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recuira · 8 months

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after hours

after hours : a live action buggy x fem!reader fanfiction

for some odd reason, you have no idea who he is. and he fucking loved that.

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chapter one chapter two chapter three

chapter four | suede. stalking. silly.

his pov;

"Your wanted poster."

Those three words settled in my mind as I stared at the distraught girl in front of me, watching as she fumbled with her hands, a nervous exterior brushing over her. She seemed to be so horrified with the fact that I was once a pirate sought after by thousands- wanted dead or alive, though much preferred dead. Many still wanted me dead but due to my brilliant idea of hiding out here, the chance of anyone getting my bounty was thin. I, however, didn't see it being as much of a big deal as she deemed it so. The real issue I found was tucked away in one of the books within the nightstand which I was so fucking thankful she didn't find. I'd rather her not have been looking around but if she were to find one of the two? I was glad she found the poster.

I tossed another slice of apple into my mouth then set the knife down on the cutting board. I approached Y/N but instantly halted when I noticed how nervous and uneasy she was. "What's wrong?"

"H-How many people did you kill?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Does that really matter?" I asked, waving my hands up in the air to hopefully exaggerate my point. "It was almost a year ago."

"That doesn't change the fact that it happened!"

"I know, I know." Despite her discomfort, I took a seat next to her anyway. She tightened her arms around herself, almost to make sure there was as much distance between us without her actually moving. Clenching my jaw, I patted my hands upon my thighs. "I know it's a terrible thing, and there's nothing I can do to change that. It's in the past and if I could go back and alter things, I would. Being a pirate was all I knew. My old friend was one, too. Then we separated onto different things and-"

"Did he kill people?"

"Lots of pirates kill people. It's part of the hype, ya know? It's very unlikely to raid another ship without there being any casualties. But I stopped because I got tired of it. I wanted something more."

"It's a pretty big bounty. I mean- come on, fifteen million berries?"

"Don't think about turning me in now," I chuckled, wanting to add a bit of lightheartedness to this unfortunate predicament.

"I'm not like that. I know I'm in need of money but-"

"I didn't mean it like that, Y/N, come on. Give me some slack."

"Well, why exactly did you stop? Did you lose the thrill of stealing from others? O-Or did you get bored of killing innocent people?"

I rolled my eyes, scoffing. "We've all done some shit we're ashamed of. We're humans. I did a lot of fucked up shit," I said as I pointed at myself. "But I changed that. I moved and let all that go. I left my crew, made someone else the captain, and abandoned ship. I left all of that shit behind and came here."

"But why?"

"If I say this, I'll probably make things worse but I don't want to lie anymore," I said as I laid back, folding my hands over my chest. I stared up at the ceiling. "You've obviously heard of the One Piece, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, I was one of those pirates absolutely obsessed with finding it. Fuck, I even dreamt about it. It was the only thing I truly desired in life. It was the only thing I thought about. Not riches, women, alcohol- just the One Piece. I was making somewhat decent progress but then I heard that a group of Straw Hats-" I grimaced at the thought. "-made off with the map which they stole from one of the Marine bases. I happened to track them down and I managed to steal the map from some kid named Monkey D. Luffy. But all good things must come to an end and I lost it. I was back to square one. And then I discovered his bounty was thirty million berries." I frowned then sat up, turning to face Y/N. "Can you believe that? Some newby pirate-wannabe received a bounty double my own! Seeing that brought me back to reality. So I dropped everything then came here."

"All because of him?"

I nodded my head. Just the thought of that kid irked me. There was no one, other than Shanks, who I despised more than my own self.

"So, yeah, I know what I did was fucked up. But there's a reason I'm here now. There's a reason I've given you so much. It's because I want to be a better person, maybe redeem myself for what I've done. And I can do that by helping you, by making your life a little less miserable."

"Do you pity me?" The girl asked, finally meeting my gaze.

"What?" I laughed, almost obnoxiously. "Of course not. If anything, I envy you."

"Me?" Y/N pointed at herself. "You envy me?"

"You have no bad conscience. You've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to make up for. You have a clean slate."

She shrugged, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "Thank you."

"So, uh, do you hate me now?" I asked, forcing a frown to mimic a pouting child. She giggled at this and shook her head. I sighed in relief, wiping 'sweat' from my forehead. "Thank god. I don't know what I'd do with myself if you hated me."

"I knew you were a pirate but it's still shocking to learn about your past. It'll take me a bit to get used to it but I don't hate you."

"So, we're good?" I extended my hand.

"We're good." She shook it.

I felt as if a huge relief was lifted off my shoulders. And as long as she stayed out of the nightstand, there would be no more issues. But if I hid the book, then I would be even more safe. I pondered the possibilities before I watched as she rose from the confines of the bed and approached the counter. My eyes trailed down. The backs of her thighs were exposed and the shorts clung to her ass so divinely. I bit my lip and crossed my leg over my lap.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me," She mumbled as she started to chew on an apple, then began to cut into an orange. "I do have a question for you, though."

"Go ahead, shoot." As soon as she turned around, my eyes met hers and I smiled.

"Are devil fruits real? Or is that just an old tale? I've never seen one up close and I heard they cost a fortune, even for just one alone."

"They're real," I said with a small laugh. "I would know, I've eaten one."

Y/N nearly jumped before she darted over toward me, her hands grabbing at my shoulders. She still had a slice of half-chewed apple in her mouth which made her struggle to properly speak. "WHAT? You- NO! You didn't?!" She let go of my arms and instead planted her hands on my chest, shoving me back. I collapsed back against the bed, laughing. "You ate one?!"

"Years ago, when I was fifteen."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not. It was a mistake actually."

"What happened?"

I chuckled and pushed myself back up. "Give me an orange and I'll tell you."

If my reflexes weren't so quick, the fruit would've hit me in the face with how quick she threw it. But I caught it and began to pick apart the peel. "Easy, next time," I smirked and took a bite from it. "Well, when I was younger and was a pirate-in-training, the crew I was in raided this ginormous ship and hit the motherload. Not only gold and jewels and anything you could think of, but there was also a devil fruit. I found out how much they were worth and tried to steal it but I was caught in a predicament and I tried to hide it in my mouth."

"And?"

"I swallowed it whole."

She gasped, "And you're alive?"

"It doesn't kill you. It just takes your ability to swim when you're in the ocean, in salt water. It's like the sea turned its back on you."

"Did you get a power from it?"

I shrugged and winked at her, taking another bite. I licked the juices from my hand. "Guess."

"You can fly?"

"Ha! Nope."

"Read minds?"

"It's body-altering."

"Wait," The lovely maiden smirked, taking a seat on the bed. "Did it give you that red nose?" She snickered.

"Guess again," I said flatly, my expression turning cold as I stared at her. She gulped, clenching her jaw. I laughed and looked down at my lap, now using one hand to hold the orange. I continued to chew on it. But while she was distracted with her numerous attempts to guess what kind of body-altering power I had, I detached my left hand at the wrist. It floated behind the both of us and tapped on her right shoulder. Y/N jumped up, her head shooting to look at her side. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed together before she spotted my floating hand waving at her. She gasped and slapped it away. I broke out into a fit of laughter, my hand reconnecting to my wrist. "Impressive, huh?"

"You- what?" She was still flabbergasted.

"I ate the chop-chop fruit. It allows me to pretty much chop any part of my body. Like I can-" To avoid grossing her out, I chopped my left leg from my thigh instead of my head from my neck. She watched in amazement. I smiled at this. "I can disconnect anything from my body from my toes to my ears to my-"

"Even... ya know?"

I winked. "Oh, yeah. That, too."

"That's so cool. How come you haven't done it before around me?"

"I don't know. I just never found a reason to." Shrugging my shoulders, I allowed my leg to snap back. I continued to chew on the orange before finishing it and tossing the peel into a small bin to the left of the bedside table. Y/N finished hers as well. She wiped her hands down on her shirt.

"So, uh," I chewed on my bottom lip. "Do you think you and your mother will be okay?"

"Yeah. We fight all the time. Her drinking doesn't help."

I cringed. "Really?"

"Yeah, she's one of the reasons I hate it so much."

I pursed my lips and nodded my head. I knew I needed to cut back on it but it was something I've done for well over more than half my life. Though, I was destined to do it. Not only for myself, but for her, too. I'd do anything for Y/N. "So," I began, "what do you want to do today?"

"I need to go make up with my mother. That's a big to-do. I can't stand her ever being upset with me." The girl said as she stood up, slipping her shoes back onto her feet. "We can have dinner tonight if you want. Maybe you could meet her."

"Meet your mom?"

"Yeah, why not? She was wondering where all that money came from. She thought I stole it."

"Hell, I don't know. I'm not good with meeting new people."

"Will you, at least, consider it?"

"Sure," I smirked.

"Thank you." Y/N reached for the doorknob, giving it a strong and firm tug before it yanked open. A gush of cold wind washed over her, almost knocking her back. I tossed her my coat to which she whispered another 'thank you' then slipped it on. "I'll see you, Buggy."

"Bye," I murmured with a smile.

As soon as the door shut, I jumped down from the bed and pulled the drawer out from the nightstand, dropping it on the stone floor. I sorted through the numerous books and grabbed the novel I was so fucking thankful she didn't look through. As I opened the cover, the hollowed book had contents that almost spilled out. Papers among papers, among sketches fell out, wafting along the floor. Several notes about Y/N puddled on the floor. One, which was my favorite, was a letter I wrote to her- well, I refused to send it. If I sent it, any last fiber of my confidence would be crushed like a scrambled egg. My fingers lined the rigid edges as I unfolded it.

Messy paragraphs lined both the front and back of the page.

I smiled. How long ago did I write this? I haven't looked at it in so long. I usually added a sentence to it each time I saw Y/N, which is why it was so long. But I stopped pouring my thoughts and desires into it when I actually had the pleasure of speaking to her.

If she saw this, I would kill myself.

I'd purposely jump into the ocean with two anchors attached to my feet.

I looked over the first paragraph,

'I've never wanted something so badly in my life. To say I yearned for her would be a complete understatement. I longed for her, I yearned, I desired- In simple terms, I wanted her. I mean, how could I not? She was an angel. She was a siren. I would purposely listen to her enchanting song, allowing my boat to crash, just if it meant I could be graced by her presence, by her beauty. I was obsessed with her. If she found out my thoughts, my desires, she would never let herself be seen with me. I wouldn't blame her, though. I was obsessive. It was unhealthy, I knew that. But I didn't care. I wouldn't say I loved her because I didn't know what that felt like. I've never experienced it. But perhaps I did love her. I didn't know, I couldn't tell. All I knew was that she was the only treasure I wanted. Not the One Piece, no. Not even that could match up to her alluring person. If I had to travel every sea in order to find her, battle every sea snake in order to touch her, I would. I would in a heartbeat.'

I grimaced, cringing at what I was reading. Thank god, she didn't see this. I didn't even want to see this.

I tucked the papers back into the hollowed-out book, closing it. I slipped the other novels into the drawer then slid it into the nightstand. With the book of secrets, I needed to hide it somewhere she could never find it- where even I struggled to find it. I didn't want to throw it out for I would be completely discarding all of those moments we had together, although she couldn't reconcile them with me because at that time, I was nonexistent to her.

Maybe I could follow my own idea and form my own message in a bottle. I never mentioned her name, nor my own. To an outsider's perspective, it was anonymous.

I shook my head and slipped the book back into the bedside table. She wouldn't be back anytime soon so I had enough time to properly execute a fool-proof plan.

But right now?

I needed to go get another coat.

-=-

her pov;

My mother and I resolved things, just like always. And when she caught wind of a pirate suddenly becoming very fond of me, she begged me to invite him over for dinner. I didn’t think that was the best of ideas. Going out to dinner? Sure! But to have him over? At our house? I cringed at the idea.

She fell ill months ago. Nothing too major, but ever since she’s gotten better, she despises leaving the house and even made me bring her bed downstairs so she could sleep next to the kitchen just in case she had a hankering for something to eat. It was ridiculous, I knew that. But I couldn’t just tell her no. She was my own mother. While I was old enough, I definitely wasn't going to willingly disobey her.

She persisted that I go and grab Buggy so we could have him over for dinner, while I insisted we all go out to eat. She hated the idea and told me that it was her house, her rules.

I grimaced at the thought.

Now, I was just outside Buggy's home, knocking on the stone door. I hoped he was home, though there was no possibility of me being able to ask him prior to my arrival. I knew he was busy. He was a very busy man. I was surprised he made time for me.

With another knock, another silence fell. I groaned and backed up.

My eyes trailing down, I stared at the doorknob and chewed on my bottom lip. He wouldn't care if I waited inside, right? We trusted each other. He knew where I lived and I knew where he lived. As far as I knew, he never crossed any of my boundaries and I definitely didn't cross any of his- well, except for maybe 'snooping' through his nightstand.

Without thinking too much more about it, I grabbed the rusted doorknob, gave it a firm twist, then shoved it open. I almost fell through the doorway.

I caught my balance and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. Without the lantern being lit, it was rather dark, but the bright blue sky helped to illuminate the small room. He must've not been home since I left.

I looked around, admiring everything.

As I took a seat on the edge of the bed, I noticed a piece of paper laying on the floor. It wasn't there before.

I raised an eyebrow and reached to grab it but before I could, the door flung open, a certain blue-haired pirate standing in the entrance. When he noticed me, he smirked. I gulped.

"So, we're breaking and entering, are we?" The man grinned as he took a few paces forward.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, scratching the back of my neck. "I came over to ask you about dinner but you weren't here so I figured I would wait."

"No worries, I'm only teasing."

"So?" I folded my arms, leaning forwards.

"So what?" Buggy questioned as he slipped his coat off. Since when did he get a new coat? And why? I was only borrowing the one he lent me. I didn't plan on keeping it. But I guess now it was okay if I did.

"Dinner? Are you available?"

"Hmm, it depends. What time?"

"I don't know, sometime tonight? Only for two hours or so. My mother wanted to meet you. I told her about you."

"What did you tell her?"

"That you've been a friend of mine for a few weeks now and you've been fortunate enough to treat me and help me out," I said with a smile. "She thought you were my boyfriend." I chuckled.

"Heh, that's rich," Buggy said as he turned around to close the door.

"So? Can you?"

"I guess so. Just don't leave me alone with her. I really don't want to be bombarded with questions." The man said as he folded the jacket over his arm then slung it on the countertop. "Did you tell her about my nose?"

I laughed, confused. "No? Why would I?"

"It's my defining feature. It's hard not to notice it when you see me."

"I didn't tell her. I didn't think it was important. I even forget it's there."

The clown burst out in laughter, his eyes closing as he clutched his stomach and nearly fell back with his fit of giggles. I pursed my lips. "What's so funny?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"It's cute how you're trying to be nice to me. With a nose like mine, how can you forget it's there?" He replied while wiping a tear from his eye.

I felt flustered with the first part of his monologue but I ignored it and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, I just do. It's not all I see whenever I look at you, ya know. It's not my main focus point when we speak. I look at your eyes, not your nose."

"And yet again, you prove to me that you're different than others."

I smiled. "Hope that's a good thing."

Buggy smirked, winking his left eye. "Of course it is."

The pirated approached me before he knelt down and picked up the piece of paper. He examined it for a moment then laughed to himself. "Grocery list," He explained as he shoved the paper into his pocket.

I paid no attention to the paper. It wasn't any of my business. "Speaking of groceries, want to go help me get food for dinner?"

"What's on the menu?"

"No idea, but let's just grab something so she won't be bitching later."

"Guess I'll be needing this again," The blue-haired man said as he reached to grab his jacket. He slipped his arms through and adjusted the collar. "We match now."

"Mine's more vintage than yours." I winked.

"Oh, so it's yours now?"

"No?" I gulped.

Buggy giggled. "It is. I got my own now so no worries about giving it back. Unless you'd like to trade from time to time."

"No, I like this one."

The man looked at me, an eyebrow cocked upward.

I paid his look no attention and instead looked down at the tattered suede coat I wore. I inhaled softly. It smelled like him.

A soft odor mixed with whiskey, coconut, and cinnamon. And while I hated the stench of alcohol, it worked for him.

