#also i've had this idea since july and i finally did it!

[eddiemunsons-missingnipple]

Hey have a request I’d love to see a fic like this:

Dad!Eddie x mom!reader their reaction when their 18 year old daughter comes home with her first real boyfriend turns out it’s a metalhead like Eddie :)

I hope you can do something like this <3

This is so cute, and I love the idea. I just picture Eddie being a complete girl dad. Hope you enjoy. 🩷

Requests are open for the time being.

Dad!Eddie Munson x Mom!reader

Warning: none, just some fluff.

A/n: This is fluff, but I still do not want minors interacting with my work. Not proofread

"He's coming over!" Your daughter Julie raced down the stairs yelling out to you.

Eddie looked up from his phone with his reading glasses hanging off his nose. "Who's coming over? He?"

You saw him looking towards you and then back at your daughter. She just turned eighteen a few months ago. She was born on July tenth. Which was also the birthday of Ronnie James Dio. Something Eddie never stopped bragging about saying it's "the most metalest thing ever."

He fell in love all over again the moment she was born. She was glued to his hip. Anywhere he went, she went. If he was eating, so was she. If Eddie got a tattoo, then he was buying her one out of the bubble gum machine for her to match.

He couldn't stand watching her grow up. Seeing her go from this tiny little thing to a young woman was difficult on you both. She had his eyes and dimples along with his sarcasm.

"Oh, uhh, her boyfriend Eddie, remember he's coming for dinner." You reminded him while trying to keep things calm.

"Boyfriend?" He repeated.

Julie rolled her eyes. " Yeah dad boyfriend you know the guy I've been telling you and mom about for like the last two months."

Eddie didn't say a word back. He knew he couldn't stop her from dating. He actually didn't hate the idea of her dating. He hated the idea of some guy hurting her.

That's all it really came down to. He's tried so hard to shield her from all the bad in the world. But you've helped him realize that's impossible, and he needs to just let her learn.

Once your daughter left for the day, you sat with your husband. You wanted to take his mind off of things and just help him relax. He already possibly has high blood pressure. You didn't want to make it worse.

"You wanna go out back and work on your tomatoes? " You got up and started massaging his shoulders.

He smiled and took off his glasses. "I actually gotta tune up my bike, but maybe tomorrow, sweetheart."

"Are you okay?" You leaned down by his ear.

"I'm fine-- I'll be fine." He reassured you. You turned your head and gave him a little kiss to his cheek.

He was still as handsome as the first time you saw him. His eyes have the prettiest crinkles from all of the years of laughing. His smile lines are visible under his stubble. His hair is starting to finally grey in certain parts. You've been together since you were practically kids.

You and him fell in love the millisecond you laid eyes on each other. Your parents hated him at first. They tried so hard to keep you two apart, but you weren't having it. Nothing was going to keep Eddie away from you.

He tried so hard to win your parents over, mainly your dad. Since your mom softened up when she got to know him better. Your dad was a different story. Your dad didn't like his look.

The tattoos, hair, and music he was strictly against. Eddie was used to being treated like that. He was used to people judging him before they really knew him. That doesn't mean he still didn't try to get your father's approval because he did. All the time, with little to no luck.

You noticed Eddie had been in his garage all day. He said he had to give his bike a quick tune-up, but that usually only takes a few hours. He's been out there since this morning. You look at the clock, and it's now going on 4 pm. Julie has been home now for just an hour or so. She wanted to get ready in time to introduce you to her boyfriend.

You know he's nervous about meeting Julie's boyfriend. He doesn't want to seem like some weird overbearing parent. This is her first serious relationship, it seems like. Eddie wants to be protective, but he doesn't want to scare the guy off. He doesn't want your daughter to hate him.

A loud knocking knocking at the front door tells you he's here. Before you could even leave the kitchen to answer it, Eddie somehow is already there.

He swings open the door and is met with a guy not much taller than him. He has short dark hair with a denim vest similar to his old one. Various pins and patches littered all over it. He was wearing an old Slayer shirt underneath with black boots.

Eddie eyed him curiously. "Whooo are you?"

"Oh, I'm um, Noah...Julie's boyfriend." He held out to his to shake Eddie's. His other hand held some flowers in it.

Foot steps come running up next to them both, and it took Eddie a moment to process who they belonged to.

"Dad, this is Noah." Julie took his hand and brought him inside.

"Right-nice to meet you." He finally shook his hand back as he walked past him.

Eddie was stunned. The second he saw him, he got instant flashbacks of when he was younger going to meet your parents for the first time. He wanted to hate the guy. He wants to be this tough, hard ass to him. But now he can't bring himself to do any of that.

"Eddie, come help me with dinner." You whispered.

"Yeah - Yeah, okay, I'm coming." He shook his head and smiled to himself.

"He bought me flowers." You pointed at the vase holding the bouquet.

"So i buy you flowers all the time." Eddie shrugged, still trying to keep up the facade that he doesn't like the guy.

He grabbed a knife and helped cut up some onions. He looked out the window in front of him and watched your daughter and her boyfriend outside. You stopped what you were doing to focus on them, too. You saw how Eddie's eyes had softened when Noah put a little buttercup flower behind her ear.

You and him instantly had memories flooding in from your earlier years as a couple. Where Eddie would find a pretty flower and put it behind your ear. Or how he would lay with you for hours looking up at the stars. You could see he was getting a little emotional about it. More memories of picnics together in the back of his van.

"You gonna cut those onions or keep zoning out?" You nudged him.

"Sorry, I'm ju- I'm just thinking." He spoke quietly.

You went over to him and rubbed his back. "About?"

"I'm supposed to be a dick head to him, but I can't bring myself to be that way" Eddie kept looking out the window, watching Noah with your daughter.

"Who said you had to be that way?" You looked out to where he was.

He shook his head. "No one... I'm just being over dramatic like usual."

After dinner was over. Noah and Julie were sitting on the couch together while Eddie was sitting in his chair. You were busy getting dessert ready for everyone.

"Hey dad, did I tell you Noah is in a band." Julie giggled.

Eddies face lit up. "No, you didn't. do you play?"

"Uhh, well, I used to drum, but now I sing." Noah informed him. He acted a little shy to even have it brought up so suddenly. He felt put on the spot.

He nods "I used to be in a band too."

"Really?" Noah moved a little closer towards Eddie leaving Julie behind at the other end of the couch.

"Yep, I used to play guitar and sing, actually." Eddie smiled and looked proud to be talking about his former band days again.

"I have some old stuff in my garage where my band "toured" for a bit and my old gear." He pointed behind him.

"Can we check it out?" Noah looked like a kid in a candy store when Eddie mentioned his old gear.

"Follow me," He grunted while getting out of his chair. His knees popped as he stood up. Years of hard work finally taking its toll on his body.

Julie just sat there watching her boyfriend and her dad, leaving her all alone in the living room. You were busy in the kitchen cutting cake and putting the pieces onto plates.

"Guys, dessert is ready!" You jogged to the living room to find it empty except for your daughter.

She rolled her eyes "they're in the garage."

You couldn't help but chuckle.

All day, you had anticipated this first meeting to be a disaster. Now you have your husband and your daughters boyfriend playing guitar together. You know Eddie didn't have a mean bone in his body. Even at his cruelest, he was still considered nice to most.

"Think dad likes him?" Julie crossed her arms, looking annoyed. She was being sarcastic. You could tell by her tone.

You pressed your lips into a thin line, trying hard not to laugh. "He hates him, I'm sure."

You could hear them both screeching from out back. Heavy metal loudly playing, and Eddie's old guitar plugged in. You and your daughter sat eating dessert, trying to drown out all the music. The night ended with Noah being invited back over next weekend. While Eddie was upstairs putting ice on his now sore neck. He forgot his age for a few hours and became that young twenty something man again.

[zarla-s]

We move forward, 'cause we can't go back...

It's the EIGHTH anniversary of Handplates, and the first one after I finished the comic back in July! I decided to dig up a very old wip that I never finished and finally do it. I've always loved WeMoveForward by The Midnight, and I think it applies not only to the comic itself but also this period after it... there's no way to go back to when I was doing it, only moving forward after it's done.

Even more appropriately, since I did this wip, these characters all moved forward even further... even as this sat in my files, they moved forward, in a sense. I don't know, the song gives me a sort of plaintive, longing, bittersweet feeling... it's hard to explain.

I had a very insistent voice in my head that always made me do a Handplates page over the years I was working on it, no matter what happened. I wasn't sure if that voice would ever stop, even when it's done, but it has! It's gotten quieter now, mostly only nagging me about other projects I should be working on (Defrag, the Ace Attorney/Frozen fic, web design, fic ideas, art ideas...) whenever I'm doing something, much like it did before I started the comic.

How I feel about Handplates finishing though is strange. At times it doesn't feel like it's over, even if I don't feel like I need to do another page. At other times I get sad thinking about it and I miss it, and other times I look back on it with amazement that I was able to do it. Sometimes I look back on it and think about what was happening in my life at that time, and sometimes when I look at it it's unreal and it's hard to believe I even did it, like someone else did the whole thing. It's like it's there but it's not, it's present but it isn't. It's a very strange feeling, it's hard to describe or pin down. I know it'll always be with me in some way, but it is strange to be able to focus so much attention on other things without that feeling of having to set aside a few days to do a page every two weeks... not bad or anything, but I'm not used to it still.

I don't know! When I read the comments on the last page a lot of them made me cry, especially those talking about how the comic had been their childhood, and now their childhood is over. It was sad to think that I had a part in something like that ending... but it ends for everyone, no matter what you do. We, you and me, everyone... we move forward, 'cause we can't go back. That line was so evocative for me that I even used it as a chapter title for the penultimate chapter on Comicfury.

I don't know, just nostalgic thoughts! I don't know if that's the right word for it... but thank you to all of you who read it and enjoyed it. Even now I hear from new people coming to it and reading through it again now that it's done. Even if it's finished, it's still new to people just finding it. It's still "living" in a sense. And thanks to those of you who stuck around even though it's done, I appreciate it. |D

(As a note, the Gaster ukagaka has a surprise if you boot him on the anniversary after seeing the brothers, if you haven't done that)

[index] [patreon]

[mayordea]

Happy birthday to the number one princess in the world!! 💖

~from her biggest fans :)

ramble of my scattered thoughts on the piece under cut as usual cuz i love talking 😋

This has been an idea I've been cookin for a while, and it was so cluttered and unlike any other ensemble piece I've made... and I decided I oughta do it anyway. I love Miku, I love Vocaloid, and I wanted to do something really ambitious and crazy for her anniversary. Crazy that she's turning her "canon" age this year TwT

I had the idea floating around since like, May...? And then finally started acting on it around June 18. I'm terrible with deadlines, obvious with how I can never make a silly birthday post in time, so I started wayyyy ahead to make sure I have some room to be lazy lol, especially with an idea as ambitious as this.

