#I know it's a lot of tags but I wanted to explain that Robin's struggles are not a trans issue but a sexism issue. Specifically in Japan

[askaceattorney]

Dear EnderGeek,

Not really, because... I'm not trans. I know I passed as a guy, but pretending to be a guy is different from being one in a female body. You know? It's... different. Be yourself, I guess?

- Robin Newman

[eddiesxangel]

would LOVE a follow up to the brother’s best friend eddie fic where adam finds out they hooked up and just kinda loses it. maybe some angst with a happy ending if you do? i love the fic and thought all the details and feelings were perfect!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the first part! I hope this is up to your expectations. 🤗

cw: Allusions to smut, Mentions of depression, angst with a fluffy ending.

Tag list from part 1: @lofaewrites @lavendermunson @imyourdaninow@itsfreakingbats @allthingsjoeq

Wc: 2k

Read Part 1 here

What Adam Doesn’t Know | Eddie Munson x f!Reader

Ten days. It has been ten days since you slept with Eddie, and you haven't heard a word from him since he kissed you goodbye that next morning. He confessed to having feelings, so why is he treating you like a one-night stand? He hasn't taken any further steps since he fucked you. The situation left you feeling angry, frustrated and used. You wanted to talk to him, but you'll be damned if you were the one to reach out first. Sure, you were stubborn, but you also loved him. So you waited to give him another chance.

Eddie thought things would be okay after he got you out of your system. He just needed to scratch the itch that was you. Wrong.

Eddie was even more obsessed with you and didn’t know what to do about it. He knew Adam would be so not okay with this. He has already expressed his disdain about Eddie pursuing you.

Adam and Eddie have been through a lot together. Adam supported Eddie through family struggles and being held back in high school. Adam has always been there for Eddie, no matter what. The guilt is eating away at him...if he's hiding the fact that he slept with you and has developed feelings for you? He was screwed.

You were browsing the junk food aisle at the grocery store. Try to pick up your favourites to help you wallow in self-pity and eat your feelings. Just as you were to reach for the Doritos, you heard your name.

“Tink,” you look over your shoulder.

“Oh. Hi Eddie,” you turn back to face the aisle.

“Tink, please; I’m sorry”

“No, I get it. I’m just another notch on your belt.”

“No. You are the last thing from that, and you know it.”

“Do I, Eddie?”

“Ugh, I know! I know I screwed up. But let me explain? Please?”

“You have five minutes.”

“I’m sorry, Tink. I’m not avoiding you on purpose… it’s just that Adam had said something, and I didn’t want to keep this from him, but I didn’t know what you wanted to do... We didn't get to talk much.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that you and I were never going to happen. That he thinks it’s ridiculous.”

“So what, you believe him?”

“What? No!”

“So what, Eddie? Adam is a moron.”

“And so am I for not calling you. Please let me make it up to you. I want to take you on a date.”

“A date?” Your heart betrayed you by fluttering.

“Yes, a real all-American date. I’ll pick you up; I’ll bring you flowers. I can take you to dinner, then I’ll take you to the movies where we can suck face, and you let me feel you up in the back of the theatre. The whole shebang”

This made you giggle.

“What do you say?”

“Okay, Eddie,” you smiled.

It was late morning, and you were waking up in Eddie's bed. It's been three weeks since you ran into him in the grocery store. You were officially dating' you were Eddie's girl, and I couldn't be any happier.

You weren’t dating secretly because Robin and Nancy knew about the relationship, but you weren’t telling Adam... yet.

"Morning baby," Eddie's gravelly morning voice sent a shiver down your spine. You were both naked under the covers. Eddie's morning wood was pressed up against your outer thigh as you lay on your back.

"Morning," you reply, still sleepy.

"You cold?" Eddie saw the goosebumps pepper your skin.

"mmm hmmm"

"Well, let me fix that," he smirked.

Eddie had you on all fours, screaming his name over and over as he fucked you from behind. He was so deep inside you swore you could feel him in your stomach. He had you so cockdrunk you couldn't form any thoughts. In your opinion, it was one of the best times you've had, but any time you have sex with Eddie, it seems to top that last.

As you flop down on the bed, all blissed out from your orgasm and your limbs feeling like jelly, Eddie gets up to get a damp cloth to clean you up.

You watched as Eddie pulled on his sweatpants and walked out of the room.

Eddie unexpectedly saw Adam sitting on his couch watching TV as he exited his bedroom.

"What the hell?! Shit man, you scared me.” Eddie chuckled uncomfortably. God, he hoped you stayed in the room.

“So this the same chick you keep blowing me off for?” He motioned to the bedroom, obviously hearing everything.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“We were jamming.”

“Shit, oh god, dude i'm sorry, I lost track of the time-”

“I can’t be too mad; she sounded like a really good time.” He winked.

“Adam.”

"What?! You really fucked her brains out. She was all, oh my god, Eddie, you're the best. You're the biggest I've ever had," he said in a high-pitched tone.

You swore you heard Eddie speaking but didn't hear the phone ring?

“Baby, what’s taking so long? I miss you.” You walk out of the room not bothering to put on anything. “Ahhhhhhhhh!” You run back screaming into the bedroom when you see your bother.

“DUDE WHAT THE FUCK”

“Man, I can explain.”

“YOURE FUCKING MY SISTER”

“Well yea but it’s not like that… I like her dude”

“How long.”

“What”

“How long have you been going behind my back”

“Look we were going to tell you”

You bravely walk back out with a shirt and pants on this time

“Adam, calm down, please.” You beg as you intertwine your fingers with Eddie. He needs your support.

“Calm down?!”

“Yes.”

“How long have you been going behind my back, Ed?”

“The first time was a month ago.” You spoke up.

“How did this even happen?”

I found her crying walking home in the rain; she needed a place to stay...”

“Oh well, isn't that romantic... NOT”

“Adam, you seriously need to chill the fuck out,” you ask.

“Fuck you.” Adam directed back to you.

“Hey!” Eddie got defensive.

“You don’t get to be mad right now.” Adam pointed out.

“You’re being so unfair, Adam.” you spoke.

“Unfair? I’ll give you unfair. Eddie you have to choose right now. It’s me or her.”

“What !?” You cried.

“Come on, man...” Eddie begged.

“No, dude. You can’t have us both. It’s either me or her.”

You can't believe your brother. He is being so childish. Can't he see the good in the situation?

“Tink I…” Eddie's voice shook.

“No... I get it. You can’t ever choose me over him.” You tried so hard not to let your voice crack.

Oh, how you wished you were a kid again to wallop Adam.

“You take everything nice thing I have and ruin it. You did that with my stuff and my toys. And now you’re doing it with my real life, and it’s fucked up, Adam. Be lucky that I don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

“They can’t do anything. I’m an adult.”

“Then start acting like one and not some kid who got his truck stolen on the playground.” With that, you slammed the door behind you.

It has been two weeks since you left Eddie's apartment. You have yet to speak to either Eddie or Adam since then. Unfortunately, you both had to go home for Reading week, and your only option for a ride home was with Adam. It was a very silent hour-long car ride as Adam drove home the both of you. You refused to speak to him.

You didn't even know why you respected Adam's wishes; he couldn't tell you what to do! But then again, they were Eddie's wishes as well.

You hugged your mom and dad hello and went to your old bedroom. There, you stayed for the night, not coming down to eat or socialize. Your mother was worried. She knew something was wrong.

“Honey. Is there anything you want to talk about?” She opened the door the next morning.

“Yea. You birthed the spawn of Satan.”

“So this is about your brother...” she sighed. She must be really tired of having to be in the middle of you two fighting all the time. “What happened?”

You can no longer hold in your feelings. The only people who know are Robin and Nancy because you broke down when you returned to your apartment.

“I finally had Eddie! Like he actually likes me back, Mom!” It was no secret to your family that you’ve been obsessed with Eddie Munson your whole life. “He likes me, and Adam made him choose between me and him! So obviously, he chooses Adam!" Now you’re sobbing.

“What? Why would he do that?”

“Because he has to take everything good in my life and ruin it. It’s been that way ever since we were kids.”

“Honey…”

“You know it’s true. So now I’m heartbroken because I got to experience what it was like to be with him, and it was ripped out from under me.” She sighed again as she stroked your hair.

“I’m going to have your father speak to him.”

“Like that will do anything.” You mumble.

The next day, you decide you need to leave your room.

You’re in what you call your depression outfit. A hoodie, actually, it’s Eddie’s, sweatpants, matched with your throw blanket wrapped around you.

You plant yourself on the couch for the rest of the day. Most of your spring break consisted of being depressed and moving from the couch to your bed. Were you being dramatic? Yes, but you needed to prove a point. You needed Adam to see how his selfishness affected you.

"You really still not speaking to me?" Adam finally breaks the silence on your way back to school.

You don't even look in his direction.

"Come on, Tink! This is ridiculous!"

"No! You are ridiculous. You may have your best friend choose between you and his girlfriend.

"Girlfriend?!"

Yea, Adam. We were together. Like together, together. We weren't just fucking behind your back."

"I- I didn't-"

"You wouldn't have because you didn't, let's explain. You made it the Adam special. Like you always do. Newsflash, not everything is about you."

"Well, it freaked me out! I didn't want to lose him to you."

"How could you lose him to me? If anything, you would see more of me, not the other way around."

"Ugh!"

"How is he doing?" You dared to ask.

"He's miserable." He mumbled.

"Oh, Adam."

"Yea, yea, I know I have to fix this."

Adam pulls up to your student housing unit, and you can see Eddie sitting on your front porch. You sprint out of the car before Adam even puts the car in park, running into Eddie's arms, not caring about what Adam sees.

“I can’t do this. I can’t not see you or talk to you. I’ve been miserable without you.” He wraps his arms around you.

“Eddie-” your heart swelled. He was choosing you.

“Please, I don’t care what Adam says anymore. He can get over it. He will get over it. But I have to be with you.”

"Hey, man," Adam greeted.

"Hey," you moved so you faced Adam, but Eddie's arm was still wrapped around your shoulder.

"Look, I uh... I overreacted, and if she makes you happy, then... I guess I'm cool with it." He shrugged.

"Thanks, Man." You looked up to see Eddie smiling.

"I don't want to hear about any more sext stuff between you two. I still have PTSD." He laughed uncomfortably.

With that, Eddie got your bags from the car, and Adam left the two of you to be alone.

You walked into your house, and the girls weren't back yet; they wouldn't be coming back until tomorrow.

"You came back for me." You smiled before tilting your head up to kiss him.

“I was not letting him take away the best sex I’ve ever had; he can get over it.”

“The best sex you’ve ever had, huh?”

“With the best girl I’ve ever had.” He smiled before you led him to your bedroom...

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

hi!!! congratulations on your 1k followers!! your blog is so great and you deserve each one of them!! i wanted to request a ficlet with the following picks: P, zombie apocalypse au, hurt comfort and 🔪!! can't wait to see what you come up with, congratulations again!! -@steveseddie

Aw, that's so lovely, thank you! This one was a lot of fun to figure out, and of course it has grown a little plot already. 😅

My world ends (without you)

Rated: E (for blood and violence)

Words: 997

Tags: Zombie Apocalypse AU; Established relationship; Blood and violence; Steve Harrington whump

One time, shortly after they lost Eddie, Max asked Steve if he never got mad. She didn't look at him, just continued staring ahead, knees hugged to her chest. Her face was dotted crimson from their latest run-in with the dead, like a smattering of extra freckles.

“Do you even care at all? About what happened to Eddie?” 

“Of course,” Steve said, fingernails digging crescents into his palm. “He was my friend.” 

She huffed. “Friend, yeah. Whatever. Point is, I'd be furious at these undead fuckheads, but you? You're so calm. I don't get it.” 

Steve hummed, thinking about how to explain. 

“Of course I'm mad,” was what he settled on. “But you gotta keep a level head, or you'll do stupid things. I got you kids to protect. And besides, you think those undead fuckheads asked for this? It's the damn virus that's screwing us all over.” 

It's funny how he remembers this now, months later, huddled into the shelter of a tree and peeling his pants away from his bleeding leg. Part of him is still hoping it's something else - that he cut himself falling through that window, that one of his last bullets ricocheted and got him, fuck, please anything but this. 

But it is. 

The teeth marks in his flesh, the way the wound is already festering and turning black, tell him all he needs to know. 

“Fuck!” he swears, falling backwards and staring up at the darkening sky through stinging eyes. His hand twitches for his gun - he'd rather end it now than happening upon Robin or the kids later - but then he remembers he's out of ammunition. There's nothing he can do. 

Nothing but lie here and let the fever take him and hope that whoever finds him puts a quick end to it. 

*

He doesn't expect to wake up again, not as himself. When he does, his head is cradled in someone's lap and for a moment, he thinks he's back at their camp with Robin, that it was all a nightmare. But then he realizes he's still in the forest and the pain in his leg hits him like a ton of bricks. 

“-quite the number on you, huh, big boy?” 

Steve's groan turns into a gasp. 

“Eddie? This isn't real, you're dead.” 

Eddie grins, briefly. It tugs on the big, gnarly scar covering his jaw and the side of his face, just where Steve saw him get bitten. Then, his face settles back into grim determination. 

“How long?” 

Steve blinks against the confusion and the fever. “Huh?” 

