#I just think about these two a lot and like. they're such good friends in my heart

[kokii-omii]

Kind of a dumb question but how would your ocs interact with Yuu? Do they find them weird or just dont know about them/Ignore them?

like game yuu? cuz id have two ways for both pre book and post book interactions

(this might be a lot so I'm cropping)

Maddie would not gaf about Yuu til Riddle Ob's

he would watch Yuu and what their plan was to take down riddle's tyranny but wouldn't do anything to help, but overall he wouldn't think much of Yuu

After Book 1 however, Maddie would probably put in more effort to actually assist Yuu and Grim if he could, and even invites them to his personal tea parties and make conversation with them, he would be that friend you call for help with no questions asked, need to hide a body? call Maddex

__________________

Krohn would be friendly to Yuu and i dont think much would change post book 2 cuz he'd still act the same, he would visit ramshackle often if Yuu ever needs help with the heavy lifting

__________________

The Octa Quartet would try to offer their "assistance" to Yuu in order to get on their good side, but like every offer from octavinelle, everything comes with a price

and they make Yuu get their hands dirty in return, in book 3 where ramshackle gets taken, Leo and the Manta twins come in and give Yuu an offer from Viri, and when they go to Viri's art studio, He tells them that he will assist them in taking the picture from the museum, and free them from azul's contracts

but in return Yuu has to give the picture to Viridis instead of Azul

its mostly transactional pre and also during book 3

but post book 3 Viri is more reliable and lets Yuu in his art studio anytime, Leo tolerates the prefect and talks to them if they ever see each other, The twins are less threatening to Yuu since they wont have a reason to do so anymore

__________________

Ezmond is literally Vil jr, would constantly berate and insult the prefect and ramshackle for being so raggedy and run down, think Regina George and how she acts towards people, thats how Ezmond interacts with the prefect, especially because they dont have any magic

Ezmond's overblot is pre book 5 post book 4,

but he actually starts being kinder to the prefect and starts gifting them stuff like skincare products, and some outfits he thinks they would like, and would even help clean up ramshackle because he thinks its still raggedy and that the prefect doesn't deserve to be living in such conditions

__________________

since Pan has a reputation of being "reliable and trustworthy" he would probably be one of the first people from ignihyde to ever interact with the prefect, it could low key come off as condescending but he helps the prefect because he thinks they're a sad wet cat for having no magic

Peyn would not care for Yuu at first, cuz honestly thats none of his business, would be a bit mean to yuu but over all he doesn't care

During book 6 Peyn and Pan are found in one of the boxes in Tartarus and accompany Yuu and the pomefam down to where idia is, they make sure The prefect doesn't get hurt by the phantoms

they only split up in order to be the ones to drive the chariots for the others

Post book 6 the two of them hang out with the prefect in idia's absence, and give them more games and manga and such as an apology despite not even being fully associated with STYX

Peyn joins the first year friend group and starts hanging out with the rest of the group more often

Pan invites Yuu to game night at the ignihyde dorm

__________________

Lucien would not pay attention to Yuu at all, but if they even did interact they would reprimand yuu and grim (mostly grim) for their attitudes, and even perhaps tell yuu off from malleus, because a magicless human shouldn't be around his liege, let alone calling him something so informal like Tsunotaro

his overblot is somewhere in the months between the end of book 6 where ramshackle is getting fixed

he learns to let loose and to stop being so formal, and ends up inviting the prefect for tea often to talk about ramshackle's decor and history

[txttletale]

after being interested from seeing you post about mtg but too intimidated by how complicated it seemed, a friend recently taught me how to play and ive been having so so so much fun!!! ive mostly just been playing standard/jump in on arena so far, but i wanna start building a commander deck soon. my wuestion here is twofold, i guess - a) do you know any commanders you consider easy or fun for beginners (colour doesnt really matter to me; ive been finding enjoyment in all of them so far, altho im sure ill develop a preference once i have a better grasp of the game lol) and b) whats your own personal favourite commanders?? ones you play or ones you just think are neat :) anyways thank you for being at least partially responsible for getting me into mtg, ive been having an absloute blast, i hope you have a very niceys day :)

yippee! i'm glad you're having fun, magic is a really deep and exciting game.

to point 1: i'm increasingly of the mind that apart from like, extreme edge cases where you're playing, like a mairsil combo deck and have to learn a bunch of specific sequencing and rules minutiae, i think that looking for an 'easy' commander is a very overrated. resonance and stickiness are a huge part of how easy it is to learn a card or deck's mechanics, so if you have a special little guy you love i would play him no matter how comparatively complex he is compared to, like, monogreen ramp

if there's one piece of general advice i'd give to a beginner, it's to steer away from 'feast or famine' type commanders: a lot of commanders, especiually since wotc started intentionally pritning 'commanders' rather than just legendary creatures, are enormous resource snowballs, such that letting them be on the board for a turn cycle or two will put their player unstoppably far ahead. unfortunately the correct counterplay to these kinds of commanders is for everyone to kill them instantly the moment they're cast and genreally not let their playtrs play the game -- so they often lead to having games where you are either being ganged up on and beaten to death or stomping everyone. some popular examples of commanders that i think create these play patterns are miirym, krenko mob boss, jodah the unifier, kinnan bonder prodigy, and korvol fae-cursed king.

so generally i tyhink especialyl as a newer player you will have fun with slightly lower power commanders who aren't wearing a big PLEASE KILL ME sign on their heads. but other than that i truly think you should pick a blorbo or gameplay style that appeals to you on a visceral, emoitional level, and find out if if it's actually fun to play or not. actually that reminds me, try to also pick a commander that, like, rewards you for executing your deck's gameplan, or helps you execute it, but isn't the sole engine behind your deck -- commander is full of good removal and board wipes, and you will have a lot more fun if you're playing a deck that can still function evne if your special guy is in time out.

to point 2: i have quite a few. my first commander and overall one of my favourite still is the celestial toymaker (nei lpatrick harris jumpscare). i love him because -- while he is an example of the kind of commander i think ultimately can lead to bad gameplay patterns where big parts of your deck are dead without him -- he turns this extremely stupid fucking mechanic into a real theme. i fucking loe playing my toymakre deck, and doing a silly voice and saying PLAY MY GAME... WHO WANTS TO PLAY MY GAME? every time i have some silly choice to force someone to make. play piles with meee (also esper control is a shell that's just really fun for me regardless of commander or theme so that helps a lot too)

other commanders i have that i really enjoy... i think gor muldrak is really cool, hios abiltiy is so odd and niche and finding ways to make use of it is so much fun. only good simic commander. tip: [peer pressure] is an awesome win condition for him.

i really enjoy zedruu also, for similar reasons to the toymaker: giving people stuff is such a funny mechanic, and while the commander gets osme flak because a lot of people build around lieke, dogshit cards that are unplayable if you don't have zedruu to donate them, i think you can build a much more fun and resilient zedruu deck by relying on symmetrical soft stax pieces and oubliette-style effects where it doesn't mater to you who owns it. getting to play perplexing chimera in that deck delights me.

gallia is great. straight up i made a deck for her because i think she's cute. her joy is just so infections, i don't even like gruul aggro as an archetype generally, but something about playing gallia and being like NO THOUGHTS HEAD EMPTY TURN SIDEWAYS ILL DISCARD WHAT I DISCARD is very refreshing considering i usually like playing very controlly-pillowforty high-interaction decks wth 50 quajillion counterstpells.

oh and finally... the red death. i fucking love goad, im the goad liker, i enjoy goad, and i set out to make a Good Goad Deck and immediately got sidetracked form any of the stronger commanders for the format by this stupid little bebo with the meme eyes. i donit know what happens in fallout 76 and i dont care this little guy is my friend and he is SO funny with cards like psychic possession. Our card draw :)

for an honorable mention, two decks i really love but not really because of their commander: i have a huge amount of fun playing the new zimone (who has displaced vorel of the hull clade) at the helm of my millennium calendar deck. it's fun to have a deck where i can slot in all the werird counter-dependent artifacts like lux artillery and darksteel reactor, and it's a very fun supervillanious feeling watching the table scramble to stop me as my Sinister Calendar ticks up

and i also have a zoraline eggs deck nbecause i loved bloomburrow bats, built a zoraline bats dekc, then thought, hmm, i could be doing al ot more with her than just bringing back mediocre bats for a small lifegain pawyoff. Liek bringing back mediocre artifacts that ic an crack for 2 life and a card draw. it's a very intricate little device of a deck once it gets going and although it's not very strong it's very very fun. looping an executiuoner's capsule or a tainted sigil is what its all about babey!

