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vintage-retro-queen · 4 months

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Paris Reacts to Too Bad the Sandman Isn't Here

Akuma Class

It was the weekend again, and every student from Bustier's class was all together, ready to watch another episode of Total Drama Island and see what Marinette was going to do in the show.

They were all looking forward to seeing it. Everyone except Adrien and Lila.

Adrien can never forget what his father told him that Sunday morning.

"Reach out to her. With Miss Dupain-Cheng befriending the Corleone's daughter, a connection with the Corleones will take us farther."

He couldn't get the words out of his head. And he doesn't know how to explain it to him either. 'How do I even tell him that she changed her number? If only Plagg was here, he'd know what to do.' he thought to himself.

Lila on the other hand was beyond furious. Ever since she came up with that one little lie of saying that there was a summer camp that she wanted to recommend to Marinette but was scared to, the tables have turned on her in a blink of an eye. She didn't even know that it was actually a reality show. If she had known, she would have been on it and befriended a very popular idol and not the goody-two-shoes. However, she could've sworn that she had seen her somewhere before, but just couldn't put a finger on how, what, and why.

However, before she could think, Alya started to yell. "It's starting!" Everyone started to pay attention to the show that is now starting. When they started to watch, they saw the host, Chris McLean start talking.

"Last time on Total Drama Island, twenty-four campers arrived and learned that they'll be spending the next eight weeks at a crusty old summer camp. The campers were faced with their first challenge, jumping off a cliff into a shark-infested waters, and while most campers took the plunge, a few were forced to wear the dreaded chicken hat. At the Campfire Ceremony, it all came down to two campers, Courtney has experience as a C.I.T. in summer camp but refused to jump, and Ezekiel managed to tick off every female contestant at the camp, including one of the popular idols, with his sexist comments about women. In the end, the first camper voted off Total Drama Island, was Ezekiel. Proving that homeschooling and reality TV don't really mix." "Still serves him right," Alya said, crossing her arms, glaring at the scene where the Boat of Losers arrived for Ezekiel to hop on. As much as Adrien sympathizes with Ezekiel, he is also offended by Chris saying that homeschooling and reality TV don't mix. 'Then how do you explain me in that music video with all of my friends?' he thought, still offended. "Who will be voted off this week in the most dramatic Campfire Ceremony yet? Find out tonight, on Total Drama Island."

After the theme, the scene shows Chris walking into the said scene and holding up an airhorn and megaphone and has it go off, waking up every camper. "Ow! It's seven in the morning!" Leshawna exclaimed and glared in anger outside, "Do I look like a farmer to you?!"

"I guess they're in different timelines from us." Alix guessed, raising a brow.

After most of the campers were all outside, still looking tired and yawning, Chris spoke up to them. "Morning! Hope you slept well." "Hi, Chris. You look really buff in those shorts." Heather said, making Chris wink and say, "I know." Alya scoffs. "Wannabe flatterer. And here I thought Chloe was the flattering type." she says with almost everyone agreeing with her. "Look! There's Marinette!" Rose exclaimed, pointing to Marinette and Lucy walking out of the cabin.

"Glad you two can join us, girls," Chris said. He then continues talking to the rest of the still, tired campers. "Okay, now that everyone's here, I hope you're all ready because your next challenge begins in exactly one minute." "Oh, excuse me, I don't know if that's enough time to eat breakfast," said Owen. "Oh, you'll get breakfast, Owen." Chris said, "Right after you complete your twenty-kilometer run, around the lake."

"A twenty-k run around a lake at seven in the morning? What is he trying to do to them?" Alya asked, making Nino shrug. "Big whoop. I can do a fifty-k run around the city block at five in the morning." Kim brags, causing Alix to roll her eyes. After that, she and the rest of them continued watching the show and surprisingly ignored Lila before she was about to say something.

"Oh, so you're funny now?" Eva questioned, not liking Chris's motives, and started marching towards him with her left hand formed into a fist, ready to punch a man to a bloody pulp. "You know what I think would be funny-" the class looked shocked and surprised seeing Eva like that. However, before Eva can do anything to Chris, she gets pulled back by Geoff and Duncan. "Eva, try to control your temper?" Courtney whispered to her. Eva then turns to Chris again. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked. "A little," Chris admits. "You have thirty seconds." they then watched and listened to Courtney's confessional. "Okay, that girl, Eva, has got to get a handle on her temper. She's only been here one day, and she's already thrown her suitcase out a window and broken the lock on one of the bathroom doors." "That's terrible," Mylene says, shocked to know that about Eva. "Yeah, if she does have a temper like that, and if there was a competition for that between her and Nora, she would probably win it." Alya said, remembering the time Nora let her temper get the better of her once.

After that, they continued to watch the campers as they started to prepare for their kilometer run. "Okay, runners! On your marks, get set, go!" with that, they all started running. All but Marinette and Lucy. "Girl! What are you doing?! Get to running!" Alya yelled as she and her friends watched Marinette not picking up the pace. That was until they started to see her and Lucy's confessionals come up. "Nettie and I were a bit suspicious about us awake so early and are told to do a run around a lake." "Nettie?" Alya questions. 'What? Did she give Mari a nickname? They only just started to become friends in just the first day.' she thought. "As a result, Lucy and I decided to walk instead. That way, we can see what this challenge really is." "That's very smart of the two trying to see what the challenge is," Adrien says, impressed with the girls' ideas. "Yeah, that way we'll see what Chris is planning," Nino said, agreeing with Adrien about the girls trying to figure out what the challenge is.

As they watched Lucy and Marinette walk to the table where the rest of the Screaming Gophers were, Gwen started to talk, "Hey, wait a minute, if they lost, that means we won the challenge." she said. As the Screaming Gophers sans Marinette and Lucy cheer for their victory, Chris stops them. "Whoa there! Hold your horses, guys. That wasn't the challenge." he said. "What did you just say?" asked Gwen.

"Who's hungry?" there, they all see a table full of home-cooked food. The class looked amazed as they saw the table full of delicious food. Just then, the confessionals started rolling in of Gwen and Owen and then showed Marinette and Lucy's confessionals. "I must admit, the buffet table looked amazing. However, since there were still suspicions about the running and the buffet, I decided to stick with something light. Such as a bread roll and maybe some of the salad." "As much as I want to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal as if it was home if my hunch is correct, I'm just going to do the right thing and stick to the salad." 'That seems smart for the two.' Adrien thought, smiling. After seeing their confessionals, they all see that most of the campers were stuffed after devouring the buffet. Some of them noticed Lucy quietly snickering to herself. 'What is she laughing about?' Alya thought suspiciously. But both her curiosity was cut off when Chris got on the messy table with a megaphone in hand and announced, "Okay, campers! Time for part two of your challenge,"

"I thought eating was the second part," said Owen. "What more do you want from us?" "Weird goth girl is right. Haven't we been through enough?" asked Heather. "Um, let me think about that. No! It's time for the Awake-a-thon!" Chris announced. "The what-a-thon?" Owen asked. "Awake-a-thon?" Mylene questioned. "Don't worry, this is an easy one. The team with the last camper standing wins invincibility." "So what you're saying is the 20k run and the turkey-eating frenzy were part of your evil plan to make it harder for us to stay awake?" asked Gwen. "That's right, Gwen." "Man, that dude's good." Nino said in disbelief.

They watched and saw that twelve hours later in the show, everyone was already too tired, had bags under their eyes, yawning away, and looked as if they were about to pass out at any minute or any second. All but the last two, Marinette and Lucy. Who are apparently just sitting there. "Wow, that was very smart of Marinette to avoid being out of the challenge," Adrien said, amazed that Marinette was still awake. "Yeah, I wonder if there's a way to actually join her to win the money?" Kim said, curiously thinking of how to join in the show. Just then, they see the confessionals from Gwen, Marinette, and Lucy. "The Awake-a-thon was definitely the most brutal thing I've ever done in my life," Gwen said in her confessional. They then see Lucy's confessional. "Just as Nettie and I suspected. But then again, I feel like this challenge will be a walk in the park. This brings back some memories of when I was with some old friends of mine when I was five and six years old." the kids' eyes widened hearing that Lucy had done this before. Even at a young age. "I know I was too young to do any of that at night, but still. It's pretty much an easy task for me. I got this one in the bag." "So she got to stay up all night with her friends? So cool!" Alix complimented, thinking that it was awesome that Lucy stayed up all night with some friends. "She's so lucky. My parents wouldn't let me do that because of those school nights and curfews." Kim said, feeling a little jealous of what Lucy did when she was little. 'That doesn't make sense. She's a world-known idol. How does she do everything and not get tired even after as a kid? I mean, I do it all the time when I'm Chat Noir, but I don't think that's healthy for a celebrity.' Adrien thought in disbelief, feeling doubts about Lucy staying up every night. They then pay attention to Marinette's confessional. "This won't be too bad. I always take all-nighters whenever I have to do homework, work on design ideas, and work on commissions for my clients. So this won't be so hard." Adrien smiles happily for Marinette. He knows she works really hard on her designs all day and night. Even though he does worry for her well-being, he knows Marinette can win this challenge.

As they watch them and the rest of the campers continue on with the Awake-a-thon, Owen is already down and out. "This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life." "Tell me about it. I can't read any of my Stephanie Queen books during this whole ordeal." Lucy said, upset she couldn't read her Stephanie Queen books for the challenge. "Bummer. That's not cool of Chris not letting her read through the whole challenge." Nino said, feeling sympathy for Lucy. Juleka nods in agreement since she doesn't blame Lucy for wanting to read some good horror books. That was until they heard them talking still. "Could be way worse," said Trent. "How?" asked Marinette. "I could be stuck here without you to talk to," Trent said to Marinette, making her smile. Gwen smiles as she sees Trent talk to Marinette. They all then see her confessional. "Not gonna lie, but for some reason, I can actually see the two being together when this whole crazed-storm of a show is over. Those two, totally deserve each other." "That's one way to put it, Gwen," Juleka said, smiling and liking Gwen's idea. Adrien on the other hand, felt like his heart was stabbed twice by Gwen and Trent's words to and about Marinette. He was about to say something until they all watched Heather's confessional. "So, my strategy is to get two other campers to form an alliance with me and take to the Final Three. The only question is, who can I find that is either desperate or dumb enough to do whatever I say?" "Uh, probably nobody?" Alix said. Just then, they all see Lindsay in a mid-handstand. "Um, Lindsay? What are you doing there, Bambina?" Lucy asked. "I'm trying to get the blood to rush to my head. I think it's working." "Can I try?" Beth asked her. And Lindsay told her sure. "I wouldn't do that if I were you two," Lucy said worriedly. "Yeah, I'm with Lucy. That doesn't seem so safe." Mylene said, looking at Beth and Lindsay worried. "Lindsay, Beth, can I talk to you for a second?" Heather called. As they head over to her, they are shocked and in disbelief to see Heather talking Beth and Lindsay into forming an alliance with her by telling them that she can take them to the final three. Not to mention Heather telling Lindsay that she can't date Tyler since he's in the Killer Bass team and she's in the Screaming Gophers team. That was until they watched Lindsay's confessional. "Heather said I couldn't date him. She never said I couldn't like him," she said. "That is very true," Rose said, agreeing with Lindsay's opinion. As they continued watching it, they watched as Eva told them she was going to the restroom. And when she walked, her MP3 player dropped from her pocket and onto the ground. That was when the students watched Heather taking it. They looked shocked as she took it with an evil-looking smile while walking back to Beth and Lindsay. "Isn't that Eva's MP3 player?" asked Lindsay. "Yep," Heather replied. "Isn't she gonna get really mad when she realizes it's gone?" "That's what I'm hoping for," Heather said, smirking evilly. The students looked shocked after watching that part of the show. "I can't believe Heather would do that! That girl could be like Chloe and a supervillain both combined with no mask!" Alya said in disbelief with most of her friends agreeing with her.

They continued watching the show, still in disbelief at what Heather did. They see that the sun has gone down and some of the campers are already falling asleep, but are trying their best to stay awake for the whole challenge. Which leaves eleven Screaming Gophers and Seven Killer Bass still awake. "Congratulations, campers. You've made it to the twenty-four-hour mark. Time to take things up a notch. Fairy Tales." "Lucky!" Rose gasped, feeling a little jealous. "Oh, he's not serious!" Gwen exclaimed. "I know, out of all things, he has to choose fairytales? I could be reading Stephanie Queen's Critter Crematory by now!" Lucy complained. "Talk about irony." Juleka murmured, taking pity on Lucy for wanting to read Stephanie Queen's books. As Chris read, more and more of the campers started to fall asleep while the rest were trying to stay awake.

Now there are six Screaming Gophers and four Killer Bass. Meanwhile, they see Gwen, Trent, Lucy, and Marinette having a small talk. "Okay, favorite song?" "Jagged's song tribute to the Parisian heroine Ladybug," Marinette said. 'I guess Marinette is a fan of Ladybug.' Adrien thought to himself. "Too Cool for School by my favorite late Drummer of KISS himself, the Fox, Eric Carr," Lucy said, crossing her heart for the late drummer. Most of the girls awwed when Lucy told them her favorite song from the said late drummer. "I did hear my father explaining that Eric Carr was his and my mother's favorite drummer back in the day. Even Nathalie hummed some of his songs from time to time. Although father did explain that he, mother, and Nathalie were both upset that Eric Carr passed on from heart cancer on November 24th, 1991." Adrien explained, remembering the times his father and Nathalie reminisced the times they listened to Eric Carr's music. His friends looked sad hearing that from him. "That's terrible," Rose said, feeling sad that a good drummer passed on years ago, right before they were born. Lila growled, knowing that there goes her chances of coming up with lies with 'Knowing Eric Carr and how he wrote a song about her as well as a way to express his admiration of her.' They then continued to watch the show after Trent told the girls his favorite song, 'She Will be Loved' and asked them about their favorite colors. Marinette says her two favorite colors are pink and red. "All colors from the 50s to the millennial 2000s. Oh, and black and Navy blue, of course," Lucy said. 'I bet father is going to find some design ideas now that Lucy said what her favorite colors are.' Adrien thought to himself, not aware of hearing Gwen's favorite color. Lucy then asked them for their favorite video game. "Death Arise," said Gwen. "Oh yeah, that action, adventure, and horror game that has you fighting off zombies," Juleka said, knowing what game Gwen was talking about. Lila was about to say something, but they raised their hands at her as a way of saying, 'Not now, maybe later.' which made Lila growl and cross her arms. "Music Gods," Trent said. "Oh, That video game where you play a game guitar, game bass, game drums, and game turntables and play your favorite songs with them. Trent has good music taste," said Nino. They then hear Marinette say hers is Ultimate Mecha Strike III. It was pretty obvious to most of them since they always remembered Marinette playing it sometimes and teaming up with Max in the tournament. They then hear Marinette asking Lucy what her favorite video game is, "Victorian Servant: The Truth for the Vixen's Secret." "Isn't that the game with almost the same storyline as its manga series Victorian Servant itself?" "Yeah, it's kinda like a gender-bent version of that other manga series but with strong female characters and promotes both feminism and the pride community." they all talk about the video game that Lucy said, Lila growled as they all kept on talking and not paying any attention to what she has to say about the Victorian Servant video game.

After talking, they all continued watching the show. It was already fifty-one hours and still counting, and they all see that Justin is still standing there, and doesn't look to be tired at all. That was until Marinette tapped on his face which caused him to open his eyes, startling her and shocking them (the Akuma Class) and the campers. "His eyelids are painted! I saw it!" Eva yelled, pointing it out and getting Chris's attention. "Get out," he said in disbelief. "Oh, I got to see this." Chris then runs over to Justin and sees that they were right that he did paint his eyelids. "That is so crazy incredible! But you're still out, dude," he said. With that being said, that leaves five Screaming Gophers still awake for the challenge. "Is crazy incredible even a word?" "I don't know, but I still don't get why Justin has to paint his eyelids. That doesn't make any sense." As they all continued watching, they saw that it was two days later and on the morning of the show. They all were surprised to see that Marinette was still awake, yet she still had bags in their eyes telling them another story. That was until Adrien noticed that Marinette was looking at something. That was until they watched as Duncan put Harold's hand in a cup of water. "Oh, gross, it works! Dude peed his pants!" Duncan exclaimed, waking Harold up. As Harold wakes up, he realizes that he did and tries to cover himself in embarrassment while they all look in shock, disbelief, and disgust, while Kim is quietly snickering and trying to hold his laughter from seeing that happening on TV, wishing he was actually there to see it in real life. "Duncan! Why did you do that?!" Marinette said, running towards the scene. "Ah, come on, dollface. You gotta admit that was hilarious." said Duncan. Marinette glares at him. "Maybe for you, but that is still wrong." she said. "How immature can you be?" "Yeah, you tell him, girl!" Alya said. They then see the confessionals, starting with Duncan who looks like he's won the lottery after Cupid shot an arrow at him before that. "Feisty. I like that in a chick. And with this one, I think I might have found the one." Adrien's eye started to twitch at the same time with his eye twitching jealously. But he calms down a bit around the same time they start watching Lucy's confessional. "I saw that too, and believe it or not, but I've been through a lot of weird stuff back at my old high school, but that, that was just the lowest of low, even for Mr. Juvie Boy. That was just wrong. But aside from all of that, I got to get the bright side of things." Lucy then grabs a vintage-looking camera, takes a finished photograph out of it, and reveals the photograph to be Noah kissing Cody's ear. "Ha! We've been here for a week, and we're already getting a first ship. How fun is this in our second challenge?" Most of them started snickering and laughing. Most of them except Adrien, who is now watching Noah's confessional. "I didn't know it was Cody! I thought I was kissing Marinette!" Noah then realized what he said five seconds later. "No! I mean-AGH!" Adrien doesn't know why, but for some reason, hearing the guys' comments about and mentioning Marinette like that makes his blood boil.

