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⌁₊˚⊹Eddie & Volt Headcanons (SFW)⊹˚₊⌁

They’ve been on my BRAIN recently so

All of these are sfw, might be mildly suggestive. I may post an nsfw one later

Warnings: suggestive sometimes, chronic pain, alcohol

Eddie has internal wiring, accessed through a latch in his chest. In place of a heart is a fusebox, and by god does it overheat whenever he feels anything too strongly. You could absolutely get a burn from touching it at certain moments. However, the wires surrounding it are quite sensitive to him. The ones inside it even more so. Sometimes, if you press your head to his chest, you can feel the radiating heat from his core, as well as hear the whirring of his overworked internal fan trying to cool it all down.

Conversely, Volt doesn’t have a ‘heart’ of any kind per se. When you place a hand on his chest, there’s no beat, but a pulsing thrum of electricity. At times you’ve gotten tiny static shocks when touching his skin or even being near him. In moments of high intensity sparks quite literally fly off of him.

Eddie quite literally tastes like copper. Kissing him is like shoving a penny down your throat. He’s a little self conscious about it and will occasionally make comments about how insane you and Volt are for continuing to do it. To be honest, Volt thinks its really endearing and has developed a pavlovian response to the taste of metal.

The wires on Eddie’s hair are 100% real, and will occasionally spark/electrocute you when you go to play with his hair.

Items do charge when you place them around or on Volt. But he LOVES not letting you do it to annoy you.

If there’s a malfunction somewhere in the house, Eddie feels it. Sometimes it’s just a cramp in his side or an ache in his joints, other times it’s full on debilitating bedridden pain. During these episodes he does not want to see a single person besides you and Volt, and even then the two of you are on thin ice. Volt has to physically drag him away from work on occasion because he’s trying to fix a light switch with his hands trembling so badly he can barely grasp the wrench.

Volt isn’t affected by the malfunctions, but he is by power fluctuations. It doesn’t manifest in pain, though. It’s more like the feeling of not getting enough oxygen to your brain, he can become a little delirious and confused, stuttering over words and repeating them in an almost glitch-like fashion. His body will try to make more electricity to make up for the loss, leading to him glowing extremely bright before fizzling out completely. During total power outages he finds it hard to stay in his right mind, and gets into an almost drunk-like state.

Eddie can’t dance, and Volt has given up on trying to teach him. However, he loves watching you and Volt on the dance floor more than anything. On rare occasions, when alone in the after hours bar and a couple drinks in, you might convince him to join you two.

If you get with any other objects in the house they are EXTREMELY invested. Volt practically forces you to tell them all the details. They encourage you to bring your other lovers to the bar. Eddie gives them a free drink but charges you extra.

You find a LOT more drinks suited to your tastes on the breaker box menu after you started dating them. You have no idea where they even learned your preferences (hint: Volt hunted down Beverley)

Volt and you ganging up on Eddie is a regular occurrence. In all sorts of situations.

Volt quite literally ‘lights up’ when happy. His eyes and hair genuinely get a lot brighter, sometimes blindingly so.

Both of them are extreme heavy weights when it comes to alcohol. On the rare occasions they do get drunk, it’s purposeful, and either just with each other or with you.

Volt is an extremely volatile and loud drunk. You expected him to be loud in the ‘life of the party’ way, but no, he’s a short fuse. He gets extremely protective over you and Eddie, almost screaming whenever one of you says something that might imply you’re hurting emotionally or physically. God forbid you imply that another person hurt you. When not pissed off he’s bear hugging you so damn tight you physically cannot escape. If you think he talks a lot when sober you haven’t seen nothing yet, he’s talking your ear off about anything and everything, this is his venting time.

Eddie, on the other hand, is a very sleepy drunk. He gets sort of discoordinated and loopy, collapsing on whichever one of his lovers is closest. Lord knows he needs rest, and this is the only time he’ll willingly get it. He doesn’t talk when he’s truly drunk, maybe the occasional single word like ‘stay’ or ‘thanks’, and sometimes your names, but otherwise? Totally silent. Honestly, you don’t get to see him shitfaced for long, he’s always fallen asleep quite quickly.

Eddie likes sleeping without being touched. Volt needs to hold something while sleeping. This is where you come in.

Eddie secretly harbours just as much love for drama as Volt does. Part of the reason he loves his bartending so much is he gets to listen in on people’s drunk confessions. You bet he’s telling all of it to you later.

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Date Everything Imagine: Part 3

post-realization thoughts, so just in case, slight post-realization spoilers.

tw: mentions of dealing and selling your body

—--

so imagine, all the dateables left. they left and started building their lives out there in the real world. But they tried to keep in contact with you, they really did. After all, with how busy their lives have gotten they've been laser focused on that instead. All their hard work is for themselves after all, but it's all thanks to you. You and your kind, thoughtful self, you who wanted them to be free and live out their dreams. To be human.

The dateables wanted to see you, fully fledged and secure with their lives, they wanted to see you with stories and anecdotes, standing tall and proud as human. All because of you.

So, when they did feel secure in their lives. Why weren't you answering the door?

Most of the dateables who (finally) had the time of day, wanted to visit you and the home that they (literally) came from. They were excited to see you again after so long, so why weren't you answering your door?

They tried knocking, but no one was answering. After a while, when it was obvious no one was going to answer, Dorian had to unlock the door for everyone (because really, the man who used to be all of the doors in your house should have a key right?). But when the dateables went in, there were no signs of anyone living in the house for a while.

Now they're worried. They've tried calling your number to no avail, calling out your name in the house which was proven futile. When the dateables started to talk amongst themselves worrying about you, a curious neighbor came knocking at your porch. Just to see almost fifty people in the house looking at the neighbor.

When asked, the neighbor said no one was living here for a while. Weeks, months? The neighbor had no clue, the dateables decided to split up and talk to the other neighbors themselves.

When asked, another neighbor said you were a hermit. Not really talking to anyone in your neighborhood, “Mysterious” they said.

