in her mouth, as the battle started her eyes darting and shifting as they gave off a little but of electrical light. She was into it but right off the bat she could see that defeated look in Carol's eyes and got a little pissed off at her. Was she giving up? like hell she should give up! If she gave up she'd kick her ass herself! she thinks that spade guy will beat her ass! she don't know what a beaten is! She was audibly growing little bolts of electricity crackling about her body!

It didn't last long though, the two hade some conversation and then shit got real, and it got real fast. For a moment it seemed like Spade had the upper hand but things shifted she was figuring him out. Predicting him? Maybe it was something else? But she was counter attacking making her blows matter! And every second she was rootin' for her girl!

" GET HIM CAROL! BEAT HIS ASS! PUNCH THE SMUG OUTTA HIS FACE! "

She picked the TV up and was shaking it around while screaming at the monitor!

" FUCK HIM UP! RAAAAHH YEA GET HIM! "

As if all that wasn't enough she just whipped her Gem out and---blip! Surge was shaking with excitement at that point! just so fucking awesome! so she could just teleport around with it huh? At that point things were going badly for the panda! blip after blip! the two warped about the arena until! she just whipped out her bike mid blip!

" AHHAAH OH MY GOD BIKE TELEPORT FUCKIN' GENIUS! IS SHE RUNNING OVER HIS FACE! BWHAHAHA! I LOVE THIS FUCKIN' SHOW! "

It wasn't long after that Carol put an end to the match, a 10 count she'd pulled out off by the fuzz of her tail!

" Woo! yea i'm buyin' that girl a drink when she gets home! fuck yea! THIS SHOW IS AMAZING! "

" ... Your excitement is overwhelming sometimes Surge... can we just put the TV down now...."

[cuddlesslut]

Part Eight: Hope

Atsumu x fem reader , Suna x fem Reader, Hinata x Fem reader

A/N: I’m so sorry it took so long to put out this chapter I’m gunna try to do better on posting faster. I’ve had a lot of stuff happening irl. I love see so many of your write in for the poll 😂 I did not expect Sakusa to pop off! I hope y’all like this chapter. Again it’s still kind of short but I wanted to get it posted. Also you can’t convince me Hinata doesn’t use an all in one cleanser!

Warning: crude language, not much angst, some fluff.

Part Seven: Regrets

Hinata stared at his phone questioning whether he should message you again. It had been four days since you ran out of his apartment. You had yet to respond to any of his texts. As concerned as he is he knows no good will come from spamming you. Although he wants nothing more than for you too talk to him. He was so confused where you both stood. But he was sure of one thing, and that was that things couldn’t go back to the way they were before. He can’t go back to pushing down his feelings and pretending he doesn’t want to be more. That he didn’t want to call you his and show you off to the world. To take you out on dates try new experiences and make memories with you. He can’t keep acting like he doesn’t dream of waking up to you in his arms every morning. He wants to be there with you every step in life and support you no matter what. He wants to show you that you are the most amazing woman he’s ever known. As much as the sex is amazing it’s not worth holding back anymore. He knows you may still not be ready for a relationship and he wouldn’t think about pressuring you into one after how horribly your last ended, he’d gladly wait for you to be ready but he has to be honest with his feelings instead of torturing himself.

The sound of his alarm snapped him out of his daze. Time to get ready for practice, he groaned pulling himself from the comfort of his bed before heading to the shower to start his day. He shuffled in the bathroom hooking up his phone to his Bluetooth speaker starting up with morning playlist beginning his morning routine. He loved jamming in the shower. He turned the water on letting the heat build as he brushed his teeth before climbing into the steaming shower bopping his head to the beat of silhouette by Kana-boon having to refrain himself from attempting to naruto running in the slippery bath. He stood there for a moment enjoying the heat hitting his back and loosening his muscles. Losing himself in the music as he grabbed his three in one, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. He scrubbed his hair and body screaming the lyrics to the next song. “Sawaras nai kimi wa shojo wa na no Boku wa yarichinbitchi no osu da yo !!,” he was jamming out when the song was interrupted by the sound of a notification. He thought nothing of it figuring it was just Bokuto-San. When the chimes continue his curiosity won out as he peeked out passed the curtain still covered in bubbles to see who was spamming his phone. His eyes grew wide as he saw your name lighting up his notifications. He rushed for his phone loosing his balance and slamming the shower wall to keep himself from falling on his ass as he scrambled out still dripping and soapy as he stood in bathroom unlocking his phone.

YN-Chan 🧡: Hey Shoyo

YN-Chan🧡: you’re usually up by now so I thought I’d message you to say I’m soo soo sorry for how I ran out the other day.

YN-Chan🧡: honestly I should have messaged you days ago but I’ve just been dealing with a lot . It’s no excuse but still I’m sorry.

YN-Chan 🧡: look I totally understand if you don’t want talk to me after how I acted but if you do I was hoping we could get together and talk?

Hinata could see the text bubble at the bottom showing she was typing but he wasted no time pulling up the call button needing to here your voice. It rang two times before connecting. His heart clinched hearing your soft hello.

“Hey Sho,” you answered.

“Hey there YN-Chan,” he greeted back.

He could here a sense of nervousness in your tone. “Hey sorry if interrupted anything.” He realized how hard he was breathing from excitement and from nearly dying trying to escape his shower.

“Oh no no, its fine I wasn’t busy,” he feigned nonchalance. There was a beat of silence as you both searched for words.

“Umm you had said you wanted to talk?” He questioned. He was really concerned for why you ran off that day.

“Oh yeah but I’d much rather talk in person, is there anyway we could get together soon I understand if you’re busy,”

“I’m free tonight,” he cursed himself for how desperate he sounded, “uhh do you want to come over tonight?”

You chuckled at his eagerness. “If it’s okay with you maybe we could go out... to like dinner maybe,” his heart froze his mind reeling with excitement you had never gone out before. Always just opting to have food delivered and eating in. He couldn’t help but let his hopes rise.

“I know it’s not what we usually do so I get if you’re uncomfor-”

“I’d love to!” He cuts you off. Not wanting to miss this chance.

“A-awesome um is 7:30 good for you?” You questioned.

“Yep!” He could feeling his heart soaring as the plans started to solidify.

“Great well I’ll message you all of the details later, bye Sho umm I’ll see you tonight.”

“Goodbye YN-Chan, can’t wait!” He heard a small laugh leave your lips before the line disconnected. There is a wide smile spread across his face as leaning against the wall next to him not even upset that his shower water was now starting to run cold.

Hinata’s day was instantly better with thought of seeing you tonight the Idea of having a date with you filled him with joy. Everyone could see the difference in the outside hitter today compared to the last few practices. It’s was like he was in the zone. He was all over the court making the cleanest receives and his spikes were just so on point. It was time for there first water break and stretch. He sat on the bench taking a gulp of water a big smile present on his face when he checks his phone to see a message with a restaurant address. His teammates shared a look at the way the ginger stared at his phone.

“What’s got you so happy Hinata?” Sakusa questioned.

“Yeah Sho you’ve been on fire today plus you won’t stop smiling at your phone!” Bokuto boasted wrapping an arm around his newest teammate.

“That obvious huh?” Hinata grinned. “Well uhh the girl I’ve been talking to wants to go on a date tonight!”

“Oh yeah?” Atsumu smirked “the same girl that’s been marking up yer back recently?” Bokuto and the Setter busted into laughter when Hinata’s faced turned red. Sakusa rolled his eye at the childish behavior.

“Uh haha yeah that’s the one,” he chuckled rubbing the back of his head.

“Well if you’re already fuckin her why are you getting all giddy over a date?” The setter asked

“We’ve actually never been on date before,” Hinata admitted.

“Damn Sho, first date! Why’d you wait so long dude?” Bo wondered.

“Really Hinata-Kun I didn’t take you for the casual sex type,” Sakusa stated

“She’s a friend but I’ve like her pretty much since we met but she’s just not ready for a relationship,” he explains “ she has some bad history but we kept fooling around as friends. I’m so excited cause she asked if I wanted to get dinner so I’m hoping maybe she’s starting to open up to the idea.”

“Ha well good luck then bro,” Bokuto smacked him on the back laughing. The rest of them agreed in the well wishes before the whistle blew signaling the end of their break.

They resumed their intense training. Right now focusing on their serves and some indurance training. The coaches were wearing them out today going over and over drills. Soon enough they were in the locker room showering up a bit and changing as they got ready for their lunch break before they’d have to return to practice. The locker room filled with chatter as they discussed different plays they wanted to work on or where they wanted to grab lunch. There conversation was interrupted when one of the coaching assistants poked their head in.

“Miya-San your fiancé is here to see you, she waiting by the gym entrance.” He stated before turning to leave. All eyes were on the setter when he dropped his phone a look of shock present on his face. His mind was going a mile a minute he was so sure he miss heard the man . There was no way you were here. He stood up rushing to finish getting dressed. There was a pressure in the room he was ignoring some of his teammates sharing a confused look.

“I didn’t know you had a Fiancé Tsumu?” Hinata asked excitedly as the team started following behind the setter.

“That’s because he doesn’t,” Sakusa stated bitterly. Atsumu shot a dirty look back at the wing spiker.

“She left him months ago before you joined the team Shoyo-Kun, she’s are really nice girl though always brought us the best snacks when she’d visit,” Bokuto explained his hungry mind straying as he thought back to her delicious cooking.

“Oh I’m sorry Atsumu,” Hinata apologized.

“Don’t he deserved it,” Sakusa scoffed.

The setter paid no mind to comment there was no point in getting angry with the neat freak he was completely right. It didn’t matter at the moment what mattered was seeing you. He stopped in his tracks when he saw you standing there. You were even more beautiful than he remembered. You were looking at your hands picking at your nails. He could see you were nervous. So was he. What was he supposed to say he knew he owed you an apology and much more but it felt like he couldn’t breath looking at you. You looked up at him your eyes locking. There was a look he couldn’t quite pin point. It wasn’t exactly a look of hated which it was what he expected but it also nothing like the looks of love he used to receive. He didn’t even realize the boys had stopped behind him watching the scene. His eyes only focused on you and nothing else.

That is until he hears a sharp breath from behind him as Hinata called out your name. Bokuto and Sakusa’s eyes snapped to the ginger some confusion present. Atsumu however didn’t look away from you not even when you gaze shifted from the setter to his teammate. This look in your eyes he could distinguish. It was one you used to look at him with. It shattered Atsumu as he realized right then you were the woman Hinata had been talking about. It obvious when he saw a similar look of happiness on Shoyo’s face. It felt like a kick to the gut. An array of emotions swirling through his mind. He was hurt to think you moved on. Disgusted as he thought back to his earlier convo with the man and how they had discussed the scratches on his friends back and now realizing how they were from you. He felt like he was going to puke thinking of his teammate with you in that intimate way. But he knew he had no right to feel this way not after all he put you through so he pushed those emotions deep inside. Returning to the moment.

“Hi Sho,” you gave a small smile as you shuffled nervously in your spot.

“I thought we were getting dinner? We can switched to lunch if you need to tho.” He stated.

Sakusa and Bokutos eyes grew wide finally coming to the same conclusion the setter previously had. Sakusa had to stifle a laugh as Bo muttered “oh shit” under his breath at the awkward situation.

“Um actually Shoyo, I’d still like to get dinner with you. I know this must seem really confusing, and I promise to explain everything tonight, but uhh.. I actually here to see Miya-San.” You explain sheepishly.

Atsumu tried not to flinch at the use of his last name.

You turned to the blonde with a stoic face. “Can we get lunch, we really need to talk.” He nodded not knowing how to use his voice.

You turned back to Hinata with a pleasing look. “I’ll call you later before our date, Sho.” Before turning to leave with Tsumu.

Hinata may be beyond confused right now not yet connecting the dots. But that didn’t matter he couldn’t stop his heart from skipping. Date. It’s a date. He wasn’t overthinking or wishing hopefully. It was an actual date with you! The woman he can’t get out of his mind. And that one little comfort was enough for him to trust the situation as he watched you walk away.

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[beautiful-and-terrible]

dazed ‘n‘ confused (part 3)

A/N: 3500 fuckin’ words y’all lmaooo i am so stupidly invested in this dumbass and his hot neighbor.

Ship: Rodrick Heffley x OFC

Warnings: underage drinking / drug usage, dubious consent (both parties inebriated), swearing, etc.

---

Nicole shouldn’t have worried so much about what to wear. When she showed up in Rodrick’s garage, his friends Ben and Chris were there, both dressed in ripped jeans and flannel shirts paired over band t-shirts. By comparison, Nicole’s black skater skirt and combat boots felt almost fancy.

“Hey, I’m Ben,” the dark-haired one holding a red electric guitar came up to her and gave her a fist bump. She almost laughed, not having fist-bumped anyone since she was 13. “Nicole,” she replied, smiling.

“I’m Chris!” the blonde called over, waving, before turning back to adjusting his microphone and checking the settings on their audio.

Rodrick seemed to appreciate her style, at least. He came through the garage door, carrying a four-pack of Monster energy and whistled, giving her a quick up-and-down glance, “Hey, groupie.”

Nicole punched his arm as he walked by. “I came here to listen to you play, so… play.”

“Your wish is my command,” Rodrick said with a dramatic bow.

Nicole found a relatively comfortable spot as far from the speakers as she could get - this wasn’t a concert, but loud speakers could still be painful after an extended period of time. The clack of Rodrick’s drumsticks alerted her, and before she knew it there was a blast of noise and a blur of limbs.

Honestly, he wasn’t bad, Nicole thought to herself after they had played a few songs. He could use a little more control, but what musician didn’t get caught up in their music? Glancing outside, Nicole saw that it was finally growing dark out. The sky had turned a soft purple, and she could see a few fireflies flashing in the cooling grass. She checked the time on her phone - 9:15.

“Hey, do you guys know Caitlin?” she asked the group. They turned to look at her.

“Caitlin Irving or Caitlin Peters?” Ben asked, taking an impressive gulp of Monster before burping loudly. The boys fell into fits of laughter. Nicole couldn’t help laughing, too.

“I don’t know her last name, she works at Starbucks, though.”

“Ohhhhhh, Caitlin! Yeah, we know her. Why?”

“She invited me to a party tonight, but I don’t really know anyone but her. Would you guys wanna be my plus-three?”

Ben and Chris high-fived each other, and Rodrick saluted her with his drumstick, whacking himself in the head in the process. Nicole hid a laugh behind her hand, not wanting to embarrass him. “For sure, Nikky. As long as there's drinks, we’ll be there,” Chris said. 

“C’mon, we can take my van,” Rodrick said, shoving his drumsticks in his back pocket and running inside to grab his keys. The other boys started down the driveway toward the white van, garishly painted with the band's name on the side in bold, black letters.

When Rodrick returned, Nicole gave him a smug look. “I thought it needed repairs?”

Rodrick stopped walking mid-stride, looking like a puppet caught on its strings. “Uh. Yeah. Well. My dad helped, when you were over at your house. Getting ready. It’s fine now. He’s the best mechanic I know.”

“Uh-huh. You sure you didn’t just… want to ride home with me from work?”

Rodrick scoffed. “You wish.” But as he rounded the front of the car to the drivers side, you caught the scarlet color of his cheeks against his tan skin. As if he could be any more endearing, he even offered Nicole shotgun. Chris grumbled the entire time, but begrudgingly gave you the seat he had worked so hard to acquire. 

“First stop - Capital. Ben has a fake, so we can BYOB,” Rodrick said, practically peeling out of the driveway. Nicole clutched the seat for dear life, heart stuck in her throat.

“Are you sure this thing is secure?” she squeaked, feeling the seat shaking a little in its bolts.

“No one has been ejected yet, Nikky,” Rodrick laughed.

“Go-go gadget get me the fuck out of here,” Nicole groaned, planting her feet on the floor to try and stop herself from flying forward as Rodrick squealed to a stop in front of a seedy looking liquor store.

Ben barely avoided taking the sliding door off its tracks when he opened the door. Chris lit a cigarette in the back, the acrid scent wafting to the front of the van. Nicole didn’t mind the smell much - honestly it reminded her of her Grandmother's house - but she hoped the smell didn’t linger on her clothes. That would be hard to explain to her mom. Speaking of, she sent off a quick text to her parents telling them that she’d be back late. Luckily, Nicole had always been the responsible type, so her parents trusted her to make good decisions and as a result, let her have free reign of her life (especially now that she was 18).

Ben returned after a few minutes, carrying a 24 pack of Natty Light and lighting his own cigarette.

“You have the address?” Rodrick asked, and you showed him Caitlins text.

“Yo, that's in Heather Hill’s neighborhood. Maybe we can tee-pee her house later,” Rodrick said, already zooming off again.

“Heather Hills?”

“Major bitch,” Chris called from the back of the van. Rodrick shrugged. “She’s not a bitch she’s just… not very nice.”

Nicole laughed, “You don’t have to defend the honor of all women by not calling her a bitch. If she’s a bitch, I believe you.”

Rodrick looked at you out of the corner of his eye, thinking briefly.

“Yeah, she’s a stone-cold bitch. She ran over my foot once. With her car.” 

Nicole grimaced in sympathy.

“Last year, we played at her Sweet Sixteen party, and Rodrick broke her ice sculpture bust. It was awesome,” Ben said.

“Oh, so you aren’t always perfect?” Nicole teased. Rodrick flipped her off.

Soon, they pulled up in front of Caitlin’s house. Nicole could already hear loud music from outside the house, and there were rainbow strobe lights flashing in the windows. Swallowing her nervousness, she followed Rodrick, Chris and Ben up the front walkway.

As they walked in the house, Nicole was hit by the fragrant, herbal smell of weed. From far away, the music had seemed loud, but coming in the house the music seemed to vibrate her ribcage - it was something with a repetitive bass, stuff Nicole didn’t normally listen to but she enjoyed it nonetheless. She followed Rodrick further into the house, trying to find the kitchen, weaving between people dancing and couples making out.

There were people surrounding an island in the center of the kitchen, decorated with colorful bottles of liquor and sodas to mix with. Nicole spotted Caitlin talking to a tall black guy, drinking out of a red solo cup. Nicole gave her a wave, and Caitlin excitedly came over to greet her.

“Hey! I’m so glad you made it.”

“Yeah, me too. I haven’t actually ever been to a high school party.”

Caitlin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Well, you’re gonna have one hell of a first high school party experience, girly. Let's get you a drink.”

Caitlin turned to the kitchen island and poured about four shots of rum and filled the rest with coke in a red solo cup. Nicole took a sip. She could barely tell it was spiked, so she took a few more chugs and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. 

“Do you wanna dance?” Caitlin asked, and Nicole nodded before following her back to the living room. Already, the rum was making her limbs feel looser and her brain fuzzy. She finished the rest of it in one go, enjoying the feeling of her nervousness and insecurities fading away. Nicole had never been unpopular, per say, but she tended to stay to herself and only had a few close friends at her old school, anyway. It was refreshing to feel included, and she couldn’t help feeling that this was the way her teenage years were supposed to be - loud and exciting and living moment to moment.

