#THESE ARENT EVEN HALF OF THOSE MOMENTS

[lost-my-sanity1]

the red white and royal blue movie as a whole took my breath and my brain away from me I can't think straight so a few moments which definitely made me want to crawl out of my skin and take bath in ice cold water

[justaz]

merlin’s secret being a visual thing. when he is around arthur or gwen or leon or morgana or [insert whatever character here] merlin seems pale and thin, almost like a ghost or an apparition. when the sun lands on him he reflects it like a corpse, he eyes seem dark and dull. he has this ethereal beauty to him, this otherworldly visage that leads many to believe he is of fae blood. he just doesn’t seem to be 100% human. but when he is ONLY with lancelot or gaius (cough or gwaine bc gwaine DEFINITELY knew) merlin is heartachingly human. merlin shines in the sunlight, colors are brighter and more vibrant around him, and his smiles are wide and his laughs are boisterous. he takes on color and leaves everyone wanting to know him. but when other join in or interact with the two, merlin shifts before their eyes so quickly and suddenly that they aren’t sure whether or not what they saw was a trick of the light. the idea still leaves them wanting more and wanting to see the merlin who is just so full of life but that merlin only appears for a small select group of people. merlin who has a guard so high that it has an effect of other’s perception of him.

[kachowden]

ruthless, bloodthirsty yandere Pirate Captain X Prince/ss!Reader, either kidnapped or accidentally ended up on the ship nad now cannot leave

The rope dug into the soft skin of your wrists, leaving angry red trails with each thrash and and strive. Your teeth grit painfully, aching against each other as the sounds of water smashed against the wall behind you.

Salt invaded your senses, your eyes burning from the water that dripped from your head. You sneezed at either the smell of the deep, dark ocean, or the cold of your frozen clothes stuck to your skin.

Your brain fogged over what happened, and your body ached with exhaust, though you hardly halted in yours struggles, not till the heavy steps of boots approached the finely crafted door. A slow rasp of knuckles against the door. Then his god awful voice spoke through.

“Knock, Knock.” You could practically hear his foul smile, before the door was swung open far too aggressively. You winced as it smacked against the wall, shoulders tensing as you bared your teeth.

“You have a lot of nerve.” A weak willed threat to hide the fear that guzzled down your windpipes.

The man cared little, as a hoarse and deep laugh roared from his throat. His accessories, likely stolen, dangled with each step, while he approached.

“You’re a yappy little thing arent ya? Could ‘ere you half way to the port.”

“…We’re docked?” The news visibly shocked you, you hadn’t been on the ship for that long, or so you believed. It surely didn’t feel that long. Was there a port near to your kingdom? One you didn’t know about? Or maybe, this cocky pirate had parked on the other side of the island, believing he had time to get away.

“We haven’t even left yet, doll.” You wanted to spit on him. You hoped he understood that he was the muck on your shoe as you stepped past the pig pens.

“Then you are far more foolish and arrogant then I was originally led to believe. The guards will find me any second! I’ll relish in seeing you hauled to guillotines.”

He tutted, a knowing smile that made your skin crawl and throat go dry, as he stepped passed you, slowly. “I wouldn’t be so sure, your highness…”

“We’ve been here for well over a night. No one’s looking for you.”

Those words made you freeze, eyes widening in disbelief at this pirates audacity. Did he believe you an ignorant fool? To boldly tell such lies to your face?

But then…you don’t know how long you’d actually been here. The sick sway in your stomach made it appear like hours. And you had woken up here too. Was the sky the same sky you had seen before you were taken?

It was the same shade of blue and yet…were those the same clouds? Was it greener now? Had you truly been here for hours? Days?? Had no one come to look for you?!

He watched with a sick grin, teeth sunk deep into a deliciously red apple, as he basked in your inner makings crumbling. Personally, he found your resistance cuter then this..look of hopelessness. But this was needed for your eventual cooperation.

And of course he had lied to you. The kingdom was a muck looking for you at the moment. You were just on the side of your little country that few actually were aware of. A safe space tucked beside the cliff side. A pretty spot.

“What do you want.”

Oh? The little doll wanted his attention.

“Hm? Care to elaborate birdie?”

Your bristled visibly at the name, though the deep breath you let out to calm yourself was in its own right commendable. “What is your purpose for stealing me.”

“Saying I stole you, truly makes you sound like you were someone else’s property prior, doesn’t it?”

When you didn’t respond, he sneered, lips pulled into an unpleasant growl as he stepped towards you again, ringed and rough fingers gripping your jaw, sure to leave a bruise.

“Excuse you-!” You nearly gagged when he popped your mouth open, pushing the bitten half of the apple into your mouth like a swine ready to be roasted. Your tongue curled back as far as it could, fearful of touching the flesh of the fruit your captor had eaten from.

His smile returned, in a disturbing satisfaction as his dark green eyes swept across your form.

Had it not been the circumstances. Had it not been for who he was, you’d think his eyes were beautiful. Such a vibrant shade of green, that shines in the golden light. Like sun filtering through spring leaves.

But because of the circumstances, because of who he was, you likened them more to the color of sewage near an old tavern. The color of floating, rotten seaweed that sticks slimely to your skin. Slimey. That was a good word. His eyes were Slimey. As were his hands, his smile.

A degrading tap against your cheek brought you back to the slime before you. You hated that this filth was pretty. You hated that had it been any other circumstance. You might’ve fancied him.

“Rest up now pet, ‘s gonna be a long journey.” He stood with a low grunt, boots echoing against the wooden floor, as his jewels jingled.

“You didn’t answer my question you filth!” Your words were illegible against the apple, as your jaw had been stretched to the max, making it hard for you to spit it out unless you bit down.

The pirate gave little mind to your attempt, simply humming as if he knew what you said irregardless. “You’ll learn in due time birdie. Not try not to cause a ruckus while I’m gone. I’d hate for the dogs to grow nasty.”

And the door slammed behind him, your heart hammering. You didn’t think he meant actual dogs and that’s what made your crawl to farthest corner could, leaning your bound body against the weathered wood.

Your jaw hurt, your wrist hurt. You were tired, emotionally and mentally. And as the weight of the situation sunk in, you felt yourself slump in momentary defeat, eyes fluttering against your cheeks.

Weak, frustrated tears burned behind your lashes.

You prayed for your safety.

You prayed that someone…anyone was looking for you.

But your heart ached, as if it knew a truth you didn’t want to acknowledge.

No one was coming.

On the far side of the kingdom..

A young knight was causing unfathomable chaos.

“Find them! Find them now! If you are withholding information or if any of you pathetic guards are unable to find even a trace of them, your heads will be on the block along with their disgusting captor!”

[kittenfangirl20]

Lilo and Stitch Au

⚠️This Story will deal with mental health issues such as depression and suicidal thoughts and drug use ⚠️

Adam sighed as he came home from work, his home cold and empty. He threw his keys down and grabbed his pack of smokes and went out on his patio to have a cigarette.

He loves his job, his own gardening business but coming home to no one? Not even his kids, Eve and Lilith had his kids and his missed them so much.

Adam set his smoke in the ash tray for a moment and clasped his hands together. It's been so long since he's ever prayed but it couldn't hurt to try.

Adam: God, it's me Adam. I know I haven't done this in a while but I'm so lonely. I know you probably have bigger fish to fry than me but a companion, not necessarily a romantic one would be nice to have. Someone kind, who will be good to me........ I'm not sure how much more I can take.

He picked up his smoke and finished it before going to bed, he felt so silly even trying to ask for something like that.

Especially when he didn't deserve it.

Up in Heaven, Lucifer, the angel of Light and Creativity was being scolded by the Queen of Heaven Sera. These people were so stiff all the time it's like they can't take a joke.

Sera: You can't keep doing things like this Lucifer.

Lucifer: Why not? Nothing bad happened.

Sera narrowed her eyes: Winners got hurt.

Lucifer: So?

Sera: So, this is Heaven not Hell winners shouldn't be getting hurt. I know you aren't fond of humans-

Lucifer scoffed and rolled his eyes, not being fond of humans was an understatement. He hates humans.

Sera: But you have to stop!

A golden scroll appeared in front of her, those ones came from God himself. She read it over and came up with an idea.

Sera: Since you want to behave like a brat you'll be punished like one. We are going to send you to Earth to help a human soul in need. And you'll only be at half power.

Lucifer: What the fuck Sera!?

Sera glared: Should you fail and this human dies and their soul goes to Hell, you will go with them.

Lucifer couldn’t believe it, he was being sent to Earth to help some human. Humans were a failure, they brought about things like war, racism, sexism, homophobia, and genocide. To make matters worse some of them even used God to justify these horrific things. But before he could object any further, the ground opened up beneath him and he fell. He fell until he hit the ground. He looked around and saw that he was on the Kamehameha Highway.

Lucifer internally: Great I am in Hawaii.

Before he could do anything else he was hit by an 18 wheeler which sent him practically flying across the highway. Thankfully it couldn’t kill him even if at half his strength and power. He got up and stumbled off the highway and he found himself at Adam’s front yard. Since he no longer had his wings, he couldn’t fly away. While he couldn’t die from that, being still hurt like a bitch and he passed out. In the morning Adam walked and saw someone passed out on the ground. He wore white, light blue, and gold robes. Before he could try to help him he got up. His skin was white making Adam wonder if the man was an albino. He had bright red circles on his cheeks, hair that looked it was made of threads of gold, and piercing blue eyes.

Lucifer: Human, what is your name?

Adam: Human? My name is Adam Kadmon.

Hearing the name told Lucifer that this human was the one that Lucifer was forced to help.

Lucifer: Adam Kadmon, the human I am Lucifer Morningstar. Be not afraid, for I am angel sent from Heaven to help you.

Adam: If you are an angel where are your wings?

Lucifer: They were taken from me because my pranks had harmed some Winners. So I was sent to Earth to help you because you prayed for help.

Adam: So I pray to God for a companion and I become community service to get an angel back to Heaven? That sounds about right.

Adam know whether to believe Lucifer or not, but it looked like he was stuck with him.

@things-arent-what-they-seem66

[barblaz-arts]

Hello!

