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cerise-on-top · 4 months

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HELOOOOOOO IM BACKKK

can we get some Valeria Garza headcanons? :p

LOVE UR WORK AS ALWAYS DRINK WATER BYEBYEEE

-☁️

Hello! Welcome back :> I wasn't sure if you wanted general HCs or romantic ones, so I did both! I hope they're enjoyable! In regards to these HCs, there's one mention of drugs, but the HCs are about Valeria, so that's to be expected!

Also, to anyone reading this: Merry Christmas and/or happy holidays! I'm saying this today because in my country we celebrate Christmas today and not on the 25th! I'm wishing you all a few lovely days ahead :-)

General:

Playing games of any kind with her is actually infuriating and almost unfair. You’d think games like Monopoly would be fair since it’s based on luck for the most part, but no. I can assure you Valeria could set a world record on beating someone at Monopoly. But it’s not just that game either. You wanna poker with her? Tycoon? Sixty-Six? Granted, they require some skill as well, but she uses her nogging on a daily basis, so it’s not like she doesn’t know what she’s doing. And even if you only explained the rules to her once, she’ll beat you soon enough. Might also be prone to cheating, but you’ll only ever accuse her of doing so whenever she actually wasn’t. It’s not illegal or forbidden if no one ever finds out. The stakes can be pretty high, she’s not afraid to play for money either. But I advise you to maybe play over gummy bears or lollipops or something. She won’t be happy, she will complain, but it beats losing all your money to a businesswoman of her caliber.

When she was a kid she actually didn’t mind Christmas all that much, she quite liked it. It was colorful, it was bright, it was nice. Her parents may not have been the richest people, but she usually got what she wanted for Christmas as well, so it wasn’t a particularly sad time for her back then. Even now her cartel is doing well during that time since people like to fill the gaping holes within their hearts with drugs so they won’t have to think about being alone and freezing during such a festive time. She doesn’t get jolly like she used to, she won’t even wear a Christmas hat, but she can appreciate Christmas, if just for her earning a bit more money than she normally would. You can even give her gifts during this time. Depending on who they’re from and what it is, she might just throw them away, but if it’s something nice from someone she’s close with then she might just keep it for a little while longer. Although Valeria would never admit it, she does like cookies quite a lot. She can’t bake particularly well, not that she has the time for that either, but that won’t stop her from eating a few whenever she receives some from a trustworthy source. There is an elderly lady in Las Almas who she likes to buy them from occasionally. That lady is a real sweetheart, so Valeria is sure the cookies aren’t poisoned.

No one ever gets to enjoy it anymore these days, but Valeria can cook pretty well. She learned how to very early on so she could relieve her mother a bit from her burdens, but it stuck with her. She has a real knack for how much spice you put in which dish. Yes, she’s a bit rusty since she hasn’t cooked for herself in quite a while, but if you’re her s/o and you’re sick, you might just receive some birria or carne guisada. It’ll be unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. Her food is a bit spicy, so if you’re not used to spicy food it can and will leave you teary eyed, but it’s really good. Naturally, her specialties include, for the most part, Mexican dishes only. But, in theory, you could give her any recipe and it would turn out just fine. Except for anything sweet. Sweets she cannot do at all, they’ll always turn out terrible. It used to get to her when she was young, but these days she couldn’t care less. She isn’t anyone’s housewife, so why should she care? Back in the day when she still had time for dating someone properly, a telltale sign she was mad at you would be her cooking for you, but making it unbearably spicy. Valeria could always eat it, she can eat any spicy pepper as a snack just like that and not be bothered at all.

Romantic:

It doesn’t matter who you are, Valeria will always be the dominant person among the two of you. Her personality alone won’t allow for much else, but there are also other circumstances as well. Besides, she’s been in the military and she can tell you from experience that the people there don’t think too highly of women. Ergo she wants to prove herself to be above those morons, especially Alejandro. While she might not be affectionate at all in public, it’s the small things in private that really show you who’s in control. Beckoning you closer with her finger, telling you how much of a good thing you are for her, moving you a bit so she can get to something she needs. Granted, it’s nothing big, she won’t put a collar on you, but she will do what she can to make you feel smaller than you actually are. It doesn’t matter if you’re 1,50m or 2m tall, whether you’re looking up at her or down on her, you will treat her with utmost respect. While she might seem degrading or mocking very often, she does take your feelings into account as well. If her being mean to you genuinely hurts you then she will do what she can to tone it down a bit. She won’t stop entirely, but she’ll better herself. You’re welcome to sass her back a bit, though. If it’s just some light joking around she won’t mind. Sass her back too hard and you will be put into place, though.

Going off of one of the previous points I made: Once Valeria loves you, she is completely and entirely committed to you. It doesn’t matter what you want, you’ll get it within days. You want someone’s head? Absolutely, no questions asked. Even something smaller, such as some clothing, jewelry, a video game console, a plushie. You name it, you’ll get it. You’re her everything in this rotten world, of course she’ll do what she can to keep you happy. And if one of those goons from the army ever tries to hurt you, then even the ninth layer of hell will seem like the greatest mercy the heavens and hell could muster. She’s fiercely protective over you. While she won’t kidnap you, she wants to keep you happy, after all, she will try to convince you to live with her. Somewhere in a place no one knows about, where it’s only you and her without a worry for those two pests, Alejandro and Rodolfo. If you ever were to meet those two then I can assure you, you’ll never see Valeria this angry again. She loathes those two men with her entire being. Not that she has a very high opinion of men to begin with. If one ever decides to lay his grubby, disgusting hands on you, regardless of whether it’s some guy from the streets or the president of the United States, he can say goodbye to his head.