“Your leg, Stevie. How long since the bite?” 

“I … I dunno,” Steve slurs. His head is pounding. He's burning inside. “Few hours?” 

Eddie nods. “Gotta be quick then. Sorry, this is gonna hurt like a bitch.” 

He places Steve's head on the ground, bustling around with something in the fire he has built next to their spot.

“What’re you-” Steve starts to say, trying to sit. That's when he realizes his wrists are tied above his head and panic kicks alive behind his ribcage. “Eddie?” 

When Eddie turns, he's holding a knife. The blade is glowing orange.

“No,” Steve breathes, feebly straining against his bonds. “Nonono, Eddie, please!” 

“Hey,” Eddie says. “Remember when we first met?” 

The question comes from so far out of left field that Steve forgets to struggle. Eddie’s eyes are dark and serious in the firelight. 

“You said to make it outta this, we gotta trust each other. You trust me?” 

Steve doesn’t even hesitate. He nods. Eddie smiles, brief but pleased. 

“Then let's go.” 

Something nudges against Steve’s lips, something dry and leathery - a belt. 

“You'll wanna bite down on something,” Eddie says, regret in his eyes. “Believe me.” 

Swallowing down the humiliation burning in his throat, Steve opens his mouth. 

“Atta boy,” Eddie praises, but the joke falls flat between them. “Let's fucking do this.” 

And Steve's world disappears behind a wall of pain. 

*

“Y’know,” Eddie murmurs. He's propped them up against the tree trunk, Steve’s head tucked under his chin, fingers combing Steve's sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. “I'd be lying if I told ya I never thought of tying you up and gagging you with my belt, but this was not what I imagined.” 

Steve scoffs weakly, eyes straying down to his bandaged leg. “Did it work?” 

Eddie shrugs. “Think so. Henry says you gotta cut the infection out before it spreads, but how much time you got depends on a lot of factors. Your fever seems to be under control , so that's good, but lemme know if you develop any unusual cravings. Brains, raw meat, that kinda-” 

“Woah, hold on, who's Henry? Did he …” 

Eddie interrupts his ramble when Steve’s fingers find the new scar on his jaw. He allows Steve to map the shape of it for a while before catching his fingers and pressing a kiss to them. 

“Yeah. He's head of a safe zone, about twenty miles north from here. He's a scientist … well, used to be, and … Stevie, he thinks he knows how to cure it.” 

“What? Eddie, that's incredible, where- We gotta tell the others, we gotta-” Steve has hardly startled upright when Eddie guides him back down. 

“Right now, honey, all we gotta do is let you rest. Plenty of time to break the good news to the others tomorrow.” 

And maybe it's the pain, or maybe it's the blood loss, or maybe it's the overwhelming bliss of having Eddie back, but Steve doesn’t find it in himself to argue. 

“Alright,” he whispers, letting his head sag against Eddie’s chest and allowing the gentle rhythm of his beating heart to lull him to sleep. “Just … don't leave again.” 

Eddie kisses the top of his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” 

He's broken that promise before. There's no guarantee he won't break it again, not in this fucked up nightmare they live in. But Steve trusts him. 

That has to be enough. 

Man, that Henry sounds like a swell fella, I'm sure nothing will go wrong.

More celebration ficlets

[talanashta]

Missing Piece

For the prompt "mixed orientation relationship" here for @fourormore

Rating: T | No CWs | Word Count: 1162 | Pairings: QPR Stobin, (Background) Spicy Six Plus Chrissy Polycule Additional Tags: Weird Stobin, Platonic Romance, Robin's POV

Continuation of the "my lonely days are gone" series. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

A/N: Thank you to @devondespresso for their help on this fic!

Steve was everything to her. Before that night in the mall bathroom, before being captured by the Russians, she hadn’t realized she was missing so much of herself, feeling so hollow inside, but once they got home from the hospital that night, she felt it. Being whole for the first time ever.

She hadn’t realized, but she started crying as soon as her parents started walking her away from Steve to take her home. They were barely down the hallway and out of sight from him when she let out a high-pitched whine, freaking her mom out like crazy. (She felt like she was dying. Like someone was carving that newly found piece of herself out of her chest. She had no idea what was happening; she still hadn’t realized that piece was there just yet.)

Then, footsteps came running down the hall to them, and Steve burst around the corner, throwing his arms around her, and that was it. He ended up coming home with her that night, her parents not even bothering to try and separate them.

The next morning, all her mother said was, “He seems like a really sweet boy. Just try not to get pregnant before you finish school, Birdie,” ignoring the face Robin made at her.

As summer wound on, she began to understand maybe why her parents thought they were a couple. They spent most nights together – either the whole night or at least the evening. Her parents weren’t big TV watchers, so when Steve came over, they’d snuggle on the couch and put on whatever they wanted. Then on nights where the nightmares were bad, he’d crawl into her window. (Her parents put the kabosh on him staying the night after the first week or so after Starcourt. Liberal hippies they may be, but she wasn’t 18 yet, so she ‘couldn’t be having sleepovers like that yet’, and no amount of explaining got them to think she and Steve weren’t dating.)

She spent a lot of time at his house too. Mostly any time his parents weren’t home, which was… most weeks now. (According to Steve, his parents left full-time as soon as he turned 18, only visiting occasionally to make sure he hadn’t burned their house down.)

When they weren’t together, she felt like she was lost at sea with no land in sight. She knew he felt the same way, too; he’d confessed it to her one night in August, whispered under the covers in the dead of night. (She was so mad some days at Nancy Wheeler for how much she hurt Steve, and while she knew Steve had long forgiven Nancy, she thought she never fully would. She’d always carry that grudge for Steve, since he was too kind-hearted to.)

(Where Steve fell short, she made up for it. Where she struggled, he picked up the slack.)

Come October, they started a new job together. (She bullied Keith into scheduling them together for most of their shifts, but she was still in school, so sometimes they had to be separate while he worked days.) The Family Video was nice enough.

With her days filled spending time with Steve, the school year seemed to fly by. Right up until March, when Vecna-slash-Henry-slash-One made his grand appearance. (She was missing the prints now on some of her fingers.)

After that, Chrissy and Eddie joined the group.

One day at work, Steve pulled her into the grimy bathroom, the two of them sitting leaned against opposite walls. “I think I like Eddie,” he told her.

“I know,” was all she needed to say back. (Of course she knew. She knew Steve like breathing.)

“He’s dating Chrissy.”

“Yeah.”

“I really like both of them.”

“I like Chrissy, too.”

“Fuck.”

It ended up working out, all four of them. (Which was quite the surprise to her, honestly. And very… forward-thinking for a place like Hawkins. But since there were four of them, two boys and two girls, it was easy to hide. After all, no one ever believed her when she said she wasn’t dating Steve.)

So SteveandRobin became SteveandRobinandChrissyandEddie in their friends’ minds (which was quite a mouthful). They even started all sleeping in the same bed long before they all moved in together.

No matter how close she got with Chrissy, though, or how close Steve got with both of them, it never felt like they felt about each other. (She could feel it deep in her chest. When she died, it’d be the two of them together, whether that was in sixty years or six – hopefully not that soon, but she never knew, what with the Upside Down. She’d never be without him again, and he’d never be without her.)

(If they could become one person, they would.)

(They were already almost there anyway.)

Nancy and Jonathan and Argyle moved in, eventually. She liked Argyle, and Jonathan was okay. Nancy was… pretty, and sometimes they slept together for fun. (But she’d never forget what happened to Steve.)

Still, she and Steve didn’t change.

The kids got older, and the seven of them had additional partners come and go. People they liked outside their Party that weren’t involved in the Upside Down. No one was permanent like the seven of them were. (Though Eden came close. She just didn’t want to move in with them. Robin understood. Why would you want to move out of one rowdy household just to move into another?)

Still, they stayed the same.

Then he proposed. (This wasn’t really a surprise to her, in the end. Without a ring on her finger, no one outside their small group acknowledged how important they were to each other.)

“My parents are going to think they were right all along.”

“I know. Do you think they’d care if I became a Buckley too?”

“They’d love it. Especially my dad.”

“Really?”

“Of course. They love you.”

They kissed for the first time at the ceremony, and it felt like coming home. (There was no heat or passion when they kissed, but she could feel the platonic love coming from him as their lips met.)

So it ended up not being the last time. He’d peck her in greeting sometimes, or she’d kiss him goodbye. (Never anything more or less than a quick meeting of their lips, but it still felt more intimate than anything she’d ever done before.)

(She never kissed any of the other guys in their group, and she never would. Just Steve. He was always different.)

(He would always be different.)

And now they were married, and no one could keep them apart.

(God, she wasn’t looking forward to birthing six kids for this man.)

(...)

(Of course, she wanted to have kids with him. Just… birth? She watched the same video as everyone else in Sex Ed, and she was not looking forward to getting those kids out, is all she could say.)

(The things she did for him.)

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Lost Boys

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Superfam

Summary: After Jonathan Lane Kent wipes himself from existence by canceling his own timeline, he finds himself stuck in the afterlife where he meets Jason Todd. He still wonders about the life un-lived on Earth, and how his parents would've felt about him.

Jason Todd, who is making the most of being dead, struggles with the reality of what he's left behind. He has one wish and one wish only: to send his family one final message.

Chapters: 16/?

Characters: Jonathan Lane Kent (Laney), Jason Todd, Catherine Todd, Boston Brand, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, John Constantine, Raven, Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake

Relationships: Platonic JayLaney

Additional Tags: Angst, Platonic Relationships, Magical Jason Todd, Resurrected Jason Todd, Queerplatonic Relationships, Canon Divergent AU, POV Multiple

Chapter Sixteen: Another Lifetime (Jason's POV)

I carried Laney on my back to the Tower once he finally calmed down enough to go to sleep, and I tried to use the retinal scan. I knew it wouldn't work. I just wanted to alert them without making a lot of noise. "Who the hell are you?" a voice snapped over the intercom. "Can I talk to Donna?" I asked. "Donna hasn't been here in a long time," the girl's voice answered, "Wanna try again?" "Can I talk—?" "Whoa! I'll be right down!" a familiar voice exclaimed. A demon burst through the door, and I would've been frightened had I not recognized the face. "Kid Devil?" I asked. Laney stirred and jolted awake at the sight of him. "You're dead... You were dead. You look too alive to be a zombie," Kid Devil replied. Laney got off of my back and took our bags. Kid Devil hugged me, and I hugged him back. "Who's your friend?" "I could ask him the same—." I elbowed Laney to quiet him down. "I'm Eddie. Kid Devil. We used to be penpals," Eddie introduced himself. Laney shook his hand. "Eddie, this is Laney. I met him in the afterlife," I introduced. Eddie let us in, and we were met by a less-than-thrilled Robin and a new Wondergirl. "You can't just let—. You're supposed to be dead," Tim whispered in shock. I nodded. "Can I talk to you in private?" I asked. Tim nodded, and Laney stood still. I took Laney's hand and dragged him along. "Lane, don't be like that. You know you're my best friend," I comforted him. He squeezed my hand. Tim led us into his room, and he shut the door behind us. "You're dead, right?" Tim asked. "I was dead... But now I'm not. Tim, listen. I can explain most of this. I just need you to let us stay here, and I need to talk to Raven," I whispered. Laney let go of my hand. "We do need to see her. I just want to make sure I didn't do something terrible to you on accident." Tim offered us a seat. "You used my name in front of him, so I guess this is someone you trust. How did you—?"

I started explaining things as we sat down on Tim's bed, and Laney yawned. He was up all night, so I wasn't shocked that he fell asleep. As I talked to Tim about everything that led us there, he seemed to take mental note of everything. After I was done, Tim asked us to stay put in his room, and Tim left us there. I lay down next to Laney, and he curled up next to me. "Can I keep you?" Laney whispered. I chuckled and nudged him. "What?" "You were talking in your sleep," I whispered. Laney took my hand and placed it over his eyes. "Can I keep you?" "You said that to me once. I don't know what it means, but—. When all of this is over, can we do one thing?" Laney asked. I nodded. "Can we go dancing?" I turned and looked at him. "We can go after we talk to Raven. Dance the whole night... Just you and me," I promised him.

