If I start just delusionally posting about my DC OC as if he's in the DC universe, will Tumblr be kind to me?
Anyways, here's Reeve Horncross, 15 year old hobbiest stage magician and Baffle, the unknowable, incomprehensible eldritch trickster/chaos god!
I'm not a very good artist, so bear with me... he's got brown hair, brown eyes, and only has rabbit ears when casting magic due to trickster god shenanigans!
Powers: Teleportation to anywhere (dimensions included, whenever Baffles been, Reeve can go, breathable atmosphere or gear is needed tho), Transmutation (That street lamp is now a giant sprinkler! Isn't that so funny and cool? The dog is now a cat!), mild precognition (Baffle is all knowing, Reeve is not. Baffle just occasionally tells Reeve what's going to happen), and obviously, magic casting without the need to say spells cuz Reeve is using Baffles powers!
Weaknesses: Physical attacks (Reeve is still just a kid, he's not strong or anything), anything that would hurt a normal human (see above), and Too Much Logic (Baffle is just personally very adverse to it lol).
Not a weakness per say but due to the whole part about Baffle having Reeves soul and acting as a soul during casting, the two cannot be separated for long without risking Reeves body. He can't function without a soul, and so proximity to Baffle is a must. Reeve *will die* if Baffle is away from him for too long. The only issue with separating them is that one is a chaos god and the other is an escape artist with stage magic tricks. Ones turned the cage into silly puddy and the other unlocked the cuffs you put him in 2 minutes ago and is only humoring you.
The backstory is as follows:
Reeve attends some random normal high-school, he's like a C average student, but he utterly adores magic. The only issue is he doesn't think *magic* magic is real, and his true passion is in stage magic. Slight of hand. The performance of it all. He knows hundreds of card and coin tricks, and he gets bullied for it. He finds an old book in a thrift store that seems to have a bunch of pictures about magic tricks, but the words on each page are always shifting and are literally unreadable. He decided to try and perform one of the 'tricks' during a school talent show, only to accidentally summon a demon that possesses him and runs a rampage. He freaks out, but suddenly, a smokey figure appears before him and offers him a deal. His soul in exchange for this figure fixing everything. Reeve takes the deal, loses his soul, gets exorcized of the demon, and when the smoke clears, he's staring at a weird talking blue rabbit who's all like "Yeah so cuz I have your soul now, we're bonded forever. You're my new magic conduit." Basically, this trickster god was really bored and decided to help so they can have a human to mess with. Except this chaos entity thinks Reeve is pretty chill. Oh, also, their name is so non-human attempting to pronounce it will drive you mad, so they go by Baffle. Now, Reeve can cast magic using Baffle as a stand-in for a soul, which caused him to gain bunny-like features (purely for Baffles enjoyment). Baffle will say they're using Reeve as a "vessel for my sick and twisted chaos!!! Mwuahahaha!" but the worst chaos they ever cause is mild pranks like buckets of water perked in doorways or glitter bombs. Reeve becomes a hero using Baffles magic and Baffle is just along for the ride cuz it's been millenias since they've done anything this entertaining. Baffle genuinly likes Reeve and is borderline protective of him, restricting magic usage to "only what's necessary and/or funny!". Despite being an eldritch god, Baffle isn't all that powerful compared to other divine beings.
Reeve, sat in math class: .... *groaning in boredom*
Baffle, who's currently curled up in his backpack, floppy ears barely visible out the top: You should duck.
Reeve: Huh? Why?
Baffle: Alien invasion.
Reeve, trying to not get caught talking to the rabbit in his backpack: Dude what the hell does that-
(Explosion from outside as he barely ducks in time to avoid flying debris and glass.)
Baffle: I told you so.
Reeve, scooping up his backpack with Baffle peeking over the top, immediately running down the hall and outside: Yeah whatever. Magic me.
Baffle: Needy, needy. *Jumps from the bag into Reeves chest, cue magical girl transformation into Reeves hero costume + ears and they start kicking ass*
Kord Industries:... Industry producing robots for transport and home assistance
Inside the Kord Industries laboratory, a brown-haired man sighed with exhaustion as he looked at the metallic body on a work table.
Ted: After years of work... You're finally back, little Jaime
The man smiled with tears in his eyes as he stroked the machine's faux fur cheek.
Soon a computer with the image of a beetle was activated.
Khaji-Da: Mr. Kord, I remind you that Subject 001's body cannot function without a motherboard, he needs it to connect his human brain to the machinery of the new body.
Ted: I know, I also know they are hard to get...
The man looked at the computer
Khaji-Da: It will also be especially difficult to find a motherboard advanced enough to work in conjunction with the subject's human brain.
Ted: I also know that there are only two AIs with that kind of technology... The first one is at Wayne Industries... And the second one is right here.
The man approached the computer to open its control panel.
Khaji-Da: Sir Kord, you know you won't be able to get me back if you do this, right, plus there's a chance young Reyes' brain will be damaged by my already used motherboard.
Ted: I know, but it doesn't matter as long as he comes back... I'm sorry Khaji, you were a great friend.
Khaji-Da: And you were my creator, I hope you know what you're doing Mr. Ko-...
The man ripped out the motherboard from the computer and approached to the metal body, to open a small gate where in a human a heart opened
Ted: You're going back Jaime, you're going back to your uncle Ted...
Inside a single-story house, where there was only a kitchen-dining room, a living room and a bathroom. A 19-year-old boy was laughing as he sat at a table next to a blond man.
Barry: Bart, stop making noise or when Wally gets here he'll know we've been waiting for him, plus your Aunt Iris feels bad about working so hard at the bakery today.
Bart: I'm sorry aunt Iris!
The reddish brown laughed when he saw the woman move uncomfortably in the pile of blankets scattered on the floor.
Suddenly the door of the house was opened by a young red-haired man who looked tired, he seemed to be 24 years old.
Barry/Bart: SURPRISE! WELCOME BACK HOME!
The redhead jumped in fright and then screamed
Wally: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THEM?!! THEY ALMOST SCARED ME TO DEATH!!
Bart: Don't exaggerate, bro.
Bart ran to the older one and hugged him.
Bart: Do you have my hologram?!! Do you have it?
The redhead nodded as he pulled a shiny metal bucket out of his backpack.
Barry laughed to caress the brown hair
Barry: Listen kid, if they don't accept you into the MRS, it's okay, there will be other opportunities.
Bart denied
Bart: Uncle Barry , I doubt it's every day that a school as prestigious as MRS accepts you to join its scholarship plan.
Barry: Good point, still, don't think we'll love you any less if you're not accepted.
Once Aunt Iris got up to go with them, Bart turned on the device, exploding with excitement (not literally), seeing a bald man in a suit in the hologram.
??: Greetings young lady, young man or young other, I am Lex Lutor, director of the prestigious Metropolis Robotics College. This hologram is your answer to the advanced test you took to enter our scholarship system... And I am personally proud to say...
Everyone looked expectantly at the bald guy.
Lex. Hologram: You have been accepted into our school, you are welcome to join our study program at the end of this year's vacation. This hologram will then be erased. And it will be replaced by one from the list of supplies that was recently updated just for the students of this new year.
Wally: Did you hear that, shorty? You'll come study with me! We'll both get scholarships, but what does it matter!
Bart: Hahaha! Yes! This is so crash!!
Barry: How nice Bart, now to celebrate this, it's already night but please... Do you think you can go to the convenience store nearby and get some sodas?! I'll treat you!
Iris: Barry, they cost more than we can-
Barry: I know, but the kids deserve it.
Iris: ... Well, you're right.
Bart: Fine!! Then I won't be long!
Barry: Back in a Flash!
Bart: That's a horrible joke!
He said to leave the house, once outside he took a breath and began to walk happily, in the distance he managed to see the enormous Kord building, his dream... He wanted to be an inventor in that place.
As Bart looked at the building, his face looked in amazement as smoke began to come out of one of the building's windows.
As i've stated before i've wanted to make a Viva Piñata iceberg, and while i've enjoyed putting stuff on it and writing down some info on each point i need some help with putting more stuff on here! I'm sure some of you have some neat things, theories or rumors that would go on here, do send those my way (preferably with a explanation, too)
Explanation on each point can be found below
The TV show - Some people’s first exposure to the franchise was the TV show, made to go alongside the games as a sort of advertisement. It was made by 4Kids and had a total of 2 seasons, starring the 4 main characters: Hudson Horstachio, Franklin Fizzlybear, Paulie Pretztail and Fergy Fudgehog.