As I said before, she’s a really good cook. In fact, she’s good at just about anything you can think of. Well, almost. Either way, she’d love it if you could cook well. In fact, having someone who’s willing to be a housespouse is a dream come true. She won’t always be able to come home to you immediately, but if she finds you having cooked her a delicious, hearty meal, she’ll be on cloud nine. But even if your food isn’t anything noteworthy she’ll still eat it because it’s from you. She may be a cruel woman at times, but Valeria does care about you and tries not to hurt your feelings too much. At best, not at all. If she comes home to your shared home being well taken care of by you, with you having cleaned all the rooms as well as all the clothes that needed washing, you’ll have earned something nice from her. If you aren’t able to do so, no worries, she can always just hire some personnel to take care of it. But if it was you, then just name what you want from her. You want some cuddles or a kiss? Naturally. Some tres leches or churros? She won’t make them herself, but you can bet she’ll get you some regardless. If she’s especially tired some sweet words might be exchanged as well, but don’t expect her to be like that every time. Sometimes she does want to be a bit sweeter than usual, tell you how grateful she is to have you, but she’s afraid you might think of her a bit less than before, even if it wouldn’t happen. So, while she may not be someone who enjoys giving words of affirmation unless she needs to, you can count on her showing you affection through gift giving and quality time.

#cod #cod x reader #valeria garza #valeria garza x reader #getting to write about my favorite characters today is a gift in and of itself in all honesty #plus I got my jacket today that looks like 09 ghost's and I couldn't be happier :D #I also got a bag and a one piece shirt and I'm so happy about that! I love one piece and I've been in need of a bag again!#either way these hcs aren't particularly christmassy since I thought I was supposed to go for something general #but I hope they're enjoyable nonetheless!#thank you for sending in a request for lovely Valeria!#the things I'd give to have her call me something nice are unreal #I'd melt like butter if she ever said something to me in spanish even if she just called me pendejo #either way my christmas was well spent in that I got to write about a girl today so I'm happy!#Happy holidays! Merry christmas!#Happy new year too if I don't post by then (which is unlikely!)

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obsidiancreates · 3 months

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One Undead To Another (Psych Real Psychic/Vampire AU Part 1)

Shawn pulls up at the base of the driveway, gets off his bike, and walks it over to some overgrown bushes just by the gate. He peers up the driveway at the dilapidated mansion, the moon just barely illuminating it through thick cloud cover. The mansion is far enough up the hill that it looks small from where he stands. In fact, in the dim moonlight, it looks like something straight out of a black-and-white horror film.

He pulls his phone out and sends another text to Gus. Going in, keeping your half of the check when I solve this.

He makes sure his phone is on silent for once before tucking it back into his pocket, and begins his reasonably-paced run up the hill. Mostly because he can’t risk getting a stitch in the middle of breaking and entering into the house of his top suspects. A little because he had a heavy smoothie on the way over and can’t run any faster even if he wanted to. The clouds clear up a bit as he makes his way to the front entrance, and then quickly rounds the side to the basement door he saw when he came here with Lassie and Jules two days ago.

Seven days ago, a body showed up in a field with one single slice to the neck, completely bled dry somewhere else and then dumped. No other clues were present. Shawn had noticed the corpse was in an outfit fit for an interview at a fancy high-paying job, and had a ‘vision’ to look into the victim’s job hunting activities. At the very least it would give them an idea of where she’d been picked up from before being murdered.

Two days after that, another body had shown up at the shore. It was a little gnawed on by marine life, but had the same slash mark across the neck. Time of death was placed after the first body, by only a day. He’d also been wearing clothes for an interview.

Several legitimate businesses were visited- but after a quick look through the apartments of the deceased, Shawn had found a link. Interviews with “an investment group”, and an address. The one he stands outside of now, just hours after the discovery of a third body, same wound, same interview style outfit, same group among their list of upcoming job interviews.

And he’s alone, because no-one believes his lead. Because when he and Gus arrived with Lassie and Jules at the completely abandoned looking mansion but were met with five well-dressed and professional people, no-one older than forty among them, they had alibis and answers for everything. Witnesses corroborated their stories, timelines didn’t add up, they had no records- they were, by all accounts, innocent.

But Shawn had a gut feeling. They had no plans anywhere for restoring or fixing up the mansion, and no new furniture- they said they’d been busy looking for locals to help with their investments, but he saw it as being ready to make a quick getaway. They said the basement was flooded and somehow got Lassie, Jules, and Gus to accept that, but he’d gotten the chance to sneak away and found the basement very much dry, and very much frequently used, based on the footprints in the thick dust on the ground. And then their reasoning for how they couldn’t have done it was some of the weakest he’d ever heard- they just got into town so how could they know where to drop a body? Really? He’s still in shock over Jules and Lassie accepting that one.

So here he is, gingerly testing the doorknob of the old decaying basement door- half of the locks inside hadn’t worked when he was snooping, clearly because none of the rooms were actually used very often and had nothing to hide, which was even more suspicious than if they did have something to hide- while completely alone. It’s not the first time, but he hopes it goes better than before. His shoulder still aches sometimes from the gunshot.

He turns the knob carefully. It resists for just a second, before it just… gives up. He eases the ancient door open- it’s got to be at least a hundred years old, maybe even more, which is basically as old as Rome or something- and then carefully eases it shut again behind him. He takes one second to do a little celebratory shimmy, and then begins carefully making his way through the maze of forgotten furniture and boxes.

Everything is stacked to the ceiling, providing easy cover for his careful and quiet sneaking. There’s just something about these people that makes him feel an extra need for caution, and given how rarely he feels a need for any caution that means things are serious. Even with the boxes and furniture coated in dust and dirt thick enough to sculpt, thankfully helping cushion the sound of his footsteps, he feels almost like he’s on the brink of being caught.

But that’s a ridiculous feeling. It’s like, 3 AM, and he didn’t see any lights on upstairs or down here in the basement, so there’s no way-

“We should just cut our losses.”

Shawn freezes. Crap. When is he going to learn to expect to have the worst timing during this sort of thing?

“What losses?” The first voice was rough and deep, and this one is smooth with a light tone. “So far it’s been good meals and complete anonymity.”

“But did you see that ‘psychic’-” somehow the first voice, whom Shawn is mentally dubbing ‘The Gruffest Man Alive, or Gramv for short’, says the word ‘psychic’ with more disdainful sarcasm than even Lassie can muster, “-the other day? He knows.”