This was finished on July 12! So I had to sit on this for an annoying amount of time. Very difficult for someone like me who just wants to talk about everything I'm working on to the masses. But at the very least, that gave me the time to work on the draft for this post.

~~~

Here's some ~behind the scenes~ scribbles leading up to the finished piece!

Left is the chicken scratch plan i made in my handy dandy notebook (whenever things are getting real and ambitious, i always made a rough ROUGH plan in there. Usually I'd do a rough pass of the full thing, but this was too complicated for me to do traditionally. I majorly benefited from digital tools to make this possible). CyberDiva and CyberSongman were considered, but I ended up cutting them cuz I just didn't feel like drawing them sorry-- (just pretend they're off to the side. They gave Ruby and Clara the pizza lol). Right is the "final" completed sketch (before I decided to include Chika mid-way through coloring and VY1 and VY2 near the finish line). I started by drawing the main "groups" separated on a different canvas so I can plop them into the main canvas for easy rearranging and transforming. However I got lazy and ended up drawing everyone in the bottom right corner directly on the canvas since I liked seeing the big picture of everyone's positions. Y'know.

Almost excluded Chika! But I like her design so much that I just felt like including her last-minute. You win this time, Chika fans. VY1 and VY2 were very close to being cut! I added them when I began doing the banner and thought "eh why not". I figured their non-human designs would be pretty easy to include pushed back in the bg. Ik VY1 is more commonly associated with the fan design, but I referenced the hairpin cuz it was simpler and the fan looked very annoying to draw 😭

Sorry to the fans of many Vocaloids I had to cut because this composition was insane enough as is. I promise I wanted to include fellas like CUL, LUMi and Sachiko 😭 I will admit I was a little biased on who I wanted to include over others. Like, I don't normally care for Bruno and Clara, but I wanted to get some more international 'loids in the mix. Also wanted to stick in the realm of official designs and not fan-designs since, as much as I can appreciate those, are just a whole "wait who is that guy supposed to be" situation I didn't wanna deal with. I also did wanna include even more character references through the balloons, but they ended up being kind of ugly and overcomplicated the BG :,) (Oh, and while this was originally planned to be a Vocaloid-only piece, I did end up including Teto, Neru, and Haku 'cuz those are Miku's besties dude!!! They may not be Officially in the club but they're her girls and it would be criminal to not invite them to her birthday).

Anyway, this project marks the first time I've drawn a lot of Vocaloids. Lily, Piko, Rana, Yuki, Yukari, Miki, Maika, and many more lol. All of 'em I've heard or seen in passing, but now I actually drew them, and some have really cool and fun designs!! I got into a habit of drawing Merli after this since I just love her design for example. And I'll probably be drawing more lol!!

Oh and the last thing I'll add for now!! The cake is indeed made up of various song references!! I wanted to reference the "big four" producers, just absolute icons in Vocaloid history. The pink/black checkerboard is "World is Mine" (Ryo), the crescents on the side is "Rolling Girl" (Wowaka), the smiley faces is "Matryoshka" (Hachi), and the three hearts on the side is "The Vampire" (DECO*27, which is sort of a symbol of his whole Mannequin album tbh). I know "The Vampire" is a bit modern but I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head. I'm a fake DECO fan I know 😔 "Matryoshka" was originally going to be referenced in the colors of the candles but believe me it looked like shit so I just went for something else last minute 😭

That's all I have to say!!! Hope you didn't mind the text wall if you made it here. I hope you like it as much as I do!!!! Happy freakin' birthday Miku!!!!

I have to deal with tagging all these characters now for my page,,, in the drafts my tags got cut off after a certain point so I think I'm massively breaching the tag limit 😭 um... I'll figure that out later...

not losing sleep that i can't tag everyone, even for page organization purposes because some characters have pretty generic names and some are a little hard to see in full yknow. If you're one of those people who tag every character in the art piece you reblog... I am very sorry.

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

A character reference based on all four Steps of Our Life! It's only "sort of" a height reference as well since obviously they're not 100% accurate (the devs don't have specific heights for everyone to my knowledge).

I did dig into the code to try and get characters at their "normal" heights but there are other matters at play too (example: Nicolas is obviously "taller" than he should be because he needs to be pushed upwards to be visible enough above the game's text box; likewise with other very short characters).

Still, this should serve as either a nice reference guide for every character or a "height reference" in the sense of getting an idea of which characters are shorter/taller than others.

I'm also going to detail some extra notes below the break, including posts from GB Patch's Tumblr that reference any defined heights (with Cove being the obvious one) or general height things, as well as some more stuff about the MC's height in comparison to the three love interests depending on what you pick.

Cove's height is listed on GB Patch's FAQ as 4' 1" in Step 1 (also stated as "mostly average, perhaps a bit on the short side"), 5' 4" in Step 2 (in-game this is defined as "very tall" on the MC's potential height spectrum, as that is the only option considered on par with Cove's height), 6' 0" in Step 3, and 6' 4" in Step 4. A fun fact is that Cove's final height was originally 6' 3" (191cm) instead.

Derek in Step 2 is under five feet tall (this post also lists Cove as "around 5 and a half feet tall" which you could take as either close enough to 5' 4" as stated above or a potential original height he had that got changed). In-game, he's "short" but not "very short", as having your MC be "very short" will prompt narration telling you that you're shorter than Derek, whereas "short" only has you relate to him in smolness generally.

Step 4 Derek is "mostly average." He wouldn't be considered tall nor would he be considered short. His youngest brother Nicolas will "probably end up as a similar height to him" once he's more grown up.

Step 4 Baxter is "taller than average, but not especially tall."

I've been informed that, on the Our Life Patreon Discord, Step 4 Derek's height is listed as 5' 9" (175cm) whereas Step 4 Baxter's is listed as 5' 11" (180cm), so those are their defined heights. Before that, both of their heights had jumped around somewhat. A post from 2019 said that Derek was 5' 11", but a post from June 2021 said that Baxter was 5' 11" and Derek was 5' 9" (so consistent with the Discord). Then there's also another post from July 2021 (you'll have to scroll down for this one) that listed Baxter at around 5' 10" while Derek was 5' 8"/5' 9". If you're insane enough to try and use the character reference too, then Baxter would actually be around 6'1" at minimum since he's taller than Step 3 Cove (though you could also make the same argument that this means the mom trio of Pamela, Noelani, and Kyra must be decently tall as well since they're so close to Cove on the character reference).

I don't have any experience with GB Patch's other game, XOXO Droplets, so I don't know what ages the characters are in it, but since both Shiloh and Jeremy are characters seen visibly in Our Life, I thought I'd also mention that they're listed as 5' 10" and 5' 5" (or 5' 5 1/2") respectively in XOXO Droplets. Jeremy also apparently grows to 5' 8" in his 20s and he's 22 in the Our Life Cove Wedding DLC (I don't think this is spoken of in the game specifically but he's labeled as 22 in the code).

As for the MC and how their height plays into things, "tall" and "very tall" as well as "short" and "very short" tend to be considered the same for the most part in the game's code. It's not that there isn't a difference at all (I would say it's still notable), it's just that sometimes the game may be more vague about height differences. My post about Errands references this where you don't need more athletic points due to being "very short" instead of "short" to give Cove a piggyback ride.

A guesstimate I'd make is that about 5% of the time, the game will take note of whether you're "very tall" instead of "tall" or "very short" instead of "short." Otherwise, you're either "generally tall," "average," or "generally short." There are also other instances (usually with Cove) where the game might just check if you're either generally tall (around Cove's height) or not generally tall (i.e: definitely shorter than him).

This is actually relevant to the heights because, following all above information, one would assume that Step 4 Derek is average, Step 4 Baxter is tall, and Step 4 Cove is very tall going off the MC's potential "height spectrum" of very short, short, average, tall, and very tall, but it's not entirely the case.

A "tall" MC (generally tall) will look "down" at Step 4 Baxter just as he will look "up" at them or they'll look directly at each other if the MC is "average," same as Step 3 Baxter, but--

when the game has any instance of differentiating between "tall" and "very tall" (they never do this for Step 3 Baxter so the base assumption would have to be that he's just average height), things change.

During Baxter's apology in the wedding of his Step 4, Baxter dips his chin to look at the MC if they're "short"/"very short," levels his chin to look at the MC if they're "average"/"tall," and then lifts his chin to look at the MC if they're "very tall." A generally tall MC still has to lean down to kiss him if they choose to do so though.

Also, during the intimacy scene with Baxter (either in his office or his living room), if the MC is "very short," "short," or "average," it states that Baxter is taller than them. If they're "very tall," then Baxter is shorter than them, but a "tall" MC is "almost the exact same height" as him.

This is all a really long-winded way of saying that GB Patch referring to Step 4 Baxter being "taller than average but not especially tall" might mean that he's some infuriating middle ground between average and tall where he's not quite one but not quite the other either (which honestly is very Baxter of him so I can't even be mad).

[freelancearsonist]

Whole

Steve Harrington x fem!Reader

Rated MA for the most long-winded poetic smut i've ever written jfc 🤦‍♀️ slow burn fluff with a couple sprinkles of angst for flavor, reader uses fem pronouns and is described as having female parts, it's dirty y'all but at least they use protection

7,470 Words

A/N: you all know my mo by now i disappear for a year and then come back and lay down some god damned PORN. this fic is no exception to the rule. @shakespeareanwannabe requested this back in july and she literally just asked for a cute moment between steve and dustin, sorry you got 6k words more than you bargained for 😂 but also thank you for betaing and the constant validation you're the best ily 🖤

Steve’s not sure how it even worked.

He can still remember the look on Robin’s face when you agreed, how she was speechless for almost ten minutes because she couldn’t process what had just happened.

Steve’s reaction was about the same as hers, in all honesty. He’s gotten so used to striking out that asking people out has become something of a game to him. He knows he’ll get a no, and he knows Robin will laugh her ass off at him. But what can he say? He likes putting a smile on his best friend’s face.

Needless to say, you’ve shaken him. In the best possible way. Because your answer was three letters instead of two.

And now, he's a little bit in over his head.

Or, to be more accurate, a lot in over his head.

It seems like it’s been ages since he’s gone on a date, even though it’s only been a few months at most. He feels lost, like he’s completely unlearned everything he ever knew about girls.

He hates it, despises it with every fiber of his own being, but he also knows it’s true; he needs advice. And although he’ll never admit it to the little shithead’s face, there’s no one better he can think of going to than his very own protege. Who better to remind him of his own prowess than the person who learned everything they know from him?

One look at Dustin’s smug little face and Steve almost regrets it. Almost.

“Just can’t stay away, can you?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Steve rolls his eyes and gives the younger boy a little shove, camouflaging it with an affectionate pat on the back. “This is strictly business, Henderson.”

“Oh, is it now?” The younger boy’s voice takes on a smug tone as he folds his fingers together and leans back in his chair. “Well then, why don’t you have a seat? Step into my office.”

Steve rolls his eyes and slides into the booth, shooting a smile and a “thank you” to the kind waitress who delivers two milkshakes to their table.

Dustin takes his time and makes a meal of unwrapping his straw, feeding off of Steve’s clear impatience Steve’s fingers tap against the table, reminding himself that patience is necessary when you come to someone for a favor. It’s just that it’s Dustin, and Dustin knows exactly how to get under the older boy’s skin in the most annoying-yet-oddly-endearing fashion.

“So…” Dustin finally says after a lengthy sip of strawberry milkshake. “What brings you so humbly to me?”

“I’ve got a date.”

And Dustin, the little bastard–he laughs. A deep, rumbling belly laugh, so pure and unfiltered that the three other occupied tables in the diner pause their conversations to get a look at the boy clutching his sides.

Steve’s a little embarrassed by the attention, but even more embarrassed that Dustin’s reaction is so genuine. The fact that the idea of him having a date is so laughable is a bit of a punch to the gut. It hasn’t really been that long, has it?

When Dustin’s laughter finally dies down he realizes Steve’s face is completely serious, and it makes him giggle even more.

“Wait, you’re actually serious? Who on earth did you manage to pull?”

Steve’s nearly bashful as he says your name, and even more bashful when Dustin’s jaw visibly drops.

“No fucking way. I’d believe anyone else, but her? She’s like… hotter than Phoebe Cates. There’s no way you wouldn’t strike out with her.”

Steve’s immediately on the defensive. Is it really so hard to believe that he, former king of Hawkins High, could pull the most gorgeous girl in town?

But that’s just it. There’s really no one like you, not in his eyes. He’s admired you since freshman year and never once even tried with you because he knew he wasn’t worthy. You were always in the background–a beautiful, kind, smart, funny girl just out of his reach. Part of the reason he even asked you out was because he was so sure he would strike out. In the end, losing his confidence was exactly what he needed to pull the girl of his dreams.

And that’s why there’s so much riding on this. You’ve always been his biggest “what if”, the girl he wonders about when thinking that maybe not trying has been holding him back. And apparently, it has.

“Look, I don’t even know how it happened, okay? But she said yes, and… and I really don’t want to blow it.”

“Well duh. You’ll have to leave town if you blow it with her, you know that, right? If she doesn’t think you’re worth it, no one else in this town ever will again.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of!” Steve groans, slouching down so far in the booth that Dustin can just barely see his poor, overwhelmed face.

“Steve, listen…” Dustin’s voice takes on an almost fatherly quality, an omniscient tone that gives off the illusion of great hidden knowledge. He gets like this sometimes, and Steve’s not always sure that it is just an illusion. “Don’t let this go to your head, but you’re, like, one of the coolest guys I know. If she doesn’t like you… that’s her problem, not yours. Okay?”

Steve straightens in his seat, a little shocked to hear such kind words from a friend that he’s used to being mercilessly teased by.

“No, no, no, it’s going to your head. I take it all back. Forget I said anything.” Dustin’s hearty giggle makes Steve smile as he sets a wad of bills on the table and slides out of the booth.

“You’re not so bad Henderson, you know that?” He gives the younger boy’s full head of curls an affectionate ruffle. “Thanks, kid. I’ll radio later.”

Not that Steve didn’t have total faith in his young protege, but it’s still a relief that the pep talk turned out to be exactly what he needed to hear. Dustin’s right, after all. Steve’s worked hard to become the man he’s always wanted to be. He may not be dripping charisma or sex appeal the way he used to, but he’s much more comfortable in his own skin. That’s what counts, right?

And you really are his dream girl. The opportunity to take you out tonight, even if it ends up being your first and only date together, is an honor. He’s much less focused now on all the ways he could screw up, hyper-fixated on putting the effort in to make this the best night of your life.

That effort comes out in the carefully selected suit jacket he dons over his white button-up, the extra spritz of cologne, the careful touch-up shave to vanquish his five o’clock shadow, the extra ten minutes using the perfect amount of product in his hair so that it stays in place yet is still soft to the touch.

By the time he gets to Enzo’s (half an hour early, mind), he’s practically vibrating with nerves and anticipation. He’s never been much of an overthinker, but he sure is tonight. Is this place too much for the first date? Would you rather do something lowkey, like catch a movie or go for a walk in the park? He has to remind himself a couple of times that you agreed to this, that you wouldn’t have said yes if you weren’t interested in the arrangement.

To say he’s prepared for this is putting it lightly. He’s run through every possible scenario in his mind, gone over conversation starters and questions he wants to ask you over and over again until he knows exactly how he wants to phrase each thing.

And still, nothing could prepare him for when you walk through the door.

He has to physically restrain his jaw from dropping because in the moment he sees you, every well-planned thought and all etiquette is flushed down the proverbial pipes. You’re nothing short of breathtaking in a dress that hugs all the right curves and shows just enough cleavage to have him imagining what else there might be to see. Your hair is pinned back out of your face, eyes framed by just the slightest bit of makeup to make the color of your irises pop. He swears he’s never seen a shade quite like them. It’s like you move in slow motion as you approach him–he sees the entrance of the smoking hot love interest in every romantic comedy, complete with smoke and fireworks, as you move towards the table.

And then some sense of decorum returns to his addled brain, and he quickly shoots up so he can pull out your chair for you like a proper gentleman. He catches just the slightest whiff of your perfume, and he’s a goner. He’s ready to sign his life away to you, to yank his own heart out of his chest to offer to your careful hands.

He has to give his head a shake to compose himself before he goes any further off the deep end. No one’s ever thoroughly shaken him the way you have, and it’s been a matter of thirty seconds. It’s almost intimidating, the effect you have on him.

“You look… incredible,” he fumbles as he takes his seat across from you. “I mean, you always do, but… wow.”

The shy giggle you emit tugs at a heartstring he didn’t even know he had.

“Thank you,” you tell him with a genuine smile. “You clean up very well yourself.”

“I do like to put in some effort every once in a while.” He flashes the most charming smile he can muster, and just like that he’s back. His resolve to impress you is reinforced tenfold. You’ve shaken him, and it’s such an unfamiliar feeling that he’s practically bumbling. He wants to shake you just as badly.

The food’s delicious, and the conversation’s even better. He has a track record for taking out a more–for lack of a better term–bimbo-y type, and that’s definitely not you. You’re smart, you’re witty, but you don’t make him feel like an idiot. He’s so taken with you that he doesn’t even notice that three hours have passed until he looks around the room and notices that every table is now empty and bussed.

The waiter delivers the check, and Steve notices you gnawing on your lip.

“What’s on your mind?” He asks, trying not to be too prying.

“I don’t want this to be over yet.”

Steve smiles. He’s got you; hook, line, and sinker. He’s never been so sure of anything, and that surprises him. He’s used to dates who are easy to read and even easier to take home, and those aren’t the impressions you’ve been giving him. To know that you’re feeling exactly what he’s feeling is a huge confidence boost.

“I don’t either.”

Your hand is so small compared to his. That’s all he can think about as he strolls next to you, his fingers intertwined with yours. He’s always considered hand-holding to be child’s play, it’s never excited him before the way it does in this moment with you.

It’s pitch black in the park and he can hear the overlapping chirping of summer cicadas and grasshoppers, the perfect background noise now that the conversation has died down. It’s less about getting to know each other at this point and more just basking in each other’s presence, prolonging the inevitable because neither one of you can bear to call it a night when it’s been such a good few hours.

You’re shocked, to say the very least. Steve certainly has a reputation, and it’s not for being a romantic. Yet everything tonight has flown in the face of all the rumors you’ve been hearing since junior high. You figured he’d be a fun fling, and probably only one night at that–you’d made your peace with the idea. To find that he’s kind, considerate, funny, and can match your intellect and quick wit… it’s a very pleasant surprise. And that’s what has you out well past a decent hour, giddy over simply holding his hand like you’re a damned school girl all over again.

“I should probably let you go home,” Steve sighs wistfully. He hates to be the one to bring it up, but you’re on your fifth lap around the park and about to circle back to where your car is parked so now seems the best time.

You’re chewing your lip again, a thoughtful habit that makes his heart pound just a little bit harder.

Here’s the thing: you’re really not the bold type. You act confident, sure, but in practice it’s a lot more difficult for you. So no one’s more surprised than you are when you say, “You could come home with me. If you want.”

Steve’s definitely shocked, too. Less shocked at your proposition and more at the fact that he’s tempted to decline. Because no matter how much he’s been running through the back of his mind what you might look like under that gorgeous dress, he doesn’t want this to end there. For the first time in his life, he wants to find more meaning than sex out of a relationship. He doesn’t want to take you home and never see you again. He wants to take you out again, and again, and again, and again after that. He sees a future, for once, that doesn’t look dim and hopeless. That fact alone scares the shit out of him.

He realizes he’s waited way too long to reply and fumbles for an answer. “Of course I want to. I’d be an idiot not to. But…”

You chew that cursed bottom lip of yours again, and Steve has to focus on the obvious cue you’re giving him rather than the fact that he wants to be the next set of teeth around that lip.

He stops in his tracks, gently pulling on your hand to face him so he can take your other hand in his free one. “It’s not a bad but. I mean, I’m going to go home kicking myself for saying no because I really honestly do want to… well, y’know. But… I want to do this right with you. I want to take you out again. I want to get to know you and see where this goes. I can’t… I don’t want this to end tonight.”

He’s eternally grateful for how dark it is as he feels a flush consume his face. He can’t remember a time he’s been so honest and open, especially on a first date; but the look on your face tells him he’s done something right.

“Okay,” you tell him, squeezing his hands in yours. “You… honestly have no clue how nice it is to hear that.”

“Of course,” he continues, “if you just want me for my body, no hard feelings.”

You laugh at that, genuinely laugh, and Steve thinks it’s the best sound he’s ever heard.

“No,” you reassure him. “No, I… I wanna see where this goes, too.”

You’re stopped only a few paces from your car, and Steve knows with a twist of his gut that this is the end of the night. It makes his gut turn with disappointment, but also with anticipation of when he’ll see you next. Already, his mind is flooding with ideas of where he can take you and what you’ll do together.

You drop one of his hands so you can walk but keep a tight grip on the other until you get to your driver’s side door, hesitating outside because you’re still not ready for this to be over. It takes every ounce of restraint he has not to kiss you, unsure of if that would be moving too fast.

Thankfully, you make the call yourself. Leaning up on your toes, hands against his chest for balance, you press your lips against his and he has to summon every mite of strength not to moan. No one’s ever tasted so sweet, molded against him so perfectly. His hands drift from your shoulders down your arms, coming to rest on your waist as he pulls you just a little bit closer. It’s a fight of will not to overstep, to break off the kiss before it can become too heated. His mind is spinning by the time you break away. He’s aching for more, and he hopes you are too. 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, Steve.”

Your sweet voice replays in his mind all night, long after you’ve gotten into your car and driven away, long after he’s returned to his own vehicle and pulled the radio out from under the driver’s seat to check in with Dustin, long after he arrives home and soaks in a cold shower for longer than he probably should. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get your voice out of his head, and he couldn’t be any less upset about it.

He practically counts down the minutes until he sees you again. This time, he has a little less restraint. He greets you with a kiss–a sweet peck and a hand on your waist that leaves you aching for even more.

It’s a movie this time, a chance to enjoy each other’s company on a night you’re both too tired from working to engage in heavy conversation and getting to know each other further.

It starts with sharing popcorn, then holding hands, then somewhere along the way the film is completely forgotten in favor of your lips meeting his. His breath grows heavy as his hands hold your face, committing you to memory while resisting the urge to explore further. Your hands, meanwhile, are firmly on his thighs, gripping tightly to keep yourself steady as you do everything you can to keep yourself from crawling into his lap.

He whispers your name, and your grip on him tightens.

“W-we shouldn’t…” he murmurs, then gives up on the futile attempt at finishing his sentence so that he can pull you even deeper into the kiss as his tongue sweeps across your bottom lip.

It takes everything in him not to moan when your lips eagerly part to accept him.

Needless to say, once the credits start rolling you’re both more than a little hot under the collar.

“Let me buy you dinner,” Steve suggests as he woefully unwinds himself from you. Declining doesn’t even flicker through your mind as a possibility.

It’s not Enzo’s this time, but it doesn’t have to be. He could set a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of you at this point and you’d still thank him for it. This time around, you’re not really as interested in the cuisine as you are just simply getting through this meal to what’s next. Because what’s next is all you’ve been thinking about since you walked through the doors the night of that very first date and saw Steve Harrington wearing a blazer for you. It’s a level of effort he’s definitely not known for–in fact, he’s built a reputation for putting in so little effort that it nearly made your jaw drop to see him trying. And it certainly made your heart skip a beat.

But then again, the Steve before you carelessly wolfing down his bacon cheeseburger seems very different from the Steve you knew in high school, even if you didn’t know that iteration as intimately as this one. That one was cool, collected, snarky and pompous and maddeningly desirable.

This Steve, your Steve, is nearly an exact foil. Much less cocky, a little less confident but more self-assured in the ways that actually hold meaning, less worried about what the people around him are observing of him than what you’re observing of him. He seems happier, more carefree, more eager to please others than simply himself. He’s grown so much in such a short amount of time, and you feel proud just for having the honor to witness it. Significantly more proud to be on the receiving end of his affections now that they hold the kind of value you’ve always wished they would.

He looks up and notices you staring at him while lost in thought, a small smile spreading across his lips as your eyes quickly dart away.

“What’s on your mind?” He questions as he licks a stray bit of ketchup from his thumb.

“Just… happy I’m here. With you.” It brings heat to your cheeks to admit it, but you don’t want him to go unappreciated in this moment.

It’s the right thing to say, because his smile grows even wider. “I’m happy too,” he admits. “I… I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while. Could never work up the courage, I guess.”

“Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington was intimidated by me?” You say it with a mock gasp, but your shock is more genuine than you give off. Never in a million years would you have thought that he, the man who could have whoever he wanted, would be worried over you saying no to him. It’s almost comical, especially considering the way you practically threw yourself at him on your first date. Of course then, you had no clue how much he’d developed as a person. You’re almost ashamed of your behavior now, as if you might’ve inadvertently been taking advantage of the new and improved Steve who isn’t just into you for a hookup.

He shrugs, nearly bashful at your teasing. “Never figured I was good enough for you. So I didn’t bother to try.”

You’re genuinely curious now, leaning in a little closer and brushing your fingers against his hand resting atop the diner counter. “What made you change your mind?”

“Honestly? I was so sure you’d say no that I asked just to give Robin a chuckle. She loves watching me get shot down.”

That makes you frown, and he’s quick to backtrack. “I wanted to! I just… I’ve had a bad track record lately. And you’re… you’re you. You’re the last person I should be worthy of.”

His eyes are quick to avert from your gaze, bottom lip tugged between his teeth as he contemplates whether he’s said too much.

“Steve…” you properly grab his hand now in the hopes that it’ll bring his eyes back to you, and it works. “You’re the only person I’ve deemed worthy in a long time, honestly.”

Steve Harrington is scaldingly warm. It’s one of many sensations forcing your mind into overdrive as he lays you delicately across the backseat of his beemer, one hand cushioning the back of your head while simultaneously deepening the already heated kiss and the other balancing his weight to lean over you in the cramped space without completely crushing you.

Your fingers tangle themselves into his soft brown locks, tugging ever-so-slightly as his tongue slips between your parted lips. He’s an eager explorer and you’re more than happy to let him take the lead, to show you all the skill you’ve heard so many whispers about.

You let out an involuntary moan as he wedges himself even closer to you, his body heat soaking through all the layers of clothing between the two of you and warming you all the way to your very bones.

You’re practically aching, ready to beg, and he knows it the second you wrap your legs around his waist in an attempt to get him even closer. If there’s one thing Steve Harrington’s good at, it’s assessing your needs. He pulls away just the slightest bit to adjust his position so he can get closer, wedging a knee between your legs to press right against your core, and it makes you jolt back against the car door at the same time his head hits the roof just a bit too hard.

You both pause for a moment, the reality of your situation hitting you simultaneously, and then you’re laughing. It’s light and edged with unresolved want, but it’s enough to fracture the tension of the moment.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “Shouldn’t have gotten so carried away. This isn’t how I want to do this.”

“No?”

“No. You deserve way better than this old beater,” he chuckles, then leans down to kiss you. This kiss is lighter, no longer edged with tension and lust. He kisses you just to kiss you–there’s no end goal to it this time.

“What could be better than a BMW?” You tease lightly, trying to reassure him that you’re less disappointed than you really feel.

“You know. Something romantic. A proper bed, rose petals, maybe a few candles…”

“I don’t need all that,” you try to tell him.

“I think I do,” he admits. And that’s enough to pull you back, to remind you that you need to be patient and grateful that he values you so much as to want to do this whole thing properly. That his affection is something to be cherished, not taken for granted.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper. “I didn’t mean to be pushy.”

“Please don’t apologize.” He hesitates to untangle himself from you, even though he knows he needs to. “I want this just as bad. I just… I need it to be right.”

“As long as I have you, it’ll be right,” you reassure. “I hope you know that.”

He presses his lips to yours again, a slow and passionate kiss that he hopes communicates every bit of adoration he feels for you in this moment.

“It’ll be perfect. I swear,” he vows. You’ve never believed anything more whole-heartedly than you do this promise. 

