#I mean I never really knew her so they weren't as clear as this scene but still

[spookky-aint-spooky]

hey what if I fuckin cried

[inuyashaluver]

apple cider - alessia russo

alessia russo x reader

description: in which you and alessia don't like each other that much, but you both really do

warnings: this was a looooonnnnnggggggg one! swearing and honestly makes no sense but here we go, toone!reader

a/n: based on a BANGER OF COURSE, please enjoy this omg i love this song i can't, it is mandatory that you listen to it and associate alessia with it forever

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

'we both like apple cider, but your hair be smelling like fruit punch'

it wasn't really ideal to be in love with your older sister’s best friend, but you were, and you have been for the majority of your lifetime.

your sister, ella, has always been extremely close to you, you both had different interests, sure, but she always kept you in the loop of her life as did you.

you were very much the best of friends, the way both of you liked it. and by association of being your sister’s biggest fan, alessia was added into the equation.

you weren't in the football scene, you were more into the academic side of things.

you tried football, liked it for about two minutes and then quickly realised you preferred to watch it, especially when ella and alessia were playing.

you instead went to university and ultimately became an occupational therapist. 

—

'and i don’t even like you that much, wait, i do, fuck'

back when you were 16 and alessia and ella were 17, things began to shift. it was common to see you at a game if ella was playing, she always loved to have you there even if she wouldn't admit it all the time.

“there she is! my darling sister finally took her nose out of the books” ella teases, pinching your cheek as you stood at the fence of the pitch at the england u17 team. you were bundled up in the cold in one of ella’s puffers that you lovingly stole, though thankfully, she didn't notice"

“ella, get off man!” you groan with a laugh, letting ella pull you into a hug in greeting, you look over ella's shoulder and spot alessia chatting with lotte.

alessia smiles at you through the conversation, waving at you shyly, smiling wider when you returned a sly wave.

when ella releases you, alessia runs over with her charming smile and her blonde ponytail swaying behind her. you didn't even realise you were beginning to go red.

“hey, little toone” alessia grins, pulling you into a sweet hug, you began to wonder how she could smell so good after 90 minutes of running around. you couldn't help but feel dizzy.

“i have my own name, you know?” you roll your eyes with a giggle, alessia’s hands run  down your arms as she releases you from the hug, you have to remind yourself that it means nothing. (you’re silly)

“i know you do, (y/n/n), just teasing” she squeezes your forearm with a wink before she lets go of you completely. “oi, we’re good at that” ella laughs, bumping shoulders with alessia, the blonde letting out a chuckle of her own. 

“enjoy the game?” alessia asks, “yeah! great goal, less” you smile, alessia returns it, “you saw? i knew you were coming so i had to impress you” alessia flirts, you clear your throat, letting out a nervous giggle, feeling warm from alessia’s words.

ella laughs, “look at you all red” ella teases, making kissy faces at you, you flip her off and alessia laughs. “don’t tease her, tooney” alessia nudges her again, smiling at you in a way that made your heart flutter. “yeah, tooney, fuck off” you mock, ella slaps the back of your head, scolding you to respect your elders.

and that’s how it always was, you and alessia, mainly alessia flirting yet doing nothing about it. you both had so much in common that everytime she came over to your’s and ella’s house.

it would be like you invited her over, as every conversation was you and alessia getting excited over whatever you were talking about. ella loved that the two of you had a friendship, but it never really came to her that the two of you had a thing for each other.

—

you lived in london while your sister lived in manchester along with alessia when they both played for united. you came back frequently while you were in uni to see your sister. and only your sister (you're a really bad liar).

you sat on the sidelines while the girls warmed up, your eyes were focused on your sister until they drifted to her passing partner. alessia just exuded this aura you couldn't distract yourself from.

she's gorgeous and you thought about her constantly and it didn't help that she flirted with you any chance that she got.

she spots you staring and she can't help but smirk. she looks down for a moment, catching her lip in between her teeth before she looks up again, letting it go with a cheeky smile now replacing her features.

alessia nods her head toward you so ella would turn around. ella brightened up when she saw you, though, looked perplexed for a split second when she saw your flustered expression but quickly shook it off.

she waved exaggeratingly and you both giggled when you returned one with just as much enthusiasm, ella smiled when you turned to show her your ‘toone’ jersey, holding up one finger to indicate she needed to play well.

alessia laughs when you turn back to the front, looking between you and ella with a bright smile. she loved your relationship and reminded you both constantly.

she understood how much ella meant to you and vice versa, much like her relationship with her brothers. that’s why she was a little nervous showing any ounce of attraction towards you.

ella and alessia continue their passing drills, though the blonde of the pair seemed increasingly distracted. each time she passed the ball back to ella, she would glance at you, and she would be pleasantly surprised to see your eyes already trained on her.

it was part of the reason she couldn’t look away, and it was a point in her mind to remember, a moment that you showed some interest back.

after the game, ella came bounding over to you in a bone crushing hug, you haven't seen her for a little over 2 months.

“oh, hello!” you wheeze out, “you need to come over more, it's ridiculous!” ella pulls back from the hug as she scolds you, though pulls you back into the hug after you laughed at her.

“i barely see ya!” she exaggerates, giving your cheek a sloppy kiss that made you both laugh, “el, yes you do!” you defend, though ella wasn’t having any of it.

“very good game, ella” you say as you step apart, “did you just tell me i played well?” her hand clutches her chest, gasping mockingly, you shake your head at her amusingly, flicking her forehead.

“i take it back, you were shit” you joke, wincing when she slapped your arm harshly, and that was when little miss charming alessia came over right on time.

“hey, no hitting” alessia scolds ella, giving her a light shove away from you. “hello, miss london” alessia says cheekily, pulling you into a warm hug that was definitely a second too long.

“you just hit me” ella mutters, you and alessia ignore it. you laugh at the nickname, alessia started calling you that ever since you moved to london for uni. 

“hello, miss manchester” you mock, her hand sits on your hip for a moment when she pulled away, “now, tooney, we don’t hit our sisters, we love our sisters” alessia ridicules, winking at you before turning back to ella, arms crossed over her chest.

“less, you should have heard what she said to me!” ella gawks, “i was joking!” you exclaim, “right, (y/n/n), what did you say?” alessia attempts, hitting ella when she was about to answer for you.

“i made a joke that she was shit” you huff, your own arms crossing over your chest, “tooney, she's not wrong” alessia jokes, though ella does it find it funny.

she gasps at the words before she shoves alessia towards you, you manage to hold her steady before she fell, both of your hands land on her hips as you catch her. alessia’s body slots against your own, her back pressed to your front, feeling oddly familiar.

you can hear alessia’s breath catch in her throat when one of your fingers slightly grazes her skin from where her shirt had ridden up. “my god, you’re both perfect for each other” ella points at both of you huffing in frustration before looking right at you.

“i'm getting changed, we’re going to dinner, and then you're going home” she doesn't even let you respond before she marches off. ella doesn't know how that comment of you being perfect for each other ignited a flame in both of your stomachs.

alessia is still against you, you give her a light squeeze to indicate that she moves, “shit, sorry!” she says, cheeks completely red in embarrassment, she shuffles nervously as you look at her.

“um, really good game” you stutter out, alessia grins, “thank you, i’m happy you came, i haven’t seen you in a while” she's back to normal and you're grateful for it. 

“it has been a while” you trail off, “so, will you be coming to dinner?” you ask her nervously, alessia’s mouth opens slightly in surprise, “oh” she starts, “would you..be okay with that? isn't this your sister time?” alessia mutters quickly, the nerves rolling over both of you in waves.

“i don’t mind at all, like you said, i haven’t seen you in a while” you smile, cocking your head to the side quickly, alessia chuckles, copying your action with a smile.

“i’ll have to check with your sister” something about that last word stinging, suddenly shedding light on the situation. “i’m sure she wouldn’t mind” you shrug, trying to be cool about it.

alessia smiles at you, moving closer to fix your jersey from your shoulders, there was nothing wrong with it and you both knew it.

“okay then, see you later, babe” she winks, letting out a breath before moving away from you, running towards the change rooms. you stood there frozen after the interaction. you were fucked.

—

the dinner was fun, the three of you joking and conversing while updating each other on what was happening in life. alessia sat across from you, your ankles brushing each other occasionally and your breath would hitch each time it happened. 

to say alessia was focused on you wholeheartedly was a complete understatement. this girl was studying your every move with utmost attention, intently listening to your words and making mental notes on what to remember for later.

saying goodbye that night to both girls was bittersweet. separating from your sister was always hard, especially since she wasn't across the hallway anymore. the older girl had to remind you to call her daily for your updates and you agree. 

when they walk you to your car and both give you a warm hug, you grew a little heartbroken, this day was so fun and you didn’t want it to end.

—

'call me at midnight, let’s give this thing a try'

you got home at around 10 and began to get ready for bed, until at midnight,  your phone began to ring. your eyebrows furrow, who could’ve been calling you this late at night? and there it was, ‘alessia’ lighting up the screen with a facetime call.

you scramble to answer, pointing the phone towards the ceiling. “hello?” alessia’s voice calls out, she’s in bed, hoodie clad and looking more cozy than ever.

“hey, lessi” you say in quite confusion, “hey, love, sorry to be calling so late, i um, missed you” alessia says slowly, her eyes flickering in attempts to spot you on the screen.

you smile shyly, trying not to let out a squeal, “i..missed you too” you breathe out, the smile on alessia’s face was so bright, it took everything in you to stop yourself from screenshotting.

“you missed me, huh? i also missed your face if that’s anything to you?” she says cheekily, you laugh, propping up the phone in your bathroom, clearly about to do skincare of somesort.

“oh my god, you’re so cute” alessia coos, pulling the screen closer to her to get a better look at you. “stop it” you groan, covering your face up in embarrassment.

“for now” she winks, propping herself up on her hand, watching you with blown out pupils as you move around the bathroom getting unready. the call was so natural and weirdly felt so comfortable. you’ve never called like this before but you both internally agreed it was fun.

“so, tell me why you’ve called me, star girl” you chuckle, she groans at the name but her pink cheeks said otherwise. “i um, i don't know if i’ve been reading into this, but i think you also notice the connection between us” she says nervously. 

you could tell she was anxious, you were too because you never thought this would happen, especially after years of pining.

“we have a connection” you gasp, she rolls her eyes at you, both of you now in bed on respective sides of the phone.

“okay, im hanging up now” she jokes, “no” you pout exaggeratingly, she can’t help but screenshot and laughs at you reaction of you cursing her out, halfheartedly of course.

“yes, our connection” you wink, alessia nods determinedly, “mhm, and i know this is going to be hard for us so i wanted to know what you thought about it” you both stare at each other for a second before breaking out into little giggles between you two.

“well, i'm not opposed, russo” you flirt, she grins at you, chuckling breathily, “well, neither am i” she flirts back, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

“what about ella?” you point out the obvious, regretting it seeing the slight wince on alessia’s face. “we..can tell her when we’re ready” she suggests, you think about it for a moment, ultimately nodding, “let’s try this, slowly” you tease, alessia smiles, “slowly” she mocks.

you both stayed on the phone for over 3 hours, no regrets between the both of you, and that’s when the sneaking around started.

—

'you said you liked my hair, so go ahead and touch it'

you and alessia called every night and somehow managed to keep ella out of it. you were surprisingly hiding it really well, even when you and alessia were completely loved up, it was honestly ridiculous how she didn't catch on.

you would come down every other weekend to stay at ella’s, ‘staying on the couch’. the moment ella would go to bed, alessia would drag you to her room, you were her girlfriend after all.

her lips moved languidly with yours, gently squeezing your hips as she pressed you against her bedroom wall, directly next to ella’s.

