#84 years later and THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO SHOW FOR IT

[cursivebloodlines]

011. in the dining room building a home: a gingerbread home! decorate the home and make it one fit for a little gingerbread man. - lydia!

🌙 * ― 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒: 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ( a collection of various settings for drabbles or prompts, or both!) | @overnightheartbeats

011. in the dining room building a home: a gingerbread home! decorate the home and make it one fit for a little gingerbread man.

The first – and last – time Lydia attempted to build a gingerbread house, it had been a catastrophe. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong: the house itself crumbling, pieces not staying together, icing smudged the whole thing and the candy pieces of decoration fell off. Honestly? It had looked like the wolf from the Three Little Pigs story huffed and puffed and blew the silly, little gingerbread house down. It was all so completely unlike Lydia, someone notorious for her perfectionistic ways and meticulous precision. The hours she spent dedicated to it and nothing to show for it. A complete waste of time. And so, she vowed she would never ever waste her time trying to make one again. Never. Ever.

That was… until Aaron suggested trying to build one. Lydia’s face must have said it all, her nose scrunched up, eyebrows furrowed. “Why on earth would I want to waste time doing that when you can buy one that already looks nice enough from the store?” she questioned, a not-so-subtle ploy of trying to wriggle her way out of it. Aaron had gave her a look that said, really? She wondered what else was running through his mind. Maybe something along the lines of, since when does Lydia turn down a challenge? In that moment, she knew there was no way she was escaping it. Even a small smile threatened to worm its way on to her lips. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? He’d said. She looked at him blankly, eyes going distant as she spoke, deadpanned, “The worst thing that can happen?” A dramatic pause. “I’ll show you.” With that, she cleared her throat, picked up her phone and scrolled through until she found the photo from a good few years ago. Without saying anything else, she passed her phone to Aaron, feeling quite triumphant with herself about being determined, not going through that ordeal ever again. Her gaze fixated on him as she watched his reaction, watched as his expression swiftly changed from being puzzled, to curious and morphed into amusement. Brows arched, Lydia mirrored his face, her hands on her hips as she demanded, “What’s so funny?” Trying to conceal the laughter in her voice as she quickly cleared her throat. But she couldn’t keep a straight face for long. The sound of his laugh was contagious, his smile so wonderful and infectious. Even if she had a severe case of Resting Bitch Face, she couldn’t stop herself from cracking. So, now they were both just laughing. 

In the end, he managed to persuade her to take another shot at building a gingerbread house. “The way I see it…it can only go up from here.” Or something along those lines. Some variations of it can’t get any worse. Earning a playful roll of her eyes, but in the end, she conceded. She’d already lost some of her pride and dignity the moment she showed him her poor first attempt. But at least if this one sucked, then they would suck together. But weren’t two heads supposed to be better than one? If it had been with anyone else, she may have disagreed. Having someone under her feet whilst she was trying to concentrate on achieving perfection? Lydia would’ve ushered them away and not-so-politely told them to go away. But nope, he was persistent. They were definitely doing this.

A quick trip to the store to get everything they need, and more just because they may as well since they’re there… and there they were, diving straight into it. Lydia read out the instructions from the recipe she found on Pinterest after tons and tons of scrolling, and they took it in turns to do all that was needed to do. Getting the things out as and when they needed, she was surprised how comfortable and easy it was to adjust, shuffling around each other. It was amazing how he fit in perfectly with her. No awkwardness, no Lydia getting frustrated because something was out of place or not done to her standards - a shocker. It was all very new to her but it didn’t feel new. It was like they’d been doing this forever. Shuffling around, arms occasionally brushing against each other, smiles on their faces all around. Christmas songs faintly played from the stereo, humming along as they made the dough; humming turned into singing as they waited for the gingerbread to break, happily setting up the dining room ready for decorating. She playfully swatted Aaron’s hand when she realised he was slipping the candies meant for decorating their work-in-progress gingerbread house in for a little treat. “Enough of that, we won’t have any for the -” Until he was the one plopping a gumdrop into her mouth - she wasn’t complaining then. Another laugh tumbled from her lips as she chewed it, leaning in to kiss his cheek gently before the timer on her phone beeped. They were ready!

“Now… now is make or break,” Lydia declared when the gingerbread finally cooled. Everything already set out, ready for them to dive straight in. First, to assemble the house. Her mind cast back to her first attempt, how disastrous the whole thing went. It will be better this time. Had to be. The aroma of cinnamon and ginger filled the cosy, festive-filled atmosphere, every inhale made it all the more tempting to just give it all up and dive right in to gobbling it all up. It was like she was waiting with bated breath, any moment it could crumble and fall apart. But Aaron’s extra pair of hands made it all worthwhile. He would help her assemble the little house piece by piece, holding things in place as she brought the next part out. So far, so good. It was like they had all the time in the world, every piece fitting together felt like a gigantic milestone worth celebrating. And at some stage, Lydia definitely cracked out the bottle of wine as incentive to keep them going.

In the end, it was all worth it. She hated to admit defeat but Aaron was right; it did only go up from there. Though, the bar was pretty low to begin with. And sure, maybe it wasn’t her ideal version of perfection but the time spent with him absolutely was. Lydia placed the final piece, the marshmallow snowman outside the newly built gingerbread house before leaning back against him with a content sigh. “We did it. I can’t believe we actually did it.” A beaming smile on her face as she tilted her head to look at him adoringly, before looking right back at their little creation before them. The walls of the house were slightly uneven, a few cracks in the icing revealed glimpses of golden-brown gingerbread underneath, gumdrop windows a little askew, and licorice shingles overlapped on the roof. These imperfections which, any other time would have had Lydia fuming and threatening to smash the whole thing over the kitchen counter, were the magic and beauty of it. Perfectly imperfect. It was magical because it was theirs. It was something they built together, and it was what they had to show for it. A funky yet whimsical-looking gingerbread house. Feeling him nudge her with his elbow, a grin curved Aaron’s face as he passed her something, a brief flicker of confusion etched on to her face as she lowered her gaze to her hands, a laugh leaving her as her fingers traced the ridges of the gingerbread man - or should she say woman? - before her. “Is this supposed to be me? Wow. Impressive. And, that’s funny, actually, because…” Biting her lip to conceal a laugh or give away the reveal. She couldn’t get her head around the fact they had both been doing the same thing without the other knowing. Putting her gingerbread persona to the side, she picked up the version of Aaron she’d secretly made, laughter finally escaping as she passed it to him. “I swear I didn’t steal your idea! We just…clearly have great minds that think alike.” 

In that moment it was inevitable: this was going down as one of the best Christmases Lydia had in a long, long time.

[steddielations]

Eddie’s missing. Steve can’t form a coherent thought beyond: Eddie’s missing, find him. The last few hours, it’s been his every thought, his every action.

There’s never a smooth visit to Hawkins. Eddie’s reputation has only gotten worse in the years since they moved to Chicago. Every time they come back, something goes wrong. But Eddie wanted to spend Wayne’s birthday with him, which also happens to be his mom’s birthday. That’s why he put on Wayne’s Muddy Waters record after a few drinks too many, mumbling, “Doesn’t sound the same.”

One second, Eddie was drunkenly rocking to the music, then he went outside for a smoke and didn’t come back. 

Wayne shouldn’t be out in the cold weather, but nothing could stop him from getting in his pickup to look for Eddie.

Steve’s mind jumps to nightmare conclusions. Eddie still has enemies, maybe they’re finally taking their revenge. Or what if they hadn’t destroyed the gate afterall and something worse took Eddie? Steve’s mind skipped every small explanation, but that detail about Eddie’s mom comes back.

He’s searching backroads and the thought leads him down Philadelphia street. No one goes there anymore, convinced there’s more ‘Munson victims’ buried where Eddie’s childhood home once stood.

Steve sags with relief when he shines the headlights and sees Eddie among the piles of old burned wood.

“Eddie!” Steve’s already jumping out the car, hurrying to him, ���Oh God, there you are. What are you doing out here, baby? You okay?”

Eddie doesn’t seem to realize Steve’s there, frantically digging through the rubble. Looking for something.

“Eddie?” Steve reaches him, crouching down next to him, “Hey, what’s going on? Are you hurt?”

Without looking up, Eddie mumbles something like, “Can’t find ‘em.” 

“Can’t find what?” Steve asks, keeping his tone soft despite how worried and confused he is. Eddie doesn’t answer. There’s random cuts and splinters on his hands, covered in dirt and soot but he doesn’t slow down. Steve winces at the sight and reaches for his shoulder, rubbing gently to get his attention. 

“Eddie, look at me, hey. What is it? You can’t find what?”

Finally, Eddie turns to look at him. Though, his stare is a thousand miles away, eyes wide and bloodshot. The headlights show tear tracks through the soot dirtying his face. It’s like he’s in a trance, still mumbling things Steve can’t quite make out. He can smell the beer on Eddie, but he knows this isn’t just from drinking. Eddie gets stuck in his head sometimes, like in the boathouse all those years ago. Reliving nightmares from '86, and things that happened to him long before that too. 

“Her records,” Eddie stresses, “My mom’s records. I left them right here.” 

Steve looks down where he points to nothing but charred, rotting wood. There hasn’t been a house here in years. Steve remembers the fire, everyone said Eddie did it just because he was a ‘no good Munson’. Steve didn’t learn the real story until later. Eddie told him about the records, how they burned in 84 when all his dad’s scheming backfired.

“Eddie…” 

“They were right here!” Eddie interrupts, almost like part of him knows what Steve’s going to say and he doesn’t want to hear it. “I left them right here and now I can’t find them.” 

With a half-choked sob, he turns back to scouring through the rubble.

“Hey, It’s okay.” 

“No it’s not. I gotta find them, Steve, they’re all I have of her,” Eddie strangles out, flinching when Steve’s hand slides behind his shoulders.

Steve swallows down the emotion swelling in his chest. Feeling powerless to really do anything, he says, “Okay, we’ll— we’ll find them. It’s okay.”

That’s the only thing that seems to ease Eddie. Though, the way he slumps seems like he knows it’s not true, but lets himself believe it anyway. Just for the comfort. 

He’s breathing raggedly, shivering in the cold and every sob rattles his body under Steve’s hand. Finally, he lets himself sink fully into Steve, his cold wet nose pressed to Steve’s collarbone.

“S’all I got. Momma’s music,” he keeps repeating as Steve rubs his back, so drunk and so sad, “Gotta get ‘em back. S’all I got left of her.” 

“I know, baby, we’ll find them.” Steve presses kisses into Eddie’s forehead, holding him and rubbing his back. It’s not the truth, Eddie knows that, but he doesn’t need the truth right now. So Steve says it again and again, as long as Eddie needs to hear it. “We’ll find them.”

