#It's a concept I've been wanting to work on for the longest time and now it's finally finished! (though honestly it's made me want to make

[mosimyri]

Part 5 of sleeping trolls who fell asleep in the sunlight and turned to stone :)

[lvrby-katsuki]

Say you'll be more active on tumblr

Get shat on by real life responsibilities

Say you'll just be more active next week

Get shat on by real life responsibilities next week

Say you'll just be more active next week

Get shat on by real life responsibilities next week

Say you'll be more active next week

[stellocchia]

As much as I love the concept of Blue joining Nightmare's gang and getting some healing with them (and I really do, I'm writing the longest fic I've ever written about it) a concept I've been mulling over is that of Stretch joining them in a more canon-adjacent setting.

Like, okay, hear me out, Stretch is the one Papyrus who in most versions of the Multiverse story gets left behind willingly by Blue. Like, sure, there is Underverse where the dude just dies, and that one comic about Blue getting kidnapped by Error, but most of the time not much thought is put into Blue joining the Star Sanses. He just did. And, with the Star Sanses being a mostly positive force, I doubt it was in any way against his will.

He most likely wanted to help out because, well, he's an Underswap Sans, and the Star Sanses offered him a great opportunity for that. Canonically, Blue was always rather social, even in his original universe, but he still wasn't as accomplished as he might have wished. So more so than fame, glory was his other biggest incentive.

Anyway, ramblings about Blue aside, Stretch was left there in his world. Now he's suddenly forced to deal with the resets alone. My guy was already an apathetic nihilist with not that many friends when it all started, going through all of this alone is only gonna worsen that.

I don't think he'd ever admit that he resents his brother for leaving. His brother could never do anything wrong in his eyes. He would try to make him regret it though. Not consciously, of course, and it would start small. Things like: purposefully messing up their story by just not showing up in front of the human, or by letting himself be killed first right after the drop, or even by having the fight going on for an impossibly long time by having his first attack be nothing.

But as none of that seems to work (Blue is not coming back, he's busy saving universes and fighting bad guys) he would get desperate.

I imagine this is where his joining the Bad Sanses would come in. Here's how the sequence of events would play out:

He becomes disillusioned > Starts working on the machine in the basement again to pass the time > Gains access to the Multiverse > Finds out about the group his brother is fighting after going on a few adventures > Joins the group

His joining the group is definitely to spite his brother, but he'd never admit that out loud. It is also a monumentally idiotic idea because every moral he's ever had is strictly against everything that Nightmare gets up to. Unfortunately, by this point, he's sufficiently apathetic to be just morally flexible enough for this to work. After all, he can promise himself that he will not hurt any monsters and will instead just focus on fighting the Star Sanses. The guilt from just letting it happen is still eating at him, but he reasons that he has no other choice (of course he does. But the other choice was to let himself rot back at home in a hopeless timeline and, while it would have been a noble sacrifice, it is not one he's willing to make).

Nightmare on his side, sees the benefit of having a Papyrus on board. He's gonna keep Horror and Dust in line and loyal far more effectively than threats would. After all, he may not look entirely like their brothers, but he's still similar enough to work for emotional blackmail purposes.

It's not gonna go over as well with Killer who definitely tries to kill him at first. A bunch of times. And almost succeeds every time. But Stretch is not there for him, so Nightmare pays it little mind. Stretch is there to keep Killer's attachments from leaving or betraying them, and he's gonna get over it eventually. Possibly. (Killer is not so sure he will because fuck Nightmare and his new toy. He will stop the murder attempts though because everything in his body and soul is against defying a very direct order from the Boss).

Stretch doesn't like any of his teammates at first. He, rather hypocritically, sees them as true monsters for what they've done in their home AUs and for what they keep doing under Nightmare.

Needless to say, the atmosphere at the castle is tense for months with none of these fuckers talking any more than strictly necessary. Even on the battlefield, as they're facing off against the Star Sanses, all the bad guys are suspiciously quiet. Stretch doesn't even have the energy or clarity of mind to answer his brother's questions and pleas to go with him and put an end to the senseless violence. (He also doesn't want to answer because he's still upset and doesn't trust him. Though he will not admit that to himself. He's still in denial about that being the reason he joined Nightmare's gang. My guy is getting through life with the sheer power of denial and emotional repression and it's going horribly for him).

The tension comes to a head eventually when Killer makes a snide remark too many about Stretch's hypocrisy and Stretch punches him square in the face. It's not the most conventional bonding method, but it works for those two. He is still a hypocrite in Killer's mind, but at least he's not a coward and that's good enough for him. Everyone at that castle is hypocritical af anyway, he's not gonna judge. Well, he will, but no more than he judges Horror and Dust for their own little quirks.

From there, Stretch starts to learn a bit more about his teammates. They let him into their little circle of trust, and he learns how to help them take care of themselves. They learn what he needs too (probably some antidepressants) and help him as best as they can. And he notices, for the first time, that Nightmare is very much not in their little bubble. He's one of the threats to it. And, well, there's not much he can do about it at this point, but he vows to help them as much as he can. And he vows not to abandon them like he was. And there is still denial there about how hurt he was by his brother's abandonment and what a Hell it is to live in the castle, but that promise to himself is the first reason he's found to keep going that he's willing to admit to. And that's good enough for now

[stargalaxxy]

🧸ྀིCole Brookstone x Reader₍⑅ᐢ..ᐢ₎

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅Hai, so I'm sick so that's something that's going on with me... (¬`‸´¬) But now I'm off from work so maybe this will get me to write more stories ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ) But fr fr I've been thinking about this concept for a while but I was a bit shy in posting it bcs it is a bit suggestive... Ofc if it makes you uncomfortable I have other stories that you can read, I like this enough to keep it ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა You and Cole are in your 20's But I hope you guys like ittt.... Also I gave reader a bit of culture sooooo.... That's alll hope you enjoy!!!

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

⭑.ᐟNow Playing: What You Know Bout Love by, Pop Smoke₊˚⊹♡

Tw. Suggestive, talk of nudity and possible sexy talk ahaha (ó﹏ò｡)

⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆Living Together (๑>؂•̀๑)

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Cole was the one who asked you to live with him, wanting to take your relationship to the next level.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Having known each other for two years and being in a relationship for a year, you guys were more than ready to live on your own excited to take the next step together in your relationship.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ When you said yes, you both worked on finding an apartment to live in together. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ It was a one-bedroom apartment, and was something you both were excited about when you first saw the home on the market in your guy’s budget.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Saying goodbye to your friends and family, Cole says goodbye to his team having lived with his brothers for so long he couldn’t help but thank them for the memories that they all shared together.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ They gave you both presents for your apartment either small gifts such as Knick knacks, or flowers wishing you two a happy future.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Even with the sad departure the team always visits you two, as if you had never left. They would come in at your times of intimacy too, frustrating the both of you as they would playfully interrupt knowing full and well of what they were doing.

“y’know, it’s kinda like you guys never left~” Kai teases taking a bite of the dinner you made that was originally for you and Cole. 

“Hah, y’don’t say…” Cole huffs sitting with Kai, the rest on the floor watching tv. “Y’know this apartment isn’t really made for more than two people…” you pout as Nya giggles, “Don’t worry (y/n) we’ll be outta here soon just so you can get back to kissing your boyfriend~” You blush as you shove Nya playfully making her laugh. “Yea, and when Nya and I get our own place you guys can bother us whenever.” Jay grins as you smirk at Nya who smiled shyly. “Oh, you don’t have to tell me that, I’m gonna come and bother all of you when you get your own places~” Cole nods as he tilts his bowl up and finishes the soup you made.

…

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Master Wu even gave you both gifts, different assortments of teas, both healing and with different flavors, it was something you both loved as the teas held different purpose of use. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ After getting settled in, you got straight to decorating, trying to find different things to match your guy’s styles.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You had fun thinking of styles to share for your new home together, when you finished you, both loved the combinations of styles that worked well together.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ When asking Cole, he didn’t have much of a preference, just asking if you could put his records somewhere nice.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Cole loves watching you decorate the house, helping with moving furniture to your liking seeing you put so much love into your home it made Cole so happy.

…

Cole loved it when you took him into furniture stores and obsess over different styles and colors to decorate your home with. Cole enjoyed the domestic lifestyle that he had. Wishing for a lifestyle such as this for the longest time, 

“Aah, this looks so good!” You gush as you both stare at the living room, folded moving boxes in the corner that had been left behind due to both of your procrastinations.

“Yea, I like it.” Cole had a hand around your waist a pleased expression on his face as he looks to the newly decorated room. 

Cole didn’t really have a preference letting you decorate, the only thing he wanted was his records somewhere. He liked how you always asked him what he thought about some stuff even if he didn’t have much of an opinion.

“As long as you’re happy, babe.” He would repeat as you’d shrug going crazy on your creativity to make it something that you both would love. 

You stretch as you pop your back. Moving to a new place is stressful, you both have been busy with jobs and Cole balancing ninja duties. Wanting to relax you would pull Cole by the arm towards the couch. 

Cole would pull you into a song to dance with him whenever he wanted to find ways to relax. But tonight, you both would criticize actors’ stupidity on tv, while Cole devours the dinner you make for him.

Cole stretches his arms, twisting his torso to the direction that he was stretching. You smile at him as you admire his muscles perturbing from his stretch.

You giggle as you kiss the muscle at his shoulder blade, “I’ll get dinner ready, kay?” You walk to the kitchen as you grab a pot and started to boil water.

…

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ On your first night together you both were so nervous, of course you both have slept together before, but now you guys would be sleeping together every night. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Cole was nervous about his snoring, or crushing you, while you were anxious about accidently kicking him in your sleep or taking the covers.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ It took a while for you both to finally fall asleep, you were stiff, and Cole hardly moved. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ On the third night you both were so tired from shopping for groceries and furniture that you passed out on top of each other.

…

You whine on top of Cole your cheek resting against his bare chest, your legs straddled against his thigh as his chest rumbles from his soft snores. It lulled you back to sleep, his arm rests over your waist holding you, Cole’s stomach wakes him up propping an eye open to see the dark room.