"Jason, I have another question. What did you mean about Constantine's book having your name on it?" Laney questioned. "It did. My name was on the spine of the book... So I took it. I've been scared to touch it ever since I found out that the spells work," I confessed, "And I don't know, what if—? What if I have powers now? Or what if I'm some weird immortal meta or—?" "Then we'll figure that out together. We've done everything together so far. No reason to separate now," Laney whispered. I let Laney go back to sleep, and I took some time to look around. Once I found a quiet place to sit, I started meditating. I let my mind drift, and my anger bubbled to the surface. It burned inside me as I pictured my death happening several times over. My throat tightened, and I clenched my fists. Once the feeling of rage subsided, I felt something change in me. I didn't want revenge anymore. Not really. I just wanted to cry. I wanted to cry it all out. "Jason?" a voice penetrated the silence. I opened my eyes and looked Talia in the face. "Jason, how are you—?" "I don't—. I don't know. Did you know your father visited me last night?" I asked. I felt lightheaded, but I needed to know if Talia knew Ra's visited me. "He found you?" Talia asked. I nodded. "I hadn't heard anything about it. Did he say anything to you?" "No. I—. I owe you, though, don't I?" I asked. It never occurred to me how much Talia risked to help me. She never asked me for anything. "Jason... You don't owe me anything. Are you okay?" Talia asked. She reached to touch my forehead, and I shied away when her hand went through me. "How are you here?" "I don't know... I think I've been—." I stood up in the rec room in the Tower and immediately passed out. I don't remember much until I woke up in their infirmary. Tim took my vitals, and I grabbed his wrist. "Jason—." "I was here the whole time?" I asked. Tim nodded. "How long's it been since we talked?" "Maybe three hours... But you've only been in the infirmary for a few minutes. You should eat something," Tim whispered. I took a good look at him and smiled. He was just a kid like I was. "What?" "I like what you've done with the costume," I complimented. Tim chuckled. "Thermal lining?" Tim stood up straight for a moment before releasing a breath. "Jason, did you ask for me because—?" "We're family now, right?" I asked. Tim nodded. "So I can be honest... I wanted to meet the person I was jealous of. When I found out about you, I wanted to hate you... But my friend is my voice of reason. Hurting you wouldn't prove anything. I guess I just want to know you." Tim pulled up a chair and sat by my bedside. He told me everything about his life and where he came from, and I was surprised at how much he lost because of being Robin. I couldn't imagine being him, but I'm sure he couldn't imagine being me. I felt like I could trust him, but I still couldn't tell him about what happened earlier.

[eskawrites]

i’ve been enabled here ya go

tagging @el-fandom-birb and @hellsfireclub bc you’re both very sweet and i’m sorry the erathia movies aren’t real but here’s the closest thing we can get

outline of tales of erathia, a fake 80s fantasy trilogy from a fake story about robin and nancy from stranger things oh god what is my life

(Robin – Lark. Feral child turned Robin Hood-esque rogue. Proficiency with a bow.

Nancy – Tenar. Princess with a mind of her own. Becomes queen over the course of the movies

Steve – Arren. Your typical dashing fantasy rogue. Head of his and Robin’s band of misfits

Max – Moss. A fast and sneaky street kid who gets in over her head and ends up falling into Steve and Robin’s gang

Dustin – Ged. a young sorcerer with a skill he has yet to fully comprehend)

-

First movie:

Arren, Lark, and Ged have been surviving on their own for as long as any of them can remember. They rely on each other and don’t need anyone else. Arren’s strength and charm, Lark’s quick wit and ability to improvise, and Ged’s unmastered yet awe-inspiring power are all they need to get out of any scrap. And they’ve been in plenty of scraps, but none so intense as the one they’ve stumbled across this time: a secret plot to kidnap the princess and use the kingdom’s distraction to take the throne.

But there’s a twist: the princess knows about this plot, too. Young Tenar is beloved by her people for being a perfectly behaved pretty face, but when she suspects part of her father’s personal guard is hiding something, no one gives her the time of day. She has to take matters into her own hands.

It puts her into the path of Arren, who just so happens to know exactly who she is and why she’s on the run. Cue Arren being overeager to save the princess, Tenar being impatient and determined to put things right, and Lark being exasperated with both of them.

This one’s actually a pretty typical fantasy plot. The beautiful princess teams up with the dashing rogue and his ragtag friends to save the day. Along the way Arren, Lark, and Ged run into Moss, a snarky young girl who tries to pickpocket one of the villains and ends up in way over her head. Ged also continues to learn more about what his powers mean���with the help of Tenar and the royal library, of course. And there’s some flirting between Arren and Tenar, along with some jealousy on Lark’s part. But at the end of the day, the gang stops the villain and saves the kingdom. Hooray!

Second movie:

It’s been a year since they saved the kingdom, and life has changed a lot for our heroes. Tenar, now taken a bit more seriously among her people, sometimes, is starting to take on more courtly duties. She finds herself challenging older advisors on her parents’ council and starts wondering what it would be like to just be able to do things her way for once, without anyone doubting her.

Meanwhile, our ragtag group of rogues has entered proper society. Arren was knighted at the end of the first film, and he spends most of his time on duty in the castle. Ged, too, is thriving with the change of scenery. With proper tutors and near-endless knowledge and resources at his disposal, he’s quickly becoming a master of his magic. But Lark and Moss are struggling. Moss gets away with being snarky and antisocial—after all, she’s still just a kid. But Lark finds herself stuck somewhere in the middle. She isn’t allowed to become a knight along with Arren. She isn’t allowed to do whatever she wants alongside Moss. With Arren so busy, she ends up taking care of Moss and Ged whenever something comes up, which means she spends long days keeping Moss out of trouble on the streets or trying not to fall asleep in the library while Ged explains his research. Meanwhile, the people—from common folk out on the streets to the castle guards who owe her everything—look at her with distrust, knowing her background. And with Arren spending most of his days with fellow soldiers or with Tenar herself, she’s lonelier than ever.

But trouble arises in the kingdom once more. Tenar decides to personally investigate something in a nearby village, and she takes Arren with her. (as a note, this is where the slap scene happens: the original script was a scene about Lark being jealous that Arren was spending all his time with Tenar. There’s also tension stemming from the fact that both girls feel useless in their current position and think if they just had what the other had—if Tenar had Lark’s freedom and if Lark had Tenar’s position of power—they’d have no problem at all. So as Tenar is preparing to leave with Arren, she and Lark find themselves in a room alone. This…doesn’t happen very often. They’re extremely different people with extremely different responsibilities and despite saving the world together, they don’t know each other that well. What starts as overly polite conversation devolves into an argument, with both girls throwing unfair judgment at each other. Lark says something awful to her, something along the lines of calling her the spoiled, naïve princess everyone believes her to be, and Tenar hits her. they both leave the scene feeling hurt and guilty, and Tenar leaves on her mission with Arren before they see each other again)

Almost immediately after Arren and Tenar leave, Ged senses something is wrong. He doesn’t know what it is exactly, but he fears the villains they defeated in the first film aren’t entirely gone. Normally he would go to Arren, but with him gone, he turns to Lark instead. Things only get worse from there, and suddenly Lark, Ged, and Moss have to save the kingdom again—only this time, Arren isn’t with them. In fact, Arren should’ve been back by now.

So, afraid, out of her depth, and jaded about the world she finds herself in, Lark has to take up the mantle of leader. She finds not only Ged and Moss looking to her, but the castle guard as well. Suddenly all those people who looked down on her are relying on her to defeat the evil that threatens their kingdom again. Lark finds herself coordinating with the king’s council, organizing the guard, carrying all the power she envied in Tenar—and all the terrible responsibility that comes with it.

Meanwhile, out of town, Tenar and Arren run into their own issues. Their investigation leads to an ambush, and with no backup and no way of contacting anyone for help, they have to think on their feet and rely on only each other to survive. There are no rules out here, no council to convince, no guards to organize. And at the same time, there’s no one else they can rely on. In fact, most people they meet turn them away or are actively working against them. They are well and truly alone. Tenar finds herself surrounded by the freedom she’s always wanted, and faces the danger and unpredictability she never could have imagined alongside it.

The two groups reunite before the final battle in a very Stranger Things-esque way, and after they save the day again, Tenar and Lark find they have newfound understanding and respect for each other.

Third movie:

Our beloved heroes have grown into themselves wonderfully. Lark was offered knighthood and turned it down, preferring her own agency and control instead. But she still serves as a protector and advisor for the kingdom. Arren is Tenar’s chosen knight, but he balances his time a bit better between his duties to the kingdom and his time with his chosen family. Moss is still a handful, but she serves as Lark’s right hand and always has her back (there’s definitely a scene somewhere toward the end where Moss saves Lark’s life—it probably parallels a scene in the first film where Lark saves Moss. Max and Robin got very into filming it and were both exhausted in the best way possible by the end of the day). Meanwhile, Ged is the kingdom’s most well-respected sorcerer, equal parts powerful and kindhearted. Lark jokes that she doesn’t know where he gets it from.

Tenar and Lark are still a little formal with each other, still living in very different worlds. But they get along well enough, especially when they’re with the rest of the group.

But trouble arrives one day when Lark, Arren, Moss, and Ged are hanging out, having left the capital city to camp beneath the stars for a day or two, just like old times. Arren asks Lark, late at night after the others fall asleep, if she ever thinks about leaving. If she ever wants to disappear from the castle, from this life of rules and formalities, and go back to the way things were. She does, sometimes.

They’re attacked the next day on their way back to the castle, a coordinated ambush that ends with Arren gravely injured and all of them having to run. They manage to get out of there, and that leads to the night shoot scene where Lark is scouting the area and comes across a fleeing Tenar.

Until that moment, Lark doesn’t know what to think about what happened. The attack was too well coordinated, too perfectly planned, to be a coincidence. And the only people who knew where their group was going was, well, the king’s court. She doesn’t know why they would betray their group, but there’s no other explanation. She brings this up to Moss and Ged. Ged outright denies it. Moss also clearly doesn’t want to believe her, but she agrees it makes sense. But there’s nothing they can do right now except survive, so they make camp, patch Arren up to the best of their abilities, and Lark patrols the area to make sure they’re actually safe for now.

She runs into Tenar—dress torn, dirt smudged on her cheeks, seemingly running for her life—and she immediately falls back into that defensive exterior she’s built up all her life. She aims her bow at Tenar and demands to know what she’s doing out here, afraid that Tenar is part of the plot, or is a distraction, or—

But Tenar breaks down. “They killed them all,” she says, and then she just falls apart in Lark’s arms. Lark doesn’t let her guard down for pretty much the rest of the movie, but in that moment, her prickly, angry, painfully cautious defenses expand to include Tenar.

She takes Tenar back to their camp, helps patch her up, assures her that Arren will be fine, if a bit slow on his feet for a while, and slowly, gently, gets Tenar’s story out of her.

The attack was more coordinated than Lark thought. At the same time that a group was ambushing Lark and her friends on the road, an entire army was laying siege to the castle. They had inside help—someone on the king’s court, which proves Lark’s suspicions correct, in a way. Another advisor, someone who had always been on Tenar’s side, hid her just in time. Tenar managed to stay out of danger, for a little while, but she witnessed almost everyone she cares for being killed in front of her—including both of her parents. Knowing she couldn’t hide forever, Tenar grabbed her father’s sword and made a run for it. She had to fight a little bit on the way out, but she escaped the castle and ran for the woods. By sheer luck, she ran straight into Lark.

They have to figure out how to regroup from there. With Arren so badly injured, Tenar and Lark find themselves working directly together for the first time. And it turns out, they do so perfectly. They build off each other, back each other up. They come up with a plan to return to the capital and meet up with whatever survivors there are.

Before they do, Arren asks Lark, late at night again, if they shouldn’t just leave. Flee the kingdom, Tenar can come with them even, but they don’t have to risk everything again. This place was never even their home in the first place. But Lark looks at Tenar—sitting with Ged and Moss—and she shakes her head. “It is now,” she says. “We can’t turn our backs on it.”

So they go. They make their way back to the capital city and manage to find where the few knights and advisors who survived the attack on the castle are hiding. They win small victories, and people start to whisper that their princess—their soon-to-be queen—has returned to save them.

Somewhere in all of this, Tenar hatches a plan to take down the villain for good, but it’s dangerous. It puts herself at risk. For the first time since they started to work together, Lark tries to stop her.

(this is the scene that Robin struggles to film—the one that she says could stay in or could end up cut, and the one that leads to her and Nancy’s argument on set.)

It’s not a big scene. In the script, it’s kind of like a dark before the dawn sort of thing. One bad moment of tension before the battle that leads to victory. Maybe a little bit of a revival of their old rivalry. Lark tries to stop Tenar, Tenar thinks it’s because Lark doesn’t believe in her. Really, it’s because Lark doesn’t want to see anyone else she cares about get hurt. It ends tense and uncertain and they both carry that frustration with them into their respective roles of the final battle.

While filming, Robin is so riddled with anxiety about where she and Nancy stand that she just can’t get it right. She starts by fumbling her lines, messing up her cues, moving out of place, etc. It’s messy. Even after she gets those fundamentals down, she can’t quite hit the emotion of the scene. She can’t snap at Nancy in the sharp way Lark is supposed to be speaking to Tenar. It’s not a long scene, but finding the balance between tension and frustration and urgency and fear and care is difficult, especially when she’s already off-kilter from the events leading up to this point.

They call a break, Nancy and Robin have their argument during lunch, and when they return to set, Robin…isn’t better, really, but her mood has dipped. She’s settled into something sad and hopeless, and maybe a touch desperate. It’s not snark. It’s not thrilling tension that helps build the stakes for the final battle, but Scott decides that’s just not going to happen, so he finishes the scene and lets them both go.

(it’s actually not a terrible scene once they go back and review it, but it isn’t what they wanted tonally and it doesn’t quite fit the way it was supposed to, so it does end up getting cut. But, in a director’s release somewhere down the line—after Robin and Nancy go public with their relationship—the scene gets added back in. with some hindsight, and the increasingly popular idea that there’s something more to Tenar and Lark’s relationship than friendship, the scene reads as Lark desperate for Tenar not to put herself in danger. The sharp words and cutting wit might not be there, but how deeply she cares for Tenar is abundantly clear. And there’s a glance, so brief, of Tenar looking at Lark while Lark is turned away, and she looks frustrated and helpless, like there are a hundred things she just can’t say.)