[acowardinmordor]

I need a fic where Steve and Eddie are sorta friends after S1. He isn't talking to Tommy H, so he has to buy his own stash, and since he saw a monster, he's more in need of that stash than before. Steve is still with Nancy, there isn't anything romantic happening between Eddie and him, but they're close enough they have stopped acting like guests at each others place when they're over.

They get way too high the friday before Halloween of 84, and Eddie accidentally outs himself. Doesn't say that he likes Steve, but the pieces are there if Steve wants to connect the dots. Eddie runs for it, and Steve is confused why he ran, but thinks that he should give Eddie some space, since he obviously wants that. Enter S2.

Steve gets a little in his own head about dragging people into the Upside Down crazy. It got Bob killed this time. People die, and the closer people are to the group, the more likely it is that they'll end up in danger or dead. The best case scenario is that they have nightmares and brain damage.

So Steve takes the echoing silence between him and Eddie as a chance to keep him safe. Eddie is terrified that Steve hates him, so he's not going to say anything. Then, Steve shows up to school beaten to shit and single, and Eddie asks if he's okay, what happened, who did this, why.

Steve really wants to loop back to why Eddie ran out so fast after saying that he was 'a friend of dorothy', because he missed it entirely, but asking would encourage Eddie to stay around him, and that isn't safe. He is still a bit concussed, and convinced that if he tells Eddie about any of it, the guy will figure out all of it, and get himself killed. Brushes him off.

Its not until a year later, talking to Robin about queer culture that he understands what Eddie was saying, and why he ran. He also realizes that cutting off contact must have convinced Eddie that Steve was disgusted by him. Steve tries to reach out, tries to catch Eddie after Hellfire, shows up to his trailer a few times. It's late, but Steve wants to apologize and fix that one thing if nothing else.

It doesn't work, Steve takes the hint, and goes back to avoiding Eddie. So, the first time they talk again is in the boathouse.

[nauticaltrain]

what's your favourite thing about stex and what you got you into it? (i.e the music, costumes, characters) i discovered stex when i was in my first college 3 years ago, and in '23 is when i actually started looking into the wiki and the '84 soundtrack (which im so glad i did- i've seen wembley live last year on the 27th of september and it was so- so fun- love this train musical so much)

I first heard about stex probably about nine years ago from a tumblr post, completely by accident. It detailed the general plot and music but I didn't think much of it. Thought it was cool since I had only a cursory interest in trains at the time. Promptly forgot about it.

Then I rediscovered it a few months later, joined the original discord server (that is now resting in peace), and it proceeded to occupy a space in my head for nearly a decade. I've taken breaks from it here and there, namely between 2018-2020, but I got back into it in college (around the same time as you discovered it lol) and just really fell back in love with it.

My favorite thing about Starlight Express is how much there is to dive into with it. You can really just go down rabbit holes and find so many things. Costume bibles, forgotten tv spots, 30 year old bootlegs, backstage footage, paper ephemera, etc. Not to mention, the amount of versions the show has. One could make a whole career out of being a dramaturg for just this show alone.

Also, anyone that knows me, knows I am a complete nerd about the design. I could go on and on about the minutia of John Napier's work for stex. Really really wonderful stuff to pick through and study, especially as an artist. Unashamed to say, I have become very good at drawing the costumes. only took me 8 years lmao

Anyways, I love Starlight Express, like a lot. It's hard for me to pick out a single thing that draws me to it because the whole of it really just slots well into my brain. It pains me that I'll never be able to see it live in it's prime (80s-90s), but I'm determined to make it to Bochum at some point before I die!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Noah Lanard at Mother Jones:

Two weeks after the election, I met Dianela Rosario in Huntington Park, California—an almost entirely Latino city that swung hard to the right this year. A 51-year-old Dominican American shopkeeper, Rosario told me that before this year she had never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. But, in 2024, inflation and the prices of groceries were front of mind. President Joe Biden and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris were not fully responsible for the cost of living crisis, she said, but she still wanted someone new.

“If she’s been vice president and there’s been no change, then I wasn’t sure she was going to be able to change things as president,” Rosario, who identifies as Afro-Latina, explained in Spanish about why she had not voted for Harris. “That’s what influenced me the most—that things might stay the same as they are now.” Earlier that afternoon, a Guatemalan shopkeeper shared a similar perspective. She told me she missed the lower prices of Trump’s first term and that she hoped the incoming president would deport people she saw as causing problems in the area. Unlike Rosario, though, she hadn’t been able to cast a vote. “Soy ilegal,” the shopkeeper explained of her own immigration status. In 2016, stories like these would have been hard to find in cities in Southeast Los Angeles like Huntington Park, where 97 percent of residents are Latino. That year, Trump lost by huge margins. In 2016, Hillary Clinton received 84 percent of votes in the area, compared to only 8 percent for Trump. Sometimes, Trump even came in third; in several precincts, Jill Stein was the runner-up to Clinton.

Eight years later, a Mother Jones analysis of precinct-level voting data shows that Democrats have lost more support in Southeast Los Angeles than any other part of Los Angeles County. Democrats’ combined margin of victory in nine cities in the area, which are more than 90 percent Latino on average, has declined by nearly 40 percent since 2016. Trump has gone from getting less than 10 percent of votes to nearly 30 percent. This is not just a function of Democrats staying home. Trump received more than three times as many votes this year in Southeast Los Angeles than he did during his first presidential run. While the data makes clear that voters in largely working-class Latino areas have moved right, the results do not reveal how individual Latinos who live in more mixed (and often richer) parts of Los Angeles voted. Compared to Southeast Los Angeles, Democrats’ have lost less support since 2016 in more middle-class majority-Latino cities, although those cities remain more conservative overall.

Still, a national trend—working-class Asian and Latino voters shifting to Republicans, and upper-class voters choosing Democrats—can be seen in miniature in Los Angeles County.

The results in Southeast Los Angeles mirror the dramatic drops in Democratic support in heavily Asian and Latino areas across the country, ranging from the border counties of Texas' Rio Grande Valley to the rural towns of California's Central Valley to urban areas of New York and New Jersey. While some of these losses have been offset by gains among affluent college graduates who once voted Republican, it was not enough for Harris to win. The voting records analyzed by Mother Jones include results for roughly 170 communities. Since 2016, Democrats’ margin of victory has dropped by at least 25 points in about 40 of those places, which is well above the countywide shift of about 17 points during the period. In nearly every single community with that large of a drop, Latinos and Asians comprise a majority of residents. The main exception is Beverly Hills, a famously affluent area with a large Jewish population. (Most of the shift in Beverly Hills happened between 2016 and 2020—meaning that it was not primarily a reaction to how Democrats discussed October 7 and Israel's military campaign in Gaza.) Karina Macias, the mayor of Huntington Park, said in a phone interview that the shift to the right among her constituents reflected concerns with issues that voters across the country prioritized: price increases, crime, and immigration. Macias noted a significant uptick in the number of families in Huntington Park who rely on food distributions, including among residents who probably would have never considered seeking help in the past.

“I think a lot of people were looking at their current economic situation, and [were] pissed off about it," Macias said. "Can you blame them? No, right? Especially in a community like Huntington Park, they feel it. They’re paying a lot more for things and are not necessarily being paid a lot more. If they work two jobs, maybe somebody in the household needs to go and get another job, right? We have a lot of families here that are doubling up in an apartment, and that’s how they get by."

The nearly 40-point shift in Southeast Los Angeles is far different from what has happened in some of the wealthier communities in Los Angeles. In the affluent coastal cities of Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Hermosa Beach, Democrats have maintained or slightly improved their margin of victory since 2016. But these voters did not necessarily back Democratic candidates all the way down the ballot. In 2020, Los Angeles County voters elected George Gascón, a progressive Cuban-American district attorney defeated his more moderate opponent by seven points. After the win, a backlash began almost immediately. This year, Gascón still managed to secure the endorsement of the Los Angeles Times. But he ended up losing to Nathan Hochman, a comparatively tough-on-crime challenger who became an independent after running as a Republican for California attorney general office in 2022. Hochman won by 20 points—a 27 point swing from 2020. Wealthier cities like Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica moved harder against Gascón than most of the county, despite being the areas where Democrats had some of their best results at the top of the ticket. Santa Monica residents went from supporting Gascón by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in 2020 to backing Hochman. In Manhattan Beach, Gascón lost by about 50 points—nearly 40 points worse than he did there four years ago. It meant that there was an almost 80-point gap in the city between Harris and Gascón, even though both are Democrats.

[...] Another dynamic is a belief among some Latino voters that Venezuelans, who crossed the border in record numbers in recent years, and other people arriving today are different from them and their ancestors. Gustavo Arellano, a Los Angeles Times writer who covered the recent political history of Southeast Los Angeles earlier this year, told me before the election about how his cousins objected to "these new immigrants" and were turning Venezuelans into scapegoats. "Venezuelans they get free everything," Arellano said, paraphrasing his cousins. "Our parents, when they came here illegally, didn't get anything at all. They did it on their own." Arellano tells his relatives that "these immigrants are just like our parents" but they insist otherwise. Macias didn't hear this perspective too often, but did recall someone saying about recent arrivals: "They're demanding things, and we work for them." It also doesn't help that Democrats—largely as a result of Republican opposition—have been unable to deliver on their promises to provide legal status to family members of some of the voters now turning against them. An undocumented Salvadoran immigrant named Sam made that clear when we spoke in Huntington Park—even though he was one of the strongest Kamala Harris supporters I interviewed. "The Democrats had the opportunity to help us," Sam explained in Spanish. "They didn't do it. As a result, all the Hispanics that are scattered throughout the United States, who are now citizens, who can now vote, are making them pay."

While Los Angeles County, California provided hefty winning margins for the Democratic Party this election, there are blinking red lights that the Democrats ought to be concerned about: Heavily Hispanic and Asian areas, especially lower-income ones, swung hard to the right. Example: Voted handsomely for Hillary in 2016, modestly for Biden in 2020, and either narrowly for Harris or flipped to Trump in 2024.

[mamawasatesttube]

Reread Midnight Sun and I love that you write TimKon as competent characters.

My favorite fics are hurt/comfort but that genre of fic tends to “woobify” them into wet noodles, specifically Tim. You write him going through it without taking away that he is competent and doesn’t cry at every little thing.

