#It is funny. I have actually mained all three classes over time...

[blackwaxidol]

Let it be known I did NOT make Valin with love when I was creating a Warlock for myself. I'd made it to the Farm twice with two other attempted Warlocks but the vibes were off, so I decided to try a new beast entirely and made a Valin. He was originally going to have black hair and patternations but I found it too boring...

The red was garish and I wasn't too sure I liked what I had made but I decided to commit to that horrible beast and he has since grown on me like a fungus.

[kalulakunundrum]

Sleep a little easier

Katsuki Bakugo x reader

Hurt/comfort! Reader has nightmares about the war, and Katsuki is there to comfort them

tw: nightmares, a small panic attack, spoilers for the manga, thats about it I think :)

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The nightmares started shortly after the war ended. 

There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that everyone in your class suffered from them, after the horrors you all experienced, and so you kept quiet. More often than not you’d end up awake all night, either forgoing sleep so you didn't have to relive that day, or the subsequent anxiety attack after your nightmare being bad enough to prevent you from getting any more rest. But life went on, and the only change in your daily life was a heavy increase in caffeine to keep up with classes, and besides that no one seemed to notice.

Or so you thought.

It was Friday night and Mina organized a movie night for your main little friend group to hang out before break. The invite was of course extended to everyone, but most people already had plans, or headed home for break early.

Kiri decided to subject you all to ‘Human Earthworm 4’ which he swears up and down is actually a love story, to which you all just sigh and settle in. The bunch of you cram onto the large couch in the middle, squishing you between the armrest and Bakugo, as you fight a blush from rising on your cheeks. Sero turns out the light before running to the opposite end of the couch as Kiri queues up the movie, talking Mina’s ear off about the first three in the series. Carefully you try to spread out your blanket across your legs, doing your best to not invade Bakugo’s personal space more than you already are.

He observes you out of the corner of his eye before glancing at the others, seeing them enthralled in the show already

“Here” he gruffs out, hand darting for the other edge of the blanket, simultaneously dragging it across both your legs, and throwing his other arm up on the couch behind you, so you can settle further in with a little more room. 

“Thank you” you smile up at him, hoping the dim lighting from the TV hides the heat you can feel burning your face.

As time goes on you do your best to pay attention, but slowly you start to nod off, head drooping, before shooting back up awake. After watching this cycle for a while Bakugo slides his arm off the couch, gently pressing your head against his shoulder, as his arm falls across yours.

“Take a nap princess, you look like you need it” he whispers in your ear. Somewhere in the back of your mind you make a mental note to freak out about the position you two are in and the nickname later on, maybe even over analyze every part of this interaction with Mina too. But for now the warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne lull you into a somewhat peaceful sleep. 

Well, a short lived one.

You saw it seconds before it actually happened, the fate that was to come, and in the blink of an eye, Bakugo is launched through the air, dead before he even hits the ground. 

You scream, but no sound comes out.

God you’re so tired, your leg is broken, and your quirk is fried, but you have to get to him. 

So you crawl. 

Agony shoots up every nerve in your body as you drag your weary bones across the field, sobs wracking your entire being.

“Bakugo?” you shake his shoulder, hardly able see him through the tears in your eyes

“Get up please, it’s not funny” you mumble, sobbing even harder. 

Oh god, you can’t even do chest compressions because his fucking sternum was blown out. For a second you think you might hurl. 

“Katsuki?” you manage to whisper, throat tight, gripping his hand, like you could physically will him back into his body.

But this is where your nightmare always differs from reality, as you glance up, ready to scream yourself raw to get him some help, but find everyone else is already dead, and it’s just you alone with Katsuki’s body, with no way to fix him, as Shigaraki slowly approaches you. 

“I think I’m in love with you” you whisper to him, a secret you were always too scared to say out loud, or even admit to yourself “I’ve always sort of known, and I never said anything and now I never will and I-“ you’re cut off by a violent sob, choosing to curl into his side instead, and wait for the enviable blow to be delivered. 

You lost. 

But Katsuki would never let you live down giving up, so with shaky hands you reach for one of the last grenades strapped to his belt, but Shigaraki is on you before you can even breathe. You yelp, and-

You jolt awake with a stuttered breath, sobs ripping themselves from your chest uncontrollably. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re aware it was a nightmare but your body and heart can’t seem to keep up, as your soul feels trapped in that damned coffin in the sky. 

You desperately claw at your chest, trying to get breath in and the dull ache out but nothing seems to be working. That is, until you feel warm hands cupping your wet cheeks. 

Faintly, you hear your name being called, softly summoning you back to reality from whatever hellish realm you slipped off to. 

Slowly the world around you comes into focus, the lounge, now absent of all your friends, except for one very concerned looking Katsuki who’s holding you as softly as he can, like both your lives depend on it. You try to focus on his face, the sharp features you love so much illuminated by the dim light of the movie’s end credit screen.

“Breath, sweetheart, you have to get some air in, ok? Can you do that for me?” He takes one of your hands and places it on his chest

“Nice and slow, just follow me” he murmurs. The two of you sit like this, close enough to see every fleck in his crimson eyes, until your breathing evens out and your sobs subside. Katsuki doesn’t dare let go of your hands.

“How long?” He asks, not having to clarify any further. You let out a weak laugh

“Day after the war?” You question, not even remembering yourself how long you’ve been having the nightmares at this point. 

“Every night?” He softly presses, a deep need to assess the situation and find a solution. You sigh, looking away from him

“Everytime I close my eyes” You whisper, as he silently just nods

“About me?” you whip your head back to him in surprise, but before you could ask, he goes on “You were murmuring my name before you woke up” this time he looks away, guilt clear as day on his face “I’m sorry” he whispers, and for a moment your head spins. He’s sorry? Why is he sorry?

“Katsuki” you tilt his face back towards you, debating your next few words “It wasn’t your fault”

“But-“ you silence him with a glare

“I have nightmares because in that moment there was nothing I could do to-“ your voice cracks, and you pause for a second “In that moment I thought I lost you forever. And that was the worst moment of my life, and I realized I never even told you-“ you cut yourself off, shaking your head “But you’re ok” You give him a weak smile

“But you're having these nightmares because I was stupid and I- I died! And you had to see that!” he spits out, anger rising “I put you through that, I put you all through that! Everyone knows the nerd only just started being able to look at me again without bursting into tears, and I’m not sure dunce face is ever going to be the same again, and now you-“ You lean in, wrapping your arms around his middle, as the words die on his tongue. 

“We were in a war Katsuki” you say softly “All of us are only 16 and have seen more horrors than most of the world has ever known existed. Every single one of us is still working through what we went through, including you” he stays silent “I have nightmares about losing you, because I care. For you. Deeply.” you let your words hang, letting him take them however he needs to. 

Katsuki has always known something was different about you, that something between the two of you was more important than anything else. Charged, in a way he had never experienced before. He hates seeing you hurt, and he hates knowing he is the cause of it. But here you are, comforting him, even after having a nightmare about him that he was trying to comfort you over. Everytime he thinks he can’t fall any harder, you smile at him and it feels like the floor disappears from beneath his feet. He knows he can't ignore it anymore, push away his feelings for your safety. He wants to be selfish with you, consequences be damned.

You feel his hands tighten and relax against the fabric of your sweatshirt multiple times before he finally speaks up

“Go out with me” he pauses, as you draw back to look at him “on a date” he glances away and the wheels in your brain stop turning. At your silence he glances back, this time holding eye contact, determination clear on his face “I care about you too. More than the others, more than I cared to admit to myself until recently” He loosens a breath, before continuing “I want to spend all my time with you, even if it sounds stupid. I just-” he pauses again “Want to be with you… always” he looks at you almost hopefully, waiting for an answer, trying to read your mind. 

A smile breaks out on your face, to which he answers with a grin 

“Yes Katsuki! A million times yes!” You tackle him further back onto the couch burying your face in his chest, feeling the rumble of a laugh on your cheek

“Alright, alright don’t be too excited sweetheart” he teases, but his words hold no heat, and the smile on his face is shining brighter than ever before, not that you can see it. You’re perfectly content to stay right where you are, listening to his heartbeat pounding strong, if not a little bit fast, in his chest. Maybe you'll sleep just a little bit easier at night if you can listen to its sweet rhythm while you fall asleep.

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A/n: Hello!! This is my first ever fic really so if it sucks I'm trying ok!! I'm also still figuring out how tumblr works so Thats about it,, have a good day/night everyone!!

[aleksatia]

How would he ask you to prom? 🎭🔥

☀️ Xavier – The Silent Chess Game

It starts in the middle of history class. You’re sitting next to him, half-listening to the lecture, when a folded note lands on your desk.

Your gaze flickers to Xavier. He doesn’t look at you. Doesn’t acknowledge it.

Curious, you open it.

"Prom is in three weeks. I assume you don’t have a date yet."

You frown, scribbling back. "Why do you assume that?"

You slide it over. He unfolds it, scans the message, and smirks—just barely.

A moment later, the note slides back.

"Because if you did, I would know."

Your fingers tighten around the paper. He keeps writing.

"Wear something elegant. I’ll handle the rest."

Your jaw drops. "You just decided this without asking?" you whisper.

Finally, he turns his head slightly, his cool blue eyes meeting yours. "I just asked."

…You don’t have a comeback. And worse? You don’t say no.

☃️ Zayne – The ‘This Was Never a Question’ Move

You’re in the library, flipping through notes when a shadow falls over the table. You don’t need to look up. You already know who it is.

Zayne drops into the chair across from you, smooth and effortless. No greeting. No build-up. Just a simple, precise action—he slides his phone toward you.

The screen? A digital ticket for prom. Two tickets. Your name already written on one.

You stare at it. Then at him.

"This is presumptuous," you say.

He doesn’t blink. "Is it?"

"You just assumed I’d say yes?"

He exhales, tilting his head slightly. "No. I just accounted for all possible outcomes and made the most logical decision."

"You calculated our prom chances?"

He exhales like you’re exhausting. "Would you prefer something more dramatic? Should I set up a fireworks display?"

You smirk. "That’d be funny."

A pause. Then—he actually pulls out his phone.

"Wait—wait, you’re not serious," you gasp.

His lips twitch. "Say yes, and I’ll cancel the order."

…You say yes.

🧜‍♂️ Rafayel – The Artist’s Declaration

You don’t know about the painting.

Not until the day of the art exhibit in the main hall. Students walk through, admiring different works—and then, suddenly, the crowd gathers in one spot.

Curious, you push through—and your breath catches.

Because there, at the center of the exhibit, is a massive portrait. Of you.

In a gown. In soft lighting. Painted with an artistry so breathtakingly delicate, so achingly familiar, that you don’t need to read the name to know who created it.

And then, behind you, a warm voice murmurs, "You like it?"

You spin. Rafayel stands there, arms crossed, expression unreadable—except for the tiny hint of a smirk in his eyes.

"This—" you gesture at the painting, "this is…"

"An invitation." He tilts his head, studying your reaction. "I figured if you saw it first, you wouldn’t say no."

You open your mouth. Close it. "This is how you ask someone to prom?"

He grins. "It’s how I ask you."

…You hate that it works.

🦅 Sylus – The Untouchable Kingmaker

Nobody knows how it happened, but the prom theme this year is exactly what Sylus wanted. The event? Exclusive. Invitation-only. And guess who’s controlling the invitations?

Not the principal. Not the student council. Him.

Your invitation doesn’t come in the form of a question. It’s an inevitability.

One evening, you find a sleek black envelope inside your locker. Inside? A single black feather. A message written in elegant, looping script.

🖤 "You’re coming to prom with me. Wear something that makes it worth my time. – S"

A rustle makes you look up. At the end of the hall, perched casually near the window, a raven sits, tilting its head. Watching.

And when you finally turn to look for him? Sylus is already gone.

🔥 Caleb – The ‘Help Me, But Actually I Win’ Move

He’s waiting for you by the lockers, arms crossed, trying (and failing) to look casual.

"Hey." He shifts, eyes flicking away for a second before locking onto yours. "I got a problem."

You raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah," he grunts, running a hand through his hair. "There are like… five girls trying to ask me to prom." He sighs, dramatically suffering. "And you’ve got those weird guys hovering around you, too."

Your eyes narrow. "And?"

He smirks. "So, let’s fix it. You go with me. I go with you. We both get peace and quiet." His voice is easy, playful—but the way his fingers twitch at his sides tells a different story.

You tilt your head. "You sure you don’t actually want to go with one of them?"

His jaw tightens. "I don’t want to go with them."

He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, come on, it’s an easy deal. Right?"

Yeah. Easy. If you don’t count the way his ears turn red when you finally say yes.

[southparktexts]

Enemies to lovers with the main four?

i love this concept so much anon !! thank you !!!

Enemies to lovers w/ main four

Kyle :

- i know damn well you guys became enemies because of grades.

- academic award fights.

- this literally all happened because you two wrote on the same topic but you had one mark more than kyle.

- gave you the biggest side eye

“I can’t believe that THEY out of all people got 100! i got 99 why couldn’t i just get a 100, it was the same topic!”

“…dude. y/n is kinda smart its not that surprising.”

- he complains about you whenever you ‘beat’ him with grades

- you dont even know he got beef with you tbh 😭

- you guys didnt even talk at all, you were just in the same class as him unironically.

- one day, you got paired up with him for a history presentation

- he literally rolled his eyes when he heard that and had a mood when you talked to him.

“so.. ill to information and research and you can summarise my points?”

“yeah. whatever. i don’t care.”

- eventually, after days of the two of you guys doing the project he realised you weren’t that bad of a person.

- i can see, after you guys did your presentation he would ask to be your partner more and you happily accepted

- one day, after having kyle over to do another assignment the two of you went to mcdonald’s together.

- that was probably the first time he talked to you, outside of school work.

- he definitely caught feels for you

- unironically invited you to game night with the main 4

“..dude i thought you hated her.”

“….shes not that bad.”

“I TOLD YOU THAT??”

- definitely got jealous when kenny tried flirting with you.

- after that he unironically got more touchy with you.

- holding hands when you guys hung out after studying maths together.

- one day he asked his dad for advice and he said just to ask you out.

- he did… on text.

- my guy wrote a whole essay on you.

Eric :

- you guys definitely became prank wars enemies. full stop.

- prank wars.

- this definitely started because eric thought it would be funny to put a whopee cushion on your seat

- you saw it before you sat down and he got so fucking pissed.

“WHO DOES THIS BITCH THINK THEY ARE? NOT EVEN SITTING DOWN ON IT. WHAT THE FUCK.”

