#The thing is that no other character has them and it makes it so noticeable...

[chocobje]

How I like to characterize Sprout is that he’s great talking with the ones he’s close with (Cosmo, Astro, etc.) But incredibly socially awkward with others. He comes off as brash, but he’s trying his best.

What guidelines do you try to follow when writing Sprout? I’m just curious.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to yap about one of my favourite characters hehe..

You asked for guidelines I gave you a character analysis instead.

(Don't mind the images I didn't want this post to look naked)

ALSO NOTE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS MERELY MY INTERPRETATION OF HIS CHARACTER. EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN!! Don't take my post as a mandatory guide to follow.

Let's talk about what's canon:

I like checking the Wikipedia for his dialogues every now and then to make sure he's not too out-of-character.

Sprout comes off as blunt, he does not sugarcoat his words when he has something to say.

Not even an excuse or a reason as to why he doesn't want to join Teagan for tea; It was straight up a "no" until Teagan told him Cosmo will join them too. (Also I want to point out he doesn't immediately say yes when he's told Cosmo will be there, so for all we know he'd still decline even if his best friend's joining Teagan).

Dandy's dialogue when you purchase Sprout. I think about it a lot. Out of all the character dialogues, the one with Astro is what I feel like is an example of his overprotectiveness coming across as "pushy".

He'd definitely be the type to scold his friends. Especially after Gardenview's shutdown with all the Twisteds wreaking havoc and whatnot. I don't think Sprout is fond of going on runs, but only does so he can watch over everyone and keep them safe. He makes sure everyone is focused and on high alert, he doesn't want anyone to be reckless.

He prioritizes safety over answers. His dialogue with Rodger shows that. Maybe he's also curious as to what has happened, because in Vee's dialogue he tried talking to Dandy only for Dandy to walk away. I assume Sprout just wanted to check up on him rather than knowing what's going on with Gardenview and the Twisteds.

Another thing I don't really see often is how Sprout is actually pretty forgetful and impulsive.

For a Toon who's constantly keeping watch on everyone he surely does not apply the same kind of attention to himself.

He talks before thinking about his words, but once he realized that he immediately apologized to Vee. I don't think he always notices when he comes across as rude though.

I actually think he's actually quite reckless when he bakes. I obviously can't show it in this post but if you look at that animation with Cosmo and Sprout baking they're not even measuring the ingredients. I mean what. 😭

The way he bakes feels so impulsive and it just looked like they were winging it. Somehow despite that their baked goods still end up great and that's honestly impressive.

Okay now for that dialogue between Bobette and Sprout, I was getting there-- I've never made a gingerbread house but from what I've seen from other people it requires a lot more patience and carefulness.

Sprout is neither.

According to him, his gingerbread house fell apart immediately and then he stopped trying afterwards. It's honestly funny.

I feel like this also shows through his stats. Both his extraction speed and skillcheck is 2 stars. His stamina and speed is way higher. He prefers running around, probably to make sure he can watch over everyone during their runs. That or because he has long legs.

Anyway to recap; Sprout in canon is blunt, pushy, overprotective, and impulsive. But he genuinely has good intentions and means well. He cares for his friends, which is why he scolds them because he wants to make sure they're safe.

Now for some headcanons:

Okay this is the part where I make stuff up. So it's just my take;

• He has ADHD.

I'M STARTING WITH THE NEURODIVERGENT HEADCANON.

This is not a unique headcanon. I've seen so many people who headcanons this too so it's relatively popular. Personally, I only see him with ADHD. (I'm projecting).

He's forgetful, impulsive, and quite socially awkward in a way aswell. He's easily distracted. He keeps forgetting about the oven. He's impulsive when baking. I'm a very impulsive and reckless person myself, I constantly make mistakes when I draw, yet somehow they end up okay 😭. When I'm not able to draw something right, I give up immediately. (I projected this onto the gingerbread house thing earlier).

• He comes across as intimidating.

You know in Kids' birthday parties when there's a mascot a lotta kids go run and hide? I based it off of that. I remember when I was like, 6 or 7, when a mascot came in I cried and hid under a table. They were tall.. <\3

I feel like there was a concerning number of kids who were actually afraid of him, despite how friendly he appears both in person and in the show. Maybe it's the RBF when he's not smiling..

I also like to think he's taller than some of the kids who comes to Gardenview which plays a factor to the whole "intimidating" thing. The way Sprout deals with this is giving the kids cupcakes or other sweets. Once the kids actually talk to him they're immediately comfortable.

• He was one of the very first to become "Twisted".

I don't have a concrete idea on how the story of the game goes, but I always imagine the Mains being the first victims. Sprout is a healer and he keeps an eye on everyone, so he had to go first.

–

Okay, I think that's all now. If you read all of that wow thanks, this took me hours to write 😭. I love overanalysing characters.

[muletia]

So. I just read the whole ‘optimus gets minified’ and I have to ask...

May I request one for Pedraking?🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇

— 🩷

𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐥. 𝟐 ༘⋆✿

predaking, ratchet, smokescreen ↳ all are obsessed with you btw

word count: 1300

you used the word “request” and I am currently not accepting them, but!! I love this concept and couldn’t resist adding two other characters…

Oh, no, he absolutely hates it

Predaking has no idea how this even happened. He went into recharge curled protectively around you, shielding you from the world and sharing his warmth, only to wake up small, confused, and utterly incapable of performing the one task his entire existence revolves around: protecting you

So how is he supposed to stay calm? How is he supposed to keep his cool when he’s defenseless? His strength, height, and power — all his greatest assets — have been stripped away. Without them, he can’t be a worthy mate for you. He wouldn’t dare even call himself that anymore. You don’t need a plushie; you need a strong partner, ready to push away any intruder and eliminate anyone who so much as approaches your love nest. In this form, he can’t offer you any of that. He can’t fulfill a single promise he made to you, which leaves him caught between fury and a crushing sense of inadequacy

But why aren’t you panicking? You look surprised, sure, but not terrified, even though you should be! You’re currently defenseless! What if someone decides to steal you away from him? And why are you cooing like he’s a sparkling and reaching out toward him? Oh, you want to pet him...

He won’t make it easy. Startled by your actions, he’ll jump away from you, insisting he doesn’t need your affection right now and that you should hold off until you figure out a solution to this mess.

But he has to stay by your side. He has to protect you, even in this form. He has to be braver, fiercer, compensating for his lost size with sheer determination. No, he won’t leave you for even a second. He’ll protect you with his entire body if necessary

So he returns to you and tries to block the entrance to your love nest, though at his current size, it’s far from impressive. Standing with his back to you, hawk-eyed and focused on the doorway, he doesn’t notice your hand snaking toward his helm. When it rests there and starts stroking, he freezes

Predaking will still try to resist. He’ll growl and brush off your affections, but with every stroke of your hand, his defiance melts away. Boldness gives way to an overwhelming need to be close to you, and soon there’s nothing left of it as he wags his tail, eagerly demanding more pets

It’ll take a long time before he remembers that he’s supposed to protect you 24/7, fully content to bask in your attention and curl up on your lap. Even your constant comments about how sweet and adorable he is stop bothering him surprisingly fast

Still, he will never accept being miniature. Being spoiled by you is undeniably delightful, but Predaking needs absolute certainty that he can defend you from hostile bots. He’ll keep searching for a way to undo this, but until then, you can enjoy your giant, adorable lap dog <3

If Predaking hates his situation, Ratchet downright loathes it

You’ve never heard so much grumpy complaining as during the size-change incident

How can humans live like this? It’s uncomfortable, impractical, weak. You can’t reach anything, the world feels so enormous. Anyone could step on you (payback for his own words, I guess), and you’re so fragile and delicate

And then there’s your behavior toward him. He doesn’t want to be treated like a sparkling. He doesn’t want your cooing and constant repetition of how adorable he is and how much you want to smother his entire faceplate with kisses (although, deep down in his spark, that’s the one thing he truly craves, as betrayed by a subtle blue blush)

He doesn’t know when you got it into your head that he needs your constant care. He can handle himself and intends to work tirelessly until he finds a way to undo this farce. Sure, he’s five times smaller, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost all his competence. He doesn’t need a nanny — especially one who keeps interrupting his work with comments about how adorable he is

But Ratchet is also a hypocrite because, truthfully, he does need you. The sudden shift in perspective is terrifying. Giants become behemoths; they loom over him, threatening to crush him. It’s easy to feel microscopic and overwhelmed, not hard to spiral into panic and uncertainty as wild thoughts conjure up visions of being stepped on. In those moments, Ratchet needs you by his side. He needs to grab onto the hem of your shirt, to feel that you’re there, that everything is okay. You won’t leave him or let anything harm him

Of course, once the fear subsides and Ratchet feels comfortable again, he reverts to his independent and grumpy self, but he’ll stop trying to push you away. He’ll appreciate your presence, even if he never really wanted you to leave him in the first place

The constant work will exhaust him quickly, especially in such a small and frail form, and then he’ll instinctively seek you out. He’ll choose the perfect moment when no one else is in the base, find you on the couch, and climb onto you, ignoring all your questions and comments. He’s tired, doesn’t know how to fix this, and needs you. Let him at least have a few kliks of napping in arms that surround him with safety

You can even kiss his forehead. After all, it’s only fair to repay all the kisses you’ve received from him, so he can feel for himself just how wonderful they are <3

Oh, and imagine a mini jealous Ratchet. He doesn’t like that you’re spending so much time talking to some young bot when you were supposed to be helping him, so he feels the need to take action and drag you away. But he’s so tiny and not at all intimidating that his “rival” can’t take him seriously... especially when he tugs at your clothes like a grumpy sparkling

Oh, so now he can be with you 24/7? Fantastic!

This entire situation is incredibly convenient for him. Sure, at first, he was a bit terrified and downcast that he couldn’t be the perfect partner for you, but he quickly discovered countless benefits to being minified

First and foremost, he gets to accompany you everywhere. He doesn’t leave your side, becoming your shadow. Even at his normal height, he tried to spend every free moment with you, but as a mini version, he’s with you always

Bathroom breaks? Smokescreen follows you, clutching onto the hem of your shirt (you’ll need to explain to him that just because he can fit in there with you doesn’t mean he should)

Feeling like stretching your legs after sitting too long and showering him with affection? He toddles after you, mimicking your every move

Taking a stroll around the base? Definitely not alone.

He’ll drain your energy before evening comes. Since he’s shrunk down to the size of a sparkling, why not act like one to get what he wants?

Need a break from his constant presence and his unique talent for never shutting up? Well, you’re going to have a huge problem because simply interrupting a cuddling session already spells trouble. Trying to untangle yourself from his limbs while avoiding sharp edges of his armor, Smokescreen sprawls across your torso, pinning you to the couch. And even when small, he’s shockingly heavy, effectively trapping you in place. Now you can continue your cuddling and smooching session

He won’t feel a shred of shame or hesitation in using his charm, either. He knows perfectly well that you find him adorable, so he’ll use his big, puppy-like optics to manipulate you to his advantage — for example, to get another round of being carried in your arms

But the most affectionately unbearable he gets is when you need to leave the base. You can’t leave him alone! What if someone steps on him? Or he gets lost in the hangar? You have to stay by his side (forever) at least until Ratchet can fix him. Smokescreen has no qualms about clinging to your leg if it means keeping you near. And no force will pry him off until you say you’ll stay the night <3

[rainb0ws-h4t]

Another imagine before I dissapear again

Tw: slight yandere, stalking

Imagine you are a background character in the main plot of Twisted Wonderland. You hold no use in the story's progress, neither do you interact much with the main cast. You aren't aware of this at all, and continue to live your life as a regular student in Night Raven College.

Until a fascinating phenomenon happens that summons a magicless human from another world. Everyone gravitates towards them as they spend more and more time in Twisted Wonderland.

But who wouldn't be enamoured by their presence?

The magicless prefect of Ramshackle who is a denominator at every overblot? The magicless prefect of Ramshackle who melts down the walls of every stone cold housewarden (no Kalim‼️) of Night Raven? The magicless prefect of Ramshackle who fascinates and impresses you with each heroic act they do?

They're lively, strong, and dazzling.

Their name was a common topic in the bustling halls. Heck— some students even became fanboys of the infamous prefect, gushing about them during breaks like a teenage schoolgirl.

You honestly thought you'd just be another nameless student in the crowd of people vying for their attention. After all, you had no involvement in whatever plot was happening currently.

And you were fine with that.

With the shit they've gone through, you'd rather not get involved with any of the things they do daily. Plus, the people they interacted with either scared you to death or just annoying and loud students that you'd rather rip your ears off than listen to them yap.

Until, you've did something that redirected the entire plot entirely.

You strolled through the halls of NRC at an ungodly hour. You couldn't sleep, and frankly— just didn't want to be in the presence of other dorm mates sleeping.

You'd didn't expect anyone to be awake at this time. After all, a test was being held early in the morning. You were confident you could wake up in time for that though.

As you walked calmly through the silent halls, yu noticed a figure standing next to a window. You hoped it wasn't a teacher or anything. Getting caught sneaking out wouldnt look good on your record.

You opted to just sneak behind them quietly. Not like you were being loud anyway.

While you did so, you just happened to notice how familiar the figure appeared. So eerily familiar to that infamous prefect you've grown to admire so fondly...

*Thud*

FUCK.

You weren't paying attention to whre you were walking and tripped on practically nothing. The figure turned around, alarmed and frightened. The original alarmed expression now transitioned into confusion at the display of your pathetic state.

"W-who are you?"