Anyway, cue the final battle. Some losses, some fearful moments, a shit ton of cool fight choreography and epic music, you get the idea. Tenar is a formidable warrior, Arren, Lark, Moss, and Ged work as a cohesive unit, just as they always have. And at the end of the day, they win. They finally win.

It’s a Lord of the Rings-style epilogue, too. A gorgeous coronation scene for Tenar as she’s crowned queen. Moss and Ged both heading rebuilding efforts in the capital city, and a quiet moment of Arren and Lark looking around at how far they’ve come. they all live happily ever after while their actors go on to lead pretty fucked up lives for the next ten years

A few notes:

The ideas for these films are a weird mishmash of star wars, lotr, and cheesy 80s fantasy stuff (willow, legend, princess bride, etc) with influences from stranger things, the plot of the cfdau itself, and maybe a little bit of legend of zelda and wicked and other personal obsessions thrown in later on

There are obviously romance scenes between Arren and Tenar and Arren and Lark. Arren and Lark are by far the more popular ship, especially after everyone starts suspecting Robin and Steve are together.

Max gets typecast as a kid sister character for a long time, which is why she mostly sticks to theater. She has nothing against the role, it’s just not as fun when she’s not Robin’s kid sister

Nancy gets typecast as a love interest/damsel in distress, which infuriates her because Tenar’s character revolves around breaking free of that archetype. She doesn’t turn down roles, though, so she just gets stuck with parts she’s not that invested in

I always wanted the movie trilogy for this fic to be revolutionary for its time—it would kind of have to be to have 3/5 of the main cast be women and the main love triangle be a guy choosing between two girls rather than a girl choosing between two guys. Nancy and Robin wanting to put more depth into their characters’ relationships—and Scott letting them—added to that idea. I also think Lark getting the chance to become a leader—to go from Arren’s sidekick who doesn’t really want to help the kingdom to being the one calling the shots in the second and third films—is pretty big. That was a later idea, though—one that came after I wrote Doris’s character and had Robin think more about the positive impact she’s been able to have.

I’ve said it before but yes there is a tenlark fandom and yes it grows after Robin comes out and yes it grows even more after Nancy and Robin go public. There’s still backlash, of course, but between Robin and Nancy becoming such big role models in the media and the support of everyone else who was involved in the Erathia films, the ship becomes something of a cultural phenomenon.

[cosmicanamnesis]

he tastes like chocolate pt. 5

[part 1] [part 4] [part 6] [read on ao3]

“Sorry about this,” Eddie said again, pulling out of the parking lot behind their work building.

“Hey, don’t be. It’s something to do, right?” The way Steve was smiling at him was so unbearably kind, Eddie could practically feel his heart beating in his throat. Running errands for his uncle wasn’t how he’d hoped the evening would go, but Steve really didn’t seem to mind.

Really, Eddie could have said anything and Steve would be just as eager to tag along. Steve was trying so hard to act normal and not like he would follow this almost-stranger to the ends of the earth if he’d asked. So far, so good, he thought. But god, his heart was beating so fast he thought it might explode. Hopefully the mundanity of grocery shopping would help him level himself out. They were just hanging out, Steve told himself. That didn’t mean anything. He shouldn’t read too much into Eddie buying him dinner. Maybe the guy was just nice. After all, he was buying all his coworkers coffee every day. Yeah. He was just… Nice.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

Lil Buddy:

did you find out what time your party is?

Yeah, he said it’s at 7. And he’s picking me up, so I might not actually be able to get to your place.

Sorry dude.

hey, don’t worry about it. I already said it was fine, didn’t I?

Yeah, you did. Don’t have too much fun without me, okay?

And don’t get injured, because I won’t be able to drive you to the hospital.

lol

"Who’re you talking to?" Eddie said, glancing over. "Did that say lil buddy?"

Steve laughed, slipping his phone back in his pocket. "The wingman," he explained. "They're doing a party at his place tomorrow, too. Just had to tell him I can't make it."

"Oh! You should've said something, Steve, you don't have to come with me-"

"You asked me first, dude. I see the kid all the time. I can hang out with him whenever."

"Alright, if you're sure."

"Why, you regret inviting me now or something?" Steve laughed, as if that wasn't the actual anxious thought that had been plaguing his brain the whole time.

"No! What? Definitely not. I'm really excited for you to come, seriously," Eddie was smiling, glancing quickly between Steve and the road. "I just… Wanted to make sure you knew you weren't, like, contractually obligated, if, y'know, you have something better to do."

"Trust me when I tell you, this is the something better."

Eddie could feel his face turning bright red. Thank god it was dark. 

Finally they pulled into the grocery store parking lot. It was a bit out of the way, further than Steve normally went to go shopping, so he figured Eddie must live close by.

"It's fine if you wanna just wait here, I won't be long-" Eddie said, parking the van close to the building.

"You're kidding, right?" Steve asked. Eddie just shrugged. "It's just the grocery store, dude, it's not like you're dragging me along to rob a bank or something."

"Suit yourself."

Steve followed Eddie around the small grocery store as Eddie repeatedly checked the text Wayne had eventually sent him with the grocery list. Stuff like paper towels and bread and beer and cereal, normal stuff. It reminded Steve that, oh yeah, he and Robin were out of peanut butter, and god knows how long he’d have to be out, he may as well grab a snack for the road too. Eddie glanced over at him, smiling.

“You can put your stuff in my cart, if you want,” he giggled, watching Steve struggle with the armload of things he ended up accumulating as they meandered through the store.

“Oh! Um, thanks,” Steve stepped up closer to the cart and Eddie helped him set things in the little baby seat to keep them separate. 

“I was gonna wait for you to ask,” Eddie said, still laughing lightly. “But uh… You’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you?”

It was Steve’s turn to laugh, pointedly avoiding making eye contact with Eddie.

“Yeah, I guess. That’s what people have told me, at least.”

“I’d believe it.”

Okay, so the grocery shopping wasn’t really helping as much as Steve had hoped it would. Somehow even the painfully mundane was fun just by virtue of doing it with Eddie. Steve watched as he drummed out beats on the shelves while he searched for the stuff on Wayne’s list and rode the cart down empty aisles.

Eddie knew he was being kinda weird, but it was making Steve smile. He was so aware of Steve looking at him the entire time, and it was making him nervous, and that was the one way he knew how to handle it. It worked like a charm on stage, and it seemed to be doing just fine here, too.

Eventually, with everything paid for and loaded into the back seat of the van, Eddie shot his uncle one last text that they were on their way and to please be wearing people clothes when they got home, and made the quick drive the rest of the way back to his place.

As Eddie pulled into the trailer park, he monitored Steve for any kind of reaction, any sign of surprise that Eddie lived where he lived. But if Steve gave a damn, he didn't show it.

They pulled up in front of Wayne's trailer and Eddie killed the engine as Steve got out and started grabbing bags, helping him unload.

God he was too sweet. Eddie just wanted to-

"So this is the mysterious Steve, huh?" a voice called from the trailer across the way. Steve jumped at the sound of his name. A man they hadn’t noticed until then was smoking on his own porch, dressed only in a bathrobe despite the weather. Eddie huffed.

"Good night, Murray," he yelled back, quickly grabbing the last bags and slamming the van door behind him as Steve made his way up to the porch.

"You didn't say he was-"

"Good NIGHT, Murray!" Eddie yelled louder, cutting him off. Their brief conversation seemed to summon Wayne to the door, fortunately for the boys who both had their arms loaded with groceries.

“You must be Eddie’s uncle,” Steve said, halfheartedly introducing himself as Wayne held the screen door open for the boys to bring the bags into the house.

“You must be Steve,” Wayne answered, looking at Eddie before peeking outside to see Murray giving him a small wave.

“Didn’t realize I was famous around here,” Steve laughed as he quickly found his way to the kitchen and dipped down to set his bags on the floor. Eddie followed in quickly behind him.

“You’re not, I swear,” he said, setting down the bags he’d carried in. “Murray and Wayne just don’t know how to mind their own business,” he spat, staring pointedly at Wayne.

Wayne raised his eyebrows slightly, almost smiling as he sipped from a mug of coffee that seemed to have materialized in his hand out of nowhere. 

"Susan's in on it, too," Wayne muttered, just low enough that Eddie could hear but Steve couldn't. Eddie groaned. It felt childish, grumbling like Wayne was ruining his life or something. He was an adult, damn it, he didn't need the neighborhood Olds speculating on his friends and his love life. 

"You gonna help your boy put groceries away or what?" Wayne asked, gesturing with his coffee to something behind Eddie. He whipped around to find, sure enough, Steve had started putting away anything that went in the fridge.

"He's not my boy," Eddie hissed, grabbing a bag to unload. God he hoped Steve couldn't hear them. He hoped what Nancy had said, about the concussions and the swimmer's ear affecting his hearing, would work in his favor just this once.

"Sure, son." Wayne nodded and turned, presumably making his way back to his recliner and his soap operas. Eddie rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the groceries.

"You have a cat?" Steve asked, excitement bubbling under his words.

"Huh? No?" Eddie turned and looked where Steve was looking. Steve looked at him confused and lightly kicked a bag of cat food leaning against the wall. Eddie started laughing. Steve still looked confused. "Oh! No, it's, um… It's for the uh, resident wildlife. Mostly stray cats, but also, y'know, raccoons and shit. Keeps 'em out of the garbage."

"Huh. Clever," Steve nodded. Eddie knew they did some real white trash shit, not the least of which being feeding the raccoons, and he usually didn't care if people knew. Steve, though… He didn't want to seem any weirder in front of Steve than he was sure he already did. 

He didn't expect Steve to think it was clever.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

Steve started looking closer at the stuff on the fridge, slightly disappointed that he didn't get to pet a cat. Though, he figured, if he played his cards right he might get to see a raccoon up close. That'd be neat.

There was actually stuff on their fridge door, which was a relatively new concept for Steve. Back home, his parents wouldn't be caught dead doing that sort of thing. Robin got him in on doing communal schedules and grocery lists on a whiteboard on the fridge, and magnetic poetry which he wasn't any good at, but it was a good laugh. But here? Novelty magnets shaped like vegetables and fish held up business cards and take-out menus, a power bill he assumed was already paid because it was from September and the lights were still on.

There was a handful of mismatched number and letter magnets, mostly spread haphazardly around the fridge door except for one group that crookedly read F UCK TH C0P S that made Steve giggle out loud. His favorite thing, though, was all the pictures of Eddie and Wayne.

Some of them were Eddie's school pictures throughout the years. Two looked like they were from a camping trip: one, a silhouette of Wayne fishing off a dock at either sunrise or sunset, Steve couldn't tell. The other was Eddie, sitting on a rock, tuning a guitar by firelight. One picture had a lot of people in it, clearly taken in the middle of the trailer park. Eddie and some boys Steve didn't know seemed to be engaging in a sword fight with lit sparklers. There was an old picture of Wayne from what must have been his college days.

Steve's favorite was, of course, a picture of Eddie. He was small, hair buzzed short, wearing a paper crown that must have said something like Happy Birthday on it. He was smiling big and open-mouthed at the camera, showing off a missing bottom tooth. At the bottom edge of the photo, partially cut off, was a birthday cake with a lit number 8 candle.

"What are you over there smiling at?" Eddie asked, closing a cupboard and coming up behind Steve. Steve tapped the birthday photo. "Oh good lord, just kill me," Eddie grimaced, immediately moving his hand to cover the picture. Steve laughed and swatted his hand away halfheartedly.

"Aw, come on, Eddie. It's cute! My parents never put this kind of shit on the fridge."

"Really?" Eddie recoiled, looking legitimately shocked. "Thought everybody's parents did mushy garbage like this."

"Not everybody. I mean, don't get me wrong, they had pictures of all of us kids framed around the house but we never got to put stuff on the fridge. Mom said it was uh…" Low class. "It looked messy."

"Huh. Weird… You've got siblings?"

"You sound surprised."

"I mean. I dunno, you kinda struck me as a fellow only child."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve laughed, crossing his arms to feign indignance.

"Nothing! Swear. How many siblings do you have? Where are you in the order?"

"Uh, Jesus. Six, all older. I'm the baby-"

"Actually that makes more sense," Eddie cut him off.

"-but the next youngest is ten years older than me, so I didn't really grow up with them, per se."

Eddie smacked himself on the forehead.

"THAT'S what it is," he yelled, jokingly stumbling backwards at the force of his own blow. "God, seven of you? I'd never survive. How old are your parents?"

"Oh, don't ask me that, you're gonna make me sound like a terrible son."

Eddie cackled as Steve nervously ran his hands through his hair.

"Nah, that's fine. I don't know how old Wayne is, either."

"I'm thirty!" Wayne yelled indignantly from the other side of the trailer.

"Like fuck you are, old man!" Eddie yelled back, making them all laugh.

Steve felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out to check. Text from Robin.

"Huh…" Steve huffed, unlocking his phone as another text came in.

"Is that Robin? Did she strike out already?" Eddie chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning back against the kitchen counter. Steve shrugged.

dont know what ur doing but u have an hour to come get anything u need from the house

vix is staying the night n u know what that means

;) ;) ;)

"Oh. That makes more sense," he said, sucking his teeth, slipping his phone back into his pocket without replying. "Um. Do you mind if I crash here tonight?"