You both had fallen asleep as soon as you guys had gotten home from shopping, Cole sniffs as he looks down, feeling a small weight on top of him. Smiling down he catches your sleeping face your quiet snores left your slightly a gaped mouth, his larger hand moves up your back rubbing your shoulder. His fingers graze your upper back tracing shapes, soon you wake up moving slightly you look up to Cole still asleep you rub your eyes trying to wake up.

“Hey babe~” Cole’s voice was horsed, hearing his morning voice brought butterflies to your stomach as your face grew hot. “C-Cole? When did we fall asleep?” you try to get up nervous from thinking you were hurting him. “When we got home, I guess we passed out” Cole explains pushing your body back down to his chest. Your face grows flustered feeling his warm chest against your cheek again, you slowly grow comfortable to place a hand on his bicep smoothly running your hand across his chest as he continues to trace shapes over your shoulder. 

Your time together was quiet and peaceful, hoping for this moment to last forever. The smile on both of your faces told you that there will be more of these quiet moments together, 

Groowwl 

“ehehe~” Cole chuckles nervously as you side eye him playfully grinning, “way to ruin the moment, blockhead~” he scratches the back of his head grinning as you rise from his chest. “Want some pasta?” you smile holding out your hand for Cole to take as his mouth starts to water, “can we have garlic bread?” Cole rises holding your hand as you both walk to the kitchen. “Just as long as you don’t burn it this time~” you tease pushing your finger into Cole’s cheek making him smile, “that was one time…” he trails as you huff at him, ���of many, you’re horrible in the kitchen!”

…

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Doing most of the cooking Cole would assist you by cutting, and washing to make side dishes, Cole can’t be left alone in the kitchen as he will find a way to burn it down. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You both worked to pay for rent and other bills, with Cole still going on missions there are times where you would wait for him to come home. Times of when Cole did come back, he would find you in a different spot of your apartment passed out.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Cole would always tell you not to wait for him as he didn’t want you to lose sleep because of him.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ But you tell him that you can’t sleep without knowing that he’ll come back safe, nodding off you finally fall asleep in his arms as he lays you down on the bed. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ He would shower before coming to bed, Being the element of earth brought a lot of dirt into the house and his body,

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ He would help clean, but you would help bathe him to get the extra dirt off him, being a routinely event of you laying him on the kitchen counter and washing his hair over the sink massaging his scalp chuckling as you hear his quiet snores.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ He loved those days of when you would wash his hair for him, you both knew he could do it himself, but you just wanted the extra moments with him, helping him take a load off his plate as well.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You would teach him how to braid or brush your hair whenever he asks if he could do your hair. It was sweet how he wanted to return the favor.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Another thing you both would do is have spa days together, creating homemade face masks for you both while Cole ate the cucumbers that were for your eyes. You would give him one of your animal headbands so the mask wouldn’t get in his hair,

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ He gets the bear ears no arguments.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You both would play video games or listen to music letting the mask work its magic, drinking tea or eating treats that you both baked together.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You would take care of Cole in other ways as well, whenever Cole got sick you would be there to keep him in bed reporting to either his job or team that he wasn’t feeling well ignoring his protest in being fine.

…

Placing a cold compress on Cole’s forehead he coughs opening his eyes, “you poor thing, I made soup do you wanna eat?” you run your fingers through his shaggy hair as he nods. 

“Even when sick I’ll never say no to your cooking~” Cole’s voice was rasped as he grins. “That would be so much more romantic without all the mucus, honey~” you giggle as Cole pouts at your teasing. 

“Ugh, being sick is the worst” Cole complains as you leave to get a bowl of chicken soup coming back and sitting next to him stirring the soup as you get a nice scoop.

Blowing softly, you bring the spoon to Coles lips, “open wide~” you sing as Cole opens his mouth and bites down on the spoon. 

Removing the spoon, you brought it back to the bowl as you get another scoop waiting for Cole to finish what was in his mouth.

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” Cole lifts a brow as you smile, 

“I don’t like seeing you in pain but feeding you does make me happy” you smile as you brought the spoon back to Coles lips. 

“I always love taking care of you Cole, I love you.” You confess as your cheeks grew warm, even with how much you have spent together, you both still blushed whenever displaying loving acts for each other. Cole’s face was also pink as he smiles up at you, 

“Thank you for taking care of me, every day I think back to that day I confessed to you and think how lucky I am to have someone like you.” You shake your head your smile still holding strong, “I’m the lucky one Cole, you brighten up my day, I’m so happy that you asked me to live with you. I can’t express how happy I am.” Tears start to collect as you lean down to kiss Cole’s forehead, Cole smiles as he basks in your affection. He raises his hand to capture your cheek as you lean into his touch, “I love you, (y/n).” you hum smiling. “I love you too Cole.” You whine, holding the back of his warm hand in your cheek. 

…

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You were both shy in showing your bodies to each other, as you would change in the room given up by Cole and he would change in the bathroom. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ However, as you both got more and more comfortable you guys would forget to put clothes on, with you walking around the apartment to find a towel after showering. Or Cole walking in boxers during a hot day, or on laundry day when you both had on undergarments. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You have been living with each other for months now, loving every moment you spend together, talking about your future…

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ as well as both your interests in a new addition.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Whenever you both would go out you would notice how Cole would stare at baby clothes in shops, viewing from outside the window. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You would gush at the many outfits or watch family’s hand in hand, or the chubby cheeks of family’s babies would give you both baby fever.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ However, your flustered faces would convince each other that possibly now was not the time to think about having a baby.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ So instead, you both adopted a pet, you both were looking at shelters or even breeders. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ But you both decided on adopting an older cat, wanting to give it a chance at a home and making their life comfortable, but also to start easy as this would be your first fur baby together.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Your cat was calm as expected and would follow you both around rubbing itself against your legs and feet in affectionate greetings. Finding a name for her was difficult as calling her cheese given by the shelter didn’t fit the dark furred cat, so Cole thought of the name ‘Flint’. It was cute and so you guys stuck with the name,

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You both would baby her as if she were a kitten, she would snuggle herself between you two in bed being another block in intimate moments but you both excused it because she’s cute.

…

You lay on the couch staring at the tv with Cole on top of you lazily, having come back from work he was exhausted and rightfully so. Running your fingers through his hair you smile, Cole’s head laid on your chest as he watches tv along with you.

You noticed how his breathing slowed, chuckling softly as Cole was close to falling asleep on top of you. You do admit it was a bit hard to breath, Cole felt like a big dog crushing its owner because they want to act like a lap dog.

But it felt comforting in a way, like a weighted blanket keeping you grounded, you liked it when Cole would be on top of you especially if you felt anxious or during the cold weather. His strong arms wrapped around your body or hanging off the couch like a sloth, you loved every second that you would take pictures of each other. Having so much that you two could make a collage. 

…

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ Random thought.. but Cole loves taking pictures of you whether secretly or together, he keeps them in a box, or he’ll pin them on the wall.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You would blush finding his box full of pictures of you, some you don’t remember him taking.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You did admire them though as you knew Cole took those pictures out of love for you. 

…

The night came and went as the morning sun kissed your face good morning; you hum as you look over to Cole your bodies tangled up.

Cole’s eyes were still closed, he was a heavy sleeper, so it takes a while to wake him up. You slowly move away unwrapping your arms and legs from him, you look back at his sleeping form. His knitted brows and slightly parted lips, you could hear his soft breathing.

Smiling you lift your body up from the bed to look at the nightstand next to Cole.

Cole’s camera sat on the table, with a picture of you and him. Laying on top of him your hand wrapped around his naked chest; your breast thankfully covered as the picture was taken from a side view. Cole’s hair was messy having a sleepy smile as he held a peace sign over your sleeping head. You wondered how the picture got there, as Cole fell asleep before you and you assumed he’s still sleeping.

You then feel yourself being pulled down onto the bed again, he just had to make a liar outta you. 

You look back at Cole his eye propped open as his hand holding your wrist, “where ya goin’ little girl~?” Cole’s morning voice rung like heaven in your ears as your blush.

“Breakfast, I thought you might like some in bed” you suggest as you turn your body to run your fingers through his hair with your free hand. Cole hums as he stares at your other hand in his as he brings it to his lips kissing it softly.

You chuckle as you pull away, “c’mon let’s eat big guy” you pull him up struggling as he decides to use his full weight for you to try and hold up. You laugh as he groans, “don’t be stubborn you big teddy bear, let’s eat we didn’t have dinner so I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“On the contrary~” Cole leans over you as he finally stands up pushing your body against his as you huff blushing. “Real food, you dummy~” you playfully smack his chest as you reach into your shared drawers and pulled out a shirt and shorts. “I’m hungry so c’mon!” You slip on your clothes as you walk out Cole chuckles as he brought out sweatpants and goes to follow you. 

He comes to the kitchen as he watches you work; he leans on the counter as he looks to the time. “Y’know, it’s pretty late for breakfast” he grins as you look to him, “call it brunch then~” you chop your vegetables as you place them in your pot, having already placed other things you needed it was a quick brunch.

Cole sniffs as he hums the ingredients finally coming together to make a delicious smelling aroma. “Mm, what’s that?” He walks over leaning down resting his chin on your shoulder.

“It’s called changua, it’s a Colombian egg soup, it’s really good!” You grab a spoon and stir as you fill it with the soup. You place your hand under it to blow and hold it up to Cole’s lips.

He opens as he leans forward to place the spoon in his mouth. He hums as you bring the spoon back, “you’re right it is good~” he walks to the cabinets to pull out two bowls as he sets them on the counter. 

You fill them up as you turn off the stove walking to the table to sit next to Cole. “My dad would make this all the time for me when I was little, so I learned how to make it.” You take a bite as you sway happily, Cole chuckles as he takes a bite as well. 

“It’s good, thank you” Cole smiles loving how he can still learn new things about you. “‘M’lucky (y/n), to have a girl like you, I can’t express how much I love you and cherish you for deciding to be my partner” Cole looks to your smile,

Cole brings you closer you both practically sharing one seat. He kisses the top of your head as you hold him close as well, “I love you, (y/n), so much. More than words could ever express.” You loved it when Cole would say those words to you, it made you so happy at how your heart would swell with so much love for him. And you knew you would get a thousand more as you both continue to be together.

“I love you too, Cole” you kiss him as you both look to each other, another kiss suggesting until both your stomachs growled in protest. You nervously chuckle as Cole rolls his eyes at his stomach being a mood killer.