“fatass it isn’t that personal.”

- from there you and him back to back prank each other.

- ..they got worse as they progressed.

- he put a lot of laxatives and arbys sauce into your lunch once

- in return you put a lot of melatonin into his milk and made him sleep during an exam.

- yall are both fucked up like that 😭

- definitely spends a lot of time thinking how he can prank you and you do the same.

- you’re the only thing on his mind at this point.

“i fucking hate how that BITCH is always one step ahead of me.”

“you gotta admit.. theyre kinda hot..”

“NO KENNY. NO.”

“cartman you talk about them a little too much, its like you like them or something.”

“WHAT?! NO. CMON GUYS.”

“..sure fatass.”

- after stan said that he started questioning his feelings towards you.

- he kinda realised you both are kinda similar in your own fucked up way.

- after that day he made a glitter bomb card with a note inside telling you to meet him at his house.

- you arrived and you guys actually worked out well..

- gradually eric started introducing kenny into the group.

- the three of you started planning pranks on the teacher.

- eventually eric started falling. hard.

- you were always so funny and unique with pranks and he loved that.

- eventually asked you out with a cupcake.

“will you go out with me?”

“hm? yeah sure. ..this cupcake doesn’t have arbys sauce and laxatives in it, does it..?”

Kenny :

- to be honest time !! i personally think you guys wouldn’t be enemies.

- more just mutual annoyance.

- i feel like hes not the type to personally hate someone.

- the only reason he would find you annoying is because you would take the girls when he was trying to flirt with them.

“hey doll.”

“you’re talking to me?”

“oh tammy !! exactly who i was looking for!”

- he gets so annoyed because each time he was trying to talk to them you’d interrupt and drag them away to talk to them.

- one day he was fed up with it but didn’t do anything about it.

“how come y/n knows literally every girl i try to flirt with?!”

“because dude, y/n is cool and popular. their going to know everyone dude.”

“yeah bro.”

“plus they hang around the girls as well”

- after that, you kinda stopped hanging around the girls since they were doing a whole protest about something that you didnt want to be involved with.

- kenny eventually just say you walking around the school, just being yourself.

- he oddly, like it. he liked seeing you act like yourself. not pretend like you did with the girls.

- eventually he invited you to game night with the boys.

- you guys played dnd and had fun!

- after that, kenny would invite you to game night more and you eventually unironically replaced butters.

- you and kenny slowly became close friends and he became more possessive over you.

- one day he had enough of these thoughts about you and just asked you out out of the blue.

“hey y/n! doll!”

“hm? oh hey ken.”

“wanna date?”

“uh sure?”

Stan :

- if im going to be honest.. he doesn’t get enemies, except for craig.

- he definitely gets angry but doesn’t hate you.

- he probably got jealous because of you though, that what ticked him off.

- this is probably right after stan and wendy broke up

- you were wendy’s friend but also being stans.

- he once saw you comforting wendy and he got jealous.

“that backstabbing bitch! y/n is with wendy right now.”

“..dude i thought you said you were over wendy.”

“i- i am but still!”

- complained about you to the boys, slowly he would have something against you.

- since you were also friends with him he would give you a moody response when he replied back.

“how are you holding up, stan?”

“fine. just fine. its not like you care.”

- became more cold and colder.

“god look at y/n over there. at the swings with wendy.”

“dude, why are you looking at y/n so much. do you like them or something.”

“what?? no?”

- he kept looking over at you and he slowly started noticed little details of you.

- how you bite your nails when your shy, how pretty you look when your studyin.. wait.. what..

- slowly started noticing more details about you and since you were friends with him he would hang out with you more.

- became more touchy while you hang out.

- he realised now you were just being nice to both sides. trying to be there for both.

- wrapping his arms around your waist while you two walked together.

- blushing as you talk to him.

- eventually he bottles up all his feels about you and breaks down but in a good way?

- going to your house at 3am, crying as you hold him in your arms on your bed.

“and- and my dad keeps putting all this pressure and me and i love you and its so fucking difficult.”

“i know stan, i know… its alright.. wait. you love me..?”

[tadc-harlequin-au]

I’ve been having this question for a while now and I suppose it’s not the most important but I can’t get it out of my head- is the world like earth? Were there areas/continents more impoverished say than the main area that everything is taking place in- areas that don’t have as much technology I mean, maybe not even puppets. Knowing humanity I wouldn’t put it past that there were villages and uncontacted tribes out there- before the fall I mean and all humanity got wiped out. Ig what I’m trying to get at is if the world just became a giant monoculture or if there was still different collections of people doing things they’re own way. (Sorr if this is a really weird thing to ask)

No no, you're fine. Funny enough, a while back, I was thinking about some rough drafts of literal worldbuilding for the harlequin au, and while this absolutely isn't final (it's TOO small), it does help me establish some rules for what I want this world to be.

It is a giant monoculture-esque/ethnocentric setting, yeah.

The world is NOT Earth. There are similarities yes, but it is significantly smaller than regular earth.

Some areas, lands, or archipelagos are even uninhabitable due to mostly environmental and a strangely paranormal(?) reasoning. Any attempts to expand beyond results in monumental losses whether resourcefully, financially, or just straight up casualties/no one returning ever. They don't have the necessary technology to be able to actually overcome this hurdle, so they cut their losses for now (that was the plan before everyone died that is lol).

That doesn't mean they don't try to harvest whatever resource they can that's in reach. Because they totally would.

The world would be fashioned like a giant cog; leaders say the cog symbolizes unity amongst the cities, and also marks the steady progress of everyone towards "The Future", as a cog helps keep a machine running. Very ironic, considering what state this world is in today.

Yes, I made City of Gears canon from Scarlet's story, I will not hear any objections /lh

The cities are HUMONGOUS. There are a total of 7 Megacities, all connected via giant bridges.

There are large docks for expeditions ALL over the edges of the cog. Planes are very, VERY less popular to use as mode of transport.

But you know what is popular? SKYBRIDGESSSSSSSSSSS BABYYYY

What's a skybridge? Think of "the floating train" + Skylines from Bioshock: Infinite's concepts, but it also spans THE ENTIRE WORLD.

Now, obviously you can smell that a well-hidden dystopian world like this has a lot of systemic corruption in place such as absolutist thinking, stereotyping, outdated societal "norms" and intense class oppression to name a few. I will not be delving incredibly deep into how shitty the old world was for three reasons:

For the sake of my sanity;

Out of respect because I'm severely uninformed and do not actually have the biggest brain nor all the time in the world to research; and

This old world is already gone anyways. There is no need to pick it apart piece by piece in incredible detail, because that's not the main focus of the story anyways. The main focus is how would everyone conform into their new lives, essentially a new beginning for everything?

As such, anything story-related will only be implied through the main cast. Besides, I'm clearly not the only one who's got a lot of ideas for this au, so as long as it's within the realm of possibility, I encourage people to worldbuild if they have ocs for this au, as well as if they so desire. Whether simply implied or directly referenced, go ahead. :)

P.S. some things may be added in the future.

[punkrockmlchael]

Best Friends

Masterlist | Corroded Coffin Masterlist

Jeff x Gareth ; Platonic Eddie x Gareth

(Both Jeff and Gareth are in their early 20s)

This fic is for: it's complicated pop-up event by @corrodedcoffinfest ; the prompt is "it's complicated"

Prompt: It's complicated | Word Count: 3861 | Rating: E | POV: Jeff | Relationships: Jeff/Gareth | CW: Confessions of feelings, Explicit Sexual Content | Tags: Corroded Coffin, Best Friends, Are we really Best Friends?, Why'd you leave me?, Guys discussing their feelings, Feelings Galore

Warnings: 18+ mdni, Feelings galore, Lots of sappy and sad/awkward conversations and so many confessions, Smut: Oral (Male Receiving), Cum Eating

Synopsis: Jeff and Gareth were supposed to be best friends forever. Unfortunately, Eddie Munson came along and ruined their friendship real quick. Finally, Jeff has had enough.

Word Count: 3.8k

“Best friends forever!” 

Those were the three words that Jeff and Gareth had uttered to each other when they were seven years old, camping in Jeff’s backyard for the night. They sat beside each other in their superhero pajamas bundled into their sleeping bags. A small electric lantern in the corner of the tent was their only light source, illuminating the small one person tent that was still big enough for the two young boys. That very night they did everything together—they declared they’d be best friends forever, they shared laughs, they shared screams and tears as they jumped at the sound of the wind rattling a tree branch, they shared a blanket, they even stayed up most of the night talking.

Not a deep talk, really, I mean, how deep and meaningful of a conversation could two seven year old boys actually have? No, they just discussed the books they had to read for school, they discussed how funny it was that Grant tripped and fell on his ass on the playground in front of the girls, they discussed how the girls in their class were gross and had cooties. You know, all the typical things boys their age talked about. Oh, those two were so innocent and cute—time was so different back then.

Gareth giggled while Jeff laughed, the sound of their laughter and giggles filling the small tent they sat in. The two boys were side by side that entire night as they stared up at the top of the tent, cracking jokes only a seven year old boy could find funny. At some point Gareth yawned and sighed, moving closer to Jeff subconsciously. The little fluffy haired boy turned his head, looking at his best friend with a small smile. 

“Are you sure we’re going to be best friends forever?” Gareth asked softly, watching the shadows of the night dance across Jeff’s face. Jeff turned his head slightly, catching Gareth’s eyes. 

“Why wouldn't we be?” Jeff asked, looking at the other boy in the tent. Gareth shrugged, looking back up at the top of the tent before closing his eyes.

“I don’t know, just, you know… making sure.” Gareth mumbled softly, snuggling under the blanket more.

“We’ll be best friends forever, I’m sure of it.” Jeff replied, nodding as he did the same thing, getting comfy under the blanket next to Gareth. He sighed, staring at the top of the tent thinking over their conversation. 

Surely they were best friends, and they would stay best friends forever.

Right?

…

Wrong.

Because, Eddie Munson swooped in when Gareth and Jeff were freshmen in high school and put a damper on their friendship real quick. And, poor Eddie didn’t even really know what he did or that he did it; he had no intention of coming between two best friends. He was simply just trying to become friends with the younger boys because they all shared the same interests—the same music tastes, the same nerd hobbies of dungeons and dragons, the same stupid and immature humor.

Eddie just saw so much of himself in the younger boys. That’s really the main reason why he befriended them; he wanted to take them under his wing and show them the ropes of Hawkins High and beyond. Eddie wanted the younger boys to know that they had a friend in him whenever they needed it.

Unfortunately, Gareth had fallen under Eddie’s spell both fast and hard. Turns out the slightly older boy had a contagious and carefree attitude; he was a freak and he wasn’t ashamed to show it to anyone around him.

And, Gareth admired that about Eddie; he admired that no matter who came at Eddie for how different he was, Eddie just didn’t care. Eddie was Eddie, through and through. 

Not to mention, Eddie Munson was just—everything Gareth wanted to be and more. 

In Gareth’s eyes, Eddie Munson was perfect. He was funny, he was witty, he was charismatic, he was just… Eddie Munson. 

And for all the reasons Gareth loved Eddie, Jeff hated Eddie. Well, hate is such a strong word… more like: Jeff hated that Eddie took his best friend from him. 

It was always Gareth and Jeff against the world, and it was supposed to be like that until the end of time. 

Gareth and Jeff were supposed to share the awkward and fun parts of life together. They were supposed to have their first beers together, cringing at the taste of the poor quality alcoholic beverage that Jeff had stolen from his dad’s collection. They were supposed to have their first smoke session together, struggling to roll a joint while they sat with each other getting high. They were supposed to talk about the girls in their class together, discussing who they liked and how they wanted to do them. They were supposed to have all the dude and bro talks through highschool, discussing the new stupid thing that made them both pop a boner. They were supposed to be college roommates that got drunk together, laughing about their most recent hookup mishaps. They were supposed to graduate college together and move into an apartment together because, of course, they would still be single after college.

You see, Gareth and Jeff were supposed to be inseparable—together forever. Best friends forever. Only now, just a short five years after highschool they were so disconnected it was painful. If it hadn’t been for Corroded Coffin, Jeff truly wondered if he would still be seeing Gareth this far into his life. There were days where it seemed the two had really only interacted due to the band itself, and even those interactions were forced and limited. It hurt Jeff, really. 

Jeff just wanted his best friend back; he wanted things to go back to the way they were when they were kids. He wanted to yell at Gareth, to scream at him for abandoning him and leaving his side when he needed him the most. But he also wanted to hug Gareth tight and never let him go because he missed him that much. It’s funny, really, Jeff didn’t know it was possible to miss a person you still occasionally saw but then it finally hit him one day: Jeff missed the old Gareth. The Gareth that would drop everything to spend time with him, the Gareth that wanted to stay up late talking music and stupid jokes, the Gareth that would pop in from time to time just to ask Jeff how he was doing. Yeah, that’s the old Gareth; the Gareth that Jeff fell in love with. 

And now Jeff was stuck, because how do you overcome this feeling? This pain? This… betrayal? Jeff wished he could quit the band; he wished he could move back home and never see the boys again… but he knew he couldn’t do that. It didn’t matter how much he hated what was happening in his shitty life at the moment… he knew he couldn’t be the reason Corroded Coffin disbanded. That would have been a harder pain to live with.

Tonight was hard, though. Because tonight Corroded Coffin was playing back at the Hideout in their hometown of Hawkins, Indiana. They had played this venue countless times before, they knew it and the crowd that showed up there like the back of their hands. They knew how to play with that crowd and with each other… but the last few shows have been a little, well, lackluster to say the least. And Jeff might have been the one to blame for that.

Jeff just couldn’t get out of his own head no matter how hard he tried. He couldn’t stop thinking about their fluffy haired drummer with the bright blue eyes and dorky crooked smile who always had such a look of concentration on his face while drumming. 

Jeff just couldn’t stop thinking about Gareth Emerson.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked Grant as he walked onto the Hideout stage for soundcheck. “And, where are Eddie and Gareth?”

Grant shrugged, tuning his bass while he waited for the others. “Who knows with them,” he said, swearing to himself as his bass continued to strum out of tune. “Last I knew they talked about getting lunch or something, they asked if I wanted to go but I declined… I figured they would have asked you to go with them.” 

“No, why would they?” Jeff scoffed, reaching for his guitar. “I’m surprised they asked you,” he added bitterly. Grant looked up from his bass with a sad smile, it was almost as if he could read Jeff’s thoughts before Jeff even had them. 

