#Holding this up like Simba in the Lion King going

[nosyrobin]

My sibling, my rules….

Damian Wayne x BabyBat!reader

Summary: baby bat is going to go on a play date, but a certain bird wants to keep playing with their dear sibling.

“Damian…” dick had said in a weary tone. He wasn’t sure how to approach his younger brother holding the newest and youngest addition to the family. Damian held that feral rage in his eyes just like when he first attacked dick when he had came into Gotham.

“You have to let them go, they have a scheduled play date. It’s for the best..” Damian’s eyes slimmed as he took a step back from dick. Dick was trying to be patient with the smaller boy, only for Damian to book it. Sliding under dick’s legs and running out the door.

“Damnit….” Dick says, running a hand down his face. He started to chase after the 10 year old boy holding the 4 year old child. You babbled against Damian’s chest, your mushy baby brain hadn’t picked up on Damian’s mischievous behavior on how he is basically gate keeping his halfblood brother.

Damian looked down as he also watched where he was going. “Don’t worry brother, your big brother is gonna watch and take care of you. You don’t need unnecessary play dates with those disease filled rodents.” He seethes as he looks behind him to see dick catching up. He smirks as he takes a sharp left turn around the corner.

As dick hit the corner, Damian was gone in sight of you. But still being cautious, dick took steady steps. Each step felt like something might as well launch at him. Which was right when he felt a crashing pain in his knee. Dick yelled with pain, clutching it as Damian came out of no where holding you with one hand while the other held a bat. He dropped the bat as dick just hisses in pain.

Damian smirked in triumph as he raised you up like the movie lion king where Simba is introduced. Dick just groans at his knee as he looks at Damian in rage.

“My sibling, my rules.”

[eldritchneuro]

I’m reposting this again because it’s still the one of the pieces of writing I’m most proud of. Yay for body horror!

[olberic]

drastic measures is the best skill in octopath ii btw. ive oneshot bosses with this.

[verstappen-cult]

GWEN’S RADIO MESSAGE. I saw the notification and ran to Instagram only to find these photos. And when I tell you that I couldn’t stop looking at them for at least five minutes. . . so, you know I had to write a silly little drabble.

You come home after your early pilates class to find Charles snuggling with a puppy on the carpet in the living room, cushions perfectly scattered around to simulate a comfortable bed. When Charles sees you standing there with a puzzled look on your face, he just pouts, hugging the little dog tightly against his chest, and looks at you from beneath his eyelashes.

“What is that?” You ask, eyebrows raised. You know what is is, you simply don’t know what is a dog doing in your apartment when you don’t have any pets.

Charles cheeks are colored a light pink when he says, “Remember that time you said how much you wanted a puppy?”

“That was ages ago!”

“But look at him!” Charles grabs the puppy with both hands and shows him to you just like that scene in The Lion King with Simba being presented to all the animals in the kingdom. “Look at those eyes! We can’t send him back to the shelter.”

The dog isn’t even looking at you, too busy licking your boyfriend’s hand.

But Charles is right.

You can’t send him back to the shelter when you can give him a better life. And is not like you are actually mad that he decided to adopt a dog without your consent, it’s more about the surprise to see him lying on the carpet in his $2,000 white designer sweater with a dog, when in the past he’s gotten angry when you haven’t hung it up how it is supposed to hung.

You drop your bag and take off your shoes to join him on the floor. The little guy jumps from his hand and walks over to you, sniffing your hands and giving you side eyes until he feels safe enough to climb in your lap and let you hold him.

“Aren’t you cute,” You say, giving his little head a kiss. “I guess we need to give him a name, no?”

“About that,” Charles plays with a dog toy to avoid looking at you. “I already named him.”

You huff, “Of course you did.” You can’t be mad, not when Charles looks so shy and happy with the cute puppy walking around and exploring his new home. “What is his name?”

“Leo Leclerc.” He says it so proud, the corners of his mouth curling up that you can’t help but smile too.

“It suits him.” You agree, leaning closer to Charles. He immediately opens his arms for you and you rest your head on his chest, looking at Leo trying to climb on the sofa. “You’re a dog dad now, Charlie.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t asked you before adopting him,” He turns his head to get a better look at you. “and I’m sorry I used you wanting a puppy as an excuse when in reality I feel in love with him the second I saw him through the window.” Leo walks back to you and finds comfort between Charles legs. “I don’t want him to be just mine. I want him to be ours.”

You sit up, eyes looking between Charles and, what is now, your puppy. Your boyfriend looks expectantly, waiting for an answer that comes in the form of a squeak and a kiss.

“I can’t believe you went to get groceries and ended up adopting a dog.”

“About that,” Charles scratches the back of his neck nervously and you know what he’s about to say. “I saw him and forgot about everything else! But I can go to the grocery store this afternoon. He needs more toys, after all.”

“Oh, he’s gonna be so spoiled!”

[writing-nothing-but-spilled-ink]

So I had this very funny thought also I accidentally deleted this the first time around 😭😭😭 incredibly sad about that

You can read this as a romantic pairing or a strictly platonic pairing

A/N: Also this is more based on young justice beast boy because I feel like he's better written in young justice and that's what I've watched most recently

Beast boy x reader

So imagine you and beast boy are hanging out with your two cats at your place, your cats aren't exactly fond of him but you don't think they hate him either considering he constantly brings them cat treats and toys honestly with him around they're absolutely the most spoiled cats on earth... Your cats are used to you being clumsy and making loud noises so one day your a bit surprised to find that your long time partner Garfield isn't as chill as your cats are about the noise...

As your preparing lunch for the two of you, you forget about the pot that's near your elbow and as you turn to move the pot goes crashing to the ground your cats just stare at you judging but suddenly you hear hissing you turn expecting it to be your two cats fighting over a mouse that one of them had caught but no you see this third very green cat hissing at you and the pan wildly fur puffed out and spitting at you... For a moment you just blink and stare because we'll this is a new development you knew he could transform into any animal he wants but you didn't quite expect this... So you go over to the cabinet with the calming cat treats that are made with hemp witch is safe for cats and you assume cat adjacent people you gently go down to his level and sit on the floor like you've done for the strays outside your apartment complex and your own cats when they've been startled or upset by something. You gently start making hushing sounds saying it's okay as you start to break up the treats and placing them in front of the green kitty he slowly begins to sniff at them while growling at you, your by no means offended by this, this isn't the first nor will it be the last time an animal has growled at you.. you watch as he sniffs and begins eating the treats you've laid on the floor and you take that opportunity to scoot a bit closer while whispering reassurances and slowly hold out your hand in front of him with the treats he eats those out of your hand and it honestly tickles you reach out and begin to start stroking beast boys fur. Surprisingly it's silky soft as you begin to pat him you look into his eyes and see some of his awareness has returned after a while of you holding and patting him all the whole telling your own cats no and to leave him be sternly he suddenly changes back to his usual self...

He looks absolutely embarrassed and can barely look you in the eye without turning a bit red ..

"uhhh sorry about that my hearing is super sensitive", he says a bit bashfully...

You can only smile at him and say "honestly its not the first time I've dealt with a very startled and disgruntled cat nor will it be my last", you can't help but giggle a little at that last part but you gently place a hand on his shoulder and give him a reassuring squeeze while also handing him some cat treats to give to your cats that are now growling at him ... You bend down to pick up the pot that was dropped and place it back on the counter while listening to beast boy gently saying words of apologies to the cats as he promises them that next time he comes over hell bring them a bunch of cat toys to make up for his turning into a cat and eating there treats witch he mumbles the last bit...

Suddenly

"WAIT WERE THOSE TREATS EVEN VEGAN", is all you hear from the other room as a blur goes past you to the cat treat cabinet and at this point you can't help but laugh ...

A/N: throughout this I was picturing the scene from lion king where a young Simba starts hissing and spitting but isn't threatening at all also I do not own the art above it just felt fitting to add

[mysticheathenn]

Where Does Your Life Require Focus?