“i missed you, baby” she hums against your lips, rushing to press them onto yours again. you break away for a moment, “i missed you too, my love” you breathe out, she smiles against you, whining against your lips to pull you closer.

she drags you over to the bed, flopping down on top of you as she gives you a tight squeeze. she hovers, looking at you affectionately, “so beautiful” she whispers, dipping to press kisses along your jaw. 

she rests her chin on top of your chest, brushing off a stray hair from your forehead, “i think i’m ready to tell her” you whisper to alessia, she smiles at you in surprise, two months of sneaking around potentially coming to a close.

“whenever you’re ready, baby” she says sweetly, leaning up to pull you into another kiss.

—

'you said you liked the jumper i wore, so i always wore it'

you got up earlier to make the two girls breakfast much to the disapproval of alessia. you wear one of her jumpers as you stand at the burner making food, alessia following you shortly after you left her in the bed. 

alessia rests her chin on your shoulder with her arms wrapped around your middle tightly, she hums quietly as she swayed you slightly. what you didn’t hear was ella coming into the room, and that’s when alessia gave you a quick kiss on your lips.

“what the fuck was that?” ella screeched, her hand covering her mouth in shock. alessia pulls away from you in shock, a safe distance between the two of you.

“ella” you try though ella shook her head, “you’re fucking my baby sister” ella points at alessia, “ella, please listen to her” alessia pleads.

“no, what the fuck, how long has this been going on for?” ella says sternly, “2 months” you said softly, unable to even look at your sister in the eye. “2 months” she repeats in shock, running her hands over her face in frustration.

alessia looks at you, you look shattered, this was not the way you wanted this to go.

“i’m going for a walk, a 15 minute walk and you two are talking, and we will talk later” alessia pronounces. you nod, nervously glancing at ella, she nods as well, alessia gives you an encouraging smile, closing the door behind her.

you and ella both sit on the couch, “go on then” ella says, clearly agitated. “ella, i was going to tell you, i was literally going to tell you today” you admit, looking at her pleadingly but she just stared at the wall.

“my baby sister is dating my best friend” she breathes out, nodding in acknowledgement.

“ella, i love her, she treats me better than anyone, she’s respectful, she kind, she’s loving and shes so understanding of me, of us, i really do love her” you cry, not even realising you were tearing up, ella looks at you, just staring for a moment.

“you love her?” she says, her eyes softening at your tears, “a lot” you sniff, ella nods, “well don’t let her see you cry, you look ridiculous” she jokes, you let out a wet laugh, holding your arms out for a hug that she was happy to return.

“just think about your best friend being your sister in law” you joke, ella pulls back from the hug, “oh my god, you are so right!” ella laughs, telling you all the ways her and alessia would give you hell but you didn’t care, your sister accepted you.

alessia comes back and you dish up breakfast for everyone, you can't help but give her a tight hug and she knew everything was okay. until the middle of breakfast when ella pronounced, “this doesn’t mean she’ll be wearing your jersey, russo”

—

'it’s really nice to talk to you, it’s really nice to hold your hand'

“hi, baby” alessia smiles breathlessly, pulling you into a tight hug after an england game, she’d just transferred to arsenal. “hi, star girl” you grin, giving her a loving kiss on the other side of the barrier.

“two goals for me, i’m so spoiled” you say cheekily, giggling against alessia’s lips when she pecked them repeatedly, “mhm, just for you, babe” she grins, nuzzling her nose against yours for a moment.

“yuck, move, less or i’ll throw up on ya” ella gags, grinning at you and pulling you into a hug, “don’t defile my sister” ella warns, checking all over your face for ‘injuries’, “you two are definitely sisters” alessia smiles, letting ella tease her.

ella catches sight of something, “what did i say about the russo jersey?” she exclaims, you and alessia freeze, alessia pulls you over the barrier, holding your hand and you both make a run for it while ella chased you. 

—

alessia and you now lived in a cozy apartment in london, you had graduated from university and lived a happy life with alessia. ella came over all the time and even though she wouldn’t admit it, she loved your relationship.

she loved how perfect you were for each other, the pure love you had made her so incredibly happy. she’s never seen you so happy and loved up, the same with alessia.

ella trusted alessia wholeheartedly after seeing how much she took care of you. she was so happy to see you two the way you were. though, the teasing would never relent, you and alessia didn’t mind, you were both elated.

'we can talk about how we don't like each other that much'

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill, pretend its you! ily lotteeee xx

liked by ellatoone and 44,232 other

alessia: my preferred toone

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yourname: oh you are so cute, lessi bear!

↳ alessia: no, YOU'RE so cute baby girl!

↳ yourname: no, YOU'RE so cute baby cakes!

↳ ellatoone: ENOUGH I'M BEGGING, I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE

ellatoone: less, you are so funny because this is not true

↳ alessia: i'm not a liar tooney wooney

↳ ellatoone: all right then, you are never invited over again

[flanaganfilm]

Hey Mike! Absolutely love your work, especially Haunting of Hill House and Fall of the House of Usher. I was wondering a couple things:

Any chance we will ever get to see that deleted scene where Carla plays a homeless woman singing to Madeleine? Loved the Easter egg and also can’t get enough of Verna so it would be so cool to see that deleted scene!

Also wanted to know what it was like working with Mary? It was such a joy to see her in House of Usher!! Hoping to see her in future Flanaverse projects!!

Hi there! That material was removed very early in the editing process, long before the scene was completed, so there isn't a finished "scene" to show. Carla and Mary did fine work acting in those moments, but the series as a whole is stronger without it, so a completed version of the scene with that footage simply never existed. It's an odd alchemy when you tell a story this way, and sometimes scenes that seem to work on the page can be acted beautifully, shot exquisitely, and still not be necessary or additive. In this case, it actually worked against the mysteries of the show, it wasn't believable that Madeline wouldn't recognize Verna, and it was clear that this was a mistake. It was my mistake for writing the scene the way I did, and it happens all the time. We could tell immediately that it didn't fit, so we didn't waste much time proving it out. Releasing deleted scenes is a tricky thing. I love bonus features - it's one of the great benefits of physical media - but even if we had a huge special edition box set of Usher, I don't know that we would have included this scene. Sometimes these things just aren't meant for the audience, even as an interesting relic, and this is one of those times. Incidentally, I had the same feeling about some of the material that didn't make it into the Bly Manor edit. We knew the scenes weren't working very early in the process, so they were never refined into any shape that would warrant their release. Fans will hear an actor talk about scenes they worked on, and the fans get all excited, but if they were to see those scenes it wouldn't enhance their love of the characters or the story... in fact, it can work against it. For years, I've had Bly fans reach out lamenting that they can't see some of the Bly material they've read about in cast interviews, but I'm certain that seeing it in its raw, unfinished state wouldn't enhance or deepen their love of the characters or the show. There's really nothing to release. It's just excess material that lands on the floor while you're sculpting, and sticking it back onto the sculpture only makes a noticeable wart. Other times, though, deleted scenes can be incredibly additive. For example, I think the 30 minutes we took out of the theatrical release of Doctor Sleep only enhanced the movie, and made the experience that much more rich - which was why I was so happy to release the Director's Cut with those scenes restored. Those scenes, though, were fully finished, and only removed in the first place because of the movie's run-time. Restoring those elements made the sculpture complete - they were always supposed to be there. But most times, deleted material is just unnecessary material. It can be like having an amazing meal prepared for you, and then being handed a plate of surplus or unused ingredients. Like, the chef needed to peel a lemon before squeezing it over the meal as a wonderful finishing touch. That dash of citrus really made the meal sing. But that doesn't mean you want to eat the peel. And I LOVE working with Mary. I'm sure we'll do it again!

[kyokutsu-sama]

💓💓 can i request for yami?

reader and yami are together. she knows about charlottes crush on him and feels insecure and starts comparing herself to her. yami notices that something is wrong with her and asks her what's wrong. she tells him and he comforts her and tells her over and over again that there's nothing to worry about

Hii!!

Okay, I think that many of those who have a crush on this man are like that when these two are together in some scenes. (I speak for myself cause I get jealous, but also, who doesn't? She's beautiful😮‍💨)

Tw: Insecurities and comparison

_____________________________

You and Yami had been together for some time and it was a normal and healthy relationship, although there was something that made you a little frustrated but that you didn't want to expose either to him or to others.

You knew that Charlotte, the captain of the blue rose squad, had a crush on the captain of the black bulls and that made your mind go in circles. You thought that getting into a relationship with him would make these insecurities go away but it only ended up getting worse. You wanted to be better, you wanted to prove your worth to him and to also show him that you were better than her. You wanted to show him that only you could love him like that but the more you did each day, the more you got the feeling that it wasn't enough and that you would never reach her heights. She was beautiful, strong and stood out wherever she went, it made you think that you wouldn't be enough and that Yami wouldn't love you if you weren't like her.

Yami has even started to notice some strange things about you, since a while ago. He knew you like no one else and contrary to what many think, he is not a fool, oblivious to others, he is very observant and protective of his squad members and you, being the person he loves, he knows you like no one else.

He began to notice a certain distance from him and you incorporating a strong and somewhat cold personality, something that wasn't very common in you. He also noticed that you started to dress really well, look prettier and train even more than Asta, which left the squad members and the captain wondering what was going on, since the boy was the one who trained the hardest there and now you were surpassing him. Yami knew he had to clear up those doubts with you sooner or later.

You entered HQ, extremely exhausted and with your clothes dirty and full of sweat, you wanted to rush to the shower but Yami, who was sitting in the chair smoking, waved at you and you shivered a little, not realizing he was there.

Vanessa was also present and she could already guess that it was today that the captain would clarify things, just by the look in his face.

"Wow!! That's what I call hard work, you're look really tired. I can read it from your face and your Ki." He said, blowing smoke through his lips

"If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower. I don't want you to see me covered in dirt and sweat." You said, with some nervousness that he noticed.

"What's the matter? I've seen you in worse conditions than that, you don't need to be nervous about it."

"I'm not nervous, I just don't want you to see me in this state because it looks bad on a woman." You said, before retreating to the bathroom, leaving the captain even more confused than he already was

Both Vanessa and the captain, looked at each other as if they were wondering what was wrong with you.

"Do you know what's going on with her?" Yami asked her

"Well, I don't know but I, as a woman, think she's just looking out for herself." Vanessa guessed

"But she wasn't like that, I mean, she used to walk around, always looking sloppy and sometimes even wearing dirty clothes and I never said anything about it. Did some son of a bitch said something to her?" Yami raised an eyebrow in doubt but Vanessa just smiled

"I don't think so, she wouldn't be put off by stupid comments. You know Y/n, she's don't care about what others think of her."

"Yeah, I know. Still, I'm going to see what's going on in this idiot's head." He put out his cigarette and went to you

You had already gotten out of the shower and were now adjusting your clothes in front of the bedroom mirror, giving a little jump of fright when he came in and closed the door, with his arms crossed and looking at you who froze with the sudden entrance.

"Y/n, did anyone say anything to you?" He asked

"What are you talking about?"

"Y/n, you've been acting strange, to say the least, these last few days and don't think that I'm not paying attention to you because I am. I'm the here captain and besides giving these brats a good kick in the ass, it doesn't mean that I'm not a good-hearted guy. But for you, I'm not just a captain, you know?" He smiled, approaching you and placing a hand on your shoulder

You thought it was a little selfish of you not to tell him what was happening since he always told you everything, all the good and bad moments of his life. You felt your nervousness increasing and you lowered your head so he wouldn't see your sad eyes.

"Yami...I-I feel very insecure about myself..." You confessed in a low and melancholy voice

"What? My girl is insecure ? That's rare thing to hear!" He giggled but stopped when he saw that you weren't laughing and looked increasingly sad. "But why?"