You both turn to your bowls as you lift your spoons filling it with soup as you both brought to your mouths.

“Hmm”

“Mm”

You both hum as you look to each other after swallowing, you both smile and laugh at how in common you guys were. You soon settle and take another bite enjoying your quiet brunch.

AAAAA I finished, it feels short but this is what I could think of with fuzzy brain. ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა I hope you like anywayssss (˶ ˘ ³˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶) 𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Love, ⋆˚࿔ Karrots 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[crymzin-gutz]

Paranormal Investigators Club members interactions with Tobi. -Headcanons-

Tobi belongs to @heartfullofleeches . Go check out their blog, I can't not recommend their stuff. Their characters are amazing and I absolutely love them!

'Ello. This is my first time using Tumblr to post anything, so apologies if the formatting or anything is off. I don't really know what I'm doing. ^^; Anyways- heartfullofleeches' OC, Tobi, has been infecting my brain for the longest of time. Especially the thought of them interacting with my own group of ghost hunter OCs; Alice, Maxwell, Charlie, and Albert. So, with their permission, Imma be posting some headcanons I've come up for them. I might also post a short fanfic or two about this concept as well, but first I'd have to come up with what it'd be about. So that might be a thing, might not. Anyways- headcanons are below. ^^

-The Paranormal Investigator Club (P.I.C) members probably first meet Tobi one of two ways- either Charlie 'forces' Tobi to join their club when seeing this man, who looked as if they were lost, wandering the halls. Or, Tobi kinda just...materializes within the P.I club room one day. And Maxwell and Charlie just assume he's meant to be there. Congregates Tobs, you're apart of P.I.C now.

-Unlike Charlie, and -somewhat- Maxwell, Alice and Albert are both a bit more wary of the unexpected new member. Especially since Alice and Albert can tell that Tobi isn't human. :|

-Alice and Albert are both Unrested Souls. -(Technically, Alice -and possibly Albert?- is classified as a Sleepwalking Soul and not as an Unrested Soul. But for convince, and not having to drop a bunch of lore and world stuff that you guys didn't ask for onto you guys, we'll just be classifying them both as Unrested Souls for this.) Because of this, the two are able to sense that Tobi isn't human. Tobi is probably able to tell that Alice and Albert aren't 'human' either. Or atleast, that they aren't living humans.

-Alice and Albert both have the same unnerved, fight-or-flight response to Tobi, at first. The type of being that Tobi is, is defiantly a predator to both of them. With them -Tobi- eating ghosts for lunch and all.

-Tobi's secret about not being human doesn't stay a secret for long. Maybe, at most, a month or two. As stated prior, Alice and Albert immediately know that something is off, and it doesn't take them long to figure out that they aren't human. And, while it may take Max and Charlie a bit longer -if Tobi insists that Alice doesn't tell them-, once the two accidentally come across him eating a ghost....yeah...it's fine though. They got pretty accustomed to paranormal beings being real pretty quickly after meeting Alice.

-Charlie constantly asks Tobi to describe what ghost's, or whatever type of Unrested Soul he ate, tastes like. They -Tobi- gets a full on questionnaire after he eats. Sobs.

-There has been a few times that Charlie has started asking Tobi questions about how they taste, while he was in the middle of eating. Like full on, he'd be mid-bite and Charlie will just plop down next to him and be like, "How would you describe your meal tonight?"

-Max is hard of hearing. And wears a hearing-aid to help him hear. However- there are times that he either can't wear them -they died or he lost them-, or he simply wants a break from them. Because of this, his friends have come up with a list of other ways for them to communicate with Max without having to verbally speak. I'm bringing this up because, I imagine that as soon as it is noticed that Tobi can't, or just doesn't want to (because of the whole human's cant hear them speak without passing out), Charlie just shows him the list. And asks them what will work the best for him.

-If Tobi wants to learn sign langue, Maxwell would more than happy to teach them and help him learn.

-I don't know if Tobi has a place of his own. But if he doesn't, and at-least in this context, I can see him moving in with Albert and Max in their shared apartment. The three have such strong roommate vibes in my head. I don't know. They just do. (They defiantly also have strong bromance chemistry. Jk jk....unless...)

-Frenemies dynamic between Tobi and Albert. One-sided or not, these two freaks -(/pos)- have the gayest frenemies dynamic known to man. The type to want to kill each other, but also wanting the other one to be alive so that they can see them achieve their dreams and what not.

-They, Tobi and Albert, have gotten drunk -(can Tobi get drunk???)- and ended up waking up the next morning sharing the couch. They make a deal as to not speak about it. Whatever happened -it was nothing, they just were both too drunk to make it to their individual beds- will be token to their graves.

-Albert and Tobi fight over the title of 'cameraman'. They either end up sharing the role, or they have split custody like a couple of divorced parents.

Albert: It's my turn with our child.

Tobi: *'Stares' at Albert before turning their back to him. Still holding the camera in his hands.*

Albert: ??? What do you mean no, dude?! Gimme the fucking camera!

Tobi: *Holding his hand out of Albert's reach. Using his other hand to push Albert back, his hand pushing against Albert's forehead.* >:|

Albert: Don't make me get Max!

Tobi: *Reluctantly, and clearly not wanting to, gives Albert the camera.* >:(

-They probably don't mean to, but Tobi causes disturbances to Max's hearing-aid. Low buzzing, or painful high pitched beeping if Tobi is loosing control of himself.

-Max gets the worse of Tobi's effects on humans; headaches, nosebleeds, getting dizzy and almost blacking out, ect.

-Alice occasionally lets Tobi tag along with them on their jobs. If she is especially drained from non-stop work, or just can't be bothered to properly exercise an Unrested Soul she just lets Tobi eat it. It's like a lil' treat for him. :3 And it's less work that Alice has to do. So it's a win-win.

-Charlie is very big on physical contact. It's a major love langue of theirs. So, Tobi is gonna have to adapt to it. Charlie will respect his boundaries...to an extent. But she is also the type to try and push his friends boundaries if she thinks it won't necessarily bring any harm to them. So they may be slightly less affectionate with Tobi, she will try to get him to be more comfortable with her.

-Once, and if, Tobi gets more comfortable with Charlie, they are climbing them like a tree. That or pulling them down to her height with a side-arm hug around their shoulders. Charlie gives out bear hugs. And sadly, she doesn't know how not to rough house a bit while giving affection.

-Charlie tried taking Tobi’s hat once. They woke up a bit later from a nap they don’t remember taking. Alice informs them of how uncomfortable he had made Tobi, and immediately Charlie felt bad about it. They apologize as soon as they see him the next day.

-They all have movie nights once a month. Tobi is put in charge of choosing the film...that was until he had them watch a cursed movie -forgetting that Max and Charlie are still affected by curses-. Tobi was put in time-out while Alice took care of the ghost. Tobi is now in charge of making sure the couch is comfy enough. -He's not trusted with preparing the snacks either.-

[justin-chapmanswers]

Was there a different way [like work flow and stuff like that] you guys wrote season 3 differently from season 2? If so will you continue that flow into season 2?

Also do you have any tips on how to mange an object show since you've worked on II for a long time?

[The voices you do in II are so funky and I mean this in the best way possible]

Thank you so much! My funky voices are incredibly grateful.

Near the end of the pre-Invitational season two, the process was generally that we'd talk out where we want to go next, have our big debates, and Brian and I would draft up an outline for the team. Then the writing would start and, as it was for almost every season two episodes before Invitational, the group would just jump into a Google Doc and we'd write, together, chronologically until we'd get burnt out. Some of us were thinking of the minutiae on-the-fly, some of us would draft up practice-scripts ahead of time to work off of. It was chaotic, but then we'd spend a long while reworking/rewriting scenes.

Starting with Invitational, things changed. Most notably, we started having one writer per episode instead of jumping into the chaos. Having four writers in at once didn't help, it just made things complicated. It was about learning to let go a bit and trust the rest of the team to do a good job. We'd still of course chat about the events well-ahead of time, but then the writer would be the one to outline and pitch that outline to the team before writing. And then in revisions, we'd give notes to the writer instead of individually taking cracks at scenes. That way, the whole episode became one person's singular artistic vision. By the end of Invitational, we also weren't doing the "have our big debates" part of the process, anymore. We still would push for ideas we're passionate about, but it's been a long while since we weren't agreeable and on the same page.

So then there's the question about season two. We've been generally sticking to the Invitational way of going about things with season two, except also with Brian and I being back on outlining, and it's been going really great! Before Invitational, the pre-writing and writing time used to be the longest parts of the episode process. And not because we were spending that whole time being productive. It was common that the pre-writing planning part of the episode would be a little intense so we'd often take breaks after the previous episode's completion (plus because it's nice to take time to clear our heads) as to not jump back into chaos. And then carving time for all of us to be in the space for hours at a time while balancing school/life was tough to schedule. That all to say, now, the writing process is efficient and super-not-chaotic (aka healthy!). Instead of a few months at that stage, we're there maybe like a month and a half, from early concept (aside from the stuff we've been thinking up for years already haha) to final draft. And that's all while we've been overlapping episodes that are each at different stages, with their own things to get done. I think what we've been cooking up is gonna be really special. <3

I've been rambling for a while so I'll (try to) keep this next part short. As for the question about managing projects, that's just a tricky one cause I'd normally tailor the advice depending on the scale of the project, the amount of experience for those going in, etc. But in a broad sense I'd say do everything you can to work specifically with the people who make you excited to work. Whose ideas inspire you. If you're leading, really try to understand every step of the process. Definitely trust parts of the pipeline to other people if it's not your cup of tea, but really understand what they do. Say thank you every chance you get. If you're having fun with your show, whether it be the goofiest or most-serious of all shows, the viewers will, too. Making each step of production an enjoyable experience is worth fighting for.