~~~

“Wait, you’re telling me that you literally had her under you and you stopped?” Robin’s halfway through chewing a mouthful of popcorn and the absolute carnage inside her agape mouth makes Steve give her a light shove.

“It’s not polite to talk with your mouth full, y’know.”

“It’s not polite to blue-ball either!” She shoots back in utter disbelief.

“How do you think I felt? I was this close,” he holds his thumb and index finger barely millimeters apart, “to sealing the deal.”

She just shakes her head. “You, Steve Harrington, are a genuine, bonafide idiot.”

She’s not telling him anything he doesn’t know. It’s been three days since the aborted fling in the backseat of his car, and he’s barely thought of anything else. Especially since you’ve been away from home both of the past nights when he’s called. He’s starting to worry you’ve gotten the wrong impression, that he’s not interested or that he’s toying with you. It’s the exact opposite. He wants nothing more than to know you in the most intimate way he can know you. But he needs it to be flawless. He needs it to be well thought-out and precisely planned, the most romantic event in the history of copulation. He won’t settle for anything less, not with you. You deserve perfection, and he won’t give you anything less.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” he tries to explain. “I want to more than anything. But if you’re gonna go to town on a goddess, you need to do some worshiping, y’know? I don’t feel like I’ve done enough.”

Your heart pounds in your chest as you hear this admission. You weren’t sure what to expect–worried that maybe visiting him at work was an overstep–but hearing him call you a goddess certainly wasn’t on your radar.

“You’ve done more than enough, Steve.”

The sound of your voice makes Steve jump and whirl around, oblivious to Robin’s sly smirk and mumbled excuse of needing to attend to something in the back room.

“H-hey!” He squeaks, then clears his throat in an attempt to get his tone back to its normal octave. “What… what’re you doing here?”

“Oh, just came to pick up a tape,” you tease. “But mostly I came to see you.”

“Me?” He takes a moment to ground himself, loosening his too-tight grip on the counter. “I mean… I tried to call you last night. And the night before?”

Your brow furrows. “Really? I didn’t get your message.”

Because he didn’t leave one. He clears his throat and says, “I just figured you were busy.”

“Oh, well, I volunteer at the animal shelter on Wednesdays, and last night was my friend’s 21st birthday. I’m sorry I missed you, though.”

He can tell that you’re really remorseful, and it makes his heart squeeze in his chest a little bit. He plays it off with a dismissive wave of his hand. “No, it’s fine, it’s… are you free tonight?”

You giggle at the abrupt redirect, but he’s played directly into your hand.

“Yeah, actually. I was hoping maybe you could help me pick out something for us to watch tonight? If you’re free too, that is.”

His dark eyes blink slowly, wondering if you’re aware of the implication behind your completely innocent words. You. Him. A movie. Alone. It’s enough to make his head spin. 

“I’ve never been freer.”

Conveniently, you’ve come in close enough to the end of his shift that by the time you’re done combing through Family Video’s vast selection for the perfect film to use as background noise, Steve’s ready to clock out. And since you walked over after finishing your own shift at the local dollar store up the street, it works out perfectly that he can give you a ride straight to his place.

You only glance in the backseat once, but it’s enough to get your mind churning. Remembering the feeling of him, of what could’ve been. Anticipating what will be.

“Parents home?” You ask as he pulls into his driveway and parks, trying to sound casual and utterly failing.

“Nope,” he answers easily. “Took a detour to Cabo on their way home from Hawaii.”

“Sounds glamorous. You opted out?”

“I’d rather be here in Hawkins with you than on a beach alone anyday.”

He must know the effect his words have on you. Surely he can hear the way your heart picks up pace as he looks at you with those dark, affectionate eyes.

“So… this is home.” He waves a hand around the entrance hall like it’s a shabby nightmare, not the grandest house you’ve ever been in.

“I’m starting to understand why they used to call you King Steve.”

He’s almost embarrassed at the mention of that old high school nickname. “Trust me, this isn’t why.”

“Well, a palace does befit you,” you tell him with a smirk.

“Stop, you’re gonna make me blush.” The wink he shoots you makes your gut erupt with butterflies, a sensation that would normally make you a little uncomfortable. With Steve, you’d take the butterflies all day long.

He gives you a cursory and oversimplified tour of the ground floor before leading you upstairs, and suddenly he’s sheepish. It’s been a few moons since he shared his room with a girl, so the nerves are justified. But that’s too simple an explanation. You’re not a girl. You’re his dream, his muse, his–to re-quote himself–goddess. No one he’s ever cared about more has stood where you’re standing, and it terrifies him.

He hides it well, though, busying himself with making a comfortable nest for you in his bed before setting up the television set on the dresser against the far wall. If ever there was a time to regain his confidence, it’s now. He curses whatever god there is that he feels like a fumbling virgin in this moment when nothing is even happening, when just the anticipation is enough to make his hands tremble.

There’s no more stalling once you’re comfortable and the tape is set to play. His heart pounds to the steady and frantic rhythm of one of those heavy rock songs Dustin listens to now as he sits next to you, hands itching to take a hold of you but also eager not to move too fast.

Almost as if you can sense his hesitation, you reach over and take his hand. “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

And so he does, and the second his lips slot to yours all the worry and anxiety is gone. He’s Steve Harrington, and he knows what he’s doing. You’re you, and he’s wanted this for so long. After years of being lost, he deserves to finally find the love he’s been looking for. He’s never been so sure of anything as he is, in this moment of initial clarity, that he’s in love with you.

He can’t say it, not yet. He’s sure it’s too soon, and the last thing he wants is to scare you off. But he’s determined to prove it to you, and the only way besides words is action.

He can handle action.

There’s no more restraint or hesitation behind his touch. This is it, this is what you’ve both been waiting for. There’s no way in hell he’s not going to deliver now. He’s desperate for you, and it shows in the heavy way his hands drag along your curves whilst committing you to memory; the way his tongue languidly swipes across your bottom lip; the way he shifts effortlessly to hover over you even while deepening the kiss.

He’s overwhelming every single sense of yours in such a sudden fashion, and you wouldn’t want it any other way. Especially not when his hips meet yours in a deliciously slow grind and you finally get your first little taste of what’s to come.

He keens at the little breathless whimpers that leave your mouth, reading every single signal you provide him with and accommodating each. Moaning? He continues what he’s doing, intensifying if deemed necessary. Whining? He adds something, because he knows it’s hard to use your words when you’re wanting so badly. Squirming? He pays attention to the direction of your movement and pulls away or presses closer depending on necessity. It’s down to science for him; he only really cared about extracurriculars in school anyway, and this was certainly his favorite.

But then he comes to his senses–while he doesn’t pull away completely, he needs to clear his mind and he does so by letting up a bit, allowing the kiss to become languid and the heat to extinguish a bit. It only makes you whine more, and Steve curses his damned formula. You shouldn’t be part of an equation. You’re everything he’s ever wanted, and every aspect of your relationship so far has been a new experience for him. He needs this particular activity to be different too. No formulas or calculations. Just you and him and whatever happens naturally.

Clearly you can hear the cogs in his mind turning. You pull away with a concerned look on your face and ask, “what’s on your mind?”

Now’s not the time to hide anything from you, he reasons with himself. He wants to be authentic with you, and part of that means telling the truth, even if it’s not something particularly comfortable.

“I’m… falling into a routine. And I don’t want to,” he admits. He sighs and leans back, one hand dragging through his shaggy and disheveled hair, sure that he’s going to ruin the mood if he carries on like this. But he refuses to back away from the truth now. “This… it’s always been like…. Like a series of checkpoints. Boxes to check, y’know? Kiss you, take your clothes off, make you come, fuck you, say goodnight. And I don’t want… I can’t let it be like that with you. I need this to be… real. Not just some list to cross shit off of. I don’t–”

Steve takes a long, shaky breath before he can ramble on anymore. Never has someone so thoroughly gotten under his skin. He’s never felt so insecure, so unsure. It’s terrifying. The most terrifying part of it all, though, is that he likes it. He loves the feeling of the unfamiliarity, of doing this right. In a way, it’s almost like he’s doing all of this for the first time all over again. You’re his first date, first kiss, first time. All because he’s changed so drastically, because he’s not even remotely the same person he was just a year or two ago.

Your hands are so gentle as you cup his face, tenderly forcing his eyes to meet yours.

“Steve… we don’t have to do this, not if you’re not ready. I want to be with you, not just for this, but for everything. Everything that comes with you… that’s what I want. There’s no pressure. I would wait a hundred years for you to be ready so long as I could still have you.”

Steve’s breath shakes a little as he comprehends the gravity of your words. There’s nothing he can say that can properly convey the gratitude he holds for your words, so he says nothing at all.

In his silence, you continue. “You’re more than a body, you know that, right? You’re funny, and kind, and smart. Yes, smart, don’t look at me like that. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted to be close to. I just… I want to spend time with you. I want to watch stupid movies and eat diner food until we get sick and laugh at your stupid jokes… and maybe make love with you, sure, but that’s pretty low on the list as long as I just get to be with you.”

He doesn’t notice the tears until it’s too late–by the time you’re wiping them from the apples of his cheeks it’s far too late to take them back or hide them. With anyone else, he would be angry; at himself, for allowing himself to be so vulnerable. For allowing himself to be so emotional. With you, though… with you, his emotions make him feel strong. 

For the first time since you walked into his life, he’s not scared of losing you.

“I love you,” he tells you. His voice is firm, as fierce as the kiss he presses to your mouth, as powerful as the waves of emotion vibrating through his very soul. “I love you so much.”

He barely gives you a chance to reply, as keen as he is on physically proving his love to you through myriad passionate kisses that leave you breathless. But when you finally get the chance to use your voice after a barrage of kisses that start to trail down your neck, you whisper, “I love you too.”

Four words, and they’re all he needs to quell every worry or fear he’s had over doing this relationship properly with you. Why should he have to worry, after all, when he’s already succeeded? 

“I love you,” he whispers as he trails down your neck and to your chest, leaving tender love bites on the tops of your breasts once he’s properly liberated you from your shirt.

“I love you,” he mumbles through sucking a mark a few inches north of your navel.

“I love you,” he murmurs when his lips meet your waistband. His fingers make quick work of your pants as he scatters kisses over your stomach, unable to part his mouth from your skin for even a moment.

“I love you,” he affirms as his mouth meets your hot and waiting core.

There’s no more checklist. Because this isn’t simply sex, as it always has been for him in the past. This is love-making: the kind of sappy shit they talk about in all those Hallmark movies that he rolls his eyes at the sight of. It’s like losing his virginity all over again.

He understands the old adage of “the other half” now. You’ve ripped him to shreds and sewed him back together with strands of yourself. The end result is better than the original ever could’ve even dreamed to be. He’s sure he couldn’t possibly live without you now, that losing you would be like ripping out fresh and unhealed stitches.

You’re not sure how long he camps out between your trembling thighs, but it’s long enough for you to lose count of the number of times he pulls you apart–first with his languid tongue; then his long, curved fingers; then a combination of the two. It’s like he loses himself completely in your pleasure, not a single thought in his head except what he can do to bring you to the edge again, and again, and again.

You’re trembling with oversensitivity by the time his own needs overtakes his desperation to unravel you. So out of it that you feel drunk, like Steve’s laced you with absolute bliss so pure you can barely stand it.

You’re hardly present enough to appreciate the adonis before you when he finally undoes his own jeans, and that’s a damned shame because he’s so damned pretty. Long and thick, flushed at the girthy tip from his hitherto unacknowledged arousal. His lean thighs are pure muscle, and the dark thatch of hair that trails south from his navel makes your mouth water. He’s everything you dreamed he’d be and so much more.

“Steve…” You don’t know what else you can possibly say. All you can do is vainly hope that one whine of his name can convey all of the heat, frustration, tension, and above all longing, swirling through your head in the moment.

He breaks from his lustful reverie for a moment to smile as he leans in for another heated kiss; you think it’s safe to say you’ve gotten your point across.

He slows from his mania for a few moments, lips tender as they explore against yours once more. These kisses are languid, slow, yet no less heated. Even now, he’s trying to prove his love to you. As if you could somehow not believe him after everything that’s happened, every small moment you’ve spent with him witnessing how hard he’s trying for you.

Somewhere in between kisses he manages to wrestle a condom out of his nightstand, miraculously without ever breaking from your lips.

Now is where you cut in, finally fading out of your over-pleasured fugue and back to reality. You take the little foil packet from his hands and tear it open, eager for this small chance to finally get a hand or two on him.

He lets out the most gorgeous noise you’ve ever heard as you roll the rubber down his length; a deep, earthy, diaphragmatic moan just from the simple touch of your hand. You want to touch him even more, to wrest out more of those sounds from him; to see what other undiscovered responses you can pull from him as you pleasure him. But you know that now, he needs to set the pace. He believes he has something to prove, and you’re more than happy to let him prove it. There will be plenty of other opportunities to have him completely at your mercy, anyway.

There’s no way to describe the feeling as he slides into you. It’s more than bliss, more than euphoria, more than earth-shattering toe-curling mind-altering pleasure. It’s nothing more than feeling whole. Of never knowing you were missing a part of yourself until it’s suddenly returned to you. Of never knowing what home felt like until this exact moment.

Maybe it’s overdramatic. Maybe it’s outlandish and outrageous and a million other adjectives to feel something so overpowering and overwhelming from such a seemingly simple physical act. But in this moment, you know you’ve never felt anything as right as being connected to Steve in this way.