I would like to start with the fact that your art style is amazing, same goes for the design of the characters. (They look yummy tbh)

I have been wondering if you ever got some kind of art block, if yes what did you do?

If you see this, I hope you have a great day.

Thank you!

Most of the time, when I wanna draw but cant quite know WHAT i wanna draw, I redraw stuff. Like, screenshots. Or old drawings. Or even memes. Those are especially fun for drawing expressions I might not usually draw. Or I take scenes from fics I like or fics I've written and draw them. It helps that I get to move my pen with only half the brain power needed to picture what I want drawn.

But sometimes when I really cant overcome it, I usually just wait it out. Do my other hobbies like read or write or churn up another meta analysis. You cant force yourself to overcome that block sometimes and that's ok.

Oh but sometimes tho! Something that works unintentionally is when I'm like really really upset. I dont like to show it much, bcuz I understand that I'm getting old and I have a significant amount of followers that I dont wanna be a bad example to... But I can have quite a temper on me and can get really petty. But instead of exploding, I try to draw with those feelings.

Like, a while ago, I got really upset about stuff with an AI art fraud. And im just like, you know what this person can claim they're an "artist" all they want, but they still havent even shown a paper drawing as concrete proof. all just excuses and shit. The next moment I drew this, just to reassure myself that I'm an artist and I know what being a real artist is. That unlike AI frauds, I can show I dont need a computer to draw. All I need is a pencil and paper and I'm good.

(Then I proceeded to draw more than I usually do on paper because of that lmao)

And then when Youtooz came with an announcement that they're gonna release four figurines, half of which was 2 versions of Alastor and NO sign of Vaggie, I drew four Vaggies. Yes. I drew all this angry. Until yunno. I got so happy over how nice this ended up looking instead.

And then the last art I posted with the Harem Hotel AU? That's been in my drafts since november but I only got to finish it recently because I got upset over all the people in my notifs leaving hate comments about Vaggie lmao. Just told myself that they can claim to be objective critics who arent misogynistic, but at the end of the day all they could do is leave mean comments on twitter. Meanwhile, I can create! It's borderline horny gay shit, but hey! At least I'm doin' something productive! I can show female characters like her are are worth so much love to the point of making art!

Just. Idk. Maybe next time you feel negative feelings and shit, use art as the outlet for that negativity. Make something out of it. It doesnt have to be pretty, but hopefully it could make you feel good.

Or you know. Like I said, just wait it out.

[talesfromawannabewriter]

The Hollow Beast

@things-arent-what-they-seem66, here's that post-partum Adam au we talked about! Hope your prepared for some pretty heavy angst.

(This is just a warning for anyone who has suffered post-partum there can be a few scenes in this where it could be triggering for some readers so if that's not for you then you should probably steer clear of this, other than that enjoy readers)

An ear-piercing scream jolted Adam awakes. As it had been for the past month and a half. He groaned before turning to shake his husband awake.

Adam: Luci, Luci please get up for once.

All he received was a snore from the left side of the bed. Adam sighed heavily as he pinched his nose in frustration. He wanted to simply ignore the screaming creature in the cradle by the foot of the bed but and go back to sleep but knew it would be in vain. So slowly but surely, he made his way out of the bed and walked over to the cradle that held the little screaming beast he called son. Damien, their recent child had not only been the most difficult of their children as an infant but had also been a nightmare of a pregnancy.

Adam was constantly sick all the way to the end, his back hurt all the time, and he was even put on bed rest during the sixth month of pregnancy. The birth itself was horrible to say the least. Their son was a twenty-seven-hour labor where eventually Belphegor had to perform a C-section. But it was all worth it when their son was safely delivered into their arms, with only a few minor health issues.

Or at least that's Adam kept telling himself.

Lately he has been feeling the strain with not only one baby who was endlessly crying whether that be day or night but two. His second oldest daughter Eden was two years old, that meant she was at that stage of the terrible two's. Let him tell you was not an easy stage. Her tantrums were incessant, and she constantly wanted to be near her mama, while he was dealing with Damien. His other toddler Mallum, who was four, wasn't so bad besides him constantly running around bothering anyone who would look in his direction to play with him.

Especially his father, Lucifer who stated that he was all so busy nowadays performing his kingly duties. Apparently so much so that he couldn't perform a single act of his fatherly duties or even his marital duties. But that was neither here nor there, Adam simply focused his attention on his baby who after a whole damn hour he managed to somehow get him to sleep. Gently as he could he placed his son back down and quietly crept back into bed. He rests his eyes for a single moment before he felt Lucifer rustle against him and felt him laying on top of him. He opened his eyes and groaned internally when he saw a very familiar look inside those yellow, red orbs

Lucifer: Hey, you awake Beautiful?

[petriwriting]

Vero Amore - Theodore Nott X Reader (Part 5 - Finale)

Summary: Theodore is on trial for being associated with voldemort due to his father and family history, His odds arent looking so good. Luckily for him you are called to the stand to testify on his behalf, and you just might be the key to his innocence.

Fluff, established previous relationship, Exbf!Theo, Older!Theo and others. Post hogwarts.

Previous Here

You were shocked, utterly confused, you still loved him, but this was such a bad moment for a kiss. you scolded yourself for acting the way that you did and for not explaining yourself that day. 

Theodore had kissed you, and you pulled away suddenly. He was concerned with your reaction, his thought was that you were seeing someone and he would hate to get in the mix of that. He didn't want to hurt you more than he already managed to do so. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" he said, but you had cut him off. you grabbed your things and headed for the door. "Wait!" Theodore practically lunged himself in front of the space between you and the door. you turn away, almost unable to face him. your emotions are raging. your heart was being pulled in two different directions. On one side was the deep, abiding love you felt for Theo. He was the love of your life, your one true love, you always told yourself that because deep down you knew it to be true. But on the other hand, you were in such an awkward phase of your life, you were struggling with finding yourself after the war and its aftermath. You didn't want to simply fall back into the old habit and turn to what was comfortable. You wanted to grow. "I need to leave." you whisper. Theodore didn't object, being complacent he opened the door for you, although everything in him was dying to reach out to you and stop you. He loved you too much for his own good sometimes.

you couldn't deny the intense feelings you felt despite trying in the following weeks.The chemistry between you and theo was electric and undeniable. The more you thought it over, the more the spark grew into a burn of desire. Theodore awakened parts of you that had gone dormant over the years. you felt alive again in a way you hadn't for a long time, that amazing feeling of being in love was slowly starting to come back. and you realized it could potentially complicate things, but that you wouldn't let the fear stop you from being away from him. Despite forgiving him for hurting you, you were scared something else could happen. a fear that was well known. You found yourself regretting leaving his flat that evening, and not saying anything after. It had been 2 and a half weeks to be exact. After some heavy contemplation and consideration, before overthinking yourself to death, You found yourself at his doorstep yet again, secretly hoping he wouldn't be home so you could avoid the confrontation. That anxious feeling rising in your chest. You knocked gently on the door. You heard shuffling from within the apartment and slowly the door opened, and Theo presented himself. "hi." he said. "I'm really happy to see you." he says. Before giving him the chance to say another word, you begin to explain your actions. "I'm sorry Teddy, that wasn't right of me to leave. I was so scared, because the feelings I had for you that I thought had gone away," you sighed. "I still have those feelings for you. they never went away." you admit. "And I want to move forward, and grow with you. I shouldn't have rejected you," you say. Theodore says your name tenderly. "Will you stay this time?" he asks. "Yes." you step inside, and without hesitation you kiss him. deeply, passionately. It was an embrace you would remember forever, a moment frozen in time. "I love you."

You find shelter in the warmth of his apartment, where you stayed the night, It was the first night of many. 

EPILOGUE

You are setting the dinner table at the Nott manor, a place that has been refurbished and decorated to your liking. Candles are lit, and the curtains are open letting the warm glow of the evening sunshine to pier through each window. A place that was once haunted with terrible memories has now been replaced with a place full of new memories, happy ones full of love. You children run around the table, playing. A son with the spitting image of his father, and a daughter who shares her parents features. They laugh and play, "Come sit, dinner is almost ready." you exclaim. The young children go to their seats, laughing and giggling while making faces at each other. In a few years time they will be at Hogwarts, which is a scary but happy thought for you and your husband. Theodore approaches the kitchen with a bowl of fresh pasta, and a plate of chicken. setting it down. His eyes are still the same cool tone, less sunken in despite his old age. His hair is icey, nearly graying. The more recent years have been much more kind to him. He grabs the utensils, helping you finish setting up the table for dinner. A fresh salad, Chicken, pasta, and homemade rolls. All from Theodore's family recipe book, the house smells like fresh bread and springs of herbs. Soon enough, you are enjoying a family dinner together. you created the most beautiful family you could possibly imagine. The children are loved by their parents and you both love them dearly, there is no threat of war hanging over them, they get to be naive and curious as they approach the world, it's all Theo or yourself could possibly ask for. Your family is happy. "Daddy?" your daughter asks, "can you help me?" she says. Your son, who is a handful of years older than his sister is devouring his plate, enjoying every bite of food. Your daughter, however, is much younger, and is struggling to cut up pieces of her chicken to eat. her small hands keep dropping the fork and knife. "I can help, love." you say gently, standing to reach forward. "no!" she says. "I want daddy to help me." she insists. You glance at theo with a smile, realizing he is finally loved in his childhood home. You watch as Theodore reaches for your daughter's plate, placing it in front of him. Your daughter's soft dark curls fall into her face as she climbs onto her fathers lap. Theodore grabs her hands and guides her on how to cut the meat, smiling, being as encouraging as ever. "oh merlin! This is delicious!" your son says. "Please don't say that at the dinner table!" you scold him. He's Theodore's mini-twin. "Thanks dad!" he exclaims. you begin to eat, and it is amazing. "You can thank your grandmother for the recipe." Theodore says, your daughter went back to her seat with her plate. A bit of sadness washes over him as they will never be able to meet his mother. She would have loved to see his beautiful little family. 

