#this is silly and fluffy but the Lore i came up with for this universe…

[autisticlancemcclain]

The doorbell rings, for the billionth time that night, and Keith groans.

“Please,” he begs, “please can we pretend we’re not home.”

His husband gleefully ignores him, disappearing with a faint ‘pop’ sound. If Keith let his ears hear as far as they would like, he’d hear another faint pop as Lance reappeared in front of their door, candy bowl in hand, and the subsequent delighted gasps of various costumed children. He’s hear the young voices yell ‘trick or treat!’ in unison, and mourn the time when he very well could give them a trick instead, as Lance fawns over their little costumes, shovels a truly ridiculous amount of candy into their little pails, and then poofs back into the living room.

But he does not listen in, because he is — as Lance says — the Scrooge of Halloween, and refuses to find any joy in the stupid holiday.

“You are going to get yourself caught,” he mumbles into Lance’s hair, once the witch has resettled on the couch.

“Am not, batboy,” Lance responds breezily, leaning into Keith’s hold. “And so what if I get caught? What’re they going to do? Burn me at the stake again?”

“You jest, but that was a horrible thing to witness. I can’t believe how stupidly happy those asshole pastors and judges were.”

Lance hums, turning his head to press a quick kiss to Keith’s cheek. “That was 400 years ago, my love. Let’s let the past stay in the past, hm? Plus, it didn’t even hurt, and you bled those motherfuckers dry, anyway.”

“And they were delicious,” Keith growls.

“Mm, somehow I doubt that. Didn’t the abundance of lead in every living surface in the 1600s make blood taste bitter?”

“…Okay, yes, but the satisfaction was very sweet.”

He feels Lance’s smile where its pressed into his collarbone. “Of course, cielo.”

They have a single moment of peace, then Keith’s ears twitch, and he growls.

Lance grins wider. “Hear some footsteps?”

“Your insistence on indulging this stupid tradition is making me want to break my no-eating-children rule.”

Lance laughs as he gets up — again — and puts on his truly gigantic witch’s hat, which is objectively kind of funny, but Lance has been making that joke since the 70s so Keith refuses to laugh. “Haven’t you heard Hansel and Gretel’s story, my love? Eating children is my job.” His eyes twinkle with mirth (literally. He lets a flash of green envelop his irises when he’s amused. Every time). “Don’t you know I’m fattening them up for a reason?”

He pops away again as the doorbell rings. Keith rolls his eyes fondly, unmuting the TV — a human invention he’s admittedly quite fond of — and watching absentmindedly some silly, animated character tries to outwit a bedlam.

Keith scoffs. As if a human could outsmart a bedlam. Those bitches could outsmart G-d. (Keith knows. He’s talked to the guy. Not very bright, that one, despite knowing all information ever to be known.)

“Oh, those ones were so cute!” Lance coos, popping back onto the couch. Keith rolls his eyes again.

Children-eater, his ass.

“The youngest one could barely walk on her little legs. She had the most adorable little fairy costume —”

Keith perks up. “Really? A faerie costume? With the empty eyes and sharp teeth and everything?”

“No, you dork. One of the fake fairies. The human-made ones.”

“Oh.” Keith pouts. Of course humans can’t even get a simply faerie right — as if the fae have tiny iridescent wings and slave their lives away keeping human lives in balance.

(Tinkerbell was a blight to human society. Pidge was so offended when she saw it that she snapped the disc used it to stab the last person she saw litter in her forest.

It was hilarious.)

“I hate humans,” Keith grumps. “They tolerable before, but now they’re infuriating. Damn the printing press.”

Lance bursts out laughing. “I promise you that humans were annoying long before literacy was widespread.”

“Yeah, but at least then I didn’t have to hear about it.”

“No? You never once donned your velvet cape and lace blouse and went looking for human gossip? I seem to recall you taking me to a masquerade ball or seventy in the gothic era, and you were quite happy to do so.”

…Fuck. Lance knows him too well.

“That was different,” Keith insists, lying like a liar. “Gothic era gossip was hilarious. They were terrified of me. I can’t count how many humans would whisper warnings to me about ‘dangerous blood-suckers living in the castle in the mountains’ only to faint when they saw my fangs. Now that —” Keith sighs wistfully — “that was an era.”

Lance places a gentle, mocking hand on his shoulder. “There, there, batboy. Humans still tremble at the thought of you and all the other Edward Cullens of the world.”

Keith glares at his husband, but there’s no heat behind it and the man knows it, judging by his smug, sunny smile. “You are a menace,” he says, leaning over and nipping his ear, just sharp enough to draw blood. “How dare you bring up that… disgrace to the vampire name.”

“The bane of your existence?” Lance clarifies, giggling. “The main reason you have so much beef with the 21st century?”

“I’m completely justified!” Keith cries, digging his fingers into Lance’s ribs. “Now humans write horny fanfiction about my kind instead of wallowing in terror! It’s horrible!”

“I mean, I get why they’re so lusty,” Lance says, wiggling his eyebrows. “There’s a certain something about those teeth, let me tell you.”

If Keith could blush, he would, but luckily for him he left that behind several hundred years ago.

(A thousand years ago?

Whatever. He’s been alive a long-ass time. Years start to blur.)

He grabs Lance by the ankle, pulling him closer and leaning down to press sharp kisses up his calf.

“Trying to ask for something?” he asks, voice muffled into Lance’s warm skin.

“Definitely trying to get somewhere,” Lance says, voice breathy and affected. “You should —”

Ding-dong!

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Keith yells, and Lance bursts out laughing, hands pressed to his reddened face.

“Okay, okay,” he relents. “I think we’re done with trick or treating for tonight.”

He snaps his fingers, and a bowl painted like a jack-o-latern filled with candy appears hovering in front of him. He pulls it gently towards him, whispers something in Latin, and tosses the bowl in the air. It hovers directly above them, bright green smoke billowing around it in opaque clouds, before the smoke clears, leaving the bowl looking unchanged. Lance snaps his fingers again and the bowl pops out of existence again.

“There,” Lance says with no small amount of satisfaction. “Now they can get their own candy, and they won’t be able to take more than two, so it should last.”

Keith sighs, pretending to be indifferent, but really he’s just all fond and squishy. He hates halloween, sure — but he loves his husband, and his husband loves halloween, so he’ll put up with the holiday with as minimal complaining as possible.

Keith grins, devilish and sly. Besides, he thinks, the annoying part of halloween is over, now. Now comes the good part: Lance is always more…energetic, when there’s dark magic in the air.

And all hallow’s eve has plenty of dark magic hanging over every street corner.

“Now that there are no more interruptions,” he says, manhandling Lance until he’s straddling Keith’s hips, arms around his shoulders, their faces inches apart. “I think we were getting somewhere.”

Lance smirks, closing the distance.

“Yes, I think we were.”