After that, the rest of them continued watching them, seeing Gwen yawn saying, "I'd kill for a coffee right now," she said. Lucy was taking a couple of whiffs of an essential oil. Lucy then opened her eyes widely and turned her head to Gwen. "Sorry, Gwen. Did you say something?" Before Gwen can ask what she is sniffing, Chris walks in with a cup of coffee in his hand. "What is the matter with you people?" he asks, sipping his coffee. "Come on, fall asleep already." Gwen grabs Chris by the leg. "You got to hook me up, man." She said. "I'll even eat the grinds. Anything!" 'Boy, I would've been the same way as Gwen is if I went through a challenge like this.' Alya thought to herself as she watched Gwen desperately trying to grab the coffee out of Chris's hand. "Alright, you seven stay with me. The rest of you go and get a shower, for heaven's sake. You stink!" Chris said, sipping more of his coffee. "Well, what did you expect, McLean?! You're the one who made them do this dumb challenge!" Alix yells at the T.V. They watch as they see Lucy and Marinette are still awake, and Chris starts talking. "I didn't want it to come to this." he said. "I said that to Chef Hatchet last night. I said, "Chef, I don't want it to come to this." But darn it, these campers are tough. And so, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find." 'Great. Now what?' most of the students thought. Just then, Chris opens a book, which they all realize that it was a...

"The History of Canada. A pop-up book. Chapter One."

The class and the campers groaned as Chris read away in the pop-up history book. As Chris goes on in the book, it brung Eva, Heather, Gwen, and Trent to sleep. The class looked worriedly at Marinette. All of them except Lila. Lila was still mad that the new episode of the reality show she and her friends were all watching was taking all the attention away from her. But she then gets an idea in her head. When the time comes, she's going to tell them that she found the show and she's making all these challenges. She smiles, already thinking more of these brilliant ideas in her head. A little while later, Chris announced to the still awake three campers, "Time for a bathroom break. Any takers?" he asked. "I've held it this long, sweetheart," said Duncan. "I can go all day." Lucy scoffs. "Yeah, but I doubt you can hold it for another ten chapters." the class snickered from that and saw the look on Duncan's face. After that, Lucy's saying made Duncan change his mind, and head to the bathroom. "You've got five minutes." Chris said. "Long as you don't mind a little company." "Fine, but stay out of the stall." Duncan warns. After a little while, the class watched and saw Lucy and Marinette, who were starting to feel extremely tired, making them feel worried. That was until Chris received some intel from an intern. "And we have news. It looks like Duncan's taken a dive on the can, which means there is not one, but two official winners of the Awake-a-thon. And those two winners are...." they all watched as they saw Lucy and Marinette murmur something that they couldn't describe what they were saying, and the two girls fell back first, fast asleep, knocked out cold.

"Lucy and Marinette! The Screaming Gophers win!" most of the class cheered for Marinette to win the second challenge. Lila scoffs and rolls her eyes, not impressed about Marinette winning the second challenge. She hopes that by the next episode, she will lose and everyone will vote her off. After watching Heather's trick making Eva mad worked, they all watched the Elimination Ceremony, and to no one's shock nor surprise, Eva was voted off the team. And she was ticked. "Nice. Really nice." Eva said to the other campers, looking as mad as a raging bull. "Who needs this lame-o T.V. show, anyway?" as she stomps off to the Dock of Shame, she ragingly kicks Chris in the shin. As he lets out an 'ow' and holds his possibly bruised leg, he turns to the Killer Bass, telling them, "Have a good night's sleep tonight. You're all safe." they all then saw Courtney's confessional. "See? I told you. You can't act like a total raging psychopath and then expect people to just forgive you, no matter how tough and strong and fast you are." Courtney explains and crosses her arms, "She's never gonna have a career if she doesn't get her act together." "Yeah, but it wasn't even Eva's fault! Heather was the one who started it!" Alya yelled with the rest of her classmates yelling and complaining in agreement.

After that, they turned off the TV, finished it, and headed home. As Adrien heads home, he heads into his bedroom, and turns on his computer, seeing that the same episode is playing live as well. He then realized that he hadn't finished watching the rest of the ending. As he watches Eva in the Boat of Losers, she starts to talk, "I guess my temper got the better of me. Again. But whatever, they just lost their fiercest competitor. I hope they realize that." Just then, she feels something in her pocket. She checks to see that it is a little charm that has Rosie the Riveter that has words that say, 'Stay Strong, Eva! You Can Do It!', an essential oil that is labeled 'Anger Management', and a note that says, "To the strongest gal we know, M & L" Eva smiles, "But then again, there are some people that are actually understanding." she said. Adrien smiles, knowing that it must've been Marinette, feeling that there is hope that Marinette will be turning a new leaf, and hoping that she will keep it up when the show is over. After hearing a knock from Nathalie, telling him that his father wants to talk to him, he turns off his computer and heads off, still hoping that Marinette will be the same 'Everyday Ladybug' like she was supposed to be.

Celebrities

It was the weekend for all of the celebrities of Paris, France. And they are all getting together, getting ready to watch the new episode of Total Drama. Luka smiles as he looks through his chat history with Marinette on the new distance chat app, WhatsAppening. He was glad to see that she was having a blast at Wawanawkwa and making some new friends. He even called and talked to her and her new friends, and they were really nice to them. Even though Heather and Duncan were a little cold-shouldered, they were still pretty chill people in his book. Chris and Chef were even good people after he and his father met the two on the call. Even though the spots were full for the first season, Chris explains if possible, he would be happy to put Luka in the show for the second season if the show gets good ratings and views. Jagged thought it was a brilliant idea for his son to be on the show when they have a second season. His mother was also saying that it was a great idea. Since then, Jagged has started promoting Total Drama on his social media pages. A lot of other celebrities followed along in the blink of an eye. Luka can never forget how many followers he got from Paris to Canada in a millisecond when Jagged started promoting the show.

He then snaps out of it as he starts to hear his dad calling him over. "Luka! Come on! The show is about to start!" Luka runs over to the room and joins the rest of the celebrities on time when the show starts. After watching the recap and theme, the show began with Chris walking into the scene using an airhorn and a megaphone, all of the campers. After seeing most of the campers there, they see Marinette and Lucy exit their side of the cabin and walk over to join the rest of their team. "Glad you two can join us, girls," Chris said. He then starts talking to the rest of the still, tired campers. "Okay, now that everyone's here, I hope you're all ready because your next challenge begins in exactly one minute." "Oh, excuse me, I don't know if that's enough time to eat breakfast," said Owen. "Oh, you'll get breakfast, Owen." Chris said, "Right after you complete your twenty-kilometer run, around the lake." "Oh, so you're funny now?" Eva questioned, not liking Chris's motives, and started marching towards him with her left hand formed into a fist, ready to punch a man to a bloody pulp. "You know what I think would be funny-" Luka and the celebrities looked shocked and surprised seeing Eva like that. However, before Eva can do anything to Chris, she gets pulled back by Geoff and Duncan. "Eva, try to control your temper?" Courtney whispered to her. Eva then turns to Chris again. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked. "A little," Chris admits. "You have thirty seconds." they then watched and listened to Courtney's confessional. "Okay, that girl, Eva, has got to get a handle on her temper. She's only been here one day, and she's already thrown her suitcase out a window and broken the lock on one of the bathroom doors." "Yikes. I can't imagine seeing what Eva would be like when she's here in Paris." one of the celebrities said, shuddering at the thought of Eva being here in Paris.

After that, they continued to watch the campers as they started to prepare for their kilometer run. "Okay, runners! On your marks, get set, go!" with that, they all started running. All but Marinette and Lucy. Some of the celebrities started yelling, telling Marinette to hurry and pick up the pace. However, she was not catching up with the rest of the campers. That was until they watched both hers and Lucy's confessionals. "Nettie and I were a bit suspicious about us awake so early and are told to do a run around a lake." "As a result, Lucy and I decided to walk instead. That way, we can see what this challenge really is." "Hey, Rock and Roll! That's very smart of you and Lucy, Marinette." Jagged said, raising his soda cup for Marinette and her friend with their way of doing the challenge. After seeing the campers make it to the main lodge, they see most of the Screaming Gophers cheer, knowing they beat the Killer Bass on the run. But before most of the celebrities can react, Chris spoke up. "Whoa there! Hold your horses, guys. That wasn't the challenge." he said. "What did you just say?" asked Gwen. "Yeah, I second what Gwen asked. What did Chris just say?" another one of the celebrities, Chanel Watson asked, agreeing with Gwen.

"Who's hungry?" there, they all see a table full of home-cooked food. Luka and the celebrities looked amazed as they saw the table full of delicious food. Just then, the confessionals started rolling in of Gwen and Owen and then showed Marinette and Lucy's confessionals. "I must admit, the buffet table looked amazing. However, since there were still suspicions about the running and the buffet, I decided to stick with something light. Such as a bread roll and maybe some of the salad." "As much as I want to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal as if it was home if my hunch is correct, I'm just going to do the right thing and stick to the salad." "Hey, another smart way from my favorite little lady and her friend!" Jagged says as he raises his soda cup again and then sips on it. After seeing their confessionals, all the celebrities saw that most campers were stuffed after devouring the buffet. And only Luka noticed Lucy quietly snickering to herself. Luka was already wanting to know what Lucy was snickering about. Either it was seeing the campers stuffed after devouring the whole buffet, or it was something else in her mind.

He then snaps out of his train of thought when Chris starts talking. "Okay, campers! Time for part two of your challenge," "I thought eating was the second part," said Owen. "What more do you want from us?" "Weird goth girl is right. Haven't we been through enough?" asked Heather. "Um, let me think about that. No! It's time for the Awake-a-thon!" Chris announced. "The what-a-thon?" Owen asked. "What in the world is an Awake-a-thon?" the third celebrity questions, already as confused as the other campers. "Don't worry, this is an easy one. The team with the last camper standing wins invincibility." "So what you're saying is the 20k run and the turkey-eating frenzy were part of your evil plan to make it harder for us to stay awake?" asked Gwen. "That's right, Gwen." "Man, Chris is good." a wunderkind celebrity said.

All the celebrities watched and saw that twelve hours later in the show, everyone was already too tired, had bags under their eyes, yawning away, and looked as if they were about to pass out at any minute or any second. All but the last two, Marinette and Lucy, since the two are both just sitting there. "Those two really dodged a bullet." "Yeah, but exactly how long is that even going to take?" As they question how long the challenge will be for the campers, they see Gwen, Lucy, and Marinette's confessionals. "The Awake-a-thon was definitely the most brutal thing I've ever done in my life," Gwen said in her confessional. They then see Lucy's confessional. "Just as Nettie and I suspected. But then again, I feel like this challenge will be a walk in the park. This brings back some memories of when I was with some old friends of mine when I was five and six years old." every celebrity in the room looked shocked, surprised, and in disbelief hearing that. "I know I was too young to do any of that at night, but still. It's pretty much an easy task for me. I got this one in the bag." "Wow, I didn't know Lucy did that as a kid." another wunderkind said, still surprised knowing Lucy had done that as a child. "I wonder when it started?" another celebrity questioned, curious to know how she did that as a kid. While some celebrities in the room were all questioning the new fact about Lucy, Luka, Jagged, Penny, Ali, and Clara were more focused on listening to Marinette's confessional. "This won't be too bad. I always take all-nighters whenever I have to do homework, work on design ideas, and work on commissions for my clients. So this won't be so hard." "Rock and Roll, Marinette!" Jagged praised. Penny and Clara both nod in agreement. Luka smiles happily for Marinette. He knows she works really hard on her designs all day and night. Even though he does worry for her well-being.

As the celebrities watch them and the rest of the campers continue on with the Awake-a-thon, Owen is already down and out. "This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life." "Tell me about it. I can't read any of my Stephanie Queen books during this whole ordeal." Lucy said, upset she couldn't read her Stephanie Queen books for the challenge. They then hear them talking still. "Could be way worse," said Trent. "How?" asked Marinette. "I could be stuck here without you to talk to," Trent said to Marinette, making her smile. Gwen smiles as she sees Trent talk to Marinette. They all then see her confessional. "Not gonna lie, but for some reason, I can actually see the two being together when this whole crazed-storm of a show is over. Those two, totally deserve each other." Luka smiles, thinking that is a good idea. Even though his heart started to break a bit, he still thought it was a good idea. He and the rest weren't aware of Heather's confessional, her having Beth and Lindsay in her alliance, and secretly stealing Eva's MP3 player. They continued watching the show and watched the sun go down, and some campers were already falling asleep. But are trying their best to stay awake for the whole challenge. Which leaves eleven Screaming Gophers and Seven Killer Bass still awake. "Congratulations, campers. You've made it to the twenty-four-hour mark. Time to take things up a notch. Fairy Tales." "Oh, he's not serious!" Gwen exclaimed. "I know, out of all things, he has to choose fairytales? I could be reading Stephanie Queen's Critter Crematory by now!" Lucy complained. As Chris read, more and more campers started to fall asleep while the rest were trying to stay awake.

They all continued watching the show. It was already fifty-one hours and still counting, and they all see that Justin is still standing there, and doesn't look to be tired at all. That was until Marinette tapped on his face which caused him to open his eyes, startling her and shocking them (Luka and the celebrities) and the campers. "His eyelids are painted! I saw it!" Eva yelled, pointing it out and getting Chris's attention. "Get out," he said in disbelief. "Oh, I got to see this." Chris then runs over to Justin and sees that they were right that he did paint his eyelids. "That is so crazy incredible! But you're still out, dude," he said. With that being said, that leaves five Screaming Gophers still awake for the challenge. "I don't think there's such word as crazy incredible." Penny said, sipping on her iced tea.

As they all continued watching, they saw that it was two days later and on the morning of the show. They all were surprised to see that Marinette and Lucy were still awake. Yet, they still had bags in their eyes telling them another story. That was until Luka noticed that Marinette was looking at something. That was until they watched as Duncan put Harold's hand in a cup of water. "Oh, gross, it works! Dude peed his pants!" Duncan exclaimed, waking Harold up. As Harold wakes up, he realizes that he did and tries to cover himself in embarrassment while they all look in shock, disbelief, and disgust. "Duncan! Why did you do that?!" Marinette said, running towards the scene. "Ah, come on, dollface. You gotta admit that was hilarious." said Duncan. Marinette glares at him. "Maybe for you, but that is still wrong," she said. "How immature can you be?" "You tell him, Marinette! Duncan must've done that to get your attention on purpose I bet!" Clara said. Luka nods, with all the celebrities agreeing with Clara, all not aware of Duncan's, Lucy's, and Noah's confessionals.

After that, the rest of them continued watching them, seeing Gwen yawn saying, "I'd kill for a coffee right now," she said. Lucy was taking a couple of whiffs of an essential oil. Lucy then opened her eyes widely and turned her head to Gwen. "Sorry, Gwen. Did you say something?" Chris then walks in with a cup of coffee in his hand. "What is the matter with you people?" he asks, sipping his coffee. "Come on, fall asleep already." Gwen grabs Chris by the leg. "You got to hook me up, man." She said. "I'll even eat the grinds. Anything!" "Alright, you seven stay with me. The rest of you go and get a shower, for heaven's sake. You stink!" Chris said, sipping more of his coffee. "Well, what did you expect, McLean?! You're the one who made them do this dumb challenge!" yelled the wunderkind celebrity. They watch as they see Lucy and Marinette are still awake, and Chris starts talking. "I didn't want it to come to this." he said. "I said that to Chef Hatchet last night. I said, "Chef, I don't want it to come to this." But darn it, these campers are tough. And so, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find." Chris opens a book, which they all realize that it was a...

"The History of Canada. A pop-up book. Chapter One." The campers groaned as Chris read away in the pop-up history book. As Chris goes on in the book, it brung Eva, Heather, Gwen, and Trent to sleep. Luka and the celebrities looked worriedly at Marinette and Lucy. A little while later, Chris announced to the still awake three campers, "Time for a bathroom break. Any takers?" he asked. "I've held it this long, sweetheart," said Duncan. "I can go all day." Lucy scoffs. "Yeah, but I doubt you can hold it for another ten chapters." some celebrities snickered from that and saw the look on Duncan's face. After that, Lucy's saying made Duncan change his mind, and head to the bathroom. "You've got five minutes." Chris said. "Long as you don't mind a little company." "Fine, but stay out of the stall." Duncan warns. After a little while, the celebrities watched and saw Lucy and Marinette, who were starting to feel extremely tired, making them feel worried. That was until Chris received some intel from an intern. "And we have news. It looks like Duncan's taken a dive on the can, which means there is not one, but two official winners of the Awake-a-thon. And those two winners are...." they all watched as they saw Lucy and Marinette murmur something that they couldn't describe what they were saying, and the two girls fell back first, fast asleep, knocked out cold.

"Lucy and Marinette! The Screaming Gophers win!" All the celebrities cheered for Marinette to win the second challenge. Even though they never had enough time to finish the rest of the show, they were happy that Marinette won the second challenge, and are looking forward to watching the next one next weekend. When Luka headed home, he headed to his room and saw that the show was still going. He watches on his T.V. seeing that Eva was eliminated. He watches Eva in the Boat of Losers, and she starts to talk, "I guess my temper got the better of me. Again. But whatever, they just lost their fiercest competitor. I hope they realize that." Just then, she feels something in her pocket. She checks to see that it is a little charm that has Rosie the Riveter that has words that say, 'Stay Strong, Eva! You Can Do It!', an essential oil that is labeled 'Anger Management', and a note that says, "To the strongest gal we know, M & L" Eva smiles, "But then again, there are some people that are actually understanding." she said. Luka smiles, knowing that it is both Marinette and Lucy. Luka then turns his T.V. off and starts to get ready for bed. 'I hope you're doing great in Wawanawkwa, Marinette.' he thought.