[mintybloomz]

I said in the tags of a post on my misc account that I'd ramble about Rayona at some point so here I am, with some doodles to go with! (ft a little bit of Benlie). Wasn't able to fit everything on the doodle page, just the things I found funniest.

Like I said I think if they were gonna give Rook a girlfriend they should have done more with her. So I am taking that upon myself.

She is smart and uses those smarts to be rebellious without anyone knowing she's being rebellious. Is she allowed to leave her home planet? Not usually but she will do so anyway because her boyfriend is on Earth and look at all the cool stuff she can use for her projects! No one knows she is there except her ride. They don't worry because she plans out her excuses thoroughly.

Girl with a bazillion hobbies. Most prominent one is clothes making but she will try anything at least once. This is encouraged, obviously. It's good to be well rounded!

Proud enabler of Rook Ben's antics. His modified harvester is usually her ride to Earth, and she enjoys his creativity. She gets along with all of Rook's siblings but Rook Ben is her favorite. He keeps her secrets. That's her little accomplice.

Shows affection mostly through sincerity, but she can be a little bit of a tease. And there's a lot to tease about when your boyfriend is the partner of a famous superhero.

Also friends with Julie! This scares both Ben and Rook because these two know too many embarrassing stories about them. Whether or not that's actually what they talk is debatable, but they know what they're doing by giggling in the corner like that.

[oh-no-its-dragons]

Step Two

Bodhi knows exactly how it happened. When it settled. 

For @empyreanevents' Bodhi Week, day 5: Window

Personal challenge checklist: ☑ don't mention Xaden ☑ Bodhi has a nice day

(cw for lots of talking about sex and specifically one explanation of how sex can look from an aegosexual perspective. 🖤🤍💜 please keep in mind that I'm drawing heavily on my experience, but there are many different ways to exist on the ace spectrum. this is a direct sequel to yesterday's Step One, which was inspired by look around, look inside by @theoppositequeens.)

Somehow Ridoc had slotted himself into my life and made it look easy. I was used to thinking of myself as the odd one out, tagging along to social events that my friends had been invited to. 

Ridoc sought me out. Invited me, specifically. And at first I worried that meant I would have to stick around watching him be the life of the party long after I might have ducked out if I were alone, but instead he noticed. He checked in with me. Sometimes he kissed me good night before I left, and sometimes he left with me. 

It was good, but it took some getting used to. 

Ridoc was forthright about most things. "I have a hard time keeping my inside thoughts on the inside," he described it. It meant he didn't shy away from saying what he was feeling, even when what he was feeling was —

"I'm so horny I can't think," he announced, and not for the first time, but for the first time I answered him before he could say he was going to go see if Tyvon or whoever was around.

"I can help with that," I offered. I'd been thinking about it a lot, about what it might feel like to offer, what I would do if he took me up on it. Ridoc had been good at listening so far. 

It was fucking terrifying to risk it, but whatever we had was working so far. Gods, sometimes the thought that someone could understand me made me want to hide, because I was sure that if I were understood then he'd see that there was something wrong with me, some disconnect between my brain and my body that couldn't be fixed. 

"You don't have to do that just for me," Ridoc answered, almost automatically. "I thought you weren't into sex."

"I'm not, not exactly. Not the way people think of it. But I'm not into planning revenge on Henrick, and yet I like helping you with it. Because it's you, I guess." Ridoc opened his mouth and closed it again, and his throat bobbed like he was swallowing whatever he'd started to say. 

Watching him not talk was surprisingly adorable. Whether he was listening or thinking, his forehead scrunched up and he sometimes chewed on his lip like he was pouting. Ridoc could be a lot more than people seemed to realize; he was all over the place a lot of the time, sure, but when he did focus he was intense, like suddenly instead of being all warm, comfortable shades of brown I could see the frost in his eyes where his signet came from. 

But I needed to not get distracted, because he was talking again. "Are you okay talking about sex more than we have?"

"Yes," I said, because I was learning it was always yes with him, "but I haven't put a lot of things into words before, so it might be slow. Or I might say something and then realize I'm wrong."

"Most people are bad at talking about sex." Ridoc slid over until he was next to me on the bed. "Even people who fuck all the time! There's so many assumptions, guys who think everybody's automatically into the same things they're into, or people who will just get in bed with somebody but never say what they like best or ask their partner what they should start with."

"I thought everyone else just knew," I admitted, but it didn't feel like a bad thing when I was saying it to Ridoc.

Ridoc laughed. "When people ask me for sex advice, I have two things I always tell them. One of them is that if you want to be good at something, you have to practice."

"I bet most of them like that advice."

"You'd be surprised! A lot of people want to be good at things right off the parapet. It's more fun to think of yourself as a natural sex savant who's just instinctively good in bed, rather than as someone who's taken specific instructions about what to do with their tongue."

"What's the other thing?"

"It goes along with the first one, actually. It's talk to your partner. And I give that advice because people don't do it. I know this because a lot of people are surprised when I do."

I nodded at that. "So, what, as soon as I brought up something sex-related, you want to talk about it?"

"If that's okay with you, yes, I want to talk about it. Because I meant it when I said I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to get me off. Sex isn't — well, at least it doesn't have to be transactional like that. So, let's go back a little bit. What's sex like for you? What have you done that you enjoyed?" Ridoc slid so close he could throw his legs over me and he was practically sitting in my lap. He laid his head on my shoulder.

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him tighter against my chest. Like I was eight and he was my old sheep stuffie. "For me, it feels like sex is two different things that everybody else can do at the same time, and I can only do one or the other. I can focus on my partner or I can do the thinking that gets me off."

I felt Ridoc nod, his hair tickling my neck. "Can you tell me more about that?" When I glance down, I notice a bulge in his leathers. 

"Are you turned on by this?" I asked him, trying to twist my neck so I could see his face without making him move.

"Yeah, sexy talk is totally a turn-on for me." He huffed a laugh, his breath warm against my shirt. 

"Is this sexy? Or just about sex?" I was curious.

"Both. It's the same thing to me. And you are changing the subject."

"I didn't mean to," I told him, sighing. "Okay, so focusing on my partner is easy to understand, right? I'd just be touching you, using my fingers, maybe even my cock, but it's not about me getting turned on or staying turned on or whatever."

Ridoc nodded. "That part makes sense, yes."

"Actually getting off is much easier for me to do alone." It was hard to talk about it without the shame welling up about being selfish, or thoughtless, or rude. "I can't focus on a partner. It's like trying to control magic without grounding. I need to be… in my head, I guess. Like I'm watching through a window, like I need to focus on what I'm thinking and what I can feel."

I trailed off when I realized that Ridoc was watching me intently. A smile played on his mouth and there was hunger in his eyes that I didn't understand. "Do you know what that sounds like to me, Bodhi?"

"...Selfish?" Maybe if I said it first, it wouldn't sting as much when he agreed.

"No!" He shifted in my lap, pushing at my chest until I lay back on the bed and he was on top of me. Ridoc pushed his chest up so he could meet my eyes. "You don't sound selfish. You sound like a challenge."

I wanted to pull away, to leave the room, except it was my room and I didn't really want Ridoc to stop being on top of me. "A challenge to see if you can fix me?" I asked, still unsure what he meant.

"A challenge to learn what you like. What works for you. What if I said I wanted to learn to be what you need in all the ways, not just cuddling?" Ridoc was fully smirking now. "Would you like it if I kissed you?"

"Yes," I answered before I'd even finished processing the first part of the question, and Ridoc was on me like he was late to breakfast and I was the last sausage on the tray. There was that focus again, the absolute certainty that my mouth was the only thing in the world worth his attention right now.

And in that moment I believed him. I believed him when he said he wanted to learn me. I believed that I could be learned, not fixed.

If I let him, he would take me apart, not to put me back together, but purely to enjoy the picture I made as he did it.

I still wasn't sure it was possible, but I could tell Ridoc was sure. That, more than anything, made me willing to try.

