#(lets not talk about how eager that AN made me to get to season 4 xD)

[barisiscourtroom]

when i was watching late season 3 of FBI, i read a fic, a Maggie & OA fic, and the AN had something about what a bad time OA was having in season 4, and now that i'm watching season 4 i can't stop thinking about that.

he really is having a bad time in season 4.

[dixons-sunshine]

Sweetest | Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Summary: Wounded and benched from runs for the week, Daryl was asked to watch the kids in the prison while you and some of the others worked on repairing a breach in one of the fences. One of the kids asked Daryl how he met you, his wife, and it made for a rather sweet tale.

Genre: Fluff.

Era: Prison, pre season 4.

Part of the Shopping Spree, Hangout Dreams AU.

Warnings: None.

Word count: 1.6k.

A/n: This turned out worse than I hoped, better than I expected. I don't really know how to explain it, but I hope you like this! (Thank you @ddamm and @dixondystopia for giving me your favourite moments from the entire series to add to this! They were pretty much the same, so great minds truly do think alike, as they say.)

“Mr Dixon?”

At the sound of his name being called, Daryl looked up from his baby girl and locked eyes with a little girl—Mika, he believed her name was—who was staring at him with a big smile. “Yeah?” he replied, slightly bouncing his knee when Hazel began fussing a little.

Mika giggled slightly, sharing a look with her sister, Lizzie, before turning back to the archer. “Mrs Dixon is your wife, right?” she inquired, bouncing slightly on her feet.

Daryl's lips involuntarily twitched up at the mere mention of you. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah? Why do ya ask?”

“Well, my dad likes to talk about how he met my mom. Mr Greene has told us how he met his last wife a million times. We wanna know how you met Mrs Dixon!”

Almost as if for added emphasis, the other children all perked up and voiced their interest in knowing the tale of how Daryl met you, his beautiful wife. The archer, both amused by the children's nosiness and embarrassed by the metaphorical spotlight he was placed under, let out a small scoff and adjusted Hazel in his arms, allowing the small girl to happily toy with his fingers. “It ain't some big love story or nothin'. It'll only bore ya.”

“No, it won't,�� Carl added from his position atop one of the tables. The teenager had been sulking because Rick had forbade him from helping fix the breach in the fence—where several walkers had managed to crawl through—but the chance of getting to know some insight to one of the most talked about couples in the prison brightened his mood somewhat. You and Daryl were the only couple that dated back before the outbreak, and everyone was eager to know how the two of you got together, and how you managed to keep that spark alive. “We wanna know. Come on, Daryl. Please.”

Daryl let out a small groan and rolled his eyes at the young Grimes' insistence. “Why dun' y'all go pester Glenn or somebody? M'sure he'd be more than happy to tell y'all 'bout how he met Maggie.”

“But he's told us that story a zillion times already,” one of the kids groaned. “We wanna hear your story. Please, Mr Dixon.”

Daryl let out a deep sigh. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Carol chuckle, closely followed by the chuckles of a few of the adults that were taking a break from their chores around the prison. Daryl shook his head and pursed his lips. “Y'all really wanna hear?” Almost instantly, all of the kids perked up and simultaneously voiced their clear interest, trying to talk over the other. Daryl raised his eyebrows and let out a small chuckle. “Woah, calm down. I ain't sayin' nothin' 'til y'all quiet down.” And just like that, it got so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. “Y/n and I go back many years, long 'fore all'a y'all kids were born. We're closin' in on three decades'a knowin' one another.”

“Thirty years?” Carl voiced in a disbelieving tone. “That's basically forever!”

Daryl chuckled and shrugged. “Guess ya can say tha', yeah.” Daryl shushed Hazel when she began fussing a bit, lightly tickling her stomach to coax a laugh from her. “We met when we were twelve, 'side this river in the woods outside the trailer park we lived in. I admit, I didn't know wha' to think'a her at first. Refused to talk to her fer a whole month, but she never gave up. She kept pesterin' me 'til one day, somethin' happened and I broke my quiet facade. Tha's when we started becomin' friends.” Daryl stopped and tried to hide the smile that spread across his face, but to no avail. “She, uh... She quickly became my best friend after tha'.”

“When did you start love-liking her?” one of the kids asked with a giggle, closely followed by the mischievous laughter of the other kids.

Daryl hummed and shrugged. “After she did somethin' fer my sixteenth birthday. I liked her fer a while 'fore tha', but tha' occasion was my wake-up call. My feelin's fer her slapped me righ' in the face tha' day.” He stopped and let out a small sigh before continuing. “I didn't have the balls to confess to her fer 'nother year after tha'. And when I did confess, it was righ' after we went and bought pa—” Daryl cut himself off, painfully aware of the immature teenage boys that would freak out over the mere mention of pads. Because of that, he altered the truth a little. “...Pasta fer dinner tha' nigh'. Things escalated and we kissed, and then her mom walked in.”

“No,” Beth gasped, slightly tightening her grip on Judith as she thought of the embarrassing scenario.

Daryl chuckled and shrugged. “It was embarrassin' as shi—crap, tha's fer sure, but we lived. Her mom was nice 'bout it all. Definitely didn't mean we could escape her teasin', though.” He pursed his lips as he thought of that moment, the embarrassment still fresh in his mind, even all those years later. “Her teasin' got even worse when Y/n and I eloped. She was kinda upset 'bout it, but she soon went straight back to teasin' us fer not bein' able to wait to have a proper weddin'.”

By that point, unbeknownst to the archer, the group that had been working on fixing the fence—a group that included you—had silently stepped into the part of the prison everyone was in to alert the kids to the fact that they could go play. However, once they heard what the crossbow-wielding man was talking about, they stopped and remained quiet, eager to hear about it all. And you stayed quiet as well, quite shocked that your husband was willingly telling stories about his past with you. He preferred to keep that part of his life private, but there he was, happily talking away. It made your heart swell with love and affection for the man.

“The two of you stayed together for all those years?” Zach—Beth's boyfriend—asked, leaning against the wall. When Daryl nodded, he continued. “How?”

Daryl shrugged and adjusted his daughter in his arms again, feeling her head begin to droop as she was beginning to fall asleep. “I love 'er. And fer some reason I still don't understand 'til this day, she loves me. Ain't tha' hard to stay committed to the person ya love the most. Relationships ain't always all sunshines and rainbows, but when yer with the person ya love, s'all worth it. Y/n taught me tha'. She's the sweetest person ever. I dun' know wha' I did to deserve her, but I thank my lucky stars every day tha' I get to call her mine.”

It went silent after that. The only sound that could be heard was the distant sound of walkers groaning outside the fences. That is, until Rick spoke up from behind the huntsman, startling him and alerting him to the fact that essentially everyone had heard him practically rave about you.

“Well said, brother. Well said,” Rick complimented him, a faint, teasing smile on his face. He turned towards the younger ones in the group and gestured towards the door. “Y'all can go play now. Just stay away from the fences.” And just like that, all the kids—except Carl—had forgotten their need to hear about Daryl's love story with you. They all excitedly darted out the door, their laughter fading as they disappeared out the doors.

Michonne smirked, playfully hitting you on the back. “Y/n, you never told me you found such a keeper. And you found him early on, too. You're so lucky.”

“Yeah, she is,” Carol chipped in, a teasing smile on her face as well. “Did I ever tell you about this one guy in our old camp that insulted her and Daryl instantly put him on his ass? He did accidentally reveal her pregnancy while doing so, but that's besides the point.”

“Was it Shane?” Rick asked, sighing when Carol nodded. “Yeah, of course it was,” he mumbled while he shook his head.

“Not to mention how he nearly killed Jenner because he wouldn't let us out—well, wouldn't let them out. He didn't care much for us back then. We all know he only wanted the doors open so that Y/n was safe,” Glenn piped in.

“Aw,” Michonne cooed teasingly. “That is so sweet, Daryl. You're just a big teddy bear.”

Daryl ducked his head in embarrassment as the others joined in on the teasing as well. He could feel his cheeks flush, and he would've gotten up and bolted from the embarrassing situation, had it not been for the fact that Hazel had just fallen asleep, and he didn't want to wake her.

The feeling of your hand being rested on his shoulder almost instantly made him calm down, your familiar touch bringing a sense of comfort to him. The rest of the group were to busy relaying their favourite moments they had seen between the two of you to notice this interaction, and the archer was glad about that. He was also glad that they couldn't hear what you whispered in his ear, because although Daryl Dixon wasn't a selfish man, the others didn't have to hear these words you clearly meant just for him:

“I'm proud of you. You climbed out of your shell today and did something I know you don't always enjoy doing. You're amazing, Daryl Dixon, and I love you so much.” You placed a soft, tender kiss on his cheek. “You really are the sweetest person ever.”

©dixons-sunshine 2024. I do not give permission for my works to be copied, modified, adapted or translated to any other site or platform without evidence of my given consent.

[jobesbabe]

Summer Baby Pt 4 / Dominik Szoboszlai

It’s July, 2024. A few of the Liverpool boys are looking for a getaway before and between the summer series and stumble upon your mom’s vacation home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There, they spend their time enjoying the sun and one in particular, enjoying the company. You find yourself falling for a charming Hungarian- Domi.

PART 4

waking up early, you again ventured into the boys side of the house and began your morning routine of making coffee and tea. Pouring yourself a cup, you heard steps coming from one of the bedrooms and crossed your fingers it would be the hungarian man you were not-so-secretly obsessed with. Your wishes came true when Dominik emerged from his room and enveloped you in a hug from behind. 

“Good morning,” you cooed. 

“Good morning édesem,” he whispered into your ear, placing a kiss on your temple and swaying with you in his arms. 

You closed your eyes and let yourself rest in his arms for a while. 

He again kissed you, but this time on your cheek, then the side of your forehead before turning you in his arms to kiss you on the lips slowly and passionately. 

“Coffee?” you asked him from his in between his arms.  

“oh, yes please.” He told you. 