Friends and Family

Everyone was already sitting down and getting ready to watch the new episode of Total Drama Island. Tom and Sabine were glad that their daughter was doing well in Wawanawkwa. After talking to her on WhatsAppening, they see that Marinette is happy being there. Even Marinette's friends from Paris, New York, and Shanghai were glad to see her happy there. They all even got to meet her new friends there. They were all nice, even though Duncan and Heather were a little cold-shouldered, they were still nice. To them, that is. And when they met Chris and Chef, they were nice to talk to. Tom and Sabine even shared some recipes with Chef and D.J.. And Chris said to Marinette's friends that if it was possible, he would be happy to have them on the show. When Audrey heard it from Zoe's phone the one time she visited Paris for a day, she agreed with the idea and started promoting the show on her social media. And Chloe, wanting her mother's attention, as usual, she followed her mother's golden footsteps and promoted the show on her social media as well. Tom and Sabine were surprised to see millions of people standing in a very long line at their bakery the next day. When they finished their shift for the day, they figured out how when they saw that Chris sponsored their bakery. Overnight, their bakery became one of the top ten most popular bakeries. Even Soqueline's family arts and crafts supply shop became popular overnight thanks to Chris sponsoring it.

When they all got ready and turned on the T.V., the reality show was on. After watching the recap, they watched and saw Chris walking into the scene with an air horn and a megaphone in both hands. Using them both to wake up all the campers in the cabins. They then cheered as they saw Marinette walking out of the cabin with Lucy. Chris then starts talking to the rest of the still-tired campers. "Okay, now that everyone's here, I hope you're all ready because your next challenge begins in exactly one minute." "Oh, excuse me, I don't know if that's enough time to eat breakfast," said Owen. "Oh, you'll get breakfast, Owen." Chris said, "Right after you complete your twenty-kilometer run, around the lake." "Oh, so you're funny now?" Eva questioned, not liking Chris's motives, and started marching towards him with her left hand formed into a fist, ready to punch a man to a bloody pulp. "You know what I think would be funny-" they looked shocked and surprised seeing Eva like that. However, before Eva can do anything to Chris, she gets pulled back by Geoff and Duncan. "Eva, try to control your temper?" Courtney whispered to her. Eva then turns to Chris again. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked. "A little," Chris admits. "You have thirty seconds."

After that, they continued to watch the campers as they started to prepare for their kilometer run. "Okay, runners! On your marks, get set, go!" with that, they all started running. All but Marinette and Lucy. They looked confused seeing the two just walking. That was until they saw their confessionals. "Nettie and I were a bit suspicious about us awake so early and are told to do a run around a lake." "As a result, Lucy and I decided to walk instead. That way, we can see what this challenge really is." "That is a good plan from the two." Tomoe says, impressed with the girls' idea. Kagami nods in agreement with her mother. Socquelle smiles seeing that Marinette has a plan with her camp friend. After a little bit, they see that the Screaming Gophers beat the Killer Bass. But then Chris tells them, "Whoa there! Hold your horses, guys. That wasn't the challenge." he said. "What did you just say?" asked Gwen.

"Who's hungry?" there, they all see a table full of home-cooked food. All the families and friends looked amazed as they saw the table full of delicious food. Just then, the confessionals started rolling in of Gwen and Owen and then showed Marinette and Lucy's confessionals. "I must admit, the buffet table looked amazing. However, since there were still suspicions about the running and the buffet, I decided to stick with something light. Such as a bread roll and maybe some of the salad." "As much as I want to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal as if it was home if my hunch is correct, I'm just going to do the right thing and stick to the salad." "That's my Marinetta!" Marinette's grandmother, Gina cheered, impressed with her and Lucy's idea. After the confessionals, they see that all of the campers got full after eating the whole buffet, while Marinette finishes eating her bread roll and Lucy is snickering to herself about something. Chris then gets up on the table and announces to the campers, "Okay, campers! Time for part two of your challenge," "I thought eating was the second part," said Owen. "What more do you want from us?" "Weird goth girl is right. Haven't we been through enough?" asked Heather. "Um, let me think about that. No! It's time for the Awake-a-thon!" Chris announced. "The what-a-thon?" Owen asked. 'Oh, so that's what he's doing.' the friends and families thought to themselves, now understanding what Chris was doing. 'That would explain why the food would be mostly turkey. That was very smart of Marinette and Lucy to stick to the salad and bread roll.' the friends thought. They continue watching the show. "Don't worry, this is an easy one. The team with the last camper standing wins invincibility." "So what you're saying is the 20k run and the turkey-eating frenzy were part of your evil plan to make it harder for us to stay awake?" asked Gwen. "That's right, Gwen." "Man, he's good." After Chris told them to move, the friends and family watched as everyone started to head out of the main lodge to the campsite to start the Awake-a-thon. "So, how long do you think it'll be before everyone's out cold?" Trent asked Gwen, Lucy, and Marinette. "About an hour, give or take," Gwen said, giving Trent her answer. As they see Owen walking past them, looking as if he is going to pass out at any second, Gwen added, "Maybe less."

watched and saw that twelve hours later in the show, everyone was already too tired, had bags under their eyes, yawning away, and looked as if they were about to pass out at any minute or any second. All but the last two, Marinette and Lucy, since the two are both just sitting there. "I'm glad Marinette didn't run and eat the other stuff in the buffet," Mirelle said, with the rest of the friends nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that would've been bad." They then stopped talking when the confessionals came on. There, they watch that it was Gwen, Lucy, and Marinette's confessionals. "The Awake-a-thon was definitely the most brutal thing I've ever done in my life," Gwen said in her confessional. They then see Lucy's confessional. "Just as Nettie and I suspected. But then again, I feel like this challenge will be a walk in the park. This brings back some memories of when I was with some old friends of mine when I was five and six years old." all the family members and Marinette's friends looked shocked, hearing that from Lucy herself. "Lucy actually stayed up that young?!" Aurore gasped with her jaw dropped to the floor. "How was that even possible?" Kagami questioned, with Marc asking, "And since when did that happen?" They then continue to hear her confessional. "I know I was too young to do any of that at night, but still. It's pretty much an easy task for me. I got this one in the bag." "Well, I guess that's good if she says so," said Zoe. They then see Marinette's confessional. "This won't be too bad. I always take all-nighters whenever I have to do homework, work on design ideas, and work on commissions for my clients. So this won't be so hard." Tom and Sabine smiled happy for their daughter. They know that Marinette actually does have some all nighters to work up on some schoolwork and her designs. They're all very happy for Marinette. Even though, they do worry about her well-being.

watch them and the rest of the campers continue on with the Awake-a-thon, Owen is already down and out. "This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life." "Tell me about it. I can't read any of my Stephanie Queen books during this whole ordeal." Lucy said, upset she couldn't read her Stephanie Queen books for the challenge. "That's a shame, really," Marc says, feeling sorry for Lucy. They then hear them talking still. "Could be way worse," said Trent. "How?" asked Marinette. "I could be stuck here without you to talk to," Trent said to Marinette, making her smile. Gwen smiles as she sees Trent talk to Marinette. They all then see her confessional. "Not gonna lie, but for some reason, I can actually see the two being together when this whole crazed-storm of a show is over. Those two, totally deserve each other." they all smiled at that. Even though their smiling faces faded after watching Heather getting Beth and Lindsay in her little "alliance", and taking Eva's MP3 player without anybody knowing, they were still watching the show and watched the sun go down, and some campers were already falling asleep. But are trying their best to stay awake for the whole challenge. Which leaves eleven Screaming Gophers and Seven Killer Bass still awake. "Congratulations, campers. You've made it to the twenty-four-hour mark. Time to take things up a notch. Fairy Tales." "Oh, he's not serious!" Gwen exclaimed. "I know, out of all things, he has to choose fairytales? I could be reading Stephanie Queen's Critter Crematory by now!" Lucy complained, with Marc giving her a sympathetic look on his face. As Chris read, more and more campers started to fall asleep while the rest were trying to stay awake.

Now there are six Screaming Gophers and four Killer Bass. Meanwhile, they see Gwen, Trent, Lucy, and Marinette having a small talk. "Okay, favorite song?" "Jagged's song tribute to the Parisian heroine Ladybug," Marinette said. Tom and Sabine smiled since it was obvious that she kept playing the song nonstop in her room. "Too Cool for School by my favorite late Drummer of KISS himself, the Fox, Eric Carr," Lucy said, crossing her heart for the late drummer. The family and friends smiled and raised their cups in honor for the late drummer. They then heard that Trent's favorite song was She Will Be Loved and then asked the girls their favorite colors. Marinette says that hers is pink and red. "All colors from the 50s to the millennial 2000s. Oh, and black and Navy blue, of course," Lucy said. 'I don't know why, but I feel like mom is going to make some designer outfits for her in those colors after she said that on live television.' Zoe thought to herself. Gwen then says hers is midnight blue. Lucy then asks what their video games are. Gwen says hers is Death Arise and Trent says his is Music Gods. Marinette then says hers is Ultimate Mecha Strike III. "It's true. She's been beating me on every level every time." Tom said, approving it. They laugh and continue watching the show. Marinette then asks Lucy what was her favorite video game, "Victorian Servant: The Truth for the Vixen's Secret." "Oh, I like that series!" Marc says, happily. "I hear it's good." Kagami said, with her mother nodding in agreement. They all continued watching the show. It was already fifty-one hours and still counting, and they all see that Justin is still standing there, and doesn't look to be tired at all. That was until Marinette tapped on his face which caused him to open his eyes, startling her and shocking them (the family and Marinette's friends) and the campers. "His eyelids are painted! I saw it!" Eva yelled, pointing it out and getting Chris's attention. "Get out," he said in disbelief. "Oh, I got to see this." Chris then runs over to Justin and sees that they were right that he did paint his eyelids. "That is so crazy incredible! But you're still out, dude," he said. With that being said, that leaves five Screaming Gophers still awake for the challenge. "There is no such word as crazy incredible." Tomoe mumbled.

As they all continued watching, they saw that it was two days later and on the morning of the show. They all were surprised to see that Marinette and Lucy were still awake. Yet, they still had bags in their eyes telling them another story. That was until Luka noticed that Marinette was looking at something. That was until they watched as Duncan put Harold's hand in a cup of water. "Oh, gross, it works! Dude peed his pants!" Duncan exclaimed, waking Harold up. As Harold wakes up, he realizes that he did and tries to cover himself in embarrassment while they all look in shock, disbelief, and disgust. "Duncan! Why did you do that?!" Marinette said, running towards the scene. "Ah, come on, dollface. You gotta admit that was hilarious." said Duncan. Marinette glares at him. "Maybe for you, but that is still wrong," she said. "How immature can you be?" Marinette's friends all talked in agreement, getting the family's attention, and they were not paying attention to Duncan, Lucy, and Noah's confessionals.

After that, they all continued watching them, seeing Gwen yawn saying, "I'd kill for a coffee right now," she said. Lucy was taking a couple of whiffs of an essential oil. Lucy then opened her eyes widely and turned her head to Gwen. "Sorry, Gwen. Did you say something?" Chris then walks in with a cup of coffee in his hand. "What is the matter with you people?" he asks, sipping his coffee. "Come on, fall asleep already." Gwen grabs Chris by the leg. "You got to hook me up, man." She said. "I'll even eat the grinds. Anything!" "Alright, you seven stay with me. The rest of you go and get a shower, for heaven's sake. You stink!" Chris said, sipping more of his coffee. "Well, what did he expect? He is the one who made them do this challenge." Jessica said, crossing her arms. They watch as they see Lucy and Marinette are still awake, and Chris starts talking. "I didn't want it to come to this." he said. "I said that to Chef Hatchet last night. I said, "Chef, I don't want it to come to this." But darn it, these campers are tough. And so, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find." Chris opens a book, which they all realize that it was a...

"The History of Canada. A pop-up book. Chapter One." The campers groaned as Chris read away in the pop-up history book. As Chris goes on in the book, it brung Eva, Heather, Gwen, and Trent to sleep. The family and Marinette's friends looked worriedly at Marinette. A little while later, Chris announced to the still awake three campers, "Time for a bathroom break. Any takers?" he asked. "I've held it this long, sweetheart," said Duncan. "I can go all day." Lucy scoffs. "Yeah, but I doubt you can hold it for another ten chapters." some of Marinette's friends snickered from that and saw the look on Duncan's face. After that, Lucy's saying made Duncan change his mind, and head to the bathroom. "You've got five minutes." Chris said. "Long as you don't mind a little company." "Fine, but stay out of the stall." Duncan warns. After a little while, they watched and saw Lucy and Marinette, who were starting to feel extremely tired, making them feel worried. That was until Chris received some intel from an intern. "And we have news. It looks like Duncan's taken a dive on the can, which means there is not one, but two official winners of the Awake-a-thon. And those two winners are...." they all watched as they saw Lucy and Marinette murmur something that they couldn't describe what they were saying, and the two girls fell back first, fast asleep, knocked out cold.

"Lucy and Marinette! The Screaming Gophers win!" They all cheered for Marinette to win the second challenge. After watching the elimination ceremony, Eva was out of the show. When she rode off on the Boat of Losers, she started to talk, "I guess my temper got the better of me. Again. But whatever, they just lost their fiercest competitor. I hope they realize that." Just then, she feels something in her pocket. She checks to see that it is a little charm that has Rosie the Riveter that has words that say, 'Stay Strong, Eva! You Can Do It!', an essential oil that is labeled 'Anger Management', and a note that says, "To the strongest gal we know, M & L" Eva smiles, "But then again, there are some people that are actually understanding." she said. They all smile, knowing that it is Marinette and her friend Lucy. After that, they all agreed that they would meet again next week, and watch the next episode. And of course, they're going to give Marinette time since she's now getting her well-deserved sleep after winning the challenge for her team.

??? & ???

They both looked in worry as they watched and saw Lucy looking extremely tired. But that all changed when Chris got information from one of his interns. "And we have news. It looks like Duncan's taken a dive on the can, which means there is not one, but two official winners of the Awake-a-thon. And those two winners are...." They then hear Lucy mumbling something that they can hear clearly. "Is it just me? Or is that a sorcerer from a different realm with an evil smirk heading our way?" they both looked shocked as they heard that and ignored Marinette's mumbling. "She remembers." one of them said, holding their clipboard tightly in their arms. Even though they were glad that Lucy and Marinette won the Awake-a-thon, they were more focused on their old friend. "Adrien needs to hurry it up contacting Marinette." the other one growled, gritting their teeth.

Desc Prologue Get to Know My OC Chpt 1 Reactions Pt 1 Chpt 2 Chpt 3 Reactions Pt 3 Chpt 4 Reactions Pt 4 Chpt 5 Reactions Pt 5

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jadeylovesmarvelxo · 1 year

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i have thoughts and you’re one of my favourite writers on here so,,, steddie x reader where steve and reader are in a relationship and he comes out to her as bisexual. she asks how he figured that out about himself and he admits to having a crush on eddie. he panics that she might think he doesn’t love her anymore, reader comforts him and admits that she also has a bit of a crush on eddie, and then they confess to eddie and ask him to go on a date with both of them. (for that extra hurt/comfort: eddie thinks they’re joking cause they found out about his feelings for both of them and that they’re making fun of him or something)

Warnings; a bit angst, fluff

💞💞

"Hey sweetheart. Can I talk to you about something. It's very important?" Steve asks her and she smiles and gives her boyfriend her full attention.

"What's up?" he looks very nervous and he takes her hand, she squeezes it tightly to reassure him and he relaxes a bit.

"I've only told Robin this but I love you so much and I know how amazing and supportive you are. I trust you and I want to share this with you?"

She leans closer and cups his cheek.

"Steve?" he takes a breath then he tells her everything.

"I'm bisexual, I've realized it in the last six months" she lets the news digest and is a little shocked but wants Steve to know she is supporting him and he can trust her.

"How did you figure this out?" she asks softly and his cheeks go pink.

"Well, the truth is and this took me a little while to come to terms with but I have a crush on Eddie" suddenly his eyes go wide and he looks so panicked, she isn't sure what was making him so worried so she immediately soothes him.

"I don't want you to think I don't love you because I do. I love you more than anything" she nods.

"Hey, it's okay baby, I know that. I'm so glad that you trust me enough to let me know all of this and you wanna know a secret? " she strokes his hair and he relaxes growing curious at her secret.

"What is it babe?" she smiles at him impishly and giggles.

"I think Eddie is hot, really hot. I have a crush on him too" he smirks at this and holds her close to him.

"Thank you for being so amazing baby, so what is it about Munson for you? I kinda like that he just does not give a shit, he doesn't let anyone tell him how to act, and doesn't conform to bullshit"

She agrees.

"I like that too, he's also ridiculously hot and those big brown eyes are cute too and the tats are hot" they both grin at each other as they gossip about Eddie's hotness.

They decide to take a risk and tell him how they feel, ask him out on a date and see what he says, hopefully, he feels the same way as they do.

💞💞

Eddie had picked up a job at the auto repair shop in Hawkins, he liked his job and the pay was good, it gave him a focus and he still had enough time to plan Hellfire campaigns with Dustin for Hellfire Club.

Even though he graduated he still liked to host the club, Steve had volunteered his house to use as a base and he had gotten involved a few times along with yn.

Speaking of which they both appear, hand in hand, and ask to speak to him privately. His heart hammers in his chest, they are both so hot and he is crushing on both of them. Hard.

He smiles flashing them his best grin and is secretly pleased when Steve's ears turn pink.

"What can I do for you both?" he asks them curious about what they want to say.

"Well it's just we were talking and Steve and I wanted to know if you would like to join us on a date?" the smile drains from his face.

Was this a joke? Did they know how he felt about them and they were playing a prank or some shit.

"This isn't high school, he snaps furious, I don't appreciate you two playing a prank on me, probably because Dustin let slip how I feel about both of you, the little shrimp",

Steve walks up to him and takes his hand squeezing it gently. Eddie gazes at him then yn who comes to join them and he's feeling a little hopeful

"Eddie, we are very serious. I just came out as bi to yn. I wouldn't lie about my feelings, neither of us would"

All of his anxieties melt away and he relaxes.

