#Just generally how put together and preppy this look is.

[seraphiec]

Pretty Little Liars, S1E1.

[ipegchangbin]

I HHAVE TO SO MUCH BOY PUSSY THOUGHTS BUT LIKE IM SHAKING AND ESOC DHD OGMGG right but what are you thoughts on fem!skz???? uz the brainrot has been getting to me and i personally believe there just arent ENOUGH fem!skz like whaat happened to the pussy? the cunt? THE PUM PUM

sorry. i loved your drabble though and just your work in general and im not kidding when i say that wehn i saw you actually answered my request and then saw said request on my dashboard thingy I LITERALLY PUT MY HANDS UP IN THE AIR AND WAS YAYAYAYAYA!?!?!?!

URE RIGHT LIKEEE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PUMPUMHDSJJDJSNS

💗 nsfw fem!skz thoughts

🏷️ fem!skz, gn!reader, smut smut smut

— bang chan

chan’s beautiful, bubbly, a little busty with a big butt. she’s everything you would want in a girl: a giggly lady with a pretty body. she’s very preppy, a little clingy once you two get together, but in bed? she’s a blushing mess! she loves when you chat her up only to talk her down, let her babble several flavors of nonsense and moan with that sweet curly accent of hers. her dimples show every time she clenches her jaw in pleasure. chan loves getting herself off on your fingers, riding them, even just grinding on them through her clothed cunt…and she loves when you make her feel a little dirty about it. her butt is the plumpest, it feels good to grope and massage, and best of all — it gets red when she blushes! chan is a giggly girl who’s heavenly to play with.

— minho

a competitive peer turned blunt best friend turned snappy girlfriend, minho’s the prettiest yet sharpest lady you’ve ever come across. she loves keeping things traditional, making you court her to even get a glimpse of her reciprocated love, but when she fell back for you it was all worth it. minho loves to keep half of her long hair up in a bun while the rest flows down past her shoulders, framing her beautiful body against the kitchen counters as she whips you up your favorite meal. a few hours after dinner, you have her over the same counter, fucking her cunt well. she loves to moan your name and make you feel how much she loves you. she gets wet so easily when you moan back, when you tell her you adore her. you figure that she tastes better than her own cooking.

— changbin

what’s not to love about changbin? she was love at first sight turned the love of your life. you fell for the way she looked with her love handles, tummy, and big breasts, and as soon as she spoke to you, it was all real. she’s gentle and kind, offering to help you with whatever work you need. changbin gets very shy when you abandon your work and grab her by the hips and breasts instead. she wears her curly hair long and down and the curtains match the drapes: she has the bush of a lifetime. secretly loves it whenever you’re between her thighs or all up in her cleavage smelling her after her workouts, all before going to town and fucking her ever so sweetly. she’s a muscle mommy who calls you mommy. oh, and changbin in an evening dress—the ones that hug her form, accentuating her belly and toned ass—is a sight to see. she’s absolutely obsessed with lovemaking after her shower. a clean and fresh woman, she’ll take every bit of your body worship before your dates to heart.

— hyunjin

she’s the classiest lady you’ve ever met. always does herself up, wears the prettiest makeup, and always fixes her hair in the middle of your dates. she smells heavenly; it’s french cologne mixed with a bit of your after-sex musk. hyunjin always finds herself getting fucked every time she’s with you, and you don’t know if it’s her irresistible energy or the fact that she’s needier than you. and when the dates reach past midnight, she only becomes cinderella in a way that she takes you home with her, designer clothes to the floor, revealing even more expensive lingerie underneath. class, elegance, all that demure shit flies out of the window as soon as you’re working your mouth on her petite boobs. when it’s all done, she glows in your arms and embraces you, kissing you all over with sweet words between her lips. she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.

— han jisung

han’s a charming woman who’s a bit of a geek. she’s a self-deemed loser, but so incredibly far from the doozy girl she claims to be. you don’t mind her armpit hair, her layered cut, and the leg hair she never wants to shave: she’s charming and attractive for that. firmly believes in having her nips out and it’s so cute of her. jisung is very carefree, and it extends to the sex too. she secretly likes it when you cuddle yet feel her up. she loves it when you sneak your hand under your shorts. she loves it when you’re being nonchalant and casual, eating her out while she’s watching a movie, moaning and whining slightly while all dazed. you hum and call her beautiful, the prettiest girl you’ve ever seen, and it does something to her. maybe she’s a bit of a perverted girl too, getting off on your compliments when you’re gone and out of her room.

— felix

a girl’s girl through and through. she loves you very much but there are many reasons why you love her more. she has everything on her: need chapstick? it’s either she pulls one out of her magic tote bag — or she kisses you! need a pen? she’ll even write for you! need to eat her out? she’ll spread her legs before you even blink! she’s always happy and smiley even if you’re playing with her freckled pussy. you tell her that she’s pretty when she smiles, making her grin even more. felix always has her hair done in different crazy styles, but always up whenever she wants to return the favor on you. adores you whenever you catch her out of breath from your fingers and mouth alone. you always kiss every one of her freckles, even the ones near her clit to tease her — and every single time, she falls harder and harder in love with you.

— seungmin

if there was any lady who matched you best, she’d be seungmin. she’s blunt with her words but she means well whenever she talks to you. it was a surprise the first time she asked for sex, simply letting honesty take over and let her know that she wanted you. loves talking you up even if you’re going down on her. she never shaves nor trims her bush, and you find her smirk so attractive every time you find her clit. all that snarky attitude dissolves as soon as you kiss further into her clit, teasing her ass and playing with the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. she’s kind of obsessed with the way you show her own cum in your mouth. gets even more delirious when you tug on her short hair and tell her dirty compliments. she feels the most like a woman when you work your way with her — just make sure to take her out on a date and pay the bill right after.

— jeongin

jeongin’s a lady who never backs down from an adventure. from exploring the outdoors to exploring each other’s bodies, she’s an open woman who doesn’t hesitate to love you right. she’s wild in many senses: you’ve fucked while alone in public once. it’s her spirit that charms you most, you think as you pound into her ass — her request. she’s sweet and very talkative, telling you all about the kinky shit she wants to do the later in night while curling her hair for work. jeongin loves being pampered and pampering you back. she wears your favorite sets of lingerie, or if you prefer it, wears nothing at all when you get home to her. she gets deliciously needy every time you play with her nipples out of nowhere. but even after all the adventures, her cunt might as well be your home.

[movedto-ph7soy]

🍓 style analysis: nana komatsu / hachi (NANA) 

❗❗EDIT 10/9/24: i've moved to @ph7soy, where i'll be posting all my original content from now on ᨐฅ

welcome to the first entry in my style analysis series- where i take a different fictional character for each entry and take a look at their fashion sense, as an exploration on how fashion plays a role in forming a character's personality & overall identity. in other words, it's a deep dive into the intersection of story & style. today we're starting off with nana komatsu (who we'll be affectionately referring to as hachi from here on out) from NANA, my favourite character from my favourite manga of all time.

NANA is a manga very near and dear to my heart. i could spend all day talking about why, but i'd say one of the biggest reasons is for how ai yazawa (the creator of NANA) uses fashion as a means of storytelling. in NANA, clothes are not just a typical character design element, but are instead a visual narrative tool used to convey a characters' personality, as well as to express their traits and feelings. today i've chosen hachi for the style analysis because i'm fascinated by the subtle changes to her style syncing with her character development over the course of the story. also, i think her style is just super cute. so let's get into it! (⚠ anime & manga spoilers ahead)

🍓

overview

if i only had one word to describe hachi's style, i'd say feminine- think frills and lace details. she's all about babydoll silhouettes, pleated skirts, knit cardigans, ballet flats, and generally embodying shoujo fashion from the early 2000s with a good balance of cute and classy. hachi's fashion sensibilities lean more towards the modest side, as her dresses and skirts are usually around midi-length, and mini skirts are often paired with extra layers like tights or leggings underneath. it's a very good girl chic look, which fittingly leans in to her innocent personality. hachi is very stylish and clearly puts a lot of thought into picking her outfits everyday, as she's not afraid to occasionally experiment with different styles every & to use fashion as a key means of expressing herself.

in terms of colour palettes, hachi's wardrobe has a bit of everything- warm hues, earth tones, soft pastels, which all work together to capture the warmth and sweetness of her character. she's definitely more attuned to light colours than dark. this suits her personality better too, as light coloured clothing is said to convey feelings of friendship, fun, compassion, and approachability. fabric-wise, hachi likes to keep it light and airy with materials like chiffon and tulle; switching to warmer fabrics like cashmere and wool for cold weather, giving her outfits a vintage feel.

we can see that hachi pulls fashion inspiration from various aesthetics and fashion trends across different decades. she definitely incorporates her love for vintage fashion in her style, particularly with elements we've seen her wear before like mod dresses, neckerchiefs, pearl necklaces, long fleece trim coats, and brown platform boots. you can also see it in how some of the pieces she wears feels so unique, like a surprise gem you would find in a vintage boutique while thrifting. in dressier looks, hachi's girlish charm and allure is slightly reminiscient of 1960s it girls, like twiggy and sharon tate. she draws from a lot of 60s-inspired elements- the romantic parisienne style, and a bit of vintage preppy chic.

scarves and bandanas are a vintage essential as well as one of hachi's signature accessories. they have tons of versatile styling options, plus the potential to be dressed up or down. we've seen her wearing one scarf (exhibit A) multiple times over the series. the babushka scarf version has to be my favourite, it's very hepburn-esque, who i 100% i could picture hachi having a poster of in her childhood bedroom. i also think that having characters re-wear pieces we've seen before is generally just a cool subtle styling detail, which adds to the realism of NANA's 10/10 worldbuilding. the scarf's many appearances styled in different ways also goes to show how hachi enjoys being creative with her outfits, loves the pieces she owns and wants to get as much use out of them as possible.

hachi's style also incorporates a touch of influence from the kawaii lolita subculture, particularly modern offshoots like larme-kei. lolita is french rococco-inspired with a focus on cuteness, and has its origins in early 2000s harajuku street style- which is also where mori/kogyaru fashion originates from; hachi's go-to style during her high school years (see: her modified school uniform, miniskirts, fuzzy legwarmers). both of these movements were heavily pioneered by j-fashion magazines of the time like FRUITS, Olive, Larme & CUTiE, which were mainly popular with teenage girls and young women, and hachi is no exception. her fashion sense is also heavily inspired by famous japanese celebrities and style icons like risa nakamura.

if we had to really narrow it down, i think hachi's style can be best described by otome (lit: maiden) fashion. known as one of the predecessors of lolita fashion, this style was very popular among young girls in the 70s-80s and is heavily centered around embodying all things traditionally feminine. sweet, cute, girly, and romantic are all common descriptors of the style, which pulls influence from 60s mod fashion (which, as we've seen, has prevalent elements in hachi's style). think tons of layering, pattern mixing, longer hemlines, and mary janes/flats, all of which we frequently see in hachi's outfits. we also see that she takes elements from modern lolita fashion like frills, bows, ribbons, lace, tights & stockings, and incorporates them into her own personal style as more understated outfit details; making it more wearable on a daily basis while still being a tribute to one of her sources of style inspiration.

now that we've explored what makes hachi's personal style unique to her character, let's dig into how her style is influenced in relation to how the story progresses and how her character develops. and just for funsies, i'll also be styling a casual everyday outfit that i could picture hachi wearing for each story arc. let's go!

