#actually scratch that I am a WHOLE LOT INSANE

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Some information living in my head rent free regarding Puppetmaster!Caine and Roleswap!Pomni's insistence on hiding their faces. :3

Yeah, figurative metaphors all in le head are cool and all, but what about physical metaphors?? We need more physical metaphors people

And before someone asks, yes this is also the case with Ragatha's right eye

[leftneb]

Curiositas aka sirens!AU

in which Lando is a siren with species dysphoria and Oscar is the defintion of Just Some Guy, who happens to get caught up in Lando's mess. and obviously they fall in love along the way etc etc

I first posted about this idea over 2 months ago and I'm happy to announce that there is now a fic in the works!!! which will likely take at least another 2 months because goddamn the concept outgrew itself (as you can tell by the fact charles and max also, like, exist now) it's sitting at ~8k words rn, which is by far the longest thing I've ever written in my life already, but story isn't even close to being finished, so yeah it'll take a while lmao

for now though I have some character designs and lots of thoughts, which I'd like to share :3

ramblings about their individual designs and details below the cut!!

and massive thank you to my dear partner @lailau7904 for not only holding my hand through writing the fic so far but somehow being even more insane about this whole AU than I am???

LANDO

main character (and POV holder) his design isn't based on any real fish, closest resemblance is to a fake fishing lure (reference provided)

very little scarring despite sirens' hunting culture, some tiny cuts and scratches around the top of his tail from smuggling pretty stones and shards of glass

absurdly bright green scales (I really could've made him fluorescent but I think that would be overkill) which is absurdly shit for stealth purposes but good for catching the attention of potential victims

vague triangle shape language but in a semi-elegant way

doesn't eat fish and would rather not eat human either

MAX

fills the position of a leader in his and Lando's colony, inherited the role in his late teens but grew up to it pretty quickly

shark motif, all sharp and angular shapes, visibly intimidating

lots of scars collected during hunts, wounds covered over by red scales from Charles

his scales are pretty dark but they shine blue when the light hits them just right (plus Charles' scales are a bright red lmao, which is a bit suboptimal for stealth but he thinks it's worth it)

CHARLES

koi fish motif, soft and round shapes

no scarring at all

has known Max since they were kids but actually didn't meet Lando until their 20s despite Max and Lando being childhood best friends

considered legally dead by monegasque officials (this has lore reasons which I'm not about to spoil)

GENERAL NOTES

the AU plays in a modern setting, altough sirens are very behind on human technology

their gills are on the side of their ribs! they can also all breathe with their lungs above water

funky scales patterns on their torsos around "modified" areas such as their gills and back fin

they have no hands but don't let that fool you! I was simply too lazy to draw any, what you would see if I did draw them tho would include:

webbing between fingers!! matches the colour of fins

longer, and more solid, claw-like nails

wrinkled palms and fingertips

I really wanted to make Max and Charles' torsos more life accurate but could not be arsed, they all have Lando's body type, aka I've accidentally twinkified Charles and Max lmao

by now you might have noticed that there's no design for Oscar, and as much as I really want to make a siren design for him that would have some pretty heavy lore implications so I'm... hesitant to do so

other people on my sirenification waiting list are:

George Russell and Alex Albon (for the 2019 rookies circle to be complete)

Franco Colapinto (based purely off vibes)

the whole grid really god I'm so ill

for the record Logan is a human in this AU but he IS present fuck you James Vowles

you may have also noticed the papaya version I labeled as McLaren themed (this one is also the highest quality image I have in this thread if you're gonna do any zooming in please do it on this one,,,,)

all throughout writing and drawing I couldn't help but think about another banger siren!Lando fic: Salt Skin by @strawberry-daiquiris! in which Lando has orange slash papaya scales, which I just had to draw honestly

a lot of my design process was also inspired by a piece by @dumbf1sketches (it's somewhere in the pile of other gorgeous art in that post)

bonus underwater version of all of them because it wasn't bright enough for me to feel good about it being at the top but it's still like, the main colour example to my brain

TAGLIST(S)

AU @mintraindrop @cx-boxbox (I know the og post is from actual ages ago but you two were interested so I humbly offer you these crumbs)

ART @santongkabayo @cyclonixi @alto-the-avocado @loquarocoeur

people that put up with my ramblings on dc @lyslsstuff @peppysinc @girlrussell

[staraxiaa]

sunflowers, the afterword:

author's corner/first thoughts.

okay. so. i am insane. i am a god. i just wrote 18k words for a fic that i thought of, planned, and created fully in less than two days, bc someone said i like to make ppl suffer and yes i do. but then i was like, i am GOING to write fluff and i took it personally. to that one reader, thank you!! anyways. i wrote this with the intent of using the prompt "you wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid" and barely even ended up using it. i don't know whether to laugh or cry. i hope it doesn't flop but also it's okay if it does bc i literally spent almost 48 hours brainrotting and word vomiting like it's out of my brain now and this feels glorious. it was random unfiltered thoughts and grinding away at 3am until i am empty. no thoughts left in my head. can you see? i could eat the world raw, the itch has been scratched. the sheer amount of motivation i had w this fic is never happening again. cheers! will update as i think of things! sorry to anyone who ends up reading this fully. i have been unreasonably fixated and have brainrotted over this for two hours, inclusive of sleeptime. while sleeping. i kid you not. i would wake up and something would click and i would hop over to the laptop and fucking grind away i am so sick of myself

unwritten scenes, headcanons

you guys are 20. you haven't started dating yet. you're a doctor. you guys are yelling at each other. you say 'you want to kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.' katsuki's so angry that he does. ⇁ this was the original ending btw but i thought this one kinda fit better he brings you sunflowers sometime. real ones. he's sneezing all the while. you take one look at him and you die of laughter. he's still sneezing. you tell him: you know i actually didn't even care about them until i found out you were allergic. ⇁ if i could write nsfw i would do it here like dude do u see the vision omfg a whole side plot where he's like what the fuck do you mean you weren't dating deku. you're like. what the fuck. are u stupid. someplace where you actually address how you treat midoriya, his lack of a quirk, and how you stood by and watched it all happen ua sports festival. you kick everyone's ass. #you have been trained by eraserhead and you are super duper cool i also don't remember if i included this, but: your mother asks you after the first evening. "you're not really friends are you." you say: "nope!" and it is the happiest she has ever seen you. the ua boys try to flirt with you and get hurt really stupidly a lot on purpose. you wonder why they've stopped showing up. it's bc katsuki gives them a whole earful. and you're like bitch what the fuck im a doctor and and hes just tsundere about it first kiss scene instead of the ending where he's like you care and you're like of course i do??? what the fuck?? are u stupid?? you guys start yelling at each other and you're both acting like ur 2. he calls you stupid and blind. you call him ugly. he's so mad he literally just lurches forward and kisses you. it's awkward and messy and you guys are so mad at each other. you literally headbutt him in the face. ah young love. ⇁ this was another alternative ending more exploration behind reader's character, her insecurities, and about some of the stuff i info dumped before the start of the katsuki povs? i feel like i didn't handle that as well as i could have, but i also didn't want to go on 10 billion tangents for things that had very little relevance to the story. i also think the transition to the last scene was a little abrupt, but tbh at that point i was just so ready to call it like. i just didn't see the point. i think it would have made for a more natural reading experience, so here's the tea: he's proud of u but u guys are angsty and ignore each other until after training camp. [more brainrot pining moments]. if i had to write the above scene, i think i'd do something along the lines of: you're first aid relief at the sports festival, not actively participating. dunno if you'd be nearly as badass, though. you definitely get pissed when they muzzle katsuki and probably get rly mad but ofc u cant show it. so u just unmuzzle him and walk away and hes staring after u. this is ur ??? elsa arc? i dont remember the disney princess. the training camp is torture. aizawa makes u run with them. you tell him straight up that u hate his guts. he grins like that is the best thing anyone has told him in his life. katsuki definitely blows up some earth monsters for u. but while ur not looking. he's angsty like that. the bath scene? oh lord u just know he blows mineta up. maybe he lowk fucks it up too and you have to heal it! the potential HAHAHA. i dont know how you end up getting kidnapped, but id probably just bullshit a reason like ur the #1 healer in the world hurr durr and afo wants u! idgaf if the plot makes sense or not this is entirely secondary to my scheming. katsuki just about loses it when he hears you're one of the targets -> how you get kidnapped? idk. you're not a remedial student, so you're probably participating in the game (odd number of ppl right). unsure of how i'd handle the news of your kidnapping: just know katsuki loses it again. for like the 5th time. yipppeeeeee