[wachtelspinat]

is there a particular reason you always wanted to come to Australia? Just curious :D Congrats on making one of your dreams come true!!! 🩷🩷

hey there! sorry for the delayed answer, but i'm (sadly) finally home again and currently catching up with everything that's piled up! the thing is i always wanted to come to australia since i was 18, like right after school, doing some work & travel. i‘m having a hard time remembering why australia in particular… i mean. besides the obvious points like the landscape, the wildlife, the welcoming people. i observed that it‘s a popular choice with germans in any regards (and to be fair i‘ve been a big mad max fan since i was 17 so… guess this played a not so irrelevant role).

but… it was quite expensive (you needed to have at least 3000,- euros as savings back then, i can imagine it‘s even more nowadays) and all those years i told myself that this was the reason i never went. when actually i chickened out. i was too scared back then and for the longest time after. there is a lot of regret i harbour for my anxiety-ridden 20s and all the things i actively avoided, but not appreciating and taking the opportunity the work & holiday visa gives you, i feared that this will be something that's always going to haunt me. (i am too old now to do work & travel, the cut off is at 30yrs.... which is a shame, really, because i've become a person that is so ready for it now... but i'm gonna look into different kinds of ways to stay longer maybe, to work there).

so yeah i guess ever since australia stuck with me. always with a little bitter "could've seen it" thought. and as the years went by i watched a lot of documentaries, and movies and shows, i learned about the history here and there, the incredible flora and fauna, really fell for the australian accent, dunno why, just love to hear it... befriended ppl who've been there and did work & travel and always envied their experiences. developed a longing for the vast extents of it all and the nothingness especially of the outback which's actually so full of things and life... and i have to be honest, being a team fortress 2 fan with sniper as one of my faves and a junker fan (and always forever and ever a mad max enthusiast)... it would be a lie to say i didn't romanticize the place maybe a bit on the basis of this. but believe me i'm not some kind of delusional fan who does "postapocalyptic vibes tourism" or sth like this. i pay my highest respect to the people who live and lived there.

so yeah, there's that. i'm just looking back at the best 6 weeks of my life so far and my expectations were not simply met, they've been exceeded a billion times and i am so. SO. happy, that i finally had the guts to just do it. i've gained so much personally. and at the end of the day we cannot escape our ways to an extent, i learned that too. but it's been a mindblowing experience especially in regards of self-concept which is hard to put into words.

[empressofthewind]

Hey there, Meronia fan! Do you mind if I ask for Meronia fics recs? And, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of Mello/Near?

You can't imagine, how excited I am to find your blog. Let's just say in my older anime/manga group who love Death Note mostly ship Lawlight & Matt/Mello, anti Meronia and are Near haters. So when I said I love Meronia, some blocked me and said I was the weird one. So, I never said it again. But now, after I got out from that group I feel better. Then finding your blog with amazing Mello and Near's metas, I'm so happy! Thanks for your blog...

Thank you very much!!! I'm so happy to hear this :-) in my experience most people on Tumblr are pretty normal about Meronia, and it's SO easy to block/filter users who aren't.

Unfortunately re: ships with similar dynamics, I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'll put this post in the ship tag; I'm sure someone else will have an answer!! In terms of fic recs, I've actually set up my bookmarks page on AO3 to function like a rec list. I have 36 fics there each with a little blurb and I'm constantly updating it, so hopefully a decent amount that you haven't read! I'll pick 10 of them to link here for easy access (ordered by rating in case you can't/don't want to read the mature ones):

the roof by @lightningblade | 3692 words | Rated T

This is a college AU focused on the development of Mello and Near's relationship through a series of encounters on a rooftop. The writing is GORGEOUS, the progression is masterfully done, and it removes the element of the rivalry without removing the core of what makes Meronia such a great ship! There's also a companion piece up as of yesterday which I'm still recovering from (very very positive).

Dear Mello by @tzviaariella | 4158 words | Rated T

This fic is written during the canon timeline through a series of emails. It's an AU where Mello survives, originally written for the 2023 Meronia Zine but also posted on AO3 (which is what I've linked here). The format is really creative and I'm OBSESSED with the way Mello and Near's dynamic is written. The petty back-and-forth is very entertaining and in-character, and there's a certain familiarity and fondness underlying it that I adore. There are also a few artworks throughout which is a nice treat!!

How to Get Any Guy to Fall in Love with You by Sick_head_Sweet_heart | 7025 words | Rated T

This one has such a late-2000s fandom classic feel to it that I'm surprised it's only a few years old??? It's set at Wammy's House, in which Matt gives Near advice on how to make Mello fall in love with him. The dynamic is insanely cute and I'm obsessed with the way Matt and Near's friendship is characterised here. Them scheming together is something I need more of in fics!!

The Mihael Factor by spiritcrimson | 16 chapters | Rated T

One of the longest completed works I've ever read for Meronia and I have been DYING to find something like this ever since. It's a talent agent x singer AU, and it's literally everything I could have asked for in a longfic. A unique idea, compelling progression and a fun antagonistic dynamic that blossoms into a really sweet romance. It's a slowburn but it doesn't drag on at all, and the ending is SO well worth the wait.

3 + 1 by @squidish | 2423 words | Rated T

x + 1 fics are a favourite trope of mine, as is the general concept of Mello and Near behaving inappropriately in the workplace, and this one combines both of those perfectly. The premise is 3 times Mello and Near got walked in on by one of the SPK members, and 1 time they were caught by the whole group. The writing is SO delightful and there are several lines in this that are permanently lodged in my brain. I find humour in writing immensely difficult to pull off so I'm always in awe of authors who can integrate it naturally, and squidish's writing is a great example of that! (Worth noting that this one is slightly more mature than the other T-rated fics here, so I've put it closer to the M & E section; however the smut scenes are not explicit)

it's friday, i'm in love by @neallo | 2676 words | Rated M

You could read literally anything by neallo and it's guaranteed to be good, but to keep this list short, I've included one angsty fic and one lighthearted fic so you can pick the vibe. This one is more lighthearted, and it depicts a very tender moment in which Mello shows up at Near's door drunk and dances with him in the kitchen. This is a prequel to a bigger AU focusing on a casual relationship between them, but it also holds up as a standalone fic! It's unbearably sweet and there are many lines in there that made me audibly laugh.

Speculation on Demisexual Sex Drive by SayHiDestery | 4069 words | Rated M

The smut scene in this fic is so intimate and perfect, I'm melting just thinking about it. It's an established relationship fic in which Near has PTSD and has certain struggles with intimacy, and Mello guides him through it. It's quite slow-paced and takes its time to linger on the small details, which I absolutely adore, and the writing itself is vivid and beautiful. It also features demisexual Near!!

Winning the Game by clearmain | 4134 words | Rated E

This one is a PWP set mid-canon, immediately after the raid on the SPK. I'm a huge sucker for bold & bratty Near and that's EXACTLY what this fic serves. The way this introduces elements of rivalry and competition into their relationship is excellent and makes this fic feel faithful to their canon dynamic. It's a compelling push-pull with an open but hopeful ending that very succinctly captures the complexities of their relationship.

A Certain Hush by BlueberryAsh | 5434 words | Rated E

One of the first fanfics I read for Meronia and I'm not exaggerating when I say it changed my life. This fic has had SUCH a massive influence on the way I view and write the ship. It's a little glimpse into Mello and Near's relationship immediately after getting together. It's really cute and sweet in a way that feels authentic to the characters, and I'm incredibly impressed by the way it manages to give just enough backstory for their relationship to make sense without getting caught up in the details. Genuinely a masterpiece!

i want to hold you (hostage) by @neallo | 4 chapters | Rated E

The aforementioned angsty neallo fic! This one is an exes AU set during the canon timeline, and it is, as you can imagine, a very fraught dynamic done SO incredibly well. The tension is absolutely delicious and there are earnest moments littered throughout that are guaranteed to have you tearing up. Brilliant setup, brilliant writing, brilliant dynamic; just an absolutely stellar fic on all counts!!

[inflatingnblue]

I just wanna say that you’re beautiful, all the kinky shit aside. I’ve been getting posts recommended to me on my tumblr fyp that say you liked them, and they’re all horrible upsetting pro-ana stuff, and I don’t know if those are old likes or new ones, but I hope you aren’t falling prey to those demons. They’re always wrong, and all they ever want is to erase you and make you less of who you’re meant to be. You deserve better 💜

This is a long one, friends, so feel free to skip.

First, thank you for sending, Anon. You didn't have to and you still did.

Recovery is complicated, and that's an understatement. Although I like Violet and "blowing up," that's all in fantasy land. In the real world, I would like nothing more than to lose weight.

For the longest time I've believed that my worth comes from being thin and beautiful, that things would make sense and fall into place. That I wouldn't hate myself anymore if I could just get to the right size and then being the right size would also equate to beauty.

I started gaining weight after I was in recovery for a year. I gained a lot over the course of several years. I couldn't figure out what was wrong; working with my dietitian, going to the doctor's, getting test after test to just be told 🤷🏻‍♀️. I thought I was losing my mind. It was really hard to focus on recovery and I slipped a lot.

I was (and still am) extremely aware of how much space I take up and compared myself to those around me. I was (and still am) extremely aware of the fat shaming that happens around me. I hated leaving the house because I knew I would be judged for my size, and that judgment is still a fear I experience today.

I relapsed during 2022 and lost a "significant" amount of weight. I'm using quotes because that's how my therapist described it. I wish I had lost more so it didn't seem significant enough. Then in 2023 I finally found the answer I was looking for - lipedema. I was very grateful to know what was wrong, but it still sucks.

This year I've been working on recovery and it's been fucking difficult. I can't seem to just stay on one side. One day I'm gonna do my best and eat regularly and try to be nice to myself. The next day I may flip and start thinking about weight loss. This time the ED would work, I'll make sure it works. Pat myself on the back if I didn't eat while in the office or got a certain number of steps in. It's exhausting ping ponging back and forth.

My FYP matches that ping pong game. Sometimes I'm not even looking for ED related stuff and it hits me in the face. This might sound weird to some - EDs are very seductive. They can easily be called an addiction. My neuropathways are ready and raring to go down the highway to ED Land. Sometimes I can stop it along the way and sometimes I can't. Some of the posts feel comforting because I know I'm not alone. Some of the posts would be pretty alarming for most people with the imagery and text. I know it's not helpful to look at the pro ana and ED related posts. Just like I can be in awe with how big someone's tummy is, I can also be in awe of various pro ana content.

I know the actual problem is feeling like I don't deserve better. I punish myself for not meeting the high expectations I've collected over the years. Self compassion is still a foreign concept. Logically I understand why it's important to practice, it just seems wrong for some reason.