🍓

i. art school

i'd describe hachi's style here as the most youthful, which makes sense considering she's freshly moved to tokyo to study at an art school. we see her sporting a face-framing pixie cut, which gives her look a bit of edge, but not too much as she still retains her signature soft girl style to balance it out. also, can i just say: super farmer's daughter vibes when paired with a bandana! jeans were having a moment too- during this era, hachi was often seen wearing a pair of bellbottom flares or baggy jeans, creating a casual and easygoing look which really leaned into the artsy college student fashion. this would also mesh well with her then-best friend junko's more bohemian/indie, woodstock-inspired hippie style. the short hair paired with her experimentation on androgynous silhouettes definitely accentuates her gamine facial features, lending to a cute boyish look.

all these style elements are in direct contrast with the hyperfeminine looks of her high school years, back when she'd opt for skirts over jeans and long, styled hair; showing how hachi underwent a pretty drastic style change whilst adapting to the new environment in tokyo. at the same time, it could also hint at hachi's approach to self-expression & using fashion as a coping mechanism to deal with major life changes. dressing more casually to blend in with the college crowd is one of many indicators on how easily influenced hachi can get, which is pretty on-brand behaviour for someone with a tendency to seek validation from others instead of oneself.

so let's get into the first look i've picked out for her: layers on layers on layers baby! for this outfit, i took a lot of inspiration from hachi's first day of class outfit. i tried to be consistent with her theme of 70s-inspired prints and silhouettes during this phase, but also wanted to incorporate a modern y2k touch since we know that younger hachi (before fully developing her unique & personal sense of style) is more of a trend chaser, and what could be more early 2000s than a blouse + dress + jeans combo? accessories-wise, i wanted to pick out unique-looking pieces that had a lot of charm, as i was really going for that 'flea market finds' vibe since she obviously wouldn't have been able to afford any designer yet on a college student budget. also please notice the gorgeous vintage floral print ballet flats- i was so excited when i found it, i thought it screamed hachi!! they look so comfortable to walk in on top of being cute, it's the perfect shoe to slip on for a long day of classes without sacrificing style.

🍓

ii. apartment 707

during this time, we see hachi start to embrace feminine styles again. she lets her hair grow out and we see her back in skirts, dresses, and all things girly, which is why her otome fashion influences shine through most here. she wears tons of pieces in floral and polkadot print, as well as flowy babydoll tops which are very y2k-girl-next-door-reminiscient. we also see her starting to wear vivienne jewelry (the pearl choker, the dainty silver orb earrings), likely as a result of nana's influence (who she heavily admires and looks up to) & wanting to emulate her style. hachi's outfits here seem to have more colour and print, which i believe is reflective of her mental state here; happy, confident, and surrounded by support. good vibes all around, her environment at this time encourages her to take more risks in not just decision-making but also in her fashion choices.

in general, this era is where hachi seems to be getting a better hold on growing into her own personal style. she's still open to trying out different styles every now and then, but we can see there are some style elements that really stick and appear most often in her outfits. she's also seen here experimenting with all kinds of different hairstyles- french braids, pigtails, twin buns, the half-updo. to me, i think all of this signifies how hachi's style development runs parallel to her identity formation and how she grows as a person. at this point of the story, hachi believes she's finally found a place where she fits- within this ragtag but loving cast of unique characters.

so the second look was a little more of a challenge to work with- that's because hachi's style during this era doesn't subscribe to any one specific aesthetic or subculture, but more like a bit of everything, and her outfits can differ a lot between episodes. the goal here was to go for a casual daytime outfit, and i ended up super proud of the colour coordination in this one! i've styled hachi in a frilly vintage floral print chiffon slip dress that's almost reminiscent of the strawberry dress of 2020, but with unique details that give it much more character. i gave hachi a cream-toned vivienne crossbody purse, a scarf to balance out the salmon pink of the dress accents, styled as a neckerchief, some strawberry hair clips to match, and of course i had to include her much-spotted pearl orb necklace too. the highlight of this look are definitely the shoes, which are maison margiela tabi ballet flats- something i could 100% picture hachi wearing if NANA were set in the context of modern day fashion trends.

🍓

iii. motherhood

as time passes, we also see how hachi's fashion sense has slightly evolved into a classier, more refined version. more adult, if you will. this occurs when hachi decides to move out from apartment 707 and starts getting serious with takumi. not only did her living situation change, but as did her lifestyle, and with that, her fashion sense too. her style here simplified and took on a more mature look. she started prioritizing function over form as she cut down on layering and accessorizing. she would also opt for longer, flowier silhouettes and comfortable styles, often wearing simple dresses or aprons over a basic shirt-skirt combo. i really like how the change in style here - which pulls a lot from the 50s-suburbia housewife trope (think frilly aprons, puffy dresses, flared skirts, modest hemlines) - feels like a sublte detail to show how hachi settles into her new role of motherhood, expressed via clothing choices.

as a whole, this period of her life signifies the drastic 180° change from spending carefree days of young adulthood, to taking on the role of mother/wife in a nuclear family unit. it's the most major life change she's ever had to experience at this point, and it's expected that her style evolves alongside this. she's seen wearing noticeably less patterns or colour during this time, which could hint at possibly representing her inner feelings- the bleakness of spending her days in a mostly-empty home, and the isolation of being separated from the friendships she once surrounded herself with daily. thankfully, we do eventually see her return to dressing fashionably again after the timeskip. however, it's extremely important not to gloss over this period of her life as it portrays how she must have felt having most of her agency taken away overnight, with her style being all she had left as a form of control.

so last but not least is the final outfit, which was tough styling as there was comparably less material to go off, but i based it on the few going-out looks we get to see hachi wear post-takumi. rolling with the 50s-inspired looks, i've styled her in a coral short-sleeve button down dress. for the outerwear i picked a long checkered overcoat, which nicely complements the dress in addition to being a going-out staple for classy ladies everywhere. since the outfit is mostly harsher silhouettes, i decided to keep the colour scheme light to balance it out. while i was going for 'stylish mature woman', i still wanted some youthful elements in there to maintain hachi's signature girlish look. i balanced it out by accessorizing with a headband (a prep chic essential) and dior saddle bag, both lime green for a pop of colour and contrast. and of course, i had to incorporate the iconic neckerchief too as it doesn't get any more vintage-looking than this. the final piece to tie it all together are a pair of classic miu miu ballet flats- chic and comfortable!

🍓

final thoughts

all in all, hachi's fashion sense is super girly and sweet, which i'd say directly reflects on her character's personality. hachi is an outgoing girl who wears her heart on her sleeve and has a lot of love to give. she's warm and approachable, which she expresses through her clothing choices by embodying the cheerful, down-to-earth girl next door look. her bubbly style is youthful and fresh, which personality-wise is in character with hachi's innocence and willingness to trust others. this is shown through how much hachi cares deeply about her loved ones & often (unhealthily) prioritizes their feelings over her own. however, this naïveté unfortunately leaves her a lot more vulnerable to others seeking to exploit her emotional attention.

hachi's fashion evolution over the series shows how she uses fashion as a coping tool to help adjust to life changes, capturing her emotional growth and how she matures over the course of the story. the way that hachi's sense of style develops alongside her character is so realistic. her style development tells the story of a girl who finds herself and loses herself over and over again, frequently changing jobs and wardrobes in a constant struggle to find an identity to latch onto- until she does. hachi's style story is one of self-expression & identity formation; a story that speaks to all the young, unsure girls out there who see a bit of themselves in her, trying to figure out their place in a world in a world that often decides for them.

[salmonskinrolltf]

this is soooo embarrassing. I can’t believe I’m even typing it out. But dude, I’ve been a gaymer for as long as I remember. I’m 30 pounds too heavy. I’m 27 and living. With too many roommates in the suburbs. And well. I’ve been watching Glee lately. And I just got to the season around college and I was hoping I could rent some tapes. See, I’ve got this major crush on Darren’s character Blaine and itd be awesome to always be singing and dancing and having fun. I was never a theatre kid myself. Any chance you can help?

Almost like a miracle, right when you considered ordering a tape from Be Kind Rewind, one of your roommates got a VCR. You suppose. You’re not sure which one of them actually got it, but it’s right there, plugged into the TV in your living room, so someone must have. The only thing is, you’ve had to wait until everyone was out to use it. You double check that the door is locked and everybody is out for the evening. You’re embarrassed to be seen watching the show, but you’re embarrassed for another reason tonight, too. Because renting this tape feels like a special occasion, you’ve decided to cosplay as Blaine a little bit. Your hair is neatly slicked back and you’ve donned a cardigan and bow tie to match his put-together preppy look.

When you’re certain the coast is clear, you open the (thankfully discretely marked) package and a die rolls out into your hand. Oh yeah. The die thing. Weird. You toss it onto the coffee table and it lands on 4.

When the VCR whirs to life, you hear those a cappella credit trills that indicate whatever episode that was playing has already ended, so you jab the rewind button, humming the music quietly to yourself. You scratch your stomach and realize the fabric of your cardigan is much looser than it should be. You lift it up and see that your stomach has shrunk, flattening against your torso, which seems firmer and more lithe in general.

Stunned, you gaze at yourself in the nearest mirror, noticing how the new outfit looks even more Blaine-like after your bizarre transformation. In fact, everything is looking more Blaine-like. Your eyebrows thicken and darken, your slicked-back hair darkening along with them. As your lips plump up and your skin tans slightly, you realize you look like a total Blaine doppelganger. Your dick hardens in the thrift store pants you bought to match the overall preppy look. You look just like your crush! You’re not even questioning it, you just figure you must be dreaming or something. But even if you’re only dreaming, why let the opportunity pass you by to admire yourself more… privately?

In a daze, you wander into the bathroom. Instead of the pigsty it normally is, living with so many roommates, it looks neat and tidy. Tubs of hair gel neatly line the sides of the sink, and the mirror is decorated with playbills, a photo of Blaine and Kurt, and a bumper sticker for a local Lima, Ohio radio station. Not only do you look exactly like Blaine, you’re now in what seems to be his bathroom! You admire yourself in the mirror.

A thrill of excitement thrums through you and you unzip your pants, rubbing yourself at the thought of looking just like your crush.

As you pleasure yourself, you think about the various Glee characters you have the biggest crushes on. Could you use this VHS service to become them all? The thought makes you even more aroused. However, when Blaine returns to your mind, your dick deflates. Suddenly it feels wrong to be thinking about him. You try to cycle back through the other characters in your mind, but suddenly only the female ones come to mind. Brittany, Quinn, even Rachel. Your dick springs back to full hardness and you panic at the sudden shift in your sex drive. You shove your erection back into your pants but not before cum explodes into the sink. You hurriedly wipe it up with some toilet paper.