I couldn't imagine him without it.

#buggy the clown #buggy the genius jester #buggy x reader #captain buggy #one piece live action #buggy smut #buggy one piece #op buggy #buggy #x reader #buggy x you #buggy x y/n #one piece buggy #buggy opla

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anxiouspotatorants · 2 months

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Actually you know what I need to rant about this: while literati is technically a good girl x bad boy dynamic it is written so incredibly well and avoids so many pitfalls and stereotypes that it makes a good girl x bad boy hater like myself (I’m only half joking — I don’t think any trope is inherently good or bad but I tend to dislike most pairings with this dynamic) fall head over heels for their story and relationship.

So much of what makes the two of them work is the contrast between how others perceive them and how they truly are. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who understand who Rory is as a person (Lorelai, Lane, Paris, Richard and Emily to a certain degree for starters), but she's constantly met with the expectation that she just does good and is supposed to make everyone proud 24/7. Stars Hollow as a group especially are big on this, as seen f. ex. through how Taylor takes Rory's one comment about an inappropriate DVD and twists the whole thing into a censorship crusade and makes Rory its poster-child even though she wants nothing to do with it and tells him so repeatedly. But instead of hearing Rory disagree with him (like he would Lorelai and Luke) he assumes that she actually agrees with him - and why shouldn't she when she's the perfect sunshine paragon of good who would never disagree with her elders? Also her grandparents treat her as incredibly fragile and childlike, like she must be too innocent to ever do anything wrong and so whenever she does something it has to be somebody else's fault (usually Lorelai, but occasionally Jess or whoever else was present). Time and time again Rory is treated like something innocent and naive and weak — but not by Jess. He sees her as a person.

And it obviously goes the other way too. Jess is treated like shit by pretty much everyone else. Either people hate him unprovoked or very much provoked (he did do a lot of pranks in his first few weeks and while I'm a Dean-hater I'm not blind to how much Jess picked fights with him), or they’ve simply given up on him. He tells Rory himself that every authority figure he had back in New York gave up on him too, from teachers to principals to his very own mother. But Rory doesn’t treat him like a lost cause, she treats him like the smart, brilliant and asshole-ish teen that he is. By having faith in him she also often holds him more accountable than others. Where f. ex. Lorelai or the other adults just roll their eyes, Rory physically drags Jess into doing his shifts at the diner. While others write him off, Rory chews Jess’ ear out for not helping Luke more and for willfully making enemies out of the Stars Hollow adults.

They don't put each other on pedestals or below each other. Jess doesn’t try to make a sinner out of Rory and she doesn’t try to make a saint out of him. There’s genuine respect between them. They expect each other to have integrity and treat others with kindness and honesty, and the rest is good old chemistry and common interests.

I particularly love how in so many of their scenes (especially pre-relationship) when they spend time alone they just get to be these goofy nerdy kids. They argue about controversial authors and dig through records shops and eat hot dogs and make fun of each other and try to make each other laugh. It’s not just sexual chemistry as it too often is in a dynamic like this (and often uncomfortably sexual when writing teenagers - looking at you Gossip Girl), and not just well written intellectual chemistry — they have platonic chemistry too. A hell of a lot of it actually.

While I don’t think ASP wrote them through a purely deconstructionist lens on the good girl x bad boy dynamic (if she did plan on writing the dynamic at all), there is something to be said about how where many around them treat them like stereotypes they treat each other like people. To so many people, Rory is a perfect small town princess, a little miss sunshine with booksmarts for days but too delicate and sweet for anything with grit and weight. To a lot of the same people and many more Jess is a pathetic brutish and maniacal lost cause, hell personified in a chainsmoking leather-wearing teenager. But to each other they are actual human beings. Kind and mean and flirtatious and scared and reckless and smart. Rory really thinks that with the right motivation and mindset Jess can be the kind who does (and at the end wrote) incredible things. Jess really believes that with a little more practice and support to step out of her comfort zone she can be the amazing journalist she wishes to be.

They don’t have this stupid «we’re so bad for each other but we can’t stay away» thing that too many trope users rely on and don’t even justify in the plot. Everyone else might think they’re not fit for each other, but they knew they were each other’s person from the very first day.

#where a lot of good girl x bad boy dynamics are about opposites attracting #what draws Rory and Jess towards each other is how much they resonate with each other #the books the weight of expectations and assumptions the passion for more in life #they don't look at each other and see a sexy alien world they look at each other and see themselves #me rant because me unnecessarily passionate about this #again I don't inherently hate the good girl x bad boy dynamic #there's just so many examples of doing it badly out there #like I don't even need the dynamic to be morally good I just need it to be justified in the narrative #and to not just rely on the same old “it's so bad but it feels so good” and relying on stereotypes over actual character writing #Rory and Jess is one of the ways this dynamic is actually done right and it's because ASP doesn't dumb them down #or take the dynamic for granted just because it's popular and bound to have an audience #literati #gilmore girls #rory gilmore #jess mariano #rory x jess #gilmore girls meta #my meta #also extra because I can't contain myself

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serasfanfiction · 25 days

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CW: For Valentino being Valentino. He doesn't do anything, but he does say some things.

oOo

The closer they came to V Tower, the more loud everything became.

Paper posters gave way to bulletin boards. Every street was lit with flashing signs and arrows, pointing the way to different businesses down the main strip. Advertisements were nearly plastered on every single available surface, competing with each other in a cacophony of bright colors and promises to make all of one's troubles go away, if only one bought the product.

Sinners wandered the streets, some glued to their phones as they typed out a text message, watched a video, or shouted at someone on the other end of a phone call. Some sinners loitered around various shops selling televisions, each screen showing an advertisement for the latest gadget VoxTek was selling.

The Vees made it ridiculously easy to learn their faces, as none of the trio were shy about plastering their likeness all over their wares. Vox was clearly unafraid to throw his reputation behind anything he supported, one advertisement proclaiming, "I'd buy it." Valentino left nothing to the imagination - figurative or literally - on what he was selling, with various larger than life posters that featured the moth scantily clad and in suggestive poses. Velvette was significantly more reserved, in comparison, with only a billboard advertising her perfume, named, Love Potion.

Quite frankly speaking, it was all a bit overstimulating.

Walking nonchalantly at his side, Alastor barely gave any of bombastic sights around him a second glance. He had made little commentary since they had set out from the hotel earlier in the day, falling silent as they had entered the Vees territory. Where all of this technology was practically invented yesterday, as far as Lucifer was concerned, Alastor had lived on Earth when most of the technology around them was still in its infancy stages. Advertising, likewise, was hardly new. Humans had been shouting at each other to buy this or to buy that since they'd first come up with the idea of selling a product. They may not have had flashing lights in the 1920s or 30s, but there had been posters, billboards, and radio ads.

Modern technology just made everything more... flashy.

Lucifer watched a group of sinners standing before an electronic shop, TVs stacked up in the window. Each TV was showing the same thing: an advertisement for the latest cell phone. He was a little surprised he still cared enough to be sickened as Vox straight up hypnotized the viewers into buying the phone. He shook his head in disgust a they passed group turned mob making a mad dash into the store. "Quite the salesman, Vox is," Lucifer commented, not trying to hide his judgmental tone.

Alastor snorted. He glanced at the group scampering out with their new cell phones as he drawled, "Vox has always had a... persuasive sales pitch."

It was Lucifer's turn to snort as they passed another poster of Vox, this time just the overlord and his VoxTech logo. His ever present slogan, Trust Us, curved around the logo. "You mean he hypnotizes people into doing what he wants." It was good to know in advance. No one had ever tried to hypnotize the Devil himself before and he wasn't keen to find out if it was possible.

"Hm," Alastor hummed in agreement. "Just so."

V Tower was easy to spot, even with all the noise going on in the background. The number of surveillance cameras also began to increase the closer they got to the trio's headquarters. Lucifer eyed one as it followed their trek down the street. "So much for keeping our arrival a surprise."

The redhead smirked, obviously pleased about something. Sing song, he assured, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The blonde sighed. He was walking right into it, he knew he was. He was going to do it anyway, because damn his curiosity. "Oh?"

Alastor twirled his staff around his fingers like a baton. "All the cameras we've passed so far have been laughably easy to take out." With a practiced hand, he caught the staff, it's tip pointing at the offending camera. As they passed it, the little button on the side of it blinked from green to red. "Vox isn't paying attention to his little toys. Dear me, he must be away from his surveillance room."

Lucifer squinted at the camera dubiously. "You can tell we're not being watched, by, what? The camera not coming back on?"

Alastor laughed, short and cutting. "Oh, it's more than lack of interaction." He leaned in close, as if he were parting with a juicy secret. "I can tell when Vox is watching." His smile was sharp and cruel and said everything about how pathetic he found the overlord in question. "His attention has a certain... desperation to it."

Lucifer wasn't certain which part of all of that to focus on first: the fact that apparently Vox had flat out stalked Alastor to the point Alastor knew when he was being watched or the fact that Alastor clearly found the whole thing hilarious.

Father, these sinner could be fucked up sometimes.

Lucifer grinned, unable to pass up the opportunity he'd just been handed to needle the deer demon. "Didn't do much about the camera that recorded the fight."

Alastor's expression soured around the edges. His ears flattened as he resumed his previous position, snide as he pointed out, "Yes, well, I was a bit distracted by doing all the work. You should try joining in next time."

Alastor hadn't let him get involved in any of the attacks, insistent that he had everything covered, and they both knew it. Lucifer had let him because he always half hoped someone would kill the asshole.

Lucifer let the conversation drop with little more than a roll of his eyes, his mind drifting as he processed this new information. If Alastor could indeed tell when Vox was watching (which, creepy) and had been surprised by one of the attacks being filmed, one could infer that Vox was keeping the hotel under a certain level of constant surveillance.

After returning from their day out, he had hauled himself up in his room as he scoured the news for mention of any attacks. Had tracked down the news reports Rosie had mentioned. There had only been a number written reports and many more reposted written reports, with a single video dedicated to the subject. The video itself contained footage from the first attack, despite the news articles having all been posted fairly recently. Judging from the general comments under the articles and the video, few people were interested in the hotel itself beyond wanting to know if it still stood or not.

They had been lucky the fight had forced the drone to retreat or risk being destroyed. Distance had rendered the video quality poor enough his bleeding hand wasn't visible for all of Hell to see. Everyone already knew angels could be harmed, killed even. It wouldn't do for anyone to get it into their pretty little heads that angel weapons might work on him or Charlie, however.

(Lucifer tried not to think about the main image he had seen, again and again, in those news articles. Tried not to think about how reverent Alastor had looked like as he reached his hand out to the Devil, as if he were the only God the sinner would ever be able to touch. The framing of the image had made it appear like it was something so different than it had really been.)

Light pressure on his shoulder drew him out of his thoughts. Out of the corner of his view, he caught Alastor withdrawing the hand he'd used to get his attention. It was a good thing he had, as it took a second for the sensor above the door to register their presence and trigger the door to open. He could only imagine what the media would have thought if a camera had caught Lucifer running right into the front doors of V Tower while lost in thought.

They stepped through the doors into a lobby themed in oranges and reds with purple accents. Hearts were definitely a motif, accenting arches and their support columns. Purple lanterns dotted every other column, more decoration than function. Lucifer took in the additional advertisements, some on the walls, some on a-frames. A large, flat screen tv displayed the VoxTek logo, but there was nothing currently playing on it.

There were a number of employees dotted around the lobby. A sheep sinner carrying a precarious stack of tablets raced off in one direction, while a horned rabbit sinner ran in another direction with an armful of clothing. A trio of sinners loitered off to the side, whispering back in forth in a frantic, hushed argument about what sounded like bottom lines and stocks. Near the back of the lobby, a blue and yellow sinner shouted about "messy actors" and "shitty wardrobes" as he frantically slammed his finger into the up button of the elevator.

At the center of the lobby, themed similar to the surrounding columns, was a welcome desk, currently being run by a white haired, fuchsia skinned sinner. Her tiny bat wings fluttered and drooped as she fielded calls. Distracted as she was, she failed to notice anyone had entered the lobby until Alastor and Lucifer had already reached the desk.

"One moment, please," she said to them, showing that she had at least noticed they were there. "Now where did Velvette say she wanted her calls sent to today...?" She bit her lip, finger hovering over one of a quite frankly insane number of optional extensions. Her eyes darted back and forth between two of them, before she shrugged and for all intents and purposes flat out guessed which one to send the line to. "Thank you for waiting," she said in a practiced, albeit polite monotone. "How may I... help..." She trailed off as she finally laid eyes on who had walked into the lobby, eyes going wide. She gaped as she recognized Lucifer but went completely blank as she took in Alastor's presence. The blonde was fairly certain that if he could read minds there wouldn't have been a single thought going through her head at that moment.

Lucifer fixed an equally practiced polite smile on his face. "Excuse me, miss," he began, only to pause when she failed to regain her senses, apparently still too flabbergasted by his companion. Brow twitching, he rapped his knuckles sharply upon the marble surface of the desk.

The noise seemed to do the trick, the sinner snapping out of her trance to jerk her head around. "Yes! Um." She swallowed, casting one last nervous glance at the Radio Demon. Between looking at Alastor and looking back at Lucifer, he could see her clawing her professional mask back on with the kind of experience that came from needing to remain calm when one's life was on the line. "How may I help you, sirs?" Her voice didn't even shake a little.

Noting the reaction and shelving the topic for later, Lucifer said, "Please let Vox know we are here to speak with him."

The sinner blinked, disbelief clear as day on her face despite her best efforts not to show it. "You..." Lucifer had the distinct impression the 'you' here was Alastor, even if she wasn't looking directly at him. "Wish to speak with... Vox?" Her tone suggested that had she not been speaking with Lucifer Morningstar, the literal king of Hell, she might have asked him if he was smoking something.

The noise, or lack there of, reached his ears. The general hustle and bustle of when they had entered had completely died down to be replaced by whispers and murmurs. Even without turning, he could feel all eyes on them. Lucifer glanced at Alastor, whose Cheshire Cat grin suggested he was internally laughing at all the fuss his being here was causing. His ears flicked to and fro as he followed different conversations.

Smile fixed in place, he affirmed, "Yup!" He waggled his fingers in the direction of her phone. "Now, please."

The receptionist stared off into the middle distance, the same blank look in her eyes he'd seen on soldier's who'd died at war. In the fatalistic tone of someone who didn't expect to have a job (or possibly be alive) in the morning, she said, "Whelp, this job sucked anyway."

Someone, a little too loudly, stage whispered, "Oh, I would not want to be in her shoes, right now."

Without turning, the receptionist flipped the person off with one hand while picking up the phone with the other. She pressed a seemingly random button as she put the receiver to her ear, a down right manic smile crossed her face.

Lucifer (and likely everyone in the lobby, as well) could tell the instant the phone was answered on the other end. A voice that matched the one's he'd heard in the advertisements bellowed, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT INTERUPTING MY MEETINGS?"

Taking advantage of the fact that it sounded like Vox was a sinner who needed to breathe on occasion, the woman said, voice picture perfect cheerful, "The King of Hell and the Radio Demon are here to see you, sir."

A very long, audible pause, both on the phone and from the lobby around them. Then, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ALASTOR'S HERE??"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at the redhead, incredulous. Seriously? What kind of history did these two have that Alastor showing up at V Tower was causing this kind of fuss? It was almost enough to make him forget he had been totally overlooked in that last statement.

Around them, every camera in the lobby suddenly came to life, zeroing in on them. Lucifer could tell by their synchronous motion, someone was likely watching them. Alastor's whole posture changed as he turned on one of the cameras, head tilted just so and smile lazy as he waved at it.

As one, those very same cameras began to sizzle and pop as they were all taken out.

Lucifer noted the redhead looked far too pleased with himself for that to have been anything other than deliberate. He knew Alastor hated being recorded, but that was just petty. Turning his attention to the receptionist, it was only because of his heightened sense of hearing that he was able to hear Vox, voice considerably more in control and at a much more reasonable volume, telling her to send them down.