character notes, thoughts

your quirk is literally just you take people's injuries into your own body and heal it yourself. you're superhuman. i put 2 thoughts into this: 1) you're a healer and 2) i like cool characters. congratulations. you have now been born. i don't even remember if i kept the shouto scene. but anyways i think my bias was showing. just had to throw him in there. also the kuroo mention. sorry i'm totally normal and i mean it ⇁ btw i love you all (everyone who likes/interacts with my fics) but i joke to my friends everytime someone interacts w my first bakugo/midoriya ones from lacuna bc guys!!! my shoto fic is RIGHT THERE!!! the baby that launched the entire collection. please show him some love this reader is probably one of the favorite ones i have written, more of an oc at this point i think, and i wasn't expecting her to grow on me so much. but lowk i love her and am so proud of the way i wrote her growth!! i do feel like i wrote her very soft, but i hope her flaws were made very clear⏤ she is meant to be a sort of unreliable narrator, so she also is overly critical of her own, but there were several things that were not addressed as i was writing, particularly concerning midoriya. (quirk, the bullying, bystander's guilt.) however, i think that including them would have made me go off on a tangent, and detract more from the main point of the story i also do think i wrote katsuki a little ooc, if only because i didn't see the point of including what's already there in canon. sorry. my brainrot did not extend that far, and by the end of this, i was literally ready to drop. his perspective isn't meant to be all-encompassing (in the story, it may seem like it purely bc of how i paced it) but those are meant to be like. random thoughts that appear in several scenes. reader does not have bakugo living rent free in her head 24/7, and neither does he. they're just stupid and pining and i just wrote all the moments in my head where they do.

[prettymfwrites]

Ink & Flannels Pt. 2

»»————> <————««

Here’s part two of Ink and Flannels, with Ellie finally taking Y/N on a date.

Ellie x female reader

Lots of fluff👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

---

Ellie pulled up to Y/N’s apartment, the familiar growl of her old pickup truck echoing in the quiet night. She hopped out, adjusting the sleeves of her flannel as she leaned against the truck, trying to appear casual. She glanced at her reflection in the window, brushing her fingers through her hair. This wasn’t her first date, but something about Y/N made her heart race in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

Y/N stepped out of her building, her coat slung over one arm and a soft smile lighting up her face. Ellie straightened immediately, pushing off the truck.

“Hey,” Ellie greeted, her voice just shy of nervous. “You look…really nice.”

Y/N gave her a quick once-over, noting Ellie’s flannel and the way her fingers twitched slightly at her sides. “You clean up well, Ellie.” She smirked, adding, “Though the flannel is very on-brand.”

Ellie chuckled, opening the passenger door for her. “Hop in. I’ve got a whole night planned. You ready?”

“As long as you don't murder me,” Y/N teased, sliding into the seat.

---

The drive to the theater was filled with easy conversation. Ellie was quick to crack jokes, and Y/N found herself laughing more than she had in a long time. Ellie’s charm wasn’t overbearing—it was comfortable, like slipping into your favorite sweatshirt on a cold day.

By the time they reached the drive-in, Y/N felt like she’d known Ellie forever. Ellie handed her a bag of popcorn she’d picked up on the way, along with a drink.

“Gotta keep it authentic,” Ellie said as she pulled the truck into a spot near the middle.

The screen flickered to life, and a classic black-and-white movie started to play. Y/N raised an eyebrow.

“A classic, huh?”

Ellie smirked, resting her arm along the back of Y/N’s seat. “Figured you might have a thing for old-school romance. Am I wrong?”

Y/N leaned closer, her eyes narrowing playfully. “Maybe. Or maybe you just wanted an excuse to sit close.”

Ellie grinned. “Guilty as charged.”

As the movie played, the two settled into an easy rhythm. Ellie’s arm stayed draped behind Y/N, and at one point, Y/N leaned into her, resting her head on Ellie’s shoulder. They exchanged teasing whispers during the slower parts of the movie, their voices barely above a murmur.

“Do you actually know what’s going on in this film?” Y/N asked, her lips quirking.

“Absolutely not,” Ellie admitted. “But it’s a vibe, right?”

Y/N laughed softly, her breath warm against Ellie’s neck.

---

After the movie ended, Ellie started the truck but didn’t immediately head toward Y/N’s place.

“You’re being suspicious,” Y/N said, crossing her arms but smiling.

Ellie glanced at her, that mischievous spark in her eyes. “You trust me?”

“Should I?”

“Guess you’ll find out.”

Ellie pulled up to her tattoo studio, the lights inside dimmed except for a faint glow in the back. Y/N followed her in, curiosity piqued.

“Ellie, if you brought me here to convince me to get a tattoo…”

Ellie laughed, leading her toward a door at the back. “Not tonight. This is something different.”

She pushed open the door to reveal a room filled with art. Paintings, sketches, and unfinished works covered the walls and tables. The space was chaotic but alive, a perfect reflection of Ellie herself.

Y/N’s eyes widened as she stepped inside, taking it all in. “Ellie…this is incredible.”

Ellie scratched the back of her neck, her ears tinged pink. “Yeah, uh, I paint. When I’m not tattooing, anyway.” She gestured toward a wall with several portraits. “That’s Jesse and Dina. They’re my best friends. And that one—” she pointed to a swirling abstract piece “—is how I felt after eating too much spicy ramen.”

Y/N laughed, walking slowly through the room, her fingers brushing the edges of the frames. “You’re insanely talented. Why don’t you show these off?”

Ellie shrugged. “I dunno. Feels personal, I guess. But…there’s one I wanted to show you.”

She pulled a small canvas from a shelf, holding it out with both hands. Y/N took it carefully, her breath catching. It was a stunning painting of her, every detail lovingly captured. On her shoulder perched a delicate songbird, its feathers vibrant against the soft tones of the background.

“Ellie…” Y/N’s voice wavered, her eyes glassy.

“I started it the day you walked into the shop,” Ellie admitted, her voice quiet. “You said something about wanting a tattoo with meaning, then you spoke about your mom and it kinda…stuck with me.”