“To be fair,” he started, “I was standing next to them as they made lunch plans; it very well could have been a pity invite.” 

Jeff slung his guitar over his shoulder, looking up at Grant. “There it is,” he mumbled to himself, beginning to strum some cords. 

He got to work meticulously tuning his own guitar as he walked around the small stage, reminiscing on the memories the four boys had shared in this venue years prior. Usually those memories would bring a smile to Jeff’s face, but not today. Today he didn’t want anything to do with those memories. In fact, he even rolled his eyes when he heard Eddie’s voice and Gareth’s laugh ring through the stage area. There was a time when Gareth’s laugh would bring a smile to his face, it used to be able to light up even his darkest of days, but right now? All Jeff wanted to was play the show and head back to his house to drink and sleep in his own fucking bed. It had been far too long.

“Hey, guys! Ready to soundcheck some songs?” Eddie asked, walking onto the stage. Grant looked up at him and shrugged while Jeff’s back continued to face them all, strumming along to his own beat in his head. “Jeff? Are you ready to soundcheck some songs?” Eddie asked, walking towards the other guitarist.

Jeff turned slightly, looking at Eddie. “Sure,” he mumbled, ceasing his strumming. “Whatever gets us closer to our show.”

Eddie smiled, not really picking up on Jeff’s feelings. He walked towards the microphone stand center stage and turned to the drummer, a smile on his face. “Hit it, Gare!” Gareth took his seat behind the drumset and clicked his sticks together gently before he started the beat of their most popular song. During the entire soundcheck, Jeff had kept his distance. 

And that continued through to the show. Despite all the old friends and family that had come to see them perform tonight, Jeff just couldn’t do it. He didn’t have the energy to put into his performance so he played along on autopilot at his microphone stand. He strummed along to the music perfectly while he glanced up at Eddie and Gareth, watching as Eddie moved around the stage. He moved towards the drumset gracefully, continuing to sing before he walked over towards Grant and leaned against the bassist without missing a word. Eddie eventually made his way towards Jeff, smiling as he rested his arm on Jeff’s shoulder, watching him strum along to his guitar solo perfectly. Eddie nodded and smiled, making his way back towards the center stage while Jeff turned around slightly, taking a deep breath before he walked around the stage while strumming. He never stayed in one spot for too long, though. And, he made sure to stay away from the drummer—especially during their drum and guitar duet. Normally, Jeff would be right up next to the drumset, strumming his guitar with so much passion while Gareth drummed in perfect time, smiling at Jeff. 

But, not tonight. Tonight Jeff was avoiding Gareth like he was the plague.

Jeff felt like he had been successful in avoiding Gareth all night, both during and after the concert. It had become like a second nature superpower recently—Jeff would look to the side, avoid eye contact with Gareth and make a beeline in the opposite direction whenever the drummer even thought about coming near him. Jeff assumed he would be able to stay away from Gareth all night; he assumed he would be able to keep his distance all night, drinking his thoughts and feelings away before he was finally able to crawl into his bed for the night.

Jeff thought and assumed it would work. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t.

“What the fuck is your problem, man?” Gareth finally asked, cornering Jeff in his kitchen. It had been days, months, hell, maybe even years since Jeff and Gareth had had a one on one conversation without Grant or Eddie around to moderate it.

Jeff shrugged, swirling the amber colored beer around in his cup before he downed the rest of it, looking up at Gareth. “I don’t have a problem.” He replied, moving to pour more beer in his cup. Gareth finished his beer, glaring at Jeff.

“Yes, you fucking do.” Gareth snapped, following after with his arms crossed. “You’ve been nothing but short with me all day, and it’s been like that for at least a week. You’ve literally been ignoring me. What the fuck did I do to you?” 

“Nothing,” Jeff took another sip of his beer, his eyes trying to land on anything other than Gareth.

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Gareth spit out, glaring at Jeff. “Dude, what happened to us? You’re my best friend.”

“Am I?” Jeff spit back, looking at Gareth. “Because it actually seems like Eddie took that role from me years ago. We’ve actually been so distant that I actually don’t even know at this point if I can call you a friend, let alone my best friend.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’ll always be my best friend. I’m allowed to have other friends, you know.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve changed, Gareth. I don’t think I want to call you a friend.” Jeff said, downing the remainder of his beer before he set the cup on the counter and moved towards the stairs. He walked up the stairs to his room, with Gareth hot on his trail. 

“I’ve changed because we’re supposed to, Jeff!” Gareth scoffed, following after him. “We’re not fifteen anymore; we’re supposed to grow up and change; that’s the point of life!”

Jeff stopped, turning towards Gareth. “While we’re supposed to change, it’s typically meant to be for the better. We’re not supposed to forget about the people that actually care about us along the way!” He snapped, glaring at Gareth. “You completely threw me away for Eddie. We were in high school and you threw me to the side because you thought being with Eddie would be better for you.”

“Is that really what this is about?” Gareth asked, staring at Jeff. “So, what? Are you, like, jealous that I’m close with Eddie now? That’s a new low, Jeff. Even for you.”

“I’m not jealous of Eddie!” Jeff groaned, opening the door to his bedroom. “I would never be jealous of that freak.”

“Then what the fuck is your problem?” Gareth questioned, following Jeff into his bedroom.

“Oh, yeah, no, come on in.” Jeff walked towards his bed, flopping down while Gareth stood in the doorway. Gareth closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You didn’t answer my question.” Gareth said, moving closer to Jeff’s bed. “What the fuck is your problem?”

Jeff sat up on his bed, glaring at Gareth. “You want to know what my fucking problem is?” He shouted, “you’re my fucking problem.” 

“I’m your problem? How the fuck am I your problem?”

“Gareth, my problem is you! You left me, you tossed me to the side for Eddie and it fucking hurt! Do you know what it feels like to be second best? Do you know what it feels like to think your best friend doesn’t want you anymore? Do you know what it feels like to be forgotten?” Jeff snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I never forgot about you!” Gareth replied quickly, looking at Jeff. “I never tossed you to the side!”

“Yes—you did. And, you know what? I don’t feel like having this conversation so, just, go.”

“No.” Gareth shook his head, stepping closer to Jeff. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

“Then, get comfy. Because I’m not talking to you.” 

Gareth pursed his lips, looking at Jeff. He took a seat next to him on his bed and leaned back against the headrest. “I know you’ll talk to me. I’ll just sit here until you do.”

Jeff rolled his eyes, glancing at Gareth. “Good to see you're still a stubborn little asshole.”

“You love it,” Gareth mumbled, smirking slightly. 

“Yeah, that’s kind of the fucking problem.” 

“The fuck do you mean by that?” Gareth asked, looking at Jeff with a raised eyebrow. 

“I mean—that’s my fucking problem. You’re my fucking problem. That’s the problem. The problem is that I love you.” 

“You love me?” 

“Don’t act so fucking stupid.” Jeff replied, looking away from Gareth. “I think you know it’s pretty obvious that I love you.”

Gareth thought for a second, looking back at Jeff. “What if I told you that I loved you too?”

“Yeah, right. You know you don’t need to spare my feelings here.”

“I’m not sparing your feelings,” Gareth replied, rolling his eyes, moving closer to Jeff. “I’m telling you the truth. I love you too. That’s the reason I pushed you away—I felt like if I pushed you away then maybe I would lose these feelings for you… I was wrong.”

Jeff looked up at Gareth and raised an eyebrow, “you love me?”

“Yeah. I have loved you since we were in high school,” Gareth responded, leaning closer to Jeff. His lips brushed over Jeff’s gently, a sock of electricity flying down Jeff’s spine. 

“You have?” Jeff spoke softly, looking at Gareth. 

Gareth nodded slightly, moving closer. He pressed his lip against Jeff’s fully, embracing him in a soft and warm kiss. Jeff sighed, his lips moving against Gareth’s in a slow motion as he tested the waters. Jeff’s hand moved up to find Gareth’s face, caressing his cheek gently as he pulled him closer. Gareth’s hands rested on Jeff’s chest as he moved closer, running his tongue over Jeff’s bottom lip gently. Jeff gasped into the kiss, pulling away slightly.

“Sorry,” Gareth mumbled, looking up at Jeff with a slight blush on his cheeks. 

“No, you’re fine, just… wasn’t expecting that,” Jeff admitted, leaning in again. He kissed Gareth’s lips again, pulling him closer. Gareth smiled slightly, kissing Jeff back. He ran his tongue over Jeff’s bottom lip again, only this time Jeff’s lips parted slightly, allowing Gareth the access. Gareth’s tongue found its way into Jeff’s mouth, exploring every inch within as their tongues danced for dominance. Eventually, Gareth’s tongue won. 

Gareth pulled away, leaving soft kisses down Jeff’s jawline and neck. He moved slightly, pushing Jeff back on the bed before he crawled on top of him, playing with the hem of his shirt. Gareth pulled Jeff’s shirt up gently, pushing it up over his toned stomach and chest. Jeff helped him, throwing his shirt to the side in a hasty move. Gareth looked down at Jeff, running his calloused hands up his body gently.

“You’re so pretty, you know?” Gareth murmured, leaving soft kisses on Jeff’s neck again. “Can I show you how pretty you are? Can I show you how much I actually do love you?” Gareth whispered into Jeff’s ear.

Jeff’s breath hitched slightly, a soft moan escaping his lips as Gareth’s hands continued to explore down his body while his lips left soft and sweet kisses over the sensitive skin of his neck. “Yes, please,” Jeff replied softly, his eyes closing slightly as Gareth began trailing kisses down his neck. Gareth took his time, kissing down every inch of Jeff’s body. He kissed down his neck, over his collarbones, down his chest and down his stomach making sure to show Jeff just how much he really did care and love about him.

Gareth looked up at Jeff, watching his reactions to his kisses. Jeff’s eyes were half lidded, looking down at Gareth with a small smile. Jeff ran his calloused fingers through Gareth’s fluffy hair, pushing it out of his face gently as he leaned down to leave a couple soft kisses on Jeff’s hard erection through his jeans. A moan escaped Jeff’s lips as he watched his friend, tugging on his locks of hair gently.

Gareth unbuttoned Jeff’s jeans gently, unzipping them as he tugged them down his body slowly. Jeff raised his hips slightly, giving Gareth some help. Gareth tugged Jeff’s jeans and boxers down gently, watching as his rock hard erection sprung free, hitting his stomach. Jeff groaned as the air hit his sensitive cock. 

“Fuck,” Gareth moaned, looking up at Jeff. “God damn, you’re even prettier than I thought you’d be; so big too,” Gareth commented as he wrapped his right hand around the base of Jeff’s cock gently. He pumped it a couple times before he leaned down, leaving soft kisses on the overly sensitive tip. Gareth wrapped his lips around the tip of his cock, sucking it gently as he looked up at Jeff.

Jeff groaned loudly, his fingers curling on Gareth’s locks tightly. “Fuck, Gareth,” he moaned out, looking down at him, “god, keep going.”

Gareth smirked slightly, bobbing his head gently. He moved his head down slowly before he bobbed his head back up, repeating the process a couple of times. It was true that Jeff was too big for Gareth to fit all in his mouth so he used his hand to work on the part of Jeff’s cock that he couldn’t fit in his mouth. Gareth used his left hand to fondle and massage Jeff’s balls gently as he continued to move and bob his head.

Jeff groaned loudly, tugging on Gareth’s hair harder. “Fuck, Gareth,” he sighed, closing his eyes ad his hips bucked up, causing Gareth to gag around him slightly. “If you keep doing that I’m gonna cum,” Jeff groaned, looking down at Gareth. 

“Mm,” Gareth hummed around Jeff’s cock before he pulled away slightly. “Yeah? Come on, cum for me. Cum in my mouth,” Gareth mumbled, moving back to suck on Jeff’s cock. He swirled his tongue around the head of his cock, looking up at Jeff with a smirk.

Jeff moaned loudly, twitching inside of Gareth’s mouth. He thrusted his hips up again, whining as he released ropes of cum inside Gareth’s mouth. Gareth groaned around him, swallowing everything Jeff gave him. He bobbed his head a few more times before he pulled away, leaving kisses on Jeff’s inner thighs. 

“Fuck, Gareth,” Jeff sighed, watching Gareth kisses his way back up his body. Jeff shuddered slightly, his body feeling like it was burning with each kiss Gareth left. Gareth kissed his lips softly. Jeff sighed, kissing Gareth back gently. “I love you,” he mumbled against Gareth’s lips.

Gareth smiled into the kiss, pulling away slightly. “I love you too.”

tagging some people I think may like this! @keeryhours ; @the-witty-pen-name ; @the-unforgivenn ; @hawkinsmafia ; @iitsmandii ; @pupwrites ; @writhingg

[stench-blossom]

The Strokes on meeting each other

Various excepts from the book “Meet me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011” by Elizabeth Goodman

“NICK VALENSI: I remember what Julian was wearing the day I met him in middle school: blue jeans and a white button-down shirt. The shirt had the name of his former school on it - which was funny to me, that he wore the uniform from his old school to the first day of his new school. I was thirteen, he was fifteen.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: We met at orientation at the Dwight School.

FABRIZIO MORETTI: Dwight sucked.

…

NIKOLAI FRAITURE: Julian was cool even before the band. He was cool from first grade. We went to Friends School, on the Upper East Side. I don't remember meeting him but I remember when our friendship was solidified. We were six or seven. Our school had a water main break. It was in the morning so it was right after class started and everyone had to go home. My parents were working and they couldn't come to pick me up, so Julian told me to come home with him. The water main didn't get repaired for three days so I just stayed over.

FABRIZIO MORETTI: Nikolai was always around. Julian has this very attractive way of being, even on a subconscious level. People run the risk of wanting to bend towards his wishes. And at that time, the way I saw it, Nikolai was the only one who Julian would bend to. That changed, but I remember Nikolai's school got out later than ours, and Julian would wait for what seemed like a long time, for him to come home and just hang out.

NICK VALENSI: Fab was in my grade at Dwight-I didn't have classes with Julian, but I had English and French with Fab.

FABRIZIO MORETTI: Then they found out Nick was actually better at French than they initially graded him so he moved. We were all friends. But I always felt like I was chasing them, like I wasn't cool enough. They would kinda let me in every once in a while. They were thick as thieves, those two. I would try to hang out with them, and it always felt like a privilege when I did.

…

NIKOLAI FRAITURE: The first time I met Nick, were going to a music store on Forty-Eighth Street, Sam Ash. He was much younger than Julian and I were-he was thirteen and we were fifteen- but then we got home and he played "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Jimi Hendrix and I was like, "Holy shit."