You smiled at his unshaven face and messy bed head that he somehow made look intentional and perfect. 

“what?” He asked you in his raspy morning voice . 

“Nothing, it’s just- you’re really cute in the morning.” You told him. 

He smirked at you. 

Of course he knew how hot he was, he was Dominik Szoboszlai. To hear it from you though, drove him absolutely insane. 

You turned on your heel, going to the cupboard for a mug. 

“I think you’ll like this one,” You told him pointing to the red liverpool mug with an 8 on it. 

He laughed and you filled the mug with coffee, handing it to him. 

“thank you baba,” he told you with a kiss to the temple. 

He slurped his coffee and smiled. 

He watched you make breakfast, offering to help every few minutes, but you assured him you would be fine making the crêpes on your  own. 

Slowly, the rest of the boys came out of their bedrooms, rubbing their eyes. 

“morn’n” Curtis said, followed by good-mornings from the rest of the crew. 

You quickly served them breakfast and coffee. 

They asked you to eat with them, but you wanted to get an early swim in at the beach and you assured them you’d eat after. 

Heading towards the beach in your pink flowered bikini, you ran, eager to hop into the warm water. 

Floating in the water face up,  you breathed in the hot summer air. Water made you calm, it always had. The beach was your best friend when you had nobody to talk to. You found solace in it when you were lonely. But now, in a whirlwind of a romance blossoming with a football player, the beach felt like a never ending paradise.

After about thirty minutes, you swam closer to the shore, ready to get out. You noticed one of the boys resting on the shore, shoulders slumped. He was tanning, in his swim shorts, but he looked like he’d like to be just about anywhere but there. 

It was Harvey. His noodle-like permed hair was crazy, his face hanging low and his shoulders even lower. 

You walked up to him and placed your towel next to him, sitting as you did. 

“Harvey, is something bothering you?” you asked him.

“no, well. I don’t know, it’s stupid. and no offense but you wouldn’t understand.” He told you frowning. 

You looked at him through his black sunglasses. 

“try me.” you told him, hoping that your voice sounded compassionate. 

“I- Last season, I-uh didn’t preform as well as I know I can,” He sighed, “I just looked at instagram. I don’t think the fans think I should stay. They’re saying I should be sold or benched. I know I didn’t do my best but I’m trying Y/n. I’m not Trent Arnold. I’m Harvey Elliott. I play well and I’m on first team from academy, but at the end of the day, I still somehow feel like the fans hate me. I never see anyone wearing my jersey. I just feel forgotten and hated,” He told you, spilling his guts. It seemed so raw, so unlike everything you’d ever seen, read or thought about Harvey. 

“I have it,” you said smiling at him. 

“What? What do you have?” He asked confused. 

“I have your jersey. I bought it last season. I thought you were excellent. That’s because you are excellent.” You told him. 

He smiled and shook his head. 

“No, I’m serious Harvey. Come on, come with me. I know something you need right now,” you told him. 

You walked in the house, practically dragging Harvey with you. 

You brought him to the kitchen where you started bringing out your homemade sorbet, raspberry and mango. 

Footsteps met the two of you in the kitchen and suddenly it was you, Dominik and Harvey in the kitchen.

You could tell Dominik didn’t realize Harvey was there at first because you heard him say, “Hey baba-“and then stumble over it and say “buddies,” 

Harvey snorted.

“Did you just call me baba? Thats weird man.” Harvey asked. 

“No, no you know my english is not great,” He said, lying.

Harvey nodded and hummed in agreement. 

You turned for a moment to hide your smirk and then turned back composed.

“homemade sorbet anyone?” You asked, grabbing three bowls for the three of you. 

“yes please!” Harvey exclaimed, smiling like a little kid. Clearly his sour mood had melted away. 

You laughed. 

“Me also,” Dominik said, leaning on the counter in a black compression shirt. 

For a moment you allowed yourself to gaze at his chest muscles before snapping back to reality. 

Lucky for you, Harvey hadn’t noticed you staring at his teammate’s chest. 

Dominik however, definitely had and smiled widely. 

“The sorbet, Y/n?” Domi asked you licking his bottom lip. 

“Yes, the sorbet. I make it in two flavors. Raspberry or mango. Or both, which would you guys like?” You asked focusing. 

“I’d try raspberry.” Harvey said. 

“How about a bit of both for me?” Dominik asked. 

“Sure,” you said, scooping some sorbet for each of you. 

Harvey took a big scoop into his mouth and you saw his eyes almost roll back. 

“How are you sooo good at cooking??” Harvey asked while Dominik tasted his. 

“I don’t know,” you say, “I practice.” 

“This, This is good.” Dominik says, not looking up from his bowl of sorbet, shoveling it into his mouth. 

You have some of yours before asking them a question. 

“Did you guys want me to make dinner or are you all going to out somewhere?” you asked them. 

Dominik’s face lit up with an idea but he stayed silent. 

“As much as I love your food, it might be nice to go out,” Harvey said. 

“Okay cool,” You said, “Just let me know when you guys leave, I wanna clean up in here a bit.” 

The boys nod, and you excuse yourself back to your room. 

An hour and a half later, you get a text from Harvey. 

All of us but Dominik are out, He said he felt like staying home, but it would be fine if you cleaned. 

And then a few seconds later, a text from Domi.

 Hey, Come over. I want the two of us to go out to dinner 😉

You smiled and texted a thank you to Harvey and got up out of your room and towards Dominiks room. 

You knocked at his door.

“Come in baba,” He said, and you could hear the smile in his voice. 

He was wearing Khaki loose-ish pants, fixing a watch on his wrist. 

He had two shirts out on the bed, but not a single one on. 

“Hey,” You said to him. 

“Hey, which shirt should I wear?” He asked pointing at the light blue shirt and the pale yellow one. 

“hmm,” You said holding up the two shirts to his body, pressing it to his chest.

He smiled, and you made your decision. 

“The light blue looks good on you with your dark hair.” You told him. 

He nodded, and then went into his closet pulling out a box and giving it to you. 

“What’s this?” You asked him, smiling. 

“A dress, I wanted us to match on our first date,” He said to you. 

You opened the box and saw a beautiful dress, the same shade as his shirt and with ruffles on the side wrapping around to the top with a slit on the left side. 

“Domi, this is gorgeous,” you tell him gasping a bit. 

“I thought you’d like it.” He told you smirking, “Go get changed, I have a plan.”

“okay,” you told him, but before leaving, you wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the lips. 

You went to release him, but he pulled you back into an intimate kiss, instantly snaking his tongue into your mouth and kissing you passionately. After a few minutes, The two of you released each other and you rushed to put on some makeup and fix your hair before putting on your new  dress. 

He took you to a nice restaurant and you two sat in the back room. 

He didn’t often get recognized in the US, but he didn’t want to risk an interruption on a night that he was a bit worried over.

If tonight didn’t go well, would you be interested in him at all? 

His unwavering confidence told him ‘no, shes into you and this won’t change it,’ But he couldn’t deny that he was overthinking it. 

Before you could sit, Dominik pulled out your chair and pushed it in once you were seated. you were blushing like crazy. You only hoped the redness on your cheeks didn’t make you look silly. 

Dominik, thought you blushing was extremely cute and made it known with a kiss to each cheek before heading over to his own seat. 

The evening rushed by oh too soon.

One second you were ordering and speaking of his 23/24 season debut, the next you were eating and discussing your family. 

The date ended with Dominik insisting on paying the bill and holding your hand in his back to the car. 

He opened your door and rested his hand on your back as you went in. Before closing the door, he placed a gentle and slow kiss on your lips. He pulled away, smiling and heading over to the drivers side. 

“Thanks for tonight. I feel like we’ve known each other for years,” Dominik said to you smiling. 

“Thank you Domi, tonight was really special. I had a really good time.” you told him nodding your head. 

He placed his hand on your thigh and began driving, the contact sending butterflies to your stomach. 

You hated the fact that the beach house was so close to the restaurant that you two ate at because you could have spent forever just driving around in the car with him. 

As you approached the house, Dominik sighed. 

“I don’t really want this date to end,” He confessed. 

“Me either,” You said. 

None of the other cars had returned to the driveway yet, and you figured that they were probably out clubbing and would be so until the ungodly hours of tomorrow morning. 

“We could watch something, a movie or a show,” Domi suggested and you nodded, unbuckling your seatbelt. 

You tried to get yourself out of the car but he ran over, and opened your door. 

He held out his hand for you to take, and you gladly accepted it. 

He guided you inside and towards his room, where he turned on the tv, dimmed the lights and set out some blankets.

The two of you were sat up at the head of the bed with his arm around you and your head resting on his chest, along with one of your hands. He turned on a Netflix film you both agreed upon and the two of you cuddled there until long after the movie was over and you no longer had the energy to keep your eyes locked on Domi’s. You fell asleep in his arms, they had locked over you in a protective way that told you he didn’t want you going anywhere. Soon after your eyes shut for the night, his did too. And you both rested there until the morning sun.

-here’s a lil first date aesthetic for you all xx-

a/n- im so sorry this is late but i just cant write rn!!! im in a bit of a writers block and the only ideas i have are literally for other players so im sorry if this is bad!!

tags- (lmk if you wanna be tagged)

@szoboslays-girl

[hanna-kin]

Top ten Wilmon kisses

This was harder than I expected because they are all so special. But I tried.

10.

This feels like a crime, ranking the their "first" kiss last but here we are. There are just so many good ones and this one is still so perfect. It's not their first, first kiss but it feels like it's one of the most significant because they are both on the same page. They both want it, even if they are a little hesitant, it such a tender moment.

9.

I'm such a sucker for domestic kisses which is why this little cutie just had to make the list. It's just sweet, innocent and happy.

8.

Again with the happy kisses. So few but so needed. They had so little time to just be happily in love but here in Simon's room they are blissfully happy. They are playful and teasing and without q care in the world. They are like any young couple that are falling in love for the first time.

7.