Realization dawned on Eddie's face and he cackled, giving one loud clap before he doubled over.

"Go Robin!" he cheered as he caught his breath, wiping stray tears from his eyes. "Yeah, you can stay here."

"Thanks. Could I convince you to drive me back to my place just to grab some stuff? Phone charger, shit like that? Apparently I have an hour." Steve tapped his phone in his pocket. Eddie spun and looked at the microwave clock. 

"Uh, maybe. Wayne!" Eddie shouted, leaning out into the hall, hanging by the door frame. "What time do you work tonight?"

"You've got time!" Wayne yelled back, answering the implicit question. "Just hurry up!"

"Cool, let's hit the road then," Eddie turned and looked at Steve, jerking his head to the side to beckon him along. Steve nodded and followed after him, pulling his phone back out.

Be there in 20! PLEASE be decent when I get there.

Robin's response came as they pulled out of the trailer park.

obviously

wait where r u?

I'm with Eddie.

R U SERIOUS?????

u gonna stay w him tonight? ;)

Oh my god stop. But yes.

never omg

hey unrelated: r we going to the nerds party tomorrow?

You can if you want. Eddie invited me to a different party so I'll be with him.

jfc just fuck him already

Tempting, but he's driving right now.

"The hell- Did you just take a picture of me?" Eddie looked between Steve and the road a few times before settling back on paying attention to where he was going.

"Yeah," Steve laughed. "Told Robs I'm with you, need a picture for proof."

"Gotcha," Eddie said skeptically. 

its dark dingus i can barely see whos in the picture

i assume its eddie

Haha, sorry, yeah.

Eddie snuck glances whenever he could at Steve's phone screen, enough to catch Robin's suggestive comment. Steve was wrapped up in their conversation the whole ride back into town, perfectly silent the entire drive.

"Gonna need you to direct me from here, dude," Eddie said, tapping Steve's shoulder to get his attention once they got back downtown.

"Oh! Duh. Um, keep going straight until you hit that light, then turn left. There'll be a parking lot on the right a few blocks down, just pull in there."

"Aye aye, captain," Eddie said with a little salute that made Steve giggle. He followed Steve directions and pulled into a parking lot that he hoped was the right one.

“Cool. Um, you can come up if you want,” Steve said, halfway out of the van.

“Yeah, uh, as much as Robin’s den of depravity sounds like the event of the year, I think I’ll pass.”

“Probably the smart choice.”

Steve shut the van door and ran across the street, fishing keys out of his pocket. Eddie watched as he unlocked the door to the building, nestled in between a pawn shop and a convenience store. Once Steve was out of sight, Eddie pulled his phone out. In his brief absence, the group chat he was in had blown up, and he had a few missed calls from his friends.

Dustpan: is anybody bringing real food to the party tomorrow?

Garebear: Do you guys not have food in your house?

Microwave: not enough to feed all of us!

Leia: yeah, unless you guys want ramen and cheese its all night, we’re going to need to go shopping

Dustpan: which is why I’m asking

Wildred: I’m off work in an hour, I can pick something up if I need to

JIF: How did I know this would happen?

JIF: I just bought like 6 bags of pizza rolls because I knew this would happen.

JIF: Will you might wanna get chips or something

Microwave: get a veggie tray

Garebear: Jesus Christ Mike what are you, 80?

Garebear: a VEGGIE TRAY??

Wildred: lol I’ll grab some stuff. Other than Mike, does anyone have any requests?

Dustpan: depends, where are you going?

Wildred: … The store.

Dustpan: okay, WHICH store, asshole?

Leia: unrelated, but we’re out of coffee so if you’re going to the store could you grab some?

Wildred: That depends on the requests

Wildred: Yes I’ll get coffee

JIF: That is VERY related as I’m sure we will be drinking your coffee in the morning

Garebear: Tru

G-Man: I can bring chips Will don’t worry about it

Wildred: I’m getting pita chips and hummus and nothing else if you guys don’t tell me what you want

Garebear: Nooooo can you get jalapeno cheetos

JIF: Oh shit, yeah, seconding the cheetos

Wildred: Sure

Dustpan: ANYWAY I asked because I want those bulk plantain chips we get but if you aren’t going there then I’m good.

Wildred: I can get your stupid plantain chips, yes

Microwave: do we have eggos? el just texted me

Leia: WHY are you asking the groupchat that?

Microwave: bc i can hear one of you in the kitchen but i don’t know who it is

Microwave: and i don’t want to yell

Dustpan: it’s me, yes we have eggos.

Wildred: Lucas, do Max or Erica want anything?

Leia: please hold

Leia: max also wants jalapeno cheetos. erica wants pocky or oreos

Dustpan: we have like three different kinds of oreos. don’t buy oreos.

Microwave: we have oreos?? since when??

Dustpan: since like, thanksgiving break dude. if you ate more than dino nuggets and mac n cheese maybe you’d know that.

Microwave: hey. harsh

Microwave: i eat other stuff. i JUST asked for a veggie tray

Dustpan: yeah, because you use vegetables as a vessel for ranch.

Wildred: Eddie, do you want anything?

Microwave: also occasionally cheese, don't be reductive

Dustpan: there is something deeply psychologically wrong with you, you know that?

Wildred: Does anybody know what Eddie’s doing right now? I called him but he didn’t answer

Garebear: He never answers his phone, dude

Dustpan: huh. yeah, he didn’t answer me either.

Garebear: His phone has been on silent the entire time he’s had it

JIF: He should be off work by now, idk where he is though

Garebear: Dude. Did you just try to call him too? 

can you get me icecream?

Dustpan: eddie!

Wildred: Yeah man, what kind?

idk cookie dough or something? brand doesnt matter

JIF: He likes Ben and Jerrys

okay yeah but thats expensive

Wilma: lol I’ll see what I can find

you are a benevolent host

One of these days he'd need to come up with a funnier nickname for Grant.

--------------

the hellfire club groupchat is my pride and joy. also, i'm sure you all noticed, we officially have a title and, in turn, we're live on ao3! this part will go up on ao3 later today, i'll link it back here when it does!

tagging: @original-cypher @avacrebs @dangdirtydemons @rainydays35 @changenamelater @phantypurple @alienace @renaissan-vvitch @krazyperson @steddiereid @kittsu-makes-glass @i-must-potato @jaywhohasthegay @henderdads @mightbeasleep @straight4joekeery @sharingisntkaren @micheledawn1975 @thehumblefigtree @goodolefashionedloverboi @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @potentialheartofdarkness @dreammetheworld08 @steveisabicon @biatcgh @alittlegreyfish @r0binscript

[captainkirkk]

Wanted to jump in the fic rec train, do here’s a few fics that have utterly destroyed me over the years:

The Dark Below by DarthPeezy (44 chapters; Complete): BNHA au where Izuku’s quirk connects him to an eldritch dimension every time he dies. Absolutely killing imagery, huge story arc, and queerplatonic relationships amongst lovecraftian horror. Main characters are Izuku, Todoroki, and Tokoyami. Fair warning though, author has no mercy and character death for absolutely anyone is fair game. To take some of their own tags: Grimdark, Politics, and Philosophy. Definitely crossed into the dead dove do not eat territory at times.

Embers by Vathara (91 chapters; Complete): Absolutely MASSIVE fic, took me the better part of a week to finish but was honestly the highlight of my quarantine. Absolute beast of a fic with indepth character study, and our boy Zuko struggling to survive after he’s learned a new technique of healing fire. Political intrigue, deep dive into the spirit world, and absolutely a lot of grey morality, murder, and genocides. Really focuses on the four nation’s cultures with phenomenal world building, and takes a look at the fire nation in a complex light of a nation who was driven into war due to past events. Fair warning, might seem like there’s character bashing at times, but gets explained nicely through different view points. If i had to choose a single fic to reread for the rest of my life, it’d be this one.

Our capacity to love increases with each person we cross paths with by Iriascend (15 chapters; Complete): my heart has not yet recovered from this fic. Deeply poetic, wonderful writing, and spot on platonic relationships. Tim is an AI first created by Bruce, who grows and learns until he’s almost a commentary on what exactly it takes for someone to be human and love as well as what it means to be Robin. If you want a confident and absolute badass Tim Drake, this is the fic that embodies it. A much lighter read both physically and emotionally than the previous two despite the canonical character death. As the author states in the summary: this fic is basically an Emotion.

By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller (4 chapters; Complete): Wei Ying comes back in Mo XuanYu’s body, but instead of traipsing around alone, he goes to Lotus Pier where he reveals himself to Jiang Cheng. Now, Wei Ying poses as Wu Yingtai, who’s rumored to be the future wife of JC. I don’t know how, but the author just writes in a way that makes WWX’s relationship with gender so inherently natural and completely in character. My favorite tag: “cockblocked from your true love because everybody thinks your engaged to your brother”. In other words, Lan Wanji falls in love with the same person TWICE, and is agnsty about it. Happy endings all around though.

First two fics are a lot darker, so be warned. Happy reading!

Thank you!!

[gretahayes]

tagged by @yj-98 !

RULES: Reveal the titles of the documents in your WIP folder and tag as many people as there are documents. Let others ask questions about the ones that interest them and post snippets or explain the contents as you see fit!

okay so;

timbart sugar relationship.

LPoD au

timbart; robin plus impulse ending

kon pov; part time soulmate, full time problem

post rr au—dick tim and damian and blackbird.

gods amongst mortals and the way they hold themselves back—speedsters.

short story #2

short story #3 (side note: i am. so good at naming things)

painting nails—Bart & Jesse

timtam

hey brother au snippet #4; damian struggles with change

bart & cissie; during impulse. (bart is never fully present. cissie endeavors to find out why.)

hey brother au—superkids/team nepo babies

mama’s little shadow

bart coped badly when he thought max was dead; they talk about it

reverse robins—tim

roy and grant and rose and lian; family

bart and romance (and maybe the women in his life who knows)

flashfam, things meloni learns about family while with the allens

this is a lot...i cannot tag that many people godbless.

Tagging: @burritowitch @gretaghostgirl @roseandgold137 @paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 @spookyprime @val-el and whoever else wants to join!

[justonemorewallflower]

Fic Tag Game!

I was tagged by @iamfandomcrazy

Thank you! I was hoping I'd get the chance to answer these!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

24

What's your AO3 word count?

92,829

What fandoms do you write for?

On AO3, Wednesday. I only have Wednesday fics posted on AO3 but elsewhere like Wattpad I have some Harry Potter and Stranger Things. I do want to start posting some Ronance on AO3

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Condolence (Wyler, 339)

2. Jealousy (Wyler, 274)

3. Freckles (Wyler, 251)

4. Bitter Coffee (Wyler, 227)

5. The Beach & Realization (Wyler, both tied at 219 kudos)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to respond to all of them albeit sometimes I forget or procrastinate to do so

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably In The Middle Of The Night or Death's Goodbye. I haven't finished A Pain Worse Than Death yet, but that will have a pretty angsty ending too

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A Night To Remember, Realization, or Welcome to the Family

Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, not that I know of! Most of the comments I get, if not all, are positive

Do you write smut? What kind?

Yes, I do. I got into it too rather recently (back in summer) as I did a kink bingo writing event. A lot of it is kinky, obviously lol. Beyond that I'm not sure how to explain it cause they each vary/are pretty different from each other. Some are really out there/dirty and others are more tame, just depends on the fic

Do you write cross-overs?

No. I wrote a bit of one in the past for Narnia x Harry Potter, but I never did anything with it and I haven't written any since then. Unless you count Omegaverse, no

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so. I remember someone asking me at one point if they could translate one of my fics but I never checked to see if they actually did so I'm not 100% sure

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've helped other writers with ideas for their fics and they have helped me with ideas for my own but that's the extent of collaboration I've done for writing fics

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh God, where do I start? I'd love to finish A Pain Worse Than Death but low-key don't know if I will. I also would love to finish some other AUs I have in my drafts like my Wyler Circus AU and my Wyler Goody Two shoes/Rebel AU, as well as some Ronance fics I have in my drafts

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Honestly, probably Wyler. But beyond them I also adore Ronance (Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler) and Shirbert (Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe)

What are your writing strengths?

Grammar and I like to think I'm decent at descriptions and characterization

What are your writing weaknesses?

Tense! I always subconsciously switch between past and present tense and it drives me insane!! It's something I always have to go back and fix/check for. And maybe dialogue, sometimes I struggle with that. As well as just finishing projects before starting a new one lol, I always have like 500 million drafts all at once that I'm working on

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it's fun to do sometimes but I don't do it much and if I do I try to do a language I am partly fluent in (like Spanish) or do a lot of research beforehand to ensure it's as accurate as I can get it

First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter I'm pretty sure

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Maybe Coffee Memories (I really like the characterization in this one) or A Pain Worse Than Death (the angst is just so delicious) or Scars Never Leave (I like the sort of hurt/comfort of this fic) or Safe Haven (it's the only Madwheeler fic I have and I like the angst and tone of it but I wrote it several years ago so it needs updated a lot) and then a lot of ideas that are just in my drafts

What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

Condolence because the first half of chapters are very short and lack content and I'd like to fix that, to try and make chapters more similar in length (like at least not like a 400 word chapter then a 3000 word chapter right after each other, yk) and Safe Haven (it's alright but could use some work to be more consistent in its plot and so it would work better, I'd just like to update it with my more recent writing style and knowledge since it's a few years old)

I tag @cosmic-lullaby @katwitchwriting (sorry if either of you have been tagged already!!)