#HAPPY HALLOWEEN MY LOVES #take ur spooky voltron special!!! #this is silly and fluffy but the Lore i came up with for this universe… #vld #voltron #keith #keith kogane #lance #lance mcclain #klance #established klance #klance fluff #banter #witch lance #vampire keith #domestic fluff #my writing #fic fragment

[yukidragon]

Sunny Day Jack - Cat AU

Okay, so, two particular pieces of beautifully drawn fan art have collided together in my head to create a light and fluffy self-indulgent image that I just had to share with you all.

@okamiliqueur's heartbreaking picture of Jack's lonely and forgotten box from the new demo made me think of cats abandoned in boxes, "free to a good home." Only in the case of the game's story, he was left out in the rain to rot, the owner having given up giving him a good home.

@jazzylovetodraw's picture of Jack as a cat has been buzzing in my mind for quite a while. I just love how precious he looks in both forms, and when I was thinking of Jack being like those abandoned kittens in cardboard boxes... well, the combination was obvious.

I know that Jack's fursona is a snake, and I know being a cat is Shaun's thing, but I'm a sucker for kitties. I'm as biased towards cats as I am for dragons, if my avatar and username didn't offer enough of a hint. ;3 I'd love to see all the characters as kitties honestly.

Tempting though it may be to go with Fruits Basket rules for kitty Jack, like I toyed with over on twitter, I think I'm going to play with a different and simpler set of rules. In this universe, Jack is stuck as a cat until his sunshine's love allows him to become human again.

Admittedly, it's kind of hard to imagine Jack being alone for very long when he looks so adorable. Who wouldn't fall in love with that precious kitty face instantly? Most everyone would be putty in his paws.

Content Warning: I wind up touching on a couple explicit headcanon details near the end. I mean, I did say this is a pretty self-indulgent image with my OTP.

Maybe Jack was stuck as a cat via a curse ala Hocus Pocus and is guarding the box/tape/etc. Maybe he was stuck as a cat instead of in the tape and no one could see him until MC came along. Maybe he's got a tragic backstory like the cat from Fruits Basket.

Since this AU is more about the vibes, I'm just going to leave the how and why parts of the lore up in the air. All that matters is that Jack is stuck as a cat and left out in the rain in a cardboard box until MC decides to take him home.

I'm just going to switch over to Alice and what she would do in this scenario. Poor lonely Alice is out on the town, when she comes across the box out in the rain and sees an equally lonely kitten. Poor little thing, all wet and sad... She just has to take him home with her.

Alice cleans Jack up, gets him wrapped up all nice and warm in a blanket, and even gives him some chicken she bought for her own dinner that night. She'll have to get cat food and other things for her new furry companion tomorrow, though she should probably look for his owner and take him to a vet.

At first, Jack isn't sure what to do about the situation, though he is grateful. No one has even acknowledged his existence until Alice came along. She's so soft and warm. He loves it when she holds him. She's so kind too.

Alice does find it surprising Jack doesn't put up a fuss when being given a bath. Jack didn't exactly like the feeling of being all grimy, and don't get him started on fleas and other gross things cats have to deal with on the streets!

The vet isn't as fun, though Jack is well behaved, though very clingy to Alice throughout the appointment. He can't help but fear that she'll abandon him too. He'll keep up the helpless and adorably needy kitty act if it means she'll stay with him.

There's no ID chip, no tag, and no missing notice for any cat that looks like Jack. It's clear that the poor guy is a stray.

Alice is hesitant initially. She's wanted to get a pet cat for a long time now, but she has barely been able to take care of herself. How can she handle taking care of an innocent life that needs her when she's struggling so much with her own life?

That hesitation doesn't last long. Jack loves on Alice so much, constantly purring and snuggling up to her. He curls up with her when she sleeps or relaxes. He was hesitant at first, and she assumed that was because he was wary of her, when in reality, he just didn't want to cross any of her boundaries. He didn't want to do anything that might upset her and make her get rid of him. When she started petting and cuddling him, he wholeheartedly returned the affection, absolutely starved for it.

The first thing Alice thought when she saw Jack was that he was lonely, just like her. He's so sweet and can't stand to be apart from her. How can she just get rid of him when he makes her feel loved and needed?

Of course, a cat's life isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Cat food is a step down from people food, and a litterbox is anything but sanitary. Jack just skips that nonsense and goes straight to using the toilet despite the awkwardness, which shocks the heck out of Alice. He also snubs all cat food in favor of human food.

Yes, I could go with Jack being a ghost(?) cat that doesn't need food or to use the toilet, but then he wouldn't have gone through the indignities of a vet visit.

Then again... it would be funny if Alice brought Jack to the vet, only for them to think she's crazy, since to them all she's carrying is empty air.

Hmm... yeah, I think I'll go that route. As hilarious as vet hijinks and typical cat care with Jack while he possesses a human mind and identity might be, this would be a more interesting and tragic route. No one else can see Jack but Alice. He's lived for who knows how long in a world full of people that don't see him at all, unable to even be human anymore. It'd be a different type of hell than the one in the video tape, similar to what I talked about in my previous ramble.

Imagine if the 1984 incident Jack died and became a ghost(?) cat because he was secretly a cat shape shifter or something. Or maybe something more supernatural happened during the incident. Either way, cat ghost(?) Jack is very, very lonely.

Man, I just realized, it would be even more tragic (and complicated) if I go with the reincarnation route for this AU. Ghost(?) cat Jack probably had to watch Mary die slowly in the hospital after the incident, unable to help her or let her know that it's him. He couldn't even offer her comfort in her final days. It would've been so traumatizing.

For now, let's just play with this AU without the reincarnation angle, since this is supposed to be mostly light and fluffy feline fun with the OTP.

Jack, even as a cat, tries to do his best to help Alice out. If he can make himself useful, make her need him, then he won't ever lose her. He sneaks out when she goes to work to keep her company even though she initially tried to get him to stay home. No one sees him, so it won't matter. Besides, petting an invisible kitty is a good stress relief when dealing with awful customers, and certainly beats regular stimming.

The more Alice cares for Jack, the more powers he gets back, starting with the ability to talk. It's a huge shock for Alice of course, but Jack makes it clear that it's because of her love for him that made her stronger.

Of course, that love is platonic, at least at the start, which Jack knows full well, but he'll work on shifting things to a romantic love... especially after he gets the power to shift back into a form that has hands.

Like in typical canon, Jack answers Alice's questions as best he can. He probably lost his sense of identity like in game canon, so he references CloudyTown and stuff "he" did there, mixing up the show's lore with his own past. It's also intermingled with his many years spent wandering the streets being ignored and going crazy from the loneliness.

Jack does let Alice know that he used to be able to change from a cat to human. He just... can't anymore. He thinks it was because he was forgotten. He doesn't know why no one can see him until Alice came along.

It's so sad and tragic that Alice can't be unmoved by his plight. Sure, it makes things a bit awkward knowing that Jack is sentient and used to have a human form, but she feels for him. It also makes sense now why Jack always turned away whenever she changed.