"I like you both too, so much" with that out in the open he thinks about what they asked him and feels a building sense of euphoria.

"I'd love to go on date with both of you," he tells them and they all share goofy smiles, excited for what was to come.

#steddie x reader #steddie x y/n #steddie x you #eddie x steve x reader #eddie munson x you #steve harrington x you

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gravessyard · 2 years

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HCs: you feed from someone other than Kaeya

Notes from the crypt: Inspired by this comment made by @naomireyes155, here are some headcanons with that scenario

Tags: GN!Vampire!reader, vampire themes, implied cheating, misunderstanding, light smut

• Kaeya is understandably upset, whining and throwing a mini temper tantrum on the bed that he's supposed to be resting on after a particular night where you may have taken a little too much blood from him.

• To be fair, it was another night of passion that just kind of got lost in said passion. In the heat of the moment you had taken way too much from him and he ended up limp before he could reach his release and you panicked.

• He was saved, of course, but then the realization that he'll need lots of rest to recover what was lost hit you like a truck and you couldnt help but sulk and pout over temporarily losing your food source. You thought of going back to hunting boar but you shudder at the thought of downgrading from a taste you have already gotten accustomed to, so the next best thing has to be a temporary host while yours is recovering. Like hunting prey, you surveyed the sea of drunkards at Angel's Share, trying to determine who would be the best candidate to temporarily quench your thirst. The knights were particularly loud and rowdy, celebrating some event you couldnt be bothered to pay attention to while your sharp eyes scanned over their faces.

• Disappointment was etched onto your face the more you surveyed them, each one dumber than the next and you flop on the bar counter with a dramatic sigh, catching the attention of the redhead attending the tavern. "Whats wrong?" He asked in fake annoyance, he knew that you were in cahoots with his brother so he was lowkey concerned about your low mood. You inform him of your current predicament and he hums, throwing a drink together that he slides over to you, a bloody mary.

• "Well... if you have no other options then I wouldn't be opposed to helping you", he says after a beat of silence, and you have to repeat the sentence in your mind a few times before you process what he actually said. Diluc?? Volunteering??? It was as if Celestia itself opened up to give you a rad high five, your dumb blood-deprived brain didnt hesitate to take him up on his offer, as long as its done your way. And by your way, you meant using his wrist to feed as opposed to his neck, since neck feedings are strictly for Kaeya and his pleasure.

• Right there, in the middle of the bar you latched yourself onto his wrist, since its not considered intimate by vampire standards you had no issues in doing a public feeding, but you forget that there are drunkards inhabiting the tavern, and some had loose lips. Within 24 hours Kaeya had gotten the gossip that you were sucking Diluc's blood, and he was pissed. The rumors that were circulating were talking about how you had tossed Kaeya aside to favor Diluc's blood, so it was akin to you cheating on the Cavalry Captain with his vigilante brother. You were met with a furious Kaeya at the door, tears in his eye and still in a nightshirt, you noticed he wasn't wearing any pants but you didn't have time for naughty thoughts after he slaps you across the face and screams at you for cheating.

• The argument is exhausting, you're yelling back and forth at each other, screaming insults you never mean and tearing into each other's insecurities to try and make the other submit, but neither of you stand down. Kaeya is distraught, scream-crying about your apparent infidelity and you're crying in desperation to try and make him understand that wrist blood doesnt have the same implication as neck blood. Your throat is sore from trying to get him to understand that you'll always want his blood, but a vampire still has to eat.

• "Your blood tastes better than Diluc's because I love you Kaeya!! You're the one I want to spend the rest of your life with!", you admit in a desperate shriek, and the air is filled with silence while Kaeya stares at you wide and teary eyed. The tension seems to melt away, and Kaeya sniffles before he lifts his hands to his face, hiding the grin that was growing on his face. Your frustrations morph into confusion when he starts to giggle, softly at first before it turns into him snorting and laughing softly, the hurt in his eye turning into mirth.

• "Fucking simp", he snorts before you realize he's no longer upset and tackle him onto the floor to beging apologizing for earlier, pressing kisses against his skin and gasping at the sudden poke of his hips against yours. Bedroom sex doesnt seem to be your guys' thing, as you're once again stripped bare underneath him in the living room and mewling at every roll of his hips against yours, grinding against you at an agonizingly slow pace. He's half punishing you for trying to look for another host while also showing you how elated he is at your sudden confession of spending the rest of his life at his side. As a vampire, its evident that he'll die way before you will, but your confession still meant the world to him, as he knows he'll have your individed attention for a long while, and he's selfish.

• There are new bite marks on Kaeya's skin, as well as a glittery new ring on his finger, but he looks like he's feeling good as new, showing up to the knights headquarters much earlier than was anticipated and happily sitting in meetings with newfound energy. The rumors that once circulated around town died down, new rumors popping up that talks about the Darkknight Hero targeting anyone who is talking bad about you behind your back.

#tombtales #genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #genshin headcanons #kaeya #kaeya alberich #kaeya genshin impact #genshin kaeya #kaeya x reader #kaeya headcanons

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jerzwriter · 2 years

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Not the Life of This Party

Book: Open Heart (Post-Series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee) Rating: Teen Words: 794 Summary: Ethan gets Kaycee hot and bothered when he tells her he's made a commitment for them. Kaycee loves him, but she's not about to do this. A/N 1: Based on this Reverse Uno from @dr-colossal-pita (who doesn't know the date, lol), the original prompt is highlighted in the text below. Participating in @choicesmonthlychallenge - Flufftober - Laughter

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

Kaycee’s eyes were fixed on the numbers above the elevator door. Her jaw tense, chin jutted out, and foot tapping frantically, this contraption couldn’t get her to their condo quickly enough. The moment the door opened, she raced down the hallway without a word to Ethan… until they got inside.

Her purse met the couch with a furious thump as she marched over to the sideboard to pour herself a drink of his Scotch. His expensive Scotch. The second he walked through the door, she turned around with the fury of a thousand suns, and everything she held in on the ride home came barreling out.

“I can’t believe you!” She fumed. “How did you even think this was OK! To suggest that I….”

“Kaycee, I….” he attempted to interrupt, but she wouldn't have it.

“No! I don’t want to hear a reason or an excuse! I swear to God, Ethan! Do you even know me?”

As he hung his coat in the hall closet, she was too livid to see the twisted smirk on his lips. This started as a prank, and a prank it was. But seeing how her nostrils instantly flared and the fire filling her eyes was so amusing, he pushed it… but now, it wondered if it was a little too far. Still, that didn’t stop him from toying with her just a little more.

“I don’t care the reason! I don’t care who you promised! And I don’t care that he was your father’s best friend! Though, I’m really appalled and intend to speak to Alan. Friends, what that man!!! Are you kidding!”

She downed the rest of his Scotch in one gulp and plopped her glass on the counter, mumbling incessantly under her breath. “… have a reputation to uphold… doesn’t even think… people at the clinic would never… I just can’t believe….”

“What if sweetened the deal….”

“NO!” she said, “Not for a million dollars, Ethan! You couldn’t even pay me to do this!”

“Not even for me?”

“Not even for you! You can attend alone! And you will tell people why I am in attendance because if you don’t, I will!”

“Well, luckily for me, I won’t have to endure any of that because I’m not going either.”

“Wait! What? You told me you promised we’d both be there! Now neither of us has to attend?”

Ethan could no longer contain the laughter that had been building in his chest, and Kaycee knew she had been played at once. Her shoulders went slack with relief, but her eyes remained wild. She picked up the nearest dishrag and hurled it in his direction.

“Ethan Jonah Ramsey! Was this all a joke?”

“Do you seriously believe I would do anything to support the likes of Senator Cornell? After what that scoundrel has done to defund healthcare for the most vulnerable members of our State? With the draconian measures, he backs on the floor?” Ethan removed his tie with such nonchalance one would suspect his wife was not still seething on the other side of the room. “Come on, Kaycee,” he grinned. “Do you know me at all?”

“Then why... why would you….”

“It was a joke,” he smiled. “Tobias and I were having a drink, and we overheard Thorne saying he was hosting the fundraiser and looking for speakers. Tobias joked and said I should sign the two of us up and….”

“So, Tobias put you up to this.”

“Not exactly put me up, and let’s just say I succumbed to peer pressure.”

"And you dragged Alan's name into this...."

"I had to make you believe it was true," he winked.

“And you continued? Even when you saw how irate I was? Why?”

An impish grin spread on his face as he removed the cufflinks from his dress shirt.

“Truth? Or a lie?”

Kaycee crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, and he chuckled as he approached her with caution.

“Fine, the truth.," he grinned." You look adorable when you get that little line between your brows when you’re really, really mad!”

“Ethan! You can get that effect by telling me we’re attempting to cut carbs for the week! You didn’t have to….”

Her words came to a halt as his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him as his warm lips found that sensitive spot under her ear.

“The second reason,” he whispered between gently sucking on her neck.

“Yes,” she gasped, fully falling victim to his plan.

“Make-up sex. Hot, steamy, make-up sex.”

“What if I’m no longer mad at you,” she giggled as he unzipped her dress.

“I’ll put you on Cornell’s mailing list.”

Kaycee pulled on his tie, dragging him to her level for a heated kiss.

“Oh, now you’re on!”'

____

A/N2: Kaycee is not supporting any political candidate who goes against her personal beliefs for anything. Not even for Ethan. Luckily, they're on the same page. My girl's got standards! lol

Perma All: @a-crepusculo @aishwarya26 @animesuck3r @annfg8 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @bex-la-get @binny1985 @bluebelle08 @bluerosesbloom @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @danijimenezv @different4strawberry @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @forallthatitsworth @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @peonyblossom @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @schnitzelbutterfingers @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @toadfrog26 @trappedinfanfiction @uneravine @youlookappropriate @zahrachoices @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x f!mc #open heart fanfic #choices fanfic #choices fic writers creations #choices monthly challenge #cfwc fics of the week

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thegeminisage · 3 months

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it's tng update time.

we did. and you know this. because i made. i counted. 18 posts about it. "half a life." and of course: "the host" (honorific).

half a life: part of what makes the ep after this so wonderful is that THIS episode was so genuinely upsetting. it was a huge bummer. it was awful. the only fucking episode lwaxana troi has been in that cathy actually watched and she had a valid character arc. i was furious. and then we got into it and i was like. oh.

first of all, kudos to charles winchester from mash for being here. cathy caught a 4077 ref that i missed bc i wasnt paying attention. i cant believe he was gay when he did this

secondly. the fucking. ethical implications of. people who are infirm should be dead for their children's sake and for their own sake. like it's better to be dead than in a nursing home. when you're 60 time's up. parents care for their children so children should care for their parents. your aging parents are mortal and they'll die one day. your daughter wants you to kill yourself. you want to die and can't wait to kill yourself. you don't want to live and then you do want to live but you still have to kill yourself. you're 60. you're 60. YOUR DAUGHTER WANTS YOU TO KILL YOURSELF. when she is 60 your daughter WILL ALSO KILL HERSELF.

i think the most fucked up part of this was that lwaxana ruined him. she meant well, and for once i saw her point and her arguments as totally valid (i usually think she's horrible), it was like maybe the only semi-selfless thing she's ever done aside from the ferengi business we will not be discussing. but she ruined him. when he was fine with dying and he had to die, fine and whatever. when he wanted to live?? no longer fine. if he lives his people will hate him forever. his daughter will regret him living because he can't be laid to rest in the family plot. because he can't die with his friends and family surrounding him. but he's 60. people live to be well over a hundred in the star trek universe, other aliens live even longer. he's SIXTY. he's healthy. he has work to do. a planet to save. and he's gonna die knowing his work meant nothing and his planet might die and his grandson may have nowhere to grow up. live or die, he will be miserable either way, just because he was introduced to a different way of life. it's SO fucked up

i think i had more to say about this after it ended but i have clean forgotten all of it. like it's been blasted out of my memory which is probably for the best. the short version is, i am living at home taking care of my mother who turned 58 three days ago. i didn't need any of that.

but then.

But Then.

the host: what can i possibly. i mean. the sheer. the fucking

like the fucking MOOD WHIPLASH alone

i had heard of this episode years ago. so i knew beverly's bf was a parasite and he eventually jumped into a woman and i was made to believe she was super homophobic about it. i was prepared to look completely past all of this and enjoy not-quite-gay SUBTEXT. i was NOT prepared for ANY of the rest of it

to get this out of the way: as i said, though i miss wesley very much (ask catherine i say so like every episode) it's so fortunate that he was not here. i think bev finally hit menopause because her horny levels were CRITICALLY off the charts and this whole debacle would have been so awkward for him. i'm glad he sent her a letter god bless i'm so glad he's fine wherever he is

the BABY BUMP THIS GUY HAD. this i was not expecting. i didn't know we were doing pregnant men in this episode. i figured the entire episode would be about beverly being like "this is weird cuz idw fuck you now that you're a woman" i had no idea his ass would jump into RIKER

riker did amazing bg work in this ep too before he got to star. he gave beverly and her bf some KNOWING looks. at one point the following exchange was uttered: "HE knows they're fucking." "yeah he wishes it was him." apollo and the dodgeball.....

the fact that after that i literally did have the thought "yeah except he'd never fuck beverly. she's one of the few people who are off limits." lisa simpson dot jpg

and then riker's pregnancy, what can one say. beverly put a little worm in his body. i'm only sad we didn't get to see the baby bump because that would have been extremely funny

i spent the whole ep thinking no way can beverly fuck riker. they have to work together. she has to look him in the eye after this. AND THEN THEY DID.

like it's so insane. it's not even that i dislike the concept because the fallout could lead to some extremely meaty interpersonal drama except for the fact that star trek generally isn't about interpersonal drama and we didn't see riker again after he got possessed. we didn't get one word from him. the silence seems so calculated so as to avoid having to write his reaction. BUT I WANTED HIS REACTION. will he not tell us how it feels to be possessed and pregnant and FUCKING BEVERLY CRUSHER? genuinely this is the first time i've been tempted to look up tng fic. someone tell me there is fic

also, like, he only had 18 hours until he got a new body. she could have waited to fuck the new guy if she felt weird about it being riker. SHE didn't know the knew guy was gonna be a woman. like it had to be menopause

the fact that deanna condoned this, even suggested it, is INSANE. not only because she didn't consider riker's ability, or lack of ability, to consent, but because THAT'S HER BOYFRIEND. quasi-boyfriend. sometimes exes sometimes fwb. like it's NUTS.

their discussion was so wild too. like "what do i miss...his hands, his mouth...no, there was more than that" girl they were 5 more minutes away from discovering the split attraction model. actually i don't even normally like the split attraction model but this episode made me like it a little more. growth <3

actually on that subject quasi-exes are weirdly chill with each other on this show. picard and beverly are kinda dating and kinda not, the same way deanna and riker kind of are and kind of aren't. and picard is like...beverly whatever else i am to you i'm also your friend and i know this fucking sucks. do you want a hug. like that is SO chill and cool of him. and ik they probably do this bc they don't want to have to maintain character development but it winds up accidentally feeling really refreshing

anyway: The Woman

i can't believe that beverly can fuck riker, her "sort of "brother," but not this hot blonde lady. and i know it's because they can't be gay but ACTUALLY

i was SHOCKED that gender didn't come into it at all. like yes it was the elephant in the room but nowhere in beverly's dialogue did she say she couldn't do this because odan was a woman now. copypasting:

"Perhaps it is a human failing, but we are not accustomed to these kinds of changes. I can't keep up. How long will you have this host? What would the next one be? I can't live with that kind of uncertainty. Perhaps, someday, our ability to love won't be so limited."

NONE OF THAT MENTIONS GENDER. none!!! the only part that could be interpreted as a gender thing was when beverly said bring HIM in, and was smiling bc she was about to meet the new version of her bf, only for her smile to drop when she encountered a woman. you could sort of read it as "a woman will be even weirder than riker and i just don't have it in me to go through that acclimation process again" BUT LIKE. like she's CHOOSING not to. not that she couldn't eventually adjust. to a woman. beverly just found out she's bisexual fr

like the wrist kiss was SO SENSUAL. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK. i can't believe they let two women do that on tv in 1991. holy shit. AND!!! they said i love you to each other. i did quite literally stand up out of my seat. it feels very progressive considering when it was written

and like it's a shame this was in the same episode where riker gets knocked up bc that distracted from the entire gay thing. i WISH the whole episode had been odan in a woman's body and riker had had his own episode to do all of that in later. like it would've been incredible. sexuality is fluid <3

anyway. wow. next time: "the mind's eye" and "in theory," two episodes i already feel sorry for because they will Never live up to all of that.

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #good fucking lord.

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motownfiction · 1 year

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beach day

In the winter of 1984, the junior class hosts Beach Day in the school gym. It’s another one of their fundraising activities, which exclusively goes to paying for the senior prom. Of all the traditional fundraisers at St. Catherine’s, though, Beach Day is the one the students look forward to the most. It always happens in the middle of February, when the snow and sleet become too much, and they want to pretend like they’re on a tropical island where no one can find them. The juniors host the party, but the whole school is invited, so long as they have two dollars to spare.

And today, Andie Sullivan most certainly has two dollars to spare.

Last year, when she was just a freshman, Andie didn’t get to go to Beach Day. Her mother grounded her for breaking curfew three times in a row. Apparently, Ginny Sullivan still operates on the “three tardies before a detention” rule that she learned when she was in high school at St. Catherine’s, too. When everybody got back to school the following Monday, Andie heard about all the scandalous and unexpected makeouts and hookups that happened during and after Beach Day. It made her furious that she wasn’t a part of them. So, for the past few weeks, Andie’s been following every one of her mother’s rules to a perfect point, just to make sure there’s no chance of grounding again. She has to go to Beach Day. Even if she’s not part of a surprising makeout or hookup, she still has to see the scandals happen. If a scandal breaks out at St. Catherine’s, and Andie Sullivan wasn’t around to spread the word, did it spread at all?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. But Andie’s not really going to touch that right now.