Again, Anon, I really appreciate you reaching out and voicing concern. It's helpful to hear the same positive and supportive messages from different areas of my life. And I'm sorry you're getting these recommendations. I didn't realize that would happen and now I remember I turned off the option to get recommendations. 😬 Just know I heard you. I'm sure you already know that change is slow, although I'll be more mindful of what I like on here.

Thanks 💙

[arimiadev]

Hello visual novel fans and vampire lovers! It’s been a while since I last wrote a postmortem, so I hope I’ll be able to write this concisely (and coherently).

Dahlia was a short visual novel I created in under 36 hours for Velox Formido, a shortform visual novel game jam ran by robobarbie and Allie Vera. It’s inspired by Ludum Dare, one of the longest running game jams in the world where devs are tasked to make a game in 1 weekend based around a theme. I got my start making visual novels by entering Ludum Dare…which was 10 years ago, as of 2024!

I had my eye on this game jam for a while now, as this isn’t its first incarnation. I’ve been a bit burnt out the past year or so, not completely where I can’t make progress but to where I feel like my work has slowed down a lot more than my peers and feel I can’t make anything quickly. When I saw the jam was happening this weekend, I hopped on board once the themes were announced.

the themes

While Ludum Dare has a rigorous process of eliminating themes until it gets down to the final one, Velox Formido has it where there are 5 themes that win and participants have to use at least 2 of them in their entries. The final themes were…

Enemies with Benefits

Flower Symbolism

Doomed by the Narrative

Trapped with Someone

Forbidden Romance

I started crafting ideas as soon as the themes were announced, which was what the jam started- meaning the clock was ticking!

My first idea was a shounen rivals-esque sapphic story about two rivals meeting up for alone time. I started writing it immediately but moved on to another idea- being trapped with a vampire. I doubt I’ll ever use the first idea, so I’ve shared the snippet I was able to write for it here. Every new line is the other woman talking, so think of it as a quick back and forth.

Even though I had started on this idea, I wanted to write something more… mysterious. Frilly. Girls in cute dresses, to be exact. So I began potting an idea where a girl wakes up to find a vampire in her room, unsure if she’s had her fill yet or toying with her next meal.

the story

The “flower symbolism” theme was definitely my first pick, as I love the concept of it and played around with it in my last visual novel, Asphodelium. I named the characters Dahlia (beauty, change) and Camellia (admiration, longing). Dahlia represents a change in Camellia’s life, a sudden burst of newness. Camellia longs for something different, some way for things to change.

The other theme I picked was “trapped with someone”, as the premise is a girl stuck with a vampire in her room. I didn’t want it to be outright horror, but still a little creepy and tense.

Dahlia "I've had enough pitchforks stuck in my face for today." Camellia "And why is that?" Dahlia "Because your kind isn't too welcoming to my kind." Camellia "I was asking why you were here in the first place." Dahlia "Obvious questions get obvious responses. I needed a snack, of course." Camellia "And you chose my residence." Dahlia "Didn't you say this was your fathers?" Her words curl around the last word, like ivy growing against a trellis. She's clearly already had a "snack", but was it enough to satisfy her? Or am I the main course?

Both of them are somewhat young, but there is still the element of the unknown. This creature clearly already had a meal, but does she want dessert? Is she just toying with her food? Or is she truly delighted to find someone her age to talk to?

With the time constraints I wasn’t able to flesh out much of their dynamic, but I hope it was still an enjoyable taste! The story ended up being about 2.3k words long with 3 endings.

the art

I started doing the art about….12 hours before the jam ended. I love working with fullbody sprites as they offer me a lot more versatility with posing, but I knew I didn’t have time for that here. This time I went for 3/4ths bodies, namely just so I could cut it off at the end of their dresses. I spent about an hour on each of these.

With the time crunch I didn’t have time to do concepts for them- I just winged it! I knew I wanted Dahlia to have pigtails, though she was originally going to have a purple theme. Camellia was supposed to have proper curls in her hair, but because the game starts with her being rudely awoken, I went with messy waves instead. Think of it as bedhead rather than her actual hairstyle.

I also quickly did a main menu artwork towards the end of my crunch in about half an hour. It was originally going to be the cover art on itchio but Dahlia’s >:D sprite looks more striking.

For the backgrounds I went with free photos from Unsplash and edited them. Personally, I like the look of filtered photos as backgrounds depending on the aesthetics of the game.

I didn’t have time to edit the GUI aside from the textbox, which was NVL mode.

the presentation

Dahlia is stylized fully in NVL mode, with the textbox to one side of the screen. I love NVL mode for scenes focused on narration and setting the right mood.

I was considering making the game a different resolution, but because the NVL mode is to the side rather than the entire screen I wanted to make use of the widescreen resolution.

The game is set late at night, so each of the backgrounds had to be nighttime. To match with this, I tinted the sprites to match each of them. For example, the above tint looks like this:

transform nightcolor: matrixcolor TintMatrix("#8594d6") * BrightnessMatrix(0.03) image dahlia night = LayeredImageProxy("dahlia",nightcolor)

I wanted to try something more complex like a tint + another light source overlayed onto the sprite, but ran out of time.

Another part of the presentation I did was to have a variety of shots. I had a very limited about of art to work with (only changing mouths and eyebrows, no arm poses or eye positions) so I knew I had to be smart about how I composited the scenes.

One thing I’ve done in other visual novels was to have one character further away and have another closer to the camera but their sprite turned black. This allows me to give the illusion of depth without having a sprite of the back of each character’s head.

for instance, this is that technique in Canvas Menagerie

Doing this in Dahlia was a quick and easy way to make the visuals much more interesting rather than swapping between two mostly static sprites the entire game.

The way I do it in other games is on a per-sprite basis, meaning I set brightness and position each time. It’s hectic, really! But because of the time limit for this jam, I was able to come up with a much quicker way to set it up.

transform lefttt: zoom 0.5 xalign 0.3 yalign 0.05 transform leftttb: zoom 0.8 xalign -1.6 yalign 0.1 matrixcolor(BrightnessMatrix(-1)) xzoom -1

The lefttt transform is for the character in the back- in this example, that’s Camellia. The leftttb transform (b standing for “black”) is for the character in the foreground who’s shrouded- in this example, that’s Dahlia.

Basically, the leftttb transform sets the sprite to a bigger size than the farther away sprite, sets the position, and then makes the color completely black before flipping the sprite (because this should be us seeing them from behind).

I also did quite a few small animations in the game, such as Dahlia dancing around or bouncing up and down. You define it once as a transform and can reuse it again and again.

transform dance: ease 0.7 xoffset -59 linear 0.25 ease 0.6 xoffset 74 linear 0.19 ease 0.76 xoffset -70 linear 0.3 ease 0.7 xoffset 102 linear 0.2 ease 0.8 xoffset 0

If you’d like to see the code in action, then guess what- I’ve released the entire source code for the game on GitHub! Feel free to sift through it to see the components in action and copy some of the code for your own projects. All I ask is that you do not redistribute the game (i.e. download the code, make a build in Ren’Py, and redistribute that as your own game).

wrapping up

I’m pretty happy with how Dahlia came out. It’s short and visually distinct and helped “prove” to myself that I’m capable of making visual novels in a weekend still. I tried to avoid spoilers here, so if you haven’t played it already then give it a try!

— Arimia

[rockyroadkylers]

It's Friday night here, so I'm kicking off my weekend with a

Weekend WIP Game!

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

Someone tagged me to do this last time, but I just felt like doing it this time because it's been over a year and my list has changed drastically so... I guess I'm starting a fresh tag chain 😂 I don't know who created this game, but thanks to whoever did, because these are fun questions!

1. WIP List:

(in no particular order)

The Paris trip outtake (Flower Fic 'verse)

Loverboy Henry (the one where he woos Alex)

Oxford Boys

Omegaverse Rejection Sickness AU

Omegaverse Rejection Sickness AU Prequel

Single All The Way AU

Dad Alex AU

Hanahaki AU

Childhood Friends Sequel

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Hanahaki AU, I think, but Dad Alex is catching up fast!

Edit: lmao, just kidding, Dad Alex AU has like 8k on Hanahaki AU so far, prose-wise. I had to check the actual word counts because I haven't looked at Hanahaki AU in a while, but I've been working on Dad Alex AU a lot lately, so that makes sense.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Hard to tell; it always is, at this point. The outline for Hanahaki AU is around 18k. Dad Alex's outline is about 10k. The sequel for It's Nice To Have A Friend is going to be long, too, but I'm nowhere near close to finished outlining that, yet. But the size of the outline doesn't necessarily indicate how long the fics themselves will be; it just means I included a lot of detail so I don't confuse myself when I get around to actually writing the scenes I have planned.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

Currently, I'm really enjoying Dad Alex. It's not completely angst-free, but what angst is there is generally pretty quickly resolved, because I can't stand to draw out conflict and drama when there's a little kid involved. This AU is sort of my escape, right now; it's lighthearted and sweet, and that's exactly what I need, right now.

(I've also been enjoying writing my New Year's fic, but I literally just finished writing that, so it's not really a WIP anymore lmao)

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Hanahaki 😂 it's a huge project, and so many people have been excited about it for so long, myself included, i'm worried that it won't live up to the hype that's been built up around it. Plus it's such an intense concept, sometimes I just sit and look at it like "oh my god, what the fuck" 💀 like yeah, it has a happy ending, but it takes sooo long to get there. I promise it will be worth it, though!

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

Maybe Single All The Way? Because I proposed that concept as a potential holiday fic idea and it won the poll I put out a couple months ago, and I do like it, but I ended up losing steam on it pretty quickly. I started thinking, am I doing this because I want to, or because everyone else wants me to?

It might have just been bad timing, there was some other life stuff going on around that time that kind of made me not want to work on the fic, but I haven't really looked at it since October.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

I have a very lovely beta ( @44whispers muah 🥰) for Hanahaki AU! They also look over some of my other stuff from time to time, but most things I just edit myself lol. It's not like I don't have the time 😂

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

Oh, absolutely. Why do you think it's taken me this long to get started on the INTHAF sequel? Why do you think Hanahaki AU has taken this long? Why do you think I've posted three fics this year, none of which have been even remotely related to anything I was talking about beforehand? 😂

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

I don't think any of my WIPs have OCs yet... Alex will have an OC doctor in Hanahaki AU, of course, but I haven't picked a name for her yet because I haven't written any of her scenes. I think y'all will like her, though, she's absolutely not gonna take any of his shit.