What the hell is going on? As you scrub, you don’t notice that the gel is slowly easing out of your hair, which curls and falls over your face in a more lackadaisical, unkempt fashion. Stubble sprouts from your cheeks, chin, and upper lip, slowly growing into a short beard. Your clothes morph from your preppy ensemble into more of a rocker vibe, your shredded T-shirt dipping into a V-neck that exposes the dark, matted chest hair that has been busy unfurling across your newly taut torso. 

Right when you flush the balled-up wad of TP, a voice interrupts your panic.

“What the hell are you doing in my bathroom?”

You turn to the doorway and see Blaine Anderson standing there. Wait, that can’t be. Weren’t you just him? You turn to look at yourself in the mirror and see a much more rugged, sloppy individual than the person you were just a moment before. You look like Blaine, but… different. Older, somehow. And more unkempt, definitely.

This intruder, on the other hand, looks exactly like Blaine. He also looks annoyed. He taps his toe and runs a hand across his impeccably coiffed hair. “This is why I asked Mom for my own bathroom, so I wouldn’t have to wait for you all the time. How is it that I use 12 hair products a day and you still take longer than I do for everything?”

You’re too shocked to say anything. You’re unsure whether you’re more shocked by the words he’s saying or the fact that Blaine is standing just feet away and you feel nothing about it whatsoever. As your brain sputters, your body kicks into autopilot and you shrug.

“The gays haven’t cornered the market on looking good just yet, little bro,” you chuckle, punching his arm as you head back out into the hallway, which now looks like one that belongs in a pristine suburban home. 

As you head back into your room, you notice that it looks entirely different. No game consoles in sight, just laundry strewn everywhere and a mini basketball hoop on the back of the doorway. You absent-mindedly toss a NERF basketball toward the hoop and it hits the rim, flying back in your direction and smacking you in the face, knocking you back onto the unkempt mattress that’s on the floor without a bed frame.

You groggily open your eyes and look around. Where the hell are you? Who the hell are you? You rack your brains. Oh yeah. David Anderson. Eldest son of one of the lamest families on the planet, smack dab in the middle of Buttfuck, Ohio. You scratch your hairy chest underneath your T-shirt and check the time.

You remember you have plans to grab some brews with the boys this evening before seeing the latest movie starring that hot actress you like, so you’d better head out quick so you can hit up the gym beforehand. You throw on your gym clothes, grab your water bottle, and rush out the door.

As you pass by your little bro’s room, you see him singing along to a Mariah Carey tune and practicing his dance moves. You roll your eyes good-naturedly. Singing and dancing aren’t for you, but you appreciate how into it he is. You figure that, for him, singing and dancing brings him the same joy that going to the gym and playing ball with your bros does for you. You leap up to smack the top of the door frame as you head outside, barely giving Blaine another thought as you walk down the street, anticipating the awesome evening ahead of you.

[lily-alphonse]

thoughts on haley x abigail?? 💛💜

Haligaillllll I have to plug maxRebo again with Things We Dont Say on AO3 it's the sequel to a fantastic SebAlex fic I loved.

We love Haligail, who wouldn't love Haligail? This is one of the least rare ones I've done so far according to AO3 . I haven't looked each one up I've done, but I was curious since punk/prep seem like they'd be popular.

Anyways how would I handle this? Spoiler alert Ive gotta make it rivals to lovers OBVIOUSLY it's just too good to pass up.

Let’s say they went to high school together and ran in different circles (obviously). Abigail looked down on Haley for being a preppy dumb blonde prioritizing boys over school.

Haley for her part was learning very quickly that girls couldn’t be trusted, with all of the shit they talked behind her back. So she definitely wasn't going to think fondly of a sullen girl like Abby, who would just glare at her for no reason.

But its years later now. Abby has returned home from college to attend remotely. She’s grown confident and developed a sense of style. It’s still dark and moody and she loves a skull motif, but she clearly takes more care in her appearance than in high school. Oh… and she’s a proud lesbian now.

She’s annoyed to be back in this bumfuck town but her dad threatened to cut her funding if she didn’t come back to help with the shop at least one semester. Haley comes into the shop and its tense. Abby hates feeling subservient to her like this, wearing the stupid fucking apron dad insists she wears while she’s helping out. It puts her in a weird headspace like she’s in high school again.

It’s nice to be back with her boys though, the regular gig practices fun. They even decide to throw a little party to perform at. It’s exhilarating and she’s in her element until she sees Haley. It’s like, somehow, the old Abby exists in Haley and she fucking hates it. She wants to purge Haley’s memories of that weird quiet girl in high school. She wants Haley to understand she is more confident than the queen bee ever was at her peak.

Everyone settles in on the floor for a drinking game and SHE is there of course, looking stupidly hot and just… generally stupid. “Who invited you?” Abby snaps as Haley sits down near her.

“Hello, Abigail,” she sips her drink innocently, “that’s how normal people start conversations anyway.”

Abby scoffs, fighting the fluster with anger. “Yeah, avoid the question that’s fine.”

Sebastian settles between them, attempting to block the electric tension between them with his body. Great deal of good that does though, since one of the very first dares sees Alex daring Haley and Abby to Seven Minutes in Heaven.

“What the fuck, Alex?!” Haley hisses. She seems embarrassed. Abby likes seeing her flustered for once.

“Aw she’s afraid to touch the lesbian! She might catch it,” Abby teases.

Haley glares at her with a fire behind her blue eyes. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Alright,” Abby smiles, “Prove it.”

And so they get sloppy in the closet and it’s hot and awesome and the seven minutes runs out too fast. Abby decides she craves this power over Haley and chases it. Being glared at with lust in her eyes is better than being looked down on.

They have a back and forth of sneaking around, while Haley comes to terms with her sexuality and they grow closer. It’s always just hatefucking until its not, because Abby discovers how actually self-conscious and lonely Haley is. And how this toxic fling is the closest thing she has to love. She’s clinging to it like a liferaft but it’s just making her sink even further. Abby recognizes the damage she’s caused and decides to cut things off.

Something brings them back together though, obv. Hmmm.

Maybe Alex ends up cornering her and telling Abby just how much she means to Haley and how maybe instead of abandoning her like everyone else, she could just be an actual partner to her and treat her like she knows she should be treated.

Which all culminates in a very sweet scene of Abby coming back to Haley and apologizing. And I want it to tie back into the party like

“I also want to apologize,” Abby says, wiping her eyes, “for leaving you hanging a few months ago. When you said hi.”

“Abby…”

“Can we go back to that? Can we roll it back? I want to say hi, it’s nice to see you.”

Haley laughs through her tears. “It's nice to see you too.” She takes Abby’s hand and squeezes.

Oh and Abby would prbly take to calling Haley Blondie or something. Starts out as kind of an insult and then just a term of endearment. Anyways,

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

[fishnapple]

For your astrology ask game, I'm curious about your take on 1H, 3H, 7/8H, & 10H! Answer with whatever you're actually comfortable with responding to. ☺️

Hi, thanks for asking. I said I would make a list of answers but it seems like it will take pages, so I'm having a second thought 🫠 I'd love to know your answers to these too🌼

1H ⇢ describe your style

Like a preppy, colourful grandma (no offence to grandmas💓). I wear long, flowery dresses all year round, + colourful cardigans for spring and autumn, + knit sweaters & blazers for winter, + sneakers/oxford shoes

One style fits all occasions, basically. I wear this style at home, to work, to parties, to grocery shopping etc. So consistently that whenever people saw me in a tee and jeans, they would ask "What's wrong?", "Is there a special occasion?", "Why are you wearing pants?" 🤣

3H ⇢ what are some of the topics you like to talk about the most?

Hmmm, hard question. It's not so much about the topics but more about how long can I and the other person carry on the conversation (the longer the better, back and forth, like badminton, tennis is too forceful). Generally, I like to talk about/observe human behaviours and listen to the other person's thoughts (different opinions from mine are nice, as long as they don't force them on me). Occult, spiritual topics, books, games, mangas, fashion, the what-ifs, silly made-up scenarios. Anything that can expand my viewpoint and knowledge, really.

7H ⇢ what do you consider green flags in a relationship?

When the couple is also best friends with each other

When two people walk side by side, not one in front and one behind

When the first person comes to your mind when you want to share something good or bad is them

When there's a spark in the eyes when they look at the other person

Listen attentively when the other is talking

When both are willing to compromise and work together/to face the ugly sides of the relationship or of the self and the other person/ to communicate/ to learn

When both are proactive in the relationship, taking turn to suggest fun things to do, where to go, what to eat etc

All kinds of virtues like honesty, patience, kindness, loyalty, respect, etc. (not just towards you only, but to others in general also)

Consistency: putting in a consistent effort, not being wishy-washy

Fun & humour

The feeling of being at ease with each other & trust (you can have all the above but without these two feelings, it's kind of meaningless)

and many more.

8H ⇢ what do you consider red flags in a relationship?

The opposite of the above ig 🤔

When one is talking and the other is looking elsewhere

When one is in front while the other is behind

Being judgmental and opinionated, about all kinds of topics

Criticising the other person's taste, hobbies, habits constantly

Cruelty (obviously)

Silent treatment (refusing to communicate)

Inconsistency

Being avoidant

Unwillingness to compromise/ to understand, unequal effort

Feeling like you have to tip toe around the other person

Feeling like you have to do something to get the other's attention

Asking the other person for permission to do something like buying something, meeting someone, going somewhere (I'm not talking about getting consent to do something with each other or getting something related to the other person, it's about decisions that normally one can make independently for oneself)

Jealousy & possessiveness (the idea can seem attractive on paper but the reality is usually not)

Demanding to know every secret, every password, getting access to every personal space of the other person

Passivity (waiting for the other to initiate, never initiate anything)

Dating someone while thinking that person is not attractive or up to one's level or vice versa, thinking that person is way above one's level (the idea of "level" is damaging, both ways of thinking can bring illusions, unrealistic expectations and power imbalance)

Lack a healthy sense of self

and many more.

On a side note, I once saw someone listed "not smart" as a red flag, I cried a river inside 🥲

10H ⇢ how do you want people to remember you?

I don't need people to remember me, I just want them to remember what I churned out to the world.

But to talk astrologically, I have Uranus and Neptune in 10H so I want to be remembered for the changes, the differences and the inspiration I could give, ig 🤔

Astrology ask game

[supercyberlife]

The Girly Guide to dressing like a Doll

Hello dolls!!! I’ve been neglecting this blog so bad recently but it totally isn’t on purpose. I’m in like my last month of school so everything has been going by really fast and I just haven’t had the time to write. I like to think of it as a good thing because now I have a whole bunch of ideas and drafts for the future ^_^. Today's post is about how to dress like a doll. It's not really gonna be very specific on how to dress a certain way but instead give you an idea on how to use cute doll-like elements in your wardrobe to help you achieve that cute dolly look. I’m going to include some pictures of what I'm going to talk about to help get a better picture of the concept as a whole. I post on my tiktok a lot and always get comments about my style and how I just put together my outfits in general. So here's a way to start dressing like the you really want to be.