Every living thing dies once in a lifetime,

You died two times in your lifetime.

Awkwardly, you attempted to stand up without looking even more like a moron. "Just another student... Strolling around.."

"And what are you doing here.?" They asked.

"Well,.. I didn't really feel like sleeping right now." The prefect nodded in response, they didn't seem intent on responding with anything else.

"What are you doing here?" You asked suddenly.

The prefect looked up at you at that, making eye contact. "I... Everything..." They kept opening their mouth and closing it. They looked so vulnerable and timid that you doubted that this was the prefect that assisted in every overblot.

"It's just so..." Tears streaked down their eyes.

Without thinking, you wrapped your arms around them and engulfed them in a big hug. Hoping that the warmth that you can provide would be enough to clear the tears.

"I just w-wanna go home... I dont w-wanna be here anymore." They sobbed, pulling you closer.

That night, you comforted the sobbing prefect and woke up with five minutes left to get ready for the test.

You're not sure if that's what stared it, but the prefect has been gravitating towards you a lot. They sat in the same lunch table as you, they strayed away from her friends more often (with only grim as a companion), walked to classes with you, and even invited you to their ever growing friend group.

Past you would've relished in the attention being showered on you personally by the prefect, but...

Everywhere you went with Yuu (they told you to call them that) was followed by a lingering feeling of multiple pairs of eyes that bore into your skin. You hated it. And that feeling only began to increase whenever you were alone.

There was one time that you escorted Yuu home, and they hugged you as a thanks. A loud thunder rang through the entire campus the second it occured. You slipped out of their grasp and scurried away immediately.

You forgot to mention but..

Yuu radiated a dazzling and alluring aura that everyone was attracted to. Whatever they felt towards Yuu was not your business, but those people they interact with always made it clear they wanted Yuu. It disturbed you in a way. They seemed so dazzled and the way they wanted to be in their presence 24/7 was borderline creepy and obsessive.

One thing you learned about Yuu was that they noticed it too. They were exhausted from keeping up the facade that they had on. And basically— exhausted from the guys that lurked wherever they went. They confessed that they felt disturbed by how erratic their behaviour was around them, but they were too frightened to say anything that might cause them to react suddenly.

You couldn't bring yourself to confess how you felt the same about them.

Those creepy ass leech twins with their menacing grins.

That rule-obssesed maniac that stopped you in a hallway and demanded you stay away from Yuu. (Rule 636? 352? Who even cares anymore?)

Some advanced machinery that circled the garden you were trying to rest in.

You swore you were nothing more than a side character in the story of theirs. You swore that if did get involved with Yuu, it wouldn't even have a lasting impact.

Now as Yuu gushed about how the boys seemed to have lessened their weird behaviour and began to act normal. You couldn't help but feel the curse that was placed over Yuu, was now transferred over to you.

You know you couldn't be alone from this point onward.

[the-witty-pen-name]

The Aftermath

Eddie Munson x F!Reader

Word Count: 7k

Synopsis: In the aftermath of Eddie’s death, you visit Wayne and you grieve Eddie together. You admit to him you never got to tell Eddie how you feel, but unbeknownst to you, Eddie hears your confession and is trying to make his way back home to you from the Upside Down. 

Warnings: heavy angst; grief; depression; mention of character death; smut (18+ minors dni); oral (m receiving); piv/unprotected sex; dirty talk; sub/sort of switch!eddie; smoking

A/N: I wanna shout out @punkrockmlchael @keeryhours @losingmygrasponreality and @munsonsmixtapes y'all are great- thank you for letting me talk to y'all about this fic <3

Comments and reblogs are always appreciated! And requests are currently open :)

Everything still didn’t feel real. As the dust settles and Hawkins begins to pick up the pieces, you still feel like you’re stuck underwater. He’s gone- and everyone around you celebrates like they're better off for it. People rise from the ashes, content to keep the world turning- so much progress yet you are completely paralyzed. And it feels like no one else cares. 

They do care. They’re just happy. Relieved to be rid of the devil worshiping, fork tongued, serial killer that they fabricated and made the villain of this nightmare. They celebrate, and embrace, treating the aftermath like an uplifting time. You’re stuck- paralyzed by the immense pain that sits deep in your chest. It weighs you down, and you wished for anything but this. 

You wished for Eddie, because he’s the one person who’d pull you out of this when you’d spiral. You can’t feel grounded because your rock is gone. Your heart hangs so heavy with regret as you mourn your best friend and the love of your life. And you never got to tell him. 

As Jason and his friends created a witch hunt, everyone’s priority was to keep Eddie safe- there  \were so many times you felt like you should’ve said something. Your inner voice yelling at you to do anything- something before it was too late. You chickened out every time, petrified of rejection and worried you’d ruin what you had more than it had already been threatened. 

Now you don’t know how to feel anything at all. He’s just gone. And the rest of the town moves on. And you can hardly breathe, covered with dust as you stay exactly where you were. You weren’t there at the end, and you wish you’d had. To be with him, comfort him, make him know just how much he means. You’re angry you didn’t stick up for yourself when the group suggested you didn’t follow them. You’re angry you let Eddie convince you to stay behind when they traveled into the Upside Down. You should have been there. 

So now, like a body possessed, you go through the motions to get by with hardly living. You’re a shell, floating aimlessly from one thing to the next but you aren’t there. Because Eddie isn’t there. You miss him so much your brain can’t handle the amount of grief that’s overtaking you. You feel consumed by such an immense sadness just all the time. 

Dustin was the first person you saw, and you both held each other as you both wailed. He didn’t have to say anything, you instinctively knew. Both of you, tangled up in pain, holding on to the last bit of him you both had in that moment- each other. You both crumbled , and you cried so hard until your bodies exhausted themselves. 

Compelled to just make yourself feel anything, sick of the numbness- just wanting to expel the dark cloud sitting inside you, you find the strength to make your way to the Munson trailer, just hoping Wayne would be there. You knew Wayne needed you, and you needed him. You needed Wayne in your life- the father figure that stepped up for Eddie, but also for you. 

When Wayne opens the door, you notice he looks completely destroyed. His eyes, like yours, are bloodshot from tears and a man who you once thought was the tallest man in the world, looks so very small. The same small cloud that has dwelled in you since he died, also festered and plagued Wayne. 

The second he opens the door, you need a hug. Suddenly, you feel like a little kid again, safer now that Wayne is around. In his embrace, you feel heard, without needing to speak. You know he’s feeling the same pain, the same loss, and he’s the only person in the whole world that you need to be near right now. You just pray that he lets you in.

“He didn’t do it,” you sob, clinging to Wayne’s flannel shirt. He rubs your back comfortingly. 

“I know he didn’t,” he soothes you, but you can still hear that he’s crying as well. 

Wayne holds you and it gives him some solace for the first time in weeks. He’s relieved that you’ve come back to visit. You're the first of Eddie’s friends to make the journey over. But, of course you were. 

Once you manage to pull yourself somewhat together, you pull away from the hug. “I wanted to know if I could still come visit,” you ask meekly, desperate to encase yourself back into Eddie’s world. Wayne nods, hugging you again, stroking your head to comfort you as the tears begin to fall again. 

“I loved him, I love him,” you confess pathetically and Wayne shushes you like a child needing to be comforted. It’s a sound you’re familiar with. There have been many moments in your life where Wayne was the one there to pick up the pieces. Bullies would be mean to both you at school, Eddie and you would run home with tear stained cheeks, and he’d hold you both like how he’s holding you now. 

“I know, kiddo,” he soothed. “I know.” 

“Can- can I go to his room? Just for a minute,” you plead. 

“You can stay as long as you want,” Wayne promises, stepping aside to let you in. 

The trailer hasn’t changed- it’s got that look about it, always. It’s comforting to look around it and just feel him. It sounds so crazy but you swear you can feel Eddie- your senses are just overwhelmed with so much of him after weeks of an extreme emptiness. 

His room is untouched, you can tell Wayne hasn’t been ready to go in. His unmade bed, his dirty laundry, his tapes- everything is exactly as he left it. The bed he won’t crawl back into, the tshirts he won’t wear, the new tape that he’ll never hear- it’s all paused. A room that was once as lively as the boy who lived in it now felt like a time capsule that is the only proof that he was there. 

You sit on his bed, trying to commit it all to your memory. You feel so dizzy, and all you can do is fixate on every detail. Petrified you’ll forget something, which will turn into something else, and then before you know it you’ve lost all of the pieces that make Eddie. 

Laying on his bed, you stare up at the ceiling, you just let yourself sink into your sadness. You feel engulfed by him, his essence. It’s the closest you know you’ll ever get to the real thing again. You burrow into his pillow and blankets and just let yourself become fully cased in, you close your eyes and you can almost pretend he’ll be there when you open your eyes. He’ll be there, sitting on the floor strumming his guitar like he had done a million times before. You swear you can feel him there. 

He’s screaming for you, begging you to hear him. He’s scared and alone and can’t get out. He’s stuck in this limbo. He can see you, he can see everyone- no one knows he’s alive. He’s trying to reach out to you as he stands in his room, only in the Upside Down. His face is messy with grime and tears, his whole body aches. He can’t muster up the strength to run anymore. Seeing you like this though? Worse than anything else he feels like he’s been through. He needed to get back home, but he couldn’t figure out how. 

 He hears a gentle knock on the door, and it feels like a million miles away. Even if it doesn’t matter, he steps aside still trying to talk to you when he watches Wayne walk in. For the first time, Eddie’s speechless. He gives up on his talking for just a moment, he scrambles around his room, looking for any way to send the two of you a sign. 

Wayne takes a seat on the edge of the bed. He rubs your back gently over Eddie’s comforter. He doesn’t want you to think he wants you to leave. Eddie’s looking through the wreckage of his bedroom in the Upside Down, he needs to find his radio. He can see it on top of his dresser in the real world, and he’s trying to find the one there. If he can play something, anything, maybe he has a shot that the two of you will hear it. 

“I called your house, they know you’re with me,” Wayne says soothingly. He can see the blanket move so he knows you nodded. “I was hoping you’d take me up on having dinner here,” he adds. “I’m so used to cooking for two..,” he trails off, not wanting to make you any sadder. He sees the comforter nod again, and he pats your shoulder to make his exit. 

“Did you know?” you ask suddenly, Wayne turning around in the doorway. “Do you think he knew?” You ask, sitting up a little and wiping your eyes. Eddie stops his search and his eyes are just focused on you. 

“Did I know what, sweetheart?” Wayne asks softly. You take a few shaky breaths. 

“Was it obvious..,” you are embarrassed, “Was it obvious that I liked him? I never told him…”

“We didn’t really talk about stuff like that,” he responds. “But, you and Eddie had such a special bond… You meant so much to him, don’t let that be the thing you focus on.”

“I waited and then it was too late,” you sniffle. 

“Eddie loved you more than anything,” Wayne reiterates, and you know it’s true. You just didn’t know in what way. 

Eddie thinks he might be sick. He jumps over a pile of his dirty clothes to kneel on the bed in front of you. He knows you can’t see him, it doesn’t matter. He stares into your eyes even though he knows you aren’t seeing him back. 

“The whole time?” he laughs, tears welling up again, he hits his fist to the mattress. “Of course I liked you, oh my god. I couldn’t have been more obvious! On what planet would I not be completely head over heels in love with you?” He exclaims. His laughter sounds almost delirious- he feels like he’s losing his goddamn mind. “Oh my god, baby, I- Fuck this,” he grumbles. “This is bullshit,” he says, looking around the room again for something to use. “I’m getting back there,” he announces to the void, “I’m getting back there and I swear to god, the first thing after I kiss you- I’m making fun of you for being so stupid to think I wouldn’t like you. Christ, where the fuck is my stereo?” 

His foot kicks something and he curses, but then he laughs triumphantly because he hears static. He uncovers the stereo from under one of his shirts and thankfully it looks salvageable. He sits down, pulling it onto his lap, and messes with the frequency. “Please, please, please,” he mutters over and over again, hoping to get some sort of signal out. Nothing. He tosses it aside, racking his brain trying to remember anything the group told him. “Lights, lights!” he says, scurrying over to the switch on the wall, frantically flicking it on and off. 

The lights in the room suddenly flicker, and your head tilts, looking up at the ceiling light. Your first instinct is to brush it off, the bulb probably just needs to be replaced. The annoyance of the flickering switch is enough to get you out of bed to turn off the light. You walk over to flip the switch to off, and you realize the overhead light is already switched to off. Puzzled, you look over, and see the lamp on Eddie’s bedside table is flickering now too. Then, the hall light flickers, like some electric current is running the length of the house messing with the lights. The lights over the kitchenette start to flicker next, and it makes Wayne jump. 

You follow the light trail, trying to figure out what’s going on. You look to Wayne and he looks just as mystified as you. Eddie, in the meantime, is banging the walls, flipping the switches, trying anything to get your attention. He’s yelling incoherent nonsense, jumping around, hitting things- fuck the monsters, he’s not afraid anymore. He’s not letting an opportunity to let you know that he’s there slip by. 

“Might be the generator acting up,” Wayne muses, explaining the odd sight away. You aren’t convinced, but you don’t know any better. So many parts of the journey, you were left out- you didn’t know about the electromagnetic elements of the Upside Down. You were left out of the loop, Eddie insisting you stay back for your own safety more times than not. You were mad at him still for that, honestly. Eddie knew Jason could’ve used you in some way to get to him. The less you knew, the better he felt. You resented it, knowing you could’ve handled Jason and his goons. It doesn’t matter anymore. 