Hi, Hexlings!

This pick-a-card reading is all about where in your life you need to put more focus on This could be school, work, friendship, family, etc.

This is a general reading, remember to take what resonates and leave what does not. This reading does not supplement your need to seek professional help. Tarot should be used as entertainment and not a sure answer to your problems but as a guide, a sense of hope, and amusement.

Take your time when choosing your pile. Ask yourself the question and choose the picture that you can’t stop looking at. Listen to your intuition.

Pile l:

Tarot: 5 of Cups (reversed), Queen of Cups (reversed), The Wheel (reversed), 7 of Swords, Page of Pentacles, Queen of Swords (reversed). Clarigyer for 5 of Cups (reversed): 10 of Wands & King of Wands

"Every time I leave something keeps pullin' me back, me back. Telling me I need you in my life." - Chingy. This feels like a toxic love connection pile l that either you are currently in or you recently left. This may be with someone you have an on-and-off relationship with or this could be a repeating cycle of constantly meeting the same type of people to date with the ending always ending the same way. Either way with all of your Queen cards in reverse....I need you to stand up. The part of your life that requires your main attention right now is standing up for yourself and seeing your worth. Stop letting people play in your face, love bomb you, and make you feel less than the royal person you are. I feel a lot of you have been putting in most of the work in this relationship and you're tired of falling for the sweet nothings that they whisper in your ears to get you to calm down when you express how tired you are of their shit. Smooth Operator by Sade played in my head. You're tired of the sneakiness, the lies, the love bombs, and the gaslighting for a few of you, you're just tired of the same old story but something in you can't seem to let go because you don't value yourself let alone your time. You always don't feel as if you can do better than what you are or have been currently dealing with (this message is only for a few of you.) Just like Smokey the Bear's slogan says "Remember only you can put out wildfires." Well your slogan for this reading is "Remember only you can stop these cycles" and it starts with loving yourself, standing on business, and not going back to the people who keep hurting you all because you are afraid of being alone, the dick/pussy bomb/, or lack of belief in who you are to catch someone better.

Extra Messages: Oracle: You deserve love. Remember always that you deserve a love where you feel at peace, happy, and fulfilled. A love where you can relax your fight or flight system.

Pile ll:

Tarot: 8 of Swords, The Fool (Both Upright), The Moon,,, 7 of Cups, The Lovers, The Hierophant (All Reversed).

You deserve to follow your heart and passion pile ll. You are the only one holding yourself hostage to the things you want in your life. I believe most of you have been receiving signs and synchronicities to take the leap in the direction that has been calling you for sometime but for some strange reason you are hesitant to jump. It's as if you are stuck in the mindset that what you are currently doing is something you have to keep doing and you keep feeding yourself lies, fears, doubts, and imposter syndromes to keep yourself stuck in one place when you are meant to answer the call. Whatever that call is for you, this could be work, moving to a new city, state, or country, applying for something like a loan, or starting a new business..etc whatever it is, it is time. I'm getting the image of Lion King when the monkey goes to Mufasa and tells him it is time and he holds up Simba for all to see on Pride Rock. It is time for you to show the world your gifts, talent, your presence. Whatever this is your guides want you to have faith and step out not fearing that bad things will happen. I'm getting the question "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" Whatever is the first thing that comes to mind is that thing you are meant to do. Stop limiting your options to what is in front of you. The world is your oyster and you are meant to experience life through the eyes of fulfillment and abundance.

Extra Messages: Oracle: Prosperity, Clarity, Protection, and Compassion You are protected to take the leap in what you want to do with your life. Trust spirit that they won't let you fall and have compassion and faith in yourself that you will succeed.

Pile lll:

Tarot: The Hanged Man, 6 of Pentacles, Strength, 7 of Wands, Page of Wands (reversed), 6 of Swords (reversed), Queen of Wands (reversed)

Some of you may have been drawn to Pile ll. Pile ll was all about following the call of their heart and soul. You pile, pile lll is all about persisting and not giving up on the call. 6 of Pentacles is all about victory some of you are letting your doubts seep into your mind causing you to spiral out of control a bit because while you know things will happen you aren't seeing any proof or movement in your life or plans so it's causing you to even doubt your creativity, gifts, talents, and even yourself a bit. Stay strong and hang in there. Right now you are just in the limbo of your desires but they're on the way, just have faith. Cancel the noise that keeps trying to pull you under. Ignore those who keep questioning your every move because they secretly want you to fail and you are not going to let them because you are strong. The hard part was starting what you have done, now hang in there and keep going down this road. There are no rainbows without a little rain and stormy weather. You've got this boo. Don't walk away from what you are currently doing everything will pay off. In the meantime do some affirmations, work on other projects to help keep your mind busy, hang out with friends, and plan for this victory to happen because it's coming you just need to have patience, keep the faith, and don't give up.

Extra Messages: Oracle Messages: None. Just keep the faith, persist, tell people who keep questioning what you are doing to mind their business, and be happy for yourself and bring more happiness to your life.

Pile lV:

Tarot: 7 of Cups, Ace of Pentacles, 3 of Cups, 9 of Wands, 2 of Pentacles, 6 of Swords (reversed)

This pile has two messages but the main message is there are quite a few of you who are daydreaming a lot about financial abundance, celebrating wins, new friendships, etc but you aren't willing to put in the work to achieve these things because you either have been hurt in the past and not wanting to deal with people or it's easier t daydream than to actually go after what you are wanting. Then there are the select few of you who need to balance your work life. You are all work and no play and you are facing burnout. For some of you, your burnout is causing you to rethink everything that you want and have done so far in your life when in reality you just need a break. Go to the spa if you can afford it, or do a DIY spa treatment at home where you run yourself a bath, buy chocolate-covered strawberries, or watch your favorite shows, and maybe even take yourself out on the town. Either way, you need to show yourself some grace and slow down. You will get to the financial abundance and celebration in due time but you won't be able to enjoy it as much because you are constantly wearing yourself down. Nothing bad will happen if you decide to take a day off. Now for those who ar daydreaming about success without doing anything, you may just like pile ll, be called to view pile l. Pile l is all about answering the call of their heart but you...I don't feel you have anything specific per se you want to go after that will bring you financial abundance. All you know is you want it and you're not acting on coming up with ways of trying to achieve it because you believe it's hard. You're belief system and lack of direction are holding you back pile lV for those who resonate with daydreaming.

Extra Messages: Oracle Messages: None The world will not explode if you decide to take a day off. Don't run yourself into the ground. For others, find your passion, try something for fun and see where it leads, or even try the thing you have had on your mind for some time and see where it leads. Roald Dahl — 'You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.'

Thank you for liking and reblogging my readings. I always appreciate you guys on here and on Patreon.

Stay safe and be blessed

[ssparksflyy]

Hey Hello! I would like to request some headcanons of Leo V. With a children of Hypnos or Dionysus, thank you!

ask and thou shall receive ༉‧₊˚.

leo valdez dating hcs "(っ- ‸ - ς)ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

pairing: leo valdez x child of hypnos!reader warning(s): swearing probably idk i just put it in case now an: honk mimimimimimimi

yall remember that scene in frozen where anna is like "the sky's awake, so im awake, so we have to playyyyyy" and shes trying to wake up elsa? yea. thats leo.

he CANNOT sleep. ever.

his hyperactive ass is always trying to gogogogogogogo!

and youre just like lemme sleep ;(

you try your best to stay awake to be out and about with him

he greatly appreciates it and downs like four melatonin gummies with a cup of coffee so he can finally knock out with you

( coffee reduces hyperactivity for people with adhd 👍👍 )

but ohmygod those days when he gets ideas early in the morning ugh

TURN THE SELENA OFF IT IS SIX IN THE MORNING YOU CAN CLEAN YOUR WORKBENCH LATER

has taken quite a few pillows to the head

but hes fineeeee hes still livingggggggg

mmmm he snores.

leo frickin snores

usually thats a normal human thing

but hes got that latino dad snore

house shaking, earth shattering, loud enough to make you deaf

( my friends and i call it the mexican dad snore because all our dads snore like that 😭)

as of right now its still developing

it still hasnt reached full dad snore

its like in lion king when simba cant roar

it comes with age okay

when his melatonin gummies kick in they kick IN okay

passed out no return

(god i need sleep like that)

im telling you hes either bouncing off the walls or dead

he tries to fight the sleep so badly sometimes

and hes GOOD at it

i honestly dont know how some of yall go days without sleep but hes one of those people

literally falling asleep as hes walking talking about "im fine!!"