1. Know what colors you like and what colors you don’t like.

I know it sounds simple but it can be quite complicated if you only wear one color. Personally I stick to 3 or 4 colors I know I will always look good in: pink, purple, white, and black. These are my signature colors that make up most of my wardrobe. If you can pick a few colors you know you will wear that will make it easier when you’re actually trying to find clothes you like.

2. Don’t limit yourself to one style/aesthetic

I had this mindset at first that I would only stick to one style for the rest of my life and would never change it ever. That works well for some people but not me. There are so many styles and fashion elements to try out and just sticking to one is kind of limiting in my opinion. Of course it's fine if you want to stick to one style or aesthetic but before deciding on one i highly suggest trying out different ones.

3. Have staple pieces in your wardrobe.

Sure statement pieces are beautiful and amazing to have but staple pieces are just as if not more important. I suggest having 2 or 3 regular t-shirts in the colors you like, 2 pairs of jeans/pants, 1 or 2 skirts, and a dress. These pieces are more than enough in the realm of simple and fabulous especially if you accessories them the right way. Plus you can easily mix and match them with statement pieces.

4. Shoes, shoes, SHOES!!!

At first I didn't understand the importance of shoes but god do I now. I love shoe shopping. When I first started my deep dive into fashion I focused on the clothes instead of the shoes and that was kind of a mistake lol. Shoes can elevate any outfit from a 5 to a 10. I like to have a pair of white and black shoes in my wardrobe at all times. Also as I got older I started to add heels and platforms into the mix because a casual look can also be super cute with a great pair of heels or platforms. Starting out I suggest a pair a black and white sneakers and if you like heels and pair of black heels

5. Have an inspo for how you want to look like

I know above I said don’t limit yourself but sometimes having an inspo or guide for the look you’re going for is really helpful. I personally have so many (i’ll include a few). This by no means mean copy a persona to the t but take aspects of their style and incorporate them into yours to help it develop into a style you like. Personally my inspo is monster high, alternative fashion, video vixens from the early 2000s, a lot of megan fox characters (jennifer check, carla santini, mikeala baens), vampires, elle woods, barbie, london tipton, sharpay evans, harajuku fashion, girly anime/video characters, 2000s horror movies, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Megan Good. As you can see it's a pretty good mix or like preppy pink and alt fashion and there is nothing wrong with mixing them together.

6. ACCESSORIZE!

God do I love accessorizing, it is my second favorite part about getting dressed (other than doing my makeup). The first thing I think you should do is pick which metals you like, by this i mean gold or silver. I personally love silver jewelry and only wear silvery. Due to this most of the jewelry I buy is silver, pink, and black. I also have quite the bag collection, mostly black and white (I just bought a new pink bag that I'm so excited about). I wouldn't say have one bag for every occasion but do have like 2 or 3, personally i love a little baguette or crossbody bag. Also invest in some sunglasses. They’re sups cute and protect your eyes from the sun.

7. Makeup can be a literal lifesaver

Makeup is literally my favorite thing ever. I love getting dressed up and doing my makeup. It's just so therapeutic to me. If I don't like the outfit that I'm wearing, I can just do my makeup and I'll feel so much better about it. I have a post on some of my makeup favorites as a starting point if you have no clue about makeup. I can also recommend some youtube videos if you guys want.

But most importantly have CONFIDENCE! Confidence is the key to looking and feeling amazing as long as you work to be the best version of yourself and stay true to yourself. That's all it really takes to be a doll. I plan on making more posts like this soon because I really enjoy sitting down and just writing helpful little posts like this. If you guys have any question pls don't hesitate to comment or message me i’ll always answer. Bye Bye lovelies!!!! XOXO Dolly

[munsonsreputation]

Ty for tagging me in your recent post <3 ofc I’m gonna request an angsty fic for either Stevie or Eddie whichever you feel like! Kinda cliche ik but reader gives an angsty confession after being hurt and pushed aside by them which leaves Eddie/Steve confused and in the end they realise they do like reader and they get together. This is just a general outline so by all means include whatever other detail you want. <3

hey xio!! thank you so much for your request!!!

I piggybacked off your idea and I hope you like the spin I put on it. Kinda idiot!eddie, but when is he ever not? LOL jk (kinda) anyways, I hope you like this and thank you again for this sweet request 💌💫

Two weeks. 

It had been two whole long and lonely weeks since you and Eddie had gotten to properly hangout with each other like you’d usually do. 

He’d say he was busy with all sorts of things��things that would be understandable then some, not quite. 

Hellfire? Yes. 

Corroded Coffin. Sure. 

Helping Wanye fix his truck? Maybe…but he hated getting oil all over him. 

Dropping the kids off after Hellfire? He hated giving rides to the kids after 11pm because they got antsy. 

Going to Lucas’ basketball game? Hell no. That’s when you knew something was up. 

Eddie loved his friends, would do anything to support them the best he could, but you knew Eddie and how much he hated the whole balls and laundry basket game. Not to mention his moral nemesis, Jason Carver, who was on the team. He’d rather die than to show up to one of those preppy events. 

Now you knew Eddie was avoiding you, pushing you aside, but you just didn’t know why. You retraced your steps, trying to remember if you said something or did anything wrong that would make him completely shut you out like this, but you really didn’t do anything. 

Anything except have a big fat crush on him throughout your entire friendship, which led you to believe he must have found out or worse, not wanting to have anything to do with you anymore because he had found out.

You had to get down to the bottom of this. 

“Give me a second!” Wayne’s voice hollered from the other side of the door where you practically banged, totally forgetting that his truck was in the driveway since his shift at the plant wasn’t for a few more hours. 

Your foot tapped anxiously on the creaky wood, waiting and waiting until finally the door opened up. 

“Oh hey, kid, looking for Eddie? He’s in his room.” Wayne greeted warmly, pushing the screen door open to let you through as you tried not to tense up from the anxiety, offering him a half-hearted smile as you walked in. 

“Thanks, Wayne.” 

He grunted, shutting the door and turning to you once more, “Haven’t seen you come around in a while. Did something happen between you two?” 

You took a deep breath, looking down the hall where you could hear Eddie’s faint guitar playing, “That’s what I’m hoping to figure out.” 

Wayne’s face fell, obvious shock and confusing plastering over his features, before nodding slowly, granting you to walk away from him and towards Eddie’s room. 

Part of you wanted to burst through his door and demand an explanation, but just because you were hurt didn’t mean you would lose your manners. So you knocked, then knocked a little harder after that since he couldn’t hear the first rounds of sounds. 

“Come in!” He shouted, not letting up on the strumming until you finally cleared your throat, letting him know it was you. 

He scrambled, quickly putting his guitar aside and standing up, “H-hey, what’re you doing here?” His palm rubbed the back of his neck nervously, then quickly came to wrap around his torso as he realized he was shirtless. 

“You told me you were going to Lucas’ game.” You cut the small talk, diving right into the lie he had told you hours ago when you asked him if he wanted to pick up a movie for tonight. 

“I—I totally forgot! I must be late, then. What do you think I should wear to the—“ 

He was panicking, trying to cover his ass as he rushed around his room, sorting through the piles of clothes on the floor, acting as if he was really going to the game, because by now the game would be in the third quarter, a total waste of going now. 

“Bullshit, Eddie. Why’re you doing this?” You crossed your arms across your chest in what was supposed to be a demanding stance, but that couldn’t cover the hurt all over your face. 

Your cheeks were red and your eyes filled with betrayal, something Eddie hated to see. 

“I just…I’ve been busy and I don’t really feel like hanging out with anyone so…yeah.” 

Oh god, Eddie had finally gotten sick of you. How could he sit here and lie to your face again, when you had seen him hanging out with the boys after school, laughing and having fun, just like how he used to with you? 

Your arms fell to your sides, throat bobbing as you swallowed thickly, slowly backing out of the room as he just watched you blankly.

“Jesus, Eddie, why do you have to keep lying to me?” You shook your head disappointingly. 

“If you don’t want to be my friend anymore, just tell me, alright. You don’t have to keep making these dumb excuses as to why you don’t want to spend time with me. It hurt’s y’know….being lied to by the one person who I care about and the one person who I thought cared about me. B-but I guess I was wrong and stupid to ever think that you and I could work out the way that I thought we would.” 

Your voice was breaking, backing away quicker as he tried to reach out for you, getting closer to try to hug you and make it seem like everything was ok. 

Attempting to get away before you could make the situation worse, you turned around, smack right into Wayne, who was listening at the end of the hallway. He steadied you swiftly, as you quietly said “thanks” before rushing out the front door and into your car. 

Wayne didn’t let Eddie chase after you, instead he held his arm out, pushing Eddie back before he had the chance to get out of the front door and stop you from driving away. 

“You’re an idiot, son.” 

The teen huffed defeatedly, brushing past his uncle, as it was too late to catch up to you by now. So he settled on the couch, elbows on his knees as he buried his face in his hands, cursing to himself. 

His uncle watched on, crossing his arms against his chest, before clapping his hands together to gain the boys’ attention. 

“What’s the matter with you? She’s a sweet girl, and she’s always around and you just go pushing her aside like she doesn’t mean anything.”

Wayne should’ve noticed your absence from their residence to be quite odd, considering the fact that you were always here when Eddie was. But after asking his nephew the first time you didn’t show up with him after school, and his excuse was that you were sick, he just thought you were slowly getting better. 

A lie, obviously. 

“I don’t know, alright! I don’t want her to feel like she has to be here with me all the time.” Eddie explained, rubbing his temples with his eyes sealed shut. 

“God, this boy is stupid.” Wayne thought to himself, briskly approaching the teen and settling right in front of him with his arm reaching out to rest on his shoulder. 

Eddie opened his eyes, looking up at his only father figure, waiting for anything. 

“Did you ever stop and think that she wants to be here?”

You were always more than happy to tag along wherever Eddie went, and that didn’t change when it came to the trailer he called his home. In fact, you strolled right in and made yourself at home every time, yet Eddie always felt weird. Not about you. Never about you. Just the fact that you were so….willing. No one was ever willing with him and so he thought you were doing out of pity…that’s why he pushed you away. 

“Fuck,” Eddie muttered, finally realizing what he did wrong.

Wayne hummed, nodding his head and giving his nephew’s shoulder a squeeze. 

“You think some girl is just going to hang here for no reason? I think you know where I’m getting at?” 

Eddie furrowed his brows, “Wait, what?” 

“Oh, Jesus!” Wayne groaned, waving Eddie away, “Go put something on and go apologize to her. Hopefully, you two figure this out.” 

And so Eddie did just that, throwing on a random band tee and hopping into his van as he sped through the street of Hawkins until his beat up thing pulled up in front of your house. 

You had gotten home only fifteen minutes ago, ignoring the calls from your family telling you dinner was ready and instead heading straight to your room where you began to cry. You couldn’t even bear to sit up and look at the polaroids of you and Eddie hanging on your bulletin board, so you laid down. Staring at your ceiling as the tears sailed passed the precipice of your eyes and down your cheeks into your sheets. 

Three knocks sounded on your door as you sniffled, turning towards it, “Mom! I said I’m not hungry…go away!”