...

oh my fucking god

ISA IS AN OC

DAD ALEX IS AN AU FOR A REASON

DO YOU EVER GET SO ATTACHED TO SOMETHING YOU'VE CREATED THAT YOU FORGET IT WASN'T PART OF THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL

I'm not editing that answer, that was a spectacular brain blip 🤣

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

I still don't really write smut 😂 My New Year's fic is probably the sexiest thing I've written, and it's all still mostly implied. But, again... that's not a WIP anymore. It's just also not posted 😅 Other than that... the Paris fic or Oxford Boys might give it a try? Dad Alex AU will have a couple scenes where Henry and Alex get intimate, but that fic mostly focuses on family. The rest are either T or G, or too far into the hurt/comfort/whump categories to get too sexy 😅 (Though, in the case of Hanahaki, that's not for lack of trying on Alex's part.)

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Hanahaki. No question. The Rejection Sickness fics are gonna tug at your heartstrings, but they're not gonna drag it out nearly as much as Hanahaki.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

Hmm... That's a good question tbh. Probably one of the longer ones, like Hanahaki or Dad Alex, but... characterization is one of the main things people compliment when they comment on my fics and there's no way to not make that sound like a flex 🤣

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

I still don't know what this means 😅

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

Hanahaki, probably. It's been a few months since I've actively worked on it, but I have not forgotten how much effort I put into that outline, lmao. That was MONTHS of work, going back and forth with my beta, working out plot holes and having sudden middle-of-the-night realizations that I had figured out a scene that had been stumping me for weeks. That 40-page outline is a thing of beauty.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

Currently... Probably Dad Alex 😂 Idk why, I feel like it should probably be Hanahaki, but... 🤷‍♀️ maybe it's because Dad Alex is a little easier to write?

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Maybe sometimes. Just vaguely Firstprince-shaped dreams once in a while that bear resemblance to things I write about, which makes sense because the things I write about come from my brain and so do my dreams 😂

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

I mean, yeah, Hanahaki AU is complicated as fuck 🤣 So many things in that fic are like... none of this would have to happen if Alex made even slightly different choices, but he's Alex, so he doesn't.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Ooh! Maybe the "Loverboy Henry" fic. That's the one where he takes Alex on a date after Alex gets stood up, and Alex thinks he's just doing it to be nice but Henry is doing everything in his power to make Alex realize that it's a real date. It's miscommunication at it's finest and it's so ridiculous because everything Henry is doing to try to woo Alex is working but Alex thinks Henry is just being a good friend.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

A couple of them will, yes! Hanahaki AU and Rejection Sickness AU and the childhood friends sequel will all at least briefly contain outsider POVs.

Edit because I somehow missed the second half of this question: Rejection Sickness prequel will focus a lot on Oscar having to face the consequences of his actions following the divorce, mending his relationship with his kids and earning back their trust.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

There's gonna be a scene in Oxford Boys where Henry has a drunk white girl "can I tell you a secret" moment and tells Alex he loves him but I haven't decided what happens the next morning 😅 Will Henry pretend he doesn't remember anything? Will he run away and ghost Alex? Will he confront his fears and talk it through? Who knows 🤷‍♀️ not me!

A tag per WIP

@affectionatelyrs, @cricketnationrise, @wordsofhoneydew, @songliili, @gay-flyboys

@anincompletelist, @gayrootvegetable, @everwitch-magiks, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf

[ben10-lostandfound]

What Lost and Found Means To Me

Hello again, everyone! I apologize for the lack of content in recent months, it's honestly become harder and harder to find new material, especially without there being a current Ben 10 series to focus on. This is the longest time we've had without an incarnation of the show running since the hiatus between Omniverse and the Reboot!

So I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this blog as a whole. I've been doing this since I was about 16 or 17, I'm 24 now. That's kindof crazy, huh? And granted, the place has had ups and downs, more recently downs due to a lull in the content, but that doesn't mean I'm not still working on stuff behind the scenes. I'm still trying to find another home for my research, a more permanent home that I have better control over how the content is presented.

I'm also trying to get into game development so a certain project from my past, prior to 2016, can finally come to fruition. But we'll get into that another day... hopefully.

I had an interaction last night with a follower who reached out to me about who the painter was for the alien stills featured during the Original Series, as their university had asked for art pieces that inspired them to pursue art. Of course, I answered "Andrew C. Robinson", which the answer was met with huge thanks.

That's always been part of why I do this, you know? To put a spotlight on all the artists and other incredibly talented people that make (or made) this franchise come to life in the various ways it has. Not just Dave Johnson or the late Derrick J. Wyatt, but everyone.

There could be so much more out there that I don't know about or have access to, or could be tucked away in the distant, obscure links of the Wayback Machine, or somebody could come forward with something rare like the Leapster Exclusive Concept Art, but I'm just one silly girl with a blog. You'd be surprised how much work goes into looking for this stuff!

But I'm glad my contributions to the fanbase haven't gone unnoticed. From people like KuroTheArtist, all the way to just a handful of people who work on the show itself, I'm grateful I've gotten to leave some kind of mark.

Don't take my wording as like, meaning I'm going to stop though. This isn't a "I'm done with this" type post. As long as there's still material out there to find, I'll keep this going for as long as I'm able.

-Rahk-Zi: Galvan Archivist Extraordinaire, A.K.A. Roxanne Stones, Ben 10/CN Lost and Found Moderator.

[nakedbibi333]

hey bibi, i would REALLYYY appreciate if you helped me out on this one question that has been killing me rn (it’s in bold on the bottom just incase u want to skip the tangent)

honestly, if i succeed in fulfilling myself that you replied, it'll raise my faith a little bit when/if I see that you replied.

I've been on this journey for the longest time I'm talking divineangelbee, planet, cine, hera, yours when you went into the void, dreamgrlsworld, the void obsession, the alpha waves, the mindless or just feeling while affirming, the self and void concept challenges for 2 weeks, and now applying states after edward art and neville and having things click with aphroditeapprentice and blushydior etc ; applying for months. But guess what idk what is happening and what's holding me back!

i know that if i was in the state, I obviously wouldn't be sending this message but since it doesn't matter what I do in the 3D and my human self wants to ask for help, I will ask for guidance.

I've even fulfilling myself, returning to the wish fulfilled whenever I think of my desire, I prioritize the inner man over getting physical results but you know, if someone was doing it right, it would reflected by now right? of course it would because it's the law.

I don't why it hasn't done so yet and l'm slowly and at the same time very quickly losing my faith because it's been like what, 2/3 years since I found out about the law from tumblr? I KNOW I'm meant to be living my dream life in a little cottage in Europe or big mansion in LA, I KNOW I was meant to succeed and live a life of my dreams because I deal with hard things in my life, I AM! MEANT TO SUCCEED. but what am I doing wrong if it's been months of fulfilling myself that it should've been my dominant state already? I feel good and every time I doubt, I know and tell myself that I ALREADY experience my desire in imagination and it HAS to reflect?

thank you, if you answer this I really would appreciate it :)

It's hard to say what's going wrong because I'm not in your head. I don't know what kinds of states you occupy during your day, I don't know if you're actually persisting, and I don't know if you're truly identifying with your inner self. To be honest, people can say that they're doing everything right, but when it comes down to it, they're still in a state of lack. The only thing I can think of is that you might be in a state of waiting. If you're wondering what you're doing wrong, looking to the 3D for confirmation constantly, and not feeling like you truly have everything you want, then that may be your problem. The thing is, the way the law works is a little backward. You need to believe before you see, feel before you have it, and be the way you want to be internally before it expresses externally. But again, I can't know what's going on in your head, at some point, you just have to take a look inward and honestly figure that out for yourself. I wish I could help you more, but there's really so much I can do in the position I'm in!

[hermitw]

I want to make a list of my JJK theories and opinions so we got (part 1 bc I know I'll have / remember more later).

-let gege cook, everyone will be fine, chill tf out (I have rambled about this in other posts so I'll just leave it at that here)

-Toji and Geto's worm is like banana fish (the drug from banana fish that makes someone delusional, easily suggestible, and violent until they self destruct. Geto lasted a lot longer than Toji under its influence bc he had his rituals of meditations, affirmations, and strong ethics. His cursed energy would have also fed the worm, though it had been trained to feed off of the soul when it was with toji). It eats away at their souls/BRAIN so Kenjaku can get into a new skull will little resistance. Remember when Geto was unconscious and Toji said the thing about monkeys? Then Geto kept repeating that kind of thing (but he never rly acted like he believed that. He was just trying to keep his daughters and innocent youth safe from becoming skapegoats like Rika was. He saw that the cult and the village would repeat their cycles and more would be hurt in the future. He couldn't redeem those adults so he killed them.) I go into this theory a good bit in my longest/first jjk fanfic, and I AM DYING for gege to confirm this. I also ofc think that Kenjaku set up the worm and Toji to find each other. Maybe by throwing it into the zenin curse pit.

-kenjaku hit Rika with his car, or at least manipulated someone else into doing it (which seems to be the theme here, the way he made geto and yuta fight, for example. It's suspicious that Yuta and Yuuji were both from Sendai. I'm sure that he was keeping an eye on them both. We see nanako and mimiko at yuuji's school in that one manga panel in the beginning.

-the prison realm can be used for time travel (since Gojo first got sealed I was expecting him to break out. And then I was expecting him to be so understimulated in there that he'd figure out how to warp time. Dude can already warp space, what's the difference?) and Hakari even suggested using the prison realm for time travel so EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE FINE they just have to go as far as they can without using it first so they can learn what to do the next time, yeah? I also had a dream about this and Gojo told me that Sukuna didn't feel the time loop, but the rest of us knew it was our second time (at least) going back and trying to defeat him. Which doesn't mean that I'm right but it was nice ok 😭

Theories that have been proven right or wrong by now

-I've been saying from the beginning that Yuuji and Sukuna share a common ancestor and that's why he can be a vessel. I was right!! But I didn't know he was also born with a fingie

-sukuna has six eyes (this has since been disproven but I used to think so)

-the way that RCT works between two people

CHAPTER 261 SPOILERS ON THIS NEXT ONE but I hope ur caught up by now.