Also your love for Kon is clear in the way you write him like the badass he is and thank you for carrying the Kon tag on your back. I hope you feel better soon! Sending well wishes <3

wahoo thank you for rereading!!! always the highest compliment ♥

and YEAH. i love hurt/comfort but i don't care for woobification or declawing or whatever - i want to read about competent characters genuinely trying their hardest and doing their best in insurmountably challenging situations, not about a wet pathetic paper bag who constantly makes bad decisions and isn't capable of doing anything on their own. (like, the occasional bad decisions and needing help are good! when it's all the character does i just kinda start hating the character.) so i hear you Loud And Clear!!!

tim especially is like. he's soooo... not any of the wet wooby Whatever The Fuck is going on in the tim drake tag. he's repressed as hell and really good at putting his feelings on the top shelf to deal with Later, whenever he's in a situation. frankly, writing midnight sun with the prompts "it's okay, they won't touch you again" and "i'm going to pick you up now, okay?" was actively a challenge, because i was like what the hell would actually make tim "repression" drake so panicked that kon would need to be that gentle with him???? and the answer of course was "being drugged and therefore unable to trust his body to do what his mind wants" because he's a control freak, but like... it takes special circumstances to freak him out, man.

and YESSS kon being badass and competent is very important to me. i am forever jumping up and down and yelling about sb94 #84 and #87-90 and just. aough. he's silly and goofy but also ttk goes hard as hell!!! and he gets knocked around when fighting superpowered opponents but against regular dudes with guns??? oh they are sooooooooo outclassed. (this is also inspired by the superman issue mentioned in the authors notes, where superman shows up in gotham and just fucking obliterates some guys. ruins their whole MONTH if not YEAR. really funny tho)

and wauhh thank you!!! i have yet another doctors appointment tomorrow so 💪 we shall persevere!!!

[whyse7vn]

4TH GEN LEADERS -

[ ot7 x reader ]

taehateclub

8 participants - 8 online

———————————

tae: y/n i’m coming for a sleepover tn

y/n: are you sad or something?

tae: no?

y/n: ok good

no thanks then ❤️

tae: um wtf

y/n: ???

tae: the disrespect i face on a daily is not right and should be studied

jimin: don’t care

yoongi: didn’t ask

jin: L

namjoon: 10 years…

of this

jk: time flies when ur having fun

hobi: i want to blow my brains out tbh

jk: oh

tae: jungkook do you want to see a magic trick?

jk: YES

jin: do pretzels make you fat?

jimin: have you been eating them?

jin: yeah

jimin: yeah they make you fat as fuck

jin: somebody push him off a cliff before i do

jk: show me the magic trick before i kill myself

y/n: this really is my safe space ❤️

namjoon: guys we should all go to therapy

tae: i won’t

i tried therapy and the lady laughed at me

A THERAPIST LAUGHED AT ME LIKE TO ME FACE IS THAT NOT SICK?

yoongi: real

y/n: icon tbh

jimin: my therapist tried to fuck me 😞

jin: why is he lying like omg get a life…

jimin: 30 years of age and still bothering young men like me LEAVE ME ALONE FREAK

yoongi: here they go

namjoon: one day we will all laugh and hold hands

y/n: i got 50 on jin

hobi: 50 on jimin

jin: namjoon pls don’t let him come in here and lie like that it’s actually heartbreaking watching the people closest to me be so fucking delusional and deranged think about the bystanders joon

think.

jimin: END UR LIFE

jin: you first 🤭

jimin: ignoring you

y/n: i win

hobi: aw man

namjoon: are you guys all coming to the party later?

jk: what happened to the magic trick??

yoongi: 👍🏻

hobi: yes yesss

y/n: YES

tae: yup

jin: yes

jimin: NO

jin: don’t care 🥱

jimin: i’m leaving this group and leaving this country

yoongi: k?

hobi: when something is a foot long whose foot are we measuring it off?

y/n: if it’s by yoongi’s then a foot long as hell

jk: tae can you show me now?

namjoon: kook pls let it go…

jimin: i’m jumping of a bridge

hobi: how many of yoongi’s feet tall is the bridge?

jin: one foot could honestly kill him

tae: feet?

namjoon: MOVING ON MOVING ON

jk: there is no magic trick is there

y/n: it’s okay you’ll get over it my love

jk: i don’t think i will

tae: that was a life lesson

learn from it and become stronger

jk: how about you die.

hobi: WOAH

namjoon: no fighting i’m literally begging you guys

jin: didn’t know you were submissive like that

jimin: fr it’s gross as hell

he’s gonna tell us he kisses men next

jk: are you a homophone?????

jimin: are you fr rn

yoongi: wow

namjoon: don’t say anything

y/n: at least his heart was in the right place!

tae: namjoon likes men?

namjoon: no

jimin: yeah

hobi: like a stickerrrrr

jk: congratulations

tae: let’s make a song with drake

y/n: ew

yoongi: no thanks

hobi: pushing p

jimin: pussy

jk: where

y/n: ew again

jk: bts 4th gen leaders!

namjoon: ?

hobi: we are not 4th gen

jk: what?

jimin: we are 3rd gen

jk: oh my god

we are old as hell

y/n: that is actually so gross

3rd gen IS SO GROSS WE ARE OLD AS HELL OH MY GOD IMMA THROW UP

jin: ur both being dramatic

jimin: he’s only saying that because he’s been old since birth

like how you 84 out the womb???

hobi: jimin ur going to hell

jimin: we were all thinking it

jin: everyone deny that rn

…

hello?

y/n: bts 4th gen leaders i agree with jk!!!

yoongi: this does not change the reality

tae: can i be 4th gen it boy

jimin: LMAO

tae: what’s funny?

jimin: nothing

jk: i would like to be best 4th gen rapper

hobi: i’ll be best 4th gen singer

y/n: fair

ig i’ll be the 4th gen it girl

jimin: i’ll be THEE 4th gen visual

y/n: yoongi for 4th gen it boy

yoongi: :3

tae: i wanted to be 4th gen it boy wtf

jk: joon the father of 4th gen

y/n: and jin the 4th gen ace

namjoon: u guys actually delusional

tae: i agree

namjoon: pls don’t agree with me ur making me uncomfortable

tae: sorry father

namjoon: don’t be mad u didn’t get a title

y/n: tea the girls are fighting

tae: i’m not mad

i don’t even care fr

namjoon: sure

tae: sUrE

namjoon: you seem mad

tae: if you died i wouldn’t care

hobi: 4th gen loser

tae: hoseok wtf

hobi: who said that?

y/n: 4th gen furry

tae: ummm?

jimin: 4th gen broke boy

tae: i asked for money ONCE

yoongi: 4th gen bitch

tae: LEAVE ME ALONE

jk: i’m glad we all have titles now

4th gen is not ready for us

y/n: FR!!!!

—

kinda short pls forgive me

[distorted59]

I need Danish Gremlin Lars headcanons so bad right now plsssss

Hi!!! first of all, I'm sorry it took a little while, hope you enjoy!! <3 and again, thanks for asking!

Loves it when you play with his hands! we all know this man has incredible hands, esp with all that tape around his fingers, lord have mercy.

Would absolutely love to teach you to play the drums

He WOULD tease you with his drumsticks, i fucking know it, this man is a kinky mf.

Like, he would slide one over the inside of your thigh and the other one over your neck and breasts. 

THE TAPE AROUND HIS FINGERS STAYS ON!!! (need i say more)

He’d whisper sweet things to you in Danish, whenever he’s proud of you or when he tells you he loves you. 

ALSO, during sex???? and he’d go all crazy cus it all just feels so, so good???

I feel like he’s quite dominant, maybe in his early years (‘81-‘84) he’d be a little bendable (not literally, but who knows?). But, in the 90’s he’d be FERAL.

Like I said earlier, I feel like he’s a kinky mf. Exhibitionism, he likes to get freaky in public. He loves getting praised, he wants to hear how good he is at something. Pleasing you, playing drums, cooking, mowing the fucking lawn. He doesn’t mind, please fulfill his ego.

Small dick, but the energy is BIG.

Has stamina for DAYZZZZ!!!

He would fuck you on his drumset, i can just imagine him eating you out and hitting the kickdrum while doing so. (IM SORRY I HAD TO)

I feel like early 80’s Lars is a real sweetheart, maybe still a little shy but definitely runs his mouth. 90’s Lars has no fucking filter, he’s cocky, arrogant, gets whatever he wants and takes whatever he wants. 

Loves to just be around you, showing you he’s here. You’d watch him and the boys rehearse and he would squeeze your hand or your thigh, flashing you small smiles and giving you kisses here and there. 

“You still with us, darling?” He squeezes your thigh, smiling with those adorable dimples of his. 

"Hm?" You dozed off a little, but his fingers sliding to the inside of your thigh keep you very awake. 

“Are you enjoying watching us, babe?” Lars grins.

“Oh, yeah.” You nod. “You’re doing great, baby.” 

“You think so?” He smirks proudly, his fingers tracing circles over your soft skin. “You like watching me play?” 

“Mhm.” You hum and smile down at his hand. Already knowing what you two will be doing later. 

He would take you to Denmark, showing you his hometown and places he went to as a kid. His childhood home (which is now a fertility clinic I believe, lol) and his school, where he played tennis as a boy. 

He loves art so he would take you on little museum trips and years later to these auctions where he would sell the pieces from his home for millions of dollars, (SKOM docu).

Loves bragging to people about you. “My girl is great, she’s the prettiest woman i know.” and "Well, my girl loves playing the drums with me." <3

You know those bandanas he wore in the 80’s? Yeah, tying your wrists up with them or putting it in your mouth to prevent you from moaning too loud <3.

He is a little fruity tho. (so threesome with Kirk maybe? yes/no?)

Load/Reload era, this man wore some heavy eyeliner. I can see him asking you for a little help.

He’s in the bathroom, trying to figure out what the fuck to do here.

“Babe, could you help me out here?” He holds up the pencil and gives you puppy dog eyes. 

“With what, baby?” you walk into the bathroom and look at him, slight confusion written over your face. “Is that my eyeliner?” 

“It’s for the new album!” He protests. “We got a new look, ya know?”

“What, cutting your hair wasn’t enough?” You tease him and sit on the sink counter. 

You take the eyeliner from his hands and pull him closer by his shirt, you wrap your legs around his waist and make him look at you by holding his chin. 

“Okay, close your eyes.” 

He obliges and you softly apply the liner just above his lash line. He squints a little and breathes out through his nose. 

“Don’t move, baby.” You scold him. 

“Sorry, It feels a little weird.” a wide smile spreads on his face. 

“Look up for me.” 

He does what he tells you, looking at you before he looks up entirely. You apply some under his waterline, smudging the edges gently with your fingers. 

“All done, babe.” You kiss his lips softly. 

He smiles into the kiss and murmurs a “thank you” against your lips. He checks himself out in the mirror behind you and grins. 

“Wow, I look sexy!” 

“Larzy Poo” - James Hetfield, 2023

[intoedvin]

Why The Next Prince Series is going to be the BEST BL OF THE YEAR! (a chaotic thread because we waited so long for this)

I might or might not finish this today...depends on my ADHD brain.

EDIT: i decided to finish it now so if you are ready to read a long a** yap then be my guest.

Like, listen. We’ve waited 84 years (okay, like two) for The Next Prince, and at this point, it’s not just a series—it’s a spiritual experience in the making (you cant argue otherwise) So my crazy, unorganized, bl induced mind decided to come up with this list.