When she gets into the gym, she ignores the annoying Todd Rudgren song playing loudly on the speakers high above her head. She ignores everyone’s bad dancing and even ignores a heavily pregnant Lucy Callaghan trying to persuade Kim Campbell to change the soundtrack to Bob Marley or at least Harry Belafonte.

“I know he probably fucked Marlon Brando, but people like ‘Jump in the Line,’” Lucy says.

“No, they don’t,” Kim calls out to her. “They like this.”

She turns the volume up on Todd Rudgren, and tragically, most of the crowd cheers and breaks out into really horrible dancing. Andie laughs, but she tries not to pay much attention. She knows what she’s looking for, and he’s standing right across from her in the gym.

Daniel DeLuca.

Over the past year or so, Andie has heard a lot about Daniel DeLuca. His reputation precedes him. According to a lot of girls in his class (and even a couple in Andie’s, the year below him), he’s the best guy to lose your virginity to. Vicky St. John lost her virginity to him back in the fall of ‘82, and she said she couldn’t have imagined it any other way. Daniel’s nice, she always says, and that makes all the difference. She’s been hooking up with Nick Crosby since then, so Andie’s pretty sure why Vicky would be nostalgic for a nice guy.

Andie doesn’t know what she expects to happen between her and Daniel on Beach Day.

But judging by the look they’re giving each other and the way that annoying Todd Rudgren music falls away, she’s pretty sure she has an idea.

#drabble #ch: andie sullivan #ch: lucy callaghan #ch: kim campbell #ch: vicky st. john #ch: daniel deluca #year: 1984 #asks #unasanta #thank you!

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tamim1267 · 3 months

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Stop boasting about digital people

Leeks harvested by digital people

Boss Wang usually does some small business, and his friends have started Douyin live broadcasts this year, and he is also eager to do so.

When asked about the cost, the money He Tuber earned is not enough to support the live broadcast team: the base salary of the anchor is 10,000 yuan plus 5% commission on the turnover, the monthly salary of the operation is 10,000 yuan, and the monthly salary of the linker is 8,000 yuan, which also requires photography, editing, purchasing, customer service, and Pay venue fee.

Boss Wang waved his hand: Forget it.

Not long after, Boss Wang came across a digital human salesman who claimed that he could buy a digital human for only 30,000 yuan and also provided free live training.

"Think about it, how much does it cost to hire an anchor?" "A anchor also needs an operator. How much does it cost if the two people add up?" "How much do you lose if the anchor is mature and runs away?" "How many years does your opponent do live broadcasting? Ten million, can you not do it?" "The future is the era of digital people. Is your company taking advantage of this?"

Boss Wang was very excited after hearing this. The 30,000 yuan was either too much or too little, just in case he could really seize the opportunity.

Without much hesitation, Boss Wang quickly placed the order and soon got a beautiful digital host. As a result, less than a minute after it started broadcasting on Douyin, it was banned from live broadcasting for a week.

The "sun never sets" in the live broadcast room, as sales people say, has set before it even rises.

The automobile company where Xiao Liu works also plans to customize a digital human and place it in the exhibition hall on the first floor. Outsiders can interact with it and learn about the company when they come to visit, which looks more technological.

In Xiao Liu's view, the digital company currently identified by the company is just lucky, but in fact it is not very capable. After bidding, it is basically impossible to communicate except asking for money.

At the beginning, Fangguang received 400,000 yuan in development fees. After adding hardware equipment such as the host computer, display cabinets, audio amplifier equipment, and transparent cabinets, the entire project was nearly 700,000 yuan.

In addition, Xiao Liu's company currently has a three-year contract with the other party. If he wants to renew the contract later, he will have to add money; in addition to waving, waving, welcoming, applauding and other actions, if he wants to add new actions, he will also need to add money; The other party provides AI dubbing, and if you change it, you will have to pay extra.

According to Xiao Liu's analysis, Party B's company does not have very core technologies, and character images, speech recognition, and hardware equipment are all outsourced. So far, the project has been started for two months and is still in the styling and sound review stage.

Xiao Liu gradually believed that this project might not achieve the expected results.

An employee of a large company customized a handsome digital male protagonist in the style of a fairy tale, and happily introduced it to his boss.

The boss was furious: This is very nice, what can it bring to our company? How to integrate it with our business model? What are your plans for the future?

Everyone was speechless.

2. Is digital people’s live streaming of goods reliable?

At midnight, the digital man quietly appeared.

Good posture, charming smile, pure broadcasting voice, everything looks perfect. But after a while, the images and sounds started to repeat themselves.

The reason why digital people only appear at midnight is because in May this year, Douyin released platform specifications for digital people, which clearly stated: When using registered virtual human images for live broadcast, real-time interaction must be driven by real people, and complete interactions are not allowed. Interaction powered by AI.

One piece of regulation caused an industry earthquake. During this period, Douyin blocked a large number of digital people's live broadcast rooms, and merchants only dared to release digital people during periods of relatively loose review.

There is a popular video on the Internet that looks very weird: somewhere in the early morning, a room of several hundred square meters is empty, and on 100 computer screens, digital people are live broadcasting frantically, as if it is an AI carnival without human participation.

Merchants who want to join the game best know how to calculate the input-output ratio.

At present, a digital human live broadcast room needs to be equipped with a live broadcast controller and an operation staff, plus digital human usage fees, venue fees and equipment fees, the monthly cost is at least 20,000 yuan.

In addition, there is a risk of being blocked at any time when using digital live streaming. If the traffic conversion is small, the revenue obtained will be difficult to cover the operating costs.

For small businesses, digital live broadcasting is a big burden. The boss often uses it for several people. He is both the central controller and the anchor. Two or three hours of broadcasting every day is enough. There is no need to spend an extra 20,000 yuan a month. money.

Regardless of cost, many people's intuitive feeling is that currently digital live broadcasts have a greater impact on user experience. The digital person looks a bit fake at first glance. It does not make eye contact with the audience. It is like a person talking to you, but looking away, which makes people feel particularly insincere. Not to mention, digital people sometimes keep repeating the same clichés.

The current customer base for digital live streaming is middle-aged and elderly customers over 40 years old. They sometimes cannot tell whether the people on the screen are real or fake. However, young people have relatively high requirements for the expressiveness of anchors. If they see it looking fake, they will turn it away, and the traffic will be fleeting.

Moreover, when users ask questions during the live broadcast, the digital person cannot reply in time, and if the training is not good, he will talk nonsense. While watching the screen footage, the live anchor can also glance at the live broadcast screen and give a quick reply.

For example, someone asked, can this product be used by 45-year-olds? I am already a mother of two children.

Digital people generally answer: Yes, it’s easy to use, you can take pictures now.

The live anchor will make extended imaginations about the problem. For example, they will first praise: You are so happy to have two children! Both children should love you very much! Then guide customers to place orders.

Wang Yucan, an e-commerce practitioner on Douyin, still has a wait-and-see attitude towards digital people. He expressed two concerns to Shangyinshe: "Digital people's live broadcast is suitable for selling goods under 100 yuan. It can form standard products for periodic repurchases and is not suitable for emerging industries." brand. And it’s more suitable for shelf e-commerce like Taobao, rather than interest e-commerce like Douyin.”

Interest e-commerce itself is driven by emotions. Most of the products purchased are dispensable, and there are more non-standard products, which will bring a certain premium to the merchants.

But for products that we buy regularly, such as food and beauty products, we follow a purchasing goal. In most cases, we buy them directly as long as the price is right, and there is no need to worry about it if it is less than 100 yuan. This does not require the anchor to put in too much emotion to promote the order. Of course, digital humans are currently unable to achieve the emotional flow of real people. They still look like a talking machine selling products.

This puts forward higher requirements for brand trust. Brand awareness, the length of time the store has been opened, the number of hits within a year, the number of positive reviews received, etc., will all affect users' trust in the product and brand.

If the customer's trust level is high enough and the thinking time after swiping is relatively short, it will be easy to place an order.

But most small and medium-sized businesses do not have such superior innate conditions. In live broadcasts, digital people's mouth movements and interactions are still not realistic and natural enough.

This actually consumes the trust accumulated by the brand in disguise. Blindly using digital people in the live broadcast room is equivalent to chronic suicide.

"So, it all depends on people. The technology is here. Whether it can be used well depends on personal ability. If live broadcasts cannot be done well by real people, digital live broadcasts cannot be done well either. This shows that the details are not well controlled and the speaking skills are not polished. If the process is not followed clearly, it is useless to be a digital person." Wang Yucan said bluntly.

In addition, another big problem is that digital live broadcasts lack sound rules. The legal responsibilities of digital people are relatively vague. There is no way to monitor their speech skills in real time during the live broadcast. Sometimes the training of digital people is not adequate, which will cause unpredictable effects.

#Film & Animation #Music #Pes & Animals #Sports

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finsterhund · 6 months

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Extended period of hell

No internet! Roommate comes to me and says it's "so weird" how our Internet just mysteriously cut off today. He stresses that he did in fact pay it but I think you should be able to guess by now that in not buying it. This has made me excessively more stressed than before. If you are somehow reading this it means I either went to a wifi hotspot or the Internet came back.

Went to a pawn shop and found out that they will accept my PS4 and my PSVR as collateral for a loan. Roommate tries to be the bigger person and say that it's not fair and I shouldn't have to resort to this even though he's the reason I have to in the first place. But I know now that I can do this if I really need to

Our pet store has a program where every 12th bag of Scott's food is free. It's been going on since Cazza. So I got Scott a free bag of food that will last a while. Everything is fine for Scott.

Went to my bank and had them freeze it so PayPal won't keep racking up NSF fees every time it tries to brute force my account. The guy I talked to told me that the reason my tax return was so abysmal was because of a poorly implemented grocery relief program that I knew literally nothing about. I did not benefit from it and they still took it out of my fucking money. If they're going to take it automatically from my account can't they just fucking give it to me automatically too? Just say you fucking hate disabled people. Fucking christ. Apparently this thing screwed A LOT of other people over as well. I'm so mad because I had literally no idea this was happening. I am infuriated. I literally go to a fucking social worker to help me with this shit because I can't do it on my own. So fucking furious.

So yeah I'm anxious that automatic payments through PayPal for my web hosting are going to be delayed now which is fucking hell. But I do know there is some level of grace period.

Gotta love the way my roommate tries to be supportive here. Did not accompany me into my bank when I would benefit from the emotional support but oh boy did he fucking say "I don't know why I didn't stop you from sending me so much through PayPal" bitch but you fucking did didn't you? Because you fucking wanted it. That's why.

Any and all donations I get will now be going directly to repaying my PayPal debt which is thanks to locking my bank unable to touch my bank and accumulate more fees.

My tummy hurts so bad

#text post #negative

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tusfails · 3 years

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#fail #lol #wtf #Dude Gets Free Website #Furious He Still Has to Pay for Hosting

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googledocsdyke · 3 years

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in all these musings about jender, has anyone discussed the fact that dean did watch a clip of jensen in days of our lives in canon and thus confronted Jender Itself in its raw unadulterated form?

god you're so right. now i'm going insane thinking about jender and the french mistake because like....... the entire episode premise has sam and dean comparing themselves to the haunting traces of their alternate self. like they never actually MEET jared and jensen which i do think is both fascinating and key to what makes the episode really work — they just have to detangle, half-horrified half-in awe, what kind of impossibly easy life these strange half-famous men live. using like, context clues. the episode mostly focuses on sam in ways that are very funny and iconic as this post outlines but you're right there is also some SUPER fascinating stuff going on w/ dean's masculinity

dean is much more visibly disgusted than sam at everything that points to jensen and jared's "softness" — their actor-indulgences and their lack of hunting skills and their effeminised "male model" career and dumb little rich boy details like the fish tank in jensen's trailer. i feel sick. he's going to be sick! you already pay these two jokers enough money as it is! and like, of COURSE it's dean who notices that he's wearing makeup (it's always, always dean that has these too-eager jokes land — or not land? — at his expense; marcusantonius: how do we know dean is performing masculinity? because sam isn't) he traces his hand down his face and says, in horror, oh crap, i'm a painted whore. and it's funny! laugh track! the man written as the furious antithesis of femininity accidentally slips into it again (see dean manifesto) and theres a whole HOST of deeply complex and largely misogynistic associations bundled up there about dean’s relationships (both canonical and fanonical) with sex workers, but it's also like...... you are a man. you are a man. you are a straight man and you PRESS that embodiment of yourself into the world every day. and then suddenly you fall through a window and someone else has put makeup on your face. who the hell put makeup on your face? is it even still your face? do you look better with makeup on your face? it doesn't matter. you're a painted whore. this is not your life. wipe this life off your body, wipe the makeup off your face. get back home to kansas.

and then the days of our lives scene in the trailer! again this is so Much because if they wanted to poke fun at the actors' pre-spn careers... jared padalecki is RIGHT there. he was in gilmore girls (haha funny) playing a character named dean (haha funny) who was the love interest (fellas is it gay to be in a woman-centric romcom about mother-daughter affection). but there's no POINT in emasculating sam, there's no punchline. so instead we get days of our lives-era Jender

and he IMMEDIATELY slams the laptop shut. don’t like this universe, sammy. need to get out of this universe. this is the tipping point for both of them, the moment where it all cements. you were a pretty boy on a genre INEXTRICABLY tied up with an audience of women and by god that’s the final straw

IDK MAN like you're dean winchester and you crash into a strange new universe and a man who is not you is wearing your face. or at least you think he’s wearing your face — you never see him, and maybe it’s you who is wearing his face, industrial-strength foundation at all. and people pay you to look... pretty, soap opera lead pretty, male model sons of bitches pretty, network tv good-looking pretty. you’re not just rewarded for this, you’re swaddled in comfort for this. paid in weekly checks, not crumpled twenties. you feel sick. you’re a painted whore. you know you wouldn’t be happy here (you and sam aren’t even BROTHERS) but there’s some strange haunting young version of you living in another world’s computer who looks just past the camera with soulful romantic lead eyes and maybe you don’t know how to hold all that knowledge in you! maybe you just want to get back to where you can kill something clean and simple and not think about catching the right angle while doing it. you will never meet jensen ackles. if you met jensen ackles you would punch his lights out. probably. maybe not! he’s not a hunter, he just plays one on tv. jensen ackles is a man pretending to be a hunter and you hate him for it, but isn’t that all you are, too, at the end of it?

#answered #dean studies #spn #gendernatural #i am thinking #....... i am THINKING #dean winchester: girl reiterated #god vaccine WHEN #Anonymous

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vrishchikawrites · 3 years

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If you're still taking prompts, how about WWX becoming a god after he dies in the siege? It's hard to slander someone when you have a proof of their benevolence like this. I always loved the concept. He's strong and good enough to ascend, especially since in his last actions he chose to spare those who wronged him and destroy the seal. And now LZ needs to catch up ;)

(we'll need to hand wave some of the genre constants here. apologies!)

It happens in Qinghe. The Nie Clan hosts a Martial Arts conference and Lan Wangji accompanies Lan Xichen even though he's not inclined to. He has just come out of seclusion and socialization is the last thing on his mind.

But his brother insists and Wangji is hesitant to deny. The Unclean Realm is bustling with activity and Wangji feels the strain of it keenly. There's something off in the air.

It isn't until he meets Nie Mingjue that he realizes just what is off.

The man looks furious instead of stern and commanding. Nie Mingjue has always had a temper but Wangji has never seen him quite this unsettled. His eyes seem blood-shot and his expression is almost cruel. There's an odd, dissonant energy around him that alarms Wangji.

Xichen, Jin Guangyao, and Nie Mingjue seem to be arguing in some fashion, Wangji was too far away to understand their conversation but Nie Mingjue's voice was loud and enraged.

"Da-ge," Nie Huaisang's worried voice catches his attention and he turns to look in his direction. His expression conveys his anxiety for his brother clearly. Nie Huaisang is studying the scene before him with furrowed brows and uncharacteristically shrewd eyes, "Wangji-xiong, what do you think of this?"

At first, Wangji is hesitant to comment. This isn't his concern and he is certain Xichen will help if help is needed.

But something in Nie Huaisang's tone makes him hesitate. He is obviously seeking comfort.

Wangji studies the scene once again, noting with concern that even his brother is looking disturbed by Nie Mingjue's rage, "He is dangerously unstable. Xiongzhang's Song of Clarity isn't working?"

Nie Huaisang purses his lips and shakes his head, "San-ge plays it regularly but it doesn't seem to help." He waves his fan in agitation, "Nothing seems to help."

Wangji has nothing else to say. He's not good with casual conversations or comforting words. It is usually his brother who knows how to say the right thing at the right time.

"I wish Wei-xiong was here." Wangji stills at the soft whisper, "He would know what to do- no one knows Resentful Energy like he did."

Wangji takes a deep breath, keeping his gaze fixed on the middle distance. "Mentioning him is forbidden." He has kept Wei Ying's name close to his heart, untainted and loved instead of being tossed around and slandered.

His Wei Ying.

"You don't need to pretend to dislike him," Nie Huaisang says, eyes fixed on his brother, "Unlike everyone else, I knew his true self well enough. Almost as well as you did."

Wangji feels a curl of bitter amusement, "I did not know him."

Nie Huaisang waves his fan and remains silent for a long moment before speaking, "Believe me, Wangji-xiong, you were the only one who knew him."

Wangji has no reply.

Unfortunately, the situation does escalate beyond their control. Nie Mingjue has clearly lost control and is on the verge of qi deviation. He swings his sword aimlessly. Neither Wangji's guqin nor Xichen's flute do much to help.

Nie Huaisang is screaming, struggling against Jin Guangyao, trying to reach his increasingly volatile brother.

Nothing is helping. Wangji fears he may be forced to watch his brother's closest friend die.