-yuta should use as many techniques as possible in Gojo's body bc when Gojo returns to it, then he will be able to learn them as well. Kenjaku was able to retain techniques from his previous bodies, so even if all he transfers is the copy technique, that's fkn useful too.

-there is no chemistry between Yuki and Choso. That concept feels fucking forced and gives me the ick so hard.

-yuki is a terrible influence. She has good intentions, but she isn't present enough to be helpful - showing up in shibuya after Mahito was absorbed, for example. Not keeping in touch with the sorcerers who were involved in that. Not to mention the shit with Geto. She started the whole "what kind of woman is your type" thing and it's her fault that todo beats people nearly to death for giving an answer that doesn't match his own stupid taste (it took several watches for me to forgive todo for beating up megumi tbh)

-todo is also Kenjaku's son, and possibly Yuki - tho yuki is more vibes than evidence. All of Kenjaku's confirmed kids have a strong resolve, and false memories with Yuuji. But I think that kenjaku, in a male body, would be a total slut. His motivation for anything is that maybe it'll be interesting, or funny, he's just here for a good time. I think that he wouldn't even know how many kids he has, and that by having an unknown number possibly out there, it would bring up unexpected sorcerers. The frame where kenjaku asks why don't you heal yourself and yuki says I don't want to... That feels confirmed for me but I know it isn't solid evidence.

-I think kenjaku set up yuki to meet todo bc that feels too sus as well but I forget my logic on that one lmaoooo everything is their fault tho

[yeonmuse]

BREAK THE WALLS | Kim Hongjoong

Finale Chapter | Full Chapter Log

🀥 Government agent Hongjoong x Rebel Oc

🀥 genre | dystopian society, halazia x geurilla concept , enemies to lovers

🀥 word count | 1.5k

🀥 Summary | An organization by the name of Sector 1 was well known for their work in the underground, theyve been well known for the recruiting of teens and using them to form an army since the year 2034. Collecting strays for their rebellion against those in higher power. Now the year is 2064 and the organization still runs strong they run like a family, with the new technology theyve found ways of keeping alive those that have been scorned in any past battles theyve had against the government.

When the government sends in 7 of their best men to infiltrate the organization. What will they do when their cover is blown and their true intentions are revealed? Will they join the rebellion or will they continue to let the government pull their strings like the little puppets they once were?

Skylar district May october 23rd 2064

4 months had passed since the success of the rebellion but their work still hadn't been done. Now that the city knew about Sector 1 they would come to them for all their needs and the organization was more than happy to provide. The last four months had been pretty busy, with them reconstructing the city and now building another Sector hq in the city square to keep them all more in touch with the residents of the city. They had gotten so caught up in the things going on outside of hq that for a long while Yeosang barely even had any time to work out the situation with the microbots and assure they'd be okay to use.

"Hey mom, dad it's Tahani...I haven't exactly been the best of daughter now have I." Tahani sniffles as she stares at her parents' tombstones that were both decorated in wilted flowers.

"I know I haven't visited you since that day but I think I'm ready now. To talk about it all. For the longest time after I lost you two I blamed myself. For running away and joining the organization without so much as a goodbye to you guys or the others. For a while I kept telling myself it was all on me, all because I decided to jump into something without thinking I lost all of you. But I think I'm past that now. I realize that I can't keep blaming myself because there was no way I could have known. I was simply doing what I felt was right, doing what's best for my family. And because of that I met some of the most amazing people." She laughed through the tears as she thought about all those she had met lost along the way.

"I've met one of the most amazing men I've ever come across and I get to call him mine. Ive met the best of friends...amazing people who I look too as a family, though they can never replace any of you. And yeah, it still upsets me that i can't exactly live the life i thought i'd be living if we succeeded with the mission, but because of the rebellion every day this city gets better and better. I just wish you were here to see it." Removing the wilted flowers from each of her family's tombstones she replaced them with fresh ones before taking one last glance at each of them. Upon making her way back to hq she decided to take her time. She wanted to take in the new city for the first time. See all that they had rebuilt together. With Eden gone her home truly was a giant ball of starlight. Noticing that a few rain clouds came rolling in Tahani sighs before rushing off into the city in order to beat the rain

——

"Are you sure it works Yeosang, maybe we should hold off longer if something goes wrong." Hongjoong paced the floor of the living quarters as they waited for Tahani to return.

"Hongjoong i've literally tested on Yeonjun and Dino and it worked fine, just relax."

"He's right cruella, both operations went by smoothly just to calm down and leave it to us." Eris adds on as she takes a seat right next to Yeosang on the arm of his chair.

"How long will you call him that?" San asks before laughing and the girl just shrugs her shoulders.

"How long will he have that hair?" She asks, earning a sly grin from Yeosang who stealthily brought his arm around the girl's waist.

"Behave." Was all he needed to say for the girl to finally go silent

"Wait wait wait did I miss something here." Mingi eyes the two, a surprised look on his face.

"Mind your business Song Mingi." Was all Eris said before her words were repeated by none other than Yeosang

"Right, mind your business Song Mingi."

"I liked those two better when they were in the lab all the time." Mingi huffs, crossing his arms over his chest

"I'm back." Tahani enters the room moments later earning multiple greetings from her friends and a kiss from hongjoong.

"Ready for your checkup?" Eris sprung up from the couch followed by yeosang.

"Yup im ready to go doc." She responds in a cheerful tone before bidding the others a goodbye and giving hingjoong one more kiss before following the two of them out the door.

As always Yeosang and Eris connected all of the necessary wires and tubes to her body before carrying out their usual checkup scheme.

The only difference this time was Tahani was now going to get a much needed surgery that she knew nothing about.

"Yeosang can you look at this?" And their act finally began.

"What is it?" He asks as he makes his way over to the screen. Seeing how intently Yeosang looked at the screen, Tahani grew nervous.

"Uh something wrong?" She asks anxiously at her question both Yeosang and Eris share a look before looking back at Tahani.

"There's some type of flaw in your system, it may take a full reboot to get rid of it otherwise if it gets any worse it can cause some of your joints to lock up, if that happens this body will become just as useless as your old one would have been." Eris spoke seriously.

"Well if all it'll take is a reboot just get it done, I don't wanna risk whatever the flaw is getting any worse than it already is." At that both Yeosang and Eris low fived one another beneath the equipment table before making any moves.

"Alright it may take a couple of hours but it'll simply feel like you're just resting, taking a nap you know." After sedating her and putting her lower half in sleep mode Yeosang and Eris waited until they knew the girl was fully unconscious to start their work. It had taken hours for the microbots to fully regenerate the lost cells over her cyber mechanic exterior but by the time it had fully covered her outer shell the girl was still fast asleep due to the sidation. Eris and Yeosang decided it was best to let her rest.

Once again just as it had happened all those years ago Tahanis eyes fluttered open only to land on a ceiling of the Sector 1 infirmary. This time yet another thing was different about her body. As she pushed herself out of the bed still somewhat groggy from the previous sedation she stopped dead in her tracks once her eyes caught sight of a mirror out the corner of her eye. She was naked...and not like naked with her mechanical parts showing but actually naked. As her eyes took in the visual before her it felt like a dream. She hadn't seen herself this way in two years. The tears began to fall so effortlessly, and as she ran her fingers over her full flesh body she was surprised to feel her own touch. She could feel the warmth of her hands as they brushed against her small frame. Pulling the first thing she could find over her previously exposed body Tahani ended up walking out of the infirmary with a bed sheet wrapped around her from the chest on down. She quickly made her way down the halls, past the airlock, up the stairs and into the brand new hq building. Pushing past her very confused colleagues she sped up towards the building's staircase and ran all the way up to the building's rooftop.

Rain, she could feel the rain. As the cold droplets pelted her skin she stood staring out at the city allowing the sheet to soak up every drop of rain along with her tears. As the rooftop door slammed open Tahanis eyes shot over to Hongjoong who seemed somewhat startled by the girls appearance.

"Have you lost your damn mind running around in just this? I nearly choked Joshua to death when Leedo told me he'd been staring at you running through HQ in nothing but a damn sheet." Hongjoong nagged as he pulled one of his shirts over the girl's head, allowing her to drop the now soaked bed sheet.

She stares up at him with wandering eyes, feeling true happiness for the first time in such a long time.

"Umm...so I guess you saw, you can now go back to how things were before the ambush, I mean I know it may not be all you wanted because you still can't exactly have children but at least now you can." Cutting him off mid sentence she pulls him in by his shirt and kisses him before bringing her arms around his neck. His arms hooked around her waist and Tahani swore she couldn't have thought of a moment more perfect. She could feel it all, the cold rain trickling down their faces as they kissed, the warmth of his shirt and his body pressed against her bare skin. The way his arms around her waist caused the fabric to brush across her skin, she could finally feel it all.

"Its perfect, this is perfect." She smiles as they pull away from one another, still hugging him close to her body as her eyes scanned over their city and the setting sun.

(To those that made it this far please leave a comment so i know who to give all my love to. Thank you for going on this journey with ateez. I wrote this story so long ago and freely like it was time for me to finally post it to tumblr, and maybe start working on book 2)

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Banished (3)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Steve has forgotten how nice it was to actually sleep for the whole night. Sometimes he still manages to get decent sleep, but since Robin's parents are strict and very convinced he is her boyfriend (as is half of Hawkins, probably), he only has to do with short naps after work or when they hang out without the kids. He sleeps better when it's light outside anyway, at least after 1983.

So when he only wakes up to his alarm clock, he's both pleasantly surprised and annoyed by the blaring sound. He pushes the snooze button and groans flopping back onto the bed - and onto something soft that doesn't take kindly to being crushed. "Off. Off, Steve, or I swear to god I'll tickle you," a muffled voice growls into his chest and Steve quickly turns to his side, shifting his weight.

Eddie emerges from the covers, spitting out a strand of his hair. "Air," he wheezes dramatically, fanning his face. "Oh air, how I've missed you."

Maybe Steve should be embarrassed for basically burying Eddie in his bed, even more so for doing that half-naked, but he can't help it, he leans back against the pillows and snickers. "You're so dramatic. It was like five seconds."