The typos are for added jazz. 🤭

1. The Return of the Kings

I'm not even being overly dramatic which tells a lot because IM ALWAYS DRAMATIC WHEN IT COMES TO ZEENUNEW.

I mean, let’s be real. When these two first graced our screens in Cutie Pie, we were all hooked.

Their chemistry was palpable, their performances were stellar, and their fanbase was born overnight. Which also explained why everyone was SOOOO hyped when TNP was announced. Then it got delayed, again and again. So just imagine how starved we were, right?

And we're ready to actually eat good (or like rewatch Cutie Pie until first ep actually airs but whose complaining? Not me)

For this one, the stakes are higher, the emotions are deeper, and the characters they’re playing are royal. I mean, can we even process how hot they look in royal attire (i'll yap about this later. I swear).

So basically, TNP brings back Zee and NuNew in the roles that couldn’t be more different, yet have one of the most exciting dynamics in the upcoming BL universe. This dynamic, the classic is something fans have been craving.

And nope, they’re not just here to look pretty (though they do that very well), they’re here to deliver an emotionally charged, character-driven narrative.

And let’s not even get started on the fan reactions. Fans have already built an entire world around these two—posts, fan fiction, theories, the list goes on. And the anticipation? CRAZY!

It’s undeniable that TNP is going to build on the already rock-solid foundation of ZeeNuNew’s chemistry. We’re in for a treat, and it’s a good thing we’ve had some time to mentally prepare for the emotional rollercoaster this series will undoubtedly take us on. If their previous performances were any indication, we’re going to be crying, screaming, and swooning in no time.

2. A Production Fit for Royalty

Here’s where TNP really takes it to the next level.

Forget what you know about typical BL production; this isn’t a quick, low-budget, two-camera setup filmed in a small studio. No, no, no. This series is a cinematic masterpiece that looks like it’s been ripped straight from a high-budget period drama (which explains all the delays y'all).

Think of it as a BL show that meets historical epic. We’re talking about lavish sets, royal costumes, intricate props, and everything down to the lighting and camera angles being meticulously planned to give the show a larger-than-life feel. I mean, have you seen the post from their official X account? Everything looks EXPENSIVE!!

The production value of TNP is off the charts. And understandably so.

The series is set in the fictional kingdom of Emmaly, and it looks like the creators didn’t spare any expense to bring this world to life. From the grand palace halls to the opulent royal chambers, everything about the series screams high budget. The lavish sets aren’t just for show—they actually enhance the story. The setting feels like another character, with the palace serving as both a prison and a sanctuary for Prince Khanin. And then there’s the wardrobe...oh my gosh, the wardrobe.

Imagine Prince Khanin in royal robes fit for a king, draped in intricate fabrics that shimmer under the light, and Charan, the loyal bodyguard, dressed in military-inspired attire that screams "I will protect you at all costs."

Like mark my word, the costumes will be nothing short of breathtaking. Even Nunew mentioned multiple times his costumes are stunning.

These outfits aren’t just there to look pretty (although they will); they’re there to tell a story. Every stitch, every piece of jewelry, and every fabric choice is designed to reflect the political tension, personal struggles, and emotional growth of these characters. This is the kind of detail we’re not used to seeing in BL series, but it’s exactly what The Next Prince will deliver.

3. Delays That Built Anticipation

Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room—the delays.

At first, the news that The Next Prince would be delayed was a tough pill to swallow. After all, we had been teased with trailers, teasers, and behind-the-scenes footage that got us all hyped up, only to be met with an indefinite wait. But now that we look back, those delays were actually a blessing in disguise.

Think about it: as we waited, the anticipation only grew. We had time to think about the potential of this series, to dissect every bit of information released, and to theorize about what the plot might bring. The longer we waited, the more we *wanted* it. And with each update, each snippet of news, the fanbase grew even more ravenous. It was like a long, slow burn that only made the payoff sweeter.

In fact, the delays allowed the team to ensure the highest quality for the series. A lot of times in the entertainment industry, things get rushed—projects are rushed into production to meet deadlines, and corners are cut to save time and money. But with TNP we can see the effort that went into every detail. The longer production took, the more careful they were in making sure everything was perfect. The delays gave the series a chance to breathe and evolve into the **masterpiece** that it’s shaping up to be.

And let's be honest: the delays only made the excitement more intense. Fans have been counting down the days until the premiere, and each new update feels like a **reward** for our patience. Now that the series is finally approaching release, the anticipation is at an all-time high. It’s no longer just about “seeing the show”; it’s about experiencing something historic. Every delay added fuel to the fire, and now we’re all sitting on the edge of our seats, ready for the explosive debut.

4. A Fresh Take on Classic Tropes

At this point, we’re all familiar with the usual BL tropes: the shy guy and the bold guy, the school setting, the forbidden love, and so on.

While these are still beloved tropes, * TNP dares to take things to a whole new level with its royalty setting and the Bodyguard romance trope. There’s just something about that dynamic that never fails to hit hard. A prince who is expected to rule but has no interest in the throne? Genius. A loyal bodyguard who is sworn to protect him no matter the cost? Epic. It’s a twist on the typical power dynamic that makes everything feel bigger and more intense.

The royalty AU has always been popular in fan fiction. I mean, I dont know how many ao3 fanfics with the same trope that I actually read and pretty much got addicted to but this series brings it to life in a way that feels fresh, modern, and cinematic.

Prince Khanin is not your typical prince—he’s a young man burdened by expectations, but with a heart that longs for freedom. And Charan, his bodyguard, is not just an instrument of protection; he is a man who will have to confront his own feelings as he becomes more involved with his charge. Their journey will be one of personal discovery, as both characters navigate the treacherous waters of palace politics, duty, and, of course, their growing feelings for each other.

This dynamic adds a layer of depth that is rare in many BL series. The stakes are higher because they’re not just two teenagers falling in love in high school—they’re two individuals caught up in a complex web of political intrigue, family pressure, and societal expectations. It’s the perfect recipe for an emotional rollercoaster that fans will be living for.

5. Costumes That Slay

One of the most exciting aspects of The Next Prince is the incredible attention to costume design.

If there’s one thing this series is going to do right, it’s fashion. From the first sneak peeks of the characters in their royal attire, we knew this show was going to **slay** when it came to fashion. The costumes in TNP are not just about looking fabulous; they tell a story (i cant emphasized this any further).

Prince Khanin’s regal robes speak to his position and royal lineage, but they also reflect his personal struggle with his identity as the heir to the throne. His wardrobe will evolve throughout the series, subtly mirroring his emotional journey and his complex relationship with his responsibilities. Charan’s military-inspired

Also, Nunew looks so good. Like really really good.

Even Zee. I mean that guy is handsome but with his bodyguard uniform? Just another level and hotness.

And don't even get me started with Nunew's hair. I LOVE HIS HAIR COLOR.

I think its a pretty good decision to actually dye his hair different color. Like, it adds another layer to the 'royal blood' plot. I dont know but everything about the styling, I AM OBSESSED.

Anyway there you have it. My head is fried at this point but let me know what you think????

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Epilogue 1

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: Although they’re both recovering slowly, they’re both experiencing it in different ways -- Will can’t stop seeing himself in the Upside Down and tries to drown it out with his family’s love, while Steph is plagued by nightmares and memory loss, she tries making a new friend.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 4,633

🎲Date: 4/25/25

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; Implied Bullying; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Implied Mental Health Issues; Mentioning of Death/Dying; Mention of the Afterlife; Implied Drug Use; Smoking; Mention of Life Threatening Injuries; Scars; Nightmares; Implied Child Abuse; The Harrington's A+ Parenting; Stephanie & Will Deserved All The Love. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Whoo! This was an interesting one to write. And it's only been beta once, so hopefully everything makes sense 😅 (I'll double check it later, I swear). So this is it. The last part of Season 1. A little short story to tease what is yet to come in Season 2. Enjoy!

For Will Byers returning to school wasn’t as bad as he thought. The teachers were being extra nice, his bullies Troy and James couldn’t dare look him in the eye (Thanks, Eleven), and his friends made sure he was up to date with homework and studies. Everything seemed nice, but he knows that there are still some stares. There was whispering and looks he couldn’t miss, and even though some students he barely knew were trying to be nice and welcome his return, he could tell they thought of him as a freak. Frankly, he couldn’t really blame them for thinking that. To all of them he was dead, had a funeral and a memorial at the school, only to be found alive days later and told a crazy, but believable, story by the town’s Police Chief.

The word ‘Freak’ has been told to him several times in the past, but in the present it hits different. He tries not to show it, but it’s hard not to when you’re as sensitive as he is. He just wonders if anyone has noticed yet…

“Will!” His mom’s voice calls out while he’s in the bathroom.

“Yeah?” 

“Ball’s dropping in fifteen. And the cookies are done if you want any.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute!” He says, zipping up his pants. He could smell the cookies she mentioned from here, and wonders if that’ll calm his jitters. I just need to relax. It’s almost the new year. 84’ is going to be a lot better.

That’s what he’s been telling himself since Christmas, since Thanksgiving if he’s being honest. Everything’s going to get better soon. The school semester will be done in a few months, Summer will soon follow, and then he moves on to another round of Middle School. He gets to do all this with his friends. What more could he ask for?

As he turned the faucet off that’s when he felt like he might have to eat his own words. Will froze as everything got dark and soon basked in that blue hue that was still embedded in his brain; The vines trickled out of the walls and crawled everywhere; The white substance fluttered around like the snow outside. He felt throat get tight as he grip the sides of the sink. 

No. He tells himself, shutting his eyes and drowning this place out. No. No. No. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not–

Someone shouts his name, making his eyes shoot back open to reveal that the Upside Down was gone. He looks around with caution, before a little blissful sigh leaves his lips. 

Everything’s okay. I’m okay. He makes sure his heart’s not racing before leaving the bathroom for his living room. He sees his family waiting around the TV for the New Year’s Eve Ball to drop.

“Everything okay?” Jonathan asks, scooting over for his brother to sit.

“Yeah. I was just… daydreaming.” Will replies, as his mother hands him a plate of cookies -- oatmeal raisin, his favorites. 

“Well, don’t daydream too much, or you’ll miss the drop.”

“Unless you’re daydreaming about your New Year’s resolutions?” Joyce said, taking a bite of the treat. “Do you have any this year, sweetie?”

Will ponders for a moment. “I haven’t really thought about it much.”

“Well, I’m hoping I get that promotion at work.” She smiles. “Those extra bucks could help us a lot. Maybe we can finally take that trip to the southern beaches like we wanted.”

“That’ll be awesome, Mom.”

“I’m hoping I can get a job somewhere for my photography.” Jonathan says, thinking. “That, or maybe I can try to at least work at the school paper.”