"Because I know that Charlotte likes you and she is very beautiful and strong, you two go on missions together and I'm afraid that I'm not enough and that I can't give you the same as her." You said, moving away from him, trying your best to hide the slight blush and nervousness but everything didn't seem to work

"Wait a minute...Are you thinking that I have something with Charlotte?" Yami raised his eyebrows, confused by what he just heard. "Are you really serious?!" He approached you, holding your face and you just shook your head, confirming

He never thought that you felt that way about the other woman, he already suspected that Charlotte felt something but it wasn't reciprocated and besides, it was you who he loved, not her, so he wanted to make that clear to you.

"Y/n, you're such an idiot. Come here." He picked you up and sat on the edge of the bed with you on his lap, hugging you with his strong, protective arms. "Now you broke my little heart. I want you to know that I don't have nothing with this woman, absolutely nothing. I go on missions with her because Julius sends me on them but it's just work. Another thing, I don't want to see you compare to her. It's okay if you want to walk down the halls in those cute dresses you've been wearing recently but listen, I really prefer it when you come from the battlefield, looking like a warrior and after surpassed your limits." His hands caressed your back as he spoke. He wasn't good with words but he would do anything to please you. "I love you princess, everyone here loves you just like the way you are. Don't change to look like someone else." He looked you in the eyes and gave you a peck

You felt a tear roll down your face and he brought his hands to your face, wiping the small drop with his thumb and smiled. You felt your heart lighter after his words and gave him the peck back.

"Thank you for the words, I love you so much." You confessed hugging him

Just like you, his fragile little heart also seemed lighter, now that everything seemed clear. But of course he couldn't help but have the last word, as always...

"I also really like seeing you training like a beast, you know? You become a thousand times hotter." He whispered in your ear and you giggled

[0daylighthours0]

My Mother's Unbiased Byler + Milkvan Opinions - Viewing ST for the 1st Time!

(UPDATE)

My Mama has now witnessed Stranger Things in its entirety. Her favourite season was the third, her favourite characters Hopper and Joyce, her favourite pairing would be those guys too, and her most disliked pairing? Can only assume.

I wanted to write out her thoughts on the second to last episode previously, as she'd held many, but before I knew it we'd finished the whole show and I was forced to an income of NEW opinions which ruled out my memory of any old ones. Shucks. But boy did this lady have much to say. The only way I can break it down is by providing a sample of quotes she'd delivered, in order, a day after having finished the series.

All are just things she said about milkvan and byler, as they're this post's main focus. There's simply much to say about these relationships too, being so up in the air over where they ought be expected to turn out. These are all direct quotes too (as I typed as she talked, unkown to her) so you'll have to excuse the natural way in which some lines come off as unfocused, being written after real time conversations. Let's get into it:

Ok I really don't know whether she likes Mike very much. She actively disliked the guy earlier on, and now her feelings appear to be more mixed. A lot of her discussion was solely around this guy's actions.

"It's almost like he's [Mike] forcing himself like- ok Hopper he was kind of very passionate and kissing, you know he sort of instantly- with Mike, from being obsessed and spending so much time with her [El], suddenly he starts cooling off more and more and suddenly- they even separated right? I mean yeah that was out of his control but he, but he didn't really seem like he missed her you know it's like he just got on with it."

This point caught me off guard. I don't know how much I agree with my mother on this. It made me realize that during Mike and El's separation, there weren't many quiet Mike moments in which he expressed worry for her, beyond a couple that blend into him simply having breakup concerns. Any time Mike mentions distress for her whilst she's away, his talk evolves into him simply anxious over the state of their relationship. As a group, everyone in our Cali gang clearly wanted to save Eleven, but Mike really should have gotten more heartfelt moments in solitude (that means without Will you suffer bros) in which it is demonstrated to the audience that he really does miss her, as someone who is in love. Her being away shouldn't simply come off as a writing excuse for him to vent to Will. There wasn't enough of that tenderness milkvan desperately needs, and if anything I watched was an attempt then it really wasn't translated well - never trumping everyone else's familial or close frienship-like fret for El, never showcasing his concern to come from a more personal place. I mean how hard is it to have him in her room, staring longingly at a photo of hers, with a background composed of soft music. Then literally leaving it at that. I mean that is it. No Will rushing in there to insist, "you can tell her that thing when you see her k? It'll all work out trust me ight, you're the heart you're the HEART!" que affectionate gazes, constructs a byler scene for no reason I guess .

"I mean how do we know that he missed Will? He articulated it. Why didn't he articulate this the same way to El?"

True. I mean the fact that I can't remember a moment after they find El in which milkvan ask oneanother how they are, and communicate how much they missed eachother, does indeed say something. They shared a hug and touch when they first reunited, which was gladly interrupted by Will. That pineapple + pizza thing was not long enough, or sensitive enough, to be their moment. There was clear bonding, but it didn't breach a level of romance and chemistry nearly decently. It's good that they got at least that, I mean we need to know that these guys are at LEAST really close friends. And then the camera just felt like panning over to Will about to burst into tears in a corner. Like huh? Bruv you've now made it so that milkvan's pizza bit leaves a bad taste in our mouths. If I were a milkvan I'd be furious.

"You know what, I think it's done purposefully to create that sort of cold, distant, confused, you know they wanted to make people say he's [Mike] bisexual. For people to question. They want to get people to think that."

My Mama believes writers intentionally soured milkvan for viewers to "confuse" audiences, build up anticipation, make them question milkvan's relationship and wonder if our main man will spin to Will. I agree. They want that good ol' triangle comeuppance.

"They really are trying to bring that across- so that people start thinking Mike, you know he doesn't love El, he loves Will. They're really trying to, make people think that. Giving them [milkvan] a really nitty gritty relationship."

Yup.

"When you're gay. Coming out like that it's- it's terrifying. You have to be very careful. And Will could, he could tell. You know when someone is attracted to you. I think, things became sort of- sort of complicated. And Will sensed, he could feel that Mike is attracted to him. And that's why he could open up like that. Because you can always tell. You know, you just know, so that's why Will was able to confess these things to him [she sees painting scene as a confession, whether Mike realized it or not, and so do I]."

Well damn Mama. And there you have it folks. My.. I'm not gonna call her the h word but.. my- notabigfanofgaythingsandwouldbehappytopretendtheydon'texist mother, perceives Mike as a homosexual kid, and just that. Well bloomin heck that's all the confirmation I need.

I didn't expect this as a turnout, I mean so particularly. My Mama actually didn't like byler - I think. Well. Bloomin heck. She actually enjoyed Vickie x Robin, and this shocked me to my core. I don't know whether this is simply due to her being a fan of Vickie's actress (recognizing her from Anne With an 'E'), but I do know that my mother has a bias in gay relationships and sees ones involving females as more "pure" than that of two males. So her language when describing Will has changed since her realization that he loves Mike for sure (which became undeniable in the van scene). She describes him as being 'obsessed' with Mike, and says writers really wanted to get that obsession across. I agree with Will having been one note during season 4, him hopefully having more time to shine in the approaching season, but I thoroughly disagree with him coming off as obsessive. I suppose our camera man displayed the guy's little glances at Mike so often that my Mama felt it was overdone, and unable to be ignored. I also think she's just avoiding use of the word 'love' when describing anything homosexual.

She still doesn't think Mike demonstrates how much he loves El enough to leave no room for debate. According to her, his moments with her seem surface level. Just as a reminder she does not know my thoughts. She watched that entire 'I love you' thing and still isn't secure in any genuineness of the guy. I believe she supposes that we're intended to acknowledge milkvan's romance, but also probe it.

I now wonder whether my Mama was good enough representation for the average audience, because she actually does own a bias - this being that she usually actively dislikes gay things. So I puzzle over whether her brain overanalyzed any of the boys' highlights, wanting to "expose" their homo intentions. At first things were up in the air, but it became clear that Mike did not pass her gaydar, he was simply too intimate with Will to make that pass. And this wasn't the case in other seasons, she never questioned their friendship til now. She also hasn't acknowledged any supposedly queer relationships besides rickie (vobin?) and byler, meaning that other fan favourites such as elmax, steddie, ronance and such else didn't stand out as gay to her. This doesn't signify those other relationships to not have a chance, I'm elmax's personal cheersquad, it's plainly clear that my mother didn't have a tendency to point at every same sex relationship and yell suspicious. Byler was purely undeniable. You can thank Will's love being canoned for this, otherwise noone would have a need to read into Mike.

I don't know whether she supposes byler to have a chance moreso than the milk in the van, even with Mike's ambiguity. It would seem that as of right now her guess is that watchers are intended to second guess both relationships in order to build up interest. However, she doesn't know how unlikely Will's love life is to turn out negatively seeing as those damn writers manipulated crowds into consistently sympathizing for him. Dunno about the rest of you but that sounds like good news to me.

I have no idea how to close this analysis. Is it an analysis? There's much more I want to say, much more she said, but I fear this to be too jam-packed and aimless as is. I'm writing a third part to my most recent milkthevan failing relationship deep dive, and that'll possibly consist of thoughts I wish to input after gathering so much data from my mother.

[i4bellingham]

So I read “misleading” tic abt Jude and I LOVE IT!!! I have kind of a similar request with Jude. Soo I was thinking, Jude, y/n, and some of the guys are out clubbing or out in a bit or somewhere crowded and then a guy approaches y/n and tries to get her to come with him, like pulling on her and grabbing her. And then Jude and some of the guys come and stoops him and it’s almost like a fight and Jude gets really protective. Then someone films it and it’s ALL over the internet ( you can ignore this I might have just gotten carried away)

PROTECTIVE : jude bellingham x reader

cw: a guy being a fucking creep 🤢, protective!jude, literally jude in this fic will not take a piss from anybody, cussing, shoving resulting to a near fight, will take place after world cup where the guys are out in a club to party and celebrate before returning to their own clubs, also protective!england nt bcs jude is their baby, the creep being socked. switches in povs !! + not proofread !!

　

The nightclub was mellow but overflowing with a bunch of attendees.

It definitely wasn’t your every evening scene but it was a place you’d visit on occasion and by on occasion, it means being dragged and pestered by your friends to go with them some time every once or thrice a month.

But even then, you'd never once experienced something that threatened your occasional visits to the clubs. Normally finding friends amidst the rowdy crowd and entertaining drunk yet very amusing discourse with said people.

Your nightclub trips weren't a scary experience, until now.

“A pretty girl alone in a place like this?” The overbearing scent of bergamot filled your senses, nearly enough to make you feel suffocated by the scent alone that overpowered the entire smell of the nightclub itself.

It was due to the proximity of the unknown guy beside you and you confirmed that when you turned your head to the right and seeing an unfamiliar face; a guy in his late 20’s you presume, a dark haired male with a pale complexion and with a salacious grin staring you down.

Taking notice of a palm's worth of space between the both of you, you automatically scooted away from him with a nervous chuckle, sounding awfully lot like you're having a coughing fit before your drinks are being slid across the marble counter by the bartender who, also got an eye out for look-out.

“Oh. I’m actually here with my boyfriend and his friends.” You emphasized, hugging yours and Jude’s drinks near to your chest before tipping your head a bit as you slowly walked away. “Uh... yeah, bye-”

“Let me take your drinks to your boyfriend and his friends...” The unknown guy tried to take the glasses from you, not even minding one bit but it was near your clothed chest before you're stepping away from the guy, an uncomfortable frown on your face.

You glanced at the bartender, seeing him occupied with another customer's rather large batch of orders before sighing out loud, plastering your fake, friendly smile at him. “No thanks, I got it.”

Now without bidding him any farewell, you successfully walked away and only then did you began to chastise yourself for taking the drinks alone, especially when Jude made it perfectly clear that he could've gone with you.