“You think so?” You mumble, unconvinced. You observe as there seems to be an obvious pattern to the flickering of the lights. It was like someone was running up and down the length of the trailer, messing with the switches. The generator is the easiest answer, and the rational side of you tells you to just let it be. The other side of you, maybe the delusional side- looking for any sort of sign, thinks it’s something. 

“Can I use the phone?” You ask, and Wayne nods. You grab the receiver off of the base and start dialing Dustin’s home phone number. Wayne continues to work on dinner, turning on his portable radio to offer you some privacy as you make a call. 

“Hi Mrs. Henderson,” you say when Dustin’s mother answers. “I understand that it’s dinner time, I’m sorry. I was just hoping Dustin could talk for just a few minutes? I understand, ma’am. Please, just this once? Thank you, ma’am.” 

Dustin sounds confused when he says your name on the other end of the phone. “What’s going on?” He asks, understandably confused. 

“The lights in Eddie’s trailer are going haywire,” you explain, not sure how to explain it to him. “It’s so weird, I don’t know how to describe it. It’s random- but it doesn’t feel that way. It’s just Wayne and I here, but it’s like someone is flipping the switches over and over again.” 

Eddie says a little prayer that Henderson will pick up on the fact that he’s trying to let you guys know he’s there. He watches you intently as you listen to Dustin, and answer his follow-up questions. He watched as you try to hold back a smile, the first one in weeks to Grace your pretty face. 

“Are you sure?” You ask again in disbelief, listening to Dustin’s theory. You’re skeptical, you can’t let yourself believe Eddie might be alive. You couldn’t bear the disappointment. 

“We’ve seen it before,” Dustin says, and you can tell he’s rushing off the phone. “Trust me, let me figure something out. Do you know Morse code?” 

“No,” you answer dejectedly. You also don’t know if Eddie would know any Morse code, but maybe Dustin knew more than you. 

“That’s okay,” Dustin says, you hear him scribbling something down. “See if there’s something you can figure out. A pattern, anything- I got to go. My mom is gonna flip out if I’m not back like now.  I can call you back after dinner- use Eddie’s walkie.” 

Dustin hangs up abruptly and you place the receiver down, dejectedly. You smile towards Wayne and the lights finally settle down. You offer to help and Wayne happily takes you up on the offer. It’s a small space, but the two of you make it work. It’s a nice silence, but it also weighs heavy among you. It shouldn’t be like this. It should be chaotic and messy and loud and he should be here. 

“Remember that one Halloween you took Eddie and I trick or treating, and we both wanted to be Casper,” you reminisce. Wayne offers a deep, throaty chuckle. 

“You both tricked me, I dropped Eddie off at your house and it wasn’t until I was halfway back home that I realized I had the wrong kid,” Wayne huffs, and you break into a fit of giggles. “Just like that,” he points at you, “you laughed just like that under the sheet and you gave yourself away.” 

Wayne hands you a plate and you both sit down at the tiny kitchen table. You’re happy to see him like this. He’s not okay, and you’re not okay. But for now, he’s letting you in- and he’s letting you in so he can heal, even if never fully. He knows Eddie would want you here. 

You settle back into a comfortable silence again as you both eat. Both of you just happy to not be alone. You know your other friends feel this loss- everyone is just pained with losing Eddie. Everyone’s spirits are broken. Wayne and you knew Eddie best, the longest. Everyone is mourning their friend. Wayne and you are mourning Eddie in every phase of his life. 

Grief is a fickle thing. It comes down in waves. Unpredictable and always messy. And always uniquely different. It’s an anchor that sits on your chest and the seams that hold you together in the moments where you miss them the most. It also makes you emboldened. Too sad to care about anything- it lowers inhibitions and makes you realize how life is too short to be embarrassed. And it hits you all at once, and you don’t even know when you started crying into your food. 

It’s an ugly cry- the kind where you struggle to breathe, your nose runs uncontrollably and it sounds inhuman. Wayne comforts you the best he can, resting a hand on your shoulder. You can hardly speak as you manage to talk between heavy sobs. 

Eddie’s devastated. It hurts him so much to see you like this. He’s never seen this and he hopes soon he won’t have to again. Because he’ll figure out how to get home to you. As Wayne pulls you into a hug, Eddie makes a vow that no matter what he’s getting back. He racks his brain, trying to remember what his friends told him about the Upside Down. He wishes he could contact Dustin- he’s in no condition to even try to head over to his house. He needs to stay here- hoping you will continue to pick up on the clues. 

You ask Wayne if you can stay in Eddie’s room a little longer after dinner. He of course says yes. You help him with the dishes, and then head back to Eddie’s room. On his desk, you’re shifting through the clutter to try to find paper. So you can make notes of any weird occurrences. Eddie watched intently as you carefully move the amps, and find a composition book he had stashed away. It’s just a junk notebook, he’d use it to scribble or write down song ideas or brainstorm campaigns. 

You flip to a blank page as you take a seat at his desk chair. Eddie’s thankful he remembers a little Morse code- at least he learned something for the very brief time he was a scout (before he was kicked out). He walks over to the switch on the wall. 

One short flash, one long flash 

One short flash, one king flash, two short flashes 

Two short flashes 

Three short flashes, one long flash 

One short flash 

He repeats this over and over again, not sure what else he can do or what else he can relay. He knows you don’t know Morse code, and it needs to be simple enough that you can pick up the sequence and tell it to Dustin. He watches over your shoulder as you write down what you’ve seen. 

He watches as you look around until you locate his walkie. You press the button to speak. 

“Dustin?” You ask hesitantly, feeling a little foolish. 

“Dustin, over,” you hear him say, and you roll your eyes. 

“Yeah- there’s definitely a pattern here,” you say. 

“Say over when your done talking, over.”

“That’s stupid, over,” you quip. 

“Do you want my help or not? Over,” Dustin replies, obviously getting frustrated. 

You read off your notes to Dustin and it takes a few minutes for him to respond. The waiting is what’s killing you. Eddie tries to think of something else he can relay with the lights. Hopefully what he's done is enough, he thinks. 

“It spells alive, over,” Dustin says at last. You can hear the excitement in his voice, and it makes you feel like you’ve been able to take a full deep breath for the first time in weeks. 

“Are you sure?” You ask, trying to hold back. You can’t let yourself spiral. You can’t let yourself get your hopes up. It would break you. “Oh shit, the lights are doing something else now!”

One short flash 

One long flash, two short flashes 

One long flash, two short flashes 

Two short flashes 

One short flash

“What’s it say?” You ask impatiently. 

“It spells out Eddie,” Dustin responds, and Eddie can hear the happiness in his voice. 

“Oh fuck,” you exclaim, excitedly. You get up and pace anxiously. “How do we get him back, Dustin?” You ask, panicked, “How do I get him home?” 

“Shit,” Dustin replied, “We need to open the gate.” 

“How do we do that?” You insist. 

“Standby,” Dustin states matter of factly. “Can you stay at Eddie’s tonight?” 

“Sure, of course- whatever I need to do,” you say with certainty. 

“See if you can get anything else. Maybe he’ll send us something,” Dustin instructs. “We need to rope everyone else in on this. So we can do anything until tomorrow.” 

“We just found out that Eddie’s alive, stranded in hell and you’re saying we aren’t waking everyone else up and dealing with this immediately?” You’re angry. 

“We need to strategize, we can’t just half ass this,” Dustin rationalizes. “We need to figure out what to do,  we can’t exactly just call Eleven and just have her open a gate. Everyone is still looking for her. Besides, we don’t know if it’s actually Eddie yet either.”

“Of course it’s Eddie!” You interject. 

“We also can’t hurt him,” Dustin explains. “If we open the gate, it might send creatures his way that he isn’t strong enough to deal with. We need to do this right.” 

You can’t explain how it happened. It was really Dustin who headed the whole operation. You did your best to help, remembering some things from before. You watched your friends in awe, everyone banded together- no one stopping round the clock. It was incredible to witness. Your heart swelled. Everyone just loved Eddie, and no one was stopping until he was home safe. It was a group effort. Even Susie was phoned in from out of state to help out. It was sweet, watching Dustin get flustered as the two of them talked over walk-in talkie. You’d been waiting in the back of Nancy’s car,  Robin anxiously playing with the walkie- the three of you on stand-by as Steve, Jonathan and the others disappeared into the woods, hoping to bring Eddie out. You all wait, silently begging for any sort of update. And then you see them, huddled together- a group effort to carry Eddie. 

Eddie. 

He feels like he can finally breathe. The clean air fills his lungs and he feels like part of his old self again. Slung around Steve for support, he’s limping still from his injuries but he might as well have been running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Real life doesn’t feel real, it suddenly feels better. Especially, when he lifts his head and sees you right there, waiting for him. 

He smiles, that dopey perfect smile of his, like nothing happened. All he can do is just see you, it’s all he’s thought about and he’s just taking it all in- just you. In the flesh, standing right in front of him, waiting for him and loving him. He made it back to you, his girl, just like he promised himself he would. 

You can’t bear it any longer, you rush to his side, taking the weight of him from Steve- pulling Eddie in to a panicked embrace, like you might lose him again. He’s here, he’s actually really here. You realize you can’t squander this- not taking time for granted again. Not when he’s made it back to you like this. You sob, overwhelmed. The feeling of him after all this time has left you stunned. Everything else just fades- nothing matters now except him and the feeling of him against you like this. 

“Hi to you too, sweetheart,” he coughs, happily throwing his arms around you. Steve steps back to give you both space. “I’m so sorry,” he mumbles against your hair, kissing your forehead. Although it makes him wince to move his arm, he tilts your chin up to look at him. “And I’m so sorry I never did this sooner.” 

He presses his lips to yours, and you gasp softly in surprise at first. His hand cups your jaw and you feel his smile when you begin to kiss him back. His lips are so soft, except for the small cut that’s starting to heal. You’re too wrapped up in him to even notice. Your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him in close. 

“I love you,” you rush, pulling away from the kiss- desperate to finally tell him. “I love you so much-“ he cuts you off with another kiss, not able to get enough of you. He knows! Oh God, he knows and he wants to sing it from the rooftops when his body doesn’t ache like this. But, fuck- he knows. And that is the best feeling. 

Wayne waits patiently, watching the two of you. He always knew you’d end up like this. He wasn’t one to interfere- but he knew before either of you. He considers himself so lucky to have watched your story together unfold. Shit, tears well in his eyes. His Eddie is home and safe. That’s all he cares about. His boy is alive and well and loved. Everything is going to be alright again. You all can move through this, together. 

“Love you so much,” Eddie says, pulling back. He wraps his arm around your shoulder. “I gotta see Wayne,” he whispers and you nod, helping him walk the rest of the way up the small dirt road to the trailer where Wayne waits in the doorway. You pass Eddie off to him, and it makes your heart swell watching Wayne pull him into a big hug as Eddie buried his face in Wayne’s shoulder like he would when he was little. 

Wayne helps Eddie into the trailer, and you follow closely behind after everyone says their goodbyes for now. You and Wayne help ease Eddie onto his bed, and all of the muscles in his body relax. He sighs, relieved, resting his head against his squished, unkempt pillows. Wayne pulls the blanket over him, and you head to the kitchenette to get Eddie water. A few seconds later, Wayne emerges from the room, slowly to avoid making noise.

“He passed out,” Wayne chuckles and you smile. He looks back to the closed bedroom door and then back to you. “I can’t believe I have to leave him already and go back to work,” he sighs. He looks to the clock on the wall, he’ll be due for his shift tonight. “I hate to have to go, but he’ll probably sleep the whole time.. right?”

“I think so,” you reassure Wayne. “Can I stay?” You ask hopefully. 

“Honey, you’re family. You stay as long as you want- you don’t need to ask me that.”

“I know, I just- I always just want to make sure I’m not overstaying my welcome.” 

“You’re a good kid.” 

With that, Wayne’s gone for now. Somehow miraculously back to the same Wayne you always knew. Everything has begun to settle. All of the parts that fragmented and tore him up are all falling back into place. He can do what he’s always done. His life revolved around Eddie- and he’s so relieved it can continue to do so. So for Eddie’s sake, he forgoes missing work again, and heads to his next shift. 

You look to the door of Eddie’s bedroom, suddenly a place that filled you was such an immense pain sparks butterflies and giddiness in your stomach. The space feels alive again even though he’s sleeping so soundly when you slip back inside. Your sweet, beautiful Eddie- taking up all the space in the room again and captivating your attention. He looks so exhausted but you still think he looks so angelic, as always. 

You don’t want to hurt him, so you keep your distance the best you can when you slide into the bed to lay next to him. Settling in on your side, you watch his gentle inhales and exhales and study all of the little details on his face like you have before- just so happy that you can do it again. Eddie wakes up shortly after, his brown eyes, that always make you seem to melt, are looking at you- taking in all of you again, just like you to him. How could ever not know he loved you when he looked at you like that? 

“C’mere,” he mumbles, his good arm reaching out to pull you in closer to his side. Hesitantly, you scoot closer, not wanting to hurt him. He picks up on that, always so good at reading you, and pulls you flush against his side. “So much better,” he sighs, kissing the tip of your nose. “There’s my girl.” His lazy smile makes you feel so warm. Your eyes linger on his lips, wanting desperately to kiss him again, just all the time- so you do, because you finally can. 

He helped save the world and he got the girl. This was not the way Eddie thought life would turn out for him. He’s not the main character, he’s not the hero- not like this, never like this. These were the stories he’d write about- a story like this is something he would just live through vicariously. But after everything, after all the heartache and the loss and the tragedy, he feels like he’s finally lived. But most of all, he feels like that because of you- he’s unapologetically yours. After years of silent, hopeless pining- secret yearning that he keeps hidden deep in himself- he feels so indescribably happy. It’s all due to you, and the way you’re looking at him at this moment. 