Yes, Jack could have peeked. He could have even watched Alice while she was bathing, but he didn't. He refuses to do anything she won't allow. Cuddling her and sleeping in her bed is innocent, but the thoughts he'd have about her when she was undressing were anything but. He loves her too much to take advantage of her innocent trust in him. He needs her to want him to see her in that vulnerable state... even if it drives him crazy lusting over her. Poor pitiful kitty can't even have a good wank off session with his paws.

Still, despite knowing that Jack was human and is sentient, it's hard for Alice not to fall for his feline charms and not think too deeply about that fact. She still winds up cuddling him and petting him.

Of course, when it first hits Alice that she's treating a human like a pet, she stops and apologizes, but Jack insists that it's fine. He enjoys their cuddle time. He gives her the big, pleading kitty eyes as he begs her not to stop, and she can't help but give in.

Awkwardness soon fades and settles into a strange new normal. Alice does wonder if Jack really is real or if she was just so lonely she imagined something this crazy... but his presence is comforting. He keeps her company almost all the time. She doesn't feel alone anymore thanks to him.

Also... now that Jack can talk, he says such sweet things. It's weird to have a "pet" take care of her, but he reminds her of when it's time to brush her teeth, wakes her up for work, helps her get chores done despite how awkward it is with his paws and small size... It's so endearing.

The encouragement and assistance Jack gives Alice is wonderful, and his jokes are so fun and silly, but it's the praise that leaves her feeling flustered. If she didn't know any better, she could swear that he's almost flirting with her sometimes. She's in denial that's what it is, but it feels nice to be told that she's cute, and Jack is so sincere about it... and how can she not melt when he says sweet things with such a sweet face?

It's one morning that things change drastically. Alice's bond with Jack strengthened over time to the point that Jack finally can change back into a mostly human form, though he does have cat ears, a fluffy tail, and whisker markings.

It was a big surprise to them both really, as Jack transformed in his sleep. Alice had gotten used to cuddling up to a talking cat during the night, so it was a shock to wake up in a pair of big muscular arms. Jack was so happy when waking her that morning, giddy to show her his (mostly) human side, that it slipped his mind what a shock it would be.

Naturally, Alice bolted back against the wall away from the stranger in her bed. Jack quickly started reassuring her of who he was and that she wasn't in danger. He stooped down to her level, pretty much wilting really, with ears folded back, as he apologized for scaring her. He was just so happy that he wasn't thinking about how it must look from her side...

Seeing Jack so pitiful and sad, Alice feels her heart go out to him. Once things calm down, she can't help but be amazed by how he looks. Unthinkingly, she reaches up to pet his ears and feel how they attach to his skull. She only fully realizes how forward she's being when Jack starts purring.

Flustered, Alice immediately pulls back, only for Jack to whine at the loss of her touch. He didn't mind it at all. He always loves it when she cuddles with him.

It's a complicated feeling for Alice. On the one hand they've been very close for so long. On the other, Jack is definitely a human, so it feels different now.

Yet, Jack is so sweet. He's mindful of her hesitation, even if he's disappointed. It's harder for him to hide his feelings with such expressive ears. Alice can't help but want to reach out to him, especially after they've already spent so much time together, getting to know one another. He's chased away the loneliness that had been haunting her for so, so long.

Of course, now that Jack has a human form, Alice finds her feelings slipping into "dangerous" territory. He makes her feel so good, so loved, and she feels for him too. She doesn't want to dare assume he might feel anything more for her than just a friend, but she can't help but notice the way he looks at her, the way he clearly longs to be near her. He's so tender and gentle... and they've already been so cuddly.

It's easier for Alice to find herself cuddling up to Jack, letting him and taking guilty pleasure from his gentle warmth. He pets her hair too in return, and it feels surprisingly good... a bit too good at times.

The line between friend or something more blurs with all the cuddles and petting. Alice feels guilty about it, but Jack keeps encouraging her until, finally, something has to give and their relationship changes. Both of them feel relieved when it does, as they couldn't help but worry that their feelings might not be reciprocated.

In a lot of ways, it's pretty close to the normal continuity, just with some fuzzy ears on top. Jack can change into a cat at will now. As he gets stronger, people can start to see him, perhaps as a feline silhouette, or maybe with some unsettling shadows not from a cat. He's certainly going to be a bit territorial and not be afraid to hiss and use his claws if absolutely necessary.

Still, this kitty is pretty content thanks to Alice. Jack loves it when Alice carries him around as a teeny kitty, warm and snuggly against her chest, even in the cleavage of her shirt at times. Naturally, he returns the favor, carrying her around the apartment as often as possible. It's only fair after all~!

Naturally, Jack wants to get intimate with Alice as soon as she lets him. He's so pent up. Even with hands to take care of himself, all the cuddling and now kisses just make him ache for her even more. He longs to be inside her, biting her gently and growling in pleasure as he takes her.

A bonus with Jack being part cat is that he gets to have some vibrating action when he purrs. It adds a whole new dimension to their lovemaking, whether he's using his mouth on her sensitive parts, or thrusting himself deep inside.

Oh, I'm reminded of the cat-like features I mentioned in the Omegaverse AU. I guess Jack, having feline features, would have a dick that's ribbed for her pleasure too. Tongue too. Neither would be sharp because rule of sexy, but it would add a very pleasurable texture that a clever man like Jack is going to take full advantage of~

Of course, Alice can take advantage of those feline features too. The base of Jack's tail and ears are quite sensitive, and she quickly learns what spots get his motor running. Of course, getting Jack excited will lead to him pouncing on her and getting rather frisky, but Alice would certainly be expecting that result~

I can imagine Jack could make himself look fully human without any feline features, but he knows Alice finds his cat side to be adorable. She has a hard time resisting petting him when his ears and tail are out, and he certainly wants to encourage her to pet him as much as possible. He also wants to encourage her to let him pet her as much as possible.

Of course, if Jack can become powerful enough that other people can see him, he'll have to stick with only cat or human form when out in public. Still, even when other people can see and hear him, he prefers to be in Alice's company. Cats have their preferred human, and Alice is Jack's.

Naturally, Jack would have to be sneaky about showing Alice love when in public if there's a chance of getting caught. Good thing he has that perfectly innocent little kitty form to hide in. I can imagine it would lead to some interesting interactions where someone shows up only to find Alice incredibly flustered with a slightly disheveled appearance, while her "pet" Jack is just casually looking smug, as all cats do.

Person: Whoa, what happened to you?

Alice, not looking them in the eye: Uh... Jack, m-my cat just... ah, got a bit excited.

Person: Heh. Cats, am I right?

Alice: Haha... right.

Jack: :3c

Hmm... I wonder then if the other love interests should have cat transformations in this AU too. It'd be a crime if Shaun doesn't have that ability but Jack does. Jack already gets together with Alice, so I don't want to be extra cruel to Shaun.