[galaxymagitech]

I don’t know if an explanation helps or hurts, but…I like explaining things.

Firstly, Red Hood’s relationship with the rest of the family varies so wildly in the comics that it’s entirely your choice. Early Red Hood nearly killed Bruce, Tim, and Damian (although people mostly focus on the time he broke into the Teen Titans’ headquarters to randomly attack Tim). Current Red Hood doesn’t kill, is part of the family, and seems to have some respect for Tim. In happy stories, Red Hood disagrees with Batman but still loves him and has a rivalry or friendship with his siblings. In angstier stories, Red Hood is actively fighting the Batfamily. I’d assume you’d want to go with the former situation, but I could be wrong.

For the rest, I italicized some fanon info too, since crossover Batman fanfics are often based largely on fanon.

Tim was Robin after Jason. He figured out Batman’s identity at 9. After Jason died, Tim decided that Batman was getting too reckless and insisted on becoming Robin to help. Tim is generally known for being intelligent and sleep deprived. Fanon has him drink lots of coffee, stalk the Bats to take pictures as a kid, and sometimes run Wayne Enterprises (equivalent of Stark Industries).

Stephanie (Steph) is the daughter of a minor villain. She became Spoiler to defeat him. She has also been Robin and Batgirl, but is normally depicted as Spoiler. She has dated Tim. Fanon has her being obsessed with purple and waffles.

Duke is Signal. While most of the Bats work at night, he works during the day. He’s the newest of the main Bats, and can manipulate light. Fanon has him be the most “sane” Batkid, but he’s far from sane.

Cass was trained by her father to be an assassin. She was not taught to speak, so she struggles with that to varying degrees, but she’s great at reading body language. She has been called Orphan, Black Bat, and Batgirl, and you can basically call her whichever you want. Fanon has her play a mediator role in the family, but she’s not very in touch with her emotions.

For Good Measure:

Dick is the first Robin. His parents were members of a circus, and were murdered. Dick became Robin at 8 or 12 to avenge them. Dick is generally an optimistic and compassionate person, but he can get angry and have huge, blowout arguments. He’s probably got the best people skills of the Batfamily. Fanon usually swings towards him being very angry or very cheerful.

Jason was the second Robin. He lived on the streets for a bit and Bruce found him stealing the Batmobile’s tires. The Joker killed him when he was 15, and he came back angry that Bruce didn’t avenge him. He alternates between following and breaking the No-Kill rule. Fanon makes him a literature nerd, and specifically has him focus on protecting Crime Alley, where he grew up.

Damian is the current Robin. His mother is an assassin, Talia al Ghul, and he is Bruce’s bio son. He can use a sword, is sometimes overly formal. He cares a lot about animals and has a bunch of pets, but can be downright murderous towards people in some portrayals. Fanon takes his formal speech up to 11, and leans into “stabby gremlin.”

Batburger is a Batman-themed chain restaurant. Meals come with figurines of one of the Gotham vigilantes. You can get your fries “jokerized”, which means they decorate them green and purple. (You asked what this is in the tags.)

Anyway, I love answering questions and explaining things about my special interest, so please tell me if you have any more questions. Good luck with your fic if you do decide to write it!!!

I’m tempted to write one of those “Spider-Man ends up in Gotham!” fanfics except I literally have not read a single Batman comic 💀. I don’t know who the hell Duke, Tim, Stephanie, or Cass are and at this point I’m too afraid to ask lol. Like. It’s a coin flip on whether Red Hood loves or despises the Bats in the fanfic and I don’t know what to believe anymore-

[hawkins-losers]

Head first, fearless | Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: When Steve is pulled underwater by something coming from the underwater gate, you don’t hesitate and jump in 

Word count: 0.9k

Request: i would love to read 8 + 46 from the prompts list w steve harrington x reader, haven't seen as many steve fics as I'd like yet haha (8. running fingers through your lover's hair + 46. a swirling reunion kiss)

A/N: I posted this last night in another format, but it didn’t show in the tag so I’m posting it again

** keep sending numbers from this list

-

Water gushed loudly as Steve emerged to the surface, spooking everyone. Splashes of water hit you as relief washing over you. He was okay.

‘’I found it,’’ he said, out of breath.

He might be one of the best swimmers of Hawkins, holding your breath one minute and half underwater was still hard on the body.

‘’You found it?’’ you repeated.

Steve nodded. ‘’I found it. Yeah. I found it.’’

He swam up to the edge of the boat and grabbed the wooden gunwale.

‘’It’s pretty wild,’’ he explained, keeping his sentences short as he tried to catch his breath.  ‘’It’s more a snack-size gate than the mama gate, but still pretty damn big-’’

His sentence was cut short as something pulled him from under, making you all scream.

‘’Steve!’’ 

You rushed to the edge of the boat, making it swish in your wake, and tried to look through the water as your life transformed into a real-life horror movie scene. For safety measure, Eddie grabbed your arm to make sure you wouldn’t fall over and get pulled under too. One person down was already too much.

‘’Y/N, what happened?’’ Robin asked, just as scared and confused and panicked as you and Eddie were. 

You wish you had an answer for her, but you were just as clueless. What you knew was that Steve had been pulled under and likely through the gate. He could be in danger, deadly danger - who knows what’s on the other side of the gate -, and for that reason alone, you looked over your shoulder at Eddie. ‘’Let go of me.’’

He did, but regretted immediately, realizing what you were about to do.

‘’Wait, wait, wait!’’ Eddie said, trying to stop you. ‘’You’re not going in there, are you?’’

‘‘If the person you loved would’ve gotten pulled underwater by god knows what, you would’ve done the same.’‘

You didn’t wait for Eddie’s response, and jumped.

Upon arrival on the other side of the gate, your ears were blessed with the sound of creatures chittering mixed with thunder. It was almost ear-deafening level with Tammy Thompson’s singing.

You had never been to the Upside Down, but its ambiance had the vibe of a red-lit storm without the rain - and with lots of black vines and other deadly creatures.

You were quick to spot the boy you were looking for, on the ground, screaming in struggle and pain while trying to fight off these supernatural bat-like creatures latching onto him, biting and choking him.

Your jaw clenched and you took a look around, looking for a weapon or something to fight these creatures. They weren’t going to get him without a fight. You grabbed an abandoned paddle from a boat that must've been swallowed by the gate and went to Steve's help.

He was surprised, but very happy to see you coming to his rescue.

Hand clenched around the wood, you began smashing the creature’s head with the broken paddle to get it to loosen its hold on Steve’s neck. ‘’Not my boyfriend, you bitch!’’

Everyone seemed to have followed you because Robin and Eddie appeared by your sides in reinforcement, holding paddles too and bashing at the creatures.

Robin stepped on the bat’s tail while you hit its head, making it scream. At Steve’s feet, Eddie was swinging at them baseball-style. It was great teamwork.

While you were focussed on getting the creature off of Steve, one of them latched itself onto your back, biting and feeding on you. You let out a scream at the bite’s pain, catching Robin’s attention.

‘’Y/N!’’ Robin called, abandoning her position to help get the bat off of you.

On the ground, Steve was left to himself. He wanted to help you, but he had to free himself first.

The next twenty seconds were a blur as you let go of the paddle, the pain of the creature feeding on you becoming too much for you to keep helping your boyfriend. Robin pulled at the bat’s tail, trying to get it off.

Steve’s survival instinct kicked in and he bit the creature, which made it loosen its hold enough to free himself of its hold. He grabbed the bat by its tail and stood, then smashed it on the ground repeatedly and with full force and anger - and adrenaline - killing it in the end by tearing it in half.

Once the creatures were all dead, that it was over - at least, for now -, you ran up to the boy you had jumped in for.

‘’Steve! Steve, are you okay?’’

Although he was standing and seemed to be alright, you needed his words of confirmation.

‘’Well, they took about a pound of flesh.’’ Steve paused, gasping for air. ‘’Other than that, never better.’’ He spat out the blood he got in his mouth from biting the creature, grimacing in disgust. Vampirism was not his thing.

You grabbed his shoulder and studied the extent of the injuries. He had a red and yellow-ish bruise around his neck from the creature strangling him and a nasty gash on his right side where the bat fed on him the most.

‘’Okay, let’s never do that again,’’ Eddie said, not used to the supernatural shit. At least, not in real life.

‘’Do you guys think these bats have rabies? Because if they do, once they bit you, you’re already dead-’’

Robin’s voice was drowned as you grabbed Steve’s face and kissed him hard, forgetting about him biting a bat and spitting its blood out less than a minute ago. He was there, and he was okay. That’s all that mattered to you.

Your hands shifted from his face to the back of his neck, fingers running through his hair and wrapping your arms around it as you felt his wrap around you, just as relieved to finally see you, touch you and hold you.

Steve didn’t say it out loud, but when the vine grabbed him by the foot and pulled him underwater, he thought he’d never see you - or anyone - again.  

The angle was causing a straining pain in his side and he was probably getting blood on your shirt, but you didn’t care at this point.

‘’Never jump in a lake again, Harrington, you hear me?’’

[aurorasulphur]

Fic Recs: Batfam Longfic

Longfic here meaning over 50,000 words, for the series as a whole or for the individual fic being recced. In alphabetical order by author.

Cor et Cerebrum by audreycritter (series)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/549964

Ratings/Warnings: Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: Bruce Wayne and HEALING

Word count: 561,520 (series), 86,122 (first fic)

Author summary: Bruce Wayne deals with a serious illness, one that threatens the most crucial part of himself. He and the family try to cope with their own fears and expectations about it and then the aftermath. This is written partly as character study, partly as family drama. Originally posted to tumblr.

My pitch: Bruce has a brain tumor. Dealing with it is a family affair.

Tag teaser: No one knows how to deal with shit, Family Drama, sibling relationships, It Gets Better, tim saves the day again and again, No Character Death, Recovery Story

My comments: This was recced to me by a friend (*waves at DAZebras*) when I said I wanted more longfic Good Dad Bruce recs. It’s an excellent series, though you should be aware going in that it heavily features an OC. Series is ongoing but doesn’t feel incomplete.

Emotional Motion Sickness by Batbirdies (series)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529249

Ratings/Warnings: Teen, General, Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: First two fics: Bruce Wayne. Third: Jason Todd

Word count: 348,451 (series), 23,132 (first fic)

Author summary: A series beginning with Bruce Wayne finally deciding to go to therapy, and the ripple effect afterwards. Most will be hurt/comfort in some fashion with a lot of Bat Dad, a lot of sibling relationships and a lot of Jason Todd because he’s my fav.

This is something of an attempt to consolidate both Bruce’s original characterization pre-crisis, and his more current one, to explain why he is as he is now, and to get him back to where he once was. A good dad who struggled with his own shortcomings and cared about his kids.

My pitch: Bruce goes to therapy!!! And it helps!!!!!!!!

Tag teaser: Bruce Wayne is Working on Becoming a Better Parent

My comments: Fics one and two are a separate arc (in my opinion) from the third fic. I actually read the third one first and it didn’t cause any issues. Series is not marked as complete but feels complete.

Minimum Height Requirement by Drag0nst0rm

Link: http://ao3.org/works/12694770

Ratings/Warnings: Teen And Up Audiences, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Central Character or Relationship: Bruce & his kids.

Some background ships are Dick/Babs and Steph/Tim.

Word count: 66,463

Author summary: Somewhere in the multiverse, there's a universe where letting his children dress up in capes and follow him into vigilantism seems like a good idea.

Bruce is determined that it isn't going to be this one . . . Despite his children's repeated attempts to convince him otherwise.

(Or: "When you're eighteen, you can do what you want. Until then, no capes.")

My pitch: Good Dad Bruce tries really really hard to keep his kids from becoming capes. Success is… mixed, to say the least.

My comments: While not actually in the “Bruce kidnaps multiversal variants of his kids in order to give them a better life” genre, it spiritually feels like it, because of the type of AU. (This is high praise.)

Robins and Other Flightless Birds by Ionaperidot

Link: http://ao3.org/works/15607170

Ratings/Warnings: Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: Bruce & his kids.

Background Selina/Bruce and Tim/Kon,

Word count: 84,920

Author summary: It begins with another Bruce, looking around his cave and asking, “So where are the kids?”

Bruce has never thought about having a family before. But once the idea occurs to him, it's hard to think about anything else.

My pitch: The prototypical entry in the “Bruce kidnaps multiversal variants of his kids in order to give them a better life” genre.

Tag teaser: Dick Grayson is a Talon, catatonic jason, tim drake was joker junior, bruce wayne's messiah complex, in which bruce runs around the multiverse collecting orphans

My comments: I am a sucker for anything in this genre and this fic has kind of become the bar to meet! Bruce does fuck up a bunch but he is TRYING so much more than he ever did in any of the kids’ home universes.

Crooked Arrows Flown True by Ionaperidot

Link: http://ao3.org/works/18996949

Ratings/Warnings: Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: Oliver & Roy

Ambient background Selina/Bruce, Tim/Kon, and Oliver/Dinah

Word count: 96,798

Author summary: “Oliver? Have you ever thought about being a dad?”