Rare games easter eggs - There are plenty of easter eggs to other Rare games throughout Viva Piñata, the easiest ones to note are the broken arcade cabinets found in the first game as well as the various nods to Banjo Kazooie - such as the Bird and Bear statue, Mumbo statue, Breegull backpack and Bottle’s Glasses.
Stardos is Dastardos - The game never tells you this directly, but it’s an easy and obvious conclusion to make.
Twingersnaps and Fourheads - Without using a guide or looking it up you may actually be baffled on how to acquire these piñatas in game. There is no obvious hint in game to tell you to hit the Syrupent egg before it hatches on the third bounce, which means you either have to figure it out through experimentation or by looking it up.
Leafos False Rumors - Leafos is meant to give you good advice to help you out while you play the game if you talk to her, however not all information she gives is true. Some rumors include putting a Badgesicle in water will turn it into a Sweetooth, feeding a Doenut to a Pretztail turns it into a Mallowolf and so on. None of these actually work.
Piñatas aren’t permanently broken - When a piñata is broken it is magically repaired, at least when on Piñata island, reforming at the edge of a garden when broken at one. It is stated that piñatas are repaired after having been sent to parties, which would potentially mean that piñatas only magically repair themselves when on the island.
The PC Port - Not very well advertised, there was a PC port released for the first Viva Piñata game. There are a couple of differences between the port and the original Xbox 360 release, which are touched upon later.
Piñatas are genderless - Technically no piñata is given a gender in game, all piñatas function the same. While in the show gendered piñatas are present it could potentially be that piñatas are naturally genderless and then if they are sapient can choose genders which fit their identity.
Burger king toys - A bundle of burger king exclusive plastic toys of piñatas were made and sold alongside the children's meals, some of the piñatas were Elephanilla, Sparrowmint, Goobaa and so forth. These toys are nowadays rare and sought after by people who collect the very small amount of official Viva Piñata merch that exists.
Wildcards - Wildcard piñatas are unique piñatas that have a feature which makes it stand out next to others of its species. There are a total of 3 variants of wildcards per piñata, some being exclusively gained through trading piñatas online. In the original game wildcards were extremely rare and there was only one variant, while they were made easier to acquire in TiP.
Both the games and show are canon - Just what it says, according to the creators both the games and show are canon to Viva Piñata lore. This makes for some strange implications, but that is for later.
TiP Fence Glitch / Exploit - A sort of well known glitch often used while playing Viva Piñata Trouble in Paradise. Fences normally do not stop Ruffians and Professor Pester from entering your garden, as they simply destroy them when they’re in the way. However, if arranged in a specific pattern in the area next to the volcano they enter from, the fence will make them permanently stuck. They will be stopped at the very edge of the garden at the fence, unable to properly enter or do anything. This can occur unintentionally as well in both the original game and TiP, as sometimes Ruffians and Professor Pester get stuck on seemingly random things and become unable to do anything.
Domesticated piñatas becoming un-domesticated - A strange difference between the original game and TiP is the fact that you can no longer buy domesticated piñatas from the Paper Pet’s store. Instead of being purchased they simply appear in the wild like any other wild piñata, whether this implies that these piñatas are no longer considered domesticated or is just a game design choice is unclear.
Piñata cards - In Viva Piñata Trouble in Paradise there is a function which is called Piñata Vision, which utilizes the Xbox Live Vision camera. By scanning the card you can get the piñata or item displayed on the card, some of these cards feature the developers in the form of a piñata and characters from other games.
Language Dubs - The PC port of the original game has a lot of language dubs, translated into languages such as Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Chinese and more. Some of these do not extend to the UI oddly enough, while for the majority of translations all of the game’s features are translated accordingly, with the exception of piñata names. The language chosen is determined by the language set for the computer, so if you want the game in a specific language you’d need to change the language of the computer before installing it.
PC port graphical downgrades - Oddly enough the PC port has some graphical differences compared to the original Xbox 360 release. Mostly the graphics being downgraded, even on the highest settings, such as the lighting and texture resolution on objects and the environment.
Some piñatas are sapient, others not - Because of the fact that both the show and games are canon makes some things kind of weird. Though even if the show wasn’t canon this would still be a thing - as thanks to the existence of Langston and some of the show characters appearing in the DS game. Most piñatas in the games act like animals and cannot speak, however in the show and with Langston they are very much as sapient as a human. What causes a piñata of the same species to be sapient or not? Why does no character in the game acknowledge this strange difference? We don’t know.
Magic is real - In the Viva Piñata universe, at least on Piñata Island, magic exists. Seen in the form of Leafos and Jardinero summoning items, Jack transforming items into other things, Seedos and other characters teleporting and both Dastardos and Storkos being able to fly. There are other examples of magic, nobody really explains why magic exists or to what extent it is used or capable of being, but simply something that is commonplace on Piñata Island. If magic exists in other places is unknown.
The DS game - Known as Viva Piñata Pocket Paradise, the DS game came out after both the original game and TiP. It features a mix of piñatas from both the other games, however not all of them, because of the limitations of being on the DS. It is pretty much just another Viva Piñata game where you tend to a garden, now using the touchscreen to use your tools and so on.
How the fuck does the family not recognize Dastardos as Stardos - A strange phenomenon considering at least Jardinero considers Dastardos familiar, but apparently none of the other family members have been able to figure out that Dastardos is in fact Stardos. Whether this is them just being very oblivious or not it’s still sad that they can’t even recognize their own family member after being corrupted. This is also even more strange considering Dastardos lives literally across the garden from his family, how have they not been able to tell by now?
Langston taking over the position of authority in piñata central from Jeffe - Apparently Jeffe used to be in charge of the piñata central and was later kicked off his position and replaced by Langston, this is to reflect how Jeffe was originally planned as the head of the piñata central before being replaced by Langston as influenced by the show. Why he was kicked off his position is uncertain, but theorized to be because of the fact that he turned into a piñata or half piñata from ingesting too much candy - though why this would influence him being kicked off i’m not sure. Maybe he abused the central for his own gain?
“They all wear masks, some are just more elaborate than others” - A statement from a developer when asked about the masks worn by the humanoid characters in the games, whether they’re their actual heads or some kinda mask. This was meant to clarify that all the human characters are fully human, however it still leaves some things unanswered - such as if they are masks then why can we not see Fannie Franker’s face inside the mailbox on her head? Or what does that entail for the Ruffians whose bodies are pretty much completely covered in their masks.
Squazzil name debate - A reference to how in game Leafos mentions that the name for the Squazzil was debated before you, the player, arrived at the island. Being apparently called Nonsquirrel as they were trying to figure out a name for the species. Whether this is true or not is uncertain, as Leafos does state untrue rumors sometimes.
The side characters in P-Factor - P-Factor is a minigame in TiP that is you showing off your piñata in a contest against other players or npcs. This minigame features both already existing npcs, such Leafos for example, as well as some made exclusively for the minigames. Some of these npcs include Maxime, Babochka, Nana Urf and more. They also make an appearance in the Great Piñata Paperchase minigame, however they are much more prominently presented in the P-Factor minigame.
Unknown blue flower - There is a blue flower which appears outside of the garden space as a decoration in the original game. This blue flower is not a flower which appears anywhere else, and cannot be planted in the garden either. Most of the flowers and trees found outside the garden space are plants that are available for the player, but this one flower is unique in that it isn’t part of those plants.
Leafos might be a lesbian - As it is very much implied that Leafos is the one who writes the entries for the items, objects, characters and piñatas in the journal one can glean interesting information and thoughts about Leafos. In the entry for the Pink Flutterscotch there is the sentence “A girl (that I may or may not have liked) once told me that the Pink Flutterscotch reminded her of a kiss.” Some people take this as an implication that Leafos may be a lesbian and or bi, which i personally think would be neat.
Unused piñata concepts - There are plenty of piñatas that never made it into any of the games, as one would expect. Examples of piñatas that never appear in the game but had concepts made for them are a Giraffe, a Platypus that would’ve been acquired by breeding a Quackberry and Sweetooth together, a Hammerhead shark with a sour form and a Kangaroo. A goldfish piñata was also part of concepts, however this piñata does appear in the game - as the fish in the bowl on Miss Petulas head.
Banjo Kazooie Mountains - One of the rarer (hah) easter eggs to spot in the original game, in the distance across the swamp where Seedos lives one can see a mountain which has Banjo and Kazooie carved into the mountain. This is much easier to see in the Xbox 360 version compared to the PC port, because of the higher resolution textures.