“He can’t know. You’re paranoid. We’ve got it good here. No-one even bats an eye at murder, and they’re numb to it even with us being the only group of our kind for miles.”

Group of their kind? Ah, crap. He just walked into the base of a cult, didn’t he? It was bound to happen one day, really. He’d really hoped it’d be a more wacky, easy to escape from sort of deal when he did though…

“There’s a reason for that! You can’t tell me you’re actually comfortable here, not with all the spiritual energy pressing in!”

Okay, spiritual cult. But they don’t believe he’s psychic, so he probably won’t get any pull with them by playing that card. Dammit, that’s his best card!

“But neither is anyone else. And once we find the real psychic in this city, we’ll never have to worry about competition, ever again.”

This can’t possibly get any worse.

“We already didn’t have competition, we’re in California. If we weren’t daywalkers we’d be dead by now and the other covens know it too.”

Well, that’s another layer of concern, because he knows exactly what ‘daywalker’ and ‘coven’ mean but that’s truly impossible- although, if this group think they’re vampires, or are modeling themselves after vampires, that would explain the complete draining of blood from the victims…

… Okay, he’s really in over his head now. He should just stop going places alone, he knows it, but he also knows he’ll probably do this again and have the exact same realization all over, probably in only a week’s time. At least he can say he knows himself.

He slowly eases away from the boxes he’d been pressed up against. The voices were carrying from somewhere further into the maze, but he won’t risk making any noise, not even by running unless that becomes the only option left.

He makes it about halfway back to the exit when he hears the very door in question open and then slam shut. A very average white-businessman voice calls out into the basement, “Hey guys, I got the new lock! Just going to put it in now!”

Shawn has to bite his bottom lip to keep from shouting about that. Come on! That’s totally unfair! The words are right on the tip of his tongue, testing his self-control like nothing else has ever tested him- completely false statement, but it feels true in the heat of the moment.

He slowly creeps back to where he’d heard the voices from before, makes sure the coast is as clear as he can determine it to be, and pulls out his phone to text Gus. ‘Spooky mansion got way too spooky. Bury me with my Tears for Fears vinyls.’

He’s about 89% sure he won’t actually die tonight, but maybe this text will get Gus up and on his way, hopefully with Lassie and Jules behind him. They’re avoiding Shawn’s texts after a little upset at the start of the case, but they probably won’t avoid Gus’s. Maybe. Hopefully. At the very least he might be able to escape without them and get a good laugh in when Gus freaks out over the text meaning.

He hears movement coming from somewhere, but with all the clutter and lack of any sort of eyeline it’s impossible to tell where the sound is actually coming from. He just trusts his instincts, creeping slowly and keeping low to the ground, keeping his eyes out for tracks or footprints. There’s only one other entrance/exit for this basement, and he knows it’s at least semi-clean just from how often it’s moved through alone. Fortunately that means he could use Dust Thickness as a gauge for how close he was to his exit- unfortunately, that also means the closer he gets to getting out, the closer he gets to being noticed and captured.

The dust starts to thin a little bit, and the footstep imprints become less distinct as they begin to overlap more and more. Closer to freedom, farther from secrecy- his footsteps are less muffled now. Crap.

Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. He can’t help but mouth the words to himself when he finally comes across a more open, cleared-out space. Old shelves and literal chests set up in a small area clearly made to be able to accommodate movement from all five household members at once if need be, poorly organized and packed with items that can be boxed up and moved at any moment. And the items themselves…

It’s like he wanted into the props department of an old Dracula movie, one of the originals, or maybe closer to The Lost Boys but with more weird wiggly-bladed knives. Chalices, gemstones, daggers, crystals, books with real gold casings on the corners and covers in languages he can’t read- it’s Cult 101 in this basement, and it’s a literal treasure trove of evidence. He bets he could even find the murder weapon in all of it.

… Actually, yeah, he could find the murder weapon in it. And that’d be one hell of a psychic vision to have later.

He glances around him quickly and tries to find an In to sift through the items. He carefully scooches one dagger, but it’s impossible to do without everything else it’s on top of also shifting- and in the relative silence of the basement, he may as well be attempting one of Gus’s tap routines with a bullhorn set up by his feet. He sucks in a breath and waits.

Nothing. And while the Nothing keeps happening, his eyes land on something set apart from the rest of the items. A palm-sized cluster of crystal points, connected by a base of raw stone, jutting up into sharp-pointed tips. The main body of it is a bright, friendly green- he used to own some polo shirts in almost that exact color, and it’s nearly identical to the one he picked for the logo on the office window- but at the tips of the crystals it slowly fades into a beautiful pineapple yellow.

And… there’s blood pooled between the crystal growths. His focus zooms in on it, highlighting the Fresh and the Old. His mind flashes back to the victims, refocusing on a detail he’d glossed over once before- they all had small cuts on their thumbs. Woody had said they didn’t have any relevance to cause of death, but if the victims were killed ritualistically…

No way he’s leaving that behind. If he can tie this crystal to this house- maybe plant it by the front door on his way out- he’s certain that the blood will prove to be each of the victims’, and that will take these people down for sure.

Plus, it’s the one thing sitting on its own enough that he can grab it without making any noise. It’s perfect!

He reaches out and snatches the crystal, opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out in a silent chuckle as he gives it one triumphant toss and catch-

And slices open his own thumb in the process.

He can’t help the hiss of pain that escapes him and he quickly shoves his thumb into his mouth, the gag-worthy taste of blood filling it fast. He picks up the crystal with his other hand to put it into his pocket, bending over for just a second.

When he straightens back up a hand clamps over his mouth.

And it is ice-cold.

“Not bad, human,” a low voice hisses in his ear, air colder than should be possible from a human body puffing out with the words. “But not good enough, either.”