Admittedly, I don't have too many ideas for other characters with cat modes. Well, aside from an image of Shaun taking care of his baby MoonPie by carrying her around by the scruff. This post was mostly just indulging in sweet moments with my OTP with a bit of feline flavor sprinkled on top. Maybe I'll revisit the idea again if I get more ideas than just a bit of fluff.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this silly romp with Alice and Jack having some feline fun times!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Headcanon Ramblings #Cat AU

[boundless-ut]

Here again with more questions abt the lore!

For these current characters, a few dont really seem to be human... or normal paper folk anyways, are there any unique species? Or are these goof balls just unique ones? Like quark, the skull candle fella (forgot their name) and page most of all!

Is there a reason page doesnt have a face? Or will they get one in later versions of the game? How do they communicate to others? Telepathy? Sign language? Writing? Or do they just... talk anyways?

I so would love to make ocs for this already!!

Oh and a silly ask, if I gave quark a konpeito would they be offended? (Konpeito is a candy that looks like their head shape)

-paper anon

Thank you for the questions! I'll answer them as best I can! The responses get a bit lengthy, so I'll number them.

(In the future though, I'd highly recommend sending questions individually. If there's ever the case where I can't answer a question to the point where not answering would also be an answer, I'd have to scrap the entire ask even if there are other questions I can answer, and that'd be a shame!)

1. Species:

In regard to species, the Lorian Plane is a very magical place, as such, many unique and interesting species have come to exist within this reality! Quark is a part of a broad species called "Thingkin", an in-universe term for all the 'object head'-esque characters. Thingkin are created when an otherwise inanimate object becomes animated through an ancient form of magic. The less refined version of Thingkin are just called 'Things', which describes an animated object that looks more like itself than a humanoid body with the object for a head.

Candlevera (a unique-ish name, it's Candle + Calavera! Candlevera ✨) is a different story. The same way magic can bring inanimate objects to life, there's magic to animate dead things as well! (Bones are just things after all) It's a bit rude to be woken up from your eternal slumber like that, but Candlevera is making the most of it. There are also a few others that are 'one-offs' like Diamond where you might not necessarily see more of their species in game, but there are. There will be some 'one-offs' that are actual one-offs but they're rarer cases and are going to be mostly things like (main) bosses. On the subject though, the 'normal paper folk' are actually these little fellas!

(L➡R: Digsby Jones, Train Station Master, Plain Dotty) They're called Dotties! They're a bunch of soft little fellas with fluffy tails, named after their typical face marking which is a dot of color on their face. Though, like in the case of Digsby, that 'dot' can come in a variety of shapes.

Dotties can also have a colorful body and a white marking / tail! Or have a colorful body and colorful marking / tail, or even have the same color for both. I created them to be flexible and fun to customize :)

2. Page:

What Page is is a bit of a mystery! Page doesn't quite fit into any of the 'defined' species that exist in the lorian plane. The lack of face is considered strange even by lorian standards, but in a world full of oddities it's one that most can look over once they get to know Page better. Despite a lack of a face, Page is able to talk with others just fine! Those unfamiliar with Page might have a hard time gleaning what Page is feeling at the moment at a glance (considering the lack of face), but in conversation Page makes up for this with a greater emphasis on body language. Page's design is pretty set in stone for the time being, so I don't expect it to change any time soon. In terms of character design norms, it's probably a bit of a risk to have a faceless protagonist, but I think I can make it work well enough.

3. Konpeito:

I'm glad the fact that Quark is a konpeito came through! Though I suppose it's a shape you'd recognize if you know what it is. He wouldn't be offended at all. In his case, it'd be like giving someone a gingerbread man...or...giving a magical gingerbread man a gingerbread man (since Quark is a konpeito thingkin)

It's definitely a complicated question, but the simple answer is that he'd eat it, (he has a bit of a sweet tooth!)

#boundlessut #indie game #indie dev #mail #professor quark #king cackle #point #page #cacklejack #digsby jones #art

[kittykittyanon]

🍓🥑🥤🧃❄️🦴🧩

HIII KITTY!!! I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT DAY OR NIGHT OR WHATEVER TIME IT IS FOR YOU!!! I THINK YOU ARE SUPER RAD 😎😎 AND I LOVE INTERACTING WITH YOU!! (I gotta come with up with a tag for you, i just realized 🤔🤔)

ANYWAY DON'T FORGET TO DRINK WATER AND EAT IF YOU'RE HUNGRY OR USE THE BATHROOM IF YOU NEED!! LOTS OF HUGS AND KISSES (you can ignore the personal lore one if it makes you uncomfy :D)

GAH!! HAIII!! I GOT THIS ASK WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TYPING OUT MY COMMENT ON YOUR AO3 POST!!!! what great timing, amor!!

I LOVE INTERACTING WITH YOU TOO!!! gosh,, i was just about to add that into my ask to you!!!! i decided not to cause i already said it in a recent ask, but you're really very thumbs up!!! /pos!!!

and for the ask game;;

🍓 - "how did you get into writing fanfiction?"

ooohhh,,, what a story. i had my start on wattpad!! i first found out about it when i was 8 and on my school bus, i stood on my seat to peek over a highschool girl's chair to look at her phone 'cause i was curious and a bit of a dumdum. she had wattpad opened and was reading a story and i was instantly hooked and reading alongside her without her knowing ☆⌒(>。<) when she noticed me, she exited out of it and i saw the app name and got it as soon as i got home. ever since i read my first bnha fic, i've been writing. ((but if you mean writing stories in general? i remember writing one with a friend back in first grade, but other instances of me writing before 2018 were very rare!! i've always had that want to do something creative since i've been able to hold a pen, so i guess it makes sense lmao))

🥑 - "you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?"

cry, panic,, then run to @lykaiosthinks or @itsyagurlchip (*ﾉ∀`*)

🥤 - "recommend an author or fanfic you love"

OH ABSOLUTELY??? if i had to say my favorite writer here, it'd be @ziipzeepzop-eez,, and for my other recommended awesome writers whose works are DELICIOUS, they'd be @itsyagurlchip, @lykaios2, @sleepytime-fics, @tmnt-narratives, @oleander-nin, and @amorvincitomnia-14 ((YOU!!))

as for yummy yummy fics: whatever you do, don't get attached by @sleepytime-fics where reader gets yoinked into the rise universe after eating a very silly fruit, and every night the longest day by ashtreelane on ao3 where leo gets cursed by a mystic user during a fight that makes it so he cannot sleep. at all. ((VERY ANGSTY. HEED THE TAGS.))

🧃 - "share some personal lore you never posted about before"

my family's always been adoring of cats. my very first cat was a big fluffy grey cat, the only memory i have of said meow meow is when my dad had to give him away. i think my parents have a picture of me petting him? for the next couple years we'd always feed the cats outside, some of them even coming inside sometimes to chill with us, until my mom came home one day with a big tabby cat that followed her up the stairs and into our apartment where he is now part of our family, fondly named "chunky"!! then a year later, a pregnant cat we'd been feeding for a while gave birth to kittens, of which we took in as ours :3

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

mweeehhh,, i don't necessarily have a dream plot for anything, but if i had to have one? i'd pick something to do with me and donnie because of course i would /lh (though i prefer platonic a TON more than romantic) and i'd want myself to write it 'cause i know myself best. (similar to your answer, amor!!)