Another neighbor didn't know either but they whispered low enough for the entire neighborhood to hear; “I think they're a dealer” they said.

“They had all these people coming and going” The neighbor said.

“If you were to ask me,” Another neighbor chimed in from somewhere, “I think they were selling something else.”

“Their body?” A neighbor mockingly added,

The neighbors laughed, the dateables did not.

The dateables gritted their teeth but still asked about where you went. “Moved out a while back.” A neighbor said nonchalantly.

“Good riddance.” Another neighbor added, snickering.

The dateables asking had a few choice words with the neighbors.

When the dateables grouped up again, all of them knew the same thing. You were a hermit, you moved out a while back, and your neighbors did not like you.

Were you bullied out of your own neighborhood? Were you tired of all the stares from your neighbors? Why didn't you see any of the dateables? Why didn't you tell them?

‘Why didn't you tell them?’ was the repeating thought,

“Did anyone check up on you?” was asked,

“Did no one check on you?” no one had an answer,

The dateables, back inside your abandoned house. With dust collecting on all the objects they used to inhabit, had a full-blown argument that day.

When one of the sensible dateables calmed everyone down, everyone agreed on finding you.

If you are still in the same area, the dateables will drive around searching for you. If you are still in the same country, the dateables with a lax schedule will go around asking of you.

If you were in a different country altogether? Some of the more successful dateables will fly around trying to find you. The techie dateables will search high and low for an ounce of information about your whereabouts, giving tidbits of info to everyone for the slightest chance to find you.

Perhaps Gaia or Jacques can have a more favorable outcome, who knows, if they were really desperate, they could contact President Sinclaire for a greater reach.

Either you wanted to be found or not, the dateables only wanted to know if you were safe. They still care for you after all. Your kind and thoughtful self should never be driven out of your own home.

If the dateables were one of the reasons you left, then they'll grovel, beg on their hands and knees for your forgiveness. Even if you didn't want to see them again, just know that they were sorry. And they'll do anything to prove it.

So, just please, come home.

—--

another imagine that got out of hand.

anyways, this imagine was inspired by @/pigeon1855's one vid on tiktok. it destroyed me but also rebuilt me at the same time.

i tried to make this as vague as possible so ya'll can imagine whichever dateables you prefer, i tried and that's enough.

this was also not beta read (again), it's me and my phone against the world. so apologies for the grammar errors </3

anyways, stream “the subway” by chappell roan.

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*screams into my pillow*

wtf I love them so much </3

drives me crazy that eddie thinks he's selfish. he is a fix-it kind of guy. it's the first thing you learn about him. his name is eddie, and he fixes shit. volt exists because eddie was trying to fix shit. just temporary. just split myself, just another set of hands so i can solve the fucking problem. but then volt exists, and eddie finds the faulty wire. and he can't fucking do it. he can't fix it.

he thinks he's denying his entire purpose because he's selfish. because he loves volt. because he doesn't want to be alone. because volt would do it. he would go out. not for the power. for eddie. because he thinks that's all he is. eddie's. a tool for eddie to use to fix the power. to eddie, volt is a person, a whole, separate person who deserves to exist. who deserves to be protected. but eddie loves him and wants him even though he made him as a temporary fix, and he's supposed to fix shit, and he's not. so he's selfish. he doesn't want to be alone, so he's selfish. he's protecting the life of the person he loves more than anything, and he thinks he's selfish.

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I can listen to their dialogue all day <3

the breaker box boys

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had to load a new save just because I wanted to get his love ending </3

Trophy wife

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love this fic <3 also my poor wife, having to watch me flirt with Hector on top of him

Doodle I did a while ago based off a Dorian fic I read..

(Rules of the game on AO3)

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very loud reblog hehe

while i do love my gn reader stories, i am unfortunately programmed to think it leans more towards feminine undertones which i don't exactly mind but it gets too much yk?

A tip I like to give writers who struggle to write gender neutral fics (or those who do, because some of them say they write gender neutral fics where there's obviously a specific gender they're focusing on) is to read over their fic and imagine the reader as a 6'4 muscular guy.

Does it make sense for the reader to sit in a character's lap if they're 6'4 and muscular? Does it make sense for them to giggle? For them to blush as much?

If no, then you're not really writing for a gender neutral reader....

I don't mean to be mean, but it can get a little frustrating when it's obvious that a writer is writing with the idea that the reader is a girl, but they think that if they don't describe gentiles or use she/her pronouns than it's gender neutral.

Because that doesn't!

Like, ok, in romance main media it's obvious that girls and guys have certain roles. The girl is more "passive" (they don't buy the love interest flowers, the love interest buys them flowers. The love interest opens the door for them. Or they're the ones initiating kissing/wrapping their hands around their partner/etc.)

For a girl in the relationship to do those things: to be the more flirty one instead of the one being flustered, to initiate intimacy, to have her partner sit in her lap, to open the door for him and pull out his chair, to pay for the date, to have her boyfriend lay on her chest when they cuddle instead of the other way around, to buy him flowers, etc.

That's seen as flipping the script. The girl is seen as "dominant".

And if a guy is more shy than his girl love interest. If he gets flustered easily. If he's the more passive one.

Then we label him as submissive.

(notice how we don't really label guy interests as dominant even if he does these things, and only when he's Very dominant. And we don't really label girl love interests as submissive... But that's a larger issue I have with how romance is often viewed through this heteronormative lense.)

So I guess I just find it a little frustrating when it's very obvious when a reader is written with the ideals/notions/tropes of being the "girl" in a typical guy/girl romance, but the fic is labeled as gender neutral.

Like, I know that non-binary people can be the more "passive" one in a relationship. I know that's the case! But they can also be the more "assertive" one as well, but I don't see the reader portrayed as being the more assistive one in X reader fics (... Only when it's labeled Dom!reader. Or top!reader, for those who confess being a top with being dominant.)