#It's a little exposition-y I know but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless #psych #psychusa #psych usa #psych 2006 #psychfic #fanfic #my attempts at fanfic #blood tw #murder tw #throat slashing tw #real psychic vampire au

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wolfsbane-if · 2 years

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Wolfsbane: Chapter 3 Update

May 19th, 2022

Oh boy, another chapter! And the first one where the whole gang is together for the entirety of it!

Link to the demo can be found here. Please be aware that I reworked some variables from earlier chapters that come into play in the update, so you’ll want to start a new game to avoid having anything break.

A great big thank you to everyone who’s read Wolfsbane and expressed their interest, support, and enjoyment of it so far! It’s been hugely motivating and I’m looking forward to writing more <3

#Wolfsbane IF #update #wolfsbane update #interactive fiction #ChoiceScript #this one is a lot of setup lol but I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless

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braintapes · 1 year

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The Hotel Podcast Season 3 Analysis: Part II - The Lobby Boy

(Time to blow out another candle.)

Welcome back! Part I was allll about the Manager's arc, covering episodes 3.1 - 3.4. We saw the Manager as she was repeatedly killed by a pale, gibbering creature, we watched the darkness consume her and the lobby, and we also witnessed the Hotel being built, in a way.

The Manager's been killed again by the gibbering creature. Now we see from the Lobby Boy's perspective. Well, we will see.

As I said in my previous post, S3 is simultaneously the old crew's origin, end, and a place/time/series of events they intermittently return to. This means that we're seeing the staff in a very specific, raw state of being. A different a lens to understand them through.

(Time to make a wish.)

This season functions as a collection of character studies showing us how the old crew responds to inevitability. The certainty of death. There is no release for these three, as there may be for the guests. There is only dying to wake up to die again.

The Manager's arc emphasized the certainty. The Lobby Boy's arc will showcase the cycle.

As always though, this is only my own personal read on the text/audio. Analyzing the art and stories I like in this way is a creative fun outlet for me, and my hope is that this can prompt more discussion for other people too. I love getting to see other people's perspectives and bring up stuff I hadn't considered!

Enough preamble though, let's get right to it. (Do get comfy though, because this is nearly 7 full word pages long)

(It's almost my birthday.)

To properly set the stage for the Lobby Boy's arc, I need to talk some more about the Manager first. Who is the Manager? What drives her?

I'm going to go by Season 2 here. I believe S2 is another, though different, look at these characters. There, we see them as raw as raw can get. They're a mixture of ingredients sitting in the pan waiting to be put into the oven. Whereas in S3 they are freshly baked and piping hot. And also still being baked. And speaking of food metaphors…

The idea of hunger and satiation continually shows up in the Manager's stories. Burger Baby is, uh, fairly obvious and speaks for itself, I think. Mrs Bones is interesting because again we see her thirst as this primal need inside the Manager, a desperate instinctual urge that drives her forward. This also happens in 5.1 Merp and Burble, where she. Well. She merps and she burbles.

In these altered states of consciousness, she has an animal-like nature. She is concerned only with satiating herself. But even when she gets what she's looking for, it's never enough. She can never truly be content.

This shows up in 3.2, when the laborers' deaths satiate the Manager. They even build her/the lobby as they perish one by one. But of course, of course, the fullness doesn't last. This is one of my absolute favorite aspects of the Manager's character. It makes her so distinct from the other two.

The Manager's response to the inevitability presented to her is to allow it in. She neither fights it, kicking and screaming, as the Owner would, nor does she run from it, as the Lobby Boy will. She accepts her circumstances and adapts to them. She takes to everything the easiest of the three.

So, she dies. So...she dies. So what? She's dead now, and will remain so for the rest of the season. What's done is done, until the Hotel wills it otherwise. They serve at the pleasure of the Hotel Herself, after all.

(Do you remember how to die? I'll remind you.)

The most distinct difference between the Lobby Boy and the Manager is that the latter seems to relish in her job. Not in the way the Owner does, as a title to preen and puff up over. She gets nothing out of lording her position over the other two. She does what she does because it's in her nature to do so, and it's a form of sustenance. Her job is her life is her nature. Literally hashtag ultimate girlboss, y'know?

The Lobby Boy, on the other hand, does NOT relish his duty. He is deeply intimate with death and dying and the horrors that lurk inside the Hotel in a way that the other two simply are not. He constructs nearly every awful thing in the Hotel and personally delivers the guests to those things.

As the gibbering creature continues to beat (and then starts to consume) the very dead Manager in 3.4, the Lobby Boy notes the "pulsing and bruised" walls of the Hotel. Something is deeply wrong here and he can feel it. The way he's seeing everything is not how he normally would. He says:

"It's not supposed to look like that, I think. Not to me. Maybe to the guests, but to me it only looks like...I knew underneath and behind and through everything was something awful and vast watching, but I could still look at the facade and know my place here."

The Lobby Boy has, off the top of my head, seen the Hotel in this way two other times. Well, one of this times was in a bonus episode and so doesn't really count, but it's one of my favorite bonus episodes so I'm going to talk about it a bit anyway. Feel free to skip that part.

First, in 4.12 X - X, during the big fight between the Owner and the Lobby Boy, the two go sailing and flying through the Hotel. They crash through lobbies and halls and rooms. The Lobby Boy SEES everything in the Hotel. He sees everything he has built and everything he hasn't yet. He sees the guests dying. He sees himself, burning. And he hates it. He decides to look away, to try to not remember.

In fact, the Lobby Boy's active avoidance of witnessing his own work is THE big reason the Owner hates the Lobby Boy and picks that fight with him in the first place.

In the bonus episode The Hotel, the Lobby Boy has a dream in which he is entirely alone. He examines the lobby before using his cool powers to rise up through the Hotel in such a way that he can see it all. He keeps going, pushing aside and shaping and conducting the Hotel's form until it reaches a crescendo of swirling color and shape and fervor...Then, of course, he remembers that he's not alone, not really. He's never alone in the Hotel.

Like I said, that lies in murky non-canon-ish waters so feel free to ignore it. I personally consider it an interesting supplemental to the other two examples. The point is, the Lobby Boy isn't an idiot. He's very well aware of what the Hotel is. What he is and what he does.