As Bruce cares for six children collected from across the multiverse and waits for the birth of a seventh, Oliver takes in an abandoned Roy Harper.

My pitch: Roy deserves good parents too!!!! (Oliver gets punched in the face. Also addresses the weirdness of DC Comics geography!)

Tag teaser:

My comments: Technically a sequel to Robins and Other Flightless Birds, but with a focus on Oliver and Roy, which is why it gets its own entry here.

Year of Fallen Angels by maychorian

Link: http://ao3.org/works/18407444

Ratings/Warnings: Teen And Up Audiences, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Central Character or Relationship: Tim Drake

Word count: 137,130

Author summary: Tim Drake has been captured by criminals and tortured for nearly a day. He couldn't escape on his own, so Batman and Red Hood had to rescue him. And they discover an injury far greater than they expected, one that will take Tim months and possibly years to recover from, if it ever happens at all.

My pitch: Tim Drake is broken. His family proves they’ll be there to help him put himself together again.

Tag teaser: Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Tim Drake, Aftermath of Torture, Major Character Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Possibly permanent injury, discussion of non-con in one chapter, make that two chapters

My comments: HEED THE WARNINGS. There were definitely scenes I only skimmed because they were hella violent and involved bone descriptions. However, the Hurt/Comfort balance is exactly how I like it, and everyone’s characterization feels grounded.

Through the Walls by maychorian

Link: http://ao3.org/works/20199193

Ratings/Warnings: Mature, Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Central Character or Relationship: Tim Drake & Jason Todd

Word count: 113,754

Author summary: The one where twelve-year-old Jason and nine-year-old Tim are kidnapped by a serial killer and later escape, and Dick wants to adopt Jason, and Jason has already adopted Tim.

And also Tim has already adopted Jason even harder than Jason has adopted him, and he will fight anyone who comes near. And Bruce wants to adopt them all but keeps getting stymied.

This will be dark in places. Please mind the tags. Specific trigger warnings will be in the chapters.

My pitch: Baby Jason and Baby Tim are maybe friends. When Jason gets abducted by a serial child molester/murderer, Tim’s noble attempts at distraction merely result in his abduction as well. Luckily, eventually, Batman gets them out.

Tag teaser: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Dick Grayson is a Good Brother, Starvation, Non-Consensual Touching, Pedophilia, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Sensory Deprivation, Isolation, Protectiveness, Platonic Cuddling, Child Neglect, Jack and Janet Drake's A+ Parenting, Canon-Typical Violence, Recovery, Rape Recovery, Touch-Starved, Minor Dick Grayson/Koriand'r

My comments: HEED THE WARNINGS. The subject matter is dark, and while there is nothing I would consider gratuitous, there are scenes of intense violence. The whole story revolves around some especially heinous rape/torture, so that aspect, while not actively described in detail, is still very very present. Excellent hurt/comfort balance. Caveat that I am not a fan of the characterization of Kori here, but she’s a relatively minor character and it’s not a huge issue.

Unnamed Shadows by Musers

Link: http://ao3.org/works/38852910

Ratings/Warnings: General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Central Character or Relationship: Jason Todd

Word count: 50,874

Author summary: Jason was a lot of things. He was an outlaw, a former Robin, a victim, a hero, a problem, but more importantly, he was a dumbass.

Capital D, capital U, capital M… you get the point.

Sometimes, he could forget how much of a dumbass he was. Sometimes, he got lucky and passed the luck off as skill and forward thinking. Other times, he was forced to face the cold hard truth that his brain had been jostled one too many times in his youth. Like now.—Jason's working a case that deals with the worse of humanity. No leads, no one willing to speak, and a push to do things Bruce's way is making it hard to make any progress. Luckily, someone took mercy on him and left a file in his apartment with detailed information. Unfortunately, the person who left the file comes back weeks later to bleed on his floor.

If the blood loss doesn't kill Tim Drake, Jason's going to.

My pitch: The Batfam are like, really bad at communicating with each other. But they’re trying, and sometimes, that’s what actually matters.

Tag teaser: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Jason Todd Tries, Jason Todd-centric, Tim Drake is Not Okay, Hurt Tim Drake, Dick Grayson Tries, Everyone Needs A Hug, Light Angst, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd Needs Love, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent

My comments: I rec this with some caveats: the writing is a touch uneven—English may not be the writer’s first language because some of the word choices are puzzling. There are a steady number of odd grammatical/spelling tics. But the characterization is solid and the ending is good.

Where's My Goddamn Dinosaur? by njw (series)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1007550

Ratings/Warnings: Explicit, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Central Character or Relationship: Tim Drake/Jason Todd

Word count: 264,107 (series), 82,700 (first fic)

Author summary: Tim closes his eyes, calculating. Based on the energy involved for a one week reset, he’s looking at a minimum displacement of about five years for the copy. His eyes sting as he fully grasps that if this works, one Tim will get to reunite with his friends and family, hold them and speak to them again, and work together to unleash all the contingencies and strategies he’s come up with to kick those invading alien assholes the fuck out, and the other Tim, the copy… won’t. He’ll wake up somewhen, isolated and traumatized, without friends, family, or any allies at all.

Well, shit. Whatever, at least Other Tim will know it worked. And he’s never minded the idea of sacrificing himself to save others. He confirms the calibration of the device, and pushes the big red button. Of fucking course there’s a big red button, supervillains are so predictable.

His last thought as the lights explode in his head and he tastes color is I hope computers are a thing whenever Other Tim lands. I’d hate to be put on trial for witchcraft. Fuck it, if I overshoot I’m gonna ride a goddamn dinosaur. Hell. Yes.

My pitch: Multiversal batfam shenanigans with Tim at the center? Tim is LOVED and APPRECIATED by his fellow bats?? YES PLEASE!

Tag teaser: BAMF Tim, Time Travel, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Timeline Shenanigans, Slow Burn, Bad Matchmaking, Trolling, Bat Brothers, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gentle Sex, Inappropriate Humor

My comments: The first three fics in the series are the actual main content, the rest is bonus features. Not really a “Bruce kidnaps multiversal variants of his kids in order to give them a better life” fic, since Tim flung HIMSELF back in time, but has a lot of the same vibes. My enjoyment varies depending on how much I’m in the mood for Tim/Jason fic, so do be aware of that going in. Not marked as complete, but feels complete enough.

Batnesia by Qui

Link: http://ao3.org/works/22871983

Ratings/Warnings: Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne

Word count: 69,205

Author summary: In which Bruce forgets a few key facts, and Clark has to go along with it.

Or, the Bruce-Has-Amnesia Fic we've all been wishing for.

My pitch: Bruce has forgotten his boyfriend, his youngest son’s name, and something else that’s very very important.

Tag teaser: Amnesia, Batfamily (DCU), Damian Wayne is Robin, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Absurd, Poor Clark, Identity Porn

My comments: This is the most reassuringly predictable and hilarious amnesia fic. Is there some identity porn? Yes. Is anyone really put in a dubcon situation as a result? Nope! Perfect balance.

Crash World by rotasha (series)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2638498

Ratings/Warnings: Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent.

Bruce & his kids, Clark & Kon.

Word count: 244,331 (series) 60,111 (first fic)

Author summary: A version of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent from an alternate universe where there are no superheroes find themselves in the mainstream DC universe. This universe’s Bruce and Clark quickly discover two things about their alternate universe counterparts. First, they’re in a relationship. And second, in their universe, Jason is still alive.

Tag teaser: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Clark Kent Tries to Be a Good Parent, Mutual Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Idiots in Love, Bisexual Bruce Wayne, Bisexual Clark Kent, Bisexual Tim Drake, Bisexual Kon-El | Conner Kent, POV Multiple

My comments: I don’t have a pitch that’s better than the summary itself!!! Everyone’s characterization is consistent and believeable, with clear differences and similarities between the doppelgangers. My ONE caveat is that what No Powers!Clark did to his Conner is a MASSIVE dick move, and I don’t think anyone calls him out on it ENOUGH. However, I recognize that it was necessary in order to make the worlds align a little better and can accept it in fiction that way. Series is complete.

Lost Time Without You by rotasha

Link: http://ao3.org/works/33665278

Ratings/Warnings: Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne

Word count: 68,792

Author summary: In a universe where your soulmate’s injuries show up on your skin, Bruce is convinced he doesn’t have a soulmate, and Clark is seriously concerned for his soulmate’s well-being.

Tag teaser: Soulmates, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Single Parent Bruce Wayne, Identity Porn, POV Alternating

My comments: I don’t have a pitch that’s better than the summary itself!!! The balance of in-universe knowledge vs. the reader knowing what the rel tag says is PERFECTION. Excellent pining and light angst and the REVEAL is beautifully timed.

[khashanakalashtar]

Never

Tell

Me

Representation

Doesn’t

Matter

Image description under the cut

The words “Don’t ever tell me representation doesn’t matter” with 19 screenshots of AO3 comments interspersed between the words.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ADHD REPRESENTATION. I’VE HEADCANONED HIM AS ADHD SINCE FOREVER AND HAVING THIS ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF IT IN A FIC IS REALLY GETTING TO ME, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

UhhmmMM THIS FIC MEANS THE WORLD TO ME???????? So much of everything that Robin told Kent made me come to terms with my own stuff? I’m feeling so valid in this Chili’s tonight!!! I want you to know that this fic made me cry TWICE and that’s only because the other parts of the fic were [here it cuts off]

When I read the tags for this… I legit nearly cried. I’ve lowkey headcanoned Aang as ADHD ever since I realized the similarities between me and him. Having someone else do that? Having a (scarily) accurate representation of it? Having Zuko help Aang? It means a lot to me. It means so, so much to me. I… Don’t know if I can properly express how much? I just feel less alone. And I love how you gave the ADHD a chance to shine. Really and truly. Thank you, so much.

I cried reading this. This writing is amazing. (Also I relate to both Zuko and Aang.) I didn’t know that having trouble in movie theaters can be caused by adhd, do you know more? Sorry for being [here it cuts off]

Oof. This one really hit. :/ it made me cry but it was the good cathartic sorta cry and it reminded me that it’s okay to tell your friends that you’re not doing okay if they don’t notice which. I often struggle to remember. Thank u for writing this!

I never thought of it as an addiction before but it makes me feel better about the voice in my head.

I’m just gonna sit here and lose it over this fic, you somehow have perfectly captured my dumb traumatized, autistic ass. I’m. this is really soft and validating and nice, big fan

Okay! First off holy SHIT I think I might be adhd or add because that scene with aang where he explained it clicked immediately and EVERYTHING MADE SENSE thank you so much

I forgot to talk about the Spanish!!! The Spanish!!! Just like. God. One of the things I worry about if I am ever estranged from my family is like who would I speak Hindi with, and while it’s not the same thing as Kent’s Feeling it’s like. Close enough and god. Good shit

I’m like Katara, and I was having trouble explaining it to my friends who didn’t get it yesterday; thank you so much for putting it into words, that means everything to me [heart]

So I honestly don’t know how to say this, so I’ll be blunt I guess? Reading this chapter made me kinda start wondering about my sexuality, since I kinda get where Katara is coming from. So I’ve decided to try looking stuff up and figuring it out more, and I Just kinda wanted to thank you? Because I hadn’t thought about sex drives being different from wanting sex really, and it’s kinda shifting my views some.

So, uh, I don’t know why it was this fic that did it specifically when I’ve considered (and discarded) genderfluid as a label for myself like two dozen times over the past six months of Intense Gender Weirdness, but this fic made me realize I’m genderfluid. Thanks for that.

I came out after reading this fic. Something about the way you wrote Kent figuring out they were genderfluid hit home really hard, and I guess it was just that and the moment but I decided to come to terms with it. This is a very weird coming out story but I figured you should know this story really had a big impact on me and I wanted to say thank you for writing it.

[theotherhufflepuff]

Simon Snow Trilogy Tarot Cards...

Ok so, a little while ago I saw this frankly stunning artwork by @vkelleyart and I started thinking about the Major Arcana archetypes and how characters from my favourite book series could fit into them.

So I made this list. It took a lot of thought and I’m still not 100% sure on some of them but I have explained my thought process for each card.

I don’t know how much crossover there is in the Venn diagram of “Simon Snow fans” and “tarot readers” but I’d love to hear your opinions and/or alternative suggestions (be respectful though, obviously). I’ve left “visual prompts” for most of the cards explaining what they looked like in my imagination and if anyone wants to draw any of these (or their own alternative version!) please tag me; it would make my day! I can’t draw for toffee so I am 1000% never gonna try to illustrate any of them myself.

List under the cut because it is loooong.

Spoilers ahead for the whole series!

0 The Fool - Shepard - Shepard just follows magickal creatures around and says “yes” to everything... he is the pure embodiment of the Fool archetype to me; care-free, innocent... prepared for everything and yet totally clueless. Visual prompt: Shepard about to (attempt to) step into the fog as he follows a fairy into the forest.

1 The Magician - Penelope - “Penelope Bunce is a fierce magician, I don’t mind saying” Baz, at least once in each book. Penny never worries about not having the power or words available to do whatever she wants; she is comfortable in her power and it is always there, ready to be wielded however she sees fit. Visual prompt: Penny wearing her Stevie Nicks cape, standing by a chalkboard in the classic “Magician” pose, ring clearly held aloft.