As they danced, Nicole swaying in place and occasionally spinning around, she couldn’t help but feeling a little awkward. Caitlin was actually a really good dancer - she knew how to move her body in all the right ways so they hit on beat with the music. Nicole envied her easy grace, but was quickly relieved when Caitlin accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to spill their drink. Nicole stifled a laugh, not at Caitlin’s expense, just at the irony of the timing. At least Nicole wasn’t the only clutz. 

They had been dancing for only a few minutes before Nicole felt a hand on her waist, making her jump slightly.

“Hey, the guys and I are gonna smoke some weed in the backyard. Do you wanna come?” Rodrick said. His voice was almost in her ear, close enough that she could hear him over the blaring music, his breath tickling her sensitive skin. 

She turned around to face him - in the dim light of the house, he looked much more appealing than usual - she hadn’t even noticed he had put eyeliner on, but it made the dark of his eyes look even more obsidian. Nicole nodded, giving a thumbs up, and pulled Caitlin along with her.

“I need you for moral support,” Nicole said, making Caitlin laugh.

“Have you ever smoked weed before?” Caitlin asked.

“Nope.”

Caitlin raised her eyebrows and pulled her closer as they walked to whisper in her ear.

“Okay, take a small hit the first time, don’t try to impress anyone. But breathe it fully into your lungs - I like to start by pulling it into my mouth first, and then inhaling fully. And if you cough, don’t worry, almost everyone does their first time.”

Nicole gave her a grateful look as they approached the circle of people sitting on lawn chairs in the backyard. Ben and Chris were already there, with two other girls Nicole didn’t know. However, there seemed to only be two more lawn chairs available to sit on.

Nicole was about to plop down on the grass before Caitlin grabbed her hand.

“You should sit on Rodrick’s lap,” she whispered, and Nicole almost choked on her drink.

“What?” 

“Dude, he’s totally into you - I don’t know what your sitch is, but I think he’s probably a little nervous about making the first move. Just do it, and if he asks, say ‘sorry, there weren’t enough seats and I don’t wanna get bug bites from the grass.”

Nicole stared at her, mouth agape. The alcohol in her brain was telling her it might not be the worst idea ever. And you know what? Fuck it. You’re only young once. Nicole made up her mind, and squeezing Caitlin’s hand, she walked over to where Rodrick was sitting before primly making herself comfortable on his thigh.

She felt him tense beneath her immediately, before his hand came up to her waist to steady her. Before he had the chance to say anything about it, the joint was passed to him, and he took an impressive hit, the cherry glowing red at the end for several seconds. Nicole watched him with interest, hoping she wouldn’t mess up too badly and embarrass herself. 

Rodrick looked up at her as he exhaled the smoke, holding the joint out to her. Not paying attention, and entranced by the eye contact they were holding, she reached out to take the joint without looking and promptly burned her hand on it.

“Fucker,” she hissed, shaking her hand to try and get rid of the pain. Rodrick just laughed.

“Do you want help?” Rodrick asked, before taking another hit of the joint. He reached up behind Nicole’s head, threading his fingers through her hair, before pulling her down close to his face, their lips inches apart. Nicole instinctively opened her mouth, half from surprise and half in anticipation of being kissed. But Rodrick simply blew a steady stream of smoke into her mouth, - their lips didn’t make contact. Belatedly, Nicole realized she was supposed to be inhaling, so she did quickly, trying to hold the smoke in her lungs for as long as possible. 

Somebody wolf-whistled in the group. Nicole was pretty sure it was Caitlin.

Eventually, she ended up coughing it out, Rodrick rubbing her back but still laughing.

“You’re a green at the green, huh?” Rodrick asked, and Nicole rolled her eyes.

“That obvious?”

“Yeah, but it’s cute. I’m glad you’re having your first high with me,” Rodrick said, smiling sweetly. Nicole’s stomach fluttered. Already, she could tell that this wasn’t alcohol she was feeling anymore - the buzz she had been feeling earlier was replaced by something much slower and velvety, like the world was moving through maple syrup.

“Dude,” Nicole said after a minute, realizing she had been staring at nothing. Rodrick looked at her. She looked at him. They both started cracking up laughing.

“What are we laughing at?” Nicole hiccuped through her laughter.

“No idea,” Rodrick said, wiping his eyes free of tears of mirth.

“Rodrick, pass the J,” Ben called out, breaking the two of them from their trance. Without thinking about it, Nicole leaned back onto Rodrick’s chest, enjoying the warmth of his body. It wasn’t a cold night, per say, but Nicole was only wearing a skirt and a t-shirt, and she had always had poor circulation. She shivered involuntarily.

“Do you want my flannel?” Rodrick asked, already taking it off. Nicole sat up, ruffling his hair playfully.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you just want to show off your arms,” Nicole said, slipping on the warm blue flannel and resting her hand on Rodrick’s exposed arm, once again in a cut-off tank top. Rodrick gave her a funny look.

“What do you mean?”

Nicole suddenly found herself tongue tied. “Uh. I mean. You just wear a lot of tank tops.”

Rodrick raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. Nicole leaned back against him again, feeling simultaneously self-conscious and exhilarated. They had never touched for this long before. She wasn’t sure exactly what was happening between them, but she liked the direction it was going. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Nicole felt more comfortable with Rodrick than she did anyone else - even though most of the time she had known him, he had been a nuisance to her. Well… maybe not a complete nuisance.

It was funny to think that only a few days ago, Rodrick was just an annoyance she dealt with at her job and admired from afar, and now she was sitting on his lap, wearing his flannel. She leaned her head back, looking at the stars. She hadn’t noticed that Caitlin had left, but suddenly she appeared over her line of vision, grinning.

“Do you want a beer?” she asked, holding a cold can over Nicole’s forehead. Nicole reached out to take it, sitting up before cracking it open. She wasn’t in the habit of enjoying beer for the flavor, so she’d rather get drunk off it quickly. It tasted like wet cardboard, but Nicole managed to chug it down.

“Damn, girl, where’d you learn to drink like that?” Chris asked, laughing as Nicole belched loudly. 

“Years of rigorous practice and intense concentration, young padawan,” Nicole replied.

“Do you wanna shotgun one with me?” Chris asked, half-joking, but Nicole was feeling overly confident from the buzz she was feeling and readily stepped up to the challenge.

“Whoever spits it out owes the other ten bucks.”

“Fuckin’ deal,” Chris grinned, Ben cheering him on as he threw a beer toward Nicole. She (surprisingly) caught it.

“Wait, gimme one,” Rodrick said, making grabby hands in Ben’s direction, who threw him a beer.

“On three, okay?” Ben counted. They all started to crack open their beers, Nicole with her house keys, Rodrick with his car keys, and Chris with his pen knife.

“One.. twoooooo…. Three!” Ben yelled, and they all tipped their heads back, drinking from the hole in the side of the can. Nicole’s eyes watered, but she was too competitive to back down now. Foam spilled out of the side of her mouth, but she kept drinking. She could hear people chanting her name as she finally threw the beer can down on the ground, raising her hands in victory. Both Rodrick and Chris were covered in beer foam, but Nicole somehow stayed relatively clean, minus the beer she wiped off her face.

“Ten motherfucking bucks, Chris,” Nicole slurred slightly, grinning at him as he pulled out a crumpled bill from his pocket and threw it at her. 

“Rodrick, how the fuck did you lose, dude? You were the one who taught me how to shotgun,” Ben said, causing Nicole to throw her head back in laughter, before letting out another massive burp that lasted for several seconds. The whole group dissolved into laughter. 

Eventually, the joint got finished, and people started to move back inside. However, Rodrick and Nicole stayed outside, talking about whatever came into their heads.

“Were you ever into Greek mythology as a kid?” Nicole asked, watching Rodrick’s eyes go comically large.

“Does Percy Jackson count?”

Nicole pretended to consider it deeply for a moment, before shaking her head. Rodrick pouted. 

“I only got into Greek mythology because of Percy Jackson. So, I think it still counts.

“Fine. But do you know shit about the constellations they’re associated with?”

Rodrick pointed at the sky, at a random cluster of stars.

“For sure - that's Dingus Humongus, he was a Greek hero with the fattest ass known to man.”

“Sounds like my kinda guy,” Nicole replied, sticking her tongue out as Rodrick squawked in indignation.

“Besides a fat ass, what do you look for in a guy? Not, like, that I care. Just. Wondering.”

“Very good English, Rodrick,” Nicole laughed, “I guess my type is… someone kind. And funny. Someone who tries to be cool and is actually a huge dork. And musical, that's always a plus,” she said, feeling very bold as she looked directly at him. It took Rodrick a moment, but eventually his mouth formed a small “oh” as he realized who she was talking about. His eyes flicked down to her lips. Then he frowned, “I am not a dork.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, “And I’m totally not waiting for you to kiss me right now.”

Nicole watched as the color slowly rose in Rodrick’s cheeks, turning them rosy pink, visible even in the shadow-drenched backyard. Nicole decided to pull yet another risky move, and adjusted herself on Rodrick’s lap so that she was facing him, her thighs on top of his arms around his neck. For such a seemingly confident boy, Rodrick seemed more nervous than she had ever seen him, even when he asked her to come to band practice earlier. Hell, he hadn’t even been that nervous to shotgun the joint into her mouth.

“Sorry, I just… I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I don’t wanna be bad at it,” he confessed. Just as Nicole thought she couldn’t be any more endeared by this boy. She slid her hands into his hair, thick and soft. She leaned in and gently nosed at his jawline, placing small kisses against his warm skin. Right at his jugular, he smelled like cologne and nighttime and boy, the right mix of clean and sexy. Seemingly gaining his courage, he grabbed Nicole by the back of her head and brought her up to his lips.

It was soft, at first, merely a press of skin to skin, but the two gradually deepened the kiss, moving against each other like they were made for it. Nicole felt like her heart might beat out of her chest - or maybe she was just that high.

Feeling emboldened by Rodrick’s enthusiasm, she slipped her tongue between his lips, gently tangling their tongues together. He let out a low moan, and Nicole could’ve blacked out from how turned on she was by that simple sound. The warmth of his body against hers and the slickness of their mouths together caused a rush of liquid heat to form between Nicole’s legs. Goddamn, he was good at this. Nicole wasn’t sure how many girls Rodrick had kissed before this, but if he was a rookie at this she was damn impressed.

Rodrick’s hands, which had been resting on her waist, slowly moved down her ass and under her skirt, causing Nicole to gasp as he started to knead and grab at her cheeks - not hard, but enough to get her even more hot and bothered than she thought possible.

“Is this okay?” Rodrick asked, his voice low and rough. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Nicole replied, running her fingers through his hair and scratching her nails down his neck. She felt him shiver beneath her, sending a heady rush of power to her stomach and lower. He pulled her closer to him by her ass, so that their crotches pressed together. Nicole was taken aback by the sensation of his bulge pressed against her, but didn’t pull back, instead grinding down on him.

“Are there still people out here?” Rodrick asked shakily. Nicole pulled back and looked over her shoulder - the backyard was empty, thank god.

“No, just us,” Nicole said, turning back and bringing her lips to his ear, biting and licking the sensitive flesh. Rodrick whimpered, grinding up to meet her, and Nicole almost lost it then and there.

The alcohol and weed in her system were slowing her reactions, but also kept her from thinking too much about what she was doing - all she could think about was how much she wanted this. Sober, this might’ve never happened - she was too nervous about what he would think if she ever made a move, constantly overthinking her every word and action. This dumb boy, who rode with her to work, who stayed to the end of her shift and bought her slushies, had wiggled his way into her every thought and every beat of her heart. She knew she was fucked.

She only wished it was literally.

Nicole opened her eyes briefly to catch Rodrick’s gaze, and out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed the red-and-blue flash of police lights. Rodrick caught sight of the lights at the same time.

“Oh, fuck.”

[axther]

in the golden afternoon

tamaki x reader: in the golden afternoon

in which the reader falls into a place called Wonderland, and meets the knave of hearts who is far too soft spoken to be a knight. for @mortedeveles​ tw: mentions of beheading 

Wonderland was a strange place, YN realised.

Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely sure how she got there; she was on a walk when she tripped over a hole, and there she was, plummeting down and down and down through the most unusual rabbit tunnel. It was like a drug trip and made YN dizzier than she would’ve liked. But when she finally landed, she realised that this world was much stranger than her own. It was upside down and inside out, where nowhere was everywhere and everywhere was anywhere. Paths erased themselves and the sky was a strange shade of purple mixed with blue. Huge pine trees had pale pink roses on them, and the grass was maroon. Flowers spoke with sharp tones and lilting song, rocking-horse flies flitted around, and YN would shrink and grow at the world’s whims. There were no rules, and YN learned to obey. One of the non-rules was told to YN by a young man with purple hair and wide, toothy grin. He called himself the Cheshire Cat, as he reclined lazily along a tree branch and swung his tail around. All ways here, you see, are the King’s ways, he purred. Oh, but don’t worry. He’d be just mad about you. YN wasn’t sure what the Cat meant by that, but his lavender eyes narrowed, and she didn’t feel any comfort. He took it upon himself, strangely enough, to follow YN through her journey into Wonderland. He gave snippets of twisted wisdom and often got her into trouble, but she couldn’t find herself to become angry at him. He was a companion that she found herself grateful for in the long dark ways of Wonderland. She ended up wandering into the gardens of the Red King, seeing several young men furiously painting several white roses. The Cat floated around above her, watching the men work. “My, my, they are truly working themselves hard.” The Cat grinned, wrapping his tail around YN’s shoulders. “It’s almost like their lives depend on it~!” “Do you suppose that’s why?” YN tilted her head, looking at the Cat and then back to the men. “They’re very rushed.” YN bent down to pick up a stray paint can and brush, and prodded the brush around in the bucket. The red paint was more akin to blood, wet and dripping onto the grass. Strangely, the grass looked to once be green, if the spots unpainted meant anything, but the young men had been so sloppy with their job that it had gotten everywhere. The roses were very blatantly painted, hardly drying before they moved onto another flower. The leaves were dripping and the branches were stained, and YN slowly walked up to the three they were working on. “Hullo,” She moved around so she could see the three men, each of whom jumped before working twice as fast. One had bright green hair that flopped around his face, the paint smattering over his freckles and making him look like a Christmas decoration. The one next to him looked angry, almost stabbing the roses in his fury. The last looked, in a word, dumb, painting his fingers more than the roses and getting it all over his blonde hair. He had a strange mark that was like a lightning bolt across the side of his hair, and it seemed so out of place with the rest of him that YN cast him a strange look. “Huh?!” The second worker turned, and with a growl, swung his paintbrush at YN without hitting her, and went back to work. “Get outta here! Fuckin idiot!!” “What?” YN reeled back, pursing her lips with an angry stare. “How rude!” “You fuckin heard me!” The man barked, growling like a dog. “We’re busy!” “W-wait!” The green-haired one stopped the blonde in his tracks with a yelp. “Kaachan! Be nice! Maybe she can help us!” “Oh?” The Cheshire Cat grinned. “Being recruited, are we?” “Shush, you mangy thing.” YN huffed, tightening her hold on the paint can and addressing the three. “Why are you painting the roses red?” “Well, y-you see, the Red King wanted red roses.” The green-haired one stuttered, biting his lip and getting back to work. “And fucking Socket Licker planted white roses!” Kaachan hissed, finishing up the tree. The last blonde jumped, peering at YN and the others. “Huh? Is something up?” “Denki, not now.” “Oh. OK!” Denki started walking over to the tree that Kaachan was working on, working on a rose that was already painted. The green-haired man hung back, looking to YN. “Uh...I’m Midoriya, and that’s Bakugou and Denki. Would you be willing to help us? It would really be awesome!” “Very well, then.” YN furrowed her brow and walked up to the tree, painting gently so it actually looked convincingly like a red rose. Bakugou and Midoriya were both doing relatively good jobs, but Denki’s painting was sloppy enough that white portions were left open. YN tried to cover several of them up, but before she could get far, trumpets starting sounded from across the hedge maze. The three jumped, scampering around and trying to paint any roses they saw with a single swipe of red. It didn’t do much, but then the White Rabbit walked mutely in with a small frown and sighed, raising a piece of parchment and beginning to read from it. “His imperial highness, his grace, his excellency, her royal majesty, the King of Hearts, and the Knave of Hearts.” Midoriya, Bakugou, and Denki all got down onto their knees (though Bakugou seemed far more reluctant). YN glanced at them, and then got onto her knees as well and shoved her nose into the grass. The White Rabbit shuffled to the side and rolled his eyes (YN realised, peaking up, that they were two different colours) as another man stepped into view. He had a completely smug grin on his face and blonde hair that was flat and oddly natural. His blue eyes scanned over the flowers, before slowly sauntering over to the roses. Paint still dripped down from them, and YN paled at the thought of what the Red King was going to do. If these three were so freaked out, then what was his usual reaction? “Ah, yes...the red royal roses.” He whispered, caressing the roses gently in his hands. He brought it up to his nose, took a deep breath, and pulled away again. Abruptly, he ripped it off of the tree and threw it onto the ground, angrily stomping on it with his foot. “Then why the hell are they painted?!” He howled, turning to the trio. “Who the hell painted my roses red?!” “It was Deku!” Bakugou’s head snapped up, barking with a vigor. “It’s was all him!” “Midoriya, you say?” “N-no, Your Majesty! It w-was...Denki! Sorry, Denki.” “Huh?” Denki looked up, quirking his head. “But I thought it was Bakugou who said to paint them?” “Enough!” The Red King bit, stomping his foot again. “Off with their heads!” YN paled, looking up with wide eyes. Several knights stepped forward and started dragging the three off, with only Bakugou spitting and kicking the whole way down. YN was left alone in front of this menace, and she felt her blood cool. “And what’s this?” The Red King looked down at YN with a sneer before snapping his fingers. “Knave!” “Y-y-yes, King Monoma.” From behind several knights, a young man scampered out. Instantly, he felt different from the others; he was meek, holding himself close and almost shuffling out of sight. He skittered up to YN and knelt, gently tilting her chin up to look her in the eyes. His own were a stunning shade of indigo, dark and almost black. Tufts of similar hair poked out from under his helmet, framing his face and making him look...well, beautiful. He seemed to be glowing under the eternal afternoon sun, and he blinked softly. “Oh.” He murmured, eyes wide and pleading. “Y-you’re…” “Well?” The Red King huffed, crossing his arms. “Get on with it!” “Sh-she’s a girl, sir! Your Majesty, sir!” The Knave jumped up like he was burned, hands snapping to his side and looking terrified. “A human girl!” “Oh?” The Red King leaned down to YN, raising his eyebrow and smirking. “Well hello, there.” “Hello, uh...your majesty.” “She’s a quick learner!” He grinned, though it felt horribly malicious. “Get up, my dear.” YN got to her feet as quickly and gracefully as possible, making it her one goal to survive. The Cheshire Cat cackled in an echo, and YN felt tempted to spit some insult at him, but knew that it would only land her in trouble. “Follow me, my dear.” The Red King waved his sceptre lackadaisically, beginning to move through the gardens. YN started trotting after him, noting that he seemed like a complete control freak-and that even stepping ahead of him would be dangerous. The Knave caught up with both of them, glancing at YN out of the corner of his eye every couple of seconds. YN glanced back, trying to make sure that her head was on a swivel, before looking ahead when the Red King started talking about something mundane. Meanwhile, Tamaki was having a stroke. He hated his job. He hated being looked at. He hated being told what to do, hated that he was a glorified butler, hated that his best friends were scattered across Wonderland. But this was the first time in...too long that he’d seen another actual human being that wasn’t completely cruel. This young woman seemed sensible, though, and seemed to restrain herself from something stupid. She held herself with a certain grace that Tamaki hadn’t seen in a long, long time. “Knave!” Monoma barked, spinning around. “Stop zoning out, before you lose your head!” “S-s-sorry,” Tamaki whispered, bowing his head and fiddling with his fingers. Monoma lowered his eyes in disdain, but let it go in favour of pointing to the castle. “Give our sweet guest a room, Knave.” Monoma lowered his eyes, and Tamaki realised with a chill that Monoma had crueller intentions. No one was ever allowed into the guest rooms of the castle unless they were going to be executed, or worse-assassinated. Why Monoma wanted to kill this sweet, King-abiding young woman, Tamaki had no clue, but he shook and nodded his head sheepishly. “A-as you wish…” “As I wish…?” “Y-your majesty.” “Good dog,” Monoma smirked again, walking off as Tamaki bit the inside of his cheek. He hated this, hated the Red King, hated Wonderland. And this poor girl was going to be killed because, what, Monoma just didn’t like her? It was a cruel world that Tamaki lived in, and a crueller fate for the young woman. “You’re Tamaki.” Tamaki jumped out of his skin at the woman’s soft tone. Her tense demeanour had melted away, leaving her gently smiling at him. “How…?” “You look like someone I know.” She looked ahead, rocking her hands a bit. “And you remind me of him a lot. Actually, everyone here is very familiar. The Red King, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat...you.” “R-really?” Tamaki felt his heartstrings being pulled almost dramatically, and a flush overtook his face. “Yeah!” The young woman chirped. “Oh...I suppose here, you don’t know my name. I’m YN.” “YN…” Tamaki tested it on his tongue, and he could almost feel it rolling around in his mouth and on his tongue like a delicate sweet. It made warmth surge through him, and something in his gut twitched. It made him feel warm, flooding through him like good memories. He stopped in his tracks, feeling like he was on fire before he gasped. “Huh?” YN stopped and turned around, tilting her head. “Are you okay?” “Y-you…” Every cell in Tamaki’s body screamed out for him not to hurt her. No, she was something far more than just a woman. She was someone that brought him comfort even then, in the Red King’s gardens, where the rest of Wonderland couldn’t even touch them. It was them against the world. “Wait.” Tamaki turned around, making sure that there were no new cards slinking around nearby. YN raised her eyebrow and gave him a curious look, tilting her head. “Is something wrong?” “Come with me.” Tamaki felt a strange surge of confidence through him, holding his hand for YN to take. “If you stay here, you’ll be k-killed.” “What?” YN’s eyes went wide, and she took his hand. He began to run through the maze, knowing every twist and turn like the back of his hand. The evergreen hedges folded into pale bushes, and then into red grass that he missed so dearly. In the distance, he heard Monoma yelling for him, but for once, he didn’t listen. He kept on running, booking it for the edge of the woods until the sky was consumed by trees and the mome raths scattered at the sound of their pounding feet. YN was panting behind him, doing her best to keep up, but he finally skittered to a halt before a great wall. It was the edge of Wonderland, at the very border of the Red King’s land. He turned to YN. “I can get you past here. From there, you can get home safely.” “What’s going on?” YN’s eyes were wide, confused and alert. “We all know you, YN.” Tamaki sighed, feeling an incredible sense of melancholy and nostalgia come over him. “I don’t know how...but we do. And you can’t stay here.” “I…” YN tensed, and Tamaki knew why. She had no reason to trust him. He was just a complete stranger that said he knew her, even though he technically didn’t. There was no reason that she should do anything with him, even if-YN smiled, and Tamaki froze. His heart roared in his ears, and the flush on his cheeks came back tenfold. The world was spinning around her like she was the sun, and Tamaki let out a nervous laugh. Nervous? What was more nervous than nervous? That’s what he was. He was stone in front of this goddess, and he could only shuffle his feet. “Y-you should go before Monoma realises that we’re...yanno…” “Right.” YN nodded, looking over the wall before walking over to it. She pressed her hand to it, and there was a breezy laugh over her shoulder. “Now, now, YN.” The Cheshire Cat started reclining on her shoulder, moving his hands to wrap around her shoulders. “Isn’t it lovely here? I’m sure that the Red King just wanted you to stay the night~” “Shut up, dumb cat.” YN bit, and pressed her hand into the wall. A door appeared out of nowhere, swinging open, and Tamaki sighed. YN turned back to him, giving him a shy smile. “Stay safe, ok?” “I-I will!” Tamaki jumped, his hands snapping to his side. YN lingered through the doorway, like she wasn’t quite ready to leave. Tamaki glanced around, unsure what she was waiting for. “I...I don’t think I’d be able to tell you this in real life.” YN looked down, eyes flickering across the dirt. “But I like you. A lot.” Tamaki jumped. “Wh-what?!” “I guess, since this isn’t real…” YN paused. “Right?” “Oh.” Tamaki only felt confused and could barely make two words. “What?” “This is…oh, nevermind.” YN took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders as the Cheshire Cat slinked off. “Goodbye, Tamaki.” She walked through, and Tamaki saw a light. 