3.4 ends with this:

"In the Hotel there is only death. Only ever death. But still I run to the second floor, where the deaths don't matter so much. The floor with the guest rooms."

He sees the darkness consuming the lobby, the Manager, everything in the Hotel lobby. He knows what's happening. Still, he decides to run. He chooses to look away. To not think about it, if he can.

He runs to what he knows best: the guest rooms. The familiar forms the Hotel is supposed to take. The facade he can try to lose himself in, knowing all the while that it's a lie and he will face the horrible truth that envelopes and underpins it.

(Here comes another one, don't miss it or we'll have to start over.)

Now, it's time for 3.5 The Lobby Boy Dies.

“I step off the elevator and hold the door for the guest, but the elevator is empty.”

The Lobby Boy is alone as he walks down the endless hallways. The lights wink at him as he passes by. We'll see the Hotel Herself flicker her lights at the Lobby Boy other times, like in 4.10 Audrey Burns. It's one of her cheeky and fun ways of communicating with him! The Hotel is absolutely playing with him like a toy in this arc. I mean, that's true of every arc but this one especially feels so delightfully cheeky.

He refuses to look back behind him. He's seen the guests look back and it's never saved any of them. Then he spots a different kind of light – a candle by an empty guest room.

“I...the candle wants me to stare into the flame. It wants me to go inside the room. The door matches the key ring in my hand... Why-”

But the Lobby Boy knows what's happening here. He drops his keys and continues walking. He avoids looking at anything but straight ahead of him, down the hall. With each room, door, candle he avoids, another one shows up until every room is an empty guest room with a candle. For him.

He wants to refuse. He doesn't want to go in. Tells himself he won't, he CAN'T. But the Hotel pulsates in the background and he starts to imagine what it would be like if the walls caught fire...the fire spreading...Chasing him...He runs!

But why? Why avoid the flames and the burning and the smoke when he knows he can't, won't escape them? When he knows he'll end up dying anyway?

There's a few ways to look at this. One is that it's part of his nature – he doesn't want to face death, not necessarily in a human way but because it - like basically everything else - makes him squeamish and uncomfortable. If he runs, he doesn't have to face it. If he runs, he can pretend:

"The doors seem to turn towards me as I pass now. Stretching, almost reaching out. Presenting to me, showing me the sweetest lie: Safety. Safety from what is behind me. Safety from the end ahead."

“The flames behind, the fire ahead, I will pretend not to know what is beyond the door and know relief for a sickening, hopeful, instant.”

[Bolding mine]

The Lobby Boy is aligning himself with the guests here. He is a guest in this episode: he has a room he will go and die inside of. He knows the guests aren't saved by their pretending, but he does it anyway because the tiny glimmer of light inside the Lobby Boy is hope. Is wanting. In this case, it's wanting the comforting lie that he'll be okay, somehow.

Another part is that this is technically new to him, new and frightening. His nature is fearfulness, so of course he runs. He's still a fresh-out-of-the-oven Lobby Boy at this point! All of this that's happening doesn't gel with whatever knowledge was baked into him from the Hotel. He hasn't had a chance to acclimate yet!

He enters his room and sees, just before the door closes, himself stepping off the elevator in the hall. He stands in the dark for a long time until the candle appears again.

“I stare into the flame and I can hear the Hotel around me.”

He's transfixed until the candle falls over and the whole room goes up in flames, burning him to death. He doesn't accept it, he screams and tries to run and tries to open the door he knows will not open again. He dies just like one of the guests.

(You were there too.)

Since the previous Lobby Boy is dead, the Lobby Boy who we just saw step out of the elevator is our narrator for 3.6 The Lobby Boy Tries Not To Die.

“I step off the elevator and hold the door for the guest, but...there is no guest. I'm alone.”

Last episode, we saw the part of the Lobby Boy that identifies with the guests, the part of him that's just as trapped as they are. But there's plenty more layers and sides to the LB we've yet to peel.

The Lobby Boy lies to himself and attempts to convince himself that the guest he saw at the end of the hall definitely did not have his face. It for sure wasn't him. Totally. He slips back into his role, what he knows he should be doing. But everything's wrong, still. He continues down the hall and passes rooms full of smoke and burning and screaming.

Occasionally, his voice reverberates. Notably, it happens when the ceiling is full of soot. He says:

“I don't want to fall up into that void. I don't know if I'll hit the ceiling, or just fall forever. (forever, forever.)”

[Formatting taken directly from transcript]

In my last post, I talked about how the darkness – the Hotel – is inextricable from the Manager/the staff. The idea returns here with...Well, with the smoke and soot, obviously, but ALSO with these vocal effects. It's one of the Lobby Boy's things, sometimes if he's particularly worked up he'll get effects like this in his narration.

As it's applied here, it feels like something directly tying him to the Hotel. A part of him that is like it. These reverberations come back at the end of the season both with the Hotel Herself's narration and the staff's response to her. They are not separate entities, but a strange splintering and amalgamation of each other.

The Hotel's pulsing starts up in the background. The Lobby Boy continues walking but his steps become wet and squishy as the floors become coated in, um. Melted Lobby Boy soup leaking out from the room doors. It pools and congeals into a gory sticky mess that clings to him, hinders his running. The desk bell dings and something is chasing the Lobby Boy and screaming at him and his immediate instinct is to run away.

The slurry of himself enmeshed in the floor shows that the part of the Hotel that is the Lobby Boy is this second floor. The same way the Manager is the lobby and we saw her being built, the Lobby Boy is every endless hall, room, door, ceiling, floors. He is both the facade and the horrible truth at the end of it.

What he runs from is himself, literally, in this episode, but also from...himself. You know what I mean?

“I run faster. I want the soot black ceiling to take me. I want to sink into the cold bleeding carpet. I want grey walls and nothing else.”

(mood man I hate being yelled at too.)

They're both screaming now, his pursuer and himself. Just...screaming. I LOVE the distorted layered yells here. Something visceral and miserable about the sounds perfectly encapsulate the Lobby Boy, I feel.