Silent piñatas - Every piñata is voice acted, or are they? One might notice that there are two, well technically eleven, piñatas that are completely silent. The Flutterscotches and Motdrops are fully silent, not making any noise. Why this is is uncertain, as other bug piñatas do have noises, such as the Taffly and Sweetle. It may be because normally no noise is associated with butterflies or moths in real life, or it may be because these piñatas are meant to be more akin to decorational than a “proper” piñata.
Dragonache flying away glitch - A glitch which is easily done in game, by making the dragonache engage in a fight with another piñata and using the menu to send it off from the garden. By opening the fighting view, which can be accessed to monitor the fight separate from the normal camera view, it will focus in on the two piñatas. The camera will become strange as the Dragonache flies away from the garden, letting you see out of bounds and see details otherwise obscured by things in the background around the garden. I recommend doing this after having done at least one mandatory fight beforehand, as you are forced to watch the first fight that occurs and will unable to do anything till it is finished. Thus if you do this glitch while forced to watch it you will be unable to access the rest of your garden for quite some time.
Giant Zumbug glitch - Not certain if a glitch or hack, there have been reports of a giant Zumbug in TiP which is acquired through unknown means. This giant Zumbug can be sent through the Xbox Live service, but more than that is not known.
Professor Pester is legit evil and fucked up - Even though he’s presented in the show as a bumbling idiot of a villain, he has done a lot of fucked up shit. Not only does he employ Ruffians to mess up other people’s gardens, including Jardinero’s garden, he is also the reason why sour piñatas exist. Making a sour goop which is used for creating sour candy, it is a candy which makes anyone who eats it sick and possibly corrupts them - this is evident in how he corrupted Stardos by giving him sour candy. He may have rather bland goals as a villain, simply wanting complete control of the piñata island and its piñatas, but he’s done some pretty messed up stuff to try and accomplish this goal.
Extra color variants - All piñatas, except for the Flutterscotches, have three color variants that can be acquired by feeding the piñata specific things. However, there are piñatas that have more variants than others, through being caught in the Pinartic or Dessert Desert, and then feeding those the same things. This will cause them to gain a different tint of color compared to their normal counterparts, as thanks to having a different default color because of being from a different region.
Giant and tiny seeds - You can gain a plethora of things from the mine, which includes seeds. Sometimes when the mine uncovers seeds there is a chance for the seed to either be bigger or smaller than normal, these seeds work exactly like their normal sized versions, but sell for different prices. The size difference can vary wildly, with really big seeds and incredibly tiny seeds that are hard to see.
Ivor has two mouths - Something that may be easily missed, but Ivor Bargain does as a matter of fact have two mouths. One for each “face” he has, for when he’s a beggar and a merchant, he can flip between the two by spinning his head, flipping his head up or down. This is a little freaky, and completely glanced over in game, left unexplained why he has two mouths or can flip his head upside down with no consequences.
Leafos is vegan - A very recent thing which has been observed through the rare cookbook that has been released, which features an array of rare game inspired recipes. Recipes which are vegan or vegan friendly are marked with “Leafos vegan approved”, which implies that Leafos is vegan.
Humans can become piñatas rumor - In game this is presented in TiP with Jeffe, which is a human piñata or a half human half piñata, he states “If you eat enough candy and pull a face in the wind you'll become a piñata, I never want to see another piece of candy let alone a piñata full of it.” as part of dialogue during P-Factor. We cannot confirm whether this is actually true or not, but if Jeffe’s statement is true then it would imply that humans can turn into piñatas. This in turn creates a lot of questions, such as why does this happen? Has this happened to people outside of Piñata Island? Is this something exclusive to just the island or candy from the living piñatas? Can this happen with animals as well?
Tamed sour piñatas reverting via mail - A gameplay mechanic which is not commonly seen is the fact that tamed sour piñatas can revert back to a sour state. This occurs when you send a tamed sour piñata to a player which hasn’t unlocked the tamed version of that piñata, when the piñata is taken out of its mailed box it will be the sour version. This happens in all the main games, including Pocket Paradise as well.
Dastardos and Seedos special interaction - I have not personally seen this interaction but many have reported Dastardos and Seedos having an interaction with each other in game. If people want to elaborate on this or have footage of it that’d be great.
Viva Piñata Candy Stash - There are a few piñata games which aren’t widely known, for example this Adobe Flash tower defense game developed and published by 4Kids TV, known as Viva Piñata Candy Stash. This game features Professor Pester trying to steal the player’s candy using Ruffian robots, and to stop him the player builds towers invented by piñata characters from the tv show.
Piñata mascot suits - As part of promotions and promotion material there exists mascot suits of some piñatas, such as the Horstachio, Pretztail and Fudgehog. Whether these suits are kept in storage somewhere or have been thrown away we do not know.
The Two Tragic Times Fae Met Kylo Ren at Disneyland
Okay so I figured I had to tell these stories here because there are a lot of people who were like “YAY I MET KYLO” and I am just...flabbergasted because I was like “am I the only person in the world actually traumatized by Kylo Ren” The answer to that seems to be ‘yes absolutely’ and I will tell you why.
So, some background about me, I never really liked character meet and greets. I’m awkward, I never know what to say ESPECIALLY to characters who can actually speak to me. I cannot converse with people in real life, why the hell could I converse with people getting paid to LARP with me. I just...cannot do it. I will not. But Goofy? Sure, I’ll give that big dorky bastard a hug.
Fast forward to the first time I met Kylo Ren. @imagines-in-a-galaxy-farfar-away was visiting me and we went to Disneyland like the DAY AFTER The Last Jedi came out. She had a Polaroid camera and she wanted me to take a picture of her and Kylo with the camera and I was like “hhhhhhhh sure”. KNOWING I was gonna be incredibly nervous. So I sucked it up and we went in there and of COURSE Kylo was a massive bully. He got in my face, stared me down, VERY invasive shit which I DONT DISAGREE WITH. I was like “yeah, you know what? Kylo IS a massive dick so I’m okay.” THAT DIDNT STOP ME FROM FREAKING OUT THOUGH. I was literally shaking holding the camera. The cast members in the room were like “Would you like to be in the picture?” and I’m like “N-N-N-NO I-I’M G-F-GOOD IM J-JUST GONNA T-TAKE THIS -P-P-P-POLAROID” So I did, the picture is Hailee’s favorite and everything was fine. I needed to take 30 minutes to lower my heart rate, and I was okay.
BUT THE NEXT TIME.......you guys need to buckle up because this is where it gets UN. REAL.
Fast forward to 2019. Hailee is back in town with her whole family and she wants to meet Rey because she was new that year. And I was like “eeehhhhhh” and Hailee was like “dude, Rey’s a good guy she’s not gonna be a dick” and I’m like “EHHHHHHHH” so I was like “Fine, you know what? You’re right, Rey would NEVER be a dick to me.” (I was kinda wrong about that, but that’s not important lmfao. She was VERY Resistance and did NOT appreciate my Stormtrooper backpack.)
Then, as we were coming out of the Rey room, we were walking about the Landing Bay and she noticed that Kylo had no line. And it was at that moment, we realized the entire Landing Bay was practically deserted. Hailee, being the regular, fully functioning individual she is wanted to see Kylo and she’s like “I’m not gonna make you go in there, but I’ll be right back.” and I was like “great, cool, I’ll sit on this bench.”
Now, I need to set the scene. The Landing Bay, if you’ve ever been inside is a circular building where Innoventions used to be (for all you Disneyphiles). There’s a staircase that goes up to a second level that was, before it was Launch Bay, was a Marvel section that even featured Disney Infinity 3.0 (I worked on that game!) So at the ground floor level of this huge, solid wall stair case are benches that face into each unique area of the Launch Bay. The Dark Side meet and greets are directly adjacent to one of these benches about 30 yards away give or take . This bench looks directly towards the empty lines for Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. And if you’ve ever been inside those meet and greet rooms they are basically a set-dressed photo studio, but a VERY small space with a waiting area where the character comes to you and then brings you in to interact with you and in Kylo’s case, be an absolute dick to you beyond reason. More on that later.
So the Landing bay is currently empty. I will see two people in the next 5-7 minutes, none of which will witness what’s about to happen.
I’m sitting by myself on this bench, and my legs are SHAKING. As an anxious person, I’m imagining all of the possible scenarios happening inside. The FIRST thing I thought of was “I bet you anything Hailee outed me as being a weenie about meet and greets” (which she HAD done with Rey. Hailee I love you and the embarrassment I bear from that will never leave me) So I immediately text the group chat of my coworkers about it and as I’m texting frantically, my phone starts ringing.