[marclef]

Why would Fake Pep and the gang look like as Pokemon? I’d personally think Fake Pep would be a Goodra, it’s pretty fitting.

hehehe i've seen different people's interpretations of the Pizza Tower cast as Pokemon before, they're all really cute! (and yes, i agree about Fake Peppino Goodra, a goopy Pokemon for a goopy fella! ✨) and so..... i put maybe way too much effort into drawing my own, i tried to make them all unique in a way, and with traits still recognizable from the original characters!

obviously there's Goodra Fakey here, a big sticky gooey friend! his purple underbelly reaches down to his legs and tail, to kinda resemble Fake Peppino's dark "pants", and he has a little gooey "mustache" to match the ears and antennae! ✨

for Peppino, a really fitting Mon for me was Morpeko, with how quickly they swap from being normal to angry- in Peppino's case it would be from nervousness to angry instead! i tried to make his markings resemble Peppino's outfit, and he gets to be Shiny as well, because the white fits Peppino better!~

Gustavo and Brick had to go together of course! Gustavo's a Shiny Dedenne (Shiny for the same reasons as Peppino), and Brick is an oversized Alolan Raticate! Dedenne just seemed like a cute fit for Gustavo, being a small Pokemon that's visually similar to Morpeko, and he has extra whiskers and markings to look like his mustache/apron! and Brick of course is a rat, specifically a rat that's good with gathering ingredients for cooking! so a very fitting choice as Gustavo's ally!

and for the last two, Noise and Noisette get to be a lovely pair of a Scream Tail and a Wigglytuff! Scream Tail for Noise because well, noisy, and it meant it'd work really well for making Noisette a Wigglytuff! Wigglytuff's rabbit ears and pink body fit Noisette perfectly, and i gave her an extra bunny tail because why not? ✨

.... once again i put way too much effort into this but, it was a lot of fun making designs for them hehe! 😊✨

[works-of-heart]

Hello!! I have a few Elucien related asks for funsies:

- What do you think draws you to Elucien as a ship?

- Do you have a favorite Elucien head canon that you’d love to read in their book?

- If you read fan fic, do you remember what your first Elucien fic was? Or do you have one you are currently reading you’re loving?

- Would you prefer to read a super angsty, drama-filled Elucien book that tears at the heartstrings, or more of a romantic comedy with lots of banter and fluff? Or a combination?

Feel free to share these question prompts with your fave Elucien accounts or anyone else you think would like to participate and spread the positive vibes!

Ahh this is so sweet! I love these kind of asks! <3

- What do you think draws you to Elucien as a ship?

Both Lucien and Elain are people who try to make the best out of their situations. They are both so emotionally intelligent, empathetic, and are great at making friends. They've also been labeled at being loyal, which I can only imagine how both of them would be loving and loyal to one another. Elain is a very proper woman and Lucien is a reformed rake, and I'd love seeing Lucien do and say things that will have Elain blushing and thinking of things that aren't very 'proper' and 'lady-like'. They're both underestimated by their peers and those around them, thinking that they'll just bend to the will of others, and I think there's so much underneath the surface that neither of them have scratched. I cannot wait for both of them to show up everyone who doubted their abilities and prove them wrong! Also, they look so freaking cute together!

- Do you have a favorite Elucien head canon that you’d love to read in their book?

Ohhh! I have so many different head canons for them!

I have this one head canon that Elain has gotten gifts for Elucien every solstice, but she's just been too overwhelmed to give him his gifts. They sit in their boxes, perfectly wrapped (she's had to rewrap them like 10 times because she wanted it to be perfect) in the corner. She's written on his card "To my mate", then scratched it off but you can still see the words barely under the scribbles, and rewrote "To: Lucien" on all of them. It wasn't enough to just leave them in a pile, she wanted to give it to him, but couldn't build up the nerve to do it. So they sat there, and she figured she'd just let them stay there forever.

I would love to read that on solstice, maybe they share it together, just them, and Elain is finally able to give those gifts to Lucien. She tells him she had never forgotten him. What's even better is if these gifts play an important part in their story, like something she had seen from a vision that would turn the tides in his favor if he uses them!

I also have a head canon that Elain and Lucien can communicate through their bond, perhaps if not with words, with emotions. He can feel her, just as she can feel him. So despite Elain never saying she's uncomfortable with something, Lucien would be able to sense it, and act accordingly. I love the idea that their bond is an emotional link for them.

- If you read fan fic, do you remember what your first Elucien fic was? Or do you have one you are currently reading you’re loving?

My very first fic was one @zenkindoflove wrote about Elain accepting the bond via a cookie! And Rhys and everyone knew the frenzy was going to follow suit so they all started panicking to scramble out of the house! It was hilarious and I was in stitches after it!

I love all the fics done by she and @crazy-ache! When those two get together to write, you know it's going to be good!! I have such a backlog of fics I'm trying to catch up on! I'm currently reading @crazy-ache 's fic "Treacherous Waters" now that it's complete! I love, love, LOVE the way she's written Lucien and Elain! There's this tension and back and forth they have. She writes Lucien as a charming rake, he's dangerous, firey, and just dripping with sexiness! Elain's cheerfulness and hopeful outlook is JUST like it is in canon, and I'm loving the way she writes this side of her giving Elain such dimension.

I am also keeping up with @themadmorrigan's fic "Sic Semper Tyrannis" This fic is very different from the few I've read. It has a bit more of a serious tone, but also that sense of mystery and adventure. I play a lot of D&D, and other table top games. This gave me the feeling of that kind of build up for the adventure they're about to have. It's only got 2 chapters so far, but she does a FANTASTIC job at world building and setting the stage for what is to come! I'm hooked and her last chapter has me eagerly waiting more!

I have a trove of other fics sitting in my back pocket that I need to read! I just wish my ADHD would let me sit and focus and remember to dive in! My friends in this fandom are absolutely talented with their writing and art, and have ways of allowing me to experience Elucien in unique stories that anyone can enjoy!

- Would you prefer to read a super angsty, drama-filled Elucien book that tears at the heartstrings, or more of a romantic comedy with lots of banter and fluff? Or a combination?

I want a combination! I want the book to take me on an emotional ride! I want to laugh, cry, feel angry and excited, I want to swoon, cheer, I want all of the feelings! I love fluff, and angst really hits me in the heart! However, if there's angst, there better be something fluffy sweet and romantic after because my heart will rip to shreds and bleed forever otherwise! I have a feeling we're going to get a bit of everything in this book and it's going to be one of the best in the ACOTAR series. I feel there's going to be angst but also lots of moments that will have us happy and kicking our feet.

Thank you for this ask anon!! I love any chance I get to gush about my love for Elucien. They've brought me out of a bad place and brought life into my world! My fellow Eluciens have been just as awesome and I cannot wait to share all of our favorite moments together! <3

[queermccoy]

i’m sorry maybe i misunderstand you but are your tags on that gifset with tia pepa meaning you think eddie has a problem with buck being queer?

okay so. bare with me. i don't think eddie thinks he has a problem with buck being queer.

i want to make it clear that i do not believe that the show is doing this on purpose lol this is me sticking my speculation into the tears left behind by some of the weird writing and characters choices this year. i want this show to be deeper than it is sometimes, forgive me. but eddie's reactions to and around buck have been...more SOMETHING lately and this seems like a good explanation for that based on my own and others' lived experiences.

eddie's tolerance for buck's buckness (for a man being emotional, for demanding attention to his emotions) has dropped drastically since s7. and it could easily just be the strain of missing his son, of losing bobby, and then the financial strain of moving to texas. it could totally be that! but im not so sure that explains everything.

now. i am not straight passing, not at all. but i used to be. and this thing happens sometimes where people who only know you as straight, or think of you as straight, can feel like, betrayed almost when they learn that you aren't. even when they're allies! even if you’re only just learning yourself! it's not something they can help. it's not rational! and this is BUCK and EDDIE! for all that their friendship is this like, strong bond, they are still men who exist in the world and not in a vacuum.

eddie isn't homophobic, not overtly. no one would look at eddie and say, "wow that guy's a homophobe!" he's a nice guy! but. the metaphorical furniture in his brain was all moved slightly to the left one night and he's still bumping his shins on the side tables. which to me, explains some of why he just can't take buck's buckness lately. if that makes sense.