"At once, sir." She set the phone down at leisure, as if she hadn't just had her eardrums tested by her boss shouting in them. Still looking at something only she could see, she said, "Vox will see you now." She pointed behind her to a set of elevators. "Please use the elevator on the right, as this is the only elevator with access to Vox's personal office." Placing her hands on the desk in a deceptively casual way, she finished, "Please have a hellish rest of your day."

"You, too," Lucifer said on reflex. He watched her as they made their way around the desk, throwing glances over his shoulder after they'd passed it. Under his breath, he asked of Alastor, "Think the hotel needs a receptionist?"

They had a front desk, didn't they? And a land line? Maybe? There was no mail service in Hell and Alastor had to get communications somehow, seeing as he refused to touch anything more modern than a radio. He'd check on it when he got back.

"Ha!" Alastor side eyed him. "Come now, your Majesty, you don't want poor Husker to be out of a job, do you?"

Lucifer belatedly remembered that apparently Husk doubled as not just their bartender, but also as their receptionist. He guffawed. One the one hand, Husk was indeed an great bartender, even willing to be a patient ear for one's troubles, if he tolerated them. He was certainly an exceptional judge of someone's character. On the other, was he a good receptionist? No offense meant to the avian feline in question, but, not in the slightest.

Lucifer added the mental note to check in on the receptionist later to his growing list of things to do.

The elevator opened without them pressing any buttons, suggesting that Vox, the creep, had other ways of keeping tabs on them. Lucifer and Alastor stepped in, the former not thrilled with how tiny the elevator was. There was just enough room for the both of them to stand side by side with little to spare. Insult to injury, the most obnoxious elevator music he had ever had the displeasure to have inflicted on him played over head. There were no buttons to chose from, but there seemed to be none needed as the elevator began its decent on it's own.

Lucifer reiterated: what a creep.

More to fill the silence and distract himself from the growing need to destroy the speaker putting out that horrible noise, he asked, "You ever been here before?"

In the same way most people would say, 'I'd rather die, thanks,' Alastor scoffed. "Absolutely not! I'd never inflict such poor company on myself willingly." Still, it wasn't hard to notice the little ways Alastor was on high alert, very much aware of the fact that he had walked willingly into enemy territory. His ego didn't allow him to worry, but it still paid to be alert to potential surprises.

Thankfully, the elevator didn't take long before reaching its destination. This new room was vast, with a color scheme nothing like the lobby's. Where the lobby was warm shades of orange, red and purple, this room was all cool shades of blue, red, white. The room was dark, only illuminates by dozens upon dozens of screens, most glowing with white light, a handful with red light. Red light filtered up from what appeared to be a deep pit surrounding a bridge-like walkway. Attached at the end was a round platform and attached to the platform was a seat surrounded by even more monitors.

This wasn't an office. This was a surveillance room.

Walking down the walkway was none other than the founder of VoxTek, Vox himself, striding along with all the confidence of someone who was at the top of their industry and knew it. His smile was wide and Lucifer immediately pegged it as the fake kind he usually saw on car salesmen. "Your Highness! Welcome!" Vox greeted. When he was close enough, he offered his hand out for a handshake.

Lucifer eyed it, just long enough to make it look like he wasn't going to take it. He didn't expect anyone to actually bow to him in greeting, but something about this guy left him half tempted to push for it now. Taking the hand, he allowed Vox to shake it to be polite.

When it came time to greet Alastor, the TV demon merely gritted his teeth and said, voice dripping with venom, "Alastor."

Alastor didn't appear bothered in the least by the rude greeting. Matching vitriol with amusement, he merely said, "Vox."

Lucifer looked from Vox, to Alastor, and then back to Vox. Man, he was so sorry he hadn't asked for more details on these two before they'd gotten here. Predicting this could go on a while if they were left to their own devises, Lucifer pointedly cleared his throat.

Vox's smile smoothed out, salesman mask back on place. "Yes, of course. Now, your highness," the sinner held out his hand towards the bridge, indicating he'd like them to come into his "office" proper. Lucifer didn't fail to notice there was only one seat down that way and it was meant for Vox. "May I call you Lucifer? Lucifer--"

Oh, absolutely not. They were going to have to nip that in the bud. Even Alastor, who had somehow become his rival for his place in his daughter's life and literally lived down the hall from him, was smart enough not to call him by name.

"The word you're looking for is 'Majesty'."

Vox paused, body tensing. The fallen angel got the impression he wasn't used to being interrupted. "Excuse me?"

Lucifer effected a bored stance, one hand settled on his cane as he explained, deliberately just this side of hostile, "Your Highness is how you would address my daughter." He looked Vox dead in the eye, making it pointedly clear he was deadly serious and there was going to be none of this BS about who was calling the shots. "Your Majesty is how you address your king."

Vox interestingly grew more calm in the face of his king's ire. "Of course, your Majesty," he said, immediately correcting course. He offered they move the conversation to the platform again. This time, Lucifer nodded. He followed as Vox lead the way, noting how the TV demon never quite turned his back on them, seemingly uneasy having Alastor at his back, even this deep into what was his own territory.

Lucifer took the time spent crossing the bridge to exam the pit around them. While the red light obscured the bottom itself, he was able to make out what appeared to be a very large tank behind equally large glass walls. Swimming around without a care in the world were what appeared to be several glowing sharks. He followed one as it made its way from one side of the pit to the other, able to sense there was nothing natural in their design. These creatures may have appeared to be alive, but they were all circuits and wires, through and through.

When they reached the platform, Vox showed sense by not going for his chair. He did stop in the center of the circle, a subtle attempt to regain some control of the situation. "Now, your Majesty," he began, just sincere enough it was impossible to tell if it was fake or not. "Please, tell me how I and VoxTek can be of assistance today."

Lucifer watched him. Watched the way his face was turned to Lucifer, but his eyes kept ticking to Alastor. Noted the way his body was tilted ever so slightly in the redhead's direction, as if drawn by a magnet he couldn't resist. Vox may have been putting on a show of talking to Lucifer, but he very much only had eyes for Alastor.

Someone was obsessed.

Someone was obsessed really badly.

Something that felt suspiciously like possessiveness reared its head deep within his chest. Lucifer had no more of a claim on Alastor than Vox did, but Alastor had chosen to live under his roof and was his daughter's hotelier. Finicky to the last, with all the loyalty of a feral, stray cat, Alastor was theirs.

Smile all teeth, eyes gold on red, Lucifer raised his free hand until they were right under where Vox's nose would be if he had one. He snapped his fingers, once, twice, sharply.

Vox nearly went cross-eyed, as he zeroed in on the offending digits, leaning slightly back.

"I know Alastor is very eye catching," Lucifer drawled, voice deepening as he let his displeasure seep in. "But you are talking to me. Do you understand?"

The TV demon had the grace to raise his hands, not necessarily in surrender, but certainly in a pacifying manner. It was easy to see him cycling through possible responses, as he fished for the one that would deescalate the situation the fastest. "I apologize, you Majesty, for any offense," he settled on, tone so polite it reeked of falseness.

Lucifer let him have it because it seemed Vox was finally cottoning on to the fact that there was a larger predator in the room then either of the two sinners. The reluctant king withdrew a step, pleased when Vox's eyes followed him, with not a single glance at Alastor. Now that he had the CEO's full attention, he decided it was time to get this show on the road. "I have a message for everyone in the Pride Ring. I've noticed how many people have a TV or a cellphone. I've also noticed VoxTek's reach." Lucifer said this last part only because it was true. However they had managed it, VoxTek has even managed to make it's way into the other rings.

For the first time since they'd arrived, Vox's smile actually appeared real. It put into stark light how fake the one he had been wearing up until this moment had been. "We would be thrilled to feature you on one of our television shows, your Majesty." He was smart enough not to look at Alastor, although it was obvious the next part was directed towards him. "Our viewership ratings have been going through the roof over the last few years. Statistics show that almost every household in the Pentagram City has a TV these days."

It was a good sales pitch. It might even have been true. The hotel had even had a TV, although Lucifer had explicitly forbidden anyone from bringing one into the palace, the exception being the live-in servants' personal quarters. Regardless, Vox hadn't said that to try and sale anyone on anything, he'd said it to rub it in Alastor's face that Lucifer had chosen to pass his message along over Vox's medium, instead of Alastor's.

Although they hadn't discussed it ahead of time, Lucifer found himself saying, in all the casualness of it having been a given, "If Alastor wishes to broadcast the message simultaneously over radio for our viewers who prefer the medium, he's more than welcome to do so, but we're not here to discuss that." He was fairly certain, even without turning around, that Alastor hadn't given it away that this was news to him.

The idea was reinforced by the way that Vox's eye twitched before he could regain control over it. "Yes, of course we want it to reach all of the intended audiences." Hands coming to rest at the small of his back, the TV demon attempted to steer them back on course. "Now, about the content of the message."

Lucifer tilted his head to the side. "Does it matter what the content is? Unless you prefer I go somewhere else to do this." Something that was also true. Mammon may lack any talent of his own, but he knew a cash grab when he saw one. He jumped onto the bandwagon that was television sets, TV shows, and moving advertisements as soon as the technology had hit Hell. The only reason none of his products where seen in the Pride Ring was because Lucifer limited his exposure to sinners were ever he could. If he gave him the green light, Mammon would topple VoxTek within a matter of months, if not less.

Vox paused, sensing he was in troubled waters, but not quite sure from which direction. "No, no. We here at VoxTek simply prefer to make sure that all the content we put out is content we stand by--"

Lucifer leaned in. If his tail were out, it would have been thrashing. "Are you saying your king could say anything VoxTek wouldn't support?"

Vox's screen left eye widened ever so slightly, the sclera going from a solid red, to more hypnotic red and black. It was there and gone in the blink of his eyes. His voice sounded glitchy as he gritted out a, "No."

"May I suggest something, your Majesty?"

Lucifer broke off what was quickly becoming a staring match with Vox to turn his attention to Alastor. The redheaded sinner had been standing behind him, seemingly content to watch the drama unfold from the side as Lucifer took the lead. Considering their rivalry, Lucifer was a little hesitant to allow Alastor to enter the fray, lest he potentially make things worse. However, he did appreciate the fact that these two knew each other better than he knew either of them.

Giving away the floor, at least for now, Lucifer gave a single short nod, for him to proceed.

Alastor stepped up until they were side by side.

Unable to resist now that the redhead had center stage, Vox immediately shifted to face him, Lucifer all but forgotten. He frowned, almost all pretenses of being a businessman all but thrown out the window. "What are you doing here, Alastor?" He snipped at the redhead. "I know you'll take any opportunity to move up in Hell, but I didn't take you as a kiss ass."

Alastor smiled at him, as if he were a short sighted child. "We hadn't gotten to that part, have we?" He gave his staff a little spin, noting the way Vox's eyes narrowed as he took in it's repaired state. "His Majesty asked me to stand with him as he gave his address."

Vox snorted, doubtful. "You'd never agree to appearing on screen." He actually started to laugh at the idea, until he realized Alastor was completely serious. "Wait, you said yes?" Gaping, he turned on Lucifer, seeming in his shock to forget who he was talking to. "What the hell did you do to get him to agree to show up on TV?" He glared back and forth between then, baring his teeth as he asked, "What, are you two fucking or something?"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, lip curling back. In one fell swoop, Vox had just reduced himself to less than scum on the bottom of his boots. The only reason they were continuing this conversation was because he didn't feel like dragging Valentino down to the Greed Ring. "Maybe you just don't know how to speak his language," he snipped back, mouth moving before he could think about what he was saying or how much it gave away.

Before Vox could think too deeply on it, the redhead cleared his throat. For all that he preferred to be an unseen voice on the radio, Alastor did how to play his audience in person. "Let me sweeten the deal," he said, his hand running down the pole of his staff, eyeing the TV demon as he did so. "If you agree to broadcast our King's message, I'll do that one little thing you wanted me to do when you asked me to join you." He pointed the microphone end at Vox, the tip perilously close to his screen. "From when you agree to the end of the broadcast."

Vox stared at the microphone. Slowly, he raised his eyes until he met Alastor's. Something that looked suspiciously like sadness peaked through his anger, although Lucifer was certain they weren't supposed to see it. "You'd really do that. For him?"

Alastor withdrew his staff, tucking it under his arm. With his free hand, he reached out until a single claw rested under Lucifer's chin. Encouraging him to look up at him, Lucifer let Alastor tilt his head up and around to meet that fond expression on the redhead's face. "As his Majesty said, he knows how to speak my language."

Vox's eyes widened, a dawning expression coming over him. Real horror followed shortly behind it. "Holy shit," he whispered, staggering back. Lucifer tore his gaze away from Alastor's just in time to see him drop into his chair as if his strings had been cut. Dragging a hand down his face, Vox said with absolute certainty, "You actually made a Faustian Bargain."

He said it like this was his worst nightmare came to life.

Beside him, Alastor practically radiated smug triumph. It was all the affirmation he needed to give.

All of the fight hadn't been been cut from Vox just yet. Unhappy as he was with this set back, Vox was already trying to figure out how spin this in his favor. An elbow resting on each arm of his chair, the knuckles of his joined hands pressed to his lips, he countered, "Alright, Alastor does his thing and I'll broadcast whatever you want." His grin took up most of his screen, all pretenses of friendliness dropped. "Give me an hour to prepare the studio for you."

Before Vox could run off, Lucifer placed one last little condition on him. "Vox. Make sure the other Vees are in attendance." At the TV demon's questioning tilt of his head, the blonde merely said, "I wouldn't want anyone to miss my message."

Whatever Vox thought of this was hidden behind his joined hands. Instead of bothering with any of the usual ways out of the room, Vox transformed into a bolt of electricity, disappearing into one of the monitors.

Silence descended over the room. Then, "You two have history."

Alastor snorted. "You know how to use your eyes, your Majesty. I'm impressed."

Lucifer ignored the sarcasm and the insult in favor of observing his companion. The redhead's brows were furrowed with concentration, eyes closed and the very air around him warped to a noticeable degree. To Lucifer, a creature who had existed before physical matter, picking up on the way Alastor was enhancing certain electromagnetic waves around him was child's play. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone - learning more about their shared history while figuring out what the sinner was doing - the little king gave into his curiosity and asked, "What did Vox want you to do?"

Alastor didn't answer for a moment, whatever he was doing taking quite a bit of his concentration. Lucifer patiently waited him out. Several minutes ticked by with nothing by the hum of the monitors and the swimming of the sharks to keep him occupied. Cracking open a single eye a slit, Alastor reached a point in whatever he was doing where he could split his attention. Lucifer noted the pupil of the visible eye was a dial.

"Do you know how the technology in that silly little device in your pocket works?" Alastor asked by way of response.

The only things Lucifer tended to carry on his person were his cane, which was in his hand, and his cellphone, in case Charlie tried to call him (rare that it was). His cellphone, which was indeed in his pocket. Fishing it out, he eyed it. He knew it worked. He knew how to work it. Did he really need to know more? Besides, it wasn't one of VoxTek's cellphones, which made him less wary of it. Confused as to where this was going, he said, "It works, isn't that all that matters?"

"Such a pedestrian response." Alastor hummed, his microphone coming over to point at the little device. "You device works because it's able to transmit data via radio waves." He used his staff to gesture to the room around them, his eye falling shut now that he no longer needed to see to engage in the conversation. "Vox's specialty is electricity. He can interact with anything that uses it."

Lucifer remembered the way the TV demon had disappeared into his monitor, a chill running down his spine as he imagined what all else he could likely interact with.

"Radio waves, on the other hand, are my specialty," Alastor continued. This fit with what Lucifer had observed both in the current moment and back at the radio tower. "Usually I simply use them to connect myself to any radio in Pentagram City, but I can also enhance them." His edges of his smile tightened. There was no strain in his posture, but Lucifer was suspicious they might see hints of it if this carried on too long. "When Vox wanted to introduce wireless technology to Hell, he suggested that we team up. He would create the technology and the demand, and I would enhance his reach." His expression sharpened into a sneer. "I had no interest in being a mere tool in elevating him to the top."