NICK VALENSI: Right away Julian and I started doing music together. He started writing songs basically right away.”

…

RYAN GENTLES: Those guys all go so far back. Albert knew Jules since they were eight years old. He met Jules when he was eight!

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: Julian and I went to boarding school together in France.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: Before Dwight, I was kind of messing up in school as usual so I got sent to the boarding school that my father had gone to and that he loved. I had a roommate who had some video games, Street Fighter II and shit. People would come over and play.

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: We connected in a way where he was like an older brother. We hung out in his room and played video games, that kind of thing. I was like a little kid to him, even though really, it was only a two-year difference.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: Albert was a little younger so I wasn't really friends with him then, but he was one of the only other Americans there. I kept a pretty low profile at that school. I mean, it was a pretty big culture shock.

…

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: I met Julian and Nikolai first, before I even tried out for the band. We went to Ryan's Daughter and had margaritas. I was never a big drinker. I was more of a stoner in L.A., so I was pretty wasted already, and then they were like, "Let's get forties!" I was like, "You want beer after this?" So we get forties and we're hanging out on the east park, Eighty-something, drunk.

NIKOLAI FRAITURE: Oh yeah, Carl Schurz Park, with the L.A. boy.

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: It was a fun little bonding experience. Then I went home and threw up everywhere.

…

[the-pea-and-the-sun]

Ummm two of your favorite sitcoms I should check out

& what’s a card game that would be fun to get into. Or how do you play blackjack/count cards

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE its genuinely so good an super foundational to post 2000s sitcoms it kinda shook up the established sitcom format w some unconventional directing and also by portraying a low-class family where most sitcoms up to that point portrayed upper-middle class families. its also um. funny. one of the few shows where i feel like im really fond of every main character

THE NANNY childhood favorite of mine very classic comforting sitcom I LOVE FRAN DRESCHERR shes amazing.

UM HONESTLY. I KINDA ONLY KNOW ABT BLACKJACK but i hear baccarat is fun for ppl who like skill based card games.. also u can do tarot readings w regular card decks which i think is very cool 👍

ILL TELL U HOW TO COUNT CARDS im so glad ppl r reading my abt me page AND I LOVE TALKING ABT IT ITS ACTUALLY VERY COOL OK SO

BASICALLY rules 4 black jack are easy. ur ignoring colors and shapes on ur cards (this isnt easy i know..) those are all numbers now. the ones that have numbers on them r the number they are and the ace is either 1 or 11 depending on which is better for u (or the dealer) and all the other cards without numbers (king queen jack) are 10. ur goal is to get a higher number than the dealer without going over 21. u and the dealer both start with two cards and u can only see one of the dealers cards and u make ur decisions based on that. dealer has the advantage (except when they dont. ill explain this later) because since the dealer doesnt do anything until u bust or stand it makes it so that ur at risk of busting first (since u cant bust with just two cards). u can hit (ask for another card) or stand (no more cards im all done) or u can double (ask for another card AND double ur bet bcz ur so sure this next card is gonna be a good one) AND u can also split if both ur cards are the same. then u have two hands, which means u can bust on one and keep playing on the other. also sometimes u can get a natural blackjack. this is awesome and important but u dont do anything to make it happen exactly it just happens when u get an ace and a 10 as ur first two cards and then u get a 3:2 payout 👍

OK SO THATS JUST REGULAR BLACKJACK most ppl when playing regular blackjack are just following their heart when they make choices so their odds are dogshit but for every hand u have and card the dealer has there's actually a right answer. heres a link to a chart with all the right answers. memorizing this is called basic strategy 👍 and its actually a lot harder than actually counting cards but counting cards is useless without it. there are some cool little lines and phrases that make memorizing it easier. it isnt terribly hard though i think, they still make some middle schoolers memorize the periodic table and this is basically just like. three of those. ppl who play blackjack for funzies regularly are looking at absolutely trash odds like a lot of the time only slightly better than a slot machine but if ur playing with perfect basic strategy ur odds go up to abt 49.5 percent. but ur STILL losing more than ur winning so thats where actual card counting comes in. so theres more than one card counting method but the one i know is hi-lo where u just keep a "running count" of ur current odds for winning by looking at the cards that are coming out of the deck (its actually a shoe, bcz its more than one deck) and using that to determine what kind of cards are left. 10 and ace decrease the count by 1, 6 and below increase the count by one, and 7 8 and 9 dont change the count. a high number means theres more good cards in the deck (because more bad cards have already been dealt) and a low number means theres more bad cards in the deck bcz the good cards have already been dealt. there are some variants to basic strategy based on the current count (and also based on a few rule variants and shoe size) but basically. higher count = bet more. lower count = get outta there. if ur playing w more ppl at ur table ur seeing more cards per turn an ur count will be more accurate 👍whats pretty interesting is that the thing thats giving u the advantage over the dealer despite the dealer not being able to bust before you is that you get 3:2 on natural blackjacks. so ur basically relying on the fact that youll just win automatically sometimes to have ur advantage over the dealer and are just mitigating loses the rest of the time when this doesnt happen.

SO THATS IT its actually not super hard u could probably get pretty good at it in just a few months or even weeks. the only thing is that when ur using basic strategy perfectly and counting cards perfectly ur odds only go up to 50.5 percent which. GREAT ur beating the house and playing for long enough should eventually mean more money over time but ur still only averaging more money over time. and just like how ppl working with dogshit odds occasionally win big, u working with slightly better than 50/50 odds can occasionally lose big and a lot. also if ur betting small, ur winning small. so in order to really make a worthwhile profit playing blackjack u kinda already have to have a lotta money. like if ur making $100 worth of bets an hour ur only averaging abt a dollar profit per hour. to be averaging (not making. AVERAGING) california minimum wage you'd have to be betting like $1600 an hour. so it isnt quite the get rich quick scheme that a lotta people think it is but it IS pretty fun and is kind of the only part of gambling i enjoy. probability is cool 👍

[z-nightshade]

Very interesting information.

But now I can't stop thinking about how fucking funny it would be it the Strawhats did travel to the scenarios.

Imagine this:

For whatever reason the plot might demand, Cass is able to freely transport the entire ship with all the Strawhats to Korea. (Never in my life have I used such a sentence)

The Sunny just appears, Poofs into existence and falls into the closet body of water (probably the Han river)

People panic of course, sudden things like this normally mean death!

The first ones on the scene of course are the Company. The moment they see that goofy ass ship, there will be four main reactions.

"Why the fuck are the kids here (yes the old people also count as his kids)"

"Why am I even surprised?"

A pure and genuine "Oh shit." Reaction

And utter confusion for the rest of them

It gets even more confusing when the kid in the strawhat flings his stretchy self onto who should be the most dangerous of them and calls him "Mom".

Uriel has definitely clipped this moment and has it saved in her gallery.

Fortunately for Earth, what the Strawhats do best is depose tyrannical institutions.

Whatever, I'm more hung up on The Throuple parents reaction to their godlike children breaking the laws of space-time to see them again. The didn't even get to see what the One Piece was!!!!

Yoo Sangah looked at the lion? Sunflower? shaped figure head of the ship that had appeared out of nowhere.

Most had already fled the area, assuming the ship was an omen of another scenario that would kill many. It was not an unfounded fear.

Yoo Sangah does not recognize the ship from any history class she has taken, though she did think it was from history. It was too silly looking, the type of ship you'd find in a cartoon.

And then-

"Why the fuck are the kids here?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked harshly.

...

What?

"Kids?" Lee Jihye parroted.

"Why am I surprised?" Han Sooyoung asked, laughing around the lollypop in her mouth.

"Oh shit," Kim Dokja said last, but there was a small smile on his lips.

The three recognized the ship, then. And given their reactions, it was unlikely to be a threat.

A blur came rocketing towards Yoo Joonghyuk.

"MOM!" The blur yelled, slamming into the most dangerous among them.

"Luffy," Yoo Joonghyuk greeted, patting the boy who was the blur on the head as he wrapped himself around the man.

Lee Jihye choked and Yoo Sangah could hear notifications coming from the constellations.

Things did not start to make more sense from there.

More people, ranging from teens looking around Lee Jihye's age to a literal talking skeleton came down from the ship, bee lining for Yoo Joonghyuk, Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja.

A blonde man in a suit immediately began fawning over Han Sooyoung while a man with green hair and three swords yelled at him.

It was weird.

But perhaps one of the weirdest parts was when one of the younger ones walked up and silently wrapped Kim Dokja in a hug, lifting him off his feet.

Yoo Sangah could hear Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosoung hiss.

"Cass," Kim Dokja choked slightly.

"Hmm," The teen, maybe young adult, hummed, seeting Kim Dokja down on his feet but not letting him go. "You're lighter than when you disappeared. Are you eating enough?"

"Shut up," Kim Dokja scowled. "How'd you even get here?"

Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung looked over at the question.

The rubber teen who had flung himself into Yoo Joonghyuk launched into a wild and nonsensical explanation surrounding the teen still hugging Kim Dokja.

When the rubber teen was over Cass, the one hugging Kim Dokja, shrugged slightly.

"We missed you," They said simply, a sweet smile on their face, offering no further explination.

"Right," Kim Dokja said, looking away from them. "You gonna let me go now?"

"Not until you hug me back, dickhead," Cass scowled, or more like pouted, at the man.

And the Yoo Sangah's surprise, Kim Dokja hugged them back.

She will learn later that when the trio disappeared for a week, they'd actually been in a scenario in another world, for three years in that time. The ship and the people on it had come from that world because they had missed the trio.

(No one got an explanation on the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk got called 'mom' or 'baba' by the group. Lee Jihye tried to ask but never got the chance to finish her question before Yoo Joonghyuk started scolding people on reckless behavior.)

"Honestly, I just though they finally fucked," Jung Heewon said after explanations were over.

"I mean, they probably did at some point," Cass shrugged cuddled up with Luffy and halfway laying on top of Kim Dokja. "They got married after all."

"WHAT?"

-

Kim Dokja is immediately getting tag teamed by Cass and Luffy to make sure he didn't retreat in on himself after reentering the scenarios

Han Sooyoung is not surprised the pirate crew that is chaos incarnate somehow broke space time because they missed their friends. But she is happy they're back

Yoo Joonghyuk is worried about Cass and their reckless behaviour with regards to forcing themself and their crew through the barriers or reality

Also, I fully believe the disaster trio would be married by the time they return to the scenarios. Luffy, as Captain, was the one to marry them. Though Cass definetly had to lead him through it

[batsplat]

also I’ve seen some (well a lot) photos of dani & sete together and like were/are they friends? obviously I know about the honda connection + them both being spanish but not much more then that. kinda hilarious that dani was/is friendly with both of them……

time to bring back the world's funniest photo

this is a genuine work of art. quite possibly one of the greatest photos of all time. I'm in love

yeah dani hired sete in 2017!! that's what gives us that great moment where valentino forgets about jerez 2005 with sete in the room - like that's why sete is even attending pressers in the first place. this is what sete had to say about it start of 2017:

honestly this is one of my fave sete interviews, I've had it in my drafts for a while to discuss but I might as well throw it in here. so yeah, him and dani have known each other since dani was a kid!! which will have been partly due to the honda link - they were also both gresini riders in 2004-05, if in different classes

plus they had the spanish link, back when that was like. something a little more noteworthy. they've regularly trained together for years!! dani had already asked sete to be his coach for two years!! they have a "great relationship"!!

but yeah obviously we do have to address the valentino of it all. "in recent years [dani's] dropped a little, as a result of bad luck. when you try many times and don't succeed, your enthusiasm and motivation are less" uh huh...? like, say, when someone puts a curse on you and however much you try and try and try again, you can no longer win another race? it would be horrible if that curse gave you all manner of ill fortune, yeah? that sure would sap your enthusiasm and motivation, wouldn't it?

note too that the phrasing for what sete's attempting to give back to dani echoes what he says valentino still has: enthusiasm and motivation. the joy and the will. sete believes nobody should attempt to become the 'anti-marquez' - the very phrase implies a single chosen challenger to finally take down the sport's current king. focusing too much on that person can only come to your own detriment. you'll eventually become your own main rival... eventually, you'll defeat yourself, and your enemy won't even have to raise a hand. dani/sete parallels isn't the sort of thing you'd necessarily arrive at yourself, so it's always kind of the involved parties to do your work for you. what valentino and marc never lost was their 'inner spark' - and the two of them can cause the kind of misfortune for others that gradually eats away at their 'enthusiasm and motivation'. if you've been marked out to defeat one of them... well, beware

and. of course. "we've always had a great relationship, given that we've shared so many great moments together" buddy WHAT are you talking about. ALWAYS??? sete has a funny habit of acting as if he's like, worked very hard to repress everything that happened to him between 2003 and 2005 as some kind of weird ass curse-induced trauma response. but it's actually the "I've never done any interviews in which I've talked badly about valentino" that's the most revealing - which is a) kinda debatable, but at the same time b) ... well, yeah, sete has been awfully restrained in what he's said post-2005! which has always been super annoying to me, as someone on a fact-finding mission about that era, but it's also... it makes perfect sense, doesn't it? of course, sete was still committed to managing the image of that rivalry. so determined to be respectful that he's avoided giving his side of the story. and sure, you can take him at his word that he's let bygones be bygones, that he really only remembers the positives of that time, but... it's complete and utter bullshit! he's finally started talking about THIS decade (transcribed for the sete post):

if there's one good thing that came from him going on that bloody three hour australian podcast, it's in him opening up about how obviously extremely not Over It he is:

if you think that valentino has had a lasting negative impact on the sport, that he made it more dangerous, that this is something that can directly be traced back to what he did to YOU... then why are you NOT 'talking badly' about valentino? why didn't you complain about the overtake at the time, publicly rather than feeling frustrated with race direction in private? but that's sete all over, isn't it... casey, for all his sins, has not exactly been quiet about valentino post-retirement - and while I'm also not going to ascribe any especially altruistic motives to that, while he does also obviously sell a very particular version of their story, you at least don't get this kind of blatant disparity between his stated principles and his public output. it's like when commentators were talking during assen 2004 about that magazine cartoon, the one with the gag that valentino just had to put a mirror on the back of his bike to defeat sete. (which is obviously very mean-spirited, yeah, and there's plenty to critique in how sete was portrayed as this vain foppish pretty boy.) sete has always, always cared too much about appearances and it was always going to be what killed him in that rivalry. he truly is the perfect foil: valentino manipulates image to his own ends, while sete is a slave to it. and that's how we've somehow ended in this situation where both parties have been perfectly willing to let the facts of that rivalry dissipate into obscurity over time. valentino erases sete from the narrative of his career as an act of punishment, whereas sete lets himself be erased because he does not wish to be associated with something so very ugly. and thus the story sinks over time towards oblivion

anyway. sorry. uh, back to dani. reportedly that was quite a close partnership he had going with sete:

a rich kid with a fancy bike collection to the last. here's a joan instagram post about said training:

and here's another interview sete gave about dani - unsurprisingly he's once again very complimentary:

"we have noticed that the machine is developing in a certain direction" uh huh? something about riding for honda, who you believe are geared only towards making one of your rivals succeed? must be tough, eh

probably a complete coincidence, but as it happens 2017 was the closest dani and valentino ever really got to a public spat - over valentino's sturdy defending in aragon. "if he's not happy, he has to race alone" indeed. obviously, dani did not end up winning a title - though 2017 is still the closest he'd gotten since 2013. he was very much in that title fight, pretty much until the wet race at misano, even if as the fifth of five contenders... so 13 of 18 rounds in, not bad. (incidentally, that's also the race that ended valentino's title aspirations by dint of missing it entirely.) and when dani was pushed out of honda and decided to call it a day in 2018, here's what sete had to say:

more recently, dani's spoken about the advice sete gave him late in his career:

"in my last years" does make it sound like he's being put down, eh. so yeah, a rider coach, but probably more importantly a friend. wonder if they're still close

[once-upon-an-imagine]

There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Chapter Three) - Eddie Munson

A/N: ahh! I know Steve was supposed to be next for series, but inspiration was flowing so... here it is :D 

Warnings: I think none, but let me know if I missed anything!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Stranger Things :D gif isn’t mine :)  

Your name: submit What is this?