The doorknob began to turn and you were almost ready to start another string of irritated words until the tall mop of hair revealed himself before you. 

“W-what are you doing here?” 

You sat up, wiping the tears quickly as you attempted to not look like he left you like this. 

He shut the door quietly, “Your mom let me in…I hope that’s fine.” 

Your shoulders shrug, not offering him anymore words because you didn’t know if you could. 

That’s when he sat right beside you, turning so he was facing you, “I’m really sorry for lying to you for the past couple of days…I care about you so much and I never wanted to make you feel like I didn’t.” 

His knee shock violently as he fiddled with his fingers, “I just….I’m not used to this. Used to people having fun with me or making an effort to hang out with me, y’know? It’s weird. Not you. But just, the fact that you do it for me.” 

“Eddie,” you whispered, shaking your head. You reached to squeeze his jean covered knee, stopping his movement, “I want to spend time with you. Why do you think I’m always around?” 

He smiled tightly at you, shrugging his shoulders lightly, “I dunno…maybe because you feel bad for me?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Eds. I hang out with you because I like—“ Your eyes widened, catching yourself and stuttering over your words, “I like how cool you are! Yeah! You’re so cool!” 

Your hand retracted from his knee, slapping down into your lap as you smiled wildly at him, trying to convince him of your lie. 

“W-wait…you like? Were you just about to say you like me?” 

You were blushing, biting the inside of your cheek as you wanted to dig a hole in the floor and bury yourself in there just so you didn’t have to face the embarrassment of going through this right in front of Eddie. 

“T-totally, n-not.” You tripped over your words, another horrible way of lying on your part. 

Eddie just smiled, his fingers reaching for your hands and tangling them together. An action that wasn’t entirely new to you as you two would hold hands on scary roller coasters or when a thriller movie was on. But not like this. 

“That’s a shame because I like you. I…I’m bad at feelings, so at first I thought you were just around because you pitied me, but now I know.” He spoke smoothly, running his thumb across your knuckles. 

He could feel your pulse in your fingertips beating fast. “I like when you’re around. I like being near you and the last couple of days have been boring without you. I should’ve known the second I started missing you that I messed up, but like Wayne said, I’m an idiot and I suck at feelings. I suck at everything.” 

Eddie sighed heavily, the self realization hitting him like a bunch of bricks. The only thing pulling him away from his thoughts was your hand squeezing his. “That isn’t true. You’re great at guitar. And DnD. Plus you’re a really good driver…most times, but sometime you speed and forget to put on your seat belt.” 

“That was one time!” He argued back with an open mouth as you giggled, raising your brow at him, “More like three times.” 

The two of you just laughed, forgetting the stupid fight for a split second. 

You pushed at his shoulder with your free hand, smiling down at the hand still intertwined. “I like you, you idiot.” 

“And apology accepted…just don’t push me away like that again, please?” Your eyes trialed up to meet his where he nodded. 

His face came closer to yours, and you mirrored his actions. Just centimeters apart before he whispered, “I promise,” 

Fireworks started as your lips finally met each other for the first time. Moving in sync effortlessly like you didn’t even have to try to impress him because it was perfect, just like this. 

“Yeah,” you mumbled softly once you pulled away, causing Eddie to hum, until you opened your eyes again. 

“I’m so going to kill you if you ever deprive me of this again.” 

He smirked, kissing you again, and this time, making sure to remind himself to thank Uncle Wayne tomorrow…though he wasn’t looking forward to the “I told you so,” 

But you made it worth it. 

[magnoliabloomfield]

The new label “Pick Me Girl” and the return of Y2K fashion made me realize something. If you were a teen in the 2000’s, no matter what kind of girl you were, you were a pick me girl.

But! It wasn’t your fault. During your most developmental sponge like years they drowned you in Pick Me Propaganda.

We had music:

“I’d rather be anything but ordinary please.”- Avril

“Never wore cover up, always beat the boys up.”-Avril

“She’s like so whatever, you could do so much better, I think we should get together now.”-Avril

“Paper, or plastic, don’t matter, she’ll have it. Vacations and shopping sprees, these are a few of her favorite things. She’ll get what she wants if she’s willing to please, his type of girl ways comes with a fee. Hey now there’s nothing for free. Girls don’t like boys girls like cars and money. Boys will laugh at girls when they’re not funny.”-Good Charlotte

“Christina wouldn’t wanna meet her, she hates you Brittany so you better run for cover. My girl, is a hot girl, a riot girl and she’s taking on the world. Emergency call 911 she’s pissed off at everyone.”-Good Charlotte

“Never win first place, don’t support the team, can’t take direction and my socks are never clean… LA told me you’ll be a pop star, all you have to change is everything you are. Tired of being compared to damn Brittany Spears, she’s so pretty, that just ain’t me.”-P!nk

“The waiter just took my table, gave it to Jessica Simps.”-P!nk

“She doesn’t get your humor like I do… I’m listening to the kind of music she doesn’t like and she’ll never know your story like I do. But she wears short skirts I wear T-shirts, she’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers…. She wears high heels I wear sneakers…”-Taylor Swift

“Im not a supermodel, I still eat McDonalds… who says I can’t wear my converse with my dress, well baby that’s just me.”-Demi Lovato

“Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me”-Pussycat Dolls

“I’m the kind of girl that hangs with the guys, like a fly on the wall with my secret eyes. Taking it in try to be feminine with my makeup bag watching all the sin. Misfit, I sit, lit up, wicked. Everybody else surrounded by the girls with the tank tops and flirty words.”-No Doubt

“I’m no queen, I’m no machine, I still go to Taco Bell, raw as hell, I don’t care, I’m still real.”-Fergie

“Everybody’s looking at me now, like who’s that chick that’s rockin kicks, she gotta be from out of town. It’s so hard with my girls not around me, it’s definitely not a Nashville party. Cause all I see are stilettos, guess I never got the memo.”-Miley

And we had movies like

Cinderella Story and how she’s different because she eats burgers instead of salad and worked hard.

10 Things I Hate About You where Kat still tried too hard and wasn’t herself, she was so I to the idea that you have to be what others want you to be that she consciously chose to be the exact opposite instead of doing what she liked because she liked it.

Mean Girls where you’re different if you’re secure and confident in your own body and not an insecure catty girl.

What a Girl Wants where your cultural difference makes you better and also walking on the beach and having a steady hand with nail polish is superior to getting a pedicure.

And how many of them depicted a nerdy “ugly” girl taking off her glasses, practicing basic hygiene, adding some lip gloss and oh now her crush can see she exists and falls in love with her. Or girls are rivals over some guy who isn’t even worth it.

So, no matter if you were preppy or punk, you were putting in the same amount of effort to not be something else, which is where the return of Y2K fashion comes into play.

Whatever you were trying so hard not to be in the 2000’s or your teens in general, do it now. I bet there was something you secretly wanted from the other side and wouldn’t indulge in because you had your superiority to uphold.

I Wanna see a retired grunge skater girl in a juicy tracksuit with oversized purse and sunglasses. I wanna see a former Paris Hilton minion learn to skateboard in some unnecessarily puffy skate shoes and a neck tie over their tank top.

Also anyone who was too poor or repressed by their strict parents to finally get the things you most wanted at that age but never had.

Now we can retrospectively look back and pick and choose the good stuff from that era, like my ass crack is way too long now for low rise jeans, I’ll never wear them below my hip bones ever again, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is we need to take this opportunity to heal our Y2K selves, have a redo, “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger” whole thing. So many of us have shed our pick me girl ways and whole heartedly embraced Women Supporting Women, so let’s redo the amazing fashion time that was the 2000’s with that mentality.

“Most girls are smart and strong and beautiful. Most girls work hard go far we are unstoppable. Most girls, our fight to make everyday, no two are the same. I wanna be like I wanna be like Most Girls.”

[writersmilex]

Dating Training

Parker Ogilvie X Fem | Reader

Summary: After befriending Parker, you decide to give him some advice about dating.

________________________________________

How (Y/n) met Parker was an interesting story indeed. He was nearly surrounded by Greasers after he strayed away on their turf. Before the Greasers could do anything to him, (Y/n) stepped in and smooth-talked both him and herself out of the Greasers' grasp. Parker said that he felt like he owed her something for saving him from becoming all shades of purple and blue. (Y/n) couldn't really think of anything that she was owed for helping someone, so she told him that she'll think of something later, Parker agreed and that's where a kind of friendship happened, hanging out together while (Y/n) takes her sweet time to think of something get owed from him. He is from a wealthy family like the other Preps, but money is not really what (Y/n) values as much. Besides, her own family is wealthy enough to send her to a private boarding school that looked nice on paper, but the (L/n) family is self-made and not upper-crust rich like the Harringtons for example.

Weeks later (Y/n) believed the bargain was forgotten as she gets to know Parker, as far as she can tell, he is the nicest Prep out of all of them, and even though he still acts entitled like Preppies tend to do, he's still nicer than Tad. Lately, Parker has been a little sulky. And once day (Y/n) decides to ask him why.

~~~~

"I don't understand girls..." He grumbles his response while looking rather flustered. He sulks like a child, looking down at the ground, toying with some loose pebbles from the asphalt ground with his polished shoes. (Y/n) looks at him quizzically, "What do you mean?" she asks quietly turning towards the bench the two friends are sitting on. Parker doesn't reply for a moment, searching within himself for the right way to explain himself. "What do they want? From a boyfriend, I mean..." His voice is quiet, he doesn't meet (Y/n)'s eye directly. (Y/n) has no reason to lie to him, "Well, what girls see in a guy is completely subjective. And every girl has a type they'd like to date." She explains honestly, but from the look that Parker gives her, he doesn't seem to understand all that well. "But... I have money! Isn't that enough?!" He seems genuinely Confused. Poor guy, really. Different upbringing, different expectations. Not that he can help it much, but there is still room for improvement. (Y/n) never asked how old he was, nor did he ever mention it. But if she had to guess, most likely around 16 or 17 years old?

(Y/n) shakes her head. "Sometimes just being rich is not enough, Parker. You'll attract the bad type of girls if that's all that you put on the table." She explains. Parker looks back at her from the asphalt. "Like... interests?" He questions, which feels like a revelation almost, (Y/n) beams at her friend and nods excitedly. "Yeah, you're getting there! But you need some help if you wanna attract the right kind of girls." (Y/n) taps her chin while deep in thought. "I know!" She stands up straight once she got an idea. "I can give you some advice! Advice about girls, from a girl!" She exclaims and points at herself. Parker's expression turns hopeful as he stands up as well. "Really? You'll help me?" His eyes almost shimmer with newfound hope for his problem. (Y/n) confirms her offer of aid with a sharp nod.

Parker cannot contain a smile any longer, "Well, where do we start?"

~~~~

(Y/n) fiddles with Parker's fancy wristwatch, adjusting it carefully. "First things first, People in general like you more if you look well-groomed." She let go of his watch to reach up and mess with a stray strand of his jet-black hair, the usual most stubborn strand. "Neat hair, well dressed, things like that already give people an impression and make you look more attractive too!" (Y/n) straightens his collar rather roughly to get her point across. "You already got that covered pretty well, so we don't have to go over that." She says and moves away from him.