But you didn't let him, not when he’s got a few fans to entertain himself alongside his mates. The other guys were there with you upon arrival as well but they gradually left your table not even an hour after you got there. You were also hesitant to ask one of the guys' girlfriends to go with you even though you knew that they wouldn’t mind coming with to get the drinks with you. You were simply hesitant to do those and hence you went alone.

And look at where you've landed now.

With a deep sigh, you continued walking the path to your table. You can already see Sasha's blonde hair up ahead and Marcus’ tall frame when an arm suddenly was wrapped around your shoulders, nearly making you drop the drinks on the ground.

“Hi again!” The unknown guy cheers beside you, almost shoving his face against yours before he's gripping at your shoulders. “Thought you might rather prefer some other company. A friend of mine just bought more drinks and I think you could come and join us for some fun-”

You push the guy off of you, scrambling to get away from his grip that the drinks you tried so hard to keep drenched the front of your dress.

“Please just leave me alone.” You place the glasses on a nearby vacant table, wiping away the liquid that soaked the material of your dress with your palm. “You’re really really making me uncomfortable so I would appreciate it if you just leave me alone, please.”

“But I'm already being the kind lad here! Offered to carry your drinks, asked if you wanted to join me and my friends at our table and yet you keep on being a brat and refusing my offers-”

“You also touched me without my permission, overstepped in my personal boundary and made me feel disturbed.” Tears pricked at your eyes, as you stepped away, a palm out to keep the guy from coming closer. “Please just leave me alone-”

“What’s happenin’ here?”

A familiar weight settled on your waist, wrapped nice and snug before you're being hauled against Jude's chest with a protective arm around you.

Jude tilts his head to look at you, worry crossing in his eyes noticing your lack of verbal response and your refusal to meet his gaze.

“Love? What's wrong? What happened?” He gently asks you.

You shook your head against his chest, muttering a few simple words that was enough for Jude to hear.

“Let’s just go back to the table, Jude please...”

Jude’s jaw visibly tightens before he's glaring at the unknown guy, guiding you back to the table with his arms still around you.

The two of you nearly made it to the table when a grip on your wrist pulled you back and making you let out a surprised shriek as the unfamiliar guy wrenched you harshly against his hold, the tight grip sending a throbbing pain through the entirety of your hand.

And not even a second later after that, you were free from the unknown guy’s clasp before Jude’s shoving him to a nearby table, alerting the other guys from your booth because of the fallen glasswares.

“Keep your hands off her you bloke.” Teeth grinding and jaw clenched, Jude balls the guy’s collar in his fists with a harsh glare. “If I see you lay a single, dirty finger on her again, you just mighta go home with a broken hand before this night ends.”

Pickford rushes over and wraps an arm across Jude’s chest, pulling him away from the stunned guy before Wilson and Saka steps in to help their mate haul your trashing boyfriend away.

Jack and Mason stood before the guy, glaring and tensed as they stare the man down before Sterling is guiding two bouncers on the scene with Jesse on tow.

On the other hand, Declan and Henderson are ushering you back to the seats, noticing Trent and Marcus on the booth with the other girls present for the evening, worry creasing their faces.

You glance to where Jude and the three other guys were just a while ago, seeing them nowhere near the spot. You roam your eyes around the area before Declan speaks up beside you with a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about Jude, they took him outside to get some air. They’ll probably be back in a few minutes or so just until Jude cool downs.” He tells you and you silently nod your head, still looking over the last spot where you saw Pickford, Saka and Wilson calm your boyfriend from bashing the creep’s head on the table.

Trent leaves his spot in the booth, making you sit down beside his girlfriend Hannah who immediately asks if you're okay. It then probe the others into asking you the same question, with the exemption of Tolami and Lucia who simply offered you a glass of water and with an encouraging pat on the hand, refraining themselves from overwhelming you as they kept the questions to themselves.

Your answers to their questions were short and concise and it didn't take them long to realize that you would probably want your space after what happened. They simply shared looks of both worry and sympathy and with a few shorts hugs being offered to you, they simply sat in silence and waited for the others to return.

The waiting time didn't take long because after sitting down for 10 minutes, Jack, Mason, Raheem and Jesse are walking back to the booth. The four of them asked if you were alright, Jack going as far as joking about socking the guy in the parking lot after your group leaves to which not only did Sasha reprimanded him for, he was also smacked by the other guys for finding his suggestion too much despite feeling absolutely enraged by what happened.

Jordan, Saka, Wilson and Jude came back after 20 minutes, your boyfriend immediately crouching down in front of you and taking your hands in his before he’s got his forehead planted on your thighs, a shaky breath leaving his lips.

“You guys were out for long. What happened?” Jesse asked with a questioning brow raised.

Wilson who was seated on the opposite side of the seating arrangement grumbled something in response.

“The guy went to the parking lot after he was escorted out of the club, we were there, Jude saw him and tackled him on the ground after hearing the maggot say some things.” Wilson sighs but there is an amused smile on his lips. “Landed a rather lousy punch on the guy’s face when Jordan had his punching hand pinned back.”

“Should have brought him in when the wanker went out, no?” Sterling comments. “Let’s just hope this doesn't reach the internet.”

Marcus nods his head. “The PR team's most definitely gonna be pissed if that were to happen...”

“Well the nutter's the one who started it.” Trent piques with an eye-roll. “Would’ve socked him on the face the moment I saw him.”

Henderson shakes his head, ignoring the scoff from Trent as he shares his comment. “That’s why we didn’t let you leave the booth.”

“You’d jump on the poor nutter.” Mason chimes in, earning a fit of laughter from almost everyone.

As you tune down the conversation happening, your eyes landed on Jude's knuckles beside your thighs. They weren't busted open but they were bruised, discoloration already forming around the skin of the knuckles he used to punch the guy with.

You ran your fingers through his hair, leaning down to whisper against his ear as he continued being crouched down, head on your lap.

“Jude? Are you alright, love?”

Jude nods his head with a hum.

“Can you sit down beside me please?” You pat the empty space beside you. “You’re gonna get leg cramps if you remain crouching down there.”

Jude doesn't say anything else but he does comply, silently sitting down beside you with his head hanging down low.

You place a hand on his thigh, pursing your lips as you observe his slouched figure nearly draping over you.

“What’s wrong, hmm?”

He doesn't speak for a while, eyes following the circles being traces on his lap before he’s clasping your palm against his, grip not too tight but enough for you to feel the strength of his hold on you.

“Are you alright?” Jude asks, turning his head to look at you better. “I’m sorry I couldn't be there to help you earlier. I feel so angry and upset that you had to go through that. No one, not especially a woman should ever go through something as traumatizing as that and it happened to you.”

He heaves a deep breath, leaning his head against the tall cushioned back rest of the booth. “I felt so angry at myself when I saw you were almost crying when I got to you. Realized it must've been a little while when the scrub has been buggin’ you ’n I wasn’t there to keep most of it from happening.”

Jude purses his lips, muttering two words underneath his breath as if he was afraid for everyone, for you to hear the fragility and hurt in his voice.

“I’m sorry.”

Gently, you take Jude’s hand and raising his bruised knuckles to your lips, softly kissing the discolored spot.

“That wasn’t your fault Jude. It was something that we all didn’t expect to happen so please don’t take the blame for what happened.” You told him, watching as he knits his brows, closing his eyes. “Just like what you said, nobody should ever experience something like that and we only have those kind of people to blame. But thank you, for protecting me and for standing up for me the way you did. I would have never known what I’d do if you didn’t came by and helped me-”

“Of course I’d protect you. Girlfriend or not I will always protect you...”

Jude leans in and plants a kiss on your temple, pulling a hand away from your touch to wrap at your waist.

“I’d go mad if something happened to you.”

“Mhm and that’s why you socked the guy on the face right?”

Jude chuckles, kissing your cheeks and playfully biting at the skin. “Could've done a better job at punching him but my arm was restrained.”

You were about to open your mouth to respond with something when Jude’s phone rang, interrupting whatever comment you had to yourself before he’s fishing the device from his pockets, eyes rolling seeing the name in the caller id.

　

　　　　　　　　　　ㅡ

　　　　　　　Incoming call...

　　　　　　 　 PR manager

　　　　　　　　　　ㅡ

　

a/n: i am not entirely satisfied with the ending but will revise it whenever i can! also posting this because jude posted a selca on his ig story 😍

[aflamboyanceofflamingos]