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

There Are Worse Things I Could Do

I could flirt with all the guys Smile at them and bat my eyes

“Seriously? We have been through this for like four hours now! Even Erica gets it and she’s ten years old!” Mike snapped at you.

“First of all, she’s eleven, Michael! And secondly, you do not talk to me that way! Time out for you!”

“What? You can’t give me a time-out! I’m fourteen-!” he complained, standing up.

“Time out, Michael Wheeler” you said between clenched teeth as you stood up and looked up at him. You may be shorter than him, but you could still see the same fear in his eyes. “Now!”

Mike turned to look at Dustin, who simply shrugged, knowing they would not argue with you whenever you put one of the guys in time-out. He sighed and looked back at you.

“Fine” he said, walking over to the kitchen. “But I’m leaving because I want to” he mumbled as he walked over to the kitchen to grab something to drink and then to the living room.

You rolled your eyes, frustrated, sitting back down. Dustin and Mike had been trying to teach you how to play Dungeons & Dragons for the entire afternoon—trying being the keyword.

“Don’t listen to Mike” Dustin said, placing his hand on your shoulder. “You know he has like zero patience and I think he’s fighting with El or something, I don’t know” he tried to cheer you up. “Why is this so important to you anyway? I mean, you told us Eddie said he’d teach you” he said, confused.

“I know” you sighed. “I just… didn’t want him to think that I knew nothing about Dungeons and Dragons” you explained.

“But… you know nothing about Dungeons and Dragons” he chuckled. “And that’s the whole point of him teaching you, isn’t it?”

“I guess” you said.

“You know how when we were little, you could always tell when one of us was lying?”

“I still can” you informed him.

“Well, so can we. We can tell when you’re lying” he told you. “And I know there’s something you’re not telling me” he said.

“Really? You all can tell when I’m lying?”

“Fine. Will and I can” he confessed, making you smile. “So, what’s going on?”

“I hate that you are growing up” you chuckled. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh at me” you said.

“Pinky swear” he said, sticking out his pinky and you took it.

“I don’t want Eddie to know that I don’t get this because… he’s the first person that hasn’t made me feel dumb” you muttered.

“What?” Dustin asked, offended. “Including us?”

“Dustin, I love you, but yes, you are ridiculously smart, and sometimes you need to get your ego checked. It’s funny when you do it to Steve but sometimes you have done it to me” you informed him.

“Sorry” he muttered.

“It’s fine. I know you don’t do it to be mean” you smiled. “Look, I know you guys have noticed I’m not really the most liked girl in school” you rolled your eyes. “And Eddie has been one of the few people to be nice to me. He always has been nice to me and he actually stood up for me in our math class so I just… I don’t know I don’t want him to think I’m dumb-”

“You’re not dumb!” Dustin argued.

“I’m not… the brightest, okay? I’m not top of my class or anything and I really struggle with math which is like the main thing of this game!”

“So… if you don’t like math, why do you want to play it? We have been trying to get you to play for years” he said confused and then he gasped. “Oh, my God! You like Eddie!”

“What? No, I don’t!” you scoffed. “He’s just my friend!”

“Are you sure?” he asked, smirking and resting his head on his hand.

“Yes, I’m sure” you glared at him.

“You don’t sound so sure” he laughed.

“You know what, I’m gonna go grab something to drink” you said, getting up.

“Sure, change the subject, that doesn’t prove my point at all!” you heard him all the way from the pantry as you walked over to the fridge.

You grabbed a soda and tried to shake Dustin’s comment off your head. You didn’t like Eddie. Not like that. He was just nice. And sweet. And funny. And…

“Why is Mike sitting down on the couch grumbling about being in time-out?” Steve asked, closing the fridge door and snapping you out of your thoughts. He then grabbed your soda making you roll your eyes and get another one.

“Because he is in time-out for yelling at me” you explained as Steve laughed.

“Why did he yell at you?”

“Because I can’t understand Dungeons and Dragons” you admitted.

“Dungeons and Dragons? Why are you trying to play their nerdy game?” he laughed.

“Yes, (Y/N), why are you trying to play our nerdy game?” Dustin said, appearing in the kitchen and looking extremely interested in this conversation.

“No reason” you shrugged, widening your eyes at Dustin. “I’m just… thinkingaboutjoiningHellfire” you mumbled, looking away from Steve.

“You’re what?”

“I just may… be… joiningHellfire” you said.

“Talk normally” Steve scowled at you.

“Fine! Eddie asked me to join Hellfire” you said, avoiding Steve’s look. Steve froze for a moment before he turned to look at Dustin.

“Henderson. Time out. Go with Wheeler” he said, calmly.

“What? You can’t give time-out-”

“Go!” Steve said, pointing at the door. Dustin rolled his eyes and left to the living room.

“You know that they are just going to listen through the door-”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Steve asked, a little upset. “Why are you even hanging around with Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson?”

“Don’t call him that!”

“Oh, what? He’s your friend now?”

“Yes, Steve” you glared at him. “He happens to be my friend-”

“(Y/N)” Steve said, getting serious. “What is going on with you?”

“Nothing” you insisted. “There’s nothing going on with me and there’s nothing wrong with Eddie being my friend-”

“Yes, there is!” Steve argued.

“Just because you don’t like him because Dustin suddenly has another role model, doesn’t mean he’s a bad person-!”

“That’s not what this is about! Munson is bad news, okay?”

“Why? Because he used to sell you weed?” you said, suddenly making Steve glare at you. “Oh, you think I didn’t know?”

“That’s not the point!”

“Then what is your point, Steve?”

“Is this about Jason?”

“Oh, my God! This has nothing to do with Jason! Why do you have to bring him up every time I’m upset about something?”

“Because you won’t even tell me why the two of you broke up in the first place!”

“It’s none of your business!”

“And now, what? You’re hanging out with people like Eddie Munson? What about your friends?”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!” you yelled, making Dustin and Mike appear at the door, peeking their heads in. “Happy? Is that what you wanted to hear?” you snapped, as Steve looked at you, confused.

“W-what are you talking about?” he chuckled. “Of course, you have friends-”

“No, Steve, I don’t” you told him. “Jason made everyone stop talking to me” you explained.

“What? Why?”

“Because that’s the kind of person he is, okay? So, I have no friends. Except for Mike, Dustin, Max, sometimes Lucas, Robin because she’s your friend, Nancy because she’s too good of a human being to still talk to me after all the shit she has been through, and Eddie Munson” you said. “I’m not the (Y/N) Harrington anymore, okay? And I like hanging out with Eddie and he’s nice to me so…” you sighed.

“Hey-”

“Don’t look at me like that” you chuckled sadly. “Please. Everyone looks at me like that” you said. “Except Eddie” you admitted. “So, I honestly don’t care if you like him or not. He’s my friend” you said before leaving the kitchen.

Steve turned to look at Mike and Dustin and they entered the kitchen. “You two knew about this and you didn’t tell me?”

“She made us pinky promise!” Dustin complained.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“So you asked her to join? You actually talked to her and asked her to join Hellfire?” Gareth asked as he and Eddie walked down the hall.

“I did” Eddie rolled his eyes.

“And she said yes?”

“Yes, why is this so hard to believe?”

“Seriously? You’re asking me why I’m having trouble believing that the girl that you have practically been in love with for God knows how long has now suddenly agreed to join your club?”

“Well, she did!”

“So, have you told her you love her yet-?”

“Shh! Shut up!” Eddie said, pulling him to an empty hallway, hoping that nobody had heard that. “We literally just became friends, you expect me to tell her that I am in love with her so she never talks to me again?”

“Fine” Gareth laughed. “I’ll leave you to your girlfriend” he said, nodding his head towards the door next to them. Eddie looked inside and saw you painting some of the sets for this year’s play. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do” he smirked before he left Eddie alone.

Eddie opened the door and walked, instantly smiling when he heard your voice. Not talking, singing.

I'm nothing special, in fact, I'm a bit of a bore If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before But I have a talent, a wonderful thing 'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing I'm so grateful and proud All I want is to sing it out loud

He had never heard you sing. He walked closer to you, noticing that you had your Walkman on and you never heard him come inside. He didn’t want to frighten you but he didn’t want to look like a creep and just stand there listening to you sing, which he could very much do without complaining.

So I say, thank you for the music The songs I'm singing Thanks for all the joy they're bringing

Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty What would life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we?

So I say thank you for the music For giving it to me

He finally made it to the stage and slowly walked over to you trying his best not to scare you.

Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk She says I began to sing long before I could talk And I've often wondered, how did it all start? Who found out that nothing can capture a-

“Hey, princess-”

“HOLY FUCK!” you turned around as soon as you felt a hand on your shoulder, and you waved your paintbrush, making the purple paint fall all over Eddie’s face and hair. “Oh my God!” you felt your cheeks burning, dropping the brush next to you and quickly grabbing your towel to clean his face. “Eddie, I am so sorry! You scared me, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, princess. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you” he chuckled, smiling adorably at you, which definitely did not help your growing crush.

“Um, here” you said, handing him the towel.

“Thanks” he gladly grabbed it from you. “So, how come you’re here all by yourself painting at lunchtime?”

“It’s lunchtime?” you asked, looking down at your watch. “Oh, I guess I lost track of time” you chuckled. “So, you brought me lunch?” you asked, noticing he had two lunch bags in his hand.

“Wha- n-no” he asked, blushing a little. “I mean, I do have one to spare, if you want it” he offered.

“Oh, n-no. If it’s yours I don’t want to um-”

“Seriously, princess. Take it. If you don’t mind peanut butter and jelly sandwich” he laughed.

“Well, that happens to be my favorite” you admitted. “But it’s yours, I can still go buy something-”

“Oh, please sweetheart, nothing in that cafeteria is eating-worthy” he insisted, making you laugh a little. “I insist” he said, handing you one of the bags. You felt your heart beating a little faster at the new nickname he called you and you grabbed the bag from him, smiling.

“Okay, but lunch is on me tomorrow then” you insisted.

“It’s a deal” he said, offering you his hand to walk down the stairs from the stage and over to the chairs. You gladly took it and couldn’t ignore the butterflies in your stomach. No one had made you feel like this before.

“Um… how come you noticed I wasn’t at lunch?” you asked, feeling your cheeks burning a little. As you sat next to him, you started going through your bag, which also had a bag of chips in it.

“I uh- w-well, um, H-Henderson pointed it out” he covered it up. He was not just going to blurt out the fact that he always noticed if you were at lunch or not. “Plus, I remembered we both have next period free so I could teach you D&D” he smiled.

“Oh… right” you smiled nervously. “D&D” you said, quietly, making his smile drop.

“W-what? Did you change your mind about that? Because it’s fine, I mean-”

“N-no, it’s not that” you assured him. “Um… okay, if I tell you something, do you promise not to laugh at me?” you asked, nervously looking away.

“I would never laugh at you, (Y/N)” he said, truthfully. You looked back up at him and found him smiling. There was something about Eddie that made you feel like you could be yourself and he really wouldn’t judge you for it, unlike your former friends.

“W-well, I kind of asked Dustin and Mike to teach me a few things about D&D because I didn’t want to seem like a complete idiot in front of you” you said, feeling your cheeks burning. Eddie wasn’t really sure how to feel about your confession. He would never want you to feel that way with him,

“I wouldn’t think that. I know you’ve never played before-”

“It’s just just that” you sighed. “Look, my brother and I got… pretty good at not doing something if we’re bad at it” you told him. “I honestly think I will be the worst D&D player you’ll come to encounter” you chuckled nervously.

“Well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to” he insisted. “But… how do you know you’re bad if you haven’t even tried?”

“I think I will just feel a bit stupid, I mean, you and your friends, and Dustin, and Mike have been playing for years” you told him.

“That’s true, but we all started at one point” he shrugged. “I never took you for a coward, Harrington” he smirked, making you scoff, offended.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me” he said, eating another one of his pretzels. “I mean I would at least try before saying I failed, but, like I said, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to do it” he smiled.

“I know what you’re doing” you smirked.

“What’s that, princess?” he acted innocently.

“Fine, I’ll try, but if you make fun of me, I’m done” you informed him.

“Fair enough” he said. “So, we know being cool enough to play D&D is not your thing” he said, making you glare at him. “So, what’s your thing?”

“What?”

“You said you and your brother don’t do things if you’re bad at it” he explained. “So, what are you good at?”

“I don’t know” you mumbled.

“Oh, come on, princess” he laughed. “I thought we were getting to know each other” he said, getting a hair tie from his jeans and pulling his hair back. If you hadn’t been fully convinced, you now definitely were. You had a crush on Eddie Munson.

“W-well, I um-” you struggled with your words. Eddie Munson with his hair pulled back was a menace to the world. Well, to your world specifically. “I like painting” you said, grabbing the brush from your apron.

“Cool, what else?”