Parker seems to follow up for now. Although he feels a little flustered by the compliment he got from her. Was it a compliment? It must be, right?

"Come here, sit." (Y/n) sits down at one of the many tables inside the Harrington house, patting the surface of the table just across from her. Parker obeys and makes his way over to sit in the chair at the table across from (Y/n). "There are certain things you show to know if you want a long-term relationship." (Y/n) begins while putting her elbows on the table, and resting her chin in her hands. Looking at Parker with interest.

"Sadly, being rich is sometimes not enough. And if that's all that you have to offer, then you're most likely to get used for your money alone." (Y/n) continues, her features serious. Parker listens intensely, (Y/n) sudden serious expression replaced her usual carefree look means that she is giving him a serious warning, whether he completely agrees with her or not.

"You've got to show interest in her too, you know." (Y/n)'s serious tone disappears as she smiles again. Justin and Bryce, who just entered the room, stop and moved to the side to listen to Parker's pauper friend without looking suspicious. "Ask her about her hobbies or interests. Any movies she likes? Something like that." (Y/n) suggests, That's when Justin realized that (Y/n) is giving Parker dating advice.

"And don't forget about yourself too!" She adds with a grin, "What about me?" Parker asks as he leans forward slightly with interest. "Tell something interesting about yourself, silly!" (Y/n) laughs, it's just the most obvious thing, but not to Parker Oglivie apparently. "What do you like to do for fun?" She asks him in order to test him a little. Parker blinks, "You already know what I like, (Y/n)." He answers, causing (Y/n) to rub her face in frustration. "No, Parker! I want to hear it from you!" She reaches out and gently nudges his shoulder playfully. Parker lets out a short laugh and squirms in his seat almost uncomfortably so. "Well...I... Like Boxing and Action movies are fun to watch." He manages to stammer out eventually. (Y/n) laughs loudly, alerting Justin and Bryce who were still pretending to do something else.

"I like action movies too! We got something in common." (Y/n)'s whole face lights up with a bright smile, "That's how dates work... traditionally, anyway." She explains and calms down. "Dates?!" Parker panics slightly at the mention of dating. (Y/n) confirms with a nod, "If you want a girlfriend, you've got to try dating if you haven't before." she explains casually. By Parker's silence, she can already tell that he most likely has never been on a date before. "We could go out together, to practice." Parker jolts at (Y/n) invitation to a date. (Y/n) seems to realize what she said. "That is... If you want to, of course... Just some dinner and a walk around the park. I think it would be fun, right?" She backtracks a bit and becomes flustered. Bryce is sipping his sparkling water while watching the whole thing go down. Justin is watching with his mouth agape. Parker is silent for a brief moment, and then he smiles and nods in agreement, "Yes, that sounds nice. Tomorrow evening?" He suggests, (Y/n) agrees and lifts her hand to shake his to settle the arrangement. Parker has a pretty firm grip as he shakes her hand gingerly. (Y/n) smiles and pretends to glance at her wristwatch and jumps up. "I've got some homework to finish that's due tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow evening!" (Y/n) waves goodbye and leaves the Harrington house to presumably make homework. "Wow..." Justin whistles in amusement and approaches the shocked Parker. Bryce follows behind and chuckles at the astonished look on Parker's face. "You finally scored yourself a date?" Justin teases, crossing his arms. Parker doesn't respond. He is thinking hard about where to take (Y/n) for dinner.

______________________________________ Wasn't that cute? There isn't a lot going on in this story, I think. But it's nice nonetheless. Thanks for reading❤️ -Smilex🙂

[neptuneblued]

Vacation

chapter 1: a

Welcome to my first series. It's inspired by the song 'Vacation' By the Go-Go's, I'll leave a link to this song at the end of this post. The reader is gender neutral and race neutral, please, please, please, please let me know if I mess it up anywhere! The reader is also described as little as possible so that anyone can read my work, don't be afraid to reach of for anything, I don't bite I promise. :D

Taehyung x gn!reader

Warnings: none/second person POV, no dialogue

+ more warnings will come in later chapters

Word count: 1.1k

Enjoy!

_______

When you met Taehyung for the first time it was a little underwhelming. It was in the high school art class the both of you shared, and everyone had to give feedback on another person’s work. Once you saw Taehyung’s work you honestly thought it looked like a mess, something that a preschooler threw together. Colors were splattered all over the canvas, piles of paint gooped on mindlessly. It was until he saw how long you were staring at his painting until he decided to speak up about it. He talked passionately about what each line represents personally to him, the swirl of colors making more sense after he put meaning to it. He even asked you to touch the painting, saying that the bumps and grooves added even more to the painting and he told you that was his favorite part.

After that, you started to see Taehyung more often, he was quiet, but still had a generous sized group of friends. He was like a floating lantern, blending in with everyone else’s light, but when you got close he was this beautiful and delicate lanturn that had meaningful patterns and intricate designs all over. 

With your own friend group you weren’t used to branching out to other cliques, something about Taehyung made you want to be brave and study him despite your friends possibly not approving. He stood out without even trying, and that is another part of why you never wanted to approach him, too afraid to get sucked into petty popular kid drama. 

When his best friend Jimin approached you though, you threw all that doubt out the window. 

Jimin was smart, and seemed unobtainable, always parading around with the rich kids, but he was more selfless than you initially thought. 

Imagining him as some snobby preppy kid, that is always partying, and sleeping around -he is a giant flirt, which you’ve come to realize. Despite those being mostly true, Jimin easily flowed between all kinds of people, his natural charm making anyone trust him easily. He never was a true player, had sex with the P.E. teacher, or fooled around with college girls. Jimin was just a sweet high school senior, who always included everyone. It’s no surprise that Taehyung or you ending up becoming best friends with Jimin. 

The next time you meet Taehyung and not just admire him from afar, is when Jimin begs you to eat lunch with him and his friends. 

Jimin was able to get you to fold easily, and in the afternoon you found yourself at a cafeteria table surrounded at all angles from seven handsome men. Anyone could claim they are sweethearts or angels, but they way they made your heart pump felt criminal. The majority of conversation was awkward since you were new to them all, but Jimin, Hoseok, and Seokjin talked your ear off nearly the entire time, filling up any awkward silence that could have fallen on the group. It made it easier for you to get to know everyone, as you just observed and listened to get to know everyone better. 

After that instance, and not nearly two class periods later, Taehyung was talking your ear off too. You hadn’t even realized it at first that you shared a class with him, usually sitting near the front, while he told you he always sat all the way in the back. Taehyung seemed to think you were cool now, and while he talked your ear off before the lesson started, (and during too to be honest), he still seemed shy around you. He wouldn’t talk as much as the other three would, but he loved to lean over to you, and whisper whatever he thought about the teacher or what he had written on the board. It was always something you wouldn’t realize without looking hard enough, such as the teacher's personal art that was all over the classroom, or how one of the girls in the very front row clearly was interested in him. Even things like the teacher wearing two mismatched socks, or how he leaned to the right ever so slightly. You didn’t know if Taehyung did it on purpose, but it unconsciously made you pay better attention to the class, and it made you look forward to the class too -that could just be you wanting to be around Taehyung though. 

This is what your days started turning into. You would get to school just as the bell starts and would sit next to Taehyung or one of his friend’s in all your classes. Then you would eat lunch with them, which was always a loud and chaotic time, thus also getting closer to them all in turn. You mostly started getting closer to Taehyung, growing fond of how chatty he seemed to be around you, loving his out of the box thinking, and falling further for him the more you learned. Then you moved.

The thing though is that you wanted to move. After graduating, life started to get harder even with the seven angels by your side, you needed to change your career, move somewhere nice. Somewhere tropical is where you decided to move, and you kept in touch with the boys as much as you could. Starting out small you worked on the coastline anywhere that would hire you. As luck has it, your first job consisted of just filing paperwork for a local resort: Sunset Resorts. You later moved up the career ladder at Sunset Resorts, becoming successful enough to be appointed as head manager of the entire resort. You were living your dream, making enough money to make a CEO nervous, and you still kept in contact with those seven men from high school. The only issue was Taehyung. At first he would be so good at responding to your text messages and keeping you up to date with his own successful life, then a few months ago he got worse. In fact he got worse than Jungkook, and the whole group knows how bad Jungkook is at responding to texts. It was frustrating and heartbreaking, your little puppy crush from high school was still there and he was ignoring you. After a little while you started to give up, and Taehyung never reached out, despite probably being scolded by all your friends. 

You still keep in contact with the others, they update you on Taehyung as best as they can, you’re thankful, and at least your crush on Taehyung has faded away over time. 

Now, two years have passed. You still have your demanding job as head resort manager and nothing’s changed, yet. 

_______

I am a new writer and 100% open to any constructive feedback, you just let me know!

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't worry more is to come!

The song that inspired me to write this series vvv

[sanchoyoscribbles]

toxic mew mew!! These are oooold ocs redesigned, they're called toxic mew mew bc they're all based on plants that are extremely toxic (and also, the team in general is pretty toxic, lol)

the lady in the middle poses as a teacher to get into a girl's correctional facility in california and inject this team of juvenile delinquents. this wouldve been a darker series that kind of explores 'well, what if the whole injecting animal dna into girls w/out their consent was done with someone with worse intentions/more manipulative than ryou, and if the girls weren't so cooperative with each other'...

more about them (and original designs for the sake of comparison) under the cut!

2015 designs

2017 redesigns! You can see the new ones are hard veers off the rails of what they looked like, but tbh I think the new designs/backstories are more fitting for the type of story I wanted to tell with these girls so /shrug

Here's some civilian headshot concepts!! subject to change ofc, but. yeah :)

Character profiles:

Iris Amsel / Mew Foxglove / 17

Infused with the White-collar Kite

Fashion sense: preppy, expensive taste

Iris is in juvie because of her expensive tastes. her family is lower middle class, but she's obsessed with appearing more wealthy than she actually is. She started off having her on and off boyfriend steal money from his parents, and then she herself started stealing from her own family and got caught shoplifting from a high end boutique. She looks down on people who don't care for their appearance and puts up a snobby front. In reality she's a very insecure person who worries a lot about the future, and will latch on to anyone who promises her anything steady; which is why Lola was able to promise her lots of money and fame eventually from the mew stuff to get her on board...

Ruka Bates / Mew Bloodroot / 15

Infused with the Bonin flying Fox

Fashion sense: emo girly punk (think gir hot topic jackets/black and red plaid skirts, teased hair and emo bangs, fingerless gloves, raccoon tail hair clips, type 2000s outfits)

In juvie because of vandalism…actually, she didn't, though! She got framed by her bullies who had dragged her along to help them graffiti a building. the original design was something they stole from her notebook full of doodles, so it was easy for them to point at her as the main culprit. she's incredibly anxious and is a huge people-pleaser, so that gets her into a lot of trouble. Lola has kind of taken her under her wing as her favorite, but Ruka is still uneasy about all this mew stuff. She just doesn't want to disappoint Lola, so she goes along with it…

Lola Black / Mew Blacklocust / 24

Infused with Darwin's fox

Fashion sense: cozy, soft-colored outfits, lots of warm beige colors, hair in a bun most of the time and wears glasses. she looks a bit disheveled despite how pretty she is, which puts people at ease.