It’s Hailee.
In that moment, I was livid. I was like “really this bitch is going to call me when I KNOW she’s in there with that asshole Kylo, like some friend” and I ALMOST let it go to voicemail, but in a flurry of bravery, I answered the phone and was like “Hailee, knock it off, this is NOT funny. DONT.” and I hung up and then I got REALLY scared because I didn’t hear ANYTHING on the other line.
And here’s where it gets ridiculous.
Remember, the Landing Bay is empty. At this point, I see the first set of people, a German family with two children happily skipping by me. As soon as they’re gone, the door to Kylo Ren’s meet and greet area opens. And I know this because there’s a light on the other side of it, I can see it as the door opens. Kylo appears in the doorway.
KYLO REN. APPEARS. IN. THE. DOOR. WAY.
I freeze. No movement in every possible inch of my body, I actually cannot move. I’m staring at him, he’s staring at me. The Landing Bay is empty. We stay like that for about ten seconds and he gestures for me to come.
By this point, I’m visibly shaking. I’m now holding my phone in a death grip and my palms are sweating so badly it’s gonna slip out of my hand like a fucking bar of soap. I shake my head. I cannot even speak, I just. NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE.
then he glares at me. STILL! THERE’S NO ONE AROUND. NO ONE IS WITNESSING THIS EXCEPT FOR ME AND MUTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE KYLO REN. So after he glares at me, He does that thing he always does in all the fanfiction where his cape goes woosh and he’s gone.
So the door closes and then I immediately break down. Full blown panic attack, shaking, soundless crying, tears start POURING down my face. At this point, I see the second soul in the Landing Bay, a very adorably dressed girl with a parasol heading also to the Kylo Ren line, who is promptly taken into the waiting area by the cast member. She did not see this either.
Minutes later, Hailee appears from the exit side looking mildly concerned. She sees me crying and she’s like “oh my god what happened” and I E X P L O D E into tears like ‘how could you DO THIS TO ME it WASNT FUNNY’. And she sat down next to me and says:
“You are not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.”
According to Hailee, without her Polaroid, she asked the Cast Member to use her phone to take her picture. It was at this point she mentioned, to not my surprise at ALL, that she DID have someone else here with her, but she was sitting outside (me) and that if I were there, I’d be the one to take then picture.
So here’s where it gets weird because I only have half of this interaction: According to Hailee (who I love and trust with my whole life), Kylo demanded she contact me. Hailee politely declined, however he REMOVED her phone from her hand, DEMANDED she tell him which contact I was, dialed the number, PUT ME ON SPEAKERPHONE.
So. EVERYONE in that TINY ASS ROOM, Kylo’s handler, the photographer, Hailee, K Y L O FUCKING R E N. Heard me HOLDING BACK TEARS saying “KNOCK IT OFF THIS ISN”T FUNNY”
You know the rest, he storms out, stares me down,(threatens me, really), then disappears. He leaves a video message for me, which Hailee spared me from and then released her.
It took me an HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE minutes to feel myself again after that. Hailee felt SO...BAD about it, it absolutely put a damper on our day.
And that is why if I ever see Kylo walking about Galaxy’s Edge, there will be a Fae-shaped hole in the nearest blast door and I will be G O N E. I am not expecting anyone to believe a goddamn word of this because it’s truly insane, but cross my fucking heart, swear to die this actually happened.
Read on Ao3
Based on this post from @blinksinbewilderment
Summary: Virgil's cold, Logan’s helpful, and it happens to be raining outside.
Warnings: Touch-starvation (which we’re pretending can become serious after a week), mostly just gays being snuggly
Pairing: Analogical
Virgil was having a bad day.
The day had been long, his teachers had been more idiotic than usual, he had a small mountain of papers as homework, and Patton had been gone a week on vacation. Which meant along with school stress, he wasn’t even getting any hugs, which made him cold and irritable. Of course, the obvious solution to this problem was to get hugs from someone else.
But Roman was busy with the fall play, so Virgil wasn’t going to annoy him. And his roommate, Logan (who he most certainly did not have a crush on), wasn’t very touchy.
So it seemed he was just going to die waiting for Patton to come back. This was the only way to deal with the problem. At least it would get him out of the three page essay he had to write for english.
An essay he had been staring at for an hour without doing anything about. He was just too distracted to do anything. It was too rainy outside for him to make a walk to Starbucks, which meant he had no coffee, which meant there was nothing to warm the cold void inside his stomach, which meant he was shivering despite the heavy hoodie he was trying to pretend was as heavy as Patton when he was holding Virgil.
It also meant the sleep he hadn’t been bothering to catch up on for the last two nights was slinking into the corners of his mind and trying to convince him taking a nap on his desk right in front of Logan was a good idea.
“Virgil?”
Virgil flinched hard enough to knock his pencil off his desk, caught off-guard by Logan, who had been silent the entire afternoon. He glanced down at the fallen writing utensil before deciding attempting to pick it up had a high chance of causing him to fall out of the chair. He moved his gaze over to Logan. “Yes?”
“Are you alright?” Logan asked, closing his book to focus his frown on Virgil. “You seem to be… not fully here.”
Virgil waved a dismissive hand. “It’s alright, specs, no need to worry. I’m just a little tired. English’s too boring to focus on, anyways.”
Logan’s frown didn’t go away. “Are you sure that is all that is bothering you?” He asked. Virgil sighed internally. Why did he have to get such a perceptive roommate?
Drumming his fingers on his desk, Virgil chose to go with the approach most likely to fly over Logan’s head: sarcasm.
“Oh, you know how it is.” He started, keeping his tone light. “When you just really wanna hold someone’s hand, wanna be snuggly, wanna be held tight while they rest their chin on your head.”
He put stress on the actual touching actions, hoping the over-dramatic tone hid his deep desire to genuinely do them.
Logan placed his book down, his worry somehow even more increased. Seems the sarcasm didn’t work.
“Virgil, it sounds like you are quite possibly touch-starved. When’s the last time you participated in human contact?”
He sounded… really serious. Virgil wasn’t expecting that, and he answered honestly, “I, uh, I guess not since Patton left for his trip?”
“A week ago?”
“Yeah…?” Virgil responded, not liking the concerned face Logan refused to drop. He turned back to his barely touched essay. “It’s fine, Lo, really; I just-”
Apparently, Virgil was more out of it then he thought, given he hadn’t even heard Logan get off his bed or walk over. But Logan definitely had, if the arms now wrapped around him meant anything.
He stiffened in surprise, and the arms around him loosed in response.
“Apologies if this makes you uncomfortable, Virgil. I can go find someone else you would be more comfortable with, if you wish, but given the possible long-term effects of touch-starvation, I cannot figuratively or literally ‘stand by.’”
“I, uh,” Virgil coughed, trying to cover the waver his voice had mysteriously gotten now that there was something warm and heavy and human leaning on him, “I’m good. If you don’t mind, of course, I don’t want to impose or-”
“I assure you Virgil, I am perfectly content with this.” Logan replied before Virgil could continue, his own tone calming and assured. “Human touch and contact is as necessary to our optimal survival as eating. I am not at all uncomfortable with providing it.”
“Oh… okay.” Virgil mumbled. “If you’re sure.”
Logan hummed in affirmation, before asking, “Do you mind if we move? This position is less than constructive towards the well-being of my back.”
For the first time since he had come over, Virgil looked at Logan. The other student was awkwardly half-crouching to be on the right level to hug Virgil.
“Oh, eek, yeah we can move. Do you want to sit on the floor, or…?”
“I believe our beds would be substantially more enjoyable to rest on.”
“That… that makes more sense.” Virgil admitted sheepishly. He wasn’t going to mention the fact that bed had been his first thought as well, one he didn’t want to voice in case Logan thought he was being weird.
Logan let go of Virgil, giving Virgil a few seconds to miss the loss of warmth before he took his hand, gently tugging him out of his chair and towards Logan’s bed.
“We can lay on your bed if you’d prefer, but given the state of it…” Logan trailed off, glancing at Virgil’s clothes covered bed.
“Your bed’s fine.” Virgil said, watching as Logan took his book off and slipped it back into his backpack.
Logan hesitated a moment, glancing at Virgil apologetically. “Would you mind removing your hoodie?”
“What? Why?”