🦴 - "is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?"

ehhhh, not really?? i guess sometimes i get inspired by other writers' works, but if i had to pick some sort of media it would be music or games!!

🧩 - "what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?"

no paragraph breaks, and constant author's notes in the middle of the fic itself!! i'm not reading a screen-full of text without spaces— and i wanna read the fic uninterrupted thankyouverymuch (つω`｡)

this post's a long'un (attempted british accent /lh)

#kittykitty asks #kittykitty interactions #the loveliest amor!!

[notquitecogent]

does it feel like magic?

A little contribution to @hellcheer-au-week!

This is to satisfy the prompts Supernatural/Fantasy Setting, Workplace Setting and Rivals.

Look, I don't know where this came from but I'm trying to stretch myself a bit and actually write a multi-chapter with *gasp* a plot!

Rating/Tags may change.

TITLE: does it feel like magic?

PAIRING: Chrissy Cunningham/Eddie Munson (F/M), Stranger Things

RATING: Mature

WORD COUNT: ~3,000

CHAPTER COUNT: 1/3

WARNINGS: recreational drug use, swearing, egregious werewolf lore, attempted banter SUMMARY: In a parallel world of infinite magical possibilities, enterprising young werewolf Eddie Munson is doing... exactly what he'd do in any other universe: desperately trying to scrape together enough money to both survive *and* finally get Corroded Coffin's demo recorded.

The way to do it? Win The Hawk's Nest's Bartender Of The Month grand mega prize. The only thing standing in his way? The new girl on staff, who just so happens to be hiding a few secrets of her own.

** A silly little workplace AU where Werewolf!Eddie and Fae!Chrissy are rival bartenders at a dive in Fantasy Chicago. Read below or on Ao3.

What the FUCK. 

He’s been working at this bar for two years now, building up a steady stream of regulars – not to mention the other members of Corroded Coffin, a solid 40 percent of the Chicago metal community, and his pack (well, if that’s what you could call Jerry the undertaker and Tim from the McDonald’s drive-thru) – and yet none of it seems to count for anything, because the new chick is about to overtake him and win the ultimate, supremo, MEGA jar of tips that’s rightfully his. 

Bartender of the Month, Monty called it; the owner of The Hawk’s Nest had made the competition a signature of the place a year ago to try and drum up more business. It was a dumb gimmick, sure, but it made everyone lift their game, competing to see who could get the most people through the dive’s dingy wooden door. 

And it had worked; the place was hopping most nights, crowded with humans, fae, lycans and more. Harrington had managed to get a bunch of college kids to celebrate their various athletic endeavours there, as well as inviting the many friends (and friends-of-friends) of his steady stream dates – not that any of them came back after the inevitable dumping.

But Fridays belonged to Eddie. It went like this: he’d get into a bit of a groove on whatever topic caught his fancy, climb up on the bar making outlandish pronouncements as he poured whisky into the waiting mouths of his loyal acolytes, and if they asked very nicely (and they always did) whip out Maria and blast them with a ravenous solo until he was dripping with sweat. Then he’d shuck off his inevitably ripped T-shirt, pull beers until 4am, and head home with whoever was left standing. 

Up until two weeks ago, it was a strategy that served him very well. He was leagues ahead of Harrington, his next closest competitor, and the prize – the aforementioned comically oversized cash-stuffed jar – was so close he could taste it. It would more than cover the cost of finally recording a real, honest-to-Satan Corroded Coffin demo, and maybe then all his dreams would come blisteringly true. 

Then she turned up. 

Christine (“it’s just Chrissy, actually” well fuck that, he’d call her by her full name just to piss her off) had swished into his orbit like a little blonde sugarplum fairy, like a cherry blossom come to life in her fluffy pink crop top and pristine white jean shorts. 

She looked unbelievably out of place against the dark panelled walls and sticky floors of the Nest, and he was sure she’d wandered into the wrong place – even told her so (nicely, obviously, just a “Hey, can I help you find where you need to be?”) – until Monty came out and drew her into a warm hug. 

“Chrissy, sweetheart, how are you?” he’d smiled as he stepped back to give her a proper look. “How’s school?” 

“School’s great, Uncle Monty,” Chrissy gave him a sweet, reassuring smile, and to most, it would have seemed genuine, but something about her steel blue gaze tingled Eddie’s wolf-sense. She was lying. 

Monty didn’t seem to have noticed.

“This little lady is practically my niece,” the older man explained. “Dad was my roommate in college. Best friends,” he said fondly, rubbing Chrissy’s shoulder. 

Oh joy, a nepotism hire, Eddie thought, scrubbing the bar slightly more aggressively than before. 

“Chris, why don’t you help Eddie get everything set up? You can start your first shift tonight.”

Monty’s portly figure shuffled back toward his office, brushing Eddie’s shoulder as he went. “Look after her, would you?” he murmured earnestly.

Chrissy certainly seemed like she needed to be looked after; she was so petite she could practically fit in his pocket, and she gave him a cute little half wave as Monty’s door clicked shut. 

It was kind of hard to look at her directly, actually; the late afternoon light seemed to bounce off her hair, casting a hazy red-gold glow around her big eyes and full lips. In fact, it seemed like all the light in the room was attracted to Chrissy – like she was some kind of magnet for sunbeams or something. 

“Eddie?” she said sweetly, her voice high and tinkly. 

Wind chimes, he thought dimly, standing there squinting at her like an idiot. 

“Huh?” 

He shook his head; for some reason, it felt suddenly full of cotton wool, even though he was definitely completely sober. It’d be almost impossible for him to get drunk or stoned this close to the full moon anyway – even wolfsbane wouldn’t do it the week of his change. 

In fact, all his senses were supposed to be heightened at this point; sight. Sound. Smell. He scented the air discreetly. Even amidst the usual empty bar scents – stale beer, pretzels, disinfectant – he could still pick hers out. It was like... an orchard, or maybe a meadow. 

Flowers, and fresh air, and ripe fruit bursting with juice. 

His wolf-self imagined sinking its teeth into her flesh, piercing through it like the fragile, fuzzy skin of a peach. She’d taste sweet, it thought. 

He felt a familiar heat lick up his spine, and mentally slapped himself. He couldn’t let the wolf get carried away – not this close to the moon change. Instead, he tried for nonchalance. 

“You ever worked in a bar before?” he asked her, quirking an eyebrow. 

Chrissy smiled brightly, showing off adorably crooked front teeth. “Never.” 

“Well, I guess now’s a good time to start. Let me show you the, uh, ropes.”

The ropes? Could he be any more creepy?

Still, she followed him down to the basement without complaint, looking around the dank room stacked high with kegs. Eddie’s nose wrinkled at the smell of yeast which always seemed to permeate the windowless space. 