Y/N laughed through her tears, shaking her head. “Do you do this for all the girls you ask out?”

Ellie smirked. “How do you think I pull ’em?”

Y/N set the painting down carefully, turning to Ellie with a playful glare. “You’re ridiculous.”

“But it worked, didn’t it?”

Y/N stepped closer, looping her arms around Ellie’s neck. “It did.”

Ellie’s hands rested lightly on Y/N’s waist. “So, uh…how do I get a proper thank you?”

Y/N leaned in, her lips brushing Ellie’s ear as she whispered, “Thank you.”

Ellie shivered, pulling back just enough to look into Y/N’s eyes. “Not good enough.”

Y/N smiled, closing the distance between them. Their lips met in a kiss that was slow but deep, the kind that made the world fade away. Ellie’s hands tightened on Y/N’s waist, pulling her closer as the kiss grew more heated.

Before Y/N knew it, Ellie had lifted her onto the art table, brushes and sketches pushed aside. Y/N tugged Ellie closer by the collar of her flannel, their kisses growing more fervent.

“Ellie,” Y/N murmured against her lips, a teasing lilt in her voice.

“Mm?” Ellie responded, her lips trailing to Y/N’s jawline.

“You’re gonna have to clear your table more often.”

Ellie laughed, her breath warm against Y/N’s skin. “Guess I’ll need a muse to inspire me.”

Y/N grinned, pulling Ellie back into a kiss. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re perfect.”

---

Baby Dina says thank you for reading! 😛

[teddybeartoji]

anyway i want to introduce you all to my Big Cat Husband Household. this is an official thing i love them all. said household includes - black jaguar!toji, snow leopard!satoru, tiger!sukuna, black panther!suguru and mountain lion!tengen.

we all sleep on one bed and that bed is the size of a whole room btw they are massive. tengen and sukuna sleep on their backs while showing off their tummies to the world, satoru is always one move away from falling of the bed, suguru manages to be majestic even when he's asleep he looks like a statue with his paws crossed like that smh (i am jealous of his beauty) and i always end up sleeping under toji's side which means that i am at risk of him just turning over and suffocating me (i love it)

i also can never leave btw. like no bathroom breaks for me whatsoever bc i move an inch and suddenly i'm being yanked back to bed by any one of them and it's so??????????? weren't you just asleep?????????????????? they're all incredibly clingy (i also really love that ngl) oh and i die every summer. bc i am horrible with heat and they're all like HEATERS it's actually so bad and it's not like they really want to let me sleep anywhere else either smhhhhhhhhhh but since they love me<3 they take turns of sleeping with me in the living room instead of the bedroom

satoru also uhh kind of gets bullied by the others but he's genuinely so unbothered by it it's crazy. he also gets special treatment from me bc the others are mean and i am not, i like to baby him sm he gets the most ear scratches while the others glare at him from the other side of the room. satoru thinks it's very funny bc he loves the attention (the others love him too though dw i would actually kick them out if that wasn't the case)

sukuna and tengen tussle the most but it's all for fun they both like playing around a lot,, satoru often joins them too and it's a very entertaining thing to look at lmao toji and suguru typically just stare at them from the couch bc toji is lazy he just wants to lounge around all day and suguru thinks that he's better than the others in a way (?????)

(i also think it's really funny to add housecats dazai and chuuya to this household sometimes bc the idea of dazai and tengen sleeping in a patch of sunlight is so fucking funny,, dazai looks like a fucking twig next to tengen i think if the latter would place a hand over him he might actually break lmao chuuya and toji get along really well though they don't talk a lot but they just feel very comfortable around each other they also take naps together and it's the cutest sight ever)

the tongue baths go insane with them all btw but i won't get into that rn bc i might uhh have a heart attack..

[caelanglang]

Who are your fav skk fanfic writers and why? Do you have their works that you love the most that you don't mind sharing here? 💘

this... this is such a hard question, *brings out a whole safe of records* /j (no srsly it's gonna be a long read--)

Here are a list of authors i really like :3 Their ao3 links/handles are:

the_most_happy: love how emotional their work can be! they have smut and fluff works, and most of all—which i think the the most delicious one, is the way they write angst <3 I actually made a bunch of fanart for their fics/aus when I was just getting into the fandom :3 They're writing is like going into a spicy sexy emotinal adventure... idk how else to describe it xD my fav fic of theirs... augh so hard to choose... In Loving Memory caught me so off guard (cuz i forgot to read the tags and immediately dived into it the moment i saw their post about it hhhh)

forest_racoon: The fluff and softness and magic in their writing is so good! I love the energy and comedy and seriousness and everything in their writing! it's always so fun to pick up any of their works~ Don't be tricked tho,, the angst they deliver have the same gravity ToT it's just so... augh... I first found them through Plate :( and have reread it several times (please check out their other works too it's all so amazing!!)

devilrin: love how she writes. period. the emotions and the poetic energy of it?? the angst?? so. good. the skk energy in their writing is more mellow(?) it feels more realistic—it's like watching people instead of characters ;w; (very cool how she world builds an entire life outside of her fic for her characters actually, got to witness the behind the scenes first hand myself its pretty insane to me) The fic that ruined me tho is Down to a Sunless Sea (which is so angsty im so--)

themadtree: The energy in their writing is just so amazing. it's very hard to stop mid-way! The dialogue feels very fun and engaging and you really get very attached to the characters because of how energetic and full of life they are. Whimsical is the best word I can think of to describe the reading experience of their work :3 They made a bunch of fun aus; their brain is just so amazing (pirate au and avatar au like broooooo) My favorite is Mors Vincit Omnia (yummy pirate au!)

StarshipDancer: one of the first ao3 writers whose name i decided to remember by heart (which means a lot considering how bad i am with names) because they are my most searched user in ao3 xD The fluff is just so addicting. The sillies and shenanegans are so on point for me, idk it just scratch this itch so perfectly in my brain. I draw a of inspiration from my skk sketches from their works actually :3!! READ EVERYTHING THEY HAVE PLS ITS ALL SO GOOD (you should check the fluff week collection augh) Without Words is one of my most reread ones... I think... I reread a lot of their works tho...

setosdarkness: let's be honest. i think everyone whose dived into ao3 skk just knows her alreayd xD she's such a kween for that, making sure we are so well fed with so much fun skk writing. Her works are so fun to read! Very comedic and has such similar energy to the gag moments and bickering and shenanigans of the anime skk for me idk why. I love how fun and unique each fic scenarios are :3 (no srsly you'll never run out of food made with so much love by athina-san)

xLillyle: I am working with Lilly for a Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood skk au!! (its Royai skk BUT it's also beast!skk) it's been so exciting to work with her :3!! You can check some of the teasers here. She made an iwaoi!skk fic recently so if that's you're type hehe *starts bawling*

there are lots of other amazing authors there but these are the ones that came to mind and i am most familiar with for now :3 Here are some other fics ~~

When I Awake: Ghost(?) Writer Dazai and Musician Chuuya. yummy angst. silly skk

castle out of couches: My favorite domestic fluff skk. it's my must read. Halfbloom is such a master of the fluff in comedic tone and capturing that skk domestic softness idk how they do it. it's just so good.