“Um…” you bit your lip nervously. You really couldn’t concentrate on anything with him looking like that. And the worst part is that he obviously noticed.

“What?” he chuckled.

“Nothing… I just… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair up” you smiled.

“Do you like it?”

“Well, I think the purple on it really brings out the color of your eyes” you mocked him “But… yes, it looks good on you” you admitted, smiling shyly.

“Thanks, princess” he smiled.

“Um, y-you know” you said, looking back at the stage. “Um… I have always wanted to audition for the school play” you said. You had never told that to anyone. Not even Steve. And you told Steve everything. Well, except why you and Jason broke up.

“Really?” Eddie asked and you nodded. “Why haven't you? From what I can hear you’re a kick-ass singer” he said, making your cheeks burn.

“I don’t know” you shrugged.

“Come on, princess” he smiled, looking at you with his big brown eyes.

“I have stage fright” you confessed, making Eddie almost spill his drink.

“You have stage fright?” he repeated and you nodded. “You, (Y/N) Harrington, have stage fright?” he chuckled.

“Yes, why is that so hard to believe?”

“How can you have stage fright when you were a cheerleader? You had to dance in front of everyone” he laughed.

“That's different, everyone is looking at the players nobody really looked at us” you argued.

“You know that’s not true, right?” he smiled. “I mean everyone is looking at the cheerleaders when they do their whole things- with the pom-poms and all” he said, mocking a little cheer with his hands and making you laugh.

“Well, nobody looked at me, I was always in the back” you said, shyly.

“I looked at you” Eddie blurted out, making you look up at him.

“N-no, you didn’t” you chuckled.

“Uh, yes I did” he argued.

“You were never at the games” you said, confused.

“Yes, I was. Just because you didn’t see me, doesn’t mean I wasn’t there” he said, eating another pretzel.

“Well, be that as it may, that’s different. I didn’t sing” you insisted.

“You were singing now” he informed you.

“Because I thought I was alone!”

“Sing something” he said, casually.

“W-what?”

“Sing something to me” he insisted.

“Like… here? Right now?”

“Why not?”

“I told you, I have stage fright-”

“Come on! It’s just me” he laughed. “And you’re not on a stage” he raised his eyebrow at you. “Come on, princess, you can sing anything you want, and… I’ll tell you my favorite ABBA song” he winked at you.

“Really?” you asked, not believing him. “Wait, you like ABBA?”

“Well, you told me something about yourself. I tell you something about me. That’s how this whole friendship thing works, sweetheart” he said. “I promise to tell you my favorite ABBA song. Scout’s honor” he said, making the scout sign.

“I really doubt you were a boy scout, Munson” you chuckled.

“You’re breaking my heart, Harrington” he smirked. “Either way my word is worth more than a scout’s” he insisted. “Fine” he said, sticking out his pinky. “Pinky promise” he smiled.

You smiled back at him and linked your pinky to his. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. And then…

I don't wanna talk ‘Bout things we've been through Though it's hurting me Now it's history

I've played all my cards And that's what you've done too Nothing more to say No more ace to play

The winner takes it all The loser has to fall It's simple and it's plain Why should I complain?

The winner takes it all The loser's standing small Beside the victory That's her destiny

“Wow” Eddie said, unable to form any other words.

“What?” you asked, feeling your cheeks burn and getting extremely nervous.

“That was… shit, princess, that was beautiful” he smiled.

“R-really?” you smiled.

“Yes” he nodded. “And, you may not believe this but… that’s my favorite Abba song” he told you.

“No, it’s not” you chuckled.

“Now it is” he smiled at you. “Seriously you have a beautiful voice” he told you. “You should try out” he suggested.

“How? I can’t sing in front of people” you told him.

“You just sang in front of me-”

“You made me!”

“I can help you” he told you.

“Y-you can help me?”

“Of course, I can. You are not only looking at the guitar player in Corroded Coffin, sweetheart, I also sing” he smirked.

“You, Eddie Munson, sing?”

“I do” he nodded.

“Sing something to me” you smirked. “Sing me your favorite ABBA song” you challenged.

Eddie finished munching on his pretzels and took a deep breath. “Okay, you promise not to tell anyone I like ABBA?”

“Girl scout’s honor” you mocked him, making him laugh a little.

So imagine I was glad to hear you're coming Suddenly I feel all right And it's gonna be so different when I'm on the stage tonight

Tonight the super trouper lights are gonna find me Shining like the sun Smiling, having fun Feeling like a number one

Yes, you 100% had a crush on Eddie Munson.

“That was beautiful, Eddie” you smiled. “I never would have guessed that was your favorite ABBA song” you told him.

“Yeah, my mom used to sing it to me when I was a kid” he admitted.

“Well, she has very good taste in music” you said. You knew that Eddie lived with his uncle, everyone did. But nobody knew why, and you didn’t want to step on any boundaries asking him now.

“So, what do you say? You want my help?”

“For what?”

“The school’s play. You should really audition” he reminded you.

“Oh, um… well, I uh- I’ll think about it” you promised. “I just… get really anxious at the thought of standing up there” you said, nodding your head towards the stage. “But… maybe it might be easier if you’re on the crowd” you suggested.

“Are you stealing my ABBA song, princess?” he asked, making you laugh, which was music to Eddie’s ears. “Oh, I almost forgot, I have something for you” he said, grabbing his bag and he then took out your camera.

“Oh, my God! Eddie! It looks just as if it was new! How did you-?”

“I told you I knew a guy” he smiled.

“Thank you so much” you said, throwing yourself at him and wrapping your arms around him before you kissed his cheek. “Oh, uh-” you said, pulling away and looking down. You felt your cheeks burning horribly. “I uh- I’m sorry if that w-wasn’t okay” you stammered.

“It was” Eddie said, gently lifting your head and brushing his thumb against your cheek. “It was okay, princess” he smiled at you.

You weren’t sure what it was. If it was because Eddie had been the kindest person to you since you came back to school. The way he smiled at you. The fact that you couldn’t stop thinking about him and each time you dreamt about him it ended up with him kissing you. But now here he was, so close to you, with that goofy green and those big, beautiful brown eyes. And all you could think of was to lean in and pulled him to your lips. The minute his lips touched yours, the entire world melted around you. You had never felt something like this. Eddie widened his eyes in surprise but he quickly gave in. He was on cloud nine. You were kissing him. You were kissing him. But as quickly as it started, it was over.

“Oh my God!” you pushed him away nervously. “Eddie, I’m s-so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that-”

“N-no, it’s fine-” he tried to reassure you.

“It’s n-not!” you chuckled nervously as you started grabbing your things. “I’m sorry. I- I have to g-go” you said, walking away from him.

“Wait, (Y/N)-”

“I’m s-so sorry” you said, stumbling on your own to feet but managing to not fall down and you kept walking to the door. “Sorry!”

“But-” before Eddie could say anything else, you shut the door behind you and you were gone. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, and sighed. “Shit!”

To Be Continued

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

[Ch. 1] [Ch.2]

Songs: Thank You For The Music -  ABBA The Winner Takes It All - ABBA Super Trouper - ABBA

A/N: sorry about the cliffhanger! I hope to have the next chapter up soon! xD I hope you loves like it! Also, do yourself a favor and listen to november_ultra’s cover of The Winner Takes It All, it is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard! also let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist

tags:@lady-loves-a-lot , @rand0m--fangirl , @avitute , @lelenikki , @anti-herosprettybby , @ordinarylokix​ , @alainabooks143 , @moviefreak1205 , @boomhauer , @webslinger-holland , @megumimind , @huffledor-able541 , @bubsonnobx , @slytherinambitious , @edwrite-munson , @navs-bhat​ , @th0swh0res , @ marianita195, @peaches-and-plums-motherfucker 

[tyrantisterror]

Woah, that’s pretty heavy, dude. I’ve never seen anyone analyze the series that way, but now that you brought those themes up, they seem pretty damn obvious. Can you elaborate on this interpretation of the shorts and the series? As well as each version’s respective symbolism? How do you think the main cast gaining new colors at the end of the original, only to lose them for the new series factors in to this interpretation. What do Roy and Lesley represent?

Each of the original shorts puts the three main puppets in the role of students and has a different teacher force a "lesson" upon them.

In Creativity, the teacher keeps telling the students how great creativity is, while constantly shutting down their attempts to actually express their own thoughts and feelings, whether it be by questioning the purpose of her arbitrary rules for what they should do or by making artistic choices she doesn't approve of - "Green is not a creative color" isn't just a funny joke, but the whole point of the short and how education often fails when trying to teach art. Because schools put so much emphasis on "objective" evaluations of student progress, they often fail to truly teach inherently subjective subjects like art and creative writing - you can't let people express themselves freely if you have to force them to fit a super strict rubric. "Be creative, but only use the colors I allow you to, only do the activities I've assigned, only think the way I think" is inherently contradictory advice, and by the end of the short the students are so frustrated that they express their creativity in a way that gets them banned from doing it ever again - "let's all agree to never be creative again" is where the short ends.

In Time, the teacher tries to explain the concept of time in an inherently over-simplified and often borderline inaccurate and nonsensical way, to the increasing frustration of the students. The teacher specifically puts a big emphasis on 1. being punctual and 2. believing that the past was generically shitty but it's done so we don't have to worry about it, and the future will be great so don't worry about it. All of these "lessons" are designed to make the students think about time only in the sense of it being a rule they have to obey - a schedule to stick to. When the students actually ask insightful questions about time - "Is time even real? Does anyone know?" - the teacher gets angry and punishes them by forcing them to contemplate their own mortality, all to reinforce the idea that time is just an arbitrary set of rules they have to obey or else.

In Love, the yellow puppet is given lots of empty platitudes about how great love and compassion is and how he should value them, only to then have a bunch of arbitrary rules about how and when one should love heaped on him once he agrees that love is important, with the rules eventually saying his love should be to some nebulous authority figure - "Our king" in the cult imagery of the episode is very much a stand-in for authority in general. We're shown how education can make even the most wholesome-sounding of lessons twisted for a purpose of controlling and manipulating students, forcing them to believe in things that aren't real for the benefit of a select few.

I feel I don't need to explain the Computer episode to anyone who's been in a public school's computer class in the 90's/early 2000's, it kind of explains itself. But a huge problem in education to this day is the persistent belief that you can make students teach themselves by throwing shitty yet expensive "cutting edge" education programs at them - it's what 90% of school budget increases go into because it makes the politicians who buy them look like they care without actually putting any work into understanding what education really needs.

The nutrition episode makes fun of how goddamn mercurial nutrition education has been over the last few decades - one minute eggs are good for you, then you're having too much of them, then you need more of them again, it's fucking madness - and how ultimately all nutrition education does is give you so much anxiety about the foods you pick for yourself that you just buy whatever's advertised for you the flashiest, even if it's really bad for you (like canned meat from one of your few remaining friends).

In the final episode of the original shorts, the Red Guy, having escaped his teachers, finds himself in the dreary adult world, and despite everything actually pines for the simpler days of being a student. He decides to look into the nature of his education, and sees not only how shitty and half-baked a system it is, but also the true root of it: that it wasn't made for the benefit of students, but for the parents who made those kids and want them indoctrinated so they behave better. That's what Roy represents - the parent who doesn't really care about their child learning anything useful beyond "obey the people in charge."

As for the show being about the horrors of the mundane adult world, well, I think that's pretty obvious. One episode is literally about getting jobs. Another is about confronting your own eventual death. They're not subtle about it. And hell, it builds off the finale of the original shorts - Red Guy already transitioned from childhood to adulthood, it's only fitting his pals came with him.

[your-unfriendlyghost]

How'd you end up discovering your art style?

Well, it wasn’t much of a discovery- it’s just how I draw, I guess! It evolves over time and changes based on what artists I’m looking up to and what styles I’m into

But I can give ya a (recent-ish) evolution of my style/a break-down on all its influences over the past two years if ya wanna see how it all happened!

-

Some stuff from July-October of 2022

Two-three-ish years ago, for instance, it was more classical painting inspired. I was real into Over the Garden Wall and also just…general American history back then don’t judge I was coming off of my first American history class since elementary school and I thought it was so cool So my art had more of like…that going on yk? It wasn’t as good as my stuff now at all, because I’ve since improved my anatomy skills, learned how to draw fabric folds (sorta), and learned a bit of color theory lol. But they’re ok for what they are, I guess.

I think my main problem back then was the fact that I did not fully know how to use references- and a lotta my references were like. Cartoons. And stuff that was very much not meant to be painted in the amount of detail I aimed for at the time.

(Even here, you can tell I was dissatisfied, because they all look pretty different from each other yk?) (and you can see how hardly any of the fabric has folds and how little I understood lighting 😭)

-

January-March ‘23

Anyhow, after this, in uhh early 2023, I had a 80s-90s comic book/pop art phase, which was a pretty drastic swing in the opposite direction. I still rendered things sometimes, but things were less soft/warm. BUT I was starting to use real photos as references which was vital

I was also watching a lotta tmnt with my kid brother, which is what I blame for why the proportions got so stylized- folks in the 2012 version of that show were just kinda built funny, which I think subconsciously impacted my art. My posing did get a bit stronger in this time as I practiced more, and I think things got less stiff

-

June-August ‘23

Next, as the summer months came, I had a lotta changes in inspo and also just in life lol. I had temporarily moved to my neighbor’s place, and I didn’t have a car yet/any friends who I liked enough to hang around with, so all summer long I rewatched a lotta 80s movies, fell in love with the first season of Stranger Things (not the others as much tho 😭), skateboarded, and watched a lotta art tutorials online. (I specifically remember Jackie Droujko’s yt shorts saving my assss- I loved her stuff so much. Definitely check ‘em out she explains things real well)

I improved slowly, but I DID IMPROVE a HELLUVA LOT. I focused a lot on trying to draw people who looked recognizably like themselves, but also stylized because realism (usually) bores me. I also got better at coloring- the first two here ain’t great in terms of colors, but I was learning. Plus, back then I was very into oddly saturated color schemes. (I mean it is a solid vibe. I may not do this a ton anymore but I can dig it still)

-

October-November ‘23

As autumn came, I was pretty enamored with all the like…✨fall vibes✨ that time around. My life was goin’ well, so I had a lotta optimism and a re-ignited love for nature, forests, and fantasy. Plus I was dating this girl who was really into vintage-y Wes Anderson stuff so I think some of that uhhh twee-ness rubbed off on me lol

My influences here were mainly old storybooks, a hint of Lord of the Rings (as you can probably tell by the hobbit), and a decent amount of Fantastic Mr. Fox. And for faces I was mainly using the Laurenillusrated Brushpack at the time I think? I don’t use the “Sketchy” brush in it as often anymore as I did then, but I should. It’s a great brush, and I actually am really liking all the little sketchy lines. It adds a nice touch.

also don’t look at my goddamn long hair in that self portrait on the left. I hated it on me then and I hate it now too. I cannot believe I ever let it get that long it was really bad

-

December ‘23-April ‘24

I honestly did like a total of like. Seven drawings in these four months. As opposed to my usual…uhhh I wanna say 25 every four months. Idk what was up- art just wasn’t fun at the time. I mean, it was also just a lousy few months in general, so I’m sure that’s a part of it lol, but yk. This style is pretty close to my current one- my inspiration just came from x-files-ish sci-fi and American gothic stories/images as opposed to nowadays’ Beat generation and greaser inspo.