[sixflame438]

Birthday Cake

Synopsis - The day before your birthday, Yunjin pays you a visit

Pairing - Kim Chaewon x Reader

Tags - Angst (not that sad tbh), established relationship, told from Yunjins perspective, Chae is only mentioned. Inspired by the song Birthday Cake - Dylan Conrique. Possible errors

Word count - 2799

“Hey. Howve you been? I hope lifes treating you well, wherever you are now.”

“Youre turning 23 tomorrow god youre getting too old for this world grandma.” Yunjin couldnt help but chuckle to herself from the irony of it all, knowing you werent getting any older and you never would. 

“As per birthday tradition we made you a cake! Well Chaewon baked it obviously, you know i cant bake for shit. Youre probably laughing at me right now arent you? You werent any better either.”

“Remember that time actual firefighters had to come and save us from the mess you created? When you tried flambéing for the first time to impress Chaewon with a fancy home cooked dinner? But then ended up impressing everyone by burning down your kitchen?

Oh and remember that time when you tried baking bread but got distracted and left the loaf in for too long? It was like a black crunchy concrete brick. And then your dumbass tried eating it”

Yunjin recalled, cackling at the memory. “Man that was the best 10 bucks of my life, wiping her tears from laughing too hard.

“Fun times those were” 

“Hey I helped decorate it though! We all did! Its a nice heart shaped cake in your favorite colour with ribbons and swirls of frosting to line the edges. We even cut and put on some of your favorite fruits. Youll see it tomorrow when Chaewon comes to spend the day with you.

Speaking of your girlfriend, or ex girlfriend now? i guess im not quite sure since you know youre not here but then again you never really broke up either so like honestly im just gonna say girlfriend because saying ex girlfriend makes the situation even sadder.

“So like anyway we spent half the day going around to places you both spent time together at. Im talking date spots, food places, things you liked to do together. I think she wouldve rathered go alone but i didnt feel right letting her go out half in a daze.”

“We went to the park where you two first met. Sat on the ledge of the fountain she pulled you out of, in the exact spot you gave her your number to repay her back for saving you. She didnt say much during the day, just a few words of how the moment you had together went. I think she was reliving it in her head, i cant even blame her.

We then went to the bakery coffeeshop you had your first date at, Chaes favorite one in the city. She ordered her usual, a slice of cake and a milkshake, apparently you two would always share those when you went.

The waiter recognised her and immediately put the order in with a nod, Chae didnt even need to say anything. I got a milkshake too, it was pretty good i can see why you enjoy the place.

Chae ate half the cake, drank half the shake and then left it, said that she was saving it for you. I think part of her still thinks youre here. Like she knows youre not, but she doesn’t want to believe it.”

“Did you know her milkshake came with 2 straws? Maybe the waiter thought id be sharing it with Chae but like i also got my own one so maybe the waiter thought youd be coming too. SHE definitely did. She kept going on about how we couldnt go yet because you werent there yet. It took her half an hour after before she left the cafe. 

Your half of the meal is probably in the bin now, either that or Chae took it home with her. I dont really know, i stepped out and waited in the car. It felt like i was interrupting something. Didnt feel like crying in public either, at least in the car less people would notice.”

Yunjin doesnt say much after that, letting her thoughts take over and enter rumination. Its not until she hears the cheerful chirp of a robin that she snaps out of her reverie, wiping away a stray tear that had began to fall. Clearing her throat she continues to recount her day.

“Ahem uhm we also went to some other places, your favorite ice cream store by the pier, that one ramen place we found on a drunk night out, the tiny photo booth store in the mall with all the goofy accessories. You get the point though, places we made memories at, places where we had fun together. Now we’ll never get to.”

“At the end Chae had me drop her off by this flower garden. Im not quite sure why she wanted to go, she didnt say. She also didnt want me to go with her either. All i know is that theres a big duck pond inside, maybe you would know why. 

And then I came here.” 

Reaching into the bag she brought with her, Yunjin pulled out a medium sized box. Not too big, not too small and placed it on the ground in front of some flowers that were starting to wilt, evident by the dry outer petals and leaves. The box was covered in blue and white lined wrapping paper, topped with a golden ribbon bow and a tagged envelope attached by string. 

“Oh and i brought you a present. Youd probably try emphasise how much you dont need a gift and that just being with you was enough but how could i not? Its your birthday. You and Chae can open it up tomorrow, i wont reveal the surprise just yet. 

I wrote you a card inside too, i know how much you appreciate each one you get. I stumbled upon your box of old cards youve kept. Sorry i didnt snoop too far i promise, i stumbled across it when looking for clothes to steal borrow while you were out oops uh now you know but i got curious and took a lil looksies. Found the one i wrote to you 3 years ago, actually made me cringe i dont know why you kept that. Will also not understand how you managed to keep one from when you were 12 though. Like i cant even remember where i leave things the day of i cant imagine being able to keep something for that long. Real dedication you know.”  

Theres a rustling of leaves in the air as silence stretches on, a slight breeze blowing past making the atmosphere of the graveyard even more chilling than it normally is. 

“You know its funny, she visits you every weekend , half the time probably just to sit in silence, but you already knew that. After all your always here its not like you can leave, no matter how much anyone wishes otherwise.”

Leaning back onto her arms with her hands flat on the ground, Yunjin looks up into the sky wistfully, watching the clouds slowly drift across and a few broken leaves fall down beside her. Its strange how the clouds kinda look like your face a little. 

“She still tells you everything right? Just like before? Ive never seen someone who Chaewon opened up so easily to. You cracked through her angry hardass exterior so easily we didnt even know that was possible. Everyone else had such a tough time trying to connect with her at the start, she was always so standoffish and judgy, in a bitchy way you know? 

Yet you appeared and proved otherwise. Made us feel like fools. Her friends of multiple years outdone by some girl she had met a few days prior, we were all jealous as hell.” 

“But youre not just some girl. Youre yn ln. The yn ln who made Kim Chaewon the happiest girl she could ever be. The love of her life. The one she wanted to marry and spend the rest of her days growing old and wrinkly with. 

Yeah she wanted to marry your dumb gay ass, picked out a ring and everything, i was there when she brought it.”

The plan was to have a beach day with the gang, you love the beach. Spend the day in the sun and surf then at night we would have a bonfire going, roast some marshmallows, eat some smores and then while youd be busy distracted Chae would get down on one knee and propose. There would be flowers on the floor in the shape of a heart, there’d be fireworks to celebrate and light up the sky. It was just like in those cliche tv shows you guys liked to binge together. 

After you said yes, because we all know you would, you two would spend time together on the beach, watching the waves roll in and stares shine bright in the sky. Just the two of you in the best place possible, the company of each other. 

Chae had it all perfectly planned out and it was going to be the best day ever for everyone, not including your wedding day of course, but who knew just 2 days before that, you…well….Yeah.” 

Tears begin to fight their way out of Yunjins eyes, the memory of the news weakening her composure. 

“Chae regrets it so much, that she didnt propse earlier because even if you still had to go, youd still be closer to fully being together. The word girlfriend is weak when compared to ones like fiancée or wife but we all agree you guys were each other’s wives, hell you guys already acted like a married couple with the way you treated each other, the only thing you were missing was the official government title. Theres no denying you guys were great together though, you fit together like pieces in a puzzle.”

“She never told you about any of that did she? I wouldnt be surprised, I dont think she has the heart to tell you. 

Not after it got shattered to pieces when we got the call. It broke her you know? You. Broke her. Though you know that. In fact youre probably beating yourself up for it too, it wasnt your fault.”

Salty water was now flowing freely from Yunjins eyes, the streaks leaving a stinging after effect that started to poke and prod at her face. Temporarily she loses balance as she cleans up the running tears with her sleeve, careful to be weary of her makeup. There was a reason she wore waterproof mascara today. 

“I still see Chaewon holding your engagement rings sometimes. She would fiddle with both of them for a little bit before putting on her one. It would slide into place so smoothly and shed wiggle her fingers and admire the ring as if it was the first time shed seen it. 

It really does look natural on her, sits so well on her finger like it was meant to be. Yours is absolutely beautiful as well, i know youd love it. Maybe one day she’ll let you see it.”

Theres another moment of silence before Yunjin continues, hesitation evident in her voice. 

“I know its probably selfish and cruel to ask of this, but could you do me a favor?” 

“Could you loosen the hold you have over Chaewon? Im not asking you to make her forget, id never wish that for anyone and i definitely dont want to forget you either but please, set her free.”

“We both know shes never really going to, shes too attached, but encourage her to let go a little, tell her that shell be alright even if youre not here physically, let her know that no matter what happens you will always be by her side supporting her. All she ever does now is work, stay home or visit you. I know its not much different from what she did when you were still here but she doesnt even go out anymore. No matter how hard we try. 

We did manage to get her to go on this date with this girl but not even 5 minutes in she ran out crying because all she could think about was you and how being on that date was like betraying and cheating on you. And we both know you hated cheaters. 

It doesnt matter if Chae ever finds a new person or of she stays alone for the rest of her life clinging to your memory, i just need her to be happy. Maybe itll never be the same as it was before, but i cant keep going on seeing her like this. 

She doesnt talk much and she doesnt even cry much anymore, i think shes run out of tears, just sits staring out into space. Its always silence with her now, she doesnt even get angry for fucks sake what happened to our angry cheetah? Shes lost all the fire she ever had in her, its still in there, it has to be. But, im not sure if we will ever see it again.”

Theres a much longer pause now before she speaks again, breaking the sullen silence with an equally solemn tone. Snorts and sniffles accompany her now hoarse voice, the crying between speaking taking its toll. 

“Im sorry for not visiting earlier, i know its been almost 9 months since youve left, but to be honest i couldnt bring myself to come.”

“Its not the same anymore. The group cant do some the things we all used to do together. Anytime you get mentioned Jimin starts crying, Ryu gets mad and starts yelling before she also starts silently crying, she doesnt think we know, Yujin just gets up and leaves without saying anything and Chae just goes still and silent. Its like we cant even talk about you as a group anymore because everyone just goes quiet, trapped in the memories of the past or the moments of what could be.” 