"The longest five seconds of my life. Still, not a bad way to wake up, being pushed into the mattress by Hawkins' most desired boyfriend material. The ladies will be so jealous." Eddie grins at him and Steve can't help but notice the imprints of fabric on his face...and freckles. Eddie has a lot of faint freckles over his cheeks and nose and something tugs at Steve's heart. Of course he would have freckles. That is a constant with all the people he loves, isn't it? First Nancy, then Robin. And now Eddie. Such a stupid thing to focus on, but he slept well for the first time in forever, he has Eddie in his bed, tousled hair and in Steve's clothes, and most importantly, he feels slightly, well, maybe even more hopeful that Eddie likes him back. He will hopefully learn that later today, after dinner with the Wheelers.

Steve has probably been staring for too long because Eddie raises an eyebrow, winks at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

And Steve wants to tell him all he's thinking about, the freckles, the way his eyes lit up with the morning sun. But now isn't the time, so he just chuckles and touches the crease in Eddie's cheek, fleetingly, as an unsaid promise. "That must have been some deep sleep. My pillow left a mark. You look like you have a new tattoo."

Eddie leans into his touch and smiles back. "Not the worst one to have," he muses, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Now, my good sir Harrington. How do you like your coffee? Asking for a friend."

---

The day passes quickly between Eddie driving back to his and Wayne's new (thank you, not at all shady government people) house for whatever could be salvaged from his Dungeons and Dragons collection after the whole earthquake fiasco and working on a quick one-shot campaign for the kids, something that should be impossible to complete in a day, but Eddie had plenty of time to think when he was isolated from everyone, the concept was mostly done and he just needs to finalize a few details. When Steve taps his shoulder and tells him it's time to get ready, Eddie almost chokes on his own tongue.

"Are you okay?" Steve asks as Eddie sputters and tries to get his breathing under control. His eyes are full of concern and there might be a slight glint of amusement, if Eddie looked closely.

Eddie wheezes and spits out a strand of hair that somehow made its way into his mouth. "Um. Yeah, sure. Peachy. Is that the word? Weird word, peachy. Because I don't particularly like peaches. Do you think I could change the fruit?" he rambles, grabbing the clothes they chose yesterday and squeezing them to his chest, maybe a bit too tightly. His hands are shaking and okay, maybe his breathing is a bit weird, he's light headed and what the fuck is happening to him-

But then Steve's hands are on his, gently making him drop the bundle of clothes. They move to Eddie's shoulders and help him straighten up, breathe more easily. "Pretty sure the world won't crumble if you do. What kind of fruit do you like?"

That question breaks through Eddie's panic because...why is Steve Harrrington asking him what kind of fruit does he like? "Umm...pears? Apples too, sometimes. The sweet ones." He watches Steve's face for any sign of mockery, but he's just patient, so patient and sweet and Eddie feels better now, more confident that this whole dinner thing might just work out. 

"You can be appl-y then?" suggests Steve and Eddie becomes acutely aware that his palms are still wrapped around his shoulders, warm and secure. "I mean. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've ever heard. And if that makes you feel better..." Steve clears his throat, smiles shyly at Eddie. "Does it make you feel better?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it does." Eddie chuckles and shakes his head. "Okay, that's good. So I'm just appl-y. Apple-tastic."

With one last squeeze on his shoulders, Steve lets go of him. "Cool. Let's get to it then, apple lover."

Eddie groans. "You did not just call me that."

---

In the end, the clothes are put on, the hair is conquered and Eddie feels like his skin is going to run away from him before they even reach the Wheeler household. He really needs to pull some of his hair to cover his face, he feels so exposed it's almost indecent and the scars on his face aren't helping, but his hair was smoothed down by the closest he knows to a professional and he's not about to ruin it. His fingers have a mind of their own though, tapping, twisting a single ring he decided to keep on, and he wonders if he should have chosen long sleeves to cover the tattoos more.

Steve keeps his eyes on the road, but sometimes they start roaming in Eddie's direction. He definitely notices Eddie is nervous and, after the third time Eddie almost tugged his hair out of the ponytail that took most of Steve's will to live, he reaches over and grasps Eddie's fidgety fingers. "It's going to be fine, Eddie. I know this is only, like, the fiftieth time I'm saying that, but Mike's dad is all bark but no bite and his mother already decided she wants you over. She persuaded all the other parents and I'm pretty sure she already likes you."

Eddie just nods, presses his lips into a thin line. He doesn't remove his hand, finding comfort in Steve's warm touch. "I know, Steve, it's just..." he struggles to find the words and when he finally does, Steve's grasp becomes firmer, more resolute. "I just can't believe something would go right for once, you know? It's like...it's like the universe or whatever asshole is floating on a holy cloud up there decided that oooh, what a wonderful idea, let's create a guy that's fucked up from the beginning until the end. Give him a criminal dad and an absent mom, non-existent attention span for things that actually matter, a mouth that can't shut up for a second and let's tick all the boxes so that he doesn't fit in. What he likes? Check. What he wants to look like? Check. Who he likes? Check. It's like I either have to disappoint everyone else or myself, you know? So here I am, after years of spouting how I'll never conform and yadda yadda, asking you to help me look like a normal human being for once. What a joke."

Steve takes his hand from Eddie's and he can't even look at him, because of course he said too much, of course he is too much, and maybe he's just destroyed everything like he always does, especially when Steve stops the car at the side of the road. But he isn't yelling at him, he isn't telling him to leave, he just turns towards Eddie and grasps both of his hands, pulls them to his chest. "Eddie. Look at me."

And Eddie tries, he really does, but he can only do so for a second before he has to blink again, fight the bitterness that wasn't supposed to come up. "Sorry," he mutters and licks his lips, stalling before he can explain anything, everything. "It's just...you guys managed to break the the cosmic plan for Eddie Munson for once, you know? You made sure I'd make it. But even if I survived, I'm still me, the lifelong fuck up personified. And I just want you to know I'm trying to do better because you...you guys deserve all the good things and maybe it's stupid but I want to become one of them. And shit, I'm rambling, is Robin infectious? I swear she is-!"

Eddie doesn't expect those soft fingers on his jaw, his cheeks, doesn't expect Steve Harrington to tilt his head up so Eddie finally has to meet his eyes. And he looks so vulnerable and his eyes look so beautiful in the afternoon sun that Eddie just wants to kick himself out of the car, out of Hawkins and preferably out of the planet Earth.

"Eddie. Listen to me, because I swear you have to know this, you just...you need to know. You never disappointed any of us. Never have," Steve repeats and traces his finger along Eddie's cheekbone. "and never will. You gave the kids exactly what they needed when they needed it, let them enjoy their hobbies without being judged. You let them belong," he says and it sounds like a prayer, like a kiss blown through the air. "You want to be a good thing? Shit, Eddie, you are the best one. I see you and I just admire you so fucking much. You don't let other people's expectations become your problem and I know you called yourself a coward, but you never were. It's people like me who are cowards," he admits and Eddie sniffles, covers Steve's hand with his own.

"Steve, how can...how can you even-" he stammers but Steve shushes him, continues.

"You know what I've done most of my life, Eddie? I tried to become someone else. For my parents, for Nancy, for my douchebag friends at school. I hid a lot of my hobbies or convinced myself that I didn't need them because they weren't what people expected of me, what they wanted me to be. And maybe I also convinced myself that it's normal, but then I saw you and..." he slows down, leaning towards Eddie to really make him hear the words. "There isn't really a non-cheesy or non-stupid way to say it, but you released me, Eddie. Robin and Dustin did too, in a way, but you were so loud, so unapologetic, and seeing you like that made me want things again, Eddie. It made me want to be someone, be myself, no matter what that means. No one else could do that for me, not in the way you have. So if the universe says Eddie Munson doesn't deserve to be happy? Then fuck the universe, if it doesn't give you a happy ending, I'll bust my ass getting you one. I'll get you a...shit, I don't know what they have in fairytales, a castle will take pretty long with what Keith pays me, but I'll do it if that's what it takes."

Eddie is laughing now, maybe there is a tear or ten, but he can't bring himself to care. "I...I want to say so many things, Steve, but I'm still stuck on your plans to buy a castle while being employed at the Family Video. It's...Jesus Christ, how do you talk like that?"

Steve is smiling back at him too, wiping the rogue tears away. "That bad, huh?"

Eddie shakes his head and his hand shoots forward to shush the blasphemy, pressing his index fingers against Steve's lips. "Oh no. Nonono. Don't you dare insult my knight in white armor on a shining horse. Wait. The other way around."

And the shushing method isn't really successful because Steve's lips move and that's it, Eddie must have fainted and is dreaming now because did Steve Harrington just kiss his finger pad?!

"Well, the car has seen better days, but it can be shiny if you want it to be. And I do have some white t-shirts, so...it works?" he laughs, then winces in pain - as the atmosphere in the car becomes more relaxed, they both begin realizing that leaning over the console is not very healthy for their spines and barely healed wounds. Still, he grasps Eddie's hand again. "I'll say this very quickly because we'll have to go soon to make it to the dinner, but Eddie, you need to hear this. The kids love you. Wayne loves you. I...we all love you. So the universe isn't as almighty as you might think. And I will repeat this again and again until you're sick of it, until it plays on a loop in your head like those catchy and shallow songs you hate so much - you can never disappoint us. Never. You don't need to choose between us and yourself, you can be yourself with us and still be a good thing. The best thing. And," he takes a deep breath and turns his eyes towards the road, his cheeks maybe a bit darker than when they left the Harrington residence, "with that not at all embarrassing declaration out of the way, I'm so sorry but we need to go. But if you ever feel like the universe is out to get you, let me know. I'll punch it right in the..." his voice trails off as he starts the car, lost in thought.

"In the?" Eddie repeats, waiting, but his heart and mind are way too full to even begin to guess what Steve wants to say.

Steve shrugs and focuses on the driving, although his hand still lingers on Eddie's, only moving to shift gears. "The hell I know if or where you can punch the universe. I'll ask Henderson. But I'm pretty sure he'd figure out a way to do it for you. Wheeler might even attempt to punch it first."

That earns him a snicker from Eddie. "Mike or Nancy?" he asks as he checks his reflection in the mirror, wiping away the wetness and making himself look presentable again.

Steve meets his eyes with a smile. "Both."

(I know I said there would be only 3 parts but the car scene kind of happened and now we only need the dinner to happen, I swear!)

Promised tags: @gay-stranger-things @narcissist-era @thisisjaybaker @strawberryspence