Later, when questioned, he would say his prayer had been instinctive, coming deep from within him. He would say that he hadn't even thought when he spoke those words. That it hadn't even registered when he opened his mouth and said them out loud.

But in that moment, feeling something very close to panic at the sight of Nie Mingjue teetering close to the edge, he breaths out,

"Wei Ying, help."

The air around them stills the moment the last syllable slips past his lips. Nothing moves, no one speaks, the absence of sound was almost deafening.

Wangji feels the hair on his body stand on end the sound of swishing fabric fills the frozen atmosphere. He turns a little to see a swirl of black robes; rich, intricate, moving over the ground like smoke.

There's a fragrance of freshly dug earth and petrichor in the air, refreshing and earthy, but also strange. He's in the Unclean Realm and it hasn't rained in weeks.

Wangji takes a deep breath as the swish of fabric comes closer and then something as shockingly cold as snowmelt sweeps past him.

He already knows what he's about to see when he looks up.

Everything about him is pitch black. His hair is dark as ebony, falling down to the back of his knees. His robes seem to be made of shadows that suck in light. There are intricate lace and gold patterns on the sleeves. They look like talismans but Wangji cannot tell.

"Wei Ying," He calls softly.

Because Wangji knew it was him even before he saw him.

The air unfreezes and everyone comes to life once again, dazed and bewildered. Wangji hears Nie Huaisang draw in a sharp, shocked breath. He is the first to notice Wei Ying but others follow quickly. There are loud exclamations of surprise and many unsheathe their swords.

Wei Ying doesn't react. He lifts his hand, crooks a pale finger, and a mass of dark energy extracts itself from Nie Mingjue.

It is so quick, so unceremonious, that everyone is stunned.

Wei Ying studies it, condenses it into a small ball, and without pause, crushes it in his fist.

Nie Mingjue stumbles to his feet, clutching onto Baxia and staring at Wei Ying with wide eyes, "Wei Wuxian."

"You were destined to die today," Wei Ying says in a calm, dismissive tone, "The Nie Sect was destined to fade into obscurity." His voice is soft but there are layers to it, like a thousand individuals speaking in perfect harmony.

Nothing about Wei Ying is human. His voice is sonorous, entirely intimidating. His skin is as fair as white jade. His silver eyes are as bright as the moon. He looks regal, with an intricate hair piece holding the sweeping mass of ebony hair in place.

"You..." Xichen begins, looking just as hesitant as Wangji feels. Fortunately, his brother regains his composure quickly and bows, "Wei Wuxian, thank you for saving Nie Mingjue."

"I hold dominion over Justice." Wei Ying declares and Wangji carefully tucks his trembling hands behind his back, "Of course, I will answer the wishes of the most righteous man in Cultivation." He taps his chin with a smirk, an echo of a Wei Ying Wangji knows, loves, misses, "My affections for Lan Zhan play a part too, I suppose."

"Justice?" Nie Huaisang asks, "Because you died for a just cause?"

Wei Wuxian glances over his shoulder and Wangji meets that enchanting silver gaze with a racing heart.

"Perhaps," Wei Ying says teasingly, "I may be a deity, but even I am subject to the whims of fate."

He speaks as thought dominion over something like justice is an easy feat, like it doesn't imply immeasurable power.

"You were killed-" Nie Mingjue growls out, "For your unjust actions."

"Da-ge!" Xichen warns, glancing at Wei Ying warily.

"Don't remind me," Wei Ying says pleasantly, "For that call for justice still weighs heavy. You will all have to pay your dues, even you, Lan Zhan."

Wangji nods briefly, "I understand."

"Forgive me," Jin Guangyao interrupts, "Surely, you must understand our concern and puzzlement. Wei-gongzi, forgive me, you were-"

"You're not forgiven." Wei Ying tilts his head to the side, "I wonder, Jin Guangyao, if you think I am so easy to charm and deceive." Jin Guangyao stills, going worryingly pale, "You cannot kill me, slander me, manipulate others against me, or force me into a corner. I am Justice." Silver eyes sweep over all of them.

Wei Ying's eyes linger over Jin Guangyao's shaken expression before flickering over Xichen and Nie Mingjue.

"No one may escape me."

There's a sweeping wave of energy and everything freezes again.

Wangji remains stiff and silent as Wei Ying appears suddenly before him, leaning close enough that their breaths to mingle. Those eyes look even more otherworldly now, sparkling with the light of a thousand stars.

"Hanguang-jun," Wei Ying croons, "Don't keep your Wei Ying waiting for too long, hm?"

Wangji clenches his shaking hands, the proximity making his heart ache, "My Wei Ying?" He asks because he still remembers 'get lost' spoken in a hysterical, frenetic voice.

Wei Ying's expression softens a little, "Death gives clarity, my dear Lan Zhan. And ascension gives insight into fate and destiny. Wei Ying," He says and spins around cheekily, taking a few dancing steps away from him, "Wei Ying is always destined to be by Hanguang-jun's side." He winks, "Better hurry up! But not too soon! After our a-Yuan is old enough to stand on his own."

"Wei Ying - wait-"

The air starts moving again.

Wangji swallows and spins around, walking towards the gates of the Unclean Realm.

"Wangji-?"

"I must go ahead, xoingzhang, pray excuse me." He has no patience for Sect politics and formalities.

Wei Ying is waiting.

#short prompts #deity wwx #wei wuixan #lan wangji

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omgkatinka · 3 years

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Breaking and Entering

Summary: Your cat gets you into trouble with your grumpy new neighbour

Pairing: Walter Marshall x Reader

>>> chapter 2

Masterlist

Warnings: Mentions of death, mentions of abuse; anxiety, angst, grumpy neighbour / Also: English is not my native language and this is my first and probably last attempt at writing. I do not even know why I tried. This is eventually a result of procrastinating from learning for my exam next week. I mixed up tenses.

Also not betad.

Words: 2.127

Here you were. New Job. New city. New apartment. Again. The past years have been a hassle of starting over.

When did your life take that turn? When your mother died? When you had to leave your grandfather to live with your father because you were underage? When instead going to study English literature like you always dreamed of your father made sure you’d get some fancy business master’s degree? Or when your ex-fiancé abused you and no one believed you because he was not just abusive but manipulative. Your life possibly finally took that turn when you ran. Head over heels. Leaving everything behind but your cat. You stopped counting the places you lived. Well rather visited for you never stayed long. Sometimes your ex would show up and you’d flee. Or you thought you had seen him in a crowd and flee. Or you were getting restless. High Functioning Flight Mode. All the damn time.

Moving days were a constant companion and those days smelled like freedom. It was just you, your SUV and your cat. The little fella would proudly ride shotgun while you sang along your old school rock playlist. Your whole life fit into a car.

This time it is Minneapolis. Large city. Anonymous, easy to vanish. You scored a job at a major financial player. Major as in Fortune 500 major. Thankfully, you worked project based for a while now, so no one ever really questioned your constant moving all over the nation. If they ever read that far in your resume that is. Summa cum laude in combination with a Harvard degree opened most doors for you.

The furnished apartment you found was in a half decent neighbourhood for a change. It was not the smallest you’d lived in and it faced the back of the building onto a yard hosting a huge oak tree.

Settling into Minneapolis was easier than it should have been. Your new co-workers were friendly. Too friendly. Not one lunch break you would get to spend on your own. Especially Marta from accounting was keen to talk to you. She was lovely. It was not her fault you never made friends. Because you never stayed. But still, that insistent woman and a couple of more people gave you a sense of familiarity you would never have expected from a huge company like that.

Most of the new neighbours greeted friendly too. Most, apart from one. When you were unloading your car, he stood right in your way, a bear of a man, shooting you a death glare. Mumbling something about not being allowed to park here and stomping off. You did not pay attention to his word, being intimidated by his sheer size. A broad beast, grumpy at that. You made a mental note to avoid him. Great plan.

Here ‘s the thing with your plans: they tend to simply not work. Three weeks after starting over, you come home to for once not being greeted by Jack. Your cat Jack. Named after an infamous pirate because of his funny face and weird way to walk. Not being greeted by Jack stirred panic. He was old but almost never failed to wait at the door for you. He did not today. Searching the whole place for him you came up empty. When you realised, you had left the bedroom window open in the morning you started to hyperventilate. He liked to sit outside on the fire escape while you got ready in the mornings. Looking outside he is not there either. By now you were freaking out, running downstairs, calling for Jack. Climbing up the roof. Nothing. By now you were crying. Starting to search the apartment one more time. And then once more. At some point you cried yourself to sleep until you are woken up by frantic knocking at your door. While still trying to figure out where you’re at, you glimpse the clock. It says 2 a.m.. Great. And what is this noise? Right. Knocking. On the door. Furious by now.

Opening your door, you find your grumpy neighbour. Even more grumpy. Scowling. „Is this thing yours? “ he asks, lifting Jack into your line of vision.

As relieved as you were to have your cat back. That was when things got out of hand. Thanks to that scare you frantically double checked every window every day before leaving for work. All is good for five days. When you get home on the sixth though – Jack is gone. Again. And the window you double checked the very same morning is open. You panic. Torn between hoping Jack broke into your grumpy neighbours’ place again hence being safe and him sitting on the roof calling out pigeons. You check the yard, the roof. No Jack. Hesitantly you knock at Mr. Grumpy’s door. No answer. Going onto midnight you hear the elevator and spy onto the floor. There he is. You brace yourself and head out. Looking apologetic. „um Hi, I am so sorry, but my cat escaped again. Would you mind checking if he did break into your place again? “. He does not answer. Unless grunts count as answers. He just raises an eyebrow at you and tilts his head in direction of his door. You avoid breathing and follow him into his apartment. Where you find your cat sits lounging on the couch like he owns the place. You cannot help but snort. That is what you get naming the little fella after a pirate. Breaking and entering seems to be his thing. It takes you a moment to realise Mr. Grumpy is staring at you, so you take a deep breath, apologize again and introduce yourself. „You really need to close your windows, you know? Not just from keeping that thing in your place but also to keep others out.“. Telling him, you double checked your windows just earns you a headshake. And there is that critical eyebrow again. Great. Then it dawns on you „if your so adamant on checking windows, how do you think Jack got in here? “. Now he looks puzzled. „Who is Jack? “ he asks and you fight hard to not snort again. “The cat, obviously” you answer. That earns you another grunt. ‘Great at communication that specimen’ you think and grab your cat. “Uhm, I am so sorry he, uhm…, we invaded your place again. So so sorry. Thanks for your patience. Good night, Mister?” “Marshall”. And that is the last thing he says. “Well good night Mister Marshall”. At that you hold on to your furry, purring companion and head back into your apartment. From now it will be triple checking the windows it seems.

Three times within the next you need to get your cat from his new favourite hideaway during the next week. The only new thing is Mr Grumpy telling you “it’s just Marshall”. Everything else is the same. Like being trapped in a fucking time lapse. Him scowling, telling you to “fucking check your windows” and giving you that critical eyebrow of doom. Each time though, you start to notice things. About his place. About him. He seems to live out of boxes. His shelves are empty. The only cosy thing seems to be the fluffy blanket Jack made his favourite place on the black leather couch. Also, he wears a gun. And a batch. You despise guns but guess this one comes with the job. And his accent is foreign. No, not foreign, it is English. A bit like a lost, grumpy Mr. Darcy. WHAT? Mr. Darcy? You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you finally going insane? Now take your cat and get out of here!

How do you reason with a cat? You surely tried but the next time you have not even noticed Jack vanishing. It’s a Saturday and you were just filling your coffee cup when there is knocking on your door again. You open the door to a sleepy looking Marshall, holding Jack. Shrugging. Something is different. Taking your cat out of his huge hands you are about to apologize again, when he beats you to speaking “did you just make coffee?”. You nod and he steps into your apartment. “Well, come in, why don’t you?” you mutter and find him standing in front of your kitchen island, scratching his head, looking kind of lost. With huge eyes and a suddenly small voice he says “sorry for barging in like that, your little fella here woke me up. Pretty sassy for such a small guy. Would you mind sharing a cup of coffee? I forgot to go grocery shopping and seem to run out of everything.”. For a moment you stare at him, stunned from the number of words he just threw at you and the lack of grunts. When you remember how to use your words, you tell him to take a seat, grab a cup and ask him how he prefers his coffee. Fixing both your cups and setting them on the table you finally get to apologize again for your little intruder, constantly breaking into his place. Marshall just shrugs at that and admits, that he has no idea how Jack opens the windows. He himself started to double and triple check his windows and it should not even be possible to open them from the outside. It is that moment you realise what is different. He looks sleepy but barely as tired as before and more important. He’s not grumpy. That’s new. And you do not know how to handle that. After silently drinking his coffee, he thanks you for the coffee and crouches down to pet Jack and tells him something that sounds like ‘see you mate’, then tells you goodbye and takes his leave.

It is the next Friday that you come home to a post-it on your door with “Jack is visiting” scribbled on it. Somehow you remember your cat not being overly fond with men, but he seems to have a soft spot for this one. Or his couch. Taking a deep breath, you turn and move over to knock at the next door. Heavy relaxed footsteps near and Marshall opens the door widely, motioning for you to come in. “We were just about to choose a movie and call for pizza. Why don’t you change into something more comfortable and join us?”. You look at the man as if he did just grow two more heads. Raising his eyebrow at you he adds “maybe choose pizza before you head over, so I can order already”. Shaking off the initial shock, you apologize. Before you can actually try to take a leave, he sternly asks “did you have dinner?”. When you shake your head, he repeats “come on, it’s just pizza and a movie. And maybe we should use the opportunity to discuss a shared custody arrangement for Jack.”. At that your stomach rumbles and when you see the glint in Marshalls eyes, you know this is a battle not worth fighting. And you are hungry. You tell him your pizza order and head over to shower and get changed. You wonder how you are not nervous about this. Since things went south with your ex you could hardly stand to be alone with one man. Let alone spend the evening at his place for dinner and movie.

Back at Marshalls place he offers you a bottle of water and his cosy looking armchair. While himself settling beside Jack on the couch. He suggests watching pirates of the Caribbean and you accept, telling him that you actually named the cat after Jack Sparrow to which he counters “It’s captain. Captain Jack Sparrow.”. The evening proceeds with you watching the movie, laughing and having pizza. You are taken aback to realise he actually ordered some extra tuna for Jack. From time to time, you catch yourself watching Marshall instead of the movie. He seems so much younger when relaxed. And handsome. How did you not realise what a beautiful face hides behind those curls and that beard?

After the movie you grab your snoring cat and thank Marshall for the evening when he pushes something cold into your free hand. You need a moment to realise, that he just handed you a key and give him a puzzled look. “I told you we’ll need a shared custody agreement, considering this little one keeps breaking and entering and claiming this apartment. I often work long hours and when shit hits the fan even spend the nights at the office. You might need it to retrieve the lodger.”. With that he winks - well tries to and fails – and opens the door for you, telling you goodnight.

#henry cavill fanfiction #walter marshall

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beechicory · 2 years

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How dare Seb attempt to be fair to someone who has negatively impacted him in the past? How dare Seb have human kindness for someone he works with and knows he is going to keep working with?

I am going to direct you to an excerpt from an article where Seb discussed his decision to host a women's karting race in Saudi Arabia:

Vettel stressed that cultures like Saudi Arabia’s do need to evolve. But he believes it is important to have a broader perspective and suggested it would be counter-productive to only be critical.

"But for sure there are shortcomings and they have to be addressed. I still feel the more powerful tool is the positive weapon than a negative one.”

(https://the-race.com/formula-1/female-karters-a-positive-weapon-vettel-on-saudi-issues/)

That's what Seb feels is the most effective way to operate to attempt to improve a shitty situation (and I agree - I'm an academic who studies and researches topics like how the hell to get people to stop being terrible re: human rights, and I fucking agree with the ineffectiveness of pure negativity, bc it doesn't work, but that's a ramble for another time).

Look at what Seb said regarding Masi after Spa:

““I think Michael [Masi] is not proud of what happened either. I think it’s always easy to play ‘captain hindsight’, but I think we need to find a way to listen more to the information we have.... It’s always easy [to say] afterwards, but the main thing is that it doesn’t happen again".

(https://www.planetf1.com/news/sebastian-vettel-michael-masi-spa-red-flag/)

On the radio he was swearing and furious (rightly so). Afterwards, he was diplomatic and encouraging, focusing on the need for improvement (which he did again in the comments today, for the record).

We are stuck with Masi - there is no one else ready or at all qualified. I would be utterly astounded if he were removed.

Masi - while I agree he fucked up massively - has been turned into a complete scapegoat for the shambles of F1, the FIA, and FOM. People have laid most of the blame at the feet of only one of the people responsible. Masi has been getting fucking death threats, treated like a damn war criminal, and that's not fair.

It's not fair what happened to Lewis, and Masi is part of that, but Masi is also a human being, who fucked up yes, but a human being. And people are being monsters to him, and treating anyone who ISN'T a monster to him like they're pure evil!

People can disagree and it not be some goddamn moral issue to excuse or call out or what the hell ever!

Seb also is fair even to people who have wronged him. He's not being kind to Masi out of some lack of self respect or whatever: he's being kind to Masi because he tries to be empathetic to everyone (yes that includes Lewis; he has repeatedly talked about how horrible this was for Lewis). (And yes you can care about, and have compassion for, two people at once, God).

One of my favourite qualities of Seb is his desire for fairness: fairness specifically in the sense of trying to weigh and give credit to all aspects, even if it's someone who has wronged him, and even if it's going to be unpopular.

Ugh, I'm gonna sound pro-Masi, nooooooo, I absolutely think he was wrong and did wrong and has repeatedly fucked up. But also so did Charlie. And for God's sake, I cars that Masi's human. So is Lewis, and I adore Lewis, don't even start; I can sympathise with two people at once, it's not one or the other.