NO YOURE NOT GO TO SLEEP

but then like one hug from behind and a small kiss on his neck from you is enough to make him give in

hes literally so weak when it comes to neck kisses bye

folds like a blanket

leo sleeps without a shirt but then has some of the funkiest pajama pants ever

all different kinds of designs and stuff

he REFUSES to be basic and wear those christmas checkered red pants whatever theyre called

but that entire genre of pants.. disowned. refuses to wear them

(no hate btw im literally wearing those pants as i write this)

has made sure u have the COMFIEST bed EVERRRR

hes installed like heaters, a cooler, the mattress is flexible (like in those commercials), the pillows are super soft, everything! absolutely everything!

honestly he doesnt seem too much like a plushies guy but at the same time he does

he has like one and its matching with you but like he stays loyal to that plushie and that plushie only

best cuddler tho ♡

he loves being able to hold you but sometimes he wants to be held too :(

a literal godsend during the winter honestly

no need for a heater when youve got mcshizzle over here

you gotta tough it out during the summer though

he feels so bad cause he doesnt want you to be warmer than it already is

but then you tell him you dont mind, just gotta have the ac on full blast !!

oh how i love leo valdez

[dani-luminae]

So this post introduced me to posters for Wish that I hadn't seen before and BUCKLE UP FOLKS CAUSE I'M ABOUT TO GO NUTS

REFERENCES GALOOOOORRRRE! There's Rapunzel's lanterns reflected on the water as well as her sun symbol painted on the cottage pillars, Moana's (Te Fiti's heart) spiral on the rocks to the left, a racoon and the partridges which I chose to believe are a Snow White reference (of course the racoon could be Meeko from Pocahontas, too.) The flower resembles the Sundrop flower (with the wrong amount of petals and no glow.) There's also a carving on the rocks just below the cottage, but I can't make out what the carving is. Can you?

EVEN MORE REFERENCES GALORE AND FOLKS I'M GONNA SCREAM! In Wish bubbles at the top of the screen we have: the Elephant Graveyard from The Lion King; Ariel from The Little Mermaid; an unknown for certain man standing at a ship's wheel, possibly Eric; Sleeping Beauty's dress; an unknown scene that looks like water; Be Prepared from the Lion King (the crescent moon finale); a figure with a staff or a flag, maybe Radcliffe from Pocahontas?; Gaston, flexing; and someone reaching out for what looks like the moon, sitting on something that looks vaguely like a fish (Aladdin? Quasimodo? Milo in Atlantis?)

BELOW the Wish orbs, though, we've got Disney Villain props all tossed around! At the back worktable we see Dr. Facilier's hat, next to a Sundrop flower, and a rack of antlers and fur that I'm gonna take as a Gaston reference. On the front worktable we have the Poison Apple from Snow White, some Tarot cards of Facilier's, bottled polyps from Ursula's lair, and in the stacks of scrolls below we can see Judge Claude Frollo's hat.

Aladdin's lamp and Bruno's ruana are sitting on a rock to the right, and between them are colorful bugs from The Lion King! The trees have faces which made me think of Grandmother Willow but not sure fully. Up at the top we can see a silhouette of Lumiere on one of the branches, and a racoon holds Chip the teacup! The owl and bluebirds are of course typical "princess in the forest" companions and I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but we also have Bambi and Faline (both adults) in the background! One of the chipmunks in the foreground holds a piece of broken green stone like the kind that stores Bruno's visions, right above a turtle that I'm certain is a Snow White reference! Also, the flowers covered in visible dewdrops as well as the mushrooms remind me of "The Nutcracker Suite" animations in Fantasia!

And last (and with the least references I could find,) on the left we have one of Belle's books sitting on the steps! A farmer with the giant pumpkin that might have been Cinderella's carriage has just gone past in the background, and Simba's symbol from The Lion King can be seen on the opposite side of the steps, close to the yellow pinwheel. The two children are sitting on a pirate ship under two stars... maybe the Second Star to the Right? The last woman on the right has a pattern on her vase that I can't quite make out, and Valentino has a dandelion in his mouth (my first impression is the dandelions that Belle holds while singing her I Want song, but I could be wrong!)

Did I miss any references? Can you spot any that I didn't see? Please let me know!

[b0g-b0y]

Request @thisirishidiot NSFW

Captain John Price x top m Reader

Not my best work so I apologize for that. But I managed to get this out so that’s what counts I hope?

———————————————————————Y/n and König were good friends it took you both a while to actually start talking to one another but it didn’t take long for the both of you to become two goofballs. After watching the lion king with König and watching that one scene of simba being lifted into the air later on König randomly picked you up and held you like the baby lion. And you weren’t too fond of him sneaking up on you and lifting you into the air because when he did that Price walked into the hallway with Gaz. After the painful moment of eye contact with Price, a giggling Gaz, König set you down gently before yelling “scatter!” With his accent thick. You couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Price couldn’t help but let out a sigh, it was always you or Soap getting caught in these childish situations.

Needless to say y/n was determined to get König back for embarrassing him in front of his lover John Price. And that’s how the game began with you trying to sneak up to König to pick him up. Oftentimes he would notice your presence before you could grab the big man. But when you did finally got the chance to pick him up you startled König and his head hit the ceiling in the process.”HAHA I got you König” You said to König but all you got back was a few curses in German and let me downs. And of course Price ended up witnessing this and instead of being disappointed in your childish act he was impressed, mesmerized maybe turned on a little. The way you picked up the mountain of a man with little to no struggle had him think of how strong y/n really was and he wanted y/n to pick him up and show him how strong he was.

Later that evening when it was just y/n and Price together alone in their room it was then that Price spoke.”y/n I saw you pick up König… I was impressed, love” Price spoke well his hand ran down your thigh.”What about it darling you going to tell me to act my age” Y/n responded.”Negative”. Price said softly.” Then what about?”you said well leaning back in your chair you sat on. Price took the opportunity to sit on your lap and he grabbed y/n face gently.” I was hoping that maybe you could hold me like that… In a more intimate moment” Price spoke.”Ah I see. So that’s why you’ve been hanging out in gray sweatpants with nothing underneath? You have clear motives darling” Y/n couldn’t help but smirk near the end of their words.” I’ve taken care of the prep work already. All I need is you please.” Price spoke although it sounded more like whinnying to you.” You asked so nicely how could I say no to you? Get up and take your sweatpants off. Well I get ready, think you can do that?” You asked.”Yes sir” he replied. The both of you stood nude in the middle of the room. You slowly walked towards Price covering him in small kisses before grabbing his face to kiss his lips, giving him a pat on his thigh as you spoke.”Jump big boy.” Price followed your instructions, his legs wrapped around your body. Your hands supported his weight by holding his bottom. Slowly but surely you were able to sink into the captain’s ass, filling him up with your cock.”You ready sir” you asked. “Please y/n I’ve been waiting so patiently please,please move”Price said before kissing the side of your neck. Letting out a small hum you started to thrust in and out of Price, the speed being slow to start with. Leaving small pleading moans to fall from Price's lips he wanted more.”Be a good boy and touch yourself for me don’t want to drop you” you breathed out into the captain’s ear. The pleading and moans fell fast out of John's mouth. As he stroked his cock, his breath hitched when you brought him down lower to thrust faster and deeper into him.”Good boy love soo good for me you getting closer? I can feel you grabbing on my cock so tight. Shit you feel so good” you panting out. “I’m close” John said as his body began to sweat more well his other hand clawed at your shoulder. “I’m so close please mmmh please” Price begged. Get close to your own release you decided to push Price to the wall and kiss him before you came inside, his walls tightened around you. His release came after covering the both of you with Prices cum.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Have you heard? Disney is making another Lion king, but this time, it's a prequel, and it's going to be about Mufasa's backstory. Which i think it's very interesting. i'm open to seeing how they're going to show/represent the movie. Even though it's coming out of nowhere? A prequel after all these years?