Tamaki woke up on his desk and had a heart attack. 

He jumped up, hoping he didn’t attract too much attention from the rest of his class. Oddly enough, though, only Mirio, Neijre, and YN were in the room. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, and Tamaki felt instant mortification. “There he is!” Mirio smiled brightly at him, waving. “Have a good nap?” “Y-you let me sleep!” Tamaki paled, feeling ready to drip out of his seat and onto the floor. YN turned and smiled softly. “You deserve it.” “Yeah! And it sounded like you were having a good dream!” Nejire giggled. “You were smiling and bright red!” “I-I was?! Oh, god!” Tamaki’s hands rushed to his face, slapping his cheeks in hopes of willing the flush down. He felt sick to his stomach; did he say anything in his sleep? Did YN know? Was it weird? “C’mon, Tama.” YN rose and placed a gentle hand on Tamaki’s back. “We should head to our dorms before it gets too late.” Tamaki’s head snapped up as Mirio and Neijre began walking out the door. YN waited next to him, soft eyes on him. He felt like the world was slowed to a stop. YN was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, and the gentle way that she looked at him made his heart race. He loved her for the longest time, and no matter what, she always managed to make him into goo.

  He supposed his crush was like a rabbit hole, and he was still falling. 

[incandescent-creativity]

Pre-Games: Olu and Mal

I. the big day

Mal shifts at the back of the crowd and picks at the pants she’s wearing.

“Don’t fidget,” Olu reprimands quietly.

“Easy for you to say,” Mal snaps under her breath. “You like wearing pants.”

“So do you sometimes. Why did you choose the suit when you’d rather the skirt?”

Mal scoffs. “It was hardly a choice. Barely more than tatters now.”

“My condolences.”

The reel ends, and the Capitol representative’s heels click as he moves back to the microphone. He’s saying something, but Maluka’s mind is still turning over. With such long hours in such different parts of the district, she hasn’t seen Olu in months. Now, today, in such close quarters, Olu stands at her side.

They’re just as tall as Mal remembers, which would be comforting if not for the fact that it just means their hand is close for the taking.

It wouldn’t be that weird, would it? Reaping days are exceptional, in the sense that they are exceptions to everyday life. Maybe Mal can’t see them every day while she’s busy with administrative work, and maybe she can’t hold their hand when Olu’s hands are raw from the rough scythes, but maybe today—

“And now, our first name.”

Crushing stray thoughts like dead leaves beneath her heel, Mal holds her breath with the rest of District 9.

II. the reaping

Olufemi prays.

They don’t know who’s listening. They’ve never known. It’s never mattered. Someone is, and that’s what matters.

With their eyes never straying from the glass bowl full of names, Olu prays.

Please, keep us safe. I know that two must be taken, but you have kept us from the jaws of death for so long. To your purpose, I’m sure of it. Let us serve that purpose still.

After all, the families that refuse to take tesserae subsist on the grain bars Olu sets aside for them. A monthly reprimand when the yield is lower than projected, for “unknown reasons,” is a small price to pay to ensure that District 9’s citizens do not starve.

It is a good purpose, and one that Olu intends to continue doing for as long as possible.

“And now, our first name.”

The man covered in green sequins and peacock feathers plunges his arm into the bowl, up to the elbow, and retrieves a scrap of paper.

Please. Your will be done.

“Maluka Samale, please come to the stage.”

The crowd begins to part, and the cameras begin to turn, but the only reason the name sinks in is a quick, brief squeeze of the hand. It is this moment of contact that triggers the realization: Mal—their Mal—is on her way to the stage.

Olu cannot breathe. Everything freezes up at once. Is this punishment? A prayer recognized for its selfishness, and thus realized through the taking away of their only companion in life?

By the time they think to volunteer, and ensure Mal’s safety, she is on the stage.

I’m too late.

Tears threaten to dampen round cheeks, but there is still one tribute to call. Then the visitation hours will start, and one last moment can be had between them.

A seed of resolve hardens in their heart. I will not let Mal away from me again.

The Capitol peacock already has his second slip of paper.

“Nora Collins, please come to the stage.”

Despair replaces resolve. The Collinses were the first family to approach Olu begging for an alternative to tesserae. Any other granarist would turn them in for attempted theft, they said, but Olu had a kind heart, they could tell. Would it be possible to spare some of their next harvest?

Nora, the Collins daughter, had grown up hale and strong as a direct result of the system they had devised together. She matured from a dead eyed child into an adolescent with the quickest weaving fingers around, and Olu watched it happen.

I cannot let her go to the Games.

Before the girl can take even her first step towards the stage, Olufemi fills lungs that call out over entire fields with the last free air they may ever know.

“I volunteer as tribute.”

All eyes turn to them, and they feel the weight of the crowd once again. An intimate knowledge of procedure and an increasing anxiety to escape the mass of people drives them forward.

“An unexpected twist here in 9!” the Capitol man narrates. “Here comes our lovely volunteer now—and just look at those shoulders! I think we have a contender here, folks, I daresay we do.”

He offers a hand to help Olu onstage, and they accept. Holding it delicately, he guides them both over to the microphone at center stage.

“What’s your name, tribute?”

“I am... Olufemi Abdalla.”

Turning away from them smartly, the Capitol man gestures for Mal to take his other hand. He lifts the two hands he has up in the air, though Olu’s slips out due to their height, and makes one final announcement:

“The tributes from District 9: Olufemi and Maluka!”

III. the visit

If I could have leapt off that stage and tackled Olu to the ground when Nora’s name was called, I would have.

As things went, all I could do was watch. They never even hesitated—as soon as her name was read, their voice spoke up. Credit where credit is due; they sounded strong. All confidence, no weakness. I’m not surprised the Capitol dude called them a contender.

That initial impression won’t last very long, though. There are no cameras in the visitation room, so nobody seems them hug the Collinses and put on a watery smile for Nora, but I don’t think Olu has it in them to be anything other than what they are: a good person.

Settling against a wall opposite their little gathering, I try not to be bitter. Unfortunately, I knew it. I knew that dumb heart of theirs was going to get them in trouble eventually, I knew it from the day I discovered their haphazard attempt to smuggle grain foodstuffs from their quota to the needy.

Their stupid “production” never would have gotten off the ground if it wasn’t for my insider access to the records, fudging the numbers to make sure they weren’t missing as much as they actually were. Olu would be stuck with the hard labor of the fields—there’s no chance of promotion with those numbers—but they also wouldn’t hang.

And now we’re tangled in another mess.

Maybe they could have managed it on their own if it were just the Collins family, but Olu never figured out how to say no to the other folks that approached them. People took to calling them Angel as a codename: “Go and see the angel if you’re in need of food.” “The angel will help you.”

If they’re an angel, what does that make me? Hiding in the background, covering tracks, lying on every paper I fill out every day?

A shadow falls over me, and I look up to see Olufemi approaching.

I drop my arms out of their somewhat aggressive position across my chest. “What?”

They freeze, a minute tic I’ve seen before that means I’ve completely misinterpreted the situation.

Hesitantly, they answer, “I... they just left.”

“So?”

“So, wouldn’t you like to trade spots to afford you a bit of privacy, as you did for me?”

I smile and shake my head, but I can’t force myself to put any warmth into it. “Nobody’s coming to see me off, Olu. My people are long dead, and I’ve pissed off everybody at work at least once before.”

They shift their weight back, now awkward with the weight of what I said. “Ah.”

“Yeah, I know. At least it simplifies things, right?”

“Of course,” they say delicately.

Letting myself slip down to sit on the floor, I sigh. “God, I wish I had a drink.”

Olu folds their long legs and drops to the floor, as well. Perfect posture, as always.

“I’m sure they’ll have alcohol on the train.”

“They better.”

IV. the train ride

Unfortunately, my prediction regarding the train’s alcoholic stores is an accurate one.

Mal proceeds to get “properly plastered” over dinner. I’ll admit that the wine is incredible, the finest I’ve ever tasted, but I sip at it only to complement the meal. She downs cups of it like its sole purpose is to intoxicate her.

As a result, I am the one to take her to her quarters. I suppose the Avoxes could, or perhaps the Peacekeepers, but I can’t convince myself to find either of those appropriate. The Avoxes have enough cleaning to do in the dining car, and the only danger Mal presents in her current state is to herself.

The doors slide open smoothly, to reveal a room decorated in dark tones. The bed has a dark grey duvet and its posts are made of dark wood, and the rug is a plush navy blue color. Even the lamps and lights along the wall are muted.

“Finally, a place that isn’t so fuckin’ bright,” Mal mutters as I guide her towards the bed.

“I didn’t think the rest of the train was too bright,” I say by way of making conversation.

“It was,” she says, with all the confidence of a child. “This is nice, though. Like you.”

I’m unsure whether she means that I am nice, or I am dark, but I suppose she is right either way. Regardless of meaning, it seems an appropriate moment to withdraw my hands from her arms. After a brief pause to ensure she doesn’t immediately fall over, I start setting aside extra pillows and pulling back blankets.

“You takin’ me to bed, angel?”

I huff out a laugh at the codename turned nickname. “In a sense.”

“Awesome,” she mutters. “You’re sexy as fuck.”

I could handle the first comment, but this second one prompts heat to my face. “Sorry?”

“Ah, don’t apologize. I’m just glad you’re finally actin’ on it.”

I’m running out of pillows to keep busy with. “On what?”

“On our undeniable chemistry,” she answers, using a tone that implies I should have known this already.

“I mean, fuck,” Mal continues, “I’ve been trying to hold your hand for, like... years. Figures I’d have to get reaped for it to happen.”

This last sentence is muttered, and the sorrow that overwhelms me over our circumstances closes my throat. All I can do is step back and gesture an open arm to the ready bed.

Mal dutifully crawls in, brushing a hand against the skin of my arm in thanks as she goes. Perhaps it is just her recent words echoing in the room, but the touch does incite nerves in my stomach and chest. Hasn’t it always, though? Or is that her point?

“Olu,” Mal mumbles, one arm up in the air. “Stop thinking.”

This command, at least, is familiar ground. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to sleep with me,” she promises. “I’m clearly not all... here.” A yawn interrupts her speech.

“Clearly,” I say gently.

“But I wasn’t kidding about sleeping with you. I mean—”

She buries her head into the dent of the pillow for a second, and a frustrated noise is muffled by it.

“I do want you to sleep with me, but like, sleep next to me. I don’t... want to wake up alone like I have every day, for years. This place already sucks. I don’t need that on top of it all, you know?”

It appears that Maluka has forgotten that I also live and wake up alone, but all that means is I understand the loneliness she is speaking from. And as such, I can hardly deny her.

Adjusting the blanket she is under one last time, I circle over to the other side of the bed and crawl in beside her.

next

[long-bodyswap]