He runs and every door turns into an elevator. He ends up, of course, back at that door. That room, with the smoke and the fire and the other burning Lobby Boy already inside of it. He looks back and sees himself clearly this time. He's terrified. He'd rather burn to death than be caught by himself. He closes the door “a little faster” before the other him can get inside.

And so the Lobby Boy Fails To Not Die.

(Did you see him? Was it too fast for you?)

We are roughly two Lobby Boys down as we head into 3.7 The Rooms Are Filled.

“I step off the elevator and hold the door for the guest. The guest steps out and into the hallway.”

So now there's two of them in the elevator. One must be the guest, if one of them is the Lobby Boy. But then...? They walk together and the other lets our viewpoint LB into the room.

Once again, this opening sequence involves the Lobby Boy following his standard routine. Bring the guest to the room. Ask if they need anything. Our narrator gives a quick rundown of the room but then the fire starts consuming everything again. Instead of running away from each other, the two Boys struggle pathetically over each other to get out. One of them escapes, the other remains trapped in the room.

He heads back to the elevator and goes to another floor.

“There are so many buttons twinkling dully at me. I like to stare at them on the way.”

Bringing up this quote just to say I'm putting a pin in it for later in this post. Bear with me, there WILL be a payoff to this. I just wanted to make special note of this line in particular.

The elevator doors open and the cycle continues, repeats. One Lobby Boy brings the other Lobby Boy to his room and he dies there as the Lobby Boy goes back to the elevator to do it again. Again. Again. Every time the Lobby Boy dies, a light in the elevator goes out. Slowly, they burn to darkness every hall in the Hotel.

He's not running the same way he was during the last few episodes. He's settling in. Getting acclimated. The way he gets through this is by not thinking about it. If he doesn't think, he can hold out the sliver of hope within him that he won't be the one to die. But he'll still die.

He sounds so utterly exhausted as he relives both the walk from the elevator to the room and the burning to death inside the room. So strained, bordering on anger almost.

“Why do I look so afraid, if I'm not the one who has to burn? But I am the one who has to burn. And the one who has to close the door. I'm the only one here.”

Okay to be honest you could just ignore every single thing I've written here and just look at these lines because this is the crux of it all.

The sound gets...weirder from here. The elevator door dings wrongly. The Lobby Boy doesn't hold the door open for the guest. We hear the Owner's scream for the first time in a while, though this comes immediately after the line saying, “The rooms are filled with my screams.”

Hmmmm...

But I can't talk about that yet. I need to talk about this:

“The halls are filled with smoke and mess. I don't know why The Manager only had to die once and I have to die so much. So much. Too much.”

[Bolding mine]

Does this line sound familiar? He sounds envious here, almost...resentful, in a way that reminds me very specifically of 2.2 Cracker Man:

“Why do they get to be in the house? Why do they get to be young and happy and beautiful? Why does it hurt to watch them live? I don’t know why but it does. Every smile stings.”

The Manager's S2 episodes showed us her primal instinct as one of her core traits. The Lobby Boy's S2 episodes show us his envy and rage. He's portrayed as a stalking figure in both Cracker Man and Frozen Figures, something that watches from the outside before going in for the kill. Yeah, technically the Owner and Manager do this too, but it feels personal for the Lobby Boy.

Why do THEY (the guests) get to live? Why do THEY get to pretend, to have the luxury of not knowing what's going to happen to them? Why did the Manager only have to die ONCE instead of being stuck in this endless cycle? (She didn't, she died at least like 4 times, but I suppose he doesn't know that). Why is he stuck here and they're not? WHY CAN'T HE D--

“There are so many buttons twinkling dully at me. I like to stare at them on the way.”

That envy and his feelings towards the guests are also why I think the Lobby Boy likes staring at twinkling lights. I mean, there doesn't have to be anything deeper to it. I do think it is just...a thing he likes and that's that. But if there WERE deeper meaning to it, I would say part of him wants what the guests have. He wouldn't know what, exactly, he wants. But he knows they're different. They have something else. Maybe something nicer. Maybe. He admires the shimmering light until it turns into a desperate flame that eventually burns to soot and ash.

His envy collapses and gives way to the rage tucked deep inside him in Cracker Man. Here in 3.7, he taps into that and chases down the other Lobby Boy. Once again, he becomes the pursuing monster. He is the rooms he built. He is the guests he brought to them. He is the horror that will kill them inside the rooms. The screaming effects layer beautifully again.

“Every room is getting filled. Endlessly. We put ourselves here because we did. Never a thought to why or where. He runs so I'm running. He burns so I'm burning. If I could catch him, if I could touch him, could we burn together?”

I have nothing to add to this, I just want to sit and appreciate these lines for a minute.

The chase continues. This Lobby Boy can see into the elevators lining the hallways. Behind the both of them, “the void spills out” and chases them. No matter what direction they go, he'll always end up back in that darkness. Whether he's inside the burning room or out in the hall. He still, still, holds onto that tiny sliver of false hope that maybe, just maybe, he can catch him this time.

But the Lobby Boy sees him and closes the door a little faster. And the Lobby Boy is brought to a void by a trillion lights.

(The guests were never meant to come this far.)

There's...a lot more I'd love to say. I could go on and on in endless circles about this arc. It would be fitting, but this is already so long and I still have the Owner and the Hotel Herself to talk about!

So for now, let's see what happens to the Lobby Boy in the cleverly titled 3.8 A V O I D.

The Lobby Boy doesn't actually...do much here, since this episode is meant to start us on the Owner's arc. LB sits in the void, afraid. As familiar gibbering/Powers That Be noises follow after him, he panics.

“The worst it can do is kill me. Again. And Again. Forever. WHY CAN'T I DIE?”

[Formatting taken direct from transcript]

One last time, there's the crux of the Lobby Boy's despair. Why is he trapped like this when he's so, SO afraid? Why? Why why? The hopeless wailing and thrashing shared by the guests in their last moments.