His lips hardly leave yours while he rolls his hips against you, easily finding the perfect angle to make your breath hitch and your hands scrabble for purpose.

It admittedly doesn’t last long, but it doesn’t have to. Once you start to tighten and pulse around him, he’s a goner–deep purposeful thrusts turning to hard, arrhythmic plunges in desperate search of release.

You’re still shaking from your high when he slowly pulls out of you. He keeps you close, arms linked around your waist and dragging you to lay on his chest as he flops back against the pillows. 

You’re not sure how long you lay like that, with Steve whispering sweet nothings into your hair and pressing absentminded kisses to your face. All you can really focus on is one all-consuming, life-changing fact.

“I love you, Steve Harrington.”

“I love you too,” he whispers back. He kisses you again, just a simple peck on your lips, and you know that he’s telling the truth. It’s an eternal truth: one that can’t be changed or altered in any way. Steve Harrington loves you with every fibre of his being, and he will for the rest of his life–even if you’re both blissfully unaware of it for now.

THE END

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[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol.185 (Summer 2024) Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger | Detail of Super Sentai ft. Main Cast & Director Interviews, Summer Film Details (translations below)

Publication: July 1, 2024

Miyazawa Yu (Sakito Homura)

"To start, please tell us why Miyazawa-san decided to become an actor, and what happened when you first became aware that you were an actor."

Miyazawa: I've been playing soccer since I was little, and even in high school, I played on the soccer team while living at the dorms. It was located in Shizuoka, but there were alot of kids around me who were in the entertainment business, so I kinda had the impression of it being a glorious thing. However, I was serious about soccer, participating in national competitions and such at the time. After that, when I entered college, I happened to be approached by an entertainment agency, and that's where my entertainment career began. I started to pursue acting when I played the role of a classmate in the 2015 film, "Girl's Step." Even after a cut or during set up, I'd see some actors practicing their lines, and that's how things started taking shape. When I quit playing soccer and had nothing in particular to be passionate about, I was impressed by the seriousness with which they tried to create things. The TV shows and films we watch are finished products, right? When I learned about the production process, I was surprised to discover how "deep" it was. Until that moment, I had no idea that the Director and actors communicate with each other to create the performance, and that there are many other departments involved in the production, such as the filming department, lighting department, and audio department. I was impressed by the fact that so many people could create a single production in this way. Then, when everyone around me started job hunting, I began to think, "Becoming some company employee doesn't seem right," and that's when I started to pursue acting properly. I was around 22 years old then.

"What kind of actor did you aspire to become?"

Miyazawa: There are many actors who are good at performing called "chameleon actors," and I still aspire to become that kind of actor, being able to play roles that only I can play.

"The agency Miyazawa-san belongs to, G-STAR PRO, has many people who have worked on Toei's tokusatsu productions in the past, doesn't it? Miyazawa-san, did you also have any desire to work on tokusatsu productions?"

Miyazawa: Yes. I've always wanted to be in one. The first production I auditioned for was "Kamen Rider Drive," when I was 19 years old at the time. From there, I've had more than 10 auditions for the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai series. Many of the seniors from my agency have appeared in tokusatsu productions, but they all transferred from other agencies, and as a matter of fact, no one made their tokusatsu debut from this agency at that time. That's why I was auditioning, determined to be the first. The outcome was that Kawana-kun (Kiryu Daigoro in King-Ohger) was the first actor, but I always had a strong desire to be in a tokusatsu production.

"Did you get the feeling that others were ahead of you?"

Miyazawa: To be honest, I didn't really feel that I was being overtaken. Still, I'm 29 years old now, and the main cast of the Super Sentai series usually consists of people around their early 20s, so I wondered if it was going to become tougher for me. Especially in the last 2-3 years……I had a strong feeling that I'd probably fail the audition anyways. Actually, I also auditioned for the initial members of Boonboomger last year, and was able to make it to the final selection. However, I was eliminated in the end. This is the toughest place to fail. You start to think, "Ah, maybe it'll work out?" (laughs). I had the feeling of, "I've been failing for so long, I guess I'll never pass."

"Did you audition for the role of Sakito Homura after watching Boonboomger?"

Miyazawa: Boonboomger had already started airing, so I knew what kind of story it was going to be. However, Sakito Homura is quite a special character (laughs). I wanted to try to express a slightly different kind of character, one that's different from the worldview we've seen up until now in Boonboomger.

"How did you feel when you heard about the audition?"

Miyazawa: I wanted to pass this time, but I had a feeling that I'd fail again. However, when I saw the character profile of Sakito Homura written in the audition summary, I thought, "This character, isn't this just me?" (laughs). It's a strange story, but it gave me confidence that I would definitely pass the audition this time. On the other hand, I felt that if I failed this one, I'd never get another audition for a tokusatsu production.

"Does this mean you thought Sakito Homura seemed to resemble you?"

Miyazawa: The incomplete part of him, his weaknesses, and his vulnerabilities, I felt that they were similar to my own. Also, I like characters who are cheerful but have some kind of dark side to them. I had a desire to try playing such a role, and was strangely confident that I could definitely express it myself.

"How did you feel when you finally passed after almost 10 years of doing auditions?"

Miyazawa: I received a call about 30 minutes after the final selection (laughs). On my way home, my manager asked me, "Can you come to the office now?," where I was told that I had passed. It didn't really sink in at the time……It was only during filming of the first Change that the realization of "I've become a hero" actually hit me. The first Change was filmed on the fourth day after I arrived on set, so up until the third day, I felt the same as when I was working on other productions (laughs). When I was working with Action Director Jun-san and Violet's Suit Actor Tsutamune-san on thinking up transformation poses, the realization of what I was doing started to bubble up inside me, and when the cameras started rolling and I posed for the transformation and Tsutamune-san came out as BoonViolet, that's when it finally hit me.

"We understand that the three of you came up with the transformation poses together, but who took the lead?"

Miyazawa: Since it was my first time, Jun-san and Tsutamune-san pulled me along, but rather than anyone taking the lead, we thought about it as a group of three. I wanted to express myself in some way, since the transformation pose I decided on here will be the one that will remain with me for the rest of my life. Jun-san and Tsutamune-san also said that, "Miyazawa-kun's favorite pose should be good." I thought about it while receiving lots of ideas from both of them. Speaking of, there's something I like regarding Sakito's transformation pose, can I tell you about it? (laughs).

"Please go ahead (laughs)."

Miyazawa: There's the pose that looks like he's waving a checkered flag, which is meant to say, "Sakito Homura is here to end the game. I'm here, and everything's alright now." In addition, Sakito loves fighting and chaos, and is a forward character who wants to stir things up on his own, so I incorporated the attitude of Sakito Homura into the pose, with the spinning (of the checkered flag) around and sprinting forward from a jump.

"It's a transformation pose with alot of attention to detail. Before Boonboomger, Miyazawa-san appeared in "Super Battle Junretsuger," "Kamen Rider Revice," and "Kamen Rider Gotchard." You have alot of experience gained from dramas, films, and stage plays, but do you feel that tokusatsu productions have a different feel to them?"

Miyazawa: My first acting role was in Kamen Rider Revice. I've been watching "Kamen Rider" since I was a child, so it felt alittle different than appearing in a regular TV drama. Tokusatsu productions are something we remember and admire from our childhood, right? I was deeply moved to be apart of such a production.

"I know we talked about filming first, but after you were cast for the role, how did you prepare to portray Sakito Homura?"

Miyazawa: Sakito's setting is that he's been in space for about 20 years, so for starters, I've never been to space (laughs). Since he's a character with an unusual past, I had the impression of a character who's far removed from reality. I created the backbone of Sakito Homura's character by imagining life in space, and by watching American comic book films like "The Avengers," which I hadn't seen much of before, and discovered things I didn't have in my own repertoire.

"Filming for episode 18 has finished (at the time of this interview), but have your impressions of Sakito changed as a result of your performance?"

Miyazawa: He was in space for almost 20 years, and I think he's become a detached type of character in an attempt to appear strong. But in reality, he's the kind of character who feels that there's one thing he wants to protect, and aside from that, nothing else matters to him. As I played the role, I strongly felt Sakito's humanity, thinking that it was okay to show such emotions in small detail, and that (Sakito) was capable of it.

"Will Byundi (Byun Diesel) be the one with whom you've performed with the most up to episode 18?"

Miyazawa: That's right. I was filming while consulting with Takada Masashi-san. The relationship between Sakito and Byundi is really good, like that of Luffy and Ace from "ONE PIECE." They have a relationship where they support each other, so when Byundi puts down the gun he's pointing at his opponent, Sakito also puts down his, and I'm working with Takada-san in mind while being conscious of the habits that Sakito has as he matches Byundi. I've also been discussing with Tsutamune-san how BoonViolet should interact with Byundi after the Change. In the beginning, I watched Tsutamune-san and Takada-san's performance as BoonViolet and Byundi, and I even played Sakito with them in mind before the Change.

"How's the mood with the other cast members playing Boonboomgers?"

Miyazawa: There are younger kids like Iuchi-kun and Saito-kun, who are only 19 years old, so it's a very energetic set. At first, I was worried about whether I'd be able to communicate well with them, but everyone is very kind. They came rushing over to me when I was having my costume fit and asked things like, "What's Violet like?," and I thought, "Uwah, they're so cute" (laughs). We'll be working together for more than half a year, so I'd like to go out to dinner together and steadily become closer. I've only been on set for less than a month, but we're communicating well, and I'm having fun working together with everyone.

"We've noticed that Sakito will be featured in the film that'll be released this Summer."

Miyazawa: I didn't expect to be able to perform so soon after I appeared. There's a scene where Mira asks for help, and I thought hard about how Sakito should react there. Presumably, in the timeline of the film, Sakito will have grown enough where he acts for his friends. For me personally, it was difficult because we haven't filmed that much of the main series yet……(bitter smile). I was also happy to be able to perform in a scene where all six of us fight together, a development that's typical of the Super Sentai series.

"There's still more than half a year left to film, but is there anything you'd like to challenge yourself to in this show?"

Miyazawa: Up until now, I've often played the role of a villain, but I tried not to show that part of myself since this time children would be watching (laughs). I'd also like to try my hand at acting in a situation where I have to fight to protect someone while falling apart. I think Boonboomger is different from the films and TV dramas I've been involved with in the past, and in terms of acting, I'm asked to express myself in a way that's easy to understand, and I'm also being asked to show parts of myself that I haven't shown before, so I'd like to continue to challenge myself in these areas.

"Regarding Sakito Homura, what would you like people to pay attention to from now on in Boonboomger?"

Miyazawa: I think episode 18 showed us alot of Sakito's strengths and vulnerabilities. How will Sakito be involved with the Boonboomgers going forward? I hope you'll look forward to seeing how Sakito and Byundi change and grow over the course of each episode. If the viewers can feel that growth, then I'll be happy to have played the role of Sakito. Please make sure you pay attention to that.

Matsumoto Rika (Bundorio Bunderas VA)

-Delivering energy for the children's sake-

"First, we'd like to ask about the story behind your offer for this production."

Matsumoto: The first offer I received was to voice the "DX Boonboom Changer" toy. It's really wonderful to hear my own voice coming out of an item that children can directly touch. As an artist, I always hope to be a "strong vitamin" for others, and that's exactly what I do through my voice, delivering energy directly to children. There used to be a thing called a "laugh bag," right? You'd press the bag and hear the sound of laughter, and it'd make you laugh along too. With that image in mind, I put myself in a super good mood during the recording, thinking about fun things like listening to music and eating tasty food (laughs). I'd be happy if everyone could join in with my "Boon Boon Boon!" voice heard coming from the toys, imitating me when playing with them and naturally becoming energetic.

"Following that, you'd also be the voice of Boonboom and singing the ED theme?"

Matsumoto: One after another they said, "Please voice Boonboom" and, "Rika-san, please sing as well." I "cranked up" saying, "Of course!" The flow of everything was good as usual. I had reached a milestone after appearing in the anime "Pokemon" for 26 years, so I had alot of energy left in me, and I had also heard that children were missing my voice and becoming sad. I was looking for a way to delivering energy to them, as there was no option inside of me to make them feel lonely.

"Next, please tell us about your role as Bundorio Bunderas."

Matsumoto: The Producers told me, "We'd like to see him portrayed as a life form rather than a robot." At first I thought, "Maybe I should just do it as myself?," but since Boonboom's actual character is played in tandem with the Suit Actor, I wanted to add some spiritual meaning into the Suit Actor's detailed movements. I wanted to make Boonboom even more appealing by including dialogue that's true to life.

"How about the actual recording?"

Matsumoto: We have a trusting relationship, and I'm often entrusted with the job. Even in scenes where there are no lines, I'm sometimes asked, "Please give us a line here that's unique to Bundorio." I'd ask, "What kind of lines do you want?" and they'd say, "We'll leave it to you" (laughs). So I'd look at the footage 3-4 times and say, "I'm ready!" They'd say, "Do you want to do a test? Or do you want to do it for real?," and I would do a test from time to time, but sometimes I'd just go straight into doing the real thing. After all, isn't it best for it to come about naturally and without pretending? There are many cases where the first take is good. However, every Director entrusts me with their work, which makes me very happy and makes it worthwhile. There are multiple Directors, including one who was an Assistant Director during the days of "Chikyu Sentai Fiveman." For some reason, it puts a smile on my face every time.

"In that regard, do you also sometimes think back on the days of Fiveman?"

Matsumoto: I've been active overseas quite abit this year, so I'm able to concentrate on recording, but back in the days of Fiveman, we recorded every week without exception, and it took us from the time we entered the studio in the morning until late at night, which is totally different from how it is now. One of the recordings I remember well is the episode where Arthur G6 is damaged (Ep 12, Arthur's Super Transformation). Arthur's personality changes, but I was also simultaneously performing in "Obocchama-kun," so I added the essence of Binbocchama, the character who I played at the time (laughs). Most of the puns in that episode I came up with myself (laughs).

"Hasn't Toei Studios also changed a considerable amount?"

Matsumoto: First of all, it's become beautiful. Back in the old days, the floor in the recording studio was just dirt (laughs). Back then, it was still the era of film, so we'd screen the film in a dark, almost cave like environment, and read our lines by relying on a small light. I don't know how my seniors did it in that environment. Now, we've moved from film to the digital era, and the floor is no longer made of dirt. The recording room is also bright. The way I approached the role back then and the way I do it now has changed considerably, and because I've been doing this for so long, I've been able to feel this transition with the passage of time, which fills me with an inexpressible feeling.

-The word play is improvised-

"What do you care about in your role as Boonboom?"

Matsumoto: I like to include lots of wordplay. In the Children's Day broadcast on May 5 (Bakuage 10), there's a scene where the five of us were talking in the garage, and Boonboom was wearing an origami helmet (kabuto). And so I said things like, "Kabuto, I'm a kabuto~🎵" (laughs). However, I felt that the sound was muffled in the broadcast, so the next time we recorded, I said to the mixer, "I thought I sounded really good there, but wasn't my voice low?" They replied, "No, no, I could hear you just fine" (laughs). During the days of Fiveman, I could hardly talk to the Staff, but now we have a normal relationship where we can talk about these kinds of things, and I really enjoy each recording session.

"In the show, you're active not only in the usual Boonboom scenes, but also in the giant Robo battles."

Matsumoto: No, I thought I wouldn't participate in that part and would have a break. "The five of them are piloting and fighting, there they go, good luck!" is what I thought……I was told, "No, no, please do the same as Boonboom," and now I'm working hard with great enthusiasm, believing that I'm one of the Boonboomgers.

"We feel like you're being called upon more and more by the production team, and that your opportunities to play an active role are expanding."

Matsumoto: I'm really very grateful for this. Right, the OP theme song is sometimes played in the background during the Robo fight. En-chan (Endoh Masaaki) told me, "Rika's voice is so high pitched that I can't hear my own singing" (laughs). I want to make it clear to him that I'm just doing what they ask me to do (laughs).

"Have you had a chance to meet any of the cast members of Boonboomger?"

Matsumoto: We first met when the Producer brought the Boonboomger members to observe the recording session "for the sake of studying." They were all lined up behind the booth and looked at me. I thought it would be good if I could be of some help, but I kinda felt embarrassed and shy (laughs). The five members were cheerful and refreshing, full of enthusiasm and saying, "Let's do our best from now on!" They're very pleasant members. As I mentioned earlier, I consider myself a member of the Boonboomgers, so I'd like them to make as much Boonboom merch as they can (laughs). "With Boonboom, the six of us are Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger!" (laughs).

-Also singing songs as Boonboom-

"From here, we'd like to hear you talk as the singer who sings KotsuKotsu PONPON."

Matsumoto: I sang KotsuKotsu PONPON at various places during the Golden Week holiday, and everywhere I went, children's eyes lit up with joy while saying "Wow!," and I was able to experience firsthand the response to the song. When I went to Amagasaki, there were small children in the room next to the one I was staying at in the hotel, and it was very lively. Then I thought, "What's that?," and what I heard from the other side of the wall was KotsuKotsu PONPON being sung by the children. I was thrilled and thought, "They're singing!," and I tried singing the next part, but then they suddenly became quiet (laughs).

"The children wouldn't expect Matsumoto-san to be staying next door (laughs)."