Projection

Man, I fuckin’ loved taking control of my son; he has a hot little body, sculpted but not too muscular, a baby face, and I got to try on all the cute clothes that I bought for ‘him’. I chuckled to myself, my son Jeremy, was totally straight, and he’s quite popular with the ladies, but I had my eye more on his hot little stud friends that he hung out with. I could especially see how his ‘little’ friend Hank fuckin’ drooled over him; practically falling over himself to jump to do whatever Jeremy wanted. But I’m side-tracking a bit; I bought tons of cute underwear and other… kinkier stuff for Jeremy but as I previously mentioned, being the straight kid he was, he’d never wear any of it; he’d probably be appalled if he even knew I bought it for him… Too bad he doesn’t know he wears this shit regularly and is quite popular at the local gay clubs. All the bartenders know him quite well; or should I say they know ‘Matt’ well? That’s the name I go by when I slip into his hot little body and go out. ----------------------------------------------------------------- It happened one night when I’d come home late from work and I was extra exhausted, I barely took loosened my tie and dropped my suitcase at the door when I plopped in front of the tv on couch; too tired to even move. I began to drift off when I remembered that I still had to feed Jeremy, he’d be getting home from soccer practice soon, but I just couldn’t bring myself to move; in fact, I felt almost… paralyzed. I began to freak out and struggled to move and I fought to sit up; and with a sudden ‘pop’ I finally managed to do it. I decided I’d better change into some more casual clothes, and I made my way up the stairs and to my room. My closet was slightly ajar so I just stepped right in and casually glanced around looking for something more comfortable to wear; my eyes caught the underwear I’d boughten but were too small for me. I let out a sigh, I knew I wasn’t in as great of shape as I used to be and I could never fit those. I finally decided on some sweat pants and a plain white T but as I tried to pick them up my hands went right through! I rubbed my eyes, this couldn’t be right, I tried again and started panicking when my hands passed right through again! Even stranger, I was naked! I got really embarrassed and ran around the house trying to figure out what was happening. I arrived back at the living room again and I tried to scream; I could see my body still lying there. I didn’t know what to do, I just sat on the ground and repeated “This can’t be happening” over and over to myself. I looked at my body again and I noticed it was still breathing. This had to be a dream, I knew I was still alive if my body was still breathing… So what was going on? My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the front door open and close. “Hey Dad! I’m home!” Shit. Jeremy was here, and I didn’t know what to do. I wondered if maybe he could hear me. I walked to the entry way “Jeremy?” I let out a call, he didn’t seem to notice as he continued removing his shoes before walking upstairs to the bathroom—He always had a shower after practice. I followed and tried knocking on the door but my hand just passed through again. I heard the water start running and I began to wonder if maybe I could leave a message on the mirror from the fog or something like in the movies. I felt a bit weird because I knew I’d see my son naked, but after changing his diapers so many times as a baby, I figured it was fine as it was nothing I’d never seen before, so I walked through the door and began to wait for the steam to gather. I tried my hardest to keep from looking, but I got bored waiting for the steam. I finally just looked over and I became so envious; he still had a tight little stomach, his arms were sculpted, and he still had all his hair… A hand instinctively ran to my head, rubbing longingly at where my hair used to be. I wished I could go back to my prime, back to Jeremy’s age. I continued watching and forgot all about what I was doing when Jeremy stepped out and walked to his room. Shit! I missed my chance, I followed him hoping to find something else to catch his attention but he just lay on his bed and fell asleep. He must have been exhausted because after a few seconds he fell asleep and I could see his chest rising slowly, and falling gently. He looked so innocent, I was so proud of him, he always worked so hard in school, and he won a lot of sports trophies, he was such a good boy… I never noticed before, but I could see his aura a lot more relaxed, moving at a slower pace; A sly smirk crept across my face as I got an idea… I walked over to his bed and slowly laid down on top of him, I could feel his body give in, as it started to pull me in, the feeling of his flesh wrapping around my essence was so erotic, I wasn’t completely in but I managed to let out a moan from my new vocal chords. Fuck that was hot. I felt myself falling more and more into him before finally I was completely in. I let out a gasp. I looked down and saw… abs? And my body felt so tight… I felt my hair tussle and I ran a hand through my hair… Oh how I missed having hair… I sat up, “Wow…” apparently I was really excited being in this body because Jeremy’s cock was so fucking hard! Damn! Even in my prime I was never that thick! And it was so long! I bit my lip, and he still had his foreskin… I couldn’t… could I? Would this be wrong to do this with my own son’s body? I mean, it’s basically masturbation, since I was in control… Damn… all these hormones… I couldn’t fight it as I finally gripped my new rod; I shuddered, I barely even rubbed and this felt so fucking awesome! I tried to rub it up and down slowly, but the pleasure, I was vibrating in pleasure, a gentle purr escaping my lips, damn, this fucking foreskin… It was so sensitive… Suddenly this body’s instincts took control and damn… I was in for a fuckin’ wild ride, this body was working its shaft like a pro, I started to moan, I bit my lip to try to keep from being too loud, but then I started using my other hand to feel this body’s muscles and this was so erotic, my moans began to increase in volume, I finally said fuck it and I was moaning so loud, fuck… fuck… I was about to cum, I didn’t want this to end but this body’s instincts were still in control as it kept rubbing and I pinched my nipples a bit, I fought as hard as I could to keep from cumming but with how sensitive my new package was it was a losing battle as with one final rub I let out one long, deep, moan, as load after load began shooting out. I tried to catch as much as I could, not wanting to leave a huge mess. Jeremy didn’t have any tissues in his room and I didn’t want to dirty any of his clothing so, shrugging my shoulders, I raised it to my lips and lapped it up, playing with his cum in my mouth… Damn that was delicious… I licked up the rest off my hands then lay there basking in my wonderful afterglow of orgasm rubbing my softening cock, I closed my eyes and looked up at the ceiling, damn I wish this never had to end… Jeremy’s body began violently spasming; I could feel him waking up, I was being pushed out, I fought so hard to stay in, but with one final shake I was thrown out, I felt his flesh un-envelop me. Jeremy had a look of shock on his face, when I was thrown out I was still licking some of the cum off his fingers, he removed his finger from his mouth and he could see the cum on his finger I saw a look of disgust cross his face… I could also see a bit of cum I’d missed on his chest… Fuck I wanted back in so bad… I slammed against him, I felt his body release for a moment as some of my soul pushed through but it was thrown back out. He looked like he was just punched, the color drained from his face as he sat down before falling over and passed out. I smirked, I figured I must only be able to be inside when he’s sleeping; when his consciousness is dormant. I laid on top of his body again and I shuddered as I felt that familiar feeling of that tight body welcoming me in again. I grabbed a towel and wiped off then I remembered that underwear... I went to my room and grabbed that underwear and through it on… I gasped while a cheeky grin crept across my face. The material was so nice… I could feel my cock stiffen a bit but I wanted to take go find a mirror. I found one in the dining room (I had to walk passed my sleeping body, I smirked, definitely an upgrade as I could see my love handles through my suit, and I was disgusted at the bald patch. I looked in the mirror, strange… Jeremy never looked this groggy, and he had a moustache… He never had a moustache. He despised body hair and kept himself shaven, strange… Apparently even though it’s his skin, my essence still shows through a bit as my body did wear a moustache… I tried a few poses in the mirror; fuck Jeremy was hot… I wanted a few photos and I remembered my phone, it was in my pocket on the couch. I walked back in, disgusted at seeing my body, I reached into my pocket with disdain, feeling around for my phone, and I accidentally rubbed my package, I jumped. Even though I wasn’t in that body I still felt it, but it felt like someone else doing it… I found my phone and went and took a few photos… When I finished I set my phone down on the table beside my body, I remembered the feeling when I was looking for my phone; I shuddered again. A devilish grin crept across my face… I couldn’t… could I? I climbed on top of my body and began grinding my package, I could feel myself; or my body anyways, hardening, this only turned me on more as I grabbed my hands and ran them across this body, grinding our dicks against each other’s, I leaned down and sucked my ears the way I liked, fuck this was so hot, my happiness began showing in Jeremy’s body too as it was now sporting a massive erection, but I didn’t care, I was more worried about masturbating my old self, I began to pick up the pace in grinding and not being totally in my own body, I could still tell it was going to cum soon but I couldn’t stop it, and with one final thrust against my own package I felt it; that glorious orgasm… I could feel the cum seeping through my clothes, and this cute little underwear, I could feel it against my dick… I moaned, this was so erotic…Jeremy woke up and I was flung out of his body again but being so close to my own I was pulled right back in, I took a deep breath in and I saw the look of shock and horror on his face and he could see his own hands were guiding mine across his chest muscles, and I could still feel that he had an erection. “Son…? What’s going on? Are you okay?” I said feigning concern, knowing full well what had happened. “N-nothing, can we just… pretend I wasn’t doing this?” “Sure thing bud, I’ll go cook dinner.” “O….k..” He sputtered out slowly. He began walking towards his room and as I watched him walk away, I remembered the wonderful feeling of his cock and I was wanting to touch it again and I saw him stop in his tracks and his hand went for his package and gently rubbed it through the underwear. I was surprised… Maybe some of me had stayed inside his body? I made him go get changed (I decided to just order pizza), then I had him replace the underwear where I’d kept it, then after he had put on his actual clothes, I decided to see how far my powers would go as I decided to try to alter his memories. I could feel his eyes rolling back in his head as I was tweaking around in there, I changed his memories to that he took a nap, then he’d worked on a bit of homework then he’d gotten dressed and he remembered me calling out that we were having pizza. Then with one final tweak, I made it so that he would fall asleep whenever I said a code word to him…. Oh the things I had planned with this new ability of mine….

[onthevirgeofdestruction]

Prompt: Burnout Virgil and Roman with creative burnout comforting each other

Words: 4,370 Warnings: Bad-Self Talk, Self Hatred, Alcohol/drinking, drugs/drug use, food, cussing, creative burnout, stoner, deep Kissing, massages, misunderstandings Characters: Roman, Virgil, Janus Changed Identities: Non-binary Virgil (voi/void/voids) Ships: Prinxietceit/roanxceit Universe: Burnouts/Life sucks Genre: Gay AF

Audience: 16+ (for Alcohol, recreational drugs, make-outs)

AO3 Link

ngl it was supposed to be prinxiety with more drama, but like have you met me and my need for anxceit? Also, maybe Roman has suffered enough lately. I had rolled dice for some prompts but used the concepts and abandoned the phrases completely so i didn’t bother including them, just what I was originally interested in doing. Anyway then there was 4k of gay that nearly got 18+. my writing demon went ham. I left Roman’s creative passion vague so he could be more widely relatable.

  Roman sighed and tapped the back of his pencil to the paper laying blank on his desk. He knew he should be productive with this rare free time. But everything he had done lately was met with criticism, or nobody had looked at it, or it was just so bad he couldn’t even bring himself to post it. This was supposed to be what he enjoyed doing. But the blank page was daunting. It made fun of him, even. It reminded him that he failed at what he loved so badly that he could no longer find solace in it. It used to be his escape. An empty page was just an opportunity, a blessing, a wish. But now it was his tormentor.

   He leaned back in his chair. He didn’t feel like trying anymore. Maybe dreams are stupid. He already had a job that paid the bills. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but he didn’t want to do this anymore, either. Maybe he was stupid for trying. Too stubborn to stop. Too dense to realize the support he got what felt like so long ago was just placating nonsense and people humoring him. Roman ran his hand through his hair in frustration and dropped his pencil. There was no point in trying if it wasn’t purposeful and didn’t pay the bills. It was just him wasting his time. He needed to find something else to do with his free evening, then. Maybe a new hobby. But he didn’t feel like doing anything productive at all. He may as well get in touch with the person he knew could teach him to be chill the most and see if voi was busy. Roman sent off the text and got up from his desk to go put on something more comfortable. If he would hang out with void, he couldn’t wear his work clothes and pick up any smells.

   Roman changed into some old work out clothes- a soft shirt and some track pants. Easy to wash and also even if voi didn’t want to hang out he could just be a comfortable piece of trash in his own apartment. Roman wandered into his kitchen and checked the fridge, more out of boredom than any hunger or desire. He opted to drink some orange juice out of the carton. As he twisted the top back on he got an alert on his phone. Roman pulled it out of his pants pocket and smiled. Great, he was glad he didn’t have to be a singular piece of trash twiddling his thumbs on the couch alone and going to a worsening place every minute. If anybody knew how to forget your problems, voi did.

—

   “Ro!” Virgil called brightly while Roman stepped into the front door. “It’s been, like, ages,” Virgil leaned back on to the couch with a goofy smile.

   “I saw you last week,” Roman laughed, flopping down on the couch next to Virgil.

   “Time isn’t real, dude, don’t lie to me,” Virgil fake scowled and pushed Roman lightly on the shoulder. “How’s it been?” Virgil kicked back on the couch and threw voids legs up over Roman’s lap.

   “Bad,” Roman shrugged.

   “Oh, mood,” Virgil nodded. “What’s bad?”

   “I’m shit at everything I do and my dreams are dead,” Roman threw up his arms in defeat, shaking his head dramatically.

   “Holy shit, we’re so vibing right now,” Virgil laughed as voi pointed voids finger between the pair of them. “But you’re not shit, I love the stuff you do,” Virgil objected, looking slightly confused.

   “That’s nice and all, but one person isn’t exactly a fanbase make,” Roman huffed. Virgil furrowed his eyebrows at him.

   “You just want to feel like shit, then, huh? I get that,” Virgil nodded after a pause. “You wanna be a piece of shit with me?” Voi asked casually and crossed voids arms behind voids head.

   “How do you mean?” Roman asked, looking at Virgil in confusion.

   “You know, get stoned and pretend life doesn’t suck like I always do,” Virgil shrugged.

   “I refuse to believe you aren’t high already, you’re off work,” Roman said airily and flipped his hand.

   “Eh, the buzz is wearing off,” Virgil lolled voids head to the side. “Jan! Get the bong!” Virgil called across their apartment humorously.

   A muffled “You suck!” came through one of the bedroom doors. Virgil laughed at his reaction. Roman didn’t really get why they liked to rile each other up, but he thought they were cute together, nonetheless.

   “Shit, I dunno if we have munchies,” Virgil muttered after voids laughter died down.

   “I’ll be fine,” Roman rolled his eyes. He didn’t need anything.

   “No, no, if we’re gonna get you fucked up we’re gonna do it proper,” Virgil shook voids head. “Jan! Going to the corner store! Text me what you want!” Virgil called out again.

   “Fuck you!” Came from the bedroom again, though it was possibly the most affectionate ‘fuck you’ he’s ever heard. Roman raised his eyebrows, impressed.

   “God, he’s such a sweetheart,” Virgil laughed and pulled voids legs off of Roman. “You wanna have a pity party on the couch or you wanna come with me, lover boy?” Virgil winked and Roman’s ears heated slightly. “Speaking of, is kissing on or off the table tonight?” Virgil leaned down and whispered into Roman’s ear and his entire face grew hot.

   “On. I’ll come with you,” Roman said weakly. Virgil was good at riling him up too, honestly.

   “I’m more into enthusiastic consent, Ro. If you don’t wanna make out you don’t gotta. We can watch Adventure Time or something. Make nachos and forget about them. You know, all that classic burnout shit,” Virgil laughed and pulled Roman off the couch.

   “No, I want to. You and Janus are sweet and I like hanging out. It’ll be a pleasurable distraction,” Roman said, trying to sound more into it. He was just feeling down and had trouble sounding enthusiastic, even if he was interested in mixing it up. He hadn’t spent intimate time with anyone in a long time and probably needed some contact.

   “No, you’ve gotten enough half-assed bullshit lately, we’re not going to be a distraction, it’s going to be an event. If we make out I’m going all out. Some fuck-tunes and everything. Red wine. Chocolates,” Virgil offered temptingly into Roman’s ear. He had to admit the offer was tempting. “Maybe a massage, even,” Virgil winked and grabbed voids wallet and a taser out of a bowl near the door.

   “Suddenly feel like spoiling me tonight?” Roman asked, feeling kind of confused at the sudden proposition. He would have been fine with making out and eating some chips. Hell, he was fine with just watching TV or something together, originally. He just didn’t want to sit home alone without anything to do.

   “Eh. You just look like you could use something nice, and you like that romance stuff. You actually reached out to me first and told me outright that things sucked instead of dancing around it. That means you feel like as much of a pathetic heap as me and need a break,” Virgil shrugged and wrapped voids arm around Roman’s waist as they left the apartment.

   “I contact you to hang out!” Roman said defensively. Though it probably had been a while. It is usually Virgil or Janus messaging him first since Roman tried to spend his free time creating. It wasn’t because he didn’t like them, though he clearly gave them, or at least Virgil the wrong impression because of it. Roman slid his hands into his pockets awkwardly.

   “Sure you do,” Virgil drawled derisively after staring him down. “Look, I know you don’t feel the same way. I’m not bothered,” Virgil shrugged, though there was something about voids tone that made Roman have trouble believing void. “I still get to kiss you sometimes and Jan continues to tolerate me so it’s not like I’m forever alone or anything,”

   “I do like kissing you,” Roman muttered. “I just… I don't know,” Roman trailed off. He really didn’t know. Maybe he just wasn’t that into the casual thing? He did enjoy the casual thing. But Roman was always a romantic at heart and always hoped a prince charming would come sweep him off his feet. There was no reason Virgil and Janus couldn’t be that prince charming, but they’d never done anything that made Roman swoon. They usually snarked at movies and complained about work.

   “Yikes, no need to rub it in. I know I’m a piece of shit who isn’t good enough. I’m too scared of life, so I ducked out ages ago. You deserve someone who isn’t always stoned and stuff like that,” Virgil shrugged. Roman didn’t agree with getting high as soon as one got off work, but he never blamed Virgil for wanting to, either. Roman had been spectacularly bad at communicating that, apparently. Good thing it was piece of shit hours, because he somehow felt worse. He didn’t think that was possible.

   “I don’t think you are piece of shit, and I’ve certainly never said it, either. And I do like you,” Roman sighed and shook his head at Virgil. Virgil continued to look nonplussed.

   “I don’t need to hear you say it to know it. Just like how I disagreed about the quality of your work and you didn’t believe me. There’s a monster in our fuckin’ heads and it’s bigger and louder than all of us. So instead of being all weird, we can just get stoned to shut it up and eat some truffles. Butterscotch body oil. Whatever piece of shit wine we can get at the corner store,” Virgil pulled Roman closed as they walked down the street.

   “That sounds… pretty awesome,” Roman said, feeling a little more hopeful. “I really don’t think you’re a piece of shit,” Roman offered again. He didn’t like leaving things where they were, despite his interest.

   “Can it, my liege. First rule of piece of shit hours is we don’t refute being pieces of shit. Sometimes you gotta be a piece of shit. The right now the difference between you and me is that tomorrow I’ll still be one,” Virgil said firmly. Roman shook his head but decided not to protest further. Virgil was clearly still stoned enough to not mind making a scene in public, but voi would have a panic attack about it when voi finally came down if Roman let it escalate. Voi didn’t like going out or being affectionate in public wouldn’t be within five feet of Roman without being at least a little high.

   Virgil checked voids phone for the things Janus wanted as they entered the corner store. Voi grabbed a wipe to disinfect the handbasket before heading into the snack aisle. Roman made a beeline to the little selection of wines, determined to find something halfway decent. He eyeballed the cooler for any brands he recognized. It was mostly ones he recognized as garbage wines. He did manage to find two bottles of red that were passably drinkable, and the price wasn’t bad. Virgil came up with the handbasket full of chocolates, chips, some candy, and a thing of orange juice.

   “Do you still subscribe to that theory that OJ makes the high better?” Roman asked, eyeballing the basket as he carried the wine bottles up to the front of the store.

   “I mean, it’s a great excuse to get some nutrients in my body,” Virgil laughed. Roman really couldn’t argue with that. He pulled the juice out of the basket to pay for that along with the wines, and Virgil paid for all the snacks so they could split the costs.

Roman still felt tense walking back, even though he knew there wasn’t really anything to be tense about. Other than the fact that maybe Virgil was assuming the worst about their friendship, but voi didn’t want to listen to any protests. Virgil had described a really amazing evening. They had all the supplies in hand. Maybe that was just part of piece of shit hours. Roman's usual confidence and glitter were gone tonight. Virgil would probably know though, as someone who has a terrible opinion of voidself.

   “Is still feeling like shit even though I’m objectively about to have a good time a part of piece of shit hours?” Roman laughed awkwardly as he walked along.

   “Oh, definitely. That’s why the need for weed. And the good shit and not whatever you can get for twenty bucks at the other corner,” Virgil motioned with his head to an unlit abandoned and boarded up bank across the way. Roman shuddered and picked up the pace. Virgil and Janus didn't exactly live in the best neighborhood.

   Janus was sitting with his legs primly crossed on the couch when they got back with their haul. He gave them a breezy smile when they entered, waving slightly and looking pleased.

   “Hey, Jan,” Roman waved with his free hand and went to go put the drinks in the fridge.

   “Evening, darling,” Janus smiled. “I’ve got a hit loaded up for you. Guests first,” Janus said, motioning to the bong on the coffee table.

   “Thanks. Are you going to join us?” Roman asked hopefully.

   “If you’ll have me,” Janus smirked knowingly. He probably knew Roman wanted him there and was just being polite. Virgil dropped everything on the counter unsurreptitiously and bent over the back of the couch to give Janus a kiss hello.

   “I’d love to have you,” Roman smiled flirtatiously and bent over the other side to kiss Janus’s cheek after Virgil turned back around to the counter. Janus passed over the bong and lit it for Roman to take a hit while Virgil went into the kitchen to chug some orange juice. Roman did his best, but he wasn’t exactly practiced and ended up coughing. Janus snickered at him and took a hit while Roman went to go get a glass of water for his extremely raw throat, passing Virgil to get the water filter in the fridge. Orange juice would just burn his throat more right now. He grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and had to down two full cups to soothe his throat. Virgil was pulling like a champ on the couch when he came back.

   “You want to give it another shot, Roman, or wait it out?” Janus asked, leaning back to look up at Roman.