You offer Eddie nothing but sweet, soft kisses- scared to take it further because of his injuries. You don’t know how he’s feeling, so you feel yourself holding back. It’s still just as perfect as you always imagined kissing him would be. Tangled up in his sheets, your leg rests over his and your hands delicately rest on his chest. You fill his senses, and he swears despite how he must look, he’s never felt better. He wants to deepen the kiss- hell, there’s so many things he wants to do right now. His fingertips graze under the hem of your shirt, touching your soft skin. 

“Is this too much?” you ask, biting your lip. You’ve shifted so you’re hovering over him. Your hands rest on his shoulders. You’re worried about taking things too far, you don’t want to hurt him, but god, you don’t think you can keep holding back much longer. 

“Fuck no,” he exhales, his hands find your hips and pulls you down so you’re resting your weight on him so your stradling him. You can feel how hard he is, and it makes you surge with a little bit of pride, just knowing how you have this effect on him. Experimentally, you grind against him as you kiss him again. He moans against your lips and it sounds so strangled and desperate- it goes right to your core. He wishes he could reciprocate more- god, he really did. As soon as he’s better, he promises. 

You smirk, against his lips, pleased with yourself that you can make him sound like that. It’s addicting. You need more, you want to experience everything. Testing the waters, you kiss his neck as you reach down to unzip his jeans. His head falls back against the pillows and he sighs, contently as you free his hard cock from the confines of his jeans and his boxers. Fuck, he’s gorgeous like this. You can tell he’s insecure- the scars on his body from what he went through, and you’re going to show him that you think he’s stunning. 

“You’re so pretty, Eds,” you reassure him, trailing your fingertips down his torso and then pulling up his Hellfire t-shirt. You bat your lashes at him and he feels his knees grow weak. You pull your own shirt over your head and toss it haphazardly aside. His mouth suddenly feels dry, and his eyes widen. The sight is almost too much for him to take. There’d been so many nights where he’d imagined you like this- but nothing, absolutely nothing in his head measured up to this. It’s all you- his best friend, the love of his love, perched on his lap oh so prettily looking at him with a mischievous sparkle in your eyes. His heart pounds rapidly in his chest and he’s speechless. 

You move so you can bend down and press your lips to his leaking tip. You kiss and lick the precum away before slowly taking his cock in your mouth. The noises he’s making are filthy, breathy moans and it only fuels your desire to unravel him. You’re only getting started. 

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he wines, and you bob your head up and down the length of his shaft teasingly slow. It’s almost methodical, you pulling him apart like this. Slow and purposeful- long drawn out fucking teasing thats making his entire body shake with need. You hum content, pleased with how he’s responding to you. You look at him, from behind your eyelashes, wide doe eyes connecting with his before you pull away, a string of your saliva stretching between your swollen lips and his head. He thinks he might pass out and your hand wraps around his cock. 

“Is this okay?” you ask, smirk forming on your lips as you feign innocence. You watch as his mind stutters, unable to form a coherent response. He nods, his eyes closing tight from the sensation. It’s all too much. You press your lips to his neck, trailing kisses across his jaw. “Use your words, baby,” you purr, your breath warm on his face. “Don’t want to hurt you,” you whisper, and then suck gently leaving a little mark on his neck. 

“Please,” he whimpers, not even sure what he’s asking for. He pants, it’s all too much. 

“Please what, love?” you smile, kissing down his chest and your fingertips trace his scars lovingly as you admire his exposed skin. You move his bangs out of his eyes delicately as you gaze down at him. 

“Need you,” he pleads, leaning up as much as he can to reconnect his lips to yours. “Fuck, need you so bad, baby.” 

You pull off your jeans and toss them to the floor near your shirt. Now, you’re just left in your bra and panties. You’re a little nervous- but you shouldn’t be. There’d been so many instances over past summers where you and Eddie have gone swimming together. This isn’t showing any more than that, but this is different. This is so different. Because you wouldn’t see him staring at you, gawking at how you’d look in your two pieces. He’d keep his desire hidden away, so you never knew how crazy you made him. Now, there’s no stolen glances. It’s all laid out in the open, and he’s staring at you with such an intensity that you can’t focus on anything else. 

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he sighs, reaching out to feel you. His hand trails across your side, running down your curves. He rests his hand on your hip, feeling the soft fabric of your panties. “I like these,” he winks, releasing the band and watching it snap back into place against your hip. “So pretty.”

You reach behind you as he smiles up at you, and unhook your bra letting it fall. You watch his Adam's apple bob as you pull the material away. His eyes darken as he gulps, god you were so fucking perfect. “Fuck, you have perfect fucking tits,” he groans, reaching down to stroke his cock, needing to relieve himself if only just a bit, as he takes in all of you. You shimmy out of your panties quickly, wanting to be close to him again as soon as possible. You press your lips against his, and you straddle his lap again. 

You can feel the coolness of his rings against you as he lines himself up with your entrance. You slide down onto his cock and the stretch feels so goddamn good. You moan, holding onto his shoulders to stabilize you. “Mmm Eddie,” you gasp, surprised when he thrusts up and his hands rest on your hips. He guides you, letting your hips do most of the work then- guiding you to fuck yourself on his cock. Your brain is fogged with lust- it feels so fucking good. He feels so good. It’s all so incredible, you can’t think straight as you lose yourself in the movement, working up to a steady rhythm. 

“That’s it baby,” he praises. “You’re doing so good, fuck. Use me, sweetheart. Want you to get yourself off with my cock.” He smirks when you whimper, loving the way he’s speaking a little too much. Your whines are his favorite sound, he decides. It’s all too much, he doesn’t know how long he can hold out. Your blissed out expression, your tits bouncing in his face, your hips moving against him, your pussy taking his cock so well… it’s so much better than he could’ve dreamed. You’re like an angel, and he’s mesmerized taking it all in. 

“Fuck, your so big, Eds,” you whine, moving your hips and grinding against him. Without losing your pace, you lean and kiss him hungrily, and you feel the all too familiar knot start to form in your stomach. “‘M so close,” you mumble, cock drunk and chasing your own orgasm. “Wanna cum together,” you plead against his lips. You straighten your back, and you decide to give him a show. You bring your hands up, massaging your tits and tug at your hardened nipples as you continue to bounce on his cock. 

“Fuck, baby, I-“ he strains, reaching around you and grabbing your ass, squeezing as he matches your pace and thrusts up into you. His fingernails dig into your flesh and the sensation makes you dizzy. It’s all too much, it all feels too good. You feel like everything is heightened, your senses are all too overwhelmed in him. He sits up fully, pressing fevered kisses on your torso, mumbling how much he fucking loves you, and it’s enough to send you over the edge. 

The feeling of your walls clenching around his cock, is enough to make Eddie orgasm shortly after you. Whimpered sighs of relief escape his pretty lips as he finishes inside you, you moving your hips until he’s pulling out, all of his energy spent. He collapses back into his pillows, his chest rising and falling heavily to catch his breath. His hair strewn about on his pillow messily as his eyes fall heavy as he basks in the feeling of this total bliss. 

You lay down next to him, both of your bodies glistening with sweat. You take a moment to also catch your breath and you catch his eye. “Shit,” you exhale, and giggle. He smiles softly, reaching across to tuck your hair back out of your face. “That was..” you begin, not able to finish your thought and you stare at his ceiling. 

“Yeah,” he sighs in agreement. He turns his head to look at you, smirking. “You had a crush on me,” he teases. 

“Shut the fuck up,” you grumble, hiding your face in your hands. “You’re such a dork,” you mumble, tossing a pillow at him playfully.

“You really didn’t know I was in love with you?” He asks with a chuckle, leaning over carefully to grab his box of cigarettes from his dresser. “You can’t be serious.” 

“Well you didn’t know either,” you say defensively, getting up to go to the restroom. You grab your shirt and pull your panties back on- just to have something on when you go to the bathroom. When you return, Eddie’s taking a drag and he beckons you back to lay down beside him. He lifts his arm so you can take your place snuggled up to his side. He lets out a long exhale and the smoke wafts up and out of the vent in the ceiling. He kisses your forehead, and Eddie just watches as you slowly drift off. 

He’s fighting against sleep so he can finish his cigarette. He eventually realizes he can’t force himself awake much longer. He taps it out and drops it in the ashtray, the temptation of dozing off with you overtaking everything else. He wraps his arm around you and pulls the blankets up, resting his chin on the top of your head. Wrapped up in each other, the two of you sleep better than you have in months.

TAGLIST: @sunshinepeachx @downbear @fanlifeaamt @exploding-bonbon @losingmygrasponreality @skiddypiddy @andvys @djodirt @moonlightsolo @kyga01 @sheisjoeschateau @melaninjhs @v3lv3tf0x @purpleeyeswithgoldensparkles @sunshine-mrk @danymunsonharrington @mrsjellymunson @fanficfantik @the-unforgivenn @punkrockmlchael @keeryhours

[lotuswish]

what loving you feels like to them [pt. 1 - scarabia]

featured character(s): jamil viper, kalim al-asim.

summary: ever wondered what it feels like for each twisted wonderland boy to fall in love with you? this series uncovers their feelings, influenced by their personalities, experiences, and desires. follow me to catch the next part!

cw: none.

a/n: my first post w my favorite boys <3 revised and reposted from my other acc, @jamilvapologist.

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jamil viper

loving you feels like both a rebellion and a sanctuary for jamil viper.

it’s rebellion because love, for him, is not something he was meant to indulge in freely. his life has been carefully calculated, structured around duty, subservience, and suppression of his desires. loving you feels like stepping out of the shadows that have defined him for so long, daring to claim something for himself in a world where his needs have always come second. it’s a quiet act of defiance against the chains of expectation, a decision to prioritize his own heart over the demands of others.

but loving you is also a sanctuary, a space where jamil doesn’t need to perform or conceal. around you, he feels seen—not as kalim’s attendant, not as scarabia’s vice housewarden, not as the person constantly managing everyone else’s chaos—but simply as himself. it’s an unfamiliar vulnerability that both terrifies and exhilarates him. you are his reprieve from a life of pretending, the one who notices when he’s tired without him needing to say it, the one who knows when he craves comfort instead of perfection.

loving you is not easy for him. it feels like a constant push-and-pull between his guarded instincts and the growing need to trust you, to let you see the cracks in his composed exterior. at times, it feels selfish, as though he’s stealing moments of happiness that don’t belong to him. yet, the warmth of your presence, the way you genuinely care, reminds him that this love is not a burden but a gift.

for jamil, loving you feels like breathing fresh air after years of suffocation. it’s freedom and fear. it’s knowing that, for the first time, he has something—someone—he’s terrified of losing. and even though it scares him, he cannot imagine a life without you. you are his rebellion. you are his sanctuary. you are the one thing he wants to keep, no matter the cost.

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kalim al asim

loving you feels like sunshine to kalim al-asim—warm, boundless, and all-encompassing. it feels like something that’s always been there, waiting for him to reach out and hold it, like the happiness he’s known all his life but brighter, deeper, and more profound. kalim has always been surrounded by laughter and love, but loving you is different. it’s not the easy affection of a family feast or the shallow camaraderie of a crowd. it’s personal. it’s intimate. it’s you, and that makes it special in a way he can’t put into words.

for someone whose life has been filled with excess—wealth, luxury, and abundance—kalim has always craved something that couldn’t be bought or given to him out of duty: genuine connection. loving you feels like finally finding the one thing he’s been missing, the piece that makes everything else meaningful. it’s the way you see him for who he is, not as the heir to the asim family fortune or the endlessly cheerful boy who never seems to have a care in the world, but as kalim. you see him when he feels invisible, and that makes his love for you limitless.

loving you feels effortless and endless, but it also makes him vulnerable in a way he’s never experienced before. for someone who has always been generous to a fault, giving all of himself to you comes naturally, but for the first time, he realizes how much it hurts to be scared of losing someone. he’s not used to fear, but the thought of you slipping away leaves him restless. it makes him treasure every moment, every laugh, every time you smile at him like he’s your whole world.

loving you feels like freedom. it’s dancing in the streets, laughing without restraint, and knowing that no matter where life takes him, as long as you’re there, he’ll be happy. you make him feel like he doesn’t have to prove anything or live up to anyone’s expectations. loving you is joy in its purest form, a happiness that doesn’t come from wealth or extravagance but from the simple, profound act of being with someone who truly loves him back.

for kalim, loving you feels like discovering that the world is even bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than he ever thought possible. it’s exhilarating and overwhelming, but he embraces it without hesitation, because that’s who he is. loving you is a gift, one he cherishes with his whole heart, and he’ll do anything to make sure you feel the same.

──────────────────────

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── 𖥸 ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

congrats, you made it to the end! if you enjoyed reading this, likes, follows, and reblogs are always appreciated! :)

[dior-luxury]

hiiiya can u write like kiyora jin confessing and how that would go👾plss♡

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐏𝐭.𝟐

( ✧ ) ────── 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 . 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 - 𝐬𝐡𝐞/𝐡𝐞𝐫 .

- [𝐜𝐡.] kiyora jin . aiku oliver . bachira meguru . yo hiori . michael kaiser - [𝐩:𝐬] high school au . subtle jealousy . sfw

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: Thank you so much for the prompt! >_< I also added more characters of my choice, im glad you guys enjoy this series! Also it's my first time EVER writing for Michael so hopefully it's not that bad :")... don't hurt me stans!!!