“See? That’s a good goal.” Joyce said, all proud. “You should go for it. Those papers always need a photographer.” Her son blushes at the comment just as they heard those magic words on the TV. “Oh! It’s starting.”

The Byers Family chanted the countdown, cheering when the screen flash 1984. Their cheering abruptly stopped when they heard a loud bang outside, followed by many more.

“And there he goes.” She said, amused.

“Good ol’, Bob. Right on time as always.” Jonathan said, talking about their neighbour. He shifts his weight towards his little brother. “Do you want to go watch?”

“Yes!” Will said, eagerly nodding.

“Hey, Hey. Boys, make sure you put shoes on and a coat.” Their mother urges, as they head for the front door.

“We got it, Mom.” 

Will slips on what he needs and opens the door, a few big leaps until he’s off the porch and on the snow. He stares upwards at the midnight sky that’s starting to get bathed in all the colors of the rainbow. He hears his family standing behind him, silently watching them too as he couldn’t help but smile at this peaceful moment.

Yeah. The single word was filled with hope and pride. 84’ is going to be a good year.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

.

.

.

Steph opens her eyes slowly, the room lighting up in front of her. Moving without thinking, her bare feet crossed the white bricks, the path getting brighter and brighter with each step. She passed some people lingering around, their presence not really a bother until someone was standing in her path. She slows her pace, pale features turning into confusion. 

“Grandma?” She said, the older woman was just as surprised to see her as she was.

“Oh, Stephanie. I didn’t expect to see you here so soon.” Her grandma frowns with pity. “I honestly thought I’d see your mother here first.”

Stephanie felt herself tense up. “Oh. Am I…?” She trailed off when she realized she really did succumb to those bats. “Oh, yeah. I guess I’m dead.”

“You were always so selfless. Of course you being here is because you saved a little boy.” Her Grandmother’s statement made her smile.

“Well, the little boy was one of Dustin’s friends.”

“Oh, Dusty-bun. I miss that kid. I wish I could have seen him grown like I did you.” The woman holds out her arm. “Come. I’ll show you to the end.”

Steph slung her arm around hers, and they began walking the path again. The closer they got towards the end, the warmer and more welcoming the light became. “Wow.” She says, memorized. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is.” Grandma says, smiling and locking eyes with her grandchild. “Would you like me to go over with you?”

“That’ll be great. I really want–” When Steph broke eye contact to look ahead, everything went dark. She stops, confused about where everything just went. “Grandma, what just happened?” She blinks. “Grandma?”

The teenager turned on her heels, her family member was gone and so was everyone else -- the white bricks and light trickled to the darkness as well. It took her a minute to realize what was going on, and scoffed while shaking her head.

“No… No, not again.” She grits her teeth and makes fists with her hands. “You’re not doing this to me again! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I WANT TO FUCKING REMEMBER!!”

Her words echoed in the abyss, her quiet panting turning into a loud groan of frustration. Why can’t she remember anything past this? What was causing her not to? Where was the block? And how can she undo it?

A chill ran up her spine at the sound of whispering, as she frantically looked around. The chatter was getting louder and louder by the second that it was driving her more mad than not getting an answer. 

“Jesus Fucking Christ. Whatever you are, just shut the HELL UP!!” She shouts, turning around again only to be met with a screaming Demogorgon. She finds her screaming too…

.

.

.

The screaming stopped as soon as she was awake, but her bedroom in a split second changed to the one in the Upside Down. She laid in bed, staring up at the icky ceiling as all the air in her lungs left her. She finds herself not being able to breath, and starts to choke -- her hands clawing at her throat, irritating her scars. She felt her eyes starting to sting at the lack of oxygen–

Then it all hit at once when her bedroom returned normal.

She shakingly takes in the cool air, one of her hands resting over her beating heart, waiting for herself to feel normal.

“It’s j-just a dream, it’s just a– fuck.” Steph whispers, using the bit of strength she had left to push herself to sit up. She brings her knees to her chest, giving herself another moment to process. But when she hears the sound of fireworks going off in the distance, she is forced to look at the alarm clock.

1:02 am. 

Thirty minutes. I got thirty minutes of sleep. Fuck. Her eyes trail to the sleep medicine next to it and picks it up. “This shit’s not helping.” She says, and throws the bottle across the room somewhere in frustration. It’s been the same shit every night since then. Every time she closes her eyes for sleep she knows she won’t get a lot. It’s…

Fucking exhausting.

Literally.

She sighs out loud, her reaction getting someone’s attention. Steph peeks to the floor, noticing a certain animal’s orange tail sticking out from under her bed. 

“Oh.” Steph reaches down and carefully picks up a frightened Mews. “Hey, there, Kitty. I forgot you don’t like the light show outside.” She holds the cat close, feeling him melt into her embrace as she lays against the headrest. “I guess you and I won’t be getting much sleep tonight.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Was this a bad idea? Probably. 

Would her mother kill her if she found out? Probably.

The idea just came to her around 4 this morning, and for some reason couldn’t shake it away or come up with an excuse on why she shouldn’t do it. She knows she shouldn’t go down this path, but she desperately needed a good eight hours (or more) worth of sleep undisturbed.

So here she was in her kitchen, throwing down the yellow pages onto the counter a lot harder than anticipated. She took a deep breath and started flipping through the phone book quickly. 

“Munson, Munson, Munson, where are you?” She whispers, blue eyes trailing up and down the pages for ‘M’. “Where is… oh.”

She spots a name that says Wayne Munson, and raises an eyebrow. Is that his dad? Or some kind of relative that has direct contact with Eddie? 

She’s hoping it’s one of the two, or it’s going to get really awkward fast. She leans forward to grab the phone off the hook, eyes darting back and forth as she types in the number. She anxiously taps her fingers against the countertop, the constant ringing making her stomach turn as her mind races with the idea of backing out. But then– 

[ ‘Munson residence.’ ]

The girl froze at the older man’s voice, lost for words on the spot.

[ ‘Um, hello? Who–’ ]

Fuck! She mentally slaps herself and says, “Um, h-hi! Uh, is Eddie Munson home?”

She heard the man briefly pause to process her question (or maybe he was reluctant to answer?).

[ ‘Who’s asking?’ ]

“Oh, s-sorry I should have started with that. Um, my name’s Stephanie Henderson, and uh, your… son has been–”

[ ‘He’s my Nephew.’ ]

“Nephew. Okay. Yeah, uh, anyway, he helped me with some school work I missed since, uh…” She swallows. “You probably saw the news? T-The kidnapping, uh–”

[ ‘Oh, yeah. Hard to forget that.’ ]

“I… guess so…”

[ ‘I’m sorry.’ ]

“Uh, don’t be. It’s… f-fine.” She moves her hand dismissively like he could see it. “Any who, Eddie left some of things behind and I’ve been meaning to give it back to him. But I seemed to keep missing him these last few days. I was wondering if he’s home so I could drop by and give it to him?”

She heard him go quiet again, making the knot recoil again. I am literally the worst liar in the world. Has he figured it out yet?

“Um, hello–”

[ ‘He’s not here right now. He’s out with his friends practicing their music. I can give you the address they’re at, if you like?’ ]

Steph smiles, and quietly sighs with relief. “Oh, yes. That’ll be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Munson.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Stephanie pulls her car up a few houses down from the correct spot. She could see Gareth Brooks’ garage was open, and she occasionally saw the group of boys moving around (Seriously, how do they have that open during winter?). Her scarred hands fidgeted against the steering before tugging on her parka collar, too nervous and uncomfortable at the situation. Should she back down? Should she wait until they start leaving? Or what if they’re staying the night? Then what? She’ll just look like a creep to the whole block. 

She takes a deep breath, fixing her beanie one last time before exiting the vehicle. She carefully maneuvers herself across the icy road, soon shifting on the snow covered sidewalk. She could hear laughter and chattered as soon as she got onto the driveway. Steph hesitated when she got close to the top, a split second away from running back to her car when she saw that they noticed her. The teenagers all stopped immediately upon seeing her, a mixture of confusion and surprise was on their faces that made her get second hand embarrassment. 

She clears her throat, nervously twitching her hands in her pockets. “Hi, uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Um…” Her tired blue orbs shift over to the ring leader. “Your Uncle Wayne gave me this address. Um, I… I heard you… sell stuff?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Eddie slides the van’s side door open, crawling inside before allowing her in. “Sorry for the mess.” He says, closing the door. “I didn’t expect company any time soon.”

“Sorry for crashing.” Steph says, sitting down in a clutter free spot. “And, uh, sorry in advance, I… might have lied to your Uncle about why I wanted to meet up with you.”

“Oh.” He says, intrigued as he sits on his knees catty corner from her (Giving his girl guest an appropriate amount of personal space). “How so?”

“Um…” She sighs. “I told him that you had helped with something in school and you left something behind. I told him I’ve been trying to return your stuff to you for a while. He seemed to have bought it. Hopefully...”

He snorts. “Well, my Uncle Wayne can go both ways. He’s either very perceptive or very naive.” He watches her chuckle quietly at his comment, before noticing she was playing with her hands.

A nervous tick? Possibly? He clears his throat. “Sooooo, what are you looking for?”

“Um….” She looks at her feet. “Do you have anything that could help me sleep? Or feel drowsy enough to doze off?” She shrugs. “I-I know that sounds really stupid, and you probably don’t carry stuff like that. B-But I thought I’d… st-still ask. So… yeah.”

She could feel him looking at her from head to toe before replying, “I don’t think I have anything like that. I mean, I got weed, but that’s more of a relaxer and not something to knock you out.”

Steph nods. “I… thought so.” She bites her lip as her eyes trail across the floor, coming across something that piqued her interest. “Can I have one of those?”

Eddie follows her gaze to a half a pack of cigarettes on the floor. “Uh, sure.” He quickly finds a lighter for her as she grabs a white stick after shedding her gloves off (His gaze noticing the small scars on her back hands). He waits patiently for her to take a few inhales before saying, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Henderson, but you don’t look so hot.”

She blows smoke with another nod, knowing how shitty she must look to an outsider. “I know. That’s why I need sleep. I haven’t slept since…” She tries not to shutter. “I got back.”

His brows push together. “Back? Back from where?”

“Back from the… kidnapping.”

His face falls. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” She sighs for the millionth time today. “I keep… seeing things, and it wakes me up, and I’ve only had an hour of sleep. Maybe less. I’m like barely hanging on.” She locks her tired eyes with his, making sure he understands her next words. “And… I’m trying not to take stuff every night because I don’t want to become addicted, or accidentally OD or something, but… I need sleep. Badly.” Another sigh and a long swig. “Or, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

Or, maybe I already have lost my mind. Stephanie was expecting him to look at her like she was crazy, not to be looking at her with some major concern. We don’t even know each other that well, why is he–

“Have you tried talking to someone about it?” He asks, after finding the right words to say. “Or, are you… not doing that?”