May-Now (October) ‘24

The Outsiders kinda dragged me back into enjoying drawing again honestly. I’d read and loved it back in 2023, but upon rereading it/watching the movie in February of 2024, it just sorta…entered my headspace and stayed this time. (Still, I didn’t really draw any Outsiders/greaser-y things till May)

Lately, I take artistic inspiration in 2d animated films, like the ones by Disney with the real nicely drawn fabric folds. And also just a lotta inspo from real life. I also do a lot of black and white comics, because I find that I generally have a “Go big or go home” mentality about most things- which can be a LOT of pressure! By allowing myself to draw simpler doodle-y things, I’ve regained that love for drawing. I think for a while it just felt like work, but in letting myself take it easy, art’s become a good time again :))

[forlorn-plushie]

Torn between "I shouldn't write an essay in the tags" and "these are ancillary thoughts that have nothing to do with the post"

The post was about STEM dudes falling for scams because they didn't learn basic rhetoric because they skipped and cheated through English classes. Specifically it mentioned college English classes, which I was convinced very briefly didn't exist - I forgot for a moment that I had tested out of mine by taking advanced HS literature (AP, for the US folks who know that acronym - I know there's an equivalent in Europe but I don't remember the name)

I remember that I took a good number of English-like courses in college. I was in the funny English Building, actually three fused together with uneven floors that were fun to navigate, quite often for a computer science kid.

I remember Essays, where two weeks of classes, something like seven hours, were overtaken by the class trying to explain asexuality to the teacher. The readings were short things, some pointed, others meandering. I like to write essays, in that style.

I remember Philosophy of Emotions, where we went over a half-dozen philosophers and developed our own theories and models. It was all talking. I loved those classes - where we all read a text, came in, and chatted about it for a while. I should have joined a book club so much sooner, when I write it out that's obviously something I'd vibe with.

I remember Linguistics, which taught me how to hold a conversation. I reference the maxims of conversation to this day. Learning about phonetics helped me with voice training later on. The whole thing fascinates me still. I love languages.

I started reminiscing about that AP class, the one that got me out of college English, where all but like seven people dropped out after the first semester, which got them their English 4 credit - they probably never intended to stick it out. The teacher seemed like a bitch, but she was fair and kind - just a bit of a coarse voice, a stringent affect, and a mean mug!

That second half was so much fun. We did first-read Shakespeare. Our analyses were our own. I wrote the 'exemplary' paper twice. We talked about lenses and the idea of literary analysis made sense for the first time in twelve years of schooling. At the end she read us "Oh the Places You'll Go" and I cried. At graduation my mom gifted me a copy of the book. She had no idea. I cried again. I don't think I ever introduced the two. They'd have got along well, I think.

I miss school. I really miss college, to get back to the original tangent. I miss my main duty being to learn things. I miss working on fun projects with other people.

Like, I had classes on Essays and American Religious Cults and Philosophy of Emotions and Celtic Mythology. They were FUN. Most of my professors were kind and interesting and I wish I was more myself at the time so I could have really been there. And so I could really chew out the one guy who had tenure and sucked in every way imaginable. Fuck that guy. I wish I could have made lasting connections with so many more folk.

Well, that's happened already. We've got places to go, now.

[macchiatosdumptruck]

Someone asked for bl recs and since I'm still new in the fandom I decided to just give a short breakdown of the ones I have watched. Including horniness level. Red flag level. Where to watch. Etc.

Love In The Air

Horny level: 5/5

on iqiyi (subscription)

Two young college students get involved with two older men who illegally race motorcycles.

Plot and acting could be better but it's charming and the lead couples work really well together. Notable for very horny sex scenes. (There's never talk of lube though, but that's every show I've seen so far)

Significant number of red flags that somehow turn green, if you're into that.

Red flag rating starts at like 4.5/5 and then drops exponentially and somehow gets genuinely cute and supportive?? By the special episode those red flags are whipped lol.

Each couple gets about half the season dedicated to themselves.

This gif made me watch it.

Kinneporsche on iqiyi

Horny level: 4/5

Look it's just good. it was popular for a reason. Excellent chemistry, fun and engaging plot. Great action scenes. The theme song slaps.

Product placements are more noticeable than others.

The new head of a crime family low key kidnaps a man to be his bodyguard. Fun tropes ensue. These two are so horny for each other. It's also genuinely funny.

One side couple is very cute and sweet (mostly) and the other is red flag central, not safe, sane, or consensual.

There are a lot of interesting and well done family dynamics going on in this, which is what actually taught my attention.)

Cutie pie series

Rated, like, R probably

Horny level: 4 out of 5 ??

One of the classics, I guess it helped the genre blow up at the beginning of COVID and had a Moment.

Free on YouTube, or the uncut extra steamy version is on iqiyi. (The "censored" YouTube version is still pretty steamy though, ngl.)

Arranged marriage tropes galore. Broken engagements. Not-so-secret identifies. Miscommunication. Age gaps and height differences. Truly a gay regency romance told in the modern times.

People either seem to really like this or hate it. (The people who dislike it usually say they don't like the power dynamics at play.)

I didn't dislike or especially like it the first time I watched it but the second time it was really fun. It's kitsch. You've gotta embrace the kitsch and you'll be fine. A good casual watch.

Flags aren't exactly green but could definitely be more red.

Pretty decent acting, which gets better over time.

Known for some of the best kissing scenes in the genre tbh. Tongues everywhere. So much tongue. Very soft. Mouths on titties. Gotta respect the dedication.

(It has a sequel series called naughty babe that is equally silly that I enjoyed more because somehow the leads have a chokehold on me. They're the second couple in this. )

Seems like there are continuity errors but the books are just Like That I guess.

Love by chance

Free on viki rakkuten

Horny level 2/5 (pg-13, fade to black love scenes)

Formulaic but cute. Popular kid falls for lower class schoolmate. Rich assholes. Wholesome family moments. Really annoying side characters (one in particular )but the main couple is very sweet for the most part.

Good acting.

Red flag rating 1/5. (For normal teenaged possessiveness of the main couple.) The others? Who the hell knows.

I actually got really invested in the main couple and then they got nerfed in the second series and I rage quit. Continuity errors galore. I was rooting for you Tiffany.

(there's a surprise brother/brother ship plot that doesn't really go anywhere)

Two worlds

Horny level 3.5

Iqiyi

Starring the side couple from cutie pie. (Still in the chokehold) fun alternate reality plot that is actually pretty well done. The fantasy element could be stronger but the relationships are all interesting. Some really beautiful visuals. Naked painting sessions ala Titanic.

After Khram's beloved Phupha is murdered, something happens and Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, three years prior, Khram and Thai had been in love. However, that Khram was killed by Thai's dad. One day, Thai drives by a road and finds someone in the middle of the road. The face of that person stuns Thai because he looks exactly the same as his lover from three years ago. What will happen next?

Cave sex. That's what happens.

Some crazy shit happens in this one. It's a little hard to explain. Editing could be clearer. Acting is pretty good, and noticeably improving. The side couple is childhood friends to enemies to lovers which is fun.

I'm half convinced this was made because fans saw the nipple action in cutie pie, so they said"you want nipple action? We'll give you nipple action." And they went for it. But seriously, their scenes are very well choreographed and very sweet. (And really long.)

Pretty red flag free. Other than some light kidnapping. (Gotta have a meet-cute somehow)

I have to watch this one again tbh. (I have a bias with this one for some reason)

The sign

Free on YouTube.

Horny level 3.5/5 (I have a feeling others may rank it higher)

Psychic powers. Past lives. Snake men. Bird men. Soulmates. Gender fuckery. Crime mysteries. If those things interest you, you'll like it. Very good acting. Likable cast of characters. (Side characters you actually care about.) funny and goofy at times. Great action scenes. I was pleasantly surprised, and this is another one I think I may rewatch. I hope these two do more work together.

Red flag free except for That One Obviously Evil Handsome Doctor Guy

Only friends

Free on YouTube

Horny level: 4/5 a love scene in every episode so far.

A queer friend group in their 20's what could go wrong? Friends with benefits. Pining. Fucking by proxy. Past illicit relationships. Everyone wants someone other than who they have. Dysfunctional alcoholics and manipulative assholes. Various confusing love shapes. I've only watched a few episodes but already those two have got me fucked up.

Many flags of many colors

Love sea

Iqiyi

Horny rating: 5/5. (So horny )

A lonely, closed off romance author is sent to a beautiful island to work on his book. There he meets an annoying yet charming local who has been hired to keep him company. His back gets blown out. What will happen next? I expect they'll fall for each other and it'll be really cute but first it's gotta get messy.

Staring the second couple from Love In The Air

They are the epitome of black cat/golden retriever energy and it works for them. Great chemistry. Their acting is getting better. The script is better than LITA I feel like. The first episode is kinda awkward. The second episode is pure spice. The third is oddly sweet. It's still airing so idk.

There's a lesbian side couple that's heading towards the fake dating trope with added power dynamic fuckery so that's fun.

Red flag level: well, at this point I think it still technically counts as prostitution so ...

Aaaand I've got whole lists of stuff saved ranking from "I'm gonna cry" to "I'm horny" to "I'm horny and I'm gonna cry" which I may do later as I get through them ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

... I am now realizing that these are mostly MAME works, who I guess is known for being problematic but idk, I'm having a great time.

[dinoplantsghost]

pairing: Tom Riddle x fem! original character

warning(s): tom is a warning in itself, 1940s: time accurate r@c!sm (xen0ph0b!a) and comments, canon-compliant prejudice, teenage behavior (boys smh), language (swearing), mentions of murder & death, violence, bodily horror

word count: ~3783

Disclaimer: I have a huge google doc that holds all of my drafts and I'm quite literally just copypasting everything, so if there are any typos/errors, no there isn't!! :)

-- really pushing it with the out of pocket comments here but it's the 1940s bro, these dingdongs wouldn't know how to be nice tbh 😭💀

Chapter List

Defense Against the Dark Arts [3]

Saoirse didn’t know whether she enjoyed the Ravenclaw Tower or if she wanted to jump out of the windows that surrounded it. True to the House, everything was blue with a hint of the brown notes bronze held. It was almost always cold, something Saoirse hated the most about the Ravenclaw Tower; as the end of the year and the end of the first term creeped closer, the colder nights became, the shorter the sun seemed to stay before running back to its hideout in the west away from Scotland. Saoirse wasn’t fond of the school colors either, though she supposed it was better than the awful standard pink or gold Mahoutokoro had to offer. 

Begrudgingly getting out from the thick blue duvet, Saoirse forced herself to dress, tears pearling in her eyes as she fought her hair with a hairbrush until she finally used magic to untangle her cerulean strands. She ignored the other three girls she had to share a dorm with; they were none of her concern. Having shared a dorm prior, the other girls were huddled on one bed together, the morning gossip seeming commonplace between them as they got ready, albeit very slowly, Saoirse noted. 

Without a word, the Asian girl left the dorm and her legs were already dreading walking up the spiral staircase to the main lounge of the eagle common room. Saoirse thought the use of a spiral tower as living quarters was quite nice, actually, despite her other thoughts concerning the interior designing. It gave the common room an endless feel as her legs continued their way up the stairs. It allowed for a full study room, something she presumed to be a staple of the Ravenclaw students as they were expected to be academic and diligent in their classes. The lounge held bold ingenuity; the roof was an exact reflection of the night sky, no matter the time it was in the day. It was helpful for students taking Astronomy, as Saoirse saw last night when she woke up to grab a glass of water. Her eagle peers were huddled in the lounge, as they always were, parchment thrown around and ink pots dispersed, risking the chance to fall over and ruin the rugs. 

When she finally made it out of the Tower and onto the moving stairs of the rest of the castle, her mind cleared. Though she had met with the lady yesterday, Saoirse had no time to speak with Merrythought in private. Her lesson was very boring, she noted; Saoirse had been taught those spells long ago, when she was about twelve years old. The girl walked past the Great Hall, ignoring her need to eat as she made her way to the professor’s office in her classroom. 

Merrythought seemed to be a very cluttered person. Once Saoirse found herself opening the door to the lady's room, her feet instantly rubbed against piles of parchment and books that covered the tile floors. “Oh, Saoirse," Merrythought said, popping her head out from a hoard of stuff from a far away desk. “I apologize for the mess in here; I can never get things done sometimes. Time is funny that way." 

"That's alright, I just had a few questions. I would have asked yesterday but there was no time for privacy.” Saoirse carefully stepped over to Merrythought, wincing as she heard cracking under her feet. Hopefully the professor wouldn't notice. "When I first met you, you inspired me to explore the Dark Arts, to experiment; you said I was a natural. But during my tour, the boy who walked me through Hogwarts, I always forget his name; Don Fiddle? Anyways, he said that you never advocate for the use of Dark Arts, which is the exact opposite of what you have told me in the past.”

Merrythought nodded, a hum of understanding passing through her lips as she reached for her bifocals to clean the lens. “My dear, I only say that because not many understand that, the Dark Arts is not evil inherently. It is the intentions of the user that determine whether it is evil or not. Your reason for being expelled, it was because your experiment failed and that girl died. You had no intentions of harming her and she willingly offered to help. I see no reason why that should stop you from continuing fueling your curiosity.”

“But the book I was reading, The Soul and Its Properties, said that a soul unable to latch onto the chosen object would latch onto the nearest living specimen. Does that mean I'm cursed, ma’am?”

Truthfully, Saoirse had no clue what she was doing with the ritual. The book was difficult to translate and the pages were extremely faded, but somehow she was able to capture even a sliver of understanding through the step-by-step pictures. That girl, Himiko, was Saoirse’s disturbed roommate. She happily offered herself up to help when she found a bunch of surgical materials on Saoirse’s side of the room under a floorboard. Saoirse herself had never really talked to her, the experiment was the one of the first times she had ever talked to the girl. The Ravenclaw vividly recalled how the lamps flickered, so the ritual had worked in a sense.