Jin Kiyora

Jin is the kind of person who prefers to observe from the sidelines rather than actively engage with others. Instead of approaching you directly to introduce himself or strike up a conversation, he tends to rely on chance encounters and the flow of fate to guide his interactions.

If he were ever to muster the confidence to say "hi," it would likely take him a whole year just to work up the nerve to make that initial connection.

Once you and Jin begin conversing, you'll notice that he is genuinely attentive to the details of your interests and preferences. He listens closely to the things you mention, making mental notes of what brings you joy.

During the classes you both shared, he would secretly steal glances at you, sketching small, detailed drawings. After class, he would carefully fold each drawing and slip it into your locker, tucked among your books.

On special occasions—like your birthday or holidays—he would surprise you with thoughtfully chosen gifts that reflect your tastes, demonstrating his effort to make you feel appreciated and valued.

Jin's competitive nature also shines through in his interactions with you. If he sees anyone else trying to impress you in a way that rivals his own efforts, he would perceive it as a challenge or a competition.

This drive to stand out and be the one to "wow" you fuels his determination to ensure that you notice him and appreciate what he brings to the table.

"Not that sure you'll accept but... you seem cool. We should date."

Oliver Aiku

Oliver, despite his pattern of frequently ending relationships, has developed an interest in someone. He is known to engage with a new partner almost daily, which suggests a difficulty in committing to a single person.

However, should he form a genuine attraction towards you, his intentions would likely be very apparent.

Oliver's approach to expressing his interest would involve a series of pronounced flirting behaviors.

This might include asking for your phone number, which serves as a means of establishing a direct line of communication, as well as inquiring about your personal plans and activities, reflecting a desire to know more about your life.

He may feel compelled to share various topics of conversation that he finds engaging, seeking to deepen your connection.

Furthermore, Oliver is likely to propose a variety of outings or social engagements, often framing them as casual and lighthearted.

He might characterize these invitations as opportunities to spend time together “just for fun,” rather than presenting them as traditional romantic dates.

This approach reflects both his playful demeanor and perhaps a reluctance to fully acknowledge the romantic nature of his intentions.

He is the kind of person who surprises you with thoughtful gifts seemingly out of the blue, all while maintaining an air of casual indifference.

When you express your gratitude, he waves it off, insisting that he's merely performing a "good deed" and that there's nothing special about it.

Oliver is determined to make a positive impression on you during physical education class.

He hopes that his hard work and commitment will stand out and earn your praise.

His nonchalance contrasts with the genuine thought and effort he puts into selecting gifts, leaving you to wonder whether he fully understands the impact of his gestures.

"Hey Ba- I mean, Y/N! I got you flowers~ Hopefully you're not allergic."

Meguru Bachira

If Bachira found himself harboring a crush on you, it would become glaringly obvious to everyone around him, even if he attempted to disguise his feelings.

The moment you entered the room, a subtle shift would occur; his facade of calm would crack, revealing the flustered state beneath.

His cheeks would flush a vivid shade of pink, spreading warmth to the tips of his ears—a telltale sign of his embarrassment and affection.

In contrast to his casual demeanor with others, Bachira would be hyper-aware of your presence. His eyes would seek you out, locking onto yours with an intensity that lingered far longer than what was necessary.

That shared gaze would speak volumes, conveying unspoken emotions and a longing that transcended mere words, as if he were silently confessing his feelings through the depths of his eyes.

Whenever you crossed paths, Bachira would eagerly seize the moment, keen to engage you in conversation. His topics would vary widely, encompassing everything from light-hearted banter to profound discussions that sparked deeper connections.

Each interaction would feel electric, filled with an eagerness to both learn more about you and to share in joyful exchanges of laughter and insight.

It would become increasingly clear that you occupied a special place in his thoughts—his interest driving him to volunteer for conversations at every opportunity, making it abundantly evident that you had captured his attention in a way that no one else ever could.

"Hey Y/N! Wanna go hang out this weekend?~"

Hiori Yo

Hiori possesses a remarkable ability to enchant those around him with his steadfast reliability and captivating charm.

Though he carries a naturally shy demeanor, he consistently makes a valiant effort to push through his reservations, much like the spirited Bachira, in hopes of leaving a lasting positive impression on you.

His genuine excitement about spending time together is palpable. Hiori often takes the initiative to invite you out, eagerly proposing a variety of enjoyable activities that allow you both to connect over shared interests.

Whether it’s engaging in thrilling video game battles or exploring new hobbies, these moments not only spark a refreshing sense of friendly competition but also provide a safe space for him to unveil his true personality amidst a relaxed atmosphere.

What truly sets Hiori apart is his deep awareness of his feelings for you.

He is committed to ensuring that you fully recognize the significance he places on your connection, going out of his way to communicate openly and transparently.

This thoughtful approach of his is not merely about expressing affection; it’s about nurturing a sense of security in the budding relationship you both are cultivating.

Although he doesn't put on a show to win your admiration, he always goes out of his way to assist you with your schoolwork whenever you need a helping hand.

With every conversation, he reinforces the message that he genuinely cares, striving to make you feel cherished and understood.

"Y/N-san... would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Michael Kaiser

Michael is anything but shy; in fact, he exudes a confident energy that draws people in. He has a playful spark in his eye that suggests he’s always ready for a challenge.

When it comes to pursuing something—or someone—he wants, hesitation is not in his repertoire. Right now, his focus is squarely on you.

Whenever an opportunity arises to strike up a conversation, whether during lectures or casual moments in the hallways, Michael seizes it without a second thought.

He has a knack for making those interactions feel effortless and engaging, effortlessly navigating between topics to keep you intrigued.

In class, he doesn’t shy away from sitting next to you, claiming the seat with an air of casual authority.

His presence is undeniable as he subtly glances at the person who is meant to be beside you, a cheeky challenge in his eyes that warns them to keep their distance.

Michael is well aware that they wouldn’t dare disrupt his plans.

His game plan revolves around charming you with his smooth talk and playful banter, aiming to win you over with both confidence and charisma.

Whether it's a well-timed compliment or a joke that makes you laugh, he’s intent on capturing your attention and affection, determined to show you just how special you are to him.

"You free after school? No? Too bad, you are now. And we're going on a date."

[dinogoofymutated]

Okay, since requests are open, I wanted to ask for something, especially after seeing that you are comfortable with most male characters.

I present:

Scott Summers x fem!reader who's just a little too rebelious and annoying for his taste but he still can't help but love her? Like, enemies to lovers kind of style?

If you want to do a oneshot or headcanons is up to you, I'm just starving for Scott content.

Don't know, if you wanna do is, especially since he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I thought "hey, give it a try, maybe she wants to try someting different" so here I go

Anyway, love your work, you#re amazing <3

Cyclops/GN!Reader I've had this prompt saved in my drafts for SO LONG. Basically since the moment it came in!! I was so happy you sent this in bc i had been thinking about writing for Scott, but then I couldn't think of a good enough way to carry this out so I waited on it for a good bit until I had it down to a science!! Hope you enjoy!! Man, I started writing this and then realised I had to make a banner for him too 😭 I did this to myself tho Most of the characters I write for are written as combinations from different x-men media, but I'm still figuring out how I want to characterise Scott since he's a new character for me. Just wanted to put this out there in case I change how I write for him in future fics. (also, let me know how you feel about him in this one! Tell me if yall think I should tweak his attitude a bit :) ) Edit from the future: I started this draft so long ago and damn did it turn out long. TWs: Idk at the moment, will add if I think of any! Reader has a specific power that is kinda vague at first. I've written them out at the very bottom BUT if u read u will spoil the surprise of the fic so fair warning

Scott does not like you. At least, not anymore.

You've known each other for a long time, both coming to Xavier's school within weeks of each other. You used to be friends- or at least friendly. But as you both grew and learned more about yourselves and your powers, a gap began to form, and then continued to grow once both of you became members of the x-men.

It's not like he didn't notice your tendency for rebellious behavior before, but on the field? the two of you clashed more than ever. He's doing his best out here, and the last thing he needs as a leader is both you and Logan going out of your way to put yourselves in dangerous situations because you think you know better.

And the moment you get back to the mansion? You clash all over again- and over the dumbest things. You practically avoid him all of the time, refuse to spar with him unless you're forced, will scoot away from him if he has to sit next to you on game nights. It's like the very thought of brushing against him is enough to get under your skin.

The moment the blackbird lands, you should have known what to expect. But you're in such a good mood, with the mission having gone well despite all odds. Sure, you didn't exactly follow Cyclops' foolproof plan, but when did you ever?

Scott is standing at the end of the ramp when the doors open, watching with a rather sour look on his face as you laugh with Jubilee, the others trailing shortly behind. He crosses his arms, and you barely stop short of him, acting like you had never seen him in the first place as you sigh, nodding at the others to go ahead before finally turning to him and crossing your own arms.

"Go ahead. Say your piece." You say. It only stokes the irritation in him, and he scowls.

"You can't go one, single mission and actually listen to what I say, can you?" He snaps. You roll your eyes, knowing that if he had it his way, you'd never have gone on the mission at all. Still, you stand defiantly, unwilling to back down.

"Look, you weren't even there, you can't expect me to-"

"It would be different if I was there, but I wasn't." Scott interrupts you, and the aggravation it lights in you is practically all-consuming. You can't hold back your scowl. "You were the only senior member of the team on that plane, do you understand how detrimental it could have been if you had gotten hurt, or worse?!" Oh, what a load of horseshit. It's alway the boy scout schtick with him- I'm the leader, do what I say, If I was there none of this would have happened- what an asshole! Hell, in the second half you might have actually thought he was concerned for you and the team, but you knew better.

"Don't act like you actually give a damn, Summers." You snap. "Everyone is fine, no one got hurt, I don't see your problem." You're done with this. You're tired, sweaty, exhausted, and the last thing you want to be doing right now is talking with him. You knock shoulders with him as you brush past, but he reaches out and grabs you by the arm. You feel a mix of strong emotions- anger, concern, frustration- and thoughts swim in your head, before snatching your arm away from him like you'd been burned. He pauses for a second as you whip around and look at him, a rage in your eyes. He still looks at you with that stupid, stubborn look on his face.

"I get that you think I'm just some stuck-up asshole, but there's a reason I get angry when you do something reckless." His voice has lost the smallest a bit of fire. You scoff at him immediately, before turning away to storm out.

"Eat shit."

So no. things weren't exactly cool between you two.

It's not like you weren't friends at some point though, back when you were kids. You didn't know what happened to cause this rift, but he only really thought of you as some reckless idiot as of late, and you didn't care to learn anything else about what was going on in his brain.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean you could avoid him forever. Not when the both of you are on a team.

You only realise how much pain you're in when the blackbird's autopilot clicks on. Your suit was scuffed and worn in some areas, starting to burn at the edges of your sleeves as the protective coating started to wear away. You noticed it in the midst of battle, trying to focus on manipulating debri to a colder temperature rather than a hot one, but sometimes you can't afford to be picky in fights. Your suit may have been temperature resistant, but you were temperature invulnerable. Besides, heat did the most damage anyway.

You frown a bit at the sight of your burnt sleeves. Normally, you'd be worried that Hank would be mad at having to make a new suit again, but if anything you were sure he'd be grateful for the challenge of improving it. Scott was really the only one who would scold you for it, always coming back to the same arguments of being too reckless, ect, ect... and speaking of Scott, he was being awfully quiet right now.

The cockpit is empty exempt for the two of you, being the only two assigned to the mission. Scott is sat in the pilot's chair, and you can't really see much of him besides the top of his head. He's silent, and it makes you worried.

When you stand and walk. over to him, his face looks pained. You're sure his eyes are closed under his signature visor, his head leaning back limply in the chair, hair tussled. You furrow your eyebrows. You knew he'd be tired, but he's not usually this burned out.

"Scott? You alright?" You ask. he only hums in response. It's then when you realise what's wrong.

"Migraine?" You ask, and he hums in the affirmative. You wince at the thought. You knew he got migraines often, especially when using his mutation more than usual, and having migraines yourself, you knew he was hurting. You take a look at where the emergency aid box usually is, knowing it had painkillers, but the space is empty, and you sigh to yourself when you remember you used it on a local- Scott agreeing with you for once when you wanted to leave it with them for any more emergencies. You look back at Scott, and think for a moment more.

Scott jumps when you place a cold hand on his forehead, having settled your weight on the back of the chair behind him. It sparks a feeling of surprise.

"What are you doing?" Scott asks, and instead of his usual accusatory tone, he just sounds tired.

"Don't be a baby." You respond, chilling both hands and combing through his hair gently. Scott is confused as all hell. Why were you doing this? You go out of your way to avoid him at any cost, and then... this? What even was this?

But... he'd be lying if it didn't feel nice. Scott begins to relax underneath you as you continue to comb through his scalp, pressing gentle touches to his forehead as you do so. It's... it feels good.

"My mom used to do this when I was little." You say softly, after a long moment of silence. "Whenever I had a migraine, she'd run her hands under cold water for a long time, lay my head in her lap, and run her hands through my hair. The cold usually helped." Scott's shoulder's are sagging now, and he sighs every once in a while. Although he doesn't say anything, you don't need to ask. There's a question beginning to brim, but you answer it before he can even speak- saving him the effort of talking in the midst of his pain.

"...And it just felt nice to feel her play with my hair, I guess. 'figured it might help you, too."

You try not to dwell on whatever thoughts begin to swirl after that.