Unsurprisingly, this one has similar vibes as nr 8. But it's for the exact same reasons. I could probably just copy past my motivation. This one just feels a thad more intimate. They've just had their first time together and woken up together and again they are just so happy. And the way Simon just holds Wille's jaw and kinda guides Wille towards him.

6.

Their final kiss. It kills me to know this was the last time they had before Wille's interview. Gone is their innocence, gone is the blissful happiness.

The stakes are all high and even if they are on the same page here you can feel how scared and neevous they are. And knowing how it ended it hurts even more. Simon was so strong for Wille while probably being scared shitless himself and he put on a brave face for Wille. And Wille was so scared too. They way Simon rests his forhead against Wille's, I can't.

5.

Domestic kiss for the win. I don't know what to say, my heart just melts. Is it a forehead kiss? Is it a kiss on the nose? I don't care. I love how sure Simon is. Despite everything they have been through they are finally together and Simon feels so reasured and sure of himself. They will be okay, no matter what happens.

4.

It's their smiles. It's the way they look at eachother. They are finally reunited again. Smiling into a kiss is something so special.

3.

This is still my favourite scene if the whole show and there's something about this kiss that's also so special. The song, the cinematography, the acting, it just hits home. Simon is calming Wille down by holding him and gently stroking his face and Wille is initiating the kiss while still being a little breathy from crying.

2.

I've already talked about this today and for good reason. And like I said then, it's the way they are so intune and in sync with eachother.

They are touching eahother's necks. They have to physically touch eachother. Compared to their first kiss of the season, their runion, this is more eager. They are horny. They want eachother. And while the first one is also very desperate, which I'll get to very soon, this is another type of desperation. They've spent so much time longing for eachother, yearning for the eachother and it's like they physically need eachother but compared to their reunion, which again I'll get to, it's less vulnerable. They have been through yet another hurdle but even if it feels like they have everything against them they are so sure of eachother. They don't know what will happen to them but they know they can figure it out because they both want it. They want eachother and it's worth it.

And they are open with eachother. They are voicing their feelings and concerns which allows them to come to this. Even if they are still scared it feels like they know they'll have eachother. One way or another.

1.

Maybe it's cheating to include the same scene twice. I made a point of not doing it with any other scene with multiple kisses but this was just too good. It had to be number one.

We'd waited for it the whole season and they didn't let us down.

And it's also so important that it was on Simon's terms. He initiated their first kiss and it's a lovely parallel. But most importantly it's him kissing Wille and having agency.

And Wille waits for him, waits for his lead and lets Simon make all the decisions. He knows he's hurt Simon and he's taken responsibility for it finally by deciding to let Simon go even if it kills him.

And Simon has tried to move on and protect his heart. He's tried to do what shouldn't be so hard. Only it is. He doesn't want to lose Wille. In fact losing him scares him shitless.

Here their vulnerability is at it's peak. They are so careful with eachother, hesitantly and slowly leaning into eachother, rubbing eahother's nose and taking their time. It's like they are both taking it slow both for their own sake but also for the other's.

I don't want to use the word painful because it's a negative word but it almost looks like Simon is in pain, but not in a bad way. I don't know what else to say.

They are so desperate for eachother but still nervous and scared. Maybe that's a batter way of putting it. They are desperate but scared. It's like they are kissing for the first time again but they are finding their way back to eachother instead.

There's a nerve to it. The stakes are high. They are both scared. They are both hurting so much and have hurt so much up to this point. But they are so tender with eachother. So fragile. But their bodies are intune with eachother. They belong together.

I would love to here your favourites.

[royal-ruin]

red, white, and royal blue (rwrb) fic recs (part 4)

other rwrb fic recs here other fic recs here personal favorites are starred, by the way. everything is complete unless stated otherwise.

since the first 3 were well-liked, here are a few more of my favs.

*Turning of the Season by indomitablelove (~5k)

‘What’s going on, Philip?’ And then, Philip slumps. His head falls into his hands and his back curls in on itself, his palms cover his face and he pinches at the bridge of his nose. When he looks up at Henry again, he looks like a different man, broken. ‘I have to know,’ he says quietly. Henry's brow furrows. ‘I have to know who it was,’ Philip says. A few weeks after the emails, Henry and Philip talk, and Henry looks forward.

it broke my heart most how philip was henry's enemy in the book, i just wanted some wholesome sibling feels (bea's the absolute best!), so this is a little fix-it, i guess. post-canon btw.

Redemption by MaryaDmitrievnaLikesSundays (~3.5k)

Bea sighed. She looked just like how Philip felt: drained, angry, and exhausted. ”What if you had never been allowed to marry Martha?” She asked. “What if you’d been forced to sneak around, and suddenly, in spite of how hard you worked to keep it quiet, you’re both in a load of trouble for it, and everyone is screaming at you, and she is crying to you and you can’t even comfort her because you’re still not allowed? How do you think you’d feel then?” Philip was silent for a long, long moment. Bea gave him one more glance as she opened the door to the dining room. ”Read the e-mails, Philip. And try to understand.” Or, Philip says some very bad things, does some very bad things, reads the e-mails, and finally, finally, finally understands.

another philip does better fic. warning for homophobia at the beginning, please please please always read the tags.

I can't breathe, if you're not there by softcinnamonroll (~2k)

One moment, Alex was laughing at some joke Henry had made, and then the next there was a loud noise from the TV and the livestream cut out, leaving Alex alone in their dark living room. At first, Alex was sure there had just been a power cut, or some technical difficulties that caused the stream to cut out, but then the messages and BREAKING NEWS notifications started pouring in.  BREAKING NEWS: Explosion at Prince Henry of Wales Charity Event. Casualties Unknown.

read the tags please, it has some things that may be triggering.

Powerless by floatingaway4 (~3k)

“Do you know what I’ve had to put up with in the last twelve hours?”    Henry wants to point out that in that same twelve hours he’s had his body sliced open and an organ removed, but this doesn’t seem to be the time. He also got to sleep through his experience, while Alex was very much awake while dealing with Henry’s family. And Henry got the nice drugs, while Alex looks like he could use a drink.

sex ed in 6 steps by coffeecatsme (~9k)

“Please tell me you used a condom, Fox,” Alex drawls out, leaning against the wall, and Henry chokes on his next breath. “Excuse me?”  “You’re gonna tell me all about this tomorrow, but for the love of God, tell me you used a condom and we won’t have mini Henrys on campus anytime soon.” Or, 5 times Alex thinks Henry's straight and 1 time he finds out the truth.  Or, 5 times Alex jokes about Henry's sex life and 1 time he gets to be a part of it.

college au where they are roommates and alex is oblivious.

Let's Finish What We've Started by andrealyn (~16k)

When Alex fell in love with Henry, his dreams changed into something new -- still bright, still exciting. Eight years on, Alex is running for the Senate and taking those steps to achieve those dreams, but something feels off in his marriage and Alex can't really explain if it's in his head or whether he and Henry actually have a problem. In the midst of a busy campaign, eager to show Texas what he can do, Alex also has to ask himself -- is it all worth it if Henry isn't at his side?

future fic.

If you feel the way I do by everwitch (~2k)

It's apparently true, what they say about soulmates. Once your sixteenth birthday has passed and you find yourself in their presence, close enough for your soulbond to come alive, you'll be able to feel it. You'll simply know. Henry knows, all right. He opens his eyes, his heart beating madly in his chest as he looks across the cafeteria. His gaze is drawn to a presence that he can feel so completely, now, almost like it's become part of himself, like a piece he's been missing. He blinks, slowly, as he meets the wide eyes of another boy. It's Alex Claremont-Diaz. Henry's breath hitches. Fuck. Oh, fuck.

high school soulmate au, it's super cute.

*she's a (rock & roll survivor) by loyaulte_me_lie (~3k)

"Good for you," Stevie Nicks says, "the world needs more rock and roll princesses." // the (un)making of Beatrice Fox Mountchristen Windsor.

BEA NEEDS MORE SCREEN TIME. tell me why this had me sobbing at 1 pm. i adored her before, but this fic made her so heartbreakingly human, i can't help but love her now.

[motelsnleatherseats]

Is Sam Submissive or Dominant? An Analysis. (wincest edition)

so let's talk about a couple of things: canon portrayal of sam hooking up, and during what season it's happening.

early on when we see sam hooking up with someone, he appears to be more aggressive in the way he touches and kisses. he looks hungry for it, maybe even a little forceful or overly eager. he uses his strength and his size to his advantage and effectively seizes control, so i can see how portraying or seeing him as dominant is evident.

now in relation to wincest, i think sam could lean either way here in terms of top or bottom, though i still think he's got that 'i want to call the shots' attitude so maybe he initiates or leads. he's not afraid to ask for what he wants.

seasons 1-4, we're getting sam dealing with the loss of jess, and on top of his trauma response being guilt, it's also anger as a mirror to john and how he handled losing mary. he got dragged back into the hunter life, but he had spent 4 years away from the oppressive thumb of his father (and brother at times) and he wants to hold onto what independence he had discovered in his time away. he wants to prove that he can make good decisions on his own, that's he's strong, and that he's inherently good despite being corrupted demon blood when he was a child. he still wants to make the calls, he still wants control and autonomy, and i think that translates into the bedroom as well.

fast forward to season 6, and we got soulless sam. obviously without a moral compass, he's quick to satisfy carnal desires regardless of circumstance in a take what he wants kind of fashion, so i see the dominant aspect at play here. side note but relatable tangent; considering we've seen plenty of people lose their soul a la amara's insatiable appetite, i'd like to say it's pretty impressive he went an entire year without going off the proverbial deep end. people knew something was off about sam, but he was smart and calculated enough to play off empathy and concern for a good chunk of the year.