Like I don't care if you like to write the reader as being on the receiving end of affection, that they giggle, that they sit in their partner's laps, that they're the ones who get pursued instead of doing the pursing.

I just wish that was made more obvious in the summary/tags/warnings of the fic (if the reader is taking on the role of the "girl") so I'm not suddenly jump scared by it.

I'm not sure what tags/warnings could be used to signify this, but I've personally been toying around with the idea of tagging the reader as "passive" if they're the one being "pursued" (the get flustered easily, they're the one got gets kissed instead of doing the kissing, they're the ones who sit on the love interest's lap, they're the ones laying on their chest, etc).

And "assertive" if they're the ones getting the character flustered, kissing them, has the character sit in their lap, etc.

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i am being vulnerable here since i admit that i do also walk around with less clothes on

ph weather is no joke and we do not have the privilege of vents. I would also be low key mortified if i knew my household items hold sentience and they’ve seen nature's gifts.

New Style?

You’ve started wearing more since using a dateviators and the objects are vary confused about their feelings

Inspired by a post from @pustak31

•the objects were so happy when you got Skylar, finally they could talk to the person they’d been admittedly staring at for a while now.

•but could you blame them when all you ever wore was your shirt and underwear around the house?

•the first time you walked into the kitchen like that? Friar Errol nearly passed out, and Cabrizzio forgot to speak English for the next hour.

•heck sometimes you went without a shirt too, it’s your house, who’s gonna stop you?

• certainly not Tony, who got a front row seat as you fixed your air conditioner in the summer. Despite is flirtatious attitude, that day? He just fully froze, beet red and looked away as much as he could.

•Hector, poor thing, he passed out the minute you opened the door.

•Celia was up to her arms in issues from objects bumping into on another, or break things in their panic and fluster.

There was a meeting held in the living while you took a bath, that way they would know you would fluster anyone while they talked. “Honestly everyone, it’s just clothes.” Celia said, she promptly ignored Cam’s shouts of “Or lack of!” as she continued on “We all need to get over it and get back to normal.” Then the door to the bathroom opened up and they stared in shock as your walked down the stairs donning…nothing.

Celia breathed deep and closed her eyes. They were all doomed.

• when you first put on Skylar you were pretty shocked to find out about all the objects in your house and how they watched over you.

• then you had a moment to yourself and realized that maybe you had been way to comfortable looking back on it.

•the change in your wardrobe wasn’t very subtle. From that day on you would ware shorts and a shirt at the very least.

•Heck you even dressed up a bit every now and then, the red shirt your almost never was at least getting some use.

•As grateful as the objects were for you considering their comfort.

•Yeah no, they missed it so much.

•they would never want you to feel uncomfortable, but you were really hot and they never really minded seeing you not dressed up.

•Tony, Curt and Rod started pleading with Hector to crank up the heat. Which he almost did but he stayed strong in your honor.

•everyone envies the bathroom objects. Bathsheba holds it over their heads like a trophy. Amir goes on and on about your beauty.

•Betty is about to beg you to go back to sleeping partially nude, she misses being able to feel you skin against the covers. It brought her a lot of comfort and helped her sleep better.

•Celia had to hold another meeting because of fighting.

This time the meeting is held in your bedroom, you took clothes in with you so they aren’t worried about you walking in anytime soon. Everyone is up in arms about who gets to see you and in what, Volt is holding back Eddie from strangling Amir who was talking about your time posing in the mirror after a bath. Meanwhile Bathsheba was being protected by Dunk from a very frustrated Harper and Dirk, although he looked like he was on the verge of tossing her himself shockingly.

Celia finally raised her voice to get their attention, this meeting was going nowhere without some guidance. “Enough everyone! We all are very stress right now, but there is no reason to fight.”

“Easy for you to say!” Johnny shouts from the back. “You get a front row seat no matter where they go!” Celia couldn’t argue with that, she was everywhere. Gaia then spoke up “You don’t either Johnny! YOUR their shower!”

“In the downstairs bathroom, they hardly ever use me!” Johnny practically cries.

Celia tries to calm everyone down again “Be that as it may, us fighting isn’t going to help anyone. We have to find a solution that everyone agrees with.”

Florence then speaks up for the first time since the meeting began, “Couldn’t we just, ask them to go back?” Everyone paused and looks at her as she keeps speaking, a little more nervous “I-I mean, if they’re uncomfortable with it then find no harm done, but if they’re doing it so we’ll feel more comfortable then… maybe we just say we’re okay with it?”

Nobody is sure if it’s the best solution, but it’s the one that has the most agreement for it. Celia claps her hands and breaths a sigh of relief, “Then it’s settled, when the human puts on Skylar next we’ll have a discussion with them about the matter.” As she’s about to close the meeting the bathroom door opens.

And it seems you forgot to bring a towel in with you. Nobody says a thing as you walk to the closet in your birthday suit to grab one. But the tension that was in the room before almost seems to both relax and intensify at the same time.

Celia needs to take a vacation soon.

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Date Everything Imagine: Part 2

might tag this as aece's random de thoughts hehe.

I had this idea while listening to mitski

—-------

so, the breaker box closet is small, right? small enough for no outside noises to jeopardize a singer recording their song. just put up some noise cancelling panels and you have a niche recording area.

pre-canon to date everything and slight spoilers for eddie and volt's route.

before volt appears, what if eddie takes comfort in you singing near the fuse box? after all, the weight on his shoulders is a heavy burden to bear, to the point that he probably has chronic fatigue keeping the household's electricity going all by himself.

and here comes you with a guitar moving into the breaker box closet, putting tony above the shelf and plastering on noise cancelling panels. eddie was annoyed at first, he already has a lot on his shoulders and here comes you with your music. eddie should've electrocuted you on the spot if it weren't for the fact that with you so close and singing songs so comforting, that your singing somewhat helped.

it's not a solution to his problems, but it's more like a balm to his fatigue.

imagine, eddie just sitting by the breaker box entrance, leaning in to you singing your heart out. most days your songs were just drafts, while on other days you were recording for a fleshed out song. it doesn't exactly matter, i feel like eddie would take comfort in your voice rather than your songs. while your songs did become a fundamental part of why eddie starts listening in, i feel like eddie likes to hear your voice more. either humming or mumbling to yourself as you scribbled out notes for a song.

when volt came to be, he would certainly want to listen as well. after all, it gave eddie great comfort and volt wanted to know who that singer is. i feel like that's where the open mic would have started, hmm.