She breaks eye contact briefly, replying, “Will, the boy that was with me, and I both agreed not to talk about it. Not unless it’s been us, and us only.” She bites her lip. “The things we saw, the things we did, no one should go through that. And…” How does she explain it? “And I thought by… accepting what happened was the key to stopping all this, but… I think it’s not working because I’m missing something in my memory.”

She shakingly sighs again, finishing with, “So, I’m either torn between getting a good night’s sleep is the key to get out of this, or if remembering the missing puzzle piece is what would finally stop these nightmares. So… yeah.”

Steph takes another long drag while Eddie is processing all the information (And how does he respond to all this trauma dumping?). “So, it was… that bad, huh?” He says, as she nods.

“Yep.” She pops the ‘p’. “It was the longest week of my life. I’ve never been so exhausted, hungry, angry, and upset like I was there.” She chuckles dryly. “I mean, I don’t regret driving him, driving Will, I… I’m glad I was there with him. I’m a big sister, so it’s in my nature to protect. I mean I lost a lot sleep, I got hurt physically and emotional a lot, I even died once and–”

“Wait, wait, wait, Henderson. Back up.” Eddie says, trying to wrap his head around again at all this info. “You died?”

The color drains from her face. “Shit. I was supposed to say that.”

“So, it’s true?” He says, panicking in his tone and face. “You actually fucking died? For real? Like, not when they said that you and Byers drowned in the Quarry?”

“Y-Yes. Exactly. For real, and not in the Quarry.”

“W-Wha…”

“I was protecting Will, so…” 

Eddie took yet another moment to take everything in before mumbling, “Jesus Christ…”

“Look, Munson–” Steph locks eyes with him. “You cannot tell anyone I said that. Especially to my brother or my mom. I-I can’t…” She swallows. “That’s… that’s what I keep seeing in my dreams, and… it wasn’t exactly kid-friendly.”

“Okay.” He holds his hands up in defense. “Okay. I won’t. But, Jesus, Henderson, are you sure you don’t want to talk to someone?”

She smacks her lips and takes another puff. “No therapist can help me with what I saw. If I talk, they might send me to fucking Pennhurst.” She laughs a little louder this time. “I can see the goddamn headline now. ‘Stephanie ‘The Freak’ Henderson, who believes in other worlds, is being sent for serious treatment at Pennhurst Mental Institution’. I’m sure everyone in fucking school would love that.”

He frowns, worried again. “You’re not a Freak.”

“Oh, I am. I’ve heard ‘Freak’ plenty of times growing up.” Steph flashes him a bittersweet smile. “All because I’m not a ‘girly-girl’. I love grudge and metal music; Most days I wear all black, fishnet with some big ol’ combat boots. I rather go hunting with guns than trying out for the cheer squad or theater. I’m the complete opposite of what girls should say, do, or look in High School.”

She groans, and continues, “I have been called a lot of things over the years, and most of the time I can ignore it, but as the grades go up in school, so do the insults.” She frowns. “I even got a new one when I returned back to my classes. ‘Zombie Girl’. Now, it’s understandable, yet new. But it still… sucks. I think it only hurts worse because I know they’re calling Will, ‘Zombie Boy’, too.”

“That is worse because he’s a kid.” Eddie pointed out bitterly. “He’s twelve.”

“And bullying comes in all ages.” She quips back. “There’s nothing we can do about it. I mean, the whole town thought we drowned. Our families had funerals, the school held their own memorials, and then they come to find out days later that we’re actually alive.” She frowns. “I’m surprised you’re not staring at me like I’m a freak.”

“I don’t know if you recall, but ‘The Freak’ is literally my middle name at this point.” He says, crossing his arms. “And yeah, maybe me and the boys were kind of staring at you like that when you walked into Gareth’s garage, and I’m sorry about that, but if anyone in the school knows what you’re going through, is us.” He flashes a warm smile, which she returns. “And us Freaks gotta stick together sometimes.”

“Thanks, Eddie.” She replies, truthfully. “Honestly, I’ve just been hanging out with my brother and his friends for lunch. It’s kind of sad, and I hate that I keep crashing their party.” 

“Well, you could always hang out with us, if you like? We don’t mind.”

“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother. I just–” She pauses when she notices something peeking out of his heavy jacket. “Is that a D&D reference on your shirt?”

“Huh?” He looks down and pulls his jacket open for her to see his club T-Shirt. “Oh, yeah. Made it myself for our club.” He tilts his head out of curiosity. “You play D&D?”

She holds her hand up at his excitement. “Hold your horses, I’m still pretty new. Will kind of chatted to me about it when it was just the two of us. Then when we’re in the hospital, his friends brought the game over. I’ve only played two– no, three games– sorry, campaigns.”

“Well, that’s still pretty cool.” He grins. “What’s your character?”

“A Ranger. I mostly did it to spite Lucas who says they’re boring, so…”

“You got a name?”

“Steph the Courageous. Will gave it to me.”

“How’d you earn that?”

Steph smirks proudly. “I killed the Demogorgon. First try.”

He laughs. “Well ain’t that something.” He says, popping up to his feet. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to the gang.”

“Sure you want me to crash your guys’ little hangout?” She asks, as he offers his hand to help her up.

“I insist.” Eddie says, pulling her to her feet and cracking the door back open. “Besides, I think we could use a little… ‘feminine’ energy.”

Steph scoffs once outside, facing him and gesturing to herself. “Might want to keep looking. Have you seen the way I dress?” Her response gets another laugh out of him. “What are you guys playing? An original?”

“Nah, today we’re kind of just messing around. We’re playing some Dío today.”

She perks up at the news. “I love Dío.”

“Really?” He says, as they start walking. 

“Yeah. I love that type of music.”

“You know, that would explain why you were at our show. Harrington mentioned you went to our Lover’s Lake concert.” Eddie says, getting her to shrug. 

“Yeah, I did. It was raining cats and dogs out there, but I still enjoyed it.” She takes one last puff of the cigarette before putting it on the ground. “You guys have a very… Metallica and Van Halen kind of sound.” She pauses. “If that makes sense.”

“Well, that’s quite the compliment.” His grin grows. “Did you know I was actually named after Eddie Van Halen?”

“Shut up. Really?” She says, as he nods eagerly. “That explains the hair now.”

He laughs again and fiddles with the ends of his chocolate locks. “Oh, yeah. Gotta keep up with my name sake.”

“I kind of wish I was named after an idol like that.” Steph admits, forgetting how exhausted she was just moments ago (I guess talking to someone does help). “I’m glad we have a lot in common. Are we sure we’re not related, Munson?”

“Maybe.” He hums. “My Dad’s Alan. You?”

“Walter. Your Mom?”

“Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth?” Steph says, surprised. “That’s my middle name.”

“Really?” He asks, in the same tone as her. 

“Yeah.” She replies, smiling. “What a small world. I just found out I have a doppelgänger in Hawkins.”

He snorts, excitement growing at her words. “Doppelgänger. I like it! Hey, guys!” He called out as they got closer to the garage. “I found my doppelgänger!” Steph finds herself laughing now, as he suddenly slings his arm around her shoulder like she was one of the guys. “Welcome to Hellfire, Steph The Courageous.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve tugged on his sweater as he slipped out the back door of his home, his parents screaming becoming muffled when he closed it. The cut on his lip and forehead stung at the cold air, the twitching under his eye indicated that a bruise was going to form anytime soon if he didn’t apply ice. But, tending to his injuries was the least of his worries right now. They told him that they wanted him out of the house as soon as possible, and frankly he didn’t want to stick around long enough for them to decide to change their crazy minds.

He already stuffed a few of his valuables in his car, and all he needed was a box or a suitcase of some sort to put a good portion of his clothes in. Hence why he’s outside wandering around the covered pool and towards the shed, his icy hands fiddling with the combination on the pad lock. 

Once inside he flips the switch on over head, squinting in the terrible lighting as he tries to find something. He’s ninety-nine percent sure that his grandpa’s suitcase is in here somewhere. It might be the most busted up thing he’s ever seen, hell, not even the wheels or one of the handles work properly, but hey, he’ll take what he can get.

He shifts a few things around, almost grabbing an empty tote when his hopes started to fade, but there it was. Tucked in a far corner and underneath a few other things he finally finds the suitcase. He sighs with relief, his breath seen in the air as he pulls it out and holds it close. He back tracks out, and locks the shed, bracing himself to go back inside the madhouse.

I just need to get in and get out while they’re arguing. Do it quickly before they decide they change their mind and give me another black eye. He starts stepping back on the concrete around the pool–

.

*CRACK!!*

.

Steve froze at the sound of the tree branch, carefully turning around to see what it was. There in the fading sunlight was the familiar bald headed girl still dressed in the outfit she had on when he left her in that gym that fateful day. 

His eyes widened in shock, completely lost for words until he said, “Holy shit…”

(TBC)

A/N: See you Season 2!

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

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[thelambliesdown1974]

I posted this is comedy yaoi but actually I need everyone to see it because I’m an educator. In lieu of the mass grief following the recent US election here’s my complete unabridged opinion piece on both the RPF and character-based SCTV yaoi-verse✊

Okay so here’s my introduction paragraph for those now in the know — second city television was a sketch comedy show that ran from ‘76-84 originally in syndication, later on CBC and NBC. It was basically the Canadian ‘underground’ version of SNL except the framing for all the skits was a fictitious dysfunctional television station (SCTV) run by a handful of recurring characters and starring Dave Thomas, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andria Martin, Rick Moranis, and Martin Short though in various combinations over the years. Oh and also Harold Ramis but only for the first two seasons so no comment.

I’d say Flaherty was kind of the big brother for everyone else in the operation— he was in the original theatre troupe and part of the show since day one. That’s not to say he was at all authoritarian though, Joe was definitely a soft spoken democratic leader. Maybe like Woodrow Wilson. Or Dumbledore, if that’s more relevant to you personally. I wouldn’t say he has any particularly strong yaoi ties to anyone else in the cast except I guess Eugene Levy since they were kind of each other’s creative muses. HOWEVER…. in terms of SCTV characters their respective newscaster personas Floyd and Earl are undoubtedly boning in a toxic nasty way on station property and probably are also the #1 SCTV couple in a Stefon and Seth sort of way (see below)

I almost forgot they also play classic 70s talk show hosts and there’s a lot of fan-fiction about them getting each other pregnant okay that’s all.

NEXT. John Candy was also one of the original members and while he wasn’t necessarily involved in either type of yaoi, his characters were integral in giving especially season 1 a very homoerotic flair. It was mostly his washed up actor-sona Johnny LaRue constantly and publicly struggling against the gay allegations since his segment in the very first episode. While trying to find that clip I actually instead found this SCTV Reddit image with a poorly overlaid huge Ariel caption that I like better. (See below)

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Catherine O’Hara, I think she was too self respecting both on screen and irl to get involved but I love her. She wrote a lot with Joe and Eugene so they were kind of like a platonic power throuple in my awesome mind. Andria Martin…. I am less sure about. She played the butch lesbian A LOT and I think has confirmed actually had sex with another woman (YURI) but I won’t say anything……. See below. Also interesting photo to use for that particular article.