I've also seen a lot of criticism about the movie, even though it's not even out yet. A lot of fans are disappointed that Mufasa and Scar/Taka (interesting how they're using "Taka" instead of "Scar") are no longer blood related brothers, but instead, both are orphans which doesn't make much sense since in the original Lion king Mufasa comes from a lineage of royalty and gives Simba a speech talking about “great kings” and “let me tell you what my father told me” I'm open to new ideas and stuff but i don't know how to feel about it. Maybe it’s the nostalgia? This honestly feels like a cheap cash grab, and seeing how Disney has had quality control issues lately, it's either going to be a flop or not.

I'm just HOPING that they're NOT going down the "misunderstood villain arc" because I've had enough of it. if they’re going for the "Mufasa was adopted and usurper who took Scar's rightful place at the throne! Showing that Scar was right all along."

What do you think?

Oh, I’ve heard of it! I’m not that interested in watching though. I’ll probably just wait for it to come out while praying that TWST gives us free stuff in a promotional campaign and listen to some commentary or review channels give their takes.

According to Wikipedia, Mufasa: The Lion King is supposed to be a sequel to the 2019 live action adaptation, not the original 1994 animated film. The prequel film was confirmed in September of 2020, which isn’t that long after The Lion King live action movie came out. They’ve been steadily releasing new information about Mufasa, such as voice cast reveals in 2021, 2022, and April 2024. It was officially announced and title dropped in 2022 during the D23 Expo. It’s possible that the film took longer to make due to the pandemic and worker’s strikes that occurred between 2020 and now.

On the Scar/Taka thing, I believe “Taka” (I’ve also seen “Askari” in some sources) is Scar’s given name and “Scar” is a nickname Mufasa gave him following an incident in which Taka was as tricked and attacked by other animals, which was the origin of his scar. This information comes from The Lion Guard (a series I haven’t watched myself; this is what I was told by a friend who has). If Scar is being called “Taka” in Mufasa (and assuming The Lion Guard is canon), then that means Mufasa must take place prior to the brothers’ relationship souring and him getting his signature scar.

I watched the trailer and… the phrasing is quite odd??? Now Mufasa is “a lion born without a drop of nobility in his blood”. That implies he and Scar aren’t blood-related. In real life, that makes sense since it’s usually the strongest lion that leads the pack rather than the eldest. Scar has a line where he says Mufasa got the brawn whereas he got the brains, so it sort of supports this idea. However, making it so that Mufasa and Scar are unrelated orphans within the Lion King universe doesn’t make sense if you hold that up next to the already established lore. They imply multiple times that Scar lost his claim to the throne when Simba, Mufasa’s blood-related son, was born to succeed him. So royal blood of the king is important??? The only way Scar could take over was to eliminate those in Mufasa’s lineage. It’s possible that Mufasa’s speech to Simba about the “great kings” and his own father could be in reverence or to show love for his adopted dad or pack…? But that makes those scenes a lot less impactful. Additionally, part of the reason why Scar’s actions are so evil is because he committed fratricide. He turned against his own blood brother, then manipulated his nephew, whom he also shares blood with, into taking the blame. There’s something very visceral and cold-blooded about that—plus it adds to the Hamlet parallels.

Seeing as Mufasa is the titular character, I don’t think they’ll go down the route of intentionally making him the bad guy to Scar. Disney’s so shy about making its main characters morally grey or just bad people… though like you said, they might do it unintentionally because by writing Mufasa as an orphan, that means he’s an illegitimate ruler… meaning Simba is an illegitimate heir… meaning Scar killed/deceived those with no claim to the throne, so actually Scar was not in the wrong at all 💀 But technically it wouldn’t be Scar’s right to rule anyway because he’s not of royal blood either (since you said he's apparently also an orphan? I did not see this mentioned in the trailer though)??? Unless Scar is the one from a royal lineage and everyone else is just dead???

I think it’s still possible that we get something tragic between the two; blood does not determine everything. Mufasa and Taka could form a genuine brotherly bond that later falls apart. It doesn’t really make up for the retconning of current lore, but who knows 😂 maybe they’ll pull some of their old magic out and actually write a story that makes sense to lead into The Lion King. I’m not going to hold my breath though, the live action movies have never been that good to me 💦 I’m going to let the movie come out and speak for itself before I make any real judgments on its quality, as I don’t believe in jumping the gun (even given previous track records).

I wonder what this new movie’s lore would mean for TWST… Since Tamashina Mina was very inspired by The Lion Guard, that means (depending on how the film goes) Mufasa’s events could be retroactively integrated into TWST history?? It’s not a guarantee, but just something to consider.

[kekaki-cupcakes]

Heeey

Hope u're doing well

Please can I request a connor stoll x reader one shot where the mom (the reader) is going out with friends after all the pregnancy period, and it is the first time Connor is taking care of the baby all by himself for the evening

Have a good day

Can't believe that this was the request that brought me out of my writing slump lol. I have so many requests that I'm trying to write for right now and I figured people would rather have a short blurb than nothing at all, so this is only like 0.8k words. Sorry babes, hope you enjoy. Xx

pizza night--- Connor Stoll x reader [parent fic]

»»————-　★　————-««

-First of all Connor would be literally the best dad ever.

-I mean, like, obviously your baby would grow up knowing far too many swear words and probably ties people's shoes together when they're not looking, but no ones actually surprised.

-You would be able to take the cutest photos of your baby asleep on his chest in front of the tv or dancing in the kitchen while dinner cooked [you know when little kids stand on your feet and you hold their hands to dance? He would do that]. 

-He’d also for the first time not steal from a lolly shop when he takes the baby and lets them pick out the lollies from the pick and mix tubs. He’d hold the baby up like Simba at the start of The Lion King. You know the scene. 

-But that’s after the baby stops crying every night and can wear shoes that totally have little wings drawn on them. 

-When you’re laying on the couch eating ice cream with sprinkles and Connor is cleaning up baby vomit or something and your friends start spamming the group chat to get your attention, you’d just ignore it to begin with.

-Who wants to go out when there’s a screaming two week old baby at home and you’ve got cramps absolutely everywhere? To go and talk about babies when you literally never want to explain why you chose the name you did and why the baby is wearing a Lightning McQueen onesie [Cecil].

-But Connor hears the pings of your phone and [after turning it off so as to not wake the baby] he decides that you're going to have a great night out with your friends who would have to promise no baby talk or strenuous exercise. 

-So you’re all dressed up in comfortable clothing and flat shoes [no post pregnant person is walking around in stilettos, and you might be amazing, but you’re not that amazing], ready to go out for a night of gossip and drinks, or pizza and relaxing, depending on your mood, when you realize that this would be the first time Connor is on baby duty without you pottering around the house somewhere or napping. 

-He promises that everything will be fine and if the baby doesn’t go to bed he’ll just call Clovis over. 

-He then had to promise that he will not in fact put a spell on the newborn and will be very responsible and baby you don’t have to worry he’s been watching youtube tutorials on this stuff for eight months and seven days. 

-On a completely unrelated note, you found out you were pregnant about eight months and seven days ago.