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Date Everything Imagine

there's a user here on the date everything fandom and i love their hate everything angst. But I can't find their user and I've been scrolling for hours trying to find it D: So if anyone is familiar with them, can you please tell me so I can properly credit them?

------

so, spoilers for eddie and volt's hate ending where you give them keith's candy and you fix the faulty wire.

personally on my run i do have their love ending and watching their hate ending just made me want to crawl somewhere dark and die lmao.

anyways, imagine this, eddie and volt try to make amends with you and you still try to respect their boundaries. i can't help but imagine that one op with their alternate hate everything run imagine where eddie and volt find out how kind you truly are from the other objects, maybe some objects were defensive on your behalf seeing as either they heard through the grapevine or they found out through you directly.

eddie and volt saw it first hand whenever you came by and visit the breaker box, almost always surrounded by the other objects in your VIP booth, laughing and smiling with carefree joy.

whilst with eddie and volt you treat them kindly but cautiously, as if one wrong move can get you electrocuted. An occasional chat with eddie by the bar and an occasional joke with volt whenever he leads you to your booth. it was expected seeing as this new friendship was raw and new.

but as eddie and volt get to know you, actually know you without the burden of the faulty wire, they can't help but yearn.

its not quite love, but perhaps there are some elements underneath. how you still try to respect eddie's boundaries but still offer help with a bit of gentle prodding, how you still talk with volt with that smile of yours. still checking in and worrying for them even after they treated you.

the first time they've met you was rocky at best and disastrous at worst. both eddie and volt picked apart their interactions with you since then, and they've made a realization that maybe they were too harsh on you. maybe they've read too much into it. maybe you didn't deserve to be treated like a villain.

but how do you fix what has already been patched? eddie and volt's relationship with you is friendly now, albeit a little bit awkward seeing that all of you had the mind to not poke the exposed nerve that is your relationship with each other.

and the more you interact with the objects you're close to, the more the breaker box boys yearn to be under the light of your affection.

it's not quite love, maybe it's only the seed of it.

but how can you grow something on poor soil?

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[absofckinglutelys]

Any Headcanons for Lyrics from Date Everything since there not much content about the literature man 🪶 📖

You are his muse, simply put.

He had writer's block, and it was driving him insane. Every sentence he wrote sounded god awful, and he just- he couldn't write. Nothing he would put out was good enough.

Until he met you.

Now he understands what it means for some to be an inspiration to them. Every time he thought of you, he thought of a new page of words to put down. Every word in the dictionary wouldn't be enough to describe how perfect and how radiant you are to him.

He wouldn't call himself a "poet", per se, but he definitely began to create more and more everytime you came to see him. You'd give him ideas every time, and next thing you know, there was another poem for you and about you. (Although there would be words crossed out because he thought they were too embarrassing.)

Sometimes you both will have a writing game where one person has a minute to write something, then after that the other person will write for one minute, then you both swap back and forth. It's one of his favorite pastimes with you. To him, nothing was more intimate than seeing both of your handwritings on the paper.

When you both are cuddling, you'll draw your fingers over the tattoos on his skin, memorizing the pattern of each one as you gaze at them. The sheer gesture alone makes him shiver with delight and chuckle as he holds you, and he gives the story of each one.

Then he'll go and write about it.

You haven't told him this, but you have all of his poems put together in a binder that you plan to turn into an actual hardback poetry book.

You think he'd love it :)

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Date Everything: Lyric Headcannons

soooo, there’s a criminally underappreciated dateable in the date everything fandom. and since i have the energy (and the brain power) to write headcannons, I said to myself "hey, why not show some love?"

for my contribution to the two lyric enjoyers, I give you this.

----------

- lyric would 100% be into booktok

- he likes the community being built there and he sometimes takes book recs without knowing what the books actual premise is </3

- doesn't really complain since he read worse books but he definitely doesn't want you to read some of them

- he. reads. to. you

- that's literally it, that's (probably) not a headcannon

- I feel like he would do the faces when he tries to imagine what the character's facial expression would be

- “his face darkens” lyric would immediately try to do it irl

- sometimes you see him do it, and when you ask him why he's doing that expression. he tells you and now your both trying to do the expression

- the other objects are very much confused

- I 100% see lyric acting out some of the scenes from his books

- like he wants to do a scene with you from a romance novel and either you or he gets flustered when you do it to the other

- “he corners you, letting your back press against the wall”. you/him does it. “wait, I'm not ready!” cue red face and cowering away with embarrassment

- iykyk

- I also see lyric being a picky reader, like if he reads the author not using the correct punctuation or the author doesn't know how to properly space paragraphs, he's outta there faster than Lux (haha get it)

- did yall see his love ending? man's ideal date is just reading with or to each other with nothing else planned

- I haven't seen his realization ending yet, but I did read him being some sort of publisher (which is very fitting ofc), but I'm imagining him as some sort of book keeper.

- human au with a meet cute with librarian lyric? hmmm

- he reads poetry but does he write poetry? hmm

- he's not exactly the type to wax poetry like some dateables in the game, but i imagine lyric to be an avid love letter writer

- which he probably struggles with tbh

- not in the love letter part, but how he writes it

- he loves you and that sort of love overflows, its a sort of love that paper can't hold yk?

- him being more of a reader than a writer is ironic to me, which ik some lyric enjoyers also see. i mean the embodiment of literature struggles to write literature itself? it surprises me at first but slowly, i did understand.