Judging from the short interaction he'd observed, Lucifer was suspicious Vox had wanted much more than just to use Alastor as a tool. Vox had done little to hide the depth of his anger and hatred, and no one reached that level of emotion without having swung in the opposite direction first. Lucifer wondered if Alastor had really turned Vox down because of his own lust for power or if Alastor had seen the way Vox had looked at him and hadn't been interested.

Since that question was more likely to shut down the conversation then receive an answer, resigned himself to never knowing. Either way, he supposed he should be happy that Alastor had turned Vox down. Lucifer didn't want to think about what they could have accomplished if they had somehow found a way to work together.

Instead, he went with, "So, you can interact with anything that receives radio waves, then. Not just radios?"

In response, his cell phone dinged. The screen lit up to the lock screen, showing he had a new text message. Though it should be improbable, there was nothing in the place of a sender's name. Lucifer silently frowned at it, suspicious of who was the sender, but unwilling to open anything he didn't know who it came from.

As if sensing his distrust, Alastor crooned, "Go on. I promise it's not spam."

Lucifer was still wary, but he unlocked his phone. If this was malicious ware, Alastor was getting him a new phone.

The text message was indeed not spam. When he opened it up, there were simply two words:

You suck!

Lucifer glared at the message. "So, what? How would this help Vox?"

Alastor wagged a finger at him. "I'm currently high jacking every TV and cellphone with it's WIFI turned on. 666 News has never been more popular than it is right now." He paused, as if searching for something. "I excluded most of the phones in the hotel, but I do have Angel's."

Lucifer whistled, giving credit where it was due. That was honestly incredible. Terrifying in it's reach, holy shit, but incredible. A thought crossed his mind, an unholy grin slowly spreading across his face as he wondered, "Wait, if I reply to this, will the message go straight to you?"

"Ha!" Alastor shook his head, using his microphone to bop the top of Lucifer's hat. An impressive feat, considering his eyes were still closed. "Sorry, but I'm merely a transmitter and an amplifier. My abilities don't work that way."

Lucifer straightened his hat, half tempted to try anyway, just to see if it were true. Perhaps he would another time.

He was interrupted from any further questions by one of the monitors coming to life over Vox's chair. A moment later, the sinner himself reentered the same way he had left. Vox settled back in his chair, legs crossed and significantly more calm than when he left. "The studio will be ready for you in half an hour." He glanced once at Alastor, who had opened his eyes upon the TV demon's return, before returning back to Lucifer. "Let's relocate there now, shall we?"

Lucifer nodded. Instead of leading them towards the elevator they'd come down in, Vox merely joined them in the center of the platform. It became apparent why when the very middle suddenly began to rise, revealing there was yet more ways in and out of the surveillance room. Once they were back in the lobby, he led them over to elevator on the left, only sticking with them long enough to press the button of the floor with the studio, before pulling back out of it. "I'll meet you up there."

The door closed, once again leaving just the two of them and that horrible elevator music.

Lucifer glanced at Alastor. He still looked fine, but he was definitely putting out a lot of power. Feeling concerned (Alastor had agreed to do this for him) and wary of insulting him, he asked, checking in, "You doing okay, still?"

Alastor's ear twitched, the widening of smile showing he wasn't insulted, but rather amused. "Oh, don't worry your little head, I'll be just fine, your Majesty." Eyes aglow with more than just the power it took to carry out his promise, he added, "But I expect a reward when we return to the Hotel."

Lucifer felt a jolt run up his spine. The chain around his neck didn't manifest, but he could feel it tightening ever so. Alastor was invoking their deal, officially giving him his 12 hour notice. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, as Alastor had yet to actually invoke the deal since making it with him. Tilting his head so his hat hid his expression from both Alastor and the camera's gaze, Lucifer grumbled, "Should have known you'd do nothing for free."

The doors to the elevator opened, illuminating the redhead's sinister grin. A few sinners had paused to catch a glimpse of them as the doors opened, only to pale at the expression on Alastor's face. They quickly scurried off to carry out their tasks. Lucifer stepped through the doors, taking in the chaos in front of him. Numerous demons were running around, similar to the frantic energy he'd seen in the lobby, everyone getting the studio ready. A stack of papers and angry shouting from a blonde woman in a red dress (what was her name? It started with a K) suggested that something else had been planned for this hour, but had been cancelled due to Lucifer's abrupt interruption.

Lucifer might have felt bad, if it weren't for the fact that he knew without a shadow of a doubt this particular reporter was likely going to find some way to verbally eviscerate him later. He may not have remembered her name, but he did remember her particular brand of cutthroat journalism and the outright nasty things she had said about his daughter in the past. And her casual abuse of her co-reporter.

As if sensing she was being watched, the reporter turned her head a full 180 degrees, her smile down right unhinged and full of promises.

Not for the first time since landing in Hell, Lucifer almost wished he was still capable of creating Holy Water. There were some situations one just needed a spray bottle full of the hard core stuff for.

"Your Majesty," Vox pipped up, appearing from seemingly nowhere. The only reason Lucifer didn't jump was because he was still caught in a glaring match with a literal reporter from Hell. "This way, please."

Lucifer carried on glaring at her, right up until he physically couldn't. "I don't care who you've got sitting with me, I don't want her anywhere near me."

Vox followed his gaze, snorting when he saw who he'd been making a stink eye at. "Oh, no worries." He turned his own glare on Alastor. "I'll be copiloting right along with you."

Lucifer took in the two chairs. If he was sitting in one and Vox in the other, Alastor was going to be left standing. Judging from the gleam in the TV demon's eye, this was on purpose. Vox pulled out the seat on the right, the malicious reporter's coworker's usual seat, a smile so fake one would have to be blind to think it sincere spread across his screen. "Just a few more finishing touches, and then we'll be ready to begin." He turned on his heel and disappeared back into the bowels of the studio.

Lucifer blinked down at the seat. He could already feel the sheer number of eyes from the people in the studio, watching and waiting to see what he was going to do next. This was the first time almost every single one of them had ever seen him in person. He already hated everything about this. It was more than enough to make him want to retreat back to his room at the hotel and not come out for the rest of the month.

A gentle brush, an almost tickle, against the back of his neck, the feeling almost shockingly intimate, startled him. He inhaled sharply, not having noticed that he had stopped breathing. Instinctively, he turned his back on the growing crowd, his hand coming up to half way, before he aborted the motion. Turning to face him, Lucifer noted that Alastor appeared to have not done anything, standing in that default pose he favored. The only reason Lucifer could tell it had been him that touched him was from the way the redhead was watching him.

"Smile, your Majesty," Alastor murmured, voice pitched low and soothing. "The hardest part is almost over. I'll be with you the whole time."

How out of sorts had he been that even the Radio Demon was taking pity on him? That the reassurance was a comfort?

Lucifer breathed in slowly through his nose, breathing out even slower through his mouth. His racing heart began to calm, as he reminded himself that he had taken on far more terrifying beings than a room full of nosey sinners. This was all for Charlie and the safety of her dream, and for that, he could handle anything.

He dropped into the offered chair, the anticipation of a battle falling over his shoulders like a weathered cape.

A door opened off to the side, one that he hadn't seen anyone coming and going through. Stepping through were none other than Valentino and Velvette themselves. Velvette was typing away on her phone, muttering about an interruption to her photo shoot.

Valentino paused as he caught sight of Lucifer and Alastor. "Oh! If it isn't papito, himself!" The grin spreading across his face and choice of wording caused the blonde's skin to crawl. Sauntering over, Valentino nearly draped himself over desk, bringing his and Lucifer's faces far too close together. "You wouldn't want to hang around after this little show for some one on one time, now would you, mi pequeño rey?"

Lucifer had barely managed to do more than lean back in his chair, trying to escape the heavy stench of smoke and hard drugs that hung around the Overlord like a second skin, when a weigh settled heavily on his shoulder. He glanced up, finding that Alastor had stepped up beside him, hand placed in such a way that it wrapped possessively around shoulder and was beginning to snake around the back of his neck.

"Valentino." Alastor's filter was grating, a warning despite his pleasant smile.

Valentino lazily blew out a thin pink, heart shaped mouth of smoke. It hit Alastor in the face. His smile was filthy as he gave the deer demon a once over. "Don't be jealous, venado, my offer is still open to you, too."

The static glitch of a record screeching. It wasn't hard to pick out Alastor's distaste with everything from the offer to the Overlord himself. "Pass," he quipped back, shotting down the offer with extreme prejudice.

The pimp shrugged, viewing it as his loss. He turned his attention back to his original target. "What do you say, papito? We could--."

"Val." Vox's voice was barely recognizable through whatever filter he was using, the noise causing Lucifer to flinch as it grated at his ears.

Valentino pouted, somehow making it look aggressive. "Vox, querido, what have I said about using that tone with me?" He twisted around in a way that accented his figure. "Don't be upset because the Radio Demon's already turned you down."

"The show is about to start, Val," Vox pointed out evenly and sternly, despite the dig. Lucifer was beginning to pick up that when it was anyone other than Alastor, the TV demon might actually be able to keep a cool head. "How do you think it will look if we don't start on time?"

Valentino's pout to edge in the direction of a normal pout. "Spoil sport." He leaned back until he was facing Lucifer. He reached out, running a single finger along the underside of the blonde's chin. "Call me if you change your mind." Offer made, he thankfully, finally got off the desk and made his way back over to Velvette.

Lucifer was going to take a long, hot shower when he got back to the hotel. With acid. Regrow some nice, new skin that Valentino had never touched.

Alastor pulled him from his thoughts, giving the back of his neck a squeeze. Lucifer was almost sad for the loss of contact when he pulled his hand away so he could resume his prior position.

From where he stood, Vox watched the two of them, his expression unreadable. Several minutely later, the blue and black themed sinner dropped into his own seat, calling out to the cameraman as he did so. "How's the camera holding up?"

The cameraman peaked at Alastor, indicating this question was because of the redhead's tendency to take out anything with a camera around him. The sinner studied his monitor and then gave a thumbs up.

Vox clicked his tongue. "So," he gripped, irritation heavy in his voice. "You can be recorded without destroying my electronics."

Lucifer couldn't see Alastor from where he was standing almost directly behind him, could only hear the tapping on his fingers on his microphone. His taunt was malicious as he came back with, "We both know I can be photographed ...when I want to be."

The TV demon grimaced, the hit landing where it obviously hurt. He had little time to recover, as the cameraman began his countdown. As he hit zero, Vox's smile was back in place, just a lot less real.

"Top of the hour, folks!" Vox's voice was loud and boisterous, the rhythm and pace almost break neck. "Breaking news: in a rare interview, we're joined by none other than the King of Hell and the Devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar!" Vox leaned over, holding a hand out to indicate the fallen angel sitting beside him. "Please, give your people a little wave, your Majesty."

Lucifer resisted the urge to flip him off. Gave the camera a little wave with little enthusiasm.

Vox carried on, unphased, "Equally rare and unlikely to never happen again, fellow sinners, we also have radio talk show host, the Radio Demon himself, Alastor!"

Alastor didn't wave. He grinned straight into the camera, as if staring into the very souls of the views, eyes and teeth alight as reality itself threatened to warp around him.

The camera gave an alarming whine. The cameraman gave an alarmed cry as it threatened to give out.

Point made, Alastor seemed to remember he was supposed to be behaving. The camera stopped whining as reality returned to normal.

Vox's eye twitched. Smile strained along with his chipper tone, he said, "Your Majesty, I assume your being here is because of the attacks on the hotel your daughter is running?"

Lucifer gave him his own chipper smile. "You mean the attacks you only know about because of your voyeuristic habits?"

Vox laughed, a touch nervously. "You've clearly never dealt with the paparazzi, sire. One has to cross a few boundaries if they want to get the exclusive first."

Was that what he was going with?

Either blind to it or ignoring it, Vox glossed over Lucifer's offense, moving on to, "Please, tell us, do you have any idea who's behind the attacks? We're dying to know."

Lucifer highly doubted that. Or at least, doubted Vox cared. It was more likely he wanted the hotel to fail or get taken out, judging from his poorly concealed eagerness. He leaned his elbow onto the table, chin resting on his palm. "I'm not here to waste my time nor the listeners' with an interview." He took delight in watching Vox falter for the first time since the interrogation began. Over his shoulder, he called sweetly, "Alastor?"

Alastor's voice was just sweet and still more bloodthirsty. "Yes, sire?"

It was a show of how in tune Vox was with Alastor's moods that the TV demon was already beginning to sweat. He was doing a good job of hiding it, Lucifer would give him that. It was a pity he was sitting beside someone who could see right through him, when he chose to make the effort. Lucifer rose from his chair, the blue and black sinner nearly taking a screen full of wings as they manifested. "Be a doll and make certain Vox doesn't get any ideas. Like interfering."

"With pleasure." Alastor's words were nearly lost to his filter. The air around them crackled, the shadows in the corners of the room growing unnaturally dark. Vox dropped all pretenses of pretending he wasn't unnerved, leaning back as much to avoid the wings as to distance himself from the redheaded sinner.

Red and white wings fluttered, giving Lucifer the lift to make stepping up onto the desk look effortless. Papers flew everywhere and a few people made startled noises as they were hit with a few errant pages. His wings fanned out, allowing him to gracefully fall into a seated potion on the other side of the desk. He leaned to the side, placing his weight on the hand braced on the desk, head rolling until he was facing the other two Vees. "Velvette, if you value your life just sit there and look pretty for a bit."

Velvette narrowed her eyes to slits at him. "What the hell?"

Valentino waited to see what advice he had for him. When he received none, the pimp blew out a lung full of pink smoke. His expression turned sultry. "Nothing for me, pequeño rey?"

Lucifer didn't respond, not wanting to give the game away too soon. Relaxing his control over his form, he allowed the full extent of his corrupted, angelic form to appear on full display for all of the viewers to see. Far too many eyes focused in on not just the camera, but the cameraman and the sinners directly around him. Each of them instinctively shied away, hindbrains warning them they were out in the open and too exposed. Vox attempted to push his chair back, the area around the desk suddenly a little too hot, only to be stopped by the end of Alastor's strategically placed staff locking the chair in place.

Lucifer rolled his head back around, until he could easily stare into the camera. "Now, to clear up a few things: I could care less about sinner politics." He grinned in that way he knew looked off, even for a creature of Hell, leaning into the fact that he wasn't human and had never been human. "How you decide to throw away the one good thing you stupid, stupid little humans have going for you is up to you." His pupils were lost in a red glow as his temper spiked, the flame of hellfire blazing between his horns. " What I do take issue with is someone sending hitman to threaten my daughter over something as silly as potential lost contracts."

He slid off the desk, the sinners in front of him all collectively taking a step back. Only the cameraman stayed in place, too frozen to move. "Perhaps it's my fault, I've been away a while." He held out a hand, fingers searching until he found the particular contract he was looking for. "Perhaps it's yours for never reading the fine print." His hand closed around his desired target, a chain made of pink, translucent smoke, deceptively fragile, coming into being. One end led out the doors. The other end led off to the side, leading over to a certain Overlord.

Valentino's and Angel's contract.

The pimp held up his wrist, confusion evident on his face. "The fuck?"

Lucifer's grin was all teeth. He wrapped his hand around and around the chain until he had a nice, solid grip on it. Without warning, he viciously yanked on the chain.

Valentino was pulled so hard, his shoulder nearly popped out of its socket. The pimp yowled like a cat dropped into pool as he was sent crashing to the floor. Lucifer didn't give him the chance to recover, reeling him in like a particularly resistant fish, the Overlord shouting and cursing as he was dragged across the floor. The Devil gave no quarter, even when he had him where he wanted him, pressing his heel into Valentino's back and twisting moth's arm until it was just short breaking.

"You see," Lucifer carried on, tone bored and voice raised over the slew of insults being thrown his way, "There's this little clause in your contracts that say I have the final say in every single one of them."

"You little shit!" Valentino hissed, twisting in a way that should be impossible for someone who purportedly had a spine. "We had nothing to do with the attacks on that shithole your hija is running."

Lucifer pulled on the chain until he could hear the shoulder pop. The sinner's claws dug into the ground beneath him, glare baleful. "Maybe," Lucifer said, almost nonchalant. "But you're the lowest kind of sinner: the kind that profits on selling human flesh and locks people into contracts so they can never escape."