We proceed listen to the Lobby Boy having the worst time he's probably ever had when he whimpers and begs “No no no no please no.”

His question is answered by as he's brutally killed by the gibbering creature the Hotel.

(He seems to be dead now though.)

And then the Owner chimes in with the fucking funniest possible line, “Thank you. Dispatching that creature has been long overdue.”

Thanks king. So glad to see you on your hater streak <3

Anyway, that wraps things up for the Lobby Boy's arc. I've never seen a more literal version of the “Man Vs. Self” style of conflict as this, as he grapples and struggles and fights with himself across time.

We get to see the fearful core of his being on full display along with the reasons why he'd be so afraid compared to the other two. Neither the Manager or the Owner are as down in the dirt with the guests, so to speak, as the Lobby Boy is. He embodies the most important aspect of it, the rooms and the killing.

It seems the only way he can get himself to function in that endless cycle is by avoidance, turning himself away from it all. The Owner just doesn't get it. Even though they have so much in common...

Well, that'll be for next time to delve into. See you then friends. Thanks again for reading! :-)

#the hotel podcast #the lobby boys episodes are longer generally #and theres a lot of ground to cover here #i hope this is an enjoyable read nonetheless!#hotelpod analysis

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merakiui · 2 years

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I love how serial killer jade went from

"You are pregnant? *stops marinading readers leg* huh, well usually I wouldn't care but I am not really feeling hungry for octofetus rn tbh"

"Oh my darling sweetheart is the dora the explorer printed cutlery to your liking? My how relieving. Don't let our son Mineral Bubbles Jade Jr swallow the toilet water again his porridge is in the fridge next to your food. Yeah it's meat again. Yes the neighbour is fine (for now). I will be on my way then"

He’s slowly turning into a simp. 😂 Now he puts down the knife and fork in order to embrace dear reader with love and not hunger.

#twisted chit chat #serial killer jade #the dynamic is a little different in the story draft #as are some other details i’ve changed #but i hope it will still be enjoyable nonetheless :D

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plasma-packin-mama · 11 months

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I hope you all perceive me as annoying but in an earnest and endearing way

#ive judt accepted at this point in my life that im like for sure annoying #so im hoping that the silly and whimsy in my heart is enjoyable nonetheless #if not. ah well. c'est la vie #p speak

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meatlessmcmuffin · 1 year

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do u guys like transfem genderfluid sanji. hey

#one piece #vinsmoke sanji #idk. this is so long i didnt think it wld be so long... i got carried away #ok again i am not a writer but i hope this is enjoyable nonetheless #transfem sanji #???

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wuggen · 1 year

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PSA: @apovivdic is a really cool and lovely and astoundingly kind and gentle person ^ω^

#happy Make A Post For Viv Day to those who celebrate #I don't yet know you very well‚ otherwise I might have a better idea of how to finely and precisely design a Post For You #but I hope this humble offering is enjoyable nonetheless :3

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crescendollscollective · 12 days

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Tomorrow alongside my grueling ASL work, I must thumbnail the remaining 8 pages of my comic and/or write another paragraph for my essay. It's crunch time.

#there's also 3 things I must attend so I will be VERY busy #let's hope I wake up early #♦️; notes #🦇; iru #why is this here? it's personal and I don't want to be this specific on main #thank goodness I thumbnailed 4 pages tonight. I forgot that I SUCK at determining where to put panels #so I have to take the extra time to revises where I put the panels in my script #Fuck it we ball. my professor's getting a comic sketch but I'll work on this more after for my own enjoyment. For now we just need a draft #a passable draft but a draft nonetheless

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femme-malewife · 1 month

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I'm really nervous about the fic I'm writing...

#its not one i typically write...but i hope its enjoyable nonetheless..!

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beenbaanbuun · 2 months

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nudes w/ yunho

words - an amount

genre - smut

warnings - nudes, dom!yunho, degredation, finger sucking, masturbation

——————————————————————————

A smirk grew on your face as you read over the text you’d just received from your boyfriend.

‘Can you stop sending me nudes?’

You sat there in your lace underwear set, a wet puddle forming between your thighs as you thought about all the things he’d do to you once he was home. He was very big on punishments, much to your enjoyment. Sometimes, you went out of your way to annoy him, just so you could spend the night under him as he played with your body as if it was his own personal toy.

‘Why?’ You shot back, fingers slowly making their way down to your core. Technically you weren’t supposed to play with yourself without Yunho’s permission, but what he didn't know wouldn’t hurt him. And if he did know? Well, it's not like the consequences would be anything you wouldn’t be more than happy to deal with.

‘I’m at work, Sweetheart.’ Despite his kind words, you knew that he was seething. You could see him when you shut your eyes. Jaw clenched and eyebrow raised as he breathed heavily through flared nostrils. Just thinking about his anger made another wave of desire surge through you. As you trailed your fingers around the edge of your panties, you couldn’t help but notice another gush of slick coming from your twitching hole. God, you couldn't wait for Yunho to get home.

‘I just wanted to show you my new panties.’

Your fingers made their way beneath the soft material and your breath hitched as your fingers caught on your clit. A breathy moan made its way up your throat as you toyed with the little nub for a moment or two, gently rubbing circles before pinching it lightly. You imagined it was Yunho, but your hand felt completely different to his. It was smaller for a start, and you could never play with yourself in the same way he did. He could make you squirm in a way you didnt even think was possible.

If making you cum was an art, your boyfriend had mastered it. You, on the other hand, were still learning, and bringing yourself to the edge was much harder than he made it seem. Even on those nights that he simply refused to touch you, inspecting you carefully from across the room with a smug smirk, it was so much easier for you to cum. At least then there was a firm voice instructing you where to move your fingers, whether to add more or less pressure, and exactly when to do so. Now, you felt lost. Without the presence of Yunho, there was no hope for you.

The initial pleasure soon dissipated and in its place came disappointment. You were just aimlessly touching your clit now, a frown present on your face as you pleaded with whoever was up there that Yunho would come home from work early. You were certain that all you needed to cum was a firm hand and a deep voice to push you to your limits.