- my point is, his love language can be quality time and physical touch.

- sure, he can do words of affirmation. but i propose to you, long hours just reading to/with each other. laying on each other, either on their lap or on their back and just reading. or bouncing off ideas off each other on the next book yall can write, or a book both of you enjoy and are particularly passionate about.

- anyways, i love this man, and i really didn't expect to love him. be a lyric enjoyer today

---------

the headcannons got out of hand but lyric is not written enough and i am starved for lyric content. he is (one of) my pookies, and if you want content, you have to do it yourself </3.

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hello! my hyperfixations got out of hand, so I might as well add this post so people dont get confused.

I usually go by Aece, and yes I do have an A03 (@/absofuckinglutely) and I post here sometimes.

so current hyperfixations are:

- date everything

- clair obscur: expedition 33

- baldur's gate 3

- (sometimes) jujutsu kaisen, honkai star rail & zenless zone zero

----

i am usually not active on tumblr, but since my hyperfixations fluctuate like a fucking rollercoaster. i sometimes am active here so yeah.

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I'm about to go on Twitter.com and cancel a woman /j

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happy new year everyone!

i hope that in 2025 u get to take more walks, read more books, connect with more people whom u love and who love u, achieve ur goals (even if ur goals are having no goals and just living in the moment), exercise fun hobbies, move from a place of self-direction, and weave together a beguiling assortment of beautiful little moments. remember that no feeling lasts forever. love u

[absofckinglutelys]

Fate, Hollows, Grief and Lighter.

cw // mentions of death, angst, comfort. 4.8k words, not proofread, lighter x gn reader. happy birthday lighter !

You don’t have to be an expert to understand that hollows are confusing. There’s a lot of mystery that goes around them despite the amount of resources that is put into its research. Everyday, it’s some new discovery, some new technology, some new treatment related to them. You told Burnice to switch through the other channels on the mini television at the bar, you didn’t get much of the newer shows in the Outer Ring but you did get the boring news channel.

“Joining us for today’s program is Miss Hoshimi Miyabi from the Hollow Special Operations Section 6. I believe that she needs little to no introduction as your team has been making the rounds online with the most recent case,” a man wearing a black suit, presumably the host, guided the camera over to the thiren next to him with his hand. You’ve seen her before, the proxies that the Sons of Calydon have worked with also mentioned Section 6 as one of their clients. Not everyone can just step into a hollow, even the proxies themselves don’t go in there willingly.

After a moment of silence between the host and Hoshimi Miyabi, the man finally breaks the ice. “Well, we are not here to discuss the controversy; however, there has been a recent discovery regarding the hollows. According to the White Star Institute, your team was able to control Hollow Zero and noticed how time was affected in there. Can you please elaborate on that?” The host was clearly uncomfortable by her quiet demeanor, thinking he’d be interviewing someone who was not as unapproachable as her.

Time, huh? That’s nothing new, even the Tour de Inferno had improved its recording equipment in order to reduce the delay between the inside and outside of the hollow. “Yes, due to its high ether energy, Hollow Zero has the ability to manipulate time, causing us to fight ethereals we had initially already taken down.” The fox thiren finally spoke, her voice was clear and confident, fitting for a chief. The host beamed at her answer, you could see the worry in his eyes when she took a moment to respond to him. “Were there any other anomalies aside from that? The claim coming from the White Star Institute is rather large and I believe that viewers at home would love to hear your experience.”

Lighter notices you staring at the screen intently, it was a rare sight for you to be so engrossed in such a show. He taps the counter a couple of times as he sat on the stool next to you, Burnice immediately understood what that gesture meant. His hand came up to your side, resting it on your hip. “Didn’t know you were into this kind of thing,” his smooth voice cut through your train of thought. You barely even noticed him, finally back from a few small fights but barely even a scratch on his face.

“They’re talking about hollows, those proxy friends of yours should know more about it than this old man on the screen.” you pointed the remote at the screen, not changing the channel though. “My deputy chief, Tsukishiro, found herself reliving a moment from her past relating to another member of my team. Asaba said that he was beginning to see the same ethereal over and over again. For me, on the other hand….” a moment of silence from the young lady as her hands gripped on her neat skirt. “I was able to see other possibilities of my past decisions and how they’d affect my current self.” Her usual commanding voice began to sound slightly weak and shaky yet her expression never faltered.

It slowly clicked in your head. This new discovery was not the simple time manipulation that had been publicly known for years, it was instead a lot more complex. A lot scarier, a lot more complicated and even went into the realm of alternate timelines. Was that even possible? Time travel and theories of alternate timelines have been one of humankind’s biggest questions. Would this not have been found out earlier while researching other hollows? Every smaller hollow around Eridu came from the existence of Hollow Zero, what made those any different?

You turn to look at Lighter, his usual laid back demeanor now mirrored yours. He hadn’t even touched his drink once since Miyabi had spoken. “Now look who’s the one staring at the TV,” you teased as you pushed on his shoulder lightly. His sunglasses slipped down his nose bridge, he cleared his throat as he pushed his shades up. “I just thought it was interesting, nothing more,” he pretended to not show how much that information meant to him.

If you could do it all over again, would you? The opportunity was presented right at him, albeit from a boring show on the TV. Rarely was it ever on this channel, as Burnice would normally choose to have it on some sort of sports or music channel. However, she’d listen to her customer in front of her and on this early evening, it was only you sitting there.

The thought was intriguing, he did have a higher ether aptitude than most. Venturing into hollows alone, with a carrot, wasn’t anything new to him, especially not after the passing of his fallen comrades. He doesn’t know exactly where they were last but he’d often bring flowers to where he found their dog tags, at least he knew they were there at one point. He knew that time worked differently inside the hollows, communication becoming an issue inside and outside of it, but he didn’t know anything more than that was capable.