Running her hands through her hair, Yunjin lets out a frustrated gasp of air, clearly not a fan of how things have become. Her eyes closed tightly as if it would suppress the multitude of emotions she was feeling in the moment. If Yunjin had been standing shed be pacing back and forth right now. 

Sigh “Ah its been more than an hour already” she says as she looks down at her phone. “Im really sorry that i have to cut this short, i wouldve been talking to you longer if i hadnt just sat in my car for so long, it really is inexcusable since i haven’t even visited before but im meeting my girlfriends parents for the first time today at dinner. Im quite nervous about it because what if theyre unwelcoming and dont like me? Or what if theyre not open to their daughter dating someone elses daughter? I really hope it goes well.

Oh my god i never told you about her. Im so sorry that i left it to this late to mention something as important as that. Youd be grilling me for details right now if you were here. Her names Kazuha Nakamura, came from Japan. Shes so calm, so so sweet and an absolute angel. She carries herself with so much grace like a princess of royalty but shes so unserious she could never actually be one if she tried. Also really funny without even trying, you two would’ve gotten along so well.”

“Zuhas also really understanding, helped me cope and get through you leaving, one of the main reasons I was able to keep going despite everything actually.”

“I really think it might work out. Hell we met while the wound was still wide open, but she stayed through that anyway and helped patch it up as much as she could.” 

“I really wish you were here to meet her.”

“I miss you. We all do.”

Standing up, Yunjin gives her arms and legs a stretch, brushing off the dirt and debris of her pants. Looking down at the stone slab engraved with your name, a beam of light shining off and blinding the girl through her glasses. She gives you a half hearted smile filled with bittersweet longing, tears still shining in the corners of her eyes.

“Thanks for being our friend, and thanks for listening to me today. It made me feel a whole lot better just talking to you. You were always good at that, lighting up someones day by just being there. No wonder Chae loves you so much.”

“I promise to try visit you more often when i can. Maybe i’ll bring Zuha to meet you too. I know youd want that and im sure shed like to meet you too, even if just once.”

“I wish you were still here.”

“Happy birthday Yn.”

A/N - First angst oneshot, hope its alright. Feedback would be appreciated if there is any :]

[loser4loserswhok1ll]

I'll be right back.

stu macher x gn reader

mini fic, established relationship

warnings: typical slasher stuff, murderous bf, he threatens u, yada yada, slight nsfw, hes in costume, swearing

"I'll be right back." and everyone loses their minds. everyone loves stu. hes a dickhead, annoying, but hes funny and hot. and everyone is very drunk. you feel just a little out of place at this party, it doesnt feel quite right, and these people arent really your people. but stu wanted you to come, and youre his partner so of course you said yes. you get up, aiming to follow stu, but then someone interrupts yelling about the principals body or something at the schoolyard. if thats true, thats fucked up. and so many drunk teens are scrambling into cars, which they shouldnt be driving right now, to go see their dickhead principal on display. you finally make your way to the garage where you assume stu is, the house eerily empty and quiet now. the only noise is randy yelling at the tv and the sound of your footsteps. and.. and someone elses footsteps.

you stop, not expecting much, but youre on edge with knews of this halloween costume loser on the loose. you turn, and just as you catch a glimpse of ghastly white and a shitty black cloak, youre lunged at and your mouth is covered. a thick layer of cold sweat immediately violates your skin, making your shirt stick uncomfortably and your face get red and hot. here you are, face to face with the ghost face killer. and hes pressed up against you completely, body to body, hand to mouth, and knife to throat. hes not pushing at all, its just a threat right now, and he silently nods towards the stairs behind you. god, what are you supposed to do? you shuffle to the side, the direction of the bottom of the stairs, and he moves right with you, like a shadow that you can face and feel. you attempt a yell for help, but his grip on your mouth tightens and the knife is put further up your neck, right below your chin, and with a pressure not heavy enough to cut but enough that you get the message.

you shuffle slowly to the bottom of the stairs, and you guys gently make your way up. damn, its hard going up stairs like this backwards. but that knife needs to stay in your vision, and you need to stay in his. once up, you stand, shaking, taking in what you are sure are your final moments. he nods his head again, this time towards a door. its his bedroom. you would know that, youve been here a billion times, you guys have... bonded... in there a billion times. you walk slowly, cautiously to the door and gently turn the knob, opening your tomb and stepping in it. he closes it behind him, knife still pointing at you. with a swift movement he grabs you, turns you around, and now your back is pressed heavy against his chest. that was stu's favorite way to hold you. wild coincidence.

"what do you think of me now, hot stuff?" oh my fucking god. youd recognize his voice anywhere even muffled like that. "s-stu?" and that chill of realization sends an aching shiver across all of your nerves and bones. "bingo, baby." he puts the knife under your chin, just as threatening as earlier, but this time he doesnt cover your mouth with his free hand. no, that hand is busy. its dragging across your stomach, your chest, your waist, thighs, and squeezes your ass in the way he likes to. "a-are you going to kill me." your words are stupid and weak, a clear mirror to your feelings. "kill you? aw, nah baby. i mean- billy wants me to. make it easier, take out all the witnesses, everyone who could burden our little gig. but i like you too much, as long as you promise to keep those pretty lips zipped." you hesitate for a moment before nodding. he moves the knife from your neck and shuffles. he leans forward and kisses your sweat salty neck, his mask pulled up onto his head.

"youve been him this entire time?" you force out. "no, only half of the time. it was all billys plan, im just his right hand man." he lets out that stupid giggle youve grown so fond of, but this time it feels dark and sinister and unfamiliar in its essence. his hands continue roaming your body, every contour, every curve, every inch of body they could reach. "if you arent going to kill me, then- then what are you going to do with me?" he turns you around, youre face to face with his manic expression and big toothed smile. "we're gonna have some fun, baby." tonight you might die, but before that, you get to fuck your actually psychotic serial killer boyfriend first. what a mess.

[shakethediseeas]

R O U N D 4

balls idfk ist 2 am, not prfof red no nothing this camw out just like that no editing no nothing just blarrghshu you know?

The moment you stepped forward the color drains from your face and everything turns dark, except the boy standing in front of you, already ready to sing.

You never knew each other but those eyes were hard to forget, when you were younger you remember passing by them.

you're no idiot, you know you've already lost this round.

Just, out of every other participant it just had to be you and him.

You were snapped out of your trance when he sung softly, he grabs your hand almost as if it telling you to start singing but you look up at him with heavy eyes. You were already tired.

you parted your lips to sing, it was a deep and soothing voice over his, must be because you're sleepy.

To him you look relaxed, ready to take him on. To your eyes you look like a mess.

You didnt even know half of what you were singing, you just let the boy swing you around as if you were dancing partners.

you sung your questions: why here? where else can i go?

He looks at you, he has a smile but its empty with nothing in it. He leans closer to dip you but he was startled with how you forced yourself to be heavy, causing him to lose his footing.

You take a step back and turn away from him: What the hell am i doing here, with you in this starry sky.

you continued to sing, half zoned out until your pulled by him again, kind of like hes hugging you and he signs the next line.

the darkness around you gets unrealistically darker and you an barely see his golden lashes and his eyes.

oh how they hold nothing in them.

you're so empty- you lay a hand on his cheek to feel his skin- you're no human at all- you pushed him and continued the line he was supposed sing.

You're somewhat of a tired morning voice disappearing and is now how you'd usually sound as you take a slow spin and kick his shin to which he glares.

dear sky, you shine real bright- you both say - could you find me please and let me see again.

Before you knew it the darkness slowly disappeared, and the only sound ringing was the one of the scores.

You yell out the last verses while he does the same, your scores were close.

you didnt even turn to look at who won as you push him, he doesnt get to see because hes too busy staring at your eyes.

-starry sky you arent what i once knew, if id know we'd met like this, i would have loved to know you.-

Last thing you remember seeing is how he just smiles softly at you before your vision turning blank.

the darkness didnt meet you again though, in fact it was a nice shade of blue everywhere you turned. it was nice.

Once your body lands on the floor he kneels down to kiss your hand, blood stains his lips before he whispered the final verse.

-i know ive found you once i see you myself.-

[puhpandas]

Rabbit Burrow

(5180 words) part 2 (1 found here)

Tony Becker, one year after surviving the attack from GGY, tracks down Gregory post-SB. But he has to get through Vanessa and Freddy before he can get to Gregory.

Its only after Tony has run through the interaction with Vanessa ten times over that he realizes she never told him how she knows Gregory.

He'd been nothing but restless since she left. His eyes have been darting to and from the digital clock on the end table on the other side of arm of the couch, and his brain has been so scattered, all he can focus on is the awaiting reunion.

The baking show has long since switched to a new episode since he last checked the TV. Tony's worried that at this point, his fingers will start bleeding if he keeps picking at them like this.

The only saving grace in a long chunk of nothing-but-anticipation is when Tony's phone buzzes at 6:01pm, right when he had started to gather his thoughts and began plan out the reunion in his head like remembering a speech.

Ellis: dude where r u????

Ellis: yr mom said u arent home and she keeps asking me if ur with me and where u r

All Tony does is sigh. He cant even find it in him to feel bad that his Mom and Grandma are probably worried. All he can think about is how his arms are shaking and his stomach feels floaty.

He types back with thumbs that have peeling skin on the edge of the fingernails.

Tony: Remember how I covered for you that one time?

Tony: I need you to cover for me. If you need to tell her that I'm with you and I'm staying over do that. I just need any excuse.

Ellis: yea i remember but why?

Ellis: if a guy covers for u u can at least tell him what the deal is

Tony: I'm doing something really important. I can't tell you all the details yet.

Tony: I just need you to trust me. Please. It'll help me out a lot, Ellis.

Tony: I promise I'll make it up to you next time you need something.

Ellis: dude didnt know it was that important

Ellis: dont worry then. u know i can tell a mean lie when i need to

Tony: Dude thanks. That's a big relief. It wont be in vain.

Ellis: my services will not be for free tho

Ellis: i will need something in return

Tony: What do you want?

Ellis: for u to buy me a cookie next time i see u at lunch

Tony finds it in him to roll his eyes at that. He smiles a bit, and right as he goes to send back I'll buy you two, Freddy Fazbear makes some sort of clunking sound.