It's hard to tell when things shift after that. Even harder for Scott to understand why.

Eventually you go from avoiding him at any given chance, stiff and petty with your actions, to casual. Not quite friendly, but almost.

"And... Right hand red!" Jubilee calls from the couch, having entirely too much fun for someone who isn't even playing this game. Everyone who's already lost has dispersed, either playing a different game or having good conversation. The game of twister had started with four? Maybe five of you? But at the moment, it was just down to you and Scott. -The two of you being way too competitive to let the other win. At the moment, both of you were in a bit of a strange position, with Scott managing to crawl over you at some point. Aside from that, the game had been going on for uncomfortably long- long enough for the pizza to get here.

The doorbell rings and it's pretty instantaneous when people start to flock to the kitchen for the feast, Jubilee included. There's a flicker of panic in both of you as she quickly leaves.

"Hey!-"

"Jubilee! Wait!"

"You'll be fine, you big babies!" She calls out, giggling in her pursuit of the cheesy goodness. That just leaves you and Scott on the matt, pressed together in some places and a but uncomfortable, but awkwardly? Still competeting.

"God, that pizza smells good." Scott groans from above you, the smell of food becoming more and more tempting. You think about it, for a half a second maybe, but that competitive little devil on your shoulder gets to you before your stomach can.

"You know what? why don't you go ahead and grab a piece!" You say, causing Scott to cock an eyebrow at you.

"What, and let you win? Not a chance." He huffs. You shrug best you can, it was worth a shot! Neither of you were going to budge any time soon, determined not to let the other win. But the longer you stayed pressed together...

It's not like you hadn't noticed how handsome Scott was. Hell, who wouldn't? Even Logan isn't immune to his good looks, but obviously you weren't going to be... wierd, about it. You're just playing a game, right? But the sight of him above you, slightly flushed, shifting every once in a while while keeping his balance? It was... tempting.

It doesn't take long for other thoughts to begin swimming around, worming their way into your mind. The two of you in various states of undress... gasping, gripping onto one another... marks on his neck, your lips swollen and stained by the lipstick your wearing tonight.

Each and every thought leaves you more flustered than before, slipping on the plastic mat and accidentally knocking into one of Scott's weight bearing arms and sending the two of you colliding into the floor. You hear Scott let out a noise of pain and you're not down there for long before you shove him off of you, face burning as you grumble about his win. You stalk off without much fanfare, leaving Scott a bit befuddled.

"What was that all about?"

But regardless of how aggravated you made eachother sometimes, everyone has their breaking point...

You're surprised when Scott kisses you in the hall some weeks later, less than a second after a heated spat started to take a bit of a turn, but to be honest? You were into it.

His lips are soft, if a little chapped, heated kisses full of force and urgency before they soften just a little. You kiss him back in a similar manner his hands falling to your waist as you grab him by the collar and pull him even closer. You're quick to start moving the two of you backwards fumbling for a closet door you could have sworn was right... there.

As soon as the door swings open, you pull him inside, pushing him against the wall once it closes again and cupping the back of his neck as you pull him into another kiss. An unfamiliar feeling of warmth shoots through you as you do, and you almost giggle as his thoughts start to flood with more and more tempting situations for the two of you to be in.

After each and every dirty thought he has, you start to wonder if he even remembered your touch telepathy after having known you for so long- but hell, even if he didn't, you weren't complaining.

If u made it this far, I wanna give u details about the Reader's powers some more!! Specifically, the powers are temperature manipulation/temperature invulnerability/touch telepathy! They get a bit complicated bc reader can't light shit on fire or make ice out of the air, but they can melt shit and freeze existing water though! As long as reader touches it in some way! Due to this they're invulnerable to heat/cold for obvious reasons. Touch telepathy was added bc i love mutations with unnecessary layers (Emma frost) and... u really think I was gonna let scott get away without banging another telepath? wrONG

[iprefervillains]

book club hangster?! please share more

Book club Hangster entered my mind at the start of the new year and hasn't left it yet.

Basically they both like to read and somehow this escalates from them swapping books on a carrier once to sending all kinds of random books they pick up on employment halfway across the world for the other to read.

They leave annotations and reviews for the other and sometimes spent hours skyping or emailing about the books. They read, discuss and banter. It's their thing, their way of bonding and falling in love even though they don't like each other (lie!) and aren't even in the same part of the world most of the time.

It's mostly vibes right now but some ideas for this include:

Bradley hating thrillers and Jake picking up some weird Scandinavian psycho thriller when it is his turn some time before the mission just to be an ass. It's the real reason for the "early grave" comment, the book scared Bradley shitless.

Jake having a concussion after his air-to-air kill and Bradley calling him up to read him a new book over the phone. It helps with the boredom and the nightmares.

Bradley has a special bookshelf where he keeps all the books Jake send to him. They are scribbled full (Bradley adds his own comments even though Jake won't see them) to the point where he awkwardly purchases a second copy of a book he already owns because he doesn't want to lend Phoenix his copy.

They spent one Christmas when they are both temporarily stationed in San Diego quietly sitting on the couch in the Bradshaw bungalow, each in their own corner, silently reading a book and making notes and then swapping books the next day to do it again, before loudly discussing them on the second Christmas day.

They have soo many inside jokes, most importantly: "this could be us but you playing" noted to either the most hilariously bad romance scenes or totally unhinged conversations between characters or people killing their enemies.

Sometimes they challenge each other to only speak in quotes without anyone else noticing

Bradley ends up confessing his love for Jake by putting one of those romance novels that has a life shattering confession scenes and ends with either one or both characters dying on Jake's bed before he leaves for the mission with the confession highlighted and the words "I wish I would have been brave enough to tell you too instead of being a coward. I'm so sorry, Jake ♥". Needless to say Jake ends up totally pissed when he gets to the point in the book on the way back to shore because this is such a dick move and storms the medbay in the middle of the night to rip Bradley a new one.

Honestly I just love the idea of them having a share passion to bond over. A soft kind of love, you wouldn't expect at first, especially when you hear them loudly arguing about the right flight style.

There is more if you want @intrepidjourneys, it might take me some time to write though.

[acerikus]

Isat deconstructs and shuts down a lot of frustrating tropes and annoying fandom quirks but one I don't feel gets talked about much is the classic fanon trope of 'character has a canon favourite food. this is their personality now, also they will never be seen cooking or eating anything else ever again'.

Food is such an important part of isat, and Siffrin has a very obvious favourite food! His reaction to first seeing bonnie offer malanga fritters is even pretty similar to what people kinda end up reducing characters once they know their favourite food - the wild, cartoonish excitement that they don't really express at and other point - but the way things are handled from there REALLY stops them being reduced to a caricature for it by fans.

The more you go through the snack areas, the more each and every snack starts to lose its novelty. Depending on how many loops you've done by that point, that probably starts to become pretty clear for the average player - malanga fritters aren't till the end of the third floor, you've had plenty of times to get used to this game and how siffrin's mindset is affected when they repeat things too much.

I think I even found myself actively avoiding picking malanga fritters too much when picking their third floor snack - just because it felt too cruel to have THAT repeat too much, for something they hold so dearly, something that is later shown to be one of the few things they have left from their culture - end up so tainted for them like that.

And they DO get tired of it! They start to notice the little details that feel wrong to them - bonnie didn't get the correct ingredients, or the recipe they're using is wrong - where are the chillis? They tried so hard but these aren't perfect. They can't help but notice now even if they feel bad about it. And as it goes further they barely taste like... Anything at all to him. He just can't appreciate his favourite food any more.

And that has a wonderful side effect on the fandom - he may have a favourite food, but this traumatised enby needs VARIETY. When people DO depict him eating fritters it's usually a sad moment, a realisation that the loops took away the joy he felt towards something that was once so dear. People depict him enjoying a variety of foods instead - things that never even showed up in the game, even!!!!

It's kinda counteracted w bonnie too - we know their three favourite foods and I think I still see them depicted eating pineapple most, but it never really gets reduced to a one-note thing. I think them being the team chef is what solidifies that in the writing too - they love cooking and baking all kinds of things! They love vegetables and they love sourcing fresh ingredients, too. There's still so much variety with them!

There's definitely still some annoying fandom things that still ended up happening despite the game pretty firmly avoiding them (like the nuclearisation of found family - there's STILL people who unironically try to make odile a mom, or who try to shove nonexistent sibling dynamics onto siffrin and loop then scream that it's gross to ship them because of it), but the one-note favourite food trope just... Really doesn't exist in this fandom. This one was airtight and I love it.

[pinep-ne]

Mmm. I usually don't get into fandom drama because sometimes it's really just a waste of energy. But TikTok's got some... interesting people. I've noticed a pattern and I hope I have a place to speak on it.

I'm kind of sick of non-Americans/Southerners being blatantly and willingly uneducated towards, or even just entirely ignoring the political+societal themes of rdr2. It's literally the game man. I just think sometimes they really don't feel the weight of the topics they're throwing around.

Why are you calling Charles a "redneck" in a failed attempt to call him another slur, neither of which were you aware were derogatory, nor did you think to educate yourself on the significance of?? And then when people called you out and educated you, you throw out a meager apology with the words "I'm sorry if I offended anyone."

And then proceed to half-ass a google search, post it, and further prove your stupidity by saying "redneck isn't a slur, it's a derogatory term for Americans" which yes, it is— towards white, southern, lower-class Americans, with actual history tied to it. It's still derogatory, and Charles isn't white. And THEN when confronted about it even more, you throw your hands up and say "I just can't make jokes I guess." Like it was never a joke in the first place dude. You're just being racist (and accidentally classist?) on account of your illiteracy.

And this one was just a wild argument I had the other day— why are you calling Micah's racist remarks "not as black and white as that"??? He quite literally says a derogatory term within the first ten minutes of the game. There's a whole four minute youtube video of his racist actions. Joking or not, or whether you think his intentions were to 'rile people up', it's still discriminatory. Racism is often, if not always, as black and white as that. (no pun intended /srs)

Thinking otherwise, I'm tempted to believe, is your own projection. It shows a lot that you'd stretch so far to continuously deny and defend a continuously emphasized theme, that directly affects the characters as it has directly affected real people. Hell, even if it was vaguer than that. How much tolerance are you privileged with to brush off and prance around something that irrevocably damaged entire communities for centuries. Just because it's fiction? 'Cause it's not real? Because "it doesn't affect anyone"?

They also said "He can't be racist! He works with POC!"

???

I'm all for liking and appreciating whatever character you want— I'm not gonna spend my time leading all those horses to water— but snatching and running with the veil of fiction to dissolve the connotations and gravity of a very real thing, simply depicted within a story, just so you can slobber all over your favorite character, it's just undoubtedly shallow and disrespectful to the history and media that you claim to comprehend. You can't just create lines to read between and pull the "have some media literacy" card when someone calls out that you really never had such power in the first place. Like I said, do whatever you want with a character, but at the very least acknowledge every single part of them instead of brushing it off.

Ah anywho. I'm not a POC myself but I am Southern. Racism is still very present here and I felt it'd be important to me to speak up about it. If anyone's got perspective to offer, or they'd like to correct me on anything, I'm open. I think my prose may be a little too flowery to have gotten every point and logistic across, so there's always a chance of misinterpretation. Just let me know!

*** Hh and disclaimers because I'm afraid of misunderstandings. I know racism exists in places outside of the U.S., but the game is placed in America. It's in the context of discrimination against American POC, that some non-Americans tend to poorly gauge the difference and weight of. In neither of these instances were the people from the U.S. And as another thing, this isn't to ignore the treatment other characters receive regarding their culture or country (Sean, Javier, Charles, etc.) by folk who are not a part of it. It's just ignorance. The cycle sickens me. I just think in general if you're going to consume historical fiction and you're going to discuss it, at least understand the historical part. Don't be blissful x

[muletia]

I'M BAAAACKKKKK

Here, have some angst written at 3 am

:3

A headcanon of mine is that Optimus is so obsessed with keeping you safe because he has already lost Elita, and he'll be damned if he lets his second love die as well. Optimus probably gets horrible flashbacks anytime when you're in danger :c

Do you know about that TFP deleted scene? The one where Optimus punches Ratchet after an argument about his decision-making skills? Imagine you just happen to pass by, and you hear:

"Where's Elita now?"

*BLAM!*

You've never seen Optimus lose control like that. You let out a gasp, and only then does he notice you're in the room with them. You decide to give Optimus time to calm down so you leave.

A few days later, after the whole Synth-En problem has been dealt with, you visit the autobot base. There's an awkward silence between you and Optimus, and when you finally ask:

"Who's Elita?"

What happens next? Well, I'm not sure, but Optimus sure knows one thing...

War took the love of his life once. It won't happen again.

Anyway, I love making myself sad :)

hello there Leri <3

oooooohhhh love me some overprotective angst deluxe

It’s a shame they decided to cut that scene, but honestly, it doesn’t fit Optimus’ character in tfp. He would never hit his friend knowing they were under the influence of space crack (bayverse Optimus, on the other hand...).

Ahhh, so many uncertainties swirl in Optimus’ processor after you witnessed his loss of control. Will you be afraid of him? Will you hate him? He wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to sever your bond with him, no matter how much he wishes to nurture it further.

So he gives you space for a few days. He doesn’t show up at your driveway during patrols, and doesn’t message, though his worry about the future of your relationship eats him alive. The fact that he can’t actively protect you also weighs heavily on his processor — especially after your conversation about his late beloved, who lost her life in exactly that way. Because he failed her.

Pathetic, unworthy. A disgraceful Prime. A stain on honor to all his predecessors.