Matsumoto: That'd be a surprise, wouldn't it? (laughs). But I was happy to see that this was such a widespread song. Overseas, I sang it in Portugal, and everyone already knows it. It's also up on YouTube, so I guess people looked it up and remember it. Now that we have TikTok, I hope that through SNS we can spread our music to a large number of people and have them enjoy listening to it. I myself listen to this song and find it very energizing.

"Please share your recording stories with us."

Matsumoto: At first, I thought I should just sing it in my own style, but I couldn't help but sound cool (laughs). I was asked to sing with a relaxed and open tone, so I was very conscious of that. Also, the key is set to a male voice, and it's only Boonboom that sings. We had alot of discussions about the fine details of the song like, "I want to sing it like this." For the chorus, the words "KotsuKotsu" was also written twice in the verse, but I was only able to do it once. We also discussed and decided on what to say for lines like, "Crank up! Let's go!" It really felt like we were writing the song together, and we were able to record it in the best possible form, even exploring the perfect key until the very last minute.

"It's on TV every week, but how do you feel about seeing it with the footage?"

Matsumoto: At the time of the recording, I had heard that there was going to be dancing, but I didn't know they were going to feature Boonboom that much. It's a really fun video. All the Staff members had fun making it, including the inclusion of the explanation of traffic rules. I really hope this song becomes a favorite song for as many people as possible. It would definitely be a hit if everyone could dance and sing along. The choreography itself was also well thought out in such a way that it can be performed while sitting and using only hand gestures.

"His name was mentioned earlier, but what about Endoh Masaaki-san, who sings the theme song?"

Matsumoto: En-chan and I have been friends for a long time as fellow singers, and it's interesting that the two of us are responsible for the OP and ED of Boonboomger. I've also had him participate in the chorus of "Rival!" from Pokemon, and when I see En-chan working hard, it makes me want to work harder, so we have a great relationship. When I heard that, "Endoh Masaaki-san has been chosen for the OP," I called him immediately before we recorded this time. "En-chan? Hey, it's Rika"……we were able to communicate with each other just by saying that and burst out laughing. I said, "I'm looking forward to working with you this year!" So far we haven't had a chance to sing together on stage yet, but I'm looking forward to the time we can perform together.

"In addition, a new character song, "Curry is spicy but beautiful" is also being sung."

Matsumoto: It's not so much a character song as it is a song about how to make curry. I was told, "You're going to sing a song about making curry" (laughs). I sang the song while imagining a happy scene of a family eating curry together. It would be great if the song becomes so popular that people sing it when making curry in their everyday lives.

"During the time of Fiveman, you sang the character song "Super Arthur" as well."

Matsumoto: This was my first recording as a singer, and I was extremely happy about it. It was my first time singing a character song. At first, I was singing with a natural, rock feel in mind, but then the music suddenly stopped and the Director at the time said, "Sing as the character." At first, I had a hard time figuring out how to sing it, but then I relaxed and sang it as much as I could, letting my hands swing around, which had a cute feeling to it. They also nailed it with Arthur G6's character name, so I tried singing it like a cheer.

"It'd be fun if the opportunity to sing it at Super Sentai Spirits arose."

Matsumoto: I haven't sung it since those days, so if that happens, I'll have to practice (laughs). But, that song is also cheerful and uplifting. At the time, I had heard from the Staff that many children liked this song among the ones on the Fiveman album. Because of my experience at that time, I was even more conscious of singing as the character this time. I think that "KotsuKotsu PONPON" and "Curry is spicy but beautiful" are both different from Matsumoto Rika, and are truly Bundorio Bunderas.

"You seemed to have sung the role with that much feeling."

Matsumoto: I've come to realize that character songs can only be sung by people who are serious about the performance. I think that both the melody and the poetry need to be conveyed in a compelling way.

-A character loved by everyone-

"Looking back, in addition to Arthur G6, you've often appeared in Toei's tokusatsu productions as the voice of a monster, but in episode 9 of "Mobile Cop Jiban," you also performed in person."

Matsumoto: I played the role of a reporter. Guess I've been found out, huh? (laughs). I'm beyond embarrassed. What's more, the green clothes I was wearing at that time were my own. At the time, those kind of clothes were popular……

"Ah, the bodycon dress, right?"

Matsumoto: Right! I took care of my own costume and makeup. My hair was also very wavy (laughs). For some reason, at Toei, when it comes to roles where I appear in person, there are alot of unusual ones. Like when I was AkibaYellow's mother in "Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger" (laughs). I'm very happy to be asked to play any role, but in the Super Sentai series, I'd like to play an evil super boss someday. I once played the role of Prometheum in the stage play of "Galaxy Express 999 The Musical," where I got alittle taste of such a role, and found it very rewarding. That's exactly the kind of super boss I'd like to play, like the ones played by Soga Machiko-san, who was also active as a Voice Actor. I admire it.

"Returning to Boonboomger, how do you watch the weekly broadcasts?"

Matsumoto: I really love this production. Watching the show cheers me up, and there's a part of me that looks forward to living for each Sunday. The Boonboomgers are cool of course, but the way the Sanseaters are depicted is funny, and I like the Kurumaju that appear each week, who despite being enemies, are somewhat cute. I wish they were all mascots (laughs). For recent broadcasts, the Kaseki Grumer episode (Bakuage 15) really struck my heart. When I saw it during the recording, I genuinely started crying. It's really amazing that they can portray such a deep drama in 30 minutes, and that they continue to deliver so many messages to children week after week, making me once again feel that I'm being allowed to be apart of a good program.

"Finally, please tell us again how you feel about your performance in this production."

Matsumoto: I've been holding on to the same unwavering feelings I had 34 years ago when I played the role of Arthur G6. I'm not trying to imitate that role, but both Arthur and Boonboom are packed with elements of courage, smiles, and energy. In the beginning I mentioned that I, "Wanted to be a strong vitamin," and recently, I've actually felt that Boonboom is becoming that way. His name "Boonboom" is also very playful and I really like it. It's not the same as the pandas "Lan Lan" and "Kang Kang," but it seems that names followed by the same word are ones that are loved all around the world. In that regard, I think he's a familiar figure for children, so I'd like to make him a character that'll always be there for children and loved by everyone. I'd be happy if we could grow together.

Director Nakazawa Shojiro

"This is Director Nakazawa's second production as the Main Director after "Kamen Rider Geats," When did you start participating in the project?"

Nakazawa: Technically, I did episodes 30 and 31 of King-Ohger after Geats, but to be honest, planning for Boonboomger had already progressed to a certain extent while I was working on Geats. I joined when Geats when was at it's halfway point. At that point, it was decided that it would be a "Sentai with a car motif," and that there was a "deliverer" and a "A group of professionals."

"Director Nakazawa has been the Main Director of multiple Super Sentai series, but were you given any orders for this production?"

Nakazawa: The orders were to "guarantee clarity" and "to have the cars appear in someway or other." The previous production, King-Ohger, had a strong connection to the passage of time, so with Boonboomger, I was conscious of making, "A show that can be enjoyed without thinking too much about the passage of time while also being aware of it." For my own part, I focused on simplicity and clarity, and finding the right sense of balance between being comical and serious at the same time.

"This is your first time working with Tomioka Atsuhiro-san, who wrote the script. We think you've worked with Kuji Yoshito-san before, but this is the first time for you to work with him as Chief Producer."

Nakazawa: Yes. I also worked with Kuji-san on "Ressha Sentai ToQger" and "Shuriken Sentai Ninninger" when he was an Assistant Producer. Tomioka-san is a man of man ideas, offering a variety of proposals, and is also good at summarizing them. The impression of him I get is that he's broadminded. Kuji-san listens to what multiple people have to say, and instead of rejecting things in a one sided way, he'll skillfully sum things up by saying, "That's one way to think about it." Working together with him is very helpful.

"Tomioka-san said, "I love toys," when we interviewed him in the previous issue of this magazine."

Nakazawa: That's right. When he starts talking about toys, he can't stop (laughs). In tokusatsu productions, Scriptwriters are sometimes at a loss as to how to make the mechas and items appear, but Tomioka-san will skillfully suggest, "Let's make this Boonboom Car appear like this."

"Boonboom Wagon grabbing the Kurumaju and driving off in episode 2 was putting a gimmick to good use."

Nakazawa: I'd like to have the Cars appear as much as possible, but we can't keep repeating scenes of them just driving. So, we came up with an effective way to make the Boonboom Cars appear on the scene. We thought alot about how to use the Boonboom Cars while working with the gimmick of the toys, and decided on it grabbing the Kurumaju and hauling it off.

"One of the highlights of the Boonboom Cars is the inroad scene, however, is there a reason why all the Cars go out together every time?"

Nakazawa: In a logical sense, there's no point in having all the Cars in the show come out, but Butsuda-san (SFX Director) insisted with, "You have to have all of them appear!" (laughs). The Boonboom Cars use both CG and miniatures, a direction that Butsuda-san has cultivated over the years. In Super Sentai giant battles, mechs often merge together as soon as they appear. In Boonboomger we wanted to show the Cars driving as much as possible, so we setup a highway space.

"What were you particularly conscious of when creating the first three pilot episodes?"

Nakazawa: I took great care in character building, and how to portray Taiya-kun and the others in a charming way. Taiya-kun has lots of money and can do whatever he wants, but he doesn't speak honestly and doesn't talk about himself, which can inadvertently make him come across as rude. Therefore, I was conscious of how to portray the character of Taiya in an appealing way. At the same time, we also wanted Mira-chan and Chasshiro to be good characters. At the request of Producer Kuji-san, I was conscious of how to combine the conflicting elements of being smart and professional with a comical feel.

"We think this is a difficult direction that could only be done by veteran Director Nakazawa. How exactly did you proceed?"

Nakazawa: When making a comical facial expression, do you go all out or restrain it? I was careful of finding the right balance. However, it's meaningless if the actors don't give it their all. It's important to assess this.

"For the members who joined later, BoonBlack and BoonOrange's transformed forms were also missing from the pilot."

Nakazawa: We started with three members in the beginning, and decided that the fourth and fifth would join later, but then we decided that, "It's better to have Jou and Genba appear from the beginning." If you watched the show without knowing that he transforms, you might've thought, "For some reason, the policeman who appears every time is pretty handsome" (laughs), but our original idea was to create, "A strange character who comes out and gets knocked out immediately," and then have him join the group.

"Of the two who join later, the fact that Black is a policeman reminds us of "Engine Sentai Go-Onger"……(laughs)."

Nakazawa: It certainly reminds me of that (laughs). Still, the fourth member became a police officer since it was decided on that his mech would be a patrol car. It was Tomioka-san's idea to have the fifth member be a "procurer," but since it was already decided that the mech would be heavy machinery, the name "Genba" was chosen to reflect the image of an "on site person."

"In episodes 8-9, which Director Nakazawa was next in charge of, the Boonboomgers were already in danger of breaking up."

Nakazawa: In fact, this was the second time after episode 4 where they were on the verge of breaking up (laughs). I didn't know at the time we were filming that this 9th episode was the "end of part 1" (laughs), but I think it was good timing for the first climax after all five members were together. This is the episode where Taiya's dream of the BBG is first mentioned and information begins to be revealed. From the very beginning, we had clearly decided that the Boonboomgers would be "people who do what they want to do," and that they're not necessarily heroes who are willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of peace on Earth. As more info about the BBG (Big Bang Grand Prix) is revealed in the future, I'm sure we'll also learn more about why Bundorio's qualifications as a racer were revoked.

"Please also tell us your impressions of the cast."

Nakazawa: I always tell the cast before we start filming that, "It's not just your job to say what's written in the script, but to also to think about the background of the lines written and express them." It's like King-Ohger's "between the lines" (laughs). I also tell them that, "Each character is your own creation." The Director changes on a rotating basis, so it's necessary the cast members themselves work through their roles. In that sense, they've grown alot between their first meeting together and the wrap up of episode 3. I think they've grown in some areas since then, but I hope they'll grow even more after experiencing the Summer movie.

"Starting from episode 16, Sakito Homura and BoonViolet also made their appearance."

Nakazawa: Unfortunately, I haven't been able to work on an episode where Sakito appears yet, but I was involved in the casting process. Sakito's Miyazawa-kun was one of the finalists in the audition that decided the original five cast members. He's a good actor and has a good character, so when we were deciding on the role of Sakito, I said, "I'd like him for this role." Sakito plays the dangerous role of a "cleaner," but I wanted him to skilfully play it without becoming a scary person.

"Another interesting point is that Bundorio and the Boonboomgers Robo are the same being."

Nakazawa: At first, Bundorio wasn't even established, and the Boonboomgers Robo just had the image a very ordinary Sentai Robo. As the planning meetings progressed, it was decided that, "A life sized version of the Robo should be released so that people would become attached to it," and that the character Bundorio would combine with the Robo so that, "The Robo is always with the members." The "giant battles" are a major feature of Super Sentai, and robots are the main items in its merchandise development. I was thinking about how to make this Robo look appealing. We're limited in what we can do if they just appear in giant battles.

"It's similar to Zenkaiger, in that the giant Robos also served as life sized friends."

Nakazawa: In Zenkaigers situation, the Robos appearance changed before and after the transformation, as well as when they combined, but Bundorio's appearance remains almost the same. So, I'd say that it was a step forward from what we had done with Zenkaiger. In Zenkaiger, there was "space" when the Robos took on different forms, but in Donbrothers, the Robos have the faces of each of the characters. This time, we've taken it one step further, and the "Robo still remains almost the same." If its appearance changes like in Zenkaiger, it'll be difficult for the children watching to view it as "the same thing." That's why this time we decided to keep the design mostly the same.

"Matsumoto Rika-san's performance makes Bundorio an even more appealing character."

Nakazawa: She has an aura about her, so much so that even before she enters the studio, I know she'll be there soon (laughs). In any case, she loves Bundorio, and just by saying a few words, the character is brought to life. Furthermore, she hardly rehearses at all, and after watching the footage only once, she goes straight into the performance, which is tremendous. I heard that she'd like to appear in these shows, even if she has to show her face, so if she does, it'll likely be a strong character like in Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger.

"One of the features in this show is that Bundorio often makes curry. Why did you choose to have him cook curry?"

Nakazawa: Taiya-kun's tired of eating expensive gourmet food, and prefers to eat ordinary food. Tomioka-san's idea was to make ochazuke, but after some complications, we decided on "everyone's favorite: curry."

"Now then, how were the enemy Hashiriyan characters decided?"

Nakazawa: Since the hero's side is set up that their cool adults, I was conscious of giving the Hashiriyans the comical, almost comedian like role in contrast. The Gaiark trio in Go-Onger initially appeared as "really bad guys," but in the latter half of the show, they became lovable comedic characters, didn't they? The kind of feeling I had when I thought of them were, "They're bad guys, but I don't hate them, they're ridiculous characters who are indispensable." Both the Suit Actors and the Voice Actors are having fun and in high spirits, so the characters are growing and developing.

"There are many memorable lines in this show, such as, "That Cranks me up!" and "Seems like you're in trouble."

Nakazawa: "Cranking up" was first introduced during a meeting when Tsukada-san, who was also present said, "They say Bakuage Sentai, but what's the point of Bakuage? This can be traced back to "Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger," where Tsukada-san had said something similar like, "What's the point of Abare?" In other words, such a point is absolutely necessary for the Super Sentai series. So, we started to include "Bakuage points" in each episode and "Cranking Up" in the dialogue. In short, Bakuage is, "The moment when you get excited about something, but don't know what it is." If you think about it calmly, it doesn't make sense but……it's not about logic!

"What about Genba's, "Seems like you're in trouble"?"

Nakazawa: The lines are tailored to Genba-kun's elusive and mysterious character. I think Tomioka-san was the first to include it in the script, and before I knew it, it had become a common line in the script. Tomioka-san is skilled at coming up with lines that show a character in just one word.

"Live compositing has been used since the covid pandemic, but how is it being used this time?"

Nakazawa: The Staff's skills have improved as a result of the experience we've gained so far. The technique was used to its fullest extent in the previous show, King-Ohger, but it wasn't all positive, so we had the option of not using it this year. However, it'd be a waste to reduce the technology we've accumulated from zero, so this time we used live compositing to capture things like the cockpit of the Boonboom Cars and walls in the background. These are the kind of scenes that could be shot on a set, but the difference so far is that we're mixing CG and actual modeling objects in the filming.

"And now finally, please give a message to the readers of this magazine."

Nakazawa: We're aiming to create a show that's both stylish and fun. I think you'll enjoy that unbalanced balance. We look forward to your support throughout the next year! _

Summer Film Details

"Saving the princess of the Universe from the strongest Hashiryan!" (Boonboom meets Princess?!)

The name of Boonboomgers first film that'll be released this Summer is called, "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger: Gekijo BOON! Promise the Circuit." As the title suggests, the story starts at a circuit. While Taiya and the others are filming a video collaboration with HIKAKIN, an urgent request comes into the Boonboomgers…….Including Sakito, the curtain rises on a large scale battle between the six Boonboomger members. With the Main Director and Main Writer being the duo Nakazawa Shojiro and Tomioka Atsuhiro, come witness this cranked up battle only in theaters!

STORY: Princess Nicola Keydoor appears before Taiya and the others. She says that the planet Trickle, on which she lived, fell into the hands of the Hashiryans, and so she fled to Earth. In addition, the Hashiryans send the threat of a large, planet destroying missile to ISA, demanding that Nicola be turned over to them. In order to protect Earth, the higher ups at ISA decide to hand over Nicola. However, she couldn't accept this decision, and asks the Boonboomgers for help. As Demon Thunder appears in pursuit of Nicola, will the Boonboomgers be able to save both the princess and Earth?!