He also, out of everybody, knows how fucking impossible Masi's job is. Seb was friends with Charlie Whiting; he did the track walk with Charlie the night before Charlie died. He spoke in Charlie's honour at the memorial. He actually has the best shot of knowing what Masi has been facing, unprepared and unsupported. Seb has the best first-hand knowledge - as a GPDA director, as a friend and close observer of Charlie's work and therefore also Masi's aborted training, and as one of the only drivers who actually pays attention to how things fricking work beyond driving the car.

He is one of the people with the best first-hand knowledge of what these past 3 years have been like for Masi, and Seb is giving an opinion on Masi's work as a whole.

Sue him for having a bit of compassion for someone who, it has recently been noted, is seriously suffering with his mental health after what inhumane creeps literally millions of people are being to him (millions of other people dislike Masi/want Masi gone and aren't being complete monsters about it, for the record).

I support the heck out of people who vehemently disagree with Seb on this, also for the record! Liking someone absolutely does not mean people are obligated to agree with them, or to be quiet about their disagreement!!! I support and respect the heck out of you if you completely disagree with me on this, too! (As long as you aren't a jerk in response 💀)

I just am not thrilled with the people acting like Seb has done something morally wrong, though. I don't think we need to 'call out' Seb, nor are we 'making excuses' for him. He doesn't need excused. He has every right - including a moral right - to approach the situation with his own compassion and knowledge, even if we don't agree with his conclusions.

When somebody has a different opinion, can people stop turning it into an automatic moral failure?

#Okay NOW I'm done #I swear to God if someone tries to call me a Max stan I'm gonna start shrieking like a banshee #I adore Lewis and I think he was wronged #But I don't like unfairness #Grrrr

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pennamesmith · 2 years

Text

Simply Irresistible

Here is my submission for the December 2021 Entrapdak zine hosted by @maireadralph! Check out the full zine here!

Hordak and his ragtag crew of thieves are on the verge of their biggest, riskiest job yet. However, their newest recruit — an unusual purple-haired computer hacker with big ideas and a proclivity for "the internet" — has her eye on the boss and ambitions of her own.

Her methods are inscrutable, the proof is irrefutable, and she's so fine, there's no telling where the money went.

Fade in.

Eyes open. A guitar riff hangs in the air.

The year is nineteen eighty-something; the place is a state of mind. Stage lights on. The show begins.

“How can this be permissible?” Shadow Weaver hisses in a strained whisper.

“Calm down,” Catra replies, coolly.

She’s conflicted. On the one hand, she doesn’t particularly like the interloper either, all purple pigtails and fast-talking science jargon that the boss always seems to understand. On the other, she likes Shadow Weaver even less.

“She has compromised his principles,” the older woman insists, undeterred. “We cannot afford uncertainties. Not when the Moonstone is nearly within my — our grasp.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“And you’re not paying attention.” Shadow Weaver’s scarred face is a mask of disdain. “Might I remind you that it’s your fault our little horde of thieves was down a member to begin with.”

Tension floods the space between them. Adora is still a sore topic for both women. Burning with shame, Catra is the first to look away.

She can see Hordak sitting at his brutal desk on the far side of the wide warehouse floor, massive, half-hidden, the chiaroscuro shadows clinging to him like a cape. Sure enough, Entrapta is there too, not a shred of self-consciousness about her, perched on top of the desk and gazing down at Hordak like a mythical lover while she expounds at length upon the idiosyncrasies of something or other.

More shockingly, their severely unpersonable employer appears to be returning that look. Catra bites back a growl. Shadow Weaver is right about one thing, at least.

Entrapta is anything but typical.

Shadow Weaver twists her knife. “All I’m saying is, if this little craze you’ve endorsed causes us any trouble, I will not be the one to pay for your mistakes. Not again.”

She oozes away, confident she’s left Catra with enough to fester over by herself. And, to the foundling’s furious frustration, she has. None of this is going how she expected it to. Nothing in her life ever has.

It’s true that Catra is the one who brought Entrapta here in the first place. For most people, a computer worm mailing glitter bombs to every IRS office in the country would be a lighter news novelty at most. But Catra isn’t most people, and she saw the potential for a powerful force. And so, desperate to prove herself after Adora’s desertion, Catra had been the one who burned multiple favors learning the hacker’s name, and she had been the one to go over Shadow Weaver’s head and deliver Entrapta’s contacts to Hordak, knowing he would be impressed.

The problem is, she hadn’t counted on how impressed.

Catra fumes quietly. Whatever Shadow Weaver thinks, she has never been more focused. One way or another, this heist is going to go off without a hitch. It has to. When this is over, she’ll finally be able to escape.

One last job, and then she’s out.

~*~

Entrapta speaks, and her words become rivers with eddies and side streams and whirlpools. Hardly resisting, Hordak allows himself to be swept away.

Nobody could possibly know more about computational science than this woman. Or anything, really. From punch cards to personal hard drives to birds and bats, Entrapta is a living font of information. She even seems to understand this new internet nonsense, talking as if she invented half of it. Hordak smiles, chin in hand. He can’t help himself. This is the best conversation he’s had in his life.

He’s obliged to conform to her wild way of thinking out loud. There is no other course but to join in and ride the rapids. If Hordak wants the gift of this woman’s magic, he must submit to her indulgence.

He’s not exactly subtle about it, either. Hordak is a man of few words and fewer compliments, but for Entrapta it’s a flood of “Impressive indeed!”s, of telling her to stay and asking her for more. He’ll listen to her for hours, utterly entranced. She is a true genius.

She is also radiantly beautiful. Hordak tries to convince himself he doesn’t care about that sort of thing, but his pulse tells a different tale. Entrapta is wearing a hip-hugging Patrick Nagel dress in two tones of bubblegum and grape, an orange sash cinched at her waist. Plentiful purple hair cascades past her brown shoulders; waterfalls that flow and pool and reach across the desk. Her smile is infinite. Her eyes match his. He stares at all of her.

She used to look good to him. But now?

Hordak’s heart beats out a rock-and-roll rhythm.

Now he finds her simply irresistible.

This attraction is not something Hordak is used to. More familiar for him is the safety of solitude, the buzz of artificial lights, the echoes of an empty warehouse. He tells himself he turned to thievery for the glory of conquest, but really it’s the only life he’s ever known. He has never actually desired anything, until now.

Entrapta pauses in her musical monologue. As if she can read Hordak’s mind, she grins and cocks an eyebrow, leaning forward. Her eyes fire lasers directly into his soul.

“But that’s enough about silly old quantum physics,” Entrapta giggles. “Tell me about you. How does such a talented engineer turn to a life of crime?”

Hordak blushes. His night-dark skin is broken up by pale white patches, and they show his embarrassment plainly.

“Ah, I was born into it, actually,” he stammers. “My brother, you see…”

He’s never talked about this to anyone. Nobody’s ever asked. With Entrapta, it’s as easy as breathing. Hordak may have lived a lonely life before this, but he is not an ignorant man. He knows what the stirring feeling in his chest is. He knows what she has been broadcasting with every bit of body language since inviting herself into his sanctum on that first day.

He simply isn’t worried about it, no matter what the voices in his head might say. Her loving is so powerful that the end result is simply unavoidable. Hordak can see his future stretching out like a data wave. The trend is irreversible.

He’s entrapped.

~*~

The crew assembles on a moonlit night to discuss The Plan.

Hordak is of the opinion that the abandoned Halloween supply warehouse is a perfectly respectable hideout, regardless of what his crew might think. Or say. But muttered barbs about the “Fright Zone” notwithstanding, he rather enjoys the atmosphere an occasional shrieking banshee or six-foot poseable werewolf provides.

He towers at the head of the table in a practiced pose and a crisp charcoal suit. His chair is a massive, foreboding throne. It is made of plastic. A motion-activated imp with LED eyes flaps its wings at the top.

Shadow Weaver glowers at the other end of the table. On her left is Scorpia, scooched close to Catra and taking notes (or possibly just drawing cartoons). On her right, Entrapta spins idly in an office chair. They all listen expectantly.

“It’s official,” Hordak begins, brandishing that morning’s newspaper. “The Moonstone is going to be sold at auction in two weeks, at the Crystal Castle. And we will be there as well.”

“Yes,” Shadow Weaver hisses, clenching her bony fists.

“Wow, and we thought the Brightmoons would never sell it,” Scorpia pipes up. “They must have really fallen on hard times.”

“Of course they’re desperate,” Hordak snorts. “They poached our fixer. I think it’s time we took something of theirs in return.”

“What? No! This is so stupid!” Catra blurts out. She frowns. “Stealing the Moonstone is too risky, even for us. We all know the Black Garnet job only worked because we had Scorpia as our inside woman.”

Scorpia nods in agreement.

“Insolent child!” Shadow Weaver starts, but Hordak silences her with a wave of his hand. She sits back down and scowls.

“Of course we won’t be able to steal the Moonstone,” Hordak snaps. “That’s why we’re not going to. We won’t have to.”

“We just have to steal all the money some billionaire rube spends on it!” Entrapta cuts in with a wild grin.

That gets their attention.

Everyone stares. Entrapta flicks a switch and a battalion of computer screens light up like galaxies behind her. She stands silhouetted in their heart, a princess of power. Hordak’s chest pounds. The woman is invincible.

Not everyone is charmed, however. “How is this going to work, exactly?” Shadow Weaver inquires, her voice dripping with venom.

Entrapta’s eyes shine undeterred. “I’m glad you asked!” A dizzying display of data dances across the flickering screens. Numbers, accounts, exchange rates reel by, everything soundly bound in computerized chains as unbreakable as any natural law.

It’s a good thing Hordak’s crew are all staring as well, or they’d see just how plainly he is letting his emotions show on his face. She leaves him in awe. He finds it quite miraculous.

“Behold! The Crypto Castle, an incredibly powerful digital engine of my own design,” Entrapta exults. “All the big banks are online now. Using my gigantic brain, I’ve devised a way to turn real money from their transactions into encrypted, untraceable bits of information that can be converted back into coin any time I choose. I call it… TinyBux! Trademark pending.”

Scorpia slams her fists on the table. “Brilliant! I foresee no problems with this whatsoever. How do I invest in it?”

Before anyone else can speak, Hordak chuckles and claps loudly. Everyone turns their attention back to his throne, and his iron facade nearly melts when Entrapta catches his eye and smirks. She deserves the applause.

“We are going to attend the auction as respectable guests,” Hordak declares. “We will not attempt to steal the Moonstone. We will not even bid on it. But when the money changes hands, we will be there to intercept it.”

“How?” Shadow Weaver repeats, infuriated.

Entrapta jumps back in with ease. “Everything has to happen that night. If I can gain access to the computer system in Angelia’s temporary office, I’ll make it look like a bank transaction is taking place, when really everything is getting funneled directly to us. Angella won’t even know her money’s gone until it’s too late!”

“I will need everyone to follow Entrapta’s strategy exactly,” Hordak adds. “Her calculations are quite precise.”

Shadow Weaver tries to protest further, but Hordak stares her down. She mutters something about holding the Moonstone in her own hands, and then clams up, slouched and sulking.

Catra doesn’t look happy either, but at least she’s listening.

“Now then,” Hordak booms. “If there are no further objections. The plan goes like this…”

~*~

Sometime after midnight, everyone heads home. They have each been given a job and a role to play. All that remains is the performance.

Hordak stays behind, surrounded by shadows and cheap scares. Alone. Or so he thinks.

There’s a light on at his desk. Entrapta is there, tapping away at yet another computer, utterly engrossed in her work. As Hordak approaches she seems to smile, softly.

“Hello there. I didn’t realize you were still here.”

When Entrapta looks up, the light from the screen makes her eyes shine. “I thought I’d stay late and do a little money laundering for you,” she explains, yawning and stretching as Hordak silently circles closer. “Strictly pro bono, of course. You’ve got some very hot assets.”

Hordak doesn’t catch the pass, but it grazes him.

“You make it look so effortless,” he purrs, pausing at Entrapta’s shoulder, watching her work with unbridled fascination.

She laughs. “Really? It’s not. This is all skill, partner.”

“It’s impressive.”

“I’m not sure the others think so.” Entrapta’s voice gains a rare note of timidity. “And they might be right to worry. Are you sure you want someone like me around? I do come with a lot of risks, after all.”

“Forget everyone else,” Hordak growls. “I respect you.”

Entrapta laughs again, and her bright demeanor returns as quickly as it had faltered. “That’s very sweet of you. In that case, would you be so kind as to open up for me?”

She proffers the keyboard.

Hordak surrenders instantly, typing in his password without hesitation as Entrapta favors him with another guileless smile. She’s swapped her purple dress from earlier for a black, orange-sashed number that makes her look right at home in the haunted sanctum. The sheer fabric creeps up her thigh as she lounges in Hordak’s chair. She regards him hungrily.

She used to look good to him, but now…

Entrapta presses a key and Hordak’s old ghosts vanish in a flash of data. She’s so fine, there’s no telling where the money went.

It’s no secret, however, where her eyes are going. Or her hands. Hordak coughs and takes a step back; Entrapta rises up to meet him. Despite their height difference, she wields an enormous amount of strength and leverage as she pushes up against him. Her smile is unyielding.

“Entrapta?”

“Hordak. You’re quite unique, you know. Positively fascinating, even. Speaking as a fellow scientist, of course.”

“Of course. Um.”

She’s unavoidable. Hordak tries to take another step and finds himself backed against the wall. It’s almost comical, the way this tiny woman has him cornered. He could escape. He does not. She runs her fingers lightly along his arms, and looks up.

“If you wanted… we could learn a little more about each other,” Entrapta propositions. Her face is so close that it feels as though there is electricity passing between them. The air is hot.

Hordak blushes furiously. She is giving him feelings he’s never felt before.

“Are you suggesting…?”

Her leg teases his. “That we experiment. Together. Yes.” She winks. “If you want.”

Hordak gulps. “I promised myself I would never become… involved during a job,” he attempts, with absolutely none of the confidence or charm he’d been hoping to convey.

“Breaking promises, hm?” Entrapta presses even closer. She stands on tiptoe and her lips brush his ear. “I’m breaking every law just by being here. Or an awful lot of them, at any rate. Who do you suppose is the more daring of us?”

“I didn’t think it was a contest,” Hordak stammers.

“Oh? And what do you think?”

Even now, he could escape. There are so many ways he could escape. But he doesn’t want to. He finds her simply irresistible.

“I think… you’re all mine.”

They come together. There’s no other way to go.

~*~

It is the night of the heist.

The Crystal Castle certainly lives up to its name. As auction houses go, it is needlessly big and obnoxiously ostentatious. Shining chandeliers hang from every available fixture, casting dazzling rainbows across the modern, metallic interior. Every color is a shade of pastel. The gathered guests are all adorned like space opera royalty.

Hordak hates it.

Nevertheless, here he is. Everyone is dressed for the occasion: Hordak with a smart cobalt suit, Scorpia and Shadow Weaver in graceful black gowns, Catra and Entrapta rakishly tuxedoed. They stride purposefully across the main floor. An indulgent little part of Hordak’s mind imagines it in slow motion.

He has plenty of reasons to indulge. His gaze keeps sliding to Entrapta, and just as often she is looking back at him. When their eyes meet the air sparks with the energy of their connection. It thrills him. Already the job feels like a distant novelty; this may as well be a date for the two of them.

Unfortunately, it is not.

At Hordak’s signal the group splits. Entrapta gives him one last wink and vanishes into the crowd with Catra and Scorpia. Hordak and Shadow Weaver remain together, looking in different directions, monitoring the crowd.

Gradually, Hordak becomes aware of a droning noise penetrating his inner thoughts.

Shadow Weaver is talking at him. “So there I was, trying to listen to the new Robert Palmer tape, but Norwyn, my supposed fiancé, keeps buzzing in my ear...”

“That seems… very relevant,” Hordak mutters. “Why don’t we reconvene in half an hour? We’ll be able to cover more ground if we split up.”

“But…!”

He abandons Shadow Weaver among the guests before she can reply. He’s not in the mood for her right now; ever since his night with Entrapta he can think of nothing but the future.

Everything is going so right.

~*~

Everything is going completely wrong.

Entrapta, frazzled, types frantically at her hideout computer keyboard. The Halloween decorations loom large in the darkness. She is the first of the scattered crew to make it back here after they all narrowly escaped the auction house with their lives.

This turn of events is, to put it mildly, unexpected. Recalculation is required. Emergency measures must be activated. She might even have to…

A door slams open. Catra and Scorpia are the next to return, the former with a wild and ferocious rage in her eyes. Her suit is torn; a glancing bullet wound grazes her shoulder. Scorpia holds her steady, concern creasing her brow.

“Are you all right?” Entrapta inquires. “What happened? Is Hordak with you?” She looks up at them, eyes wide with worry, but her hands don’t stop moving.

“Hordak’s right behind us — ” Scorpia starts, before being cut off by an animal howl of anger.

“Shadow Weaver betrayed us to the Brightmoons!” Catra shrieks. “I should have known this would happen! I mean, that’s where Adora is, isn’t it? I can’t think of any other reason she would do this.”

“It was an awfully inconvenient time for a double-cross, that’s for sure,” Scorpia muses.

“I knew the Moonstone job was a terrible idea! I told you all! Now we’ve got nothing!”

“Well, we don’t have the Moonstone, but we don’t have nothing, either,” Entrapta pipes up. She is still typing.

Catra pauses. “…What?”

Entrapta smiles slyly. “Shadow Weaver may have stopped us from hacking the Moonstone’s moolah transfer, but that wasn’t the only fancy item on the auction block tonight! And so I thought, hey, why not just steal all the money?”

She gestures to her computer screen. Numbers scroll across it. The numbers are big.

“It took three of us just to break into Angella’s office!” Catra splutters. “How did you…?”

Entrapta shrugs. “Vents.”

Her methods are inscrutable, but the proof is irrefutable. The money’s all there, every penny of it. It fills the screen as data and code.