(eddie’s inability to like, deal with buck’s strong emotions generally is like a whole separate other post tbh. there’s a lot there and like. toxic masculinity ruins the party again, etc etc)

so anyway. no, i don't think eddie has a problem with buck being queer in the way you're thinking. he's not about to call buck the f-slur and beat him up. he LOVES buck. buck is his best friend and one of the few people he lets in (even if it's like, barely). eddie doesn't have a problem with buck being queer. the deep recesses of eddie's brain where his undeveloped thoughts and shoved down emotions fester however...who is to say.

and honestly? so honestly? that's fine. eddie loves buck and buck loves eddie. if it takes him some time to wrap his head around that, like really and truly take it in and process it, that's fine! i waited years and years for some people i love to get with the program. and i can't imagine buck wouldn't either. eddie will get over it. it's just like. imagine you're a straight man and you're hanging out with your two bros and they're also straight, you think, but then one day they're kissing each other. what's the protocol? what's the dynamic? socially, what is he supposed to do here? what are the rules? three bros hanging out, but two of them are holding hands. now what?

being queer isn't just unlearning heteronormativity for yourself. it's also a crash course in it for the people you love. and in the theater of my mind, eddie is in that, figuring it out. he's not being very nice while he's doing it, but. he's got a lot going on in canon. im an eddie girlie (gn) though so. grains of salt. keep that in mind. etc.

[buck 🤝 me

wiling to make excuses for eddie because we love him]

(apologies, i wrote this response at work so there may be some rushed thoughts.)

edit: “this doesn’t change a thing” is like. of course it does. but life is change. it’s going to be okay.

[m-jelly]

Hii Beautiful, I need a fluff fic huhu

How about Levi and Erwin are competing each other to win the reader's heart. Hange and Mike are setting up a bet lolololz then at the end reader chose both of the male vets (poly relationship pls)

So, I'm gonna change this a little cause I don't think they'd fight each other for you as in Canon world Erwin gave up on a woman he loved that his friend also loved. So, he's likely to give you up. I'm changing it to the men deciding they are good friends and happy to have you together.

Good friends know how to share

Levi x fem reader x Erwin

Modern AU, poly relationship, fluff, romance, becoming a couple, communication.

Hange and Mike think they're gonna win a bet, but Levi and Erwin ruin their bet when they both approach you after weeks of flirting and suggest a poly relationship with you.

"Levi is going to win." Hange chimed. "I know it."

Mike shook his head. "Erwin will, I've created perfect opportunities. Face it, you've lost."

"I never lose! I've calculated this perfectly."

Mike snorted a laugh. "Yeah right." He nudged her. "It's time. Looks like they're talking with each other as well."

"This is it! They're approaching her!"

You turned when you heard your name called. Your whole body flushed as Levi and Erwin presented you with the biggest bouquet of flowers. "O-Oh, th-thank you. You're both spoiling me. I um..."

Erwin held up his hand. "Don't speak, my love. We have something to tell you. We've done some talking."

Levi nodded. "Tch, a lot, you cute brat."

You hugged the bouquets. "Oh, I um...sorry I-I haven't made a choice yet."

Levi caressed your cheek. "You don't have to."

Erwin played with your hair. "Good friends know how to share."

"We're comfortable with each other and love you deeply."

"So," Erwin chimed. "We decided that you shouldn't have to decide."

Levi tilted his head and kissed your neck. "You can just have both of us."

Erwin kissed your cheek as you felt like you were going to explode. "We can share."

You heated up. "B-Both? B-But."

"It's okay. We've talked it through and think it's a great idea."

Levi nodded. "The best we've ever had."

You gulped and backed up away from both men. "A-Ah, w-well." You nibbled your lip. "I uh...well...wouldn't one of you feel left out? What if you get jealous? I don't want to break your friendship. People might think I'm greedy as well. I..." You placed the flowers down. "I adore you both." You squeaked when Levi yanked you closer.

Levi crashed his lips against yours and kissed you passionately. "Tch, don't you worry your pretty head, brat." He moved you in his arms. "Erwin? Kiss this adorable cutie."

Erwin leaned over and kissed you with just as much passion as Levi had. "I've been dying to do that for a while."

"Me too. Should be a crime with how cute she is."

"Maybe we should lock her up for this crime."

You whined. "Gents, stop I'm gonna overheat."

Erwin chuckled. "We're not done yet."

You squeaked as Levi hugged you from behind and Levi hugged you from the front. You wiggled as you were squished between two incredible men. "Is this heaven?"

Both men laughed at you as they cuddled you before showering every inch of you that they could with kisses. The two of you ushered you away so you could be taken on a romantic date where you'd be spoiled rotten. You were in for a blissful and wonderful treat.

Tags under

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @levistealeaf @pelicanpizza @hideandgopeep @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird @searriously @dreamerofthewest @abiatackerman @minminroie

[kidspawn]

alright i gotcha lemme just *cracks knuckles like a hacker* let me offer you my comfort fics (the ones i read at 2am when i need a distraction from all my responsibilities). Warning, this is like... almost all pynch with two or three exceptions. I do not sleep much I listen to music and read/write

One-Shots

Set With Stars by EmiAliceinWonderland

"There's nothing but Adam’s hand hanging out of the open window of the passenger side, wind rushing through his fingers and catching in his hair as he leans out to watch the world flash by. Nothing but Ronan’s fierce confidence behind the wheel of the car, and the buzz of electricity that surrounds him whenever he gets to just drive.  There’s nothing but Ronan, Ronan, Ronan running through Adam’s brain at seventy miles per hour." --- Set a month or so after Pynch get together, just new boyfriends exploring their feelings, their thoughts on sexuality, and a little bit of stargazing.

(this author has a lot of really good stuff, btw

from across the room by djhedy

Ronan gets dragged to a Harvard party, where he meets Gansey's friend Adam and realises he doesn't know how to flirt to save his life.

(this shit is so cute btw i need you to know loser Ronan is such a fun little adoration of mine)

impossible, inevitable by orphan_account

Adam sighs exaggeratedly. “It’ll just be a peck on the lips, Lynch. Perfunctory and boring, just to show Henry that he’s an idiot. It’s not like it’ll mean anything.” Somewhere in the back of his head, Adam knows he’s making a terrible and dangerous decision, but all he can currently think about is the righteousness and pride flowing through him. He refuses to let anyone else tell him how he feels, least of all a rich, entitled Aglionby boy. (Or, my response to the prompt then there's tongue, where Henry thinks Adam and Ronan are boyfriends, so obviously they have to kiss to prove him wrong)

Sizzling Like Your Stare by coffeehanjan

AU prompt from tumblr: You're the cutest waiter at my favorite restaurant. It's not like Ronan has the wait staff rotation of Nino's memorized or anything. ...Except that he totally does.

(gchvkyufhvyughvgvhvh)

These Hands Are Ties by liwellen

“At first, I thought Gansey and I were doing something wrong. Then I realized that it wasn’t our problem at all! It’s you two. You can be jerks but you’re always touching, and kissing, and doing that annoying telepathic thing.” She scrunched her nose. “It’s kind of disgusting.” Adam felt his face burn and immediately said, “That’s not true. We don’t- get off me, Lynch.” He pushed at Ronan who had been resting his head on his thigh this whole time. Noah decided to pipe in. “Like she said. Disgusting.” That was what made Adam and Ronan determined to prove that they could keep their damn hands to themselves.

come, and be my baby by thesehands

“Do you think we would’ve been friends if we’d known each other when we were younger?” Ronan asked. Adam looked at him for a long moment. He said, “Maybe.” “I wish I’d known you then,” Ronan said. A silence stretched between them. “I was alone, before I met you,” Ronan’s voice was the softest Adam had ever heard it. “Yeah,” Adam replied, just as soft. “Me too.” or: it’s 1990(ish). adam is a grad student and ronan is not. they go to the same book club. they meet.

in rolling waves of incidents by littlelionvanz

In more ways that he could ever admit to out loud, he wished he was more like Gansey in this moment. If he were Gansey, he could tell Adam how beautiful he was. How he wanted to keep that smile with him always. He could be free with his words without worrying about sounding like a fucking idiot. If he were Gansey, he would say the right things to make Adam love him. He would be good at this. Or, Ronan and Adam meet via Instagram and they're both losers about everything.

rascals and scoundrels, villains and knaves by shinealightonmen

He's so obviously telling them to fuck off and leave that the second Ronan gets outside he turns right around and heads back to the entrance.