The moth demon snarled, composure gone. "Every one of those whores came to me willingly. I made them stars. They would be nothing without me."

The Devil peered down at him, unmerciful. All of Valentino's sins where on display for him to see and judge and he found him wanting. "Nothing gives you the right to abuse another human being."

Lucifer returned his attention to the camera. He wrapped his free hand around another section of the chain, pulling the links tight between his two fists. "Let everyone remember that your little deals mean nothing if I say so."

Without further ado, he pulled almost effortlessly on the chain, Valentino's strength that of a kittens next to his. A link, just off center, gave, pulling apart until it shattered. Each one of the links similarly followed suit, falling from his hand like crystalline shards. They vanished like the smoke they had originally appeared as before they could hit the ground.

Valentino's arm, free of the chain, fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

Lucifer stepped off his back, releasing him. Stepping around the desk this time, he held his hand out to Alastor. The Radio Demon blinked back at him, something delighted behind his gaze.

It looked a little like victory.

He took Lucifer's hand.

"The Hazbin Hotel and every one of its residents are under my protection," Lucifer declared into the stunned silence, voice projected loud and unearthly, raising the hair on ever sinner's head, save the one in front of him. He looked upon each of the sinners in the room, gaze coming to rest on the camera lens. "I will not have mercy upon anyone looking to cause my daughter anymore trouble."

To his right, a portal appeared. Without another word, he stepped through it, pulling Alastor along with him.

As everyone continued to stare, the portal vanished and they were gone.

tbc

Translations:

-Papito: Little daddy

-Mi pequeño rey: My little king

-Venado: Deer or venison. I chose this word as a way for Valentino to make a dig at the fact that Alastor's demon form is a type of food source.

-Querido: Darling, used if you love or like someone. Chosen as a shoutout to the affair they're clearly having.

#radioapple #alastor #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel #deer lucifer fic #someone on twitter pointed out how wifi works #and then i looked into how cellphones and wifi works #and couldn't resist playing around with it #why stop at playing with lucy's powers #when i can play with everyones?#ps i only took a semester of spanish #so sorry if i botched anything #i did double check everything #so here's hoping its all fine #i'm going to have to add so many new tags to ao3 when i post this chapter #lmao

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differenteagletragedy · 5 months

Note

I'm sorry if someone else has asked, have you played Error143? I would love to someday get HCs for Mr Micah Yujin

-- I finished just moments ago, so these are more first impressions but I want to talk about this guy

-- OH MY GOD

-- DLC spoilers ahead btw, just gonna mash everything together

-- This guy fell for you IMMEDIATELY. Hard and fast, but like SO fast. A cute little hacker taking the time to mess with him? Done. It's over. This is it. He is in love, and his heart will never want another.

-- After the first time he talked to you he was giddy like you would not believe. He probably literally had to lie down on his bed and kick his little feet, he was so excited.

-- Absolutely had to have a conversation with Skrunkly about you. Probably texted the group chat too. He is OVERWHELMED BY EMOTIONS.

-- First love, last love. He's obviously never had these feelings before, so it honestly is a little overwhelming, but in the best way. He has trouble focusing while he's working, trouble sleeping because he can't stop thinking about you.

-- He got your favorite food delivered like two seconds after you hacked him lol, he's going to be holding himself back from doing so much more. He's thinking about all these romantic gestures but he doesn't want to come off as too intense, you know? But he's definitely opened a flower delivery service site about 2-3 million times and was THIS CLOSE to ordering your favorite flowers for you but he stopped himself.

-- Thinks about how he'd propose on Day 2. You can't even really fathom how bad he has it.

-- If you asked him to move in at some point during his visit, he'd say yes. No hesitation. He works remotely, you've got room for Skrunkly, everything is good to go. Yes please, he very much would like to move in, thank you so much for asking.

-- But obviously if you want to take things slower, that's good too! But please let him visit often, because it's going to be so hard for him to go back home alone and leave you. Does he cry on the flight back? Yeah, maybe!

-- If you don't move in together right away, then joint custody of Nugget is going to something you both have to take very seriously. The first time you visit him and you pull out your lil dino baby? He was already a goner way before this lol and there's really no way that he could fall for you any harder, but this might do the trick.

-- Oh oh but what really gets him is when you meet Skrunkly? Besides you, that cat is the light of his life. Please take a moment to consider the effort it would take to do a themed photo shoot with a cat and turn one of those photos into that poster. That's the kind of cat dad he is. So if kitty takes up with you, like if after a few days he walks in the living room and you’re lying on the couch with Skrunkly curled up purring on your lap? It's over.

-- He pats himself on the back whenever he manages to come up with a smooth line, because the guy really just lucks into them. He's SUCH a nerd (I say affectionately). The first time he calls you "angel" with a straight face, internally he's like "MICAH LOOK AT YOU GO!!!!"

-- That's why he calls you that ALL the time, because he's so proud that he can do it.

-- He's also practiced doing tricks with his split tongue (he's the biggest dork in the world). He'd like get the giggles doing it too, but it'll be worth it during the maaaaaaake oooooout.

-- RESPECTFULLY if he has a split tongue AND a tongue piercing then it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think there are other body mods/piercings elsewhere.

-- He joked about your love language, but once you told him he did his research. Looked for examples on how to show love in that way, looked at more examples, took notes. If he can (sorry physical touch friends, I'm not the one who did the research but this seems tough for a long distance relationship), he'll make a point of showing you love in your preferred way.

-- Please for the love of god steal this man's clothing and wear it for him. You hop on a video chat wearing his hoodie and he can't think straight for 2-3 weeks.

#error 143 #micah yujin

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edenfenixblogs · 6 months

Note

outside of the general principles of credibility and fact-checking (or including those if you want) and looking for commitment to peace and shared prosperity like you mentioned in your pinned, do you have any other advice on gauging the reliability of sources regarding israel/palestine? or any particular sources you recommend as reliable or warn against as unreliable? there's so much misinfo and disinfo out there that i often end up getting overwhelmed and sharing nothing specific - and i know that's not exactly helpful, i'm just not sure where to start.

This is SUCH a good and important question!!! Thank you so much for asking it. I’ve been waiting until after work today to answer, so I can give it the attention it deserves.

This is an incredibly complex topic. It is completely ok to tackle only one item of this at a time. It is ok to spend more time listening than speaking. It is ok to only do basic fact checking until these things become second nature. It seems like a lot. But it actually becomes quite simple when you realize that, as a member of a non-affected group, your only job is to steer the conversation toward truth and peace.

That means most of what you are doing is rejecting sources and individuals engaging in bad faith discourse by simply not engaging with them. Your next most common task will be to publicly fact check bad faith discourse or incorrect information that has spread too far.

It is tempting to become outraged when you become familiar with bad faith discourse and data and see it spread widely. However, remember that this is incredibly complex and even the most experienced people get things wrong on this subject all the time. If you notice an error in what appears to be someone trying to bring attention to a cause they care deeply about, approach with kindness first. Always.

Try a reblog or a personal message with a link to the problematic post and say something like,

Hey. I care a lot about [issue] too. And I am trying really hard to make sure everything being spread right now is verifiable and accurate so nobody gets upset about things that aren’t true. Did you know that [thing you said+link to the post where you said it] was actually proven false by [reliable source+link to that source]? I’m really glad that didn’t happen. Of course, terrible things are still happening [to Palestinians/Israelis/Jews/Muslims/Arabs] on/in [college campuses/diaspora/Palestine/Israel/etc] there all the time. But at least nobody has to suffer through [incorrect info]. By the way, I’ve found a lovely organization run by actual Palestinians/Israelis/Arabs/Muslims/Jews working together to find peace for all. Check it out, I think it has promise! [link to reliable cause/organization]

Here is a wonderful site for MENA-based organizations geared toward fostering a shared peaceful future in a variety of ways.

Give the poster a chance to self correct. You will be wrong in the future. Model the way you would like to be informed of an error.

I briefly touched on the basics of identifying any source as reliable here. I won’t reiterate because this may be a long post and I wanna save space. But it contains the basics of what I learned in college.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that no source is objective. No source is without bias. And there is no way to make any source objective or without bias.

News is written by people. And all people have viewpoints. Giving all voices in a conflict equal importance is not inherently unbiased, because that risks giving support to more harmful ideas and equating harmful ideas, ideologies, and organizations with reasonable ones. Likewise, asserting that one viewpoint is correct and being unwavering in this belief no matter what is obviously no way to cultivate a balanced and well informed viewpoint.

Your job is to use critical thinking skills to examine the level of bias in a piece of media as well as how responsibly the source handles that bias. Your job is also to do your best to be aware of bias as well as what bias is relevant to the subject matter being reported. A source that is left leaning, but never shares fake information and is always verifiable is preferable to a source that is moderate but consistently shares half truths or faulty information.

Sometimes, information from a less than ideal source can be shared, but if you are sharing that source, you must explicitly state that source’s flaws and why you chose to share that information anyway. And if you are unable to find a better source, you should state that you are sharing information that may be incomplete or inaccurate and you are happy to update the post you are sharing if and when more information or confirmation from a more reliable source emerges. There are very limited situations where this is appropriate. Usually I would suggest not sharing information from such sources at all unless it can be backed up by better information.

One example of such a case is information about antisemitic hate crimes from the ADL. The ADL has a very problematic history and one should be aware of it when they share statistical data from the organization. However, that doesn’t make their information inherently unusable. It makes their information inherently suspect, though. In order for anything shared from the ADL to be worth sharing, you should be able to evaluate the data collection method and the sources of the data. And if there is any information in the data you are sharing that is not appropriate, you should explicitly draw attention to it, not try to hide it.

Case Study: Global Antisemitic Incidents in the Wake of Hamas’ War on Israel

This list contains very useful data on incidents of antisemitic violence against Jews in diaspora since 10/7/2023. I trust this data because: it links to each individual news source it references, often with pictures of the attacker/attack/incident and time stamps. It’s data is open to questioning and its sources are available to check individually. This is in line with the ADL’s mission statement of tracking antisemitism. Documenting antisemitism is not an inherently biased practice nor do I have any reason to believe that they lie about the antisemitic incidents they document. As that is not one of the things that critics accuse the ADL of, I do not see a reason to question its record on antisemitic incident reporting. I have never heard a critic make a substantiated claim against their formally collected data as falsified. I am willing to be proven wrong on this, but I will interrogate a source claiming this as thoroughly as I interrogate the ADL as a source itself. I am skeptical of this source because: the title of the article uses extremely biased language that makes the war seem one sided. The advantage of this source is: it is one of the few sources existing that collects data on antisemitic violence and hate incidents of Jews in diaspora. A sign of good faith from the organization: they dedicate a page to addressing criticisms of their organization, which means they feel confident that criticisms of them will stand up to scrutiny. It is not sufficient to use this page to absolve them of any of the listed criticisms, but it should help you find articles that critique the ADL as well as relevant information that supports their defense. Thus, you must come to your own conclusion on whether or not that information is trustworthy on the matter you are commenting on. A sign of possible bad faith from the organization: their page devoted to confronting myths and inaccuracies about their organization’s history does not address accusations about supporting South African Apartheid or failing to call the Armenian Genocide a genocide. An acknowledgment of my own limitations: I am not an expert in South African Apartheid in any way nor am I an expert on the Armenia genocide. Any other relevant information: Any reputable news sources verify information before reporting. If a news source that is verifiably responsible in its reporting cites information from the ADL, I will assume they have made adequate inquiries to verify that information as accurate enough to report. For example, if AP reported information and cited the ADL statistics, I would assume that the ADL made sure the data fit its high standard for reportage.

Conclusion: I find the ADL to be a trustworthy enough source of data about antisemitic attacks and incidents on Jews in diaspora, but only in cases where their sources and/or methodology are made public and/or another more regulated or otherwise more reliable source of statistical information partners with them. Because I lack expertise on South African Apartheid on the Armenian Genocide, I will not share information from the ADL about Palestinian apartheid, segregation, oppression, or genocide (until or unless I become more well-versed in these topics or am able to devote substantial energy into fact checking each claim in what I share. If I ever choose to do this, I will share every source I used to verify the information so that others may check my work and inform me if I’m wrong. At this time, I do not foresee a situation where I would refer to the ADL for matters about Palestinian concerns). The ADL in general and the linked source in particular seems to be an overall worthwhile source to cite on matters of antisemitism. The ADL does not meet my standards of a reliable source on Palestinian suffering. Check each link/source on an ADL source you want to share and form an informed conclusion on its reliability before sharing.

Also, be aware that primary sources with biased information are extremely valuable but never objective on their own. A tweet from the IDF or a statement from a released Palestinian prisoner may both be true! But sharing them as if they are definitely true without fact checking the information through the most trustworthy sources available is irresponsible. Do not share any social media information as fact. You are free to share social media information and publicly explore its implications in a responsible manner, but it is not responsible to discuss them as facts.

Case study: When something in Gaza or Israel is bombed, be sure that you know who the key players and commentators are.

When the IDF releases a statement blaming Hamas for bombing their own citizens, know that the IDF has a vested interest in not being perceived as an aggressor. When the Ministry of Health in Gaza accuses the Israeli military of being responsible for the attack, be aware that the Ministry of Health in Gaza is run by Hamas and is not a third party neutral source. Do not post anything about an event like this until the information is fully vetted by a neutral third party source (or as neutral as you are likely to find on such a hot button issue).

The best way you can help during an emerging story is to urge others to wait for full details, call out people irresponsibly casting blame before the facts are in (especially politicians), and repeatedly verify every source of information as they are named so that you know if they are trustworthy. Do not trust politicians who espouse inflammatory and prematurely accusatory information and do not make a public retraction and apology when they are found to be wrong.

That said, it is always appropriate to express sorrow for loss of life. You do not need to accuse a killer in order to do this.

There are also sites geared toward helping you identify the source itself fairly. Note: sites like these will help you evaluate the publication or news entity (eg New York Times, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, etc.). They won’t help you evaluate an individual journalist or article.

Some sites to help you verify credibility:

Media Bias Fact Check: Allows you to verify sources based on the news source’s political bias in terms of a left-right spectrum as well as by their reliability on matters of science, their use of questionable sources, and use of satire. Also, you can check how reliably factual the source’s reporting is. You can also sort by country, media type, general credibility, and how well trafficked the source is. They also publicly offer insight into their methodology of coming to these conclusions.

The Associated Press (AP) fact checks individual claims. Other news organizations fact checking claims include Reuters, The Washington Post and AFP. While AP is a gold standard and generally reliable, be aware that news organizations are also subject to bias. The advantage is that news organizations have investigative reporters on staff to investigate claims. The disadvantage is the bias inherent to the publication itself.

Other third party cites checking facts in news reports and in politics include:

FactCheck.org

Politifact

Snopes

Lakehead University offers an entire site devoted to developing media literacy as well as many ways to search fact checking sites. So does Kansas State University, and UMass Amherst. Many universities offer sites like this. I urge you to look into them.

Once you find a news or data source you trust, do a quick google search on the journalist’s name and a relevant phrase to the aspect of the conflict being reported on. For example The Newspaper Tribune Times Chronicle may be trustworthy. Veteran reporter, Ima Journalist may have written an article about Israel Bombing Gaza. So, before sharing it, just Google: “Ima journalist” + Israel Palestine Jews antisemitism Islamophobia. Make sure you don’t see something like “Ima Journalist photographed screaming ‘Hitler was actually a super good guy!’ anywhere in her history. When satisfied, feel free to share the story.

Other points to keep in mind:

Be aware of crappy tactics on both sides of the i/p conflict.

The IDF is often accused of excessive violence and planting evidence on Palestinians. This often leads to Palestinians being unfairly accused of terrorist intent and criminal violence.

Hamas uses civilians as human shields — both by using individual humans as shields and also launching bombs from civilian buildings (like hospitals, preschools, and libraries), building militaristic infrastructure in or beneath those same civilian buildings, and instigating conflict with IDF soldiers positioned near residential and civilian locations. This allows Hamas to escape criticism by framing the IDF as mindlessly bloodthirsty and eager to kill Palestinian civilians.