No, no. He can’t just go into Hollow Zero and come out unscathed like it’s a normal fight. He could live his whole life not knowing what would’ve happened if he had chosen to go with them but the knowledge that he can, at least, see its possibility… that was eating at him. After you had teased him, the idea was still there. Who wouldn’t want to know what happened during that one moment in their life? Who wouldn’t want to know the answer to ‘what if’ and ‘if only’? He shook his head, trying to get rid of the curiosity building up in him.

Cold glass, the refreshing drink that he had gotten accustomed to since joining the Sons of Calydon now tasted bitter. No lollipop in his pocket to distract him from his thoughts. Another harsh swallow, he placed the glass back on the counter. “Do you want another glass? Maybe some Nitro-Fuel instead?” Burnice’s cheerful self was always ready to fill a glass up despite knowing that he doesn’t prefer the taste of Nitro-Fuel on its own. Now though, it sounded just perfect to make him forget this information.

Night time came, the howling winds kept Lighter awake. Usually he would have passed out already from the amount of Nitro-Fuel he drank but for some odd reason, he couldn’t now. It wasn’t odd at all, he knew why he was awake. Haunted by the memories of a not-so-distant past, the voices of his comrades rang in his ears as he got up from his bed. His bright red scarf that contrasted his usual outfit, was now stuffed deeply into his jacket. The soft clinging of the dog tags were now muffled by his scarf, his heavy footsteps making his way out to his bike. The only way to forget is to completely kill a man, erase his memories and the possibilities that he can come up with.

With his past as mercenary leader, getting to Hollow Zero wasn’t a mystery. Many have gone there in hopes of getting rich, finding some sort of ethereal matter, or maybe searching for whatever was left of the person they once were. Dodging a few military bases, back roads and, going through smaller hollows, Lighter found himself right at the edge of Hollow Zero. There were a few close calls on his way here, but nothing a Carrot can’t solve. The convenience of modern technology, able to find the safest route out and predict any new changes in the course of being in the Hollow. If only they could predict the possibility of his friends passing that day.

He parked his bike, brought the little bangboo off his bike and took a deep breath. “Lighter…” He heard the faint whispers of his name as he stepped into the pitch black sphere, the voices sounded oddly familiar to him. An older breathier male voice, a deeper younger male voice, and a reassuring female voice all coming together to call for his name. No, he can’t be hearing things. He was still young and had just entered the hollow. Signs of corruption did not include hallucinations, nor did it include any sort of hearing problems. He ventured deeper into the hollow, bangboo by his side to make sure he’d make his way out.

Ethereals came at him but they were no match, one after another. A swift punch before landing his finishing blows on them, he dusted off the little bits of burnt etheric matter off his shoulders. “Lighter! There you are!” He immediately prepared himself for another fight, quickly looking around for the source of that voice. No ethereal was in sight however, maybe it was paranoia striking him once more. He decided to take a break somewhere off to the side, taking a serum to reduce ether corruption. He closed his eyes, the rubble of the Fallen Eridu surrounding him as he was taken back to his days of a mercenary leader.

He remembers it like it was just yesterday. The smiles on their face, the laughter, the drinks, the bets, everything that your typical mercenary group does. They were his comrades, his friends, his family at the time. He was still new to leading a team, choosing to go for the higher paying jobs in the hollows rather than outside work. He’d come back with a few bruises here and there, getting patched up while trying to split up the money they received. The hands of Dane scruffing Lighter’s hair, or Nick reminding him to stop smoking, or Ratena drinking another pint of Nitro-Fuel with him. He could see and feel those memories so vividly…

“We’ll be heading out now, Boss.” Dane gave a hearty pat on Lighter’s shoulder, a firm goodbye grip to tell him to rest. Lighter chuckled as Dane finally let go,“It still sounds weird…” he added on, believing that such a title isn’t fit for him just yet. “Ratena, you got the med kit ready?” He asked the tomboy-looking female who was always prepared when it came to injuries. Even his now fractured arm was taken care of by her, proving her deep knowledge in the field of first aid. She nodded towards him with a small wave of her supplies in hand, “All ready, Lighter!” Nick gave a weary smile, one that was oddly energetic for a much older man than everyone else in the group.

“Take care, everyone. Remember what we’re going in there for, retrieve the item and receive our cash,” everyone looked towards their leader, Lighter giving them one last reminder before they headed off. All of their dog tags hung around their necks, reflecting the bright sunlight and Lighter’s own reflection. “Be back safely!” Dane’s little sister began waving goodbye as they watched the team head off straight into the hollow. Lighter knew of the dangers that they could face while in there, especially with the lack of a Carrot. Those don’t go for cheap however, good and reliable info about hollows aren’t easy to come by at low prices.

That final goodbye would serve to be his biggest regret in life. A wound that can never be healed no matter the amount of times he went back to the last place he found their tags. He had called out for them and yet no response, shouting into an endless void. What would’ve happened if he had followed them that day, not heeding their advice and sacrificing himself alongside them. Non-existent answers to a question that has ruined a young man of his own mental freedom.

Boss… Kiddo…. Lighter….

Was he going insane again? He opened his eyes, expecting to see nothing just like before but this time, he was outside of his old mercenary camp. A distant woof could be heard as an eager dog ran right up to him, pouncing onto him. ‘What? This… this isn’t right…’ Lighter thought to himself. Was this some sort of deja vu? A dream of some sort? The dog licks Lighter’s face, excitedly panting and sniffing him. This felt a little too real for him, running his hand through its soft fur.

“Lighter! We got another commission today. Gotta go into this hollow, grab this ‘mysterious item’ and they’re paying us big time,” Dane came up behind him and petted the dog, throwing a small ball to allow Lighter to get up. Lighter turned around, seeing the large man with his familiar beanie towering over him. He fell back, not believing what he was seeing. Was he dead? They do say that the brain replays the best moments of one’s life before death, but this seemed less like a memory and more like reality.