season 7 is where we start to see the switch. at first when he gets back and he doesn't remember hell, he feels redemption at first. he atoned for his sins and got satan back in solitary, and he got to come back to his brother. but then the memories come back from his time without a soul, and we get guilt guilt guilt in heavy hitting waves. just when he thought he finally did something right, the narrative screws him. just when he thought he had finally washed his hands clean, they're drenched in blood yet again. then he remembers hell and we've got a full blown case of battered woman (person) syndrome. he's jumpy, he makes himself smaller, he loses the ability to defend himself, sex is now associated with violence (i mean really, the poor guy seems to be sexualized in most torture scenarios), and now he's gotta save face and keep up the illusion that he's managing alright on his own.

once he opens up to dean regarding the visions of satan and dean can see just how badly he's handling it (especially with the lack of sleep), i think he'd try to offer as much comfort as he could afford. sam needs that comfort. he needs softness. and dean is the only one who knows what hell is truly like, he's the only one who understands, and i think submission to dean is imminent. dean deserves his submission, he deserves his apology for trying to do things on his own, because look at how much worse he made things thinking he could do it without dean. we see this carry on into later seasons as well. after the whole amelia debacle, everyone else is really off the table. he can't afford to let dean down again, can't do anything that would drive him off to anyone else, and we see this carry on especially towards the end of season 8 with his confessions before completing the trials. 'i'm sorry for everything i did, i'd rather die than you let you down again.' -> i'll do anything to make it up to you, please tell me what to do.

i also think it's interesting to look into how dean deals with his trauma. it's almost flipped compared to sam's, because when he got back from hell, it took some pushing on sam's part to get him to open up and we see vulnerability, we see tears and remorse for the things he did, but everything else after that evolved into deep rage. he became more controlling of sam, kept secrets, told him we're doing this my way because i said so, end of discussion, and sam has no choice in the matter. he treads carefully for some time until it comes down to dean's survival, then he starts making bad decisions again (i.e. roping charlie into getting the mark off of dean's arm which effectively gets her killed and then releasing the darkness in the process) because existence without dean doesn't make sense.

another thought, as the seasons go on, we don't see sam nearly as interested in sex (though he wasn't very much at any point by comparison to dean), and who would blame him?

anyway, point of the long drawing on of thoughts and reflections~ top or bottom, i don't think it matters. i think sam is completely capable of being both dominant and submissive in relation to his mental/emotional state of mind and what kind of trauma he's processing along with how dean is treating him.

but in regards to drabbles/roleplays/fics/what have you, hey man whatever floats your boat.

-> i wanted to reblog and comment on this post but i didn't want to hijack op's post.

[beevean]

That was one of my criticisms for Castlevania Season 2, when I watched it back in 2018: so much screen time spent on Dracula moping and waiting for release from his pain. I think such a miserable position for the FINAL BOSS should've been preserved for an endgame reveal, instead of explicitly displayed for hours of animation frames. But, if you could adjust his arc, where would you do it?

Alright, so.

My unshakeable idea is that the CoD prequels tell a perfectly coherent story, and a good writer could have easily intertwined the hero side of Trevor and the gang approaching Dracula's castle and bonding in the meantime (bonding, not Alucard participating in the Cunt Olympics), with the villain side showcasing Dracula destroying villages and losing himself in his fury and Hector being so disgusted by the senseless violence that he leaves, creating a chain of events where Isaac has to follow him to kill him/retreive him, therefore leaving Dracula unprotected against the legendary Belmont, his son, and a terrifying witch. (in this version there's not even Death, so Dracula really was left without his best people)

What kills N!Dracula in S2 is that he has zero drive. The villain plot hinges exactly on this point. He's patiently waiting for everyone to die, but he's not supervising the war that he has started, leaving room for discord, discontent, doubts, and giving this random regional ruler the chance to swoop in and seize control by simply telling Hector "hey cutie follow me 😘".

The idea that the other vampires disagree with Dracula makes sense. He is leading them to a slow, painful death by starving. I do think Dracula should have grown more paranoid and eager to mantain control, though: N!Dracula strikes me as being disrespected and not even worthy of respect. Again, I remind you of the fact that Carmilla made fun of him and Lisa in front of everyone, and Dracula let her go without so much as a slap on the wrist. No fucking way this should fly. This is not a villain I can take seriously. I want this bastard back:

"this bitch believes he can have an opinion. yeet"

Like. Have him being a menace to everyone in the court. A hated menace, maybe, but for fuck's sake give him back some charisma! None of that "my fwiends don't wike me anymowe. awe you stiww my fwiend, Isaac-kun? 🥺"

I hate the inclusion of Carmilla, and while I can think about how to fix her by making her less of a walking stereotype, her role in the story is to make Dracula and his lackeys look profoundly stupid: Hector for easily going along with her plans (her protests sound plausible at first, but then she talks about unseating Dracula out in the open??? and then Hector, the supposed General, has the balls to be all surprisedpikachu.jpg when he has to betray Dracula????), and Dracula and Isaac for giving in to her whims simply to shut her up, while fully knowing that she doesn't have good intentions. She's not necessary to this portion of the story. Hector in the show already starts out as not liking the slaughter of innocents despite him being okay with culling, and in this version he was outright lied to by Dracula. He should have, by all means, realized by himself that he was deceived, that no one in that joint takes him seriously, and defected out of personal hurt, before learning something about human empathy. Having an underling witness the full extent of Dracula's cruelty and stubborness makes him look better than whatever this is:

And yes. Witness. Show. I swear this show hates to show things. Dracula only effectively destroys a village on screen in the very first episode. That was cool! Why can't we have cool things here??

I don't care that Carmilla's removal would radically change Hector's plotline in S3 and 4. Considering what happens to him, it's for the best. Because Carmilla is completely irrelevant for anyone else: her plans barely have the chance to step out of her castle before getting squashed, and the Trephacard gang never learns about her. Yeah I know Isaac has his Belmont moment when he kills her, but you know. His desire for revenge should be about Hector anyway :) They are supposed to have a whole story together, not him being the Jesus of the situation while Hector is some rapist's chew toy :) but hey, for that, my friend @chumpovodir already thought on how to fix that mess.

Anyway. Dracula in S2 should have at the very least engaged in more on-screen atrocities. His random flashback where he kills the merchants in an oddly sexual way doesn't count, because that was a way to say "oh look at him, he was so Evil before Lisa healed him with the Power of Love 🥺". No, I mean that in the present. Dracula is a petty, vile man who overreacts to genuine grief by spreading around his misery. He needs to be insane, but proactive.

Oh, and he should have turned into a monster >:\

I apologize if this answer doesn't fully satisfy you lmao. I tend to go into tangents lol, this show activates my braincells like little else

[fritextramole]

Bombshell

a gossip girl musical episode

late season 2 Early college acceptances are coming in and Serena’s been accepted at Yale, where she plans to attend with Dan. Blair and Chuck decidedly aren’t a couple, but she’s still upset that Dan and Serena will be together for the next 4 years... at her dream school Jenny’s back at school after leaving her job at Eleanor’s and the minions seem to have nothing better to do than torment her while they coast towards graduation Lily and Rufus have recently started dating, and Lily is forced to confront her parenting style

tracklist under the cut

Let Me Be Your Star

the fire and drive that make dreams come alive they fill her soul she's in control

Characters: Blair & Serena (+Dan, minions)

Early admissions decisions are coming in, and everyone is eager to see where they got accepted. Serena got Constance’s Yale slot.

Dig Deep

i'll finally get to use my mind's interior and not only just my bust and my posterior

Character: Serena

Serena’s glad to feel like she’s being taken seriously for once.

Let's Be Bad

tonight the (whoo!) will hit the fan!

Characters: Penelope, Hazel, Iz, Nelly Yuki

The minions didn't get the early acceptance slots they wanted, and make that everyone else's problems to cheer themselves up.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

people who use their kitchen each night who'd never been in toots shor

Characters: Dan & Serena; Rufus & Lily

Rufus and Lily are getting more serious. Dan’s excited that he and Serena can go away to Yale together. We cut back and forth between both couples to drive the point home.

At Your Feet

it's showtime, let the dream begin!

Character: Lily

Lily finds out that Serena got into Yale and is excited her daughter is amounting to something. Serena isn’t actually sure if she wants to go to Yale but feels pushed out the door.

History Is Made At Night

no one here to disapprove as we review the lessons you've been missing

Characters: Chuck & Blair

Chuck crawls in Blair’s ear about how Serena got the Yale spot. He pushes her to scheme against Serena. They consider crawling into bed

Never Give All The Heart

as the wise men once wrote never give all the heart

Character: Eric

Eric giving advice to Jenny after a run in with the mean girls. Overhead by Lily.

Public Relations

"any advice for a girl in the city?" if you're two-faced, at least make one of them pretty

Characters: Serena (+ Blair)

Blair’s using gossip girl to scheme against Serena (unsuccessfully.) Blair’s up to her usual slut shaming.

Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking

she thinks she's queen and calls the shots as she sits on a throne she needs to learn she's only skin the next girl's waiting for a spin

Characters: Blair, minions

Blair is in full scheming mode against Dan and Serena (and Jenny, just for fun.)

I Never Met A Wolf Who Didn't Love To Howl

a wealthy wolf likes to buy his toys but he really is just one of the boys

Character: Serena

Serena leans into her charisma and sex appeal to thwart Blair’s scheming attempts.

They Just Keep Moving The Line

i handled every corner each bump along the track and when I saw the ribbon, well there was no turning back i won the photo finish i posed for all the men but before I got my trophy well, the race began again

Character: Jenny

After a run in with the minions. Frustrated about how her year has gone.

On Lexington and 52nd Street

hurry all you faceless men, and catch the end of a match of the century, you're just in time for the final round, 'cause i know when i'm beat

Character: Dan

Dan when Serena has gotten pulled into scheming against Blair. “I thought you were better than this! I thought we both wanted to get away from this world.”

Second Hand White Baby Grand

oh, the words are still unspoken now that mama's not around but that secondhand white baby grand still has something beautiful to give

Character: Dan & Jenny

Both in a low point, Dan and Jenny come together to reminisce about their childhood and comfort each other.