So I've been dealing with a really bad fever for the last few days, and apparently i had written something i have no recollection of writing so here it is:

~~~~~~~

Tim had dug himself into a hole.

To anyone that knew him, that fact wouldn't be too surprising. Tim had always been a very capable individual, but every now and then he became too in love with how capable he was and he would trip over his own ego. Usually the boy could get out of the messes he created, the sudden humbling giving him a clear head, but this time, he didn't think he could climb his way out on his own. 

The first shovel of dirt of this metaphorical hole came over 4 years ago, lining up with the first shovel of dirt of a literal hole. 

Jason Todd had died. Robin had died. 

Batman was in shambles. 

And 13 year old Tim Drake thought that because of the knowledge he had, it was his responsibility to fix him. 

Batman needed a Robin, and despite what Nightwing had implied, Tim was nowhere near cool enough to be Robin. 

So what would make Batman get his own sidekick? If his enemies had one! Batman would be forced to find someone else to deal with the sidekick while he dealt with the actual Rouge. 

The Joker was obviously out. Beyond the fact that the Joker was horrible, Tim may be joining up with a villain but that didn’t mean he wanted Batman to hate him. 

That meant he needed to find someone Batman didn��t enact a lot of violence on. That got rid of the Scarecrow and the various crime bosses (Black Mask, the Penguin, etc.). Bruce had been close to Harvey Dent, but a 50% chance of death was a percentage that was just a little too high for Tim (oh how that would change). Most of the lower tier Rouges (Kite Man, Mad Hatter, etc.) had gone under after the got wind of Batman's fury, not to mention that Tim really didn't want to spend his days smelling like ketchup. Poison Ivy and Killer Croc were cool, but their skills weren't exactly ones Tim could replicate. 

That left Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and the Riddler. 

The Mr. Freeze was more gentle with kids, their “villiainly” being based on the actions of adults, and the latter three were in it for their own interests rather than the purpose of killing or invoking fear, Catowman wanted shiny things, Harley wanted chaos and fun, and while the Riddler didn't share the same soft spot for kids, he respected intelligence. 

Tim chose Catwoman; the least lethal, and the closest with Batman. The skills she could teach him would also be more helpful in other situations.

It took about a week from the day he knocked on Selina Kyle's door to convince her to train him, but soon enough, a couple days before his 14th birthday and a few more calls to 911 about petty thieves left in the wake of Batman’s grief then Tim would have liked, “Stray” entered the scene. 

And his plan was working! 

The first time Batman had seen the second pair of cat ears he had paused mid ass-kicking of a carjacker and followed the duo, leaving the guy with more teeth then the others.

Slowly but surely, as time went on, the punishments the Batman inflicted started to fit the crime. By the time Tim was 15, he even thought he had seen a small upturn at the corner of Bruce’s mouth as he witnessed a bit of friendly banter between the two cats!

This was when the young villain had started to become a tad bit overconfident. In his defense, he had managed to keep his identity hidden from even Oracle! Lifts in his shoes, a voice modulator, make-up to disguise his facial features, along with a set of the same goggles Catwoman had kept and physical information from being revealed, and Tim Drake never interacted with Selina Kyle so there was no reason that anyone should have suspected him.

That overconfidence is what led him to replicate his plan. If one Rouge sidekick had benefits, then two Rouge sidekicks would mean double the benefits!

Solving riddles wasn’t too hard for the young boy, being able to see double meaning and red herrings was a skill taught to him by Janet Drake, and he took to the escape-room-esque plans for his heists quite easily. The thing he couldn’t figure out was creating riddles of his own. Mother had taught him that knowledge was power, you only reveal it if there was something to be gained, so purposely revealing information about his intention, helping his opponent was not something Tim was accustomed to, not bound to the compulsion to always tell the truth.

If the boy truly wanted to replicate the Riddler, then he would have to learn from the man himself.

Convincing the enigmatic man to teach Tim was easier than it had been with Catowman, the impressive display of bypassing the puzzles that hid the location of the game-playing criminal certainly helping.

Now, 15 years old with an unexplained skill boost in his AP Lang class (the lessons on wordplay were a definite help), The Riddler’s protege, ‘The Puzzler’ became the newest addition to the Gotham Rogues. He resented that name by the way. It was supposed to be Sibyl or Sphinx, they were on theme because they spoke in riddles and though he would deny it, the use of greek figures were his own little way of mocking Oracle, who still couldn’t figure out his identity. But apparently Poison Ivy and the Riddler had brunch once a month (something about being the green Rouges?) and she had heard the Riddler refer to him as “the little puzzle piece” when he was talking about his apprentice and the puzzle theme stuck despite how uncreative the name was.

This is when things became a bit hectic. Not only did Tim have to hide his nightlife from Batman and his parents, now he had to keep his two mentors from realizing that their mentees were the same person. 

He managed to convince Selina that the reason he was so busy lately was the AP classes that came with sophomore year, and while it wasn’t a lie, it certainly wasn’t the full story.

Nygma was easier to deceive. Tim had refrained from sharing his actual identity with the man (just because he would tell the truth in his puzzles for the sake of theme didn’t mean that he would be sharing personal information if it wasn’t needed. The only reason he hadn't hid it from Selina was to gain her trust, something that wasn’t needed with the Riddler) so just saying that he was busy was enough.

All the effort was worth it though. Things kept getting better.

Nightwing was seen in Gotham more often, and Spoiler (someone who Tim initially thought was trying to steal his thing by being a sidekick of the Cluemaster, only to realize she was working against him) had been seen fighting alongside the Batman one or twice. 

On an unrelated note, Stephiane Brown suddenly had her tuition for Gotham Academy paid for in full by the newly created Jason Todd Foundation.

Since things were going so well, he decided to push his luck a little further.

Unfortunately for Tim, he would soon realize the reason he was known for his bad luck in the future.

It started off like other times. Tim convinced Harley Quinn to take him under her wing, and “Ace” made their debut along with Tim’s 5 in AP Psych (Thank you Dr. Quinzel).

Steph and Tim happened to share a few classes together, and went from study buddies (Tim helping her in Chem, and Steph helping him in American History) to close friends.

Spoiler officially joined the Bats, and there were rumors of another bat joining the clan as well. Well there were no actual rumors, but the newest Wayne kid, Cassandra, had started joining him and Steph at their lunch table so her becoming a new bat wouldn’t be too surprising.

Soon enough though, things went to shit.

To start off, the first time Spoiler met Ace, she threw a brick at his head.

Second, His parents had caught him sneaking out and had grounded him, meaning that he now had to wait until they did their last check on his room at 12:00 to sneak out. 

The lack of sleep was starting to catch up to the highschooler. Handling 3 separate nightlife identities was hard enough, but doing so while exhausted was even harder.

After pulling an all nighter to study for a test the night before, he had gone to Selina’s apartment dressed as Ace, and had both costumes not been mostly black he would have been undoubtedly caught before he managed to fix his mistake.

Puzzler once spent a whole night sounding like Stray, and he didn’t think that his “sore throat” lie was all that believable.

Tim accidentally made a cat pun instead of a bat one when engaging in vaguely flirty banter with Spoiler as Ace and Harley had set him down to have the talk, stating that she would love him no matter who he liked and she would be happy to serve as a wingman for him and Catwoman’s protege. It would be funny if it wasn’t so embarrassing.

Third, Cassandra Wayne definitely knew something.

Tim’s “rumors” were right. 2 weeks after Cass had first joined their table Black Bat made herself known. By pinning Puzzler to the ground.

The next day Cass spent the entire lunch period staring at Tim. When he attempted to throw her off by invoking a mix of Stray and Ace’s mannerisms she stopped staring, instead choosing to freak Tim out more by smiling knowingly. At his wide eyes she mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key only throwing Tim off further. Cass was too smart to not have known, but there was no reason she wouldn’t tell if she did know, right?

Last, but not least, and the worst of all:

Jason Todd was alive.

~~~~~~~

I have no clue where i was going with that last line, but i see a vision, so I'm hoping it will come back to me, but if not, any suggestions or constructive criticism (or a better puzzle themed name for tim) would be helpful

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Any thoughts on The trio of Lily, Petunia and Sev's life in industrial cokeworth? Like right up until Lily and Sev's graduation from Hogwarts?

I have seen so many takes on Lily being a doormat in just taking the abuse from Petunia but... I don't know.

Well, they weren't exactly a trio from what little we see of them in the Prince's Tale. There are the sisters Lily and Petunia and their dynamic and then there are Lily and Severus and their dynamic. Severus and Petunia just seem to dislike each other.

Severus drops a branch on Petunia and clearly looks down on her calling her in his head: "just a muggle" as he almost slipped and said that to Lily. Petunia views Severus in contempt, she thinks of him as a freak and makes fun of his second-hand clothes and poor background:

Then a small rustling noise behind Harry made him turn: Petunia, hiding behind a tree, had lost her footing. “Tuney!” said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet.

(DH, 564)

Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. Harry could see her struggling for something hurtful to say. “What is that you’re wearing, anyway?” she said, pointing at Snape’s chest. “Your mum’s blouse?” There was a crack. A branch over Petunia’s head had fallen. Lily screamed. The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder, and she staggered backward and burst into tears.

(DH, 564)

And Lily is kinda stuck between them calling out both of them when they're being mean. Lily is trying to play peacekeeper between Severus and Petunia and while she isn't as aggressive as Severus or Petunia, she's far from being a doormat. Lily loves both Severus and Petunia and wants the people closest to her to get along, but she doesn't allow herself to be treated badly. When Petunia really hurts her, Lily swings back with venom with something she knows would bother Petunia:

“—you think I want to be a—a freak?” Lily’s eyes filled with tears as Petunia succeeded in tugging her hand away. “I’m not a freak,” said Lily. “That’s a horrible thing to say.” “That’s where you’re going,” said Petunia with relish. [...] “You didn’t think it was such a freak’s school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you.” Petunia turned scarlet. “Beg? I didn’t beg!”

(DH, 565-566)

And she calls Severus out for his treatment of Petunia:

But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape. “Did you make that happen?” “No.” He looked both defiant and scared. “You did!” She was backing away from him. “You did! You hurt her!”

(DH, 564)

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said in a constricted voice. “Why not?” “Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.” “So what?” She threw him a look of deep dislike. “So she’s my sister!”

(DH, 566-567)

In the memories we see of the young Lily, Petunia, and Severus it's very clear Lily just wants everyone to get along. This doesn't seem to work for her.

I mentioned here how I think Severus stayed with the Evans family during the summer, like during the day, he went back home in the evening. This is how he probably had the chance to retrieve Petunia's letter to Dumbledore mentioned above. But again, they weren't a trio. They were two duos that Lily tried to marge into a trio but Severus and Petunia never got along.

Also, after Lily starts her first year, I think her relationship with Petunia gets much worse. The scene I quoted with Petunia calling her a freak in the train station is just the beginning. Petunia is clearly bitter and jealous even years later:

“Knew!” shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. “Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!”

(PS, 41)

So, I think after Lily started Hogwarts her relationship with Petunia just soured. She still loved her sister, but the relationship was strained. I think during these vacations after 1st year but before 5th year, Lily actually spent more time with Severus than Petunia, Petunia was never really part of it.

Lily tends to leave situations she doesn't like, she doesn't stick around to hang out with people who upset her — she cuts them out of her life like she did with Snape after SWM.

With Petunia, it was different. She was her older sister, whom she loved, and Petunia loved Lily too. I think a lot of her initial antagonism of Snape and telling Lily she shouldn't do magic before they knew what it was comes from a protective place. Petunia is the older sister and she is protecting Lily in the way she knows how. But then she becomes jealous and bitter over all the attention Lily gets, all the wonders of magic she could never have...

As I mentioned, I think Lily gave Petunia more chances than she gave Snape after SWM. I think Lily kept trying to reach out to fail every time before she gave up. It doesn't make her a doormat, it makes her someone who cares about her sister. But even then, at some point, she probably didn't make as much effort as before and drew back as that seems to be how Lily handles these things.

We know Lily and James were present at Petunia and Vernon's wedding, so it seems Lily never fully gave up on her sister. The same can't be said for Petunia who refused to attend James and Lily's wedding. Lily was noted as upset over Petunia not wanting her as a bridesmaid. So, even after Hogwarts Lily still made an effort to have a relationship with Petunia, but Petunia didn't let her. Again, it's not that Lily's a doormat, she just cares and is trying to reach out to her sister whom she used to love as a kid and doesn't want to lose. I think that's completely reasonable behavior, and it's clear from what we see of them as kids and from how Pottermore words their interactions in the wedding:

The evening ended with Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant, while Lily burst into tears and James (a little ashamed of himself) promised to make things up with Vernon at the earliest opportunity. This never happened. Petunia did not want Lily as a bridesmaid, because she was tired of being overshadowed; Lily was hurt.

(From pottermore)

That Lily never just "took abuse", she made sure her displeasure was known, but she loved her sister and wanted to get along with her, and for Petunia to get along with the other important people in her life, whether that be Severus when younger or James when she was older.

[writerbuddha]

The scene with Padmé and Anakin on the balcony always fascinated me. Because they are talking about their future as if they are going to run away together, but meanwhile we know the audience that would never be possible, even if Anakin didn't become Darth Vader.

Well, yes.

To be honest, the entire shared life Anakin and Padmé built on their love was characterized by them not thinking about how their actions will affect their lives. That's the reason why I love their love story so much: their love was this powerful, uncontrollable gravitational pull that eventually kicked them out of the driver seat and hijacked them. From the moment that Padmé, believing that their lives was about to get destroyed anyway, lowered her guard on Geonosis, they basically both cried, "hands up", as if they were on a roller coaster - but they were driving a car, and in Clone Wars, it was painfully clear that the car sustained some damages even before Anakin become Vader.

Padmé wakes up from time to time - they weren't prepared for the possibility of having babies, nor they were mindful of this possibility, and she asks, concerned, "What are we gonna do?" but Anakin yanks her back into this state by telling her, "We're not gonna worry about anything right now. All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life." This leads up to the balcony scene, where they're doing exactly that: Padmé focuses on making plans: "Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo. We can go to the lake country where no one will know, where we can be safe. I can go early and fix up the baby's room. I know the perfect spot. Right by the gardens." And later, when Anakin senses the future, Padmé, once again, tries to have that discussion: "This baby will change our lives. I doubt the queen will continue to allow me to serve in the senate. And if the council discovers you're the father, you'll be expelled-" But Anakin, once again, insists, "our baby is a blessing" and they're going back being happy about it, even though "Our baby is a blessing and I am happy" and "We should really think about what the birth of this child will mean and how it will affect our lives" are not mutually exclusive. So, this illustrates the problem with the way how they nurtured their love: they knew that it's a bad idea to get together and to marry and starting a family, but they did it anyway, and whenever the actual consequences showed themselves on the horizon, whenever the fruits of their karma started to grow on the branches of their lives, they threw a silk blanket of "we're so, so, SO in love" onto them.