Its enough to make his already fluttery heart clench and himself almost fly off of the couch. He jerks and yelps and can only stare Freddy Fazbears black eyelids phwip open, and his pupils glow..

They're blank, though, like they're on but Freddy himself isnt. His body whirs and shifts slowly, as if running a diagnostic, and after his ears wiggle, theres a clear difference.

Tony just sits rigid as a board with eyes wide as saucers as Freddy doesnt notice him right away. He just takes the jump cables off of his ears and sets them on the carpet, and moves his torso to face the window.

Which Tony is blocking. Since hes on the couch sitting directly next to the animatronic.

Theres a staring contest with a distinct lack of breathing for all but a few moments, before the small black plastic pieces that are Freddys eyebrows tilt downwards.

"Wait wait wait!" Tony holds out his hands, but Freddy doesnt get off the couch and attack him like his fears. Freddys eyes dont leave his once, and it reminds him too much of those few times Freddy would stare him down and be hot on his heels in the Pizzaplex during the GGY debacle.

Freddy pauses, not even so much as twitching as he burns an LED hole into him. Tony tries to get over the unease and stutters out, "Um, Vanessa trusts me. I talked to her. She told me to stay here."

For a fleeting moment, Tony believes he somehow said the wrong thing and that Freddy is now going to grab him and beat him into a pulp like he feared back at the Pizzaplex all that time ago. But during the rigid silence, the glow in Freddys eyes flickers for half a second, and some sort of beeping sound emits from a hidden speaker.

"I have just contacted her." Freddy finally breaks the tension, and Tony sighs at how his voice does not sound aggressive. In fact, Freddy hadn't spoken at all when Tony had been afraid of him last year. "You are telling the truth... my apologies."

"Theres no issue." Tony manages when Freddy looks so undoubtedly apologetic theres no doubt that he's not genuine. He scratches the back of his neck. "...I guess I wouldnt be too keen on a stranger being in my house when I wake up either."

"Yes," Freddy nods, and his ears bob at the motion. Theres a split second of silence where the baking show Tony hasn't caught a single second of is the only noise in the room. "so that begs the question; why are you here?"

Tony jerks. "What?"

"You are a stranger in my house, like you said." Freddy points out, not unkindly. "I would appreciate knowing why. Even if you already went over it with Vanessa."

"Oh. Well. I dont know what all Vanessa told you, but... I'm here for Gregory."

Freddy doesnt immediately turn distrustful or wary like Vanessa had. Probably because he already knows Tony is a friend. "She said you were an old friend of his." Freddy confirms. His "So, you are the boy Gregory talks to much about."

Tony doesnt really know how to respond to that. He grabs a fold of fabric from the arm of his jacket in-between his fingers. "Uh...yeah."

"I'm sure you've already talked to Vanessa. So I wont beat around the bush." Freddy says. "But Gregory has tried so hard to remember you."

Tony brows furrow. "...She said he has dreams sometimes. And that's how he knows I-- we exist."

"Yes." Freddy nods."But she probably did not tell you that he tries to figure out what reminded him of you, so he can continue to keep dreaming."

Tony's eyes widen, and he picks at his fingers. No. Vanessa did not mention that. She said nothing about Gregory actively searching for Tony around his life to see him in his dreams.

Freddys LED eyes dim, and his ears and eyelids droop in a clear sign of upset. "It breaks my heart. To see Gregory try to gather the broken pieces of his memories." His eyes stare at the couch cushion below them, before they dart up to look him in the eye. "You were obviously very important to him, if he searches like this."

"He is to me too." Is all Tony can manage. He's suddenly getting a sense adjacent to deja vu.

"Its clear that he is." Freddy is still looking him in the eye, but somehow, Tony feels like he's smiling at him. "If you came all this way to see him."

And he really did come a long way, didnt he? He took a bus to a different county. He spent hours and hours scouring the internet for any mention of Greg after he suddenly up and went missing as soon by the time Tony had recovered enough to look for him.

Greg has searched too, apparently. Tony cant help but be aware of. Even after losing his memories.

"What is your name?" Freddy suddenly asks him.

"Tony Becker." Tony answers easily. "I guess he doesnt remember my name, huh?"

"No. But he has tried. Believe me when I say that." Freddy says. "He wants to know more about his life before what happened more than anything."

"...You think he'll be happy to see me?"

"There is no doubt, Tony Becker."

The last time he had seen Greg, it was in a dusty back room with a knife in his back.

But despite that, it isnt what Tony thinks when he thinks Greg. When he thinks of Greg, he thinks of the sleepovers and the days Greg would show up at school one day with his hair different lengths. He thinks about how He, Greg, and Ellis would Vs. eachother on the air hockey machine. He thinks about the stories they'd come up with in creative writing.

When he thinks of that afternoon at the Pizzaplex, he doesnt think Greg. He thinks GGY. Maybe its that first inkling of separation that got him here.

Theres been a stretch of silence while Tony soaked it in. The rain outside has slowed, and the sun peeking through the gray clouds shines through the window, white lines on the coffee table like the blinds are a stencil.

"But the truth is... I do not think Vanessa feels the same." Freddy suddenly says. "She wants to protect him from the awful memories. I do not have to deal with them like she does, but I assume they... that they haunt her."

His ears droop. "I believe that she does not want Gregory to have to as well."

"So shes trying to keep them from him?" Tony asks, a brow raised. "But that's his choice, isn't it?"

"That is how I feel." Freddy agrees, looking at him again. It's starting to become less uncomfortable. "Listen, Tony Becker. I may not know for sure, but I feel that Vanessa is afraid to let you near Gregory. Seeing you will make him remember so much."

His mind immediately jumps to a thousand implications at that."If shes scared, what does that mean?" He asks. "She'll make me leave? She'll change her mind?"

"I do not think so." Freddy assures. "But my point is that she has been trying for so long to keep Gregorys memories under wraps. It is not with malice, but this is why I ask you this."

"Gregory has long since chosen to remember, even if Vanessa does not want him to." Freddy says havent left his once, and Tony doesnt look away, either. Freddys pupils suddenly appear brighter in a way when he speaks again, "To keep them from him after he has already made his choice would be cruel. Which is why I would like you to help him, Tony Becker."

Tony hasnt forgotten how Greg fought for him that day at the Pizzaplex. He hasnt forgotten how all that mattered was Tony escaping. Not if Greg would get in trouble. Not if something would happen to him.

Gregory has, though. Greg has forgotten a lot of things.

But if seeing Tony in danger that fateful afternoon made him remember himself enough to fight, and win against mind control?

Tony can fight for Greg's memories, too. Even if it takes another year.

"He deserves to remember his old life." Freddy says. "Vanessa has told me that his parents are dead. Any life he had before is nothing but a faint memory." He hums, melancholy. "But it's one I want him to remember."

Me too Tony almost says. Because all Tony has wanted throughout this last year is his friend back.

"Greg was one of my best friends." Tony says quietly, eyes downcast. He counts the threads in the couch cushion. "I want him to remember me and Ellis and... everything. It's why I'm here."

"I have not been able to help him, no matter how much I've wanted to." Freddy responds, sounding sad. "But I am glad you are here. Now Gregory truly has a chance of obtaining what hes been chasing for so long."

"Me too." Tony replies, not knowing which exactly hes responding too.

"So," Freddy pauses. "what do you say?"

"I'll do it." Tony responds immediately. "But... I just have to ask. Why do you trust me so much? Vanessa wouldnt even tell me anything until I answered her riddles."

Freddy hums. "It is exactly as you said." Freddy answers. "You earned Vanessa's trust. So in turn you have earned my trust. I trust Vanessa to trust you."

Tony doesnt respond, for a moment, just taking that in.

The amount of faith you have in someone to trust them that much. To know you can rely on them. To have no doubt...

Tony glances at the hallway he can see just over the back of the couch and down the hall into the room with the slightly open door, with the pens and pencils and bed and desk, and wonders how tightly wound the people in this house are with eachother.

"...Then I'll return the favor." Tony smiles. "You're friends of Greg's, and, well... I was friends with him, once upon an time. And he still seems to think so." He holds out a hand. "Any friend of Greg's is a friend of mine."

Freddys ears wiggle, and his eyelids come up in a way that make him look overjoyed. "Any friend of Gregory's is a friend of mine." Freddy repeats, shaking Tony's hand. "We are in this together, now. We will have to be there for Gregory if he remembers not so great things."

"And for the great things." Tony smiles, going over the few months worth of memories of their three amigos friendship he has in his head. "Its worth it, I think."

After all, if Tony's found a way to seperate killer Greg with his Greg, then he thinks Gregory probably can as well.

"I'm glad we have that settled." Freddys ears wiggle, and his eyes do that dimming thing again for half a second. "Because Vanessa has just contacted me and let me know that she is almost back with Gregory."

He makes some sort of choking noise. Theres a thousand things on the tip of Tony's tongue in seconds. His eyes blow wide as saucers, and he twists his back to look at the clock that reads 6:34.

He immediately feels like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on his head. He stutters, trying to gather his thoughts, and eventually gets out "How long?!"

"Soon." Freddy smiles. "It wont be long, now. It seems all the work you've done has paid off."

Tony cant find it in him to move his mouth after that. Just too rigid. It feels like theres electricity buzzing up his skin and a wildfire in his chest. It feels like he cold start floating like a balloon at any moment.

He doesnt respond to Freddy, after that. He just twists his body to face the front door (his back twinges. maybe he shouldn't slouch over his laptop and desk so much) and waits.

A few minutes is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Not really when its put up against the year he's taken to track Greg down. But its somehow more agonizing waiting now when he knows Greg is in arms reach, instead of it being uncertain if he'd ever see him again.

It's not uncertain, now. Is the thing. Greg is on his way, and Tony, for once, doesn't even know what to think. All he can do is sit there and be clammy and impatient.

Freddy chuckles. Tony ignores it. He burns a hole into the front door just across the living room, only hearing his own jumbled thoughts and roaring in his ears over the baking show on the TV.

Its Winter right now. So by 6:45, all the light outside has darkened into pitch blackness. The residential street lights outside the apartments make the raindrops on the window glow. The TV is still going in the background.