   “I’ll try again,” Roman shrugged and sat down between the two. Virgil passed off the bong and held the lighter for him while he took another hit. He took a smaller hit this time, just in case. He’d stay the night like he always did when he joined them, so he wasn’t worried about driving, but he didn’t need to melt his brain or anything. Virgil took it back and finished the hit for voids ridiculous tolerance before putting the bong on the coffee table and taking out the empty bowl.

   “So what snacks did you get?” Janus asked, putting his arm around the back of the couch behind Roman.

   “Chips, your gummy snakes, truffles,” Virgil exhaled a puff of smoke. “They’re probably not the best ones, but I’m lookin’ forward to the truffles,” Voi smirked lazily and leaned against Roman. Roman could already feel his brain starting to slow down as he stared at the wall ahead of him. Thank goodness it was hard to take too much. Virgil and Janus would make sure he’d be safe if he got too weird. Roman leaned against Virgil took a deep breath. “Bong works fast, huh?” Virgil chuckled and Roman realized he was pressing into Virgil and playing with his hoodie strings.

   “Yeah,” Roman muttered. “Thanks. Monster’s quiet,” Roman said lazily and curled more into Virgil.

   “I’ll grab the wine,” Janus volunteered, grabbing Roman’s free hand and dusting his knuckles with a kiss before getting up.

   “So what do you think, my liege? You still want that massage?” Virgil asked silkily.

   “I like it when you call me that, even when it's sarcastic,” Roman muttered and closed his eyes. “Yes, please,” Roman smiled at Virgil, and it was assuredly a doofy smile with how he was feeling. Virgil smirked and sat up straighter before pushing Roman over on the couch. Roman landed with a soft thud and laughed before sitting back up to take off his shirt and lie down. The couch was old and beat to shit, but honestly it was so unreasonably comfortable he could sleep on it. Roman settled in while Virgil came back.

   “It definitely needs to breathe,” Janus said, coming back into the living room with a few wine glasses and the open bottle. “Not the worst gas station swill I’ve ever drank, though,” He chuckled.

   “You’re welcome,” Roman smirked smugly. Virgil leaned in to kiss Janus before he cracked open the bottle of body oil and the butterscotch smell hit Roman’s nose right away.

   “Holy shit, that smells good. Tell me you picked out butterscotches at the store,” Roman asked desperately, because that smell made him want to eat one right away.

   “I had to. I mean it’s technically edible body oil, but drinking it isn’t the best idea and it smells too delicious,” Virgil said blithely.

   “Voi speaks from experience, of course,” Janus snickered.

   “Oh, shut up,” Virgil stuck voids tongue out and turned on some music. It was some smooth R&B as prophesied. Virgil sat on Roman’s butt and poured out some oil in his hand and heated it up between his palms before moving in a wide motion across Roman’s entire back. Roman melted completely and garbled out some nonsense words as Virgil started massaging him. Janus sat on the floor in front of Roman and unwrapped a butterscotch slowly, then popped it in Roman’s mouth.

   “You’re going to kill me,” Roman moaned and sucked on the candy appreciatively while getting a back massage.

   “Sound like fun,” Janus smirked and slowly slipped a butterscotch into his own mouth, keeping a smoldering eye contact with Roman that set his face on fire. Janus looked amused by the reaction, though.

   “It’s all part of our evil schemes,” Virgil leaned down and whispered in Roman’s ear. Roman got goosebumps across his skin.

   “Whatever it is, I completely agree. I’m yours,” Roman sighed pleasurably, closing his eyes and basking in the warmth of Virgil’s hands all over his back.

   “That was easy,” Janus chuckled. “Butterscotch kiss?” He asked and leaned close to Roman’s face. Roman nodded lightly and Janus planted a tender kiss on his lips before moving in for a deeper kiss. If Roman’s brain had absolutely any functionality left in it, Janus’s sugary kiss completely removed all of it.

   “Don’t get him too worked up or we can’t be all romantic and shit in the candlelight,” Virgil chided and worked on Roman’s shoulders.

   “I don’t care,” Roman murmured against Janus’s lips when he pulled away.

   “Too bad,” Virgil hissed quietly against his ear and caused another fresh wave of goosebumps. Janus got up and lit the candles on the table with the lighter from earlier and switched off the living room light. Virgil massaged Roman’s back for a few more minutes in the dim light and Roman relaxed deeper than he felt like he had in years. “Feeling any better?” Virgil asked, slowly sliding his hands back down Roman’s back to sit back.

   “Leagues. Oceans. Lightyears,” Roman said appreciatively. “You’re an angel in black. A siren to my doom, that I will happily crash my ship into the jaunty rocks for,” Roman cooed. Virgil laughed and climbed off of Roman. Voi helped him sit up on the couch.

   “You’re so weird, beautiful,” Virgil purred and reached up for Roman’s face. Roman leaned into Virgil’s palm and let himself be drawn closer for a tender kiss that felt like fireworks in his chest.

   “After the massage and the kisses I’m not sure I even needed the weed,” Roman said softly as Virgil pulled away. Janus sat on the couch next to Roman and pressed the now filled wine glass into Roman’s hand before passing one to Virgil as well.

   “Nonsense, then how would you appreciate this cheap chocolate?” Janus asked lightly, pulling at the edges of the wrapper on a truffle and pressing it to his lower lip before pushing it into his mouth. Roman moaned with delight. It was much more delicious than it had any right to being for the cost.

   “I concede,” Roman chuckled as the last bit melted on his tongue. Janus held a truffle in his teeth and Virgil tittered before leaning in and stealing a kiss to take the truffle. The kissing right next to Roman’s face was surprisingly intense to watch, and he had to sip his wine just to keep from overheating.

   “So, darling, overworking yourself, or under-appreciated?” Janus leaned against Roman on one side and Virgil came in on the other. Cuddles when you are completely relaxed and stoned are otherworldly. He took another sip of wine that was more decent than he remembered. Though, maybe that was also the weed.

   “Both, maybe? I don’t know. Under-appreciated makes it sound like I’m being a brat or something. I don’t feel like I am being bratty. It’s just so hard to get validation in creative fields and I feel like I’m sick of trying. I’m not throwing a fit or anything, just tired of the effort with no return,” Roman huffed slightly, but he didn’t feel like he was capable of being upset right now. Not while sandwiched between two cute people who were dead-set on spoiling him.

   “There’s nothing bratty about feeling under-appreciated,” Janus kissed Roman’s temple.

   “Thanks,” Roman muttered and sipped his wine again. Virgil basically slithered up under his arm to steal another kiss. The three of them enjoyed another truffle as they worked on their wine in the candlelight.

   “You know what’s fun?” Virgil smiled mischievously as voi put a butterscotch in voids mouth.

   “Hmm?” Roman hummed curiously and looked to Virgil. Virgil came in and kissed him deeply, and by the time they both came up for air, Roman had the butterscotch melting in his mouth.

   “That,” Virgil smirked. Roman smiled and pecked Virgil’s forehead as he enjoyed the gifted candy. They laid closely together and sipped their wine in the candlelight, and Roman struggled to find anything bad in the entire world while enveloped in their warmth.

   “You know darling, if you want to feel more appreciated we can do this more often,” Janus murmured gently as he handed Roman another truffle to delight in. Roman plucked it out of Janus’s fingers with his teeth and smirked to Janus, who raised his eyebrow in interest.

   “Jan,” Virgil groaned and shot Janus a warning look.

   “What?” Janus asked, sounding every hint of innocent that he probably was not. Roman laughed as he watched them.

   “I mean it can’t be spoiling me every time, that’s unfair,” Roman shook his head humorously.

   “You’re welcome to give me a massage and tell me I’m pretty, I won’t stop you,” Janus smirked and reached around to hug Roman around the waist. Roman leaned into it and pressed his head against Janus’s neck happily.

   “Jan, stop it,” Virgil pouted and crossed voids arms. Roman looked up with a quizzical face. He wasn’t sure what Virgil was objecting to.

   “I’m just saying,” Janus shrugged and kissed Roman’s ear. A shiver went up his spine and discombobulated him momentarily.

   “You know he doesn’t- never mind,” Virgil huffed and leaned away from Roman, looking upset.

   “I don’t what, Virgil?” Roman asked and pulled Virgil back to kiss voids hair. Voi flushed slightly and downed the rest of voids glass of wine.

   “You don’t like us like that,” Virgil muttered quietly. Roman handed off his glass of wine to Janus, who released Roman’s waist. Roman pulled Virgil in for a kiss; one that he tried his damnest to communicate his feelings with since he was clearly failing with words. He ran his hand through Virgil’s hair and slid under voids shirt. Virgil returned the passion just as amorously after a moment of hesitation. Voids hands glided across Roman’s back affectionately while they kissed. Roman slid down to Virgil’s neck and voi moaned softly as Roman kissed and nipped at it. Virgil looked absolutely dazed when Roman came back up with a smug smile.

   “I wanted to be swept off my feet. But you’ve left me in orbit and I don’t plan on coming down,” Roman said and softly held Virgil’s face, looking into voids eyes affectionately.

   “Ro, I’m too stoned to follow your wordy nonsense, what in the world are you saying?” Virgil furrowed voids eyebrows.

  “I’m saying let’s never stop. Piece of shit hours are over because you took me out of the gutter and launched me over the moon. When I wake up and leave tomorrow, I come back and take both of you on a date to pay you two back for tonight. And I show you you’re not a piece of shit still in the light of day. And then I ask you both out when I’m not stoned because you’d never believe me while I was, which is good of you,” Roman leaned in to kiss Virgil on voids forehead again, as tenderly as he could.

   “You’re right, I wouldn’t,” Virgil looked to Roman suspiciously when he pulled back.

   “Well, whether or not you believe me, we intended to have fun tonight. And I believe I owe Janus a kiss if you would like to join me,” Roman raised his eyebrow and pulled Virgil close in temptation.

   “You do,” Janus purred and leaned past Roman’s shoulder to kiss Virgil’s head before planting a kiss on the nape of Roman’s neck. Virgil smiled up to the pair of them hopefully and got up to come around behind Janus and wrapped voids arms around Janus’s chest before kissing the side of his neck. Roman turned around and ran his thumb along Janus’s jaw before leaning in, intending to kiss Janus so hard he’d look just as dazed as Virgil did.

[spnfanficpond]

October Angel Fish Awards

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations and make sure you’re signed into Tumblr or your URL won’t show. (If the form asks for your name and email address, then you’re not signed in.) If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle or Mana to check and make sure we got your submission.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE OCTOBER’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @impala-dreamer​

 Lay All Your Love on Me (oneshot) by @idabbleincrazy​

Very very tasty Sam smut here. Love him just letting go and getting into it. Very good work!!

For Tonight (oneshot) by @dontshootmespence​ 

Amazing. Simple yet beautiful and oh the sweet pain. I loved it.

Nominated by Anon

Ride with Me by @katehuntington​

This story is amazing! Kate is weaving such an intricate little AU while still remaining true to the characters. Her descriptions are spot on and the dialogue just feels so…perfect. I adore the insight we are getting from Dean’s perspective too. This is such a unique story and now I just want to go on a trail ride (and find me a cowboy *winks*)!

Nominated by @manawhaat​

Dessert Then Dinner (oneshot) by @atc74​

HOLY SHITBALLS! I generally am not a slut for Rob, but this made me the absolute biggest slut for Rob. Oy vey. The inspiration was fucking there! That picture did things to me and the fic that followed definitely did things to me. It’s hot, it’s fucking ACCURATE representation of lust for the way a man is dressed. Ay ay ay, these words and image are just happen to be exactly what makes my brain explode. 

Witches Fuckin’ Suck (oneshot) by @crashdevlin​

This. Fic. Is. Fuckin’. Weird. It’s weird. It’s absolutely weird. IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. OMG. I have never related to all parties in a fic so thoroughly. It’s hilarious. It’s ridiculous. There’s a funniness and curiosity that bleeds into sexiness in such a light and honest way. The way this scenario presents itself is so damn real within the realm of Jody and Donna and me. Fucking fantastic! 

Nominated by @slytherkins​

River (oneshot) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Love me some Denny, but this one is almost better because it’s just implied. There are all sorts of references to Dean’s past, but they are subtle, and the fic itself is understated. It’s also hawt. :p And Dean is so in character. I just…I just like this. Is just good. Bittersweet and sexy.

Drabble #5 (oneshot) by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters​

I loved this drabble. It’s so understated. Big responses in these types of situations are great and all, but I think the fact that they were so reserved made it all the more touching. And particularly in character for Dean, imho. Read it! Be moved. :p

A Dangerous Game ch.6 (series) by @risingphoenix761​

Ooooooh Myyyyy Gaaaaaaawd. Y'all. New chapter. Smut…so hawt. Character dynamic…so fun. Crowley…so, so secksy. Magic…so magicy. :p Remusly, this series just blows me away.  

Nominated by @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​

About A Boy (series) by @percywinchester27​

I would like to nominate Ana’s About a Boy series. It has me on the edge of my seat already. Ana is such an insanely smart writer and she really knows how to build a story. She also know her character super well and she is wicked at writing them as kids/young adults. It’s not a reader insert which I know turn a bunch of people off which is a huge shame cause this one really deserves a lot of love and attention.

Nominated by @lovetusk​

A Little Hide and Seek (series) by @iflostreturntosteverogers​

Can I nominate this new series that Carrie is working on? She’s really growing as a writer lately, and so far this series really showcases that.

Nominated by @princessmisery666​

Blood In Bed (oneshot) by @slytherkins​

So I don’t support @slytherkins as much as she supports me and my writing so I wanted to read something of hers, even though it’s not my ‘usual’ cup of tea!!

And god damn I’m so f******g happy, scrap that, ecstatic that I did. This was fun, engaging, funny, sweet and heart breaking. I know she knows Crowley, she quite literally is his Queen 👑. She gets him spot on and this could quite easily be canon. I can see it happening.

I wish I had the words to tell you how brilliant this is, how much I really like it. Demon Dean is perfectly portrayed and I just can’t express how good this is. Mark as my favourite and one I will return to, many times.

Not Always The Way (oneshot) by @kittenofdoomage​

THIS WAS PERFECTION!! Yes I know I’m shouting but I need to!!!

Sweet, fluffy, smutty, perfectly Sam, cute and awkward and kind and patient and just yeah!

Nominated by @ellen-reincarnated1967​

A New Fall (series) by @iwantthedean​ 

It's autumn themed, full of the apple pie life, orchards, pumpkins, cinnamon rolls that you can eat as well as the human cinnaroll Jensen post season 15. The family history of the reader really puts you right at the farmer's market and you'll feel cozy. There's also a twist. Looking forward to the rest, but the chapters up now, are addicting like apple pie!

Nominated by @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish​

Blood and Water (series) by @crashdevlin​

This story is fan-freakin-tastic! I love everything about it. I’m all about Dark!chesters and Crash is killing it, especially since the boys still feel in character despite the whole ‘screwing their sisiter’ thing. Bravo Crash! Can’t wait to see what else is in store for these three.

His Property (series) by @negans-lucille-tblr​

How do I begin to describe this amazing work of fanfic? Dirty? Kinky? Delicious? Dramatic? Angsty? Smutty? Surprise conflict? On point characters in a very very alternate universe? Yes, I think one of those is a good place to start. Bottom Line: READ THIS FIC (and its sequel Yours)!

Mr. Impala (mixed media) by @evansrogerskitten​

I don’t even remember how I stumbled across this gem but I was shook! I totally thought I was looking at the real thing! And then I read the article, and I was absolutely reading the real AU thing! Such an awesome work of art and fic combined! I was blown away by the quality of it! Props to Ash (and all the other art people) for such an awesome piece and even more props for merging art and fic flawlessly!

Nominated by @stunudo​

Smokestack Lightning (oneshot) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

I’m nominating MJ’s awesome Sam/Rowena fic because it was what we needed after The Rupture. It is real, but also fun and flirty. She is a master at layering the emotions into her fics, especially the smutty ones.

Nominated by @wi-deangirl77​

Stages of Grief (drabble) by @plaidstiel-wormstache​

I’m nominating this drabble by my gal Jessie because it’s so different than a lot of the fics out there.  The way she coveys the pain and sorrow that the characters feel after such a loss is palpable.  And the way she jumps forward to the future that neither of the remaining characters could have even thought possible at the beginning of the story is very bittersweet. 

What’s Left of Me (drabble) by @waywardjoy​

Once again the Queen of Angst (as I’ve so lovingly dubbed her) brings it to the next level.  Writing it all from Sam’s POV she sets up this dark, DARK fic (heed the warnings peeps) for one hell of a ride.  You can’t help but feel as confused, scared and out of control as our hero Sam does as she takes you down the spiraling track that is the plot of this fic.  Well done, dear Joy…well done. 

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

As with the BFAs, these are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

[catnip-smuggler-radio]

Bloodlust

((Was chatting with a few new acquaintances in a LS awhile back and they said they couldn’t see Tray ever being violent.  I realized he hasn’t actually done anything violent in several months now...like I just realized it’s been over three!   He’s been going through a lot of personal growth though during that time, which has been awesome! But yeah the LS prompted me to write something so here it is.  As always is the case for violent or gory writing on this Tumblr, writing below cut for any not wishing to read that content.))