[hornyramostan]

After all this time?; Cristiano Ronaldo

Two years had passed since you last saw your best friend. He had left Portugal for Spain to expand his football career and join a team. You yourself recommended it to him after watching him play throughout his life trying so hard to go far, because you also trusted what he could do. You also recommended it to him, because you hadn't thought about all the time you weren't going to see him. You lied when you told him not to think so important and that you didn't miss him madly.

Cristiano and you have known each other for more than ten years and throughout your life you have been asked many times if you were a couple, you always denied it with a certain disgust, as if it was crazy, but deep down you knew that you would not dislike the idea of dating the attractive soccer player you had as a friend. Clearly you never confessed it to him because it could go very wrong and ruin your relationship, so in that time when Cris wasn't around, you tried to meet new people to distract your head, and, why not, find a part-time lover.

When you entered university you met a boy named Lionel who sat next to you. The both chatted a couple of times from the moment he went to class wearing a T-shirt from your favorite band "The Strokes" If there was something you liked in boys it was that they have good musical tastes, and this was the case with this boy. A few days ago the teacher had given the instructions for a work in pairs and you had no better idea than to do it together. Leo would go to your house that afternoon to meet, what you didn't know is that someone else had also planned to go to your house that afternoon, but as a surprise.

Half past three in the afternoon and the doorbell rang at your house. You finished accommodating the books and went to open the door. By the time you could see what was behind it, you had to hold on to the frame "Have you missed me darling?" There he was, your best friend was back. "CRISTIANO" You said as you detached yourself from the door to jump into his arms. You didn't remember hugging him so tight ever, you really missed him. "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Spain? "Well I missed my family and I also wanted to tell you that-" "Wait, let's go home because it looks like it's going to rain and I don't want you to catch a cold"

When the both entered you noticed that he had a confused face "Did something happen?" You asked curiously "Why is everything so arranged and why is there a snack for two prepared? Were you expecting someone else?" "Actually-" You were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell "Yes, I invited a friend to do some university work at home, I hope you don't mind" You told him as you reached the front door, which you opened with a huge smile,naccording to Cristiano, who had changed his expression from confused to furious.

"I brought yerba to drink mate, it's a very common drink in Argentina and I think you'll like it" "Awww leo thanks, now let's go inside because it's cold and raining" As soon as you closed the door you noticed the tension that existed among your guests, but you decided to ignore her "Well, let me introduce you, Cris this is Leo, a friend from uni and Leo this is Cris, a childhood friend" "BEST friend, you mean" the Portuguese plaintiff corrected. Both, Leo and you, looked at each other being complicit in a clear scene of jealousy "Well, let's get to work"

This is how the afternoon passed, Leo and you did what you had to do. You laughed and drank mate with biscuits while Cristiano watched the scene from affair, although they offered him several times to join the conversation, he just shook his head.

"Well, thanks for coming leo, I had a lot of fun, see you on Monday!" "I'm saying the same y/n, greetings to you and your friend!" Your coworker said as he walked out the door.

"May I know why you laughed so much with him?" The Portuguese blurted out "Because at least he spoke, not like others who sit with an ass face judging with their eyes, oh and I didn't like that little scene you did at the beginning Cristiano, nothing at all" "And how do you want me to react if MY best friend just replaces me as if nothing?" "SORRY? AS IF NOTHING? YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DIDN'T WRITE TO ME FOR TWO YEARS CRISTIANO, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I MISSED YOU AND HOW MUCH IT HURTS ME TO SEE THAT YOU NEVER REMEMBERED ME" You were furious. Like nothing? He didn't know how much you missed him? "DO YOU THINK I HAD TIME TO WRITE YOU? I COULDN'T EVEN WRITE TO MY PARENTS" They were both silent "I missed you a lot too, more than you can imagine, I missed your hugs, your face, your voice, seeing your eyes, god I missed you so much y/n, and when I saw that another person arrived I was afraid, I was afraid because I thought I had lost my chance" "Your chance for what?" "From this" And before you could react, he grabbed you by the waist, attracting you to him and the both melted into a passionate kiss. You separated due to lack of air and once ecovered it, you kissed again. It was as if the both could finally demonstrate that desire that they had.

They separated and looked into each other's eyes, and the only thing they could say was "I love you".

[v3nusxsky]

Hi, can I ask for an angst with Larissa like maybe some sort of fight that ends with some accident like idk maybe a car one or sth and reader is in bad state at the hospital and Larissa cries and begs unconscious reader to not leave her and that she is sorry etc? And maybe the doc enters and says that reader had more luck than they think and she and the baby should be fine. And Larissa cries more with mixed feelings of guilt and happiness because they tried for a kid for a long time? I leave the ending for you ;* thank you ❤️

Don’t leave me| Angst

*Authors note~ my heart I sincerely apologise for what lays ahead.*

Trigger warnings~ angst car crash mentions pregnancy loss

Prompt~ see ask^^^^^

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

Arguing with your lover was something you always hated, your anxiety would go sky high and your abandonment issues would flare up. But you'd had your fare share of arguments with Larissa but she'd always stayed. Never had she left during an argument, maybe another room but you always knew she would come back. And she always did until tonight.

You'd had the worst fight ever, really your missed your wife's presence but understood her job yet missing your anniversary was the last straw. You lots your cool and decided on a drive. You only wanted to clear your head but realistically getting in the car so upset wasn't the best idea. Of course rational thoughts weren't occurring for you so you indeed got in the car and drove from the shared house.

You don't remember what happened exactly but you remember the sounds of horns, and a blue car slamming into the drivers side of your car. The windows smashing around you as you lost your consciousness. Perhaps this was how it was meant to be. You didn't even get a chance to talk to Larissa, to give her the surprise but now you had killed your self and your daughter.

Larissa Weems went to find her lover, after all she didn't want this to happen, she didn't mean to hurt you. Wednesday Addams was causing her no end of grief and unfortunately you suffered the consequences of this. She knew you were in the right here but as soon as she heard the door slam shut she couldn't help the guilt eating her alive. Maybe that's why when you didn't return she began to pace and attempt to control her panic until her phone rang.

"Your wife's been in a car accident, unresponsive at the scene and is currently being taken to Jericho Hospital" replayed through the blondes head as she drove to you on autopilot. The last words she said wouldn't leave her brain and that's the last thing she wanted you to hear. And what about the baby? Oh god she couldn't lose the both of you. God what had she done? The what if situations driving her insane as her heart ached in the unknown. And the disappointment in herself rising with every passing second. If she just didn't spend so much time chasing after Wednesday Addams or if she made you feel special and loved more often then this wouldn't be happening.

Larissa wasn't known for patience, her status as headmistress of Nevermore often gained her access to things she typically wouldn't have, and that her connections with the mayor made it much more easy for her to obtain. It was no surprise that when the beautiful six foot three woman came barging in the doors that she was immediately directed to the room in which you lay unconscious and pretty badly bruised but no other signs of massive damage. The monitor attached to your beautiful bump showing that your precious baby was alive for now.

"We aren't sure if she'll wake up, and if that's the case then we need to operate and save the baby" the nurse informed your wife while you lay there willing your body to work. "I'm sorry baby! I love you so much. Please don't leave me. I'm so so so sorry sweetheart, you're my world. Our little sunshine is okay, their hearts beating away. Fight angel please I can't lose you. I'm so so sorry" she sobbed clutching at your hand as if it would some how make a difference.

God knows how long she sat there like that, crying and apologising to you, but the moment your eyes fluttered open and you immediately drew your attention to her hands on yours. "Ris?" You croaked out before your eyes found the monitor. "Sweetheart! I'm sorry I'm so so sorry I didn't mean to love, I can't lose you." She rambled as she grabbed some water to hopefully soothe your throat. After a small sip you couldn't help but murmur, "is she okay?"

"She? It's a girl" Larissa whispered which had you nodding with tears in your eyes, "it's what I wanted to tell you tonight, on our anniversary, that we are having a beautiful little princess." Larissa's hand soon found its way to cradle your daughters bump, "our little Dahlia Rae? I'm so in love with you" she murmured as you nodded in response, "I'm in love with you too baby, I'm sorry for fighting and driving upset. I'm so glad we are okay, to be with my favourite human ever."

You'd spent the past few days in hospital just for precautionary measures, but Larissa never left your side for a second. You thought maybe she'd relax once you made it home, but no you and Lia were treated like queens and even the night you gave birth, Larissa vowed to never make you feel anything less. She stood cradling the beautiful newborn, looking down at her with such and adoring smile you felt like your heart grew twelve sizes. One silly argument would never defeat the love you shared.

Word count~ 984

Tag list ~ @enchantressb @fortheloveofaproditesblessings @medeaswifey @scream-queenlover @larrisalessopet @briennethebeautysstuff @xx-state-of-mind-xx @i-write-sometimes-maybe @farahtissaiamyloves @just-your-casual-nerd

[kit-williams]

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

@bispecsual I decided to write another using my favorite scene from a movie I really adore (yes in this technically Captain Arkyn would be one of the brothers but I decided to just make 7 others)

tw: kidnapping

Captain Arkyn looked at his boys. "Now remember. In and out. Do not give them a chance to scream or else we have to awkwardly explain what is going on. And we don't need the Inquisition on our asses. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Captain." The seven of them spoke as he let them out into the city to go collect their mates.

Arkyn walked over to the pilot and slapped his shoulder. "Aye a real trooper ye are."

"This makes us even Captain." The pilot only grunted as he took the time to woo his mates... usually but he owed Arkyn a lot for helping collect his recent mate.

"Of course Bjorn..."

-----

Volak saw his little husband flirting with another man and it made his teeth itch as he could hear his laughter, "No I don't think I could give you a kiss. I'm such a bad kisser." He says, Volak knew that was a lie but he watched his little husband continue on, "Oh okay just close your eyes."

Volak quickly and quietly snuck up behind the other man and knocked him out as he took his place for that kiss causing the smaller man's eyes to flutter open. "Volak?! What are you-" Was all he managed to get out before a gag was pushed into his mouth as he grabbed the now thrashing man and started to rush towards the ship.

One Bride down.

----

Algir slunk closer to the house with his bride and purposefully left the gate open so their hound would wander out allowing him to lure them out. Algir sat near a window and started to whimper and whine like their hound. "Charlie.... it sounds like Rigby wants to come in."

"Well Rigby can wait I'm still cleaning up his mess."

Well Algir had time at the very least....

-----

Baldun had a feeling that his little bride would behave as he walked up to her door and knocked. He gave the little girl who answered the door a warm smile and knelt down, "Hello little one. Would you call your big sister for me?" He watched her nod.

"Sis! Sis! It's Baldun! He's back." She said oh so happily as she gave the Space Wolf a hug and Baldun held her close looking at his little bride as he gave her a predatory smile watching her flinch to a stop.

Baldun's eyes seemed to glow so very predatorily as he beckoned with a single finger for her to approach. A gentle kiss to the side of her head. "Little one. Go pack up your things." He said before whispering to his little bride, "You try to run and I will make sure you will never see her again. So you either come willingly or I take her instead." Baldun looked at her and watched as tears started to roll down her cheeks and he licked them away. "Go pack what you need. Any heirlooms you wish to keep. I'll wait right here... oh and dearest... I'll know if you try to run."

Two Brides down.

-----

Olgus' and Svat's little husband and little wife were as thick as a pair of littermates as they walked arm in arm just singing something. It was Svat who let out a sharp whistle and his little wife was looking around for the wolf whom had basically trained her to listen for it.

"I know what I heard!" She huffed as she pulled him closer to the alleyway.

"I know but that could have been anyone. I miss Olgus just as much as you miss Svat but they're gone off to go save someone else. Listen just treasure the memories I mean hey we can always boast to our families that we survived being fucked by a space marine." Olgus' little husband joked.

"Or you could enjoy being always treasured." Svat said scooping up his little bride as she squealed happily and gave the space marine messy drunken kisses.