This was just the day before their deaths, was this his second chance? “I was able to see other possibilities of my past decisions and how they’d affect my current self,” the fox thiren’s experience now making sense as he looked up at his should-be-dead companion. “U-uh yeah. Dane, sorry but I don’t think we should accept this mission,” Lighter grabbed Dane’s hand, his fractured one still healing in its cast. Dane blinked at his teal-haired leader in confusion, not expecting him to decline such an offer. They walked back into the home, Ratena and Nick coming up to them with big smiles on their faces.

As Ratena tended to Lighter’s fractured arm, they all discussed their plan regarding the new mission. “They said it’s just a box, bring it back safely and then we’ll get paid,” Dane said with lots of enthusiasm, playing around with his little sister. Nick gave a hearty chuckle, petting the dog as he spoke, “It’s not easy, my boy. Look at what happened to Lighter the last time we went into a hollow.” Both men looked over to Lighter, seeing the effects of an ethereal attack and Nick being physically unfit to keep up with the rest of the group. Before Ratena could give her input, Lighter interjected with the knowledge of their future. “I really don’t think we should go. Hollows are dangerous and just like Nick said, ethereals are no joke.” Lighter hoped they would understand him without him needing to explain to them why they shouldn’t go.

Ratena shook her head, “Oh c’mon Lighter, you don’t trust us? We got out safely last time and we made big bucks.” Safely? Was having a fractured arm considered safe? Was bleeding out his side considered safe? “Guys, you can’t be serious.” Lighter was in disbelief, he remembered his initial response in his past. He had agreed wholeheartedly to the offer, thinking that such a huge sum of cash was what they all needed to live better lives. Now with his knowledge, he didn’t want to lose them. Not again, he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

“Yeah boss, we know how hard you’re working. You gotta rest up and we’re more than capable of taking down those ethereals.” Dane gave him a wolfish grin, clearly oblivious to why Lighter was so against all of this in the first place. “We’ll leave in the morning, be back by sunset.” Nick had the whole plan laid out on the table, trying his best to reassure their worried leader. Everyone went to their sleeping quarters that night but Lighter couldn’t sleep at all knowing what would happen to them. He laid awake in his cold bed that his body used to find solace in, but now reminded him of the hard shell of a coffin.

Sunlight came streaming through the windows, Lighter was the first to get up, the rest unknown to his lack of sleep. Everything replayed exactly as it did on that fateful day; Dane placing his hand on Lighter’s shoulder, Ratena waving her first aid kit in the air, Nick’s energetic smile that highlighted his wrinkles. He can’t relive this, he can’t let this happen. “W-wait!” They all turned back to him, stopping right in their tracks. Lighter had already told them to take care, what else was there to be said? ‘Don’t die’? ‘Don’t go’? ‘You’ll all die and I won’t be able to find you’? He had recurring nightmares of this exact moment multiple times before this and yet, the words were stuck in his throat. “I’ll miss all of you.” Lighter couldn’t stop them, even if he tried. Fate is cruel in that way, never is it a choice, unable to be changed. As he watched them leave again, tears began to prick his olive eyes. He closed his eyes, trying to blink away those tears but also look away from his regrettable decision.

The sandpaper-like wet and warm muscle went up Lighter’s cheek again. He blinked open his eyes, seeing the familiar sight of yesterday. Was this some sort of hell? A never-ending cycle of living his lifelong burden he carried with him. As expected, Dane’s voice could be heard once more, grabbing Lighter up from the ground and bringing him back into the camp. As expected, they had planned to take up the offer because money is money and they were mercenaries first and foremost.

He was determined this time. If he couldn’t stop them from going, at the very least he had to make sure to go with them. Ever since that day, he had been yearning for death. If Fate won’t change his friends’ passing, maybe it will be kind enough to change his. “I’ll go along,” Lighter’s confident voice cut through their chatter. “But boss, you’re being stretched thin.” “Your condition still isn’t fit for a mission in a hollow.” “Take it from an old man, you deserve the rest, son.” All of them gave their own concerns to Lighter’s suggestion–arguably, it sounded closer to an order rather than a suggestion–but he didn’t want to listen to them. He was adamant, also having his own power as their leader to push himself into this plan. He was willing to do anything, not caring about his injuries. With little to no luck, they accepted his persistence, each slowly heading off to bed to prepare for the early morning.

He had dreamt of this possibility for days, maybe even months. His body was definitely not in the best shape but if he could spend just a few more minutes with his comrades, his limbs could be torn off by an ethereal and he’d still smile through it all. It all played out exactly as his memories, this time he was joining them. As they walked together towards the hollow, Lighter began to feel dizzy. His vision slowly blurred, however his companions continued to walk forward.

“Dane! Nick! Ratena!” Lighter called out to them, yet they didn’t turn around, not even taking a moment to stop. “No, no, no no no no NO-” He tried running towards them but the distance just kept getting further and further. Running infinitely, trying to catch up to them but with his poor condition and slowly darkening eyesight, he couldn’t continue anymore. He came to a stop, looking down to his feet and seeing something shine in the dust. As he bent down, his eyes widened in surprise. It was their dog tags; Dane, Nick, and Ratenna, but there was one more with its name turned over. Lighter Lorenz. His name. How was that possible? His hand immediately went to his neck, searching for his tag that always hung around there. It wasn’t there. That was his dog tag, on the ground, with the rest of his mercenary companions.

He fell to his knees, understanding the possible outcome of this decision he could’ve made back then. Who would have found these if it weren’t him? Who would carry on their stories if he had gone along with them? What does that mean for his current present self? Questions bounced around in his head, holding those dog tags close to his chest. Tears began to trickle down his face once more, sadness being a common emotion at the end of all of these possibilities.

As he blinked away those tears, his surroundings had also changed. His bangboo would’ve notified him if he walked into a fissure so there was no way that he did. The setting sun of the Outer Ring burned his pupils, a scenery that he has become more than accustomed to since joining the Sons of Calydon. He hadn’t made any regretful decisions since joining, so there has got to be a reason that he’s experiencing this random day again.