Her father was a rival of Ryou's father while Ryou's family was in America, and her dad became obsessive about surpassing their work before he died in a chimera-related accident. Lola sees this as Ryou's fault (if the mews had been more effective that wouldn't have happened type thing. She put together that he was behind the mew project because she's a genius, but she 100% uses her smarts for the wrong things and has NO moral code) She sneaks into the correctional facility all the girls are at to inject them all and herself to surpass tokyo mew mew. (this story takes place 5 or so years after tmm does). She appears as a very kind person who really wants to help disadvantaged teens, but in reality she's a very cold, jealous person who could care less what happens to her girls so long as they get her what she wants. She absolutely knows how the system works, and believes no one would care or notice these kids getting used since they're delinquents…

May Greensdale / Mew Mayapple / 16

Infused with the Mangshan Pit Viper

Fashion sense: casual sportswear, lots of jerseys (but she decorates them with bows) shorts under all her skirts, lots of varsity jackets and bedazzled merch of her former high school team

May is in juvie because of property destruction/arson. May is actually a very hyper girl who's known for being friendly/popular at school, as well as being a soccer star! She made decent grades and was well-liked by everyone, had a good relationship with her parents and siblings…so it was a shock when she got busted for setting the school on fire after a big game. (one that her team won, no less!) In reality the stress of being good at soccer (expected to get a scholarship) was getting to her, and she's someone with poor impulse control/very black and white mentality, so rather than just talk to her parents/coach and explain she doesn't have passion for the sport anymore she…decided no school= no soccer team= no pressure. She actually agrees to the mew stuff pretty quickly because it sounds fun, and she actually does like helping! but her very impulsive nature gets her and the others in trouble a lot and makes the others mad at her, which stresses her out...the others do see her as a bit of a ditzy girl, but she's actually pretty smart when she doesn't give into her own whims and actually thinks things through!

Cheryl Ambers / Mew Wintercherry / 17

Infused with the Death Valley Pupfish

Fashion sense: has a very tomboyish style, baggy hoodies with basketball shorts, has been wearing the same pair of beat up sneakers since middle school, hair always kind of a mess and just tossed into a ponytail.

Cheryl is in juvie for assaulting a teacher. She'd gotten into multiple fights at school before that because she has intense anger issues and neglectful parents who never taught her to cope with her strong emotions in a healthy way. She's always had a lot of issues with authority, so becoming a mew feels like meeting an 'adult who finally gets it' (is 100% manipulating her) and is letting her fight as much as she wants rather than telling her what to do. she and Iris are roommates and HATE each other at first (then over time become friends and possibly more) and keep enabling each others awful habits. when people are nice to her she genuinely has no idea how to react because she's been on the defensive her entire life.

[theloniousbach]

THE FUN OF MUSIC

ADAM LARSON with Glenn Zaleski, Matt Cloeshy, and Ari Hoenig, SMALL’S JAZZ CLUB, 3 OCTOBER 2024, both sets

BRUCE HARRIS with Abdias Amenteros, Caelan Cardello, Jayla Chee, and Pete Van Nostrand, SMALL’S JAZZ CLUB, 22 SEPTEMBER 2024, 9 pm set

Two very affable, generous leaders who put together interesting bands with accompanists I wanted to hear. But what stood out is how much fun it all was.

I knew about ADAM LARSON now from Kansas City from a Webster jazz student and appreciated a trio album he loaned me. I caught the previous SMALL’S set and dug his light tone and melodic improvisations. He had Glenn Zaleski whom I’ve liked better in trios than the last couple of bands with horn players where he doesn’t have time to establish himself. Larson gave him that room but he also had ARI HOENIG goading him as he did with Larson too. They each beamed at him for his relentless energy and deep musicality. I saw Hoenig with Billy Childs at Smoke and then here in town and he certainly can play with horns and as a sideman. He is brilliant in his own trio and with Jean-Michel Pilc and Francois Moutin. For the former he brings in tasty compositions and is quite lyrical. Playing other folks’ material and able to just play drums/cymbals, he is, if anything, even more amazing as a drummer getting inside the tunes and listening big to his comrades. Zaleski and Larson clearly know him, but seeing him from the bandstand only reinforced that he was doing amazing stuff. Larson in particular would duet with him, but Hoenig was most sympathetic and in sync with Zaleski’s piano. Larson’s tunes were intricate and appealing. The second set opening even had a Weather Report/late Shorter feel while being thoroughly acoustic. Hoenig took care of several layers of sound and Larson was punchy and terse. But he could also be throatier and more extended. With only the one horn, Zaleski had room to build his solos and let his hair down. He looks preppy and fresh faced, but there’s loads of mischief in there. Hoenig seems to be playing in other people’s bands a bit more, so I’ll be on the lookout for him in that supportive role.

BRUCE HARRIS’s gig was wonderfully straight ahead with solid tunes like the Cupbearers, a Benny Golson tribute, Brubeck’s The Duke, a Myron Walden tune (a mentor from the generation I sort of missed), and Monk’s Well You Needn’t which had a nicely jerky rhythm. Like Larson he liked to talk about the music and the band and engage with the crowd. I was curious about bassist Jayla Chee who played solidly and took what solo space he had. Abdias Amenteros had a throatier, more muscular tone on tenor. He’s Cuban and whatever lilt and complexity that added, it wasn’t utilized enough. Harris was solid, modern, and straightahead with an easy command of his horn. It was Caelan Cardello whom I was most curious about. He’s been robust to the point of overpowering but also a sensitive accompanist to the singer April Varner. He was in the middle this time and therefore the soloist that grabbed my attention.

The Harris was a fun gig and I imagined writing about it differently. I also expected that one Larson set would suffice. But that set too was so much fun and that shared unexpected joyfulness seemed worth celebrating.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Lucy Henderson Character Bio

Basics

Full Name: Lucille (Lucy) Henderson

Birthday: April 21, 1968

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual (but hasn't quite figured that out yet)

Appearance

Ethnicity: Caucasian 

Skin Tone: Pale 

Eye Color: Hazel

Hair Color: Dirty blonde

Hairstyle: Long and curly, typically tied back and out of her face

Build: Chubby and curvy

Height: 5’ 6’’

Style: More preppy 80s style, has a fondness for pinks and pastels; high waisted jeans, scrunchies and floral prints are a regular part of her wardrobe

Personality

General Personality Traits: Cheerful, Optimistic, Kind

Strengths: Bravery, Loyalty, Compassionate 

Flaws: Insecure, Naive, Sensitive

Habits And Mannerisms: Often caught humming or singing to herself, plays with her hair when she’s nervous or scared

Secrets: Resentment at feeling she’s being left behind by her friends once they started high school

Regrets: Caring so much what people think of her when it shouldn’t matter

Skills/Talents: Talented costumer, singer and actress; knows her way around a tool chest and basic home repairs

Likes: Musicals, Fantasy, Long drives 

Dislikes: Last minute plans, Spiders, Math

Sense of Humor: Sucker for a good pun, and sassier than people give her credit for

Guilty Pleasure: Cheesy romcoms, melodramas, and romance novels

Defining Moment: Finally standing up for herself and telling Nancy how she’s been feeling

Relationships

Friends: Nancy Wheeler, Barbra Holland, Jonathan Byers, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Eddie Munson

Family: Claudia Henderson (mother), Dustin Henerson (younger brother)

Enemies: Hawkin’s Lab, The Upside Down

Lovers: Eddie Musnon (eventually)

Relationship Status: Single and too oblivious to mingle 

Reputation: Quiet theater kid who hangs out with some weirdos, but isn’t offensive enough to be bothered with for the most part

Miscellaneous

Current Residence: Hawkins, Indiana

Collections: Piles of fabric and ribbons she swears she’s going to use one day

Accent: Standard American

Voice: Smooth and sweet

Signature Quote: “Look, sometimes there are monsters under the bed that want to eat you and sometimes the monsters under the bed just want a place to sleep. It can be tricky knowing which is which.” 

Song: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper

Backstory

Born in Illinois, Lucy had a simple childhood for the first eleven years of her life. Both of her parents loved her and her baby brother Dustin to death. They weren’t a rich family, but not struggling and Lucy spent her days going to school and playing with her friends.  However, things couldn't say that simple for long. 

Just after Lucy turned eleven, her father died in a work place accident and her mom was left devastated and lost.  

Without having to say anything, Lucy knew she had to step up. She started taking more time to look after Dustin, making sure he had lunch for school, did homework with him, and any other small things that needed looking after as her mom dealt with her own grief and a veritable platoon of lawyers jumping at the class action lawsuit. Lucy's only goal was to make sure she and Dustin weren't the problem.

Her mom eventually moved through her grief and was able to pull herself back together, but by then Lucy had already taken on more responsibilities. She was the one to plan doctor’s appointments. She taught herself basic plumbing and car maintenance, and all the while keeping an eye on her brother. It came to the point where it was just expected of her to know who to call or what to do. If there was a problem, Lucy fixed it. 

Her mom then decided it was best for them to move. Claudia had family in Hawkins, a sister and both her parents. It would be good to be near family. While she didn't always know how to say it, Claudia knew she unintentionally put a lot on Lucy and wanted to make up for it.

So, the three of them packed their bags and with the money from the life insurance policy and law suit, they actually ended up in a better place financially than they were before.

Lucy the entered Hawkins middle school; the new girl in a small town with a dead dad. It wasn't exactly the place any twelve year old wants to be.

She learned not to lead with why her family moved to Hawkins, making sure to smile and to never be the problem.

Eventually she did find friends in Nancy and Barb after they all were paired up together on a school project. Nancy took the lead, Barb helped with research and Lucy found a way to make herself useful and make their presentation visually interesting. It worked and Lucy wasn't about to do anything that rocked the boat.

When she was thirteen, she even got a job as a babysitter for various families around Hawkins, including the Sinclairs and sometimes the Byers if Jonathan couldn’t come straight home after school. It was rough going for a while, but eventually she was able to put things back together and find a stable, happy rhythm.  Things changed again though once she, Barb, and Nancy started highschool. 

Lucy always felt on some level she was the odd one out, but as their freshman year went on, it only became more glaringly obvious. There were times it felt like she invited her along out of obligation rather than being her friend. Barb seemed the only one putting in the effort to keep their friendship alive. Lucy did her best, but felt the need to look elsewhere for friends, diving into theater and hoping that when the day came Nancy and Barb no longer called, it wouldn’t hurt so much. 

Still, they managed to hang on through freshman year, only for things to reach their breaking point when Nancy started sneaking off with Steve Harrington. And things would only get worse, starting the night of November 3, 1983. 

(edited 10/15/24)

[rwprincess]

Two Worlds Collided

Masterlist

A/N: Oh, an anachronistic songfic from RWPrincess? But this time it’s about John Bender! :D Inspired by Never Tear Us Apart (originally by INXS in 1987, but I particularly like this Paloma Faith version)

Word Count: 2K

Synopsis: Bender met reader at the Breakfast Club and the two seemed like opposites, but they shared a common hidden sadness. Over the years, feelings and relationships change.