In One of the Stars I shall be Living: A sweetheart wrote a fic about my little prince skk au TT it's so well written and I am so in love with all the references and angst ueueue

Five Steps: My favorite skk knight x prince au TT

The Best Worst Thing: Another sweetheart wrote a fic based on my silly sketches ;w; it's so cute waaaaaa

okay. i am. so sorry for the long answer. I just love a lot of stuffs from these incredible writers. feel free to drop by again :3 these are the ones that comes to my mind first so i may have missed out on a bunch oop

[laundrybiscuits]

(young man what do you wanna be tag)

“Why won’t you pretend to date me?”

“Jesus fucking—holy goddamn taint-biting hell, Harrington.” Eddie clutches at his chest, trying to recover from a minor cardiac event caused by opening his bedroom door to find Steve Harrington sitting at his desk. “Why the fuck are you here? How the fuck are you here? Also, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Wow, rude,” says Steve. “Wayne let me in. And Jonathan told me about the, uh, the Will plan. I think Argyle called it Operation Happy Ending? I don’t…I never know how serious he is about that stuff, man. Is he, like…okay?”

“Argyle is an enigma beyond mortal ken,” says Eddie fondly. 

“Sure,” says Steve. He sounds doubtful. “Anyway, why won’t you pretend to date me?”

Eddie groans, pitching backwards onto his mattress and scrubbing his palms over his face. “Because that idea sucks! It’s a bad idea! A better question is: why are you letting Jonathan Byers talk you into shit?”

“It sounds like a pretty good idea to me. It’s for Will, right? Jonathan said he needed to, uh, see a healthy model of a same-sex relationship.” 

Eddie would bet just about anything that the last part is a direct J. Byers quote.

“First, I’m not lying to a child. It’s deeply unethical, and as you well know, I am a scrupulously moral individual at all times. Second, do you really think it’s prime role model behavior to construct a fake relationship which will inevitably be unveiled as a sham and a farce? The foundations of young Byers’s world will be rocked, marking the beginning of a slow slide into disillusionment and crime. He’ll be serving twenty to life before you know it.”

Steve sighs, big and gusty like Eddie’s being somehow unreasonable. “God, you’re impossible. So just—actually date me, then.”

“Right,” says Eddie. “Obviously. Why didn’t I think of that. What the fuck, Steve.”

“What’s the difference between fake dating and real dating, anyway? We’ll go see a movie or something, get dinner.”

“Am I having a stroke? Okay, first of all, we cannot and will not do any of those things. Crash course on being gay in Hawkins: it sucks, and we will get jumped.”

“I’ll protect you,” says Steve, because he’s an arrogant dumbass with a white-knight streak a mile wide. Eddie likes him so, so much.

“Jesus. No, okay? You can’t fist-fight the entire goddamn world. They will literally, literally murder me. Lit-er-al-ly. This is—it’s a fucking stupid idea. You’re not even gay, what the fuck.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m bisexual.” Steve’s got a mulish look on his face. “So you should date me.”

“What.” Eddie sits up. “Since when? This is new information. Is this information I was supposed to have had previously? Is this information that other people have?” If Jonathan and Argyle knew and didn’t say anything, Eddie is going to murder them to death. 

Steve looks away, scratching at his jaw, and doesn’t answer. He doesn’t show when he’s nervous, usually, and it dawns on Eddie that Steve probably doesn’t have a lot of experience coming out of his sporty little closet.

“Ah, hey, I didn’t mean…I’m, uh, proud of you? I support you?” Eddie leans over to pat Steve’s shoulder awkwardly, trying his best to channel Murray but probably landing a little closer to Jonathan Byers.

“So…I can pick you up at six tomorrow?” Steve says. 

“Nope, still not happening,” says Eddie, and leaves the room. 

———

“I don’t get it. You’re, like, in love with him—” Jonathan ignores Eddie’s indignant squawking. “And he asked you out, and you said no?”

“He wasn’t asking me out for real! It was your bullshit garbage so-called plan, which is continuing to ruin my life. When I said I wouldn’t fake-date him, he just—switched tactics. He’s obviously trying to trick me into being part of this whole fake dating thing.”

“You realize that’s completely insane and makes no sense, right,” says Jonathan. 

“I am the Dungeon Master. I see all, and I know all.”

Jonathan squints at him with an undisguised and unwarranted skepticism. “You really gotta stop saying that, man. It does not sound as cool as you think it does.”

“I am extremely cool always. Also, I’m not in love with him. Gross,” Eddie grumbles.

“Don’t be homophobic, dude,” says Argyle peaceably. “Love is never gross in any form.”

“Excuse you, I will be as homophobic as I damn well please. Love is gay and I won’t have it in my house.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re joking but this is making me really uncomfortable,” says Jonathan.

“That’s homophobic, dude,” says Eddie. “Hush up and let the queers talk. I’m not in love with Steve, I’m in love with Argyle and we’re gonna run away and get married.”

Argyle shakes his head, laughing. “Nah, I don’t hang with matrimonial attachments. It’s all a scam by Big Wedding.” 

“Wait,” says Jonathan. “Seriously? Like, even if you fell for a girl?”

“If she’s the right lady for me, she won’t need a piece of paper to celebrate love. Love’s gotta live in the heart-house, Jonathan. In the heart-house.” Argyle taps Jonathan’s chest.

“Hear, hear,” says Eddie, who doesn’t have any particular opinions on the matter but would back just about anyone and any position in the entire world against Jonathan Byers at the moment.

[kozachenko]

A Retrospective Analysis on Touhou 17

So it's finally here, and even though I know for a fact that I am not going to be able to get the Keiki drawing done by this time (I'm having trouble with the eyes, for some reason it's always that aspect of drawing her that's difficult for me, I can never really capture the essence of her character no matter what I do) I still wanted to post something about this game today since it's the game's 5 year anniversary. I have a lot of thoughts on it, and my views on the game have changed quite a lot throughout my time being a Touhou fan. This is going to be very long so I'll put the rest under the keep reading tag.

So for some background, Touhou 17 was the first Touhou game I ever played, I got into the series during 2021 shortly after my Hunter X Hunter phase ended (since the manga was still on hiatus at the time) and I remember playing 17 during that time as well. I'm pretty sure that the reason I played it was because of that one nitirushh animation where Keiki disses the animal spirits so hard that they die (still my favourite fan-depection of Keiki tbh, it's just really funny to me) and that set my interest in the game itself. It was also the newest Touhou game at the time and none of the other games interested me as much. Then I actually played the game and at the time I found it insanely fun. I remember feeling so excited playing the stage 1 of the game and thinking to myself "Holy shit I'm actually playing a Touhou game" and having a lot of fun with it. Even though the game itself is the easiest out of all the Touhou games, it was still a challenge for me at the time since I had never played a bullet Hell before. For this reason, the game as a whole struck a chord with me. Funny Touhou animation aside, I don't know if it was because I had only recently gotten out of my Hunter X Hunter phase after finishing the whole 2011 version of the anime and had caught up with the manga during 2020, but maybe some aspect of 17 kinda scratched a similar itch in my brain and it really stuck with me IDK.