He heard footsteps coming up behind him, followed by the sounds of feminine laughter. Despite being called the Sons of Calydon, it was a biker gang filled with mainly women. Currently, he is their champion, always winning and never turning down a challenge. They all stood side by side next to him, joking and teasing around with each other. “Caesar! Did you use my makeup again?” Lucy was trying her best to pull the tall green-grey haired woman down to her height. Piper barely kept her eyes open while Burnice was drinking another pint of Nitro-Fuel down as they all watched the sunset together.

“I can always buy you more makeup, Lucy.” Lighter offered, his used to be young voice was now a lot deeper. None of them replied to him though; Caesar and Lucy still argued with each other, Piper was trying her best to stand up straight, Burnice started playing her songs. Was he being intentionally ignored? He remembers this moment, him heading out to Lumina Square and there he met you. His life had fully turned around when he joined the Sons of Calydon, understanding what it meant to be a Champion. Not just theirs, but yours as well. He had people he wanted to protect, disasters he wanted to prevent.

Fate played its tricks on him once more. He had his ‘second chance’, choosing to die alongside his comrades and now he had to ‘live’ as a ghost. Lighter was slowly trying to figure out how Hollow Zero was affecting his memories and ‘fate’. None of this was real–he knew that at least–but he had to admit that it felt real. Would he be satisfied with death? Would he be satisfied with his story not having a proper ending? His movie could be hours long, but after 30 minutes, there would be an abrupt black screen.

‘The aim of all life is death. Only there can we find true peace.’

This wasn’t the peace that he wanted. He craved closure, real end credits to his tragic documentary. If the aim is death, then he’ll live until he’s tired of it. Until his face becomes sore from smiling with you, until his taste buds turn numb with the lingering after notes of Nitro-Fuel, until his eyesight becomes hazy from the bright lights of the city, until his ears start ringing because of everyone’s laughter.

He yearned for death, believing that regret was all he could carry in his heart. Love and companionship changes a person, losing it turns them into a monster. He knows how it feels to have survivor’s guilt, he now knows how it feels to have so much love left to give but ultimately ripped away from him. Care, love, remorse, regret, they all went hand in hand when it came to Lighter, he can’t have one without the other. Tough decisions, bad mistakes but they all ultimately led him to where he was now.

He felt the Outer Ring’s breeze brush his face, a soft and gentle reminder of his new home and his new family.

Lighter opened his eyes once more, a small LED screen with crying eyes were barely inches away from his face. His hand went up to give the little bangboo a pat on the head, making it immediately spring back to life. “Hey, little guy. You think you can get us out of here?” Lighter asked as he slowly pushed himself up, seeing a few ethereals around. The bangboo began running through the hollow, following its Carrot to find the nearest exit out of Hollow Zero.

A couple of punches before swiftly sliding away. His top priority was to get out safely, not to fight every ethereal in his path. This ever changing maze proved to be difficult to navigate, the poor bangboo constantly finding a new route. After winding through the ruins of Old Eridu, they finally made it out of Hollow Zero. Further away from where they initially entered, however nothing too far to walk to. The sun was beginning to rise now, painting the sky in light gold hues. As he drove back to Blazewood, he took in the early morning sights of the Outer Ring. After living in the shadows for so long, he remembers his first purchase since being saved by Big Daddy. He used a little bit of the money to purchase his first and only pair of sunglasses. In order to help him acclimatize to bright life above those fighting rings while helping him with his hemophobia and eye injury, he thought that the shades would be a good start to his new chapter. Everything was a change of pace, including these.

“Lighter! There you are!” He immediately froze up. Those were the same words he heard in the Hollow. Was he still in there? He got off his bike and turned around slowly, preparing himself to see nothing again. “Where were you? I was worried sick last night when I went over to your room and you didn’t respond.” Your concerned voice put him at ease as he looked at you. “Uh um… my bad. Just… wanted to go for a late night drive,” his voice was shaky, hoping you wouldn’t see through his lie. Your brows furrowed as you looked him up and down, he felt as though he should just die because of your intense gaze. “Without me?? Next time I go to Lumina Square, I am not buying you the super pack of lollipops,” you teased him. He let out the biggest sigh of relief, for once not worrying about whether he’d get his favorite grape-flavored lollipop.

He removed his glove off of his hand and brought it up the side of your face. Your soft skin under his calloused hands, this felt like his true reality. He could see the way you scrunched up your nose, your eyebrows raised as he began caressing your cheek. “I missed you,” he whispered out, just loud enough for you to hear. It was still early in the morning, not as many people out just yet so he could allow himself this vulnerability for just a moment. Especially after realizing the possibility of never seeing you again, never seeing the girls again, he doesn’t know if he’s ready to go just yet. “What are you saying? Did you hit your head on a cactus?” Your hand went up to his, cupping it against your face as you nuzzled into him. He couldn’t give this up, never in his wildest dreams could he imagine a decision better than what he made back then.

“I just thought I should tell you. I lo-“ just as he was about to finish his words, Piper comes up in Steeltusk, parking the truck right next to the both of you. “You youngsters are so energetic these days…” She commented as she filled up the truck with some fuel, chuckling to herself. Both of you turned a little red, Lighter especially. Everyone knew of your relationship and yet it was still a little embarrassing to be so outwardly in love with each other. Lighter cleared his throat, thinking that Piper was still the same as she was in his memories. The rest of the girls were probably still asleep but this was all he needed to confirm that he was indeed out of that damned hollow.

With your hand in his, he knew what was waiting for him at the end of his life. The Sons of Calydon that he sworn to always win for, his mercenary comrades that haunts him every night, the friends he had made through the Tour de Inferno, and his love that was willing to be with him through it all. Fate is unfair, humans do not have the power to change what has already been decided. However, being human means having the power to live your life to its fullest, accepting what fate has in store and learning from it. Lighter will carry his regrets and burdens with him, over into the afterlife and even when all he becomes is a humble cactus to poke you.