“Define cursed," shrugged Merrythought. “Usually you are only cursed when there are bad intentions. If a soul is angry, then yes, you would be cursed." She walked off, going back to her paperwork piles up on her desk. 

Merrythought had always been a cryptic person in one-on-one conversations. During the training camp she had met the woman, Saoirse had constantly heard how confusing Merrythought was, and those sentiments were coming back in harsh waves now as students struggled to complete assignments even with the lady’s direct help. She was a good teacher, yes; her lessons always allowed for hands-on experiences for students, but when it came to writing notes for an exam, or an essay deep diving into the nuances of a spell, Merrythought was not the person to go to.

“I think I’ll figure it out myself later on, then.” Saoirse murmured, sweat dropping as she coughed in her hand before pivoting on her foot to make her way out of her office. 

┌────── ⋆☆⋆ ──────┐

The classroom filled quickly as students made their way out of the Great Hall, like ants in a single file line. Defense Against the Dark Arts was fairly easy for the group of boys who had designated spots in the middle of the room, who were forced to sit there by Tom, who liked being in the professor’s direct vision. When they walked into the room, however, Abraxas groaned under his hands, light waves of platinum blond tickling his cheeks the moment he saw the annoying color of Cerulean near the front of the classroom. 

Eloise, being nosy as he is, turned his gaze to Abraxas’ predicament. “It’s her,” he gasped dramatically. “Oh, Merlin, she looks so exotic—look at the color of her hair!” 

Patrick hit Eloise in the shoulder, causing the boy with copper strands to stumble on his feet. “You’re always so loud, El’.” 

Eloise shrugged, pushing Patrick back harder and laughing as the thin teen fell to the ground. 

“Can you stop messing around,” Abraxas frowned. “Sometimes I hate being around you guys, honestly…” 

Miles helped Patrick up, swatting his back to get rid of dust and grime from his sweater. 

“Do you think I should try to talk to her?” Eloise asked, a sparkle in his eyes that the rest saw often. “I can see it now; she’ll be swept off her feet by my gorgeous smile and my luscious hair. I’m so glad I decided to wear my good cologne today.” Without consulting with the rest of the boys, Eloise marched up to the quiet girl at the front of the room, tapping an index finger against the wooden table. Saoirse glanced up, raising her eyebrows in confusion as she waited for him to speak. “Good morning,” he said. “You’re the new student, right? I’m glad Hogwarts gained a new beauty in our midst, though it would have been much better if you wore a bit of green on your person—it would really bring out those gorgeous eyes of yours.” 

Saoirse was stunned. This random European boy was flirting with her from the get-go. “Thank you,” she coughed, her cheeks and ears cherry red. “I’ve always been told my eyes are weird…” 

Eloise kissed his teeth, shaking his head in disappointment as he promptly hopped over the elongated desk to sit next to the foreigner. “Well those gits are colorblind, I doubt those squinters could ever fully witness your exotic beauty.” He said, running a hand through his hair before putting his arm around her shoulders, blissfully unaware of the way she tensed up under the sudden contact. 

Miles, Louis, and Patrick walked over, faces flushed red as they fought to drag Eloise out of the chair. “We’re so sorry about him,” laughed Miles. “Sometimes he just sees a girl and he can’t control himself—ew, are you biting me?” He yelled, tugging on Eloise’s red hair to get him off his hand. Patrick was elbowed in the face by Eloise, his glasses clattering to the floor in the process. 

In turn, Abraxas and Orion joined the fray to help the other three, careful to not touch or interact with Saoirse as she leaned down to pick up the Austrian boy’s frames. “Here you go,” she said, taking Patrick’s hand by the wrist to plop his glasses into his palm. 

Eloise pulled away from Miles and the other athletics as he saw Patrick being touched by the girl, yelling as the boy’s neck and ears turned pink. “No, don’t touch her,” he cried, tackling Patrick to the ground in front of a flustered Saoirse. “I’m supposed to be the one having a moment with her, not you, you stupid, scrawny nerd!” 

“Avery, get off of the floor, you look like a desperate peasant.” 

At Tom’s words, the boys coughed, straightened out their backs as they muttered apologies to the raven haired teen, falling in line as they followed him up the steps to sit down. 

“I can’t believe she touched you. You’re not rotting, are you, Patrick?” Orion asked, frowning as he witnessed the meek boy scratch at his wrist. 

“I feel itchy…” Sniffed Patrick, his bifocals barely balancing at the tip of his slim nose. 

“You’re just falling in love, Patrick,” sighed Eloise, stretching out on the table as he squished his cheek against the wood. “It’s okay, though, I won’t pursue that girl any longer if you fancy her; I’m happy for you. Maybe she’ll cleanse you of that nerd energy and make you join the Quidditch team.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with reading, Eloise. Besides, maybe she likes reading.” Louis said, shrugging his broad shoulders as the rest of the classroom filled in with other students.

Today’s class was an extension of yesterday’s lesson: the evasion of spells. The main focus was the realization that you will never know all the spells in the world; some are either too complicated to know or newly created by the caster themself. Being aware of your surroundings is better than trying to fixate on spells that are close to burning your face off. 

“It is important to try and find your opponent’s weaknesses. Now, they might not be as obvious, but becoming detail-oriented is imperative to your success. This skill will sharpen with time the more you come to rely on it.” Merrythought waved her thin wand, white chalk hovering in the air as she drew a simple model of two stick figures, their wands magically moving as they threw dusty chalk spells at one another, puffs of white flying off the board. “Now,” she continued, the desks and chairs clattering as they were shoved to the edges of the room. “To figure out who was listening to the lesson, I will need two volunteers. Whoever wins this duel will gain 20 points for their house.”  

Murmurs flew around the room, uncertainty and excitement from many. With multiple hands beckoning in enthusiasm, one hand in particular stood out to the professor; one so dainty and fair it could be mistaken for a maiden’s. It belonged to a boy, a boy with auburn hair, its length falling to his cheeks as it fell from it side-parting. He was ever one to usually participate in one-on-one demonstrations, often opting out in exchange for “free entertainment” as he had put it countless times before. 

Curious, Professor Merrythought pointed her wand towards the male. “Avery, it's interesting to see you participating.” 

The boy in question let his hand fall back to the side as he feigned innocence through his gleeful smile and squinted downturned eyes. “Well, I’m not particularly concerned with participating myself, you see,” he laughed. “I want to personally suggest two perfect candidates who are more than exceptional for the demonstration, Professor.”  On que, he jabbed a finger downwards to Saoirse, then leaning back to point to his friend in the middle of the row. “I volunteer Saoirse and Tom to duel, Professor.” 

Voices echoed throughout the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. A duel between the presumed posterboy of Hogwarts and the transfer that had only been in class for less than forty-eight hours? It was clear to the audience how unfair this was as the boy with coal hair had a large advantage. 

Galatea Merrythought clapped her hands in anticipation. “For once I like the idea that came from your head, mister Avery; five points to Slytherin!” The lady waved her hands, shooing the students to the sides of the room, making space for her two most prized students. 

Tom, with irritation bubbling in his throat as he thought of the numerous ways he was to have a talk with Eloise later, watched as the girl was pulled to the side, nodding as she was given personal words from the teacher. How she was sorted into Ravenclaw was beyond him. There was no way she knew any spells with Latin roots, especially with her accent. 

Saoirse rolled her robe off her shoulders, her dress sleeves now to her elbows as she strode up to him in full confidence. In her right hand was a wand of dark wood with a long, notch shaft, her thumb placed snugly under the hilt. 

Merrythought coughed in her hand. “The rules are simple: de-wand your opponent using all spells you know, as well as deflecting techniques we discussed earlier. Do not intentionally harm one another or I will have you in detention as quickly as a snitch.”

TR~S

An eagle and a snake, back to back, wands in hand. Others watched as they took ten steps forward, with each making them more and more agitated. Flicked their wands to the side, they stood in silence. The snake struck, turning around and throwing a spell toward the eagle, who was able to successfully redirect the jet of red towards the crowd. It was a mystery as to how many tricks the girl had up her sleeve; being a new transfer, no one knew of her potential. The spell hit a nearby desk, making it explode upon impact. The shards were raised in the air as the eagle was quick to make use of the situation. “Oppugno!” 

The shards flew to attack the boy, ready to piece and stab him, but with a quick Incendio Duo the shards danced in flames, smoke forming. Closing in on his opponent, Tom waved his arm to throw in multiple incantations of the arrow-shooting spell and Diffindo. Smoke swelled and whirled around the two at the hands of the eagle and her Nebulus charm. 

Their vision darkened as the smoke burned their noses, blocking them from the concerned crowd on the outskirts of the gray, fluffy barrier. The faintest shouts from rowdy boys could be heard until Merrythought got onto them for yelling in her classroom. 

“How did you learn Latin-based spells,” Tom asked, yelling slightly over the hum of the moving smoke. “I doubt whatever school you went to previously used any.” 

Saoirse hummed, blinking slowly before flicking her wand at the boy. “Dueling camp comes in handy.” She frowned as Tom raised his own wand to get rid of her hex. “Professor Merrythought said I could use any spells I’d like this time around; she said that you would be on par with me.” 

“What did she whisper to you before this duel? It’s hardly fair to give a student the upper hand.” He pulled a desk from outside the smoke barrier to throw at her. Her eyes widened, running off to the side before tripping and falling on her feet as the desk crashed next to her, her knees rough and red against the concrete. 

“She didn’t whisper anything of that sort to me,” she argued, her glasses skewed on her nose. “She said I could use the spells I’ve been working on for the past few months. But I don’t know if you’d be able to handle them.” 

Tom scuffed, his usually sculpted hair dancing in wild strands as the smoke barrier picked up enough momentum to create wind. He had created his own spells before, ones he doubted she knew any solution or counterspell to. His patience was growing thin; Eloise was a fool for throwing him into this stupid duel. “Stand up, you stupid girl,” he hissed. “I have better things to worry about than some weak foreigner. I’m surprised your wand hasn’t blown up in your face with how thick your accent is, you bloody Jap—”

His chest tightened, the air knocked out of him as Saoirse threw an Expulso his way. His eyes stung as he flew back and fell to the edge of the smoke barrier, coughing and heaving as his lungs begged for fresh air. The smoke was becoming less and less controlled due to the sudden fluctuation in Saoirse’s demeanor. Struggling to sit on his knees, Tom stuck his wand out to let a spiral of wind fly out of his yew wand, the smoke dissipating before closing in again, the barrier tightening as Saoirse kept the smoke up. 

As he stumbled on his feet, Saoirse shot a spell he did not know, nor was he able to figure it out. It was in Japanese—or at least, that was what he thought it was. A jet of orange hit his shoulder, a flutter of stinging pain similar to that of nettles echoing in his skin. Ignoring the tickling sensation, ropes conjured from his wand with Incarcerous, wrapping around Saoirse’s wrists, ankles, and neck so effortlessly, constricting her from any movement. 

Her eyes widened as she raised her joined hands to scratch at the bind around her neck, desperate to get the tiniest bit of air. “You’re pathetic,” he laughed, the tickling in his shoulder spreading to his neck. “Merrythought will be disappointed to see her favorite student on the verge of asphyxiating.” 

Dots appeared in her periphery as her hands struggled to pull away the rope, choking her red and irritated neck even further. With a lack of strength and concentration, the smoke barrier fell, revealing to the long-forgotten crowd a passed-out girl with blue lips and a red neck littered in scratches and a prominent rope burn. The boy standing in above her, who quickly pivoted around to pack up his belongings, ignored the professor’s calls as he left the classroom. His posse followed suit, and the bell rang, ending Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

┌────── ⋆☆⋆ ──────┐

13:15 - Lunch

“She really tried doing that to you?” Abraxas asked, listening intently to Tom’s influential words like the rest of the group. Tom nodded, his fork flinging a piece of vegetable across his plate. “She also used this foreign spell, I couldn’t figure out a counterspell because it was in a different language.” 

“Was it harmful,” Patrick chimed in, closing his book in front of him. “That smoke barrier blocked the entire duel; it takes a lot of concentration to keep something like that up for so long.” 

“My shoulder has been irritated the entire time since it made contact,” Tom frowned. “Though I doubt it’s of any concern. The pain hasn’t spiked at all.” 

The Austrian boy shook his head, pushing his frames along his nose bridge. “You said it yourself, though, she said she knows Dark Magic.” He leaned close across the table, careful to speak in a low voice. “What if the spell was fatal?” 

“There’s no way, she’s too pretty to be that dangerous,” Eloise said. “I refuse to believe it; my exotic muse being a sly minx is beyond any reasoning, Patrick.” 

Louis rolled his eyes, looking off to the side as he drank his pumpkin juice. “That girl isn’t anything special, Eloise, there’s better looking girls in our house.” 

“Oh? Then why don’t you introduce me to them, Louis? I didn’t know you fancied any girls in our house.” 

“That’s not what I said, I—”

“What Louis meant,” Miles smiled. “Is that you can’t make assumptions off of someone based on their appearance.” 

Eloise made a noise of disagreement, wagging a finger into the boy’s face. “No, I can make all the assumptions I want when peacock boy over here literally theorized the girl to be a murderer.” 

The boy with platinum hair kicked Eloise’s leg under the table, making sure to make a bruise into his delicate skin. “Don’t say that so loud, you idiot—and stop calling me that, those peacocks have been in my family for generations!” 

Tom pinched the dip of his nose, a terrible headache coming along as the floating candles from above made harsh glares on the metal of the numerous goblets in the Great Hall. His neck buzzed, and so did his upper arm now. “Excuse me, I need to use the lavatory.” He muttered, getting up from his seat before making his way to the Prefect bathroom. 

Somehow, the tickling sensation had turned into a sting, a pain he was familiar with. Swinging the door open, Tom let his Hogwarts robe fall to the ground as he undid the first two buttons of his dress shirt. As he looked upon his skin, a sharp breath flared his nostrils as he winced at the desiccated flesh now pale and gray, flaking in a way. The scent finally hit his senses, the faint but recognizable smell of putrid, rotting dead skin all the way from his upper bicep to his jaw. The spell he was hit with, the one he didn’t deflect, was rotting him from the inside.

Credit(s): Dividing banner (^^^) by Chen Lu (1436 - 1449) - "Plum Blossoms in Moonlight" scroll painting; sourced through Pinterest