As for what I think of the game itself now.... gameplay wise, it could be better, it's still fun but there was so much potential for the game to tell it's story through the medium it chose to present itself in. Why did we not have more similarities between Eika and Keiki's danmaku styles to show their connection? Why did we not have a moment similar to what happened in TD during the final boss fight where Mayumi comes back in to take over during the fight in a last ditch effort to protect Keiki? It's the final boss so go all out! The animal spirits could also be balanced a lot better as well, especially with Youmu becoming incredibly overpowered with the wolf spirit, and visibility is a bit of a problem in this game. Some of the tracks could use a bit more polish too, I commend ZUN for being experimental with his newer tracks but the stage 3 theme and staff roll theme are both kinda eh, and while the boss themes have a lot of good punch to them and can be really good, it still feels like some extra spice could've been added to really make them stand out (which is why I love the theme remixes Saki and Yachie got in Touhou 19). I also wish the Animal Realm got explained better within the lore of the series, mainly because it raises a lot of questions about how Hell was founded and it kinda needlessly complicates things. I would've rather it be introduced as it's own region of Hell rather than being a separate thing entirely that just so happens to be located next to it. I also wish that we got more stuff with this setting that explains how it connects to the rest of the worldbuilding a lot more, I definitely feel like actually having it explained more in the mangas would definitely help to make it feel less convuluted, but unfortunately the closest we're getting are cameos in Lotus Eaters and very brief mentions of the games themselves. I still like the game though, as I've mentioned I do love a lot of the music and I love all the characters we got introduced to in this game. I've been appreciating Eika a lot more recently, I do like Urumi but she's neat and I like her design a lot, Kutaka is a fucking shithead who kept FUCKING UP MY 1CCS IN BOTH 17 AND 17.5 THE FUCKING BITCH- who is very funny and I love seeing more insight into Hell's management. Yachie's great and I find her relationships to the other characters in this game very interesting, Mayumi is awesome and the more I think about her the more I like her, and I love how Saki contrasts Yachie in her strategies. That being she has no strategy and just goes "fuck it, we ball" with no hesitation lmao.

I'm pretty sure you all noticed the absence of one character in particular, that being Keiki. I've made it no secret on this blog that Keiki is my favourite Touhou character, and a lot of that is because of her role as an antagonist in Touhou 17. I always found it really fascinating how ZUN created her as an allegory for AI (I don't know if Apollo just randomly blessed him with the gift of prophecy because MAN does that statement hit harder now more than ever) and the fact that she's portrayed as a very morally grey character in the game itself and Reimu's reaction to her, stating that she can see an "evil aura" in Keiki. I've already talked a lot about Keiki on this blog and I don't know what there is that I haven't said, but I wanted to start off with her because it ties into a big part of why I still find this game's story interesting. That main aspect being it's parallels to Gensokyo and Touhou's overarching them of humanity's relationship with nature.

So to step back from 17 for a second, I feel like we should look at what the Youkai represent in the story. Youkai in Touhou are created from humanity's fear, and back before science was able to properly explain anything, this fear very often manifested into a fear of nature. Natural disasters would end up wiping out villages, dangerous animals would often lurk in forests and end up killing anyone who would go in them. Overall nature isn't very kind to humanity, and humanity knows this. This is why humanity would often try and find reasons as to why these things would happen. This brings us back to the Youkai in Touhou who are the embodiment of the unexplainable. In manga like Forbidden Scrollery and Lotus Eaters, we often see how the humans in the human village are at the mercy of these Youkai, the only reason that they aren't being slaughtered is entirely for their own benefit so they don't run out of resources. The only hope the humans in the village really have is to turn to the gods, another product of man's desire to explain the unexplainable, to potentially save them. The survival of the people in the human village will always be in the hands of beings beyond their comprehension. No matter what, humanity will always be at the mercy of nature.

Coming back to Touhou 17, we can see that the relationship between the human and beast spirits isn't exactly.... pleasant. The beast spirits all see the human spirits as slaves essentially and they gain strength from their torment. The only way that the human spirits are even able to stand a chance against them is to submit themselves to a god and pray for their protection. And even then there's no way in Hell that they're getting out of this situation since the god they're praying to views them the same way as the animal spirits (whether they are aware of it or not).

So if you haven't noticed by my word choice, there are quite a lot of similarities here with the dynamics of the Animal realm and Gensokyo. That's not even mentioning the fact that in both places we have at least 3 different parties fighting over control of the humans, whether it be animal spirits or Youkai. Hell, this race for power in Gensokyo is a plot point in Lotus Eaters and Forbidden Scrollery, so it's not like this is a new concept for the series to explore either.

There's also something to be said about how Keiki and the technology she brings with her are seen as a threat to the order of the animal realm. Throughout human history, humanity's creativity and ingenuity have always been major factors in our survival as a species. We created tools to use the nature around us and make it work to our advantage, we created weapons to more efficiently hunt and find food to survive, and we created art and literature to document our histories and make sense of the world. Going back to 17, Keiki is the epitome of humanity's evolution and creativity and she is the one who responded to the human's cries for salvation. Another thing to think about is that in Gensokyo, the best the villagers are going to get in terms of technology are old computers that are very limited in their use, and even then barely anyone will have any idea how to use them. The reason that Gensokyo even exists in the first place is to preserve the Youkai and Gods that would become forgotten by humanity's technological advancement. In both of these places, technological advancement is seen as a threat to the natural order and must be suppressed at all costs.

Of course in Gensokyo it isn't as extreme as the animal realm. The Kappa, the Tengu, and even gods like Kanako are all quite technologically advanced and/or are introducing new technologies to Gensokyo (those are just the ones I could list off the top of my head, but please tell me if there are more that I forgot). But here's the interesting thing, notice how none of the examples I listed there were humans. The only way for the humans of Gensokyo to have these technologies introduced to them is if the powers that be, nature, let them have those technologies. Going back to the animal realm, even after Keiki is defeated we can see that the beast spirits are still using the technologies she (most likely) introduced, i.e. that one chapter in Lotus Eaters where one of the otter spirits introduced what is essentially a GameBoy to the Kappa and Nitori saying stuff like, "oh yeah the animal realm is actually pretty technologically advanced nowadays" as well as that one story in CoLA where Ran and Yachie deal with the AI Sumireko made. Once again, the only times when the use of technology goes unprotested in this series are when it's kept out of the hands of humans and back into the hands of nature. Even when humans are able to fight back and create their own technology, nature will always win in the end, no matter how hard humanity tries to defeat it. The way Touhou 17 ends is indicative of this, with Keiki being defeated and the Animal Realm returning to it's status quo.

However, Gensokyo has never had this kind of issue before.... or so it may seem. Yes there's never been any technological uprising by the human villagers and with the way things are there most likely never will be, but when you take away the potential for technological advancement from humans then the next best thing would be magic. And when humans in Gensokyo use magic to find a way to gain power and be more than just fodder for the Youkai, they end up being punished. This is most prevalent in Forbidden Scrollery when Reimu kills the fortune teller. I don't think I need to go too in depth about this moment since I already did so in my Forbidden Scrollery review but this once again shows a parallel between Gensokyo and the Animal Realm.