Freddy is as still as he is, joining him in watching the door as restless as a bored puppy. Listening to the ventilation inside of Freddys inner workings is the only thing that reminds Tony to breathe.

After multiple agonizing minutes, Tony jerks when the slam of a car door is heard distantly outside the window.

"Are you ready, Tony Becker?" Freddy breaks the silence. Looking back at Freddy is the first time Tony looks away from the door. "We do not know how much he will remember at first. It may be messy. It may not."

Messy is definitely a word he would use to describe a lot of the things that have happened, here. So he just nods, a tilt of his head. "I'm ready."

"He is ready, too." replies Freddy.

And that's all that's said until the doorknob begins to rattle.

All that Tony manages is a strangled gasp before he's bolting off the couch, almost tripping over Freddys legs. His converse slide on the laminate wood, and he stands there. In perfect view of the door.

His legs feel cold and his chest airy as he watches. He waits for movement, and cant help the tremble in his hands when the deadbolt unlocks. He can hear voices. Only because hes straining his ears, but he can hear a high pitched voice muffled and faint behind the door.

The doorknob rattles, and Tony watches as the deadbolt unlocks from the inside. His heart stutters in his chest when he hears voices outside, and he can pinpoint one of the pitches as Greg's.

"Come on, Vanessa. Were home. Now tell me what the suprise is!"

"I think you'll want to see it for yourself, Greg."

"Its inside? Well what could it possibly be if you wont even give me a hint--"

The knob twists, and the door creaks open. Its steady and agonizingalmost as if it's in slow motion.

And there he is.

Theres the pale skin and short stature and blue clothes. Tony isnt breathing when he just looks, and sees the boy he'd been searching for so long right in front of him.

He has raindrops in his chocolate brown hair. Greg doesnt look away from Vanessa while he walks in, at first, but Vanessa looks away from Gregory. She meets his eyes, and Tony doesnt have it in him to dissect what the look could mean.

All he cares about is how Greg follows her gaze.

He stops in his tracks, his mud stained Pizzaplex brand sneakers planting him firmly in place.

It's like everything else falls away when Greg meets his eyes. Huge, amber eyes that grow as wide as saucers when they see him. Theres a dark jagged scar wrapped around his cheek that makes it to his nose that wasnt there before.

The silence is deafening, as they just stand there and stare at eachother. Tony thinks he isnt breathing. Theres electricity shooting up his spine. His fingers twitch and tremble. Greg just stares, mouth agape.

Tony's own twitches, and he smacks his lips together, testing if he can still speak at all. His legs are rooted to the ground as he says, just above a whisper, "Greg."

Greg's face shifts ever so slightly, and it's only now Tony realizes his eyes are a bit faraway. Like he's...

Remembering something.

In an instant, they dart and blink, and Greg is looking at him again.

Tony dares to break through the water by taking a step. He never tears his eyes away from Gregory's own.

At some point, Vanessa moved away from the door and somewhere else in the house.

Which means the coast is clear when Tony takes a step, and then another, and Greg is meeting him in the middle.

Hes almost sprinting when they crash into eachother like waves. Immediately, Tony wraps his arms around Greg tight, and Greg clutches back just as desperately.

"Tony." Gregory says breathlessly. Tony can feel Greg's hair brush against his cheek and his hands ball up his jacket. "Its you. That's your name. You're the..."

"The one you've been dreaming about?" Tony chuckles, and to his suprise, it's a little wet. His legs ache from pushing himself into the hug so much, but he ignores it. "Yeah. Me and Ellis. Your friends."

"Tony and Ellis." Greg repeats, and Tony could cry at how it's the same voice in all of his memories. A few things are different; Gregory's face has changed a bit, and so has his hair and clothes. But all of the things that made him Greg back then are still here.

"I--" Greg stutters. "I tried so hard to remember anything about you. I was gonna track you down, I hope you know. Cause you're the only things I remember about..."

"I know, Greg." Tony replies. Greg pulls away from the hug, and Tony still has a grip on his shoulders. "They told me everything."

He jerks his head towards Freddy and Vanessa, and when Greg looks over at him, Freddys ears wiggle and Vanessa does a small little wave.

"Some suprise." Gregory chuckles, wiping at his dry eyes. "Jeez, its just-- I just remembered so much. Just by seeing you, and--"

Greg's eyes turn a little misty as he looks in Tony's own. "We were friends." He says. "And I forgot you for so long."

"It wasnt your fault." Tony smiles slightly. Greg still has to look up at him a bit, like he did last time Tony saw him. "Freddy and Vanessa told me you tried your best to remember us."

Gregory nods, glancing over at them. "I did." He says. "I wanted to know what triggered the first dream so bad. But... I never figured it out."

"I guess it doesn't matter now." Tony says. "I'm right here in front of you, and you remember now. Ellis'll be really glad to see you, too."

Gregory chuckles. "I missed him." He says. "I missed you, too."

"Me too." Tony replies, and it doesn't feel like those two words can encapsulate how much Tony has felt the past year. "Ellis really missed you as well. He still is. You don't know what happened to him when you went missing."

Gregory ducks his head, eyes downcast. "I wish I did."

Tony eyes Freddy from the corner of his eye, and he nods. Tony looks back towards Greg. "I can tell you some stuff, if you want. Vanessa said something reminded you of me one day." He smiles. "I can try to help remind you of stuff enough to remember more."

Gregory's head shoots up, and to Tony's suprise, tears gather in his eyes. As quick as they come, he ducks his head, using the sleeve of his navy jacket to wipe them away. "Yeah." He sniffs. "That'd be great."

"I'm glad you guys reunited." Vanessa pipes up to their left. "But, Gregory, I think you should go take a breather. I wanna talk to Tony anyway."

Greg doesnt answer for a second, but eventually he nods, smiling at Tony as he peels himself away. Tony takes note of how the tooth Gregory had been missing last year is still gone.

Tony watches him go, and his eyes dont leave his back until the door to his room shuts.

"Kid," Vanessa grabs his attention. She gestures to sit down on the couch, and he moves over, sitting in-between Freddy and her. "that went well. Really well."

Tony just nods, not able to shake the trembling in his fingers and the floaty feeling in his chest.

"It doesnt seem like he remembered anything bad." Vanessa points out. "He couldnt have. He wouldn't be so calm if he did, trust me."

Tony remembers Freddys words about how Vanessa grapples with the things shes done, so he does. He nods again, and Vanessa smiles. "So that's good. Listen, kid. If you can somehow have Gregory remember his old life without any of the mind control murder stuff, that would be the best case scenario."

Freddy whirs and straightens out a but, opening his mouth to speak, but he stops at the last second. "It wouldnt be unfair to Gregory if he wasnt remembering anything good, Fred." Vanessa points out.

"That is true." Freddy agrees. "There is no point in Gregory remembering anything harmful to him if avoidable. Vanessa knows that better than anyone."

Tony opens his mouth to speak, but pauses.

Not remember anything bad? As in he wouldnt be able to remember that day at the Pizzaplex?

How Greg had put himself on the line and fought for Tony's life? How he'd succeeded? How Tony always desperately wanted to see Greg again just to talk about it?

Words get caught in his throat, but he pushes them down and shoves his feelings aside. He just nods. "I'll do my best."

"Thanks." Vanessa says, and she sounds more relieved than Tony's ever heard anyone. She puts a hand on his shoulder, offering him a smile. "Really. Thank you, kid. I'd do anything for Gregory to never have to remember the same things I do."

Tony just nods again, finding that for the first time in his life, he has no words to say. "Yeah."

"I am sure you're dying to catch up with Gregory." Freddy smiles. "Go on, Tony Becker. We will give you both space."

Tony smiles, shooting up and shimmying past Freddys legs in-between the coffee table towards the hall. "Okay. Sure." He only lingers for another moment to say "Thanks!"

Its jet black outside when Tony passes a window, and by the time he makes it to Greg's room, the only light available is a small table lamp on the desk with paper strewn about. Greg sits on his bed, deep in thought, before snapping out of it when Tony walks in.

"Hey." Gregory smiles, and Tony grins back when he shuts the door behind him. He cant help how his eyes wander about the room, taking in every detail as he moves further into the room. His backpack is tossed on the floor beside his bed, and theres comic pages and drawings thumbtacked up across every wall. Theres a corkboard with blocky letters written on paper sheets scattered around, and his bedsheets have constellations on them.

Tony's eyes linger on the desk, where there are multiple comics covering every inch, some half-finished and some fully colored.

"You would draw comics when we were friends, too." Tony says, making his way over and peering at all of the different drawings. "I'd call them graphic novels. I'd write the story and you'd draw."

"I think I had a dream about that." Greg says. "We'd go in your room and brainstorm, right?"

"Yeah." Tony smiles. He looks at the dates scribbles in the corners of them all, and notices that most of them are recent.

"Its one of the only dreams I had." Gregory says. "It... it would make me so mad because it never went any different. And it had been the only indication you even existed for so long." He chuckles without humor. "The other dreams weren't much different, but, well, I was never really able to figure out how to trigger a new dream."

As he keeps looking, some of the older comics, like the ones on the walls and the underneath the piles of recent ones have dates from a few months ago.

It's like a tiny lightbulb goes off above his head. He turns to Gregory, asking "Do you remember when you had the first dream?"

Gregory pauses for a moment. "Yeah." He says. "It was a few months ago. The first dream I had was about us drawing comics in your room."

Tony smiles, finding the earliest date to be near October last year. Its February now. "Did you ever think the thing that triggered that memory was drawing a comic?"

Tony watches as the gears turn in Greg's head. Hes silent for a moment, before muttering, "No. I didnt."

Tony looks at the window on the wall by Greg's bed and watches as raindrops drip down the screen on the other side. Crickets are chirping faintly, and he can hear Freddy and Vanessa's voices muffled behind the door.

The days events catch up to him, and right as the first inkling of tiredness creep up on him, he says "So how about we try to make a comic together like the dream? Maybe it'll bring back some new memories."

Gregory is silent for a moment, and Tony watches as his eyes widen, and a grin gradually stretches across his face. "Okay." He says. "Yeah. Let's do it."