NEXT….. Okay Dave Thomas, I really am not even sure where to begin with him but he was also one of the chief writers and original troupe members who ended up meeting Rick Moranis and bringing him on in season 3. The whole thing was partly his brainchild and he did author a book on the group’s history however I don’t see Dave as being as serious as Levy or Flaherty writing and production-wise. He’s kind of very theatre guy goofy silly on screen but also has an aura of sociopolitical jadedness that starts coming through in his Bill Needle sketches (a fictional miserable entertainment critic slash commentator I’ll discuss later) but especially once Dave started doing Doug McKenzie after Moranis joined.

They met at some comedy-based party in Canada (the gayest place you can meet) and really hit it off and immediately preformed as a musical duo that night (the gayest activity you can partake in. It’s like Simon and Garfunkel). Rick was kind of the new kid of the group after he was brought on but since Dave was a senior member they ended up working together a lot. The Great White North AKA the McKenzie brother skits are for sure no question what made SCTV anywhere near as well known as it is today and that was Thomas and Moranis’ comedy child. Okay and you might be thinking ‘how are they the most real life yaoiful couple on the cast but also are famous for playing brothers’ — that’s a good question and the answer is just don’t think about it too hard. I think Bob and Doug are more a testament to Dave and Rick’s day 1 original pure beautiful friendship that then laid the path for more later on. Like in this except from Dave’s book ⬇️

Anyway yes they’re 70 year old best friends now and still talk on the phone all the time and it’s awesome. But they were probably the closest out of anyone and both had to simultaneously deal with their sudden and overwhelming joint fame after Great White North blew up, which was unpleasant for both of them and involved a lot of travel and hotel rooms. (See below: an interview photo, their radio appearance promoting their comedy album, and whatever’s happening in the last one. Also notice how Dave’s face is a perfect circle he’s so cute)

Okay circling back to Bill Needle — he was a character Dave started doing in early on that went on until he left the show and he’s kind of irrelevant except for a few yaoiful details. He’s constantly having marital problems and has a weird friendship with the sleazy semi-creepy SCTV station president Guy Caballero whom Flaherty plays, and would I say they’re OFFICIALLY a yaoi couple not really but it’s there.

But yeah anyway in conclusion Rick and Dave show up in a bunch of each others sketches throughout the series and they write together and talk together and have play dates together and kiss and everyone else on SCTV absorbs their faggotry either by free will or by association and I think that’s what’s really important to remember and also I love them and I love you too. Oh and also Martin Short’s there near the end but he’s irrelevant except for inventing Ed Grimly and being Steve Martin’s de facto wife later in life. THE END

[love-byers]

How do you think the timeskip for season 5 is going to work? (I forgot how many years, is it two or three??) Is The Crawl going to begin (after the flashback ofc) in 1988-9 or is it going to start in 1986 and later on do the timeskip?

If it's the first option, would they say Vecna is dormant/recharging/healing during those years? How could the military cover up a town broken in four for so long? I don't think they could force a sense of normalcy onto the people who'll remain in Hawkins. I say that bc of the bts pics and clips that show the Party at the school hallways and at the cafeteria -they're obvs there because Hawkins High continued to be an emergency shelter, right? not because they'll have been forced to pretend everything's "normal" and continue to attend school in the middle of a dimensional clash, right?? (that'd be both too sad and hilarious fr 😭)

The second option is also wonky to imagine, but then again, the episode length might allow something ike that. What do you think?

oh man i literally have no idea

i saw people saying it must be fall 1989 since one of those cds from a set came out in august 1989 but if it was fall 1989 the kids would be graduated

their senior year is 88-89. if it was fall 89 they'd be graduated and we've clearly seen them at school

i remember seeing people say the first 2 eps pick up immediately after the end of s4 but i don't think there's any proof for that

and i'm assuming since they've been big on saying s5 will have s1 vibes that it'll take place in fall/november, but i doubt it'll be fall 1986

then there's that leaked hospital report about karen saying it happened in summer 1987, so s5 being fall 1987 would make the most sense since every other season has had a 1 year change

83 -> 84 -> 85 -> 86 -> ?87?

and nah i'm pretty sure they're going to school like normal since we've gotten bts of them with their back packs and students everywhere + cafeteria. i'm assuming it was under control enough that they could go back to school since..yknow...kids have to be in school

i think part of the reason s5 will have the s1 small town vibes again is because so many people left town at the end of s4

but i really can't be sure

[f1dumpsterobssesion]

Episode 4

It's frustrating how many times different insiders have to come back to the coward comment, but Ron's commentary might be the best one

It doesn't matter how many times Monaco 84 it's gonna be brough up because of Ayrton or Alain's half point, I'll always remember it because poor Jacky lckx was in an unwinnable position, it was going to be seen as fixing anyway

" a little magical in my history "

"one of my favorite photos" mine too

I really appreciate how it shows the points in the WDC

Senna was the youngest current World Champion at the time (between the ones not retired or dead, the record overall at the time was Emerson Fittipaldi who won it at 25)

Now seeing the side-to-side speed difference. Between them, I do not fault Alain for believing that there were different engines. But this was the same man who was famous for giving just enough for the Championship

Like, it could have been just the guys at Honda liking Ayrton more, Jo Ramirez did suffer because of this nonsense

That Honda issue became bigger thing in the media that I expected

  Imola 89

Jo might have been the only one giving good advise

They watched the footage!

I don't believe the media have been any drivers ally, always making it worse somehow

"he didn't talk to me again"

"how can i compete with someone so protected?" 

yeah, in the rivalry is easy to forget the injustice that is Alain having to loose time with his wife and son because Ayrton didn't want to leave Brazil for the testing that corresponded him, like how the overworked man was the one framed as petty for seeing The imbalance at Mclaren

I honestly don't know what was Ron expecting offering Alain a contract in that atmosphere

That tifosi entrance is 10/10, mine favorite cinematic moment of the series

the whole trophy sequence is hilarious, everybody looking at the trophy go and Gerhard with his in the air, Ron getting closer to Alain realizing what he is doing Balestre watching everything go down

Poor Jo Ramirez, the only sane one at Mclaren

" it wasn't normal, it was against our contract" but Alain it was petty and fun, have you thought about that?

suzuka 89, always though that Alain did it a little but in a Chronicle of announce Death kind of way, and with better results! Both cars were kind of fine

not the french commentary being homers, it was their job but at this point I wasn't expecting it

Again, Jo demonstrating he is the sane one in this situation

like i was expecting something else but those 2 mistakes he pointed out are reasonable, like him laughing all this years later because Alain didn´t do the thing right is funny

"We believe that you cannot win by taking all the risks" JMB could you not, how more obvious can you get

It's funny how Alain Prost's relationship with Ferrari is overall in his Top 2 best teams he has worked for, Mclaren just fucked him over too much

90's the best year I had with a team and it was ruined by the accident with Ayrton in Japan, jfc  couldn't catch a break

Is good that the doc doesn't entertain the reasons why the crash happened, because when you see the whole picture it might have been revenge but Alain was made to be the scapegoat. He was barely in the Top 3 reasons it happened

that honda engineer going to Alain after the crash with the telemetry is such an interesting character for me, want to know who he is

"This is typical Ferrari, good at one moment bad at the next", Mr. Maurice Hamilton I´m beginning to like you more than I should

not the truck comment being a joke about a bended stirring wheel being taken out of context, got him fired anyways

[kyojurismo]

— SFW ALPHABET

# gyomei himejima

tags : gn!reader, sfw alphabet, fluff, not proofread.

a/n : alright guys, this the first sfw alphabet i’m doing and as you can see i decided to dedicate it to our big boy gyomei, since he really deserves more attention. next on my list are muichiro & obanai. i hope it’s not too bad or ooc lmao, i tried my best. enjoy <3

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

words of encouragement, most of the time. gyomei would compliment and praise you, showing you all his support! sometimes he would pat your head too.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

would be the one to know all the tea. i’m not kidding, he knows everything about everyone. you don’t meet him to train together, you meet to gossip.

jokes aside, you were the one to start a conversation with him. and it took him a while to open up to you, but once he did you two grew closer and closer.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

i think that gyomei would love having you sitting on his thighs, maybe a hand resting on your waist. he loves when you hug his arm tho, do it whenever you can !!!!!

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

[manga readers rn are shaking]

well, probably once this war is done. i believe so, yep. he’s pretty good at cooking and cleaning! he knows how to take care of his house and does it perfectly.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

crying. no i mean, more than usual lskdjd. would feel bad about it, like really bad, but if it’s to make sure you’ll be happier later than he would do it. he doesn’t want you to suffer because he has to fight against kibutsuji and lord knows what could happen.

F = Fiance (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

not gonna lie here, gyomei would be surprised you want to spend your life with someone like him.

would like to get married after three years, maybe? he’s already twenty seven so.. yeah.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

physically, he is always gentle with you. our boy is big af, he can’t afford hurting you in any way.

emotionally… well, at first he was a bit rough. but then he opened up and kinda accepted that you deeply care about him, so he tries his best.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

YES. hug him all the damn time. 25/8. forever if you have to. he likes receiving hugs, i’m not kidding.

he would hug you a lot too if he notices you like them. bear hugs, yes. you usually get squished (gently) between his big arms. you literally disappear every time. it’s funny.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

it’s been 84 years… no no i’m joking… unless?

alright, i’m done. gyomei would wait months before stating explicitly that he loves you. of course he would do anything to show you his love, but saying that? not happening any time soon.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

i don’t think he’s on the jealous type. but if he gets jealous of you, gyomei would lift you up with his arm and pull you away from the conversation, excusing you both with a shitty excuse.

“but gyo! i was talking,” you pout at him, trying to free yourself. “they were too close to you,” he says, acting like you were about to be taken away.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

gyo’s kisses are amazing, stunning, perfect.

gyomei likes kissing your lips, your forehead, your hands, your shoulders and your stomach.

well, i can say that he likes to be kissed anywhere? his face for sure, and he likes when you kiss his nose. gyomei would laugh when you kiss his hips tho, since it’s probably one of the few places you can reach by yourself.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

he’s very responsible and knows his way around children. would gladly spend a lot of time with kids, and would enjoy hearing you play with them too.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

i believe gyomei gets up pretty early in the morning, so he would usually stay there for a while to let you sleep peacefully. but when he gets up you start whining and trying to convince him to stay in bed. not happening any time soon… but if he didn’t had to train that much and fight demons, i’m sure he would happily spend his mornings cuddling in bed with you.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

cuddling of course, he’s a big and warm and gentle bear. gyomei would usually ask about your day in general and then help you relax before going to sleep.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

100% sure he would reveal things slowly. he opened up to you after months of knowing you, so it was really a special event.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

well… i think he’s pretty patient, he rarely get angry at you. but when he does get pissed he’s scary ngl.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

he remembers a lot about you, he’s not one to forget things easily. but i believe he would categorise what things are important to remember and what not? i don’t know if that makes sense.

R = Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

when you confessed your feelings and started mentioning every little thing you like about him. it made him feel loved and special.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

man fighting demons— no i’m serious, he would do everything he can to protect you from demons, that’s his job after all.

he doesn’t really need protection, so… yeah, you’re his only priority.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

um, i think he would try his best even though it’s his first time. he tries to be as romantic and caring as he can & tries his best to remember everything.

gyomei would also do his best to help you around the house or basic tasks, he doesn’t want you to feel like a maid or something.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

[i can’t think of anything serious so well…]

he prays a lot !! like a disturbing amount of times…

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

man is blind … he just hopes he’s presentable i guess.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

i guess? okay i don’t know how to answer it, because i believe gyomei is a .. solitary person? so he’s okay with being alone, y’know? but after growing closer to you… i think he would find it difficult not having you in his life.

what i mean is, he can still go on with his life, it just feels less colourful i imagine.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

okay, since he can’t write because he’s blind (duh) and thus can’t send you letters, he usually sent you little gifts through his crow whenever he’s out on missions.

like, jewellery, flowers, sweets, etc.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

lies. he can’t stand them. never lie to him, please.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

i believe he’s a light sleeper so he easily wakes up, but would probably stay in bed anyway if it’s still night.

gyomei would exit the bedroom to reach the back garden and spend some time sitting there, but he would be back soon. he does it when he find it difficult to fall asleep and the quiet offered by nighttime helps him.

reblogs & comments are super appreciated! thank you for taking your time reading it, i hope you enjoyed it. have a good day / night <3

[agentredops]

Kingslayer - Lonely is the Muse

Kosmo "Kingslayer" Solovyov (or "Bell") recalls their past, leading them up to the present...

1040 Words

!: Mentions of blood and torture

You gotta fight for your right

To party!

You gotta fight!

Beastie Boys, ‘86. Kingslayer got it for their birthday in ‘87 from Naga. Naga was originally gonna get them the full album but soon saw the single and decided to get that one instead. Kingslayer appreciated either option.

Music was Kingslayer’s lifeline, keeping them in check and grounded, yet allowed some dreaming. It was the one thing that stayed with them, even through the brainwashing. If you asked them, if they never became part of the military, they would probably be a musician. No matter if they were famous or just down at the local bar, they would just sing their heart out, living that life...

Yet, life always has a dark sense of humor…

So instead, they are at the Rook, with the crew, sewing some of the clothes. The ripped, dirty clothes of the crew. It wasn’t a job they hate, they rather do this than fight again. Fighting was something odd to Kingslayer now. They used to be fine with it up until Solovetsky, when their old life died for the third time. After that, fighting was seen as a creature that would swallow them whole and just make them suffer.

Kingslayer would rarely fight when they were with Naga. It was rehabilitation after all… They were trying to free Kingslayer of the brainwashing, not make it worse. So Kingslayer stayed away from fighting, working on the sidelines, away from all the violence.

At least until ‘84…

—

I can’t stand it,

I know you planned it!

I’ma set this straight, this Watergate

“We have Adler.” That was all that Naga told Kingslayer that day, that hot day. Those words made Kingslayer’s blood boil. That rage they have been holding in for years, now returning back.

“And why you come to tell me this?”

“Cause we need you to make him scared. Show him that you are no longer his little dog. Show him that you are the monster.”

And in an hour, Kingslayer arrived at where Adler was held, ready to release all that anger… At Naga’s insistence, they wore a mask to hide their face since Naga didn’t want Adler saying anything to the others. And for a full day, Kingslayer tortured Adler. They did anything they were allowed to do. All as a warning. Kingslayer became the monster that Adler is.

Everyone was surprised at what Kingslayer did that day… Even Naga, but he doesn’t say a word about it. Yet, if you ask Kingslayer about it, all they tell you is, “All that stuff finally got out of me.”

The smell of blood stayed on Kingslayer that whole week. No matter how much they tried to clean themselves, the smell stayed. Kingslayer went into hiding for a couple of weeks after that, trying to hide that monster… Their music saved them… By May, Kingslayer appeared again and continued their rehabilitation once again, wanting to forget that day.

—

But I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo

What the hell am I doin’ here?

I don’t belong here…

By 1990, the CIA were starting to get on Naga’s trail for his connection to Perseus. At this point, Naga was ready to go on the run again and Kingslayer was ready to go. Yet they realized that if Kingslayer went with them and got caught, who knows what they would do to them.

So Naga forced Kingslayer to not follow them and go elsewhere. While Kingslayer didn’t want to do this, they had no choice. Naga gave them their stuff and was taken on a helicopter by one of his men to anywhere.

“Stay safe out there Kosmo!” The last words Naga said to Kingslayer as they left. Kingslayer would soon arrive in Soviet Armenia a couple of days later. Their supposed home country. They were left there, with their items and little money to their name. On a fake identity, they started to find work and try to live their life…

Yet, in a foreign country, they felt lost and confused. Their rough Armenian barely got them through the day and didn’t feel connected to the people around them. Their books didn’t help them enough, leaving them barely able to survive.

The radio, however, brought them back. They had a small radio in their little room, allowing them to listen to the music and the talk shows. And for once, felt they had a place here…

However, by the end of 1990, Kingslayer started to get stuck in the wrong crowd. They realized that they couldn’t stay here for much longer and on Christmas Day, they grabbed their stuff and went on the run. They would leave the country and start going west. They would hitchhike, barely surviving. Kingslayer would travel across Turkey, experiencing the culture, both the good and bad side.

By 1991, Kingslayer arrived in Bulgaria. They arrived in small towns and villages that couldn’t speak any of the languages there. So they decided to travel up north, hoping to find a new start. They would find one in the city of Burgas. They would work in a little shop for an old lady, fixing up clothing and other clothing. It worked for a while until they met Luke.

“Heard you can fix clothes quickly,” he told Kingslayer.

“Yeah, what you need?” Just a couple of shirts, nothing serious. They would finish the shirts in a couple of hours, returning them to Luke. Things went quiet for a bit until the man came back, looking a little worse for wear. They chatted a bit while Kingslayer worked until the man let something slip about a man named Russell Adler…

—

Lonely is the muse

Ah-ah

Lonely is the muse…

And here was Kingslayer, working with the crew at the Rook. They had a spot in the attic, away from everyone. It was for the safety of everyone and themselves. They worked on sewing stuff and even some repair work, but always did so in the night or away from others. Kingslayer knew the monster they have become will always be a part of them and can never get their original self back again. They just hope that this team won’t discard them in the end…

[femmecelworld]

weekender

concept pics and behind the scenes stuff

these pics, and this one of course

hiiiiiiiii! if you’re here from my fic, welcome to all the little rabbit trails of my headcanon for weekender, including a lot of stuff I hinted at in the fic -> SPOILERS AHEAD

let’s start with Roman’s new watch:

the date! Succession has played pretty fast and loose with what year it is/how much time passes. here’s how I picked this date: the show aired autumn 2018, which is a midterm election year, and that’s confirmed by Shiv and her Senate candidate. but we know it is NOT a general election year because Senator Eavis has only just started his presidential campaign. reasonable to assume he’s two years from a general election. So the conclusion then is the Mencken v. Jimenez election takes place in 2020. this theory is undercut by Logan Roy obit in s4, where it claims Logan was 84 when he died. And s1 opens with his 80th birthday. but whatev!! so I did the math on what day in April they had the pick the president episode in s3, and what lined up with Michelle Ann’s quote about Election Day, and it would have been April 24, 2020.

Why I choose to believe Mencken bought him that watch: If you pay close attention to Roman, you can see that Roman is pretty faithful to his grey Rolex. We see him wearing it exclusively through seasons 1-3. The other Roys circle through a variety of watches, most notably Ken and Logan. But Roman seems to just have the one.

Then in season 4, he’s wearing a new watch, the blue and silver IWC. It’s an interesting departure. And one could, if one is a freak, choose to interpret that as a hint to a gift from someone new in his life. Like someone that was introduced at the end of season 3.

The Rolex Roman wore through the first 3 seasons is a Rolex Datejust, which is supposed to retail between $10-20k. But the IWC? Costs about $4k. It is the least expensive watch worn by anyone in Succession. And if you’re a rich snob, which the Roys are, almost distinctively cheap? Why would Roman, who is incredibly image conscious, choose to wear such a cheap (by his insane family’s standards!) watch? HMM. CURIOUS. JS!

the Mencken family

the Menckens’ lake house is near Asheville, NC. which, yes, is a very liberal town, but also a popular tourist spot. Mencken’s home district is in Charlotte, NC in a neighborhood called Providence Plantation (on a street named Silver Fox Road) (because it was just too funny a coincidence to pass up) (weirdly those districts 1. just got redistricted, they added a 14th district last year, and 2. it is currently repped by a Dem irl). HIS district is the 8th, essentially part in a Charlotte suburb and the rest is like a +12 R majority.

Sarabeth (his wife) comes from old money, which is how they can afford 3-4 properties.

Part of the reason I love writing Roman & Mencken is the dichotomy and struggle that’s built into their situation. So, while I wrote something that is very sweet (for them), it’s also dark as hell.

1)Mencken took his mistress on a vacation to a house he shares with his wife (that she probably bought because she’s the one with money) Jail!! Straight to jail!! And at the end of anointed, we see Mencken is an absent (deadbeat) father… he could have spent a weekend with his damn kids for a change! instead of once again putting his own interests ahead of the people who love him.

2) speaking of which…. I know everyone was v. stressed in anointed about what was going to happen to Roman after Mencken made a deal with that old creep, then we saw that Roman’s anxiety clouded his perspective. They finally talk about it in weekender and that’s kind of the end of it (although, Mencken doesn’t actually deny that he would do something like that...)

3) I considered adding a chapter of Mencken POV to this but I cut it because it would give away too much of what’s going to happen in a later story. but uh, don’t forget about ch. 2 👀

4) I said this one of the comments on ao3, but I think it’s so funny that hardcore conservatives love songs that are about them being the baddies. amazing example is Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” which so many conservatives have tried to play at their rallies and Bruce told them to f o. It’s like when the Vatican asked Hozier to come there to play “Take Me To Church” 🤡. So that playlist Roman made has a bunch of those songs on it (and the last couple were like, Roman being suuuuuper unsubtle lol)

And that’s all, folks! See ya next time ♥️