-So you’re pushed out the door into your friend's car and Connor realizes he should probably take advantage of the fact the baby is sleeping in the other room to prepare for what would hopefully be an uneventful night.

-He mixes together the milf formula and leaves it in the fridge before ordering pizza. Take out or baked goods that his siblings dropped off while they zoomed around the city going to and from whatever it was they were doing had become the go to for meals since baby duty became the main concern and most food burnt on the stove in minutes. 

-Connor always orders meatlovers, but picks the sausage bits off and puts mushrooms on top. 

-It’s the best.

-Unfortunately babies can’t eat the greatest pizza ever, so after doing the washing and tidying up the utter chaos of your three bedroom house [one for you and Connor, one for your kid, and the spare room for Travis. Connor had one at Travis’s apartment too], ringing the hospital to book in that check up appointment for a few days away, paying the pizza delivery girl, and sitting down for approximately four minutes until the baby began crying, he took the milk out of the fridge and went to the living room. 

-Connor held the baby with one arm, wiping drool off the tiny onesie, and turned on the TV. Luckily for him, your baby loved watching the colors move and make noise. 

-You were adamant about not raising an Ipad KidTM, but he figured Netflix was an exception. 

-He looked down for the baby's reaction when pausing on each movie.

-A bored gurgle at Lightning McQueen [Cecil would riot], a blank stare at Taylor Swift’s new movie, and then a screaming fit when he played the trailer for The Hunger Games [probably not a good idea to begin with] and he moved onto better half of his favorite movies. 

-He pressed play on an all time classic.

-Connor’s child needed to have impeccable taste, or he just might ignore them until they tried to take over the world.

-Too soon?

“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you just might miss it.”

»»————-　★　————-««

[morvantmortuary]

do you want to see something amazing?

so, my beloved friend @fairyysoup, along with being a truly stellar writer, is an accomplished sims artist. and one day, they surprised me with one of the most delightful things I’ve ever seen: a replica of the entire mortuary.

since today is their birthday (and cheers to many more, babe! 🖤✨) I wanted to take a minute to highlight a skill they don’t get a lot of recognition for, but they really should!! the amount of detail and thought they put into it melted my entire heart, and this is me holding it up like simba at the beginning of the lion king like “LOOK AT THE BABY”

photos under the cut for length, and I might have to break this up in multiple reblogs, bc the amount of detail is seriously unreal.

like, here’s a preview:

so first, they made the entire cast so far:

Maxi! (Soup surprised me with the He/They after the wedding suit post and you know what, it’s fucking canon babeyyyyy)

Hex (with his converse!! and his liddol smirk eeee)

Rora, with chest wounds and all!

Seth, looking dapper in his long coat and gloves

and Leon, in the green jacket he’s been dragging around since the ‘60s and refuses to let go of

and last but certainly not least, this is Blair, whom I’ve mentioned before is acting as Final Them in the manuscript version, whom Soup also absolutely nailed.

so like, this in itself is a massive treat and insanely flattering, bc I love any excuse to mentally rotate my scrunklies like rotisserie chickens by gazing on their likenesses, but then Soup was like “hang on you haven’t seen nothing yet”

and then they showed me the fucking House???

LOOK AT THAT SHIT!! LOOK AT IT!!! IMMACULATE!!

and (I'm skipping ahead a little) there's even a gator in the watering hole!!! :'D

A GATOR!!! LITTLE HUGE BUDDY!!!!! Maxi would be so thrilled fr, even if Hex and Rora were pissed they couldn't use their pond for actual swimming anymore lmao.

okay, I'm going to have to add more in a reblog bc my laptop's not picking up the photos from my phone, but this is a goddamn excellent start.

[hamilvette]

Now, because I don't want y'all to think I see Magnífico as some kind of awful parent-monster

Reasons I think Magnífico would be thrilled of having a child

I'll try to make this less of a ramble and more organised this time around. So I'll go by stages.

Before the arrival of the child

Pregnancy; if his significant other and himself can have a child this way:

Even if at first he can be joyful of the idea or having an heir if their partner also wants that too, it would probably be such a far away concept, but the moment he sees the bump he'll be amazed.

I can imagine him being with his partner like: wow, you're actually creating something magic can't ever compete with: a life. That's amazing, and your body does it by itself!

And the first time he gets to talk to the bump and the baby responds with movement, Magnífico would be absolutely ecstatic. He wouldn't cease to talk or sing to his partner's belly just to feel or see movement, much to his partner's amusement or tiredness. But he can't help but get a heavy sense of pride in watching their baby react to his voice more than to anyone else's.

He would spend days and nights coming to his partner with suggestions for names until they settle in one they like. I'm thinking he wouldn't want to call a son "Magnífico II" cuz he likes being special, and would want his son to be special too, haha.

If his partner and himself decide to adopt a child:

Magnífico would probably just do it if he feels like it's right. Maybe he gets to know a child that has lost its parents and can't help himself but empathize with them, so he would want to help them to have a better life and decide to take them under his wing and guidance. Depending on their age, the bond would develop either slowly or quickly.

Now, when a baby arrives:

The first time he holds the baby into his arms, he will probably cry. He'll be amazed at how tiny a baby is, and would swear to protect them at all costs 🩵.

He will always be proud of having a baby. Like: this is my child, and everyone must adore him as much as I do, but no one will ever love him as much as I and my partner do. I can picture him holding the baby to introduce them to his kingdom like Rafiki held Simba in the Lion King, LOL.

Magnífico may feel like this is his second chance at having a family like the one he lost, and even if it's not the same, he'd still cherish the opportunity of having a new family.

As much as he and his partner might be stressed about constant crying and both terrified of hurting their baby, they would like whenever the baby cuddles with them, or when the baby gives soft cooes of happiness. Those memories Magnífico will forever cherish.

He would probably try to make a baby mobile for their crib by himself. Not with his bare hands, but with the aid of magic. He'll do something like a modern mobile, but in those years? Absolute magic: maybe a stars and roses themed, or a planet and stars themed, with music and faint lights.

Having a toddler:

Magnífico will absolutely adore seeing a big eyed toddler looking up at him like he's the center of the world. His ego and love will grow so big it might hurt, but he adores talking to an attentive toddler that babbles back in interest of what he's rambling about.

He would feel so good of hearing laughter from his child, so he would be willing to amuse them with magic tricks, feeling prideful like a peacock whenever the child claps at anything they find amusing

Even if he's occupied being king of Rosas, whenever he has time, he'll like to take his child with him and teach him how "important daddy is."

Magnífico would probably read a lot of books to the child. I consider Magnífico to be a bookworm himself, so he would like to teach his kid the same passion for knowledge. Probably would start with fairytales and things to explore and expand the baby's imagination, but then it won't be such a surprise to find him reading out loud books of alchemy, of basic magic or astrology.

Magnífico would find amusing whenever the child is trying to say a complicated word. Like, he knows and can see the baby is trying, but it's just a baby and finds it hilarious to try to replicate a long word only to come up with gibberish.

He would also find it amusing when the child learns to walk. Seeing such a little thing trying to follow his steps as he walks around in his studio will always make him chuckle.

Magnífico loves his child's laughter, and dreads their cries. Whenever he hears them cry, his heart breaks a little and comes in overprotective mode. He would have such a hard time accepting that he can't just protect his child from everything they find scary.

However, I don't think he's good at consolations/reassurance. He would rather distract the attention of the child than just hold them while they cry.

With a child:

Magnífico will like playing around. Like: magic tricks everywhere, playing hide and seek in the gardens. A lot of joyful shrieks and laughter might be heard as Magnífico decides to "terrorise" his child with a wild chase around the castle.

Magnífico will be THRILLED when his child asks him to teach them how to do magic. He wants to have the attention and as well teach his child how to wield magic.