“So, this is where the magic happens,” he joked. 

Chrissy looked at him for a moment, an unidentifiable emotion crossing her face, before she caught on. Her face scrunched up cutely. 

“Yeah, it definitely smells… magical.”

Eddie grinned, fiddling with one of the couplers and leaning towards her conspiratorially. “I wish I could say you get used to it, but it’s been two years for me, and… it’s honestly worse.” 

He must have been distracted by Chrissy’s responding giggle or something, because at that very moment a volcano of foam began pouring out the top of the keg, soaking his hands and the hem of his shirt. 

“Shit!” he yelped, frantically moving to readjust the coupler and stop the flow. 

“Oh my gosh, Eddie!” said Chrissy, moving toward him.

“No no no, this is all. Part. Of. The. Training,” he grunted back as he turned the heavy metal cylinder to check the pressure gauge. “This is definitely going to be on the final exam, so, you know, take notes.”

Chrissy smiled ruefully. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Get me a fresh shirt? There’s one in my bag under the bar.”

She nodded, her strawberry blonde ponytail bobbing and swishing as she turned and climbed back up the stairs while Eddie kept his gaze firmly on the puddle of amber fluid in front of him and not on her back pockets. 

She returned a few minutes later with his backup T-shirt (thank God he’d thought to wash it), and averted her gaze as he swapped it for the beer-soaked one. It wasn’t until he’d pulled black cotton over his stomach that he realised she was blushing; something strange and new in her flower-and-fruit scent.

“So, uh, how about I show you how to tap these kegs properly? ” he said, clearing his throat and attempting a light-hearted tone.

Chrissy showed all her teeth as she grinned, “Oh, you mean that wasn’t the proper way?”

**

After a thorough keg tutorial, Eddie moved on to showing Chrissy how to pull beers – anticipating a long evening of babysitting as she dropped glasses and poured with too much head. 

But, as it turned out, she was a total natural. The girl – young woman, actually; she’d mentioned she was a junior at Northwestern, which by his calculations made them only two years apart, give or take – seemed to have some kind of psychic ability to guess people’s orders before they made them. 

She was graceful, too – especially considering his own seeming inability to navigate all three dimensions of space; there was no tripping over each other, no accidental bumps or dropped glasses or awkward side-to-side as they moved from one end of the bar to the other. 

It was like she could just tell where he was going to be and floated past accordingly, like water around a particularly uncoordinated rock. 

She was also (no exaggeration) magic at mixing cocktails, pouring and stirring and shaking concoctions that had the Nest’s jaded patrons rolling their eyes in pleasure. 

The sight made her giggle with delight (which he’d usually find fake and calculated, but on her it was so genuine he couldn’t help but be endeared) – and even though it was well past midnight, the glow from the afternoon seemed to linger around her like a halo. 

He had to keep stopping himself from staring at her too long, particularly when a song she liked came on and she started humming and singing along, swaying her hips to the beat.

In fact, Eddie had a stupid grin plastered on his face all shift… until his eyes flew to the tip jar labelled Chrissy, with a little heart over the ‘i’. Sure, he’d expected a cute female bartender (yes, she was cute, especially with her legs and the curve of her bare waist in full view) would get a few extra bucks here and there, particularly from certain members of the Nest’s clientele – but nothing like this. 

He never expected her to out-earn his tips on her first goddamn night. 

His good mood practically evaporated in a second, and Eddie had worked himself up into a mild seethe by the time he made it back to the apartment. 

Unfortunately, the wolf made his emotions run hotter than usual this time of the month, while simultaneously rendering his go-to method of calming down – a fat wolfsbane-laced joint – entirely useless. 

His body fizzed with nervous energy as he paced the living room, trying not to wake Argyle. His roommate was usually a heavy sleeper, but Eddie had a knack for clumsily knocking over – or into – any and all of their furniture (the aforementioned struggle with three-dimensional space). 

He threw himself down on the couch face first, groaning into a throw pillow. 

He was so close to making it all happen. How many months had they been waiting to get studio time? This was their shot, their chance. How much longer would he have before Gareth and Jeff and Grant graduated and moved away? A year? Less? 

There was no way Corroded Coffin could stay together past the summer – not without something tangible keeping them there, like a mind-melting demo that would definitely have the greatest rock labels in the world lining up to sign them. 

Except he’d be out for at least two nights with the change (just his luck, the full moon was a Friday and he’d lose Saturday to recovering). If Chrissy’s performance over the weekend was anything like tonight, he was well and truly fucked. 

Eddie ground his teeth. His bad mood – and the busy shift that preceded it – had left him drained, and he could feel sleep creeping in at the corners of his consciousness. 

If he could just get Chrissy to quit… 

** As it turned out, his preferred tactic of simply explaining the situation failed spectacularly when he confronted her the following afternoon. 

“I’m sorry, Eddie,” she said as she daintily polished a glass (he was trying to see who could clean the most in 20 minutes, but Chrissy hadn’t seemed to realise they were in competition – even though she was, maddeningly, winning), ticking down the time until the bar opened at 5pm.

“Are you serious?” he gaped. 

She turned away, placing the glass on the shelf next to its compatriots. “I can’t just quit.” 

Eddie stared at her in shock. “I need to know if you are fucking with me right now. You’ve been here five minutes! No-one will miss you!” 

She huffed a little – for some reason, it made him think of a dandelion – and blushed light pink. It contrasted prettily with her floaty yellow sundress, he thought despite himself.

“You’re not the only one who has bills to pay, ok?”

She was trying to be patient with him, and at any other time maybe he’d have backed off – accepted she wasn’t going to change her mind. But he could almost feel the moon rising, and he was too close to getting what he wanted. The wolf would have none of it.

“So get your boyfriend or Daddy or whoever to pay them!” he snapped.

Chrissy turned back to face him; her flush had deepened, spreading down to the neckline of her dress. High spots of colour dotted her freckled cheekbones as her temper flared. 

She visibly gritted her teeth as she stared up at him, blue-grey eyes dancing. He thought she might actually stomp one of her little Ked-clad feet. 

“You’re not my friend, Eddie. You don’t know the first– the first fucking thing about me."

The wolf bristled at the challenge in her voice, the naked venom, and an answering echo of anger surged through his blood – but Chrissy was already gone, storming off towards the rest room’s graffiti-covered door (Park your junk here, God, what a stupid thing to tag). 

He heard, rather than felt, the glass break in his palm. “Shit, shit, shit! ” he fumed as he gingerly picked the shards from his bleeding skin. 

The night barely improved after that; everything seemed to drag, the customers impatient and demanding, and he surly and irritable. Chrissy stayed pissed at him, going out of her way to avoid even brushing his arm as she ducked and weaved from the taps to the till to the counter and back. 

It wasn’t like before, when they were moving in perfect sync; now, she wouldn’t even let him lean over her to reach the limes. 