“Well? Whaddaya think? Not bad for my first big job, huh?”

Something changes in Catra’s expression. Her eyes are hooded and hollow. She speaks as if from somewhere distant.

“I think… you’re going to have to tell me how to get that money out of the computer, right now.” With a trembling hand, she draws a pistol and levels it at Entrapta’s ingenuous face.

“W-what? This wasn’t the plan!” Scorpia stutters.

Entrapta blinks and tilts her head. “I’m confused. Why are you pointing the gun at me? I thought we were working together.” She taps her chin thoughtfully. “Oh, wait, I get it! This is another double-cross, isn’t it?”

“I’m sick of losing to Adora,” Catra growls. “I’m going to get her back for this. And I’m doing it alone! So give. Me. The money. Now!”

Entrapta considers it. “Hm. No, thank you.”

“What? You can’t — !”

Entrapta is steadfast. She pushes another button at her computer, and the lights black out instantly. Someone screams. A gunshot flashes in the dark.

A moment later the light returns, but it is already too late. Entrapta is gone, vanished without a trace. A bullet hole punctuates the wall. Catra stands with a smoking gun in her hand and a faraway look in her eyes.

“Oh. Oh gosh. Oh, this is bad,” Scorpia says softly. Tentatively, she peeks at the abandoned computer screen. There is nothing there. The data is gone. The system is unresponsive. The only thing that remains is a tiny pixelated Entrapta, dancing to a merry chiptune and making a rude gesture with both hands.

She’s so fine, there’s no telling where the money went.

Scorpia scratches her head. The plastic imp on Hordak’s throne flaps its wings and giggles. Catra sinks to her knees and pulls at her hair, panicking.

“No, no, no! This is a disaster! What are we going to do now? What are we going to tell Hordak?”

“Well. Um. Maybe,” Scorpia begins, speaking slowly. “I know this might sound silly, but hear me out here, what if, hypothetically speaking, we don’t actually tell him anything, because, in theory, we’re not exactly here when he gets back?”

Catra looks up at Scorpia, her expression unreadable.

Scorpia persists. “Like, just head out west and see where it takes us. Find something new. Maybe we could make a fresh start together?”

There is a long rest. Then Catra speaks again.

“You know, I have always wanted to see the stars from the desert...”

~*~

When Hordak returns to the warehouse it is quiet, empty, and cold. He can tell immediately that nobody is there to meet him. His suit is rumpled, his hair a mess. He breathes raggedly and moves cautiously, still not certain he has eluded his pursuers.

Entrapta’s image dances before him on the dim computer screen. Hordak tries typing in a few commands, to no avail. There is blood on the floor. The betrayal seems obvious.

Seems is the important word.

~*~

Hordak loves the beach this time of year. He loves this tiny nation’s lack of extradition laws even more. He strolls along the sand, wearing little besides a swimsuit with a flowing sarong and a warm, serene smile.

Entrapta is not difficult to find. He spies her among the other beachgoers, a frisbee’s throw away. Dressed in a bright fuschia one-piece and black goggles, she shimmies to pop music blaring from a chunky radio, dancing with chaotic abandon.

She is also waving and calling out to him. “Hey! Over here! You did it! Ha, I knew you could!”

Hordak smiles wider as he approaches her, ducking under the spreading umbrella perched above two folding beach chairs. She’d anticipated this. He takes her offered hand.

“My goodness. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you wanted me to decode the map coordinates left behind in your amusing little video. Are you trying to tease me or trap me?”

Entrapta smirks. “Yes.”

She sweeps her arms out across the sunny scene before them. “Anyway, welcome to Beast Island! That’s what the locals call it, at least. Now get ready to enjoy paradise! Everything’s taken care of. We’re kind of totally loaded now. And just to be safe, I even made us some shiny new identities!”

Entrapta thrusts a stack of forged documents into Hordak’s hands. He reads them over and raises a skeptical eyebrow.

“‘Jackie Daytona’? ‘Jim the Vampire’?”

Entrapta cackles. “It’s foolproof! They’ll never find us!”

Hordak can’t help himself. It’s ridiculous and nonsensical, but he doesn’t care. She’s so completely kissable. He reaches out and she catches him up in her own ecstatic embrace. Their lips meet. Their lives are indivisible, now.

Everything seems like a fantasy. The world is a heavy metal bossa nova song. They laugh, they dance. The chorus repeats. Electric guitars thrum. Eyes close. Fade out.

She’s simply irresistible.

#entrapdak #Hordak #Entrapta #spop #entrapdak zine #the 1980s robert palmer cybercrime jewel heist au you didn’t know you needed #I had fun with this one #simply irresistible #smith stuff

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brekkerism · 4 years

Text

Strange Addiction(Spencer Reid One-Shot)

A/n: So, this is my fic for the lovely @andiebeaword in the swap fics event that my lovely @imagining-in-the-margins hosted, and it was a blast writing it. Pom also was my beta, as always, and also the sweet @definitelynotkatesblog. This was super fun to write, and I hope y’all like it!!

Couple: Spencer Reid/Reader

Word count: 2.8k

Rating: 18+

Content warning: hinted age gap, smut, cunnilingus, professor!Spencer, angst, misunderstandings and fluff. I think that’s all.

******

I don’t know much about addiction, but if I had to guess, I thought it would feel something like this.

When his hair falls in his face, and his hands are so warm they manage to stop me from shaking.

When his lips taste like coffee and the way he insists on sleeping over, even if we both know he’ll never hold me until the morning.

Craving something that is slowly killing you, refusing to give it up.

It’s an addiction. It has to be.

Or maybe I’ve gone mad. ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ ’ I could hear it in his voice, telling me that “actually the quote was never linked to Einstein formally, but-“

I had to stop it. I had to stop myself, and put an end to it. It’s been weeks since we saw each other, it’s the perfect time to end-

Ding.

“I miss you. Can we see each other today?”

A few words on a text.

That’s all it took.

Well. It’s supposed to be bad to stop cold turkey right?

******

He spilled coffee on me the first time we met. It was on one of the campus coffee stands and I was already having a shitty day. I would have been furious if I had the strength for it.

“FUCK!” Burning. Hot coffee burning it’s way down my chest.

“Are you okay?” The stranger that had spilled his unnecessarily hot cup of coffee in me said.

“Dude?! It’s fucking hot!” I tried to pull my dress away from my body, to try and stop the burning in some way.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I just saw this bird and it reminded me of someone and I got distracted and-“

“Please get me some napkins.” I cut him off promptly.

He did, and tried to help me clean up before realizing it was all over my breasts, and it really wouldn’t help his situation to touch me there.

“Again I’m so sorry. Uhm, whats your name? I can pay for your dress or if you’re hurt I can take you to the infirmary.”

“My name is girl you burned the tits of.” I snapped. “And I’m fine, don’t worry that much.” I finally looked up at him, with his suit, his fluffy hair and the scruff. Cute. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Dr. Spencer Reid.” A professor then? Hot, older, professor. Wait, didn’t I hear something about this?

“Well doctor, you can just buy me a coffee and some pastries and, we’ll be even. Then you can go on your merry way and forget about the totally embarrassing afternoon that you spilled coffee all over a girl.” And maybe you can be so sorry that you slide me your number or something. A girl can hope.

I could have forgotten the whole thing. But he was himself: totally apologetic and cute, so tall and handsome, and his eyes-

I accepted his apology, and the coffee he bought me to make up for it, and we parted ways.

And if I went to my dorm and immediately tried to find out who he really was, it wasn’t completely weird right?

And yeah, maybe I sneaked into one of his classes, just to see what all the gossip and fuss was about (like I didn’t already know) but it didn’t start because of that.

******

It started way later at a bar. It’s not like I sought him out, maybe I had been going out a lil more than I used to in hopes that maybe, just maybe...

And then it happened. He was there, sitting at the corner of the bar sipping from his glass. Freshly out of class and all alone. The fucking universe. A chance to talk to him.

He was up from his seat, going for a refill at the bar when I rose from my seat before I even had time to come up with a plan or say goodbye to my friends, making a beeline to his direction.

Maybe it was the universe conspiring against us, or for us, because before I could tap him on the shoulder to get his attention, someone bumped into me sending me with force so that I would collide directly into him.

I luckily grabbed onto his suit jacket, stabilizing myself before I could do something stupid like fall to the floor and make a spectacle of myself.

He turned towards me, finally looking at who shoved him forward, and the recognition on his face was like relief washing over me.

“So, are you just gonna stare at me or will you buy me another apology-drink?” I tried my best to be charming and pretty, to keep his attention on me.

“Well this time I didn’t spill on you, so I don’t think I owe you one.” His smile. Fuck. He had a great smile.

“Okay. I’ll buy you one then.” I called over the bartender, getting him his scotch refill and something for me. Before he had the chance to do anything, I was taking the drinks back to his table. We wordlessly sat down and drank from our glasses.

“Should I ask why you went to one of my classes?”

Oh. oh. He saw that.

“Should I ask why you didn’t kick me out?”

“I asked first.”

“And I still don’t want to answer.” I pretended to inspect my shoes, racking my brain for ways to keep him here, talking to me. “Why are you drinking tonight?”

“You know, you ask a lot of questions for someone who won’t answer any of mine.”

“It’s part of my charm. So, what’s the reason?”

“What?” He did this cute thing with his nose, kinda scrunching it up, and he never stopped licking his damn lips, and maybe it was the alcohol in my system but I wanted to see how he tasted.

“There’s not that many reasons to be drinking alone at a sad college bar. You either have a problem with booze, can’t get a date, are drowning your sorrows, or trying to forget something.”

“Why don’t you try to guess?”

“Hm.” I leaned back on my seat to study him, using it as an excuse to look him head to toe. ”You’re both too put together and uncomfortable enough in this setting to have a problem. You’re too hot and have like, a billion college girls trying to get in your pants, so it’s not the date thing. You don’t look melancholic enough to be drowning your sorrows, especially with that choice of drink. So, who are you trying to forget, then?”

“Can’t a man just want to get a drink?” He chuckled.

“But that option would be no fun.” I could feel myself pouting and my cheeks getting warmer. Maybe it was the alcohol catching up to me.

“Well, it’s suiting, since I’m no fun.”

“That’s a lie. I’m talking to you and I’m having a blast” it was a joke on his part, but the way he said it sounded upset. Truthful. I wanted to make it go away.

“Kinda sad if this is your definition of a blast.” It sounded like a joke, but the way he said it... he sounded upset. I wanted to make it go away.

“Maybe it’s just because you’re hot. Who knows.”

“That's the second time you called me that.” He said it suspiciously, like he doubted that I really thought that.

“Can’t help it if it’s true.” I’m ridiculously attracted to you, I thought. Can you please realize that soon?

“What about you. What are you doing here?”

“Same reason as you.” Lies. Little liar. I’m here because I have been waiting and hoping to see you again, somewhere, anywhere.

“To drink cheap scotch?”

“To forget.” I’m so fucked up. I’m lying to the guy for what? So he can relate? That’s so stupid.

“Who is he?”

“Who is she?”

“She’s... A friend.” Oh. So there was a she. Shit. But that meant... was he looking for a rebound? A shoulder to cry on?

“Some guy I met at college.” You.

“Wow, an answer from you.”

“Wild, right? Next you’ll ask me my name and I’ll actually give it to you.”

“Your name isn’t actually ‘girl you burned the tits of’? Shocking.”

“No, I could only hope to be named something as elegant as that.” He laughed at that. If I could bottle up the sound, I would. Hell, I wanted it as my new ringtone. “C’mon, that’s what you laugh at?”

The night kept moving, and I learned little things, like that he worked for the FBI, his socks were mismatched, he didn’t blush at my dirty jokes after a while, and he was exceptionally bad at taking shots, but exceptionally good at magic tricks. It was nice. It was more than nice. It caused my face to flush and made my knees go weak.

“You should tell me your name now.” The seriousness in his voice made something inside me tremble, and warmth rose up deep in my guts.

“W-why?”

“Because I won’t fuck you if I don’t know your name.” Finally. Fucking finally.

He was giving me a out. If I wanted, I could just say ‘no, thanks.’ and walk away.

Jokes on him if he thought I would give up that easy.

“(Y/n). My name is (y/n).” He took a shuddering breath in, lowered his hands down to my upper thigh and squeezed.

“Go to the second to last stall in the bathroom and wait.” There was no room in his voice for questioning. I did it anyways.

“Here?”

“Here.” He confirmed with a firm nod, his eyes never leaving mine.

We were both too desperate for it.

And it happened. In the second to last stall of a dirty bathroom, with him fucking me against the door and whispering dirty things in my ear. It was perfect, it was fucking heaven. It made me crave.

It happened again in my dorm room. Again and again. And then in his apartment. In his empty office. In my car. In his car. Not as frequently as I like, with his job at the FBI and teaching, but more than it should be for what we had. We weren’t in a relationship. We were just fuck buddies. And yeah, maybe he also gave me his time with the sex, with the sweet words, the occasional lunches and the not-dates to his favorite bookstore, but it didn’t mean anything. Six months in, and he didn’t seem any more over the mysterious girl he had loved for decades.

He was just using me to get over the woman he truly loved. The young college girl who he thought was also in love with someone else was the easiest choice. The least messy.

But it was messy. Because there was nobody else. There was just him. He was the one I was in love with.

I was trying to get over Spencer Reid, by sleeping with Spencer Reid.

Funny, right?

******

I didn’t have to knock twice at his door.

He hugged me as soon as he opened it. I melted into him, like I always did. He smelled like coffee and home to me.

“Rough day?” I asked.

“Rough week. Rough month.” Yeah, I think I know the feeling.

“Can I help?”

“Always. You always help.” He said softly.

Stop saying things like that. Stop making me feel like this.

“Come here little girl.” He led us to his bedroom, sitting on the bed and guiding me to his lap. It felt safe. Felt loving. “You’re always so pretty for me. So good. You don’t even know how much I.... how much I want you.”

He took my dress off with ease, kissing a wet trail from my face, to my neck, to my tits. I wanted his hands everywhere, I wanted him to touch me, to make me forget why I ever considered stopping this.

“You’re gonna be good for me right? You’ll be a perfect girl?” Always. Just for you.

“Yes.”

“That’s my girl.”

His girl. I was his. I will always be his.

He just wasn’t mine.

I swallowed back the tears and tried to push down the lump in my throat. He needed me and I wanted to please him, to be good, to show him how much I loved him with this.

He always knew how to work my body, and this moment was no exception. Always knew how to make me go crazy with a swipe of his tongue on my pussy, a finger curling inside me, a thumb circling my clit. Sometimes I thought he was the only one that knew me at all. I was probably right.

The orgasm built and built and built, and I couldn’t do anything but hold on to his hair and smother him between my thighs while I rode it out. He was perfect. It was perfect.

I wanted it forever.

Tears. Pooling on the corners of my eyes, rolling down, no matter how hard I tried to blink them away.

It was killing me.

I loved him. Three little words. I love you. I love you I love you I love you I love you-

“I love you.” It felt natural rolling off my tongue. It felt okay. The world would still spin if he knew I love him. I might not have him anymore, but it would be okay.

“W-what did you just say?” He rose from his place between my legs, the frown on his forehead and his shaking hands making me just as nervous as he was.

“I love you. I’m in love with you. I’m sorry.”

“You’re... Why are you sorry?” That was the part he was worried about?

“Because I didn’t mean to. I know you can’t love me back. I’m sorry.” I retreated from him, bracing myself as tight as I could. Maybe I could use his shock to my advantage; dress quickly and leave. There wouldn’t be any awkwardness or tears or rejection-

He was kissing me. He was kissing me, coaxing my mouth open with his tongue, holding on to me like I would disappear if he didn’t ground me to him.

“We’re so stupid. I’m so, so stupid.” He was saying the words in between kisses, like he couldn’t take the time to pull away from me and actually talk.

What was happening?

“How can you not know? I thought you knew, I thought that was the whole reason-“ more kisses now, all over my face and my mouth.

“Spencer, what are you talking about?”

“Listen to me. I love you. I’m in love with you. I have been for a while now.” He was holding my face in his hands.

I must have gotten into a car accident on the way to his apartment. I was dead, or dreaming, or hallucinating.

He loved me?

He loved me.

“I thought the reason you were pulling away from me is because you knew, because I’m a shitty liar when it comes to you, and I don’t know how to hide how desperately in love with you I am.” He continued to ramble and I almost couldn’t keep up. I felt like I was inside a dream. “I was so sure you still loved the guy from your school, and I didn’t want to risk losing you, losing us, so I didn’t tell you. I’m so dumb.”

“But... but what about her? The woman you love? Your friend?”

“She’s just that: a friend. I think because we never had a shot at having a romantic relationship, I idealized it for so long. I thought that it was love. But I met you. I got to know you. I got to love you. This is love. Whatever I felt for her doesn’t come close.“

Blissful. I felt blissful. I felt like the universe gave me everything I wanted all at once.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since I met you.” I get to say it. I get to say it, I get to love him, and have him.

I needed him. Now. I needed to make love to him, needed to be his.

We kissed for too long, slow and sweet and perfect. When he drove himself inside my body, he looked into my eyes and told me how good I was for him, how much he loved me. When I came, it was with his name on my lips. It was everything. It was impossible for someone to be so right for me. He was everything.

We laid next to each other, too needy to not be touching every moment possible. My legs tangled between his, my hand in his.

Everything was out in the open, and we were together.

Except…

“Spence…”

“Yeah?”

“Remember the guy at college that I liked? The one I was trying to get over?”

“Yes” his tone was tentative, like he halfway expected me to take back all that was said between us.

“He... kinda doesn’t exist. Well, he also kinda does, but I think it might be you.” He was silent, and for a moment I thought he fell asleep and didn’t hear me.

“…Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised” there wasn’t any anger in his tone whatsoever, and the last of my worries was gone.

“Still love me?”

“Always, pretty girl.”

And I guess that was more than okay.

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