So what am I trying to say with all of this? I've been bringing up a lot of the similarities that these two places have but similarities can just be chalked up to coincidences that don't mean anything. What I've been trying to say with this whole thing is that the Animal Realm represents an extreme version of Gensokyo, one where every ugly aspect of it is dialed up to 11 and the law of the strong eating the weak rules all. It's a Gensokyo without a spell card system to level the playing field. I do want to say that I don't believe Gensokyo is a grimdark setting, sure some parts about it are bleaker than others, but there are also many good aspects of Gensokyo that I feel like I should bring up. It's a safe-haven for the forgotten, and if we continue viewing the Youkai and Gods from the lens of both of them being allegories for nature, Gensokyo is a place where nature can fluorish outside of humanity's hands. Unlike the Animal Realm, Gensokyo was never established with the intentions of harming people. Nature is both beautiful and terrifying, and where Gensokyo displays the beautiful sides of nature, the Animal Realm displays all the ugly sides of it. Even then, there is some overlap between the two, Gensokyo does have a nastier side to it and the Animal Realm is a place where nature can exist unrestrained by humanity (even if the place is still a shitshow overall). Now that I think about it, this sort of duality between the two realms is kinda fitting for Touhou, and I can't stress enough that when I say that Gensokyo and the Animal Realm have some parallels I am not trying to say Gensokyo is a grimdark dystopia. Hell even going back into the Lotus Eaters manga, the otter spirit that escaped from the Animal Realm even said that Gensokyo was a better place to live.

So yeah, I don't really have any good way to end this aside from saying happy 5 year anniversary Touhou 17. You are a flawed game but god do I still love you. Oh yeah, and if there's anything I missed or any mistakes I made, please correct me/let me know.

[rlyehtaxidermist]

"what happens to renko after merry vanishes"

i feel like she would think about searching for her a lot but always choke when she thinks about how to actually get started. it would boil down to her taking a job where she can comfortably be insane and isolated from humanity. like she spends her remaining human lifespan as a lighthouse keeper on the edge of some global warming induced crevasse along the northwest passage. her journals are full of awful pining poetry and scratch notes of her deriving a whole system of astrology from scratch. yukari brings the lighthouse with her when she gaps renko to gensokyo and renko teaches her how to aim the beacon through kasen's bedroom window at 3 am.

[lilliathshifts]

Introduction time 🫶

Ok so this is my introduction. I’ve never done one of these before so if it looks weird or the wording is messed up, don’t blame me I’m just a girl 😔

Starting off!!-

My name is lilliath, it’s pronounced like Lilith, I didn’t choose the spelling, and my pronouns are she/they thought I don’t really care what you call me. I change my profile a LOT but one thing I’ll probably never change is my username. I’m forever going to be lilliathshifts.

Moving on to the fun stuff 🤗 —————

Here’s a little rundown about me

I was born June 6, 2007

I’m a Gemini 😚

I have a little sister

I have a lot of pets - a dog, rabbits, fish, chickens

Sadly, I’m from Texas USA, scratch that, sadly I’m from America 😔

I’ve lived in a small town my whole life. Like it’s tiny. Like 2000 people, 2 mi^2

I really like to travel, I’ve gone to Vegas, Colorado (3x), and I’ve gone camping in Oklahoma many times

I’m weirdly obsessed with sleep token

I have an autoimmune disease (hypothyroidism) and possibly autism 🤪

I have two true friends who is adore so much

I’m utterly delighted obsessed with Noah Sebastian.. CURRENTLY

I LOVE the sims 4. I play it all the time, like so much I’ve been having dreams of playing it. I have a problem I know

I am apart of the dead dad club 🤯

something then falling in love with said thing… for example TVD

I have a character.ai addiction ☹���

Some shifting related things

I haven’t shifted yet 😭

I’ve been into shifting for 4 years

A dr that I tried shifting to the longest is Supernatural

I introduced one of my friends to shifting and she shifted first try then I introduced another one of my friends to it and she called me insane 🥲

None of my friends wanted to group shift, or even look into shifting, so I scripted them into my drs. We gonna shift together one way or another 🫶

My very first dr was a MHA LOV dr and the first guy I shifted for was Dabi..

I’m permashifting to my better cr

My favorite dr is my iZombie dr. It’s my go to when I’m bored of other drs

My most obscure dr is probably my back rooms dr. I’m not making myself deal with the monsters, those things are GONE.

I didn’t know what respawning actually meant so for like 2 weeks I was going around saying I was gonna do it ☹️

I have a habit of making fun of people for

Peace dawgs

Edited last: Nov. 29, 2024

[cathchicken]

Ok watched the new episodes, my quick thoughts: (spoiler)

I thought cake dropped the f bomb when she said “puck him up!” In the first few minutes. Sort of disappointed she didn’t tho, that’d be really funny

Episode one overall was really cute! Gave me big bee and puppy cat vibes

I like the relationship Fiona has with both Gary and Marshal. ALSO PEPPERMINT BUTLER WAS SUCH A JUMPSCARE IDK WHY

Also surprising: Hunter?? (Genderswapped human huntress wizard). It’s a different design than the one we see in the trailers! I’m not sure how to think of it yet but I could immediately sense the sort of pairing they are going for obviously with Fiona.

Lsp was lsp

Also the human lemongrabs haha

Intro theme was a banger??? Especially episode 2

Ok episode two: essentially a Simon torture porn episode like oh my god I am not kidding

He’s such a looser (sad)

Like give my man a break

I bet you could easily make a 20 minute compilation of every time Simon gets whacked in the head or punched or something, by the end of the series.

Also Simon and Marcy flashback. Gonna throw up now my heart won’t take it

He is going insane. Like his girl how cute 💕💕💕💕

Betty shrine

Choose goose but EVIL!! yes! This was hinted at in the “wizard city” episode of distant lands, and now he is back but filled with dark magic I guess.

Nothing happens with that little Fiona fangirl

FINN!!! He is very big but thr same the whole time, I am happy to see him back

Jake is dead :’(

Finn hangs out with TV now, interesting. TV even has a little tamagotchi

This episode REALLY earned the tv-14 rating. Lots of blood, but satisfying in a way. A beat up monster actually has visible injuries!!

Well also Simon his arm gets jacked up. Because it’s mandatory I guess

I have no idea what’s gonna happen to finns weird scratch, maybe nothing

Finn makes like at least two jokes about his balls and it’s so good. He’d totally be the person to think balls are funny

Huntress wizard is also mentioned in this episode too!! Not any appearances though. Finn does say he regularly meets with her though, and at the end of the episode even goes to “hang out” with her

Rebecca sugar song!!! I think!!!

OH YEAH WE GOT A BIT OF BUBBALINEEE. Nothing too important, just them having a goofy time and being happy :3

next: Simon summons god /j

Well, he does something to connect with golb, or at least his intentions. But choose goose messes up the chant by saying something about Fiona and cake.

Ok so THEORY: this summoning/portal ritual caused a portal to appear from Simon to Fiona’s world, like the chant eventually said. The portal itself (in Fiona’s universe) was specifically tied to ice, since that’s a point of simons identity. Well, the portal cake wen through was right near human ice queen, so I thought it was because ice queen was the Simon of Fiona’s universe. But cake doesn’t enter her, but just the ice in her ice cream cart. Hmmm,,,, not sure.

Ok I think that’s it for now!!