all we do is drive (all we do is think about the feelings that we hide) by orphan_account

Adam had grown used to, had even started to look forward to, these drives with Ronan. He’d come barging into Adam’s apartment at St. Agnes at night, not so late that it interrupted Adam’s sleep but late enough that the sky was dark as could be and the stars were bright. Sometimes he’d come up with an excuse, something they needed to do, other times he’d just say, “Come on, Parrish. We’re going for a drive.” Adam would pretend to be annoyed, but he’d go along without much of a fight. The truth was, these drives were starting to become the highlight of Adam’s otherwise generally shitty week. * (Or, four times Adam and Ronan didn't make out in the backseat of a car, and the one time they did.)

you'll never get to heaven on a night like this by tamquams

Ronan doesn’t know why he pulls into the parking lot of the diner that first night. It isn’t a particularly striking establishment; it looks like basically every other diner he’s ever been to, with large plate-glass windows he can see right through this time of night. It’s completely empty aside from the guy behind the counter, and Ronan figures it’s as good a place as any to spend a few sleepless hours.

an exhale of smoke in the sky by soft ambrollins

Falling in love isn't the hard part. Any masochistic asshole with a death wish and half a soul can do that. The hard part is deciding to do something about it, even when every fucking bone in your body feels like the brake line's been cut and you're hurtling straight off a precipice, irrevocably, all the way down. Or: Ronan's attempts at courting Adam aren't as disastrous as you might expect.

PDA by lizpaige

Five times Ronan was caught off guard + 1 time he was ready for ‘em (aka Ronan comes to terms with PDA after being interrupted smooching his bf a bunch of times when they thought they were alone)

by and by it's a waste of time by shinealightonme

"Gansey wants to set you up with someone so badly, why should we ruin that for him?"

haute cuisine by hoyyanneg

Adam wants to dazzle his hot date by cooking for him. It does not go as planned. For the prompt: "Imagine your OTP trying to cook an elaborate dinner for their friends/families but it’s possible that they exaggerated a little bit while talking about their cooking skills and now they have to face the chaos together."

sings the tune without the words by shinealightonme

Writer's block sucks enough on its own. Ronan doesn't need to also get mocked by some smartass who works at Barnes & Noble.

If you're offering I'm saying yes by EtoileGarden

“Fuck,” Ronan says, pulling himself up on his elbows and shuffling around on the mattress, legs shoving at Adam as he tries to propel himself into a better position on the bed. Adam crouches just off the mattress, attempting to breathe, attempting not to think too much. “You’re like a fucking - shit - fucking wild animal. No wonder Sargant broke it off with you, you’d probably crush her, she’s too small -”

mommy issues by PennyFromTheBlock

“And you don’t like me and that’s cool, but I’d like to get to know you and hang out.” Henry pointed with his thumb behind at Monmouth. “I know for a fact we have more in common than you’d think.” “We both go to the same school and hang around Gansey?” Adam guessed, despite himself.   “We both have mommy issues.”   OR; The one where Adam and Henry talk.

(hey so btw this fic emotionally destroyed me it's genuinely gorgeous and really taps into an aspect of the henry and adam dynamic i think is truly powerful. also, mommy issues.)

Special Delivery by zephfair

Ronan can't stop saying ridiculous things to the hot new mailman when all he really wants to do is flirt and never read his mail. “Got some things for you. Hope you don’t mind I’m taking a little break here.” “Nah, help yourself. You’re hot.” Ronan realized he said it as soon as the words left his mouth. Adam realized it and his water bottle stopped partway to his lips. “Uh. Thanks.” Ronan squeezed his eyes shut. “I mean, you look hot. Like you’re hot. It’s hot out and you need a drink.” Adam cleared his throat. “Yeah, exactly. The old truck doesn’t have AC so it’s cooler sitting out here than in there.” “Yeah,” Ronan didn’t know why he was agreeing but he didn’t know what else to say.

Let's go steal a hacker by zephfair

When the Gansey crew gets a lead on a perfect hacker, they go undercover to recruit him to the team. Too bad Ronan has to keep dealing with a pretty boy college student who just wants to buy his food. Ronan grabs what he needs and after a few minutes, presents him with two perfectly golden grilled cheese sandwiches. “This isn’t remotely what I ordered or wanted,” Pretty Boy reaches out for them anyway. “But it’s what you’re gonna get,” Ronan says and pushes the largest container of sweet tea he could find that Pretty Boy accepts as well. “Well, fuck you,” Pretty Boy says. “Fuck you too,” Ronan automatically shoots back, and he grins at Ronan and if Ronan wasn’t such a hardass, he’d clutch his chest because he swears he can feel Cupid’s arrow go right through his heart.

(leverageauleverageauleve-)

see you, be seen by deathlessaphrodite

Sometimes, when people ask Adam what he does, instead of telling them he’s many years off of being a surgeon, many thousands of dollars in debt labelling him succinctly and what often feels like permanently as student, he tells them that he’s a model.

what the hell is the catch? by shinealightonme

Adam never expected to date Declan Lynch. He certainly never expected that it would go well, but somehow it is -- or it would be if Ronan would stop interfering.

Bruised apples by tartadfresa

The bike rumbles to a halt just before the steps of the main house, and for a moment Ronan thinks maybe he’s hallucinating. Heatstroke. Delusion. One of those weird Barns dreams that still creep in the mornings. But then Adam pulls off the helmet, and he’s real. His hair is dark with sweat, plastered to his forehead. His shirt is damp at the collar. Faded green cotton stretched across his chest. His arms are golden from the sun, freckled like someone painted them by hand. The last time they saw each other was six months ago. Adam kicks down the stand and swings a leg off the bike, helmet tucked under his arm. He carries nothing but a backpack and a look in his eye that says don’t ask. And Ronan doesn’t. He can’t. His tongue feels thick and stupid in his mouth, and his body is suddenly too aware of itself, his sweat, his stink, the way his jeans stick to his thighs. “Parrish,” Ronan says, because it’s the only word that comes out. or: Adam comes back for the summer and stays at The Barns. They’re not dating. They don’t talk about it. Ronan prays and bites into an apple.

Multichapter (i'll mark if incomplete)

Finding That Love Song by LydiaStJames

Ronan Lynch dealt with his father’s sudden death by plunging into music. With high school coming to a close, and without any ambition to go to college, Ronan convinces his best friends to start a band. The only problem? They’re in need of a vocalist, and the young mechanic with the perfect voice is playing hard to get. (In other words, the gang makes a band AU.)

Lynch Lyrics by stubborn_jerk

Inside were instruments as far as his eyes could see. Guitars stood on foam stands, price tags spinning with the air inside, the plastic glare flitting back at Adam like flashes. Violins were on racks, displayed on the walls. There was a magazine stand full of tutorials and chord lessons by the empty counter. There was a drum kit, a grand piano, stacks of keyboards, a harp, chimes. The store struck Adam as out of place, and he looked around the strip of dusty, buttery environment to make sure of this. Sham stores selling cheese and souvenir stands selling cheap and breakable things littered the strip, and the looming building of Lynch Lyric seemed too rich, a diamond in the rough. ----- An AU where Adam's still trying to get out of his situation and the Lynches own a music store.

sunlight feels good now don't it by djhedy

Adam walked into the small lecture hall and headed straight for the middle row. It was early, there was no one to edge past as he made it to the other side of the row and pulled his bag over his shoulder. He had thought about it the whole walk there: he wanted to stand out, he didn’t want to stand out; he wanted his hearing ear to face the front of the classroom; he didn’t want to seem like a slacker, or too keen. He pulled out a notepad and pens and finally his schedule, tapping the end of his pen restlessly against the desk as his eyes ran over and over the names of classes and lecture rooms and. He had thought about this. --- in which adam is an awkward freshman with social anxiety, gansey is a guy who gives touches easily, and his friend ronan calls adam a nerd, which he kinda likes.

The Devil You Know by Sohotthateveryonedied2

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” — [idiom] meaning it is better to endure a difficult person or situation one is familiar with, even if it is painful, than to take a risk with an unknown person or thing. Ethan is still speaking—yelling—and Adam is—he’s a little nauseous. Part of him doesn’t want to be a part of this conversation at all, and a more traitorous part of him wants to call her back, but Ethan still has his cell phone. Adam thinks, isn’t this how everything went long last time? Adam hid paycheck stubs from his parents and got caught in his own web of lies. Now he’s lied to Ethan and he has been caught for that as well. He never learns. He always makes the same mistakes. Adam dampens his lips and chooses his next words carefully. “I don’t understand why you’re angry.”