“Skin-to-skin contact better works to reverse the effects of touch-starvation.” Logan answered. “Numerous studies have concluded that skin-to-skin contact benefits not only infants, but humans of all ages. It can help to relax, calm, and de-stress.”
“Oh.” Virgil replied mildly before nodding. “Alright.” He regrettable let go of Logan’s hand and pulled off his hoodie. He tried to ignore the way Logan was pretending to not be staring.
Not that Logan had any reason to be staring. It wasn’t like he was always wearing his hoodie. Just in the winter and fall. And spring. And summer. And inside. And while lifting (to settle a year-long bet). And while on trips. Sometimes while sleeping. He had gotten into the bath with it on twice as a joke. Taken more showers in it than he’d care to admit.
Alright, so maybe he wore it a lot. Sue him. It still wouldn’t make any sense for Logan to be so clearly not looking at him (and still sometimes glancing back, like he was stealing a look).
“I, um, I’m ready if you are.” Virgil said, cringing immediately at how awkward it sounded. Didn’t help he felt practically naked in just his black t-shirt. Or that Logan was acting like he wasn’t looking at him.
Logan coughed, seemingly startled, before responding, “I am also ready.”
Great. They were both feeling awkward now. At least it was even playing fields, Virgil decided.
After another moment of standing in uneasy silence, Logan laid down on the bed, shifting a little to get as comfortable as possible before he lifted an arm, clearly beckoning Virgil to join him.
Virgil didn’t react for a moment, biting his tongue and starting to regret this decision. This was weird, wasn’t it? To just casually cuddle with your roommate/crush? Who was likely just doing it to stop you from hurting yourself due to biological crap?
But then he shivered, still feeling unnaturally cold, and any resolve he might have had crumbled. He climbed into the bed, rolling over so his back was to Logan, waiting for the other to have an objection to it.
Logan didn’t say anything, however; he simply scooted a little bit forward so he could wrap his arms around Virgil, pressing against his back. He even tucked his chin over Virgil’s head.
“Is this adequate?” Logan asked, softly. Virgil didn’t respond at first, too focused on the fact that Logan was right there and warm and holding him and damnit why had he never asked for a hug from Logan before, this was really nice and-
“Virgil?”
Oh. Yeah. Words communicated things. Not just thoughts.
“Yeah, it’s uh… it’s great.” Virgil answered.
Logan hummed, the vibrations in his chest soothing against Virgil’s back. “Good.”
They lapsed into silence after that, Virgil gradually curling closer into Logan while listening to the raindrops drum against the window. After his mind finally got out of its loop of warm safe good perfect, everything was calm and relaxing, his eyelids fluttering as he fought to not fall asleep. It was nice.
Until his brain unhelpfully turned back on to point out the fact that warm safe good perfect was his crush. This would have been problematic for a full-functioning being. For Virgil, however, who was half a beat away from falling asleep, it was disastrous.
Because a sleepy Virgil? That was a shameless Virgil.
“You know a lot about this touch-starvation stuff.” He mumbled, breaking the silence.
“It has come up in a few research projects.”
“Mmmhmmm. So you’d be able to answer most questions about it, yeah?”
“Most, yes.” Logan replied non-committedly. “Why, do you have any?”
“Just one.” Virgil shifted so that he was partially facing Logan. “Can lips get touch-starved?”
“It’s not an area that touch-starvation research has really looked into, so I can’t give you a definite answer.” Logan responded, face neutral. Virgil thought he’d have to be more obvious when Logan smirked and added, “If it concerns you, however, we could always take preventive measures.”
“Oh, really?” Virgil asked coyly. “And what might those be?”
Logan’s answer wasn’t verbal.
Virgil pulled away from the kiss after a minute, rolling over more so that he was fully facing Logan. He wrapped his arms around him before squishing his face into the crook of Logan’s neck, quickly losing the battle against going to sleep.
“We should cuddle more often.” He mumbled, his eyes fluttering shut as he did so, no longer having any resolve to keep them open.
Logan chuckled, nestling his chin back on top of Virgil’s head before responding, “Yes, I think we should.”
It was the last thing Virgil heard before he drifted off to sleep, happily snuggled in the embrace of the man he loved, raindrops still pattering on the window.
K&K is a Fate Accelerated campaign set in the Mario universe, which I’m running for three players:
Bee @thebeeskneesocks, playing Kandace Koopa
Jovian @jovian12, playing Cozmo Naut
Malky @sleepdepravity, playing Dr. Chevy Chain
Last time | Archive | Next time
Previously on Kingdoms and Koopas, the crew went and shot a movie with acclaimed actor/writer/director Zip Toad, and were wildly successful! However, they did this while ignoring the fact that there was a war going on between the two magic schools, which means that a war between the two magic schools happened without them.
This time, they deal with the aftermath of that event- and end up breaking someone dangerous out of jail for reasons.
(“Pull the lever, Cozmo!”)
So, fresh off the shoot, Kandace gets a phone call from Kammy Koopa, headmistress of Kammy Koopa’s Academy for Young Witches and Wizards. She’s heard of the party’s success in recovering the Music Key from the Orbital Doom Casa, and so she asks Kandace to hand it over. Kandace agrees to do so, but here is the thing: she’s lying. She is lying a lot and does not intend to give Kammy the last Music Key.
Instead, the party hatches a scheme. They want to make Kammy think they’ve handed over the last Music Key, when instead they’ve kept it for themselves. They also want to find out where she’s keeping the rest of them, and maybe figure out what her nefarious plan is- and who she might be working for.
So they need a fake music key, right? Where are they going to get a fake music key? It’ll need to be... round...
I cannot for the life of me believe that the following was Chevy’s idea that she volunteered for, but... a plan is hatched to disguise Chevy as the last macguffin and hand her over to Kammy. Hm! That’s. Going to be. Easy?
Surely it will be easy to do this, All they need to do is make her translucent and blue and the size of a cantaloupe and have a little music note floating inside her and give off a distinctive magical signature. That’s baby school stuff.
Smallening can be achieved via one of Kandace’s spells- she’s got one for the occasion, but the drawback is that while it decreases size, it conserves mass- so small Chevy is very dense and heavy. Thankfully, Kandace has another spell, one she’s used several times in the past- it’s the spell that makes things lighter but softer/rounder, used to allow Chevy to ride along on her broom. By combining the two, the size issue is solved. They now have an appropriately-sized Chevy.
Magic is also the answer to the problem of the magical signature. Since they’re in contact with the princess of the Magic Kingdom, they’re able to call up Opal and ask if she knows the appropriate spell- and she does. Kandace can now smell the magical signatures of items and swap those smells around. (The Music Key magic-smells like mint-flavored sugarless chewing gum, and Chevy smells like formaldehyde.)
The problem remaining is... making Chevy translucent and blue. Kandace doesn’t have a spell for this, so the party heads into town to find something that might do the trick. Legitimate Merchantson is selling some translucent blue paint which surely works the way they’re hoping it does. Chet Rippo has a magical spell he claims will do the job. But what ends up catching their eye is a badge being sold at a badge shop- the Ice Ice Badge, a cosmetic badge that makes the wearer look like an ice sculpture. They walk up and attempt to exchange currency for goods and services, like a bunch of fool idiots.
The badge shop is manned by what appears to be a cardboard cutout of a glamorous-looking Squeek.
“Please repeat the- what? Um, we want to buy that Ice Ice Badge?”
“𝚃𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗!”
After going on in this manner for an obnoxiously long time (getting into the weeds of the button order system and stupid phone-bot behavior), the party finally manages to purchase the dang thing, which gets them most of the way there. The last element- the music note floating inside- is accomplished by cutting one out of construction paper and having Chevy swallow it. Don’t... don’t ask how that works, digestively speaking.
Point is, they now have their decoy Music Key. Kandace’s shadow, Carbonado, objects to attempting to deceive the headmistress, but Kandace patiently explains that he can’t prove Kammy isn’t being mind-controlled by a space alien, which makes it okay. That’s just logic. That settled, they head to the school to drop off their mole.
On the way to Kammy’s office, the party is accosted by Jr. Troopa, the school valedictorian- who attempts to steal the key for himself. The party opts to deliver a beatdown, but Cozmo gets Worfed and hurts his hand trying to punch through Jr. Troopa’s implausibly sturdy eggshell. It’s up to Kandace and the currently-disguised Chevy to get this joker out of the way- and Kandace has a brainwave.
“Okay, you want it? Catch!”