The doors to the ‘Coffer and Coffin’ crashed open as a man came tumbling though them.  The Seeker bounty hunter bounced across the deck and then down the front steps to slam hard onto the dirt and gravel of the Thanalan road.  The stars gleamed in their cold, fey light overhead as they watched the figure slowly pick himself up off the ground, blood leaking from his nose and mouth as he pulled a knife from his belt and spun back to face the open door. He swallowed as he heard a terrified scream suddenly replaced with a sinister ripping noise which in turn was replaced by at  a wet gurgling.  The bounty hunter felt his hand tremble as his eyes beheld the red-headed miqo’te tearing the throat out of his victim with his fangs.  Tray dropped the thrashing body in his hands to the floor and turned to look at the remaining bounty hunter, ignoring the man at his feet as they clutched at the gaping hole in their esophagus.  They were already dead, they just hadn’t realized it yet.  The bounty hunter watched as Tray slowly approached him, the smuggler’s jack-boots thundering on the wooden planks of the floor.  Tray slowly chewed the pulpy mound of muscle and meat in his mouth before swallowing the red mess.  Crimson coated his face and dripped from his chin as he gifted the bounty hunter with a sadistic smile that exposed his fangs once more. “Ye shoulda left like I told ye too when ye had teh chance. Ready to eat yer words, meow?” Tray purred, his head canted to the side as his lone, blue eye blazed with a feral hunger. “Go fuck yourself!”  The bounty hunter exclaimed, forcing himself to sound bolder than he felt.  Tray could see the Seeker’s knife-hand shaking.  “What, ye can talk shit when ye have two friends at yer side, but meow dat it’s just meh an’ ye, ye lose yer nerve?  What happened to ye swearin’ ye was gonna collect on meh bounty, eh?”  Tray licked his lips.  He continued to advance, the boards of the steps creaking under his weight as he descended them.  With each step forward Tray took, the bounty hunter took one step back. “Ye just like ever other fuckin’ Seeker male I’ve had teh displeasure of fuckin’ interactin’ with of late.” Tray snorted as his wicked-looking bone knife flashed from his belt and spun through his fingers.  The bounty hunter could see the years of dried blood coating the hooked blade’s surface.  “All talk an’ zero bite.” “Screw you!” the bounty hunter drew back and hurled the knife in his hand.  He turned to flee.  He had seen Tray butcher two of his comrades that night and didn’t fancy his chances alone against the ghastly apparition of feral bloodlust. The bounty hunter’s world was suddenly fire and agonizing pain as something bit into his legs and his Achilles’ tendon severed.  The muscle snapped up the inside of his leg like a bow-string as the suddenly useless limb wobbled underneath him and then gave out.  The bounty hunt went sprawling face-first across the Thanalan road for the second time that night and cried out in agony as he looked back to see Tray’s knife of bone sticking from his leg. Tray was right behind him, clutching at his side where the Seeker’s own knife had found a new home.  The seeker seized a rock, rolled over, and hurled it at Tray’s head in a desperate Hail-Mary attack.  Tray caught the rock in his free hand before he hefted his boot and brought it crashing down on the man’s knee.  There was a horrible shattering sound as the bone gave to the impact and the leg bent backwards at an unnatural angle.  The seeker screamed again and tried to do anything to help himself but another kick found his gut and took the air from him as he rolled over onto his belly.  A blow to the side of his skull dazed him and his head began to swim.  Pain, fear, and now confusion rattled around in his jarred brain as he felt a finger dipping itself into the head-wound as if it was an quill dabbing up ink. A few moments later, the Seeker felt his head jerked up violently by his hair.  His blurred vision was greeted with the sight of the rock he had thrown painted with the words:  “Failed Father.”  in Tray’s handwriting. “Told ye I was gonna make ye eat yer own words.”  Tray sneered as he recalled how the Seeker had used the insult not once but twice earlier, before the bloodbath had started.  The memory heated Tray’s blood further and he  crammed the rock into the other male’s mouth, heedless of any damage done to jaw or teeth.  Tray let the Seeker’s head fall to the ground before he stood up, lifted his boot up on high one last time, and then drove it down to merge skull, brains, and stone into one messy mix. The stars overhead watched as Tray turned from the twitching ruin at his feet and began to return towards the ‘Coffer and Coffin, pausing a few times to drag his boot in the earth to clean away the bits of bone and mush.  He came to the front door and met the horrified looks of the owner and the few remaining patrons.  He reached into his coat to pull out a rag and wipe away some of the mess on his face.  “Meh apologies for teh incident.” Tray said sincerely to the wide-eyed people.  He reached into his coat and tossed a large bag of gil over to the bar tender, who let the bag fall behind the counter and spill on the floor.  “Reparations for teh cleanin’.” Tray nodded as he turned and quickly made tracks away from the building and bodies before the Blade’s showed up.  Once he was a good distance form the bar, he gave a small whistle and then began to sing softly: ‘What do ye do with teh drunken whaler...”

[neuroticphysiologist]

"First Demolition Derby, Check."

For FabFiveFeb - Alan

@gumnut-logic

Giving this a try...

Prompts: "dirt road", "I wish"

This is a flashback, going back to Alan's high school days, let's say eleventh grade, and I have my OCs here as his schoolmates. This was also before the Alan and Kayo moments, or Alan and Tintin moments, if you're thinking about the classic.

Bear with me, guys, this theme is new to me. I've been writing random fan fics for almost a decade, but for this fandom, I would like to give it a try.

And yes, first person POV, which I'm comfortable with.

I'm a bit nervous posting this tho...

Rated T.

***

Alan

This was when my schoolmates saw me drive like a real racer.

Our old fellow Rick took us to his dad's old abandoned racing track. His dad was a racer in the mid 21st century and he also modified his car with technology from 2040. Rick really got his racing attitude from his dad, and he said that he wanted to be like him someday.

The racing track is Rick's practice field, and he can now use it with his friends for small fun racing. There were also old trucks and buses at the side, those were used for racing now, instead of secondhanded cars.

Going back, Mike picked three of the best junior racers of Rick's track. Luther, or Leather Luther as  they call him during races, is of course, the guy who usually wears leather jackets. He is known for his agility when it comes to driving. Next we have Ted the Flash, who obviously likes to go fast. Then the co-owner of the racing track himself, Rick, or Rad Ricky. And two more to go to occupy the trucks.

Mike looked at me and my closest friend Skye like he adored two lovers. Here's a brief story about me and Skye.

We met during English class in seventh grade. We almost have the same interests and we go on random adventures together. She's the only one who knows that I'm from International Rescue, since she got into a major invention mishap with Otis that took them to outer space, and I rescued them along with John. That was a test rocketship that they modified. Oh, and Otis knows me too.

We stay together as friends. Sometimes my brothers tease me because they think that we're a perfect match. We always hang out, those were the moments that we get to know each other better. We never thought about serious relationship because, of course, age, and her parents did not approve of that yet. Anyways, Skye's the coolest friend I've ever had.

Okay, going back, Mike picked her, aka Sassy Skye, since he knows that she rides motorbikes and going fast too. And he picked me too, which I don't want to, first of all. My schoolmates have never seen me race. Yeah, I like to go fast, but not as fast as I go when I fly Thunderbird 3, since I don't want to blow my cover.

"Okay, fine," I said. "But this is the last time you're gonna see me race."

I'm used to driving on the asphalt, but this was my first driving on the dirt road.

The three hurriedly picked their old favorite. What  Skye got was a zombie-themed truck, and what's left for me is a grayish bus that looks like a truck for food delivery or something like that. Then we are ready to roll, with all systems go and engines roaring like... a cat, I guess. Since you know, old buses?

Mike waved the flag and the race started. We accelerated, but it turns out that my truck is slower than I thought. Damn, they got me a truck with the lowest horsepower out of all five. I wish this could go a little faster... actually, a lot faster.

"Alan, that shit has a turbo power you can use," Mike called. "I just modified that."

"Oh," I replied back. "Why didn't you say so?"

Here goes...

It went as fast as Rick's favorite truck. There we go!

Leather Luther bumped into Ted and he lost the race because his opponent was stronger. Looks like it turned into a demolition derby.

"You again, you old bastard?" Luther yelled. "That was the third time!"

Ted dashed off with a cackle.

The fight was on, and Skye and I were trying to avoid the wrestle.

Oops, too late.

Ted bumped onto my truck. I tried my best to get away and pass him. I achieved the obstacle, and it's now down to me, Rick, and Skye.

"Can't believe you got me, Tracy!"

But then, Rad Ricky crashed the windows from Skye's bus. He took her down, luckily she landed safely. She stormed out of her bus and threw her helmet at Rick's truck. "You nasty son of a bitch!"

It was down to me and Rick. Tough race though, it was novice versus expert of the track. I did what I can to pass him but he bumps onto me. Alright, the fight is on.

I tried to get away, but we kept on bumping, until we accidentally hit a stadium light. It fell, caused some sparks, and it landed near my truck. I got away from Rick, he accidentally went off the track, and now I took the lead. Except that the back of my truck is on fire because of the broken stadium light that fell on it.

I looked around my spot if there's a gallon of water or fire extinguisher to stop it. I tried to hit the brakes but they're stuck. I accidentally broke the emergency brake too. My only option is to get out of the truck but I was going too fast and I'm trying to find a way to stop it.

The crew chased me, and Skye hopped on my truck.

"Alan, your truck is on fire!"

"I know!" I yelled. "I have to stop this first, but my brakes aren't working!"

"Try to break the turbo power to slow it down."

"Oh, right!"

I grabbed an axe to break the turbo power machine, and it worked. The truck is moving slower.

"It worked," I said. "But we still have to make this thing stop."

Skye had a quick view at where I'm going. "Hey, how about a hay?"

"That would work."

"Otis and Luther got extinguishers ready."

"Great. Let's get out of here!"

We jumped off the truck and it stopped when it reached a bunch of hay. Then Otis and Luther hurriedly put out the fire. The race is over.

"That... was... fuckin' awesome!" Ted jumped up.

"Awesome?" I stared at him. "My truck was on fire!"

"Don't worry, Alan," Rick said. "We've been through that before. Otis' truck was on fire in the middle of the race. He jumped off and almost sprained his ankle, but he's okay. That's why we have our extinguishers ready."

Mike exclaimed. "What's awesome is you won. That was your first race here, but you won!"

"And you're one of the few guys who beat Ricky in a truck race," Luther added.

"You did a cool move back there too," Skye held my hand.

"Thanks, guys," I smiled.

Our conversations continued and Rick wanted to talk to me more.

"Maybe next time, Alan, wanna go?"

"Hmm... maybe?"

"We'll decide when will be our next race."

Not that easy as I expected like from one of my favorite video games, but that went well.

(End of flashback)

"And you guys were safe?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Rick got that all covered."

"Why didn't you tell me about that before? Your truck was on fire, Alan."

"Sorry, Scott. I thought you're gonna be mad at me for driving a truck at maximum power and accidentally got it on fire."

"Well at least you're okay, and they were prepared. Although, we can improve your car's settings while waiting for Virgil and Gordon."

"Wow, thanks, bro!"

***

I tried my best... apologies for some confusion.

[ts-2020-olympics]

EPISODE 1 - “My Legs Were Not Qwoperating” - Kathy (Part 1)

One world ! 24 other players ! I 

I'm too old to be here but... it's happening! I made it on Tumblr Survivor mom! Determined to not be first boot!

Also I'm aligning with Jordan Pines because I love chaos and these newbies won't know what hit them

Well this is certainly something. I'm going to try out seeing who pms me without me saying anything. I'll pick up the activity tomorrow, so it doesn't really affect me, let's see if anyone takes the initiative so I don't have to. If I get dragged into a majority alliance then that's cool. I don't think that this group is great in terms of teamwork as of yet, but we'll see. There's so many tribes our chances of going to tribal are pretty slim, even if we suck. We're kindof underdogs, so sucking might not be excusable. 

First day of surviving the Survivor survivorship...survivor. These forms are going to take some time to get used to, but I'll manage. Got conversations from Beck and Sammy so far - might scope the field, see what's out there. Or, I can lay low and do what I need to do for my team until merge hits. 

i actually really like the people on my tribe and i'm excited because i have hopes for us. i've also made some nice friends so far and i'm hoping that pays off later but even if it doesn't i'm glad my first day in a skype survivor org has been positive! woo!

Fuck this complicated ass first challenge 

Hello! Guess whose back? It me! Anyway, it’s been a fun first night. Things are going okay. I am worried a little bit about the One World mess, I don’t want to come off too social right now but at the same time I need to secure a good place. So here is the breakdown analysis of my tribe: Chris Stoner: hello ???? I didn’t know they let stoners into the Olympics, didn’t we drug test? I haven’t spoken to him much but we did play Crossroads together although not really together. Anyway, fun to see him. Don’t know if I’d work with him but I guess that’s to be determined. Karen: KARENNNNN! I wasn’t expecting to see them here but now that it’s happening I am very glad to have someone who I have worked with before around, and a solid foundation of working together. Right away I felt like I had someone who had my back and I hope I’m not misreading that, because Karen and I always seem to work together until a certain point. Hopefully we can work together longer than usual this time! Kevin: uhhh soooooo love Kevin but we don’t have the best track record? He was in Circle with me we had a little fight where I may have called him a racist for being mad at Asya anyway it SEEMS as though that’s not an issue anymore and I think we might be able to work something out. I don’t wanna have to vote Kevin out before Stoner or Tommy. Tommy: ok no offense to this man but he is so hard to talk to so far. Every conversation feels flat and even though we are talking about subjects I could go on about for a while, it feels like the convos are going nowhere. I feel like there’s a sort of slight bond between Karen, Kevin and I but then Tommy and Stoner are kind of...hopefully who they’d want to kill off first, I’m probably wildly misreading every situation rn. Outside of my tribe I’ve talked to Juls who I am going to take under my wing as my daughter and she will win this season if I don’t get to! I love her so much she reminds me of my old school Skype babies and I feel like a cool mom when I talk to her I’ve also talked to beck briefly, KING love him bc he’s dating Asya and I don’t necessarily want to bond based on that. I also know beck is a good as game player bc I’ve watched him play so......I’m gonna be nice and observant and maybe we can establish a threat/threat symbiotic relationship. I also talked to Jacob C. who I love so much and he and I have been comparing some notes. He’s already told me Sammy has an idol that he can only use for three rounds so heh heh heh. OH SPEAKING OF SAMMY I love that man he’s such a doll and I really hope we can work together if I get far. At this point I love this cast but I really feel like I am not gonna vibe with the newbies, they’re like very....quiet in the PM’s but loud in the one world chat? I find that backwards. I’m hoping the newbies I do like will be able to  get rid of the newbies I don’t like so that when we merge the newbies I do like will help me get rid of the returnees I don’t wanna work with. That’s what we are manifesting, 2020 vision yeehaw. 

Showmance, eh? I might play dumb, surprise them all later? I could play the role of disposable pawn while possibly orchestrating things behind the shadows. Could be a long, long shot, but it could work. 

AAAAHHHHH IM HERE HI MOM IM ON TV IM SO EXCITED AND I CANT WAIT FOR EVERYTHING IM ALSO SCARED AS FUCK CUS EVERYONE KNOWS HOW THESE THINGS WORK AND I DONT 

omg okay this is all so crazy i love it i can’t stop shaking AAAAHHH dhdkshHSJDHEVSJbokayOKAY so like i LOOOVE my tribe we’re the fuckin best tribe here cus we’re all so cool like we’re the FRIENDSHIP tribe and being able to make friends is a useful skill in this game like no offense but being the “dominant” tribe or “champions” tribe or whatever tbh it’s pretty unskinny bc that’s a target on you forever whereas my tribe we’re all friendly and trusting!! 💖💞 xoxo lets hold hands all the way to finale and have fun! 🌈✨

okay i forgot to talk about strategy lol anyways yeah I looOOOVve everyone on my tribe and that’s great but also sucks because there’s only 5 of us, it just takes 3 votes to send you out so I wish there was some oblivious cocky dick on our tribe we all could hate so we’d have an easy first vote like that guy Billy.. why is he on the respect tribe¿? anyways i love everyone but I think Will and I are becoming the closest we talked for a lil while last night yknow things got a little steamy 🥰😩 (you’ll have to pay for ts all access for that footage 😘) we bonded really well and I think for this first vote if we lose, Will and I are definitely gonna be voting together.

Alright, so here we are at the 2020 Olympics.   I came in as a last minute replacement, so I feel like I have to prove myself more than some others who applied weeks before hand and made the cut.   As well, got some past players, and past winners, which makes the competition stakes that much greater this season.   Then, to top it all off, at the One World style camp, so can talk to everyone which is definitely a nice touch.   Now, regards to my tribe, I honestly like the people on my tribe, and find that we're going to be a solid crew.   Here is my actual impressions on my tribe mates thus far though: Beck - Probably one I recognize most, just due to being in a discord org vl with her, definitely seems like a friendly gal, and when time is right, I feel she could end up being my closest ally on the tribe Ben - Probably one so far who I have talked the most too, and I feel like we're connecting alright thus far, so going to keep building up a bond with him and his route could end up being as my first ally of these Olympics. Kathy - Haven't spoken one on one with her yet, just in the tribe chat somewhat and main chat, which she definitely seems like a cool person, and hoping to get to know her a bit better, but terms of this game, hard to say if we'll be on same side or not. Bailey - Speaking with her a little, but kind of same lines as Kathy currently with her, just not sure if Bailey will end up being an ally who will be with me, or someone who will be against me. Overall, time will tell how this game goes, but hopefully it goes well for me and I come out with at least something worth while.

HOLY SHIT I FOUND AN ADVANTAGE OH MY GOD!!!!! I GOT AN ADVANTAGE ON DAY FUCKIN TWO OF MY FIRST SURVIVOR EVERR HOLY SHIT!!!! okay so it says i can get an extra vote IF at the next tribal i decide to NOT vote and save that vote for later so i’d have an extra vote. Now the hard part is making my first tribal an easy vote so i can save my own.. hopefully i’ll be able to do this! i’m so scared ohmygod

okay i’m in a serious predicament... so I may not vote at the next tribal meaning there’s only 4 votes. While looking at the cast reveal i discovered something.. Nik is a drag queen, Eve also does drag as well... what if they applied together from some drag community or are bonding because of that. That’s 2 votes together already on a tribe of five.. that’s dangerous especially when I’m not allied with either of them! If they vote together and i don’t vote... they’d have half the votes already and may get rid of my ally Will! I’m hoping to god they don’t know each other but if they are aligned then Will or I could be out! I want this advantage but i don’t know if i can take it.... fuuUUUUCK

I’m really enjoying my tribe and I think that the people in this game are super awesome! However with that being said, I can definitely see who could potentially be an issue down the line and I’m keeping my eyes peeled for them!

whoa. this game is a lot. I managed to message everyone on day one because I just rely on my social abilities. I tried to be as relatable as possible to everyone but literally some people were dead fish. Some newbies have asked me for advice already and they said returners are intimidating so I said "I mean only the returners that won" hahah and they were like "oh yeah so true" sorry I threw y'all under the bus. But ummm kathy is playing and we are from the same hometown so I am hoping we end up on same tribe sometime soon. I love juls too!! OH AND JACOB IS MY RIDE OR DIE. we had a tribe call and I was so uncomfortable because I felt like I had nothing to add to the conversation. my fav 2 on my tribe are Jacob and Caeleb tho! umm okay last thing I searched for the idol....AND BIH ON DA FIRST TRY I GOT ONE BLSFSI only good for next three tribals I attend tho. I told Jacob. it was in a yellow condom. okay sorry this was very choppy I just wanted to get it all out.

This tribe seems to be working fine together, while I'm still terrified of losing, I think we stand a fighting shot. This cool little band of misfits would be a cool sight. I've kept my quiet for the first day, time to ramp things up just a tad. I've talked to Landen and I feel pretty alright about him, and given this tribe is as small as my will to life after playing QWOP, we only need one more! Landen's probably talking to everyone, so I just need to seal the deal with him. I think my challenge performance will suffice for being enough to keep me around, but I need a bit of a backup just in case. If we go to tribal, there's not a "stay UTR" option. It's either I'm in an alliance and I'm calling some shots, or I'm being (in)directly blindsided. But, I picked my strong suit in flash games for a reason fellas. The one world chat has quite a bit of activity. I'm quite and that's fine, if we swap I can readjust. If we go to tribal I'm sure I'll become just a tad more popular along with the other 9 that go. tldr:I'm winning duh

Ayo, tribe energy looking DOPE AS HELL BAY BAY! We all seem to be getting along pretty well, seeing as our communication during this challenge is pretty dope! No bad personalities in sight. I gotta wonder though, how nervous do I have to be? I know for a damn fact if I start talking more to these people they gon' be fallin' as hard as underage kids seeing the hottest girl in school enter their club. Thing is though, I'm fresh meat coming into this, so any pre existing relationships in this game are like dust mites to me. Can't see em' but GOD DAMN they annoy me. Nonetheless, I gotta work my magic in case we go to Tribal. I ain't letting anybody take out a rookie, especially a rookie who has somethin' to prove, and someone who at his best is the damn king of the world. See me work bay bay!