He knew he’d said something to set her off, but what the hell did she mean when she said he didn’t know her at all? It wasn’t like she was hard to figure out – a pretty little rich girl from the nice side of town, probably thought the world owed her everything on a silver platter.

Bet she’d never been told no in her life. She was probably just doing this job for pocket money, anyway – trying to prove something to her dad, or whatever. 

It was such bullshit – she had other options, he didn’t. It was as simple as that. Why wouldn’t she just cut him a break?

And it was a shame, really, because it wasn’t as though she was unlikeable. That first shift had been good – great, even. She was sweet to the customers, listened to the old regulars, loved to talk about anything and everything. She hadn’t even flinched when he’d asked her to clean the urinals. 

Which made it all the more annoying when her niceness and sweetness seemed to end right where his actual real life problems began. 

Eddie’s foul mood translated to a shockingly poor haul of tips, which he blamed on Monty’s music selection (“Duran Du-fucking-ran? You can’t expect me to work in these conditions!”).

Even worse, he was staring down the barrel of his change with nothing but a bad mood and patience hanging by a thread. He knew from experience what a shitty idea it was to let the wolf take over when he was like that; it’d make him extra wild, aggressive – less able to keep control of his instincts. 

That was hard enough as it was; while Eddie considered himself more of the flight type of guy (though he’d had his fair share of fisticuffs since entering the ironically named hospitality industry), the wolf was definitely more in the fight camp. If Uncle Wayne hadn’t stepped in with the tranq gun when his teenage hormones were raging, his life would have looked very different. 

(The wolf wanted to do, er, other things too, but he’d only met two female werewolves since his turning and they were at least 10 years older than him – and much scarier than getting shot point-blank with a dart full of phenothiazine and silver sulfide.) 

“You gotta chill out, my man,” said Argyle as he slid down next to where Eddie was stewing on the couch. 

Eddie scoffed. “You got something that’ll work this close to the full moon? I’ve got, like, six hours to go.” 

The sorcerer nodded thoughtfully, his slow, soothing voice lilting, “In all my infinite wisdom, brochacho, I have procured a little something I am told will do – as they say – the trick.” 

From underneath his tie-dyed T-shirt, his roommate produced a tiny baggie of glowing gold powder. 

“Fae dust,” he explained, noticing Eddie’s confused expression as he held it up to the light. 

“And that is…?”

“The dust that is fae, my dude, the dust that is most fae. A pinch here, a pinch there, and it’s good vibes until the sun comes up.” 

Eddie twirled the baggie between his fingers. “So do I snort it, or…?” 

“Any way you like. Drink it, smoke it, under the tongue, whatever. It’ll find its way in there.”

He placed a reassuring hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “Enjoy the moon, wolf-man, and don’t forget, I have my lady friend in town, so kindly knock if you’re back before Sunday.”

#hellcheer au week #hellcheer #my fic #eddissy #eddie x chrissy #hellcheer au

[husbandohunter]

Ohmygod OHMYGOD!!!!! I’m fangirling so HARD!!!!! Now I’m just imagining after Xiao decided to stay, they live a relatively peaceful life together aside from the really weird things that happen.

I think once Xiao came to terms with his feelings and decision to stay his going to be overwhelm with sadness because he will watch farmer grow old and with his adepti blood he doubts he’ll grow with them. It’s a little unfair that even though he decided to stay, his beloved will someday go to a place he can’t follow. But then over the years he will notice that he IS growing older too. Did his choice to stay strip him off of being an adepti? Was he forgiven from his sin? Who knows and who cares, his just happy and excited for the future with his beloved. I’m crying and sobbing cause that’ll be beautiful... when they’re in their death beds, old and content, farmer suddenly feels sentimental and vow to find Xiao in their next life. Xiao agrees to do the same.

THEN he woke up, on the roof of Wangshuu Inn and he almost started sobbing. Of course it was just a silly dream. Who would forgive a monster like him? It was foolish to think otherwise. He should have expect for celestia to be so cru- “Um sir, are you allowed to sleep there?” A very familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. It was the farmer in Liyue clothing, looking at him in concern. Then he remember their vow for each other annnndddd I’m drawing a blank. Basically they met again but they’re in Teyvat, the person is definitely an reincarnate of farmer. Funnily enough they are also a farmer there and was going to offer to one of the adepti some offering for good health due to superstition and tradition of the old folk since Wangshu Inn is closest they decided to go there and ask then they met Xiao there and the poor boy probably tackle them to a hug after he gather some composure. Nah he did it out of impulse lol. I am also peacefully ignoring the any kind of lore cause I suck at processing info. I’m gonna stop here before it get any longer 😅

- Birde

Birdie anon strikes again!

I made it canon that once anyone enters a new universe, some lores from their previous universe dont apply. Xiao can become human and I honestly think its both a blessing and a curse in his perspective. That being these weak mortal beings isn't so bad. As someone who loves the cold distant types (hence Im also a Diluc simp) I get the feel that they also end up being the most loyal.

But damn thats a lot of brain rot LMAO I tried my best to make it fluffy in the last ask yet you haaaaad to pull out that reincarnation-dream trope (ಥ﹏ಥ) Before Xiao tackles anyone into a hug he'd stare for a HOT minute, like suuper intensely which would unfortunately bring farmer to their knees but they couldnt run since that was the time Xiao just glomps them LMAO.

This is one of the reasons why I love angst

#long live stardew impact! #need to do childe and albedo tho #nya-does-stuff #Birdie #anon

[love-takes-work]

Steven Universe Comic Big Donut Special (2016) - Outline & Review

A review and outline of the special issue comic dedicated to events at the Big Donut.

I didn't find out this existed until the day before it came out! How exciting to just suddenly get a dollop of cute comic content like this. I mean, let's be honest: stories about Steven and the Gems horsing around doing non-plot-relevant things and being cute is not exactly what Steven Universe fans tune in for, by and large, but the writers of this comic had the characters down, and every fluffy little story is such a little treat. If you're expecting plot or lore, you're not going to get it in these one-shot comics, and you should understand that only the TV show is going to go there since these are not generally created by the show's writers and storyboarders. So keep that in mind when you read comics in this universe. They're going to be fluff or mild self-contained plots, and you want to tune in to read them because you get to spend a little bit of time with the characters doing their thing.

Every story in this collection is about donuts! Yes, literally every one! So of course Steven spends a lot of time at the Big Donut and the characters Sadie and Lars make a number of appearances. Here are some notes on the stories: Clash of Gluttons:

To celebrate a blowout donut sale at the Big Donut, Steven declares that he is going to break his eating record, which draws Amethyst's attention because she's convinced she can eat way more donuts than he can. A contest is established, and the two eat themselves sick.