Kandace throws Chevy at Jr. Troopa, and then mid-throw- after she’s picked up speed- dispels the magic that makes her light enough to carry. Chevy is restored to her full density, rolls an attack, and just absolutely beans the dude with a massive crit that fills up all his Stress boxes immediately. That was... kind of supposed to be a boss fight, holy crap. [pokemon stadium announcer voice] IT’S A ONE-HIT KO!
With the jerk dispatched, the party proceeds to Kammy’s office. Waluigi, looking bitter, shows the party inside.
Inside, the party sees Kamek- the headmaster of the rival school across the street- unconscious and imprisoned in an anti-magic cage. Apparently, while they were shooting a movie, Kammy won the underground school war and took Kamek prisoner. But that’s all perfectly legal and normal- Kammy’s the right hand of the king, she can do what she wants.
The party hands over Kandace, and with the bonuses from their elaborate deception... manage to beat Kammy’s roll to see through their scheme! She’s fooled, and accepts the Chevy-Key. As promised, Kandace is allowed to take three magic items from the Artifact Storage Chamber behind her office. For Cozmo, a combination broom-backpack that functions as a jetpack. For Kandace, a book called Lifehex that lets her nullify her spells’ drawbacks once per session. And for Chevy... well, Chevy can’t talk or indicate what she wants, so Kandace picks out a prize she assumes Chevy would want: a magical pair of stick-on springy boxing glove Arms. With Arms, Chevy can finally do surgery, fulfilling her lifelong dream! Which she couldn’t do before! Is what Kandace assumes.
So Kandace and Cozmo are sent away... and Chevy is carried through a secret door in Kammy’s office, hidden behind a statue. Inside, Kammy and her hench-Waluigi Yzma and Kronk their way down a rollercoaster and into a massive underground chamber, containing a vault labeled “NOT The Actual Artifact Storage Chamber, The One Upstairs Is The Real One.” This vault contains shelves lined with actually powerful magical artifacts- the sort of thing she wouldn’t risk giving out to students as prizes.
Inside is also a table, on which sit three real Music Keys. The pink key from Gourmet Guy, the orange key from Jojora’s temple, and a green key presumably won from Kam Ekademy by Kammy herself. Chevy, ostensibly the fourth key, is placed on the table alongside them.
Kammy then begins a magic ritual with the four keys- but it becomes quickly apparent that Chevy does not hover or glow, like the other Keys do during this ritual. It’s sort of a dead giveaway that she’s a fake.
That said, though, Chevy passes her Careful roll to hold very still and not give away that she is an alive fake, and so she is left on the table as a very angry Kammy Koopa leaves to go discipline a troublesome student of hers.
Chevy is now alone in NOT The Actual Artifact Storage Chamber, The One Upstairs Is The Real One. Unfortunately, her chain was scaled way down so Kammy wouldn’t notice it, and she’s still the size of a cantaloupe, so... she’s sort of stuck. She can’t fly or climb, which means the only way to get up and out is...
oh my god an actual platforming segment in a Mario game, i can’t believe we finally managed it
So Chevy is hopping her way up the spiraling shelves lining the walls of this chamber, knocking dangerous magic artifacts off and onto the floor. She eventually makes it out a hole in the roof of the vault, and begins the arduous climb up the rollercoaster tracks- hanging on by the skin of her teeth. Literally. Or, well, no, not literally; teeth don’t have skin. Whatever. You know what I mean.
Meanwhile, Kandace and Cozmo get a firm knock on the door of Kandace’s dorm room, and wisely opt to flee out the window. They decide to loop around and sneak into Kammy’s office to free Kamek- they use Kandace’s stunt, Cantricked (use her animate broom to distract someone once per session) to send Waluigi (who was guarding the door) on a wild goose chase, while they themselves crash through the window of her office to get in.
So there’s Kamek in a cage. The cage nullifies magic, which is necessary for containing a Magikoopa of Kamek’s abilities. This means Kandace isn’t going to be able to magic up a solution- so it’s up to Cozmo. Kandace orders him to pick the lock.
Cozmo has never picked a lock before and does not know how to do it. He tries anyway, and as you might predict from the fact we recently established about his lockpicking skills, fails.
But all hope is not lost! Kandace has one more ally- her shadow, Carbonado! He hems and haws about the legality of freeing the headmistress’s prisoner- but Kamek is also technically an authority figure in the Kingdom, so he acquiesces and attempts to use his shadowy form to pick the lock from the inside.
Carbonado has never picked a lock before and does not know how to do it. He tries anyway, and as you might predict from the fact we recently established about his lockpicking skills, fails.
Also he messes up the mechanism so bad that even if they had the key, it wouldn’t work.
Which... is a useful hint, actually. Apparently this lock, though impervious to magic, can still be damaged by mundane means. This is all the encouragement Cozmo needs to start using his head- specifically, his Crystal Skull (Thanks Kandace) aspect, the thing where Kandace transmuted his skull into sapphire as part of a magical experiment. He headbutts the thing so hard it explodes.
They free and revive Kamek, and then... tell him practically everything. Mostly everything. They don’t mention that they still have one Music Key- but they do tell him that they sent Chevy in to scout. And as luck would have it, that’s exactly when Chevy finally makes it up the rollercoaster and knocks on the secret entrance door. They let her out, and she heals up Kamek’s injuries after they return her to normal.
Kamek asks them to help steal the Music Key back from Kammy, which of course they agree to. Kammy’s been acting super shady! And probably mind-controlled! So Chevy leads the party plus Kamek back down the rollercoaster, and into NOT The Actual Artifact Storage Chamber, The One Upstairs Is The Real One.
As soon as they arrive, Kamek begins laughing maniacally. He prepares a big teleport spell, and using it teleports away all of the magical items in the vault including the Music Keys, bwa ha ha! And then he thanks them for their help, because yeah that was pretty much exactly what they said they were going to do, was help rob Kammy. And since they did that exactly as promised, their business is concluded and he teleports away.
So, um. It’s unclear whether it is a good or bad thing that a different arch-Magikoopa assistant to the king is now in control of three out of four Music Keys, but that is now the situation. And at least this one isn’t actively mad at them!
...Unlike the other one, who’s probably going to find out about all this pretty soon and be totally furious at them. Hm. Well.
This seems like an excellent time to go run and hide somewhere, yes? The party heads off to lay low in Duck Hospital, Chevy’s place of work, while they figure out what exactly they’re supposed to do about all this.
Next time: nothing goes horribly wrong at the hospital, probably!
Peter makes all his decisions based on how it will impact other people; he desperately tries to please Tony Stark, he admits that he keeps the truth from his aunt because “She has enough to deal with right now,” he hates lying to and letting down his friends, and he’s super considerate and apologetic to the point where he literally apologizes for smacking around the bad guys (“Are you guys okay? My bad!”). The entire film has a running commentary of his feelings and thoughts, since he says whatever pops into his head, and enjoys having a suit that can talk back to him. His inferior Ti shows in his awkwardness in thinking himself out of tight situations; often Peter simply gives up and/or waits for the door to open, showing a severe detachment from analytical problem-solving skills, until being without his super suit forces him to find his own strength.
Learning something new does not come naturally to him; Peter struggles to learn the nuances of his new suit once he turns the training wheel settings off, and urges the suit to go back to the old settings (ones he’s more comfortable with). He is semi-clumsy in the environment and relies so much on his tried and true techniques that sometimes he face-plants on the pavement when it goes wrong; Peter’s aunt suggests repeated behaviors he cannot escape from (he’s lost his backpack five times). Peter is open to new experiences and ideas, but doesn’t show much theorizing beyond what his new suit can do; he is somewhat naïve, and a little careless at times, but also able to see the big picture when it comes to protecting the people he loves from his secret.
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
House traits: daring, nerve, and chivalry.
Peter is so desperate to become part of the “cool crowd” (The Avengers) that he all but begs Tony to let him do big, important things, like save lives. He cannot wait for school to end so he can get busy saving people! His tendency to leap before he looks almost gets him killed a couple of times, all in the name of heroism.
Wow. First of all, I'm really sorry for the delay of this chapter. I'm extremely busy with uni and since I'm having a bit of a writer's block with this story it has been really difficult to get this chapter out.
Either way, thank you for following my stories and supporting my writing, it means a lot! Anyways, every comment/ feedback is welcome!
summary: Phil had a feeling that this Friday was going to be different.
That didn’t mean he was ready to meet his favourite baseball player, Daniel Howell, while he was cleaning the windows of a building.
or the au in which Phil is a shy window cleaner and Dan is a famous baseball player. This is their story.