He'll bond a lot with his child by teaching them magic. However, he might be a little impatient if his child doesn't take it seriously. He needs them to understand that magic is both a blessing and a curse, not only to do fairy lights.

His patience might wear too thin in magic related things, but will always try to make amends if he ever crosses a line. Magnífico might not apologise per se cuz he's narcissistic and prideful, but would try to make things right.

He would probably grow fond of pillow fights and tea parties, even if with his partner he tries to act as he's just obliged to comply.

Magnífico doesn't like being questioned, however, understanding that a child doesn't know everything beforehand, he'll do his best to satiate curiosity without ever giving away too many details.

And I'm not going to put how it'll be with a teenager cuz in that stage his relationship with his child would probably become weary.

So that's it. I might come around with some other nonsense, but this is my hot take on Magnífico as a parent.

[pjsk-writin]

oo req are open! I hope its not too late to req qvq"

can i req rui and tsukasa (separately btw!) with a reader who has a cat, and no matter what they’re doing together at readers house the cat is just always around (it’d be funny like the cat messing around with them whenever they go to sleep)

also hiii <3

HIIII dw, i hope u like this !! <3

☆ LURKING CAT - Tsukasa Tenma and Rui Kamishiro x Reader

Tsukasa:

Tsukasa is fond of most animals (except for insects, but they don't count in his mind), so he was really excited to meet your cat!

As long as your cat likes him, he's going to spoil them with so many pets and cuddles! He literally treats them like little royalty

He doesn't really notice that your cat is always around, he just gets the instinct to announce their presence and pet them

"Look who it is, my wonderful co-star!! It's our favorite kitty!!" Cue Tsukasa holding your cat up like Simba in the Lion King

The first time he slept over at your house, your cat couldn't seem to leave him alone. He's a heavy sleeper though, and your cat never seems to wake him up

It just becomes a normal thing for him now, to fall asleep in your house and waking up with your cat pawing at his chest. He just laughs and immediately gives them pets <3

Rui:

Rui definitely has a soft spot for cats, he's always loved them! He was absolutely excited to meet your cat

He makes absolutely sure that your cat likes him before trying anything, he'll literally spend days going "Pspsps" at them

He definitely notices how your cat always manages to be around, and he makes a game out of waiting for your cat

"Ahh, here comes the little troublemaker, dearest." Rui will laugh, watching your cat prance into the room with a fond grin

Honestly, him falling asleep at your house for the first time was an accident, but your cat was messing around with him. He woke up as soon as your cat touched him

At first, he tries to keep your cat away from him whenever he attempts to fall asleep, but eventually he ends up just giving up and letting your cat mess around with him <3

[kaliade]

Twisted Wonderland Headcanon- The Villains Were Right

  I’m really, really into Twisted Wonderland right now and you all have you suffer for it.  If you don’t know what Twisted Wonderland is, it’s a gacha style Disney game with Twisted versions of the Classic Disney Movie villains all attending an all boys college called Night Raven College (herein referred to as NRC).  There the Great Seven (the Disney villains) are revered.  There are 2 different ways of interpreting NRC’s reverenace of the Seven that I’ve seen so far. 

1. The Villains were villains and this is a school for villains so no one cares 2.  The Villains won instead of failing in their respective movies and thus are still respected.

I propose a 3rd option.  The Villains were in the right even if their actions were seen as extreme.  Allow me to elaborate.  Beware, Spoilers ahead!

The Queen of Hearts In my re-telling/re-imagining, the Queen of Hearts is the uniter of her kingdom.  The Rose Queendom did not always follow a single ruler, instead being made up of a bunch of smaller kingdoms that were in a near constant state of war.  This war state would represent the madness that keeps getting brought up in regards to her.  The Queen of Hearts managed to untie the entire area of what would become the Rose Queendom under her banner.  The 800+ odd rules of hers were her way of uniting several cultures.  Feeding the flamingos while wearing pink?  That’s from one group who believed the similar colors would make the animals stronger.  No eating hamburgers on Tuesday?  One group had a religious observance on that day that forbid it.  And yes, the Queen did sentence many who broke her rules to be beheaded, but that was mostly because those breaking the rules were rebelling against her in an attempt to break the kingdom apart.  This is the main part where I think the Queen’s a bit extreme in her punishments, but my version of the Queen of Hearts was a traumatized general who definitely had PTSD as well as other mental health issues.

Scar United the hyenas and other downtodden folk against his brother King Mufasa.  Mufasa was giving positions based on blood ties and, in essence, racism by not allowing certain animal species to hold rank or even employment.  The hyenas were banished.  Scar saw that things were going to go bad with the spark of rebellion just waiting to be lit.  Wanting to save his kingdom, he allied with those who the Lion King scorned and banished.  Scar was successful in defeating his brother and took over as king, even saving his nephew Simba from being kidnapped by Mufasa’s loyal retainers to make the prince a puppet ruler.  He was aided in this by a meerkat and a warthog that had found the injured cub and taken him in.  Both meerkat and warthog were rewarded for their actions.  Scar ruled fairly over the Savanna until Simba, who had been taught how to be a ruler by his Uncle, was ready to take over.  Scar then retired and enjoyed the life where he didn’t have to make decisions that could affect the whole country, even if he did stay in the palace to act as a source of wisdom for his young nephew.  His extremeness comes from being the killer of his brother.

Ursula Triton’s sister who left after being treated horribly by the tailed merfolk (Basically like Azul was)  She does learn her magic and to create contracts and, yes, did start out as she is in her movie.  A scam artist, power seeking, etc.  Then her sister-in-law dies at the hands of humans (see the Little Mermaid prequel for details)  As much as she despises her brother, her nieces need a female role model.  Triton is busy and grieving and takes little notice of his sister’s return until he eventually does and she’s banished again, but now the mermaid princesses know her and have heard stories about what she can do. This is also a turning point of Ursula.  She’s been bitter this entire time and being treated kindly by her nieces and getting respect for the other merfolk with how she was helping the princesses made her change her tune, slightly.  She still makes deals, but the consequences of the deals are less eternal servitude and more indentured servitude with a stated end date.  This brings us to the Little Mermaid movie events.  Ariel still falls for a human prince but this time she knows her aunt has the power to give her legs and there’s less screaming all around from Sebastian and Flounder.  Ursula is hesitant on giving Ariel what she wants.  She remembers how her sister-in-law died.  So, in order to keep the existence of merfolk quiet, her price in her niece’s voice, which she also uses to test the human boy her niece is in love with.  Triton does find out, but the man has mellowed over the years, especially with his many daughters asking why he’d so mean to their aunt.  He is angry, but the siblings do talk it out and he appreciates Ursula looking out for his daughter on land.  There is no stabbing of the giant cecaelia or any stealing of a trident and Ariel eventually works out a treaty between the merfolk and the humans after getting her voice back form her aunt after Eric proves he loves her.

Jafar Took over Agrahbah because the sultan was an  idiot and the princess nearly caused a war with having her pet tiger attack her suitors.  It was the only way to keep his home safe.  After the princess was nearly tricked into marrying a street rat with a genie at his side, Jafar deposed the sultan and his daughter.  Life in Agrhabah grew better under his rule as he made several advances using magic to bring comforts to his people.