The Right Regrets

where he can find the strength to say what those he loves should hear and just erase mistakes she's made then make them disappear

Characters: Dan & Serena

They talk about the future of their relationship. She was acting out because she doesn’t want to go to Yale. He lashed out instead of hearing her out.

Hang the Moon

you'd reach out and there'd be my hand

Character: Lily

A sit down with Serena and Eric after Rufus has given her some perspective on her parenting.

(Let's Start) Tomorrow Tonight

let's climb together to reach that peak then baby, we'll shoot the moon

Characters: Blair & Serena

The girls agree to let Yale decide who attends, and go out to celebrate making peace.

[cr0ftisprocrastinating]

Crofty! My favorite and beloved academia Dramione writer! Will you be a student again this year? What is the back to school season like for you?

I also want to ask, how do you set intentions for the beginning of the semester/school year and make sure that you stay committed to them? How do you balance separate writing projects with your coursework?

In addition, would you be willing to share advice for a reader halfway through her undergraduate degree? For context, I’ve had some rough setbacks in my first two years, but I’m really eager to prove myself. I want to build back my GPA and earn my way into a humanities PhD program.

Thanks so much! I hope your academic years are wonderful (in the true old meaning of the word!) and give you great joy, wisdom and inspiration.

#ADHDinacademia #PhD #dramione #darkacademia #hogwarts #oxford #oxbridge #ivyleague #columbia #manuscript #marauder #hermionegranger #undergradwoes #lumos

Sweet Piedra! Happy September, aka the best month of the whole year! (it may or may not include my birthday).

I will be a student this year again! I'm just about to start my second year as a phd student (programs in the UK are usually 3-4 years, so I'm nearly halfway through already?!).

The biggest advice I can give about studying is firstly: wanting to do well is the first step to doing well in anything, so you are already a good chunk of the way there!

2. pick things that you are naturally interested in (for option papers). Life is a hell of a lot easier when you're not making it harder for yourself, even if you think you *should* be studying something bc it sounds impressive (personally, I am not into Russian Literature at all, so I just don't force myself to slog through Crime and Punishment, etc. This simple realisation improved my life by at least 100%)

3. Do as much reading as you can. When I did my undergrad I was so surprised at how little reading people did lol, and doing the reading makes a big difference. The Professors have made the reading lists for a reason and they want to help you.

4. Utilise office hours! It took me ages to realise that I can just...go to the office hours and talk to the people who were teaching me. Go in person if you can. Talk them through your essay plans and they will course correct before they're marked. Let them know that you're interested in pursuing it further, and find out what they think you need to do to fill in any gaps you may have. Don't be discouraged if they're short with you, bc academics are a weird bunch.

5. Try not to be so focused on an end result that you forget to enjoy what you're doing right now. Romanticise the hell out of your life whenever you can. It's short!

In terms of my 'process' (sorry this is SO long):

This term is going to be pretty hectic! In addition to my PhD I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a corporate job to help pay the bills. I have funding, but funding in the arts is just...not enough.

I will also be teaching this semester for the first time ever (yay!) so I have reading lists and essay questions to put together before Oct. That's every other week though, so it's not too much work.

My supervisors and I try to get a 'chunk' of my thesis written a term (8-10k roughly). I have about 8k due at the end of this month as I have written 2 chunks over the summer, and will have another due at the end of term in Dec.

Also, I've been asked to give a talk about my research at the end of the semester which I am SO excited about, but it means I'll be adapting one of my thesis chapters for that, too! :)

Broadly speaking I do fanfic writing Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, as after grown-up-job-things my brain is too toasted for academic work. When I'm getting to the end of a story however I get real itchy fingers and have to get all the words out as quickly as possible, so I let a lot of other things slide, like cleaning or cooking or washing my hair or also doing my work. Gross, I know, but I've never been particularly functional when I have an idea in my head.

However, I do believe that if you are busy then you are more productive. I have 2 modes: INSANE or blob. I do not recommend this approach, but that is just the way that I'm wired. Today, for instance, I spent the entire day in bed. Tomorrow I really must go back to the library.

Oxford terms are only 8 weeks long, and honestly no matter how prepared I am at the beginning, by halfway through I'm clinging on by a thread. I try not to be too hard on myself when that happens, and focus on getting my work done and not keeping my house clean or whatever else I've decided to beat myself up about.

My username is about procrastinating for a reason. I just kind of productively procrastinate and then at some point everything just gets done?

Some personal mantras:

'everything in moderation, including moderation'

'say yes and figure it out later'

'the work comes first' (normally I say this to try and galvanize myself into staying in the library when I want to go to the pub)

'fuck it' (said when the pub wins out)

'it'll get done, because it has to' (said when I have a week to write 4,000 words because i've procrastinated too close to the sun, again)

[darkshrimpemotions]

I’m an Nandermo shipper and listen to Taylor, too!

As a Swiftie and Nandermo shipper, are there any songs you associate with the two of them? What would your Nandermo(TV) look like?

What a delightful ask! There are absolutely songs I associate with them in Taylor's body of work! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to gush about it!

In the interest of not going WAY overboard (there are SO many songs where I could relate just a line or two, but those lines really HIT), here are 13 songs that scream Nandermo (Taylor's Version) to me, and a little about why for each song/the line(s) that really sealed it for me.

tolerate it - Just sad Memo hours. Pay attention to him, Nandor! Show him some appreciation! I listen to this and just picture Nandor reading while Guillermo tries to talk to him, Nandor rebuffing Guillermo's attempts at hugs, Nandor saying "not you Guilermo" and taking all his hard work as a familiar for granted. The bridge of this one KILLS me when I imagine it coming from Guillermo.

You're Losing Me (From The Vault) - More sad Memo hours. I've been trying to make a whole fanvid to this for months now, but I keep getting stuck on what clips to use for some parts and I can't look at it anymore. The whole song being underlined by/referencing heartbeats definitely contributed a lot to this pick lol.

Would've, Could've, Should've - Yet more sad Memo hours. There's quite a lot of that on my Nandermo TV, unfortunately. :((( The religious imagery, the reference to being 19 (around when Memo and Nandor would've first met), the themes of loss of faith/loss of innocence/corruption. Oof.

Let's Go (Battle) - That's right, some unreleased songs made it on here! But would it even be a Nandermo playlist without a reference to their fights? This one is Memo, not eager to use his slayer powers against Nandor, but more than willing if Nandor pushes him too far/doesn't give him another choice. "We had it all but you couldn't keep a promise" also fits rather well, unfortunately.

Cold As You - Alas, sad Memo hours once more. I promise some of these are from Nandor's perspective. "You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray / and I stood there loving you and wished them all away / And you come away with a great little story / of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you." This one always makes me think of Guillermo begging Nandor not to leave for the Wellness Center or go into Super Slumber. :((

Haunted (Taylor's Version) - You'd think this would be all Memo to Nandor, but no. This is both of them throughout seasons 4 and 5. If I had to parse it out, I'd say verse 1 is Nandor during season 4/5, second verse is Guillermo during season 4 especially, and the bridge is Nandor when he's processing that Guillermo was turned by someone else (that awful moment when he's like "a vampire...who was not...me?").

The Last Time (feat. Gary Lightbody) (Taylor's Version) - Guillermo when he's making one last-ditch effort to communicate with Nandor before he goes off to get Derek to turn him at the end of season 4.

Bad Blood (Taylor's Version) - Nandor's period of vengeful brooding once he realizes that Guillermo was turned by someone other than him. I actually have TWO versions of this song on my Nandermo playlist on Spotify, neither of which is the original artist lol. I love the original, I just wanted a different vibe for that playlist. But on Nandermo TV it's obviously gotta be Taylor's Version!

I'd Lie - Another unreleased song! This is really both of them, because they both deny how much they mean to each other at various points in the story. Not every lyric fits perfectly, but the ones that don't can be handwaved so easily (Nadja is like a sister to Nandor, right? Basically? And Nandor's favorite color may not be green but Guillermo wears it all the damn time, so it could easily be his).

You All Over Me (feat. Marren Morris) (From The Vault) - Both of them about each other. They just can't untangle themselves, can they? Every time Guillermo leaves, he ends up right back by Nandor's side as soon as Nandor calls. And every time Nandor swears he's going to go do something different, he ends up back with Memo. Even though neither of them are getting exactly what they want from the other, even though it's like death by a thousand cuts (heh), they'd rather have less than they want than nothing at all.

So It Goes... - They're so messy and obsessy and what is this if not the messy obsessy love/lust song? "I'm so chill but you make me jealous. But I got your heart skip-skipping when I'm gone." "You did a number on me, but honestly baby who's counting? / I did a number on you, but honestly baby who's counting?" In-fucking-deed!

Afterglow - Nandor trying to reach out to Guillermo and mend the rift between them for ALL OF SEASON 5!!! (I'm still not over it.) "It's so excruciating to see you low / just wanna lift you up and not let you go / this ultraviolet morning light below / tells me this love is worth the fight."

Daylight - This will be theirs when Nandor finally gets his shit together and figures out that missing his humanity and being lonely are part and parcel of the same thing and, frankly, have the same antidote of being honest about his feelings and letting the person who's been there this whole time finally get close. "I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night / now I'm wide awake / and now I see daylight." "I once believed love would be burning red / but it's golden like daylight."

BONUS TRACKS (because you know our girl loves a bonus track!)

Foolish One (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) - This one ALMOST made the cut, but for the lyric "he just wasn't the one." This playlist was already so Sad Memo Hours heavy, and also I believe Nandor IS the one for Guillermo. They just need to figure it out.

I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor's Version) - Now it's angry Memo hours! Some thoughts during the Freddie-Marwa debacle, I think. "And the saddest thought / comes creeping in / that you never loved me, or her, or anyone / or anything."

Thank you again for this ask! It was so much fun!

[redxrose]

Our Cursed Love - A Chicago Med Fanfic!

(The Rhekker ship will be present here, as well as season 4 + 5 spoilers!)