He tried to, mentioning a few times that he should let Phil rest after the crazy few days he had had, trying to give Phil a bit of space if he wanted.
If Dan was honest he hadn't really wanted to go back to his lonely apartment in the heavy rain, but he could understand Phil's boundaries so he offered anyways, but Phil wasn't getting any of it, convincing Dan to stay with a few soft kisses.
So Dan ended up staying, still acting a bit shy around Phil when he told Dan to lie down with him on his bed, getting under the covers and sighing when Phil put his arms around him, bringing him closer to his still cold body, laying his head on Phils's chest, the beat of his heart relaxing Dan to the point that he fell asleep before managing to say a faint ''good night''.
It was now the next morning and Dan woke up slowly, rolling onto his side while his head rested on a pillow...? Wait. He thought he had fallen asleep almost on top of Phil last night? Had he dreamed that? Was yeterday all a dream? He hoped it really wasn't.
''Phil?'' Dan softly called, searching blindly for a warm body next to him only to receive no response. Was Phil still asleep?
Dan opened his eyes and looked around, finding no Phil on the bed or even on the bedroom. Had Phil left him? No, this couldn't be, Phil wouldn't do that. He must be in the bathroom then. But the door was still open and no one was there... Phil had really left him alone on his bed?
Dan was now more convinced than ever that yesterday had been all a dream. That it was all in his head. He only wanted to cry now.
He was about to get up and dress as quick as possible to leave this nightmare when suddenly the bedroom door opened, a messy haired Phil walking in with a tray on his hands that carried a few plates and mugs, his glasses falling a bit down his nose making him trip a bit at the entrance but quickly regaining the balance.
''Oh, you are up! It was going to be a surprise but I brought you breakfast!'' Phil said with a tired smile, walking towards Dan who just blankly stared at him.
Had Phil, who had only been his boyfriend for a few hours, really walked in to bring Dan breakfast? Now, this was a fucking dream. Dan only thought this only happened in movies...
''I only had cereal and a bit of fruit, but I made coffee with two sugars as you like it. I can do some toast if you would like but I don't have any jam so I thought it wouldn't be the best idea and...'' Phil rambled as he set the tray down on Dan's lap, bracketing his thights and sitting down next to Dan, popping up some pillows on the headboard to get more comfortable.
Dan continued to stare. He was sure he looked stupid right now but he couldn't seem to function. This was something Dan had been dreaming of happening for a while now and Phil had managed to do it without even knowing that Dan would have wanted something like this.
''Is something wrong? You don't like this cereal, I can bring you oth...'' Dan heard Phil ask with a concerned expression on his face.
''No!'' Dan cut him off, maybe a bit too loudly and strong than he had intended, ''No, Phil, no. I... I like this cereal. I like this breakfast thing, I like it a lot. Thank you.'' Dan said in a softer tone this time, accompaning all the words with a proper smile, ''It's actually one thing... no, it's silly nevermind, let's eat.'' Dan said, wanting to tell Phil about his 'dream', but Phil would proably think it was so foolish and lame so he discarded the idea of even mentioning something.
''Hey, no Dan, if it matters to you it cannot be silly, okay? You can tell me if you want.'' Phil said, grabbing one of Dan's hands between his, somehow giving Dan an impulse to start opening up to the blue eyed.
''It's just... everytime I felt lonely I wished for someone to enter my bedroom and bring me breakfast with coffee, some fruit, pancakes and a rose, I don't really know why but then you suddenly entered the bedroom and I... It's just a small gesture but to me it means a lot. And the fact that you didn't even know about it makes it more impressive so... thank you.'' Dan explained, feeling a lot better already.
''Well, I'm sorry mine didn't carry pancakes or a rose so I think for next time I will have to keep that in mind.'' Phil said, bringing Dan for a sweet kiss that had his heart fluttering not only because of the soft and gentle kiss, but also the words. He would love to have breakfast in bed with Phil every morning.
''Wait, you don't have practice today?'' Phil asked as soon as they separated.
''I did, but I called yesterday and coach let me the next two days off. I guessed I would need a bit of time to process whatever happened when I came to yours.'' Dan said, taking a small sip from his coffee, ''This was more important to me than practice anyways, so I even if I didn't have permission to miss training I would have done it anyways. My mind would be too busy and wouldn't be able to concentrate so...''
''So, given that you don't have more practice till Monday.... you wanna spend this four day weekend with me? I mean, I have to work on Friday but we could still manage to arrange something, it's just a few hours.'' Phil suggested with a smile, taking a few pieces of fruit.
Dan beamed at him. It was just such a simple suggestion, something you hear all couples do, but still it made him feel all tingly and warm inside. ''Yes, I would love to!''
''Great! Now let's eat, I'm starving, aren't you?'' Phil said, pecking Dan's cheek before grabbing a few more pieces of fruit, almost leaving the bowl empty, alternating between feeding one to Dan and one to himself.
______________
They literally spent all Thursday in Phil's bed, snuggling around blankets and each other as they catched up on anime while eating an unhealthy amount of popcorn and chocolate goods. He had enjoyed every minute he spent with him. Every gentle touch they traded, every caress, every kiss... It seemed as if Dan couldn't get enough of Phil and Phil wouldn't complain about it. Oh no. He was pretty much okay having Dan Howell all over him almost for 24 hours.
Even though Phil insisted Dan to stay the night again, (and could also see on Dan's face that he didn't want to go back to his flat) the player decided to return back since he knew Phil worked tomorrow and wanted him to have a good night's rest.
It was Friday now and Phil was already reaching Dan's windows instantly frowing at the lack of Dan inside the spacious flat. 'Where was he?' He had promised yesterday to be here when Phil arrived...
Suddenly an almost naked Dan walked into the living room just out from the shower as Phil could guess from the maroon towel that was covering his lower body and the few drops of water that were making their way down his toned torso, a mop of ultra messy curls on top of his head that Phil really wanted to untangle with his fingers.
Even though Phil knew his face was deep red and could be seen from kilometres away, he was so glad that the glass separating them was soundproof so Dan couldn't hear the gasp he had let out at the sight.
How was Phil even so lucky? That was a question he didn't know how to answer.
Just as the blue eyed was trying to prentend not to have seen Dan in case he felt uncomfortable, Dan noticed him and smiled, walking towards him and picking up the the notebook he had been using to communicate with Phil all those first times.
While Dan was writing, Phil used his time to he admire his boyfriend's physical attributes up close. He noticed small light brown fleckles scatered around on his collarbones as if they were splatters of paint, followed by a weirdly shaped birthmark on his stomach really near to his belly button, making Dan more of a unique person than he already was.
'Sorry, showered longer than expected but come up when you finish? Gonna change now :)' Phil read once he startled out of his trance.
He gulped and quickly nodded, smiling a little before ushering Dan back to his bedroom with a few hand movements, rapidly picking up a bottle and spraying around so he couldn't get lost on that defined back.
Once Dan disappeared, Phil managed to clean all of the windows on record time, giving him enough time to calm himself down so he could knock on Dan's front door with no red cheeks that would surely been followed by nervous movements and high-pitched greetings.
''Hi,'' a fully dressed Dan said happily as he opened the door even wider, letting Phil in and greeting him with a sweet kiss, lacing his arms around the black haired, who easily responded and kissed Dan back.
''It feels so good to do that,'' Dan said once they separated, quickly closing the door and dragging Phil further in.
''I agree,'' Phil said, leaning in for another kiss that didn't last too long. ''So, what plans did you think we could do today?''
''I have something in mind but first,'' Dan said in a mysterious tone, walking to his bedroom and not letting Phil follow, signing him to sit on the sofa and to leave his coat and backpack at the entrance.
Phil did as he was told and looked around the living room with a new perspective, spotting a few pictures of younger Dan with his family, friends and teamates, smiling at the happiness he was radiating. He also noticed a few books around, reading the vertically written titles rapidly, some of them familiar, some others not so much.
Just before he could finish reading the shelves of books, Dan appeared again, something familiar on his hands.
''My manuscript.''
''Your manuscript.'' Dan sat down next to him, handing him the stack of papers perfectly settled.
''Did you finish it?'' Phil asked a bit waryly. He wouldn't admit it, but Dan's opinion on his writing was pretty important to him. Of course he remembered the compliments the brown eyed had told him a few days back over Skype, but he had just read a little, not enough to form a solid opinion of t yet.