So it's in Greg's room, instead of Tony's, where they hunker down for the night and squish next to eachother on the same chair at the same desk and brainstorm a comic. Tony makes a point of calling it a graphic novel like he used to, because Greg would always say something about it, and unsurprisingly, this time is no different.

The only light is from Gregory's small table lamp shoved to the very corner to make room for more papers, and it's only when they have everything ready does Greg finally ask about the story.

"You said you'd write the story and I'd draw." Gregory says. His shoulder is pressed up against Tony's on the chair and his voice is loud in his ear. "So what's the story?"

Tony hums for a second, jumbled thoughts and ideas running course in his mind, then he gets an idea.

He grins slowly as it dawns on him. He glances over at Greg.

"You always liked nonfiction better, right?" Gregory says, voice up an octave like a question. "Real life stuff."

"Yeah." Tony confirms. "This is a real story."

"So tell me." Greg smiles, leaning back to get a good view of Tony. Tony himself does the same, and Greg is doing one of those lopsided smiles that shows off his missing tooth. "And I'll start drawing the panels."

Its only after theyve hunkered down does Tony really let himself revel in the fact that he found Greg, and he's here and okay. It may not be perfect, since Tony never really will be able to speak to that Gregory that saved him that day and thank him, but its content. Tony has his friend back, and he can't ask for any more.

He's long since decided on a story when he finally tells Gregory. He smiles softly, before saying,

"This story is about a kid named Gregory, who once hacked the school PA speakers and started beatboxing."

🔎🐰

Ellis: um so how long will i have to keep this up???

Ellis: would be nice to know

Tony: I dont know how long I'll be gone.

Tony: I'll buy you as many cookies as you want for this.

Ellis: we will negotiate when you come back

Ellis: for now ill uphold my end of the deal mr. becker

Tony: I'll uphold mine early.

Tony sent an image

Image ID: A boy with short dark brown hair and a green jacket angling the camera so by his head is a boy with pale skin and chocolate brown hair. The boy with dark hair is smiling and the boy with brown hair is looking suprised at the camera.

Ellis is typing...

ao3 link

[anamericangirl]

Hi, I'm pro-choice (or pro-abort as you say)

i want to have an actual discussion, a lot of left-wing people just want to throw insults and punches out and thats kinda stupid. I think that women, should have a say in the matter of abortion. I think some people are using abortion as birth control. which is stupid. birth control is definitely needed in those situations, not an abortion. i dont really think teens should be having sex, but lets face it; they do. abortion is needed (when the mother wants to) for girls that have been raped, for incest, for teens who wont be supported, for mothers who may die, for people who were being completely safe and arent ready.

whats your take on my opinion?

Hi there, I definitely agree there are many cases where abortion is used as birth control and throwing out insults and stuff, regardless of what side you’re on, is stupid and unnecessary. I also agree that teenagers shouldn’t be having sex, even though they do.

The last half of what you wrote I think is where we start to disagree.

I’d be interested on what you mean when you say abortion is “needed.” Because when I hear someone say abortion is needed, I get the impression they are saying it’s necessary and has to happen, regardless of what may or not be wanted.

So if abortion is only “needed” in those cases if the mother wants it, but not “needed” if the mother doesn’t want, then that kind of implies it’s not needed in either scenario.

- For rape, I can certainly sympathize with the mother and understand why she might want an abortion, but I don’t think it’s needed and I think it’s still not a justification for abortion. The foundation of my belief is that the unborn are completely human and completely alive from the moment of conception and abortion kills a baby and I don’t think it’s ok to kill people because their mother was raped. We don’t even kill the rapist, so the baby certainly doesn’t deserve the death sentence. What I do the mother needs in this case is thorough medical care, emotional and even financial support. Abortion does not reverse rape or trauma and can even bring more trauma to the woman, which the pro-abortion lobby doesn’t ever highlight. And there have been plenty of testimonies of women who gave birth after rape who said they found it to be incredibly healing.

- As for incest, I generally consider that the same as rape unless this encounter was consensual. If it was rape my answer is the same as above but if it’s consensual why would the baby need to die?

- When we’re talking about a life or death situation for the baby, which we are in abortion, a teen girl who might not be supported is not justification for actively and intentionally killing a child. There are other options here that a lot of people seem to ignore or forget about.

First, there’s adoption.

Second, there are several pro-life organizations that offer support to people in exactly those situations. Let Them Live is a really good one that raises money and items for teens and women who don’t have any support elsewhere. Crisis pregnancy centers are also very good places to receive pregnancy support for free, including medical help. They get a bad rap in the media because they help women without providing abortion services but they are great places for any woman who is pregnant and needs any kind of support. Local churches are also a good place to seek out help and support.

- We are often told that abortion is necessary when the mother might die, but that’s actually not true. There aren’t any cases that threaten the life of the mother where the treatment is an abortion. In cases that threaten the life of the mother the baby is either already dead or dying. Those are medical emergencies and she should be seen at a hospital not an abortion clinic. Those cases are usually treated by delivering the baby early, not killing them. The mother should absolutely be treated as necessary and every effort should be made to save both lives. Many times both lives can’t be saved and the baby may die anyway in efforts to save the mother, but not because they were intentionally killed by an abortionist.

- In cases where people used protection and got pregnant anyway I absolutely don’t think abortion is justified. That’s essentially using abortion as birth control.

When looking at these issues, you have to ask yourself if you would be ok intentionally killing a born child in any of these cases and if you’re not then you shouldn’t be ok with aborting a baby in any of them either because it’s the same thing (there’s also the fact that abortion just isn’t safe, even for the woman, and it doesn’t become safe just because someone wants it or is struggling).

Abortion is never the answer.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Seeing Kinger stuff is so nice gosh! Would it be cool to get the rest of the fluff alphabet with him please? Or if that's too much the ones you'd like to write about most

Kinger fluff alphabet! the whole thing!

two things one is more so one of my personal woe things unrelated to you but i deleted my masterlist immediately after finishing it because i didnt like the layout of it; 3 hours down the drain SOBS other thing! imma go ahead and link the other fluff alphabet stuff so its a complete list! actually third surprise thing, WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME I ACCIDENTALLY FORGOT TO PUT P IN THE FLUFF ALPHABET/lh/nm i fixed it now but i cant believe i skipped a letter i feel so dumb

ABSTRACT- if you were to ever abstract he would probably abstract himself. i mean if the things about queener/queenie are true and they were close, then that would mean this guy would lose a loved one TWICE. that would most definitely break someone, and kinger is already on the edge as it is. if he somehow doesnt abstract, he probably becomes even more paranoid; kind of shutting everyone out almost because he sure as hell knows he cant take a third heartbreak. rarely ever leaves his pillow fort, unless hes physically dragged out? sometimes he forgets you're gone, because he just refuses to believe the truth. sad stuff

BONDING- will rattle on and on about cool bug facts, if he has his own collection in his room he will show you it! maybe, if you want, he will let you hold some of the critters! tells a lot of stories, nicer ones from when things in the circus arent so... bad.. usually when hes in a good headspace! you get the feeling he embellishes his stories... not too different from a grandfather trying to make his experiences seem more glamorous and action packed than they really were

CUDDLING- he is very hard, due to him being a chess piece, but his clothes do a really good job at softening him! no arms :(... usually rests his hands on your back, or maybe has one on your shoulder and the other on your hip. switches between being big and little spoon, sometimes he wants to hold and sometimes he wants to be held

DATES- you can find them here!

EMOTION- kinger is... odd... im not sure where he lies, because i think sometimes he does have moments where he remembers thing and it overwhelms him, so that may be the main time hes the emotional one. however, i guess this entire time for emotional ive been focusing on more.. 'bad' emotions, but i think kinger would gush about how much he loves you, like WOAH! he is just overflowing with feelings right now

FAMILY- honestly he gives me dad vibes, if this dude doesnt already have kids in the real world (wow thats a sad thought... dude is like MIA probably and his kids are left to wonder where he went. double owie if queener/queenie was his real life wife before things happened) so if you guys make it back to the real world and unite, you're gonna be a step parent! would he like to have more kids with you? i think it depends, he would want it, though!

GIFT- you know how some people put bugs in like, cases to preserve them or something? i feel like he would give you those with some of his prettier bugs! loves anything you give him, he always keeps them stored safe in his room!

HARSH- you guys dont really get into arguments, i dont think! kinger doesnt like hiding things from you unless its something deeply personal, but otherwise hes an open book to you

IN HOUSE ADVENTURE- here!

JEALOUSY- its not so much as him being jealous as it is him being paranoid that something is going to happen to him or you, so! even if he wasnt worrying himself half to death he doesnt exactly seem like the jealous type to me, tbh

KISS- its time for my favorite thing for characters with no mouth!!! he boinks his face into yours, i actually wrote something for this! not gonna link it since its so short and i can easily relay the idea: but he would internally hype himself up (usually does this if this is the beginning of the relationship, he gets more confident as time goes on!), and just lightly 'pecks' your cheek before pulling away. loves kissing your cheeks as well as the back of your hands. loves being kisses where his mouth would be as well as his cheeks

LOVE LANGUAGE- quality time!! this man follows you around like a love sick puppy, because he loves you so much but also because again, he worries.. he also likes doing acts of service for you, makes him feel like hes capable of doing things on his own (which he is!). loves it when you return the favor via words of affirmation

MENDED- is he dreaming? is he imagining things again?

nope, its really you. somehow, you've recovered from abstracting, and you're now out of the cellar. he wants to hold you and never ever ever let you go, out of fear that hes going to come to his senses any second and youll be gone. wants to keep you in the pillow fort with him, or at least within his line of sight

NO- its less of an active dealbreaker and more of a "hey this is going to stress him out and probably hurt his mental health" but like, i dont think he would pair well with a really really intense person. like sure caien is pretty intense, but its not like caine is going to be spending a significant amount of time with him everyday, but like. you know? like i talk about some characters enjoying being on their toes and left guessing in regards to their partner, but kinger is NOT one of those people. he needs stability