(caveat/disclaimer this fic is very heavy and deals in explicit abuse, but I also recommend it heavily because the characterization and writing itself is beautiful. read this during a very tumultuous point in my life and it really gave me some perspective and uhhh yeah i have a lot of love for this fic)

Just A Tad by MissLiterary (Incomplete)

Tad Carruthers always knew there was something special about Adam Parrish, but he didn’t quite expect what that was. Set during Blue Lily, Lily Blue, where Tad Carruthers was featured for a total of four paragraphs. Chase your dreams, Tad.

(not pynch, but pynch is kind of... there. in the background. Tad Carruthers-centric. This is a masterclass in building a character out of nothing I became a Tad stan for this fic and this fic alone)

The Look in Your Eyes by SilverOpals394

When Gansey finally manages to convince Ronan to come to dinner with his family at the local country club, Ronan is sure he will hate every minute of it. Until he sees their waiter.

who burns like fire on the rushing sea by asael

When Adam Parrish attends the Royal Academy, he doesn't expect to get tangled up with the nobility - and he especially does not anticipate Ronan Lynch. As he finds his place in the world, they grow closer, but nothing is ever easy. (Fantasy/Medieval AU)

Death in a Tarot Card by emotionalsupportgoth (Ongoing)

Adam Parrish gets recruited for the PSU Exy team, and learns what it means to be a fox. Featuring Adam Parrish's dramatic inner monologue, Neil Josten's dramatic outer monologue, and David Wymack being exhausted with these goddamn strikers.

(IF YOU READ ANY OF THESE FICS MAKE IT THIS ONE THIS IS SO GOOD? Listen, crossovers can always veer into corny or cringe territory, but this manages to balance the themes of aftg and trc in such an intriguing way, the integration of Adam into the Foxes is so well orchestrated. There's a specific scene I'm thinking of revolving Adam "letting go of control" and it's a scene with him and Neil and Andrew that really speaks to the author's understandings of the characters. I was fully onboard for this choice and it was the only way I could see them interacting. This is genuinely so so so good.)

ok that's all i have more but let this be my uh... well. Just a few. You know. A starter kit.

(be proud of me for no self promo. just kidding. these are some of my favourite trc fics. hope you enjoy <3)

gays, i really need you to tell me your favorite trc fics. stat.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Janeway/Tuvok Vibes

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

Aftermath au: Red Letter Day

Barney gets a call that Gordon Freeman had been found after ten years of being missing in action.

Word count: 4382

Notes: Another fic for my au "Aftermath" because I think its neat. I'm not sure what else to put here, enjoy the fic

Barney was beginning to remember how much he hated Winter as he stared through the warehouse window in front of him. Despite it being the beginning of March, spring was yet to come, meaning the snow was still falling with the temperature following suit. Barney had always hated the season, and as much as he tried, he could never come up with a proper reason. Maybe it was the fact it was cold, wet, and dreary, making any trip outside miserable, or perhaps it was the fact he was mainly cooped up inside all day, leaving him to get cabin fever. Or maybe it was a mixture of those two at the same time, along with the loneliness that came from them. No matter the reason, Barney kept quiet about it, realizing he had no ability to change the weather. All he could do was drink his hot coffee and put on a few more layers than usual. 

Barney took a sip from his mug as he looked away from the window, instead focusing his attention back into the room he was in. It was a storage room, full of random junk and scientific doodads Barney had no knowledge of. Boxes and crates were stacked up in piles taller than he was, stacked in such a way that it made Barney nervous even being near them in the case of them toppling over. Due to the lack of a radiator in that room, it was even chillier than the rest of the refurbished warehouse, making Barney glad he was wearing the warmest sweatpants he could find in his closet, along with a worn out grey hoodie, with the logo on the front being so faded that it was hard to make out as Black Mesa’s logo.

As he looked around, he was startled by the sound of a box slamming against the concrete floor, along with a short exclamation. “Oh, blast it!” “You alright, Doc?” Barney asked the other man in the room, watching as he bent over to pick up the fallen crate.

“I’m fine, just…hoping whatever was in here isn’t fragile…” 

Dr. Isaac Kleiner, or “Doc” as Barney referred to him as, was wearing a white lab coat over a robin-egg-blue dress-shirt and black tie, trading warmth for safety at his place of work. His glasses were slipping off his face as he moved boxes and rummaged through everything in the storage room, making it even more of a mess than it was before. 

“Where on earth could she have gone?” Kleiner asked, not necessarily expecting an answer. “There aren’t any vents she could have crawled in, are there?”

“I hope not,” Barney stated. “Last thing I want is that thing to fall on someone.” As Kleiner looked under a table, Barney spoke up again. “You think it ran off or something?”

“Oh no, I don’t believe so,” Kleiner stood up straight, “I’m sure she wouldn’t. After all, she needs to get fed eventually, so I imagine she’ll come out for that.” “If the thing didn’t eat someone's cat or something.”

“Hush!” Kleiner held a finger up to his mouth, causing both he and Barney to become silent as he listened closely. Barney attempted to hear what Kleiner was listening for, but to no avail, hearing nothing but silence. “Fie! I could’ve sworn I heard her moving around…”

Barney let out an exhausted sigh, “Doc, please, there’s plenty of those pests out there–”

“But there’s only ONE Lamar!”

“...Right.”

“Now, are you going to help me look?” Kleiner adjusted his crooked glasses, “Or are you going to simply stand there, doing nothing?”

“Uh…” Barney glanced away, thinking for a moment. “...No thanks.”

“Oh, you act like she’s some kind of wild animal.”

“It kinda is.”

“She’s been de-beaked and trained, and you know this!” Kleiner stated as he walked towards a filing cabinet near the corner of the room.

“‘Trained;’ I don’t think that thing is really…trained. My dog is trained, and I know you can train cats, but I don’t think you can train a literal parasite–”

“Oh! I think I’ve got something!” Kleiner said excitedly, “Help me move this cabinet, would you please?”

Barney reluctantly approached the metal cabinet as Kleiner positioned himself to the side of it, ready to move it as soon as Barney was. As soon as Barney placed his free hand against the side of it, he pushed, with Kleiner on the other side pulling it towards him.

Barney let out a loud yelp when something leaped at him from behind the cabinet, causing him to fall on his back and drop his mug on the floor. It was Lamar, the “Pet” headcrab that Kleiner had lost, and it was even uglier up close. As it laid on Barney’s chest, its six small, beady eyes stared back at him as he remained absolutely still, afraid of it trying to attack him. Its teeth on its stomach prodded at his stomach, along with its chipped, large front claws, which had colorful duct-tape covering the tips of them to prevent them from being too sharp. After a few moments of tense silence, Kleiner came to the rescue, picking up Lamar from where it rested on Barney’s torso, allowing him to take a breath.

“LAMAR!” Kleiner exclaimed, looking at his pet with relief in his eyes, “Oh, delightful! I’m so happy to see you weren’t left out in the cold somewhere…”

“Mm-hm…” Barney lifted himself off the ground, looking at his feet to see his knocked over coffee cup, with its contents spilled over. “Ugh…” 

Barney picked up his cup from the floor as Kleiner let Lamar go, watching as it waddled across the floor before jumping up onto one of the tables. Barney stared at it with contempt, the opposite reaction to Lamar’s rediscovery compared to Kleiner’s joy. 

“Do you even have a license for that thing?” Barney questioned as Lamar sat down on top of some loose documents. “If you don’t and animal control finds it, they’ll kill it–”

“I’m…in the process of getting one,” Kleiner stated, voice stumbling slightly. “And I hope no one finds her, cause if they do…I’m afraid of what you said coming true. I’m sure it will be fine regardless, at least she knows to stay inside.”

“...Sure.”

“Is everyone safe?”

Barney and Kleiner turned towards the doorway that led to the rest of the warehouse, seeing a lone, albino Vortigaunt staring back at them with her four maroon eyes. She was wearing a similar lab coat to Kleiner’s, with a borrowed pair of black dress pants, along with a fitted light brown sweater, with a hole in the middle of her chest for her third pseudo arm. She stared at Kleiner and Barney for a little while before Barney answered her question. 