Beautiful/Evil Queen (Trigger Warning:  Rape allusions, Abuse, Assisted Suicide) Married to the king less than a month after his first wife died of mysterious circumstance,  Grimhild age age 17 became the new Queen and stepmother to a 5 year old Snow White.  While she didn’t spend much time with the girl, leaving her rearing to nannies and tutors, the Queen did not have any animosity toward the girl.  No, her hatred was focused on the King, who liked his women beautiful and young, the younger the better and they didn’t necessarily have to be willing.  Grimhild put up with this, trying to help the girls as much as she could with her potions but having no actual power to stop her husband.  Then Snow turned 14... Before the king’s eye could turn to his daughter, a prince from a nearby kingdom visited and was besotted by Snow.  Grimhild became enraged, not because he did not look at her like that, but because the man was in his 30s!  The king agreed to betroth Snow and the prince.  Fearing for the girl, the Queen sent her loyal huntsman to take the girl out to the woods to gather wildflowers for a gift for the prince.  In truth, she ordered her huntsman to take her into the wood and get the girl to run away on her own or make her.  After scaring the poor child with tales of what awaited her and what her mother and stepmother had suffered through, Snow fled into the forest and came upon the dwarves, who took her in and protected her in exchange for some housework and cooking.  The Queen would later, after events, give them royal fiat to mine magestones and sell them at high profit with the royal seal.  Unfortunately, Snow fell ill one day from the plague and never recovered, dying at the age of 18.  Nothing her stepmother or the dwarves did could save her.  Grimhild, taking pity on the girl’s suffering and inability to heal her, offered Snow poison to make her miserable death easier, which Snow accepted.  (Meaning assisted suicide) Now, while Snow was safe with the dwarves, the Queen decided enough was enough and with the help of the castle staff, who were also sick of the king’s ways, poisoned the king and took over the kingdom.  Snow came back home after a year, but she missed the dwarves home and would visit when she could.  The prince that was courting her never made it home and no one (save for an eagle eyed huntsman and a viciously protective queen) know what happened to him...

Hades (Admittedly my weakest of these) The Titan Class Phantoms are phantoms of half-gods that attacked Olympus.  Hades, being the only god who didn’t have residence of Olympus, was the only survivor and managed to trap them in Tartarus.  He set himself, and his descendants, to watch over the gate, which did eventually come to be more like a curse than a true calling.  Due to his connection to death, it was very difficult for him or his descendants to accumulate Blot.  Their magic tended to have a life draining effect which is why the family prefers to use tech over magic.

Maleficent The only one out of the whole bunch that I do not blame her canon counterpart for her reaction.  Listen, you are dealing with the Fae, a ruling Fae to be precise.  THat shit of not inviting her to a christening (which  for the sake of TWST i’m renaming a Naming Ceremony), which for a royal is a very big, public event, is just asking for a curse.  Seriously.  And if we take the fact they invited 3 light aligned fae to the party but not the dark fae, then that adds another layer to the situation.  In short, that could have been cause for war with a human nation, let alone a fae one.   So yeah, not much change in this one for me personally.  Maleficent was in the right. 

[love-kurdt]

Anywhere I Want, Just Not Home (byler)

this is a continuation of my fic this is me trying! there are some details in this story that make more sense in the context of the previous plot, but it can do well as a stand-alone too!

word count: 2,693

warnings: negative aftermath of coming out, major depression and self-deprecating behavior/ thoughts, underage drinking

ficlet ao3 link

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered, gazing at the garage door in front of me. Even when parked, my hands gripped the steering wheel of my 1988 Honda Accord until my knuckles turned practically translucent, which was not a surprise, considering how pale I was to begin with. My stomach churned with anxiety, something I hadn’t been able to shut off since coming back to Hawkins for the holidays. Everything felt… wrong. My heartbeat began to race, and my breathing started to hitch, but then, a strong, calloused hand met the back of mine and pried it off the wheel, and I turned to Will, who was in the passenger seat.

“Mike, this is my parents we’re talking about,” he reassured me, flipping my large palm over and pushing his thumbs into the muscles in my hand, making me go limp at Will’s touch. It was absolutely insane how Will always knew what to do. “It’s going to be fine.”

“But look at my parents!” I countered, lifting my free hand off the wheel and up into the air before planting it in between the strands of my long hair. Which was a mistake, as I’d tied it back an hour prior. Fuck it. I reached back and pulled the elastic out and shoved it around my wrist, shaking my head as if I were Simba in The Lion King. My hair was a lost cause. “Like, I knew my dad was ignorant, but—”

“Yeah, that was awful,” Will muttered in agreement. His eyes were slightly glazed over, likely at the memory of a few nights prior. Neither of us would look back fondly at the events of that night; Christmas at the Wheelers’ 1990™ would need to be fully processed at some point.

“Beyond awful, Will,” I lamented, turning in my seat fully and lifting one of my legs up in a ninety degree angle in order to sit more comfortably in my already-small car. I leaned my head against the headrest, my bangs falling into my eyes. “That was probably the worst coming out I could have ever predicted!”

“Which is why we’re going to ease into it this time around, right?” Will reminded me, and I rolled my eyes. “And remember, I’m already out to my mom and dad, and they’re fine with me,” Will continued, lifting my hand to his mouth to kiss my knuckles. “And they already love you.”

Goddamn Will and his knuckle kissing. “Yeah,” I surrendered, “I guess.” We sat there for a few seconds, and I savored this moment, this singular moment where it was just us, just me and Will, sitting in the car, holding hands, against the world, forever. I glanced up at the man in front of me, who broke the silence, much to my disappointment.

“We can’t sit in the driveway forever, we’ve gotta get out of the car at some point,” Will told me, and I frowned.

“Yeah, I know, just…” I trailed off, lowering my gaze down to Will’s lips. “Can I kiss you?”

“You know you never have to ask,” Will smiled, and I dove in immediately, capturing Will’s lips between my own. I lifted a hand up to Will’s face, and Will held my hand in place as we kissed. I hummed at the sensation of Will’s tongue, and Will broke into a toothy grin, effectively breaking the kiss. “Okay, we’re stalling. Let’s go.”

I opened the driver’s side door to the harsh December winds, teeth automatically chattering. Being skinny during the winter season was never a good time. I shuffled to the front of the car to meet Will, who pulled me by my hand down the front pathway and up to the door. Before Will could even knock, the door was opening, and Joyce was ripping Will out of my grasp.

“Will! Gosh, honey, I’ve missed you!” Joyce exclaimed, and wrapped her arms around her youngest son as if she hadn’t seen him in a million years. And I knew, for a fact, that Joyce had just been up to Chicago in November, over the weekend of the Upside Down Anniversary Effect. Her eyes, which had been shut tightly while embracing Will, snapped open and landed right on me. I gulped.

“Mike! What a lovely surprise!” Joyce cried out, and Will brought a hand up to cover his ear in pain as she released him from her vice-like grip. I raised my hand up in an awkward wave, but Joyce wasn't having any of that, as she pulled me down into one of those hugs where we’d sway side to side. Will watched in adoration, and I gave him the finger. She pulled back, eyes narrowing as I straightened my posture. “Have you gotten even taller since I last saw you?”

“Maybe,” I chuckled, rubbing the base of my neck nervously. “I’ve lost track of my height at this point.”

“Well, don’t just stand there and let the cold air in, come on in!” Joyce stepped aside, and I followed Will into the living room. “Jackets and shoes off, stay a while! Can I get you two anything? Hot cocoa, maybe?”

“Oh, no thank you,” I began, but Will cut me off.

“Yes please, we’d love some. That sounds amazing. Thanks, mom.” I had forgotten how Joyce wouldn’t leave us alone until she’d Smothered™ at least a little bit. I smiled to myself for a few seconds until Will vigorously tugged me over to the couch and shoved me down onto it, landing next to me not soon after. Will’s strength was something I had yet to get used to.

“What the fuck was that for?” I whispered. Even then, I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Will’s lips were.

“Well,” Will whispered back sassily, “it just occurred to me that we never formulated a plan to tell them about—”

“Tell them about what?” a voice above them asked, and my focus raised from Will’s lips to the girl who stood behind the couch.

“Hey, you! I didn’t know you were back yet!” Will turned around on his knees on the couch, pulling his sister into a hug. El reciprocated the action, glancing over to me with a knowing smirk on her face.

“Hey, Mike.”

“Hey, El,” I replied, and shifted closer to Will so El could sit next to me on my other side. Her long hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, over her fluorescent purple sweater, and into her lap. She probably hadn’t cut it since… back then.