After leaving Med, Connor was sure he'd be able to move on and forget the tragedies that happened there. But, he was wrong, and nothing he had learned during the course of his long life would prepare him for the trouble he would soon face. He started getting flashbacks (and nightmares!) He also had trouble concentrating, thoughts of her plaguing his mind. Ava Bekker, Connor's colleague, friend, and ex-girlfriend, had committed suicide during Connor's last year at Med. She also killed his father, which he never forgave her for, especially because she never told him! But, even with all his hatred and grief, Connor found himself missing Ava, and it caused him a lot of guilt and confusion. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted Ava to be alive, he wanted to talk to her, for answers at least. This desire would remain a childish wish for Connor, until one fateful day. Back in Chicago, one piece of news would circulate through the neighborhood, the name of a very experienced surgeon, one that had been forgotten - became the most popular in the city. Connor's phone had been flooded with calls, texts, even emails, from his former colleagues, supervisors, and even some old friends. After carefully examining each notification on his lock screen, Connor paused and held his breath, unable to concentrate. The news flooded his mind, along with anxiety, regret, and excitement, as he returned to the hospital he thought he left for good. Upon arriving at Med, Connor was immediately burdened by questions, concerns, and greetings from everyone he left behind, and although he didn't mind, he was looking for someone else. Alas, the surgeon made his way upstairs to the surgical suite. There stood Doctor Latham, who looked eager to see his friend after all this time. Connor opened his mouth to speak, but immediately fell silent upon seeing who was standing next to him. "Hello Connor, long time no see, huh?" Ava said with a welcoming smile on her face, a smile Connor knew all too well. Even then, he always found himself falling for it. "Yeah.." Not even the obvious skepticism in his voice could keep her away. He couldn't walk away yet, he had so many unanswered questions. But this open hallway was no place to ask them, Doctor Latham's blank stare made that blatantly obvious. "Hey Ava, can I talk to you..?" Connor asked, sounding serious, maybe even tense. Ava's eyes seemed to light up when he spoke, and it made Connor uneasy. "Sure, let's go over here" Ava said politely while gesturing to a room nearby. Connor followed, remembering how much he used to love her accent. After entering the small room, Connor closed the door and turned to face Ava, who looked oddly confident. With memories of the past flooding both their minds, Ava looked at the floor and Connor sighed, prepared to say what he felt was necessary. "Why..?" He asked, breaking the awkward silence, the tension in his voice was obvious. Ava's head jerked up, a confused yet aware expression forming on her face. "What?" She asked, the realization hitting her slower than Connor expected. How could she not remember? The rage he felt made Connor want to scream, but his train of thought was interrupted by Ava's deep sigh, the memories had finally gotten to her. "Well, if you had seen things my way, that wouldn't have happened" she said with such arrogance, arrogance Connor almost forgot about. She hadn't changed, Connor knew that now. "Ava, you gave my father insulin that he didn't need, you caused his death! Please enlighten me on how I'm supposed to "see things your way!" Connor yelled, his emotions starting to control him. "I did it for you, Connor!" Ava yelled, tears filling her brown eyes. Connor didn't believe her, but for some reason, he wanted to. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from loving her, even if this love could be cursed..cursed enough to KILL.

[kitkatopinions]

You know I gotta ask for Pyrrha lol

Yeah, Pyrrha for the ask game, let's go.

1: sexuality headcanon

I like to headcanon Pyrrha as a biromantic demisexual.

2: otp

Gonna have to say Pyrrha x Weiss for this one, but Pyrrha x Blake is a close second! Pyrrha and Weiss just have great potential as romantic partners, and their first season clips together so easily read as Weiss having a crush on Pyrrha and Pyrrha being like "Oh pretty disaster girl, I can fix you." XD

3: brotp

Pyrrha and Nora! I already talked about them recently, but they could be such close friends!

4: notp

Can I say 'anything involving a Jaune harem?' I don't mind Pyrrha x Jaune on its own if it's done well (in a way that doesn't treat Pyrrha as the prize to be won or Jaune's cheerleader,) but every time I see some Jaune x Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Ruby, Neo, Glynda, Willow, Cinder all at the same time any of that... Ugh. That's so embarrassing.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

I saw a fanart once of Pyrrha and Neptune as kids together living in Argus, and now I love the headcanon that they went to combat school together and actually know each other pretty well. (Of course, in my headcanons, Neptune isn't nearly as sucky. XD) Oh wait, no, I want to talk about Pyrrha's parents! Because the whole monument to Pyrrha seems like something Pyrrha really wouldn't want, I've started headcanoning that her parents were the ones who fought to get that statue made but that they both never really listened to Pyrrha and had kind of pushed her all the time growing up, and were sort of similar to pageant parents. So even though Pyrrha loved them, she also had very complicated feelings towards them, and felt like they didn't know her well, which made her very eager to establish a found family at Beacon (and to latch onto possible mentor/parental figures.)

6: favorite line from this character

"I'll do it. If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your fall maiden." This line is so good at further establishing what we already know about Pyrrha. She's trusting, she's a follower, she's kind, she's good, she wants to do the right thing because it's the right thing, she doesn't even ask for an explanation because when someone tells her that people need help and this will help, she jumps in with both feet before even thinking through the implications. It's both a sign of some flaws (it's pretty naive to trust people just because they're your teachers and some guy, it's pretty reckless to let people do experiments on you without even asking very many questions,) and proof of her deep goodness and her good intentions. Also I like to think that Pyrrha looked at Amber and felt a connection to her, something drawing her to Amber, and felt like she understood Amber in that moment even though they'd never met, and then her being so willing to take on that power and that responsibility was also for Amber and for her legacy. (Side note, the concept of Amber is slept on both in the show and in the fandom.)

7: one way in which I relate to this character

We both seem to be attracted to disaster people? Lol. But in all seriousness, I feel like I do share some minor similarities to her like her tendency to be protective (I will break his legs) and her over-polite awkwardness and slight passive aggressive tendencies. XD

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

The romance with Jaune. As I said before, I don't mind Arkos in theory. But the way it's done in canon? Gross tbh. They more or less invented Pyrrha for Jaune, made the majority of her story revolve around him, didn't give her real connections with other characters, used her death to prop up his character in a very fridgey way without letting anyone else grieve, and in volume six they gave her a tribute she wouldn't have wanted to remind everyone of how sad Jaune is... And Pyrrha never got any song that wasn't about her feelings for Jaune. Yikes!

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

One of the only cinnamon rolls left in this show! Pyrrha may have her minor flaws, but by and large, she's a good person who tries to treat everyone well (except for Cardin the bigoted asshole bully which is a good thing) and she spent her life trying to help everyone. Rip that Pyrrha never got to connect with Penny because they would've been the ultimate cinnamon roll redhead duo.

[classydreamlandalpaca]

Dragon Prince Season 5 Review Part 1

So I decided I would post my review of Season 5. I'm going to go more in-depth about the first four episodes in this post and post about the later 5 in another post. Overall I thought season 5 was great and is probably the best season of The Dragon Prince so far. Two episodes in particular I thought were amazing and deserve a spot on the top 10 best episodes of the whole series.

So I decided to split it this way because this season had two main story A plotlines. The first is Callum and Rayla going to the Bookery to find more information on how to defeat Aaravos. I thought the first few episodes did a really good job building up to what was going to happen in episode 4. I was actually really surprised by that corrupted banther attack in episode 2. Now I saw the banther in a trailer and I read Karim's short story. However, did I expect to actually see the banther eat Callum's horse and see blood flowing out of its mouth? No, I did not.

Episode 4 was one of those episodes I discussed earlier that I thought deserved a spot on the top 10 list. I was on the edge of my seat for this episode. I think a big part of this was that there were a lot of reoccurring characters in this episode so it genuinely felt like a character I like could potentially be killed off or be corrupted until the end of the show at least. I thought this was going to happen to Amaya and Corvus. Then Zubeia got bitten by one of the corrupted banthers. This episode was intense.

In the first four episodes, we also saw some character development. Mainly we saw Callum and Rayla learning to trust each other again. This resulted in a lot of Rayllum fluff and I loved it. This lead to Rayla telling Callum about her parents being trapped in the coins and Callum being super eager to help her get them out. I was really glad that they have a plan to get them out now and look forward to seeing what happens with that.

Now let's look at the subplots. I really loved Viren's dream sequences. I thought they did a really good of making you feel bad for Viren while making it clear that he's at fault for what happened to him. The saddest part for me was baby Soren running away from him in fear and Viren pleading with him to come back. It really made it clear that Viren loves Soren and really misses him. At the same time though it acknowledges that Soren made the right call by getting away from him. I also liked how the dreams showed that Viren put Claudia on a dark path and that she is probably going to end up worse than Viren. Give me evil Claudia.

We also start off with Karim's subplot. This subplot was cool because we saw Sol Regim again. We also learn that Karim wants to use the sunseed to cure Sol Regim's eyes. Now on the one hand it would be cool to see Sol Regim at full power again. Sol Regim in my opinion is the most intimidating of the arch dragons. His design and voice are perfect for his character. However, this would be really bad for pretty much everyone. Sol Regim would probably kill Zubeia and Zim and then after that, he would probably try to wipe out all the humans.

We didn't see too much of Ezran these first four episodes, but that makes sense. His main goal in the first four episodes was to talk to different dragons for help and he had Zubeia to fly him around and protect him. So not a lot happened with Ezran in the first four episodes, but most of the scenes he was in were pretty cool and had some cool looking dragons. If I had to complain about something regarding the first four episodes it's that Ezran has limited screen time.