And finally, make sure accusations and talking points never conform to antisemitic conspiracy theories.

The universal aspects of antisemitic conspiracy theories (detailed more fully in the source linked above and also in another post I made) are:

Accusing Jews of replacing another group or population

Accusing Jews of pretending to be something they are not

Accusing Jews of dominating or attempting to dominate a prominent or essential aspect of a society or the world at large.

Accusing Jewish people of genocide and bloodlust in pursuit of personal gain

Accusing Jews of undue privilege or if appropriating something belonging to others.

Dehumanizing Jews by grouping them under a collective name or identity.

I hope this helps! Feel free to share it!

#antisemitism #islamophobia #media literacy #infodemiology #long post #resources #fact checking #Israel #Palestine #critical thinking #how to help #responsible advocacy #jewish muslim solidarity #israel Palestine solidarity #israeli Palestinian solidarity #be kind

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charles-eclair16 · 9 months

Text

Reviving Reputations

X. The Fallen Hero

Previous| Next | series masterlist

Formula 1 Updates

5 August 2023.

Charles Leclerc has once again made headlines and for all the wrong reasons. The Ferrari driver has been in the spotlight for the past 3 weeks and not for the reasons he would have liked.

The 25 year monegasque has been under fire once again for speaking out about his ex-girlfriend Amelia Harper. In an Instagram post he wrote:

"I am sorry for all the inconvenience caused by me or by people related to me. I am so apologetic to the fans who were treated without respect and were called racial slurs. I don't support the same sentiments. I'm reflecting on all the wrong things I've done and I hope the fans find in their heart to forgive me.

I hope I can prove myself to the fans who I've disappointed. I hope you guys continue to support me and the team"

To which the response was mixed with fans writing comments such as:

User: it's high time really I didn't love him but now I just don't like him

User: I don't know why we are blaming him because from what I know it was His girlfriend that too his ex-girlfriend who attacked the fan not him

User: it is not the first time she has done something like this. Charles is only speaking this time because she literally attacked a fan just because she was asked to sign a poster with his face

User: he could have done better

User:🤢🤢

User: you and your girlfriend can go to hell

User: dragging Ferrari's name in the dust

User: a shame he's the main driver of such a historic team

User: flex? Never liked him he was overrated anyway

User: I still don't understand why you people are holding him accountable and not the person who did it

User: it's because he's more famous then her so obviously he's the one people are dragging.

Harper and Leclerc were in a relationship since July last year and since then the F1 driver has been in various news and update pages for different reasons out of which not all were good.

The downfall of Charles image was seen gradually with the fans who had expressed their dislike towards Harper after various sources close to the couple confirmed that it was Harper who had leaked the infamous sex tape. Fans had then spoken out about the news Charles seemed to be surrounded in just because he was dating her. Charles team had done everything in their power to remove the tape from the online community within minutes. Harper had also been cancelled before for her racist and rude behaviour with fans. She was also under heavy criticism for not disclosing ads on her Instagram when she is legally bound to.

This time the situation escalated very fast when a fan was physically attacked by Harper because she asked the model to sign a poster with Charles photo. The fan was then taken to hospital and Harper was escorted out of the paddock by the security shouting and screaming. It was not a pretty sight. The whole situation brought Leclerc bad publicity and with his race results not being satisfactory, it only added fuel to the fire. Leclerc was also under fire for his dating history within the same friend group which also included cheating allegations with Harper being an acquaintance of Leclerc's ex-girlfriends. Some of the comments on his latest Instagram post includes-

User: yeah concentrate on your racing career not on models and maybe you'll get better race positions.

User: I watch the race to see the cars not your girlfriend fighting the fans and calling names

User: I still don't know what he saw in her

User: you could do better

User: he's getting his karma

User: time to support another team

User: this just reflects which kind of people he surrounds himself with

User: I knew she was problematic but damn

User: I hope Ferrari doesn't sign you for the next year

These are only some of the comments on his posts. His reputation has really taken a hit for the worse.

Read below-

•Amelia Harper and her problematic history- from fake donations, the leaked sex tape and her infamous paddock fight.

• Timeline of Charles Leclerc and Amelia Harper whole relationship

• Amelia Harper cancelled once again for a fake giveaway fan event and Charity donations.

• Charles Leclerc's ex-girlfriends full list and history

________________•••_______________

Let me know your thoughts and if you want to be included in the taglist<3

Taglist-

@ietss

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familyvideostevie · 2 years

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hii if you’re still willing to take requests could I ask for an Eddie x reader where Robin introduces the two because of reader’s similar interests and taste in guys? I was thinking kind of like how Robin saw Nancy had a Tom Cruise poster but with reader and she sees that reader has a Dave Mustaine poster? “You have a Dave Mustaine poster?? You have a Dave Mustaine poster 😏” I’m sorry if it’s dumb lol thank you 💕

this cracked me up, honestly, and i love any chance to write dear robin as the best friend ever, hope you like it! | 1k, fem!reader, fluff, short and sweet, pre!relationship, Eddie is a gem, thank you for requesting this was not dumb!!!! <3

"You did not put enough sunscreen on, Robin," Nancy chides. "Your nose is already red."

"That cannot be true," your friend whines. "Steve watched me put on like, four layers. I'm just sweaty!"

The three of you are sprawled on a blanket in the park, half-heartedly watching the rest of the group play basketball in the summer heat. This is only your third or fourth time hanging out with all of Robin's friends, but she's done her best to fold you in after graduation. You don't question it too much, because you could use some people to hang out with as you figure out your life and the energy between all of these kids is something magnetic, something special.

They seem alright with your presence, even a little overenthusiastic. You made sure to lead with your endless pool of fun facts and for some reason once Max declared that the way you whistled really loudly with your fingers was "way cool," you were in.

"Nancy, you need to watch your shoulders," you tease. "We're all going to be lobsters pretty soon." She looks down at herself sharply before rolling her eyes at you and grabbing the sunscreen tube from her bag.

"Honestly, someone is going to hurt themselves. And it's going to be Steve." Robin looks at the court with disgust where Lucas and Steve are facing off under the basket. Dustin and Max seem to have taken it upon themselves to heckle from the sidelines, but Mike refuses to give up, trying his best to get the ball from Lucas and failing each time.

"This is embarrassing," Nancy mutters. "Bringing the Wheeler name down. I have to help him." She tosses the sunscreen aside and stands up, jogging over. "Mike! Get it together!"

"Oh, this is going to be good," Dustin laughs. "Robin, is Eddie coming?"

"I think so. Steve, when did he say he'd be here?"

"I'm busy, Robin! You're the one that invited him!" He jumps in the air to block Lucas from a shot and fails. Robin laughs.

"Well, I think he's coming," she says. You love Robin, but she's not great at hiding things from you. She can be a bit of a wall to new people or in situations when she's unsure of the people around her, but she's nothing but comfortable surrounded by her friends. So you can tell immediately that she's up to something, and tell her so. She takes a breath and launches into an answer for a question you didn't ask.

"Okay, so when we were hanging out last weekend in your room I saw the Megadeath poster on your wall and I thought wow, I've seen a poster like that before! And the blonde guy kinda looks like someone I know! So I tried to remember where I'd seen it and then I was like, oh, obviously there's the same poster on Eddie's wall and I thought wait, I don't think you guys know each other, since you're my friend from school and I introduced you to everyone else but he's never been free when you're free, I don't know how that happened --"

"Eddie...Munson, right?" you interrupt her. "Your friend? The one who sold weed in high school?"

"Yep!" she chirps, looking pleased with herself.

"Robin," you say, lowering your voice. "Are you trying to buy weed? Do you want my help?"

"No!" she says, exasperated, like you've missed the point. And you think you might have. "I'm trying to set you up!"

"Oh," you breathe out. "Oh, okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." You smile at her. You know who Eddie is, obviously, and Robin is right, you room is practically wallpapered with posters of guys who look like him. You just always thought he was...kind of intimidating.

"Sweet! It's going to be great, even if you don't like like him, he's really nice and you can definetly talk about whatever shitty music you want--"

"Hey!" you protest, but it's interrupted by a chorus of greetings from the basketball court.

"Eddie!" Dustin cries. "Wanna play with us?"

"Oh, now you want to play?" Steve complains.

"Not on your life, Henderson," Eddie says, passing through the court with high fives for everyone on his way to the blanket. "Wheeler is way too scary."

"Oh, thanks man," Mike says, grinning.

"Not you, dude," Eddie teases. "Your sister." Everyone laughs but Eddie winks at Mike before the game starts up again.

"Hi Robin," he says as he stretches out on the blanket next to you. "Hello, new girl." He's got kind eyes, you think, kinder than you'd have expected. He's loose and seems happy, his biceps flexing as he leans back on his hands. You introduce yourself, trying not to be shy.

"Oh! Yeah, I've heard about you," he grins. "Got a lot of fans around here."

"Really?" You know the bond between all of these friends is something strong, something forged out of experiences you'll never understand. But the thought that they're willing to love you, too, fills your heart with such fondness your cheeks flush.

"Band geek over here told me you had a Megadeath poster on your wall, which is great, since no one in this circus of clowns has any god damned respect!" He leans into the joke a little, shaking his head like he's disappointed, but his mouth is curled up at one edge. Something in your gut tells you that Eddie Munson is someone who doesn't care what people like as long as it makes them happy.

Robin is too gleeful to be offended, eyes darting between the two of you. "I think I want to play after all," she blurts out and darts up towards the court.

"There is no way in hell that girl wants to play basketball," Eddie observes.

"No," you sigh. "This is a set up." He pulls his legs up and circles his arms around them, peering at you from under his bangs.

"Well, I don't mind if you don't mind." You really study him for a moment. Wide brown eyes, crinkled with the beginnings of a smile. He seems a little nervous, for all his bravado. He's sweating a bit, committed to his ripped jeans and general metal aesthetic and you think, damn. I want to know him.

"I don't mind," you tell him, and his grin is like the sun.

want to be added to my tag list for full-length (non-ask) fics? send me a message and specify for steve, eddie, or both! reblog, send feedback, requests open, masterlist here!

#reblog me plz #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine #its funny to write like #pre relationship but its cute #i think i got carried away with the gang here and not enough eddie but like #im feeling found family in this house tonight #anon ask #emma's asks

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nyoomfruits · 10 months

Note

🔀 for landoscar if you like :)

i got super trouper by abba so OBVIOUSLY my brain immediately went 'landoscar boyband au' and uuuh. i actually wrote thing for it??? so??? here you go????

Most of the time, Lando’s relieved they gave up on trying to do any kind of synchronized choreography long ago. He’s never been very good at remembering all the different steps, always sort of missed his que, and next to George ‘what like it’s hard?’ Russell, anyone ends up kind of looking like a floppy fish anyway.

But right now, he kind of misses it. At least it gave him a purpose, especially during slower songs like these, the romantic love ballad that means he can’t just run around and make weird faces at the crowd for a bit while he waits for his turn to sing again.

They all have their thing during this song, anyway. George is center stage, carrying most of the verses and the chorus, belting like his heart depends on it. Pierre and Charles are doing, well, whatever Pierre and Charles do. Right now it looks like they’re doing some kind of ballroom dancing, Pierre twirling Charles around as they giggle loudly and nearly miss their que for the chorus, coming in just a second too late.

Meanwhile Alex is off to Lando’s other side, blowing kisses at the crowd and encouraging them to put up their flashlights and sway along, making a group of girls in the front row giggle and swoon.

Speaking of the front row, Lando glances out in the crowd again, searching, as he has been all night. Their lighting set up is insane, so he’s barely been able to see the crowd, but with the ballad it’s softer, more forgiving. He can actually see people’s faces now.

And so it doesn’t take long, before he spots him. Oscar is kind of awkwardly crammed between the barrier at the walkway stage and a girl holding a sign that says ‘CHARLES WILL YOU MARRY ME’. He looks horribly out of place, wearing a plain dark blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, a stark contrast with the decked out glitter covered fans around him. But his face, god.

There’s about 17.000 people in the venue right now. Many of them have posters of Lando above their bed, have entire Instagram pages dedicated to him, write his name next to theirs surrounded by hearts in the margins of their notes. And yet no one is looking at him with more love in their eyes then Oscar is right in that moment.

The bridge of the song comes around, and Lando fumbles for his mic, raising it just in time to start singing. He sings the whole cheesy, generic, saccharine sweet thing right at Oscar, not breaking eye contact for a moment.

No one knows about them, and maybe they never will. Maybe they will have to spend the rest of their lives in the shadows, hiding and sneaking around and keeping it a secret. It’s the prize, of the ridiculous level of fame Lando finds himself in.

But this moment, this little moment in the harsh glow of the spotlight, this is theirs. And no one is going to take that away from them.

#feel like i'm putting my years in the 1d and subsequently 5sos fandom to good use #landoscar #mctwinks #twinklaren #drabble #boyband au #this was VERY fun to write actually i might expand on it some time #also yes this IS why i asked about the f1 boyband line up lmao

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theflyingfeeling · 4 months

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hi hi hellooo! Aleksi's remix of Let Me Down Slowly came up on my youtube recs and it instantly reminded me of your amazing fic and I knoooooooooow I said it a million times but thank you so much for writing it and sharing it, it's so fucking good!!!!!!! 💖💘💖💕💖💖💘

now imagine, pining-idiots-that-haven't-realized-they-are-in-love Allu and Olli are probably enjoying their well deserved breaks from all the stuff they did in 2023 (and most likely with their partners by their side), but I like to imagine that they still make some time for at least one video call once a week, or that they exchange dumb texts daily because they miss each other so much 🥺💕

maybe Olli grabs his guitar one night and comes up with some beautiful riff that he sends to Allu, but this time Aleksi decides that they have to finish it together side by side (clearly an excuse to see Olli again because oooops, he realized he has Feelings™ for his friend and bandmate) and well, Olli had to travel to Helsinki anyway (to make sure the new posters were shipped correctly, or to sign a legal document or some made up bullshit), soooo why not stay at his just-a-friend-i-swear's place for a few days?

they would have the Moment Of Realization late at night, around 2AM when Allu is finally done with the remix and Olli is already asleep on the couch (is he really asleep, though? or just enjoying the moment with his eyes closed?). Allu would not resist the temptation of brushing a curl off Olli's beautiful face, and maybe caressing one of his cheeks while he can, not forseeing that Olli would be very much awake, so now they're both holding their breaths and staring at each other with so much love 💖💕💘

maybe they finally dare to get closer and share a shy little kiss after all those years of pining, or maybe they feel like they can't do it, not while they still have a significant other, and leave the studio confused and unsure of what to do next 🥰

anyways, it's already late over here and I used my last braincell to daydream about this 😅 have a lovely lovely day 💖💕💘💖💕💘

OH MY GOD???!!?!?!??!?! 😭😭😭😭😭

this made my stomach do the thing because akdjshfksjfdkf I've honestly spent the entire Christmas break thinking about the two of them constantly checking their phones and not really understanding why they feel so disappointed when there's no new text from the other or why they feel a pang of jealousy when the other posts a holiday greeting in the group chat (=a selfie with their gf with a cheesy Christmassy/NYE edit and a text "Happy Holidays from us!")

amd aaaahhhh imagine soft Olli playing softly on his soft guitar AND THINKING OF ALLU THE WHOLE TIME DJDHFGFFJFF I meaaaaan may I remind y'all that yet again this is not just something the delulu made up but instead it's something that actually for real happened with the Let Me Down remix 😭 obviously we don't know if Olli had the riff ready and Allu just happened to need one and it came up in a conversation, or if Allu asked him to make him one, or if Olli just sent the riff to Allu who was so inspired (and in love (with the riff! or at least that's what he convinced himself then)) that he made an entire remix based off it 🥺 my point here is that it's TOO EASY to imagine them doing exactly what you just derscribed 🤧💕

and yeah, I have also been imagining their first kiss and how terrifying it would be for the both of them 😭 I mean, I want to assume that the "deep talks" they've had over a glass of wine or a bottle of Mountain Dew (again, something we know for certain they done, not just something the delulu has decided is canon!!) they have also discussed sex and/or sexuality and came out as bi to each other, so it's not the fact they're both dudes and about to kiss each other that's messing with their heads rather than the fact they're both in relationships skgjdjfksjfsjfjdjf fuck why am I so invested in this 😩

bonus points indeed if they only ALMOST kiss before they snap out of it and aaaaaaaaaa poor confused boys!! because this whole time they've been like "I don't actually like him that way, and even if I did nothing could ever happen because we're friends and co-workers and he's taken" but then they realise they were having an undeniable Moment(tm) and the other was actually about to kiss them back too so they're like ???????????????? oh god 😭

thanks for this, I feel so validated once again 🙈

#i didn’t make any new year's resolutions but if i did it would’ve been to let this infidelity trope be #i know it's all fiction but........i'm so paranoid 🙈#but just so you know i could write fic after fic after fic about these two falling for each other in various circumstances #and yes many of them include them already being in relationships with someone else #i just keep imagining allu staying up late by himself bc his partner is already in bed #and he's contemplating whether or not he should text olli if he's awake too #he is of course (already waiting for allu's text) and i'm imagining them texting each other at ass o'clock with dopey smiles on their faces #when they could be sleeping next to their actual partners #OH WAIT i dont have to imagine this BECAUSE THAT HAPPENED FOR REAL TOO 💁‍♀️#to conclude they're in love but feel like they can't do anything about it 😔#answered asks #ollixallu #blind channel rpf #catboyolli

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 1 year

Note

Could you, instead of Bodyguard Sokkla AU, write Azula being famous, as she should, and Sokka being a huge overly smitten fanboy who gets to meet her irl by accident through Zuko? Zuko would obviously hide that he's related to someone famous to not attract attention on himself cause he can be somewhat socially awkward sometimes but what happens when his sister calls him one day while he's playing video games with his friends and without thinking too much he answers the phone and puts her on speaker so that his hand will be free to hold the controller and Sokka recognizes her voice?