CW: Swearing, sexuality, Bender being a general asshole

Bender had met her the same way everyone in the Breakfast Club had, on the Saturday detention on March 24th. He had seen her in the hallways prior to that as he was always observant. He had seen everyone in the Breakfast Club before that day; but he hadn’t given her much thought. Now, he was paying attention to little else. He had no idea why he was drawn to her; they were both so different and he could never picture himself with a goody-two-shoes like that. But the way she had reacted to his more vulnerable, real moments, how she tried to make a connection with him...that stuck with him. He knew he should have learned from his disastrous blow-up with Claire that two people who were so different just wouldn’t work out. He repeated this to himself over and over, like a mantra, but it never changed how he actually felt.

After the breakup, the Breakfast Club had a split between those who chose Bender and those who chose Claire. Of course, Andrew sided with Claire unconditionally, but John considered that as no big loss. Allison tried to play the middle ground and Johnson had sided more with him, but he was surprised at the wholehearted backing he received from Y/N. He had assumed that she would either try to be neutral like Allison, or pick Claire. She had no reason to side with him, he had always come off as an aloof ass. But she had, and he was eternally grateful for that. He had originally decided to get together with Claire because the notion had a hot, forbidden quality to it. They spent time insulting each other and making out to make up for it. It was as passionate as it was destructive, so of course it couldn’t last. However, when he was alone and reflected to himself, he had been attracted to Y/N all along. She was hot, yes, but he had plenty of good-looking girls to choose from. He was more drawn to that kind, quiet inside she had displayed that day. How she had gone out of her way numerous times to reach out to him and had been genuinely nice to him. Most of the time, someone only did that to gain something for themselves. Whether it was to use him or to make themselves feel better, it depended on the person, but with Y/N that never felt like it was the case.

Don't ask me

What you know is true

Don't have to tell you

I love your precious heart

He thought back to the first time he saw her on that Saturday, walking into the library and looking so out of place. He was already adjusting into his spot when she entered and she froze in front of all the tables like a deer-in-the-headlights, as if she had just materialized there and had no clue what she was doing. He remembered feeling both attracted to that doe-eyed look and scoffing internally at it. While she wasn’t part of the cliques that Andrew and Claire were, she had a very sheltered look to her and he was envious of that type of innocence. Her ignorance must have been bliss compared to the hell he lived each day at school and at home. She was just as out of place as the preppies or ultra-dweeb Johnson, but instead of being offended by that notion, she looked terrified. She meekly put her items on the front-row desk opposite to him and he thought about all the fun he could poke at everyone here, including her. However, the first blow did not land well. Bender loved making people uncomfortable, but he didn’t necessarily want to make them cry. He’d made some off-handed remark towards her. He had been circling her and eyeing her, employing the discomfort he liked inflicting, trying to ‘guess’ why she was in detention. “I bet you were caught fooling around with a teacher, right? Always the quiet ones that you’d least suspect…”

John Bender rarely regretted his words or actions. He knew he was an asshole and let unfiltered thoughts through so that he could be the center of attention. In doing so, he had to stand by all the shit he said, even when he crossed a line. This was one of the scattered occasions in which he felt remorse, though. She didn’t reply, not verbally, anyway, but she looked scared shitless and was rooted to the spot. Tears instantly sprang up in her eyes and she looked as if she were about to hurl right on his combat boots. He backed off after that. He didn’t apologize, because that’s not something John Bender could have on his reputation, but he didn’t target her. There was something so sincere about her reaction and he saw himself reflected in that expression. Not the tough-as-nails persona he projected, but his secret self who had seen too much too early in life and could barely stand another blow. He didn’t know what her deal was, but there was a heavy sadness behind those eyes that was far too real for him to tamper with.

When he had shown the group his souvenir for spilling paint in his garage, courtesy of his father, she must have seen that reflection back. No one in that group actually knew him. They all thought he was a lying sack of shit; what could he say? His reputation preceded him. But he caught her gaze as he backed away from the group, and the sadness in her recognized the sadness in him. He felt an odd sort of click, a mutual understanding, but he turned away from them all and trashed the library.

I, I was standing

You were there

Two worlds collided

And they could never tear us apart

That was months ago, and out of everyone he met that day, she was the one who truly stuck by him. He’d surprisingly connected with Johnson, sure. Everybody likes to get high and Bender was the supplier. And he and Allison had similar interests, but she wouldn’t give up Andrew and with that territory came Claire...there was just no going back to that. But Bender still had Y/N, and he could never understand it. The first time he had brought her into his friend circle, he tried to justify it as sticking to his word and ‘having the balls to stand up to his friends’ like he had told Claire to do. He also reasoned that it was some sort of social experiment. As much as he liked to portray himself as someone who couldn’t care less, Bender was entirely social. He craved attention and admiration for others and could read just about anyone like a book. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mess with Y/N after that first comment landed so wrongly. He felt like he knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling and decided to back off. However, it wasn’t just some ‘watch and see how she interacts’ set up; Bender genuinely wanted her there. He wanted to integrate her into his life.

She was still extremely quiet, mostly a speak-when-you’re-spoken-to type, but he started to peel back layers in her personality. He found that, despite that lurking sadness, there was an unending pool of optimism. She tried to see the best in situations and in people. She meshed incredibly well with his friends because she listened instead of judged. She would nod along like she knew exactly what they were talking about and how they felt. He started to develop an attachment to her. While he was still dating Claire, he told himself it was akin to having a pet. Y/N was like a goldfish that he could tell his problems to and know the secret would be kept. But after Claire, he realized that wasn’t the case...particularly when he sought Y/N’s comfort above all else. He divulged the entire last big fight he and Claire had to her, and she was just so...reassuring. After that day, he began to see her in a different light. He argued with himself over what his feelings and intentions actually were, but he couldn’t keep them at bay for long. She was good for Bender. He had never felt lighter.

Of course, Bender had not known stability in his life ever, and the risk of falling for Y/N and having it mean something and being accountable to one person overwhelmed him. He did what he knew best: he fought it and ran away from it. At first, he tried to avoid her, just distance himself. But he’d gravitate back; being without her was too heavy to bear. He wanted to try to actively push her away, to fuck up this relationship with his words, just like he did with everything else. But when he opened his mouth to try to lie, to say he didn’t need her or want her around or whatever, he would look into her eyes and it became impossible. He remembered the way he had shaken her to her core the first day they met, and he couldn’t allow himself to bring that sadness up again in her.

We could live for a thousand years

But if I hurt you

I'd make wine from your tears

Eventually, he gave in. While he was able to control his words to not say anything harmful, he wasn’t able to contain them from slipping up and telling her, “Dammit, I love you!” It wasn’t in a context that could be taken as joking or being said flippantly; she knew immediately what he meant and that he meant those words, wholly.

She took his face in her hands and told him, “I love you, too.” There was no turning back, and as the years passed, they fell deeply in love. He'd dug up her secrets and fears, but she seemed to trust him enough to not use them against her in any way. They both dreaded the prospect of never getting out of Shermer and falling into the same circular trap their parents had. However, he reassured her that the moment they had the opportunity, they would bust out of there. He lucked out that Claire had never asked for her diamond earring back. It was probably one of many and she had forgotten she had even given it to him as a token. He decided to pawn it to top-off the savings he and Y/N had accrued. "You're too good for me, you're sure as hell too good for this place,'' he told her. The trade-in was enough to get them out of town and start anew, but only one of them could really ‘move up’ for now. While they argued back and forth about who should get to pursue which dream, Bender rationalized to her, “I was barely cut out for high school. I can’t really do college. And that’s okay. You’re the brains in this relationship, I’m the beauty.” He winked at her and with her laughter as response, that sealed the deal of who was going to school.

I told you

That we could fly

'Cause we all have wings

But some of us don't know why

She searched the crowd, holding her diploma. Bender had supported her both financially and emotionally these last four years and now they had the degree to prove it. She felt pride in being able to take over from him and let him follow a new path. He had always been good with his hands, but despite his protests, he was good with his mind too. He was a sharp-thinker and she knew that he could make a career that he loved out of that. She’d be there to push and brace him as he had done for her. Finally, she spotted him. When their eyes connected, she felt that same crackle that she had the first day they had met, all those years ago. Before the friendship and the love, she knew there was a spark there, that they were two of a kind, even though they were so different.

I, I was standing

You were there

Two worlds collided

And they could never tear us apart

[rinisbowen]

is it too strong a sentiment to say that ej’s “taken off the costume” at the end of second chances (the episode) in his blue (and green) outfit which serves incredibly well to contrast the red of his letterman jacket and troy bolton jersey for “second chance” (the number)? probably, most definitely yes. i’d call it an overstatement at the very least. 

but like- isn’t it sort of a costume... if we look at ej’s arc in the sense of him putting on a show and learning to be true and vulnerable, then- i think there’s definitely an argument to be made that he is wearing a costume (even when he’s not actively dressed up as troy bolton in his audition), as an extension of his putting on a front. 

but at the same time, i think that effect is somewhat mellowed by the fact he’s wearing camouflage in this episode as well. but yeah idk. ej’s also just very preppy in his clothing style in general, the 2.09 tank top as a notable exception, and that’s similar to nini (and i’d sorta add gina, who’s more posh i would say than nini). ej’s clothes range between sporty and preppy, like one of his 2.06 outfits is that athletic jacket, but then he’s wearing that striped button down in 2.07.

i kinda tried to do a little look over the season and see how far i could extend the visual metaphor of ej’s releasing his inhibitions (feeling the rain on his skin), but there’s enough red (and enough of the preppy collared shirt vibes) going on in season 2, even late season 2, that i don’t want to stretch it too far. i’d be curious to see if his season 3 wardrobe is more relaxed for summer / relaxed in general, and how much we can get into ej like- letting go a bit visually as well as psychologically.  idk if they will extend it too far physically, but i mean we’ve seen matt’s season 3 hair so- perhaps. 

the camouflage shirt is something i can get into another time. but the fact ej “puts the costume back on” after he faces this hurt over gina, is for sure a very strong bit of imagery. which yes, it’s a dream sequence flashing them all back, but ej’s also facing a regression in his character here. and he’s the one expressing it the most as a regression. he’s falling- and he’s not catching himself. like ej’s letting go- gina’s choosing to hope for good things, nini’s deciding to pursue good things and ricky- well he’s making a choice that’s for sure, but we see him take action, which is a good thing in its own way. like he’s not wallowing? ej’s just- he’s done. which is totally 100% fair- i mean ricky spends almost an entire episode ‘being a burrito’ in chicago after he and nini breakup, but it is still a regression moment nonetheless.

(also yes this is yet another post that has come about as a result of me noodling on the ej and gina second chance / second chances meta. i’m having a harder time putting coherent thoughts together bc i spent less of my time focusing on their arc together in my initial watch, so i’m having to go over things in my brain more to get a central argument for each character. that said i am making progress on the post!)