So the first four episodes were a great start to a great season. As I said before I will be making another post that goes more in-depth for the last five episodes of season 5

[calliopesburn]

I’ve been thinking about how some of the most pleasant periods of the past year for me were when derry girls season 3 and wwdits season 4 were airing live week to week and every week we all saw new gifs of each episode and I was like. genuinely excited to sit down and watch an episode like ‘omg it’s wednesday!!’ and I’ve realized how much I’ve missed this - remember when things when live and tumblr and twitter were unusable because everyone was freaking out about whatever show was airing? live blogging? watching livestreams together and talking about them in the chat? I remember watching UK shows at like 11am because that’s when they aired for me and I HAD to see it live and… I really miss this actually. I haven’t seen Wednesday yet but that’s the exact kind of show that would be so great to have a fandom around. Binging content has kind of been the death of fandom and when you really think about it it’s no surprise that so many of us left tumblr years ago (around the time that binging started…) and are now finally coming back, eager and ready to engage in fandom again in more controlled doses

the other thing is not just that we don’t have the time to binge watch anymore, but we have so many damn things competing for our attention that there are dozens of shows dropping whole seasons in a week and we literally are overloaded and overwhelmed. binge watching used to feel really good, but it’s ultimately unhealthy and we’re starting to realize it, I no longer want to sit and give away the next 8 hours of my focus on yet another show. and you know what? I feel like I always get restless by the end and end up hating the show anyway, so what purpose does this actually serve??

and you know what, it’s fucked up but I miss cable tv. I miss being able to tune into a live channel just to have something on and not have to think about it, I loathe ads and don’t miss them but I miss self operating media channels. I hate streaming platforms for autoplaying trailers. I hate for making me scroll through their stupid algorithm to find what I want. I hate having to navigate through a sea of the content they’re shoving down our throats just to find the content I actually want to see

I also hate the implication that we now need to pay for every media experience. more and more each day tv is being pulled being numerous paywalls under the implication that WE should be paying to get these things made because they’re Valuable, and distributors are literally forcing filmmakers into not being able to let their film be available or accessible because they will literally not get distribution otherwise. the purpose of buying a film and streaming it on your platform shouldn’t be to make money, it should be to share media. when did we get the idea that everything needs to be paid for? oh right when capitalists decided that they wanted to make more money

Netflix cancelling shows isn’t the problem, actually. is it annoying? sure. but the problem is they don’t finish them

they know what’s going to be renewed and what isn’t even before it airs. they’ve likely known for months that warrior nun wasn’t getting a season 3, probably before they even gave it s2

so why not tell them? why not say s2 will be the last? why encourage the show to create a bigger cliffhanger and make him fight to have the post credit scene when you know there won’t be a next? why not give creators an opportunity to finish their creations?

15 good shows with 2-3 seasons start-finish is better than 30 fantastic shows that ended on cliffhangers after 1 season

I don’t know who told Netflix that quantity mattered more than quality —- because it doesn’t. please, i’m begging, commit to something. because in binge era tv, 1 season is not enough, but 2 might be if you tell them in advance so they can wrap it up

[nerdasaurus1200]

I saw Dragon Prince season 4 and hoo boy do I have thoughts (in no particular order)

First off, it's adorable how much of a magic nerd Callum is. He's grown so much and become so much stronger in two years

Stella is baby. She's living her best life with her cuddlemama and future cuddle papa. Speaking of, let Callum becalled a cuddlepapa by himself or Rayla next season

Zym and Ezran have grown up so much and it both breaks and warms my heart

Okay, so Rayla is a Dragonguard. Good to know.

Terry is my son now. I adopted him, he's mine.

I feel like Callum is just a little bit jealous of Stella getting love from Rayla

“The other elves saw me as a doe, but I knew. I always knew that I was a buck. I..chose the name Terrestrius.”....This line here. This line is gonna stick with me forever. I honestly didn't expect them to outright tell or show us Terry is trans but I'm so glad. That's gonna mean so much to trans kids watching this show. And the fact that Viren has no problems with it at all makes it even more special. Although Terry's wording makes me wonder if someone in his family didn't accept him.

Oh man I just read his wiki page and apparently Terry is still mid transition

I'm calling it now, that girl that figured out Araavos is Harrow and Ezran's descendant

Well, at least we know how loyal Terry is to Claudia.....someone get this poor boy a mug of hot cocoa, a blanket, a hug, and a therapist; he's earned it. He was 100% having a panic attack

"I'm gonna feel all the feelings!" THAT'S RIGHT YOU GO MY FUNKY BOY

I KNEW IT! I KNEW RAYLA'S PARENTS WERE IN THE COINS!GOD POOR RAYLA! ETHARI AND CALLUM ARE GONNA LOSE THEIR SHIT!

Hot damn, Ezran's speech combined with Ibis and Claudia fighting was powerful...that whole scene really encapsulates what the entire show is about, I think

Zubeia gets more and more badass with every episode

I wasn't expecting the chocolate tart to be brought back but it's nice that Rex Igneous liked it. Although how could he taste so much of such a little thing?

Ohhhhh wait, I just got that! Rex means king, he's KING Igneous!

Oh man I had no idea Ezran's crown is made from Harrow's sword

That possesion scene was straight up creepy, I honestly thought Callum died for a second

Speaking of creepy, I never wanna see snake Claudia again, please and thank you

I know Callum is angry at Rayla but he needs to talk to her, really. I feel like he's using the possession thing as an excuse to not talk about their relationship. Like, I do think he's genuinely shaken up by it but he's choosing to focus on that because it's easier

Soren...god, Soren has changed so much. In just 3 years, this boy has gone from picking fights with dragons and being eager to kill them to not being able to turn away from a dragon in need. He even shed his armor for her. Season 1 Soren would NEVER have done that in a million years

Another thing S1 Soren would never do is that talk with Claudia. Man, that was deep.

Also I love Soren's new look, I feel like it suits him way better than his knight armor

I dunno why I expected an out of the gate dramatic conversation when Soren found Claudia. Although I am glad we still got them having that conversation

I will say though, I do wish we got more of a reaction to Terry from Soren

Can Squeaky return next season as Soren's dragon pal? Please? he's the only one that doesn't have an animal companion

"I wanna spend the last month traveling with my daughter, the most important person in the world to me" I....it's nice that you're finally learning to not be a jackass Viren, but did you forget that you have a son??? Is Soren just chopped liver to you?

That said, I do appreciate that Viren has changed. I feel like he's definitely not gonna become immortal.

Regarding Claudia's speech about human suffering....either she's been fed TONS of propaganda by Araavos or she's taking it way too personally after all this time. Like, girl, you have an elf boyfriend, calm down

Awww the return of big feelings time!

[strangerhottotties]

Hi. If you are accepting requests, could you write a Eddie one where you are Dustin cheerleader sister who also play D&D and have a secret crush on Eddie and no one knows besides your friend Chrissy (let's pretend that she still alive ans season 4 events never happened) and when Dustin and Mike needs someone to replace Lucas, your brother finds you talking to Chrissy and asks you to replace him and she knowing about your crush on Eddie,helps you find a excuse to miss the match to be on Hellfire as a favour to your brother. While Eddie is surprised to see that you are the person who will replace Lucas in the campaign since he didn't know you played D&D and soon after,asks you to talk to you where he assumes he has something for you and asks you on a date, much to Dustin's delight since he knows of your crush on his friend and his friend crush on you and wants his favorite people (after Steve) be together

Warnings: TW: Dustin jokes once about killing himself. Reader threats to kill Dustin on several occasions. This is mostly flirting, fluff and pining. I hope you enjoy.

A/N: Thank you for the ask, sorry it's taken me a hot minute to actually reply to this. But I'm absolutely NOT going to rush any of my requests. Firstly, I love that you guys enjoy my writing enough to request anything, so I love requests! I just want to make sure I'm satisfied with the quality. Secondly, I'm really trying not to burn myself out. So, thank you for being patient with me, darling. MWAH! I totally adjusted the end just a little bit. So I'm sorry but most of it is true to the request.

Post A/N: OH MY GOD I RANDOMLY FOUND THIS IN THE BOTTOM OF MY DRAFTS AND IT ACTUALLY SAVED! I THOUGHT IT LOST!

The most horrifying thing Dustin had ever spoken was after the very first day of his freshman year nearly made you crash your car. Your tires had squealed when you hit the brakes. "DUDE! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!" He'd shouted after getting yanked against his seatbelt. His other words like a black hole in your head.

I made a new friend today! He's a senior who's, like the coolest dude ever! He offered to let us join his D'n'D club, you should join too!

"You're friends with Eddie Munson?" You demand.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah," you offer before focusing back on the road and proceed to drive again.

"I'm surprised you're not in Hellfire. It's a D'n'D club!"

"Uh, yeah, I'm okay," you offer meekly. Dustin's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"I don't get it, what's everyone got against Eddie?"

You take a deep breath. "Dustin, do you remember how when we were kids, we'd play the secret game?"

"Take it to the grave?"

"Yep," you reply. "Do you want to play?" You watch his eyes light up and he twists to stare at you. Always eager for juicy gossip.

"Yeah, yeah!" He leans forward eagerly. "What is it?" You bite your lip.

"Eddie Munson... is the guy I've got a crush on." His jaw drops wide open.

"EDDIE IS 'THE GUY'!?" He shrieks. "Eddie is the guy that sits in front of you in Mrs. O'Donnel's class? The one that you always say would never give you a second look?"

"Yep."

"THEN YOU GOTTA JOIN HELLFIRE TOO!"

"NO WAY! AND YOU SWORE! IF I FIND OUT YOU TALKED TO HIM ABOUT ME, I WILL CRASH THIS CAR INTO A TREE AT FULL SPEED WITH YOU IN IT!"

Dustin dropped it. To the grave meant something genuinely. But he hated being stuck in the middle. Especially when less than a week later he had almost an identical conversation with Eddie.

His bag had been jerked off his shoulder by some asshole on the football team. The papers went fly when his broken zipper split. Eddie was nearby and nearly got into a fist fight over it, which Dustin was definitely going to fill you in on later. When the jocks finally stomped off, Eddie squatted down to help him collect his papers.

"Damn, these are killer marks, Dustin!" Eddie congratulates him while patting his back.

"Oh yeah, huge nerd, ya know." Then Eddie's face sobers.