PDA- less of a case where he actively and knowingly indulges in PDA and more so a case where he subconsciously holds onto your hand to keep you at arms length and to feel you. due to his lack of arms he has probably wandered off without you (and his hand) at least once. is not opposed to PDA, though, so long as its not like. insane

QUIET TIME- quiet time between the two of you is very rare. sure kinger can be very quiet when hes alone, but when hes alone with someone else, someone he cares so much about.. he cant help but fill the silence with words, to keep the ringing in his ears at bay .. so really quiet time is talking time

ROSES- ill mention it again in V (i wrote v before this section), he loves giving you roses especially on special occations! loves receiving flowers as well, he seems like a rose kind of guy as well

SHH- the one thing he doesnt like talking about is queener/queenie, well, more so the last few days leading up to her abstraction. it brings up. well, memories. on one hand he doesnt want to forget her, but on the other hand he doesnt want to bare the pain of those terrible memories

TUNES- THIS THIS THIS THIS ONE ALWAYS COME TO MY HEAD WHEN I THINK OF ROMANTIC HCS FOR SWEETIDEAS FOR OLDER GUYS IDK WHY

UPSET- im going back and forth with a lot of these as i fill in the list so! tying this in with E, i mention one of the only times he gets emotional is when he remembers some unfortunate events that took place in the circus. you're going to need to console him and bring him back to the present moment :(. when you're upset he tries to distract you, takes you to his fort, and tells you stories

VALENTINE- on the chance that he remembers what day it is, hes going to give you the most sterotypical date he can give to you. i think it might be because i can kind of see kinger as like, a classic/stereotypical romantic when it comes to you. flowers, he cant take you out to dinner so he takes you out to the digital lake to gaze at the clouds and watch the bugs pass

WANT- he wants a companion, he wants stability, and thats something he needs. he wants someone to be compassionate about him, his wellbeing, and his interests

XOXO- here! as well as Yearn!

ZZZ- if you guys go to sleep together its always in his room, where hes more comfortable. he also has a thing where he insists on being the one closer to the door; almost as if hes offering himself as protection to you should someone unwanted to come in. huh. always sleep holding onto you, snores like a dad

[frankburn]

look at this thang i was tagged in and actually ended up doing:] thank you dear @cannibalismpdf what a treat this is.

i did not keep track of most of these on letterboxd since i actually only started using it a couple of weeks ago, but i dug into my brain for this and am happy to say i watched more this year than i thought i did. and all of these i watched for the first time besides paranormal activity, but i first watched it as a little baby so it doesnt really count (even tho ive always had a clearer memory of those movies than most things) ok anyway ill keep the rest short simple and sweet

top 9 movies i watched this year:

good time (2017) - watched this january '24 after getting really into the curse, dont exactly remember what i was doing or where i was when i watched it. i do know that i rewatched it almost immediately after w my sister. just an overall good time 🤙

biosphere (2022) - watched more recently, and again rewatched almost immediately after but this time with friends who love to put up with my little movie moments. verrry silly and also lovely to see pregnant mark duplass whenever possible

hellraiser (1987) - yes yes this should have happened sooner but i also believe i watched it at the right time. one of my dear friends favorite movies and i am now blessed to understand why

funny games (2007) - okaaay now i watched this like 2 weeks ago all thanks to a wonderful recommendation from a lovely and sane-about-naomi-watts individual and it was all downhill from there. or like a lift off from there honestly. the movie itself is great i am a sucker for the inescapable and the doomed. very raw. now i especially love a man in this movie who is sweaty bloody crying and whining up a storm. when hes not like. on a boat with his son.

paranormal activity (2007) - i was going to put paranormal activity 5: the marked ones instead since i did in fact give it half a point higher than the first one, but its fine it all ties together. me and my sister actually watched all movies in the series (besides tokyo night) so that we could watch meatcanyons ranking of it and god. so much alcohol. wonderful movies wonderful times. this is one of those movies ill probably think abt on my deathbed

trap (2024) - fun movie! i absolutely enjoyed the first half, the setting of an arena concert was like the best part of it, so i was kind of sad when suddenly theres like... vans and homes 🙄 coulda been cus i was still on a concert high

the cook, the thief, his wife & her lover (1989) - wonderful disgusting movie. something i will need to rewatch again and SOON

late night with the devil (2023) - had to replace iwtv bc i for some reason forgot about this movie. how im not sure, considering this is probably my favorite movie i watched this year.

rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead (1990) - dont even try to talk to me abt this movie rn

well that does it. arent ya glad i didnt list all the tim roth movies ive already seen but have watched over and over again and could probably talk abt for hours if allowed the time and the right kind of attention. and i suppose the conclusion is i just really love to watch movies with loved ones. i guess ill try and tag some people now

@frmulcahy @confinesofmy @barryhbo2018 @unprojection @creepmovie or anyone else who would like to. sorry if u have already done this or hate to be tagged but hello anyway :]

[noahs-white-calvins]

I didn't watch the video you linked (and I don't plan to since videos about ships make me cringe a little bit) but I want to give my perspective on queerbaiting and whether or not byler is queerbait. I think when shows do queerbaiting, they do it to attract a new audience and save the ratings. stranger things doesn't really need that, it's the most popular show in the world right now, s4 alone broke a lot of records. and we also must not forget that mileven is a very beloved het ship. yeah, we love to shit on s3-4 mileven but there is still a lot of GA viewers who adore mileven. and s1-2 mileven was so beloved that even I heard a lot of good things about this ship back in 2016 and 2017 and I didn't know anything else about the show. (fun fact: even after s4 came out, mileven still had more fics on ao3 than byler, and it took a few weeks for byler to overthrow mileven). why would they destroy such a popular and beloved ship just for queerbaiting? if they wanted to queerbait, they could have gone for steddie instead, give them more interactions, make them flirt, etc. and the thing is, the strongest byler proofs is literally the way the ship is written. it's not blue and yellow colors, or the way byler was paired together in a lot of ads and posters. byler is literally written to become endgame. s4 alone makes it very clear. another outcome just doesn't make sense.

I agree when all is said and done. It’s no effort on my part to discredit her either, as those opinions and feelings come about from the same evidence and experiences that we have, but come to a different conclusion. I’m curious on what she thinks now, if she’s even thought about it at all. Of course we don’t need to base our hopes on anyone else’s validation of our ship, even if it always feels good to be validated.

Its funny too, I celebrate your assertion that its not the more niche and deep theories of the case that suggest Byler Endgame as you point out at the end of your ask. It’s there in the writing and I agree. I do my best to be objective on this and try not to just “see what i wanna see”. For example: the hose innuendo? not there for me, a reach, a scene far too short to satisfy my idea of suggestive undertones.

Its in watching literally how Mike and Will are together, the way Mike tries so hard to work it out with El, and yes i do accept that there are moments where Mileven works for a bit. I just woke up so picking those precise scenes isnt active in my brain right now, but the rewatch is fresh so i know one or two happened in S3.

And to your point on the queerbaiting and destroying Mileven: i think (and mostly hope lol) that youre right because again, we see in the writing that Mileven is done. Since S4 aired we now have some insight into the makeup of s5 and, while we dont have certainties, we know how much time Mike and Will spend together, their pairing with RoVickie (why else would that happen! ).

And seeing that while Mike does care for El and loves her as he does his friends, maybe to a grander scale, this second watch had me battling what ST shows me, tells me, and the hetero expectation complex i, even as a gay man, still work against. Its true that when a straight couple is on screen and we arent in scrutinize mode, we’re often like “yup this is it theyre together and will be till the show ends because thats how it is!”

But i’m more hopeful lately, and like you said, we have to see how the show is actually written. Mileven is up in the air now and Byler has been on the mend. The painting needs to be addressed, why was Mike so stand offish at the aiport, and you cannot now tell me that they dont have a flirtatious streak.

anyway, thats a ramble and a half haha. wanted to match your length energy and i have a lot of thoughts

[drdemonprince]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the "top shortage" thingy because I read what you shared........... and didn't understand half of it........... because the sentences were too long and i got lost........... (can i blame it in not being a native speaker even if i'm fluent? can i play that card?)

Yeah that piece was super long and very academically worded, so if you struggled to parse it you are far from alone.

The core takeaway from that author's perspective is that some bottoms believe they can only be topped by their fantasy version of an all powerful brute, but that brute has to also be a person that they can respect, and how we view those two qualities is often skewed by classism, racism, sexism and so much more. This leads to certain bottoms yearning for a type of person so rare and so hard to reconcile with their own worldview and social position as to almost not exist. They want tops to be voracious animals who just magically claim them in exactly the way they want to be claimed but without ever having to do any of the work, and without ever seeing themselves as a person with real power. This often has to do with gender and racial biases the person has about what being strong or dominant has to look like, and it's very dehumanizing. It is kinda no wonder people with that worldview cant get laid.

MY take (and I do love that author's piece) is a lot more simple. The top shortage does not exist. When bottoms complain about there being a top shortage they reveal their own inability to communicate and to actively seek and initiate toward what they need. Or they dont see tops as human and arent mutually giving and considerate toward them. In short, communication, agency, and mutuality are key.

I have never had a problem finding tops. Any active attempt and I'm drowning in options within like moments. This was true at all points in my life and thru many identities and in a variety of scenes. straight bi gay bondage hypno vanilla furry groups parties cruising whatever whatever. I never had trouble because I a) approached people that I was interested in, b) could lay out in detail what I wanted, and c) was happy to learn what the top wanted and dole out in return while also just generally treating them like a person with feelings and insecurities.

Communication agency and mutuality destroy the top shortage.

The notable exception is seeking a person with very particular niche expertise that takes years or money to develop. So, if you are seeking an experienced suspension rope top (and particularly one with their own space to host play), you will be limited to the handful of people who have the time and resources necessary to develop into that. Bottoms might be more plentiful on the ground due to that.

BUT even then!! there is always a relative shortage of BOTH tops and bottoms who can communicate, initiate, and be giving.

One thing I have learned as a professional communicator is that people with confident communication skills are rare. If you are good at communicating, initiating, and being mutually giving as well as receiving, you are a glistening jewel in the dating market or kink world and prospects will be numerous for you accordingly.