[garf-lover96]

my long ass elaborate ranking of Will Wood's (and The Tapeworms') albums!! (Everything is a Lot ranking list)

for the purpose of making this i've been listening to this whole album like non stop for the past week. i even made my parents listen to it with me (my mom liked it and said that she'd go to see the songs live if she could!). it was actually pretty difficult to rank all of them but i think the top 3 will remain unchanged forever, they're some of my all time favorites from will wood!! the way i'll do this i think is i'll write down all the things i like about a particular song, maybe a favorite lyric and a favorite moment or something. or just some general rambling. also i split Everything is a Lot into Everything is a Lot and Destroy to Enjoy, like in the remastered album!

———

1. Skeleton Appreciation Day in Vestal, NY (Bones)

first time i heard this song was over a year ago so i can't tell what my exact first impression was but it did almost immediately become my favorite song ever. I LOVE IT SO MUCH IT'S INSANE. also fun fact, memberoflottiescult really likes this song!

my main thing with this song is that it sounds like?? you know, bones?? it sounds like skeletons. the melody is like something a skeleton would've come up with. i can't explain it but it is hearable. best song ever

2. 6up 5oh Cop-Out (Pro / Con)

it was one of the first will's songs i've ever liked on spotify. ughhhh the energy, the general mashing of the piano and it sounding like it's about to fall apart any second lol!! the high ass notes. perfect, so perfect. i was listening to this song while purchasing a meter long plush goose. the song is like a brother to me

my favorite part is the spoken "am i being detained? am i under arrest? read me my rights please! I WANT MY PHONECALL" it's uhfhdfhkf. showstopping

3. White Knuckle Jerk (Where Do You Get Off?)

it took me exactly one (1) full listen to this one to absolutely fall in love with it, holy fuck. one of the best things i've ever heard. every time it's on i have to loop it a few times

my favorite parts are the "i wonder how i woke up in the middle of my surgery and i watched them botch my heart. only the second worst thing that i could've thought was 'this won't have to end if it doesn't start'" and "i'll never know what it's like to love you" because ummm???? the emotion in his voice omfg, i love it when this happens. it's so perfect (reminds me of julian devorak..........)

4. Lygerside Daydream

had me hooked after the first listen as well. i love the melody and i love how the lyrics are written here. i, too, want to blow the seeds of dandelions and wish for nothing more. such a sweet sound. one of my favorites as well. nice to daydream to, ha!!!

5. Front Street

idk how to explain this but the pace of the song, like the way the lyrics are sung is so satisfying. just the sentence structure and stuff.. uhhh i really don't know how to describe this, but i love it a whole lot. the piano melody here is amazing as well it so???? I DON'T FUCKING KNOW it's just good

6. The First Step

so nice to sing along to!!! "and i hope i don't choke on my vomit tonight" and "take my anxiety and my sobriety, i'll kill two birds with one stoner. so if you see me please, take my keys i don't wanna be an organ donor" are my favorite parts:3 so satisfyingly said

7. Chemical Overreaction / Compound Fracture

one of my first ones too i'm pretty sure. the chorus really pulled me in. fast and fun. i think i showed it to my godfather once. the spanish part scratches my brain so good

8. Cover This Song (A Little Bit Mine)

very nice to sing along to as well. i love the melody on the very first verse. i love the part with the piano solo so much

9. Everything is a Lot

i love the melody sooooooo much, "all the moments you've lost, all the money it cost" part is my favorite. shouldn't be overlooked!!!!!

10. Red Moon

i had to come around to it a bit but i actually love it. love the "the constellations form infinite paisleys in the sky" part, such a nice sound. satisfying lyrics in general

11. Thermodynamic Lawyer Esq. G.F.D.

nice to listen to when i want to have something screaming into my ears. loooove the fact that liar liar was sampled in the beginning, i really like that movie. i used to be obsessed with jim carrey also. i binged pretty much all of his movies as a little lad

12. Jimmy Mushrooms' Last Drink: Bedtime in Wayne, NJ

the kalimba kind of bothered me initially but i got used to it. i enjoy the melody. don't have much to say about it

13. ¡Aikido! (Neurotic / Erotic)

it's not horrible by any means, it just kind of doesn't do it for me. i usually skip it

14. Destroy to Enjoy

satisfying rhymes, i prefer not to listen to construction work as a past time

———

this took so long to put together, i kept forgetting about it or rearranging it...

[iloveyoudie]

thinking about Alan Wake 2 in both the actual literal timeline (how did this happen and when and what the timeline is) but also in a bigger sense - what all lof this says about creativity and mental health...

I truly relate to Saga's experience in the dark place! As soon as I saw her mapping out her own fears and doubts - managing them in a LOGICAL way so as to not invalidate them - but accept them and move on. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. And this is also how my brain works. She doesn't 'defeat' Other Saga because that darkness is inside everyone, but she logically breaks it down that no - its not the end and I can do better and these doubts are not the definition of me. It's really important o say - yes this one thing is true but so is this other thing and THATS OKAY AND BOTH CAN EXIST AT ONCE.

Meanwhile - proclaimed 'manic depressive Alan Wake has been broken in two and his worst fears doubts and angers are POWERFUL AND REAL and he has never been able to move aside from those emotions to logically work out that it was all just HIM THE WHOLE TIME. 13 years his greatest villain - stalker of his life - was just a version of himself.

And as a writer I do think it's nifty to put a face on the 'other' part of our creative self. Mr. Scratch hasn't just been terrorizing... hes also been writing (but again - hes just Alan) BUT ALSO anyone I know who is a writer has multiple versions of their writing self. I have NIGHT ANGE and DAY ANGE. And night ange is UNHINGED and rambling and daring and dirty... and Day Ange? She has to reread and revise and add the SENSE to things and tie them together. Many of my writer friends have similar angles and personas to their writing life. We aren't insane.. we're just creatives that have to reconcile all of these angles of ourselves.

Alan isn't able to. NOT YET. But Alice know - cause she's his wife and knows him and his method better than anyone and will be able to steer him in her way to help him get out of this. ALSO AS A MARRIED PERSON I FEEL THIS. I am tuned in to my husband like no one else. Even when he can't see the steps he's taking to improve, I can. I dont know.. ITS A LOT AND ITS SO MEANINGFUL.

ANYWAY. I don't know. It speaks to me so much about the self and creativity and how our mental state can take us to dark places and creating through all of it AND JUST WANTING TO SLEEP but the story dear god the story has to go on and get out.

God I love this fucking franchise so much.

[wernerherzogs]

Hi! I was wondering…what are your top 5 favourite buck/eddie canon moments?

too many to choose from!!! and i'm still 3 eps from being done with s7. but let's go with:

everyday/domestic buddie:

5. the entirety of 2x01, especially bobby locking eddie and buck in the medical van with buck going in as Annoyed&Ready To Be A Nuance&Horny Against His Will and then leaving afterwards like this: 😍💍👨‍❤️‍👨

4. buck getting carla to help eddie out (mutual introduction at abby's scene). girl you've only just met him and you're already doing everything you can to make his&his son's lives easier huh 😭 is this desperate housewives

3. eddie going to buck's right after the tsunami and leaving chris with him which was insane tbh. even if it wasn't buck's fault it would have been like. perfectly normal for eddie to be like slightly afraid or whatever, i think. but NO at that point they were both already too dicktimazed by each other without getting any actual dick to let a natural disaster stop them froim being ride or die 4 one another. cool i feel nothing

2. every moment where buck and eddie are hanging out and chris is there doing maths homework or something. special s/o to the "afraid of picking the wrong couch" dinner. buck had tried that lasagna recipe THREE (3) TIMES to get it perfect for his boys SHUT UP.