It’s easy to spiral into self-loathing, but more than punishing himself, Optimus wants to see you alive. He must focus on the present but also the future if he wants to weave it with you. He will protect you. At any cost, from any danger. Will not make such a terrible mistake again.

Ahhhh, the question about Elita — ugh, that will be so hard for him. But a conversation about a deceased ex, lost on the battlefield, with the one who now holds his heart can only be handled properly by Optimus. It won’t happen without regret over broken promises and guilt about things left undone. Maybe even tears if you’re at the stage where Optimus allows emotions to seep through the cracked mask of the Prime. But he will certainly make it clear to you that he will protect you at the cost of his own life.

He will never allow any harm to come to you…

[lqtraintracks]

Writing Interview

Thanks so much for the tag @starquestingfordrarry! <333

how many works do you have on ao3? 337

what's your total ao3 word count? 1,454,047

your top 5 stories by kudos

Right Hand Red (with freakin’ 40,662; sorry, I just noticed that it had ticked over the 40k mark and I’m flabbergasted and so grateful as well <3 )

Hung Like a Horntail

Slip Into My Lover’s Hands

Weeds or Wildflowers written with sdk / @unmistakablyoatmeal

check this hand ‘cause I’m marvelous

do you respond to comments? Er… yes?? Like, very. verrrrry. slowly. But I’ll admit that some will never get answered because I lose steam and then when I start trying again, I start with the newest ones. This might sound horn-tooty, which is not how I intend it, but with the number of stories I’ve written, I get a lot of comments. I’ve found it impossible to keep up, but I do my best, even if my best is sometimes a bit crappy. I do read and appreciate every comment I get though!

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? I don’t really do angsty endings often. When I do, it’s usually a Prongsfoot or something. Of the Drarry fics I’ve written, I have one open ending but it’s still pretty hopeful, and that’s Burning the Ground. 

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? All of them. :D My goal in life is to get readers (and myself) to cry with joy at the end of my stories. Some standouts just from memory are Heart Like Neon, Bolts, Take You Home, Jasmine in Bloom, Right Hand Red, Blood and Fire, and The Most Splendid Thing. 

do you write crossovers? Maybe one or two over the last 25 years. So, statistically, not so much. 

have you ever received hate on a fic? LOL of course. :D But I don’t linger on those comments. They’re quite few honestly. 

do you write smut? No, never. 

have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes. 

have you ever had a fic translated? Yes. Quite a few have been. Not even sure how many languages, but I know there are several in Russian, Chinese, and I think both Spanish and Portuguese. 

have you ever co-written a fic? Yes! With the incredibly talented sdk, @the-starryknight, and @nv-md! (And one round robin with like 552 people lol.)

what's your all-time favorite ship? Drarry, my beloved. <3

what's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? I don’t really have wips. I’m a chronic finisher. I did start something last year for a friend’s birthday and then pooped out. I ended up writing her a completely different pairing months later. And then I took some of the vibes and ideas from that unfinished fic and wrote them into other fics that I *did* finish, so… Cannibalism. Yeah. 

what are your writing strengths? LOL finishing things! :D Also: smut, for sure. Humor. Sort of achy, hot romances? My trademark is writing tenderness and filth simultaneously. I’ve gotten good at pacing things well, so that beats and arcs feel well-rounded and satisfying, I think. 

what are your writing weaknesses? Ugh, plot!!! Specifically non-romance-or-pairing-based plotlines are difficult for me. Heavy angst. Also stakes. I struggle to up the stakes for my characters enough to give a big payoff. I struggle to make my characters change enough or to effectively write that change in a satisfying way. (This applies more to my original writing than to fic, I think.)

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I’m not sure what the hot take here is and if there is one I’m missing it. My original novel has a Spanish speaker and he will sometimes slip into Spanish during conversation. I wanted to get that right, so I had a native Spanish speaker (hi @capipuff!) read it to correct my bad Google-translated Spanish. So I guess my thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic is, do your best to get it right?

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?  If I want to write something, I write it. :D 

what's your favorite thing you've ever written? Oof. Wow. I want to say my original novel, even though it’s also more flawed than my fic tends to be. It’s certainly one of the things I’m most proud to have written. <3 Usually my favorite fic is the last thing I’ve written and that’s true right now as well. I love The Most Splendid Thing. But before that, my favorite was probably Jasmine in Bloom, and before that it was Take You Home. Bolts is for sure in the running. Heart Like Neon is way up there as well. As is My Name in Your Mouth, because I love that Teddy Lupin with all my horny heart. 

Okay I'm going to tag some of you fine folks now: Ali, you're it! Also, @writcraft @shiftylinguini @phoebe-delia @wholahoop @saintgarbanzo @academicdisasterfic @citrusses @corvuscrowned @lettersbyelise and @magpiefngrl

[doodler16]

Might be a tangent but Genuinely i don't get why some characters have the nationalities that they do. [ not including charlie ]

Like, i don't understand why they made alastor creole because 1. White people can be allowed to practice voodoo as long as it's approved by someone who already practices it, and 2. It just makes so much of his whole deal with rosie in that one leak even more offensive than before he was said to be creole.

Same goes for nifty because she does not give any hints of being japanese???? I'm not saying they should go full out with her i just mean they could have at least given her like, a hairstyle or even small aspect of something she knows about like something from japanese culture that hints at her being japanese [ i even remember seeing a video where someone drew the characters as humans and nifty literally just looked like all the other white characters??? ]

Characters like husk and angel dust i can at least slightly excuse because they have SOME hints like the voice actor in the case of husk and one of angel's outfits in his case. Vaggie feels like a gray area because idk if the exorcists were made by adam or are human souls who joined the exorcist army so i don't have a clear opinion on her yet. And even with the villains only velvette is the one with a clear hint at how she probably looked as a human. Vox has no hints cuz he's a literal tv and valentino fluxuates his accent so much it's hard for me to tell if he's actually hispanic or if he's faking the accent.

It just feels like they could have either kept their nationalities a surprise for when we do see how they looked as a human through a backstory, or could have just changed half of them????

The funny thing about Niffty is that the Spindlehorse crew changed her skin. Originally it was tanish light yellow to completely white. Like you easily mistake Niffty as Charlie’s secret sister.

In real time, I’m now noticing they somewhat changed the color of her eye and her dress. Vaggie is supposed to be salvadoran like Vivziepop. Take that information as you will. Wouldn’t be surprised if she changed it.

Valentino is supposed to be Hispanic, as funny as the different accents are. He speaks Spanish here and there in the show and no it’s not fake 😂. Richard Horvitz’s voice directing Joel especially was booty cheeks.

Regarding Vox, the closest thing we know is that he was a cult leader during his time as a human and he has the worst fashion sense like the rest of the main cast.

Their nationalities is most likely a surprise. Once season 2 officially comes out, Twitter will bully the hell out of Vivziepop when once Alastor’s human design officially debuts. They are going to compare Alastor’s human form to his Karen cut demon form.

[rekino2114]

How about Accidentally switching jerseys with the Manshine City girls?

Accidentally switching jerseys with the manshine city girls

A/n:Technically, I should have done the same prompt but with the bastard münchen girls first, but since there are a lot more characters there, I'll just do that next Sunday and do this first. Also I did male reader for this since that's how I did it in the pxg post but sorry if that's not what you wanted (also if the anon who requested the same thing with the bastard münchen girls reads this I'd like it if you let me know if you want male or gn reader)

Fem!seishiro nagi

"Hey nagi"

"............."

"Nagi!"

"............."

"NAGI!!!"

"..........."

Fed up with her friend ignoring her rei sighed and took the phone out of Nagi's hands

"Wha- hey I was playing, give it back"

"You can't use the phone we're literally about to go on the field"

Nagi sighed heavily and reassumed her permanent bored expression

"Do I really have to play? I don't feel like it"

"Why?"

"I wanna play games. I almost have enough points to go up a rank....if you give me my phone"

"I already said no, take it up with Prince if you don't wanna play"

"No.....talking with him would be such a hassle.....can you do it?"

"No"

The white haired girl sighed once against as she put her hands behind her head and started laying down on the floor of the changing room

"The team we're fighting is so weak though, I don't care about them. Going up against weak people is such a hassle"

She closed her eyes as rei looked at her annoyed before coming up with an idea

"But if you play you can impress y/n"

At the mention of your name, nagi opened one eye with as much interest as her expression could show

"Imagine how impressed he'd be if he saw you doing your best even against weaker teams, I'm sure he'll love you even more"

Nagi's mind drifted to all the cuddles and gaming sessions you would give her if she impressed you, so she decided to stand up and face rei

"OK I'll do it"

".........wait really?"

"Yeah, for y/n"

"Oh.....ok.......it was that easy?"

"What?"

"Nothing"

"OK.......do you think y/n would be more impressed if I did a bicycle kick or if I trap the ball really cool like usual?"

"I....don't know, just see during the game"

"Hm, I'll probably do both"

"OK, so put on the jersey and let's go"

"Oh........can you help me find it?"

".....isn't it in your bag?"

"Yeah......can you help me find it?"

"You.....you don't know where it is?"

"To be honest, I just took my phone out of it and threw it somewhere, I forgot where"

".............."

After a while of searching for nagi's bag (while the girl in question did absolutely nothing to help) rei found it thrown under one of the benches with most of the content spilled out of it so she just took the jersey that was nearby and gave it to her friend

"Oh thanks"

"It's.....nothing just put it on"

"......can you help me?"

".......what?"

"Can you help me put it on?"

".......if you tell me y/n helps you put your clothes on I swear i'll-"

"Why are you making it sound like such a big deal? He already saw all of my body"

"Yeah ok but.......why?"

"Putting clothes on is-"

"Such a hassle?......nevermind it's my fault for asking"

".....so are you gonna-"

"No"

The lazy genius sighed and finally started to put the jersey on. When she was finished, she looked at rei and gave her a thumbs up

"Finally. Let's go-......."

"Is something wrong?"

"......that's not your jersey is it?"

".....what?"

"Look it's so tight, the number on the shorts is not even yours"

Nagi looked down at her body and noticed what her friend was talking about

"Oh yeah......this is y/n's"

"......what?"

"The number, it's y/n's"

"....and why was y/n's jersey in your bag?"

"Probably cause it's actually his"

"I.......I won't ask anymore questions, just go switch jerseys"

"......can I not? It would be such a ha-"

"Please nagi just go"

"........fine"

Nagi went outside of her locker room and into yours, where she found you talking with some other teammates and approached you

"Oh hey nagi what are you-"

"Give me your jersey"

".......what?"

"We switched, this is yours"

"Oh did we? Sorry"

"It's not your fault, can you help me take this off though......please?"

"Oh ok"

You looked at your other friends for a bit and awkwardly told them to look away which they did, so you helped nagi put her clothes on, which she rewarded you for with a cheek kiss, and put yours on too

"OK we're done now"

"Cool"

"Let's go"

"Yeah......thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you"

"It's nothing sei, I would do any for you"

"....me too....as long as it's not too much of a hassle"

You laughed a bit and kissed her forehead as she held your hand while walking through the door

Fem!reo mikage

"Can you believe it? She continued hitting on him even after he told her he was taken"

".............."

"I swear every time y/n and I hang out there's some girl wanting to get with him, I get he's hot but he's mine!"

"............"

"Hey nagi, are you listening?"

".......not really"

Rei sighed and looked back at nagi, who was completely focused on her phone as always

"Whatever"

She grabbed a hair tie and looked at herself in the mirror before starting to style her hair in a bun

"By the way, do you know any restaurants nearby? I wanted to bring y/n somewhere nice tonight"

"Oh, can I come too?"

".....it's a date, like for me and y/n.....only"

"Oh.....I can bring my boyfriend too, then we can have a double date"

".......You're doing this just because I'm going to pay and you want free food right?"

"....yeah, you always say yes when I ask you for money to spend on dates anyway, this shouldn't be different"

"I guess.....fine you can come just don't disturb me and y/n too much"

Nagi hummed in approval and cheered a bit because she got another kill in the game.

"Yay! Kill streak! I think I got a new record of kills"

"Hehe, that's nice"

When she finished styling her hair rei looked one last time in the mirror and turned back towards nagi

"OK I'm ready, we can go now"

Her friend nodded, and the two of them started walking towards the field, stopping once they saw chigiri stretching on the sideline

"hi chigiri"

"Oh, hi nagi, rei, what's up?"

"Nothing much.....y/n isn't here yet?"

"No, he said he couldn't find.....his jersey, hey rei do you mind turning around?"

"Eh? Why?"

"I wanna check something"

The chameleons girl did as chigiri said and she was met with a sigh coming from behind her

"So that's where it is"

"What?"

"Y/n's jersey, you're wearing it?"

"...............I AM?"

"Yep, I genuinely have no idea how you didn't figure it out before"

"Nagi! You were behind me this whole time, why didn't you say anything?"

Nagi, who had in the meantime sat on one of the benches and started playing again, looked up from her phone slightly to see her friend's angry expression, only to look back down immediately after

"Ah.....it was an accident? I thought it was something you decided together or something like that"

"....and you still didn't say anything?"

The lazy genius simply shrugged as the mikage heir's anger quickly subsided as she was very familiar with nagi's attitude having known her for this long

"I'll just go give this to him"

"Yeah, good idea"

Rei went to the men's locker room, where she found you still looking around for your jersey

".....heyyyy darling....can I tell you something"

"Oh hi rei, sure"

".......I might have actually taken your jersey"

"........I see"

"It was an accident, I'm sorry I don't even know how it happened"

"It's fine, I don't mind"

You took out her own jersey that you found in your bag, and she did the same as you started changing

"How much do you want for the inconvenience?"