Steven is sure he has no more room in his stomach, but there's always room for the Father-and-Son Special when Greg arrives! Notable for fans: 1. It really doesn't make any sense in-universe for Steven to think he could beat Amethyst at eating, so the suggestion that they tied at the end is stretching credibility a bit, even in a silly plot. ;) Steven can eat, but Amethyst . . . I mean, she eats things that aren't edible, regularly, and literally does not have an organic body to worry about. 2. Steven and Amethyst have some supporters behind them as they prepare for the donut eating. Predictably, Connie and Lion are supporting Steven, but Pearl is right behind him sweating like she's distressed, while Garnet is giving Amethyst a massage and for some reason Onion is there behind her. That is peculiar.

3. Steven eats weirdly angrily while Amethyst does so with clear delight on her face. It's funny.

4. Steven...doesn't have a Gemstone in this comic?? What. There are multiple pictures of him after he ate too much with his exaggerated stomach poking out and Sara drew a regular cartoon outie bellybutton on it every time.

Big Donut Contest:

Another contest requires entrants to design donuts! Steven, inspired by the "don't donut" from last year, encourages the Gems to collaborate with him as an entering team to create the Crystal Gem combo. Surely Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst can create something very special to contribute to the contest, right?

Well . . . hard to do when Pearl is clueless about food, Amethyst doesn't understand what food is palatable for humans since it's all yummy to her, and Garnet doesn't see the point in participating since she already knows how it all ends. But Steven anticipated their donuts not necessarily being appropriate, so he made his own Crystal Gem combo of representative donuts of the four of them. Everyone loves it.

Notable for fans: 1. Lars's slacking is called out by Steven in this episode and it's adorable.

2. Garnet and Pearl are playing video games together in Steven's room in one scene! I've never seen Pearl play video games voluntarily before. 3. An exchange between Steven and Pearl was perfectly Pearl. Steven: "Big news! DONUTS!" Pearl: "Steven, that's not news, we already know about donuts." 4. The suggestions Steven makes for the donuts they'd make are as follows: "The Pearl donut's beautiful, refined flavors! The unbeatable flavor fusion of the Garnet donut! The bold, daring Amethyst donut!" That's so cute and they're clearly all flattered by these descriptions. Of course, Steven completes the quartet with "The sweet and bubbly Steven donut!" Yes, Steven, you're adorable.

5. Steven's cooking apron has Sad Waffle from Crying Breakfast Friends on it. 6. Pearl's idea of a good donut is a hologram donut because in her eyes food you don't have to eat is ideal. Amethyst's donut is a gross pile of junk food. Wow.

7. The final Crystal Gem Combo made by Steven is super cute. Amethyst's is a filled eclair with purple frosting and a squirt of whipped cream; Pearl's is an elegant frosted pale cruller with sprinkles; Steven's appears to be a jelly-filled with pink icing and a big star decoration, and Garnet's is a heart-shaped donut with markings like Garnet's outfit, complete with red and blue star sprinkles. Garnet's reaction to this donut is so precious.

The Donut Thief:

A mysterious thief keeps taking donuts from Sadie and Lars, so Steven accompanies them to the thief's roof hideout to uncover the identity of the thief and stop the thievery. After some antics and mishaps, they find a baby raccoon is responsible. Steven wants to keep it. Notable for fans: 1. Lars grudgingly acknowledges Steven's magical abilities in this story (while saying he doesn't want to be involved if Steven's powers are). It's pretty typical, and as usual, Sadie defends him. The character dynamic is well presented here. (Same goes for when Lars wanted others to be first to climb the ladder to the roof.) 2. What!! Steven does his puppy-dog eyes on Garnet to get her to let him keep the raccoon and SHE STILL SAYS NO! What is the world coming to?

Health Inspection:

Mr. Smiley has decided to make extra cash by doing health inspections, and this throws Sadie into a panic because she's worried the Big Donut won't meet regulations. To make matters worse, the Crystal Gems are literally fighting a monster in and around the store during the inspection. But considering the monster has wrecked all the stores he's had to inspect that day, Mr. Smiley's not going to deduct points for that! Points off for untucked shirts though, Lars. Notable for fans: 1. This one is rare since it's not from Steven's perspective at all! And he's not even there fighting with the Gems when they confront and poof the monster! That's surprising. 2. Yikes, the Big Donut regularly sells expired food that Sadie has to hide for the inspection. Well, I guess that's not surprising, considering in "Lion 3: Straight to Video" Sadie was putting months-old bag lunches in the coolers. How to Donuts:

Sadie comes over to the Temple and teaches the Gems to make donuts! Steven and Sadie enlist the help of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to mix dough, knead it, let it rise, roll it out, cut donut shapes, create glaze, fry the donuts, drain them, and add glaze and sprinkles. A real recipe for glaze and donut dough is included!

Notable for fans: 1. Amethyst's role, predictably, is eating everything or whining when she has to wait to eat everything. Pearl and Garnet are helpful, though. Pearl makes the glaze while Garnet does the mixing and frying. Steven does the rolling and shape-cutting. I like this because you really should have an adult do the cooking-related stuff. 2. An ending scene of Amethyst stuffing multiple donuts in her mouth was expected, but I was pleasantly surprised and amused by Pearl adding sprinkles with tweezers and Garnet, for reasons unknown, holding frosted donuts up to two of her eyes and looking through them. What nerds they are.

Food Fight:

Sadie needs to do a business errand and Lars is furious that he is therefore stuck at work and unable to show off his coolest pants to his cool friends. He's so bitter and distracted that he doesn't want to sell donuts to Steven and Amethyst, and is forced into interaction with them when Amethyst just starts taking donuts and eating them.

A food fight ensues when Amethyst antagonizes Lars, and Onion gets involved as a passerby. Soon Jenny is drawn in when she walks by delivering pizzas, and Ronaldo sees what's happening and charges in with a huge bag of fries to participate. Even the other Cool Kids, Mr. Smiley, and Greg get caught in the crossfire! But Lars is still concerned about whether his very cool pants will be appreciated, which is much more important to him than who will clean up the mess. Notable for fans: 1. Jenny, delivering pizzas? Did she get a work ethic for Christmas? 2. Greg reprimanding Amethyst and assuming she started the food fight was pretty funny. I like how often they demonstrate that the characters know each other really well. Also, Amethyst calls Lars "guy." It's pretty common for the Gems to avoid learning or using humans' names, so this is really on-target dialogue. 3. The drawings are really cute--Amethyst's attitude is so well encapsulated by the expressions they've chosen for her. I love her body language, and they did great with everyone's action--you can really feel the movement. 4. Onion's murder face is unforgettable and I'm glad they included it.

Donut Derby:

Steven and Connie enter a toy car race, but Steven's car "Mr. Sprinkles" breaks during the test run. They have to find something to use for wheels very quickly or Steven's out of the race. Notable for fans: 1. Ponytail Amethyst. That is all. (It's weird, though; in the earlier frames it looks like she tied her hair with her own hair, like she did in "Steven vs. Amethyst," but in some of the later ones, it's colored in like it's a black hair tie.)

2. Connie is cute (and, again, on-point with the characterization)--she's very scientific about the aerodynamics of her car.        

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