''Yeah, yesterday. I would have finished it earlier but you know after everything well... but Phil, it's... wow, it's mindblowing. Your book, really, I don't know, it has something that drives you in all the time, each chapter, every new character that appears, every single plot twist. Phil, it's amazing.'' Dan finished with a sigh, smiling softly at Phil.
''Really? You think so?'' Phil questioned, staring at his manuscript and back at Dan repeatedly, as if he didn't believe the words he was saying, ''It's just, maybe it wasn't that good, I mean, I haven't gotten a call back from any publishing houses yet so...''
''Yes, really Phil, believe me. It's good, really good. No, even more than that, it's awesome, okay? And, even if it takes time I know that call will arrive, I don't know when but it will arrive.'' Dan said, reaching for Phil's hands to comfort him a bit.
''Thank you,'' Phil muttered, giving Dan a peck before lying his head on his shoulder, instantly feeling Dan's arm bringing him even closer, ''So, let's not talk about my writing anymore, what did you plan for us to do today?''
''Well, you know how I moved here not so long ago, and with practices, interviews, trips and more I have a spare room that needs some painting, so would you help me? If you are up to it, of course, we can always do something else if you want to...'' Dan said, shrugging his shoulders a bit.
''Yeah! It sounds like fun! But you will need to lend me some old clothes since I didn't bring any...'' Phil commented, gesturing to the clothes that he had put on under his work uniform, now stuffed in his backpack.
''Yeah of course, c'mon, we can start now and have a lunch break later on,'' Dan said excitedly as he lifted himself from the sofa and grabbed Phil's hand in the process, pulling him up without any warning.
Phil protested a bit from having to move from the sofa and the sudden movements but a quick kiss from Dan shut him up, ''Stop complaining and follow me, the walls are huge and we will need a few hours to finish the whole room.''
Five minutes later Phil found himself dressed with baggy sweatpants and an extra large sweater that smelled like Dan (not that he was complaining. Not at all) in the middle of an empty ugly green coloured room waiting for Dan to come back with the brushes and paint along with some music and speakers that he had insisted on bringing so they could have some background noise while they painted.
''Ready to paint?'' Dan said as he entered the room, handing Phil a big brush and connecting the phone to some speakers as he choose a random playlist that filled the room with pop music instantly.
Phil nooded and grinned, instantly dipping the brush inside the tub of paint and giving a few gentle strokes on the wall, looking at Dan as he did the same, moving and humming along with the music.
They both had been painting for a while when Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves came through the speakers, making them both start fully singing and dancing in the silliest way possible as if they were in some karaoke.
''Walking on sunshine... I feel the love, I feel the love, I feel the love that's really real! I feel the love, I feel the love, I feel the love that's really real!'' They sang looking at each other, staring at the other's crinkled eyes due the big smiles they had on their faces.
Phil didn't know why but he felt warm all sudden. Was it because of the lyrics of the song maybe having a double meaning? No, it couldn't be... But then, he looked at Dan, who probably was mirroring his euphoric mood, literally beaming a Phil and he understood.
He was in love. He was in love with Dan Howell. There was no way out now.
''Phil, you okay?'' he heard Dan ask over the loud notes of an unfamiliar rock song, who was still smiling but had a bit of worry in his expression.
''Yeah, I'm fine. Great!'' Phil answered, smiling back at Dan as he leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss, enjoying the soft look it got on Dan's face.
''Phil! You painted my jumper!'' Dan laughed, trying to erase the paint that was already dry, painting Phil back on revenge.
''It was an accident I swear!'' Phil said staring at the big white spot that was now on Dan's clothes. It had really been an accident when he leaned in and didn't even notice where he had the paint brush, but now he was running, trying his best to escape Dan's brush but not succeeding at all, ''You just painted your own sweater!''
''I don't care, you deserved that!'' Dan replied, trying to make an angry face but not managing to erase the toothy-grin that he was sporting.
''And you, deserve... this!'' Phil reached forward and managed to paint Dan's left cheek, leaving a wide white stroke adorning his face.
Dan gasped at the cold paint on his face, ''Phil! Oh, you are on!''
They started chasing eachother around the empty room, somehow managing to paint one another as they laughed and sang along to old radio music, squealing every time they felt the brush touch their skin or body.
''I think... we should... stop for... a bit'' Phil suggested between breaths. He wasn't a professional athlete like Dan, so after a few minutes running he was more than ready to collapse on the floor.
''You already tired, Lester?'' Dan teased as he turned off the radio and walked up to Phil, caressing his cheek, giving it a soft peck before asking if he wanted a glass of water, an offer Phil gladly took.
As Dan left the room, Phil heard some familiar music but he couldn't place where it was coming from... The radio was turned off so, maybe some neighbour was blasting a song in the shower?
''Phil, I think your phone is ringing!'' he heard Dan shout from the kitchen.
Oh, yeah! It was his rigntone, now it all made sense! Someone was calling him and he didn't get phonecalls that often so it must be important...
Phil ran off the room and picked up the phone from the front pocket of his backpack, not even bothering to look at the number that was calling him.
''Yes?'' Phil answered a bit out of breath, silently thanking Dan as he brought him a big glass of water that he drank in a few seconds, handing it back to Dan who returned to the kitchen to leave Phil speak privately.
''Hi, is this Phil Lester?'' A polite and sweet voice from the other side of the phone asked.
''Yeah, it's me, who is calling?'' Phil asked a bit unsure as he didn't recognize the voice at all...
''Hi, Mr. Lester my name is Nicky and I'm calling you from Bloomsbury Publishing.''
Bloomsbury Publishing. Wait. It was one of the most important publishing houses in the UK.
When Phil heard Nicky's introduction he tried not to get his hopes up. He had been rejected a few times already by them so he wasn't expecting the next sentences.
''I'm calling you beacuse we are interested in publishing your novel 'Strangers of Space'. We have been looking into more Sci-fi works lately and yours seems to be one of our favourites. Will you be willing to meet next Monday at noon for a proper meeting?''
Phil gasped at this. What was even happening!? He couldn't belive this, he was going to cry. This was what he had been waiting for all his life and now it was close to becoming true.
''Yes sure! Thank you! I just... thank you!'' Phil managed to let out, still not believing this was happening.
''Great! If you have any questions just call into this same phone number and I will try to answer them all.'' Nicky offered.
''Okay, and thank you!'' Phil repeated, not knowing what more he should say.
Nicky said her goodbyes and hung up the phone, leaving Phil alone with his thoughts.
''This is real, Phil. You are probably getting published by one of the most important publishing houses in the UK.'' he said to himself, still surprised and a bit in shock.
Suddenly Dan's worried voice startled him, ''Phil, you okay? Is something wrong? You seem paler than usual... Was that phonecall a bad one?''
Phil felt Dan's hand touch his face, as if trying to get Phil out of the daze he was in.
''Yes... I mean, no! I mean, I'm okay and no, it wasn't a bad phonecall, it was probably the best phonecall I have ever gotten Dan!'' he excitedly said, showing his boyfriend a big smile before breaking the news, ''it was from Bloomsbury Publishing, they said they really like 'Strangers of Space' and they are interested in publishing it! Dan, they want to publish my novel!'' Phil squealed, giving a few little jumps before he felt a pair of strong and big arms enveloping him in a big hug.
''Phil, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you! I'm so proud of you!'' Dan said to him, separating their bodies a bit so they could look at each other in the eyes, a wide and pround smile on his face, ''I cannot believe my boyfriend is going to be a best selling author...'' Dan teased but is his tone Phil could really hear his sincerity. Did Dan really believe he could be a best selling author? Wow.
''Dan, shh! I don't know if I will ever get to be one, but just having this opportunity is... is amazing. But either way, thank you for believing in me.''
''Phil... I will always believe in you.'' Dan said, bringing Phil into a deep kiss that showed him better than anything else how much Dan supported him.
''So, what about some celebratory popcorn, huh?'' Dan asked once they separated for air, lacing their fingers together to pull Phil towards the couch.
Phil nodded repeatedly, as he sat down on the sofa and stared up at Dan, who was still looking at him with the softest smile on his face, ''Celebratory popcorn sounds perfect right now...''
''Three minutes and I'll be back, okay? Just, put a movie on if you want...'' Dan leaned down and pecked Phil on the lips, leaving Phil wanting nothing more than gentle kisses from the curly haired.
''Okay...'' Phil whispered against Dan's lips, turning around just in time to watch his boyfriend prepare the microwaved popcorn as he hummed to an unknown song.