“How are you? You seem better,” El noted, and I shrugged.

“As well as I can be. I’m starting a new book called The Dropout Chronicles of Mike Wheeler. Heading to your local Books-a-Million this January.”

“Oh, you were serious!” El gasped, and I nodded gravely. I didn’t want to elaborate upon my series of horrible decisions that led up to my sudden, life-altering downfall, so I went the vague route.

“Yeah. My… circumstances weren’t so great,” I told her, and she nodded in understanding. She brought one of her arms up and around my shoulders, shifting her body to face the fireplace in front of us.

“Well, I’m glad something good came out of all this,” she smiled. “You finally got your heads out of your asses,” she whispered the last part.

“That we did,” I chuckled, watching with El as the fire danced amongst the layered blocks of freshly chopped wood.

“Wheeler,” a gruff voice sent a chill up my spine. On instinct, I stood up and turned towards Hopper, who stood there in an unfamiliar getup of jeans and a reindeer sweater.

“Chief,” I stated, and held out my hand to shake, but Hopper ignored my hand in turn for a friendly clap on the shoulder. “How are you, son?”

I felt myself freeze, at a loss for words. Hopper had just called me “son.” My own father couldn’t even bring himself to look at me, but the fucking Hawkins Chief of Police could refer to me as… but at the same time, Hopper still had no idea that I was gay. So, in Hopper’s eyes, I was still normal. And yes, Hopper knew Will was gay, but I felt my vision go blurry at the mere thought of Hopper’s face when he figured out I was also gay, and just so happened to be dating his son. What then?

“I—” I forced out, but before I could begin to stutter out something embarrassing, Joyce came to the rescue with two gigantic mugs in her hands.

“Here’s your cocoa, boys,” she smiled, carefully setting the mugs down on coasters on the coffee table. “And I gave you extra marshmallows, Mike, just like you used to ask for when you were kids. Anyway, we were thinking about having a family movie night, what do you think?”

God. Family movie night. I felt my breathing constrict. I wrapped my arms around my chest and fought the tears that brimmed in my eyes, but I couldn’t stop them. Hopper had just called me “son.” Joyce just used the phrase “family movie night,” so fucking casually, referring to the “we” in the situation as everyone in the room, and by extension, me. And I’d never have that. Not from my biological family, at least. I hated the feeling of being unwanted, and by my own parents, no less.

“Mike, sweetie, are you okay?” I snapped out of my thoughts, feeling Joyce’s hand on my arm. I looked around, noticing that all eyes were on me. Leave it to Mike fucking Wheeler to cause a scene. Fantastic. Just what I needed.

“No, no it’s not you, Ms. Byers, I promise,” I shook my head quickly, and wrapped my arms around myself a bit tighter before continuing. “I, uh… something happened. On Christmas. And…” I couldn’t talk anymore. It was like my voice gave out, or my brain simply stopped working, but Will was quick to help me out, wrapping an arm around my waist as I spoke. I would have said something about being subtle, but everything was going to shit, anyway. So he might as well. I looked at the ground in shame.

“Let’s just say Mike’s not really welcome at home anymore,” Will told his family. There were a few gasps, followed by a beat of silence. I stood there, trying to ground myself, trying to absorb whatever comfort Will was conveying through his fingertips. 

My eyes remained trained on the floor, but watched as a pair of very large reindeer slippers moved until they stood right in front of me. I lifted my head to see Hopper, staring at me. The man didn’t say a single word. Instead, he opened his arms, and pulled me into him by the back of my head. I took this strange embrace in, unsure of how this was going to go, but from the second my face met Hopper’s shoulder and I felt the fatherly embrace I craved but knew I’d never have from my own father, I broke down sobbing. Hopper’s other arm wrapped around my back as he continued cradling my head.

“I’ve got you, kid. I’ve got you. It’s gonna be okay,” he murmured, and I cried even harder. I couldn’t believe the turn of events this night was taking. Not even an hour before this, I had been freaking the fuck out about how Will’s parents would react to my identity. I gripped onto Hopper’s reindeer sweater tightly at the thought. I could barely fathom the fact that I’d ever compared Hopper to… Ted. They could not be more different. 

“Even though you’re dating yet another one of my children, which we will have to talk about,” Hopper continued, and I could only let out a wet laugh at that, because it was true. “But it’s gonna be okay, kid. I promise.”

“Were we that obvious?” I heard from behind me, and I pulled away from Hopper so he could address Will directly.

“William. Let’s be real here,” he deadpanned, and I turned to see Will going a little pale. “I could sense your bubbly, lovesick giddiness from a mile away. You’ve been pining over Mike for, what, a decade?”

“Dad!” Will shrieked, and El started giggling.

“Plus, you two haven’t spoken in a year, and now all of a sudden you’re getting all cuddly on the couch. I put two and two together, sue me,” Hopper lifted his hands up, backing away and heading into the kitchen.

“Jesus, okay,” Will called after him, “I didn’t know you were keeping such tight tabs on my love life.”

Hopper laughed from the kitchen before coming back into the living room with a handful of VHS tapes.

“So does this mean we have to sleep in separate rooms…?” I hesitated, but Hopper waved his hand at us, the sheer shock nearly knocking me to the ground.

“Just keep the door open three inches and we won’t have any issues. That’s assuming Mike can actually follow directions this time around.”

“Yes, sir.” I replied, earning a light smack in the arm from Will, who pulled me down to kiss me on the cheek before we sat back down on the couch. Hopper knelt down to the VHS player as everyone else got situated around the living room. I laced my fingers with Will’s. I could get used to this.

“Alright. So I’ve got a few choices from Family Video: Captain America, GoodFellas, and It.”

“Two minutes till the countdown!” I heard Joyce announced to everyone over the music. “Where is everybody?! I want a good picture this year!” Jonathan finished setting up his camera on his tripod, turning back to Joyce with furrowed eyebrows.

“Wait, where’s Mike?”

“I’ll get him,” Will said, leaving the group for a moment and straying into the hallway to see me slumped against the wall. I lowered my red solo cup from my lips, grimacing as I crushed the now-empty cup in my hand.

“That was alcohol, wasn’t it?” Will asked, an concerned tone in his voice.

“Yeah,” I stated, plain and simple. There was no use in lying.

“We’re still nineteen, Mike,” Will pressed, and I rolled my eyes. That never stopped me from drinking before.

“And? It’s New Years, don’t be a killjoy.” I looked down at Will, who was glaring at me. Fuck. I didn’t mean that. I was drunk though, so I was allowed. But was I really?

“We’ll revisit this,” Will told me, pulling me by my free hand over to the kitchen, where I basketball-tossed the cup through the air and into the trash. I was surprised my aim was still intact. “Mom wants a photo.”

“I’ll take the photo if you need me to” I began, but Will turned around, stopping me in my tracks. 

“Babe, come on. You’re family. Plus, Jonathan just got a new camera with a self-timer.” I blinked down at Will with hooded eyes.

“Fancy shmancy,” I giggled to myself, and Will sighed as he pulled me closer into his side, making sure I didn’t stumble, as we posed for the photo.

“Alright, I’m about to set it, everyone ready?” Jonathan called back, and retreated to his spot as the camera’s flash blinked. “One, two, three!”

“Ten seconds to midnight!” El whooped, and everyone hurried to gather around the TV for the countdown. I side-eyed Will who smirked back at me, our respective holds on each other tightening as we shifted to face each other.

The clock struck twelve, and everyone was celebrating around them, but to me and Will, everything else around us melted away. It had always been like that with them; Will was my entire world, and I was Will’s.

“Happy New Year, baby,” I told my boyfriend, who grinned back up at me with nothing but love reflected in his eyes.

“Happy New Year, Mike. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

As I leaned down to kiss Will, I felt optimistic for the first time in a long time. Maybe Hopper was right. Maybe everything would be okay.