[xtswifts]

in all my years on tumblr, this is still one of my favorite gifs of tay in existence, so i shall use it now on my mega ooc appreciation post.

i am still on hiatus — it has been a ROUGH 36 hours my dudes — but i did want to drop in and post some ic/ooc appreciation things while this week is still here because i am all in the business of sharing the love. it’s one of the many reasons i absolutely adore this group. this group has always been about love, for me, and would probably be the singular word i’d use to describe my experience here.

i joined this lovely bunch back in july, i do believe? i had actually just finished up writing and self-publishing my third book which wound up being a behemoth (seriously it was a lot) and while i was absolutely and completely braindead when it came to writing, i still wanted to write. i’m a writer. that’s who i am and that’s who i’ll always be. i wanted something a lot more low-stakes, kind of go-with-the-flow, no real pressure and more collaborative than the isolating fun of novel-writing, so i turned back to roleplay. hollywood rps have always been my absolute favorites in the rpc for whatever reason; i have such fond memories in hollywood groups and it’s a fun and creative way for me to just project the love i have for my faves. after a few experiences in groups during late 2017 and early 2018 i was pretty sure that i was done with roleplay. it just wasn’t the same for me, no matter where i went. priorities had shifted and it was no longer about writing because you loved to write. but, me being ever the optimist, i decided to dive back into the tags and see what was still around or had recently popped up. i found this group and i saw that they had just had a taylor swift removed from the group, and hi hello nice to meet you i am taylor swift trash no. 1!!!, i felt like it was all Meant To Be or something like that (plus, she was taken in every other group and that’s who i really wanted to put a hand at writing). so i put in an app for her, got accepted, and i have been plaguing your dashes ever since :~))

in the four-ish months that i have been here, so much has happened in my life. i started my (outrageously stressful) junior year of college, i lost my grandma, i went to go see queen swift in atlanta and meet my baby princess camila, i have had major friend complications and doubts about my career track and i have had just really boring, empty days where everything was going seemingly okay. this group has been there for me through every high, low, and in between. this group has been my escape to run to when i’m stressed or up late at night and can’t sleep or just really looking to be social or want to write something. this group has been so welcoming, warm, and fun; i have had the opportunity to explore my character any which way that i please and form awesome plots with people, and even more awesome friendships ooc. some of you send really, really kind things my way which, fyi, i’m super grateful for and have probably cried over because this was the first time i not only felt welcomed in a group as taylor, but felt welcomed in a group as me. i am so grateful that i get to call this place my internet home and there is absolutely nowhere else i would rather be spending my free time writing. i stand by what i say: this is the best group in the tags, hands down. you could not ask for a more inclusive, diverse, welcoming, creative playground to spend your time on. to all the lovely admins over on main @hollywoodfamerp​ thank you for doing the heavy lifting and giving us a safe and warm place that we can call home. the work you do never goes unnoticed. you are appreciated and you are so, so loved. ♡  

some ~personal~ shoutouts:

@nhxran​ — peyton, you are without a doubt one of my best friends both in this group and just in general. we had an immediate chemistry as writing partners from that very first starter reply and nothing about that has changed. you are the writing partner i always hoped i would find in a group due to how generous you are in every reply, the way you are willing to headcanon and brainstorm (even at the craziest of hours) and i still remain in awe of you as a roleplayer with the way you juggle such diverse characters, all of which have their prominent voices that never seem to overlap. you are the roleplayer i wish i could be. even though we might sometimes be ships in the night ic, ooc i know that you are always there and you always have my back, and i truly hope you know that the same goes for you. i love you, you intelligent, creative, witty, beautiful, heart-of-gold woman you. i would not have stayed in this group if i had not met you. you are one of my favorite people, period. thank you for being one of my dearest friends.

@cara-x-delevingne​ — mickey, the first person to ever pop into my ims and say hello (and you were FAST about it too, lol), you have been one of my favorite people to write with! the way you breathe a life into your characters is almost unparalleled to any writer, much less any writer in a hwood group. you have such a talent and not only that, you are funny and kind and inclusive and i am so glad that there are people like you (and you) still out there in this world. we need more people like you. thank you for one of the most epic friendships i’ve ever written in a group and always challenging me to step up to the plate and bring my a-game with taylor. you inspire me and i love you. never change.

@armiehmmer​ — graaaaace, the law to my swift! you were actually one of the reasons i joined this rp; before i joined i stalked a few blogs and as i have told you (and you have probably seen via my wildin’ ass on twitter) i love jen, so much. i saw how dedicated you were to your jen and how included she was, which i thought was amazing because like my girl t, some people just aren’t about. i figured if you could put in the effort and grind hard enough with her and get positive results, i could do the same for taylor. and here we both are, killin’ it. you are such a lovely person who has always been nothing but kind, i am still endlessly jealous you were in pasadena for rep tour but we’ll let it slide for now, lol. i love you, thank you for being the epitome of grace in this roleplay. you’re a pure light and the dash is dimmer without you on it.

@jstntimberfake​ — nicki, or should i say, GOD, i don’t know where to begin with you. you are the reason i almost took home a jt standup from 2nd and charles. i love everything that you do on both of your characters. you become them, they stand so far away from the person that you actually are and i think that is the testament of a true, talented writer: they are able to convince you that they’re someone else. and you do, every time. i’m just really, really happy that i get to say that i’m in the same rp group as you because it makes me feel like a Cool Kid on the playground who has light up sneakers. you are so cool and it sometimes lowkey intimidates me, how amazing and talented you are. thank you for always putting a smile on my face. love ya love ya  

@itsscarjo​ — aria, my magnificent love. you are so well spoken and kind and as my clumsy twin, i have no choice but to love you dearly. it’s so nice to just have somebody to talk to sometimes and every time we’ve talked, it’s like being all bundled up in a warm fuzzy blanket. you are so easy to talk to and i cannot wait for the things you and i do on all of our people now that our lives have calmed the heck down and we can come on and write. thank you for being such a spectacular, inviting person. i had several other people sing your praises to me when you joined the group and i can wholeheartedly agree with them. you are one of a kind. big love

@aubreycplaza​ — marissa, i mcfreakin’ adore you. i’ll be honest, i have not had the best experiences with aubreys in the past but that all goes out the window with you. i’m obsessed with you and all of your people, and to know you and get to write with you is an absolute pleasure. thank you for being so much fun to write with, thank you for giving me so much quality stuff to stalk while i’m on the dash and feeling like trash, thank you for being so understanding of me constantly feeling like trash, i adore you. can’t wait for tay and aubrey to finally go on their fuckin girls trip and become little jetsetters together (forevaaaa)

@jamesrodriqez​ — hello stranger idk you but i think you’re pretty cool! and i think that you have been one of the most entertaining, fun people to write with in these last couple of weeks when i feel like i’m barely able to write two sentences that haven’t been written onto a powerpoint that i’m copying off of. you just give me so much excitement about writing and plotting and that excitement is something that can be difficult to find again after you’ve gotten comfortable in a group. thank you for keeping things refreshing and new for me and taylor. i’m excited to get back to all of our fun shenanigans (and to love on your new people bc yes amen) #jandrea forever

@jarpadking​ — nikki! first of all, i’m in awe at how fast you can come up with replies on TWO characters that are so well-crafted and authentic to that person’s voice. i struggle just writing a single coherent reply on taylor half the time, lmao. you are one of the hearts in this group, the way you make it an effort to branch out and talk to every single person and create connections with both the mun and the character. you’re one of the unsung heroes and if we could all be a little more you like you, we’d be the best roleplayers around. love you so much, my dear, and of course, thank you for being so warm and inclusive. people like you are rare

@itskeeoone​ — i have spent all day binging pll because that is how i choose to veg out and every time i see keegan on screen now, i think of you, em. you just write him so wonderfully and truthfully and i don’t ever want to let you go (please don’t ever leave this group or i’ll cry). taylor and keegan have given me all the life, they are very similar people and i’m happy that my 15 year old self’s dreams are coming true by their worlds colliding here in the group. i’m so excited to write even more with you now that the holidays are coming and i’ll actually, y’know, BE AROUND, but yes. love you.

@goddamnjade​ — lucy, you know anybody that is as big into the dance scene as i am HAS to get a spot on this appreciation post ;) but also, you have just been one of the loveliest people ever? i think you’re one of the hearts in this group, the reason that it is why it is and the reason that it’s so warm and welcoming. you are so inclusive and fun to write with and i really hope that i get to talk with you more ooc because i adore youuuu!

@yosebstan​ — rileyyyy, gotta admit, sometimes you intimidate me but it is only because you are an absolute fuckin’ legend in this group, and not just because of your admin status. your characters have something that a lot of people try hard to encompass but can’t ever capture, and that’s longevity. your characters never feel stale, they always feel new and fresh and like real people, not just tropes or over-concentrated personality traits and i get so excited every time i see one of your people on the dash. i’m lucky to be in a group with you, so so lucky. i sometimes hope your natural inclination for rp will rub off on me and make me a better writer. love you, and i really hope we get to do some fun stuff in the future!!

@jpgsasha​ — cami, you and i clicked so fast when we started replying to each other’s stuff back when you still had camila and i cannot WAIT to write with you as my honey sasha (seriously, a fuckin’ plus switch). we had some of the LONGEST replies on the dash at one point but when you’re inspired, you’re inspired! thank you for inspiring me and being one of the most down to earth people in this group. you deserve all the fuckin’ love. please love me so i can give it to you.

@avycias​​ — katieeee!! it legit surprised me to find out how close we are to one another #hurricane watch friends, lol. you are so sweet and your alycia is absolutely legendary, i was biting at the bit to write with you from the minute i joined this group. i hope we get to do all of the things with taylor and alycia because writing with you makes me so happy. you are wildly talented and the way alycia comes to life every time you type something is magical. you write her with a conviction and you make her your own and i think that’s why i adore her so much. thank you for being you. love you much babes

@milesdominic​ — marie! miles and taylor had one of the cutest friendships ever and it needs to make a comeback asap, because 1) that, and 2) writing with you comes so naturally (*plays naturally by selena gomez and the scene*). i barely have to think about what i want to reply to you with because there’s a chemistry there that is hard to replicate; thank you for keeping me on my toes and my brain alert and being such a fun person to write with. you give me the chance to explore sides of taylor’s voice that other people look over and that i love, and that’s all anybody could ask in a writing partner, someone who allows them to run wild!

@blccmtroye​  — fiona, i fuckin’ love your troye. he is too much fun to interact with, and i am thankful that you gave this group a shot (and that you gave me a shot). i couldn’t imagine this place without the wit and the charm that you supply with every single post you make.

@flynnpls​ — marie, i’m just in love with all of your people and you. you’re one of the people i feel like i admire from afar because i stay in awe of the way you write and how effortless it seems to come to you. you balance all of these different personalities with finesse and i really do feel like i’m talking to or reading the words of the actual celebrity in every single reply. i am crossing my fingers that i get the opportunity to write some really incredible things with you here in the future because i have such mad respect for you.

+ to everyone else that i either forgot to mention, have not really formed connections with outside of replies or haven’t had the chance to talk to you/your babies due to my super fun hiatus: i stalk so many of you on the dash and keep up with your plots and where you take your characters and it really and truly is such a privilege to be in the same group as you. they say that birds of a feather flock together and if that’s the case, i am simply a reflection of all the things y’all are. kind, funny, clever, creative, welcoming, intelligent, and a part of something, and i could not ask for more. i love all of you, whether we’ve talked or not (believe me i probably stalk you and just love you from afar) and any time you ever need a friend, call me beep meeeeee. i’m always game to do things with taylor and explore her more through whatever plots or connections we could create, and i promise that if i don’t respond to an im, it’s because i’m off on hiatus or it got eaten. i want to do ALL the things with ALL of you. come hit me up! let me love you! k thanks!!!

obligatory thank you note to my queen taylor alison for existing. love u bitch.

xx, caroline

[emosnakeboy]

Do all the ice cream questions!

oh sweet jesus ok yeah i suppose thats one way to cute boredom thanks 

chocolate: when was your first kiss? June 13th of 2016, huge ass regrets

french vanilla: how old are you? not old enough to make a difference, in the eyes of the government (but that’s just what i let them think)

cotton candy: three places you want to travel to? hmmm Cairo, Egypt; London, England; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

strawberry: a language you wish you could speak? probably german or finnish so i can go to college in one of those countries for free, either that or french or latin so i can pass my classes

coffee: favorite cosmetics brands? i dont use makeup

mint chocolate chip: indoors or outdoors? probably indoors, less sunburn more AC and wifi

cookie dough: do you play any instruments? yes several, i play baritone, clarinet, ukulele (badly), and probably some others that i should be working on. lately i’ve been inspired to learn how to play the trombone.

rocky road: favorite songs at the moment? ohhh boy... Nicotine by Panic! At The Disco, The Sharpest Lives by My Chemical Romance, The Last of The Real Ones by Fall Out Boy, If These Sheets Were The States by All Time Low, and Ground Control by All Time Low (i hecking love atl fight me) (there are so many more songs i could say)

butter pecan: favorite songs for life? oh shit those above, plus both Boy Division and The Light Behind Your Eyes by My Chemical Romance

cheesecake: what’s your zodiac sign? capricorn

toasted coconut: the beach or the pool? pool, sorry, i don’t really like sand. i like being able to sit underwater and see through my goggles and i just cant do that at the beach

chocolate chip: what’s your most popular post? lemme check... the one that wasn’t even mine it’s about how the sanders sides reacted in virgil’s room portraying their fears and shit, my friend sent it via a group chat and i loved it so i posted it and now everyone else loves it

bubblegum: books or movies? can’t pick i love both reading and watching movies for different reasons

pistachio: manga or anime? anime, easier to focus on and takes less time to get through

salted caramel: favorite movies? Love, Simon; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, i can’t remember any others atm

birthday cake: favorite books? The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Claire, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner, The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling (particularly the Prisoner of Azkaban), Secrets For The Mad by Dodie Clark

moose tracks: favorites for manga? Fairy Tail Zero and Death Note

orange sherbet: favorites for anime? Yuuri! On Ice and Death Note, but Hetalia is fuckin funny and Fairy Tail is amazing

peanut butter: favorite acedemic subject? honestly i really don’t have a favorite not because i hate them all but because i love them all. my last history and english teachers made the classes fun so i’ve really been loving those two, and science and math are just practical and fascinating and i can’t not love them. i’m a nerd, what else do you want from me?

black raspberry: do you have any pets? 4 cats 3 dogs and a shitload of guppy fish, not to mention my plants

mango: when and why did you start your blog? i think in like March or April of 2018 because it was about time, i wanted to follow fandom shit but then i realized people like my art and moodboards so that’s kinda become what i do now (requests still open btw)

mocha: ideal weather conditions? London weather. Not too hot, not too cold, not too sunny. i don’t like sunburn. plus the rain is relaxing, and thunderstorms are awesome.

black cherry: four words that describe you? what the fuck evenjk i know people want positive.. respectable, intelligent, talented, pretty

NOTE: it’s not being vain to say that ^^ i don’t dwell on them more than i have to, and honestly since i usually feel like a piece of rat shit it’s very good that im able to describe myself as anything other than that. 

neapolitan: things that stress you out? too much clutter when i’m working, assholes interrupting class, my friends hiding things from me, my anxiety and depression constantly telling me to yeet myself off the nearest cliff

raspberry truffle: favorite kind of music? pop-rock, pop-punk, rock, sometimes indie shit.. mostly alternative/pop

chocolate marshmellow: favorite brands of candy? TWIZZLERS and i particuarly love hershey stuff, and starburst but i forget who starburst is by

toffee: a card game that you’re good at? solitaire... but i do like Texas Hold ‘Em

lemon custard: do you eat breakfast? most days yeah

peach: how do you relax? drawing, writing, reading, listen to music, sometimes just lie down and do nothing, hug my friends if i can

praline: a popular book you haven’t read yet? oh god i read a lot.. Wings of Fire series, i’ve heard a lot about it and i really wanna read it

superman: do you like sweaters? absolutely i do, however not during the summer when it’s this hot

cherry: do you drink tea or coffee? both but not very frequently

dulce de leche: an instrument you wish you could play? ukulele, baritone, guitar, trombone

blackberry: have you ever laughed so hard you cried? yes several times at stuff that’s ridiculously stupid

ginger: a new feature you wish tumblr would have? do they let me block certain tags and i just haven’t figured out how yet? idk im still pretty new to this site

blueberry lemon: favorite blogs? oh god there’s a lot... im gonna leave it at three for now, and those would be mostly my art idols @elentori-art @the-pastel-peach and @voidsides but there are so many more i wish i could put aiehgsbngu

almond: favorite mean girls quote? i’ve never seen mean girls idk if any of the possible quotes im thinking of are even from mean girls and im not gonna embarrass myself by saying them

butterscotch: what color are your nails right now? unpainted, but last they were black with glitter over the top

cinnamon: have you ever been confessed to? yes a few times

blue moon: have you ever had a crush on someone? yeap and 9/10 times it sucks but then there’s the 1 time where everything goes right and it makes every point in your life up until then worth it

cappuccino crunch: do you ever take naps? not really

mint: the most embarrassing thing you’ve done? think i was straight until 2016 and humiliate myself by chasing these guys but never truly feeling like i liked them

brownie batter: do you like sushi? never had it but i don’t think so, im not a big fish person

key lime: where do you want to be right now? probably about 30 minutes away from where i am in my s.o.’s arms on their couch watching soul eater or avatar: the last airbender with them

red velvet: do you wear prescription glasses? yep im blind as fuck

green tea: favorite flavors of ice cream? sea salt caramel, banana peanut butter, pistachio almond, white house/cherry vanilla

ok wow that took a while.. thank u though that cured my boredom and now i have to do stuff so sbfguisng adios y gracias 

[richietoaster]

Heart Hurts So Good

Pairing: reddie

warnings: none

words: 2,362

thank you to 2/4 my beautiful betas: @killerxqueer and @reddie-to-go :)

ao3 link

Spotify Playlist that helped me write this

Eddie doesn’t remember the first time he felt like he was floating. Or, falling, maybe. He doesn’t know when his heart started leaping out of his chest, or when his eyes started to linger longer on a certain boy . Hell, he can’t even remember when he started liking boys and stopped liking girls.

He supposes that it could’ve started years ago; when Richie started slinging an arm over his shoulder, or the way he began smiling at him, or the way Eddie developed a habit of always gravitating to him no matter where they were or who they were with.

Eddie’s not too sure about this whole ‘feeling’ thing. Whatever it is, at least. He tries to push his feelings away, tries to bury it and hide it. He knows it gets increasingly harder with every look Richie gives him. Maybe it’s not just a feeling, maybe Richie is just the one that reminded him of what’s always been ignited inside of him. It gets harder, and Eddie knows it.

They’re all sitting at the lunch table, a Friday afternoon. Richie is sat across from Eddie and he hates it. Hates that he can just look up and see his pretty fucking face. He knows that he’s being way too passive aggressive about it, but he can’t help but stab his macaroni with his plastic fork the more he thinks about how fucking beautiful his best friend is and how he shouldn’t even be thinking that.