She didn't notice how her friend struggled against Olgus as his senses weren't as impaired and he knew something was wrong but...

Brides Three and Four were gotten.

-----

"Charlie... he sounds so distressed." Algir could hear their sickly mother say as Algir had turned up the whimpering and whining to include some distressed barking.

"Alright I'll go let him in." They said as they walked to the back door and opened it. "Rigby?" They said before stepping out and Algir should have waited just a little bit longer before he messily grabbed his little bride. But they managed to let out a half distressed cry before he rushed off with them.

Bride Five aquired.

------

Rune Priest Odus looked down at his little bride as she was part of a local watch as there was now growing suspicions... someone had gotten messy or someone was seeing what they were doing. But he admired his little lamb as she was trying. She practically jumped out of her skin when he simply said hello to her. Her nose was rosy from the slight chill. Oh Odus was going to spoil her rotten, her being his soft little bed mate... she jumped at her own shadows even. "Oh Odus I thought you were gone."

"Yes well I managed to get away for but a moment and I had to come make sure you'd be okay and tell you goodbye." He said playing his role as if he wasn't about to snatch her up. He practically melted at how she smiled at him and the way her hands were so small in his.

"I'll miss you Odus... I'll try to be a bit braver for you." She said looking down and blushing giving Odus the perfect opportunity to summon a spider spirit and when she looked up and saw the space marine hand sized spider on his chest... he watched her jaw drop... her entire body tense out of horror before she fainted. He could smell that she had pissed herself too but Odus hardly minded as he hummed softly dismissing the spirit and picking her up as he rushed off.

Bride Six obtained

-----

Hvold was excited to grab his bride as he went to her usual spot under the bridge. He could see her sitting close to a small fire she no doubt made. He could see the tremble of her form as she was cold and Hvold was going to insure that his darling would never have to survive like this again. Oh yes he admired her for being able to survive like this but now being her mate he'd show her how good of a provider he was.

"Hvold?" Her soft voice fluttered across the wind as he walked closer. She got up and hugged the warmer man slightly disbelieving that he came back for her like he had said. She was so use to disappointment. "You... you came back for me." She looked up at him with wet eyes as he just nodded.

"Of course I did. I told you that you were my mate and as your mate I refuse to let you continue to survive out here." Hvold said looking at the tattered backpack on her back as he just picked her up and radioed Arkyn.

Bride Seven gotten.

-----

Arkyn grinned as the seven space wolves rushed into the ship. Though Baldun had an extra little female but Arkyn knew that before as his bride needed... encouragement to come willingly. She'd make a fine mate for someone else when she came of age or find a husband amongst the chapter serfs. His eyes roamed the humans there as most of them looked scared. "Bjorn get us out of here." Arkyn ordered as the ramp slid shut causing the distressed mates to watch the way out close and they were sealed to their fates.

What had happened tonight would be chalked up to a strange coincidence of kidnappings or murders that no one would dare to suggest that it was the Space Wolves doing. Even though it was their doing as the several sobbing humans seemed to cry harder when they got to the ship and realized no one was going to help them in fact their captors were being congratulated.

There was a bit more sobbing on the ship that night but in time they would accept their places as mates.

[wyervan]

i'm still rusty but here *drops this and runs*

There were a lot of things Em was privy to as the arcade’s nurse. For example, they always knew which kids had rough home lives. It was easy for them to see which bruises were caused by skee balls and which weren't. Though not an official nurse by any means, they felt bound to report it, and so they did — to their employers. Em wasn’t one to trust the police very much (they were very aware of horrible things that happened to people with their disability for not acting “normal”), so they only ever told Sun and Moon what they discovered.

If it so happened that they later saw a report in the news of a murder, then that was fine. They always felt an admittedly dark satisfaction about it. They did absently wonder if they could do any more to help, but rationalized that by being the one to report the abuse they were doing enough. Still, they hoped to be able to do more.

One fateful day, as Em was checking the inventory of the medical supplies in the small closet they were given, (Sun was apologetic about it, but the place never really had a nurse before.) they heard some commotion coming from the direction of the employee lockers not too far from their closet.

‘Probably Sun scolding Moon for something again.’ Em thought to themself, a bit amused. The dynamic those two had was kind of funny. It was clear they had been friends for a long while, but they always bickered like an old couple.

“Moon!” Sun’s shrill shout shook Em from their thoughts. “How long were you going to go around like that?!”

“It’s fine. It’ll heal on it’s own.”

“How do you know that? We don’t know what that-that vermin had on their knife!”

Feeling like they should do something about it, Em grabbed some Bactine and a roll of bandages from the shelves, making a note of the deduction from their supply. The arguing got louder as they approached the lockers, and Em freed up a hand to knock on the doorway.

“I can bandage you up.” They said, taking in the scene before them. Sun’s legs were bent in a half-crouch, hands in his mane and an aggrieved look on his face. Moon looked halfway through getting changed, his hoodie was bunched up around his chest and the undershirt was slightly raised. Em’s eyes zeroed in on the cut on his abdomen. It looked to be about two inches long, but only a few centimeters deep, luckily.

Both men paused when they spoke, turning to look at them in the doorway. “It’s not that deep to my eyes, but you really shouldn’t leave it uncovered. A kid could end up soaking your shirt in snot by accident.”

Em’s bosses glanced at each other, before Moon sighed in acquiesce, and Em approached, uncapping the antiseptic. They felt Sun’s eyes on them as they got closer, and had to resist the urge to roll their eyes.

“This may sting a little.” Em said, out of habit. Moon shrugged, and Em proceeded with disinfecting the cut. To his credit, he didn’t seem to react to it, and so Em went forward with wrapping the bandages around his torso.

“That should mitigate any substances from getting in it. If it makes you feel better I can take over handling any criers today.”

“That would be perfect, thank you.”

“No problem.” They checked over the wrappings, making sure it was snug but not too tight. “By the way, because you rushed out so quickly yesterday, I wasn’t able to tell you that Ashley had some unusual markings on her. I noticed some hand-shaped bruises and what I can only assume were cigarette burns.” Em felt Moon’s stare on them now, and they looked up to meet his red gaze.

“You didn’t go to the police? You waited to tell us?” Sun asked, a look of surprise on his face.

Em scoffed. “Like I’d tell them. You know as well as I do how many cases of abuse go overlooked here. No, I’d rather tell you two. Much more likely something will befall those disgusting people.”

“You…” Moon trailed off, eyes wide.

“Who, me? If you mean to imply something, then yeah, I’ve wagered a guess. No offense, but I’m surprised more of my coworkers don’t know. Sometimes you aren’t very subtle.” They cast a glance over to Sun, indicating the man’s shrill voice. Sun wilted a little.

“I don’t blame you though. If I was more fit I’d probably be kicking some ass myself. Sorry for the language.” They cut off Sun before he could speak. “Honestly, I’m more concerned with the lack of care you have for yourselves. Sure this injury was shallow, but the next one might not be. Do either of you have any experience with suturing?” Both men shook their heads, making Em sigh. “Just… come to me if you need any patching up. No matter how big or small, whenever at whatever time.” They waved their hand. “My address is in the file, just drop by when you need patching.”

They seemed to be stunned into silence by Em’s words, but it was Sun who broke the silence first. “Why help us?”

“Are you kidding?” Em’s brows rose, and they capped the lid on the antiseptic. “It’s nothing if not deserved. Put it this way,” they crossed their arms, “you two are essentially vigilantes. Technically speaking, it’s a bit morally questionable, but is it really? I know you’ve seen the ones who worm their way out of jail time with money and connections like I have. I think I’ll keep telling you what I see. The kids in this town deserve better.” They looked away, focusing their gaze at one of the posters Sun had put up.

It was quiet for a time, then, “You know, I think that’s the most I’ve heard you talk since your interview.” Sun remarked, perking up a little.

Em looked over in surprise, and burst out laughing.

Oh boy oh man, I’m pleased as an absolute peach! 🥰

We love Em, they’re so levelheaded and like, down-to-earth, honest, and caring. There’s this classic dynamic of the fighter(s) and the healer going on here that’s a favorite character trope of mine.

Giggling over how Sun is so frantic and Moon is completely apathetic about his injury. And yeah, i bet they think they’re sooo sneaky and smart but they’re really just a couple of clowns with knives, and very obvious about it. 😛

[thestobingirlie]

The whole thing with Steve breaking the camera, I agree with everything you said, but also, I will forever be screaming that Nancy wasn't the only one who was in those photos and wasn't the only one who had her privacy invaded.

She was the most violated, because of the type of photo taken of her. But Steve, Tommy, and Carol all had their privacy invaded because they never consented to having their photos taken and they weren't even aware of it. (Also- Barb never consented to having her photo taken. I think she gets overlooked in the conversation about the photos because she died, and the photo was what helped find out what happened to her.)

And Steve seeing that photo of Nancy, it was just him seeing his girlfriend's privacy being violated at an intimate moment. It was him being shown that someone in the woods behind his house could get a clear photo of the inside of his bedroom. That is incredibly invasive of his privacy.

(I sent the anon earlier about the photos/camera, talking about how Steve would have realized that someone in the woods could get a clear photo of the inside of his room.)

Another thing that is really annoying over the photos and the camera smashing, not only did Jonathan invade the privacy of like 4 people by taking those photos. He developed them in the school dark room, where anyone could, and someone did, see them.

What if it hadn't been that Nicole girl who was friends with Steve and Carol and Tommy, whose reaction was to tell them what she'd seen. What if it was someone who would have bad intentions with the photos. Someone that would blackmail them over it. Someone who would try to get that photo of Nancy, either for themselves or to make copies of it to sell, or just to spread around the school.

Nancy was so paranoid about people knowing she'd had sex with Steve, that scene at school the morning after, her saying it felt like everyone knew and was looking at her differently. Those photos make that point even worse, because there was the potential of it being spread around the school.

i think some people are just so tiktok brain dead that they don’t realise someone hiding in your garden and taking photos of you is violating. (and you’re so right. people forget that jonathan captured barb’s last moments. like yeah, it’s great that that photo helped them find the demogorgon, but that doesn’t mean it was okay)

i remember a little while ago we were talking about steve’s reaction to the photos and him calling jonathan a queer. and that it’s not a jump to think steve might have been worried that jonathan does this all the time. that he takes photos through steve’s bedroom window. and that he just got lucky that nancy was there. when steve could’ve been his target the whole time. it’s actually really interesting!! but regardless, steve has every right to feel violated by the pictures.

and yes!!! jonathan develops them that school! imagine if some creep took topless pictures of you and then printed them off at school. i mean, what the fuck? like, the photos are literally nancy’s worse fear come true. and the duffers don’t let her feel a single emotion about them.

[mybrokenveins3000]

Everyday Rockstar - College!Ross Macdonald

A/N: Hi babies, me again. College!Ross was only supposed to be a oneshot but my delusional ass going-to-uni-in-two-weeks self wants more. Like I always say, delusion is manifestation. Anyways, enjoy!

word count: 1.1k

♫ The City - The 1975

The annoying one on your course invited you to one of his band's gigs. You weren't expecting much, I mean, this was Matty we're talking about. You could see it now, him parading across the stage with a beer bottle in hand and his shirt unbuttoned. However, what you weren't expecting was who he'd been sharing the stage with.

You and your coursemates are running a bit late. Despite it being two months since you moved out here to the city, you're all still figuring it out - the right bus routes to take, how much alcohol is too much, what shoes not to wear on any given occasion.

The wet, November pavement reflects the air back colder than it is. As you open the doors, you accept the warmth in the pub like an old friend. Your entrance is punctuated by loud drums and droning vocals, not to mention THE 1975 printed in blocked letters on what seems to be a pinned up old bedsheet. Yup, definitely Matty's band.