Demon Thunder (VA: Kishi Yuji, Suit Actor: Seike Riichi): A Hashiryan Catching Captain. He attacks Nicola, a princess, because he considers the screams emitted by people of nobility to be a fine source of Ghassolin.

Circuit Grumer (VA: Seki Tomokazu, Suit Actor: Sakai Kazuma): The Kurumaju born from Demon Thunder.

Nicola (Irei Himena): Princess of planet Trickle. She arrives on Earth after being ordered to flee by her father, the king, as her homeworld fell into the hands of the Hashiryans.

HIKAKIN: A popular video creator known around the world. Bundorio is one of his fans, and it appears that the collaborative video shoot was procured by Genba.

(page 73, clockwise) The Boonboomgers are shooting a collaboration video with HIKAKIN on the circuit that Taiya bought. It seems like he introduces the Boonboom Cars, and yet…..

BoonRed engages Demon Thunder to save Nicola. The result of his fate is……!

Mira and Nicola get into the Boonbom Super Car parked in the woods in order to escape from Circuit Grumer!

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

can i ask why did people genuinely think hanma was the time leaper? i’ve rewatched the anime twice and read the manga and not once have i suspected hanma to be the time leaper.

Ok it's been a while so I might be misremembering some bits now but it got super popular after it was revealed Kisaki wasn't a time leaper. The idea was someone is the second time leaper but it's not Kisaki, so naturally people considered it to be Hanma. And there were a few reasons too (there was also a separate theory about him not being a time leaper but being like a God or some other un human being who knew about the situation. There's a bit of overlap between those two theories.) Also you're gonna find that a lot of these "clues" are really small and don't really mean anything, especially now that we know what happened. But at the time, we were all really reading into everything to try and figure out where the story was going. And everything stacked together seemed to make a lot of sense.

Firstly, Kisaki seemed to know about time leapers existence, which we all kinda assumed meant someone had told him aka a time leaper. With Hanma being the most obvious choice since they were shown to be close and working together a lot.

There was also Hanma's inside cover, which had on top of train tracks, train tracks which were heavily associated with time leaping and Takemichi in the past.

It was also thought that Hanma's boredom could be a hint, like he was bored all the time because he already knew what was going to happen because he'd lived it before. Things got more exciting for him when he met Kisaki, a new face.

And of course there's the story cliff hanger, where most people assumed something important was going to be said/ revealed. Something important like time leaping maybe.

In the final fight he also said this, which I think he was talking about how they made it this far in the fight but at the time it was pointed out that all of them had died in different timelines before. So if he knew then he was probably talking about them surviving death literally.

And of course there was maybe the biggest hint of them all, his name. We already know how Wakui likes to put little hints when choosing their names sometimes so this made a lot of us think the second time leaper could be Hanma.

There was also a few bits to do with dates, I'm not sure if I've remembered them all but these are the ones I do remember, Hanma met kisaki and Takemichi first leaped in July 2005. Then in June 2008 we have both Hanma's main chapter where it jumps forward to him visiting Kisaki and Takemichi doing his 10 year time leap.

Aside from that it was just that he was generally quite a mysterious and suspicious guy. Not telling Kisaki why he's following him, always being around in the arcs, the way he acted etc. And with there not really being any other obvious hints at the time, it made sense he was the one the fandom thought of most as being the second leaper.

[virtual-winter]

It's been 10 years since I first watched Frozen!🌻❄️⛏️☃️🦌

(Swedish DVD-copy of Frozen)

November 20th, 2014. It seems like forever ago. I remember watching this movie through my desktop ASUS PC (remember when computers used to have actual DVD-drives?) on a by today's standards pretty crappy Philips monitor. It didn't matter. The movie was like nothing else I had seen before. Even though I don't even have a sibling and can't fully relate to the conflict, Anna and Elsa's adventure is IMO one of the best stories ever told💕

I was 22 back then. A young man and totally in love with this Disney movie. Now I'm 32 and it continues to be among my favourite movies of all time. Even now, ten years later, I still live and breathe Frozen every day! It is a part of who I became and it is the way I wish to remain ����

I have become a devoted fan of all things Frozen and I'm trying my best to be a part-time Frozen-analyst, mapmaker, worldbuilder and collector. I'm also known for using too many emotes and exclamation marks!

Below, I have tried to summarise some important and meaningful keepsakes and events from the past ten years. I hope you enjoy scrolling!✨✨✨

I believe this was the first ever Frozen-related pic that I saved (it's the oldest in my album) (April 2015)

I was equally in love with the OUAT Frozen arc and no one can tell me Georgina and Elizabeth were anything but perfect for their roles (April 2015)

🥹🥹🥹

(March 2015)

In just a couple of years we saw the franchise grow (did anyone else prefer the original logo for the musical?) (February 2016)

The official announcement we'd all been waiting for (April 2017)

The architect in me loved the castle! (2017)

I mean, who could ever forget this moment? (December 2018)

AJHFSJASJFKAGKJFGSKFDSGSJF!?!?!?!?!?!? (February 2019)

What are those????? (February 2019)

My first piece of "big" Frozen merch (April 2019)

I made a custom calendar just to count down the remaining days to Frozen II (I also avoided spoilers for the last 6 1/2 months) (December 2019)

🥹🥰😭

(December 2019)

Perfectly balanced, as it should be (February 2020)

Me collecting stuff! (February 2020)

Me going crazy saving as much Frozen content as possible 😅 (August 2020)

I joined r/Frozen (June 2021)

I started my deep-dive into Arendelle's geography in 2021 which ultimately lead to "An odyssey through Frozen geography", the first of many fandom projects! (July 2021)

Together with a group of equally dedicated Frozen nerds fans, I helped building the @arendelle-archives server and later tumblr-blog! (2021)

Collecting more things! (October 2021)

A Frozen comic writer responded to my reddit post?😲(December 2021)

I started developing ideas for a Frozen fanfic (2022)

Frozen III-announcement! Finally! (February 2023)

My Norway-trip of 2023. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful destinations on Earth and a must-go for anyone who wants to visit the real Arendelle!!! (July 2023)

I continue to delve into more map-related stuff in Wonderdraft (May 2024)

Together with the rest of the wonderful folks over at @frozen10fanzine, I helped create and design a fanzine summarising the memories of Frozen fans from the past decade! (July 2024)

A slice of my current Frozen collection! Some figures were very kindly donated to me by @yumeka-sxf 🙌 (July 2024)

And lastly, from today: the first snow of the season❄️🩵

If you made it this far, thank you for scrolling😅

Finally, a little shout-out to friends and acquaintances I've made through the likes of reddit, discord and tumblr in the past few years:

@bigfrozenfan @yumeka-sxf @greatqueenanna @queenritaofarendelle @saiten-gefroren @snowflaketale12 @cloudberriesforaqueen @theartoffrozen @secretsofthestorymakers

A big thank you also to the whole @arendelle-archives and @frozen10fanzine - teams! Y'all continue to inspire me!

[thesweetnessofspring]

Why do you hate epic? I've recently heard it and I don't like it also, especially when I googled his story. But why do you hate it?

First, no hate to the creator. Like, I heard he's a college kid doing a creative project and a lot of people like it which is great. And concept albums get tweaked. Maybe it's something he can salvage or rework in the future, but as it is, I just don't like Epic at all.

I'd listened to what was out about....six months ago maybe? And I wasn't particularly taken with it, but then back in like July I relistened to it and I just got so tired listening to it. I think a spin on that line from The Incredibles sums up that part of it well:

If all of the music is epic, none of it will be.

Even in big megamusicals like Les Mis, there's a variety of songs. You have the love songs, the reflective songs, the "party" songs, the exposition songs, and just a variety of tone and pace. In listening to what is now the most recent release, I got weary of listening to the same old video game music set to bad lyrics (we'll get to that). There's no variety, which makes the whole album flat. Halfway through I wanted to scream GIVE ME SOMETHING ELSE FOR THE LOVE OF ZEUS!!! I don't think the idea of video game music works for musicals. They're completely different mediums and the narrative structure of video games (at least as he's presented them) also leads to a static story. If I sit down and play a video game with different bosses, then it makes sense. I complete a level and then take a break/live my life until I come back and work on the next level. There doesn't feel to be any forward momentum in the story because it's just "boss" after "boss" with a highly intense video game music soundtrack. It's static, it's flat, it's tiring. I cannot imagine sitting through a stage show of this. I'd be leaving early after intermission.

It is painfully obvious this is a TikTok musical, because the music can be good in short spurts but as a 2.5 hour stage musical? I wouldn't be able to do it. I barely did it when I broke it up over a few car rides.

Also the lyrics are mostly just bad, particularly in the rhymes. Like I said, I've listened to it I guess 1.5 times as the first time I listened they didn't have as many songs out as there are now. So I can't quote any, but it wasn't just a couple times. There were whole songs where I was internally (as I was driving) rolling my eyes at the awkward, hokey rhymes.

And look, I haven't read The Odyssey since high school, so I'm not going to pretend to be a scholar. I have read Odysseus as a character in other retellings of Greek myths, though, and he's a much more dynamic and interesting character than the boring, predictable hero of Epic. I remember when first being exposed to The Odyssey, it was my first foray into more complicated dynamics of Greek mythology instead of the more digestable/cleaned-up versions I'd heard as a younger kid, and part of that was Odysseus. He made decisions I just couldn't understand at the time. A big thing for me as a 15-year-old kid was I was so mad at all of Odysseus's affairs. Now I know that in Greece that wasn't so much a big deal for men to sleep around and was expected. Yet (at least with Circe) he's noble and fighting her off and it gives the impression that Odysseus hasn't had any sex in like 12 years. I'm sorry, but WHAT??? Odysseus loves his wife and he's a slut. C'mon. Epic Odysseus is so predictable and boring I'm not drawn into the story at all for him, either. When I finally got to the more recent releases, I was thinking, "Oh, wow what a surprise. Before he didn't want to kill people and now he's fed up and will kill people so he can get home. Ohhhh noooooo what will ever happen in the next part of the musical?? Is it possible he will learn that vengeance is bad???" To be fair this part hasn't come out yet so maybe I'll be wrong but ugh, it's not looking good.

To balance things out, I do think the opening number is good and I like the one with the winds "keep your friends close/and your enemies closer" is an earworm, and because it changed up the usual "video game epic music" thing. And like, as a student project it is impressive. But it's not a student project anymore, it's a concept album. Idk if he's planning on staging it at some point, but if he does, it has a lot of work still to do.

Anyway vote Hadestown. ✌️

[petra-creat0r]

Deltarune: Fool's Fate Ch. 7 Secret Boss

We finally get to the Studio Dark World! The only chapter other than Chapter 1 of Fool's Fate to be set not in Hometown!

I think I first started coming up with this guy around the fourth of July, it's just taken me a bit to draw them and flesh out their lore. Anyways, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen I present to your, your host, the one, the only, the darling deer with the charming voice, Ray D. O'Skelly!!

Ray's name should be obvious. It's a pun on radio. They're a radio host. Not a lot to explain there. Though when first coming up with their name and concept, I did look into 30s and 40s era radio hosts to try and pull inspiration from their names. Red Skelton was one I landed on since Skelton is similar to "skeleton" and I already knew I wanted this boss to have a skeletal face to resemble 30s era radios. Eventually I shorted it to Skelly to flow better with the O to go with the radio pun.

I don't really have a text quirk for Ray yet? Best I can think off is their voice sounds staticy or they get interrupted by ads/song lyrics similar to Spamton and Bitsy. I do know that they can't actually speak because of the well... whole thing that happened to their face. Their voice comes through their microphone. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Maybe a sound board situation?

Since I imagine the studio world being similar to what I think Chapter 3 will be like, being based off movies and film rather than TV, and Bitsy is already animation theory and I've got Casper to cover Woody theory, Ray is radio theory. Video killed the radio star. The theory I forgot to include in my original poll when I was first coming up with Bitsy despite being one of my favorite ideas. Aside from being based on an old-timey radio host, I also vaguely pulled some subtle inspiration from Alastor from Hazbin Hotel. Mostly just in the fact that Ray is a deer along with their color palette, radio theming, and some of their demeanor.

Backstory under the cut

Ray O'Skelly used to be the talk of the town, the bees knees, the cats pajamas! The voice heard across the globe and broadcast to nearly every station. MTTWood's very own home town darling and host of the most tuned into radio channel in all of the studio world. Ray's radio show had it all! Music, news, even radio plays performed by the deer themself! It was the age of radio and Ray was monarch, surely there was no way their popularity would falter any time soon.

At least... that's what Ray thought before the leader of the studio world signed a deal with some folk from this up and coming "Television" Dark World.

At first, the TV World didn't pose much of a threat to Ray, or at the very least it couldn't yet compete with the popularity of their radio show. But over time, the alternative form of entertainment started to gain more attention and views than Ray's show gained listeners. Especially after the appearance of a supposed Knight in the other Dark World and the merge of most of the channels into TennaVision. According to the public, Ray's show was getting old and bland. The music they played went out of style who knows how long ago, and people would prefer to watch the news and Ray's "radio plays" rather than simply listening. Ray either had to adapt, or fade away in obscurity.

That was when Ray met a man. A man offering aid, offering salvation to the deer down on their luck. The man offered to help Ray "get with the times" as they say, and rise back to fame. Help get their radio show back in the public zeitgeist and to surpass the competition. Almost without thinking, Ray took the man's offer, desperate to stay relevant through whatever means necessary.

The man made good on his deal, helping Ray by suggesting a few changes to their format here and there. New music, updated segments, notes on Ray's tone and how to better appeal to masses and be "hip with the kids", the works. Ray wasn't particularly for all the new changes, but they were desperate. Desperate for attention, desperate for fame and adoration. And fame and attention they got. It was almost as if, whoever tuned into the station would HAVE to listen. Ray's listenership was through the roof, all thanks to the man...

Perhaps it could be said that fame and power corrupts, because at some point, listeners noticed a shift in Ray's demeanor. Once the soft-spoken and well mannered host with the most, they got more prideful, vein, sadistic. Either from all the attention going to their head, or perhaps from a great Truth revealed to them about the nature of their existence breaking their mind. Whatever it was, it twisted the once charming radio host. Twisted them into an arrogant yet still devilishly charismatic individual with an ever captive audience.

Eventually, Ray's pride got the better of them. Even after the man left, Ray still maintained their popularity and fame, yet their ego wouldn't settle for just that. Ray had a captive audience at their disposal who would have to listen to anything they said. Any idea they suggested could be implanted in as little as a whisper and the right frequency. Ray could control this town. Could bend it to their every whim and will. Which is just what they tried to do. Before their operation got shut down of course.

Turns out, an old acquaintance had played stool pigeon and cried wolf to the authorities. Even if Ray tried to charm the guards, it was no use. Their studio was taken from them and shut down and they were cast out onto the rainy street. Yet even stripped of everything, Ray wouldn't let anything stop them from reaching the top. In a makeshift studio down in the darkest corners of MTTWood, Ray continued to broadcast their signal to who ever would listen.

That is until the children of a star and their friends found themselves in the studio world...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hehehe. It might've taken me a bit to come up with but this was fun. When I designed Ray, I knew they were a little charmer, but I also wanted to have them be twisted. I imagine after the studio Dark World is sealed and Ray ends up staying at the Blook house with Spamton and Poly, they act like the sweetest little darling. Only to still be manipulating people through subliminal messaging in their radio broadcasts. I'll have to play that out some time.

Anyways, only 3 left to go! And one of those I already have so it's really just designing the secret boss for the Town Hall world and then the Festival world. The later of which I already have a vague idea for.

[suffersinfandom]

A Summary of The OFMD Meta

Sooooo... this is part one of an incomplete summary of A Meta-Discussion Of The Subtext by meratrishoslee (Mera) on AO3 (linked to, as the author requests). I hope it’s helpful to the folks who’ve been curious about it -- heyooo @fahbee and @pushbuttonkitty -- but maybe not quite 90K-words curious! I’m not going to comment on anything; this is meant to be an impartial -as-possible summary.

It's massively long, so this is just the first eight chapters.  

“There’s every possibility you are still in your feelings as you read this, even weeks after the finale. You are in your autonomous knee-jerk reaction, adrenaline-spike, slapped across the face, feeling-so-betrayed-right-now moment. You’re valid. That’s absolutely what’s happened… on the surface. But as you take a deep breath and begin to examine logically what’s in the show and engage with the material both in its text and subtext, you will see a new concept begin to take shape.” (Mera)

Chapter 1: Overview

Some background: Mera was involved with The Johnlock Conspiracy and believes that TJLCers weren’t wrong. (If you want a fun watch, I recommend Sarah Z’s YouTube video.) Essentially, TJLCers believe that Sherlock and Watson of BBC’s Sherlock were supposed to be endgame, and this can be proved with careful analysis. This is often paired with the idea that there is a missing fourth episode to the show’s fourth season that will eventually air and confirm all theories.

Mera defines ‘text’ and ‘subtext.’ Text is “dialogue lines / Shot choices and directions / Visible actions, describable as stage directions.” Subtext is “every single other thing, as well as what is suggested by or can be inferred from the text above.”

“Whenever something doesn’t make sense in the text, it is a BEACON (or maybe even a LIGHTHOUSE) to look at the subtext. Your subconscious mind recognizes subtext long before your conscious mind parses it -- assuming it ever does.”