This prompt has been sitting in my askbox for ages. Idk if you’re even still here xD but here it is. A quick little thing while I work on fandom events.

Katara thinks that it is embarrassing that he has so many posters of the girl. That one of them is even autographed. That he has a closet full of concert T-shirts and fanmade ones alike. That he has every single CD that Azula has ever appeared on.

She doesn’t quite understand idol culture and frankly he finds himself rather embarrassed by it too.

He would never let Jet or Zuko see all of this. Toph has already given him a hard time for being, as she so delicately put it, a total fanboy dweeb. But he certainly isn’t the worst out there. He can pridefully say that he doesn’t own a body pillow.

But he talks about her all the time. He’d like to meet her more than anything. He wonders if she is just as pretty in person. Prettier perhaps? She has such a nice smile and her voice is…

It’s divine. He has never heard anything like it; gentle and powerful all at once.

It is a volcanic eruption and a quiet sunset breeze all at once.

Sokka sighs, he almost puts one of the CD’s in the radio but he ultimately decides that doing so might ruin tonight’s livestream; pop music doesn’t exactly scream ‘epic fantasy-action background music’. Unless of course he and his gaming group are bold enough. He can’t imagine that they would be so brave. Not when Toph takes this whole livestreaming thing so seriously.

Sokka puts on his headset and joins Zuko in the server. “Hey, Sokka.” The boy greets.

“How’s it going, buddy?”

Zuko exhales deeply. “I’m expecting a phone call tonight so we decided to postpone the livestream. Also, Toph can’t make it tonight, she’s got a headcold or something. So it’ll just be you, Jet, and I tonight.”

“I think that we could use a stress free night of just gaming for the sake of gaming.” Just like in the old days, before they decided to start gaming for some extra cash. Not that Toph needs any.

“What game are we playing tonight, boys?” Jet’s face appears on the screen.

“Well Toph wanted to play ‘Night of Claw and Fire’. But I thought that we could play that one with the race cars that we used to love.” Zuko replies.

“Are we going to play the one with the shitty graphics? Or the new one.”

“Shitty graphics.” Sokka and Zuko say at once. Nothing like some classic, old school, boxy graphics. It has been so long since he has had a chance to glitch his character into oblivion.

.oOo.

He knows that the game is all in good fun but Sokka can’t help but be at least a little frustrated at his losing streak. He hasn’t even been able to beat any of the NPC racers. They have been lapping him for the better part of the night while Zuko and Jet cackle.

He wishes that Toph were here.

Toph usually protects him from getting tag teamed.

He puffs out another sigh and tightens his grip on his controller. He stares at its sleek, metallic navy blue finish. “Come on” he mumbles to the thing, “just give me one win.”

He revs his virtual engine.

3…

2…

1…

Zuko’s phone rings and the game pauses just as Sokka’s character blasts off. “Oh come on, bro!” Sokka shouts.

Zuko rolls his eyes and unpauses the game. Sokka’s race car slams directly into the barricade and Jet cackles as Zuko hits the speaker button. “Hello?”

“Hello, Zuzu.”

Jet too slams his virtual car into the barricade and snorts. “Zuzu?”

Zuko’s face flushes. “I shouldn’t have put you on speaker.”

“You have me on speaker?”

“I’m in the middle of gaming!” He declares. “I’m in first place by the way.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” The girl chuckles.

And that is when Sokka’s heart skips. He knows that laugh. He has always found it to be so charming. “Zuko…” he swallows. “Is that…?”

“My sister? Yeah.” Zuko fills in.

“Azula is your sister!? And you didn’t tell me?”

“My sister isn’t…”

“Yes I am.” Azula cuts in. “I’m exactly who you think I am.”

And Zuko is blushing again. Sokka can’t begin to fathom why. Not until he grumbles a, “I’ve been trying to be lowkey about this. I don’t want attention.”

“I do.” Azula declares.

“Why do you do this to me? And what are you actually calling for?”

“Well, mother said to tell you that she found some of your old baby pictures. Like the one where you…”

“Azula!” He shouts, his face now a vivid scarlet.”

“The one where you decided to use your underwear as a hat.”

“Dude, you used your underpants as a hat?” Jet chuckles.

“No! She’s just trying to make me sound like a dweeb.”

“It’s working.” Jet cackles.

To Zuko’s credit he is still in first place. “Alright, Azula, we’ll talk later tonight.” His finger hovers over the end call button.

“No!” She and Sokka say at once.

“I want to talk to your sister!” Sokka requests. “You know how much I love her…music!” Oh, he’s such an idiot–just bursting out declarations of love. “I love her music.” He repeats.

“It’s alright, you can confess your love.” Azula drawls. “Most people do.”

Zuko groans. “She likes attention. Stop giving her attention.”

But it is much too late for that. He has already plunged right into a very stuttering, “c-can we hang o-out sometime. I mean if you want to. I wouldn’t force you to do that because I’m…I’m not one of those weirdos but I thought that it could be nice maybe…”

“I suppose that we can.” Azula pauses. He can hear in her voice that her face has lit up. “Oh! I can show you Zuzu’s baby photos! There’s this one where he’s trying to eat his own foot.”

“Alright that’s it! Conversation over!” Zuko strikes ‘end call’.

And with the strike of a button his hopes and dreams deflate. But hours later, with the sounds of video game victory music echoing in his ears, he gets a text. It better not be Zuko because he is ready to give the boy an earful…over text.

He looks at the screen. ‘Tomorrow. 5:00. Jasmine Dragon.’ The phone dings again and a picture of a very chubby baby Zuko stares up at him, peeking out from under a pair of underwear.

Sokka grins. ‘How did you get my number?’ He texts back.

‘That’s for me to know and you to wonder about.’ She adds a little wink.

‘Okay, tomorrow at 5.’ He clutches his phone to his chest. He is actually going to meet his idol in person. He just hopes that she will like him as much as he likes her. Maybe he should take some of the posters down so that he doesn’t seem creepy…

He takes a deep breath. They’re just meeting at the Jasmine Dragon. And, realistically, Zuko will probably be tagging along. He will cross that bridge when he comes to it. Until then he will relish in that he is actually going to meet his idol face to face!

#fic request #one shot #azula #sokka #sokkla #avatar the last airbender

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glambots · 1 year

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By the way, happy Holidays in advance!

Do the animatronics have their own festive celebrations once the pizzaplex is closed? Do they receive gifts or make gifts? You can choose the 4 characters you prefer for this. Thanks for all your hard work, I love what you do and I wish you everything you love for next year!

I'll do the Glams/band for this one!

🎩Glamrock Freddy + Holiday HCs:🎩

⭐Freddy is definitely the kind of guy to put gifts together by-hand--and they're usually filled with merchandise and vouchers of some kind. He'd love to give more "personal" gifts, but still, it's more about the sentiment behind the gift, rather than what's given...right? (He still really hopes you like it, though.)

⭐Almost everyone on the staff gets a "gift" from Freddy Fazbear for..."Fazmas." Though it's mostly a corporate issued gift card or voucher for the Plex itself. Gotta get that money cycling back into the arcade-economy! Freddy is aware of this tradition, though he feels a little awkward knowing the gifts didn't actually come from him.

⭐Aside from putting together gifts, Freddy spends most of his holidays responding to fanmail. When I say the man gets just about as many letters as Santa, I mean it. Not that he doesn't appreciate the cards and letters he gets! It can just be a bit...much. He only has so many shelves to display things on!

🍕Glamrock Chica + Holiday HCs:🍕

⭐Chica loves decorating. She absolutely lives for helping string up Fazmas lights all around the 'Plex. She'll even try to sneak up some mistletoe here and there if she can get away with it! (Which she can, usually until someone gets caught under it and then it gets taken away--killjoys!)

⭐Her gifts tend to be little bundles of candy, vouchers, and hand-made Fazmas cards. They're very basic, but she puts a lot of love and genuine care into each package. There are ribbons everywhere. Stickers. Glitter. Bows. She even swaps out her regular candy selection for more "holiday-themed" treats to give out.

⭐Honestly, out of the group, Chica is the most holiday-crazy. She'll spend hours looping holiday songs on repeat until either Roxy or Monty threaten to break her stereo if she doesn't play something else for the love of god please if they have to listen to "Jinglebell Rock" one more Got Dam time--

🐺Roxanne Wolf + Holiday HCs:🐺

⭐Being your resident "tsundere," it is up to Roxy to be the "Bah! Humbug" of the group. She's too cool for all this sappy Fazmas junk. Why get all excited over nothing? It's just another day. (She says, spending countless hours poring over what gifts to get her bandmates.) They better appreciate all she does for them!

⭐Still, that "Grinch-like" mentality is never shown around the fans. No need to ruin it for the little rockstars. Besides, she has to admit--she looks pretty good in-costume. But, like, when doesn't she? Not to mention, she gives Mariah Carey a run for her money when it comes to performing "All I Want For (Faz)mas!"

⭐Really, though, as much as she puts on an act in the face of "holiday spirit," Roxy is such a sucker for getting holidays cards. She might not get nearly as many as Freddy, obviously, but the ones she does get, she displays with complete and utter pride. And if anyone (Monty) makes a snide comment on it, she'll kick their ass!

🐊Montgomery Gator + Holiday HCs:🐊

⭐Compared to Roxy, Monty kind of flip-flops between trying to act too "cool" for the holiday hype, and being completely obvious about his love for the holidays. Because, who wouldn't be hype?! It's Fazmas, baby! Time to crack open some (non-alcoholic) eggnog and Jinglebell Rock-n-Roll!

⭐When it comes to character costumes, he's almost always cast as a reindeer of some sort. Mostly because the elf costumes won't fit on him, and corporate just has to have Freddy play Santa. Every. Year. No, he's not salty about it, not at all! Why would you think that? He says, drawing a mustache and horns on the nearest "Santa Paws" poster. Stupid, lucky bigshot bear...

⭐Monty's gifts are very...self-promotional. Usually vouchers to his own attractions, something with his autograph on it, and a Fazmas-themed "limited edition" Monty plush. And he fully expects you to love it, because why wouldn't you? Look at how cool his plush looks! Check out that autograph! And you get a chance to hang out with him even more! What's not to love?!

#ask #glamrock freddy #glamrock chica #roxanne wolf #montgomery gator #headcanons #sfw #fluff #gen #platonic #cute #silly #merry fazmas!#mecaniquefairy

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anxietywriter · 7 months

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convention prompts!

went to a con for the first time so here are some prompts based on my experience big dubs!

cash is fucking king, sometimes the card readers vendors have fuck up and y'know taxes. one VA had their machine break and I saw several people dash out of line to get to the nearest atm. speeeddddd hope they found it

sometimes you see the expected cosplays, mha, genshin, the Mario brothers. sometimes you're absolutely delighted by the sight of a mermaid man and barnacle boy cosplay. give me the story of the duo that caught the eye of many that afternoon. their dynamic.

wandering around the art vendors and seeing all the posters and just kind of browsing. then later circling back and shit that's the anime i wanted a poster from. sjfjfjfj buy take my money. and it was the last one too I think so good. (it was an ouran high school host club poster by sei chan! they have a webtoon called catz vs. dogz, their stuff was SO cute) I also saw a catboyified Loki.

the kink vendor with cat paw paddles!! they looked so nice, unfortunately not my thing but damn if your character is bold enough. They also had cute cat ears!!

going in a group is fun, we walked around for ages just chatting and looking around. we got so much stuff. I got some earrings and a pin and a poster like akdkskd. it's nice. your characters deserve a nice fun day too where they later mildly regret spending too much money.

love when random cosplayers from the same fandom get together for a group photo. And how a group photo attracts other cosplayers from different fandoms to join in. saw a bunch of genshin characters take photos with neo (matrix), ghost (call of duty), and kirishima I think? (mha) was so cute. person taking photos was like "smile!" "alright now be cool" "now fight each other" it was really sweet

nah I bumped into a kakashi cosplayer and nearly died. they looked really cool guys. I was only a little flustered. obviously don't do this in real life but meet cute idea?

saw a lot of cool cosplays especially during the contest and just, a character that likes cosplay?? especially if they have to make a bunch of stuff. saw a cool spring trap and halo cosplay. I think the kirishima one was said to be made out of stuff that person recycled which is awesome.

fake swords and guns from different fandoms!! a lot of them looked pretty cool. some of the plastic swords didn't look the best haha but they were recognizable. definitely good enough if you wanna cosplay a certain character later. so tempted to get one just to bonk one of my other friends (safely of course) or to look cool. swords are cool man. which character of yours is a big sword enthusiast??? get them a sword. some enrichment man.

hear me out, cinderella/masquerade au, but it's because one person was in cosplay. HEAR ME OUT it'd be cool. the ball? no ball, they met while waiting in line for an autograph/poster.

#prompt list #writing prompts #story prompts #i hope yall had a wonderful and safe halloween :)))

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sonderwrit · 7 months

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C103: Date

I Have to Be a Great Villain - Masterpost

You can't be a couple without going on at least one date!

[Wang Yi's Lesson on Shipping]

SIGN: Teaching and instruction included, Easy and Inexpensive

Wang Yi: No…

Wang Yi: Why does this make me sound like some expert!

[1. BE USELESS. If the other party can do it, don't do it yourself. Even if they can't, don't budge.]

WY: Go take that experimental subject (actually yourself) and chop it to bits.

X: Yesyesyes.

WY: (Sigh, can't believe this, why am I suddenly "in a relationship"?) [at a loss]

X Slime: (You have high standards*)

* this isn't exactly right but the pun is lost on me lol

[2. STICK TOGETHER. Entrances, exits, sleeping, waking.]

[Diagram: "Dog food*"]

* Chinese slang for lovey dovey scenes

[3. CARE FOR AND LOVE EACH OTHER. Even for the little things.]

[Group meeting]

X: You got some on your face.

WY: Un.

Scientists: (Something dirty entered the research hall.)

[4. SHOW OFF YOUR LOVE TO "BYSTANDERS"]

X: Speaking of which, doesn't this place resemble an aquarium? [I've seen it on the Internet.]

WY: Tch, there's a big difference, you country bumpkin.

(Acting begins)

WY: (You didn't go to an aquarium in your free time before?) [Including his previous 2 lives]

X: (No, I was circling around you the entire time.)

X: Mm, I did come from the countryside, so I haven't seen much of society.