“You okay there, Eddie?” Stan touches his arm carefully.

“Fan-fuckin-tastic,” Eddie grumbles and shoves the food into his mouth. “This macaroni is good as fuck.”

Stan blinks, because, okay then..

Eddie nearly chokes when he looks up once more, seeing Richie, with what looks like a smirk plastered on his lips.

“ So... ” Mike speaks loudly, trying to clear the tension, “What’s on the agenda for the day? I was thinking we could have a boys night. Order some pizza, watch some movies, play poker..?”

“Yeah that sounds awesome. It seems...” Ben looks at Eddie. “Well needed.”

Bill sees this and chuckles, “Yeah, i-it does, doesn’t it? I’ll b-bring alcohol.”

Bev sighs, “Why do you guys have to have a boys night? Because then I’m stuck at home with nothing to do and nobody to-”

“-do?”

“Richie Tozier I will rip your fuckin’ dick off.”

“Kinky.”

Beverly rolls her eyes, “and nobody to hang out with.”

“What about Jane?” Eddie questions, “You guys have been hanging out a lot in gym, aren’t you friends?”

She goes to speak but Stan beats her to it, “Yeah, sure. They’re friends.”

“What is this, ‘pick on Bev’ day?” Bev huffs,”Yes, Eddie. Jane and I are friends...”

“Ask her to hang out then.” Eddie shrugs.

“Yeah, we don’t want you to miss out on too much fun.” Richie says, a suggestive tone in his words, “I’m sure Jane would really like that.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll ask her to hang out.”

“Great! Now we all have plans tonight.” Ben says, smiling at his friends.

Eddie returns it, weakly. He does NOT want to be any physically closer to Richie than he is right now, and if he goes to Mike’s, he’s just going to be glued to him, and he knows this. Is he still going to go, though? Yes. Is he going to act like a love-sick puppy the entire time? Probably.

Eddie shows up to Mike’s house later that night, a bottle of wine in hand. He shoves it into Mike’s hands when he opens the door. Eddie slides past him and ignores the weird look that his friend gives him.

“Ayyyy it’s Eds Spagheds!” Richie greets him with a smile and wraps an arm around Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie instinctively reaches up to grab his hand, despite that, throwing a warning look at Richie.

“I know, I know, don’t call you that.”

Eddie smiles at this.

“Alright boys,” Richie lets go of Eddie and claps his hands together, “What’s first? Poker? Movies?”

Everyone collectively agrees on poker.

An hour and a half into the game, they’ve all got alcohol in them. Ben, Bill, and Stan all on the more ‘tipsy’ side. Mike, Eddie, and Richie all nearly pissed drunk.

Richie starts being more touchy with everyone, particularly Eddie. He’s got a hand in Eddie’s hair, an arm around his middle, and every once in awhile he’ll throw his face into his neck.

Eddie can’t stand it. He can’t stand all of this touching. Not that he doesn’t love it, because he does, it’s just that he knows it’s all due to Richie being drunk. Eddie might be drunk too, but he’s touchy with the other boy because he likes him. He’s just a friend to Richie, and it makes his heart hurt even more, especially when he feels the taller boy’s lips graze against his ear when he laughs at something Ben had said. The second he feels it, shivers flow all the way down his back and down to his feet.

Eddie thinks in that moment, he thinks he know what love is.

In the morning, Eddie blinks away the sleep. He stretches, trying to sit up, but feels something heavy over his chest. Eddie looks down and sees Richie’s arm draped over him. He removes it carefully, trying not to wake him. Everyone around him is snoring away, still sleeping off their hangovers and he wishes he could stay there with his friends, but he knows if he’s not home at an early enough time, his mother will never let him hear the end of it.

Eddie bikes home as fast as he can, holding his thigh at the pocket of his sweatpants so his phone doesn’t fall out.

When he gets in the driveway of his house, Eddie wheels his bike to the garage, not bothering to put it inside. He digs out his key from his other pocket and begins to approach the front door. Before he can put the key in the slot, the door is yanked open and an angry Sonia Kaspbrak stands before him.

“Do you know how much trouble you’re in?” Sonia puts her hands on her hips.

“Mom- I- I was just at Mike’s, I stayed the night-”

“I said you could hang out, I didn’t say you could spend the night.” Sonia sighs, “come on, get inside.”

Eddie complies and opens his mouth to apologize.

Sonia grabs her son’s arm the moment he rushes past her, “Edward Kaspbrak, do I smell alcohol on you?”

Eddie’s eyes widen, “N-No mom, of course not, I-” He stops speaking and leans back when his mother crowds his space, sniffing his shirt intensely.

“Don’t lie to me.”

The silence between them is enough for Sonia to receive her answer and she pushes Eddie into the house.

“Give me your phone.”

“What?”

“I said give me your phone.” Sonia slams the door behind her and holds her hand out, motioning for him to hand it over.

“Mom, you can’t do that, I have track and school and-”

“You will come straight home all this week and you will not leave the house for the rest of this weekend, do you understand?”

“Yes, mom..”

“I’m not doing this to irritate or to push your buttons, Eddie. You know how I worry, okay? I’m doing this as a punishment. You’re only seventeen and you were drinking! Do you know how dangerous that is? Underage drinking?”

“I’m sorry.”

Sonia shakes her head, “I’m very disappointed in you. Go to your room. I’ll call you down when dinner is ready.”

Eddie nods and goes to his room without another word.

Eddie falls asleep, sleeping through nearly the whole day, but he’s woken up when he hears a knock at his door.

“Eddie-Bear? Are you awake?”

The door opens slowly and Eddie sits up, “Yeah, m’awake.”

“Dinner’s ready, sweetie.”

Sonia retreats downstairs and waits until Eddie comes down too, before she starts eating.

Eddie picks up his fork, about to dig in, but his mom stops him.

“You know we pray first, Eddie.”

Eddie nearly has to force himself not to roll his eyes. He doesn’t think he’s that religious. At all, maybe.

When she bows her head and begins to pray, Eddie doesn’t move, doesn’t close his eyes, like his mother.

“Amen,” She speaks suddenly.

“Amen.”

They eat in silence, not speaking. The two usually don’t speak as much anymore, not like they used to.

The house phone rings suddenly, and Eddie jumps up to get it, but she gives him a look. He watches his mother walk over to it, picking it up, and placing it to her ear.

“Hello?”

Eddie nearly stops himself from breathing to try to hear who it is.

“Yes, he’s here...” Sonia pauses and sighs. “Eddie, come talk to your friend.” She practically spits out the last word. He assumes it’s Richie from her tone of voice. He pushes his chair out, scrambling to take the phone out from Sonia’s hands. He doesn’t speak until she sits back down.

“Hello?” Eddie says.

“Hey,” Richie’s voice rings through. “Are you avoiding me?”

“Unintentionally.” Maybe it’s a good thing, though.

“What do you mean by that?”

“My mom took away my phone.” Eddie purses his lips. “Why?”

“Nothing, Mike just mentioned that...” Richie trails off.

“What is it?”

“Nevermind. I just… is your window gonna be open tonight?”

Eddie smiles to himself, quickly dropping it before his mom can see, “Of course. It always is.”

“Okay. I’ll be up later.”

Eddie lowers his voice, “I’ll be awake.”

The line goes silent and Eddie speaks again, “Are you still there?”

“Yeah.”

“You sound off, are you okay?”

Mike just mentioned that...

“Yeah...don’t worry your pretty little head, Eds. I’ll be up later tonight, okay?”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“See you then, Spaghetti.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Bye, Rich.”

Sonia watches her son hang up and sit back down, “What did he want?”

“Richie? Um,” Eddie stuffs his mouth with food, “Science Project.”

“Okay.”

Eddie goes to his room fifteen minutes after he’s done eating, making sure he doesn’t seem eager to leave his mother. (He is.)

He counts down the hours, knowing Richie won’t come until midnight, just in case Sonia is still awake. She never hears him come through the window, anyway.

When one o’clock in the morning hits, Eddie watches his window expectantly. After a few minutes, he sees a mop of curls poke through the curtains, and a smile plays on his lips.

“Miss me?” Richie asks, laughing at the sight of Eddie’s face.

“You wish.” Eddie pats the space next to him, a feeling of content spreading through him when Richie lies next to him.

“You got grounded?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods, “She smelled the alcohol on me almost immediately.”

“Little does she know, all of us could come see you this entire week and she would never know.” Richie laughs and turns on his side to face Eddie.

Eddie’s breath hitches when his eyes meet the other boy’s.

Another feeling erupts in his chest. It overwhelms him, yet completes him. He feels so free but it’s like his chest is almost constricting itself, cutting off his oxygen. Eddie thinks its funny how someone could go from being a stranger, to becoming a friend, then a best friend, and yet in the end, it never ends like that-- meeting someone that he automatically became attached to the hip with, and expecting him to just see him as a friend, a best friend, and only a best friend.

Who is he kidding? Definitely not himself. He’s completely infatuated with Richie, and he doesn’t know how he’s lived without him for the first ten years of his life. Eddie feels like Richie is the first chaotic thing that happened to him. He disrupted the stilled and stabilized life Mrs. Kaspbrak was trying to get Eddie to have.

Eddie takes a breath, inhaling deeply, and breathing out slowly. No, he doesn’t think he knows what love is. He can feel it. It’s ignited in him, all throughout his body. Nobody has ever made him feel what Eddie feels just by looking at Richie.

“What’re you staring at?” Richie questions, shaking Eddie from his thoughts.

“You,” Eddie says, feeling suddenly confident despite his cheeks reddening.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Richie reaches over and tucks a strand of his hair behind his ear. Eddie grabs his hand, and he audibly chokes. “Oh my god,” he says. He can feel the tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Eds?” Richie touches his cheek, thumbing down his jawline.

“I-I think.. I think you’re the one.”

Richie blinks at him, saying nothing for an entire minute, and Eddie thinks he’s going to go insane if he doesn’t soon.

“Rich.. Say someth-”

Eddie doesn’t like being cut off. And he’s always hated  it. However, he’s not minding it much. No, not when what’s interrupting him is Richie’s lips pressing against his.

Eddie is crying, and he’s not meaning to, but he can’t help it. The love of his life is kissing him hard and slow and it’s everything he’s ever wanted.

“Eddie,” Richie laughs against his lips, “I’m so, so in love with you.”

“God,” Eddie shakes his head, “Look at us- we’re a mess.”

They laugh into each other’s mouths, kissing each other harder than the first time.

“We’re not a mess,” Richie disagrees, “We might be stupid, but not a mess.”

Eddie nods, his nose bumping against the older boy’s. “I don’t know how I’ve gone seventeen years without kissing you.” He doesn’t, really. His need to be kissing Richie is like needing oxygen to breathe.

“You don’t have to wonder any longer,” Richie places his lips on Eddie’s again, holding his face in his hands. He moves one hand to Eddie’s leg, pulling it over his waist, the need to be closer getting stronger and stronger.

They kiss for hours, it seems. Their lips bruised, along with both of their necks and chests. It’s all they need in the moment, and Eddie thinks it’s all he’ll ever need.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have to wonder again.”

[vagrantblvrd]

(Sending another fic i wish you'd write meme you don't gotta do it if you don't wanna) a fic where battle buddies was a thing long before either of them joined the fahc. and they don't join at the same time but whoever joined first just sorta dragged the other in like oh hey guys i know a guy who can help out and depending on who joined first i feel like the reactions would be very different

Okay, so the whole Battle Buddies in the FAHC universe thing makes me so happy?

Like, what were they before they decided the criminal life was the way to go?

Special ops? SWAT officers? Freaking mall cops? A couple of nerds who got a little too into a game of laser tag on their lunch break and somehow ended up criminals through a series of improbable wacky shenanigans?

WHO KNOWS.

Thing is, they’re somewhat “normal” on their own, right? (Aside from Jeremy and his whole thing with Rimmy Tim and Ryan with the Vagabond shtick.)

The crew hears about this ~spooky figure in Ryan, right? This guy who’s terrifyingly good at his job. Who everyone’s heard of with a high success rate and this reputation for not taking being double-crossed well, not that anyone does that anymore after what happened with the last guy to try that.

(Thing is, though, there’s always someone who thinks they can get away with it, so there’s always a new “last guy” and after people hear what happened to him, you’d think they’d learn, but they don’t, so….)

Geoff wants to hire him for a job, needs the extra muscle and with his reputation behind him they might  pull this off without anyone dying horribly.

They meet in some abandoned warehouse or an parking garage that has some overhead light about to die flickering and making that buzzing noise because ~atmosphere.

At least that’s what the crew thinks, Geoff muttering about this Vagabond guy being a fucking dramatic bastard because seriously? But in reality Jeremy’s around somewhere with his sniper rifle because the whole double-cross thing, you know?

And, sure, the Fakes have a reputation for dealing fairly with their allies and various freelancers and the like, but still.

Geoff’s talking to Gavin who’s taking in the place they’re supposed to meet, casually notes that there are a few prime spots for a sniper to set up.

Hands in his pockets, shades pushed into his hair as he glances around, says, “That’s a lovely spot,” and, “Oh, that’s nice,” and so on and Geoff’s watching him because Gavin would know, wouldn’t he.

Spent a lot of time up high for the crew before Ray happened along. While he plays a different role in the crew now, he likes to keep his hand in. Stay sharp, and there’s more than one reason Geoff brings him to things like this.

Still, Gavin doesn’t seem concerned, so Geoff’s bitching about waiting for the damn Vagabond in this shithole of a warehouse or some parking garage in the middle of the night.

And then the Vagabond’s just there.

Geoff turning around when Gavin stops talking mid-sentence, eyes moving to track the Vagabond behind him, and is just like, of course.

Sees the Vagabond standing there watching them, waiting for them to get on with it, and lays out the job offer he has for him.

Ryan accepts and the crew deals with him being a creepy weirdo for a while because he’s good at what he does so they keep bringing him in on things.

He fits in pretty well, deals with Gavin surprisingly well even through the most ridiculous shenanigans and unbelievable questions. Works well with the others, and deals with Jack needling him every now and then as time goes on.

Of course they’re all a little curious as to why he heads out as soon as he gets paid after a job/gets his cut for a heist he’s gone, you know? Not like it’s a requirement for any of them to hangout at Geoff’s penthouse to wind down after something like that, but still.

They wonder, but no one wants to pry (well, maybe Gavin but even he’s not dumb enough to cross that boundary – yet.)

And then someone puts out bounties on the crew – new ones, just one more than enough to set someone up for life – but they just don’t realize for a bit because someone’s usually trying to kill them.

For the notoriety of taking one of the Fakes out or some past slight of old grudge, it doesn’t matter what the reason.

But then it’s Ryan and Michael playing muscle for Gavin at a meet, and someone goes after Gavin, and throws the whole thing into chaos.

A sniper, and after they get to over there’s yelling and stand-offs because the Fakes don’t know if the people Gavin was negotiating are in on or not (they’re not). Ryan being all Vagabond-y at these guys with Michael as his foil and Gavin trying to de-escalate -

And then there’s a commotion outside the area they’ve taken cover and someone kicks the door in. Throws some asshole through the door and everyone freezes.

A moment later a guy in some ridiculous ensemble walks in dusting his hands off (no, really) and is like, “Nailed it.”

All pleased with himself and whatnot and it comes out that Jeremy just got back in ton after a job of his own. Heard about the bounties someone put out on the Fakes and got all curious, ended up doing a little  investigating and shit.

What he tells the others, though, is that he was in the neighborhood just happened to stumble on this asshole with a sniper rifle – real shitty one, too, fuckin’ amateur – and oh, hey. How’s it’s going, Battle Buddy?

And then everyone’s freaking out about whoever put the bounties out on them, and Jeremy’s like, “Uh…”

Because this certain area of Los Santos is now on fire, and roughly half a block is just gone, and Ryan sighs because they’ve talked about this. No blowing shit up without him and all that.

After that he’s just part of the crew, although they think his name is Rimmy Tim for the longest time. Find out Ryan’s living with some guy named Jeremy, that they’ve been together for years, but think he’s cheating on him with Rimmy Tim when someone catches them doing the “holy shit, we almost died, guess it’s time to make out” thing.

Have no idea what to do, and try to approach Rimmy Tim and Ryan separately, both of those assholes keeping the lie going until Ryan fucking loses it. Breaks down laughing when the crew puts together a fucking intervention, wondering why Jeremy won’t answer his phone and the ~truth comes out.

NOW.

If Jeremy’s the one to join the crew first he gets hired on as additional muscle when Michael’s hurt and the crew’s under pressure. Maybe rival crews and whatnot are testing boundaries, pushing and testing just to see how the Fakes reacts.

Michael gets hurt in an altercation, and while they make the people responsible for it very, very sorry, it leaves them a man down.

So they find Jeremy, Geoff leaving it up to Gavin if he wants this weirdo in the purple and orange as backup while Michael recovers. And Gavin, okay. Gavin’s got Jack too, and this Jeremy guy is likable enough. Comes highly recommended from their allies, so he says sure.

And it’s awesome because he not only goes along with Gavin’s terrible ideas, he improves upon them.

They wreak havoc for a bit, terrify the Fake AH Crew’s enemies and new and terrifying ways and eventually things calm down. Go back to normal-ish for Los Santos and this trial run they’ve given Jeremy during all of it comes to an end. They decide to keep him, because he fits in with the crew and everyone loves him and also he’s awesome, right?

Things go on for a while and one day Jeremy’s crappy little car breaks down and he needs a ride, gets one from his old buddy from way back.

And for whatever reason the crew just happens to be hanging around outside the building waiting on Jeremy before heading up to the penthouse.

See this sweet little Zentorno pull up and Jeremy get out, all smiley and laughing and when he stats up the steps to the others there’s this moment, right? All of them trying to see who’s driving that car, and holy shit, it’s the goddamn Vagabond???

And Jeremy’s like, uh, yeah? Didn’t Geoff want to go over plans for the new heist?

The others are like yes, but also Vagabond???

But Jeremy’s already headed inside and the Zentorno long gone, and Jeremy’s acting like nothing is out of the ordinary.

Doesn’t say a damn thing when it keeps happening, or when the Vagabond drops by with his lunch, or baked good and whatnot and it’s so, so bizarre, but so is Jeremy and it just turns into a thing that everyone is like “fuck it” about.

Eventually they’re planning a job and Geoff’s like “We could use an extra gun on this one, anyone have suggestions?”

Everyone looks pointedly at Jeremy because by this point the Vagabond might as well be part of the crew anyway. Hangs out at the penthouse and drinks all of Geoff’s diet soda and sniffs out various candy stashes better than any bloodhound.

May or may not have taken care of some problems for the crew on the down low (only not, because the Vagabond’s a very distinctive figure in Los Santos), and really, he might as well be getting paid, you know?

Jeremy’s just like, “What? Oh, yeah. I mean, I kind of do?”

And that’s how the Vagabond joins the crew.

…A few months later this whole Rimmy Tim business starts, and no one in the crew bats an eye while the rest of Los Santos has no fucking clue what’s going on.