The rest of the chapter is devoted to short descriptions of Mera’s key assertions with links to relevant chapters and their convention experiences. They cite talking to Con O’Neill at Florida Supercon 2023 as one of their reasons for believing so strongly that Izzy Hands is alive:

I asked him for advice in a specific time of trouble, and he gave me something real that had worked for him. I asked for a hug and he gave that also. 

As I was pulling away I said "I’m glad that I gleaned one absolutely true thing from your portrayal of Izzy." 

“What’s that?” 

I said: "The character (in my original work) that Izzy inspired – when he’s out of pain at last, it’s impossible not to love him." 

That seemed to hit him on an emotional level; he couldn’t hold my gaze after that.  He said “That’s what I’ll be taking with me today.” 

This was July 1st 2023, after completion of the filming of Season 2.  I've thought about it often as the season went on, and how it must have affected him. 

We have to love Izzy so that he'll live.

Mera spoke to Con again at NYCC:

The last thing I managed to get to say to him was: "They gave Izzy Hands a Passion Play." 

"They did?" he asked. 

"Yes, they did!" I replied. 

And I watched that brilliantly swift mind again at work, because he considered it for the briefest beat -- and said in a tone of joy: "They did; yeah, you're right!" 

I remember for the minutes and hours after I was amazed: did he not know, somehow? Did the writers not tell him (and he didn't realize at any time since) that in first quarter of the series they'd given him Gethsemane, a betrayal, a crucifixion (okay, getting shot in the leg and head, but don't get stuck on the details), a burial, and then a full on canonical resurrection?

Con then said another very important thing:

"But I got over it." 

[...]

If Izzy's dead (for real and forever dead) and he knew it, then what he said to me was on a level of cruelty that I could never countenance from him. If Izzy lives, then those words are yet another piece of proof to me that Con was clever enough to be right both for someone who'd only seen five episodes, and someone who would eventually see all eight. 

Chapter 2: The Cup and Ball Trick

The chapter is an extended “game” of cup and ball (where a ball is hidden under a cup and the guesser needs to determine which cup it’s under) interspersed with pictures from OFMD at various points in season two. It ends on a shot of Izzy’s grave where his body definitely isn’t.

The important takeaway: Izzy returns from the dead once to shoot Ed during Ed’s final suicide attempt. Ed returns from the dead after the near-fatal mutiny. Why would you think Izzy’s actually dead and in his grave at the end of the show?

“I didn't cry at the finale -- I was too filled with joy and excitement. I was Mary Magdalene at the grave; I was one of the first to know the truth of the resurrection, whether or not anyone believed me!” 

Chapter 3: OUR LOVE MEANT DEATH

"..because if [Izzy] doesn't [live], with what I know now, his death is a cruelty struck at every queer individual alive or dead since 1981.”

Mera observes that almost no one touches Izzy’s bare skin and Izzy bleeds more than any other recurring character.

There are two times someone touches Izzy’s bare skin: first when his screams are being muffled when he yells at Jim and Archie to kill him, second when Ed puts the gun in Izzy’s ungloved hand during his first go at suicide.

Conclusion: "Izzy is coded with AIDS.”

Ed holding his bloody hand up to the rest of the crew away when Izzy is dying is a “warding-off gesture.” 

Izzy is pale and sickly-looking as he’s dying. “My gorge rises. In the year of our Lord Shiva 2023 -- THEY GAVE THE MOST QUEER CODED CHARACTER ON THE SHOW A FUCKING AIDS DEATH.”

Izzy touches someone else’s bare skin twice in the show, and both instances are Ed. The first is in S1E10 “where he puts his left Death-marked hand on Edward's wrist as he's choking him.” The second is in S2E8 as he’s dying “in his ex-lover’s arms” (notably, this is the same hand with the spade tattoo).

“If Izzy's well and truly dead, for real and stays dead... He is in media both the first historically and the most recent chronologically to receive a full on AIDS death.”

“Until they prove to me and all of us that only Izzy's grief and the specter of AIDS remains in the grave -- and the rest of our beloved boy, our new unicorn (oh hey do you know what Problematic Modern Culture says about unicorn blood?), our pure-hearted risen being, our self-sacrificing queer man, will get his chance to be touched, held, kissed, and LOVED in Season 3.”

Chapter 4: “The Third Was For Death”

“Season 1 was Pinocchio: a wooden puppet wants to become a real boy -- and does!  Hip hip hooray; that was pretty easy.  Wow, the cute tall young guy of the crew lost a finger and the mean nasty short grouch that some people hate and some people like (because they understand him on a visceral, subconscious, subtextual level) lost a toe -- but if that's the worst that happens, we came out okay!”

Season two is “The Monkey’s Paw.” Mera tells the story with pictures from OFMD to emphasize the connections. Importantly, there’s an instance of a couple’s son coming back wrong after a wish (Lucius). The final wish returns the son to his previously-dead state and Mera ends on a picture of Izzy’s grave.

The cast’s and crews’ interviews might not support the real narrative because they’re not allowed to say what they want to (“Ever had to develop code language to hide your queerness from your parents, your teachers, the state?”) They’re all “in distress” and trying to tell us without telling us. 

“Why does the new (old broken down) house smell like death? Why does everything we wished for that we got feel bad? Why does everything we're supposed to be happy about feel sad? How long would it take YOU to spot someone blinking out the word T-O-R-T-U-R-E?”

Mera hopes that the next season won’t tell us certain a new story: George Orwell’s 1984.

Chapter 5: Where Were We? Oh Yes, In The Pit Of Despair

This chapter is about The Princess Bride as it relates to Izzy’s story in seasons two and three of OFMD. It’s a comparison based mostly on costumes and lines; there are no one-for-one character comparisons. Vitally, the plot of TPB is used to predict the next season of OFMD. 

Season two of OFMD ends at the part of TPB when Westley is thought to be dead (Izzy in his grave). Westley is revived, soooo…

“At what point does a preponderance of evidence flip over into fact? At what point does a handful of chance coincidences become planning and architecture? At what point do you go beyond a reasonable doubt into conviction?”

Chapter 6: Birdman and Blackbeard: Or, How To Watch Media

This chapter is about analyzing media. Once you learn how, you stop being a passive watcher.

“Instead you read its rhymes and rhythms like a sonnet. You go to the media in return – you meet it halfway, like a lover. You engage with it. You find themes embedded in the subtext that, once unearthed and examined, continue to inform and expand your experience of the text.”

“The people that like things nice and easy are the ones that watched the finale of Season 2, got angry and upset and – instead of examining those feelings and sitting with them and figuring out why everything felt weird and fucky – wrote it off as bad writing and cruel showrunners, and are already onto the next piece of media to pour into their open eyes and ears.”

And that’s fine! But if you like to think, you interrogate the media and see what else it’s saying.

Mera summarizes The Hero’s Journey through the lens of Orpheus’ story.

Season two mirrors season one almost too well. “...Why are they recreating their first season almost beat by beat? Why is this “second verse, same as the first – only a little bit louder and (in many cases) worse? Then Episode 8 hit… and I realized. They wanted to make sure that, in every conceivable way, the fans had a subtextual map of the meaning of Episode 8. So the mirrors between seasons had to line up almost exactly.”

Now we go into the three-act structure and how the hero’s journey maps onto it. Mera then uses Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) and to show how they personally analyze meta, but I don’t care nearly enough about what they’ve gleaned from Birdman to go into it here. You’ll have to go read it yourself if you want their methods.

“Remember: Everything on screen in the finished and published movie is a choice. If something doesn’t make sense on a textual level, it is often a signpost (or LIGHTHOUSE) to look at it on a subtextual level.”

Mera points to an article about three-act structure and notes that “fun and games” is both part of that author’s second act and the title of an OFMD episode. 

“Are we being fucked with? Or are we being instructed?”

Chapter 7: If You Strip Away The Myth From The Man

It’s the Jesus Christ Superstar chapter and it’s massive. I’m only including the most substantial comparisons and points.

Mera starts by linking to a gifset of Con talking about Taika saying that Izzy and Blackbeard are comparable to Judas and Jesus (and then Taika and Con sang songs from JCS while getting their makeup done). Notably, Con didn’t specify which character was which.

Blackbeard is a myth created by (of) two men, Ed and Izzy. “there's always two male bodies involved: Jesus and Judas, and both sacrifice themselves to the cause.”

It’s easy to say that Izzy is Judas, but wait -- there’s a better and deeper interpretation! Look at this picture from S1 that resembles the Last Supper and frames Izzy as Jesus! “Now I finally understood. Sure: Izzy is Judas-coded. That's plain for anyone to see. But Izzy is also Jesus-coded… from the under/reverse side.”

Izzy is Jesus-coded for all of season one (even more than Ed), and the comparison is solidified by the end of S2E3: “Izzy Hands is almost fully and directly Jesus-coded, and after Ed's own resurrection (not as an agape-love self-sacrifice for the saving of others, but through selfish personal/eros love alone) Edward is now obviously the betrayer of the whole crew who is permitted to stay aboard only on terms of sackcloth clothing and uneasy tolerance.”

Judas died by hanging himself according to the Gospel of Matthew. The only characters we see hanging are Ed and Stede, which clearly aligns them with Judas. 

Izzy is a good person. He cares about the crew; Ed never does. When Izzy’s wrong, he fesses up to it and apologies; Ed does not (or when he does, the apologies are bad). “Does he lie?  Yes, ostensibly to protect his captain and crew. Is he fairly mean to the Revenge crew until they [...] become his crew? Pretty much, although I could argue otherwise in places -- especially the fact that while Ed throws Lucius violently and bodily off the ship without any warning, Izzy carefully puts the crew on a safe island with a minor fuckery of his own to keep them calm and happy until he leaves. (It's obviously not Edward's idea, although he does permit Izzy to put himself between the deadly Kraken and the Revenge's crew in order to accomplish it.) Is he selfish? Yes, and who of us aren’t sometimes selfish about the people we love?”

Jesus and Judas have massive amounts of sexual tension (yeah, can confirm). Izzy is Jesus-coded because, while he doesn’t initiate contact like Jesus does in JCS, he’s always looking directly at Ed. Ed is Judas-coded because he has a hard time looking at Izzy and finds it difficult to touch him.

“...If Izzy Hands is a queer man who is Jesus-coded, who we see go through not one but TWO passion plays during Season 2... [near-death after having his leg removed, end-of-season death] he is conquering the death of HIV/AIDS and queer grief. He has to die so that he can vanquish that very real death, and arise again triumphant over it.”

“One direct correspondence with Jesus is that Izzy is convinced of one right way to be (whether or not it actually is), and everything outside of that offends him viscerally at this point in the series.” Izzy is convinced that there’s one right way to be a pirate, and Stede’s fucking that up.

And back to AIDS/reverse-Jesus Izzy: “Now among the lepers we're back to the reversal: no one touches Izzy. He’s desperate for it yet can never allow it. Jesus’s touch, kiss, love cures – and everyone seeks it and craves it. They demand it, they swamp and overwhelm him. Jesus's naked touch/kiss/love cures disease -- Izzy's carries and spreads it.”

“Judas/Edward makes his deal with the priesthood/King George to betray Jesus/Izzy – his price is 30 pieces of silver/Stede’s life.” That is, Ed is the one doing the betraying in season one. 

But the real betrayal happens when he cuts off Izzy’s toe and feeds it to him while he’s vulnerable. Important note for the AIDS stuff: “...Edward puts on leather gauntlets immediately prior to this assault -- he ‘gloves up.’ He doesn't have direct naked contact with Izzy's blood or flesh during this scene.” The toe-feeding scene is absolutely framed as sexual assault.

And the toe thing continues into season two. “Sit with that also for a moment: the faux consent of making Izzy remove his own clothing to bare his body parts for this violation. Is it too far a stretch to think that Ed also made him eat each one, in their own private, gristly sacrament? He did threaten to ‘feed him the rest’ after all.”

Here is the outline of Izzy’s first “passion play”:

Izzy's Last Supper: all the toes eaten before as well as the one threatened now. 

Izzy's Gethsemane, wherein he begs his God for the cup to be removed: he tries to bargain his and the crew's way out with his conversation with Blackbeard, to find an alternative to the self-destructive violence. 

Izzy is betrayed by his Judas (again): shot in the leg for the 'crime' of mentioning Stede Bonnet's name, or Blackbeard's affection toward him. 

Izzy descends into the grave: lays in a secret tunnel in what we can believe is the lowest part of the ship, while rotting enough to be smelled throughout.

 Izzy dies: he shoots himself in the head and both we and Blackbeard believe him to be dead.

Izzy is risen: he hauls himself up out of his own grave without assistance from anyone else, crawls to the main deck, reloads his pistol somewhere along the way -- and shows himself to his followers crew at last, in order to bring about their salvation.

Con himself said that this is a passion play, and it takes up a massive chunk of the first part of the season. You don’t throw something massive like that into a show unless you’ve got something bigger coming.

But Judas dies before OFMD ends (mapping OFMD onto JCS), so now who is Ed? He’s Pontius Pilate. There’s the whipping of Jesus (Izzy’s back scars), then Pilate kneels down to hold the bleeding Jesus in his arms. It’s this specific Pieta statue.

“Izzy has to die to conquer his own living death, to end the curse that has kept him untouchable and unable to be loved as he so desperately desires.” There’s the crucifixion for you. Izzy dies and is buried, and we’re still waiting on the resurrection. 

The last shot in JCS is of the empty cross; the last shot of OFMD S2 is Izzy’s grave. “If the cross in the last and arguably the most significant shot of JCS symbolizes the triumph of resurrection and rebirth... the one in OFMD S2 must also.”

Alex Sherman liked one of Mera’s Izzy Lives tweets that he was tagged in. 

Chapter 8: The Dual Substance Of Christ

Now we’re looking at The Last Temptation of Christ. This is another long and involved one, so I’m cutting a lot of minor things that don’t serve the overall meta. (I also know fuck-all about this movie, oops.)

“An argument can be made (and I will attempt it) that Judas in this instance is not only the show creators/writers room of OFMD who had to put their much beloved boy Izzy Hands through all this agony... but also we the Unseen Crew who adore him, who have suffered alongside him through all he's endured, and who want nothing more than to have him back and whole in resurrected triumph.”

TLTC presents another reason to identify Lucius with Mary Magdalene (and notably, Jesus can’t touch Mary -- because Izzy is AIDS-coded). Once again, there’s an immense amount of sexual tension between Jesus and Judas.

This Jesus is angry and this God is fearsome. Judas does a lot of slamming-Jesus-into-walls, much like Ed and Izzy in S1E10. 

Jesus confirms that he is a heart and he loves, which solidifies Izzy’s position as the heart of Blackbeard. 

In his final trial in the desert, Jesus’ final tempter appears as flames. Izzy and Ed both play with flames when they lie.

“Izzy is pretty much Jesus-coded as I explained in the JCS meta… but here also due to the timing and content of this scene, Izzy’s also Lazarus-coded.He dies, he goes into the pit of the grave, he smells of rot, then he is raised from the dead.” Lazarus and Izzy both have a rough time of being alive again and drink about it. 

Jesus says “I have to die on the cross, and I have to die willingly.” This parallels Izzy saying that he wants to go when he’s dying. Judas doesn’t want Jesus to die, which puts him more in line with Jenkins and company than any characters.

“But Izzy has to die, in order to conquer death. He’s lived with the specter of HIV/AIDS that has separated him from loving touch and the sharing of physical intimacy. He has to go into the grave to leave his disease and his queer grief behind, and to be reborn to love.”

On the cross, Jesus says, “Father, stay with me. Don’t leave me.” As he’s dying, Izzy tells Ed, “Sit with me, Eddie.” 

“I feel sick, and I think I’m supposed to. It’s supposed to hurt. Both Izzy's death and Jesus's crucifixion are supposed to be two of the realest and most awful and most beautiful things I’ve ever seen on television.”

In TLTJ, there’s an extended part of the movie where Jesus is in a kind of gravy basket. The events are all kind of odd. They involve Jesus sleeping with Mary (the reborn unicorn, free of AIDS and safe to touch). Jesus returns to his body, suffers, and dies.

TLTJ doesn’t cover Jesus’ resurrection. “We have to trust what we know of the story: that Jesus is risen, and only death itself remains in his grave.”

--

On to the next!

[shortbeantum]

It's been a hot minute since I've posted a gemsona. I have a few cool ideas that I've wanted to do for a while but haven't really had the time. The only reason I did this was because I needed a bit of destress from studying for finals (wish me luck!). I guess I'll go into the lore info now lmao

Gem: Moonstone

Gender: Female

Court: Any

Purpose: Sings for the Diamonds to entertain them.

Weapon(s)/Power(s): Powerful voice that can reach deafening levels if the gem so chooses

Voice: Michella Moss

I had this idea for Moonstone when I decided I wanted a gem that's whole purpose was to sing for the Diamonds. I know that the pearls have already been used for that (such as for What's the Use of Feeling Blue) but I figured that the pearls would only be used when a moonstone wasn't immediately available. I designed her based off an opera singer because I feel like that kind of music would be something the Diamonds would listen to. My very first draft of her was her head looking like a music note but I couldn't really figure out how to incorporate that into her design without having it look awkward so I resorted to the spheres because I felt they still looked alien and other-worldly. I also debated whether she should be a fusion of Sapphire and Pearl because honestly, the design ended up looking like it. I ultimately decided against it because I felt like I could do more with her character if she was separate from the gems we already know, but I wouldn't be opposed to a fusion of Sapphire and Pearl being a moonstone, much like Sapphire and Ruby form a garnet, which already exists on Homeworld. Also, I imagine her voice would have the ability to be deafening loud, like a banshee. Finding her voice was tough for me. I had considered Kristen Chenoweth for a while but I felt like her voice was too high for me. I also looked at Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Emma Rossum (Phantom of the Opera), and Emily Rohm (Ride the Cyclone). I eventually settled on Michella Ross (FNAF voice of Ballora) because she has such a mature, deep, and sultry voice. This was pretty close to what I wanted Moonstone to sound like.