Your preconceptions were correct. There Matty was scantily-clad with a bottle in hand. But not of beer - wine. How pretentious. So French New Wave of you, you thought.

But next to him was someone familiar.

"Ross?" you whisper to yourself. You stand in shock, squinting hard as if to take a picture. You are mesmerised by the simultaneous nonchalant power and peace he brings on stage.

It caught you off guard how incongruous the History student was to the setting and yet how perfectly he fit in a dark, sultry place like this. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a far cry from that hoodie you stole from him just a month prior.

You and your mates walk into a gap in the crowd, not so dissimilar to a clearing in the woods. The song ends to which you all clap and holler as if your life depended on it. As you scream with adoration, he spots you.

His eyes widen like a child opening presents on Christmas. He smiles a smile so genuine it puts all of Matty's theatrics to shame. He's doing that thing where he looks down at the floor smiling, plays with the chain around his neck for a second. He's something out of a movie scene.

"Isn't that the guy you're hooking up with?" a disembodied head notices and exclaims behind you. You open your mouth but a response doesn't form. It's a yes or no question and yet neither response fits.

Ever since you met at that goddamn party, poured your heart out to each other, and ended up doing your laundry together, you both knew it would never be just hooking up. Heck, you haven't even done anything of that nature (yet), you've just been kissing, hanging out. Yes or no doesn't fit these weird romantically and sexually charged interactions you both have been having over the past month. So you turn to her and just shrug, mouth an "I don't know" much to both your confusion.

"This is a song called The City," Matty slurs down the mic. The percussion kicks in, heavy and confident.

There's a second before the other instruments follow suit where you wave at Ross and he waves back. It's this secret moment that's just yours. Blink and you'll miss it.

"You wanna find love, well, you know where the city is," your coursemate exclaims, like a drunken beat poet.

The bass rings right through you, your whole body reverberating under his hands, with every string he plucks. He catches glances at you as you bob your head and sway, eyes closed to really feel it. When your eyes aren't closed, you think he's made to be looked at like a Greek God on high platforms and by crowds bigger than these. It's like this for the entire show.

---

After the show, the pub is electric.

Matty's weak fist hits the side of your arm as he cries, "Ross is waiting for you outside!"

"Fuck you! You're actually not half bad, you know!" you hit him back with all the force he lacks and rush out through to the back smoking area.

The wet, cold air greets you as you walk through the door. "Ooh, it's cold out here," you shiver. Ross is right by the door, having just taken a cigarette out of the box. He's surprised by your arrival but smiles that same warm smile. "Matty said you asked for me?" you questioned.

The slightest eyebrow raise and air of confusion about him and you're prompted to go back the way you came. Trust Matty to embarrass you like that.

"No, no. Stay." Ross' hand grabs onto your wrist. His warm touch lingers a moment longer, it could melt your ice skin. It's a moment soundtracked by the muffled pop coming from inside and the hum of cars far away. You oblige to his request. He lets go of your wrist. You lean on the wall of the pub.

"Matty didn't mention you were a part of the band," you say, watching the buildings and stars twinkle in the distance, "as a matter of fact, YOU never told me you were a rockstar."

"I'm no rockstar," he laughs, raising the cigarette to his lips. Just as he lifts up his lighter, he decides to hand it to you. You step closer, looking at the lighter and then back at him. Since your first meeting, it always got so tense between the two of you. You light the cigarette, shielding the flame, hands grazing his lips ever so slightly. The smoke dances into the night as he blows out.

You break the silence. "Bass as well, best instrument out of them all... you were really good."

"Oh yeah?" he smirks.

"You were amazing... why didn't you mention it before?"

He touches his lips in contemplation, his gaze fixed on you taking in your smokey eyes and dark lips. You were made to foreground cityscapes, he wants to say. But all he manages is an "I don't know."

"God, if only I'd known I was brushing shoulders with a rockstar this whole time."

"Rockstar", he whispers. You catch him blushing almost as bright as the tip of the cigarette. You take note of his affinity to that particular word. An unconventional name to use on him later.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I love the city," you breathe out.

"The place or the song?"

"Both."

You wanna find love, well, you know where the city is. The lyrics, shared like a memory, waver in another moment of silence.

"Can I kiss you?" he finally says as he takes his cigarette from his mouth. His dark eyes are transfixed on your lips whilst he plays with his chain.

"Yes please."

And he kisses you. You fling your arms around his neck like you did that very first night. He wraps his jacket around you, as if to take all of you in.

He is the warmth when it's cold. He is the rare quiet to your fluorescent metropolis. The cigarette ash falls onto the pavement as it dwindles away in the background. The pop song inside fades to another. The cars keep passing through. It's another secret moment that is all yours.

A/N: FIRST AND FOREMOST, thank you to @hypersonic04 for help when I was brainstorming. You know I love you.

Right so I don't know Tumblr terminology, dunno what a blurb, oneshot etc. actually are. College!Ross was only supposed to be a oneshot (?), but because I'm continuing the story, it's technically not now, is it? Is it a series? I don't even know. I don't know what this is unravelling to be, in my head it's just a series of episodic vignettes in the same universe about the same person, not necessarily a series. If you have any input on the subject, by all means, tell me because I'm confusing myself.

Also, what do we think about college!Ross as a tag? I'm British so college means something different here, so when I write it I just have the image of a 16-year-old doing a vocational course in my head. The tag feels very American, but university!Ross or uni!Ross makes him sound like a unicorn or smth silly, student!Ross also sounds lame asf. ANYWAYS, I digress, I hope you liked this. And send me requests of what you wanna hear from me/just to chat &lt;3 <3

[yuseirra]

I'm really sorry, I should shut up about this subject because I say too much over and over but, I end up thinking a lot about it because it's left unclear. If things weren't as confusing, I'd just have happily set down to draw fanarts as I usually do, I never knew I could do this about a character. I really, really didn't think I'd have to dissect a character like this as much ever (I really want to show my analysis to aka-san and ask him, am I wrong??;; am I taking things the way you thought or is this all just in my head?) I guess you learn something new about yourself every year! At least..hm, I saw the really good sides in someone's nature. So, I feel like it can be a good thing.

I'm so dumb... I feel like I never get tired but maybe I will if the story does fail me heheh. I feel I've been able to write these because I feel there's still hope.

Like I say, I feel like I know the ultimate direction of where all this may head. I just can't predict all the details in between so that's what makes me so nervous. That's all.

Well, I jotted down my thoughts again-

This one's machine-translated!:

Analyzing Kamiki's Character (I Keep Analyzing His Mind) - This character really couldn't have gone mad like this on his own. Seriously. What is this guy even doing?

This character is truly a subject of study. It’s so fascinating that I keep watching him.

His role is somewhat crucial(since he's the main target of the protagonist's revenge, right?), yet the perspective on him remains strangely obscure. When it comes to understanding a character's personality, their own thoughts or monologues are crucial, but even those are scarce here. There’s one shocking line that makes him seem truly insane and out of his mind, and… most of his thoughts center around Ai. I believe his feelings for Ai are sincere, but since he hasn’t been properly portrayed in the anime, the author has twisted things a bit. I feel like the creators intentionally left out certain information to maintain suspense during the anime airs—if everything about a character is revealed before their appearance, it ruins the intrigue. He was presented almost like a complete villain at first, didn't he? That whole scene with Yura I mean. So, at least while the show was airing, they seemed to have controlled things so that nothing new would be revealed and to build anticipation.

The storytelling is so unfriendly. Based on what’s been shown, it's hard to tell if this character is just a psychopath beyond redemption who hired someone to kill Ai, and somehow still can't forgive anyone who surpasses Ai, and turns into a serial killer—so much of a threat that Aqua's determination to kill him makes sense—or if he’s someone Ai loved enough to risk everything to protecti, that she found was truly worth loving, born with a kind and gentle nature that got twisted due to some external influence, making him another victim of the entertainment industry's darkness who deserves eventual redemption.

It's difficult to say for sure, but if I had to choose, my interpretations on him would lean toward the latter. I've been looking at him with that kind of light.

What confuses me is how the story reveals so little about this character. Why don’t they show more?

If they would just reveal more, I could understand him properly. It's like… even when he’s drowning to his demise, there’s nothing clear to grasp onto.

He’s a truly puzzling character.

Regardless of how you interpret him, the storytelling leaves a lot of unresolved tension. Up until a certain point, the story leads you to think of him as the former—just a villain—only for it to suddenly reveal moments where you think, “Wait, Ai really loved this guy sincerely? He actually loved her too?”—and you start to question your assumptions.

Considering the overall message of the story, the latter interpretation seems to make more sense direction-wise.

What strikes me as strange is that after this, I tried to gather all the scattered pieces of information about this character and put them together to form a clearer picture. For me, having that foundation is necessary before I can talk about him or even draw something.

And the conclusion I reached is this:

"This character was truly, inherently, a very, very good person, and Ai made a great choice with him as a partner."

I didn’t expect to reach this conclusion, so I was surprised at first, but I went with it, even while feeling a bit uneasy, and I ended up drawing a lot based on that. It was fun. At least, back in his younger days and when he was with Ai, it seems he had that personality. For Ai’s sake, that’s a relief. But by all means, if Ai fell in love with someone who turned out to be this kind of lunatic, what meaningful story can be told from that? I think it’d be more harm than good.

He truly was a kind person… and if that’s true, it could also make for a compelling story, one that shows how the darkness of the entertainment industry drove such a person to madness. But will they explore that properly?

I’m convinced. A person this kind and gentle couldn’t possibly go mad like this on their own.

It could be that he was so excessively pure and naive when he was young that he could be easily influenced.

That's why I think something must have driven him mad. And if that's the case, they should delve into that.

Under normal circumstances, it’s impossible for him to change this much. It’s difficult to speak confidently about a fictional character, especially when there’s so little revealed about them, but this is the only explanation that makes sense to me. He wasn’t just ordinarily kind. He was… truly saintly.

That’s the impression I got, so I’ve been drawing him with that interpretation, and it turned out to be right, didn’t it? He was like that originally.

Then he would never end up like this. Not typically.

So as I watch, it’s all so fascinating, puzzling, and strange. How did it come to this? Honestly, they should show us more. I want to analyze his mind, but there are so few clear pieces that I’m itching to dissect it.

I’m curious how someone so kind could change like this. It feels like something must have artificially altered his personality—something major must have happened. It doesn’t feel natural.

I’m curious, even if it’s just to understand it better.

The reason he's so hard to understand isn't really anything else—it's just that they keep hiding and not showing us anything. It’s hard to know because it’s hidden, but if they would just reveal it, I think I could understand him right away.

And I’m… sure that this is the kind of character I enjoy dealing with. I really love thinking about and drawing characters like this, so even though I only have a vague outline, I took the plunge with some courage.

But looking at his current situation, I find it hard to be hopeful, haha.

But you know what? Like I keep saying, if he’s someone Ai cherished and fell in love with that deeply, then he must be the gentlest person in the world.

If he’s like a manifestation of Sarutahiko, then he’s a good fit. I’d make him Ai’s husband if I were the author.

If he’s just a crazy person, there’s no point, right?

And like I said before, if he was genuinely in love with Ai, he would have done anything for her—given up his liver, his gallbladder, even his heart if he could. He would have loved her that much.

In fact, that’s exactly what Kamiki is doing now too. He’s just completely corrupted and has lost his mind.

:) I’m probably right. Ai really did meet the one person who could love her more than anyone else in the world.

Enough to throw everything away, even his noble heart and sanity.

But if he killed a lot of people after that, then… that’s still pretty messed up. If that’s the case, then what’s the point of this story? How can you save a guy like that?

So I hope they reveal more about him. What happened to him… if he can be redeemed (based on the story elements, he should be redeemed).