2 The High Priestess - Dr Mitali Bunce - Dr Bunce is possibly a more formidable magician than her daughter. Highly intelligent, straightforward and, let’s be honest, judgemental. But she does have all the answers. Visual prompt: Dr Bunce carrying around her laptop, phone sandwiched between her ear and her shoulder.

3 The Empress - Lucy Salisbury - Lucy exudes the nurturing, Earth Mother vibes that are central to the Empress archetype. She saw the best in everyone and all she wanted was to love Davy and live with him in their cottage with her chickens and their child. Visual prompt: Lucy, barefoot and pregnant, feeding the chickens outside of their cottage.

4 The Emperor - Lamb - This is one of the ones I’m not totally sure about. I went through a few different ideas but ultimately settled on Lamb as the “Vampire King of Las Vegas”. He is an imposing figure, ruling his city with an iron fist; if you are in his favour, Vegas is your playground, but cross him and you will suffer the consequences. Visual prompt: Lamb sits on an antique chair in his opulent suite at the Katherine, the lights of night time Vegas visible through the window behind him.

5 The Hierophant - The Mage - Again, this one took some thought and I’m sure some people will disagree with this interpretation... I’m not completely sold on it myself. The Mage was all about reforming the old traditions of the World of Mages and he amassed a following by doing so. But he turned out to be somewhat of a false prophet; abusing his power to oppress those he deemed “the enemy”. Visual prompt: The Mage in his Robin Hood costume, sitting at his desk at the top of the Weeping Tower, surrounded by his piles of banned books.

6 The Lovers - Simon and Baz - Obviously. As stated at the top of this post, I love @vkelleyart’s version of this card, but there are a lot of scenes across the series that could be used to illustrate this archetype. I personally always love to see the original “and then he kisses me” scene.

7 The Chariot - Fiona Pitch - I struggled with this one a bit and I don’t really think that this is the ideal version. But the image of Fiona, rolling up to Blackfriars bridge in her vintage sports car to rescue Baz from the Numpties really stuck with me so that’s what I went with, for lack of a better idea.

8 Strength - Ebb - Ebb is often dismissed and underestimated by other magicians but she is wicked powerful. But more than that, the Strength card is about inner strength, self control and the wisdom to know when to fight, and when to rest. Ebb is highly intuitive about the people - and goats - around her and is always careful not to talk about her twin brother, only conceding that she knows of his presence once a year and never giving in to the temptation to talk directly to him. Ebb saw the war coming and knew that she could probably end it all by herself with the power she had; but she also knew that she didn’t want that and she had the strength to say no, to eschew the expectations the rest of the World of Mages placed upon her and live quietly, instead. Visual prompt: Ebb in the hills behind the school with the goats, she wears a flower crown that the Dryad made her.

9 The Hermit - Agatha - the Hermit eschews the outside world in order to take an inner journey of self discovery, knowing that this is the only way to find real answers and achieve real growth. Agatha, jaded by the World of Mages, took herself off to California, leaving her wand at home. She didn’t know what she wanted but she knew it wasn’t magic. Visual prompt: Agatha sits on the beach at twilight by a small campfire, Lucy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by her side.

10 The Wheel of Fortune - The Crucible - The Crucible’s decisions, like the Wheel’s, are unpredictable and inevitable. Once it’s happened, you’re stuck with the consequences - sometimes bad (being stuck with a toff vampire who hates you) and sometimes good (getting the best room in Mummers house).

11 Justice - Natasha Grimm-Pitch - Natasha needed justice to find peace; her whole story is about justice. She was swift to act when the vampires attacked Watford, dispatching them without hesitation. When she came through the veil to find Baz and ask him to bring her murderer to justice, she knew that would also provide some closure for him, too, both for her death, and for his. Visual prompt: Natasha Grimm-Pitch appearing from beyond the veil, looking for Baz and finding Simon.

12 The Hanged One - Nicodemus - The Hanged One is about feeling stuck, but also about finding peace where you are when there’s nothing you can do about it. Nicodemus chose to cross over for eternal life, but he was stricken from the book; his (considerable) magic effectively taken from him and his fangs removed. He was stuck in between - not a full vampire, not a magician; he exists on the fringes of both communities. He got himself there and then he had to figure out how to get by, carve out a place for himself in order to survive. Visual prompt: Nicodemus sits in the tree in the garden of his mother’s house in South London, waiting for Ebb to come and sit on the empty bench beneath him.

13 Death - [scene on the Great Lawn] - Ok, so.. this might need some explaining. My immediate thought for this card was that it should be the Humdrum but Death is all about clearing out the old junk in your life that doesn’t serve you in order to make space for the new. And the Humdrum isn’t making space for anything. So I was thinking about times that has happened in the story and I thought about how the death of the Mage made room for real progress and an end to the war with the old families. Visual prompt: Penny and Baz (literally) run into a fleeing Agatha on the Great Lawn; the Weeping Tower looms in the background, the Mage and Simon visible through the blown-out stained glass windows.

14 Temperance - Simon and the Humdrum - Temperance is, as you might expect, about balance and harmony. Simon used so much magic at once that he couldn’t control it and it tore holes in the magickal atmosphere. Simon had to fill the Simon-shaped hole to restore equalibrium and stop the magickal firmament from collapsing altogether. Visual prompt: Simon kneeling in the Weeping Tower, pouring his magic into the Humdrum as he fades away.

15 The Devil - Smith Smith-Richards - The Devil is about feeling trapped by temptations in your life, often because we’re afraid of what we would do with the freedom we’d have if we let them go. Which got me thinking about Smith-Richards (that name never gets any less ridiculous) and all the magicians who were taken in by the temptation of “fixing” their magic. But it was a false promise and those magicians who narrowly escaped taking Smith-Richards’ spell were all freed from the idea of their magic being “broken” in the first place. Visual prompt: Smith-Richards (looking like the guy who would be cast to play Simon in the Netflix series) standing on a stage in the packed-out White Chapel, rapt audience hanging on his every word.

16 The Tower - The Humdrum - Originally I wanted to use the Weeping Tower for this card because the imagery is on point but the meaning doesn’t match. The Tower is about absolute destruction, the crumbling of something you thought core to your being. The Humdrum steals magic and renders magicians homeless because of it. The Tower is about having to start again from the ground up - just as the Grimms did when all the magic was drained from Hampshire. Visual prompt: The Humdrum, wearing Simon’s face, stands in the grounds of Pitch Manor, laughing. (I have always thought of the holes looking like a burn in a piece of paper - sort of glowing and smouldering at the edges as it eats away the atmosphere. I know the holes can’t actually be seen - the Normals would freak out - but that is imagery I would use here)

17 The Star - Lady Ruth’s candles - The Star is about hope and healing after the devastation of the Tower. Lady Ruth’s candles were a symbol of hope that kept her going when she thought she had lost her children. They provided comfort and, at the end when it became clear the Lucy was gone, the healing of knowing that her child had finally found his way home to his family. Visual prompt: Lady Ruth’s candles in front of a window, a bright star can be seen through the window.

18 The Moon - Agatha and Simon - So, the Moon is all about examining blurred lines between illusion and reality - nothing looks totally clear in the moonlight. It reminded me of how Simon never really seemed to have a clear view of his feelings for Agatha and what their relationship was. When he properly examined his feelings, he found that he didn’t love Agatha and was going through the motions because he thought it was what other people expected of him. Agatha was doing the same. It also brought to mind Simon, going out of his mind worrying about Baz when he was missing - as well as basically every other thought Simon ever has about Baz before Christmas Eve 2015 - and somehow mistaking it for hating him?? Simon is not stupid but sometimes he’s real dumb. Visual prompt: Agatha and Simon meet on the ramparts, both looking for Baz, and break up.

19 The Sun - Simon - This card is all about innocence, optimism and joy. Nothing about this series personifies this more than Simon flying above Shepard’s truck in America, feeling free and hopeful about the future for the first time in over a year. Visual prompt: Shepard’s truck drives through the vast empty desert, the sun beating down. Simon flies above the truck, joy on his face.

20 Judgement - Niamh and Agatha - Ok, this one was hard to figure out and this is maybe not the right solution, but I was very stuck. Judgement is about self improvement through self reflection. As a small twist on that theme; Niamh and Agatha challenge each other’s view of themselves and their interactions with the world around them. Visual prompt: Agatha and Niamh, sweating to death in Niamh’s “shitty Ford Fiesta” (I’m very salty about that line; my Ford Fiesta is lovely and it has aircon). Niamh is frowning, obviously.

21 The World - Simon, Baz, Penny and Shepard - The World is about completeness, the ending of a story, fulfilment and belonging. At the end of AWTWB, Simon has finally found his biological family, he is starting to accept that his boyfriend and his found family love him for who he is, magic or no, and he can finally start to imagine a future for himself. Baz has learned new information about his vampirism, Penny has found new confidence and Shepard is finally fully accepted into the group. Visual prompt: Baz, Penny and Shepard sit on Simon’s sofa (possibly still pink from Baz’s spell, possibly he spelled it navy blue again) Simon sits on the floor. They’re all eating leftover sandwiches and cake from Lady Ruth’s.

[fallynleaf]

thanks @viterbofangirl for tagging me!

Rules: Tag nine people you want to know better.

Three ships: i have loads as always, but Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi still own my entire heart. i’m also currently into Ink/Pa from Bad Buddy, and for the third... i have too many wrestling ships... uh, i guess i’ll say Emma/Harriet (from Emma), just for something a little different? i’ve been thinking about their relationship a lot as i’ve been reading.

First ever ship: probably Ichigo/Kisshu from Tokyo Mew Mew, haha. it’s the first ship i actually sought out fic for, at least.

Last song: i never know how to answer this question, but the last song i added to my wrestling themes playlist is 東京事変 [ 秘密 ] , which Minoru Fujita uses as his theme, and which i managed to find after i figured out how to google a wrestler’s theme in Japanese.

Last film: oh dear, i am legitimately struggling to remember... 💧 OH, i think it was Maurice (1987)? i watched it sort of out of the blue a couple months ago and really enjoyed it.

Currently reading: oh boy. this is gonna be a long section. the vast majority of the reading i’ve been doing is not in English lol, but i did start reading Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer (i won a signed copy of it at work!), and of course, i am still reading Emma in real time, very slowly (though there has been a lot of stuff happening in the past couple weeks because Frank Churchill finally arrived).

in Spanish, i started reading @luvamiart‘s book Tempestad! it’s definitely above my level of Spanish ability, so i have to look up dozens of words in the dictionary (i’m trying out a Spanish-Spanish dictionary instead of an English-Spanish one) every page, but i’m enjoying the book so far, and i’m learning a lot! i’m trying not to be too intimidated by the length, because it is quite long for someone who takes as much time as i do to get through a single page 😅.

in Japanese, i am soooo close to finishing my first textbook, omg. i’m on lesson 25 of みんなの日本語, and i am THIS close to being done!! immediately after i finish it, i’m going to be moving on to book 2, so my work is far from over, haha, but i’m really proud of myself for making it this far.

my more fun Japanese book is volume 3 of 大海原と大海原! i managed to get through volumes 1 and 2 over the past several months, and then i wanted to continue with volume 3 so that i could see the rest of the story, but it turned out to be much, much harder than the first two books, because it’s aimed at an older audience and has no furigana akfghdkgjfhdg. my kanji knowledge has gotten good enough that i’m actually managing to read it just fine, surprisingly, though my comprehension is far from perfect. i’m considering trying to play the RPG after i finish it, though i’d be better off waiting until my grammar is better.

the other Japanese thing i’ve been reading is the DDT/TJPW show recaps on the DDT website, after Mr. Haku left CyberFight and we lost our translation. DDT just recently acquired English translation again, so i’ve gotten a reprieve from having to attempt to translate myself lol, but TJPW is still without translation, so i’ve taken over for a friend and switched my focus to that. i’ve been trying to translate as much of the backstage comments and such as i have text transcriptions for (since audio is still very beyond me). it’s very slow-going but also rewarding (i’m harvesting so many words from them to add to anki haha), and it’s fun to experience the character voices like this. a friend whose Japanese is much more advanced than mine has been helping mentor me and correct/explain stuff when i have translation questions, and i’m so grateful for all of their help and support!

Currently watching: do i even need to say it. same as the past couple years, basically. way too much wrestling lol. i’ve scaled down a tiny bit from last year, but not really much. i’m currently watching AEW, TJPW, DDT, NJPW, and some NOAH, ChocoPro, and AAA.

i think i watched a grand total of three Normal TV Shows last year afjdgdfg. the last non-wrestling thing that i’ve watched was Bad Buddy, a Thai BL show that was pretty good for what it was.

Currently consuming: as of the time of writing (the night before actually publishing this post at a normal hour), soy miso chicken and udon noodles, with green tea.

Currently craving: i never know how to answer this question, haha! i guess i could go for a sandwich about now? i blame Miu Watanabe for posting about sandwiches on instagram.

Tagging: @mizufae @paramaline @theundergrounddog @meganthewarriorprincess @feralbags @norationalthoughtrequired @holodeckprotocols @nocturnical and for the ninth person, if your name is not listed here but you want to fill this out, consider yourself tagged