Total drawing time took about 2 hours, but technically the whole process took like 3 years since I came up with her concept in 2021.

On a sorta related note, I wanna start using text watermarks because they're easier to read than my signature so if my artwork is ever stolen, I can easily be identified by just looking at the watermark.

[ericcarrshairbrush]

Eric Carr x Reader but it's a fluffy smut bc y/n (female ofc) is a total anxiety freak who's part of KISS crew (best friend and someone who works for and help the band) and I'm picturing some sort of pre-show thing 😶‍🌫️

I'm sorry it took a while. But I had to find the right words haha. I really love this idea, and I hope it's how you picured it. And if you want anything changed let me know😌 Now I won't waste any more of your time. Let's just get right into it😅

___________________________________________

⚠️Extreme Smut⚠️

Also... I know the picture is from 1981

and not 1980 but... LET'S JUST SAY IT IS🤣🤣

___________________________________________

{🤍The drummer isn't so innocent after all🤍}

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

It's a Sunday morning in July 1980. The window shakes and rattles by the strong wind blowing outside, waking you up from your sleep.

You grunt and throw the pillow over your face to try and muffle the incredibly, annoying sound from the window.

You clunch the pillow and let out a roar as you throw it across the room. Stroking your palms over your face before angleling your head towards your alarm clock.

"FUCK!" You shout out as you throw yourself out of bed.

You jump around the apartment with your pants half pulled up in complete and utter stress before you throw yourself for the car keys and rush out the door.

You rush to your car and insert the key. "Come on you bastard!" You scream out when the car doesn't start. "You goddamn pile of junk!" You hit the dashboard with full force, causing the engine to react.

When you finally arrive at work, you see Bill, their manager. Standing with his arms crossed and a tired expression on his face. “This is the fourth time y/l/n…” He sighs.

"I know I~" You tried to explain yourself, but you knew it would just be the same excuse as always.

"You overslept..." He continued, knowing exacly what you were going to say.

"I'm sorry! I... It won't happen again!"

"It better not!"

You opened your mouth to say something, but he just gave you a glare saying 'go to work.'

Since Eric was quite new to the band, he needed some help with his makeup, and since you always worked with him, and often talked, a friendship bonded.

"It's worse isn't it?' He suddenly asked as you helped him with his 'The Fox' makeup.

You stopped the brush, almost smearing the black paint over the white.

"What?"

"Your anxiety?"

You didn't answer, you just kept painting his face. Which caused him to grab your slim wrist with his big, veiny hand.

Your breath hitched as you looked down at his hand holding you, before meeting his eyes.

'His fucking eyes...' Your subconscious said blushing.

"Y/n..." He began, his brown eyes looking deep into yours. Continuing. "...I've noticed... You can't concentrate and you have trouble sleeping."

He let go of your tiny wrist, leaving a weird disappointment over you. Because... You didn't want him to let go.

"I'm fine..." You just said, trying to ignore the sudden feeling he gave you... Desire...

"You're not."

"How do you know that?"

"Because your hands are shaking."

'It's you who's causing that...' Your subconscious softly whispered.

"Hey..." He said, howering forward when you didn't answer. "...I know It's difficult for you but... I just want you to be okay..."

You didn't listen... Not at his words anyway...

'Imagine that fat cock under that tight costume of his.'

"I gotta go!" You said when you heard your subconscious.

"You okay?"

"Yeah! I just... I need to go..." You quickly walked away. Entering the closet, where you kept all of their costumes and shoes.

You instantly closed the door, putting your knuckles against your skull while breathing heavily. Why did you just think that? That has never happened?! "What the fuck y/n?!" You said to yourself.

You clenched your eyes as you heard his voice call your name on the other side of the door.

"Y/n? Are you alright?"

'No... Because I just thought about your cock...' You thought to yourself, and as you did. You felt a comfortable lump form in your throat, swallowing it down.

"Y/n... I'm... I'm coming in..." He said with his soft, innocent voice as he turned the doorknob to the closet.

You slowly turned around, facing the door as he stepped in.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he reached his hands up, moving your arms down, your knuckels away from your skull.

That same touch... The touch he gave you at the desk moments ago.

He was so gentle, yet you could feel every muscle.

"I was thinking..." You lied...

"In the closet?" He chuckled. His chuckle... His voice... His touch... He was making you feel so many things, things you couldn't explain.

"Hey... You sure you're alright?" He asked. You just ignored him. You didn't know what to say. The closet was so small, and you were so close to eachother.

"Y/n..." He said in a whisper as he put his thumb under your chin, tilting your head up to look into his eyes. "...What's wrong?"

"Eric..." You bit your lip... Not knowing how to continue.

He now also seemed to notice how close you actually were, since you saw the look in his eyes change.

Your breathing became heavier as that same lump formed in your throat, that comfortable... horny... lump...

'Kiss me! Kiss me Eric!' Your subconscious yelled.

He started stroking your bottom lip with his thumb, inching closer. "What are you doing to me?" He said, voice low.

You just looked at him, you were so shocked, so surprised, so horny.

"I don't know..." You said, nearly moaning from the clenching deep down in your stomach.

"Fuck the others!" He then said after hearing your voice, locking the door behind him as his lips pressed against yours.

You gasped in shock, making his tongue slip into your mouth.

Your hands instantly wandered up his chest, digging your fingertips into his shoulders as your tongues dances with eachother.

He moaned from the sensation and pushed you against the wall, making some things fall down the shelves.

You gasped into your kiss as his hard boner pressed against your pelvis.

You eagerly started unhooking his belt, hearing it rattle as the metalic peices collided.

He went down and kissed your neck, pressing his big hands against your breasts. Your nipples hardening at his touch.

You moaned, but bit your lip to not be too loud, not wanting the others to hear you.

"Fuck, your moans make me so hard!" He groaned as he reached up again. Kissing your lips hard as he slid his muscular hands down, unzipping your pants and sliding them off your feet.

You moaned into his mouth as you felt his hand carres your now naked leg, lifing it up against his hip.

His other hand slid down under your panties, sliding one finger between your folds.

"You're so wet..." He whispered into your kiss , feeling your legs begin to weaken as the muscles deep down in your abdomen began to clench in the most pleasurable way.

He began making circular movements before sliding in two of his wide fingers into you.

You moaned out as you threw your forehead against his shoulder, feeling the muscles clench even more, and you couldn't control the noises that came out of you.

His hand shaked in your panties as he curled his fingers up and down rapidly, hitting all of your sensitive spots.

You gasped for air, tearing up as you tightened around his fingers.

You were so close, but right when you were about to come, he removed his fingers.

You looked up at him in despair and confusion. Why did he stop?

You swallowed hard as you watched him put the fingers in his mouth, tasting your salty aroma.

He slid them out slowly before removing his shirt, revieling his hairy chest.

Then you heard that same familiar rattling sound... His belt...

You glanced down, seeing his hand, then his other, unzip his pants and slide them off.

You instantly bit your lip as his hard, thick, veiny cock sprung free. It was so huge... So thick... And you felt your arousal return, but this time... Even more intense.

You've heard people speculate on it's size, that it was around 10 inches or so. Well... They were right...

"Strip..." He commanded, his voice now more low and dominant...

'Fuck...' Your subconscious said speechless...

You quickly obeyed him, taking off the rest of your clothes before he snatched the panties from your grip, bringing them to his nose and sniffing them.

"Mmm...." He groaned. "You smell so good." He thew them to the floor before pinning you to the wall again, and you arched your neck as he lifted you off your feet, placing your legs on each side of his hips as he positioned himself, slowly sliding in and filling you up.

You gasped for air as he stretched you out, feeling every nerve end explode in pleasure.

You teared up and moaned loudly as he began to move faster, feeling his cock grind against your tight walls. He groaned and found your lips, kissing you hard as he fucked you against the wall, grabbing one of your breasts in his hand and squeezing it intensly as he bit your lip.

You felt something build up... Oh no... Already?

He also seemed to reach his climax as he started moaning more and louder.

"Fuck I'm gonna cum!" He growled out of your kiss, arching his neck as he grabbed both of your hips, switching up the angle a little, perfectly hitting your g-spot, making your vision go white as your eyes rolled back with your moan stuck in your throat.

You couldn't hold it back anymore... You couldn't...

And you came hard, squirting all over his cock.

He moaned from the sensation of your walls wrapping around him. Emtying his balls, his warm, salty load filling you up.

He let you down, making you fall into his arms. Your legs were shaking and exhausted and when you looked up... his makeup was all smeared. His black fox features had melted from his sweat, running down his white face.

And when you cleaned yourselves up, put your clothes back on and went out... Everyone was looking at you... Which made you realize...

Everyone heard everything...

[authorsadiethatcher]

Summer is here. While much of the USA has already experienced exceptionally hot temperatures, this coming weekend brings that weather to where I live. I'm set up just fine for it, but it will still be hot.

I ended up skipping writing a State of the Thatcher Address in June. The start of the month was busy and by the time I had time to write one, the month was over halfway over. But now it's July and I'm definitely not missing it this time. I feel like the image I selected for this month is a good summer image. She dressed for the heat.

This is also a good time to mention that my writing goals in the past two months did not always happen, especially when it came to my fantasy writing. I've also tried a few new things recently, which I hope readers have enjoyed. More about what to expect this month further down.

A quick reminder that you can find my books on Amazon, Smashwords, Google Play Books, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Everand. You can also read everything I’ve published under my Sadie Thatcher name since last May on Ream, which is a subscription platform built specifically for authors. You can check out my Ream page below.

Ream: https://reamstories.com/sadiethatcher

And speaking of Ream, I have a Ream exclusive novel called The Muse (extreme dollification) that is now complete. I’ve made the first three chapters available for free. All you have to do is sign up as a follower at the link above to get a taste of my first real story that is too extreme for Amazon. I'm thinking about writing another Ream exclusive, but I haven't had any ideas for it yet.

I also post the occasional bit of flash fiction for followers on Ream. I have one up already and plan to post another one this week. As soon as I’m inspired, I’ll add a new mini-story to Ream.

On the Libby Feron front, my fantasy writing has stalled. I have shiny object syndrome. I keep getting new ideas that distract me before I can finish anything. My current novel plan is to write a fantasy novel with time travel and that is heavily inspired by Cinderella. But with the time travel element, I need to get multiple timelines figured out before I begin writing. Hopefully soon. Since I don’t talk about my fantasy writing often, checking out https://libbyferon.com/ and signing up for the email newsletter is the best way to stay informed. At some point, there will be a free novella offered.

Now it’s time to talk about what to expect this month. First, I just released the first story in the Bimbo Religion Series. The first book is about the beginning of this new religion. The second book will be about getting an influential person to adopt it. The third book will be about converting an entire town. That third book will also include a return to Bimboton, which showed up in a Christmas story from a few years ago.

I also have a series in the works that will include rewriting people's lives to bimbofy them. This will be a classic three bimbos in three books series, which was my original bread and butter. It should be fun.

And finally, at the end of the month I will be introducing a series that is inspired by the Olympics called The Bimbo Games. Actually, I got the idea from the Enhanced Games, which is just dumb, but what better way to call something out than by parodying it. I don't know exactly how the books will work yet, but expect some fun there.

That's it for July. If I'm not writing this month, I will either be out running, hiking, or on my brand new paddle board. Have fun, everyone, and stay cool out there.

[tollingreminiscentbells]

Hi there! I just finished devouring your accu au and just. Wow. I had to say something, because I haven't enjoyed a fic like that in a while. I'm very, very, VERY picky with my smut - especially when it comes to alastor, ESPECIALLY when he is actively being tagged as ace - and I am pleased to say that the emotional and physical intimacies of your writing truly astounded me. Not only did I, as an ace, feel comfortable with the scenes, but I enjoyed them and the way Alastor interacted with them. His "delusional" not-sex moments were my absolute favourite, and I found myself smiling when he would defend his view of sex. Obviously everyone is different, but for me personally, I feel like you are one of very few writers who actually got the asexual-but-not-sex-repulsed bit perfect. I truly related to some moments and the relationship between Al and Lucifer was so understanding that it made everything feel fluid and real. To me, smut is something that I find boring half the time - the times I do enjoy it are always when there's some juicy character growth mixed in, and your writing has that in spades. I applaud your skills. Accu made me so happy to read; it was an absolute delight. When I saw on your tumblr here that you're working on another fic, I thought I might be in heaven. I am so terribly excited to see what you've been working on, especially with all the history and research you've mentioned putting in to this new fic.

I also read your Alastor selfcest fic, and as someone who is quite easily swayed by selfcest, I must say that I enjoyed that one, too. I would love to hear what other fantastic Alastor ideas are in that intelligent, magnificent brain of yours.

In the interest of forcing this to become the norm instead of hiding behind my anxiety, I am extending a formal invitation to chat about hazbin or whatever else if you so desire. I would love to talk about ships and fics and be friends. Of course, no hard feelings if not!

I wish you all the best and hope this long-ass comment finds you well. May you continue to write what pleases you. Thank you for your time.

Love and Support, Loliqua

Oh, thank you so much for this message! It's delightful and made my day! I've said before that I consider A Terrible Beauty, specifically, some of the best writing I've done in probably the last 5 years, and that whole AU is very special to me. It makes me happy beyond words, really, when other people love those fics like I do.

It's funny. When I started writing for this fandom I didn't talk about my own asexuality. I actually didn't consider it relevant information at the time. I've talked about all of this since then, but I write Alastor's relationship with sex in a way that is similar to my own. I write sex scenes for the character development and these particular sex scenes are a reflection of real lived experience. Genuine ace rep, you could say. I think that's what resonates with some readers and I'm just so glad that it landed with you!

When people talk to me about All changed, the two things most frequently mentioned are "I love him violently", and the delusional not-sex. And you know, if that is my legacy in this fandom, I will feel like I did my part and made a worthwhile contribution.

And I am indeed working on another fic! A Momentary Radiance, wherein Alastor sells his soul to Lucifer while still alive, kills a few people, and romance ensues. A lot of references and homages, as well as the historical fiction aspect, which you'll see most clearly in the content of Alastor's radio show. I took a more traditional approach with this fic, so I've been working on it quietly since early July. Despite my major international move not long ago, we are finally almost across the finish line.

Then there are . . . several other fic ideas that I'm trying to ignore for now. It's getting out of hand. And if you want to hear about the madness, I am always more than happy to make friends!

💜

[books-and-strawberry-tea]

Books I Bought This Past Month And A Bit

Yeah, I may have a problem. But life is stressful atm so let me have my process.

Some of these I've already read but others I have ready for October, some I have for after when I wanna read something lighter since it's spring and summer will be here soon enough.

So happy I found myself a copy of Lucy Undying. Had no idea it was releasing in Australia similar time to the rest of the world. (Yes...unfortunately that is still common here. Looking at you 'The Thirteenth Child', March next year my arse. My Scottish friend has my back there.)

I'm also really excited to read 'The Death of Dora Black', the story is inspired by the first female Australian police officer and I'm all for women being included. (This also hits home a bit cause my grandma was also one of the first female police officers, only in Scotland rather than Australia. My grandad was also a detective at Scotland Yard. It's how they met, really cute story like jskdhfgabklusyjdgfb.)

I finally caved and bought 'Once Upon a Broken Heart', I much preferred the American cover. The bright pink of the Australian cover was just too much (even though I adore pink), but this blue did look nice too.

I'm doing a buddy read with a friend and we have chosen 'The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires'. I'm so pumped cause I don't often get to buddy read.

'The Book of Eve' is written in a really interesting but odd way. I've read the first few chapters but this one is going to take me a while to read for sure.

'Her Soul to Take' has been a really frustrating one to get a hold of. Amazon sent me the wrong version TWICE. I purchased the bonus chapter version. But they said I could keep it and gave me refund so HELL YEAH!!

And ofc I have the new covers of Haunting and Hunting Adeline. I love that series so much. Now just to get an original copy of Hunting Adeline so I can annotate it and add it to my collection. Amazon unfortunately screwed up again which is why I currently do not have the original cover. These books are honestly so hard to get here. It's driving me insane. Even second hand copies of this book goes for $40-$50 AUD. I'm legit crying. If anyone has a copy they don't want that's in good condition PLEASE hit me up.

I bought a GORGEOUS version of 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue', I've never bought a book like this and when I saw it I just could not help myself. The pretty sprayed edges and the art on the inside I just couldn't say no!

Of course if you've seen my other posts recently you'd know I have been OBSESSED with Erin A. Craig. And I'm currently reading through 'Small Favours' at the moment. Only a few chapters in but it's tickling my brain in a good way so far.

And 'Grimstone'!!! I'm so excited to finally have a copy. I had it preordered since July. So excited to get to it once I've finished all the main books I wanna read first.

If you got this far, honestly, thank you. I know this post is just an excited ramble but it's just fun to ramble about things you like. Leave a bee emoji if you read it all.

Have a good day!