1. you think you're expendable!!! but you're wrong!!!!!!! eddie NEEDS buck and wants buck to start to care about his own LIFE and this is the only way he knows how to say it. oof FOREVER. wait how am i already at the fifth item this is hell i've barely scratched the surface...

Big Dramatic Moments buddie:

5. maybe let's go with their first (? i think) Big Teamwork moment, the rescue at that skyscraper which was ready to fall down. i just looove that they immediately started working so well together, having each other's backs on the job, helping each other out, keeping each other safe. they haven't looked back ONCE since and i get WEAK about it no matter if they're only hosing down a burning electric car together or descending off a cliff in sexy harnesses!!! MWAH.

4. DO MORE!!!!!!! yelled eddie diaz at the literal trained medical professionals who were about to try to save buck's life. damn okay zero pressure there. sir.

3. I COULDN'T EVEN CALL YOU TO BAIL ME OUT OF JAIL... IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED. grocery store divorce bass BOOSTED forever

2. mark pellegrino using chris to threaten both eddie and buck and buck reacting FIRST. like they literally look like PARENTS in this scene they're MARRIED WITH A KID they're a UNIT what can i tell ya anon bud. you already know.

1. OBVIOUSLY. the shooting, specifically buck overcoming his fear&getting under the truck to save eddie and the "are you hurt?" moment. eddie diaz girl you were DYING!!!! what the fuck you were worried about BUCK for!!!!!!! and then he DOESN'T REMEMBER.

are we fucking joking i can't NOT mention:

3. technically this is cheating as i haven't seen this scene beyond gifs yet but. I'M HERE. WHAT CAN I DO. s7 buddie you'll always be famous despite all the Trials And Tribulations

2. chris calling buck to help calm eddie down during his breakdown. the quiet "what are you afraid of? 🥺". the whole aftermath of it with buck helping to fix eddie's literal house as a Subtle Soap Tv Metaphor. and i ate it all UP, baby!

1. BUCK GOING TO THE DIAZ HOUSE POST LIGHTNING FOR SOME PEACE AND QUIET. and then being vulnerable in front of eddie when he couldn't even bring himself to confide in MADDIE. you died, buck!!!! you're gonna feel a lot of different ways about that!!!!! tearing my hair out forever

[toomuchracket]

i’m baking banana bread!! 🤩🤩 (in my head i’m making it for my boyfriend birthday partyverse!matty)

stop this is so sweet!! also i have not had banana bread in the longest time. i should really rectify that. anyway! i think even before you and matty are a Thing you're like "i am extremely jealous of your kitchen wtf mine in my flat is so tiny lol", and matty's just incredibly simpy and obsessed with the idea of you just kicking about his house so he's like "use it anytime!! even when i'm on tour. i will literally give you a spare key"; you're like "omg no i appreciate that a lot but i don't want to intrude", but whenever it's your turn to host your friend group's Every Other Month dinner party, you do end up using matty's house as the venue simply because you can't fit everyone in your flat lmao. and matty always goes a little bit insane when he sees you take plates out of the cupboard without a second thought as to where they are, just thinking about how comfortable you are in his space and how well you know it, letting his brain wander into daydreams that both of those things are because you live with him and fall asleep in his arms every night. delulu king. but back to the banana bread - one of the mornings after you have actually fallen asleep in his arms because you live in the house too, matty gently kisses your head and whispers "sweetheart, i'm just going to take mayhem for a walk, yeah? but you go back to sleep, baby, i know you're tired. we won't be long", and you're like "mhmm love you" and matty laughs quietly and says "god, you're so cute. i love you too" before he leaves. and as sleepy as you are (matty, um, kept you up for some time last night), you can't drift back off without your boyfriend there; you toss and turn for a few minutes, before you pull yourself out of bed and grab one of matty's jumpers and your glasses, go and wash your face and brush your teeth, then head downstairs. as you make your way to the fridge for some juice, you notice the bananas in the fruit bowl are starting to ripen a bit too much, and you're like "hmmm. i'm going to make banana bread". so you do! you grab all your ingredients and assemble it, and it's quite lovely doing it with the sunshine streaming through the windows and the radio on. anyway, the bread is in the oven (so you KNOW the whole house smells good) and you're putting the mixing bowl and all your equipment into the sink when you hear the front door open and close and paws scrambling over concrete; a few seconds later, mayhem bounds into the kitchen and starts nuzzling at your legs so you'll pet him, followed a few seconds later by matty, who probably wants to do the same thing. you coo "hi, my baby!" at mayhem, scratching his ears until he gets bored and goes off to the living room, and then you coo "hi, my other baby!" at matty, who laughs and kisses you sweetly. he's like "thought you were going back to sleep, sweetheart", and you're like "that's too hard when you're not next to me" - matty gives you a shit-eating grin and goes "awwwwwwwww. simp", and you roll your eyes like "pot, kettle", and he laughs again like "true" before saying "you're making banana bread? smells amazing". and you're like "mhmm. just something sweet for my sweet one", and matty blushes then says "oi, that's my line! you're the sweet one, i'm the big strong boyfriend lol"; like any sane person would, you take the opportunity to feel up matty's biceps at that point like "i mean yeah. but you're also very sweet to me. and i love it", and matty kisses your hair like "i love YOU. loved how sweet you were for me last night, too. will you do it again for me, darling?", and you kiss him like "once the banana bread's out of the oven and we've had a little bit - cos i'm starving - i'm all yours". very cute but also very flirty <3

[desertduality]

Raven. Raven, get over here. We need to have some words.

God, this chapter scratched every itch in my brain JUST right, that was absolutely incredible!! As a fellow writer I know the pain of fight scenes, and I salute you for literally writing a whole chapter of them. And Scar…. Oh god Scar… This guy has been fighting for his life non-stop for HOURS on end. I can’t even imagine how exhausting and painful fighting for 12 FUCKING HOURS AT A TIME would be. No rests, no breaks, a constant flurry of swords and magic and fierce, spiking pain for hours upon hours. It never ends, until the moment it does, and he’s left in a frozen world of white, where the blood shines on pale snow. Left to nurse wounds you know won’t heal, wounds that will just reopen in the next round of torture he knows is coming. The line “All things considered, the first thirty seconds of the lesson had sucked. The next twelve hours don’t get much better.” Genuinely sent me into shock. Like, WHAT DO YOU MEAN 12 HOURS??? RAVEN??!! HASN’T THIS MAN BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH JESUS CHRIST

It’s actual TORTURE. Like, I knew Scar would go through a lot of mental and physical pain, but straight up torture?! I’m hurting for him. The poor guys deserves all the happiness 😭

But yeah, all this to say this was an absolutely phenomenal chapter! The flow of the writing is just so tasty, I literally feel like I’m about to EXPLODE with my love of this fic!!! I desperately need to draw something or else I will continue vibrating non-stop, I literally can’t think of anything other than this fic. I am. Going insane. 

Aaaaaa thank you!!! Literally what was i thinking making a whole chapter of fight scenes i am an idiot /lh just kidding i think it worked out!! It was the vision i had in my head and it was a challenge but i'm glad I did it :]

Yeah the twelve hours thing was meant to be a gut punch ASDKDSJ I sat down to write like :3 this is going to be painful