X: Maybe I'll have to trouble Dr. Wang—to teach his junior more about these things.

WY: Urk…

WY: Tsk, what's so great about that place? Waste of time.

WY: But a good-for-nothing like you really is an eyesore.

WY: Since I haven't left the lab in awhile to pick up supplies, come with me to town during the next break day to carry my things.

X: !

WY: (Although he has his previous memories, human society should still feel fresh for X who's been locked up in a glass case all this time, right?)

X: Are we getting ready to…go out?

WY: Obviously.

WY: Don't complain about being tired when it's time.

X: No way, I wanna go! Does this count…as a date?

WY: W-what date?!

WY: Scram! You're so unprofessional all the time, be careful I don't fire you!

X: Haha~ But it's so similar.

WY: Let's go already!

X: Yes.

Merman: ?

Merman: (Date… Aquarium…?)

Merman: (Is this what humans do to show their love?)

—

WY: (Although I agreed to associate with him, I really don't understand a thing!)

WY: …….

WY: Last time I went out seemed to be 5 years ago. The business district's completely changed… (The equipment stores I liked are all gone.)

WY: (What are lovers supposed to do again? Even though we're together, it doesn't feel any different than before.)

X: Um, what about just strolling around casually?

Girl 1: Hey, look there, so handsome.

Girl 2: Right? So tall too, but why's he wearing a white lab coat?

Girl: Maybe he's a doctor?

WY: …..

WY: (I really can't just let him wear lab clothes.) [It's too attention-grabbing.]

WY: Fine, come with me.

X: ?

X: (Where our skin touches…is very warm.)

X: (It feels as comfortable as the segment of my body…within him.)

X: (But—)

X: (It's not enough at all.)

???: Hurry and drink this, or else…

???: Or else I can't find you again.

X: (I…)

X: (I can't retrace the same path again.)

X: (Huh?)

X: (Why did I say, "retrace the same path"?)

—

Shwaaa (door opens)

Shopkeeper: Uwahh~

Shopkeeper: This gentleman has such good proportions.

WY: ….

Shopkeeper: He's like a professional model!

WY: Hmph. It's such a random jumble. Too ugly, change him.

Shopkeeper: No problem, next outfit it is!

Shwahhh

WY: ….

WY: (This, this outfit seems to suit Apocalypse!Qin a lot.)

WY: (Tch, what am I thinking!)

WY: No good, next one.

Shopkeeper: Okay then.

Shopkeeper: I see you don't look half bad either. How about I find a matching outfit so you two can be a pair?

WY: Urk…!

WY: Forget about me.

Shopkeeper: Come on~

X: ?

Shopkeeper: Come on, come on~

WY: Wang Yi.

WY: ?

WY: !

WY: ….

—

[Movie Poster: Oscar Award Romance Film Nominee, 2023—]

X: That person…no matter how I look at her, it's the female version of the merman, right?

WY: Those two slipped out of the lab ahead of time? (Why?)

X: Hm. The merman seems able to shapeshift a pair of legs, but he's not so great at walking.

X: What do we do?

X: Follow them?

#i have to be a great villain #villain 103 #manhua translations

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putonmyfavoriteshow · 8 months

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L-Pop on Disney + ep4-6 Recap/Review

So legitimately this is one of my favorite shows Disney+ Latin America has done. Did not see that on my 2023 Bingo card!

Ep4 - It’s the qualifier episode so we get more performances this time which was a lot of fun and just what I was hoping for. Sweet Ji-Won making Andrea an ugly poster - they are just the dumbest and cutest. Ofc the group is being absolutely insane as they prep. We got Indra with her sage, Tomas trying to hug Ji-Won, and them memorizing capitals to calm their nerves. The sillies are so silly. I’m just honestly having a good time. And the they miss the cut …by 1!

Ep5 - Obviously they weren’t going to stay down for long. Absolutely dying at Tomás not showering for days so he can scrub thru the videos to find the other team that cheated to get disqualified. And then Hye-Jin using her wits to blackmail the competition lady so she actually would disqualify them. I’m just obsessed with this group. They’re all absolutely insane and lovable. I love how invested everyone is in Ji-Won and Andrea’s relationship too - as am I!! They’re so adorable also the fact that he’s always bringing her food to flirt I’m 😭.

The scene with them filming their music video!! First the hilarity of them trying to scale the wall when Indra walks through an open gate 😂 and then the MV was really good! The song kind of reminded me of Dynamite by BTS lmao. I’m curious if we’ll get these songs on Spotify they’re all stuck in my head now (ticky ticky toc toc) . Also props to the director keeping the Pablo bit going even when they were all running away from the cop and still blocking Pablo’s face with his camera 🤭

Ep6 - The big finale already and I’m just sad this is already ending. But Andrea convincing Sylvana to stay and encouraging the team by showing her talent show video and them all agreeing to call the team L-Pop why are they all so cute?! The vintage shop scene was adorable and the whole group getting caught watching Andrea/Ji-Won again, it never stops being funny. And I really love that Pau always encourages Andrea with K-Pop even tho it’s clearly not her thing 🥲 and just always shaking her head at the parents pushing her into dentistry. Ugh supportive sisters got me 🥺

Idk what’s going on with Diego, like is he supposed to be flirting with Andrea bc I can’t. Im so glad Ji-Won finally made his move tho!! But ah that cliffhanger — I need a s2 stat!

Anyway this show was just good vibes, good heart, cringey but proud! 10/10 highly recommend for anyone with any fan obsession that should get them institutionalized 😍

#d+la #Disney L-Pop #I’m so obsessed now 😍#s2 lets go!!

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empress-of-hugs · 9 months

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This Family is Kenough for me

A small group of former teammates - under the direction of one current one - lies in wait to surprise the ladies in pink. Barbie pink.

Read on AO3

2K Criminal Minds fic. No warnings, just fluff. Story under the cut.

He'd bought a new suit just for the occasion. Hotch couldn't imagine he'd ever have another reason to wear a dusty pink suit, but it would be worth it just for the lark. He'd spent the last few weeks preparing and was definitely planning on going all out. He was just bummed he hadn't been able to find a brighter pink suit.

The women were meeting up at a nearby cafe, planning on having a drink or two before heading to the movie theater. So obviously they were meeting about half a block away and fifteen minutes early so they could surprise them. As Hotch walked up, he suppressed a smile. “Hey,” he said, muffling his laughter behind a practiced neutral expression.

Morgan turned around wearing white pants and a bright pink t-shirt. As he turned, Hotch realized there was even a brightly colored and glittering decal on the front of it. It was one of those that said ‘this Barbie is’ only the picture was of Savannah and the caption said ‘this Barbie is working a triple shift’. Hotch couldn’t manage to hold back a surprised and amused snigger.

“What?” Morgan chuckled. “She wanted to be here too.”

Hotch shook his head a little in delight and spread his arms. Morgan easily leaned in for a quick hug. “How’s Hank?” Hotch asked and his smile widened when Morgan positively lit up.

“He’s great. Oh! He joined the little league team, you wanna see?” He didn’t wait for an answer, already whipping out his phone like the proud dad he was.

Hotch happily obliged him. In fact, the pair were so engrossed in the pictures that they didn’t notice they had company until someone slapped the two of them on the shoulders and pushed his head in between theirs.

“Rossi!” Morgan immediately turned, throwing an arm around his old friend for just a moment before quickly pulling back. Rossi grinned, taking hold of his lapels as he straightened his back.

“Do you like it?”

Hotch looked over the pink, glittery abomination that doubled as Rossi’s suit jacket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Morgan trying to shake the glitter off his hand. Hotch chuckled. “I know they’re gonna love it. Housekeeping? Maybe not so much.”

“Oh, shush,” Rossi waved away his words. “I’ll have you know this was a custom order.”

Hotch nodded. “I believe you. I had trouble finding this, even.” He gestured to his own, painfully out-done, dusty pink suit.

Rossi narrowed his eyes for a moment. “All you need is some glitter.”

Hotch was about to protest when from behind him came an almost forgotten voice. “Good thing I’m here, then!”

He turned on his heels and smiled at Kate Callahan. Next to her walked a young woman he didn’t recognize, wearing an almost exact replica of the dress from the promo poster that had been haunting him for weeks now. Frowning, he moved to extend a hand, but the young woman darted past and gave him a firm hug instead. When she pulled back, she studied his face for a moment. “You don’t remember me, do you? Kate said you might not…” She stepped back, holding out her hand for Hotch to grab. “Meg Callahan, pleased to meet you again.”

His jaw almost dropped as the memory resurfaced. The stunning young woman before him was the same girl he’d known as a young teenager. Now that he thought about it, he could still see some of that girl in her now, despite the gaudy pink and gold makeup and the tediously styled hair. Hotch smiled as he shook her hand, then stepped aside so both Morgan and Rossi could greet her too. Callahan gave him a warm hug. “I’m sorry, I’d promised her we’d go see it together,” she said softly, but Hotch shook his head.

“The more, the merrier. And Garcia is going to love having you both here.”

Callahan shot him an excited grin. “I can’t wait! So, who else is coming?”

“That’s it,” Rossi said, sounding just a little bit dejected. “Reid said he couldn’t make it.”

“Oh…” Callahan took a deep breath. “We’ll have to make do without him, then. But first…” She looked over Hotch’s suit with a sneaky look on her face. “Are you planning on wearing that suit again?”

He looked down at the dusty pink. “You mean you think I could? I don’t even wear suits anymore…”

There was a short, stunned silence before Meg took over. “Alright. So how would you feel about us sprucing that up a bit for ya? We have some time, still.”

Hotch watched as the young woman pulled a handful of small bottles out of her bag. Glitter glue. He held back a roaring laugh and humbly took off his jacket. The ladies immediately went to work, decorating the lapels with curly trails of pink and silver glitter. They then took and decorated his tie, and even his pants didn’t escape their attention – though he was allowed to keep those on, at least. Rossi’s jeans received a little bead of glitter down the seams and so did Morgan’s before the team decided they were done.

"Well then," Rossi said as he admired his newly-gilded jeans. "They should be on their second margarita by now, we best get going.

"Alright," Morgan said with a chuckle, "but no one is getting in my car with this much glitter on their clothes. He looked over at Callahan, whose attire looked like it came straight out of the Barbie Ball Gown collection. Bedazzled and beglittered chiffon ruffles and all.

"Hey now," she said with a smile. "I'll have you know that Meg designed and made this for me."

"Did you show her your old Barbie collection and tell her you wanted to look like that?" Rossi joked.

Meg beamed at him. “Close. She said if you or Hotch gagged she’d buy me a new car.”

“And then you both showed up in pink.” Callahan laughed.

“Well what else were we gonna do?” Rossi asked her in mock exasperation. “It’s Barbie. They ran the world out of pink paint, you know.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Apparently so,” Hotch replied. “But if we’re not driving, we should probably get to walking. Like Morgan, I’d rather keep my car free of glitter. It’s a rental.”

“So if it wasn’t…?” Callahan joked as they moved down the sidewalk.

“I probably wouldn’t care,” Hotch said with a smile. “You do look… interesting, I have to say.”

“I know, right? It’s nightmare fuel.” She puffed up a bit of the chiffon and the sparkles caught the light of the nearby street lamp.

Hotch just nodded, unsure how to respond to that. “So how’ve you been?” he asked instead.

“Pretty great, actually. I have two kids at home, plus Meg at college – she got a full scholarship to Cornell. I’m so proud of her. Where is Jack going?”

“He… hasn’t really figured it out yet,” Hotch said with a smile. “He’s taking a gap year – he’s off backpacking in Australia with a few friends.”

“Oh, you must be so worried about him!” Callahan exclaimed and Hotch nodded just barely.

“I tried to talk him out of it, but –”

“Hey guys! Wait up!” The voice came from behind them, and they all turned around to see. Had their ears deceived them? Was their imagination playing with them?

No.

A few yards behind them, ungracefully running to catch up to them, was Spencer Reid. His polyester suit was shiny and pink. His light pink shirt was ruffled. His tie was a mess of pink glitter. Even his Allstars were pink and bedazzled. The sight was so distracting that for a moment, Hotch didn’t even register the woman Reid pulled along behind him. As they came to a panting stop before the small group, he noticed her dress first; understated in comparison to their own, gaudy get-ups, but still very much on theme. It was blue, in sharp contrast with all the pink, but looked like it had been stolen off the set of the movie somehow. When she finally looked up, Hotch felt his heart skip a beat.

Morgan was the first to recover. “Elle!” he yelled, before enveloping her in a warm bear hug. Hotch hugged her next, after which he introduced her to the rest of the group. Rossi was polite, but it seemed the stories he’d heard about Agent Greenaway made him cautious around her. Callahan and Meg had no such obstacles to overcome. They complimented each other’s dresses and ooh’d and aah’d about the details of each dress.

Rossi smirked. “Come on, ladies. We have another reunion to attend.”

Hotch smiled mildly, though he felt the nerves flutter in his stomach; It had been so long since he’d seen any of them. The group hurried down the sidewalk. Hotch had ended up next to Reid, and he was happy to see the younger man doing so well. “I like your shoes,” Hotch remarked dryly, raising one eyebrow as he inspected them.

“Thanks! I was up all night decorating them. I love your suit, too.”

Hotch looked down for a moment. “It was rather boring before the Callahans pulled out the glitter glue.”

“They brought it with them? Awesome! I saw earlier that I’d missed a spot.” Reid pulled up one leg and hopped along as he pointed out a small speck of unglittered, white canvas on his shoe.

Hotch chuckled. “I don’t think anyone’s going to notice that.”

“But I’ll know,” Reid protested, causing Hotch to laugh.

“Quiet down!” Rossi called from the front of the group. “We’re almost there. I think I can see Penelope.”

Looking up, Hotch thought it would be hard to miss her. Garcia’s dress was – as expected – very pink. As she moved, the color changed in the light, going from light pink to a deep, rich color that matched perfectly with her lipstick and the streaks of dyed hair. She was standing in front of the window, all but shielding the others from view, but Hotch could still make out Lewis, wearing a classically styled green dress. It followed the curve of her body until just above her knees, where light green chiffon poofed out. The same happened at her shoulders, where weightless chiffon bloomed around her upper arms. Hotch smiled.

As they got closer, he realized both Lewis and Garcia were wearing small hats, Lewis’ hat was dark green, with a cloud of light green chiffon while Garcia’s hat was hot pink and had a few feathers that brushed the side of her face. Behind them, he now saw JJ, wearing a simple but flattering soft pink dress with a white belt. Prentiss was standing next to her, wearing a white-and-blue pantsuit with a striped scarf around her neck. Hotch felt his heart ache as he watched them laugh; he’d missed them all so much.

They agreed to wait out here when they noticed the women inside were just about to leave. Lining up just across the narrow street, Hotch found himself flanked by Morgan on one side and Elle on the other. She gave him a slightly nervous look, which Hotch answered with a warm smile. There was no point in dragging up the past. Not tonight. “You’ve been doing alright?” he asked her quietly as they waited.

“Yeah. Fine, really. I, uh, I found something else to do.”

Hotch nodded. “So have I.”

“Yeah. Reid told me.” She hesitated for a moment before glancing up at him. “We’re good?”

He nodded again. “We’re good.”

“They’re coming!” Rossi whisper-shouted, and everyone instinctively straightened up.

Across the street, the door opened. Lewis wasn’t looking their way as she exited, holding the door for the others. For a moment, Hotch wasn’t sure they were going to notice them and a nervous shiver crept up his spine.

But then Prentiss glanced in their direction. She paused. Looked again. “Oh my god, you guys!” She called out, motioning for the others to follow her lead as she hurried across the street.

Soon, Hotch felt JJ’s warm arms around him, followed by Prentiss’ arms, then Garcia’s – followed by a warm handshake from Lewis. He smiled.

Hotch took a deep breath as he looked around. They were starting to head out now, to the small movie theater a little way down the street. Rossi informed them that he’d booked a private room for their group, and was answered by a few cheers. Hotch was walking between Reid and Prentiss. In front of him were Rossi and Morgan. Behind him, Callahan, Meg, and Garcia were catching up. Hotch closed his eyes for a moment. He was home.

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