“Yeah, we’re fine…” Barney sighed, glancing towards Lamar, “We just found Kleiner’s…pet.”

“Everything’s under control, Violet, you can get back to work!” Kleiner added.

“I see.” Violet’s gravelly voice seemed quieter than usual, making Barney’s brows furrow a bit.

“You alright?” He asked.

Violet seemed puzzled. “Hm?”

“Are you doing alright? I have noticed you’ve been a bit…closed off for the past few hours.” Kleiner inquired.

“We have been���distracted…” Violet responded. “I imagine it will be cleared up soon.”

“We?” Barney asked.

Violet didn’t answer. “I must get back to helping the others…the teleporter is nearly ready for its first test...”

“Oh! Wonderful. I’ll be there in a little bit.” Kleiner stated as Violet left the room. Barney remained puzzled, looking back at Kleiner with a feeling of unease in his chest.

“She said ‘we’.” Barney stated.

“I’m aware,” Kleiner responded. “You see, the Vortigaunts are able to tap into something they refer to as the ‘Vortessence’, and are thus all conne–”

“I know, Doc, I just…” Barney paused for a second. “If she’s talking about all the Vortigaunts, then wouldn’t that be a bit worrying?”

“...Maybe, but I'm not sure.” Kleiner stated. “Though, one of the members of the survey team we sent earlier today was a Vortigaunt, and that team hasn’t returned yet so…maybe there is a connection there.”

“Maybe.”

“Either way, I believe i’ll go and speak with her, just to make sure everything’s alri–”

Barney’s phone ringing from his pocket interrupted their thoughts, and when Barney pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open, he saw the number was from one of his coworkers at the hospital. “Sorry, I gotta take this.”

“You’re fine, you go ahead and I’ll go check in with the others.”

Barney nodded, watching Kleiner leave the room before he answered the call and put his phone up to his ear.

“Hello?”

Barney listened closely to the person on the other end of the phone, barely processing what they were saying. 

“What’s going on? 

Not going to believe what? 

So what, why are you telling me this?”

Barney listened closely, all before he felt his heart skip a beat. The sinking feeling in his chest was enough to render him silent, all before he let out a meek “I’ll call you later.”

Barney rushed out of the room, running past Kleiner in the process, nearly pushing him over as he approached the exit. “Barney? What’s going on, are you alright–” “They found him.” Barney’s voice shook as he spoke, with him barely being able to make out the words from how tight his throat was.

“Found who?”

Barney was already out of the building by the time Kleiner asked the question, leaving it unanswered.

Barney saw his own breath clouding in front of his face as he sprinted across the parking lot of the warehouse, nearly slipping on ice multiple times but not giving any time to care. When he reached his car, he swung the door open and crawled inside, starting the engine and speeding off without a single word. His thoughts ran through his head faster than his car was capable of going, slurring together without a single cohesive thought coming through. He didn’t care if he was a few miles above the speed limit; he needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. He needed to see if what his coworker said was right.

If it was truly Gordon Freeman that was brought into the ER, he needed to be there.

When Barney made it to the hospital lot, he rushed through the front doors, looking around before approaching the front desk, out of breath from both the physical and mental strain that was put on him. Through harsh breaths, he asked, “Is Gordon Freeman here?”, with pleading eyes focused on the woman behind the desk.

“Oh, hello Mr. Calhoun, I can look through the system for a ‘Gordon Freeman’, if you’ll sit tight for a moment.” She looked towards the computer in front of her, typing in something and looking through files as Barney waited, his impatience building up inside of him.

“Fuck this.” He pushed himself away from the desk, storming down one of the hallways despite the woman at the front desk telling him he wasn’t allowed to as he was off duty. Barney rushed past hospital workers, asking them if they knew where Gordon was, only to be met with worried and frightened looks along with no answers. Barney’s frustration only grew as he ran through the hospital halls, with the familiar building beginning to feel like a maze meant to confuse him. As he ran further into the hospital wing, he slammed against one of the doctors in the hall, causing him to topple to the ground as Barney tripped over his own feet.

“Sorry, I just have to–”

“Barney? What the hell are you doing back here?” The man questioned as Barney sped past him.

“I’m looking for Gordon Freeman,” Barney answered, turning around. “Have you seen him?”

“He’s in the ER right now,” The man snapped back as he slowly stood up. “You can’t see him until he’s out of surgery.”

“Surgery? Is he safe? Is he alright?” Barney questioned, walking closer to the doctor. 

“Yes, he’ll be fine, just…” The doctor let out a tired sigh. “Get out of here, you’re off duty and risking your job with a stunt like this.”

“I need to see Gordon, alright?” Barney explained. “He’s been gone for a fucking DECADE, and he’s been found again, I can’t just leave him–”

“Calhoun.” The man raised his voice as he glared at Barney with a look of both contempt and pity. “...Listen, just wait until he’s out and I’ll see what I can do, do you understand?”

Barney remained silent for a moment, letting out a sharp breath before nodding. “Alright,” He stated, defeated. “But he better be getting the best treatment in there.”

“I’m sure they’re doing all they can, they understand his reputation–”

“I don’t care about his reputation, if i’m right, that’s my goddamn friend in there.” Barney spat. “...Let me know when he’s out. I need to at least…make sure it’s…the right guy.”

“I’m sure someone will let you know.” The doctor stated. “...Now please go back to the waiting room before I call security.”

Barney did as he was told, reluctantly walking across the hospital premises and back into the waiting room, where he will stay for another few hours. He paced around the room, bounced his foot up and down, fidgeted with his hands; anything to try and pass the time as the minutes passed by agonizingly slow. After he had already been there for what felt like days within the timespan of a few hours, he saw a nurse walk towards him. “Mr. Calhoun?”

Barney’s head lifted up, looking towards the nurse before following her down a hallway. After a couple-minutes walk, they stopped in front of a door leading to a recovery room. “He’s in there,” The nurse stated. “He’s currently sleeping, so I ask you to be quiet and not attempt to wake him up.”

“...Yeah.” Barney hesitated before walking through the door, stepping into the room, seeing a curtain blocking his view of the bed. He paused, standing in place for a moment as he wondered if the face he was about to see was truly Gordon, or simply someone mistaken as him. He wondered if he wanted the answer, or if he’d rather live in ignorance, avoiding the crippling disappointment if it wasn’t the man he thought it was, but as he walked past the curtain, every worry in his mind ceased and his thoughts became silent as he looked at the man on the bed.

Sure, his body was covered with blood-soaked bandages, his right leg was in a cast, he had medical equipment around him, and he was missing his glasses, but his face was painfully recognizable. Barney choked back a sob, covering his mouth when he saw Gordon’s face again.

“Are you alright?” The nurse behind him asked, noticing Barney’s teary-eyed look.

“I’m fine.” Barney whispered before letting out a short chuckle and a forced smile. “It’s just…he didn’t change a damn bit.”

Barney hadn’t even noticed it had been an hour since he entered the room, being surprised when he glanced at the clock and saw it was nearing 10 PM. He sat on a chair beside Gordon’s bed, having moved it from the corner of the room to right beside it. His leg bounced up and down as he looked at Gordon, all before lowering his head and letting out a deep sigh. He wished to speak to him but he was out of words he could possibly say at that very moment, not to mention the wish to stay quiet so Gordon could recover without being woken up. He wanted to tell Gordon everything that had happened in his absence; how Kleiner started up another lab to continue Black Mesa’s studies, how Eli also set up one on the other side of the city, and how Barney had finished college and was able to become a nurse. Gordon missed so much, and even though Barney wished to dump every piece of information onto him, he realized that even the realization that it had been ten years would be overwhelming enough. Thus, Barney figured to start simple, and just talk, like friends, for the first time since the Black Mesa incident.

As Barney leaned back into his seat he felt the back of his head hit something that wasn’t there before, feeling bitter cold yet organic at the same time, like a corpse’s fingers curling around the top of the backrest. He swung around, half expecting someone to be there, yet he saw nothing of the sort, seeing only the beige wall behind him. Barney let out his breath, looking back at Gordon before realizing he should head back; his stress and emotional state must have made him paranoid, not to mention the feeling of his hair standing on end. He stood up, walking towards the door out of the room before taking one last look back at Gordon before he finally left.