"Wait," he grunts as holds up a finger.

"Yeah, what's up."

"What's this?" He demands, pointing at Dustin's messy writing at the top. His full name. "Henderson? Are you related-"

"Yep. Yeah. Mhmm," the kid folds under the intensity of Eddie's gaze. "The cheer captain, valedictorian would in fact be my sister, yes." Eddie takes a deep breath to steady himself.

"The Queen of Cheer is your older sister?" Dustin wants to beat his head against the wall. It was the topic of conversation at the Hellfire meeting twenty minutes later. Dustin was drowned in the guys all drooling over you. Something he was used to, at this point. And then Gareth says something that has Eddie's eyes widening.

"Dustin, who would have the best chance at scoring a date with her." Dustin drops his jaw wide open to stare at Keith. Then he begins to laugh nervously.

"Definitely me," Lucas smugly answers, mostly joking.

"No way," Mike scoffs back, "not one of us has a chance. Especially not you!"

"Yep, no one. Definitely no one." Every head swivels at his poor lying. Mike stares at him in disbelief.

"No way!"

"What! I didn't-"

"Does she have a crush on someone!?" Mike demands, shoving Dustin.

"I TOOK IT TO THE GRAVE!" Uproar erupts among the table. Everyone sitting forward. Will, Mike and Lucas all groaning with frustration.

"What does that mean!?" Gareth demands.

"It means his sister swore him to secrecy and he won't peep."

"Believe me! I want to! It's so stupid but she told me last week! If you got to me before she almost crashed the car because I mentioned the guy, I could have told you!" Everyone is on the edge of their seats with this.

"C'mon, what can you tell us," Eddie presses with the most charm he can muster despite the situation.

"No way, no. I'm not allowed to talk to you guys about her. She forbids it!" Eddie stands and makes his way around to the kid.

"Talking to us about her? Dustin, do you have dirt on your sister?" Dustin remains quiet, wildly uncomfortable about being put on the spot. "Henderson," Eddie coos, "you're not corrupted into doing the bidding of your older sister are you?"

"Of course not! But there are lines I won't cross!"

"There's got to be a degree of loyalty to your friends. Aren't you loyal to Hellfire?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course, I am!"

"Then tell us something about your sister." Dustin squeezes his eyes shut as Eddie rests his weight across the back of his shoulders.

"The guy she likes," Dustin starts and everyone sits forward in eager curiousity, "he... he..." He desperately tries to recall some bit of information he can spare. "Look, can it be any information or..."

"You know what, sure, kid," Eddie offers, with a wet willie. Dustin shutters in disgust and wipes at his ear quickly.

"Fine, I tried to set her up with Steve Harrington multiple times... but she's always refused because she has a huge crush on someone else..." Eddie grins down at him proudly.

"There you go, was that so hard." Dustin sinks down in his seat and passes Lucas a miserable look. Feeling horrible for outing you like that.

"Don't let him get to you," Gareth grunts out, unimpressed with Eddie. "He just has a huge crush on her and never shuts up about her."

Eddie twists to fix his friend with a horrified look and then Dustin rolls his eyes and groans. "Henderson, you tell her, and I'll make every campaign Hell for the rest of the year."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Dustin grumbles to himself.

Your name being called is what drags you away from conversation with Chrissy. You glance up to see Dustin jogging across the parking lot for your car. "Hey," you offer him.

"Hey, Chrissy," your brother offers with a smile. She gives him a warm one back.

"Hey, Dustin."

"What are you up to? Don't you have class?"

"I gotta ask you a favor," Dustin replies.

"Shoot."

"Lucas is bailing on D'n'D tonight for the game and it's the end of the campaign. Eddie's gonna drill us. We need another body for the party, please, please, please. You have to be there tonight. I can't find anyone else, and Eddie won't reschedule."

"Oh, oh, oh, you have to go!" Chrissy urges as dread sinks in your belly.

"Chris! We're supposed to be at the game tonight! How am I, cheer captain, going to skip our biggest game of the season!?"

"She'll do it!" Chrissy insists. "I'll cover for you at the game!" She squeezes your side and leans in to whisper. "Go get you some Munson." You flush deeply. "Okay, Okay, but Lucas is a ranger, right? I'm a mage, is that really a good idea."

"Please, Eddie is a tyrant as DM." You take a deep breath and sigh.

"I'll meet you after school, but you so owe me."

"YES! THANK YOU!" And with that he throws into a hug.

The drama room quiets as your shoes squeak to a stop. "You made it!" Dustin calls.

"What is this?" Eddie laughs like it's some big joke. You take a deep breath to steel yourself against the emotions that swell at the fact that Eddie Munson was speaking to you. You were in the same room as him, and he was acknowledging your existence like you imagined daily. Like you always willed him to turn around in class and give you a flirty smile. It never happened.

"I found a sub for Lucas."

"I'm missing the game for this," you reply to Eddie a lot smoother than you expect. Your voice even, steady. Eddie rises from his throne and move towards you, head tilting at you.

"Oh, and the Queen of Cheer knows about d'n'd?"

"You're looking at a level seventeen mage," you respond. Eddie's face flashes briefly with shock.

"There's no way."

"Want to see my score sheet?" You hold out your hand as Dustin digs through a folder he kept. "I haven't played in a while, but I know what I'm doing." Dustin passes you the sheet, grinning widely. When you look over at him, he winks and you want to strangle him.

Eddie hums quietly as he glances over the sheet. His eyes meet yours and your heart flutters in your chest. "Well, do you want me to play?" You demand, voice softening more than you mean it to.

Eddie steps into your space, a lazy smile crossing his lips. "If you want me to play with you," your eyes widen at his words and you can feel the warmth of your cheeks turn to burning, "you'll have to say 'please', princess." He's so close you can smell the smoke and his shampoo. It's hard not to take innuendo away from what he just said.

Why, oh why, did you have such a crippling crush on such a prick. You send a hard look down on to your brother, something promising a vicious response.

When you turn yourself back onto Eddie, he's patiently waiting. You take in another deep breath, inhaling the earthy smell of him before you fix him with your 'siren' eyes as Chrissy called them. Your half-lidded smile in response to Eddie has his breath hitching. Eddie was unaware of your competitiveness that would often draw out your feral side. Only you were consciously vicious.

You'd play his game. But you don't think he's prepared for it. You press yourself close, pressing your breasts into his chest. Your mouth hovers close to his ear.

"Oh, Eddie," you breathe for him, "won't you please let me play with you and your friends?"

"That's underhanded," he murmurs back.

"Thought you were supposed to bring the fire, or is the throne for show?" You taunt. He takes in the dark grin you're giving him. It's surprises you how easy it is to flirt with him. He gives you a breathy laugh. It might be nervousness but when he pins you with a dark gaze, you know it's just fueling something.

"Fine. You can join. But I'm gunnin' for you, sweetheart."

"I'm so scared. Now, aren't you going to pull out a chair for the queen?" Dustin high fives you below the table when a folding chair is tucked in for you.

"Thank you," he murmurs.

"My services aren't free, Dusty."

"Oh, I think you'll like my repayment."

The laughter and cheers fill the room still. If you hadn't rolled nat twenty with that last roll there wouldn't be so much thrill in the boys around you hooting and hollering. It was a fun campaign, certainly grueling, and it reminded you of when you'd gotten Dustin into it. Before you'd even moved to Hawkins. The hype was what you'd always loved about Cheer.

Somehow this was better though. Everyone shouting and laughing as they packed up their things. "Hey, Eddie," Dustin calls as Eddie is about to slip out the door. He says it at the same time as he grabs your wrist to stop you. "Come here a sec."

"What's up, little Henderson?" You frown in confusion as Dustin plucks the keys out of your hand.

"I'm gonna leave in a second," Dustin encourages as Eddie rakes his eyes over you quickly.

"Um... okay?" Eddie offers.

"And I know I said to the grave," your eyes widen and you snap fully towards him.

"Don't you dare."

"My sister has had a crush on you for like four years." Eddie's head swivels back to you.

"To the grave you're going."

"Shut up, if I have to spend one more lunch period with him staring at you across the cafeteria and talking about how pretty you are, I'm going to kill myself." You flush deeply and now you both watch each other quietly.

Dustin grins proudly. "Okay then, I'll be in the car." And with that, your brother skips out of the Drama room. Eddie and you evaluate each other quietly.

"So you enjoyed that little tease at first, didn't you?" Eddie grins, letting his bag slip from his shoulder to the floor. You flush.

"Take me on a date and I might tell you," you whisper quietly. Eddie grins at you, stepping back into his face.

"I didn't know you were a devil worshipping nerd before tonight, might have changed my opinion of you," he teases. You start to feel the bite of rejection until he suddenly walking you back onto the table. "How does Saturday sound?"

You lick your lips and nod at him, too emotionally fried to put up a fight like you did earlier. "Yeah, I'd like that." Now that your perched on the edge of the table he just gives you a cocky grin. The lingering silence making you nervous. "Are you gonna stand there and stare or are you going to kiss me?" You demand quietly.

Eddie gives you a mean little laugh and leans in really close. "Good girls wait until the end of a date." You flush and a pout of sorts settles across your face.

"I'm not as good as you think," you encourage. Eddie gives you a shaky breath and then explains it very gently. Butterflies erupting in your stomach.

"The only reason I have to say no is because I'm worried that...," he swallows and tucks hair behind one of your ears. "If I kiss you now, I don't know that I'll be able to stop. Dustin might be in your car for a while." It has you sucking a breath in and your gaze softens on him.

"Saturday then," you agree.

"Saturday," Eddie agrees with stunning smile. You reach forward, feeling emboldened by him. Eddie's breath stutters as you snatch his belt buckle and jerk him closer. You push up onto your toes, lips brushing his cheek. You grin when you lean back and see the pink tint of your lips left behind. He's none the wiser.

"See you," you offer him prior to slipping past him and you pause in the hall. His cheeks are red from the stunt you just pulled. You send him one last smile and slip out the door.