"What do you mean?"

"That was probably pretty frustrating. I can pay you back if you want....literally"

"Oh no it's fine"

"If you're worried about me or something don't be, you know I'd spend all my money on you"

"No no you really don't need to"

You pressed a kiss to rei's cheek, which caused the purple haired girl to blush

"All I need is you"

"......fine but tomorrow I'm taking you shopping and you can't say no"

You giggled as you two held hands and started walking forward

"I guess I can't complain about that"

Fem!hyoma chigiri

Everything was relatively chill in the manshine city's women changing room, nagi was on her phone as usual, and rei was watching her play

"Oh look a rare item"

"Ohhhh so lucky"

The two high fived as they focused more on the game......however their focus was broken by an angry chigiri storming out of the bathroom

"OK which one of you took my hair conditioner?"

"......what?"

"It's not in my bag, so one of you must have taken it"

"No I mean, why are you styling your hair before a match, like right before, you already put your jersey on"

"Cause I need to, I can't go there with trashy hair, especially if y/n's there"

"Does he really care that much?"

"Well I do, and I care about the thousands of spectators who will see us, how can we look like the power couple we are if we don't look absolutely stunning?"

".....ok....anyway it wasn't us, my hair is already naturally beautiful-"

"That's debatable at best"

Rei narrowed her gaze at chigiri but continued talking

"And nagi doesn't really....do body care without her boyfriend"

A sigh escaped chigiri's lips as she turned around and went in the bathroom

"Fine I guess I should look more closely"

"Wait chigiri, did you ask prince to change numbers or something?"

"No why?"

"........can you move your hair out of the way?"

"What?"

"I wanna see the name on the jersey you're wearing"

The red panther moved her hair to the right, allowing rei to see the name on the jersey clearly now

"......why.....are you wearing y/n's jersey?"

".....what?"

"Yeah that's his last name"

The red-haired woman quickly took off the jersey to confirm what rei said, and she was disappointed to see it was indeed your jersey

"What? How did-......wait then that probably means that the reason I didn't find my conditioner-"

"Was because you took his bag"

"......I'm gonna go give this back to him.....you two don't you dare say anything about this"

The two girls nodded, and chigiri quickly made her way to the other dressing room (very, very quickly with her speed)

"Hi hyoma, what's wrong?"

"my jersey"

"What do you mean?"

"We switched bags. I'm actually wearing your jersey"

"......oh..sorry for not noticing......I just thought you left your hair products in my bag"

"It's fine, here's yours"

She started to take off her jersey as you did the same

"And here's yours"

You two put everything back on and double checked just to make sure it was the right ones

"Seems like everything's OK now"

"Yeah, sorry again"

"I told you it's ok......but can you give me my conditioner now I need it"

"Why? Your hair always look perfect"

"It's because I always look perfect to you"

"Yeah because you are"

"Then let me show you how perfect these legs are"

"..........."

"I-I mean how fast they are. I mean speed and you knew it"

"Yeah, yeah don't worry"

[mr-laveau]

*takes a chump out of your redacted designs and runs away* YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE

(but seriously I noticed that there's a lot of design ideas and little details and just a lot going on when you draw something and I want to know what makes that decision, how do you know what to put on there is it just like a feeling thing or like you see something you like and then you put it on characters or something you're drawing)

Wanted to get to this after finishing up the series of designs for the shaw pack and stuff but thanks!

For my redacted designs I went into it thinking about the influences for the designs (halloween costumes, professions, past designs, kinks, romantic dynamics and vibes) and played around with colour pallettes to create similarities and contrasts to make them more cohesive as a group but unique as individuals and pairs as they're put together whilst also not straying from the nature of the setting and honouring my art style.

An example would be Milo and Sahdil. I wanted to mix together a bunch of old designs into one for something that achieved everything I wanted for them while empasizing their contrasts with each other because that's how their dynamic is framed in my head. Sadhil is more of an organized and detailed PI who is of course magical so I went with a mix of his older designs, scooped out the best parts and made something fun.

In opposition of their design, I made Milo who was more wild and impulsive and something about his older renditions was that he always seemed like a guy you'd see on the drums and I wanted to continue that while making him heavily contrast against Sadhil. His palette is more vibrant, he wears silver while Sadhil wears gold, he dyes his hair brighter than Sadil does and etc. Really the focus for paired designs is to make them match and compliment each other, holding both a sense of contrast and similarity.

When it came down to group designs, the focus was on a singular visual theme and since the shaw pack was a cohesive unit, I decided earlier that I'd play around with them being werewolves visually through torn edges, claws at the tips of their shoes, triangular shapes to symbolize claws and fangs as well as colours that all blended with each other. As you can see it translates with Milo, Asher and Deacon who all have similar colour pallettes and thus there could be an implication of what their relationship as characters would be like. Meanwhile David stands there in contrast to the rest of them, having a colour pallette that takes the group's natural colours to the extremes with shades and tints that borrow colours from the rest of group but also alienate him as a design to help look like he's a part of the group but also separate as a pack leader.

You'll also note that David is cleaner as a design with less wear and tear in his clothes in contrast to the rest of the group due to his own image of being a leader (he has to be the face and must be perfect but everyone else is allowed to be "messy").

Now in the line up, similarities and contrasts play a key part in producing an effective group of characters who are both visually distinct but are recognizable as a singular group. For the whole pack, I chose to lean into the same mindset that Encanto had with its visual designs (creating a contrast between two sides of the same group as seen by the different sides of the Madrigal family).

Design lineups often change based on the nature of the story so they don't all have to be cohesive based on what story is being told but for RA, I wanted the two sides to be clear on the visual storytelling of their roles as well as their characters. All the main wolves can be grouped together as a pack but their mates are wildly different with a few similarities but differing visual motifs given the nature of their roles in the story. Sam is associated with the Solaire vampires so his pallette remains almost monotonously red to show where he stands out but is grounded by the inclusion of reds between characters like Deacon and Barnaby. Additionally, while Sadhil also fits in visually with Barnaby and Alex by including a majority of whites in their design alongside the other two, they also differ given that they're the only magical mate between the two.

As such, a few things can be communicated based on the lineup visually, the mates do not wholely fit together, Sam stands out as the only vampire, David stands out as the pack leader, the mates and the wolves are different to each other based on their own dynamics and each of them have a colour pallette that supports me shpping them with my sona and one another (which is kinda the point of redoing their designs!

That's all my notes!

[stxneflxwers]

Ah well, hopefully this works. I hope I understood what you meant asking for requests

Can I please request Malachy, Aventurine, and Sunday(since you're trying him out:]) with a Witch S/O who thinks they don't love the character enough, so Witch!S/O tries to make a love potion to make them undeniably smitten and infatuated with the character?

As in the reader is drinking the potion so that they aren't "accidentally unloving" towards the character, and the character finds them first(or the reader asks, whichever you'd prefer to write)

This is somewhat based off my own anxiety regarding not showing enough emotion when I feel I should, you seem like you could make a good fic of that as you're more in touch with mental illness and the like

love potion.

summary. you believe your love for them simply isn't enough – and, of course, as a witch, you think you have just the right solution.

a/n. hi pookie!! ty for the request!! it should be fun to write ! and it's honestly pretty relatable as someone who struggles to show love in any way aside from like, metaphorically sitting next to my loved ones and blinking at them slowly like a cat LMAO. also rip me, i excluded sunday from this cuz during writing aventurine's, i noticed how long it was gonna be... maybe i'll write sunday's another time 👀

characters. aventurine. malachy. gn reader.

cw. witch is used in the most gender neutral way i can manage. love potions. insecurity/anxiety. affection (physical, verbal). established relationship(s). one singular instance of oc (Malachy) x reader. all lowercase. hurt/comfort. reader cries.

aventurine.

(w.c: 739)

he's oh-so perceptive. your magical antics do not go unnoticed the vast majority of the time. there's times it will slip past him, but that's either from sheer chance or because he wasn't paying that much attention.

and, this time, he definitely cannot tear his eyes away from you.

he worries about you, of course. more than he would (or perhaps could) ever admit. he's a subtle lover, he doesn't put you in the spotlight unless you want to be there with him. even then, it can make him feel nervous, anxious.

so, when you start getting flashy and in-his-face with your affection and undying devotion – it's a little overwhelming for even him. he's not sure what's going on, but he can bet it has something to do with your potions or magic.

but, curiosity kills the cat, so he ends up turning this into a long-winded game – just to see how long you can keep doing this. he knows something is up, but whether you know that he knows is a different thing.

the longer this game goes on, the more he notices how delirious you're getting. he decides it's time for a little intervention.

when he goes to talk to you, you're brewing another potion in your organized mess of a kitchen at home. there's little tears in your eyes. he feels immediate pang of guilt for not doing this sooner, but there's a part of him that wishes you would've simply come to him a long time ago. instead of the other way around.

"hey," he greets with a soft smile, it's not one of his usual smiles, it has less edge to it. "what're you makin' this time, pretty thing?" he asks with a subtle affectionate lilt in his voice.

he doesn't step too far into the kitchen, he's instead hanging around the doorway – leaning against it with his arms crossed. he knows it's wisest to not wander too far into this "magical forest". at least, not when you're whittling away at yet another concoction.

"ah!" you squeak in surprise, nearly dropping your very precious mortar and pestle that has stuck with you for too long. it definitely wouldn't break by being dropped on the floor, but you worry anyways. "i'm, uhm..." you trail off, not wanting to confess. but you know it's difficult to lie to a liar – it takes one to know one.

"no worries, sweetheart, i think i have an idea," he tentatively steps up behind you, grabbing the mortar and pestle to set it aside. "here's my first guess... is it a...love potion?" his voice drops a pitch lower, and the interrogation has truly begun.

"wh–" you sputter, and you mentally damn him for being so observant, "yeah, it is... i just..."

he lazily loops his arms around your waist, patiently waiting for you to open up. his eyes don't stick to your face for too long, understanding it may stress you out more than necessary. he wants your trust, that's all.

"aventurine?" you mutter, "is my...is my love enough for you?" you ask bashfully, beginning to realize how ridiculous the notion may sound to him.

"it's more than i could ever ask for." he looks back at you, his soft smile growing warmer and sweeter.

"...are you sure?"

"absolutely sure, darling. in fact, i don't quite think i deserve such a pure, unfiltered love. but... that's a debate for another day, hmm?" he winks.

you twirl around in his arms, wrapping your own limbs around his neck and pulling him close for a warm, ensuring embrace. you sigh shakily over his shoulder, tears beginning to well up again.

"i love you so much, but i feel like...like it's never enough. i don't want to be unloving toward you. you don't deserve that... you deserve so much good, so much better." you whisper brokenly.

"well, i don't really care about what you think i 'deserve'," he pulls back slightly, taking your chin between two fingers and tilting your head to his height. "because, frankly, i only want you – even during the unlovable times." he says firmly, brooking no argument.

"...i..." you fall almost speechless as little tears begin to fall, "thank you..." you whisper hastily before hiding your face in the fluff of his fur-lined coat.

"hmhm," he hums, rubbing your back with one hand, "not a problem, darling... you are more precious to me than i could ever hope to convey."

malachy.

(w.c: 524)

malachy is also extremely observant. however, they're far more likely to approach you about certain issues instead of playing the long game. it may not seem like it from even up close, but they have a sensitive heart – so, they hate to see you struggle on your own, even if you want to do it by yourself.

they get it, though. independence is an addictive drug. but they still want you to understand that you can trust them, rely on them. they feel useless otherwise – not that they would ever say that to your face.

however, malachy has a certain..."threshold" for affection. it can be overwhelming for them after a certain point (despite having been married twice in the distant past). when you start getting a little too touchy, a little too vocal, they can't help the irritation that makes their only visible eye twitch.

they try their best not to vocalize this "minor" issue, though. they know what's up, but they want you to feel comfortable and safe, above all else. they put up with the sudden, frequent bouts of affection and attention. but, even a star from the very heavens have their limits to their patience...

"alright, alright," malachy grumbles, turning in your arms as you give them the nth hug that day. "what's going on?" their only visible eye narrows, but you can nearly feel the chill that their other, hidden eye holds.

"haha... wh-what do you mean?" you sputter in surprise, backing away. but malachy grabs you by the shoulders with tender hands. tender hands that have killed countless times, but they're the very same tender hands that hold you with grace and love.

"...you're not that sneaky, sorry to say," they sigh softly, tentatively releasing your shoulders; trusting that you won't run away. "i don't know what you've been concocting lately, but i'd like to know. i can smell the remnants of the potion."

you often forget how keen their senses are. despite looking and acting like a human, they're so far removed from it. they're the representation of a heavenly star from a distant universe – one you will never get to know intimately, never get to see or hear or feel. malachy is the closest you'll ever get to knowing the multiverse so deeply.

"i... i'm sorry!" you squeak, and it's pathetic to you, but you're at a loss what to say or do.

you want to run away, but the moment you turn to leave, malachy pulls you into a soft embrace. the kind of embrace you can easily tear away from. but you don't. you stay, contented to be in their arms yet scared to know what they'll say next.

"i want you to know that you're good enough, and no one else has the right to judge your worthiness. not even me." they whisper, leaning over your shoulder to press a chaste kiss to your cheekbone.

"mal... i..." you stutter before turning in their arms, grasping at the lapels of their leather trench coat. "...i love you – so, so much..." you remind.

"and i adore you, my lovely witch. i always have, and always will."