Later that night, Barney paced around his living room, being watched by his pet rottweiler as he talked on the phone. “The Survey team were the ones that found him?” he asked.

“That’s what they said,” Kleiner stated from the other side of the line. “The Vortigaunt was apparently the one that found him, specifically.”

“I see.”

“Quite Miraculous,” Kleiner continued, “The fact that Gordon had survived there for ten years before being found.”

“Yeah…” Barney unsurely stated under his breath.

“Nevermind that, what are you planning now?” Kleiner asked. “Should we have some kind of party? A celebration should be in order for him being back, I’d say–”

“I think he needs rest, he’s…been through a lot.” Barney stated. “I’ve thought of him staying over at my place until he can find a place of his own or until he recovers, but we’ll see how he’s feeling.”

“Are you sure? I’m sure we can find a spare room in the lab for him.”

“I dunno if he’d wanna live in a loud lab with a headcrab, doc.”

“...I suppose you have a fair point.”

“It was just so…strange.” Barney stated. “They say it was a ten year coma, but I don’t buy it. I don’t buy it at all.” “What makes you believe that?” 

“The fact he was bleeding. The fact he had fresh wounds from Black Mesa,” Barney elaborated, brows furrowed and his free arm crossing over his chest. “Not to mention the fact he was found with that…suit on.” “What kind of suit?” Kleiner questioned. “Oh, do you mean the Hazardous Environment Suit?”

“Yeah. Why would he be wearing it ten years after the incident was already over?”

“Who knows,” Kleiner sighed, “I’m sure I can talk with Eli to see if he has any ideas on–” Kleiner was interrupted by a loud crash and squeaking coming from behind him, audible through Barney’s phone. “Goodness gracious, LAMAR, NO–”

“You alright Doc?” 

“I’ll have to speak with you later, Lamar got in the vents again–Lamar get DOWN from there, that’s not safe!” After that, the call ended, and Barney was left to himself once again. Barney sighed, putting his phone back in his pocket before he heard a deep ruff coming from his dog, who was laying next to the couch in the living room, with its white patches of fur on its snout showing its age.

“You hear that, Gordon?” Barney said. “You might get a new roommate…a…different Gordon.”

The dog yawned and rested his head on his paws as Barney walked towards the living room couch, sitting on it and resting his feet on the coffee table in front of it. He leaned over the armrest, scratching the top of the dog’s head. “Guess I’ll have to explain to him why you’re also named Gordon, huh bud?”

Gordon didn’t respond, instead just letting out a soft ruff again. Barney leaned back in his seat, staring up at the ceiling before folding his hands on top of his stomach. He wasn’t looking forward to explaining why his pet was named after his friend, he realized. After all, it’s not very easy to tell someone you thought they were dead for years.

As soon as Barney received the call that Gordon was awake the following evening, Barney rushed back to the hospital to visit him once again. As he drove across the city, worries he didn’t think about before began to creep up inside his brain. Even though he didn’t necessarily believe the coma theory the doctors had, nor did he believe even they believed it fully, he thought of the possibility of it being true, and if Gordon would even remember who Barney was after a full decade of sleep. It would be a surprise if Gordon remembered anything after that amount of time, but Barney pushed down his pessimism, trying to be optimistic just this once.

After making his way down the hospital hallway once again, he found himself back in front of the door to Gordon’s room, with a nervous feeling deep in his gut as he prepared to walk inside. He took in a breath and stepped inside, looking towards the bed in which Gordon was laying on, only to have his gaze met by two bright green eyes, ones Barney hadn't seen since ten years prior. Barney froze in place, staring back at Gordon, who appeared to be surprised to see him. As Barney sat down in the chair beside the bed, he swallowed hard, wondering what he could possibly say now that Gordon was awake. As he thought to himself, a question left his mouth that he wasn’t initially planning on asking:

“Where were you?”

The question lingered in the air like a foul odor, with Gordon’s brows furrowing lip quivering slightly, all while he curled his hands into fists. He turned away from Barney, looking down at his feet, thinking of something to say, though his hands didn’t once lift up to sign a single word.

“You…disappear for 10 years without warning,” Barney continued. “Leaving everyone to believe you were dead.”

Gordon didn’t make eye contact with Barney as he spoke.

“I thought you were dead and buried somewhere, Gordon,” Barney choked. “But…You’re here in front of me now.”

Gordon glanced at Barney before he felt arms being wrapped around his shoulders, tight, but not too tight to make it hurt.

“I fucking missed you, Gordon.” Barney said as he hugged Gordon, feeling the gesture being returned to him. Gordon’s hands shook, feeling weak and cold, yet he didn’t want to let go of the single shred of kindness he had felt since what felt like eternity. After a few moments Barney let go, sitting back down with red, tear-filled eyes. 

“...You…missed a lot.” Barney stated; Gordon nodded knowingly in response. “I’d tell ya’ everything, but…I don’t even know how to start.”

“Are they safe?” Gordon’s hands were shaking, but Barney could make out the message regardless.

“Who, like…Kleiner? Eli?”

Gordon nodded slightly, lips pursed in anticipation. 

“They’re alright,” Barney assured, allowing Gordon to let out a breath. “In fact…they’re excited to see you again. Kleiner especially, he’s hoping to get you back into his lab…don’t know if you want to do that, but the offer’s there.”

Gordon appeared to have had a weight lifted off his shoulders at the news, but the cold yet somber gaze didn’t leave his eyes. Barney planned to tell Gordon that they were among the few survivors of the Black Mesa incident, but he bit his tongue for the time being.

“...Never thought you’d be in the history books, did ya?” Barney let out a lighthearted chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You’re a hero in everyone’s eyes, now.”

Gordon shook his head, looking down and away from Barney’s gaze as he clasped his hands together on his lap. Barney stared at him with a look of confusion and worry, all before forcefully clearing his throat. 

“I’m just…happy to see you alive, Gordon.” Barney stated. “After…a few years I began to…to lose hope.” Barney paused for a second, realizing Gordon was still not meeting his gaze. “...Should’ve known you were a tougher son of a bitch than that, I guess.”

Gordon scoffed slightly before shaking his head again, still staring at his feet. Silence fell as Barney attempted to think of something else to say to ease the tense atmosphere, though his thoughts were blank and void of any ideas. Barney looked towards Gordon yet again, seeing he was raising his hands up to sign something:

“Missed you too.”

Barney smiled slightly, despite feeling as if he wanted to cry right then and there. He never anticipated he’d be this emotional in his life, yet here he was; about to cry for the second time that day. Seeing his legally dead friend after ten years of being missing in action was enough to warrant it, he supposed.

“I’m sure the others will be happy to show you everything they’ve been working on,” Barney said, with Gordon finally looking back up at him, before looking directly behind him, “They’ve been working on a new telepor–”

Gordon flinched, staring at something behind Barney before attempting to crawl backwards, nearly ripping off his IV in the process. Barney looked behind him, seeing nothing but the wall before he heard a loud thud coming from the bed. He turned, seeing Gordon had fallen off of the bed and onto the cold linoleum floor. “Gordon!” Barney quickly ran to his aid, holding out an arm for Gordon to grab, lifting him off of the floor. When weight was put onto his right leg, Gordon grimaced, using Barney as leverage as he was put back onto the bed. “Jeez Gordon, what got you freaked out so ba–”

Barney was silenced when Gordon hugged him without warning. Barney could hear him quietly sobbing into his shoulder, and as he returned the hug, he wondered if he had ever seen Gordon so touchy before; It was as if he hadn’t had human contact in days. This time however, Barney wasn’t quick to let go. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his best friend behind again.

Not this time.

[hayconrisa]

ummmm post-canon grace x bam? can anybody hear me? i know it's a crackship but they actually have so much potential if you think about it.

[weirfq1]

with all these gaston crackships/rarepairs that are coming out lately it would be so fucking funny if he had a flig with all the main characters (ambar, nina, simon... hell luna too if you want) and they all know it except matteo

[averlym]

pleaaase may i have 28 and 29 aramour angst ✨ i crave it

28: “Move out of my way before I make you.” // 29: “You deserve better.” (prompt list here)

click for better quality!

[arolesbianism]

Finally fixating on some nugget relationships that aren't horrible for everyone I love friendship <3

[discoreptile]

As of yet unnamed game card art!