Yet even with your lack of ability to push yourself to the edge, it wasn't until your phone chimed that you actually removed your fingers from your panties. You brought them up to your face, carefully studying the way they shimmered with your slick. You spread your middle and your index fingers, watching as your arousal stretched between them like a spider's web on a dewy summer’s morning. It was pretty, in some sort of weird, erotic way, and you couldn’t help but admire it. Not for long though, a thought suddenly striking you and pulling you from your trance; Yunho would make you lick them clean.

That’s all it took for you to guide them to your awaiting mouth. You pushed them to the back of your throat, almost gagging on them before you closed your lips around them. It didn't taste particularly exciting - you were all too familiar with the taste of yourself by now- but it reminded you of your boyfriend nonetheless. Of all the times he’d choked you with his long fingers after pulling them from your creamy hole. So with a smile on your face, you circled your tongue around your fingers, sucking all of your slick off of them.

As you did so, you lifted your phone up to your face, and read the latest message from Yunho.

‘You don’t know what you’ve got yourself into, Sweetheart.’ You had to grin because yes, you did. In fact, it was the knowledge of what he may do to you that led you to orchestrate this whole situation. You wanted Yunho to dominate you, and you wanted it bad. The lack of power as he controlled your mind, body and soul tempted you like nothing else. The way he can so easily seize control of you, reducing you down to nothing but his puppet was something you desired to no end. It was as peaceful as it was exciting, hushing your mind until there was nothing left but him.

So yes, you knew exactly what you got yourself into.

‘Hurry back before I cause any more trouble.’ It took you a while to type it out with only your non-dominant hand, but Yunho waited for your reply anyway. The moment it sent, you spotted the three little dots that let you know he was typing. It felt good to know that you had him wrapped around your little finger, just like he had you.

‘Already on my way.’

The words popped up onto your screen and you grinned, knowing that he’d soon be there to take care of you. You turned your phone face down on the bed and closed your eyes, simply letting yourself relax into the buzz of excitement that flowed through your body.

———

It took Yunho a little over 30 minutes to get home, by which time, you'd fallen asleep. It was no secret that over the years you spent with your boyfriend, you'd developed a little bit of an oral fixation, specifically when it came to his hands. Having his fingers pressed to your tongue always seemed to put you even deeper into a submissive headspace; despite your fingers not comparing to the length, girth or warmth of his own, they still helped you relax deep enough for you to fall into a quiet slumber.

“Jesus, Sweetheart,” were the words that woke you. Deep and smooth as always, coming from the man you loved most in the world. He sounded like chocolate, making you all warm and fuzzy on the inside. “After all that, you’ve passed out on me. Couldn’t even wait a few minutes for me to come home, hm?”

You mumbled something. Nothing of any particular meaning, but it made your boyfriend coo anyway. He always found you cute when you first woke up.

“If you’d behaved earlier, I might have let you sleep,” He said, and through your sleepy haze, you recognised the familiar condescending tone he usually used when the two of you were in bed together. Despite the fact that your brain was still coming to terms with being awake, you could still feel the ache in your pussy kick in again. “Unfortunately, my sweet girl isn't so sweet after all. Nasty little whore needs teaching a lesson.”

You subconsciously spread your legs, giving him access to the place that you so desperately wanted him. The display made him let out a low chuckle, which in turn made your hips buck slightly. Just the sound of his voice was enough to drive you crazy with need.

“Yun,” you whined, the words coming out jumbled, your fingers still pressed firmly down on your tongue. Only now did you crack your eyes open wide enough to get a good look at him. He was all dressed up in his dress shirt and slacks, sleeve rolled up to his elbows and hands in his pockets. He looked just as handsome as he did ‘in-charge’ and you loved every second of it.

“She speaks,” He squatted down so that his face lined up with yours. You couldn't help but notice how pretty he looked with those long black bangs sitting on his brow bone and that cruel glint in his eye that warned you of just how much trouble you were in. “Shame you can’t use that brain to follow instructions, huh?” The question was rhetorical, but you nodded anyway.

You felt a warm hand wrap around your dominant hand’s wrist and pull. With a pop, your fingers were finally free from your wet cavern, but not for long. You watched with the utmost interest as Yunho opened his own mouth and encapsulated your fingers inside. He hummed deeply, letting his eyes flutter closed as he tasted your spit on your fingers. His tongue moved on its own, lapping at the appendages as if your saliva was going to be his last drink. It felt so dirty, but he didn't even blink an eye. It's as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

You never knew that your fingertips were an erogenous zone, but the feeling of his tongue trailing along them only served to make you wetter. You squeezed your thighs together, ignoring the painfully loud squelch as you did so. Your panties were embarrassingly soaked, but you couldn't help it. Not when Yunho was acting like the embodiment of temptation itself.

“You taste so sweet,” he mumbled as he pulled his mouth off of you. When he opened his eyes again, you couldn't help but notice that his pupils were blown out, lust taking over his face entirely. You couldn't see yourself, but you were almost positive that you were faring no better. “And that's why you’re my sweetheart, sweetheart.”

You gave him a sleepy giggle as he went back to lapping at your fingertips with the tiniest of kitten-licks. His tongue danced along them, dipping in between and swirling around the tips.

“I love you, Yun,” the words slipped from your lips before you could stop them. He smiled. A proper smile full of joy and love. It made your heart pitter-patter giddily.

“I love you too, Sweetheart,” He leaned forwards to offer you a sweet kiss to the lips. It was short lived, but it made your heart flutter like you were a schoolgirl receiving a letter from her crush. When he pulled away, his eyes were much darker, and that fuzzy, gentle feeling was replaced with hard, powerful lust. You swallowed hard as Yunho let a twisted little grin paint his face, “but I’m about to fuck you like I don’t.”

#yunho hard thoughts #yunho smut #ateez x reader #ateez fanfic #ateez oneshot #ateez fic #ateez smut #yunho x reader

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